The Herd with Colin Cowherd - Hour 1 - Steph Curry does it again

Episode Date: August 12, 2024

Colin discusses the USA men's basketball team bringing home the gold behind Steph Curry's 4th quarter performance adding another line to Curry's historic resume.  He gives his thoughts on the rookie QBs over the weekend   Guest: Mark SchlerethSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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

Where does your group perform? We do some retirement homes. Those people are starving for banter. Listen to humor me with Robert Smigel and friends on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal, but encouraged. It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque. Others say it's unleashing human potential. Either way, the podcast's superhuman documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year.

Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hey, this is Robert from the Stuff to Blow Your Mind podcast. Joe and I are both lifelong Star Wars fan, so we're celebrating May the 4th with a brand new week of fun, thought-provoking Star Wars-related episodes. Join us as we tackle science and culture topics from a galaxy far, far away, such as the biology of tauntons and wampas on the ice planet hot, or the practicality and corporate business sense of the Sith ruling. of two. Listen to Stuff to Bole Your Mind on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever

you get your podcasts. The story I've told myself can then shape my behavior and that can lead me to sabotage the possibility of connection. This Mental Health Awareness Month, tune into the podcast deeply well with Debbie Brown if you've been searching for a soft place to land while doing the work to become whole. This podcast is for you to hear more. Listen to Deeply well with Debbie Brown from the Black Effect Podcast Network on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. Hey, I'm Diana Maria Riva, and on my new podcast, How Hard Can It Be? I call on my Gen X squad from Ohio to Hollywood as we navigate Midlife's most fantastic BS.

Unfiltered conversations from night sweats to fupas to scheduling sex. Wait, what sex? Is it just me? Or does every woman my age want to look at Pinterest instead of having? having sex sometimes. They say we can't polish a turn, but we're sure going to try. So let's get blunt with laughs, tears, or tears of laughter. Listen to How Hard Can It Be with Gianna Maria Riva on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

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 Hurt at Fox SportsRadio.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. All right, here we go, live in Los Angeles. It's the hurt. Wherever you may be and however you may be listening,

thanks for making us on a Monday part of your day. It was a glorious weekend. I got to watch, like you did, all these rookie quarterbacks play. And throughout the course of the show, we'll talk about each one. One hour from now where Colin was right, where Colin was wrong. Jay Mack off today. Ryan filling in for him. But I want to start.

I had sort of thought that the Olympics were done. I had watched them. Nothing felt special. These were amazing. And a lot of it was the men's basketball, which almost, 20 million people watch that gold medal win. That is insane. That is the biggest number of fans that have watched a single basketball game in this country in a long time.

20 million people. And it came down to Steph and LeBron. But primarily, Steph is the only reason we watched that game and won that game. Not watched it, but won it. And what's amazing about Steph, all these years he's had doubters. I remember when he got to the last finals, It was against Boston. And I can remember the chorus of people that said, well, you know, finals MVP, I mean, if you don't win one of those, and I'm like, you're doubting him.

You still don't think he's great? He doesn't qualify as an all-time great? You just look silly, doubting Steph Curry. Take out Magic Johnson. He is by far and away the best point guard ever. Only Magic is close, and Magic couldn't score like that. this. Magic elevated others. Magic could play more positions. He didn't do this. And what, when other players like LeBron James, not just look at you, but kind of look at you

in awe and you can do things they can't. LeBron's the great Swiss Army knife in basketball. He can duplicate almost anything, but he can't do what Steph does. And the next greatest point guard, Magic Johnson, yeah, he can't do what Steph does. Steph can do a lot. of things. Nobody else, even the great ones can duplicate. Add in the IQ, the EQ, the confidence, the leadership, the coachability, the willingness, the self-awareness to let others dominate for a time. But what's crazy is the shots that he takes would be audacious looking for everybody in the league. If Aunt Edwards took those shots, and we all love Ant, you'd be like, oh, yeah, his game's not refined yet.

I like Ant, that's a bad shot. For Ant, not a guy off the bench. For most of the league, these shots are audacious. And for Steph, you're like, yeah, he's got to take those. Steph's got to take these shots. And he did, and Team USA is now 29 and 0 when Steph's playing for him. 29 and 0. And a lot of great players, you know, golf has a little bit of this.

Baseball's got some of this. A lot of great shooters, when they're off. off like Jason Tatum. Jason Tatum couldn't hit jumpers. He shrinks. Like he shrinks. Steph doesn't. Steph's last two games, he didn't play good early.

He didn't play well early. His last two games, he shot 65% from three. So he is, it's not just that he's the best shooter ever. He has the highest scoring ceiling ever. We all love Patrick Mahomes, but all quarterbacks, it's six points for all the touchdowns. And everybody knows Aaron. judge is great, but if the bases are empty, it's one run. When you're really an all-timer, you can make all-time greats feel less than or outdated.

Michael Jordan. Mathematically, Michael Jordan's mid-range game is outdated. Step back, two steps. The sky hook. Outdated. Why take a 12-foot hook? Like, dunk it or shoot a three? Steph can make things and players and games and people look outdated. There is only one guy and only one reason Team USA won the gold. And it's not LeBron, it's Steph. He's the fastest score.

More points faster than anybody's done it. Shots that would be audacious by anybody else in the league. Yo get to throw up a couple of uglies. That may be the only other guy that can shoot from 29 falling away with a man in his face. and we're like, it's not a bad shot. So we love to bury stars, and we did that. We wanted to bury far before he was done, and this is just what we do. We had, LeBron was done four years ago.

