The Herd with Colin Cowherd - 03/30/2021 - HOUR 1 - QBs, Jimmy G, Zion

Episode Date: March 30, 2021

Colin discusses the great QBs that have been drafted over the last decadeJimmy Garoppolo is close to his third strike with the NinersZion Williamson is showing why he will be the face of the leagueGuest: Chris Broussard Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is an I-Heart podcast. Guaranteed Human. 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, SNL'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 IHard 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, my basketball and college football journey, or my career in sports media. Well, now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifers Show. This is a place for raw, unfilled conversations with athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. So let's get to it. Listen to the Clifford show on the I Heart Radio app,

Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok's podcast network on TikTok. On the Look Back at it podcast. From 1979, that was a big moment for me. 84's big to me. I'm Sam J. And I'm Alex English.

Each episode, we pick a year, unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it. With our friends, fellow comedians, and favorite authors. Like Mark Lamont Hill on the 80s. 84 was a wild year. I don't think there's a more important year for black people. Listen to look back at it on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Thanks for listening to The Heard podcast. Be sure to catch us live every weekday from 12 to 3 Eastern, 9 to noon Pacific on Fox Sports Radio and FS1. Find your local station for the herd at Fox Sports Radio.com or stream us live every day on the iHeartRadio app by searching Heard. You're listening to Fox Sports Radio. Ah, here we go on a rambunctious Tuesday. Big college basketball games tonight. A couple of them. Live in L.A., it's the herd, wherever you may be, and however you may be listening. IHeart Radio, Fox Sports Radio, and FS1.

It is nice to have you in Greg CoSell. By the way, Pro Day today, Justin Fields, Mac Jones. Greg CoSell is going to break it down in one hour. This is what he does for a living. Joy Taylor is joining us. Joy, how are you? I'm great. This has been a fun sports month.

Oh, it's great. UFC fight. We've got a new superstar UFC. The tournament's been amazing. It's tonight. Gonzaga USC. Potential U.S.C., potential upset city, baby. NFL news.

Michigan, UCLA, NFL news. So I like data. I am, by all accounts, boring. I like data. Okay? I'm not into hunch as much. I like data. So we're going to have five quarterbacks potentially drafted.

If you look at all these mock drafts, five in the first 10 picks. So I went back to 2010 over a decade. I always feel like a decade is a good round number. In a decade, if something keeps happening over and over, it's not a coincidence. So quarterbacks taken in the top 10 since 2010, there have been 23 exactly here. six, six of those picks the teams are truly happy. Now, I like Joe Burrow, but he's already hurt. The six teams that are overjoyed, Cam Newton got you to a Super Bowl and literally made

Carolina fascinating. Andrew Luck behind junk got to an AFC championship. Patrick Mahomes has won a Super Bowl. Josh Allen's damn close and has turned around the fortunes of Buffalo. And I think Justin Herbert just shattered every rookie quarterback record behind the lowest graded offensive line on pro football focus. That's essentially impossible. And then Kyler Murray is the sixth.

I don't want to hear about, other than that, 17 of the 23, you've had injuries, inconsistency, or immaturity have been a problem. That's a baker. So that's the data. So today, Justin Fields, Mac Jones. We've got five guys going to go in the top 10. One is going to hit. Maybe two.

My hunch is Trevor Lawrence, who's a megatown. Who is in that Andrew Luck Cam mega talent. And the other one is Trey Lance, because I think he's going to San Francisco. And I think the Mack Jones stuff's a bluff with the Niners. But let's think about this for a second. So in the last 11 years, six guys, the teams like, boom. Of the six, four are what you would call literally generational megatars. talents.

Quarterbacks didn't even look like Cam. I mean, Cam, put it up again. I could argue six are generational talents, but Andrew Luck was the best quarterback since John Elway. Cam Newton literally carried a bad coaching staff at Auburn to a national title. They fired the coach two years later. Patrick Mahomes is already won in Super Bowl, best player in the league. Josh Allen, Mel Kuiper Adam is his 10th highest graded quarterback since,

Mel Kiper was on television. And then I'm not going to count Herbert or Kyler Murray as generational talents, but they're really gifted. And then the other, so four are all-time talents, which I think Trevor Lawrence, by the way, qualifies as. So that's why I think he hits. And then two of these guys got lucky. Mahomes and Josh Allen went to playoff teams. So the organization already had momentum.

There are no stories, by the way, in the last. 11 years of fourth best head coach in his division and dysfunctional organization lands Zach Wilson and he dominates the league, i.e. the Jets. That story does not exist. There are no success stories in the last 11 years. Unathletic quarterback goes to about to be fired head coach Vic Fangio and crushes. That story does not exist. There are no stories, inconsistent college quarterback goes to losing team and unproven head coach and rolls for 15 years, Carolina and Justin Fields. Those stories do not exist. There is one mega talent, generational talent in this draft, Trevor Lawrence. The only other guy statistically,

data-wise, that's going to work is the guy that goes to San Francisco, which is really a playoff roster with a head coach that works. That one's going to work. So whoever goes there, my guess is it's Trey Lance, that all this Mac Jones stuff is just fluff. It's nonsense. So you start looking around since 2010, 23 quarterbacks top 10, two big pro days today, Justin Fields and Mac Jones. Look at it works. Mostly you have to be a mega talent. I could argue, if you go back to it, the six that have worked, I could argue, are uniquely gifted. I mean, luck was the next Elway. Cam Newton was insane.

