The Herd with Colin Cowherd - Hour 2 - Did the Falcons make the right move?

Episode Date: March 12, 2024

More on NFL free agency and how the Falcons will be with QB Kirk Cousins   Guest: Nick WrightSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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It's the herd. Wherever you may be and however you may be listening. Thanks for making us part of your day. Nick Wright in five minutes, great to be here. So, J-Mack, if you're wondering why Justin Field doesn't have much of a market, Some of it is, there's going to be six quarterbacks drafted in the first round. If you're wondering why all these running backs are signing and have a market, it's because it's a terrible running back draft.

So a lot of this is why the NFL is so popular because the minor league system for football in this country is watched. We watch college football. So it's a bad running back draft. It's a good quarterback draft, good left tackle draft. It's a good receiver draft. It's a good edge rusher draft. It's a great center draft. It's a bad running back draft.

That's why you're seeing Austin Echler. Seguan Barclay, Derek Henry. People have running backs have a market. Not as much as they want, but it's a market. Quarterback, why pay Justin Fields in a year? Let's just go with Michael Pennix. Let's go with Bo Nex or J.J. McCarthy. So the draft can dictate the free agent market where it doesn't in the NBA

because the kids aren't ready to play and contribute. That's fair. I just wonder if all this running back movement is kind of rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic. Like Tony Pollard, he's not worth a point to a point spread. He's not winning you one more game. But I'll give you an example. Or losing one more game. So the commanders are going to have a rookie quarterback.

Yeah. So Austin Echler is a good pass catcher. He's been around the league. So for them, they look at Austin Echler and think he can help our quarterback. They also signed one of the better guards in the league yesterday for the commanders. Not surprising. they have a ton of cap space. They've got to get the O line right.

So you can see the commanders saying, hey, we got to get this place comfortable for the rookie quarterback. So they go sign an elite guard. They get a veteran running back who can also catch out of the backfield. They've already got McLaurant. They've got a great receiver. So you can see what Washington's doing. Dan Quinn will elevate the defense, which already has some pieces,

but let's make sure the quarterback in Washington is somewhat comfortable. So, you know, I kind of see what they're doing. Now, here's what's interesting. So Russell Wilson, we told you, say, Quine Barclay going to Philadelphia, the Eagles Super Bowl odds improved. You know who Super Bowl odds didn't? The Steelers with Russell Wilson. They didn't improve.

So a running back moved it. Kirk Cousins absolutely moved the Falcons number up. I do think Russell Wilson makes the Steelers better and competent offensively. Doesn't mean they're a Super Bowl team. Why? Because they got to play Joe Burrow and Lamar Jackson a total of four times. Deshawn Watson now has Jerry Jules. and Amari Cooper.

So you can argue Russell Wilson is the fourth most talented quarterback in that division. The AFC outside of the division is so dynamic, so deep, so loaded at quarterback. Russell to Kenny Pickett, it's a clear upgrade. You get more torque. It's a six-cylinder to an eight, but neither one, according to Vegas, is winning the Super Bowl or the Indy 500. So I think he makes Pittsburgh better. But the other thing that has to be considered here, everybody's always a little reluctant to criticize Mike Tomlin.

As long as Mike Tomlin's the coach, you have a defensive culture, as long as Mike Tomlin has power in the building, because remember, the very popular longstanding GMs gone, now it's a new guy, so Tomlin's got more power, they're going to spend money on defense. So the Steelers right now spend more money on defense than anybody in the NFL. And I've said this. Your coach goes a long way in determining where free agent money is spent. Coaches are making $15 million a year. GMs are making two.

So the owners got relationships with the coach and the quarterback. The GM can be not powerless, but can get pushed around. John Snyder in Seattle for years. Pete Carroll had a lot of power. John threatened to go to Detroit, came back, had power, and they started crushing the drafts. Belichick had all this power. Drafts went into the tank for seven years, and, you know, the people in the front office bailed. They wanted to make the decisions.

And Belichick had all the juice, the leverage, the power. So if you, Mike Tomlin's got a lot of juice in the building with a new front office. And so in the end, it's a defensive culture. And if it's a defensive culture, it doesn't matter how much Russell Wilson is better. They're going to spend on defense, be led by defense. The O line is okay. Again, I think what the market is telling you on the Pittsburgh Steelers is very simply, we think they're better, but we think they're a notch below the more progressive.

offensive cultures in the league like Kansas City, Cincinnati, Rams, San Francisco. That's what the market is telling you. And with that, Nick Wright joins us live, first things first host. Are you surprised that the market, and I do think Sequin with a better O line, they also have two good receivers in Philly, so you can't load the box with your safeties because you have to respect the receivers. So I do think Sequan to Philly does make them a better team. But Russell, to the Steelers, it doesn't move the numbers at all.

