The Herd with Colin Cowherd - HOUR 3 - Rams, Harbaugh

Episode Date: February 17, 2022

The Rams have some difficult decisions to makeWhat's it like having Jim Harbaugh as your coach?Guests: Phil Simms, Aiden Hutchinson Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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Find your local station for the herd at Fox Sports Radio.com or stream us live every day on the iHeartRadio app by searching Herd. You're listening to Fox Sports Radio. I watched them win a couple of Super Bowls, multiple-time Pro Boulder, and he and Eli Manning winners with the New York Giants. Phil Sims now, CBS NFL analyst for years. Highest single passer rating in the history of Super Bowl. He wouldn't care about that.

He's not a stat guy. That's why I like him. So Phil, I talked about this earlier today. I said, baseball figured it out. For years and years, strikeouts were bad in baseball. And then the analytic people said, no, they're not. Ground balls are bad. That's a double play.

Strikeouts fine. And I do think, I thought about something four or five years ago. I said, you know, with no huddles, you're adding about 12 to 15 plays per team. We got to get over this. If you throw an interception, it's the end of the world. You don't want to throw it in the red zone. But Matt Stafford and Burrow and Josh Allen throw picks. And I know Aaron doesn't, but I like my quarterback to let it.

it rep. And Stafford winning, I thought to myself, folks, it's okay. And your takeaway on Stafford and the kind of the criticism that sometimes he throws too many picks. Well, listen, the offense he runs right now, Colin, I think it's a high degree of difficulty. In other words, it's not check down Charlie offense. It's throwing in there. The deep in cuts. It's look to the right, one, two, and then try to find whoever O'Dell Beckham Jr. coming on a 20-yard end cut from the other side. And, you know, Bill Parcells was great to me. I threw my share of interceptions, that's for sure. But he'd always say this. It's not a game of perfection. So don't go out there and try to be perfect. Just let it go. You know, the game is about big

plays. And, you know, I think quarterbacks, by and large, all around the league, they pull back because of public perception and the way it's talked about. Way through four touchdowns today, buddy did throw an interception. Who cares? You know, and it's, Matt Stafford through two interceptions into Super Bowl, I can tell you this. I've watched the game three times. He played really, really well. He made the right decision every time in that throw you just saw there. He put his head to the right and maybe through the most important pass of the game over the middle of the Cooper Cup, which was tremendous.

But the difficulty of it was high. The decision was somewhat risky, but that's who he is. And that's why they won the Super Bowl. So you've watched it three times. You've watched it three times, Phil. So after three times, you take the emotion out of it. What is your belief, the one or two reasons why Cincinnati lost? Oh, well, a couple.

Matt Stafford made some tremendous throws in the game. Think about those throws down the sideline to Henderson, the running back, the end cut to Cooper Cup. The touchdown throws were all really, I think, good, but the biggest, many things came out. One is the Cincinnati Bengals. We talked to everybody talked about the offensive line all week. You're playing the best pass. rushing defense in the NFL, and you don't ever, two plays in the whole game.

They kept a tight end once, and they kept a running back in there one time to block. Why wasn't their extra protection for Joe Burrell to give him time, to give him confidence that he could hold the ball for a half a beat and maybe drive the football down the field more? But they had very few plays where they tried to get it down the field. Joe Burrell, my son was there watching him warm up before the game and said all he was doing was getting, see how quick you can get rid of the football. So that would be my number one take right there. Why the Bengals didn't use more people to pass protect.

I know why they didn't probably because that's who they are. That's the system. They don't do that kind of stuff. But man, when you're playing the Rams, you're crazy if you don't do it. You know, it's, Burroughs an interesting player. I said when he came out, I said, I wouldn't blame him if he pulled an Eli Manning and just said, I'm not going to the Chargers. because I like Burrell, but I don't, you know, his organization worries me.

You've got sacked 70 times. He says it doesn't matter and he plays like it doesn't. But Phil, there is a subconscious. There is a psychology to it. He almost had his second severe injury. When I go back and I look at your offensive lines, I'm trying to think of the guys that were in front. They were mostly very stable.

