Travis Kelce (2:54)

Now, let's get this party started. You're listening to Fox Sports Radio.

LaVar Arrington (2:58)

Foreign worlds. It is the Herd. Fox Sports Radio. Levar Arrington, Jonas Knox filling in for Colin. You can find us on the iHeartRadio app. You can also find us on hundreds of affiliates all across the country. You can find Lavar and I, weekday morning, 6:00am Eastern Time, 3:00 clock Pacific, alongside Brady Quinn. It's called Two Pros and a Cup of Joe. And when there's no Brady Quinn, it is black and Drac here on this Monday morning after a long holiday weekend. I got it first. After a long holiday weekend. I don't know why we can't just be happy for Deshaun Watson. Why do you have to be so negative about the whole thing? The guy got married.

Travis Kelce (3:50)

Congratulations to Sean Watson.

LaVar Arrington (3:52)

He's got a $1.3 million ring.

Travis Kelce (3:55)

He does, yeah. Or she does.

LaVar Arrington (3:58)

Says his, his band is worth up to 1.3 million.

Travis Kelce (4:03)

Some people had that saying, you can't have money.

LaVar Arrington (4:05)

Let me ask you that. Why, why is it worded that way, worth up to 1.3 million?

Travis Kelce (4:10)

Because it's only worth what somebody's willing to spend. Right? It could, it could appraise for that amount.

LaVar Arrington (4:15)

What, is there incentives in it, like? Well, if you meet all these incentives, It'll be worth 1.3 million. Like what? Like, don't go to the grab lab. It'll be worth 1.3.

Travis Kelce (4:26)

You can't clean it with a towel. That keeps the value.

LaVar Arrington (4:32)

That's.

Travis Kelce (4:33)

That's the incentive.

LaVar Arrington (4:34)

Don't.

Travis Kelce (4:34)

Don't clean it with a towel. Towel is cleaner.

LaVar Arrington (4:40)

That's a great point. All right, so with that being said, speaking of, speaking of Ohio, okay, LeBron James was hanging out at the Cavs practice facility.

Travis Kelce (4:53)

And was he really?

LaVar Arrington (4:55)

Yeah, there was a. There was a picture that went out of him there. And some people started to speculate, oh, is he going back home? Is he going back to Cleveland? This and that. And he basically responded on social media with something along the lines of, I live here, I practice here every off season. There's nothing different about this.

Travis Kelce (5:14)

You practice at the Cavaliers?

LaVar Arrington (5:16)

Yeah, he works out there all the time. He works out there constantly because he lives out there. And so he said that's not strange? No, I don't think so. If he does it every year and he.

Travis Kelce (5:27)

That's not strange every year.

LaVar Arrington (5:28)

Not. I mean, whatever. He's. He's working out there. It's their practice.

Travis Kelce (5:33)

That's strange to me.

LaVar Arrington (5:34)

I don't know. All right, but he.

Travis Kelce (5:35)

There's 100 different places you could go work out other than another team in the National Basketball association, so that doesn't come across this strange.

LaVar Arrington (5:44)

Well, he's.

Travis Kelce (5:45)

I'm starting there, but. Okay, that's fine.

LaVar Arrington (5:48)

But his.

Travis Kelce (5:48)

You're in the area.

LaVar Arrington (5:49)

His point was, I'm here every off season. Are you all that bored? Go get another plate of food.

Travis Kelce (5:55)

Okay, but is every off season like this for LeBron James? That's the question LeBron has to ask himself, and that's the question that needs to be asked and answered. Does this offseason give you something different than any other offseason? And the answer has to be yes.

LaVar Arrington (6:11)

Really?

Travis Kelce (6:12)

Yes, it does. Because of the uncertainties of what's going to take place based off of the selling of the team, of the Lakers, based off of bringing in Luka Doncic, based on where. Where they are as a team. And. And to me, it just seems like the handwriting is on the wall that. That this Lakers team is possibly positioning themselves to be able to move on from LeBron James. So in that context, yes, it. I mean, he has to know that.

LaVar Arrington (6:42)

I don't.

Travis Kelce (6:43)

I mean, you can't be. Be upsetting up in arms if people are looking at you doing something that you've always done. But in the moment of where that could be a possibility of a destination, he's there working out. That's strange.

LaVar Arrington (6:58)

I mean, but that's strange. Like, if he was working out in south beach, if he was working out. I mean, I don't know if he's.

Travis Kelce (7:05)

Hold on now. If he's in south beach and he's working out on the beach or on Ocean Ave, you might be like, okay, speculate. And he can give you a legitimate. I just like being in Miami. I'm always in Miami. If he's in Cleveland and he's in the Flats or he's just doing what he's doing somewhere in and around Cleveland, he can take the speculation and he can drown out the special speculation. He can. He can. He can delete it. He can. He can eliminate It. You're working out at the Cleveland Cavaliers facility. That's weird.

LaVar Arrington (7:41)

I. I don't think it's that weird.

Travis Kelce (7:42)

If I was playing for the Washington. Back when I was playing for the Washington Redskins, but then Washington Redskins. If I were to be in Texas and I'm working out at the Dallas Cowboys facilities, because I've always worked out there, first and foremost, why would I always work out at the Dallas Cowboys facility? Man, that's weird, bro. Well, that's weird. I don't know how you don't see it that it's weird, or you're being an instigator.

