The Herd with Colin Cowherd - 02/16/2021 - HOUR 2 - Quarterback Dominoes, Mark Schlereth, LBJ's Second Love

Episode Date: February 16, 2021

In this hour of The Herd with Colin Cowherd, Colin plays a round of "Quarterback Dominoes" in the NFL. FOX Sports NFL analyst and FS1 contributor Mark Schlereth joins The Herd to react to Colin's quarterback predictions. Plus, Colin discusses Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James' second sports love and how much he would have dominated that sport in another life.  Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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Ah, here we go. It is hour two. It is great to have you in, live in Los Angeles. This is The Herd. Wherever you may be in, however, you may be listening or watching. We are on IHeart Radio, Fox Sports Radio, and FS1. I am feeling better. Thanks for all the thoughts and inspirational words.

Feeling pretty good. Joy Taylor is joining me. We're going to play a game of quarterback dominoes here in a second. Joy, how are things? Doing good. I'm glad you're back with us and feeling better. No, it's kind of a chaotic week for you, but. I'm also moving.

Yeah, it is a lot of boxes around the house. It just all, sometimes in life, it all kind of falls apart or kind of feels like there's chaos all in the same week, so I could have picked a better week to move, but that's life and we move on. Thank you, Joy. So there's a lot of stories today that are out. Carson Wentz is going to be moved here.

Philadelphia is trading him. It's official. A lot of top NFL people, Adam Schaefter, has already reported that. That's going to happen very soon. We've already seen the Matt Stafford deal. Now, these deals aren't official until later in March, but they're agreed upon. So you're going to see something happen this week with Carson Wentz. You may see something with Deshawn Watson.

And so I thought this morning we'd play a little bit of quarterback dominoes. I'm just going to roll the dice out and make a few predictions. And I'm going to try to guess. where people land. As of this morning and as of the reports I hear, so here we go. I'm going to say the Panthers acquired Deshaun Watson. Why? Because you can give Houston everything they'd want. A bridge quarterback, a draft pick, three first round picks, and Christian McCaffrey Starpower.

If you lose Deshaun, you need some star power. This is an organization that needs first round picks. And remember, Matt Rule has power in the organization. He's a brand new coach. David Tepper, the owner of that team, he's a roll the dice guy. He is a highly aggressive Steve Balmer-like owner. They would make a move like this. They'd give up multiple picks, Christian McCaffrey.

So I'll go with Panthers acquired Deshaun Watson. Second, I think the Texans then would acquire in the same deal, Teddy Bridgewater. He is a perfect one-year bridge quarterback. You're also going to get the eight pick. I'll talk about that in a second. but Bridgewater was 5 and 0 as a starter. A couple years ago when he subbed. He's not a huge cap hit.

He also has the ability to learn offenses very quickly. So there's been some chaos in Houston. He's a very non-chaotic personality. He's very Alex Smith. He walks in, he learns your playbook in three weeks, and he's respected by other professional athletes. This organization needs a steady hand. Bridgewater is the ultimate steady hand.

The Jets then, I think draft Zach Wilson. I'm a Sam Darnold guy. I think he needs a reboot somewhere else. Get to that in a second. But Darnold is 11 and 22 and three seasons. He regressed. He's only 23 years old. I think he needs a reboot.

But the reality is Joe Douglas did not draft Sam Darnold. GMs generally want their guys. Zach Wilson, according to NFL people I talk to, grades higher than Sam Darnold did out of USC. Jets get Zach Wilson. After that, I think the Colts acquire Sam Darnold. They liked him out of USC. This is becoming a run-first offense, 55-45.

Darnold's still 23. They'll have a year to decide on his fifth-year option. He's a big, strong athletic mobile kid. They were limited with Philip Rivers. They could not move the pocket. Reich has worked with Carson Wentz. He likes athletes at quarterback. Darnold Goals, reboot, and tries to prove his worth with the Colts. The Bears then acquire Carson Wentz. They're more desperate. Their GM and their head coach are on the hot seat. Wence is a strong

arm quarterback. That ball will pierce through that wind. It certainly did in Philadelphia. Also, the Bears have declined to pick up the fifth-year option of Trubisky, so they're obviously moving on. They don't see Nick Foles as the future. And they're a little brother to Aaron Rogers. You've got to have a cannon back there. You're going to go up against Aaron Rogers twice a year. You've got to go for the big

smoke. You got to go get Carson Wentz, who's a big talent. From there, I think the Patriots acquire Marcus Mariotta. Not a big cap hit. Played in the AFC. He knows the conference. He's an experienced kid.

And the reality is, I think after one year with Cam, it makes sense. An athletic quarterback who's a fairly accurate thrower, I believe the offensive line. This is going to be, I think you're going to see a better version of what they were last year on offense. The defense we know is getting better because guys opt back in. But I can see them going and getting Marcus Marietta. The Falcons then draft Justin Fields.

He's from a high school right outside of Atlanta. they're not going to get rid of Matt Ryan for the next two years. But Matt's 35. He's passed his prime. And Fields is sort of the opposite of Matt Ryan. He's a bigger arm, very athletic. There's still a lot of people in Atlanta that kind of missed Michael Vick running around making stuff happen. Justin Fields from Atlanta got a lot of sizzle, probably not ready to start in the NFL.

