April 3, 2025 • 42 mins
Thoughts on the NFL free agency period, the Tush Push possibly getting outlawed, Aaron Rodgers taking his time, and more
What to expect from Cooper Flagg when he gets to the NBA
Guest: Dianna Russini
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Episode Transcript
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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 hour two on a Thursday.
J McK and I are off tomorrow. It's the best
of the Herd taking some fridays off here in the
late spring or early spring. So it was interesting last night.
So the Dodgers are undefeated right now. Padre is also
off to a chort Star Braves are really struggling. And
the big talk of matrig baseball. It's crazy the innovation.
(00:48):
You know, we've always looked at baseball's a little bit
of an antique store. It's a little dusty, and baseball
has suddenly decided that we're going to take some innovation
over the last couple of years, and it's amazing, from
the bigger bases, to the pitch clock, to the putting
runners in extra bases, you know, extra innings on bases,
and it's just like It's like Grandpa bought a convertible
(01:10):
sports car and joined a pilates class and has a
new girlfriend named Skyler. The old sport that's Dusty has
decided to upgrade and be progressive and smart, and let
me tell you it has worked. So last night at
the Dodger game, Max Munsey, who had been sampling the
torpedo bat and not doing anything like again, I've said
(01:30):
this yesterday, Aaron Judge and Otani are not using it
and crushing. It's not for everybody, but I do think
if you do use it for certain guys who hit
the ball closer to the handle, sometimes.
Speaker 3 (01:40):
It can get your hits.
Speaker 1 (01:42):
But it's as I said earlier this year, it's gonna
help the Gordon Ramsey chefs, not the guy working at Applebee's.
In the end, you got to be a great player.
So Max Months, he's a really good hitter, and he
used it, but then he ditched it last night in
the eighth inning and hit a two run double to
tie the game. So Max Months, he's like, yeah, I'm
gonna get rid of this thing. And his quote was,
I felt like the bat was causing me to be
(02:04):
a little bit off plane. A little bit in and
out of the zone because my swings felt really good tonight,
but maybe just a bit off, So I decided to
go back to my regular bat so again, Otani and
Judge are not using it. And Otani is batting three
thirty three currently, and Judge is batting three sixty eight
with four home runs and eleven RBIs and Otani, after
(02:26):
trailing early five nothing, Dodgers race back, as they're prone
to do. Six of their eight wins this year have
been comeback wins and Otawni on Bobblehead Night for Otani
wins it slap out a center field Harris is back.
Speaker 3 (02:50):
Every single night they do something that makes us say, wow,
how much fun is this?
Speaker 1 (02:59):
Yeah, it does remind me, even to a greater degree.
The Yankees always drew very well, but when they got
a Rod playing in his prime in New York, like Tuesday, Wednesday,
Thursday games at Yankee Stadium, they felt big. And that's
what O'tani does, like Dodger games now and you'll see
the Lakers Warriors tonight. It's very hard. We live in
an event as a society and it's very hard. I mean,
(03:22):
the World Cup ratings are up Mark Maddens for the
guys is generally up. The Olympics are up. NFL feels special,
you know, Caitlin Clark. Games feel special. It's very hard,
even in a big city like Los Angeles to make Tuesday, Wednesday,
Thursday stuff feel like an event. And that was a
Rod in New York when he came to the Yankees.
(03:44):
It just made Thursday Wednesday games feel special. Dodger games
now it is man. When you get into these late innings,
these close games, that crowd is electric. And with that
from the athletic Diana Russini covered the NFL for now
a decade is joining us live. So one of the
interesting things about these Winter meetings is the tush push.
(04:07):
So I have said this before. I'm a big fan
of innovation. It doesn't matter what it is, nil transfer portal.
It's up to governing bodies to pull back. It's up
to the I R. S to slap an accountant on
the hand and go, you're not gonna You're not gonna
use that loophole anymore. But an accountant's job is to
find the loophole.
Speaker 3 (04:26):
Okay.
Speaker 1 (04:26):
So I appreciate the innovation of the tush push. I
think it's awful television. I don't think it's a football play,
so kind of give me the background they've tabled it,
but give me some insight on that some behind the
rope stuff.
Speaker 3 (04:40):
What you're hearing.
Speaker 4 (04:42):
Yeah, who knew that the tush push would be the
most talked about item at the league meetings. There's so
many other things that we could have been discussing and
chasing after, but this this stood out without a doubt
because it became so controversial over the last few weeks.
Speaker 5 (04:56):
In terms of the momentum that was building over the last.
Speaker 6 (04:59):
Year or so.
Speaker 5 (04:59):
I'd be reporting and talking to you here on.
Speaker 4 (05:01):
The show about how it would come up in conversations
with the Competition committee, and there was definitely a feeling
around the league that Roger Goodell did not like the play,
But no one ever thought that it would get to
a point where it would seriously be in trouble here
of getting banned. So now here we are, where we're
at the owners meeting at the beautiful Breakers.
Speaker 7 (05:23):
Hotel with the sun shining down on us, and you've
got people from the Philadelphia Eagles running around talking to
all the different coaches and gms, trying to convince them
that they shouldn't ban this play, laying out all the reasoning.
Speaker 5 (05:37):
And the big thing you need to know about this is.
Speaker 4 (05:41):
The people that are opposed to it have been saying
that it's due to the fact that it's the safety
of the players is the concern, but there's no data
to back it up at this point, right, So people
like Philadelphia are going, well, there's no data here, so what.
Speaker 5 (05:57):
Are we talking about.
Speaker 4 (05:58):
Is it just because you think the play is a
Sean McVay came out publicly and said that that's his reasoning.
Speaker 5 (06:03):
So in the end, after all the campaigning.
Speaker 4 (06:07):
It really did feel like a political campaign for the
last three days in Florida. When it came down to
it the votes, it was essentially sixteen sixteen, it was even.
So they decide and you know, to straw vote at
that point. So they decide then to just table this thing.
And that is just nothing but bad news for Philadelphia
because essentially what they're gonna do is Green Bay, the
(06:29):
team that proposed it, has got to be the team
that rewrites the language.
Speaker 5 (06:32):
They're going to rewrite this thing.
Speaker 4 (06:34):
In a way that doesn't look so specific to this
one play to Philadelphia, so it's gonna looking sound a
little bit more like the quarterback sneak. So this is
going to be a way for them to get this band.
So in my opinion, here Colin, I think the days
of the Toush pusher over. I don't think we're going
to see that play allowed in the NFL anymore, just
based on the conversations I'm having and just.
Speaker 5 (06:56):
The fact that they tabled it.
Speaker 4 (06:58):
You know, and look at the end of the day,
when owners know that the commissioner, Roger Goodell does not
like something, it tends to push them in one direction,
and that's in favor of what Roder Goodell wants.
Speaker 1 (07:10):
Is there a specific reason. I've got my own theories,
but why Aaron Rodgers wouldn't just say I'm going to
be a Steeler, Like, what's what's the weight here?
Speaker 8 (07:20):
Is it?
Speaker 3 (07:21):
Like?
Speaker 1 (07:21):
Like because DK Metcalf was so in my opinion, overpaid
that there's only about thirty some million dollars for Aaron.
He's not going to sign a Russell Wilson deal, you know.
I mean, I don't blame him. He's like, Hey, I'm
not I'm not going to sign one of these performance deals.
I want I want at least Sam Darnold money. Is
that the hold up the money or is it something else?
Speaker 4 (07:40):
It's funny, It's the hardest question I get in sports,
and all the years I have been doing this, What
is Aaron thinking?
Speaker 5 (07:45):
Who knows? Who knows?
Speaker 4 (07:48):
But to your point, when it comes down to it,
usually it's money, right, Financials are always part of it.
He does not need to sign and take some cheap deal.
He knows that the Steelers need him. Do I think
he was going to be willing to take less to
play for a team that he thinks is a super
super Bowl caliber team like the Minnesota Vikings, Let's say absolutely,
But I think this situation is different. I think he
(08:11):
understands that he's got the leverage in terms of their needs,
and that really just brings us to where we're at.
When you talk to people from Pittsburgh, they really give
you this sense that this is all gonna work out.
We're fine. You heard Mike Tomlin, I'm not panicked. Who
panics in April? Well, teams that want their quarterback right,
like most teams do. And I appreciate that he's trying
to keep his cool on it because, look, he's having
(08:33):
the direct communication with Rogers, and I believe Rodgers is
telling him we'll get there, We'll get there. I just
think there's going to be a number here that's going
to make Aaron happy. And I just don't know if
Pittsburgh is there yet. So until until we see where
this is headed. For now, I think Pittsburgh is in
a position where they're just going to wait and ownership
knows and they trust that Mike Tomlin and Omar Khan
(08:54):
are going to be able to get this deal done
because otherwise this is going to be Pittsburgh in a really,
really bad spot.
Speaker 1 (09:00):
Yeah, you know, I've had people ask me this, you know,
even on the street, like what they don't understand Minnesota.
So they had Darnold and almost resigned him. They brought
in Daniel Jones. They sniffed around with Aaron Rodgers and
it's like, Okay, Pennix is going to be a starter.
Bo Nicks, Jayden Daniels, Caleb Williams, Drake May all the
quarterbacks out of this class are playing. We think Kevin
(09:21):
O'Connell's the shrewdest, you know, he's one of these shrewd
guys that knows offense. They traded up to get him,
and they're like stepping around at a lot of quarterbacks.
I wonder sometimes if Aaron's still looking at them and
waiting for a call.
Speaker 3 (09:35):
I don't know, what is the deal?
Speaker 2 (09:38):
Is it?
Speaker 1 (09:38):
That second surgery thing with JJ McCarthy.
Speaker 4 (09:42):
It definitely makes you wonder what is going on in
Minnesota because it doesn't feel as clear as it needs
to be. But I think some of that has to
do with the fact that he's a young quarterback coming
off a serious injury. They don't know where he stands
at exactly when it comes to full speed football, although
Kevin O'Connell and their general manager have both come out
(10:05):
publicly in the league meetings and say that he has
checked off every single box. And I've actually felt a
swing over the last two weeks I'd say in favor
of them being all in on Jj than ever before
in terms of their confidence and belief that he can
do it, almost as if they're tethered to him now,
which they are because they traded up for him. So
(10:27):
this regime, this is their guy, and this is the
guy that they decided to move on from after having
Sam Donalds, who won fourteen games for them in the building.
And wanted to be in Minnesota. I think that's where
a lot of people don't get. They think that Sam
wanted to be the highest paid, you know, get the
most money he can get in a contract. He wanted
to stay of Viking, and I think he would have
(10:47):
been willing to take less.
Speaker 5 (10:49):
Then, of course you have Daniel Jones.
Speaker 4 (10:51):
Who essentially could have been the next Sam Donald based
on the abilities that I think Kevin O'Connell in the
system could have provided him. He chose to go to Indeed,
knowing that there is probably concerns that Minnesota would want
to quickly go back to JJ, whereas he can go
to Indye, win the job and probably be the starter
all year, knowing their quarterback situation isn't as.
