The Herd with Colin Cowherd - Hour 2 - Circle of Trust

Episode Date: April 15, 2025

Nick Wright from First Things First joins the show to breakdown Colin's "Circle of Trust" and why Rory McIlroy's Master win was a perfect representation of what the great golfer's career has beenSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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So I was thinking about this. I got a lot to talk about with Nick Wright here. I was thinking about this. So the sons fired their coach during our show yesterday, Mike Boodenholzer, never thought it was a great fit, got run in Milwaukee, down run in Phoenix, he and Katie had issues, he and Bradley Beale had issues, weirdly constructed, they rolled the dice, I appreciate the swing by Matt Isbia, but in the end, it just didn't work. Especially the Beale part, didn't work at all. But it goes to show you a lot about Kevin Durant. So the NBA and pro sports is a lot more than just talent. I see this. all the time. I talk to NFL GMs about this all the time. Some kids don't love football. Some kids, it takes them a long time to fit in to the group. They don't want to work hard enough. The playbook's harder than they thought. So Katie's one of the more talented players in the game. He is Wemby

before Wemby, a seven-footer that can handle the ball. Unbelievable talent. But like Aaron Rogers, he's kind of a creative, and he's a wander. And Steph Curry and Tom Brady, in my opinion, have far less talent. But they sacrifice, they get along with others, they're totally committed, they're laser-focused, and now KD, since leaving the Warriors, seven coaches fired. Two playoff series wins. And I think, I mean, over the last 15 years, I'd make an argument, second most talented player to LeBron James.

But LeBron James always made much better decisions, much more business savvy, about, you know, very calculated, always a step ahead of the process. KD just wants the ball. And, I mean, look at, he can still play. He was excellent in Phoenix. 53%, 26 a game, 43% from three, but seven fired coaches. He's become now a really talented bounce around the league guy. He doesn't care.

Rick Buecker talked about this. You can bring him in, but don't ask him to lead the franchise, even in his prime. Just that's not who he is. his committed lack of leadership his committed I just want to hoop and you play

you take a player of that talent and bring them into your team it just it screws up the dynamic and I love this dynamic of the rockets and yes I do think they need to upgrade there but I wouldn't sacrifice

that for a roll of the dice on a Kevin Durant yeah I would if he goes to New York which has I think a very strong leader in Jalen Brunson, who feels like a glue guy, not as talented as a Carmelo, but feels much more like a giving, committed, focused elevator of others. So Jalen Brunson, to me, I don't think you always have to be a superstar to be a great leader of a team.

I think Jalen Brunson's a great quarterback. Now, in Kansas City, the quarterback's the best player. But there are times, I mean, you could argue Gronk was more gifted than Brady. And there were other players. Randy Moss was, but Tom was committed, focused, elevated others. Jalen Brunson's great for the Knicks. Katie's not a leader. He's a shotmaker, and I think you're going to see very quickly in the playoffs in the east,

the Knicks need another shotmaker. They're going to get worked on the pick and roll by the calves or the Celtics if they play them, and they're good enough and smart enough and constructed well enough. They'll win a playoff series, but I think Katie works in New York. He's already been to the city. He liked it, but don't ask him to lead. That's not who he is. It's like I've always said this about Aaron.

Aaron's more talented than a lot of guys, but he's a unique personality. Jeter was the foundation of the Yankees. A-Rod was more talented. That's not a knock on A-Rod. That's just the reality of their personalities. With that, Nick Wright, the foundation of first things first. Absolutely. But not the leader.

Listen, I'm like Durant. I'm the most talented guy, but Kevin Wilde's the leader. I'll get you some buckets. But when it comes to planning, when it comes to direction in the show, that's KW. And when it comes to making sure we're on track, we have the conscience of the show brew. We'd be a great basketball team. Everyone knows their role.

So I'm Team KD on this. Who says the most talented guy's got to be the leader? Maybe he wants to hang out and, you know, play video games or play poker. That's right. It's each their own. Just show up and get buckets, man. Good to see you. Good to see you.

So I said this about the Warriors. They've become a little bit the old, you know, the adults at the nightclub where everybody's like, who smells like Old Spice? Who doesn't fit here? The NBA is young. You're talking about me again. Well, the NBA's young and talented and the war at Butler's 35, Draymond's 35. And it's like if they lose to Memphis or they lose in the first round, we got to be honest here.

It's over. Like you have to make moves on Kaminga or maybe a Draymond. What if they lose tonight? Well, if they lose tonight, their season. over. So, I mean, that's how damaging this week was. Because if they lose tonight, then all the, the only thing Friday will mean is did your season end in real disgrace with three straight losses and getting bounced in the play in for the third time in Steph's career? Or did you get a reprieve to now get to face a totally rested, totally healthy Oklahoma City team that will run

you off the court in round one? So tonight is there. biggest game of the year because they lost their previous biggest game of the year on Sunday, which was their biggest game because they blew a game against the spurs in game 80. They had no business losing. But let me say this, Colin. There's a couple things about the Warriors I want to say, so if we could spend a little bit down on it. One is I owe your dear friend, Draymond Green, an apology.

