The Herd with Colin Cowherd - Hour 3 - NFL news and reviews

Episode Date: May 2, 2024

Looking at the first round QBs in the NFL draft and why Michael Penix Jr. might be special The 49ers will have decisions to make at WR   Guest: T. J. HoushmandzadehSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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It's the heard, wherever you may be and however you may be listening. Thanks for Megan Ask for your day. I thought Paul Pierce was interesting. He thinks Aunt Edwards is going to be the next star. He said he's relatable. His game is dynamic. He's a handsome kid. He's good on the mic.

His team is winning. But there is this line. Is he going to be Dominique or is he going to be Michael? Michael wanted to be the star. Magic wanted to be the star. dream did not. Like some of it is, do you want to embrace it? My guess is Aunt Edwards more than Wembe would really want it. Plus, Wemby seems not very good. I'll sit, you know, we touched on this last night, but

this whole face of the league discussion, like, let's be real. Steph Curry never was considered to be a face of the league guy until, like, 2015, 2016, like that came out of nowhere. Guys come out of nowhere in the NBA. Like, Yokic, nobody at him as a face of the league or BNVP three out of four years. But he's, we knew Steph in college, his dad played in the league, he had a spectacular game, and he was one A in terms of likeability. He was in a big market. The Warriors were a big brand.

They were winning championships. He was like hurt. No, no, before he won titles. Like, it was like, Steph. He wasn't close to the face of the league. So usually guys come out of, like Patrick Mahomes came out of nowhere to be the face of the NFL. No, it happens. The NFL's bulletproof.

Like, they don't need one. I mean, it's like Farve left and Brady left and Manning. left, the ratings went up. Like, their thing is they just can't make a big mistake. Like the Kaepernick situation, the numbers went down. The NFL has these A, B, C, or D markets, depending on if you're a city viewer or and it hurt their C&D markets. A lot of people thought it was political.

And so the NFL is just trying to avoid. They're like a major corporation, a big lawsuit. That's what the NFL wants to. They don't need to grow to the sky. If they have 3% growth every year, it's huge money. and the NBA tends to be as popular as their star. International soccer, English Premier League, that's like the NFL. People watch Liverpool, Manu, it doesn't matter.

Now you can be more popular if you get, you know, Rooney, it is prime, but the bottom line is the NFL and the English Premier League, they'll never be unpopular. And then you get leagues that are culturally in a bad spot, cricket. They called that the national. pastime in the UK. It's too slow. People don't watch it. Baseball is struggling with that. Young kids aren't watching it. But then you get in the NBA where it's a global sport, the play's never been better, but its domestic popularity is based on how popular is their star. So

Magic and Bird, you had left coast, rice ghosts. It was, so I know I go old school. I grew up in the 70s when everybody was pretty good. The Sonics won a title. The Warriors won. The Washington Bullets won, Elvin Hayes, West Unselled, Kevin Grevy, Phil Sheenair, blah, blah, blah. So that's the 70s, the Blazers. But there was no... The league was in big trouble in the 70s. You had a cocaine issue.

The NBA finals were on tape delay. And then David Stern, a marketer came in, and shoe deals, and it's magic, and it's bird. And then, hands off to Michael, and so it had about a 20-year run where it was like, damn, this is popular. And then they lost half the audience.

Again, like we could do a dissertation on this. The timing of Jordan leaving right at the inception of the internet taking off. Yeah. You know, streaming was not even there. Cell phones were just, like, the timing of Jordan leaving lined up perfectly. I don't think the NBA lost as much audience, because again, that's just one metric. If you want to look at social media as a metric for whatever that's worth, LeBron has more followers than like the top 15 NFL players combined. Like he's just, he opens his mouth, says something, and it's a global story.

But remember, people, I've always said, the NBA is like sushi. You're either into it or not. The NFL is lasagna or pizza. Everybody kind of likes it. Like it may not be your favorite sport, but everybody kind of likes pizza. The NBA is not. They are more political than other leagues. They lean into politics.

That's tuned out a bunch of people. There's a connection to hip-hop that may not connect with all Americans. So the NBA tends to be a love it or you're ripping it league. Now, you and I love watching the playoffs, and I grew up with the league, so I've always loved it. I do think sometimes they get too political. I'm comfortable with that. A lot of middle America is not. I get it.

