The Herd with Colin Cowherd - The Herd - Hour 3 - NFL offseason

Episode Date: March 17, 2023

Thoughts on the NFL offseason moves Tomorrow's headlines today What will the NBA Finals come down to?   Guest: Ben VolinSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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I'm Sam J. And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick a year, unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it. With our friends, fellow comedians, and favorite authors. Like Mark Lamont Hill on the 80s. 84 was a wild year. It was a wild year. I don't think there's a more important year for black people.

Listen to look back at it on the IHeart Radio app, Apple 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, my basketball and college football journey, or my career in sports media. Well, now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifers Show. This is a place for raw, unfiltered conversations with athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard,

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Check them out, mbUSA.com. A lot of NFL this week. Aaron Rogers, we think transitioning eventually to the New York Jets. Lamar Jackson's contract. It's on hold. We don't know what they're doing. The New England Patriots,

so popular, so disgust. And then Tom Brady, left. Where are they now? Ben Volan, Patriots writer for the globe for years, covered the league for 15. So they brought in Juju Smith-Schuster, and my takeaway was this is what they used to do to other teams. They'd bring a guy in in a short contract, incentive-laden, he hits, they let him go. Juju tends to be, you know, brand obsessed. I mean, our government may get rid of the TikTok, so I don't know where that stands, but he's been a guy that's been distracted. He doesn't separate from others.

You know, my takeaway is signing him to a three-year deal. Kansas City pulled a Patriot. Incentives, productive, see ya. Little surprised at all by Juju Smith's contract and the length of it? Yeah, let the other team pay him the real contract. Right. Patriots didn't. That's the new reality for the Patriots.

It was just two years ago that they went out and bought a whole bunch of free agents. Hunter Henry, Johnny Smith, Nelson Agilor, Matthew Judon. Judon was great. Henry's okay. The other guys didn't really work out so well. But this is the Patriots reality now in the post-Tom Brady era. They have to be the highest bidder to get some of these free agents, and their drafting hasn't been great,

so they've needed to go out and sign these free agents. I like the Smith-Schuster signing. I think it is an upgrade over Jacobi Myers. It gives you a little more physicality, a little more quickness, yards after the catchability than what Myers provided you for a few years. But you're taking a risk, of course, with the chemistry and can Juju Smith-Schuster get on board with the Patriots offense quickly? That's been a problem here in New England in the past. So there's some risk.

My overall takeaway, Colin, is I like the move, but if this is it, then the Patriots are in trouble. Because this is not the move that the Patriots really need, which is to get an elite number one receiver, sign someone like Odell Beckham Jr. or make a big trade for a Jerry Judy or a T. Higgins. If they need to go get a game breaker, I like Smith-Schuster. I like going out getting Mike Gisicki. I think they have some good pieces. I still think they're missing that game breaker on all the time. By the way, has there been any disconnect, Belichick and Robert Kraft?

I mean, let's just be honest. Craft was always closer to Brady. They don't win as much without Brady. Is there a little disconnect? I do think you've seen a little bit of the disconnect crop up this offseason. And I don't know if it's disconnect as much as it is Robert Kraft and the Kraft family kind of taking control. And I think you're seeing that the Bill O'Brien hire. Rob Gruncowski had an interesting comment last week where he kept saying they paid him head coach money, Bill O'Brien,

to get him to come and be offensive coordinator. That's only a decision that the owner is making to pay him the big contract. And the last time they did that was with Josh McDaniels to get him to not go to the Colts. That was another owner decision. And you saw the Patriots, they released a letter the day after the season from the crafts to all the season ticket holders saying no one is satisfied and we're going to reexamine all aspects of the organization. They announced via press release that, yes, we're going to be hiring interviewing and hiring a real offensive coordinator this year. No more of this Matt Patricia experiment. And they go out and get Bill O'Brien, who I believe was more of an ownership decision than a Bill Belichick decision.

