The Herd with Colin Cowherd - Richard Sherman Podcast - FAN MAILBAG: Seahawks Super Bowl favorites? 49ers bounce back? Lamar’s final Ravens season?

Episode Date: April 14, 2026

In this episode of the Richard Sherman Podcast, Sherm answers fan questions and breaks down the biggest NFL offseason storylines. He explains why the Seattle Seahawks could still be the team to beat next season, what Sam Darnold needs to do to take the next step, and which teams could go from worst to first. He also dives into the New York Giants’ rebuild, the market for Dexter Lawrence, and why he always sides with players in contract disputes. Plus, he shares thoughts on Las Vegas Raiders QB Kirk Cousins’ unreal career earnings, the Lamar Jackson contract situation, top-5 NFL coaches, NFL draft strategy, and whether San Francisco 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan could ever be on the hot seat. It’s a full offseason mailbag covering everything you need to know heading into the draft.   All lines are provided by Hard Rock Bet. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is an IHeart podcast. Guaranteed Human. Hey guys, it's us. The Jonas Brothers. I'm Joe. I'm Kevin. And I'm 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. 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 Acapella 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 ice. Heart 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, and nobody's

telling you exactly what happened. That's where SportsSlice comes in. I'm Timbo, and every episode, we're cutting through the noise, breaking down the biggest moments in sports and giving you the real story behind the headline. And we're going straight to the source, the athletes themselves, their locker room stories, their reactions in the moment, and the stuff nobody gets to hear. Listen to Sports Slice on the Iheart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more, follow Timbo Slicelife 12 in the TikTok podcast network on TikTok. 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 podcast for no nonsense breakdowns of the biggest matches, the toughest players, and the moments that define Roland Garris. Jench who win? She's an outsider to win the French name. And she likes to win.

Clay. Listen, Leonard Rabakina 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 IHeart Women's Sports. Welcome back to the Richard Sherman podcast. It's still the offseason. You guys got questions and we've got answers. Mitchell, Sartis all. Richard, here we are. You know what? We submitted a fan mailbag on Twitter last night. I appreciate you guys all for some. submitting your responses. We're trying to get you more involved. So we love you guys. We love our listeners here. Richard, we got one. And this one, you know, I know we're midway through this offseason, I guess. We're entering the NFL draft. We've gone through the beginning of free agency.

At this point in the off season, if you had to pick next year's Super Bowl winner, who would it be? Well, Metro, nothing this offseason has led me to believe the Seattle Seahawks are not going to be the favorites going into this season because they people on the outside are saying oh man they've lost so many pieces i'm not under that same impression i they have lost pieces that they feel like they can replace they have lost pieces that they feel like they have um either in-house replacements for or can find their replacements in the draft and i can agree with that i i think the same thing i think kenneth walker is a guy that that had an incredible run through the playoff off incredible end of the season and made a lot of plays, including the Super Bowl MVP.

But I don't think they saw him as an irreplaceable piece to this team. Obviously, he split time with Charbonnet throughout most of the season and was incredibly fresh to make that run. There were question marks when Charbonnet got injured, whether he would be able to carry the load and he was. He was able to do it, got himself a nice payday. But I don't think the Seattle Seahawks saw that as. oh my God, if we don't bring him back, we won't have a chance at the Super Bowl again.

I think they feel really good about not only the depth they have at running back, but their ability to draft well and find, whether it's by committee or one guy, to be able to replace the production that Kenneth Walker had. I think Kobe Bryant, they feel like Ty Akata, did a great job throughout the season. Boye Amafé is another guy who had an incredible impact. But again, was a rotational rusher on this team. And they feel like they can find a guy like that in the draft, a guy that can get around the edge, put pressure on the quarterback.

And it'll be on John Snyder and their front office to find that. But I feel really good about the team and just the scheme that they're running. I think with what happened last year, people lose sight. Sam Donald had a really good season. But I'm sure there are games Sam Darnel watches from last season where he's like, man, I can play better than it. Man, I can do better than that. I miss this guy.

I miss this guy. And it was his first year with the team. He's going to be better in his second year. He's going to have less than 20 turnovers, I would believe. You know, don't quote me or quote me. You know, the videos live forever. But throughout the playoffs, he showed that he could play mistake-free football. I think that's a big reason they went on to win the Super Bowl because he played

mistake-free football. He had 20 turnovers throughout the season and zero in the playoffs. And if he can play like that for a majority of the season next year, year, they will, I mean, don't win more games than they won this year or as many games as they won this year and be an even stronger team. I think their defense is just as good as they were last year. Obviously, you lose Tariq Wulin. That's a big deal. But again, they had to play without Tariq Wulin for a number of games. There was times where he was in the lineup, out of the lineup, where he fell out of favor, was back in favor. So again, these are players that they have played

without before and felt good about the players they could do the players that they had and what they could do with those players. Josh Job, Josh Job got his payday, and I think he's going to be an essential part of why they feel comfortable losing Tariq Wulin. Obviously, John Snyder said they were priced out of the runnings for him. He signed a one-year deal. There's nothing to say that maybe, you know, after one year in Philadelphia, who knows, it'll be a free agent again. they can have those conversations again. But I think the Seattle Seahawks going into this season will be the favorites. And you touched on, you know, obviously Kenneth Walker leaving and the freeing up space in the running back room.

If there was ever a draft to have a need at running back, this draft's pretty loaded, you know, top to bottom. And especially in the middle rounds, you know, they could go with a guy like Judarian Price out of Notre Dame, you know, Jonah Coleman up in the Pacific Northwest out of Udub, Mike Washington, Jr. out of Arkansas. So, I mean, all these guys, you know, could be late first anywhere to fourth round picks. So, you know, for Seattle, I'm with you, man. Until somebody starts knocking them off that pedestal, they're the team to beat. And I can't believe I'm saying this, but Sam Darnold has proven it over the last two years. He's more than capable of leading this franchise. One more year of comfort with this team.