But did you have a year or two in your career when it can mess with your head? I mean, the kid was sacked 70 times, Phil. Yeah. Well, you know, a couple things. One, the Bengals really did a great job, calling a building a football team from one year to the next. The free agents, they hit on everything. Of course, we know the weakness is the offensive line. What it can do, when you know you're going to get pressure, it changes the way you look at what's going on downfield. It changes the decision you make because if you get hit 10 times a row, what do you expect on the 11th one?

Like they're going to protect you this time? So I think it does that. But, you know, too, that was the big thing. see. Now, he's not afraid to hold the ball and try to make extra yards or get out of trouble, things like that. But there's no doubt the Bengals have fixed that. But overall, just looking at their team, I thought their defense played really well in the game. They're defensive line. The line backing group, the defensive backfield, very coordinated, smart, does a good job. I mean, the Bengals, I think they're a really well coach football team. They just made some

mistakes you and I have already talked about in that Super Bowl, I think they should have maybe had a different game plan somewhat, but they're going to fix it all. So Joe Burrell, he doesn't flinch. He's not afraid, just what you talked about early in the show right here when we did this interview. He will take chances throwing the football, and he's aggressive almost always in his decision-making. You know, I want to go into your head, because I don't remember your last year. I remember the Super Bowl's the good years. Well, let me answer this real quick. I had great protection some years. I had great protection in some years. And of course, early in my career, there was, you know, it was just run me

over constantly. And, you know, of course, I was pretty aggressive through a lot of interceptions, things like that, but I learned from it. But I was fortunate. I probably went in my, about a four or five years span in a row where we basically kept the same offensive line. They didn't miss games.

And that's one of the reasons why we won a couple of Super Bowls. Yeah. Take me into the mind of, let's say, a Russell Wilson or Aaron Rogers. And I said this. Brady, when he went to Tampa, he didn't necessarily upgrade cultures or coaches or owners. He upgraded weapons.

When Stafford came, he upgraded mostly everything, but certainly weapons. So I always said, Phil, my takeaway on football was that the coach, the GM, and the O&D lines on the quarterback forever were the cake. And receivers were the icing. You could win without him. You know, Phil, I don't feel that anymore. Two of the last four MVPs are wide receivers. And I look at this league, and I look at Russell Wilson and Aaron Rogers, and I think, boy, oh, boy, if I went to Denver, that's a lot of nice weapons, Phil.

Do you think, what do you think is in like Russell Wilson and Aaron Rogers' mind? Because I think to myself, when I've left for different jobs, it has always been, not for money, it's been, do I think I work in a better culture with more quality people? So you tell me, what do you think Russell and Aaron? Because there's enough smoke now. I've been hearing this now for a year. What do you think they're thinking about? You know, well, one, moving from one team to the next is so hard.

And you've got to learn to accept it's a new environment, new players, new system, whatever. But Russell Wilson, you know, listen, I haven't talked to really either one of them in years. But I'm sure Russell Wilson wants to go somewhere where the offense is built around him. In other words, you know, the old saying, let Russ cook and all that stuff. But look, he's proven he can do it. He knows how to manage games, how to take, you know, safe with the football. But, yeah, I'm sure they look around. Well, I know this.

He looks around and see some of these offense, Patrick Mahomes. You see Joe Burrell, Josh Allen. It's all about them, really. And he wants to be in that. Now, Aaron Rogers, he's got that. I don't know if he can move and get, you know, I don't know if he's going to move or not. I don't even answer the question anymore. but he's really comfortable in Green Bay.

He's comfortable with the system, what they do. He kind of has control of everything. So if they go out and get Devante Adams back, get another receiver somewhat to help him out, I would think he will stay there and maybe finish his career out there. Your whole career was with the Giants. Did you ever after Parcells chewed you out and yelled at you? Did you ever think, I'm getting out of here.

I'm going to bail on Parcells? Oh, no, no, no. Listen, this is sad, this is not sad, but him and I were alike. he would yell at me and what was really unbelievable about Bill Parcells I tell people this I know they don't believe me but I can yell back and I can yell at him and sometimes he go oh you don't like me you you know and I go you want to hit me and I just go man what's wrong with you and I'd turn him walk away but that was that was Bill he would yell at you during practice all this other stuff but you were allowed to yell back at him and try to state your case not that you could win those battles with them. But he was really, he was a very unique guy. I've never known anybody like him really in sports. And he could connect, Colin, here's the, to me, the key.

