May 10, 2025 • 43 mins
Where Colin was right and wrong
Colin gives his new NFL predictions
3-time Super Bowl champion Julian Edelman to talk about the drama surrounding Bill Belichick and his girlfriend Jordon Hudson plus getting inducted into the Patriots Hall of Fame
Top NBA Sidekicks
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Thanks for listening to 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 (00:21):
You're listening to Fox Sports Radio.
Speaker 1 (00:26):
Ah, here we go, it's hour two. It is a Monday,
wherever you may be and however you may be listening.
Thanks for making us part of your day. By the way,
the Warriors now get Minnesota their coach Chris Finch an
hour from now. That is a tough matchup. Houston was
so inexperienced in Green that they could sort of manipulate
(00:47):
them in the half court offense. Minnesota's not so. Minnesota's
BIG's Julius Randold Rudy Gobert are all veterans, so you're
not going to fool them. I think Golden State felt
very confident in big games in a series because they thought,
if we can just limit Shehen Goom through Draymon Is,
you know, we don't have a great fear of their
(01:08):
half court offense, and you saw it yesterday Minnesota is
a whole different ballgame.
Speaker 3 (01:11):
Yeah, remember they overwhelmed the Lakers with size, just overwhelmed them.
Go Bearer twenty four boards is golden steaking to play big?
Do they want to play Howard?
Speaker 1 (01:21):
No, I mean Looney's gonna play and Draymon cominga doesn't work.
He saw it yesterday. They put him in and pulled
him out. The kid seven minutes, no post holes, he's okay.
Speaker 3 (01:32):
Well, if he could pull Gobert from the basket and
last three he's then it's game on. But like, I
don't know how they guard Julius Randall.
Speaker 2 (01:37):
I mean, who matches.
Speaker 4 (01:38):
Up with Randall?
Speaker 1 (01:39):
Well, it's funny when Randall went to the t Wolves. Initially,
I'm like, that's a weird fit, and over the course
of a season this is where coaching matters. Yes, he's
actually fit very well. It's almost like when Juju Smith
Schuster went to the Chief from New England. You're like,
he shot and then you're like under their targeting. Even
nine times in a playoff game. He worked with Andy
Reid and Julie Randall's like this is at the end
(02:02):
of the career and like I watched them in the
Lakers series. I'm like, he's their second guy for a basket.
Speaker 3 (02:07):
I think they where's gonna have to play Gary Payton
to defend Anthony Edwards. You know Curry's not and you
know Buddy Heal can't. So like it's gonna be tough
for the Warriors.
Speaker 1 (02:15):
Yeah, all hands on deck, All right, Colin was right.
Colin was wrong on a Monday. Here we go where
Colin was right. James Harden in the playoffs not somebody
I trust to. No shows and Kawion Harden again, they're
absolutely all time gifted. You can't build around either. I've
said this during the year. Yes, he'll give you twenty
(02:37):
eight points, he'll have his quarters, has in moments. But
if Harden isn't scoring, and he wasn't yesterday, you don't
get a lot else. And you saw it against the
Nuggets in Game seven, where Colin was rough. I picked
Houston to beat the Warriors. I thought, you know, I
be honest with you. Athleticism, size and length. I thought
(02:59):
it would be a problem. But too often they were
reduced to just a half court offensive team, and it
is ugly. A Jalen Green doesn't really have a traditional
or dependable offensive game. They really if a men, Thompson
would not have been so good yesterday, especially in the
first three quarters. I don't know if this game would
(03:19):
have been close, but they got worked in the half
court by Butler, Draymon, Buddy Healed, and Steph Curry.
Speaker 2 (03:27):
Where Colin was right.
Speaker 1 (03:28):
I said, before Jimmy Butler got to the Warriors, I
don't care what analytics say. He's going to fit. They
were under five hundred pre Jimmy Butler, and there were
a lot of analytic mavens that said it may not work.
Yes it will. He's a bridge between Steph and Draymond Green.
He's got the toughness and the physicality and the defensive Draymond.
But he can also be a finisher like Steph Curry,
(03:51):
and like Draymond Green, he is often at his best
when he's backed into a corner and playoff. Jimmy illustration
a yesterday where Colin was wrong. I thought when the
Devner Nuggets fired their coach with three games left in
the regular season as they were skidding out of control,
I thought it was crazy against tylu experienced Clippers, older Clippers,
(04:16):
deeper roster, what are you guys doing? Well? It worked
Westbrook was a tone center, Jokic was dominant, Murray had
you know, typically yets hot and can be streaky. He
was at the right time. I thought the Clippers face
just on having a substitute teacher as a coach, We're
going to be a bit over their skis. But they
(04:38):
made great adjustments. Jokic barking and leading, Westbrook playing some
of his best, most important basketball of his life.
Speaker 2 (04:45):
And I was wrong where Colin was right.
Speaker 1 (04:48):
I said, when Texas went to the SEC, guys, you're
in trouble. Bama and LSU Old Miss can't play in
that space. Just reported that Texas will spend up to
forty million on the football roster. That, by the way,
does not count the arch manning money. That's a separate
deal and the SEC schools, and I think they're feeling
(05:10):
it now. And this is why the Big Ten is
catching up. Because the Big Ten gets Oregon big money,
Washington good money, USC spending huge nil money. Texas just
has more bank roll than everybody else in the SEC.
In as long as Sark is there, who is a
more than capable coach, Texas is going to control this conference.
Speaker 2 (05:33):
Where Colin was row well, I.
Speaker 1 (05:35):
Picked the Lakers to dismantle the t Wolves because I'm like,
I don't trust Julius Randall in the postseason. Who's going
to do their scoring outside of ant And it happens
that Randall was great and a lot of people did
their scoring. The t Wolves were deeper, they had more
dexterity and options off the bench, and JJ Reddick I
(05:56):
didn't think flourished in this series. I also thought they
just kept throwing athletic bodies at Austin Reeves. He was
a bit of a no show. I think they should
probably move him to get a big But boy was
I wrong.
Speaker 2 (06:08):
On that series where Colin was right.
Speaker 1 (06:10):
Who's not said this about Austin Reeves. He can be
a four like a Derek White on a championship level team,
but if he's a two or of three, you know
you're not going to beat the best teams in the league.
And he looked overwhelmed in this series against more athletic wings.
He shot thirty two percent from three, did not get
to the free throw line in the last two games
of this series. Again, he is a good player, but
(06:33):
look at all the talent on OKC and Minnesota and
Cleveland and Indiana and the Celtics to here comes Detroit,
Golden State, still got it. I just think you have
to sometimes be honest about your own players.
Speaker 2 (06:49):
Where Colin was right.
Speaker 1 (06:51):
Paul Goldschmid of the Yankees about six months ago, I
told the staff most underrated player in the last fifteen years,
and they said, he made seven All Star teams. How
can you say he's underrated? What evs? He is now
hitting three forty nine for the first place Yankees. Okay,
Aaron Judge is from Mars. I can't explain Aaron Judge,
(07:12):
But Paul Goldschmidt as your baseball insider. Okay, wasn't very
good for Saint Louis last year, but he is crushing it.
I do believe last fifteen years, nobody's been this good
and gotten less press than Paul Goldschmidt.
Speaker 2 (07:28):
Be sure to catch live editions of The Herd weekdays
and neonon Eastern non a em Pacific.
Speaker 1 (07:33):
Okay, So I do this four times before the start
of a season, when there's coaching changes and free agency's done,
I give an NFL prediction. Then after the draft, yes,
drafts matter, I make another prediction. Then after camp or
during camps I'll make a prediction and then right before
(07:53):
the season, the Thursday of the season, I make my
final prediction. So I've got a lot of changes, but
most at the bottom of divisions. So let's start with
the AFC so the easiest. I would bet my car
on this one. Bill's win it. Dominant quarterback, not close,
and well coached. Patriots. I've said this, they will be
(08:16):
the Washington of the NFL. I predicted Washington and Denver
would be the most improved teams. I'm predicting the Patriots
will be the most improved team. Drake may actually has
a coach and they've made major upgrades. Oh and d line.
Dolphins aren't good. They're going backwards, but I'll take them
over the Jets, where I don't like anything all right.
Next up the AFC North, even if Aaron Rodgers shows up,
(08:37):
they're not beating the Ravens or Bengals. Browns I think
are looking for a quarterback Arch Manning in next year's draft.
I like their GM Andrew Berry and Kevin Stefanski don't
like ownership. I feel pretty good about this AFC South.
I'm gonna make a change. I think the Texans win
it going away and the Titans are a wild card team.
I will take the Jaguars third and all move the
(08:58):
Colts down to fourth. I don't know who's playing quarterback
for the Colts. My guess is Daniel Jones wins eventually.
But the Jaguars, to their town credit, got the best
player in the draft in Travis Hunter. He will make
an impact. They upgraded their offensive line significantly, so again
it's not much, but I'll take the Jaguars third and
the Colts fourth, and in the AFC West, I feel
(09:20):
the same way. It's inches, not feet. I think the
Chargers embodied empowered their run game and they're going to
be a ball control offense with two great tackles, a
great coach, a great quarterback, and two excellent running backs.
They also upgraded it tight end. I think they're going
to be not as much sizzle as you may want,
(09:40):
but they're just going to ground teams. It'll be classic
Jim Harbaugh. Year two. You will be looking at a
team that is completely different than they were two years ago.
She's still win ten to eleven, maybe twelve, but they've
been a second Broncos and Raiders didn't love the Broncos
draft so my AFC playoff predictions, Bill's rave, Texans, Chargers, Patriots,
(10:01):
Bengals are new in chiefs. We go to the NFC now,
where I do have more changes. Eagles commander's going away.
I'm gonna put the Giants at third and the Cowboys
at four. I thought the Giants actually got impact guys
in the draft. I thought Skataboo, the running back, will
absolutely make an impact and Abdull Carter hate that he's
asking for Lawrence Taylor's jersey, but he's going to be
(10:23):
an impact guy. They've already got a good d line.
It'll be even better. Cowboys hiring Brian Schottenneimer, big mistake,
Barry dak Reliant. I go Cowboys in the cellar. Next up,
NFC North. I'm keeping it the same. I think the
Bears eke into the playoffs. I think Jordan Love I like.
I think they're worried about him. That's why I went
a receiver in the first round. They're not quite sure
(10:45):
they can trust Christian Watson's health. They got to make
this Jordan Love thing work. So they had a couple
of other needs defensively, and they went wide receiver again.
