February 12, 2026 • 30 mins
After former Steeler Joery Porter calls out Ben Roethlisberger for being a bad teammate, Colin Cowherd explains why this reveals the reason the Steelers haven’t won a playoff game in 9 straight seasons.
Colin doubles down on his defense of Heisman Trophy winner Fernando Mendoza and why he’s clearly a franchise caliber QB in this year’s draft.
NFL Network Analyst Daniel Jeremiah joins the show to back up Colin on Mendoza and why Sam Darnold was always going to succeed in the NFL.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Thanks for listening to the Best of the Herd podcast.
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Speaker 2 (00:19):
This is the Best of the Herd with Colin cowher
on Fox Sports Radio.
Speaker 1 (00:27):
Ah. Here we go on to Thursday. A lot more
stuff to talk about than I thought we'd have to
talk about, but all sorts of things happening, the combustability rating,
the combustibility factor. In Pittsburgh, we got a controversy with
the Steelers, So nice to have you in today. So
(00:50):
I can I can argue over the last you know,
fifteen twenty years. The greatest Pittsburgh Steeler is Big Ben Roethlisberger,
and James Harrison's on a short list of the second
best player. Great players. Well, they have podcasts, and they've
gone on those podcasts over the last year or two
(01:11):
and been critical of Mike Tomlin and the Steelers. And
by the way, their message is pretty smart. Their message
to me was spot on. But according to Joey Porter Senior,
whose son plays for the Steelers, so you know he
gets very emotional. Joey Porter Senior says Big Ben, who
(01:34):
he calls number seven and James Harrison broke the brotherhood.
He used his brotherhood in the Arctic line, reading like
seven times. So just remember that word. Here is Joey
Porter Senior mad at James Harrison and number seven big Ben.
Speaker 3 (01:50):
Seven definitely broke the brotherhood because.
Speaker 4 (01:53):
Like that's the one I don't understand.
Speaker 1 (01:55):
The seven dude that did that. We don't talk about
it now is crazy.
Speaker 3 (02:01):
He should never grab a microphone and really talk still
a business because if we talk and still a business,
his ass is foul of all foul. He's not a
good teammate. Won a Super Bowl, would he? But the
person he's just not a good teammate, Like he knows that.
Anybody in the Steller building knows that.
Speaker 1 (02:22):
But we protected him. Well. If James Harrison and Big
Ben don't buy into the brotherhood his word, maybe the
brotherhood's not that important. I also know Big Ben and
James Harrison hit when you start attacking the messengers and
not the message they're onto something that brotherhood couldn't beat
(02:47):
Blake Bortles at home in the playoffs or Baker Mayfield
that brotherhood in the last eleven games against playoff teams
one and tending fifteen points, giving up twenty eight. The
Steelers culture forever under Tomlin was talent and toughness. I
(03:10):
like those qualities, and I guess brotherhood. But with the
Chiefs and the Seahawks and mcvay's rams and Shanahan's forty
nine Ers, I get the toughness and the talent too,
but I get discipline and schemes like smart football. Have
(03:31):
you ever noticed over the last ten years, as football
has gotten much smarter, more motion, more deception, more looks.
There are so many great coaches out there, Tomiko, Ryans,
Mike McDonald on the defensive side, mcveay Shanahan offensive side.
Have you noticed during that time the Steelers have become
(03:51):
less relevant? That's why I defended old guy Aaron Rodgers
this year. Was he part of the brotherhood? No, he
was the new guy, but the offense finally looked like
grown ups. Fewer penalties, fewer turnovers. Aaron Rodgers, the new
guy walked in at forty two, and it's like, oh,
this is despite having some limitations at wide receiver. You're like, oh,
(04:13):
this is how an offense should function. That Steeler brotherhood
has not beaten a top ten quarterback in the playoffs
in fifteen years. And Big Ben and James Harrison called
it out. You know, Mike Tomlin, bottom ten offense seven years?
(04:35):
Why not innovative, not creative? You can win with defense.
Seattle did it, but a sophisticated, sophisticated, progressive new approach.
New looks not just what the Steelers do. Let's spend
more money. The Steelers pass defense this past year twenty
ninth defensively. How's that brotherhood thing working? I don't know,
(04:58):
Big Ben and James Harrison, and it takes some courage
to do this, pushed back on very popular Mike Tomlin
pushed back on this organization which keeps everything in house.
I'm not into that. I'm about beating teams in February,
in January top quarterbacks. So I mean this whole thing
(05:24):
about talent and toughness. Everybody in the NFL is tough.
Everybody in the NFL has talent. Even called it brotherhood.
But if Big Ben and James Harrison are saying things,
they shouldn't. To me, that's the underlying problem. What Joey
Porter's saying is, hey, nothing leaves house. That's the problem.
(05:46):
You don't discuss real problems, you don't put them out there,
you don't take criticism. Well, you get stubborn and rigid,
and the way we used to do it, it's the
way we do it. They brought in forty two year
old Aaron Rodgers, old guy in one off season. He
fixed the offense to the degree anybody could fix that
offense where you didn't have a number two receiver. So
(06:09):
I'm going to defend Big Ben and James Harrison going
out and saying there's some issues here, and some of
them were Mike Tomlin. It should be noted Mike Tomlin
no longer coaches, So Big Ben and James Harrison aren't
the only people that wanted to bring that up. Drew
Brees was on the show yesterday and he was great,
(06:32):
And I was at the end of the show and
I said, Drew, if you look at your career and
you look at Super Bowl champion Sam Darnold's career and
all the turbulence you both had early, does Sam's career
remind you drew a little of your early career.
Speaker 5 (06:52):
All the lessons that we hope to teach our kids
through sports and through team athletics, and that is that
you will face adversity, you will face failure and disappointment,
and it's how you react to it that matters. And
while it didn't work at the first couple teams that
he went to, he continued to work. He continued to
(07:13):
recognize where he needed to get better and learn. While
it wasn't maybe the road that he would have envisioned
when he first got in the league, it was meant
to be and it's what has brought out the best
in him and allowed him to play the way that
he has, lead the way that he has and also
inspire others the way that he has.
Speaker 1 (07:32):
Drew said, Yeah, when I watched Donald, I thought of
my early years. And you know what, Drew Breeese's comments
made me think of, not Donald arch Manning all these
college quarterbacks now. The minute they have a bad week
or get bad news, I'm out of here. Give me
a paycheck, I'm out of here. And there are times
(07:54):
I think college quarterbacks should transfer. Cam Ward at Washington
State gets a Miami Hurricane offer you take it. Trinidad Chambliss,
great quarterback at Old Miss, came from Farris State. You
take that offer and go to the SEC. But arch
Manning never left. He had to sit for two years
(08:16):
at Texas, and then when he finally played, it was rough.
He got crushed. He was bad, and he stayed there.
He hung in. He was tough. And did you watch
his last five or six games in the SEC? Five
and one beat A and M and Ole Miss or
excuse me, A and M and Vandy five and one,
(08:39):
twenty touchdowns, two picks, three hundred and twenty yards a game.
