The Herd with Colin Cowherd - THE HERD - Hour 1 - Vikings are a mess, Lakers fans should be worried

Episode Date: March 2, 2026

Colin Cowherd discusses the latest development for the Viking QB situation and why it’s become clear they should move off JJ McCarthy after only 2 seasons. He talks about the limitations of Luka Doncic and the LakersSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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We are live. I'm in Chicago. It is the herd. Wherever you may be and however you may be listening or watching, appreciate both. Thanks for Megan. That's part of your day. You know, J-MAC, teams in sports say a lot publicly. But you've got to watch the actions.

Their actions will tell you what's happening behind the scenes. And it's our job to say, okay, this is what's being said. This is what's actually happening? So what is happening right now with the Minnesota Vikings who are $45 million over the cap, and yet reportedly they want Tua? Okay. And would have to pay. And so behind the scenes, they are going to cut Aaron Jones.

they're moving off Hardgrave, what's happening? Well, we start our show with that. What's happening is they know privately, yeah, the J.J. McCarthy thing, it's not working. You're not interested in Tua and reportedly Kyler Murray if you're $45 million over the cap. They don't want to release veterans, especially a defensive lineman who was decent last year. Boy, you've got to make a decision quick. First of all, he can't stay healthy. J.J. McCarthy, whatever you think of him, I was never a fan at

Michigan or at a college. Just my opinion, he can't stay healthy. He's missed 24 starts. So he may not be built for this league. I mean, think about Caleb Williams, the beating he took as a rookie in Chicago. Caleb Williams has never missed a start. USC with a battle line and the Bears is rookie year with the battle line. Caleb Williams never misses a start.

Bo Nix in Denver never missed a regular season start. So JJ McCarthy's body may not be built for this league. he wouldn't be the only one. The second thing is when you watch him play, his confidence is all over the map, and I feel bad for the kid. Sometimes he is on fire and got a lot of juice on his ball. And other times, he looks lost and lacking confidence.

And you can see both in an hour. And the numbers don't lie on J.J. McCarthy. Completion percentage, passer rating was the worst in the league. And remember, that is with Kevin O'Connell, a top five or six offensive coach. That is with Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison, capable tight ends. So we always said, when Kyle Shanahan said,

hey, I'm going to move off a first round pick, Tray Lance, that sent a signal to everybody with a functional brain except the Dallas Cowboys probably not going to be a guy you give up draft picks for. The Cowboys did. Right? Like when an offensive coach, I mean, remember, Kevin O'Connell made Josh Dolly,

work and throw for 350 yards without a practice. So the fact that J.J. McCarthy is struggling with this coach, that receiving core, those tight ends, playing indoors in a division, let's be honest, that doesn't have a great defense. The Bears defense wasn't very good last year. You know, the Packers defense, minus Michael, wasn't great. The Lions defense has been, you know, okay on the back end for years. So I think it's time. It is a skill to acknowledge mistakes. I mean, cruddy Arizona can't get rid of Kyler Murray fast enough.

And two reports now say the Vikings are into Tua and Kyler Murray. So acceptance is the fifth stage of grief. So you got to get over the first four like denial, anger, and bargaining. you got to get over them because this isn't working. They can say whatever they want, but the Vikings are 45 large over the cap. Now they're having to restructure and release veterans because they were built for a young kid to come in and play. That's why Chicago's roster is stacked. That's why Denver's roster is stacked because you draft a quarterback in the first round.

You have to pay them anything for four years. So at the combine, here's Kevin O'Connell discussing the timeline on the frustrating J.J. McCarthy. We've seen some growth. We've seen some of that development time over, you know, time over time, but we're still talking about, you know, quite a few opportunities of that development phase and growth phase missed. We want them to be in a competitive situation because of some of that time lost. We've really got to push the gas pedal down and not replace development and coaching and teaching with anything, but really enhance it with a really competitive situation that I think

our whole team will benefit from. For the record, not just a competitive situation, an expensive situation. They're 45 over the cap and they want to bring in Tua. People say things publicly. They are treading water, already fired their GM backstage. Okay, so, yeah, I know they beat the Kings, big party, and Lakerland. Sometimes you see video and it's troubling and Luca had a really bad week last week. Finally, people acknowledging some of the obvious issues. But JJ Redick is frustrated because he can't make LeBron younger and reportedly he can't make Luca listen.

So there's video from Saturday Night against the Warriors and Luca not only blows off J.J. Reddick, he had to be controlled by Jared Vanderbilt. And I honestly think you'll see him coming off the floor here. I honestly think that Luca was so gifted. He turned pro at 13. Look at JJ Reddick grabs him. Luca won't listen. J.J. Reddick barks, which he's prone to do. He walks.

He follows him down the bench. And then he has words with him. He looks him in the eye. And then Luca gets ticked off. And Luca eventually is JJ Reddick. Look, I mean, that's a real confrontation right there. And then Lucas stands up and Banderbilt gets in the way. That is a confrontation.

