November 28, 2024 • 40 mins
Colin talks to Hall of Famer Michael Irvin who shares some surprising info on Deion Sanders' potential move to the NFL
Jim Harbaugh stops by to talk about his first year coaching the Los Angeles Chargers and how he feels about QB Justin Herbert
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 noone 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 (00:24):
So when Jerry has taking big swings, fireing Tom Landry,
getting Dion, buying the Cowboys big loan, it's worked. When
he's played it safe. I'm not gonna get Derek Henry
at the trade line. I'm gonna move a Bari Cooper
so we're more cap flexible. Jerry's a wildcatter in oil.
When he has taken big risks, I believe to get
(00:48):
out of this mess because right now, Michael, it's very unique.
I'm gonna name quarterbacks. They're all in their prime. Mahomes,
Alan Lamar Burrow, Herbert Quick Golf. Okay, you're not winning
right now. I believe you have to if you go
three and fourteen, and I think it's possible, I'm hiring
(01:09):
Dion and I'm giving away the farm to get up
to Shader sanders Am I crazy.
Speaker 3 (01:14):
Not at all, not at all, and I like it.
I'm just telling you I like it now. Now here's
the thing though, here's the thing you saying. If you're
gonna hire Dion and give away the farm to get
up and get your door, I think you're going to
be right there to get your door anyway.
Speaker 4 (01:32):
You see what I mean?
Speaker 3 (01:34):
Just by the way this season is if you lose, right,
you're not going to have to give up the farm.
You're going to be pick one, two or three. Pick
certainly pick one or two. You know the way you're
playing right now? At home, you'll get You're on an average,
that six game losing streak you're on at home at home.
This is why I'm dressed in black. We can't even
(01:56):
come up with anything at home. Prior to this os
at home we won sixteen in a row.
Speaker 1 (02:02):
You just were at the Colorado game. You're close with
Deon Sanders, right.
Speaker 3 (02:06):
I spent Friday with Jerry, Saturday with Dion, and Sunday
praying for the coon.
Speaker 4 (02:13):
Let me just be real with you.
Speaker 1 (02:15):
Do you think Dion and I think he loves college,
but if his son and Travis Hunter a gone, do
you think Dion would listen to Jerry Jones call if
he offered him the job.
Speaker 3 (02:24):
I think, Dion, if if Jerry and the Cowboys up
there around one and gonna get your door, yeah, if
you want somebody to follow footsteps, you got your door.
You get Dion. I absolutely believe that happens, because you do.
Dion understands how important it is to have that relationship
(02:46):
with your quarterback. Yes, more important anything else in the
world on the next level is that relationship with your quarterback.
If you don't believe me, ask the New York Jackson,
the people that are disappearing over there. You see what
I'm saying. So so that and Dion understands that point.
(03:07):
Dion understands.
Speaker 1 (03:08):
By the way, what do you make of that Jets
they fired their GM today. What do you make of
Aaron and the Jets?
Speaker 3 (03:13):
You know, the Jets, I said, messed up when they
tried to make Aaron Rodgers the main things instead of
keeping their main thing as the main thing.
Speaker 4 (03:24):
They were primarily a running game, run team.
Speaker 3 (03:27):
That played great defense, that needed some guidance at quarterback,
and that the fight was to find a quarterback that
you come in and make the few plays that they
need throw the ball twenty five times a game, not
this fifty five times. You know, the first six weeks
of the season, they were in the top three. Now
(03:48):
that they realized they messed up, so last four weeks
they tried to come back, you know, come back from
all the throwing, but it's too late. They allowed Aaron
Rodgers to pull them into his fight of trying to
prove to everybody that woke crowd in Green Bay that
I still have it, instead of Aaron Rodgers being added
to their fight, which is a run game and defense
(04:12):
right right, And they let Aaron Rodgers bounce around their identity. Now,
you take a Super Bowl winning All Pro quarterback and
you said, well, we don't have one of those. We're
just listening to what he says, and you got disaster.
You take a super Bowl winning All Pro quarterback that
(04:33):
has stumbled, and you give him to the Pittsburgh Steelers,
where there's a coach who has already set the order.
We already got our identity. We're running the ball and
playing defense, and Russell, can you make a few plays
for us? That's the difference. That's the difference. Join his stuff.
(04:54):
Aaron Rodgers made the gest join his stuff and now
they are in disaster.
Speaker 1 (04:59):
That's a really good point that basically Mike Tomlin said,
because I've argued forever people think Brady was the savior
of Tampa. But as tom knew, that was a loaded roster.
Speaker 4 (05:10):
But you know what, that's a good point.
Speaker 1 (05:12):
Effort came to l they've been to the super Bowl.
Speaker 4 (05:15):
That's that's a good point, A good point.
Speaker 1 (05:17):
When you so when Russell went to Denver, he was
viewed as the savior Aaron to the Jets, it doesn't exist.
There is no such thing unless you're Patrick Mahomes or
Josh Allen.
Speaker 4 (05:26):
To me this say you're saying.
Speaker 3 (05:27):
What you're saying is nobody's giving up the Savior. Nobody's
giving up a savior. By the time you get him,
he's no longer a savior, you know what I mean.
He's a disciple of the Savior, but he's no savior himself,
you see what I mean.
Speaker 1 (05:41):
So you like the Steelers what they've done with Man.
Speaker 4 (05:45):
I love what the Steelers have done.
Speaker 3 (05:47):
And and and the move that Mike made at six
and two going you know when the kid was Justin Fields,
I mean four and two move off from for Justin
field and still go and get what he's got.
Speaker 1 (06:01):
By the way, Michael, we have a winning record and
move off the popular kid that everybody likes.
Speaker 3 (06:05):
Oh and because you know, if it didn't work, and
it doesn't work, they gonna they're gonna chop.
Speaker 4 (06:09):
You up and chew you and chew you out right
right right.
Speaker 3 (06:12):
You know what I mean. And and and it worked
in an extraordinary way. And I loved how he did
the other day. And honestly, I love the kid, and
I'm praying for the kid. But Mike Tumblin, thank god
they won that game the other day, or we would
have been back over on the kid again, justin fields
like you see why Mike Tumblin made the change. Even
that little one yard slide early, that early one yard
(06:35):
slide could have cost that game. Yep, could have cost
that game. And that's what Mike is saying. I just
want the guy to not make the mistake that's going
to cost me a game. Just hold on to the
ball and not make the mistakes it's going to cost
me a game. Luckily, they were able to get that
first down and win that game.
Speaker 1 (06:50):
Okay, let's talk about the Lions. So you played on
a Cowboy team. When I was a kid growing up,
the Steelers in nineteen seventy five had about nine Hall
of Famers. The Cowboy team you were on had four
or five six Hall of Famers. You start looking at Piney,
Suel Honor On, Saint Brown, Jared Goff when he's healthy, age,
the largest, and the branch, the safety. You start looking
at that team, Detroit. You know you've been on one
(07:13):
of those. Right when you go into the game and
it's like we'll be playing with a lead every Sunday.
Do you think the Giant are the Lions? Are they
peaking too early? Are you concerned that they're not being
pushed back a little? They're rolling over teams now.
Speaker 4 (07:30):
Right right now. Let me tell you what.
Speaker 3 (07:32):
When I look at the Lions, I said, because I
said this, you know last year on Undisputed Now when
I saw him, I said, man, it's just from it
reminds me a lot of our young.
Speaker 4 (07:41):
Team, because young talent everywhere. And it's not just they
got young talent. They love playing.
Speaker 3 (07:47):
Football together like we love playing football together. You know
when we were coming up, the early Cowboys, ninety Cowboys. Now,
the difference, the difference here is Jared Golf with Jered Golf,
are we going to have there's a Jared Goff that
let go from right out here in LA because they said,
you can't win the big game.
Speaker 1 (08:08):
But a strictly pocket guy right right right.
Speaker 3 (08:10):
And and then they won the big game without him.
So that's the stain on him, on him. Now he's
playing with a chip on his shoulder, Jared goffars and
and he's gonna need that chip so he can remove
that stain.
Speaker 4 (08:25):
You see what I mean. He's gonna need that chip
to remove that sting.
Speaker 3 (08:27):
Now what Jered Golf, do you get that team I'm
talking about that we were with the Cowboys. We ran
off seven straight victories with Steve Burline at quarterback. One time,
remember Steve Burline at quarterback. We ran off, We ran
through everybody we got in the playoffs, and we lost
to a Detroit team in the playoffs.
Speaker 4 (08:44):
Steve Burline had.
Speaker 3 (08:45):
Great talent, great talent, and we would have won a
lot of games with Steve Burrline, and we got some
playoff games with Steve Burline, but we never would have
become a dynasty with him. Troy Aikman took us to
the dynasty level when we got him back. Now, Jared
Goff has the range to be Steve Berline or Troy Aikman.
If he stays Steve Berlin, they'll continue to do this
(09:08):
and just get in the playoffs and never get there.
But if he turns back into the number one pick
of the draft and become Troyman playing within himself like
Troy played within himself, then this Detroit team can do
so many things that ninety Cowboys team did.
Speaker 1 (09:23):
Okay, So I want to get into this whole Jake
Paul Tyson thing. So you may the thing we talked
about before we went on the air, Can you talk
about that or no?
Speaker 3 (09:32):
But Jake Paul, Yeah, yeah.
Speaker 4 (09:35):
Yeah, I've been saying, yeah I saw somebody else. Okay.
Speaker 1 (09:38):
I'm not a big conspiracy theorist, although many are proven true.
So that's okay.
Speaker 4 (09:43):
But you're an analyst.
Speaker 3 (09:45):
You're an analysts, and any analyst has the answer who, what, where, when?
Speaker 5 (09:51):
Why?
Speaker 6 (09:52):
Who?
Speaker 1 (09:53):
I wondered something during the fight and what did you
say to me before you went on the air to
day on a contract?
Speaker 3 (10:01):
I said I I said I was looking for Mike
Tyson because he got me too when he walked in
that ring. I saw, I saw death in his eyes.
I said, oh my god, I said, I see some scared.
I was scared. That don't look like nobody coming to play, right,
And I was looking for that pattnent one but one
in the body upper cut.
Speaker 1 (10:21):
Okay, So that was his you know, his left hook
and his upper cuts or the drop shows it is it.
Speaker 3 (10:28):
You see and when you when he when he hits
that bad it's boom boom boom, and you're like, I
want to see that.
