February 13, 2026 • 42 mins
Colin Cowherd discusses LeBron James becoming the oldest player to record a triple-double and why it’s time for LeBron to bring an end to his historic career
Nobody would care about the Dodgers big spending if they would have lost in the World Series against the Blue Jays
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
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Speaker 2 (00:21):
You're listening to Fox Sports Radio.
Speaker 1 (00:26):
Here we go. It's a Friday. There is shockingly a
lot to talk about. We've got a what a good
week host the NFL live in Chicago. It's The Herd
wherever you may be and however you may be listening.
Thank you for making us part of your day. Jamax
off today, our buddy John Middlecoff, former Scout three and
out at the Volume, is joining us. So John Middletoff.
(00:47):
We've still got a lot of NFL stuff to talk about.
But baseball pitchers catchers reporting this week. Dodgers are infuriating people.
John Lebron's doing his thing.
Speaker 2 (00:57):
John.
Speaker 1 (00:57):
I know you're a movie fan. I'm a movie fan.
You're a music fan. I'm a music fan.
Speaker 3 (01:03):
But I want to start the show with this.
Speaker 1 (01:05):
I don't like my sports stars to end their careers
like Elvis or Marlon Brando. I want it to look
like Elway or Derek Jeter, like that's I want it
to be. I like my movies, my movie stars, my
athletes that have a clean, tight ending like Elway and
Jeter did it better than anybody. So Lebron last night
(01:26):
Lakers beat the MAVs, and Lebron first twenty three points
of the game, he scored or assistant for the Lakers
oldest player ever to have a triple double. He's still very,
very good. Nobody would dispute that. And I really do
think Lebron and Tom Brady their arcs are very similar.
Number one is they're the most productive players in the
history of their sport. They got to a lot of
(01:47):
world championships in basketball or Super Bowls, and they didn't
win all of them, but they got to a lot
of them. Both are the system, regardless of how good
the coach is. I mean, Bruce arians tell of a
coach Tom Brady's like Bruce were running my offense. Eric
Spolstra amazing coach. He and Lebron but it heads and fourth,
(02:07):
they're both Brady and Lebron pioneers in longevity. And I
think you know MJ was flashier more beloved and cooler.
He's more Beatles, Pandemonium. Lebron's more rolling stones, still touring
really really high level for a long time. And mahomes
(02:27):
in l Way are a little flashier than Brady. You know,
better high lights maybe than Brady. But there's a fundamental
truth with Lebron, you saw it last night, and with
Brady in his last couple of years. The more obsessed
you are by it, the more disciplined you are as
a professional athlete, you will be the goat, you will
(02:48):
be the most productive, you will dominate the record book.
And there's no argument you can say the other guy's cooler.
Lebron has all the records and Brady has most of them.
But I do wish Lebron would retire after the year.
And I'll give you the example why, because there's a
list that he makes, my list that isn't great. And
(03:08):
I've always thought about basketball this way. How do you
judge the best player? It can't be scoring average? Do
you play defense? Are you a good distributor? I mean,
James Harden scored a bunch of points, never the best
player in the league. Tim Duncan wasn't flashy, rebounded defended scored.
I mean Tim Duncan's one of the seven or eight
best players in terms of complete game. Ever, I always
(03:32):
judge guys like this, and Lebron is now forty one.
If there's a tie game with two and a half
minutes left, two and a half minutes left, I'm counting everything,
your stamina, your free throw shooting, your offense, your defense,
your distribution. Who are the ten guys in the NBA?
I would take in order, and here's my list again,
(03:56):
two and a half minutes, multiple possessions. I'm counting all
of your game offense, defense, ball handling, stamina, free throw shooting.
Number one would be Jokic. He is the best player
in the world, makes every teammate better. Third in clutch scoring.
SGA would be two. Number one in clutch scoring. He's
(04:18):
just a bucket there. I mean, he's just a bucket.
I would put Victor web Binyama at number three, the
best defensive player, totally, absolutely disruptive. Also, you're going to
get dunks and freebies. Number four, I would put Anthony
Edwards behind SGA number two in scoring. He can hit
a three, he can handle the ball, he can make
(04:40):
defensive stops, number five because he's actually playing again. Is
Kawhi Leonard. I mean, cross your fingers. He may not
in two days, but right now he's playing. And I
said this years ago. Get a bucket, get a stop.
He is a wizard. There's a lot of MJ to
his game. Number six would be Steph Curry, still at
his age. Un believable stamina. I don't think there's ever
(05:02):
been an NBA player in that good of cardio shape.
He is also right now three point shooting forty six
percent clutch three point shooting. That's insane. Number seven would
be Kaid Cunningham. He has the third most field goals
in the league in clutch. He can defend, he's got size,
he can ball handle. He now plays with a confidence
he didn't three years ago. Kid Cunningham at seven. Colin
(05:25):
whars Luca, I would put him eight.
Speaker 3 (05:27):
Why.
Speaker 1 (05:28):
I don't like his stamina late in games. He's a
revolving door on defense. I love him offensively, but he
often doesn't include others. I'd put him eight. Number nine,
I'm gonna put Kadi on this until the day he retires.
I'm sorry. Catch and shoot off a pick dribble. Kevin
Durant is somewhere between five and ten on this list.
(05:49):
I'll put him nine because of his age, and number ten.
Speaker 3 (05:54):
Is not Lebron.
Speaker 1 (05:56):
It's Jalen Runson, twenty five in the NBA, was voted
the clutch player. I trust them more at the free
throw line than Lebron. He's not a good defensive player,
he's a better ball handler. I trust his mid range
game more than Lebron. I trust his free throw shooting
more than Lebron. It's the first time I've ever done
this list. Lebron's not part of it.
Speaker 3 (06:17):
Lebron.
Speaker 1 (06:17):
Last night, I saw Lebron live this year at Chicago.
Best player on the floor for about twelve minutes, and
then there were gaps of stamina and energy, and I
like my actors, I want it to look more like
a Tom Hanks. You don't see him in as many
good movies because you don't see him in as many movies,
but everything he does is tight and clean and good.
(06:40):
I don't want it to end like Marlon Brando. I
want to look like that. Lebron next year would still
be a top fifteen to eighteen player in the league.
But I just love the way Lway and Jeter ended it.
It's just so tight and clean. And I know that's
just subjective, and that's my opinion. I don't want an
MG ending. You get all the records, you beat them
(07:01):
in the record books, call it a career. You're averaging
twenty a game. I think that'd be amazing. Here's Lebron
last night on his longevity and his future.
Speaker 4 (07:13):
My game is not going anywhere. It's just it's my body.
It's all the other things. There's so many more factors
that come with how long will I play a game? Now,
I don't think my game will ever suffer if I
decided to continue to go how long, however long that is.
I just think it's like it has to be here.
(07:34):
If this goes, then my body's going to go. Then
once my body goes there, it's a.
Speaker 3 (07:37):
Rap, you know.
Speaker 4 (07:38):
Then the love goes, and then the fund and all
that stuff goes.
Speaker 1 (07:42):
He remains very good, but down the stretch two and
a half, left, defense, free throw shooting, stamina, I don't
think he's a top ten player pictures and catchers report
in baseball. In fact, the Dodgers pictures and catchers report today.
So Jeff Passing ESPN a wonderful baseball guy. Why it's
a really interesting story today that baseball is in a
(08:04):
weird place. There's a renaissance. The attendance is up, the
ratings are up. We've talked about this on this show.
I went about fifteen years I stopped talking baseball. The
last two and a half years, the playoffs have been incredible.
Why games faster, games quicker. And the Cubs are good,
and the Yankees are good, and the Mets are interesting,
(08:24):
and the Dodgers are good, and Houston's dominant, and Boston
had a good year. But he also points out in
the article that Kyle Tucker's signing that that's going to
guarantee a labor stop. He suggests that, and I just
want to throw this out there. One year ago in
the NFL, I want you to think about this. One
(08:44):
year ago in the NFL, after the Eagles won the
Super Bowl, the tush push was a national crisis.
Speaker 3 (08:52):
Something needs to be done. This is unfair.
Speaker 1 (08:57):
People are meeting and flying and talking and debating and arguing.
Speaker 3 (09:01):
The Tush push.
Speaker 1 (09:03):
And then this year when the Eagles face planted, you
know what, nobody cared about the tush push. They weren't
as good at it, it didn't matter. It suddenly wasn't unfair.
Go ahead, do it as many time as you want.
But when the Eagles felt like they were unstoppable, they
had an advantage. Though it was legal, they were pulling
(09:23):
away from the league.
Speaker 3 (09:25):
Nobody liked it. And that's our nature.
Speaker 1 (09:30):
We often hate successful people because they're successful. And what's
interesting when the Dodgers signed Mookie Bets much better than
Kyle Tucker, when they signed Freddie Freeman, both will be
Hall of famers.
Speaker 3 (09:50):
Where was the outrage.
Speaker 1 (09:52):
Well, that's because at the time the Dodgers weren't stacking
World Series titles. I'm arguing and have that if the
Dodgers would have lost to the Blue Jays in Game seven,
nobody'd freak.
Speaker 3 (10:04):
Out with Kyle Tucker.
Speaker 1 (10:05):
You'd be like, well, you spend a fortune, what you
got one World Series show?
Speaker 3 (10:10):
You think I'm wrong on that? Okay?
Speaker 1 (10:13):
Because so it was Kyle Tucker who the Cubs couldn't
get out of town fast enough. That's the one that's
the straw that broke the camel's back. What's interesting the
Blue Jays lost the World Series, so nobody's already bothered that.
Vlad Guerrero Junior signed for five hundred million dollars, or
that the Blue Jays were the bigger spenders again in
(10:35):
this offseason because they didn't win a World Series because
they're not stacking titles. Really, Freddy Freeman, why did he
leave Atlanta?