Vikings will be a very good fourth place team. I
think letting Sam Darnold go, I think they may regret it.
All right, I have another change. I'm gonna move Tampa
from second to first to win their division. I like
their draft. I always liked their drafts. I did not
(11:07):
like the Atlanta Falcons draft. And I don't know what
Michael Pennix is. By the way, I thought a Mecca
at BUKA to that receiving corps and that offense, he
will be an eighty catch guy potentially as a rookie.
I think he Every GM I talked to when I said,
did anybody reach for a Mecca, They're like, no, that
guy could have been the fifth pick, and it's a
smart pick. He will deliver. Get day one, Bryce Young's
(11:30):
improved Saints, They're done and finally, yeah, you can see it.
I think the Rams are gonna win it. I think
Seattle's defense. I thought Seattle had the best draft in
the NFL. I thought Arizona and Cleveland had the second
best draft. Arizona's defense is gonna be a handful. Their
offense is fine. Also, Marvin Harrison and Kyler Murray now
(11:54):
go to a second year together. That matters. I don't
like what I see with the Niner. I did not
like their draft at all. I think when you look
at the Niners draft, I see Kyle Shanahan taking some
reaches here to help him and not the future he
wants to win.
Speaker 4 (12:10):
Now.
Speaker 1 (12:11):
I didn't like the Niners draft at all. I'm not
saying they're a five win team, but I think Arizona
can win ten to eleven games. So my playoff picture
in the NFC Eagles, Lions, Bucks, Rams, Commanders, Bears, Seahawks.
Speaker 2 (12:29):
Wow, one more Heard. The Herd streams twenty four hours
a day, seven days a week within the iHeartRadio app.
Search Herd to listen live or on demand whenever you like.
Speaker 5 (12:40):
Hey, Steve Covino and I'm Rich David and together we're
Covino and Rich on Fox Sports Radio.
Speaker 6 (12:46):
You could catch us weekdays from five to seven pm
Eastern two to four Pacific on Fox Sports Radio and
of course the iHeartRadio app.
Speaker 5 (12:53):
Why should you listen to Covino and Rich.
Speaker 6 (12:55):
We talk about everything life, sports, relationships, what's going on
in the world.
Speaker 1 (12:59):
We have a lot of I'm talking about the stories
behind the stories in the world of sports and pop culture.
Speaker 5 (13:04):
Stories that well other shows don't seem to have the
time to discuss.
Speaker 6 (13:07):
And the fact that we've been friends for the last
twenty years and still work together, I mean that says something, right, So.
Speaker 1 (13:12):
Check us out.
Speaker 5 (13:13):
We like to get you involved, to take your phone calls,
chop it up. As they say, I'd say, the most
interactive show on Fox Sports Radio, maybe the most interactive
show on planetar. Be sure to check out Covino and
Rich live on Fox Sports Radio and the iHeartRadio app
from five to seven pm Eastern two to four Pacific,
and if you miss any of the live show, just
search Covin on Rich wherever you get your podcast, and
of course on social.
Speaker 1 (13:34):
Media that's Covino and Rich. Now Jmac over here is like,
I you know, it's a little dicey. I'm like, hey,
we're journalists. You got to get on this stuff. Eh yeah,
all right, So listen. I defended Jordan U. I even
defend her real estate empire, what she's building. She's a
go getter. She's you know, her mom and dad had
(13:56):
a business and went bankrupt. I'd hey, I'm you know,
the fair She's like, hey, I'm gonna go get her.
I get it, like I'm gonna defend her. I defend
She's a tough pr she's telling people don't ask that
question and doesn't bother me at all. It is there
are people around Bill that are a little concerned. In
Patriot Nation, if you were on a text chain, it's
(14:18):
just say, you don't have to give me names. Would
it be concerned? Would it be? He's okay because it's
like a thing.
Speaker 4 (14:24):
Now, Yeah, it is a thing.
Speaker 7 (14:26):
And the number one thing we used to talk about
all the time in New England was distractions.
Speaker 4 (14:37):
Let's not make distractions.
Speaker 7 (14:39):
The game's already as hard as it is to prepare
for to play, to coach, and you know, regardless of
what her role is. Jordan, Yeah, I thought he got
an unfair public opinion on the whole thing, because that
happens all the time. Some time we're doing behind the
(15:00):
scenes this that you got someone who represents you, they're
gonna jump in.
Speaker 4 (15:03):
Uh.
Speaker 7 (15:04):
But now that it's it's gained and it's snowball to
the what it's become right now where we're talking about
it three weeks later, it's becoming a distraction. So that's
what I'm sure that's what we all think right now.
This is becoming a distraction. We gotta we gotta gotta gotta.
Speaker 4 (15:20):
Practice what we preach here. Yeah, I mean, Barry White said.
Speaker 1 (15:24):
They're both benefiting from this, her professionally, him somewhat professionally.
So I don't like to be too judgy on this stuff.
Speaker 7 (15:32):
I don't either, but you know, once again, I mean,
we're talking about this three weeks later, it's on ABC,
It's on this, it's on that.
Speaker 4 (15:42):
I mean, it's getting to.
Speaker 7 (15:43):
A point where we gotta we gotta start worrying about
you know, the acc we gotta start worrying about Dabbo Sweeney.
We shouldn't be talking about our girlfriend. And that's what
That's how coach would say to us. So you know,
that's that's the truth. You know, when it comes down
to running a foot organization and playing football, let's make
the main thing the main thing.
Speaker 1 (16:03):
So you were with New England at a very interesting
time when they acquired Randy Moss. You were there for
the last year in a few games. Yeah so, And
I think Randy's better than George Pickens, but I think
both are spectacular talents that can be at times a
bit moody and can be by the way confrontational. That's
(16:26):
not terrible. But receivers tend to be outspoken. They're they're
the NBA dudes of football. They break the huddle first,
they're out on an island. They're often the best athlete.
So when a player like Randy there was that sideline
blow up against like Miami, what does it do to it?
Because Mike Tomlin just said, yeah, I'm done. Yeah, he
(16:48):
kept a b for several years. When there is a
combative player and you got a little bit of Randy,
Bill moved off it fast, right, Like did that happen overnight?
Speaker 2 (16:58):
Yeah?
Speaker 7 (16:59):
I mean, you know there is that's there was a
confrontation with you know, on the sideline in Miami. He
was traded next week and that was my first moment
in the NFL where you're like, damn, everyone's expendable. Randy
Moss just got cut, you know. And and Randy wasn't
a problem like that. But what it was is we
were in the gap of the dynasty, the old dynasty
(17:20):
in trying to develop the new team, and so there
was a lot of young foundational players there that Bill
probably didn't want that to be a scene thing that hey,
this is all right, so you know he he traded
Randy Moss, and everyone in the locker room, you know,
straightened up right away.
Speaker 1 (17:38):
Say so when Randy left, you lose the talent, but
you did feel immediately a sort of the temperature came down.
Speaker 7 (17:46):
Yeah, but you know that's this is also apples and oranges.
You know, we had Tom Brady who had three Super Bowls.
Speaker 4 (17:52):
We got built.
Speaker 1 (17:53):
We don't know who their quarterback is.
Speaker 4 (17:54):
We don't know who the quarterback is.
Speaker 7 (17:56):
Uh, you know, you had other play You had a
young Rob Gronkow and Aaron Hernandez who were there at
that point. Like the team was changing already, so it
wouldn't It wasn't like we just got jumped ship because
he popped off. They they clearly had a plan to
go to that twelve personnel group and that's what we
ended up doing for the next few years.
Speaker 4 (18:17):
So I don't know.
Speaker 7 (18:22):
How this Pickens is gonna deal, is gonna is gonna
turn out because ultimately, I mean, DA's had weapons. What
makes Dak good is when he has a run game.
That's the truth. And they didn't get it. They didn't
get a big time running back. I know they got
a running back in the fifth, and they got a
They got the Williams kid out of Denver from last year,
(18:44):
but that's a quarterback's best friend is a run game.
They have Ferguson, who's hell of a tight end. They
got CD who's gonna benefit hugely from Pickens if Pickens is.
Speaker 1 (18:54):
Count to play ball overage him.
Speaker 7 (18:56):
Yeah, and I and I think Dak's gonna be able
to handle all that. But you know, I think they
need to address the running back room. Some one of
those guys got to come out of nowhere and play.
Speaker 4 (19:05):
Well.
Speaker 7 (19:05):
I'll never I'll never judge a draft pick lineman from
the Cowboys. They know how to do that, so I'm
sure that pick will be all right. But the running
back thing is what ultimately concerns me the most about them.
Speaker 1 (19:19):
So you when Travis Hunter gets picked, we talk about
how is he going to be in an offensive in
a defensive meeting? Actually, when you came out, did you
do that at New England?
Speaker 4 (19:29):
Yeah? I did that my third year. We were down
at Star. So I started playing the Star and.
Speaker 7 (19:39):
We got to put this in context. Though Star is
the nickel, I was the nickel. Let's put this in context.
I wasn't the best receiver on my team. At that
point of my career, I wasn't even sniffing the best
corner on that team. So when I was going in,
I was guarding the fifth to sixth best player, and
the I was getting guarded by the fourth the fifth
best guy. On defense, this is completely different. And I
(20:02):
had two years of offense already in my system.
Speaker 4 (20:05):
I knew the offense.
Speaker 7 (20:07):
So on Thursdays, I would leave all the defensive meetings,
I would have a defense. I would be in defense Monday,
Tuesday or Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and then on certain third
down periods or third down days, which is usually Thursday,
I'd hop into the offensive group and go over my
installation for my four wide group, my package for that
third down package. But everything else, I had to get
(20:29):
accustomed to corner because I never played it before. Now
Travis is going to do this, he still has to
develop into great one of these sides, you know, and
that takes time, that takes film, that takes reps at both,
and that takes coaching at both.
Speaker 4 (20:43):
So it's going to be very tough.
Speaker 7 (20:44):
But I do think he could have packages, you know,
so he goes and plays corner the whole time. Maybe
you have him on a red zone package. You have
six to eight plays that you know he's comfortable with.
You know the quarterback's comfortable with throwing it to him.
And that's another thing. You know, is the quarterback going
to be comfortable throwing to a guy if he's in
the defensive meetings all day, he's not asking questions when
(21:06):
you're installing the plays. How are they going to do that?