Speaker 5 (11:12):
Up to the standard that they want.
Speaker 4 (11:14):
So look, I'm with you, Colin, and I've been digging
on it for weeks about what is truly happening in Minnesota?
Speaker 5 (11:22):
Why does it feel clunky to me?
Speaker 4 (11:24):
And I think just based on even coming back from
the owners meeting, the feeling is we got to just
see what happens in the spring. I think that's where
we're going to get the answers about where JJ's at
this team is saying all the right things, like let's
just talk pr They are putting it out there he
is our guy, which they should do and they have
to do, and they have to build his confidence coming
(11:45):
off an injury. But they had a chance to get
a Super Bowl winning quarterback, a four time MVP they
moved on from because they believe in JJ McCarthy. So
that's good. That is good for JJ McCarthy. If this
staff believe in him that much. We'll just see how
it plays out in the spring and if he's really
as good as they say he is at this point.
Speaker 1 (12:06):
So there's a lot of talk about we'll wrap it
up with the chaduur standers moving down in the draft.
I like him, I don't love him. I think a
lot of people feel like that. In your years of
covering this league, you do a lot of stuff during
the season and free agency, and Milt Kaiper told me
years ago, he goes, there's never less honesty than like
two weeks before the draft, So like, do you have
any gems maybe it's Chadure or anything else like that.
(12:28):
You know, everybody is saying it's not a very good draft.
There's a lot of Chaduur talk. In your ten years
covering the league, the last couple of weeks before the draft,
is it a perilous time for you?
Speaker 3 (12:38):
Is it fun?
Speaker 1 (12:39):
Is it frustrating to people that usually talk stop talking?
What is it like to cover the NFL two to
three weeks before the draft?
Speaker 5 (12:48):
I love it.
Speaker 4 (12:49):
I love it because everybody loves to talk about everybody else,
so this is where you could really try to get
their opinions and thoughts about what other teams are doing
and playing out different situations. And you're right, my job
is to report the true and to get accurate intel,
so you know your flags are up and you're pretty
protective of certain things, and it tests your relationships. I
(13:11):
had a situation last draft where I thought someone that
was someone I've known for eighteen years was sharing intel
with me and they went in a complete different direction.
Speaker 5 (13:22):
And when I followed up afterwards, I was like, Hey,
we talked so much about what you were doing, you
were not doing that, and he was like, I couldn't
do it.
Speaker 4 (13:31):
So Tamel's point, it is really hard sometimes and you
have to go with your gut and your instincts. Fortunately
I never reported with that guy told me but look,
it's hard. You have to figure it out, but you
also have to have common sense.
Speaker 1 (13:44):
You know.
Speaker 4 (13:45):
One of the best lessons I ever learned from Mike Silver.
He said it to me a few weeks ago. What
we see is what they see. There's no hidden geen.
There's no special goggle the GM and the head coach
has on or special glasses that they can see stuff
we can what.
Speaker 5 (13:59):
We know they know.
Speaker 4 (14:00):
So maybe they know a little bit more behind the
scenes on these guys, But when it comes down to
it always just makes sense. So when you talk about
shad door standards and you know, is his value is
he dropping? Well, the quarterback class isn't that great. And
we've got to see what Cleveland is going to do.
Do they have a deal with Atlanta perhaps to see
if they can get her cousins. If they do, they'll
probably pass on Shador. Or do they keep Shador or
(14:21):
are they willing to trade out. I think there's a
lot of scenarios and it's all very fluid. So I
think if you're willing to just go with how it's
flowing and not be set in stone on everything, then
it's a lot more fun.
Speaker 5 (14:34):
Otherwise you're driving yourself crazy.
Speaker 1 (14:36):
Diana Russini, the athletic senior NFL Insider. Thanks as OLA's
coming on our show.
Speaker 3 (14:41):
Thanks you bet.
Speaker 1 (14:44):
Yeah, it's it's It can be a little bit of
a perilous time because you can get in trouble. I
had the great honor several years ago to hang out
in the Chargers draft room. It's something, you know, It's
one of those There's only the only thing I haven't
done as a sportscaster is go to a con derby,
and it's always been a time thing I just can't.
I never couldn't quam always vacationing or doing something. So
(15:05):
I haven't done a Kentucky derby. But one of the
things I wanted to do and I hope to do
it again, is hang out in a draft room. I
did it for the Chargers and it is fascinating to
be in there.
Speaker 3 (15:16):
At one point I was texting Ann or something.
Speaker 1 (15:19):
It's like, hey, you can't have your cell phone in here.
But it's interesting because everybody's got a board, and then
they don't let you see the board on TV. But
then they have several players that they have like red
check marks. They have dots or check marks. The red
guys or the character guys. Maybe you know, the black
check marks are injury stuff. Like you'll see five or
(15:39):
six character guys like that are off the board, like
we're not drafting them, but they want to keep track
of them, or we're not drafting them injury. I can
remember one specifically the Chargers had off their draft board
that the Seahawks drafted and he didn't end up doing much.
They had injury concerns, and sure enough, he got injured.
I can remember another player drafts that Rams drafted that
(16:03):
other players other teams were deeply concerned about because of injuries.
That player has been good, but that player is constantly hurt.
So it was a Pac twelve player. So it's it's
the draft is I love it now. I do think
pro days are completely overrated. I think if you get
three or four years of college tape from you know,
the Big Ten, the SEC, you got a pretty they're
(16:24):
going up against the NFL, Dude, you've got a pretty
good gig.
Speaker 3 (16:27):
Now.
Speaker 1 (16:27):
I do think Senior Bowls help, and you know, occasional
interviews can be meaningful. Pro days are a bunch of nonsense.
Everybody looks good at Pro days. Zach Wilson blew everybody
in pro days. I think if you start putting too much,
I mean I wouldn't even give five percent of the
pro day. I would give to me eighty percent of
draft is your film is playing in real games, and
(16:50):
then I would say fifteen to twenty percent is like
a Senior Bowl where you get to see guys in person,
they compete against other NFL people. I think the Senior
Bowls as real implications and maybe one percent two percent
to the combine, no percent, I mean, who's ever? I
(17:10):
am just trying to think off my head. How many
people have you ever heard Listen Man, He was a
ham and egger. He was a sixth rounder, but he
went to the second round Pro Day.
Speaker 3 (17:23):
Now, I think Zach.
Speaker 1 (17:24):
Wilson was part of that COVID quarterback class where everybody
missed on everybody, and that was because guys just didn't play.
It was Trey Lance didn't have any big games. I mean,
Zach Wilson played like Utah twice. I almost throw the
COVID class out. That was the one year at Michigan
hardballs team was bad. Belichick just refused to take it
seriously that season. So the COVID class. I kind of
(17:45):
just take that out. So the country was I mean
literally we couldn't go to games.
Speaker 6 (17:49):
Do you remember the Zach Wilson prode.
Speaker 8 (17:51):
I mean he was making unbelievable It looked like some
Mahomes throws.
Speaker 6 (17:55):
I'm not kidding.
Speaker 8 (17:56):
That's why the nickname Mormon Mahomes kind of sprung up.
He was just flinging it effortlessly, like sixty seventy yards
and you're like, who is this guy? Why didn't I
see him all season? And then he got under centatory
a game and you're.
Speaker 3 (18:08):
Like, oh, that's why.
Speaker 1 (18:09):
Yeah, it's I think I know. I saw Daniel Jeremiah
had this. I think they're like seven to eight players.
I love Abdul Carter, I love Travis Hunter Jent he's
really good. I think cam Warts I don't love him,
but he's special. Tyler Warren I think will Johnson the
corner and Mason Graham a war on the tight end
(18:32):
I think is outstanding for Penn State. I don't think
there's a great left tackle. I don't think there's a
great center. I'll tell you the kid, the Williams, the linebacker.
The most underrated player in the draft. Of me is
the linebacker of is it John Williams.
Speaker 3 (18:49):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (18:49):
I think he is by far and away the best linebacker.
He's a freak athletic, his footage is great. I think
he is going to end up going like fourteen, the
fifteenth and be. It reminds me when Patrick Willis went
eleventh in the draft to the San Francisco forty nine ers,
And I remember before the draft watching I worked at
the other place, and I'm like, this dude is chasing
(19:11):
down SEC running backs. This kid, I think that linebacker
for Bam is going to end up being a starter
and a total playmaker in the NFL. But I think
everybody else is slotted right. I only think there's about
seven or eight guys. I like the receiver team Ac
from Arizona. I think he again, you get him to
the right quarterback, he'll be an impact guy day one.
Speaker 8 (19:32):
So do you remember a couple of years ago, we
were ahead of everybody. We beat everybody to the market
on this running back shift.
Speaker 6 (19:38):
In the NFL, they're running back for back.
Speaker 8 (19:40):
I see some people are trying to make linebackers are
back now, they're trying to make that a thing. I
don't know if you've seen it this offseason. People are
pulling clips and I just am reluctant. The Alabama linebacker
looks very good. I've seen some comparisons. Daniel Jeremiah loves him.
I just don't know about a linebacker at fourteen commn.
I mean, I think when you could get the kid
who was the linebacker the Eagles got who was incredible
(20:01):
in free agency, stole them from the Saints, Zach Bond,
Zach Bond, he was all Pro awesome, but he was
getting paid pennies.
Speaker 6 (20:08):
You got him for nothing.
Speaker 8 (20:09):
And so taking someone at fourteen at linebacker, which is
maybe the weakest position of any starting group in the league.
Offensive line matters. You need skill position quarterback. Linebackers are
kind of like, eh.
Speaker 1 (20:21):
Well, it's interesting you say that. So as the running
game re emerges, couldn't you argue linebackers will re emerge alongside.
Speaker 3 (20:32):
So you know, the NFL is.
Speaker 1 (20:36):
You know, baseball is very analytically driven and basketball now is.
Speaker 3 (20:40):
Football is less.
Speaker 1 (20:41):
So so there's certain truths in pro football that don't
exist in other sports. I mean, we used to think
in baseball, like the strikeout was terrible, and now it's
absolutely understood the strikeout's fine. The ground ball with men
on base is the is the death penalty? Right, So
there are certain This is why when the young media,
(21:03):
a lot of young media was buying into this, Oh
woe is me, the running backs are not being treated fairly.
My take is, at its core, football is one thing
for strong, physically imposing men. Like in the NBA, length matters.
It mattered in the seventies, it mattered during Michael Jordan's era.
(21:24):
Long players matter, right. You don't have to have centers,
but you've got to have length on the floor. Wingspan
and length matter. Somebody told me years ago, a general
manager said Scotty. He goes that Bulls defense with Phil
Jackson was so long. Ron Harper was long, Rodman was long,
Jordan was long, Pippin' was long, coup Coach was long.
(21:45):
He said they would tip three, or they would tip
a half dozen passes throughout the course of the game
that other teams wouldn't and if they got two turnovers,
that gave Michael Jordan two possessions. Michael made at least
one of those shots. He goes, you'd be amazed how
many playoffs James filling the Bulls won by a bucket.
