The Herd with Colin Cowherd - Hour 2 - Stefon Diggs

Episode Date: April 5, 2024

Texans are restructuring Stefon Diggs' deal, which version will they be getting?   Guest: Mark Medina   #DouggottliebshowSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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you get your podcasts. Thanks for listening to The Heard podcast. Be sure to catch us live every weekday on Fox Sports Radio in noon to 3 Eastern 9 a.m. to noon Pacific. Find your local station for the herd at Fox Sports Radio.com or stream us live every day on the IHeart Radio app by searching Fox Sports Radio or FSR. You're listening to Fox Sports Radio. Hey, what up, welcome in. I'm Doug Gottlie, wherever you are. However you may be making this part of your day, thanks so much. Doug Gottlieb in for Colin.

This is The HARD on Fox Sports Radio and the IHeart Radio app. And I'm filling in for Colin here at the site of the Final Four in Phoenix, Arizona, a beautiful day outside. As we get ready for, you got Women's Final Four tonight, men's Final Four tomorrow. Who would have thought, like legit, who would have thought that we. actually legitimately care, talk, lead radio TV shows talking about the women's game. We'll get into that all coming up. But I wanted to start this hour talking about what we learned yesterday about Stefan Diggs and the contract change since he's been traded to Houston.

Yesterday we found out that essentially this becomes the end. of the Stefan Diggs contract with the Texans, and it's a one-year deal. He gets traded earlier this week from the Buffalo Bills, along with two other late-round picks for a second-round pick. And the thought that, I don't know, I had in my mind, I don't know how you watch. It is, hey, look, it was the last year of his deal, and the only reason you trade him is because he won a new deal, and the leverage that the Texans would have if they didn't like, you know, what he was talking in terms of contract language.

would be, well, they could franchise tag him. But instead, yesterday we found out this is it. He's going to be a free agent. The Texans are kind of saying, hey, prove it. And it doesn't mean the Texans can't resign him, but it means they basically agreed based upon contract terms to not franchise tag him. So he'll be a complete free agent. And if you look at it honestly,

and I do think you can be both a Stefan Diggs fan and a Stefan Diggs realist. he's he's like family on the holidays right it's great when you get him and it's good to see him but how many years really does it last and it feels like you get the diminishing number of years right with the Vikings you know he blew up on the scene really his blow up here wasn't until year four but that was a five year kind of experiment if you will a five-year experience where ultimately he was traded to the Buffalo Bills. And then with the Bills, he was there for four years, four very productive years, although last year was less productive in terms of individual games than the previous ones.

But you've got a wide receiver who now has gone six consecutive years with a thousand yards receiving. And of those six years, five of them have been with over 100 catches. He's wildly productive. But like, we know how this goes, right? First, you start to kind of lose a step. And second, you kind of start to lose your cool with your quarterback. And if you're the Buffalo Bills, you only take the fifth largest dead cap hit. If you're done with the guy.

If you want him out of the building. Because otherwise, like, look, the Buffalo Bills could have done this with him. Hey, he's a free agent coming up. You know, he'll be on his best behavior. He'll want to be productive. So we keep him for one more year. Because the bills are paying him regardless in terms of cap. right

it's coming off their cap they cannot fill that spot for that value $31 million which is actually an increase over the cap had they kept him so what that signifies to everyone the league is they got it done and whether you want to use the fish analogy where you know

it's great when you get it but the longer you have fish I mean does anybody actually eat fish on a second day right I'm like you only go shopping and get fish if you're going to eat it that night correct maybe, maybe if you want to risk it the next day. Maybe.

Maybe. And for Stefan Diggs, five years, one place, four years another. And the Texans was like, you know, we'll just do one. We'll just try it. And again, like in your mind, if you're the Texans, you sit there and go like, we have a young dynamic head coach who you would think can not only relate to Stefan Diggs because of, you. He hasn't been out of the league as a player all that long. And secondly, he kind of has a commanding presence. And if you think, like, Stefan Diggs is going to respect him.

And, you know, you've got a young, dynamic quarterback who you don't want him locking in on Stefan Diggs. Wait, sometimes I felt like Josh Allen would where it's like the more, what's the old analogy, the sticky wheel gets all the grease? And he became the sticky wheel. And so Josh Allen would force the ball to Stefan Diggs. I do think there's the copycat league part of it where you look at the Kansas City Chiefs and it wasn't bad personality-wise with Tyreek Hill, but there were times in which Pat Mahomes would force the ball to Tyree Kill and though it last year wasn't pretty offensively, they did win a Super Bowl with as average a wide receiving core and average is being kind.

