The Herd with Colin Cowherd - Hour 1 - BREAKING NEWS: Stefon Diggs to the Texans

Episode Date: April 3, 2024

Colin reacts to big NFL breaking news where the Bills are trading star WR Stefon Diggs to the Texans He points out Caitlin Clark's popularity resulting in record breaking TV ratings Ryen Russillo from The Ringer joins the show to explain why rookie Victor Wembanyama has already surpassed expectations as a generational prospectSee 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.

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All right, here we go. We're live in Los Angeles. It is a Wednesday, and this is The Hurd. Wherever you may be and however you may be listening, thanks for making us part of your day. NFL trade today leaves one team the Buffalo Bills with a hole, elevates another team that just keeps adding really nice pieces. Stefan Diggs has been trained.

to the Texans, Jordan. This is one that I think you, as an NFL guy, insider, this has been percolating. Even last year there were discussions. So I don't think this was shocking. Sometimes the timing of it is. I wouldn't have been surprised if it happened two weeks ago, but it happened before the draft.

Yeah. So that gives now, Buffalo knows that first pick, I think 28th pick first round. They're going to get a receiver. Yeah. But I think we all kind of saw this coming. Yeah. This thing started to percolate the combine.

I had been told that Houston and Buffalo are starting to have these conversations. It came down to draft comp. Buffalo wanted a pick, and they wanted that two in this year's draft. And that's why I thought we had more time. I was just talking about it offset. I thought Buffalo was going to trade Diggs, but I thought it might happen right at the draft, and then they would try to get that 2024 number two. Ultimately, Houston wouldn't budge.

It's a great good for Houston with C.J. Stroud. Yeah. So let's talk about this. Stefan Diggs gone, Josh Allen, the Bill star quarterback, absolutely signed off on this. I was told a year ago that privately Josh Allen was getting frustrated with some of the drama. There is no proof you need a number one receiver, a dominant number one receiver to win a Super Bowl. You do need a good coach. You generally need a better than average offensive line and pass rush, and you need some weapons.

But a star number one receiver, there's no proof. Chiefs didn't have it this year. Stefan Diggs is very good. Five years in Minnesota and four with the Buffalo Bills, but a little drama in both places, and Kirk Cousins and Josh Allen win. That's the NFL. You keep the quarterback if he's B plus or above.

The one position in the NFL that historically has given us some drama with personality just tends to be wide receiver. I've got my own theories why. Andre Risen, T.O., Randy Moss, Des, Des Bryant, A, B, it's just that one position, but make no doubt about it. Stefan Diggs is excellent and was incredibly productive first in the NFL in receiving yards since he has arrived there. He mattered. He was very valuable despite some turbulence in the last year and a half.

He is a great fit for the Texans. I'll get to that in a second. But wide receivers in the NFL tend to be all about fit. Joe Burrow, Jamar Chase, buddies since college. Matt Stafford, Cooper Cup. It's literally like they read each other's minds on routes. Julian Edelman and Tom Brady, highly detailed and precise players, were literally monsters year after year in the playoffs.

But this is the thing with wide receivers, especially those that are outspoken in drama. They have an expiration date. Now, they're not like milk. They're not going to sour in a week. It can take years. and Stefan Diggs was highly productive, a player I like a lot in Minnesota, and highly productive.

I think he's going to end his career in Houston and be really, really good with C.J. Stroud, the Texans, and here's the thing about the NFL, it's so crazy. If you get the quarterback right, C.J. Stroud, isn't it amazing how everything works? Every single move, Joe Mixon, a run game, that'll work. Stefan Diggs, I like that. Every draft pick. Tank Dell, I knew that guy. guy was going to be. That's what happens when you get the quarterback right. When you don't in

Carolina and a year ago, Carolina Houston were the same thing. A mess. A mess. Carolina's quarterback's not working so far. Nothing feels like it's right. In Houston, every move feels like it's working right. But here's my concerns if you're Buffalo. This is an offensive league now. Andy Reed, the greatest offensive coach arguably ever, and maybe the best coach ever, has rebuilt his offensive line twice in a year, rebuilt his receiving core more than once, and his defense, and they just keep getting to Super Bowls. Can Sean McDermott, a defensive coach, who has struggled to build a running game for seven years, has struggled to consistently build an offensive line?

can he now totally rebuild his receiving core in one draft? I have my doubts. Again, Andy Reed, Sean McVeigh, those guys rebuild receiving cores, rebuild run games, rebuild offensive lines in an offseason. Because the league now, it's all about elevating them. McVeigh, if he coached 20 years ago, Andy Reid did coach 20 years ago, the rules all worked against them. Now the defensive coaches have them all working against them.