Speaker 3 (10:46):
Was money?
Speaker 1 (10:47):
They knew Freddy Freeman was great, that Braves couldn't afford him.
Speaker 3 (10:49):
Dodgers could. Why did Mookie Betts leave Boston?
Speaker 1 (10:52):
They said they couldn't afford him, so the same reason
they got Otawni and Bets and Freeman. It's always money.
Kyle Tucker really wasn't that expensive relative to those guys.
But Kyle Tucker after back to back World Series titles
that stings push push outrage this year what evs.
Speaker 3 (11:13):
That's how it works.
Speaker 1 (11:15):
Here's an absolute fact data that you can't deny. The
Dodgers in twenty twenty four made seven hundred and fifty
two million. The Yankees made seven one hundred and thirty million,
two biggest revenue teams in the sport. The difference is
the Yankees only spend forty nine and a half percent
(11:37):
of their revenue on players, and the Dodgers almost spend
seventy five percent they make about the same. The Dodgers
are more committed to winning. Steinbrenner's kids are more committed
to committed to keeping more of that money. By the way,
the Mets spend the highest percentage by a mile in
(11:58):
the sport of the neues they make. They don't make
the Dodger money. They don't make the Yankee money. But
Steve Cohen spends ninety percent of the money. Good for him.
But we it's human nature. We don't like people pulling
away the idea that Kyle Tucker, who the Cubs couldn't
get rid of, Fathomon, who everybody says that I didn't
(12:19):
love the game. I don't know if he does or not.
He not really passionate. I mean, they signed Mookey Bats.
Everybody's like, oh, great move by the Dodgers. Yeah, Kyle
Tucker's got us all freaking out. Dave Roberts on this
Dodger team, as pitchers and catchers report today, compared to
previous Dodger teams.
Speaker 5 (12:41):
Last year's team a very good team on paper. I
thought twenty twenty one I think was a very good
team on paper. But this team, I think, yeah, looking
at the guys in their prime, the experience, the talent
the starters, and the depth of the young players that
(13:02):
we have coming behind them on the pitching side, especially
probably the best team.
Speaker 1 (13:09):
To be totally honest, if the Dodgers would have lost
in Game seven to the Blue Jays, you would have
all laughed. Suckers can't buy a World Series title. And
by the way, the guy making the great catch in
left center field for the Dodgers wasn't one of their
(13:29):
great players. He was a defensive specialist. They couldn't figure
out their bullpen. But the minute they won Game seven,
that's separating and people don't like it.
Speaker 2 (13:40):
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Speaker 6 (13:51):
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Speaker 1 (14:53):
Welcome man, it is a Friday. John Middlecoff is in
for Jmax. So I just saw this this morning. The
highest great according to PFF in the entire league this
year was Bears tight end Colston Loveland. It's very interesting.
So Colston Loveland's taken tenth. Tyler Warren the Penn State
(15:15):
tight end fourteen. Many most believed Tyler Warren was better
than Colston Loveland. They're both great, both way better than
any tight end in the class this year, and through
weeks one through eight, Tyler Warren looked like the much
better player. But from weeks nine on Colston Loveland was unbelievable.
Speaker 3 (15:38):
He was the much better player.
Speaker 1 (15:40):
And a lot of that is because Colston Loveland got
Caleb Williams and Ben Johnson and Tyler Warren had three
different quarterbacks and they're both going to end up being unbelievable.
But the Colston Loveland story is an interesting one and
it illustrates how valuable fit is for a lot of
these offen coaches. People thought Sean Payton reached on bow
(16:04):
Knicks best fourth quarter quarterback in the NFL since showed
up statistically.
Speaker 3 (16:10):
They also thought he reached on RJ.
Speaker 1 (16:13):
Harvey, the running back. He was very good, second round,
very good this year. Because Sean Payton's just not drafting
best available guy. He's got a vision, he's got a plan.
Defensive guys may do it too, but you can really
see it with offensive guys. Am I just drafting players
(16:36):
because the Bears, Ryan Poles and Ben Johnson knew that
if you took Loveland over Tyler Warren, you were going.
Speaker 3 (16:43):
To get some criticism.
Speaker 1 (16:45):
The consensus was the Penn State kid who could literally
do everything including punt, was the more versatile guy. He
was the better draft pick. And yet they're like, no, no,
Colston Loveland. That's what worked for this offense. That's going
to work in our system. And that's very Sean Payton
in Denver, where a lot of people think he's been
(17:08):
reaching in the last couple of drafts, drafts for some
offensive players, and yet all of them go to Denver
and they're all good. And this is not a knock
on Tyler Morten.
Speaker 3 (17:17):
He's gonna be great. These are great tight ends.
Speaker 1 (17:20):
But I've always believed even in the NFL, there's only
about ten to fifteen percent of the players. Ten percent,
they're gonna be great wherever they go. Barry Sanders, Trent Williams,
Jonathan Ogden, they're gonna be great anywhere.
Speaker 3 (17:34):
It doesn't really matter. They were gonna be great.
Speaker 1 (17:36):
I remember the first time I saw Brian Urlacker, I'm like, yeah,
that's gonna work with anybody. That guy just I only
went to a small college. I'm like, yeah, that's gonna work.
That's gonna work everywhere. But that's about ten to fifteen
percent of the players. The other seventy five eighty five
percent of the guys, it's fit. Who's your coach? I mean,
(17:57):
Sam Darnold's the greatest advantage of that and Kevin O'Connell
and you give him right the right offensive coordinator, Clint Kubiak.
You're like, oh god, this guy's like getting MVP votes.
And so Colston Lovelin for the Bears. People always say
what do you make of the Bears? And I say, listen,
Caleb Williams is going to be great, and occasionally is great.
(18:21):
Ben Johnson day one on campus has been unbelievable. And
for a young coach to already have a plan and
a vision and to take a player who many teams
had rated below Warren, He's like, not, that's my guy.
That tells me Ben has a vision beyond just drafting
best of a loble guy. He sees before a player
(18:44):
ever puts on pads, he sees how he fits in
his ecosystem. That's elite coaching to me. Here's cayleb Williams
this past January on Colston Lovelin.
Speaker 8 (18:56):
We got a home run with him, you know. And
this something my coach said the other day to me.
We were, you know, sitting in his office and everybody
goes back to draft night, and why do we get
Coaston Lovelin, Why do we do this?
Speaker 3 (19:10):
And why do we do that? And Uh, it's.
Speaker 8 (19:15):
Coaston Lovelin, you know what I mean. That's who he is.
He's one of the hardest workers on his team. He's
there late, he's there early.
Speaker 1 (19:24):
Reportedly, Sean McVay was pounding the table for Pooka nakoup
in the fifth round, like you're Everybody's like, well well,
and mcveigh's like, we've got to take him.
Speaker 3 (19:37):
I don't care.
Speaker 1 (19:38):
Need we have to because they had Cooper Cup.
Speaker 3 (19:40):
At the time.
Speaker 1 (19:41):
The offense was good, it was stable plus and mcveigh's
banging the table. He knew what he would do before
he ever put on a RAMS uniform. I don't think
every coach is like that. I don't know if half
the coaches are like that. John Middlecoff with the news.
Speaker 2 (19:58):
No, no, no, we heard on the news. This is
the herd line news.
Speaker 9 (20:04):
Okay, speaking of offensive coaches colin the forty nine ers
in the Rams. They will play the first ever game
in Australia next season.
Speaker 6 (20:14):
But here's the thing.
Speaker 9 (20:15):
There is no confirmed date and there is potential for
this game to be played on Wednesday night before the
defending champions. Seattle would host the game, So we don't
know the date, but this is kind of a big
blow because it's going to be a Rams home game.
Speaker 6 (20:31):
As you know, been in LA in a long time.
Speaker 9 (20:34):
The forty nine ers dominate Sofi Stadium when they play.
Speaker 6 (20:38):
Now they also week one.
Speaker 9 (20:39):
This is a fifteen hour flight, you know, from San
Francisco from Los Angeles. Even the Brazil game for Kansas City,
for example, was a nine hour flight, so this is
way longer. Yes, they basically had to go week one,
but I actually think this is advantage for the Rams
in the sense that the look at the Niners this
year went in there with Mac Jones and won.
Speaker 6 (20:57):
Why it's seventy nine fans in these games.
Speaker 1 (21:00):
Yeah, And I also think playing it Wednesday, it's it's
almost like you get a first week by because you
don't have to play to the following Sunday. So people
will complain about it, but you're going to get there,
play three days early. You're probably gonna make it a
real It's almost like college bowl game. My guess is
you're going to get there three or four days early,
get acclimated. I mean most ninety nine percent of the
players and staff haven't been to Australia. I mean I've
(21:23):
always wanted to go. You go there three or four
days early, you make it like a bowl trip. You
play on Wednesday. You know you're going to have full
NFL officials everywhere, and then you get like an early
season by So it doesn't bother me. But I would
say that, and I imagine Niner fans will travel the
Melbourne better than Ram fans. It's listen, we all know this,
(21:45):
John the NFL years ago, we all complained about European games.
Speaker 3 (21:50):
I like those early European I love.
Speaker 1 (21:52):
Waking up there's a game already on. I'm okay with it.
Speaker 6 (21:56):
Well, I think too.
Speaker 9 (21:57):
If you told Kyle and McVeagh you had to play
an international game, would all sign up for Week one?
Speaker 3 (22:02):
Right?
Speaker 9 (22:02):
You'd wanted Week one? You can prepare during training camp.
I'm sure they both had to Australia several days before Wednesday, okay?
Colin another story, Jason Kelsey, the Hall of Famer, had
some comments when it came to the Eagles. Obviously, they
fell off this year after winning the Super Bowl. Nobody
knows the Eagles and that culture like Kelsey, who played
(22:23):
there forever. He said that he wouldn't be surprised if
they move on from Sirianni and try something new. If
the season doesn't go well, pressure on Sirianni this year, Colin.