Average is being kind with as average, but really a young. inexpensive group of wide receivers that early in the year you're like no way and somehow Mahomes was able to make a work and I'm sure the bills are sitting there going like why can't we do the same thing and oh yeah by the way you're only winning if everybody's pulling the same direction and Stefan Diggs doesn't pull us in that direction if Diggs can't make it work in Houston

with a one-year deal essentially with a young star quarterback with a coach who everyone respects and he can relate to because of age and playing experience, then does he have a home in the league? Probably. But there's something interesting that we should point out. And I'm not saying he's Terrell Owens in terms of personality because he's not. He's not as flamboyant as Terrell Owens. He's just not.

But there is something to remember Tio Tio tore his knee. at the end of his career. Remember he went to Buffalo and people were camping out for him in Buffalo. And Tio even to this day is like, hey, I can still run. I can still play. And he's probably right. But there's more to playing, even at wide receiver, way out on an island where we think of, hey, if you just go do your job, it doesn't matter.

There's more to it than just that. There's more to it than your 40 time. There's more to it than even your ability to get open and catch the football. You got to get along with every. everybody and the quarterback is in charge and you have to be exactly where you're supposed to be exactly when you're supposed to be there and if you don't get the football you can get upset but you can't visibly get upset right you can't you can't shake up the apple cart so much i don't know i everything you read see know about stephan diggs over the last last week reaffirms to you everything that you probably suspected, which is he's a talented guy, he's getting a little older, but man, is he a pain in the ass?

And the bills would not have taken the fifth largest dead cap hit over a wide receiver unless they wanted him out of the building. And the Texans wouldn't have said, hey, we'll just take you for a year. And you're free to go about the league afterwards unless they knew that was his reputation. And all they're trying to do is get the absolute best out of them, get all of the juice out of the orange or lemon, whichever citrus you like, and then we're good.

You got one year, you got a really good quarterback, you got a really good offense. You know, you're playing indoors. There's no where you play before when you're in Minnesota. There's no distractions. You got a couple other young wide receivers that you can help mentor, you can help lead. And if you do it right, there's going to be rewards with a new contract. track, probably not with the Texans. But if you don't, you might well be

a Terrell Owens. Hey, I can still play. Why isn't that guy in the league? That's the reality of what has happened. And again, we're just, I'm just using Stefan Diggs as an example, but there are lots of these guys

around the NFL. You know? I mean, you know, the Kaepernick thing is the is the guy that pops out to to me and obviously people made the assessment for a long time that he was getting screwed by the league, but the reality was he couldn't be a backup. Cam Newton.

Now, Cam Newton can't throw a football, but Cam Newton, I even think sort of admittedly knows he can't be a backup. He just does not, he's saying he says he can now, but the job of the backup quarterback is to get the starting quarterback ready, to be, you know, basically like a quarterback coach, for that one quarterback. The job of the veteran-wide receiver is not just to make plays when your number is called and to get open and to win, but also kind of got to mentor some of the guys. And you want to be a big personality because that's part of the job. Like we have to be reasonable and say you have to have a healthy ego to be,

you have to go across the middle. And guys don't grow across the middle as much as they used to, but you've got to go across the middle. So you kind of got to be a psycho anyway to be a really good, especially possession-wide receiver. And not the digs is your classic possession guy, but that's the, when you get to your 30s, that's where you work to. In order to do that, you got to have a healthy ego. You got to have an incredible confidence. It got to be a little bit crazy. Like, get it. But whatever it is about him on a daily basis, and we've seen some of it creep in to some of the sideline behavior between him and John.

Josh Allen and him and the coaching staff, whatever it is, you got to be manageable. And the further you go on to your career, the more you lose some of your speed, some of your burst, the more manageable you have to be. And that's the challenge. And by the way, it's brilliant for the Texans. Oh, hey, oh, no, no, you got trade. I'm sure the second he got traded, he was like, sweet. So, guys, let's talk new contract.

They're like, yeah. What if we said you're a free agent? free agent. You can go get as much money from a... We will not franchise taggy. You're a complete free agent at the end of this year. Sounds like a great thing until you realize they're only doing it because they're trying to get the best out of you.

And the best out of you means you've got to be on your best behavior. You got to do all the little things. You've got to not bitching mom when you don't get the football. You got to help mentor all these guys. That's what the announcement of the contract change means to, I believe, everyone in the sport yesterday. I'm Doug Ghalyman for Colin. This is The Hurt on Fox Sports Radio and the IHeart Radio app.

