The Herd with Colin Cowherd - Colin Cowherd Podcast - Ian O’Connor on Brunson Knicks Impact, Jets/Rodgers Fit, Giants/Danny Dimes Decision

Episode Date: March 3, 2023

First (3:00), Colin explains the secret to predicting which college QB’s will succeed in the NFL, and how the next phase of the arms race between the SEC and B1G super conferences will play out. Then, Ian O'Connor -- NY Post columnist and author of Coach K: The Rise and Reign of Mike Krzyzewski and Belichick -- and Colin discuss the unexpected renaissance of the Knicks with Jalen Brunson (15:00), if paying Daniel Jones franchise QB money would be a mistake for the Giants (23:00), if the Jets should go all-in on Aaron Rodgers (35:00), if the Yankees need to make major changes after stalling in the postseason (42:00), and if implementing a pitch clock will make a significant impact on lagging youth interest (44:00). Follow Colin and The Volume on Twitter for the latest content and updates, and check out FanDuel for the best wagering and daily fantasy action! #Herd #VolumeSee 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. The Volume. It's the Colin Coward podcast presented by Fandul. The NBA season, kicking into gear, baby, no better place to get in on the action than Fandul.

FanDul app is safe. You get paid fast. A lot of ways to play. The spread, the money line, team totals, players, props, a lot of stuff. Over-unders. jump into the action. Same game parlay is my favorite. Just use the promo code Colin and download the Fandual app today. Hi, everybody, and welcome in to the Friday morning podcast. So all of us, through the course of our journeys, our experiences, is going to change our

perspectives, right? Hopefully, you know, you do something for long enough. It works. You keep doing it. It doesn't work. You move off it. And I'll give you an example of this. So when I first started dating my wife, Anne, she was an experimenter if we went out to eat. You know, I would order the chicken parm, the New York strip steak and brocolini. I would go with things I knew were going to be good. And my wife was a big gambler. You know, she's going out with sea urchint salad with a squid ink vinaigrette. And about half the time, she'd be eaten off my plate. She's like, I don't really like it. And I said, if you're going to experiment, experiment at home. And they'd just throw it in the trash and start over. I said, but when you go to a restaurant,

especially in Los Angeles, it's like $150, $160 for dinner, why roll the dice? Just go with something you know is popular. So I always go into a restaurant and I'm like, what's the most popular dish. Every restaurant has strengths and weaknesses on the menu, stuff they're really good at and really known for it. And I order it. I could not tell you the last time I went to a restaurant and left unsatisfied. I just go with what I know is going to be good. I'm paying a lot of money for it. My wife over the course of our relationship now is a much more consistent restaurant order. She kind of goes with what she knows she'll like. See, You know, whatever it is.

Bolanese. And my point is, her mistakes or her misses, her frustration is probably a better word, changed her perspective and habits. And, you know, I was the other day, I'm sitting there watching some footage from the media on the combine, the NFL combine. And I used to try to for years and years. I've been doing this 30 years. Try to guess if quarterbacks were going to make it. We're going to bust. And over the last two years, I've really changed my perspective on this about trying to predict what quarterbacks are going to work.

Last year's class and the class two years ago, I think I nailed completely. I thought Trevor Lawrence, Mack Jones, Zach Wilson, Justin Fields, pretty much nailed that class. Nobody really knows about Trey Lance yet. We really don't know. My guess is it's not going to work, but nobody knows. It's not playing. but I've come to the conclusion after a lot of misses that here's how I look about all these first round quarterbacks. In the last 10 drafts, we've had 30 first round quarterbacks.

We've only had eight stars. Eight. And in most instances, the stars have landed in the right spot with an offensive coach. Deshaun Watson with a Bill O'Brien, Patrick Mahomes. It helps with Andy Reid is that most of the time, maybe every fourth or fifth year, maybe twice a decade. There is a quarterback good enough Trevor Lawrence, Andrew Locke, I believe Caleb Williams at USC to overcome chaos. But 95% of them aren't. Of the last 30 quarterbacks taken, first round, it's a decade.

12 whiffs, 12 misses, 10 starters, but really need to be carried, Dak Prescott, Kirk Cousins, and eight stars. And by the way, I'm giving Kyler Murray a star rating. I don't know. He's close. And so I've just based on so many misses, not any individual miss, but I just don't think, with very few exceptions, any of these kids can overcome the Chicago Bears' ownership and front office.

