The Herd with Colin Cowherd - Hour 3 - The NBA this season

Episode Date: February 26, 2024

Thoughts on Victor Wembanyama, the Lakers, and how far the Clippers can go Colin talks about the NFL salary cap increasing    Guest: Dan WoikeSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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We'll get to the Trey Young discussion in 10 minutes. He's a little wild. Not easiest guy to play with. All right, let's start with this. I felt like Boston's the best team in the East. I feel like Denver's the best team in the league. But if you said who the third best team is, I got to be honest.

As I watched, I watched the entire game last night. Chris Paul's coming back. Draymond's playing great. Wiggins has turned a corner, awful early. Clay off the bench. Pods and Kaminga. Real role players. Really?

I got to be honest with you. It would not... I felt like I thought to myself, this is what the Western Conference Finals would look like. Denver would win, but the Warriors would make them uncomfortable when they hit their shots. So let's start.

We know Denver's good. Let's start with the Warriors. Generally, we know this. You go from MJ Pippin to the take. You go Shaq, Kobe. Are they capable hitting on Kaminga and pods? Can they make a quick reboot and be a Western Conference final? I mean, they did it once before, right?

Like their last championship came kind of post-Wiseman. Yeah, post-Wiseman, so they draft Wiseman. That doesn't work out. Moody Kamiga don't really work out, but they make the Wiggins deal. And it just fits perfectly at lines up at the right time, and they go and be bused. And I was just in San Francisco, watch the Lakers up there. Saturday. The Warriors look terrific in that game.

To me, Cominga has been just a huge revelation for what they're doing. Like Steve Kurt trusts him. He's really like stepped into a bigger role. Draymond Green, I don't think we've talked enough in the league about how good he's played the last like month and a half since he's come back.

It's such a catalyst for him. And he's shot the ball well. He shot it smart. He's, you know, a supremely gifted passer. I watched that game yesterday, and I know they don't match up with Denver at all. I mean, Draymond will acknowledge, I can't stop Yolkich. Yeah.

But I like the Warriors. This kid they got to replace Clay is like a younger, edgier clay. Clay off the bench is a different player because my expectations are different. Yeah, Pachepchiske's like a guy who can like, to me, is sort of a like a jack-of-all-trades master of nun type player. Like, he just makes you better. And, you know, teams that have these guys, if you can get these guys, they can, impact, they can impact winning early. Like he just has that sort of gene that

basketball IQ where he just kind of figures it out. I don't think they're the third best team. I think we need to have real conversations I think about Minnesota. I think we need to have a real conversation about the thunder.

To me, the team that I think is the third best team is probably the Clippers despite the swoon here a little bit out of the officer break, a tough loss in Oklahoma City. you know, lose last night to Sacramento. There are teams that are built for regular, and by the way, no disrespect to the T-Wolves

and Thunder, especially the T-Wolves, love Chris. I'll believe it when I see it, but I do think there's match-up issues. They match up with Denver better, just sheer size. They've got tons of size, yeah. So the Clippers are fascinating. There are teams, and we've talked about this. Jay Mack and I have talked about this. Healthy Phoenix, too, by the way.

That's another team that I think. Healthy Phoenix is scary. I think the Lakers are built for the postseason. I agree with you. I tend to think the Clippers are built for the regular season. because of their depth and their sort of ability to like They can get one night off, walk into town, and they're throwing seven guys that can score.

They've got some size, and they've got shot makers. I don't know if I trust him in the postseason. Sure, and I think, you know, look, that's always tricky, right? When you look at this group and you say, well, what is James Harden ever won? What is Paul George ever won? That's what I'm saying. Those are fair criticisms. What is Kwai Leonard ever won?

A bunch of championships. And he's playing great. That's the thing I think for the Clippers is that. he's the head of the snake, right? It's Kauai Leonard. He's their best player. And I think, to me, that is in the playoffs when he is just so, so steady.

And they were on path. I think they were on the path to make the finals. Had Kauai not gotten injured, that would have been, what, 2019, I think. If my memory is served when they went to the Western Conference finals, they were on that track. The James Hardin deal, Colin, I know you've eaten crow on this.