But remember, Luca turned pro at 13. He made Real Madrid, made his debut at 16. He was the European MVP at 19. All the youngest turning pro, Real Madrid, Euro MVP at the youngest age as ever. So it has been year after year of pandering and worshipping. And the other thing with Luca, from a very early age, he's always had the ball his hands. In fact, since he entered the league, he has the highest usage rate. So he has been pannered to, worshipped, here's the ball, control the offense. That's why he and LeBron

don't play well together, because LeBron's better with the ball than he is off the ball. And LeBron can't stem the deficiencies Luca has on the defensive end. So you can say whatever you want, but that piece of video is J.J. Reddick, not pandering, J.J. Reddard. Redick Saturday night against the warrior team that is a mess. It's real video here. And J.J. Reddick follows him right down the bench. Lucas sits down. And listen, J.J. Reddick, he is not a guy that's going to mince words.

You don't have to like him. You can call him arrogant. You can call him whatever you want. But, I mean, this is a confrontation. This is J.J. Reddick, a confrontation. confrontation with Luca and watch the way Luca, he stands up. So from 13 to 27 years old and Luca just turned 27 over the weekend, from 13 years of having the ball in your hands, getting your way, being worshipped.

And then last week, all of a sudden the media and the fans kind of turned and kind of went, bro, you're kind of bad defensively. you don't play with LeBron, and LeBron plays well with everybody. Here's a JJ Redick after that Warriors win, win on some of the struggles recently. These guys want to do it right. They're trying. I know our staff myself. We're always looking for answers and solutions, partially just because of the disruption of

lineups and different factors. You know, we just haven't had the continuity that I thought we were going to have coming into the year. And it's taken longer than I thought, but I'm confident we're going to get there. I will say this. I will defend J.J. Reddick. LeBron missed the first 14-15 games. Austin Reeves missed another 15-19 games. It's not a well-constructed roster defensively or from a catch-and-shoot perspective.

they need both. And yet they're kind of competitive with Denver. Now, they are not beating good teams. They're hammering the kings and the warriors, whatever. But they're kind of hanging around in the playoff picture, despite the fact they haven't had LeBron. They haven't had Austin Reeves for long stretches. Both are back now.

But Brian Winhorst famously said after that finals, remember that? Probably the moment of Brian's career. BW came out and said after that finals lost by Dallas, this guy's got to change. It's not going to work. You're not going to be a championship player. You've got to commit to being in shape.

You got to commit to the defensive end. It is just interesting that in the last week, the media, the fans, and now JJ Reddick having a little confront. It reminds me the first couple of weeks I worked with JMAX. Sometimes I had to walk him down to the end of the bench and had to give him a set of rules to play by. But, I mean, you would admit, you would admit, and I think this, I understand players barking at the refs.

I do think that Luca is so dismissive of the officials. That bothers me. And then I get it. Listen, Michael Jordan. LeBron complains a little. Magic complained a lot. Michael was obsessive. Lucas sort of in that vein.

But just an interesting week in Luca land. Yeah. for sure. Of course, this was during a win. We have no context. What quarter was this? What just happened? Luca was magnificent all weekend. Great last night against the Sacramento Kings. And here you are trying to stir the pot. Oh, my gosh, drama. Let's settle down. Yes, the video doesn't look great. But I don't understand how Travis Kelsey and Andy Reid are budding heads. That's competitive fire. Michael Jordan punches a teammate in practice. That's competitive fire. Luca and JJ Redick join. there's trouble in Lakerland.

It just feels like there's such a double standard for my Lakers right now that if they win, hey, they beat a crap team. Who cares? And if they lose, well, the sky's falling. This isn't working. Come on, you've got to be real, Colin. We're being a little harsh on Luca here. I think we're being honest.

And I think until the last 10 days, it's been all bouquets and flowers and birds chirping and pots of gold. In the last 10 days, people have said, I said this for years about Carmel and Anthony. Can anybody address the defense? Can anybody address the fact that he gets hunted in playoff series? Can anybody address the fact that I don't think he's in the greatest shape, that he didn't make players better? Doesn't mean Carmelo's not a Hall of Famer. I'm not denying the greatness, but you're talking about Andy Reed, Travis Kelsey, and Michael Jordan. Lots of rings, lots of hardware. Luca's great. So therefore, the standard for Luca is,

dude, you're playing for the Lakers with LeBron, Austin Reeves. The standard should be high. I mean, again, what is the standard for the Lakers? To me, it's maybe it's not the Dodgers standard, but now the Dodgers owner own the Lakers. I can assure you the standard is, let's get a better front office, and let's make some moves. Nobody is saying that, I mean, again, against bad teams,

Lakers have been good last several years. That's never the issue. But the West has lots of good teams, and they're all right now ahead of. the Lakers and that's who you have to get through to get to the finals. Oh, oh, coming up, we told you, I strongly believe, I watch all these mock drafts. I read about six this morning. And PFF came out with one.