Speaker 6 (22:35):
Is this a make or break year for Nick Well?
Speaker 3 (22:37):
I think it is John because he is the rarity.
Speaker 1 (22:41):
He is an offensive coach yet dependent on his coordinator.
Most we know defensive coaches are very beholden to their
offensive coordinator. I mean, Belichick at one point put Matt
Patricia in there had no feel for it.
Speaker 3 (22:56):
But offensive coaches.
Speaker 1 (22:58):
Your Andy's, your Shaan's, you're mcveigh's, you'r Kyle, your Liam Collen.
If an offensive coordinator leaves there, there's no major regression,
they'll get on the headset.
Speaker 3 (23:08):
I think Nick.
Speaker 1 (23:09):
I think the concern with Nick is what does he
do like if he can't call the plays he did
when he first got there. If I recalled the first
year and it was bad and then Steichan took it
over and suddenly the team flourished. So my take is,
I mean, why did they dovetail last year? They didn't
have the right coordinator. Why did they do it before
(23:30):
because I didn't have the right coordinator. Find me another
offensive coach that's dependent on an offensive coordinator.
Speaker 3 (23:36):
For success.
Speaker 6 (23:37):
Well, I agree.
Speaker 9 (23:38):
I think Dan Campbell might fall under that category maybe,
But clearly Jeffrey Lury and Howie like Nick because two
years ago they could pivot off them. Then they come back,
they win the Super Bowl. This year it felt like
that they stood by him. Are we sure that Jalen
Hurts is just on scholarship? They've proven before they paid
Carson Wentz, Howie Roseman, the e you know, mentality and
(24:01):
culture there aggressive. If he doesn't play better, I think
we all talk about Nick. What about the quarterback though, Colin?
Speaker 3 (24:08):
Yeah, No.
Speaker 1 (24:08):
There was an article this week in The Ringer that
talked about how inefficient and unsuccessful since he started playing quarterback,
Jalen Hurts is throwing the ball over the middle of
the field. And I had a source tell me in
August this summer in the NFL that and this was
somebody very very tight with Harry Roseman and the people
in the building, that Jalen's a great kid, that you're
(24:30):
not the most.
Speaker 3 (24:31):
Popular guy, you know.
Speaker 1 (24:33):
It's it's one of those things where a lot of
teams like Philadelphia keep a lot of the stuff under wraps,
but people that knew their front office people and knew
some of their players, and somebody that was very connected
to the entire I mean, you're connected to the Eagles organization.
It was somebody that knew the people upstairs. Didn't know Loriie,
but knew the people upstairs, knew a couple of the
(24:53):
you know, agents dealing with players. And the takeaway I
was told is Jalen's not the most popular guy in
the room like Brady was popular to the end. Maholmes
is Peyton Manning was Jalen's not that guy, He's not.
Dak Prescott is Jalen's not well.
Speaker 9 (25:09):
Jalen's also a dual threat quarterback that will no longer run,
you know.
Speaker 6 (25:12):
So it's like this isn't exactly working.
Speaker 9 (25:15):
Okay, Last, but not least, John Harbaugh, who's now in
New York as he's the new Giants coach after spending
eighteen years with the Ravens. In a recent podcast appearance,
Harbass spoke to the end of his time in Baltimore.
Speaker 6 (25:27):
Let's take a listen, what happened.
Speaker 10 (25:30):
What happened, what needed to be done, and the opinion
of Steve, you know, is what was done. So it's
it's cool if we're gonna win four games and won
the Super Bowl. After that, I'm pretty sure i'd still
be there right now. I don't know, i'd be my guess,
but it didn't happen that way, so it doesn't matter,
you know. And and again I understand completely the thinking
(25:50):
behind it, and you know it's all good.
Speaker 1 (25:53):
Yeah, I know, it's he was there forever.
Speaker 3 (25:57):
It's just one of it.
Speaker 1 (25:58):
It was like that John Harball there feels like Andy
Reid in Philadelphia.
Speaker 3 (26:02):
You know, he's a great coach.
Speaker 1 (26:03):
You know he's going to get a job in fifteen minutes,
but it was probably time.
Speaker 6 (26:08):
I think that's a great comparison.
Speaker 9 (26:09):
The other thing you noticed is like when Andy went
to Kansas City and now John is going to the Giants.
There's a positive energy that there's no bitterness. Remember a
couple of years ago, Belichick, it was very bitter. It's like, Hill,
we got to pivot here. Put a smile on your face.
And though you know, John Harbaugh good spirits. I know
you're high on the Giants. I think a lot of
people by the time the season comes around are gonna
(26:30):
be pretty high on the Giants.
Speaker 3 (26:31):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (26:31):
Yeah, I think they'll double triple the I think they're
a nine to ten win team in that division because
I don't trust Dallas right now, and I don't love
the direction Philadelphia is going, and cross your fingers on
Jaden Daniel's help.
Speaker 11 (26:41):
Agreed.
Speaker 3 (26:43):
John Middlekoff with the News.
Speaker 2 (26:45):
Well, that's the news, and thanks for stopping by the
herd Line News.
Speaker 1 (26:50):
Ethan Strauss House of Strauss, great podcaster, substacker joining us
top of the hour on that Steve Kerr, Jonathan kaminga
mass He's always so good on big macro topics with
the NBA, which he covered for years.
Speaker 3 (27:03):
So listen.
Speaker 1 (27:05):
This happens every year NFL season ends, baseball hasn't started,
and we start criticizing the NBA and the NBA is terrible.
When the playoffs show up, the NBA will.
Speaker 3 (27:18):
Be very, very interesting.
Speaker 1 (27:19):
Even the lad David Stern used to admit, nobody really
watches us in the regular season. But there are some
things with the NBA that I don't think are great.
I've said the game is too competitive, too many three
point shots. I don't love that. I would change the
three point arc. That'll never happen, but I would do it.
I think the game's gotten very repetitive and You've made
(27:40):
all these great athletes, all three point shooters. But this
week Bill Simmons this week, and Bill's like an NBA
guy even he questioned Adam Silver's leadership on the tanking stuff.
Speaker 3 (27:56):
On the state of the league.
Speaker 12 (27:59):
There's like huge fundamental issues with the league. The regular
season has real issues. It's too long, Guys are getting
hurt too much. Everybody is making so much money. The
only reason to have eighty two games is because you
make money from it. Everything they're doing, they're not serving
the larger picture of what do fans want. How do
(28:19):
we keep our players healthy? How do we have a
competitive season from start to finish? How do we avoid
over one fourth of our league not giving it for
the last two months?
Speaker 6 (28:29):
How do we fix this?
Speaker 12 (28:31):
And it's the first time I've really wondered, like, is
do we have the right guy running the league?
Speaker 1 (28:36):
So I used to have David Stern on twice a
year when I was at ESPN, and we would go
back and forth. My favorite interview of the year, I've
had Adam Silver on once on this network. It's one
of my favorite interviews. Really smart guys. In fact, I
just started reading I'm almost finished with a book called
The Bookie. Artman Terrast wrote a book and he talks
about sitting down with David Stern and talking about the
(28:57):
gambling stuff before it exploded. And I think Adam's really,
really bright. But there's a difference between David Stern. You
did not get this level of tanking. I mean, just
recently the Jazz and the Pacers NBA had to find him.
And I think David Stern was loud and emotional, could
be verbally abusive, and was threatening. And I've heard that
from multiple sources. That's not my opinion. I've heard that
(29:19):
from broadcast executives who were in the room with him.
He was a daunting presence. Short guy, but a daunting presence,
very loud, very emotional, and really had no problem getting
on the phone with a GM and a coach and
airing it out even a player.
Speaker 3 (29:37):
He didn't care.
Speaker 1 (29:39):
And in fairness, Stern took over a wobbly league and
made it a great league, so he had a real
battle on his hands. Adam Silver took over a very successful,
rich league. But Adam Silver is not the yell, scream
into a phone guy. David Stern did not care about
how what you thought of him, and frankly, he didn't
care about the feelings. The play are paid to play play.
(30:03):
Adam Silver was quoted two years ago saying, quote, my
players are truly unhappy. Okay, So I think the one
criticism of Adam Silver that is fair because I think,
I mean, he got them a lot of money. They're
on multiple networks. I like the NBA Cup early. I mean,
(30:24):
it's not the biggest thing in the world, but I
like the swing, and there's a lot of things he's
done well he likes. I don't necessarily love it. He
likes the parody. Everybody can win. David Stern was much
more comfortable with three or four teams separating. He was
much more comfortable.
Speaker 3 (30:44):
I mean, why.
Speaker 1 (30:44):
Should the Celtics, the Knicks, the Sixers and the Lakers
have to play down to Portland's economy like listeners, they separate,
they separate, whatever. But I think the bigger difference is
any of you had a dad or a step dad,
step parent. They're not biological, right, Adam Silver isn't officially
(31:06):
related to players, But there's that step dad that you'd
either never want to disappoint or never want to piss off.
And that was David Stern, like you knew if you
just didn't play because you weren't in the mood, David
Stern would call you directly and be abusive to your GM,
to your coach. People feared David Stern, and I know
(31:29):
two executives that were in meetings multiple times with him.
Speaker 3 (31:32):
He was rough.
Speaker 1 (31:33):
That's not Adam Silver And so I think what happens
is is when you are a boss or a leader,
if there's not five or ten percent, like yeah, he
would fire me in a second, because I've seen what
these other people.
Speaker 3 (31:45):
People take advantage of you.
Speaker 1 (31:46):
I mean the load management now, the tanking is really
I'm not sure what you do other than fines and suspensions.