I think Sean McVeigh is great at this. I don't know Zach Taylor well enough. But Bill Parcells could connect with every player on the football team. He was like the owner of the restaurant. He went around to every table every week and made sure everything was good. And that was, it was a tremendous quality he had. That's one of the reasons why I'm talking to you right now and why we want to couple of Super Bowls. All right. You're aging well. You look great, buddy. Say hi to Chris,

and you take care of yourself, and thank you for coming on. All right, Colin, good to have you. I wanted to beat up that Super Bowl a little more, but it's okay. We did a good job there. I thought you chopped it up very well. I thought you... Chopped it up and up. Hey, last thing, Matt Stafford, and I do this with sarcasm. When he was in Detroit, I used to look at their roster before every year and go, wow, that's a Super Bowl roster. And the answer is, of course I didn't do that. And now he got on a team that was Super Bowl caliber and what did he do. He came through for him all during the playoffs. He hung in there during the year and he played extremely tough just like he did in Detroit. By the way. So my case is closed there. I'll ask you a question. Cooper Cup. He went to college

where I went to college, Eastern Washington. He's a volume, you know, I used to think he's a volume receiver. And then he's too open to be a volume receiver. What do you make of him? I've never seen anything like it. He keeps his head down when he runs down the field. I mean, his head is just like this, and his footwork is tremendous. And when I rewatch the game, I was like, oh, my gosh, every time he was in man-to-man coverage, he beats the guy. It's really something. And that cut on that run, that was tremendous too on fourth and one. And there's another route. He ran routes. Like, he goes inside and everybody thinks, oh, he's going across the field. And the next thing, you know, he's behind you because he bends it back out. And this play here by staff,

Of course, that's their favorite play. They run that every single game. And they do a great job with it. But Cooper Cup, I'm like you. I said, it's got to be all the system. And then as I just keep watching him, I go, okay, I was wrong. It's more than the system. He truly is special.

And I think a lot of receivers will start trying to copy what he does and the success he's had. Yeah, I asked Akib Talib about him because he was a teammate for a couple years. And he said, and he said, when you face him at practice, he said, top of the route, it's like basketball. He boxes you out. He's got two or three moves top of the route. The minute he sees you lean, it's, you know, I grew up with Steve Largent, who has some of those faster than you think, top of the route, manipulates, kind of marginalizes the corner.

And Akiba's like, listen, man, you practice with him. You totally, Jalen Ramsey and I, he goes, you totally get it. This is not a mirage. Wow. And Akib was a great one. He's like, no, no. Yes. He uses leverage better than any.

he ever faced. So that's pretty high praise. The team to lead, my favorite interview of almost any player I did in all the years I did games. And I said to him once, of course, you're couching what he says. The way he says it to you is a little different. But I said, who's the best receiver you ever covered? He goes, oh,

Josh Gordon. I said, really? He goes, it was like trying to cover a racehorse. He always had something new. Oh, go, Keith, they're going to throw these routes on you. And he would, I'm not going to try to imitate him. Oh, that's okay. And said something. He goes, you know, Phil, at third time they try that route, I'm taking it to

the house. I go, great point. I'm going to use that during the game. But he's a great interview, and you're right. He's a Hall of Fame corner, and one day he'll be in there. Great seeing you, Phil. Thanks again. All right, bud. Thanks, Colin. You bet. I love talking to Phil Simpson. Be sure to catch live

editions of the herd weekdays in noon Eastern 9 a.m. Pacific. 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 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 Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok. Hey, this is Robert from the Stuff to Blow Your Mind podcast. 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. 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 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's 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, 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. Alex Curry with the news. No. Turn on the news.

This is the herd line news. Well, the Cowboys face plenty of decisions this offseason with 20 players scheduled to hit unrestricted free agency. That's a ton. It's a lot. And Dak Prescott was asked whether he thinks he will have input on some of the pieces that surround him next year. And he said, I think that just depends on whether they ask me. I'm not going in and knocking on doors saying, hey, I want this done, I want that done. but I'm pretty sure that my opinion will be valued in certain decisions, as I hope.