I've eaten crow on this. Not good early. Tons of people around the league of Eat and Crow on deal. He's played great basketball for them as a facilitator. Terrence Mann as a starter has been great. Westbrook. Westbrook has been great off the bench. Terrific. Norman Powell. To me, they are a team

that you, they've got eight guys and they know exactly who they are. They know what kind of team they want to be. And I love watching them play. Their ball movement. And they're big. Hardin now gives them a true point. If you watch the, I made this argument about three weeks ago, they may be the best watch in the league

on their good nights. The ball, they do mid-range, three, they drive, transition. A lot of ways to score and a lot of athletes to do it. Yeah, when I talk to people around the league, they are certainly in the conversation of scariest team. Now, whether that that means best, and it's funny you bring up the Lakers.

That's another team that I think people do have a real appropriate fear for. I've had this conversation that are lacking with players, just kind of like, LeBron and I spoke about this, that, like, they have a fastball. They have a really, really good fastball. We saw it in the season, in-season tournament.

We've seen it when they went to Boston without AD in LaBron. They have seen the last year. Yeah. And I think we saw in the playoffs last year. I mean, like they are a team that if like they are rested and like things break for them, they can like reach back to keep the strain metaphor going and really just like throw as hard as they can throw. Yeah. The question for me with them is for like, especially knowing what they considered success to be,

which is a championship, or at least certainly on appearance in the finals, do they have 12 really good? fastballs? Do they have 16 really good fastballs? Because that's how many you need to win. That's how many you need to throw. And can you do it, you know, can you do it every other night in the playoffs? And I think that's going to be tough. So I've thrown this theory out. If I was NBA commissioner, as the game gets more international, that's not necessarily baseball hockey similarly great for ratings. So what you want is maybe your older stars to remain in the playoffs. Sure. I've argued this

that if the playoffs three games first round, five, five, final seven, you're not asking LeBron. That's like seven games. He might be going to the final until he's 50. In this case, Colin. But like Adam Silver's made moves.

He's borrowed the in-season tournament. Steph Curry and a rascal scooter on the way to the arena. That's my point is that when you do these seven-game series, you play unnecessary games for older players. And as the game gets more international, you want Stefan LeBron in the playoffs. It was about a month and a half ago. I watched the Saturday night game, Stefan LeBron.

Fascinating. That was awesome game. One of the best games of the year. That's what you want to play. You can't live... Listen, I've seen it in hockey. I've seen it in baseball. The NFL's a domestic product.

That's a big advantage. We watch the kids in college. And as the best players now international, I love the game. I think it's never been more skillful. But to enhance your older players. And they may be. By the way, Janus, in seven years,

years, maybe one of those guys that I want in the playoffs. Sure. Right? So I just think one of my knocks is, for the LeBron is, I just don't think the Lakers can win, you know, seven games here, seven games here. It's too many games. It's going to be, so like their biggest issue, Colin, is that the margins are tight, right? Like, they've got to play, they've got to play too close to perfect on a very regular

basis to win. Like, that's just sort of the reality of their situation. I mean, they're built around, I mean, we could talk for three hours about this. you know, how interesting it is that they are built around a 39-year-old player in his prime. Like, this doesn't happen in basketball ever. The closest has ever happened in football is

with Tom Brady. And, like, Tom Brady took a pay cut. Like, he wasn't, like, paying, being paid at that, like, you know, 30% of your salary cap is, like, tied into one player, like, LeBron James is with the Lakers. So that's just, like, a really interesting situation. I just

tend to think with them that they are, like, they're good enough for you to talk yourself into them. And they're probably flawed enough that you're going to end up disappointed at some point. And you just don't know really when they're pretty high variance in that way. 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 I-Hard Radio app, Apple Podcasts,

or wherever you get your podcasts. A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care which I'm saying. Yep, that's me, 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 what you need to be. Listen to The Clifford Show on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok. Do you remember when Diana Ross double-tapped Little Kim's boobs at the VMAs? Or when Kanye said that George Bush didn't like black people. I know what you're thinking. What the hell does George Bush got to? do a little kill. Well, you can find out