I'm not judging. I don't have a problem with the BLM and what. It didn't sit well with a lot of people. Whatevs? But the difference is, the NBA is going through a fascinating thing right now. So they're going to get paid a fortune. So the cable properties, they've got to survive. And so here comes NBC making a huge offer for the thing.

the NBA to steal it from TNT. I think TNT does a great job with it, but steal it from it. So the NBA is going to make double it, and then here comes the streaming giants, Amazon to pay for it. So the bottom line is all the people who roll their eyes of the NBA, NBA players

will be making a hundred million a year within four or five years. It's so funny. All I see on social media is, oh, the NBA, nobody watches the NBA, nobody this. Amazon is going to get in bed with the league, assuming they do. And they're going to get content what for like six straight months every night there's basketball do you think

Howard Stern cares that he has half the audience he used to and makes 11 times what he used to he doesn't care howards oh has been he made 10 million a year and FM radio he just signed another deal for a hundred and fifteen million dollars a year do you think he carries he has half the audience the owners do not care if their ratings go down if NBC outbid's TNT and Amazon signs. They don't care. It doesn't matter. It's content.

The critics worry about these ratings. You know what the owners care about? And the commissioner cares about? The bag. Money. That's all any of you. Yeah. And LeBron doesn't care if you're watching.

He wants a rich league. So a lot of this stuff is just, it doesn't matter. The NFL has both huge social currency and the bag in ratings. So it has all three. But that's it in the country. Like baseball's got no social. currency. People do not talk about it in shows like this at all. But they got a lot of money and a lot of volume. And the owners are, you know, take out the A's. Most ownership groups, you know, they're

happy they're in the sport. So, you know, you and I just, you and I tend to be, um, we both like business. I'm not a businessman, but we both like business. You have a business. Well, whatever. Running a business. Yeah. But I guess the point is, I've, and I've been asked this question before, If I could bet on four things in sports, I remember, and these guys do a great job, Tony and Mike at the other place, and they were bemoaning the future of the NFL. And I'm like, you guys are living in that little northeast bubble. You never been to Texas.

Football's going nowhere in this country. Go to the south. Go spend a Saturday in the south. Football's going nowhere. In left-leaning, L.A., parents don't want their kids to play football. My buddies are like, I'm an outcast because I let my kid play football. most of the country's fine with it. So if you had to bet on four things that are going to work in sports in the next 25 years,

I would go NFL, sports gambling, the World Cup and College football. Those are impenetrable. Now, now, the NBA as well. I should say five. Yeah, gambling. I just say sports gambling, it's not going backwards. No. Everybody's in bed.

So let me do it again, a five. because we've seen boxing die, men's tennis in America. We've seen stuff to horse racing. So let me do it again. If I had to do it in order, I would say NFL number one, growth for 25 years, some level, or plateau growth. Sports gambling. How are you defining growth, by the way? You're signing bigger contracts every time.

So I would say NFL one, sports gambling two, college football and NBA and World Cup all feel the same. World Cup's going nowhere, but it's all, it's every four. years. So it's really growing. In 202026 World Cup. But everything else to me has either a cultural issue, you're losing young kids, you're going to get desperate and go to a platform. Nobody watches. I'll give you an example. MLS. I like the MLS. I don't watch it as much. They went to Apple. I like Apple. I got all their products. But the minute they took that money and went behind a paywall, I don't watch it. There's no more incidental viewers. So MLS now has no incidental viewers. If I went behind a paywall, I would drive my most ardent fans, but I'd lose half of you, 75.

I wouldn't get any casual viewers. But that's the Howard Stern model, right? But again, Howard's thing is he's not a league, he's a dude, and once six is the first number in your age, follow the money. You build your brand until six is the first number. Then Howard didn't need to be more famous. He didn't care about fame. Now, the MLS is different. that's a business with 20-some owners.

That's a real gamble to take that streaming money. They got fortunate when Messi came over. They did, but that's one team. It is. They went and took the streaming money. It has to, in my opinion, nobody, the casuals are all gone. So the NFL's smart. They still understand the value of the networks,

but they'll play around with Amazon on Thursday night in a peacock streaming game. But they understand where their bread is butter. But there's no competition for the NFL. There's no other football leagues out there, really, that are the level of NFL. MLS is contending with League MX. You've got Premier League, like soccer leagues all around the world. NFL, like, what other, there's no other competition.

Well, there's no competition. Anti-Trust laws for baseball, and it's been decreasing in social currency forever. That's fair. They're working to speed up the sport. They are speeding it up. They went to a Padres game, and it was like two hours and ten minutes. No, they are. Games now are two hours, 36 minutes.

It wasn't long ago. They were three hour and nine minutes. But that's a step in the right direction. It took forever, but baseball's made the right moves. Yeah. But I guess, I don't know what started this whole thing. I don't either. I don't really.

