Hour 1: Bigger Deal: Lakers Win Streak or Knicks Losing Streak?

from 30 for 30 podcasts. Brian Padda, senior defensive lineman for Miami. Gun down. The key to this case, it's Roddy. Boy, it's grand-dad. An hour before he died, he was on the phone arguing with somebody. This might be a hit. You want the truth. They just want a conviction being placed under arrest. We had a killer amongst us. Murder at the U. Listen now. Hello, everyone. Welcome to First Take. Mad Dog Chris Russo is here. Ready for spring? I might add. A little Easter Sunday fit you got on there. Good job, man. Steven A., good morning. How are you? Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. Wait a minute. What's the matter? What? Blazer, does Doggie have one? I'm talking about stepping out. What? Excuse me. I don't appreciate the fact that this is not a tie. There's a dress code. You haven't lived up to it. You're starting off on the wrong foot. But the blazer, I must say, is nice. And the shirt that goes with it, it's very nice. You just messed it up because you didn't have a tie on. Even you're here, a little slick back, Pat Raleigh style. Looking a little nice. If you had the tie, I wouldn't have any complaints. But the blazer is nice. You stepped up. Next time, make sure you wear a tie. Happy Easter to you too, Steven. Happy Easter to you too. He's just a little Peter Rabbit today. That's what he is. All right. And not bouncing around. I don't know. I didn't know the right transition there. Were the Knicks last night because they lost to the Rockets in a game that was really never close. Houston jumped out to an early lead. They led by double digits most of the way. All five of Houston starters scored in double figures. Reed Shepherd added 20 off the bench as well. As for the Knicks, they've now dropped three in a row all by double figures to playoff teams. Concerning, meanwhile in the West, the Lakers beat the Cavaliers last night after Luca Doncic scored 42 points to go with 12 assists. DeAndre Aitton also added 18 and 9. The Lakers led by 27, entering the fourth quarter, took home the W127-113. They, the Lakers, have now won four straight. They've only lost two games since the end of February. Luca Doncic joins an elite group of players to have 600 points and 100 assists in a calendar month. His 600 points are the third most in a calendar month since the NBA-ABA merger in 1976-1977 behind 2019 James Harden and 1987 Michael Jordan. So, Lakers are rolling, Knicks are losing. What is more concerning? The Lakers and what they're doing or the Knicks losing? Stephen, what do you think? Of course it's the New York Knicks and what they're doing. A message to Josh Hart. Do I need to shut the hell up now? Does it make sense what I was saying now? I mean, are you getting it now? You haven't won a game since you clapped back at me. You're on the losing streak since he talked to me. Since he talks back about me. Maybe if y'all prioritize what the hell I was saying and pay attention to the substance and the veracity of my comments instead of protecting your boys, you'd be winning games when you go up against teams that's better than 500 with their record. Do I make sense now? Because I ain't getting personal. I'm talking basketball. And every time you go up against somebody that's relatively respectable, you're wet in the bed. You're like 4-8 or 4-9 against winning teams since the All-Star break, but you're 9-0 against some 500 teams. Well, who the hell you think you're going to be playing? Come playoff time. The New York Knicks are literally a couple of weeks away from the playoffs starting and Josh Hart is on camera talking about we moving in the wrong direction. You know, we got to get our stuff together. We're looking at a team that still doesn't have a definitive identity. We're looking at a team that New York Knicks fans know a talent tip, know it's playoff caliber, but we're questioning their toughness. What's up? What's up? If the playoffs were to begin today, doggy, they'd be going up against the Atlanta Hawks. Have you seen what the Atlanta Hawks have been doing? Playing well. Have you seen what they've been doing since they got rid of Trey Young? Yeah, good boy. Have you seen Josh Johnson? Yeah. Have you seen Dyson? Have you seen, I mean, have you seen these cats playing basketball? They're not an easy out. You went up against the Pistons last year. They had injuries. You're lucked up there. You went against Boston. You caught them napping. That's not going to be the case this time. New York Knicks win the conference finals last year. They're not sneaking up on anybody. And I'm bringing up, yo, you need all hands on deck. Everybody playing their game and they going in the wrong damn direction. One more time, rhetorically, do I need to shut the hell up now? Do you get what I'm saying now? Because the New York Knicks look like a team that's going home in April. They better get this stuff together. I'm not predicting that's going to happen. I still believe against them, against anybody, against other than Detroit. But I'm very worried with what I'm seeing right now. I don't like what I'm seeing. And you're Stevie Ruiz going to come back at Mr. Hart, because I read the same thing, and you're going to be feisty there. I would say the Knicks, too, if you look at the seeds with the Lakers, they're going to get Denver in that first round. Because Denver has two with the Spurs and one with the Thunder. So they have three very hard games and they're tied right now with Houston and who's the other one in there? Minnesota. They all have the same amount of losses, but Denver's got the hardest schedule. So Denver might fall to the six. And they fall to the six. The Lakers who played Denver in the opening land of the playoffs. Because, again, the Nuggets have a very hard, they got the Thunder and the Spurs twice. They might lose all three of those games. So if that's the case, Stevie, Lakers will get Denver. We all know Denver owns the Lakers in the postseason in the last two or three times. They only played three times this year. You only can look at one game where everybody played. Lakers did win an overtime. Two very different teams this year, but okay, sure. You know, that's a tricky series. Lakers Nuggets is a tricky