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So I'm starting to see that there's a through line. We also have AIDS. on the table right now. Thank you finishing that sentence. 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. Okay, Victor Wimbunyama. Yeah. Better than you thought? I mean, yes. And I've been like on the train, I think, pretty early. I saw him play earlier this year in San Antonio, the first time I saw him in the NBA. He'd beat the Lakers, but it was like, you know, it was just more like, this guy's pretty

tall. He's kind of, he's just around. Friday night in L.A., he plays his first game against the Lakers in Los Angeles. Five-five-five game. Yeah, the five-by-five, the rare five points, five assists, five rebounds, five steals, five blocks. He was the youngest player ever to do it, first of all. His arms calling are everywhere. He's like everywhere. I talked to Austin Reeves after the game. He thought first shot of the game, Austin is really good at using his body, creating space. That's what you have to do when you don't jump. Like Austin Reeves doesn't really jump that on.

And he thought first play of the game that he had a layup. He'd use the rim to kind of block off a defender, used his body, and Wemagnama just erased it. And it was like he didn't know where he was coming from. Every night, you talk to people in San Antonio, every night he does two or three things. that you're like, I did not know this was possible. Let me throw two players at you. He's a little Sam Bowie and a little George Gervin. He's got, you know, George would be...

I know one of those names would make people nervous in San Antonio. Sam Bowie, who by the way is one of the great players ever. His career, Sam was 7-4, bring the ball up the left flank, pull up and hit a jumper. Yeah. And the injury room is... I mean, to me, the other thing, Colin, wasn't just the steals in the blocks. I think he had eight assists against the lake. And the little thing I notice is like that team is bad.

That's an 11-win team. And Victor Weminyama, when you talk to people, this guy who's like, this guy is very serious about winning, right? He's maniacal about his sleep. He's about the right stuff. He's been preparing to be an all-time great for years. Like, this is the path that he's on, very similar to LeBron in that way. Watching him on the court with a losing team, there wasn't any eye-rolling. There wasn't any bad body language.

He was very, very with his team. You know, guys would miss shots. He didn't get discouraged. He showed no signs of the grind of the season wearing on him. And it's just like, just steady. And, you know, we've seen this before in San Antonio with Tim Duncan, right? Just like how narrowly focused. And it just feels like if you told me in three or four seasons that Victor Mianama was the MVP of the NBA, I wouldn't be shocked.

Like, I don't know that there's a hyperbole that we can reach. I'm sure we could try. But, like, that is, like, LeBron said it, there is no ceiling for this player. Let me throw one more. 10% Ralph Samson, 20% Sam Bowie, 18% George Gervyn. Oh, God. And then the rest of it, I don't know. 52%, I believe, if my math is still good.

Yeah, I mean, a little sprinkling a little Kevin Durant in there. Yes, absolutely. Because he's got such high skill level. Because of his skill, I mean, Anthony Davis. in terms of the way that he can, like, kind of defend as, like, both as a guy who defends and steals another criminal box. You made me think of something. So, J. Max O was picking on Kevin Durant, who I like. He had a DM relationship for a while or something like that.

So we got into this discussion earlier. Some guys are great. Some guys are great in her leaders. I always said Aaron Rogers, great. I'm not sure if he's a great leader. Kind of passive aggressive. Kevin Durant, great, all-time great. Great basket getter.

I'm not sure if he's great leader. I don't view that as a criticism. A. Rod was a great star. Jeter felt like there were leadership qualities, the parenting. Derek was like the foundational piece of the Yankees. Arod was more talented. Is that fair with Kevin Durant? I think leadership comes in like a lot of different forms,

generally speaking, like being inside of NBA locker rooms, right? Like there are really, there are guys that are crazy vocal who are awful leaders because you don't want to hear their voice. Right. Right? And they're bad at it. you know, it can be, it can great on people. If they don't know, there are guys that have been too demanding who you would, you know, people would point to them and say, like, this guy's a general, right?