But I guess, I know what started it. This idea, like NBA, back to sushi. The NBA, you love it or you're going to criticize it. And the truth is, they're going to get the money. In ours, people ask me all the time, we'll come up. Who decides what to talk about? And I always say the same things. I talk about two things.

urgency and stars. Baseball has neither. NBA has stars. College football, NFL, have urgency. When the World Cup's going on, urgency. A UFC huge fight. urgency. Phil Mickelson wins the Masters.

urgency. The only topics I talk about on the show, you got to be urgent, the game matters, or you have stars. Baseball doesn't have enough of either. There's too many games, and there's not enough, you know,

A-Rod was like, oh, A-Rod to the Yankees. I mean, I can remember being in a San Diego airport. I never forget this. The old San Diego airport. The new one's beautiful. But the old one, you'd come down the escalator to the baggage claim area, and there was a little

bar to the left. And I was coming down for a weekend, and I came down the escalator, and people were packed at the bar. And I'm like, it's two in the afternoon. People aren't drinking. They're not, the San Diego's not day drinking to this level. And Jose Konseca was up at the plate. Jose Konseca was batting

I think for the A's, and literally there were 30 people jammed. They weren't even drinking. And I was like, that's what baseball lacks. A-Rod brought some of that. Mike Trout was great. So can they manufacture stars? I don't know. It's a good, I don't know.

I think stars, I mean, Taylor Swift, how to explain it? She was born to be a star. Caitlin Clark, born to be a star. Some people, just the game, the attitude, the likability, the relatability. sometimes factors, I mean, women's basketball had been growing. I don't think she would be nearly as big if she played for Yukon. I think the fact that she was Big Ten, middle of the country, underdog. She wasn't on a Yukon dominant team or South Carolina.

I think part of it was she was Hoosiers. That was, yeah, exactly. She was basically 24 Hoosiers. We think of Iowa, the heart of the country, farming, old school. and here's this scrappy girl hitting 38 footers taking Iowa in. And it's just, it was Hoosiers. There probably won't be a better sports story this year than what Caitlin Clark did in the NCAA tournament.

There won't be a more stunning sports store. Like the Olympics will be a big deal, but I don't think anything on top what Caitlin Clark did. They were beating every rating except NFL playoff games. Yeah. Her preseason action is getting love of those. She sold more jerseys than the entire Dallas Cowboy football team. That's not a shooting star.

That's like, oh, that's like the movie Armageddon. Here it comes. Something going across the skyline. I don't remember the last time. I remember very, very vaguely Fernando Mania. In the 80s, I think it was. I remember it, but we didn't have the internet to this level. But I can remember that was like on the national news, Dodger pitcher, Lefty, the number 34.

That was like a, wow, kind of a star out of nowhere. Doesn't happen that often. I'll take your word for it, all the 70s stuff. You know I was collecting my baseball card. Think identity theft won't happen to you. Think again there's a new victim every three seconds, over 15 million this year alone. LifeLock alerts you to identity threats you could miss.

Save up 25% their first year. promo code is Herd, H-E-R-D at LifeLock.com. Be sure to catch live editions of the Herd, weekdays in noon Eastern, 9 a.m. Pacific On Fox Sports Radio, FS1, and the I-Hard 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 I-Hard radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. A win is a win.

A win is a win. I don't care what 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,

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go with a Navian at tankless, maidsimble.com. 15-year limited warranty. Spa-like comfort, Navian. J-Mack with the news. No, no, no, no. Turn on the news. This is the herd line news. All right, Colin, first up, paper clips

on the verge of elimination after last night's blowout loss to the Mavericks. Paul George has a player option for next season but could potentially opt out and sign a max deal elsewhere. There are reports that the Clippers don't want to give him a max offer. Now, Kauai, they did not give one, but Kauai was like, I'll take it, you know, I'm always hurt. Paul George, he wants a max deal apparently. Who's more dependable on the Clippers and who is more available and who's close? closest to their prime.

That would be Paul George. Then I would pay him. Okay. So this is where it gets interesting. The Sixers have a max slot available. Yes. Now that's really interesting, but he's an L.A. kid. It's a winter league.

He doesn't want playing Philly. Well, does he want to play with Maxie and Embed in the East? No. Why not? Because he lives in L.A. He loves L.A. I don't know, man. Let me ask you this.

Find all the guys choose. I know you think it's political. It's not. Find all the great athletes that say, you know, I'm in my prime. Let's leave L.A. They get traded. Matt Stafford chose L.A. LeBron chose L.A.

Kauai, Paul George, Mookie Betts. So you're saying turn down the bag in Philly and stay in L.A. Well, it's not like you're not getting a lot of money with the Clippers. Listen, once you get a net worth over $150, $200 million, how many cars do you get? Who cares? But I should also add the Orlando Magic. Now, that's an interesting one.

I know it's East, but it's a winter league. It's Orlando weather, no state tax. It's fan base is not relentless like Philadelphia's media. You can hide behind the gates, the media is fairly toothless. Orlando's an underrated market in terms of NBA. I spend a lot of time in Orlando because I lived in Tampa. Oh, really? You can hot, first of all, lakes every, the Butler chain, lakes everywhere.