And it's like length matters in the NBA, the NFL
(22:06):
will always the rest of our lives be about tough,
physical men imposing their will, winning in the two. So
you can make it wide receivers.
Speaker 3 (22:13):
No, it's not.
Speaker 1 (22:15):
Also in the NFL. This has been true for years.
There has never been a warm weather dynasty.
Speaker 6 (22:22):
Niners.
Speaker 3 (22:23):
That's not over.
Speaker 1 (22:23):
They're not there. That's not warm. I'm talking La Arizona,
Uh Florida, Uh Florida, now Atlanta, go find me the Dome,
or like Dan Marino second year of Super Bowl, never
got back and had a great coach. And my take
(22:43):
is when you play in warm weather, it's easier and
tough weather creates tough people. And so who's dominated the
NFL forever? Kansas City, Green Bay, Baltimore, New England, Philadelphia, Seattle.
Speaker 3 (22:59):
Ada, run, Why is that? I mean, go back to
the seventies. It's it's cold weather.
Speaker 6 (23:07):
Buffalo went to what for?
Speaker 1 (23:08):
I mean right now, go look at the NFL. All
the best teams are cold weather teams, all of them.
The warm weather teams are I mean, Tampa's got a
really solid quarterback and the great GM and good players.
Speaker 6 (23:18):
Oh Cowboys, in the nineties. There's one.
Speaker 1 (23:20):
Yeah, by the way, by the way they get I
went to a Super Bowl in Dallas. It was it
was hail storms. So like Tennessee, Nashville to me feels
a little bit warm weather. The Titans can't get out
of their own way. I just this is one of
my belief If you look at the NFL, well, it
is overwhelmingly and it is overwhelmingly crappy. Winter weather creates
(23:43):
tougher cultures, tougher environments, tougher men, and tougher football team.
Speaker 8 (23:47):
Okay, and I'm thinking of the NFL map, and there's
probably way more there are than warm there are.
Speaker 1 (23:55):
But I mean Carolina is how about the A right now,
you could argue the two worst divisions in the NFL,
AFC South and the NFC South the warm weather visitors.
Speaker 6 (24:03):
Yeah yeah, yeah.
Speaker 3 (24:04):
I mean no, I mean, come to you. No, I've
thought about that.
Speaker 1 (24:07):
Forever, just like I know because I spend a lot
of time in Chicago and you're shovel in the driveway
and you're and you're going for your morning walk and
it's forty three degrees and you got more clothes on,
and it's harder, and it creates tougher, harder people. Yeah,
I mean when I was, when I was a kid
growing up the Big East basketball. Now, now a lot
(24:29):
of you guys don't remember this year or twenty, your
early thirties. Big East basketball was a fistfight every night.
I mean it was John Thompson and Louis carnasecond PJ Carlssamo, everybody.
All those teams were. And by the way, if you
go look at ucn's basketball dynasty, Jim Calhoun to Hurley,
what is their overwhelming brand? Tough, physical coaches, bark you
(24:54):
deal with it. Those are loud, extremely intense coaches. They
all play defense. There's never been a Baltimore team that
was soft.
Speaker 8 (25:05):
Is this feeding the soft and narrative about soft LA
players west of the Mississippi that everybody's just weak.
Speaker 1 (25:12):
Well, I don't know, I just I mean, if you go,
there's never been a Pistons team that was great that
didn't like the rumble.
Speaker 6 (25:17):
It's California cool, not California tough.
Speaker 3 (25:20):
You know, that's right.
Speaker 1 (25:22):
This is that's by the way, By the way, you
have gotten softer since you got no doubt about it.
Speaker 3 (25:29):
You are smoothies and volleyball games.
Speaker 8 (25:31):
Yeah, I'm wearying winter hats to walk my dog at
fifty degrees.
Speaker 6 (25:33):
You know I'm not kidding. That's real.
Speaker 2 (25:36):
One more Herd. The Herd streams twenty four hours a day,
seven days a week within the iHeartRadio app. Search Herd
to listen live or on demand whenever you like.
Speaker 1 (25:46):
All right, welcome back shows, Humming today, j Mack with
the news.
Speaker 3 (25:51):
No, no, turn on the news.
Speaker 2 (25:54):
This is the Herd Line News.
Speaker 6 (25:56):
Get started with a great night in sports.
Speaker 8 (25:58):
So Tani goes yard and then how about Thanny Davis
of the Mavericks. Yea a game winner, went for thirty
four to fifteen. There it is the drive and the floater.
Really impress This stuff from Ad his best performance since
he became a mav.
Speaker 6 (26:14):
I don't know. They look good.
Speaker 8 (26:15):
I'll say Gafford is back, Lively's back, yep, but no
Kyrie Collin.
Speaker 6 (26:19):
Their back court is like Spencer Dinwitty.
Speaker 1 (26:21):
All I'm gonna say is it is easy to sell
the farm. But this roster in terms of size, is
the best in the league. They've got more, they've They've
got a center rotation that is excellent. I know everybody
doesn't like the Luca thing. And it's gonna hurt because
the Lakers are gonna have a nice playoff ruck. It's
(26:43):
gonna hurt this year. Check back next year. Dallas is
gonna be a real team. We'll see.
Speaker 6 (26:49):
Le's see how Kyrie Irving bounces back.
Speaker 8 (26:51):
It's been a let's go to ok see colin the
Oklahoma City thunder Man.
Speaker 6 (26:56):
This team right now, they are.
Speaker 8 (27:00):
They finished the season going twenty nine and one against
the East, the best interconference record in NBA history. The
only time Okase lost to a team in the East
was January eighth against Cleveland. Listen, I've been dubious obviously
of OKC. I want to see it in the playoffs.
They steamrolled the East.
Speaker 6 (27:18):
Man, I mean they look good last night.
Speaker 8 (27:20):
Now, Okaid Cunningham, you know, I don't know.
Speaker 6 (27:24):
Are you a believer in Okase?
Speaker 1 (27:26):
Yeah, I mean they're gonna win playoff series. I think
my belief is are going to be in the well.
Speaker 6 (27:31):
I would hope is the number one seed with an
amazing point.
Speaker 1 (27:33):
Yeah, I think they're going to get to the Western
Conference playoff finals. They're in the Western To me, the
three things I believe strongly in Celtics, Cabs, Eastern Conference final,
got OKC Western Conference Final. Those are the things I
feel strongly about facing.
Speaker 6 (27:50):
Huh, who were they facing?
Speaker 3 (27:52):
Don't feel strongly about that.
Speaker 1 (27:54):
I think if Denver played the Lakers or the Warriors,
I think I would take Denver.
Speaker 8 (28:00):
Don't bet against Luca. I just that's the thing I've
learned not to do. He is too good at the
playoffs that it matters most. Remember they took down OKAYC
last year without own court of vantage. Do you want
to say any other nice things about Sga? Because you
know the eighteen thunder fans are watching and we haven't
glazed them sufficiently this.
Speaker 3 (28:16):
Season, So he's gonna win MVP.
Speaker 1 (28:18):
I get it. I think I think Jokich is a
better player Sga. It does matter what your team's doing,
and when you have a dominant if you win seventy games,
you're gonna get Sorry, you're gonna me seventy and eighty two.
Say it out loud. What was Jordan's best team?
Speaker 6 (28:33):
Seventy two?
Speaker 8 (28:34):
I believe they want seventy two, and then the Warriors
top ten with seventy three.
Speaker 3 (28:37):
Yeah, I mean, it's just you're talking.
Speaker 1 (28:38):
He has seventy wins and also they have great depth,
and they played great defense. So in the NBA, if
you have a seven game series, you're not getting knocked.
Nobody's beating this team four times in two weeks in
the first two rounds.
Speaker 3 (28:51):
Not happening. Not happening.
Speaker 8 (28:54):
Final story, Colin, Let's go to the Cincinnati Bungles.
Speaker 6 (28:58):
So we know they loaded up on Burrow chasing Higgins.
We get that.
Speaker 8 (29:02):
However, defensive Endrea Hendrickson, who led the league in sacks,
he hasn't gotten a deal.
Speaker 6 (29:06):
He wants a new contract.
Speaker 8 (29:07):
Bengals executive VP Katie Blackburn said, I think he should
be happy at certain rates that maybe he doesn't think
he'd be happy at.
Speaker 6 (29:16):
I think some of it is on him to be
happy at some point. No, what how is this lady?
Why is she talking to the media? Hedrickson calls her
comments disappointing. Yeah, I would say so, thank you may.
Speaker 3 (29:29):
Need to be happy with what we're offering.
Speaker 6 (29:32):
Because we're the Cincinnati Bengals.
Speaker 3 (29:34):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (29:35):
Really, it's come of embarrassing, well the whole this is
an organization that I just kind of roll my eyes at.
I feel like Joe Burrow's trapped, I really do.
Speaker 6 (29:43):
How do we get him out of there. How do
we get him to the Jets.
Speaker 1 (29:46):
I don't think there's anything you can do, and I
think it's just it just happens. I think sometimes fans
get trapped with a bad owner, and I think Burrow's
just going to have to live with this.
Speaker 8 (29:54):
The Bengals messaging around all of this has been awful
all off season.
Speaker 1 (29:58):
Look how small their scouting staff is to the ego
and now you can pay t Higgins, Jamar and Burrow
and Henrickson, but you have to hit on five draft
picks annually. Well Philadelphia does the Rams do two rich
owners who spend money, Like that's where the draft. That's
why Dallas giving up draft picks is weird. Like what
are you doing giving up fourth and fifth round draft
(30:18):
picks for backups? Like the Joe Milton's not going to start,
he can't. You just paid Dak a fortune Mingo Trey Lance,
Like what are you doing? Like you did the scouting
Everybody misses on draft picks, but the really good organizations
find a lot of gems in the fourth, fifth, and
sixth rounds and then you need them when you're paying
(30:41):
four guys top of the mark.
Speaker 3 (30:42):
Everything. J Mack with the News.
Speaker 5 (30:46):
Well that's the news, and thanks for stopping by.
Speaker 1 (30:48):
The official Cooper Flag Duke obviously playing this weekend for
the right to advance and get to the National Championship Game.
So the comps are pretty intro coming out for Cooper Flag.
Plus old Jamack tried to get me in the ribs
earlier on these shades. Don't at Lamar Jackson some interesting
numbers I found next and heard.
Speaker 2 (31:11):
Be sure to catch live editions of The Herd Weekdays
and Noone eastern nine am Pacific on Fox Sports Radio
FS one and the iHeartRadio app.
Speaker 9 (31:19):
Hey, Steve Covino and I'm Rich David and together we're
Covino and Rich on Fox Sports Radio.
Speaker 10 (31:25):
You could catch us weekdays from five to seven pm
Eastern two to four Pacific on Fox Sports Radio and
of course the iHeartRadio App.
Speaker 9 (31:32):
Why should you listen to Covino and Rich.
Speaker 10 (31:34):
We talk about everything life, sports, relationships, what's.
Speaker 6 (31:37):
Going on in the world.
