The Herd with Colin Cowherd - Hour 1 - The Celtics have a problem

Episode Date: March 6, 2024

Colin gets validation for what's he's been saying about the Celtics after their 22-point collapse in the 4th quarter against the Cavaliers Looking at some of the weaknesses of Caleb Williams How Patrick Mahomes has improved over his short career Has this current 49ers team reached their peak?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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Live in Los Angeles, wherever you may be, and however you may be listening. Thanks for making us part of your day. A lot of choices out there. You know, J-Mack, I have said two things can be true. I can think the Boston Celtics are an excellent team. We'll end up in the finals. But I do not trust them in situational basketball in close games. I've said the 2021 Buffalo Bills where they blew everybody out,

but in six of their seven close games, they lost. That's all their losses were close games. Josh Allen would make a mistake. They couldn't pick up a key third down. A lot of pushback on that. So last night, J. Mack, again, Cleveland was at home. Cleveland's a very good team. It's okay to lose to Cleveland, right?

It's okay, but it's how you lose to Cleveland. You feel validated this morning, don't you, huh? I'm going to be honest. I feel a little validated. I've been on this for two days. I think Boston's good. I'm not dumping on them because they lost. They won 11 straight games.

In Cleveland at home's good. But let's talk about how they lost. It felt like a playoff game late. Did it not? Jason Tatum, too often big spots has an advantage and settles for a spot or doesn't have aggressiveness. He settles for a fallaway. So last night, one-point game, here's six-eight,

first team all pro Jason Tatum the Celtics have a matchup against 6-1 Darius Garland for the potential win and what does he do a fallaway settling for a fallaway jumper 7 inch 20

pound size advantage it's what he does consistently he gets these spots by the way drive do an Austin Reeves create contact lean in 7 inch 20 pound advantage One point game.

You kick your feet so they go to the replay. A foul was called, but when they went to the replay, what did they discover? It wasn't a foul, and it wasn't. Also, consider this. The Cab's best rim protector was out of the game. And the center was on the perimeter. And the Celtics again, roll the tape. Let him walk it up the floor.

They set a picket was completely designed for Jason Tatum at, his leisure. Look at the clock. Say, Jason, we're going to set a pick. Your game, we're going to get you on Darius Garland. They are setting it up, big on small, and look at this. They designed it perfectly. That's the shot? You think Michael Jordan settles for that?

LeBron settles for that? Again, I don't doubt you're a good team. But they literally gave you the ball to walk up the floor, set a pick. Oh, by the way. add this. Tatum's 0 and 5 on shots to tire take the lead this year with five or fewer seconds in the fourth and overtime. The Celtics are 0 and 9 on shots to tie or take the lead with five or fewer seconds. You know who isn't? The Denver Nuggets who are a great late game basketball team. The Nuggets, Yokic Murray, every time they play the Lakers, same thing. Six

minutes left. They tighten up the screws. They get better shots. They don't allow you good shots. That, yes, I'm validated. It's not that they're not a good team. It's not that they don't blow people out, but the Celtic standards now are get to the finals and win. That's their standard. The standard's not beaten Philly. What has Philly done in the last decade? The standard's not beating the Knicks who don't have a dependable number two score. That's why, yesterday on this show, and the day before, people talk about the Celtics and the Miami Heat. You know who historically is good in situational basketball games? games, Eric Spolstra, Jimmy Butler.

You know, Miami is very good in those close games. Over the years, elite coach, big shot maker and Jimmy Butler. So again, this goes back to what I said. I don't trust them in close situational games, and they're standards to Southics. It's get to the finals. And, I mean, this is the last night. That was the greatest example. Now, they also blew a 22-point lead in the fourth.

But again, teams blow leads. happens. In a three-point world, you can lose a 12-point lead in four shots. I'm not crushing them for blowing a lead. They've come from behind. They lose leads. That's the current NBA. Games go, I mean, Phoenix

