The Herd with Colin Cowherd - Hour 1 - Warriors dynasty is coming to an end

Episode Date: February 16, 2024

Colin looks at the Warriors as they continue to sit around .500 this season on the edge of the play-in tournament He reacts to Caitlin Clark scoring the most points in NCAA women's basketball historySee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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We've got a lot to talk about today. Actually, some great stories out there. J. Mack, we got to give it all today because we get, both of us getting next week up. The whole staff does. We can't hold anything back. All your hottest takes, all your best juice here. It's got to come out firing the next three hours. But can you see it?

Can you see it? The finish line. Three hours away, baby. I'm fired up. We got a lot of stuff, though. So I want to start with this. Usually have a dynasty in the NBA, and then it breaks up like the Chicago Bulls,

and it's the Sahara Desert. It is dry for a long time. Spurs, irrelevant for a long time. The Hedles had to reboot, right? What about the Warriors? Where Joe Lek of the owner says, they are planning for a major overhaul in the off season. They're going to make some moves.

So what you watched last night was the deconstruction of a dynasty, and now the rebuild is official, and how long is it going to take? So Clay Thompson, first time since he was a rookie, the four-time champion, five-time All-Star, little salty, came off the bench. First time since he was a rookie. And his replacement, they drafted Brandon Podgemsky, who's kind of Clay Light, cheaper and younger. So the Warriors now have Jonathan Camminga, the kid average in 21 and a half,

on 57% shooting in the last month? And they got Brandon, who looks like Clay. Again, younger and cheaper. Can they get good very quickly and work with Steph and Dremond and maybe Wiggins and make something happen? So what's interesting last night, it's so ticked off, inspired and angered Clay Thompson that he had a season 9, 35 points. He was on fire.

But this has always been the hardest part about deconstructing a dynasty. Why? It's not like football. baseball. More than any other league, the association, the NBA, builds from the AAU on. It builds, especially our domestic players, into stars, IG, shoes, fame, who needs college basketball, be a pro, make money. And it makes these guys rich and famous and popular and a bit delusional as they near the end. And so you've heard of the five stages of grief, right? Like the last one is acceptance. for former stars, it's the three stages of NBA dynasty deconstruction.

They're angry, they deny it, and then eventually they accept it. Took Carmelo Anthony a long, long time to accept it, and Clay Thompson just taking place, finally hit the bench last night. He got salty the game before last night with Steph Curry at mid-court. Steph reached out, it was against the clippers. Look, Clay just ignored him. the Splash brothers one of the splashes

not interested but the Warriors won again last night they've won eight of ten now they have two emerging young stars comminga now looks like a 20 plus point a game guy for the rest of the next seven eight nine ten years he can really play

twitchy vertical hops physical can really work down low looks like they got a star took a while but he came into the league he was like 18 years old and this Brandon Pajemski, it's like Clay. It's like they drafted him to replace Clay. Everybody in the world knew it.

Clay probably did too, but he didn't want to address it. So they only lost two games in the last 10. They're both the playoff teams. And the question now, can the young kids, as they rearrange the deck chairs and deconstruct the dynasty, can the young kids sort of be good fast? This is why I said about Russell Westbrook. He's a Hall of Famer. Always thought he played with too much tunnel vision.

But it was a real man, real adult, real self-awareness move to go to the Clippers, Thai law and say, hey, I'll go to the bench. Because Westbrook can still play. Westbrook's still great energy. Westbrook can still jump out of the gym. But it was a real move. It was Russell Westbrook acknowledging very quickly. Okay, I can help my team.

I'll be the best guy off the bench. I'm not giving you 35 minutes. I'm giving you 23 minutes. a real adult move by Westbrook. It's not a little thing. Westbrook's been a star for 15 years. UCLA, OKC, Houston, wherever Westbrook goes, he's got star power. He's polarizing.

He's hyper athletic. And Westbrook's like, I'm going to go to the bench. Literally, I frame Westbrook differently now. That was not a little thing. So Clay Thompson's not in the greatest mood. And it was pretty palpable. The tension a couple of nights ago, it's a big change for Clayton's. Thompson but when you deconstruct the dynasty if you don't want to become the bulls

where you deconstruct it and then for three years you're unwatchable just abs if you want to do it so you're kind of sort of still viable and who knows your star Steph still has something in the tank you got to make these tough moves you got they still they may move clay he'd have to take a huge pay cut they may move wiggins probably would. Not sure, though, if they will. Here was Clay and Steve Kerr after. You could do two things. You could pout or I can go out there and respond, and I thought I did the latter very well tonight. It's been a tricky season for him and for us. There's a lot of transition happening. Some of our younger guys are coming on. It's not as easy to do, you know,

what Clay did five, six years ago for him. I think this could be a good balance to get the best out of clay and to get the best out of our team. They've won eight of ten. Dynasties are fascinating. Deconstructing them is painful. Steve Kerr's the perfect guy to pivot out of it. Let's see what happens. Caitlin Clark, Iowa Star, broke the NCAA women's hoop scoring record.