He overcame, He endured, he had to sit. I watched
these five star quarterbacks. If they're not starting by their
red shirt freshman year, I'm out of here. The first
sign of adversity in the NIL world. I am out
of here. You doing understand the NFL is adversity. I mean, God,
(09:03):
Belichick and Brady never had dinner for twenty years. It
can be grumpy, it can be harsh, it can be punitive,
it can be tough. You can be injured. Every time
we bring on an NFL player who's even thirty years old,
he's on his ninth surgery. So when I'm watching Drew
Brees talk about Sam Darnold, it makes me think of
(09:24):
arch Manning. That is the one five star quarterback that
I can think of top of mind, who could have
transferred multiple times, who had to sit behind a guy.
I'm absolutely convinced he's more talented than God beat up
when he played, was really bad and just hung in,
head down, put in the work, didn't sulk, and at
(09:48):
the end of this past year is really good.
Speaker 6 (09:51):
Too.
Speaker 1 (09:51):
Many young quarterbacks see adversity and they scramble. They're just running,
and they don't know where they're running. They're just running.
And I'm not saying you shouldn't transfer again. If you're
at a small school and get at Oklahoma to call,
you should go. I'm not saying that that's opportunity. If
you're at Farris State and the SEC calls, or you're
(10:12):
at cal and Indiana's got money with Kurt Signetty like
you do, I get it go. But there's I'm telling
you when people are banging on arch Manning and say
some article was the biggest bust ever, I'm like about
half these five star quarterbacks if they're not playing through
one year they're out the door. Thanks for flying United,
(10:33):
get me where I can play. We're going to look
back in about ten years, fifteen years at how many
of those get me out of here guys did. And
my guess is arch Manning will be better than most.
All right, j Mac, there's some you know sometimes during
Super Bowl Week a lot of stories get buried. Yeah,
(10:57):
the Jonathan kaminga Steve Kerr Warrior story got buried. It
is fascinating what's going on? Then got that thing got ugly.
Speaker 4 (11:06):
I think that Ara is over real quick. On arch Manning.
Speaker 7 (11:09):
If the Jets have any clue out of tank, they
will tank the entire season and get arch Manning.
Speaker 4 (11:15):
We've screwed this up before. We had to settle for Zach.
Speaker 7 (11:17):
Wilson instead of Trevor Lawrence, and this year we're settling
for no quarterback instead of Fernando Mendoza. If the Jets
want a quarterback and a future in this league, they
got to tank the right way.
Speaker 4 (11:29):
Even if it's not Art, it's going to be someone else.
Would you agree on that?
Speaker 2 (11:32):
Yeah?
Speaker 1 (11:33):
I don't think Aaron Glenn has to try to tank.
Speaker 4 (11:36):
Come on, you're taking jats at Aaron Glen every day.
Speaker 1 (11:39):
I mean, if you don't have an interception as a
defensive coach and playing the same division as Tua, you know,
I think you're tanking without trying, and that's what the
Jets are doing.
Speaker 7 (11:48):
Although maybe, hey, maybe there's a chance that the Raiders
don't take Mendoza and the Jets get.
Speaker 4 (11:53):
Him at two.
Speaker 7 (11:53):
I mean, based on yesterday's talk, and I ran into
a guy at the gym who's a big Raiders guy.
Speaker 4 (11:58):
He doesn't want Mendoza, Like, what are you I'm talking of?
Speaker 1 (12:00):
Yeah, I don't care.
Speaker 4 (12:01):
Losing their mind.
Speaker 1 (12:02):
It's unbelievable. What's happening. I'm gonna address that coming up.
Speaker 2 (12:07):
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Speaker 8 (12:18):
Steve Gotts here. I have a podcast empire. It continues
to grow, and I have brought it here to iHeart.
I'm also doing a live radio show from three to
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finishes every single day. Some of the biggest names in sports.
(12:41):
A lot of phone.
Speaker 4 (12:42):
Calls I love you on the show.
Speaker 9 (12:44):
It's one of my favorites.
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A lot of interact shit guys not taking themselves too seriously.
Those are just some of the things that you can
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So listen to ste gods and Company Live and our
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(13:07):
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get your podcasts.
Speaker 1 (13:19):
You're now entering the No Bull Zone sponsored by Credible
Great Rates None of the bull. So I've been doing
this about thirty years, thirty five years, and I always
felt kind of my responsibility is to form relationships in
athletic departments, form relationships in professional league scouting departments. So
I have the most informed opinions. Now I do three
(13:40):
hours a day. Some of it's just my gut instinct
or my eyes, but a lot of times if I
have my strongest opinions. I remember when t Bow was
on a hot streak and I was like this isn't
going to last. And I had somebody inside the Denver
locker room saying, dude, can't play. He's not an NFL.
Don't listen to all the nonsense, whether it was Darnald
over Baker was Herbert over Tua. Through the years, I've
(14:02):
relied on scouts often with my strongest opinions. They get
backed by people in the league. So my scouting guys.
Sometimes there's a problem when I like a player way
more than my scouts do, or I don't like a
player as much as my scouts do. And that's where
Fernando Mendoza like. I like Fernando Mendoza a lot. Everybody
(14:24):
else just kind of likes him. Albert Breer came on
the show yesterday and this is kind of the universal
opinion I hear about the Hoo's your quarterback.
Speaker 6 (14:35):
Two years ago, when Caleb Williams went first, Jaydon Daniels
went second, Drake May went third, Pennix went eighth, McCarthy
went tenth, and Nix went twelfth. The consensus I've gotten
is that he would have been the fourth of those quarterbacks,
so right in the middle. I think most teams like
the makeup they like how much he's won. They like
(14:56):
the accuracy, but is he physically what you know? Say
Drake was coming out of North Carolina, or Jade Daniels
was coming at LSU, or Caleb Williams was coming out
of USC, He's.
Speaker 1 (15:07):
Not that Okay. When I watch him, here's what I see. Bigger, stronger,
more athletic version of Matt Ryan. That's what he looks like. Well,
Matt Ryan is ninth all time in passing yards and
top ten all time in touchdown passes, got to a
(15:27):
Super Bowl and led twenty eight to three, has an
MVP season behind him, fifteen years, four Pro bowls, So
add thirty percent to that because I think Mendoza has
got He's a little bigger, he moves a little better,
and I think he's got a slightly stronger arm. So
(15:49):
I think Matt Ryan you can build a franchise around
and get to Super Bowls with. In fact, I think
largely the Falcons failed Matt Ryan. He didn't fail them.
He was a very good quarterback. So and again Matt Ryan. Plus,
I remember when CJ. Stroud came out and everybody said
(16:11):
Jared Goff's is comp and I'm like, yeah, that's an
accurate comp. Jared Goff gets to Super Bowl. He got
to a super Bowl. Jared Goff's top ten twelve quarterback
in the league. That's what everybody's trying to get. So
it's interesting though I like him a lot. Everybody kind
of likes him. To knock on him is he's not
super athletic. It should be noted Lamar Jackson is and
(16:34):
Josh Allen is and they haven't gotten to a super Bowl.
