The Herd with Colin Cowherd - HOUR 1 - Packers, Mayfield, free agency

Episode Date: March 18, 2022

Joy Taylor in for ColinThe Packers can no longer be considered a Super Bowl favorite after trading Davante AdamsBaker Mayfield isn't good enough to demand a tradeThe winners and losers of NFL free agencyGuest: Mary Kay Cabot Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is an I-Heart podcast. Guaranteed Human. Another podcast from some SNL, late-night comedy guy, not quite. Unhumor me with Robert Smygel and friends. Me and hilarious guests from Bob Odenkirk to David Letterman help make you funnier. This week, my guest, SNL's Mikey Day and head writer, Streeter Seidel, help an a cappella band with their between songs banter.

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A win is a win. I don't care what I'm saying. Yep, that's me, Clifford Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, my basketball and college football journey, or my career in sports media. Well, now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifers Show. This is a place for raw, unfilled conversations with athletes,

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For 1979, that was a big moment for me. 84's big to me. I'm Sam J. And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick a year, unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it. With our friends, fellow comedians,

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Joy Taylor in for Colin Cowherd today, who's enjoying a nice day off, alongside Alex Curry. Thank you for joining us on this beautiful Friday. Just a casual Friday. Not a whole lot going on. This whole week. I hate being that guy,

but this feels like the craziest march ever. But in the best way. Oh, no, absolutely. I love it. The craziest best march. there hasn't been a day off where something big hasn't happened. No, and there's still a lot more to watch and wait for. We're going to wait and see where Deshaun Watson ends up.

Jimmy Garoppolo hasn't been traded yet. Baker Mayfield once out. What happens with that? There's so many more things that can happen in this free agency period that has already been insane. Of course, the tournament is going on. And yes, I, with you, with 95% of the country, picked Kentucky to win that game, which we will talk about later. But it's been a fun tournament so

far. Iowa as well was my sleeper to go pretty far. So that's on me. That's on me too. Not a good choice there. I had Kentucky in my final four. You had Iowa in your final four. I had Iowa at my final four. Yeah, that one hurt. I haven't during my show yesterday, like lost during the show. Like, don't react. Okay. I'm telling you to bet on him and then it doesn't work. That's how that's how the tournament goes. You did a really a great reel with all of us asking our strategies for filling out our brackets. It's madness. It is. That's why they call it that. And I told you, I do a little research.

The rest is my gut. And then I just, I live guilt-free because everyone's brackets going to bust. It's sort of that thing like fantasy football, where no one cares, but we're all going through the same thing, so we kind of care. Everyone cares. So we suffer together. But we do watch a lot of great basketball. And it was a fun day yesterday. We have an absolute packed show today. Mary Kay Cabot is joining us. Oh, I have questions for her. I have some questions for her. Will Blackman is going to join us. Sherri Burris. We'll talk more about

the tournament. Jordan Schultz. He will be in studio with us and J.C. Jackson of the LA Chargers. We'll join us later in the show. We'll break down the free agency moves. Very crazy winners and losers. And as I said, every bracket is busted. So we can just enjoy the rest of the tournament now. Actually, if your bracket isn't busted, let me know. Because you've got to be. the only person left after yesterday. But let's start with huge news out of Green Bay. Aaron Rogers will no longer be throwing to Devante Adams. I don't think that Rogers is a postseason quarterback. I don't think they're real Super Bowl contenders. I don't think the Packers are as good at the football business as they get credit for. And I don't think that these moves

will age well. The internet had some fun with this news last night. If you were on Twitter, the memes were flying around. The Green Bay Packers traded Devonte Adams to the Las Vegas Raiders for a first and a second round pick in the 2022 NFL draft. Now, did they get what he's worth back? Those are good picks, yes, but they also gained $20 million in cap space by dealing him because he was on the franchise tag, but they lost the best receiver in the NFL, 238 passes, caught 29 touchdowns over the last two seasons. So we're placing. someone like Devante Adams is more than a tall task, it's basically impossible. And this move aside, I already felt like the Packers were not going to be in the Super Bowl

conversation last year. In fact, I think that the way that the Packers season ended is not getting the criticism that it properly deserves. It was a total, utter collapse of catastrophic proportions, not just because of all the drama, which I do think, adds an extra layer to their season. When you have the back-to-back MVP, when you have the roster that the Packers had, when you're the number one seed in the NFC, and it ends that way. And then you essentially try to run it back again after the amount of evidence that we've seen from Aaron Rogers in the postseason since the Super Bowl, I just feel like this is

it. I felt like if Aaron Rogers said this was going to be his legacy. Do you all have a chance to win a Super Bowl if you have Aaron Rogers on your team, of course? but when you have a certain amount of evidence, when you have a sample size of a significant amount, and you consistently see things over and over and over again. And as we know, each team is different year to year, you have to start making some healthy assumptions about how things are going. At this point, the Jordan Love Pick might go down as one of the worst draft picks in the

history of the NFL when you consider all of the fallout that came from it. And I was originally on Aaron Rogers side with that. I thought it was egregious the way that the greener. May Packers handled it, which is why I mentioned a few moments ago. I don't think that the Packers get criticized properly, get critiqued properly. I don't think they're as good at the business side of football as they get credit for. They're a great brand, a huge brand, amazing fan base. But do they do enough winning for the praise that they get? I don't think that they do. And I don't think Aaron Rogers gets critiqued for the postseason performances that he has.

