The Herd with Colin Cowherd - Hour 3 - NBA predictions

Episode Date: March 5, 2024

More on the Lakers this season and some interesting NBA predictions   Guest: Mark MedinaSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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in noon to 3 Eastern, 9 a.m. to noon Pacific. Find your local station for the herd at Fox SportsRadio.com or stream us live every day on the IHeartRadio app by searching Fox Sports Radio or FSR. You're listening to Fox Sports Radio. Mark Medina, NBA Ryder, has covered it now for 14 years. Was that the Lakers OKC? We'll get to that in a second.

I was just looking, Mark, at some next year, this coming draft after the season. It's not as good as the past draft, which had Wemby, but there was a French kid, a guard, who's going to go number one. and it is interesting to watch because SGA, you were at the Laker O KC game. SGA is Canadian. It does look like there is this kind of European movement. They come in mature.

They've played against older players. They're ready to go. They're focused. This, of course, not where they were raised. So they come in here, they sleep, they work out, they play, they go to bed, they're very focused. But I want to talk about SGA in Oklahoma City because I've been saying this all year. The Lakers are missing a piece. but they match up with Denver.

They match up with Boston. They match up with Minnesota. OKC, which everybody loves now because of their depth in youth, the Lakers beat him again last night. Colin, they beat them three times this season. And I do agree with you. They match up better than Oklahoma City because they have the length. They have the experience.

I don't think the thunder are overwhelmed with anything, even though they're young. They have some continuity. The great offense, Che, I think is a legitimate MVP. They can shoot. candidate, good wing defenders, but they don't, they're not a great rebounding team. But I do push back a little bit against the Lakers. They don't match up well against the Nuggets.

They've lost so far this season. Well, remember, of their last 11 games, the point differential is four. The Clippers is six. The Sons is nine. So my take is they're not going to beat Denver because Denver's the best basketball team on the planet. But their length, LeBron and A.D. and Reeves, creating contact and free throws, they can muddy it up, they can ugly it up a little bit. They don't have four players

in their prime like Denver, Porter, Gordon, Jamal. Most championship teams, World Cup, or NBA, your stars are in their prime. I can argue the Lakers have one player, star player in their prime, AD, and he's an old 30 due to injuries. So my take is they're not going to beat Denver, but they match up okay with them. Is that fair? I think that's fair, and they have a better chance

than they did last season because when they got swept against the Nuggets, they ran out of gas number one, number two, they weren't fully healthy. Now, the Nuggets won this. They're a well-oiled machine. Nicole Yokic has been an MVP for a reason, but as much as the Lakers have had ups and downs this season, I fully understood why they leaned into continuity

during the off-season as well as during the trade deadline. I think that was their best pathway to win because if you add a third star, you're diminishing roster depth, you're making themselves a little bit more exposed. in case LeBron James Anthony Davis aren't healthy, but here's what's also better. When you look at LeBron James Anthony Davis this season, they've been at their most healthiest than ever during their Lakers time.

And you never know if that will be subject to change, but they've given a lot of encouraging signs during the season to the coaching staff that they can say durable for the rest of the season. So Chris Mannix came on yesterday, and he'd spent several days almost a week with a box. And he said, listen, it was choppy at first, but they got rid of their gimmicky stuff. and he goes, they're a really good team now. And so last night, without Janus, they beat the Clippers.

What was your takeaway? Well, I think with the box, it's been a few things. Doc Rivers, he's helped simplify some of their schemes that was plugging them under Adrian Griffin. More time together. I think Janus onto Dekumpo and Damien Lurid have been a good duo. They just haven't unlocked their full potential. And their defense has gotten a lot better. They still and won't ever be able to replace Drew Holiday's absence,

but they've been able to lean on some of the other ingredients that made them good defensive teams. Jan is a great defender, Brooke Lopez. And so I think it's about managing their front court defense. But Colin, I think that I'm going to probably follow in Chris Mannix's footsteps here and being the latest guest to defend the Boston Celtics and say, it's still not good enough. Boston's that deep, that talented, that I think that they'll still be the favorites. So here's my takeaway.