Speaker 4 (10:33):
I want to see that.
Speaker 1 (10:34):
So why didn't we get it?
Speaker 4 (10:35):
We didn't get it.
Speaker 3 (10:35):
We're not a one. And then I heard somebody. I
saw somebody read read somewhere. When somebody said it was
in the.
Speaker 1 (10:43):
Contract, no upper cuts, no upper cut, they put they
take it seriously. I kind of buy this.
Speaker 3 (10:48):
Yeah, they had it in the country. Come on, guys,
why wouldn't Mike throw an upper cut?
Speaker 1 (10:53):
If Nolan Ryan pitched in a game at sixty and
never threw a fastball.
Speaker 4 (10:58):
Right, and you'd be like, sums up, sums up, what's
going on?
Speaker 3 (11:01):
If Mike Irvan had good knees and you still play
football and didn't run a slant route, some fix, that's
all I'm saying, so I know I watched with what
to Do Now, I know Mike had a blood transfusion.
Speaker 1 (11:14):
He almost died July twentieth, and you and I said
the fight should have been in March. His body was
still recovering. He ran out of gas third round. But
if you watched Tyson's career, the upper cut it was
the kill shot. It was, and he didn't throw one.
Speaker 3 (11:30):
And once he hits you in that stomach and you
just mean it a little bit, you set yourself up
for that upper cut, and here it comes.
Speaker 4 (11:36):
Okay.
Speaker 1 (11:37):
The other thing is Jake Paul by about the fifth
round had a chance. And I wondered, after what you said,
did Jake Paul say, listen, I signed a contract. He
can't throw an upper cut. I'm not gonna humiliate him,
and I agree to a deal that Mike can't throw,
he can't hit cleanup, he can't bring the bomb right.
Speaker 4 (11:58):
And I liked it he did that. I like that.
Speaker 3 (12:00):
He's that he didn't go kill on kill Mike, and
which is which is which is funny because Jake gets
a lot of he gets a lot of hate and
pushback on, you know, and I like the guy.
Speaker 4 (12:11):
I like him.
Speaker 3 (12:12):
I mentioned it on the broadcast. You got to honor
and respect the man.
Speaker 1 (12:16):
He works hard.
Speaker 3 (12:17):
That that hacks the whole game, Like he has hacked
the whole game. They did it his way and listening
in your way and still got right where he wanted
to be. Deon Sanders is doing that in football as
a head coach. He's doing the same thing. He's hacked
the system. He said, I'm doing this my way, and
you guys got to respect that. I mean, I think
he's a brilliant guy and I and he got he
(12:38):
got kudos for me for honoring Mike Tyson with that,
with that twenty million dollars, the gift package and pulling
up in the fifth round.
Speaker 1 (12:48):
I want to go back to the Shadeur sanders don thing. Now.
People will push back and say, well, what are you
going to do with Dak? And my take is Dak
will have a market, somebody will pay some of the contract.
And the truth is Denver has shown us even with
fifty million of dead cap money, Russell Wilson, if you
get the coach and the quarterback right, you can still
(13:10):
be good because you're not paying Bonnicks for five years,
so you can you can handle that dead cat and
somebody would come in. Dak would have a market.
Speaker 4 (13:18):
Yeah, Dak will have a market. There's no doubt. There's
no doubt.
Speaker 1 (13:21):
You go to Dak before the draft pick and say,
we're gonna take your door. Where do you want to go,
and we'll try to make it. We'll be good, we'll
be good suitors. We'll go find the suitors. You pick
the team you want, we'll try to get it there. Yeah,
you don't make it public, so we have leverage.
Speaker 3 (13:36):
And I love Dak, and Dak has given us a
lot of wins. And I'm sitting here listening to these
scenarios and I say to myself, Wow, you know I
would hate to see that go.
Speaker 4 (13:50):
I love that.
Speaker 3 (13:51):
But right now, when you look at the Cowboys as
they are currently constructed, you gotta say, there's.
Speaker 4 (13:58):
Something that has to be done here.
Speaker 3 (14:00):
Sure, you can't stay, you can't continue to lose games,
eat at home eight to thirteen.
Speaker 4 (14:06):
Clip, You're losing these games, thirty eight at thirteen in
front of your home. Crap, it's just getting bad.
Speaker 3 (14:12):
So something has to be shaken up and be done,
and Jerry has to get it done.
Speaker 1 (14:17):
People don't understand how hard Michael works. So the last
three days, where have you been?
Speaker 4 (14:21):
Well? I've been I was well.
Speaker 3 (14:23):
First I did the game, I mean to fight in
Dallas Friday, and then Friday, and then because you went
to Colorado Saturday and came back Sunday and went to
the Monday night game and then flew here early Tuesday morning.
Speaker 1 (14:34):
And you don't do the private I be here with you.
Speaker 3 (14:36):
No, I don't do private planes. I don't well, I'm so,
I don't know. I fly every day and I'm still
scared of planes.
Speaker 4 (14:43):
I don't know.
Speaker 1 (14:44):
You're scared.
Speaker 4 (14:45):
Stop laughing over that. I don't know, people, I'm telling you.
Speaker 5 (14:48):
Man.
Speaker 3 (14:49):
When I get on the airplane and we hit turbinus,
oh my god, man, my anxieties get so bad because
I can't control it, you know what I mean. I'm
not so that person be next to me. Oh my,
they'd be so happy to be next to me.
Speaker 4 (15:01):
Right I can see them.
Speaker 3 (15:02):
They get the phone and they take somebody and they're
doing this right here. They trying to show people that's mean,
like it'll take it.
Speaker 4 (15:08):
And then we hit turbuts I grabbed.
Speaker 3 (15:12):
You know, my head is a pretty strong I ground
so tightly, like they ain't so happy to sit next
to me anymore.
Speaker 4 (15:18):
They're like, how.
Speaker 1 (15:19):
About a gummy here? Do you ever take a gummy?
Speaker 4 (15:22):
Yeah? I appreciate you giving me the chance to tell
people that on TV. Yeah to the dummy.
Speaker 3 (15:29):
Yeah, it didn't work quite like I wanted it too.
I was I was still grabbing at everything. Any turbulist.
I don't know why. Man work on it.
Speaker 1 (15:40):
It's some uncertainty of what's happening in your life.
Speaker 3 (15:43):
And I live on it almost every day. I'm flying
every day. I can't get I don't know why I
have this fear of me. My friends, right, they send
a plane sometimes they want me to come and send
the plane, be the nicest plane of G five G
I'll leave it right in the hangar and go get
me a playing in the south towards airlines and tell
them come pick me up at the airport.
Speaker 4 (16:04):
Man, you know how you probably to fly.
Speaker 1 (16:08):
That's why you relate, and you've endured. You're one of
the people. What are the people You're walking through those
crappy airports like the rest of them.
Speaker 4 (16:16):
Yeah, just like the rest.
Speaker 3 (16:17):
So I can get the feel of the people, so
I can speak with the people. You can't get the
feel of the people without speaking with the people.
Speaker 4 (16:26):
That's how you can communicate.
Speaker 1 (16:28):
Okay, and you broke news today. You do believe and
I do too, that if shaud Or went to the Cowboys,
Dion would accept the job.
Speaker 4 (16:40):
I believe one hundred percent. And I can tell you
good sources.
Speaker 1 (16:46):
And told me that.
Speaker 4 (16:50):
Great sources have told me that.
Speaker 3 (16:52):
That's all I can say like that with violating anything
else having I love you too, but I love I
love be with you boy.
Speaker 4 (17:00):
All Right, we don't make this a regular. Next year,
we're going to make it a regular.
Speaker 1 (17:04):
How You're always welcome, They playmaker, This is the Herd.
Speaker 2 (17:08):
Best be sure to catch live editions of The Herd
weekdays and noon Eastern not a Empacific on Fox Sports
Radio FS one and the iHeartRadio app.
Speaker 1 (17:19):
You had said when you took the job, we don't
want to be as reliant on Justin Herbert. We love him,
he's amazing, but we want to be we don't want
to just you know, you see some of these quarterbacks
throwing forty eight times a Sunday. That's not healthy. How
did Justin handle you saying, hey, you don't need to
throw forty times. How did he handle it?
Speaker 7 (17:39):
It was you know when you're when you're starting to
talk there and talking about you know, how the team's
doing and how you know the same players from last year,
you know, Justin Herbert. I mean, let's just for two seconds,
let's just just go there. I mean, there's there's nobody better.
There's nobody, you know, there's Lamar's playing really good. Uh,
(18:03):
you know, and and I think those two are playing
at a really high level right now, and some others.
But uh, I don't think anybody's playing better than Justin
Herbert is. And and I know you have great respect
for him, Colin, yeah. Uh, And I mean it's a
it's a love and admiration that that we have for
(18:24):
for Justin that he's incredible.
Speaker 6 (18:26):
Everything that he does.
Speaker 7 (18:27):
We could we could spend the whole the whole show
talking about him, but it it's hits me like this,
like every day when we go out there to practice,
we're around greatness. This is this is what greatness looks like.
And uh, you know, God willing and the creek don't rise.
Speaker 6 (18:45):
Uh, this will be the this will be the the
only quarterback I ever coach again.
Speaker 1 (18:49):
Yeah, well that would be and he's big, and he's
strong and he's durable. Now, I got to one of
the things that we question. We said, boy, we don't
know if the Chargers have perimeter sideline talent to play
with the team. And Quinton Johnston had a rough rookie year,
but when he's been healthy, you guys have really your
staff has figured out how to use him. Talk a
(19:10):
little about that, because first of all, it's hard as
a rookie in the NFL. It's hard for everybody. But
he has really flourished over the since you arrived. What
did you do?
Speaker 7 (19:21):
It's really what he's done, Colin, in the the training environment,
he's really he's gotten stronger.
Speaker 6 (19:26):
Uh, he's he's he has a great speed.
Speaker 7 (19:29):
He's really worked hard on his route, discipline, his mechanics.
Sanjay Lauer, receiver coach, has done an incredible job uh
coaching Uh coaching q And uh you know, he just
keeps keeps getting better and better and better. And uh
you know he's just so sort of showing us so
much in terms of uh you know, the speed, uh, toughness,
(19:52):
Uh you know, uh, playing smart, playing with great effort, blocking,
It's it's just it's just better better, improving, improving, and
you know, our our our whole receiving corps when you
look at it has been that way. I mean Lad McConkey,
he's done an incredible job. Josh Palmer, uh doing a
super super job. Got Darius Davis back this week. Yep,
(20:17):
and he gave us a big, big punt return.