They're going to put in more time. There's collective bargaining agreement.
You can't do that anymore, So like, what are we
going to do here? The time is the hardest part
about this, and it's the preparation for playing both sides.
And then you know you're not playing Colorado State defensive guys.
You're playing the best guy in his conference in the
(21:28):
NCAA when he played every single play. So you know
it's going to beat you up a little. So it's
going to be a tough situation to go through. If
there's a guy that can do it, it's Travis Hunter.
But I think that they're going to have to pick
one side, I don't know what side that is and
then give them packages on the other.
Speaker 1 (21:45):
So I think the most improved team. I predicted last
year it would be Washington. I got lucky on that.
This year, I think it's New England. I think you know,
I think they bought about five starters and they drafted
about three. What did you see? I mean, usually there's
a plan, you know, Vrabel, when you watched the draft
free agency, what was the plan you saw?
Speaker 4 (22:06):
Well, clearly offense.
Speaker 7 (22:08):
First three picks, you will Campbell with the fourth overall pick.
That's a huge, huge piece for them. They needed offensive line.
They showed that they needed offensive line. They went out
and drafted guy with the fourth pick that they liked.
They didn't wait and try to do something cute, trade back,
do this, do that. They got the guy they wanted,
and then they get Hendrickson in the second round Ohio State.
(22:31):
I think him paired up with Josh McDaniels is going
to be so big for the development of Drake May.
All our Super Bowl teams, we had Shane Green, who
had thirteen catches out of the backfield, who was great
with protections. We had James White who had fifteen catches
in the Super Bowl, was great with protections. All I
(22:51):
keep on hearing about this Hendrickson kid kids, great with protections,
great with the ball in his hands. Him, Josh McDaniels.
That's going to be great for Drake May. And then
the third round receiver of the Williams kid.
Speaker 1 (23:02):
Have you seen him play? Dude, he have it.
Speaker 2 (23:04):
But I've asked all my guys, he's great.
Speaker 4 (23:07):
I keep on asking all my GM guys. I'm like, Yo,
what's this kid about? And They're like, dude, he's he's good.
Speaker 1 (23:13):
He will start.
Speaker 7 (23:14):
So, you know, I was very excited, uh, with what
they did in the draft and in the offseason, adding
you know, tackle with Moses on the you know, veteran
tackle to kind of help, got a center, and they
got a center in the fourth Uh, you know, with
Williams on the defensive side, they handled a bunch of that.
In free agency, it seems like they're spending their money.
(23:34):
They're they're adding the right positions. Now they got to
go out and prepare and execute it and do it.
Speaker 2 (23:39):
Be sure to catch live editions of The Herd weekdays
and noon Eastern n a em Pacific on Fox Sports
Radio FS one and the iHeartRadio app.
Speaker 1 (23:50):
There's a story out true or not. Aaron would never
admit to it. That Rogers, Aaron Rodgers is waiting for
the TV schedule to come out. Aaron did not want
to do another Sunday night, Monday night, Thursday night, just
like the NFL last year had mahomes playing like everything
but Tuesday.
Speaker 7 (24:10):
I can assure them the Pittsburgh Steelers will not be
playing every.
Speaker 1 (24:13):
It's yay because Kirk Cousins legendary didn't like it. Manning
Peyton didn't like it. How was Brady knowing creature of
habit that his schedule? Now it's Sunday night again. How
did you guys handle You didn't play in the one
o'clock window.
Speaker 4 (24:30):
Much, No, and you loved playing in those one o'clock winds.
Speaker 7 (24:33):
Everybody everyone does because you get up, go game, you
get to watch the four o'clocks on the way home.
Speaker 4 (24:40):
It's just an easier schedule. But yeah, that was.
Speaker 7 (24:43):
One thing you know, no one batted an eye with
in New England. You know what time we played when
we played like the one o'clocks. Everyone likes the one o'clocks,
but I also like the night games. That's when everyone
was watching you. That's when the show was all about you.
That's when you can go and show the world what
you were about. So you know it's a double edged sword.
(25:03):
But you know, this whole Aaron Rodgers thing, the more
I think about it, man, maybe he is really just
that much smarter where he's probably gonna land into like
some team that gets a hurt quarterback that he really likes,
you know what I mean.
Speaker 4 (25:16):
At first, I was so on the fence, like, why
wouldn't he sign somewhere?
Speaker 7 (25:21):
You know, we saw his time in the Jets that
he struggled with being on the same chemistry page with
his receivers, which has developed through organized team activities, many
camps off season, and you need those practices, So why
is he doing it again? And then you know, hey,
the draft, they didn't draft a quarterback. Did you get
rid of the other guy?
Speaker 4 (25:42):
Maybe he falls into something else he wants. I don't know.
He's very unpredictable. I know you think he's predictable though, right.
Speaker 1 (25:47):
No, I think Aaron thinks he's unpredictable. But Aaron wants
to control things. He likes control, and he wants you
to think that you don't know anything he likes. Goes
out of his way to say schefter does know what
he's doing and Diana Russini. He goes. He tries too hard.
It's like when people say I don't care if people
like me, if you're trying too hard to say that,
(26:08):
you really care that people like him when you're trying
too hard to say I nobody know. I think he's
fairly predictable that he wants to He's gonna want two
or three things. He didn't want pickings around. He probably
wants Alan Wizard, and you know, he probably wants to
make sure he's not on seven, you know games at
Sunday night and Thursday night.
Speaker 7 (26:27):
For me, it's just you know, if you're a quarterback,
I would want as much time on task with the
players as you could have, you know, just because it's
gonna be a I know he's probably Arthur Smith's there OC. Yeah,
he's a West Coast guy. He's gonna know the terminology
and stuff. But it's more of like learning the body
(26:49):
mechanics of your guys, having them learn his cadence, which
is an ultimate tool.
Speaker 4 (26:54):
But very hard to learn.
Speaker 7 (26:55):
Cadence is not easy like that takes this time to
get used to. So regardless of where he goes, I
hope he goes quick because it's fun to talk about him.
Speaker 1 (27:05):
I was thinking about this. Matt Stafford took twenty million
dollars less to stay with the ramt smart obviously in
New England. When you guys took less than your market value,
did the team you know, do they say, you know, Juliet,
we'll give you a better parking spot. Did there was
there ever any team guilt that you know, mister Kraft
(27:26):
knew that you could have gone elsewhere. You had a market.
You played for a little, sometimes a lot less. Did
you ever get a little they ever give you a
pizza on Friday night for the fam? Or it's just like, hey, bro,
you're part of the culture to take cuts.
Speaker 7 (27:38):
I think we're just part of the culture. Really, He's
just part of the culture. And he couldn't say anything
because you know, Tom was taking Tom was taking a cut,
so no one could say anything. But you know, with
with the Stafford situation, I completely understand uh taking less
money in this part of his career. It's a whole process,
(28:02):
especially when you're comfortable somewhere. He's at this age, he's
thirty seven, thirty eight, whatever he is, you know, does
he want to uproot his family that probably loves it here.
Does he want to go and learn a completely new offense?
Does he want to learn a completely new roster of names?
I mean there's something comfortable about going to the janitor
that you know for the last eight years and having
(28:23):
a conversation with George.
Speaker 4 (28:24):
That's comfort, you know. And that's what I loved about
New England.
Speaker 7 (28:28):
When I drove in, I had the same lady waved
to me for twelve years and that made me feel
at home.
Speaker 4 (28:33):
You know.
Speaker 7 (28:33):
So at this point in his career, I can completely
understand he loves his You know, he knows the coach
that he's with is a viable coach that can get
knows how to dial up plays. Sneed's gonna get him players.
They've shown that they can draft players. They're bringing in
tools for him. I mean, this is a good spot.
I mean he's made a lot of money. How much
(28:54):
do you need? That's right, how much do you need?
Speaker 1 (28:57):
I mean how much do sour Patch kids cost? I
mean it's your you know who cares.
Speaker 4 (29:02):
I mean, he's he made a lot of money.
Speaker 1 (29:04):
Oh, he's gonna be like four hundred large or something. Hey,
what shador Sanders little hockey falls in the draft gets
humbled when you're a veteran and you walk into a
locker room and there's a kid he's a draft pick.
Oh yeah, he's got a little little too. Did guys
like to humble them? I mean, was that something that
(29:25):
was discussed among veterans, You.
Speaker 7 (29:28):
Know a lot of We had Tim Tebow come into
our camp and I remember to play backup quarterback. I
remember the first day he came in the media was
just like through the roof.
Speaker 4 (29:43):
You know, this is like OTA's and it's like a
Super Bowl meeting.
Speaker 7 (29:46):
He didn't last very long, didn't last very long, and
it was a lot, but he he was humble about it.
Speaker 4 (29:52):
He was a humble kid about it. And he was
in the locker room cool about it.
Speaker 7 (29:55):
And I'm sure Chador is going to be a different
guy when there's a guy who's been playing on that
team for ten years, making thirty million dollars and say hey,
rook you know, hey, let's be let's be seen not heard,
Like that's the kind of stuff.
Speaker 1 (30:08):
Now, Miles Garrett has a way of influence.
Speaker 4 (30:10):
Hey let's be seen, let's not be heard, buddy.
Speaker 7 (30:12):
Let's that's the kind of thing that the older guys
used to say to us.
Speaker 1 (30:16):
Okay, it was announced this week. Finally, Julian, you were
voted into the Patriots Hall of Fame, which is is incredible.
And I saw the video with your father. Take me
back to the first game you were It was a
four year journey to really become Yeah, take me back
(30:38):
first to the minute you made the team and the
call with your dad.
Speaker 7 (30:45):
It was a weird situation because my first preseason game,
west didn't play. It was Tom's first game back from
the Aco, so they wanted to get him some game reps.
Speaker 4 (30:57):
He wanted to give game reps, and so Weston.
Speaker 7 (31:00):
I caught a few balls from him and that was
a big thing, and a house to punt, and I
had a kickoff tackle to open the game.
Speaker 4 (31:08):
So I was making plays.
Speaker 7 (31:11):
But then the next game I sprained my foot and
I was out for the next three weeks.
Speaker 4 (31:15):
So I was up in the air. I didn't know
if I was making the team.
Speaker 7 (31:18):
And Billy O'Brien's over here playing with me, like you know,
Buffalo week one, hopefully you're there for the in like you.
Speaker 4 (31:25):
Know, messing with me.