I like Justin Fields. Trevor Lawrence would make it work. I don't think he's good enough to overcome the nonsense. They hired a defensive coach. Now we have a first-time GM. I've never liked the ownership. It's a defensive culture. It's a hard town to be a quarterback in.

The media is tough. The weather's brutal. You're in the division with Aaron Rogers. And right now, Kirk Cousins and Jared Gough, you've got to win some shootouts. Bears' defense sucks. Offenses are good in the division. So that's how I look at this draft.

And the one, none of the quarterbacks who will go in the first round, C.J. Stroud, Richardson, Florida, Will Levis at Kentucky or Bryce Young. None of them, I think, are good enough. None of them are All-Star stuff. None of them are Andrew Luck or Trevor Lawrence or Caleb Williams. I think whichever team goes to Seattle at the number five pick, if they draft the quarterback, that's the quarterback that's the quarterback that. will win. They have a star coach, a star left tackle, a star running back, a star receiver,

an ascending playoff momentum roster, cap space, and Gino Smith, so you don't have to start year one. That feels like C.J. Stroud goes there, sits behind Gino for a year. I think he'll be successful. I think Bryce Young, same situation. Anthony Richardson, Florida, same situation. I don't think there's a quarterback guaranteed to succeed. I think there's a spot. I think there's a spot in this draft Seattle number five pick. That's the spot. Whoever they get has a very high probability

to be somewhere between a starter and a star. A really nice really nice starter. All right, quick college football topic. I grew up in the Pacific Northwest, as some of you know. I was a Washington Husky football fan that I at some point in my career moved to Oregon, covered the ducks and the beavers.

So it's near and dear to my heart. I still love watching Pac-12 football every Saturday. So there are a lot of stories out there right now that the Big Ten wants Oregon and Washington to join them in the conference, which would, let's be honest, mostly end the Pac-12 football conference. It would be irrelevant. So that bums me out because I have a lot of friends in the conference and I grew up loving it. So what I can tell you is that the Big Ten is considering bringing Oregon and Washington in, but they would not get the economic benefit of the other schools. They would get half of it. So instead of getting that $65 million annual check from, you know, like the Big Ten or Fox Sports because, you know,

Fox is in an ownership position with a conference, they'd get half of that, whatever. Half a share is. It's somewhere in the 30 millions annually, which, by the way, is still better than what Oregon or Washington would get from the television contracts in the PAC 12. So I think Oregon and Washington would absolutely take it. I also think that the SEC is a hyper-aggressive, full-steam-ahead conference that's still going to try to cherry pick Florida State and Clemson from the ACC. So even though the Big 12 has power adding USC and UCLA, I think it would benefit from adding the big brand of Oregon and the big market of Seattle with Washington. This is the reality of what we're going to get in college football. My guess is we're going to get the SEC and the Big Ten over the next five years will be the dominant conferences.

Now, that's not all good news for the SEC and the Big Ten. because as the college football playoff expands the 12 teams, you're not going to take six teams from the SEC and six teams from the Big Ten. A watered down Big 12 ACC and PAC 12 will still have representatives. And those conferences will be so weak. It'll be much easier for, you know, Virginia Tech or a Miami hurricane squad to run the table. So you're going to get somebody from those thin watered down. conferences. But I really do envision a world where the Big Ten adds four Pack 12 schools, the four

biggest brands, and the SEC keeps building. They've already plucked Texas, Oklahoma. They go out and get a Clemson or a Florida state who are unsatisfied with their ACC TV deals. And I think that's the world we're going to live in. Aggressive wins. And you'll have a weak ACC in a week, ACC in a week, Big 12 and a week, Pack 12, and they'll each put one team, maybe some years two in. But I think this is just what's happening everywhere in sports. You look at major league baseball right now. Eight teams are AAA teams.

The Mets payroll is bigger than the bottom seven payrolls combined. You look at the NFL because of rule changes to make the sports safer. If you don't have a franchise quarterback, an elite franchise quarterback, you're out of the Super Bowl bubble. Look at the NBA. I mean, come on. Golden State's going on like 10 years of this dynasty, Celtics, Milwaukee. I mean, we've got three teams, maybe Katie and the Suns, four that have a chance to win this thing. And so we've seen this in individual sports like men's and women's tennis, women's basketball for years and years,

where there's a dominant team, a dominant performer for decades. This is what's happening everywhere in the world. It doesn't matter if it's streaming services. It doesn't matter if it's sports. It doesn't matter if it's tech. Two percent dominate. And so all these leagues have been. fighting forever for parity.

