The Herd with Colin Cowherd - 04/28/2021 - HOUR 2 - Greg Cosell, TJ Houshmandzadeh

Episode Date: April 28, 2021

Colin discusses his mock draft and what could happen with several quarterbacks as the draft approaches with Greg Cosell. TJ Houshmandzadeh joins the show to share his thoughts on the upcoming NFL Draft. 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. 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 I'm 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. 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 IHeard 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. 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 Hurd. You're listening to Fox Sports Radio. Ah, here we go, hour two on the eve of the NFL draft.

Live in Los Angeles hits the herd wherever you may be and however you may be listening. High Heart Radio, Fox Sports Radio FS1. Greg CoSell is going to join us in a couple of minutes, 40 years plus at NFL films. Joy Taylor is here. The herd brought to you by Jersey Mike Subs, be a sub above. Today is sub-day. We deserve a big meal before the draft. We do.

So my house is getting redone. I feel so bad. Oh, you cannot believe what my, our kitchen, we can't walk near it. So we have tape everywhere. So would you have to eat out every meal? Oh, well, what we did yesterday is went to a grocery store, bought some stuff and ate outside. And no, I mean, this is my life right now. Only my bedroom, no bedroom closet's being redone.

The whole house is being redone. We thought about it two ways. We can go room, room, two-year rebuild. Right. Or it can be hell for three months. And that's what we chose. You got to make choices in life. It's like when you go to the dentist.

You got two major cavities. Just do them both. Oh, no. I'd rather be at the dentist for six hours than come back every other week. Yeah, just do just. I'm going to be sore for three days. It's going to be awful day at the, or I can keep playing it out and playing it out. So I'm one of those.

Just give me, you know, good news, bad news. I'm a bad news. Just give me the bad news. What is the thing I have to deal with? And I'll deal with it. Get it out of the way. My life's better. Yeah, letting stuff linger is not the way to do it.

So if you got the finances, my thing is, we had it. We saved some money. It's like, boom. let's just do it all in three months. You cannot believe what our house looks like. It is a disaster. Our dogs are confused. They don't know where to go.

They're barking all day. Okay. So before we get to Greg Gosell, there's a report this morning. The Patriots and the Panthers have done the groundwork on a trade for number eight. What does that mean? They're going to agree to what they're going to swap. But New England doesn't quite know what Atlanta's doing at number four. So you agree in terms.

Okay, we'll give you two first rounders and a third rounder for this. we'll move up. And so basically New England's laying the groundwork for 845 tomorrow night. They're not going to pull this deal off today because they don't know what teams are doing. I'll give you an example. We'll show you the draft board. I'll pretend I'm Bill Belichick, sitting in my chair in Nantucket or wherever he sits with his dog last year and did the draft. He's controlling the whole operation for New England. So he's sitting there watching the draft. He's already laid the groundwork for Carolina, put the draft board up. Trevor Lawrence goes number one. He knows that. No problem.

Zach Wilson goes two to the Jets. He knows that. No problem. He thinks San Francisco's taking Mac Jones, which is fine because he prefers Tray Lancor Justin Fields. He's got Cam. They've run the, you know, the Cam is a great person for a Tray Lance or a Justin Fields to play behind because they share traits. Mac Jones and Cam do not. Now Belichick's sitting there.

There's no reason to move up for Atlanta because you don't know what they're going to do. So Atlanta takes Kyle Pitts. which is what many think. So I don't need to move up to five because I know Cincinnati's not taking a quarterback. So Belichick's thing is I want to give up the least possible, so I want to be the furthest down. So all of a sudden Cincinnati comes up and they would probably take Jamar Chase, who Joe Burrow played with, reportedly is lobbying for. Okay, so now I sit there and I think to myself, I don't know what the hell Detroit's doing at seven because they're Detroit.

But they've got Goff. Miami's not taking a quarterback. Now, I don't know who Miami's taking. Let's say it's Jalen Waddle, a receiver Alabama. with Will Fuller, Devante Parker. That's a really good, that's a really good Troika of wide receivers. So now you sit there and you think to yourself, okay, this is why Carolina and New England are doing the deal. Belichick doesn't think Detroit's going to go get a quarterback, but they're Detroit.

And Dan Campbell is goofy. So my guess is Detroit, Jared Goff cannot play under pressure, gets Penae Sewell, a once-in-a-lifetime left tackle. Now, this is why they're doing a deal with Carolina, because nine at Denver, you know if there's both Lance and Justin Fields there, it's going to be hard for Denver not to take one of them. So you make the deal with Carolina. You get the quarterback you prefer. Trey Lance or Justin Fields, whoever it is. Denver then may not take a quarterback. My guess is they do.

