The Herd with Colin Cowherd - Hour 2 - Albert Breer, Jason Kelce Retirement

Episode Date: March 4, 2024

In this hour of The Herd, it's another edition of "Where Colin Was Right, Where Colin Was Wrong." Also, Albert Breer of TheMMQB drops by to discuss the market for quarterback Kirk Cousins, how the NFL Combine is changing (in both player participation and how it's structured), and more. Later, Colin and Jason react to the final retirement announcement of Philadelphia's Jason Kelce. Lastly, it's now or never for the Boston Celtics to win it all with their current roster.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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Listen to Superhuman on the IHard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Thanks for listening to The Heard Podcasts. 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 Sports Radio.com or stream us live every day on the IHeart Radio app by searching Fox Sports Radio or FSR. You're listening to Fox Sports Radio. All right, Monday, hour two, live in Los Angeles, it's the hurt. Wherever you may be and however you may be listening, thanks for making us part of your day. Albert Breer was at the Combine, lot of information, best offensive line class ever, stacked wide receivers, lot of quarterback, some rising, some falling, J-MAC.

Listening to you during the break about youth sports, I am so glad my kids are in their 20s. I will just say so glad I'm not arguing with mom and dad's about playing time. No, no, I'm not. Other teams are. Just a quick question. If you have five players on your team and the opponent has four in a basketball, do you play five on four with a man advantage and you pull back if you're winning? Or do you say, we'll just do four on four and have a sub.

Yeah. For you sports, I do four on four with a sub. We didn't do that. Close game. We won by one. But like, why should you penalize your team and have to sit a guy? Well, maybe a kid was sick. Maybe a kid was unavailable.

Maybe other kids are doing too many other sports and not prioritizing basketball. That's probably a healthier way to go through life. I don't know. You don't think they're all going to the NBA? Nobody where you live will ever play in the NBA. By the way, shocker, I thought I was NBA bound in like sixth grade. Seventh grade. There are weekends you come in and still think you're NBA bound.

All right, Colin right, Colin wrong in a Monday. Here we go. Where Colin was right. Remember those trading deadline rumors? about LeBron being moved, and I said they were ridiculous. He's the heartbeat of the team. Well, he's now their leading score. They're leading assist guy. Leads them in plus minus. And Saturday night was another example. He's the soul of the Lakers, not AD. I mean, 26-9, Anthony Davis didn't score many. Bench didn't give him him squat, scored about a dozen points.

But LeBron James, once again, the best basketball player consistently on this team can play both Fends, the smartest late game player maybe in the league, the trade rumors were nonsense. Where Colin was wrong. I mean, I don't even think I was really wrong, but I'll give one for the team. The Warriors got hammered by 52 by the Celtics. Last game of an East Game road trip, they were getting destroyed. They had no legs. But I will say this is that, you know, these games, these national TV games between two contenders matter.

And for the Warriors to basically decide we're not going to guard Jason Tatum's. It was a strategy, not when I would employ, but it was a strategy. We know Boston's good. I think Golden State's still good, but God, they were awful yesterday. Where Colin was right? I've been saying it now for a couple years. International players are more focused than our players, more mature. Victor Wembenyama, 31 and 12 yesterday. I said when he came out, one of the top prospects I've ever seen, and I'm a big believer in European players. They play against older men when they're young. They come in more focused, not distracted,

none of the John Morant nonsense. In the end, Victor Wimbunyama is a top 12 player in the league, in my opinion right now. That's what he feels like since basically January. He's a dominating defensive player, a consistent offensive player, and his three-point shooting is remarkably deft, considering how young he is.

We've been right, mature, focus, from international, players, they get good fast, and don't screw up. Where Colin was wrong. I'm apparently way off on the J.J. McCarthy field, the Michigan quarterback. I don't really see it, but multiple executives, I mean, Dan Graziano's hearing. He's a top 10 pick. Ian Rappaport said he'll be absolutely the fourth quarterback taken. Now, I will say his measurables did him a favor. he came into the combine, the feeling was he was 6-3-202.

That is indisputably light. He measured at 6-2-219. That's Aaron Rogers. That's a different player. So the difference between 6-3 and 203 and 6-2 and 219, now I don't have any concerns. Now is it water weight? Are they stacking them up? I don't know.

It's not the NBA. You're not running off 6,000 calories a night and traveling. So you can keep weight on once you get it on in the NFL. So J.J. McCarthy looks like J. Mack, who was up. on it a year ago is going high. Where Colin was right? I've always been mystified by the Justin Fields loved by the media. His second half numbers are Zach Wilson.