Cut up next, we'll turn to the NBA. Can anyone, anyone, anyone, anyone in the east beat the Celtics? Like in the West, you just have a litany of teams and you're trying to figure out what's what. But in the East, it's like the Celtics and a bunch of, you know, the bucks used to be good. Can anyone beat the Celtics? Let's dive in next. I'm Doug Gottlieb. Live from Phoenix at the Final Four.

This is The Herd. One more Herd? The Herd streams 24 hours a day, seven days a week, within the IHeart Radio app. Search Herd to listen live or on demand whenever you'd like. Imagine an Olympics

where doping is not only legal, but encouraged. It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque. Others say it's unleashing human potential. Either way, the podcast's superhuman documented it all. embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year.

Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the I-Hard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care where you're saying. Yep, that's me, Cliver Taylor the 4th.

You might have seen the skits, the reactions, my journey from basketball to college football, or my career in sports media. Well, somewhere along the way, this platform became bigger than I ever imagined. And now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifford Show. This is a place for raw, unfiltered conversations with some of your favorite athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. One week, I'll take you behind the scenes of the biggest moments in sports and entertainment,

and the next we'll talk about life, mental health, purpose, and even music. The Clifford Show isn't just a podcast. It's a space for honest conversations, stories that don't always get told, and for people who are chasing something bigger. So, if you've ever supported me or you're just chasing down a dream, this is right where you need to be. Listen to The Clifford Show on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok. Do you remember when Diana Ross double-tapped Little Kim's boobs at the VMAs?

Or when Kanye said that George Bush didn't like black people. I know what you're thinking. What the hell does George Bush got to? do a little kill. Well, you can find out on the Look Back at it podcast. I'm Sam J. And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick it here, unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it. Including a recent episode with Mark Lamont Hill,

waxing all about crack in the 80s. To be clear, 84 is big to me, not just because of crack. I'm down to talk about crack on day, but just so y'all know. I mean, at this point, Mark, this is the second episode where we've discussed crack. So I'm starting to see that there's a through line. We also have age. on the table right now. Thank you for finishing that sentence.

I don't think there's a more important year for black people. Really? Yeah. For me, it's one of the most important years for black people in American history. Listen to look back at it on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. What up? Welcome in. This is the Hurt. Fox Sports Radio.

IHeart Radio app wherever you're listening. Thanks so much. Collins out today. I'm Doug Gottlie. I've been for Colin. And let's welcome in. one of my favorites, Mark Medina joins us. He's our Fox Sports Radio NBA insider,

and we'll get to the Clippers win over the Nuggets last night where Yokic missed a, well, the Yokic, the one foot 40-footer that he's made previously, he missed and the Clippers end up getting a gigantic win last night. Talk some Celtics as well. But Mark, thanks so much for joining us.

Brani James, freshman USC, declared for the NBA draft, or he didn't personally declare, but Sham Shorani and others have reported that he's going to declare for the NBA draft. What's the discussion in the NBA about? Remember, because LeBron still has that player option this year.

What's the discussion in regards to Brani and the draft? Yeah, I think the discussion in the NBA is that they're kind of treating Bronny James the same way Brony James is treating the NBA, where both parties are going to take their, dip their toes in the pool and see the landscape, but there's kind of a wait-and-see approach from both sides. from Bronny's end, he wants to get some definitive clarity on where he exactly stands on draft boards, team fits, you know, feedback, I think from NBA team personnel, they want to get, you know, more insight on his medicals, most notably because of him recovering from that

cardiac arrestor last summer, as well as being able to see him in a workout. Now, I think the obvious and complicated element of this is how does this affect LeBron James, and while, you know, we should always be connecting the dots on whatever subliminal messages or subtle things that LeBron James does. This isn't as definitive as it seemed to be before about his want to play with his son. No doubt he still wants to do that, but he has walked it back a little bit in the last year saying that he's mindful that maybe Brody doesn't feel the same way. And I think the other added wrinkle to this with the Lakers is that post-Rustle-Westbrook trade, they haven't always marched in lockstep with what LeBron James has wanted. He was hoping for the Lakers to get Kyrie Irving last summer.

They did not do that. I think that he was also hoping that the Lakers would make some significant moves in leading the trade deadline this past season. They didn't do that. So a lot of fascinating variables all around that we'll have to keep our eyes on. Okay, what about the Lakers? They've seen this kind of resurgence here. as they're trying to dig themselves out of the playing tournament.