Of course she's shooting a three. she's the biggest star in college basketball, men's and women's. TV ratings? They just beat a Miami-Boston Celtic game about three weeks ago. Why? One of the reasons? She's now familiar. It's year four at Iowa.

Men's college basketball, one and done, absolute turnstile. I don't feel like Googling the starting lineup when I want to watch Duke play. And it's what's really hurt college basketball. The TV ratings are weak. There's no continuity. I can't keep track. I am four-player empowerment, but I don't think it's good for the product. Back to Caitlin Clark.

It is year four, but really year two or three outside of the state of Iowa, where everybody's paid attention. They sell out every road game. It's like a rock band tour. They sell out every road game. Familiarity matters. It's really important. That's why I've said, I can like the transfer portal, but in college basketball, who can keep track.

Caitlin Clark, year four, their every home game. Last night, another Caitlin Clark show, no lame pilot. It also matters that she's great and fun and a playmaker and unique. She shoots threes that look long by NBA

standards. She's a little bit of stuff and a little at Trey Young. Leads the nation in scoring and assists. Again, I'm for player empowerment, but fans want to feel investing. and fans want to invest. And she produces double-digit returns.

She never puts on a bad show, always ready to play. Hurt, she plays. Falls, gets up and plays. Doesn't have off nights. Never shies away from controversy, double teams, aggressive, fun, good spirit. It's an excellent TV show. But it also provides the truth about college sports. Transfer Portal, NIL, I'm for both.

But college men's basketball, it's a, there's no continuity. I can't keep track anybody. Year two, year three, year four. I like a story I can depend on. Caitlin Clark is that, and she's not finished. All right, the Apple TV Dynasty on the New England Patriots had its first two episodes last night. Jay Mack, I know you were busy, probably a men's league, a soccer match, something like that. But first two episodes, episode two is about, you know, the Raider Snow Game.

Episode one gives you a little sneak peek into the beginning stages, Drew Bledso, Belichick, Brady. Very interesting. I may have to take a little positive Belichick side today. Oh, come on, Jesus. This would be a pro-bill show today. Yeah, I thought you were going to show up. our men's league game last night. We could have used Caitlin Clark. First lost

in two years. We lost by a bucket. Well, you know, sometimes you... I guarantee you that was better than Patriots episode two. The snow game? We got producers on the show who weren't even born in during that game. Come on. The Raiders wish it never existed. Be sure to catch live editions of the herd

weekdays in noon Eastern, 9 a.m. Pacific. On Fox Sports Radio, FS1, and the IHeard Radio app. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal, but encouraged. It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque. Others say it's unleashing human potential. Either way, the podcast's Superhuman documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year. Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle

growth. Listen to Superhuman on the I-Hard radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care what I'm saying. Yep, that's me, Clifford Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, the reactions, my journey from basketball to college football, or my career in sports media. Well, somewhere along the way, this platform became bigger than I ever imagined. And now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifford Show. This is a place for raw, unfiltered conversations with some of your favorite athletes,

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Listen to the Clifford show on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok. Hey, 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 part. podcast. All right. Call the Dynasty. Apple TV Plus, another streaming service that wants your money. Anywho. Two episodes. Dynasty, Episode 1, that's the one we'll talk about. Episode 2 is about the snow game. Half my staff wasn't around. I've been glad they are now, but they weren't around. So, episode one is a lot of the Brady Drew Bredso-Drew Blitzzo-Belichick transition. It's very interesting.

So the first episode of this is a reminder that Bill Belichick, who'd already been fired in Cleveland, who was 5 and 11 first year in New England, goes with young Brady after Bledso gets hurt. Bledsoe's available about eight weeks later, and Belichick stays with him. Bledsoe was popular in Boston. Robert Kraft did not like the move. The Boston media did not like the move. the star highly compensated Drew Bledsoe did not like the move in fact they just signed Bledsoe to a huge contract

so you know people upstairs did not like to move and Belichick stuck with him in fact Brady gets hurt in the AFC championship game he gets Pittsburgh bletzo comes back to save the day and in the Super Bowl they put Brady back in that took guts I know the internet wasn't a big thing Twitter wasn't a big thing. But let's not do

revisionist history here. Bill had been fired. Nobody liked him in Cleveland. He's grumpy with the media in Boston. They had the fangs out. They had a losing first season. Brady, by the way, after Bledso gets hurt, goes in. He's not great every game.

