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- [00:00]
Taron Armstead
This is an iHeart podcast.
- [00:02]
Podcast Announcer
Guaranteed Human this episode brought to you by Verizon Business the World cup from FIFA isn't just the biggest ever, it's also the most technologically complex. 104 matches, 16 stadiums, 3 countries. But for Verizon Business, that's another day with private 5G networks in every stadium, more than 80,000 miles of fiber, end to end security. Verizon business is powering FIFA's World Cup. If Verizon Business can do that, imagine what they can do for your business. Visit verizon.com powering FIFAWorldCup now to learn more. Plans can be a maybe for people with chronic migraine 15 or more headache days a month, each lasting four hours or more Botox Anabotulinum toxin a prevents headaches in adults with chronic migraine. It's not for those with 14 or fewer headache days a month. It Prevents on average 8 to 9 headache days a month versus 6 to 7 for placebo. Prescription Botox is injected by your doctor. Botox effects may spread hours to weeks after injection, causing serious symptoms. Alert your doctor right away as trouble swallowing, speaking, breathing, eye problems or muscle weakness can be signs of a life threatening condition. Those with these conditions before injection are at highest risk. Side effects may include allergic reactions like rash, breathing problems, dizziness, neck and injection site pain and headache. Don't receive Botox if there's a skin infection. Tell your doctor your medical history, muscle or nerve conditions like als, Myasthenia gravis or Lambert Eaton syndrome and medicines like Botulinum toxins which may increase the risk of serious side effects. Make a plan and ask your doctor about Botox. Visit botoxchronicmigraine.com or call 1-844botox workplace chaos. We've all been there. Deadlines are slipping, projects are piling up and suddenly you realize the missing piece is the right person. That's when you say this is a job for Sponsored Jobs. With Indeed Sponsored Jobs, your job post gets a boost so you can connect with quality candidates faster. In fact, sponsored jobs posted directly on indeed are 95% more likely to to report a higher than a non sponsored job. Spend less time searching, more time interviewing candidates who check all your boxes. Get a $75 sponsored job credit@ Indeed.com podcast Need a hiring hero? This is a job for Indeed Sponsored Jobs. Here's something I've thought about more as I've gotten older. Keeping my family safe, not living in fear, just being prepared. It's why I use Burna. They make self defense tools that actually work that anybody can use, even if you've never picked one up before. And here's what got me. It's legal in all 50 states. No permit, no background check, ships right to your door. Shoots up to 60ft. Way more distance than pepper spray. And the rounds will stop a threat and give you the time and space to get your family somewhere safe. What I like is the distance and how easy it is to use. You don't have to let a problem get close to you. You've got options. And they're built right here in America. Fort Wayne, Indiana. Hand assembled burner is trusted by the pros. Over 500 government agencies, police departments and private security firms use byrna berna.com/heard b y r n a.com herd burna be ready. Thanks for listening to the herd podcast. Be sure to catch us live every weekday on Fox sports radio and noon to three EAs, 9am to noon Pacific. Find your local station for the herd@foxsportsradio.com or stream us live every day on the iHeartRadio app by searching Fox Sports Radio or FSR.
- [03:59]
Taron Armstead
Now let's get this party started.
- [04:00]
Jason McIntyre
You're listening to Fox Sports Radio. Happy Friday and boy, is it a tremendous Friday. Love me some breaking news right before the show. LeBron James is headed to Philly. My old home. Yes, actually. Well, I lived in the Philadelphia suburbs for about eight years. Both my kids were born in Pennsylvania. Oh yeah, by the way, I'm Jason McIntyre in for Colin Cowherd. As you saw, Colin is flying. Very, very commercial. Southwest lane, what was it? Aisle 23, seat row 23. Gosh, fumbling so excited. He gave us his take on Philly. I will say my buddy who is in Philadelphia, I'm texting him. Philadelphia, by the way, sports city right now. Rachel, how good is this? We got Bryce Harper. We've got the Eagles who are two years removed from the Super Bowl. I think the Philadelphia Flyers still play hockey. I don't know what their situation is. And now we got LeBron going to Philly. Not a bad time to be a Philly sports fan, right?
- [05:03]
Rachel Nichols
I mean, look, you taught are saying the Eagles are in contention for the super bowl the last couple days. So yeah, maybe they could get a twofer. Maybe they could get rings in both places.
- [05:12]
Jason McIntyre
Jason, that would be spicy. Maybe that's possible. I mean anything's possible at this point. LeBron picked Philadelphia in 15 minutes. We got Taron Armstead, former NFL star. I think he was a star. He was very good. He'll be joining us in 15 minutes. Right now I'm going to do our top five NBA title contenders. That's what we're calling it, top five title contenders. And before I get to this, my buddy from Philly, his great take was Brad Stevens created this monster in Philadelphia. Cuz LeBron doesn't go to Philly if Jaylen Brown's not there. You think he's going to play with Paul George, playoff P, pandemic P and Joel Embiid? No way. Brad Stevens had to get Jalen Brown out of town. He goes to Philly and unwillingly. Like would LeBron have gone to Philly?
- [05:58]
Taron Armstead
No way.