But what you're watching there is nobody can duplicate it. When you shoot shots that would be outrageous would seem ridiculous, ill-advised, and yet with Steph, you want him to take those. Tatum struggled early, Tatum struggled early. Steph struggled early. He's the singular reason. We won the gold.

All right, so it was an interesting weekend for all these rookie quarterbacks. Everybody kind of looked like you thought they would look. Like Bo Nix was accurate. Caleb Williams can move. Drake May's got some rust. I feel like with Drake May, we should just wait a year. And then come back in a year and make a judgment on him. He's just not as polished as everybody was, and you kind of knew that coming in.

But Caleb Williams, I love what teammates are saying about him because you can't fool teammates. DJ Moore said, outstanding. Cole Comette, the tight end said second to none. So he had 102-passer rating, 13-yard scramble, 20 snaps. And what's interesting about Caleb is you have to, like Jordan Love of the Packers, you have to go to the year before he was drafted. So the year before Caleb was drafted, 42 touchdown passes, five picks, 4,500 yards. And then the final year at USC, O-line was a mess.

The team was not competitive by week eight. They wouldn't call certain plays because the O-line struggled. They didn't want to get him hurt. But like Jordan Love, because college, you can have really good coaches get replaced by a really bad coach. In the NFL, even bad coaching is usually competent. USC last year had an incompetent defensive coordinator. They couldn't stop anybody. Every game was a track meet.

Every game you had to throw 50 times. But you couldn't, that's the way it works. So in college football, you can replace a good coach or hire a coach that just isn't good. In the NFL, you may be a bad fit, but most people are competent, Brandon Staley aside. But I think when I watch Caleb Williams, I feel like, because Lincoln Riley, he was polarizing and is the way left Oklahoma and because Caleb Williams was the

first NIL star and the fingernails and he's emotional, he's polarizing. So there's some haters. There's no question. There's haters. Whereas if Baker Mayfield comes in, he's a little shorter than he should be. He almost looked plump. He's not hyper-athletic

translation. American guys can root for him. He kind of looks like them. Caleb Williams doesn't. And the and the Lincoln Riley left Oklahoma for USC. And it's Hollywood. It's arrogant. It's USC.

It's Southern California. People that don't go to Southern California have never lived there. Go to the internet. They're all experts on it. They've all gotten an opinion on it. So don't allow your feelings to get in the way of the truth here. The arm, the movement, the confidence. It's just different.

Mahomes is a completely accurate comp. And it's not his fault. The NIL exploded when Caleb Williams came to USC. one of his early deals, he got all his offensive linemen paid. If you remember the Heisman ceremony, he had his offensive lineman there. I don't think he's a bad guy. I think as Jordan Palmer said Thursday on this show, I think he got bored. I think he was bored last year at USC.

And once they weren't competitive, once they weren't going to get to the playoff, the coaches didn't want to call certain plays. They didn't trust the offensive line. Lincoln Riley won him the Heisman. Lincoln Riley was not going to get Caleb Williams hurt. He was not going to play him late in games. he was not going to get him hurt. He would not call certain protections.

So go like Jordan Love. Go to the year before, where Caleb Williams took four and eight in an awful roster to one play away from 12 and 2. One play against Tulane. And what's interesting is, as I was watching this, usually big cities, not small towns, are on the cutting edge of things.

you know, many of the Silicon Valley in California or Wall Street in New York, cutting-edge technology don't come from small towns. But little small Green Bay in the same division has been light years ahead of Chicago's offense forever. And I felt like watching it this weekend, the Bears offense finally got Wi-Fi. It's like, oh, no more AOL and that weird, clunky sound. That's Wi-Fi. It's magical. that's what it felt like

it's going to be efficient it's going to be dynamic it's going to be a lot of wow and he only saw a couple of snaps but it's it's I feel like there's not one word to describe Chicago offense there's like 20 and they're all bad in the same division

with small market Green Bay that doesn't attract free agents green bay has been doing offense right forever and Chicago's never done it right and they got Wi-Fi and here's Caleb after the win Last time I was out there on the field other than practice was November 18 and it's, you know, you go that long without something.

It's tough. But no, it's been great. The guys have made it fun. They made it easy on me to get out there and have the confidence, you know, that we had out there. It's only going to get better and we can't wait. All right. Also, Jaden Daniels probably made the first or second best throw by any rookie quarterback. I thought most of the quarterbacks looked like they were advertised.

And this batch of quarterbacks, Michael Pennix, had a lot of starts, Indiana and Washington. Bo Nicks had a lot of starts at Auburn and Oregon. Jaden Daniels, a lot of starts, Arizona State and LSU. So I feel like I knew what I was getting. It was not one of these drafts where I don't know what Trey Lance is. I'm excited. His tape's great. He hadn't played that much.

or Anthony Richardson from Florida one year starting to the Colts. I'm not really exactly sure. I'm getting glimpses of stuff. It feels exciting. I'd rather be optimistic than negative and pessimistic. But I don't know what I'm getting. I kind of felt like Bo Nix looked like Bo Nix was going to look. And so did Pennix.

And so did J. Daniels. And I watched two years of starting at USC. That's what Caleb Williams. That's what he looks like. So, I mean, I don't remember the last time you get little early warning signs. signs of hope and desperation with rookie quarterbacks. I thought even Drake May, who was the least impressive, he was kind of what I thought he would look like.

