The Herd with Colin CowherdJason has some bad news news for the Chiefs
NBA analyst Rachel Nichols joins the show in studio to tell Jason what makes the Thunder so special during their dominant run to the NBA Finals
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Welcome back our number two here on The Herd. A nice little Friday full of fun stuff on the show, Kansas City Cheese fans are gonna love our next segment. Alex joined today by Alex Curry. Colin Coward is vacationing outside of the country. They get a little sojourn. So Alex and I filling in. Alex, do you have bid weekend plans?
Oh?
Moving weekend? Oh we're fine, just for just for a bit.
I don't need to go into details.
Now.
We've had it a couple on. Some people on staff have moved recently and it's a nightmare. It's too of my the wife fould want me saying this, But two our biggest arguments were both big moves. Oh yeah, they it's just moving sucks. We surrender.
We're making it fun, making it positive. I'm gonna have good time. We're gonna be watching Gates.
We have games talk.
But that's why I can't be at Dodger Yankees this weekends. Normally i'd be working it or i'd be there watching it. I'm humped for you.
It should be for retreat. Very excited. You're a city Dodgers Yankees this weekend. And then Saturday night, I think we get nixed patients before we get to the NBA. Got to talk NFL real quick, so you know we got a great staff. I walk into the SAP meeting a little late, of course, because I got a bit of a drive, and I see this Kansas City Chief story. It wasn't what was going on here. Patrick Mahomes says, if this is the last ride, you would never know for Travis Kelce. Instantly I started laughing, and my mind goes back to I think the last time I hosted, I said she's started going to the playoffs next year, guys. And you know I get these Yeah, who's from Kansas City sending me stuff on social media? I got like two million views. I'm a hater, I'm an idiot, blah blah blah blah blah. Well, I got some news for Patrick Mahomes and it's not great. Let's let's play the audio. Here's Patrick Mahomes talking about Travis Kelsey saying this is this is probably not his last ride.
If it's the last ride, you would never know. I mean the way he's talking about football, the way he's talking about working and trying to be even better this year than he than he was last year. I mean, he's he's not He doesn't seem like a guy that it's his last rite, like he's tired of the job. I mean, he's in here, he's working, and I know his body feels good. I think it feels better than even last year before going into last season, just because I think he's motivated to go out there and have it even better year than he had this.
Last last ride that was six months ago in the super Bowl, it's over for the Chiefs. Guys, you had a great run. And I know you're saying Jay, you're hating. Let me just remind you Tom Brady won in two thousand and four. He had I believe three Super Bowls at the time. It took them a decade to win another one. This stuff is not easy just because you have Mahomes and Reid. It doesn't guarantee you a spot in the Super Bowl. I mean again, history is just a guide here. But it took Brady a decade before winning another. They were favored against the Giants and two more Super Bowl trips and lost both of them. We know recent history of Super Bowl losers ain't pretty. Go ask the Niners, who fell apart injury wise after losing that overtime game to the Chiefs. Super Bowl loser Chiefs lost a few years ago in the Super Bowl. Chiefs beat the Eagles. I'm sorry, Chiefs beat the Eagles in the Super Bowl, and what happened to the Eagles? They fell apart the next year. There is a bit of a curse for the Super Bowl loser. And oh, by the way, twelve to zero in one score games last year, good luck duplicating that one. And you know, I've got to mention it. I know Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift they're not going to like to hear this, but in the final two games of last year, Travis Kelce looked lost. I don't want to use the word watch that's a little bit harsh, but he had two for nineteen two catches for nineteen yards against Buffalo, and there are a lot of highlights, or I guess I should say low lights from the Super Bowl of Kelsey kind of going through the motions when they were getting their butts kicked. He ended up with four catches for thirty nine yards. He's starting to look his age. What do you want? Like, that's what happens when you get old. The guy's a Hall of Fame lock. We know that he's had a great career, but endings are not always pretty. And I'm just saying this whole talk about a last ride. I think that was the last ride. They were going for the three peat and they failed. They got their butts kicked. And this idea that they're going to go twelve to zero and one score games again, that's not happening. You know, the offensive line has a lot of questions, the wide receiver room has a lot of questions. I'm not as big of a believer in the Chiefs next year. And you know, I gotta say I don't like the Raiders a lot, but they got better. You look at the schedule here for the Chiefs, Like right out the gate, you got the tough game against the Chargers. Then you got the Eagles defending Super Bowl champs who whooped you. You got to lay up with the Giants. But then it's Lamar Jackson, skip a game, Jared Goff. That ain't gonna be easy. You gotta face Jade and Daniels, gotta go to Buffalo for seemingly the tenth straight year. Folks, that is a tough schedule. I'm calling for eight or nine wins and no playoffs. I know I'm in the minority, and Jay, you are so wrong about okay. See fine, Rachel Nichols are yell at me in a minute if she wants you can't bat a thousand when you're in this spot. But all the numbers to me line up with Chiefs. And if all you've got is we've got reading Mahomes, fine, I'll take that bet. All right, Let's bring in Rachel Nichols, NBA insider. She's covered the league forever. I was a young guy picking up the newspaper from the driveway before school, and I would read the Rachel Nichols byline with like Ja Donde Wilbond Corneiser, you.