- [05:59]
Jason McIntyre
And now, oh, Jaylen Brown. Maxey. By the way, Tyrese Maxey is losing his mind on Instagram. I just went on during the break and he's like freaking out. Freaking Philadelphia. But are they title contenders? Here we go. Top five title contenders in the NBA post LeBron James news number one. I mean, listen, I'm a Knicks fan. I get that, guys. But it has to be the San Antonio Spurs. Are you kidding me? Wembanyama, Castle Harper. Everybody's favorite punching bag. Dearon Fox. I love the Tobias Harris pickup. Spurs are the number one team in the end. They, they. Any power rankings, the spurs have to be one. Any gambling odds? The spurs, they're the best team in the league. Wemby was in year three, guys, year three and they went to the finals. Wemby got ejected in Minnesota, missed a game due to injury against the Spurs. Didn't matter. They steamrolled through the west, took down the Thunder in seven defending champs. So the spurs are my number one title contender. Number two. I'm going with the defending champion New York Knicks. Shout out to my Knicks. And actually they did a pretty damn good job this offseason retaining everybody. They did lose Mitchell Robinson to the Celtics. I think that's a big loss. But the core is back. Brunson Bridges, OG Cat, I mean they, they, they got Landry Shamut returned. I, I, I like this team a lot. This is a New York Knicks team that exceeded many expectations. Obviously the Karl Anthony town situation. Bears watching, right? Cat asked for a new contract before last season, didn't get it. He wants a new contract. He wants to get paid. They got to save money for Brunson. You got the owner saying we're not going into the second apron. So I look Knicks, I mean, Jordan Clarkson stays, Alvarado stays. I think they're the best team in the East. They got, you got to beat them to be the Best, you got to beat the best. So the Knicks are two. I'm gonna go with OKC number three. Obviously I have a love hate relationship with the Thunder. The flippity flop Thunder, they lose three core guys from the rotation this offseason. Isaiah Joe, obviously he's gone. Lou Dortmund, a starter, and Aaron Wiggins. Now, Wiggins and Joe weren't as integral as they were two years ago, but those are still losses to the team. The thing is they still got A.J. mitchell, right? They still got Jared McCain. I wonder if we start to see egos jumping into this. We saw some comments from Kayson Wallace. He wants the ball, he wants to get paid. He's ready. He thinks he should be a starter. He could be like a number two or three on our title team. I don't know. We'll see. I've got the Thunder 3 checking in at 4. Yes, I will go. Philadelphia 76ers with LeBron Brown, Maxey Embiid, I think all season they'll be very, very good. This team will win 50 to 55 games in the East. Now, it's interesting, I'm, I'm wondering, Adam Silver was talking about the schedule, right? So obviously the Sixers are going to get a lot of TV games. Will LeBron be sitting those in protest? Sometimes. You know, listen, LeBron's going to need his rest. Will Joel Embiid sit? It's tough for me to say, oh, LeBron will just play 20 minutes a game. Guys, he's way too competitive for that. You can't start him up. You heard Dan Wilkie talk about it. LeBron. It takes him forever to get started. Now at this old age. You think he's going to go through his whole process to play 20 minutes a night in some of these games? I don't see that happening. In no world is that going to happen. So they're going to have to kind of, hey, you're out tonight. And you know Jaylen Brown's going to get excited as soon as LeBron's out, Jalen will give a 40 piece, right? So the Sixers team is stacked. I did. I like the Anferty Simons role coming off the bench. You know, that's a good buy low. They did acquire the Knicks third string center. I don't want to butcher his name, but he's not bad bona, the big kid from Philly. I think those two guys from ucla, they will be integral for Philly because we know Joel embiid. He's played 57 games total in the last two years. And rounding out the top five title contenders. Not Cleveland, not Detroit, not Lamelo Ball in Minnesota, not the Houston Rockets, not the Indiana Pacers, the Los Angeles Lakers, the Snowtime Lakers. Walker Kessler, Luka Doncic, Austin Reaves. I mean, listen, they added Zaire Williams recently. Matisse Thibel. Folks, here's my thing about the Lakers. They are now finally built as close to you can want for Luka Doncic. They were not that last year they couldn't do it. They were constrained by LeBron's 50 some odd $52 million salary. And so it was tough to build a Luka centric team. They now have that Austin Reaves in the role of Kyrie Irving secondary creator. Walker Kessler, not your ideal rim runner, but he's actually undervalued, folks, simply because he's never played on a contender. The advanced stats love him as an offensive rebounder, as a shooter within like, I think it's within the restricted area. One of the highest field goal percentages in the league. And he's an elite shot blocker, and that's in limited minutes on a team that's been tanking for four years. So I think the Walker Kessler move is massive for the Lakers. And then it becomes like in Quinton Grimes deliver timely shots. The Lakers, unlike the Sixers, have defined rules. Zaire Williams, you're coming in as a three and D wing. Got to work on the threes. Sando, you're our new Rui, right? You've got defined roles. Quentin Grimes, you know, you're shooting, not doing much creating Jaden Hardy, assuming you make the roster. Hey, man, we need you as like a tertiary creator. On nights where Reaves is out or Luka's out, you might be that third guy creating. So the Lakers have defined roles. I look at the Sixers, they don't look at okc. They got them. The Knicks, they obviously have them. And the spurs do as well. The one team of my top five title contenders that doesn't have defined rules is the Sixers. Now, they just were put together five minutes ago. And let's bring in Rachel to take a big shot at my list. I'm sure she dislikes the Lakers. I see my phone like glowing. Meaning texts are coming in. Lakers fifth. Maybe a bit hot, but would you have the Sixers higher than 4?
- [12:12]
Podcast Announcer
Rachel?
- [12:13]
Rachel Nichols
I maybe would. I don't know. I feel like Knicks and Sixers, you know, look, this is a little bit what I was saying in the last hour, Jason. I think this is either really going to work or really not going to work in Philadelphia. Because the thing it hinges on aren't sort of the. It's less about health because you've got so many guys who can do so many things. It's less about these little sort of little bits of things. It's about, do these guys sacrifice together and work together and does the chemistry work? And the Knicks, as we know, pretty much won on chemistry. They won a title on chemistry. It's what we saw from the Detroit Pistons in 2004. And there's actually a lot of parallels there because the Detroit Pistons won in 2004 by taking down an, on paper, super team in the Lakers. Right. You remember that Lakers team, Carl Malone and Gary Payton, Kobe, all of those guys.
- [13:02]
Jason McIntyre
So.
- [13:03]
Rachel Nichols
So I think it's going to be interesting throughout the season on your list, I would say 2 and 4 to me, kind of become interchangeable. And we'll just have to see, as we actually watch this play out, whether it's the Sixers who look like the powerhouse of the east or the Knicks.
- [13:18]
Jason McIntyre
Yeah, I think, you know, the burden of proof is on the contender. And so I need to see it from the Sixers. And not for 10 games, not for 20, not for 30. I got to see it. And that's why. Remember when LeBron went to Miami? There was that early rough phase with he, Bosch and Wade. I'm pretty sure they were 11 and 10 after 21 games.
- [13:36]
Rachel Nichols
They had to figure it out somewhere around there, Bump with SPO and all that stuff.
- [13:39]
Jason McIntyre
They did figure it out, got to the finals where they really cratered against us. A Mavs team that had defined rules. You knew what you were getting. I don't know. And I think it's going to be difficult for the Sixers to figure it out in one year.