So with that being said, I just plan on helping this team get better in every which way that I can. Yeah, Zeek's going to be very interesting. He's expensive, and in most Sundays, he looked like the second best running back they had. And Amari Cooper's expensive, but now that Michael Gallup got injured, he's up, so they probably don't retain him. I don't think they have a ton of defensive questions to ask, but I think the offense needs to be. need some tweaking. And you just can't pay everybody. They pay a lot of guys. Zach Martin, I'd pay. Dak, I'm going to pay. Damari Cooper, I would pay. Yeah, I think you have to at this point. Dak's a better player with him. But the Zeech contract is really interesting because I, you know, they always say, don't give those running backs a second contract. They did. They gave them it early.

And it doesn't look like a great decision now. It's also interesting. Obviously, they just paid DAC and we just heard Phil Sims say that you want teams to build around their quarterback. So in regards to asking DAC, his thought it'd be nice to kind of keep him in the loop. Right? So you don't have an Aaron Rogers and Russell Wilson situation.

But moving on, the Sixers traded for James Hardin at the trade deadline and Joelle and B thinks just because they added Hardin their path to the finals might not be an easy one. Take a listen. It's just tough. You know, you can look at you can look at 17

that you can believe that they have a shot at, you know, going to the final. We just got to all stay healthy. And, you know, we got to get on a court, you know, all together to find, you know, the right way to play, you know, are we all fit? And, you know, really trying to figure that, you know, the best way to make sure that everybody succeeds. They'll be good. Yeah. They're not going to be Milwaukee.

You know, chemistry is underrated. a lot of the times. Milwaukee's got in our championship chemistry. That'll win you games in a series. That will win you games late in a series. So Philadelphia is going to have to develop that. Phoenix has that. Golden State has a lot of that. So, you know, I think the top of the league, it's always been in my lifetime. There's about five teams that can win the title. I think we have three strong favorites, Phoenix, Golden State, Milwaukee, and then Miami and Philly feel like punchers chance. So Fox Bet has sons as the favorite, Warriors a second, net's third and Sixers' fourth, bucks fifth, according to Fox Bet. Milwaukee's a great bet.

Don't fall for champions that smartly rest players don't play with the same intensity. You know, when you win the championship, you play extra games. Don't expect the next year. You can go back to the Shaq Kobe teams. You know, they had one great regular season. Like once you've won the championship, played extra games, pace it. is very important, because that Milwaukee is clearly good enough to win road games in the playoffs. Yeah.

And as you mentioned, I think a lot of it is going to depend on chemistry and we won't see that until they play their first game together, hopefully soon after the All-Star break. But as I just mentioned, the Sixers recently traded Ben Simmons to the nuts for James Hardin. And it was pretty obvious that both players were unhappy with their former teams before the trade. NBA commissioner spoke about the situation surrounding the trade. Now, Adam Silver said players forcing their way out of situation. is not new in this league. I accept that there will be conversations behind closed doors

when teams are unhappy or players are unhappy. But the last thing you want to see for these issues are to play out publicly. But this is not the way I would have liked to see this happen. Well, media is bigger today and social media players control. So the idea that you're going to hide stuff, you're just not going to. Players, Kyler Murray, he can eliminate social media posts. And that's a story.

So the days of controlling the player, they're over. Treat players well, eventually build teams the right way, they'll be happy. But if you're going to try to control narratives and control stories and who breaks them as an executive of a professional team, it's over. Those days are over. But the NBA is also a little different in the sense where the players have a lot of power. And we've seen them be able to make this decisions and move teams. That's just a way it is. Yeah, NBA got a break here. The Sixers and the Nets are actually more interesting and both probably better today.

Yeah. So the story of Simmons in Philly was a bad story for the league. Simmons and now both are hopeful. They went from negative and pessimistic to hopeful and optimistic in both cases. I like Philly right now more than I like Brooklyn, but I do think the league got a break. These are teams now. I want to watch Ben Simmons play for Brooklyn. I'm interested to watch him play.

now. When do you think he'll play? After the All-Star break. I don't know how good to shape these guys are in. Honestly, they're not playing. So, Alex, for the news. Well, that's the news. And thanks for stopping by. The Hurd-Ly News. Not running your business on NetSuite is trying to sink a put with a cap over your eyes. You want visibility.

