The Herd with Colin Cowherd - Hour 1 - Nikola Jokic and Steph Curry

Episode Date: April 2, 2025

Colin declares Nikola Jokic the perfect model for modern basketball after an incredible 61-point performance and on pace to have his most productive season despite already winning 3 MVPs He explains why it's obvious 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy will get a massive contract extension based on recent comments from the team owner Thoughts on Steph Curry's 52 point game against the Grizzlies See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is an IHeart podcast. Guaranteed Human. Hey guys, it's us. The Jonas Brothers. I'm Joe. I'm Kevin. And I'm Nick. And guess what? We created our own podcast called, Hey Jonas.

We invented a podcast? Well, we didn't invent it. We just contributed to it. We're the first people to do podcasts. We get to ask other people questions because we're sick and tired of being asked questions. Well, sick and tired is a strong way to put it. But, you know, tired and sick. Listen to Hey Jonas on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you.

you get your podcast. Just listen. We don't care where you hear it. 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 ice. Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Every family has its secrets. But what happens when you discover that your dad has been living a double life? That is not the look of an innocent man. Is everyone lying to me about who they are? I felt such desperation. I felt it was what I had to do. Listen to Deep Cover the Family Man. on the iHeart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Some day into right now with Buddy by Jake Radio, nonstop workout music and expert tips 24-7. Hey, head over to iHeart.com. Search Body by Jake Radio and stream it for free right now. Awesome health and wellness tips 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Remember, stick to the fight. When your hardest hit, it's when things seem worse that you must not quit. Don't quit. Body by Jake Radio, where hope meets momentum. Body by Jake Radio and stream it for free. Have a great day.

IHeart Radio. Thanks for listening to The Heard Podcast. Be sure to catch us live every weekday on Fox Sports Radio in noon to 3 Eastern, 9 a.m. to noon Pacific. Find your local station for the herd at Fox SportsRedio.com or stream us live every day in the IHeart Radio app by searching Fox Sports Radio or FSR. You're listening to Fox Sports Radio. Oh, it is a Wednesday, and it's a busy one live in Los Angeles.

It's the herd wherever you may be, and however you may be listening. Thanks for making that part of your day. So, you know, they talk about, you know, you'll see lists sometimes, J. Mack, about the best jobs in America, the worst jobs in America, if you're looking for careers, the worst job in America, at least for a night. The worst job in America for a night was Julius Randall, guarding Nicola Yokic last night, who played 53 minutes, 61 points, another triple double. After the game, in Minnesota one, but after the game, Julius Randall said,

my body's in shock. I feel absolutely awful. He's shooting turnaround jumpers is Yokic off the wrong foot. I don't know what I'm watching out there. Listen, all great big men in my life have had one or two great. defining characteristics. Kareem the Skyhook, Russell, rebounding in defense,

Akeem, the footwork, shack the power. And then there's Yokic, who is the modern definition of basketball. He does about six things well. Shoot, pass, screens, postplay, handles the ball, outlet passing, maybe the best in the league. He's currently second in the NBA in steals. It is very LeBron,

redefining what a basketball player is, a versatility we have never seen. And you know, a lot of NBA superstars, and this is probably why the sport is culturally important and artistically important, a lot of the superstars fly past you or jump over you. MJ. That's not Yolkich. He sort of rolls past you, and he leans into you. He's not jumping over anybody. Dramon Green, one of the great defenders in NBA history he acknowledges, yeah, I can stop Janus. I can't stop Joker. White flag, I give up. I give up. And a lot of NBA stars are like action films. Mesmerizing to watch. Yokic is the best book. Layered chapters, each elevating the last chapter, character development, a lot of depth.

There's a little Bill Walton here and absolutely some Arvita Sabonis. It feels like the two great Portland centers of all time, the passing, the intelligence, the ability to score. But this book is better than the movie and most aren't. Read this book. It is all-time stuff. I know it's not always, you know, wow. But, you know, when you talk to opposing players, Julius Randall's 6-8 and a load. and he sounds like last night

he dealt with a Serbian bear. My body is awful. I give up. I don't even know what I'm doing here. Three times more triple doubles than anybody in the league. In fact, you know, as great as Magic Johnson or LeBron are, Yokic is the only basketball player in my entire life, and I've been watching the NBA since the 70s,

that if you said, yeah, guy in the NBA last night had 36, 13 and 11, and it's not a headline. It's just what he does. The greatest book in NBA history. Depth and chapters and layers, it keeps getting better. What's the conclusion? Well, he's got three MVP's and a trophy in any All-Star appearance. In fact, one of my favorite parts of Yokic, he doesn't like the NBA All-Star game.

He doesn't fit. Part of him is anti-NBA. He really is. He's like the book that doesn't even want to be made into a movie. No, I'm good just being a book. Here's his coach and aunt after. Nicola came up to me after the third quarter. I said, coach, I'm good.