Because nine years ago, Draymond Green in the Western Conference final, I thought, and I alleged, maybe even on your show, that he intentionally kicked Stephen Adams in the groin on a layup, and it led to a flagrant foul, which then led to a suspension in the finals because of flagrant foul points. And my argument was no player in league history has ever just kicked their left leg at 90 degrees on an open layup, unless they're trying to do something. Nine years later, I'm proven wrong, because he did the exact same thing to blow them. the layup against the clippers. That's how they lost the game. And there was no one to kick. So, Draymond, my bat on that.

Evidently, that's just part of your foul baiting and ended up partially costing them the game. And the other thing I want to say about the Warriors who now you're talking about is it over. So I think Steph Curry is obviously one of the greatest players of all time. I also think that he's in this Goldilocks zone of when he's amazing. We talk about him. And when he scores three points against the Rockets, it doesn't make shows. and that I think is really a nice spot to be in the discourse. And he has been kind of universally put in, well, he's a top 10 all-time player.

And again, it's in the margins, but I have him at 12. And the reason I'm bringing that up here is something happened at the end of Clippers Warriors that has happened to Steph a bunch in his career and everybody just accepts it, but I think it's the barrier between him and the guys who are in the top 10. And that is he was taken off the court by his own head coach because they wanted to go offense defense, because at the end of a game, he is a true defensive liability.

And when you look at, again, not that my list is gospel, but what I would say are your 12 greatest players ever, you will notice 11 and 12 have something in common the top 10 don't. So if you go, LeBron, Kareem, Michael, Magic, Russell, Wilt, Duncan, Kobe, Bird, Akeem, and then 11 Shaq, 12, Steph. Again, that's no disrespect. You're at a Yokit. You're at a Dr. J.

You're at a Moses. You're out of Jerry West, all those guys. Shaq and Steph are the only two guys in that all-time top 12 whose own team in huge spots late in games would say, we actually want you to sit this possession. For Shaq, it was because of free throws. For step, it's because of defense. And I do think that has to be part of the story when we talk about the guys who are in the goat conversation,

who are in the top five, are in the top 10. And so I'll say that to say this. I think they might lose tonight, in which case this last week went really, really bad for him. So I have pushed back. I think it was Stephen A that started this, that international players, I think, can't be the face of the league. I disagree.

I said this an hour ago. Connor McGregor, the UFC was never more popular than when Connor McGregor was the face. Messy is now the face of the MLS. I mean, literally breaking gate records. I would argue Rory McElroy, who stayed with the PGA, did not go to the live tour after Sunday is the face of golf. I would argue Ovechkin for the last 20 years is the most discussed hockey player with a Sidney Crosby. O'Tonnie comes up the freeway. I-5 is the face of baseball.

My take is if the Lakers won a title and LeBron retired, Luca, now hear me out, is the face of the NBA if LeBron retired. Why? Because they'd be a great team. He'd be a Laker. But Luca does something that domestic players do. He trash talks fans. That's right.

That's the exact right reason. He's us. He is not the international player that's polite and loyal. He drinks beer after games. They have to take it from him. He's yelling at fans. I think he is the face of the league. If LeBron retired him, I think international players can be.

So I think international players definitely can be. And I think that Wimby might eventually be so overwhelmingly great if he fulfills his full potential that he will be. But I agree with you that I think it is not. really quite been that in my opinion that these guys are international players as the hurdle I think the hurdle for face of the league I I don't think it's that complicated I think that the biggest hurdle for everyone is that LeBron and step won't retire that's right like LeBron has been the face of the league for 15 years and death definitively for 10 arguably probably inarguably since he

went to Miami and maybe a little bit before that. Steph over the last seven years has kind of become the co-face of the league alongside LeBron. No one is going to supplant those guys. So that means Janice's entire reign of winning MVP's and going to the finals happened when he wasn't even eligible for face of the league because LeBron's there. Joker has no interest in it. It's not because he's international. It's because I think basketball is his second favorite sport to horse racing.

He's just better at it. So, like, so Joker's not interested. But Luca has the attitude. Luca has the swagger. Luca is polarizing. That's another important thing. You need people to hate you. Yep.

Like, nobody hates Yonis. Nobody hates Yonkids. There are some people that hate Joker, or I'm sorry, that Luca, including, evidently, the guy who runs the Mabs. And so that is a mistake. And so I agree with that. And now getting to the Lakers and being in these, huge playoff spots. I think, yes, he is good enough. He has the right swagger. He is polarizing

enough. There's enough holes to poke in his game to where he's interesting. Yeah, there is nothing better that could have possibly happened for the league than this player coming to this team and this moment. And it all happened because of the lunacy of one general manager who, by the way, Colin. J-MAC might include it in the newsletter. Nico Harrison just held an hour ago his first press conference since the Luca trade. And you know how I know he knows that maybe that trade was a bad decision? He held a press conference with one rule. No TV cameras or microphones.