I'm with you, Richard. Seattle is going to be a juggernaut again next season. Now let's talk about some of the bad teams. I mean, each year, it seems that there's always a team in a division that goes from worse to first. Richard, who do you think is the best odds of being able to double their win total from last year? There's got to be someone that comes out of nowhere and surprises the NFL landscape. I guess your best bet right now of a team that go from, you know, really bad team picking early in a draft to somewhat competitive will be the Giants. and I say that because you feel good about what John Harbaugh is going to bring.

He's going to bring a great coaching pedigree, stability. They're going to run a good defensive scheme. They already have a great defensive line. And a lot of this starts with a great disruptive defensive line. Obviously, Dexter Lawrence wants out. Who knows what will happen with that? Maybe a distraction throughout the offseason. I mean, throughout the season, maybe they'll get a deal done that keeps him in New York.

I'm not sure. but with him in the lineup, they have a really strong defensive line. And I think they continue to grow there. They feel good about Jackson Dart and what he brings that quarterback has brought some excitement, brought some dynamic ability. And another year under his belt, I think they improve as a team. The Tennessee Titans, I want to see do better. I want to see Cam Ward, the former number one pick, do well for Robert Sala and their staff.

Can Brian Daybow get the best out of it? him and in your guy, Wondale Robinson. And your guy, Wondell Robinson, that's to be seen. The Raiders, they'll pick first and draft Mendoza. What will that look like? I think they've done some really cool things defensively. Obviously, bringing Max Crosby back from the trade, the botched trade, the failed trade, whatever you want to call it.

But I think the Giants, I think the Giants have the chance. to double their wins and be more competitive than they were last year. I think it's still it's a long shot for any of these teams to really be playoff contenders, but we've seen it happen. Well, second year Jackson Dart, like you said, and there's a new leader in the clubhouse, and that's John Harbaugh. And obviously, with his winning pedigree coming over from Baltimore, I mean, he's not going to take any nonsense.

And we see it, you know, obviously they're facing a little bit of adversity with this Dexter Lawrence situation. I shouldn't say adversity, more uncomfortability. And maybe they're handling things a little bit differently. John Harbaugh was on record saying, you know, anyone can be traded. So, you know, he's walking in here. Here's a veteran in Dexter Lawrence that clearly wants more money. Richard, what do you make a Dexter Lawrence requesting this trade?

What do you think is markets like? And whose side are you really on here? Are you on the team side or Dexter's side in this situation? I'm always on a player's side. More money for the players. More money for the players. Pay the guy. Max him out.

I don't even, I mean, I don't even mind overpaying guys because, again, I want more money in players' pockets and less money

for the team. I'm always player-focused. But his market is interesting because he's a deep, he's a very powerful and dominant defensive tackle, but him playing over the nose, over the center isn't a scheme fit for everybody.

Can he play a one? Can he play a three? I don't think he can play a three. I think he's always going to be a zero or a one. But he could be disruptive and be great for everybody. But I don't know if everybody puts the kind of value financially on the position as he would want. As he would want. He may want to get $25, $30 million.

And there aren't a lot of teams that value that position in a way that they feel comfortable paying, regardless of what he's doing, regardless of how dominant of a player he is, not a lot of teams feel like they can afford to pay. Now, edge rushers, guys who are on the edge, they feel much different about. But dominant deep tackles that don't have the high sack numbers, usually have a hard time commanding those big numbers. Now, it may be Albert Haynesworth's fault. Remember back in the day when Albert Haynesworth got that $100 million,

and then it went south really quickly. But a long time ago for you, for you kids that just started watching the NFL, look that up, look up Albert Hainsworth and what he did. But yeah, I just don't, I don't know. I don't know if he'll find a suitor out there, especially after free agency has passed. Maybe if they would have done something before free agency, a team would have been able to find some money and figure out their cap situation and make room for a guy like him,

a quality player who they're going to have to pay a lot of money and make a cornerstone of their franchise. But once free agency is over, you ask for a trade, you know, teams got to do a lot of juggling to make his salary work with their team. And I don't know if a team will feel like it's worth it. Now, maybe a team doesn't get the guy that they want in the draft

and say, Oh, man, we didn't get the guy we want. Maybe we can see if the giants are still interested in moving Dexter Lawrence, if we can meet their price, et cetera, et cetera. But who knows? The NFL is crazy these days. It's tough for him, too, because he's really coming off a down year. I mean, he had a half sack to his name last year.

Prior to that in 2024, he had nine. So, you know, he's trying to capitalize off of 2024 success. We'll see what happens. I mean, you saw the Raiders clearly overpay on a guy like Christian Wilkins a couple years ago. So the question's got to be asked. I know the production has been there for Dexter Lawrence throughout his career. Last year was a down year. You know, do they, as a team that is rebuilding and looking to resurge the Giants,

are they going to be willing to make that financial commitment? We'll see. I mean, obviously the Kansas City Chiefs did something similar with Chris Jones. And look at the situation they're in now. I mean, I know they love Chris Jones. reality is he's over 30. They probably want to spend that money elsewhere, Richard. I don't know.

I can't speak for the team, but an outsider looking in, I would have to think they got bigger needs than a 30-plus-year-old defensive tackle. Hey, it's us, the 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, a pretty wide range of podcasts. We're starting a trend. 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. 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 acapella 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 athlete themselves, their locker room stories, their reactions, the stuff nobody gets to hear. The laughs, the drama, the triumphs, the moments that never make the highlight reel. From viral moments to historic games, from buzzer beaters to controversial calls, we break it down, give you context and ask the questions everybody wants answered. Sports Slice brings you closer to the action with stories told by the people who live them. Listen to Sports Slice on the Iheart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your

podcast. And for more, follow Timbo Slicleaf 12 and the TikTok podcast network on TikTok. The other news we got out this week is Kurt Cousins. I don't know how this guy keeps doing it, but he's made the most guaranteed money next to, I think it was Matthew Stafford throughout the NFL career. And he does it again, getting paid $20 million by the Raiders, obviously being brought in to mentor the proverbial number one pick in Fernando Mendoza. Richard, what do you make a Kirk Cousins going to the Las Vegas Raiders? And what do you make at him as a businessman? Because whatever he's doing, man, it's clearly working.

