The Herd with Colin Cowherd - Hour 1 - The Warriors went for the King

Episode Date: February 14, 2024

Colin can't believe the Warriors tried to trade for LeBron James and why the Lakers are still in position to contend for a championship He reflects back on the Super Bowl and the main reason why the 49ers lost to the Chiefs for the second time in the Big Game  See 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?

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You might have seen the skits, my basketball and college football journey, or my career in sports media. Well, now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifford Show. This is a place for raw, unfilled conversations with athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. So let's get to it. Listen to the Clifford show on the 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.

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. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman 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 herd at Fox SportsRedio.com or stream us live every day in the iHeart Radio app by searching Fox Sports Radio or FSR. We're listening to Fox Sports Radio. Here we go. Live in Los Angeles, on a Wednesday, it's the Hurt.

Wherever you may be and however you may be listening, thanks for making us part of your day. Greg CoSell for one of the final times to look back at the Super Bowl, what happened, why did it happen? It is great to have you in, and here we go, getting ready for the All-Star break. The trade deadline just passed last week. And we hear J-Mack,

story of an almost colossal deal that it sounds like Draymond Green was encouraging the warriors to make. My guy, Draymond Green, oh, is a step ahead, thinking of the future. Went to his owner and said, you know, me and LeBron hang out a little. Maybe LeBron could be a warrior. What did you make of that story? Yeah, if I screwed up as much as Dremont, I sure would try to make amends by, hey, let's get LeBron in here to save the day.

Well, let's start with that. The story today that the Warriors made a massive bid and really tried to instigate a trade for LeBron James. And so it says here, encouraged by Draymond Green, and we see him from time to time around LeBron James at a party or a game, vacation, whatever, that, hey, they probably talked. And so Jeannie Buss always wants her stars to be happy, but she engaged with discussions with the Warriors. and then she called Rich Paul, LeBron's agent, clutch sports, and said, hey, is LeBron happy? He said, yeah, LeBron's happy. And so she shut it down. I've never thought trading LeBron makes sense.

And here's another reason. Why would you give the Warriors of all teams a life preserver? The Lakers won the in-season tournament. It mattered. They were ready to go. They also have won five of six heading into the All-Star break if they beat Utah at six of seven and they're only lost to the champions in a go-either-way game. They match up well with Denver.

The Lakers have an elite distributor and score, one of the world's best still. LeBron James, a championship player. They have the best defensive player AD in the league who can also be an elite score. They have Austin Reeves a third score. And the Lakers are big and they're physical. That matters in the West. This year, the Lakers have beaten the Celtics and OKC and the Clippers, the Knicks. And again, they played Denver really well.

Now, the Warriors are playing well, but they don't really match up with Minnesota and Denver and OKC size. The Lakers do. They don't have that championship size, and they know it. Caming is athletic. He's not a big. Looney's not having a great year, playing less. Also, they have to get rid of Clay and Andrew Wiggins. They know that.

They need LeBron. The Lakers don't need draft. picks, 19-year-olds, with less than a 50-50 shot to make it in the league at any sustained level. They don't need Clay Thompson, who acknowledges he's not the same player. And what are you going to get? Passive Andrew Wiggins, night to night, you have no idea what you're getting. I'm not a Laker Homer, but they have championship size. They have somebody that does a pretty good job defending bigs like Yokic.

His name is Anthony Davis, who can also give you 28 points on any night. They have probably the smartest player in the last 15 years in the league in LeBron who can dish 12 assists on any night and score 33 on any night. They don't need to make big moves. They needed a tweak at the deadline. Spencer Dinwiddie, tweak. Is it enough? I don't think they're a championship team. But the Lakers match up with everybody in basketball.

Anthony Davis provides the kind of size and defensive dominance. They could go toe to toe with the Milwaukee in the finals. They could go toe to toe with a basketball. big like Porzingis or Yokic. Also, OKC has length. Minnesota's huge. Lakers are okay with that. What could the Warriors actually provide for the Lakers?

Serious question. Draft picks? Come on, this is not the NFL. You're not going to draft four guys and get four stars like a Seattle or a Detroit. You know, Rams this year, both third round picks starting up front. Very good one. One of the top young defensive linemen in the league. That's the NFL draft, not the NBA draft.

And I do get the Lakers testing the waters, one eye on the future, one eye on the present. What's it going to look like post-Lebron? I get that. You don't want to sell the farm, but this feels like one of those, what do they call it, a 2K trade, a little bit of a video game trade that Jeannie Bus heard about it, called Rich Paul, is LeBron happy, yes, he is, and she shut it down. I know the Warriors have been the better franchise for years, but I think they lack certain things that championships have.