Does that surprise you? Well, let me deal with it in order. I agree with you that in theory, Sequin is a nice addition for the Eagles, and it will be fun to see Sequin on an offense for the first time in his career where every defense is not exclusively focused on stopping him. For Philadelphia, it is an odd use of resources, because I watched Philly last year.

and to me, 80% of their issues were about the back seven of that defense. There were a lot of talented safeties available, Justin Simmons and others, to focus on running game and offense. I know they have an offensive-minded head coach. I understand that how he has drafted a lot of defensive linemen, but it felt to me like Philly should have focused on what was their obvious weakness, which was their egregious past defense and overall defense last season. To Pittsburgh, no, it doesn't surprise me at all.

Like, Russell Wilson is better than Kenny Pickett, and that's about it. I don't know at what, when Mike Tomlin gives up on Russell Wilson, then will everyone maybe acknowledge, hmm, maybe Pete Carroll and Sean Payton were on to something here. Yeah. But Russell Wilson, three years ago, healthier, more productive, Pete Carroll said, you know what? Juice not worth the squeeze. We're going to make the trade. Nat Hackett got fired trying to fix Russell Wilson.

Sean Payton was brought in to fix Russell Wilson, and before the end of the year, no matter what those silly touchdown interception ratio numbers tell you, your eyes told you he was playing terribly, and Sean Payton told you he was playing terribly, so he went to Jared Sidham. They are now flirting with Zach Wilson and Russell Wilson's dead cap hit.

And now Pittsburgh, what they're saying to me is, ah, a million bucks. Million bucks, why not? And because it's a million bucks, if Pickett takes a massive leap this summer, which I don't think he will, but I know some people in that front office and that coaching staff like him, we can still make Kenny the starter because Russell Wilson has no leverage or power here. So, no, I look at the Steelers as a team with a great defensive player in Watt, a good overall defense, an excellent head coach,

and an offense that to me hasn't been scared. in six years since, you know, three years before the end of Big Ben. So, no, this doesn't change that. Are you surprised at all? I'm not. Jay Mack had said six months ago he thought Justin Fields had a big market, and I said, listen, this is a division that doesn't have good defenses. Minnesota, Green Bay, and Detroit are not good defenses,

and he struggled in that division. You know, he didn't face the Chief's defense. Or, you know what I mean? Like, he wasn't facing Baltimore's defense. He was facing three words. weak defenses, a still struggled. So there's no market. Are you surprised? I am a little surprised that there's no market. But when we were doing, before free agencies started, if you actually put pen to paper and said, okay, which teams have a quarterback take

them out of it? Which teams in the last two years have drafted a quarterback, take them out of it? Which teams this year think they are drafting their quarterback? So obviously New England, Washington, take them out of it. You were down to just a handful of teams that thought they needed a quarterback, even if we think more teams did. When Atlanta, which was the obvious fit, decides to go with Kirk Cousins, then it's like it might be Pittsburgh or bust. And when Pittsburgh then goes with Russell Wilson, now if you're Justin Fields, I think your best hope is that you get to compete for a starting job, maybe in New York with the Giants.

Is that a possibility? Is there somewhere else you can go where there is, could you end up going to Minnesota if they are not able to draft a quarterback? So I personally think that this might not be resolved and it's going to be uncomfortable and the bears are going to have to wait until next year to get the real asset, but until after the draft, when one of these teams does not end up with their quarterback, the Raiders were a possible spot. They decide to go with Gardner Minshue instead. So I think you're running out of viable options, and the Bears, who I, think we're very confident they were getting at least a second round pick. At this point, Colin,

I would expect Justin Fields to go for, oddly, what Trey Lance went for. A fourth round pick to somebody without any chance of being the guaranteed starter. I think that's where this lands. You know, Atlanta should be better with Kirk Cousins, but if you're stacking up winners and losers, to me, the minute the NFL said, hey, you guys, all get another third. $30 million in salary because of the TV revenue, the winners were Kansas City. The winners were the good team San Francisco who didn't have to peel off stars. That's my take on the winners. Baltimore gets to sign for a pretty penny, Interior D-Lineman.