Speaker 6 (20:21):
Uh.
Speaker 7 (20:21):
Jalen Rager who we added, has done a done a
really good job for us so and then DJ Shark
we think, oh, I'll be back this week.
Speaker 6 (20:30):
So we're getting uh.
Speaker 7 (20:32):
We're getting a lot of premier help already, and we
feel like we're uh, it's just gonna it's just going
to grow, grow and grow, and that bodes well for
our team.
Speaker 1 (20:40):
We all know your brother coaches in the NFL, but
you were gone from the NFL, Jim for a decade,
and I mean fad football's football. Your teams are physical,
relentless and tough and smart. But was there anything being
gone for ten years and coming back into this league
that you had to kind of tweak that you went
you know what, that's a little different, that's a little different.
(21:01):
Was there anything you had to tweak at all?
Speaker 7 (21:04):
I mean, there's definitely some some some things different in rules,
those are priced, you know, some of the biggest things.
But equipment changes. We al would talk about the safety
of the game. I think that's so much more improved
in those rules that I talked about earlier. I mean
have been designed to for players safety. The number one
(21:27):
difference to me at the very top of the list
is the last time I coached in the NFL was
twenty fourteen, and I didn't think that the NFL could
get any bigger, any more popular than it already was then. Yeah,
but you know now a decade later, I mean it
is it is least you know two x three x,
(21:47):
you know more in terms of of popularity.
Speaker 1 (21:52):
Yeah, you know the I want you to go to
week one this year and then yesterday in that gap
now in college, ed you got a bunch of kids
in college, they're twenty, they're nineteen. You can see big
growth in the NFL from Week one this year to yesterday.
Where do you grow? Where do you see a pro
team grow with older guys, guys are twenty six, twenty
(22:14):
eight their men. Have you seen big growth? If so,
where on the team?
Speaker 6 (22:20):
Yeah? I have, you know, big growth.
Speaker 7 (22:22):
I mean it's all the little things, all the uh
you know, things that people think are minutia, but it's
all those little thousand things that that add up to
make all the difference.
Speaker 6 (22:33):
And it's it's all the individuals.
Speaker 7 (22:34):
I mean, they're they're just attacking, you know, anything and
every opportunity that's been put in front of them and
uh and trying to make the most of it. And
I know we're just going back to the first game
until now, but uh, you know, I would really point to,
you know, just a very beginning and uh and where
it really all comes from. It all comes from from
the top. It all comes from you know, the Spanos family.
(22:57):
Dean Spanos, John span is here every single day, I mean,
through the draft process, you know, every practice, uh, you know,
every decision. It's it's everybody's just pulling in the same direction.
And they're the ones that that have that have made
that culture. And that's the way it's been and uh,
you know it shows in the the players that are here,
(23:19):
justin Herbert Derwin, James Khalil Mack, uh, you know, Quintin Johnson,
all those that have been that have been drafted and
signed and Joe Ortiz, uh, you know, came in and
did an incredible I can count eleven guys that he's
signed as free agents uh in the off season that
have been significant producers and contributors. So uh yeah, I
(23:42):
think it's just really uh you know, comes from an
organization where everybody is doing anything and everything that they
possibly can to help us win. And then you know,
we feel that I feel that as as as coach,
our players feel it that, uh you know, our organization,
our ownership is doing anything and everything in their power
(24:02):
for us. What's good for the Bee is good for
the Hive. And then it just it makes you want
to do anything and everything in your powers, my in
my power as a coach, uh you know, to uh
to to help the organization. And everybody everybody attacks it
in a way of what I've noticed, like double checking,
triple checking, quadruple checking. And also everybody treats their job
(24:24):
like it's the most important job in the entire organization.
Speaker 5 (24:28):
Uh.
Speaker 7 (24:28):
You know, that's just fun to be around. So when
you just you show up every day and it's like, hey,
who else wants to work? Who else wants it's everybody.
Everybody wants to wants to get after it. So you know,
let's go let's go, Uh that's that's the thing. And
then and then we just uh you know, just to
tack it with, you know, just we can't fix everything
at all at once, but we can fix one thing at
(24:51):
a time all the time.
Speaker 1 (24:53):
Hey, speaking of Georgie's the trade deadline? Your brother got
a player? The Bills did, the Chiefs did. You've got
to you got to a good team. You got your tackles,
you got your ed rushers, you got in quarterback. I mean,
you got most of the stuff that everybody wants is
there at the trade deadline? Are you interested? You're going
to make a call?
Speaker 4 (25:09):
What do you make?
Speaker 1 (25:10):
What am I? What am I? I'm not gonna guess.
You're smiling like you got a card. You got a
card in your deck here that I don't know about.
What are you gonna do with the trade deadline?
Speaker 4 (25:21):
I don't know.
Speaker 6 (25:22):
I don't know.
Speaker 7 (25:22):
Uh, you know it's that that's a that's a Joe
Joe Ortiz. You know he's Joe Joe is Batman. I
play Robin and uh, you never know, you know, I
looked at your uh your thing there, I mean, uh,
the graphic. You know, do do the Chargers need? What
do they need what are they? Uh, what do they
uh they need? You know, do they need receiver help,
(25:44):
perimeter help? No, we don't need we don't need that.
I don't think we. I can't think of a position
right now where we need, you know, uh to upgrade.
I love the guys that that are here, love them.
But if you don't want somebody you know and uh,
you know can can can make us better than I
(26:05):
that I know he will. And all competitors are welcome.
Competitors welcome. Twenty twenty four Los Angeles Chargers.
Speaker 1 (26:14):
By the way, Lad Camp McConkey. I liked him at Georgia.
You saw him at Michigan when he was a boy.
He's good, Like did you think he would be good?
This good, this quick.
Speaker 6 (26:27):
He is?
Speaker 7 (26:28):
I mean you just love everything about him, right, and
he he was good, He was a how do you
not love him?
Speaker 6 (26:33):
Really? I mean he he.
Speaker 7 (26:34):
Walked down at Georgia and then then played significant contributor
as a freshman, as a sophomore, as a junior. Uh,
he's and he's a great guy. I mean aside from
from the football. Uh you know, by his talent, by
his effort. He is known, but he is is just
such a respectful, good guy.
Speaker 6 (26:55):
You know. Okay, that's a side. And I know what
that comes from.
Speaker 7 (27:00):
Uh that that was poured into him by uh, poured
into him by his parents, uh.
Speaker 6 (27:05):
Benji and Brittany.
Speaker 7 (27:07):
And I had a great chance to meet him, a
chance chance encounter at the combine.
Speaker 6 (27:12):
My son Jack was with me. We went to get.
Speaker 7 (27:14):
Breakfast, one of those breakfast places, uh something with a
fork in the name, and you know, we're walking to
we're walking to pay the bill, and you know, I
see all these Georgia people.
Speaker 6 (27:27):
They're you know, go dogs. How are y'all doing?
Speaker 7 (27:30):
And uh, well you really you really got after us
a couple of years ago. Oh yeah, we were there, coach.
We remember, we're we're mister and missus McConkey. And then
this is our family and some of the other uncles
and and uh and family members were there and we
had a we had a lovely conversation uh there and
I could I could see right.
Speaker 6 (27:49):
There, you know what, uh you know what had been
poured into him, and uh yeah it was Uh. We
wanted some of that.
Speaker 7 (27:56):
We wanted we wanted a lot of that because, as
I said, competitors welcome here at the Los Angeles Chargers.
Speaker 1 (28:02):
Finally, I don't think, Jim, I've seen you smile this much.
There is something you were great in college. You're you're
one of the all time greats. There's something about the NFL.
You got a smart quarterback who's a tough guy like you.
You seem happy, right, That's what I say. That's what
I see happy, Jim Harball. Even on the games when
(28:22):
Herbart comes over to you, it's like you just in
a good mood every time I see you. Do you
notice that?
Speaker 6 (28:29):
Yeah? We we's that's true.
Speaker 7 (28:32):
I mean I think that is uh guilty at charged there,
very happy and we have we have a we have
a good time here.
Speaker 6 (28:39):
We work hard, but we have a good time doing it.
Speaker 7 (28:41):
And then, uh, you know, our guys get dead serious
about winning on game day.
Speaker 6 (28:47):
Uh you know, no question about that.
Speaker 7 (28:49):
And they you know, they they put the work in
it just it just becomes infectious, you know, like you
know those that I those those that I named before. Uh,
I mean there's nobody like Derwin James, uh that I've
ever encountered in football as a as a as a
teammate or as a player or a coach.
Speaker 6 (29:07):
And I could just go down the l K mac
uh clil Mack. I mean, wow, he's most.
Speaker 7 (29:12):
Humble, hungry warrior you could ever be around. And uh
and Justin uh and so many others. I mean I
could I could name another another forty five guys. I mean,
just I love these guys and uh, there's no doubt
though I sit at my desk, you know, right before,
right before we did this interview.
Speaker 6 (29:29):
I mean, it's like Justin's on our team.
Speaker 1 (29:33):
Yes, well competitors.
Speaker 4 (29:36):
It's great.
Speaker 7 (29:37):
It's uh yeah, it's it's a yeah, we're uh, we're
attacking and we're having fun doing it.
Speaker 1 (29:44):
Coach, What a pleasure after a win. Go have a
nice lunch, enjoy your day, make it the best day
of the week until next Sunday. It's great seeing you again.
Speaker 6 (29:56):
Well, I appreciate it. Uh. You know, I'm a big, big, big,
huge fan of yours.
Speaker 7 (30:01):
And uh appreciate, uh appreciate everything and just how much
you you know you you love and respect Justin too.
Speaker 6 (30:10):
I mean that's that's that's pretty darn cool.
Speaker 1 (30:12):
Yeah, what a great kid.
Speaker 6 (30:14):
There's nobody tougher.
Speaker 7 (30:15):
You know, there's my own personal ranking, you know, and
this is this is my right to have my own
personal rankings, So I'm gonna go preface it's with that
that it's not anybody else's, it's mine. But I've always
considered myself the toughest quarterback in the history of.
Speaker 6 (30:31):
The National Football League.