the way that other quarterbacks would get critiqued. And now you lose Devonte Adams. So where does this leave you? Who is he throwing to? We saw in the playoffs this year, he didn't trust anyone else that was there. So what weapons do you have? How did you improve this offseason? All you really did was bring Aaron Rogers back with a new contract. Sorry to our radio listeners, but these are the Packers receivers under contract right now. Alan Lazzard, Randall, Randall, Amari Rogers, Malik Taylor. No disrespect, but Devonte Adams is the best receiver in the league. That's why he just got the contract that he got.

But they are not in the, they're not really in the Super Bowl conversation. Will they win their division? Probably. That's nice. Will they get a home field advantage? Probably. That's nice. They'll probably win another 13 games. And that's wonderful.

And Aaron Rogers is back-to-back MVP, and he's an incredible talent in a first battle Hall of Famer, and no one is denying how great he is. But the postseason has. to matter when you have this level of talent and when you have the expectations that you have. And when you lose someone like Devante Adams, I can't just in good faith keep considering you to be real contenders. I saw how the season ended with him there. Now he's not there. How do you replace that talent? Why receivers are an absolute premium at this point in the NFL? The way that the game has changed, you have to have a number one wide receiver. Now, it seems as if he didn't want to be there anymore.

and that is why he is now with the Raiders. I think some of this probably started last year when they didn't get a deal done, which is again on the front office and not entirely on Aaron Rogers. So that's where I am with the Green Bay Packers right now. I felt like if Aaron stayed,

they were out of the Super Bowl conversation to begin with, sort of after the way the season ended, I guess, because Aaron Stanger going wasn't going to change what this roster was, the salary cap situation that they were in, and what they were going to be able to do moving forward. Maybe I could have been slayed if Devante stayed,

but he is gone, and that is a talent you cannot afford to lose in today's NFL. So moving forward, we'll see. They'll win some games. They'll make some regular season noise. Aaron Rodgers, I'm sure, will be on his roller coaster of emotions and quotes. And personally, I'm off. I've exited. I'm getting off of the Ferris wheel. Whatever ride Aaron Rogers had us on, now that we have the answers, I'm off of it. And I'm also off the Green Bay Packers being serious contenders. You have to evaluate where you are. And unless they make some move that is under the rug, and listen, this has been a wild

re-agency period. Maybe they have something up their sleeve. I don't see it, and I don't see them as true contenders next year with the way that the roster's set up and Aaron Rogers at this point is not a postseason quarterback. The numbers reflect it. And at some point, we have to just accept that that's what it is. Can you potentially win again? Of course.

They're a championship-winning organization. But it's been a while, and his playoff numbers are nothing to write home about. Again, 7 and 9 the playoffs and swimming the Super Bowl, 63.8 completion percentage, 96.5 passer rating. We can look at the numbers. We can look at the results and have an honest conversation about where the Packers are and what Aaron Rogers has been in the postseason. All right, Baker Mayfield.

So the drama continues. Baker Mayfield never understood the assignment. Never understood the assignment. So he is a cautionary tale at this point of what the standard is for quarterbacks in today's era of power with franchise quarterbacks. This is what you don't do if you come in as the number one overall pick and you're a franchise quarterback. First of all, you only have as much power as your talent. We all know that. The tolerance and the talent are on a constant scale.

And when one leans the other way, things start to change, and the dynamics in the room are different. Getting along with people is generally a smart way to go through life. It's fun to be feisty. Believe me, I've had plenty of battles. But at some points, as an adult, as a grown-up, you find that things just go easier if you just try to get along with people. Just try to make things a little smoother. You don't have to get a beer with everyone you work with. Just get along.

Find a way to make things work. Find a way to make the room a little lighter. When you're the franchise quarterback, you also can't ride out every day with that whole underdog story. Nobody believes in me. I always have to overcome. You're the number one pick in the NFL draft and a Heisman trophy winner. The whole underdog story, you can keep that for the gym for when you're lifting weights

and such, but your persona has to adjust. When you're on every other commercial, I don't need to hear. about your underdog story. You've arrived. Now you have to move differently. Now the expectations for your behavior is different. Now your responsibilities are different. You're not overcoming. You're not walking on. You're a franchise quarterback. You represent a billion dollar organization. And you speak for thousands of other people in the building. You represent the energy in the building. And that's why Baker never understood the assignment. So where are we now? He's asked for a trade. He's rest of the trade from the Browns, told Shepter, it's in the best interest of both sides for Cleveland to split with their quarterback.

It's a mutual interest of both sides for us to move on. The relationship has gone too far to men, we have to move on. However, the Browns have informed Baker Mayfield. They are not accommodating his request. What does that mean? That's the biggest tell in this whole situation. Matthew Stafford asks to leave. They oblige him.

