J. Mac (3:14)

Now you like him, huh? He's your guy. All right, 72 and a half for the Lakers. Oh, they're going to the finals. Cowherd.

Colin Cowherd (3:21)

Well, let's just start with this. That's a little hot. That's a little hot this morning. But when I hear this, yeah, I don't know if LeBron and Luka are going to work together. Go back to Miami, D. Wade and LeBron, that wasn't a good fit. Both need the ball to excel. Neither are great shooters. They were just two great athletes and they ended up getting to four straight finals. Stephen, KD and Klay Thompson. One ball, three guys that need it last night, LeBron and the Lakers. Second highest plus minus for LeBron this season. And the Lakers had their second highest point title between the warriors, the Heatles and LeBron and Luka. What do all three have in common in basketball? Smart guys figure it out. A lot of stars can't. They lack self awareness. Right? The egos, the lack of self awareness. I mean, the OKC Westbrook mellow thing, it just didn't work. Katie, Steph, Clay worked, the heels worked. LeBron and Luke, Austin, Reeves, it's going to work. I mean, last night before the game, LeBron's like, don't worry about fitting in. We'll work around you just go score. And I think that's. Chemistry is an issue when you have selfish guys and insecure guys and guys with no self awareness. You know, Harden and Kyrie playing with Katie in Brooklyn. KD was great. The other two guys were a pain. They hurt chemistry. So LeBron and Luka are engaged, they're smart, they have huge brands, so they're very, very secure in who they are. Both excellent passers. The only weird part for me is how the hell is LeBron still this good? What's in that wine he's drinking? I swear he looks like he's in year 12 or 13. LeBron's amazing. But if you go back to the Heatles in Miami, they didn't have any size. Joel Anthony, remember him? Joel Anthony was a six, nine and a half center. They had no true point guard, but it was one of the smartest teams I've ever seen. Shane Battier, Ray Allen, LeBron Haslam, I mean it just everybody, Chris Bosh, Dwyane Wade, they just made it work. Draymond, Steph Clay, you know, kd, smart guys just make it work. So it now Luke is rusty. Okay, never played with these guys. I don't care about practice. Never played game speed with these guys, hasn't played in a long time. And the Lakers do have an issue and it's a real issue. They have no rim protection. Jackson Hayes is a fun guy on alley oops and you saw a lot of alley oops last night, but they don't have any rim protection. So when the Mark Williams deal from Carolina did not go through the Charlotte deal, that's kind of a bummer. Now like Robert Williams, who the Celtics had for years, he wasn't available very much, but when he was available, he changed the temperature in the room. So they're going to have to address that on, on the market and see if they can find somebody. But I'll say this about the Lakers. Last night when I watched them, especially in the first half because they put the game away in the first half, it felt young, it felt fun, it felt fresh. I looked it up this morning, 10 more threes. They took 10 more threes than average. There were more alley oops. You know what? Three pointers everywhere again. Austin, Reeves, LeBron and Luka. Yes, they all need the ball. But you know what smart guys figured out. And Staples was roaring all the Luka jerseys. I think this thing is going to be excellent and I'll get to in a second. Why I think they can win the west. But here is Luka and JJ Redick after was a little nervous before. I remember was the last time I was nervous before the game so. But once I step on the court it was, it was fun and just being out there again felt amazing.

J. Mac (6:59)

It's a new team, knew everything but.

Colin Cowherd (7:02)