series for Lakers to win. I understand they're better and everything else. It's too tricky. From a Knick perspective, are you that surprised? Houston had lost that terrible game to the Knicks at Madison Square Garden. They blew the big lead. Houston was raring to go. They scored 37 points in the first quarter last night. Knicks were not going to beat Houston. They were competitive Sunday night against Oklahoma City. But this is going to be a tough stretch for the Knicks. At Charlotte, at OKC, and at Houston, after seven kick walks, they were going to lose a couple of these games. They lost all three. They would have preferred to have won a game. But the Knicks are going to be in a situation like we've discussed forever. They're going to be in that top four. And they are capable of going to the NBA final. And I did get out of the first round, despite Stevie's thoughts on the Hawks all of a sudden. But chances are that second round series and conference final will be a war. The Knicks could lose in a second round, or they can eke out two wins and get to a final. They can do other things. I would say probably lose before they get to an NBA final. Right now. Steve? First of all, a couple of things. A couple of things. Don't mention, I respect what I'm seeing from the Charlotte Hornets. Con Connipple has been sensational, obviously. Lamella Ball, Ken Ball. I love the job that Charles Lee is doing as coach of the Charlotte Hornets. No doubt about that. But let's not mention them in the same breath as the Oklahoma City Thunder. Like the Knicks wasn't supposed to win that damn game. You were supposed to win that game. That's number one. Number two, it's one thing to lose to Houston. You give up 37 points in the first quarter. You let them start the game on a 14-to-one run to start the game. You're down 16 points in the first quarter. Talk about showing up ill-prepared to do your job. That would be one of those things. Number three, seven for 21 in the paint in the non-restricted area. You have no post-game. So basically, you're a perimeter shooting team and you're an open court team. But when it comes, if you're sending a message, when you see stuff like that, seven for 21 in the paint in the non-restricted area, what you're saying, doggy, is this. We're going to slow the game down and turn the Knicks into a half-court team. When that happens, how does that bode well for you? Basically, if you're the Boston Celtics, you're the Cleveland Cavaliers, you're the Detroit Pistons, you're the Atlanta Hawks, get back on defense. Make the Knicks a half-court team, which they pretty much are anyway because they ain't running anybody out of the gym. But the point that I'm making is that when you don't score in the low post, you're essentially a perimeter shooting team. And you're a perimeter shooting team. If you can get out on the break, spread the floor and get to your spots and launch from there, you're going to have open shots. But if teams get back on defense, those perimeter shots are going to be contested. So you look at it from that standpoint, what is there to be excited about regarding the New York Knicks? The answer right now is absolutely nothing. Why? It's not because they're not good. It's not because they're not a playoff caliber team. And I may get on Josh Hart a little bit, but I got love for him. I'm so happy that he's a New York Knick and I appreciate all that he's done and all that Jaylen Brunson has done. He's the best of his cap, Miquel Bridges. It's not about the $150 million. He deserves that paper. That's not what I'm saying. They gave up six first round picks for this game. Six first round picks, all right? So the point is, I need more from him. I need more from Carla Anthony Towns. I need more from Josh Hart. I need more from all of them. Collectively, you got to get your act together. Or your asses are going home in April. And let me tell you something. That's not what we planned on doing. I had him going to the finals. We had the Houston Conference Finals last year. We came into the season. Jason Tatum, Damian Lillard, Tyrese Halliburton who took him out of the playoffs the last two years. All of them had torn Achilles. I'm like, by default, the New York Knicks should be fine. Well, this dude, Jason Tatum, has been a miracle, a medical miracle, because he's back 200 days plus sooner than Kevin Durant and others came back from an Achilles tear. And he just dropped 32 the other night without Jalen Brown. I'm looking at Boston. I'm like, aw, damn, we in trouble because everywhere you turn, others are ascending while the Knicks have appeared to have flatlined. Why would I be happy about that? Why would Nick fans be happy about that? That's what I'm talking about. And by the way, if that makes me a part-time Nick fan, so be it. I'll take it from somebody who wasn't even born 24 years before. 24 years before I became a New York Nick fan. I'll take it. Let him talk. The Knicks have six games left on their schedule, and then the playoffs will begin and seating will happen. And Josh Hart is calling this upcoming game against Memphis. At Memphis, a must win. Memphis. Memphis. Memphis is 25 and 50. What are we talking about? A must win. That's a must win, really. Like he fooling somebody. You should win the game the minute you get the minute y'all playing Lance in Memphis because they ain't trying to win games right now. You're supposed to beat them. Exactly. I think they've lost six out of their last seven. They won like two or three in the whole month of March. So a must win. And that was by accident. Absolutely. Exactly. An absolute must win. Sure. They did beat the Bulls the other night, and I watched the whole damn thing, and I have the Bulls that's in over 33 and a half. They killed my bet with Foutropps. Memphis came balling me in the back. Next time you bet on the Bulls, you should call me. For the season! For the season! Okay, got it. Let's go to the NFL now. The Cowboys, they decided to franchise Tag George Pickens after he led the team in receiving yards and touchdowns last year. However, Pickens was looking for more money, more time, as in a long-term deal. They still have time to get that done. So where do things stand? Well, here's Jerry Jones yesterday. There's no issue with