Russell Wilson asks to leave. Where is he now? Denver Broncos. Those are franchise quarterbacks. Those are guys that did everything they could in the building to make things easier even when they were losing. Those are guys that overcame. Gohawks represented the organization. Didn't fight with reporters.

Those things matter. People remember that stuff. So when you ask for a trade, they say, you know what? We're not going to fight with you. We're not going to make things ugly. We're not going to live in dysfunction. You can move on. We'll figure it out.

Are the Seahawks in a better situation without Russell Wilson? No, they are not. Are the lions in a better situation? Not really, even with Jared Gough, which was a pretty good trade. Them not accommodating Baker's requests for a trade is the biggest tell in all of this. Because they're willing to say, you're not that good to ask for a trade. And he's not. When you look at the entirety of Baker's career, when you really look at the numbers,

He has had one good season. It's right there. 2020. Now, we're not just going to take that out. He does have talent. He does have capabilities when he is healthy. When the roster is great, he can win. We've seen it.

It's right there. But when anything is shaky, when everything starts to fall apart, what happens? So the entirety of his career means he's a completely average quarterback, which is what the Browns just told you, not just because they were talking about and trying to get to Sean Watson. But because he asked for a trade and they said, no, what are you going to do? What, if we start Case Keenham and he gets us to the playoffs, that's the worst case scenario for Baker Mayfield. That means you're just the same as your backup.

So do I think that Baker Mayfield is a starting quarterback in the league? Yes. Is he going to get another opportunity somewhere? Yes. But self-awareness goes a long way. And trust me, I've had plenty of years where I had absolutely no self-awareness whatsoever. I was a jerk. asking my brother will happily tell you anyone who knows me by early 20s unbearable okay but i did not

have control of a billion dollar organization i did not represent thousands of people at some point you've got to understand the assignment you've got to step up and be a franchise guy asking for a trade because things got spicy it's just not how it's going to work you've got to fight your way through use that underdog mentality at home and figure out a way to represent the organization properly in front of the camera and on the field. All right, loaded show today. Mary Kay Cabot, we will talk a lot more about what's going on in Cleveland and how this will all play out.

Will Blackman, Jordan Schultz, Sheree Burris, and Jacey Jackson later. Of course, Joy Taylor in for Colin Coward alongside Alex Curry. Where should Deshawn Watson end up? That's next on The Herd. Be sure to catch live editions of The Herd weekdays in noon Eastern 9 a.m. Pacific on Fox Sports Radio, FS1, and the IHeart Radio app. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal but encouraged. It's the enhanced games.

Some call it grotesque. Others say it's unleashing human potential. Either way, the podcast's Superhuman documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year. Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the I-Hart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care which I'm saying. Yep, that's me, Clifford Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, the reactions, my journey from basketball to college football, or my career in sports media.

Well, somewhere along the way, this platform became bigger than I ever imagined. And now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifford Show. This is a place for raw, unfiltered conversations with some of your favorite athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard,

but 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 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. 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 Jette. And I'm Alex English.

Each episode, we pick it here, unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it. Including a recent episode with Mark Lamont Hill, waxing all about crack in the 80s. To be clear, 84 was big to me, not just because of crack. I'm down to talk about crack on 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. 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 IHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Welcome to my new podcast, Learn the Hard Way with me, your host, and your favorite therapist, Kear Games. And in recognition of Mental Health Awareness Month, I'm bringing over a decade of my own experience in the mental health field and conversations with so many incredible guests. I'm talking, Tripp Fontaine, Ryan Clark. Sometimes when we're in the pursuit of the thing, we get so wrapped up in the chase that we don't realize that we, are in possession of the thing, and we're still chasing it, and we don't know when we've done enough. Because people scoreboard watch. Life becomes about wins and losses. Steve Burns, Dustin Ross, because you find it important to be a good person while you hear on earth, or are you a good person because you're afraid?

Because that's two different intentions, bro. Absolutely. And that's two different levels of trust. I want you to just really be a good person. 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 Our Heart Radio app. Search Learn the Hardway and listen now.

Welcome back to the herd. Joy Taylor in for Colin Cowherd today. Join a day off alongside Alex Curry. Great day in the tournament yesterday. Lots of free agency news and moves. It's been a wild march. It's been a great week. It's perfect for us. We'll just put it that way. Madness is perfect for our business. Colin and I talk about it all the time.

We are huge fans of anarchy. Yep. And it has been nothing but anarchy for the last couple weeks, really. Absolutely chaos. And I root for chaos always. So Mary Kay Cabot of the Cleveland Plain Dealer is going to join us in about 10 minutes. I have lots of questions for her about this Baker Mayfield situation. He has gone back at her publicly.

And that was pretty much when I was out on the whole situation. and that was the last straw for me, but we will ask her about everything that's going on internally there. We are also waiting for Deshawn Watson News, of course, because he has reportedly narrowed his choices down to the Saints and the Falcons. There were some other teams in the mix. The Browns were obviously in that, which is why the Baker situation has become what it is.