Like the way they helped me teammates, Rob, Jenny, Ginny, it was. It's just a lot of support for me. You can see when I come into arena, I Saw the LUCA jerseys. It was just surreal feeling. Sometimes you can have agendas in a game. I felt like this for our group was just a no agenda game beyond winning a basketball game and playing the right way with our three guys who are going to be our primary creators. Like they, they all did it really well and I think our guys will get accustomed to the the LUCA passes for sure. Listen, the Lakers felt like they went from analog to digital and if you look at the Western Conference standings, why can't they get there? Memphis is number two. I don't trust them. They play very fast, great pacing. I'm not sure if that transfers to the playoffs. Denver is horrific defensively now. Jamal Murray's healthy again and playing well. They're a bad defensive team. The Rockets can't shoot super young. I think they're a regular season team. I think they'll be a one and done in the playoffs. Clippers, do you really trust them? So I look at the West. The best team I've seen in the NBA by a long shot is the Celtics. I watch them hammer the Knicks again. Boston's the best team in the league. OKC is very good, that I won't deny. And I'm not sure if the Lakers can beat him, although it feels like to me they've matched up with them pretty well the last couple of years with AD and LeBron. So my takeaway is I watched last night. It was a lot of threes, a lot of alley oops. It's only going to get better. I mean, Luke hasn't played in forever. First game with the guys. I think if they could figure out I said it before, if the Mark Williams thing would have gone through, I would have had no problem saying Lakers in the final. I don't know if they can beat Boston. Probably not, but I think they could get there. I don't know if they can win the west, but I'm watching all the. Listen, it's an offensive sport, right? I mean, defense matters, but people get frustrated when Jayson Tatum doesn't take the game over offensively, not defensively. So I'm reading this story about the super bowl ratings and 126 million viewers for the Super Bowl. 59, first of all, it's more than that. But it's hard to track how many people actually watch the Nielsen ratings. They do count out of home viewers, but you don't really have an exact count on that. You're kind of guessing at some point. I think it probably was closer to 136 million. The second thing is this wasn't, let's be totally honest about this, it wasn't a good game. The peak of the rating was in the second quarter. What if it had been an overtime game? Could you get to 130, 35 million? But there's a lot of reasons why I think the NFL keeps extending their season and adding games because there's an insatiable appetite for it. We never get tired of it. And the other thing is there's a reason they keep playing games now in Australia and they're going to go to Brazil again and they're going to go, they won the US market. If you dominate America, spread your wings. So when people complain about games overseas, why not? They own the country. And I think there's a lot of reasons why the NFL is king. It's a once a week sport, but that's always been true. But we didn't have the iPhone and TikTok in the 60s, 70s, 80s, 90s. We are a very, very distracted nation. It is harder to get people's attention Monday through Friday. And the NFL is a once a week game. The second thing is it's a really good television product. Not just because I work at Fox. NBC, cbs, ABC are great too. But the production of the television product is outstanding. The other thing, it's relatable football players. There is no load management. They play in the snow, they play in the wind, they play in the rain like the rest of us. They just go to work when they're not 100%. It's totally relatable. The other thing is they make big changes regularly. They bailed on Oakland, they upgraded to Vegas. They bailed on San Diego. I know it hurts. They upgraded in LA, they bailed on St. Louis, they, they'd bail on Jacksonville tomorrow if they could. They're not going to be burdened by tradition. They're. They're not going to worry about what the hardcore traditionalist and the romantic things. They're going to take swings and evolve. And I think they constantly pivot on rule changes. Baseball struggles with that. Basketball makes changes. Sometimes though, they feel a little bit like they're out of desperation. Last week they're talking about shorter quarters. Who's ever worried about how long a quarter is? We worry that you got too many games or load management. And so I think there's a lot of reason for the changes. I just think more than anything, it's a very well run league by adults. Agents run, baseball players run the NBA. Economically it is two times the size of the NBA yet feels like it's nimble like a sailboat. It can turn quickly during a Super Bowl. Rule changes, always willing to change. And somebody told me this years ago that, that in any time there's a change, basketball thinks of it first, baseball makes the most money out of it, and football gets it right. And I think the NFL more than any league just consistently gets it right. When changes are needed, they don't pander. Agents and the players don't run the league. They're like every good company I've ever worked for. And none of the companies I've ever worked for that are very well run are run by the employees. They value the employees. They pay the employees. They treat the employees well. It's not run by the employees. I should not be running Fox. I should not be running it. I. I'm treated well. I shouldn't be running it. And so there you go. The number is huge. I think it's probably bigger than that. And it was not a very competitive game. We got a lot of things. Nick Wright joins us in 50 minutes. It's been a very rough 48 hours for Nick. You know, he was due for a bad weekend. J. Mac. He was due.

J. Mac (12:53)

Can I give you a peek behind the curtain? One of our smart producers hit me up this morning, was like, hey, can you bring in a violin to play during the Nick Wright segment? And I tried to fight a violin this morning. No dice. But I, Yeah, we feel bad for him. You know, it's just. Yeah, it's tough for those Chiefs.

Colin Cowherd (13:08)

I barely slept last night.

J. Mac (13:09)

I tried to tell them they weren't a good team all season, record be damned.

Colin Cowherd (13:12)

You were right.

J. Mac (13:14)

They looked awful.

Colin Cowherd (13:14)

Listen, if you go back to that Houston game, that was choppy, very friendly.

J. Mac (13:19)

Whistle there, shall we say? I'll ask, though, Colin, like, where was the leadership on the sideline when they were getting their butts kicked? 24, nothing. You know, there's a lot of video out there of Tom Brady in that Atlanta Super Bowl.

Colin Cowherd (13:31)

Yeah. Firing up the troops.

Bobby Bones (13:32)

Let's go.

J. Mac (13:32)

Come on, guys. We're not done. And I saw none of that. You know, Chiefs just look shell shocked, like, wait, we're not winning. We're not winning. We're not coming close to winning. It was kind of embarrassing. Where's the leadership? Andy Reid, Patrick Mahomes. I didn't see it. Did you?

Colin Cowherd (13:46)

Well, I don't look to my coaches for that. They got a headset on or they're trying to maneuver, I think. I think players have to inspire players. I think generationally it means more coming from another player. If a great player's on the sideline at 28 years old, barking at a 25 year old, I think that has incredible impact. I don't think coach barking at a player be coaches bark at players. It's called practice. And so when you get into a game, I do think it's up to players to help motivate players. There's a lot of tape of Troy Aikman, he's on his players, Peyton Manning on his players. And I, I think there's value. I mean, I've seen Lamar Jackson on the sideline talking to his own line, getting guys fired up. That stuff matters.

J. Mac (14:23)

Something for Mahomes to work on in the off season.

Colin Cowherd (14:25)

Yeah, a couple things. Gotta get a left tackle, baby. Be sure to catch Live editions of the Herd, weekdays at noon Eastern, 9am Pacific on Fox Sports Radio, FS1 and.

Nick Wright (14:38)

The iHeartRadio app some might say homes.com is the best home shopping site. But why is it their sleek ad free user interface enjoy search experience without distraction? Maybe it's their unmatched school insight featuring district detail and reviews from expert sources like Niche. Every parent's dream. Or is it their super comprehensive agent directory? Or how they always connect you directly to the listing agent on every listing? Homes.com even offers a comprehensive search experience. With 22 data visualization layers, 7 environmental layers and an option to search by commute and architectural style, homes.com is bringing you all the in depth info you need. Home homes.com we've done your homework.