me with talking to agents. I need to do a better job of not getting, well, Daddy said I could have it. And him going to Mama and Mama saying, Daddy said I could have it. We've got to get on the same page, and I have something to do with that as well. It always works out. If he worked without an agent, he'd save a lot of money. Do you anticipate going into... If he worked without an agent, he could save a lot of money with me. I'm not really sure what to make of that, but nonetheless, what's your reaction to Jerry Jones' comments in terms of George Pickens, Stephen A.? I'm very disturbed by what Jerry Jones said. I'm going to call him. I'm going to go see him if I can, you know, if he will allow me to, because I'm not comfortable with what words I just heard come out of Jerry Jones' mouth. Look at the reporters behind him. Look at their faces when you brought up Daddy coming to him. Where are you, man? Come on now. I mean, that's a very, very uncomfortable thing. I love me some Jerry Jones. Everybody knows that. Everybody knows that's my guy. I don't like that. I don't like that at all. That's incredibly uncomfortable to say. And I know what he meant in terms of a player talking to him and coming to him and saying, I want X, Y, and Z. And then going back to his agent and then all of a sudden, you know what? It's a different ballgame. That's what he said about Mike Apostle. He had a conversation with Mike Apostle and Mike Apostle said one thing to him. And then after going to his agent, David Mulligetta, he comes back with a different spin on it all. And Jerry Jones was really turned off about it. And to use his words, I don't play that bleep. That's what he said when he came on my radio show. Here's the issue. Daddy, Mommy, Jerry Jones, watch your mouth. Come on, man, you better than that. Watch it because that comes across as very, very wrong. And when you talking about black players, you know how that's going to be perceived. That comes across as very, very wrong, highly insensitive. You don't need to be using that verbiage. That's number one. Number two, listen, at some point in time, Jerry has to pay attention to the fact that David Mulligetta is considered one of the best agents in the business. Let's get that out the way right now. This is not a slouch. This is not some novice. This is not some dude that just came along and he's a hanger on that a player trust and you're ill-equipped to negotiate a deal. David Mulligetta is recognized as one of the best agents in the world. He's that big time. And to talk about and to use daddy, mommy analogies and all of that stuff, it comes across wrong, Jerry. It comes across wrong. And it's highly insensitive. And I'm going to say that. Listen, everybody knows my relationship with Jerry Jones. You know how I feel about him. Hell, I was received an award from Nancy Lieberman's Foundation and Jerry Jones was the surprise presenter to me, doggy. Jerry Jones and I are pretty tired. I got a lot of love for that man. I know what he's done for numerous countless black players. I know what he's done. Okay. And I know that he's, I know he's a good man. But my point is you can't say stuff like that. You can't come across like that because it's bad. You in your 80s, you from the South, you using verbiage like that. You know how folks are going to take it. And just because you're the billionaire owner of the Dallas Cowboys don't mean that you can't receive some heat for the stuff that comes out of your mouth. You can't talk like that. You cannot do that. Having said all of that, you still at the end of the day, if you're not going to negotiate with David Mulligetta, it also prompts another question. If you don't have a problem with agents, why does it appear as if David Mulligetta is the only agent that you're really, really not that interested in talking to? I haven't heard of any other players who've had a problem with their representation, having a conversation with the owner of the Dallas Cowboys. If I'm wrong, they are apologized, but I haven't heard about it. We've heard about it with Michael Parsons. Now we're hearing about it with George Pickens, two dudes represented by the same guy. Jerry Jones has some explaining to do in that regard, but when I talk to him, especially when I see him, that's the conversation that we're going to have. Because I don't like the way he didn't have to do that. He could have came up with a thousand different ways to make his point rather than doing it the way that he did it. It's very, very condescending, very insulting, and I'm telling you right now, black folks listening to that, what's going to ain't going to take Conley to verbiage that Jerry Jones used? It's just a fact. Yeah, I'm on the bigger, Jerry Jones, you know, I try to go one ear and out the other with him anyway, but Steve did an excellent job there with the verbiage. I would not sign Pickens to a long-term contract. That's me. They have CDLAM. You don't need two receivers making $40 million a year. You don't need, Pickens got traded from Pittsburgh. We saw that Detroit game last year where things weren't going great and Pickens was sort of in and out of the game, not mentally sharp, a game of how to win. I am not a huge Pickens fan. He's great when he's focused or airing a go, but I don't think the Cowboys need two receivers making that kind of money. So if it was me, I would go a different direction. Sounds like they want to work out a long-term deal. They franchise Taggums where he's going to make $25 million, $28 million. That's a one-year deal. If it was my team, I'm not paying a second receiver that kind of money. I'm not doing it. The other part that we have to bring up, we have to bring up a couple of things. Number one, the consideration. First of all, let's understand that George Pickens deserves his money, Dougie, based on his performance. Now, you are right that they probably don't need to have two receivers. You know, like you got Jamar Chasingtee Higgins making about $69 million, you know, annually. And in the case of CD-Lam and George Pickens, it would be in the same ballpark in the event that he got that long-term deal. I understand you're a version to that, Dougie. I'm not necessarily saying I disagree. But let's not talk as if George Pickens