Read me and I When I was a kid in the Washington DC Area read Wilbond and cornized, and I was like, this is why I want to get into the business.
And here we are. Yeah we did, we did, okay, right.
We did, okay. We I don't want to say I've made it. You certainly made it. I'm trying still to make it. But I see you. Word is that Nick's blue.
Well, look it's all the blues, right, I mean, you got the thunder Blue, so many blues.
It's not Thunderblue.
So many blues, so little time.
So I guess, because I don't want to be too negative, I just crushed the cheese. Tyre's Halliburton was kind of sort of bad last night. What was going on?
Yeah, passive for sure, right, I mean, look, he is not a fifty points a game guy typically, so it's not like, oh man, he didn't score fifty, but he should not be taking seven shots in thirty two minutes. That should never happen, and by the way, he missed five of them. I would not expect any of that to happen. Again, I don't know what was going on with a lot of the pacers, sort of rhythm the other you know that they're not paying.
At the pace they normally play at.
One thing I like to listen for on a Knicks broadcast is can the organists get into the like defense?
Right? It's that chant?
And if he can get into the whole defense chant, that means the Pacers are not playing at their correct style and pace of play, because he should be. It should be so fast to the other end that he can't even get into the like the whole thing. And so we were.
Getting a lot of organ last night.
And if you have a lot of organ that does not favor Tyrese Haliburton and the Pacers. I'm interested to see when they get back to their own court. You are not going to have all five starters only totally what thirty seven points like?
Right?
I mean, that's not going to happen. The Knicks force twenty turnovers. I don't expect that to happen again. So it'll be interesting to see if the scale is even out and it really does become a brawl.
Who's going to come out of game? Sex?
So let me ask what took Thibodeau so long to pick up Haliburton full court? It feels kind of basic TIBs. What was going on?
Well, look, there's a lot there too. What took him so long to play more of his bench?
Here you go?
Okay, that's another thing I listened to on the broadcast. I heard Landry Shammitt cheers from the garden, faithful, do you know what has to happen for there to be Landry Shammit cheers down twenty Landry Shammitt has to play. That's what has to happen. And so we are seeing him go deeper into his rotation. We're seeing him pick up Haliburton. As you said, he's getting a little tweaky and tickery there, which is not the TIBs style. But you know, look, we said the first couple of games of the series, it felt like he was being out coached by Rick Carlisle, And there's no shame in that. Rick Carlisle is a champion, a Hall of Fame coach, Tom Thibodeau obviously an exceptional long tenured coach. But it's nice to see him also tinkering and sort of seeing what he can do with this team because it's a fascinating series.
As we go.
Yeah, so this is a tough one, but like you know, I know the players and coaches. We don't listen to the media tune it out. I wonder Tipodau made so many changes. I wonder if he heard, like there's been talking, Hey, Michael Malone could be the next coach of the next like Tibbs wasn't pushing the right buttons. Do you think that there was some outside noise that changed things or DC analytics. I don't know.
I don't know. I don't think Tom.
I don't think Tibbs really pays a lot of attention to what so and so in the New York Post is saying like, it's just not how.
I do.
Yeah, look, I do think that players hear it a lot more. You're absolutely right.
And look, the thing about Tibbs is interesting.
When things were looking like Dacey but like rougher than expected in that Piston series, there were people around the league being like, man, if they get upset against Detroit and they lose in the first round, Tom could lose his job.
And we are.
Way obviously past that now he will be for regardless of the outcome of Saturday night's game. Tom Thibodeaux will be fine, and he will be the coach of the New York next All.
Right, I want to play some sound here. From Pascal siakam last night. Take a listen, and I'm curious your thoughts on it.
Did played harder than us? I think I think they played harder than us? You know, newsballs, like rebounds like all that.
How is that what you mean.
He's talking about they played harder than us? It's okay, we played harder, but they played Harder's what's your point? I don't get it. That happens in the game, do it? That's basketball?
You're good, You're good, bro.
You look it was.
Something I know, I madam, No, no, but I'm telling you though I told you.
What else?
Do you want me to tell you? What about you telling me?
So?
Go ahead? Who's this guy?
Who's this guy?
All right?