That's the way it said last night Phoenix Denver was just a game of runs. But when you get that moment, 6-8 against 6-1, 20-pound advantage. They set a pick. The whole arena. And this is the shot for a guy who

too often settles for average shots in big moments. Celtics 0 for 9 this year on that shot, Tatum 0 for 5, and that you at minimum have to draw a foul. Here's Tatum after. It was unfortunate. I thought I got foul, but they didn't think I got fouled, and it's tough because we got, we'd had to tip in. So it's just a weird way to end the game,

but, you know, they always say the game isn't one lost in the last play. There's a lot of things that we didn't do well in that fourth quarter that put us in that position. 2021 Buffalo Bills made the comp two three days ago. Blowout wins up and down the board. I mean, by the way, Celtics lead the NBA point differential this year. They led the NBA last year in point differential. The year before they were number two in point differential. That's the 2021 bills. They're blowing everybody out. Kansas City was winning the close ones. that's why Kansas City's got a trophy room

and they'll add more and that's why Denver will win a second straight NBA championship. Sorry, I know it hurts. JMAX over here wincing is holding back nausea but I keep I keep beating on this thing and I know you're saying Colin on 11-game winning streak that's fine. The East, I think, what are they like, 33 and 6

against the East? I mean, give me a break. Who cares? None of these teams in the East have a chance. to win the championship. Miami is always a wild card. It's Miami. It's Spolstra. It's Butler. It's Riley.

It's Bam. They have a way of just figuring things out and getting good late. It's about games like last night. All right. So this is the headline. This is not my opinion. My wife gets very upset with me when I criticize the Chicago Bears. And I'm like, honey, they're not well-owned.

They're not well-run. They're not well-quarterback. Can't you pick in another team? So this is the headline. This is not my opinion. NFL Combine's biggest loser? Chicago Bears trade market for Justin Fields. So because Michael Pennix and J.J. McCarthy had such a great combine, and the Broncos now have released Russell Wilson, he may be available to play almost for free for a team.

The market has, according to the story, sort of drive. dried up on Justin Fields. So I never, Jay Mack and I disagreed on this. I never thought Justin Fields had a huge market. He's 10 and 28. He was so badly outplayed by Jordan Love in the final game of the year

where Jordan Love was 27 to 32, two touchdowns, no picks, 316 yards, 128 pass-er rating, and Fields was average again. Fields is the worst quarterback by a wide margin statistically in his division between Goff, Love, and cousins. Our staff put together the

this morning. Kirk Cousins threw for more touchdown passes in half a season. So Chicago is like a bad poker player. They've got an unsuited two and a seven in Texas hold him. And they're trying to fool everybody. Oh, we got, we got some, we got aces up our sleeve. No, you know. Caleb Williams is really good. Justin Fields is not. In three years, he's never, ever averaged 200 yards passing a game. And they've given him tight ends. They've given him receivers. The O-Ly. was ranked middle of the pack. The division was a bad defensive division.

There is no bluff. And so here's Chicago. I mean, the Broncos reportedly this morning let Russell Wilson, before they released him, call teams. They're trying to move him now. They want it out of the building. They want to pivot to the new quarterback. And here's the Chicago Bears.

We've got aces of our sleeve. I saw a headline this morning. Bears opened to win. trading on Justin Fields trade until Cousins and Mayfield signed. Ask yourself, what did the well-run Niners do? What did the well-run Niners do? They quickly moved off Trey Lance. I mean, really quickly.

They got the distraction out of the building. They pivoted to Brock Purdy, and they got a fourth-round pick. What did the well-run L.A. Rams do? They traded six picks for Jared Gough and then paid him $134 million and moved off him. Once he got to a Super Bowl. They moved off him. Standards. San Francisco.

Standards. What did the Eagles do? Standards. High standards. Well-run Eagles. Carson Wentz paid him a fortune. Moved off him. Got a third and a conditional pick that became a first.

And the Bears with Justin Fields. We got an aces up our sleeve. We got leverage over here. None. Zero. None. Ten and 28. Look at the numbers again.

Fourth most productive quarterback by a wide margin. in his division. You've got no leverage, no power. And the story this morning, bears just going to keep on waiting. No, don't do that. We're going to push all our chips in on Justin Fields. I've said this before.

Justin Fields is a sunk cost. The 11th pick, three other picks, whatever you had to get up, it's a sunk cost. It's over. That's how the Niners looked at it. That's how the Rams looked at it. That's how the Eagles looked at it. Picks, money.

It's a sunk cost. It's done. Do like the dealer in Vegas. You know? Like I'm out. So you cannot overcome bad ownership and empty suits in a front office. Denver is telling Russell Wilson before they released him, get on the phone. They told Mark Rogers the agent and Russell.

