The Herd with Colin Cowherd - The Herd-HOUR 2-Seahawks, OSU

Episode Date: August 12, 2020

Colin explains the problems with the Seattle Seahawks, college football becoming regional, and why he feels bad for Ohio State University.Guests: Andrew Whitworth, Rob Parker Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is an I-Heart podcast. Guaranteed Human. Another podcast from some SNL, late-night comedy guy, not quite. Unhumor me with Robert Smygel and friends. Me and hilarious guests from Bob Odenkirk to David Letterman help make you funnier. This week, my guest, SNL's Mikey Day and head writer, Streeter Seidel, help an a cappella band with their between songs banter.

Where does your group perform? We do some retirement homes. Those people are starving for banter. Listen to humor me with Robert Smigel and friends on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal, but encouraged. It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque.

Others say it's unleashing human potential. Either way, the podcast's Superhuman documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year. Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the IHard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. A win is a win.

A win is a win. I don't care what I'm saying. Yep, that's me, Clifford Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, my basketball and college football journey, or my career in sports media. Well, now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifers Show. This is a place for raw, unfilled conversations with athletes,

creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. So let's get to it. Listen to the Clifford show on the Iheart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok's podcast network on TikTok. On the Look Back at it podcast.

For 1979, that was a big moment for me. 84's big to me. I'm Sam J. And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick a year, unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it. With our friends, fellow comedians,

and favorite authors. Like Mark Lamont Hill on the 80s. 84 was a wild year. I don't think there's a more important year for black people. Listen to look back at it on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Thanks for listening to The Heard podcast. Be sure to catch us live every weekday from 12 to 3 Eastern, 9 to noon Pacific on Fox Sports Radio and FS1. Find your local station for the herd at Fox Sports Radio.com or stream us live every day on the IHeartRadio app by searching Heard. You're listening to Fox Sports Radio. Here we go, hour two.

Great to have you in. Live in Los Angeles. It's called The Herd, wherever you may be and however you may be listening. We're on Fox Sports Radio right here, FS1. Joy Taylor is joining me. Andrew Whitworth, Pro Bowl left tackle for the Rams. Hard Knocks started last night. I think Rick Bucher's coming by today.

Brock Heward last hour. Joy, how are you? I'm good. Hard knocks was good last night. It was very interesting. Yeah, a lot of COVID stuff. Yes. But I was interested to see what,

some of the protocols were because we have protocols to come to work. Yeah. And obviously we're still socially distance and wear masks as soon as we step off of the set. But there are, you know, football's a little more intimate. So I think it's very interesting the procedures and everything that they're doing. Yeah, I mean, they have 325 pound players who tackle each other. So it's like.

So they're only doing walkthroughs in, in this Hard Knocks episode. So there's not really any contact yet. But it's still very interesting. Yeah. So I did my, yesterday at this time, I did my NFL predictions. Yes, and you upset a lot of people. Yeah, Raider fans were outraged. Seattle fans were not, but I downgraded Seattle two wins.

And I thought about downgrading them a third over the last couple of months. I have Seattle as a wild card team only. Ram Seahawks, it was a coin flip. I just think Russell Wilson will end up winning a game. Four things about Seattle, which I think are undeniable. The Jamal Adams trade, they gave up too much, feels a little desperate, trying to cover up for other inadequacies. Their offense is outdated, Jurassic.

That's not an argument. Their offensive and defensive line regression is not, it's bad. They have the lowest rated defensive London football. That's with Pete Carroll. And they're no longer elite at drafting. Way too many misses last several years. Bill Barnwell's a really smart guy, does a lot of analytic stuff, agrees with me.

He said the Seahawks formula is difficult to sustain. The strategy is bizarre. Pete Carroll mostly runs the football, middling average game plans, and then they need Russell Wilson to save them. In fact, the Seahawks Barnwell notes won six games last year, trailing at half. That's tied for the second most ever since 1970.

It's rare to see a team that trails at half win games. They do for one reason, Russell Wilson. What Seattle has really become to me is the Houston Texans. which is a bad offensive line and a star athletic quarterback is asked to save the day and often does. And a defense with one or two stars which hide the truth. It's not very good. That's what Seattle's become. I'm not anti-Pete Carroll, but I live in Southern California where Pete's an icon and a legend.

And people are like, oh, you're tough on Pete. No, I'm not tough on honesty. They have bad offensive line play. They have an outdated offense. They trail at halftime. Too often Russell Wilson has to save them. They're the Houston Texans. And the only difference is if you look at Seattle's record and compared to Houston, Seattle usually gets one more win.

That's because Russell's better than Deshawn and usually saves one more game. But, you know, Seattle is a team that I think Pete now has too much power. Is he near 70? Paul Allen's death, untimely sad, has given all the power in the organization to Pete. I think he controls draft day, free agent signings. and I don't like where they're going. I think Russell Wilson is holding this thing afloat, and I think Deshawn Watson is mostly doing the same in Houston.

So college football, the Big Ten and the Pac-12 have canceled. So is the Ivy League, the Mountain West, and the Mac. But the Big Ten, the Pac-12, we watch them on TV. They're canceled. The ACC, the SEC, and the Big 12 are fighting it. They release schedules for the Big 12 today. I think all of college football will be shut down here in a week or two. but I'm hoping it's not.