You know, leave me in there. You know, I don't want to come out. Let me just keep playing. He was in a good rhythm, obviously. 61 points, 10 assists, 10 rebounds, two steals. The guy's Superman. Oh, my God. He might be the best basketball player.

seen like close up besides to my like besides myself to myself bro he's incredible brer the MVP race is tough now i don't know i don't know he at 60 that's crazy yeah it is for everybody except the joker um so i saw jed york owns a san francisco 49ers a fairly low profile outside of the bay area we know robert craft or we know jerry jones uh he's a little bit more uh under the radar like a stand cronkey you know him in the town he's in but you know he's not out in the press a lot but uh he said yesterday uh yeah brock pretty deal's gonna get done here is jedy york on this contract that is looming we want to make sure that brock is a long-term partner we want to make sure that he's a part of our team for a long time and it's a decision i i don't know exactly when we made it but it was somewhere in the middle of the season knowing that you can start negotiating at the end of the the third year and it's like all right he's our guy and if he's our guy you have to know that and make those decisions and that's where we are right now um and he's kyle's guy and that's the key his

passer rating was 13th his completion percentage was 17th wins he was 18th this is all about kyle shanahan the franchise is kiles kyle and sean mcvay they're the franchise it doesn't always work that way in philadelphia howie roseman is the soul in the center piece. He's the leading voice. In Kansas City or Green Bay, it's shared among many people. But if Kyle Shanahan views Brock Purdy as a top 10 quarterback, then he is. The deal will get done. I mean, Matt Stafford is great. One of the great armed talents of my life in the NFL. But it's the voice of Sean McVeigh that moved into Stafford off of golf and will move eventually off of Stafford. In New England for years, what was the term? In Belichick, we trust. It wasn't in Brady.

It was in Belichick. Bill was the singular decision-making voice in big spots. Now, you can get into trouble when there's Seattle, Russell Wilson, and Pete Carroll both felt like they deserved a little more of the credit for being the voice. That led to a divorce. I think in Green Bay, Mike McCarthy and Aaron Rogers both felt a little disrespected, wanted a little more control. That led to a divorce. But in San Francisco, there are two things about Brock Purdy that Kyle Shanahan loves. Number one, cognitively, he can really read a defense quickly. Sam Darnold said he'd never seen a quarterback like that.

He can just see the field very quickly. processor. And the second thing is, and for a smaller quarterback, this is rare, he'll let her rip. He will absolutely let her rip. He was fourth in big time 20-plus yard passing plays, and that was without Brandon Ayuk. He'll let it go. He sees the play quickly. He processes Uber quickly, and then he lets her rip. Garoppolo wouldn't do that. Trey Lance wouldn't do that. They'd hold the ball. They didn't have that arm confidence. Pretty does. So you may have 55 guys on the roster and 14 trainers and 27 scouts. And the executive front office is 35 people.

But most organizations have a singular voice that makes the biggest decisions. And in San Francisco, that's Kyle Shanahan. Now, he didn't have a ring. He's lost big leads in big games. And there are some skeptics. And I do think sometimes Kyle Shanahan is too tied to the play sheet. McVeigh is willing to blow it up second quarter. third quarter and start over. Shanahan

not as much, but Purdy's going to get the bag because Kyle Shanahan believes he's a top 10 quarterback. And this whole sport is belief. Do you believe in yourself? Do you believe in the quarterback? And in San Francisco? Yes and yes. That's your answer

and that's why he'll get the bag. J. Mack, you know, it is funny when I was, I was thinking of Yokic this morning. And that, you know, Kareem was another guy where, and the All-Star game used to be much different. They played defense and stuff.

But most of the great players in league history are really fun in the All-Star game. They really, they understand it. Even if they're not superstar players, Blake Griffin, they're superstar attractions. Joker is the one guy in this league that is fairly worthless in the All-Star game, and he's the best player in the league, and he doesn't even look like he fits in it. Like, he's like, guys, this isn't really my game. and I think I respect him more for that. Like he is, you know, they use the term unicorn.

He's the unicorn. He doesn't play like the NBA. He rolls into you and past you. He doesn't fly up or over you. He doesn't work with the All-Star festivities. But we are looking at, I think, not only the best player in the game, but a combination of the best two or three Bill Walton years, the best of Sabonis when he was overseas,

and I think he's entered a territory of a top three or four player center in the history of the sport. Yeah, I'm with you. You know, you look at Shaq who was utterly dominant, Akima Lajuan. I think Yolch is right there in the discussion with them. I know the Shaq fans won't want to hear that because he was a dominant force. He does far more better than Shaq. Shaq couldn't hit free throws. There was Shaq attack.

There was foul and late. People wanted Shaq to shoot late. Yeah. Yokic is very limited right outside the lane. Right. Yokic is killing you from three defensively. I know he doesn't look like an Adonis, a Shaq was just a hulking,

Incredible Hulk type figure, but Yokic right now, I mean, I don't know how there's a discussion with him and SGA for MVP. Like, SGA is just on the team with the best record. They might win 70 games. Yeah. But to me, Yolkits has to be the MVP.

Well, he's been the best basketball player in the world for four years running. I made a case that Luca for a while was there, and Luca was with him, but Yolkitch has pulled away. It's funny. Whenever you do top 10 all-time NBA lists, like at this point, he's got to be in it.

I mean, I'm just, I'm sorry, but you can't put a Keem and Shaq near it and not Yokic. I'm sorry, folks. Is he 10 or top 10 or 15? I, again, do you want another year? But he is, you know, I remember when Jordan was the best player in the NBA.