They were informed that they are no longer in it. Carolina is out, so it is now down reportedly to the Saints and the Falcons. He obviously didn't play last season, and we all know why he has been, will not have criminal charges, but still has 22 civil cases that are being pursued right now. So there is still some legal situations that need to be sorted out as well as if there will be any suspension and how long that is. But these teams are moving forward regardless and he is going to end up being traded likely to one of these teams. And I personally feel like in these situation, there are, these are two incomplete.

team. So what do we do? What do we do, Alex, when we're trying to make a big decision? You make a pros and cons list. That's what we do. I do it for everything. I'm not actually a huge pros and cons list person. Well, because I'm an overthinker and then whatever I, and then it's the same as I do my, it's how I do my March Madness bracket. Yeah. I do a little bit of research and I go with my guy. And then just that one. There we go. Whatever feels good is that how I ends up making that decision. But he's going to have to do a little more research than that, obviously. So we are to make a pros and cons list for these two teams. Now personally, I feel like he feels like a big market guy. He feels like Atlanta. His girlfriend has an aspiring music career. He's obviously

from there. They have an offensive head coach. He has Kyle Pitts, who kind of indicated briefly on Twitter that this might be happening anyway and then deleted it. It is a respected owner and brands. And his personal quarterback coach, Quincy Avery, lives in Atlanta as well. I feel like Atlanta, for mostly off the field things really feels like the better place. Now, as I mentioned, these are both in complete teams. So what are the cons for Atlanta? Not a good defense. Pretty much no weapons.

And a bad offensive line. So on the field, the Falcons are not quite as appealing as the Saints, which we will get to next. But overall, I do feel like he feels like a better fit in Atlanta. Now, let's look at the pros for the Saints. respected owner, obviously. This is a championship organization. Very effective front office. They've made a lot of good moves over the years. And they have a strong defense with lots of leaders and veterans. They're good every single year. So some stuff on the field that is good.

We didn't mention much with Atlanta outside of Kyle Pitts. What are the cons for New Orleans? We don't have any idea what's going on with Michael Thomas or Alvin Camara for different reasons. but Michael Thomas might end up leaving in this trade if it ends up happening. They have a defensive coach who's failed before, and he's replacing a legendary quarterback in Drew Brees. Now, I realize there's a year in between, but they're looking for their next franchise guy, which is why overall I feel like you go with your gut in this situation

if you're Deshawn Watson. Because I love New Orleans. I'm a huge fan of the city of New Orleans. I think the Saints are a very well-run organization, but I don't know what's going on at coach, and that would make me nervous, especially the way that the league is trending. But you're making a decision if you're Deshawn Watson

on your extended future, 10 years, 12 years from now. This is a long-term move. So the state that both of these teams are in right now won't necessarily be the case two or three years from now. I don't think it's a win-now situation, even if Deshawn Watson goes there. So he needs to project out when making this decision. We'll talk to Mary Kay Cabot in a few minutes.

Cleveland Plain dealer, Brown's beat writer. But first, let's get to Alex Curry with the news. No, no, no, no, turn on the news. This is the herd line news. Well, the Rams announced that they're going to be signing wide receiver Alan Robinson to a three-year deal. It's reportedly worth $45 million with $30 million guaranteed. Robinson spent his last four seasons with the Bears and put it back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons in 2019 and 2020. And despite bringing in another receiver, the Rams are still hoping to re-sise.

sign OBJ. Now, OBJ is expected to return reportedly in November, which is when he joined the Rams last season. He's kind of on that L.A. time table, you know, just showing up fashion to be late. But remember, they also have the best ride receiver in the game, Cooper Cup, who is the reigning offensive player of the year. He won the ride receiver triple crown, the Super Bowl, MVP. Oh, and Robert Woods will be coming back to reportedly. They are getting calls on his availability. It seems like the wide receiver position is kind of the only position. and the Rams didn't really need to get more and better at. But, hey, when you have someone that good on the market,

why not grab them? Yeah, and the rich get richer. This is what the Rams do. We didn't think that they needed O'Dell. And what happened? Robert Woods got hurt and O'Dell was extremely important. Difference maker. I don't know that you can be too deep at the wide receiver position.

That is something that a lot of these teams, when we started the show talking about Green Bay. That is a place that needs wide receivers. Atlanta. So why not? Alan Robinson is a great. great player. And if you look at the numbers that he's put up and the quarterbacks that have been throwing to him, that makes it even more impressive. So I love this move for the Rams. I love it

for Alan Robinson. And they may end up keeping Robert Woods. Why not? In the long run, because he has to come back from an injury as well. So they have a great, great group of weapons with the Super Bowl winning Rams. And I love how they do business. So I think this is a great move for them. I am all for it. Obviously, though, born and raised in L.A., the hometown team. And it's a star a steaded place. Yeah, but it's also a position that has become a premium now. And if you want to stay competitive in a very tough division, you need to have weapons. So why not another one?

Way to go, Rams. Well, moving on, Carson Wentz. We'll get another fresh start when he takes the field for the Washington commanders next season and head coach Ron Rivera is very confident that Wentz can be the team's long-term solution at the quarterback position. Take a listen. I believe it is. I believe it's what we're looking for.

