The Herd with Colin Cowherd - The Herd - Hour 1 - Gonzaga-UCLA was a classic

Episode Date: March 24, 2023

Colin reacts to an incredible game between Gonzaga and UCLA in the Sweet 16 and why Zags head coach Mark Few is the best coach in country Thoughts on Bryce Young's pro day and what NFL teams should be worried about The Jets and Packers can't seem to agree a trade package for Aaron RodgersSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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to talk about live in finally sunny Los Angeles. It's the herd. Wherever you may be and however you may be listening. Thanks for making us part of your day. What a absolutely riveting. Can't take your eyes off at night. Michigan State, Kansas State, UCLA Gonzaga. Weird stretches.

UCLA couldn't score 10, 11 minutes, yet suddenly they were right back in it. That was fantastic. Your Michigan State, my Michigan State, Spartans, that was a great game. That was one of the better games of the tournament. We may have seen two of the top three games in the tournament. Could have been the top two games in the tournament.

You could argue that Kansas State game goes down in Sweet 16 lore is one of the greatest ever. It was unbelievable. It was a close game, tense, shot making. Our guy, Noel and Kansas State comes through. Very rarely do I forget to eat dinner? I sat there for six hours and I was like, I poured a, cocktail and I just sat there and I just watched basketball. It's so much fun.

Heavenly. So three seed Gonzaga rallies past two seed UCLA. We should make it official. If those guys are in the tournament, you got to put them in the same region. We'll take double servings of Gonzaga and UCLA. I mean, UCLA lost two players for them to fight like that, incredibly admirable by the Bruins. But there's no reason really Gonzaga should be this good. Spokane, Washington, there's no recruits there.

Washington State's kind of geographically isolated. They have a tiny gym. They don't have a ton of money. They're on a conference nobody's heard of, right? Western Coast Conference. I mean, they should not be this good. They are right now a more winning program than Kentucky. Third elite eight in four tournaments.

Kentucky hadn't been doing an elite eight four tournaments ago. So this is all about coaching, commitment, and culture. There's a lot of different ways to win. Kansas State had a bunch of transfers. I got no problem with that at all. That's how they're going to do it. Kentucky Duke do five-star recruits. And then there's like Villanova and Gonzaga, and this is what they do.

Three and four-star recruits, guys stay on the team for years and they needed them last night. A lot of juniors and seniors who have been in a lot of close games, and that's probably why they won. It's why eight of the last 11 years, the Zags have been at least ranked second in the country and often first. A lot of programs collect talent. That's not what they do here. It is a team. It is community. It's like a small town family, a small town marriage.

They've all been together for years. They're publicity shy. Kentucky's a Hollywood marriage. It's all on the cover of magazines, but it doesn't last. The Zags may never win a title. I have no idea if they'll ever win a title. If Mark Few lands in Anthony Davis or a Carmelo Anthony, then he will. They've gotten very, very close.

But I think it's more impressive than a lot of these big names that have won a single title. I think Mark Few is very much like Andy Reid. All the smart people knew Andy was brilliant. brilliant. All the smart people knew he just never got a great quarterback, a great enough quarterback to win. The minute Andy Reid got Patrick Mahomes, he now dominates the sport. He was the smartest coach along with Belichick for years and years and years. All the smart people didn't knew it and all the dopes didn't. Everybody gets that Lincoln Riley's a better coach than Ed Orgeron and Gene Chiswick. Jim Harbaugh is better than Ed Orgeron and Gene Chiswick. But those guys have titles because in college

sports, the Georgia's, the LSUs, you know, there's certain regions in the country that are hotbeds for talent, and you can land a lot of it and don't have to be a world-class coach and you can win. I mean, Kirby Smart is not on the NFL radar. He's a coordinator in the NFL. Lincoln Riley could have seven jobs next year, maybe 10. He would be the top prospect for virtually every job that was open. The reality is, is what Gonzag is doing does not make a lot of sense. But this is why college basketball is really fun. There's a lot of ways to win. You can be a glamour program and get five-star guys.

You can be Kansas State and be most of your good players or transfers. You can do the Villanova or Gonzaga way. I do believe that Gonzaga eventually, and they're now starting to get top four or five players in the country, my guess is they will eventually land a star player like a real star and they'll win a title. Jalen Suggs was very good. They get closer. and Chet Holmgren, they get closer and closer. But the reality is, think about Gonzaga.

Think about this for a second. Is that in the 48 years, they had a basketball program pre-Mark Few. They made the tournament twice. Just made it. He's never missed one. In the West Coast Conference, this guy is a Harbaugh, a Lincoln, Riley, and Andy Reed in Philly. Really knows what he's doing. I think it's such an incredibly redeemable way to win.