Obviously, he's highly educated being a Michigan State grad. So you've got to give him kudos there. You got to give him big kudos. I mean, he's a Hall of Fame NFL businessman. He should have seminars, teach classes, speak to every draft class coming in, because he has mastered the ability to get guaranteed money in the national football league. Now, I think it's a great move by the Raiders. I think Kirk Cousins gets a bad rap.

I think Kurt Cousins is a better quarterback than he's been giving credit. And I think his numbers speak to that. Is he an all pro-level elite guy right now? No, I thought he struggled last season. I think he'd be honest with it and say he struggled really bad. You know, he just wasn't seeing it as well last season as he has in the past. but I think if you talk to some of the best coaches in the National Football League right now, Kyle Shanahan, Sean McVey, they speak very differently about Kurt Cousins.

And I think the public perception of him is. And I think he's great to be a mentor to a young quarterback. If that's the role he's comfortable with, and it sounds like the way he's speaking, he's totally comfortable if that's the role they brought him in for. He's at that point in his career where he just, he's getting his money, he has his family, they're going to be in a comfortable place, and he's happy to see the next guy succeed and do what he has to do.

Does he still have competitiveness and want to play? I'm sure. But they're paying him enough to say, hey, whether you mentor or you play, you're getting your money, be good. And I think he's in a great place to do that. And I think the Raiders are in the position to do it the right way.

I think this is what should have happened with J.J. McCarthy. This is what happened with Jordan Love. This is what happened. to give quarterbacks the best possible chance to succeed. They tried to do it with Jackson Dart in New York, but eventually they're going to have to play the guy. They draft them number one.

Does he play day one? Does he need to play day one? I'm sure people would argue, oh, you got to. You use number one pick on him. But in order for a quarterback to develop properly, sometimes you've got to learn how to play the position, how to prepare, how to read a defense, how to do things on game day. And when you don't have a chance to sit back and learn and watch, then sometimes you find yourself out there executing and learning bad habits

that you don't even know are bad habits because you had nobody to watch and learn the good habits from in the first place. I think learning from a veteran who's played in the league as long as Kirk Cousins has is a great deal for a young quarterback. And I think that's a great move by the Raiders. Now, I think it could have been the same move by the, the Atlanta Falcons if they hadn't paid him $50 million. I thought it was a great move.

But they paid him $50 million, much different situation. You got to start a man. I don't care if you draft the guy, the next guy, number one, number two, top 10. You paying a guy $50 million, he starts. But, you know, that's a story for a different day. Reality here is Kirk Cousins has experience playing alongside Clint Kubiak. Clint Kubiak was the quarterbacks coach, you know, in Minnesota. So obviously you're talking about a guy that has, you know,

system experience and I'm sure he brought him in there to be able to better explain and put Mendoza in that position. But kudos to Kurt Cousins being able to put together this, I mean, unbelievable run of guaranteed money. Who would have thought the franchise tag was a bad thing? Not Kirk Cousins. I'll tell you that much, Richard, not Kirk Cousins. The other thing here, Richard, is I can't believe it, but Lamar Jackson is back in the news and we're talking extension talks again. He's still got two years left on his contract, but Richard, They restructured his deal. They added a bunch of dead cap into future seasons.

What do you make of this whole Lamar Jackson situation with Baltimore? How do you see this playing out? I see it as a non-story. He's their franchise quarterback. He's a great player in the National Football League. It's too hard to find a franchise quarterback right now. For some reason, other teams don't necessarily see Lamar Jackson as a viable option. For some reason, that's the way it seemed to me.

when he was on the somewhat open market, teams could have bid. Teams could have offered him a contract. Now everybody's saying, well, if we would have put a contract out for him, then they just would have matched. And, well, you've got to figure it out. You got to find out if they would have matched.

You got to put a contract together and put it in front of them to see if the team would have matched. But no team did that. The Ravens retained him. I think he went on to win MVP the next season. And the rest of the, history. So I think obviously they don't have a succession plan. They haven't drafted a quarterback in the first or second round since he's been there. So I don't think it's a situation

where, hey, man, they have a guy in the waiting and they're just going to let Lamar Jackson's contract run out and expire and then let the next guy start. So I think this is a non-story. I think Lamar Jackson is a guy who represents the Baltimore Ravens really well. He represents them, the city, the culture really well. He's a guy that plays hard, puts his best foot forward every time he goes out there, doesn't have any off-to-field issues, a guy that is a consummate professional in every way and has been great for the Baltimore Raven. So I don't see this as a big deal. Richard, making headlines again, and I can't believe this, I hope this doesn't happen. But the refs, the union for the refs is, I guess they're at a crossroads with the NFL.

and we might be staring at another replacement refs situation at the beginning of this year. How bad, you know, Richard, you played with these replacement refs when they first started, shoot, what was it, 12 years ago? And now we could see that again. How bad of a scenario would this be for the NFL if this came back? It would be awful. Richard, we were just talking about it off air last week. And, you know, the infamous Golden Tate, fail Mary, Russell Wilson

Touchdown heaves it up to Golden Tate simultaneous catch even though it wasn't It should have been an interception Golden Tate walks away with a called touchdown Richard we've seen it play out in real time

do you think it could happen again realistically? I don't think that's an ideal world for the National Football League to be in that's why they put up the resolution to say hey if we have to go a replacement refs we will use video evidence to overturn obvious wrong calls

because the NFL will keep a very close eye on these games if replacement reps or they will never let a situation like that happen again where it's that controversial because it gave the the I guess normal reps, the regular full time. I can't call them full time because there's no full time refs. But it gave the referee union a lot of leverage to say, hey, see, not everybody can do our job and it's a worst product when we're not out there. give us our money, give us the things we ask for, and we'll get back to work and make this a better product than you have right now.

