July 18, 2025 • 41 mins
Colin talks to The Athletic Steelers Reporter Mike DeFabo about the TJ Watt's new deal, Aaron Rodgers, and what to expect this season
The WNBA needs to do a better job of keeping their stars healthy
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Thanks for listening to The Herd podcast. Be sure to
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Speaker 2 (00:21):
You're listening to Fox Sports Radio.
Speaker 1 (00:26):
All right, here we go, it's our two. We are
all fired up. We're live in Chicago. It's the Herd
wherever you may be, however you may be listening.
Speaker 3 (00:34):
Thanks for man to have to fart of your day.
Speaker 1 (00:36):
Huge fight tomorrow, Max Holloway, Dustin Fourier in the UFC,
Dana White running Little Lady. He'll join us in about
ten twelve fifteen minutes. So one of the fascinating stories.
And Jack, you and I talked about this yesterday. If
Patrick Mahomes was not playing on a Thursday night football
game and they went to a backup, it changes our
(00:57):
viewing habits and I feel and I've always I thought
about golf. Tiger Woods got me to a TV Phil Mickelson.
If I wake up on the Saturday night, I go
to bed, and Phil Mickelson is two shots out of
the lead at Augusta or a US Open or the
British Open. I'm watching all day Sunday. So Rory McElroy
to me, I think Deshambo's got that feeling. Brooks Koepka
(01:20):
about three years ago had it. He's been off. Dustin
Johnson has a little bit of that to me, but Rory,
to me, really has it. If Rory is close to
the lead, and right now he's three under after two
rounds at the Open, British Open in Northern Ireland, five
strokes off the lead, so he's got a viable shot.
And you know, the media J mack has been sort
(01:41):
of confused with Rory McElroy and so they don't they
don't quite know what to make of him. And you know,
I've thought a lot about this because I love Rory
McElroy and I think a lot. I thought he was
going to be a Europe's version of Tiger Woods. He
hasn't quite become that, but he's a great, great golfer.
But I want to talk about this, And so doesn't
a matter if you're a CEO, a politician or a
(02:03):
top athlete, you're gonna get annoyed with the media. At
some point because they ask a lot of dumb questions
and a lot of times they're prying. And the truth is,
after sixteen tries and Augusta, he won on the seventeenth
visit to the Masters, and it was incredibly emotional for
me as a viewer. Can you imagine what it was
like to him? And so he was really honest about it.
(02:27):
He just said, listen, I don't I don't feel like
hitting the golf balls and getting up and grinding out
workouts because after I won the Masters, which was his
sole vision.
Speaker 3 (02:36):
I mean, that's the thing.
Speaker 1 (02:37):
He just at this point, when you're great in the
PGA over the last you know, the Tiger Woods era,
you pick your spots.
Speaker 4 (02:44):
You don't need to.
Speaker 1 (02:44):
I mean, some guys left the tour. You made golf
seven tournaments a year that you really deeply care about.
So he wins Augusta and it was an incredibly emotional
for the gallery, for me, for you, for the media.
What do you think it's like for him? And he
was totally honest with the media and they didn't know
what to do with it. He was getting kind of grumpy.
Well that's because he wanted to take time off and
his next hyper uber focus went to this at Portish,
(03:09):
which is his home course, and so I think that's
just what golf is, and I think this was why
politicians and top athletes and CEOs now you shouldn't go
to a Cold Play concert and fool around with the
HR lady. But the point being is, you know you
sometimes the media has a right to pry and call
you out. But my point is, I just think Rory McElroy,
(03:34):
it's like, listen, man, I'm not it's not It's not
about volume, it's about quality. I want to play the Masters.
I want it now. I want to get to Northern Ireland,
my home course. So right now he's minus three after
two days, five back, very viable going into Saturday, and
here's Rory today.
Speaker 5 (03:55):
I'm excited for the opportunity. I didn't have that opportunity
six years ago. So you know, to play an extra
two days in this atmosphere, in front of these crowds,
you know, I'm I'm very excited for that and I
feel like my game's definitely good enough to make a runa.
It was twenty years ago that I played the North
of Ireland here, and never in my wildest dreams that
(04:16):
I think that I'd becoming back as a Grand Slam
champion with the support of a nation behind me, trying
to win an Open championship.
Speaker 3 (04:25):
Yeah, this is going to be if.
Speaker 1 (04:27):
I mean, we're not I guess in our space, we're
not supposed to root for people. I'm totally rooting for
Rory McElroy this weekend. I'm watching the tournament with one
agenda pulling emotionally. I'm not overly religious. I'm rooting for
Rory McElroy to just be alive Sunday with an hour
(04:47):
and a half, eight holes to go, nine holes to go.
Because I thought Augusta was as good at till I
said it at the time, that was the best six
hours of TV I had watched in succession in a
long time. I mean, you had to go back to
Tiger against rock O Mediate at the US Open, maybe
Tiger's last US Open Masters win. Phil Mickelson had a
Master's win that was pretty remarkable. But I'm pulling Ferrari.
(05:12):
So we talked about this yesterday on the show. As
I said, I don't think in my lifetime there has
ever been a division in football that's has stacked in
coaching as the AFC West this year. So this will
be the first division in the history of the NFL
(05:34):
that has had three plus head coaches that have won
a Super Bowl and a fourth that's made a Super
Bowl entering a season. And it's the only division in
football where every head coach in the division has either
entered a season having won a Super Bowl or won
a national championship. So usually you have one elite coach
in a division and one is sending one, and then
one who's you know, maybe a retread, but he's okay's
(05:56):
on the brink, and then one that's a total whiff.
Here's Andy Reid, Sean Payton, Jim Harbaugh, and whatever you
think of Pete Carroll, And my take on Pete Carroll is,
whatever you think of Mike Tomlin, you have to think
the same of Pete Carroll because of the same coach.
They've got a trophy, great motivators, great energy, really good
(06:17):
sense of personnel, great culture builders, and defensive guys who
I think sometimes can be a little tone death to
the offensive line in the offensive sensibility. You know, I
wish Pete didn't love Geno Smith as much as he
loves Geno Smith.
Speaker 3 (06:32):
But whatever.
Speaker 1 (06:35):
Also in this division, j Mack. Before you throw out
your all time you know, coaching division, here's something else
to consider. The best coordinator in football is in this division, Spags.
Jesse Minter took the thirty second ranked defense to number
one in a season. So he's a top five or
(06:56):
six cordiner, Chip Kelly. So you know we not only
have historical truths with his coaching staff, and he had.
If Pete Carroll's viewed as four, I'm sorry that's he is.
Mike Tomlin trophies multiple Super Bowls, defense, culture, energy, beloved
(07:18):
by most of his players. So your argument is the
Joe Gibbs, Bill Parcells, Jimmy Johnson and Buddy Ryan.
Speaker 6 (07:28):
Yes, so the only problem with Buddy Ryan obviously he
had a bunch of issues there on the sideline. He
was a much better defensive coordinator, yes, than he was
head coach. But you could argue, I mean, Joe Gibbs
is certainly top five on resume all time, right, Bill
Parcells probably top seven all time among head coaches ever,
(07:48):
oh yeah, oh yeah? And Tidy Johnson, I mean he
needs now introduction. So I guess I could argue you
might have four who have been to a Super Bowl. Well,
I have three of like the best seven of all time.
It's an interesting discussion.
Speaker 1 (08:02):
No, I will say I think coaching is getting better
because I will say I think the AFC North with
Tomlin Stefanski, John Harball, and I think Zach Taylor's better
than you do. But I understand the criticism. That's a
good coaching division. And then we have Matt Lafleur, Kevin O'Connell,
(08:22):
Dan Campbell. Now we don't know what Ben Johnson is.
I think he's going to work. I think he's really
really sharp. So I mean we have three divisions where
I don't look at anybody as a huge liability. Now again,
I think Zach Taylor's capable. I think he's bright. I
think he listen, he got to a Super Bowl with
a terrible old line.
Speaker 6 (08:41):
Okay, is he a top ten coach in the NFL
right now?
Speaker 1 (08:44):
I would put him close to nine or ten. Yeah, Zach.
Remember now, I remember who's his owner, cheapest owner in
the roar.
Speaker 6 (08:52):
Remember who's his quarterback?
Speaker 1 (08:53):
That's his his quarterback's hurt. Often his owner is the
cheapest in the league, and the front office is one
of the smallest. Scouting departments, so you have to add contact.
Like I always say about brock Perty, it helps when
you have Kyle Shanahan. If you look at Zach Taylor,
you know Nick Sirianni has the best GM and a
top five owner. Zach Taylor has the most frugal ownership.
(09:17):
They still don't have an outdoor facility. I think they're
the only Northern Northern geographical team without one. And the
front office, like it does not manipulate drafts.
Speaker 3 (09:29):
They just draft their draft picks they have.
Speaker 6 (09:31):
We're just bending over backwards to defend Zach Taylor because
he went to one Super Bowl. Okay, if I asked,
if I pulled the GMS around the league, would you
rather have Mike McDaniel or Zach Taylor as your head coach?
Speaker 1 (09:42):
Zach Taylor, No way, It's.
Speaker 6 (09:45):
Gotta be McDaniel. Come come on, you're not serious, are you.
Speaker 1 (09:52):
The Dolphins in two years before McDaniel got there were
viewed as a train wreck his first two years, he
won one more game. Yeah, So when you when you
tell me how great Mike McDaniel's in in a division
where the Jets have been a tire fire and the
Patriots have been a entire fire for the last several years.
So he entered it at a spot where I mean
(10:14):
he got four wins almost automatically.
Speaker 6 (10:16):
If you know what you're doing, he gets Do you
talk about injured quarterback in it with Cincinnati?
Speaker 1 (10:20):
What about do and.
Speaker 6 (10:21):
I got missing more time than any starting quarterback, and
yet mcdeinal's made the playoffs twice one time. You lose
to Kansas City in thirty Taylor.
Speaker 3 (10:29):
And Mike McDaniel, we should do it.
Speaker 1 (10:30):
We should do that. Resume Zach Taylor and Mike McDaniel.
I would take Zach Taylor. I think you're probably Dach
Taylor has won multiple road playoff games. Taylor had to
face the Ravens. He's got a face. I mean, I
think Stefanski's a great coach. I think Colin.
Speaker 6 (10:46):
Taylor Colin is Zach Taylor a top ten coach in
the AFC? Yes, yeah, I mean he's definitely not better
than any of the four in the AFC.
Speaker 3 (10:54):
Well, let's just talk about that.