Speaker 7 (31:27):
But knew I was gonna make the team, so I
didn't really have that moment where like, hey, you made
the team. We went into Week one and in New
England there's still parts moving throughout the years. So I
never really called my dad and told them, hey, Dad,
I made the team. I said, Dad, I'm still around
right now. Okay, So I'll let you know. If I
(31:49):
call you the next time, it's probably because I'm coming home.
Speaker 1 (31:53):
But there was a moment at some point, and you're
in Tom's relationship where you could sense he trusted you.
That's big for Yeah, when was that.
Speaker 7 (32:05):
I would say probably that Buffalo the Week one Buffalo
game in twenty thirteen where you know, I grunk, I
blew out his back.
Speaker 4 (32:17):
We signed Amondola, he ripped out.
Speaker 8 (32:19):
His his his adductor and so and Hernandez was gone
by then, so there was no no one else to
really throw to, and so he kind of had to
and then we bawled out.
Speaker 7 (32:31):
We won that game, and that's when I felt like
the trust was was really coming.
Speaker 4 (32:36):
Now.
Speaker 7 (32:37):
I put in a whole lot of sweat equity with
them years before that in the offseason, and there was
a trust.
Speaker 4 (32:44):
But the trust didn't come until he saw it in.
Speaker 7 (32:46):
Like a real game, you know, and it had to
be seen in practice for you even to get an
opportunity in the game. So it wasn't like you just
got it. You had to continually earn it. And that's
something he always said. He never said, Hey, you don't
just trust someone. You got to continue to earn the trust.
And that's through the preparation, that's through the practice, that's
(33:08):
through the reps. And you know, it was very very
cool for me, and it's a blessed experience to get
to go into a environment like that because you can
become a product of your people.
Speaker 1 (33:20):
You had a market, you could have played again. Do
you remember where you were when you just decided I'm
going to shoot that video at the fifty yard line,
I'm retiring a Patriot.
Speaker 4 (33:30):
Yeah. I was in Austin, Texas.
Speaker 7 (33:33):
I was in Austin, Texas, and I remember calling my
dad and I was like nervous to tell him, like
my knee wasn't really responding.
Speaker 4 (33:43):
And I just got.
Speaker 7 (33:44):
An opinion that they wanted to potentially do like a
microfracture surgery.
Speaker 4 (33:48):
I'm thirty four years old, three Super Bowls.
Speaker 7 (33:51):
I'm like, we're good microfractures, twelve month recovery and that's
just to potentially get the cartilage to calm down or
something like that. And so I called my dad and
it was, you know, it was I need to have
his validation that it was okay, and you know, that
was it.
Speaker 1 (34:09):
What's that mean to be a Hall of Famer, you know, for.
Speaker 7 (34:12):
This organization, which could be argued the best organization over
the last twenty years.
Speaker 4 (34:18):
No one will have that kind of success being.
Speaker 7 (34:21):
A kid that grew up around an organization like that
in the San Francisco forty nine ers. To be associated
with some of the greats that are in the Hall
of Fame, the Tom Brady's, Ben Coates, Kevin Falks, the Vrabels,
I mean, it's an absolute honor, you know, And and
(34:42):
it's pretty cool because I can remember the first day,
you know, getting there, just looking at my helmet in
my blue locker because you had to earn your real locker.
You didn't you didn't get real lockers that you had
blue lockers in the middle for the rookies.
Speaker 4 (34:56):
And I just I would stay there all night. I
never had free gator age shakes.
Speaker 7 (34:59):
I was at Ken's State, So I would stay there,
use all the facilities, and I would just look at.
Speaker 4 (35:03):
My helmet and like, man, I'm on this team. That's crazy.
Speaker 1 (35:07):
What's the singular thing, the singular gift. Your dad gave
you the message that you will take forever.
Speaker 7 (35:17):
No sniveling. That's what he always says. You know, even
if if you come up short on something, if something
goes wrong, there's no sniveling.
Speaker 4 (35:25):
Okay, get to work. You work your way out of stuff.
Speaker 7 (35:28):
That's you know, you through your preparation, adjust adapts. He's
now he used to say, or die. Now he's or
and overcome. He's grown up a little, but just a
hard working guy that a self made man that you know,
(35:48):
the real respect is for people that wake up at
like five am and work till five am doing something
they don't love, right, but that they have to do
for their loved ones. That's like, that's what I've taken
from him for forty five years from what I can remember,
(36:11):
you know.
Speaker 4 (36:11):
What I mean. Congrats, Bundy, thank you, thank you awesome
Julian Edelman.
Speaker 2 (36:16):
Be sure to catch live editions of The Herd weekdays
in newone Eastern not a em Pacific on Fox Sports
Radio FS one and the iHeartRadio app.
Speaker 1 (36:25):
So this is interesting Brian Windhorst is a guy I trust,
and Brian Winhorst has been talking about this over the
last couple of days. If the Celtics lose this series,
and I still think Boston should win it, but we
acknowledged this yesterday. The NBA is allowing the most physicality
(36:45):
that I remember in the playoffs, even above most years.
And we told you and have for years, this is
what the NBA does. It's a different level this year
and that plays into New York's hand much more than
it does the Celtics hand. But I still think the
Celtics should be favored to win the series. And I
know that's looney tunes, but when Horst has been saying
(37:06):
win or lose, but especially lose, they may they're going
to break this team up. They have new owners and
there's just there's a lot of money here if you
don't win. But what's interesting is Brad Stevens is a
very smart GM and he is always ahead of the curve.
(37:26):
If they go after a Yannis and they are one
of the few teams that would have a package to
do it, and he could stay in the East, what
does it tell you about what he thinks about Tatum.
Fans tend to think that if you score a bunch
of points, you're a number one. No, James Harden was
never a number one. He was a number one score,
but Houston mistakingly thought you could build around him. Westbrook,
(37:49):
Chris Paul, he didn't work with anybody because he doesn't
work on the defensive end. And he's flighty and flaky. Okay,
so he's not a number one. He's a number one score.
Kawhi and MB to me, they can't be number ones.
They're never available. You can't have a quarterback play eleven
to twelve games a year. That's not I don't care.
I don't care. If there as good as Lamar Jackson,
(38:11):
you gotta be there every single Sunday, plan hurt, you
gotta be there. And so the NBA now even has
minimums for awards. You have to play so many games.
So I've always said this, I've always called Anthony Davis
the best number two in the sport. Is that he
has the talent to be a one, but you can't
(38:31):
really depend on him. Sometimes he's there, sometimes offensively he's
not present. So if I had to pick a starting
five with one bench guy as the best number twos
in the league. Many of these feel like number ones.
I'd have Jimmy Butler, Jalen Brown, Chet Holmgren, Anthony Davis,
Kawhi Leonard and KD. And you think Kadi's a one, No,
(38:54):
he's not. You can't build around him. He's a wanderer.
You can never get an am answer. He didn't like
confrontation in the locker room from Draymon or on the bench.
Steph is a one. Kd's personality. His game's a one,
so is John Moran's game, so is Zion Williamson's game.
But they're two's gifted twos. So to me, there are
(39:18):
four things you need to be a one production. I mean,
you can't score twelve a game and be a one production.
Number two physical and emotional reliability. You gotta be there.
You gotta have your head on straight. That's Harden, not
a one. Number three is durability. Kawhi, you gotta play.
(39:40):
And number four is dog. Gotta be a dog. And
that's where Jason Tatum. And I'm not saying Tatum's not
a one, but he struggles with the fourth one. He
got me talked into it even when he didn't play
much in the Olympics in his prime. His response was, well,
(40:01):
it's just part of basketball. You think you're gonna sit
Kobe and MJ not here from it. You think you're
gonna sit Lebron and not here from it. He was like, Eh,
Michael Jordan still holds a grudge because Isaiah Thomas froz
him out in an All Star Game. In an All
Star game, Number four is dog. You want the ball
(40:25):
and you demand. When I watched Jason Tatum's last shot,
he goes left, chooses the wrong side, works himself into
a double, goes into the defender, and shoots a fall away.
Two of his last three shots were followays. I'm not
denying he's a one, but he struggles with dog. He
(40:45):
just does. And so I'm fascinated to see what Brad
Stevens does. When they brought in Poor Zingis and Drew Holliday,
what they were telling you was, you know, we need
to bring in two more offensive guys because sometimes our
guy is not quite as dependable in big spots as
(41:08):
we like. I always said this, you can tell what
a team thinks of its quarterbacks by the plays it calls.
You can tell what a GM thinks of his stars
by what he surrounds him with. So if they said,
we'll get rid of Jaylen Brown, will do this, We'll
do this, will do this, will do this, We'll bring
in Yannis, they're telling you, yes, Sometimes with Tatum, we're
(41:32):
we're not sure. If he got that dog. Yannis may
not be able to hit a free throw. He wants
to dominate. Okay, Lebrono was wanted to Michael. We all
know the players bird magic. We all know doesn't mean
it played great in every game six and seven. I'm
not saying that everybody has bad games. Here's Rick Buker
yesterday on Tatum doesn't have a go to spot.
Speaker 4 (41:53):
He doesn't have a go to shot.
Speaker 9 (41:55):
He took fewer shots at the rim this season than
he ever has in his career, and his mid range
went down as well. What compensated for that, he took
nearly half of his shots from three point range.
Speaker 1 (42:09):
So now we're looking.
Speaker 9 (42:10):
At your go to guy, who if his three point
shot is not falling, which it has not in this series,
what's he.
Speaker 1 (42:18):
Going to I've said this, Phil Jackson may have had
the triangle, but sometimes Kobe and MJ just went Yeah,
we're gonna do my We're gonna do my triangle, not yours.
Give me the ball. I think Tatum too often complies
and is collaborative with this analytical three point parade, and
(42:41):
I think he should push back and sometimes, guys, I'm
getting a bucket, I'm taking the last eight shots and
I'm not shooting threes. I'm getting buckets. But he's such
a nice kid and he's so collaborative. This is just
my opinion that this three point analytic parade that Boston does,
he just goes along with it. I see him constantly
beat guys off the then step back and shoo to three. Dude,
(43:02):
just get to the basket and dunk. Just go to
the basket, get better shots. But he is such a
quality guy. And again, to me, there's four things you
gotta have to be an absolute one. And I'm not
saying he doesn't have dogs sometimes, but man, it can
be a struggle.
Thanks for listening to 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 (00:21):
You're listening to Fox Sports Radio.
