The Herd with Colin Cowherd - The Herd-HOUR-3-NFL predictions, NBA bubble

Episode Date: September 7, 2020

Colin gives his NFL predictionsThe NBA playoffs and life in the bubbleGuest: Jim Jackson 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 I Heart 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. Hey, what's good, y'all?

You're listening to Learn the Hard Way with your favorite therapist and host, Kear Games. This space is about black men's experiences, having honest conversations that it's really not safe to have anywhere, but you're having them with a licensed professional who knows what he's doing. How many men carry a suit or armor? It signals to the world that you not to be played with.

And just because you have the capability that does not mean that you need to, listen to learn the hard way on the IHard radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. Thanks for listening to The HARD 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 Hurt at Fox SportsRadio.com or stream us live every day on the IHartRadio app by searching Hurd. Fox Sports Radio. Let's go over the next three or four minutes, sort of my NFL predictions. I'm not set in stone, although I'm close.

I can make changes up to our Thursday show. Here's my AFC East belief. I think the bills are the best coach team right now. They've ever been, maybe dating back to the Marv Levy years. I think Buffalo's got the right coach, the second best young coach in Sean McDermott. I have them as a playoff team. AFC North, not a big shock. I have the Ravens going 60 to no.

I may peel back a couple of wins there, but I do think the Brown's offensive personnel is staggeringly talented. I have them as a playoff team. Don't trust Big Ben's health or the Bengals. I think in the AFC South, the Colts are the most functional team. I'm going to revisit Tennessee. They add Judavian Clowny. I have the Colts making the playoffs, nobody else.

But as I go to the AFC West, I have the Chiefs, Broncos, and Chargers all making the playoffs. But the Chargers now, I made this. prediction before Derwin James injury. He's out probably for most of the year. He's their best defensive player. And now the Titans get Jadavian Clowny. So I may just flip a switch, seven playoff teams. So I have the Bill's Ravens Colts chiefs in, Broncos, Browns, Chargers. I'm going to sleep on it. My gut feeling is I'm going to put the Titans in the playoffs and take the Chargers out. In the NFC, I think everybody potentially is a little bit better, Philadelphia.

can't go through the injuries they went through last year. I take the Eagles to win the division. Dallas, no preseason, new coaching staff, a lot of offensive talent. Don't see much on the back end of the defense. NFC North, love the Vikings roster. I think there's a ceiling, though. I've sold some of my Green Bay stock. I may peel back one win here, maybe go back to 10 and 6,

but let's not sell too much of it. I still think they have a top five or six offensive line, Aaron Rogers, Devante Adams, and Aaron Jones. and Matt LaFleur just went in the draft and decided we're going to get more physical, blocking tight end, running back, and three interior offensive linemen. Maybe it's good for the Packers. NFC South, really deep division. Am I too high on Carolina? Maybe by a game.

Everybody thinks I'm too high on Carolina. I have the Saints winning at Bucks in the playoffs. NFC West, which I think is the best division in football, top to bottom. Maybe I'm too hard on Arizona. I don't know what to do with the Rams. I gave him a winning record because I respect McVeigh, and I think golf's a good. kid and those are beautiful football. I like their offensive personnel.

San Francisco, Seattle. So my playoff teams in the NFC, Eagles, Vikings, Saints, Niners, Packers, Buck, Seahawks make wild card noise. And there you go. Yeah, I think I'm going to go back. Derwin James, I made a prediction that was

with a healthy Derwin James. He's out and the Titans add Clowny. Is he worth half a win-a-win? Is he something? Maybe. Derwin James gone is definitely a loss. I mean, he He's their best defensive player, including Joey Bosa. All right. That's where I'm at.

Thanks for the musical. Panthers, too. I'm a little high on the Panthers. You're very high on the others. Yeah, I got to slow down there. You know what? I like Teddy Bridgewater. I like Matt Rule.