J.J. McCarthy was better than what I thought he would look like. We'll get to that top of the hour. Be sure to catch live editions of the herd weekdays in noon Eastern, 9 a.m. Pacific. On Fox Sports Radio, FS1, and the IHeard Radio app. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal but encouraged. It's the enhanced game. Some call it grotesque. Others say it's unleashing human potential.

Either way, the podcast's Superhuman documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year. Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the IHard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. A win is a win. A win is a win.

I don't care what you're saying. Yep, that's me. Clipper Taylor, the fourth. You might have seen the skits, the reactions, my journey from basketball to college football, or my career in sports media. Well, somewhere along the way, this platform became bigger than I ever imagined. And now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifford Show. This is a place for raw, unfiltered conversations with some of your favorite athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. One week, I'll take you

behind the scenes of the biggest moments in sports and entertainment, and the next we'll talk about life, mental health, purpose, and even music. The Clifford Show isn't just a podcast. It's a space for honest conversations, stories that don't always get told, and for people who are chasing something bigger. So if you've ever supported me or you're just chasing down a dream, this is right where you need to be. Listen to the Clifford show on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your

podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok. Hey, everyone. It's Ryder Strong and Will Ferdell from PodMeets World. And now the Podmeets Twirled podcast. We're two men who were completely clueless to reality TV, who now have covered Dancing with the Stars, traitors, and we're gearing up for the season finale of Survivor.

So yeah, now we're experts. I know we annoyed a lot of our listeners by our severe lack of survivor knowledge. That is the point of the show. I'm just going to remind you. I have watched some Survivor. I obviously haven't watched enough. Did people not like it?

Yeah. Just because we... Yeah. We'll be recapping the big conclusion in the 50th season. From the final attempts at gameplay, to the desperate plea as finalists, to a bunch of... Ha, ooh. Ha, ha, ooh.

Again, we are experts. So make sure to tune in to Pod Meets Twirled for all our Survivor 50 takes. Listen to PodMeets Twirled on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcasts. What would you eat if you had to start over? Real simple, poor man. Poor Woman's food. Black beans, chicken, rice, plantains.

Yeah. That's all. That's poor people's food, man. But being Nigerian, that's, come on, a go-to. On the podcast eating while broke, I sit down with celebrities, entrepreneurs, and creators as they revisit the meals they once relied on and the moments that shaped their journey. Named Best Food Podcasts at the 2006 I-Heart Podcast Awards. This show is all about real conversations on money, growth, and what it really takes to make it.

It was times where me and Lex were like definitely getting into it because we're not making any money. Like I need to start making money. Like why are we doing this? But I don't know. I think we just always knew that we had something really good and eventually people were going to catch on. And so we just thugged it out.

The full season is available to binge. Right now listen to Eating While Broke from the Black Effect Podcast Network on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. When you listen to podcasts about AI and tech and the future of humanity. The hosts always act like they know what they're talking about, and they are experts at everything. Here, the Nick Dick and Poll Show,

we're not afraid to make mistakes. What Kugler did that I think was so unique. He's the writer-director. Who do you think he is? I don't know. You mean it to, like, the president? You think Canada has a president. You think China has a president.

Those law crusette. God, I love that thing. I use it all the time. I wrap it in a blanket and sing to it. doing it like. It's like the old Polish saying, not my monkeys, not my circus. Yep.

It was a good one. I like that. It is an actual Polish saying. Yeah. It is an actual Polish saying. Better version of play stupid games, win stupid prizes. Yes.

Which, by the way, wasn't Taylor Swift, who said that for the first time. I actually, I thought it was. I got that wrong. Listen to the Nick Dick and Poll show on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

So, Bo Nicks. Let's talk about him. I had said this. I saw him play live twice in college, once up close, right behind the Oregon sideline, and once, you know, in the stands. And from the end zone, so I had seen a lot of him in college live. I watched a lot of his starts. I remember as a freshman, him at Auburn, I think beating Justin Herbert in Oregon.

And he really, he had like 61 college starts, so we kind of know what we have. And here's what is really, I mean, the NFL is by far and away the biggest domestic sport. Like, it's not close. It's the English Premier League in, you know, in London. It's not close. So this is why the NFL is king. If Bo Nix hits, all the Denver problems wash away immediately.

It's like the Houston Texans. They were the biggest laughing stock in the league. And now they're the model how to turn a franchise around. Because they got the quarterback right. And they got the coach right. And they just happened to come in the same year. I mean, think about the Russell Wilson Denver deal. Just think about what this franchise did.

gave up a ton of draft capital, good picks. They paid a fortune. They whiffed on their head coaching hire, like badly, whiffed. They were in cap hell in a division with Patrick Mahomes. Like, that's not a good spot to be in. So they hire Sean Payton, and they write the ship. They get Russell Wilson to be the best version of what he can be. They kind of write the offense as much as they can.

And if Bow Nix hits, they're the Texans. All this stuff disappears. you've got a quarterback you're not paying anything too it'll clean up your cap you'll be winning games and everybody will forget about it that's that's not the NFL gives you microwavable stars heat them up a little bit ready to roll every other sport in this country

the way the draft works is you got to put them in the oven you cross your fingers and you bake a minimum two years before they can actually help you think how great wemby is Wemby's the best prospect ever, including LeBron. I was telling my wife this weekend. He can do things LeBron can't. There'll be many things that Wemby will do that LeBron could never do. Is he going to have the same career, legacy?