Get on the phone. Make calls. Go, go, go, go, go, go. Out of the building, sunk cost, move on, pivot to the next guy. You knew quarterbacks in the combine, J.J. McCarthy and Michael Pennix both throw a beautiful ball. You knew they'd be good. It's the Combine. You're throwing against air. There's no pass for us. It's shorts.

So again, my wife's going to be mad at me. But I'll say, I did not write the headline. The headline is NFL Combine's biggest loser. Chicago Bears trademarked for Justin Fields. He didn't have a trade market. And I have one.

I mean, Atlanta, I think, is tasty. Atlanta is interesting. But now Russell's out there, and he may play for a nickel and Kirk Cousins is better. J. Mack, not a great day for J. Mack. What are you talking about? Do you remember a few weeks ago when

I believe it was Schaefter, who said Bears could get a one for Justin Field? And what did we say? Okay, at a time. What we both said. So that was the Bears side leaking out. We want a one for Fields. Come and talk to us. No takers. No legitimate team

GM or president thinks Justin Fields is a one. If you can get a three, Get it. So now you come out of the combine and the other side is speaking. There's no market for, who wants Fields? Backettire said robust market doesn't exist. We're not giving you a one for Fields. We'll give you a three, maybe a three and a five.

This is the other side of the negotiation. You know the art of the negotiation written by some guy running for president. I'm just telling you that I still believe there's at least three or four teams that will be clamoring for Justin Fields. And that's robust to me. I think the team that's interesting is the Raiders. Well, they have their O.C. came from Chicago. So if he doesn't want Fields, it's like, buyer beware. Yeah.

So I think the Raiders are far enough down that those top four quarterbacks are all going to be taken. So the Raiders would have to be aggressive. And I mean aggressive, like give up a Devante, I have to do something to get up there. Because I can tell you, Denver's not moving back. They need a quarterback. I think Seattle, in my opinion, is moving up. So I don't think the Giants are moving back. I think they could draft a quarterback.

Mike Garifolo says 75% he believes in his hearing. Rich Eisen this week said he was at the combine. He was for like a week, and he's hearing, you know, buyer's remorse on Daniel Jones. So the teams that need a quarterback not going backwards, and most of them are in front of the Raiders. So Pittsburgh has Rudolph and Trubisky, and Pickett. Fields is better than both those guys.

You have to admit that, right? Well, he's a much more talented player. Why aren't the Steelers in the mix for Justin Fields? Or are we just not hearing it yet? Robust. Word of the week. Word of the month. 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-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, 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 what 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-tapped 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 a little kill. 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's big to me, not just because of crack. I'm down to talk about crack all 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. So I thought it was interesting when McCull Hardman came out for the Jets and said, I've been with the Chiefs now. I've been to Super Bowls like four times. I know what winning looks like, and it's not what the Jets are doing. building, people push back. Who's McColl Hardman? You don't have to be a great player to have great access.

Ryan Leif knows quarterback play. He failed in the NFL. So what? Johnny Mansell failed. Sometimes, you know, my wife has a saying, as a parent, be a great example or a horrible warning. Kids learn from both. And you're listening to this as somebody that's older thinking, yeah, don't do it. The parents say, nobody's perfect. No parents are perfect. Be a great example or horrible warning. Knows quarterback play. He was on Dan Patrick Show earlier this week and he talked to hear about Caleb Williams and this is increasingly as people now break down every

play of Caleb Williams, I think this is a very fair criticism. If they take him, I would be, you better be under the understanding that you're going to sit him this year. Because 75% of what he made him so great in college

is not transferable to the NFL. He's not going to be able to do that. He can't can't do what he did in college 75% of the time and be successful at the NFL level. He can do the 25% part at the NFL level, but he needs some time. And I think that's fair that Caleb often leans into the spectacular. Mahomes does two, about three to four times a game early in his career and now maybe twice. One of the things, the areas of growth for Mahomes, and it's really, and I think I've seen every big Mahomes snap, early in his career, he would get into the weeds.

His mechanics would flail, and he would try to be sometimes too spectacular. He had Tyreek Hill. I get it. Over the last two years, the genius of Mahomes, you still get occasionally the great play, but he doesn't lean into it. He takes what the defense gives him. I said this on Michael Jordan. Michael twice a game, maybe three times a game in the playoffs,

would do something you'd never seen. Michael lived off the mid-range jumper, and he would just abuse you over and over and over again. Caleb Williams, about 12 times a game at USC, maybe 15 is just making it go. This is not flag football. You're going to find out very quickly the defensive end for Cleveland or the Vikings or the lions can outrun you.