Everybody's overlooking them, but Atlanta's probably got better players. So let me, hey, I got a beard. My life's all new now. I got a beard. And I want to sleep on stuff. I got no big opinions anymore. I got to sleep on stuff and have a soft milk toast opinion tomorrow. So the new me.

Let's bring in Jim Jackson 14 years in the NBA. He's back home from the bubble. But his driver's no good, he told me during the break, which is just no good. No good when the driver's no good. No, no. All right. Here, let's start.

Hey, you're looking good with that beard, though. I'll give it to you. You know, you're kind of looking like a grown man right now. You really are. He's regularly looking like a grown man. That's enjoying Southern California right now. That is exactly what I am. Exactly.

So, you know, I watched the Lakers Rockets last night, and I thought these are good teams, but they're not good enough to reel off three straight wins. Like this looks like to me a six or seven game series, Jim, your thoughts? It does. But you got to keep in mind. Houston was one of the few, too. I think maybe the only team had a winning record against the Lakers during the regular season. And the Rockets give you so many problems.

Now, keep in mind, I think you said this earlier in the show. Think about, you know, the teams that can win. Everybody has flaws. Everybody has something that you can exploit. whether that's on an offensive end or defensive end. And Houston, you know, to their dismay, their biggest asset, which is their three-point shooting, can also be their biggest deterrent when they're not making it,

which allows teams to kind of either get back in the game or extend leads. And the Lakers, if they don't have that third, four, fifth guy that kind of steps up if a LeBron James or Anthony Davis is not playing well, then they tend to struggle. So I think that's what makes this playoff in the championship run so intriguing. is not just one team, I think, outside the Clippers from a talent perspective that you can point to and say they can just run the table.

I was saying earlier, Miami's been the shock of the playoffs to me. A bunch of young kids and Jimmy Butler, and I said, I don't remember a player that I've changed my opinion more than Jimmy Butler. A year ago, I was like, a little bit of a diva, doesn't get along with anybody. He's going to be a bounce around the league guy or something. And then all of a sudden now, I'm like,

Miami put their arms around him. he's worked his butt off on both ends. He appears to be coachable. And I'm like, I look at today and I'm like, Miami's a real basketball team. I mean, is there ceiling low? What do you make a Butler, his emergence in Miami and what he's done there? Well, first of all, with Jimmy Butler. You know, he got a bad rap, you know, leaving Chicago, going to Minnesota,

kind of demanding a lot more of those young players that they couldn't really give because structurally the organization just wasn't put together that way. Okay. then you go to Philadelphia where you have two budding superstars, but they're also young. And they weren't held accountable in regards to not being able to take it to the next level. Their play was not held to accountable. Hence, they just weren't as focus as much.

The beautiful thing about Miami is this, not played there. One through 15, you're held accountable to the highest standards from Pat Riley, who's the president now, who was my coach at the time, all the way down. And that's a big difference. So when you have a player like Jimmy Butler that comes in and said, listen, what I want is to play hard. I want guys that want to fight, guys that want to be professional, guys who want to put the work in, okay, and focused on winning.

That's a perfect marriage that you see in Miami. That's why you can see a Jimmy Butler at times go have 10 points and don't work. It's not worried about it because he understands the time, the effort and the work, and the dedication put in by his teammates and coaching staff that they can win. So it's a perfect marriage for the two. Are you surprised at all? Janus's minutes are down. Take the injury out.

This is the Eastern Conference. This is where he's the best player. Are you kind of surprised? It's been a little bit of a playoff dud in this series for Janus. I'm not surprised from this perspective because, one, the heat, you know, beat this team two to one during the regular season. One game in the bubble, you know, that they play. and then the other two outside of it. But structurally, how Milwaukee is built,

and the way Yannis plays his game against a disciplined defensive team like the Miami Heat, there are things that you can take away. Yeah, he was going to be very effective, I think, in a game before he sprained his ankle and went out. But it's things that you can take away from Janus and make him less effective that's different than, say, a healthy Kevin Durant,

because he can beat you at multiple positions on the court, and you can't close down the gap in driving lanes. I will give Yonis this credit. Unlike Ben Simmons, a person has worked on this three-point shooting, outside shooting. The willingness to take it, I think, opens it up. But right now, this is just a tougher match. Colin, you've been around a long time.