I think Oregon and Washington eventually the economics satisfy Fox in the Big Ten, and they bring them in, and USC and UCLA are already in, and it'll be a super conference. And the SEC, Texas, Oklahoma in. They'll probably add a couple other ACC schools. It'll be a super conference. And of the 12 spots in the college football playoff, eight will come from those conferences. And then the ACC will get one. The Big 12 gets one, the Pac-12 gets one.

Maybe a Cincinnati and on Power 5 team also gets one. With the NFL season over, all eyes in the sporting world turned everything from the NBA to college hoops to the NHL. Plenty of games to watch are even better. Plenty of games to get out of the house and actually go to. That's why the best way to get your hands on tickets, when you want to go to one of these games, check out Game Time. Fastest growing ticket app in the U.S. Game Time. offer amazing last minute deals on tickets to your best favorite NBA hockey NCAA teams.

Top of that, they sell last minute concert and comedy show tickets too. Download the GameTime app. Download it. Redeem code is Colin, $20 off your first purchase. Terms apply. Again, download the app. Enter the code Colin. C-O-L-I-N, 20 bucks off.

Download game time today. Last-minute tickets, lowest price guaranteed. Imagine an a link. 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. Well, he left the columnist business for a while. He's back at the New York Post. Four New York Times bestsellers.

The last one we spent a great deal of time on was the rise and reign of Mike Shoshiewski. You can always order that. Amazon, all places you can order books. We bring him on as often as we can. He just got back from Maui. And as a West Coast guy, that's like across the street. But for an East Coast guy, he was on a plane 13 hours. with his lovely wife who I've met celebrating their 30th wedding anniversary. So I've been married 15.

So I want you to our audience. What is the secret seriously to a 30-year marriage? Well, I know people who've been married a lot longer than that. So I probably am not qualified to answer a question about the secret to long-term success in a marriage. But just find someone who is your best friend and never forget to treat her or him that way for the rest of your life. So I've always really focused more, I think, on our friendship than just about anything else. So hopefully I've been a really, really good friend to her. I know she's been a terrific friend to me. And I think that's sort of been at the core of our relationship.

Yep. Anne is my best friend and knows all my faults. And there are many. And she reminds me of them regularly. So, you know, so great to be in a, it is really great to be in a great marriage. You know, not to sound, you know, like an old guy, barking at all you young single peeps, listening to our podcast. But it's an amazing place in our lives. It sure is.

So of the many things to talk about, you know, oftentimes New York teams, especially in baseball, Steve Cohn has made the Mets a bit of a villain by having a payroll that's more than the bottom seven teams in the sport. And the Yankees have always had that sort of image, although I found the Yankees. You know, the Reggie Jackson, Billy Martin, Yankees so vulnerable and so likable, even as a Seattle kid. I loved those teams. They always had quirky characters and real personality, despite even the owner was crazy. I find the Knicks incredibly likable. Tibado is an old school guy. Brunson got sent off by the Mavs.

They didn't understand how good he was. You know, the Lakers ran off Julius Randall because in a world of threes, he hit twos. And I got to tell you, I think they're going to knock somebody off. I like their roster. I think they're another star away. But Ian, I think if you send them up against Philadelphia, I don't know if they could keep pace with Cleveland's offense, but kind of give me your forecast of the Knicks as a playoff team. I agree. Colin, I actually think the only two teams they cannot beat in the East Star, Boston and Milwaukee in a seven-game series. I actually think they'll push those teams the way they're playing now and they're getting better.

They've got one of the better coaches in the NBA and tips, as you mentioned. Brunson is so much better than I thought he was going to be. I now believe after watching him, I admit it's a bit of a small sample size. But I do think you can win a championship with him as your second best player. I think he's... I do, too. I do. Yep.

And I don't think you can win. I don't think you can have a dynasty with him. I certainly think you can pick one or two off. And he's only, what, he's 26 years old. I think he's smart enough to know he's got a really good thing in New York. New York City is a place that loves point guards for whatever reason. Always has high school, college, and pro. And yet the Knicks haven't had one long term who was really good since Clyde Fraser.