And I've had my doubts with Pete Carroll's last several offensive lines, Mike Tomlin's offensive lines, Sean McDermott's offensive lines, Brandon Staley and the Chargers it got worse. Can McDermott rebuild this wide receiving core? It's a good draft for receivers in one year. Because Baltimore looks like it'll be better. Kansas City's going nowhere. Miami's still good.

Aaron Rogers coming back. C.J. Stroud's now a star. Herbert has Jim Harbaugh. The AFC, last year was an opening. Burrow hurt. Mahomes had a bad receiving core. Justin Herbert didn't have a capable coach. The AFC next year is going up.

It's going to get better. The star quarterback's getting better. The star quarterback's healthy. I just don't know if Buffalo took advantage of that small, window of weakness last year in the conference. Wish them well, they're not going to draft just one receiver, I'd expect two.

So this is interesting. I am not a bear of bad news, but I am America's honesty broker. I dubbed myself that. So Iowa, LSU got 12 million people watch that game. That's about double what I thought would get it because it was on cable, not broadcast television, but it really touched

the hearts of Americans. The game after it, Yukon, USC, got seven million, which is about 60% of the rating, but mostly driven by Caitlin Clark gave him the greatest lead in the world. That's why networks for years and years and years and years, if they get a hit show and they want to introduce a new show, they put it after the hit show. So it beat the NBA finals in 2023, Caitlin Clark did. It beat the 2020s World Series. It beat every college football regular season game except Michigan, Ohio State. But here's the thing. Women's College basketball also got 12 million viewers in 1983

because of another star, Cheryl Miller. And it lost all the ratings. They could never sustain it. The feel-good story, what I'm hearing is women's basketball is now a power to be reckoned with. And I'm saying, Ollie in boxing, Tiger and Golf, MJ and the NBA. Don't be so sure.

the product is significantly better now. That helps. That absolutely helps. LSU, Iowa, more than anything, it's a damn good game. Good players, fast, fun, fluid. Which the guys played like that. But this really is about two things to me. A superstar in Caitlin Clark, and they come along so rarely.

A serena. You're not going to replace her. Higer, Ali, MJ. I could argue the NBA's never recovered from MJ. They lost 50% of the ratings. They've never gotten all of them. Not even close. That doesn't mean women's basketball isn't growing, isn't viable, and won't be around.

But beyond Caitlin Clark, there's something else here that needs to be noted. America loves basketball. We love Olympic basketball. We love Caitlin Clark. We love March Madness, Men's and Women's. And we've loved individual NBA stars. MJ, Dr. Jay, Magic, Bird, Steph Curry, sometimes LeBron. The difference is Iowa and Caitlin Clark and the women in general have been very easy to like.

This was four years in the making, right? You had the rival, you had Caitlin Clark, you have Kim Mulkey. Four years in the making, this puppy baked. This thing's been in the oven for years baking and baking and baking and baking. and men's basketball is broken and the NBA's system is broken. The NBA makes it hard to like. We want to like basketball. We love it.

We love the Olympic teams. We wear Jordan's shoes everywhere. We love Caitlin Clark. The men's ratings this year are good. But the NBA with its arrogance, its load management, you take your kids to the game, and the stars aren't there. I went to a Celtics Bulls game in Chicago. two weeks ago.

The Celtics, for no other reason then the guys are tired, sat three of its four best players. Inexcusable for a Saturday night date night game. Inexcusable. Do that on Tuesday. Not a national TV game, not a Friday or Saturday night game, or a Sunday

TV game. We want to like the NBA, and we have loved it and many of its players. But they make it hard, and Caitlin Clark and Women's College Basketball has made it easy. It's a rivalry. There's stability.

It's a rematch. There's a little controversy. They're feisty. But they've always been respectful. LSU was always respectful of Iowa. Women have every right to chatter and trash talk to. I think it's fun. That doesn't bother anybody that's reasonable.

But I think it's a bit of a cautionary tale. The men's ratings this year, even though the quality isn't great, have been fantastic. The women are setting records. Yes, the product is better, but it's Caitlin Clark mostly. The dream team, the Olympians. NBA, are you watching? Are you listening?