His skill set speaks very well for us, especially what we want to do and how we want to attack our opponents. The message, more so than anything else is that we believe in. I mean, that's why we went and did it. My intent was to make sure he knew it, to make sure he understood that it was, you know, because we believe in him. We want him here, that he is wanted here. And I think that helps make the transition a little bit easier. He's saying all the right things. But remember, this is Carson Wentz's third team in three years.

They are going all in on him. If it doesn't work out, this is going to be really tough for both parties. what do you do after that? Well, first of all, I just love Ron Rivera. The best. I mean, what a likable guy. Oh, yeah. I love Ron Rivera.

Carson Wentz. Give it to us. Give it to us. Be real. I don't think that Carson Wentz is a bad player. That's a ridiculous thing to say. Yeah. I don't think he's a franchise guy.

As you mentioned, he's on his third team. In both exits, we heard rumblings of locker room issues and coaching issues, leadership. Leadership issues. He wasn't available. Yeah. He fell apart at the end of the season. I just think he has wild swings.

And you have to pay for that if you bring in a guy like that. He's just not consistent enough for me. And I think it's exaggerated how so much success he has had because he had that fake MVP season that everybody talks about. Like he won the MVP and he didn't win the MVP. He had a nice season that year before he got hurt. I'm acknowledging that. He's also the number one offensive line in the league.

And they went on to win the Super Bowl with Nick Foles. So pretty good team around them. Yeah. Right? Not taking anything away from what he did. did, but he didn't win the MVP, and it's been trouble ever since. So I think he's a huge upgrade for them. I would have taken him in Pittsburgh, and I think this is a good third stop for him,

and we'll see how it goes. But it definitely was the right move for Washington. Exactly. We'll see how it goes. Switching gears, the first round of the men's NCAA tournament kicked off yesterday. And there were a handful of upsets with five-seed Yukon and Iowa exiting the tournament early. But the biggest one of the day was two-seed Kentucky, falling to 15-seat St. Peter's, 85 to 79 in an overtime thriller. And this is just the first time Kentucky has lost in the first round under head coach,

John Kalapari. Now, you have to expect that there's going to be a couple of big upsets. That's the beauty of the tournament. That is the madness. You want to see these Cinderella stories. And that's why I love seeing these underdogs come through. And I'm not totally mad. Does it mess up our brackets?

Oh, yeah. I think we talked about it on the top of the show. You had Kentucky in your Final four. I had them in my elite eight and then I had Iowa in my final four that was my big hit but I'm all for an underdog and Cinderella story so

guys mess up my bracket. You know what? I'm gonna take the other side. Yeah. Congrats to St. Peters. Thank you. Great win for the program. There we go.

There we go. We're always talking about the big dogs that go down. Congrats to St. Peters. That's an incredible one. We're cheering for the underdogs this time around. Yeah. You know what?

I don't want to change. I don't want to lose the fun of the bracket and just say it doesn't matter because it's going to bust. but congrats to St. Peters. Go do it. All right. Thank you, Alex.

That's Alex with the news. All right. Very excited for this. Mary Kay Cabot is joining us now on the herd. Joy Taylor in for calling Cowher today. She's the Brown's Beatwriter at Cleland.com and the plane dealer. I am a huge fan of yours. I'll start with that.

And I'm very excited to talk to you for multiple reasons. But full disclosure, I'm from Pittsburgh. So I'm a Pittsburgh girl. So I've had plenty of beefs with Cleland. Cleveland, but I did buy into Baker Mayfield temporarily and then slowly started, he started to lose me. And the final straw for me was when you reported that Baker has differences that he needs to resolve with Kevin Stefansky and they need to happen soon if they're going to coexist next season. Also some names on the radar will be on the radar if they don't is what you reported.

And he came back and said, clickbait, you and many other Cleveland local media continue to be drama-stirring reporters with no sources or fact, don't put words in my mouth so you can put food on the table. I'm not your puppet. Now, we are here today on March 18th to 2022, and you are correct and Baker is wrong, but before we even knew how this was all going to play out, I didn't appreciate the extreme nature and way that he took to address a report he disagreed with, which obviously has turned out to be wildly true. But what was your right? reaction when Baker tweeted that? Well, it was kind of like my sons when my 25-year-old son said, hey, Baker, I've got news for you. My mom hasn't put food on the table in 25 years. So we had a little

bit of a laugh about that. But no, you know what, Baker's an emotional guy. It was an emotional time. He came off a very frustrating season, one in which he wanted to play really well and get an extension. and so I, you know, I understand that sort of thing, and I also really understand the 20-something mindset. So, you know, it didn't really, you know, rattle me too much. But I was told subsequently that he actually did not read that column that I wrote, which had a lot of Pro Baker stuff in it. I mean, I really delved deep into all of the extenuating circumstances that he had last year. And the reasons why he probably should sit down with Kevin Stefansky and try to iron out their differences. I was trying to offer him a path forward where he could come back to the Cleveland

Browns in his final season, have a really good year, and these guys could go on to live happily ever after. So I don't know, maybe if he would ever go back and read it at some point, he might see that it wasn't what he thought it was. That makes me even more frustrated about that situation. Not surprising at all, though. We're talking to Mary Kay Cabot. So what was the breaking points for the Browns with Baker? Because, obviously they did have the meeting with Deshaun Watson. So there had to be something where they said, okay, we're going to move forward. We're going to try and move forward with someone else.