Johnny Mansell found out in preseason. He gave the bird to a member of Washington. He was frustrated. They were cat-calling him. But in the end, you can't run around like this. You can do it against Arizona. you can do it against Washington State, you can do it against Colorado, you can't do it against the worst NFL defensive front. So I think top of next hour, 35 minutes from now,

I'm going to take the quarterbacks and the first round quarterbacks five, what we perceive as five, where would be the perfect landing spot? Because I think Caleb's the only quarterback of the five that doesn't need an ideal spot, but to be at times spectacular and successful. But he will struggle in year one. Josh Allen did. Right, Josh Allen.

Kyler and Murray did. Why? They were guys that ad-libbed a lot off script. Josh and Kyler ad-libbed a lot off-script. Mahomes sat. And those are the three guys, the comp for Caleb Williams. Mahomes, Josh Allen, Kyler. Two struggled, one sat.

The guy with the best coach who sat is the most successful. So that's top of the hour. Where were the best plays for Michael Pennix, Bo Nix, Jane Daniels, Drake May. Where would be the best fit and why? And I think there's a chance some of those happen. J-Mack with the news. No, no, no, no, no.

Turn on the news. This is the herd line news. So while many of you out there were sleeping last night, the Sons and Nuggets played a crazy NBA game. This is what happens in March, Colin. The Phoenix was up 22 points in the second half. Grayson Allen went nuclear. He had eight threes and I believe the first half.

but in the fourth quarter of course they melted Denver did what they do they came back game goes overtime and Kevin Durant took over Durant scored eight of his 35 in overtime and the sons pick up a nice victory without Devin Booker and listen I know you went in on the Celtics early this morning Colin it's March weird things happen Celtics blow a 20 point fourth quarter lead Nuggets no show at home against Devin Booker that listen I'm not going to bang on teams go back to the LeBron championship with Cleveland against the Warriors, the first six games of that series were blowouts.

The reality with the NBA now, great teams, Boston, Denver, great teams, lose 20-point leads. It's just the league. Grayson Allen gets hot. Uh-oh, it happens. I don't care. What I care about, and it's okay if Kevin Durant in overtime is on fire,

what I do care about is consistently are you good in situational basketball? Denver's got a trophy. You can't compare it Boston to Denver. Denver got a trophy. Denver's good in those spots. Boston's not. But I'm not going to beat up on Denver because they were way down, they race back. You go to overtime, Kevin Durant does his thing. That's okay. If I'm going to get beat, it's not by Darius Garland, it's by Kevin Durant. But I do think the current NBA, and I see it a little bit in the NFL. Teams lose leads.

In the 70s, 80s, there was no excuse. A coach got fired. You can score so quickly in the NFL. You can't touch receivers. You can't touch the quarterback. All the. the offensive rules give them a huge advantage. We're seeing more things now changing with a kicking team, giving the offense, the kicking, receiving team advantages if they field the ball and run with it. So my take is Denver wins these games a lot. There's no, I'm not going to be punitive because Kevin Durant beat him in OT. Yeah, NBD, really. Sons, though, the key here is they're now the six. They're a game up on the, you don't want to be in the plane because that's full of Luca Donchich, Curry, LeBron, you don't want to be in there.

And I think, you know, sons, I don't think they're going to be able to hang on to this. No Booker for at least the next 10 days. This game was fluky. Like, remember, they had a game last week or I think it was Royce O'Neill hit like six threes and Grayson Allen hit like eight. Like, that's not sustainable. Our question with Phoenix is not situational basketball. They have shot makers.

It's health. It's health and a seven-game series. I never worry about Phoenix in a close game. You do not want to play Phoenix in a close game. Booker and KD are shotmakers. Phoenix is the opposite of Boston. I don't trust them. If you told me a series had four blowouts,

I'd say they get blown out four times. But I trust Phoenix and close games. And I don't know what the numbers say, but if I got two of the best shot makers in the world, Durant and Booker, I'm not worried about it's a one-point game. Phoenix has the ball 20 seconds left. Somebody's going to make a shot on that team.

Denver, by the way, falls to the three-seat. They're jockeying between Minnesota, OKC, Denver's crazy. But 20 games left. Games are good now. Bottom line, you don't want Denver in the first round. That's the one team you want to avoid. I'll take Minnesota. I will gladly play OKC.