I'm a huge fan of college football. One of the problems with college football, and I've been addressing this for about five years. I used to talk a lot more college football. It's become very regional. The minute you become regional as a sport, I can't talk about you as much. I'm a national guy.

I'm doing a national show. College football has become too southern. Nothing against the South. But that's where all the fans are. Northeast doesn't care. Midwest is hit and miss. Denver West. I see the numbers.

I see the ratings. It's too regionalized. In fact, this morning, with the PACT 12 and Big 10 out, let's put a map up. These are the ACC, Big 12 and SCT teams that will be playing the games

we'll watch this year if we get just ACC, Big 12, and SEC. There's the map for the radio audience. It's Notre Dame and a bunch of schools in Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Florida, and Georgia. That looks like a college hockey footprint, except they'd be in the Northeast. College hockey is not a national sport. It's regional. Now, I think it's very solvable.

I think you can do two things to solve this regional problem. Number one, right now, teams get 85 scholarships per team. Make it 70. If Clemson and Alabama both had 50 fewer scholarships, those players would go to other teams in the conference. Alabama wouldn't have a third running back better than Florida's first. Reduce scholarships. Spread the talent out. The second thing is create an advisory board that makes schedules. Nick Saban, Dabo Sweeney, should not be making schedules.

Can you imagine Doc Rivers saying, I don't want to play the Lakers here, I want to play the Lakers there. I don't want to travel east here. When's the last time Alabama went out of conference on the road? And the only reason they're going to do it in the future because they've taken a ton of heat from guys like me who keeps saying, give me a break. You don't get, if you had an advisory board for the schedule,

you get one cupcake and then you go into 10 games in conference, period. Nick Saban can't say, you know, what about Towson State here? No, no, no, those are all off. You get one. And if you do plan out a conference game against a Power 5 team, Every other year you've got to go on the road. So just spread the scholarships out, 70 per team. And the NFL is a more violent game, right, than college football.

Significantly, they have 55 players. You get 70. You get 15 more players. And you can also, by the way, all these programs have walk-ons. You can have another seven walk-on guys that can play special teams. But if you reduce the scholarships per team, you don't get these juggernauts who have four-star guys literally don't play. Everybody's got two good running backs, and that's it.

You don't get a third great running back. And what it does is it means Purdue is closer to Michigan. It doesn't mean Purdue's better than Michigan. Michigan will always be better over the course of 20 years. But they're closer, and Michigan will win two of three, not nine of ten. And Alabama will be better than, you know, everybody in their conference. But they'll lose more in conference. And let's, for God's sakes, let's stop giving coaches a say in the schedules.

Have an advisory board that makes schedule. Have a professional schedule board. And everybody plays the same number of conference games. Everybody gets one out of conference game. You don't get buys before your big rival. And yet when you go out of conference, you have to play real team sometimes on the road. So show that map again because this is what college football has become. If it holds, if the Big Ten and Pac-12 are the only.

conferences to bail on college football this for. That's what it's going to look like, which is just a more dramatized version of what it's felt like for the last 15 years. That's not good for a sport. When USC and Texas, when the sport was less regional, played the national championship, it got a 22 rating. That's like the Olympics. I mean, that 22 rating is like what election coverage gets, right?

Like, that is massive. Ratings now are like 15, 16s. It's like that's 30% less of a rating, 30, 35%. And it's not like the teams are bad. Clemson's unbelievable. Alabama's unbelievable. LSU may have been the best college football team we've ever seen. And the numbers are down 35%.

People that don't like the NBA complain about ratings. But there are stars all over the country. They're in Milwaukee. They're in Oklahoma City. They're in Miami. They're in Portland. The stars in college football are all jammed down into one region. You want to become a better version of college hockey?

I don't think you do. There you go. By the way, I do feel bad for Ohio State. So Ohio State is the one real national title contender that has had its football season canceled. They're preseason number one. Ohio State's been great for 100 years, but they finally got the best quarterback they've ever had, Justin Fields. The best quarterback Ohio State's ever had. They finally hit the home run. They got a guy that could be a number one or two pick and the season canceled.

And I've always said Ohio State is the only SEC team from the first. the north between stadium, money, history, passion, commitment, facilities, NFL bodies in a roster. Ohio State is an SEC committed program. Buckeye Nation is going bonkers this morning. They're really ticked off and I totally sympathize and I get it. If I could add a little consolation, a little comfort for Ohio State. I mean, Ohio State football got through the Spanish flu and two world wars. They're not getting through this. I understand the dismay and the anger. I get it. here's where I would offer comfort. My prediction is by Friday, another major conference is out,

and in two weeks, three weeks, they're all probably out. I think the medical stuff we're hearing, I think we're just, we're real close. I don't think PAC 12, I'll just say, Big Ten, Pac-12 are not the only conferences that are canceling it. It's my prediction, because I do that here occasionally. Andrew Whitworth, one of the best left tackles in football. Hard Knocks Ram is going to be joining us.

It's the herd. Want more herd? The herd streams 24 hours a day, seven days a week, within the IHard Radio app. Search Hurd to listen live or on demand whenever you'd like. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal but encouraged. It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque.

Others say it's unleashing human potential. Either way, the podcast Superhuman documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year. Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the I-Hard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care which I'm saying.