Speaker 1 (10:56):
Let's just spitball. Okay, So Andy Reid, both Harbaugh's McVeigh Shanahan, Okay,
let's just get those out. Sean Payton, I'm at six,
Nick Dermott of Buffalo seven, Dan Campbell, Tomlin eight nine,
Pete Carroll ten. So I think Zach Taylor.
Speaker 6 (11:16):
Used Demiko Ryans in Houston has been there for two years.
He's been excellent.
Speaker 1 (11:22):
Zach Taylor won three straight road games as a road
coach and got to win a play of winning the
Super Bowl with the cheapest owner in the sport and
a front office that does no deals.
Speaker 6 (11:33):
Kevin Stefanski or uh or Zach.
Speaker 3 (11:36):
Taylor has won five playoff games.
Speaker 6 (11:39):
Kevin Stefanski has won Coach of the Year, Kevin o'
How about this, Kevin O'Connell or your guy, Zach Taylor.
Speaker 1 (11:47):
So you think coach of the Year is bigger than
playoff wins. That's like saying I won an Emmy or
I got a new contract. What would you take?
Speaker 6 (11:54):
I mean, if Sefanski had Joe Burrow, what's.
Speaker 2 (11:56):
It the sky?
Speaker 3 (11:58):
Rather win an Emmy or get a your contract?
Speaker 6 (12:01):
Well, that's a different discussion.
Speaker 1 (12:02):
I mean time out, that's a different discussion. An award.
Who gives a rip?
Speaker 6 (12:07):
Well, I mean the awards you get gifted Joe Burrow,
your expectations are super Bowl contender every year?
Speaker 1 (12:13):
Cares about awards?
Speaker 6 (12:16):
The coach of the year. He's winning coach of the
year with like three or four quarterbacks. He doesn't have
anybody good.
Speaker 1 (12:22):
Yeah, you and I are just different business guys. You
want plaques, I want pass I don't want well, I'm sorry,
five playoff games, four on the road. I think so.
Speaker 6 (12:31):
By the way, you got easily ten guys before you
get to Zach.
Speaker 1 (12:34):
Tail or not easily. I think you get to eight nine.
And I don't think Nick Sirianni's a great coach. Well
he won a Super Bowl again. Yeah, Sirianni or Zach Taylor,
best GM in the league, top four owner.
Speaker 3 (12:49):
Listen, you like plaques, I get it.
Speaker 6 (12:50):
I don't like platts. I like w's and the Vegels
have not had a lot of those. I don't care
about awards. I want playoff win. Okay, what do you
make Colin of the fact that every freaking in September,
Zach Taylor's team comes out and is ill prepared to
start the season every year?
Speaker 1 (13:05):
Interesting? Interesting? Would it be that Burrow every year is
recovering from an injury?
Speaker 6 (13:10):
Maybe the coach should get his quarterback to get get healthier,
or get on the practice field, or.
Speaker 1 (13:16):
Get ready That was a sophisticated take. The coach has
to get his quarterback healthier.
Speaker 6 (13:21):
Well, why is the quarterback always hurt? Maybe they don't
have an offensive line.
Speaker 1 (13:24):
There's an team, there's an answer. Again, take a deep breath.
Cheapest owner, don't pay for offensive lines. He always has
bad protection. That's not Zach Taylor's issue. Sean McVay, part
of his greatness is less Snead and Stan Kronke, who
he can go in the market and buy. At one
point they paid Stafford and Jared Goff. You think Cincinnati
(13:48):
and Cincinnati would have been paid to Higgins. Owners run
sports if you have a bad one. The owners run sports,
and that's the way it works in the NFL. Have
an impulsive owner. I mean, it's not a coincidence. Robert
Kraft has a bunch of rings. The Hunt family has
a bunch of rings. Jeffrey Lourie's got rings. You think
(14:08):
that's a coincidence.
Speaker 6 (14:09):
Oh, I forgot. You mentioned the Patriots have a new coach.
He's got a much better track record than uh, you know.
Speaker 1 (14:17):
I went to table top ten. Yeah, I think Zach
Tator's in that ten, eleven, twelve space.
Speaker 6 (14:21):
So Zach Taylor hits the market the Bengals firing, is
he getting another head coaching jobs?
Speaker 1 (14:26):
Yes, Yes, absolutely, I would take the under on that.
All right, Dana Whites around the corner. It's the hurt.
Speaker 7 (14:35):
Hey, it's me Rob Parker. Check out my weekly MLB podcast,
Inside the Parker for twenty two minutes of piping hot
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Whether you believe in analytics or the I test, We've
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(14:56):
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Speaker 2 (15:05):
One More Heard the Herd streams twenty four hours a day,
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Speaker 1 (15:15):
We've talked about this that Kaylin Clark is a little
bit of a black light in a hotel room for
the WNBA. She's illuminated things that you may not be
able to see at first glance. So when she came
to the WNBA, just a lack of preparedness by the
commissioner lack of marketing. She really shines a light on it,
(15:39):
and then the lack of travel. Then the Women's Olympic
movement was absurd not putting her on the team. Christine
Brennan wrote about that in her book. And then we've
also noticed that the players were very petty. Although I
think they're getting over it, but she's really Kaitlin Clark
has really shined a light on how bad the officiating is.
(16:00):
It's not bad calls, it's no calls. This league is
insane and if you're a star guard. Kelsey Plumber, the
La Sparks has gone out to say she played against
a San Francisco team forty minutes, only three calls against her.
She came out of the game with scratches all over
her face. They just let starguards get abused in this league.
(16:22):
The officiating is horrible. Listen to this. There's only one
hundred and seventy nine active players in the league. Players
have already suffered one hundred and forty one injuries since
opening day. It's like one per player. There have been
fifty seven head and neck injuries in the past two
and a half seasons. They just don't call anything. They
(16:42):
don't call anything, and like the NBA, they allow more
physical play in the playoffs. But this is a regular season.
You want your stars in the WNBA. You want them
healthy for the All Star Game. You want them healthy
for the playoffs. You don't what I'm banged up now
in mid June, Kelsey Plum, you can go back and
look at that videos getting banged all over the floor.
(17:05):
They only called three fouls and forty minutes to now
Caitlin Clark is hurt. So Natasha Cloud, who's another guard
for the New York Liberty, came out and talked this
week about the ref She says, I'm working my blanking
blank off for four and a half months in the offseason.
The refs here have way too much blanking impact on
the game. Angel Reese has come out it has to
(17:28):
be fixed. I don't give a damn if I get fined.
This blank is cheap. I'm tired of this blank. Kelsey
Plum said, quote, I drive more than anybody in the
league statistically, so to shoot six free throws a game
is blanking absurd. A lot of f words I can't repeat.
So these women are tacked and it's like guys, guys,
(17:50):
here's how it works. The NBA doesn't call a lot
of fouls in the regular season. Why they want their
players available for the All Star Game in the playoff.
In the playoffs, they let more go because physicality is
more intense, there's more urgency, and it makes for a
better television product.
Speaker 3 (18:09):
You don't want to.
Speaker 1 (18:10):
Let everything go in the regular season, so your players
are all banged up. You want to develop these relationships
with fans during All Star weekend in the regular season,
and then if you have to let the play and
the call slide a little in the postseason, a ramp
up intensity. That's what the NBA did, and I get that,
and I've always said the regular season's not nearly as
(18:32):
much fun.
Speaker 3 (18:32):
As the postseason. And for the.
Speaker 1 (18:35):
Record, seven is the league average right now. That's up
fifteen percent over the same period last year. So if
people want to watch this sport, keep the players healthy,
call fouls, especially against star guards.
Speaker 8 (18:51):
J Mack with a news no no turns.
Speaker 2 (18:55):
This is the herdline. News, Hey, Colin.
Speaker 6 (18:59):
Let's start with the Pittsburgh Steelers. Obviously, Aaron Rodgers decided
to join Mike Tomlin and Pittsburgh well before Rogers signed there.
Cam Hayward said he wouldn't pitch Rogers on joining Pittsburgh,
but now that ar is on the roster, Hayward says
he discussed his teammate's presence at the facility.
Speaker 2 (19:20):
It worked out for the best.
Speaker 9 (19:21):
Like I know, sometimes we live in a society where
we want things now, but you know, patience has a
way of you know, paying off and the noun. See
he's at Pittsburgh Steeler and just walk him walking through
the locker room asking questions how we do things. He's
bought in and you know that's all I can ask for,
(19:42):
you know, our quarterback. And as a teammate, you know,
I'm excited to go to work with him.
Speaker 4 (19:48):
Yeah, good luck, listen.
Speaker 3 (19:52):
I think that's the easiest.
Speaker 1 (19:54):
That is the easiest division to predict Baltimore, Cincinnati, Pittsburgh
and Cleveland. It's the easiest because Cincinnati just won't spend money,
smallest scouting department, cheapest owner, won't make deals. Baltimore, if
they're struggling at the trade deadline, would open.
Speaker 3 (20:09):
Up the check book and make a big deal.
Speaker 1 (20:11):
Huge advantage upstairs Baltimore over Cincinnati. Huge advantage in the
Steve Bashadi the Ravens. I've had three different GMS tell
me they think he's the best owner in the league.
The worst owner is arguably the guy in Cincinnati. So
Baltimore is going to win the division. Cincinnati has the
weapons and Joe Burrown a decent coach. Pittsburgh is not
gonna They'll be competitive and viable. But if you look
(20:34):
at what's happened to them post Thanksgiving the last several years,
have you noticed the trend with Pittsburgh. Why are they
so bad late in the season Because their coach is
based on motivation and that same motive, motivation wears out,
Like motivation is great in September October, but you can't.
You can't live on motivation ultimately, you have to yet
you'll live on schemes and evaluation and development. That's not
(20:57):
a strength for Pittsburgh. So they'll finish third, and Cleveland's
trying to get the number one pick.
Speaker 6 (21:02):
Yeah, all right, let's go on to a team that's
way more interesting, and that's the Tennessee Titans and cam
Ward the number one pick in the draft this year.
It's weird he's not getting a lot of hype like
a certain fifth rounder in Cleveland well Wards teammate in Tennessee,
Jeffrey Simmons, took issue with the lack of hype behind
his quarterback while appearing on the NFL Network.
Speaker 10 (21:22):
First off, you know, I think that our team, Tennessee
Titans never get to respect and the tension we need.
I never seen the number one pick overall, never get
to respect and you know, quite Franklin in the attention
that he deserves. I think that's a chip on the show.
You could tell the way he could go about his being,
his swagger hit dem demani like, there's gonna be one
of the ones that you know, we I'm excited to
(21:44):
see it.
Speaker 1 (21:46):
I think we both agree this is if there are
three teams, three or four teams I absolutely feel will
look different this year. New England and Tennessee topped the list.