Speaker 7 (30:33):
Uh, being around Justin Herbert, I have moved to number
two in the rankings. Justin Herbert is the toughest quarterback
in the history of the National Football League. I mean
this this guy is uh, I mean it's it's become
like hack a shack you know the way, Uh the
way remember remember the old shack Chas and and uh,
(30:55):
they just hack him. He's so big and he's so
tough to get on the ground that I mean, the
ball's thrown and the it could be the ball's ten
yards downfield and there's still somebody trying to wrestle and
grapple him to the ground.
Speaker 1 (31:08):
Uh.
Speaker 7 (31:09):
He gets hit when he goes out of bounds, he
gets hitting the head, he gets face masked during the play.
It's uh, you know, it's incredible.
Speaker 1 (31:18):
And.
Speaker 7 (31:20):
Yeah, I just I just don't have enough adjectives to
to describe, uh, you know what the what being around
this this young man is like and just how fortunate
we are as an organization to have him as our
as our quarterback. And the last thing I would say
too is I mean we've all heard of people that
(31:40):
you know that make a lot of money, and uh,
you know, money makes people complacent.
Speaker 1 (31:45):
Yeah, not justin.
Speaker 6 (31:46):
Herbert, no way. Guy is uh he was right back
in here.
Speaker 7 (31:50):
I know where to find him, six thirty seven thirty
in the morning on a on an off day, he's
right down there in the in the weight room, or
you know, get an extra film where it's never comes
in dishovel, never, never sleepy. Just it's like he's like
a jackhammer, you know, just just always attacking.
Speaker 1 (32:09):
Love him, God, so do I, and I love He's
one of the nicest kids I've ever met my whole life.
I've been doing this thirty years. I don't think I've
met a nicer, more respectful human being who's a star
in my whole life. And there's been a lot of
good guys, a bunch of good guys.
Speaker 4 (32:22):
He is.
Speaker 1 (32:22):
He is like nobody else, just genuine salt of the earth.
You can tell you have good parents, good upbringing, just
quality dude, and I love that you love it.
Speaker 7 (32:30):
There's no doubt about it. Mark and Holly Herbert did
an incredible job. They should take a deep long bow.
That one son's playing at Oregon right now. The other
is a resident at u c l A medical school.
Speaker 6 (32:44):
It gets where Justin lives, roommates with his brother?
Speaker 1 (32:47):
Does he brothers?
Speaker 6 (32:49):
How about that? You know?
Speaker 1 (32:50):
I love that? Is that?
Speaker 6 (32:51):
Is that incredible?
Speaker 7 (32:52):
I mean he probably doesn't well be saying stuff like this,
but I just I just just every day, you know,
just it's just it's just awesome, awesome being around him.
Speaker 6 (33:02):
Coach, you're you're you're spot out.
Speaker 7 (33:04):
He is he is a he is a He's a
wonderful guy off the field.
Speaker 6 (33:10):
Uh and and a great player on it.
Speaker 1 (33:12):
Hey, tell your PR guy, Josh. Thanks. He hustles for
me all the time. He's really good. He's good, dude,
tell me he's the best thing.
Speaker 6 (33:18):
He's one of those guys in the organization. All right,
catch you.
Speaker 1 (33:22):
All right, Coach Harball, I'm getting I'm getting the hook,
Jim Harbaugh.
Speaker 2 (33:30):
This is the herd best.
Speaker 1 (33:33):
Calen is joining us. Uh live. You know, I was
just talking during the break. Nick Saban lives five houses
down from you, So it's not like I mean to
be honest with you. Did you lean into Nick when
you took the job. Did you give him a call
and ask a couple of questions.
Speaker 8 (33:50):
Or I even got offered the job or or took it,
just uh, you know, just to have that you know,
that was really the first time I'd ever had a
chance to talk with him. And you don't want to,
you know, let him know that you know everything he
did for this program. If I became the head coach,
you know, it would be nothing but embracing that and.
Speaker 5 (34:10):
Everyone else that helped him have all the success along
the way.
Speaker 8 (34:14):
And of course when I got here, there's that's probably
when the most questions are and you know there is
always help that he was ready to offer anytime I
needed to.
Speaker 1 (34:23):
You guys are actually very similar. You're more offensive, he's defensive.
But Don James was one of the coaches that really
helped him. I mean he has acknowledged the former Husky coach.
And by the way, as you well know, at Washington,
Don is you know the icon is that do you
see similarities with you and Nick? I do I see
a lot of the same personality. He may yell a
(34:43):
little louder, but do you see some similarities.
Speaker 8 (34:46):
I think that's probably for the people who know us
both or played for US, both coached with US both.
You know, the success of a team or a program,
I think there are the common you know, non negotiables,
the values that you have, and the styles may be different,
or you know, just how how you go about it
might be different, but I think those non negotiables are
(35:08):
are all the same. And so the Don James a
reference that was really part of our first conversation.
Speaker 5 (35:14):
You know, something that tied us immediately.
Speaker 1 (35:16):
Your year in the PAC twelve was the best I've
ever seen the PAC twelve and those teams, by the way,
I think are twenty one and two this year, So
you really saw the best of the PAC twelve. But
the SEC is different. It's just bigger upfront, like like
when you look at film, do you notice the difference
PAC twelve to SEC? Does it jump off the tape
to you, Kaitlin, Yeah.
Speaker 8 (35:37):
You know, we haven't got into the SEC games, but
I've watched enough and I look at our own team
and just up front, you know what that looks like,
and there's there's no question the size of our guys,
and just you know, you're trying to make sure that
there's still athleticism and it's it's pretty impressive the way
that these guys can move, whether it's up on the
lines or the second levels. Just everyone you know has
(35:59):
has that that strength as that mass, and you know,
we're just trying to make sure we use all those
tools that we have, you know, to our disposal.
Speaker 1 (36:08):
Jalen Milrow the offense. If I if somebody never watched,
because Panis and all those receivers, you were an aerial show.
I mean it was vertical, it was hyper aggressive. I
don't know, I mean, Alabama is a bigger program, but
it'd be hard to duplicate that level of talent at
any school. Will your offense eventually look like Washington or
(36:30):
was that just you just had uniquely talented guys with
the Huskies.
Speaker 8 (36:34):
Yeah, I think there was unique traits that those guys had,
and we really tailored the offense to them. And that's
going to be the key for us is Jalen's got
some unique traits in special ways. And you know, as
much as he's doing a good job of really learning
the intricacies the offense is the new the offense, the nuances.
(36:54):
We got to do a good job of continuing to
evolve in around you know, all the players, but it
is than by the quarterback, and so you know, front
and center with him. We need to make sure we
continue to adjust and I think every week, you know,
that's that's part of the process, is understanding what went
really well, what can we.
Speaker 5 (37:11):
Continue to work on And you know, Taylor around with his.
Speaker 1 (37:14):
Skill set is so Wisconsin. Camp Randal is nuts. It
is one of the great environments. And I've always said
this in the NFL, you got twenty eight year old adults,
married kids, grown ups. You take a nineteen year old
and you put him at Camp Randal on a Saturday,
and it gets loud and you have a fumble in
your trail when you're going into a harsh environment. You
(37:35):
had a couple at Washington. Where you go on the road,
you got twenty year old kids. Do you coach different
that week? Is the messaging different?
Speaker 4 (37:43):
Yeah?
Speaker 5 (37:43):
You know, the guys are just really excited.
Speaker 8 (37:45):
As much as we love playing at brand Any Stadium
here in Tuscaloosa, you know, I think there is something
special about going on the road into hostile environments.
Speaker 5 (37:54):
And you know, having grown up in the Midwest and
well aware of.
Speaker 8 (37:57):
Wisconsin, the tradition and everything there, and coach Fickles done
a great job here, continue to move that program here
in the second year. But our guys, you know, this week,
they understand, you know, I wanted to make sure that
they knew, you know, on Sunday when we came back
in and again here today.
Speaker 5 (38:14):
What it would look like, what it would feel like.
Speaker 8 (38:18):
They've been in that environment before, and so you know,
looking forward to going up there and locking arms with
each other.
Speaker 5 (38:25):
And it goes through.
Speaker 8 (38:26):
It first starts with the preparation, but that preparation, you know,
leading to confidence and Saturday will come here sooner than later.
Speaker 1 (38:33):
So you lost over thirty players in the transfer portal,
yet you sign the number three transfer class. I mean, listen,
life changes, you have to adapt. Did you prefer when
it was just high school kids? Do you like some
of the transfer portal situations? What is recruiting like for
a coach now in college football?
Speaker 8 (38:51):
Yeah, you're just always on your toes, you know, you're
just always really trying to make sure with your own
team that you have a culture where there's kindnuity and
the attrition is just really on a lower level, and
you know, The one thing that is nice about the
portal is that you know when there are you know,
especially coming in right now. The portal obviously caused these situations,
(39:13):
but there's there's areas where we have gaps. We were
able to, you know, do the best we could to
fill in those gaps. And I think we got some
high quality just not just players, but people that have
come in that fit us and have done.
Speaker 5 (39:25):
A really nice job.
Speaker 8 (39:26):
But you know, I think when you could lay out
for years ahead back, you.
Speaker 5 (39:30):
Know, and that's just not that long ago.
Speaker 8 (39:32):
You know, how many high school guys you were going
to bring in each year, there was something to that,
you know, and just stay in the course and maintaining
relationships with high school coaches and all that stuff.
Speaker 5 (39:43):
You know, that's still I think where it all starts.
Speaker 8 (39:45):
But you know, there there is a filler I think
of gaps that the portal does allow us to do.
Speaker 5 (39:51):
And you know that's universal across the board for everyone.
Speaker 1 (39:54):
He's as good as any young coach. Calon de Boor
what he did at Washington was pretty remarkable. The expectations
at Bama are even a notch higher. Klenzolis, by the way,
I don't know what you did in your decorating, but
the room has got more light and bright. Nick was
a little dark and intimidating. Your office is sunny and
bright and optimistic. So no knock on Nick's design, but
(40:17):
you look like Bama's coach. I love the office, and congrats.
Speaker 5 (40:20):
I appreciate it. Thanks for having me on, Colin Rotide.
Speaker 2 (40:23):
This is the Herd, best of bestst
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 noone 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 (00:24):
So when Jerry has taking big swings, fireing Tom Landry,
getting Dion, buying the Cowboys big loan, it's worked. When
he's played it safe. I'm not gonna get Derek Henry
at the trade line. I'm gonna move a Bari Cooper
so we're more cap flexible. Jerry's a wildcatter in oil.