Old school, pin and pad. I'll talk to you guys, but you're not getting it on video. So I think he knows this is not going well. I want to talk about something we infrequently talk about. In fact, I'm not sure we ever have, but it goes back to international players, is that I think both you and I, I like progress in sports. I like new stuff. And I defended the live tour. My takeaway is the PGA was a charity.

They don't run the Masters. They don't run the British Open. They don't run many of the biggest events. So I was never loyal to the PGA. I was loyal to the players. And our governments, you know, has business in the Middle East. Why can our golfers? I never thought the PGA treated the best golfers with the respect they deserve.

So I was for the breakup because I'm for the athlete and outside of maybe the U.S. Open at Pebble Beach and the Masters, I don't watch for the course. I watch for the players. But I was watching Rory this week and I was thinking to myself, am I into Rory or the Masters? And it was both. But I can't, the last time I was this invested emotionally in golf was when Tiger wanted Augusta. And I got super emotional. And I was sitting there watching Rory and I'm like, wow. like I this is a am I going to cry here I was so into it and it had a little Michael Jordan feel where I watched him

for years get tackled by the pistons and the Celtics so I was part of his journey and I felt like I was I felt I would like dude this is a 17th Masters he's gonna what was your I thought it was the best five hours of television I had seen

in so long were you as emotionally invested yeah so let me Let me give you a little insight into me. So Sunday, as it happened, Colin, was me and my lovely wife's anniversary. Oh. And I don't know how you spent your wedding anniversary this year, but I spent mine at a sports book in Philadelphia with Clippers Warriors on one screen and the master's on the other. And because she's the greatest woman I've ever known, she understood.

I'm like, listen, honey, I didn't, I should have planned out the wedding date better a decade plus ago, but it's the second. in Sunday in April which means occasionally it's got to hit fall on the master Sunday and I thought that round of golf was so perfect to encapsulate his career which was these moments of such brilliance where you're like is he the best driver of the golf ball ever including Tiger like probably not but maybe with self-inflicted stumbles, he had two of the worst wed shots I've ever seen a professional golfer to make. And they were on the back nine of Sunday at Augusta. He tried to play 13 safe, gave himself 80 to get on the green and three, and put it in the creek.

And then, despite all of that, had a seven-foot putt to win the Masters and missed that. And despite all of that, came back and won the thing with as good of an approach shot as anyone will ever have on the playoff hole at 18. And for, again, there have been six people ever to complete the career grand slam. Sarazen, Hogan, player, Nicholas Woods, Rory. Since the moon landing, 12 people have walked the moon, up until Sunday one had completed the career grand slam. Tiger Woods and all those other five Colin they completed the career grand slam on either their first second or third try it

for Rory to do it on his dozen attempt to finally break through and for it not to be smooth sailing for him to be ahead behind way ahead tied and then blow it and then win it anyway it's one of the greatest stories in golf history and when you then remember that the U.S. Open this year and the PGA this year are on courses. He has historically done great at it. And the British is in Northern Ireland.

His home, so it could be a really special year for a player who deserves it. Finally, I said this. I think we all know this. It doesn't matter if it's law, real estate, landscaping. There's a top 5 or 6%. And I said, if you, in the NFL, as I'm watching, the same teams draft at the top of the NFL draft. I said, my circle of trust is eight NFL franchises.

They're not perfect. They miss on a receiver or a quarterback draft, and they'll overpay, but owner-GM, coach quarterback, Bill's Ravens, Eagles, Lions, Chiefs, Rams, Green Bay, San Francisco. Tier two, they check a lot of boxes, but I'm not there yet. Denver, Seattle, Chargers, Tampa. I think Tampa for 10 years had a good roster. Minnesota, Houston, Washington could go to the tier one, but I need one more

year. Am I missing anybody here? So I'm not, so tier one is exactly right. I think that's really well done. Listen, Tier two, I'm just curious. All right. Is there a separate professional football

league where the Chargers win big games that I don't have access to? Like, I don't know. Like, I hear, I, I, I, I, I, It seems like everyone in sports media gets beamed in different Chargers seasons than me for my entire life. It's like, oh, this is the year. They're so talented.

You got them on trustworthy franchises. I don't know, man. I've just watched, like, the NFL that I have, there's even a name for doing something the Chargers do. It's called Chargering. The NFL that I have, we watch them hire the wrong coach, the wrong coach. This time they got the right coach, but even he, you know, hey, Justin Herbert, golden arm Justin Herbert only throws three picks all year, throws four in a playoff game, and they're going to now win the AFC West.