Yep, that's me, Cliver Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, the reactions, my journey from basketball. basketball to college football or my career in sports media. Well, somewhere along the way, this platform became bigger than I ever imagined. And now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifford Show. This is a place for raw, unfiltered conversations with some of your favorite athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. One week, I'll take you behind the scenes of the biggest moments in sports and entertainment,

and the next we'll talk about life, mental health, purpose, and even music. The Clifford Show isn't just a podcast. It's a space for honest conversations, stories that don't always get told, and for people who are chasing something bigger. So, if you've ever supported me or you're just chasing down a dream, this is right where you need to be. Listen to The Clifford Show on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast.

And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok. Do you remember when Diana Ross double-taped Little Kim's boobs at the VMAs? Or when Kanye said that George Bush didn't like black people. I know what you're thinking. What the hell does George Bush got to do a little kill? Well, you can find out on the Look Back at it podcast. I'm Sam J. And I'm Alex English.

Each episode, we pick it here, unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it. Including a recent episode with Mark Lamont Hill, waxing all about crack in the 80s. To be clear, 84 is big to me, not just because of crack. I'm down to talk about crack on day, but just so y'all know. I mean, at this point, Mark, this is the second episode where we've discussed cracks. So I'm starting to see that there's a through line. We also have AIDS on the table right now. Now you're finishing that sentence.

Yes. I don't think there's a more important year for black people. Really? Yeah. For me, it's one of the most important years for black people in American history. Listen to look back at it on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Welcome to my new podcast, Learn the Hard Way with me, your host, and your favorite therapist, Kear Games. And in recognition of mental health awareness month,

I'm bringing over a decade of my own experience in the mental health field and conversations with so many incredible guests. I'm talking. Tripp Fontaine, Ryan Clark. Sometimes when we're in the pursuit of the thing, we get so wrapped up in the chase that we don't realize that we are in possession of the thing

and we're still chasing it and we don't know when we've done enough because people scoreboard watch. Life becomes about wins and losses. Steve Burns, Dustin Ross, you find it important to be a good person while you hear on earth? Or are you a good person because you're afraid? Because that's two different intentions, bro.

Absolutely. And that's two different levels of trust. I want you to just really be a good person. Join me, Keir Gaines, is we have real conversations about healing, growth, fatherhood, pressure, and purpose. On my new podcast, Learn the Hardway. Open your free, our heart radio app. Search Learn the Hardway and listen now. Tonight on FS1, the Big Bats of Nicholas Casillas, Joe Evado, and Marlado, and

Mike Rostakis lead the Reds against Salvador Perez and the Kansas City Royals. MLB baseball tonight at 630 Eastern on FS1 and the Fox Sports app. Working from home or working somewhere else, RayCon Wireless Earbuds. Six hours of playtime by Raycon.com slash heard 15% off. So hard knock started last night. They're using both L.A. teams. I was telling, did I say it on the air? Did I say it in our meeting this morning?

SoFi Stadium. I got to look at it this weekend. I was watching the CBS affiliate Jim Hills, a sportscaster. My God, that stadium's unbelievable. It reminds me at Jerry's world, where what I like about it is it used to be stadiums you'd have like lower deck, low seating than a massive upper deck. And unlike Jerry's Stadium, it's a series of decks.

And everybody looks like they have a suite or a television, which is the way to do it. You can't, people want to see their fantasy teams. They want to see other games. It's a reality of tech. So SoFi Stadium in LA, which we drive, we fly over every time we fly in a town. A lot of new renovations have it that way. Because you've got to make it so people can see other games. You know, corporate sponsorships.

So far, it looks, it's like a really cool mall. I mean, they have these replay screens on it. I mean, that's just L.A. is, you know, at the center of Silicon Valley is California and entertainment. You don't make it comfortable. Make it good experience. Let's join. Andrew Whitworth is the, you know, he's the oldest offensive lineman in the NFL. He didn't want to hear that.

He played 98.9% of the snaps last year, joining us via the Coward Global Satellite Network. 15th year in the NFL. You know, Joe and I were talking about this, Andrew, that. responsible people also get COVID is that you don't know where you get it. I mean, when this thing first started, they talked about you could literally, you know, you could grab something, a bag, and you could get it if you touched your face, which I'm a face toucher all day. So you and your family got COVID.

Was it frightening? Take me through the experience. How did it happen? And what was it like to go through it with your entire family? Yeah, it actually just happened to happen to us right before we went to go see our families back in Louisiana. We had a family member that went to lunch with someone and happened to be that restaurant had a breakout. And a couple employees there had it and a lot of patrons that went ended up with it.

And so there's one of those things where, you know, we keep declaring it as guys are going to have to be smart not make bad decisions. But, I mean, some of us a little bit of living your life, you know, things can happen. And, you know, having a simple lunch with someone in the wrong place of the wrong time or being somewhere and around someone at the wrong place of the wrong time. it happens quick. The whole family got it. Luckily, everyone did great and everyone's healthy now, so we're happy to be through it. Now, you know, what's interesting is I was talking to somebody yesterday, a very smart person, and they said, I think football will work. I am concerned about larger linemen, and you are an offensive lineman.