Those were decisions Chris Jones, George Kittle, teams could have. For you, who are the winners? Well, listen, I think people are going to kill Dallas because Dallas hasn't signed anybody, but typically signing a bunch of guys on the first day or two a free agency is a fool's errand. Kansas City just signed their first player, Irv Smith Jr., probably for around a few million dollars. I think being judicious with your money, I agree with you on the, because of the cap spike, the chiefs are able to re-sign Chris Jones and for the time being, have Ligeria Sneed on that 20 million franchise tag and not have to painfully restructure anything.

or move on from some players. I'm going to take it from a slightly different angle, Colin. Despite the cap spike, Buffalo, Miami, and the Chargers are all having to peel away talent, which speaks to the fact that all three of those AFC teams, they didn't necessarily go all in, but they pushed a decent amount of chips to the middle of the table. and none of them have anything to show for it. Miami's got to let Christian Wilkins walk out the door for nothing. They move on from Xavier and Howard.

Buffalo moves on from the entirety of their secondary. They lose Gabe Davis, who might have been a slightly overrated player, but still a useful one. And the Chargers, it hasn't happened yet, Colin, but Keenan Allen, Mike Williams, Khalil Mack and Joey Bosa, all four of those guys right now are on the books cap hit next year for 32 to 37 million, each of them.

At least one and maybe two of them are going to be cut in the next 24 hours. So those teams, to me, the question I had is, what were they going to do if there wasn't a cap spike, Colin? They're having to move money around and cut people even with it. So, yeah, I think San Francisco, Kansas City, obviously Baltimore, which I know just added Derek Henry, and they have some work to do, I think on the defensive side, those teams, having the added extra 15 million probably made this period a lot easier for him. You know, I said the number one ice cream for the 30th year in a row is vanilla. But if you order it with friends...

Well, if you order it with friends, everybody will turn to you and go, you're so boring. And I'm like, I know Kirk Cousins is boring. Since he signed with the Vikings, he has tied for the third highest passer rating and the third most touchdown passes in a league with Patrick Mahomes. So I know everybody kind of goes and rolls their eyes, but you know what you get. He's efficient, usually make starts on Sunday. Like I think in that division, again, he's not going to face Herbert Harbaugh-R-Ball-Reed Mahomes. To me, in that division, he's worth a lot of money.

Yeah, well, all right, well, before I directly answer your question, I do have a question for you. Are you often, Colin, going to ice cream parlors with large groups of friends? Is that like a part of your Saturday afternoon? And then worried about being judged for your choices? Buddy, if you like vanilla with sprinkles, don't let anyone shame you out of it. That's a classic. There's nothing wrong with it. But to your point about Kirk, if you're Rahim Morris, you got a head coaching job almost 15 years ago.

And you never really had a chance to succeed because Josh Freeman, with respect, Can City, was your quarterback and it never got off the ground, right? You just never really fully got off the ground. And so if you're Rahim Morris and now you have another chance, what you are going to do is say, we want stability and a known quantity. Now asking the 36-year-old post-Akilles to be the stability, there is some risk there.

But if you're Atlanta, Colin, and you have spent more top 10 picks in the last, few years on skill position guys than any team in football spend a top 10 pick on a wide receiver Drake London on a running back be John Robinson on a tight-end Kyle Pitts you have an excellent offensive line you have according to the smart people numbers and actually very underrated defense can you with just above average quarterback play with the 11th or 12th best quarterback in football which Cousins has been can you be an 11 win team

and win that division? Absolutely. And for the Falcons, with their playoff drought, that makes a lot of sense. And I'm excited to see what those players, London, Pitts, and Bejan are going to look like with an adult, competent, level NFL quarterback, which they now have. Well, we both love Kevin Wilde's. As a patriot guy, it must sting a little to see that Mac Jones went for a six. What did you make of that? Well, listen, you said we both love Kevin Wilde's, and I do, and I shouldn't air, you know, FS1 dirty laundry on the air, but I will. I was very disappointed with Kevin yesterday. I actually think it was a low point of our show, because Kevin is stuck in denial, because I'll tell you what he made of it.