So I think what you're seeing is the crafts rolling up their sleeves and taking charge a lot. little bit more this off season. And Belichick, look, we all have bosses. We all have people we have the answer to. And I think he doesn't really want to go anywhere. So I think that's kind of the dynamic that you're seeing right now in New England. You know, it's interesting, Ben, Belichick, and he deserves credit, but he foisted on these average young quarterbacks in division forever. Well, now he can't even force Josh Allen to punt. Tua has played well against him. And Aaron Rogers would be a game changer. Is that not only did he lose Bruce, Brady, but there's stability or excellence between the coaches and the quarterbacks, which

there wasn't for 20 years. The Jets were in chaos. Rex Ryan years, the exception. This happens all the time in business. It happens in other sports is that the culture has changed. They don't get value on guys because Brady's not there. So guys don't take pay cuts. They overspend, not get value.

and frankly, they may have Aaron Rogers signs have the least talented quarterback in now a quarterback league. Like, the world's changed and it's very obvious. From the outside, that's what it feels like a cultural shift in the sport and in the division. And they're now fourth in a lot of areas, like offensive skill people. Colin, I think you're right on. And my colleague, Dan Choness, he has a phrase. He always said the Patriots would just beat up on the tomato cans of the AFC East.

The Dolphins, the Bills, the Jets, for nearly 20 years, those franchises just couldn't get it right. At quarterback, you mentioned the Rex Ryan years in New York. That was about it. Otherwise, you know, Tom Brady and Belichick were like 32 and 3 against the Buffalo Bills, just constantly beating up on these teams who could never find a quarterback and never figure out the real answer. And I don't think it's that bad for the Patriots, but they have become the tomato can the last couple years. You've said it. They can't force Josh Allen to punt.

Now they're going to have to face Aaron Rogers and the Jets twice this year, assuming the trade goes through. And I think that makes the Jets very dangerous because they, I think, had an excellent roster and a very good defense, especially, and now you have Aaron Rogers. And then, you know, Tua, I still think there's something for him to prove. But that offense, you can't deny the production they had last year. And I think the Patriots are looking at a scenario right now where they probably have the worst quarterback in the division in Mack Jones. And this is a huge prove it year now for Mack coming up in year three. He's got a real offensive coordinator in Bill O'Brien. I do believe they're kind of upgrading the weapons around him.

Like I said, I'd like to see another receiver come in for the Patriots. But Mack Jones, I think now it's all on him. And he's got a lot to prove that he is capable of leading the Patriots and being a franchise quarterback. And not just make the playoffs, but make the Patriots really competitive with the other teams in their division, which suddenly is looking like the tough. division in football. You used to cover the Florida Gators and the dolphins. Miami again takes Braxton Barrius from the Jets. They go get Jalen Ramsey. It is a star-driven town. Ramsey's a big hit. It's a distracted beach town. It's an event town, so stars do matter there. What did you make of that move

for Ramsey? Did it feel like a dolphin move to you? Yeah, well, just because they're all in. And I love that the dolphins are all in. I thought they took the tanking thing too far under Brian Flores, where they really tore the team down to the stud. and collected all these draft picks. You don't necessarily have to go that far in today's NFL. So I love seeing them do the opposite. They realize they've got a short window here with Tua on a cheap contract. They've got, you know, Tyree Kill and Waddle and all these guys, like, let's strike now.

So I love going out and getting Jalen Ramsey. And the defensive coordinator, too, Vic Fangio, I think that's a tremendous hire for them. The Dolphins, their defense was only middle of the pack last year, maybe even a little bit worse than that. So to get one of the better offensive defensive coordinators out there to get a shutdown corner, Jalen Ramsey, Zavian Howard, I still think those are two of the best in the NFL. Love what the dolphins are doing. They're going all in. They're striking while it's hot.

Draft picks don't mean as much for them right now, going for it. And it's the total opposite of what they were doing just a few years ago. So good to see them finally going forward. Ben Volan covers the Patriots. Boston Globe covered this league since 07. Good seeing you get on a Friday. Have a nice wintry weekend, bud. All right, thanks, Colin.

You bet. Be sure to catch live editions of the herd weekdays in noon Eastern 9 a.m. Pacific. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal, but encouraged. It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque. Others say it's unleashing human potential. Either way, the podcast's Superhuman documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year.

Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping. and 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 my 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 Cliverts Show isn't just a podcast, it's a space for honest conversations, stories that don't always get told, and for people who are chasing something bigger. So, if you've ever supported me, or you're just chasing down a dream, this is right where you need to be. Listen to the Clifford show on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever

you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok. Do you remember when Diana Ross double-tap Little Kim's boobs at the VMAs? Or when Kanye said that George Bush didn't like black people. I know what you're thinking. What the hell does George Bush got to do with Little Kim? Well, you can find out on the Look Back at it podcast. I'm Sam J. And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick a here, unpack what went down and try to make sense of how we survived it. Including a recent episode with Mark Lamont Hill, waxing all about crack in the 80s.

To be clear, 84 was big to me, not just because of crack. I'm down to talk about crack all day, but just so y'all know. I mean, at this point, Mark, this is the second episode where we've discussed crack, so I'm starting to see that there's a through line. We also have AIDS on the table right now, so. Thank you finishing that sentence. Yes. I don't think there's a more important year for black.

people. Really? Yeah. For me, it's one of the most important years for black people in American history. Listen to look back at it on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Raiders Jimmy Garoppolo deal was official. There were some rumors out there last night. It wasn't official. Did he pass the physical? I couldn't figure out what it was. I went down that rabbit hole. Jimmy Garoppolo and the Raiders are officially official. So it's all good. J. Mack with the news. Turn on the news. This is the herd line news. I saw some of that speculation. I think it was Jets fans driving it.

Well, maybe Jimmy G. can hit the market. You know, they need leverage so badly. I couldn't. I thought it was either a money issue, which the Raiders are one of the poorest ownership groups. Or they couldn't write a check pick enough. Or it was a physical thing with his injuries, but it got cleared up today. All good. Yep. All right. Let's start with Dan Campbell. And those pesky Detroit Lions, nine and eight last year, beat the Packers on the final night of the season. But they did miss the playoffs. They also prevented Green Bay from making it. According to new quarterback Cam Sutton, Dan Campbell has become a draw for prospective free agents.

Now, that's a new one. Here's what he got to say. I've seen what he's been doing around the league. And it's exhilarating, man. Like, guys love this guy. Guys, he's not just a me speaking, but you see this far spread around the league. You know what I mean? Guys want to play for him.

Guys want to, you know, just love his energy and just everything he brings to the game. And he's going to be always passionate about what he does. You know, that's, you need that. You know, you need someone who's going to be head over heels and just, again, just trying to push you in the right direction and see the best for yourself. Listen, he's an offensive coach, so he's on the right side of the ball. And in that trade, he got a more than competent quarterback. And in the front off, I feel like Detroit is a classic team.

They've got an elite coordinator, a capable quarterback. The front office has drafted really well, and they've kind of taken the goofy ownership out of it. I don't think it's just a Dan Campbell story. If you look at their last two to three drafts, they've been really strong. Jeff Okuda appears to be a miss. You had a major injury. Yeah. But I mean, I think they have an elite coordinator, and they paid him big money.

And then it's Dan Campbell's motivation. And then it's a front office that's been very clever. I never thought. I watched every single Amar on St. Brown college game. I didn't think he'd be as good of a pro. I don't think anyone did. So you've got to give them, that offense has got, for them to be able to give up, Hawkinson the tight end,

and still be dynamic offensively. This team has guts. The front office has some courage here. A lot of people wouldn't be willing to take the heat, because Hawkinson was a very good tight end, and they moved him in division. Yeah. It's weird.

The Dan Campbell hiring was kind of made fun of, throughout the league. He's like a rah-rah guy. Nobody thinks of him as an X's and O's wizard. But according to Cam Sutton, it sounds like maybe that works. Hey, you've got your rah-rah coach who's full of energy, got the team fired up, and then you've got your great offensive coordinator and the defensive coordinator handle their jobs. Maybe this potentially could be a new formula for some teams. It could be, but they didn't make the playoffs. That should be noted. They didn't make the playoffs. What was this year? Year two with Campbell? Yeah. But I do feel like trading Matt Stafford, getting those picks, hitting on those picks, you know, it's like