They will look like different teams because we both like
rab and we both like Callahan, who we think, you know,
was dealt kind of a bad hand on the Will
Levis pick. So I think Tennessee and New England are
(22:07):
playoff teams. They were bad last year. They won't be great,
but they'll be really they'll be like Tennessee's gonna be
like Denver. They're gonna find their way in to the playoffs.
They're not gonna win a lot of playoff.
Speaker 9 (22:18):
Games like that.
Speaker 1 (22:19):
The AFC is too loaded, too many veteran court, too
many Josh Allen's burrows, you know, mahomes Herberts.
Speaker 3 (22:27):
But I think Tennessee's a playoff two.
Speaker 6 (22:28):
It's interesting this whole We don't have any hype. People
are disrespecting us. I would prefer that if I were Tennessee, right,
I don't want everybody talking about me on TV all day,
my mentions blowing up that. That's not what you want
for a young quarterback, right, Wouldn't you rather be rich
and anonymous as opposed to rich and famous?
Speaker 1 (22:46):
Colin Well, I think. I think the Titans are about
as anonymous as NFL teams get. It's sec territory, so
they're not. I mean, let's be honest. Half the fans
in that town are bigger college football fans, volunteer fans
than Titan fans. So if you if you want a
hot in the NFL, that's not a bad place to
do it. It's not New York, La Chicago. I mean,
Caleb Williams, every snap is discussed when I'm driving around Chicago,
(23:09):
it is Cubs and Caleb Williams. Those are the two
topics in the In the fall, you'll hear sec talk
as much as you'll hear Titans talk in Nashville like
it's a it's a so. I mean, you can hide
their slow grow develop you don't have a ton of pressure. Interesting.
Speaker 6 (23:24):
The final story con is the Golden State Warriors, bizarrely
the only team who is not acquired to anybody this offseason.
Speaker 1 (23:33):
Right, and we know.
Speaker 6 (23:34):
Steph Curry thirty seven, he's getting up there in age. Well,
a friend of this show, Channing Fry, believes that at
some point this season are you ready for this, Golden
State will end up making significant changes to their roster.
Speaker 3 (23:47):
I'm not being control.
Speaker 8 (23:50):
The Warriors blow it up halfway through the season. Look
at the trend of where the NBA is going. Okay,
See is a very tall team, The Clef of Cavaliers
are a tall team, Boston is a big team. Of
Denver is a big team, Minnesota is a tall team,
Lakers Clippers Houston is extremely tall. Golden State is still
(24:10):
playing small ball, and I don't know if that works anymore.
Speaker 1 (24:16):
I think he's absolutely right. Absolutely right. I think at
the All Star break, Jason, we love, we both really
like the NBA. You can argue right now you start
looking at the West if I mean, just look at
the West today. We know Oklahoma City's good. We know
Houston is gonna be really good. I mean, that's that's indisputable.
(24:39):
If you look at Denver's moves in Vegas, they're like,
so that's three teams. We know we're gonna be good.
We can argue. But DeAndre, Luca Reeves and DeAndre and
Lebron that's gonna be a good team. That's gonna be
a good team. I'm gonna argue all day long. Cooper
flag Lively, a d kayro that's gonna be a good team.
Speaker 3 (24:56):
That's just the top five. That's just the stuff we know.
Speaker 1 (25:00):
And by the way, Minnesota is gonna be good Clippers.
So yeah, I mean, yeah, again, I don't love them,
you do, but whatever, they're good. So I mean, and
my take on this is where does Golden State the
smallest of all those and the oldest of all those
that they're the oldest smallest teams in that labyrinth of
(25:20):
in the Western Conference, Like, where do they fit now?
Speaker 6 (25:23):
This minor surprise, but the Clippers are actually the oldest
team in the league on average, followed by Rockets, Kings, Warriors.
Here's my thing for Golden State. What do you what
does blow it up mean? Are they trading Draymond? I
don't know. Is there a market for him? Who's gonna
want Jimmy Butler at fifty million? You're obviously not moving
off Curry. I just I feel like they're limited in
(25:44):
their moves and.
Speaker 1 (25:46):
If you y right, difference is the reason I consider
them the oldest team is because the guys that actually
play their core. Yeah, like their core, let me look
at it, Steph thirty seven, thirty five, thirty five, thirty
two and thirty two. By the buddy Heal feels like
an old thirty two. He's not like a springy thirty two.
He's a shooter. So their core is really.
Speaker 6 (26:07):
Old, and they're gonna add Al Horford supposedly they just
get older. So yeah, I'm a little worried about the Warriors.
It's tough, you know that GM. Remember when he bailed
a couple of years ago. He's like, I don't want
to blow this up. Bob Myerson.
Speaker 4 (26:21):
He got out of it.
Speaker 2 (26:22):
He got that.
Speaker 6 (26:22):
What do they say, the last chopper out of Saigon?
He got out of there quickly.
Speaker 1 (26:26):
Yeah, I get it.
Speaker 2 (26:28):
J mcklan news, Well, that's the news, and thanks for
stopping by the herd Line news.
Speaker 1 (26:35):
H Dana White's going to join us. Oh this is interesting.
I want to throw this out. Yeah, just interesting. I
don't want to go too deep into the woods because
it'll bore people. But I think Zach Taylor is a
slightly better coach than Mike McDaniel because I think Mike
McDaniel has a better ownership situation. I think Ross is
one of the richer NFL owners. He's taken big swings.
I mean, go look at the Tyreek Hill deal. Cincinnati
(26:57):
would have never done that deal, the Jalen deal. Cincinnati
would have never done that deal.
Speaker 3 (27:03):
J Mac.
Speaker 1 (27:04):
If I could give any wisdom to any young broadcaster,
it's what I always say, don't chase money, chase executives.
There's the finite number of great owners in the NFL.
So the Dolphins, you can say they're flawed, but they'll
go spend big money on players. They'll go get Jalen Ramsey,
Tyreek Hill, Jalen Wall, Cincinnati doesn't do that. They won't
even pay the guys they draft. They won't even pay
(27:26):
their own guys. So I think having to coach Cincinnati
is one of the hardest jobs in the league. They
have the smallest scouting department, the cheapest owner, and so
I give Zach Taylor. He has to every day he
goes to work, he has to overcome that. Mike McDaniel's owners.
I think he's the third richest owner in the league,
and he may spend money foolishly, but he spends money.
(27:48):
So Zach Taylor has four winning seasons, Mike McDaniel has two.
Zach Taylor has two division titles. Mike McDaniel has none.
Zach Taylor has five playoff wins. McDaniel has none. Taylor,
Zach Taylor has two conference championships appearance, Mike McDaniel has none.
(28:09):
So my take is, well, well, Tua, Tua's made Pro Bowls.
This is not Joe stopping, This is not doing that. No, no, no,
this is not Joe Burrow and Mitch Trubisky. The comp
for brock Perty in this league is Tua. So if
you love Purty, you can't tell me too is a bum.
Speaker 3 (28:29):
You can't have.
Speaker 1 (28:30):
It's like saying I love Mike Tomalin and hate Pete
Carroll same track record. You can't tell me you love
Purty and hate Tua. They're both have been banged up,
both are small, Both neither has a huge arm, neither
a wild So the truth is one guy is resume
with a cheap owner, a small scouting department, and mostly
bad old lines because they won't pay big money for
(28:51):
a left tackle. Look what I'm getting. I'm just a right.
Speaker 6 (28:56):
You're gonna let me dive into these immortal playoffs wins.
They won at the Raiders, care they beat, they beat
the Titans. And again it's not Zach Taylor's chiling up
some great stuff here. What do I care? Brow, You've
got an amazing quarterback now here here. This is the
smart question, Colin. Let's say Zach Taylor's fired and McDaniel
(29:18):
is fired. Where are the smart coaches Jim Harbaugh that
kind of level. Where are they lining up to coach
Cincinnati or Miami?
Speaker 3 (29:26):
No, that's what I'm saying. That's an argument for me.
Speaker 4 (29:28):
Everybody want me? That's borrow?
Speaker 1 (29:31):
No, do you want to work at Fox Sports or Vice?
I have much more supported Fox Sports than I would advice.
I would rather coach Miami than Cincinnati. That's why it's amazing.
Speaker 6 (29:43):
You would rather coach two of them.
Speaker 1 (29:44):
Joe Burrow, I don't know.
Speaker 3 (29:46):
Joe Burrow is.
Speaker 1 (29:47):
I have the cheapest owner, smallest scouting department, no outdoor facility,
can't get free agents.
Speaker 3 (29:53):
I got Burrow.
Speaker 1 (29:54):
It's great, but look at how hard it is to
keep him healthy. They won't best and offensive lineman, and
they won't pay t Higgins and Hendrickson.
Speaker 6 (30:04):
I find it hard to believe that if I gave
you Tua and this team or Joe Burrow, you would say,
I'll go coach to his team. Come on, there's no way.
Joe Burrow is a superstar. I don't care how about
the owner is in the scouting department. Just having Burrow,
you're gonna be in the mix because he's that good.
You got a better quarterback, a better receiver. If Hendrickson's
ever signed, you got a better edg Rusher. You're better
(30:25):
at all the premium positions.
Speaker 1 (30:27):
Like I will say, who's your owner, who's your boss?
And I'm a huge fan, but what does it tell
you that one great quarterback in the entire league last
year didn't make the playoffs.
Speaker 3 (30:40):
If I said, guess who it is?
Speaker 1 (30:42):
Cincinnati, Well, the cheapest owner, the smallest scouting department, won't
pay their own players. Burrow doesn't like the Bengals. Tua
loves the Dolphins. Burrow doesn't like the Bengals. He's perpetually
unhappy with the Bengals. Toua loves, he loves Miami.
Speaker 6 (30:58):
Bengals are his co.
Speaker 3 (31:01):
All right, we go to Pittsburgh next the TJ. Watts signing?
Speaker 1 (31:05):
What do we make of it?
Speaker 2 (31:06):
Be sure to catch live editions of The Herd weekdays
in noon Easter nine am Pacific on Fox Sports Radio
FS one and the iHeartRadio app, where.
Speaker 6 (31:15):
The fastest man on Earth Alex Below looks to continue
his season for the Ages Sunday at noon Eastern only
on Fox.
Speaker 1 (31:24):
By the way, before I get to my guest on
the Steelers, but you could be saying to yourself with
Jay McK and I had a fun argument, is that, Colin,
how could you choose Tua over Burrow? So when Jim
Harbaugh took the Chargers job, he took it because of Herbert.