Suit up and play. Stop with the arrogance. Load management doesn't exist in any other sport. Baseball players sit out in that damn sun all summer long in the heat, in Cincinnati, in Atlanta, in Houston, and St. Louis, and it's just nothing but heat. And they fight to get in the lineup. And NFL guys play hurt.

hockey guys play after fights and losing teeth. Caitlin Clark is great. Women's basketball's on fire at least for now. But it does show you we want to watch basketball. We love basketball. We love it stars. And Caitlin Clark also provides something that virtually never happens in sport. She's the best player and the underdog.

It's why we fell in love with Jordan. The Pistons and Celtics were better for years and they beat Michael up. Michael was the best player, but he was treated like an underdog. And it was so easy to root for Michael Jordan. Because he got pushed and tackled for years by the Pistons and the Celtics. And then he burst through and we felt like we were part of it. We'd seen it. He cried.

He grabbed it. Remember that? Caitlin Clark, these numbers will not be sustained forever. But it is an example. We love basketball. make it easy to like you. We will. Angel Reese, even Kim Malkie, after that loss.

She was likable. She's like, I told her, I'm so glad you're leaving. You're the best player I've ever seen. Gino Oriam is arrogant. He wasn't with Caitlin Clark. He's like, that's the best woman I've ever seen play basketball. We want to like you. Make it easy.

Caitlin Clark has. Even Luca, by the way, last night. Dallas Maverick star, Best Pure Scorer in the NBA, was talking about Caitlin Clark. There's more Steph Curry, man. It's a woman, Seth Curry. She gets shorter better than me. On many nights, she can.

All right, good stuff. Stefan Diggs has been traded. Ryan Rosillo, Daniel Jeremiah, Kevin O'Connor. We are loaded today. Be sure to catch live editions of the herd weekdays in noon Eastern, 9 a.m. Pacific. On Fox Sports Radio, FS1, and the IHeard Radio app. 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, 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 4. You might have seen the skits, the reactions, my journey from basketball to college football, or my career in sports media. Well, somewhere along the way, this platform became bigger than I ever imagined.

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

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

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

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

Mark this is the second episode where we've discussed crack so I'm starting to see there's a through line We also have AIDS on the table right now So Thank you finishing that sentence

And 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 podcast The Warriors last night did what's very hard to do kept the Dallas Mavericks at a hundred points and both Luca and Kyrie were great.

The Warriors are now giving themselves a cushion. They're three games ahead of the Houston Rockets who they played tomorrow in a playing game. So they play tomorrow, but they're three games ahead of Houston for the playing spot. And they also were in a five-game winning streak. And during this winning streak, Draymond Green has been really, really good.

He's been the difference, not Steph. Curry. So, in a great example is last night, Luca and Kyrie were amazing. They shot 51% from the floor. They scored half of Dallas's points. Steph Curry struggled. And with Luca Kyrie and Steph on the floor, Draymond Green made the key plays in the fourth quarter to win it. What he unlocks with this offense is substantial. You've got to watch it to get it. Not every great player has to be a scoring machine. The first great player in the NBA was probably Bill Russell known for his defense in rebounding. Not every great player has to be. to be beloved on every possession or every road trip.

We did 30 for 30s on the Bad Boy Pistons and Nick Pat Riley's Knicks. So the Warriors, this is indisputable, are 10 games above 500 when Draymond plays and sub-500 when he doesn't. And 1.30 left in the game, there was a tremendous defensive play at the rim. Draymond made that play. May have been the best defensive play by the Warriors all season. I haven't watched every game, but they talked about it like that. He came down in the next possession and scored, and that was really the ball game.

This warrior's winning streak, longest of the season, he's playing 30 plus minutes. He was closer to 24, 25 earlier. His plus minus is plus 22. Last night, a virtuoso performance by the guy who's a different kind of star, a bit of a villain, more about defense than offense, but don't doubt that Steve Kerr ever, ever underestimates his value. That was probably the key defensive play of the game. It was just a massive play. I thought he was going to go up to try to foul him and he just had the right angle for the block. And that was a huge play. And Draymond was brilliant defensively as he has been, you know, for a while now.

And that's one of the reasons we've been able to kind of turn the season around. Yeah. I don't know if the Warriors have enough to win multiple playoffs. series. But again, you don't have to like them all the time, but people defended Lambere in Detroit. I don't want to hear a Piston fan ever complain about Dremont. You defended Rodman, you defended Lambere, you defended the bad boys. Don't want to hear a New York sports fan complain about Draymond Green. The Knicks had no shooters and six people who could tackle other basketball players. The reality is physical and defense matters in the NBA and you saw it last night, here's Jordan with the news.