And also, remember this. Washington, a lot of rumors Washington would move up. It's much harder for Washington to move up into that 4, 5, 6, 7, 7, 8 spot. I mean, now Washington could make a deal with Atlanta, and then that could change it, and maybe Belichick calls Carolina and says, I'm out, let's call Detroit. But I think the 8 spot for New England is the spot you should be paying attention to, because as long as Atlanta goes non-quarterback,

there's no reason to move all the way up to four and have to give up another first-round pick. much easier to go 15 to 8 than 15 to 4. With that, Greg Kosell now joins us live. But I mean, who knows? It's the draft. I mean, we're all guessing. I will say this. We got into this argument yesterday about in the NBA, it's understood there are just four or five-year rebuilds.

And so coaches aren't as consumed with, I've got to win now or I'm getting fired. And in the NBA, if you do get fired as a coach, multiple times, Frank Vogel, you can still get a Laker job. in the NFL, you don't get four-year rebuilds. I mean, Gruden's gotten better every year, and he's already getting heat. He's got to win now. So we got into this argument yesterday.

Mack Jones is a ready-to-play-play-now guy, but as a much lower ceiling than other quarterbacks. In your years of doing this, the lower ceiling can win now guy. Is the history kind to that kind of player, or is it kinder to the huge ceiling not quite ready to play now guy? Well, I think, first of all, I'm not sure I'm super comfortable with those kinds of generalizations, because a year ago, we have said, and I'll put myself in that category, that Justin Herbert was a ready-to-play guy to come in and be great.

Would you have said that? We thought he was, but teams didn't. So, I mean, I think those generalizations, and in a sense, why is Mack Jones ready to play? because the traits that Mack Jones shows are the kinds of traits that seem like they could be good anywhere. In other words, he plays with efficiency. He gets the ball out of his hands. He's an executor of an offense.

And by the way, I watched a number of Steve Sarkesian clinics in the last couple of weeks, and that offense is really well-schemed. So he executed it at a really, really high level. We don't know if Justin Fields was in that offense, would he have executed it at a really high level? We don't know the answer to that. So it's easy to say that Mack Jones is the most ready because of the way in which he played executing a really well-designed and well-schemed offense. We know Trevor Lawrence is talented, but he has a rookie coach and it's not a great roster. Is Trevor Lawrence the kind of kid to you that is talented enough to overcome?

a so-so offensive line, playing with a bunch of young players, a rookie head coach. Like, we know if he had parcels and he was in year six, he'd be good. But, I mean, in your history of watching this, do you see some real struggles for Trevor Lawrence in year one? Well, I think the offensive line becomes the key issue. Because I think Lawrence, Lawrence at his core as a pocket quarterback, can he move and can he run by design and can he scramble? Well, yes. But at his core, he's a pocket quarterback. And I think he's a pocket quarterback that is more of the big armed guy. He's an aggressive throwing mentality. Now, I know that at Clemson, they did a lot of quick screens and a lot of those kinds of throws, wide receiver screens. That's the college game. But at his core, he's the kind of quarterback that drives the ball down the field. There were a number of plays, Colin, in which an intermediate receiver was open, but he saw the one-on-one on the outside and he drove the ball down the field.

Ultimately, that's what he is. So I think pass protection is critical. You need to protect him, keep him secure in the pocket, because he's a quarterback that wants to be aggressive driving it down the field. You know, Kyle Trask is one of the quarterbacks. Many are lobbying to be the sixth quarterback taken. Right. And he's always been kind of a plodder to me.

Not much of... Yeah, and then you watch him in his combine workout, and he's got abs, he's cut up, he's lost weight. So I'm always a little suspicious. just that you get cut up for the draft, but your natural body weight is what it is over time. I also look at his coordinator. Dan Mullen was Dax coordinator. Dan Mullen's a very clever coordinator, and I think to myself, you know, Dan Mullen, you reached a ceiling with Dack fairly early, and Dallas similarly kind of feels there's a ceiling.

When I look at Trask, I'm like, boy, Dan Mullen Factor, his natural body looks, I don't see a great hit there. I mean, do you, what do you think he can do and what he can't do? Your thoughts on him? Well, if you're in the group that likes Kyle Trask, then you know that, number one, he must be protected. He's not going to make plays off script. His arm is probably a little better than average. He does not have a big arm. He has a tendency to throw over his front foot and you lose velocity when you do that.