He has a couple stinkers. Bledso's healthy. Here's the highly compensated star quarterback. No, I'm going to stick with a kid. Kid gets hurt in the NFC championship. Chip. Bledso saves the day. And they go back

to Brady and a Super Bowl. So now, you're going to see over the course of the dynasty on another streaming service wanting your money that it unravels over time, which is somewhat predictable. Shack and Kobe, stars, Pippin, Jordan, don't always get along.

Like, I get it, stuff unravels. But Belichick put his neck out. His career was on the line. I remember a story years ago because Eric Mangini was on a staff early then and Mangini told me as they went into the second year

in one of the first games he was having a conversation with one of the coaches for the other teams the rival teams and he said Mangini told him if we don't win today I'm going to put my house up for sale we're in big trouble here and Belichick went with Brady

so and again Belichick was taking hits from everywhere Boston media is not shy or quiet. It's one of the louder medias. Bledsoe was liked. Just signed a deal. So, this will be interesting. It'll unravel, but it

should be noted. We've got to be fair to Bill. He's the best defensive coach ever. When he had Brady in his prime, they dominated the league, and that was not a popular move. If you'd been fired in an industry where this was your second chance and you don't get a third,

and Drew Bledsoe was good. Drew Bledso was good This wasn't some stiff This was a top 10 quarterback in the league Big guy, top pick could sling it Could sling it tomorrow I know Drew he could sling it tomorrow This was not a stiff

This wasn't like old flacko This was like no Drew Bledso was good Just signed a big deal Kraft ready to pay him a ton Bill's like no I'm going to go with Brady Who wasn't always in that first year He didn't look like the Brady we know now So just a little revisionist history.

Today, a little tip of the cap to Bill. He may be, he maybe not stylish. It can be a little cranky, allergic to offense later. But that is the truth. The book, by the way, by Jeff Benedict, is fantastic. If you don't want to watch this and pay for another streaming service, go by the book. It's excellent. J-Mac with the news.

No, no, no, no. Turn on the news. This is the herd line news. As luck would have it, we've got some breaking news in the NFL. NFL calling it. Adam Schaefter reports that Jimmy Garoppolo is getting a two-game suspension for next season for violating the league's performance-enhancing substance policy. Oh, he was taking pills to make him more attractive. I knew there was something. Reports indicate it's related to him using a prescribed medication without having a valid

therapeutic use exemption. Whatever that means. However, this is where it gets interesting. Every reporter out there now is saying the Raiders are releasing it. Not yet, but it's It's coming here shortly. Jimmy Garoppolo, 32 years old. He's played for Belichick and Shanahan. I know you love quarterback record, so I dug up Jimmy G's record. It's a robust 43 and 20. Four playoff wins, two playoff losses.

I know, I know, Jimmy Garoppel, blah, blah, blah. We saw the value of backup quarterbacks in the league this year, Colin. A lot of backups kept teams aflo. If they get rid of Garapolo and they got... He's out. Jared Stidham. So now you're down to the Purdue kid who can't move. Yeah, yeah, no.

We get to the Raiders in a second. I'm more interested in Jimmy Garapolo. Do you think he can, A, compete for a starting spot, or is this going to be scrambling to find him? Hey, man, I need a good backup behind Aaron, the quarterback I'm not going to name in New York. Oh, I mean, you think Aaron with Jimmy Garoppolo? Okay, I got a couple other teams. You ready? Your guy, Sean Payton, moves on from Russell Wilson.

Could Garoppolo be able to cheap? They're going to draft a quarterback. Okay. Seattle Seahawks sounds like they're keeping Gino Smith. You get Jimmy Garoppolo, familiarity in the division. No, no, that's not going to be it. Okay, so where do you want to put Jimmy G? I could,

Carolina, backing up Bryce Young, small guy gets hurt, got somebody to throw strikes. That's not awful. I think it was Andy Dalton last year. He was serviceable. How about Jimmy G. Back to the Patriots. Knows the system.

Coaches know him. I mean, according to all these stories, they're moving off Mack Jones, so they're taking a quarterback. So if you draft Jaden Daniels, Hey, you have them around. Jimmy G's a good guy, good veteran presence. I think New England makes sense. I don't hate that.