Because right now, you have a bunch of crap. And that was the peak of the crap mountain with the replacement reps. I loved it. We won. And we had a great game that day. I think we sacked Aaron Rogers eight times in the first half. You know, if we had lost that game, I would have been very frustrated because we played really well. But in other news, I think it's a leverage point.

Is the NFL being unreasonable with their asking points? I don't think so. I don't like that it's seniority, and maybe the refs will be mad at me for saying this. I think it should be, it's point-based for everything else. They do have a point system. They have a way to judge these referees in a point system. When you make a mistake, you lose points.

When it's a bad call or it's a corrected call, you lose points. And when you make great calls throughout the game, and you get a certain amount of points. So there is a system they have in place, but for some reason in a playoffs, they still go with seniority and give certain guys because they've been in the league a long time. And I don't like that.

I think it should be merit-based. And if it's merit-based, then there's accountability. And that's all the NFL is saying. If you're not doing a great job, you're not going to be in the playoffs. And I agree with that because I used to say that sometimes. Like, hey, I'm glad we're not going to have you in the playoffs because you're doing a terrible job.

Like, you piss me off. You made three bad calls today. The NFL will send us a letter on Monday talking about your bad calls. But I got to sit here and watch you throw a flag on me and hear you sit there and explain to the crowd how I did something I didn't do. And then I get the letter in the mail on Monday to the league from the league like, oh, well, this was a bad call. In the second quarter of this game, this shouldn't have been called or this should have been this and this should have been that. And it's frustrating because those, you feel like these guys should be punished for that. And then you get to the playoffs and you don't see those guys.

You don't necessarily see those guys making those calls. So that would be my own little, you know, me being a little shit. But I think the NFL is being reasonable with their ass. I think the union is trying to protect their guys as they should. And they'll be, you know, nobody's happy in the end. There's always a middle ground. They'll meet in the middle ground. And that's what the agreement will be.

I think the NFL does have a plan for if the replacement reps are needed, but that's not where they want. want to go. Richard, that would be devastating if they're not able to get something done. But it sounds like they do have a contingency plan with massive amount of reviews available. Today's show is brought to you by our presenting sponsor, Hard Rock Bet, the official partner of the Miami Heat and the Orlando Magic. Richard, we talk a lot of football on the show, but the hardwood is heating up as the NBA playoff push rolls on. And with Hard Rock Bet, every night is a shot to build the same game. And parlay and score a major bucket. Maybe you like the hot hand to drop 30, the big man to control

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So don't sit on the bench. Download the Hard Rock Bet app today, and let's get this party started. Hey, it's us, the Jonas Brothers, and guess what? We have some big news. What's the news, new? Huge news. We created our own podcast called, 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 did 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. Oh, 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 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. 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, the moments that never make the highlight real. From viral moments to historic games, from buzzer beaters to controversial calls, we break it down, give you context and ask the questions everybody wants answers. Sports Slice brings you closer to the action with stories told by the people who live them.

Listen to Sports Slice on the Iheart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more, follow Timbo Slicelife Life 12 and the TikTok podcast network on TikTok. NBC just came out with a piece analyzing their top five coaches in the NFL. Do you see any disagreement with here? Shaw McVeigh's at number one,

followed by Andy Reed, your guy Kyle Shanhan, Mike McDonald's, Seattle's own, and Sean Peyton. Is there any, you know, you see any differences there from Richard Sherman's top five coaches in the league? I mean, I think the only arguments you would have is the order.

You know, you can put those depending on where you're at in the world, what team you root for. The order can be switched up, but I think that's about right. I think Shadahan, Reed, McVeigh, McDonald, and Peyton are the cream of the crop. Obviously, the Patriots went to a super Bowl last year. And so, you know, Brable's new name is in the news for obviously different

reasons right now. But he took his team to the Super Bowl in the first year as a head coach for the New England Patriots. So you got to give him some credit for that. Yeah, I think it's tough on the AFC side because, you know, the Chiefs weren't in it this year. You can give Liam Cohen some credit for what he's done in Jacksonville. Lawrence, man. He's got a hell of a quarterback to lead the charge there. right right right Trevor Lawrence T. Law. T. Law doing the thing. Doing it. We, uh, yeah, I think this is about right. I think this is about right. Honestly, it's NFC heavy. It's NFC heavy for a reason because the NFC has the, you know, I mean, NFC West.

NFC West. NFC West heavy. Three of the top five or in the NFC West. And that seems crazy, but it's accurate. Richard, we had we had a fan ask a question. And this might be a wild one, but I, I got to ask it because your fans asked it, so I'm going to ask you it. If Kyle Shanahan and the 49ers missed the playoffs this year, do you think his job potentially would be in danger? They missed the playoffs this year? I don't know.

I don't know who asked this question, but we got to check what's in their cup. If Kyle Shanahan missed the playoffs this year, would he be on the hot seat? Absolutely not. Absolutely not. He wouldn't even be close. He'd be on an iceberg.

He'd still be on an absolute. absolute iceberg. And if he somehow was on the hot seat, then there'd be 20 seats in the NFL getting hotter as his got hotter. Because if he ever got fired, so would say. Because there are at least 20 teams in the National Football League that would fire their coach that day to have a chance to interview Kyle Shanahan to be their head coach. I might be heavy, high on the number, but I would say it's 15 to 20 team that would love Kyle Shanahan as their head coach and the leader of their franchise. And I don't think that Jed York would be and would be willing to fire Cal Shanahan to make him available to other teams. There's a reason people think about him and hold his

name in such high regard. I know he hasn't had success winning the Super Bowl. His team is always in the running. You know there are always going to be a factor even this year where you lose your top three, four best players throughout the season. You lose your quarterback for almost half the season. and he still put out a competitive team. They won 12 games. They ran into a juggernaut of a Seattle Seahawks team and got their heads caved in in a divisional. But in the end, a lot of teams and a lot of coaches

would take the resume that Kyle Shanahan has had over the last nine years, over the coach they've had. And people undersell how much it means to be competitive and always in the NFC championship, always in the Super Bowl, always in the running. There's not a lot of coaches that can say that. I mean, you can say that about McVeigh, Reed, Shanahan. That's it.