First of all, Rachel, I love that I know the reporter in question, Greg Doyle. I don't want to blast. I got whatever irrelevant. I do wonder though, is this the first sign that maybe pressure is getting to the Pacers because didn't like the line of questioning that like we got out played and he was pushing back. And I don't know that Pascal Siaka has showed anything like that in the press conference all season. So I wonder if the pressures maybe getting to them or is this am I reaching here?
Well?
I like what he said when he said, what do you mean we did play hard?
We just played harder. I like that part because like.
To pretend that these are elite level athletes, to pretend that anyone out there in the Eastern Conference Finals isn't trying. Essentially, I'm not saying that's what Greg said, but I mean, and it's just such a crazy sort of notion. I hear fans say sometimes, of course they were trying.
Interesting was not their night.
I do think the pressure is now on them, though, whether it started in the postgame press conference or whether it.
Extends to Saturday night.
I know that they played a Game seven in Medison Square Garden last year.
I know that I remember that.
However, that game was not a pressure game because the Knicks were so battered and bruised. They were wheeling og Anobi out there practically at like a walker under.
The basket, like everybody was hurt. You knew the Pacers were winning that game.
This game, this game six at home, with a game seven in the garden looming and teams relatively at full strength.
That's the pressure.
And I think this is where we will see where the rubber meets the road with these Pacers.
Hundred percent. All right, We're gonna come back from break with Rachel. I'm gonna tell her why I've got the Knicks winning Game six.
I'm shocking here, don't know.
If they got a better chance to get to win the finals then the Pacers. We'll be back after.
This one more heard. The Herd streams twenty four hours a day, seven days a week within the iHeartRadio app. Search Herd to listen live or on demand whenever you like.
Welcome back, Rachel Nicholson Studio talking to NBA Nicks triumphant last night the Big Game six. So, Rachel, the last time I can remember a big team coming back from down three to one besides the Cavs Warriors, was that Warriors team that won seventy three games. They were down three to one to the Thunder. They went on the road in Game six and Clay went for forty one hit, eleven threes. Do you think the Knicks have somebody on that roster who can deliver a Clay type performance on the road.
Look, the series is very close.
In fact, if you look at the point differential, the Knicks are actually ahead.
I scored more points in.
This series than Indiana. If Game one had gone differently, we would be having.
A very different conversation.
And ten things had to happen for Game one to go the way it did. And I'm not saying the Pacers got lucky. Seven of those ten things where things the Pacers did, but it's still required ten things, right. So that's how close the Knicks are. That's how close this series is. And I don't have any question that it's possible they could win the next two games. I just think it's hard to win three in a row against an evenly matched opponent. They've won the first of those three, but can they win the next two? And I to your point, does it take a Clay Thompson like forty point performance?
Someone shoot the lights out?
And by the way, the thing we forget about that game in game six, Clay, he still had Steph Curry scoring next to it. It's not as if he like he did it all by himself. So it's like, oh yeah, man, Jaylen Bruns, you can drop fifty. He can, But then who else is there? And that's where we get back into the Karl Anthony Towns conversation, a conversation I know you have had plenty, both on the show and with your friends in the group chat.
And what I loved about what we saw last night.
From Kat and which would give me hope if I was a Knicks fans, is that he was in full Bodega cat mode. He was scratching and crawl, you know, all the things that you want to see him do, playing so physical, face to the basket, being aggressive. If he is that kind of player, if he can be that consistent, if Jalen Brunston not only lights it up offensively but also plays decent defense, which he has not been playing for all of this series, but certainly played last night, That's where you start to be like, oh, could they have a Game six?
Could they have a Game seven? That kind of thing.
All right, So before we get to oksee everybody's favorite team the New Darling. So you know, there's this whole big small market narrative around the league, and I just wonder, like, we've seen changes in the league with the CBA. They want small market teams to thrive, right, They've adjusted the CBA. So if you draft a superstar, he's incentivized to stay with you. And now we've got the Aprons and I'm reading about the Minnesota Timberwolves apparently like they're not gonna be able to afford everybody Randall, They're gonna lose Alexander Walker. Like this is what the league wants? Seven different champs in the seven years. Pard, But Rachel, I go back to the twenty tens or teams, however you call it. I love the super team era. I mean it was like stacked teams. I don't care if they're in Cleveland or Miami or Golden State. Like to me, I love that. I know you've been around the league forever, but like, who do did you prefer the Super League super teams or do you prefer now with like everybody has a chance.
It's just important to think back through who's making these decisions because you think about what the league wants. It's not really Adam Silver in the league office.
He has bosses. Adam Silver's bosses.
Are the thirty owners, right, and the thirty.
Owners they want parody. They want more than three or four.