- [13:53]
Rachel Nichols
It's going to be interesting, too, with the Knicks, and you just brought this up. The contract situation with the Knicks is not something to sleep on. Karl Anthony Towns wanted an extension going into this past season. He wants an extension now. He deserves an extension. They would not have won the title without Karl Anthony Towns. Him sort of switching roles midstream in that first round. That's the difference. That's how they got there. Jalen Brunson, obviously the heart, soul and power of that team. But Karl Anthony Towns was the difference in why they won the Finals. So Karl Anthony Towns wants his money. Jalen Brown. Jalen Brunson has already sort of put out feelers there that he wants his full contract. No more sacrificing for the team stuff, he's done his part. So it'll be interesting to see where their chemistry goes throughout the course this season. And don't forget, these are two media markets where you've been, you've been in both these cities. Jason, how do you think the media in New York or Philadelphia is going to go if there start to be chemistry issues on either of these teams?
- [14:46]
Jason McIntyre
Well, we haven't had a defending a back to back champ in eight years or something like that. It's difficult to go back. The Knicks, is there going to be infighting? Is that same hunger going to be there? I don't know. I think that's a good take. We had Dan Woikie on earlier talking about LeBron and how his decision came to be that he picked Philadelphia.
- [15:05]
Taron Armstead
LeBron's kept a very tight circle on this and I spoke to someone who knows who's in that circle and basically like this comes down to one thing, Jason. You know, I don't think LeBron could get everything he wanted this summer.
- [15:18]
Rachel Nichols
Right.
- [15:18]
Taron Armstead
So he had to focus on the thing he wanted most. And the thing you wanted most was to try to win a championship. And you know, he studied his options, studied the fit, thought about where he thought he could impact, like title level, winning the best, and that's why he's going to wear a Sixers uniform.
- [15:36]
Jason McIntyre
Well, we shall see. Very excited to see how this pans out. I had another take that I thought
- [15:42]
Rachel Nichols
was, well, Jason, I want to ask you about that list you just had up. So if the Philadelphia 76ers do make it to the finals and they do face your number one, the spurs, what do you think that would be like for the NBA?
- [15:54]
Jason McIntyre
WEMBY vs. LeBron? That would be decent, be better than decent. Can you imagine who would you swap out the lakers for at 5 real quick?
- [16:03]
Rachel Nichols
I mean, look, I think in the west it's a little bit of anyone's game. I've told you all week, I think the west is mushy after you get to the first two through the spurs and the Thunder, I'm still waiting for Nikola Jokic to sort of make a resurgence. I still think he's one of the best players in basketball in the entire world. I'm still waiting to see what Minnesota pans out to be with Lamelo and Ant and now not LeBron, but you know, sort of how that sort of meshes together and the maturity there that we see or don't see. And also the Houston Rockets aren't in any of these discussions when we talk about the Western Conference.
- [16:35]
Jason McIntyre
Oh, Fred Van Vliet's back. That's right.
- [16:37]
Rachel Nichols
But you've got a decent lineup, and there's something to be said for why not us if you're the Houston Rockets? So I think there's going to be kind of interesting things on both sides. Tyrese Halliburton, by the way, I happen to know, is sitting at home thinking, okay, when you're talking about favorites in the east, don't forget me. Don't forget us.
- [16:55]
Jason McIntyre
Honeymoon. I saw you got married. Didn't he get married?
- [16:57]
Rachel Nichols
He got married recently at the courthouse. So who knows where he is right now? Bora Bora? Who knows? But I think that you've got a lot of wild cards in the NBA. I think in previous seasons, we've gone in thinking, all right, we know who's going to be good. We know who's going to be not so good. We know who's in the middle. I think this is going to be the season of wild cards. You have a huge wild card now in Philadelphia. You got a wild card in Boston, where the Celtics going to look like without. I mean, we haven't seen them without Jaylen Brown since he was drafted. Right. I mean, this is going to be a lot of question marks throughout the league. And as we saw this past season, the regular season, in the playoffs, they're further apart in styles of basketball and what you can tell about a team than they ever have been in my time covering the league. There is a bigger difference between the regular season and the playoffs. And so even if in the regular season we see one of these teams that we're talking about, oh, man, they're a surprise number two seed. Look, the Boston Celtics were surprise number two seed this year, but playoff basketball is different. And so what we see in that second season, that playoff season is going to be a whole new bunch of question marks. I think what's going to be such a fun ride for fans this season is, like, it's not all scripted. We don't know how it's going to play out.
- [18:06]
Jason McIntyre
I have so many more hot takes besides the top five. I'll just tell you right now. Put this on record, guys. Clip this off and give it to me. I'm telling you, if the Celtics meet the Sixers in the playoffs, everybody's healthy. Celtics are winning that series. I'll tell you. I mean, wow. No, I have no wow. Celtics have defined roles, Rachel.
- [18:22]
Rachel Nichols
Yeah.
- [18:23]
Jason McIntyre
Defend and hit threes.
- [18:24]
Rachel Nichols
They don't have someone in the middle. Mitchell Robinson, he's not matching up to Joel Embiid.
- [18:29]
Jason McIntyre
Oh, come on.
- [18:30]
Rachel Nichols
You just said everyone's healthy. Yeah, I'm sorry. Has Mr. Robinson ever been an MVP candidate?
- [18:36]
Jason McIntyre
I don't need him to be. I need him to block shots and rebound the basketball. You don't even need to shoot the ball dunk.
- [18:41]
Rachel Nichols
Reba can do more than that, though. I think. I think that if, if the Sixers are healthy, and that is a huge sentence, that sentence is doing a lot of work. Right? We know that. I think they are going to be as formidable as it comes if the team chemistry is there. And that's just something we're gonna have to see develop throughout the season. I don't think LeBron's the question mark, though, in that team chemistry. I think LeBron knows Jaylen Brown would
- [19:04]
Jason McIntyre
probably be the bigger question mark.
- [19:05]
Rachel Nichols
Question mark. And by the way, I think Jaylen Brown's character has been, you know, assaulted a bit over these past couple months. I think Jaylen Brown likes winning basketball. So he is going to make sacrifices. But I am curious what those sacrifices will be. I want to see how all these guys fit together, both mentally and physically out on the floor. And either it's going to work or it's not going to work. I don't think there's going to be a big in between.
- [19:28]
Jason McIntyre
How about, how about Jaylen Brown trying to go ham on the Celtics in that series and costing them because he wanted revenge? Oh, it's ows. And I'm not even a Celtics guy. All right, coming up next, former NFL Pro Bowler stopping by. I'm going to ask him about LeBron. I'm sure he, he knows LeBron. Everybody does. And we'll talk a little NFL after this here on the herd.
