The Herd with Colin Cowherd - Straight Fire - Trey Lance's Uncertain Future, the Truth About John Lynch & Added Pressure on Brock Purdy

Episode Date: August 24, 2023

On today’s episode, Jason brings you wall-to-wall reaction to the stunning news that San Francisco quarterback Trey Lance has been demoted to third string on the 49ers’ depth chart. During the conversation, J-Mac discusses what’s next for Lance in his NFL career, whether or not general manager John Lynch deserves a pass for trading the farm to get Lance in the first place and what this means for starting quarterback Brock Purdy moving forward.   Follow Jason on Twitter and Instagram. Click here to subscribe, rate and review all of the latest Straight Fire with Jason McIntyre podcasts! #Volume #herdSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is an I-Heart podcast. Guaranteed Human. 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 podcasts. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal, but encouraged. It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque.

Others say it's unleashing human potential. Either way, the podcast's Superhuman documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year. Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the IHard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. A win is a win.

A win is a win. I don't care what I'm saying. Yep, that's me, Clifford Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, my basketball and college football journey, or my career in sports media. Well, now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifers Show. This is a place for raw, unfilled conversations with athletes,

creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. So let's get to it. 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's podcast network on TikTok. On the Look Back at it podcast.

For 1979, that was a big moment for me. 84's big to me. I'm Sam J. And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick a year, unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it. With our friends, fellow comedians,

and favorite authors. Like Mark Lamont Hill on the 80s. 84 was a wild year. I don't think there's a more important year for black people. Listen to look back at it on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. The volume. This is Straight Fire with Jason McIntyre. What is up, Straight Fire? It's me, Jason McIntyre straightfire. for Thursday, August 24th.

We're getting real close, dangerously close, if you will, to the start of the NFL season. And we had a piece of news on Wednesday. It broke late while we were on air with the herd. And man, this is news we've been talking about for a while. You could tell this was coming down the pike. The San Francisco 49ers announced the backup quarterback this season

will be, drum roll please. Sammy Darnold, his third team in the league. Sam Darnold, drafted by the Jeff. That's, of course, top five, then went to Carolina, and then San Francisco picked him up. I don't know what, March? So what were we looking like? Five months? Sam Darnold has been with the 49ers for five months, and he's now the backup quarterback.

That means third string, aka inactive most weeks, aka on the trade block, is Trey Lance, the 2021 number three. Did he go third? I got to check that real quick. Trey Lance went third overall. Worse yet. Compounding matters for the Niners. They traded up to get Trey Lance. They identified Trey Lance.

Oh, small school kid. Oh, man, North Dakota State only played one year. Oh, he's going to work our offense. Great. They trade up. I'll tell you what it ended up costing them in a sec. They trade up for Trey Lance. He gets a whopping four starts in San Fran.

Obviously, he had the ankle injury last year. year. He's appeared in eight games. He has thrown five touchdowns. He's now relegated to third string. And, oh, by the way, if that wasn't a spicy enough story from Trey Lance and the Niners, we had a report from Diana Rossini claiming the 49ers and Vikings. Yes, Vikings had trade talks in the spring for Trey Lance. Now, Trey Lance obviously is from Minnesota and we know, and we've talked about this on the pot. It's like we're kind of, and again, this is not me getting all excited and try to act like I've got all these sources.

I'm not trying to break news, but we hear stuff behind the scenes, whether it's via text at Fox, you just hear stuff. And I had heard, Vikings make sense. And there were some stuff that lined up for Tray Lance. And then you look at, oh, wait a minute, their head coach is kind of, a Rams guy and the Rams guys are kind of Shanahan guys and oh maybe the train lands could fit interesting well apparently according to Diana Rossini back in March or well they're saying the spring so it could have been May the 49ers and Vikings talked about a deal for Lance so he would

then come home to Minnesota and we know Minnesota is not locked in long term on Kirk Cousins okay despite last year's 13 wins Kirk Couss is a great comeback victories he was outstanding it is not automatic that he is the quarterback in Minnesota next year. So if you're looking for a low-cost option while you reboot, retool around a young cheap quarterback, Trey Lance ain't a bad option. Now, I'm sure the 49ers are saying, hey, we got to get something in return, give us a third, we need a fourth.