When he has taken big risks, I believe to get
(00:48):
out of this mess because right now, Michael, it's very unique.
I'm gonna name quarterbacks. They're all in their prime. Mahomes,
Alan Lamar Burrow, Herbert Quick Golf. Okay, you're not winning
right now. I believe you have to if you go
three and fourteen, and I think it's possible, I'm hiring
(01:09):
Dion and I'm giving away the farm to get up
to Shader sanders Am I crazy.
Speaker 3 (01:14):
Not at all, not at all, and I like it.
I'm just telling you I like it now. Now here's
the thing though, here's the thing you saying. If you're
gonna hire Dion and give away the farm to get
up and get your door, I think you're going to
be right there to get your door anyway.
Speaker 4 (01:32):
You see what I mean?
Speaker 3 (01:34):
Just by the way this season is if you lose, right,
you're not going to have to give up the farm.
You're going to be pick one, two or three. Pick
certainly pick one or two. You know the way you're
playing right now? At home, you'll get You're on an average,
that six game losing streak you're on at home at home.
This is why I'm dressed in black. We can't even
(01:56):
come up with anything at home. Prior to this os
at home we won sixteen in a row.
Speaker 1 (02:02):
You just were at the Colorado game. You're close with
Deon Sanders, right.
Speaker 3 (02:06):
I spent Friday with Jerry, Saturday with Dion, and Sunday
praying for the coon.
Speaker 4 (02:13):
Let me just be real with you.
Speaker 1 (02:15):
Do you think Dion and I think he loves college,
but if his son and Travis Hunter a gone, do
you think Dion would listen to Jerry Jones call if
he offered him the job.
Speaker 3 (02:24):
I think, Dion, if if Jerry and the Cowboys up
there around one and gonna get your door, yeah, if
you want somebody to follow footsteps, you got your door.
You get Dion. I absolutely believe that happens, because you do.
Dion understands how important it is to have that relationship
(02:46):
with your quarterback. Yes, more important anything else in the
world on the next level is that relationship with your quarterback.
If you don't believe me, ask the New York Jackson,
the people that are disappearing over there. You see what
I'm saying. So so that and Dion understands that point.
(03:07):
Dion understands.
Speaker 1 (03:08):
By the way, what do you make of that Jets
they fired their GM today. What do you make of
Aaron and the Jets?
Speaker 3 (03:13):
You know, the Jets, I said, messed up when they
tried to make Aaron Rodgers the main things instead of
keeping their main thing as the main thing.
Speaker 4 (03:24):
They were primarily a running game, run team.
Speaker 3 (03:27):
That played great defense, that needed some guidance at quarterback,
and that the fight was to find a quarterback that
you come in and make the few plays that they
need throw the ball twenty five times a game, not
this fifty five times. You know, the first six weeks
of the season, they were in the top three. Now
(03:48):
that they realized they messed up, so last four weeks
they tried to come back, you know, come back from
all the throwing, but it's too late. They allowed Aaron
Rodgers to pull them into his fight of trying to
prove to everybody that woke crowd in Green Bay that
I still have it, instead of Aaron Rodgers being added
to their fight, which is a run game and defense
(04:12):
right right, And they let Aaron Rodgers bounce around their identity. Now,
you take a Super Bowl winning All Pro quarterback and
you said, well, we don't have one of those. We're
just listening to what he says, and you got disaster.
You take a super Bowl winning All Pro quarterback that
(04:33):
has stumbled, and you give him to the Pittsburgh Steelers,
where there's a coach who has already set the order.
We already got our identity. We're running the ball and
playing defense, and Russell, can you make a few plays
for us? That's the difference. That's the difference. Join his stuff.
(04:54):
Aaron Rodgers made the gest join his stuff and now
they are in disaster.
Speaker 1 (04:59):
That's a really good point that basically Mike Tomlin said,
because I've argued forever people think Brady was the savior
of Tampa. But as tom knew, that was a loaded roster.
Speaker 4 (05:10):
But you know what, that's a good point.
Speaker 1 (05:12):
Effort came to l they've been to the super Bowl.
Speaker 4 (05:15):
That's that's a good point, A good point.
Speaker 1 (05:17):
When you so when Russell went to Denver, he was
viewed as the savior Aaron to the Jets, it doesn't exist.
There is no such thing unless you're Patrick Mahomes or
Josh Allen.
Speaker 4 (05:26):
To me this say you're saying.
Speaker 3 (05:27):
What you're saying is nobody's giving up the Savior. Nobody's
giving up a savior. By the time you get him,
he's no longer a savior, you know what I mean.
He's a disciple of the Savior, but he's no savior himself,
you see what I mean.
Speaker 1 (05:41):
So you like the Steelers what they've done with Man.
Speaker 4 (05:45):
I love what the Steelers have done.
Speaker 3 (05:47):
And and and the move that Mike made at six
and two going you know when the kid was Justin Fields,
I mean four and two move off from for Justin
field and still go and get what he's got.
Speaker 1 (06:01):
By the way, Michael, we have a winning record and
move off the popular kid that everybody likes.
Speaker 3 (06:05):
Oh and because you know, if it didn't work, and
it doesn't work, they gonna they're gonna chop.
Speaker 4 (06:09):
You up and chew you and chew you out right
right right.
Speaker 3 (06:12):
You know what I mean. And and and it worked
in an extraordinary way. And I loved how he did
the other day. And honestly, I love the kid, and
I'm praying for the kid. But Mike Tumblin, thank god
they won that game the other day, or we would
have been back over on the kid again, justin fields
like you see why Mike Tumblin made the change. Even
that little one yard slide early, that early one yard
(06:35):
slide could have cost that game. Yep, could have cost
that game. And that's what Mike is saying. I just
want the guy to not make the mistake that's going
to cost me a game. Just hold on to the
ball and not make the mistakes it's going to cost
me a game. Luckily, they were able to get that
first down and win that game.
Speaker 1 (06:50):
Okay, let's talk about the Lions. So you played on
a Cowboy team. When I was a kid growing up,
the Steelers in nineteen seventy five had about nine Hall
of Famers. The Cowboy team you were on had four
or five six Hall of Famers. You start looking at Piney,
Suel Honor On, Saint Brown, Jared Goff when he's healthy, age,
the largest, and the branch, the safety. You start looking
at that team, Detroit. You know you've been on one
(07:13):
of those. Right when you go into the game and
it's like we'll be playing with a lead every Sunday.
Do you think the Giant are the Lions? Are they
peaking too early? Are you concerned that they're not being
pushed back a little? They're rolling over teams now.
Speaker 4 (07:30):
Right right now. Let me tell you what.
Speaker 3 (07:32):
When I look at the Lions, I said, because I
said this, you know last year on Undisputed Now when
I saw him, I said, man, it's just from it
reminds me a lot of our young.
Speaker 4 (07:41):
Team, because young talent everywhere. And it's not just they
got young talent. They love playing.
Speaker 3 (07:47):
Football together like we love playing football together. You know
when we were coming up, the early Cowboys, ninety Cowboys. Now,
the difference, the difference here is Jared Golf with Jered Golf,
are we going to have there's a Jared Goff that
let go from right out here in LA because they said,
you can't win the big game.
Speaker 1 (08:08):
But a strictly pocket guy right right right.
Speaker 3 (08:10):
And and then they won the big game without him.
So that's the stain on him, on him. Now he's
playing with a chip on his shoulder, Jared goffars and
and he's gonna need that chip so he can remove
that stain.
Speaker 4 (08:25):
You see what I mean. He's gonna need that chip
to remove that sting.
Speaker 3 (08:27):
Now what Jered Golf, do you get that team I'm
talking about that we were with the Cowboys. We ran
off seven straight victories with Steve Burline at quarterback. One time,
remember Steve Burline at quarterback. We ran off, We ran
through everybody we got in the playoffs, and we lost
to a Detroit team in the playoffs.
Speaker 4 (08:44):
Steve Burline had.
Speaker 3 (08:45):
Great talent, great talent, and we would have won a
lot of games with Steve Burrline, and we got some
playoff games with Steve Burline, but we never would have
become a dynasty with him. Troy Aikman took us to
the dynasty level when we got him back. Now, Jared
Goff has the range to be Steve Berline or Troy Aikman.
If he stays Steve Berlin, they'll continue to do this
(09:08):
and just get in the playoffs and never get there.
But if he turns back into the number one pick
of the draft and become Troyman playing within himself like
Troy played within himself, then this Detroit team can do
so many things that ninety Cowboys team did.
Speaker 1 (09:23):
Okay, So I want to get into this whole Jake
Paul Tyson thing. So you may the thing we talked
about before we went on the air, Can you talk
about that or no?
Speaker 3 (09:32):
But Jake Paul, Yeah, yeah.
Speaker 4 (09:35):
Yeah, I've been saying, yeah I saw somebody else. Okay.
Speaker 1 (09:38):
I'm not a big conspiracy theorist, although many are proven true.
So that's okay.
Speaker 4 (09:43):
But you're an analyst.
Speaker 3 (09:45):
You're an analysts, and any analyst has the answer who, what, where, when?
Speaker 5 (09:51):
Why?
Speaker 6 (09:52):
Who?
Speaker 1 (09:53):
I wondered something during the fight and what did you
say to me before you went on the air to
day on a contract?
Speaker 3 (10:01):
I said I I said I was looking for Mike
Tyson because he got me too when he walked in
that ring. I saw, I saw death in his eyes.
I said, oh my god, I said, I see some scared.
I was scared. That don't look like nobody coming to play, right,
And I was looking for that pattnent one but one
in the body upper cut.
Speaker 1 (10:21):
Okay, So that was his you know, his left hook
and his upper cuts or the drop shows it is it.
Speaker 3 (10:28):
You see and when you when he when he hits
that bad it's boom boom boom, and you're like, I
want to see that.
Speaker 4 (10:33):
I want to see that.
Speaker 1 (10:34):
So why didn't we get it?
Speaker 4 (10:35):
We didn't get it.
Speaker 3 (10:35):
We're not a one. And then I heard somebody. I
saw somebody read read somewhere. When somebody said it was
in the.
Speaker 1 (10:43):
Contract, no upper cuts, no upper cut, they put they
take it seriously. I kind of buy this.
Speaker 3 (10:48):
Yeah, they had it in the country. Come on, guys,
why wouldn't Mike throw an upper cut?