Teams in it, because guess what if there's only three or four teams in it, then twenty five, twenty six the teams they don't have a shot. They want seven champions in seven years because that means more of them have a chance to hoist up a championship trophy. So that is who is making these decisions. That's who's making the rules about the aprons and all of this other stuff. And yeah, they want to incentivize players to stay in markets where they can't necessarily grab and attract free agents. But I just think it kind of it goes in cycles. When we have dynasties. It's frankly good for the league in terms of people outside the g because that's what attracts non basketball fans. After a few years of Steph Curry and the Warriors winning, your grandmother knows who Steph Curry is, exactly When there's a different champion every year, your grandmother does not have time to learn who Nikolaiokich or Sga is.
And as I've said on this.
Network, some grandmas know who Nikolaiokich is, and I applaud those grandmas, but it's not the same.
It's not the same.
So I think that's what you're feeling a little bit if you are a fan, if you are an in it everyday basketball fan, I think you probably like that there is a little more parody because your team might be able to get there.
And that's so who are we catering to? The twenty five billionaire owners who own teams and want a profit, or the casual fans, the grandma's or the diehards who are going to watch regardless whether it's a super team or Denver winning the title or a small markets.
And you read the newspaper. We cater to billionaires in this country.
That's what we do.
Oh, I like that.
So let me ask along that line, like do you think OKAC is set up for a dynasty? Because I will say, Rachel, we heard this about Denver when they want Oh Murray and Jokichen the prod. Yeah, and we heard this about Boston amazing roster. Now we're hearing the same about OKAC, And I'm like, I've heard this before.
Look the advantage OKC has and the reason everyone is so excited is because they are a young team with players playing on smaller rookie contracts. Because it will be a couple of years until some of their younger players like Jaylen Williams Chut Holmgren needs to really get paid, they will have the chance to keep this team together. SGA's Supermax doesn't kick in right away that kind of thing. Boston was certainly set up even though they were into the second Apron. They were set up to be a team because they kept their guys who could win a couple of championships.
They just had some bad play, first.
Of all against the next and then also some bad luck with the Tatum injury. If the Oklahoma City Thunder continue as they are and all of the assets that they have, that's the other ingredients of the draft picks. Yes, they are set up for a run. But to your point, this is such a competitive Western conference it is ridiculous. And now we're talking about rumors that Yannis is going to now join them. Just getting out of the West is going to be so hard for so many teams, including even the Thunder. Even if they win the title this year, even if they look unstoppable, they will still have to go through such a gauntlet next year.
And I'll add, like I had to look this up, but the second highest paid player on the Thunder is Isaiah Hartenstein. Yeah, thirty million dollars. Like wow, that is a crazy roster. So let me one more thing on SGA. So Jeff T I'm sure you're familiar with his work, said that SGA has saved the league with his mid range assassin stuff. I agree with some of that. The mid ranges back is interesting because Brunston's doing the same thing. But saving the NBA of Rachel. Does the NBA need saving?
No? I mean, look, everything in our hot take world is sort of so extreme. You know, the NBA is on death store og. SBA has come and nursed us back to how look. I like Jeff by the way, but yes, I think that there's no question that there's a little bit more mid range game in the NBA. I have been saying for years. Yes, three is more than two, but two is more than zero. So if you don't have a good three to take, take the two because two is more than zero. And I think we are getting a little bit of that back. Everything is swings right. So when analytics became so effective, people were like, only do this, only do that, And now we're seeing a little bit of swings back of like a little flexibility within some games.
Then Boston Celtics, by.
The way, which we'll still take only three is and shoot you try to shoot you out of the building.
So not every team is the same.
I think SGA is a good player because he is a good player.
It is not because he is taking mid range shots.
Yes, he is very good at them, and he's taking them and he's using them effectively. But he's doing so many other things on the court effectively two and that is what is powering this team.
He's a great defender.
I mean, it's not just oh, that one shot that's saving the NBA and that's what SGA does.
He does a lot of things.
So the Pacers were in the Eastern Conference finals last year. Yes, the thunder were the number one seed I think in the West last year. Neither of them got Christmas Day games this past season. Will we see either of them on Christmas next year? Rachel?
I mean, look, certainly the NBA champion has to play in christ are we sure? And I would think that the NBA finalist plays on Christmas as well. But look, the league is programming for the grandma's that day.
Huh right, they.
Want who does your whole entire family, not just you who normally sits on the couch at nine forty five at night, addicted to the NBA. But who does your whole family that's there on Christmas want to watch play. And I don't care how they finish, as long as stiff Steph and Lebron and those guys and KD are still in the league.
Huh, they will be playing.
On Christmas days because that is who the larger extended family wants.