Speaker 9 (31:38):
We have a lot of fun talking about the stories
behind the stories in the world of sports and pop culture,
stories that well, other shows don't seem to have the
time to discuss.
Speaker 10 (31:46):
And the fact that we've been friends for the last
twenty years and still work together.
Speaker 3 (31:50):
I mean that says something.
Speaker 9 (31:51):
Right, So check us out. We like to get you
involved too, take your phone calls, chop it up as
they say.
Speaker 10 (31:57):
I'd say the most interactive show on Fox Sports Radio,
maybe the.
Speaker 3 (32:00):
Most interactive show on planetar.
Speaker 9 (32:01):
Be sure to check out Cavino and Rich live on
Fox Sports Radio and the iHeartRadio app from five to
seven pm Eastern, two to four Pacific, And if you
miss any of the live show, just search Kobe no
Known Rich wherever you get your podcasts, and of course
on social media that's Covino and Rich.
Speaker 8 (32:16):
The battle for the inaugural College basketball Crown continues tonight
with the second round of the quarterfinals, starting with Cincinnati
taking on UCF, followed by Villanova usc it all starts
at six thirty Eastern only ONMS one.
Speaker 1 (32:31):
So we talked about Cooper Flag and I said about
a month ago, he looks like Jason Tatum to me,
but a better defensive Jason Tatum. He'll be better earlier
than Jason Tatum. I think he's a little nasty, a
little better finisher, and a little has got a little
chip on his shoulder, and I think he's a better
defender than Jason was coming into the NBA. So ESPN
went out and talked to several NBA executives and scouts
(32:52):
who anonymously made comps for him. A couple I don't see.
Couple I really see. So the first one they say
his ceiling is Kawhi Leonard, very good defensive player. I
think I think Cooper Flag will develop into a better
outside shooter than Kawhi Leonard was. But Kawhi Leonard is
his ceiling. His floor comp is Lamar Odom that I
(33:14):
don't see. Lamar's talented, but a little flaky.
Speaker 3 (33:19):
I don't know.
Speaker 1 (33:19):
I think they he Lamar was a really good ball
handler for his size. I just think people basketball people
love Lamar Odom. You know, six to ten, could handle
the ball, get up and down the floor. I think
that's the floor. And Lamar had a nice career in
his prime comp this is the one I see is
Jason Tatum, both duke, smart guys, had a little to
(33:43):
work on, do everything well, maybe not anything great, but
everything very very well. And his second star comp is
Scottie Pippen. I think he's a better offensive player than
Scottie Pippen.
Speaker 11 (33:54):
Uh.
Speaker 1 (33:55):
But but I think that the Jason Tatum, Scottie Pippen,
those two. I absolutely get Lamar, not so much. Kawhi
maybe a little bit. Kawhi is a very quirky all
time player, But there you go. Chris Brushard on our show,
he and I share the opinion. The guy is going
to be special.
Speaker 3 (34:13):
Day one.
Speaker 11 (34:15):
You said, there's really no weakness when you look at
his game.
Speaker 6 (34:19):
He can bring the.
Speaker 11 (34:19):
Ball up court like a point guard. You can run
the offense through him. He can pass, he can shoot
in the mid range of three post up game. He
can drive and finish.
Speaker 3 (34:30):
He can lead the.
Speaker 6 (34:31):
Break any defense.
Speaker 11 (34:33):
But I don't really want to see him in Washington
or Charlotte. I hate to say it, but that's just
the truth. Right Chicago, when you look at what Kobe
White is doing, or of course san Antonio, it'd be
an immediate Big three with de Air Fox and win
Bin Yama and Flags.
Speaker 1 (34:50):
So I think this is coming at a good time
for the NBA because baseball is surging in popularity. The
WNBA because of Caitlin Clark, is surging in popularity. The
college football, with a playoff in December, is going to
start surging in interest in the NFL is king, and
we got a World Cup coming up next summer. So
the NBA has kind of I mean, last night Denver
(35:11):
sat all of its starters because they played a two
overtime game the night before. I get it, but the
NBA could use a big brand, domestic product ready to
come in and play. So I think if he goes
to a Philadelphia or a Chicago or San Antonio with Wemby,
and I like the Utah fit just because I think
Danny Ainge Kessler, I think they'll be I think Utah's
(35:35):
a little couple of years behind. Okay, see, but they
have a chance to be really good accumulating draft picks.
I think Utah fits pretty well. But boy, if he
goes to Carolina or New Orleans, you know it's I mean,
I've said before, even as inconsistent as Zion has been,
if Zion would have gone to Chicago, Golden State or
New York, it would have felt different. And the NBA
(35:57):
the NBA, and this is just three it because you know,
you can spot basketball talent early, and so teams start
tanking for Wemby three years ago or at least two
years ago. And that's the unsolvable NBA problem. People will
always tank because they can see three years out the
stars coming. We don't see that in football. Nobody saw
Mahomes three years earlier, Josh Allen. It doesn't work that way.
(36:21):
So it's the opposite in football where a guy has
a great senior year and you're like, oh, finally he
got you know, he had a growth spurt.
Speaker 6 (36:27):
But some of that as fools goal. Kenny Pickett at
Pittsburgh had one good year. They drafted it.
Speaker 8 (36:32):
Trobus Hey, let me quickly ask you about Charlotte. Let's
say Charlotte wins the lottery, they have LaMelo Ball and Colin.
I know you pay attention to the NBA. LaMelo Ball
is one of the ten most popular players in the league.
Young kids love him, shoe sales, jersey sales, his style.
But you watch him, he doesn't appear to be a
serious basketball player. Yeah, it's like a lot of silly
(36:53):
shots and show vote up. If I get Cooper Flag
with the number one pick, I'm looking to trade LaMelo Ball.
I would move off of him, and just you know what,
I don't want that kind of player around my new franchise.
Speaker 1 (37:03):
Guy and Carolina is NASCAR and college basketball country. So
it's never going to be an NBA hot bed. It's
just not like there's certain things that are true. Is
that we're always going to care more about the Lakers
and Celtics.
Speaker 8 (37:15):
Well, when they had that mon Morning and Larry Johnson,
they were I mean, this is like thirty years ago.
They were huge for five minutes on those two butted heads.
Speaker 6 (37:22):
But it can be NBA.
Speaker 8 (37:24):
They love their college basketball, so you would essentially have
a duke kid going.
Speaker 3 (37:28):
But there are Charlotte.
Speaker 1 (37:29):
What I'm saying is there are certain markets in the country.
College football will always matter in Ohio always.
Speaker 3 (37:38):
It's just ingrained.
Speaker 1 (37:39):
Alabama will always be college football first. Kentucky will always
be college basketball first. Yeah, And it's just I mean,
you Connecticut, they love men's and women's college sports, and
they love their baseball, and so I just think there
are places that I mean, I mean, like prime example,
o Tawni with the Angels, Tawny with the Dodgers, same weather,
(38:02):
same freeway, it's different. Dodger baseball will always be bigger.
I mean, the Mets can have success. It is a
Yankee city. It's just the way it is, like what.
Speaker 8 (38:12):
Happens if magic Johnson doesn't go to the Lakers and
goes to.
Speaker 6 (38:17):
Some random small like is he Magic Johnson?
Speaker 3 (38:19):
No, he's Irvin Johnson.
Speaker 1 (38:21):
There you go, and he and his buddy called him magic,
but he was Irvin Johnson.
Speaker 3 (38:25):
He became magic.
Speaker 1 (38:26):
I mean the magic was the exclamation point to the
magic was showtime. Yes, so Jmack earlier, he loves doing this,
just unveils the graphic. I don't I don't know where
it came from. So he does this like once a week.
It's like I have a hands off, not culpable, and
he throws this out there and then sheepishly says, I
(38:48):
don't know where it came from, sorry, radio audience, but
it was seat Lamar Jackson. These are quarterbacks with multiple
playoff wins, seasons with multiple playoff wins, and yes, Brady eleven,
Mahomes six, Montana five, Peyton five, Bretta Lamar zero. So
he just throws this heater on the hands to me
and I'm like, whoa, whoa, whoa.
Speaker 3 (39:09):
Let me digest it.
Speaker 10 (39:11):
Well.
Speaker 1 (39:11):
Then I found and I don't know where this one
came from either. I had nothing to do with this one.
Here's playoff wins after seven seasons. In the NFL, which
is about forty percent of a quarterback career. Lamar has
three Stafford Nunn, Breezewe, Peyton Manning three, Marino three, meaning
(39:34):
for a lot of quarterbacks who become like legendary, Yeah,
it's a little bumpy. Early you ended up in a
team that needed a star quarterback, and you know, and
you know it's not always mahomes Lands with Andy Reid
and Brett Veach and Travis Kelsey. It is bumpy for
(39:54):
a lot of people.
Speaker 6 (39:55):
Forget.
Speaker 1 (39:56):
You know, I last week I caught you off guard
when I said, Hey, everybody, do you realize Michael Jordan,
after hitting the shot in college to win the title,
played two more years at Carolina in college and got
beat one year by in state rival n Z State. Okay,
so you just forget Peyton Manning had a reputation four
years as a teeth clencher who got tight in big games.
(40:20):
Now then Indy late beat Tom in a playoff game.
Then he goes to Denver and Tom Peyton Manning's first
ten years was this guy's unbelievable. But he doesn't quite
play as well in playoff games. Dan Marino, John Elway again,
if you're twenty. You don't remember this, ye John Elway,
(40:40):
I believe it was his first three Super Bowls, got housed,
got those three of the worst Super Bowl losses in
the in Super Bowl history, and then all of a sudden,
he got a run game and he got the right coach,
and then he wins his Super Bowl MVP last day
in the league, and now he's a legend. So Jeter
lands with the Kansas City Royals.
Speaker 3 (41:01):
You know what he is. He's a really that kid, Jeter.
But Jeter has.
Speaker 1 (41:06):
Nobody's hitting behind him. They don't have a payroll for
pitchers because they have to pay Jeter. And he makes
the playoffs three times, not every single year, on the
stage where he's number two. He's a legend. So we
just don't have any patients. Now we don't allow young
quarterbacks to sort of you know.
Speaker 6 (41:25):
Well, we live in the now.
Speaker 8 (41:27):
You know, Lamar has another bad playoff game, and we
analyze it heavily, except there's twenty four hour news, there's
shows like this, there's social media, and then the bombing.
Speaker 6 (41:36):
It just doesn't stop on Lamar for.
Speaker 8 (41:39):
Days because he lost another playoff.
Speaker 6 (41:40):
Game that didn't happen.
Speaker 8 (41:41):
When Peyton I think Peyton lost his first four or
five playoff games. Jets crushed him in one of like
forty one ten, forty one zero, whatever it was. And
it's like, you know, it's barely a blip because guess what,
there was no social media to amplify the failure. Social
media is you know, I've profited handsomely. I'm sure you
have as well, but Jordan.
Speaker 1 (41:59):
Likely Jordan didn't play with social media. Just nobody knows
that he was in college three years and two of
them didn't do anything in the tournament.
Speaker 8 (42:07):
We lost to Donal Royal in the Orlando Magic in
the playoffs one.