I've said this for years. It was impossible for me because I knew Jay Wright not to root for Villanova. I just loved the way they did it. They would go in, I think it was like the D.C. area. They get tough kids, blue-collar kids. They bring them to Villanova. They play defense. They're coachable.

You talk to NBA scouts about Villanova players. They all overachieve. NBA GFs, they may not give you an Anthony Davis, but Villanova guys overachieve. Tough as nails, easy to coach, stayed in the program, super bright. Like, that's just what Villanova does. And I find that style of all the styles,

and I love Duke. I love Beheim at Syracuse, but I find this Villanova Gonzaga style so redeemable, so much fun, that a small town can do this. You know, you spend all this time we worry about the big money and the New York teams and this,

and yet the Green Bay Packers just keep winning. Gonzaga basketball just keeps winning. Here's the shot by Julian Strother and the reaction by the coach after. Strother will get it in. Salas picks it up. Clock starts. 11 seconds. Salas across the timeline.

Pitch it back Strother. Deep three from the top of the key. Got it. Oh, he hit it. Strother from the top. Seven seconds left. Campbell on the run into the front court. Drives the right side.

Stripped away. Strother's got it. Fowled with 1.1 to go. He's made that shot. multiple times for us this year. We practice that play. It's, hey, that's Jay Wright's play used at the end of the Villanova Carolina game in the championship. I mean, that's what we call it.

And he makes it all the time. So, yeah, when he asked me, it was stronger words than what he used. I just said, yeah, yeah, make it. Make it. Not a shock. Gonzaga borrowed a page. from the East Coast version of Gonzaga, Villanova, to win a game against UCLA. An absolute epic March Madness Classic from an incredibly smart, redeemable, head down,

sometimes publicity shy. They shouldn't win, they do. And I think they have Yukon next. I think that's on the docket next. Yukon may be the best team in the tournament. I was texting Mark few this morning. They may be the very best team in the tournament. They're playing great, so they'll have their hands full.

So years ago, when I used to be in local TV, and I would be in local TV, I'd be a sportscaster, like in Portland or something. And the news director didn't want to wade through a thousand tapes. And I had to hire a sports reporter or I had to hire like a weekend sports guy. And I was like, I'm too busy. I don't want to do this. He's like, you wade through the tapes. And what I found was everybody can have.

have a great nine-minute tape. But when I found somebody that I thought was pretty good, I'd call and say, all right, tape your show tonight and send it to me. I don't want an all-star tape. Give me your 6 o'clock newscast tonight, player. Let's see what rolls. That's why I don't talk about pro days in the NFL Combine anymore. Anybody can look good at the Combine.

You eat right for six weeks. You work out. a trainer. It's the best shape you'll ever be in the rest of your football life. But can you play hurt? Because that's the NFL. Can you survive when you're not as good as the guy you go up against at left tackle? That's the real NFL. If you have a bad position coach or in a bad mood or you got dinged up right knee, can you play then? Because that's the NFL, not a combine. So I'd like stop talking about the combine. Occasionally, we'll go on and on about the pro day.

But I tend to think the pro day, Bryce Young had a pro day yesterday. You know what it is? It's Instagram. You put on the filters, you get the right angles and the right light. Aren't I beautiful? Maybe. How would I know? It's not authentic.

It's all fake. Maybe you're beautiful. Maybe you're handsome. Who would know? It's not authentic. It's lighting. It's angles. It's filter.

It's nobody knows. I don't know what Bryce Young's going to be, but these pro days to me are mostly nonsense. Is this guy good? Is that guy? Listen, I think Bryce Young is the most polished, refined game starting ready quarterback in college football. I worry about his size, but this is classic. So yesterday, he wouldn't weigh in. At the combine, he wouldn't throw, but he'd weigh in.

And some people are speculating, he put on. wait for the combine and was willing to be weighed, but that's not his natural weight. So now he's back to his natural weight and he doesn't want anybody to weigh him. Back to Instagram. Back to Instagram. That's why I talk NFL regular season, I talk free agency, and I talk the draft. The pro day stuff and the combine stuff, it's fools gold. It's those NFTs, fuzzy pictures, they'll be worth a fortune.

Sure they will. I will say this, though. The kid's been a rock star. a high school football star in Los Angeles at 15 years old. I think he'll start day one. I think he could win games. He's not big enough for my taste. But Nick Saban after, I tend to be somebody, if you're playing the SEC,

you're playing against NFL players every week. Go watch the tape. Bryce Young's good on tape. That's probably why I'd take him number one. Here's Nick Saban on his pro day. I think you should ask the people that had to play against the last couple of years and see if they think it affected his performance. So I really don't.

I think he's so instinctive. He processes so well. He prepares so well. He's got quickness in the pocket. He plays the position like a point guard in basketball. And his production and consistency and performance have been off the charts. So most of the time, those things will translate to the next level. I do think he is more naturally gifted and a better prospect in the NFL than Tua.