So perfect. You get Matt Ryan for a year or two to run the ship. After that, I think the Texans draft Tray Lance. Again, he's got a little Deshawn Watson. He can throw the ball fine, but he's a playmaker. He can sit under Teddy Bridgewater, who we mentioned earlier for one year. So you get your quarterback of the future, you get quarterback now Bridgewater, you get Christian McCaffrey, some of that RPO stuff, and you get three or four first-round picks.

I think this is about as solid and strong a case to be made for Houston moving off to Sean Watson. And number nine, I think the Saints re-sign James Winston. I think he's got a higher floor than Taysam Hill. I think we saw the ceiling with Taysam Hill last year throwing the football. Never forget that James led the NFL two years ago with 5,500 passing yards. He's not highly expensive, and they can't afford right now big money at quarterback. And with James, you get him cheap, he can be productive.

and also we always acknowledge every quarterback's better in the second ear of a system. Just because James didn't play a lot doesn't mean he didn't learn a lot. So there's my rundown. Now, there's two quarterbacks I want to mention. Jimmy Garoppolo, I believe, stays in San Francisco. They retain him. We looked it up during the break. He's 24 and 8 as a starting quarterback in the league.

75% winners. Kyle Shanahan's in a division now with Matt Stafford. with Kyler Murray, with Russell Wilson. He's got to have a veteran quarterback who can win games and spin it. I think Garoppolo can, despite some misgivings about his health. I think they retain him, and I think the Cowboys retain Dak Prescott. They just won four of 11 games without him. He was off to a very productive.

He wasn't winning, but a very productive start with Mike McCarthy before he got injured. And I think he works for Dallas right now. It's all about the number. Can they find it at 32 to 33, not 33? 37 or 38, but these are my quarterback dominoes as of this morning. Again, I'm guessing it all starts with Deshawn to the Panthers, but it kind of works for me. And with that, Mark Slarith, two-time Pro Bowl,

or three Super Bowl rings now joining me live. All right, Mark, let's start with this. First of all, my quarterback, that's a lot of quarterback movement. But we are seeing a little trend in the NFL, Mark, where you don't have to just draft and develop a quarterback. We saw Peyton Manning in Denver, Garoppolo, San Francisco, Brady in Tampa. You can acquire one. Let me ask you, given the option, would you rather acquire a talented quarterback or draft and develop?

And remember, when you develop, there's still a 50% chance that they don't work out. How do you view that? I would rather go out and get myself a veteran quarterback if at all possible. You know, and in doing that, if you can build your roster to the point where your roster is really good and then get your quarterback, then find your guy, then you've got an opportunity to while you find your guy, you know, you've already built the roster around that guy, much like what, you know, Tampa Bay was able to do during the years before they went out and got Brady. So, you know, I'm a believer in roster building. I'm a believer in capturing both lines of scrimmage defensively and offensively. And if you look throughout the playoffs, the team that captured a line of scrimmage won all the playoffs.

And I mean, I understand that everybody had a good quarterback going into the playoffs. And I think that's a prerequisite to be a playoff team. But to win in the playoffs, you've got to have a damn good roster to really win. And I think that's one of the things that we often over time, over the time, just kind of throw to the wayside and say, well, it's all about the quarterback. it's all about the quarterback. No, it's not. You've got to have the roster to provide the opportunity for the quarterback to do his thing. You know, it's interesting with Carson Wentz. You've done games now for our network, so you see quarterbacks live. It was rough in the middle of last year. I mean, it was rough for Carson Wentz. Were the issues in your eyes correctable?

Because I think Chicago is in a fairly desperate place and they're going to go out and get him. feel the Colts have a big brother in their division. But I think when you have Aaron Rogers in Green Bay, you got to make something happen or a GM or a coach are going to lose their job. So I think Chicago goes and gets him. Is he correctable? Can you coach your way out of some of this stuff? Well, I don't think there's any question that a guy is correctable. We've seen him in the past play efficiently. What we saw was a guy that got sacked 50 times in 12 games, whose mechanics fell apart because of the pressure. So I look at it as, you know, cause and effect.

There was so much pressure early that his mechanics fell apart. His mechanics were bad, which created, you know, horrible, just horrible throws and some of the decision making that went on with that. So is that correctable? Yeah, I think it's correctable, but a lot of things have to fall in place. The other thing you have to understand about Doug Peterson and his play calling is Doug Peterson does not ever want to run the ball. He wants to throw it all the time.

And I think ultimately, if you put him in a position where he's got more balanced, then it's easier to kind of have that football rehab while you're still playing. So there's a lot of things that I look at with Carson Wins to say, these are all problems. But at the same time, I think they're correctable problems. And we have seen this guy play really well in the past. You've also done Seattle games for the first time in his. career, Russell Wilson in the last six, seven days has actually been outspoken against his

offensive line against the front office. This is not customary for Russell. What do you make of these little shots? Yeah, I was disappointed. I was disappointed because I see a lot of things in Russell Wilson's game that create pressure. I mean, here's a guy that obviously is a supremely gifted, very talented player. but also a guy that extends plays that holds on the ball that that essentially brings a lot of the onus on himself.