Speaker 1 (00:26):
Ah, here we go, it's hour two. It is a Monday,
wherever you may be and however you may be listening.
Thanks for making us part of your day. By the way,
the Warriors now get Minnesota their coach Chris Finch an
hour from now. That is a tough matchup. Houston was
so inexperienced in Green that they could sort of manipulate
(00:47):
them in the half court offense. Minnesota's not so. Minnesota's
BIG's Julius Randold Rudy Gobert are all veterans, so you're
not going to fool them. I think Golden State felt
very confident in big games in a series because they thought,
if we can just limit Shehen Goom through Draymon Is,
you know, we don't have a great fear of their
(01:08):
half court offense, and you saw it yesterday Minnesota is
a whole different ballgame.
Speaker 3 (01:11):
Yeah, remember they overwhelmed the Lakers with size, just overwhelmed them.
Go Bearer twenty four boards is golden steaking to play big?
Do they want to play Howard?
Speaker 1 (01:21):
No, I mean Looney's gonna play and Draymon cominga doesn't work.
He saw it yesterday. They put him in and pulled
him out. The kid seven minutes, no post holes, he's okay.
Speaker 3 (01:32):
Well, if he could pull Gobert from the basket and
last three he's then it's game on. But like, I
don't know how they guard Julius Randall.
Speaker 2 (01:37):
I mean, who matches.
Speaker 4 (01:38):
Up with Randall?
Speaker 1 (01:39):
Well, it's funny when Randall went to the t Wolves. Initially,
I'm like, that's a weird fit, and over the course
of a season this is where coaching matters. Yes, he's
actually fit very well. It's almost like when Juju Smith
Schuster went to the Chief from New England. You're like,
he shot and then you're like under their targeting. Even
nine times in a playoff game. He worked with Andy
Reid and Julie Randall's like this is at the end
(02:02):
of the career and like I watched them in the
Lakers series. I'm like, he's their second guy for a basket.
Speaker 3 (02:07):
I think they where's gonna have to play Gary Payton
to defend Anthony Edwards. You know Curry's not and you
know Buddy Heal can't. So like it's gonna be tough
for the Warriors.
Speaker 1 (02:15):
Yeah, all hands on deck, All right, Colin was right.
Colin was wrong on a Monday. Here we go where
Colin was right. James Harden in the playoffs not somebody
I trust to. No shows and Kawion Harden again, they're
absolutely all time gifted. You can't build around either. I've
said this during the year. Yes, he'll give you twenty
(02:37):
eight points, he'll have his quarters, has in moments. But
if Harden isn't scoring, and he wasn't yesterday, you don't
get a lot else. And you saw it against the
Nuggets in Game seven, where Colin was rough. I picked
Houston to beat the Warriors. I thought, you know, I
be honest with you. Athleticism, size and length. I thought
(02:59):
it would be a problem. But too often they were
reduced to just a half court offensive team, and it
is ugly. A Jalen Green doesn't really have a traditional
or dependable offensive game. They really if a men, Thompson
would not have been so good yesterday, especially in the
first three quarters. I don't know if this game would
(03:19):
have been close, but they got worked in the half
court by Butler, Draymon, Buddy Healed, and Steph Curry.
Speaker 2 (03:27):
Where Colin was right.
Speaker 1 (03:28):
I said, before Jimmy Butler got to the Warriors, I
don't care what analytics say. He's going to fit. They
were under five hundred pre Jimmy Butler, and there were
a lot of analytic mavens that said it may not work.
Yes it will. He's a bridge between Steph and Draymond Green.
He's got the toughness and the physicality and the defensive Draymond.
But he can also be a finisher like Steph Curry,
(03:51):
and like Draymond Green, he is often at his best
when he's backed into a corner and playoff. Jimmy illustration
a yesterday where Colin was wrong. I thought when the
Devner Nuggets fired their coach with three games left in
the regular season as they were skidding out of control,
I thought it was crazy against tylu experienced Clippers, older Clippers,
(04:16):
deeper roster, what are you guys doing? Well? It worked
Westbrook was a tone center, Jokic was dominant, Murray had
you know, typically yets hot and can be streaky. He
was at the right time. I thought the Clippers face
just on having a substitute teacher as a coach, We're
going to be a bit over their skis. But they
(04:38):
made great adjustments. Jokic barking and leading, Westbrook playing some
of his best, most important basketball of his life.
Speaker 2 (04:45):
And I was wrong where Colin was right.
Speaker 1 (04:48):
I said, when Texas went to the SEC, guys, you're
in trouble. Bama and LSU Old Miss can't play in
that space. Just reported that Texas will spend up to
forty million on the football roster. That, by the way,
does not count the arch manning money. That's a separate
deal and the SEC schools, and I think they're feeling
(05:10):
it now. And this is why the Big Ten is
catching up. Because the Big Ten gets Oregon big money,
Washington good money, USC spending huge nil money. Texas just
has more bank roll than everybody else in the SEC.
In as long as Sark is there, who is a
more than capable coach, Texas is going to control this conference.
Speaker 2 (05:33):
Where Colin was row well, I.
Speaker 1 (05:35):
Picked the Lakers to dismantle the t Wolves because I'm like,
I don't trust Julius Randall in the postseason. Who's going
to do their scoring outside of ant And it happens
that Randall was great and a lot of people did
their scoring. The t Wolves were deeper, they had more
dexterity and options off the bench, and JJ Reddick I
(05:56):
didn't think flourished in this series. I also thought they
just kept throwing athletic bodies at Austin Reeves. He was
a bit of a no show. I think they should
probably move him to get a big But boy was
I wrong.
Speaker 2 (06:08):
On that series where Colin was right.
Speaker 1 (06:10):
Who's not said this about Austin Reeves. He can be
a four like a Derek White on a championship level team,
but if he's a two or of three, you know
you're not going to beat the best teams in the league.
And he looked overwhelmed in this series against more athletic wings.
He shot thirty two percent from three, did not get
to the free throw line in the last two games
of this series. Again, he is a good player, but
(06:33):
look at all the talent on OKC and Minnesota and
Cleveland and Indiana and the Celtics to here comes Detroit,
Golden State, still got it. I just think you have
to sometimes be honest about your own players.
Speaker 2 (06:49):
Where Colin was right.
Speaker 1 (06:51):
Paul Goldschmid of the Yankees about six months ago, I
told the staff most underrated player in the last fifteen years,
and they said, he made seven All Star teams. How
can you say he's underrated? What evs? He is now
hitting three forty nine for the first place Yankees. Okay,
Aaron Judge is from Mars. I can't explain Aaron Judge,
(07:12):
But Paul Goldschmidt as your baseball insider. Okay, wasn't very
good for Saint Louis last year, but he is crushing it.
I do believe last fifteen years, nobody's been this good
and gotten less press than Paul Goldschmidt.
Speaker 2 (07:28):
Be sure to catch live editions of The Herd weekdays
and neonon Eastern non a em Pacific.
Speaker 1 (07:33):
Okay, So I do this four times before the start
of a season, when there's coaching changes and free agency's done,
I give an NFL prediction. Then after the draft, yes,
drafts matter, I make another prediction. Then after camp or
during camps I'll make a prediction and then right before
(07:53):
the season, the Thursday of the season, I make my
final prediction. So I've got a lot of changes, but
most at the bottom of divisions. So let's start with
the AFC so the easiest. I would bet my car
on this one. Bill's win it. Dominant quarterback, not close,
and well coached. Patriots. I've said this, they will be
(08:16):
the Washington of the NFL. I predicted Washington and Denver
would be the most improved teams. I'm predicting the Patriots
will be the most improved team. Drake may actually has
a coach and they've made major upgrades. Oh and d line.
Dolphins aren't good. They're going backwards, but I'll take them
over the Jets, where I don't like anything all right.
Next up the AFC North, even if Aaron Rodgers shows up,
(08:37):
they're not beating the Ravens or Bengals. Browns I think
are looking for a quarterback Arch Manning in next year's draft.
I like their GM Andrew Berry and Kevin Stefanski don't
like ownership. I feel pretty good about this AFC South.
I'm gonna make a change. I think the Texans win
it going away and the Titans are a wild card team.
I will take the Jaguars third and all move the
(08:58):
Colts down to fourth. I don't know who's playing quarterback
for the Colts. My guess is Daniel Jones wins eventually.
But the Jaguars, to their town credit, got the best
player in the draft in Travis Hunter. He will make
an impact. They upgraded their offensive line significantly, so again
it's not much, but I'll take the Jaguars third and
the Colts fourth, and in the AFC West, I feel
(09:20):
the same way. It's inches, not feet. I think the
Chargers embodied empowered their run game and they're going to
be a ball control offense with two great tackles, a
great coach, a great quarterback, and two excellent running backs.
They also upgraded it tight end. I think they're going
to be not as much sizzle as you may want,
(09:40):
but they're just going to ground teams. It'll be classic
Jim Harbaugh. Year two. You will be looking at a
team that is completely different than they were two years ago.
She's still win ten to eleven, maybe twelve, but they've
been a second Broncos and Raiders didn't love the Broncos
draft so my AFC playoff predictions, Bill's rave, Texans, Chargers, Patriots,
(10:01):
Bengals are new in chiefs. We go to the NFC now,
where I do have more changes. Eagles commander's going away.
I'm gonna put the Giants at third and the Cowboys
at four. I thought the Giants actually got impact guys
in the draft. I thought Skataboo, the running back, will
absolutely make an impact and Abdull Carter hate that he's
asking for Lawrence Taylor's jersey, but he's going to be
(10:23):
an impact guy. They've already got a good d line.
It'll be even better. Cowboys hiring Brian Schottenneimer, big mistake,
Barry dak Reliant. I go Cowboys in the cellar. Next up,
NFC North. I'm keeping it the same. I think the
Bears eke into the playoffs. I think Jordan Love I like.
I think they're worried about him. That's why I went
a receiver in the first round. They're not quite sure
(10:45):
they can trust Christian Watson's health. They got to make
this Jordan Love thing work. So they had a couple
of other needs defensively, and they went wide receiver again.
Vikings will be a very good fourth place team. I
think letting Sam Darnold go, I think they may regret it.
All right, I have another change. I'm gonna move Tampa
from second to first to win their division. I like
their draft. I always liked their drafts. I did not
(11:07):
like the Atlanta Falcons draft. And I don't know what
Michael Pennix is. By the way, I thought a Mecca
at BUKA to that receiving corps and that offense, he
will be an eighty catch guy potentially as a rookie.