I don't think the Lakers do. Lakers could use another shooter, but defensively, they're big, they're long, offensively. They could use one more shooter, but it's LeBron, it's Austin Reeves, depends on D.Lowe on the night. Anthony Davis can provide 25 to 28. The Lakers are actually, from the in-season tournament

to their current streak, a really, really good team. May not be Boston and Denver starting five. Maybe don't have the clipper starting five. But I wouldn't count them out. So when you lose a Super Bowl, there's generally a reason. If you go to the last seven Super Bowl losers, there is usually a definitive reason.

And we love to point fingers. But go to the last seven Super Bowl losers. Philadelphia last year. They gave up 17 and the 4th. Their defense collapsed. Totally collapsed. The year before it was the Bengals, they just couldn't protect Joe Burrell well enough

against Aaron Donald. The year before it was Kansas City, they lost both tackles. They couldn't protect Mahomes and Tampa's defense was hyper-aggressive. The year before it was San Francisco, limitations. Jimmy Garapolo only had one real star

and George Kittle, didn't have the firepower late in the second half. Year before that it was the Rams. Jared Goff's inexperience overwhelmed offensively. The year before that it was New England. Remember that game? The Eagles never punted. So why did San Francisco lose?

There's always last seven Super Bowls, something you could point to. A lot of people are pointing to Kyle Shanahan. I do not like, they say, that overtime coin flip decision. Why did he bail on Christian McCaffrey? in the third. What about Purdy? I'll throw out to you why they lost. Two reasons. Special teams, which was a concern going in,

muffed punt, missed a P-A-T, and bad luck. Bad luck happens. Kansas City fumbled five times, recovered four. We all know fumbles are weird, wild variables. You can't really control totally random.

Kansas City kept fumbling. and recovering the fumbles. Then you throw in Drake Greenlaw, a brilliant linebacker in a one in a million bad luck break got hurt running on the field. That's really, really bad luck.

It happens. It's bad luck. Now, I mean, look at that. I've never seen that happen before. Now, San Francisco, it could be duly noted, used all their luck against Detroit. They got the brakes.

Trailing 2410, really being dominated. This ball should be an interception. It ends up being a catch at the five-yard line. Mid-third quarter, down 24-10. This is intercepted, which it should have been and not bounce off the hell but into a catch. That game may be over. But I think you can blame San Francisco's loss on some. Bad special teams miscues and just bad luck, bad injury luck, bad fumble luck, and I've said it for two days.

There's nobody to really blame. I'm not even a huge Brock Purdy fan. He's good. He played well enough. He was fine. He was okay. Had a better first half than Mahalms. Offense probably should have given him more points.

The only touchdown pass in the first half was by a receiver. But Brock Purdy was fine. can't ask him to be Josh Allen or Lamar. He's not that physically. Kyle Shanahan, on the accusations, maybe he's just not the guy to win the big game. I mean, you'd love to fix perception because I would love to win one for what I know about football and stuff,

and I know if I fixed perception, that means I did everything I wanted to do, which isn't fixed perception. It's win a damn Super Bowl. But I also know, like, when you say big games, like, we've got to win a bunch of big games to get to Super Bowl. You guys can have any narrative you want, but like the success or the failure, it comes down to one game. And I hope that I could be a part of the team that wins a game at the end of the year.

But to say that the Niners can't win a big game, it would be an extremely inaccurate statement. For the record, I don't believe anybody is lucky or unlucky. And over the course of a lifetime, your choices will dictate your level of success and happiness. But in a moment's time, in a day, you could have bad luck. You can have good timing. The truth is, a lot of things didn't go San Francisco's way, like all those fumbles that bounced right back. Christian McCaffrey fumbled right into a chief. Getting hurt, walking into a game.

Yeah, they used all their luck against Detroit, needed it and got it. against the better team Kansas City needed it and didn't get it. Sometimes in a moment you don't get the brakes. San Francisco didn't. J. Mack, how about that? Defending Brock Purdy, that's all I do.

It is my job and I'm happy to do it. You know, it is Valentine's Day. I see you, you know, sending a little love the way of Brock Purdy. I'm shocked the way you bashed him for the last two months. But I love that take. Just honestly, unlucky there

in the Super Bowl for the 49ers. on multiple fronts. It's just, and we all know this. Sometimes a team will lead the NFL in fumble recoveries one year, and you could be next to the bottom the next year. It's all random. Where do you fumble? How do you fumble?