On the other hand, as much as they win, they don't seem to change spots. What's your sense of where they actually end up? Yeah, well, obviously for them, it's a good sign that they're compiling wins. They're at least securing their spot in the playing tournament. There's still an outside chance because of Phoenix and New Orleans and Sacramento and not having much separation that they can avoid the plan. And so there is a pathway that they can replicate,

maybe not that deep playoff push that they had last season, so it gets a Western conference finals. But ending the season on a good note where the team chemistry is at all-time high, LeBron James and Andy Davis are as reasonably healthy as you can expect, given who they are. But I think on the other side of the point, as you allude to this, we've seen this version of the Lakers all season, where just when you think they're turning a corner and they're starting to really ramp up

to become one of the dominant teams in the West, they regret again and start playing down to their competition or just getting overwhelmed with superior competition. So they are really a day-to-day kind of team. And so with that, obviously, it's better news than later, better news now than bad news, but this can really change game-by-game as well as playoff game by playoff game. Well, there's also the end of day scenario for the NBA. Like, let's just be honest, the play-in tournament, okay, is on its best day, it gets the Warriors and the Lakers into the playoffs.

But on its worst day, we get one or two games from Steph Curry. It happened a couple years ago, right? And then they don't make the playoffs. And that's where we are, right? Lakers, Warriors, Kings, Pelicans. That's right now is in the play-in. And there's several things. scenarios where we don't have LeBron or we don't have Steph Curry in the playoffs.

Like that's an abject disaster for the league. Yeah. I mean, clearly, Doug, if the NBA had its way, they would be seen Steph and LeBron go ahead and the Western Conference finals. And that doesn't seem likely at all, especially because they're going to be likely matching up against each other in the play. And similar like what they did, I believe, in 2021, where it was a dramatic playing game. you saw the LeBron James, a three-pointer after getting poked in the eye, but these are the kind of moments of the NBA wants for actual playoff series, seven-game series. The play in is kind of more of the appetizer for some of these young up-and-coming teams.

But look, obviously, the landscape is what the landscape is, and the Lakers and Warriors for various reasons have been able to still have a chance because LeBron and Steph are still playing at a mostly high level, but a lot of a lot of inconsistency and turbulence with the rest of the the rosters. It's like a 50-50 shot, really, if you finish in, maybe even less than that, if you finish in first place in either the east or the west in terms of whether you get to the finals, right? We've seen so much the regular season doesn't matter nearly as much. But in this particular case, the Celtics are lapping the field in the Eastern Conference. Lapping the field.

Is there anybody who can live, like, in a seven, game series. Is there anyone who can legitimately beat the Celtics in the East? Doug, it's tough for me to think anyone can, at least in the East. You know, presuming they get to the finals, I can see Denver beating them.

If the Clippers are healthy and, you know, not having such an up and down carousel here, they can, but that's a lot of ifs. I think with the Eastern Conference, barring a major injury to any of the Celtics core players, I'm not going to

they're going to have a cakewalk to the NBA finals. I think that there's going to be some speed bumps, but no legitimate team that's going to seriously challenge them. I think when you're looking at first round, second round, east finals, I don't see a seven-game series out of any of those opponents,

and I think, you know, maybe it goes five or six, and so there will be some challenging games, but I don't think that there's ever going to be any feeling that the Celtics are vulnerable, again, assuming that Tatum and Brown and poor Zingas don't have any injury issues.

The Timberwolves have, I mean, you can check a bunch of boxes for what the Timberwolves have, and yet you look at the – and I think it's fair to question the Thunder and what they'll look like in the playoffs. Timberwolves actually have been the playoffs, although it was what the play – was it the playing last year against the Lakers? It was the playoffs last year against the play in, I think. Well, they've lost the plan against the Lakers, but then, you know, they wound up – they wound up making afterwards.

but yeah, they didn't go far. Okay. Why is this year different? Well, I think one another year of experience. There's continuity. You know, Anthony Edwards has continued to grow. You know, he's had some more experience, not just being the number two guy with Carl in town, but when he's been out, being the number one guy, you know, he has regressed

in certain games with his shooting percentage efficiency. But I think as far as his growth as being a team leader, a playmaker, that's a step in the right direction. you look at Nas Reeds, numbers, both with Carlisthian Towns without that, the element of growth, I think the biggest thing is Rudy Gobert

as far as what he's been as a defensive anchor and the fact that he and Carlisthie Towns can coexist a lot better than his first season. No doubt they're still young and relatively inexperienced, but you do have a study point guard and Mike Connolly, who's not just the veteran locker room that holds everything together. He's still playing at a productive level.