I don't dispute. I think Boston has to win this year because, and if you go look at the history of teams, and I don't think Boston's going to reel off six titles. Denver's too good. Maybe they could go back and forth with Denver, but Denver's players are all in their prime. Gordon, Porter, they've shown an ability to draft, Yokic, Murray. They're all in their prime. This is not an old team at the end of the runway, like the Lakers, where you just don't know if AD can stay healthy.

So when I look at the Celtics, I don't think the Buffalo Bills will ever want. win as much as Reed and Mahomes. So there's going to be moments when they have an opportunity to win a title. This year for Buffalo was it, because Kansas City had their weakest receiving core, and their defense was young, and yet the chief still won.

So my takeaway is this year is important, and let me lay it out. The Knicks are going to go get a second star. A lot of talk that Trey Young, a perimeter score, what the Lakers need would join the Lakers. Denver's not getting worse. They're going to get more confident with playoff wins.

I think Dame and Janice should over time get better. They could also, they're getting old, add younger pieces. Mbid comes back. So my takeaway is I don't think the Celtics are good enough to go on a three-at-a-four-year title run, as long as Denver's Denver, and Yokic is Yokic. So they're going to have to win when the opportunity presents itself this year. Embeddead is hurt. Bucks fire their coach.

Warriors still too young in spots. Lakers missing a piece. Denver's it where you go, yeah, Denver's better. Is it fair to say, okay, there's a little Buffalo Bills. This is the year where the Knicks, the Lakers,

the Warriors, the Bucks are kind of just not quite ready. Is that fair? So philosophically, I'm with you about championship window. It's always open until it isn't. That can always change,

especially in today's NBA. But as far as the Celtics go, you've seen different stages of their growth and struggles. Early on, they didn't get to the finals because LeBron James was in Cleveland. Then you saw Jalen Brown and Jason Tatum

just continued to learn how to flourish as young players as well as coexist. Last season, yeah, as much as it's not great that they were down 3-0 to Miami. Miami is good and they're trying to figure out transition from first-year head coach

with Joe Missoua. This year, their offense is substantially better now that Chris House Porzingis is there. Jason Tatum's more efficient. Jalen Brown, so is he. Chris House for Zingas, we talk about his injury history, but he's been a lot more durable since he's been in

Washington, and Drew Holliday mitigates the defensive absence from Marcus Smart. So they're a substantially better team. Their regular season results have shown that. I think that they can carry that in the postseason. Now, what does this mean for the championship prospects?

I think that their pathway to the NBA finals, could be less bumpy than it would be for the nuggets. But I'm with you that it's not guaranteed. There's no prohibitive favor. The nuggets are defending champs. They're in their prime. And the clippers, if they're healthy, and that's always been a what-if, they could have a shot at it as well. So I've had Rachel Nichols said this.

I've had somebody in the NBA and Rachel Nichols tell me, wait until you see Wembe in person. His length is such that when he's got the ball and he's attacking the rim, he makes six, seven plays. players forwards look like Chris Paul, tiny. Have you seen him in person? You have thoughts on what we have and what's developed over the last two months into now an elite shooter. I've seen him twice in person, countless times on TV, and it's amazing. He makes everything look easy, and he's doing everything the right way. The biggest thing that jumped out to me when I saw him a few weeks ago here in L.A.

is his footwork. It's just so fundamentally sound. He's able to do it, use it to create space in the post, get some open shots for his teammates. But I think what's really confounding here is great as Victor Wenbighama is. The rest of the Spur's roster is so flawed and young that it hasn't resulted in enough winning. But that's not an indictment on Victor Wenbidama at all. He is about the right stuff. He puts in the work. Greg Popovich has really raved about how he has this emotional, where he's able to handle wins and loss as well. And he's a gym rat, and he's addicted to film study. And so he checks every single box that you'd want in a young player,

not just skill set, but work habit, attitude, everything else. So he's a generational star. Orlando, if I recall one, back-to-back lotteries. If I recall, there's an argument. J-Mack brought this up yesterday that the best player is also next year, this drafted from France. He's a winged player. And people have said, well, the spurs are going to be in the lottery.