LaVar Arrington (8:09)

I'm not. I don't think it's weird.

Travis Kelce (8:10)

That is weird.

LaVar Arrington (8:11)

He does it every office. There's nothing new about this.

Travis Kelce (8:14)

There's nothing different the first time he did it.

LaVar Arrington (8:16)

Okay, but if he does it this many times, it doesn't make it unweird.

Travis Kelce (8:19)

That he's doing it for years. It makes it weird that it's not weird.

LaVar Arrington (8:24)

Look, I think that he enjoys the speculation. I think he stirs that up a lot. I think that's, you know, he can try and be dismissive of it and say, well, you know, you guys need to get a life, basically, and go get another plate of food, and I'm here every off season. I think he likes to stir it up. He probably knows deep down this is going to generate some sort of reaction somewhere or another. I look at it from a general standpoint, this is another indication that the NBA without LeBron, what do you got? Because when he's gone and the end is near, what. What is there like? He really is the lifeblood of topics and discussion in the National Basketball Association.

Travis Kelce (9:09)

He's good at it.

LaVar Arrington (9:10)

He's great at it.

Travis Kelce (9:11)

He's good at it.

LaVar Arrington (9:12)

And if the. If this is all winding down and he's out in the next couple of years, people that cover the NBA, people that love to talk about the league and, oh, it's not as bad as everybody thinks it is, and you. They get pissed off. And we point out that the separation between the NFL and the NBA, you better start stirring up some other storylines or stirring up some other stars in the league. And I don't. This isn't a face of the NBA. It's a life of the NBA. And without LeBron James, it feels like the NBA is on life support. When it comes to interest, intrigue, and talking points, what else is there?

Travis Kelce (9:47)

Talent. Yeah, I'd say there's talent.

LaVar Arrington (9:50)

Yeah. There.

Travis Kelce (9:50)

There's talented players, talented stars. You have Some older talented stars. You have star power in the NBA.

LaVar Arrington (9:59)

Is it interesting?

Travis Kelce (10:01)

I would say the better question would be, does the NBA have enough relevance and enough to me cache to be interesting outside? Like what LeBron James or like Shaquille O' Neal or like a Kobe Bryant or like a Michael Jordan or a Magic Johnson? Do they have the ability to. Is there a player that exists that can transition into those positions of interest outside of the talent on the court? I don't, I think there are personalities within the NBA that could be those. But I, I found myself asking the question, are we in a day and age, are we in a time where social media and different things have taken.

LaVar Arrington (10:58)

It.

Travis Kelce (10:59)

It's really taken away the ability. It's desensitized fans. It's desensitized fans. And for what it's worth, I think it has desensitized athletes as well. How do you build as big as Shaquille o' Neal or Michael Jordan if you can get a hold of them so easily? Now granted, when LeBron James was coming in that transitional phase was that stage was taking place. So he wasn't all the way fully acclimated. Being in a, a world where social media dominated it, technology dominated it. Now while you may see the NFL because it leans so deep into the brand and the shield that they don't seem to be losing any momentum, in fact, maybe even picking up momentum. But in basketball, it's such a personality driven sport that when you see the guys like Shaquille o', Neal, you see them in person and it's like you've met and like somebody that came like from somewhere else. You, you meet these guys and there was this sense of, of just wow, I just met this person, that, that element is gone. And I think the homie element is, is there like working out at a different facility that is in the NBA and you play for another team, the exchanging of jerseys, which happens in football. But I just feel weird how cool guys are these days and they're not only cool with one another, they're cool with the fan bases. Like that connection is there. And I don't think that the relevance of like the praise factor or the, the, you know, posting them high on a pedestal type deal, I don't, I don't feel like that's prominent anymore. And I don't think that players actually prioritize trying to be that type of a personality or a brand. I really don't.

LaVar Arrington (12:59)

We've talked about this before to where the NFL has its own ecosystem, where The NBA is starved for. We need a superstar, we need big market, they have to drive it. And in the NFL, Patrick Mahomes plays in Kansas City like Rogers was in Green Bay. It doesn't like the NFL. Anybody could be a great team with a great quarterback. And because it's its own ecosystem, it supersedes all the other big market celebrity status that comes along with it. Man. It's not like Patrick Mahomes has got this, you know, vibrant personality and this real colorful. No, he just plays football. He's. He plays football and he's on a team with, with, you know, with a tight end who's dating Taylor Swift. Like, it's just, it's a whole.

Travis Kelce (13:44)

Became more relevant than football. So don't think that football isn't guilty of trying to find ways to leverage celebrity as well.

LaVar Arrington (13:51)

Yeah, but football's not determined on one player. Like the success and conversation around the NFL isn't just determined on one player. Man. Tom Brady retired. Sweet. Next the next. Like John Elway, all these greats.