When do you fumble? I mean, Kansas City had a fumble during the game that went right through a scrum to a teammate. It looked like kind of like, was that like a shovel pass? I thought it was a shovel pass. Who would do that in traffic? And by the third time, I'm like, no, that was just the luckiest bounce, literally bounced into a teammate. Yeah.

So, I mean, that could have absolutely made. the first half. You go 10-3, now at 17-3. You just don't know how this stuff's going to work out. Christian McCaffrey never fumbles. Two fumbles all season. All season. Wrong helmet hits the ball. Somebody grabs it. Just the way it works. 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 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 I'm saying. Yep, that's me. Cliver Taylor, the podcast. forth. You might have seen the skits, the reactions, my journey from basketball to college football, or my career in sports media. Well, somewhere along the way, this platform became bigger than I ever imagined. And now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifford Show. This is a place for raw, unfiltered conversations with some of your favorite athletes,

creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. One week, I'll take you behind the scenes of the biggest moments in sports and entertainment, and the next we'll talk about Life, mental health, purpose, and even music. The Clifford Show isn't just a podcast. It's a space for honest conversations, stories that don't always get told, and for people who are chasing something bigger. So if you've ever supported me or you're just chasing down a dream, this is right where you need to be.

Listen to The Clifford Show on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok. Do you remember when Diana Ross double-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 with Little Kim? Well, you can find out on the Look Back at it podcast.

I'm Sam J. And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick a here, unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it. Including a recent episode with Mark Lamont Hill, waxing all about crack in the 80s. To be clear, 84 is big to me, not just because, of crack.

I'm down to talk about crack on day, but just so y'all know. I mean, at this point, Mark, this is the second episode where we've discussed crack. So I'm starting to see that there's a through line. We also have AIDS on the table right now. Thank you for finishing that sentence. 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 Well, we know the Michael Jordan 10-part documentary, though we'd seen the games, Michael's career had be chronicled. We heard about the Rodman story before the documentary. We knew the pushback. Scotty and Michael had had post-dynast dynasty. But yet when it came out, that 10-part documentary, you could not take your eyes off it. I've watched it again. Thank God during COVID. We got that documentary because it was about the only thing at the time Joy Taylor and I talked about for about four months.

So there's a new documentary coming out, and we know a lot of the backstories, but reportedly Tom Brady is more blunt. Robert Kraft is more blunt. And it is about how brutal the relationship got and was between Tom Brady and Belichick. It's on Apple TV. They're unveiling what they call the dynasty, and here's a little trailer. And the Patriots have won. There's all the chicks. Eighted it is Mona Lisa.

These are the two titanic figures of this franchise. But they are two alphas. My collision was inevitable. We were coming near the end. And I was just trying to hold it together the best I could. According to the story, Tom Brady has a quote in this. Me and Coach Belichick, we did what we love. and competed for 20 years together,

but I wasn't going to sign another deal in New England, even if I wanted to play until I was 50, based on how things had gone. I just, I wasn't going to sign up for more of it. More than anything, the documentary feels like a referendum on how bad the Brady-Belichick relationship got, players, including several still on the current roster, disclose how brutal it was.

Matthew Slater, one of the more respected players in the league. It was brutal. Rob Grunkowski described pulling up to one Patriot place for a practice and not wanting to get out of his car. At one point, Wes Welker compared Brady to an abused dog for continually going back to work for Belichick. Again, Brady is blunt. So was Robert Kraft.

Former teammates and occasionally Kraft too are the ones who speak most directly about how bad the relationship was between Brady and Belichick. They called a hostile work environment, a miserable atmosphere in time inside the team's headquarters. Bob Kraft, the owner said Tom and I had a number of discussions about how Bill treated him. Tom's a sensitive guy. He was always looking for Bill's approval, almost like a father or son kind of way, and that's just not Bill's style ever to give that. So this documentary is not going to do Belichick any favors in his continuing job search. Tom Brady, I think I can say this because I've known a lot of people that know Tom over the years. I don't know Tom

terribly well. We've never actually, I don't think met in person, interviewed him two or three times. He's a workaholic. He's a grinder. He's not high maintenance. He's not needy. Sort of the opposite. Even at the short time, he's been at Fox Sports, puts his head down, looking to please. It's all about the work. Any issues in New England, I'm sorry, they fall on Bill. And listen, football practice is hard. Anybody that plays it, any of you guys listening that have played, it's hard, football practice. So I'm not saying it needs to be a joy ride. like I get it. Baseball practice, in-field, batting practice.