The athletic thing. We talk about Sam Donald's athletic How
many times did he scramble in that game? How many
times did Sam Donald scrambled in the Super Bowl? Couple
what he mostly did, He commanded the game, managed the game,
and didn't use his hyper athleticism. I'll admit Mendoza's not
(16:57):
super athletic, but I mean, I think his athleticism, I
don't think he's justin Herbert athletic, but he's big and
strong like Herbert. So I see a better version of
Matt Ryan. And Matt Ryan's was really good. It was
a really good quarterback.
Speaker 2 (17:15):
Be sure to catch live editions of The Herd weekdays
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Speaker 1 (17:27):
Daniel Jeremiah works at the NFL Network. He's got a podcast,
It's a good one. Move the Sticks. His twenty fourth
NFL combine coming up. Somebody we rely on and trust
as the NFL season ends. You know, it's interesting, Daniel.
You know this a lot of times the free agent
market can be initiated and propelled because there are weaknesses
(17:49):
in the draft. So it's obviously if you look, I
mean there's some really good edge rushers, it's a pretty
good d line draft. I think in the first round
at least, there's some nice offensive taps, a couple of Utah.
Maybe where is the draft lacking in your opinion, which
will increase the activity in free agency in March.
Speaker 9 (18:10):
Well, I will give you two positions, Colin. First of all,
the running back position. Draft wise, I think we have
one first round caliber back, and then I think there's
a chance we don't see one even going the second round,
and we'll see a flurry of them there after at
that point. So I think there's a really good crop
of free agent running backs which is going to inform
maybe some franchise tag opportunities for teams or teams are
(18:32):
going to be aggressive and going out and paying some
of these young veterans that are on the market. And
then the obvious elephant in the room is the quarterback.
I mean there's one for sure quarterback who everybody believes,
myself included, goes one to one, and then there's a
conversation on Ty Simpson and where does he fit into
this whole thing. But when you have one and a
half first round caliber quarterbacks and there's a lot of
(18:54):
teams out there that haven't need at the position, it's
good to be the Malik Willis's. It's good to be
the Niners holding on to Mac Jones to see what
comes their way as well.
Speaker 1 (19:04):
Yeah, so let's get to two evals. I like Fernanda
Minosa kind of more than everybody else does. I don't
think he's Andrew Luck or Sam Darnold athleticism, but I think.
Speaker 9 (19:24):
We were.
Speaker 1 (19:24):
The staff showed me something this morning, Tom to LESCo,
our friend said Matt Ryan. I think he's bigger, stronger,
and more athletic than Matt Ryan. Although I think that's
a good comp I think he is a if he
gets decent coaching, he is a plus player. He's a
franchise guy. I'll make a couple of Pro Bowls, maybe several,
three or four?
Speaker 3 (19:43):
Is that?
Speaker 9 (19:43):
I mean?
Speaker 1 (19:43):
I think he's big, accurate. He's been bloodied his lip
multiple times. He's Some say that Indiana offense is too simplistic,
maybe they need what do you see?
Speaker 9 (19:54):
Well, yeah, I talked to Tom and I actually I
told him I was going to steal some of that
with with Matt Ryan because I do like that just
in terms of kind of the grittiness, toughness aspect of it.
I look at quarterbacks almost in terms of families as
opposed to just like that single comp. I think if
you had kind of that Jared Goff Matt Ryan family,
he kind of fits into that family. Whether or not
(20:15):
whether or not he's a brother or a cousin. I'll
let everybody else figure that out. But that's kind of
the style of quarterback that he is. And for the
evaluation part of it, look when you go through and
you watch third and seven plus throws, which weeds out
all the RPOs that everybody you know complains about. When
you go look at him in the red zone, when
you go look at him in big games, when you
look at him on big moments. See the end of
the Penn State game, see the National Championship game. This
(20:38):
guy stepped up and done it every single time. So
I'm a huge believer in him. And I would also say,
for as much grief as as everybody has, all this
this problem with the transfer portal, what the transfer portal
has done for the evaluation process. We've seen bo Nix
with inferior players at Auburn. Then go play with good
players at Oregon and look at the play and look
what you get there. We saw cam Ward is it
(21:00):
incarnate word to Washington State. All of a sudden he
gets with Miami and look what he does with real players.
Now we're seeing with Mendoza, who is a good player
at Cal, but he gets a great coach and a
great infrastructure, and the guy goes undefeated, wins the Heisman
Trophy in the National Championship.
Speaker 1 (21:14):
So I thought Jackson Dart was more of a top
of the second round guy. He went in the first
and had a good year. I was wrong. I think
Ty Simpson feels like a top of the second round guy.
But I could see the Rams taking him. They got
two first. How do you evaluate Ty Simpson at Bama.
Speaker 9 (21:30):
Yeah, he's my fortieth player, you know, as we are
in the process right now, which I wouldn't look if
somebody wants take him with the twenty fifth pick, that's
not that out of a realm of possibility, and I
would think that's not really a reach based off how
I evaluate him. I don't think he's one of those
quarterbacks you drop into any of the thirty two rooms
and he's going to have success, you know, in any system,
any supporting cast. I do think he need to protect him.
(21:52):
He's mechanically sound, he throws a nice ball, he's got
touch and accuracy, but when bodies get around him, I
thought there's times he played a little small, and then
the guy's only started fifteen games and he's been beat up.
So those are the negative sides of it. That's why
I kind of slot him outside my top thirty two.
But if you're the Rams, you got a great offensive line.
He doesn't have to step in and play right away.
(22:14):
So that lack of experience, we can kind of give
you some of that in our system before we needed
you to play, I could, you know, I can understand that.
Speaker 1 (22:21):
Yeah, let's go back. This is always fun. Sam Darnold,
go back online, tell me what your evaluation was.
Speaker 9 (22:30):
Well, we used to be hidden underneath my bed for
a couple of years. Column when my report now it
hangs up next to my diploma on the wall, I'm
going to have it engraved. But no, I look, he
was my top quarterback in that draft class. And I
was actually talking about him the year before because he
has that Rose Bowl game, you know, against Saquon Barkley
(22:50):
and Penn State and that epic comeback. He makes some
big time throws in that game, and I had mentioned
it the combine before he was draft eligible, like, this
is the guy everybody's talking about is next years quarterback,
you know, in Sam Darnold because of you know, just
kind of the natural way he plays the game. The
ball explodes out of his hand. He's just a real
He's just a real, fluid, natural athlete who's got an
(23:12):
explosive arm. And he went to a tough situation and
you know, I do you know, Look, I'm so happy
for him because he's such a good dude, and I
have always believed in the ability. But I don't agree
with the well, you know, the Jets, they should have
just stayed there eventually would have happened. I think he
needed to get out of New York. Yeah, I think
he needed to get somewhere else. I think that was
good for him, and I think being around Shanahan that time,
(23:35):
there was an incredibly smart decision on his part, knowing that, look,
I'm going to soak up everything this guy has. Not
only is it going to help me learn football, but
then there's also the reality that this is the offensive
system that half the league runs because they all come
from underneath his tree. So for him to have the
maturity to take a step back and learn that, I
thought that that that's one of the reasons why he
(23:55):
is where he is.
Speaker 1 (23:57):
You know how good John Snyder is. I was just wondering.