Travis Kelce (14:05)

I think it comes down to what you mentioned earlier is the relevance of the franchises. Like, Green Bay is not a big market, it's not a great market. But the relevance of the franchise drives it. Right? The people love their, their franchise. The communities rally around their franchise. They create a very, very nice size captive audience. You have that in the NFL and it's because of the shield and it's because of the brands of those franchises. You have that in a few in the NBA, but you don't have that collectively. So the relevance of what you're trying to do has to exist in certain, certain markets in order for it to be as impactful as you need it to be. And that's why you always try to keep the Lakers as strong as you can, maybe keep the, the, the Knicks as strong as they can, try to keep the Chicago Bulls as strong as you can. You saw what they just did with the Dallas Mavericks. You can't try to keep the Dallas Mavericks as strong as you can. You have to try to keep those, those anchor teams, those an. You gotta try to keep them stocked up with some type of relevant talent because you're not the, the, the franchises in these different markets. You just had OKC win, Win it all. What's the buzz?

LaVar Arrington (15:21)

Well, that's.

Travis Kelce (15:22)

What, what was the, what was the, what was the parade like after, you.

LaVar Arrington (15:26)

Know, and I, and I asked this question for anybody that's driving around right now or listening on the podcast, take LeBron James out of the N B A. What do you want to talk about?

Travis Kelce (15:35)

Dang.

LaVar Arrington (15:36)

Like, honestly, you have to be a.

Travis Kelce (15:38)

Real fan of the game to be able to answer your question. And I think that's the biggest indictment.

LaVar Arrington (15:43)

I. I loved the NBA Finals. I thought it was great because it was great basketball and you didn't have any drama. There was no, like, no subplots or issues going on. It was just two really good teams who were pretty evenly matched. Much more evenly matched, I think a lot.

Travis Kelce (15:57)

How many brands comparable to LeBron James or Shaquille O' Neal or Kevin Garnett or there's Ke Duran or Steve Steph Curry. How many of those guys were in that series?

LaVar Arrington (16:09)

Well, that's the thing.

Travis Kelce (16:09)

How many?

LaVar Arrington (16:10)

None. But that's. But no, but that's. That's great. That's the thing. And those were the two best teams in the playoffs. You know, it was a great series. I, I had thoroughly enjoyed it. But I look at the NBA differently to where I think a lot of people focus on this storyline attached to it and the name brand attached to it. And after LeBron, you don't have a lot of that. There's not a lot of that going on. And with LeBron's career winding down, I think people are going to get a harsh dose of reality when he's gone. Oh, we've got to actually, like, put some work in and really start pushing some.

Travis Kelce (16:45)

You don't realize how much he carries on.

LaVar Arrington (16:47)

Wow.

Travis Kelce (16:48)

It's a great point. I mean, and even earlier you talked about, we talked about JPP and the fireworks situation. If you have something that happens in a major market, which, by the way, it's interesting that JPP was a giant. Giant. And Odell Beckham makes the catch as a giant. Like, it's certain markets where if you do something personally, it can take your brand beyond the scope of just being a helmet and jersey and cleats, but it doesn't happen very often. You get used to seeing guys with helmets on being totally covered up and, and it's what, what the team is doing. In fact, in most cases, it's actually set up for the coaches to actually become the stars of what's taking place. You look at the coaches and, and they're. They're singled out. You know, look at how many times we looked at Xerces on. On the New York sideline before he.

LaVar Arrington (17:42)

Got Robert, before he got my guy can.

Travis Kelce (17:45)

Right. You look at Stefanski, he. He's got to look to him. You. You look at Day ball, it's like, ah, he's got to look to him. You, you look at, you know, any of these coaches in and around the league, they get a ton of attention because you can see them. You can see them. The dynamic of how we, how we bring in or, or how we digest and how we receive the content from, from football is much different than how we receive it from basketball. We are looking, we almost look at basketball players as entertainers, like singers or actors, right? Because you can see them. You can see them. And so with that being said, if you can see these guys and listen, they're putting them in commercials. Like the, I think Progressive had the OKC Thunder kids and the guys in their commercial and you had the big three in their commercial and stuff like that. They get commercials and they are, they are relevant to the audiences that are consuming them. It's just that you don't have that next level brand like a LeBron James that's in the pipeline to actually carry it. From a mega star standpoint, there's not one that exists. I can't think of one personality. Anthony Edwards is the only personality that you could say is comparable to the personalities that we've gotten to know through the years where you want to know that individual in particular. But you don't have a Kevin Garnett, you don't have a Paul Pierce. You don't, you don't have those type of very big personalities that are making you look at the game from entertainment standp of the storylines, not just the game itself and what the outcomes of the games are. And that's something that once LeBron James leaves, you're gonna have to figure out what that conversation is.

LaVar Arrington (19:38)

Bone dry. The well is dry once he's gone, by the way.

Travis Kelce (19:43)

Steph Curry. You got Steph Curry. Yeah, that's about it. Steph Curry, Draymond Green. And, and, and I mean, if we're talking in the annals of being a, the greatest ever, you'll say maybe Steph Draymond falls in like a Dennis type of category, right? Like you had a superstar in Dennis Rodman, but was never the star, but yet his brand was very pronounced. That's Draymond Green. So you have it in Draymond Green. Steph Curry. There might be a couple more if we really, really dig deep for it. But man, I mean, it's, it's not to the level of what we're talking about with a LeBron James.