Don't know your weight, but I'm sure it's close to 300 pounds. Have you thought about that in that range of people concerned close to 300 pounds, although you're in great shape? Does that something that concerns you? Yeah, I think when we were doing the negotiations with the NFL about coming back to work, I mean, Jillian Ellman was one of the guys that brought that up. He's like, you know, having last year, David Andrews going through the health scare that he went through and being around that, Julian just kind of brought it up like, I mean, are we going to act like we don't have a large portion of guys in this league that, you know,

meet that category and are in that category of really large human beings and this virus being something that's dangerous for them. And so I think it's something that's all of our concern and, you know, from what we understand, because we are somewhat in better shape than probably what the number would say as far as what we weigh. There's a little less concern there. But, yeah, I think it's something that a lot of your bigger guys throughout the NFL definitely have in their minds. That's for sure as a fear. So hard knocks, we're watching that last night. And you've got, I mean, this is the advantage the NFL has over college, in my opinion, billionaire owners.

You can set up bubbles or mini bubbles. You can put down $25 million test players every day. So give me and take your time. Give me your, I mean, this isn't even a practice day today and you're at the facility. Are you getting tested today? Yes. So right now, to start training camp, Colin, we're really in a scenario where we're getting tested

every single day. And I think that time may end up getting extended as well to when we're actually having full padded practices. So right now, basically, even when you're off, you're going to have to come to the facility, take a COVID test, fill out your questionnaire of how you're feeling in that day and any symptoms that may be popping up, you know, that you may have had in the last couple days. You know, every single day you're filling out one of those forms.

You're taking a COVID test. You're going temperature checks. They're checking your body weight, doing everything they can to just pick up any kind of, just tip that might say that something's going on there. So our typical day is, you know, you get here first thing in the morning, you fill out your questionnaire and confirm how you're feeling. You take a, you know, a temperature check to see whether you have any kind of baseline fever. you get a COVID test

and then you can walk in the building and you're obviously masked up throughout everything outside of actual football vigorous activity. So it's a different day. Year 15 in the NFL, I never thought I'd be doing some of this stuff. But it's interesting, but it's a long day,

but at the end of the day, you know what, whatever gets us on the field and gets people an opportunity to have a minute to get away and watch football, I think guys are willing to do for that excitement on Sundays. Andrew Whitworth, offensive Lyman Rams. you know, it's interesting. So you've had COVID in your family.

So from what I read, you won't, you have the antibodies. You won't get it again, at least in the near future. And you're also a veteran, a family. I would, you know, you're a smart guy. But some of these kids on your, you know, in football rosters, they're 22 years old. They're single. You know, do you find yourself as a kind of a veteran or a mentor role sometimes? Is McVe addressing this?

that for some of the younger players, guys, you can kind of torpedo a locker room on this. I mean, is this discussed by Sean McVey? Yes, I think this is something's a daily topic for us, discussing the risks that are involved, you know, what you're doing on a daily activity basis, you know, when we get out of this. Obviously in training camp right now, you know, we're working, you know, basically seven in the morning until seven at nights. There's not a lot of freedom there. But the real concern to me would be when you get into a regular season schedule, when you start traveling, having games, and then you're having time off.

I think it's one of those things that I haven't liked how, you know, which like to describe it as guys making bad decisions. But, I mean, some of these young kids may just want to go see somebody and not be in their apartment by themselves all the time. Right. And going through the vigorous activity of football just need a release to go, hey, I just want to sit with someone and have a drink or have a meal and visit. And anything like that, just the wrong exposure can can cost a team, possibly cost our season.

And so it's tough to really, I would think, if I was 22, 23 years old, to wrap my head around the fact that, you know what, for six months, you don't only want me to do a job that's not easy to do physically, but you really don't want me to have any kind of social life as well. I think that's going to be a struggle for guys, and we just got to continue to encourage them to try to make the best decisions possible. But then also on the other side, medically, we just have to be prudent and make sure that we're doing our temperature checks, wearing our mask, getting COVID tested, and making sure that we're on top of it as much as we can be. You know, you're a SEC guy and LSU guy and a couple conferences have bailed, and I think most will. You know, it's some of these small towns, you know, Baton Rouge, LSU football drives that economy.

It's a big deal. Where do you kind of land in the college football? You know, it's funny. I was saying this that I feel bad because I do think, like Joe Burrow does not happen if he doesn't come back for a senior. year. If Joe Burrow, this was his senior year, he's a fifth round draft pick. It changed Joe Burroughs life. You played with guys at LSU who didn't have maybe a lot of financial security when they were 16-17. Literally LSU football changes people, generationally changes lives. And that's what I feel bad about. It's not, you know, I can handle as a sportscaster

not having college football. Your thoughts about what college football, though, we may have a a gameless season. Yeah, I think it's just a while to wrap your head around. I mean, I look at even in my time there, a guy like Joseph Badi, who was really somebody who played sparily in his career and after his junior year, really had not played as much. And then our senior year, he plays a bunch and becomes a top 10 pick by Indianapolis Colts. And, you know, it's one of those things that, man, that one season changed his entire life. You know, it goes on to win a Super Bowl as a rookie.

