The Herd with Colin Cowherd - Hour 3 - The Butler Honeymoon is Ending

Episode Date: April 14, 2025

Colin explains how the honeymoon with Jimmy Butler in Golden State is coming to an end, predicting the first round of the NBA playoffs, the ever changing landscape in college sports, and more! Guests: Ric Bucher, Frank Reich See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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She's an outsider to win the French fame. And she likes Clay. Listen, Lina Rubakina is arguably the best player in the world right now. And I actually can win on any service. Listen to the Renee Stubbs tennis podcast on the Iheart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Presented by Capital One, founding partner of IHeart Women's Sports. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal, but encouraged. It's the enhanced games.

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Radio or FSR. Thanks for listening to the Heard podcast. Rick Buecker drops in today, Fox Sports NBA analysts love having them in today because the Warriors yesterday. The honeymoon with Jimmy Butler. It felt like it hit a ceiling. We were talking about this about if you look at the dynasty. Steve Kerr's first data now. Bogot, Igwadala, veteran players have worked. KD. They've just all kind of worked. Younger players, Wiseman, Jordan Poole, Jonathan Cominga, I keep waiting, and just Steve Curry yesterday in the biggest game of the year is like, yeah, we're not going to play you. It kind of told me that in the end, and I've compared it to Brady and the Patriots, they did great getting players that were already in the league. That last seven, eight years

with Tom and Belichick, they couldn't draft to save their life because the system was so sophisticated, was so set that for you to work your way in the ecosystem at 23, I look at Kaminga not playing and it's like a message going forward that they're going to move him and this thing probably this share is a ceiling? Yeah. No, the difficulty is that when you have the opportunity to draft lottery type players like James Wiseman, like Kaminga, you're getting players that have been stars and that have had the ball in their hands. And then the, The ecosystem revolves around them. If you're coming to the Warriors or you're coming to say any team with LeBron James,

you're going to be part of the ecosystem, but the ecosystem is not built around you. You're finding your place. That's why a Brandon Pajemski will work with the Warriors or get playing time where Jonathan Kaminga does not. Because Pajemski at one point in college was not a star. He was a role player. He was a guy.

So he understands what it takes to play that role and how can I be effective? How can I still be a player that matters? But I'm playing off of Steph Curry. I'm playing off of Jimmy Butler. And so that's been the issue. That's why Kavanaughan Looney got the minutes that normally maybe Jonathan Kaminga would get. Now, some of it was match up too with the clippers and the size. But the other part was Steve, and this is with coaches in general,

If I know what I'm going to get from you specifically on this day consistently, I'm going to play you over the guy who might give me the electric performance, but he also might not fit the bill. And this is a game that, as we saw, went down to overtime, went down to a last possession. And actually, in this case, it wasn't an ancillary player that screwed it up. it was the star players. I mean, the reason the Warriors lost that game is because Steph Curry had eight turnovers. And because Draymond Green couldn't hit a layup at a crucial time.

But generally, what you're going to do is you're going to build your team, you have your stars, and you need those ancillary players. And veteran players generally know how to play those roles and find their spot. And young players, particularly in today's game, are all about, well, I need the ball. Well, you're not going to get the ball when Steph Curry is on the floor. So Boone and Holger got fired today.

Malone got fired last week for the Nuggets. I think Denver's in a fascinating place. They have the world's best basketball player. Then they have three other good players making great money, not a lot of draft capital. And I kind of feel like they're trapped. And Janus became more westernized, got more outspoken the longer he was in the league. But I think Yokic likes kind of hiding in the Rocky Mountain region. He doesn't feel like a table pounder to me.

I think he likes scoring. He's got his money. He's got a ring. He's got his legacy. And the minute the season's over, he's back to Europe. So I kind of feel like, and this happens more than it doesn't, that dynasties are infrequent. Winning one with Luaal Cinder, one with Janus, one with Yonkich. It's much more common than winning several with Duncan. And I feel like Denver is kind of trapped, and maybe they'll just become the bucks with Janus. One great team, several very good teams are the transformative player. But this is, they're just kind of stuck. There's a lot of similarities between the two, in that they won a championship, and then they paid their core players. Yes. But you win championships as much off of having a great core, but also having great complimentary players.