McDonald won the Super Bowl in his second year. So put in the name in the hat too. But outside of that, there's not a lot of coaches that are always in the NFC championship game, always in the Super Bowl, always in the running. You think they have a chance, no matter how beat up the team is, no matter how injured they are, no matter this, this substation conspiracy that people want to make, they're somehow always in the mix.

And that's coaching. That's coaching. And that's the job that he's done. They've had great coordinators who've gone on to behead coaches with Robert Sala, being one of them the most recent. But yeah, Domingo Ryan's did it. They're a great franchise. And I think he's not anywhere close to the hot seat because he's such a great coach.

And I don't think him missing the playoffs this year. would the master class that he just put on this year, losing Bosa, losing Fred Warner, losing Brock Purdy, losing Kittle for a while. You lost Persol for a while. And I know I'm missing,

you lost Mikel Williams for a mile. Wow. You lost a lot of your top players for a good portion of the season, and they still won 12 games. So I think missing the playoffs would just be negated by what he just did this past. And you look at it. I always gauge a coach and their success with what they bring out of their players,

making them the best version of themselves. And you look at it throughout his tenure in the NFL here. I mean, he took Kirk Cousins, right? I mean, this was supposed to be RG3's team in Washington. And he took Kirk Cousins and, I mean, helped propel him to big the most money, second most money in the NFL. Then you look at what he's to been able to do with Brock Purdy. And I'd wonder where Brock Purdy would be at in his career. career without Kyle Shanahan. And obviously the resurgence of Mack Jones last year. I know Kyle Shanahan's system is perfect for the right quarterback,

and it's clearly perfect for those three guys. But everything you laid out as well, Richard, the adversity he's had to overcome with injuries. I would imagine there would be a lineup of teams that would want his services if they ever let go of him with the Niners. You could even add Sam Dernold to that list. Sam Donald was the backup to Brock Purdy when they were in the Super Bowl in 23, you know, and he helped revive his career.

I mean, Kyle Shannon has had a hand in a lot of this. No question about it. Absolutely. Richard, you already labeled the Seattle Seahawks as your favorites to win the Super Bowl next season. Reality is, John Schneider has had to thread the needle here this offseason. A lot of big names went into free agency and left this organization. John Schneider and the Seahawks haven't been making a ton of splash moves. moves in free agency.

Do you think his conservative roster building approach has cost the Seahawks a real Super Bowl window? Do you think it's more of a flash in the pan for them? Or do you like it as a smarter long-term play? What conservative roster building? I'm reading questions, Richard, that are given to us by your fans, by our fans of the podcast here. So you tell me, ma'am.

I don't see it as conservative roster building. You have a Super Bowl roster. You lose a few guys. You retain as many guys as you can. Within reason you pay your best players, which they did. They pay Jackson Smith and Jigba 40-something million dollars a year, which, you know, pushing it out over the six years that he has left or plus the two years that he has left. You know, it ends up being a very reasonable deal.

You're going to have to pay Devin Witherspoon. You already have one of the best defensive lines in the National Football League. You have depth there. You'll have to replenish that depth. Your offensive line, you've done great job to retain both tackles. You guys, you got a quarterback for a bargain right now. You'll probably have to address that after this season. I don't see this as a conservative deal.

I think they have a really good team, and they've done their best to continue to keep continuity to give themselves a chance next season. So no, I don't think you thought the Super Bowl, the same person would have thought the Super Bowl window was open last year. So, excuse the hell out of me. I mean, if that same person had asked this question was in the same position last year,

what you have told me that Seattle Seahawks had the roster to win a Super Bowl, I don't know if you would have. I don't think you would have. You know, hindsight is 2020. I thought they could win the division. But I wasn't sure if San Diego, Donald could do it again. Was it was the Gino Smith moved the right move? I wasn't sure at the time because of the history. You know, you got to look at the history. You can't just look at one-offs.

But now Sam Donald has done it 14 wins over two seasons for two different franchises. That's not fluky anymore. That's a guy who takes command, a guy who plays well and is consistent and consistently gets the best out of his teams, consistently makes the right decisions for his team. And they had a great defense. Mike McDonald's scheme. It's not a gimmick. scheme. It's not a scheme that, oh, they're going to look in this offseason and find the holes and find a way to figure this scheme out and, and next year they're going to have trouble. And sure, there are teams that are going to say, hey, we're just going to take what the defense gives us and Dinkin duck the ball down the field and be able to move the ball a decent

amount. But the blitz is the way he's attacking the protections, the way he is attacking offensive line schemes, that's not easy to figure out. These offensive line schemes, these offensive line schemes are prehistoric. They have stood the test of time. How they identify the mic, how they slide certain guys, how they identify where the blitzer is and where the quarterback is hot, those things have been around for a long time and they haven't changed a ton. So the way Mike McDonald has devised the scheme to attack the core principles of how offensive

lines protect their quarterback and how offenses, including. and the running back are used in these different schemes and who they're dedicated to and who they're responsible for and who they're hot off of. If you understand that, it's similar to what Kyle Shanahan and McVeigh do to defenses. They know their responsibility. They know what the responsibility of the mickey is, the nickel, the detackles, the three techniques, the nine technique ends, the safety that's coming down in the hook, whether he's inside the hook or he's the buster, the cover three corner,

and then they devise schemes to attack the rules of these defenses. That's what Mike McDonald does to offensive lines, and it's very tough to combat that. That's why he had so much success, and his defense had so much success, because he's putting a lot of pressure on himself to be right, to know the coverage and to attack it. So do I think John Snyder is being too conservative?