I think he has a lot of comparisons that Jalen Hurts. He throws a better football at this point. They're both agile, smart, good leaders, see the field. But pro-day stuff, just go watch the tape. It's the SEC. It's the best college football most years easily. He chopped it up. My guess is he can chop it up at the NFL.

I just don't know how long that size he's going to last. Be sure to catch live editions of the herd weekdays in noon Eastern 9 a.m. Pacific on Fox Sports Radio, FS1, and the IHeard Radio. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal but encouraged. It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque. Others say it's unleashing human potential. Either way, the podcast's Superhuman documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year.

Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the I-Hard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care what you're saying. Yep, that's me, Clifford Taylor the 4th.

You might have seen the skits, the reactions, my journey from basketball to college football, or my career in sports media. Well, somewhere along the way, this platform became bigger than I ever imagined. And now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast,

The Clifford Show. This is a place for raw, unfiltered conversations with some of your favorite athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. One week I'll take you behind the scenes of the biggest moments in sports and entertainment. And the next we'll talk about life, mental health, purpose, and even music.

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TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok. Hey, this is Robert from the Stuff to Blow Your Mind podcast. Joe and I are both lifelong Star Wars fan, so we're celebrating May the 4th with a brand new week of fun, thought-provoking Star Wars-related episodes. Join us as we tackle science and culture topics from a galaxy far, far away, such as the biology of tontons and wampas on the ice planet hot,

or the practicality and corporate business sense of the Sith rule of two. Listen to Stuff to Blow Your Mind on the IHeart Radio app, podcast or wherever you get your podcasts. It is great to have you in. How good the World Baseball Classic and March Madness. I don't remember a March Madness with more close games, more upsets, more fun than what we've watched last night. Now, J. Mack had Kansas State in that game.

I had Michigan State. It was a go-e-either-way game, but the better team, I think, won. That Allie Upe, when he acted like Noel acted like he was talking to the coach. That was an all-time play. So there is this NFL story, though. The Jets and Packers have not spoken this past week, according to Adam Schaefter. Green Bay wants a first round pick. I would too.

And if I was the Jets, I'd give you my first round pick for Aaron Rogers. I wouldn't give you a lot after that, but I get a first round pick and maybe something conditional. The Jets are like, we're not giving you a first round pick. So they made a move to get another second round pick. But according to Adam Schaefter, that has nothing to do with Aaron Rogers. They just got a stalemate. So the question this morning we were asking ourselves, what happens?

if they don't get Aaron Rogers. And I got to tell you something. I don't think it's the worst thing in the world. So let's say you start Zach Wilson. So let's look at the quarterbacks the Jets would face this year. And a couple of them twice. Mac Jones, twice, two, it twice with his great coach and Josh Allen twice. It's Mahomes and Herbert and Hertz and Garoppolo.

Russell Wilson now with Sean Payton, Dachianne Watson, Daniel Jones, who's mad, but a great coach. If you start Zach Wilson, that's a four-win team. That's just what it is. That ain't terrible. Let's be honest. Aaron's not winning a Super Bowl with this team in the AFC. In the last four years, his playoff record with the Packers is two and three,

and they have a good O line, and they have a good run game, and they have a good structure, and they have a good head coach, and the NFC's lousy, and he's two and three and four years in the playoffs. You think you're going to the AFC and winning? No, he's a Band-Aid. here's where it gets interesting. You keep your picks, you move off him, you start Zach Wilson. Carolina Houston and the Colts should be bad this year, but they're drafting quarterbacks.

How many teams next year are going to need a quarterback and be bad? I think Atlanta and the Jets, if Aaron Rogers doesn't come, and there's two A-plus-plus prospects. if the owner Woody Johnson goes to Robert Sala and their general manager Joe Douglas and would promise extend them publicly for another year or two. If I was solid and Joe Douglas, I'd be like, I'm done with the headaches. Let's go. Let's not do a one-year band-aid with Aaron. Let's go long term. Let's go into the tank.

That's what Atlanta is doing. It makes too much sense to get Lamar Jackson for Atlanta. And what Atlanta is saying is there's better prospect. then Lamar Jackson next year, there's two of them. And now the Saints have a legit quarterback. Carolina's got Frank Reich and may have a very good young quarterback. How many teams are going to stink in the NFL next year? The Colts in Atlanta and the Jets without Aaron Rogers would be in a very short list of teams that need a quarterback and aren't good.

And if I was Robert Sala or Joe Douglas and you gave me a two-year extension and said, listen, it's going to be bad. Because it would be bad. I mean, Zach Wilson and the NFC wouldn't win games. in the AFC and in that division with Mike McDaniel and Tua, Josh Allen, Mack Jones with an offensive coordinator. I'm not going to win any games. It's not the end of the world. So, you know, the Jets have a right to dig their feet in, and they are.