Speaker 1 (10:53):
If Nolan Ryan pitched in a game at sixty and
never threw a fastball.
Speaker 4 (10:58):
Right, and you'd be like, sums up, sums up, what's
going on?
Speaker 3 (11:01):
If Mike Irvan had good knees and you still play
football and didn't run a slant route, some fix, that's
all I'm saying, so I know I watched with what
to Do Now, I know Mike had a blood transfusion.
Speaker 1 (11:14):
He almost died July twentieth, and you and I said
the fight should have been in March. His body was
still recovering. He ran out of gas third round. But
if you watched Tyson's career, the upper cut it was
the kill shot. It was, and he didn't throw one.
Speaker 3 (11:30):
And once he hits you in that stomach and you
just mean it a little bit, you set yourself up
for that upper cut, and here it comes.
Speaker 4 (11:36):
Okay.
Speaker 1 (11:37):
The other thing is Jake Paul by about the fifth
round had a chance. And I wondered, after what you said,
did Jake Paul say, listen, I signed a contract. He
can't throw an upper cut. I'm not gonna humiliate him,
and I agree to a deal that Mike can't throw,
he can't hit cleanup, he can't bring the bomb right.
Speaker 4 (11:58):
And I liked it he did that. I like that.
Speaker 3 (12:00):
He's that he didn't go kill on kill Mike, and
which is which is which is funny because Jake gets
a lot of he gets a lot of hate and
pushback on, you know, and I like the guy.
Speaker 4 (12:11):
I like him.
Speaker 3 (12:12):
I mentioned it on the broadcast. You got to honor
and respect the man.
Speaker 1 (12:16):
He works hard.
Speaker 3 (12:17):
That that hacks the whole game, Like he has hacked
the whole game. They did it his way and listening
in your way and still got right where he wanted
to be. Deon Sanders is doing that in football as
a head coach. He's doing the same thing. He's hacked
the system. He said, I'm doing this my way, and
you guys got to respect that. I mean, I think
he's a brilliant guy and I and he got he
(12:38):
got kudos for me for honoring Mike Tyson with that,
with that twenty million dollars, the gift package and pulling
up in the fifth round.
Speaker 1 (12:48):
I want to go back to the Shadeur sanders don thing. Now.
People will push back and say, well, what are you
going to do with Dak? And my take is Dak
will have a market, somebody will pay some of the contract.
And the truth is Denver has shown us even with
fifty million of dead cap money, Russell Wilson, if you
get the coach and the quarterback right, you can still
(13:10):
be good because you're not paying Bonnicks for five years,
so you can you can handle that dead cat and
somebody would come in. Dak would have a market.
Speaker 4 (13:18):
Yeah, Dak will have a market. There's no doubt. There's
no doubt.
Speaker 1 (13:21):
You go to Dak before the draft pick and say,
we're gonna take your door. Where do you want to go,
and we'll try to make it. We'll be good, we'll
be good suitors. We'll go find the suitors. You pick
the team you want, we'll try to get it there. Yeah,
you don't make it public, so we have leverage.
Speaker 3 (13:36):
And I love Dak, and Dak has given us a
lot of wins. And I'm sitting here listening to these
scenarios and I say to myself, Wow, you know I
would hate to see that go.
Speaker 4 (13:50):
I love that.
Speaker 3 (13:51):
But right now, when you look at the Cowboys as
they are currently constructed, you gotta say, there's.
Speaker 4 (13:58):
Something that has to be done here.
Speaker 3 (14:00):
Sure, you can't stay, you can't continue to lose games,
eat at home eight to thirteen.
Speaker 4 (14:06):
Clip, You're losing these games, thirty eight at thirteen in
front of your home. Crap, it's just getting bad.
Speaker 3 (14:12):
So something has to be shaken up and be done,
and Jerry has to get it done.
Speaker 1 (14:17):
People don't understand how hard Michael works. So the last
three days, where have you been?
Speaker 4 (14:21):
Well? I've been I was well.
Speaker 3 (14:23):
First I did the game, I mean to fight in
Dallas Friday, and then Friday, and then because you went
to Colorado Saturday and came back Sunday and went to
the Monday night game and then flew here early Tuesday morning.
Speaker 1 (14:34):
And you don't do the private I be here with you.
Speaker 3 (14:36):
No, I don't do private planes. I don't well, I'm so,
I don't know. I fly every day and I'm still
scared of planes.
Speaker 4 (14:43):
I don't know.
Speaker 1 (14:44):
You're scared.
Speaker 4 (14:45):
Stop laughing over that. I don't know, people, I'm telling you.
Speaker 5 (14:48):
Man.
Speaker 3 (14:49):
When I get on the airplane and we hit turbinus,
oh my god, man, my anxieties get so bad because
I can't control it, you know what I mean. I'm
not so that person be next to me. Oh my,
they'd be so happy to be next to me.
Speaker 4 (15:01):
Right I can see them.
Speaker 3 (15:02):
They get the phone and they take somebody and they're
doing this right here. They trying to show people that's mean,
like it'll take it.
Speaker 4 (15:08):
And then we hit turbuts I grabbed.
Speaker 3 (15:12):
You know, my head is a pretty strong I ground
so tightly, like they ain't so happy to sit next
to me anymore.
Speaker 4 (15:18):
They're like, how.
Speaker 1 (15:19):
About a gummy here? Do you ever take a gummy?
Speaker 4 (15:22):
Yeah? I appreciate you giving me the chance to tell
people that on TV. Yeah to the dummy.
Speaker 3 (15:29):
Yeah, it didn't work quite like I wanted it too.
I was I was still grabbing at everything. Any turbulist.
I don't know why. Man work on it.
Speaker 1 (15:40):
It's some uncertainty of what's happening in your life.
Speaker 3 (15:43):
And I live on it almost every day. I'm flying
every day. I can't get I don't know why I
have this fear of me. My friends, right, they send
a plane sometimes they want me to come and send
the plane, be the nicest plane of G five G
I'll leave it right in the hangar and go get
me a playing in the south towards airlines and tell
them come pick me up at the airport.
Speaker 4 (16:04):
Man, you know how you probably to fly.
Speaker 1 (16:08):
That's why you relate, and you've endured. You're one of
the people. What are the people You're walking through those
crappy airports like the rest of them.
Speaker 4 (16:16):
Yeah, just like the rest.
Speaker 3 (16:17):
So I can get the feel of the people, so
I can speak with the people. You can't get the
feel of the people without speaking with the people.
Speaker 4 (16:26):
That's how you can communicate.
Speaker 1 (16:28):
Okay, and you broke news today. You do believe and
I do too, that if shaud Or went to the Cowboys,
Dion would accept the job.
Speaker 4 (16:40):
I believe one hundred percent. And I can tell you
good sources.
Speaker 1 (16:46):
And told me that.
Speaker 4 (16:50):
Great sources have told me that.
Speaker 3 (16:52):
That's all I can say like that with violating anything
else having I love you too, but I love I
love be with you boy.
Speaker 4 (17:00):
All Right, we don't make this a regular. Next year,
we're going to make it a regular.
Speaker 1 (17:04):
How You're always welcome, They playmaker, This is the Herd.
Speaker 2 (17:08):
Best be sure to catch live editions of The Herd
weekdays and noon Eastern not a Empacific on Fox Sports
Radio FS one and the iHeartRadio app.
Speaker 1 (17:19):
You had said when you took the job, we don't
want to be as reliant on Justin Herbert. We love him,
he's amazing, but we want to be we don't want
to just you know, you see some of these quarterbacks
throwing forty eight times a Sunday. That's not healthy. How
did Justin handle you saying, hey, you don't need to
throw forty times. How did he handle it?
Speaker 7 (17:39):
It was you know when you're when you're starting to
talk there and talking about you know, how the team's
doing and how you know the same players from last year,
you know, Justin Herbert. I mean, let's just for two seconds,
let's just just go there. I mean, there's there's nobody better.
There's nobody, you know, there's Lamar's playing really good. Uh,
(18:03):
you know, and and I think those two are playing
at a really high level right now, and some others.
But uh, I don't think anybody's playing better than Justin
Herbert is. And and I know you have great respect
for him, Colin, yeah. Uh, And I mean it's a
it's a love and admiration that that we have for
(18:24):
for Justin that he's incredible.
Speaker 6 (18:26):
Everything that he does.
Speaker 7 (18:27):
We could we could spend the whole the whole show
talking about him, but it it's hits me like this,
like every day when we go out there to practice,
we're around greatness. This is this is what greatness looks like.
And uh, you know, God willing and the creek don't rise.
Speaker 6 (18:45):
Uh, this will be the this will be the the
only quarterback I ever coach again.
Speaker 1 (18:49):
Yeah, well that would be and he's big, and he's
strong and he's durable. Now, I got to one of
the things that we question. We said, boy, we don't
know if the Chargers have perimeter sideline talent to play
with the team. And Quinton Johnston had a rough rookie year,
but when he's been healthy, you guys have really your
staff has figured out how to use him. Talk a
(19:10):
little about that, because first of all, it's hard as
a rookie in the NFL. It's hard for everybody. But
he has really flourished over the since you arrived. What
did you do?
Speaker 7 (19:21):
It's really what he's done, Colin, in the the training environment,
he's really he's gotten stronger.
Speaker 6 (19:26):
Uh, he's he's he has a great speed.
Speaker 7 (19:29):
He's really worked hard on his route, discipline, his mechanics.
Sanjay Lauer, receiver coach, has done an incredible job uh
coaching Uh coaching q And uh you know, he just
keeps keeps getting better and better and better. And uh
you know he's just so sort of showing us so
much in terms of uh you know, the speed, uh, toughness,
(19:52):
Uh you know, uh, playing smart, playing with great effort, blocking,
It's it's just it's just better better, improving, improving, and
you know, our our our whole receiving corps when you
look at it has been that way. I mean Lad McConkey,
he's done an incredible job. Josh Palmer, uh doing a
super super job. Got Darius Davis back this week. Yep,
(20:17):
and he gave us a big, big punt return.
Speaker 6 (20:21):
Uh.
Speaker 7 (20:21):
Jalen Rager who we added, has done a done a
really good job for us so and then DJ Shark
we think, oh, I'll be back this week.
Speaker 6 (20:30):
So we're getting uh.
Speaker 7 (20:32):
We're getting a lot of premier help already, and we
feel like we're uh, it's just gonna it's just going
to grow, grow and grow, and that bodes well for
our team.