Yeah. And, you know, and so it's like you think about those kind of scenarios. and you go, man, just missing this one evening, how much you can affect people's lives, not only just football players, but all the people enjoy to watch it. You know, my senior year at LSU was Hurricane Katrina, and going through that disaster and really realizing to people how much football meant to them. I mean, we would have people come to us daily. You know, our entire campus was a health triage center, basically, and we'd have people

all the time come to us and say, look, the only thing I got out of this, does it deal? I lost my house. I lost everything I had, but I got my season tickets, and I just want those couple hours on Saturdays to think about something else. And you look at what we're going through now, just almost that opportunity. I think people want it more, not because they think it's safe, not because they think it's going to be okay, but because it's just something to get away and enjoy their sports and enjoy their time to think about something other than what the world's going through.

It's always a pleasure to talk to you, Andrew Whitworth. So you get tested every day for, I've been tested twice, and I've got to be honest with you, I don't like people sticking those things up my nose. It is so weird. So you get tested every single day. every single day Colin get a brain check and that's where that's where that thing goes i'm not kidding you joe it's right up there next to the pupil it's no it's not fun and that's a big tough guy and he didn't like it either uh Andrew great talking to you yeah you too Colin I appreciate it so joy have you been tested yet

I haven't tested twice and do you like it uh I mean I don't I don't like doctors in general like not like I like doctors people who are doctors but like I don't like to have to go to the doctor yeah so no it's not great but I honestly think I I think I would would not mind being tested every day because then I'd have no anxiety if I had it. So do you have anxiety? I don't have anxiety. Well, I don't want

to get sick, obviously, but I don't have a tremendous fear about like if I would survive or not. But I don't want to give it to other people. Right, right. Like that's my anxiety that I could possibly be asymptomatic and not know and then do whatever, give it to someone else. I mean, I wear a mask and I'm as responsible as possible, but you never know. So if you got tested in it,

every day. I don't think I would mind. All right. All right. Okay, Joy. I'm a woman. We go through a lot more uncomfortable stuff. I know. I'm going to say you guys, you guys deal with... We're uncomfortable all the time. I still cannot understand. Women wear heels. Yeah, I have heels on right now. I mean, I have the most comfortable heels on that I could possibly have on. But you're literally your foot right now is like perpendicular to the wall. Yes, I do not have your super comfortable Swedish running shoes on right now. I mean, I could. No one sees my feet. I'll tell you right now. Here's what I win. Every day to

to put these up here. You think Steph Curry's got a shoe deal. This is what I wear. These are Swiss shoes. My wife got them for me. They're the most comfortable shoes I've ever had in my life. They're not a sponsor. It's a Swiss company.

Yeah. No, there was a period in time where my feet were not feeling great. Let me see your shoe. Let me see your shoe right now. This might be a little more of an operation. I don't know how you women wear these things. It's insane to me. There you go.

I mean, good hell. What is that even, is that even, so, so you know what, that would be like if my shoe was shaped like this. I mean, we're walking around like that all day. I don't know how you guys, so much more respect. And the baby thing. I mean, come on. Well, yeah, I haven't had that experience. That's no day at the beach, right?

Then you have to raise them and stuff. We have a yearly checkup from the time we're 16. It's not quite pleasant. Joy with the news. No, no, no, no. Turn on the news. This is the Herd Line News. Sponsored by Mercedes-Benz, the best or nothing.

Well, we were kind of wondering about this, and I think this is pretty cool. Regular season NBA awards this year will only include games played before the shutdown in March. But the league announced that they will be doing a bubble awards. They will be awarding the top players from the bubble. Yeah, of course. The writers and broadcasters who've been covering the restart in Orlando will vote on an MVP and two all seating game teams. All right. So there'll be five players on each team for a total of 10 players at any position from either conference.

So basically the best players in the bubble. Which I think is pretty cool. So T.J. Warren has the best odds to win bubble MVP plus 200 with Devin Booker plus 200. So they're tied. That's according to Fox Bet. Damian Lillard plus 250. Michael Porter Jr. plus 800. And Anthony Davis plus 1,000.

This is a couple more games to play. T.J. Warren's been, he's been amazing. but he also had two games, one most recently against the heat, where I think he only had 12 and another game really had 16. I would lean towards Damien Lillard or Devin Booker. Yeah, I mean, you know what I like about the bubble, Phoenix is a great NBA city, and they've been irrelevant for a decade,

and Phoenix has been all sorts of fun. It's been great for them. Well, yeah, that's what's been great about the bubble. There really hasn't been a lot of terrible games. Yeah, boy, Devin. There's been one or two that were like, eh, but the most part, The competition has been great. Some guys are just born to score.

Devin Booker and Damien Lillard. They just, whatever it is, it's their feel. Devin Booker is just going to score a bunch of points for 15 years. It is so natural for him. He just, the ball in his hands, he has a beautiful jumper. And they both have a, they both kind of, because you mentioned Kobe earlier, they both kind of remind me of Kobe.

They both just have that, like scores, relentless. mentality. And the great basketball's always been a sport where the style matters and there is an artistic, there's an expression. Like in football, you line up the same way, your hands are the same way, and you go at the same time. Basketball's got, there's some artistic expression in it. And the great offensive players all have kind of a vibe or a field of their game. And Devin Booker, it looks so easy for him. The game comes so naturally for him. And he's just a he's just a hooper. So the bubble has been great for those guys. It's been great for fans.

And the fact that he's in Phoenix and Damien's in Portland, like that's what's great about the NBA, that you can have these stars all over the league. So speaking of the Blazers, C.J. McCollum hit two big free throws last night to secure the Blazers win, but had a rough game overall, shooting only two of 14 from the field.