I mean, it's just, so I agree with Tier 1. I just need to figure out, I pay a lot for Sunday ticket. I need that extra tier that gets the second version of these Charger games that everyone else has, because I don't have it. The rest I like. All right. I just, I knew that was going to be the. soft spot that you attacked. I had a feeling

that's coming. Yeah, well, exactly. You left your flank unguarded, my friend. I apologize. Good to see. First, my buddy, Nick Wright, great stuff as always. Yeah, it's, um, well, I like the coach and the quarterback a lot, so there you go. The, um, now that, that Rory stuff was,

it just, I don't, you know, it's, it's, there's been these, so I'm, I'm, um, I got Jack Nicholas, but I got, I feel like I didn't know golf. I grew up in a small town, we didn't have a golf course. So I really wasn't a golfer. I knew Jack's story. I've watch documentaries. I knew Arnold Palmer, Gary Player, Tom Kite. You know, I knew the guys. But I do feel like, to a large degree, like Tiger, not that he introduced me to golf, but I became a big golf fan. I had finally had a little money. I could go golfing on nice courses,

blah, blah, blah, so it was Tiger, it was Phil, and then it's all of a sudden it's Brooks, and it's this, and for years and years, I was told, oh, this guy's going to be Tiger, this guy's going to be Tiger, this guy's going to be Tiger, and I always laughed, there is no other Tiger. He's a comet. He's one of one. But Rory's always kind of felt, like Europe's Tiger, the difference is Tiger's better, but Tiger was almost robotic. If he had a lead, he never lost it. Like, he was just known for years. Tiger leads by four strokes.

He'll win it by six or more. And I think there's part of what makes Rory so attractive as a television watch is that, like Phil Mickelson, he can shoot his way out of a league. I mean, this guy had a four-stroke lead Sunday, and it just disappeared instantly. And I'm like, oh, no, no. And part of what makes sports on TV great is you don't know the outcome. Even when they went to the playoff hole, I'm like, no, Justin Rose going in. There's just no way.

18. Just just no way. It's not going to work. I was almost hoping because I was watching it as a – I was on a plane. I watched every stroke on a plane. Literally, the plane took off first shot. Plain landed last shot of the playoff. And I was thinking, maybe it's better if my streaming device just goes out and I don't see it.

I'm going to be so, nothing against Justin Rose, I was going to be so bitter. But it just, I thought it was as good as sports gets. I mean, I've had a few Super Bowls I felt that way where I was watching. I've had the World Cup matches, the World Cup final. I felt like I was watching some of the greatest television in the history of my life. I've seen a couple of fights live where I felt that. But that was as good as sports gets. It was just so dramatic and so gripping and so.

so tense. And to watch Rory McElroy go to his knees and just a waterfall of emotion. Just crying in front of everybody. And, you know, athletes often say, you know, if he would have lost, he would have said, hey, listen, it hurts.

But an athlete doesn't want to just say out there, yeah, like, I've got to be honest with you, I don't sleep for weeks after this. But his reaction tells you he wouldn't have slept for weeks after that. And for him to be that vulnerable and just I mean, just go to his knees and cry.

It was like, wow, this is, that is one of the iconic moments. If you have 10 pictures of sports. Yeah. If you had landed on a spaceship down here and you're saying, the Martians come in and go, what is sports? And we've got, we're going to give you 10 pictures of what sports is. And one of them is maybe Tom Brady's first one when he's looking around in Wonderman after his first Super Bowl, like what in the hell just happened?

One of it's Michael Jordan, maybe switching hands. hands in midair. Another's Ali beating Liston. Sunny Liston, the 10 pictures. Him hitting that put and dropping to his knees is like, wow. That is an all-time gripping emotional moment, and we were

all there to see it. Yeah, you said something earlier too that hit me that you can't wait for the British. I wonder, would you have felt that way? No. No, I love the British. No, but I mean because McElroy wins, now the British becomes not much more. No, I've thought about it for two days. My three favorite

golf tournaments, two are annual, one is the Masters the other is the British, regardless of where it's played. I love the U.S. Open, but I really love it at Pebble. It's like a painting. I mean, nothing against Pine Hirsch or anywhere else, but when it's at Pebble, it just feels it's such a unique

part of our global golf landscape, right? On the coast, the rocks, the water, so much great history there. But to get that at Augusta, it took so long, and I was texting somebody yesterday in the NFL, and I said, this. I said, when I watched the Michael Jordan documentary, and I've told my kids this, I said, Michael was the best looking player, the best player, he had David Stern and Nike behind him,

and it was just a struggle. He could never win a playoff series without Scotty Pippen. He had the best coach. He had Scotty Pippen, and it was still hard. And Goodwill hunting, Matt Damon and Ben Affleck, are these two kids from Boston, they tried to make that, They tried to get that. Over a decade of movie studios, not good enough, passing. Everybody looks at Matt Damon and Ben Affleck. Oh, they just walked out to Hollywood. They were stars.

Fifteen years of grinding in Hollywood to get Goodwill hunting made. And Rory McElroy, he is the tiger of Europe. His 17th Augusta, and it almost didn't happen. And I tell my kids this all the time. I don't care where you went to college. I don't care about your resume. The number one quality of success in the world. Are you relentless?

Are you literally, you're going to step in it, you're going to be denied, you're going to be mocked, people will be mean, it will be hard, are you relentless? Can you, how do you react to failure? Because MJ failed and Rinaldo's failed and Messi failed a lot. and Matt Damon and Ben Affleck got turned out. You know, remember American Idol? You know, the popular show. You know, American Idol was passed on by every American network. Fox eventually came back.