Quarterback controversy in Jacksonville. That Jacksonville is going to have a competition. He said, Colin, he said this on the air, on television. like off the air privately. This was this big take. So what I, so that of course was, you know, mortifying for all involved, not just us co-hosts, but all colleagues at the network. I mean, it was really a bad moment in FS1 history. What I make of it is that when you, Max, the whole idea behind Mac Jones was low ceiling, but high floor. Yeah. Right? He's not going to wow you with anything, but he's going to be a ready-made day one starter. And if you are a low-ceiling,

high-floor guy, a few things can't happen, which did happen to Mac. One is his confidence was clearly shattered. Another one was, and you can tell by whether it's Bailey Zapi's Instagram likes or by any reporting around the team, he was not well-liked within that locker room, certainly near the end. And then the last thing is, you have to make sure you may not. You have to make sure you maintain high floor as opposed to turning the ball over every game. When all of those things go away, the reason that Sam Darnold, Colin, your guy, who just, I mean, he's just going to be getting $10 million a year for the rest of his life. The reason Sam can keep getting chances is because even though he has shown a floor as low as max,

you still feel like, but man, that potential. There's a reason Cowherd can't quit him, and people like him. If you're not that well liked in the locker room and people say at your best, your average, then all of a sudden you go for a sixth round pick and you're competing with C.J. Bethard to be the backup. Not with Trevor Lawrence to be the starter wilds. If you're watching while eating your arugula salad upstairs, what an outrageous take that was. By the way, Sam Darnold, comeback player of the year, got the left tackle, two receivers tied in, offensive coach.

Just, just, hey, Shannon liked him. Can I tell, Kevin O'Connell liked him, and reportedly Sean, can I tell you something? Can I tell you something about how different Sam Darnold has discussed in this four and a half hour block on FS1, from what you just said about him here and what you've said about him, too, if he makes the show today, which I don't know if he will, the question our producer Stephen Hubbard putting the rundown for the Sam Darnold topic is, is this, should Justin Jefferson demand a trade? So there's quite a difference of opinion

on what Sam Garnold is going to bring to the Vikings between noon and 430 Eastern on FS1. That much I know. All right. Nick Wright, great show following us. See you later, buddy. It is interesting, though. What the reports were is that Sean Payton was interested in him,

they kicked the tires on him and Kevin O'Connell. So two offensive coaches. And Peter Schrager had a tweet, I think it was this morning or last night, that how Darnold is viewed, I love Darnold, how he's viewed in the league by offensive coaches. Shanahan liked him, brought him over. Carolina gave him another shot, Matt Rule offensive guy. I think that was Matt Ruhl's call. You know, I mean, so offensive coaches like him.

I like him. Great kid, tough, physical. He's reckless. There's a lot of Justin Fields where you just don't really trust him in the pocket. He's going to get hit. He's going to make a throw every game that you're win. at and he's got a little bit of a delivery hitch so it's not super on time but there is um and give him in a one year deal what minnesota's basically saying is Minnesota is basically saying hey

we're going to let him start and sort of lead the way for a young rookie quarterback and we'll see by thanksgiving if our young rookie quarterback is ready to go and i think that that's where sam darnald is in his career but i will acknowledge there were certain quarterbacks that everybody loved i didn't tibo mansell There have been a lot of guys that I, Zach Wilson, I'm like, no, no, no, no, no. Donald's the one I really liked and it didn't work, but it's nice to know. Kevin O'Connell likes him a little. Not a lot.

Little. One year, 10 million. Well, it's not that it didn't work. It hasn't worked. You could say that about Baker Mayfield, right? It did not work at the first three stops. Get to Tampa. It worked last year.

Well, Cleveland, he won a playoff game. It worked in Cleveland. I mean, it was a circus there. Do you remember that playoff game, by the way? It was Cleveland, Pittsburgh, and they scored like 50 points or something insane because Pittsburgh was a just, they were down 28-0 in like five minutes. Baker gets credit for the W. He does. Baker is a better in the pocket with time to throw.

Baker's a better thrower of the football than Sam. Sam's a little bigger, a little more athletic. I would say much more athletic, but in terms of distribution, Baker's better than Sam. So give me a win total for the Vikings next year. I, damn. I'll go over under seven and a half. Over. I love the coach.

Okay. So I think I... I like the coach, too. I have Green Bay winning the division. I think it's a very even division. I think it's a... Green Bay over the Lions? I have Green Bay winning the division at 11 wins.

Lions at 10 to 11. So the Lions regress? Well, it's not that they regress. I think Green Bay takes a big hop up. And Chicago, with Caleb, will be much more capable of beating you. I'm going to need... I'm not saying... Detroit's going backwards.