And like, but behind the scenes, you would say, you know, is he really? Is this really the leader we want? I think, like, to me, Kevin Durant's superpower as a leader and as a star is, like, you know exactly what he's about. Yep. That guy's about who. Like, he's about basketball. Yeah.

And he's committed to that. He plays the right way. Yeah. And, like, it is a pretty, again, we're talking about narrow focuses. It's a pretty narrowed focus. But it's interesting. And he's not, he's not a firebrand. He's not like a rally around guy.

But Chris Paul, his critics will say it was difficult. I see leadership. Boozer, Beal, and Durant. I see talent. Which one's the leader? You need leadership in the playoffs. Booker. Sorry, I was like, did they get card?

No, no, I mean, like, on that team, I mean, like, yeah. I mean, I think Devin Booker. I mean, I think that, like, those teams kind of like. Who holds people? people accountable. Yeah, I think it's Kevin Booker. Devon Booker and Kevin Durant. I think they do.

I think they just do it, you know, in a way where it's not, you don't grab anybody by the collar necessarily, right? Like, I think you can, it's sort of you have to, like, leadership doesn't come in one shape or form. I think you have to move it to the situation, right? And especially on a team when you have multiple stars, right? You have, I think, Frank Vogel, who's a very level-headed, like the right kind of voice on the bench, too, for that group.

I don't think you need a screamer. I actually think like for like for what they do like laid back probably works a little better. Finally, and this is really the tipping point of our friendship. Okay, let's do it. Trey Young Donovan Mitchell. Now I have heard reports. These have not been documented. There's rumors that Trey can be difficult to play with.

Yes. Trey Young, Donovan Mitchell, you're a GM go. Donovan Mitchell first. pretty easily, pretty quickly, actually. Better defender. Bigger. Definitely, I've seen him more consistently in bigger moments in the playoffs, right? Plathing just a phenomenal season, too.

Things we don't really, I mean, he has been. He's a stronger player and a better defender. And he's just like sturdier. Sturdier. Right? Like, generally speaking, sturdier. Now, I think the questions I would always have is, you know, like, how does this player impact winning when they don't have the ball? Right?

Because that's the thing. If you're going after these guys, right, it's to be complimentary stars to something else you already have. I have Trey Young questions. Obviously, big questions on the defensive end. Yeah, doesn't take a lot of pride. And like he is a good passer. Very.

But like you do wonder, like what you mentioned. Like you do wonder is sort of like, well, like, where's the disconnect? Guys usually really like playing with good passers. Like, where's the disconnect? And I don't love them. And I think it's just like you pound the ball a little bit. This is similar to James Harden, right? And it takes time to figure out how to play around these guys.

Do I think there's a better situation out there for Trayon? Probably. 27 a night. I mean, the numbers are the numbers. I think it is sort of telling, and is that you look around the league and you look at the people who make these choices, players and coaches when it comes to things like Allsirk.

He was a replacement. He wasn't the first choice despite having, you know, terrific numbers of the season. So, like, there's got to be a disconnect there somewhere. People say, I mean, he and Quinn Snyder, Quinn likes you to play defense. Watched a player. Yeah.

And I mean, look, that situation with Dejante Murray is strange and they're splitting point card duties. I mean, we'll see. He's out four weeks now with this injury. I would have think J.Mack would like Trey Young because you're both gunners. And so I would have thought, you know, don't have much interest in playing defense. That's right. Just go get your shots up, right? You miss all the ones you don't take?

Dude, that chair you're in plays better defense than JMA. I've heard that from teammates. But you don't take a lot of pride in defense. Oh, but that's okay. You can hit, you can drill the three. That's the opposite. Dan and I are guys. I'm three-point line to three-point line, Jay.

That's pretty much what I do, yes. It's just like at this point, it's just like trying to keep all the tendons intact. Dan Wojke. It's great to see his old. Thanks for having me, Kyle. It's good being here. Oh, it's great being here. All right, we take a break.