And whenever somebody doesn't have Ty Simpson, the Alabama quarterback in the first round, I'm like, okay, mock draft person, have you heard of the word desperation? because the league is, it uses desperation as deodorant, and Ty Simpson's going to get drafted in the first round, and I'll give Ty Simpson credit. He's pretty smart here. We'll talk about that coming up. Be sure to catch live editions of the herd weekdays in noon Eastern 9 a.m. Pacific on Fox Sports Radio, FS1, and the IHeart Radio app. Hey, it's Rob Parker and Kelvin Washington from the odd couple on Fox Sports Radio. And in addition to hearing us live weeknights from 7 to 10 p.m. Eastern on Fox Sports Radio,

we are excited to announce brand new YouTube channel for the show. That's right. You can now watch the Odd Couple live on YouTube every day. All you got to do, search Odd Couple FSR on YouTube. Again, YouTube, just search Odd Couple FSR. Check us out on YouTube and subscribe. Hey, it's us, the Jonas Brothers, and guess what? We have some big news. What's the news, name? Huge news. we created our own podcast called Hey Jonas.

We invented a podcast? Well, we didn't invent it. We just contributed to a... 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. Well, we were thinking I'm originally calling it one of the early names of our band before Jonas Brothers. This is how you guys remember it going down? Yes. I have a very different memory of this. We were talking about a thing, a bit for the podcast, where people could call in and say, hey, Jonas. And then I wrote down on my little 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. Hey, I'm Deanna Maria Riva, actress, mother, lover, and a Gen X woman walking through life one hot flash and hormonal crying jag at a time.

You ladies know what I mean. I'll bet you a paramedipausal chin here you do. So let's talk about it. Join me on my new podcast. How hard can it be with the Anamanea Arriva, where I call on my Gen X squads from Ohio to Hollywood as we navigate midlife's most fantastic BS. All of a sudden, I'd had hanginess happening on my own.

I was like, what the hell is that? I was married when I had her, so I didn't even consider how empty that nest was going to be. Mood swings, night sweats, fupas, sex drive. Wait, what sex? Dating at 45. How hard can it be getting naked at 50 with the new guy? That one's kind of hard, no. Well, that's lighting.

They say we can't polish a turd, but we're sure going to try. So let's get blunt with laughs, tears or tears of laughter, and dive into it, unfiltered and unbothered and ask, how hard can it be? I cannot believe I'm about to say this out loud in public. Listen to How Hard Can It Be with Diana Maria Riva as part of my Cultura Podcast Network available on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. What's up, fam? It's Isaiah Thomas.

And I'm C.J. Toledano, and our podcast, Point Game is about defying the odds. Like LeBron heading into the playoffs without Luca and Austin Reed. And finding ways to win no matter what. He's the smartest player to ever play the game. His IQ is at a level that we've never seen before. And he knows. Without Luca and Austin Reeves, I got to manipulate the game. We get a player's perspective on the challenges of the playoffs. I think Joker's going to be exhausted this series

because when they don't have Rudy in the lineup, he has to really guard guys like Nas Reid. He has to guard Julius Randall. And then he has to give us everything he gives us on the night-to-night basis on offense. And when IT's friends stop by, like Quentin Richardson, we dive into some playoff history too. Steve Nash would get that thing.

That man, hell get to fly. He running up the court, licking his fingers, why he got the ball. Like, you go through a training camp with that Isaiah, you figure it out. real quick. Oh, yeah. Get your ass up and down the court, and you're going to get the ball.

So listen to Point Game on the Iheart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. This week on Crimless, we're joined by our first ever guest. Sorry, our first ever human guest. I don't think I could be in the same room with Shamrock the parrot. I'd be too nervous. That's right. The very funny, Will Farrell joins Rory Scoble and me, Josh Dean, for an episode dedicated to the

many crimes committed by people also named Will Farrell. They called to his fellow officer for the nippers. What are the nippers? Very good question. No, I was thinking, would that be a good name for like a salad dressing? Simple assault. And it's a play on word, salt? Maybe not.

I say we invest and we see. There's only one way to know. This did not amuse the cops. By the way, normally the cops are amused. But this did not abuse the cops. Will even comes clean about some of his own crimes. I didn't get caught. You know why? If you don't want to be suspected of anything, you whistle as you walk. Listen to crime lists on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast.

Well, the quarterback market in the NFL is like the housing market. It's going to continue to rise the rest of our lives because demand will outpace supply. And every year, there are seven teams desperate for a quarterback. How do I know they're desperate? Tyler Murray's cap hit is 52 million. Minnesota's interested, among others. Malik Willis could get 30 million. He's had like six starts. Tua, who can't stay healthy, concussion issues, y'all, well documented. His cap hits over 55 million, and multiple teams are interested.

So I said, and I've been saying this, Ty Simpson of Alabama, doesn't do a ton for me. I do think he has a better than average arm. I think he has a good arm. He's going to go in the first round. And maybe the Steelers at number 21. The Jets have two first round picks. The Rams have two first round picks. Cleveland's got two first round picks.