Remember when Dallas Mavericks were, I think, the number one seed or whatever it was, and Golden State was eight, but the matchup was favored towards Golden State, and they beat the Dallas Mavericks that year, okay? This matchup is kind of favored towards Miami because they match up so well with Milwaukee. And that's what makes Milwaukee kind of,

you kind of scratching your head. It's just really a number one-seated team. Well, no, you can't discount what Miami brings to the table. You know, it's funny about the Clippers. You played in the league 14 years. What's interesting about the Clippers is how great they can be on any given night and then just how apathetic they can be the next game. Go back to your career.

Do you ever want a team like that? Does that signal something? Like why most really talented teams, Jimmy, four to five nights, you get the same damn effort. The clippers are all over the map. What is that telling me about their locker room, about their leadership? What is it? Well, I think more of it, Colin, is the fact that because of the resting of Kauai and the injuries they've had, they never developed continuity. And I do think that this is a team where the stop of the season really hurt them.

And the reason why I say this, their starting core never really got a chance of jail. and play, develop any kind of continuity during the course of the year. If you look at the end of March, and let's say the season didn't start, the end of March and April, that would have been their time to develop that continuity and play more minutes together. But the season got cut short. So what happens is you come back to the bubble, restart, this Clipper team was still trying to figure out their continuity how to play together. That's why we saw the fluctuation or continue to see the fluctuation in their effort, but also their continuity on offense. Defensively, sometimes they look out of line.

So that's what it is to me. The Lakers have been together. Their starting five have played, okay? Denver starting five have played outside some injuries late in the season. The teams, Miami's starting five have played together. So you see a difference with them a different consistency. That doesn't mean they're going to win every game, but you don't see the fluctuations like you see with the clippers.

That's why I say the bubble or the stoppage of the season, probably hurt the clippers more than anybody else in gaining that kind of, I think, camaraderie and continuity on the court. You know, it's interesting with LeBron. And as much as I like LeBron, he can be rough on young players. He ate up Mario Chalmers. He is really rough on Kuzma. Looks like he's lost his confidence totally.

And then when you bring LeBron in, you know, he likes to play with veterans. He wants the win now. So it's hard, you know, to develop players, which is ideally you'd like to have a mix, like the clippers of good veterans and good young guys. And with LeBron, you've got to surround them with guys that can win now. I watch that team, and I watch Kuzma, who's deteriorated. And I don't see young players coming up. And I looked at myself and I think, okay, this is it for L.A.

Like, if they don't win this year, this team's just old. It's not a good draft. It's not a good free agency class. I really do feel like this is it for the Lakers. This is LeBron's last title shot. Is that too hyperbolic and dramatic? Well, it's not seeing how the Western Conference is playing out, especially with Golden State coming back healthy next year. And also from a salary cap perspective and not having the draft picks, it's hard to maneuver chess pieces to get LeBron the kind of young talent that he's going to need.

Now, keep in mind, this is an anomaly year. Okay, things are going to happen. The Lakers are prime position to win this. Is it going to be easy? No. But yes, the window is closing in regards to. couple of things. One of the Brown is 35 years old. As spectacular as he

looked the other night, as you play longer column, things tend to dissipate a little bit in particular, your skill set, just because you're a little bit older. So I think the urgency is to win it now. Because you don't know what's going to happen next year in regards to health, injuries, people

leaving, not being able to get to fill out the roster the way you want, depending on free agent, the salary cap next next year based off the bubble and what happened when season stop it. So you just don't know. And right now the Lakers are in a prime position, I think, to take advantage of it, but it's not going to be easy because this is not a roster that's built around the ability for guys to make things happen. If LeBron and AD are not going and the other three or four guys have struggled,