Mahomes has the best arm in the last 20 years. Josh Allen, 6'6, huge arm. Oh, by the way, he's the best runner on the football team. Kyler Murray was drafted in baseball. It looks like the closest thing to Russell Wilson in my lifetime. And Justin Herbert literally shattered records, a four-point biology major, took Oregon to a Rose Bowl, was the best player at the Senior Bowl, was the best player in the Rose Bowl. Again, 6-5, huge arm can run and shattered every rookie quarterback record behind the lowest-st-weighted-to-d-d-old line.

I can argue the only six that have really been home runs are bizarrely gifted athletically. That's it. It's injuries, inconsistency, immaturity, overwhelmingly is what happens. So I'll say it again. I'm going to go with two guys. Trevor Lawrence with an offensive coach. I think he fits into that all-time talent. And then I think Trey Lant, whoever goes to the Niners, and I don't have inside information,

but my gut feeling is it's going to be Trey Lance, and he's going to hit, mostly because he's got an offensive-minded coach. He can sit behind Garoppolo for a year, figure it out, then turn and hand it off for a year, like Big Ben, and then by year three, pops. Speaking of San Francisco yesterday, you know, when the Niners moved up to number three obviously Jimmy Garofalo was not in a great mood here was Kyle Shanahan at his first press conference since that move I'm sure Jimmy was a little pissed off from it just like I would be too um but me knowing Jimmy he'll be fired up and come in and he'll work his butt off and

knowing Jimmy it usually the more mad Jimmy gets usually the better he gets I have a rule my rule whether it's a relationship, a job, a city, or a quarterback. I'll deal with two issues. If you go to a third, I'm out, if you're a woman watching the show today, you start dating a guy, he's moody, he doesn't get along with your parents. If that's it, you stay with him. But if he's also unemployed, you break it off. in cities.

I live in Los Angeles. Really expensive. Taxes are crazy. Traffic's really bad. But there's no third strike. The weather's insane. The food's insane. The people are great. The sports are amazing. The mountains, the beach. In New York, expensive, lousy weather, once the pandemic hit and you couldn't do all the cool stuff in New York, a lot of people moved out.

It was a third strike. We've all had a boss who's a little strange. You don't make a lot of money at work. you leave when there's really a ceiling on the job. Jimmy's got a third strike problem. One, his judgment has been at best marginal. Number two is his coach has often lost confidence in him. And number three is dude is brittle.

It's time to move on. In fact, ex-patriot player and teammate at Jimmy Garoppolo, Jermaine Wiggins, tied in for the Patriots. talked about his injuries. They used to look at Jimmy G a little sideways, like he was kind of a little bit missed the glass, where they were like, can't really depend on him. Can't stay on the field.

It's all about the third strike. We've all had a job with a long commute and a strange boss, but you kind of stay with it if the pay is okay, or you feel like I can grow in the company and move over my boss. But if it's a long commute, a strange boss, loss and the pay is lousy, you're looking for new jobs. You're looking for work. And so I kind of look at Garapolone.

I think he has moved into that third strike territory. Listen, outside of your occasional Patrick Mahomes, I mean, even Brady's got strikes. Like he doesn't move particularly well. And he has a kind of a style he likes. But I just think you have to move on if you're San Francisco. You move into third strikes with a city, a relationship, a team, a quarterback, your job, boom. I'll live with two, won't live with three. All right. So Zion Williamson, again last night, this kid is amazing. So he had 39 Friday, 38 Saturday. He had 28 against the Celtics last night,

as he carries him past Boston, a team that could use a star. It's amazing what stars do in this league. But Zion's got a really fascinating question. And as the basketball culture has, exploded in terms of shoe deals and money, will Zion do something that LeBron wasn't willing to do? And I think LeBron looks back today and wishes he would have done it, but he didn't. And I think Zion may make this move that LeBron wasn't willing to do. That's next. Be sure to catch live editions of The Herd weekdays in noon Eastern, 9 a.m. Pacific. on Fox Sports Radio, FS1, and the IHeard Radio app.

What's up, everyone? It's me three-time NFL All-Pro Sean Mariner. And I have a new sports podcast called The Lights Out Podcast with Sean Mariner. This podcast is special to me as I get a chance to talk to some of the best who've ever done it on the field or the track. So whether it's talking to a Super Bowl champion or a NASCAR Cup Series champion, the Lights Out podcast will bring it to you the only way I know how to. I'm giving you the best insight from the best who's ever done it. Listen to Lights Out with Sean Merrim or the IHartRadial app or wherever you get your podcast. 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 IHard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care what you're saying. Yep, that's me, Cliford 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. Do you remember when Diana Ross double-tap Little Kim's boobs at the VMAs? Or when Kanye said that George Bush didn't like black people. I know what you're thinking. What the hell does George Bush got to do with Little Kim?