Well, according to John Middlough, who was at the Combine, my buddy the Pro Scout told me last night, within the league, he doesn't have much of a market. Kirk Cousins is the quarterback that many teams are discussing. He may be costly, but he gives you 100 passer rating, wins a lot of games, good in the fourth quarter. Listen, Justin Fields is talented, but when you're a turnover machine with accuracy issues and get hurt a lot, what do I love? I think the fans and the media are buying into the spectacular, and that is not what wins games in the NFL.

Consistency in elevating others, what Kirk Cousins does, that win jiff 10 games a year in the league. Where Colin was right? I said with Show A.O. Tani, it's going to be bigger than anything we've seen. Modern-day Babe Ruth. Spring training games can't get a seat. Takes you 45 minutes to get into the game. It is real. Right now, he has got on base in seven straight games, totally locked in.

Dave Roberts said it usually takes a couple of months for players to get locked in. Dave Roberts said he's already locked in. And it's March 3rd, March 4th. I'll make a prediction and you're seeing it in spring training. The Dodgers will average close to 5.5. 50,000 per game. Now, they already led Major League Baseball in attendance last year by about 7,000 people a clip. It's not the easiest stadium to get to, beautiful stadium,

but I think they get up around 50,000 per home game. Where Colin was wrong. Mack Jones, according to two executives, is worth a fifth or a sixth round pick on the market. Timeout. As a rookie, he had a passer rating at 92 and a half. and he completed 67% of his throws. Don't we blame some of this on Belichick and their tone-deaf offensive culture?

I mean, Trey Lance got a fourth-round pick. He can't get a fourth-round pick? I give up a fourth-round pick for Mack Jones. Most fourth-round quarterback picks can't make the league. He started as a rookie. It was kind of good. Guess I was wrong on that. Where Colin was right?

We've always said the NFL more than any league adapts evolves. What do you know? They're proposing new NFL kickoff rules. I like both of them. First of all, the NFL does not like automatic. Kickoffs now automatic. One's return to game. They want to create a zone that will increase the number of kickoff returns.

It will go from one a game to probably eight. And they want the onside kick to be used less frequently. It's so automatic now. The kicking team never recovers 45 attempts last year, two recoveries. What they want is fewer attempts, only in the fourth. quarter, but you can use an uneven line so the percentage recovered by the kicking team will probably go up to 25, 30 percent. I like them both. Whether it works or not, I like both proposals. People don't like new stuff. I appreciate the swing. NBA NFL takes swings. Don't know what's

worked. I can limb with that. Where Colin was right, where Colin was wrong on a Monday, Albert Breer is back. Food and drink in excess at the combine. He's back to that. He's back to hydrant. I want to know more about this power play that J. Mack gave his youth basketball team there for an entire game. I hope there's not dads listening,

and he's trying to curry favor with these hyper-aggressive dads. Hopefully the dads are listening and have fair-minded play is what they're considering. I will say this, like having my own kids, there is nothing more aggressive than a hockey parent. Basketball, baseball, football, not mold a candle. Hockey parents are the craziest. Oh, great. And I am one so I can speak on it. Okay.

So I was told by my buddy John Middilkoff who said, the guy that doesn't get any media play, but the people that he talked to in the league executive scouts that was getting a lot of talk was Kirk Cousins, that there is a market for him. Can you, your thoughts on what you heard at the Combine, a lot of chatter, you're out all day every night reporting. Did you hear similar things? Yeah, I mean, I think Kirk is, I mean, really the quarterback

that probably makes the most sense for a bunch of different teams. Now, you have to dig through the Achilles, and that's a question. But I do think Kirk is going to have a market because he is seen as the guy that you can plug in right now. And if, you know, you're a rebuilding team, you can tread water with him for a few years as you build up sort of the Alex Smith and Kansas City model. if you're a contending team, he can get you over the top. And here's the key.

And I think that this is a really interesting point is if you want to put a lot on your quarterback mentally, right, like if you want to be able to put your quarterback in a position where he's going to be setting protections and changing routes and making checks at the line and doing all this stuff that a lot of the coaches want, there are fewer and fewer quarterbacks who are capable of doing that anymore. And Kirk's a master in that area. It's why Kevin O'Connell values him in Minnesota. it's why I think the Atlanta coaches really want the front office to look at bringing him in

and maybe that happens next week. Denver, you know, I mean, I don't think that Denver is going to have the financial flexibility to make a real run at Kirk Cousins. But if you talk about what Sean Payton wants, it sort of fits there too. So that's the way I look at it is that Kirk Cousins can kind of unlock a style of offense that has to some degree gone away the last few years in the NFL because of what younger quarterbacks are capable of, and he can put a contender in a position to maybe get over the top, and he can put a team that might be retooling a little bit in position to tread water at the position.