This popped into my head. When you look at the Seahawks,
he's gone like eight for his last eight or nine
for his last nine. On first and second round guys
like not only doesn't miss like they all become really good,
some become incredibly special. And I think that the safety
from South Carolina. People said right after the draft, that's
(24:17):
that guy's going to be a star. That's one of
the easier second round guys. Does he have a theme?
I mean, why is he such a good drafter you've
been doing this? Is there something he does that other
gms don't do? I mean, we're putting it up now.
I'm sorry to the radio audience, We're putting it on television.
It's just no missus, like you tell me what's his
(24:39):
secret to this stuff?
Speaker 9 (24:41):
Well, he lets the draft fall to him, you know,
for one, like Emon Warrior, I think was my fifteenth
or sixteenth overall player. I'm not saying everybody has it
the same, but this guy was a first round talent
who just kind of fell to him, so he took
him there. But when you start looking at guys who
when I was in Baltimore, we had a red Star
meeting where you would go through and each scout could
put a red star on one player in the draft.
(25:03):
Didn't necessarily mean they were the best player, but they
were the guy that was just the most competitive. We
talked like he played like a raven, like he fit us.
And when you look through like JSN ultra competitive, tough, physical,
Gray's abel you go to the Senior Bowl. He took
nine million reps. Everybody's trying to go against him, and
he slaughtered everybody like super super competitive, on and on
and on. Kenneth Walker uplifted that entire Michigan State program
(25:26):
on his shoulders, Like these guys are all guys, are
passionate love football, and there's no turds, there's no jerks,
there's no selfishness in that group. They're all good dudes,
good competitive dudes. That that, to me is the overall theme.
Speaker 1 (25:42):
Yeah, it's uh. I want to I want to ask
you about the Chargers because you work on their broadcast
and we said, I said, you lose Jesse Mintor, your
defense probably not quite as good. You gain Mike McDaniel.
You'll be a much more effect passing offense. Plus you
get your tackles back. Plus the Chargers have cap space.
(26:05):
I mean, this is conjecture and projecting, but Jamack and
I agree on one thing. Next year is that the
Chargers will go from a team that was surviving on
offense and flourishing on defense. Or the offense could be
spectacular next year and the defense may I mean Mentor
was a really really good defensive coordinator. You tell me,
(26:26):
with the Chargers with that cap space and Mike McDaniel,
what do you think they'll target in the draft. And
what will they look like next year because we both
believe Week one you're going to watch the Chargers and go, okay,
this is the hardball Herbert thing that we thought we'd
get this year.
Speaker 9 (26:43):
Well, Colin, I think when you look at free agency,
I could see them targeting interior offensive line. When you
look at the draft, I could see them targeting interior
offensive line. We look at the trade market, we could
also target the interior of the offensive line. When the
draft's over and you want to bring in some extra bodies,
we'll bring in some more interior offensive line. So I
mean that is that is that is priority A, B
(27:04):
and C, and it's providing overall depth of that offensive line.
Having investing in a third tackle that you really really
like so that you're not you're covered. I think if
they if they have an offensive line that's healthy and deep,
because the tackles are two of the best in football,
So just healthy and deep along the interior, having a
third tackle out there that can withstand some injuries. All
(27:24):
these young guys, these skill guys on offense, these first
and second year players that they've drafted with Joe Ortiz
there are awesome like McConkey, I think you'll see him
go to another level in this system. Quentin Johnson, you know,
for all the abuse he caught for, you know, some
of the drops early on, is a functional, solid player. Yes,
Trey Harris, the rookie Ole Miss made some big catches.
A Ronde Gadsden is a talented rookie tight end. Omarion
(27:47):
Hampton could be one of the top five backs in
the league. These guys are all on rookie contracts. They
cost you nothing, So to me, it's really about just
getting this offensive line locked in. And then defensively, you've
got young corners. Derwin's still playing in elite level You've
got to sign. You know, You've got some free agents
on the edge with Oway and Mac but they have
plenty of space to do that. Maybe a defensive tackle,
(28:07):
you know, or two in freegency of the draft, But
I don't know. If I mentioned it, Colin, I would
probably address the interior of the offensive line absolutely.
Speaker 1 (28:14):
And finally, just because somebody gets draft at number one
doesn't mean they're the best player. It's usually a quarterback
because it's a quarterback star of league. Is there a
best player in the draft, Like everybody talks rble Reese.
And my take is, well, the position he'll play in
the NFL may not be quite what he's doing now.
He's going to get bigger. It could be edge. I
look at Baine at Miami and I'm like, oh, that's
(28:36):
fully formed. That guy's going to walk in and play.
I think actually Miami's got an offensive lineman that feels
like you can put him at guard tackle like that
dude's going to start day one. I think that running
back from Notre Dame looks like that, like, oh, that
guy's going to pop. Is there a guy if you
just said best player can't miss, because all quarterbacks can miss,
even the good ones early, who's the can't miss in
(28:57):
the draft?
Speaker 9 (28:59):
Well, I mean i'd have love up there, you know,
the running back from Notre Dame. I still, you know,
normally I am true to the grade. So even if
you know, I know cam Ward is going to be
the first pick, he might be my fourth or fifth
player in the draft. So that's not you know, it's
rare that you kind of have the quarterback just in
this draft because you know there's flaws in all of
these guys. You know, bans not the prototypical you know,
(29:21):
you know, arm length and all the other stuff that
comes along with that that you can put holes in
all of them. To me and Mendoza, I'm like, he's
one of the years where I think he is the
best player in the draft of my opinion, and I
do think he is one of the safer picks in
this year's draft. That's just kind of the way I
look at it. I don't know, I think you got
to get really, really nitpicky to poke holes in him.
(29:42):
I think he's got a chance to be a really
good player, and that's why I happened with my number
one guy.
Speaker 1 (29:46):
Okay, so its Fernando Mendoza, Daniel, How does he compare
to Drake May? Is he in that class? Drake May's
more athletic. I mean, he's a better mover, But are
they kind of close?
Speaker 9 (29:58):
I would have those three guys from that draft just
grade wise coming into the process over him. So I
had it Caleb Drake, Jayden Daniels, all three of those
guys would carry a higher grade than Mendoza. But in
this draft class, there's nobody else that I would put,
you know, up there at other positions higher than the
level that he's at. I don't think he's as natural
as Drake. Drake's just it was so athletic and I
(30:21):
mean and just had just such a good feel for
movement and getting around things and making things happen. I
don't think he's quite I think he's a little more robotic,
is why I would describe Mendoza.
Speaker 1 (30:33):
Yeah, that's fair, that's fair. Great seeing you as Allays,
my man.
Speaker 9 (30:37):
Good to see you, buddy. Hey, the Dodgers haven't spent
any more money in the last five minutes, so there's that.
Speaker 1 (30:44):
Listen, this is this is a pro Dodger show. I'll
take you gross.
Speaker 9 (30:48):
It's gross.
Speaker 1 (30:51):
Daniel Jeremiah
Thanks for listening to the Best of the Herd podcast.