But the other reason he took it is because they
paid Harbaugh fifteen million a year. The Bengals don't pay
coaches like that. They're also paying Greg Romans seven figures,
(31:47):
Big seven figures and Jesse Minter from Michigan Big seven figures.
So the second part of the equation was the Spanos
family paid a fortune for this coaching staff. Cincinnati won't
do it. The Chargers pay a four for their scouting staff.
The Bengals won't do it. So it's not justusin Herbert.
It's the Spanos family, who I'd criticized for years on
(32:08):
being cheap, are no longer cheap. They just built a new,
brand new facility because they pay a buck a year
for the Sofi lease, so they are cash rich. I
know Dean. I've talked to him about this. We've got
dinner over this. They used to be a fair criticism
five years ago. Chargers aren't cheap anymore. The Bengals still are.
So I like Burrow much better than tua. But Tua'
(32:29):
is not Kenny Pickett. He's made Pro Bowl. His comp
is it's a very fair comp. Is brought Purty, who
I don't love, but he's good, and he Brock Purty
top fifteen quarterback. So like the bottom line, is. I
always said this when I took the job at Fox.
A big part of it was the Murdoch family, the
Business Channel, Fox Sports work, the search Light, they did
(32:53):
movies like everything they touch.
Speaker 3 (32:54):
Worked, Wall Street Journal, New York Post. It all worked.
Speaker 1 (32:58):
It wasn't just Hey what I'm I make it? Or
Hey who I'm next to? So you have to consider
this stuff. So Cincinnati is not a good job because
you get Burrow. You know, you get the ten thousand
dollars ten million dollars chandelier in an empty mansion, there's
nothing else around it. You have to overcompensate. Miami's owner
may spend crazily, but he spends. They'll go get Jalen Ramsey,
(33:20):
They'll go get Tyreek Hill, They'll they're big, big spenders.
Miami spends sometimes weirdly, but they'll spend. Cincinnati doesn't. They
won't even resign their own guys. That's why Burrow's pissed.
He's always mad, he's trapped. So that's why I'm saying
is that I think Zach Taylor has to overcome a
lot more than Mike McDaniel's does. And he's got five
(33:43):
playoff wins and McDaniel has none. I don't care what
he's beating. He's won, he's won playoff games. They don't
even have an out I don't even think they have
an outdoor or an indoor practice. And I had nothing
against Mike McDaniel, but Zach Taylor gets beat up more
than anybody in this league, and I just think it's unfair.
All right, Mike de Fabo, Oh, they just built one
after Burrow gout Man. Okay, they find me have one
(34:05):
Scarry all right, So listen, speaking of getting beat up.
Nobody likes when I beat up on the Steelers. But
I've said the league has gone to protein and the
Steelers are into carbs.
Speaker 3 (34:16):
I love TJ. Watt, but they move off.
Speaker 1 (34:20):
Minka and then they pay Jalen Ramsey and then you
know they're willing to move off defensive players and then
they always replace them with somebody older.
Speaker 3 (34:30):
And I love TJ.
Speaker 1 (34:31):
Watt, but I feel like they're tone deaf to the
current movement in the league, which is pay one great
pass rusher and pay for offense, keep your defense young
and cheap, so you cover the Steelers.
Speaker 3 (34:44):
You know, this is what you do for the athletic.
Am I that far off base.
Speaker 1 (34:49):
Oh.
Speaker 11 (34:49):
I completely agree with what you're saying, and a lot
of people in Pittsburgh would also agree, because this is
going to be the fourth consecutive year that the Steelers
have the NFL's highest paid defense.
Speaker 4 (35:00):
They tried this before with TJ.
Speaker 11 (35:02):
Watt in his prime, where they made him the highest
paid defensive player and went all in on defense. But
because they had no quarterback, it didn't matter how great TJ.
Speaker 1 (35:11):
Watt was.
Speaker 11 (35:12):
It didn't matter what Cam Hayward was able to do,
it didn't matter what MIKEA. Fitzpatrick was able to do.
So here they are again opening another window and supposedly
going all in and doing it with defense and convincing
themselves that Aaron Rodgers might not be in his prime,
but they don't need him to be if they have TJ.
Speaker 4 (35:30):
Watt in this highly paid defense.
Speaker 11 (35:32):
Well, that's the same thing they told themselves at the
end of the Ben Roethlisberger era. That's the same exact
thing they told themselves last year with Russell Wilson, and
we saw the result and the result was no playoff
wins in eight years.
Speaker 1 (35:44):
So does that mean and coaches make more than GM's
Omar Khan just got you know the contract, he's not
making nearly what Tomlin is, And I've had people in
the league tell me that the owner tends to let
the coach get more, say, because he's paying him four
times as much. This leads me to believe that ultimately
Omar Khan does not run the organization, that Mike Tomlin
(36:04):
pretty much runs the organization.
Speaker 3 (36:06):
Is that right or wrong?
Speaker 11 (36:08):
Well, Look, we've seen Omar Khan evolve the Steelers in
a number of ways, like specifically with this contract, there's
a lot of guarantee money involved, and that's something the
Steelers have been reluctant to do, and I give Omar
Khan credit for evolving the thinking in that way. You've
also seen the Steelers become more aggressive under Omar Khan.
But to your point, here's where I'd agree. You look
at the players that the Steelers acquired. There are a
(36:30):
lot of guys that Mike Tomlin has had his eye
on for a long time. DK Metcalf has been a
guy he's talked about. Jalen Ramsey is a guy he's
talked about. So I think that absolutely Mike Tomlin is
one of the most powerful people in football, and this
whole notion that Mike Tomlin makes the most out of
depleted rosters. I just can't get behind that because I
think Mike Tomlin has a tremendous say in the players
(36:53):
they draft, the players that they acquire free agency, and
the players that they trade for. So absolutely, this is
a roster full of players handpicked by Mike Tomlin.
Speaker 4 (37:02):
And so you also have to when you.
Speaker 11 (37:04):
Criticize the Steelers or hold them to a certain standard,
also factor in that Mike Tomlin had a huge say
in assembling this roster.
Speaker 1 (37:11):
We've had a couple of Steelers come on our show
or it's been published and reported Mike that he is
player permissive, which I'm okay with because most players can
handle it, but Antonio Brown couldn't and George Pickens couldn't.
It's an a fair criticism that Mike is so pro
player that there's always three or four loose, immature players
(37:35):
that disrupt the room.
Speaker 4 (37:38):
Yeah, I think that that is fair. There's always been
kind of this debate.
Speaker 11 (37:41):
Did Mike Tomlin get the most out of Antonio Brown
or did he enable him? And you know, we saw
history in some senses repeat itself with George Pickens. He
was not nearly on Antonio Brown's level in terms of
off field antics and getting in trouble with the law.
But when it came to being a profession realizing that
(38:02):
you're paid handsomely and this team is counting upon you,
you know, he showed up repeatedly late for things, and
you know, I have to look at Mike Tomlin and
say that he created this environment where it was possible
for this to happen, because you go back to where
this whole postseason losing streak began. Le'Veon Bell reported late
(38:22):
for that playoff game, and now here we are years
later and you've got on Christmas Day, George Pickens reporting
late for the first game right after he was active,
after Mike Tomlin said that he needed to grow up.
So Mike Tomlin says George Pickens needs to grow up.
His response the very next game in which he's active
is to show up late. That tells me he didn't
(38:43):
have that player's attention. And I think it is time
for the Steelers to change their ways when it comes
to you know, Mike Tomblin always has a saying, I
don't treat everybody equally, but I treat everybody fairly. But
when you're treating people on different levels. That is unfair
to the guys who are doing the right thing.
Speaker 3 (39:00):
All right, one minute left. I think they're a nine
to eight, eight and nine team. What say you, Mike?
Speaker 11 (39:06):
I think there are a nine or a ten win team.
But really that's not the standard that people in Pittsburgh
are holding this team to. It has been, like I
keep saying, eight years since a playoff win. They are
desperate in starving for success.
Speaker 4 (39:18):
And I think that's why you've.
Speaker 11 (39:19):
Seen the Steelers have such a splashy offseason, because they
know that people are getting impatient.
Speaker 4 (39:27):
They want success and they haven't.
Speaker 2 (39:28):
Had it, you know.
Speaker 4 (39:29):
And I just look at the.
Speaker 11 (39:30):
Fact that there have been in the history of the
NFL in the Super Bowl era, quarterbacks over forty have
won to combine twelve games in the playoffs. Tom Brady
has ten. Every other quarterback has two combined. So it's
Tom Brady and it's everybody else.
Speaker 4 (39:46):
And here the.
Speaker 11 (39:46):
Steelers are throwing their face behind assume to be forty
two year old Aaron Rodgers to try to snap that
skid and end that you know, troubling spot and a
troubling stat.
Speaker 1 (39:56):
Mike to fable that was a great stat. Oh, hey,
j Mac, do you give us a couple of gems
like that that. Mike de Fabo comes on for five minutes,
He's dropping bombs like that. Hey, Mike, great having you on.
We're gonna have you on again at the Athletic. They
got a good one in Mike.
Speaker 4 (40:09):
Thanks buddy, Yeah, absolutely, thank you so much for having
me on the show.
Speaker 1 (40:13):
Of course. Yeah. The staff I was, I was off occasionally,
I miss a day and they told me to get
Mike on. This guy sharp and he was so. Yeah,
it's a that's a fascinating stat. Brady's got ten of
the twelve playoff wins for quarterbacks over forty. The rest
of them combined to have two. We're not anti Aaron Rodgers.
(40:35):
That's just the numbers. I don't know where are you on?
I think they're nine to eight or eight and nine.
Where were you at on Pittsburgh?
Speaker 6 (40:44):
Yeah, we'll go seven and ten just because the audience
loves this sparring Mike McDaniel ver Zach Taylor. I just
posted a poll on Twitter. Hey, if you could only
hire one McDaniel or Taylor, who would you hire. It's
early or so far as Zach Taylor fifty seven percent,
McDaniel forty three percent. So the unwashed masses are rolling
(41:05):
with Coward so far, so far on social media, it's early.
Speaker 1 (41:10):
No, I think. I think it's like, if you're listening
to my show right now and disagree with me, and
you're a salesperson, aren't you beholden to how good your
manager is and how good your products are?
Speaker 6 (41:19):
Well, technically, if you're a salesperson, you're beholden to the
regional sales manager, who would probably be Joe Burrow in
this case. They're not gonna go anywhere without Burrow, right,
You know that if he's there, they're competing.
Speaker 1 (41:31):
How do you miss the playoffs with Joe Burrow? It
can't all be that Zach is clueless. He got him
to a super Bowl. You can't get there if you're clueless.
You don't have to be a grade, but you're not
d grade. Dana White's coming up.