Arizona Cardinals were thin behind Kyler Murray. First of all, do you think... He doesn't fit behind Kyler. He fits behind. Again, I would keep Mack Jones for one more year, but if you're not going to draft a quarterback, which I think they're prone to do, yes, they've got to do that too. So if you're moving off him, I think Garoppolo's better in the room than Mac Jones is, I guess. So I guess I wouldn't keep Mack because they're going to draft a quarterback.

So Mac's not very good in the room, reportedly. he and Bailey Zappi's struggle. Garapolo's good in the room. He's a veteran. He's like Alex Smith. He's a good guy. People like Jimmy G. And so you bring him the young quarterback. If the kid's not ready to play, Jimmy knows the system, comes in, can move the chains. And Jimmy doesn't, you know, he doesn't

think of himself as the future of anything. He's made a lot of money. He's had his chance to start. Shanahan moves off him. So you go draft the quarterback and bring in Garoplo. You completely change your quarterback room in New England. Frankly, that's probably what they should do. Who do you think is more attractive on the market? Mac Jones, hey, do you want to trade for him or Jimmy Garoppolo?

Well, Mac Jones is really inexpensive and somebody probably an offensive coach thinks they can find some, you know, he's the cheapest stock. Like that's a beaten down stock that's got a little value. It may only be an $8 stock, but it's down to a buck. Can you get it up to seven? I think Mac Jones is a penny stock right now. All right. I would take Garoppola over. I mean, Garoppolo has held a clipboard and has no issues doing that.

And then you've got to thrust him in? Well, I thought you meant who would I write it? rather have like if I had to start a guy for a year? No. I don't think either of those guys are starting anywhere next year. All right. That's fair. So now as for the Raiders, they had the young kid, Aiden O'Connell. O'Connell from Purdue. He doesn't move, but he's got a nice arm.

But in the end, he's an absolute backup. There's no visions of grandeur with him. So this is a potential landing spot for Justin Fields if the Pittsburgh thing doesn't come to fruition. Or they take... We don't know that Jimmy G's getting caught. No, no. All the reporters are saying the Raiders will be releasing him. All right. So they'll have a good, they'll get a

quarterback. It depends on if they, you know, J.J. McCarthy, who you think's the top ten, I don't at all. But we got some McCarthy stuff for later. It's getting a little wild. Like, people are going a little crazy on McCarthy. But how about your boy, Bo Nix? He could I think Bo Nix with the right. See,

I think Bo Nix could work there. So Bo Nix has played a lot of college football. Sixty one starts, I think most ever. Auburn, Oregon. So you're going to get a ceiling. very quickly. So the Raiders need to win now. Right? Like they give Antonio Pierce this. We don't need four more years of runway for Antonio Pierce. So Bo Nix, when he walks into the league, he's like, he's like Brock Purdy. You're pretty close to his ceiling. You know what he is. He's been starting for years. You know, it's not like when you get a guy that's transferred a couple of times. Like the kid Anthony

Richardson at Indianapolis starts 13 games. Bow's got 61 starts. So you're going to see what Bo Nix is by Thanksgiving. You'll know what he is. And if he's not, good, you could move off. But my guest, Bo Nix, with Devante Adams, with Jacobs, good left tackle. They've got some pieces in Vegas. They also have some chirpy guys. They're Devante Adams, your buddy Crosby who comes on the show.

I know. I don't think they're up for another season of losing. And I don't think Bo Nix is better. I think Bo Nix may have the lowest ceiling of all these guys everybody loves. But I don't think it's that low. I think you put him in Denver, by the way, with Sean Pate. I think Bo Nix could be very good, very quickly. He's got a high floor.

You know what you're getting at. He's a grown-up, way more athletic than you think. Doesn't throw a big deep ball. A lot of his stuff at Oregon was schemed up. I talked to another scout two nights ago. He's like, listen, most of the stuff at Oregon was schemed up. You're not getting a lot off the page. But again, Sean Payton doesn't want you maneuvering off the page.

Sean Payton and Kyle Shanahan, they want you to run their plays. Yeah. Who's more risky? Jaden Daniels or Bo Nix? I know what I'm getting with Bowenx. I feel really confident what he'll be as a pro. I don't know what Jaden Daniels is. Higher ceiling, lower floor.