I say Green Bay. If you move off Aaron and you end up getting a first and then they pick up some of his contract, that's it. But you end up getting Jordan Addison and another pick. And Jordan ends up becoming a 60 catch four touchdown guy as a rookie because he's a very refined player. He's not going to take time. And Christian Watson's emerging. And all of a sudden you look up and you don't miss Aaron as much. Like when you get those picks like Detroit did. for Stafford and you hit on them with like a great tackle or a great pass rusher or great this or great that whatever their picks were. It makes the Jared Goff playing with two home run draft picks couldn't suddenly look a lot

closer to Matt Stafford, a team that doesn't have draft picks, lose his own linemen, and then he's running for his life and gets banged out. How about this? Dan Campbell could be, could be a, not I don't want to say a poor man, but like a light version of Mike Tomlin with your own. Steelers, who is an awesome coach when it comes to getting the team up to play teams. Personnel, motivation. I think that's fair.

There's something there. Yeah, I mean, I think that's how we look. A man's man, kind of a physical stature. Mike Vrable's got that as well. Like, they're just like physical guys. There's players. Players look at Campbell, Tomlin, and Vrable, and it's like a peer, right? It's not like a coach.

Yeah. And I think there's value in that. And I think Tomlin's a really good comp on that. All right. Next up is Odell Beckham Jr. according to a report, the Ravens, Chiefs, and Cowboys are interested in OBJ, but another report says O'Dell is looking for a multi-year deal. That sounds a little strange. Sequin Barclay also replied to a video of OBJ's workout saying, he's still that guy.

To which O'Dell replied, tell Giants GM Joe Shane to call my agent. I got more expletive left to do. I heard this workout was good. Oh, yeah. Against air. Well, I mean... He's running around in a field catching passes shirtless. Come on, dude.

Do you think Odell Beckham would be a productive player if you put him on the Giants? Not the Giants. Let's say put him on... Here's my concern. You can't put him on a medium-to-bad team because he will take up too much oxygen.

With the Rams, he was... The reporters are not running to Odell Beckham, Jr., for a quote, with the Rams, because they got Aaron Donald, Jalen Ramsey, Matt Stafford, Cooper. Like, they have leaders on that team. who are the leaders on the Giants? Daniel Jones, like, barely talks.

They're not bringing me back. That's what I'm saying, yeah. But if you put him on New England with accurate Mac Jones. I don't think you want to go there. Okay, all right. Let me throw me. So these teams are Ravens, Chiefs and Cowboys.

Listen, Kansas City Chiefs, just slide it. I mean, they could take Cadarius Tony, who was a bit spotty off the field, and then boom, he's a model citizen and crushing it. I think anybody could work with the Chiefs. You got Andy Reed, right?

Do you think with Kansas City, 65 catches, six touchdowns? Yeah, but they're not giving him a multi-year deal. No, but I'm saying he'd be, I still contend he could be productive. I don't know, 65 might be high because they spread it around. MBS, Tony, that's true. That's true. Kelsey. But he's still a playmaker.

He still gets open. But is he going to be happy with a two-catch game followed by a one catch? I think if he's winning, if you go look at L.S., when he's winning, he's fine. And with the Rams, he was making big catches. He wasn't making it. Cooper Cup was. the volume guy. But at 30, how many more contracts with his injury? This is it. This is it. Right. So he doesn't want like a one year six million dollar deal because he's like,

I would consider giving him a two year deal at a, at a, I'm not giving him 20 million per. But I, but I will say this, I'm not building my franchise. I mean, if I was the Rams and had money, I'd consider bringing them back again. I mean, Cooper Cupsure volume guy. If you had money, though, they don't. Yeah, they don't. But if, if I had some, yeah, I mean, he's still productive. I just, you're going to get 14 games out of him. You're not getting 17. You may get 13, but he's productive. That part I don't doubt. Final story. Colin, I remember when this guy was a fixture on your show, but Ben Simmons, when was the last time he said his name? He has been out of action since February 15th. No, useless. Dealing with knee and back issues with his injury

history, the New York media asked coach Jacques Vaughn whether they're going to sit Simmons for the rest of the year and the nets are going to be in the playoffs. Here's Jacques Vaughn on fading Ben Simmons. There's zero discussions about him not playing. Like we expect him to be back, waiting for him to be back, watching last Sacramento game. It was great to see him and his physicality versus Sabone's last time. So looking forward to seeing that again for sure. Yeah, no setbacks. He's progressing.