Really? It was a 15-year hit or whatever it was. Initially, people weren't willing to take a risk. Now, it's not going to work here in the States. It was huge in Britain. It's not going to work here. Success is hard. And success at the highest levels, even if you're a prodigy,

is so incredibly difficult. The thing that burrows through isn't when you went to college or your agent or your connections. Are you relentless? You just never give up. Nothing more important than protecting your home, your loved ones from harm. For millions of Americans, that reassurance starts with SimplySafe. Go to Simplysafe.com, home security. 50% off a new system.

No safe like SimplySafe. One more herd? The herd streams 24 hours a day, 7. a week within the IHeart radio app. Search heard to listen live or on demand whenever you'd like. Hey, it's us, the Jonas Brothers, and guess what? We have some big news. What's the news, name?

Huge news. We created our own podcast called, Hey Jonas. We invented a podcast? Well, we didn't invent it. We just contributed to it. We're the first people to do podcasts. Pretty, yeah, pretty wide range of podcasts throughout there. But this one's extra special.

So how do we actually come up with a name, Hey Jonas, guys? I honestly don't remember. I think it was on a call about what we should call it. Well, we were thinking I'm originally calling it one of the early names of our band before Jonas Brothers. This is how you guys remember it going down? Yes. I have a very different memory of this. We were talking about a thing, a bit for the podcast, where people could call in and say, hey, Jonas.

And then I wrote down on my little notepad, Hey Jonas, and offered it up as a potential title for the podcast. But thanks for remembering that, guys. Listen to Hey Jonas on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. Just listen. We don't care where you hear it. 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. Last night, a blown call changed a game. This morning, the internet lost its mind. Highlights are trending, opinions are flying, and nobody's telling you exactly what happened. That's where Sports Slice comes in.

I'm Timbo. Every episode, we're cutting through the noise. Breaking down the plays, the controversies, and the stories behind the headlines. We go straight to the source, the athlete themselves. Their locker room stories, their reactions, the stuff nobody gets to hear. The laughs, the drama, the triumphs, the moments that never make the highlight real. From viral moments to historic games, from buzzer beaters to controversial calls, we break it down, give you context, and ask the questions everybody wants answered.

Sportslice brings you closer to the action with stories told by the people who live them. Listen to Sports Slice on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more, follow Timbo Slic Life 12 and the TikTok podcast. network on TikTok. The French Open is one of the toughest tests in tennis, and I know firsthand because I competed there myself. I'm Renee Stubbs, and on the Renee Stubbs Tennis podcast, I'm breaking down everything happening at Roland Garris, every match, every upset, and what it really takes to win on clay.

Jen she went. I mean, she went down in three to Rabakina, but I'm delighted. She's an outsider to win the French, me. And she likes Clay. Listen, Lina Rabakina is. arguably the best player in the world right now. And I actually can win on any surface. Because if she's serving, well, good luck. Consider this your court side seat to the French Open. Listen to the Renee Stubbs tennis podcast on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Presented by Capital One, founding partner of IHeart Women's Sports. Lively show. Nick Wright was great today. Joel Clatt next hour. Playing game starts tonight. All fired up. Here's Jordan with the news. No, no, no, no. Turn on the news. This is the herd line news. Okay, Colin, the NFL draft next week. Can't believe it fired up. We've heard a lot about Cam Ward being the likely number one overall pick to Tennessee.

There's been some rumors and some speculation, however, that Louisville's Tyler Shuck, your guy, Colin, I know you love him. No. Could be a first round pick and potentially better than Cam Ward. Now I'm going to tell you this about Cam Ward. I think he's incredibly talented, but I think the jury remains out on him. And I say that because last year at Washington State, he leaves. He's probably a fourth or fifth rounder.

Two years ago, he's an incriminate word in FCF school. He has one very good year at Miami. But I'm not ready to say definitively he's this super special prospect like we had last year. Yeah, I think he's a B prospect. I think he's the best in this class, but I don't think he's in a proxpect. He's a lot of hero ball and backyard football. He's got a really good arm and moves well.

He's a playmaker, but I don't think he's a great prospect. I would argue that if we had last year's crop, I'm not only talking about, you know, Caleb, May, I'm talking about Daniels, Knicks, Panics, all those guys I think would have been number one overall this year. I agree. I agree. Bo Nicks, maybe not. I liked him.

Sean Payton liked him. I agree. I think last year and the Joe Burrow class, where you had like four or five legitimate franchise guys, this is just, this is closer to the Kenny Pickett class, although better. And I do think there's, I do think the Louisville player and I think Kyle McCord could start in this.