So it's been a long time. And finally, the Knicks have a quarter. back who can lead them consistently to the playoffs and maybe on some deep runs. I think they will beat Cleveland in the first round if that's the matchup. I wouldn't be surprised at the Knicks hurdle the Cavaliers and get that four seed and home court advantage in the first round. I think they can certainly win that series. I think there's a shot. They could upset Philly. I think where it ends is Boston, Milwaukee, wherever that series happens in the playoffs, they'll lose that series. But that's a really good step from where they were last year when it seemed like Tibbs's program was unraveling after a

really good year one. So Brunson's injections obviously key. There is a sense around all sports. There are certain franchises where you have to overcome the owner. That's always been a feeling with James Dolan. Give me the person inside the organization that has orchestrated most of this, not a player, but because Dolan has a reputation, fair. You know, a reputation. or not. Who's behind the scenes? Who's the puppeteer? Who's making these moves in the front office?

Because you always hear the same four or five names. You tell me the hierarchy. Who's the key? I think you have to go to Leon Rose. I mean, people talk about Worldwide West being one of the more mysterious figures in all of basketball and his connections. But I think, and listen, Worldwide West and Leon Rose, they've been a bit of a partnership over the years, they've made their share of mistakes, certainly without question.

You look at Fornier, you look at Kemble Walker. And Rose actually gave Tibbs some players. He didn't want Reddish. And they had to send out a first-round pick to get Reddish and then send out another first-round pick to get rid of them. So they've made their share of mistakes. But Leon Rose is the guy who made one of the best acquisitions I've seen in New York in any sport in many years and that was Brunson. He got that done. He had the relationship to get it done through the family, his representation as well. And so now having, you said, don't name a player, I think it's impossible not to name Brunson

because I think he's going to draw free agent, significant NBA veterans, either through a trade or free agency who now want to play with a point who looks at the big picture. Now, listen, he just had 30 points and a half against the. Nets and he finished with 39. He was not interested in, hey, let me try to hang 50, 55, 60 on these guys. He only cares about winning. He should have been an all-star and he wasn't. And he was genuinely happy for Julius Randall after he went through a miserable season with the fans and everything else last year that he personally helped resurrect his career and make him an all-star again. He didn't just say that. It looked to me and a lot of people around the Knicks that he really

meant it. So his generosity of spirit, the way he plays, his body language, the way he runs a team, I think he's going to draw better players and put the Knicks finally in position to win a championship. Well, it's funny. Lukkah couldn't work with Porzengis. Porzengis has actually been

pretty good since leaving him. Brunson's a star. He's not winning now with Kyrie. There's a James Harden quality to Luca where he's a remarkable score, but a bit ball-centric. And so I think that it was really a catch. And I think the Knicks deserve a lot of credit.

I think they're relatable. I think they really, you know, Julius Randall is a fascinating player. So I was in, like in Los Angeles when he was a Laker. He comes out of Kentucky and the league was really, Ian, transitioning to a three-point league. It was the beginning of the Golden State stuff. And I can remember having a discussion with somebody inside the Lakers and they're like, he's going to make a really good player for somebody. We're not sure it's the Lakers.

But you know what I'll give Julius Randall credit for? He mostly Ian knows what he is and what he's not. he has worked on his game. I think he's a lot better offensive player than the league thought he was going to be. I mean, he was a great high school player, very good at Kentucky. If I had never watched Julius Randall and I said, hey, Ian, his numbers are pretty good. Describe him. How would you describe him?

He did shoot, I believe it was 41% from three, two years ago. Of course, a lot of that was empty gyms in the pandemic. And so some people subtracted from that before. from three-point range. But I think he's a guy who is a load offensively. And you're right. He's got a little bit of an old-school game. But I think he's also given a lot of credit to Brunson for bringing him back.

Remember last year, he fought with the fans. He fought with everybody. He had this great first year with Tibbs and helped really gave New Yorkers a gift, really, during the pandemic. The fact that the Knicks were competent again. and just playing some winning basketball. It had been so long. I mean, really for the better part of two decades, and Nicks had been a dysfunctional product.

And so Randall, I thought, would never ever have to pay for a meal or a drink ever again in the five boroughs. But then last year, all of a sudden, it all fell apart on him. It looked like he was going to get traded. He was going to play and complain his way out of town. And then he came back this year.