So, yeah, I expect there to be a robust market for Kirk Cousins out there next week. It'll be interesting to see if he can get, you know, a three-year fully guaranteed deal, which, you know, he did twice in Minnesota. I don't know that the Vikings are willing to go that far anymore, but I certainly think there will be good offers for him out there. So whether Caleb Williams goes to the Bears or another team, he is largely viewed as the number one pick. Drake May's been inconsistent. Jaden Daniels, you know, he can be a little small.

McCarthy probably doesn't feel like a one, nor does Bo Nix or Pennix. So a lot of people, J. Mack won between his parents' thing and small ball basketball and his Caleb Williams take is he thinks it's punitive if Marvin Harrison doesn't talk here or Caleb doesn't talk there. And my takeaway is if you're an individual. number one prospect, not much to gain, more to lose. I get it. You remember when Christian McCaffrey said, I'm not playing in a bowl? People freaked out. Yeah, he's great. Why play the Liberty Bowl? So your takeaway on what you're hearing, because J. Max said a lot of this Caleb Williams stuff, it's been negative for six months. Do you feel that way?

You know what? You know what's interesting, Colin? That high school class, the Caleb Williams, Marvin Harrison, high school class of 2021, is the first one to go to. through college completely in the NIL era, right? Right. So if you really think about it, these guys have been making business decisions since they were freshmen. And that's the lens through which they view the world, right? So is it any surprise?

The first class that went through college this way is the one that's pushing back hardest against some of the norms in the NFL. And oh, by the way, the NFL is making business decisions with the combine. They're moving workouts tonight so they can put them on TV. They're considering moving the combine arrangement. This has become a business enterprise for them. So why can't it be a business enterprise for the players? Now, will this destroy the combine?

No, because there are very few players that have the leverage to do this sort of thing. But if you're Caleb Williams, doesn't it make sense to say, you know what? Like, I don't want the other 31 teams to have all my new medical information. They'll get the stuff on where I was hurt or banged up in college. But I don't want them to have anything new that comes up because that could hurt me over the next few years. if they have that medical information. Yeah. And if you're Marvin Harrison and you're looking at it and you're saying,

I've been the number one receiver in the country for two years now. Everybody's known I'm going to be the number one receiver taken for two years now. So what makes more sense for me? Hire an agent, have him take a cut and then have that agent spend six figures on getting me to a training facility to train for the combine. Or do I not hire an agent? Do I work with my dad on it? And then do I spend more time getting ready for my rookie year?

So when I show up to OTAs in May, I'm hitting the ground running and not retraining myself to play football. I think the Cardinals at four are going to be ecstatic that Marvin Harrison is doing things this way, because they're going to get a more ready-made player in May. That guy is going to be more ready to go in May, which ostensibly means he's going to be more ready to go in September. So, again, I think this is sort of a product of the environment these kids came up in as the first high school class to go through college completely in the NIL era. and I think it's only going to affect the top end guys because the top end guys are the only ones that have to leverage to do things like this.

But I might be mistaken. I mean, J-Mac, you probably know this. NBA players have been skipping medicals at the NBA combine forever, so it's not like this is unheard of in other sports. That's right. Yeah. And he's coaching a lot of NBA guys in youth sports, so he wants that information.

Future NBA guys, future NBA guys. Yeah. So I think one of the team, I mean, the New York Giants are interesting because I mean I they have their left tackle they have a star back they have a pass rusher

they could probably use a corner but there's not one available at that spot and I look at them and I think yes they could use a wide receiver but they have a couple of second round picks there's going to be seven to eight receivers in the second round they could draft two I got to tell you Albert if I'm the Giants

I think I draft a quarterback. I know. And maybe I moved down a couple spots, but the giants to me, what do you hear? Or move up? Or move up? Why not? They've got a lot of the needs. Yeah. And so I think that that's part of the equation

here is they're going to do all the work on all the top quarterbacks. And like, if you're them, you look at it, you say, okay, either we move up into the top three if one of those teams is selling and we'll have to give up probably a little bit less because the teams in front of us, the Cardinals and the Chargers probably aren't moving up to go and get a quarterback,

right? So either we move up into the top three or if those three teams stick, now we've got to be a little concerned is somebody going to leapfrog us because if I'm a team further down the line, the Raiders, the Falcons, whoever else, aren't you looking at the Giants as the team that maybe you have to pass if you want to go up and get J.J. McCarthy? Now, I'm not saying J.J. McCarthy is necessarily going to go fourth or fifth overall, but if we get to that tension,

point where you're looking at it and the top three teams don't move and you will really like J.J. McCarthy. The Giants become the team that you probably have to get in front of, right? So I think things could get real interesting there. And the Giants are also in a position where if they draft one this year, whether it's Drake May, Jaden Daniels, Caleb Williams is going to be a bear. So we can take that off the table. But Jaden Daniels, Drake May, J.J. McCarthy, if they draft one of these kids, they've got one more fully guaranteed year of Daniel Jones. And that sounds like it's a negative. It's not.