we see a different kind of Lakers team. So it's going to be a fight uphill. But at the end of the day, when you have two of the five best players in the league, they got to figure out a way to get it done. Good stuff. Jim. Jackson is back from the bubble. For the record, your bubble experience, you didn't have to be there as long as a player. But when you came back, did you feel a little trapped, a little isolated, or was it a little better than you thought? It was a lot better than what I thought, just because you didn't know hearing from the outside,

especially from a player's perspective. Again, the players were isolated in a total different area than we, the media were, okay, on our side with the Turner, ESPN people. And I knew in the back of my mind, I was only going to be there 15, 16 days. But at the same time, I tried to embrace this from this perspective, Kyle. This is a part of history. I got a chance to be a part of history that we haven't seen before. So embrace every moment and try not to complain about stuff.

Yeah, it can get monotonous a little bit, but I'm doing something that I love, which is one, covering the game of basketball, two, had a chance to play a lot of golf. A lot of golf. And three, I had a great that allowed me to have a beverage in my stuff. cigars, so I got a chance at night to enjoy everything. So I'm not complaining. Well, we love having you back. We love having you back, JJ. Thanks, Jimmy. All right. Good stuff. Yeah, I mean, listen, I give it to the players, man. It's, Jim said, listen, I only had to go 15 days. For some of these guys, like LeBron, they're like,

they're going in, they know that it's like 90 days. It's not easy. And I know, I know they make a lot of money. I get it. I get it. But it is, it is tough. I think for veteran players, it's really tough. You know, family, kids, you don't see them for months. You know, it's rough. I think for young guys, it's been very much an offensive bubble early because, you know, it was kind of a showcase offensively. And you didn't have the loud road crowds, the toxic crowds.

So I think young guys really flourish in the bubble. And I tip the cap to the NBA. We at Fox don't have the NBA as a property, but I'll say this. I think they've, aesthetically, they've done a great job. They've done, I don't even know if they've had a positive test in months. They've done a terrific job, and now they're allowing some people out of the bubble in some family members. I wish they'd give coaches an opportunity to see their families as well. They haven't yet.

Be sure to catch live editions of the herd weekdays in noon Eastern, 9 a.m. Pacific. 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-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 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 big. 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-tap 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 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 crack.

So I'm starting to see that there's a through line. We also have AIDS on the table right now. Thank you for 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 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. Trip Fontaine, Ryan Clark. Sometimes when we're in the pursuit of the thing, we get so wrapped up in the chase that 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.

bro absolutely and that that's two different levels of trust I want you to just really be a good person join me Keer gains is we have real conversations about healing growth fatherhood pressure and purpose on my new podcast learn the hard way open your free iHeart radio app search learn the hard way and listen now and here's john with the news no no turn on the news this is the herd line news so the bills have become the trendy pick to win the AFCEs. Now that Tom Brady is gone, especially considering the momentum they've been building for the last couple years with Brandon Bean

and Sean McDermott. They have not won the division since 1995. Wow. Just kind of amazing. Their GM, Brandon Bean, says they still have to dethrone the Patriots first, though. We haven't won the division. And to me, that's the goal

we have to do. We haven't been able to take down the Patriots yet. Nobody has since we've been here. So, That's still the team we're chasing. We don't play until the middle of the season, but I'm sure the Jets and the Dolphins are thinking the same thing. That's our goal. That's our focus is we got to, you know, try and compete and win the AFC East.

They are the slight favorites on Foxbat, but just barely ahead of the Patriots. You, however, though, when we just went through your predictions, you have the Patriots finishing, I believe, in last place. I think that... So clearly, you're on the bills. You think this is their year. Yes. New England had eight plays.

players opt out. That's not a, most teams had none or one or two. And they weren't a dynamic offense with Tom Brady. So I think they're restructuring and rebooting to have a top 10 draft pick and be one of three or four teams that gets a quarterback for the future. When we had Peter King on, he picked actually the dolphins to win the division. Well, Josh Allen, that's the Josh Allen is the, Peter King and I feel the same way about Josh Allen. I love the organization in Buffalo right now. I love the GM coach.