They're like, we're not giving you a first round pick. And the Packers are like, all right, that's a you problem. We got our quarterback here in the stable. We're good. So I don't think it's the end of the world. I think sometimes you get very lucky and the Jets are very lucky. There's two A-plus-plus prospects, and you don't know there's going to be three to four guys drafted in the first round. You don't know if there's probably going to be next year.

There's supposed to be a couple other prospects that are C.J. Stroud-ish. Good prospects, not superstars, B-B-B-plus prospects. But, I mean, Aaron Rogers, who are we kidding here? It's a one-year Band-Aid anyway. Nobody knows what you're getting with them. You don't know. The Packers don't know. J. Mack with the news.

No, no, no, no. Turn on the news. This is the herd line news. I wrote down a note after that Jets rant. You wrote, let's say you start Zach Wilson, and everybody just laughed. That's not happening, Colin.

No chance that the Jets are starting Zach Wilson. No. Well, Mike White's gone. Mike White is gone. Do you think Robert Sala is willing to stake his job by starting Zahuis? Well, that's why I proposed that you go, you go to Woody Johnson. The agent calls and says, listen, we know we're going to be bad.

But let's play the long game here. You play the long game in your companies. Why are we doing the Band-Aid game? You can go to Woody Johnson and say, Woody, look at Aaron. All the drama in Green Bay. Look at what we're going through. We do not believe we want to give up a first-round pick.

That's a starter. That could be a star in New York. It's a very easy sell. Joe Douglas just ace the last draft. Why would he want to give up a first-round pick and all that draft capital? You know, Woody Johnson's going to say, oh, that's good.

But, you know, I saw that Cowherd rant where he noted all the defensive coaches. It doesn't work in the NFL. Let me go get an offensive guy to coach this new star quarterback. Salah will not go for that. It won't happen. But the good news is we've got three straight jet stories, so strap in. First up, wide receiver, Mikul Hardman, signed a one-year deal with the Jets and free agency. Yes.

Listen, this is a good, you know, buy-low option on Hardman, who can be explosive. Not a number one, not a number two. A nice little slot guy can return some kicks. Here's what he said about potentially catching passes from Aaron Rogers next season and what drew him to the Jets. I think that they got a great foundation here. They got some nice pieces. I think Alan Zazaar, you know, him signing, you know, I think playing alongside him been great too. And they got, you know, a great, you know, second year player now and Garrett Wilson, who had an absolutely, you know, unbelievable year.

And, I mean, obviously, you know, the news with A-Rod and everything like that, we still don't know what's going on over there. but obviously that's something you can think about. But as far as, you know, besides that, it was just more so thinking the Jets itself was like the right fit for me. Cole Hardman showed up to the intro, but he's fast. Yeah, I think he showed up for the introductory press conference with a puffy jacket and a white t-shirt on and blinged out. Welcome to New York, Nicole. Listen, I like them. First impressions kind of matter.

You couldn't get over the first impression of the Eagles coach. Oh, I know, coaches and quarterbacks are different. I think that's the face of the franchise. I don't care about our players. A young kid. They're all like kids. You got a one-year deal. Well, I think that's why Kansas City let him go.

He couldn't stay healthy. So I don't think he's a long-term player, but I think he'll make the Jets better. He's the fastest player on their football team. So I consider coaches and quarterbacks totally different. But I want my Jalen Hertz and my Nick Seriani to be good at the podium. I don't give a rip-about player. Go look what Jalen Hertz wears to the podium. He's a pro.

He's a leader. He's an alpha. He's a star quarterback. And he's also going to make. $300 million, not a one-year. A lot of these plays. You know, the average NFL career is three and a half years. Jaylen Hurts is going to play for $13.50.

I tell this to my kid when we go to church. Is it too much to put a colored shirt on? I say to my like 12-year-old. He's like, no, I'm good, Daddy. It's a battle I'm not going to fight, but, I mean, me call Hart. All right. It's a first press car. It's cold.

It's freezing in New York. It's freezing in New York. Yeah, let's get to the next jet story. Ezekiel Elliott is on the market, Cowherd. He has his eye on three teams. He's looking at the Eagles, Bengals, and Jets. However, we don't know if interest is mutual. I saw a soundbite of the Bengals coach.

They pulled him out of some event, and he was like, yeah, I don't know. Why would you want the? Well, the Joe Mixing stuff, it sounds like he's got some legal issues. I don't know what's good. The latest on mixing. Go draft a running back. Right. The Eagles have, they just picked up Rashad Penny.

They got Boston Scott, Kenneth Gainwell. They're fine. Okay. The Jets, Breeze Hall coming off the injury. Oh, you don't need that circus. What is he's a short yardage back. He's not winning games for you. The Jets' other two running backs are Zonovan Knight.