LaVar Arrington (20:18)

By the way, our hearts are with everyone affected by the Texas flooding. Iheart is partnering with the community foundation of the Texas Hill country to support flood relief. The Kerr County Flood Relief Fund is help food, shelter, medical care and long term recovery for those affected. All donations go to trusted local organizations. Join us in supporting Recovery efforts@communityfoundation.net It is the Herd here on Fox Sports Radio. LaVar Arrington, Jonas Knox in for Colin and there is a team in the NFL that's got goals of winning. They've already done it this offseason. We'll explain how right here on fsr. Be sure to catch live editions of the Herd Weekdays at noon Eastern, 9am.

Travis Kelce (21:01)

Pacific on Fox Sports Radio, FS1 and the iHeartRadio app hey, what's up everybody? It's me, three time Pro Bowler LeVar Arrington and I couldn't be more excited to announce a podcast called up on Game. What is up on Game? You ask? Along with my fellow Pro Bowler TJ Hushman, Zada and Super Bowl Champion. Yep, that's right. Plexico Burn. You can only name a show with that type of talent on it. Up on Game. We're going to be sharing our real life experiences loaded with teachable moments. Listen to Up on game with me, Lavar Arrington, TJ Hush, Manzada and Plexico Burris on the iHeartRadio app, Apple podcast or wherever you get your podcast from.

Jonas Knox (21:48)

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Jonas Knox (23:52)

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LaVar Arrington (25:19)

Oh man, it is the herd here on fox Sports Radio. LaVar Arrington, Jonas Knox tearing it out the frame here on a Monday.

Travis Kelce (25:31)

Whoa.

LaVar Arrington (25:31)

Coming up a little over, over 20 minutes from now as we fill in for Colin.

Travis Kelce (25:37)

That's how you feel.

LaVar Arrington (25:39)

20 minutes from now we are going to tell you about somebody who has cracked the code of a superstar in the world of sports. So cracking of the code of a superstar in the world of sports, that'll be yours here. Come on, man.

Travis Kelce (25:54)

I mean that's, it's crazy to think like we're sitting here joking about it, and it's a very. It's like very real.

LaVar Arrington (26:01)

Real.

Travis Kelce (26:02)

It's like very real. Like, that is astonishing.

LaVar Arrington (26:07)

Hey, there's ways you can make money these days, you know, there's all sorts of ways you can make these days.

Travis Kelce (26:13)

Iggy Azalea, with her only fans, makes the same amount in a year that James Harden does at $36 million. Stop playing with me. Go ahead, Iggy. Get your cash.

LaVar Arrington (26:28)

Maybe she got a better step back. I don't know, baby.

Travis Kelce (26:33)

She got something that's better. That's for 36 million. What you got 30?

LaVar Arrington (26:41)

Yeah. All right. Anyway.

Travis Kelce (26:45)

They're athletes, too.

LaVar Arrington (26:49)

They sure are. Yes, they are. Is Joey Chestnut an athlete?

Travis Kelce (26:56)

People thinking. People think he. People think that professional eaters are athletes.

LaVar Arrington (27:01)

They're not. Because he was on espn. He's an athlete. Okay. All right. Cornhole.

Travis Kelce (27:07)

Is it considered a sport? Is. Is eating food considered a sport?

LaVar Arrington (27:13)

No, I don't think so.

Travis Kelce (27:17)

It's not a physical feat or athletic feat to compete with somebody on eating food and the amount that you can eat. You don't think. You don't find that to be competitive. What is the breakdown of what sport.

LaVar Arrington (27:29)

Is how many people I compete with? On the drive home, if I want to get to the stoplight faster, if I want to beat somebody in traffic, that doesn't make me an athlete. I'm not racing on Days of Thunder because I beat some guy to the off ramp on my way home, because the 101's a disaster. Competition, you can compete in everything. It doesn't make it a sport, but people think, well, it's on espn. It must be a sport, really. Okay.

Travis Kelce (27:53)

An activity involving physical exertion is. Is eating physical exertion competitively? If you're eating, is that physical exertion?

LaVar Arrington (28:03)

But physical exertion, you could get that doing a lot of stuff.

Travis Kelce (28:06)

I'm just asking. Come on, Lee. Jump on in. Yes. Yeah. Is that physical exertion? Okay. Okay. Now, does it something that. Does it involve a skill in which an individual has to utilize it to. To compete?

LaVar Arrington (28:23)

Yeah, they tried train.

Travis Kelce (28:25)

Is it a skill to be able to eat competitively? Yes. What do you think, Jonas?

LaVar Arrington (28:30)

Oh, cool. A skill. Cool. That's awesome. Like, there's guys that can juggle knives, too.

Travis Kelce (28:35)

Is it. Is it used. Is it. Is it used as a form of entertainment?

LaVar Arrington (28:41)

Absolutely.

Travis Kelce (28:42)

Then it's a sport. All right. By definition, competitive eating. Joey Chestnut is an athlete.