Speaker 1 (42:11):
It just disappeared into the ether. Our three and a Thursday,
a next
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 hour two on a Thursday.
J McK and I are off tomorrow. It's the best
of the Herd taking some fridays off here in the
late spring or early spring. So it was interesting last night.
So the Dodgers are undefeated right now. Padre is also
off to a chort Star Braves are really struggling. And
the big talk of matrig baseball. It's crazy the innovation.
(00:48):
You know, we've always looked at baseball's a little bit
of an antique store. It's a little dusty, and baseball
has suddenly decided that we're going to take some innovation
over the last couple of years, and it's amazing, from
the bigger bases, to the pitch clock, to the putting
runners in extra bases, you know, extra innings on bases,
and it's just like It's like Grandpa bought a convertible
(01:10):
sports car and joined a pilates class and has a
new girlfriend named Skyler. The old sport that's Dusty has
decided to upgrade and be progressive and smart, and let
me tell you it has worked. So last night at
the Dodger game, Max Munsey, who had been sampling the
torpedo bat and not doing anything like again, I've said
(01:30):
this yesterday, Aaron Judge and Otani are not using it
and crushing. It's not for everybody, but I do think
if you do use it for certain guys who hit
the ball closer to the handle, sometimes.
Speaker 3 (01:40):
It can get your hits.
Speaker 1 (01:42):
But it's as I said earlier this year, it's gonna
help the Gordon Ramsey chefs, not the guy working at Applebee's.
In the end, you got to be a great player.
So Max Months, he's a really good hitter, and he
used it, but then he ditched it last night in
the eighth inning and hit a two run double to
tie the game. So Max Months, he's like, yeah, I'm
gonna get rid of this thing. And his quote was,
I felt like the bat was causing me to be
(02:04):
a little bit off plane. A little bit in and
out of the zone because my swings felt really good tonight,
but maybe just a bit off, So I decided to
go back to my regular bat so again, Otani and
Judge are not using it. And Otani is batting three
thirty three currently, and Judge is batting three sixty eight
with four home runs and eleven RBIs and Otani, after
(02:26):
trailing early five nothing, Dodgers race back, as they're prone
to do. Six of their eight wins this year have
been comeback wins and Otawni on Bobblehead Night for Otani
wins it slap out a center field Harris is back.
Speaker 3 (02:50):
Every single night they do something that makes us say, wow,
how much fun is this?
Speaker 1 (02:59):
Yeah, it does remind me, even to a greater degree.
The Yankees always drew very well, but when they got
a Rod playing in his prime in New York, like Tuesday, Wednesday,
Thursday games at Yankee Stadium, they felt big. And that's
what O'tani does, like Dodger games now and you'll see
the Lakers Warriors tonight. It's very hard. We live in
an event as a society and it's very hard. I mean,
(03:22):
the World Cup ratings are up Mark Maddens for the
guys is generally up. The Olympics are up. NFL feels special,
you know, Caitlin Clark. Games feel special. It's very hard,
even in a big city like Los Angeles to make Tuesday, Wednesday,
Thursday stuff feel like an event. And that was a
Rod in New York when he came to the Yankees.
(03:44):
It just made Thursday Wednesday games feel special. Dodger games
now it is man. When you get into these late innings,
these close games, that crowd is electric. And with that
from the athletic Diana Russini covered the NFL for now
a decade is joining us live. So one of the
interesting things about these Winter meetings is the tush push.
(04:07):
So I have said this before. I'm a big fan
of innovation. It doesn't matter what it is, nil transfer portal.
It's up to governing bodies to pull back. It's up
to the I R. S to slap an accountant on
the hand and go, you're not gonna You're not gonna
use that loophole anymore. But an accountant's job is to
find the loophole.
Speaker 3 (04:26):
Okay.
Speaker 1 (04:26):
So I appreciate the innovation of the tush push. I
think it's awful television. I don't think it's a football play,
so kind of give me the background they've tabled it,
but give me some insight on that some behind the
rope stuff.
Speaker 3 (04:40):
What you're hearing.
Speaker 4 (04:42):
Yeah, who knew that the tush push would be the
most talked about item at the league meetings. There's so
many other things that we could have been discussing and
chasing after, but this this stood out without a doubt
because it became so controversial over the last few weeks.
Speaker 5 (04:56):
In terms of the momentum that was building over the last.
Speaker 6 (04:59):
Year or so.
Speaker 5 (04:59):
I'd be reporting and talking to you here on.
Speaker 4 (05:01):
The show about how it would come up in conversations
with the Competition committee, and there was definitely a feeling
around the league that Roger Goodell did not like the play,
But no one ever thought that it would get to
a point where it would seriously be in trouble here
of getting banned. So now here we are, where we're
at the owners meeting at the beautiful Breakers.
Speaker 7 (05:23):
Hotel with the sun shining down on us, and you've
got people from the Philadelphia Eagles running around talking to
all the different coaches and gms, trying to convince them
that they shouldn't ban this play, laying out all the reasoning.
Speaker 5 (05:37):
And the big thing you need to know about this is.
Speaker 4 (05:41):
The people that are opposed to it have been saying
that it's due to the fact that it's the safety
of the players is the concern, but there's no data
to back it up at this point, right, So people
like Philadelphia are going, well, there's no data here, so what.
Speaker 5 (05:57):
Are we talking about.
Speaker 4 (05:58):
Is it just because you think the play is a
Sean McVay came out publicly and said that that's his reasoning.
Speaker 5 (06:03):
So in the end, after all the campaigning.
Speaker 4 (06:07):
It really did feel like a political campaign for the
last three days in Florida. When it came down to
it the votes, it was essentially sixteen sixteen, it was even.
So they decide and you know, to straw vote at
that point. So they decide then to just table this thing.
And that is just nothing but bad news for Philadelphia
because essentially what they're gonna do is Green Bay, the
(06:29):
team that proposed it, has got to be the team
that rewrites the language.
Speaker 5 (06:32):
They're going to rewrite this thing.
Speaker 4 (06:34):
In a way that doesn't look so specific to this
one play to Philadelphia, so it's gonna looking sound a
little bit more like the quarterback sneak. So this is
going to be a way for them to get this band.
So in my opinion, here Colin, I think the days
of the Toush pusher over. I don't think we're going
to see that play allowed in the NFL anymore, just
based on the conversations I'm having and just.
Speaker 5 (06:56):
The fact that they tabled it.
Speaker 4 (06:58):
You know, and look at the end of the day,
when owners know that the commissioner, Roger Goodell does not
like something, it tends to push them in one direction,
and that's in favor of what Roder Goodell wants.
Speaker 1 (07:10):
Is there a specific reason. I've got my own theories,
but why Aaron Rodgers wouldn't just say I'm going to
be a Steeler, Like, what's what's the weight here?
Speaker 8 (07:20):
Is it?
Speaker 3 (07:21):
Like?
Speaker 1 (07:21):
Like because DK Metcalf was so in my opinion, overpaid
that there's only about thirty some million dollars for Aaron.
He's not going to sign a Russell Wilson deal, you know.
I mean, I don't blame him. He's like, Hey, I'm
not I'm not going to sign one of these performance deals.
I want I want at least Sam Darnold money. Is
that the hold up the money or is it something else?
Speaker 4 (07:40):
It's funny, It's the hardest question I get in sports,
and all the years I have been doing this, What
is Aaron thinking?
Speaker 5 (07:45):
Who knows? Who knows?
Speaker 4 (07:48):
But to your point, when it comes down to it,
usually it's money, right, Financials are always part of it.
He does not need to sign and take some cheap deal.
He knows that the Steelers need him. Do I think
he was going to be willing to take less to
play for a team that he thinks is a super
super Bowl caliber team like the Minnesota Vikings, Let's say absolutely,
But I think this situation is different. I think he
(08:11):
understands that he's got the leverage in terms of their needs,
and that really just brings us to where we're at.
When you talk to people from Pittsburgh, they really give
you this sense that this is all gonna work out.
We're fine. You heard Mike Tomlin, I'm not panicked. Who
panics in April? Well, teams that want their quarterback right,
like most teams do. And I appreciate that he's trying
to keep his cool on it because, look, he's having
(08:33):
the direct communication with Rogers, and I believe Rodgers is
telling him we'll get there, We'll get there. I just
think there's going to be a number here that's going
to make Aaron happy. And I just don't know if
Pittsburgh is there yet. So until until we see where
this is headed. For now, I think Pittsburgh is in
a position where they're just going to wait and ownership
knows and they trust that Mike Tomlin and Omar Khan
(08:54):
are going to be able to get this deal done
because otherwise this is going to be Pittsburgh in a really,
really bad spot.
Speaker 1 (09:00):
Yeah, you know, I've had people ask me this, you know,
even on the street, like what they don't understand Minnesota.
So they had Darnold and almost resigned him. They brought
in Daniel Jones. They sniffed around with Aaron Rodgers and
it's like, Okay, Pennix is going to be a starter.
Bo Nicks, Jayden Daniels, Caleb Williams, Drake May all the
quarterbacks out of this class are playing. We think Kevin
(09:21):
O'Connell's the shrewdest, you know, he's one of these shrewd
guys that knows offense. They traded up to get him,
and they're like stepping around at a lot of quarterbacks.
I wonder sometimes if Aaron's still looking at them and
waiting for a call.
Speaker 3 (09:35):
I don't know, what is the deal?
Speaker 2 (09:38):
Is it?
Speaker 1 (09:38):
That second surgery thing with JJ McCarthy.
Speaker 4 (09:42):
It definitely makes you wonder what is going on in
Minnesota because it doesn't feel as clear as it needs
to be. But I think some of that has to
do with the fact that he's a young quarterback coming
off a serious injury. They don't know where he stands
at exactly when it comes to full speed football, although
Kevin O'Connell and their general manager have both come out
(10:05):
publicly in the league meetings and say that he has
checked off every single box. And I've actually felt a
swing over the last two weeks I'd say in favor
of them being all in on Jj than ever before
in terms of their confidence and belief that he can
do it, almost as if they're tethered to him now,
which they are because they traded up for him. So
(10:27):
this regime, this is their guy, and this is the
guy that they decided to move on from after having
Sam Donalds, who won fourteen games for them in the building.
And wanted to be in Minnesota. I think that's where
a lot of people don't get. They think that Sam
wanted to be the highest paid, you know, get the
most money he can get in a contract. He wanted
to stay of Viking, and I think he would have
(10:47):
been willing to take less.
Speaker 5 (10:49):
Then, of course you have Daniel Jones.
Speaker 4 (10:51):
Who essentially could have been the next Sam Donald based
on the abilities that I think Kevin O'Connell in the
system could have provided him. He chose to go to Indeed,
knowing that there is probably concerns that Minnesota would want
to quickly go back to JJ, whereas he can go
to Indye, win the job and probably be the starter
all year, knowing their quarterback situation isn't as.
Speaker 5 (11:12):
Up to the standard that they want.
Speaker 4 (11:14):
So look, I'm with you, Colin, and I've been digging
on it for weeks about what is truly happening in Minnesota?