He worked out in the offseason. Brunton really helped bring him back. And listen, remember, Colin, when the Knicks signed him in 2019 after missing out on Kevin Durant and to some degree, Kyrie, they had to apologize to their fan base. Steve Mills, then the team president, apologized for the consolation pieces that he signed because they were supposed to get Kevin Durant and maybe Kyrie Irving. And they struck out and lost out to the Brooklyn Nets. They get Julius Randall, who has done a lot for that organization, will continue to do that. And they basically had to apologize for signing him. So he's come a long way.

And I think he deserves a lot of credit for the kind of bounce back he had off of last year. So I've said before is that I've always viewed the Maras as a reasonably good ownership group, you know, mostly pretty stoic. They stay out of the headlines. I don't think they're as impulsive sometimes as the Johnson family and the Jets. or Dolan can be. I tend to think they're a little methodical. You know, they gave Tom Coughlin. There was a couple of years it was pretty lean at the end.

And then, listen, nobody would have guessed Coughlin out of Boston College would have been that good. They whiffed on some guys. And my takeaway is they see in Daniel Jones, even physically, aesthetically, they see Eli. And they know how long it took for Eli. And they see a really good kid from the South. hard worker doesn't make headlines, stays out of trouble, committed to the process. And I think they see Brian Daible as kind of this Tom Coughlin. It's like we found this gem and it's a little rough around the edges, but he's our Tom Coughlin.

You know, they always say about New York. It's got its issues. But New Yorkers, those problems, those are our problems. And it's like Coughlin was, you know, purple as a plum. He's screaming. But he adapted. and Daibald still feels at times he's as emotional as a coordinator, but it works. And so I think they are committed to Daniel Jones.

I think there's limitations. Here's the rub, though. Running backs getting second contracts, it's bad business. If you pay Sequin and Daniel, you're going to have 60 million bucks in the backfield. That's going to hamper free agency. And that defensive line's not cheap, Ian. where do you go? What would you do?

What are the fans want? Because I think most New Yorkers know. You won a playoff game. Two of his best games were against the Vikings, a horrific defense. There's a ceiling here. But I think the Maras are in on him. I think they see Eli. I really do.

That's my perception outside. You give me your kind of your feeling about how the Maras, what do you do with Daniel? What do you do with Sequin? What are the fans want? I do think the fans want both of them back. And it's kind of funny. Daniel Jones, he had 15 touchdown passes here.

He did run for 7-2, and that counts for something. He ran for 700 yards. His athleticism is the difference maker between Eli Manning was the better player and the better quarterback. Daniel was much more athletic than Eli, but he has a lot of similarities and the things you talked about. Certainly they were both coached by Cuckcliffe. I think that to see Daniel Jones asking for more than what Aaron Judge is now making with

the Yankees, who would have thought that? on Labor Day, right? Daniel Jones, who nearly was run out of town, was a couple of bad games away from being run out of town, now asking for more than $40 million a year, which is obviously what Judge got long term. So I think when you look at the 15 touchdown passes this year, and right, some of his limitations as a pocket passer, wow.

But I think they'll pay him $38 million a year because second-tier quarterbacks, that's what the market suggests they should get. I think he'll get 37, 38, maybe 39. I don't think he'll get 40. And he'll be your quarterback for the next three to four years. I think Seekwon's more interesting because he is, you're talking about running back on a second contract. He was number two overall picked by a different general manager. But he is a very good player.

I actually think, Colin, he's one of three players on the entire roster. You could say could be or will be the best in the world of what he does. Andrew Thomas, Dexter Lawrence, and Sequin Barclay. He's much better. Barclay is at his position at his job than Daniel Jones is at his, but he happens to play the wrong position. The way Mara loves both those guys, because they represent the organization the way he wants it represented.

Sequin Barclay is a perfect. He's like Frank Gifford. He's got the Hollywood looks. He's a job. giant. He just, the way he carries himself, the way he works, and he's a great player. And so he's just at the wrong position. I think they can, I was told by a source that during the by week, the Giants offered him three years at 12 million a pop. Another source told a colleague of mine, Ryan Dunleavy, it was more 12.5, maybe over four. But in that 12 to 12.5 range,

to me, I'd feel comfortable paying Sequin Barclay 13 per in a, in a multi-year deal. and I think they'll come to an agreement. He doesn't want to be tagged. And I've talked to a source close to him who said he really, really doesn't want to be tagged. So they can do it and then still work on a long-term deal. I think both will be back. I don't think it will be a $60 million total,

but you're talking maybe, what, 38 for Daniel, maybe 13 for Sequin. It's quite an investment in your backfield, but I think it's one that John Marrow will make. Well, and also, you can see what's happening. The Jets may have a great defense, but if you can't get quarterback figured out in 2023, it doesn't matter. It just doesn't matter.