Speaker 3 (31:51):
I don't know what you do with tanking.
Speaker 1 (31:53):
They've been doing it forever, but they did it a
lot less with David Stern because I think they people
feared David Stern. The load management so out of control.
Now people did it on an opening night, people are
doing it going.
Speaker 3 (32:05):
Into the All Star break.
Speaker 1 (32:08):
I mean, David Stern was a commissioner for thirty plus years.
There were only eight different champions and he didn't care.
And you loved those teams. You didn't have to live
in Chicago to love the Bulls. You didn't have to
live in La to love Kobe and shack Right. You
didn't have to live in the town to be a
(32:29):
fan of Bird and McHale or Magic and Korea. You
didn't have to live in the town now outside of
the town with a champion's crowned man. So I guess
to wrap a bow on this, and Ethan and I
will talk about this. I think players take advantage of Silver.
(32:51):
He's not as loud. People can say what they want
about Trump, that people fear Trump. I mean, people can
diametrically be opposed to him in Congress. He's threatening, won't
go through half of them or ninety percent of them.
But there is something to the dogma and the intensity
and the volume of David stern Is. People didn't take
(33:13):
advantage of him very often, and if they did, they
heard it. And I think I think these load management
is a massive problem. The other night, Luca Lebron and
Austin Reeves don't play against the Spurs in just nonsense.
What if a kid, What if a kid from Victorville
or Palmdale goes to one game of year, that's the
game he goes to. I mean, that's just now. I
mean I grew up in a small town. I went
to like one NBA game every four years. If Gus
(33:36):
Williams Downtown, Freddie Brown and Jack Sigma, whoever it was
as a kid, weren't available, it's not the same game,
it's not the same experience. Dynasties and domination. David Stern
didn't care. Life's not fair, Life's not even Why should
the NBA be even live in Chicago?
Speaker 3 (33:57):
It's the Herd.
Speaker 2 (34:00):
Be sure to catch live editions of The Herd weekdays
and noon Eastern, not a em Pacific.
Speaker 9 (34:07):
The Great American Race returns with back to back champion
William Byron looking for historic three p. It doesn't get
bigger than this, The sixty eighth running of the Daytona
five hundred Sunday at two thirty Eastern, with the pre
race coverage.
Speaker 6 (34:21):
Starting at twelve thirty only on Fox.
Speaker 1 (34:25):
Christian Fourier, former NFL player, outspoken talk radio. His son
played briefly for Colorado. Caleb and Christian Fourier is paid
now to get big opinions. I don't agree with all
of them, but he kind of took a shot at
Dion Sanders and again his son was there very very briefly.
Speaker 3 (34:50):
That could be part of it.
Speaker 1 (34:51):
It gets personal, gets emotional, but he took kind of
a shot at Dion Sanders.
Speaker 6 (34:56):
I'm just not a fan of the coach.
Speaker 3 (34:58):
I'm not.
Speaker 6 (34:59):
I'll never be a of the coach. I love the school.
Speaker 11 (35:02):
And this isn't me picking on Deon Sanders because I
pick on Joe Gibbs. The worst coach I've ever had
was Joe Gibbs, so me picking on Deon Sanders is nothing.
I just don't like the way he coaches football. I
don't think he's very bright. I don't think he can
manage a game. I think there's a lot of flash,
but I think there's no substance.
Speaker 1 (35:22):
I think Joe Gibbs was pretty good in my opinion,
but I do think the last thing he said the
way I look at Dion Sanders. So he's two and
eight against ranked opponents at Colorado, and one of those
is the first game TCU. They were ranked. They ended
up being really really bad TCU team. So he's beaten
really one legitimate ranked team. Now he took over an
irrelevant program, he's made them relevant. They sell out all
(35:44):
their games, I have friends in the family that go
to Colorado. He's made Colorado football fun and relevant and
talked about. And there's no question but Kurt Signetti is
an elite coach because Kurt Signetti goes to Indiana and
by year two they've got elite O lines and D lines.
Their receivers are good, their D line has like really
(36:07):
big time pass rushers. Forget the fact that Colorado doesn't
beat ranked teams. They don't really beat anybody. We're three
years into the Deon Sanders experiment and they're in sixteen
and twenty one. That's tied for ninety fourth. They can't
run the football, they can't stop the run. All the
substance stuff, all the stuff. The trenches were Indiana and Signetti.
(36:28):
And they've got more money, yes, than Colorado, but it's
the way Signetti built it. Now, Signetti's first year at
Colorado Indiana, it's creampuff schedule. There's a lot of fraud.
The good teams they played, they couldn't move the ball.
They get Mendoza, they get more money in Indiana's a
real football team. I've never felt that Colorado's a real
football team. I butt into them, like everybody when they
beat tu TCU ended up being awful. So I think
(36:53):
Mario Christobal, what did he do at Miami? The trenches,
O line D line play the trun did Harbaugh do
at Michigan? He didn't have great quarterbacks for years? O
line D line. A lot of what Dion does is
it's it's I mean, even his son, the legendary draft room,
(37:13):
it's a little finn on substance. You get a lot
of flash Heisman winner, good perimeter players. They can't run
the ball, they can't stop the run. Now, in fairness,
Colorado still doesn't have a lot of money, though more
has been generated because of Dion, and they get on
TV a lot. They are talked about, we have to
(37:35):
be fair. Dion does just like when he was on
the NFL network. He is jumps off the TV screen.
But I mean last year they were the worst team
in the country. Three years in worst team in the
country in stopping the run. Deon's about motivation, he's about aura,
He's a little bit about shtick. You know, I never
(37:55):
felt when he was an NFL analyst, I was getting
the most re arched points on football, but he delivered
them in a very entertaining way, and I kind of
feel it's the same thing with Colorado football. It's entertaining,
the games are sold out, it's fun when they're on television.
Speaker 3 (38:12):
I watch him I didn't.
Speaker 1 (38:13):
Before, So I think he is delivered on largely what
Colorado wanted. We're going into nil. We got to raise
some money, we got to be relevant, we gotta be fun.
He's absolutely delivered on that. Is he a great in
game coach. I don't think he's great. I don't think
he's as bad as his critics say, but I don't
(38:34):
think he's great. A couple of times he's done things
I wouldn't do laden games. But whatever, it's a coach.
But I think Dion the guy, even when he was
a great football player, he didn't like to defend the run,
you know, he didn't like to tackle.
Speaker 3 (38:49):
He was great defending. He return a punt.
Speaker 1 (38:52):
So I think Dion has lived up to what Dion is.
And I think you become your personalit. Jim harbll is
a tough his teams are tough. Mike Vrabel's a tough guy,
his teams are tough. Ben Johnson is a really detailed.
Speaker 3 (39:06):
Smart guy.
Speaker 1 (39:07):
Go look at the Bears offense very cleuch, you know
what I mean? Dion his motivation and aura and a
little stick in, big personality and that's what Colorado football is.
Another speaking in Colorado, Travis Hunter. Liam Cohen was on
our show door of Super Bowl. We did a great
job with the Jacks, I mean, really good offensive coach.
(39:27):
And you know it was a year ago in the
draft we were talking about Travis Hunter. And what's really
fascinating about Travis Hunter all year long?
Speaker 3 (39:37):
In seven games, one.
Speaker 1 (39:39):
Touchdown in twenty eight catches and a big chunk of
his yards came against one team.
Speaker 3 (39:44):
They were getting nailed. They were getting.
Speaker 1 (39:46):
Crushed by the Rams, and he put up some big
numbers late. That was his big game when he was
fifty to fifty offense and defense. He didn't do anything
in that Rams game. He was like eighty five to
fifteen offense and he was productive. Now it was garbage
time whatever, But in his first six games he was
a non factor. In fact, what was fascinating when he
(40:11):
got hurt and left is when the Jags got hot
because they went and got a real receiver who has
a specific skill. And this has always been my thing
on Travis Hunter. Put him on offense, make him a
number one wide receiver. There's not enough time in the
day for the coaching.
Speaker 3 (40:30):
Staff to worry about you.
Speaker 1 (40:31):
And the minute he got hurt and the Jags staff
stopped worrying about making sure Travis Hunter, who they moved
up to draft, making sure it worked. The minute he
got hurt, the team got red hot and they went
and got a guy Jacoby Myers, who doesn't run a
four to two five, who is not in a world
class lead athlete. He runs really good routes and has
(40:53):
really good hands. I mean, the best receiver in the
NFL right now is JSN. He is not big, he's
not super fast, he is a great route runner. I
like my pro athletes to be specifically great at things,
even in the NBA, if you're not a great score
Marcus Smart had a hell of a career being an
elite defender. Tony Allen elite defender, like I always worry about, Hey,
(41:18):
this guy is in high school. In college, elite athleticism
carries the day, especially in high school and lower division football.
When you get to higher division football. LSU playing Bamma
five years ago, next year Ohio State playing you know
the tough teams on their schedule.
Speaker 3 (41:38):
You got to get me. I like my guys to
have specific skills.
Speaker 1 (41:41):
So it's just interesting when Liam Cohen they're talking this offseason, Hey,
how are we going to get this thing with Travis Hunter.
He's on track, he's coming back. What is he specifically
great out? Is he a great route runner? Does he
have great hands? I know he's fast, I mean he
and I know he is relentless, and I know he
can really move.
Speaker 3 (42:02):
They got good when he didn't play
Speaker 1 (42:08):
M
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
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Speaker 2 (00:21):
You're listening to Fox Sports Radio.
Speaker 1 (00:26):
Here we go. It's a Friday. There is shockingly a
lot to talk about. We've got a what a good
week host the NFL live in Chicago. It's The Herd
wherever you may be and however you may be listening.
Thank you for making us part of your day. Jamax
off today, our buddy John Middlecoff, former Scout three and
out at the Volume, is joining us. So John Middletoff.