I'm just saying, Green Bay, to me, this is the beginning of about a four-year run with all these young athletes. Huh? Bullish on the pack, huh? I am.

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You deserve a tailored solution. You can get it at net suite.com slash herd, H-E-R-D. J-MAC with the news. No, no, no, no, no. Turn on the news. This is the herd line news. We're going to repop this. We talked about it, I believe, like 30 minutes ago, but Derek Henry is going to the Ravens on a Two-year $16 million deal. Only 9-mill guaranteed. I'm a little surprised by that. It feels like it's now the Lamar Jackson, Derek Henry's show in Baltimore. I don't know.

On-brand. You know, it's on-brand. Power football. Yeah, I'm surprised Henry didn't have a larger market. I know he's got some wear and tear on him and he's been around the league for a while. A little older, but he showed no signs really of slowing down. No, he's a very good. a sneaky good move. But, like, I think this is a better deal than Sequin Barclay.

Sequin Barclay got 26 million guaranteed. He's got a richer injury history than Derek Henry. Well, I think it's a good move. No, I think it is too. And I think it feels like Baltimore. If we would have guessed where he's going, this kind of would have felt like... What happened to Dallas? Well, I thought they should have made a move last year. Dallas is getting ready to pay DAC 60 million a year. Oh, please. And then they got to pay... Micah's going to be top of the market. CD Lamb's going to be top of the market. And by the way, is it a shock that Dallas doesn't make any move? moves, Dallas drafts, develops, and is loyal to their guys. That is their Dallas.

Green Bay's brand is small market. They don't get flashy players in free agency. Dallas is, we believe in our draft picks. I mean, that's their history. Dallas, one of the only teams didn't do anything. Well, I'll just say, we know that free agency, if you go, I went and looked at last year's free agency grades, and it's like the media is giving out dumb grades. Like, the Panthers graded out as an awesome free agency.

see last year. We're like the worst team in the league. The Lions were, people dig the Lions because they signed David Montgomery and let Jamal Williams walk. How'd that work out? David Montgomery was awesome. So like, go ahead. Very rarely, generally the big free agent winner, who gets the best quarterback in the market? That's generally the winner. Atlanta did. And so to me, Atlanta's probably the winner. That feels like the winner to be, and the market dictates, they moved up. But I'm just being real. I know a lot of football fans.

Oh my gosh, this guy's moving. A lot of these moves don't change anything significantly around the league. Other than quarterback and a couple lined-in moves. I know people were all excited for Christian Wilkins. Like, that's not really doing much. I mean, I like that Joe Mixon goes to C.J. Stroud and the Texans. I think that's an upgrade. But it doesn't, it's not going to change wins and losses.

Right. But I do think that makes them a little more dynamic at running back. Does it help the Texans more or does it hurt the Bengals losing a guy who was homegrown, who'd been with you for a while? into the locker room. Like, I don't know. Off the field mixing had a couple issues. Yeah.

Anyways, let's move on to the Chicago Bears. I am ready, Colin, to go all in on the Bears this offseason. I like what they're doing. Justin Fields still hasn't signed anywhere. It looks like it's going to be the Caleb Williams show. But Jalen Johnson has been one of the players who has spoken up in support of Justin Fields. Yesterday, here's what he said about Justin Fields. I know what it would do to keep him here.

I know how we would feel. with him here. But I mean, I thought just at the end of the day, we'll all have our opinions, our emotions. But as far as the locker room, staying together, I think we have the right guys in the locker room to keep everything together to keep us together. And, I mean, at the end of the day, we're all here to win ball games. So I don't think it's about necessarily our feelings or, oh, well, you did this. I mean, we all here to win games.

So whoever that holds brings in, wherever the staff brings in, to help us win games, that's what we're going to rock with. The market has spoken. He's 10 and 28 as a starter. I need nothing against players, but I don't, I'm not too worried about a player's opinion on players. They have friends in the locker room. You got to win games. Right now, Chicago, if they kept Justin Fields, would be picked for fourth. We know he's not Jared Goff, and we know he doesn't appear to be Jordan Love.

I watched in Week 18. He's very similar to Sam Darnold, but they're drafting a quarterback. So go ahead and pass on Caleb Williams. If you end up getting J.J. McCarthy in Minnesota, there's a likelihood that he is on another coach. Coach. He'll be out of because Matt Nagy, they're going to be fourth place. So not Matt, Matt, Matt, Matt, Matt, Matt, Matt Eberflus. So you'll now be on another coach, another system, another coordinator. Manchester, you've got to win game.