I can remember talking to somebody about this. I said, the gap between Jordan and two was greater than two to eight or two to eight or two to ten. I think that's where we are

with Yokic. The gap between him and the second best player could be Tatum, aunt, SGA, Yonis. I mean, Draymond Green can hold Yonis to five field goals. Dramon Green has no

ability to stop him. None. Our best defensive player. I mean, Dennis Rodman was a little bit like that, you know, against certain players. Like, he could stop almost everybody, and then, you know, you get into certain matchups where there's not a lot you could do to stop MJ or Kobe in his prime. I, we just have to be honest about this. If you're going to put Duncan, if you're going to put Shaq and Akeem, all-time great players near that top 10 or 12,

it's silly not to put him in there. If you're having a draft of the top centers of all time, and you give me the first pick, I would go Yokic over any of the other sets. I would go Kareem second. Yeah. Yeah, I would go Yokic because of his ability. Now, again, old rules, new, a part of what. What makes him so powerful is the three-point shot.

But I think Yokic and Kareem to me, I mean, Kareem was a dominant defensive player, a dominant offensive player. Early career could run the floor. But when you can do six things well, that's like they say in baseball, a five-tool player. Otani is Yokic. The modern athlete, LeBron Otani-Yokic, you can't define them by position. They do too many things well. Yokich is going to finish top two in MVP for the fifth straight year. Only one other guy in the modern era has done that.

His name's Larry Bird. So Yokic is in historic territory right now, Colin. I don't want to see him in the Lakers in the second round. I do not. I would much rather face O'KC. Go look at Yokic against Anthony Davis. And Anthony Davis, I thought the last two years was the best defensive player in the year. He may not win the award, but he's playing great defense.

I mean, he will hold Yokic to 28, 9, and 9. And you're like, what an effort. That guy shut him down. And in those games, the Lakers never won them. I think at one point Denver won 12 in a row. So it's the Joker's got three MVPs in the title. Akeem's got one MVP, Shaq, one MVP. Now, Shaq's got four titles.

Well, Shaq had, you know, Kobe Bryant. Come on. Jamal Murray's never been an all-star. That's Yolkitt's his second best player. Like, come on. What do we do? Be sure to catch live editions of the herd weekdays in noon Eastern 9 a.m. Pacific.

Fox Sports Radio, FS1, and the IHard Radio app. Hey, it's us, the Jonas Brothers, and guess what? We have some big news. What's the news, name? Huge news. We created our own podcast called, Hey Jonas. We invented a podcast? Well, we didn't invent it.

We just contributed to a podcast. Pretty, yeah, pretty wide range of podcasts. We're starting a trend. But this one's extra special. So how do we actually come up with a name, Hey Jonas, guys? I honestly don't remember. I think it was on a call about what we should call it. And we were thinking I'm originally calling it one of the early names of our band before Jonas Brothers.

This is how you guys remember it going down? Yes. I have a very different memory of this. We were talking about a thing, a bit for the podcast, where people could call in and say, hey, Jonas. And then I wrote down on my little notepad, Hey Jonas, and offered it up as a potential title for the podcast. But thanks for remembering that, guys. Listen to Hey Jonas on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your your podcast. Just listen. We don't care where you hear it. 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 It's Michael and Friends on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. The French Open is one of the toughest tests in tennis, and I know firsthand because I competed there myself. I'm Renee Stubbs, and on the Renee Stubbs Tennis podcast, I'm breaking down everything happening at Roland Garris. Every match, every upset, and what it really takes to win on clay.

Jen she won. I mean, she went down in three to Rovachina, but I'm delighted. Yeah. She's an outsider to win the French for me. And she likes Clay. Listen, Lena Rubakina is arguably the best player in the world right now. And I actually can win on any surface. Because if she's serving, well, good luck.

Consider this your court side seat to the French Open. Listen to the Renee Stubbs tennis podcast on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Presented by Capital One, founding partner of IHeart Women's Sports. Last night, a blown call changed a game. This morning, the internet lost its mind. trending, opinions are flying, and nobody's telling you exactly what happened. That's where Sports Slice comes in. I'm Timbo. Every episode, we're cutting through the noise, breaking down the plays, the controversies, and the stories behind the headlines. We go straight to the source,

the athlete themselves, their locker room stories, their reactions, the stuff nobody gets to hear. The laughs, the drama, the triumphs, the moments that never make the highlight real. From viral moments to historic games, from buzzer beaters to controversial calls, we break it down, give you context and ask the questions everybody wants answered. Sports Slice brings you closer to the action with stories told by the people who live them. Listen to Sports Slice on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast.

And for more, follow Timbo Slic Life 12 in the TikTok podcast network on TikTok. So the Warriors beat the Memphis Grizzlies last night. The Warriors are on fire and the Grizzlies are melting at the end of the season. So whoever faces the Grizzlies in the playoffs, first round is getting a real break. And last night, the Warriors big,

Steph, Draymond, and Jimmy Butler crushed 92 points, 26 rebounds, 24 assists. And the Warriors are now 18 and 2 when Steph and Jimmy Butler are both playing. And they're 12 and 0. This is important. They're undefeated when they go with their really small lineup where Cominguez off the bench, and it's Steph, Pods, Moody, Butler, and Dremont. It's the no center warriors. And they've also got a really good bench here.

Buddy Healed can give you shooting. Jonathan Cominga can give you some length and athletic. Post and Kavon Luni give you size, Gil Santos. Like that's one of the better NBA benches. It's not just the Jimmy Butler thing. They play nine guys, ten guys. Now, they're fifth in the West. If they beat the Lakers tomorrow in L.A.,

they're one game in a fourth place. And this matters. We are looking at today a Warrior Laker first round playoff series. But trading for Butler gave this team two guys, Draymond and Jimmy Butler that can get more good looks for Steph Curry. And he's hard to play with because he's sort of freestyling. And the offense under Steve Kerr has always sort of been the adults-only pool at the resort.