And Denver let Contavius Caldwell Pope go. They let Bruce Brown go. They let Jeff Green go. Really valuable guys. And sometimes you get lucky, and you can replace as the warrior, kind of did when they came back and won the championship in 2022. Wiggins. Wiggins, Jordan Poole gave them something. Like, they found some young guys who could play

well enough and fill those roles. Well, the Bucks haven't been able to do that in finding any young players. They're still searching. That's why you go trade for a Kyle Kuzma. And the Denver Nuggets with Christian Brown and Peyton Watson just haven't evolved. And then you had the whole Michael alone situation where everybody was flatlining as a result of the toxicity around around that franchise and it was largely hidden by they still were winning enough largely off of Nikola Yokic being what he's been but as soon as they started losing they went eight and 11 it was like everybody's miserable our GM and our head coach don't get along and have created to this toxic situation before if we're going to have any chance of doing anything like we still believe our core

and the west is wide open like we have a shot let's go ahead and rip the band-aid off and see if it will change because david adamant's a completely different dynamic everybody's going to take the lakers over the t-wolves and you have three play initiators in luka lebron and austin buckets will it's easier to run that offense because three guys can kind of take it over two or generally always on the floor sometimes three whereas julia Randall, Rudy Gobert, the ball can get stuck in their offense at times. I would take the Lakers to win it. What do you think the matchup looks like for the T. Wolves in Los Angeles?

The thing that the Timberwolves have, where I think that they can make it a series, a competitive series, is that with Jayne McDaniels and with Julius Randall and with Nas Reed, they can match up with the Lakers small ball lineup. That's where the Lakers are an X factor, because you have three playmakers in LeBron and Luca and Austin. How do you defend them? Do you have quality defenders to put on each one of them? And I believe that the Timberwolves do. The big question is going to be, to your point, offensively, can they maintain a flow?

Can they keep, you know, does Ant decide I'm going to try to, take over and forces the issue. I don't think he's quite there yet, right? Is Mike Conley still vital enough? Because he's sort of their organized. He's the guy who gets everybody involved. He gets the offense. He gets him into the offense. Yes. Can he still give you enough at this point at this age? There's more quite. When I look at this series, I have more answers with the Lakers offensively. I have questions and maybe one answer with the T-Wolves offensively. 100%. The one thing that Minnesota has, though, is defensively, they can be really good. And the other part that kind of raises the question is, you know, everybody looks at the Lakers and goes,

well, they're not the same team they were six weeks ago. Like, they're a different team. So are the Minnesota Timberwolves. Like, they went on a, I think, 15 to 4 run to put themselves in this position. They've been playing much, much better. The whole question is going to be, for me, really comes down. to the maturity of Anthony Edwards. Yeah. We saw how Luca took him down last year. Will that happen again? The Knicks over the last three years

have become a very patient franchise. They were very impulsive for years with James Dolan, seeking stars and relevance. I do not feel they are that franchise. I think they're patient, the Villanova Corps. But I do think they have hit, when you watch them against Cleveland or Boston, it's very clear this won't be the answer.

So you can be patient at some point. You've got to pay the bills here. We all know they need another shot maker, not necessarily creator, a shot maker. KD could be a fit. What do the Knicks have to? Because my thing is, they'll win a playoff series. Yeah.

Do they have to win a second for Tibbs to keep his job? They have to be competitive in the second round. I think everybody looks at. Take Cleveland 7, he keeps the job. Yeah, yeah. I think, and the team doesn't completely break down like it did against Indiana last year. But to your point, you're right. I mean, this is their ceiling.

And part of it is, whether it's creator or playmaker, the problem is that you're asking Jalen Brunson to be both. Yeah. And at his size and physicality, it just doesn't work. You're asking that he is a wonder, and he's. making the most out of what he has. And I love him as a player. Great face of the franchise guy. Yes. But is he

the best player on a championship caliber team? The answer for me, for all that I love about him, is no. And so you either need a tremendous dynamic number two, or you need a playmaker who now allows Jalen

to play more off the ball and be a scorer. But asking him to do both on this team with a coach who is as least offensively creative as Tibbs is, is just a dynamic that's not going to get you farther than the second round. Yeah, I've made this argument, Rick Buecker for our radio audience joining us, is that generally we've never given the Spurs dynasty the love we gave the Bulls, the Warriors, of the Lakers, because this is a league where aesthetics matter. what do you look like when you're winning?

And the Spurs have largely been, you know, pushed off to the side as if well- We've forgotten. Well-run organization. Yeah. But we don't talk about man who's maybe the best six-man ever. Duncan's one of the five, ten great bigs ever. Tony Parker was an MVP and Pops was a basketball genius before a lot of people. I mean, he was ahead of the game.