(00:47):
We've still got a lot of NFL stuff to talk about.
But baseball pitchers catchers reporting this week. Dodgers are infuriating people.
John Lebron's doing his thing.
Speaker 2 (00:57):
John.
Speaker 1 (00:57):
I know you're a movie fan. I'm a movie fan.
You're a music fan. I'm a music fan.
Speaker 3 (01:03):
But I want to start the show with this.
Speaker 1 (01:05):
I don't like my sports stars to end their careers
like Elvis or Marlon Brando. I want it to look
like Elway or Derek Jeter, like that's I want it
to be. I like my movies, my movie stars, my
athletes that have a clean, tight ending like Elway and
Jeter did it better than anybody. So Lebron last night
(01:26):
Lakers beat the MAVs, and Lebron first twenty three points
of the game, he scored or assistant for the Lakers
oldest player ever to have a triple double. He's still very,
very good. Nobody would dispute that. And I really do
think Lebron and Tom Brady their arcs are very similar.
Number one is they're the most productive players in the
history of their sport. They got to a lot of
(01:47):
world championships in basketball or Super Bowls, and they didn't
win all of them, but they got to a lot
of them. Both are the system, regardless of how good
the coach is. I mean, Bruce arians tell of a
coach Tom Brady's like Bruce were running my offense. Eric
Spolstra amazing coach. He and Lebron but it heads and fourth,
(02:07):
they're both Brady and Lebron pioneers in longevity. And I
think you know MJ was flashier more beloved and cooler.
He's more Beatles, Pandemonium. Lebron's more rolling stones, still touring
really really high level for a long time. And mahomes
(02:27):
in l Way are a little flashier than Brady. You know,
better high lights maybe than Brady. But there's a fundamental
truth with Lebron, you saw it last night, and with
Brady in his last couple of years. The more obsessed
you are by it, the more disciplined you are as
a professional athlete, you will be the goat, you will
(02:48):
be the most productive, you will dominate the record book.
And there's no argument you can say the other guy's cooler.
Lebron has all the records and Brady has most of them.
But I do wish Lebron would retire after the year.
And I'll give you the example why, because there's a
list that he makes, my list that isn't great. And
(03:08):
I've always thought about basketball this way. How do you
judge the best player? It can't be scoring average? Do
you play defense? Are you a good distributor? I mean,
James Harden scored a bunch of points, never the best
player in the league. Tim Duncan wasn't flashy, rebounded defended scored.
I mean Tim Duncan's one of the seven or eight
best players in terms of complete game. Ever, I always
(03:32):
judge guys like this, and Lebron is now forty one.
If there's a tie game with two and a half
minutes left, two and a half minutes left, I'm counting everything,
your stamina, your free throw shooting, your offense, your defense,
your distribution. Who are the ten guys in the NBA?
I would take in order, and here's my list again,
(03:56):
two and a half minutes, multiple possessions. I'm counting all
of your game offense, defense, ball handling, stamina, free throw shooting.
Number one would be Jokic. He is the best player
in the world, makes every teammate better. Third in clutch scoring.
SGA would be two. Number one in clutch scoring. He's
(04:18):
just a bucket there. I mean, he's just a bucket.
I would put Victor web Binyama at number three, the
best defensive player, totally, absolutely disruptive. Also, you're going to
get dunks and freebies. Number four, I would put Anthony
Edwards behind SGA number two in scoring. He can hit
a three, he can handle the ball, he can make
(04:40):
defensive stops, number five because he's actually playing again. Is
Kawhi Leonard. I mean, cross your fingers. He may not
in two days, but right now he's playing. And I
said this years ago. Get a bucket, get a stop.
He is a wizard. There's a lot of MJ to
his game. Number six would be Steph Curry, still at
his age. Un believable stamina. I don't think there's ever
(05:02):
been an NBA player in that good of cardio shape.
He is also right now three point shooting forty six
percent clutch three point shooting. That's insane. Number seven would
be Kaid Cunningham. He has the third most field goals
in the league in clutch. He can defend, he's got size,
he can ball handle. He now plays with a confidence
he didn't three years ago. Kid Cunningham at seven. Colin
(05:25):
whars Luca, I would put him eight.
Speaker 3 (05:27):
Why.
Speaker 1 (05:28):
I don't like his stamina late in games. He's a
revolving door on defense. I love him offensively, but he
often doesn't include others. I'd put him eight. Number nine,
I'm gonna put Kadi on this until the day he retires.
I'm sorry. Catch and shoot off a pick dribble. Kevin
Durant is somewhere between five and ten on this list.
(05:49):
I'll put him nine because of his age, and number ten.
Speaker 3 (05:54):
Is not Lebron.
Speaker 1 (05:56):
It's Jalen Runson, twenty five in the NBA, was voted
the clutch player. I trust them more at the free
throw line than Lebron. He's not a good defensive player,
he's a better ball handler. I trust his mid range
game more than Lebron. I trust his free throw shooting
more than Lebron. It's the first time I've ever done
this list. Lebron's not part of it.
Speaker 3 (06:17):
Lebron.
Speaker 1 (06:17):
Last night, I saw Lebron live this year at Chicago.
Best player on the floor for about twelve minutes, and
then there were gaps of stamina and energy, and I
like my actors, I want it to look more like
a Tom Hanks. You don't see him in as many
good movies because you don't see him in as many movies,
but everything he does is tight and clean and good.
(06:40):
I don't want it to end like Marlon Brando. I
want to look like that. Lebron next year would still
be a top fifteen to eighteen player in the league.
But I just love the way Lway and Jeter ended it.
It's just so tight and clean. And I know that's
just subjective, and that's my opinion. I don't want an
MG ending. You get all the records, you beat them
(07:01):
in the record books, call it a career. You're averaging
twenty a game. I think that'd be amazing. Here's Lebron
last night on his longevity and his future.
Speaker 4 (07:13):
My game is not going anywhere. It's just it's my body.
It's all the other things. There's so many more factors
that come with how long will I play a game? Now,
I don't think my game will ever suffer if I
decided to continue to go how long, however long that is.
I just think it's like it has to be here.
(07:34):
If this goes, then my body's going to go. Then
once my body goes there, it's a.
Speaker 3 (07:37):
Rap, you know.
Speaker 4 (07:38):
Then the love goes, and then the fund and all
that stuff goes.
Speaker 1 (07:42):
He remains very good, but down the stretch two and
a half, left, defense, free throw shooting, stamina, I don't
think he's a top ten player pictures and catchers report
in baseball. In fact, the Dodgers pictures and catchers report today.
So Jeff Passing ESPN a wonderful baseball guy. Why it's
a really interesting story today that baseball is in a
(08:04):
weird place. There's a renaissance. The attendance is up, the
ratings are up. We've talked about this on this show.
I went about fifteen years I stopped talking baseball. The
last two and a half years, the playoffs have been incredible.
Why games faster, games quicker. And the Cubs are good,
and the Yankees are good, and the Mets are interesting,
(08:24):
and the Dodgers are good, and Houston's dominant, and Boston
had a good year. But he also points out in
the article that Kyle Tucker's signing that that's going to
guarantee a labor stop. He suggests that, and I just
want to throw this out there. One year ago in
the NFL, I want you to think about this. One
(08:44):
year ago in the NFL, after the Eagles won the
Super Bowl, the tush push was a national crisis.
Speaker 3 (08:52):
Something needs to be done. This is unfair.
Speaker 1 (08:57):
People are meeting and flying and talking and debating and arguing.
Speaker 3 (09:01):
The Tush push.
Speaker 1 (09:03):
And then this year when the Eagles face planted, you
know what, nobody cared about the tush push. They weren't
as good at it, it didn't matter. It suddenly wasn't unfair.
Go ahead, do it as many time as you want.
But when the Eagles felt like they were unstoppable, they
had an advantage. Though it was legal, they were pulling
(09:23):
away from the league.
Speaker 3 (09:25):
Nobody liked it. And that's our nature.
Speaker 1 (09:30):
We often hate successful people because they're successful. And what's
interesting when the Dodgers signed Mookie Bets much better than
Kyle Tucker, when they signed Freddie Freeman, both will be
Hall of famers.
Speaker 3 (09:50):
Where was the outrage.
Speaker 1 (09:52):
Well, that's because at the time the Dodgers weren't stacking
World Series titles. I'm arguing and have that if the
Dodgers would have lost to the Blue Jays in Game seven,
nobody'd freak.
Speaker 3 (10:04):
Out with Kyle Tucker.
Speaker 1 (10:05):
You'd be like, well, you spend a fortune, what you
got one World Series show?
Speaker 3 (10:10):
You think I'm wrong on that? Okay?
Speaker 1 (10:13):
Because so it was Kyle Tucker who the Cubs couldn't
get out of town fast enough. That's the one that's
the straw that broke the camel's back. What's interesting the
Blue Jays lost the World Series, so nobody's already bothered that.
Vlad Guerrero Junior signed for five hundred million dollars, or
that the Blue Jays were the bigger spenders again in
(10:35):
this offseason because they didn't win a World Series because
they're not stacking titles. Really, Freddy Freeman, why did he
leave Atlanta?
Speaker 3 (10:46):
Was money?
Speaker 1 (10:47):
They knew Freddy Freeman was great, that Braves couldn't afford him.
Speaker 3 (10:49):
Dodgers could. Why did Mookie Betts leave Boston?
Speaker 1 (10:52):
They said they couldn't afford him, so the same reason
they got Otawni and Bets and Freeman. It's always money.
Kyle Tucker really wasn't that expensive relative to those guys.
But Kyle Tucker after back to back World Series titles
that stings push push outrage this year what evs.
Speaker 3 (11:13):
That's how it works.