Rachel Nichols (15:20)

It's the last game of the season and with Amex you can save time with card member entrances at select venues and go straight to the action so you can catch every moment. That's the powerful backing of American Express. Terms Apply Learn more@american express.com with AmEx.

Colin Cowherd (15:35)

You can count on T Mobile to help keep you connected from big cities to small towns on America's largest 5G network. Switch the T Mobile keep your phone and they'll pay it off up to 800 bucks per line via prepaid card. Learn more@t mobile.com Keep and switch up to four lines via virtual prepaid card. Allow 15 days qualifying unlock device credit service port in 90 plus days with device and eligible carrier and timely redemption required. Card has no cash access and expires in six months.

Bobby Bones (16:11)

Everyone's forgotten who runs this valley. Time to remind them.

Colin Cowherd (16:15)

Yellowstone fans step into the Yellowstone universe. Dark family legacy is this ranch and I protect I live my life. Hosted by Bobby Bones. The official Yellowstone podcast takes you deeper into the franchise that's captivated millions worldwide. Action explore, untold behind the scenes stories, exclusive cast interviews and in depth discussions about the themes and legacy of Yellowstone. You know, the first students to settle.

Bobby Bones (16:45)

This valley fighting was all they knew.

Colin Cowherd (16:48)

Whether you're a longtime fan or new to the ranch, welcome to the Yellowstone. Bobby Bones has everything you need to stay connected to the Yellowstone phenomenon. I look forward to it. Listen to the official Yellowstone podcast Now on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. Let's go to work. Welcome back. The so last night LeBron and Luca in Los Angeles and first half was great and Utah's not very good. Now LeBron and Luca go to Salt Lake City I think is it tomorrow night they play him. So it's one of those, you see that a lot feels like on the west coast you get those back to back games. So listen, I think Utah's got a bunch of draft picks. They're like a younger version of Oklahoma City. Like they haven't landed their stars, but they've got Kessler, the big guy, they got Lori Market and they got, they got some dudes. They're just not there yet. Very young team. But I was thinking about LeBron and Luca last night and listen, I've always said I think Austin Reaves is a number four in a championship team, maybe a three. He's playing really good basketball. But I was thinking about the best tandems in basketball right now. And it's not just scoring. I think there's a lot of components that go into it. I think the Lakers are not very good around the basket defensively. Jackson Hayes is more of an offensive guy and alley oop guy kind of thin, not a defensive guy. But I was thinking to myself, what are the best 10, best 10 tandems? Because I'm watching LeBron and Luka last night, they looked great and Luka's not close. I mean he didn't shoot the ball particularly well. He doesn't have his legs under him. It's the first game of the new guy. I mean he could drop 30 against Utah in Salt Lake City and you wouldn't be surprised. So these are my top 10 current duos in the NBA. I actually think Steph Curry and Jimmy Butler work because one's the ball handler, shooter and one's the defender and the aggressive guy that can score. They're 2 and oh since they put them together and I, I think Steph just needed a really good number two When Jimmy's a number one, I don't think you're a championship team. If, If. If Jimmy's a two and you've got a good three in Draymond Green, then I think he would win a playoff series or two. Steph, Steve Kerr, run the show. Draymond, Jimmy Butler, aggressive defense. I like him. I'd put him at 10. I would put SGA and Jalen Williams at number nine. Now SGA's a bucket. He's just impossible to stop. Jalen Williams is only. I looked it up this morning, 23 years old. Lord. Now a lot of people think it's SGA and Chet Holmgren, but Holmgren, to me, is just not healthy enough to consider him an elite duo. At number eight, Giannis and Dame. Giannis is banged up a little bit. Dame's playing very, very well. Like last year, they were struggling to figure out the chemistry, and Dame was coming off injuries. I think he's playing really good right now. And I also think they do fit because Giannis covers up some of Dame's weaknesses defensively. When they had to move Jrue Holiday to bring in Dame, he got better on offense, worse on defense. I still think. I think Kyle Kuzma was a nice get for them because I thought Khris Middleton had peaked and was going down. I think Kuzma helps. I don't know how much it helps, but it helps. I think number seven. I think these guys are underrated. Kyrie and A.D. now A.D. is banged up. A.D. don't listen to J. Mac. This guy has been a top six or seven player in the NBA the last two years. He got hurt. He hadn't been hurt much. He's a tremendous player, and again, not a lot of ego. Great defensive player can give you 25 a night. And, you know, Kyrie can be maintenance, but he got along well with Luka, and he is a tremendous scorer. So I would put them at 7. I think WEMBY and Dear and Fox is really good. They're probably a year away. I don't think people realize how good of a score De'Aaron Fox is. He's 25 a night, and they got Chris Paul on this team. You got the UConn guard who's just getting better with time. San Antonio is a year away from potentially winning the West. I think this is a great move for them. I really like their scouting and drafting. I just think they're too young. But I'd put Wemby and De'Aaron Fox at the six best NBA duo. I Would put Jalen Brunson and Kat. They really feed off each other. By the way, Jalen Brunson's assists, almost eight a game, career high. Why Kat? And Kat, by the way is shooting 43% from three. Why? Because a lot of it. He's getting open looks because Jalen Brunson draws so much attention. I don't think this is a championship team. I've watched them play the Celtics twice and just get bulldozed. But I like this duo. Karl Anthony Towns can drive you crazy, but there is no doubt he is a very, very gifted offensive player. Number four, Donovan Mitchell and Evan Mobley. They're young, but at least Mobley is. They're both averaging 20 a game plus and five assists. They have the number one offense in the NBA. I know we stopped watching them when LeBron left. They're fun to watch, young, aggressive, you know, Mobley's a guy that came out of USC and he was a fast riser in the draft. He just keeps getting better. So I'd put them at number four. I'll do Jokic and Murray at number three now Murray is healthy again. Jokic is absolutely great. He's averaging a 30 point triple double this season almost. So I think Jokic remains the best player in the league right now. Unstoppable player. They don't play a lick of defense, so I don't think they're a championship team. Murray is on pace to average 21 1/2 points and 7 1/2 rebounds, assists during this five or six game streak when he got healthy again. I always liked Jamal Murray. Not as much as J. Mack who was beaten that drum for years. They're a bad defensive team, but I would put them at number three. I would put number two. Tatum and Brown. They're not the highest scoring duo, but their versatility, smart guys both ends, they're just excellent and, and by the way, they've been playing together so long now they take turns closing out quarters in games. They're excellent and they're different personalities. I think Jaylen Brown's more aggressive, but they're both in their prime. They're both signed long term. They're both coachable, they don't need to score to affect games. I'd put them at two and I think LeBron and Luka are number one. Luke is not close to where he's going to be. After give this thing 10 games, Luke is going to be back to 32 a night. I can't even figure LeBron out. I can't Figure out how he's this good. It makes no sense. LeBron is playing like it's year 13, so I think they're the number one now. Now, they're. They're a more lethal scoring duo than Brown and Tatum, but Brown and Tatum are both in their prime, so. J. Mac, first of all, your reaction. I'm sure you were overjoyed with this.