No, no, no, no. Turn on the news. This is the Heard Line News. All right, Colin, let's start with some NFL draft talk. As I reported yesterday, the Jets are set to meet with Washington wide receiver Rome O'Dunesay today. Now, Rome had 13

tuddies and over 1,600 yards last season. The Jets hold the 10th overall pick in the draft. Colin, I don't know if he's going to be there at 10. Chicago has 9. But I did have one scout, the Devante Adams comparison to me with O'Donzee, except he said, you know what?

It's a little bigger, it's a little faster. Can you imagine Garrett Wilson, Romo Dunzee, Aaron Rogers, not to mention your guy, Reese Hall. Yeah, I wonder though, Aaron Rogers, much like Brady, has never loved young receivers, right? And this

team still has to address left tackle because the band-aids they went and got like Tyron Smith, that's not good enough. This offensive line was near the bottom. of the league and putting band-aids on a much bigger issue, I'd trade down and still try to get the Penn State or Oregon State tackles. And I think that, you know, I know you say, well, we need wide receivers. If you could trade down once, you get a second and a third pick

potentially, and that solves problems. This is not right now. Aaron Rogers, over the last three to four years, we talked about it yesterday, has not won a playoff game in years, and has not won multiple playoff games in about nine years. He is not elevating average rosters. This roster needs three to four more starters, almost all of them offense, a tackle, a receiver, a tight end, a second back, an interior offensive linemen. So I don't think it's about getting Roma Dundze. I think it's about moving down, getting another second or third.

And so I would, if I was the Jets, my first three to four picks would all be offensive. I don't have a problem with that. Look, go look at what Chicago has done. What did they do for about a two-week period? Receiver, running back, tight end. That's okay. They're trying to ensure that Caleb Williams works right out of the gate. So if I'm the Jets, get another tackle, get another receiver.

There's plenty of them in the second, third, fourth. Get a tight end and get somebody to back up Breeze Hall because he's had a big injury. But I know everybody loves that top receiver pick, but they've got more needs. than I think Jet fans would acknowledge. Let me count of that and say maybe Brock Bowers at 10 instead of trading back. Again, Brock Bowers at 10 is a unique tight end. Roma Dunzee is a very good receiver

and a draft filled with him. This is sort of a two to three tight end draft. If you listen, last year was the big tight end draft. Yeah. This year's more the receiver tackle quarterback draft. All right, sticking with the upcoming draft, in Lance Zerline's latest mock, he has the G-Men trading up to three

to select Drake May. Now, in that trade, Lance says the Patriots received the sixth pick and then take LSU's Malik neighbors. Colin, Daniel Jones to Drake May in New York? Well, if I was, let's just say, Lance Zerline is right, and Caleb and Jaden are the first taken. If I'm Drake May, I would rather go to the Giants than the Patriots because I have a proven offensive coach. Now, New York and New England to me, along with Carolina, are bereft of any offensive skill. They're just, I don't remember teams in recent memory. Three teams, Giants.

Panthers. Panthers, Patriots. No quarterback, rookie quarterback is going to succeed, including Caleb Williams. That is going to be a tough road. But I do think the Giants, if they get a Drake May with this offensive coach, they'll cobble together drives. They'll cobble together success. Drake May is not quite Josh Allen, who Brian Dable has worked with, but he's a big, strong. kid who can move. There are some Josh Allen, Herbert Comps.

So if I'm Drake May, if I'm any of these quarterbacks, the one nightmare scenario is New England. Defensive coach, rookie defensive coach, bad weather. And I mean, we've got to be honest about this. Really, really weak perimeter skill players. Yeah. Yeah, and it'd be interesting to go from a Duke guy to a Carolina guy. But Colin, I have, I mean, listen, you can never be 100% sure with these things, but I'm pretty convinced that Giants will take a quarterback in this draft. Whether that's May or not, it remains to be seen. All right, finally, let's talk some college hoops. NC states win over Duke on Sunday.

Average over 15 million viewers, making it the most watched Elite 8 game since 2019. Now, the 11-seated Wolfpack upset their ACC rival in this game to reach their first final four Collins hits 1983. We are seeing Star Power drive ratings in both the women's game. Women's Tournament this year as well. I'm pretty fired up about March Madden as Colin. What say you? Well, I have a theory on this that now Caitlin Clark is the exception.

She's a star. But this is probably as little elite talent as the men have ever had in recent memory. There's just no NBA guys. Yukon's got a couple. Kentucky had a couple. But I have this theory that when there's chaos and uncertainty in the country, people seek comfort. So historically, when we're at war, ice cream sales, mashed potato sales, people like comfort food. When we're not at war, skydiving, bungee jumping, adventure sports sales go up.