So someone smart in our meeting this morning compared this OKAC thunder team. I'm pushing there. They're boring, no good sound bites, this mid range. I don't hate them, you know, I just I'm bored by them, Okay, And then someone said they're the Spurs two point zero, just like Tim Duncan Manu Parker. They didn't give crazy sound bites. Their coach actually gave the best stuff, and they weren't flashy. There was no in your face dunks, no Anthony Edward's stuff. And I said, that's not Are they Spurs two point zero? Is there the potential for that?
I think they're pretty different.
I mean this has that more feel of like that young college team that's a lot of fun without as many individuals sort of huge media standouts the way Anthony Edwards is or something like that. Cha jelsoselves in an Alexander has a ton of personality. He has got swag for days when you see him walk into the arena. I wish he would wear some of that stuff in the press conferences after the game because he is one hundred percent stylist. He's got the whole look going. He's just not as loud a guy and he plays in Oklahoma City. I think this is a fun team to watch, and it's okay to have a finals or have a team in the finals. That is for the Hoopets, that is for the authentic basketball fans. Sometimes that's okay. It's not good for the league if that happens all the time. If there isn't a team or a player, that's the larger public who aren't day to day NBA fans can't relate to that. That's not good for the NBA. They need everybody to watch the finals. But once in a while, it is okay to have if you know, you know, yes Star, if you know you know team.
It makes fans feel good, right, It makes you feel like you can tell.
Your friends, oh, you don't know this about them, but bah and about the Thunder. You should get to like them, Jason, because here's what they are with the regular season in the playoffs so far this season.
Adding them together, they're eighty and eighteen. They're eighty and eighteen.
You know what they are against the Eastern Conference.
They're twenty nine in one.
So it's great to watch this Pacers next series. I hope all series go to seven, So I hope this series goes to seven. Both of these teams are really fun for me. I hope both of them win if it was possible, It's all great. They're not going to be the savorst in the finals. Trying to hold my tongue a little bit and not say they're going to get crushed, but I celebrate your wins boys over the next few days, because I'm not sure it's going to continue.
So if my wife says, hey, we got a Saturday night thing with this other couple we got we're going to dinner and it's Game two of the finals, do I say, hey, I'm sorry, I can't go. I gotta watch the finals.
Now.
If it was Lebron versus Curry, right, bat, I'm watching the game, right But if it's okay, see Indiana, I gotta be honest, I'll catch highlights like is that okay to say, can I say that as an NBA fan? Look, Rachel, look look again.
You don't make more money personally as a fan if a high market or high sort of media team is in it, you don't.
It does not affect you.
So it is okay to feel like, Okay, this is a smaller one or this is a bigger one. It's not gonna hit your bottom line or your wallet as a fan, right, So it's okay. We just don't have to have so much handwringing over this. You know, if the rating is a little lower or a little higher, if you're a fan, it does not matter to you at all. Right, So just sometimes there's gonna be huge, big stars and fireworks.
Sometimes it's going.
To be more of a like authentic if you know, you know series and players that variety I actually think is good for the game. And maybe you know, so they'll adopt some people who didn't think they would stay home on a Saturday night.
But tyres Haliburton, man.
If he's the one who's in there and he hits one of those, if in game one he hits another, oh my god.
How did he do that last second come from behind shot?
You might be canceling those plans on Game two.
By the way, Halloween night, everybody I know had a TV on at Halloween parties for the World Series Game one. Yes remember that ended of course last one. Real quick, if I said, Kevin Durant winds up in Minnesota, they do some sign in trade not read whatever? Would that shock you? Eight Anthony Edwards and Durant are are friends. I mean, would not check me at all.
I and thinks the world revolves around KD and so would not shock me at all. Certainly, There's been a lot of reporting out there that the Wolves were hotly pursuing a Kevin Durant trade as we got to the deadline this past season, So yeah, it does, It wouldn't surprise me at all. I mean, the irony is Kevin Durant, who is you know, Hall of Famer upon Hall of Famers and all of the things, Multiple Rings finals. MVP is going to have to wait until the Jannis and Sukuko situation settles to see where he is going to go, because any team that is in the Kevin Durant chase is at least going to kick the tires on a Yannis chase. And I just think for say, Houston, which is a team that we hear a lot as sort of maybe a KD destination.
Well they're also maybe a y Honist destination.
So we have to see a Doesianist want to leave Milwaukee because I'm not sending him away unless he asks for a trade. If he says he wants to leave, where is he going to go? Where are the Bucks going to send him?
Again?
If I'm the Bucks and I've learned from the Drew Holiday experience, i am not sending him anywhere where he could end up east. Yeah, and I know they didn't send him to Boston, but nobody thought he was playing in Portland. They were just sending him to Portland as okay, great, you distributed him, and then he ended up being on the team that beat them right and beat them out for another title.