I think he Every GM I talked to when I said,
did anybody reach for a Mecca, They're like, no, that
guy could have been the fifth pick, and it's a
smart pick. He will deliver. Get day one, Bryce Young's
(11:30):
improved Saints, They're done and finally, yeah, you can see it.
I think the Rams are gonna win it. I think
Seattle's defense. I thought Seattle had the best draft in
the NFL. I thought Arizona and Cleveland had the second
best draft. Arizona's defense is gonna be a handful. Their
offense is fine. Also, Marvin Harrison and Kyler Murray now
(11:54):
go to a second year together. That matters. I don't
like what I see with the Niner. I did not
like their draft at all. I think when you look
at the Niners draft, I see Kyle Shanahan taking some
reaches here to help him and not the future he
wants to win.
Speaker 4 (12:10):
Now.
Speaker 1 (12:11):
I didn't like the Niners draft at all. I'm not
saying they're a five win team, but I think Arizona
can win ten to eleven games. So my playoff picture
in the NFC Eagles, Lions, Bucks, Rams, Commanders, Bears, Seahawks.
Speaker 2 (12:29):
Wow, one more Heard. The Herd streams twenty four hours
a day, seven days a week within the iHeartRadio app.
Search Herd to listen live or on demand whenever you like.
Speaker 5 (12:40):
Hey, Steve Covino and I'm Rich David and together we're
Covino and Rich on Fox Sports Radio.
Speaker 6 (12:46):
You could catch us weekdays from five to seven pm
Eastern two to four Pacific on Fox Sports Radio and
of course the iHeartRadio app.
Speaker 5 (12:53):
Why should you listen to Covino and Rich.
Speaker 6 (12:55):
We talk about everything life, sports, relationships, what's going on
in the world.
Speaker 1 (12:59):
We have a lot of I'm talking about the stories
behind the stories in the world of sports and pop culture.
Speaker 5 (13:04):
Stories that well other shows don't seem to have the
time to discuss.
Speaker 6 (13:07):
And the fact that we've been friends for the last
twenty years and still work together, I mean that says something, right, So.
Speaker 1 (13:12):
Check us out.
Speaker 5 (13:13):
We like to get you involved, to take your phone calls,
chop it up. As they say, I'd say, the most
interactive show on Fox Sports Radio, maybe the most interactive
show on planetar. Be sure to check out Covino and
Rich live on Fox Sports Radio and the iHeartRadio app
from five to seven pm Eastern two to four Pacific,
and if you miss any of the live show, just
search Covin on Rich wherever you get your podcast, and
of course on social.
Speaker 1 (13:34):
Media that's Covino and Rich. Now Jmac over here is like,
I you know, it's a little dicey. I'm like, hey,
we're journalists. You got to get on this stuff. Eh yeah,
all right, So listen. I defended Jordan U. I even
defend her real estate empire, what she's building. She's a
go getter. She's you know, her mom and dad had
(13:56):
a business and went bankrupt. I'd hey, I'm you know,
the fair She's like, hey, I'm gonna go get her.
I get it, like I'm gonna defend her. I defend
She's a tough pr she's telling people don't ask that
question and doesn't bother me at all. It is there
are people around Bill that are a little concerned. In
Patriot Nation, if you were on a text chain, it's
(14:18):
just say, you don't have to give me names. Would
it be concerned? Would it be? He's okay because it's
like a thing.
Speaker 4 (14:24):
Now, Yeah, it is a thing.
Speaker 7 (14:26):
And the number one thing we used to talk about
all the time in New England was distractions.
Speaker 4 (14:37):
Let's not make distractions.
Speaker 7 (14:39):
The game's already as hard as it is to prepare
for to play, to coach, and you know, regardless of
what her role is. Jordan, Yeah, I thought he got
an unfair public opinion on the whole thing, because that
happens all the time. Some time we're doing behind the
(15:00):
scenes this that you got someone who represents you, they're
gonna jump in.
Speaker 4 (15:03):
Uh.
Speaker 7 (15:04):
But now that it's it's gained and it's snowball to
the what it's become right now where we're talking about
it three weeks later, it's becoming a distraction. So that's
what I'm sure that's what we all think right now.
This is becoming a distraction. We gotta we gotta gotta gotta.
Speaker 4 (15:20):
Practice what we preach here. Yeah, I mean, Barry White said.
Speaker 1 (15:24):
They're both benefiting from this, her professionally, him somewhat professionally.
So I don't like to be too judgy on this stuff.
Speaker 7 (15:32):
I don't either, but you know, once again, I mean,
we're talking about this three weeks later, it's on ABC,
It's on this, it's on that.
Speaker 4 (15:42):
I mean, it's getting to.
Speaker 7 (15:43):
A point where we gotta we gotta start worrying about
you know, the acc we gotta start worrying about Dabbo Sweeney.
We shouldn't be talking about our girlfriend. And that's what
That's how coach would say to us. So you know,
that's that's the truth. You know, when it comes down
to running a foot organization and playing football, let's make
the main thing the main thing.
Speaker 1 (16:03):
So you were with New England at a very interesting
time when they acquired Randy Moss. You were there for
the last year in a few games. Yeah so, And
I think Randy's better than George Pickens, but I think
both are spectacular talents that can be at times a
bit moody and can be by the way confrontational. That's
(16:26):
not terrible. But receivers tend to be outspoken. They're they're
the NBA dudes of football. They break the huddle first,
they're out on an island. They're often the best athlete.
So when a player like Randy there was that sideline
blow up against like Miami, what does it do to it?
Because Mike Tomlin just said, yeah, I'm done. Yeah, he
(16:48):
kept a b for several years. When there is a
combative player and you got a little bit of Randy,
Bill moved off it fast, right, Like did that happen overnight?
Speaker 2 (16:58):
Yeah?
Speaker 7 (16:59):
I mean, you know there is that's there was a
confrontation with you know, on the sideline in Miami. He
was traded next week and that was my first moment
in the NFL where you're like, damn, everyone's expendable. Randy
Moss just got cut, you know. And and Randy wasn't
a problem like that. But what it was is we
were in the gap of the dynasty, the old dynasty
(17:20):
in trying to develop the new team, and so there
was a lot of young foundational players there that Bill
probably didn't want that to be a scene thing that hey,
this is all right, so you know he he traded
Randy Moss, and everyone in the locker room, you know,
straightened up right away.
Speaker 1 (17:38):
Say so when Randy left, you lose the talent, but
you did feel immediately a sort of the temperature came down.
Speaker 7 (17:46):
Yeah, but you know that's this is also apples and oranges.
You know, we had Tom Brady who had three Super Bowls.
Speaker 4 (17:52):
We got built.
Speaker 1 (17:53):
We don't know who their quarterback is.
Speaker 4 (17:54):
We don't know who the quarterback is.
Speaker 7 (17:56):
Uh, you know, you had other play You had a
young Rob Gronkow and Aaron Hernandez who were there at
that point. Like the team was changing already, so it
wouldn't It wasn't like we just got jumped ship because
he popped off. They they clearly had a plan to
go to that twelve personnel group and that's what we
ended up doing for the next few years.
Speaker 4 (18:17):
So I don't know.
Speaker 7 (18:22):
How this Pickens is gonna deal, is gonna is gonna
turn out because ultimately, I mean, DA's had weapons. What
makes Dak good is when he has a run game.
That's the truth. And they didn't get it. They didn't
get a big time running back. I know they got
a running back in the fifth, and they got a
They got the Williams kid out of Denver from last year,
(18:44):
but that's a quarterback's best friend is a run game.
They have Ferguson, who's hell of a tight end. They
got CD who's gonna benefit hugely from Pickens if Pickens is.
Speaker 1 (18:54):
Count to play ball overage him.
Speaker 7 (18:56):
Yeah, and I and I think Dak's gonna be able
to handle all that. But you know, I think they
need to address the running back room. Some one of
those guys got to come out of nowhere and play.
Speaker 4 (19:05):
Well.
Speaker 7 (19:05):
I'll never I'll never judge a draft pick lineman from
the Cowboys. They know how to do that, so I'm
sure that pick will be all right. But the running
back thing is what ultimately concerns me the most about them.
Speaker 1 (19:19):
So you when Travis Hunter gets picked, we talk about
how is he going to be in an offensive in
a defensive meeting? Actually, when you came out, did you
do that at New England?
Speaker 4 (19:29):
Yeah? I did that my third year. We were down
at Star. So I started playing the Star and.
Speaker 7 (19:39):
We got to put this in context. Though Star is
the nickel, I was the nickel. Let's put this in context.
I wasn't the best receiver on my team. At that
point of my career, I wasn't even sniffing the best
corner on that team. So when I was going in,
I was guarding the fifth to sixth best player, and
the I was getting guarded by the fourth the fifth
best guy. On defense, this is completely different. And I
(20:02):
had two years of offense already in my system.
Speaker 4 (20:05):
I knew the offense.
Speaker 7 (20:07):
So on Thursdays, I would leave all the defensive meetings,
I would have a defense. I would be in defense Monday,
Tuesday or Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and then on certain third
down periods or third down days, which is usually Thursday,
I'd hop into the offensive group and go over my
installation for my four wide group, my package for that
third down package. But everything else, I had to get
(20:29):
accustomed to corner because I never played it before. Now
Travis is going to do this, he still has to
develop into great one of these sides, you know, and
that takes time, that takes film, that takes reps at both,
and that takes coaching at both.
Speaker 4 (20:43):
So it's going to be very tough.
Speaker 7 (20:44):
But I do think he could have packages, you know,
so he goes and plays corner the whole time. Maybe
you have him on a red zone package. You have
six to eight plays that you know he's comfortable with.
You know the quarterback's comfortable with throwing it to him.
And that's another thing. You know, is the quarterback going
to be comfortable throwing to a guy if he's in
the defensive meetings all day, he's not asking questions when
(21:06):
you're installing the plays. How are they going to do that?
They're going to put in more time. There's collective bargaining agreement.
You can't do that anymore, So like, what are we
going to do here? The time is the hardest part
about this, and it's the preparation for playing both sides.
And then you know you're not playing Colorado State defensive guys.
You're playing the best guy in his conference in the
(21:28):
NCAA when he played every single play. So you know
it's going to beat you up a little. So it's
going to be a tough situation to go through. If
there's a guy that can do it, it's Travis Hunter.