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):
All right, here we go, it's our two. We are
all fired up. We're live in Chicago. It's the Herd
wherever you may be, however you may be listening.
Speaker 3 (00:34):
Thanks for man to have to fart of your day.
Speaker 1 (00:36):
Huge fight tomorrow, Max Holloway, Dustin Fourier in the UFC,
Dana White running Little Lady. He'll join us in about
ten twelve fifteen minutes. So one of the fascinating stories.
And Jack, you and I talked about this yesterday. If
Patrick Mahomes was not playing on a Thursday night football
game and they went to a backup, it changes our
(00:57):
viewing habits and I feel and I've always I thought
about golf. Tiger Woods got me to a TV Phil Mickelson.
If I wake up on the Saturday night, I go
to bed, and Phil Mickelson is two shots out of
the lead at Augusta or a US Open or the
British Open. I'm watching all day Sunday. So Rory McElroy
to me, I think Deshambo's got that feeling. Brooks Koepka
(01:20):
about three years ago had it. He's been off. Dustin
Johnson has a little bit of that to me, but Rory,
to me, really has it. If Rory is close to
the lead, and right now he's three under after two
rounds at the Open, British Open in Northern Ireland, five
strokes off the lead, so he's got a viable shot.
And you know, the media J mack has been sort
(01:41):
of confused with Rory McElroy and so they don't they
don't quite know what to make of him. And you know,
I've thought a lot about this because I love Rory
McElroy and I think a lot. I thought he was
going to be a Europe's version of Tiger Woods. He
hasn't quite become that, but he's a great, great golfer.
But I want to talk about this, And so doesn't
a matter if you're a CEO, a politician or a
(02:03):
top athlete, you're gonna get annoyed with the media. At
some point because they ask a lot of dumb questions
and a lot of times they're prying. And the truth is,
after sixteen tries and Augusta, he won on the seventeenth
visit to the Masters, and it was incredibly emotional for
me as a viewer. Can you imagine what it was
like to him? And so he was really honest about it.
(02:27):
He just said, listen, I don't I don't feel like
hitting the golf balls and getting up and grinding out
workouts because after I won the Masters, which was his
sole vision.
Speaker 3 (02:36):
I mean, that's the thing.
Speaker 1 (02:37):
He just at this point, when you're great in the
PGA over the last you know, the Tiger Woods era,
you pick your spots.
Speaker 4 (02:44):
You don't need to.
Speaker 1 (02:44):
I mean, some guys left the tour. You made golf
seven tournaments a year that you really deeply care about.
So he wins Augusta and it was an incredibly emotional
for the gallery, for me, for you, for the media.
What do you think it's like for him? And he
was totally honest with the media and they didn't know
what to do with it. He was getting kind of grumpy.
Well that's because he wanted to take time off and
his next hyper uber focus went to this at Portish,
(03:09):
which is his home course, and so I think that's
just what golf is, and I think this was why
politicians and top athletes and CEOs now you shouldn't go
to a Cold Play concert and fool around with the
HR lady. But the point being is, you know you
sometimes the media has a right to pry and call
you out. But my point is, I just think Rory McElroy,
(03:34):
it's like, listen, man, I'm not it's not It's not
about volume, it's about quality. I want to play the Masters.
I want it now. I want to get to Northern Ireland,
my home course. So right now he's minus three after
two days, five back, very viable going into Saturday, and
here's Rory today.
Speaker 5 (03:55):
I'm excited for the opportunity. I didn't have that opportunity
six years ago. So you know, to play an extra
two days in this atmosphere, in front of these crowds,
you know, I'm I'm very excited for that and I
feel like my game's definitely good enough to make a runa.
It was twenty years ago that I played the North
of Ireland here, and never in my wildest dreams that
(04:16):
I think that I'd becoming back as a Grand Slam
champion with the support of a nation behind me, trying
to win an Open championship.
Speaker 3 (04:25):
Yeah, this is going to be if.
Speaker 1 (04:27):
I mean, we're not I guess in our space, we're
not supposed to root for people. I'm totally rooting for
Rory McElroy this weekend. I'm watching the tournament with one
agenda pulling emotionally. I'm not overly religious. I'm rooting for
Rory McElroy to just be alive Sunday with an hour
(04:47):
and a half, eight holes to go, nine holes to go.
Because I thought Augusta was as good at till I
said it at the time, that was the best six
hours of TV I had watched in succession in a
long time. I mean, you had to go back to
Tiger against rock O Mediate at the US Open, maybe
Tiger's last US Open Masters win. Phil Mickelson had a
Master's win that was pretty remarkable. But I'm pulling Ferrari.
(05:12):
So we talked about this yesterday on the show. As
I said, I don't think in my lifetime there has
ever been a division in football that's has stacked in
coaching as the AFC West this year. So this will
be the first division in the history of the NFL
(05:34):
that has had three plus head coaches that have won
a Super Bowl and a fourth that's made a Super
Bowl entering a season. And it's the only division in
football where every head coach in the division has either
entered a season having won a Super Bowl or won
a national championship. So usually you have one elite coach
in a division and one is sending one, and then
one who's you know, maybe a retread, but he's okay's
(05:56):
on the brink, and then one that's a total whiff.
Here's Andy Reid, Sean Payton, Jim Harbaugh, and whatever you
think of Pete Carroll, And my take on Pete Carroll is,
whatever you think of Mike Tomlin, you have to think
the same of Pete Carroll because of the same coach.
They've got a trophy, great motivators, great energy, really good
(06:17):
sense of personnel, great culture builders, and defensive guys who
I think sometimes can be a little tone death to
the offensive line in the offensive sensibility. You know, I
wish Pete didn't love Geno Smith as much as he
loves Geno Smith.
Speaker 3 (06:32):
But whatever.
Speaker 1 (06:35):
Also in this division, j Mack. Before you throw out
your all time you know, coaching division, here's something else
to consider. The best coordinator in football is in this division, Spags.
Jesse Minter took the thirty second ranked defense to number
one in a season. So he's a top five or
(06:56):
six cordiner, Chip Kelly. So you know we not only
have historical truths with his coaching staff, and he had.
If Pete Carroll's viewed as four, I'm sorry that's he is.
Mike Tomlin trophies multiple Super Bowls, defense, culture, energy, beloved
(07:18):
by most of his players. So your argument is the
Joe Gibbs, Bill Parcells, Jimmy Johnson and Buddy Ryan.
Speaker 6 (07:28):
Yes, so the only problem with Buddy Ryan obviously he
had a bunch of issues there on the sideline. He
was a much better defensive coordinator, yes, than he was
head coach. But you could argue, I mean, Joe Gibbs
is certainly top five on resume all time, right, Bill
Parcells probably top seven all time among head coaches ever,
(07:48):
oh yeah, oh yeah? And Tidy Johnson, I mean he
needs now introduction. So I guess I could argue you
might have four who have been to a Super Bowl. Well,
I have three of like the best seven of all time.
It's an interesting discussion.
Speaker 1 (08:02):
No, I will say I think coaching is getting better
because I will say I think the AFC North with
Tomlin Stefanski, John Harball, and I think Zach Taylor's better
than you do. But I understand the criticism. That's a
good coaching division. And then we have Matt Lafleur, Kevin O'Connell,
(08:22):
Dan Campbell. Now we don't know what Ben Johnson is.
I think he's going to work. I think he's really
really sharp. So I mean we have three divisions where
I don't look at anybody as a huge liability. Now again,
I think Zach Taylor's capable. I think he's bright. I
think he listen, he got to a Super Bowl with
a terrible old line.
Speaker 6 (08:41):
Okay, is he a top ten coach in the NFL
right now?
Speaker 1 (08:44):
I would put him close to nine or ten. Yeah, Zach.
Remember now, I remember who's his owner, cheapest owner in
the roar.
Speaker 6 (08:52):
Remember who's his quarterback?
Speaker 1 (08:53):
That's his his quarterback's hurt. Often his owner is the
cheapest in the league, and the front office is one
of the smallest. Scouting departments, so you have to add contact.
Like I always say about brock Perty, it helps when
you have Kyle Shanahan. If you look at Zach Taylor,
you know Nick Sirianni has the best GM and a
top five owner. Zach Taylor has the most frugal ownership.
(09:17):
They still don't have an outdoor facility. I think they're
the only Northern Northern geographical team without one. And the
front office, like it does not manipulate drafts.
Speaker 3 (09:29):
They just draft their draft picks they have.
Speaker 6 (09:31):
We're just bending over backwards to defend Zach Taylor because
he went to one Super Bowl. Okay, if I asked,
if I pulled the GMS around the league, would you
rather have Mike McDaniel or Zach Taylor as your head coach?
Speaker 1 (09:42):
Zach Taylor, No way, It's.
Speaker 6 (09:45):
Gotta be McDaniel. Come come on, you're not serious, are you.
Speaker 1 (09:52):
The Dolphins in two years before McDaniel got there were
viewed as a train wreck his first two years, he
won one more game. Yeah, So when you when you
tell me how great Mike McDaniel's in in a division
where the Jets have been a tire fire and the
Patriots have been a entire fire for the last several years.
So he entered it at a spot where I mean
(10:14):
he got four wins almost automatically.
Speaker 6 (10:16):
If you know what you're doing, he gets Do you
talk about injured quarterback in it with Cincinnati?
Speaker 1 (10:20):
What about do and.
Speaker 6 (10:21):
I got missing more time than any starting quarterback, and
yet mcdeinal's made the playoffs twice one time. You lose
to Kansas City in thirty Taylor.
Speaker 3 (10:29):
And Mike McDaniel, we should do it.
Speaker 1 (10:30):
We should do that. Resume Zach Taylor and Mike McDaniel.
I would take Zach Taylor. I think you're probably Dach
Taylor has won multiple road playoff games. Taylor had to
face the Ravens. He's got a face. I mean, I
think Stefanski's a great coach. I think Colin.
Speaker 6 (10:46):
Taylor Colin is Zach Taylor a top ten coach in
the AFC? Yes, yeah, I mean he's definitely not better
than any of the four in the AFC.
Speaker 3 (10:54):
Well, let's just talk about that.
Speaker 1 (10:56):
Let's just spitball. Okay, So Andy Reid, both Harbaugh's McVeigh Shanahan, Okay,
let's just get those out. Sean Payton, I'm at six,
Nick Dermott of Buffalo seven, Dan Campbell, Tomlin eight nine,
Pete Carroll ten. So I think Zach Taylor.
Speaker 6 (11:16):
Used Demiko Ryans in Houston has been there for two years.
He's been excellent.