So I think as it pertains to their playoff ceiling, I don't think it's enough because the Denver Nuggets are still really good, and there's a strong expectation that Jamal Murray's injuries are going to dissipate pretty soon and he's going to come back possibly as tomorrow against Atlanta. But I think that their shortcomings aren't going to be because of feeling overwhelmed with the moment or, you know, just not feeling like they're adequately prepared from a maturity standpoint. I think their shortcomings are going to be more from a tactical lens and the fact that the nuggets are a really damn good team.

Let's volley back to the east. Mark Bidina joined us our Fox Sports Radio Inside. I'm Doug Gottlieven for Collins to hurt and Foxport Radio IHeart Radio app. Have we figured out if the Bucks are going to figure it out yet? I think it's that old adage, you know, when someone shows you who they are, believe them. I think what we've seen with the Bucks is that this is what it's going to be in the playoffs, where there's going to be a lot of good games that they look unstoppable, you know, a lot of good star power with the honest and dame, and then a lot of underachieving games.

Now, there is this school of thought that, yeah, when the playoffs start, you flip the switch, things change, but I think that that idea applies to teams that have been around again, much longer, you know, as far as their core star players, and that are coming off a championship season, and that doesn't apply to the Bucks at all. Yeah, obviously, you know, Janice's, you know, not too far removed from winning title in 2021, but, you know, there's so much change since then from coaches and not having Drew Holiday. There's a lot of new things that, you know, I think for the most part, given the talent level,

the Bucks have struggled to figure out. So, yeah, they're a dangerous team on paper, but as we've seen this season, that doesn't always mean a whole lot. I don't know if you're this way. It's like the Clippers are like that restaurant. I'll give an analogy for it. This is an honest true story. I love Buffalo Wild Wings. My son and I love Buffalo Wild Wings.

Okay, but there's a Buffalo Wild Wings in Costa Mesa, California. Okay? I'm going to just call them out straight by right by trying. Square. Great location. It's got this outdoor eating area, an outdoor outdoor bar. It's like a really, really cool setup. And every time I go there, every time I go there, the service sucks. Every time. Every time I go there, they don't have enough servers and the food takes too long or sometimes it's not hot, but at literally, and I've been going there for years. And my son, again, my son loves wings. We both love Buffalo Wild Wic. This is not in any way an attack on B-dubs because there's another one about five miles away that we actually go to instead because the service is better.

Now, that one a lot of times there's a weight. So we love B-dubs. But this particular one, like, just every time, like, I'm not doing this again. I'm not doing it. The clippers are that Buffalo Wild Wings, right? Like, I've seen them in the middle of the year. And I'm like, man, this is the best team in the league. The best team in the West.

And like last night they beat the nuggets and they don't have Kauai, but they have Tai Lu who everyone regards as one of the elite coaches. They have Kauai who's obviously when he's healthy, been elite in the playoffs. Paul George is tremendous, okay? I know the playoff P and people make fun of it or whatever, but if he's your number two, that's a pretty good number two. It's a really good roster, a really good team. But if not this year, I just, I can't do it again.

I can't go back in and order wings from them. Is that a better of, right? Like, and I know the West is competitive, but Jamal Murray still coming back from injury. Their bench isn't as good. This is the last year of the Warriors. The Lakers are good, but they're not elite. Let's not kid ourselves. The Thunder haven't been doing this long enough.

Nobody thinks that they have the play. They have no playoff experience, right? You mentioned the Timberwolves, like, we think there's a ceiling there, and they haven't done anything in the playoffs. Like, this is it for, this has to be it for the Clippers. You have to win. this year. Yeah, first off, Doug, I 100% agree with your analogy.

And then applies to any, like, chain restaurant that you love where on the menu, they have food that you like, but sometimes it changes depending on location. You mentioned how well staffed it is or what the wait times. How about how well it's cooked? And if, you know, they're matching the ingredients at the other location. That all applies to the clippers here because we've seen on paper, obviously they're good. seen what version they're like when they're playing and sharing the ball and engaged. But we also see what they look like when they don't seem to care, and we also see what it

looks like when the old injury bug comes back in rears that we had. Now hasn't been a severe as it has been the past. But any time you hear those injuries, your antenna raises up because of that history. And as a protantic Kauai, you know, Ty Woo said it's just a couple days, but he's been a little cagey about the severity. of his knee soreness. I mean, there's, it's one thing to have on CERDio whether he's going to play tonight, for example, against Utah, but there doesn't seem to be any timeline definitively and the severity of his injury. And so while it is, I think, safe to say it is a day-to-day thing

because of Kauai's injury history, we always have to be on guard that this could be the red flag of something worse down the line. But I think the other thing is, even if they're at full health, you know, you would think in the playoffs, they would raise the stakes. But the reality is they could face some teams that are playing a lot better than them right now. And I think most notably that's the Dallas Mavericks. And I do have a lot of question marks regarding their consistency, but for what it's worth, you know, we know that Luca Dodgers and Kyrie Irvin are usually going to produce on a night-to-night basis. Their chemistur's been really good.