So when you start talking about sacks and if you look at his career, it's always, you know, between 40 and 50 sacks, well, some of it is because he's going to hold on the ball and he's going to create plays down the football field, almost school yard type stuff. And when you do that, guess what happens? You extend those plays, you're going to extend the pressure that's put upon you. So some of the sacks, and I would say a large portion of them, and I think this is why the Seattle coaching staff was so upset with him being outspoken, was a lot of those sacks go directly on Russell Wilson.

What people have to understand is when we divvy up the blame for sacks, when we sit in an offensive meeting room, they'll say, hey, man, that was on the left guard, or hey, that was on the right tackle, or, hey, that was on the tight end, or that was on the running back. Most people, I think, would be very surprised where the coaching staff will say, that's on our quarterback. That's on our quarterback. You have to get rid of the football.

And if you extend the play that way, then expect to get hit. And that's the disappointing part to me is, are you really looking at the overall, you know, at the overall body of work? And how many of these things are you bringing upon yourself? Because you want to hold on and make a big play. And you make plenty of big plays. There's no question. But a lot of those sacks or a lot of those hits and pressures are directly attributed to the way you play.

So J.J. Watts, a free agent. He's made a lot of money. He's going to be a first ballot Hall of Famer. Very few players have this opportunity in the NFL where they can kind of pick where they want to go. It's rare. And, you know, JJ has certainly earned that. I saw a story this morning, which I don't really buy.

Cleveland, to me, is not consistent enough. He's already come out of chaos. We're just a year away from massive chaos in Cleveland. That doesn't feel right to me. Maybe I'm wrong. Is there a landing spot? You're at games every weekend. Where does he fit to you?

Well, I think there's several different. from places that JJ Watt fits. Obviously, like you mentioned, here's a guy that's been a defensive player of the year. He's a first ballot hall of fame. The guy's an incredible player. But if you start to look at teams that make sense, the Kansas City Chiefs, the Green Bay Packers, the Baltimore Ravens, those to me are the teams where you put a JJ Watt in there in a rotational system and you get the best out of him and you've got the offense, you've got the building

blocks in place for that guy to, you know, to be able to do his thing. Wow, what a, what an incredible asset. So I would have to say that I have to go, if I'm JJ Watt and I get to handpick, I got to go to a place that instantly gives me a Super Bowl aspirations. And so one of those three teams makes the most sense to me. By the way, when you're, when you go to a new team, you went from Washington to Denver. to Denver. Maybe it's different for offensive linemen because it's such a cohesive unit. So much of that is chemistry and choreography.

But we got all these guys bouncing around all over the place is, you know, Tom Brady, they needed a buy late in the year to kind of get their act together. They had a lot of turbulence. You had seen them. They were kind of an average team. And how long do you feel, I mean, maybe Brady just is a total game changer and you can walk in. and you can figure it out. But all these moves we talk about,

did you feel like when you played in Denver? Did you feel like halfway through the season? I know the playbook. I know it. I don't think I play. Or does it take longer than that? Oh, I think it takes longer to have that seal and to get that work in and to be a cohesive unit,

you know, to play beside a guy, to have that communication that goes on. And just to understand, you know, understand the playbook. like what you're expecting to be called in a certain situation. I think those things, that anticipatory standpoint of playing offensive football, and I think that's even more dramatic with the quarterback. And, you know, one of the things that was interesting in talking to Brady over the course of the year, I did four Tampa games that I found really interesting about Tom Brady was he said,

you know, during my time in New England, when it's cool out, I could always get all the extra practice and I get all those extra reps in. Anything that we screwed up during the course of the day, you know, we would, when the defense was practicing, we'd be out there on the side doing our thing and correcting those things. Because in Tampa, I couldn't do that until late in the season. Because it's so hot that, you know, the guy's hamstrings, they're worried about cramping.

They're doing all this stuff. They're getting their electrolytes in and they're drinking on the, you know, drinking their water and doing all that stuff. Because we couldn't get any extra work in until the heat broke, you know, late in November type of thing. So there was that action. aspect of not getting the extra work in that he had been so used to getting in all those years in New England. So that was another thing that kind of hamstrung them early in the season,

that they were able to kind of overcome late in the season. By the way, that's interesting. You did four Tampa games. What was the last one you did? And did you sense doing that last game, Mark, had you seen a marked improvement from the first week? Because I thought one of the stories of Tampa was the cohesiveness of the O line. Nobody talked about the O line, but they became kind of a dominant unit in the last two and three games. Did you notice in your last Tampa game? What was it who they play? The last one was Detroit. They blew them out in the first half, and then they sat everybody. So, but, but here's what I, here's what I really noticed. I knew from day one that their, that their defense was incredibly talented. The back end was

remarkable. Their two linebackers on the inside are phenomenal. Their ability to shut down the run and let their pass rushers get after you. I knew their defense from week one was incredible. Really what happened was kind of the nonverbal communication and how you fit all these pieces together with Tom Brady. The other part of that that was really interesting is being able to melt together kind of a philosophical approach to Tom Brady and the way he's done everything kind of pre-snap and Bruce Ariens, who's always kind of done everything post-snap for the quarterback. And so you had to really fit those two things together and talking to Bruce Ariens before that last game I called. It was like a week 13, week 14, whatever it was.