But he's reportedly dealing with an injury. So according to Dwight James of NBC Sports Northwest, McCollum has been playing with a fracture in his lower back since last Thursday. Not great. He's played three games since the injury. He scored 29 against the Clippers Saturday and 16 against the Sixers on Sunday. He played 39 minutes in all those three in all three games. It's not as bad as it sounds, I guess, is how it's being reported.

This fractured back, it slowed other players and had it. Cam Newton and Tony Romo had the similar injury in the NFL. Mike Connolly missed three weeks after a similar injury in 2016. sounds awful and considering that you're doing a lot of jumping and stopping and changing direction in basketball, fractured back probably probably is not that comfortable to play with, especially kind of bad news at this point since they're trying to make a playoff run here, but we'll keep an eye on that. So finally, Jerry Jones is still hoping that the Cowboys can host fans during home games this season. This morning, he said the team plans on playing all of their games.

in front of fans. Good. He would not speculate on the number of fans that would be allowed in, but he is confident that the 3 million square foot stadium and high number of suites would be beneficial. He said he believes the stadium's natural built airflow will keep fans safe during this time. And the team will adhere to all state protocols regarding fan attendance. And Jerry expects stadium protocols for game days to come at the end of the week.

Okay, so last week I go to Park City and I go to a restaurant. Now, wear a mask into it. They sit me down and with friends, and we take our masks off, and we all eat without masks, and there's tables next to us within six to eight feet. In a restaurant, small restaurant, decent ventilation. Why can't you have 10,000 people at a cowboy game? You wear masks in when you get to your seats, and the cowboys dictate where you can sit to separate people. You take your masks off because you're with family or friends.

Like I have two, we have two families. We're around. We don't wear masks around them. We vacation with them. We know they don't have it, right? So we trust that. So I don't understand why you can't have. How can American Airlines have every seat filled in a tube at 33,000 feet?

And Jerry can't have 10,000 fans inside of a 60,000 foot. Well, NASCAR's been having fans at certain races. So this is possible. Yes. My thing is how much is the mask wearing in the spaces where you need to wear the mask, say, for example, the restrooms or, you know, in the concourses? Well, I mean, that's so simple, but people still don't want to wear them inside grocery stores. You see people freaking out every day.

No, but you say, basically, you don't give them, like, the restaurant. When I go to the bathroom, I put my mask back on. When the waiter came over, he was wearing a mask. Right. So you can have people deliver beers or food. They're wearing masks. No, no, no, I'm saying. Like, stadium personnel and people that are working, right, are being very responsible.

Just wearing a mask to the bathroom. Because they're putting their lives at risk to go to work. Yeah, put a mask. But I'm saying the fans, like, are they going? Well, yeah, what you're saying is very simple, of course. But I'm saying, how are people actually going to do that? That's my concern. Having 10,000 people in a stadium the size of Jerry World, I don't think it's unreasonable.

Because, like you said, people are flying, restaurants are open in certain places. Like, there are ways to manage this. I don't love it because I'd rather just do whatever you can to make the actual football product successful and don't put anyone at risk. But if you can have them in certain places, fine. But I'm saying, are fans actually going to adhere to it? Yes. You just say, if you see somebody without a mask, you're out of the stadium. Buy.

See you. Take off. To me, like having a no talk. tolerance policy for the protocol for fans is the only way to make that happen. Be demanding. Like parents. Kids do this. You're out of the house.

You're out of the house. You're on the street. Joy with the news. Well, that's the news. And thanks for stopping by. The Herd Lye News. Raw Parker's got things to say. He'll join us coming up next.

Be sure to catch live editions of the Herd weekdays in noon Eastern 9 a.m. Pacific on Fox Sports Radio, FS1 and the I-Hard Radio app. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal, but encouraged. It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque. Others say it's unleashing human potential. Either way, the podcast's Superhuman documented it all,

embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year. Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the I-Hart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. A win is a win. A win. I don't care what you're saying.

Yep, that's me, Cliver Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, the reactions, my journey from basketball to college football, or my career in sports media. Well, somewhere along the way, this platform became bigger than I ever imagined. And now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifford Show. This is a place for raw, unfiltered conversations with some of your favorite athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. One week, I'll take you behind the scenes of the biggest moments

and sports and entertainment. And the next we'll talk about life, mental health, purpose, and even music. The Clifford Show isn't just a podcast. It's a space for honest conversations, stories that don't always get told, and for people who are chasing something bigger. So if you've ever supported me

or you're just chasing down a dream, this is right where you need to be. Listen to the Clifford show on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok. Do you remember when Diana Ross double-tapped Little Kim's boobs at the VMAs? Or when Kanye said that George Bush didn't like black people.

I know what you're thinking. What the hell does George Bush got to do with Little Kim? Well, you can find out on the Look Back at it podcast. I'm Sam J. And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick a here, unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it. Including a recent episode with Mark Lamont Hill, waxing all about crack in the 80s.