I always thought that was fun. Basketball practice, you get a good sweat, some shots. Football practice is hard. But you can't have the best tight end ever and a bona fide tough guy not wanting to get out of his car. And I think a lot of this is players have more power over the last 10 years. The head coach now isn't just his word isn't gospel. You have to be collaborative.

That really describes Sean McVeigh. That really describes Kevin O'Connell in Minnesota, a Zach Taylor in Cincinnati. It's collaborative. Your star quarterback gets a say. And by the way, that doesn't mean quarterbacks today. We're very lucky. They don't demand power. Lamar Jackson's not demanding power.

Josh Allen and Mahomes aren't demanding power. Aaron wants to say in New York, but I don't think he's demanding ultimate power, but players want to be respected. And I think, in my opinion, Belichick struggles with a modern head coach quarterback dynamic, whereas the quarterback is absolutely more important, is making eight to ten times as much, has a real relationship often with the owner, and they're firing the coach before the star quarterback. You can no longer be a dictator, and you could be for a long time.

Now, you're just as a head coach, even a good one, another form of government. J-Mack with the news. No, no, no, no. Turn on the news. This is the herd line news. So besides this LeBron Warrior story you open with, there's a report that Woj mentioned. Darryl Morey of the Sixers called the Lakers to see if LeBron could end up in Philadelphia. Hey, Lakers, are you interested in that?

Apparently, he also called Darry, that is, the Sons, to see if Kevin Durant was available for a trade. Sons had been sputtering a little bit. They've since turned it around. And then when they said no, apparently Dero-Mory said, what about D-Book and Beale? Is there any chance we could get one of those? Daryl-Mory's shooting for the moon in Philadelphia. Now, listen, you've got to give them some props like, this is your job as a GM. Ask for the moon.

Make the calls. You're not going to get any of it. But you've got to at least try. If you don't show that you're trying to upgrade your team, And I think it helps Daryl Morey to leak this to show Joelle Embed, who's now hurt and probably out for the season A, Joel. We're trying. Don't entertain any offers this offseason.

We got cap room, and look at me. I'm trying for LeBron. I'm making a move on TV. I don't think you're wrong. I think it's a smart move by Mori and a really, even if you're not going to get them, ask for the world, right? Yeah, and I think, I mean, listen, the Warriors, Lakers, the two owners talked. And I think in support of Jeannie Bus, she called Rich Paul and said,

is your star unhappy? And he said, no, Star likes LA. All right, let's shut it down. Jeannie doesn't want Lakers to be unhappy. I mean, they've always taken great pride and taking care of their players. They don't go on the cheap. You know, training camp in Hawaii. They've always been good on, on, the Lakers just, you know, Dodgers and Lakers are known in this town.

They really treat their players and former players very respectfully, very well. They love having them all in the family. So, Jeannie Boss is like, is LeBron happy? The answer she got was yes. and so they didn't move the deal. But I don't mind the call. I do think Golden State has some dilemmas. Clay and Wiggins, right?

They know they got to move them. They don't match up with Denver, Minnesota. As good as Draymond is, he doesn't match out with the Okhage. I mean, almost nobody does. But Anthony Davis gives the Lakers the ability to compete with OKC, Denver and Minnesota's length. And for the record, they got some size in Phoenix. AD neutralizes all of the. That is the best defensive player, in my opinion, in the sport.

By the way, whoever orchestrated all this, we want LeBron. Sixers want LeBron. Warriors want LeBron. LeBron's a free agent after this season, right? Very interesting timing on all this stuff. What do you mean? Well, everybody wants LeBron now. He's 39 years old.

He's not washed. He's not the washed. Not close. It's not over. He can still command any dollar he wants from the Lakers after this season. And they need to keep. They can't lose LeBron for nothing, right? And we'll see what happens with Brunny.

His son at USC, who's playing a little bit more. You know, he's not going to be a lottery pick, that's for sure. First round, we'll see. I don't think he wants to leave L.A. I think he wants to stay here and he wants to get what he wants. I think you're right on about this. And listen, we're an L.A. Bay Show. Okay, so I know people think we're all homers.

But like the biggest stars in New York right now, the biggest sports stars are Aaron Judge, Jalen Brunson, Julius Randall. You can't say the conspiracy theorist quarterback. You cannot mention. No, Aaron Rogers, but again, he's 40 off in Achilles. So that, you could go to our 18th biggest star, and it would be All-Star Paul George. So, I mean, our coaches are stars. We have Harbaugh, Lincoln Riley, Sean McVeigh, our coaches are stars.