J-Max back, Hurdline News, The Herd. Be sure to catch live editions of The Herd, Weekdays in noon Eastern, 9 a.m. Pacific. Hey, I'm Doug Gottlie. The podcast is called All Ball. We usually talk all basketball all the time, but it's more about the stories about what made these people love their sport and all the interesting interactions along the way. We talk to coaches, we talk to players, we tell you stories. You download it, you listen to it, I think you like it.

Listen to All Ball with Doug Ghalib on the IHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, 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, 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 Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok. Do you remember when Diana Ross double-tapped Little Kim's boobs at the VMAs? Or when Kanye said that George Bush didn't like black people. I know what you're thinking. What the hell does George Bush got to do a little kill? Well, you can find out on the Look Back at it podcast.

I'm Sam J. And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick it here, unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it. Including a recent episode with Mark Lamont Hill, waxing all about crack in the 80s. To be clear, 84 is big to me, not just because of crack. I'm down to talk about crack on day, but just so y'all know. I mean, at this point, Mark, this is the second episode where we've discussed. Correct. So I'm starting to see that there's a through line.

We also have AIDS on the table right now. Thank you for finishing that sentence. I don't think there's a more important year for black people. Really? Yeah. For me, it's one of the most important years for black people in American history. Listen to look back at it on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Spring football is about to hit a whole new level as the USFL and XFL.

come together to unleash the United Football League. Opening weekend kicks off March 30th on Fox with the USFL champion Birmingham Stallions taking on the XFL champion Arlington Renegades, the UFL this spring on ABC, ESPN, FS1, and Fox. All right, without further ado, JMAQ with the news. No, no, no, no, no, turn on the news. This is the herd line news.

All right, Colin, what would you like? I should open it up to you since you're the superstar. What would you like to start? It's one of those deals where Eric B. Enamey is a guy we've talked about a lot on this show. He's returning to college football, Colin, set to become the offensive coordinator and associate head coach at UCLA. Spent 2023 with the commanders. Kind of a disaster there. And the reason I want to open it up to you is because, I don't know, going back to college, like.

I don't know. I'm not. I think college football. if you're in the SEC or the Big Ten, they are going to dominate college football, those two conferences for the foreseeable future. I think UCLA needs him. I think UCLA is a good fit.

I think college football, it's going to be a little bit like AFC, NFC. I think you're going to have two big conferences dominating the sport. I think you're going to go to 12 to 16 teams, and the SEC is going to get five to six in, and the Big Ten is going to get four to five in. and then you'll have a few sprinkled in, and I don't have a problem with it.

Clemson obviously is viable. But the biggest brands, I mean, I could say, outside of Notre Dame and Clemson, you need a spark off the bench or a lady and in rally to help you win the day. And your recruiting powers are in the Big Ten in the SEC. Sometimes in life.

Not being Notre Dame and Clemson, those are big brands outside. You need a spark off the bench or a lady in rally and help you win the day. Why would you leave Patrick Mahomes? I don't know how to phrase this without sweetened green tea. coming off as strange, but why did Eric the enemy leave Patrick Mahomes

and the Chiefs? Well, because he didn't think, I'm guessing, he was getting, he wanted to get away from Andy because he wanted to prove to people, hey, I know you all think I don't have any say, any control, so I'm going to go to a

defensive head coach, and you're going to see what I can do with the offense. Because when you, you know, Andy casts a big shadow, and so we think Mahomes and Andy Reid, we don't give the coordinator much love because of Andy. And so he's like, hey, I'm going to go to a defensive coach, see what I can do with Sam Howell. By the way, mobility is the name of the game with coaches, so he'll move to UCLA. If UCLA, he's going to be on TV games, getting talked about, UCLA, Michigan, Ohio, State, USC, Oregon, Washington, Iowa.

He'll get back to the NFL at some point. Or maybe he's a better fit in college. Sam Howell had like a few moments with the enemy, but there was nothing dynamic or memorable about the enemy's turn in. I mean, if you're at a place with legends, Mahalms and Andy Reeder legends, and you're an offensive guy, and everybody sees you as this unimportant kind of cog, you just don't. I understand it. I'm going to go show people, hey, I can do some stuff. And be in a me, and you'd always hear, like, wow, I mean, he's calling the play.