And so it might take away that would be fantastic. But there is an argument that as Wembe develops, it's not the worst thing in the world to get back in the lottery. Couldn't I argue that? In the short term, yeah. I remember talking to a coach last offseason about the expectations of Victor Wembeeniam. And this coach was very strongly adamant that it would be good for the spurs to have a young roster around Wembe. opposed to just trying to get a bunch of veterans around them because this can allow

Wembe to grow organically. There's not as many expectations. But I think at some point, you have to be about not squandering the fact that you have a generational talent. So I think in the short term, if you're in the lottery gun, that's great. But then it's about using the assets you have to not just sign a bunch of free agents, but at least have some good veteran pieces around Wembe. So they're actually winning. Be sure to catch live editions of the herd, weekdays and Eastern 9 a.m. Pacific on Fox Sports Radio, FS1, and the IHeart Radio app. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal, but encouraged. It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque. Others say it's unleashing human potential. Either way, the podcast's

superhuman documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year. Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the 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 you're saying. Yep, that's me, Clivert Taylor the 4th.

You might have seen the skits, the reactions, my journey from basketball to college football, or my career in sports media. Well, somewhere along the way, this platform became bigger than I ever imagined. And now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifford Show. This is a place for Raw,

filtered 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-tap Little Kim's boobs at the VMAs? Or when Kanye said that George Bush didn't like black people. I know what you're thinking. What the hell does George Bush got to do a little Kim? Well, you can find out on the Look Back at it podcast. I'm Sam Jek. And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick you here, unpack what we'll be.

went down and tried 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 you all know. I mean, at this point, Mark, this is the second episode where we've discussed crack. So I'm starting to see that there's a through line. We also have AIDS on the table right now. Thank you 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. So one of the things I would always defend LeBron on is when you're in the public eye for 20 years. I mean, Joe Biden's been in the public eye for 40. You're going to have a bad day at the podium. Right. Now, I'm not talking recently, but I mean, you can bring back video from every. nobody's a public figure for 20 years as an athlete Brady at the end it got rocky with

Belichick the Bruce Ariens moved upstairs you know so when I look at LeBron I just he's mostly been incredibly stable a good guy given money out charitable he did say something the other day when he scored 40,000 points he said you know nobody was rooting for me and I thought I'm not to play a psychologist that's a little projecting people were absolutely he was a phenom. We all wanted to see what he looked like. I can remember the first game. I was a local sportscaster back in Portland, and I was like, I remember

I was taping the whole game and like, oh my God, this kid's a freight train. He's like 18 years old. Sometimes LeBron can be a little bit the world's against me. Do you think that like MJ is a little by design or he believes it? I think it's a little bit of both.

I don't think looking back when he came into the NBA that people are necessarily outwardly rooting for him to fail and he was on the s i cover for a reason people thought that he was going to be special and not only did he meet those expectations he eclipse them but i think that probably in his mind he's thinking about

the pressure of living up to that hype and maybe some of the people waiting to see hey you know what you didn't live up to that hype and then use that energy a little bit but as you know colm being around athletes they tend to embellish any sort of healthy skepticism into something more because it helps fuel their motivation. To be clear, I think a lot of these elite athletes, including LeBron, they're inwardly motivated. They're motivated to be the best versions of themselves because they want to win championships.

They want to set records. And they love the work. But I think that those external doubts that are real or embellished, it's just nice toppings on the Sunday to help fuel their drive. So we've said this. The NFL extended their season to 17 games. and so after an NFL season, I talk about football for a week, I take a week off, I come back, and then there's about 23 games left in the regular season.

The NFL wants to extend it to 18 games, and I think one of the reasons, it's probably reason number five, is to minimize the NBA's regular season. The NFL already went after Christmas Day for the NBA. And I don't think it helped. It was a tipping point day. It was a marketing day for the league, and the NFL just now owns Christmas. So the NFL's always been, they view themselves as a competitive TV show, and they're going after pro basketball.

That, losing Christmas Day and some of the momentum, and the extension of the NFL season, and the European dominance in the league. Right now, the top 7, 8 players, you can argue, Luca, SGA, Yonis, they're European, number one pick this year, will be European. Where do you think the NBA is? I love it, and I start watching it after the NFL season.