- [19:48]
Podcast Announcer
One more herd.
- [19:49]
Jason McIntyre
The herd streams 24 hours a day, seven days a week within the iHeartRadio app. Search herd to listen live or on demand whenever you'd like. Fox Sports Radio is taking over YouTube and you can be a part of it. Just go to YouTube and search Fox Sports Radio. Hit that subscribe button and smash that notification bell and catch all the videos, your favorite shows, two pros and a cup of junk. Dan Patrick, Colin Cowherd, Stu Gods and company Live, Cavino and Rich, the Odd
- [20:17]
Podcast Announcer
couple with Rob Parker and Kelvin Washington. The Jason Smith show with Mike Harmon and the Ben Maller show.
- [20:22]
Taron Armstead
Fox sports radio on YouTube.
- [20:24]
Podcast Announcer
Subscribe. Hit that thumbs up icon and comment away this episode brought to you by Verizon Business. When we watch the World cup, we focus on the stars the players, the coaches, the matches. But here's what's fascinating. What does it take to make an event this big actually work? The World cup from FIFA isn't just the biggest ever. It's also the most technologically complex. 104 matches, 16 stadiums, 3 countries. Think about that. That's not just a sporting event. That's one of the biggest logistical and technological challenges in the world. And with billions of people watching, there's no room for error. But for Verizon business, that's another day. With private 5G networks in every stadium, more than 80,000 miles of fiber, end to end security, Verizon business is powering FIFA's World Cup. If Verizon business can do that, imagine what they can do for your business. Visit verizon.com powering FIFAWorld cup now to learn more. Plans can be a maybe for people with chronic migraine 15 or more headache days a month, each lasting four hours or more Botox Onobotulinum toxin a prevents headaches in adults with chronic migraine. It's not for those with 14 or fewer headache days a month. It prevents on average eight to nine headache days a month versus six to seven for placebo. Prescription Botox is injected by your doctor. Botox effects may spread hours to weeks after injection, causing serious symptoms. Alert your doctor right away as trouble swallowing, speaking, breathing, eye problems or muscle weakness can be signs of a life threatening condition. Those with these conditions before injection are at highest risk. Side effects may include allergic reactions like rash, breathing problems, dizziness, neck and injection site pain and headache. Don't receive Botox if there's a skin infection. Tell your doctor your medical history, muscle or nerve conditions like als, Myasthenia gravis or Lambert Eaton syndrome and medicines like botulinum toxins which may increase the risk of serious side effects. Make a plan and ask your doctor about Botox. Visit Botox chronic migraine or call 1-800-44-BOTOX. Let me tell you about something most people have never heard of and probably should have. It's called Burna and here's the part that got my attention. It's a real self defense option that's legal in all 50 states. No permit, no background check. It ships right to your door. It did mine. It's not a gun. That's the point. It's a launcher. Fires around that stops a threat from up to 60ft away and it's less lethal that way. More distance than pepper spray and it gives you time and space to get to safety. And you don't need Extensive training or guesswork. Even if you've never held one, it's built to be simple and easy to use when it actually matters. Best part, they're made right here in America. Fort Wayne, Indiana. Hand assembled. So if you've ever wanted a way to protect yourself and your family without the complications, this is it. Over 500 government agencies, police departments and private security Firms use Berna Berna.com/Heard by R N A.com Herd Berna Be Ready. Now more than ever, Americans need a laugh. Enter the super troopers to the rescue. Vermont's finest and most shockingly offensive mustachioed highway patrol officers return to the big screen in Super Troopers 3. More pullover pranks, more over the top shenanigans than ever. The latest installment of the cult comedy classic Rod Farva is the wildly over the top Indian engagement to Thorny sister spirals, out of control debauchery, bachelor parties, a wedding that Thorny's desperate to stop, and a dangerous drug smuggling ring all threaten the troops, friendship and future. Fill your liter of cola, grab your buds and roll up to the multiplex for Super Troopers 3. Only in theaters August 7th. Get tickets. Meow.
- [24:18]
Jason McIntyre
Back here on the Herd, it's LeBron James Celebration Day. He's going to Philadelphia. And again, remember, folks, I lived in the Philly burbs for seven, eight years. You know, I started the website and I could kind of live anywhere. You know, the wife, of course, has relatives in the area, so we moved to the Philly burbs. I went to some Sixers games. It's a great city, had some unfortunate nicknames that I'm not going to say on air because I don't need you guys coming after me. But LeBron landing in Philly is exciting and, and even though we do talk a lot of NFL on the show, we're going to ask our next guest, Taron Armstead, former NFL Pro Bowler. We're going to ask him about LeBron, so let's bring him in. Toronto. Armstead, listen, hey, this is what sports is all about, right? I mean, the big news, you got Saquon Barkley putting stuff online. Let's go golfing together. You got baseball players in Philly fired up. Taron, where do you land? Well, first of all, what was your initial reaction when you heard LeBron pick Philly?
- [25:12]
Taron Armstead
I was shocked, man. I started hearing some chatter about Philly being one of the destinations. I. Storyline wise, I don't, I don't really see the alignment. As far as the team go, they're incredible. If Embiid is healthy. Why not? I don't see any reason why they won't be the number one seed in the east and should be representing the east in the Finals. But I was more so leaning towards Cleveland. I'll be honest. I love the story. It made a lot of sense. Cleveland is right there. They are right there. I think they need that veteran leadership. Someone that's been there before, someone has done it at the highest level and raised a trophy. I think it even a perfect fit for Cleveland. So I was. I was just about shocked by the. The storyline.
- [25:56]
Jason McIntyre
So, you know, it's not apples to apples, but when you were a free agent in the NFL, you know, obviously picking the team you want to land on is important. I'm just curious. LeBron's thought process kind of seems a little wacky. There was a lot of buzz about Miami. There was a ton about the Warriors. Like you said, Cleveland. I thought he was going to go to Cleveland. I don't know. I'm just curious. What do you think went through his mind, picking the Sixers of all across the country from his family?