Bruce Ariens said that was something that Tom and I really had not so much battle, but really worked together so that we could meld those two kind of thought processes together to give us the best opportunity for him to feel comfortable and also for my offense to work. That's really smart. Pre and post-in-post-out. Good stuff there, Mark Schler. By the way, I don't know if you're moving, but I'd never seen this part of your house before.

It's very stately. Well, you know what? We redid our study. So this used to be all brown, and now it is all white. It's very stately. Yes. Eventually, I'm going to put many leather-bound books in those shelves behind me.

Mark Slareth, Fox Sports Analyst. Good to seeing you, bud. Likewise, my friend. I love hearing that. Isn't that funny? That Brady's more pre-snap. Ariens is more post-snap, and it just took them time and time and time to figure that thing out. And when they did, they were pretty good.

So he did the Detroit game. Remember that game was over in about eight minutes. You know, they got lucky. A lot of this stuff is momentum and confidence. They played Atlanta twice in the end, and that's not a very good defense. And then they played Detroit late, and that wasn't a very good defense. So all of a sudden, your personnel's the same, but you're feeling less pressure. Tom's feeling more confident.

You get some momentum. You get some blowouts. and post by they never lost a football game. So it's just interesting to hear guys who actually sit in those pre-production meetings like Schlerath. Be sure to catch live editions of the herd weekdays at noon Eastern 9 a.m. Pacific on Fox Sports Radio, FS1, and the IHeart Radio app.

Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal but encouraged. It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque. Others say it's unleashing human potential. Either way, the podcast's Superhuman, documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year. Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth.

Listen to Superhuman on the I-Hard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care which I'm saying. Yep, that's me, Cliver Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, the reactions, my journey from basketball to college football, or my career in sports media. Well, somewhere along the way, this platform became bigger than I ever imagined.

And now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifford Show. This is a place for raw, unfiltered conversations with some of your favorite athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. One week, I'll take you behind the scenes of the biggest moments in sports and entertainment, and the next we'll talk about life, mental health, purpose, and even music. The Clifford Show isn't just a podcast. It's a space for honest conversations, stories that don't always get told,

and for people who are chasing something bigger. So, if you've ever supported me or you're just chasing down a dream, this is right where you need to be. Listen to The Clifford show on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok.

Will Ferrell's Big Money Players and IHeart Podcast presents soccer moms. So I'm Leanne. Yeah. This is my best friend, Janet. Hey. And we have been joined at the Hipsons High School. Absolutely. Now a redacted amount of years later, we're still joined at the hip.

Just a little bit bigger hips, wider. This is a podcast we're recording it as we tailgate our youth soccer games in the back of my Honda Odyssey. With all the snacks and drink. Sidebar. Why did you get hard seltzer instead of beer? Oh, they had a bogo. Well, then you got it. Do you want a white collar or something here?

Just hit it. What are y'all doing? Microphones? Are you making a rap album? Oh, I would. Come on. Can you believe. I would buy it.

Cut through the defense like a hot knife through sponge cake. That sounds delicious. Oh, you're lucky. I'm not a drug addict. You're lucky I'm not an alcoholic. You're lucky I'm not a killer. I love this team and I'm really trying to be a figure in their lives that they can rely on. Oh.

Listen to soccer moms on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. What's up, fam? This Isaiah Thomas. And I'm CJ Toledon. in our podcast Point Game is about defining the odds. Like LeBron heading into the playoffs without Luca and Austin Reed. And finding ways to win no matter what. He's the smartest player to ever play the game.

His IQ is at a level that we've never seen before. And he knows without Luca and Austin Reeves, I got to manipulate the game. We get a player's perspective on the challenges of the playoffs. I think Joker's going to be exhausted this series because when they don't have Rudy in the lineup, he has to really guard guys like Nasree. that's the guard, Julius Randall.

And then he has to give us everything he gives us on the night-to-night basis on offense. And when IT's friends stop by, like Quentin Richardson, we dive into some playoff history too. Steve Nass would get that thing. That man, hell get the flying. He run up the court, licking his fingers, why he got the ball. Like, after you go through a training camp with that, Isaiah, you figure it out real quick. Get your ass up and down the court, and you're going to get the ball. So listen to Point Game on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get

your podcasts. Sunday on Fox, the NASCAR Cup series returns to Daytona as Chase Elliott looks to defend his win at the 14-turn road force. All the action starts Sunday at 3 Eastern on Fox and the Fox Sports app. Jersey Mike's app is short for appetizing. Save 25% with your order. If you put in the code, J. Mike's 25. Uh-huh. Jersey Mike's be a sub above. Tomorrow is Wednesday on our show. How long is that, are we going to eat for free? I hope so tomorrow. That's kind of a new thing on the show and I've got to be honest. I like it. Joy Taylor with the news. No, no, no, no, no. Turn on the news. This is the herd line news. Jersey Mike's Day is a good day around the hurt. We get excited. The contract that will never end. I wonder, I wonder how much

