August 5, 2026 • 32 mins
Thoughts on the Aaron Rodgers-Mike McCarthy reunion
What Aaron Donald returning to the Rams means from the rest of the league
Guest: Mike DeFabo
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Thanks for listening to The Herd podcast. Be sure to
catch us live every weekday on Fox Sports Radio in
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Speaker 2 (00:21):
You're listening to Fox Sports Radio.
Speaker 1 (00:24):
Well, let's go live to the Pittsburgh Steeters camp with
our friend Mike de Fabo, the beat writer for the
Steelters for the Athletic, covering the team for about a
half a decade. Okay, so I hear they're not tackling,
which I'm not necessarily opposed to. Tomlin was old school, very
physical practices. What have you seen so far, Mike, Yeah,
it's a very different approach to training camp.
Speaker 3 (00:46):
Mike Tomlin led arguably the most physical training camp in
the league. A couple of years ago at the Athletic,
I surveyed my colleagues and I said, how often does
the team you cover tackle? And it led me to
conclude that Mike Tomlin did have the most physical training camp.
Very different coach to tackling. There will be no ball
carriers taken to the ground under Mike McCarthy.
Speaker 4 (01:04):
But what I think that.
Speaker 3 (01:05):
Tells you is, here you have the third oldest coach
in the league.
Speaker 5 (01:10):
But he's not old school. Okay.
Speaker 3 (01:12):
You know, he looks at he talks about things like
GPS monitoring, sports science, analytics, and so even though he's
advanced in his career and he's established, he continues to
look at the trends. And the reason why he's not
tackling is because he doesn't want guys to get injured.
And you look at Tomlins teams routinely they fell apart
near the end of the season. And in Mike tomlins
(01:33):
first training camp, the players said themselves, he ran them
into the ground. He tried to set a tone and
instead he wore them out. And so I think that
while this might rub old school Pittsburgh people the wrong way,
they want to see a tough, hard nosed, physical camp
and if there's no tackling, they don't think that that's true.
I think at the end of the season, when the
team is healthy and when the team is fresh, you're
(01:54):
going to see the dividends that are paid.
Speaker 4 (01:56):
Right here, what's the you know for the record.
Speaker 1 (02:00):
Added to that is the Steelers have in the last
several years, melted down end of the year.
Speaker 4 (02:04):
You could argue some of that is just fatigue.
Speaker 1 (02:06):
Now with seventeen games, what is the Aaron Mike dynamic
like when you're there at practice.
Speaker 5 (02:13):
I think have a great relationship right now.
Speaker 3 (02:16):
I mean you see them jovial, joking with each other,
and you know, Aaron had a conversation with my colleague
Mike Silver and Aaron said at the time that.
Speaker 5 (02:25):
The heart grows much fonder because of absence.
Speaker 3 (02:29):
And I think that Aaron Rodgers didn't realize necessarily how
good he had it with Mike McCarthy in terms of personality,
in terms of play.
Speaker 5 (02:37):
Calling, and also just the schematic fit.
Speaker 3 (02:40):
Aaron Rodgers was at his best in Green Bay because
of the West Coast offense. That the style of offense
and the quarterback that Aaron Rodgers is and was fits
perfectly with what Mike McCarthy wants to do. So I
think that Aaron's really excited to get back to those
true West Coast roots and thinks that if he's going
to play at his best at forty two soon to
(03:01):
be forty three years old, it's going to be because
of this scheme that he's thrived in for so many years.
Speaker 5 (03:06):
It helps him get there.
Speaker 1 (03:07):
I thought, I actually thought Aaron was pretty good last year,
considering it's a tight end heavy team without a star
back DK Metcalf. You know, he's not running the JSN
route tree. I think he's a declining, very big, physical receiver.
But when they lost him for a couple of games,
I mean, they just didn't have anything there. They've addressed
some of that stuff in the offseason. Do you like
(03:28):
the roster this year better than last year? I mean,
they'll be better, They'll have a more offensive sensibility, that's
just a fact. With Mike McCarthy. I mean he won
with Cooper Rush. I don't doubt that. Roster wise, roster composition.
They're still old and expensive on defense a little bit.
But do you like the roster more?
Speaker 4 (03:45):
Yeah?
Speaker 3 (03:46):
I mean last year, going into training camp, the Steelers
thought that John new Smith, who was a tight end,
and Calvin Austin third and Roman Wilson together could become
a wide receiver too, And ultimately what ended up happening
is John new Smith got cut at the end of
the year, still remains unsigned. Not to criticize him and
pick on him, but that just shows the way that
the Steelers incorrectly evaluated what they needed at that position
(04:09):
and instead what they did this offseason is they went
out and they got Michael Pittman Junior, who at different
points in his career has been a wide receiver one.
Speaker 5 (04:17):
Now he's willing to be that wide receiver.
Speaker 6 (04:19):
Two.
Speaker 5 (04:20):
You're also seeing Roman Wilson showing some.
Speaker 3 (04:22):
Signs of development, and more than anything, you're seeing an
evolution in the personnel. As you mentioned, Arthur Smith was
probably the least wide receiver friendly offensive coordinator in the
entire league last year because he was so tight encentric.