- [26:23]
Taron Armstead
That's the part that I'm struggling with, bro. Honestly, that's the part that I just really can't put the pieces together, put the dots together. Like I say, talent wise, you just look at the roster, especially the starting five is elite. That's an Eastern all star team. Seriously. But Cleveland made so much more sense from being home. Won there before, brought the first ever championship. Can do it again. Golden State made sense to me. Him and Steph, the Olympics, all the magic they've had and then the competition they've had throughout the years. I saw those. Yeah, the Philly. Like I say, I really. I can't figure out his mental process. I think this is why it's such a split reaction across the country.
- [27:08]
Jason McIntyre
Yeah, I'm going to go to another team in Philadelphia. That's kind of a big deal. And it's a flashpoint. A lot of questions. The Eagles, my guy, Jalen Hurts. It's so weird. Tehran, less than two years ago, Jalen Hurts is the MVP of the Super Bowl. He was awesome, crazy good year. And now it's like, well, he's. He's got to do well. Or he could be. They could draft a quarterback. I don't. What do you make of all this noise in Philly? Just a constant chatter in the background of our Hertz and Sirianni and Hot Seat and. I don't know. What do you. What do you think?
- [27:40]
Taron Armstead
It's it's that, that fan base, that market is. You can't. Is. You can't satisfy it like it's a forever. A never ending hunger thirst. They're spoiled and entitled fan base. So. They are. They are. Jalen Hurst is in no shape or form. No way shape or form in the hot seat. He just won a Super Bowl a couple years ago. He's been to there. He's. Yeah. The. Philly won what, 12 games last year? 13. Let's. Let's stop it. Let's stop.
- [28:16]
Jason McIntyre
Well, because I put out my super bowl tears this week and I had the Eagles in the top tier and people are like, whoa, they didn't even win a playoff game last year. They lost at home to the Niners. But I don't know if we. Yeah, we pop them on the screen here. Up at the top, I had Rams, Ravens, Seahawks, Eagles. A lot of questions about the Ravens. What. What was a wow about you?
- [28:36]
Taron Armstead
This, this, this shocks me. J. Mac, I'm not going. I'm not gonna lie.
- [28:40]
Jason McIntyre
I'll power down and I'll let you just go off any team, any category, whatever you want.
- [28:46]
Taron Armstead
Yeah, I see Baltimore and Philly being in that, that top tier is. Is a little alarming to me. Those, those two teams gonna need some help or I want to believe. I will put them in. Want to believe.
- [28:59]
Jason McIntyre
Okay.
- [29:00]
Taron Armstead
I think that I will replace God. You got Chicago overhyped. Denver overhyped. Yeah. J. Mac, listen, we could do a whole segment on your tears. We could do a whole segment on your tears.
- [29:15]
Jason McIntyre
So I'm guessing the Bears a lot.
- [29:18]
Taron Armstead
I like the Bears a lot. I think the Bears are for real. I think they're made of the right stuff. It's not, not by accident that they had success last year. And we'll continue to have success. They're coach. Right. They're. They're well coached and they are very talented. So you put two together, you got good teams and then.
- [29:33]
Rachel Nichols
Broncos.
- [29:33]
Jason McIntyre
Broncos. Your guy, Sean Payton. I don't know. There's some Bo stuff floating around out there.
- [29:41]
Taron Armstead
Listen, Bo Nix is. He said time and time again it's a bone and bones heal. He has no concern about his recovery. And J. Mac, last time, man, you did this. We talked about quarterback tears.
- [29:54]
Jason McIntyre
Yeah.
- [29:55]
Taron Armstead
And you had Josh Allen and you had Bo Nicks out of the discussion. And it was before the game, before the Broncos beat the Bills.
- [30:02]
Jason McIntyre
Right.
- [30:03]
Taron Armstead
And I've been, I've been wanting to talk to you since then. You've been avoiding me. You've been avoiding me since the playoffs?
- [30:10]
Jason McIntyre
Yeah. No, no, but, but hey, by the way, Josh Allen did not play great in that game. They had five turnovers. They. And they were down double digits in the second half and they still should have won it. I mean, I don't know that Bonix won that game for him. Do you, you think he did? Or did the referee on that catch that was overturned and called an interception? Huh?
- [30:31]
Taron Armstead
Bonick's advanced. He played well. He led his team and secured a ball. He scored timely points. He advanced. And you, you really can't say anything negative about the way that he performed. Bonix is, he's. He's for real man.
- [30:45]
Rachel Nichols
He's serious.
- [30:46]
Jason McIntyre
So what's interesting is the defense is elite and everybody's back except jfm. They add waddle to the offense. So I'm sure you saw this. Tehran 14 wins last year. Their Vegas win totals nine and a half. What's that about? And I believe it's about Bo Nix and the question marks around him. Mantide how the former Notre Dame linebacker, the guy with, you know, the imaginary girlfriend that he's the one who said hey, a lot of questions about Bo Nix. Sorry, sorry about that. But Manti tail, he put the story out there. It was a great take.
- [31:17]
Taron Armstead
Yeah. Yeah. I think it's less about the Broncos and Bo Nicks with his availability, I think it's more so about the competition getting better. The Chargers will be a better football team in their division. Patrick Mahomes is looking like he'll be ready week one. So you gotta think about the Chiefs in that equation. Can the Raiders split a game with the Broncos under Mendoza in his first year? So I think the AFC has gotten better. The Ravens will be better. The Steelers will be there again, a playoff contending team again. So I think it's more so that opposed to the Broncos. But I nine wins. I'm not, I'm not buying it. I see this team as a. As an 1112 win team.
- [32:00]
Jason McIntyre
Okay. You mentioned Mendoza. You know, obviously we got to see what he looks like at camp and in maybe some preseason games. But all things being equal, would you start Kirk Cousins or would you start Mendoza?
- [32:12]
Taron Armstead
Start Mendoza. First day, no. No hesitation.
- [32:15]
Jason McIntyre
Why is that? We.
- [32:18]
Taron Armstead
Kirk Cousins has had a long great career. We know what we have in that player. It's a lot of unknown here with Mendoza. We just picked first overall. So it's not like we're trying to go win the super bowl this year. Let's go ahead and get this train started. Let's see this Mendoza campaign. Let's not even wait around.