To be clear, 84's big to me, not just because of crack. I'm down to talk about crack on day But just so y'all know I mean at this point Mark this is the second episode where we've discussed crack So I'm starting to see that there's a through line We also have AIDS on the table right now

So Thank you finishing that sentence I don't think there's a more important year For black people Really? Yeah for me it's one of the most important years For black people in American history Listen to look back at it

On the IHeart Radio app Apple Podcasts Or wherever you get your podcasts Welcome to my new podcast, Learn the Hardway with me, your host, and your favorite therapist, Kear Games. And in recognition of Mental Health Awareness Month, I'm bringing over a decade of my own experience in the mental health field and conversations with so many incredible guests. I'm talking, Tript Fontaine, Ryan Clark.

Sometimes when we're in the pursuit of the thing, we get so wrapped up in the chase that we don't realize that we are in possession of the thing. And we're still chasing it. And we don't know when we've done enough. because people scoreboard watch. Life becomes about wins and losses. Steve Burns, Dustin Ross, because you find it important to be a good person

while you hear on earth? Are you a good person because you're afraid? Because that's two different intentions, bro. Absolutely. And that's two different levels of trust. I want you to just really be a good person. Join me, Kear Gaines, as we have real conversations about healing,

growth, fatherhood, pressure, and purpose on my new podcast, learn the hard way. Open your free, our heart radio app, Search learn the hard weight and listen now. MDrive, check it out. MDrive for men.com. MDrive for men.com. Getting older, putting on weight, don't have the lean muscle mass.

Lethargic. MDrive for Men. com. Find it at Walgreens. Rob Parker, not only is the instigator of this network, he is the most frugal human being alive. And he is joining us now live from his condo, which he probably paid $30 for. So where did you get that jacket and how much did it cost? you. Unbelievable deal. This was at Macy's. Tommy Hill figure, 295, original. Colin, I got it for 2399.

Yes, indeed. Salmon. It's not pink. It's salmon. Beautiful color. Oh, it's also one of my favorite fish. Okay. Let's go to this. I don't buy the Lakers because I think even with LeBron, they're dead last in every offensive category. And that's with LeBron, who's a great set-up guy. I just don't buy them. We live in Los Angeles. I don't buy them. They can't stop the three and they can't shoot it. What do you make a Kyle Kuzma and the Lakers?

LeBron pinned his hopes on him the other day. Yeah, I thought that was a mistake. It's typical LeBron. He's already thrown out a couple of things that could go as excuses for his minions when they don't win, Colin. But for me, to say to Kyle Kuzma, he's the reason we're going to win a championship or not is putting a lot of pressure on an inconsistent. He's a good player sometimes, but sometimes he's a bad player.

And I just think to do that publicly, there's no reason to. If you want to go to Kyle Kuzmah's locker and talk to him personally and be like, dude, we need this from you. This is what will help us win. I'm good with that. But to put that out there that he's the reason why, when it still comes down to Anthony Davis more than anything, but to put that out there, I thought it was a mistake by LeBron.

So you think he's making excuses? I think he's putting out enough stuff. He already came out and said that there was some off-the-court stuff that he didn't want to talk about that was going on. He was just, he's setting up the situation so that when they don't win, and I'm with you, they will not win. The Clippers are going to win the championship. But when they don't win, he'll be, people will be like, oh, yeah, well, who does he have?

Other than AD, he doesn't have anybody. Kyle Kuzma was terrible. You know, J.R. Smith was bad. I mean, there'll be all these other excuses to say why LeBron didn't win a championship. Damian Lillard, maybe it's because I worked in Portland, but I watch a lot of Blazer games. I think he compares favorably to Iverson in terms of offensive output. And I think Damien has five more peak years left. I mean, I don't think we're close to the end for him.

What do you make of Portland and Dame? Some think I'm one of them. they'll beat L.A. in the opener, first round. I'm not convinced of that. I mean, he's a hell of a player and he's been tremendous. We know what he can do. But the trailblazers kind of remind me of the old box of Cracker Jacks, except for when you finish eating it, there's no prize at the end, Colin.

I mean, last year they got to the Western Conference finals and got swept with Dame Lillard, right? Do you remember that? Yeah. They weren't ready for prime time. So I'm not convinced that, you know, everybody's putting it out there. It tells you that people don't have any confidence in the Lakers more than they believe in Portland. If Portland were to beat the Lakers in the first round, that would be a major blow to LeBron James, Anthony Davis, the Lakers organization.

I don't see Portland beating them. It would be a major upset and all the headlines would be on LeBron and the Lakers, not on Damien Lither than Portland. What do you make a college football shutting down? You're a Big Ten guy. I'm a Pac-12 guy. I love both conferences. They shut it down. I've always thought college athletics is a bit of a house of cards.

Only football makes any money in a handful of college basketball programs. What do you make of it this morning? What are your emotions? You know what? They did the right thing, Colin. If you can't guarantee that these kids are going to be safe, and people who keep sprouting out all these figures of what players didn't test positive and all the tests that they've taken.

If that's the case, then why in the world a kid's signed have to sign waivers to play? It tells you that they can't guarantee their health and their well-being. That's why, and they don't want to be held liable. And shame on Nick Sabin and Jim Harbaugh and all these other coaches who are defying the college presidents and the ADs and talking about, you know, that the kids want to play. and they will want to play it all this stuff.