So they are not going to send him east. They're going to send him.
West, which means Kevin Durant has to wait and see what happens if Janis asks out, if the Bucks trade him, if he goes somewhere that Katie was also looking to go, then what happens to Kevin Durant?
Yeah, so he's kind of waiting so Jannis could go Houston San Antonio. Is there a world where he stays East? Obviously Knicks would be difficult. But what about my Miami. I keep hearing that's a team to watch.
Certainly Miami, Miami covets him. They would give all of the things on the cupboard for Yanni Sentopo. It's just is there enough in the cupboard right compared to some of what those other teams? And again, if you're the books, I would think very hard about dealing him to a team in the Eastern Conference, if I'm honest, by the way, I would think very hard about leaving the Eastern Conference. And when he has this decision to make of do I stay in Milwaukee or not? I think there's a lot of sort of basketball people who look at the cap sheet and look at the say he can't win the next few years. What's the point he should go somewhere else. I get it, I understand, and I agree he cannot win in Milwaukee the next few years. They do not have the resources or assets. But there is more than winning. I know that he's a dirty thing to say in sports. There is, And by the way, you're not guaranteed to win anywhere else you go.
Great.
The Boston Celtics were set up to win and they're not even in the last two rounds of the playoffs.
So you have to think about everything.
Do you have a chance to win, yes, but you also have to think about where do you play, what's your day to day life, what city are you in, and what's the love and relationship with that city? And are you going to have more fun playing basketball and winning more basketball games?
If you are a winning is.
Everything guy in the Eastern Conference playing for they can't win at all my Milwaukee Bucks than you are battling it out on in the West, where every night is going to be a war and you can have a winning record and still end up like battling for the plant.
Yeah.
No, great stuff. Rachel Nichols knows everything about the league. Sorry to keep you so long, right, it was phenomenal. Let's go to Alex Curry with the news.
Turn on the news. This is the herd Line news, all right.
J mcbrimsar in the NFL with Brock Purty, who went from mister irrelevant to one of the highest paid quarterbacks in football. Now, despite the fact that this banking account is much bigger than head coach Kyle Shanahan. He says that Purty has the same amount of responsibility.
Ballire he's always been. But there's no worse thing to ask people to do some the acts because of our contract in office. That's when you start making stuff up.
Brocks earned his contract and he's gonna earn what he gets going for.
Let Purdy be a lesson to everybody that it's not how you start, it's how you finish, ye, because it's insane. I'm on. I think we're on a similar page with brock perty Like, look at his body of work, right his first season, takes a team to an NFC Championship game, gets injured, That's one of the reasons I think they lost, and then the next season they're in the super Bowl.
Last year was a.
Wash all around for the forty nine ers, just completely wet the bet. It was not a good season for them, no playoff obviously. But he's heading into season four. He just got paid, he just got his contract. They have an extremely easy schedule, like we talked about in the first hour, and I think he just needs to get back to where they were those first two seasons.
Yeah, look at all those moves that they made a move retain. Now they're trying I think a Chiefs model where you really only keep one or two defenders who were and then just rotate them in. So they keep Bosa and Warner.
I mean they still have Kittle, they still have by Youth, They still have McCaffrey, so they still have some of their big playmakers on offense and weapons.
I was, I forgot. I was looking at some pretty sets. He was in the MVP running two years Yes, I mean I think Lamar ended up getting in the super Bowl two years ago.
That was in the NFC Championship game.
His rookie season. The guy's good. People could doubt him. He feels good seven.
He has the confidence like we talked about, he believes he can do it, and he's a leader in that locker room that we've heard from his teammates, his coach, everyone around him. Like he probably made more money on his endorsement deals, I think his first couple of years.
Then you make it like eight hundred thousand dollars, which is a great amount of money. But not to play quarterback in the NFL.
No, so insane. This is I don't think it's like a your more responsibility. It's just to get back to where they weren't the first two seasons. All right, Let's move to the Ravens, who have tried to add weapons for quarterback Lamar Jackson was recently adding veteran wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins, and head coach John Harbaugh talked about the Hopkins impact.
First of all, I think he's a heck of a football player. And you know he's obviously you saw him today, right, He's a gifted guy, talented guy. But he's gonna be a he's going to be a big body, contested catch receiver for us, you know, certainly, and he's moving great. Plus he brings all that experience. He's been in the big games before, He's made plays in the big games. He knows how to make plays. It's not going to be any situation it's going to be too big for him. But you know, I just thought he and Lamar looked really good today out there together, and it was nice to see.