Agreed. Next up, LeBron and the Lakers. We've heard some weird stuff lately. Other teams are looking to trade for him. Rich Paul says he's committed to the Lakers, but according to the athletic, the Lakers are willing to explore ways to help LeBron realize his dream of playing with his son, Brani,

hoping to keep him in town. Now that means maybe the Lakers are drafting or overdrafting Brony, who's at USC now, and he's okay, but he's not considered a lottery pick. The athletic adds that rival executives have become increasingly convinced LeBron may want out of L.A., and they know if they draft Brani,

they're going to get LeBrony. I think this is nonsense. Why would he leave L.A.? He's got two Western Conference finals appearances. his business is on fire where are you going to live? I mean LeBron James at this point has a $180 million house in Los Angeles

you're going to rent it out? I mean his family's there. I've been told he's very happy in Los Angeles. He can hide in Los Angeles. I've seen LeBron twice. Well, I've seen him once at an event when we spoke but I've seen him two other times where I saw him and he didn't see me he's eating lunch in Brentwood, Beverly Hills. Nobody bothers him. You're not getting that in Orlando or Cleveland or even New York.

So out in Los Angeles, I have seen him twice. I've walked by a restaurant. LeBron's in there with a buddy, I know, and nobody bothers him. Let me ask you this, Colin. When you got out of college... Yeah, broke. Sad. Yeah, I remember.

Did you want to, like, hang out with your parents and be around them and go home and go home? Well, yeah, but when your dad's LeBron, it's a little different. I'm sure it is. But I think the last thing a lot of people do when they graduate college is want to go home or go hang with their family. You want to go. be your own person. You've been your own person at college. Now, Brani only one year. But I wonder if this is starting to get blown out of proportion.

And Brony's like, you know what? I'm going to go wherever I go. And dad, don't worry. I don't need you. Well, here's my take too. And I'm not a basketball expert. I haven't been digging in on this thing. But I have watched USC basketball a little bit this year. I don't think he's a first round NBA player yet. I don't think he is. Now, he may be a second round guy. But when I've watched him, I don't look. If I didn't know who he was, I would not think NBA player.

He's a smart kid. I'm sure he works hard if he got his dad's work ethic. But he does not jump off the TV set when I watch USC basketball. I mean, USC's really struggling. The coach is messing around. UCLA's got both the LA schools.

UCLA has won a couple in a row. Nice one last night. I don't know what to believe with the LeBron stuff, but I'm with you. I think he wants to stay here. Do you think at 40, LeBron wants to go to,

I'm just going to toss out of team. Memphis? No. Like, I just, I don't see that. Oh, I want to be 40 to play with my son. I wouldn't, I wouldn't want to play with my dad. I mean, LeBron. I think the dad wants to play with the son.

Yeah, but that cast such a shadow. Remember the kid Griffey Jr. stuff? Go let him play. Let him be his own man. Yeah, I don't know. I'm rooting for a good outcome. I don't really care if somebody over-drafts him. People have been overdrafted.

I've seen guys getting the lottery, and I'm like, I don't think that guy's very good. So people get overdrafted all the time. Why can't Brom, why can't Brony be over drafted? People get over. Yokic went in the second round, so did Draymond. People get underdrafted and overdrafted in all these drafts. I would not be shocked if he went late first rounds. I wouldn't shock.

So many teams are stockpiling picks? You got like six picks. By the way, he gets the right coach. A lot of guys are late bloomers. You're not, you know, nobody thinks Brony at this point is going to be a star. Can he be an off-the-bench rotational player? Maybe. Yeah.

Not everybody. His dad developed quickly. Doesn't mean his sons are going to develop quickly. Back to the NFL real quick. Cliff Kingsbury was introduced as the commander's new OC yesterday. Kingsbury will reportedly have full control over the team's offense next season. Dan Quinn will not be meddling. And Kingsbury was asked to describe his ideal quarterback.

Here's what he had to say. Uh-oh. What type of quarterback, like the ideal fit, the characteristics, the traits that you want to work with here in Washington? The Chiefs quarterback. That helped. No. I do think the game, as you can see, you watch those guys Brock and him at the end,

like when money's on the table, but you've got to be able to make some plays with your feet move around enough to escape a bad play. And it doesn't mean you've got to run like Lamar or Kyla Murray, but you better be able to move a little bit and buy yourself some time because the D-line, the rushes, the defense these days are so good. For the record, that describes Drake May

and J.J. McCarthy and Caleb Williams. I know you all Jayden Daniels too. Yeah, Jaden Daniels moves. This class, Michael Pennix used to be able to move. Now with the surgeries, he's a pocket guy. Bo Nix actually moves too, but he's mostly a pocket guy.

So, yeah, I know... It's going to be fun. Yeah, I think... You know, I don't think Caleb Williams is the most fascinating. I think Drake May's the most fascinating. Because I have, you know, we have our people. And there's a feeling that, not that Drake May's been undercoached, I like Mac Brown.