Speaker 1 (11:22):
Zach Taylor won three straight road games as a road
coach and got to win a play of winning the
Super Bowl with the cheapest owner in the sport and
a front office that does no deals.
Speaker 6 (11:33):
Kevin Stefanski or uh or Zach.
Speaker 3 (11:36):
Taylor has won five playoff games.
Speaker 6 (11:39):
Kevin Stefanski has won Coach of the Year, Kevin o'
How about this, Kevin O'Connell or your guy, Zach Taylor.
Speaker 1 (11:47):
So you think coach of the Year is bigger than
playoff wins. That's like saying I won an Emmy or
I got a new contract. What would you take?
Speaker 6 (11:54):
I mean, if Sefanski had Joe Burrow, what's.
Speaker 2 (11:56):
It the sky?
Speaker 3 (11:58):
Rather win an Emmy or get a your contract?
Speaker 6 (12:01):
Well, that's a different discussion.
Speaker 1 (12:02):
I mean time out, that's a different discussion. An award.
Who gives a rip?
Speaker 6 (12:07):
Well, I mean the awards you get gifted Joe Burrow,
your expectations are super Bowl contender every year?
Speaker 1 (12:13):
Cares about awards?
Speaker 6 (12:16):
The coach of the year. He's winning coach of the
year with like three or four quarterbacks. He doesn't have
anybody good.
Speaker 1 (12:22):
Yeah, you and I are just different business guys. You
want plaques, I want pass I don't want well, I'm sorry,
five playoff games, four on the road. I think so.
Speaker 6 (12:31):
By the way, you got easily ten guys before you
get to Zach.
Speaker 1 (12:34):
Tail or not easily. I think you get to eight nine.
And I don't think Nick Sirianni's a great coach. Well
he won a Super Bowl again. Yeah, Sirianni or Zach Taylor,
best GM in the league, top four owner.
Speaker 3 (12:49):
Listen, you like plaques, I get it.
Speaker 6 (12:50):
I don't like platts. I like w's and the Vegels
have not had a lot of those. I don't care
about awards. I want playoff win. Okay, what do you
make Colin of the fact that every freaking in September,
Zach Taylor's team comes out and is ill prepared to
start the season every year?
Speaker 1 (13:05):
Interesting? Interesting? Would it be that Burrow every year is
recovering from an injury?
Speaker 6 (13:10):
Maybe the coach should get his quarterback to get get healthier,
or get on the practice field, or.
Speaker 1 (13:16):
Get ready That was a sophisticated take. The coach has
to get his quarterback healthier.
Speaker 6 (13:21):
Well, why is the quarterback always hurt? Maybe they don't
have an offensive line.
Speaker 1 (13:24):
There's an team, there's an answer. Again, take a deep breath.
Cheapest owner, don't pay for offensive lines. He always has
bad protection. That's not Zach Taylor's issue. Sean McVay, part
of his greatness is less Snead and Stan Kronke, who
he can go in the market and buy. At one
point they paid Stafford and Jared Goff. You think Cincinnati
(13:48):
and Cincinnati would have been paid to Higgins. Owners run
sports if you have a bad one. The owners run sports,
and that's the way it works in the NFL. Have
an impulsive owner. I mean, it's not a coincidence. Robert
Kraft has a bunch of rings. The Hunt family has
a bunch of rings. Jeffrey Lourie's got rings. You think
(14:08):
that's a coincidence.
Speaker 6 (14:09):
Oh, I forgot. You mentioned the Patriots have a new coach.
He's got a much better track record than uh, you know.
Speaker 1 (14:17):
I went to table top ten. Yeah, I think Zach
Tator's in that ten, eleven, twelve space.
Speaker 6 (14:21):
So Zach Taylor hits the market the Bengals firing, is
he getting another head coaching jobs?
Speaker 1 (14:26):
Yes, Yes, absolutely, I would take the under on that.
All right, Dana Whites around the corner. It's the hurt.
Speaker 7 (14:35):
Hey, it's me Rob Parker. Check out my weekly MLB podcast,
Inside the Parker for twenty two minutes of piping hot
baseball talk featuring the biggest names of newsmakers in the sport.
Whether you believe in analytics or the I test, We've
got all the bases covered. New episodes drop every Thursday,
(14:56):
So do yourself a favor and listen to Inside the
Parker with Rob Parker on the iHeartRadio app or wherever
you get your podcast.
Speaker 2 (15:05):
One More Heard the Herd streams twenty four hours a day,
seven days a week within the iHeartRadio app. Search her
to listen live or on demand whenever you like.
Speaker 1 (15:15):
We've talked about this that Kaylin Clark is a little
bit of a black light in a hotel room for
the WNBA. She's illuminated things that you may not be
able to see at first glance. So when she came
to the WNBA, just a lack of preparedness by the
commissioner lack of marketing. She really shines a light on it,
(15:39):
and then the lack of travel. Then the Women's Olympic
movement was absurd not putting her on the team. Christine
Brennan wrote about that in her book. And then we've
also noticed that the players were very petty. Although I
think they're getting over it, but she's really Kaitlin Clark
has really shined a light on how bad the officiating is.
(16:00):
It's not bad calls, it's no calls. This league is
insane and if you're a star guard. Kelsey Plumber, the
La Sparks has gone out to say she played against
a San Francisco team forty minutes, only three calls against her.
She came out of the game with scratches all over
her face. They just let starguards get abused in this league.
(16:22):
The officiating is horrible. Listen to this. There's only one
hundred and seventy nine active players in the league. Players
have already suffered one hundred and forty one injuries since
opening day. It's like one per player. There have been
fifty seven head and neck injuries in the past two
and a half seasons. They just don't call anything. They
(16:42):
don't call anything, and like the NBA, they allow more
physical play in the playoffs. But this is a regular season.
You want your stars in the WNBA. You want them
healthy for the All Star Game. You want them healthy
for the playoffs. You don't what I'm banged up now
in mid June, Kelsey Plum, you can go back and
look at that videos getting banged all over the floor.
(17:05):
They only called three fouls and forty minutes to now
Caitlin Clark is hurt. So Natasha Cloud, who's another guard
for the New York Liberty, came out and talked this
week about the ref She says, I'm working my blanking
blank off for four and a half months in the offseason.
The refs here have way too much blanking impact on
the game. Angel Reese has come out it has to
(17:28):
be fixed. I don't give a damn if I get fined.
This blank is cheap. I'm tired of this blank. Kelsey
Plum said, quote, I drive more than anybody in the
league statistically, so to shoot six free throws a game
is blanking absurd. A lot of f words I can't repeat.
So these women are tacked and it's like guys, guys,
(17:50):
here's how it works. The NBA doesn't call a lot
of fouls in the regular season. Why they want their
players available for the All Star Game in the playoff.
In the playoffs, they let more go because physicality is
more intense, there's more urgency, and it makes for a
better television product.
Speaker 3 (18:09):
You don't want to.
Speaker 1 (18:10):
Let everything go in the regular season, so your players
are all banged up. You want to develop these relationships
with fans during All Star weekend in the regular season,
and then if you have to let the play and
the call slide a little in the postseason, a ramp
up intensity. That's what the NBA did, and I get that,
and I've always said the regular season's not nearly as
(18:32):
much fun.
Speaker 3 (18:32):
As the postseason. And for the.
Speaker 1 (18:35):
Record, seven is the league average right now. That's up
fifteen percent over the same period last year. So if
people want to watch this sport, keep the players healthy,
call fouls, especially against star guards.
Speaker 8 (18:51):
J Mack with a news no no turns.
Speaker 2 (18:55):
This is the herdline. News, Hey, Colin.
Speaker 6 (18:59):
Let's start with the Pittsburgh Steelers. Obviously, Aaron Rodgers decided
to join Mike Tomlin and Pittsburgh well before Rogers signed there.
Cam Hayward said he wouldn't pitch Rogers on joining Pittsburgh,
but now that ar is on the roster, Hayward says
he discussed his teammate's presence at the facility.
Speaker 2 (19:20):
It worked out for the best.
Speaker 9 (19:21):
Like I know, sometimes we live in a society where
we want things now, but you know, patience has a
way of you know, paying off and the noun. See
he's at Pittsburgh Steeler and just walk him walking through
the locker room asking questions how we do things. He's
bought in and you know that's all I can ask for,
(19:42):
you know, our quarterback. And as a teammate, you know,
I'm excited to go to work with him.
Speaker 4 (19:48):
Yeah, good luck, listen.
Speaker 3 (19:52):
I think that's the easiest.
Speaker 1 (19:54):
That is the easiest division to predict Baltimore, Cincinnati, Pittsburgh
and Cleveland. It's the easiest because Cincinnati just won't spend money,
smallest scouting department, cheapest owner, won't make deals. Baltimore, if
they're struggling at the trade deadline, would open.
Speaker 3 (20:09):
Up the check book and make a big deal.
Speaker 1 (20:11):
Huge advantage upstairs Baltimore over Cincinnati. Huge advantage in the
Steve Bashadi the Ravens. I've had three different GMS tell
me they think he's the best owner in the league.
The worst owner is arguably the guy in Cincinnati. So
Baltimore is going to win the division. Cincinnati has the
weapons and Joe Burrown a decent coach. Pittsburgh is not
gonna They'll be competitive and viable. But if you look
(20:34):
at what's happened to them post Thanksgiving the last several years,
have you noticed the trend with Pittsburgh. Why are they
so bad late in the season Because their coach is
based on motivation and that same motive, motivation wears out,
Like motivation is great in September October, but you can't.
You can't live on motivation ultimately, you have to yet
you'll live on schemes and evaluation and development. That's not
(20:57):
a strength for Pittsburgh. So they'll finish third, and Cleveland's
trying to get the number one pick.
Speaker 6 (21:02):
Yeah, all right, let's go on to a team that's
way more interesting, and that's the Tennessee Titans and cam
Ward the number one pick in the draft this year.
It's weird he's not getting a lot of hype like
a certain fifth rounder in Cleveland well Wards teammate in Tennessee,
Jeffrey Simmons, took issue with the lack of hype behind
his quarterback while appearing on the NFL Network.
Speaker 10 (21:22):
First off, you know, I think that our team, Tennessee
Titans never get to respect and the tension we need.
I never seen the number one pick overall, never get
to respect and you know, quite Franklin in the attention
that he deserves. I think that's a chip on the show.
You could tell the way he could go about his being,
his swagger hit dem demani like, there's gonna be one
of the ones that you know, we I'm excited to
(21:44):
see it.
Speaker 1 (21:46):
I think we both agree this is if there are
three teams, three or four teams I absolutely feel will
look different this year. New England and Tennessee topped the list.