Colin, are those guys going to take their salaries from this year, put it in a trust fund for these kids who they want to go out and play football, and if something happens, they can go to that. Those guys, Sabin, Harbaugh, all these top coaches, will not be left holding the bag if these schools play, and, God forbid, something bad happens long term. You know who will be liable? The schools will be liable.

So it's easy for coaches to stick their chest out and tell everybody that we understand that. Kids want to play football and they want to coach football. And Colin, we want to watch football, right? It would good for Fox and ESPN and all the other networks. We all get it. But if you can't guarantee their health, which nobody can, I don't see how in the world you can go forward. The NFL, NBA, Major League Baseball hockey, those are professionals. They're getting paid.

I think they did the right thing in college. By the way, you're a Hall of Fame baseball writer. And you are... Voter. Yeah, your history is writing. And then you got into radio and buying very inexpensive beautiful suits. So they're considering a playoff bubble. What do you make of that? I think it's easier when you have less teams.

I think the idea of trying to do a bubble with 30 teams and what they were trying to do. And remember, Colin, the first idea, do you remember the three years? states they were talking about putting the bubbles in. It was Arizona, Florida, and Texas, all that had spikes after they reopened too soon. So I don't know, I'm not so sure that that would have been the best idea. But anyway, I think if it's a smaller number of teams and you can kind of manage it and you're not playing with fans so it doesn't matter where you play at, that could work. And it's good for baseball to revisit that. I would be all in favor. Yeah, 13,000 tests, point one have been positive. So baseball,

is getting a bad rap because the Marlins are goofy, but overall, they've done a really good, they've actually. They have done a good job. I'm glad you brought that up. It's only the Marlins and the Cardinals. That's it. Look at all the games that are playing. People are like, oh, baseball, they messed.

They dropped the ball. No, they didn't. If the players follow the protocol and do what they're supposed to, they're going to be a chance of a spike column once or twice, but so far it's been working. I've been watching baseball every night. Yeah. Finally, my NFL predictions came out. yesterday. They were genius, I thought.

You didn't like one in particular. It was Brady, Atlanta or something? Yes. I can't believe you. Atlanta is going to take that spot from the Tampa Bay Bucks. The Bucks are going to have year 13, a Baker's

dozen of not making the playoffs. Old Tom Brady, old gronk, old Shady McCoy. I mean, it's like putting the band back together. I'm not buying into it. I remember you were high on the Browns a year ago, you thought that they would make the playoffs at the end. You remember, I argue with you, and I told you that they wouldn't make the playoffs on your show,

and I'm going to do it again. The Bucks with Tom Brady will not, N-O-T, make the playoffs. All right. So where did you buy that suit, by the way? I may go to that store and buy myself something nice. Where was that over there? You should, this was at Macy's. Also check out Norsham Rack.

They got some great jackets, great prices. Do you shop every day? I don't work for the stores. You know what? Three or four times a day a week. I'm in the stores, taking a look around. You've got to be patient. You got to look through the rack.

And here's the biggest thing. Don't buy anything if it isn't your size and you really don't like it. Shops three or four times a week. I don't think I shop three or four times a decade. That's incredible. You got a life. You got a wife and kids. Yeah.

Yeah, I guess when I was single, I shop more. That's a good point there, Rob. You look fantastic as always. Rob Parker. Thanks, man. Thanks, bud. Fellas, now use the right tools. Revolutionary Manscape, the Lawnmore 3-0, Skin Safe Technology, Trimmer reduces cuts, free shipping to Manscape.com. Code H-E-R-D for all the, you know, nose, ears, areas.

There you go. Got a vice president on the Democrat side, Kamala Harris. How about that? We got it now and now we got it all ready to go. What is it now? mid-August, September, October. So we're three months away from a lot of potential outcomes. Well, actually two.

Two potential outcomes. All right. Brock Heward's going to stop by. College football, really smart guy, former quarterback for the Washington Huskies, will stop by. He now works for Fox Sports. What do we do with college football? I feel bad for Ohio State.

I think Ohio State's the one team I'm like. They're the one national. championship contender. They're a preseason number one. Boom, season's over. So if Ohio State fans are freaking out, we would all freak out. They cancel the NFL and you were in Baltimore today. You wouldn't be happy. Hour three next. Another podcast from some SNL late night comedy guy, not quite. Unhumor me with Robert Smygel and friends. Me and hilarious guests from Bob Odenkirk to David Letterman help make you funnier. This week, my guest, SNL's Mikey Day and headwriter street or Seidel, help an a cappella band with their between songs banter.

Where does your group perform? We do some retirement homes. Those people are starving for banter. Listen to humor me with Robert Smigel and friends on the I-Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal but encouraged. It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque. Others say it's unleashing human potential.

Either way, the podcast's Superhuman documented it all. Embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year. Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the IHard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. On the Look Back at it podcast. In 1979, that was a big moment for me. 84's big to me.

I'm Sam J. And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick a year, unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it. with our friends, fellow comedians, and favorite authors. Like Mark Lamont Hill on the 80s. It was a wild year. It was a wild year. I don't think there's a more important year for black people.

Listen to look back at it on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care which I'm saying. Yep, that's me. Clifford Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, my basketball and college football journey,

or my career in sports media. Now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifford Show. This is a place for raw, unfilled of conversations with athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. So let's get to it. Listen to The Clifford Show on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok podcast network on TikTok. This is an IHeart podcast. Guaranteed human.