Well, you can find out on the Look Back at it podcast. I'm Sam Jek. And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick it here, unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it. Including a recent episode with Mark Lamont Hill waxing all about crack in the 80s. To be clear, 84 is big to me not just because of crack. I'm down to talk about crack on day, but just so y'all know. I mean, at this point, Mark, this is the second episode where we've discussed crack.

So I'm starting to see that there's a through line. We also have AIDS on the table right now. Thank you for finishing that sentence. Yes. I don't think there's a more important year for black people. Really? Yeah. For me, it's one of the most important years for black people in American history.

Listen to look back at it on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Welcome to my new podcast, Learn the Hard Way with me, your host, and your favorite therapist, Kear Games. And in recognition of mental health awareness month, I'm bringing over a decade of my own experience in the mental health field and conversations with so many incredible guests. I'm talking Tripp Fontaine, Ryan Clark. Sometimes when we're in the pursuit of the thing, we get so wrapped up in the chase that we don't realize that we are in possession of the thing. And we're still chasing it. And we don't know when we've done enough. Because people scoreboard watch.

Life becomes about wins and losses. Steve Burns, Dustin Ross, because you find it important to be a good person while you hear on Earth. Or are you a good person because you're afraid? Because that's two different intentions, bro. Absolutely. And that's two different levels of trust. I want you to just really be a good person. person. Join me, Keir Gaines, as we have real conversations about healing, growth, fatherhood,

pressure, and purpose on my new podcast, Learn the Hardway. Open your free Our Heart Radio app, search Learn the Hardway, and listen now. If you have 30 free minutes, don't worry about a break and ever again at your home. Get a free security camera if you go to SimplySafecollin.com. You know I love Zion Williams, and I saw a story yesterday on some blogger that NBA ratings when LeBron's been hurt have gone down. And I have theorized that Zion is the next face of the league. There's a lot of great players. Zion's magnetism, his smile, his unique game, his power, his strength.

It's just unique. He doesn't look like anything else in the league. And, you know, it's when Mahomes is scrambling and throwing left-handed doing the angle pass, Patrick just didn't look like anybody else. And we like unique. And Michael Jordan's got the tongue out. Michael Jordan's hanging and switching hands. I mean, Michael was great, but his game was just so unique.

It looked like, frankly, nobody would remember this. Connie Hawkins, who I grew up with, like in the 60s. That's what it looked like to me. So Zion Williamson's on a tear. He had 39 Friday, 38 Saturday, 28. Last night, he beats Boston. And Rick Carlisle over the weekend gave him a very high compliment. He's an unusual force, and obviously a great player.

You know, we'll have to figure something a little better out next time. but he's doing this to everybody. We did have some very good possessions, guarding him, but he was a beast. It presents huge challenges for the defense and for the officials. He is just creating collisions out there. This is a Shaquille O'Neal-type force of nature with a point guard skill set.

It really is. He's creating collisions. My big concern with him coming out of college was injuries and can he increase his free throw percentage because he's going to get 10 free throws a game, at this pace. So there are three stages for NBA stars. The first stage Zion is in. It lasts several years. It's called the Prove It stage. You show off, you play relentlessly, you dunk with force. That was LeBron early in Cleveland chasing people down in meaningless routes and blocking their

shot off the backboard. It's the show off stage. It's the prove it stage. You are showing to your peers, I am great. The second stage is win-ring stage. The narrative starting that you're not really a winning player. You know, you're just like talented. You want some meat in the sandwich. Like you want something beyond like 42 a night and stats and All-Star games. That's the win ring stage. The third stage, and Zion, who knows if he gets to it, is the mogul stage. Michael Jordan went to a horrible Washington franchise. Why? It was good for business. He could be an owner. LeBron went to a bad Laker team. Why? It's great for business. The Sixers were better. The Rockets were better. A lot of good teams wanted.

He went into the mogul stage and LA's been great for business. I don't know if Zion gets to the third stage, so let's talk about the first two. He's in the prove-it stage. And in three or four years, at the end of his first contract, I believe he's going to get tired of just dominating European bigs and dropping 38 with a 68% field goal percentage. He hasn't played 82 games yet. So he's very much early in the prove-it stage. He's going to have a real decision to make and LeBron didn't do it.

The way the collective bargaining agreement works in the NBA, it's built that it wants its stars to stay in the city that drafted them. So your first four years, you're under contract. You can make far more money just staying with your bad team. Anthony Davis signed it. LeBron signed it. Even though LeBron could never get another star, Anthony Davis was invisible. But you stay for the second contract because it's really massive generational wealth.

but Zion's different. Now, by the way, you can become an unrestricted free agent. Your team can match you or you can just demand to get out, which Zion may have to do. But there's two things with Zion that are very interesting as he eventually in about three years moves from the prove it stage, show off stage to the, I want something more, the meat sandwich, the trophy stage. is that number one, he has an injury history. And Zion may view himself and think, listen, man, this ain't going to be a 17-year career.