But he's an accurate passer. He knows where to go with the ball. He's a little bit plotting. Now, I don't know, losing weight's not going to make him a great athlete, and it's not like he lost 20 pounds. But, you know, I think he's another guy that, in a sense, is similar to Mack Jones. He's an efficient executor and ball distributor. You must protect him, and the offensive design must work. The question is, it comes down to percentages, Colin, is how many plays in a game do you believe have to be off script?

because let's say that it's two plays a game. Are you drafting a quarterback or are you evaluating a quarterback based on those two plays in a game? Or are you evaluating a quarterback based on his ability to throw the ball to the right receiver at the right time with the right kind of throw? How do you choose to evaluate a quarterback? Greg, Jimmy Johnson said something that I guess is fairly obvious, but it still means something because Jimmy said it. Jimmy said, listen, if you have a great college coach or program, Ohio State, Alabama, those players are closer to their ceiling. Those coaches, those facilities, those weight training.

But if you get a Josh Allen out of Wyoming, he didn't have an NFL coordinator. They don't have the training table or the facilities. And so, but it's interesting because Tray Lance comes from a program. They can beat Division I programs. They're the Alabama of their division of football. So when you watch Trey Lance's video, you just see. said how good Sarks schemes were. When you watched North Dakota State, our initial thought is, well, you know, second-tier

football, but what kind of schemes was he in? What kind of style was that offense? Well, that was a different offense. He played under center more than any of these top quarterbacks. They played with a fullback quite a bit. So he executed conventional play action, meaning under-center play action, where he turned his back to the defense. Now, not every team in the NFL does a lot of that.

They do it when they call a shot play, meaning when they want to hit a big play, let's say, on first and 10, and they'll put the quarterback under center and go heavy play action. But for the most part, not a lot of teams put the quarterback under center and run play action as a foundation of what they do. That's something he's done a lot of. So it all depends on what your approach is. For instance, Kyle Shanahan does a lot of that. but his offense is different than some other offenses.

So Trey Lance was schooled in a different kind of offense than the Alabama offense. So I understood the Jets moving off Darnold because Zach Wilson now for four years is essentially free. And when you're paying your quarterback $10 million, not $25 or $2, it's just a different ball game. And look at Kansas City. Kansas City restructures Mahomes deal. So the cap hit $7.4 million. Look how much money they were allowed to spend on the offensive line alone this year. It's amazing.

And I don't understand the cap with all that, but that's okay. And by the way, Tampa, Tom restructures his deal, like to $9 million. They re-signed everybody. So clearly the cap matters. So I understood the jet saying Zach Wilson's essentially, we can do anything. We're not paying him anything. But I look at Zach Wilson and I think I see some Sam Darnold. Playmaker, reckless.

can make plays, and sometimes you just wince at what he does. I guess Zach Wilson, they say, has a better arm, but Sam's arm's fine. Right. Could we just be in three years back to the same thing we are in New York with a really hyper-athletic guy who makes too many mistakes? Right or wrong, Colin, I think there's a sense that Kyle Wilson, let's put this way. I think Patrick Mahomes has made the love for Zach Wilson better. because when Patrick Mahomes came out, everything you just said about Zach Wilson was a concern, and it obviously has played out really well for Patrick Mahomes.

Now, you can talk about coaching. You can talk about scheme. Those things are really, really important. And Zach Wilson is actually going to a scheme that's incredibly well-defined because it's going to be the Kyle Shanahan-49er approach. That's a really well-defined scheme where the quarterback knows where he's going to the football. So theoretically, on the iPad, in the meeting room, on the practice field, he knows where he's going with the football. You're channeling those reckless, undisciplined tendencies. That's the goal.

Coaching ideally prevents that. But Patrick Mahomes, I think, has made it easier for people to think that college quarterbacks who are a bit reckless can be reined in. We're going to have the same discussion, by the way, next year about Spencer Rattler from Oklahoma. Yeah, yeah. That's funny you mentioned that because I was thinking of the – you're always a year ahead of all these guys. And I think – you really are. And my takeaway is he and Bo Nicks of Auburn, because I think Bo Nix actually has some natural town. I'm not sure if he's a great NFL player.