So great to see him. He's doing some work on court right now. So as more updates come, I'll definitely give him to you guys. But good to see him. Good to see him back on court getting some work in. What a waste of talent. All-time bust. Perplexing stories.

I'm looking at the standings. The Nets are currently six. They would face the Sixers in the first round. Listen, if that series happens, Ben Simmons ain't playing. He's not going to Philly for a series. He's a little fragile. I feel bad for the guy. I defended him on this show for years.

I said I would build around him over and beat. I own it. I was way wrong on Ben Simmons. I think a lot of people were. There's a lot of people were. you can't overcome indifference. He was like coming out of LSU, 69, 610 point card, vision.

They're like, oh yeah, yeah, this has Magic Johnson type caliber. He's a great defender and a great distributor who could close at the rim. He looks like a, it's all above the shoulders with him. It's not about his talent, his prototype. It's magic. But a much better defender. Oh, yeah. Magic that could play defense.

J-Mack with the news. Well, that's the news. And thanks for stopping by. The Heard Lye News. That whole Duke thing. If Duke wins this tournament, people are going to freak out. Tom Izzo win today? Tom Izzo did get the dub over USC.

How many years in a row? 20 years in a row they made a tournament or something like that? It's a large number. Xavier is in a dog fight with a bad team right now, but they'll pull it out. You know, it's getting to the tournament, the Big Ten doesn't win a lot of these things. They have good brands, Purdue's a good basketball. but Michigan State's the best Big Ten basketball brand, right? Is it on Michigan State.

Michigan State's the bigger basketball school. Indiana. Yeah, it used to be. What are the half dozen biggest college basketball brands in the country? It's Duke 1, Kansas 2, Kentucky 3. UCLA, North Carolina. North Carolina for Michigan State, UCLA. By the way, Villanova, Gonzaga.

Well, when they had to. Jay Wright. Gonzag is a top seven or eight, aren't they? In the last, you know, 15, 20 years. Well,

that's what we're talking about here. Okay. Well, then, you know, okay, let's say this. Last decade. Let's do 10 years.

Everybody can remember. Why don't we just to do this century since 2000? Right? Give it a little. I can't remember that far back. I can remember 10 years. Okay. No,

Villanova's absolutely in there. In the last, so the last 10 years, that's a long, that's 10 tournaments. So Duke, Kentucky, Kansas.

Gonzaga, Arizona. Well, Virginia has a title in that time. Michigan State, Villanova. I'm not putting them in order. Syracuse. Last decade? I think you have to consider Baylor. Baylor's got to be like nine or ten.

Scott Drew's good. By the way, Baylor in a tough matchup, losing at the half to UCSB, a team from out here. Baylor is not a strong team this year. No, I watched them twice. I could hang 10 or 15 on Baylor. I'm a shooter.

Baylor can't defend the, they can't defend the perimeter. Okay. That's a joke. People settle down. Cowherd's waiting to feed me a line. Go ahead. I see it. You want a fire.

Go ahead. No, no, no. Has Duke won the championship yet? It's official. They just captured it. Be sure to catch live editions of the herd weekdays in noon Eastern, 9 a.m. Pacific. On Fox Sports Radio, FS1, and the I-Hard Radio app. Hey, I'm Doug Gottlie.

The podcast is called All Ball. We usually talk all basketball all the time, but it's more. about the stories about what made these people love their sport and all the interesting interactions along the way. We talk to coaches. We talk to players. We tell you stories. You download it.

You listen to it. I think you like it. Listen to All Ball with Doug Alib 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.

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

One week, I'll take you behind the scenes of the biggest moments in sports and entertainment, and the next we'll talk about life, mental health, purpose, and even music. The Clifford Show isn't just a podcast. It's a space for honest conversations, stories that don't always get told, and for people who are chasing something bigger. So, if you've ever supported me or you're just chasing down a dream, this is right where you need to be. Listen to The Clifford show on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok. Do you remember when Diana Ross double-tap little Kim's boobs at the VMAs? Or when Kanye said that George Bush didn't like black people.