Alligators everywhere. Winter Park, no state tax, loyal fan base, but not, They're appreciative. I get Jalen Sugs, Bancaro. Bencaro's been amazing now. I think Orlando's an underwriting. I got a lot of family in Orlando. I was joking.

I like it as well. It's just you can't go there in like June, July, August, because it's oppressively humid in like 150 degrees. Oh, yeah. I'm sure Paul George in his outdoor space won't have a little, you know. Yeah, no, no, you're right. A little mist machine down there. I like to think the Knicks are in the mix.

I don't know. I would go after Kevin Durant first. But Paul George is going to have suitors. interesting decision for the papercliff. They also have James Hardin's impending free agency. We don't know what's up with Westbrook. Well, they're opening a new arena so they've got to have a star.

So they're stuck with Kauai and I would retain Paul George both good wing defenders. I'd probably clean other stuff out. I don't know. I like Terrence Mann. I think a Hardin Kauai Paul George trio is very nice. For a bunch, big chunk of this season,

that team looked dangerous in the West. They're just not healthy now. What did you say about the regular season? They look like something? A lot of people in the regular season. I'm just saying, I'm thinking about I'm Paul George. It's like, I want to win games. Well, I'm winning them with the Clippers,

but the East is weaker, no state tax. Orlando's a nice place to live. I mean, Shaq left because he was so, he was the biggest guy in the league. Paul George could go hide there, hang out. I mean, you're close to Miami. You want to be the two in Orlando or the three in Philly? Two in Orlando.

Wow. You've gone against Philly now. I like it. You've been to Orlando. You've ever been to Winter Park? I have. It's awesome. Briefly owned a house there. Yeah, it's great. All right. Next up, amid the speculation, the Niners would deal one of the receivers last week at the draft.

Doesn't sound like they're going to do that anymore. It sounds like they're going to go into next season with Iyuk and Debo Samuel on the roster. According to the latest report, the Niners would only consider dealing Iyuk if they got a godfather-like offer or one that was too good to refuse. Well, that ain't happening. and, you know, they did not land Marvin Harrison Jr., Malik's neighbors, Roma Dunes. They didn't get any of those guys.

Colin, it's not the worst thing in the world. Your quarterback's a seventh-round pick on his rookie deal. You can afford IUC and Debo. This could be the Niners here. Well, they drafted two receivers. How do we know they don't want to watch them in camp? Let me watch the guys in camp. There's no point in getting a draft pick for Iyukin now.

You're getting nothing to help your Super Bowl. No, I mean, you could get a draft pick in a park. player. Okay. So I mean like for instance, anybody got, you know, their offensive lines a little wonky center right. You know, can you give me a starting guard and a number two draft pick? You know, if one of these two receivers can play, you're going to make a decision. I think they want to go to camp and see if they can play. I don't know how, I don't understand how you have them below the Rams in the NFC West. They have not gotten worse. I'll give you, but they haven't gotten better. The Rams had a great draft. They lost Aaron Donald. Did you see the Niners in

Rams play last year? Yeah, Shanahan owns him. Be careful. I get McVeigh. I get the better offensive line. I get the significantly more talented quarterback. Whoa, whoa, whoa. McVeigh, Shanahan, you give him McVeigh the edge?

Head to head, it's been all Shanahan. Who's been, who's got the... I know he has, I get it. He's got a Super Bowl. Okay. Wow. Oh, my God. Well, it has to count for something.

Final story. Pittsburgh. We have a wacky. Pittsburgh Steelers story. I don't know what's going on here, but according, during Cam Hayward's podcast, because now every NFL player has a podcast, running back, Jalen Warren discussed his desire to return kicks because there's new kickoff return rules this season.

But the interesting part was he said that Steelers special teams coordinator discussed having Justin Fields, that's quarterback Justin Fields, as a kickoff returner. Now, making it even more crazy is that the Steelers signed Cordarell Patterson, the same day the NFL adopted these new league rules, they're like, we got to go grab kickoffs are valuable, let's get Cord Patterson. What is Justin Fields? Is this just smokescreen stuff? Is he joking?

I mean, if I'm Justin Fields, I'm ticked off. For all the Chicago people that in week 13 were still arguing he's the future, he has now apparently been reduced to a kick returner? I'm just thinking, I wouldn't, if I was Justin Fields, I'm like, I guess you want to be a team guy. Just cut me now?

Like, I don't want any part of that. Well, I mean, what if you go to camp? And Russell's already been given the one. I mean, people can say what they want. He didn't go to Pittsburgh without some guarantees. He's going to start. So you're on the bench. If I'm Justin Fields, I'm not worried about Russell's dominating.

Let me say it. Pittsburgh picked him up. Here's the reason why. Justin Fields will be starting a quarterback for somebody next year. It won't be the Steelers. They're going to use. You don't think Justin Fields is going to get a call? 66 quarterbacks were used last year.