Okay. How about drafting? Michael Carter and Ty Johnson. Michael Carter's fine as a backup running back. You could have... You're out on Zeke now? We're talking about a one-year deal worth a couple million bucks. You have two good running backs.

The Iowa State kid. And Michael Carter's a nice backup running back. Am I wrong on that? I think you are. Zeke's an elite blocking back. Oh, God. I said blocking back. And he's a solid.

You're paying big money for an elite blocking back? Not big, who's given big money? The other thing, Cowherd, is, you know, we talk about motivation sometimes. Jerry and him were boys. I haven't seen Zeke give one interview. I think he's mostly gone silent on social media. You know how ticked off he is right now? I know he's not known for offseason work and there's a lot of memes going on about

how fat he's going to show up for. You can make an argument to me a one-year contract because we're a little shaky at left tackle. If I can bring Zeke in and say, listen, we're going to use you out of the back field to catch occasionally, and you got a block. Yeah. Because they're kind of shaky at left tackle. One year, a couple, few million bucks. That's all we're talking about.

Nobody's giving him like $10 million. He could be a third down back. Can catch and block. Hey, come in in shape, prove you want to play. Maybe you can be the second backup to Breece Hall. We don't want to overwork him coming off the injury. Michael Carter's not a bad back. We could not, unfortunately, get a third jet story in headline news to start the show.

But we have Paul George. You know, they had that right knee loss. Fairly good news on the clipper front. Paul George did not tear any ligaments and not expected to need surgery. If you look at that, you're eating breakfast or lunch. Oh, that looks brutally painful. Ty Loo said it's the best case scenario.

He's going to be re-evaluated in two to three weeks. Now, we need to stress, you love to say in the NFL, when somebody says they might be back, they're usually back early. In the NBA, I think it's the other way around. Yeah, it's the other way. Re-evaluated means we're going to take another look at him, not he's back in two or three weeks. Well, it's different in the NFL because every game is more crucial.

In the NBA in baseball, generally, I mean, I tend to think in the NBA, especially in baseball, before the season starts, the pitching coach is probably telling, you know, a Kerr-Shah or a Verland or a veteran guy, listen, we're going to take about three weeks off in July. Like, it's different. It's a different 162 games. In the NFL, if it says you're out six weeks, you're back in four. There's a badge of honor to play. And it really is. Guys, I've talked to NFL players about this. It's really depressing in football on the sidelines.

You don't feel like you're part of the team. In baseball, everybody gets it because in baseball, a third of the team doesn't play every night anyway. It's called the bullpen. And in the NBA, you play about seven guys of the 13. So you live for another day in all sports except football. Football, you've got to get back and play. By the way, Sons cannot win any games without Kevin Durant, Nathan. The Clippers are now tied with the Sons.

I'm sorry, the paper clips are tied with the Sons for the fourth seat. So home court advantage hanging in the balance. The Warriors may be coming on strong. Although I don't think they want to, because I think, wouldn't you rather play the Kings than Kevin Durant, Devin Booker, and Chris Paul if you're the Warriors? Oh, yeah. Sacramento plays no defense.

So that first round series, if Paul George is out. Now, tonight, the Warriors play, is it Sixers at home? Listen, it's NCAA tournament night, buddy. Oh, you're right. I can't watch. You're right. No, no, it's a good call. I can't watch.

No disrespect. NBA is obviously important, but there's still like nine or ten games left. This is tonight. Sweet 16. Oh, so good. So good. I got some crazy numbers on Gonzaga, Connecticut. I haven't seen them out there on social media.

Yukon's favored by two and a half. I checked this morning. It went down to two. I've got some stuff for you. Whenever you want to dump it later in the show so we can help the audience pick up some spring break money. I think Yukon, this morning, if I reseated the tournament, I think Yukon's the best team in the tournament. I think a lot of people would say that. Not me.

Okay. So you would take the... I didn't say that. When you're ready to do it, we'll get into it. I'm ready. now. What are you waiting? What's the big... We've got to tease them for the next hour. Keep them coming back. Come on. I think you were the TV

pro here, bro. Goodness gracious. God, this guy's got... Listen to this guy now. Seven months later, look what you've become. J. Mack with the news. Well, that's the news. And thanks for stopping by. The Heard Lye News. It was so good. You know, I hope every...

And I know you guys all do. You appreciate Drew Timmy. I mean, the two guys last night that put on a clinic are not really NBA... I mean, they may, I don't know. Drew Timmy's probably on a bench somewhere. He's got such good low post moves. He knows how to use his butt and his body. I don't know if he's an NBA player.

And Marquis deuce Noel for Kansas State, he's tiny. I don't know who he guards in the NBA. I put on an absolute critic last night. And I'll say this before. These March Madness games are crushing the NBA in ratings. And the talent level is not even close. So it illustrates how important. passion and desire is.