We need something. And of course, the Vikings are like, we're not giving you anything. What's the market for Trey Lance? If Trey Lance were cut tomorrow, is there a scramble to, grab him. And I don't think there is. A, we haven't seen enough. B, almost every team is set at quarterback. C, if he can't work with Kyle Shanahan and he gets beat out by, remember, he's been

in the Shanahan offense for two years and what, four or five months, and he loses out to Sam Darnold who's been there for four or five months. What does that say about Tray Lance? Can he play? We don't know. I saw somebody say, Peter King, I think it was. Will Tray Lance, be playing football in five years. Well, Trey Lans be playing football in three years. And again, this is not to knock or denigrate Trey Lantz. We don't really know what he is. And unfortunately, it doesn't look like he's going to get a chance in San Fran.

Of course, the interesting news is that Brock Purdy's coming off a major surgery. Sam Darnold was injured with the Jets, was injured in Carolina. Like, he has an injury history because he's kind of reckless, scrambling around and running. And San Francisco quarterbacks, for whatever reason, Jimmy Garapolo, they've had a lot of guys there get injured. that could just be unlucky. So there's a chance. They just say, we're not given away Lance, and he's now third string,

and he gets a chance because of injuries. So it's not totally over. But psychologically, what do you think this does to a young quarterback like Troy Lance? He's got to be devastated. I don't know how you bounce back from this. We saw this during the Golden State Warriors' playoff run.

You would see Brock Purdy at games with the 49ers players. You'd see Sam Darnold at games, and you didn't really see a lot, Tray Lance. And you're just wondering, like, is he vibing with the guys? You feel bad on some level for Traylands. And we have also talked about that draft class from 2021.

And again, this is one of those stories where, man, 2012, holy hell, how bad was that draft? Let's not forget. Gosh, it pains me to say this. but the New York Jets had the number two pick. Trevor Lawrence went one. The Jets could have had, are you ready? The Jets of two could have had Kyle Pitts,

who we haven't seen the full repertoire of. He's been good, not great. He has not a quarterback. Jets have could have had Jemar Chase, Jalen Waddle, Pena Sewell, offensive lineman. Obviously could have been huge for the Jets since their offensive line is struggling.

J.C. Horn's been injured quarterback. Patrick Sertain is excellent. and Devante Smith has put up good numbers. Michael Parsons went 12. Like the quarterback's in this draft, and this remains one of the biggest mysteries in sports. How do you draft a quarterback? What do you look for?

Because there is no direct linear, hey, these are the traits that work. Hey, these are the numbers. It used to be, hey, did the guy have 30 plus starts? Did he complete over, was it 60, 65% of his passes? Bill Parcells had this strategy, but that was a different era. and a lot of drop-back quarterbacks, pocket guys.

The new quarterbacks, they're not pocket guys. And, you know, again, you hope Trey Lance can find some success somewhere. You never want somebody's career to be over that quickly. Like, imagine, Trey Lance has been working probably hard at quarterbacks since he was, what, 11? 10-11, you start getting maybe the private lessons, the quarterback coach. Put a good 10 years in from youth, high school, college, You get to the league. You've invested, I mean, 12, 13, maybe 14 years of your life to playing quarterback and football.

You work to get to the pinnacle, the NFL. And Troy Lance gets four starts with the Niners, and that's it. It just kind of feels awful. Now, obviously, the injury was terrible. And nobody saw Brock Purdy coming. But it's just crazy how, how. quickly things can be taken away from you. And, you know, the opportunity is probably done for Tray Lance in San Francisco.