doesn't deserve the money. It's really because you already have one in receiving CD-Lam making big-time dollars, like $36 million, that you don't want to do that. It's not because of George Pickens' level of production. It's because you already have an all-star or all-world receiver, and you don't want to spend that much money when you can utilize and allocate those assets elsewhere. So let's get that out the way. But the important point to bring up also is this. Dak Prescott is on the record saying he wants George Pickens to resign. You know that's something they have to consider because Dak Prescott is making $60 million a year as the quarterback. He's the franchise quarterback. He's the star of the team. And you want to be in a situation where you maximize his level of productivity and justify the investment you made in him so you're giving him the requisite weapons necessary in order for you to be the high-powered offense that you paid your quarterback to be. But in the end, what it comes down to is this. You're Jerry Jones, all right? You've made some moves since Michael Parsons has been gone. They haven't been bad moves. You could utilize that money elsewhere to get an inordinate amount of assets to buffer Dallas's defense and to be considerably better collectively than they were last season. I get that part. But you still don't need to be talking like that. You really, really don't. And by the way, you know what? You decided that you wanted to franchise tag George Pickens. That was a mistake because in the end, if a cat is looking for a long-term deal, you franchise tagging him keeps you in the headlines for sure. But it's a distraction. And that distraction has religiously and historically come back to plague the Dallas Cowboys. It doesn't work for them on the football field. It has been proven. So if you're not going to sign into a long-term deal, just move them. Don't wait until the last minute. Don't be starving for headlines to the point where you become a distraction to your team and its ultimate productivity. If you're going to move the man, move him because he ain't coming on the field unless you give him a long-term deal. And I don't blame him. In the sport of football, you're George Pickens with all that money on the table, with Jackson Smith and Jigba and what he just signed for, 120 million guaranteed, 40 million a year. You, George Pickens, you cannot step on that field for a one-year 27.3 franchise tag deal. You can't do it. You got to hold out and go someplace else that's going to give you a long-term deal. But that's what's frustrating about the Cowboys. You had an opportunity to get in front of this. Had you just paid him prior to franchise tagging him, then you wouldn't even be in this situation. And then Jackson Smith and Jigba, albeit in playing in the Super Bowls, a little bit of a different story, goes and gets this big deal. And now you've set yourself back to give him more money. This happens year after year with the Cowboys. I don't understand it. He was also the most targeted receiver last year. So you're going to go one year having your anchor of your defense leaving at the last minute to maybe having the one player that was targeted the most on your offense, possibly leaving again. Right. The number one thing about Parsons now, we always spend hours on it. Goes to Green Bay, gets her team collapses. Teres says, you can't pay linebackers $45 million a year. You can't do it because it's too much money for your cap to pay a linebacker. You got to pay a quarterback, don't pay a linebacker. And they paid and as it turns out Cowboys made the right move with Parsons. They got players and he played ten games. If you are the Cowboys, you're going to bring Pickens, you got land making the fortune. You're going to bring Pickens back here. Another wide receiver as Steve said, how did it work out for Cincinnati? They got Higgins to pay him a fortune. They got Burr. And who's the second receiver on Seattle? I must have forgot. Well, Cooper Cup. Who's the second receiver? They're Adams is old. Who's the second receiver for them? You don't need that second unbelievable wide receiver. Well, Adams is the second receiver, but he's old. Puka is different story. You don't need a great receiver. You don't need that second one. You can have a competent second receiver with the great first receiver. And remember, I don't want to hear from Dak. He's getting $60 million. You all one of the reasons why they're in this Saturday capo by making $60 million and maybe not being as good as you should be for that money. If they only give you the one receiver, work around it. Deal with it. I'm sorry. Well, the other part, well, listen, I get what you're coming from, doggy. You're not off kilter. I get that part. You got to utilize the money effectively, particularly when you're the Dallas Cowboys and you're competing in the same division as Howie Roseman and the Philadelphia Eagles, considering how adroit he is as an executive in the National Football League. I got it. But the other thing that we have to point to getting back to Jerry Jones, that quote on the lower third, it always works out. If he worked without an agent, he'd save a lot of money with me. Jerry Jones. Do you realize how damning that quote is? Players have representation. When you're negotiating, the league is negotiating a deal with the players association, collective bargaining negotiations. There are negotiators and lawyers sitting across the table. Players have representation, not just for collective bargaining purposes, but for individual purposes. Jerry Jones is coming out essentially trying to discourage players from having representation when it comes to playing for the Dallas Cowboys. That requires a call from the league office. There's something wrong with that one. I'm sorry. I got to call Jerry Jones out on that too. You can't do that. You can't sit up there and act like a player is supposed to come up to you. And I said this to his face, doggy and Shay. I'm not saying anything behind his back that I said to his face. I told you I got a lot of love for this man, but I'm telling you right now, I said to him, you're 83 years old. What the hell do you think you're doing talking to a 25-year-old about a