I guarantee you somebody's going to call the Pittsburgh Steelers. And they may only get a five, but they only gave up a six, and they're a good drafting team. All right. Justin Fields will start football games next year, eventually for somebody. For Wager Wednesday next week, over under one and a half starts for Fields with the Steelers next season. No, no, under, but over two and a half starts in the league. Somebody's getting hurt in the first nine weeks, and they're going to get who's a better backup that would be available? Who? There isn't one.

It's not bad. He is going to start in this league. Now we have to guess who's going to get hurt. No, but I mean, if I was a GM and my quarterback got hurt, Pittsburgh's the first. I mean, Justin Fields, Chicago did win seven games. They had the number one pick because of Carolina. They weren't terrible. They just couldn't finish games.

There you go. Are you done? Is official? J-Mack with the news. Well, that's the news. And thanks for stopping by. 11 years in the NFL. T.J. Hushman Zada, you know what he does.

He works out with these guys. He works out with all these players. You know, I was with Steve Kime this weekend, former NFL GM in Arizona. And I asked him, I said, who's the best run organization, top to bottom owner? He said, Baltimore. He said, that's how you run an organization.

I played with Baltimore, so in my time there, I thought, wow, if it gets better than this, it's crazy. And so that good to hear that they do as great of a job as I thought. So as a player you felt supported? Oh, yeah.

Yeah, I mean, it's completely different. When you play for other organizations and then you go play for the Ravens, yeah, and I've told them this. I've told Harbaugh this as well. Like, this is the way they treat you and the way things, just the way they do things, it's just different. And you, were the Seahawks, which is a well-run team, but it didn't feel quite like Baltimore?

No, it wasn't like Baltimore at all. No. Yeah. Well, that's why they keep winning. It's not a coincidence. Steve Bishotti's down in Florida, stays out of it. He's got his yacht up in the, somewhere up in the Baltimore, D.C. area, I heard. It's supposed to be nice.

Bashati's a good dude, man. Yeah, good dude, one of the good ones. You know, we were talking about, there are certain positions in football, primarily wide receivers. So I've defended wide receivers on this. They're the basketball players of football. They break the huddle first. They're not terribly reliant on a blocker. you have to throw them open.

That's expected now in the league. I don't care if he's open. Throw him open. They're often the best athlete. Many of them are basketball players who play football. Their touchdowns are the most spectacular in all the game. So I understand they get a little gassed up sometimes. Receivers, there's a term, diva receiver, not diva center or diva guard.

So I get it and I defend them. But I do think maturity matters. You came in, you were a professional football player. And then we see these guys that come in. They get me a little gassed up and whatever. I don't know Roma Dunzee. But I got a text the other day from a former NFL quarterback, and he said, you guys have no idea. He will walk into the NFL.

He will be Larry Fitzgerald. He could run the league in 10 years. I don't know Roma Dunce at all. But you're kind of smiling when you say that. I don't think he's as gifted as neighbors at LSU. but there's a lot of variables in success at receiver. Why are you smiling? Rome is just that type of dude.

What do you mean? He's just like, he's just going to do the right thing all the time, not because he has to think about it. That's just who he is. That's just who he is as a person. But he's talented, man. But you were smiling when I was saying that. Because I can see that being the case like,

because people have asked me who do I compare him to. I can't compare him to anybody and the closest person that I can get to is Larry Fish Gerald but he's faster and so like there's really no his ball skills are like Larry Fish drilled but he can run he can

drop his weight. He has good quickness and he's just a good dude. And so every receiver we all want the ball and some are going to demand it outwardly verbally and let you know it and then the quiet ones they want

the ball. They're just going to make sure a camera's not around when they yell and I want the ball. And so with Rome and all the receivers, but it's because I spent time with Rome. I know him. And he can be quite possibly the best receiver of this draft and this may be the best receiver draft we've ever seen. So I've been defending Atlanta for a lot of reasons. I said in the NFL, if you have an extra left tackle, quarterback edge rush. sure. That's like a rich person problem. That's like saying, I paid a million dollars in taxes this year. I don't want to hear about your problems. So the Falcons have the best starting quarterback in their division and probably the best talented, most talented backup in the NFL. It's going to be

clunky and weird, the contract signed, but I'll take it. What I don't want to be is Carolina where I'm not sure I have one quarterback or the New York Giants. So let me ask you, because I think Mahomes came into this league and didn't demand to play. I don't think panics. I think he'll sit there for a year and be the good soldier. I think by the second year at practice he's going to be like, I throw a better ball. Do you foresee any problems with Pinnix who right now

probably throws a better deep ball than Kirk? No. You don't think there'll be problems. No, not at all. But I don't understand the people that were up in arms about them drafting Pinnix. Like, I don't understand how people could, oh, why would they draft Pinnix?