Again, who knows what happens in the preseason game this weekend, week one against the Steelers, blah, blah, well, you know, things happen. But right now, it does not look good at all for Tray Lance. And psychologically, you just got to wonder how the guy's doing, you know. He's a young kid. He was a high draft pick. They traded up for him. A couple opportunities, not many.

And it's like not really happening. And I feel bad for Trey Lance, and I do hope he bounces back. This will compound matters for John Lynch in the front office. So I was able to find this on social media. I saw it on Instagram. So the Trey Lance Trade, San Francisco gave up a 2022 first, a 2023 first, and I believe the 12th pick. in 2021.

So Miami was able to, I guess, trade back to get Jalen Waddle. They then traded that 2022 first and in the Tyreek Hill deal from Kansas City. And then the 2023 first, they traded to Denver for Bradley Chubb. So Miami didn't sit and say, oh, we got all these first round draft picks. We could build something nice and special here. We could build for the future. They said, uh-uh. We got two our guys.

We got our coach of Big Daniel. Let's give up future ones and bring in potential stars. Tyreek Hill has a superstar. Bradley Chub hasn't totally lived up to expectation, but it was just year one. And oh, by the way, Bradley Chub will be reunited with Vic Fongio, his defensive coordinator from Denver this season in Miami. So things are looking very, very up for Miami.

And you just have to wonder this. San Francisco 49ers, I know everybody wants to crush. John Lynch, and I have been doing it for a while on here. Obviously, you trade up, and you get a guy who doesn't play, yeah, you're still in the Super Bowl window. Niners could go to the Super Bowl this year for all we know. I don't know, maybe. We'll see.

And you land Brock Purdy with the dead last pick in the seventh round, last pick of the draft. That's a hidden gem. I did go back and forth with Coward. If you guys didn't see this on the herd. It was one of those weird situations where you're like, okay, I haven't been in an NFL draft room, but I can say this with certainty. If you trade up and you take someone third, that's not the owner saying go get this guy.

That's the GM. Maybe the GM had to go to the owner and say, hey, here's my case for why I want to trade up and who I want. Certainly, that could have gone down. But that's the GM. And I'm sure in lockstep with Shanahan, this is who we want. But ultimately, the GM's making that call. How much credit can we give John Lynch for that seventh round pickup? Rock Purdy. Again, I haven't been in the Niners war room. I don't know. But I'm almost certain.

I can say with good certainty, I'll give it 80%. I've talked to enough people who have been in war rooms. How's that? That Lynch went up to get his guy in Traylands. So last year, seventh round, last pick in the draft, they've gone through a billion guys. Let me go through exactly how many guys San Francisco had in that 2022 draft because it's like Yes, the GM controls the draft, but you also have to say, hey, offensive coordinator, hey coach, hey lead scout, hey, top scouts. You guys, you have to have some input, okay? And their first pick was Drake Jackson, outside linebacker, definitely a need.

Then they picked up a running back Davis Price. Then they got Danny Gray, a receiver, Spencer Buford, Samuel Womack, Nick Lella, Calaya Davis, a bunch of guys I've never heard of. and then they draft Brock Purdy's seventh. And I'll put this out there to you, the audience. Do you believe John Lynch is in that war room waiting? Remember, he's already made six draft picks. I'm sorry, one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight.

He's made eight draft picks. And obviously, like, he controls the draft is he's the GM. But you let your guys, you've got to give them some leeway. They've put in all the work. They're pounding the table for certain guys. maybe they're doing that in the third round, maybe the fifth. But when you get to the seventh round, I don't think John Lynch is sitting there saying,

that's our guy, that's who we want. Remember, a lot of the guys taken in the seventh round, history has gone back and they've said, I don't want to be drafted. I don't want to be an undrafted free agent so I can go wherever. It ain't like Brock Purdy had a lot of suitors. So I don't know. Somebody in the war room has to know

if Lynch was pounding the table, this is the guy we're taken with the dead last pick in the draft. Or did he say, you know what? A, Scout, you've been with us 15 years. You've had some awesome ones. This is your pick. Present it to the room. And Scout A over here says,

this is my guy. I've researched him. I think he's a great buy-low opportunity. We got Lance. Let's see what happens with Jimmy G. I think Brock Purdy can make a roster. Somebody in that room notes a story. Was John Lynch a guy?