Well, I think they've said all along, and they really helped do that, that they would look at all the available veteran quarterbacks in the draft, that they would, if they found some that they liked, they would kick the tires on them, they would explore some things, and they did just that. It shouldn't come as any surprise to anybody. Baker was 27th in the NFL last year with an 83.1 rating. He's heading into the final year of his contract. Why wouldn't you look into and kick the tires on Aaron Rogers, Russell Wilson, Tom Brady, and Deshawn Watson, whoever else becomes available?

So I don't think anybody can fault them for that. They made no pretenses about not doing that. And at the same time, they said, sure, we expect Baker to come back. We fully expect him to come back and be our starter next year. They didn't see any opportunities out there that they thought actually would come to fruition. So this is business. This is how business is done. look at what Jimmy Garoppolo had to do last year.

Jimmy had to go out, play some football, and he took his team to the NFC championship game. So I think that's the kind of way that Baker should approach this. Oh, I agree, but this isn't how Baker approaches things. So I would disagree that this is how business is done because, you know, the chiefs aren't doing that. The Rams aren't doing that. The bills aren't doing that. You know, if you have a real franchise guy, you're not exploring other options on the market. And, you know, there was a report that they wanted to.

an adult in the room. I think it was Chris Mortensen. They reported that. They wanted an adult in the room. And I believe that much of Baker's immaturity and actions helped to agitate a situation where if he had been acting like a franchise quarterback, they might not be considering moving on from him. How much of the noise is playing a part in the Brown's wanting to look elsewhere? Well, I think that's part of it. I think that this regime does want a certain type of leadership. a certain type of player, especially at the quarterback position. So I think that had something to do with it. But I also think that it's driven a lot by what you're seeing on the field.

I mean, he just had the worst season of his career. And yes, some of that had to do with the fact that he had a fully torn labrum. But some of it was that, you know, he just didn't play well himself. And there were a lot of other things involved. Jarvis was hurt. Kareem Hunt was hurt. Jack Conklin missed most of the season. So he did have a lot on his plate for a young quarterback.

Odell Beckham Jr., that whole saga, really rattled him. So there were a lot of things that caused this thing to be bubbling under the surface. And I think that from Baker's standpoint, the Deshawn Watson visit was really just the straw that broke the camel's back. He has been disillusioned since I would say about midway through last season and, you know, sort of feeling like he wasn't in the best position to win games. I'm talking to Mary Kay Cabot, Brown's Beatwriter for Cleveland.com, the plain dealer and analyst for WKYCTV. Cover the Browns for a very long time. What's the fans pulse on Baker right now? Because as I mentioned, I'm a Pittsburgh girl, so sometimes Cleveland fans get upset with me, which is fine.

We have lots of championships, so I just go look at those. But I do see a bit of a shift in the energy towards Baker Mayfield, which I think is, again, on him. but he's losing a little bit of the allure of the underdog tough guy thing that won over Cleveland fans to begin with. Well, I would say that this is just an incredibly polarizing topic. Half of the fan base still loves Baker Mayfield and wishes he, you know, we're going to be here and help them win games and do all of the things that he promised to do when he was first drafted. And I think there is just maybe 40, 50 percent of the fan base that is now like, okay, this is enough. let's see what else could possibly be out there.

And, you know, a trade request, I think does, you know, end up turning off a lot of people because you want to know that somebody is all in with your football team regardless of what happens, regardless of businesses conducted and they have to look around at other quarterbacks. So I would say it's a divided fan base right now. But the important thing to note in all of this is I really do believe the Browns when they say they have no intentions of trading him. and I do think that Baker is going to have to come back and find a way to play football in First Energy Stadium in front of these fans for the Cleveland Browns. Ooh, shocking to Mary Kay Cabot. So you don't, they obviously denied the trade request.

You don't think that they're going to try to bring in and say a Jimmy Garopolo or someone else, a James Winston or somebody else that's on the market? You know, never say never because we've all seen crazier things happen. But I do believe that right now their intent is to bring back Baker Mayfield. to have him be the starting quarterback, even though he doesn't want that right now. I think that, you know, they feel he's under contract. He's their best option for right now. And they're not going to just trade him for the sake of trading him.

If they find another situation for them that they feel is an upgrade, a clear-cut upgrade for them at quarterback that will help them get to where they want to go next season, then they will do it. But just because he wants out right now, that's not happening. They've turned down other trade requests before. they are doing it again in this situation. And again, if something falls in their lap, something great falls in their lap that they can get their hands on, then they'll do it.

If not, they expect him to be the guy. Well, we will watch and see what happens. It's been a chaotic march, that's for sure. And I can't tell you, I really admire your work a lot. And that tweet, I was like, oh, I'm done, sir. I'm out. No thank you. To put food on the table?