That gives them the flexibility to sit down the rookie for a year and do the Patrick Mahomes thing and do the Jordan Loves thing and let that kid sit for a year and learn and then hit the ground running in 2025. I think the Giants are in a really, really nice place right now to take a quarterback if they find one that they really like enough to take that high. Yeah. So, you know, JMAX said a long time ago, he said, whoa, there is going to be a moment. market for Justin Fields. And I think his second half numbers look a lot like Zach Wilson to me.

I think he's more talented, and I think he could work to some degree. But what are you hearing? Again, my guy there at the Combine said, the market's not as robust as the media would like you to believe on Justin Fields.

The Bears would like to get a day two pick and a day three pick for him. They've looked at different models. They've looked at the model of the Alex Smith trade. They've looked at the model of the Sam Darnold trades. So they've done their research and their homework on this. I mean, they like to do right by Justin Fields. You know, and they've even put themselves in a position now where so much the work is done

on Caleb Williams that they've got the flexibility to move when they want to move if the right offer comes along. You know, I'd say right now the, I think the veteran quarterback market might be clogged up a little bit. And like, let's see what's happening with Kirk Cousins. let's see what's happening with Baker Mayfield. So, you know, I think there's the piece of it where it's like, okay, like you want to trade him when they're the most open quarterback jobs, right?

Like, which is right now because two weeks from now, there are going to be a bunch of jobs that are open now that are filled. That said, are there multiple teams waiting on Kirk Cousins? Are there multiple teams waiting to see what happens with Baker Mayfield? I think that's part of the equation here. And maybe that's made it a little bit more difficult to truly get a value on what they can get for Justin Fields. So I think the good news for the Bears is that they've created the flexibility

in getting so far down the road on the Caleb Williams research that they can pull the trigger whenever they want on a Justin Fields trade. The flip side of it is I do think that some of the more accomplished veteran quarterbacks may be clogging the market up a little bit as teams wait and see what, again, guys like Cousins and Mayfield decide to do. I understood both kickoff rules. I've been saying this for a couple of weeks. NFL doesn't like automatic.

So the kickoff now is just automatic into the end zone. Go get a Diet Coke. It's a waste of time. I like the target idea. Now, it also doesn't allow for a big head of steam. So the concussion concerns. And I like the new onside kick. Instead of having 46 a year and two recovered,

you'll probably have 28, 30, and six recovered, eight recovered. I'm okay with both, but I saw nothing but pushback on social media. What did you make of it? Yeah, it's such a drastic change, you know, and I went through it with a couple of special teams coaches. They spent a lot of time on it. I mean, there were, I think, between 55 and 60 of them that met on Saturday to kind of finalize the plan here.

And, you know, Darren Rizzy from the Saints and John Fossel from the, from the Cowboys, brought this plan together. Those two and Richard Hightower brought to the commissioner and the competition committee. So a lot of thought and efforts gone into it. It's just so drastically different. It does make me wonder, do we actually have to say, see it in action first. You know what I mean? Like, does this become a, we really like it, but like, let's see what this looks like in a pre-season setting first. Like, I could certainly

see, I like the idea, but, you know, again, it's just so drastically different. It's, you know, have we troubleshot all of the unintended consequences? Do we know exactly what it's going to look like? Do we know what the collisions are going to look like in practice rather than on paper? I think all of that sort of needs to be fleshed out. So I really like the idea. I love the idea of bringing returns back into the game.

I think the idea of having the guys sort of frozen until the ball is caught makes sense. I like the zoning. I think the spacing works. I know how much works gone into it. I just do wonder if this is something that we actually have to see for ourselves

before we can have real opinions on it because it's such a drastic difference. And maybe the idea, again, is to do a test run in the preseason before they put it in full war. Monday morning quarterback, Albert Breer, as always, my friend, great seeing you. Hope you can dry out from the combine, and you can take interpret that any way you'd like. I'll do that. Good luck in those five on four games there, J.Mack.

I believe in you. Your coaching will carry the team through. Way to go, J-Mack. Some poor kids got, you know, the flu, and J-Mack's doing a full-court press against three kids. By the way, Breer mentioned hockey. Have you ever played hockey? I've been on ice twice for something, yeah, local TV. You can ice skate?