negotiation? You can't hold that against Michael Parsons at the time that he did last March. You were negotiating deals before he was born. What are you talking about? You can't do that. I'm talking about 40 years before he was born. You were negotiating deals. You're a veteran. You're experienced. And I'll never forget years ago. It's a quick little story that y'all need to know. I'm not going to say the player's name, but it was NBA-collected bargaining negotiations. And somebody, a star player in the league, was so offended by the manner in which former commissioner David Stern of the NBA guy, Rester Sowell, was talking about him. I mean, he was shaking with anger, doggy, shaking with anger because he was so furious. Because he felt so disrespected by David Stern. And I looked at the player in the face and I said, if I challenged you on the basketball court, would you be insulted? He's like, what? I said, you heard me. He said, well, yeah. You ain't on my level. I said, if somebody on the street challenged Michael Jordan, would you be offended? He's like, yeah. I said, that's David Stern at the negotiating table. You're a player. You walked into a negotiation acting like you know what he knows for a collective bargaining negotiation. It ain't the same level, bro. That's who David Stern was compared to a player. That's who Jerry Jones is compared to a player. That's why the player has representation. They're not lawyers. They're not agents. They don't represent themselves like that. They have somebody for that. If it's Jerry Jones to be on a public platform, encouraging players, look, you'd save a lot of money with me if you didn't have an agent. That's not how this is supposed to go. Players, the NFL League office, the Players Association, I'd be very surprised if they didn't make a call to Jerry Jones. You can't be saying stuff like that. You can't do that. You just can't. Honestly, the only player I could think of is Lamar Jackson that doesn't have an agent. And there are, I'm sure there's more, but he's the only player we ever talk about that does not have a representation. All right, coming up here, we got new details. They have emerged about the potential drama between Jalen Hurts and the Eagles coaching staff. Is this something or is it nothing? And then this, this is unbelievable. Braylon Mullins' game winner against Duke. Mad Dog's gonna list off his top five men's tournament daggers. Will it make the list or where will it land? First date rose a long night. Hey, Sainsbury's, we get through so many snacks. Have you got anything to help me save? Well, we're always matching and lowering prices. So hundreds of Sainsbury's fresh fruit, veg and everyday products are price matched to Aldi. And every week with Nectar, you can save money on thousands of the products your family loves. So you can snack away knowing you're saving money. Sainsbury's, good food for all of us. Selected products, Aldi price match not in an eye. Nectar prices require Nectar account. Sainsbury's.co.uk slash Aldi price match and Nectar.com slash prices terms. Hold in one place. Sign up or activate now. Mine 11, where is the emergency? It's the middle of the night in a small town on the Jersey Shore. Someone reports an abandoned car on a bridge. A search gets underway for the missing driver, 19-year-old Sarah Stern. Is it a missing person? Is it a suicide? At this point, nobody knows. Old friendships, buried cash and a sinister plot that was once pitched as a movie plays out in real life. I'm Juju Chang from 2020 and ABC Audio. Listen now to Bridge of Lies wherever you get your podcasts. Welcome back to First Take. Right now on ESPN.com, Jeremy Fowler and Tim McManus did a deep dive into the friction between Jalen Hertz and the Eagles last season and what's at stake now in 2026. The piece highlights Hertz and the Eagles staff early not seeing eye to eye on play calling last season. According to sources, Hertz has pushed back on changes that would diversify the scheme, including when it comes to him going under centermore, something that new offensive coordinator Sean Mannion likes to implement, which puts Hertz now at a crossroads this upcoming season. Some of the growing frustration in 2025 about having to rely too much on Saquon Barkley was directed at Hertz, team sources said, including by AJ Brown, whose longstanding relationship with the quarterback has obviously been tested and we've talked a lot about. Kmart is now here with us and Kmart, how are you? Good, how are you honey? Good. How concerned should Eagles fans be about what is going on right now offensively? Philly is unlike any place I've seen from the standpoint of seems like there's only two seasons in that city. It's we should fire the head coach, get rid of the quarterback. Everything is terrible or everything is so great. We're in the Super Bowl. I can tell you, I talked to a lot of people in the NFL and there are a lot of head coaches and a lot of GMs that wish they'd have the Philly problems. They've been to the Super Bowl twice in the last few years and won one, right? When it comes to Jalen Hertz, you know, the big question that that I've asked over the years, right, is, is Jalen Hertz somebody who holds the offense back? And depending on who you talk to, you get a yes or a no. And this is people outside the building, other teams inside. And I think with Jalen Hertz, you got to understand he's not the traditional pocket passer quarterback. He's not if you're looking for him to be Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, Joe Burrow, that's not what he is. But what he is, however, is somebody who has a clutch gene like none other. He's somebody who's a coach's kid. He's somebody who Jeff Lurie, the owner of the team yesterday in Phoenix where I was, talked to reporters about how he is the biggest Jalen Hertz fan. He loves the way he plays. He loves that guy and the type of leader that he is. So when I, I struggle with this article, not because what's in it isn't accurate or anything. I'm not questioning the reporting, but in Philly where there's a team that has had such success and Jalen has been a Super Bowl MVP. The fact that we've been looking at him and wondering, people are looking at him and wondering, can he be the future quarterback