Be sure to catch us live every weekday on Fox
Sports Radio in noon to three eastern nine am to
noon Pacific. Find your local station for the Herd at
Fox Sports Radio dot com, or stream us live every
day on the iHeartRadio app by searching Fox Sports Radio
or FSR.
Speaker 2 (00:19):
This is the Best of the Herd with Colin cowher
on Fox Sports Radio.
Speaker 1 (00:27):
Ah. Here we go on to Thursday. A lot more
stuff to talk about than I thought we'd have to
talk about, but all sorts of things happening, the combustability rating,
the combustibility factor. In Pittsburgh, we got a controversy with
the Steelers, So nice to have you in today. So
(00:50):
I can I can argue over the last you know,
fifteen twenty years. The greatest Pittsburgh Steeler is Big Ben Roethlisberger,
and James Harrison's on a short list of the second
best player. Great players. Well, they have podcasts, and they've
gone on those podcasts over the last year or two
(01:11):
and been critical of Mike Tomlin and the Steelers. And
by the way, their message is pretty smart. Their message
to me was spot on. But according to Joey Porter Senior,
whose son plays for the Steelers, so you know he
gets very emotional. Joey Porter Senior says Big Ben, who
(01:34):
he calls number seven and James Harrison broke the brotherhood.
He used his brotherhood in the Arctic line, reading like
seven times. So just remember that word. Here is Joey
Porter Senior mad at James Harrison and number seven big Ben.
Speaker 3 (01:50):
Seven definitely broke the brotherhood because.
Speaker 4 (01:53):
Like that's the one I don't understand.
Speaker 1 (01:55):
The seven dude that did that. We don't talk about
it now is crazy.
Speaker 3 (02:01):
He should never grab a microphone and really talk still
a business because if we talk and still a business,
his ass is foul of all foul. He's not a
good teammate. Won a Super Bowl, would he? But the
person he's just not a good teammate, Like he knows that.
Anybody in the Steller building knows that.
Speaker 1 (02:22):
But we protected him. Well. If James Harrison and Big
Ben don't buy into the brotherhood his word, maybe the
brotherhood's not that important. I also know Big Ben and
James Harrison hit when you start attacking the messengers and
not the message they're onto something that brotherhood couldn't beat
(02:47):
Blake Bortles at home in the playoffs or Baker Mayfield
that brotherhood in the last eleven games against playoff teams
one and tending fifteen points, giving up twenty eight. The
Steelers culture forever under Tomlin was talent and toughness. I
(03:10):
like those qualities, and I guess brotherhood. But with the
Chiefs and the Seahawks and mcvay's rams and Shanahan's forty
nine Ers, I get the toughness and the talent too,
but I get discipline and schemes like smart football. Have
(03:31):
you ever noticed over the last ten years, as football
has gotten much smarter, more motion, more deception, more looks.
There are so many great coaches out there, Tomiko, Ryans,
Mike McDonald on the defensive side, mcveay Shanahan offensive side.
Have you noticed during that time the Steelers have become
(03:51):
less relevant? That's why I defended old guy Aaron Rodgers
this year. Was he part of the brotherhood? No, he
was the new guy, but the offense finally looked like
grown ups. Fewer penalties, fewer turnovers. Aaron Rodgers, the new
guy walked in at forty two, and it's like, oh,
this is despite having some limitations at wide receiver. You're like, oh,
(04:13):
this is how an offense should function. That Steeler brotherhood
has not beaten a top ten quarterback in the playoffs
in fifteen years. And Big Ben and James Harrison called
it out. You know, Mike Tomlin, bottom ten offense seven years?
(04:35):
Why not innovative, not creative? You can win with defense.
Seattle did it, but a sophisticated, sophisticated, progressive new approach.
New looks not just what the Steelers do. Let's spend
more money. The Steelers pass defense this past year twenty
ninth defensively. How's that brotherhood thing working? I don't know,
(04:58):
Big Ben and James Harrison, and it takes some courage
to do this, pushed back on very popular Mike Tomlin
pushed back on this organization which keeps everything in house.
I'm not into that. I'm about beating teams in February,
in January top quarterbacks. So I mean this whole thing
(05:24):
about talent and toughness. Everybody in the NFL is tough.
Everybody in the NFL has talent. Even called it brotherhood.
But if Big Ben and James Harrison are saying things,
they shouldn't. To me, that's the underlying problem. What Joey
Porter's saying is, hey, nothing leaves house. That's the problem.
(05:46):
You don't discuss real problems, you don't put them out there,
you don't take criticism. Well, you get stubborn and rigid,
and the way we used to do it, it's the
way we do it. They brought in forty two year
old Aaron Rodgers, old guy in one off season. He
fixed the offense to the degree anybody could fix that
offense where you didn't have a number two receiver. So
(06:09):
I'm going to defend Big Ben and James Harrison going
out and saying there's some issues here, and some of
them were Mike Tomlin. It should be noted Mike Tomlin
no longer coaches, So Big Ben and James Harrison aren't
the only people that wanted to bring that up. Drew
Brees was on the show yesterday and he was great,
(06:32):
And I was at the end of the show and
I said, Drew, if you look at your career and
you look at Super Bowl champion Sam Darnold's career and
all the turbulence you both had early, does Sam's career
remind you drew a little of your early career.
Speaker 5 (06:52):
All the lessons that we hope to teach our kids
through sports and through team athletics, and that is that
you will face adversity, you will face failure and disappointment,
and it's how you react to it that matters. And
while it didn't work at the first couple teams that
he went to, he continued to work. He continued to
(07:13):
recognize where he needed to get better and learn. While
it wasn't maybe the road that he would have envisioned
when he first got in the league, it was meant
to be and it's what has brought out the best
in him and allowed him to play the way that
he has, lead the way that he has and also
inspire others the way that he has.
Speaker 1 (07:32):
Drew said, Yeah, when I watched Donald, I thought of
my early years. And you know what, Drew Breeese's comments
made me think of, not Donald arch Manning all these
college quarterbacks now. The minute they have a bad week
or get bad news, I'm out of here. Give me
a paycheck, I'm out of here. And there are times
(07:54):
I think college quarterbacks should transfer. Cam Ward at Washington
State gets a Miami Hurricane offer you take it. Trinidad Chambliss,
great quarterback at Old Miss, came from Farris State. You
take that offer and go to the SEC. But arch
Manning never left. He had to sit for two years
(08:16):
at Texas, and then when he finally played, it was rough.
He got crushed. He was bad, and he stayed there.
He hung in. He was tough. And did you watch
his last five or six games in the SEC? Five
and one beat A and M and Ole Miss or
excuse me, A and M and Vandy five and one,
(08:39):
twenty touchdowns, two picks, three hundred and twenty yards a game.
He overcame, He endured, he had to sit. I watched
these five star quarterbacks. If they're not starting by their
red shirt freshman year, I'm out of here. The first
sign of adversity in the NIL world. I am out
of here. You doing understand the NFL is adversity. I mean, God,
(09:03):
Belichick and Brady never had dinner for twenty years. It
can be grumpy, it can be harsh, it can be punitive,
it can be tough. You can be injured. Every time
we bring on an NFL player who's even thirty years old,
he's on his ninth surgery. So when I'm watching Drew
Brees talk about Sam Darnold, it makes me think of
(09:24):
arch Manning. That is the one five star quarterback that
I can think of top of mind, who could have
transferred multiple times, who had to sit behind a guy.