Yeah, there's always this analytic stat. Winning's not a quarterback stat. Hell, it's not. Yes, it is. Best quarterback. Lamar Jackson may not win playoff games, when 75% of his starts. When he doesn't play, they score 11 points less a game. Does 11 points matter in the NFL?

I'm going to say it does. Jets with Aaron Rogers, Jets with his backups. You think the season was different? Okay. All right, how's this? Desmond Ritter upgrade to Kirk Cousins. What do you think that's worth of the point? Three.

Three wins in that division. So what did they win last year? Five, six games? Did they win seven? Okay. Ten. Okay. Do I think three wins?

Ten wins the division? Yeah. I mean, Ritter straight up lost them games with turnovers in the red zone. Because I know, because I bet them. Like a moron. So I think Kirk Cousins is worth three wins, and does three wins matter? Well, Atlanta in that division makes the playoffs. Okay, is Russell Wilson worth one win?

Oh, absolutely. I think Russell Wilson's, in that division, again, it's tough. Yes. But do I think he's worth... I think Russell Wilson's absolutely worth two to two and a half wins. But again, in the division, those wins are hard to come by. Burrow, Lamar, and Deshawn, DeShon Watson now with two good receivers. Boy, if Fields is really 10 and 28, we might need to stop talking about him.

I didn't realize it was that bleak. I think that's the right. All right, let's go to the NBA for the final story. Nicola Yokic last night helped the Nuggets overcome a 22-point deficit. Colin, listen to the stats he put up. This was like me at recess in fifth grade. 35 points, 17 boards, 12 assists, six steals, two blocks. The NBA's never seen a stat line like that.

It sounds like Yokic is going to be the MVP again. Should be. This should be a fourth in a row. Well, they gave it to NB last year. Yeah, but it was an anti-stop. anti-yokage vote. Exactly, because the media is silly. I don't know, listen, man.

He's the most efficient, offensive player, arguably in the history of the sport. I think, I know people don't want to hear this. Like, we're already where he's like a top 20 player all time. He's more accomplished than my, I grew up loving Patrick Hewing. Oh, he's a much better player than Patrick Hewis. He just is. Like, I love Ewing. That's my guy.

I think he's a little bit of a keem with the power. Shacks a bad comp. Well, no. I don't think there's anything quite like him, but the problem what you face with Yokic, as the league has gotten younger, it's not as physical. So the league's not as physical, and his body forces you to be physical. It's the only way to stop him. I mean, I've talked to people in the league.

You talked to a coach the other day. I've talked to two different people in the NBA. I mean, Draymond Green can defend anybody. Draymond Green's like, yeah, I can't do anything. So the best defensive players in the league, hands up. We can't do anything. That's what people did with Shaq in his prime, MJ in his prime, burden is prime. There's always one guy in the league, and it's not like two, three, four, five, six.

There's a couple of guys in the league, and you can't, there's nothing you can do. You have to compromise so much to defend them. I'm hearing what people in the NBA feel now with Yokic is, let him get his, just don't let Jamal Murray, Gordon, and Porter go off, that he's going to get 32, 16, and 16. There's nothing you can do about it. This is where it gets crazy. Colin, he had no other All-Stars on his team this year. I love Jamal Marie. I know you hang out with him at UFC events. I saw him once. Jamal Murray's never been an all-star.

He's a good player, though. He's awesome. Playoffs, he's amazing. But, I mean, we need to seriously start a discussion. Like, you know, Yokic is heading toward top 15. But you know, so what's interesting on this take is, so the NBA against style matters. I remember the first NBA player that I paid attention to was Dr. J. Because he had style.

Right. I mean, I just loved Dr. Jay. Was he the best player at the time? He was the most captivating. Magic Johnson was great, but he was also unique. That's why I was more of a magic guy than a bird guy. I liked his style. I mean, Michael Jordan, great looking, the hand size.

The bottom line is aesthetics. Moses Malone's an all-time great player. He had a boring game. So nobody talks about Moses Malone, who was an all-time great player. Yolk is kind of boring. By the way, there was a... He's got some Moses Malone where it's not pretty, but Moses and his prime was unstoppable. So Yolkich, like, knocks the ball out of bad.

and he thinks it goes off a guy's fingertip. So he says, let's review it, let's review it. And the coaches are waiting for the replay. Yokic bends down to tie his shoe to give his team an extra like five, six seconds. Malone calls timeout and they do the replay and it gets overturned. It's just like high-level smart stuff like that from Yokic. This guy's really good. I think there are players in the league that because he just, it's not fun to watch.