But that kid from Oklahoma is a little bit of a Big 12 – now we're seeing this a lot in the Big 12. He looks like Patrick Mahomes in college. He runs around a lot. He's got a big arm and he's not super big. He's probably like Mahomes. So, no, we're going to have the same conversation next year about Rattler. Yeah. All right.

Great seeing you, Greg. Thank you so much. Thanks, Colin. You bet. Be sure to catch live editions of the herd weekdays in 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. Yep, that's me, Cliver Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skisks. hits, 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 a 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 picket 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 you're not just so you y'all know. I mean, at this point, 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 Facebook. 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? 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, 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. Kyle Pitts, four to Atlanta, with absolutely no certainty. I really don't. I think, you know, Atlanta is going to be a fast, I mean, I wouldn't draft a quarterback if I was Atlanta because I think, you know, the often discussed, Matt Ryan's pretty good to me. He's Derek Carr. He's not the problem. He's the solution for Atlanta.

And I think you're just spending so much money on him the next two years. I don't get it. I don't think you look at Atlanta and say they need a quarterback. So, and I do think, Kyle. Pitz. Arthur Smith, a new coach is somebody that's had great success with tight ends. He makes so much sense. I think he's an 80 catch guy as a rookie. He's that kind of productive player. And it's almost like, you know, George Kittle got taken in the fifth round, and he literally changed the 49ers offense. I mean, he literally took over the middle of the field.

Tight ends now are so valuable in this league because the concepts are better. And also, there's something to be said about. You get these athletes. in America that we didn't know what to do with. Like they're 6-6. They run, but they've got great hands. So they're too talented to put on defense because they can catch. But they're not really wide receivers, but they're not great blockers either.

They're too gifted to just jam up on the line. And Kyle Pitts, and Kellyn Winslow was one of those. And then Kyle Pitts is one. Like this kind of athlete, I honestly believe 30 years ago, played baseball. Or maybe, I think what's

happening is for that, it's that, it used to be kind of a tweener athlete. He's too gifted to put on defense. Well, a lot of tight ends used to play basketball. And the bottom line is, now there's a space for these six-six, too light to be like banging, blocking. He's never going to be a great blocker, but almost plays like a wide receiver. And you're seeing one or two of these guys a year come out. I mean, tight ends used to all look the exact same. They blocked and they had, they had, you know, Jason Whitten looked like a tight end. He had good hands. You know, he'd find openings in the zone, and that was fine.

But like you knew, not a game breaker. You could ask him to block. But Kyle Pitts is, I think over the next 10 years, you're going to see like five or six players like this come out where they would have just done something else. Now there's just, not only can they play tight end, but they don't have to block as much. They get 85, 90 catches.

They become the number one weapon. You would never consider, Travis Kelsey is the number one target for Kansas City. If you had a great tight end, he was like your third. You had a back, you had a star. He was made, now I'd receive, Kyle Pitts, oh, he's our number one. He'll be our number one target.

And so, you know, tight ends, I could be wrong on this, but I think the tight end unit is the second least paid to safety in the NFL. Kyle Pitts is going to be one of these guys that I think can change. Travis Kelsey, obviously, did that you just like, oh, no, he's our number one target on our offense. That was never the case, even with great tight ends. with the news. No, no, no, no, no.

Turn on the news. This is the herd line news. Well, Urban Meyer has years and years of coaching experience, but he'll get his first shot at the NFL level this year in Jacksonville. He has admitted he has a lot to learn since he's been hired, but the team owner, Shod Khan, is impressed with how his head coach is preparing. He said, devil's in the details. He has more than made up for lack of NFL experience with intelligence, curiosity, and desire to learn.

these are all attributes you want to have. When it comes to football, he's really zeroed in on all of those. So we said a week ago, when in doubt, just hire smart in any business. When in doubt, hire smart. They'll figure stuff out quickly. Well, intelligent people are very aware that they don't, in fact, know everything. Yeah. The dumber you are, the more you think you know.