And right now we're going into a highly turbulent political season. It's already started. Biden and Trump. We have an economy that is punishing a lot of people in small businesses. There's a lot of uncertainty. March Madness is comfort. food for sports. Everybody in the office has a bracket. Everybody can play along. We don't think these teams are as talented as they used to be, but it's comfort food for sports. March Madness,

you know, baseball playoffs. You know, Olympics and World Cup are great, but we get them every four years. There are certain things where everybody in a family can play along. March Madness, more than anything in American sports is it. If the secretary can win the pool and not like sports. The president can be distracted. He can win the pool. Your daughter, your son can win the pool. I don't think we're watching because the quality of basketball is amazing.

I think a lot of people, myself being one of them, am trying to get out of the political stuff. I get it off my phone. I put filters up. I don't want to watch it. It's too angry. And I think this feels like something we can put our arms around. And they're good stories. Caitlin's a great story. Angel Reese and LSU, the rival.

DJ Burns is a great story. Edie, he's another underdog. What's funny is Caitlin Clark and Zach Eaddy are great players, and yet they're sort of perceived as underdogs. LSU has more elite recruiting talent. Zach Edie doesn't fit in the NBA.

So it's weird. They're the greatest players in their sport and they're viewed as total underdogs. And again, this is my macro opinion. Probably wrong. But I do think March, with all that's going on in the world, the economy, all the Biden-Trump stuff, you can put your arms

around this, play along with your family, and ignore the nonsense. I would say, too, that having a DJ Burns, Zach Eadie, the big guys, we haven't seen that renaissance. Like, it's always about guards in the tournament. Well, now all of a sudden, you have a 7-4 dude who no one knows if he's going to play in the NBA, and DJ Burns, whoever says, you know, he's pretty good at basketball, but he should play football. And both of them have captivated the country as big men. Usually, March Madness is about guards. I love it. Yeah. Jordan with the news. Well, that's the news.

And thanks for stopping by. The Hurd-Lie News. So one of the things, I got some Jim Harbaugh stuff today, Ryan Rusillo stopping by, Victor Wemba, put on a clinic last night. Good Lord, is that guy good. Like, I mean, these European players come in, like Luca and Wembe,

and because they have an academy, and they play against older players in Europe, those dudes are ready to play. Like, Luca, five games in, you're like, yeah, that's going to be 30 a night. Wemby last night had eight assists, 15 rebounds, nine blocks, and 23 points. He's like 19, 20 years old. He's got no help around him.

None. They're the worst team in the league. And you imagine with a rookie, he'll get 25, 30% better in terms of his stats over the next couple years. So this is probably the baseline of what Wemby's going to be. Yeah. You know? So I want to say this. What I'm trying to do on the quarterbacks, because this is fun.

We all make predictions on quarterbacks, how they're going to do in the drafts. where they're going to go. So here are my strongest three takes on all these quarterbacks. These are the three things I'm most sure about with all these quarterbacks. Three things. Number one, Caleb Williams will wow you and be productive. I have no idea if he'll ever win a division. I have no idea if he'll ever win a Super Bowl.

But the general manager, a former offensive lineman, has really done a nice job to give him two receivers, two tight ends of back. and the O-line's better than people think. So the first thing I'm sure of, much like Andrew Luck, you will watch Caleb Williams and go, yeah, that's much better than Justin Fields. He's not going to go 10 and 28 in his first 38 games. He's not going to be brutal three years later in the fourth quarter. He's not going to complete barely 60%.

You will be at some point as a rookie going, holy, yeah, yeah, that's really, really good. Again, lions and Packers are excellent. Minnesota's O is viable. Not saying he's going to win a lot of games. You'll be wowed by him. My second takeaway is whoever Minnesota drafts will eventually be pretty good. It'll be the best version of them. It's an unfinished apartment.

Minnesota's got the coach, the left tackle, two receivers, a good tight end. They play indoors in a defensive light division and an offensive heavy division. And they also have Sam Donald. You can sit for a year. So whoever goes to Minnesota, it's turnkey, it's move in, it is a furnished apartment, just put some Diet Coke's in the fridge,

you're ready to go. They, and I don't care who it is, Jaden Daniels, J.J. McCarthy, Bownicks, Michael Penix, Drake May, whoever goes to Minnesota, if they don't succeed, they're just not an NFL quarterback. They will take that kid and it is the best

situation of all the teams that need a quarterback. The best. Hands down. My third take is New England's the opposite of what I just said. I don't think any of these guys can succeed there. No weapons, cold weather, tough division, brutal conference, rookie defensive coach. I don't think you can win in New England. Now, that's why I think there's an argument to be made that you move down, accumulate all sorts of good draft picks, get the roster to be more viable, and then get your quarterback in the free agent market. This year you had Russell Wilson and Kirk Cousins.