Speaker 1 (11:15):
Here's an absolute fact data that you can't deny. The
Dodgers in twenty twenty four made seven hundred and fifty
two million. The Yankees made seven one hundred and thirty million,
two biggest revenue teams in the sport. The difference is
the Yankees only spend forty nine and a half percent
(11:37):
of their revenue on players, and the Dodgers almost spend
seventy five percent they make about the same. The Dodgers
are more committed to winning. Steinbrenner's kids are more committed
to committed to keeping more of that money. By the way,
the Mets spend the highest percentage by a mile in
(11:58):
the sport of the neues they make. They don't make
the Dodger money. They don't make the Yankee money. But
Steve Cohen spends ninety percent of the money. Good for him.
But we it's human nature. We don't like people pulling
away the idea that Kyle Tucker, who the Cubs couldn't
get rid of, Fathomon, who everybody says that I didn't
(12:19):
love the game. I don't know if he does or not.
He not really passionate. I mean, they signed Mookey Bats.
Everybody's like, oh, great move by the Dodgers. Yeah, Kyle
Tucker's got us all freaking out. Dave Roberts on this
Dodger team, as pitchers and catchers report today, compared to
previous Dodger teams.
Speaker 5 (12:41):
Last year's team a very good team on paper. I
thought twenty twenty one I think was a very good
team on paper. But this team, I think, yeah, looking
at the guys in their prime, the experience, the talent
the starters, and the depth of the young players that
(13:02):
we have coming behind them on the pitching side, especially
probably the best team.
Speaker 1 (13:09):
To be totally honest, if the Dodgers would have lost
in Game seven to the Blue Jays, you would have
all laughed. Suckers can't buy a World Series title. And
by the way, the guy making the great catch in
left center field for the Dodgers wasn't one of their
(13:29):
great players. He was a defensive specialist. They couldn't figure
out their bullpen. But the minute they won Game seven,
that's separating and people don't like it.
Speaker 2 (13:40):
Be sure to catch live editions of The Herd weekdays
and noon Easter not a em Pacific on Fox Sports
Radio FS one and the iHeartRadio app.
Speaker 6 (13:51):
So you got here.
Speaker 7 (13:52):
I have a podcast empire. It continues to grow and
I have brought it here to iHeart. I'm also doing
a live radio show from three to five pm Eastern
because my wife wanted to kick me out of the house.
It's called Stu Gotson Company Live, which is available in
podcast form right when the show finishes every single day.
(14:13):
Some of the biggest names in sports.
Speaker 6 (14:15):
A lot of phone calls, I love you guy, your show.
Speaker 4 (14:17):
It's one of my favorites.
Speaker 7 (14:18):
A lot of interact shit guys not taking themselves too seriously.
Those are just some of the things that you can
expect from Stu Gottson Company and ste Gootson Company Live.
So listen to Stu Gotson Company Live and our original podcast.
Please subscribe, rate and review Stu Gotson Company and God
Bless Football. Taylor's livelihood depends on it. You do it
(14:40):
today and you can check all of those out on
the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcast or wherever you get your podcasts.
Speaker 1 (14:53):
Welcome man, it is a Friday. John Middlecoff is in
for Jmax. So I just saw this this morning. The
highest great according to PFF in the entire league this
year was Bears tight end Colston Loveland. It's very interesting.
So Colston Loveland's taken tenth. Tyler Warren the Penn State
(15:15):
tight end fourteen. Many most believed Tyler Warren was better
than Colston Loveland. They're both great, both way better than
any tight end in the class this year, and through
weeks one through eight, Tyler Warren looked like the much
better player. But from weeks nine on Colston Loveland was unbelievable.
Speaker 3 (15:38):
He was the much better player.
Speaker 1 (15:40):
And a lot of that is because Colston Loveland got
Caleb Williams and Ben Johnson and Tyler Warren had three
different quarterbacks and they're both going to end up being unbelievable.
But the Colston Loveland story is an interesting one and
it illustrates how valuable fit is for a lot of
these offen coaches. People thought Sean Payton reached on bow
(16:04):
Knicks best fourth quarter quarterback in the NFL since showed
up statistically.
Speaker 3 (16:10):
They also thought he reached on RJ.
Speaker 1 (16:13):
Harvey, the running back. He was very good, second round,
very good this year. Because Sean Payton's just not drafting
best available guy. He's got a vision, he's got a plan.
Defensive guys may do it too, but you can really
see it with offensive guys. Am I just drafting players
(16:36):
because the Bears, Ryan Poles and Ben Johnson knew that
if you took Loveland over Tyler Warren, you were going.
Speaker 3 (16:43):
To get some criticism.
Speaker 1 (16:45):
The consensus was the Penn State kid who could literally
do everything including punt, was the more versatile guy. He
was the better draft pick. And yet they're like, no, no,
Colston Loveland. That's what worked for this offense. That's going
to work in our system. And that's very Sean Payton
in Denver, where a lot of people think he's been
(17:08):
reaching in the last couple of drafts, drafts for some
offensive players, and yet all of them go to Denver
and they're all good. And this is not a knock
on Tyler Morten.
Speaker 3 (17:17):
He's gonna be great. These are great tight ends.
Speaker 1 (17:20):
But I've always believed even in the NFL, there's only
about ten to fifteen percent of the players. Ten percent,
they're gonna be great wherever they go. Barry Sanders, Trent Williams,
Jonathan Ogden, they're gonna be great anywhere.
Speaker 3 (17:34):
It doesn't really matter. They were gonna be great.
Speaker 1 (17:36):
I remember the first time I saw Brian Urlacker, I'm like, yeah,
that's gonna work with anybody. That guy just I only
went to a small college. I'm like, yeah, that's gonna work.
That's gonna work everywhere. But that's about ten to fifteen
percent of the players. The other seventy five eighty five
percent of the guys, it's fit. Who's your coach? I mean,
(17:57):
Sam Darnold's the greatest advantage of that and Kevin O'Connell
and you give him right the right offensive coordinator, Clint Kubiak.
You're like, oh god, this guy's like getting MVP votes.
And so Colston Lovelin for the Bears. People always say
what do you make of the Bears? And I say, listen,
Caleb Williams is going to be great, and occasionally is great.
(18:21):
Ben Johnson day one on campus has been unbelievable. And
for a young coach to already have a plan and
a vision and to take a player who many teams
had rated below Warren, He's like, not, that's my guy.
That tells me Ben has a vision beyond just drafting
best of a loble guy. He sees before a player
(18:44):
ever puts on pads, he sees how he fits in
his ecosystem. That's elite coaching to me. Here's cayleb Williams
this past January on Colston Lovelin.
Speaker 8 (18:56):
We got a home run with him, you know. And
this something my coach said the other day to me.
We were, you know, sitting in his office and everybody
goes back to draft night, and why do we get
Coaston Lovelin, Why do we do this?
Speaker 3 (19:10):
And why do we do that? And Uh, it's.
Speaker 8 (19:15):
Coaston Lovelin, you know what I mean. That's who he is.
He's one of the hardest workers on his team. He's
there late, he's there early.
Speaker 1 (19:24):
Reportedly, Sean McVay was pounding the table for Pooka nakoup
in the fifth round, like you're Everybody's like, well well,
and mcveigh's like, we've got to take him.
Speaker 3 (19:37):
I don't care.
Speaker 1 (19:38):
Need we have to because they had Cooper Cup.
Speaker 3 (19:40):
At the time.
Speaker 1 (19:41):
The offense was good, it was stable plus and mcveigh's
banging the table. He knew what he would do before
he ever put on a RAMS uniform. I don't think
every coach is like that. I don't know if half
the coaches are like that. John Middlecoff with the news.
Speaker 2 (19:58):
No, no, no, we heard on the news. This is
the herd line news.
Speaker 9 (20:04):
Okay, speaking of offensive coaches colin the forty nine ers
in the Rams. They will play the first ever game
in Australia next season.
Speaker 6 (20:14):
But here's the thing.
Speaker 9 (20:15):
There is no confirmed date and there is potential for
this game to be played on Wednesday night before the
defending champions. Seattle would host the game, So we don't
know the date, but this is kind of a big
blow because it's going to be a Rams home game.
Speaker 6 (20:31):
As you know, been in LA in a long time.
Speaker 9 (20:34):
The forty nine ers dominate Sofi Stadium when they play.
Speaker 6 (20:38):
Now they also week one.
Speaker 9 (20:39):
This is a fifteen hour flight, you know, from San
Francisco from Los Angeles. Even the Brazil game for Kansas City,
for example, was a nine hour flight, so this is
way longer. Yes, they basically had to go week one,
but I actually think this is advantage for the Rams
in the sense that the look at the Niners this
year went in there with Mac Jones and won.
Speaker 6 (20:57):
Why it's seventy nine fans in these games.
Speaker 1 (21:00):
Yeah, And I also think playing it Wednesday, it's it's
almost like you get a first week by because you
don't have to play to the following Sunday. So people
will complain about it, but you're going to get there,
play three days early. You're probably gonna make it a
real It's almost like college bowl game. My guess is
you're going to get there three or four days early,
get acclimated. I mean most ninety nine percent of the
players and staff haven't been to Australia. I mean I've
(21:23):
always wanted to go. You go there three or four
days early, you make it like a bowl trip. You
play on Wednesday. You know you're going to have full
NFL officials everywhere, and then you get like an early
season by So it doesn't bother me. But I would
say that, and I imagine Niner fans will travel the
Melbourne better than Ram fans. It's listen, we all know this,
(21:45):
John the NFL years ago, we all complained about European games.
Speaker 3 (21:50):
I like those early European I love.
Speaker 1 (21:52):
Waking up there's a game already on. I'm okay with it.
Speaker 6 (21:56):
Well, I think too.
Speaker 9 (21:57):
If you told Kyle and McVeagh you had to play
an international game, would all sign up for Week one?