Yes. Intelligent people know that they don't know everything. So they're always asking questions. They're always trying to learn more, always trying to evolve and get more information. And this situation, Urban Meyer obviously is aware that he has never coached the NFL level. There's going to be different things in that space. So ask friends that coach in the NFL that you trust that are in the coaching circles, hire people who have worked in the NFL for a long time so they can take care of the little

details of things that you don't know how those things work. There's going to be a bit of a learning curve with everything. But I think the reason why so many people don't have any anxiety about whether Urban is going to translate to the NFL well is because Urban is this way. He is very intelligent and he is going to ask questions. Most college coaches are or guys. You're a great scheme guy, Mike leads Chip Kelly, but you can't recruit. James Franklin, great recruiter, not a great scheme guy. You're either or. Urban and Nick Saban in my life are the only two. Great recruiter, great leader, great staff builder, great scheme guy. So Nick's one of the best defensive minds in the

world counting the NFL. He could be number two to Belichick. And Urban literally at Utah, 20 years ago, was doing RPO's. So, and also, Joy, remember, 15 years ago, I think it would have been harder for Urban to go to the NFL because they felt like two sports. But now, college

in the NFL, like Urban's offenses are all over the NFL now. Yeah, on the fields, they are much closer than they used to be. Off the field, still very different, which I think was, I think some people would say was the issue with Nick Saban. Now, obviously, Nick couldn't get the right quarterback there in Miami, which has been a problem for many coaches in Miami. But dealing

with grown men with mortgages and wives and families and years of experience and millionaires as opposed to dealing with kids who are learning the game and trying to make it are two very different things. Also, for a lot of these guys, rookies and young players, you're still teaching them the game. But for a lot of these guys, they know football. Like, they know how to play football. They still want to be coach, but it's more tweaking. It's more, you know, how do I get my body better? or how do we work this into the system? You're not teaching them how to play football, how to be a man. So there's just a different dynamic when it comes to how you communicate with players,

I think, in the NFL and college. But again, Urban is very well respected, and I'm sure it's going to be, you know, smooth. So Kyler Murray is the centerpiece of the Cardinals organization as their franchise quarterback. And if he was asked, if he thinks that he should give a voice in what the team is. team will do in the draft. He had an interesting answer. I do believe. I do believe I think I have an influence in it. I don't know why I wouldn't. You know, I think, you know, if you got a guy, a quarterback and you trust him and you,

you know, you want to be the face of the franchise for, you know, a lot of years, I think he should have influence just because, I mean, everything, you know, is technically built around the quarterback. So I think I have that relationship with Steve and Cliff. And, you know, I'm excited to see what we do on Thursday. Well, I don't necessarily believe. that, but I will say, you could go to Justin Herbert and say, what do you think of Penae Sewell? Because you played with him for three years. Right. Or you could go to Joe Burrow and say, what do you think of Jamar Chase? Like, a player can tell you, he doesn't have a great work ethic.

Like, he wasn't really liked. I would absolutely ask players questions. I would never make them feel. Now, now the question becomes, what do you do with Aaron Rogers? Because Aaron's getting at the point now where he's like, could I have, he doesn't know the college personnel. Right. could go to Aaron and say, hey, what are you, what really ticks you off today? He's like, I think we have a one and a bunch of threes. I need a second receiver or something. Like, I just don't trust my guys. I do believe if I ran a team, I would go to my smartest players, my most committed

players, and I would ask them, especially early in the NFL, do you like him? What do you not like? It's all, don't worry about it. But I'm not going to let them choose the players. Well, I don't think he's saying that he's choosing. them, but he says he has an influence on it, which I think is a very interesting answer, because we've talked a lot about this throughout this past season with Aaron Rogers, with obviously Russell Wilson. And then you put that up against someone like Tom Brady, who's bringing

in everybody and Gronk is there, and A, B, and clearly has a say over how things go there and is listened to and heard, and he wasn't heard in New England, which he made very, very, very clear. So I do think that this is something we're going to see more often. It's not necessarily you have to do what the quarterback says. But Kyler is right. It is technically built around the quarterback. I mean, all we've talked about for months is what quarterback's going to go where and how it's going to change what team and Sam Darnold and like Jimmy Garapolo and what's

Denver going to do. Like that's the key. You can have a great team. If you don't have that piece right, it doesn't work. So they should have some influence. It's just like anything else. It's the biggest star in it. any situation, you should kind of lean on what's going to help build them up because it runs through

them. Here's a devil's advocate, though. GM's GM's coach. Like in Kansas City, Andy Reid doesn't GM. He just coaches. And Patrick doesn't coach. He just plays. But I'm not saying you have to do what they say.

But to not be heard, to not have open lines of communication, I think works against you. I'm sure Andy Reid still talks to the GM throughout this process. Patrick Mahomes talks to Andy Reid. But talking is an influence. Influence is influence. you get influenced by every conversation that you have, whether you want to or not. I wouldn't, as a GM, I'd struggle as a GM and a coach if my quarterback wanted influence in the draft. But I am going to ask him, hey, what is this offense neat?