I'm not doing a LeBron here. I got about nine years to crush it. He's a smart kid. He's probably thought about it and had people tell him about it. He doesn't see himself, perhaps, as a 20-year player. I mean, Anthony Davis just took a five-year contract. Why? Because Anthony Davis is like, I get hurt a lot.

Like, guys that get hurt a lot, they take guaranteed contract. So does Zion, about year five, does he think about the injury? And secondly, he signed a shoe deal bigger than LeBron. Like this dude's going to move merchandise, like a lot of it. He's incredibly likable, really fun. He's got everything. He's big, but not like shack big where little kids can't relate to him. He is athletic, but it's cool athletic.

It's like in your face, dunk, fun. I think he has real decisions to make. And he doesn't feel like a demand to trade guy. That's not his personality. He's incredibly relatable and likable for being so uniquely talented. But I do think the money players are making now in shoe deals. His rookie shoe deal was more than LeBron. And I think to myself, if you look at his injury history, he's got self-awareness,

he knows the torque and the power he plays with, been hurt a lot. This year, like we're all crossing our front. fingers he hasn't been. And then you think about the money he's made. I wonder if he does what LeBron wouldn't do. LeBron stayed, took the money. If you asked LeBron today, did you waste three years of your career in Cleveland? They could never get him a second All-Star.

I think LeBron would have made that move earlier to a Miami. Because remember what did? LeBron played for seven years. I mean, literally it was literally doing like, you know, 42.17 assists, 10 rebounds, and losing to Orlando. and in the end he went to the Olympics. He played with all those Olympians, and LeBron was like, light bulb. It's way easier to play with great players.

Well, Zion is getting to these all-star games. He's got LeBron's story to look at and go, well, LeBron probably should have. I think if you asked LeBron today, he would have gone to a Miami in year five and just demanded a trade or done something, gone out, figured a way out of it. And by the way, Cleveland would have hated him then,

but they hated him the other way. He left so what does it matter? Joy with the news. No, no, no, no, no. Turn on the news. This is the herd line news. Well, Mitchell Chubisky agreed to a one-year deal with the bills to back up Josh Allen next season.

Not going to play a ton, right? No, but it's interesting because he had other options in free agency. According to Ben Volan, the Broncos showed interest in signing him, and a league source said he was surprised that Chubisky chose Buffalo, considering he would have been in contention to start. in Denver. He is a classic example. Works hard. Good kid. You know, we talked about this with Chase, Daniel. We've talked about this with Jacoby Brissette, Tyrod Taylor. You can stay in this league, Joy, for a long time. If you don't get expensive, you're great in the room, you work

your butt off, you put your arms around a guy. This league is dying because nobody really wants to play the backup. So like, Dak Prescott's backup. Is it just a dude that can come in and support Dak and be good in the room? Because you're hoping. Because you never have to play him. Well, you're paying, the money you're paying him. You don't want him to play. So I'm not surprised that Trubisky would have, I would, hey, listen, is it backup? If I had a mobile quarter, if I had Kyler Murray and Trubisky would play for cheap, hell, he's been to playoff games. Well, no, it makes great sense for the bills. But from Trubisky's angle, like, do you want to start in Denver, like have an opportunity to likely start in Denver.

I mean, I think you think Trubisky is better than Drew Locke right now. Oh, yes. So he would probably start in Denver, or do you go and back up Josh Allen, a team that's in contention for the Super Bowl next year? Did he look at that and go, okay, I've already been with a dysfunctional organization. I want to go to a winning organization because Denver's got, they're swimming in some chaos, too. And to your point, if you can.

if you can put yourself in that category of a, we already know Chubesky's a great locker room guy. Like that's the first thing everyone says about him. He's a great locker room guy. So we already know that part. And you can put yourself in that, you know, very, very vital, reliable backup quarterback position. You can have a very long career.

Or do you go to Denver in that division? Get crushed. And then what's your reputation? You're right. You're done. So you go to Buffalo for a year. you're just a great guy in the room. And next year, as we know, Joy,

seven teams will need a quarterback. Or someone's going to get injured during the regular season and you can be traded. I actually think it's kind of a good strategic move. Because sometimes, you know, every opportunity isn't the right opportunity. So I get it. Like guys are competitive and he wants to play,

but he probably looked at that situation like, this isn't really a great situation for me. Yeah, he's already been a chaotic team. By the way, Fangio is probably done after this year. So you'd be taking, if you go to Denver, By the end of your first year, a new coach comes in and he may not like Mr. Bisckey. And you can go to the Buffalo and possibly contribute to a Super Bowl winning team.

There you go. So Washington signed Ryan Fitzpatrick to a one-year deal this offseason, but they could still look to add a quarterback to their room. The team has many areas they want to address in the draft. But reportedly is strongly considering drafting a quarterback this year if one they like is available. Now, they have the 19th pick in the draft. So we are assuming that none of these quarterbacks that we're discussing daily they're going to fall that low. But they do have eight total picks.