They will look like different teams because we both like
rab and we both like Callahan, who we think, you know,
was dealt kind of a bad hand on the Will
Levis pick. So I think Tennessee and New England are
(22:07):
playoff teams. They were bad last year. They won't be great,
but they'll be really they'll be like Tennessee's gonna be
like Denver. They're gonna find their way in to the playoffs.
They're not gonna win a lot of playoff.
Speaker 9 (22:18):
Games like that.
Speaker 1 (22:19):
The AFC is too loaded, too many veteran court, too
many Josh Allen's burrows, you know, mahomes Herberts.
Speaker 3 (22:27):
But I think Tennessee's a playoff two.
Speaker 6 (22:28):
It's interesting this whole We don't have any hype. People
are disrespecting us. I would prefer that if I were Tennessee, right,
I don't want everybody talking about me on TV all day,
my mentions blowing up that. That's not what you want
for a young quarterback, right, Wouldn't you rather be rich
and anonymous as opposed to rich and famous?
Speaker 1 (22:46):
Colin Well, I think. I think the Titans are about
as anonymous as NFL teams get. It's sec territory, so
they're not. I mean, let's be honest. Half the fans
in that town are bigger college football fans, volunteer fans
than Titan fans. So if you if you want a
hot in the NFL, that's not a bad place to
do it. It's not New York, La Chicago. I mean,
Caleb Williams, every snap is discussed when I'm driving around Chicago,
(23:09):
it is Cubs and Caleb Williams. Those are the two
topics in the In the fall, you'll hear sec talk
as much as you'll hear Titans talk in Nashville like
it's a it's a so. I mean, you can hide
their slow grow develop you don't have a ton of pressure. Interesting.
Speaker 6 (23:24):
The final story con is the Golden State Warriors, bizarrely
the only team who is not acquired to anybody this offseason.
Speaker 1 (23:33):
Right, and we know.
Speaker 6 (23:34):
Steph Curry thirty seven, he's getting up there in age. Well,
a friend of this show, Channing Fry, believes that at
some point this season are you ready for this, Golden
State will end up making significant changes to their roster.
Speaker 3 (23:47):
I'm not being control.
Speaker 8 (23:50):
The Warriors blow it up halfway through the season. Look
at the trend of where the NBA is going. Okay,
See is a very tall team, The Clef of Cavaliers
are a tall team, Boston is a big team. Of
Denver is a big team, Minnesota is a tall team,
Lakers Clippers Houston is extremely tall. Golden State is still
(24:10):
playing small ball, and I don't know if that works anymore.
Speaker 1 (24:16):
I think he's absolutely right. Absolutely right. I think at
the All Star break, Jason, we love, we both really
like the NBA. You can argue right now you start
looking at the West if I mean, just look at
the West today. We know Oklahoma City's good. We know
Houston is gonna be really good. I mean, that's that's indisputable.
(24:39):
If you look at Denver's moves in Vegas, they're like,
so that's three teams. We know we're gonna be good.
We can argue. But DeAndre, Luca Reeves and DeAndre and
Lebron that's gonna be a good team. That's gonna be
a good team. I'm gonna argue all day long. Cooper
flag Lively, a d kayro that's gonna be a good team.
Speaker 3 (24:56):
That's just the top five. That's just the stuff we know.
Speaker 1 (25:00):
And by the way, Minnesota is gonna be good Clippers.
So yeah, I mean, yeah, again, I don't love them,
you do, but whatever, they're good. So I mean, and
my take on this is where does Golden State the
smallest of all those and the oldest of all those
that they're the oldest smallest teams in that labyrinth of
(25:20):
in the Western Conference, Like, where do they fit now?
Speaker 6 (25:23):
This minor surprise, but the Clippers are actually the oldest
team in the league on average, followed by Rockets, Kings, Warriors.
Here's my thing for Golden State. What do you what
does blow it up mean? Are they trading Draymond? I
don't know. Is there a market for him? Who's gonna
want Jimmy Butler at fifty million? You're obviously not moving
off Curry. I just I feel like they're limited in
(25:44):
their moves and.
Speaker 1 (25:46):
If you y right, difference is the reason I consider
them the oldest team is because the guys that actually
play their core. Yeah, like their core, let me look
at it, Steph thirty seven, thirty five, thirty five, thirty
two and thirty two. By the buddy Heal feels like
an old thirty two. He's not like a springy thirty two.
He's a shooter. So their core is really.
Speaker 6 (26:07):
Old, and they're gonna add Al Horford supposedly they just
get older. So yeah, I'm a little worried about the Warriors.
It's tough, you know that GM. Remember when he bailed
a couple of years ago. He's like, I don't want
to blow this up. Bob Myerson.
Speaker 4 (26:21):
He got out of it.
Speaker 2 (26:22):
He got that.
Speaker 6 (26:22):
What do they say, the last chopper out of Saigon?
He got out of there quickly.
Speaker 1 (26:26):
Yeah, I get it.
Speaker 2 (26:28):
J mcklan news, Well, that's the news, and thanks for
stopping by the herd Line news.
Speaker 1 (26:35):
H Dana White's going to join us. Oh this is interesting.
I want to throw this out. Yeah, just interesting. I
don't want to go too deep into the woods because
it'll bore people. But I think Zach Taylor is a
slightly better coach than Mike McDaniel because I think Mike
McDaniel has a better ownership situation. I think Ross is
one of the richer NFL owners. He's taken big swings.
I mean, go look at the Tyreek Hill deal. Cincinnati
(26:57):
would have never done that deal, the Jalen deal. Cincinnati
would have never done that deal.
Speaker 3 (27:03):
J Mac.
Speaker 1 (27:04):
If I could give any wisdom to any young broadcaster,
it's what I always say, don't chase money, chase executives.
There's the finite number of great owners in the NFL.
So the Dolphins, you can say they're flawed, but they'll
go spend big money on players. They'll go get Jalen Ramsey,
Tyreek Hill, Jalen Wall, Cincinnati doesn't do that. They won't
even pay the guys they draft. They won't even pay
(27:26):
their own guys. So I think having to coach Cincinnati
is one of the hardest jobs in the league. They
have the smallest scouting department, the cheapest owner, and so
I give Zach Taylor. He has to every day he
goes to work, he has to overcome that. Mike McDaniel's owners.
I think he's the third richest owner in the league,
and he may spend money foolishly, but he spends money.
(27:48):
So Zach Taylor has four winning seasons, Mike McDaniel has two.
Zach Taylor has two division titles. Mike McDaniel has none.
Zach Taylor has five playoff wins. McDaniel has none. Taylor,
Zach Taylor has two conference championships appearance, Mike McDaniel has none.
(28:09):
So my take is, well, well, Tua, Tua's made Pro Bowls.
This is not Joe stopping, This is not doing that. No, no, no,
this is not Joe Burrow and Mitch Trubisky. The comp
for brock Perty in this league is Tua. So if
you love Purty, you can't tell me too is a bum.
Speaker 3 (28:29):
You can't have.
Speaker 1 (28:30):
It's like saying I love Mike Tomalin and hate Pete
Carroll same track record. You can't tell me you love
Purty and hate Tua. They're both have been banged up,
both are small, Both neither has a huge arm, neither
a wild So the truth is one guy is resume
with a cheap owner, a small scouting department, and mostly
bad old lines because they won't pay big money for
(28:51):
a left tackle. Look what I'm getting. I'm just a right.
Speaker 6 (28:56):
You're gonna let me dive into these immortal playoffs wins.
They won at the Raiders, care they beat, they beat
the Titans. And again it's not Zach Taylor's chiling up
some great stuff here. What do I care? Brow, You've
got an amazing quarterback now here here. This is the
smart question, Colin. Let's say Zach Taylor's fired and McDaniel
(29:18):
is fired. Where are the smart coaches Jim Harbaugh that
kind of level. Where are they lining up to coach
Cincinnati or Miami?
Speaker 3 (29:26):
No, that's what I'm saying. That's an argument for me.
Speaker 4 (29:28):
Everybody want me? That's borrow?
Speaker 1 (29:31):
No, do you want to work at Fox Sports or Vice?
I have much more supported Fox Sports than I would advice.
I would rather coach Miami than Cincinnati. That's why it's amazing.
Speaker 6 (29:43):
You would rather coach two of them.
Speaker 1 (29:44):
Joe Burrow, I don't know.
Speaker 3 (29:46):
Joe Burrow is.
Speaker 1 (29:47):
I have the cheapest owner, smallest scouting department, no outdoor facility,
can't get free agents.
Speaker 3 (29:53):
I got Burrow.
Speaker 1 (29:54):
It's great, but look at how hard it is to
keep him healthy. They won't best and offensive lineman, and
they won't pay t Higgins and Hendrickson.
Speaker 6 (30:04):
I find it hard to believe that if I gave
you Tua and this team or Joe Burrow, you would say,
I'll go coach to his team. Come on, there's no way.
Joe Burrow is a superstar. I don't care how about
the owner is in the scouting department. Just having Burrow,
you're gonna be in the mix because he's that good.
You got a better quarterback, a better receiver. If Hendrickson's
ever signed, you got a better edg Rusher. You're better
(30:25):
at all the premium positions.
Speaker 1 (30:27):
Like I will say, who's your owner, who's your boss?
And I'm a huge fan, but what does it tell
you that one great quarterback in the entire league last
year didn't make the playoffs.
Speaker 3 (30:40):
If I said, guess who it is?
Speaker 1 (30:42):
Cincinnati, Well, the cheapest owner, the smallest scouting department, won't
pay their own players. Burrow doesn't like the Bengals. Tua
loves the Dolphins. Burrow doesn't like the Bengals. He's perpetually
unhappy with the Bengals. Toua loves, he loves Miami.
Speaker 6 (30:58):
Bengals are his co.
Speaker 3 (31:01):
All right, we go to Pittsburgh next the TJ. Watts signing?
Speaker 1 (31:05):
What do we make of it?
Speaker 2 (31:06):
Be sure to catch live editions of The Herd weekdays
in noon Easter nine am Pacific on Fox Sports Radio
FS one and the iHeartRadio app, where.
Speaker 6 (31:15):
The fastest man on Earth Alex Below looks to continue
his season for the Ages Sunday at noon Eastern only
on Fox.
Speaker 1 (31:24):
By the way, before I get to my guest on
the Steelers, but you could be saying to yourself with
Jay McK and I had a fun argument, is that, Colin,
how could you choose Tua over Burrow? So when Jim
Harbaugh took the Chargers job, he took it because of Herbert.
But the other reason he took it is because they
paid Harbaugh fifteen million a year. The Bengals don't pay
coaches like that. They're also paying Greg Romans seven figures,
(31:47):
Big seven figures and Jesse Minter from Michigan Big seven figures.