No, I think he's basing it off the staff he has, the personnel he has and his understanding of what they need to continue to be great within this scheme. And I think he's done a great job. The NFL draft is two weeks away. Richard, if you're the GM of the Raiders, Jets, and Cardinals, he's the top three pickholders. Who are you taking in this draft? Hey, it's us, the 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 did 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. Oh, 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 headwriter, Streeter Seidel, help an a cappella band with their between songs banter.

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Well, if you don't have a quarterback, you got to go quarterback. There's not a ton of depth that quarterback. I know they're trying to hype up these guys at the end to say, oh, man, this guy, you guys didn't know about him. If we didn't know about him by this point, guys, there's a reason you didn't know about them. But they got to hype somebody up. This should be a draft where maybe two quarterbacks are picks in the first round,

maybe three if you stretch it. But after Mendoza, I think there's a fall off. Some people would argue. I'm not going to argue with anybody. But if you go quarterback defensive end or left tackle and you can find a quality guy, then those are foundational pieces and foundational areas. to build your team. You got to have those. You got to have those. You got to have a great left tackle who can protect your quarterback. You got to have a franchise defensive end, a pass rusher who can get

10 plus sacks. You got to have a quarterback that can take you to the promised land. If you feel like the guys that are coming up in those spots can be those guys, then that's who you go with. But if I have a quarterback, then I'm building my team in the trenches. The best available defensive or offensive linemen is where I'm going, each and every pick. I feel like corners, you can find a very feisty, productive corner in the second, third round, if need be. But championship teams have a lot of similarities. You know, you look at them. If you looked at the championship this season, if you looked at the NFC and AFC championships,

you will find great defensive lines. You'd find very productive defensive lines. If you looked at the Denver Broncos defensive line. I thought the Houston Texans should have beat the New England Patriots, but they didn't, you know, and I thought they got there because they had a great defensive line. Their quarterback just had probably the worst playoff run of his life, and hopefully he will never play that bad again. But on the other side, you look at the Rams. The Rams have a really good offensive line unit and a really good defensive line unit.

defensive line. Those are the things that make the championship teams good. It's been a long time since you look at the NFC championship, AFC championship, where you don't have a really good, either one side of the offensive line or both. There's usually an all-pro offensive or defensive linemen on either team in the championship games because that's how you build teams. That's how you win in the playoffs. Running the football, great offensive and great defensive line play, and a quarterback that doesn't make a ton of mistakes. Like, that's what's going to win. You're not alone in those thoughts.

I mean, there's pretty much every mock draft we see has got Mendoza and then a combination of either Arvel Reese, David Bailey, or the offensive tackle from Miami, Francis Magoa. You know, Richard, but we've also seen a couple mock drafts that we've saw Jeremiah Love flirting with a top three pick. Is there a world that you live in that you would take a running back, specifically Jeremiah Love at three.

I mean, let's talk about the Arizona Cardinals here because they're situated with the third pick. Is there a scenario you see them possibly going with Love at three? Yeah, I think teams are being talked into it. I mean, Ashton Genty just went two, so it's obviously not out of, it's not crazy to see a team. Do I think it's the right drafting strategy? No, I would never do it.

I would never do it as a GM. I'm not picking a running back in the top 10, unless he's just a generational talent that's clearly you can't miss. And some people feel that way about Jeremiah and love. But I just have seen in the National Football League really productive in some of the top running backs aren't top picks. You look at Derek Henry, who's a Hall of Fame running back, second rounder. You look at Jonathan Taylor in the season he had just had, you know, and the seasons he's had early

in his career, second round pick. James Cook, James Cook, one of the best. That's for running backs in the National Football League right now. I think he laid at the league in Russian. He was the second round pick. Then you, Jamir Gibbs, your guy from Detroit, 12th pick of the draft. And people were questioning that when it happened. They were like, oh, 12th pick, that's very high for Jamir Gibbs.

And of course, hindsight's 2020. Nobody's saying that anymore. So I just don't see the need. I don't see it. That's why running backs aren't getting paid like that because spending a top five pick on a running back when there are guys that get the same production out of a second round running back. There are guys that get the same production out of a late round running back. It's hard.

Now, I know you look at the college stats, you look at the film, and you're like, oh, my God, this is it can't miss pick, but you could say the same thing about Ashton Genty. Then you watch him get to the National Football League, and you see there's an adjustment period. Has he found his footing near the end? Is he on the best team? No, he's not on the best team. That's why they're picking so hot. And so is this guy going to the Arizona cartonels,

is that going to get you over the hump? Is that do you have bigger needs and bigger voids other places in your roster? And I'm sure they do. That's why they're picking this high in the draft. So I think you've got to think about those things when you're drafting. Can you maybe move back up few spots and pick up more picks so that you can feel more voids on your team and still get the same quality of players, still get the same player. you check with the team's behind you.

Hey, who are they interested in? Are they going to pick offensive linemen, attack, or a corner, a defensive end? And then maybe if you do your homework, you can pick them up later. I remember you saying the Lions were thinking about gives at six, but they felt confident that they could trade back and get him at 12. And they were able to get more picks for him. And you create a better team. You make yourself a stronger team than if you would have just picked them at six.

No question about it. I mean, going back to that draft and not to toot the Lions Horn, but, I mean, that's really was the franchise defining draft for them. You know, they ended up taking Jemir Gibbs, Jack Campbell, who's one of the best linebackers of football, Brian Branch and Sam Laporta. All the four of these guys are core four guys in their roster. So, you know, and yeah, being in Detroit, people were up in arms. Why in the world would you take a running back first round?

We got bigger needs, et cetera, et cetera. But it all makes sense now. So it just to me it depends on the scheme fit. I don't see a problem in drafting a running back midfirst. I think when you're the Cardinals and have so many needs, you know, the Cardinals are Titans picking at four. Would I be shocked if they went with love? No, but I'm with you.