Sport fans, sports fans by and large, they just want you to care as much as they do. And for the last six to seven years, NBA stars have been sending messaging out their bat signal, which is we don't care about regular season games. Okay. People tell you who they are, believe them. NBA guys are like telling you, we're not really into the regular season, the stars. And the audience is going, all right. And I've said this before.

The Western Conference, the entire Western Conference, the story right now is who's not playing? Kauai, Paul George, KD, A. D. LeBron. Luca was hurt. Kyrie. You never know who's playing. Zion. If the Blazers lose a couple more games, they'll put Dame on the bench for the rest of the year. So, you know, I just think when you juxtapose the college basketball environment, it's

not highly skilled. If you're really great, the two best guys in the NBA draft this year aren't even playing college. Some guys, Jalen Green from Houston, he went to the G League. I do think the NIL is going to drive some college kids who could go either way. It's going to drive them to college. You tell me I can go and get in March madness and get 10, 15 million people to watch or go to a G League. Now, the G League's got better players, but it's only a year. Is it worth having better marketing and a little inferior basketball to be in a college campus? If I'm a dad or a mom, that's not even close. I wouldn't know who Zion is. I don't sit on, you know, digital all day looking up highlights, high school kids dunking. So I just think if you look at what

is happening, the world baseball classic, what was it? It's passion. March madness. What was it? It's passion. It's desire. It's crushing the NBA ratings. And I'm an NBA fan. But you said leagues send signals. Athletes send signals. I mean, if you went to watch, you go to, you know, you went to watch a play or you went to Broadway, and the actors were mailing it in. You'd know it, and you'd be as bored as the actors. And so I think it, last night and this tournament has completely sucked me in, I think you, I think sports gambling helps a lot. The legalization, the two things in America that we've always bet with sports, the NFL and March madness, and it's not a coincidence, March Madness the last couple years and the NFL is going up where a lot of TV

ratings are going down. And I think we bet college basketball in March and we bet the NFL. We don't really bet the NBA. So they're not getting that little push. We don't bet baseball as much. They're not getting the push that college basketball and the NFL are. That's what we bet. By the way, we all internationally, people bet soccer. J. Mack over here, he understands soccer March Madness in the NFL is what a lot of people bet and have bet forever in Europe where sports gambling's been more legal that is their March madness that is their NFL so I think a lot of this though the passion you see when you watch Michigan State Kansas State there was a moment last night in the game with UCLA and Gonzaga and I don't know how much time was left seven or

eight minutes left I think six seven eight minutes and there was a they were battling for a rebound And it was about a 30 second sequence. There was guys on the floor. I'm like, you're not seeing that Tuesday night in Denver. You're not seeing that Wednesday night in Detroit. Just the passion and the level of desire, the sudden death part of it. I couldn't take my eyes off last night. I know the quality.

I mean, the stars last night for Gonzaga and Kansas State are, they don't translate to the NBA at all. It's okay. It's really, it's its own thing. it's a three to four week passion sport. I'm totally in on it. But I thought last night was just a great all-time night of college basketball on TV. Of basketball. Just period.

Period. Basketball night, five and a half hours of mayhem. And I'm here for it. Colin, I got to ask you, Mr. Noel, who was unstoppable against Kentucky and now Michigan State. Who's he guard the NBA? Who's he guard? That's a fair question. There was a kid at Kentucky a few years back.

Tyler Ullis, very renowned high school player. He got a cup of coffee in the NBA. I think there has to be a place on a roster in the league for Noel. He is that good. He's full of energy. Defensively, five steals, including the steal on the game-winning play. The kid has the heart of a lion. I know that's, you know, trite and cliche.

Listen, I watch this guy play. He will make things happen. Listen, I'm rooting for Drew Timmy and this kid to get in. Like, I think I would put, I would want to know. I always said this about Tim Tebow. I mean, I rolled my eyes at Tebow. I would love to have Tebow in my locker room. Tebow's a big, strong athlete.

He's never as athletic as you think, but the work ethic, the off-season in meetings, like he's a gamer. There's absolute value. I remember years ago when Parcells, Bill Parcells took over Miami the Dolphins as the GM. They had won one game the year before, and Parcells rebuilt the roster. I think he named Tony Sparano was the coach, I think. But Parcells took over the front office. And they went from, I think, one win to 11. and what he really did is he took the bottom of the roster,

like the 27th player to the 55th guy, and Parcells reshaped it. And he went and got one of the tight ends was Fasano, if I recall. He went and got guys that were great in the wait room, great leaders, special teams guys that would change the culture of Miami. I mean, they made some personnel moves, but the back end of a roster goes a long way. Right?