here? To me is just maddening. And I don't, I don't understand. It just seems like the regular issues just get overblown in Philly. Steven A. Jalen Hertz has completed 48% of his downfield passes, which is the lowest of his career. If we really, really want to put it where the goats can get it and bring it home, there are question marks about his throwing accuracy ability, presumably from his wide receiver and to lesser degree from his coach. Because if you got a cat that can fling that football and you're confident in it, why so much the dependency on Saquon Barkley, particularly last year? AJ Brown said it best early in the season. He said, this ain't last year. We won the Super Bowl. Okay, I got that part. But now it's a new year and other teams are better prepared. They waiting for us. They ready for us. What we doing about that? Now it doesn't help that this is going to be Jalen Hertz' fifth offensive coordinator in five years. That certainly doesn't help. And that's an indictment against the Eagles as an organization and how he rose. And I think it's the only thing that you could say about him that's an indictment because I could send him the best executive in the sport. But the bottom line is five offensive coordinators in five years is problematic. Two of them winning Godhead coaching jobs. I get that part. But the point is, there are question marks. And then when you look at Jalen Hertz from this perspective, you can't ignore that either. I'm looking at some of these numbers right here. Forty-eight regular season wins to make on, to touch on Kimberley's point. That ranked second in the NFL to Josh Allen. Six postseason wins since this is all 2020-22 to 2025. That second to Patrick Mahomes. 138 touchdowns accounted for. That ranked second behind Josh Allen with two Super Bowl appearances and a win. So the end results are something that he helps provide. There is no doubt about this. But when you look at some of the elite quarterbacks in the game of football and you look at how they fling that damn football, that is not something that's ever said about Jalen Hertz consistently. He'll show it one game, another game, it might not be there like that. It's problematic for him when your star-wide receiver seems to be very, very frustrated, if not dare I say unhappy. That ain't just about the playcaller. That's about the quarterback because I've never met a receiver in my life that has an all-world quarterback and they ain't happy. You got an all-world quarterback? You happy. You understand? You might not be happy with the coach. You might not be happy with the team, but you certainly don't want to leave your quarterback when that brother is getting you to football and he could throw his behind off. Now you ain't trying to leave that quarterback. Well, number one, I'm still waiting for AJ Brown to have a press conference. He'll have to drop pass, half the pass, half the pass, and a fourth quarter against San Francisco. Fair. And didn't even have a chance to talk to the media and we haven't heard from him since. So AJ Brown is probably the biggest reason why they lost to the 49ers in the playoff game because he drew up three passes on that last drive. If he would have dropped, caught one of them, they would have beaten San Francisco and gotten the division around. Let's be honest, let's say it the way it is and that is accurate. And he has said nothing. He had to do all the state farm commercials he want, but we haven't seen him talk to the media. You know what? I screwed up. I should have caught the ball. He didn't. He dropped three in a row. That's the first thing. Second thing, as Kimberly said, he's been in two Super Bowls. He would have been the MVP of both if they got the call right in the Kansas City game. Yeah. When they called the hold, which they shouldn't have called, they would have kicked the field goal. He would have gotten right down the field, tied it up, and they would have won. And he was the MVP of the second Super Bowl. What does Fedorov the Awan for crying out loud? You got a quarterback here who has been in two Super Bowls. One of them was the MVP and caught one, the other one with a little break with the officiating. He scored 35 points in the game. He lost 38-35. I mean gee, Wiz, why? Because he doesn't get it from under center. So we're annoyed. I mean, he got to be. He's making 30, 40 million a year. You can't trade him anyway. What do you want to have freaking Carson Wentz for your quarterback? I mean, my God, almighty, please. The Eagles people, the coaching staff, whoever is screaming and yelling, take it easy. You got a heck of a player there who's won twice. What else do you want for crying out loud? I'm not absolving Jaylen Hertz of he has to play better. He needs to be better. But when Steven A., when you say he doesn't fling the football around the field, does flinging the football down the field equal Super Bowls? Is that the stat that says, because Josh Allen should have a bunch of Super Bowls, shouldn't he? Like Joe Burrow should have a bunch of Super Bowls, shouldn't he? That to me is not the definitive stat. But yes, Jaylen Hertz has to be better. But what we're asking of him, there has to be synergy across the board from OC, who they keep changing, and quarterback and the offense. I get you. I get you. I'm not disagreeing with you, but your argument still goes out the window the minute you say that he needs to be playing better. And you got an all-world quarterback getting paid the, why receive? I'm sorry, getting paid 32 million. That's complaining. So the point is, is that you're pointing out something. And we can look at Jaylen Hertz and we know how terrific he's been. We know he would have been an MVP two times over had they beaten Kansas City to first go around. But in the end, the bottom line is we do a show on a daily basis. And weekly in the National Football League, when we've had conversations on Jaylen Hertz, there have been too many times where we've sat up there and looked at a guy who's a Super Bowl champion in the Super Bowl MVP and said, he's got to play better. And we pointed to AJ Brown. There's a reason for all of that is all I'm saying. I love him. I think the Philadelphia fans get used to him. He's going nowhere and he shouldn't