I understand it. I understand it. I get it. Didn't work out, but you can't just be resultorian. It doesn't understand people do things. The process matters. Okay. It's the perfect song you make a move that doesn't work out.

But it's getting the usual place through a long season. All right. Next up, NFL Combine kicks off this week. Everybody loves you. All eyes on the top of your local Dyson stores. Amazon. Prespects, Caleb Williams. Jaden Daniels will be there.

They will not throw for scout. According to this support, Bowenix, J.J. McCarthy will participate in throwing. Amazon and Etowin.com. It looks like as of now, no report on Drake May and whether or not he'll throw. I'm surprised that Jaden Daniels is not throwing. Like, did he do enough against... Listen, I know he played in the SEC, but if you look at his stats, Colin,

he patted his stats against, like, crap, non-SCC teams. I think he's got something to prove. I'm surprised he's not throwing. Are you? Quarterbacks don't throw at this thing anymore. I don't know. I'll tell you, I... This love and fascination for J.J. McCarthy

and this disregard for Bo Nix, I'm going to make a prediction. Bo Nix's going to be pretty good. Well, wait a minute. You can't do that. We don't know where he's going. Bo Nix could go to. Huh?

Yeah, Bo Nix and Sean Payton. You think he's going to fail there? I would say no. Yeah. Well, J.J. McCarthy goes to Atlanta. No, a decent chance of failure there. You know, like, that's how it works. Right?

Bo Nicks to Denver. You know, you are friendly with Sean Payton. I didn't get it from Sean Payton. So you'd take Bo Nix over McCarthy. Yes. I'm in the minority. I would take Bo Nicks over J.J. McCarthy. Who has a higher.

ceiling. Bo Nix or McCarthy? I think they're both. Oh. I think Caleb and Drake may have... No, no, we know that. Well, I think they're both... Same. Really? I think they're both capable of winning a playoff game. I think they're both capable guys. More likely to win a Super Bowl. Bo Nix. Now you've gone off the deep end.

I'm not drafting thinking that guy can win me a playoff game. I have not seen them play a pro game. Can I scale back on that? Jay J.J. McCarthy just won a Natty. Jim Harbaugh, best defense, run game, O'Line, 19 pros. interesting how this works out. I think Bo Nix is now being under

disgust and J.J. McCarthy's being over-discust. Now, my take is they may be very similar as prospects, but it's interesting to watch people fall in love with J.J. McCarthy who played with much better players than Bo Nix did at Oregon. Jim Harbaugh and Dan Lennon, and I like Dan. But, I mean, Michigan beats

Alabama. Michigan throttles Washington. and Michigan has throttled Ohio State. Yeah, Michigan is stacked. Right, but McCarthy's record was like 27 and 1 or something insane. Like, she's just a winner. I know you, it sounds lame to say. Well, I mean, again, he's a winner. Everybody when Steve Spurrier was in Florida, funny, they were all winners.

Then he were a winner. Everybody at Georgia is a winner. That doesn't mean anything to me. The one thing that meant something to me when I went to the combine was a guy said, it's not what you are, it's what you can be. and I don't think we know what J.J. McCarthy can be because he was limited in Michigan, right? We've seen Bo Nix throw the ball all over the field for like five seasons, 60 plus starts. I think we know what he.

That's fair. We've seen the best of Bo Nix. Well, I think that's a fair opinion. J.J. McCarthy, there's a little more to unravel. I think that's totally fair. Okay. I just think Bo Nix is like we've kind of thrown him to the back of the pile. And I'm like, if he ends up in Denver, he's going to be pretty good.

Yeah. Final story is the Bengals announced they're going to use the franchise tag on T. Higgins. Big one for Glass Joe Burrow, getting to keep the combo of Chase and Higgins together. Higgins was a 2020-second round pick, was going to hit Free Agency. They do have until July 15 to come to a long-term agreement. If not, Higgins will make about 21.8 Mill in 2024, so one elite receiver off the table. Probably the best combo, receiver combo. Debo, Iyuk, or Higgins, Jamar Chase.