So. Okay. You know, the kid that everybody's talking about is that kid out of Stanford who didn't play a ton. But, I mean, that's where you get somebody. Maybe with your second pick. Well, yeah, that's the question. Do you take them in the first round? I don't think so.

No, that's a reach. And Washington needs corners. So if you look where the Washington football team drafts, they're J.C. Horn, there's going to be a lot of, it's interesting. There's a lot of good corners at the end of the first round and some really good offensive linemen. So that's a place where I think Washington right now, once they got Curtis Samuel, I think their needs are like quarterback and corner and they're all good. But your need can't be quarterback.

Like you can't start with need as quarterback and you're picking 19th in the draft and you're not being aggressive in the offseason. I mean, that doesn't make any sense to me. I know. We both agree. Washington is completely confounding to me. It doesn't make any sense. You won the division last year, albeit in a terrible division. It's still not a great division.

It's not, but it's going to be better than it was last year. The Giants have made a lot of moves. Philadelphia is going all in on Jalen Hertz. Dak Prescott is back. It's not going to be the same division it was last year. I don't get it. Maybe they're just waiting until they get closer to the draft. Maybe they're waiting on Sam Darnold for the Jets to finally give in

and, you know, take a third round pick for him. But I just, I don't get how you start with needs quarterback. and you're like, chilling. That just doesn't make any sense to me. Ryan Fitzpatrick is not the answer. He's not an everyday starting quarterback. He's a great guy. We all love him.

He went to Harvard if you don't know that. Top three backup in the league, arguably. Top three or four. So Brooklyn has stacked their roster this year, most recently with the additions of Blake Griffin and Lamarcus Aldridge. And Griffin said he noticed the change in the narrative about his playing ability when he joined the Nets.

It's kind of funny to me because for the last couple of years, all I've heard is how bad I am. And, you know, you sign of this team, everybody was like, that's not fair. Like, you know, so it's just people say whatever they want. Like, people don't, you know, I don't really put a whole lot of value in other people's opinions. You know, that's how I felt when I came here. I just, everybody's, I was hearing how bad I was and then how people care for some reason. It's, it's a funny point.

It is. Like everybody's like, it's unfair you get Blake Griffin. I thought it was terrible. Nobody wanted him. There were trashing Blake Griffin saying he was done, and he couldn't dunk, and it's over. Listen, Dwight Howard, I thought was a shot fighter. Went to the Lakers, and you're like, he got his mind right. He understood what he was.

And a lot of people didn't like that signing either. Blake Griffin can absolutely get you buckets as the fifth or six best player. It's all about, like, you know, it's funny, Andre Drummond goes to the Lakers, and all I heard all weekend is how bad Andre Drummond is. I'm like, he's 27 a two-time All-Star. As the face of your franchise, he'll disappoint you. But as your third or fourth best player, Andre Drummond's a great player. It's a team game.

Yeah, crazy, isn't that? You need pieces. It's a team game. Yes, you want your stars. And I get it with Blake Griffin and the Marcus Aldridge and Andre Drummond. These are big names, right? And Blake Griffin was a superstar. Still is a star.

But, I mean, he was a massive deal, jumping over cars. So when you're comparing that version of Blake Griffin's who what he is now, okay, but he is absolutely going to contribute. And what makes great teams what they are is that they have excellent role players. Like, yes, your stars have to perform. You know that. You saw that with the Clippers last year. But you've got to have role players that contribute, especially in big moments in the playoffs. Like, that's what those guys are there for. And they're definitely going to contribute. But it is funny. It's not fair. Joy with the news.

Well, that's the news. And thanks for stopping by. The Hurd Lie News. Chris Brousard joining us now, brought to you by Mercedes-Benz, the best-or-nothing, Fox Sports NBA guy. So it is interesting about Andre Drummond. And this weekend, Twitter's just crushing him. And I'm like, he's 27. He's like a kid. He plays both ends of the floor.

And by the way, he's a real center. And Anthony Davis doesn't like to play center. So I looked at it and I thought, God, like the Kyle Lowry stuff I didn't buy. But I was like, Andre Drummond? He's like if he's your fourth best player, he's pretty good player. It's a nice addition. There's no question about it. And I think they needed it.

When you look at what Brooklyn added with Blake Griffin and Lamarcus Aldrich, it was essential that the Lakers get a guy like Andre Drummond. What he needs to do for them is rebound. And by rebounding on both sides of the floor, he is a terrific offensive rebounder. He will get them extra possessions, Colin. and you know that's important, especially in the playoffs. He can be big at the rim.

He's not much of a shot blocker, but he's a big body. So when you go in there, you still have to contend with him in the middle of the paint. And then on offense, he can score on putbacks, dump-offs, and he can rim run. That's all you need him to do. You kind of added what you lost from Dwight Howard and a little bit of Javelle McGee leaving you in the offseason. So this was good. Now, there will be matchups where you can't play.