Sure. So I look at the Celtics, and I think similarly, despite the big brand is, Tatum's a little reluctant, though he says he would love to be the face of the league. He's not a big personality. He's more of a grinder. Jalen Brown's a two. Their strength is three-point shooting, a young coach who's grown up quick, unbelievable depth, but they've got a lot of B-plus and 1A and Tatum. And I don't quite think we understand how good they are in that the way the league, the way the CBA works now, it would be almost impossible to create a lineup like this going forward. And they've kind of been grandf-you can say I'm wrong on this I probably am but they're kind of grandfathered

in the way they you know as the league is currently constructed they don't want you to be this deep yeah they don't want Derek white to be your fifth best player no and I think we look at them and I look at them and how dominant they can be on the road and I'm like that's what the all-time teams did went on the road and can win seven of eight against playoff teams I think Boston is really special, but aesthetically, they're much more, even the old Celtic teams. Bird was a fighter. Walton was crazy. Danny A.m. was rolling on the floor. There was a lot of sex appeal to it. Well, who's their most dynamic personality? They don't have one. It's probably Jalen Brown. Probably, right? And he's, but the rest of them, they're defined. Like, Derek White's a good guy. Jason

Tatum's a nice guy. Al Horford, nice guy. Drew Holiday. But they're all. all sort of quiet and they just go about their business. And, you know, Jalen is the loudest in terms of give me the ball and get out of the way. But he's also a great team player. And he is. And he's fully willing to take the toughest defensive assignment. So, yes, I think that they are a little underappreciated. That's what it might take is.

In terms of what they are. And they are extremely unique in that they've got so many. quality players that would be quality players on any team. Derek White, Drew Holliday. I mean, when you're Peyton Pritchard, they have seven guys, even at Horford. Sam Houser gives you good minutes. If I told you in a playoff game, Horford had 22 points and got hot from the corner, you'd be like, yeah, I expect one of those. Yeah. I think there's so much deeper and so, I mean, basically they've had two basketball gurus, Danny Aange and Brad Stevens. And basically, they've built a similar roster. Can you shoot, pass, and handle the ball? Yeah. They go nine deep on that, 10 deep on that.

This is the one Achilles heel to that, which is, and we see it all the time. Like, what makes them so difficult is everybody on the floor can score. Everybody. Everybody can shoot a three. Everybody. Right. I mean, everybody, right? And then when they go to the bench, we bring in more guys who can shoot threes, right? They are never without that. the days that for whatever reason, they're not creating the open looks or they're not taking quality threes, and now you get into a tight game

and you have to rely on Jason Tatum or Jalen Brown going ISO one-on-one, that's when they struggle. Because those guys are good all-around players. They're not a Luca Donchich type. Give me the ball, and I'm going to get to a place that's just going to contort the defense.

And so, but, And that's what we love, right? We love it when we see Luca getting to a place, and he's either scoring, and it seems like it's impossible to stop that guy, or he's throwing a behind the back pass to somebody for a wide open three. You don't get that element with the Boston Celtics. They have everything else, and what makes them great is what makes them a little vulnerable, and that they're an equal opportunity team, right?

And that makes them difficult to stop. But in these type, in these type, moments they're vulnerable. If you can make it a close game and take away the three, now they're not quite as dynamic. Rick Buecker, good stuff, Fox NBA analyst. Tomorrow it's Warriors and Memphis. We would take Golden State in that game experience. That is almost an ideal matchup for them for a play-in game, is it not? Pretty close. Pretty close. I don't want to think about living in the Bay Area what the Bay Area would be like if they They wind up going out once again in the play-in.

Yeah, not a good thought. Good seeing you as always. Live in L.A.S. Be sure to catch live editions of the herd weekdays in noon Eastern, 9 a.m. Pacific on Fox Sports Radio, FS1 and the IHeart Radio app. Hey, is Steve Kavino. And I'm Rich Davis. And together we're Covino and Rich on Fox Sports Radio.

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Hey, it's us to Jonas Brothers, and guess what? We have some big news. What's the news, huge news? We created our own podcast called, Hey, Jonas. We invented a podcast? Well, we didn't invent it. We just contributed to it. We're the first people to do podcasts.

Pretty, yeah, pretty wide range of podcasts. but this one's extra special. So how do we actually come up with a name, Hey Jonas, guys? I honestly don't remember. I think it was on a call about what we should call it. Well, we were thinking I'm originally calling it one of the early names of our band

before Jonas Brothers. This is how you guys remember it going down? Yes. I have a very different memory of this. We were talking about a thing, a bit for the podcast where people could call in and say, hey Jonas. And then I wrote down on my little note pad.