Was he? I think it would be fascinated to find that out. 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. 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. You remember when Diana Ross double-tapped Little Kim's boobs at the VMAs? Or when Kanye said that George Bush didn't like black people. I know what you're thinking.

What the hell does George Bush got to do with Little Kim? Well, you can find out on the Look Back at it podcast. I'm Sam J. And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick a here, unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it. Including a recent episode with Mark Lamont Hill, waxing all about crack in the 80s. To be clear, 84's big to me, not just because of crack. I'm down to talk about crack on day, but just so y'all know.

I mean, at this point, Mark, this is the second episode where we've discussed crack. So I'm starting to see that there's a through line. We also have AIDS on the table right now. Thank you for finishing that sentence. Yes. I don't think there's a more important year for black people. Really? Yeah.

For me, it's one of the most important years for black people in American history. Listen to look back at it on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Welcome to my new podcast, Learn the Hardway with me, your host, and your favorite therapist, Kear Games. And in recognition of Mental Health Awareness Month, I'm bringing over a decade of my own experience in the mental health field and conversations with so many incredible guests. I'm talking, Tripp Fontaine, Ryan Clark. Sometimes when we're in the pursuit of the thing, we get so wrapped up in the chase

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

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

Open your free, our heart radio app. Search learn the hard way and listen now. You know, if things go sideways for Purdy, which is very possible, he started eight games, folks. That's it. Eight games. Like, let's be realistic here.

I'm not going to say he's a franchise quarterback. I'm not going to say he's the starter. I'm not saying anything. Small sample size. They say Aaron Rogers to the Jets. Okay? Aaron Rogers, we got a massive body of work. Russell to the Broncos.

Got like Sam Howell, we got nothing. He's a black box. we have no idea what is inside Sam Howell. Did he look good against the Ravens on Monday night football? Sure, sure, sure. Monday night football in the preseason. Wee. Ravens defense stinks.

Congrats Sam Howell. But like this idea that like Brock Purdy is a finished product, folks, he's coming off a major surgery on his throwing arm. I don't know. I'm not saying there's a lock that Brock Purdy's lights out this. Where they go 10 and 7 and Brock Purdy's okay? then it's back to the drawing board and then if you're Lynch you're like, geez, clock is really ticking.

Kittle, C-Mack, Iyuk, Debo, like, we gotta wrap this up. We gotta get to the Super Bowl. I mean, I know we love to hype McVeigh because he won a Super Bowl. And we obviously laud Andy Reid for all he's done and Bill Belichick, but Kyle Shanahan, you could argue,

is the best coach in the NFL without a Super Bowl win. He was eight minutes away, with the Niners and Jimmy G. before Patrick Mahomes, unbelievable comeback down in Miami and ripped the Super Bowl right out of Kyle Shanahan's hands. So it's a tough one if you're the Niners. I would actually say there's added pressure on them to deliver this year. Eagles will pull back a little bit. Dallas seems to be the team to watch.

Sanfran has knocked them out of the postseason the last two years. Maybe that ends. I don't really know anyone besides Dallas. and Philly who are massive threats to the Niners. I don't think anybody thinks the Saints are that big of threats now. I like the Saints, but I don't think they're a threat to the Niners. San Francisco, they've got to win this year. I think anything less than a Super Bowl trip will have to be a massive disappointment.

And oh, by the way, you got this Trey Lance ticking time bomb that's just not working out for you. And all of a sudden, the Niners, like there's a... And again, I do this a lot, and some people like it, some people understand it, because there is nuance in sports. Some people hate it. Jay, you're always playing both sides. Yeah, you kind of have to.

Yes, I like the Niners. I think they're about a 10, 11, 12 win team. They're right there with the class in the NFC. They should make the Super Bowl, NSC championship. Anything less than that would be a stunter. That being said, it's Brock Purdy we're talking about.