Kids, you're not welcome here. They tried James Wiseman, could not catch up. It's like playing with Tom Brady in New England. Like young receivers, it just didn't work. It just, Tom wasn't going to sit around and wait for you. So this warrior's offense, It is a lot of spacing. It has a lot of motion.

And it's how do you adapt and play with Steph Curry? Because nobody moves off ball like Steph. So you've got to be intuitive, a quick thinker. You've got a lot of have a lot of basketball miles. I mean, KD worked instantly. Andre Igwadala worked instantly. Andrew Bogot works. Jimmy Butler works.

These are smart veteran players with a lot of basketball miles that you don't have to teach how to play basketball. It is a split-second decision offense, and squirly guys and young guys have never fit here. Too much motion, too much space, and too much quick decision-making. So Steph's not actually always the easiest player to play with. He's a great guy. You don't get ego. But he is moving so much with the ball and off the ball.

You have got to pay attention. You can't sit in the corner and just watch. You are part of this motion. Jimmy Butler gets it. Draymon gets it. They have not lost a game when they go with their smaller starting lineup. Cominga, Buddy Healed off the bench, their size loony post off the bench. Here is Steve Kerr on last night, Steph Curry, 12 three-pointers, 52 points,

overshadowed on a night by Yokic, but here's Steve Kerr. The guy's 37 years old. It's incredible. 52 points with people draped all over him all game long. I've been watching this for 11 years, actually longer. Before I became coach, I was enjoying watching and play. But to coach him, you get a real sense of just the magnitude of his talent, his character, his work ethic.

Guys amazing to watch, and we're lucky to have him. Yeah, it's really a spectacle. And when Mark Jackson was the coach, it was a good team. But there is something about Kerr's offense and the motion and the intuitive nature of it. Like it takes special player. Like Draymond Green had a lot of college games under a great coach, Tom Izzo. So he was able to work with this very quickly. Draymond is thinking the game not playing it.

KD the same way. It's taken moody years to get there. But you can't just throw guys into Steph Curry and it always works. There have been guys that have not worked. when they get away from what they really are. It's the fastest, most motion, most movement offense in the league, and it takes special guys to play with it. And Jimmy Butler has got a Draymond feel.

He just gets stuff good looks. He feels the game and thinks the game, not just plays it. And last night's another great example of that. Today, it would be Lakers Warriors first round. NBA is probably thinking, we don't want that. We don't want to get rid of one of these teams. I'm not sure if that's good. It'd be the highest rated first round playoff series in the last decade.

I'm not sure it's great for the league to have those guys going at it. It'd be something to watch, though. J-Mack with the news. No, no, no, no, no. Turn on the news. This is the herd line news. All right, so yesterday, Jerry Jones and Micah Parsons and the agent for Parsons, it all got super interesting. Jerry has still not spoken to Micah's agent about the contract,

but he did talk to the media about the. ongoing discussions. It's not uncommon for me to visit directly with players, and in this particular case, that's the way I'm doing it. The agent is not a factor here of something to worry about. And I don't know his name. And so my point is that I'm not trying to demean him in any way, but this isn't about an agent. Anybody can do this, and that's taught directly to a player. Yeah, I mean, he's right in the check, so he's not wrong here. Agents can facilitate, but in the end, Jerry's the one that's going to make the ultimate decision on this. So, isn't there a board or something that can be like, Jerry, you're getting a little old

buddy. You screwed us with Dak because you dragged it out. You made him the richest guy in the NFL and he ain't worth it. And now you're messing up the Michael Parsons thing. Maybe it's time to remove him from contract negotiations. And that's a hard thing to say. That's not going to happen. No shot? I said this a couple years ago. What you don't want to do is you become an older owner has become Al Davis. Al Davis was a visionary. He was a unique all-time, really knew the game. And I think Jerry's better than most at knowing the game a little bit. But as he got older, it was a little bit more vanity and a little stubbornness and a little rigidity. I'm going to do it my way. And you have to be careful about that. That is why, like, I feel like the Lakers are

a family, but bringing JJ Redick in is a new set of eyes and ears. So J.J. Reddick is a hire is like a really nice, fresh set of eyes and perspective that I was like, oh, that's a really smart hire by the Lakers. Brian Schottenheimer coach of the Cowboys feels like, he's a friend of a friend of a friend. So I do think the Cowboys have reached, we've reached sort of this line with them, is if you're not going to bring out people willing to make Jerry uncomfortable, Parcells did, Jimmy Johnson did in the end, Jason Garrett didn't, Mike McCarthy didn't, Brian Schottenheimer didn't, Stephen Jones doesn't. So you have to. The Lakers hiring J.J. Reddick's like, we don't, he's a Duke guy.

He's never really played here. It's totally, he's a broadcaster that's criticized us. I think you have to bring people in occasionally that make you a little uncomfortable. And Dallas hasn't done that in a long time. But the reason is because of Jerry. It's not like Jeannie Buss is mixing a J.J. Reddick hire. That's a Rob Polico LeBron thing. Yeah.