LaVar Arrington (28:50)

That's. Physical exertion.

Jonas Knox (28:51)

Is corner a sport?

Travis Kelce (28:54)

There's physical exertion and there is. If you've ever cornholed, by the way, if you've ever. If you've ever played the game. It takes skill to be able to do it. I. Hand coordination.

LaVar Arrington (29:08)

I'll say this right now. There's not a person at the network who could beat me. A cornhole. Not one. Not one. They'd get lit on fire.

Travis Kelce (29:15)

I think we should start bringing one in and playing during the break.

LaVar Arrington (29:19)

On.

Travis Kelce (29:20)

God.

LaVar Arrington (29:20)

You don't want any of. Yeah, I mean, nobody's using.

Travis Kelce (29:23)

I think that would be.

LaVar Arrington (29:24)

Well, competing against the cockroaches that are.

Travis Kelce (29:27)

And the bats and. They got that sonar.

LaVar Arrington (29:30)

Denny's chief.

Travis Kelce (29:31)

They got that sonar. So, you know, they gonna get the bags in there.

LaVar Arrington (29:39)

All right, so. So, yeah. Again, Herdline news coming up a little over 15 minutes from now. Cracking the code of a superstar athlete, by the way. So Max Crosby does the sack summit that he hosts with Cam Jordan and Von Miller. They all get together in Vegas. Yeah, it's awesome. And you've seen this sort of with the tight ends and a lot of these position groupings getting together and just trying to work and get better. And so he was talking just about the success that they're looking for in Las Vegas. And he said, quote, individual success and things like that are awesome, but it's not why you play the game. You play to win. We just saw it in the NBA. OkC just a couple of years ago, was one of the worst teams in the league, but they had a lot of young guys. They trusted the process they developed, and now they're world champions. We're trying to win. I want to win so badly. I put everything into it. I want everybody else to think like that. And that's been my goal, just bringing as many guys along as I possibly can. That was Max Crosby talking about his desire for the Raiders to start winning some games there. I don't believe that the Raiders are going to be a factor when it comes to the playoffs. When it comes to, you know, competing for a Super bowl in that division. I don't. But what I would say it does feel for the first time in a long time. And this isn't a shot at Antonio Pierce. I just think he was in a situation where they had no real plan or direction. It does feel like they've at least got some plan and got some direction. I don't think it's going to result in them winning a bunch of games and they're going to the postseason. But Geno Smith is an upgrade. You've got Pete Carroll there, there's a whole bunch of energy in the building, Tom Brady's involvement, Spytech's there as the gm. It does at least feel like they're on the path, heading in the right direction. After a lot of years of what are we doing? We're just reacting to the Gruden firing and trying to make a bunch of moves that just failed miserably from everybody's info and input into the organization. All those moves failed. It didn't work. And now at least they're on the path, hopefully getting back to where they're a respected organization.

Travis Kelce (31:51)

I mean, keep in mind, they added Ashton Genty to the team. They got Brock Bowers. I mean, they got some talent on this team. But it's the AFC west. So let's, let's reel in ourselves on getting carried away about they have the right direction. Geno Smith is a fine quarterback. Quarterback. Is he, is he a bonafide franchise guy that can go into the AFC west and contend against the likes of Apache, Patrick Mahomes, Justin Herbert, which, I mean, obviously, you know, that, that goes without saying. It could be a. He defines himself this year or it could be he could be just a, you know, a guy that we keep saying should be a franchise guy but isn't quite a franchise guy. And, and then you got Buddy in, in Denver in Bo.

LaVar Arrington (32:43)

Nick.

Travis Kelce (32:43)

Bo Nicks, man. And I think Bo Nix has the, the capabilities with Sean Payton as his coach, which, by the way, if you bring the coaches into the fold, Pete Carroll arguably is the odd man out just because of how old he is. I mean, try to reestablish, trying to reestablish what, what you've created at his age in a new space where things have been so topsy turvy is very chaotic and it's probably going to be very difficult. You got Andy Reid over here who's already got his systems in place and it works. Works. It's an autopilot. You got, you got Harbaugh over here who has proven he is, bar none, like second to nobody in terms of being a dope coach. And I look for them to take a tremendous step forward this year with him having a little bit of time under his belt now. And then you have Sean Payton, like, talk about, is there a better, is there a better division of coaches in the, in the National Football League in one singular, concentrated place?

LaVar Arrington (33:49)

Probably not.

Travis Kelce (33:51)

Andy Reid has Super Bowls. Yeah. What's. What's. Sean Payton has Super Bowls.

LaVar Arrington (33:59)

Pete Carroll's got a Super Bowl.

Travis Kelce (34:01)

Pete Carroll's Got a Super Bowl. Harbaugh has a Super bowl appearance.

LaVar Arrington (34:06)

So national championship.

Travis Kelce (34:08)

And he's a national championship guy. I just, you know, I, I think that it sounds good and much like when, when John Matt told me my second year in the league that he would bungee cord out of the Goodyear blimp at the 50 yard line for the halftime show if the Washington Redskins at the time, now the Commanders had made it to the Super Bowl. I think if, if John was still living and had an interview with Max Crosby, he would most likely respond to Max Crosby the same way he responded to me when he asked me did we have a legitimate chance with our team to be able to make it to the Super Bowl.