There's some resentment. M. B's more fun to watch. I love watching Denver play. I think Yokic is infuriating. I mean, I didn't think Duncan was fascinating to watch, but it was like you knew you were getting like 28 and 14 a night. He was a great player. Anthony Davis is going to have to man up in the playoffs.

I know he gets pushed around by Europeans. Sabonis 9 and 0 against him. Sabon's 9 and 0 against AD. And Yokic, we know he owned him in the playoff series. AD is just going to have to toughen up. AD's having a great year. He is, but I don't want to hear about the great year unless he does something against Yokchch, right?

What can you do against him? Something. Do something. You're having a great year. Show up, my guy. You sound like defensive coordinators against Mahomes. Just do something. Come on. I can buy lessons. Whatever it is. Do something. I can cook up some stuff. Probably. Mac and cheese that I forget. Cook up some stuff to stop Yolkish. I think the NBA coaches are trying. J. Mack with the news. Well, that's the news.

And thanks for stopping by. The Hurd-Ly News. So I covered Arvita Sabonis in Portland, and he's, you know, Yokic is back. better, but Arvita similarly, could give Shaq, could bang into Shaq, was a great passer. Sabonis is the comp to me for Yokic, and I saw Sabonis passed his prime. So he was, I think, Lithuanian, he came into the States older, but a devastating passer could shoot a three, very much Yokic. But we're getting Yokic in his prime here, and we didn't get Sabonis in his prime. But does Sabonis Portland teams had the late Kobe and Shaq down to a seventh game in the Western Conference Finals?

Whoever won that series, it was the Lakers, was going to win the title against the Pacers. 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. Hey, what's up, everybody? It's me, three-time Pro Bowl of LaVar Arrington, and I couldn't be more excited to announce a podcast called Up on Game. What is Up on Game, you ask? Along with my fellow Pro Bowler, T.J. Hushman Zada and Super Bowl champion. Yep, that's right. You can only name a show with that type of talent on it. Up on Game.

We're going to be sharing our real life experiences loaded with teachable moments. Listen to Up on Game with me, LaVar Arrington, T.J. Hushmanzada, and Plexico Burris on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast from. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal but encouraged. It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque. Others say it's unleashing human potential. Either way, the podcast's Superhuman documented it all,

embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year. Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the IHard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care what I'm saying.

Yep, that's me, 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. Hey, this is Robert from the Stuff to Blow Your Mind podcast. Joe and I are both lifelong Star Wars fan, so we're celebrating May the 4th with a brand new week of fun,

thought-provoking Star Wars-related episodes. Join us as we tackle science and culture topics from a galaxy far, far away, such as the biology of tauntons and wampas on the ice planet hot, or the practicality and corporate business sense of the Sith rule of two. Listen to Stuff to Blow Your Mind on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. podcast. Sunday on Fox, the NASCAR Cup series heads to the last great coliseum. As the gladiators of auto racing look to survive the half-mile track at Bristol, the pre-race begins at

three Eastern with the engines firing at 3.30 Sunday on Fox. You know, everybody, years ago, Rich McKay, who runs the Atlanta Falcons in the front office, he used to be a GM now. He's like operations guy. When I was figuring out, I was one of my first jobs. I was in Tampa for a couple years and Rich would come into the studio. And I was always fascinated by the draft. And he, you know, I asked him like when it came to positions, what do you tell your scouts to do? And you always have like a comp. Like I thought Zach Wilson's comp was Johnny Mansell.

And I didn't like Johnny Mansell. So I thought Zach Wilson like Mansell could move, good arm, little cocky. I just didn't see it in the NFL. And so, you know, everybody's got kind of a comp. I have said with Justin Fields that I think, Basically what he is is Sam Darnold, which is good enough to get another shot, but a little reckless gets banged up because of the style he plays. And what's interesting, if you look at right now in their careers from the pocket, they are virtually the exact same quarterback. 63% completion percentage, touchdown interception slightly above even, and a passer rating at 82, the exact same quarterback.

And Darnold is very, very athletic. He's big and athletic. Fields is big and athletic. They don't win enough. They're a bit reckless. They get hurt, and they can struggle late in games in key spots. So I had said, I can give you a three-minute clip of Sam Darnold on YouTube. That's unbelievable.