Their defense has been up and down. but as of late, they've been a really good defensive team. And so that is one of the things that I think the clipper should feel leery about, even in the first round, because, you know, they're not playing as good basketball right now as their future playoff opponents are. All right. Well, Mark, once you spend the weekend watching some college hoops and prepare, prepare yourself, then you get the Masters, and then it becomes NBA playoff time,

and we cannot wait playing into the playoffs. It's going to be awesome. You do a great job. Really appreciate to join us here in the Hurst, and then it becomes. Thanks so much. Really appreciate you. Enjoy college hoops as well, ma'am. Coming up next in The HARD,

it's not his mom not wanting to sign the permission slip. One college basketball star apparently wants nothing to do with the NFL. Why is that? We'll discuss next in The Hurt. Be sure to catch live editions of the HARD weekdays in noon Eastern, 9 a.m. Pacific. On Fox Sports Radio, FS1, and the IHeart Radio app. Hey, it's me, Rob Parker. Check out my weekly MLB.

podcast Inside the Parker for 22 minutes of Piping Hot baseball talk featuring the biggest names and newsmakers in the sport. Whether you believe in analytics or the I-Test, we've got all the bases covered. New episodes drop every Thursday, so do yourself a favor and listen to Inside the Parker with Rob Parker on the IHeart Radio app or wherever you get your podcast. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal but encouraged.

It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque. Others say it's unleashing human potential. Either way, the podcast's Superhuman documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year. Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the I-Hart Radio app,

Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care what I'm saying. Yep. That's me, Cliver Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, the reactions, my journey from basketball to college football, or my career in sports media.

Well, somewhere along the way, this platform became bigger than I ever imagined. And now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifford Show. This is a place for raw, unfiltered conversations with some of your favorite athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. One week, I'll take you behind the scenes of the biggest moments in sports and entertainment, and the next we'll talk about life, mental health, purpose, and even music. The Clifford Show isn't just a podcast, it's a space for honest conversations, stories that don't always get told, and for people who are chasing something bigger.

So if you've ever supported me or you're just chasing down a dream, this is right where you need to be. Listen to The Clifford Show on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok. Do you remember when Diana Ross double-tapped Little Kim's boobs at the VMAs? Or when Kanye said that George Bush didn't like black people. I know what you're thinking. What the hell does George Bush got to do with Little Kim?

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

of crack. I'm down to talk about crack on day, but just so y'all know. I mean, at this point, Mark, this is the second episode where we've discussed crack. So I'm starting to see that there's a through line. We also have AIDS on the table right now. Thank you finishing that sentence. Yes. I don't think there's a more important year for black people.

Really? Yeah. For me, it's one of the most important years for black people in American history. Listen to look back at it on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Doug Gottlieb, in for Colin. This is to heard. Fox Sports Radio. I heart radio app. Welcome in. By the way, if you like Hoop and Hoop Stories, I got a cool podcast. It's called All Ball. Just type in Doug Gottlieb, wherever you get podcasts, like even this one. And my last guest was Nikki Collins. She's the head coach of Baylor, a longtime friend of mine. And we talked about

the Caitlin Clark era. What's Next? And this world we're living. Also, next hour will play for you something LeBron said, which I feel like directly contradicts what he thought he was saying in talking about the popularity of the women's game. We'll get to that. First, though, let's get to Ryan Music with the news. No, no, no, no, no. Turn on the news. This is the herd line news. Hello, Ryan.

All right, Doug. Hour two here. And we're going to start with actually exactly where you are covering the final four. And that's some men's college basketball, North Carolina State. preparing for their final four matchup against Purdue to continue their Cinderella run on the back of their big man DJ Burns. Junior, his large frame and footwork

has led to many wondering if he would maybe attempt a career in the NFL as an offensive lineman. He was asked about that possibility. Here's what he said. Everybody needs a story to keep it interesting. Maybe there's too much downtime for people to think or something, but I ain't

playing no football. You know, it's interesting. Now, he played football up until eighth grade. Correct. And he's got this gigantic body, big, soft hands. He's got a toughness about him. And everybody, you know, and I think what they're saying without saying is like, hey, I don't think you're an NBA player. Now, I don't either, but I also wonder, Draymond Green was a better athlete in college.