You could have gotten Baker-Mayfield. I don't think you have to set these quarterbacks up to succeed. Lamar was set up to succeed. Sat behind Flacco, great head coach, continuity. Mahomes set up to succeed. Alex Smith, Andy Reid, legitimate GM. England is, it's not going to work. I mean, Jaden Daniels can run around and make plays.

You just can't win in the NFL as a rookie in the AFC with that. So Caleb's going to wow you, regardless of how many games he wins, you're going to go, yeah. Yeah, that's why we moved off Justin Fields. Minnesota, whoever goes there, that kid is very lucky. That is, you got the four-leaf clover. That's a really good place to go. and New England, it'll be the only time ever

a number three pick bows his head and wishes he went somewhere else because I don't think that's going to work. All sorts of stuff. Sham Sharanya is saying two more years, definitely what people are talking about in the league. The end of LeBron James moving on.

We'll discuss that coming up. Be sure to catch live editions of the herd weekdays in noon Eastern 9 a.m. Pacific. Hey, it's me. Parker, check out my weekly MLB podcast Inside the Parker for 22 minutes of Pipe and Hot baseball talk, featuring the biggest names and newsmakers in the sport. Whether you believe in analytics or the I-Test, we've got all the bases covered. New episodes drop every Thursday, so do yourself a favor and listen to Inside the Parker with Rob Parker on the IHeart Radio app or wherever you get your podcast.

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

Listen to Superhuman on the I-Hard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care what you're saying. Yep, that's me, Cliver Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, the reactions, my journey from basketball to college football, or my career in sports media.

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

and for people who are chasing something bigger. So, if you've ever supported me or you're just chasing down a dream, this is right where you need to be. Listen to the Clifford Show on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at Tickford. Talk Podcast Network on TikTok. Do you remember when Diana Ross double-tap Little Kim's boobs at the VMAs?

Or when Kanye said that George Bush didn't like black people. I know what you're thinking. What the hell does George Bush got to do with Little Kim? Well, you can find out on the Look Back at it podcast. I'm Sam J. And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick a here, unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it. Including a recent episode with Mark Lamont Hill, waxing all about crack in the 80s.

Clearly, 84 is big to me, not just because of crack. I'm down to talk about crack all day, but just so you 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 Podcast. or wherever you get your podcasts. He's the host of the very, very popular Ryan Rosillo podcast at the ringer. Been my buddy for a long time. My only friend that I allow to be a friend, the fact that he never picks up the phone when I call him. But I guess that's okay.

That's our relationship. All right. I don't want to hear your excuses. All right. Hi, everybody. Okay. Let's just overview on Stefan Diggs. That's one of those trades.

Like, I think we all thought it was going to have a year ago and then six months ago. and then six weeks ago, like it happened and I was like, oh, okay, Houston's good. I mean, your takeaway, here's what I worry about, Ryan. Andy Reid has rebuilt the offensive line twice and his receiving group, and they keep ended up in Super Bowls. That's an offensive coach. Can Sean McDermott in an offseason, in a draft, go rebuild his receiving core? Like, I have doubts.

Do you? I do. You know, Curtis Sam was a nice player, but he's had over 800 yards one time throughout. his entire career. And so when you look at their depth chart, you know, there's a couple guys like, I remember when that guy made a play, that's kind of good. But there were certain Bill's games where I felt like he was only Giggs. Like Diggs was the only guy getting it going. Now I do like what they've done at the tight end position, but they need the health to be there. So I think they put Josh Allen, at least based on the depth chart as of today, in a tough

spot. They'll clearly address the position, I would imagine, just based on need here, once the draft comes around, but that's asking a lot of a young guy for a team that still has Super Bowl aspirations. And look, this past year, I'm over any of the Josh Allen hate. I'm just over it. And this guy's really, really good. And he loses the Pat Mahomes. But the loss a couple of years. Like, sometimes you just make this more complicated than we need it to be.

It's like, you run through his playoff game log and you're like, wait, what did he do in that game? Like, he did that. He did that many yards. He's 21 touchdowns, I think four. Like, the numbers are absurd. And then he doesn't beat Pat Mahomes, who nobody really beats now. And it's like, I don't know about this guy.