You know, I mean, you know, it's Ian. It's interesting. The Bears have a defensive coach last place. Houston defensive coach last place. Jets defensive coach last place. I thought Sean McDermott got completely worked, completely utterly worked in that playoff game against Zach Taylor and Cincinnati. And so, you know, here's where I feel good about the Giants.

they have a coach on the right side. Their stars are, I mean, Dexter Lawrence, I think Thibodeau is actually, most edge rushers in the history of the sport in come with ego. It's a vanity position. Like, how is he viewed in New York? I like him.

I like his added. I like it. I really do like him. Yeah, I think New York will accept that as long as you perform, as you know. And so, listen, I thought it was a positive and productive year one. There's nothing wrong with personality. And I think it just has to come along with results. I think he delivered in year one. It's going to be interesting to see him, his career

as it unfolds in this market. And he can be quirky. And that can work in a big way in terms of marketing himself away from the field in New York, but you have to produce. And if you don't, and you go the wrong way, that can really work against you. So personality, in New York is fine. It's not only accepted, it's welcomed, as long as you produce. And he did that in year one, I think. Looking to get more out of the NBA season? Well, now's the perfect time to download Fandul, America's number one sports book. Right now, new customers get a no-sweat first bet up to $1,000. That's free bets back if your first bet doesn't win. The promo code is always Colin. Fandul has tons of betting options.

I like the same game parlay. Bet a little, win a lot. FanDul's app is safe, secure, easy to use, and you get paid your winnings really fast. The no sweat first bet up to $1,000. promo code Colin. Make every moment more this season with Fandul, an official sports betting partner of the NBA.

21 plus and present in Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, Indiana and Louisiana permitted parishes only. Michigan, New Jersey, New York, Tennessee, Virginia, or West Virginia. First online, real money wager only, refund issued as non-withdrawable site credit that expires in 14 days. Restrictions apply. See terms at sportsbook. Fandul.com.

Gambling problem, 1-800 next step or text next step to 5334-2-Arizona, 188-8-9-7-7-7-7-7-17 or visit ccccccccdol or visit fandul. com slash RG and Colorado, Indiana, Jersey, and Virginia. 18777-7-0-1-1-7-1-7-1-1-7 for confidential help. Michigan, 1877 H-O-P-E-N-Y, or text H-O-P-E-N-Y 4-6-7-369 in New York, Tennessee. Redline, 1-800-8-9-9-Tennessee. Visit 1-800-Gambler.net in West Virginia. 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.

So across town with the Jets, you go into a draft. They need a left tackle and they need a quarterback. You know, there's a lot of rumors on, you know, who they're going to land. to me, it could get really ugly, really fast. If I'm Derek Carr, I look at the NFC South and I think, can I beat out Andy Dalton and Desmond Ritter and Sam Darnold? I mean, it's a pretty meager lot. I could go there with Frank Reich and that defense. I could win the division for a kid that had to go to Fresno State, was overlooked by Pack 12 schools.

The Raiders showed him the door despite being a life preserver on a sinking ship with multiple coaches in seven, eight years. you know, what's funny about Carr, he leads the NFL in fourth quarter comeback since he entered the league, which is a shocking number. It's not Stafford. It's not Aaron Rogers or Brady. The Jets are interesting. Defensive coach. Don't have a left tackle. It's not a winning culture.

Who do you think they land? Because if they don't, Miami's going to score, Buffalo's going to score, and it's Belichick. It could get really ugly, really fast, Ian. I'm going to put Aaron Rogers aside for a second. Let's focus on Derek Carr and Jimmy Garoppolo. And Sala has the history in San Francisco with Garoppolo. And I actually would favor Jimmy G. And most Jets fans disagree with me on this because durability concerns with Garapolo. And Derek Carr is durable. The guy plays 15, 16, 17 games every year. And Garoppolo does not do that. But Jimmy G's won 70% of his games. He's won four playoff games. And he's,

He was one or two throws away from winning a Super Bowl. Derek Carr has never won a playoff game. Derek Carr is 16 games, I believe, under 500. He took the Raiders to one playoff appearance, lost that game. I know people like to compare him now to Stafford. Stafford had never won a playoff game. He goes to the Rams, wins a Super Bowl. But Stafford did lead the Lions to three playoff appearances.