What would he look like if he dropped 30, 40 pounds in terms of his movement? Okay. We've seen that from others. Also, like, it probably just doesn't want to get hit anymore. Yeah. So, but, like, and it's probably too late for it, but at his size, can imagine if he was able to play tackle? Hey, dude, I know you don't want to play football,

but what if I told you you could make $100 million? You know? It reminds me of that, I can't remember the comedian, but he did this bit where he said, like, imagine calling Sean Connery and ask him to play a dragon in Dragonheart. I'm Sir Sean Connery. I won't do a dragon. Wait, you'll pay how much?

Right? Like, but I obviously says he doesn't want to play, but I think people are only saying it because they know you can make a crap ton of money doing it. Greg Toohey. Dugger and music. How many, what percentage do you think of the casual college basketball fans tuned into the ACC tournament when they won five games in five days and then the NCAA tournament and saw DJ Burns and thought this guy is a offensive tackle on the football team and he's just

moonlighting as a basketball player because I might have been one of those guys. Yeah. No, I get it. I get it. Like look, when I saw Zion Williamson in person the first time he's playing against Louisville, like Zion Williamson's build was actually that of a football player too. Yeah, for sure, for sure. You know, that's what I know football players look like. But look, I think DJ can can play, definitely play professionally overseas and make money. One thing, and this is like a part that a lot of people talk about off air, they won't talk about on air, is we are kind of setting guys up for failure when they become overseas pros because, and I don't know what DJ makes, you know, in his six year at NC State. But like, let's say he makes a buck 50 or he makes 200 or. or whatever.

And then he goes to play overseas and somebody says, hey, man, we want to sign you to play. Okay, how much? And it's $100,000. That's a lot of money to making your first overseas contract. That's a lot. You know, it's 10 a month for 10 months. And a lot of these guys are going to scoff at it

because they're so used to making 15 or 20 a month. So it's going to be really interesting to see how they adjust on that level. Yeah, it's also I think the potential transition into football I feel like we haven't seen a ton of linemen make that transition in terms of having never really played football at a high level. Obviously there's other players. We've seen tight ends mostly. Yeah, exactly. And I feel like linemen obviously like it's already such a premier position and there's how many guys that do it throughout high school throughout college, they are a touted draft pick and even they don't make it.

I get the idea behind it, and, you know, sure, why not? Take a shot at it if you can't make it in the NBA. But I think to your point, he has a much better opportunity of just playing professionally elsewhere if his sights aren't solely set on just the NBA. I think the football thing is a fun discussion, but I don't know how realistic it truly is. Ryan knows that I'm not going to say who, but I have one GM friend in the NFL. He's like, hey, man, when you see a guy text me,

and I text him about different guys playing, and we talk about basketball players. Sure. And he said, like, look, he's seen these guys. Some of these guys he's developed, and some work, some don't. There's a handful of guys that does work. By all of them, he's like, you have to have played football as a kid. You have no chance.

You can't just show up in a football if you like. It doesn't work. And then, of course, there's all the check marks. The one thing about offensive line specifically, and a little bit defense line, There is a ton of technique involved. Oh, yeah. A ton of technique, and it's just really hard to learn on the fly.

Yeah, I think the only one, and I don't know it was full backstory, but it would be they just signed him doing a new contract. The Eagles left tackle, Jordan Milata, was a rugby player. He was a rugby player. Yeah, so that would be sort of one non-traditional who became, what is essentially a great offensive linemen in the league right now. Sure. All right, we'll stick with the NFL.

Russell Wilson, getting acquainted with the. his new teammates in Pittsburgh. His new, his new tied end, Pat Fryermouth, who's been with the Steelers previously, but now new to being Russell Wilson's teammate. Here's what he had to say about the quarterback. I was down there in San Diego working out with him, throwing routes. I think he's great talking to guys, starting to build that connection. He's a great guy. You can tell the drive and determination that he has to win and to come to Pittsburgh and win some playoff games for us. What are your expectations for Russ and what we're hearing from Fryermooth, that he's just a great

guy so far. I don't think it's as much about his personality as about his play. Really? Okay. And here's why I don't love it. I don't love it because it's an offensive system that he hasn't played in before. Granted, they're going to run the football a ton. Sure.