I think you've got to target an edge. Somebody big that's going to be disruptive. And you can find a better running back in second, third round. There's a lot of good running backs in this draft. I wouldn't get too greedy. But Richard, you're already talking like a GM. So let's put you in the shoes of a GM here. If you were constructing your own team,

who would you build, like what type of style of team would you build around today's players? I'd build it around the quarterback in a way, but I'd build it the way the same old school championship strategy that's going on to the test of time. Like you don't need an elite elite world beater quarterback. We can name the top five quarterbacks in the National Football League, and really only one of them has won Super Bowls.

Like, and that's Patrick Mahal. You can say Joe Burrow, you can say Josh Allen, you can say Lamar Jackson. These are the guys who've won MVP. So you can argue with your mama. But only one of them has won to one Super Bowls and gone to Super Bowls consistently. Now, everybody else, you could say Brock Purdy. You could say Jalen Hertz, who have gone to Super Bowls. Jalen Hurts won the Super Bowl last year.

Drake May now, Sam Darnel, you know, are they in the same class as the top, the big three international football league? Would you put them in the same class as Mahomes, Josh Allen and, Mahomes, Josh Allen, and Joe Burrell? I don't think you would. I don't think many people would. And some would even throw Herbert in that mix. Some people put Herbert in that top five mix because of his armed talent,

because of his build, his stature, and the things he can do on the football field. but they haven't won Super Bowls. The teams that have won Super Bowls are built more complete. They have a great defense. It starts there. Great defense. Great defense. They have the ability to run the football.

When they need to, they can just run the football. They have a quarterback who plays mistake-free football. He's not turning a ball over a ton, especially when the games that matter. You get to the playoffs, you're not going to turn the ball over a ton. He can push to it. He can be dynamic when necessary. Now, can those quarterback, play at an elite top five level at times 100%.

I think Drake May had times this season. That's why he was up for MVP where he played at a top five level. And you can throw Matt Stafford in there. His age is why they aren't putting him, you know what I mean, as number one. But Matt Stafford is a high level quarterback. He won MVP this season, deservedly so. But again, he has really good receivers around him. He has a good offense and they can run the football.

And his defense can get the job done. defensive line puts a lot of pressure. So again, I'm building a great defense first. I'm getting a quarterback who can get the job done, can move into the stratosphere of being an elite quarterback, but doesn't live there. He doesn't live at elite status, but he can get there. I'm going to find offensive linemen, really whatever scheme I'm going in, whether it's, whether it's gap or zone scheme running the football, I'm going to find the lineman that work for my scheme. I'm going to find a back that can get the job done. You can find them in the draft or you can find a in basement running back that can be consistent.

There are a lot of great running backs out there. A lot of guys who are sitting behind guys who if they had the opportunity to run the ball consistently, 15, 20 carries a game, they'd be way more consistent and productive than you would think. And receiver, you need a, I need a true number one. You need a guy that can beat man-to-man coverage that, hey, third and five, they know we're going to him and we can still get him the ball. He's going to get 140 targets a year and he can win.

and then you need complimentary receivers, a good tight-in. Depending on 12 and 13 personnel are starting to become more prevalent. So you need a couple good tight-ins, a good block and tight-in and guys that can catch and get a little yet. But I'm building defense first. You build a great defense. The offense can figure it out. It sounds like the Seattle Seahawks of last year, Richard,

is a team you just constructed. Close enough. Yeah. It's most of the Super Bowl teams. You look at Super Bowl teams, this is how they're constructed. Unless you've got Pasoamahomes and you can get away with fudge and defense, but even those Kansas City defenses have been really good. And we've been talking about spags and what he's done with this scheme for a number of years and a number of those Super Bowls.

But that's the way to do it, fellas. All right, Richard. Next question on the list. Obviously, the 49ers, they struggled against Seattle Seahawks defense last season. What can the Niners offense do this upcoming year to combat? this tenacious Seahawks defense? Well, they got bullied. And they got bullied.

And they had a chance in San Francisco. The Bobbled Christian McCaffrey pass to the flats that ended up getting intercepted, ended up telling that game was the damning factor. But then you look at the playoff game and it was decimation. And you got to get some attitude back on that offensive line. I think that's where you got to go. And I think that's what the San Francisco 49ers have focused on this office. and just whether it's depth guys, versatile guys,

but I think they're going to continue that in the draft, and they're going to have to. And then you're going to have to get some defensive linemen, but to combat this Seahawks defensive line that understands that they have been able to control you. You haven't been able to move them. You haven't been able to move Byron Murphy and Jaron Reed and Leonard Williams.

You haven't been able to move them, whether it's double-teamed or not. That means your guys aren't strong enough. That means your centers and guards aren't strong enough to move these men. They are taking on double teams and standing pat, and you've seen it consistently in those games. And if you can't move them with the double team,

then you've got to get people in there that can. And that's grown men, that's grown men. You can't, there's no other way to combat that. You can try to do it with scheme. You can try to scheme around, like running around them, but they're fast too. They're really fast. They're disciplined.

They know what you're trying to do. So you're going to have to get body movers. You know, at the end of the day, you've got to get guys who can move people. And if you can't move them, then you're going to have the same problem next year. You know, unless you just want property to throw it 45 times and you think you're going to beat the secondary,

you're going to beat the scheme that way, which could happen, you know, or you expect your defense to create turnovers and put them in compromises situations. The Rams beat them once that way in L.A. where Sam Donald had four turnovers and the Rams found a way to win by two because Seattle fell short on the field goal at the end of the game. but they're a very difficult team to beat. They are very sound.

It's very difficult. They have guys in positions that do the jobs that they are asked do really well. They have guys that are built for this scheme. So you have to have guys that are built to be productive and better at your scheme. And that's what it's going to come down to. Who can execute it better? Unless they find some guys or the guys that they have get better at moving those guys out of position, it's going to be a grind.

Next question in our mailbag. Richard, who are some wide receivers today that will give you a tough time when you are in your prime? A tough time. I mean, there are some really talented receivers out there. But I guess I don't know because I haven't stood in front of them. I haven't stood in front of them and really, really had to deal with their releases. I've seen the tape, but tape can be deceived. And I've seen guys who give opponents 175 yards.