Derek Carr only won with the Raiders. And so it's a close call. I can understand both sides. would favor Garoppolo slightly over car. Aaron Rogers is a different case to me. If you look at, I think, I think Rogers has a lot to gain by going to the Jets, assuming a championship. And it's kind of funny that people in New York have talked about Aaron Rogers as the guy to bring the Jets back to the Super Bowl for the first time since man walked on the moon when Rogers has not been to a Super Bowl in 12 years. So it's kind of,

and he's going to be 40 in, what, December? And I was there for Brett Favre with the Jets that one the year. And people forget they were eight and three. People were talking about a Giants Jet Super ball that year. And then he got hurt. And that was that. It was a one and done proposition. The concern I'd have with Rogers is he committed to multiple years. I do think he's somewhat diminished. He's an all-time great. So he's still better than the vast majority of quarterbacks in the NFL. So if Rogers wants it to happen, the Jets will do it. They'll be all in on Aaron Rogers. There's no question about that. Obviously, you have to give away assets plus money as opposed to just money to Carr or Garoppolo. But I think if Rogers

decides he wants a new address, the Jets are going all in on that. And if that means giving up considerable assets and a ton of money to pay him, I think they'll do it. What I think is in it for him, legacy-wise, look, Tom Brady has seven rings, he has one. So he's never closing that gap. But if he's the first guy since Joe Namath in January of 69 to win a championship for the Jets in obviously the biggest market, I think that would do a ton for him legacy-wise. And he's now, I wouldn't say he's irrelevant, but Patrick Mahomes is now dominating this league. So on two fronts, one against Brady and also against Mahomes, if he could win a title in New York for that organization, I think there's almost more in it for Aaron Rogers.

there is for the Jets. So I think it would have to be a serious consideration for him. Well, and Joe Douglas has hit some real home runs in the draft the last two years. So they're not paying a lot of their best players yet. So if they can land a left tackle in the draft with Rogers' enormous salary, you know, their young receivers they're not paying. They're not paying soft, Soss Gardner. A haul, the excellent, excellent running back out of Iowa State.

They're not really paying him. Yeah, so you can, you can, I always say, if all Seattle proved last year. If you can find four or five starters in a draft, it's amazing what happens to your caps. Suddenly the expensive guys don't feel as punitive. Let's pivot to baseball. We'll bring you on throughout the summer to talk about the Mets and Steve Cohen. But what I think is fascinating about the Yankees is when they were having much more postseason success, it felt like the manager's job was much more tenuous. Same with the GM. Now they're having less success. Everybody wants Cashman and Aaron Boone gone. And they're

their spots. So the old George, you know, Aaron, Aaron would have been on a Delta flight out of town two years ago. But here we are. Brian Cashman comes back. Aaron comes back. Do you think the criticisms of both are valid by Yankee fans? Sure. I think it gets a little extreme with Cashman. It's amazing. He's been in that job now a quarter of century. and George threatened to fire him more than 10 times and actually went through with it a couple of times and took him back an hour later. And Brian is an amazing survivor. That's a hell of a story to go that long with the Yankees.

And yeah, I think some of the criticism is certainly justified. I think it's been a little extreme with him. Aaron Boone, I think there's a sense of, you know, how Steinbrenner, he wants to sort of, stay out of it. Now, he had to get involved with Aaron Judge. He understood if he did not sign judge, it was all going to be on him. So I think he really acted like his father in that pursuit. But for the most part, he wants Brian Cashman to run the family business and sort of keep Hal out of it. And so Brian has done that. And I think in firing Joe Girardi, he wanted to bring in

a user-friendly, player-friendly manager. And now he wants to double down and triple down in proving that he was right, that Boone was the right guy. And so listen, if they lose early in the playoffs, if they don't win the division, wild card, lose, and they don't get to at least the ALCS and at least maybe a game six or seven against Houston, then I think it's possible they'll feel compelled to make