I know what you're thinking. What the hell does George Bush got to do with a little Kim? Well, you can find out on the Look Back at it podcast. I'm Sam J. And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick it here, unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it. Including a recent episode with Mark Lamont Hill,

waxing all about crack in the 80s. To be clear, 84 is big to me, not just because of crack. I'm down to talk about crack all day, but just so you're just so, y'all know. I mean, at this point, this is the second episode where we've discussed crack. So I'm starting to see that there's a through line. We also have AIDS on the table right now. So, you're finishing that sentence. Yes. I don't think there's a more important year for black people. Really? Yeah. For me, it's one of the most important years for black people in American history. Listen to look back at it on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts,

or wherever you get your podcasts. Yeah, Ramona Shelburne reports clutch sports, LeBron, Rich Paul, they bailed on. They've cut ties with Ben Simmons. Mutually agreed to part ways. Remember when they were defend them in every turn? I defended him for years, man. I knew some guys out here in L.A. who were in his circle. They're like, this guy's so talented and just didn't pan out.

Yeah. I mean, agents tend to like players who are willing to play. Kind of helps. I didn't, you know, it's one of those. I understand agents' job, but Ben Simmons is a nightmare. It's like a complete utter bust. You cannot solve indifferent. All right.

We call it tomorrow's headlines today. Jason McIntyre will give you the former newspaper guy who kicked that career to the curb. And now he makes big, bold predictions through headlines. Are you ready? Yeah. Okay. Tomorrow's headlines today. Aaron Rogers and the Jets next year.

What's the headline? I've been very sour on Rogers to the Jets, but I'm warming up to it getting enough outside noise from friends, people I trust. The headline. Will. B. Hello, Darkness, my old friend. Jets make the playoffs once again. They're back, baby. Colin, listen, I just looked at this last year. You'll be surprised. They lost games by five to the Patriots, seven to the Patriots on that punt return, five to Minnesota, eight to Buffalo, three to Detroit, five to Miami. Six, one-score games they lost. They went three and six in one-score games with

quarterbacks that, you know, we're talking about Zach Wilson, Joe Flacco, et cetera. Now you're getting a Hall of Fame quarterback in Aaron Rogers. I know he's coming off his worst year in about a decade. But the skill position players, a healthy Breece Hall, AVT back on the offensive line, they may try him at left tackle, right? I don't know if he's built for left tackle, but maybe right tackle.

And of course, you got Garrett Wilson on the outside with Alan Lazard, Elijah Moore. The pieces are in place for the Jets to have an 11 win season. Now I know the schedule may, we'll see how it falls with road trips and such, but this team, talent-wise, if Rogers buys in and he's motivated,

Mr. Breer said yesterday on the show, if Rogers is motivated, just keep an eye on the Jets, being an 11-win team. Tomorrow's headlines today, what's it going to be the headline for Jordan Love and the Packers next season? So I'm not just doing this to needle you,

but the headline will be. It ain't easy. Be it cheesy. Love melts down. I don't see it, Colin. I'm looking at everything from Jordan Love. This is a guy who led college football in interceptions when he was coming out. Again, if he were so good, wouldn't he be on the field? Wouldn't they have put him out there at some point or maybe shoved Rogers out and not giving him the big deal?

I just don't see it with love. You got young receivers. Offensive lines aging. We'll see what happens with Bakhtiari and some of those guys. The defense underperformed last year. And now, let's remember, for the first time, LaFleur does not have a Hall of Famer to lead him in the huddle every day. LaFleur had Rogers. I know gassed up LaFleur.

Clark sat here from the ringer. Oh, LaFlorra wrote great stories about him. Let's see what it's like, life without a Hall of Famer. Once you go ask Belichick how that's working out. Interesting. Over-under's only seven and a half. You could be right. Tomorrow's headlines today.