Because those guys aren't getting minutes. Those guys aren't getting minutes. They're not getting attention. They're not winning any games. Nobody talks to them. To get that guy in the NBA, that 10th, 11th guy, for me, is he good in the room, good in meetings, good on the plane? I mean, I think that those two guys last night fit that bill. You know a minority stake in a basketball team and a soccer team.

So when we're looking in the offseason for players, yes, the stats matter. We want to know the talent level. But a lot of that extracurricular stuff, is he going to be one of the first ones in the weight room? Is he going to be one of the first guys at practice, the last to leave? You can't tell that watching games, but you can tell that by looking into the player's background. This kid, Noel, has an unbelievable work ethic. There's a million videos of him on Instagram. I know.

No offers in high school. There's not a single NBA player currently in the NBA that's relevant under six feet tall, and he's 5'8. So it is... I would have to check the rosters. I don't know. That sounds about right. You know, there's probably 511, tough to make the league. But again, we're not talking.

He's not going to be a starting point guard, right? We're talking about a guy who can come off the bench, provide locker room support, winning player, add to that culture. That stuff matters. Culture is huge. Lou Holtz, when he coached at Notre Dame, used to always say this. He said, you know, the class is 25 players a year. And he said, I want 15 guys who are four and five star guys.

And then I went 10 guys who are talented but are dying to wear Notre Dame's jersey. He's like, if you're getting 25 guys a year, you're only starting 22. So one recruiting class is all your starters. You're going to get 12 to 15 great players. Then you better find glue guys. And I think that's, I don't think these guys project. I think Timmy, because he's such a profound score, has a better chance. I mean, he was a great high school score.

He's been a great college score. He's just, I mean, he's got, he's big. He's six, nine and a half. Great hands. Just kind of a guy that can pick up six and a half a night and it's never pretty. So again, he's highly coachable, highly functional. I tend to think there's a spot for him somewhere in the NBA. His mom and dad were both like athletes, so he comes from an athletic family.

Yeah, work ethic and culture, that stuff matters so much. You know that when you're building a staff here at the herd, when you're building the volume. That stuff is huge. New England Patriots have had Matthew Slater, I think, for night. Is he still on the team? 19 years New England special teamer. So he was a wide receiver at UCLA. He didn't have a lot of speed.

I remember when he played at UCLA, and he goes to New England, and they just keep him as a special teams guy, and he's, again, he's like a coach. He is literally like a coach on the field. And Belichick's always had one or two guys like that that he just keeps around. And Matt Slater's the classic example of they could find a faster guy, but he'll take young guys, you know, Eudonis Haslam in Miami. By the way, Belichick understands culture. Is there any culture in the NBA, honestly? the Warriors have better players. Miami's arguably the best culture. Mickey Harrison, Riley, Spolstra, Haslam, Wade. It's the best culture. I mean, you know in the playoffs, you do not want to face Miami.

You do not, I don't care if you're Boston. You do not want to face Jimmy Butler and Spolstra's coaching. And they kept Haslam around for years for the plane, for the practice, for the room, for the meetings. Guys at the end of the bench, I know fans, you could have a 21-year-old and you could say, He could be this and he could be that. Good luck. But I think if you look at the history of really good teams, the smart cultures keep guys like that around. By the way, when you've got the L.A. road trip and you've got the Clippers and the Lakers

and all the young guys want to go out to the clubs. That's right. You're young, wrong. You go to Miami. You know, a lot of the teams get the South Beach flu because they're out and hanging out in Miami. You think Noel's going to be doing that? Or is he going to be locked in? We're practicing.

I want to deliver. There's so much value in that stuff. Drew Timmy. Like, he's a pro, man. That guy can make place. I want him on my team. Good for you. Yeah, I, well, I want Janus on my team, but I would certainly consider.

I'll take him if I can have him. Sure, I'll take Janus, yeah. Be sure to catch live editions of the herd weekdays in noon Eastern, 9 a.m. Pacific. Two NBA insiders podcasting twice a week to plug you right into the NBA great vibe. All happening in only one place. This league uncut. The new NBA podcast with me, Chris Haines. And me, Mark Stein.

Join us as we team up to expound on everything we're covering, hearing, and chasing. Listen to This League Uncut with Chris Haynes and Mark Stein on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal but encouraged. It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque. Others say it's unleashing human potential. Either way, the podcast's Superhuman documented it all,

embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year. Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the I-Hard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care where you're saying.

Yep, that's me, Cliver Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, the reactions, my journey from basketball to college football, or my career in sports media. Well, somewhere along the way, this platform became bigger than I ever imagined. And now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifford Show. This is a place for raw, unfiltered conversations with some of your favorite athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated.