Josh Allen, I'm not. I think they're masquerading some of his issues. Absolutely. And speaking of the Dolphins, they named a starting quarterback finally this morning. No surprise, it's Ryan Fitzpatrick. 37. He's older, but remember, they have a new offensive coordinator this year. It's Chan Galey.

That was his head coach in Buffalo. So he actually already knows the offensive system, even though in theory it's new. So not surprising he would beat out Tua. Tua is also coming off a major injury. I know you actually like this for Tua because you want him to wait. And Fitzpatrick has said he understands his job is to get Tua ready. So he's not looking over his shoulder. He knows that eventually Tua is going to take his job.

And he's fine teaching him. How happy are you for Tua, who is your favorite quarterback, that he's not being asked to play? Yeah, I think this is perfect. They're going to start him in November when they face Arizona, the Jets and the Jets. They've got about a four-game slate in November. and it's just very winnable and that's fine. It should be noted the last time you predicted when a young quarterback would start was Lamar Jackson

and you actually nailed it. Week 11. The exact week. So people should probably listen, but it makes sense. They would wait. Why start, I believe their first two games are Bills and Patriots who have very good defenses. Why would you throw a rookie into that and can shoot? Miami's schedule for the first six games is rough.

Like a lot of pass rushes, a lot of deep. defenses. And they have a rebuilding O line. Miami's not going to look very good in September. They could go one in three, oh, and four. This is a team that could lose five of its first six, and then it lightens up. And then like last year, they could be a pretty good football team at the end of the year. And finally, over the weekend, Texans and quarterback Deshaun Watson agreed to a four-year, $156 million extension. So with the two years left on his deal, that means Watson will be a Texan for six more years. It also means this is smart of him. He can hit free agency again in his early 30s and get another payday.

I was a little interested to see if Deshaun would maybe be hesitant to sign a big deal, not that he wouldn't want the money. He's had injuries, though. I think that plays a factor because you could also argue the team has kind of let him down, right? Bill O'Brien makes some really weird trades, and that's being nice about it. They traded away his number one weapon. They don't seem to value draft picks. at all, which now they're going to need if they're going to pay the quarterback.

I also, the other thought that you have, could the AFC be in any better hands? You have Lamar Jackson, Deshaun Watson, and Patrick Mahomes, who are, I don't think any of them have turned 25. And they're also humble, good guys. Exactly. Deshaun Watson's press conference was, I mean, he was considering where he came from, absolutely nothing. They surprised him, Davo Sweeney, asked him a question in his press conference, as college coach. I mean, you could not find a better guy. guy to root for and be happy that he got to you. We're so lucky right now.

All these NFL quarterbacks, almost all, are hungry, humble, grateful, hardworking, coachable. It does no worse work that way. Like, you know, there's a lot of great athletes that aren't always, you know, it's not perfect. But the NFL is in such remarkable hands going forward. So many talented good kids. Veteran newsman, John Gullet. Well, that's the news. And thanks for stopping by.

The Hurd-Lye News. Joy Taylor's plane has landed at LAX. She'll be just, she's not going to sprint here on the set, but Joy will be back on tomorrow's show. Mechanical issues, says she was flying from Miami to Los Angeles. She called me yesterday. I'll panic and I'm like,

Labor Day. Enjoy Miami. Go to the beach. One more day. We'll miss you. We'll see us. Joy will be back in tomorrow. Coming up next, we play a game of more likely.

Staff's trying to trick me today. What's more likely to happen this NFL season? We'll do that 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 IHeart 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-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 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, 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 podcast, 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-tap 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 Jay. 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 crack. So I'm starting to see that there's a through line. We also have AIDS on the table right now.