J. Mac (23:28)

Oh, dear. So make sure Wes, when he posts this on social media, mentions no Kevin Durant and Devin Booker.

Colin Cowherd (23:38)

I can't.

J. Mac (23:39)

Well, really. Because I don't know. I mean, I had Wembanyama and Fox on mine, but, like, combined, they have zero playoff series wins.

Colin Cowherd (23:46)

Well, they're, they're. They're. First of all, there's an argument San Antonio in the second half of the regular season now will be a significantly better than the first. I mean, De'Aaron Fox, you're just throwing a bunch of kids together. I told this during the morning meeting this morning. The one team in the NBA to watch out for is the San Antonio Spurs. They're going to get into the playoffs and they're going to knock somebody off. Because that team, they just threw De'Aaron Fox into this thing, and they got that kid from UConn, that guard, Castle.

J. Mac (24:17)

He's awesome.

Colin Cowherd (24:18)

He is awesome. So San Antonio is the team that is. We saw this with Dallas last year. A team starts rising. They make moves at the trade deadline, and you look up and you're like, nobody wanted to play Dallas. San Antonio's not quite that good. But the spurs are dangerous the next three months.

J. Mac (24:35)

Booker and KD is one omission. You could make a case. DeMar DeRozan and Sabonis in Sacramento. No, I'm just kidding. One of the Kings fans on staff put me up to that. But the legit one that I got to ask about, and I know you're not a fan, is John Morant and Jaren Jackson in Memphis. They are playing out of their minds. John Morant's got his act together. Jackson's having the best season of his career. He might be all NBA.

Colin Cowherd (24:59)

I had them at 11.

J. Mac (25:00)

Damn, you just nipped that right.

Colin Cowherd (25:02)

Spurs just added De'Aaron Fox, and they're only three wins behind the Suns.

J. Mac (25:07)

Yeah, they're 12th in the West.

Colin Cowherd (25:08)

Come on. That's not a knock on Booker and Kevin Durant. But when I say that, do you think dynamic. I think there are things Booker does very well. Score. There are other things also interesting.

J. Mac (25:21)

I see 1, 2, 3, 4 of these duos just got together last week that's pretty wild, huh? A great it was a monster week for the NBA if people weren't oh.

Colin Cowherd (25:30)

It'S the best week of the NBA in years. Years. Be sure to catch live editions of the Herd weekdays at noon Eastern, 9am Pacific. Hey, it's Steve Covino and I'm Rich Davis and together we're Covino and Rich on Fox Sports Radio. You can catch us weekdays from 5 to 7pm Eastern, 2 to 4 Pacific, on Fox Sports Radio. And of course, the iHeartRadio app. Why should you listen to Covino and Rich? We talk about everything. Life, sports, relationships, what's going on in the world. We have a lot of fun talking about the stories behind the stories in the world of sports and pop culture. Stories that, well, other shows don't seem to have the time to discuss. And the fact that we've been friends for the last 20 years and still work together, I mean, that says something, right? So check us out. We like to get you involved too. Take your phone calls, chop it up as they say. I'd say the most interactive show on Fox Sports Radio, maybe the most interactive show on planet Earth. Be sure to check out Covino and Rich live on Fox Sports radio and the iHeartradio app from 5 to 7pm Eastern, 2 to 4 Pacific. And if you miss any of the live show, just search Covino and Rich wherever you get your podcast. And of course on social media, that's Covino and Rich.

Nick Wright (26:35)

Some might say homes.com is the best home shopping site, but why is it their sleek ad free user interface? Enjoy search experience without distraction. Maybe it's their unmatched school insight featuring district detail and reviews from expert sources like Niche, Every parent's dream. Or is it their super comprehensive agent directory? How they always connect you directly to the listing agent on every listing? Homes.com even offers a comprehensive search experience with 22 data visualization layers, 7 environmental layers and an option to search by commute and architectural style. Homes.com is bringing you all the in depth info you need. Homes.com We've done your homework.