Like, be honest in the locker room. But what are you asking him for if you're not, if you're not going to listen to a word he says? No, no, no, I'm listening. So I think that's what I'm saying. I think the influence word is important. influence and then demands are two different things. Like asking him, what do you think about this? If you're going to ask him, then just disregard what he says,

like if he does believe the player is not going to work in this scheme or he doesn't have good work ethic or he knows something about, you know, something that he's going to bring in, and it's negative, and you allow that to influence your decision. It doesn't make the decision for you, but it's more information. Yeah, Arizona's in a situation where in one year we could have a new GM and a new coach. I mean, the whole situation there is literally, it's very chic.

Chicago. It's incredibly tenuous. I'm interested to see how it goes for them this season because I agree and they know they have their quarterback. And you have no week off in that division. And they didn't have a bad season last year. No. No, they were 500. Weren't they? It was a good team. Yeah. So the nets have clinched a birth in the NBA playoffs. So the first team in the east to lock up a spot. They have 10 games to go in the regular season.

And they have a one-and-half game lead over the Sixers for the one-seat in the conference. So the lowest that they could slip is the sixth seed, which is a nice feeling to have if you're the nuts. You know, you can now cruise through the rest of the season. Obviously, they don't want to fall out of the one seed. But knowing that they're good to go is nice, especially since they still have James Harden out with a hamstring strain. Steve Nash said he is shooting and doing strength work, but has a way to go, ways to go before returning. They've all only played seven games together still. I honestly think the Sixers.

in the box actually match up really well with the Nets, whereas I think the teams below the Lakers or around the Lakers don't match up well with the Lakers. So if you ask me today, I think the Lakers are a much sure bet to get to the finals than the Nets, because I can make an argument that the 76ers are built perfectly to beat the Nets. I would feel better if I was a Lakers fan,

but I still really want to know that LeBron and AD are healthy going into the playoffs because it's not the same as last year. Last year was a break. This year they were injured. Good stuff, Joy with the news. Well, that's the news. And thanks for stopping by. The herd-line news.

You know, it's interesting. The draft is Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday. It's pretty easy to predict who's going to, quote, win just the draft itself. Forget free agency. The Miami Dolphins, the Jets, and the Jags are drafting at the top of the draft, and they have a bunch of extra picks. So, I mean, Miami should get five starters. The Jets should get six.

The Jax could get six or seven. Monday, when they start grading the draft, mark it down. Jets, Jags, and Miami are going to grade really high. We also know at the bottom, Tampa Bay is not, because they're really drafting for depth. They're going to draft guys that may not play. We know that Seattle really spent a lot of money and a lot of time in free agency. They only have three picks. They won't grade high.

We know Houston doesn't have a pick. They have one pick in the first three rounds. They'll get ripped because they should. They're Houston. They're incompetent. But the Jets, the Jaggs in Miami are going to get really high grades Monday. The interesting team, I don't think there's any team that could change one side of the ball more than Dallas. Now, Dallas has viewed as an awful defense, but they have three things going for them.

Number one, DAC returns. Last year, the Cowboys defense was points, yards, third down, opposing passer rating. It was like 23rd, 28. It was awful. So Dak comes back. What does that mean? Well, last year, the Cowboys were 28th in time of possession. the defense was on the field the whole game. That will not be the case.

The offensive line is reportedly healthy. DAC is back. They'll probably be somewhere top 10, 12 in time of possession. They still have a decent running game. Secondly, Mike Nolan doesn't work and Dan Quinn's better. You'll improve schematically. And third is Dallas has 10 picks. That is a lot of picks. And they're going to get the best defensive player in the draft with a 10th pick.

Because everybody wants quarterbacks, wide receivers, and offensive linemen above them. So Dallas could really change. one side of the ball dramatically in the draft. Listen, Carolina last year said, we're going to go all defense. They got Derek Brown and a safety, and they're great players. And so Carolina, Dallas, I think,

should do a little bit of Carolina. We know we're not going to hit on all these picks, but if you draft nine defensive players of your 10, Dallas could use an offensive lineman like Joey mentioned. I would take an offensive lineman somewhere in the draft, but Dallas could go eight or nine defensive players with a new coordinator, DAC keeping the defense off the field,

eight or nine new players. If three hit got yourself a real football, that's a winning, because this morning, one of the only things I know, I only know two things in the NFC East. Washington's defense is good and Dallas's offense is good. Everything else is a question mark. The whole division.