Hey Jonas and offered it up as a potential title for the podcast. But thanks for remembering that, guys. Listen to Hey Jonas on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. Just listen. We don't care where you hear it. Another podcast from some SNL late-night comedy guy, not quite. Unhumor me with Robert Smigel and Friends.

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

or wherever you get your podcasts. Last night, a blown call changed a game. This morning, the internet lost its mind. Highlights are trending, opinions are flying, and nobody's telling you exactly what happened. That's where Sports Slice comes in. I'm Timbo. Every episode, we're cutting through the noise. breaking down the plays, the controversies, and the stories behind the headlines.

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And for more, follow Timbo Slicelife 12 and the TikTok podcast network on TikTok. The French Open is one of the toughest tests in tennis. And I know firsthand because I competed there myself. I'm Renee Stubbs. And on the Renee Stubbs tennis podcast, I'm breaking down everything happening at Roland Garris. Every match, every upset, and what it really takes to win on clay. Jen Chinchin win. I mean, she went down in three to.

Rabakina, but I'm delighted. She's an outsider to win the French for me. And she likes Clay. Listen, Lina Rubakina is arguably the best player in the world right now. And I actually can win on any surface. Because if she's serving, well, good luck. Consider this your court side seat to the French Open. Listen to the Renee Stubbs tennis podcast on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Presented by Capital One, founding partner of IHeart Women's Sports. Good Monday show, flying by. Gordon with the news. No, no, no, no. Turn on the news. This is the herd line news. Colin, I know you love this guy as a potential sleeper in the draft. Kyle McCord, as I reported earlier this morning,

visiting the Steelers today and scheduled to meet with the New York Giants tomorrow. Several teams I've spoken with Colin say he's one of the more undervalued players in the entire draft. I highlight his prototypical size, winning pedigree, to read coverage, and just to give you an idea of how prolific he was last year, not only leading the country in passing, first in every single major statistical category in Syracuse history, which is significant because at best, Donovan McNabb. So he's proven to you in big games at Ohio State with a ton of pressure he can succeed. He then goes to more of a basketball school where they have good talent, not great talent,

and blows away. And wins 10 games. and wins 10 games. So he's shown he can guide and manage a hyper talented roster, pressurized environment, and then he's shown that he can carry a franchise to new heights. I think he's the sleeper in the draft. Again, in a strong quarterback draft, maybe he's a third rounder.

To me, he's a top of the second round. If I was a team like a Cleveland, go get a Travis Hunter. I think Kyle McCord and Shadour Sanders, I think it's a coin flip. What I don't get is the people that are taking Jackson Dart over Kyle McCord. That I don't get. Cam Ward over him I get. But I think this kid has a chance to be the second best quarterback in the draft.

6-3-220 can move really good in the pocket. Anticipatory thrower. Yeah, and not only that, I mean, I just go back to the winning. He's 12 and 1 in Ohio State. he loses in Michigan, kind of becomes a scapegoat, wins 10 games in Syracuse, he's nine and four as a starter in games in which his team was trailing. And really, he passed every test other than Michigan, which again is probably not that fair. That Michigan team won the national championship. I'm in on him. I'm really in on him. And I think a lot of teams are too. And I

would argue that most teams are probably higher on him than the public in the draft. It's funny, Buckeye fans are higher on Will Howard, who I don't see as an NFL starting quarterback. I think he's a backup. Because this kid left, you know, there's the natural, oh, we love the new guy. Kyle McCourt is a significantly more talented quarterback than Will Howard. Another quarterback, Jaden Daniels, took the league by Storm this season. Rams coach, Sean McVeigh, commented on how impressed he was by Daniels, saying that he loved his ability to be, quote, totally immersed in the moment. That's one of the things I loved about watching him.

don't see that changing. He's going to be really scary for a long time. Colin, I think there's a really important point, too, to be made about Jaden Daniels, which is to say he's never too high, he's never too low. Now, that can go one of two ways. If you're not winning, fans would say, well, why doesn't he show more emotion? But when you are winning and you're that mature, it makes perfect sense. And I go back to what Cliff Kingsbury told me, something he did before the season started. he went to his quarterback Jaden Daniels and he said, what are the three, four, five best plays and concepts that you ran at LSU? Now show me that on the board and we will design the offense predicated on that foundation.