Because Kirk Cousins is older and he's coming off an injury. if Kirk Cousins is what the Falcons hope he is. Be, a B. When will they ever be in a position to draft a quarterback like Michael Pinnock? Thank you. Never. And if you move up, you'll have to give up nine picks.

And so if you have a chance to get him now, why wouldn't you? Kirk Cousins is going to play two years. And if he's playing more than two years, guess what? That's a great problem to have because that means we're winning. And so what's the problem about them, drafting pinnicks. You draft a guy and hope he can help your team or draft

the quarterback. Penix is Supertown. I told you this when I was on the show prior. I didn't understand how people didn't think he was the first rounder. Obviously that was smoke and mirrors. Pennix can play. And so if he sits a year or two years, great.

If he sits longer than that, that means the Falcons are winning ball games. Yeah. This was my argument that I think Atlanta, and that lousy division is going to win 11 games. Well, now you're drafting 21st. Do you know how and next year's a bad quarterback draft?

And so they're saying, I can see Atlanta sitting there at 8 and thinking, okay, we love Caleb, we're not going to get him, we love Jaden, we're not going to get him, we don't like Drake and we don't fit with Bo. And they don't love J.J. I can see them saying, listen,

Pennix was our two or our three. And all of a sudden he's available and they're like, we don't want overdraft Alice Turner. And we don't know exactly what Kirk likes off the Achilles. I thought this draft was a circumstantial draft that you kind of waited and watched.

I talked to Tom Telesco with the Raiders. And he's like, we were getting calls, we were making calls. He said it was an active draft. And I think Atlanta got there and went, hell. Let's just take him. And the reaction is crazy. I didn't get it. I thought Pennix

was going to be a Raider. I really did. Oh, no, they wanted to. I told him. I said, y'all bet not pass on Penn. I was telling them, the days and weeks leading up to the draft, I'm like, y'all bet not pass on him. I'm telling you now. I told him multiple times.

It's a smart thing to do. And Pennix will succeed because he's not going to be forced to play. He's going to learn the system. And when he finally plays, they're going to say, whoa. Okay. Fit matters. You know this. Like, wide receipts.

or running back. Adrian Peterson was going to work everywhere. Yeah. Okay. Right? Yeah. Calvin Johnson worked in cruddy Detroit. Quarterback is much more fit in most cases.

So Bo Nicks, people think it's a reach. But I think in Denver, if you watch the Oregon's offense, it was two reeds. Throw it. He completed 77% of his throws. Pack 12 never been better. It's like, you don't have to love him. That's Sean Payton's office. Sean wants you to run his play.

I think he works in Denver. Did you think it's a big reach? No. Sean Payton wants a quarterback that gets the ball out on time with anticipation. Accurately. That's what he wants. That's what Bo Nix has done at Oregon. He transformed himself because when he was at Auburn, he wasn't this guy.

He wasn't this guy at Auburn. He goes to Oregon and he transforms himself as a player. I'm getting a ball out. quick and what you say. I can throw it accurately, look at my completion percentage. And so I have no problem with the pick. And also, he's had so many offensive coordinators. He has no problem learning the system. Isn't that crazy? He's going to pick six in college. He's going to pick things up, and he's going to pick him up quickly. And so for me, I have no worries that he'll be successful because he has a coach that has always been successful with whatever quarterback that he's

played. Say what you want about Russell Wilson. He was having a pretty good year last year. He really was. Every quarterback that is played for Sean Payton, whether it's Drew Brees, Taysam Hill, Taysam Hill, James Winston, Tritwater, Teddy Britt. They've had success. Bo Nix will have success. More with TJ. In a second, live in L.A., it's 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, this is Tom Verducci from Fox Sports, MLB Network and Sports Illustrated. And I'm Joe Madden, and we're going to be around to talk a little bit about managerial decisions

and what may have occurred into the dugout, maybe in the 1980s. It's the Book of Joe podcast. I can't wait for this, Joe. We're going to dive into what goes on in the dugout and behind the scenes in Major League Baseball. Cars, whined, whatever else we want to talk about. Yeah, well, there are no boundaries, right? Listen to the Book of Joe podcast on the IHeart Radio app, on Apple Podcast, 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. 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 Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and 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 Jett. 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 for 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. Welcome to my new podcast, Learn the Hardway with me, your host, and your favorite therapist, Keer Games. And in recognition of mental health awareness month, I'm bringing over a decade of my own experience in the mental health field and conversations with so many incredible guests. I'm talking, Tripp Fontaine, Ryan Clark.

Sometimes when we're in the pursuit of the thing, we get so wrapped up in the chase that we don't realize that we are in possession of the thing. And we're still chasing it. And we're We don't know when we've done enough. Because people scoreboard watch. Life becomes about wins and losses. Steve Burns, Dustin Ross, because you find it important to be a good person while you hear on earth. Are you a good person because you're afraid?