So the reality is people choose L.A. I mean, you leave Oklahoma for L.A. Oklahoma's a top five job. I mean, Sean McVail, consider retirement. Nope, long-term deal. So Jim Harbaugh, pick of jobs, all choose L.A. The truth of the manner is, people, I know there's the belief that nobody wants to live in L.A., but when it comes to stars, coaches, players, they do.

But what about the taxes, Colin? I thought everybody's a taxis. I think everybody's life. I'm not an accountant. I'm just saying people, stars, see the convergence of entertainment and sports. and production companies, and they want to be in L.A. Weather pretty nice this week out here in L.A. Yes, it is.

Did you see the video of all the private jets leaving Vegas and all of them flying back to L.A. after the Super Bowl? Again, it's a quick jaunt from L.A. to Vegas. It's a nice place to be, and thanks for getting me out here many months ago. You're welcome. Next up. This is a tough one. Steve Spagnolo, great performance in the Super Bowl.

That's his fourth as a defensive coordinator, third with the Chiefs. Now, this is where it gets interesting. His only stint as a head coach was with the Rams a little over a decade ago, and it did not go well. However, Ram C.O. Kevin Demoff yesterday tweeted about Spagnola wondering why he's not getting a head coaching job. And here we got the tweet here on the screen, on the heels of Tyreek Hill, by the way, saying, why don't Spags get no interviews? And, you know, Kevin Demoff is like, hey, it's past time. He gets another job. Now, I'll let you go first because I got some stuff here.

There are, I was surprised at the number of defensive coaches, five of eight that even got jobs, but many of them are young. Okay. So hiring an old defensive coordinator, Belichick couldn't get a job. Okay. So Spaggs is older. So I do think if you're going to go the defensive route, go with a younger defensive coach. Chances are he's got younger friends in coaching, used to play more recently, a bit more

collaborative. I think you have to be very cautious about hiring a defensive coach. But if I was given the option, I would lean toward a younger defensive coach over an older one. Now, a lot of people are saying, well, not only is he old, but he was terrible as a head coach last time. I went and looked it up. Okay, there's plenty of coaches who are defensive, who stunk the first time and then got another opportunity and were good. Weight Phillips, Denver and Buffalo could not win a playoff game. He was, he thrived with the Cowboys for a minute. Belichick famously in Cleveland, runoff and then New England. Mike Shanahan, his first stint

with the Rams fired in year two. Rebounds goes to Denver, win Super Bowls. And then Pete Carroll, remember him. With the New England Patriots fired after three years, has to go to college, then later comes back to the NFL, wins with Seattle. So it can be done. It's just surprising to me

that Spagnola did not even get interviews. I'm surprised at that. If you're going the Dan Quinn route, you're willing to hire him. Listen, if I owned a team, I like Spags, I think he's the best. I think he's sort of the Dick Leboe. Remember the Steelers guy?

I think he's the who was, it felt like the best defensive coordinator for about 15, 20 years. I think Spags is that. But Dick LaBow wasn't out there. It's like not everybody is president. Not everybody is the face of a franchise. Some guys are just great coordinators. I don't know if I would have given Spags an interview. And I think he's terrific.

So, you know me. I lean offense as much as possible. I mean, next year we're going to have six or seven top quarterbacks could be looking for a coach, I would go offense with everyone if I could. But you're telling me the guy who's shut down in the playoffs, the Dolphins, high-powered offense, the Bills, high-powered offense, and the Ravens' number one offense in the league. You wouldn't even interview the dude? Well, again, the advantage Spags would have, he'd probably take Matt Nagy as his coordinator

if he could get him, but if I'm Matt Nagy, why would I want to leave Mahomes? So the question with Spags is he'll only succeed in the NFL if he has a quarterback and a good OC as an older defensive coach. Who could he get? You know Rahim Morris, his best friends with Sean McVeigh. So these young defensive coordinators are a little more offensive friendly and also have more

young coaching allies and friends on both sides of the ball. So who would Spags get as his quarterback and his offensive coordinator? Does he have relationships with young OCs? Well, what if Nagy says this is Andy Reid's show? It's his offense. I'm not leaving Andy

as a coordinator in Mahomes. to go to Spag's coordinator. Well, again, maybe Nagy will have full control of the offense. Spag says, it's your show. Whatever you want to do, I'm not going to bother you. You call all the plays. Maybe that's more, you know, interesting to him than being like Andy's. If you're driving a Mercedes,

keep driving the Mercedes. Yeah, Eric B. Enemy's finding out what it's like without Patrick Mahomes. It's a little difficult. Josh McDaniels has found out many times what it's like to be a coach without Tom Brady. How's it worked? All these coordinator. I can do it without Mahomes. How's it working for you?