Every night, I'll watch a couple of, games tonight. But do you think there is concerns, the ratings of dip, the All-Star game was embarrassing? Where is the league as a whole? Yeah, I think through the last few years talking to people in the NBA, whether it's the league or just people

around different teams, they've conceded the obvious fact that you can't compete against the NFL. That's a lost cause. People here love football. So it's not about how did their ratings match up with the NFL. I think what they're more concerned about is the quality

of the product on a night-in-night-out basis where most of the players are available for any game that there's competitive balance across the league and we're at an ironic tipping point here Colin because when you look at the competitive balance we were talking about so many different teams

that have a legitimate shot at winning they're successful in that where they haven't been successful in recent seasons is the availability of star players on the night-to-night basis. I think it's a big deal and you know they've been trying to address that with you know the 65 game rule and trying to pressure, you know, the different teams to not just go load management

just for the sake of it. But it's a really hefty draw because a lot of the organizations, they view it as we're protecting our long-term assets. We're not just inventing things and putting them out for certain injuries that could hurt them. But you want to give consumers a reason to watch inconsistently. Also, the NBA made sure they released the report this year that load management did not help. They made sure

that got to market, that I saw it, that you saw it. They went back over eight years and said, we watched load management. It had no impact on injuries. Yeah, and I think that here is a gray area that they want to iron some wrinkles out. Maybe being proactive with managing health

and injuries, that's a good thing. We've seen players extend their careers in today's era compared to previous generations, but there hasn't been a proper ramp up time from when a player comes back from injury to then getting practice time. And a lot of times that's where injuries can happen

when you don't have the right ramp up. It's the same equivalent of when you're parking the car in the garage for a while and you're not driving. And all of a sudden, the engine doesn't work. You have to keep it active for a little bit. Yeah. All right. Mark Medina, good seeing you again.

Lifewise. Lakers, Western Conference Finals. I think size, it's realistic to you. Well, you never bet anything against LeBron as long as he's healthy. if I had to take a pick here, I think that their best case scenario was second round. I'm picking the Denver Nuggets and the L.A. Clippers in the West Finals.

What say you, Jay Mack? Yeah, I don't hate that. Celtics against... It'll be Celtics against the Bucks, and then in the finals, it'll be Celtics. Clippers and Nuggets are like 1A, 1B. If it's on paper, I would say Clippers, because they're starting line up is amazing.

So you think the Clippers beat the Nuggets. They have so much talent, but it's a lot of qualifiers of how. health and the Nuggets are the real deal. They got the championship equity and yeah, they lost some key pieces from last season, but they have Nicole Yokech, Jamal Murray, Michael Porter Jr. Aaron Gordon, and they're all in their prime.

Yep. Good seeing you, man. Likewise. All right. Good stuff. You know, it is interesting, Jay Mack. We talk about the NFL's going to 18 games and part of me thinks, be careful because of the injuries. It's, you know, it's got regulated levels of violence. It's like asking a UFC fighter to fight three fights a year

or not two, right? But then I think to myself, you know how good it would be 18 games? It goes one more week. We take a week vacation, come back, and you're already getting into like the final 16 regular season NBA games. So we have less layoff. And then by the way, with that 16 games is NFL free agency. So it's like Combine FI. So you and I are always looking, because we know like July is dead. But you and I are always figuring out like how do we make late February mark? Because April's good with a draft. How do we make it work? And what's really interesting is the NFL extends it part of me thinks they're being greedy and part of me thinks it really works for me.

It's all about you. I will say it works for me. We'll take a break, wrap it up. Heardline News next, live in Los Angeles, The Herd. Be sure to catch live editions of The Herd, weekdays in noon Eastern, 9 a.m. Pacific. Hey, it's Ben. Host of The Fifth Hour with Ben Mallor. It would mean a lot to have you join us on our weekly auditory journey.

You're asking what in God's name is the fifth hour? I'll tell you, it's a spinoff of the Ben Mallor show, a cult hit overnight's on FSR. Why should you listen? Picture if you will a world where we chat with captains of industry in media, sports, and more every week, explore some amazing facts about human nature and

more. Listen to the fifth hour with Ben Mather on the Iheart radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal, but encouraged. It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque. Others say it's unleashing human potential. Either

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

Yep, that's me, Clipper 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-tap Little Kim's boobs at the VMAs?