move there. But I think Boone's going to be around for a little while, simply because Cashman wants to do everything he can to prove himself right on that decision to fire Gerardy and go to Boone. And also, Hal gives Cashman just so much leeway in running that franchise the way he sees fit that I don't see that ending anytime soon. Yeah. I know Aaron a little bit. You know, baseball fans tend to eat their young. So much of the analytic world has taken game day lineups and decisions out of their hands. So, and I'm for analytics. I think, I think there's a momentum in all sports that data can't track. That's always, it's, it's almost, you know, the NBA now has this kind of science analytics department where like stars are 100% pain free like Anthony Davis and he just

won't play because they're worried about a stress fracture. And it's, I think it's, I think it bothers fans. Baseball's made some really, I think, interesting and sharp changes. Finally, they were always reticent for years. I sat with a AA general manager from Richmond a couple days ago flying back from Florida. And he said this shot, this pitch clock thing, he said it'll take 20 minutes off your games. And I'm in the car the other day. Ian, and I'm listening to a Dodger game on radio, and I live eight minutes from the grocery

store, and they got through an inning. The announcers didn't have time to tell stories and wax poetic. It was just like, ball strike, ball strike. I like it because I think the iPhone has made us all impatient. We read headlines, not stories. I think the play needs to be more frenetic. How does it land? You're more of an old school baseball guy. How does it land for you? Oh, no, I like it a lot. To me, like three hours is the line of demarcation with baseball. Now, when I'm at a game as a fan in the stands, I sort of hope it lasts forever. When I'm working a game, I feel differently. When I'm watching a game at home, I feel differently. The one rule I don't like is the Ghost Runner on second base and extra innings.

I think you can get rid of that. It's too gimmicky to me. But one thing I saw years ago, my son, as a teenager, his early teens, and all of his friends would get together in the morning on the weekends and watch Premier League's soccer overseas. Yes. And yes. It's two hours. Same here. My step-sons did it. Yep. And yeah. And that's the first American generation never do that. They would actually gather together, watch. It would be like a watch party for Man City against whether it's United or Arsenal. And I was, wow, this is something at age 12, 13, 14, these kids. And part of it was it was a two-hour game. You were in and out.

And so I, and none of them, not one of them, would sit and watch a nine-inning baseball game. And I asked them, and particularly my son, he's like, it's just boring. Dad's too long. It's, you know, and these are kids who play baseball, little league all the way through. Yep. They just didn't want to watch a nine-inning baseball game that might take almost four hours. And so I do think it's smart what baseball is doing now. I think it will help tremendously sort of recruit some of these younger fans.

into the game. And no, I might be old school and old-fashioned in a lot of ways as it pertains to sports, but I'm all in on this one. I just wish they'd get rid of that ghost runner because I don't know if they're going to need as much anymore with the new rules. And I just think that one is a little too gimmicky for my taste. Yeah, maybe do it in the 12th or 13th inning. What they don't want is a Wednesday night game ending at one in the morning where there's

18 people in the stands and it just optically looks bad. For the record, with Anne, her stepson's Josh and Riley. I had the same experience 15 years ago in the basement of our West Hart for Connecticut house. I would come down on Saturday mornings. We were closer to Boston than New York. And I was shocked. Both my stepson's watched the English Premier League. I had the exact same experience and I asked them.

And, you know, what American fans sometimes don't appreciate is that it's 45 minute halves with no breaks. It's literally, there's a time restriction on it unless you go to pay. penalty kicks. And the truth is, Ian, if it's 4 o'clock in the afternoon and we have a 615 dinner reservation, I really appreciate that. Absolutely. I took my son, Kyle, to a man city game. He became a man city fanatic. So we go overseas. And the passion reminded me of college football in the South. I felt like I was at a Georgia-Auburn game. So it is a great game. I think it's taken this country a long time to really sort of fully appreciate it. But for the lack of scoring, I think was an issue with a lot of American sports fans.

But over time, I think that has dissipated. And now it's, I see it only getting more popular as we go forward. Ian O'Connor, as always, it's absolutely great seeing you, man. We'll talk a bunch of this summer. Oh, you too. Thanks, Colin. Make sure to check out the Dremont Green Show. I brought Dramon Green into the volume because one of the more entertaining voices in sports,

unique perspective, understands behind the rope, also chops up with guests like Gary Payton's, Zach Levine, Tracy McGrady, make sure download the Draymond Green Show wherever you get your podcast, only on the volume podcast network. 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

Acapella 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. This is an IHeart podcast. Guaranteed Human.