So the second part of the equation was the Spanos
family paid a fortune for this coaching staff. Cincinnati won't
do it. The Chargers pay a four for their scouting staff.
The Bengals won't do it. So it's not justusin Herbert.
It's the Spanos family, who I'd criticized for years on
(32:08):
being cheap, are no longer cheap. They just built a new,
brand new facility because they pay a buck a year
for the Sofi lease, so they are cash rich. I
know Dean. I've talked to him about this. We've got
dinner over this. They used to be a fair criticism
five years ago. Chargers aren't cheap anymore. The Bengals still are.
So I like Burrow much better than tua. But Tua'
(32:29):
is not Kenny Pickett. He's made Pro Bowl. His comp
is it's a very fair comp. Is brought Purty, who
I don't love, but he's good, and he Brock Purty
top fifteen quarterback. So like the bottom line, is. I
always said this when I took the job at Fox.
A big part of it was the Murdoch family, the
Business Channel, Fox Sports work, the search Light, they did
(32:53):
movies like everything they touch.
Speaker 3 (32:54):
Worked, Wall Street Journal, New York Post. It all worked.
Speaker 1 (32:58):
It wasn't just Hey what I'm I make it? Or
Hey who I'm next to? So you have to consider
this stuff. So Cincinnati is not a good job because
you get Burrow. You know, you get the ten thousand
dollars ten million dollars chandelier in an empty mansion, there's
nothing else around it. You have to overcompensate. Miami's owner
may spend crazily, but he spends. They'll go get Jalen Ramsey,
(33:20):
They'll go get Tyreek Hill, They'll they're big, big spenders.
Miami spends sometimes weirdly, but they'll spend. Cincinnati doesn't. They
won't even resign their own guys. That's why Burrow's pissed.
He's always mad, he's trapped. So that's why I'm saying
is that I think Zach Taylor has to overcome a
lot more than Mike McDaniel's does. And he's got five
(33:43):
playoff wins and McDaniel has none. I don't care what
he's beating. He's won, he's won playoff games. They don't
even have an out I don't even think they have
an outdoor or an indoor practice. And I had nothing
against Mike McDaniel, but Zach Taylor gets beat up more
than anybody in this league, and I just think it's unfair.
All right, Mike de Fabo, Oh, they just built one
after Burrow gout Man. Okay, they find me have one
(34:05):
Scarry all right, So listen, speaking of getting beat up.
Nobody likes when I beat up on the Steelers. But
I've said the league has gone to protein and the
Steelers are into carbs.
Speaker 3 (34:16):
I love TJ. Watt, but they move off.
Speaker 1 (34:20):
Minka and then they pay Jalen Ramsey and then you
know they're willing to move off defensive players and then
they always replace them with somebody older.
Speaker 3 (34:30):
And I love TJ.
Speaker 1 (34:31):
Watt, but I feel like they're tone deaf to the
current movement in the league, which is pay one great
pass rusher and pay for offense, keep your defense young
and cheap, so you cover the Steelers.
Speaker 3 (34:44):
You know, this is what you do for the athletic.
Am I that far off base.
Speaker 1 (34:49):
Oh.
Speaker 11 (34:49):
I completely agree with what you're saying, and a lot
of people in Pittsburgh would also agree, because this is
going to be the fourth consecutive year that the Steelers
have the NFL's highest paid defense.
Speaker 4 (35:00):
They tried this before with TJ.
Speaker 11 (35:02):
Watt in his prime, where they made him the highest
paid defensive player and went all in on defense. But
because they had no quarterback, it didn't matter how great TJ.
Speaker 1 (35:11):
Watt was.
Speaker 11 (35:12):
It didn't matter what Cam Hayward was able to do,
it didn't matter what MIKEA. Fitzpatrick was able to do.
So here they are again opening another window and supposedly
going all in and doing it with defense and convincing
themselves that Aaron Rodgers might not be in his prime,
but they don't need him to be if they have TJ.
Speaker 4 (35:30):
Watt in this highly paid defense.
Speaker 11 (35:32):
Well, that's the same thing they told themselves at the
end of the Ben Roethlisberger era. That's the same exact
thing they told themselves last year with Russell Wilson, and
we saw the result and the result was no playoff
wins in eight years.
Speaker 1 (35:44):
So does that mean and coaches make more than GM's
Omar Khan just got you know the contract, he's not
making nearly what Tomlin is, And I've had people in
the league tell me that the owner tends to let
the coach get more, say, because he's paying him four
times as much. This leads me to believe that ultimately
Omar Khan does not run the organization, that Mike Tomlin
(36:04):
pretty much runs the organization.
Speaker 3 (36:06):
Is that right or wrong?
Speaker 11 (36:08):
Well, Look, we've seen Omar Khan evolve the Steelers in
a number of ways, like specifically with this contract, there's
a lot of guarantee money involved, and that's something the
Steelers have been reluctant to do, and I give Omar
Khan credit for evolving the thinking in that way. You've
also seen the Steelers become more aggressive under Omar Khan.
But to your point, here's where I'd agree. You look
at the players that the Steelers acquired. There are a
(36:30):
lot of guys that Mike Tomlin has had his eye
on for a long time. DK Metcalf has been a
guy he's talked about. Jalen Ramsey is a guy he's
talked about. So I think that absolutely Mike Tomlin is
one of the most powerful people in football, and this
whole notion that Mike Tomlin makes the most out of
depleted rosters. I just can't get behind that because I
think Mike Tomlin has a tremendous say in the players
(36:53):
they draft, the players that they acquire free agency, and
the players that they trade for. So absolutely, this is
a roster full of players handpicked by Mike Tomlin.
Speaker 4 (37:02):
And so you also have to when you.
Speaker 11 (37:04):
Criticize the Steelers or hold them to a certain standard,
also factor in that Mike Tomlin had a huge say
in assembling this roster.
Speaker 1 (37:11):
We've had a couple of Steelers come on our show
or it's been published and reported Mike that he is
player permissive, which I'm okay with because most players can
handle it, but Antonio Brown couldn't and George Pickens couldn't.
It's an a fair criticism that Mike is so pro
player that there's always three or four loose, immature players
(37:35):
that disrupt the room.
Speaker 4 (37:38):
Yeah, I think that that is fair. There's always been
kind of this debate.
Speaker 11 (37:41):
Did Mike Tomlin get the most out of Antonio Brown
or did he enable him? And you know, we saw
history in some senses repeat itself with George Pickens. He
was not nearly on Antonio Brown's level in terms of
off field antics and getting in trouble with the law.
But when it came to being a profession realizing that
(38:02):
you're paid handsomely and this team is counting upon you,
you know, he showed up repeatedly late for things, and
you know, I have to look at Mike Tomlin and
say that he created this environment where it was possible
for this to happen, because you go back to where
this whole postseason losing streak began. Le'Veon Bell reported late
(38:22):
for that playoff game, and now here we are years
later and you've got on Christmas Day, George Pickens reporting
late for the first game right after he was active,
after Mike Tomlin said that he needed to grow up.
So Mike Tomlin says George Pickens needs to grow up.
His response the very next game in which he's active
is to show up late. That tells me he didn't
(38:43):
have that player's attention. And I think it is time
for the Steelers to change their ways when it comes
to you know, Mike Tomblin always has a saying, I
don't treat everybody equally, but I treat everybody fairly. But
when you're treating people on different levels. That is unfair
to the guys who are doing the right thing.
Speaker 3 (39:00):
All right, one minute left. I think they're a nine
to eight, eight and nine team. What say you, Mike?
Speaker 11 (39:06):
I think there are a nine or a ten win team.
But really that's not the standard that people in Pittsburgh
are holding this team to. It has been, like I
keep saying, eight years since a playoff win. They are
desperate in starving for success.
Speaker 4 (39:18):
And I think that's why you've.
Speaker 11 (39:19):
Seen the Steelers have such a splashy offseason, because they
know that people are getting impatient.
Speaker 4 (39:27):
They want success and they haven't.
Speaker 2 (39:28):
Had it, you know.
Speaker 4 (39:29):
And I just look at the.
Speaker 11 (39:30):
Fact that there have been in the history of the
NFL in the Super Bowl era, quarterbacks over forty have
won to combine twelve games in the playoffs. Tom Brady
has ten. Every other quarterback has two combined. So it's
Tom Brady and it's everybody else.
Speaker 4 (39:46):
And here the.
Speaker 11 (39:46):
Steelers are throwing their face behind assume to be forty
two year old Aaron Rodgers to try to snap that
skid and end that you know, troubling spot and a
troubling stat.
Speaker 1 (39:56):
Mike to fable that was a great stat. Oh, hey,
j Mac, do you give us a couple of gems
like that that. Mike de Fabo comes on for five minutes,
He's dropping bombs like that. Hey, Mike, great having you on.
We're gonna have you on again at the Athletic. They
got a good one in Mike.
Speaker 4 (40:09):
Thanks buddy, Yeah, absolutely, thank you so much for having
me on the show.
Speaker 1 (40:13):
Of course. Yeah. The staff I was, I was off occasionally,
I miss a day and they told me to get
Mike on. This guy sharp and he was so. Yeah,
it's a that's a fascinating stat. Brady's got ten of
the twelve playoff wins for quarterbacks over forty. The rest
of them combined to have two. We're not anti Aaron Rodgers.
(40:35):
That's just the numbers. I don't know where are you on?
I think they're nine to eight or eight and nine.
Where were you at on Pittsburgh?
Speaker 6 (40:44):
Yeah, we'll go seven and ten just because the audience
loves this sparring Mike McDaniel ver Zach Taylor. I just
posted a poll on Twitter. Hey, if you could only
hire one McDaniel or Taylor, who would you hire. It's
early or so far as Zach Taylor fifty seven percent,
McDaniel forty three percent. So the unwashed masses are rolling
(41:05):
with Coward so far, so far on social media, it's early.
Speaker 1 (41:10):
No, I think. I think it's like, if you're listening
to my show right now and disagree with me, and
you're a salesperson, aren't you beholden to how good your
manager is and how good your products are?
Speaker 6 (41:19):
Well, technically, if you're a salesperson, you're beholden to the
regional sales manager, who would probably be Joe Burrow in
this case. They're not gonna go anywhere without Burrow, right,
You know that if he's there, they're competing.
Speaker 1 (41:31):
How do you miss the playoffs with Joe Burrow? It
can't all be that Zach is clueless. He got him
to a super Bowl. You can't get there if you're clueless.
You don't have to be a grade, but you're not
d grade. Dana White's coming up.
Hosts And Creators
Colin Cowherd
Jason McIntyre
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