Or when Kanye said that George Bush didn't like black people. I know what you're thinking. What the hell does George Bush got? to do 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 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 yeah, yeah, literally. 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 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. Spring football is about to hit a whole new level. Has the USFL and XFL come together to unleash. The United Football League, opening weekend, kicks off March 30th on Fox,

with the USFL champion Birmingham Stallions taking on the XFL champion Arlington Renegades. The UFL this spring on ABC, ESPN, FS1N, Fox. All right, JMAQ, without further ado, we pushed into the end of the show, not because we're not captivated, JMAQ with the news. No, no, no, no, no. Turn on the news. This is the herd line news. All right.

All right. Here we go. Big news, Seattle Seahawks just announced they are releasing both of their starting safeties. Jamal Adams and Quandre Diggs. Kind of seismic. Both of your starting safeties, see ya. They also have announced they will let go tight end Will Disley.

Now we know Seattle's new coach is McDonald, who was in Baltimore. Safety's kind of not in vogue position now, but he used Kyle Hamilton in like an awesome role. It sounds like maybe they're going to be getting some new safeties. in Seattle. You know what the good teams in this league don't do? Pay safeties. I mean, this is just,

I mean, again, you can't say a bad word about Pete Carroll in Los Angeles, but he loved this Jamal Adams move. He doesn't, he can't cover. He's just like a, he's like a fast linebacker.

And these are both really talented guys, but Seattle was paying two safeties. Yeah. So the last two drafts, John Snyder's hit it out of the first. One of the reasons Pete got let go,

And they hit it out of the park in the draft. They had like nine hits during the draft. And the defense was still terrible. And so, I mean, to me, this new coach, I really think it was, I'm not, you know, a fan of defensive coaches. Yeah. But I do think this Baltimore guy has got a new way of seeing the world. And Seattle felt outdated. They were paying, I mean, they're paying linebackers and safeties.

And I know Pete's history is linebacker safeties, but that's not where you can spend the money. Go cheap at safety. Cheap in interior linemen usually. You know, you can't pay a fortune generally for tight ends. You pay for quarterbacks, left tackles, two weapons, edge rusher, and maybe a corner. But I think this is the right move by Seattle. Yeah, so Jamal Adams coming out of LSU was a stud. With the Jets, he was a game wrecker at times.

Can't stay healthy. He can't stay healthy. He had some issues with some 15-yard penalties like Derwin James has had. And I don't know where you play him. You can't play him in coverage. He's not great inside the box. I don't know what his market's going to be like. Where does he land?

Well, not for a big price tag. It doesn't have a market. So Diggs has a little market. But I think this is, Seattle needed a new pair of eyes at coach. It wasn't that Pete didn't have the energy. It wasn't about age. But their defense the last two years has been bad. And they got some players.

But I didn't like their ins. And also, their offensive line has more talent than its production. So I think Seattle needs a new fresh set of eyes and a new perspective. New quarterback. This is one of the smart moves. Let's stop paying. I don't know. How much did you say this save them?

I think I saw $27 million. And most of their good players after D.K. Metcalfe are on the cheap. They've got a lot of good young players. They're going to have some cap space here. Penix in the draft. I don't think that's a terrible. I do not think that's a terrible move. His OC from Washington is now the OC for the COF.

Yeah, I do not think. I think Michael Pennix makes a lot of sense, and I think it's time to spend the money more wisely. Go spend the money on, you know, or if I was Seattle, I would draft a quarterback and go buy the first, second, or third best pass rusher. Their pass rushes in. Go buy a pass rusher. Next up, listen, Lance Zerline was on this show, I think, last week.

And I joke to you, but not joke to you. Like, he was being a hater. And now he's got his newest mock draft out. Colin, this is, I. Let me hear. You know, I was frustrating even looking at this. Let's get it on the screen. Oh, I want to see it.

So obviously Caleb Williams won, but he has Jaden Daniels 2 over Drake May. That's insanity. And then this is even worse. I'm sorry, Lance. Malik neighbors ahead of Marvin Harrison? I don't see. Marvin Harrison is arguably the best player in this draft. And he's got him the second receiver taken?