I love that your son said that, though. Yeah, we had a little bit of fun with it. And of course, you know, my kids, my family had, you know, a little bit of fun yesterday with, you know, some of things we could, you know, I could have said, but didn't because I always try to do the right thing. You have to take the high road in these kinds of situations. And I really don't have anything against Baker Mayfield. I hope he has a successful career. Yeah, I don't either, but I'm more petty. so I'll take a little report for you.

Thank you so much for coming on. Really appreciate it. You do amazing work and keep it up. Thank you. Thanks for having me. That's Mary Kay Cabot, writer at cleveland.com and the plane dealer. She makes a good point. She was 100% right on that report.

And he said he did not, essentially, he said she made it up to put food on the table. And she did not. She was 100% right. Oh, yeah. Every word of it. was correct. We have seen it. They took a meeting with Deshawn Watson. Yep. It did not figure things out with the coaching and the front office in Baker Mayfield.

That's my issue. When you tried to dispute something, this is my issue with Baker Mayfield and the self-awareness thing. If you're going to dispute something and be accusatory and inflammatory at someone that covers you for a living, who by the way has covered this team long before you got there. Yeah. At an excellent level, if you're going to go that far, you better be right. Well, also read the entire article. Well, yes, she did mention that he didn't read it, which is zero percent surprising.

Yeah. But if you're going to dispute even just the headline, you better be right. And she was 100% right. And it wasn't even outrageous when she reported it. As she mentioned, he did not have a good season. No. We all know he was injured.

Yeah. If you're on the field and your injury is so severe that you are causing your team to lose, you are too injured to play. Yeah. I'm not saying this with any kind of insensitivity. If I stub my toe, I'm not coming to work. But there's different levels here.

Like, we all know guys play through injuries. But if you're too injured, you can't be out there. You're not only a detriment to the team, you're a detriment to yourself. You're hurting yourself. And that's part of what happened this year. But it's also the addition of all of this type of stuff. Yeah. Which I understand why the Cleveland front office would want someone in the building

who's not going to pour on when things are going badly. Wild. that was great didn't even read the article that didn't read the article and she has sons his age so like that makes it even better it's like i okay child i know how to handle this you know what good on her i know how to handle this because she could have she's she's she's lovely she took the high road she has sons yeah they call me queen petty so i do not whatever low is dig deeper that's where i'm gonna go that's just this is how i get down joy taylor in for calling cowherd today alongside alex curry So it has been a wild,

Anarchy, madness, chaos, free agency period. Who are the winners and losers so far? That's next on the herd. Be sure to catch live editions of the herd weekdays at noon Eastern, 9 a.m. Pacific. Hey, I'm Doug Gottlie. The podcast is called All Ball.

We usually talk all basketball all the time, but it's more about the stories about what made these people love their sport and all the interesting interactions along the way. We talk to coaches. We talk to players. We tell you stories. Stories. You download it, you listen to it, I think you like it. Listen to All Ball with Doug

Alib on the IHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal, but encouraged. It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque. Others say it's unleashing human potential. Either way, the podcast's Superhuman documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year. Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the I-Hard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care what 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 Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok. Do you remember when Diana Ross double-tap Little Kim's boobs at the VMAs? Or when Kanye said that George Bush didn't like black people.

I know what you're thinking. What the hell does George Bush got to do with Little Kim? Well, you can find out on the Look Back at it podcast. I'm Sam J. And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick it here, unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it. Including a recent episode with Mark Lamont Hill,

waxing all about crack in the 80s. To be clear, 84 is big to me, not just because of crack. I'm down to talk about crack on day, but just so y'all know. I mean, at this point, Mark, this is the second episode where we've discussed crack. So I'm starting to see that there's a through line. We also have AIDS on the table right now. Thank you for finishing that sentence. I don't think there's a more important year for black people.

Really? Yeah. For me, it's one of the most important years for black people in American history. Listen to look back at it on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Welcome to my new podcast, Learn the Hard Way with me, your host, and your favorite therapist, Kear Games. And in recognition of mental health awareness month, I'm bringing over a decade of my own experience in the mental health field and conversations with so many incredible guests. I'm talking. Tripp Fontaine,

Ryan Clark. Sometimes when we're in the pursuit of the thing, we get so wrapped up in the chase that we don't realize that we are in possession of the thing. And we're still chasing it. And we don't know when we've done enough. Because people scoreboard watch. Life becomes about

wins and losses. Steve Burns, Dustin Ross, because you find it important to be a good person while you hear on earth? Are you a good person because you're afraid? Because that's two different intentions, bro. Absolutely. And that's two different levels of trust.

I want you to just really be a good person. Join me, Kear Gaines, as we have real conversations about healing, growth, fatherhood, pressure, and purpose on my new podcast, learn the hard way. Open your free iHeartRadio app. Search, learn the hard way,

and listen now. Joy Taylor in for Colin Cowherd, alongside Alex Curry on this very, very wilds Friday. It's a lot going on. Thank you to Mary Kate Cabot for just an illuminating interview. Oh, that was epic.

She's amazing. Baker didn't even read the article. No. No. I think that was the... I don't know why I felt shocked. But it's like you don't bash someone unless you understand and read the whole piece. But that's what people do now.