So I'm overall, that stuff, but this feels like a certain Brady year. Now, granted, we still have the draft, so I shouldn't get ahead of myself. But like certain Brady years where Brady's showing up to camping, like, what are we doing? Like, I took a pay cut, and this is what we're doing at the receiver position. So the digs thing felt like it was heading to this point. And receivers can be difficult at times. There just seemed to be a lot of drama around it. So I understand Buffalo's motivation.

I'm worried about the depth of the position. But I think on the Texan side, it just makes a lot of sense. Because when you have those young quarterbacks on this rookie scale, I love the franchises that do this for the quarterbacks. Like, hey, let's go get a stud at the position while we have a discounted quarterback. So I was talking about this earlier this week. I don't have an answer for it. But the West, since Michael Jordan retired, has had more than double the championships.

They've had a Laker dynasty, a Spurs dynasty, a Warriors dynasty. And we may be looking at a Denver dynasty. And it's just the West has been better. Is it the winter weather? Four teams in California, better owners? I don't know what it is, but I look at the West this year, and I'm like, are you kidding me? The Warriors and Lakers are battling to get in. Like, for the first time in two years, I'm like, I think this Laker team's excellent.

They don't beat Denver, but they're big enough to match up with them. And I kind of look at the West, and I look at the Warriors, and I think I like him, but they're not big enough. They don't match up with Denver. Let's get past that. But I look at the Lakers for the first time ever. And since they bench Dilo, I always always had this theory, like baseball staffs. If Austin Reeves is your four, you can play in the finals. If he's a two, you're into the playoffs and out.

If he's a three, you'll win a series. Since December, the benching, D-Lo now is like the three. And it's like, I don't know. I've been a Laker Hater for years. I kind of like him this year. Do you? Yeah, I think they deserve a lot of credit here because, you know, we've spent so much time talking about them.

And that's coming off of Western Conference Finals' appearance, where they had moments where in those games with Denver. None of us thought like, oh, I'll break here, break there. It's like, okay, you still got swept. But when I've watched them the last couple months, like I expected the Gangel Russell thing to be just a blip. And it's three straight months of this guy basically not missing shots. And he's making some huge shots in big games if other guys aren't around.

And Rui's development, I don't even know if I call it development, but the peak that he's playing at because he's been around long enough. It's not like, oh, the light went off finally. but he's been terrific. So you look at the guys and you go, okay, this makes sense. But in relation to your point about the West where, you know, for such a long time, it was so absurd how much better the West was. We started arguing whether or not the nine seed of the West should just get one of the spots in the East

because the East was sending in teams at 7 and 8 that were terrible. The East had a bit of a resurgence, but now it's clearly the back to this. I've never been more, I don't know if clueless is the right word, but I don't know what's going to happen here. I'm going to default to Denver, but I think one of those teams on the front half of the first one through four is going to lose to one of these lower seeds. And as you mentioned with Golden State and the Lakers, like Golden States, if you look at their season in certain increments, they have the second most wins in the NBA since late January. And last night's game was huge. Houston's right behind him, and now they're three games up after a really successful week.

And Golden State in L.A., one of those teams isn't going to be in the playoffs, most likely. Yeah. So, you know, Wemby put up a clinic last night. And I do think that the European model, which is you play against older guys, the academy is no nonsense. AAU is a little broken to me. It's, you know, play too many games, too much about cash and cool and stats. And I don't love our system. And I think international players come over here and they're a little bit more focused and mature and ready to go.

Like Aluka was good, fifth game. Wemby has been like, wow, what am I watching here? You really like, you're one of the guys I know that loves the NBA comedy. And everybody knew Wembe a year ago. I mean, there's like, there's a, there's another French player. And next year's, this, this coming draft, everybody has said, that's the guy. But even in the, I look at some of these numbers and I'm like, is he better than we thought? I mean, he was the next great.

Is Wemby better than you thought? He's been better this year than I thought he would be because he's been ridiculous. Like, whatever, whatever ceiling you had on him and going, okay, maybe. maybe it'll take a couple years. Like, he's already there now. This isn't the finished product, clearly. But when you think of the hype and then the few players that ever surpassed that hype, like it's such a short list.

LeBron surpassed all that height. Tiger Woods surpassed all that height. I think O'Tani, in a way, surpassed. Like, wait, is Atani really going to do all of these things? They're like, yeah, he did. And I know he's not going to pitch this year because he's hurt. But with Wimbunyama, like, okay, I know that he's huge. And I know that he moves well.