I think Kyle's going to end up being really good. I think he's my sleeper. Maybe he's not. But I think we've beaten this class up so much. Don't make it the Kenny Pickett class where there was not a first round quarterback. These guys are draftable. They're all first, all these guys that are getting talked, even Jalen Milro, who's very mechanical,

at worst as deep second round pay. He's a late second round pick at worst. Yeah, I think with Cam Ward too, going to a system like Tennessee with not only Brian Callahan but his dad, you get a really good offensive line and you build around him, but the expectation

I don't think should be Cam Ward's the savior. I think they're really, this is not the type of guy like a Caleb where it was a definitive, super, super talent. That's right. It's not. You're totally right. Okay. Sticking with the draft, the Panthers currently hold the eighth overall pick, but reports indicate they're open to trading down, and it sets up the potential for a team to come in and snagged Shador Sanders ahead of the Saints. Now, in terms of teams mentioned who could trade up,

I wonder if a Pittsburgh is potentially the target. There are 21 right now. If Pittsburgh doesn't get Aaron Rogers, or even if they do get Aaron Rogers, if you're Mike Tomlin, if you're Omar Khan, the GM, do you look at it and say, you know what, maybe 21 isn't where we need to be? Maybe we need to get up into the teens. Maybe we need to get up to eight ahead of New Orleans. Well, Pittsburgh's got a really good roster.

They have two-star receivers. Yeah. They have O-Linmen they like, although they could use a left tackle. They could use a running back, but it's a rich draft. They've got their tight end, two receivers, their rush end, interior linemen. Pittsburgh's got a star safety. Pittsburgh is what Seattle was a couple years ago. Remember a couple years ago?

I said, Seahawks. I love you, John Snyder. Go get a quarterback. Your roster set. I think Pittsburgh's roster today is better than the Seahawks two years ago. To me, Pittsburgh, they don't have a quarterback, and it's mid-April, and Aaron's not going to go there. And Russ is gone. So, you know, to me, if your scouting department, I mean, Shadoor Sanders is a much, much better prospect than Kenny Pickett.

Yeah. Much better. Yeah. I think Kenny Pickett is more in the, Kenny Pickett is much closer to Kyle McCord. And I think Kyle McCord is much better than Kenny Pickett. As I've had a GM, tell me that. Kyle McCord is a very solid mid-to-late second round pick. Yeah, I had someone.

who I trust tell me that if you bring in Shador standards to Pittsburgh, he actually is exactly what in Arthur Smith would like, because he's going to do exactly what you're supposed to do. He's going to play in the pocket. He's going to run your offense. And I've said this. I think Shador is probably further along than people realize in the sense that he's played a lot of football. Jackson, Colorado, won a lot of games, has not had great offensive line play. If you look at the history of the NFL franchise quarterbacks, Peyton Manning is rare.

number one high schooler, number one college, number one pick star. There's usually a very bumpy process. It is not linear. You fall in the draft. You go to a junior college. Mahomes loses in college. And if Shadur, no run game, battle line, losing record, running for his life, but he did play well against the better teams.

So when he had the second best roster in college against much better teams, he was very productive. Jackson Dart beat up on Furman. But when he played Georgia and Alabama, and Ms. Old Miss has, you know, 15 NFL bodies minimum on that roster, he didn't play very well. So I think Shadour is,

I think Cam is appropriately slotted. I think Shadour is better than advertised. And then I think a lot of these guys aren't as good as people think. Yeah. We discussed Tennessee's decision to move on from Nico Ilao. Malayava.

Yeah. Pahliava. to move on for him yesterday after his NIL holdout. So he's reportedly entering the transfer portal, and many believe that Belichick's, Bill Belichick's Tar Hills, could be a potential landing spot. Yeah. You know, there is a report now saying that he's,

that Carolina's out on him, the two schools that have been linked to him the most, UCLA and Tulane, who's quarterback with the Duke. Yeah, UCLA can't afford him. So that's the key. They have to go to the well and really pony up the money, which they really haven't done for their football. No, I mean, they spend about $4 million in basketball, but UCLA doesn't have that kind of money.

He could play if Oregon wanted him, although I don't think they do. He is in the price range of about seven schools. One of them, USC, one of them Oregon, Ohio State, Georgia, Texas. See, I see USC, and that's the one that makes sense to me. It makes sense from where he's from. They've done really well with quarterbacks. No, listen, people are banging on this kid that they didn't have any team. talent. No, he's really talented. I watched him play five times. He's not quite refined enough,

and Tennessee was more of a defensive program, size, arm, movement, and he absolutely sees the field. But he's young. There are times that he looked overwhelmed. Well, guess what? Tennessee's program was overwhelmed, but it played Ohio State. It wasn't just him. So I think he's really talented. I think he's going to get, I think on the market he'll get three to three and a half. I don't think he's going to get four. but I would be surprised if USC's not making a run. I amaleva, I believe, could be the guy that saves the job of the USC head coach, who I know you've loved. Well, I like Lincoln Riley. His contract is too dynamic.

But he has to win this year. If Lincoln Riley doesn't win this year, even with his buyout, there's been a lot of speculation that USC would move on. So why not bring in a quarterback who we both believe with the. right type of season could be a first round pick. Well, what's funny is, the last several years, I liked USC's quarterbacks, but didn't love the roster. Currently,

I like USC's roster a lot, and I don't love the quarterback. So it's very interesting. Now, they probably already paid. I guarantee you USC has sniffed around this. This idea that kid's not talented. Yes, he is. Size, mobility, arm strength,

all there. He's just a kid. Again, look at Cam Ward's growth in last two years. These guys are 20 years old or not 34 year old guys. Yeah. And also for someone like Nico, if he goes to a system like USC, which has produced a ton of NFL quarterbacks, and he goes to Lincoln Riley, who's coached to Caleb Williams, why wouldn't it succeed? I feel like that's the perfect fit. There's been a lot of talk about UCLA. They had never spent money on their football. It's only a basketball school. No, yeah. They don't, UCLA to this point, is not in the same class as Oregon, Georgia, Texas, Ohio State, USC for money.