And so if you think about why that's important, not only to build the camaraderie and rapport, but for Jaden to have to be able to fall back when maybe things aren't going so well and know that at the very least he has a few plays and concepts, schemes, that he's really comfortable with. He also has the full trust of Dan Quinn, of Adam Peters. They are building that franchise on his shoulders, and I couldn't be more impressed.

Yeah, I mean, I think if you're in that division, you have to now build, I mean, I think that's why Dallas doesn't want to get rid of Micah is because they have to have an elite pass rusher in a division with Jaden Daniels. And I can see Dallas saying, if it was a strong draft where we could duplicate Micah for much less money, but I think Dallas looks at it and thinks

the only way to beat Washington and Philly going forward. forward has put pressure on those quarterbacks. So again, this draft is so weak by draft standards, I think it makes it very difficult to make moves for teams like Dallas or maybe a pitchburg that would move off.

Sure. An expensive player, but there's nobody in this draft to replace them or necessarily even close. So to you, is this a three-player draft in terms of the top Hunter, Carter, Ward, or just Hunter and Carter? Well, I think there's one quarterback who will start

and help his team win games immediately. That's Cam Ward. Then I think there's three or four really, really unique talents. Gentie, Travis Hunter, Abdul Carter. I think Kelvin Banks, the left tackle for Texas. You know, he gets a lot of crap, but I watched him in every big game he was good. You were telling me about him a couple of years ago. Will Johnson at Michigan, I think's great.

Mason Graham, who's an interior lineman from Servite, California, who plays hard every play. May not have the athletic ability as other Dean lineman, but it's a running back defensive tackle draft. And tight-ins. And tight-in. Tyler Warren out of Penn State. I mean, he has a legit chance to go top 10, top 15.

That's actually the guy I want to see a lot of these teams take, just because I think he's that special. But he's a tight-in. The Thunder finished out an impressive 68-win regular season with the largest point differential in NBA history. 12.9 points per game margin broke the previous record, which had been in place, Colin, over five decades. The Thunder won the West in a landslide with a 16-game gap between OKC and

Houston. The last five teams to have the best point differential per game, all won that season's NBA title. That includes Kareem's 1971 Bucks, MJ's 96 Bulls, and obviously the 2017 Warriors. Yeah, I mean, I think deep, these teams that don't have a title yet that want home court advantage and are young. So for Oklahoma City, I think home court advantage is a big deal. My only question with them is, can they go to L.A. and win a big road game? Can they go if they get into a situation

with some of these teams in the West that are dangerous? It could be a Golden State. It could be a Clippers. So I think young teams that don't have a title and have a lot of depth, they want that record. They want that number one seat. They want to play at home and have that last game in any series. Listen, they're not going to get bounced.

My only question for them is when they get to the Western Conference Finals, the more I think about it, the more I like Lakers, O KC. Yeah, I think the Lakers, man, with Luca and LeBron, like, why are, they're like minus 140 to win that first round series. That feels so light to me. OKC, 69. How many wins? 68?

Why are we talking about the Thunder? Is it just because they haven't done it yet? No, I think it's a, I, we don't talk a lot about the regular season NBA. I mean, I just don't think, I think there's three teams that feel. different. Celtics Cavs OKC. But the Lakers, because they have three playmakers, are probably one of the harder teams to defend. Yeah, I'll tell you really quickly, I was at Cavs Nix the other night. Knicks blew a 24-point halftime lead. Now, Donovan Mitchell didn't play, but Carl Anthony Towns didn't play. The reason I want to bring this up, there is such a great vibe on that

Cavs team. They have an incredible camaraderie, and it feels to me a little bit like, like there are a college atmosphere. Like these guys really are rooting for one another. And I know it sounds cheesy. But in the NBA playoffs, when you are that connected, and you have the talent that they have, Garland, Mitchell, fantastic, the two centers, Allen and obviously Mowgli,

Cleveland's the team in the Eastern. Well, I mean, if you look at, for instance, Denver's an older team, Golden State's an older team. Lakers are. our hit or miss. Lakers. Lakers are an older team. Cleveland feels like they're one year ahead of OKC. Like we've watched this Cleveland thing, Bill, for about four years. Like last year we thought was the year. The NBA is a baby steps league. So the idea that Oklahoma City is going to have this year and then win the championship, I think Oklahoma City is the Cavs last year where

they're going to win a series. They're a very good basketball team. But in the end, their fans will be left disappointed. Detroit's another year behind. them and I would say that Cleveland this year feels to me a lot like Denver did when they won it when it just feels like this might be time. Yeah. Jordan with the news. Well, that's the news. And thanks for stopping by.