But when Herbert was at Oregon, remember with Mario Cristobal? Yeah, yeah. And there was criticisms when he came out and started playing well in the NFL. People said it was hard because the Oregon offense was sort of simplistic. You didn't know what you had. And there's kind of a feeling at Carolina that Mack Brown runs kind of a simple offense and that this kid just hasn't been pushed, and there's just a much, like Herbert, he is ready to explode. He just needs the right clever offensive coach or coordinator to push him.

Now, again, also at the college level, you've got 17 hours a week to practice. You know, in the NFL you practice forever. So not just a knock on college coaches. But what I'm hearing about Drake May is people think a lot, like with Caleb Williams, you have seen what he can do. With Michael Penix, you've seen what he can do. There's a feeling with Drake May is you have not seen about 30% of what he can do. And that was Herbert. Remember, Herbert came into the league.

Everybody said, he's mechanical. I think you and I were fans. We were both surprised. It was like, oh, whoa, whoa. CJ Stroud at Ohio State. You know, they kind of protected him. They didn't want him to get hurt. And then last game against Georgia, they let C.J. Stroud run.

And I can remember coming on there. I'm like, where do that come from? Who's that guy? That guy's different than the other guy I watched. I guess there's one final thought. Kingsbury's pretty polarizing. I don't know if you ask a lot of people. He's not polarizing.

Well, hold on. As a head coach, people did not love him. As an offensive coordinator, I'm just telling you, this is a great, I think this might be a top three hire of a positional coach in the offseason. I'm a big Kingsbury guy. I'm a big Kingsbury guy. Cliff Kingsbury is absolutely the best hire as a coach. higher as a coordinator.

This is, I know people, some people just don't like, they didn't think he was great in Arizona. I'll give you an example of it next. I'll give you an example of it. People, I understand when fans don't do the homework, I'll do, all, I got two things, oh, oh, I forgot. J-MAC, top of next hour, I forgot. What, what it was?

So you challenged me yesterday, and I am a, I'm very alpha. I challenge, I step forward. I am doing my way too early. Oh, yeah. NFL playoff picture. So, no, we spent time on this. So this is all the coaches are done. So all the staffs

are complete. So I'll do one now. And then in about six weeks free agency after that draft, and here we go. All right. Jay Mack with the news. Well, that's the news. And thanks for stopping by. The Hurd Lie News.

I got a lot of stuff. I got a lot of stuff. I got Mike Sando around the corner of the athletic. Yeah, Kingsbury, people have no idea how accomplished he is. They have no idea what a mess he took over in college at 33 years old. But the time he left six years later, over six years, he had the number two passing offense in college football, Texas Tech. Then he gets Arizona a dumpster fire to the playoffs in a division with McVeigh, Pete Carolyn Chanahan.

And he can't coach? Sorry, wrong. 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 Buy. All happening in only one place.

This League Uncut. The new NBA podcast with me, Chris Haynes. And me, Mark Stein. Join us as we team up to expound on everything we're covering, hearing, and chasing. Listen to This League Uncut

with Chris Haynes and Mark Stein 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'd put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the I-Hard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. A win is a win. A win is a win.

I don't care what you're saying. Yep, that's me, Clivert 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. 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 tontons 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. All right, welcome back. By the way, I am a fan of Cliff Kingsbury for a lot of reasons because I think he lasted six years. His first year at Texas Tech, they went to the Holiday Bowl and won. He took over a mess.

And he developed the best passing offense, arguably in the country. And, you know, he recruited Mahomes, crafted him. And, you know, remember, Mahomes did not come into the NFL and play his first year. So he was rough around the edges. He needed a year of the greatest coach in the last five years, certainly in this league. Andy Reed and maybe the last 10 to, you know, refine him, sandpaper him. So he was closer to Josh Allen, which was kind of wild and off script. And you needed Brian Daibold to get Josh Allen right.

You need Andy Reed to get Patrick Mahomes right. So I've always been a fan of Kingsbury. Mike Sandow is a senior NFL writer for the Athletic and a selector for the Pro Football Hall of Fame. I thought Kings, I thought Harbaal was the best head coaching hire. I thought Kingsbury's arguably the best, you know, coordinator hire. Where do you land on Cliff? See, I'm with you. I think he's a little underrated.