USC has really stepped it up in the last six months. NIL-wise. Okay, Colin, this is, I think that's it, actually. I have four slips of paper. Oh, here we go. To the NBA. Kauai and the Clippers have been impressive, winning 13 of the last 15 games, locking up the 15 in the West.

The Clippers rise, there's potential for a class in L.A., clash in L.A. down the line in the Western Conference. finals with the Lakers. With that said, former NBA point guard, Jeff Teague talked about the potential matchup of superstar duos. Right now, because Brown 50, I ain't saying, Kauai can guard Luca. James and Luca kind of cancel each other out. Obviously, Luca better because he's younger. He can do more, but like, they both going to get you, they can get you similar stats. He's giving a night. He's saying Kauai, he's going to out of New York. He'll do Brown right now. Playoff Kauai versus 40-year-old.

Oh, brun. I'm rolling with Kauai. No. Yeah, I still don't necessarily trust Kauai's knee. But when Kauai goes, when Kauai is healthy, and remember in the playoffs, everybody gets equal rest. I also think the Clippers got played really well down the stretch in the regular season. Hardin, Hezano is delivered in the postseason. Kauai's health is a question.

So I think, not that it's fools' goal, but I think a little bit of the Clippers' late surge, I'll believe it when I see it. Let's get to a seven-game series and see if everybody is there physically. Trusting the Clippers is a ridiculous idea. I mean, not only has Harda never delivered, but we have been waiting for Kauai to show up. He shows up 13 and 2. He's averaging 27 points a game shooting 55%. He's been the best player in the league the last six weeks.

But to trust the Clippers against Yokic, We trust more than anyone and we know we'll show up. Come on, that's blasphemy. I don't see it. Clippers fans have been, they know the rug's going to be pulled out. It's a matter of win. Late season, regular season NBA. We all know this.

Half the teams are tanking and another half are often resting their players for the playoffs. So when you get into it last 15 games of the regular season and you're trying to play for seating and every other night you're playing a tanking team or a team that didn't have much to play for. Now, the win Sunday was impressive. But it's like slow down. You see a lot of these late season NBA playoff streaks or winning streaks. Every other night you're playing a tanking team

or a team resting stars. Jordan with the news. Well, that's the news. And thanks for stopping by. The Herd Lye News. Back in the second, Joel Clat, around the corner, it's the Herd. Be sure to catch live editions of The Herd weekdays in noon Eastern, 9 a.m. Pacific on Fox Sports Radio, FS1, and the IHeart Radio app.

is Steve Kavino. And I'm Rich Davis. And together we're Kavino and Rich on Fox Sports Radio. You can catch us weekdays from 5 to 7 p.m. Eastern, 2 to 4 Pacific on Fox Sports Radio and, of course, the I Heart Radio app. Why should you listen to Kavino and Rich? We talk about everything, life, sports, relationships, what's going on in the world? We have a lot of fun talking about the stories behind the stories in the world of sports and pop culture. Stories that, well, other shows don't seem to have the time to discuss.

And the fact that we've been friends for the last 20 years and still work together, I mean, that says something, right? So check us out. We like to get you involved, too. Take your phone calls, chop it up, as they say. I'd say the most interactive show on Fox Sports Radio. Maybe the most interactive show on Planet Earth. Be sure to check out Covino & Rich live on Fox Sports Radio

on the IHeart Radio app from 5 to 7 p.m. Eastern, 2 to 4 Pacific. And if you miss any of the live show, just search Covino and Rich, wherever you get your podcast and, of course, on social media. That's Cabino and Rich. Hey, it's us to Jonas Brothers, and guess what? We have some big news. Huge news. We created our own podcast called Hey Jonas.

We invented a podcast? Well, we didn't invent it. We just contributed to it. We're the first people to do podcasts. Pretty, yeah, pretty wide range of podcasts throughout there. But this one's extra special. So how do we actually come up with a name, Hey Jonas, guys? I honestly don't remember.

I think it was on a call about what we should call it. Well, we were thinking I'm originally calling it one of the early names of our band. Before Jonas Brothers. This is how you guys remember it going down? Yes. I have a very different memory of this. We were talking about a thing, a bit for the podcast, people could call in and say, hey, Jonas.

And then I wrote down on my little notepad, Hey Jonas, and offered it up as a potential title for the podcast. But thanks for remembering that, guys. Listen to Hey Jonas on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. Just listen. We don't care where you hear it. 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, S&L'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. Last night, a blown call changed the game. This morning, the internet lost its mind.