I just, I'm not buying it. He also has J.J. McCarthy to Denver. He sees the Broncos trading with the Bears. I, listen. I have, like J.J. McCarthy, trading up to get J.J. McCarthy does seem a little expensive to me, but what do I know? Now, in this scenario, I love the bears getting Roma Dunazay. Holy hell. Caleb Williams, Roma Duna Zay, D.J. Moore. Who's the tight end that you like a lot that I kind of made fun of there?

The bears. Cole Kemet. Cole Kemet. And they got some weapons. Don't they have Tunyon? It's like a good second guy. They might have Tunyon, yeah. I don't agree with these picks.

In evaluation, Lance knows more than I do. A lot of people like Jaden Daniels. moves very well and he was more consistent than Drake May, so I don't think that's crazy. I don't think it's crazy. What about neighbors ahead of behind? So Lance's reasoning for neighbors, he says right here, he says stacking the top receivers will be more complicated. There's a lack of consensus on the wide receiver pecking order.

If my discussions with team sources, tell me anything. So Harrison, now I will say Harrison probably didn't do himself. a lot of favors by not talking to media, not doing this, where Roma Dunzee was like everybody's favorite guy at the combine. But I think what is fair to say is that we have three great wide receiver talents, no question. And then there's a drop off to really good prospect. Yeah, I don't mind being wrong if Neighbors is unbelievable. But if you pencil in Marvin Harrison to the Chargers with Harbaugh and Herbert,

I mean, Chargers fans will do carp will. a cartwheel on this show. If Justin Herbert gets Malik Harrison in the time. Now you I will glad I did the a dance. I can't believe I'm forgetting it. But I will do a cartwheel on the show if Marvin Harrison falls to the Chargers. You get ready. Put it on archive. I don't mind doing that.

Are you kidding me? That's insane. All right. Final story. Franchise tag deadline is today at 4 Eastern. Some notable players have been tagged already. Here's the early list. Not a surprise here, but T. Higgins, the Bengals. Legerius Sneed tagged. Brian Burns just tagged by the

Panthers, the edge rusher. Justin Mabudike, the defensive tackle. Josh Allen, the linebacker for Jacksonville. Josh Allen, the edge rusher, yes. Antoine Winfield, who's excellent in the secondary for Tampa, and Jalen Johnson in the secondary. Jaylon Johnson's a great corner.

He's very good. Now, these are all really, really good players. Josh Allen's not a household name. The quarterback is the linebackerism, but I know a team that was interested in him. He's good. Giants reportedly not tagging, Sequan Barcl. Now that's interesting.

So what do you make of that? I think he's going to the Chargers. Now, listen, we know Harbaugh wants to run the football. He wants to get tough. Yeah, but for Seguan Barclay to go to the Chargers, they're going to have to get rid of Derwin James, Khalil Mack.

Okay. But you could say okay, but they need a center, a right tackle, a receiver, a tight end, an outside linebacker to replace. They've got some needs. They've got some needs, because they have some cap issues.

Listen, we see this a lot in the NBA. Players want to play with, like, LeBron or whatever. This just came down. The Colts are going to franchise tag Michael Pittman if no deal is reached by 4 p.m. today. And I like Pittman. He's a low one or a great two. Is he a one or a two?

I like him. Yeah, I'm with you on that. Yeah, I think he's a low one or a great two. So, listen, the franchise, players don't like it. But the bottom line, you accepted it, and what it does is it pays you a fortune. for a players all want big money and multiple years. This is not the NBA. You don't get that.

I mean, Mike Evans just got what, 26 million per year? Like, what is Pittman probably wants that? I can't give him 26 million. No, I can't either. I like Mike. I think he's very good. But to go back, like, I wonder, you said the Chargers have a lot of needs. It's not the NBA where people want to play with LeBron that take less. Do you think people would want to play for Harbaugh? Yes.

And have knowing Herbert. Players want to win. and coming out to L.A. And maybe not taking less, but, like, Sequin Berkeley's going to be okay getting like $6 million. Harbaugh loves players. You know who he didn't love? The former GM of the Niners. Oh, bulky, that's right.