- [32:36]
Jason McIntyre
Yeah, I kind of like that take. All right, final question. It's about Justin Herbert. So it's funny. We got the LeBron news 15 minutes before the show. I had a smoking great Justin Herbert take. Essentially, I'm saying, is he Matt Stafford in Detroit? Because remember Matt Stafford in Detroit, huge arm, great quarterback, went number one overall. Herbert didn't go one. And he couldn't win a playoff game, bro. It took him 13 seasons to win a playoff game. All I hear about Herbert, he can't win in the playoffs. He stinks. My guys, can we settle down? He had no tackles last year, right? He's never had a number one receiver. At least Stafford had Megatron in Detroit like Herbert's. Herbert's like, I don't know what he's doing. I love the Mike McDaniel pairing with Herbert. I think this is a big year for him. Where are you on Justin Herbert?
- [33:25]
Taron Armstead
I'm a fan. I'm a huge fan of Justin Herbert. I will not allow the excuses to surround Justin Herbert, though. J. Mac. So he didn't have the tackles during the season. He didn't have a number one receiver during the season. They won a lot of games. Yeah, he played exceptionally well. Same situation in the playoffs. They didn't win. So I won't allow that excuse. The time is now for Justin Herbert. He's an elite talent. The time is now to put the wins behind it in the playoffs. I think Mike McDaniel is that piece to take them from where they are to the next step. He will get them over the hump. Justin Herbert gets his playoffs win this year.
- [34:01]
Jason McIntyre
Okay, so you seem to like Bo Nix a lot. If I said to Ron, you're the gm, forget money, forget everything. You. You taking Herbert or Bo Nix? You gotta think about that.
- [34:15]
Rachel Nichols
What?
- [34:16]
Jason McIntyre
Oh, my gosh. Listen, you're high on. Well, you're a Peyton guy. He's a winner.
- [34:23]
Taron Armstead
I'm a bow. Knicks guy. He's a winner. He went. He just went toe to toe. Josh Allen. He did it.
- [34:28]
Jason McIntyre
Yeah.
- [34:29]
Taron Armstead
And was ready to go on and compete to go to the super bowl. But you know what I mean? Like, he's a winner. I like a guy that you can count on. You know, that's. I'm not saying that I would pick him over Justin Herbert. I just. If you think. If you're talking quarterback talent. You know what I mean? But it's a. It's a thought. We will have to.
- [34:47]
Jason McIntyre
Okay.
- [34:48]
Taron Armstead
Yeah, we will have to talk.
- [34:48]
Jason McIntyre
This. Who you take it Next time it's going to be Brock Purdy or Bo Nix. But you could take a few months to think about or two couple weeks to think about that one. Toront Armstead Great stuff, my man. Enjoy the weekend.
- [34:57]
Taron Armstead
Appreciate you.
- [34:58]
Jason McIntyre
All right, you too, brother. Good stuff from Taron Armstead. Coming up next, reaction from around the sports world in this massive Friday LeBron going to Philly to join forces with Maxi, Embiid and Brown. Oh boy, what a fun day. Back after this. Be sure to catch live editions of the Herd, weekdays at noon Eastern, 9am Pacific on Fox Sports Radio, FS1 and
- [35:29]
Podcast Announcer
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- [39:20]
Jason McIntyre
Let's get right into Rachel Nichols with the news. No, no, no.
- [39:25]
Taron Armstead
Turn on the news.
- [39:27]
Jason McIntyre
This is the Herdline news.
- [39:29]
Rachel Nichols
We're gonna talk about LeBron. I don't know if you expected that. You and I have been reacting for the last hour or so. Jason, I want to show you how the rest of the sports world has been reacting. Some of the best, just initial. Oh, my God. Came from Caitlin Clark. She was in the middle of a press conference when she found this out. Take a listen to what she had to say. No way. I just pitched him for the Pacers. It didn't get to him fast enough. The 76ers. Wow. Selfishly, I wanted the warriors because Steph and Bron Would have been absolutely insane together. But. But they have some serious talent on the 76ers. Arguably maybe one of the favorites in the east. Now with the Knicks and then obviously my Pacers, but wow. I thought he was either going to go Miami or Cleveland, so that's really shocking. But I'll be watching more 76ers games. Caitlin Clark, of course, you may remember, not only is she playing Indiana, but her longtime boyfriend is an assistant coach. So you understand why she was rooting for the Indiana pacers to get LeBron. Never really in the conversation. I want to show you some of the tweets that we have seen. Caitlin Clark, not the only one who wanted LeBron to go to the Warriors. Micah Parsons, he's like, what's up? Why does no one want to play with my man Curry? Meanwhile, Saquon Barkley just wants to play golf.
- [40:51]
Jason McIntyre
Yeah.
- [40:51]
Rachel Nichols
Which is great. And you know, we got Lane Johnson there, the king, and you know, trust the process. So that's all pretty good. Look, it's interesting to see the reaction of his future teammates. Tyrese Maxey, we also had a great video from him. You mentioned it. This is him working out. I think he's excited. Do you think he's excited, Jason? I don't know. You have them as their. The fourth best team in the league. I want to know what matchups you are excited to see.
- [41:19]
Jason McIntyre
Well, first of all, Rachel, can you find the Jaylen Brown and Joel Embiid commentary on this competition? Tyres Max is a young guy. He's geeked.
- [41:28]
Rachel Nichols
He's geeked. And by the way, Jaylen Brown has done a good job of telling us what he thinks. Two or three months. So I'm sure we're going to take.
- [41:35]
Jason McIntyre
I need the LeBron take now, bro. Don't go on the Twitch stream. Don't make us join this Twitch, whatever that is. Next thing you know. J Mac, I need you to join Discord to see what Joel Embiid is. Sorry, my son tried. I ain't doing that. Like, I got too much stuff going on. Just. Just give me the reaction.
- [41:51]
Rachel Nichols
I'm going to tell you, I think that Jaylen Brown and Joellen Bead are very, very happy today. We will see how happy they are six months from now.
- [41:58]
Jason McIntyre
Honeymoon phase, Rachel.
- [41:59]
Rachel Nichols
But. But I wanted. This is a really interesting question because the other person's reaction that we've been waiting for, Adam Silver's reaction, the league office's reaction. Remember what Adam got up there and said last weekend? He said, hey, man, we need to do the Schedule. Well, now the schedule guys are going to be working overtime because no one in the NBA really expected it to be the Sixers. So here's how the schedule works. On opening night, you have the defending champions always play and they get their rings right and then you typically have a matchup with within their conference arrival layup. Who do you think the matchup is going to be for the Knicks on opening night?
- [42:33]
Jason McIntyre
Maybe the new LA Cornets with. With no lamelo ball? I'm not sure it will be Sixers probably opening night. Who do they match up the Sixers with on Christmas Day?