time we've spent talking about Zach Prescott's contract. So what did he say? now. Was it an optimistic spin? What's he saying? Well, there's no news out of Dallas, of course. But he is shown that he is still committed to the franchise. Tight-end Blake Jarwin posted a picture with Dak and tagged him with the comments, want to run it back in a few months. And Dak shared the post and said that's the only way I see it. So Dak wants to be back with Dallas. I don't know if that's necessarily news, but in this new NFL free agency period, where we follow every single breadcrum and look into everything that everyone says, this is,

this is news. Dak wants to be there. I don't see Dak not being in Dallas. I don't know what Dallas is going to do without Dak Prescott. Of course, it's always come down to can they get a long-term deal done. Obviously, Dallas did have a long-term deal on the table. It just wasn't as much as Dak wanted. I think that the injury will change some things once they come to the table again.

It's going to cost Dallas $37.7 million to franchise. tag Dak again. He played on the $31.4 million tag last season. So it's not very frugal of Dallas to tag him again. And you know what you're getting with Dak Prescott. So I mean, from Dak's perspective, you have the injury. You understand now the whole perspective. He bet on himself, which I had no problem with him doing.

But, you know, that is a factor and can really affect the money that you're going to make long term. And Dallas is going to be paying almost $40 million for Jack this year if they franchise tag. So hopefully this gets worked out. I just, I can never have anticipated that this contract would go as long as it has, especially for someone like that, that I think everyone really likes and thinks is the franchise quarterback for Dallas. Yeah, I mean, listen, it's, it comes down to, you know, my mom used to always say this. You can't have a milk budget and want champagne. There is a salary cap.

They're paying a lot of people. so you want to get that number at 32-33. You don't want to pay a champagne price. You know what I mean? The key here is they like Dak. They like him. It's just there is a price here. And again, I'm not blaming Dak

because they paid Zeke too early. Tyron Smith, I swear to God, has a 25-year contract. DeMarcus Lawrence is now a bad contract. I would have kept Byron Jones. They let him left. So Dallas has a couple of issues here. One, they have overpaid for good, not exceptional players.

And I can tell you what Dax agents saying. That's not our fault. We're not taking a discount because you've overpaid for pass rushers and wide receivers. That's Dax's best argument. Is my guy, in the four division years, he was healthy, won the division twice, and through five games led the NFL in passing yards. So Dax got a lot of momentum here. Also, last year felt like joy.

the Cowboys had, there was some chaos. I mean, I think that's fair to say with the Mike Nolan. Well, Dak is the opposite of chaos. So you're not just paying for Dak's talent and his leadership, but there's a stability with Dak. He's a very formidable person. So, you know, I can have my... He's the franchise quarterback.

And he's like a grown-up. Like, he always says the right thing. He's always good. He's a little anti-Baker. He always says the right thing at the podium. You know, he quells the storm. So listen, I can say, Dak, I don't want to pay that champagne contract,

but he's got a lot of leverage here. And as you and I know, a lot of times you get paid, not just on talent, you get paid on timing, you get paid on leverage. Dak is anti-chaos, and last year the Cowboys felt like chaos. So I think he's going to end up getting kind of what he wants.

Well, they should have saved some of that champagne budget for the guy that they needed to pay champagne, on E2. So JJ Watt has gotten plenty of interest since being released by the Texans. The Browns are one of those teams. Cleveland will reportedly take a look and discuss going after Watt this off season. And according to Mary Kay Cabot, Watt is considering Cleveland as one of his options because they have what he wants, cap space, and a roster that can contend for a title. The Browns have $21.7 million in cap space entering next season. That's the 10th most in the NFL. I'm with you.

I don't think that this is a likely destination for JJ Watt. I do think that J.J. Watt wants the most amount of teams interested out there. So I think this is, you know, I think the Browns being interested is real. And I think J.J. Watt being interested in the Browns is real as far as let's get as many teams talking about signing me as possible. Like that's beneficial to both parties. I don't think this is where he's going to end up. To your point, we've had one year of Brown's stability. I like everything the Browns are doing.

I believe in Kevin Sopansky. I think he did establish a culture there. I think they're comfortable with the pieces that they have and they're comfortable with Baker and they are going to keep improving. But let's wait and see. I'm in complete wait and see mode for the Browns for a while because we've watched inconsistency

with the Browns for decades. So I don't believe that. I do think that they're on the right path. But they're not in a Super Bowl. They're not in the Super Bowl conversation. I don't care what happened in the playoffs this year. That's not what's actually happening with the Browns. They're improving, they're growing, they're building.