Rachel Nichols (27:15)

It's the last game of the season and with amex you can save time with card member entrances at select venues and go straight to the action so you can catch every moment. That's the powerful backing of American Express. Terms apply. Learn more@americanexpress.com with AmEx you can count.

Colin Cowherd (27:31)

On T Mobile to help keep you connected from big cities to small towns on America's largest 5G network. Switch to T Mobile, keep your phone and they'll pay it off up to 800 bucks per line via prepaid card. Learn more@t mobile.com heap and switch up to four lines via virtual prepaid card. Allow 15 days qualifying unlock device credit service port in 90 plus days with device and eligible carrier and timely redemption required. Card has no cash access and expires in six months.

Bobby Bones (28:06)

Everyone's forgotten who runs this valley. Time to remind them.

Colin Cowherd (28:10)

Yellowstone fans step into the Yellowstone. Our family legacy is this ranch and I protect I live my life. Hosted by Bobby Bones, the official Yellowstone Podcast takes you deeper into the franchise that's captivated millions worldwide. Action explore untold behind the scenes stories, exclusive cast interviews and in depth discussions about the themes and legacy of Yellowstone. You know the first stuns to settle.

Bobby Bones (28:40)

This valley fighting was all they knew.

Colin Cowherd (28:44)

Whether you're a longtime fan or new to the ranch, welcome to the Yellowstone. Bobby Bones has everything you need to stay connected to the Yellowstone phenomenon. I look forward to it. Listen to the Official Yellowstone Podcast now on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. Let's go to work. Welcome into hour number two. Great to have you here live in Los Angeles. It's the herd. Wherever you may be and however you may be listening, thanks for making us part of your day. Nick Wright's going to be joining us. He's a trooper. He's going to be joining us here in a couple of minutes and I thought I would start J Mac you'll you'll get a kick out of this Connor or Sports Illustrated Excellent. Young a journalist only deals in facts acknowledging acknowledges he believes that The Chiefs in 2025 will miss the Super bowl each of the next two seasons and he talks about how the Patriots had several gaps in Super Bowls. He said it's not anti Andy Reid or Patrick Mahomes. Great players get old fast and role players are hard to keep around and the draft even by the best GMs is like a 60405050 proposition. After the first couple of rounds you're rolling the dice on draft picks and so again this is an excellent journalist that only deals in facts Conor or saying that so I I there are things that I think you have to be honest about the let's not do like recency bias but Mahomes number one weapon the last three years have been Travis Kelsey kind of looks cooked. He's 36 years old in the last couple of games not not really yet. So you know the classic sports muscle car can't be your primary car like it's Time. Number two is in a very mediocre draft. They're going to get. They need a tackle and they'll probably get the fifth to sixth best tackle because that position so valuable. And unless they compromise and sacrifice draft picks, they're not getting one of the better left tackles. They also need a tight end and the two best ones will be taken. The other thing is the division, we got to be honest now, Pete Carroll, Jim Harbaugh. We saw what Harbaugh did in one year. We saw Bo Nix as a rookie, Sean Payton. I'm sorry, it matters. That's. That's the best coaching division in football. That's not even arguable. That is the best coaching division in football. The other thing is we saw Jim Harbaugh do this at San Francisco, at Michigan, and with the Chargers. In one year, he turned them around. This year they have 65 million in cap space. The Chargers got to the playoffs with a rookie slot receiver as a really elite weapon. That was it. So they got a lot of cap space. And what the Chargers need is a defensive tackle and running backs. And the two positions in the draft that are absolutely stacked are defensive tackle and running back. And because of their draft position, they'll get the first or second best tight end in the draft, which they need. And here's the other thing, and we got to be honest about this. Mahomes next year is going to be a 24% cap hit. 24% of Kansas City's cap is going to be Mahomes. He's going to be making 66 large. Tom Brady was never over 14. It matters. It matters. I know the cap's going up, but it matters. Tom Brady on average was a 10 to 12% cap hit. That's why those Patriot teams never had units that were bad. They were never terrible anywhere. In the two blowout losses to Kansas City in the super bowl, they're bad at left tackle. They're just bad. The Patriots were never awful anywhere. Didn't matter. Kicker, punter, quarterback, left tackle, all the key positions, they were at least B plus, and a lot of that was Brady sacrifice. Tom talked about this last week. It is damn hard to win these Super Bowls.

Bobby Bones (32:36)

What I realized early in my career about Super Bowls was, man, we won my first year. Like, what's the big deal? It's like, I went to college, we played Norwich Bowl, I won.

Colin Cowherd (32:46)

We went to the Citrus Bowl.

Bobby Bones (32:47)

We won.

Colin Cowherd (32:47)

Okay?

Bobby Bones (32:47)

Now I'm in the Super Bowl.

Colin Cowherd (32:48)

We won.

Bobby Bones (32:49)

All right, what's the big we. We didn't have A Great see, in 2002, we won. In 2003, what's the big deal? We won. In 2004, what's the big deal?

Colin Cowherd (32:56)

Right?

Bobby Bones (32:57)

Then you go to 2007 and you lose, and then you go to 2011 and you get to the super bowl after having a great team in 2010, we get and we lose and it was just like, wow, this is way harder. We went 10 years between winning.

Colin Cowherd (33:16)

Yeah, it's really hard. Very, very difficult. They were in good health. And then the ticker went. Not to mention, how long is Andy Reid gonna coach? I know this is somber, solemn. Nick Wright is now joining us live.