He's going to be a good veteran presence. I think for the locker room, it was just another weapon. But I mean, they still have Derrick Henry, don't. I don't think that's the issue for Lamar Jackson and getting over the hump. I think he's going to get over the Patrick Mahomes hump in the playoffs.
That's the issue.
I mean, you don't think that's going to be an issue this year because you don't think the Chiefs are going Why do you look at it?
I think it's crazy because I'm.
Gonna keep calling you out every single time, like there's no way they're not getting to the playoffs. I don't know if they're gonna get to the super Bowl again this year, but they're definitely.
Getting to the playoffs. So I'm looking at the Ravens depth chart. Yeah, I mean, Dave Flowers is very good. He's like a top fifteen receiver already. They got what the Rashod Bateman, Eh, but Hopkins is good. They were a Mark Andrews drop remember that. Yes, sorry to bring it up, Mark Mark Andrews drop away from beating Buffalo like they're close.
It's the playoff hump, Lamarni's to get over to the playoff hump.
But it's funny. All I hear alex is Well brock Purdy, you know he's not that good. Lamar is awesome. Jalen hurts, he's not tough fun. Lamar's awesome. When is Lamar gonna win a big playoff game? Just can you answer that? When is he gonna win deliver in a big playoff spot?
That's the hard part when you talk about like legacy and he's won multiple he has an insane regular season, but we need to see that same success in the post.
He's James Harden without strip clubs. I mean, by the way Lamar asking for a new contract compared Lamar asking for a new contract again, Bro.
It's just there needs to be The playoff success needs to match the regular season success. He is an insanely talented, super gifted, dual threat quarterback and he has the weapons. Can we get run?
Get their schedule on the screen. Oh my god, I'm looking at it now. So the Ravens, Yeah, three of their first I'm sorry, she's look at this early schedule too, at the Bills. That's tough. Now it's gonna be cool. We'll give him the Cleveland win, but look at that after that Detroit, which is one of the highest win toes in the league.
She's she's gonna be wild just because they're gonna come out, They're gonna play.
Hard A J. Stroud then Matt Stafford in a huge game out here at so far. So five of their first six opponents we're playoff teams from last year. Yeah, that is not going to be easy. And also like.
New and improved Bears with Ben Johnson a refreshed Kayla Williams.
I think.
Raves Ravens are gonna win the division. They should. Yeah, I'm Bangals stand over there admitting yeah, it's their divisions. Browns are a non factor. Steelers stink. But this is not gonna be not a cakewalk. Let's say the Ravens start two and four, would you be surprised?
No?
But they had a They had a weird start to last year too, right, they lost the first two games. It was the toe game on the line to oh yeah, yeah good and then to the Raiders right like it was like like weird they I think they started to right, remember that, Yeah you're good, and then they came back and had an incredible season. So it's again like as long as you don't dig yourself into deep of a hole like Burrow and the Bengals di, you can fight back and you could be okay. Yeah, yeah, okay, let's uh, let's switch to the Broncos because they surprised a lot of people last season, but won't speak up on people this year. Sent year quarterback bon Knicks was impressive as a rookie, but he knows still got some work to do.
Point and I got a lot to prove, lots of shows. So you know, every day it's it's working. Every day, it's find a way to get better because you don't want to get to you know, year two, or go down the road and you know all of a sudden you got stuck in Dingda any better. So that's my focus right now, is just not even worried about what people are saying, just internally, you know, I know I got a long way to go.
He's just so lucky. He has a legendary coach in SHAWNE what do you say, like believes in him, drafted him and just kind of put his job on the line for him, right because he was like, Hey, by Russ, we're going to pay you a ton of money to go play somewhere else. Now I'm going to draft this kid who. I don't know if many people had as high on their draft selection as the Broncos did, but the way last season ended exceeded expectations. So there's their first playoff berth since they won the Super Bowl in the twenty fifteen twenty sixteen season with Peyton Manning. So that was that was a huge, big rookie season for bow Nicks.
And he's only going to get better.
All I've heard from team reporters and everyone around the team.
Is how confident he.
Is, Like he acts and carries himself like a veteran.
Goes back to the conversation we had off the top of.
The show, like if you have the confidence people, it's going to be infectious and people are going to believe you and want to follow you and take you on as a leader. And it feels like he did that in year one. And when you have a good coach, legendary coach like he does, like he's he's in a good position and it helps to have that defense.
Oh, they might have a top five defense in the league. And I like to draft pick the kid out of Texas Baron opposite Sirtain, Like their defense is going to carry him. And that means you don't have to do a ton bo just don't make mistakes. And he's good at that. All you got to do? All right, Alex. Story with the news.
Well that's the news, and thanks for stopping by. The heard line news coming up.
Did Brian Schottenheimer take a shot at dak before the season even started? That's next.