Off-season headline for the enigmatic Lamar Jackson. Enigmatic is it good? That's a SAT word here on a Friday in the power hour. The headline will be. Parental Advisory, Explicit contract. Colts give Lamar good rating. I'm trying to speak it into existence. I don't want him to not play next season.

Can the Colts throw a Hail Mary? Can Shane Stuyken get his guy? His new Jalen Hertz. They got Jonathan Taylor, one of the best backs in the league who had a brutal season. They don't really have a great receiving core. Michael Pittman.

They can't really upgrade it once you give Lamar the big contract. But you put Lamar Jackson on turf, Colin? That is a show that you got to see. That's good point. And remember, the Colts, since losing Andrew Luck, I think it's just been a revolving door of quarterback starting in week one. I trust Stuyken is an offensive guy. I think the defense leaves a lot to be desired.

I don't know how Lamar would feel going to Indy, but indoors with Jonathan Taylor, the offensive line's not terrible. It's got some pieces. Colts and Lamar make it happen. That's interesting. Let's shift gears and pivot to the NBA tomorrow's headlines today. Headline for the NBA's most valuable player. Yeah, you love this guy.

You just love talking about how skilled he is, how he stuffs the stat sheet. The headline will be. Say it ain't Sokich, third times a charm for Nicola. Look at that. On St. Patrick's Day, they got him in the leprechaun outfit. Listen, the numbers don't lie. The Nuggets have been at the top of the Western Conference for, what, like four months now, Colin? Yeah.

He did it without Jamal Murray. Porter has been in and out of lineup. He's the one constant that Denver's had. He's averaging a triple double. He has established himself by far as one of the superior players at his position ever. Three straight MVP awards would really cement him as like a top 10 center to ever play the game. I know he doesn't have a title. Maybe that's coming this year.

I have Denver going to the finals out of the West. Oh, boy. I will say this between Katie's injury, Andrew Wiggins not playing, Clippers dysfunction. The door is open. This has to be the year. I said last Friday when I hosted, the most pressure is on him of any player in the NBA in this postseason.

I mean, Dallas had a year like this where they got through, you know, the Spurs, the Lakers, the historic guy, the Dirknevitsky to the finals. You have these weird years that, you know, the doors open for you. Got a little lucky against LeBron in the finals.

I mean, he had a meltdown that we, people still don't know what happened. Yeah, the top of the West is wide open. Tomorrow's headlines today. A lot of uncertainty with the Lakers. What's the headline going to be for this storied franchise? Well, the story hasn't been good lately. And Brian Winhorst saying earlier that LeBron may not come back during the regular season,

not good news, the headline will be no ring circus. Lakers get clown after ringleader returns. And the fall guy is obviously going to be Anthony Davis. Because if he can't play every day to get this team to the playoffs, I mean, he's got to put him on his back and drag them there so LeBron can swoop in and saved the day like Superman. It's a tall ask for Anthony Davis. But isn't he a franchise?

He was a franchise player in New Orleans, got them to the playoffs. Now you're just saying, hey, can you just elevate everybody? Can you elevate Vanderbilt? DeAngelo Russell, Beasley, the shooter. Like, you've got to do it. The pressure's on Anthony Davis and Colin, I don't like what I've seen when he's under pressure. I think they fold.

I don't think they get in. Now, tonight's a big swing game. They play Dallas. There's no word yet on if Luca or Kyrie will play. Probably no Luca. Kairi's been out for a little bit. If the Lakers win this, it's huge because then Dallas drops down and then all of a sudden Dallas is playing or who knows. It's a log jam at the bottom of the West, but I don't think the Lakers get in.

Not even the playing. Well, it's just different. For years, we always felt like the East had some good teams, but kind of unpredictable. I feel like the East. I know exactly what I get from the Sixers, the Bucks and the Celtics. And I think Cleveland's probably a year away. they're going to lose a bunch of close games in the playoffs to one of those three teams, but they're really, really close.

They're just, you know, Mowgli's young, Garland, they've got some young guys. And I think Miami is always Miami. The West, it's just a weird year. It's like Denver's good, but they have no history. And everybody else, you got the Luca-Chi thing, Kyrie's always banged up. They don't play defense. You got the Clipper thing where Kauai can't play back-to-backs. You think the Clippers have a shot of getting out of the West?