Speaker 3 (22:02):
Right?
Speaker 9 (22:02):
You'd wanted Week one? You can prepare during training camp.
I'm sure they both had to Australia several days before Wednesday, okay?
Colin another story, Jason Kelsey, the Hall of Famer, had
some comments when it came to the Eagles. Obviously, they
fell off this year after winning the Super Bowl. Nobody
knows the Eagles and that culture like Kelsey, who played
(22:23):
there forever. He said that he wouldn't be surprised if
they move on from Sirianni and try something new. If
the season doesn't go well, pressure on Sirianni this year, Colin.
Speaker 6 (22:35):
Is this a make or break year for Nick Well?
Speaker 3 (22:37):
I think it is John because he is the rarity.
Speaker 1 (22:41):
He is an offensive coach yet dependent on his coordinator.
Most we know defensive coaches are very beholden to their
offensive coordinator. I mean, Belichick at one point put Matt
Patricia in there had no feel for it.
Speaker 3 (22:56):
But offensive coaches.
Speaker 1 (22:58):
Your Andy's, your Shaan's, you're mcveigh's, you'r Kyle, your Liam Collen.
If an offensive coordinator leaves there, there's no major regression,
they'll get on the headset.
Speaker 3 (23:08):
I think Nick.
Speaker 1 (23:09):
I think the concern with Nick is what does he
do like if he can't call the plays he did
when he first got there. If I recalled the first
year and it was bad and then Steichan took it
over and suddenly the team flourished. So my take is,
I mean, why did they dovetail last year? They didn't
have the right coordinator. Why did they do it before
(23:30):
because I didn't have the right coordinator. Find me another
offensive coach that's dependent on an offensive coordinator.
Speaker 3 (23:36):
For success.
Speaker 6 (23:37):
Well, I agree.
Speaker 9 (23:38):
I think Dan Campbell might fall under that category maybe,
But clearly Jeffrey Lury and Howie like Nick because two
years ago they could pivot off them. Then they come back,
they win the Super Bowl. This year it felt like
that they stood by him. Are we sure that Jalen
Hurts is just on scholarship? They've proven before they paid
Carson Wentz, Howie Roseman, the e you know, mentality and
(24:01):
culture there aggressive. If he doesn't play better, I think
we all talk about Nick. What about the quarterback though, Colin?
Speaker 3 (24:08):
Yeah, No.
Speaker 1 (24:08):
There was an article this week in The Ringer that
talked about how inefficient and unsuccessful since he started playing quarterback,
Jalen Hurts is throwing the ball over the middle of
the field. And I had a source tell me in
August this summer in the NFL that and this was
somebody very very tight with Harry Roseman and the people
in the building, that Jalen's a great kid, that you're
(24:30):
not the most.
Speaker 3 (24:31):
Popular guy, you know.
Speaker 1 (24:33):
It's it's one of those things where a lot of
teams like Philadelphia keep a lot of the stuff under wraps,
but people that knew their front office people and knew
some of their players, and somebody that was very connected
to the entire I mean, you're connected to the Eagles organization.
It was somebody that knew the people upstairs. Didn't know Loriie,
but knew the people upstairs, knew a couple of the
(24:53):
you know, agents dealing with players. And the takeaway I
was told is Jalen's not the most popular guy in
the room like Brady was popular to the end. Maholmes
is Peyton Manning was Jalen's not that guy, He's not.
Dak Prescott is Jalen's not well.
Speaker 9 (25:09):
Jalen's also a dual threat quarterback that will no longer run,
you know.
Speaker 6 (25:12):
So it's like this isn't exactly working.
Speaker 9 (25:15):
Okay, Last, but not least, John Harbaugh, who's now in
New York as he's the new Giants coach after spending
eighteen years with the Ravens. In a recent podcast appearance,
Harbass spoke to the end of his time in Baltimore.
Speaker 6 (25:27):
Let's take a listen, what happened.
Speaker 10 (25:30):
What happened, what needed to be done, and the opinion
of Steve, you know, is what was done. So it's
it's cool if we're gonna win four games and won
the Super Bowl. After that, I'm pretty sure i'd still
be there right now. I don't know, i'd be my guess,
but it didn't happen that way, so it doesn't matter,
you know. And and again I understand completely the thinking
(25:50):
behind it, and you know it's all good.
Speaker 1 (25:53):
Yeah, I know, it's he was there forever.
Speaker 3 (25:57):
It's just one of it.
Speaker 1 (25:58):
It was like that John Harball there feels like Andy
Reid in Philadelphia.
Speaker 3 (26:02):
You know, he's a great coach.
Speaker 1 (26:03):
You know he's going to get a job in fifteen minutes,
but it was probably time.
Speaker 6 (26:08):
I think that's a great comparison.
Speaker 9 (26:09):
The other thing you noticed is like when Andy went
to Kansas City and now John is going to the Giants.
There's a positive energy that there's no bitterness. Remember a
couple of years ago, Belichick, it was very bitter. It's like, Hill,
we got to pivot here. Put a smile on your face.
And though you know, John Harbaugh good spirits. I know
you're high on the Giants. I think a lot of
people by the time the season comes around are gonna
(26:30):
be pretty high on the Giants.
Speaker 3 (26:31):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (26:31):
Yeah, I think they'll double triple the I think they're
a nine to ten win team in that division because
I don't trust Dallas right now, and I don't love
the direction Philadelphia is going, and cross your fingers on
Jaden Daniel's help.
Speaker 11 (26:41):
Agreed.
Speaker 3 (26:43):
John Middlekoff with the News.
Speaker 2 (26:45):
Well, that's the news, and thanks for stopping by the
herd Line News.
Speaker 1 (26:50):
Ethan Strauss House of Strauss, great podcaster, substacker joining us
top of the hour on that Steve Kerr, Jonathan kaminga
mass He's always so good on big macro topics with
the NBA, which he covered for years.
Speaker 3 (27:03):
So listen.
Speaker 1 (27:05):
This happens every year NFL season ends, baseball hasn't started,
and we start criticizing the NBA and the NBA is terrible.
When the playoffs show up, the NBA will.
Speaker 3 (27:18):
Be very, very interesting.
Speaker 1 (27:19):
Even the lad David Stern used to admit, nobody really
watches us in the regular season. But there are some
things with the NBA that I don't think are great.
I've said the game is too competitive, too many three
point shots. I don't love that. I would change the
three point arc. That'll never happen, but I would do it.
I think the game's gotten very repetitive and You've made
(27:40):
all these great athletes, all three point shooters. But this
week Bill Simmons this week, and Bill's like an NBA
guy even he questioned Adam Silver's leadership on the tanking stuff.
Speaker 3 (27:56):
On the state of the league.
Speaker 12 (27:59):
There's like huge fundamental issues with the league. The regular
season has real issues. It's too long, Guys are getting
hurt too much. Everybody is making so much money. The
only reason to have eighty two games is because you
make money from it. Everything they're doing, they're not serving
the larger picture of what do fans want. How do
(28:19):
we keep our players healthy? How do we have a
competitive season from start to finish? How do we avoid
over one fourth of our league not giving it for
the last two months?
Speaker 6 (28:29):
How do we fix this?
Speaker 12 (28:31):
And it's the first time I've really wondered, like, is
do we have the right guy running the league?
Speaker 1 (28:36):
So I used to have David Stern on twice a
year when I was at ESPN, and we would go
back and forth. My favorite interview of the year, I've
had Adam Silver on once on this network. It's one
of my favorite interviews. Really smart guys. In fact, I
just started reading I'm almost finished with a book called
The Bookie. Artman Terrast wrote a book and he talks
about sitting down with David Stern and talking about the
(28:57):
gambling stuff before it exploded. And I think Adam's really,
really bright. But there's a difference between David Stern. You
did not get this level of tanking. I mean, just
recently the Jazz and the Pacers NBA had to find him.
And I think David Stern was loud and emotional, could
be verbally abusive, and was threatening. And I've heard that
from multiple sources. That's not my opinion. I've heard that
(29:19):
from broadcast executives who were in the room with him.
He was a daunting presence. Short guy, but a daunting presence,
very loud, very emotional, and really had no problem getting
on the phone with a GM and a coach and
airing it out even a player.
Speaker 3 (29:37):
He didn't care.
Speaker 1 (29:39):
And in fairness, Stern took over a wobbly league and
made it a great league, so he had a real
battle on his hands. Adam Silver took over a very successful,
rich league. But Adam Silver is not the yell, scream
into a phone guy. David Stern did not care about
how what you thought of him, and frankly, he didn't
care about the feelings. The play are paid to play play.
(30:03):
Adam Silver was quoted two years ago saying, quote, my
players are truly unhappy. Okay, So I think the one
criticism of Adam Silver that is fair because I think,
I mean, he got them a lot of money. They're
on multiple networks. I like the NBA Cup early. I mean,
(30:24):
it's not the biggest thing in the world, but I
like the swing, and there's a lot of things he's
done well he likes. I don't necessarily love it. He
likes the parody. Everybody can win. David Stern was much
more comfortable with three or four teams separating. He was
much more comfortable.
Speaker 3 (30:44):
I mean, why.
Speaker 1 (30:44):
Should the Celtics, the Knicks, the Sixers and the Lakers
have to play down to Portland's economy like listeners, they separate,
they separate, whatever. But I think the bigger difference is
any of you had a dad or a step dad,
step parent. They're not biological, right, Adam Silver isn't officially
(31:06):
related to players, But there's that step dad that you'd
either never want to disappoint or never want to piss off.
And that was David Stern, like you knew if you
just didn't play because you weren't in the mood, David
Stern would call you directly and be abusive to your GM,
to your coach. People feared David Stern, and I know
(31:29):
two executives that were in meetings multiple times with him.
Speaker 3 (31:32):
He was rough.