Thank you for 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, 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, Keir Gaines, as we have real conversations about healing, growth, fatherhood, pressure, and purpose on my new podcast, Learn the Hard Way. Open your free iHeartRadio app. Search Learn the Hardway and listen now.

Start of the NFL season is just three days away, and I am here for it. It's going to be a somewhat abridged, unique college football season, which has got me more fired up for the NFL season. And Texans take on the Chiefs on Thursday. And so we thought we'd play a game called More Likely. What's more likely to happen? John, let's go. So what is more likely to happen for a team to go 16 and 0 or a team to go 0 and 16? Jacksonville is pretty bad.

But at some point, a home game, somebody overlooks you. I'm going to say 16 and 0. I think this year, the good teams, because of no OTAs and no preseason, the good teams that return stars, quarterbacks and coaches and O lines are going to roll. I think you're going to have multiple teams with 11 or more wins. Baltimore, to me, was red hot for much of last season. They have the easiest strength of schedule. They end the year with six non-playoff teams from last year.

they got a couple automatic wins over the Bengals in their own division, so I think it's more likely a team goes 16 and no. It's more likely the Cowboys win the division or miss the playoffs? I actually think missed the playoffs, and I'll tell you why. First of all, I think they had some significant losses. Randall Cobb, Travis Frederick on the offensive line, Byron Jones. Their offensive line and their secondary could ill afford losses, and they lost arguably their best linemen.

I also think they were one and six against playoff teams last year, and they lost four of their last six games, so I don't think they have momentum and a new coaching staff. I like their receiving core, but I do think the offensive line is deteriorating. I think you've really noticed it in the last two years. It is not the best offensive line. There are times I've actually thought Philadelphia's offensive line plays better,

so I think missing the playoffs is the better bet if one of the two was going to happen. Is it more likely for the Patriots to make the playoffs or for the Bucs to miss the playoffs? More likely, say it again. Is it more likely that the Patriots make the playoffs? They're not making the playoffs. Or that the Bucks miss the playoffs. Probably the Bucs miss the playoffs.

First of all, the division's really good. I mean, just think of the quarterback. She faced Matt Ryan twice, Teddy Bridgewater twice, and Drew Brees twice. And Matt ruled twice. Sean Payton. These are really high functioning, offensive coaches. And here's the thing with Tampa.

Their defense was really good last year, but they gave up a ton of points, whereas New England's defense keeps you in a lot of games. Let's be honest. New England's defense eats up Josh Allen and Sam Darnold. And if Tua plays, they'll eat him up too. So New England could end up winning a lot of ugly games potentially because their defense is outstanding,

and it's just nothing but kids playing quarterback in that division. More likely to make the playoffs, Justin Herbert or Tua? Tua. Miami spent more money in free agency than any other franchise. Byron Jones, Elite Left Corner, or Elite Corner, Kyle Van Nuoy, Matt Breed of the running back, the Speedster. So they're a rebuilding franchise, but they have much more pop offensively. Shaq Lawson's there, and they also have a good receiver already in Devonte Parker, and they finished really well. They 0 and 7 to start the year, finished 5 and 4. and if you look at their schedule in November,

it gets significantly easier down the stretch. So if they can just tread water for the first six weeks, they got a shot. It's more likely for the Chiefs to repeat or for them to miss the playoffs. I miss the playoffs. Listen, this division's good. I mean, Peter King thinks the Raiders are a playoff team.

A lot of people like the Raiders this year. And I think they're fourth. You know, let's be honest about it. You win the Super Bowl. everybody gets paid. Some people don't quite put the work in. The last team to win back-to-back Super Bowls was Patriots 17 years ago, 2003, 2004.

Also, the schedule for Kansas City is pretty rough. Forget their indivision schedule. Three of the first four teams they play, playoffs teams from last season. So, by the way, they could go nine and seven and miss the playoffs. I know it seems inconceivable, but all it would take is an injury on the offensive line. Mahomes in that division with a bunch of good pass rushes.