No. I definitely cannot. But it's not pretty. I've done the Rockefeller Center, you know, Christmas, you go hang out. And it's like I'm clinging to the wall or the penguin thing. I can do it. I can skate, but it's not, you wouldn't want to. But you can ski.

So I'm assuming you could skate. Yeah, I can do that. I do in line. I've done all of it. It's not. I would say, I won't do it again in my life. It was one of those young kids. things.

You'll teach your kids. I always try to teach my kid. Teach you out of swim. Teach you out of ski. Teach you how to do trampoline. Teach you how to inline skate. Teach out of skate. I want to give my kids options.

So if they go to college, high school, kids ask them you want to do this, you don't feel like the weird kid that's, you know, like I can't ski. I can't skate. So I introduced him to a bunch of stuff. We did a lot of skiing, and now they're not that interested.

I think that's a great point about like you go to college or you get your first job and you're working at a banking company. And somebody, hey, we'll play pickup ball. want to come play. Boom, you're in. You know how to play basketball. Like, it's fun. It's a great way to get in. Sports, I know people can knock him as, oh, it's goof off time. It's invaluable when you can do sports and just hang out. You're also part of a team, a collective. You figure out how to work well with others. I always thought sports was great for any level.

Be sure to catch live editions of the herd weekdays at noon Eastern 9 a.m. Pacific on Fox Sports Radio, FS1 and the IHeart Radio app. Hey, it's Ben, host of the fifth hour. with Ben Mather. It would mean a lot to have you join us on our weekly auditory journey. You're asking what in God's name is the fifth hour? I'll tell you, it's a spinoff of the Ben Mather show, a cult hit overnights on FSR.

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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. A win is a win. I don't 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.

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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, 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. Big things happening. A little breaking news. JMAQ, without further ado, with the news.

No, no, no, no, no. Turn on the news. This is the herd line news. Yep, the breaking news is official. Jason Kelsey's future is done in the NFL. He just announces retirement after 13 seasons with the Eagles. He's actually still talking at a lengthy press conference right now. He's been very emotional the entire time.

there's been some tears. I can report that Travis Kelsey's there. Taylor Swift is not that we know of yet. Now, if she does pop up, I know our audience. Is Travis Kelsey there? Travis Kelsey is there. You know, pretty big moment for Jason Kelsey retiring. 13 years.

It feels like a Locke, Hall of Famer, elite center, great career. Well, the Eagles now just lost the best center, arguably in a decade. They had to hire two new coordinators. We know Shane Steichen had a huge impact. never been the same. You've got players chirping, chirping about Nick Seriani, kind of his attitude. I don't like the Eagles this year. Some regression coming? I, yes. I mean, first of all, you and I both predicted there would be regression off the Super Bowl appearance. We both said they'll pull back. We were both right. I think they'll do it again. And they'll reinvent pretty

quick, but I think the division's going to get better. We did look dumb when they were 10 and 1, but we knew it was smoking mirrors. Anybody who watches? They were. policies. A lot of luck box stuff. A lot of late game surges to win. And then, you know, reality set in, I'll say, didn't they, remember when they added Kevin Byard? Everybody said, ooh, way to shore up the second day. They didn't help at all. They're dumping him. Or he's been dumped. That didn't work. It feels like the defensive lines getting old. They don't get them. They don't get the pass rush and they have a bad secondary.

And in a passing league, that is a bad combo. Yeah. They have to hit. They got to do a Kansas City Chiefs. They got to hit in a couple corners in the draft. I kind of want to push back a little on your Shane Steichen, like, made Jalen Hertz. You didn't say that, but you were into me. He certainly helped his productivity, his consistency. That's indisputable.

Okay, so what is the ceiling for Hertz without stiking? I don't know. Top five quarterback. Not from what I've seen. Top 12, yes. But again, I get three years of you, and I get mad, great, ma'am.

As a rookie, come on. He was a second round pick, Like, I think he was second. They didn't expect that much. I'm not dispute. I think his intangibles are great. I want to see more tangibles. Pocket, fewer giveaways. Last couple years, it's felt like he's been hurt.