You want control and you want NetSuite by Oracle, the number one cloud financial system. Inventory, budgeting, control over both and more. NetSuite's got new financing. Upgrade now at NetSuite. com slash h-E-R-D. 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. Hey, it's Ben Mather, host of The Fifth Hour with Ben Mather, along with my trusty sidekick, David Gascon, 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 Mather show, a cult hit overnights 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'll say it. Yep, that's me, Clifford Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, the reactions, my journey from basketball to college football, or my career in sports media. Well, somewhere along the way,

this platform became bigger than I ever imagined. And now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifford Show. This is a place for raw, unfiltered conversations with some of your favorite athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. One week, I'll take you behind the scenes

of the biggest moments in sports and entertainment, and the next we'll talk about life, mental health, purpose, and even music. The Clifford Show isn't just a podcast. It's a space for honest conversations, stories that don't always get told, and for people who are chasing something bigger. So if you've ever supported me

or you're just chasing down a dream, this is right where you need to be. Listen to the Clifford show on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok. Hey, this is Robert from the Stuff to Blow Your Mind podcast. Joe and I are both lifelong Star Wars fan,

so we're celebrating May the 4th with a brand new week of fun, thought-provoking Star Wars-related episodes. Join us as we tackle science and culture topics from a galaxy far, far away, such as the biology of 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 Bole Your Mind on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. 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 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 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. Good to have you back. Peter King, Phil Sims, Andrew Whitworth. Andrew Whitworth hasn't made his decision up yet. actually it's one of the rare moments where you'd want a great player to retire a left with a ring left with a trophy it'd be a 17 million dollar cap relief and they they're going to be up against it so the rams have some difficult decisions to make uh aidan hutchinson doesn't have the decisions to make yet he's going to be the number one pick in the draft four years at michigan dominant player letteman sacks

uh if i had a number one pick in the draft he's the kid i'm picking And his dad, by the way, played at Michigan as well. So let's start with this. Michigan's one of my favorite brands, even though I grew up in the Pacific Northwest, the fight song, the uni's, I just love Michigan football. Your dad played there. You played there and dominated. That game against Ohio State, was that the greatest moment for you in your football career,

the greatest day? Can Aidan hear me? Yeah. Yeah, sorry, I was cutting out a little bit, but, you know, that game was definitely. my greatest football moment and you know it was it was something that that that was kind of brewing for for many years you know ever since I took that loss in 2019 against them you know ever since that moment visualizing and manifesting that win against Ohio State and and in 2021 it came true so yeah it's it was such a great moment and you know it was very

able to do that and to break my dad's record and to, and to break the Michigan record in that game. What is it like to play for Harbaugh? What is an average day with, because I love Jim, but he can, you know, Jim is intense. He can wear you down a little bit. What is it like to play for Jim Harbaugh on an average day? You know, Coach Harbaugh is very intense.

You know, he's very deliberate about what he does. And, you know, he's definitely a coach that, that, you know, I want to play. for and, you know, all of our guys wanted to play for this season. I think you could see that by the way we played, you know, by the effort in which we played with. So, you know, you want to play well for. Right now in college football, you've got an interesting, and I'm going to, we're going to try, let's try to clean this up with Aden right now. We've got some static in our line. So can we clean it up just a tad before we're going to reconnect right now to Aiden Hutchinson? Because I want you to hear him. He broke his dad. He's a high school footballer in Michigan. His dad played there. He

went there. He was a dominating player. He had one year. I think he broke his foot one year, but he was a dominating player for years at Michigan. And it's an interesting draft because it's not a star quarterback draft. There's good receivers, and there's a couple of good quarterbacks, but it's a very different draft. It's not a great defensive lineman draft. He's the best pass rusher in the draft. And so my guess is most teams have him. The people I talk to would make him the number one picking the draft. There's a couple of good tackles. It's not going to be, oh, by the way, he's got a four-part series called relieving him and Michigan's incredible football season. It's on pro football focus as a YouTube channel in April leading up to the NFL draft.