And so there's going to be times, games, and series where he's out there a lot, and then there'll be those where you just can't play. And one could be the Nets. If the Nets go with, say, Lamarcus Aldrich at Center against Drummond, Aldrich now has three-point range. Yeah. And that's where they will try to exploit Drummond. Drummond will be great against Yokic, Rudy Gobert, but other teams will be able to exploit

his inability to cover on the perimeter. Yeah, no, it is interesting. the Blake Griffin, Lamarcus Alleridge. I said yesterday, it's, we kind of like, you know, the NBA has always been a lot of sizzle. So when you're like Russell Westbrook had a big night last night, but he's no longer the guy we talk about. There's Trey Young and there's all these other guys. And we do this with the NBA. Like we kind of like Barry guys. And I look at Lamarcus Alridge and I think to myself, let's see a seven-time All-Star, he can still, I mean, he's 15-point-a-game guy. I thought Lamarcus Aldridge to Brooklyn was a much bigger addition than Blake

Griffin, and I almost felt it guarantees the nets in the finals. That's what I felt like. Your thoughts? It was, I mean, they have so much. When they got Blake, I was like, wow, they didn't really need him, but he'll help. And then they got Aldridge, and it was, wow, they don't really need him, but it'll help. To your point, though, Colin, this is where it really will benefit Brooklyn. Their best offensive lineup is their small ball lineup with Jeff Green at center.

All right. then sometimes they'll play Nick Claxton at center. He's very good. He's good defensively, but he doesn't stretch the floor offensively. The Jeff Green lineup struggles defensively. Now you can put Aldridge at center, and now he can spread the floor for you offensively and still leave the lanes open for Durant, Hardin, Kyrie, and he's a good defender, interior. People don't think of him as a good defender, but he's a solid interior defender.

So now that should answer your problems on that end of the floor when you go small. So he just gives them a whole other look. And I heard you enjoy talking earlier. Look, this is the NBA. All of these guys can play. So role players who can't really create their own stuff, when you put them with two or three stars who draw double and triple teams and so much attention, they all of a sudden look good.

Bruce Brown is balling. All right. Nick Clarkston looks like a hooper. now. I mean, think what Blake and Lamarckis Aldridge will do when they've got Kyrie and Harden drawing all this attention. It's no coincidence why Blake Griffin all of a sudden looks like, wow, he still can play because other guys are drawing all this attention. So I was saying this, when we got in, we were talking about this this morning, what Zion is doing is I absolutely love. And I said, I'm a general manager for the next five years. So age matters, injuries matter.

Who would I build my franchise around? Now, I thought it was a fairly easy list. And so my list was Zion was number one. I think I had Luca was number two. Okay. Now, I did Yokic 3 because I think he does so many things well. I put LeBron 4, although if he's injured one more time, he wouldn't be in my top 10. And then I put Jimmy Butler, who's only 31 at 5.

I think he's a culture changer, both ends of the floor. So let's just talk about this. Zion would be one to me, Luca would be two. Who would be your one and two? Next five years. Luca would be my number one. Luca would be my number one because three is worth more than two.

Luca has become a good three-point shooter. The last two months, he's shooting 42% from three-point range. Once he added that, you can't really stop him because he can get to where he wants to go on the, He can shoot the mid-range. You can get to the rim. He obviously can shoot threes. They're 15 and 6, by the way, in these last two months when he's been hitting these

threes. So, Luca's already also proven it. And you were talking earlier about Zion and the levels you're at, right? Right now, he's in the honeymoon stage where all you, we're just looking for him to prove that individually he's a superstar. I'm not looking at his wins and losses. I get it. Some people like, oh, they're not winning.

I'm not concerned about that. As a young guy, you don't expect a young player to carry a team to wins unless he goes to a team like Magic Johnson did with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar or something like that. Kyrie Irvin didn't win early. LeBron didn't lead the Cavs to the playoffs in his first two years. So nobody should be ripping Zion for not leading the Pelicans to the playoffs yet. But Luca's already proven that, Colin, that he can win.

So he let him to the Mavericks to the playoffs in his second year, again, LeBron didn't even do. And now he's got Dallas buzzing again. We'll see, are they a six seed, seven seed, whatever in the West, but they'll be in a playoff. So I would take Luca, I mean, we're going by age a lot. I still, even though Janus, it's a big question that can he lead a team? At his age, I probably take him over Zion because he does so much.

Zion's got a lot of improvement to do. He's still got to add the mid-range, the three-pointer, the defensively he's got to get better and rebound it. He doesn't rebound as well as he should. But I give you, he's a beast. Don't get me wrong. But at this day, Janus is still a young enough guy where I would take him over Zion, too. Well, we disagree on that. I've, I never bought into the, Janus is the face of the league guy. I never bought into that thing. I do think there's a magnetism aspect to it. And I think Zion's got this magnetism. And I will say, Luca, with Mark Cuban, they're going to be hyper-aggressive to get people. Your Luca argument was very solid. Your Janus argument,

Not so much, but the Luca one was outstanding. All right, Broussard, good seeing you. All right, Chris Broussard. Yeah, I mean, the math equation. Luca gives you three, Zion gives you two. But Zion also ends up at the line a lot. So a lot of those twos become threes. If you could hit 75% clip.