Bobby Bones (33:50)

That's probably your best comedy bit in years. And you know, you know what is a staple of the best of the best comedians?

Colin Cowherd (33:59)

What?

Bobby Bones (34:00)

They. They incorporate some of their old classics into their new material. So you had a lot of new stuff there, but then you went back to one of the classic cowherdisms, which is next year is the year Justin Herbert breaks through. I mean that, I mean, set your watch to it. And by the way, I do think you had the Chiefs because they're drafting 32 or 31, pardon me, unable to draft anyone of need. And I think you had the Chargers because they're drafting 21, getting the best running back, D tackle and tight end in the draft. It is unbelievable. The Chargers, to their credit, who, you know, did have to go through the season with a rookie wide receiver as their number one option. Can you imagine making the super bowl in back to back years with a rookie wide receiver being your number one option? I can't. It'd probably never be done. No, I mean, listen, listen, it is. The Chiefs and me deserve a lot of criticism for the performance on Sunday. Spinning that forward into this team being cooked is, I think, a bridge too far even for you. Like, I don't you maybe you've been hanging out with J. Mac too often off the air, and he's been spitting that poison in your ear. But they still go into next season the overwhelming favorites in the AFC west, and they go into next season better positioned than any other team in the afc. Now it's hard to get to a Super bowl every single year. I get that. But I think you're writing the obituary a tad too soon, my friend.

Colin Cowherd (35:44)

Okay, the one thing I did, I did say is that, and I mean, you've never denied that Brady's great. That's. That's one of the great things you've always said. The guy's ridiculous. I mean, it's Literally the second part of his career, he was arguably better than Elway's entire career. Right. But the one thing I'll say about Tom and having lived in Connecticut during his reign is that I, we used to always talk about this. If he had the second best poker hand, he could still win the hand. He didn't have to have pocket aces. And now, now, in fairness, last year I didn't. I think the last couple years the Chiefs didn't have a loaded roster. But I would say that in the super bowl losses. Let's just talk about this one. I didn't feel, I felt like I was watching the same play over and over and I didn't feel Mahomes adjusted a lot. Maybe that's Andy Reid, but it did. I watched it and I thought, God, Tom would have just moved the chains short. He kept sitting in the pocket the same play. I thought Patrick really played terribly.

Bobby Bones (36:49)

Listen, I think it was one of the worst games of Patrick's career. But we're not. This again is where I just have to be the arbiter of fairness. If one wants to argue that. And again, Brady is the most accomplished player ever, the goat at this position and of the sport. And because of this loss, it's going to take Patrick an immense amount of time to have a chance to catch him. Because this was the opportunity to do something Tom never did. That is all true. Here is what is also true. We are now revisionist history. How Tom Brady's playoff defeat, when going for a three peat went. It was not in the super bowl with the decisive play being a pick six. It was in the divisional round to Jake Plummer with the decisive play being a pick six. And I know that the, the Michael Jordan propaganda machine has convinced people that losing in round one or round two is actually better than winning those rounds and then losing in the championship round. But that of course is ludicrous. And so the idea, you're right, that Tom never had this poor of a performance in a Super bowl that is unquestioned. But Tom had, as every quarterback ever had, brutal performances that prevented his team from getting two Super Bowls. Patrick's never had that. And so we can go tit for tat on these things. And I had to listen Yesterday to Joe Montana, 4, 0 in Super Bowls. And that is true. It is also true that in the dead middle of his prime, 85, 86, 87, those three years, Joe Montana in three consecutive playoff games had three consecutive round one or first game defeats and had zero touchdowns over a three year span. Cumulatively, in the playoffs, three straight blowoffs, including a 49. Three. But because they happened in round one, they don't count. I don't buy into that. I never have. Patrick played very poorly yesterday. He now joins the list of every single quarterback in NFL history of which he wasn't previously on. Where he played his worst game of the year in the biggest spot of the year. But I. I think we are writing the obituary as you literally are a tad too soon.

Colin Cowherd (39:24)

Yeah. Why? I think they're. I do have Kansas City being a wild card team next year, so I think they're still.

Bobby Bones (39:31)

You had them this year. I think that's what you had them last year. This year you have them in the wild card every year. Every year is going to be the Chargers year. And did you say Pete Carroll? I like Pete Carroll, too. Does that team have a quarterback yet? I'm just like, literally on the roster. Do they have a quarterback? Is it Aiden O'Connell? I don't think that. I don't think Pete Carroll is going to move the chains with Aiden oconnell. That's just me.

Colin Cowherd (39:54)

It is. I said this yesterday about the Eagles, though. If Saquon Barkley got hurt next year, cross your fingers and they lose two free agents and it's more of a Jalen hurts offense, they wouldn't look the same there. I mean, listen, this. This is a sport with regulated levels of violence. I think the Chiefs will rebuild. They'll be fine. They need the left tackle. They need a running back. You know, they. They just. They have to hit some draft picks. They're prone to do that. I do think the Andy Reid thing is real, is that I could see Andy with two more great runs and just say, listen, man, I got four or five of these things, I'm out. And then, as you know, even the great organizations miss on head coaches 50% of the time. Is there part of you that wonders the Andy thing is what worries you more than players?