Don't you want to try? Spags did try. It didn't work. Final story. Chargers running back, Austin Echler. It's going to be a free agent this offseason. Remember, you try to get an extension last offseason. Echler says he wants to return.

Here's Jim Harbaugh talking about an interesting running back situation in L.A. If things go well, it's going to be because of guys like the player, Austin Echler and the players and I'd like to Austin Eccler I mean uh we're having huge outskins on the run game and uh we got Black better up front and uh you know because he's a he's a tremendous back and we'd love to have him on the team next year but yeah things go well it's kind of because all of them did it uh if it goes bad it's because I'm a I'm a bad manager. I'm a bad coach.

I think they need to reorganize and reboot their defense. I would love to have Echler. They need a tight end, another receiver. I really like Echler. I'm not giving him an Echler friendly deal. I'm going to get a team-friendly deal. But I think they have to rearrange the deck chairs on the defense. Safety, they pay too much money.

Kalea MacBosah, I'd move one. They need a defensive tackle. But I, again, I, I think what Harbaugh wants to do includes a top running back. He's already talked about Barclay and now Echler. What he's trying to do, believe it or not, he did this with Andrew Luck at Stanford. It's not, we're going to pass every down. You want Justin Herbert to throw on third and two and second and five.

That's Harbaugh. Harbaugh had J.J. McCarthy, a dominant college quarterback. They didn't throw in the second half against Penn State. That's really what Harbaugh does with quarterback. His whole career is you want the quarterback to be gifted but an off-speed pitch. You win with physicality and run game. He did it at Michigan. He did it at San Francisco.

He's going to do it with a charger. So, Hardball will push back on this narrative that running backs aren't necessary. He's going to build this puppy around a strong physical run game, and that in turn, like Andrew Luck at Stanford, will elevate Herbert to his greatest play. I don't know that there's a more interesting team in the league this offseason. than the Chargers. Because as you said, Harbault loves a physical, we're tougher than you, the blue collar, we're going to win the trenches.

That ain't the Chargers. They're a finesse team. Yes. So it just smells like a lot of roster turnover coming to the Chargers. Obviously, he's going to say he likes everyone. I like Echler. I like Keenan Allen. I like Mike William. I like Derwin James. Not all these guys are going to be back. But to me, this is the number one team to watch. That fifth pick, Colin, is, I mean, they could go many ways.

There's a lot of variables here. They don't need a quarterback, a left tackle or an edge rusher. And the top 12 picks are loaded with all of those. They need a receiver, but there's receivers all over this draft. I was looking at a mock draft last week when I got home. The second round could have eight receivers taken. At end of the first to middle of the second, there's a bunch of good receivers. And if the Chargers want to trade down from five and get some more picks, maybe, I don't know.

Jaden Daniels doesn't go in the top three. and he's there at five and somebody says, I want my quarterback. Chargers could get extra picks. Chargers are the team to watch for me this off season. J-MAC with the news. Well, that's the news. And thanks for stopping by. The Hurd-Lie News.

We've always said where a quarterback lands out of college is about 90% of how he'll succeed. Where does he go, the coach, the organization? I'm going to make that argument for Justin Fields, who's already a pro, I hear where he's leaning, and I don't necessarily think it's a great fit. We'll talk about that next. Be sure to catch live editions of the herd weekdays in noon Eastern, 9 a.m. Pacific. Two NBA insiders podcasting twice a week to plug you right into the NBA great fight.

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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 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 conversations with some of your favorite athletes, creators,

and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. One week, I'll take you behind the scenes of the biggest moments in sports and entertainment, and the next we'll talk about life, mental health, purpose, and even music. The Clifford Show isn't just a podcast. It's a space for honest conversations, stories that don't always get told, and for people who are chasing something bigger. So if you've ever supported me or you're just chasing down a dream,

this is right where you need to be. Listen to the Clifford show on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok. Do you remember when Diana Ross double-tap Little Kim's boobs at the VMAs? Or when Kanye said that George Bush didn't like black people.

I know what you're thinking. What the hell does George Bush got to do with Little Kim? Well, you can find out on the Look Back at it podcast. I'm Sam J. And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick 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 on day, but just so y'all know. I mean, at this point, Mark, this is the second episode where we've discussed crack. So I'm starting to see that there's a through line. We also have AIDS on the table right now. Thank you for finishing that sentence. I don't think there's a more important year for black people.