Because that's two different intentions, bro. Absolutely. And that's two different levels of trust. I want you to just really be a good person. Join me, Keer Gaines, as we have real conversations about healing, growth, fatherhood, pressure, and purpose on my new podcast, learn the hard way.

Open your free. iHeartRadio app search learn the hard way and listen now few people turn down jim harbaugh i'm not going to get into too many stories but let's just say t j hushman zada who gets NFL offers regularly jim harbaugh is dialing you up now i wouldn't say i don't get NFL offers regularly i'm just done some things with the charges and i'll do some things with them uh this offseason o t a's and training camp things like that i had uh executive in the league last year watch our show and you were on and texted me, do you think he'd be willing to be a coach for us?

And I said, hey, he's got kids. You know, your role right now is great, though. You are kind of becoming, you are known on the West Coast as sort of the receiver guy. So chargers call you, people call you, and it's like, hey, we're going to send our receivers to you, come to camp. So it's interesting about all these receivers. They're all very, very good. I'm not downing that. The Niners are in a fascinating place.

So they've got a lot of physical players, and they demand a lot. Debo's been hurt, Kittle's been hurt, Trent, McCaffrey. Iuke hasn't. So they have to start replenishing their skill people, because they're great, but you can only ask McAfrey to touch it 300 times. It's like a baseball pitcher. There's only so many innings there. So they go get, cowling the kid out of Arizona in the fourth round. They get the kid out of Florida, Ricky Pearson.

And so it does kind of signal. watch them in camp and then maybe make some decisions on what they can move. If you were the Niners and you had to move one of those receivers, we talked about this yesterday, Iyuk is the classic deep threat, but Purdy's not a big deep ball thrower. Debo's better on a more consistent basis for Shanahan, but he's expensive and gets beat up. What do you do with you, they're not keeping all these guys? To me, when you see the Niners draft, Pirsaw in the first round, cowing in the fourth. And you know both.

Debo and IUke, one of those will for sure be gone after this year if they show they can play. Yeah. If Pearsall and Cowan both show they can play in camp, 100% they're gone. I don't think they'll get rid of one in camp because you have a chance to win a Super Bowl. I believe they'll play with them during the season. And ideally, I believe they would want to trade. Daveo because they can get something for him whereas Iyuk would be a free agent and you would just get a compensatory third round pick maybe can you get a two for Debo as opposed to a

three compensatory pick for I you that's what I foresee can Pirsall and or Cowing both show that we don't need B.A. or Dibo you can't get rid of them during a training camp because you are a Super Bowl contender You can't get rid of one of your best offensive players. I don't think you can do that. That would really tear the locker room apart. Guys would be pissed off if you do that. They'd be angry.

You know, you deal with all these receivers. We know that quarterbacks come in all shapes and sizes. When you look at all these wide receivers now, are they better than ever? Oh, man. The receivers are better than they've ever been. Top the bottom. Better than they ever been. One hand catches everywhere.

It's not even now. Man like the catching they practice it they work on it more we you catch a ball or try to catch a ball one-handed practice when I was playing What man a coach gonna go crazy on you So now it's just like par for the courses whatever but They they they have access to better training like I'll have I don't really train high school kids because they're not as committed as they should be But there's times that I have and so you got high school kids training with NFL players And so they get around the best in the world at an early age. That's why they're better.

You got college kids that are training with the best players in the world at an earlier time frame. And when we were, I didn't train with anybody in the NFL until I got to the NFL. And these kids are getting that opportunity in college, which in turn, I believe, just makes them better. Yeah. So when you look at the draft, obviously, like Chicago is going to be a better football team. Yes. There are, they built a roster he should succeed. What will you see from Caleb Williams?

We'll know if he's doing well. Will there be anything that you see that you'd worry about? Will there be something in terms of his progressions? What are you worried about? You know him. What would concern you in the first six or seven games? Because we know if he's succeeding, we'll all see it. But you would notice the little stuff that I wouldn't.

details that would concern you. I want to see how Shane Waldron puts this offense together that complements what Caleb does well. Shea Walser comes from Seattle and

they, we would say last year the Seattle Seahawks had a better offensive collection of players than the bears. Yes. Offensively, they're very similar numbers. Points wise, yards per game. And so, why is that? With what Seattle had last year compared to what Chicago had last year,

offenses were very similar, points per game and yards per game. But Seattle had more talent. But Seattle had more talent. Is that on Waldron? So why, that's my point is, should Seattle, should they have been better? And does that fall on Waldron? Or is it Pete Kerle being a defensive guy? He's kind of buttoned into the offense.