Same with Justin Fields. But Sam, you know, doesn't have much of a market. He gets Minnesota for a year, and I think Justin Fields has a similar market. So that's kind of my comp for it. Whereas when I watched Jordan Love this year, my comp is he's somewhere between Aaron and Fav. He can be a little reckless like Fav, but he's got some of the movement and the throwing ability of Aaron Rogers. So he's a little bit of a con. He may not be as reckless as Fav or as gifted as Rogers, but he's somewhere in that mix.

He looks like a combination of both. Who do you play like? What do you look like? What is your style? What is it? Because that's what GMs ask scouts. And I think that's what hurts Sam Darnold, where offensive coaches like Sam Darnold. But you just worry about gets banged up.

He can be reckless. Too many big picks and big spots. And I think that's how Justin Fields is viewed. So I will say this, though. Yesterday, Aaron Jones, getting let go by Green Bay surprised me. Then they went out and got Josh Jacobs. And, you know, I don't know what it is. It's the Green Bay quarterback syndrome.

They don't go get free agents. They don't have an owner. Farr felt underappreciated at the end of his career, threatened to retire, got kind of prickly. Aaron Rogers at the end of his career, felt underappreciated, passive aggressive, got kind of prickly. And in the end,

the Packers moved off both, and a year after they moved off both, the Packers were fine. Aaron Rogers' second year, they were off and running. Jordan Love now, off and running. So whereas Brady left New England

and the franchise crumbled, Belichick best coach ever, crumbled, Far of Aaron Rogers, lead Green Bay, later, they are stock with talent and ready to roll. So yesterday, they moved off Aaron Jones, who I like, and David Bocdiari, who's good but banged up a lot, and they saved $25 million.

They got younger and cheaper. So right now, they're getting ready to pay Jordan Love some money, so they're cleaning the deck, getting young and cheap. Josh Jacobs is not inexpensive, but the way the contract set up, it's like three one-year deals. But I really like the future of Green Bay, and there's just something to be said about what Green Bay does is the opposite of what the Bears do at quarterback. The Bears draft you, tend to over-draft you, and then demand you play immediately. Green Bay drafts you, take some time,

give, already has offensive coaches in the building. Bears tend to have defensive coaches. We didn't love the Matt Eber Flues higher. The NFL was pivoting, but Green Bay's got a home grant, a Mike McCarthy, a Matt LaFleur. Then they always have good offensive lines. They don't ask quarterbacks to come in and play immediately. So Green Bay sets young quarterbacks up to succeed. The Bears do the exact opposite. The Jets, by the way, do the opposite. Come in, they overdraft people, go start.

Green Bay once again is set up. They are in much better shape financially, and I think kind of emotionally in the locker room, where Aaron generationally was too old for all the young players, I get Jordan Love, I get Reed, I get Romeo Dobbs, I get Watson, I mean, these tight ends, I get Musgrave, I really like what I see from Green Bay. I know y'all think it's an anti-Aaron Rogers take, but Aaron kind of ghosted some of these young receivers the first year. If Christian Watson drops a ball against Minnesota in the opener down the sideline and they just be not going back to him, you can't do that. You got to understand young guys in the NFL, young tight ends, young receivers, young linemen, they struggle offensively.

Some of the defensive guys can come in a good corner, a good backer can come in and play. These young guys got to figure out a phone book, the size of, you know, thick. And you're playing with Aaron Rogers. You're going to be a little intimidated. You're not going to know the playbook like Aaron. So Green Bay is in good shape. I have them winning the division and the Lions being a very, very good, the best wildcard team. Doesn't mean the Lions could, I don't have the Lions regressing sharply, but I think.

think I love what I see with Green Bay going forward. More likely in the Super Bowl from the NFC next year. Cowboys, Lions, or Packers? Rams will face Green Bay in the NFC Championship. Oh, my. You see what the Rams did? What, that guard? Pro Bowl.

Trenches. Yeah, I know. Two Pro Bowl guards. They're moving their guard who was tremendous last year to center. What he played in college? 49ers are chopped liver now, huh? I think we've seen the best of Brockport. Oh!

Goodness. Hour three coming up. 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 eye, Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

On The Look Back at it podcast. For 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.

84 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. A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care what I'm saying. Yep, that's me, Clifford Taylor the 4th.

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

follow at Clifford and at TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok. This is an IHart podcast, guaranteed human.