Really? Yeah. For me, it's one of the most important years for black people in American history. Listen to look back at it on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Win for football as the USFL and XFL merger is official. The United Football League will begin play March 30th with the USFL champion Birmingham Stalien. taking on the XFL champion Arlington Renegades. The United Football League this spring on ABC, ESPN, Fox, and FS1, spring just got stronger.

As of yesterday, Draft King's Sportsbook listed the Pittsburgh Steelers as the favorites to land Bears quarterback Justin Fields, even ahead of the Bears. reportedly Mike Tomlin likes Justin Fields. I do not think this is great for Justin Fields's career. I think he needs an offensive head coach, a sensibility that is offensive leaning. The Bears and the Steelers, there's an argument, are the two most defensive-driven brands in the league. I mean, the Bears have never had an elite quarterback, and the franchise is over 100 years old. and the Steelers past five seasons, their best offense has been 23rd.

Even when they had Bradshaw in the 70s, it was about the defense steel curtain. The start of next season, I was on this three years ago. The Steelers will lead the NFL. As the NFL is pivoted to offense, the Steelers will lead it in defensive spending. The Bears and the Steelers do not provide, in my opinion,

what Justin Fields, talented, but who needs lots of refinement, they don't provide what he needs. At the start of next season, what a shocker. These teams will spend the most in the NFL on offense. See if you can figure out what they have in common. Cleveland, Denver, Dallas, Kansas City Rams, San Francisco. Hmm. All of them offensive coaches. Because when you have a top head coach, hardball with the chargers, you'll see this.

They have a big say in where the money goes. The head coaches, once they're great, have power to a large degree if they want it, over a general manager. And they define the culture. And they can refine a quarterback who's got some talent like a Josh Allen early but needs help. Fields with another defensive culture, I'm sorry. the Steelers couldn't get their O line right for six years. They can't get offensive coordinator right. There's a lot of drama with their offense, not a lot of points.

So you can take a Tesla to a Ford dealer and maybe they can help briefly, but that's not their specialty. The Steelers and offense and the Bears in offense. It's not what they do. Does everybody understand that Pittsburgh right now has the sixth lowest odds, lowest odds to win the Super Bowl? and they have a roster with lots of good players. I think they have a Super Bowl level roster missing one piece.

But there's no indication that they can elevate that one piece. Now, Kenny Pickett, I just think, has limited talent. Justin Fields does not. But again, this is an organization where you kind of felt at the end, even Big Ben, they were underachieving, despite his enormous talent. So to me, this is not the best form. There are places for Justin Fields, I think, could work. But if the head coach, Belichick, Pete Carroll,

Mike Tomlin, if the popular head coach and the winning head coach is a defensive guy, that's the culture. The Steelers are heavy on motivation, inspiration, and toughness, and sack, and not being able to really move the chains consistently. And it's not just Kenny Pickett. Go back five years, best offense. Some of it with Big Ben. Best offense.

23rd. I just don't think it's a great fit. J. Mack, you can have a response to that, but I do think in very few instances does a quarterback come in the league and not need refining and guidance. It's very, very rare. Even Mahomes could go a little sideways, was known as a wildly talented, but a little wild in college. Josh Allen had a major. accuracy issue. Lamar was really athletic, but clearly over two or three years became a much

better pocket passer. Even the really successful quarterbacks, Herbert was rare. Day one, drop back, good mechanics, accurate, that's rare. Justin Fields is not that even after three years in the league. He needs to clean this stuff up. His fourth quarter passer rating, his fourth quarter completion percentage. His giveaways in the fourth are most, are all awful. A lot of that's probably their trailing trying to catch up. But much like Nicole Hardman in the Super Bowl, blacking out in the end zone. I think I blacked out. Did you really just say the Steelers have the fifth worst odds at the Super Bowl next year?

Sixth? How? Mike Tomlin is still breathing on the sideline. Listen, I don't know that they're going to win the Super Bowl, but I would take me the Steelers. I'll take that bet. All right, good luck. It's not like a ticket. I have a lot of confidence.

If you don't think culture matters, let me give you the Miami Dolphie. So Brian Flores, who I like. I would have hired Brian Flores. I like him. I think he's really good. Tuah's career was over. Shuddling him back and forth, they were talking about Deshawn Watson, couldn't beat out Ryan Fitzpatter. Over.

Same player. They flipped to Mike McDaniel. And two is getting MVP chatter and Pro Bowls selections. Same guy. Still in a bad O-line, have never had a good O'Line. Flores or McDaniel. Protections never been great. They've added pieces.