The herd lie news. Well, Frank Wright years ago was part of a group in Carolina that took Bryce Young, who really emerged last year as a number one quarterback. He's now the coach at Stanford. He is next. Joining us live in L.A. It's the herd. Hey, it's us to Jonas Brothers. And guess what?

We have some big news. What's the news? Huge news. We created our own podcast called Hey Jonas. We invented a podcast? Well, we didn't invent it. We just contributed to it. We're the first people to do podcasts.

Pretty, yeah, pretty wide range of podcasts throughout there. But this one's extra special. So how do we actually come up with a name Hey Jonas, guys? I honestly don't remember. I think it was on a call about what we should call it. Well, we were thinking I'm originally calling it one of the early names of our band. before Jonas Brothers was...

This is how you guys remember it going down? Yes. I have a very different memory of this. We were talking about a thing, a bit for the podcast, where people could call in and say, Hey, Jonas. And then I wrote down on my little notepad,

Hey Jonas, and offered it up as a potential title for the podcast. But thanks for remembering that, guys. Listen to Hey Jonas on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. Just listen. We don't care where you hear it. Another podcast from some SNL,

late-night comedy guy, Not quite. Unhumor me with Robert Smygel and Friends. Me and hilarious guests from Bob Odenkirk to David Letterman help make you funnier. This week, my guest, S&L's Mikey Day and head writer, Streeter Seidel, help an a cappella band with their between songs banter. Where does your group perform? We do some retirement homes.

Those people are starving for banter. Listen to humor me with Robert Smigel and Friends on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Last night, a blown call changed a game. This morning, the internet lost its mind. Highlights are trending, opinions are flying, and nobody's telling you exactly what happened. That's where Sports Slice comes in.

I'm Timbo. Every episode, we're cutting through the noise, breaking down the plays, the controversies, and the stories behind the headlines. We go straight to the source, the athletes themselves, their locker room stories, their reactions, the stuff nobody gets to hear. The laughs, the drama, the triumphs,

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And I know firsthand because I competed there myself. I'm Renee Stubbs. And on the Renee Stubbs tennis podcast, I'm Breast. breaking down everything happening at Roland Garris. Every match, every upset, and what it really takes to win on Clay. Jenchen went. I mean, she went down in three to Rabakina, but I'm delighted. She's an outsider to win the French for me.

And she likes Clay. Listen, Lina Rabakina is arguably the best player in the world right now. And I actually can win on any surface. Because if she's serving, well, good luck. Consider this your court side seat to the French Open. Listen to the Renee Stubbs tennis podcast on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Presented by Capital One, founding partner of IHeart Women's Sports. Jim Ursay are interesting owners.

They've got strong opinions, can be a bit temperamental, and Frank Reich has found himself now at college at Stanford with Andrew Locke. And it's a whole different world. So I would have said 10 years ago, Frank, stay out of college. Go coach in the NFL. But now, with the portal, you are going to recruit a lot of kids that already have experience. They're not 16. They're 21 or 22. I mean, just take me through how you viewed college six years ago and how you view it today and how that's changed because of the portal in the NIL.

It feels to me like Colin is going to more of an NFL model. So structured that way, you know, even here within. Andrew being, Andrew Luck being named GM, you know, my situation is unique because it's an interim deal that both he and I agree were best. You know, at this time of year, it was good for me personally. So, you know, my focus is to come in here and develop the talent that is here, since I won't be here long term. You know, and I'm excited to do that. Like, even in just two weeks here of Spring Ball, I can feel the progress that we've made. I can feel the energy and excitement around what we're doing,

bringing some things that some of the experience that I've had in the professional level, some of the concepts, some of the thoughts, philosophy that can go up and help this team. So I'm excited. You know, Frank, it's interesting. You've had Philip Rivers, Andrew Locke, Carson Wentz, Bryce Young. Is there, as we talk about, you know, Cam Ward and Shadour Sanders, The kid I like is Kyle McCord at Syracuse, so I think it's a really underrated player,

really anticipatory thrower. I like him. Ohio State Syracuse. I think he's going to be a little bit of a sleeper. Is there something? Because Bryce Young really emerged last year. His first year, it was a lot. This game is fast.