And then they, when I play them, they, they have 20, 30 yards, you know. And I've seen guys who, who play really well or not as well against other people and don't, you know, really shine against other people. And I've stood in front of them and were like, oh, man, this guy got a lot more in his bag than people think, not necessarily struggled. But, you know, I mean, you got to give Jess and Jefferson, Jamar Chase, those guys a ton of credit because they've been doing it at a high level for a number of years. they're obviously doing something right, and these schemes that they're in are really highlighting their abilities. JSN, just one player at a year, and his versatility, ability to move into the slot, out of the slot, into the backfield. It's created a lot of issues for teams. So, you know, it would be tough to know because I haven't played them.

You know, I played against different kind of guys, Julio, Megatron, AJ Green. Antonio Brown, just different types of receivers than these guys are. But who knows? Richard, we're going to rapid fire these last few questions here for you. Looking back at your draft profile, right? I mean, there's a lot of critiques on you. Mel Kuiper called you a reach in the fifth round. In the fifth?

In the fifth, Rich, joke. Do you think they were accurate or are they just bad analysis overall? I mean, how much do you think your game really grew when you were in the NFL? I thought I was a really good player when I came into the NFL, and I felt like I proved the point when I was in the NFL. I definitely had some room to grow, but I thought their analysis of me was insane. Some of the things they said, doesn't tackle well in space, couldn't make for a serviceable backup, doesn't recover well, average ball skills. Richard, those track, man, those track. I watched you throughout your whole career.

It makes sense. Shit. It makes sense. It makes sense. I'm not recognizing these routes very quickly, Mitchell. I'm definitely not diagnosing things and reading them and reacting. That's not like your greatest strength or anything, you know? No, no, no.

I don't play the game above the shoulders. I'm playing all pure athletic ability out here. So that's what I'm doing. So, you know, I think some of the things about some of these players you can't measure. You can't measure a dog. And I'm a dog. And you can't measure the competitive nature to competitive spirit, how well a guy really meshes with the National Football League and the style in the

National Football League. I don't think I was a great college player because I wasn't great in a college scheme. And the things they were asking me to do didn't fit my strengths. And then I got to the league and they were like, hey, play how you're comfortable. But yeah, I just felt like I was a better fit in a national football league. And I could study film more. I could feel I understood the West Coast offense. So, you know, these analysis aren't.

always accurate. And sometimes guys don't fit the place they're going. You know, sometimes you're drafted in a spot that isn't a great scheme fit, isn't a great city fit, isn't great for what you do and what you're going to be asked to do. So, you know, you hopefully hope these guys land in a spot that really, really can showcase their abilities. Who is the hardest team for you to play against both physically and emotionally? That was San Francisco, Fortnite. That was San Francisco, just because there was so much history, so much background, so much depth to those rivalries. I don't think we got emotionally involved with many other teams. Outside of the NFC West, who would you say the biggest rivals were during the L.O.B.

era for you? Probably either Green Bay or the Carolina Panthers, those are the teams we saw most. We saw Carolina dang there every year for some reason, and it felt like they were a division rivalry at that point. We kept seeing them so often. but Green Bay we just saw on a lot of big games. We saw both those teams in the playoffs. So those two. What was your favorite memory as a Seahawks player?

I don't know if I want to go one specific memory. Obviously winning the Super Bowl was incredible. But I think just all the locker room moments and just that time of being around such high-level players. And it's almost like for a five-year period, you're in a zone, you know, where you feel like you can. you can execute your you're in total rhythm mentally with the guys you're around everybody has the same goal and moving in the same direction and although you're all you know alpha males in your own right uh you recognize that it takes humility to to be able to to win together in a team sport and i think we had the perfect guys to do that with richard when you moved on to

go to the play for the san francisco 49ers what was this standout moment for you when you realized the 49er faithful had won you over? You know, I think just throughout the seasons, you go on a road as a San Francisco 49, as you just hear them, you know, especially during the 19 season we were winning so much on the road. You'd hear them almost takeover stadiums,

and that was really cool and that was really fun. You know, coupled with winning and playing great defense, made for a great environment. And, you know, that was a really fun season, being able to do that after we had, we really struggled with the season before. and I was coming off the injury and I was able to play better

closer to my true ability that season just getting that kind of support on the road was fun. Do you ever regret? And I know this is one of the staple moments you probably get asked a lot about. Richard, do you ever regret calling Michael Crabtree mediocre trash? No. No, Mitchell.

You never regret calling it, saying the truth. Mitchell, truth stands his test time. Well, guys, we really, really appreciate you guys submitting all these questions. We're trying to, you know, keep you guys in the loop as much as possible with the content Richard's delivering on a weekly basis. Greatly appreciate you guys. Richard, I will let you sign us off, my friend.

As always, you guys are incredible. Thank you for joining us again. You could be anywhere in the world, but you're here with us, and we truly appreciate it. Stay tuned. We'll have some draft day coverage after the first round. We'll have more guests on the show. We'll see you next time. Hey guys, it's us.

The Jonas Brothers. I'm Joe. I'm Kevin. And I'm 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. 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, 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 Last night, a blown call changed a game. This morning, the internet lost its mind, and nobody's

telling you exactly what happened. That's where SportsSlice comes in. I'm Timbo, and every episode, we're cutting through the noise, breaking down the biggest moments in sports and giving you the real story behind the headlines. And we're going straight to the source, the athletes themselves, their locker room stories, their reactions in the moment, and the stuff nobody gets to hear. Listen to SportsClace on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you're you get your podcast. And for more, follow Timbo Slica Life 12 in the TikTok podcast network on TikTok. 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 podcast 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 for me. And she likes Clay. Listen, Lina Rabakina is arguably the best player in the world right now. And, 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 IHeart Women's Sports.

This is an IHart podcast. Guaranteed human.