I don't know if Washington can solve their offensive problems with Ryan Fitzpatrick. I do think Dallas could overwhelmingly solve their defensive problems with eight to nine picks, Dan Quinn and Dak upgrading time of possession. So that's interesting for Dallas. I'm very interested to see what the cowboys do. Do they have the discipline?

They love offensive players. They love flashy players to just go, it's going to be a boring draft. We're going to get interior defensive linemen. We're going to get safeties. You know, we're not, you know, we'll get a guard. Dallas should be the opposite of what they usually are, which is just go get players we don't talk about a lot. Safeties, D-Lignment, and guards, and centers.

That's what you should draft. All right, coming up next, T.J. Hushmanzada. Be sure to catch live editions of the herd weekdays in noon Eastern, 9 a.m. Pacific. Hey, I'm John Middlecough, and I host the three-and-out podcast. Do you like football? Do you like the NFL? Do you like the NFL draft? Quarterbacks, coaches. Well, I talk about it all.

On the show. I used to work for Andy Reid as a scout. Now I give you my unfiltered and raw opinions on everything that goes on the NFL. And you know we're talking college football because of how important the draft is year round. Listen at the three and out podcast with me, John Middlecom, on the Iheart radio app, Apple Podcasts,

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 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. Do you remember when Diana Ross double-tapped 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 a little kill. Well, you can find out on the Look Back at it podcast. I'm Sam Jay. 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 yeah, yeah, literally. 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. 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? 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,

as we have real conversations about healing, growth, fatherhood, pressure, and purpose on my new podcast, Learn the Hard Way. Open your free, Our Heart Radio app. Search Learn the Hardway and listen now. T.J. Hushman Zata, Fox Sports Analyst, he'll be doing digital stuff tomorrow night in the first round.

He is now joining us live. Listen, you train with these guys, you know these guys. There's a story this morning. The gap is narrowing between Mack Jones and Trey Lance and it's narrowing. I tend to be a bigger fan of Trey Lance. I think he's big, strong arm. Listen, you're the GM of San Francisco tomorrow. Who would you pick?

I'm not even considering Mac Jones. I'm considering Justin Fields or Trey Lance. it's just when you look at it, the 49ers seem to be going for the guy that's ready to play now. You have to look three, four years, possibly 10 years down the road. Who has that upside that can really take this franchise to another level? And it's one of those two players. But if you're just going to go Mac Jones and Trey Lance, it's for me,

it's Tray Lance because you look at what's the difference in Mac Jones and Kyle Trass? one played at Florida and one played in Alabama. To be honest with you, Kyle Tras had a pretty good season. He's accurate. He has a big arm. He just didn't have the weapons that Mac Jones had. And so I just find it hard to believe that the 49ers gave up what they gave up to sit here and say, oh, the gap is narrow and we don't know who we're going to take.

You don't give that up and not having pretty good idea of who you want and who you're going to take with that third pitch. You know, the old saying is in the NBA, always take the higher ceiling guy because, you know, there's rebuild. You get three or four years as a head coach to rebuild. And the NFL, you don't get three or four years to rebuild as a coach. You take the guy that can help you now. Go back to your NFL career. High ceiling guy. Like, you know, Jordan Love for the Packers is high ceiling guy. It can't help us now. Did you ever, were you ever, were you ever with the organizations you were with, did they draft guys that can help now or high ceiling guys?

I mean, for me, when I was with the Bengals, a lot of the guys they took in the first round, they pretty much started and played right away. I can't recall one first round pick that did not play. And then when I was in Seattle, they drafted Aaron Curry linebacker from Wake Forest, and he came in and played right away. I believe he left early as a junior. The NFL, for me, if you have a team that is good and you can win now without that first round pick, then you look towards the future.

But I just don't believe you should take a guy, oh, he can help us now. But so-and-so in three years is going to be better. I'm taking so-and-so because this is a marathon and not a sprint. Are the 49ers ready to win a Super Bowl this year with a Ricky quarterback? Probably not. So you take it, Mac Jones, what good does that do you? You're not going to win a Super Bowl.

So why wouldn't you take a guy that has more upside? Yep, that's exactly what we said. You're not going to win with Trey Lantern. Mac Jones, you're not going to win a Super Bowl with either of them. You're not going to win that division with either of them. So really it comes down to year two, three, and four with them. Can you win a Super Bowl? With Mac Jones, I don't think you can.