And that's, the Cowboys need this. You know, frankly, I'm actually happy that this is going so. poorly for Dallas? Because, Colin, it means they're going to stick next year, and then we don't have to talk about them as much. That's the reality. Like, I'm done with Aaron Rogers. I'm done with the cowboys. Like, they're not, they're irrelevant. I said this a couple years ago, and research upstairs would know the answer, but the Kansas City Chiefs are now America's team. They've got the most popular quarterback, Taylor Swift's aiding one of their players. It's in the middle of the country. They're polarizing. People love or hate them. You know I'm against them. And they're in a ton of

close games. They end up in Super Bowls. They occasionally, and we've seen, we've seen, It started with Brady Mahomes, and they couldn't quite beat Brady, and then he went to Tampa, and they still couldn't beat Brady. But Kansas City, to me, is the face of the NFL. And I got to tell you, if you're asking me who I want to watch second, it's the Buffalo Bills. I mean, I'd rather watch Jane and Daniels. I mean, there was always, even the DAC teams of the Cowboys run it felt big.

Kansas City feels big. Baltimore feels big. Philadelphia. Philadelphia feels big. There's so many. San Francisco, when they're healthy, feels big. What do you like to say about, you know, when business, things change, you've got to adapt.

Well, things have changed. Aaron Rogers is irrelevant now. The Dallas Cowboys are trending toward irrelevancy. We got to move on from those guys and start talking about the new teams that matter and are interesting because, God, I hate to break it. You're like a six or seven win team. Did you do the win total yesterday? Oh, I think they're one of the clear unders.

It's like a Jacksonville line. They're a six-win. team. All right, let's move on to Ben Johnson. He had a lot to say at his introductory press conference. Taking the time to take a jab at rival Packers head coach, Matt LaFleur, saying he couldn't wait to beat them twice a year. Well, LaFleur responded yesterday saying, it is what it is. I'm not going to lose too much sleep over it. Lions have won five of six from the Packers. Well, that's because that dominant O lines pushed them around. Yeah, This is, this is, I'll tell you, it won't be long if Caleb Williams hits.

It won't, it won't be long before Chicago is becoming, you know, it does, in the NFL for some reason, being great in the middle of the country matters. Like when Peyton Manning is with the Colts, when the Bears were great, the Packers are great, Kansas City is now as great. NBA tends to feel more coastal at times. You know, baseball definitely because of money feels way more coastal. College football feels Midwest and Southern. the NFL is better to me when the team's in the middle of the country off the coasts are great.

Like Philadelphia is the northeast, but it's not D.C., Boston, or New York. You might just be saying that because the Jets and Giants have been down for... Maybe I am. We don't know what it's like when the Jets are good. It's been like 15 years. Yeah?

We've got to bring Mark Sanchez in here to find out what that was like. Final story, Colin, is, let's go to the Jets. Justin Fields. Sure, he's on his third team in three years, but Jets owner Woody Johnson thinks the quarterback has found a home.

Woody said he thinks Fields is a total winner and that he's been impressed with Justin ever since he played at Georgia. All right. We've got some stats for Mr. Fields here. Okay. They're, you know, they are what they are. He's a total winner. Start his career five and twenty years. Well, let's just go to his last 16 starts.

Let's be fair. So in his last 16 starts, you know, some of those are Pittsburgh. His last 16 starts because all rookie quarterback struggle and the bears were a mess. In his last 16 starts, it's fairly encouraging. Yeah. The first thing I look at, 26 touchdown, six picks. That's a nice number. That was Carson Wentz, that last year in Indianapolis, 27 and 7.

So we can say what we want about Justin Fields. Two things are true about Justin Fields. Everybody likes him. He's not a polarizing guy. Old players, young players, owners, coaches. Everybody likes him. Second, he is getting better. So if Sam Darnold, Gino Smith, and Baker Mayfield were reborn in this league,

there's absolutely no question. Justin Fields, I tell you this, he's more athletic than all those guys, and he's got as good arm as all those guys. So I know, you think I'm smiling, but what I'm saying is I don't think it's fair. Jayden Daniels is an outlier. Let's be fair with Justin Fields. So he's not a polarizing guy. People want to help him.

When you're Jay Cutler and half the league doesn't like you, it's hard to find everybody in the building that you can't galvanize a group. Everybody wants Justin to succeed. That's the Sam Darnold story. Everybody likes Sam. Everybody's working in Sam's direction. It's not a divided room. And he's getting better.

Not great, but he's getting better. All right, let's just settle. It's weird because when I'm high on the Jets, you're like, dude, get a clue. And now you sound bullish on Fields in the Jets. And I'm like, I've seen this story before. It feels like the Charlie Brown pulling the football out. It's like, all right, Justin Fields, he's getting better. We got this.

The new O.C. Ben Johnson's like hyping up the new Jets offensive coordinator. I guess he was with the Lions and Aaron Glenn. Like, I'm not going to get excited. I'm sorry. I'm just not. What is there over under, six and a half? I think it was five and a half.

I would take the over. Yeah, yeah, it's a good roster. I'd take the over on that. Yeah, and also, if they do get that, if they do land that tight end. Warren. Now you've got a star tight end, a star left tackle, a star wide receiver. Bieber. All right.

They're not a five and 12 team. If they get a couple of good picks early, they're not a five and 12 team. They're not that roster's too good to be five and 12. As a Jets fan, I know what five and 12 looks like. This looks like five and four. I'm sorry. That's a little harsh. But I said, it's been a decade of futility.

Come on, Woody. We got to do something. Tank for Archman. I don't know. I don't even know if Archman is going to do. J-MAC with the news. Well, that's the news. And thanks for stopping by.