I'm absolutely convinced he's more talented than God beat up
when he played, was really bad and just hung in,
head down, put in the work, didn't sulk, and at
(09:48):
the end of this past year is really good.
Speaker 6 (09:51):
Too.
Speaker 1 (09:51):
Many young quarterbacks see adversity and they scramble. They're just running,
and they don't know where they're running. They're just running.
And I'm not saying you shouldn't transfer again. If you're
at a small school and get at Oklahoma to call,
you should go. I'm not saying that that's opportunity. If
you're at Farris State and the SEC calls, or you're
(10:12):
at cal and Indiana's got money with Kurt Signetty like
you do, I get it go. But there's I'm telling
you when people are banging on arch Manning and say
some article was the biggest bust ever, I'm like about
half these five star quarterbacks if they're not playing through
one year they're out the door. Thanks for flying United,
(10:33):
get me where I can play. We're going to look
back in about ten years, fifteen years at how many
of those get me out of here guys did. And
my guess is arch Manning will be better than most.
All right, j Mac, there's some you know sometimes during
Super Bowl Week a lot of stories get buried. Yeah,
(10:57):
the Jonathan kaminga Steve Kerr Warrior story got buried. It
is fascinating what's going on? Then got that thing got ugly.
Speaker 4 (11:06):
I think that Ara is over real quick. On arch Manning.
Speaker 7 (11:09):
If the Jets have any clue out of tank, they
will tank the entire season and get arch Manning.
Speaker 4 (11:15):
We've screwed this up before. We had to settle for Zach.
Speaker 7 (11:17):
Wilson instead of Trevor Lawrence, and this year we're settling
for no quarterback instead of Fernando Mendoza. If the Jets
want a quarterback and a future in this league, they
got to tank the right way.
Speaker 4 (11:29):
Even if it's not Art, it's going to be someone else.
Would you agree on that?
Speaker 2 (11:32):
Yeah?
Speaker 1 (11:33):
I don't think Aaron Glenn has to try to tank.
Speaker 4 (11:36):
Come on, you're taking jats at Aaron Glen every day.
Speaker 1 (11:39):
I mean, if you don't have an interception as a
defensive coach and playing the same division as Tua, you know,
I think you're tanking without trying, and that's what the
Jets are doing.
Speaker 7 (11:48):
Although maybe, hey, maybe there's a chance that the Raiders
don't take Mendoza and the Jets get.
Speaker 4 (11:53):
Him at two.
Speaker 7 (11:53):
I mean, based on yesterday's talk, and I ran into
a guy at the gym who's a big Raiders guy.
Speaker 4 (11:58):
He doesn't want Mendoza, Like, what are you I'm talking of?
Speaker 1 (12:00):
Yeah, I don't care.
Speaker 4 (12:01):
Losing their mind.
Speaker 1 (12:02):
It's unbelievable. What's happening. I'm gonna address that coming up.
Speaker 2 (12:07):
Be sure to catch live editions of The Herd weekdays
and noon Eastern nin am Pacific on Fox Sports Radio
FS one and the iHeartRadio app.
Speaker 8 (12:18):
Steve Gotts here. I have a podcast empire. It continues
to grow, and I have brought it here to iHeart.
I'm also doing a live radio show from three to
five pm Eastern because my wife wanted to kick me
out of the house. It's called Stu Gots and Company Live,
which is available in podcast form right when the show
finishes every single day. Some of the biggest names in sports.
(12:41):
A lot of phone.
Speaker 4 (12:42):
Calls I love you on the show.
Speaker 9 (12:44):
It's one of my favorites.
Speaker 8 (12:44):
A lot of interact shit guys not taking themselves too seriously.
Those are just some of the things that you can
expect from Stu Gotts and Company and Stegotson Company Live.
So listen to ste gods and Company Live and our
original podcast. Please obsc rate and review Stu Gotson Company
and God Bless Football. Taylor's livelihood depends on it. You
(13:07):
do it today and you can check all of those
out on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcast or wherever you
get your podcasts.
Speaker 1 (13:19):
You're now entering the No Bull Zone sponsored by Credible
Great Rates None of the bull. So I've been doing
this about thirty years, thirty five years, and I always
felt kind of my responsibility is to form relationships in
athletic departments, form relationships in professional league scouting departments. So
I have the most informed opinions. Now I do three
(13:40):
hours a day. Some of it's just my gut instinct
or my eyes, but a lot of times if I
have my strongest opinions. I remember when t Bow was
on a hot streak and I was like this isn't
going to last. And I had somebody inside the Denver
locker room saying, dude, can't play. He's not an NFL.
Don't listen to all the nonsense, whether it was Darnald
over Baker was Herbert over Tua. Through the years, I've
(14:02):
relied on scouts often with my strongest opinions. They get
backed by people in the league. So my scouting guys.
Sometimes there's a problem when I like a player way
more than my scouts do, or I don't like a
player as much as my scouts do. And that's where
Fernando Mendoza like. I like Fernando Mendoza a lot. Everybody
(14:24):
else just kind of likes him. Albert Breer came on
the show yesterday and this is kind of the universal
opinion I hear about the Hoo's your quarterback.
Speaker 6 (14:35):
Two years ago, when Caleb Williams went first, Jaydon Daniels
went second, Drake May went third, Pennix went eighth, McCarthy
went tenth, and Nix went twelfth. The consensus I've gotten
is that he would have been the fourth of those quarterbacks,
so right in the middle. I think most teams like
the makeup they like how much he's won. They like
(14:56):
the accuracy, but is he physically what you know? Say
Drake was coming out of North Carolina, or Jade Daniels
was coming at LSU, or Caleb Williams was coming out
of USC, He's.
Speaker 1 (15:07):
Not that Okay. When I watch him, here's what I see. Bigger, stronger,
more athletic version of Matt Ryan. That's what he looks like. Well,
Matt Ryan is ninth all time in passing yards and
top ten all time in touchdown passes, got to a
(15:27):
Super Bowl and led twenty eight to three, has an
MVP season behind him, fifteen years, four Pro bowls, So
add thirty percent to that because I think Mendoza has
got He's a little bigger, he moves a little better,
and I think he's got a slightly stronger arm. So
(15:49):
I think Matt Ryan you can build a franchise around
and get to Super Bowls with. In fact, I think
largely the Falcons failed Matt Ryan. He didn't fail them.
He was a very good quarterback. So and again Matt Ryan. Plus,
I remember when CJ. Stroud came out and everybody said
(16:11):
Jared Goff's is comp and I'm like, yeah, that's an
accurate comp. Jared Goff gets to Super Bowl. He got
to a super Bowl. Jared Goff's top ten twelve quarterback
in the league. That's what everybody's trying to get. So
it's interesting though I like him a lot. Everybody kind
of likes him. To knock on him is he's not
super athletic. It should be noted Lamar Jackson is and
(16:34):
Josh Allen is and they haven't gotten to a super Bowl.