Speaker 1 (20:40):
We all know your brother coaches in the NFL, but
you were gone from the NFL, Jim for a decade,
and I mean fad football's football. Your teams are physical,
relentless and tough and smart. But was there anything being
gone for ten years and coming back into this league
that you had to kind of tweak that you went
you know what, that's a little different, that's a little different.
(21:01):
Was there anything you had to tweak at all?
Speaker 7 (21:04):
I mean, there's definitely some some some things different in rules,
those are priced, you know, some of the biggest things.
But equipment changes. We al would talk about the safety
of the game. I think that's so much more improved
in those rules that I talked about earlier. I mean
have been designed to for players safety. The number one
(21:27):
difference to me at the very top of the list
is the last time I coached in the NFL was
twenty fourteen, and I didn't think that the NFL could
get any bigger, any more popular than it already was then. Yeah,
but you know now a decade later, I mean it
is it is least you know two x three x,
(21:47):
you know more in terms of of popularity.
Speaker 1 (21:52):
Yeah, you know the I want you to go to
week one this year and then yesterday in that gap
now in college, ed you got a bunch of kids
in college, they're twenty, they're nineteen. You can see big
growth in the NFL from Week one this year to yesterday.
Where do you grow? Where do you see a pro
team grow with older guys, guys are twenty six, twenty
(22:14):
eight their men. Have you seen big growth? If so,
where on the team?
Speaker 6 (22:20):
Yeah? I have, you know, big growth.
Speaker 7 (22:22):
I mean it's all the little things, all the uh
you know, things that people think are minutia, but it's
all those little thousand things that that add up to
make all the difference.
Speaker 6 (22:33):
And it's it's all the individuals.
Speaker 7 (22:34):
I mean, they're they're just attacking, you know, anything and
every opportunity that's been put in front of them and
uh and trying to make the most of it. And
I know we're just going back to the first game
until now, but uh, you know, I would really point to,
you know, just a very beginning and uh and where
it really all comes from. It all comes from from
the top. It all comes from you know, the Spanos family.
(22:57):
Dean Spanos, John span is here every single day, I mean,
through the draft process, you know, every practice, uh, you know,
every decision. It's it's everybody's just pulling in the same direction.
And they're the ones that that have that have made
that culture. And that's the way it's been and uh,
you know it shows in the the players that are here,
(23:19):
justin Herbert Derwin, James Khalil Mack, uh, you know, Quintin Johnson,
all those that have been that have been drafted and
signed and Joe Ortiz, uh, you know, came in and
did an incredible I can count eleven guys that he's
signed as free agents uh in the off season that
have been significant producers and contributors. So uh yeah, I
(23:42):
think it's just really uh you know, comes from an
organization where everybody is doing anything and everything that they
possibly can to help us win. And then you know,
we feel that I feel that as as as coach,
our players feel it that, uh you know, our organization,
our ownership is doing anything and everything in their power
(24:02):
for us. What's good for the Bee is good for
the Hive. And then it just it makes you want
to do anything and everything in your powers, my in
my power as a coach, uh you know, to uh
to to help the organization. And everybody everybody attacks it
in a way of what I've noticed, like double checking,
triple checking, quadruple checking. And also everybody treats their job
(24:24):
like it's the most important job in the entire organization.
Speaker 5 (24:28):
Uh.
Speaker 7 (24:28):
You know, that's just fun to be around. So when
you just you show up every day and it's like, hey,
who else wants to work? Who else wants it's everybody.
Everybody wants to wants to get after it. So you know,
let's go let's go, Uh that's that's the thing. And
then and then we just uh you know, just to
tack it with, you know, just we can't fix everything
at all at once, but we can fix one thing at
(24:51):
a time all the time.
Speaker 1 (24:53):
Hey, speaking of Georgie's the trade deadline? Your brother got
a player? The Bills did, the Chiefs did. You've got
to you got to a good team. You got your tackles,
you got your ed rushers, you got in quarterback. I mean,
you got most of the stuff that everybody wants is
there at the trade deadline? Are you interested? You're going
to make a call?
Speaker 4 (25:09):
What do you make?
Speaker 1 (25:10):
What am I? What am I? I'm not gonna guess.
You're smiling like you got a card. You got a
card in your deck here that I don't know about.
What are you gonna do with the trade deadline?
Speaker 4 (25:21):
I don't know.
Speaker 6 (25:22):
I don't know.
Speaker 7 (25:22):
Uh, you know it's that that's a that's a Joe
Joe Ortiz. You know he's Joe Joe is Batman. I
play Robin and uh, you never know, you know, I
looked at your uh your thing there, I mean, uh,
the graphic. You know, do do the Chargers need? What
do they need what are they? Uh, what do they
uh they need? You know, do they need receiver help,
(25:44):
perimeter help? No, we don't need we don't need that.
I don't think we. I can't think of a position
right now where we need, you know, uh to upgrade.
I love the guys that that are here, love them.
But if you don't want somebody you know and uh,
you know can can can make us better than I
(26:05):
that I know he will. And all competitors are welcome.
Competitors welcome. Twenty twenty four Los Angeles Chargers.
Speaker 1 (26:14):
By the way, Lad Camp McConkey. I liked him at Georgia.
You saw him at Michigan when he was a boy.
He's good, Like did you think he would be good?
This good, this quick.
Speaker 6 (26:27):
He is?
Speaker 7 (26:28):
I mean you just love everything about him, right, and
he he was good, He was a how do you
not love him?
Speaker 6 (26:33):
Really? I mean he he.
Speaker 7 (26:34):
Walked down at Georgia and then then played significant contributor
as a freshman, as a sophomore, as a junior. Uh,
he's and he's a great guy. I mean aside from
from the football. Uh you know, by his talent, by
his effort. He is known, but he is is just
such a respectful, good guy.
Speaker 6 (26:55):
You know. Okay, that's a side. And I know what
that comes from.
Speaker 7 (27:00):
Uh that that was poured into him by uh, poured
into him by his parents, uh.
Speaker 6 (27:05):
Benji and Brittany.
Speaker 7 (27:07):
And I had a great chance to meet him, a
chance chance encounter at the combine.
Speaker 6 (27:12):
My son Jack was with me. We went to get.
Speaker 7 (27:14):
Breakfast, one of those breakfast places, uh something with a
fork in the name, and you know, we're walking to
we're walking to pay the bill, and you know, I
see all these Georgia people.
Speaker 6 (27:27):
They're you know, go dogs. How are y'all doing?
Speaker 7 (27:30):
And uh, well you really you really got after us
a couple of years ago. Oh yeah, we were there, coach.
We remember, we're we're mister and missus McConkey. And then
this is our family and some of the other uncles
and and uh and family members were there and we
had a we had a lovely conversation uh there and
I could I could see right.
Speaker 6 (27:49):
There, you know what, uh you know what had been
poured into him, and uh yeah it was Uh. We
wanted some of that.
Speaker 7 (27:56):
We wanted we wanted a lot of that because, as
I said, competitors welcome here at the Los Angeles Chargers.
Speaker 1 (28:02):
Finally, I don't think, Jim, I've seen you smile this much.
There is something you were great in college. You're you're
one of the all time greats. There's something about the NFL.
You got a smart quarterback who's a tough guy like you.
You seem happy, right, That's what I say. That's what
I see happy, Jim Harball. Even on the games when
(28:22):
Herbart comes over to you, it's like you just in
a good mood every time I see you. Do you
notice that?
Speaker 6 (28:29):
Yeah? We we's that's true.
Speaker 7 (28:32):
I mean I think that is uh guilty at charged there,
very happy and we have we have a we have
a good time here.
Speaker 6 (28:39):
We work hard, but we have a good time doing it.
Speaker 7 (28:41):
And then, uh, you know, our guys get dead serious
about winning on game day.
Speaker 6 (28:47):
Uh you know, no question about that.
Speaker 7 (28:49):
And they you know, they they put the work in
it just it just becomes infectious, you know, like you
know those that I those those that I named before. Uh,
I mean there's nobody like Derwin James, uh that I've
ever encountered in football as a as a as a
teammate or as a player or a coach.
Speaker 6 (29:07):
And I could just go down the l K mac
uh clil Mack. I mean, wow, he's most.
Speaker 7 (29:12):
Humble, hungry warrior you could ever be around. And uh
and Justin uh and so many others. I mean I
could I could name another another forty five guys. I mean,
just I love these guys and uh, there's no doubt
though I sit at my desk, you know, right before,
right before we did this interview.
Speaker 6 (29:29):
I mean, it's like Justin's on our team.
Speaker 1 (29:33):
Yes, well competitors.
Speaker 4 (29:36):
It's great.
Speaker 7 (29:37):
It's uh yeah, it's it's a yeah, we're uh, we're
attacking and we're having fun doing it.
Speaker 1 (29:44):
Coach, What a pleasure after a win. Go have a
nice lunch, enjoy your day, make it the best day
of the week until next Sunday. It's great seeing you again.
Speaker 6 (29:56):
Well, I appreciate it. Uh. You know, I'm a big, big, big,
huge fan of yours.
Speaker 7 (30:01):
And uh appreciate, uh appreciate everything and just how much
you you know you you love and respect Justin too.
Speaker 6 (30:10):
I mean that's that's that's pretty darn cool.
Speaker 1 (30:12):
Yeah, what a great kid.
Speaker 6 (30:14):
There's nobody tougher.
Speaker 7 (30:15):
You know, there's my own personal ranking, you know, and
this is this is my right to have my own
personal rankings, So I'm gonna go preface it's with that
that it's not anybody else's, it's mine. But I've always
considered myself the toughest quarterback in the history of.
Speaker 6 (30:31):
The National Football League.
Speaker 7 (30:33):
Uh, being around Justin Herbert, I have moved to number
two in the rankings. Justin Herbert is the toughest quarterback
in the history of the National Football League. I mean
this this guy is uh, I mean it's it's become
like hack a shack you know the way, Uh the
way remember remember the old shack Chas and and uh,
(30:55):
they just hack him. He's so big and he's so
tough to get on the ground that I mean, the
ball's thrown and the it could be the ball's ten
yards downfield and there's still somebody trying to wrestle and
grapple him to the ground.
Speaker 1 (31:08):
Uh.
Speaker 7 (31:09):
He gets hit when he goes out of bounds, he
gets hitting the head, he gets face masked during the play.