Speaker 5 (11:22):
Why does it feel clunky to me?
Speaker 4 (11:24):
And I think just based on even coming back from
the owners meeting, the feeling is we got to just
see what happens in the spring. I think that's where
we're going to get the answers about where JJ's at
this team is saying all the right things, like let's
just talk pr They are putting it out there he
is our guy, which they should do and they have
to do, and they have to build his confidence coming
(11:45):
off an injury. But they had a chance to get
a Super Bowl winning quarterback, a four time MVP they
moved on from because they believe in JJ McCarthy. So
that's good. That is good for JJ McCarthy. If this
staff believe in him that much. We'll just see how
it plays out in the spring and if he's really
as good as they say he is at this point.
Speaker 1 (12:06):
So there's a lot of talk about we'll wrap it
up with the chaduur standers moving down in the draft.
I like him, I don't love him. I think a
lot of people feel like that. In your years of
covering this league, you do a lot of stuff during
the season and free agency, and Milt Kaiper told me
years ago, he goes, there's never less honesty than like
two weeks before the draft, So like, do you have
any gems maybe it's Chadure or anything else like that.
(12:28):
You know, everybody is saying it's not a very good draft.
There's a lot of Chaduur talk. In your ten years
covering the league, the last couple of weeks before the draft,
is it a perilous time for you?
Speaker 3 (12:38):
Is it fun?
Speaker 1 (12:39):
Is it frustrating to people that usually talk stop talking?
What is it like to cover the NFL two to
three weeks before the draft?
Speaker 5 (12:48):
I love it.
Speaker 4 (12:49):
I love it because everybody loves to talk about everybody else,
so this is where you could really try to get
their opinions and thoughts about what other teams are doing
and playing out different situations. And you're right, my job
is to report the true and to get accurate intel,
so you know your flags are up and you're pretty
protective of certain things, and it tests your relationships. I
(13:11):
had a situation last draft where I thought someone that
was someone I've known for eighteen years was sharing intel
with me and they went in a complete different direction.
Speaker 5 (13:22):
And when I followed up afterwards, I was like, Hey,
we talked so much about what you were doing, you
were not doing that, and he was like, I couldn't
do it.
Speaker 4 (13:31):
So Tamel's point, it is really hard sometimes and you
have to go with your gut and your instincts. Fortunately
I never reported with that guy told me but look,
it's hard. You have to figure it out, but you
also have to have common sense.
Speaker 1 (13:44):
You know.
Speaker 4 (13:45):
One of the best lessons I ever learned from Mike Silver.
He said it to me a few weeks ago. What
we see is what they see. There's no hidden geen.
There's no special goggle the GM and the head coach
has on or special glasses that they can see stuff
we can what.
Speaker 5 (13:59):
We know they know.
Speaker 4 (14:00):
So maybe they know a little bit more behind the
scenes on these guys, But when it comes down to
it always just makes sense. So when you talk about
shad door standards and you know, is his value is
he dropping? Well, the quarterback class isn't that great. And
we've got to see what Cleveland is going to do.
Do they have a deal with Atlanta perhaps to see
if they can get her cousins. If they do, they'll
probably pass on Shador. Or do they keep Shador or
(14:21):
are they willing to trade out. I think there's a
lot of scenarios and it's all very fluid. So I
think if you're willing to just go with how it's
flowing and not be set in stone on everything, then
it's a lot more fun.
Speaker 5 (14:34):
Otherwise you're driving yourself crazy.
Speaker 1 (14:36):
Diana Russini, the athletic senior NFL Insider. Thanks as OLA's
coming on our show.
Speaker 3 (14:41):
Thanks you bet.
Speaker 1 (14:44):
Yeah, it's it's It can be a little bit of
a perilous time because you can get in trouble. I
had the great honor several years ago to hang out
in the Chargers draft room. It's something, you know, It's
one of those There's only the only thing I haven't
done as a sportscaster is go to a con derby,
and it's always been a time thing I just can't.
I never couldn't quam always vacationing or doing something. So
(15:05):
I haven't done a Kentucky derby. But one of the
things I wanted to do and I hope to do
it again, is hang out in a draft room. I
did it for the Chargers and it is fascinating to
be in there.
Speaker 3 (15:16):
At one point I was texting Ann or something.
Speaker 1 (15:19):
It's like, hey, you can't have your cell phone in here.
But it's interesting because everybody's got a board, and then
they don't let you see the board on TV. But
then they have several players that they have like red
check marks. They have dots or check marks. The red
guys or the character guys. Maybe you know, the black
check marks are injury stuff. Like you'll see five or
(15:39):
six character guys like that are off the board, like
we're not drafting them, but they want to keep track
of them, or we're not drafting them injury. I can
remember one specifically the Chargers had off their draft board
that the Seahawks drafted and he didn't end up doing much.
They had injury concerns, and sure enough, he got injured.
I can remember another player drafts that Rams drafted that
(16:03):
other players other teams were deeply concerned about because of injuries.
That player has been good, but that player is constantly hurt.
So it was a Pac twelve player. So it's it's
the draft is I love it now. I do think
pro days are completely overrated. I think if you get
three or four years of college tape from you know,
the Big Ten, the SEC, you got a pretty they're
(16:24):
going up against the NFL, Dude, you've got a pretty
good gig.
Speaker 3 (16:27):
Now.
Speaker 1 (16:27):
I do think Senior Bowls help, and you know, occasional
interviews can be meaningful. Pro days are a bunch of nonsense.
Everybody looks good at Pro days. Zach Wilson blew everybody
in pro days. I think if you start putting too much,
I mean I wouldn't even give five percent of the
pro day. I would give to me eighty percent of
draft is your film is playing in real games, and
(16:50):
then I would say fifteen to twenty percent is like
a Senior Bowl where you get to see guys in person,
they compete against other NFL people. I think the Senior
Bowls as real implications and maybe one percent two percent
to the combine, no percent, I mean, who's ever? I
(17:10):
am just trying to think off my head. How many
people have you ever heard Listen Man, He was a
ham and egger. He was a sixth rounder, but he
went to the second round Pro Day.
Speaker 3 (17:23):
Now, I think Zach.
Speaker 1 (17:24):
Wilson was part of that COVID quarterback class where everybody
missed on everybody, and that was because guys just didn't play.
It was Trey Lance didn't have any big games. I mean,
Zach Wilson played like Utah twice. I almost throw the
COVID class out. That was the one year at Michigan
hardballs team was bad. Belichick just refused to take it
seriously that season. So the COVID class. I kind of
(17:45):
just take that out. So the country was I mean
literally we couldn't go to games.
Speaker 6 (17:49):
Do you remember the Zach Wilson prode.
Speaker 8 (17:51):
I mean he was making unbelievable It looked like some
Mahomes throws.
Speaker 6 (17:55):
I'm not kidding.
Speaker 8 (17:56):
That's why the nickname Mormon Mahomes kind of sprung up.
He was just flinging it effortlessly, like sixty seventy yards
and you're like, who is this guy? Why didn't I
see him all season? And then he got under centatory
a game and you're.
Speaker 3 (18:08):
Like, oh, that's why.
Speaker 1 (18:09):
Yeah, it's I think I know. I saw Daniel Jeremiah
had this. I think they're like seven to eight players.
I love Abdul Carter, I love Travis Hunter Jent he's
really good. I think cam Warts I don't love him,
but he's special. Tyler Warren I think will Johnson the
corner and Mason Graham a war on the tight end
(18:32):
I think is outstanding for Penn State. I don't think
there's a great left tackle. I don't think there's a
great center. I'll tell you the kid, the Williams, the linebacker.
The most underrated player in the draft. Of me is
the linebacker of is it John Williams.
Speaker 3 (18:49):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (18:49):
I think he is by far and away the best linebacker.
He's a freak athletic, his footage is great. I think
he is going to end up going like fourteen, the
fifteenth and be. It reminds me when Patrick Willis went
eleventh in the draft to the San Francisco forty nine ers,
And I remember before the draft watching I worked at
the other place, and I'm like, this dude is chasing
(19:11):
down SEC running backs. This kid, I think that linebacker
for Bam is going to end up being a starter
and a total playmaker in the NFL. But I think
everybody else is slotted right. I only think there's about
seven or eight guys. I like the receiver team Ac
from Arizona. I think he again, you get him to
the right quarterback, he'll be an impact guy day one.
Speaker 8 (19:32):
So do you remember a couple of years ago, we
were ahead of everybody. We beat everybody to the market
on this running back shift.
Speaker 6 (19:38):
In the NFL, they're running back for back.
Speaker 8 (19:40):
I see some people are trying to make linebackers are
back now, they're trying to make that a thing. I
don't know if you've seen it this offseason. People are
pulling clips and I just am reluctant. The Alabama linebacker
looks very good. I've seen some comparisons. Daniel Jeremiah loves him.
I just don't know about a linebacker at fourteen commn.
I mean, I think when you could get the kid
who was the linebacker the Eagles got who was incredible
(20:01):
in free agency, stole them from the Saints, Zach Bond,
Zach Bond, he was all Pro awesome, but he was
getting paid pennies.
Speaker 6 (20:08):
You got him for nothing.
Speaker 8 (20:09):
And so taking someone at fourteen at linebacker, which is
maybe the weakest position of any starting group in the league.
Offensive line matters. You need skill position quarterback. Linebackers are
kind of like, eh.
Speaker 1 (20:21):
Well, it's interesting you say that. So as the running
game re emerges, couldn't you argue linebackers will re emerge alongside.
Speaker 3 (20:32):
So you know, the NFL is.
Speaker 1 (20:36):
You know, baseball is very analytically driven and basketball now is.
Speaker 3 (20:40):
Football is less.
Speaker 1 (20:41):
So so there's certain truths in pro football that don't
exist in other sports. I mean, we used to think
in baseball, like the strikeout was terrible, and now it's
absolutely understood the strikeout's fine. The ground ball with men
on base is the is the death penalty? Right, So
there are certain This is why when the young media,
(21:03):
a lot of young media was buying into this, Oh
woe is me, the running backs are not being treated fairly.
My take is, at its core, football is one thing
for strong, physically imposing men. Like in the NBA, length matters.
It mattered in the seventies, it mattered during Michael Jordan's era.
(21:24):
Long players matter, right. You don't have to have centers,
but you've got to have length on the floor. Wingspan
and length matter. Somebody told me years ago, a general
manager said Scotty. He goes that Bulls defense with Phil
Jackson was so long. Ron Harper was long, Rodman was long,
Jordan was long, Pippin' was long, coup Coach was long.
(21:45):
He said they would tip three, or they would tip
a half dozen passes throughout the course of the game
that other teams wouldn't and if they got two turnovers,
that gave Michael Jordan two possessions. Michael made at least
one of those shots. He goes, you'd be amazed how
many playoffs James filling the Bulls won by a bucket.
And it's like length matters in the NBA, the NFL
(22:06):
will always the rest of our lives be about tough,
physical men imposing their will, winning in the two. So
you can make it wide receivers.