He's going in the first round. And the reason I know he's going in the first round is because people are interested in Tua. And they're interested in Kyler Murray and rearranging their financial deck. They're not interested in a 6-1 kid who had brilliant copy. college coaching who's pretty accurate. I mean, again, I didn't love Jackson Dart, but Jackson Dart's only 1.5% of the New York Giants cap. Ty Simpson goes to the Rams. He doesn't have to play. He's going to be 1% of the cap. I mean, you have teams now shedding veteran players because they want Tua. This kid stays healthy. He's pretty athletic. I think he has a really

good arm. He doesn't have a lot of college starts, but people talk themselves into it all the time. So when I hear people say, I don't know, I do. He's getting drafted. And again, like the Rams, they have to play him for two years. But when you watched him and I watched a little of the combine, good arm, size is fine, not great, athletic ability is fine. I've seen. I've seen. I've a lot less talented quarterbacks. And the other thing that needs to be noted, one of the reasons that Jackson Dart succeeded, and we talked about it on the show,

because he had Lane Kiffin for three years. It is such an advantage to be a college quarterback and to have a head coach that understands the dynamics and the complexities of pro football offenses. Lane Kiffin does. Well, look at who Ty Simpson's college coaches are. Nick Saban and Kalin-Dibor.

He's had elite. coaching. So I always think that is, I mean, listen, Fernando Mendoza had Kurt Signetti. You tell me that doesn't help a little bit. I think it's a huge advantage, huge advantage to have a Kiffin or a Kalin-de-Bore. So here's Robert Mays last week from his podcast on taking a swing and drafting in the first round, Ty Simpson. If you don't have a quarterback, just take shots, just keep taking shots. Tyler Schuck wasn't somebody that people were excited about heading into last year's draft necessarily. He goes 40th overall, which is a wasteland for quarterbacks historically. He looks good.

If I were a Saints fan, I'd be excited about Tyler Shuck. And so I think that more often than not, it is worth drafting these guys a little bit higher because let's say you miss on a guy in the second round. If you don't have a quarterback, I think that's a downside you're willing to embrace because the upside is absolutely enormous. And the other thing is Simpson's smart. Simpson's gone out to say, oh, I would love to play for Cleveland. Yeah, wouldn't we all?

He's come out publicly. Oh, oh, I know Todd Munkin. Oh, man, I would love to play for Cleveland. Cleveland's got the kind of low self-esteem. They just love that. Yeah, that's the kind of thing you can get the jets all fired out. Remember when they drafted Johnny Mansell and the stories came out in Cleveland? He was like, hey, let's do this together.

Let's ride before Russell Wilson was saying that. These low self-esteem franchises, if you show any sign that you've always wanted to play for the browns of the Jets, come on. Are you kidding me? J-MAC with the news. No, no, no, no. Turn on the news. This is the herd line news. You're on a heater today, coward, but must have been some boozy weekend in Chicago, huh?

War weather hits 50s. He's going crazy. I love it. All right, let's get started with the NFL trade. Big one just went down. The Detroit Lions have broken up their great backfield of Montgomery and Gibbs. They ship Montgomery to Houston. I feel like it was maybe an overpay.

I'm a little shocked here. A fourth round pick, a seventh round pick, and an offensive lineman in Juice Scruggs. Now, I did look up Scruggs. He has not played great so far. Second round pick, three years in the league, has not showed really anything at all. Houston now will have Montgomery and Woody Mark. Marks, that's a very above average tandem. Houston was a running back shy.

And I think this is a good move by Houston. One of the reasons that, let's be honest, that C.J. Stroud has regressed is they don't have a dependable run game. And when Woody Marks played, I always felt I got a better C.J. Strout. I'm not sure if the data says that. But I get Montgomery and Woody Marks. Okay, that's a top 10 running back combo to me. That's a really, that's Kyron Williams, Blake Corum. Now, Jamir Gibbs, and again, Detroit's front office, they'll find another running back somewhere

because Jamir Gibbs is a star and they're not paying him for a couple years, so I think they'll be fine. But I like this for Houston. Yeah. I mean, on paper, Colin, it sounds good, but we looked it up. Montgomery is kind of a declining asset. 2023, he had 1100 yards, 13 touchdowns. He had 400 yards less the next two seasons. So he's kind of aging, a lot of wear on there.

Two. Yeah. But now Houston can pay attention to their offensive line. Yep. And that's really, their defense is great. They've got their edge rushers. They've got their receivers. They have their quarterback.

Now they've got Marks is a one back. Montgomery's a two. Now they can go fill their offensive line. It gives them total clarity going into late April for Houston in the draft. I like it for Houston. I'm going to say Detroit won this. More bites at the apple. You get a rotational piece on the offensive line.

even though Scruggs hasn't been great. I mean, now he's going to be surrounded by some all pros in Detroit. The culture's better there, I think, on the offensive line in the last few years. I like this for Detroit. I've been on this, like, Super Bowl window closing thing. This is such a good move, I believe, that I wonder if it's potentially ajar again. And they're going to start to make good moves here. And I like draft picks.