Well, I wonder, are the Bush put, sorry, the Tush, brotherly shove, whatever they call it. Is that stuff taking a toll? Like, beat up? Like, I know he squats. A big component to that, 50% of that was the center who just retired. So maybe that's eliminated now. I wouldn't think it would be as effective. I mean, we saw Cam Newton's career.

it was like done because he was just beat up physically, could not last to do his 30s. I don't think Hertz has taken that pounding, but he's, he looks, hasn't, haven't you thought the last couple years, multiple games? We said it last year and the year before. He's not 100%. I'd say this past year, two years ago he was basically the MVP. I mean, I don't know. I would say regression, but are they a 500 team? Yes, yeah, no, I don't think they're going into the cellar. I just think Washington with that cap space and the new staff is going to be significant. significantly better. And I think Dallas just has too much talent not to be good. And I think

it's going to be a tougher division. And I see things I don't, I hear things and see things I don't like. Okay. So wrapping up the NFC East, you like Washington. I think Dallas and Washington are at the top. Philadelphia battles to the end for second, finish his third. And the giants are just trash. Well, I'm not going with Daniel Jones. He'll be, I just don't buy it. So should we bet Drake made a win rookie of the year? Well, let's slow down. We don't even. We don't even. know if he's going to be there. Jaden Daniels, LSU's getting all the love. I don't, I don't. I mean, I like Jaden, but I don't

like him over Drake May. Next up, oh, Jerry Jones, we haven't talked about the Cowboys in a few days. He said earlier this offseason, he's going all in on the 2024 season. There was some confusion about what he meant with that comment. Yeah. At the Combine over the weekend, Jerry who still goes to the Combine,

tried to clarify what that all-in strategy is. The nuances of where we are with the cap, the The nuances of where we are with our position in the draft, the nuances of where we are with our free agents, that we get that involved in the definition of we're all in. As you would look at every one of those aspects, and I probably left off with that many again, then we're going to be doing every solution or working towards the solution being to win this year. Say less, Jerry. I'll have the same opinion on Dallas I have now had for most of the last, my entire career.

They'll be pretty good. Between Romo and deck, they were pretty good at quarterback. Usually have a weapon or two I like. Always have a pass rusher somewhere. Good secondary guy. They'll be pretty good. I've been on that for 20 years. I've been right for 20 years.

They're always pretty good. It's not bad. It's interesting. You said the Rams coach and GM, not at the combat. Not only is Jerry Jones the owner there, but he's speaking to a media throng. I know it's tough, Jerry. Somebody's got to get in his ear, bro. We don't need this.

We don't need this. Just don't talk. Don't love it. There's a million other things you can do besides get in front of a microphone and just pop off and create a headline. It's his team, though. He views it as his team and his toy. It is? Yeah.

Final story. He is the GM of the team, by the way. He is. Yeah, he can do that. Final stories, Mike Evans, staying in Tampa just announced here a couple hours ago. Two-year, $52 million extension with Tampa, 35-mill guaranteed, not bad. Before this deal, agreeing to it, his. His agent reportedly said Evans wanted to be paid like a top receiver and play with an elite quarterback in an offense that will showcase him.

I saw that I guess his 26 million per over two makes him like top five payment-wise. I would assume this means Baker Mayfield is staying. Yes. I think he is a top five or six receiver. He's a great player. Wait. He's a paid as a top five-six. Well, I think he's a top five or six receiver.

He's a top five or six receiver. Jefferson, Chase, Devonte Adams. then it gets into a group of six guys I like. I don't have the receivers in front. A.J. Brown gives me too much drama. Mike doesn't give me any drama. Mike gave you a lot of drops last year. CD Lamb or Mike Evans?

Wait. Mike Evans. Better in the red zone, bigger, stronger player. Brandon Ayuk or Mike Evans? I like Brandon Ayuk a lot. A lot. I can tell. I like him a lot.

You think Mike Evans' top six? Well, he's start giving me the guys. Stefan Diggs doesn't go. Okay, well, let's just the obvious ones. Justin Jefferson, Jamar Chase, and who's the other? Dante Adams. You get those three. After that, there's six guys we can argue over.

I'd take him over Seedy Lamb. Tyreek Hill. He's still breathing. They're different players, totally. He was nearly the MVP of the league. Come on. Totally different players. They are. Probably Tyree Kill, but they're different players. One guy's a giant in the red zone.

I don't know. This is a good move for Tampa. Listen. Where do you have, Mike Evans? 23rd? No, I think he's top 12. Basically, he's the Jalen, of this discussion. You have Jaylorerts top 12. I have him a little higher than that. Okay. He's pretty unique player. He's awesome. He's had a great career.