Speaker 3 (22:13):
No, it's not.
Speaker 1 (22:15):
Also in the NFL. This has been true for years.
There has never been a warm weather dynasty.
Speaker 6 (22:22):
Niners.
Speaker 3 (22:23):
That's not over.
Speaker 1 (22:23):
They're not there. That's not warm. I'm talking La Arizona,
Uh Florida, Uh Florida, now Atlanta, go find me the Dome,
or like Dan Marino second year of Super Bowl, never
got back and had a great coach. And my take
(22:43):
is when you play in warm weather, it's easier and
tough weather creates tough people. And so who's dominated the
NFL forever? Kansas City, Green Bay, Baltimore, New England, Philadelphia, Seattle.
Speaker 3 (22:59):
Ada, run, Why is that? I mean, go back to
the seventies. It's it's cold weather.
Speaker 6 (23:07):
Buffalo went to what for?
Speaker 1 (23:08):
I mean right now, go look at the NFL. All
the best teams are cold weather teams, all of them.
The warm weather teams are I mean, Tampa's got a
really solid quarterback and the great GM and good players.
Speaker 6 (23:18):
Oh Cowboys, in the nineties. There's one.
Speaker 1 (23:20):
Yeah, by the way, by the way they get I
went to a Super Bowl in Dallas. It was it
was hail storms. So like Tennessee, Nashville to me feels
a little bit warm weather. The Titans can't get out
of their own way. I just this is one of
my belief If you look at the NFL, well, it
is overwhelmingly and it is overwhelmingly crappy. Winter weather creates
(23:43):
tougher cultures, tougher environments, tougher men, and tougher football team.
Speaker 8 (23:47):
Okay, and I'm thinking of the NFL map, and there's
probably way more there are than warm there are.
Speaker 1 (23:55):
But I mean Carolina is how about the A right now,
you could argue the two worst divisions in the NFL,
AFC South and the NFC South the warm weather visitors.
Speaker 6 (24:03):
Yeah yeah, yeah.
Speaker 3 (24:04):
I mean no, I mean, come to you. No, I've
thought about that.
Speaker 1 (24:07):
Forever, just like I know because I spend a lot
of time in Chicago and you're shovel in the driveway
and you're and you're going for your morning walk and
it's forty three degrees and you got more clothes on,
and it's harder, and it creates tougher, harder people. Yeah,
I mean when I was, when I was a kid
growing up the Big East basketball. Now, now a lot
(24:29):
of you guys don't remember this year or twenty, your
early thirties. Big East basketball was a fistfight every night.
I mean it was John Thompson and Louis carnasecond PJ Carlssamo, everybody.
All those teams were. And by the way, if you
go look at ucn's basketball dynasty, Jim Calhoun to Hurley,
what is their overwhelming brand? Tough, physical coaches, bark you
(24:54):
deal with it. Those are loud, extremely intense coaches. They
all play defense. There's never been a Baltimore team that
was soft.
Speaker 8 (25:05):
Is this feeding the soft and narrative about soft LA
players west of the Mississippi that everybody's just weak.
Speaker 1 (25:12):
Well, I don't know, I just I mean, if you go,
there's never been a Pistons team that was great that
didn't like the rumble.
Speaker 6 (25:17):
It's California cool, not California tough.
Speaker 3 (25:20):
You know, that's right.
Speaker 1 (25:22):
This is that's by the way, By the way, you
have gotten softer since you got no doubt about it.
Speaker 3 (25:29):
You are smoothies and volleyball games.
Speaker 8 (25:31):
Yeah, I'm wearying winter hats to walk my dog at
fifty degrees.
Speaker 6 (25:33):
You know I'm not kidding. That's real.
Speaker 2 (25:36):
One more Herd. The Herd streams twenty four hours a day,
seven days a week within the iHeartRadio app. Search Herd
to listen live or on demand whenever you like.
Speaker 1 (25:46):
All right, welcome back shows, Humming today, j Mack with
the news.
Speaker 3 (25:51):
No, no, turn on the news.
Speaker 2 (25:54):
This is the Herd Line News.
Speaker 6 (25:56):
Get started with a great night in sports.
Speaker 8 (25:58):
So Tani goes yard and then how about Thanny Davis
of the Mavericks. Yea a game winner, went for thirty
four to fifteen. There it is the drive and the floater.
Really impress This stuff from Ad his best performance since
he became a mav.
Speaker 6 (26:14):
I don't know. They look good.
Speaker 8 (26:15):
I'll say Gafford is back, Lively's back, yep, but no
Kyrie Collin.
Speaker 6 (26:19):
Their back court is like Spencer Dinwitty.
Speaker 1 (26:21):
All I'm gonna say is it is easy to sell
the farm. But this roster in terms of size, is
the best in the league. They've got more, they've They've
got a center rotation that is excellent. I know everybody
doesn't like the Luca thing. And it's gonna hurt because
the Lakers are gonna have a nice playoff ruck. It's
(26:43):
gonna hurt this year. Check back next year. Dallas is
gonna be a real team. We'll see.
Speaker 6 (26:49):
Le's see how Kyrie Irving bounces back.
Speaker 8 (26:51):
It's been a let's go to ok see colin the
Oklahoma City thunder Man.
Speaker 6 (26:56):
This team right now, they are.
Speaker 8 (27:00):
They finished the season going twenty nine and one against
the East, the best interconference record in NBA history. The
only time Okase lost to a team in the East
was January eighth against Cleveland. Listen, I've been dubious obviously
of OKC. I want to see it in the playoffs.
They steamrolled the East.
Speaker 6 (27:18):
Man, I mean they look good last night.
Speaker 8 (27:20):
Now, Okaid Cunningham, you know, I don't know.
Speaker 6 (27:24):
Are you a believer in Okase?
Speaker 1 (27:26):
Yeah, I mean they're gonna win playoff series. I think
my belief is are going to be in the well.
Speaker 6 (27:31):
I would hope is the number one seed with an
amazing point.
Speaker 1 (27:33):
Yeah, I think they're going to get to the Western
Conference playoff finals. They're in the Western To me, the
three things I believe strongly in Celtics, Cabs, Eastern Conference final,
got OKC Western Conference Final. Those are the things I
feel strongly about facing.
Speaker 6 (27:50):
Huh, who were they facing?
Speaker 3 (27:52):
Don't feel strongly about that.
Speaker 1 (27:54):
I think if Denver played the Lakers or the Warriors,
I think I would take Denver.
Speaker 8 (28:00):
Don't bet against Luca. I just that's the thing I've
learned not to do. He is too good at the
playoffs that it matters most. Remember they took down OKAYC
last year without own court of vantage. Do you want
to say any other nice things about Sga? Because you
know the eighteen thunder fans are watching and we haven't
glazed them sufficiently this.
Speaker 3 (28:16):
Season, So he's gonna win MVP.
Speaker 1 (28:18):
I get it. I think I think Jokich is a
better player Sga. It does matter what your team's doing,
and when you have a dominant if you win seventy games,
you're gonna get Sorry, you're gonna me seventy and eighty two.
Say it out loud. What was Jordan's best team?
Speaker 6 (28:33):
Seventy two?
Speaker 8 (28:34):
I believe they want seventy two, and then the Warriors
top ten with seventy three.
Speaker 3 (28:37):
Yeah, I mean, it's just you're talking.
Speaker 1 (28:38):
He has seventy wins and also they have great depth,
and they played great defense. So in the NBA, if
you have a seven game series, you're not getting knocked.
Nobody's beating this team four times in two weeks in
the first two rounds.
Speaker 3 (28:51):
Not happening. Not happening.
Speaker 8 (28:54):
Final story, Colin, Let's go to the Cincinnati Bungles.
Speaker 6 (28:58):
So we know they loaded up on Burrow chasing Higgins.
We get that.
Speaker 8 (29:02):
However, defensive Endrea Hendrickson, who led the league in sacks,
he hasn't gotten a deal.
Speaker 6 (29:06):
He wants a new contract.
Speaker 8 (29:07):
Bengals executive VP Katie Blackburn said, I think he should
be happy at certain rates that maybe he doesn't think
he'd be happy at.
Speaker 6 (29:16):
I think some of it is on him to be
happy at some point. No, what how is this lady?
Why is she talking to the media? Hedrickson calls her
comments disappointing. Yeah, I would say so, thank you may.
Speaker 3 (29:29):
Need to be happy with what we're offering.
Speaker 6 (29:32):
Because we're the Cincinnati Bengals.
Speaker 3 (29:34):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (29:35):
Really, it's come of embarrassing, well the whole this is
an organization that I just kind of roll my eyes at.
I feel like Joe Burrow's trapped, I really do.
Speaker 6 (29:43):
How do we get him out of there. How do
we get him to the Jets.
Speaker 1 (29:46):
I don't think there's anything you can do, and I
think it's just it just happens. I think sometimes fans
get trapped with a bad owner, and I think Burrow's
just going to have to live with this.
Speaker 8 (29:54):
The Bengals messaging around all of this has been awful
all off season.
Speaker 1 (29:58):
Look how small their scouting staff is to the ego
and now you can pay t Higgins, Jamar and Burrow
and Henrickson, but you have to hit on five draft
picks annually. Well Philadelphia does the Rams do two rich
owners who spend money, Like that's where the draft. That's
why Dallas giving up draft picks is weird. Like what
are you doing giving up fourth and fifth round draft
(30:18):
picks for backups? Like the Joe Milton's not going to start,
he can't. You just paid Dak a fortune Mingo Trey Lance,
Like what are you doing? Like you did the scouting
Everybody misses on draft picks, but the really good organizations
find a lot of gems in the fourth, fifth, and
sixth rounds and then you need them when you're paying
(30:41):
four guys top of the mark.
Speaker 3 (30:42):
Everything. J Mack with the News.
Speaker 5 (30:46):
Well that's the news, and thanks for stopping by.
Speaker 1 (30:48):
The official Cooper Flag Duke obviously playing this weekend for
the right to advance and get to the National Championship Game.
So the comps are pretty intro coming out for Cooper Flag.
Plus old Jamack tried to get me in the ribs
earlier on these shades. Don't at Lamar Jackson some interesting
numbers I found next and heard.
Speaker 2 (31:11):
Be sure to catch live editions of The Herd Weekdays
and Noone eastern nine am Pacific on Fox Sports Radio
FS one and the iHeartRadio app.
Speaker 9 (31:19):
Hey, Steve Covino and I'm Rich David and together we're
Covino and Rich on Fox Sports Radio.
Speaker 10 (31:25):
You could catch us weekdays from five to seven pm
Eastern two to four Pacific on Fox Sports Radio and
of course the iHeartRadio App.
Speaker 9 (31:32):
Why should you listen to Covino and Rich.
Speaker 10 (31:34):
We talk about everything life, sports, relationships, what's.
Speaker 6 (31:37):
Going on in the world.
Speaker 9 (31:38):
We have a lot of fun talking about the stories
behind the stories in the world of sports and pop culture,
stories that well, other shows don't seem to have the
time to discuss.