Sure. I don't want Denver. Next up, we're back to the NFL, Denver Broncos. I think you alluded to this earlier. So free agency starts next week, and Denver has told Russell Wilson, hey, bro, you can go talk to teams and try to meet with them and do whatever you can to find a landing spot. That's right. And it sounds like crickets.

Well, I do think. Nobody wants to pay that salary. Nobody. Why am I paying a chunk of his salary? Well, you don't have to. I think Russell, because remember, if you pay Russell, that money comes off Denver's dead cap. So I think, you know, Russell, Denver would love it if somebody, if Russell said, hey, you got to pay me at least $10 million. I'm not playing for free.

I'm not playing for free. You're playing Denver pays you 37 mil that you pocket. Yeah. They take the hit. We'll pay you one mil. That's where he's attractive. I don't think he's attractive at $10 million. I would rather have Kirk Cousins at $40 than Ross at $10.

You know what you can do with 30 million bucks? Right tackle, number two wide receiver. You know what you can do with 40 million bucks? More. I just, plus the idea. Dude, you're already making 37 mil, Russ. Get a clue, man. Russell Wilson is a much more athletic quarterback than Kirk Cousins.

Russell's not coming off a surgery, and I get him for 30 million less. He's also been kind of kicked to the curb by two teams in, what, three years here? I'm not disputing that. But if I get more mobility, 30 million in my. pocket to spend as a team. Okay. And my guy's not coming off an Achilles surgery. All true. I think some of the

question with Russ at this point is the locker room stuff. And I'm not saying he's a bad guy. No. But Russ is about Russ. There have been those criticisms. Kirk Cousins ain't about Cuck Cousins. Now when it comes to the negotiated table, yes. But in the locker room, he's beloved. You know, like when I put my little video out there about

Minnesota, people said Justin Jefferson will not play with Russell Wilson. Like, what's that all about? Russ has turned off some people. A lot of guys in Seattle. There's no question. I can't dispute that. It's public. It's been a reporter. Issues in Denver as well. I mean, Schler had talked about. Well, but Stefan Diggs got tired of Kirk Cousins. Not everybody was happy. That's a good point. Not everybody. Unhappy with Josh Allen at times. Maybe it's about Diggs. But we'll see with Russ. I don't know, Colin. Minnesota, Atlanta, Pittsburgh.

Those seem to be the three. He's not going to forget the Raiders, right? does not at least publicly appear to be interested in anybody. You're going to bring it Kenny Pickett, Mason Rudolph, in a division with Burrough, Deshawn Watson, and Lamar Jackson. Mike Thompson. Josh Allen, Justin Herbert now with Hart. Pittsburgh's mystifying. I don't get it.

Go look at the over-under in Vegas. Vegas is telling you what they think. Wait, seven and a half maybe? It's like near the bottom of the AFC. Final story. Now, this is spicy. So Nick Saban, of course, retired a couple months ago. and he's given some more insight into why he decided it was time to walk away from coaching.

He said when he began meeting with players after this season ended, he realized the way he ran his program not working no more. Maybe 70 or 80% of the players, Colin, all they want to know is two things. What assurance do I have that I'm going to play? Because they're thinking about transferring. And how much are you going to pay me? So I'm saying to myself, maybe this doesn't work anymore, that the goals and aspirations are just different.

I'm not saying it's bad. I'm saying that's never been what we are all about. No, I think that's... This is worth like a 10-minute. There's a good 10-minute rant here. No, I think Nick brings up, and again, the media, which is always pay the player, empower the player. I'm for that too. But we do have a situation in college basketball where nobody wants to work through a tough situation.

Everybody's like, this coach didn't play me. I'm leaving. All right, but the next coach doesn't play. You're going to leave again? it's okay to fight through stuff in life a little bit, a little turmoil, a little turban. Be one thing if you had an abusive coach. Be one thing if it was a turnstile of a program, or you were being offered $4 million to be a quarterback at USC and nothing at Oregon State.