Who knows? Titles, who knows? But as great as he is, he goes to the Spurs. They don't win one more game. They're awful without him. They're awful with him. And they won't be any good this year. That's the way everything else works.

The NFL, the coach is competent. the quarterback's really good, all your problems go away. And I'm watching the Denver game, and I'm thinking, oh, my God, this has a Peyton breeze. Think about how bad the Saints were. The Saints were the laughing stock in the national football league. Pre-Breeze and Peyton. The Houston Texans were the laughing stock in the NFL, pre-Demico Ryan's and C.J. Stroud. And Nicks looked exactly like he looked in college.

Oregon schemed him up. and schemed him up, accurate, available, doesn't get hurt, experienced, boom. And we are in a very impatient society. I'm as guilty as anybody. The NFL is the sport that rewards you. And I'm just watching this, and I'm thinking to myself, my God, two years ago, the Denver Broncos knew by the end of the first game of Nathaniel Hackett's first game as a head coach, remember the game in Seattle?

It was Pete Carroll-face and Russell Wilson. By the end of the first game, you're like Nathaniel Hackett doesn't understand the clock. Like literally does not understand how to use the clock. It was I tried to defend it. It was awful. And they had to eventually like hire somebody who could handle the clock. So it all disappears if Bonex can play. And it was great. I'm watching Jaden Daniels. What's the grossest franchise in the NFL? You know, Cleveland or Washington the last seven, eight years. Dan Snyder Mess. Could all be solved.

Chicago, Jurassic, you know, they can't get offense right. They've never had one great quarterback that's had a 12-year run. It could all be solved. And now, Denver, most of my life, has been like the Steelers with mountain ranges. You know, it's like

kind of well-run, smart, some trophies, you know, a semi-viable. They've had, you know, you're Peyton Manning, you're John Elway, your Big Ben, you're Terry Bradshaw, they've had big stars, and it's like, they were a mess. And you're like, I mean, I was thinking a year ago, like, how do you get out of this? I mean, Deshawn Watson, for all the issues, can still play. Like Russell, you're like, Sean Payton doesn't like him and he can't

play. How do you get out of it? Draft Bownex. If that's going to be a reasonable facsimile of what Bow Nix is with Sean Peyton, it could very, very, much be the Saints. You had what you would call, and it doesn't happen much in the NFL, you'd have a dead franchise. It's just done. And then it's not. I mean, the Texans felt did they not like they were a dead franchise. Bo Nix talked after his NFL debut. I could tell it was a little bit faster. It was definitely professional. I mean, the guys are in the right spots. They're disguising, they're doing well, they're where they're supposed to be. But, you know, I felt very, you know, calm and relaxed back there. It was just a game.

They were still in cover three and quarters. And man, I mean, it's the same defense. And so you just got to figure out which one they're in and then execute the play that's called. But I thought we had a great job with our play calls today. We stayed in rhythm. We ran the ball efficiently. That's always nice. And so overall it was a very productive day. The other thing that may help him is through Auburn and Oregon, he had a lot of different offenses and a lot of different coordinators. So this is somebody that's never truly been comfortable and could come back year after year after year with the same

offense. And we know it to be true. In the NFL, no matter how gifted you are, it has helped Josh Allen to start his career with Brian Davel. It really helped him. And Andy Reid's been incredibly valuable. Remember the first couple years of Patrick Mahomes? He came in raw.

And the first two to three years, he would go off the fairway. His mechanics would go into the tank. And Andy would bring him back. Like, this stuff matters. I don't think Bo Nix is talented enough to overcome a restrictive, conservative play-calling head coach or culture. I don't think he's that good. But with Sean Payton, I'm watching that thinking, could this thing be Drew Brees and Peyton? It completely turning it around the Saints.

It feels like it to me. It could be. Here's Ryan with the news. No, no, no, no, no. Turn on the news. This is the herd line news. All right, Colin, Jordan Love didn't take long to make a big splash this preseason. He completed this 65-yard touchdown pass to Dantavian Wix on the third play.

Matt LaFleur said after the game that Love will set out next week, and here's Jordan's answer when asked about the reps. Yeah, I mean, I think we could go into it just jumping into the season, but I think maybe getting a couple more snaps here in the preseason will be nice. I mean, like you said, we only got three plays a night. So just to be able to get out there, get back. in that mode. It was nice to, you know, getting the game today, but I think getting a longer drive and a couple more plays up might be nice. A lot to be excited about Green Bay. Yeah, I think,

I think this has turned the table. You know, we don't have practice video. You know, we don't have meetings with Jordan Love. We don't, we don't see the day-to-day stuff that they do. So when they signed him, we all thought, God, can they kind of wait until, like, November 1st? But they're seeing stuff in the building that I also think it has to be noted. You have to say this. Remember Aaron's last year there, with all these young receivers, there was a generational gap. He didn't trust Christian Watson, Romeo Dobbs. They'd have a big drop.

Remember, Watson dropped them all down the sideline against the Vikings in week one, and it felt like Aaron, as he tends to do, ghosted him. Well, Jordan generationally, he's the same age of these guys, or two or three years older. So it just feels like Green Bay, to me, is like a big recruiting class coming in at once. And they're all kind of part of the same recruiting class. Jordan was the first class, and then these other guys came in a couple of classes after him, and it just like, they're all kind of growing together, which is, and that's kind of an issue. Tom Brady used to talk about that.