- [42:42]
Podcast Announcer
Is the.
- [42:42]
Rachel Nichols
Exactly.
- [42:43]
Jason McIntyre
Do they go west to the Lakers?
- [42:45]
Rachel Nichols
Like if the, if the, if the Knicks and Sixers play on opening night, do you put Sixers, Celtics to have that Jaylen Brown rumble that you're talking about? Do you have LeBron against his old team? That's always good box office. I'm pretty sure we're going to get the spurs and the Thunder on opening night, so it's going to be interesting. Is there any other matchups you're looking for with this new look Sixers team? Who do you think is going to be a fun game?
- [43:07]
Jason McIntyre
Well, I, I wonder right now how Giannis is feeling. Right. Giannis and Miami according to these goofy prediction markets. Again, don't pay attention to that crap, people. Miami was supposed to be the front runner all week. Giannis was getting his wingman. Now it's like, oh, geez, yeah, J. Mack was right. This heat team without LeBron, they're a 6, 7, 8 seed in the, in the, in the East. And I wonder like, do they boo him in Miami, in Cleveland because he strung them out for three weeks?
- [43:35]
Rachel Nichols
Well, that's an interesting question. And you and I have been talking about this all week. I don't think that's getting enough attention except on this show. And I think it will be a big storyline. Yeah, you've got. By drawing this decision out and again, LeBron's a grown up. He is allowed to take three weeks. It's not like it's been three years, people. He's thought it's felt like three years. It's not like he's not allowed to take the three weeks to make his decision. But to people in Cleveland, to people in Miami, especially in Cleveland, you got to feel like your heart gets a little broken here again, all over again. You were, you were at peace, Jason, with him having left after the title. And now, I don't know, it's going to be interesting to see how he's Received in those cities. A lot of good matchups for the NBA schedule makers.
- [44:14]
Jason McIntyre
So that was the Cupcakes way back in Cleveland. I thought there were some other. Oh, it was.
- [44:18]
Rachel Nichols
The Cupcakes was in Oklahoma City.
- [44:20]
Jason McIntyre
There were some golf clubs where they were. Oh, LeBron just got a golf club membership. He's obviously coming to Cleveland. And the radio hosts were losing their minds. Like, y' all just got toyed with. I'm sorry again.
- [44:31]
Rachel Nichols
Well, look, you and I have been saying this all week. Anyone who told you they knew going into this didn't know. You could automatically ignore everyone who said, a source says he's going to. No, they were keeping this circle super tight. This is what he decided. The fact that you didn't hear this as a rumor for the last three weeks tell you just how tight it was. And, you know, LeBron said in his tweets today, this was a bit of a journey for him, that he had one thought process going into this decision. Another thought process. I'm sure in the middle somewhere there was Cleveland, there was Miami, there were some of these warriors, some of these other teams. So I am excited to see the schedule when it comes out. I think we're going to get a. A lot of good stuff. This is good for the NBA. And by the way, it's good for ratings for the NBA. When LeBron left Cleveland to go to the Lakers, there was a lot of prediction, oh, my God, NBA ratings are going to surge because it's The Lakers. It's LeBron. It actually hurt the NBA in ratings. Lakers already, Drew, you're not getting, like, that much more of a boost because of LeBron. The Lakers already get a great rating when they're on TV and going to the west versus the East. You and I live in California, Jason, but don't forget, 2/3 of this country lives in the eastern time zone. And so to be able to have him back in the east, where he will be on TV all of the time at a time. Everyone is awake. I can tell you right now, ratings are going to go up in the entire league because of this decision. Once again, LeBron James moving the needle. I do want to get back over to the Knicks, though, because we've touched on this in the last hour. Jalen Brunson, look, he took. I don't say he sacrificed $100 million because he's about to get it back, but he did decide to sign early with them when he could have hauled out another year and gotten 100th 13 million more dollars. He's not going to do that again. And he's got an extension in sight. Here's Vince Goodwill talking about it.
- [46:10]
Taron Armstead
Jalen Brunson is going to come get
- [46:12]
Jason McIntyre
all of his money.
- [46:14]
Taron Armstead
Every bit that he won't say sacrifice.
- [46:16]
Jason McIntyre
He signed the year early, right?
- [46:18]
Taron Armstead
He signed a year early. He could have signed for $100 million more by signing later. Every dollar of that, what, 280 or
- [46:27]
Jason McIntyre
300 that he's supposed to get next summer, he's going to get all of that.
- [46:32]
Taron Armstead
How does that affect any of this conversation? That affects what you do with Karl Anthony Towns. Like Carl Anthony Towns wanted an extension
- [46:41]
Jason McIntyre
before the season started.
- [46:43]
Taron Armstead
Did not get it.
- [46:45]
Jason McIntyre
Yeah. These are the things that could rip apart the Knicks. Rip apart might be strong, but Quetcat Brunson, the championship hangover, losing Mitchell Robinson, who apparently Rachel's not not bullish on.
- [46:59]
Rachel Nichols
I don't think it's a hot take to say Joel Embiid is going to end up with a better career than Mitchell Robinson.
- [47:04]
Jason McIntyre
Yeah, no career I. I don't care about. I just think head to head in this series whenever they face off, I have no concern. Embiid's not a concern of mine. Maxi's the guy I'm worried about in that series. Maxi can. He can get hot. Jalen Brown will be interesting. We'll see.
- [47:19]
Rachel Nichols
Well, look, I again you see Karl Anthony Towns there on the screen. The numbers of Karl Anthony Towns throughout the playoffs. I want to read you some 9, 0. The Knicks in the playoffs when Town had at least five assists. 8. No, when Katt had a usage rate above 20% this postseason, he was the key to them winning. Jalen Brunson was the engine. But Karl Anthony Towns was the key to that car. So you have Towns now going into what is his last year contracted to the Knicks this coming season. He has a player on option after that, but I promise you he is not going to pick it up. So now the Knicks have an issue. They have an issue because Carl has to get paid. Is he going to take $100 million discount? I would not expect that to happen. Jalen Brunson, as you heard, has to get paid. I want to show you some video here. This is amazing. This was just a fan on the street in New York. Jalen Brunson is walking down the street. Nobody, everyone's putting their umbrellas over him. Nobody will let a dwell touch that man's head. That is how valued he is in New York City. Not a drop, Jason. Not a drop of rain. You have an effort there Just communally, by the city. Keep an umbrella over that man's head. Do it, do it, do it. This guy's walking with him. He doesn't even know him, Right? So it tells you sort of the problem the Knicks are going to face there. And it's going to be interesting. And they just got another big rival in the East. So I, I, I think this is going to be fascinating to see how it works out. By the way, OG Anunoby has to get paid in two years. Josh Hart has to get paid in two years. One of the things we've been talking about this week on the show is the second apron. It's basically a hard cap. These championship teams are going to fall apart. Not because guys get unhealthy, not because they age out, not because their games are falling apart or the chemistry goes bad. It's because teams forget not being able to keep some of the ancillary pieces. That's always been the case, you know, roll. Guys who finally get their money, they're not going to be able to keep the big pieces together. And New York is going to be a huge test case this year. I think it's fascinating.