Speaker 10 (31:46):
And the fact that we've been friends for the last
twenty years and still work together.
Speaker 3 (31:50):
I mean that says something.
Speaker 9 (31:51):
Right, So check us out. We like to get you
involved too, take your phone calls, chop it up as
they say.
Speaker 10 (31:57):
I'd say the most interactive show on Fox Sports Radio,
maybe the.
Speaker 3 (32:00):
Most interactive show on planetar.
Speaker 9 (32:01):
Be sure to check out Cavino and Rich live on
Fox Sports Radio and the iHeartRadio app from five to
seven pm Eastern, two to four Pacific, And if you
miss any of the live show, just search Kobe no
Known Rich wherever you get your podcasts, and of course
on social media that's Covino and Rich.
Speaker 8 (32:16):
The battle for the inaugural College basketball Crown continues tonight
with the second round of the quarterfinals, starting with Cincinnati
taking on UCF, followed by Villanova usc it all starts
at six thirty Eastern only ONMS one.
Speaker 1 (32:31):
So we talked about Cooper Flag and I said about
a month ago, he looks like Jason Tatum to me,
but a better defensive Jason Tatum. He'll be better earlier
than Jason Tatum. I think he's a little nasty, a
little better finisher, and a little has got a little
chip on his shoulder, and I think he's a better
defender than Jason was coming into the NBA. So ESPN
went out and talked to several NBA executives and scouts
(32:52):
who anonymously made comps for him. A couple I don't see.
Couple I really see. So the first one they say
his ceiling is Kawhi Leonard, very good defensive player. I
think I think Cooper Flag will develop into a better
outside shooter than Kawhi Leonard was. But Kawhi Leonard is
his ceiling. His floor comp is Lamar Odom that I
(33:14):
don't see. Lamar's talented, but a little flaky.
Speaker 3 (33:19):
I don't know.
Speaker 1 (33:19):
I think they he Lamar was a really good ball
handler for his size. I just think people basketball people
love Lamar Odom. You know, six to ten, could handle
the ball, get up and down the floor. I think
that's the floor. And Lamar had a nice career in
his prime comp this is the one I see is
Jason Tatum, both duke, smart guys, had a little to
(33:43):
work on, do everything well, maybe not anything great, but
everything very very well. And his second star comp is
Scottie Pippen. I think he's a better offensive player than
Scottie Pippen.
Speaker 11 (33:54):
Uh.
Speaker 1 (33:55):
But but I think that the Jason Tatum, Scottie Pippen,
those two. I absolutely get Lamar, not so much. Kawhi
maybe a little bit. Kawhi is a very quirky all
time player, But there you go. Chris Brushard on our show,
he and I share the opinion. The guy is going
to be special.
Speaker 3 (34:13):
Day one.
Speaker 11 (34:15):
You said, there's really no weakness when you look at
his game.
Speaker 6 (34:19):
He can bring the.
Speaker 11 (34:19):
Ball up court like a point guard. You can run
the offense through him. He can pass, he can shoot
in the mid range of three post up game. He
can drive and finish.
Speaker 3 (34:30):
He can lead the.
Speaker 6 (34:31):
Break any defense.
Speaker 11 (34:33):
But I don't really want to see him in Washington
or Charlotte. I hate to say it, but that's just
the truth. Right Chicago, when you look at what Kobe
White is doing, or of course san Antonio, it'd be
an immediate Big three with de Air Fox and win
Bin Yama and Flags.
Speaker 1 (34:50):
So I think this is coming at a good time
for the NBA because baseball is surging in popularity. The
WNBA because of Caitlin Clark, is surging in popularity. The
college football, with a playoff in December, is going to
start surging in interest in the NFL is king, and
we got a World Cup coming up next summer. So
the NBA has kind of I mean, last night Denver
(35:11):
sat all of its starters because they played a two
overtime game the night before. I get it, but the
NBA could use a big brand, domestic product ready to
come in and play. So I think if he goes
to a Philadelphia or a Chicago or San Antonio with Wemby,
and I like the Utah fit just because I think
Danny Ainge Kessler, I think they'll be I think Utah's
(35:35):
a little couple of years behind. Okay, see, but they
have a chance to be really good accumulating draft picks.
I think Utah fits pretty well. But boy, if he
goes to Carolina or New Orleans, you know it's I mean,
I've said before, even as inconsistent as Zion has been,
if Zion would have gone to Chicago, Golden State or
New York, it would have felt different. And the NBA
(35:57):
the NBA, and this is just three it because you know,
you can spot basketball talent early, and so teams start
tanking for Wemby three years ago or at least two
years ago. And that's the unsolvable NBA problem. People will
always tank because they can see three years out the
stars coming. We don't see that in football. Nobody saw
Mahomes three years earlier, Josh Allen. It doesn't work that way.
(36:21):
So it's the opposite in football where a guy has
a great senior year and you're like, oh, finally he
got you know, he had a growth spurt.
Speaker 6 (36:27):
But some of that as fools goal. Kenny Pickett at
Pittsburgh had one good year. They drafted it.
Speaker 8 (36:32):
Trobus Hey, let me quickly ask you about Charlotte. Let's
say Charlotte wins the lottery, they have LaMelo Ball and Colin.
I know you pay attention to the NBA. LaMelo Ball
is one of the ten most popular players in the league.
Young kids love him, shoe sales, jersey sales, his style.
But you watch him, he doesn't appear to be a
serious basketball player. Yeah, it's like a lot of silly
(36:53):
shots and show vote up. If I get Cooper Flag
with the number one pick, I'm looking to trade LaMelo Ball.
I would move off of him, and just you know what,
I don't want that kind of player around my new franchise.
Speaker 1 (37:03):
Guy and Carolina is NASCAR and college basketball country. So
it's never going to be an NBA hot bed. It's
just not like there's certain things that are true. Is
that we're always going to care more about the Lakers
and Celtics.
Speaker 8 (37:15):
Well, when they had that mon Morning and Larry Johnson,
they were I mean, this is like thirty years ago.
They were huge for five minutes on those two butted heads.
Speaker 6 (37:22):
But it can be NBA.
Speaker 8 (37:24):
They love their college basketball, so you would essentially have
a duke kid going.
Speaker 3 (37:28):
But there are Charlotte.
Speaker 1 (37:29):
What I'm saying is there are certain markets in the country.
College football will always matter in Ohio always.
Speaker 3 (37:38):
It's just ingrained.
Speaker 1 (37:39):
Alabama will always be college football first. Kentucky will always
be college basketball first. Yeah, And it's just I mean,
you Connecticut, they love men's and women's college sports, and
they love their baseball, and so I just think there
are places that I mean, I mean, like prime example,
o Tawni with the Angels, Tawny with the Dodgers, same weather,
(38:02):
same freeway, it's different. Dodger baseball will always be bigger.
I mean, the Mets can have success. It is a
Yankee city. It's just the way it is, like what.
Speaker 8 (38:12):
Happens if magic Johnson doesn't go to the Lakers and
goes to.
Speaker 6 (38:17):
Some random small like is he Magic Johnson?
Speaker 3 (38:19):
No, he's Irvin Johnson.
Speaker 1 (38:21):
There you go, and he and his buddy called him magic,
but he was Irvin Johnson.
Speaker 3 (38:25):
He became magic.
Speaker 1 (38:26):
I mean the magic was the exclamation point to the
magic was showtime. Yes, so Jmack earlier, he loves doing this,
just unveils the graphic. I don't I don't know where
it came from. So he does this like once a week.
It's like I have a hands off, not culpable, and
he throws this out there and then sheepishly says, I
(38:48):
don't know where it came from, sorry, radio audience, but
it was seat Lamar Jackson. These are quarterbacks with multiple
playoff wins, seasons with multiple playoff wins, and yes, Brady eleven,
Mahomes six, Montana five, Peyton five, Bretta Lamar zero. So
he just throws this heater on the hands to me
and I'm like, whoa, whoa, whoa.
Speaker 3 (39:09):
Let me digest it.
Speaker 10 (39:11):
Well.
Speaker 1 (39:11):
Then I found and I don't know where this one
came from either. I had nothing to do with this one.
Here's playoff wins after seven seasons. In the NFL, which
is about forty percent of a quarterback career. Lamar has
three Stafford Nunn, Breezewe, Peyton Manning three, Marino three, meaning
(39:34):
for a lot of quarterbacks who become like legendary, Yeah,
it's a little bumpy. Early you ended up in a
team that needed a star quarterback, and you know, and
you know it's not always mahomes Lands with Andy Reid
and Brett Veach and Travis Kelsey. It is bumpy for
(39:54):
a lot of people.
Speaker 6 (39:55):
Forget.
Speaker 1 (39:56):
You know, I last week I caught you off guard
when I said, Hey, everybody, do you realize Michael Jordan,
after hitting the shot in college to win the title,
played two more years at Carolina in college and got
beat one year by in state rival n Z State. Okay,
so you just forget Peyton Manning had a reputation four
years as a teeth clencher who got tight in big games.
(40:20):
Now then Indy late beat Tom in a playoff game.
Then he goes to Denver and Tom Peyton Manning's first
ten years was this guy's unbelievable. But he doesn't quite
play as well in playoff games. Dan Marino, John Elway again,
if you're twenty. You don't remember this, ye John Elway,
(40:40):
I believe it was his first three Super Bowls, got housed,
got those three of the worst Super Bowl losses in
the in Super Bowl history, and then all of a sudden,
he got a run game and he got the right coach,
and then he wins his Super Bowl MVP last day
in the league, and now he's a legend. So Jeter
lands with the Kansas City Royals.
Speaker 3 (41:01):
You know what he is. He's a really that kid, Jeter.
But Jeter has.
Speaker 1 (41:06):
Nobody's hitting behind him. They don't have a payroll for
pitchers because they have to pay Jeter. And he makes
the playoffs three times, not every single year, on the
stage where he's number two. He's a legend. So we
just don't have any patients. Now we don't allow young
quarterbacks to sort of you know.
Speaker 6 (41:25):
Well, we live in the now.
Speaker 8 (41:27):
You know, Lamar has another bad playoff game, and we
analyze it heavily, except there's twenty four hour news, there's
shows like this, there's social media, and then the bombing.
Speaker 6 (41:36):
It just doesn't stop on Lamar for.
Speaker 8 (41:39):
Days because he lost another playoff.
Speaker 6 (41:40):
Game that didn't happen.
Speaker 8 (41:41):
When Peyton I think Peyton lost his first four or
five playoff games. Jets crushed him in one of like
forty one ten, forty one zero, whatever it was. And
it's like, you know, it's barely a blip because guess what,
there was no social media to amplify the failure. Social
media is you know, I've profited handsomely. I'm sure you
have as well, but Jordan.
Speaker 1 (41:59):
Likely Jordan didn't play with social media. Just nobody knows
that he was in college three years and two of
them didn't do anything in the tournament.
Speaker 8 (42:07):
We lost to Donal Royal in the Orlando Magic in
the playoffs one.
Speaker 1 (42:11):
It just disappeared into the ether. Our three and a Thursday,
a next
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