Like, he would go introduce himself, the way, his tech, like he got very old. Brett Farb got very old, very fast. Matt Stafford's wife has talked about this. You get very old. You're 37, and the guy's coming in there 21. You have nothing in common. I mean, that's part of why this has worked so quickly is it's like, I would imagine Jordan love and those receivers and tight ends, dude, they're laughing about the same jokes.

They're listening to the same music. And it just feels like, to me, Aaron's last couple years there felt a little prickly and a little disjointed front office to Aaron. Aaron to the receivers at all. Nothing kind of felt like there was any symmetry. It's not a shot at Aaron. It's like he wasn't getting along with the front office. Aaron wasn't really tight with the receivers.

Hell, he wasn't tight with Devonthe Adams. And it now feels like, oh, it's this young ascending team. and it's like it all, Matt Lafleur's still a young coach. Jordan Love's still a young quarterback. Their receivers are all young. They're old lines young. It just feels like you don't have this tribalism

or these people that are like the old coordinator resents the new guys. They're all, honestly, it feels like Green Bay about three years ago had this huge recruiting class and they're all like juniors. They may not win until they're seniors, but they all feel like they're all juniors now

and they know how to win. All on the same timeline now, all pulling in the same. direction, all have their priorities in the same place, which wasn't always the case with Aaron Rogers. All right, eighth overall pick, J.J. McCarthy made his preseason debut this weekend for the Vikings after throwing an interception on the opening drive. The rookie responded in a big way. McCarthy finished 11 of 17 for 188 yards and two touchdowns. After the game, his head coach Kevin O'Connell discussed how impressed he was with how McCarthy played. Clearly everybody

can see the armed talent. I just loved seeing him come right back after, you know, the interception and still be aggressive, still stay true to, you know, footwork, timing, rhythm, where his eyes should be. So there was a lot of positives with JJ's performance tonight in a lot of areas where we'll be able to hit the ground running when these guys are back in on Monday. Yeah, he was better than I thought, and what's interesting is he and Sam Darnold have some similarities. They'll throw an occasional pick, but they both move well, they play with a ton of confidence,

they're loose, they're willing to kind of let it go. Even his interception of Jack Jones, who's had kind of a troubled personal life, but he's super talented corner for the Raiders. Like Long Beach Polly Kid, really, really talented player, was not a terrible interception. It was just a nice play made by a good corner. So, no. I mean, with JJ, it's hard because we're all these other quarterbacks,

I kind of knew what I was getting. With JJ, it was such a run and defense-dominated, offensive line coach-dominated Michigan program. I mean, they didn't throw a single pass against Penn State on the road in one. Hardball was suspended many games. It's hardball calling the plays. With JJ, I'm like, I'm not quite sure exactly what he is. And then I watched the game and I thought, oh, that's, he's a little bit more dynamic with his feet than I remember at Michigan.

But then I was thinking, he may have been at Michigan, but they didn't need him. I mean, Michigan was playing with the lead. Michigan probably reigned him. It's like Justin Herbert. You didn't really know Justin Herbert could move like that at Oregon because they didn't have a good backup, so they didn't let him run. CJ shrouded Ohio State until the Georgia game. You're like, he's a pocket quarterback. And then you watch him run around past Georgia guys.

You're like, oh, he can do that? Well, they didn't feel comfortable with backups. Well, J.J. McCarthy, Michigan was so dominant the last two years, they were thumping Ohio State. So it's like they, there's no reason to take big wrists with him. Why? I mean, they had one elite receiver. They had the best O-line in the country. They literally led every big game it felt like comfortably by mid third quarter.

So you don't read it. There's got there's a Herbert C.J. Stroud to it. Like I felt like the onion got peeled. I got another layer in this game. I'm like, oh, he can move around. He can make plays with his feet more. I mean, I knew he could move. He wasn't a statue.

But you don't feel like you quite know exactly what you're getting on him. Not that he was protected. It just wasn't a part of their winning formula. That's right. He was kind of managed. That's not a negative. Like Harbaugh's like kid. I don't need you to throw 30 times.

You're not going to throw in the second half of this game on the road. We're not going to risk it. I'm upstairs. You know, I'm in a hotel calling the plays in, whatever it is. So it was pretty cool. Do you feel like JJ's going to get multiple starts at some point before the end of the season? I mean, if you look at the Viking schedule, we can see that it looks like he may get more than just one start this season. Well, my feeling is they want to go with Darnold.

Donald, I do believe, I mean, this is all vanilla schemes preseason stuff. Darnold could beat San Francisco. I don't think J.J. I think J.J. McCarthy would get a little overwhelmed. So again, let's not overreact to it. But if you look at the first four to five weeks, Niners' defense, D'emico Ryan's defense, Jets, defense. So Darnold's not whizzing through that thing, but I think Darnold can keep them competitive because he's seen so many things in the NFL.

No, even if it was a draw, wouldn't you let Darnold get you to the buy? Yeah. Just confidence-wise, and then it's easier for you as a coach to your locker room to say, guys, we're two and three, and we're average at 18 points a game. We're going to go with a kid. Right. Instead of going with the kid first, he gets beat up. You go to Darnold, and eventually, if he doesn't win, you have to go back. Like, let's make it clean.