All it takes is your offensive line, go look at the Rams a couple years ago when they were on fire. You lose a center, you lose a left guard, your quarterback gets popped, you can't run the football, and all of a sudden you look up in a good division and you're treading water. So which is more likely to happen? Carson Wentz wins the Super Bowl or misses the playoffs? Probably misses the playoffs. I like them. I don't love them.

Brandon Brooks, one of the best guards in footballs out. Even though the Eagles make the playoffs, it seems like Carson Wentz is never around long in the playoffs. They also, they've kind of retooled their wide receiving core, which should be better. But it's a bunch of young kids. And also, they've had some injuries in camp. So whatever it is with their strength and conditioning program or bad luck, Philadelphia is hobbled. Seemingly, the last two or three years are constantly hobbled. All right, this is a really good one.

More likely to be on a new team in 2021. Aaron Rogers or Dak Prescott? Dak. Yeah, if Jordan Love had a great camp, I'd say Rogers. But listen, Andy Dalton and Dak, and I'll say this, this is the third quarterback to play under a franchise tag. The previous two, Kirk Cousins in Washington and Drew Brees with what the Chargers? when was that Drew Brees?

They ended up with another team. Yeah. So listen, quarterbacks do not like to be franchise tag. Rogers is under contract after this year. Dak is technically not. So the other thing is, Dak and the Cowboys with a bunch of good quarterbacks,

have a lousy secondary. I can see Dak having statistically a pretty good year, but they go eight and eight, and McCarthy looks at it and thinks, I got to go up against Rogers and Mahomes and Lamar Jackson and Russell Wilson and Garoppel. and Matt Ryan, and my guy has a low ceiling. I could see him saying that in a year.

And finally, more likely to win the Super Bowl, the Chiefs or the Bucks? I don't think either's going to win the Super Bowl. I would say the Chiefs return 18 of their 22 players. So whereas the Chiefs have all this continuity, which should help them. I think Kansas City, I know Kansas City fans are saying, wait, we can win the Super Bowl. I don't think Tampa's win the Super Bowl, and I don't think Kansas City is winning. More likely, you're not predicting. Yeah, more likely is, I just think the, first of all, Kansas City, even before Mahomes, is a solid, stable organization that had, you know, gotten to the playoffs.

They had the number one scoring defense. Kansas City did the last seven weeks of the year, so their defense played really well. God, look at that. Kansas City and Mahomes playing Thursday night. Thursday night. It's been such. a crazy last six months. Difficult for a lot of people, families, teams, military personnel around the country, just everybody.

It's been really difficult. You're away from your family. You haven't seen your kids for a while. Your kids don't go to school. So I just can't wait for the NFL, but it is interesting. It's kind of sneaking up on us. I was saying earlier today, I was sitting around over the last like seven, eight days one day. And I'm like, oh, my God, I forgot the Lakers are playing because I'd been on the lake all day.

And you just, you know, I'm used to doing certain things. I'm used to the summer being, you know, not a lot of sports except baseball, chill out, stay up later, go to a lake, hang out with the kids. And I'm used to in August watching football until, you know, beginning of August to the end, getting me all ramped up to it. Now Labor Day used to be this big college football weekend. It wasn't. August, there's no NFL football.

It's mostly looking at camp news. So it's like, boom, Thursday it's here. Thursday, the NFL season's here. So it'll be interesting to see how the country reacts. I think all the sports now are competing against each other. Will it hurt the ratings for all of them? I think the accumulation, all told. Also, we used to go to bars and watch games.

You don't go there anymore. So that used to be a big deal. We hadn't been able to do that for five and six months. So in many parts of the country. So it's such a different environment. But here we are. come very much a football show going forward, and we can't wait for it. Another podcast from some SNL late-night comedy guy, not quite.

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