And Lucas not as efficient as Zion, who over the weekend, shot 74% from the field. It's just insane. It's ridiculous. Some of it is, he does remind me a little. lot of Sean Kemp, but with Carl Malone's ability to draw fouls. Like Carl Malone's not this dynamic, but Carl Malone lived at the free throw line, like James Harden.

And when Carl Malone became a great free throw shooter, and it's like, okay, Carl Malone's the second leading score in Link history. I mean, that's just when you look at the people who did it, they're all dynamic. The Skyhook, Jordan, Kobe, LeBron, Carl Malone. What? It's just the ability to get to the line and hit free throws. What's interesting is that was a big problem for LeBron. For a while.

How do you officiate LeBron because he's so big? Yes. So maybe Zion kind of benefited from that. I officiated two years in college. It paid for college. I got $8 to officiate basketball. So I took it seriously because I'm intense. So I really worked at it.

So I would go and officiate like four games a night and make like $32, which, you know, when I went to school was a lot of money. Yeah. So and I became the first or the second best official in the league. putting me in the championships. And the reason I tell you this is a lot of football players at my school played basketball to stay in shape. And it's amazing how often I gave football players the call when they initiated contract. When you officiate, you tend to give aggressive players who lean in, and these football players, these offensive linemen would play. And it was very inartistic and

very clunky, but they would lean in the guys and it was hard to set your feet. And I was constantly offensive linemen would be at the free throw on in my rec games. And I'm like, that's Zion. He just always creates conflict. And if you watch the play, it's hard to get your feet set because he's so quick. And then he jams into you and you're like, yeah, foul. That's Carl Malone. Yeah, but that was a big problem for LeBron. Like, LeBron would not get calls because it's like, he's so much bigger and stronger than everybody. So it's interesting that Zion is getting those calls now. Yeah. By the way, some Sam Darnold rumors. One makes a ton of sense. That's coming up. Be sure to catch live editions of the herd weekdays at noon Eastern 9 a.m. Pacific.

What's up everyone? It's me three-time NFL All-Pro Sean Mirren. And I have a new sports podcast called The Lights Out Podcast with Sean Marryman. This podcast is special to me as I get a chance to talk to some of the best who's ever done it on the field or the track. So whether it's talking to a Super Bowl champion or a NASCAR Cup Series champion, the Lights Out podcast will bring it to you the only way I know how to. I'm giving you the best insight from the best who's ever done it. Listen to Lights Out with Sean Merriman on the IHeart Radio app or wherever you get your

podcast. 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 what you're saying. Yep, that's me, Clifford 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 celebrating. 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. Do you remember when Diana Ross double-tap Little Kim's boobs at the VMAs? Or when Kanye said that George Bush didn't like black people. I know what you're thinking. What the hell does George Bush got to do with Little Kim? Well, you can find out on the Look Back at it podcast. I'm Sam J.

And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick a here, unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it. Including a recent episode with Mark Lamont Hill, waxing all about crack in the 80s. To be clear, 84 is big to me, not just because of crack. I'm down to talk about crack all day, but just so y'all know. I mean, at this point, Mark, this is the second episode where we've discussed crack.

So I'm starting to see that there's a through line. We also have AIDS on the table right now. Thank you for finishing that sentence. Yes. I don't think there's a more important year for black people. Really? Yeah. For me, it's one of the most important years for black people in American history.

Listen to look back at it on the IHeart Radio app, Apple. podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. Welcome to my new podcast, Learn the Hardway with me, your host, and your favorite therapist, Keer Games. And in recognition of Mental Health Awareness Month, I'm bringing over a decade of my own experience in the mental health field and conversations with so many incredible guests. I'm talking, Tripp Fontaine, Ryan Clark. Sometimes when we're in the pursuit of the thing, we get so wrapped up in the chase that we

don't realize that we are in possession of the thing. and we're still chasing it and we don't know when we've done enough because people scoreboard watch. Life becomes about wins and losses. Steve Burns, Dustin Ross, because you find it important to be a good person while you hear on earth?

Are you a good person because you're afraid? Because that's two different intentions, bro. Absolutely. And that's two different levels of trust. I want you to just really be a good person. Join me, Kear Gaines, is we have real conversations about healing, growth, fatherhood, pressure, and purpose

on my new podcast. Learn the hard way. Open your free iHeartRadio app. Search Learn the hard way and listen now. For hot water that never runs out, go tankless with Navian. Navian tankless water heaters. Only heats the water when you need it. That's why it never runs out.

Go to tankless made simple.com. Tankless made simple.com. By the way, we were talking about Zion. Joy and I were at the free throw line. In the last month, he shot the most free throws. So, I mean, he's really doing what Carl Malone, he's Carl Malone with Sean Kemp's burst is what he feels like to me. He doesn't feel like people have said Zion is Charles Barkley.