- [49:11]
Jason McIntyre
Let's just quickly go through them. You can't find a Brunson out there on the market. Those guys just don't exist.
- [49:16]
Rachel Nichols
He's going to get paid.
- [49:17]
Jason McIntyre
He's getting paid.
- [49:19]
Rachel Nichols
My shorthand. Think of the umbrellas.
- [49:21]
Jason McIntyre
Tough to find a Carl Anthony Towns. I think he gets paid. OG Anunoby. Invaluable. Amazing. Now, he's never been a All Star. I don't think it matters. I think he's the consumer. So then you look at that. You know, Mikhail Bridges. Can you move off him? Can you replicate 80% of. Mikhail Bridges gave up all those pictures. It's tough. Josh Hart, I mean, that guy's invaluable. Hart and Hustle. So I think those are the two guys you'd probably move off. But then you become the Celtics, Right?
- [49:49]
Rachel Nichols
You're giving all the money. Contender.
- [49:51]
Jason McIntyre
Yeah,
- [49:53]
Rachel Nichols
this is tough. Yeah, this is tough.
- [49:55]
Jason McIntyre
How about paying the second apron? Dolan, isn't the steer making billions for you?
- [49:59]
Rachel Nichols
Well, it's more about how it limits you. Do you think? Yeah. What you want to do, you know, it limits you there. All right. Excuse me. Jason. My God. Carry us for a minute while I drink some water.
- [50:12]
Jason McIntyre
That's okay. I can just talk about the Knicks and how you're so wrong about Mitchell Robinson. He is going to dominate, and I mean dominate. Joel Embiid, head to head. No for real, though, I. I do think Mitchell Robinson with the Celtics will be. But are you good?
- [50:26]
Rachel Nichols
I did. I'm good.
- [50:27]
Jason McIntyre
That was my filibuster. Not Lane Kiffin quality, but go ahead.
- [50:31]
Rachel Nichols
That was good. I do want to get to this next story, though, because look at the NFL, look at the guys who were in the super bowl last year. You've got a real tale of two teams here, Jason. The Seahawks. Everyone's talking about them. They could be back in the Super Bowl. Is it going to be them and the Rams? Contender. Contender. They report to camp today. The Patriots also report to camp today. Nobody is talking about them coming back to the Super Bowl. I want to know when the last time you remember a team that was in the super bowl the previous year to have this little coverage, this disrespect, I guess, if you will, if you're in New England about getting back there. Is it the Bengals from a few years ago? Is it the. I don't know, is it the Falcons? Like.
- [51:12]
Jason McIntyre
Well, the Bengal Bengals were. I think they had something with the receivers and burrow. That's a good point. The Patriots essentially were looked at as a lucky team that had had a very fortuitous schedule. They faced Jarrett Stidham in the conference championship game, like, and barely won. They didn't overwhelm the. The Texans defense. Basically, C.J. stroud gave that game away. So, yeah, I don't think there's that much to be excited about if I'm a. If I'm an NFL observer and I'm like, oh, Patriots, they're not a top five team in the league.
- [51:46]
Rachel Nichols
I mean, it's amazing. They were in the super bowl. They got A.J. brown, the biggest free agent on the market, right? Or trade. But you know what I mean, the biggest sort of mover on the market, number two guy in the MVP voting right at quarterback. It's kind of fascinating to see them just sort of discounted like this. I am curious whether New England can shock the world again, which is crazy, if you think about the fact that this is a team that was just in the Super Bowl.
- [52:10]
Jason McIntyre
Yeah, crazy. All right, Rachel with the news. Well, that's the news, and thanks for stopping by. The herd lie news. The staff tells me today is Nick Nurse's 59th birthday. So happy birthday, Nick Nurse. Nice present. Just getting, I don't know, the greatest player in basketball history gifted to your team in the late July window. What a turn of events. LeBron to the Sixers. Everybody's fired up. Coming up next year on the Herd final hours. Probably talk a little LeBron. I don't know.
- [52:43]
Podcast Announcer
Make your game day legendary with MGM Rewards. From unforgettable tailgate and viewing parties to world class dining, thrilling nightlife and entertainment that keeps energy going long after the final whistle, this is where fans come to celebrate. Show off your team spirit, cheer with friends and earn rewards on every experience you love. Because every play is bigger and every moment feels unforgettable in Las Vegas. So what are you waiting for? Make your game day legendary with MGM Rewards. Visit mgmrewards.com for details. Every day, American heroes put it all on the line to protect our freedoms, communities and families. And behind every folded flag and retired uniform is a family that carries the weight of their sacrifice. Folds of Honor steps in with educational scholarships for spouses and children of fallen or disabled military service members and first responders. The mission is life changing and monthly donations make it possible. Become a donor today@foldsofhonor.org to help meet their sacrifice with hope. This episode brought to you by Verizon Business the World cup from FIFA isn't just the biggest ever, it's also the most technologically complex. 104 matches, 16 stadiums, 3 countries. But for Verizon Business, that's another day. With private 5G networks in every stadium, more than 80,000 miles of fiber, end to end security. Verizon business is powering FIFA's World Cup. If Verizon Business can do that, imagine what they can do for your business. Visit verizon.com powering FIFAWorldCup now to learn more.
- [54:19]
Jason McIntyre
150 years ago, they were hunting us down to kill us. And now they're hunting down immigrants to deport them.
- [54:27]
Podcast Announcer
This is First America, the true story of how the United States came to be and how we got to this present moment. Listen to First America on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.
- [54:48]
Rachel Nichols
This is an iHeart podcast. Guaranteed Human.