They just read the headlines. They don't bother to educate themselves on anything. Yes, I'm on a high horse right now. Sometimes I do that too. But I'm not going to come at somebody's neck and not bother to read the article. Anyway, this has been an award. wild free agency period. There's still a lot of moves that can still be made, but we will do a premature, because it's not finished, obviously, winner and losers of free agency right now. We'll talk to

Will Blackman at the top of the hour, get into some of these, some of these a little deeper. But let's start with the winners of free agency so far, starting with the Broncos. I am a huge Russell Wilson fan. I do not believe he is washed, as the internet would tell you. They also added Randy Gregory, DJ Jones, Josie Jewell, Lost Teddy Bridgewater, Drew Locke, Noah Fant, and Shelby Harris. I love the addition of Russell Wilson. I think he is going to be transformative for that organization. I don't know if they win this year in the way that Matthew Stafford and Tom Brady

had the immediate impact. That might be a little unprecedented to expect. But he is certainly going to have a major impact on this team. I do think they win a championship in his tenure there. and I love this move for the Broncos and for him. I think it was a good exits. We'll talk about Seattle in a little bit, but I'm excited for this.

And I think the Broncos have had a nice, nice A-plus offseason so far. Next is the Raiders, Devonte Adams. That happened yesterday. That's a pretty big deal. Also added Chandler Jones, which I absolutely love. They lost Zay Jones, Casey Hayward, Nicholas Morrow. Obviously, the draft is still coming up. They did lose some draft picks in the trade for Devante Adams, but the Raiders had a nice season, despite it being completely and utterly dysfunctional.

They have Derek Carr, who I have a lot of respect for, and my respect just rose over this past season. Now he has the best receiver in the league to throw to. I love what the Raiders have done. Really weren't even really talking about them. Chandler Jones was really the biggest move to me so far for them, but adding Devante Adams takes it into another stratosphere. I love this move for the Raiders. The Chargers. Everyone really felt like the Chargers had the best offseason outside of the Broncos, I think, so far. But I love, love the addition of Caliow Mac, J.C. Jackson, who we will talk to later on in the show as well.

And Sebastian Joseph Day. Calliomack is going to have an immediate impact, I believe, for the L.A. Chargers this year. They're going to not have to rely on him to be the biggest star on the team. They have an offense that can put up points so he can go and hunt. I love the situation for him. Love it's charges off season definitely winners. The Steelers, look, I'm being a little biased here. I know Steelers fans are a little confused about the Mitchell-Tribisky move.

I am much higher on it than most people. I also love that they built up the interior of the offensive line. They needed an upgrade at quarterback. This was a good move. Steelers have had a nice quiet off-season outside of Mitchell-Tribisky. And then obviously the Buccaneers, I mean, look, you get Tom Brady back. That's a pretty good off-season. And they added Russell Gage, which was great.

lost Antonio Brown, Shaq Mason and Logan Ryan. They did have some losses as well, but they could also be getting Gronk back. And there's some talk that Tom Brady is recruiting Julio Jones. So their offseason could get even better. They were definitely winners this offseason. All right, losers, Packers. Well, you lose Devonte Adams. That's pretty significant.

Also, Zadaria Smith, Equanimia St. Brown. They do not have a lot of weapons. But they got Aaron Rogers on a new contract. So there's that. Probably have a great regular season. what a shocking prediction. Seahawks are a disaster. I mean,

you can't run it back with Drew Locke this year. Losing Russell Wilson is obviously devastating to the organization. He was the face of the organization. I think they'll probably make another move to bring in another quarterback. Maybe they'll draft one. It just seems weird that they didn't have some sort of plan. Colts, I think it was a panic move to move off of Carson Wentz. I just, I don't love it.

I do love the addition of Yannick and Gokwey, but they don't have a quarterback right now. So that's an L. The Cowboys have lost a lot of pieces. Amari Cooper, Cedric Wilson Jr., Randy Gregory, they've lost a lot of pieces. So they're kind of getting picked apart right now. And year to year, obviously, every team is different. But this division is not going to be as bad as it was last year.

I'm concerned about the Cowboys. And finally, the Chiefs, don't panic Chiefs fans. I'm not saying you're going to lose this season. I'm just saying right now the division has gotten a lot better as we just reviewed. I also do not like moving on from Tyron Matthew. I think he is a disruptor and a difference maker. But those are our winners and losers so far for the off season. We'll talk to Will Blackman.

And why I think the Allen Robinson edition for the Rams is a big deal, even with a loaded wide receiver room. Joy Taylor, in for Colin Cowherd on the herd. 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 only legal, but encouraged. It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque. Others say it's unleashing human potential. Either way, the podcast is, 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 which I'm saying.

Yep, that's me. Clifford Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, my basketball and college football journey, or my career in sports media. Well, now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The 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.

On the Look Back at a podcast. From 1979, that was a big moment for me. 84 was big to me. I'm Sam J. And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick a year, unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it. With our friends, fellow comedians, and favorite authors.

Like Mark Lamont Hill on the 80s. It was a wild year. I don't think there's a more important year for black people. Listen to look back at it on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. This is an IHeart podcast. Guaranteed Human.