No, he's not. Charles Barkley was a great perimeter shooter. Charles is one of the top 10 players I've ever seen play. Charles could shoot threes, could shoot twos, could go down low. He's not Charles Barkley. He doesn't dribble like Charles, although he's better than I thought as a ball handler in the NBA. But he's Carl Malone with Sean Kemp's kind of sizzle and explosiveness.

So this is interesting. The Sam Darnold, okay, the slander on him is. outrageous and I'm deeply offended. So there's two, New York Post today has two teams with Sam Darnold they're talking about, Denver and Carolina. So I think Carolina is the team and I talked about it over the weekend on social media. One of the reasons Green Bay doesn't pull the trigger on a lot of big free agents or trades is they don't have an owner. And owners are guys that walk into the room and say, listen, I own the team. It may not make sense. I want it. That's C.D. Lamb to the Cowboys. Jerry's like, yeah, Oklahoma, I watched him. I want him at wide receiver. Jerry makes

that call. Historically, if you look at the teams in the NFL that make big moves and trades, you generally have a decisive billionaire business owner who at times is impatient, staying cronkey, Stan Cronkey of the L.A. Rams, a Jeffrey Lurie, Philadelphia Eagles. You start looking at the teams that make the deals, it's business guys who are decisive and the deals don't make sense all the times. But they walk into a room and go, I want it. Meet Carolina owner David Teper. That's him. Business billionaire, decisive, not real patient. That's not my opinion. He acknowledges that. So he buys the team and within a year, he flushes everybody out. Cam Ron Rivera, the front office. He's a decisive guy. He's a very smart guy. I've heard two or three interviews with him. But the problem is now,

since he bought the team, they're 7 and 9, 5 and 11 and 5 and 11. And worse than that, they're boring. They're the most boring team in their own division. The Saints are fascinating, kind of feel like America's team, post-Katrina. Tampa Bay's winning Super Bowls with Tommy. And Atlanta is a circus. I can't bet Atlanta. Their games are all ridiculous.

Atlanta is the craziest team in the league. I mean, who hasn't lost money betting Atlanta? They blow leads. They come from behind. They're always offensively fun. Carolina's a snooze. So David Tepper owns the most boring team in his own division. If Christian McCaffrey is hurt and you're bouncing around games and Carolina's on,

you move the channel. It's hard to be boring in the NFL. Carolina's boring. How do you get not boring? 23-year-old kid from New York played at USC. He's got big brands. Jets USC, 23-year-old, playmaker, big arm, runs around, makes mistakes. Stakes, gets talked about.

And by the way, I don't think it's a huge risk in your division. Matt Ryan's old, Brady's old, and the Saints don't know what they're doing at quarterback. It's not like you're facing Justin Herbert, Derek Carr, and Patrick Mahomes, who they're all got years left to play. It's kind of an indecisive outside of Brady who probably plays two, maybe three more years. It's kind of an indecisive future at quarterback in the division.

Roll the dice for two years on Sam Darnold. But right now, Carolina's got the decisive, impatient, billionaire business guy who made a lot of money and he made it fast and he makes big boy decisions and Carolina he's had him for several years they're boring I mean they they are not when Christian McCaffrey gets hurt they are a flip of the channel team they're not that they're there and they got Matt rule offensive guy Matt rule's not a boring coach like Matt rule can add sizzle he just doesn't have and Teddy Bridgewater God I love him he's not exactly there's not a lot of sizzle with Teddy Bridgewater. So I think what David Tepper is saying there is, you know, we got to be interesting here.

We're not winning and we're not interesting. That's not good business. You got to be one of the other. I mean, say what you want about John Gruden. Fascinating watch. You turn on the Raiders. You stay on the Raiders game. Raiders are interesting. Even Jamis and Tampa, they were interesting. They were a circus, a talented circus. But you wouldn't turn the game off. They could play with anybody. Carolina's boring. All right. Is it Jersey Mike Sucson? Subs day today or is that tomorrow? That's tomorrow. God, I'm already hungry for it.

Seriously. We've got to move that day up to Tuesday. Greg CoSell, big pro day, Mac Jones. I don't know, the Mac Jones thing. Greg CoSell next. 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, SNL's Mikey Day and head writer Streeter Idle 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 I-Heart 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. On the Look Back at it podcast. From 1979, that was a big moment for me. 84 was big to me.

I'm Sam J. And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick a year, unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it. with our friends, fellow comedians, and favorite authors. Like Mark Lamont Hill on the 80s. 84 was a wild year. It was a wild year.

I don't think there's a more important year for black people. Listen to look back at it on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care what you're saying. Yep, that's me. Clifford Taylor the 4th.

You might have seen the skits, my basketball and college football journey, or my career in sports media. Now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifford Show. This is a place for raw, unfills of conversations with athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. So let's get to it. 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. This is an IHeart podcast, guaranteed human.