So we'll see what happens there with Detroit. All right. Next up, Albert Breer, Colin, is reporting from the Combine that Max Cross Could be traded as early as this week. Here are the teams that were mentioned. The Rams? Okay. Eagles, got it.

Patriots, no surprise. Bills, bears. And wait for it, Colin. The Dallas Cowboys. According to Breer, yes, the Dallas Cowboys could trade for Max Crosby. Now, that would be the height of stupidity for Jerry Jones to move off Micah, only to give up draft picks. Remember, they want two, two ones for Max,

to get back in bed with an edge rush. who's older than Micah Parsons. So I don't know if I believe the Dallas stuff or that's posturing from the agent, but certainly some really good contenders on that list. By the way, the Rams have two first round picks. They want a receiver. Keep your eye on Lemon from USC and then Max Crosby.

I mean, if you're trying to beat the Cioxx, I mean, if you're looking around at the teams in your way like Seattle. Max Crosby one side, Jared versus the other. Yeah, I'm pretty interested in that. Remember, the Rams have two first-round picks. They may not love Ty Simpson. I don't think anybody loves it, except you. Would you give up that, what is it, 16?

Is that the pick in the middle of the first round? No, no, I give that up. No, because the Raiders already have the first pick. I would give them my second pick, which is in the 20s. Well, they might get a better offer. DJ Moore might be better than that. You know, like, it's going to be interesting. I wonder, if Crosby's gone silent, so I wonder if his agent was like, bro, can you just not do any more podcast?

Can you not give out any more fodder? Let's just make it quiet. We'll get this done. Very interesting week coming up in the NFL, right? The next couple days are going to be crazy. Let's keep an eye on Mr. This is fascinating because I'm telling you, take out Miles Garrett. My next favorite pass rusher in the league is Max Crosby.

Relentless guy against the run. You know, Micah doesn't defend the run. Mike is a splash player. Max can defend the run. He is a relentless. impossible to block one-on-one player. I love this. And for the record, if, let's say, for instance, the Rams go and get him, you could go to the Rams and say, okay, we need something in return here beyond just a pick. Could the Raiders say, we'll take another number one? What we'd like is another

starter defensively. Something to think about. I just need to check Will Anderson still in the league, the Houston Texans pastures are called Max is not number two. He's good. He's good. He's that too. Come on. All right, let's go final story. How about this? My New York Knicks take down the Spurs. Impressively, 25-point blowout yesterday. Held Wembe and Company to 89 points. I'm now a Spurs fan, so I can kind of justify some of the loss.

But the Knicks, Colin, our staff put this together. Since January 21, they've been one of the best teams in the league. 14 and 4, number one in defense, number one in points per game differential. Knicks are quietly cooking. Everybody's talking Tatum. I watched this entire game yesterday. and by the way, it feels like the Spurs have been on the road a lot. No, New York has played.

New York's playing very well. Cat played well. They got off to a lead. They pulled away late. The Spurs did not have a second gear in the second half. Nicks played very, very well. They deserved credit. They played.

And listen, defensively, if Wemby's not hitting threes, he can, you know, they, I know. I know when Wemby's the be all end all, probably the face of the league, but they move the ball around. he has possessions where he didn't get a touch. He wasn't hitting on threes. And you look up and they just, that was the way to get back for the Spurs and they couldn't. So to justify the Spurs, there's this San Antonio Rodeo. I'm not a Texas guy.

I don't know it. But San Antonio has not played at home since February 7th. I know you're a traveling man. You're on the road for three weeks. You're going to wear down. So the Spurs got blitzed in the fourth quarter. They got run out of the gym. They did have two home games in Austin.

You know, I don't know how close. Austin is to San Antonio off the top of my head. But listen, man, that's a lot of time away from home. They had peeled off 10 or 11 straight. Yeah. Like, it's not the worst loss in the world. It's a good win for the Knicks, if that makes any sense. Yeah, it was.

JMAQ with the news. Well, that's the news. And thanks for stopping by. The herd line news. I will say, you know, everybody's got the mock drafts. I watched a little bit of the combine. Not a lot. Top teams don't go.

A lot of top players. Quarterbacks won't throw. So PFF came out with their. mock first round pick, and it's interesting. A lot of pushback that Fernando Mendoza is a bit stiff. He's a fine prospect. My take is, no, he's like a bigger, stronger version. I remember meeting Matt Ryan at the other place in person and thinking, oh, he's a bright

guy is going to do well. Basically, the comp for him is Matt Ryan, but he's a legitimate 240 pounds. Matt Ryan looked about $2.15 in college. Maybe he's, you know, had a couple gallons of water before the way in combine. I don't know. But ask yourself this. In this PFF mock draft, first round, only one teammate of Fernando Mendoza, only won a wide receiver late first round. And for the record, that receiver, Omar Cooper's very good.

in a lot of mock drafts, he's not a first rounder. He's very top of the second round. By the way, Fernando Mendoza beat the Buckeyes. They have five players in the first round. He beat Miami. They have three players in the first round. He beat Oregon, stomped him 5622, beat him twice, actually. And they have two players in the first round and several other Oregon in the second.