Bobby Bones (40:43)

Oh, listen. I mean, and I 1000%. And Patrick, leading up to the game, when he was asked, you know, basically, how long can this keep up? His answer was, as long as Andy's still here. The whole team, you know what I mean, gives him the respect and credit he deserves. Here is my. The reason I am not incredibly concerned about that. First of all, in the short term, we know he's coming back at least next year. And I would imagine, as you're saying he's coming back for two or three more years. He is just about to start a five Year, hundred million dollar contract. So even if he doesn't finish that, you have this time. The other reason that I am less concerned is if he were to signal that he was going into what would be the last year of his career, this immediately becomes the most coveted coaching job in modern NFL history. Yeah, like, would it be the most coveted job since the Bucks? I'm sorry, the Colts fired Jim Mora. The answer to that's probably right. But even in that moment, Peyton obviously had not accomplished 10% of what Patrick already has. And so I do think they will be fine. I also would not act as if losing the guy who I believe to be one of the three greatest coaches in the history of the sport and the greatest offensive mind in the history of the sport, you know, wouldn't be a significant, significant loss. But that is much further down the road than, you know, this or next season, at least I believe lost a.

Colin Cowherd (42:33)

Little bit lost in Luca going to the Lakers is how insane LeBron has played this year. It looks like year 13.

Bobby Bones (42:40)

It's unbelievable.

Colin Cowherd (42:42)

It's incredible. And it very, it very much. Is Brady in Tampa, where you're like, is he still a top four quarterback when he was 44? Like, I mean, he left and, and the next year you're like, I think he's still top four or five. What do you make? We know I'll get to Luke in a second. How do you explain LeBron? He's better than last year. What is it?

Bobby Bones (43:06)

So, I mean, listen, I think there is a natural benefit to truly. And I think this is being proven out in real time, literally being the greatest athlete. And I'm not. I just mean raw athleticism. Maybe in world history, like you can say, oh, you found a way to be hyperbolic. Like, I don't know who he's competing with on that.

Colin Cowherd (43:31)

Yeah.

Bobby Bones (43:31)

As far as height, weight, speed, longevity, durability, all of it over a 25 year stretch. Like, I don't, I, I honestly don't know. Who was the corner. Gosh darn it, I shouldn't ask it. There was a corner that he played for Washington. He played for like Daryl Green, Darryl, Darrell Green. I was like, I don't know. Like, is he on that same list? I don't know. But regardless. So the reason I bring that up is LeBron is right now 75% of the athlete he was 10 years ago.

Colin Cowherd (44:06)

Yeah.

Bobby Bones (44:07)

But 75% of prime LeBron is still more athletic than 95% of the rest of the league.

Colin Cowherd (44:15)

Yeah.

Bobby Bones (44:16)

So because of that, he's been able to stave off the aging curve a bit, you then add to it. He's a better shooter.

Colin Cowherd (44:22)

Yeah.

Bobby Bones (44:23)

These last two years than any point of his career.

Colin Cowherd (44:25)

Yep.

Bobby Bones (44:26)

The IQ is still, you know, obviously not going anywhere. And what I think we've seen the last couple weeks is the power of hope and the power of belief.

Colin Cowherd (44:36)

Yeah.

Bobby Bones (44:37)

You saw in the Olympics, Colin lebron was like, all right, these might be the last really consequential games of my basketball life. And you saw him on the global stage, be the best player in the entire tournament, night in, night out.

Colin Cowherd (44:54)

Good point.

Bobby Bones (44:55)

And then you saw, you saw this year when it's like, wait a minute, we're actually a little bit better than I expected. JJ's doing a great job. If I'm able to carry us when Anthony Davis is out, maybe that gets the team to make one of these around the fringes deadline moves we want them to make. And maybe we can steal a finals appearance. And then instead of that, they trade for a top three player in the world. And now I think LeBron is like, oh, my God, I can win a championship like me. And if Luka can take Kyrie and role players to the championship, can take their championship round, can take a young Jalen Brunson and role players to the conference finals, what if I all of a sudden can actually hand the offense off to someone else? Actually not see the team go to die when I go to the bench, actually be rested going into the playoffs. And the Lakers are going to have problems defensively and the lack of the. You know, they traded for Mark Williams for a reason. It got rescinded. But you have the highest IQ duo in league history now on the, On a team. We've never had two players with this passing ability plus IQ playing together. So offensively, it's going to be a top three team. And I think LeBron knows what that means for him.

Colin Cowherd (46:23)

For the record, does Jimmy Butler do anything for the Warriors? I mean, I think it makes them much more interesting.

Bobby Bones (46:30)

I thought the NBA missed the plan.

Colin Cowherd (46:32)

Yeah, I think the NBA had a great week. The Luca thing, the Butler thing, dear. And Fox to Wemby, I thought the league had a great week. Does Butler do anything for that team still playing team to you?

Bobby Bones (46:42)

I mean, so. Well, I mean, I. I think that without him, they were going to risk. At risk of missing the play in.

Colin Cowherd (46:50)

Right.

Bobby Bones (46:51)

And the warriors have been in the play in and lost previously. I think without him, they were going to be certainly not only at risk, but probably a favorite to miss the actual 18 postseason. Yeah. Now I fully expect them to be in the playoffs. I don't know that I think, I think their ceiling is round is around one victory. I do think that I just, I think that staff is still really good but night to night now Steph also by the way has been playing his best basketball as of late. Maybe invigorated by the trade as well. The only chance they have of making any real noise is if the way Steph has played the last couple weeks, if he can keep that up. I also think that Jimmy, you know, Jimmy is not night tonight that reliable when it comes to an injury risk. So they are a very old injury concerned team. But I am a fervent believer that if you happen to have one of the 10 to 12 greatest players in the history of the league still playing at a high level, you have an obligation to go all in every year. It is irresponsible to worry about the future. Your only obligation is to right now. So I think the warriors did right by Steph here even if it's not a real needle mover when it comes to winning a championship.