That's different. But I do think players, when you're bailing as a defensive player on Nick Sabin for an extra $75,000, are your priorities in order? No, I mean, seriously. Be one thing, Nick Sabin is the best defensive coach in the history. of college football. He's the best coach in the history, but defensively is in a different level. If I'm a corner or a defensive end, and Nick can give me a 60 grand, I'm not leaving for 95 at Louisville. You're thinking like a logical adult. Now go back to 20-year-old Colin Cowherd,

who didn't have two pennies to rub together. I would have asked my mom and dad. I would have asked people of influence in my life. Dude, I was a, I was a pen, not broke, but I was a poor college kid and if somebody's offering me $50,000, of course I'm jumping at that night. But would you of if you worked at a place, let's say you got your first newspaper gig and the editor was known as the best sports editor

in America and he liked you but he could only pay a 31 grand and then a crappy place or a second tier place said we'll pay you 50! You're going to tell me you would have walked out? So this kind of happened. I was in a newspaper in New Jersey did they have good management?

They had good management. Woge was there. We were friends at the And this newspaper in Fresno calls me up and is like, hey, we want you to come out and cover Fresno College basketball. And I was like, oh, I'm in. But then the newspaper in New Jersey was like, wait a minute, Jason, we can throw you some bones here. You could cover some MLS, you can cover some basketball NBA. You can go to occasional stuff. You're going to cover high school sports a lot. And eventually they convinced me to stay.

I ended up leaving like two years later. That was a good decision by you. And look at your fruitful career. Come on. It's not all because of that. But yes, you have to weigh, you know, am I going to play? What's the pay like? Listen, the media is always going to be the same.

Just take the bag. Get the bag. That's not the answer. Are coming out of like really poor situations where they might, that 60,000 is going to like double their parents' salary. Some of them, that's going to be the real situation. Like, how can you turn that down?

Listen, I'm not saying they all have to turn it down. I'm saying if Nick Saban is your coach as a defensive player, I'd stick it out for another year. A lot of these guys are transferred as sophomore. It's like, dude, you got another 12 games. What if you're not an NFL prospect? And this is the only time you're going to get paid to play football. I understand.

But first of all, if you're not an NFL prospect, Bama probably didn't recruit you. So I'm talking about the Alabama situation. It's fair. If you're at Bowling Green and Toledo offers you in their 22,000, take it. So you... It's different. You had a promising career. I'd say, listen to management.

If you'd never wanted to leave Joyce, I mean, if that was your whole life existence and you didn't have any money at home and you were making 30 and Fresno offered you 60, take it. Well, another large poor reason. and I stayed was because I was close to New York City and I was into like going out on weekends and trying to make it happen with the ladies. That's how you met your beautiful, nice wife. I was looking around what the heck is in Fresno, California?

I didn't know much about it. Is there anything? Clovis is nearby. Clovis. There's a casino up the hill. Yeah. All right. Jay Mack with the news. Well, that's the news. And thanks for stopping by. The herd lie news. No, I just it's, I'm not saying, I'm not telling people,

you know, don't take money, don't take this opportunity. grew up, boy, I'm a child of divorce. I had no money. Dad's out of the house. Mom, not making any money. I was wearing, I mean, I had no, I've told it, I don't know if I've ever told the story. I had so little money in high school, nobody cares really, but 30 second story, that in high school, I wore, as my feet grew, I couldn't afford new shoes. So I played a football game in a shoe that was two sizes too small, and I came home, my feet were purple. We didn't have any money, but it was like, okay, what are you going to do? Like, you just deal with it, and I think part of that upbringing for me and you, the struggle, the struggle's real. And it's, you know, child of divorce.

You've talked about your upbringing. I just don't think the solution is always, give me more money. I don't think that's the solution. I know. I'm a bad media guy. Easy for you to say, but I've been through that struggle. And I think sometimes fighting through stuff is okay. It's not always the answer, but sometimes like deal with it. I got kids. We've talked about this kind of stuff. Like, deal with it. Fight through it. Don't quit stuff. There you go. There's my parenting 101. Be sure to catch live editions of the herd weekdays in noon Eastern 9 a.m. Pacific. Hey, it's Ben, host to The Fifth Hour with Ben Mallor.

It would mean a lot to have you join us on our weekly auditory journey. You're asking what in God's name is the fifth hour? I'll tell you, it's a spinoff of the Ben Mallor show, a cult hit overnights on FSR. Why should you listen? Picture, if you will, a world when we chat with captains of industry in media, sports and more every week, explore some amazing facts about human. nature and more.