go anywhere. But there have been times you looked at him and said, damn, he got to throw that football better. He just does. There were multiple quarters last year where the Eagles had negative yards on offense, which I think was a problem. All right, we need to go to golf now because Tiger Woods is stepping away from golf for the foreseeable future. Woods announcement comes days after his SUV rolled over when he was traveling over 84 miles per hour in a 45 mile per hour zone. The 50 year old 15 time major champ was arrested and released on bond hours later. He said he was not drinking, but his eyes were dilated in red according to police and hydrocodone was found in his pocket. Woods released the following statement yesterday on social media. He said, quote, I know and understand the seriousness of the situation I find myself in today. I am stepping away for a period of time to seek treatment and focus on my health. This is necessary in order for me to prioritize my well-being and work toward lasting recovery. I'm committed to taking the time needed to return to a healthier, stronger and more focused place both personally and professionally. I appreciate you understanding and support and ask for privacy for my family, loved ones and myself at this time. All right, this I think was a much needed statement by Tiger Woods, but let's react to it. Go ahead, Stephen. Bump his privacy. Give a damn about his privacy. You know what? We don't care right now. You've been behind the wheel of a vehicle inebriated three times. You know, ain't nobody trying to know all your business. What we want to know is that you ain't going to get behind the wheel of a damn car when you're inebriated. You're lucky you didn't kill somebody. That's what we want to hear. You know, anything else, nothing else is our business. Nothing else is our business. You know, I heard Michael Lee's on sports in the last night doing a great job, by the way, talking about Tiger Woods and, you know, how private he is. Damn that privacy. You know what? I don't give a damn what you worried about. Well, you must have a very highly suspect life that you as a billionaire don't even want to hire a driver. Something wrong. Something wrong with that. You want your privacy. Privacy from what? What's the driver going to do? Because he dropped you off someplace. He'll know where he dropped you off. I mean, damn, what are you trying to hide? The point is a rhetorical question because I don't care. And none of us should care. It's not our business. What is our business is you staying away from being behind the wheel of a vehicle when you're inebriated. And whatever drug it is, if it ain't alcohol, what is it, Vicodin? What is it, Ambien? What is it? You know, Vanix, whatever that Vanix and whatever the hell it is. I mean, he's got anti-anxiety drugs, opioids, you know, sleep aids, all of this stuff they found on him. You know, if not this time in 2021, if not in 2021, 2017, you gave statements then. This is three times, three, that he has been caught by law enforcement behind the wheel of a vehicle, inebriated. Bump your statements. We don't care. What we care to hear from you is that we don't have to worry about you being behind the wheel of a vehicle, inebriated again. That's it. Go ahead and get better. You understand? And live your life and be at peace, man. Ain't nobody wishing any harm upon you. But what you did potentially harm somebody else. You're lucky you didn't kill somebody, if not yourself. But considering what he went through in 2021, where the car tumbled over and down a hill and almost killed them, you would think he would have learned his lesson from that? He did it back behind the wheel yet again. That is the problem. We're not going to feel sympathy for people that get behind the wheel of a ride knowing that you are not your full self. You're not fully cogent and lucid and all of that. No, no, nothing that. Stay the hell away from being behind the wheel of a vehicle. Hire a driver. I think we know you can afford it. Do it. Steve's 100% right. Good job, Steve. You're 100% right. I've been screaming about this for two days. I mean, he's 51 years old and this is the third time here. And he squeezes out the back of the police department and he says, well, I was on the phone trying to change the radio station. I mean, come on, Tiger. What a being an idiot. And I'm going to blame the golf people here too. He's got a lot of Justin Thomas as his best friend. A lot of these golfers, you know, I adore Tiger. I do this, the golf media. How about somebody, his agent? How about somebody in the last 15 years say, Tiger, enough of this nonsense? Okay, instead of genuflecting in front of Tiger because he's an all-time great golfer and you don't want to get on Tiger's bad side, how about somebody in the sport in the last 10 years put a stop to this? Take the keys away. Tiger, because the next funeral is going to be his or somebody else's that we're going to have to go to. He's lucky to be able to kill somebody here. And how about we get somebody in the golfing? I mean, there's a man. He's got a man in the golf buddies. They all love him. You hear all you heard the last few days. Oh, what a sad story. No, it's not a sad story. It's a stupid story that this guy at 50, he's not 20. He's 51 years of age. Come on. This has got to stop. Now, whatever he is, Q, 50, 51, he's old enough to know that you don't go in a car, drive down in Jupiter, Florida and tip it over trying to pass a cleaning vehicle and have to climb out through the window because he doesn't know where he is. And then he tells the world, well, I was on the phone and I was, no, you weren't. You were looking down, Tiger. I mean, come on, man. This is stupid. And we all love you. You're the second greatest golfer of all time. You've met a lot to this sport. We all know that. But how about somebody in the last five years in the golf world, sit there and go into his agent, somebody, Tiger, I'm going to be the bad guy here. Take the keys away. This is enough. As Stephen said, three times happened in three o'clock in the morning in Florida. He got pulled over the side of the road. He had fallen asleep down in Sandy, down in California at nine o'clock in the morning. This was that one in