Colin Cowherd (48:22)

So maybe we were a little premature on the headstone. I will say however is if they don't hit on some of these draft picks drafting 31st, it's a little scary.

Bobby Bones (48:36)

Drafting 31st, that's the best position we've been in in three years. Usually stuck in the 32 hole. Think about it. And by the way, keep in mind the Chiefs also have they have the 31st pick, the 63rd pick and then like the 66th pick because they got that from Tennessee and Tennessee finished with one of the worst records in football. So we're loaded to bear headed into the draft. Tell you that right now. Maybe we trade for Micah Parsons. Who knows. Colin, I'll leave you on this. The Chiefs, we all know since Patrick's been there seven years, they have a two game, one or two game season. It starts in the conference championship round. Two years they've gone 01. Both years they made massive changes. One year after going 01, they fired the D coordinator, brought in Spags. One year after going 01, they traded Tyreek Hill. Three years they've gone 2 and O. We know what you do after that. You hold a parade. They've now twice gone one and one. The first time they did it, they remade the offensive line. I'm very curious what they do the second time because 1 and 1 doesn't cut it in Kansas City. It's at 500 season. It's really embarrassing. So Like, I don't mean, I don't blame you for poking fun, but they will make a major adjustment. I don't know what it'll be, but it's not going to be quiet this offseason in Kansas City. I promise you that.

Colin Cowherd (50:00)

Right. Nick Wright. First things first. He's bruised and a bit battered, but still shows up.

Bobby Bones (50:07)

You know what the sports gods. I must have been a great person in a previous life because the fact that the day after my lowest moment of my adult life as a football fan, I get to watch my large adult Slovenian son, Luka Doncic team up with LeBron James. I know it's not in a fever dream. I mean, I'm right back, baby. I am so bad.

Colin Cowherd (50:31)

And it was fun to watch last night at the Staples. Good seeing you Nick Wright. Rachel Nichols will stop by on the Lakers style. It was fun. Crypto Arena. My bad. Crypto. I'm sorry. I'm not. I'm not a. I'm not a bitcoin bro. I don't. I don't keep up.

J. Mac (50:46)

Yeah, Nick seems to be doing well. A little delusion still there about how quickly they can remake the offensive line. Sounds like they're going to lose a guard and they need to replace two other positions on the line. I don't think that's a one off season job.

Colin Cowherd (50:59)

I am closer to Connor or I think. And again, I think Buffalo gave him a hell of a fight in Arrowhead.

J. Mac (51:07)

If you're Buffalo, don't you go all in. Miles Garrett, whoever we can get, just go all in. You're close.

Colin Cowherd (51:11)

There's two teams in the league that have to go all in on Miles Garrett. Buffalo and Green Bay. Buffalo can't stop Kansas City. I've watched four times they met in the playoffs. Kansas city gives you 35 plus. That's with Sean McDermott. Go get Myles Garrett. It's not players generally. You got to overpay a little bit to go to Buffalo. Green Bay, right? Not hot free agent markets. Go by Myles Garrett.

J. Mac (51:32)

We've now seen the blueprint to take down the Chiefs. Just get your pass rush to get after Mahomes and wear him down and rattle him and cover. Also, it's this on the back.

Colin Cowherd (51:42)

There's a lot of good offensive tackles in this class. There's no great ones. Joe Alt, the Chargers is a higher graded tackle than anybody in this class. And Alt struggled at times this year. Later in the year he could. He struggled in protection against Houston. Remember that game against Houston?

J. Mac (51:58)

Well, it's a good defensive lineman draft as well. So there's a world where Ravens Bills just take a couple bites at the apple and go after Miles Garrett and.

Colin Cowherd (52:06)

He thinks it plays if I'm Buffalo, I sign Miles Garrett and I draft their offense is fine, go get, fix the defense, trade for Miles Garrett and then draft more defense. It's a great running back and defensive tackle draft. And I mean Matt Miller is a guy that covers the draft. He's excellent. Daniel Jeremiah does the same. Those, those guys. I mean people are saying there's like 20 some draftable defensive tackles. Like, like I forget the number but it's like it's something so there's, there's a way Winter boy have you seen my have you seen some of the.

J. Mac (52:46)

Winter I heard it's gonna rain here in LA this week.

Colin Cowherd (52:49)

No, Wednesday and Thursday stinks it and now it's gonna be done by Friday early in the morning. But Wednesday and Thursday it is a it is a monster vortex whatever it's called. Pineapple Express or I don't know, whatever.

J. Mac (53:03)

That's a decent movie.

Colin Cowherd (53:04)

I'm not an epidemiologist or a meteorologist.

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Colin Cowherd (54:26)

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Colin Cowherd (54:43)

This past season on my podcast here's the Thing, I spoke with more actors, musicians, policymakers and so many other fascinating people like writer and actor Dan Aykroyd. I love writing more than anything. You're left alone, you know, you do three hours in the morning, you write three hours in the afternoon. Go pick up a kid from school and write at night. And after nine hours you come out with seven pages and then you're moving on. And actor and comedian Jack McBrayer. The most important aspect is the collaboration with people that I like, I trust are talented. That has been the most amazing gift to me about this crazy business that we've chosen. Meeting these people who have such diverse talents and you're able to create something together. Listen to here's the thing on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.