All that's wonderful. But there are certain teams that are in the Super Bowl conversation and have a Super Bowl window. You're growing towards that. J.J. Watt is not going to be the piece that's going to put you over the top there. He could be a piece, but not the piece. So if I'm J.J. Watt, I want to go somewhere

that can definitely win a Super Bowl next year. The Packers being one of those places. I actually think that the Steelers could be realistic. I don't really like Ben Rothera's as the quarterback option there, but maybe he wants to play with his brother. NFL networks, Mike Girardi just tweeted that Titans GM, John Robinson said the team has reached out to JJ Watt. Obviously, Mike Grable was Watts' defensive coordinator in Houston,

so there's a tie there. I actually like that move. That's an interesting option. Well, also, I mean, I think what we would both admit, the Titans had the double whammy last year, no pass rush, and the weakest part of their defense was the back end. So, I mean, they really need to go out and spend money in a pass rush. They can't even afford.

My guess is Tennessee and the draft is going to draft a pass rusher. So if they could get JJ Watt and draft one, it would go a long way to solving both their problems, which is you had all day to throw against the Titans last year. Good stuff. Joy. Oh, you have one more. Go ahead. I have one more, yeah. A team that you have a great affection for, the Jazz,

continued their hot streak last night. 134-123 win over the 76ers. Jordan Clarkson led Utah with a season high 40 points off the bench and made a career high eight three-pointers. This was their eighth straight win in 19 in their last 20 games. They're first in the West with a 23 and 5 record, which is the best start through 28 games in jazz franchise history. They're the only team to rank in top five both offensive and defensive efficiency this season. And they're averaging 16.8 made three-pointers per game, which is first in the NBA. So the jazz are absolutely rolling right now. Yeah, but for the record, Joy, if you recall

they were last year and then was it Bogdanovich got hurt, broke his wrist or broke his arm, and they lost a three-point component. When healthy, just take the Lakers out of it because the LeBron factor. They don't have anybody on this team that matches up with LeBron. If you took the Lakers out of the NBA, I could make the argument. We've always felt they were a little like the Celtics West. They have the most interesting components. Donovan Mitchell can score. They've got the big that can be the rim protector. They got angles and guys on the wings that can shoot. And they've got a coach like Brad Stevens.

They stress defense. They've got a lot of championship stuff here. The question's always been, do they have an elite wing defender to guard a Kauai or to guard a LeBron? That I don't think they have. So I think they're a very good team that probably has a slightly lower ceiling. But I actually watch the jazz more than most teams because I spend some time in Utah. When you watch them, you get why they win.

They do a lot of things well. Good stuff. Joy with the news. Well, that's the news. And thanks for stopping by. The Heard Lye News. You know, it's, it is funny. I was talking to a friend this week, and LeBron James just drives him nuts.

And, you know, when it comes to LeBron James, I just, I'm into the basketball stuff. I know sometimes he's been political. and there was the China kind of debacle, which got all sorts of people in the NBA, the commissioner and owners and GMs in trouble. But LeBron said something offhand, and I can just see how it drives his critics nuts. But what he said he's right about,

and it may be nuts to a lot of people, but he said something this week kind of offhanded. And basketball, basketball's not the only league he would star in. We'll talk about that next. Be sure to catch live editions of the herd weekdays in noon eastern, 9 a.m. Pacific. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal, but encouraged. It's the enhanced games.

Some call it grotesque. Others say it's unleashing human potential. Either way, the podcast's Superhuman documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year. Within probably 10 days, I put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the I-Hard radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care which I'm saying. Yep, that's me, Cliver Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, the reactions, my journey from basketball to college football, or my career in sports media. Well, somewhere along the way,

this platform became bigger than I ever imagined. And now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifford Show. This is a place for raw, unfiltered conversations with some of your favorite athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. One week, I'll take you behind the scenes of the biggest moments in sports and entertainment, and the next we'll talk about life, mental health, purpose, and even music.

The Clifford Show isn't just a podcast, it's a space for honest conversations, stories that don't always get told, and for people who are chasing something bigger. So, if you've ever supported me, or you're just chasing down a dream, this is right where you need to be. Listen to the Clifford show on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok.

Hey, I'm Deanna Maria Riva, actress, mother, lover, and a Gen X woman walking through life one hot flash and hormonal crying jag at a time. You ladies know what I mean. I'll bet you a paramed apostle chin here you do. So let's talk about it. Join me on my new podcast. How hard can it be with Deanna Maria Riva,

where I call on my GenX squads from all. Ohio to Hollywood as we navigate Midlife's most fantastic BS. All of a sudden, I'd had hanginess happening on my own. I was like, what the hell is that? I was married when I had her, so I didn't even consider how empty that nest was going to be.

Mood swings, night sweats, fupas, sex drive. Wait, what sex? Dating at 45. How can it be getting naked at 50 with the new guy? That one's kind of hard. Well, that's lighting. They say we can't polish a turd, but We're sure going to try. So let's get blunt with laughs, tears or tears of laughter,

and dive into it, unfiltered and unbothered and ask, How Hard Can It Be? I cannot believe I'm about to say this out loud in public. Listen to How Hard Can It Be with Diana Maria Riva as part of My Cultura Podcast Network available on the Iheart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. What's up, fam, it's Isaiah Thomas. And I'm CJ Toledano, and our podcast Point Game is about defying the odds.