Listen to the fifth hour with Ben Mather on the Iheart radio app, Apple Podcast, 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 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, 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 conversation. 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 a podcast. I'm Sam Jett. And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick you here, unpack what you? went down and tried 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 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, so. They're 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 IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Get ready for the Big East tournament on Fox and FS1. Who will rise up in the world's most famous arena and take the conference ground? It all tips off March 13 through 16 on Fox and FS1. Welcome back. So, you know this to be true. is that every year, four minimum, and on average seven new teams make the NFL playoffs.

That is the average. For minimum, seven, six to seven on average. I think the Niners will make the playoffs. But I think this group has peaked and will slowly come back down to earth. Debo Samuel recently,

lamenting another Super Bowl loss. People just say, you know, it's always the next year. But I heard that in 2019 and it took four more years to get what we had. So, I mean, it's not that easy as people think to get to the Super Bowl. And, you know, it takes everything. It takes me, the coaches, the guy, the people upstairs, and then bring people in to help and for everything just to play out right. It's just like, you're not going to snap your hands.

You just back in the Super Bowl again. It's hard than people think. So I'll tell you why I think San Francisco's peaked. I think we've seen the best of them. Number one, George Kittle is an old 30. He's a physical tied end. Never forget, Gronk retired for the first time at 29. They're very similar.

They block. They get hit. Kittles an old 30. Trent Williams is going to be 36. A couple years left. Debo got banged up again. And Christian McCaffrey, in the last season and a half, He's had 550 touches.

He had 339 touches last year. That's like a baseball pitcher with 280 innings. You're going to have arm fatigue the following year if they go to the playoffs. The bottom line is the last time Christian McCaffrey had a workhorse year like that, the following year and a half he didn't play much. He's 510-2-10. He's not Derek Henry. They also have to pay Brandon Ayyuk like now.

He's not quiet or subtle about it. Add to that, Rams have 11 draft picks, a lot of cap space, a great coach, and a better quarterback talent. Detroit, the Rams in Green Bay are talented, younger, cheaper. Younger players tend to get healthier, faster after injuries. Rams are younger, Green Bay is younger, Detroit's younger. All of them have lots of draft capital and excellent front offices. Drey Greenlaw, by the way.

Excellent linebacker. We'll start the year, we presume, on IR. So I think Sanford, I don't think they're going to fall off a cliff. I think in the weaker NFC, they'll make the playoffs. We don't know what Seattle's going to do. They have a new coach. I think Arizona is going to surprise people. May not make the playoffs in that division.

But I do think teams have these peaks. We've seen it in sports. Sacramento Kings, Buffalo Bills. We don't consider the Niners that, right? Niners are going to get that ring. I don't think they are. I think they're really well-run, really well-owned, really smartly coached. Good GM, John Lynch, a lot of good players.

But teams peak, teams get old, Kittles getting older, Trent Williams, Drey Greenlaw's injured, Debo banged up again, McCaffrey coming off. Think about this, year and a half, 550 touches. I mean, you're asking a pitcher to go 300 innings. That's an insane. For a guy that's 510-2-10. Just saying. So I heard this yesterday, according

to a Dane Brugler of the athletic. Are you an athletic subscriber? It's very good. I hope you support journalism. Because I do. I support journalism. He said he is hearing

that the Patriots want to stockpile picks, not draft a quarterback. Move down once or twice, get picks. So, you know, a lot of people are like, You've got to address the quarterback situation. I'm not so sure. First of all, this is not the Chargers with Harbaugh.

You've got a lot of the pieces. Got to add a few. That's not what this is. It's a first time NFL coach. No offensive weapons of note. Slowest receiving core in the league by a mile. They do not have elite tight ends, receivers, or backs. So I have no problem trading down once or twice,

getting a tight end, getting a receiver, getting a left tackle, getting a more sustainable long-term running. I have no problem with that. And giving Mack Jones with a competent offensive coordinator, Alex Van Pelt, bounced around the league but a competent and respected guy, giving him a year. So, you know, again, you can all bang on Mac Jones. Go back to year one.

This was pre-Belichick holding a grudge against him. He had a top 10 run game in New England and a good offensive coordinator. I'll show you some highlights from that year. He made the Pro Bowl. He was actually pretty good. He was. You forget it. Mac Jones in that year won more games than Justin Fields has in three in Chicago.

He won 10 games in a division with Buffalo. Miami was pretty good. the Jets had the great defense. He won 10 games. He had a seven-game winning streak. And in that seven-game winning streak, he had 106 passer rating. He kind of moved okay. Then he went from an elite offensive coordinator to Matt Patricia.