Let's go. If I was a staff, I'd say, let's get to the bottom. with Darnold. Absolutely. And then from that point, because once you go to JJ, you don't want to go back. Right, exactly. It definitely feels like they need to get to a point to where it's pretty clear. The playoffs are a long shot. As long as you're remotely in contention, you don't want to be going back and forth between the two quarterbacks, especially with the first year. I mean, that's sort of what the Steelers were forced to do with Kenny Pickett at one point. And that's when you knew it was over. And you don't need to be doing that with the first round pick in his first season in JJ McCarthy. All right, we'll wrap up with this. Brandon and I, you trade request saga. It continues.

At least for now, Jeremy Fowler is reporting that it's pretty much down to the Steelers or staying with the 49ers. Meanwhile, Adam Schaefter is reporting that Pittsburgh has made a strong offer to the Niners and a contract offer to Ayuk. Now, we could also point out that the 49ers had to cancel their joint practices with the Saints this week, because they just don't have enough players to make the practices worthwhile. This is due to injuries in addition to the IUC and Trent Williams hold out, hold them. situation. My buddy, John Middilkoff had a funny line last night in the podcast. He said this may be the only receiver that would sign a four-year, $100 million deal and be

bitter about it. But I do think you have to, there's two things working against Ayyuk. San Francisco won games before he got there, and he's just simply not as valuable as Christian McCaffrey or a Trent Williams or Kyle Shanahan. He is just really talented. He's not as valuable. And the second thing that works against him is they went and drafted two receivers. they have Debo, they have Jennings, they have Kittle.

San Francisco is not short on like offensive weaponry. No. And the NFL draft gives you minimum 18 wide receivers a year. And a lot of these got Pooka Nakua fifth round, tank Dell later rounds. It's the one position that furnishes the NFL with immediate star players. I mean, you get about one star quarterback a year and one star left tackle per year. maybe two really high-end edge rushers. Three good corners.

Wide receiver, you get Puka Nakua, you're like three weeks in. You're like, he's a one. I mean, Amaran St. Brown. Fourth round. Puka, fifth round. Tank Dell, mid-round. That's not infrequent. That's like happening all.

Even Brandon Ayuk was a late first round pick. Debo was a second, and they're both stars. So I think that does work against him. I don't think he has a ton of leverage. and there's a reason they drafted two wide receivers now they're both dinged up

but I think part of that was not as much need as it was like leverage yeah providing themselves an escape hatch if things got too contentious which is apparently where they continue to sit right now between IU and San Francisco

all right Ryan with the news well that's the news and thanks for stopping by the herd line news By the way, LeBron James MVP, I watched that and I thought to myself, you know, if you'd have sold, if you had told LeBron, you're going to come to L.A. And you're going to get a title and get to another Western Conference final. You'd be like, oh, that's pretty good.

You watch that. LeBron now, at 39's the MVP. And you're thinking, man, have they not done a good job with him? And we'll talk about that later. Colin right, calling wrong, top of next hour. Mark Slareth is joining us the Bronco expert on our staff on what he witnessed. Be sure to catch live editions of the herd weekdays in noon Eastern 9 a.m. Pacific. Hey, what's up everybody? It's me, three-time Pro Bowl of LaVore Arrington,

and I couldn't be more excited to announce a podcast called Up on Game. What is Up on Game, you ask? Along with my fellow Pro Bowler, T.J. Hushman Zada and Super Bowl champion. Yep, that's right. Plexico Burris. You can only name a show with that type of talent on it. Up On Game. We're going to be sharing our real-life experiences loaded with teachable moments.

Listen to Up On Game with me, LaVar Arington, T.J. Hushmanzada, and Plexico Burris on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast from. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal but encouraged. It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque. Others say it's unleashing human potential. Either way, the podcast's Superhuman documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year.

Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the I-Hard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care what you're saying. Yep, that's me, Cliver Taylor the 4th.

You might have seen the skits, the reactions, my journey from basketball to college football, or my career in sports media. Well, somewhere along the way, this platform became bigger than I ever imagined. And now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifford Show. This is a place for raw, unfiltered conversations with some of your favorite athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. One week, I'll take you behind the scenes of the biggest moments in sports and entertainment. And the next we'll talk about life, mental health, purpose, and even music. The Clifford Show isn't just a podcast.

It's a space for honest conversations, stories that don't always get told, and for people who are chasing something bigger. So if you've ever supported me or you're just chasing down a dream, this is right where you need to be. Listen to the Clifford show on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok. and Will Ferdell from Podmeets World.

And now the Podmeets Twirled podcast. We're two men who were completely clueless to reality TV, who now have covered Dancing with the Stars, traitors, and we're gearing up for the season finale of Survivor. So yeah, now we're experts. I know we annoyed a lot of our listeners by our severe lack of survivor knowledge. That is the point of this show. I'm just going to remind you.

I have watched some Survivor. I obviously haven't watched enough. Did people not like it? Yeah. Just because we... Yeah. We'll be recapping the big conclusion in the 50th season. From the final attempts at gameplay,

to the desperate plea is the finalists, to a bunch of... Ha, ooh. Ha, ha, ooh. Again, we are experts. So make sure to tune into Pod Meets Twirled for all our Survivor 50 takes. Listen to PodMeets Twirl on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcasts. What would you eat if you had to start over?