When he first came to the Cardinals, you know, his offense kind of met its match, but I think he did adjust it. They changed their personnel usage. And I agree. I think he can be a good offensive coordinator. The challenge you have, though, look what just happened at the Super Bowl. Steve Wilkes just allowed 19 points in the Super Bowl to Patrick Mahomes

in regulation and got fired. The fit is what matters here. So when I see the commanders put in together this staff and talking about, hey, isn't it cool? These guys don't even know each other. I mean, we're just getting the best guys. Okay, that's the victory lap that the Giants took a year ago.

And then a year later, their staff's in disarray and Wink Martindale storming out and they're firing the special teams guy and the offensive coordinator is trying to get a job in Seattle. Or Carolina, hey, We got the All-Star staff. I mean, can you believe it? We got Jim Caldwell with all these guys.

So I think it's very important for the coordinator to understand that we're going to try to win the game in the vision of the head coach. And so as long as everyone's on the same page there, and it's not just Cliff Kingsbury trying to get his next coaching job. Because remember, they had Eric Biont me last year, and they passed the ball as if they had a combination of Johnny Unitas and Patrick Mahomes and Peyton Manning playing. That's how often they passed.

They led the league in interceptions. They led the league in sacks. And their quarterback just about got killed. So I'm not saying Cliff's going to do that, but let's measure this thing based on the fit. And is it going to be a situation where in week eight we're hearing about, hey, Cliff wants to do this, but Dan Quinn would rather do this. God, these guys hadn't been together before. That's what you get, right? Mike Sandow joining us, radio audience, NFL writer for the athletic.

Really, really, really does a tremendous job and has for years. You know, it's funny, when I used to watch Tiger Woods, here's where you knew he was great beyond winning. He was so much better than the second best golfer on the tour. Arguably, the hardest sport in America to maintain greatness, golf. I mean, where great golfers can get into their head, get their swing misaligned. Tiger was like a mile better than Phil Mickelson on some weekends. And as I watch that with coaching, I have high regard for Kyle Shant. There's an argument to be made.

That staff got worked by Andy Reid. And I think Shanahan's tremendous. I said years ago, and I believe this, Mike, and call me out if you think I'm crazy, if the CTE story broke a decade earlier and the NFL would have changed and pivoted its rules to more offensive and protective a decade earlier, we could argue that Belichick would not be the greatest coach. New England would not have been as dominant, and Andy Reed would have probably had more success. Philadelphia, but Andy played in the league for years that almost worked and conspired against offensive coaches who now run the league. Where do you put Andy Reid all time?

Well, first off, I think that Bill Belichick did transition his offense to his team to be more offensive, even at the expensive defense around that time. So that's an interesting discussion on its own. And I think Andy Reid is on an expanded Mount Rushmore. I think we always talk about Mount Rushmore's four guys. I mean, that's pretty limiting. But I think he's on that list now in the Super Bowl era. I think only Joe Gibbs and Bill Walsh are the only other guys with three. You have Chuck Null with four and Bill Belichick with six.

So then you combine the fact that he's top, I think, three or four in all-time wins. He's on that short list, and he's going to still keep going. I don't know why people are talking about him potentially retiring. why would you ever walk away from Mahomes? So yeah, I think he's leaped into that pantheon of now where if he's not on your Mount Rushmore, it's because your Rushmore isn't big enough, you probably need to have six guys, right?

You probably need to have six on there now, and he's got to be one of them. Yeah. So there's a report, nobody in the league, according to this story by ESPN's Jeff Legworld, that nobody in the league thinks the Broncos are going to retain Russell Wilson. So on their face, his numbers,

26 TDs, 8 picks, 66% completely. percent are not awful. But when you consider the price tag, he's probably out of his prime. I can see Sean Payton wanting a Boe Nix, a Michael Pennix, a whoever in that draft slot. I can see that. But I do think Russell, with the right fit, if Denver's on the hook for the contract, I think he works in Atlanta. I think they'd win their division. Where do you, let's let's let's say somebody, Denver pays the loot. What's the market in your opinion, Mike, for Russell Wilson? yeah i actually thought of Atlanta too and i don't know you know how Rahim morris views him for sure and all of that but um i agree with you that that's the sort of a team now i don't think a team's

going to go into the process though targeting him first are they is that going to be your number one thing to sign up with him now you might be able to get him though for that money and i think that is the key you can get him at a at a at maybe a bargain because the the broncos are going to have to pay so much. And I think Russell's going to be just fine, sticking Denver with the tab, right? Right, right. So I do think a team like that that's sort of been a manage the game quarterback away

and maybe has a lot of its resources kind of accounted for. Maybe doesn't have a pick high enough to where you think you're going to get, for sure, get a quarterback you like. That might make sense. I think Atlanta is that type of team. I've sort of seen them as a good fit for him. Finally,

you're a selector for the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Any surprise from this year's Hall of Fame class? Yes. How did Antonio Gates not make it? I mean, I understand, look, I understand better than anybody because before I was on this panel, I remember thinking, how the heck did Chris Carter missed this year, right? Or whatever. And you're just like, are these guys idiots? And you realize that there's more to it than that with 15 finalists, five spots. There's 3,000 unique combinations of five that could come forward. So, not a repudiation of him, but to me, I would have been, like, embarrassed if Julius Peppers didn't make it.