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I'm Fox fired up for Dodgers Yankees. This weekend should be a good one, all right. So you know, anytime I fill in for Coward, I'm always like, eh, I'm not really into the Cowboys. I know America's team, blah blah blah. But there is something interesting that went down this week. Brian Schottenheimer is the new coach of the Cowboys. He's taken over from McCarthy. Everybody thinks he's just a placeholder right until they get their real coach. Whether it's Dion or whomever. So Schottenheimer was asked this week about Joe Milton. I don't know why they held their out. That's going about Joe Milton. Okay, he ain't gonna play, and Schottenheimer bizarrely turned it into Dak Prescott. Listen to what the coach had to say.
I think Dak is in the developmental phase. And that sounds crazy for you guys played that much. But like there's things that we're tweaking with Dak, the bones of it is still very similar. You know, there's gonna be changes. That's part of football. That's whether there's a coaching change or not. I think it's a little bit where if you have to have your system, then I think, to me, just my opinion, not disagreeing with Zoom. To me, your system should be flexible enough to where you adjust some things, but you keep some things in place because it's our job as coaches to we spend more time on it than the players do.
All Right, So we got David Hellman coming on the final hour. I'm sure he'll love to talk about that. He knows the Cowboys. Well, I'm just gonna say this. So I started a website. It was called The Big Lead and then I sold it and then they kept me on to run it, and it went to USA Today Sports and then another company bought it. And they come to me and they're like, hey, Jay, so how do you plan on running the website now that we've taken over. I said, well, guys, I've been running the P and L Report. You know, we're profitable, our numbers are up. We got a great system in place. Okay, it's rolling smoothly. And they were like, yeah, we don't think so. And I said, well, here's all the evidence. And they're like, okay, we want to change some things, so you're out. So they fired me. I was kind of stunned. I started the website. It hurt for like eight minutes, and then I got a new job here at Fox, writing for their digital side, so it didn't sting that badly. Of course, the website went under like a few years later because they don't know how to run a site. But I digress. This to me is similar to what's going on in Dallas. If you Brian Schottenheimer look at DAK and say, ooh, we got to tweak some things. You think that's the problem. Two years ago. This guy was at MVP candidate until like the final three weeks of the season. I think he finished second or third. Dak ain't the problem. He's got one hundred and twenty two career starts in Dallas. He's the least of your worry. Yes, but that's what you're talking about, Brian Schottenheimer. Similar to my website, like we had a good system. You could have just trotted it out and we would have kept it going smoothly. Maybe it would still be working. But if you're going in there thinking, oh, we got to tweak some stuff with Dak, that's my job as a coach. Uh Uh, You've been handed a pretty damn good team. If you guys recall they were an eleven win team for several years. Last year obviously they it bought him out and there were some injuries that played a factor. But if you think Dak is the problem in Dallas, maybe you guys are going to battle the Giants for last place. Now. I don't want to rip Schottenheimer too hard, but he was the OC when I was a diehard Jets fan and a guy who works here at the network. Maybe we can get him in next week knows Brian Schottenheimer pretty well. I'm not gonna say his name. I'll text him after the show. But all I know is watching Schottenheimer with the Jets. I couldn't get over that guy quick enough. And then I saw he landed in another spot and he was gone pretty quickly. And then there was another spot, and then you start wondering, Man, is this guy that good of a coach? Oh? Wait, what's his last name? Oh? Now I got neo baby. Sorry Cowboys fans, this could be a rough season. I don't see a lot of optimism other than the schedule, okay, and I think we can get on the screen here. I know Cowhard's way out on Dallas and I don't think they're a playoff team. However, if they can get this schedule early on and get the ball rolling and get some chemistry with CD and Pickings on the outside, maybe there's a world where Dallas is more competitive than people think. Obviously, the Eagles game, we could chalk that up to a likely loss. Okay, but the Giants aren't projected to be good. The Bears are five hundred at best. That Packers game at home is going to be winnable. My Jets aren't great. Carolina's rebuilding start out four and two, and there's some optimism, and then it's like, hey, maybe Pickens playing in a contract year, shows up and is not half ass in it and not one in a block and opposite Lamb, he's something. And maybe the offensive line Jel's quicker than expected, and their star defender last year, damn and his name's escaping me. Maybe he's healthy before Thanksgiving and back and things are rolling. But some of the stuff coming out of Schottenheimer's mouth, like tweaking stuff with Dak Prescott. What I don't know, Alex. Maybe I'd be a too harsh, But Dallas fans, this could be a brutal, brutal season if they don't get off to a good start. All right, Coming up next to start the Final Hour? Did SGA really save the NBA? Hell? Did the NBA need saving? Final Hour? Coming up next year on the Herd,