But I think that they're going to have to pick
one side, I don't know what side that is and
then give them packages on the other.
Speaker 1 (21:45):
So I think the most improved team. I predicted last
year it would be Washington. I got lucky on that.
This year, I think it's New England. I think you know,
I think they bought about five starters and they drafted
about three. What did you see? I mean, usually there's
a plan, you know, Vrabel, when you watched the draft
free agency, what was the plan you saw?
Speaker 4 (22:06):
Well, clearly offense.
Speaker 7 (22:08):
First three picks, you will Campbell with the fourth overall pick.
That's a huge, huge piece for them. They needed offensive line.
They showed that they needed offensive line. They went out
and drafted guy with the fourth pick that they liked.
They didn't wait and try to do something cute, trade back,
do this, do that. They got the guy they wanted,
and then they get Hendrickson in the second round Ohio State.
(22:31):
I think him paired up with Josh McDaniels is going
to be so big for the development of Drake May.
All our Super Bowl teams, we had Shane Green, who
had thirteen catches out of the backfield, who was great
with protections. We had James White who had fifteen catches
in the Super Bowl, was great with protections. All I
(22:51):
keep on hearing about this Hendrickson kid kids, great with protections,
great with the ball in his hands. Him, Josh McDaniels.
That's going to be great for Drake May. And then
the third round receiver of the Williams kid.
Speaker 1 (23:02):
Have you seen him play? Dude, he have it.
Speaker 2 (23:04):
But I've asked all my guys, he's great.
Speaker 4 (23:07):
I keep on asking all my GM guys. I'm like, Yo,
what's this kid about? And They're like, dude, he's he's good.
Speaker 1 (23:13):
He will start.
Speaker 7 (23:14):
So, you know, I was very excited, uh, with what
they did in the draft and in the offseason, adding
you know, tackle with Moses on the you know, veteran
tackle to kind of help, got a center, and they
got a center in the fourth Uh, you know, with
Williams on the defensive side, they handled a bunch of that.
In free agency, it seems like they're spending their money.
(23:34):
They're they're adding the right positions. Now they got to
go out and prepare and execute it and do it.
Speaker 2 (23:39):
Be sure to catch live editions of The Herd weekdays
and noon Eastern n a em Pacific on Fox Sports
Radio FS one and the iHeartRadio app.
Speaker 1 (23:50):
There's a story out true or not. Aaron would never
admit to it. That Rogers, Aaron Rodgers is waiting for
the TV schedule to come out. Aaron did not want
to do another Sunday night, Monday night, Thursday night, just
like the NFL last year had mahomes playing like everything
but Tuesday.
Speaker 7 (24:10):
I can assure them the Pittsburgh Steelers will not be
playing every.
Speaker 1 (24:13):
It's yay because Kirk Cousins legendary didn't like it. Manning
Peyton didn't like it. How was Brady knowing creature of
habit that his schedule? Now it's Sunday night again. How
did you guys handle You didn't play in the one
o'clock window.
Speaker 4 (24:30):
Much, No, and you loved playing in those one o'clock winds.
Speaker 7 (24:33):
Everybody everyone does because you get up, go game, you
get to watch the four o'clocks on the way home.
Speaker 4 (24:40):
It's just an easier schedule. But yeah, that was.
Speaker 7 (24:43):
One thing you know, no one batted an eye with
in New England. You know what time we played when
we played like the one o'clocks. Everyone likes the one o'clocks,
but I also like the night games. That's when everyone
was watching you. That's when the show was all about you.
That's when you can go and show the world what
you were about. So you know it's a double edged sword.
(25:03):
But you know, this whole Aaron Rodgers thing, the more
I think about it, man, maybe he is really just
that much smarter where he's probably gonna land into like
some team that gets a hurt quarterback that he really likes,
you know what I mean.
Speaker 4 (25:16):
At first, I was so on the fence, like, why
wouldn't he sign somewhere?
Speaker 7 (25:21):
You know, we saw his time in the Jets that
he struggled with being on the same chemistry page with
his receivers, which has developed through organized team activities, many
camps off season, and you need those practices, So why
is he doing it again? And then you know, hey,
the draft, they didn't draft a quarterback. Did you get
rid of the other guy?
Speaker 4 (25:42):
Maybe he falls into something else he wants. I don't know.
He's very unpredictable. I know you think he's predictable though, right.
Speaker 1 (25:47):
No, I think Aaron thinks he's unpredictable. But Aaron wants
to control things. He likes control, and he wants you
to think that you don't know anything he likes. Goes
out of his way to say schefter does know what
he's doing and Diana Russini. He goes. He tries too hard.
It's like when people say I don't care if people
like me, if you're trying too hard to say that,
(26:08):
you really care that people like him when you're trying
too hard to say I nobody know. I think he's
fairly predictable that he wants to He's gonna want two
or three things. He didn't want pickings around. He probably
wants Alan Wizard, and you know, he probably wants to
make sure he's not on seven, you know games at
Sunday night and Thursday night.
Speaker 7 (26:27):
For me, it's just you know, if you're a quarterback,
I would want as much time on task with the
players as you could have, you know, just because it's
gonna be a I know he's probably Arthur Smith's there OC. Yeah,
he's a West Coast guy. He's gonna know the terminology
and stuff. But it's more of like learning the body
(26:49):
mechanics of your guys, having them learn his cadence, which
is an ultimate tool.
Speaker 4 (26:54):
But very hard to learn.
Speaker 7 (26:55):
Cadence is not easy like that takes this time to
get used to. So regardless of where he goes, I
hope he goes quick because it's fun to talk about him.
Speaker 1 (27:05):
I was thinking about this. Matt Stafford took twenty million
dollars less to stay with the ramt smart obviously in
New England. When you guys took less than your market value,
did the team you know, do they say, you know, Juliet,
we'll give you a better parking spot. Did there was
there ever any team guilt that you know, mister Kraft
(27:26):
knew that you could have gone elsewhere. You had a market.
You played for a little, sometimes a lot less. Did
you ever get a little they ever give you a
pizza on Friday night for the fam? Or it's just like, hey, bro,
you're part of the culture to take cuts.
Speaker 7 (27:38):
I think we're just part of the culture. Really, He's
just part of the culture. And he couldn't say anything
because you know, Tom was taking Tom was taking a cut,
so no one could say anything. But you know, with
with the Stafford situation, I completely understand uh taking less
money in this part of his career. It's a whole process,
(28:02):
especially when you're comfortable somewhere. He's at this age, he's
thirty seven, thirty eight, whatever he is, you know, does
he want to uproot his family that probably loves it here.
Does he want to go and learn a completely new offense?
Does he want to learn a completely new roster of names?
I mean there's something comfortable about going to the janitor
that you know for the last eight years and having
(28:23):
a conversation with George.
Speaker 4 (28:24):
That's comfort, you know. And that's what I loved about
New England.
Speaker 7 (28:28):
When I drove in, I had the same lady waved
to me for twelve years and that made me feel
at home.
Speaker 4 (28:33):
You know.
Speaker 7 (28:33):
So at this point in his career, I can completely
understand he loves his You know, he knows the coach
that he's with is a viable coach that can get
knows how to dial up plays. Sneed's gonna get him players.
They've shown that they can draft players. They're bringing in
tools for him. I mean, this is a good spot.
I mean he's made a lot of money. How much
(28:54):
do you need? That's right, how much do you need?
Speaker 1 (28:57):
I mean how much do sour Patch kids cost? I
mean it's your you know who cares.
Speaker 4 (29:02):
I mean, he's he made a lot of money.
Speaker 1 (29:04):
Oh, he's gonna be like four hundred large or something. Hey,
what shador Sanders little hockey falls in the draft gets
humbled when you're a veteran and you walk into a
locker room and there's a kid he's a draft pick.
Oh yeah, he's got a little little too. Did guys
like to humble them? I mean, was that something that
(29:25):
was discussed among veterans, You.
Speaker 7 (29:28):
Know a lot of We had Tim Tebow come into
our camp and I remember to play backup quarterback. I
remember the first day he came in the media was
just like through the roof.
Speaker 4 (29:43):
You know, this is like OTA's and it's like a
Super Bowl meeting.
Speaker 7 (29:46):
He didn't last very long, didn't last very long, and
it was a lot, but he he was humble about it.
Speaker 4 (29:52):
He was a humble kid about it. And he was
in the locker room cool about it.
Speaker 7 (29:55):
And I'm sure Chador is going to be a different
guy when there's a guy who's been playing on that
team for ten years, making thirty million dollars and say hey,
rook you know, hey, let's be let's be seen not heard,
Like that's the kind of stuff.
Speaker 1 (30:08):
Now, Miles Garrett has a way of influence.
Speaker 4 (30:10):
Hey let's be seen, let's not be heard, buddy.
Speaker 7 (30:12):
Let's that's the kind of thing that the older guys
used to say to us.
Speaker 1 (30:16):
Okay, it was announced this week. Finally, Julian, you were
voted into the Patriots Hall of Fame, which is is incredible.
And I saw the video with your father. Take me
back to the first game you were It was a
four year journey to really become Yeah, take me back
(30:38):
first to the minute you made the team and the
call with your dad.
Speaker 7 (30:45):
It was a weird situation because my first preseason game,
west didn't play. It was Tom's first game back from
the Aco, so they wanted to get him some game reps.
Speaker 4 (30:57):
He wanted to give game reps, and so Weston.
Speaker 7 (31:00):
I caught a few balls from him and that was
a big thing, and a house to punt, and I
had a kickoff tackle to open the game.
Speaker 4 (31:08):
So I was making plays.
Speaker 7 (31:11):
But then the next game I sprained my foot and
I was out for the next three weeks.
Speaker 4 (31:15):
So I was up in the air. I didn't know
if I was making the team.
Speaker 7 (31:18):
And Billy O'Brien's over here playing with me, like you know,
Buffalo week one, hopefully you're there for the in like you.
Speaker 4 (31:25):
Know, messing with me.
Speaker 7 (31:27):
But knew I was gonna make the team, so I
didn't really have that moment where like, hey, you made
the team. We went into Week one and in New
England there's still parts moving throughout the years. So I
never really called my dad and told them, hey, Dad,
I made the team. I said, Dad, I'm still around
right now. Okay, So I'll let you know. If I
(31:49):
call you the next time, it's probably because I'm coming home.