Devonte Smith, small, slight. You were wiry strong. I don't know what you were out of college, but it feels like you were closer to 195, 200. He's 166. Do you worry at all about that frame? I worry about it, but I don't worry about it. I hope that makes sense. The fact that he's so small, it's concerning.

He's going to get bumped off his routes quite a bit, but he's dealt with this his entire life. Like the boy can play football. He played in the toughest conference you can play in the SEC, and he did work. And you couldn't stop him. He went against the best corners, consistently got open, consistently put up big stats, big.

It concerns me that how much weight will he put will he lose some of his agility and lateral movement? He's not the fastest straight line, but speed is not the most important thing. It's your ability to decelerate more so than accelerate, in my opinion. And it concerns me that if you try to put him in a slot, guys will bump him off his routes because he's so light. But the boy can play football. Devante Smith can flat out play the wide receiver position. By the way, if you were Kyle, did you ever play with a great tight end?

Tight end seemed more important now than ever. they can now be the number one target on your offense. That was unheard of 10 years ago in the NFL. When you came into the league years ago, you played for a decade. I mean, how often did the tight end in the huddle for the Bengals get discussed, dead serious? None. I promise you. Colin, we never threw the ball to the tight end.

No lie. We had played a Baltimore Ravens when Rex Ryan was a defensive coordinator. He literally would not cover the tight end. They wouldn't cover the tight end because they knew we weren't throwing them with a ball. No, our tight end in Cincinnati were strictly blockers. And if they got a ball, it was a bonus. But the game has changed. But when I played, our tight ends, they got no looks, zero looks.

Tom Pelliserro, NFL Network reporting the Panthers are trading Teddy Bridgewater to the Broncos for a six-round pick. Your instant reaction. The Broncos are not satisfied with what dreams. Drew Locke is giving them. They're going to bring him some competition in the form of a veteran. And if Drew Locke can't beat Teddy Bridgewater

out, this will be his last year planning for the Denver Broncos. I can't believe Teddy Bridgewater only got a sixth. He's going to be your starting quarterback. That's it? By the way, he feels a little bit... His salary. He feels like a Band-Aid to me.

Can you sell Teddy Bridgewater to a locker room in a division with Justin Herbert, Derek Carr, and Pat Mahomes? You can if the Broncos defense with Fangio and Von Miller comes back healthy. If they play defensive football the way they're capable of and the way they had in the past, Bridgewater can win games. He's accurate. Oh, look at the skill guys that the Broncos have.

Cortland Sutton, Jerry Judy, K.J. Hamler. They got Melvin. They got good backs. And so they have the skill players around them that Teddy Bridgewater can be effective if that defense plays. the way they're capable of playing. And so Drew Locke better be on his A game. This will be his last year in Colorado for sure. Teddy's sort of the opposite of Drew Locke,

which is really mature, not much of an arm, very reliable, kind of know what you can get, lower ceiling. Drew Locke's big ceiling, big arm, moves around, can't trust him. So basically they're telling you by getting Teddy Bridgewater, he's the opposite of Drew Locke. We're done with the nonsense. We want a grown-up who doesn't turn the, ball over because we think our roster is pretty darn good now that we've solved our defensive

back issues in free agency. So there you go. That's a good little trade here. T.J., we're going to run. Good talking to you, buddy. Colin, take care of him, man. You're seeing you. So Sam Darnold, I'm surprised they only got a sixth round pick for Teddy Bridgewater. Yeah, so Carolina will pay a portion of Bridgewater's 20, 21 compensation as a part of a restructured contract to finalize the deal with Denver. Teddy's the opposite of Drew Locke. Yes. Doesn't turn it over.

Limited arm strength. Doesn't move around. Total pocket guy. Very mature. Doesn't play loose. And then Sam Darnold gets another pick. So they get another pick. I just thought, I would think you would get more than a six-round pick. For Teddy?

So now we've got to go to the draft board to start next hour. Because now is, is, Denver, they'd be out of the quarterback space. Well, yeah, especially with that compensation. And by the way, Vic Fangio has to win games. You cannot be getting a quarterback. You need a player. Okay, I got to do a mock draft.

Last week. Oh, I mean, seriously. I mean, we got moves. We've got to address this. It has to be addressed. Next. One more herd? The herd streams 24 hours a day, seven days a week,

within the IHeart radio app. Search Herd 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, 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 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 I'm 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. 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 Cliford show on the IHeard 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. On The Look Back at it podcast. For 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. This is an IHeart podcast. Guaranteed human.