Look how big, compare corners to him. He's a match. In the red zone, Brady, where's Mike Evans? He's like a tight end size. Three years ago, well? He's pretty good. He's good. Jay Mack with the news. Well, that's the news. And thanks for stopping by. The Herd Lie News. Be sure to catch live editions of The Herd Weekdays and News. Be sure to catch live editions of the Herd, Weekdays, and news. Eastern 9 a.m. Pacific. 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, Clifford Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, the reactions, my journey from basketball to college football, or my career in sports media. Well, somewhere along the way,

this platform became bigger than I ever imagined. And now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifford Show. This is a place for raw, unfiltered conversations with some of your favorite athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. One week, I'll take you behind the scenes of the biggest moments in sports and entertainment, and the next we'll talk about life, mental health, purpose, and even music.

The Clifford Show isn't just a podcast, it's a space for honest conversations, stories that don't always get told, and for people who are chasing something bigger. So, if you've ever supported me or you're just chasing down a dream, this is right where you need to be. Listen to the Clifford Show on the 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 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 all day, but just so you all know. I mean, at this point, Mark, this is the second episode where we've discussed crack. So I'm starting to see that there's a through line.

We also have AIDS on the table right now. Thank you for finishing that sentence. I don't think there's a more important year for black people. Really? Yeah. For me, it's one of the most important years for black people in American history. Listen to look back at it on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. So I was all excited yesterday.

I thought, I'm going to sit down and watch the Celtics and the Warrior because I watched the Lakers Nuggets on Saturday night. It was a great game. And I thought, all right, Sunday, I got things to do. I'm going to, I'm going to win. And then a first quarter happened. And I'm like, oh, yeah, Warriors, they got no legs. They're settling for bad shots. I looked it up.

I'm like, oh, last game, Eastern Road. trip. Dad's no good. That's no good. And Boston hammered them. And Boston hammers a lot of teams by a lot all the time. I've been watching Jason Tatum, Jalen Brown, and either Marcus Smart or Drew Holiday blowout teams for three seasons. They lead the NBA in point differential this year. And they led the NBA in point differential last year. And they were second in point differential in 2021. I got one trips to the finals where they had a lead and blew it and no trophy. They are becoming the Buffalo Bills. I'm sorry.

Warriors' last game, Eastern Road Trip. Plus, Boston loves to play the Dubs, especially at home, because the Dubs beat them in Boston and stole the title from him. The Eastern Conference is surprisingly weak. The Dame Yonness thing, they've taken a step back defensively. Embedde got hurt. Forget them. The Knicks completely limited offensively.

Brunson's banged up. Randall has been. The calves are hot. cold and young, and Orlando, give me a break. So the Celtics are 33 and 6 against the East. Yeah, Denver's not like that against the West, because the West has really good teams. Young, good teams like OKC,

young, old teams like the Lakers and Phoenix, and then a team that's a little of both in Golden State. So I've been seeing this for like six years, and I am in no way doubting Boston, but we've seen this before. We saw those great Sacramento King teams never get a title. We saw those old Buffalo Bill teams with Jim Kelly were great. Hall of Famer, never got a title.

I'm watching this Buffalo Bill's team. Doesn't feel like they're going to get to a Super Bowl, right? Like this Chief's defense now is all kids only getting better, and I got Mahomes in his prime. It's not like Kansas City's going to be worse. They're going to be better next year offensively and more experienced defensively. And with a salary cap going up substantially, they're going to keep Sneed and Chris Jones.

So, I mean, I'm feeling like Boston's got that feeling like, yeah, you're not as good as Denver, because you don't have anybody as good as Yokic. Yokic is the best player in the world. You see, Yokic this weekend, he went up against AD, the best defensive big, and Draymond Green. Housed both. Nobody can stop him. They have four players in Denver in their prime. Here's the other thing to remember about the Celtics.

Porzingis has a history of getting hurt. And Drew Holliday, who plays real defense, going to be 34 next year. He's 33 now. Guys that play that level of defense age much more quickly than guys that just come down and jack it up. So, like, this is the year. The East is weak. Next year, M.B. comes back. You know, some players may move around.

This is the year. Jason's rolling his eyes. But one of the things about the Warriors, they have won it in years they should win it. when LeBron had Kyrie Irving, Kyrie and him had a strained relationship. They won the year they needed to win. Like that's part. Toronto got one year with Kauai.

They won the year they needed to win. By the way, you look at the Healds. They got to the finals four times. But by the end, they were getting old. That's when Kauai and the Spurs won the title. That was the year their last great year down there. That was the year they needed to win. I feel like this for Boston.

The East is weak. like it's it is new york at some point's going to go get another guy at donovan mitchell they'll be stronger next year what if porzinger gets hurt drew holidays a year older i've been watching this team run through people for three years i mean i i think i could be wrong on this one that's the third time this year they blew somebody out by 50 i mean they that's what the south think they did it last year they led in point differential last year they led two years ago or they were second two years ago so by the way what are they against the west one and one against the Lakers, O and one against the Nuggets,

O and one against O'N one against O KC, one and one against the Clippers, one against the T-Wills. Lakers went out there without LeBron and A-D and beat him. I'm just saying, Porzingis can get hurt. Drew Holliday's going to get older. This is the year.