You know, people in Denver said that Sean Payton's biggest issue is, like, he doesn't see the field, doesn't see the whole field, and that he's constantly trying to, you know, call his own number because he thinks he can, right? So, like, the worst part of athletes is when they don't know who they are and Russell doesn't know who he is. How do I think it works out? I think they run the football a ton, but I do think on some level there's going to be a frustration with him

because he's just not who he used to be. And I'm sure the first half of the season, there'll be some really good stuff. stuff, and they found a way even last year without quality quarterback play to finish above 500 and to get into the playoffs. But I wouldn't be surprised. It wouldn't shock me if Justin Fields got a look sometime late in the season. Interesting.

Yeah, I mean, I think obviously that's sort of one of the big reasons why they brought in a player like Justin Fields is, you know, betting on the potential upside. Probably don't think that Russell Wilson's a long, long term quarterback for them. But I think, yeah, I mean, obviously they expect him to maybe potentially get some run. Otherwise, they just would have brought in any other sort of Joe Schmo backup. I do think that's interesting, though, that you think it's more about his play than his personality. I guess I sort of go hand in hand, but I feel like with Russ, his persona has become so criticized recently, whether it was the end of his time in Seattle or even during throughout his both years in Denver,

that I feel like people are quick to turn on him now. He felt like he had that sort of Teflon too good to be true personality in Seattle, but people were willing to look past it while they were winning games. But now it's like as soon as like one thing goes wrong, people are immediately jumping on that he's a phony kind of train.

Yeah. Look, I think he's, there's a guy in our business who, you know deep deep deep in our kind of conversations we know is that guy where you're like he's a phony he's a pony and I've had a bunch of people I know work near around that guy and I even had somebody work with him and it was like six months he was like I don't know what you guys are talking about like he's awesome and then one day he called me he was like damn everybody was right

So I think there's a, there'll always be a point where the real Russell Wilson will emerge. That's my guess. They always do. You always end up showing your true colors. And we'll wrap up with this, Doug, another NFL story. Cindy Loper said that, by the way. I see your true colors shining true. The NFL here with Washington commanders.

They're looking for a new franchise quarterback. Obviously, the expectation is that they will take one in the draft. Their star-wide receiver, Terry McLaurin, has had four straight 1,000-yard receiving seasons, despite a complete rotation of subpar quarterback play and asked about potentially having to work with a new young quarterback. He said, quote, my job is to, my job is when they get here is to help bring them along as well as I can because we'll go as far as the quarterback goes. Can we get scary, Terry? A quarterback, please. I mean, this guy is so productive and so good and just hasn't had anything to work with.

Multiple head coaches as well, multiple quarterbacks, multiple offensive systems. Yeah, you got to like, and there's a guy who's overlooked even while he's at Ohio State. No question about it. There should be better times ahead for the commanders. The only question is who? Who do they take it number two? And I think it's going to be interesting, right? Because you have a GM who comes from kind of that page.

mode, right? But then you bring in Cliff Kingsbury, like Cliff Kingsbury isn't drafting J.J. McCarthy. He's not drafting a quarterback. And again, I know he's not drafting, but you wouldn't hire Cliff Kingsbury to draft J.J. McCarthy or an under-center quarterback. You've got to make quick decisions, get rid of the football quickly. And he'll adjust some and evolve some, but like, we know what Cliff is going to run. I think that's why I think it's Jane McDaniels. That would be my best guess. Well, that's the news. And thanks for stopping by.

The Heard Lye News. You know, I hate the It's Now or Never or Title or Bus discussion. I do. It just because there's so many different things that can go wrong, things that can change, things that make it really, really hard. And you just got to be reasonable about it. But I'm done being reasonable about one sports team. Tell you who that is next.

I'm Doug Gottlieb. This. is the hurt. Another podcast from some SNL late-night comedy guy, not quite. Unhumor me with Robert Smygel and Friends. Me and hilarious guests from Bob Odenkirk to David Letterman help make you funnier.

This week, my guest, SNL's Mikey Day and head writer Streeter Seidel help an a cappella band with their between songs banter. Where does your group perform? We do some retirement homes. Those people are starving for banter. Listen to humor me with Robert Smigel and Friends on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts,

or wherever you get your podcasts. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal but encouraged. It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque. Others say it's unleashing human potential. Either way, the podcast's Superhuman documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year. Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds.

I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the I-Hard radio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. Hey, this is Robert from the Stuff to Blow Your Mind podcast. Joe and I are both lifelong Star Wars fan, so we're celebrating May the 4th with a brand new week of fun, thought-provoking Star Wars-related episodes. Join us as we tackle science and culture topics

from a galaxy far, far away, such as the biology of tontons and wampas on the ice planet hot, or the practicality and corporate business sense of the Sith rule of two. Listen to Stuff to Blow Your Mind on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. This is an IHeart podcast. Guaranteed human.