So he beat 10 first rounders. And if you're just wondering, How did he do against Ohio State, Oregon twice in Miami when he played him? He was 4-0, completed 67.5% of his throws, eight touchdowns, two picks, 200 yards a game, which is throwing, nobody was throwing for 200 yards against Ohio State. So if you're wondering about Fernando Mendoza against the three best teams he played, including Oregon twice, he had one projected first-recented, teamate.

Colin, it's about Kurt Signetti. Oh, it is. Because the year before, before Mendoza arrived in Bloomington, Kurt Signetti got beat by three touchdowns by Ohio State, yet beat the Buckeyes with Mendoza. And the year before, when he played Notre Dame in the playoff, they trailed at 1.27 to 3. So all I'm saying is,

Signetti's a great coach. That's 16-0 is about the quarterback. The coach is excellent, but the coach was excellent the year before, and they were getting boat race by Ohio State and Notre Dame. So, by the way, here's Fernando from the Combine on the Hoosier's success. A lot of them were one-score games. Had a lot of tough defeats, whether it was 49 to 50 to USC and Caleb Williams two years ago, whether it was 38, 39 to Cam Moore or the Miami Hurricanes the past year.

I believe a lot of that experience of failing coming up so short has helped me in this new run with Indiana wherever we've gotten behind and dug herself in the hole with Penn State, with Oregon, with Iowa, and be able to learn from those failures and make those into successes and then they be able to help my teammates.

For the record, he also beat Alabama this year who has two players in the first round, and he beat Penn State, and they have a player in the first round. So if you look at all the teams with first round picks that he played, he's like 6 and 0, and he's complete nearly 70% of his throws.

and I like Signetti. I think he's really good. But in fact, one of my favorite parts of Fernando Mendoza is that, and this is something that I think has been true forever with quarterbacks, he got the, you know what, kicked out of him at Cal for two years. And that was a real thing, two or three years at Cal. So at one point, Cal had Aaron Rogers in the league and Jared Goff in the league. They still do. And now they're going to have Fernando Mendoza in the league. and there's another cow guy.

And I think, you know, first of all, Cal is a very heady school, so you have to be smart to go there. But the other thing is, quarterbacks that play at schools where they don't all have five-star receivers. I mean, wouldn't you think, man, Alabama must have, Ohio State must have, you know, all these top schools. LSU, they almost have like seven quarterbacks in the NFL. They don't.

A lot of quarterbacks come from Big Ben, Miami of Ohio, Goff and Rogers, Cal, Philip Rivers, Russell Wilson, Wisconsin, NC State. A lot of that is because you have to elevate teammates. J.J. McCarthy had a great coach, a great old line, a great offense. That's not the kind of internship that prepares you for the NFL. Be sure to catch live editions of the herd weekdays in noon Eastern, 9 a.m. Pacific. Hey, it's us to Jonas Brothers. And guess what? We have some big news.

What's the news, huge news? We created our own podcast called, Hey, Jonas. We invented a podcast? Well, we didn't invent it. We just contributed to... 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. Well, we were thinking I'm originally calling it one of the early names of our band. Before Jonas Brothers was... This is how you guys remember it going down? Yes. I have a very different memory of this.

We were talking about a thing, a bit for the podcast, where people could call in and say, hey, Jonas. And then I wrote down on my little notepad, Hey Jonas, and offered it up as a potential title for the podcast. But thanks for remembering that, guys. Listen to Hey Jonas on the Iheart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. Just listen. We don't care where you hear it.

What's up, fam? It's Isaiah Thomas. And I'm C.J. Toledano, and our podcast Point Game is about defying the odds. Like LeBron heading into the playoffs without Luke. and Austin Reed. And finding ways to win no matter what. He's the smartest player to ever play the game. His IQ is at a level that we've never seen before. And he knows.

Without Luca and Austin Reeves, I got to manipulate the game. We get a player's perspective on the challenges of the playoffs. I think Joker's going to be exhausted this series because when they don't have Rudy in the lineup, he has to really guard guys like Nas Reid. He has to guard Julius Randall. And then he has to give us everything he gives us

on the night-to-night basis on offense. And when IT's friends stopped by, like Quentin Richardson, we dive into some playoff history too. Steve Nash would get that thing. That man, hell get the flying. He running up the court, licking his fingers, why he got the ball. Like, you go through a training camp with that, I said.

You figure it out real quick. Get your ass up and down the court, and you're going to get the ball. So listen to Point Game on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hey, I'm Deanna Maria Riva, actress, mother, lover, and a Gen X woman, talking through life one hot flash and hormonal crying jag at a time.