Speaker 1 (31:33):
That's not Adam Silver And so I think what happens
is is when you are a boss or a leader,
if there's not five or ten percent, like yeah, he
would fire me in a second, because I've seen what
these other people.
Speaker 3 (31:45):
People take advantage of you.
Speaker 1 (31:46):
I mean the load management now, the tanking is really
I'm not sure what you do other than fines and suspensions.
Speaker 3 (31:51):
I don't know what you do with tanking.
Speaker 1 (31:53):
They've been doing it forever, but they did it a
lot less with David Stern because I think they people
feared David Stern. The load management so out of control.
Now people did it on an opening night, people are
doing it going.
Speaker 3 (32:05):
Into the All Star break.
Speaker 1 (32:08):
I mean, David Stern was a commissioner for thirty plus years.
There were only eight different champions and he didn't care.
And you loved those teams. You didn't have to live
in Chicago to love the Bulls. You didn't have to
live in La to love Kobe and shack Right. You
didn't have to live in the town to be a
(32:29):
fan of Bird and McHale or Magic and Korea. You
didn't have to live in the town now outside of
the town with a champion's crowned man. So I guess
to wrap a bow on this, and Ethan and I
will talk about this. I think players take advantage of Silver.
(32:51):
He's not as loud. People can say what they want
about Trump, that people fear Trump. I mean, people can
diametrically be opposed to him in Congress. He's threatening, won't
go through half of them or ninety percent of them.
But there is something to the dogma and the intensity
and the volume of David stern Is. People didn't take
(33:13):
advantage of him very often, and if they did, they
heard it. And I think I think these load management
is a massive problem. The other night, Luca Lebron and
Austin Reeves don't play against the Spurs in just nonsense.
What if a kid, What if a kid from Victorville
or Palmdale goes to one game of year, that's the
game he goes to. I mean, that's just now. I
mean I grew up in a small town. I went
to like one NBA game every four years. If Gus
(33:36):
Williams Downtown, Freddie Brown and Jack Sigma, whoever it was
as a kid, weren't available, it's not the same game,
it's not the same experience. Dynasties and domination. David Stern
didn't care. Life's not fair, Life's not even Why should
the NBA be even live in Chicago?
Speaker 3 (33:57):
It's the Herd.
Speaker 2 (34:00):
Be sure to catch live editions of The Herd weekdays
and noon Eastern, not a em Pacific.
Speaker 9 (34:07):
The Great American Race returns with back to back champion
William Byron looking for historic three p. It doesn't get
bigger than this, The sixty eighth running of the Daytona
five hundred Sunday at two thirty Eastern, with the pre
race coverage.
Speaker 6 (34:21):
Starting at twelve thirty only on Fox.
Speaker 1 (34:25):
Christian Fourier, former NFL player, outspoken talk radio. His son
played briefly for Colorado. Caleb and Christian Fourier is paid
now to get big opinions. I don't agree with all
of them, but he kind of took a shot at
Dion Sanders and again his son was there very very briefly.
Speaker 3 (34:50):
That could be part of it.
Speaker 1 (34:51):
It gets personal, gets emotional, but he took kind of
a shot at Dion Sanders.
Speaker 6 (34:56):
I'm just not a fan of the coach.
Speaker 3 (34:58):
I'm not.
Speaker 6 (34:59):
I'll never be a of the coach. I love the school.
Speaker 11 (35:02):
And this isn't me picking on Deon Sanders because I
pick on Joe Gibbs. The worst coach I've ever had
was Joe Gibbs, so me picking on Deon Sanders is nothing.
I just don't like the way he coaches football. I
don't think he's very bright. I don't think he can
manage a game. I think there's a lot of flash,
but I think there's no substance.
Speaker 1 (35:22):
I think Joe Gibbs was pretty good in my opinion,
but I do think the last thing he said the
way I look at Dion Sanders. So he's two and
eight against ranked opponents at Colorado, and one of those
is the first game TCU. They were ranked. They ended
up being really really bad TCU team. So he's beaten
really one legitimate ranked team. Now he took over an
irrelevant program, he's made them relevant. They sell out all
(35:44):
their games, I have friends in the family that go
to Colorado. He's made Colorado football fun and relevant and
talked about. And there's no question but Kurt Signetti is
an elite coach because Kurt Signetti goes to Indiana and
by year two they've got elite O lines and D lines.
Their receivers are good, their D line has like really
(36:07):
big time pass rushers. Forget the fact that Colorado doesn't
beat ranked teams. They don't really beat anybody. We're three
years into the Deon Sanders experiment and they're in sixteen
and twenty one. That's tied for ninety fourth. They can't
run the football, they can't stop the run. All the
substance stuff, all the stuff. The trenches were Indiana and Signetti.
(36:28):
And they've got more money, yes, than Colorado, but it's
the way Signetti built it. Now, Signetti's first year at
Colorado Indiana, it's creampuff schedule. There's a lot of fraud.
The good teams they played, they couldn't move the ball.
They get Mendoza, they get more money in Indiana's a
real football team. I've never felt that Colorado's a real
football team. I butt into them, like everybody when they
beat tu TCU ended up being awful. So I think
(36:53):
Mario Christobal, what did he do at Miami? The trenches,
O line D line play the trun did Harbaugh do
at Michigan? He didn't have great quarterbacks for years? O
line D line. A lot of what Dion does is
it's it's I mean, even his son, the legendary draft room,
(37:13):
it's a little finn on substance. You get a lot
of flash Heisman winner, good perimeter players. They can't run
the ball, they can't stop the run. Now, in fairness,
Colorado still doesn't have a lot of money, though more
has been generated because of Dion, and they get on
TV a lot. They are talked about, we have to
(37:35):
be fair. Dion does just like when he was on
the NFL network. He is jumps off the TV screen.
But I mean last year they were the worst team
in the country. Three years in worst team in the
country in stopping the run. Deon's about motivation, he's about aura,
He's a little bit about shtick. You know, I never
(37:55):
felt when he was an NFL analyst, I was getting
the most re arched points on football, but he delivered
them in a very entertaining way, and I kind of
feel it's the same thing with Colorado football. It's entertaining,
the games are sold out, it's fun when they're on television.
Speaker 3 (38:12):
I watch him I didn't.
Speaker 1 (38:13):
Before, So I think he is delivered on largely what
Colorado wanted. We're going into nil. We got to raise
some money, we got to be relevant, we gotta be fun.
He's absolutely delivered on that. Is he a great in
game coach. I don't think he's great. I don't think
he's as bad as his critics say, but I don't
(38:34):
think he's great. A couple of times he's done things
I wouldn't do laden games. But whatever, it's a coach.
But I think Dion the guy, even when he was
a great football player, he didn't like to defend the run,
you know, he didn't like to tackle.
Speaker 3 (38:49):
He was great defending. He return a punt.
Speaker 1 (38:52):
So I think Dion has lived up to what Dion is.
And I think you become your personalit. Jim harbll is
a tough his teams are tough. Mike Vrabel's a tough guy,
his teams are tough. Ben Johnson is a really detailed.
Speaker 3 (39:06):
Smart guy.
Speaker 1 (39:07):
Go look at the Bears offense very cleuch, you know
what I mean? Dion his motivation and aura and a
little stick in, big personality and that's what Colorado football is.
Another speaking in Colorado, Travis Hunter. Liam Cohen was on
our show door of Super Bowl. We did a great
job with the Jacks, I mean, really good offensive coach.
(39:27):
And you know it was a year ago in the
draft we were talking about Travis Hunter. And what's really
fascinating about Travis Hunter all year long?
Speaker 3 (39:37):
In seven games, one.
Speaker 1 (39:39):
Touchdown in twenty eight catches and a big chunk of
his yards came against one team.
Speaker 3 (39:44):
They were getting nailed. They were getting.
Speaker 1 (39:46):
Crushed by the Rams, and he put up some big
numbers late. That was his big game when he was
fifty to fifty offense and defense. He didn't do anything
in that Rams game. He was like eighty five to
fifteen offense and he was productive. Now it was garbage
time whatever, But in his first six games he was
a non factor. In fact, what was fascinating when he
(40:11):
got hurt and left is when the Jags got hot
because they went and got a real receiver who has
a specific skill. And this has always been my thing
on Travis Hunter. Put him on offense, make him a
number one wide receiver. There's not enough time in the
day for the coaching.
Speaker 3 (40:30):
Staff to worry about you.
Speaker 1 (40:31):
And the minute he got hurt and the Jags staff
stopped worrying about making sure Travis Hunter, who they moved
up to draft, making sure it worked. The minute he
got hurt, the team got red hot and they went
and got a guy Jacoby Myers, who doesn't run a
four to two five, who is not in a world
class lead athlete. He runs really good routes and has
(40:53):
really good hands. I mean, the best receiver in the
NFL right now is JSN. He is not big, he's
not super fast, he is a great route runner. I
like my pro athletes to be specifically great at things,
even in the NBA, if you're not a great score
Marcus Smart had a hell of a career being an
elite defender. Tony Allen elite defender, like I always worry about, Hey,
(41:18):
this guy is in high school. In college, elite athleticism
carries the day, especially in high school and lower division football.
When you get to higher division football. LSU playing Bamma
five years ago, next year Ohio State playing you know
the tough teams on their schedule.
Speaker 3 (41:38):
You got to get me. I like my guys to
have specific skills.
Speaker 1 (41:41):
So it's just interesting when Liam Cohen they're talking this offseason, Hey,
how are we going to get this thing with Travis Hunter.
He's on track, he's coming back. What is he specifically
great out? Is he a great route runner? Does he
have great hands? I know he's fast, I mean he
and I know he is relentless, and I know he
can really move.
Speaker 3 (42:02):
They got good when he didn't play
Speaker 1 (42:08):
M
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Colin Cowherd
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