It could be those type of things also. And I would probably believe that is the case. Yeah. And if that is the case, I expect Chicago with what they have finishing 7 and 10 last year, I believe. They'll be a wild car team. I really believe it. They have that much talent on the offensive side of the ball. That's what Jay Mack's been saying that.

I believe there'll be a wildcar team. Defensively, they're better. And offensively, when you had Kenan Allen, Caleb Williams, Rome, DeAndre Swift, what rookie quarterback is coming to this? Nothing. We've never seen this before. Think about what Baker, Kyler, Trevor, Burrow, they all came with a huge question.

Like Trevor Lawrence got a college coach. Burroughs' offensive line was terrible. There's nothing on this offense that you say to yourself, oh, that's an issue. Daniel Jones had nothing but Sequin. Like it's usually you've got one reliable blank. Even Aaron Rogers goes to the Jets. Garrett Wilson's a kid.

everything else, Priest hauls off an injury. Chicago's got everything. Three receivers, a running back. And also remember. And a tight-in. And remember, Roma Dunzee, because of his maturity, will not need to be ramped up. Roma is going to be ready to go from day one.

Day one, ready to roll. It's exciting. That'll be a wildcar team. So when you were recently talking, just to do a little horrible, Jim Harbaugh thing. So you were recently with the Chargers and talking to Jim, I've known people that have, worked with Jim and it works everywhere.

It worked at San Diego. It worked with the Niners. It worked at Stanford. It worked with Michigan. Every coach has a secret sauce. What's Harbaugh's secret sauce? When I would, attention to detail. I mean, the meetings, everything is detail-oriented. Like, the meeting is just like, this is what we're going to do.

This is how we're going to do it. This is what we're like. Every little detail matters. Team meeting. Offensive meeting. position meeting, in the wait room, the walkthroughs, everything matters. We're not letting any little small things slip through the crack. That's what I gained from that is every little thing matters.

I was told Eric Mangini told me this. He said, Jim is not concerned at all if you get bored with repetition. He will do things a hundred times to get it right. Yeah, but it's not like when you sit in the meetings, he's not one of those coaches that's yelling and this is how we're going to do it. Y'all like it? Justin, you like this? All right, let's go.

Like, he's not one of those guys. He doesn't go on and on and on. Because he was a good player in the league, because he had success everywhere he's been, as soon as he walks in the room, respect. And that's how the players are approaching their preparation because they know what he's accomplished. He doesn't have to do all of that. It's respect soon as he stepped forward. foot in the door. I'm so excited. I'm trying to temper my enthusiasm because I'm viewed

J-Mack. Nick Wright calls me a charger Homer. I think it's outrageous, but I will, they're going to be good, Colin. They're going to be good. What did Harbaugh tell you about Justin Herbert's record on the points? 27 and 4 when you give up less than 24 points. I never forget it in meaning. He just said it and I just, I've remembered it. So Harbaugh's whole take is we're not giving up 24, 25 points a game. If you give up 23, Justin Herbert's 27 and 4. That defense, that front 4, front 7, the back end with Derwin James. Derwin James is a leader of men.

They follow him. He is the leader of that defense, and they follow him. Works hard. Great seeing you, my man. The same. So now, are you on speak today? Yes, sir. What would the rest of your day be like?

Oh, today is a long day. My son has basketball practice. We're with one organization. Now we're leaving that organization to go into another one. Free agent? No, no, the whole team is going. Oh, okay. Yeah, yeah.

We loyal to our coach. And so, you know, had a few little problems. And so the entire team is going from one award to another. But we're good, though. We're like they ranked us number three in the country. country. Your son's team? Yeah, we're pretty good.

Is he any good? Yeah, yeah, he's pretty good. Right now he's good. He's tall and he moves very well for his height. Yeah. Yeah, he's pretty good. See, if you can work with J-Mack. He's short and doesn't.

I'll come play J-Mack League. I'll dominate that league. You don't want to play in that league. Okay, thanks for that advice. It's beer, guts, and gunners. That's what you should name the league. I just watch his Instagram and J-Mack. He thinks he's a sniper from 3-point range.

I don't think I know, buddy. But they all be wide open shots. I'm up on you. That's a good point. Maybe we should play one-on-one. I'll cook you. Hey, I'll play you as food. Your food.

I'm eating. I'm not a great one-on-one play. I'm a great team player. All right, I like that. I like that. Enough of this nonsense. We'll see you more. 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 headwriter, 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 I-Heart 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 huge. human potential. Either way, the podcast 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, what's good, y'all? You're listening to Learn the Hard Way with your favorite therapist and host care games. This space is about black men's experiences, having honest conversations that it's really not safe to have anywhere, but you're having them with a licensed professional who knows what he's doing. How many men carry a suit or armor. It signals to the world that you're not to be played with. And just because you have the capability that does not mean that you need to, listen to learn the hard way on the AHA radio

app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. 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 taun tons 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.