Then Belichick decided to be petty and hold a grudge. They didn't hit on any of their wide receiver picks or tight-end picks through free agency. Hunter Henry, okay. So I'm just saying, I've seen Mack Jones as a rookie. I'm showing you the highlights. He could play. He moved better. Then came the grudge.

Then came a D.C. as the O.C. Then an erosion of receiving and running back talent and the ability to consistently run the ball. The division got better. Buffalo got better. Miami got Mike McDaniels. Things have changed in the division. But I don't think that's a terrible idea. move down, give Mac Jones one year, once again with a competent O.C.

Somewhat of a running game. This team is not a quick rebuild. That's not what this is. This is one year of getting 12 picks, hitting on eight of them, seeing if Mac can play a little. He was a pro bowler first year won 10 games. In the better AFC, won 10 games. You saw the highlights.

He was moving better. I'm just saying we tend. You and I know this. What's better? Giving Mack Jones legitimate pieces or getting Drake May with an empty cupboard and a defensive coach with no experience coaching. I'm just saying it's, I don't think it's a terrible idea by New England. If you move down and pick up a second and a fourth, all of a sudden you start looking at it, because remember, if you get draft picks, Belichick no longer controls the draft.

They have a real scouting department now. So I would presume, remember when Pete Carroll had a little too much say in Seattle's drafting for about a six-year stretch? And Seattle's drafts went into the tank. And then John Snyder said, I'm out of here. I'm going to Detroit. And the owner of Seattle said, come back, you will control the draft. Back-to-back draft years for John Snyder. When he controlled the draft, they hit it out of the park.

Hit on like seven guys. Belichick's out of there now. New England's drafts are going to improve. A real scouting department, a real GM is going to control this thing. I would rather give Mack Jones real players than bringing another rookie with a defensive coach and say, yeah, good luck against Josh Allen, Salah's defense, Mike McDaniel. That feels whole, that's a, you're throwing a life preserver. I would rather have Mack with pieces for at least a year.

So one of the questions I get a lot, oh, how's Colin off air? And I'm like, oh, he's great. We get along great. We do get along great. One of the things is we don't take things personally. Are you taking this personally? I think this is the worst idea you've had in 2024. Colin, how many people need to come in this studio?

Take a second and think. Nobody on the Patriots like Mac Jones. That's well documented. They don't like him in the locker room. Okay. That first year, I'm looking at it here on Wikipedia. They beat a lot of bad crap teams. Yes, they won 10 games.

Then they went to the playoffs and they got smashed like 50 to 3 by the bills or whatever. The Patriots do not. out like Mac Jones. And then you put this scenario. Let's be careful. Drake May with an empty cupboard. Boy, she sounds a lot like C.J. Stroud, defensive coach, crap roster, and the Texas went to the playoffs. I know the division's bad. Let's, let's be careful. This whole thing nobody likes Mac Jones. No, the previous staff that got run out of the building.

Yeah, but the players, the set, I'm not going to say the Pacific position. Well, if I get 11 draft picks and nine make the team, I got nine guys that have no agenda or vendetta Against Mac Jones. Okay, that's fair. That previous staff got real petty, real fast. They had a defensive coordinator. If you were, you made a Pro Bowl in our business. And then next year, we gave you a sales guy as a producer for Hurdline News.

And he didn't really care what your reports were as long as they said Budweiser after that. And you'd be like, yeah, I'm not as good as I once was. The idea that coaches don't affect player performance. You think C.J. Stroud's going to be that good with a bad head coach and a bad O.C. I mean, it was like a vendetta against Mac Jones, and Bill punished him. I like how Colin asks, if I make a pro bowl. Whatever. I'm an old pro baby.

Come on. Emmy nomination. Whatever. Hour to next. Another podcast from some SNL late night comedy guy, not quite. Unhumor me with Robert Smigel and friends. Me and hilarious guests from Bob Odenkirk to David Letterman help make you funnier. This week, my guest, SNL's Mikey Day and head writer, Streeter Side,

help an a cappella band with their between songs banter. Where does your group perform? We do some retirement homes. Those people are starving for banter. Listen to humor me with Robert Smigel and friends on the I-Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. 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 taun tons 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 podcasts. This is an iHeart podcast. Guaranteed human.