Like LeBron heading into the playoffs without Luca and our... Austin Reed. And finding ways to win no matter what. He's the smartest player to ever play the game. His IQ is at a level that we've never seen before. And he knows. Without Luca and Austin Reeves, I got to manipulate the game. We get a player's perspective on the challenges of the playoffs.

I think Joker's going to be exhausted this series because when they don't have Rudy in the lineup, he has to really guard guys like Nas Reid. He has to guard Julius Randall. And then he has to give us everything he gives us on the night-to-night basis on offense. And when IT's friends stopped by, like Quentin Richardson, we dive into some playoff history too. Steve Nash will get that thing. That man, hell get the flying. He running up the court, licking his fingers why he got the ball.

Like, you go through a training camp with that, Isaiah. You figure it out real quick. Get your ass up and down the court, and you're going to get the ball. So listen to Point Game on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. So, you know, LeBron's polarizing. It's funny. most polarizing athletes, I understand why they're polarizing. Like Westbrook.

He drives you nuts. He gets after fans. He unravels in the playoffs. Like, I get it. Baker Mayfield can be kind of controversial. Like, I get most controversial athletes. You know, Alan Iverson practice. I don't want to practice.

Well, a lot of old school people don't hear that. Like, I get it. Bobby Knight, we all understand that. I don't really get the LeBron Controverson. He builds schools for kids. He once held a press conference that I'm going to play in Miami. I don't get it. The China stuff, everybody stepped in quicksand with that, those comments.

But he said this, and I just thought this would drive people nuts. There was a lockout in the NBA in 2011, like nine years ago. And LeBron started changing his body for football. He said he loves football. He watches it every Sunday. He's on Twitter. He loves it. And he said, the Seahawks.

had called him about a tryout in 2011. And LeBron came out and told the athletic, I would have made the team. You know, I would have tried out, but I would have made the team. One thing about it, I don't mind working for something. So, you know, Cowboys Seahawks, I would have stayed home, went back home to Cleveland. I would have tried, but I would have made the team.

I know what I'm capable of doing on a football field, especially at that age. Now, LeBron was an all-state receiver in Ohio. Ohio is a good football state. He was like a sophomore. He was all-state as a sophomore. here's some pictures of him. Didn't have the greatest quarterback, but he was, you know, I mean, listen, he was much slender,

more slender now than than now. But, I mean, you can see he's an athlete. And, I mean, Travis Kelsey is right now the best tied in in football. He's 6-5-2-60 and runs a 4-6. LeBron is 6-9, 250, and in 2013 ran a 4-6. And LeBron would probably gain 10 to 12 pounds to be an NFL tied-in. LeBron's always been great about changing his body. The question isn't whether LeBron James would have made the NFL.

The question is how great would he have been? He would have been a much better football player than Michael Jordan was a baseball player. Michael Jordan didn't even look like a baseball player. If you watch Michael Jordan, he was too tall and gangly. He had a massive strike zone. What you want to have is a small little strike zone where a pitcher has to put it in perfect spaces. Michael was long, he had a long swing. he didn't run particularly well.

He was a long strider. Like I always said this, Tim Tebow, you know, you can look at Tim Tebow and say, it could look a little bit like a baseball player. Michael didn't even look like a baseball player to me. He was too long and angular. LeBron James looks like a football player. And here's the thing.

Jimmy Graham played almost no college football. He made five pro bowls. Antonio Gates played no college football. And he's going to make the Hall of Fame. The Colts have a guy named Mo Alley Cox played no high school football No, he played no college football He played one year of high school football

And he's now a good tight end So tight end's a very unique position It's where you take the athlete And you kind of teach him off and how to play. Now occasionally you get a great guy in the draft But we have multiple, multiple examples at tight end where you cannot play a bunch of football in high school and college

And football's not golf, it's not tennis, It's not baseball, it's not even basketball, or soccer. It's not about ours. If you're a great athlete, you can teach a guy how to play tight end. You can teach a guy. If he's got the physical components, you don't

have to teach LeBron how to run and catch. He's got great hand-eye coordination. He's big. He's fast. He's strong. And we're looking at some video here. So the question with LeBron is, of course he would have made the NFL. The question is how great would he have been? I don't think there's any question. He admits that Urban Meyer recruited him.

Urban Meyer at the time may have been at Notre Dame. But I mean, listen, LeBron, just think about this in the red zone. 6-9-2-60 runs a fade. Who in the NFL matches up to that? Nobody. Nobody. He's faster than Gronk. He's bigger and stronger than Travis Kelsey.

He may not be as crazy as George Kittle, but there's a component where there's some George Kittle going on with LeBron James. So, and again, 69, 250, 264, 6. I don't even think it's an argument. I think tight ends one of those positions. You just find an athlete. We got Antonio Gates. Mo Ali Cox, Jimmy Graham. They don't have a lot of football or basketball dudes.

They just kind of figure it out out of play. Get to the wait room. I had some weight. I don't remember if Jimmy Graham was a lousy blocker. I don't think Mo Ali Cox is much of a blocker. I don't know if Antonio Gates, I think, was okay. Better receiver than blocker, though. All right.