I'm kind of mildly embarrassed that Antonio Gates did. He was my number two guy in this class, so he's going to go right in, but that one kind of didn't feel great to me, even though he's going to get in. No one dislikes him. It just felt like, hmm, what are we doing? Also, it should be noted, duly, that what makes his story even more spectacular is that he was not a high pick. So he wasn't given sort of the benefit, you know, the tarmac. He came in undrafted, meaning they're not looking for you to unseat their first, second, third, fourth picks. That makes the staff look bad, right? Like, no staff is hoping the undrafted guy's the best guy in the draft class. And to me, Colin, the Hall of Fame is really like, you should be able to check almost all of the boxes. And some of these guys were great, but they didn't play as long.

Or they were great, but they just played special teams. Or they were great, but they were this. Antonio Gates was great and played forever. So I don't think we're to the point where we're like, you have to win a championship as a tight end, right? I mean, that's more of a quarterback and a head coach sort of a thing. That would be the only potential thing you could bring up. But otherwise, to me, standard bearer for the position.

Mike Sando, always great seeing you, the Athletic Senior NFL Riders, selector for the Pro Football Hall of Fame. You know, we love your work, and we appreciate it, Mike. Thank you. Yeah. So he thinks Atlanta's a spot for Russell Wilson. I think Kirk Cousins, Justin Fields, and Russell Wilson. But, again, that team is young.

Remember, Russell's also had a problem in his career getting sacked. PFF has Atlanta's offensive line as number four in the league. It's a little like Detroit. They've got all the elements. Goff makes it all work. I think Russell Wilson would be a really good fit. I would take them to win the division if Russell got that gig. I fell for that last year with Derek Carr to the Saints.

Russell's better than Derek Carr. Right now, Russell is? Yes, he moves much better. I think he throws the ball downfield better. I think he is. So you think it's just his contract that's getting him shoved out of it? Yeah, I mean, his numbers aren't 66% completion percent. Now, in November.

Charlie, that's what he was this year. Well, Derek Carr's got some of that. I'll give an example. Just throw this out there. I'm not going to wing it. So he went undefeated in November. Oh. Well, I'm just saying is there was some Russ with Peyton.

In November, 74% completion percentage, no interceptions, 108 passer rating. Okay. Should I ask what defense is he faced? I mean, come on. Well, it's the NFL. Carolina. It's not Canadian. Carolina's defense is good.

Sorry, apologies. But, okay, fine. I like Russell Wilson. Don't make Peyton me to be the bad guy. We don't love, and we do think he's out of his prime and expensive. But if somebody else is paying for it, hey, I'll go to a steakhouse every night. You're picking up the. bill, it's fantastic.

Okay? If you're not paying for, if he was 31 million a year, I think Denver stays with him. They may draft a quarterback, but they'd stay with him. But right now he's become, because of the contract.

Kirk Cousins off the Achilles for 43 mil, or Russ at, you know, 20 because the Broncos are picking up the bulk of it. It's a tough call, but I'd probably say Russell. I don't think it's very even. I don't know what Kirk's going to be off the Achilles. Now, I could argue Baker at 28 million.

think he's out there. I think Tampa's locking him up. Yeah, they should. No. All right, hour two. My way too early NFL predictions. I love them. Can't wait. Another podcast from some SNL late-night comedy guy, not quite. Unhumor me with Robert Smygel and friends. Me and hilarious guests from Bob Odenkirk to David Letterman help make you funnier. This week, my guest, SNL's Mikey Day and head writer Streeter Seidel help an a cappella band with their between songs banter. Where does your group perform? We do some retirement homes. Those people are starving for banter. Listen to

humor me with Robert Smigel and friends on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal, but encouraged. It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque. Others say it's unleashing human potential. Either way, the podcast's

superhuman documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year. in probably 10 days I'd put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the I-Hart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever

you get your podcasts. A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care what I'm saying. Yep, that's me. Clifford Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, my basketball and college football journey, or my career in sports media. Well, now I'm bringing all

of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifford Show. This is a place for Raw. all 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. This is an IHeart podcast.

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