You ladies know what I mean. I'll bet you a paramedipausal chin here you do. So let's talk about it. Join me on my new podcast. How hard can it be with the Adamia Riva, where I call on my Gen X squads from Ohio to Hollywood as we navigate midlife's most fantastic BS. All of a sudden, I'd had hanginess happening on my own. I was like, what the hell is that?

I was married when I had her, so I didn't even consider how empty that Ness was going to mood swings, night sweats, fupas, sex drive. Wait, what sex? Dating at 45. How hard can it be? How can it be? Getting naked at 50 with a new guy. That one's kind of hard.

Well, that's lighting. They say we can't polish a turd, but we're sure going to try. So let's get blunt with laughs, tears, or tears of laughter, and dive into it, unfiltered and unbothered and ask, how hard can it be? I cannot believe I'm about to say this out loud in public. Listen to How Hard Can It Be with Diana Maria Riva as part of my Cultura Podcast Network, available on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Agency, the ability to know that we're the experts in our own body. On the podcast, cultivating her space, Dr. Dom and Terry Lomax create a space where black women can show up fully and be heard.

I wholeheartedly think, you know, you hit 30. You shouldn't have to share one with anybody. Mm-hmm. From navigating friendships and healing to setting boundaries and prioritizing your mental health. These are real honest conversations. We don't always get to have out loud. Totally unreasonable with different parts of life, right? Like, oh, have all three meals and make sure you're mindful during all of them?

Absolutely not. During one meal, I'm standing. I'm standing and handing my children food. Because healing, empowerment, and resilience aren't just ideas. They're practices. And this Mental Health Awareness Month, there's no better time to pour back into yourself. Listen to cultivating her space on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. The stage is set for a weekend where IndyCar and NASCAR go back to back on one track.

IndyCar on Saturday, NASCAR on Sunday from Phoenix Raceway. It's the Desert Double on Fox. MJ, his team's won three straight, first time ever. So the less perfect your traits are, your size is, the more perfect you need to be at the combine or on pre-draft interviews. So Diego Pavia wildly entertaining quarterback, five, nine and a half, 205 pounds at Vanderbilt. So we're in an era, last two or three years, it's been a bad time for small quarterbacks. So people now, because of Tua and Kyler Murray, and Russell Wilson's quick regression are out on small quarterbacks. So Diego Pavia, maybe eight years ago, it was different when Russell Wilson was in his prime and getting guys like Johnny Mansell drafted.

But now everybody's out on small quarterbacks and, in my opinion, should be. So this kid's five, nine and a half, five, ten. That's about four inches shorter than I want. and he weighs 205 pounds. And he's got a very interesting personality and background. Very cocky, kind of a schmuck during the Heisman ceremony. And to further question his judgment, he was asked who's giving him sort of mentoring him during this process.

And he named Johnny Mansell. Here is the young Vanderbilt. quarterback. Yeah, he's giving the, giving me the what to look out for, what it's like, how to stay in the process. And, you know, he's giving me some good advice for sure. And he, he always reaches out too, checks upon me, make sure I'm good. And he's just like a, he's just a friend to me, you know, and so he's, he's giving me some mentorship. He's, he's been around me. He's been around my family. He's just a great person for those that really don't know. Johnny Mansell may be a blast and he may be a good time.

Does this kid have an agent? Theo Vaughn needs to step in because that is exactly the opposite of what you'd want as your mentor. Because Johnny, and Johnny, I've met Johnny, Johnny's a nice guy. Johnny's fun. People like Johnny, but like Pavia, small and cocky. That is not who you. you want at least publicly being your mentor. Because remember, Johnny Mansell wasn't just, you know, a miss.

I hate the word bus, but he was a miss. He wasn't only a miss. It was how he missed. At one point, he was wearing a disguise and a Vegas nightclub in concussion protocol. I wish I was joking. So like you say Johnny Manzell, and I mean, in the NFL offices, it's like, oh, yeah, yeah, yeah. If you just say, yeah, he's got a little Johnny Manzell in him. People run for the exes.

And again, Johnny could be a great guy. I think he is. I remember one time being in Florida and I had an Uber driver and he had taken Johnny Mansell. You know, two days earlier, we told Johnny Mansell stories for a half hour on my drive. Wildly entertaining guy. Funny, funny, funny guy. Full of a lot of personality. So, but not a guy you want as a mentor when you were kind of a schmuck,

which this kid from Banderbilt was at the high. commencement ceremony. So, this is one of the, and you know, everybody's now out on small quarterbacks.

And it's very cyclical. There was a time when height was overvalued. Then there's a time recently, height is undervalued. I mean, watch this college tape we're showing you.

He looks tiny. He makes Bryce Young look like wilt. I mean, he is small. Like, at the college level, So I don't love that. I just, and I got, again, young guy, but when you watch Fernando Mendoza and you listen to

Fernando Mendoza, you just hear all this humility and gratitude and you could tell the support system's great. I, you know, if I was his agent, I'd just say, listen, you can like Mansell. I wouldn't bring that stuff up because that just screams, watch out. He's a good friend. He's a mentor. Well, then people are going to question your judgment. and probably, probably have a right to.