They lost their right tackle. There are some questions on the right side of the offensive line. And again, we're picking nits here. they did add a formidable front. The defensive front's maybe the best in the NFL. There's a lot to like, obviously, about the Niners. But quarterback still remains a question. And we'll see.

Kyle Shanahan has had some tough times here. Coming up just a little bit short. Obviously, last year, you can't really call it against him because the Eagles game, you lose your quarterback first quarter. Come on. Who's rebounding from that? So the big news, in the NFL, the 49ers. Much smaller news as we wrap up the podcast is the retirement of Corey Davis,

wide receiver for the Jets. He was overdrafted by the Titans. Wasn't phenomenal in Tennessee. He moves on to the Jets. So it's interesting. If you saw Hard Knox this week, Randall Cobb delivered a message from Aaron Rogers to the Jets about, hey, you know, wide receivers, veterans, you got to get on the same page with Aaron

or he's going to be ticked off. And it was pretty obvious. You look at the Jets roster. Denzel Mims is gone. Aaron Rogers has a problem with Alan Lazzard. He'll talk to Alan Luzard. There's no problems with Garrett Wilson. He's amazing.

So who does that leave? What veteran receiver could Aaron Rogers have been unhappy with? And the answer has to be Corey Davis, who up and retired before turning the age of 30. And this is just such a wacky, wacky, offseason for the Jets. They add Rogers, Lazzard, Cobb, Mikhail Hardman. Corey Davis retires. L-MM's traded.

Dalvin Cook, come on down. Like, I don't know what this does for the Jets' salary cap situation, but Raiders start 0-and-4, do you make a call for Devante Adams? I don't know. Buck start one in five. Do you make a call for Mike Evans or Chris Godwin? I mean, the Jets, folks, I know you're sick about hearing about them because they're my team.

And maybe I stop if they start 0-1 or 0-2 against Buffalo and Dallas. But this is a team now. They've got options. And options are the best thing to have. So getting close to the start. Of the NFL season. Preseason week, this is the big week to watch at preseason. Aaron Rogers is starting for the Jets.

Some other big preseason matches to watch. There is no quarterback battle with Cal Trask and Baker Mayfield. That's over. Baker's the starter. I think. CJ Stroud's a lot to be the starter in Houston. Not exciting. So we kind of go into the season with no quarterback like questions or things brewing.

I think the one to watch is Aiden O'Connell probably with Jim. me Garapolo in the Raiders. I'm not saying he's better than Garapolo, but if there's an injury, could be interesting. NFL getting always interesting, and we have just secured a guest for tomorrow's pot

that you guys are going to absolutely love. He is a fantasy football guru. I know a lot of people have drafts next week. I have, I think, three drafts next week. Getting close, folks. Getting to be go time. So we gave you college football gambling this week. We're giving you fantasy football tomorrow.

It doesn't get much better than this, folks. Talk to 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. 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. Get your podcasts. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal but encouraged. It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque.

Others say it's unleashing human potential. Either way, the podcast's Superhuman documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year. Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the I-Hard radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. on the Look Back at it podcast

For 1979 That was a big moment for me 84 was big to me I'm Sam Jay And I'm Alex English Each episode We pick a year unpack what went down

And try to make sense of how we survived it With our friends fellow comedians And favorite authors Like Mark Lamont Hill On the 80s 84 was a wild

I mean It was a wild year I don't think There's a more important year for black people Listen to look back at it On the IHeart Radio app Apple Podcast

Or wherever you get your podcasts. A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care what you're saying. Yep, that's me. Clifford Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits,

my basketball and college football journey, or my career in sports media. Well, now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifers Show. This is a place for raw, unfills of conversations with athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated.

So let's get to it. Listen to The Cliford Show on the I-Hard Radio app, Apple Podcast. or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok podcast network on TikTok.

This is an IHeart podcast, Guaranteed Human.