I think it's wide open. I say if KD comes back, and here's the good news, like when Andrew Wiggins comes back, if he did or KD did, they're arrested. So you're getting a guy that it's coming. Take a look at Golden State. Clay Thompson's having a great year. Steph is still remarkable, tons of depth in the back court. You know what you get with Kvon Looney.

Kaminga's now, you know, a 15 minute-a-night guy. He might be starting in the playoffs. If I told you tomorrow, Andrew Wiggins is coming back in a week. Now, he's got a very serious personal situation. I was told it's highly doubtful. He won't come back for the regular season. That's what I was told.

Now, we don't know if they'll make the playoffs. So if he doesn't come back for the regular season, this team's on the road for a while. They can't win road games. They lost another one. But if I said today, Andrew Wiggins is back in a week, I would take the Warriors. But if he comes back just for the postseason, you've got to play yourself in shape three weeks. And this team just has not shown the ability to go. on the road and beat bad teams.

So, I mean, to me, the NBA finals is going to be decided by who's not currently playing. Andrew Wiggins and Kevin Durant. Because I think if Andrew Wiggins came back, they're a finals team. I think Milwaukee's the best team in the league, adding Crowder, shot makers, players. I mean, between Brooke Lopez, Drew Hald, and Janus,

three great defensive players. So I think it's Milwaukee's year. What's interesting is, if you're the Celtics and you make another run and you have no ring with this and you got close last year. But now you take a step back, you don't get to the finals because I think Milwaukee's absolutely better.

What do you do with Boston? I mean, Robert Williams can't stay consistently healthy. You're getting to a point with Marcus Smart. He is now moved as a defensive player out of his prime. Well, let's see what player demands out this offseason. Will it be Carl Anthony Towns perhaps in Minnesota? We know that, you know, it's Anthony Edwards team. Towns has missed like the entire season,

would you swap him for, say, a Jalen Brown? I mean, the only way to remake this team is unloading Brown, right? You're not coming off Tatum. He's up first team all right. It's one of those things with Boston. They're very, I saw this was Sacramento Kings for years.

They were really, really good, and they just couldn't get through the Lakers. And I think Boston feels like they're certainly capable of winning, but they are so beholden to Robert Williams being available. And we know what we're getting with Tatum and Jalen Brown. And if Marcus Smart plays, you're getting about 16 points, you know what you're getting.

If Robert Williams doesn't play, they're going to struggle with a sixers and they're going to struggle with a box. They just don't have the size. You can't depend on Al Horford. I think Boston's in a really interesting place is that when you're really, like Cincinnati, in the NFL, it's different. If you have Burrow, Jamar Chase, you're going to be fine, right? And you're going to keep them intact. But in the NBA, teams tend to get impatient. You tend to get impatient.

and if Boston, Milwaukee's not changing anything if they don't win, and I doubt, I doubt Golden State feels desperate. Paul George is not an upgrade over Jalen Brown, is he? Paul George. Oh, oh, over Jalen Brown? I mean, you're going to see some teams looking to change things up. That's an interesting. The Utah Jazz came to the end of their run.

They said Donovan Mitchell, let's get him out of here. Rudy Gober. I wouldn't make that move. Jalen Brown's been a very good. I like him. But how else do you get this team better quickly? It's a great question. Do you move, Horford retires, Robert Williams, you move, and you inherit a big center deal,

I mean, I don't know what you do. That's why the Celtics playoff runs fascinating. That's what we'll talk about this June. And I also don't think situationally they'll be as good as Milwaukee because I don't know if I trust their coach yet. Live in L.A. See you Monday, I heard. Another podcast from some SNL late night comedy guy, not quite, unhumored me with Robert Smygel and friends. Me and hilarious guests from Bob Odenkirk to David Letterman helped make you fun. This week, my guest, SNL's Mikey Day and headwriter, 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. A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care which I'm saying. Yep, that's me.

Clifford Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, my basketball and college football journey, or my career in sports media. Well, now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifford Show. This is a place for raw, unfills of conversations with athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. So let's get to it. Listen to The Clifford Show on the IHeard Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your

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