So I showed you top of this hour. We play quarterback dominoes, and there's going to be a lot of movement happening right now. We got five quarterbacks that are going to get drafted in the first round. Mack Jones will be the last, but you're going to have five quarterbacks drafted. And we know there's going to be all sorts of movement. Marcus Marriota is going to get options. Sam Darnold's going to move. Deshaun Watson probably moves.

Carson Wentz, according to Adam Schaefter, is going to move here in the next couple of days. Matt Stafford has already moved. Jared Goff has already moved. So I did it earlier. where we played a little bit of quarterback dominoes, and the story today is Deshaun Watson, and Carolina would go all in for him. And I do think that Carolina can give them everything.

They can give Houston a quarterback, a star running back in McCaffrey, they said they would do it, and three first round picks. So it makes sense. So I said, I can see Deshaun going to Carolina where Matt Rule has a hyper-aggressive owner who would okay any big star power move.

Plus, Carolina's a market. they put their arms around Cam. They like their quarterback stars. I think the Texans would then acquire Teddy Bridgewater and Picks and Christian McCaffrey. I think the judges are going to draft Zach Wilson out of BYU. Nothing against Sam Darnold. I like him.

He's only 23, but he's 11 and 22. He regressed badly. And I think the general manager and the coach, they tend to want their own quarterback. I think the Colch are going to go get Sam Darnold. I don't think they're going to pay what Carson Wentz is going to fetch in Chicago. Donald is young.

This is becoming a run-based offense. If you put Sam Donald into this offense, they're about another receiver away. Paris Campbell was hurt last year, but Michael Pittman became a star this year at the end, asked Buffalo's secondary, and Paris Campbell.

So they draft another wide receiver. They're ready to win now. Talk about going from the outhouse to the penthouse. The Jets O line to the Colts O line. Holy God. I think the Bears pay for Carson Wentz being they need him. They got a GM on the hot seat, a coach in the hot seat, and they got Big Brother Green Bay they're always chasing. Carson Wentz is a massive upgrade physical tools over Tribusky or Nick Foles.

I think the Patriots, I can see him sticking with Cam, but I would say they'd probably go out and get a Marcus Mariotta. He's going to have some interest in the market. They don't currently have a quarterback. Cam, I think. He's cheap. They just ran some of the offense. capable of running. He's athletic, which I think as the game changes, Belichick tends to be an evolver and adapter. The game is changing. Mobile quarterbacks matter. I think the Falcons go draft

Justin Fields. It's perfect. He's from just outside Atlanta. He doesn't need to play for two years. Matt Ryan's cap hit would be punitive if they moved him. They won't, but he learns how to play football from a pro bowl guy in Matt Ryan. I think the Texans then draft Tray Lance, who's got a little Deshaun Watson, the playmaker, and have him play behind Teddy Bridgewater for a year. And then you got yourself a star. I think the Saints re-signed James Winston. I think he's got a higher ceiling than Taysam Hill.

Listen, James threw for 5,000 yards. He'd be in his second year with Drew with Sean Payton, and he's not terribly expensive. I think it makes sense. And I think he's got a higher ceiling than Taysam Hill. And then I do think Garoppolo stays with the Niners and Dax. stays with the Cowboys. I'll believe, I just can't see Kyle Shanahan going into a division now. Sean McVeigh, Matt Stafford twice, Russell Wilson twice, Kyleor Murray twice, and I'm going with

a rookie quarterback. I think Garoppolo sticks for another year. The herd. One more herd? The herd streams 24 hours a day, seven days a week within the IHeart radio app. Search Hurd to listen live or on demand whenever you'd like. Another podcast from some SNL late-night comedy guy, not quite. Unhumor me with Robert Smygel and Friends. Me and hilarious guests from Bob Odenkirk to David Letterman help make you funnier. This week, my guest, S&L's Mikey Day and head writer, Streeter Seidel,

help an a cappella band with their between songs banter. Where does your group perform? We do some retirement homes. Those people are starving for banter. Listen to humor me with Robert Smigel and Friends on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal but encouraged. It's the enhanced games.

Some call it grotesque. Others say it's unleashing human potential. Either way, the podcast's Superhuman documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year. Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the I-Hard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

If you're watching the latest season of the Real Housewives of Atlanta, you already know there's a lot to break down. Orsha accusing Kelly of sleeping with a merry man. They holding Kay Michelle back from fighting Drew. Pinky has financial issues. On the podcast, Reality with the King, I, Carlos King, recap the biggest moments from your favorite reality shows, including the Real House Wise franchise. The drama, the alliances, M&T, everybody's talking about. To hear this and more, listen to Reality with the King on the IHard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. The story I've told myself can then shape my behavior, and that can lead me to sabotage the possibility of connection.

This Mental Health Awareness Month, tune into the podcast deeply well with Debbie Brown if you've been searching for a soft place to land while doing the work to become whole. This podcast is for you. To hear more. Listen to deeply well with Debbie Brown from the Black Effect Podcast Network on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. This is an IHeart podcast. Guaranteed human.