LaVar Arrington (34:53)

Well, look, in Max's defense, he just said, you know, they're trying to win games. They're trying. You know, he's. He's trying as as much as he can. He was rewarded with the contract extension this year. I don't think, like I said, that they are a factor from a playoff standpoint. But don't you feel better about them? No, you don't feel better about.

Travis Kelce (35:12)

You feel better about.

LaVar Arrington (35:13)

Because they upgraded at quarterback. They've got a coach who's actually got support, unlike your guy, Antonio Pierce.

Travis Kelce (35:20)

You thought that Antonio Pierce had support. I mean, it sounded as though they had. They were supporting AP to build this team and built the culture, and then they went away from them after a year. They've not done anything that's really different from what they've done in the past. They've made splash hires in the past.

LaVar Arrington (35:39)

You don't think Geno Smith's an upgraded quarterback?

Travis Kelce (35:41)

Yes, because they didn't have a starting quarterback last year. Year. He ain't too far off from a backup quarterback that's now a starting quarterback. I mean, let's not get carried away here. Gino Smith is a fine football player. He's not an elite. Do you look at him as one of the elite quarterbacks in the league right now?

LaVar Arrington (36:00)

No.

Travis Kelce (36:01)

Then what are we talking about? Like what, what, what? That is the wrong team. And the. If Gino Smith went to a different team in a different division, sure. The NFC west is wide open.

LaVar Arrington (36:17)

All right. So just generally speaking, your, your feeling about the Raiders, is it not different this year than it has been the past couple?

Travis Kelce (36:25)

Are they going to finish ahead of the Broncos?

LaVar Arrington (36:27)

Probably not.

Travis Kelce (36:28)

Then they're going to finish last. Yeah, but what's there to feel good about it?

LaVar Arrington (36:32)

But my point is they're not going to be a factor, but they've at least started in the right direction.

Travis Kelce (36:39)

Are they going to finish ahead of the Charger Truth?

LaVar Arrington (36:41)

Probably not.

Travis Kelce (36:42)

Then they're probably going to be last.

LaVar Arrington (36:43)

Yes. All right. Yeah, there's still last plate. Listen, I'm not trying to sell the Raiders as a super.

Travis Kelce (36:49)

I don't. I don't want to get into. I don't want to get into the business of being a supporter, of being a great loser. Like, you're a better loser than this loser team over here.

LaVar Arrington (36:57)

I don't.

Travis Kelce (36:58)

I don't want to get into that business.

LaVar Arrington (36:59)

Okay, but wouldn't you. Wouldn't you say 6 and 11 feels different than 4 and 13?

Travis Kelce (37:04)

No. I don't know you still. But you.

LaVar Arrington (37:07)

I mean, and there's an energy there. Pete Carroll's got some energy. You've got Pete Carroll like he's Doc Holliday falling off a horse.

Travis Kelce (37:13)

I mean, it's kind of like Doc Holliday, man. I ain't gonna go as bad. He ain't. He ain't a longer. I don't think so.

LaVar Arrington (37:20)

He's in great shape.

Travis Kelce (37:21)

Not a longer. He still throws the ball. But he's old.

LaVar Arrington (37:24)

He's got that energy. Geno there, Tom Brady's influence in the building.

Travis Kelce (37:28)

I remember when Joe Gibbs came back and started coaching and it was like the reunion of Cocoon out there on the. On the football field, man, on everything. Like, you. You look at what you had Don Bro, he was using. Yeah, man, you had Don Bro. He was using a walker out there on the field. You had one. He had oxygen. He had to have an oxygen tank with him. I mean, there's something about being an old coach, bringing back the old gang. Like, listen, Pete Carroll isn't like that. But I mean, Gibbs did that and literally Kelly's back.

LaVar Arrington (38:00)

Come on, man.

Travis Kelce (38:01)

Chip Kelly's a brilliant football mind. It's. He made some good moves. Moves I just don't. Until. Until you see differently from a team like the Raiders, there's no way you could definitively say you feel good about a team like that, especially in the division and how competitive that division is.

LaVar Arrington (38:23)

I want to make a statement here and I want this. You can f8 this behind the scenes there if you want to save this. I'm going to make a statement here right now. Oh, the Las Vegas Raiders. Raiders will be the most feel good last place team in the NFL this upcoming season. Of all the last place teams in the NFL this upcoming season, we're going to feel best about the Raiders. That's happening.

Travis Kelce (38:44)

You think so?

LaVar Arrington (38:45)

I think so. That's how that's going down. Why don't you put that in your pipes and smoke it?

Travis Kelce (38:52)

You think so?

LaVar Arrington (38:53)

Yeah.

Travis Kelce (38:54)

All right, let's. Let's determine, and we got to go pretty quickly here, but let's determine. What are those last place teams?

LaVar Arrington (39:02)

I'm not ready to go that far into it. I'm just saying. No, I'm just saying right now the Raiders are going to feel good about at the end of this year. Hey, you know what, though? Heading in the right direction. There's other teams. You look at you go, oh, they're just terrible. That team stinks.