Boy the way, if you look at his arms in that picture as a defensive end at his size, it's pretty remarkable. So we're ready to go back to Aden? All right, one second. There he is right there. Right now we have a transfer portal situation in college football. And players can transfer anytime. Players can actually make money now. And Aiden, as long as I have you here, because we only have a couple minutes left on the show, is do you think players now will choose schools the way you chose them for the love of Michigan or players increasingly, Aiden, will choose schools because they can make the most money?

what will be the determining factor, in your opinion, five years, the next five years? Yeah, definitely. I think the college game is definitely changing in that aspect. You know, because if a player isn't starting, he can just go hit the free agency, is what I like to call it, and really go to whatever school wants them. So college football is definitely changing, especially with NIL. You know, schools can bribe the players to go there, you know, a ton of. them that it can make, you know, X amount of money or, you know, whatever it may be to,

to get that player to the school. So I think college football is definitely, you know, starting to revolve around money and how much that school has to offer. And it's, and it's legal now. So, because you can tie it in with that NIL. So that's, that's, the game is definitely changing for sure. Does being the number one pick matter to you? How does it land for you? What does it mean to you if you're the number one pick? Yeah, you know, you hear about that so much. And that's something that I've wanted for so long. I mean, I wrote that in my freshman year dorm, you know, saying that I'm going to be the number one picking the draft.

And now I'm starting to kind of see it come true. But, you know, at the end of the day, I don't really think it matters where I go, what number I go, because I just want to give, you know, whatever team I go to, you know, my best efforts. And I know I'm going to ball out wherever I go. So if I go number one, number two, or later than that, it doesn't matter because wherever I go, they're going to get all of Aden Hutchinson. What is a tougher loss for a Michigan football player losing the Michigan State or Ohio State? Which one literally makes you sicker when it happens? That's a good question. I mean, that Michigan State loss makes me sick to my stomach.

But, I mean, I would say, losing to Ohio State trumps that every single time, you know, because the fact that we beat Ohio State this year and we lost to Michigan State, I mean, honestly, I couldn't care less. You know, as long as we beat the Buckeyes every year, I'm happy. So when did you know Michigan this year? When did you feel like, you know what? We're going to match up with Ohio State. We can play with anybody.

When did you know this year? You know, I don't think I ever knew. I don't think I ever knew for sure. going into that game, we played a lot of opponents that were that were just not as good as Ohio State. And you know, you turn Ohio State on the film and they got, I mean, five stars everywhere.

They got talent all around the board. They were a very good football team this year. But I think when we were in that game, and I saw, I think it was our first possession from our offense, and they were just running and pounding that ball down their throat. And, I mean, watching that as a defender,

just seeing our offense run our, app scheme plays and just bullying them. I mean, that's what gets me fired up. And that's when I kind of knew, I was like, oh, this is a different team and this is going to be a different kind of game this year. Yeah. Okay. There's a in April leading up to the draft, four-part series, Aden and Michigan's incredible 2021 football season. Only a minute left. I love your answer on Harbaugh, how he's intense. Could you yell back at Jim if he yelled at you? Would he allow that? I've never done that. See, I've hit the quarterback sometimes in practice,

and usually he doesn't yell at me too much. So, you know, we got kind of this quiet relationship. But, yeah, I don't think I would ever yell back in him. That wouldn't bode too well for me. Hey, good luck to you. You're a great player. Highest-gritted college football player, dominant in that Ohio State game.

Congrats, Aden, to you and your family. Go kick butt. You're going to be the number one pick in the draft, unanimous All-American. And thanks for coming on the show. Thanks, man. Have a good one. Thanks for having me. You bet. It is interesting. I have asked a lot of different executives in the NFL about the draft, and they said, listen, it's a great draft if you work in the league. If you're a fan, it's not a star-studded draft. We don't have like four great wide receivers and six great quarterbacks.

They're like, but if you work in this draft, there's a lot of good players. There's not a ton of dominating players. There's a couple of good tackles. There's Aidan Hutchison, LSU. who's got a really good corner who is athletic, but, you know, he got hurt in college. So if you love football, if you work in football, it's a great draft because it's going to be a lot of value players. It's not a headline draft, and we've had those, the Baker, Sam Darnold, Lamar Jackson, we've had headline drafts. That's not what it is this year. All right, Alex and I are back tomorrow.

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