One week, I'll take you behind the scenes of the biggest moments in sports and entertainment, and the next we'll talk about life, mental health, purpose, and even music. The Clifford Show isn't just a podcast. It's a space for honest conversations, stories that don't always get told, and for people who are chasing something bigger. So, if you've ever supported me or you're just chasing down a dream, this is right where you need to be. Listen to the Clifford show on the IHeart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok Podcast Network

on TikTok. Hey, this is Robert from the Stuff to Blow Your Mind podcast. Joe and I are both lifelong Star Wars fan, so we're celebrating May the 4th with a brand new week of fun, thought-provoking Star Wars-related episodes. Join us as we tackle science and culture topics from a galaxy far, far away, such as the biology of tauntons and wampas on the ice planet hot, or the practicality and corporate business sense of the Sith rule of two. Listen to stuff to blow your mind on the Iheart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Your home for Saturday baseball is MLB on Fox. All season long, the biggest stars and teams square off in the biggest games of the best day of the week.

Major League Baseball action returns Saturday, April 1st on Fox. Very exciting. So this Lamar Jackson situation is a mess. The NFL yesterday, the league office, I've never seen this before, told teams do not negotiate with Ken Francis. Apparently, like a business guy that Lamar's friends with. Now, Lamar is saying he's not negotiating, but he's, you know, he's talking to teams or something. I don't know who Ken Francis is. He and Lamar apparently have a business deal.

He's got this product, and Lamar's the face of it. Here is the product. I'm not kidding. This is not an 80s infomercial. This is actually a real thing. Combining outdoor training and a portable gym maximizes time and workout routines. With over 250 plus workout routines, the entire gym brings you the flexibility to work out anywhere, anytime. Yeah, so if you see somebody lifting weights in a nearby park, it's probably Ken Francis and Lamar Jackson.

I'm going to pass on it. I call them gyms. Anywho, this is not what you want. It's gotten very noisy. Let me give you a list of noisy quarterbacks in the last year for variety of reasons. Russell Wilson, Kyler Murray, Aaron Rogers, Lamar Jackson, Deshawn Watson. None of them are ascending. Let me give you some other noisy quarterbacks whose careers should have lasted longer.

Baker Mayfield, Johnny Mansell, Cam Newton. The only thing noisy about Patrick Mahomes is his brother. That's it. It's like, noisy does not win games. And I think it hurts Lamar. I think people are worried about it. And I think he's being punished because of the current momentum of noisy. Kyler and Aaron and Russell has not been good.

Aaron couldn't make the playoffs. Tire fire in Arizona. So, you know, it's, you start, go look at the list for different reasons of the noisy quarterbacks. They're not ascending. Jalen Hertz, Joe Burrow, I don't get any of that. Head down, focused. I know all you fan boys have been banging on this for years.

I've never been wrong on this. The noisier the young quarterback, the less I like it. Bryce Young, C.J. Stroud, really quiet. Bryce Young, pro, head down plays. Star in high school. didn't hear a peep. Starring college, you don't hear a peep. C.J. Stroud, Ohio State Buckeyes, biggest program, arguably in America, wins games.

Focused, coachable, gets better. So I just think this is a bad space. I mean, I'm just wondering at this point, does Lamar have somebody in his social circle that's like, bro, this is not a good look? From what I can understand, the NFL League office said, don't take calls from this guy. Lamar's saying he's not negotiating. Athletes generally shield you from this kind of nonsense. Agents. That's what an agent's paid for to get the noise away from you. He doesn't have an agent. The noise is funneling right toward him. It's the opposite of what you want to do.

And again, on the heels of Aaron's noise and Kyler's noise, people are like, no thank you. Listen, it's a trend and it's a smart one. Go find Jalen. Hurts, hardworking, doubted, second round, aspirational, coachable, you're looking at a star. I mean, Jalen Hertz is what you're trying to find. And for the record, it kind of felt like Lamar was that for three years. Whatever's happened is not good. I still contend, no disrespect to his mom, you got to hire a real agent. They keep you out all this trouble.

And this is nothing against this newfangled night. 180 sounding infomercial. You know, I don't like doing weightlifting in a park. I just don't. I like to do it in gyms and at home. But if that's your thing, Lamar may be really hitting on something that's going to revolutionize working out. I wish him the very best. It's just way too noisy for me.

I'm not going to bang on Lamar. That's pretty embarrassing, though. I'm not going to invest in that. You're a business guy. You're an entrepreneur. I'm not going to invest in it. No? No.

Do my setups at home. That hurts. 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 I-Heart 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 I-Hard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hey, this is Robert from the Stuff to Blow Your Mind podcast. Joe and I are both lifelong Star Wars fan, so we're celebrating May the 4th with a brand new week of fun, thought-provoking Star Wars-related episodes. Join us as we tackle science and culture topics from a galaxy far, far away,

such as the biology of taun tons and wampas on the ice planet hot, or the practicality and corporate business sense of the Sith rule of two. Listen to Stuff to Blow Your Mind on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. This is an IHeart podcast. Guaranteed Human.