The athletic thing. We talk about Sam Donald's athletic How
many times did he scramble in that game? How many
times did Sam Donald scrambled in the Super Bowl? Couple
what he mostly did, He commanded the game, managed the game,
and didn't use his hyper athleticism. I'll admit Mendoza's not
(16:57):
super athletic, but I mean, I think his athleticism, I
don't think he's justin Herbert athletic, but he's big and
strong like Herbert. So I see a better version of
Matt Ryan. And Matt Ryan's was really good. It was
a really good quarterback.
Speaker 2 (17:15):
Be sure to catch live editions of The Herd weekdays
in neon eastern non am Pacific on Fox Sports radio
FS one and the iHeartRadio app.
Speaker 1 (17:27):
Daniel Jeremiah works at the NFL Network. He's got a podcast,
It's a good one. Move the Sticks. His twenty fourth
NFL combine coming up. Somebody we rely on and trust
as the NFL season ends. You know, it's interesting, Daniel.
You know this a lot of times the free agent
market can be initiated and propelled because there are weaknesses
(17:49):
in the draft. So it's obviously if you look, I
mean there's some really good edge rushers, it's a pretty
good d line draft. I think in the first round
at least, there's some nice offensive taps, a couple of Utah.
Maybe where is the draft lacking in your opinion, which
will increase the activity in free agency in March.
Speaker 9 (18:10):
Well, I will give you two positions, Colin. First of all,
the running back position. Draft wise, I think we have
one first round caliber back, and then I think there's
a chance we don't see one even going the second round,
and we'll see a flurry of them there after at
that point. So I think there's a really good crop
of free agent running backs which is going to inform
maybe some franchise tag opportunities for teams or teams are
(18:32):
going to be aggressive and going out and paying some
of these young veterans that are on the market. And
then the obvious elephant in the room is the quarterback.
I mean there's one for sure quarterback who everybody believes,
myself included, goes one to one, and then there's a
conversation on Ty Simpson and where does he fit into
this whole thing. But when you have one and a
half first round caliber quarterbacks and there's a lot of
(18:54):
teams out there that haven't need at the position, it's
good to be the Malik Willis's. It's good to be
the Niners holding on to Mac Jones to see what
comes their way as well.
Speaker 1 (19:04):
Yeah, so let's get to two evals. I like Fernanda
Minosa kind of more than everybody else does. I don't
think he's Andrew Luck or Sam Darnold athleticism, but I think.
Speaker 9 (19:24):
We were.
Speaker 1 (19:24):
The staff showed me something this morning, Tom to LESCo,
our friend said Matt Ryan. I think he's bigger, stronger,
and more athletic than Matt Ryan. Although I think that's
a good comp I think he is a if he
gets decent coaching, he is a plus player. He's a
franchise guy. I'll make a couple of Pro Bowls, maybe several,
three or four?
Speaker 3 (19:43):
Is that?
Speaker 9 (19:43):
I mean?
Speaker 1 (19:43):
I think he's big, accurate. He's been bloodied his lip
multiple times. He's Some say that Indiana offense is too simplistic,
maybe they need what do you see?
Speaker 9 (19:54):
Well, yeah, I talked to Tom and I actually I
told him I was going to steal some of that
with with Matt Ryan because I do like that just
in terms of kind of the grittiness, toughness aspect of it.
I look at quarterbacks almost in terms of families as
opposed to just like that single comp. I think if
you had kind of that Jared Goff Matt Ryan family,
he kind of fits into that family. Whether or not
(20:15):
whether or not he's a brother or a cousin. I'll
let everybody else figure that out. But that's kind of
the style of quarterback that he is. And for the
evaluation part of it, look when you go through and
you watch third and seven plus throws, which weeds out
all the RPOs that everybody you know complains about. When
you go look at him in the red zone, when
you go look at him in big games, when you
look at him on big moments. See the end of
the Penn State game, see the National Championship game. This
(20:38):
guy stepped up and done it every single time. So
I'm a huge believer in him. And I would also say,
for as much grief as as everybody has, all this
this problem with the transfer portal, what the transfer portal
has done for the evaluation process. We've seen bo Nix
with inferior players at Auburn. Then go play with good
players at Oregon and look at the play and look
what you get there. We saw cam Ward is it
(21:00):
incarnate word to Washington State. All of a sudden he
gets with Miami and look what he does with real players.
Now we're seeing with Mendoza, who is a good player
at Cal, but he gets a great coach and a
great infrastructure, and the guy goes undefeated, wins the Heisman
Trophy in the National Championship.
Speaker 1 (21:14):
So I thought Jackson Dart was more of a top
of the second round guy. He went in the first
and had a good year. I was wrong. I think
Ty Simpson feels like a top of the second round guy.
But I could see the Rams taking him. They got
two first. How do you evaluate Ty Simpson at Bama.
Speaker 9 (21:30):
Yeah, he's my fortieth player, you know, as we are
in the process right now, which I wouldn't look if
somebody wants take him with the twenty fifth pick, that's
not that out of a realm of possibility, and I
would think that's not really a reach based off how
I evaluate him. I don't think he's one of those
quarterbacks you drop into any of the thirty two rooms
and he's going to have success, you know, in any system,
any supporting cast. I do think he need to protect him.
(21:52):
He's mechanically sound, he throws a nice ball, he's got
touch and accuracy, but when bodies get around him, I
thought there's times he played a little small, and then
the guy's only started fifteen games and he's been beat up.
So those are the negative sides of it. That's why
I kind of slot him outside my top thirty two.
But if you're the Rams, you got a great offensive line.
He doesn't have to step in and play right away.
(22:14):
So that lack of experience, we can kind of give
you some of that in our system before we needed
you to play, I could, you know, I can understand that.
Speaker 1 (22:21):
Yeah, let's go back. This is always fun. Sam Darnold,
go back online, tell me what your evaluation was.
Speaker 9 (22:30):
Well, we used to be hidden underneath my bed for
a couple of years. Column when my report now it
hangs up next to my diploma on the wall, I'm
going to have it engraved. But no, I look, he
was my top quarterback in that draft class. And I
was actually talking about him the year before because he
has that Rose Bowl game, you know, against Saquon Barkley
(22:50):
and Penn State and that epic comeback. He makes some
big time throws in that game, and I had mentioned
it the combine before he was draft eligible, like, this
is the guy everybody's talking about is next years quarterback,
you know, in Sam Darnold because of you know, just
kind of the natural way he plays the game. The
ball explodes out of his hand. He's just a real
He's just a real, fluid, natural athlete who's got an
(23:12):
explosive arm. And he went to a tough situation and
you know, I do you know, Look, I'm so happy
for him because he's such a good dude, and I
have always believed in the ability. But I don't agree
with the well, you know, the Jets, they should have
just stayed there eventually would have happened. I think he
needed to get out of New York. Yeah, I think
he needed to get somewhere else. I think that was
good for him, and I think being around Shanahan that time,
(23:35):
there was an incredibly smart decision on his part, knowing that, look,
I'm going to soak up everything this guy has. Not
only is it going to help me learn football, but
then there's also the reality that this is the offensive
system that half the league runs because they all come
from underneath his tree. So for him to have the
maturity to take a step back and learn that, I
thought that that that's one of the reasons why he
(23:55):
is where he is.