Yeah, he loves players. The Michigan players love Harbaugh. The Niners players. Jim can struggle with rival coaches and a GM. That's why with Chargers, he's bringing his people. But this idea that Harbaugh's not liked, he didn't get along with Jim Schwartz. He didn't get along with Trent Balke. Well, Balkees now in Jackson.

So Harbaugh's gone on and become a legend. So who won that battle? If I'm Sequin Barclay, I look at what Jim Horbaugh does. I say, I'm not going to clamor for $9 million to go to a crap team. I'll take six, and I'll go to the Chargers, and I'll probably win, and my value will go up. I think it's a smart move for Barclay, but we'll see. So do I. J. Mack with the news.

Well, that's the news. And thanks for stopping by. The Hurd-Lie News. I keep seeing these stories. NFL's going to 18 games. Do you like it or not? It's very easy for me to go, guys, scarcity is your friend. But college football's adding games with the playoffs.

So what does that do for the contracts? Well, you can make more money. So, I mean, my take is baseball's got 162 games, which is insane. NBA's got 82. I can live selfishly 18 games is better for me because the one thing that gets ratings on a simulcast on cable TV is politics and the NFL. So I'm for it for my business. Part of me thinks if I, would I coach differently? Absolutely. If I had veteran players, I would build in, because if you have 18 weeks, you get a second buy.

Are we going to expand rosters too? I think you should, but you get a second buy. So that my takeaway is that's good for us. Two buys? Well, now you get to 20 weeks, 18 games, 20 weeks. So for you and I, if we go to 18 games, when the NFL season ends February like 18th, you got to put your Super Bowls, by the way, in warm weather. President's Day weekend. Right, right, right. So you and I, President's Week, the season ends.

We talk about NFL for a week. You and I take a vacation. We would come back like this week. For March Madness. And you're right in the middle of March Madness, end of the NBA season, and free agency. So for us, you'd have that, you would lose that two-week lull. Because if you add another week of NFL,

I would imagine you had a buy week, so you're really extending the season two weeks. And if you do, for us, we no longer have that two to three week, you know, kind of like, we're bald looking at each other going, what do we talk about? And we just have July and a couple of slow weeks in August. I just, what? You know how the NBA, like it used to be the NBA on Saturday on NBC or whatever? It was one day a week.

And now it's on like five days. There's no urgency. Right. Are you expanding too much in the NFL if now there's 18 games? The first month, it doesn't. matter. It didn't matter before. Now it's like, okay, who cares? I didn't love it when they expanded to 17.

Ratings went up. Well, it's just one game. Now you're adding a second game. Well, people are used to 17. Now you go to 18. I wonder if it's because the owners are like, hey, I don't like this. Nine home games versus nine home games, eight road games, and then next year we'll only get eight. I think it's two reasons. That's

one of them. Now you get nine guaranteed home games. I do believe you'll cut the preseason down to two games. Because they went from four to three. Now I think the players should say, okay, now we go to two preseason games. No starters play.

These are, you know, you just do some camp, you know, commanders versus the Cowboys or something in camp. No starters play preseason. If I was the NFLPA, I'd say, okay, now we want two preseason, mostly rookies and first, second year guys, no veterans. I want less pads hitting during the season. I want a second buy. Well, I think expanding rosters for sure has to be up.

Now the owners will push back against that because that's taking money out of their pocket. But owners think of two things. One is I get guaranteed home games and another week of betting with my gambling sponsors. They're going to give you more money because I have another week of NFL gambling. So although you drive the numbers up with your draft kings and you say, we're going to take a little more money annually from the big beverage companies, the gambling companies, it's all very exciting. Let's go to 20 games.

Just keep going. 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 Smygle and Friends on the I-Heart Radio app. or wherever you get your podcasts. On The Look Back at it podcast. From 1979, that was a big moment for me. 84 was big to me. I'm Sam J. And I'm Alex English.

Each episode, we pick a year, unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it. With our friends, fellow comedians, and favorite authors. Like Mark Lamont Hill on the 80s. 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 Podcast.

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, unfilled conversations with athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. So let's get to it. Listen to the Clifford Show on the Iheart Radio. app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok. This is an IHeart podcast, guaranteed human.