So a lot of restructuring of contracts coming up. And through the years, I have said in terms of when you win a Super Bowl, and the Seahawks are a recent example, four people more than any other people matter most. Owner, GM, coach, and quarterback. So through New England's dynasties between Robert Kraft and a Scott Piole, and a Bill Belichick and a Brady, it was A, at worst, one of them can be an A minus or a B plus. A Kansas City's dynasty.

It's the Hunt family A, Mahomes A, N.E. Reed A, Brett Veach, A. I would say with the Seahawks, the ownership group, the Allen family, despite rumors are going to sell, they've been committed for years. Very strong ownership group. GMA, coach A, say what you want about. Sam Darnold this year, A. Now think about the Cowboys. I mean, for the record, even in, this has been going on forever, even to the Niners Dynasty, Eddie Di Bartola, San Francisco, A, Bill Walsh, A, Montana Young, A, A, Carmen

Policy, John McVeigh, A. You can have a B-plus in there. It all starts at the top in the NFL. So if you look at the Cowboys right now, Jerry has become a C-minus-ish level owner meddling. He calls himself the GM, well, therefore he's a D. The coach, Brian Schottenheimer, I'll be kind, C-2-C-minus. So Dak right now is a buoy like keeping this thing afloat. So Jerry Jones said at the combine, he sees the Cowboys being big spenders.

Here he is. I would bet that we will spend more money in free agency than we have. The only way to push more is for me to go borrow some of my future. Okay. Expect me to go borrow some of my future. We have a chart for their free agents right now. Remember, the Kenny Clark salary caps moving on up. They have two first round picks, but they don't have a second and a third, so they have got to hit.

they have got to hit on defensive players in the first round. Last 10 years, if you look at their highest paid free agents, they're not necessarily big spenders in free agency because the Cowboys historically, they pay their draft picks. So if you go Cowboys' highest paid free agent in the last 10 years, it's, you know, Terrence Williams made $9 million, but they're not big spenders in free agency. You think of Jerry,

oil, Maverick is a wild spender. He's not. He really isn't. They draft and then sign to validate their draft picks. They sign their own guys. So I look at all these draft picks. If I was Dallas, I'd like about four of these guys. K. Dotten at Tide End, I think he'd be a great one or two tight end. I would love the center, Tyler Linderbaugh, but he's a fortune. So, You know, it's one thing for Jerry to say we're going to spend, but the history is they do not spend in free agency. They draft kids and then tend to overpay them. And that's where we're at.

So Colin Wright, Colin Wrong, Matt Hasselbeck, this weekend, Combine, he worked with a lot of these quarterbacks, including Ty Simpson, so excited to hear what Matt Hasselbeck did this weekend. J. Mack is assaulting today a little after the, the punishment we offered for Aluka. It was a nice weekend for the Lakers. They beat a very bad warrior team and the Kings of the worst organization in the league.

But they did. I will say this. I watched the Nuggets yesterday too. They are, what are they back of the nuggets? Like half a game or a game? Yeah, and they're only one and a half back of the rockets for the three seat. So despite the sky is falling narrative, the reality is, hey, all they got to do is, I mean,

they got Denver this week. So we get, we get Deaimonatin or whatever Zingame is, What is DeAndre Aiton's nickname? Dominaten against Yokic. That should be a fun matchup. And Luca against, you know, Christian Brown. I think the Lakers need to win that game. That's a big one for them.

And they face two tanking teams. They're going to be fine. Totally fine. Colin Wright, Colin Rong, top of next hour on a Monday. Good combine first hour. Matt Hasselbeck next, the herd. 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. I'm Joey Dardano. And on my new podcast, Hope from a Hippocrat, I'll be changing lives. Helping people in need with thoughtful solutions. Sike, I'm a comedian. I'm not qualified to give good advice.

Join me and my comedian friends as we riff, rant, recommend some of the most legally dubious advice known to me. This is Help from a Hypocrite, the worst advice from the dumbest people you know. Listen to Help from a Hypocrite Wednesdays on the Iheart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. What's up, fam? It's Isaiah Thomas. And I'm C.J. Toledano.

It's our favorite time of the year on our podcast point game, the playoffs. We're digging into the biggest surprises of the season. And I'm looking back on some of my greatest playoff moments. If we didn't talk ever again, I was hungry. You just understood. That's how personal it got. Wow. Then after that game seven, Marquis come in, he's like, you know, I love you, dog.

You know, it's all love. This was just playoffs. This was just basketball. So listen to Point Game on the Iheart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Every family has its secrets. But what happens when you discover that your dad has been the last? living a double life. That is not the look of an innocent man.

Is everyone lying to me about who they are? I felt such desperation. I felt it was what I had to do. Listen to Deep Cover the Family Man on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. This is an IHeart podcast. Guaranteed Human.