It's just a different world. What is the one thing that attracted you about Bryce Young or a Carson Wentz? The one thing you would tell a college quarterback, okay, you're going to pros, this is where it's going to be really different. What is that thing?

I think it starts with mental toughness. You know, a resiliency and a mindset that you're always going to get better. You know, I always define toughness as a relentless pursuit to get better every day, an obsession to finish. And so when I'm looking for quarterbacks or what I would tell a quarterback, that's the number one factor. You know, was Peyton Manning's quarterback coach mentally as tough as they come. You know, Andrew Luck,

Bryce Young, Carson, you know, all those guys. That's a trait that they have because you're going to take, there's going to be bumps and bruises along the road. You have to find ways to keep getting better. You have to find ways to keep leaving in yourself and in the team and where you're going. And then

if you have the juice, you're going to win and you're going to be successful. You know, Frank, I've said this. I think coaching in the NBA or the NFL's gotten harder. It used to be that an owner had, let's say, a $600 million net worth, and he would give you an extra year. Well, they're all billionaires, okay? So $40 million to run a coach out of the room is a rounding error.

And I do feel like Bill Belichick had voiced this. Ownership now is richer. They're more impulsive. They're less patient. The media is more relentless. They're social media. of the owners on that, watching what people are saying, is it possible in here your golden years of coaching

that college actually, it's easier to deal with an athletic director than a billionaire, that this may be what we see some NFL coaches transitioning to? Yeah, that's an interesting thought. It's an interesting thought. I just think it comes down to personal preference. For me, you know, in my years coaching in the NFL, I think the appeal was, you know, you're playing with the best, you're coaching the best of the best, and it's all football 24-7.

What makes this position so appealing to me to come in here? At this stage, at 63, at the end of 30-plus years playing and coaching, you know, I'm looking at this as an opportunity to impact the student-athlete, you know, coach football and give them all the experience and the stuff from the NFL, but also impact people on a personal level, bring a team together. So I think you can make a case either way. For me, at this stage of my life, this is exactly what I'm looking for. So you coached Andrew Luck back with the Colts.

How many practices did it take with Andrew Luck to realize, wow, this guy's smart, this guy's really good. Like, is it instant? I mean, like they talk about the great players, the Kobe Bryant's, where you watch it, when you watch him work out and you're like, yeah, that doesn't look. like anybody else. Could you tell instantly with Andrew Luck what you could give him, what he could retain? Did you know instantly this is different? Yes, in every way. You know, mentally, his approach to the game, how the questions he asked, what the comments he would make watching the tape. The strange things was Colin that physically, you know,

obviously from watching him in his earlier years before I got there, I knew he was physically dominant at the position, but he was coming off his shoulder injury. So that year in 2018, and we had a pretty stinking good team at the end of the year. No one wanted to play us. And we're two weeks before our week one starter, our week one game, and I still have yet to see him throw a ball over 40 yards

because of the injury that he was coming off of. And he was on a pitch count, And it was a really strange year. And then we, of course, started 1 in 5 and then 1.9 of 10. And he was the hottest thing there was. And you could just, but you could see his leadership even in the 1 and 5 start as he physically was kind of gaining his confidence back in his shoulder and his throwing. But no, it was just, it felt different right from the start with him.

So there was a young player at Tennessee, really talented kid. Nico I amaliava. And I like him a lot. He moves. He's mobile. he's got an arm. He's just young. He's raw. He can be hitting a mess. Not quite there yet, but

most young quarterbacks aren't. And so it's really funny. So everybody's crushing the kid. Oh, his dad. But I can see the kids saying, timeout. Our football program makes $149 million. Coach makes 12. Duke just gave a guy

from Tulane $4 million. I'm making two. I let us to the playoffs. Maybe have a problem with the NCAA. I'm getting mine. I mean, it's funny everybody's crushing the kid, but I kind of get it. What do you make of that situation?

Yeah. I haven't really followed it very much, you know? I mean, it's right now, in the transit, you remember, I mean, this last season, I was retired, right? And I was good being retired

and hadn't been following, hadn't been following the college game that much. But this just presented. that's such a unique scenario to me. Before I kind of completely shut it down, it was like I told my wife, I said I would only get back in this for a really unique

and special situation. So that's why I'm here. So the situation that you're talking about, I'm not familiar with all the dynamics of it, to be quite honest with you, Colin. Would you, the NIL and transfer portal, will it benefit Stanford, which is an academic power? or is that something more Ohio state's going to go after?