But two is a completely different player. You would not even have considered. Two years in, you thought two was a bust. Not a bust. It's very accurate. I don't know if I'd pay him a fortune, but he's not a bust. He's more than accurate. Not good in cold, windy weather.

Whatever. But my take is, look at that. And by the way, you can have a great DC and Vic Fangio. You can do whatever you want. In the end, the sensibility, the touch, the refinement to as changed as a player. Okay.

So we've seen first year starting quarterbacks or rookie quarterbacks get to the playoffs in recent years, right? CJ Stroud famously. If I'm giving you five options in quarterback

for the Steelers, you're telling me they can't make the playoffs with either Russell Wilson, Justin Fields, Bo Nicks, we'll toss Michael Pennix in there, J.J. McCart.

You're telling me one of those five quarterbacks, they can't figure it out because they have skill position guys. We like Warren. I have, I have no problem with Pittsburgh picking a

quarterback again in the first round. No problem. They've got receiver depth. They've got pass rush. Offensive line played better this year? No, I Pittsburgh's roster is fine. I have no problem them drafting a quarterback. What I'm saying

with Justin Fields, some of this is psychological. You go into the league and fail your first time. That stuff gets in your head if you start failing again in Pittsburgh. I think Justin has talent. Justin, I think, can be saved. but he needs saving. So Fields are Russell Wilson?

Russell's a better player. No, no. Who would you rather have in Pittsburgh? Well, Russell Wilson, if I can make the money work, I take Russell Wilson in one second. Russell Wilson with that defense, absolutely. The more I read the Russell Wilson situation, the Broncos are just going to have to cut him.

They just got to swallow the cap hit. Unless someone steps up for a trade, and I think you and I probably agree unlikely, unless they attach some picks to Russ. So Russ on the market, cut, I don't see why Tomlin wouldn't say I trust you more than Trevisky or pick it. If you're in a division with Joe Burrow twice a year, Deshawn Watson twice a year, and Lamar Jackson twice a year, do you think Justin Fields is in that class?

I do not. I mean, I think Lamar is top three or four. Deshaun is certainly top 12 to 15. And you know we all thought Burrow a year ago was number two to Mahomes. You can't have the third or fourth best quarterback in a division. and say, hey, with a defensive coach, we are, look at the odds in Vegas. Vegas is truth serum. Vegas also took a bath on the Super Bowl.

Well, I mean, they don't win everything. Yes, they built casinos in the desert, but they're not, I think that's a little mispriced on Pittsburgh. I would take a flyer. Now, again, Super Bowl is a massive long shot, but I could find 10 worst teams that ain't sniffing the Super Bowl than the Pittsburgh Seals. Give me, give me a few. Okay, the entire AFC South, the entire NFC. South. The entire NFC South will just fire those. Houston?

They're not sniffing the Super Bowl. Come on. Looks like a star young coach, star coordinator, star quarterback with weapons. Not sniffing the Super Bowl. Sorry. Let me ask you. Houston Steelers, who would you bet on? I'm Houston.

Well, Houston smack them, and I did bet Pittsburgh against him last year. Oh, I think Houston's going to win it. But if I just saw these young kids win a playoff game, I don't think Houston's going to get better with Damiko Ryans, who I was told three years ago was a rocket ship. People in San Francisco told me they're like, that's the next superstar coach. Okay.

I like Stroud. I know we have a Houston Texans fan on staff. We know what the sophomore slump is in the NFL. There's a year worth of tape now on CJ Stroud. Let's not put him in the class of elite superstars, Super Bowl contenders yet. Come on. Mike Tomlin's got a little bit more body of work that I trust than D'Amico.

I'm not saying that. I'm just saying I'll take CJ. Stroud, you go to the market. I'll take sound. Justin Fields. I didn't think he was going to be this good this quick, but I've seen enough. That kid can, he can spin it. Yeah. All right.

Hour two. Greg CoSell breaks it down. It's the third. 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 headwriter, Reader Seidel, help an a cappella band with their between songs banter. Where does your group perform?

We do some retirement homes. Those people are starving for banter. Listen to humor me with Robert Smigel and Friends on the I-Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care what I'm saying. Yep, that's me.

Clifford Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, my basketball and college football journey, or my career in sports media. Well, now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my time. my brand new podcast, The Clifford Show. This is a place for raw, unfilled conversations with athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard,

but celebrated. So let's get to it. Listen to The Clifford Show on the IHeard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok podcast network on TikTok. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal, but encouraged. It's the enhanced games.

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