Although I will tell you, Jordan Addison, Justin Jefferson's pretty good. So I'm of the belief, you know, I'm not producing tomorrow's show for you yet, but Justin Jefferson, there is the growing chatter about Justin Jefferson in a potential trade out of Minnesota. You were asking me what? I've told you, I would consider it. But it's not from the usual suspects who are like at NFL Network and ESPN, and I know they're sometimes beholden. Who are the suspects? He's a reporter in Minnesota. So where's he getting that from?

Team. Certainly not the agent. Well, he's probably getting it from the team. Again, I think this is a stacked. There's going to be 10 receivers taken. My guess is by the end of the second round. None of them may be Justin Jefferson. But if you could give me a first and two seconds

and I could get 80% of Justin Jefferson in the draft and a first and two seconds, I get four starters. You have to consider that. And Jordan Addison and their tight end are both excellent players. But give me landing spots for JJ. Like, who are the guys? New England. They can't draft wrong.

They don't have a quarterback. Well, Mack Jones. This would be a downgrade for Justin Jefferson. He'd probably be ticked off to go there. I go from Kirk Cousins and I'm the man. You've shifted the argument to how happy he's going to be to be traded. Well, remember, he's got to want to sign a long-term deal with you, right? I mean, I guess you could tag him, but I'll just float this.

Houston Texans. That's interesting. I like that. Quarterback on a rookie deal? No, I like that. That's good. That's a good one. Houston Texans is very interesting.

Now, I still think their roster's a little bit in the rebuild stage. I don't know how many draft picks they'd want to give on. But I think that, well, Tank Dell, their tight ends of free agents. Is he coming back? Dalton Schultz, I think he's a free agent. I think he's a free agent. Nico Collins coming back. Tankdale, Justin Jefferson.

Yeah. With CJ Strout? That's ridiculous offensively. Let's root for that. The other one is the Colts. I would keep an eye on the Indianapolis Colts. Quarterback on a rookie deal. Anthony Richardson.

Bro, Andy Richardson is getting 70-yard bombs to Justin Jefferson. Like, with Pittman, I like that. If I was Jefferson, though, I'd rather go to Houston because I think C.J. Stroud is a proven accurate deliverer of the football. Anthony Richardson. I'm going to say two words. Shane Steichen. I want to be in the Shane Stuyken business.

I worry about the health of Anthony if he's going to move around like that. C.J. Stroud is a pocket. guy. He had a bad concussion against the Jets. I mean, he missed a couple games. Well, I'm some of that's O-line. Fair. Jay Mack with the news. Well, that's the news. And thanks for stopping by.

The herd lie news. You see that? The NFL salary cap rises 31 million bucks. That's the largest jump since the salary cap was introduced 30 years ago. Most of it because of the new TV deal,

and that's not going to go away. So they're just going to this is just going to keep going. It's not a one-off. But, I mean, the footprint if the NFL is so big. So basically, you get the season, that's like 21 weeks. Then you take a week off, two weeks off,

that it's combined, free agency, draft, mini-camp OTAs, watch NBA playoff basketball for six, seven weeks, then you're back to the NFL. It's well-run. Contractually, you don't get stuck in these never-ending baseball contracts. You can't get out of.

player empowerment isn't the be-all end-all like the NBA. Players do very well. But you just don't, the NFL does a good job to not trap teams. Sometimes in baseball and basketball, teams get trapped, paying enormous salaries for seven, eight years to pretty average players. Plus, I mean, the NFL's feeder system, I mean, last year the top four picks in the NBA draft came from four different leagues. I don't know where the players are playing.

NFL, I get them from Alabama, Ohio State, USC, Oklahoma, Texas, Michigan. Not going away, only getting bigger. See you tomorrow. Another podcast from some SNL, late-night comedy guy, not quite. Unhumor me with Robert Smygel and friends. Me and hilarious guests from Bob Odenkirk to David Letterman help make you funnier. This week, my guest, SNL's Mikey Day and head writer, Streeter Seidel, help an a cappella band with their between songs banter.

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