Speaker 1 (23:57):
You know how good John Snyder is. I was just wondering.
This popped into my head. When you look at the Seahawks,
he's gone like eight for his last eight or nine
for his last nine. On first and second round guys
like not only doesn't miss like they all become really good,
some become incredibly special. And I think that the safety
from South Carolina. People said right after the draft, that's
(24:17):
that guy's going to be a star. That's one of
the easier second round guys. Does he have a theme?
I mean, why is he such a good drafter you've
been doing this? Is there something he does that other
gms don't do? I mean, we're putting it up now.
I'm sorry to the radio audience, We're putting it on television.
It's just no missus, like you tell me what's his
(24:39):
secret to this stuff?
Speaker 9 (24:41):
Well, he lets the draft fall to him, you know,
for one, like Emon Warrior, I think was my fifteenth
or sixteenth overall player. I'm not saying everybody has it
the same, but this guy was a first round talent
who just kind of fell to him, so he took
him there. But when you start looking at guys who
when I was in Baltimore, we had a red Star
meeting where you would go through and each scout could
put a red star on one player in the draft.
(25:03):
Didn't necessarily mean they were the best player, but they
were the guy that was just the most competitive. We
talked like he played like a raven, like he fit us.
And when you look through like JSN ultra competitive, tough, physical,
Gray's abel you go to the Senior Bowl. He took
nine million reps. Everybody's trying to go against him, and
he slaughtered everybody like super super competitive, on and on
and on. Kenneth Walker uplifted that entire Michigan State program
(25:26):
on his shoulders, Like these guys are all guys, are
passionate love football, and there's no turds, there's no jerks,
there's no selfishness in that group. They're all good dudes,
good competitive dudes. That that, to me is the overall theme.
Speaker 1 (25:42):
Yeah, it's uh. I want to I want to ask
you about the Chargers because you work on their broadcast
and we said, I said, you lose Jesse Mintor, your
defense probably not quite as good. You gain Mike McDaniel.
You'll be a much more effect passing offense. Plus you
get your tackles back. Plus the Chargers have cap space.
(26:05):
I mean, this is conjecture and projecting, but Jamack and
I agree on one thing. Next year is that the
Chargers will go from a team that was surviving on
offense and flourishing on defense. Or the offense could be
spectacular next year and the defense may I mean Mentor
was a really really good defensive coordinator. You tell me,
(26:26):
with the Chargers with that cap space and Mike McDaniel,
what do you think they'll target in the draft. And
what will they look like next year because we both
believe Week one you're going to watch the Chargers and go, okay,
this is the hardball Herbert thing that we thought we'd
get this year.
Speaker 9 (26:43):
Well, Colin, I think when you look at free agency,
I could see them targeting interior offensive line. When you
look at the draft, I could see them targeting interior
offensive line. We look at the trade market, we could
also target the interior of the offensive line. When the
draft's over and you want to bring in some extra bodies,
we'll bring in some more interior offensive line. So I
mean that is that is that is priority A, B
(27:04):
and C, and it's providing overall depth of that offensive line.
Having investing in a third tackle that you really really
like so that you're not you're covered. I think if
they if they have an offensive line that's healthy and deep,
because the tackles are two of the best in football,
So just healthy and deep along the interior, having a
third tackle out there that can withstand some injuries. All
(27:24):
these young guys, these skill guys on offense, these first
and second year players that they've drafted with Joe Ortiz
there are awesome like McConkey, I think you'll see him
go to another level in this system. Quentin Johnson, you know,
for all the abuse he caught for, you know, some
of the drops early on, is a functional, solid player. Yes,
Trey Harris, the rookie Ole Miss made some big catches.
A Ronde Gadsden is a talented rookie tight end. Omarion
(27:47):
Hampton could be one of the top five backs in
the league. These guys are all on rookie contracts. They
cost you nothing, So to me, it's really about just
getting this offensive line locked in. And then defensively, you've
got young corners. Derwin's still playing in elite level You've
got to sign. You know, You've got some free agents
on the edge with Oway and Mac but they have
plenty of space to do that. Maybe a defensive tackle,
(28:07):
you know, or two in freegency of the draft, But
I don't know. If I mentioned it, Colin, I would
probably address the interior of the offensive line absolutely.
Speaker 1 (28:14):
And finally, just because somebody gets draft at number one
doesn't mean they're the best player. It's usually a quarterback
because it's a quarterback star of league. Is there a
best player in the draft, Like everybody talks rble Reese.
And my take is, well, the position he'll play in
the NFL may not be quite what he's doing now.
He's going to get bigger. It could be edge. I
look at Baine at Miami and I'm like, oh, that's
(28:36):
fully formed. That guy's going to walk in and play.
I think actually Miami's got an offensive lineman that feels
like you can put him at guard tackle like that
dude's going to start day one. I think that running
back from Notre Dame looks like that, like, oh, that
guy's going to pop. Is there a guy if you
just said best player can't miss, because all quarterbacks can miss,
even the good ones early, who's the can't miss in
(28:57):
the draft?
Speaker 9 (28:59):
Well, I mean i'd have love up there, you know,
the running back from Notre Dame. I still, you know,
normally I am true to the grade. So even if
you know, I know cam Ward is going to be
the first pick, he might be my fourth or fifth
player in the draft. So that's not you know, it's
rare that you kind of have the quarterback just in
this draft because you know there's flaws in all of
these guys. You know, bans not the prototypical you know,
(29:21):
you know, arm length and all the other stuff that
comes along with that that you can put holes in
all of them. To me and Mendoza, I'm like, he's
one of the years where I think he is the
best player in the draft of my opinion, and I
do think he is one of the safer picks in
this year's draft. That's just kind of the way I
look at it. I don't know, I think you got
to get really, really nitpicky to poke holes in him.
(29:42):
I think he's got a chance to be a really
good player, and that's why I happened with my number
one guy.
Speaker 1 (29:46):
Okay, so its Fernando Mendoza, Daniel, How does he compare
to Drake May? Is he in that class? Drake May's
more athletic. I mean, he's a better mover, But are
they kind of close?
Speaker 9 (29:58):
I would have those three guys from that draft just
grade wise coming into the process over him. So I
had it Caleb Drake, Jayden Daniels, all three of those
guys would carry a higher grade than Mendoza. But in
this draft class, there's nobody else that I would put,
you know, up there at other positions higher than the
level that he's at. I don't think he's as natural
as Drake. Drake's just it was so athletic and I
(30:21):
mean and just had just such a good feel for
movement and getting around things and making things happen. I
don't think he's quite I think he's a little more robotic,
is why I would describe Mendoza.
Speaker 1 (30:33):
Yeah, that's fair, that's fair. Great seeing you as Allays,
my man.
Speaker 9 (30:37):
Good to see you, buddy. Hey, the Dodgers haven't spent
any more money in the last five minutes, so there's that.
Speaker 1 (30:44):
Listen, this is this is a pro Dodger show. I'll
take you gross.
Speaker 9 (30:48):
It's gross.
Speaker 1 (30:51):
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