Travis Kelce (39:16)

Cleveland Browns.

LaVar Arrington (39:18)

Terrible.

Travis Kelce (39:20)

Will the Jacksonville Jaguars finish last?

LaVar Arrington (39:23)

Not ready to go there.

Travis Kelce (39:24)

Not ready to go there. Will the Steelers finish last place?

LaVar Arrington (39:29)

Well, no, because of the Browns.

Travis Kelce (39:31)

Will the Carolina Panthers finish in last place?

LaVar Arrington (39:35)

No. Oh, yeah, I think the Saints will. The Saints are terrible.

Travis Kelce (39:40)

Well, the Jets.

LaVar Arrington (39:46)

No, I think the Dolphins will not.

Travis Kelce (39:48)

Will the Dallas Cowboys or Giants.

LaVar Arrington (39:55)

Maybe one of those teams. I'm not as high on Washington as everybody is.

Travis Kelce (39:59)

A lot of people Washington, unless they lose scary Terry to Pittsburgh, which if that happens, that'd be crazy. But I think you should be high on Washington. You should be. They're going to be competitive.

LaVar Arrington (40:11)

Listen, like I said, we've got a whole training camp and we've got preseason games. I'm not ready to.

Travis Kelce (40:16)

The New England Patriots.

LaVar Arrington (40:19)

No, I don't think the Patriots are finishing last. I think the Dolphins are in that. Oh, come on. Yeah. Tell you the Raiders feel good. Last place team of the NFL.

Travis Kelce (40:27)

I don't buy that. That at all. Yeah, that's like saying the jets are. Are a really feel good last place finishing team. They're. They're in the same category in comparison in con. I, I don't, I don't agree with that. I don't buy that. Jonas.

LaVar Arrington (40:41)

That's cat, by the way. What does that mean?

Travis Kelce (40:45)

You're lying.

LaVar Arrington (40:45)

I'm kidding. By the way.

Travis Kelce (40:47)

You're lying.

LaVar Arrington (40:48)

We are brought to you by Navian. Save big on your water and energy bills with a navi and tankless water heater. Navi and tankless water heaters provide endless hot water for spa like comfort Navi makes it easy to go tankless. Visit tankless made up next. Up next, we are going to tell you about how somebody has cracked the code of a superstar player in the NFL right here on fsr. Be sure to catch live editions of the Herd weekdays at noon Eastern, 9am Pacific.

Jonas Knox (41:18)

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Ryan Music (42:21)

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Jonas Knox (43:22)

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LaVar Arrington (44:48)

Oh, we've got the very latest on a quarterback competition in the NFL that'll be yours here again coming up a little over 10 minutes from now. Before we get to the Herdline news with Ryan Music, want to let you know that you're listening to us now, but did you know you can also see us? Be sure to check out the fox Sports Radio YouTube channel. Search Fox Sports Radio on YouTube. You'll see a whole bunch of video highlights from our shows. Be sure to subscribe so you always have instant access to our Fox Sports radio videos on YouTube. No, no, no, no.

Travis Kelce (45:18)

Turn on the news.

LaVar Arrington (45:19)

This is the Herd line news. Yeah. Ryan Music. Yeah.

Travis Kelce (45:25)

Okay.

LaVar Arrington (45:27)

NFL football baby.

Travis Kelce (45:28)

Let's go.

LaVar Arrington (45:29)

Travis Hunter trying to become the first two way superstar in modern NFL history. Aspirations of being an all pro cornerback and an all pro wide receiver for the Jacksonville Jaguars. The Heisman Trophy at Colorado. Well, Travis Kelsey, he was on the busing with the boys podcast.

Travis Kelce (45:51)

Busing with him.

LaVar Arrington (45:52)

He offered this analysis on Hunter playing both ways in the NFL if he plays corner, they're going to run deep.

Travis Kelce (45:59)

Deep balls at him all day. They're going to run.

LaVar Arrington (46:01)

The wide receivers just take off on.

Travis Kelce (46:03)

Him all day just to try and.

LaVar Arrington (46:04)

Get his like him tired.

Travis Kelce (46:06)

Yeah, I was like why wouldn't you.

LaVar Arrington (46:08)

Just attack him that way? It's one way to do it.

Travis Kelce (46:12)

He's got to be playing, man.

LaVar Arrington (46:18)

Duh. Duh.

Travis Kelce (46:19)

Clearly if you're gonna try to, if you're gonna try to run him downfield, I mean Kelsey, just stick to playing, stick to playing offense, bro. There's called this safety, right? And when you play in zone coverage, if they're trying to just run him off, there's like this thing called a safety, right? And, and zone coverage. He covers his own and that safety covers the zone over top of him so that your corner doesn't have to run downfield every single play. That's anyway sounded good in theory. I'm sure when he thought about it and it came out his mouth. It was like, you know what, that makes a ton of sense. But you're clearly not calling defensive.

LaVar Arrington (47:05)

I know Lavar and I worked together too long because I saw the look on his face. I knew he was going to, to go duh, duh.