You know, if I tell you what I did last night, you can't judge me. You can't, I'm going to say something. I'm not sure I thought about this this morning as I was sitting, you know, after we prep, I get something to, you know, eat. And I'm sitting there and I had a lot of fun last night. You seem a little juiced up. What went down last? I had a lot of fun. But you can't judge me if I tell you.

You either went to a comedy show or a strip club. One of them. I don't do those. But I had a great time, and it was, you can't judge me, though. I won't. What are you worried about? I've known you for your judging. Well, you're judging. I'm not.

Very, very judgy. I'm not going to, well, I went to my favorite restaurant. My sleigh steak. How was that judging? I'm not judging. But last night I had caviar followed by oysters, followed by a cocktail. What's wrong with that? That is really, I mean, I felt like a.

Russian oligarch. I literally had vodka, caviar, and oysters last night. Maybe you'll get into the bro-a-gark here, whatever they're calling it, the cabinet. You'll be a late ad. Are you thinking I'm a little over the top on that? No, that's not that bad. I was expecting something like... Because I was sitting there last night looking around at everything and I'm like, boy, this is, I, boy, this is a bit much. Yeah. Were there any like, you know, 25-year-old Instagram influencers? No, no, no. This restaurant's for grown-ups. Oh, well, you got to take the wife out. She's in town, right? Don't have to take her out.

We love going out. For hot water that never runs out, go tankless with Navian. Tankless Maidsimble.com. 15-year warranty as well, it's the herd. Be sure to catch live editions of the herd weekdays in noon Eastern 9 a.m. Pacific. Hey, Steve Kavino. And I'm Rich Davis. And together we're Kavino and Rich on Fox Sports Radio.

You can catch us weekdays from 5 to 7 p.m. Eastern, 2 to 4 Pacific, on Fox Sports Radio and, of course, the IHeart Radio app. Why should you listen to Kavino and Rich? We talk about everything, life, sports, relationships, what's going on in the world? We have a lot of fun talking about the stories behind the stories in the world of sports and pop culture. Stories that, well, other shows don't seem to have the time to discuss. And the fact that we've been friends for the last 20 years and still work together, I mean, that says something, right? So check us out.

We like to get you involved too. Take your phone calls, chop it up as they say. I'd say the most interactive show on Fox Sports Radio. Maybe the most interactive show on planet Earth. Be sure to check out Covino & Rich live on Fox Sports Radio and the IHeart Radio app from 5 to 7 p.m. Eastern, 2 to 4 Pacific. And if you miss any of the live show, just search Covino and Rich wherever you get your podcast and, of course, on social media.

That's Covino and Rich. Hey, it's us to Jonas Brothers, and guess what? We have some big news. What's the news, no? Huge news. We created our own podcast called, Hey, Jonas. We invented a podcast? Well, we didn't invent it.

We just contributed to it. We're the first people to do podcasts. Pretty wide. range of podcasts throughout there. But this one's extra special. So how did we actually come up with a name, Hey Jonas, guys? I honestly don't remember.

I think it was on a call about what we should call it. We were thinking I'm originally calling it one of the early names of our band before Jonas Brothers. This is how you guys remember it going down? Yes. I have a very different memory of this. We were talking about a thing, a bit for the podcast,

where people could call in and say, hey Jonas. and then I wrote down on my little notepad, Hey Jonas, and offered it up as a potential title for the podcast. But thanks for remembering that, guys. Listen to Hey Jonas on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. Just listen. We don't care where you hear it. Another podcast from some SNL late-night comedy guy,

not quite. Unhumor me with Robert Smigel 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 I-Heart Radio app, Apple podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. The French Open is one of the toughest tests in tennis. And I know firsthand because

I competed there myself. I'm Renee Stubbs, and on the Renee Stubbs Tennis podcast, I'm breaking down everything happening at Roland Garris. Every match, every upset, and what it really takes to win on Clay. Jen she won. I mean, she went down in three to Rabakina, but I'm delighted. She's an outsider to win the French for me.

And she likes Clay. Listen, Lena Rubakina is arguably the best player in the world right now, and I actually can win on any surface. Because if she's serving, well, good luck. Consider this your court side seat to the French Open. Listen to the Renee Stubbs Tennis Podcast on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. Presented by Capital One, founding partner of IHeart Women's Sports.

Welcome to my new podcast, Learn the Hard Way with me, your host, and your favorite therapist, Keer Games. And in recognition of mental health awareness month, I'm bringing over a decade of my own experience in the mental health field and conversations with so many incredible guests. I'm talking, Tripp Fontaine, Ryan Clark. Sometimes when we're in the pursuit of the thing, we get so wrapped up in the chase that we don't realize that we are in possession of the thing and we're still chasing it

and we don't know when we've done enough because people scoreboard watch. Life becomes about wins and losses. Steve Burns, Dustin Ross because you find it important to be a good person while you hear on earth or are you a good person because you're afraid? Because that's two different intentions, bro. Absolutely.

And that's two different levels of trust. I want you to just really be a good person. Join me, Kear Gaines, is we have real conversations about healing, growth, fatherhood, pressure, and purpose on my new podcast, Learn the Hardway. Open your free iHeartRadio app,

search Learn the Hardway, and listen now. The battle for the inaugural college basketball crown continues tonight with the first of our quarterfinals, starting with Butler taking on Boise State, followed by Nebraska Georgetown. It all starts at 6.30 Eastern only on FS1. I wonder if that will become the new NIT. MIT.