Speaker 1 (31:53):
But there was a moment at some point, and you're
in Tom's relationship where you could sense he trusted you.
That's big for Yeah, when was that.
Speaker 7 (32:05):
I would say probably that Buffalo the Week one Buffalo
game in twenty thirteen where you know, I grunk, I
blew out his back.
Speaker 4 (32:17):
We signed Amondola, he ripped out.
Speaker 8 (32:19):
His his his adductor and so and Hernandez was gone
by then, so there was no no one else to
really throw to, and so he kind of had to
and then we bawled out.
Speaker 7 (32:31):
We won that game, and that's when I felt like
the trust was was really coming.
Speaker 4 (32:36):
Now.
Speaker 7 (32:37):
I put in a whole lot of sweat equity with
them years before that in the offseason, and there was
a trust.
Speaker 4 (32:44):
But the trust didn't come until he saw it in.
Speaker 7 (32:46):
Like a real game, you know, and it had to
be seen in practice for you even to get an
opportunity in the game. So it wasn't like you just
got it. You had to continually earn it. And that's
something he always said. He never said, Hey, you don't
just trust someone. You got to continue to earn the trust.
And that's through the preparation, that's through the practice, that's
(33:08):
through the reps. And you know, it was very very
cool for me, and it's a blessed experience to get
to go into a environment like that because you can
become a product of your people.
Speaker 1 (33:20):
You had a market, you could have played again. Do
you remember where you were when you just decided I'm
going to shoot that video at the fifty yard line,
I'm retiring a Patriot.
Speaker 4 (33:30):
Yeah. I was in Austin, Texas.
Speaker 7 (33:33):
I was in Austin, Texas, and I remember calling my
dad and I was like nervous to tell him, like
my knee wasn't really responding.
Speaker 4 (33:43):
And I just got.
Speaker 7 (33:44):
An opinion that they wanted to potentially do like a
microfracture surgery.
Speaker 4 (33:48):
I'm thirty four years old, three Super Bowls.
Speaker 7 (33:51):
I'm like, we're good microfractures, twelve month recovery and that's
just to potentially get the cartilage to calm down or
something like that. And so I called my dad and
it was, you know, it was I need to have
his validation that it was okay, and you know, that
was it.
Speaker 1 (34:09):
What's that mean to be a Hall of Famer, you know, for.
Speaker 7 (34:12):
This organization, which could be argued the best organization over
the last twenty years.
Speaker 4 (34:18):
No one will have that kind of success being.
Speaker 7 (34:21):
A kid that grew up around an organization like that
in the San Francisco forty nine ers. To be associated
with some of the greats that are in the Hall
of Fame, the Tom Brady's, Ben Coates, Kevin Falks, the Vrabels,
I mean, it's an absolute honor, you know, And and
(34:42):
it's pretty cool because I can remember the first day,
you know, getting there, just looking at my helmet in
my blue locker because you had to earn your real locker.
You didn't you didn't get real lockers that you had
blue lockers in the middle for the rookies.
Speaker 4 (34:56):
And I just I would stay there all night. I
never had free gator age shakes.
Speaker 7 (34:59):
I was at Ken's State, So I would stay there,
use all the facilities, and I would just look at.
Speaker 4 (35:03):
My helmet and like, man, I'm on this team. That's crazy.
Speaker 1 (35:07):
What's the singular thing, the singular gift. Your dad gave
you the message that you will take forever.
Speaker 7 (35:17):
No sniveling. That's what he always says. You know, even
if if you come up short on something, if something
goes wrong, there's no sniveling.
Speaker 4 (35:25):
Okay, get to work. You work your way out of stuff.
Speaker 7 (35:28):
That's you know, you through your preparation, adjust adapts. He's
now he used to say, or die. Now he's or
and overcome. He's grown up a little, but just a
hard working guy that a self made man that you know,
(35:48):
the real respect is for people that wake up at
like five am and work till five am doing something
they don't love, right, but that they have to do
for their loved ones. That's like, that's what I've taken
from him for forty five years from what I can remember,
(36:11):
you know.
Speaker 4 (36:11):
What I mean. Congrats, Bundy, thank you, thank you awesome
Julian Edelman.
Speaker 2 (36:16):
Be sure to catch live editions of The Herd weekdays
in newone Eastern not a em Pacific on Fox Sports
Radio FS one and the iHeartRadio app.
Speaker 1 (36:25):
So this is interesting Brian Windhorst is a guy I trust,
and Brian Winhorst has been talking about this over the
last couple of days. If the Celtics lose this series,
and I still think Boston should win it, but we
acknowledged this yesterday. The NBA is allowing the most physicality
(36:45):
that I remember in the playoffs, even above most years.
And we told you and have for years, this is
what the NBA does. It's a different level this year
and that plays into New York's hand much more than
it does the Celtics hand. But I still think the
Celtics should be favored to win the series. And I
know that's looney tunes, but when Horst has been saying
(37:06):
win or lose, but especially lose, they may they're going
to break this team up. They have new owners and
there's just there's a lot of money here if you
don't win. But what's interesting is Brad Stevens is a
very smart GM and he is always ahead of the curve.
(37:26):
If they go after a Yannis and they are one
of the few teams that would have a package to
do it, and he could stay in the East, what
does it tell you about what he thinks about Tatum.
Fans tend to think that if you score a bunch
of points, you're a number one. No, James Harden was
never a number one. He was a number one score,
but Houston mistakingly thought you could build around him. Westbrook,
(37:49):
Chris Paul, he didn't work with anybody because he doesn't
work on the defensive end. And he's flighty and flaky. Okay,
so he's not a number one. He's a number one score.
Kawhi and MB to me, they can't be number ones.
They're never available. You can't have a quarterback play eleven
to twelve games a year. That's not I don't care.
I don't care. If there as good as Lamar Jackson,
(38:11):
you gotta be there every single Sunday, plan hurt, you
gotta be there. And so the NBA now even has
minimums for awards. You have to play so many games.
So I've always said this, I've always called Anthony Davis
the best number two in the sport. Is that he
has the talent to be a one, but you can't
(38:31):
really depend on him. Sometimes he's there, sometimes offensively he's
not present. So if I had to pick a starting
five with one bench guy as the best number twos
in the league. Many of these feel like number ones.
I'd have Jimmy Butler, Jalen Brown, Chet Holmgren, Anthony Davis,
Kawhi Leonard and KD. And you think Kadi's a one, No,
(38:54):
he's not. You can't build around him. He's a wanderer.
You can never get an am answer. He didn't like
confrontation in the locker room from Draymon or on the bench.
Steph is a one. Kd's personality. His game's a one,
so is John Moran's game, so is Zion Williamson's game.
But they're two's gifted twos. So to me, there are
(39:18):
four things you need to be a one production. I mean,
you can't score twelve a game and be a one production.
Number two physical and emotional reliability. You gotta be there.
You gotta have your head on straight. That's Harden, not
a one. Number three is durability. Kawhi, you gotta play.
(39:40):
And number four is dog. Gotta be a dog. And
that's where Jason Tatum. And I'm not saying Tatum's not
a one, but he struggles with the fourth one. He
got me talked into it even when he didn't play
much in the Olympics in his prime. His response was, well,
(40:01):
it's just part of basketball. You think you're gonna sit
Kobe and MJ not here from it. You think you're
gonna sit Lebron and not here from it. He was like, Eh,
Michael Jordan still holds a grudge because Isaiah Thomas froz
him out in an All Star Game. In an All
Star game, Number four is dog. You want the ball
(40:25):
and you demand. When I watched Jason Tatum's last shot,
he goes left, chooses the wrong side, works himself into
a double, goes into the defender, and shoots a fall away.
Two of his last three shots were followays. I'm not
denying he's a one, but he struggles with dog. He
(40:45):
just does. And so I'm fascinated to see what Brad
Stevens does. When they brought in Poor Zingis and Drew Holliday,
what they were telling you was, you know, we need
to bring in two more offensive guys because sometimes our
guy is not quite as dependable in big spots as
(41:08):
we like. I always said this, you can tell what
a team thinks of its quarterbacks by the plays it calls.
You can tell what a GM thinks of his stars
by what he surrounds him with. So if they said,
we'll get rid of Jaylen Brown, will do this, We'll
do this, will do this, will do this, We'll bring
in Yannis, they're telling you, yes, Sometimes with Tatum, we're
(41:32):
we're not sure. If he got that dog. Yannis may
not be able to hit a free throw. He wants
to dominate. Okay, Lebrono was wanted to Michael. We all
know the players bird magic. We all know doesn't mean
it played great in every game six and seven. I'm
not saying that everybody has bad games. Here's Rick Buker
yesterday on Tatum doesn't have a go to spot.
Speaker 4 (41:53):
He doesn't have a go to shot.
Speaker 9 (41:55):
He took fewer shots at the rim this season than
he ever has in his career, and his mid range
went down as well. What compensated for that, he took
nearly half of his shots from three point range.
Speaker 1 (42:09):
So now we're looking.
Speaker 9 (42:10):
At your go to guy, who if his three point
shot is not falling, which it has not in this series,
what's he.
Speaker 1 (42:18):
Going to I've said this, Phil Jackson may have had
the triangle, but sometimes Kobe and MJ just went Yeah,
we're gonna do my We're gonna do my triangle, not yours.
Give me the ball. I think Tatum too often complies
and is collaborative with this analytical three point parade, and
(42:41):
I think he should push back and sometimes, guys, I'm
getting a bucket, I'm taking the last eight shots and
I'm not shooting threes. I'm getting buckets. But he's such
a nice kid and he's so collaborative. This is just
my opinion that this three point analytic parade that Boston does,
he just goes along with it. I see him constantly
beat guys off the then step back and shoo to three. Dude,
(43:02):
just get to the basket and dunk. Just go to
the basket, get better shots. But he is such a
quality guy. And again, to me, there's four things you
gotta have to be an absolute one. And I'm not
saying he doesn't have dogs sometimes, but man, it can
be a struggle.
Hosts And Creators
Colin Cowherd
Jason McIntyre
Popular Podcasts
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
24/7 News: The Latest
The latest news in 4 minutes updated every hour, every day.
Therapy Gecko
An unlicensed lizard psychologist travels the universe talking to strangers about absolutely nothing. TO CALL THE GECKO: follow me on https://www.twitch.tv/lyleforever to get a notification for when I am taking calls. I am usually live Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays but lately a lot of other times too. I am a gecko.