By the way, Jalen Brown on yesterday's performance, he thought he was disrespected. It feels great, but at the same time, it's always within humility. At any given point, you know, that could be us and, you know, we don't take the grain for granted. We didn't come out and mess around.

And that's just how, you know, we show our respect to the game is that we handle business and take care of it. But we don't do it arrogantly. We do it with humility. And it's a lot of respect for the Golden State Warriors. But we feel like it's our time now. I agree with that. This is a big year.

This is an opening. Julius Randall, Jalen Brunson, they don't have to, They're going to go out and get Donovan Mitchell. That's the worst kept secret in the league. Okay, now the Knicks are different. Ambide comes back. Damiana's second year. Orlando still won't be there.

OKC, by the way, is young. They're not, they don't rebound particularly well, and OKC's too young to win it. But then you give SGA and Chet Holmgren another year. Lakers probably in the off-season make a move and give LeBron an AD another dependable player. There's going to be moves here. I'm just saying this year is wide open.

There is Denver, and then we don't love Phoenix. O KC's too young. We don't really trust the timber wolves in big games. This is like the time to do it. As a born New Yorker, I'm contractually obligated to hate all Boston teams. I love this Celtics team led by Tatum. By the way, they're scheduled this week. Have you seen it?

So tomorrow night at Cleveland. That's a big game. Cleveland's supposedly good, top four. Thursday at Denver. Interesting. That's a massive game. And then this weekend, Saturday night at Phoenix. Now, Phoenix is beat up.

We'll talk about that final hour. They're cratering. Colin, this take about, well, nuggets are clearly better than them. Why? Because they have a title and they crushed everybody. They rolled through a tougher west. What do you? First of all, who's the best player?

The Celtics are crushing everyone. Now, first of all, two best starting fives in the league are absolutely Denver, Boston. Who's the best player of their 10? Yokic. That's not disputable. Okay, Yokic is one. Who's the best defender? Drew Holiday. Gordon.

I'll take his size. Oh, okay. Gordon's going to chase Tate him on the perimeter. Good luck. Okay. Jalen Brown or Michael Porter? Jalen Brown? That's not even close. And I like Porter.

All right. Jamal Murray or Jalen Brown? Well, it'll be Jamal Murray versus Drew Holiday. And that's a problem because Drew Holiday is an excellent defender. And I'm the biggest Jamal Murray fan out there. I'm just telling you, the Celtics are beating the Nuggets in the finals. year. You could lock that up. If I tell you, took the eight best players, this is an exercise for the Celtics and the

Nuggets. I take Yokic 1, Tatum 2, Jamal 3. I don't hate Jamal 3. I love them. But I don't think it's a great matchup versus Holiday who's got the size to take them on the post. Lakers had no... By the way, between Gordon's size and Yokic, they'll slow down Porzengis. They should, but here's the thing. Porzingis is a three-point gunner. Does Celtics... Colin, during this 11-game win streak, I think they have a, uh, point per game margin of like 21 or some insane number. They've done this the last.

They're not just beating teams. Yeah, but they've done this three years in a row. By the way, Denver doesn't obliterate teams until there's six minutes left, and then they suffocate offenses and score at will. Denver plays the exact same. Every Laker Denver game is the exact same. Six minutes to go, they become really good defensively. The problem with the nuggets is there are so many landmines in the West,

just like Kansas City. Denver's got a better coach than Boston. You might as well just, you got to give the nuggets one game over Boston just coaching. We saw Spolster do that. You might as well start that series, 1-0 Denver on coaching. I also like Denver by a smidge their bench, by a smidge. What bench? They don't have it.

Christian Brown's regrets. These regrets, they don't have a bench. Now Boston doesn't have one. By the way, so Boston, Denver, Thursday night, that's a huge game. I think it's a national TV game. Why don't we put a little sauce on that? You take a nuggets? Give me the points.

What are the points? I don't know what they are. It's funny. The team getting the points is viewed as the inferior team. Plus, I've got March Madness stuff to get to this week. Oh, boy. Breakdown Coastal Carolina report back tomorrow. I'm really interested on that.

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

With our friends, fellow comedians, and favorite authors. Like Mark Lamont Hill on the 80s. It was a wild year. It was a wild year. I don't think there's a more important year for black people. Listen to look back at it on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. 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. Human 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.