And I know the defense is going to be there. but I think it's something you pointed to. It's the way he's been conditioned, not just as a player, but as a person. He seems to get it immediately. And that's not supposed to happen with somebody this young. Every quote, his demeanor during games, you know, for the longest time, the Euro label of those guys being soft, I think it applied. Like, I do all the draft stuff all the way going back 20 years.

You're like, I don't know about this guy. But something clicked, you know, going back to, I would say, like, with Prozingus, you know, Luca looks like he's mad at the world when he's out there the entire time, but you know, I'd rather have that than somebody who's passive. And with Wembe Nama, you know, I had Doug McDermen on, who was a teammate, obviously with the Pacers now,

but I asked him, I go, what is it about him that surprised you? He goes, man, he is like up for it, the challenge, in games, some guy, the first time they're matched up with him being like, all right, I'm going to push the skinny guy around, and Wembe Nama's like, it doesn't matter. Like, you're not going to intimidate me. And to have this

person be this good at basketball, but also this good at understanding the responsibility being the face of a franchise, there's no grade that's too high for him in what he's done his rookie year. Okay, we got two minutes left. You and I both lived in Connecticut. I'm mystified that the best basketball school, men's and women's in the country for the last 20 years is arguably Yukon. Even the cows are bored in stores.

There's nothing there. They are so much better than everybody. Duke, UCLA, Arizona, all these flashy, big names. schools, better weather, two minutes. Why are they so good every year? What is it? I cannot believe it, okay? Because I've been to stores a few times.

I grew up going to those Big East games, and the only reason my dad would bring me so we could watch Chris Mullen and Patrick Ewing and Pearl Washington just destroy Yukon every time. Like, we just go to the Yukon games to watch everybody beat them. And Calhoun comes in, sets a standard, and then you think, okay, well, post-Calhoun, it can't possibly be the same.

But, you know, culture gets thrown around all the time. Whatever it is with them, they prioritize it in a way that you just, like, I get Kentucky, I get UCLA, I get those ACC schools. Yeah. But anybody that's been to stores, like if you're in stores, you're excited to go to Hartford. So Hurley's, Hurley's that good. Yes. Hurley is that good.

And so whatever you had post-Calhoun, where you're, were like, wait, is this real? Like, is this really going to happen? The Ollie run was like incredible. You're like, wait, they're actually putting this together. I do think there's some kind of thing that when you show up and you're at that campus and you put that a uniform, you just know that there's a standard. And it feels a little cliche, but clearly that's part of it on top of the fact that Hurley

can reinvent this entire roster. And they look scarier this year than when they won it last year. Yeah, yeah. No, he said yesterday when he was on on Monday, he said, Youcon, we recruit serious people. We come here to play basketball. That's what we do. It's not about your NIL money.

Serious people. All right, Ricelo, pick the phone up when I call. Try not to be so busy, buddy. It's great seeing you as always. You wear that shirt. I will meet up with you. All right. Ryan Rissillo, listen to his podcast,

the Ryan Rissillo podcast. Outstanding. Yeah, we lived around each other in Connecticut. It's just remarkable. You get Kentucky. Horse country, Lexington, the arena, Dean Smith, Dean Dome, you know, you go to Duke, the crazies, UCLA, you know, Arizona, and then you're like Yukon, you're like, how, how, what?

Shouldn't St. John's, shouldn't North Carolina always, shouldn't Kansas, they invented basketball? Like, there's just some things that are, and I think to Ryan's point, there is a, the culture matters there. Like they recruit players who want to practice, who want to play defense, who can be yelled at. It's not about NIL. You're not going to transfer when you don't get playing time.

It's a serious place for basketball, and I love it. All right. We got good stuff. Daniel Jeremiah, former NFL scout, two teams. His thoughts on the draft. Sharm Sharanya says, LeBron's playing two years and that's about it, so I've got thoughts on that. Jim Harbaugh, I've never seen him happier.

Jim Harbaugh is the happiest he's ever been. That's coming up. Another podcast from some SNL, late-night comedy guy, Not quite. Unhumor me with Robert Smygel and Friends. Me and hilarious guests from Bob Odenkirk to David Letterman help make you funnier. This week, my guest, S&L's Mikey Day and head writer, Streeter Seidel, help an a cappella band with their between songs banter. Where does your group perform? We do some retirement homes.

Those people are starving for banter. Listen to humor me with Robert Smigel and Friends on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not. 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, Cliford 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 Clifford 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 Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, Follow at Clifford and at TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok. This is an IHeart podcast, guaranteed human.