It's uh, you know, it's incredible.
Speaker 1 (31:18):
And.
Speaker 7 (31:20):
Yeah, I just I just don't have enough adjectives to
to describe, uh, you know what the what being around
this this young man is like and just how fortunate
we are as an organization to have him as our
as our quarterback. And the last thing I would say
too is I mean we've all heard of people that
(31:40):
you know that make a lot of money, and uh,
you know, money makes people complacent.
Speaker 1 (31:45):
Yeah, not justin.
Speaker 6 (31:46):
Herbert, no way. Guy is uh he was right back
in here.
Speaker 7 (31:50):
I know where to find him, six thirty seven thirty
in the morning on a on an off day, he's
right down there in the in the weight room, or
you know, get an extra film where it's never comes
in dishovel, never, never sleepy. Just it's like he's like
a jackhammer, you know, just just always attacking.
Speaker 1 (32:09):
Love him, God, so do I, and I love He's
one of the nicest kids I've ever met my whole life.
I've been doing this thirty years. I don't think I've
met a nicer, more respectful human being who's a star
in my whole life. And there's been a lot of
good guys, a bunch of good guys.
Speaker 4 (32:22):
He is.
Speaker 1 (32:22):
He is like nobody else, just genuine salt of the earth.
You can tell you have good parents, good upbringing, just
quality dude, and I love that you love it.
Speaker 7 (32:30):
There's no doubt about it. Mark and Holly Herbert did
an incredible job. They should take a deep long bow.
That one son's playing at Oregon right now. The other
is a resident at u c l A medical school.
Speaker 6 (32:44):
It gets where Justin lives, roommates with his brother?
Speaker 1 (32:47):
Does he brothers?
Speaker 6 (32:49):
How about that? You know?
Speaker 1 (32:50):
I love that? Is that?
Speaker 6 (32:51):
Is that incredible?
Speaker 7 (32:52):
I mean he probably doesn't well be saying stuff like this,
but I just I just just every day, you know,
just it's just it's just awesome, awesome being around him.
Speaker 6 (33:02):
Coach, you're you're you're spot out.
Speaker 7 (33:04):
He is he is a he is a He's a
wonderful guy off the field.
Speaker 6 (33:10):
Uh and and a great player on it.
Speaker 1 (33:12):
Hey, tell your PR guy, Josh. Thanks. He hustles for
me all the time. He's really good. He's good, dude,
tell me he's the best thing.
Speaker 6 (33:18):
He's one of those guys in the organization. All right,
catch you.
Speaker 1 (33:22):
All right, Coach Harball, I'm getting I'm getting the hook,
Jim Harbaugh.
Speaker 2 (33:30):
This is the herd best.
Speaker 1 (33:33):
Calen is joining us. Uh live. You know, I was
just talking during the break. Nick Saban lives five houses
down from you, So it's not like I mean to
be honest with you. Did you lean into Nick when
you took the job. Did you give him a call
and ask a couple of questions.
Speaker 8 (33:50):
Or I even got offered the job or or took it,
just uh, you know, just to have that you know,
that was really the first time I'd ever had a
chance to talk with him. And you don't want to,
you know, let him know that you know everything he
did for this program. If I became the head coach,
you know, it would be nothing but embracing that and.
Speaker 5 (34:10):
Everyone else that helped him have all the success along
the way.
Speaker 8 (34:14):
And of course when I got here, there's that's probably
when the most questions are and you know there is
always help that he was ready to offer anytime I
needed to.
Speaker 1 (34:23):
You guys are actually very similar. You're more offensive, he's defensive.
But Don James was one of the coaches that really
helped him. I mean he has acknowledged the former Husky coach.
And by the way, as you well know, at Washington,
Don is you know the icon is that do you
see similarities with you and Nick? I do I see
a lot of the same personality. He may yell a
(34:43):
little louder, but do you see some similarities.
Speaker 8 (34:46):
I think that's probably for the people who know us
both or played for US, both coached with US both.
You know, the success of a team or a program,
I think there are the common you know, non negotiables,
the values that you have, and the styles may be different,
or you know, just how how you go about it
might be different, but I think those non negotiables are
(35:08):
are all the same. And so the Don James a
reference that was really part of our first conversation.
Speaker 5 (35:14):
You know, something that tied us immediately.
Speaker 1 (35:16):
Your year in the PAC twelve was the best I've
ever seen the PAC twelve and those teams, by the way,
I think are twenty one and two this year, So
you really saw the best of the PAC twelve. But
the SEC is different. It's just bigger upfront, like like
when you look at film, do you notice the difference
PAC twelve to SEC? Does it jump off the tape
to you, Kaitlin, Yeah.
Speaker 8 (35:37):
You know, we haven't got into the SEC games, but
I've watched enough and I look at our own team
and just up front, you know what that looks like,
and there's there's no question the size of our guys,
and just you know, you're trying to make sure that
there's still athleticism and it's it's pretty impressive the way
that these guys can move, whether it's up on the
lines or the second levels. Just everyone you know has
(35:59):
has that that strength as that mass, and you know,
we're just trying to make sure we use all those
tools that we have, you know, to our disposal.
Speaker 1 (36:08):
Jalen Milrow the offense. If I if somebody never watched,
because Panis and all those receivers, you were an aerial show.
I mean it was vertical, it was hyper aggressive. I
don't know, I mean, Alabama is a bigger program, but
it'd be hard to duplicate that level of talent at
any school. Will your offense eventually look like Washington or
(36:30):
was that just you just had uniquely talented guys with
the Huskies.
Speaker 8 (36:34):
Yeah, I think there was unique traits that those guys had,
and we really tailored the offense to them. And that's
going to be the key for us is Jalen's got
some unique traits in special ways. And you know, as
much as he's doing a good job of really learning
the intricacies the offense is the new the offense, the nuances.
(36:54):
We got to do a good job of continuing to
evolve in around you know, all the players, but it
is than by the quarterback, and so you know, front
and center with him. We need to make sure we
continue to adjust and I think every week, you know,
that's that's part of the process, is understanding what went
really well, what can we.
Speaker 5 (37:11):
Continue to work on And you know, Taylor around with his.
Speaker 1 (37:14):
Skill set is so Wisconsin. Camp Randal is nuts. It
is one of the great environments. And I've always said
this in the NFL, you got twenty eight year old adults,
married kids, grown ups. You take a nineteen year old
and you put him at Camp Randal on a Saturday,
and it gets loud and you have a fumble in
your trail when you're going into a harsh environment. You
(37:35):
had a couple at Washington. Where you go on the road,
you got twenty year old kids. Do you coach different
that week? Is the messaging different?
Speaker 4 (37:43):
Yeah?
Speaker 5 (37:43):
You know, the guys are just really excited.
Speaker 8 (37:45):
As much as we love playing at brand Any Stadium
here in Tuscaloosa, you know, I think there is something
special about going on the road into hostile environments.
Speaker 5 (37:54):
And you know, having grown up in the Midwest and
well aware of.
Speaker 8 (37:57):
Wisconsin, the tradition and everything there, and coach Fickles done
a great job here, continue to move that program here
in the second year. But our guys, you know, this week,
they understand, you know, I wanted to make sure that
they knew, you know, on Sunday when we came back
in and again here today.
Speaker 5 (38:14):
What it would look like, what it would feel like.
Speaker 8 (38:18):
They've been in that environment before, and so you know,
looking forward to going up there and locking arms with
each other.
Speaker 5 (38:25):
And it goes through.
Speaker 8 (38:26):
It first starts with the preparation, but that preparation, you know,
leading to confidence and Saturday will come here sooner than later.
Speaker 1 (38:33):
So you lost over thirty players in the transfer portal,
yet you sign the number three transfer class. I mean, listen,
life changes, you have to adapt. Did you prefer when
it was just high school kids? Do you like some
of the transfer portal situations? What is recruiting like for
a coach now in college football?
Speaker 8 (38:51):
Yeah, you're just always on your toes, you know, you're
just always really trying to make sure with your own
team that you have a culture where there's kindnuity and
the attrition is just really on a lower level, and
you know, The one thing that is nice about the
portal is that you know when there are you know,
especially coming in right now. The portal obviously caused these situations,
(39:13):
but there's there's areas where we have gaps. We were
able to, you know, do the best we could to
fill in those gaps. And I think we got some
high quality just not just players, but people that have
come in that fit us and have done.
Speaker 5 (39:25):
A really nice job.
Speaker 8 (39:26):
But you know, I think when you could lay out
for years ahead back, you.
Speaker 5 (39:30):
Know, and that's just not that long ago.
Speaker 8 (39:32):
You know, how many high school guys you were going
to bring in each year, there was something to that,
you know, and just stay in the course and maintaining
relationships with high school coaches and all that stuff.
Speaker 5 (39:43):
You know, that's still I think where it all starts.
Speaker 8 (39:45):
But you know, there there is a filler I think
of gaps that the portal does allow us to do.
Speaker 5 (39:51):
And you know that's universal across the board for everyone.
Speaker 1 (39:54):
He's as good as any young coach. Calon de Boor
what he did at Washington was pretty remarkable. The expectations
at Bama are even a notch higher. Klenzolis, by the way,
I don't know what you did in your decorating, but
the room has got more light and bright. Nick was
a little dark and intimidating. Your office is sunny and
bright and optimistic. So no knock on Nick's design, but
(40:17):
you look like Bama's coach. I love the office, and congrats.
Speaker 5 (40:20):
I appreciate it. Thanks for having me on, Colin Rotide.
Speaker 2 (40:23):
This is the Herd, best of bestst
Hosts And Creators
Colin Cowherd
Jason McIntyre
Popular Podcasts
Good Game with Sarah Spain
Good Game is your one-stop shop for the biggest stories in women’s sports. Every day, host Sarah Spain gives you the stories, stakes, stars and stats to keep up with your favorite women’s teams, leagues and athletes. Through thoughtful insight, witty banter, and an all around good time, Sarah and friends break down the latest news, talk about the games you can’t miss, and debate the issues of the day. Don’t miss interviews with the people of the moment, whether they be athletes, coaches, reporters, or celebrity fans.
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations.
The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show
The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show. Clay Travis and Buck Sexton tackle the biggest stories in news, politics and current events with intelligence and humor. From the border crisis, to the madness of cancel culture and far-left missteps, Clay and Buck guide listeners through the latest headlines and hot topics with fun and entertaining conversations and opinions.