Highlights are trending, opinions are flying, and nobody's telling you exactly what happened. That's where Sports Slice comes in. I'm Timbo. Every episode, we're cutting through the noise, breaking down the plays, the controversies, and the stories behind the headlines. We go straight to the source, the athletes themselves, their locker room stories, their reactions, the stuff nobody gets to hear. The laughs, the drama, the triumphs, the moments that never make the highlight real.

From viral moments to historic games, from buzzer beaters to controversial calls, calls, we break it down, give you context, and ask the questions everybody wants answered. SportsSlice brings you closer to the action with stories told by the people who live them. Listen to SportsClace on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more, follow Timbo Slicelife 12 and the TikTok podcast network on TikTok. The French Open is one of the toughest tests in tennis. And I know firsthand because I competed there myself. I'm Renee Stubbs.

And on the Renee Stubbs tennis podcast, I'm Breaston. taking down everything happening at Roland Garris. Every match, every upset, and what it really takes to win on Clay. Jen she went. I mean, she went down in three to Rabakina, but I'm delighted. She's an outsider to win the French for me. And she likes Clay. Listen, Lina Rabakina is arguably the best player in the world right now.

And I actually can win on any surface. Because if she's serving, well, good luck. Consider this your court-side seat to the French Open. Listen to the Renee Stubbs tennis podcast on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Presented by Capital One, founding partner of IHeart Women's Sports. The stage is set with authority. The magic. He's got a r-Feld takes over Springs biggest weekend with the Fox football extravaganza.

First Friday at 8 Eastern. Memphis takes on Michigan, then Saturday at 7. Birmingham battles Houston and Sunday at. 5. It's San Antonio versus DC. It's all this weekend on Fox. You know, I was thinking about football this morning is that football is so gripping

and there's a scarcity of it, right? You get a game every Sunday or a game every Saturday mostly is that you never have to look backwards. When an NFL player retires, unless they're very active like Brady comes to Fox, Troy Eichman is a broadcaster,

Chris Collinsworth is a broadcaster, or Peyton Manning's got Omaha production, Saturday Night Life. Unless a player's front and center, even a wildly popular player like Brett Farv retires, goes to Mississippi, they kind of, you don't hear from him much. We don't look backwards in the NFL. Baseball, very much about history. And basketball, like international soccer, it's about iconic players, branding, iconic moments, the shoes they wear. And I saw today the top 10 most viewed players this year by a mile. It's LeBron and Steph Curry. Lucas third, by a mile.

I mean, Jason Tatum is going to play probably back-to-back championships, and he has basically one-fifth of LeBron's views and one quarter of Steph's views. And then if you go to the jersey sales, Luca, first time ever international player leads it, but Steph's two and LeBron's three. And again, football is not about history or records or style. is. You say Michael Jordan, you think the tongue out, the diamond earrings, the six for six,

the style, the switching hands, the shrug against the blazers when he hits another three, you think Tom Brady, you think, winner. How many Super Bowls? Is it six? Is it seven? We got one in Tampa. How many? It's not about records. Football's about Sunday.

Who is winning and who is playing Sunday? If the Chiefs and Bills meet in week nine, it will get a bigger rating than the World Series or NBA final game. That's just a reality of it. So I don't think this is a criticism of the NBA. Oh, it's still LeBron and Steph.

Michael Jordan still sells more shoes. Michigan football wears the Jumpman logo. Jordan is still the brand in athletics. I think in the world. He'd been gone for a long, long time. All right, Joel Clats around the corner as we pivot to our Number three. Nick Wright was really funny. Put him on the podcast today. It's the herd. Hey guys, it's us. The Jonas Brothers. I'm Joe. I'm Kevin. And I'm Nick. And guess what?

We created our own podcast called Hey Jonas. We invented a podcast. Well, we didn't invent it. We just contributed to it. We're the first people to do podcasts. We get to ask other people questions because we're sick and tired of being asked questions. Well, sick and tired is a strong way to put it. But, you know, tired and sick. Tired and sick. Listen to Hey Jonas on the Iheart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. Just listen. We don't care where you hear it. 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. humor me with Robert Smigel and friends on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Last night, a blown call changed a game. This morning, the internet lost its mind, and nobody's telling you exactly what happened. That's where Sports Slice comes in. I'm Timbo, and every episode, we're cutting through the noise, breaking down the biggest moments in sports and giving you the real story behind the headlines.

And we're going straight to the source, the athletes themselves, their locker room stories, their reactions in the moment, and the stuff nobody gets to hear. Listen to Sports Slice on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more, follow Timbo Slicelife Life 12 in the TikTok podcast network on TikTok. Winning on Clay is an art. The rallies are relentless. And at the French Open, only the toughest survive. I'd know. I competed there for decades. Join me, Renee Stubbs, on the Renee Stubbs tennis podcast for no nonsense breakdowns of the biggest matches, the toughest players, and the moments that define Roland Garris. Jenchian win.

She's an outsider to win the French fame. And she likes Clay. Listen, Lena Rubakina is arguably the best player in the world right now. And I actually can win on any surface. Listen to the Renee Stubbs tennis podcast on the IHeart Radio app. Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. Presented by Capital One, founding partner of IHart Women's Sports. This is an IHart podcast.

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