Real simple, poor man. Man's poor woman's food. Black beans, chicken, rice, plantains. Yeah. That's poor people's food, man. But being Nigerian, that's, come on, a go-to. On the podcast Eating While Broke, I sit down with celebrities, entrepreneurs, and creators as they revisit the meals they once relied on and the moments that shaped their journey.

Named Best Food Podcasts at the 2006 IHeart Podcast Awards, this show is all about real conversations on money, growth, and what it really takes to make it. It was times where me and Lex were like definitely getting into it because we're not making any money. Like I need to start making money. Like why are we doing this? But I don't know. I think we just always knew that we had something really good

and eventually people were going to catch on. And so we just thugged it out. The full season is available to binge. Right now listen to Eating While Broke from the Black Effect Podcast Network on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. When you listen to podcasts about AI and in tech and the future of humanity. The hosts always act like they know what they're talking about,

and they are experts at everything. Here, the Nick Dick and Poll Show, we're not afraid to make mistakes. What Kugler did that I think was so unique. He's the writer-director. Who do you think he is? I don't know. You mean the president?

You think Canada has a president? You think China has a president? Those law crusette. God, I love that thing. I use it all the time. I wrap it in a blanket and sing. doing it like it's like the old

Polish saying not my monkeys not my circus it was a good one I like that snake is an actual Polish saying yeah it is an actual Polish saying

better version of play stupid games win stupid prizes yes which by the way wasn't Taylor Swift who said that for the first time I actually I thought it was I got that wrong

listen to the Nick Dick and Paul show on the IHeart Radio app Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts a very popular radio show in Denver he's got three Super Bowl rings, multiple time pro-Boulder, Fox Sports, one of the bedrock guys here. Mark Schlerath is joining us. He just wrapped up his morning show in Denver.

So I got to tell you, I watch Bo Nix, and I thought to myself, I talked about this early, that the college draft in football gives you kind of microwavable stars. Heat them up, they're ready to go. It doesn't matter if you're Bryce Harper, you could be Wemby, you could be a hockey star, you put it in the oven, you cross your fingers, you bake a couple years and hopefully they help you out. But my takeaway is as big a mess as Denver was, Nat Hackett, draft capital, cap hell,

is a mess. And I watched that and I went, are these the Texans? Are we looking at like, oh, they'll become a model of how to get out of a cap disaster. Now, I could be overstepping it here, but he looked like he looked in college. I mean, they've already named him the starter for next week. Have they not,

Mark? Yeah. They, they, they, They certainly have. Bowenicks played exceptionally well. And I think, you know, a couple of things NFL teams have to do. I think we have to do it as people, Colin. You have to be honest with yourself, right? And you have to know what your strengths are, but more importantly, what your weaknesses are. And you have to understand that you have to build the majority of your football team through the draft.

Because when you go after everybody in free agency, you're paying a plume. us dollars for B minus talent. Yeah. And so what the Broncos did was saying we're going to stop the bleeding. Like we're going to, you know, we're not putting band-aids over gaping wounds anymore. We're going with Bow Nix.

And oh, by the way, the best fit, in my opinion, of any of the quarterbacks that were taken in the first round. He was sixth overall. I just thought he was a perfect fit for Sean. And ultimately, you know, you look at the way he

played and I always talk about just pocket presence. The kid has unbelievable pocket presence and you saw everything come to fruition. You saw him stand in the pocket, deliver the football on time accurately. You saw him manipulate inside the pocket, never taking his eyes down to focus on the rush, always keeping him downfield delivering strikes. You saw him scramble out of the pocket when he was under duress but continued to focus down the football field and complete his first completion was to Corlin Sutton on a third down and 10 for a first down outside the pocket. You saw him operate on third down as an offense. You saw everything you needed to see.

And Bo Nix is legitimately going to be the day one starter for the Denver Broncos at the quarterback position. Without question in my mind, this is, I mean, it's just a fact. Zero sacks in that game. Everything that Russell Wilson wasn't last year for Sean Payton, Bownix was. I know it's only one preseason game, but this has been the way it's been all preseason

through practices with Bonaix. Yeah, now, there's a distinction now. Justin Field took a lot of sacks for the bears, but PFF told you it was like the 15th best O line. The Broncos O line with a left tackle that's elite,

more than workable at the guard. Like, I look at the O line, I'm like, I don't think it's a disaster when I watched them play. But that's talk about that because it's the position you know better than anybody is that because a quarterback gets sacked, there is a tendency to think the O-line's terrible. That's not necessarily what it means. Explain that. Yeah, well, I think what you have to understand is that quarterback sacks to me are more of a quarterback-driven statistic than they are an O-line-driven statistic. The way the game

has changed is that the majority of the throws made within the context of your offense are quick three step and five step in nature where the ball is coming out one to two and it's coming out

in under two and a half seconds. So if your quarterback doesn't throw the ball on time or pulls the ball and scrambles around, especially at the backside of the pocket, now those sacks go on the quarterback. And if you look the Denver Broncos last year of the 45 sacks they gave up,

I bet you close to three quarters of those sacks were credited as Russell Wilson's fault. And that's unacceptable. Like that is unacceptable. And the worst part of that, for me as an offensive lineman, is when the quarterback comes out and doesn't jump on the hangar nade.

You want to talk about a guy that will be hated in the locker room and that will piss me off is when he takes five sacks and of the six sacks that were given up. And then he comes out in the press conference afterwards and says, yeah, we got to protect better. No, no, no, no, we, what are you, a French waiter?