The MIT feels like it's kind of disappeared over the last several years. So do we do March Madness? And then the Fox created sports basketball tournament. Kind of interesting. So listen, Adam Schaefter is a guy I trust. He says it's increasingly unlikely that Shadour Sanders, quarterback Colorado. Dionne's son's going to go in the top three.

We had Albert Beer. Somebody else I trust on this show yesterday. He's hearing Cleveland may move off him. Here is Albert Breer from yesterday. I would say, Abdul, Carter at two to Cleveland, Travis Hunter at three to the Giants. I think the Giants have protected themselves so they don't have to force anything at quarterback. And I do think, you know, like the idea of taking Travis Hunter and then maybe a day two quarterback where you're not tied to that guy

for the next 10 years, but you get it, you're taking a shot at it. It might work better for them. My guess right now would be that neither of them takes Chodor and then it becomes anywhere's guess where Chador goes. Because like I said to you last week, like he's sort of like bone-nex to me like this year's version of Bo Nix where last year were very few teams that had Bo Nix as a first round pick. He had to find a fit. And he obviously found that in Denver. No one cares or anybody had them anymore because he played great for the Broncos. I think that's Shadur this year, where a lot of teams don't look at him in as a first round talent,

and he's going to have to find a fit. So I get people not in love with Shadur Sanders. The staff here just mentioned it during the break. Is he Tua? like there's nothing you go wow other than he's really accurate but if you i talked to steve kimes a buddy of mine of a former 10 year two-time NFL executive year uh GM for years and years and we talk about this like every great quarterback in league history has a superpower like jalen hurts is the strongest quarterback pound for pound in league history squats over 600 pounds Lamar jackson twitchiness and speed joe burrow precision in a muddy pocket a matt stafford all-time elite

armed talent. Now, there's Josh Allen and the Holmes are great at multiple things. That's why they're the two best quarterbacks in the league. Jacob, uh, Jaden Daniels, by the way, uh, for the Washington commanders last year. You saw it very early. You saw it late September. His poise, late in games, his poise and calm, uh, late, you know, third down, fourth down, trailing. Like, that's his superpower. Brock Purdy's superpower. He's an unbelievably quick processor. And a courage to throw the ball into traffic. He's got a short memory. So whatever it is, what is Shadur-Sanders superpower? It's like Tua. He's accurate. He's not real big, little undersized, not a big arm, can move a little bit. I think Bo Nix is a better athlete

than Shadur-Sanders or two. I think Bo Nix actually is pretty cut and moves pretty well. So it's, this is one of these like, I get the critics. I get people that go, like, for instance, Caleb Williams struggled in year one. But Caleb Williams and Cam Ward this year's number one pick, those are playmakers. Those guys got, for their size, big arms move exceedingly well, can break tackles. Like those guys are playmakers. You don't have to argue about it or debate it. Cam Ward, there's a lot of special.

Little backyard football, Caleb Williams, the knock on him. Little backyard football, but you see the superpower. You don't see it with Shadour. So, in fact, the thing I like most about Chedur Sanders is what he had to overcome. Bad O'Line, no run game. So that's a very NFL-like entry. Like in the NFL, if you go to a top 7 or 18, usually you have a weak O line, not a great complement of weapons. And you've got to kind of create your own momentum and inertia.

So that's kind of what Matt Ryan had to do at B.C. or Big Ben at Miami of Ohio. You know, that's why there's not as many SEC or Ohio State quarterbacks starring in the NFL because life's easier. USC. Again, Matt Liner, I always use this. Matt Liner barely got touched. That's not a real NFL life. If you're three or four years with great protection and amazing receivers, then you go to the NFL and it's jarring. No, Shadoor Sanders is running for his life.

That's what Josh Allen had to do for three years. like that that's that's outside of maybe the packers who always have good old lines you know most of this even kansas cities had a couple of really bad old lines for mahomes and super bowls so um i i get the critics uh joel clatt likes him joe clatt used to quarterback in colorado he likes him he thinks a lot of it he said yesterday is kind of lazy opinions on it but it's you know i get the critics like there's not a lot there i go wow now here's another another one. This is interesting. So according to this is really interesting, multiple, multiple NFL execs. Speaking of Shadour in the number two pick, in an article are saying, did this come from

the athletic, execs around the league remain most interested in what Cleveland has planned at quarterback. One of them said here, if I'm Cleveland, I don't love Shadour at number two. I have a two-time coach of the year. I have a GM that just got a second contract. Maybe you could survive worst team in the league for a year and go get Arch Manning. So here's the reason that there's a little credibility with this. And multiple execs in the league are quoted in this article. This isn't one exec. It's like four.

So here's why I buy into it for two reasons. Number one, the owner Jimmy Haslam kind of gave his GM and his coach a little bit of breathing room when he came out this past week and said, yeah, it was, it's on me. it's a big swing and a miss on Deshawn. So that may be a little bit of a, hey, I'm going to own some of this stuff. Owners don't do that a lot.

Jimmy Haslam, to his credit, said, I'm going to own it. That's a big swing and a miss by us. That means Jimmy had a lot of pull in that. Here's the other reason, and this isn't great about Jimmy Haslam. I've used a term for years in this business called low self-esteem sports franchises.

The bills had it before Josh Allen. They'd reach on stuff. Cleveland, constantly overpays and reaches at quarterback. Or just misses on court. Johnny Mansell. Oh, we love his hubris. Oh, boy.