the afternoon, I believe. This one was two o'clock. One in the afternoon. I mean, this is, you know, so I'm glad I will stop there because I can go on here. Stephen hit it right on the head. Take the car keys away and hire somebody to drive you around. It's as simple as that. And remember, he's lucky to be alive because he was in the hills in California. Yes, he was. All the drivers somewhere near there. I go in that area all the time. Let me tell you, he's lucky to be alive. You fall over one of those cliffs. It's a wrap. You know, I mean, he's very, very lucky to be alive. Okay. To be in a position where this latest incident could take place. Here's the other people that I hold accountable, Dougie. Are you ready for this? I am. How about law enforcement? When he rolled over the hill in California, there was no blood test. There was no alcohol test. There was nothing distributed. You understand, he was hospitalized. And then after that, he was able to go on his way and rehab. I mean, is there a suspended license in order? I mean, damn. You know, how is this man? It's three separate times. You understand, this man has been caught behind the wheel of a car. I think if it were me, I'd have my license suspended. I think if it were you, I'd have my license suspended. What's up with law enforcement? Evidently, the world of golf ain't the only ones fawning over Tiger Woods. There's some law enforcement officials that have given him a break. Because he has no business having a license. He has no business having a license and being in his ride. This is the third time. And by the way, it's disturbing that it's spanned now nine years. Because that means you've been doing it. It's not an accident. You've been doing it all along. If you did it in 2017 and you did it again in 2021, what are we supposed to believe? You took a hiatus until 2021? You did it in 2021 and now it's happening again in 2026. What are we supposed to believe? You took a hiatus then? You ain't taking any drugs? You're not taking any of this stuff? You know, you just all of a sudden five years later decided to do it? No. You've been doing it all along. You've been doing it all along, which is why you got caught on three separate occasions spanning nine years. Why does this man have a driver's license? Why? Why? And he was in Jupiter, Florida too, like a sleepy town to be driving 84 miles an hour down the road at 2 p.m. in the afternoon. Could have killed a small child. He's got kids of his own. Thank God they weren't in the car with him. All of it is terrible. He needs to get the help that he's going to get, hopefully, so he's going to step away and seek some treatment. We're going to leave him here. Not encouraging speeding, but speeding happens. That's an entirely different argument than you being behind the wheel in Nebria. He's in no condition. He's in no condition to be behind the wheel of a car. Yet he's getting there anyway because people that know him say he lily values his power. He values his privacy. Bump all of that. Find a different way. Take a cab. How about that? Do something. Put on a mask. Do something. Watch Mission Impossible. Call Tom Cruise and the folks from Mission Impossible. You know how you always have on some different face and he pulls it off with you? You'll find out it was really him all along. Figure out something. Figure out something. Do something. Hide your identity. We got to go. Coming up, where does Braylon Mullen's epic shot to beat Duke rank among the tournament game winners? Bad Dog is here to rank them all. That's on the way next plus the Lakers rolling. Will this season's success impact LeBron's decision about what jersey he'll be wearing next year? Let's tell you next. Welcome back to First Take. Four of the upcoming inductees from the 2026 basketball hall of fame class have been revealed, according to Shamsharaniya. The class will include Amari Stottemeyer, Candace Parker, Alina Deladon, and Doc Rivers. But Amari Stottemeyer is the one that kind of stands out there. Do you think he should be a Hall of Fame? No, I do not. I think all these Hall of Fame's in every single sport, not just basketball. On basketball, it's a collegiate, I forget it's also college. It's a combined thing. It's not that way in football and it's not that way in baseball. It's the Hall of the Very Good. When I think of Hall of Famer, you know, I want to have no doubt about it in my mind. Hey, that's a hope. When you see him in your own eyes, that's a Hall of Famer. And when I, and Stottemeyer is a very good player, nobody's arguing that. Very good. But he's not a, he's not an all-time great. And an all-time great are the ones who should be in Hall of Fame. He's very good. He's not an all-time great. So no, not a Hall of Famer. Stephen A., Stottemeyer, what do you think? I would love to argue with Doggie because I love me some Amari Stottemeyer, who was a sensational player when healthy. But the career doesn't extend long enough. He's never played in an NBA Finals. He stayed a lot of years where he ended up being average only because of his health, because when he was healthy, he was big-time. But having never played in an NBA Finals, having never led a team to a championship, yes, the six-time All-Star, five-time All-NBA player, you know, a bronze medalist, rookie of the year, he's a big-time player, no doubt about it. But the resume doesn't speak to that. I was inclined to say, Doggie, that he was because greats like Steve Nash and Dominique Wilkins and Chris Weber and Alex English and others have been in a Hall of Fame. They made it to the Hall of Fame even though they never played in an NBA Finals. But the longevity worked for them. And the road to prosperity, they're blocked from making it that far. You know, in Dominique's case, the Jordans of the world and others and stuff like that. Alex English, the Boston Celtics, people like that, you get all of that. I would love to give it to Amari Stottemeyer, but I can't make a strong argument that he's a Hall of Famer. I can't. All right. So you guys agree? Very good. All right, go, Steven. Coming up after the break, with how well the Lakers are playing, would it be a mistake for LeBron to leave LA after this season? Fresh hour of Thursday coming your way after this.