Or do you kind of know, listen, this is what we are, this is what we want. How does Stanford approach that is an academic power? I think it does come, you know, listen, I've heard you say, you know, I mean, one of the things that I've heard you say over the years, and I don't get a chance to watch that much, but obviously I have watched and listened to you over the years, and you always say, and I've always strongly agree in like when you say this about, good teams have an identity.

They know who they are. Yes. And you always say that. And that's what this place has. This place has an identity. And it not only has an identity as an academic institution, but it also has an identity as a football program. You know, we're going to run the football.

You know, we're going to have good O-line play. Our tight-end room is going to be strong. There's, you know, they're going to be used in a powerful way to create extra gaps, create this power run game. and then to be able to throw play action off of this run game and play good, smart, tough football. And so that's what the, you know, with Andrew kind of at the helm and him really leading that identity when it was in its heyday here at Stanford, that's the identity that he's going to lead this university back to as a football program. And so, and I understand what he's looking for.

I understand that vision. And so that's what we're recruiting towards. that's what we'll use the NIL. That's what we'll use the portal for. That's what we'll scheme for. We'll stick to that identity, and that's where we're going to make our money. Finally, you know, you coach at one of the only places in the country where half the time your players are as smarter, smarter than the coach.

Are you okay with that? I am okay with that. You know, over the years, I've learned a lot of football and a lot of life from a lot of good players. So, yeah, that's one of the reasons I'm here. Even though they're much younger, but it is a unique atmosphere. And for the players as well, I can tell that already. I can just feel the energy being here for two weeks. And looking forward to getting to know everyone, you know,

right on the deeper level over the next football season. Frank, love to have you on again. Good luck to you. And Stanford and Andrew Luck, one of my all-time favorite quarterbacks, Andrew Luck, his retirement was heartbreaking, probably for him and many others in Indianapolis and me, certainly as a fan. Great senior coach. Hey, thanks, Colin.

You bet. Yeah, Stanford's in a totally different model. I always feel it's got kind of a Notre Dame feel, but there's a way to win at Notre Dame and Stanford. You don't want to get into track meets. O-line, tight-end, quarterback coaching. If you go look at the Jim Harbaugh or Marcus Freeman teams at Notre Dame, that's the way to build them.

You could have good backs, you could have, but it's a physical presence. It is a lean into physicality. and that's what you can do at Notre Dame and Stanford, and that's what Andrew Lux teams were. I mean, they were tough and physical teams. That's what Notre Dame was this year as well. So good stuff.

Albert Breer, Rick Buecker, Frank Wright, Colin Wright, Colin wrong. Jordan Schultz is in this week for Jason McIntyre. I don't know where Jason goes. Somewhere with a beach. I can take the cold. You know, it's funny. Jason, I know he's somewhere warm. I discovered over the course of my brief, brief respite,

my brief vacation. After about four days staring at water on the beach, that's it. That's about it for me. A couple books. Good couple books. Yeah. And then I'm ready to go back to work. You know, I had more fun this weekend.

You wanted to watch baseball too. Saturday I wanted to. Saturday and Sunday, I had more fun watching the Masters. Every shot. I mean, yesterday was one of my favorite TV days since Tiger Woods Prime. Wow. Four and a half, five hours of great golf. Hey, guys, it's us and the Jonas Brothers.

I'm Joe. I'm Kevin. Nick, and guess what? We created our own podcast called Hey Jonas. We invented a podcast? Well, we didn't invent it. We just contributed to it. We're the first people to do podcasts.

We get to ask other people questions because we're sick and tired of being asked questions. Well, sick and tired is a strong way to put it, but, you know. Tired and sick. Tired and sick. Listen to Hey Jonas on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. Just listen. We don't care where you hear it. Another podcast from some SNL late night comedy guy, not quite on.

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

or wherever you get your podcasts. Winning on Clay is an art. The rallies are relentless. and at the French Open, only the toughest survive. I'd know. I competed there for decades. Join me, Renee Stubbs, on the Renee Stubbs Tennis Podcasts for no-nonsense breakdowns of the biggest matches, the toughest players, and the moments that define Roland Garris.

She's an outsider to win the French name. And she likes Clay. Listen, Lerabachina is arguably the best player in the world right now, and I actually can win on any surface. Listen to the Renee Stubbs Tennis Podcasts on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. Presented by Capital One, founding partner of IHart Women's Sports. 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 IHart Radio app.

Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. This is an IHeart podcast. Guaranteed human.