You know, Baker, probably a reach at number one, though he's certainly capable. Deshawn Watson guaranteed contract. Basically, Cleveland is the opposite of the Green Bay Packers. The Packers are a high self-esteem sports franchise because they're winners. I mean, when's the last time the Packers had a three-year bad stretch? They're patient, they're thoughtful. they've got a formulaic way to build offensive lines. So the Packers are a high, it's like somebody with high self-esteem.

They don't have to show off. Somebody with low self-esteem, you know, they put the parrot on their shoulder when they go to a party. Like, hey, everybody, look at me. That's Cleveland. And so now Arch Manning, the idea here is they're going to tank for a quarterback for next year's draft. And the quarterback in the article says it's Arch Manning. Well, what is Arch Manning? He started two games last year as a sophomore.

This isn't Andrew Luck, where Andrew Luck was the best player in the PAC 12 as a sophomore. If you go back, he had 32 touchdowns, eight picks, mobile, tough, smart. Like Andrew Luck is a sophomore. You didn't have to wait around. It was like, oh, that guy's going to be a superstar. Second in the highest minute voting is a sophomore. Arch Manning barely played. So, I mean, the idea, but it makes me, Cleveland would do this.

Mansell, Deshawn Watson, Baker. I could see them saying, hey, Archman, look at their history. Nobody was going to give Deshawn Watson a guaranteed deal. Cleveland did. Nobody else loved Johnny Manzell. Cleveland did. Baker was polarizing. First pick, I'm not sure.

Cleveland. So they would take, they would overdraft or overpay a quarterback. Next year's quarterback draft class is better than this one. But it's not an all-timer. There's three or four guys that people like. They're not in love with any of them yet. So you just start looking at the last 30 years, and I've talked Packers and Browns. Last 30 years, Packers have had back-to-back losing seasons only one time.

So they're a patient, thoughtful, you know, they can draft Aaron and Sidham. They can draft Jordan Love. Jordan Love can have a bad half season. They don't overreact. Cleveland tends to be up. We're in a division with Baltimore and Burrow and Pittsburgh. How do we catch up? Let's take a massive swim.

and they just strike out a lot. So, I mean, I got suck for luck. I understood that campaign because he was so dominant as a sophomore. I saw him live twice. He was easily the best player on the field as a sophomore. In every game he played in the Pac-12, he was easily the best player. Arch Manning, he moves pretty well. I think he could be good.

Now, the Manning's do know, Haslums because, you know, Peyton went there and Jimmy Haslam's from Tennessee, so I'm sure they've been in the same room and had a conversation before. So it's not like they wouldn't allow Arch Manning the family to, you know, play in Cleveland. But I don't know. I mean, to me, I understood people losing games for LeBron or Bryce Harper. I understood like agencies lining up when he was 13 years old for Tiger Woods. I understand people tanking for Cooper Flagg. That stuff is...

Cooper Flag should be in high school, and he's the best player easily in college basketball, like easily. This article, multiple execs are saying, I think they could tank. Well, they're not tanking from the Penn State quarterback. That's not what they're doing here. They would tank for Archmany, who could be great, but generally by a sophomore year in college,

you get a little bit of a feel. Trevor Lawrence has a freshman won a natty. It's like, okay, Caleb Williams came in for Oklahoma. Remember that he was a freshman? They had another kid that was highly touted. He came in, I think it was middle or end of the year with Lincoln Riley in Oklahoma. Everybody went, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, what is that? Oh, Spencer Rattler was this.

Spencer Rattler, and all of a sudden Caleb came in, played like three games, and people were like, who is this? It's one thing for you and I to discuss, hey, tank for next year, let's go for this guy. I would say, I'm sorry, there's 0.0% chance. The Brown's brain trust is like, hey, let's gut the roster, be awful for an entire year. Because so many things can happen. You lose the locker room. You're getting blown out 50 to nothing.

Then they'll run you out of town. I don't buy that let's tank. By the way, do you retain Miles Garrett and tell him what you're going to do a quarterback if you're tanking for Archmanning? Well, if he signed a long-term deal, you're like, bro, we may be a little bumpy next year. The future's coming. I mean, the Browns have had losing seasons eight out of ten years. That messes with your self-esteem. You take big.

going for three wins so you can get a guy who's never started? It's not a bang on Arch Manning, but six execs recorded in the article. Yeah. Hey guys, it's us. The Jonas Brothers. I'm Joe. I'm Kevin. And I'm Nick. And guess what? We created our own podcast called, Hey Jonas. We invented a podcast? Well, we didn't invent it. We just contributed to it.

We're the first people to do podcasts. We get to ask other people questions because we're sick and tired of being and asked questions. Well, sick and tired is a strong way to put it, but you know, tired and sick. Tired and sick. us on us on the iHeart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. Just listen. We don't care where you hear it. 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 bands. Listen to humor me with Robert Smigel and friends on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Every family has its secrets. But what happens when you discover that your dad has been living a double life? That is not the look of an innocent man. Is everyone lying to me about who they are?

I felt such desperation. I felt it was what I had to do. Listen to deep cover the family man. on the iHeart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Someday into right now with Body by Jake Radio, nonstop workout music and expert tips 24-7. Hey, head over to iHeart.com. Search Body by Jake Radio and stream it for free right now. Awesome health and wellness tips 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Remember, stick to the fight. When your hardest hit, it's what things seem worse that you must not quit.

Don't quit. Body by Jake Radio, where hope meets momentum. by Jake Radio and stream it for free. Have a great day. IHeart Radio. This is an IHeart podcast. Guaranteed human.