Travis Kelce (47:15)

If you got a coach that's dumb enough to keep that, that young man in, in man coverage all game and just keep sprinting him downfield in coverage, go balls. That, that ain't about, that ain't about Travis Hunter. That's about the coaches. That, that's, that's what I would say.

LaVar Arrington (47:31)

Oh, my God.

Travis Kelce (47:32)

Just run them downfield every play.

LaVar Arrington (47:33)

You know, we'll get them tired.

Travis Kelce (47:35)

Hey, are y' all running, man? With, with, with travel, Travis? Hey, is Hunter running? Is he running bad?

LaVar Arrington (47:40)

Like, all right.

Travis Kelce (47:41)

Go route. Fly, Fly route. Like, all right.

LaVar Arrington (47:43)

It's like when you want your toddler.

Travis Kelce (47:45)

To go to bed.

LaVar Arrington (47:45)

Just take him. Just get him tired. Just run him around. Run him around the yard. Just get him tired. And then finally he'll be, he'll be good to go. That's how you handle it.

Travis Kelce (47:53)

Oh, there you go. That's not exactly how it goes down, but let's, let's wait and see if Travis Kelce's brilliant idea comes to pass when the season starts. I don't think that's going to keep him from getting all pro as a, as a cornerback or as a receiver. There you all right?

LaVar Arrington (48:09)

Staying in the NFL. The NFL Network's top 100 players list as voted on by the players. They're starting to release it in increments. We're starting to get a look at the early spots on the list. Dolphins quarterback to a Tonga Vailoa showing up at 91 on the list now. No drop of 55 places versus last year. So two are barely checking in on the list this year.

Travis Kelce (48:37)

Year. How y' all feel about that?

LaVar Arrington (48:39)

I mean, if he could stay healthy.

Travis Kelce (48:43)

I've been doing this show with you for so long, I just figured I'd let you say it, cuz it's just. I was gonna say it exactly the same way you did.

LaVar Arrington (48:50)

That's the problem with him is that he, he hasn't been able to stay healthy. When he stays healthy and he produces, they're a completely different team. Their. Their splits with him in the lineup and not in the lineup are drastically different.

Travis Kelce (49:03)

Different.

LaVar Arrington (49:04)

And he just can't stay healthy.

Travis Kelce (49:06)

I remember I bought this car. It was an ahmadine color car with, with a caramel inside. It was a gorgeous car. All Right. It's one of the first cars I ever buy was Mercedes Benz, and it always had something wrong with it. You ever have a lemon? You ever get a lemon of a car?

LaVar Arrington (49:26)

Yeah, it's in the parking lot.

Travis Kelce (49:27)

Okay, well, yeah, there you go right over there. You ain't going to highly rate a lemon, as nice as that car was. I drove my Excursion all the time because I always was dealing with some type of issue that had me roadside lost its rating, lost its ranking, and lost its trust with me. And I drove away lesser of a car because I could trust on it and it was dependable. And that's why Tua is probably down 50 spots.

LaVar Arrington (49:58)

I mean, you know who the backup is there? Zach Wilson.

Travis Kelce (50:01)

Zach Wilson. Yeah.

LaVar Arrington (50:02)

So they've got two. Two Polynesian quarterbacks there in the row. Zach Wilson.

Travis Kelce (50:07)

How's that work? No way.

LaVar Arrington (50:09)

Yeah, it is.

Travis Kelce (50:10)

I don't believe it. Look that up. I'm not bad.

LaVar Arrington (50:13)

We'll have proof of that coming up after the break. Let's see, we've got a major Polynesian update coming up next year.

Travis Kelce (50:19)

That's major. That's a major break.

Jonas Knox (50:22)

One more herd.

LaVar Arrington (50:23)

The herd streams 24 hours a day.

Jonas Knox (50:26)

Seven days a week within the iHeartRadio app.

LaVar Arrington (50:28)

Search herd to listen live or on demand, whenever you'd like.

Jonas Knox (50:32)

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Ryan Music (51:05)

On the latest episode of Next Question with me, Katie Couric. I sat down with Jasmine Crockett, Democratic representative of Texas. She's holding down the fort for her party in one of the most conservative.

Jonas Knox (51:16)

States in the union.

Ryan Music (51:18)

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LaVar Arrington (51:39)

Who are the 25 greatest football players to grace the gridiron since the year 2000? Introducing NFL Daily's top 25 players of the last 25 years Join me, Greg Rosenthal and an all star cast of media personalities including Mina K. Keim, Steve Wish, Kevin Harlan and more for a look at football's best since the turn of the century. Listen to NFL Daily's top 25 players of the last 25 years starting on June 30th on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcast.

Jonas Knox (52:14)

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LaVar Arrington (52:17)

Talk about the business news that concerns everybody.

Ryan Music (52:20)

From Bloomberg businessweek, I'm Stacey. I'm Max Chavkin. Each week we unpack what is happening on Main street and Wall street, all the streets. WrestleMania has taken over the US economy.

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LaVar Arrington (52:38)

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LaVar Arrington (52:49)

This is an iHeart podcast.