No, you got to play better. We don't have to protect better with all your we, we, we, we. So, you know, one of the big emphasis with that game yesterday with Denver Broncos is zero sacks. And that's going to be, like, when you give up a sack in the course of a drive,

you have almost zero chance after that sack to score points. Your scoring ratio drops down to like 8 to 10 percent or something crazy like that. I don't know exactly what the percentage is, but almost zero ability to score points if you give up a sack and a drive. So having quarterbacks not taking sacks because they understand what they're doing

in the context of the offense becomes vitally important. You know, Bo Nix and Peyton get a little bit of a break with scheduling. So you open with Seattle, but it's a brand new staff. You also have Vegas at the end of it. You're at the Jets. But again, the Jets are, what are the Jets? You're at Tampa, Winnable. Pittsburgh at home with a quarterback issue.

You start looking at the first. Now it gets a little tougher after that. But what is, I mean, I don't know, I look at that with the rookie quarterback, and Minnesota's early schedule is landmines everywhere. I look at this, and I think pretty well. workable? What is realistic as somebody who knows players there? Sean Payton privately? What do you think is workable in the first five or six weeks? Yeah, no, I think they could come out of the first five or six weeks with either a winning

record or kind of a three and three type record. Yeah, so do I. And yet ultimately, you know, here's the thing that ends up happening, you know, with national analysts is they'll say, hey, you know what, talent is questionable here. They don't have a lot of talent. And I'll say, no, no, no, no, no, no, you're mistaken. They don't have a lot of name value. They have a lot of talent. But the talent that they have hasn't created a name for itself yet.

You know, the first game I ever played in Colin was a game in Philadelphia about halfway through the season, my rookie year in 89 when I became a starter. and I'll never forget it. It changed the trajectory of my career. To have somebody believe in you can mean so much to you as a player, but just as a parent, if you believe in your kid,

the best thing you can do for your kids is to believe in that. And I'm sitting on the bus, scared is all get out, going to open up my career in the vet in Philadelphia against, you know, Reggie White and Jerome Brown and Clyde Simmons, you know,

and I mean, this is the number one defense and football. And our quarterback is Doug Williams, and he walked on the bus, and he walks by me. And then he stops and he turns around, and he backs back up, and he taps me on the shoulder. I take out my headphones. And he said, listen, the only difference between you and them is they had a chance to go out and make a name for themselves. And he goes, and today, you have a chance to go out and make a name for yourself. And I completely believe you're going to do that. And I end up getting a game ball in that game and getting in a fight. And, you know, I mean, the whole nine yards,

this guy by name of Mike Pitts, I am wearing his ass out. And he swung at me, he threw a punch at me, and I try to decapitate his ass because I, like, I'm a 10th rounder from Idaho. You're not punking me. Right. I guarantee you that. That's not going to happen.

And ultimately, I've got a chance to make a name for myself. These guys that play for the Broncos right now haven't had that opportunity. but trust me, at the end of this season, they're going to be four or five guys who make a name for themselves that are going to become those guys that you look at and go, wow, that team's more talented than I thought. Yeah.

And they just don't have name value yet. Yeah, no, I've said this. They've got two workable backs, potentially three receivers I like, a good left tackle. They lack a rush end, which they drafted. So to me, cross your fingers on that. One of the best corners, safeties are good, linebackers move,

great coach. I don't buy this. I say Minnesota and Denver, I keep here and they're going to finish fourth, and I'm like, I don't know. I see a lot of players. We got to run. We got to run. Mark Schlerath. Good seeing you, bud. You too, call. Take care, buddy. Yeah. All fired up. That's what's great about the NFL. I watch Denver now, and I'm like, why can't they be a playoff? Look at their starting first seven games. You got a Saints in there, Carolina in there,

Pittsburgh in there, Vegas in there. Why not? Hour to next. 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 Smygle and Friends on the I-Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal but encouraged. It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque. Others say it's unleashing human potential.

Either way, the podcast's Superhuman documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year. Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the I-Hard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hey, this is Robert from the Stuff to Blow Your Mind podcast. Joe and I are both lifelong Star Wars fan, so we're celebrating May the 4th with a brand new week of fun, thought-provoking Star Wars-related episodes.

Join us as we tackle science and culture topics from a galaxy far, far away, such as the biology of tauntons and wampas on the ice planet hot, or the practicality and corporate business sense of the Sith rule of two. Listen to Stuff to Blow Your Mind on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. The story I've told myself can then shape my behavior and that can lead me to sabotage the possibility of connection. This Mental Health Awareness Month, tune into the podcast deeply well with Debbie Brown if you've been searching for a soft place to land while doing the work to become whole. This podcast is for you to hear more. Listen to deeply well with Debbie Brown from the Black

effect podcast network on the Iheart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. Hey, I'm Deanna Maria Riva, and on my new podcast, How Hard Can It Be? I call on my Gen X Squad from Ohio to Hollywood as we navigate Midlife's most fantastic BS. Unfiltered conversations

from night sweats to futas, to scheduling sex. Wait, what sex? Is it just me or does every woman my age want to look at Pinterest instead of having sex sometimes? They say we can't I can't polish a turd, but we're sure going to try. So let's get blunt with laughs, tears, or tears of laughter.

Listen to How Hard Can It Be with Tiana Maria Riva on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. This is an IHeart podcast. Guaranteed Human.