Now you go to Mike McCarthy offense that in Green
Bay they were near the top of the league and
eleven personnel usage.
Speaker 5 (04:41):
So they're going to spread it out more. They're going
to put wide.
Speaker 3 (04:44):
Receivers on the field more, and that's going to fit
the quarterback position much better.
Speaker 1 (04:49):
I think Cleveland's a little better than people think. Still
don't buy into Cincinnati yet. Baltimore will be good, but
it's a new coach and a first time play caller.
Speaker 4 (04:56):
If I said all.
Speaker 1 (04:57):
Right, give me a I mean, listen, they're going to
be Carthy's too good. Aaron gives you a high floor.
They've got nice pieces there. I think the roster is
pretty solid. If you look at the schedule, it's it's
not that it's easy, but you get you know, Atlanta, Cincinnati, Cleveland,
the Colts, Tampa, the Saints, Cleveland. It's a pretty I mean,
(05:18):
compare that to Kansas City or Denver, some of these
early awful NFL schedules. I don't know, it toughens up
in the middle, but I would be shocked if they're
not a nine ish win team.
Speaker 4 (05:31):
How do you feel, Yeah, that's what I feel.
Speaker 5 (05:34):
I think that there's somewhere around that nine to ten
win range.
Speaker 3 (05:37):
And you know, Aaron Rodgers is, you know, talking about
potentially playing in the preseason for one of the first
times in several years. And I think a big part
of that has to do with that schedule that you
just reference. It's kind of soft, kind of winnable games
at the beginning, but it does toughen up after the
bye week when you look at them turning the corner
and playing Cincinnati on the road in Sunday Night Football,
(05:58):
and then the Eagles and then number of other playoff teams,
including the Houston Texans that beat them last year and
ended their season, including the Denver Broncos, who should be
improved this year. So if this team is going to
get to nine to ten wins, you know they're going
to have to get off to a fast start. I
think that's a big reason why they've talked about Aaron
Plaine in the preseason.
Speaker 1 (06:16):
By the way, if Aaron, let's say Aaron twist and
ankle misses a game or two, they've got a bunch
of young quarterbacks. Any of the backup quarterbacks doing anything.
Speaker 3 (06:24):
Well, they've actually got a quarterback competition.
Speaker 5 (06:26):
It's just not for QB one, you know.
Speaker 3 (06:28):
Right now, the question is do the Steelers go into
the season with Mason Rudolph as their backup quarterback. He's
proven at certain times in his career he can step
up and win them a game or two, and if
you're sitting here right now as we're having this conversation,
he is the quarterback best equipped to do that. But
they've got two other guys. They've got Will Howard, They've
(06:49):
got Drew Aller. So ultimately, can you fit four quarterbacks
on a depth chart? And can you fit four quarterbacks
on a fifty three man roster, and I think that's
going to be one of the tough decisions the Steelers
have to make at the end of training camp is
do you go with the guy that's the proven veteran
behind a forty two year old quarterback, or do you
(07:09):
go with the youth and have two guys who have
never played at this point even in a preseason game
in Will Howard and Drew Allers. So it's kind of
a tough decision that they're going to.
Speaker 5 (07:19):
Have to make, an important one going forward.
Speaker 1 (07:21):
By the way, Aaron made news this week with some
you know, fauci comments and taking shots at networks.
Speaker 4 (07:28):
How is he like to cover on a local I.
Speaker 1 (07:31):
Mean, you're the athletic, but when you're in these scrums
with Aaron talking to the media, how is his personality?
Speaker 3 (07:38):
You know, there are times where he definitely takes shots
at the media. I remember last year there was a
lot of times I was standing there and he would
criticize the media and say they didn't know what they
were talking about when it came to Mike Tomlin and
those kinds of things. But the bottom line is I
think that he has the locker room behind him. I
know that he got a bad rap, and I think
that it was a mischaracter is of him as a teammate,
(08:01):
because the teammates do buy into his messaging. They do
respect him because they acknowledge they're playing with the future
Hall of Fame quarterback. And I think for those reasons,
they follow him, and they believe in him, and they
respect and they appreciate what he gives them.
Speaker 4 (08:15):
Yeah, Mike is always good to see anybody.
Speaker 3 (08:18):
Yeah, absolutely, thank you so much for having me here.
Speaker 4 (08:21):
You bet, Mike.
Speaker 1 (08:21):
The fable covers the Steelers has for a while for
the athletic Yeah.
Speaker 4 (08:25):
I mean, I think it'd be fun to cover Aaron,
I really do.
Speaker 1 (08:29):
He's feisty, you know, Matt Stafford, You're going to get
the same you know, he's going to say nice stuff.
Speaker 4 (08:34):
And justin Herbert, you know, he likes me, so that'd
be fun. Sometimes it's nice to you know.
Speaker 1 (08:38):
I remember when I covered Charles Barkley in the locker
room and he made fun of my shoes, you know.
Speaker 4 (08:44):
Sometimes a feisty guy, Jerry.
Speaker 1 (08:46):
Tarkenny and by the way, we got along very well
at the end, but there were years he didn't like me.
Speaker 4 (08:51):
And you know, Aaron's you know, Aaron's just not everybody
a cover likes to be covered.
Speaker 1 (08:57):
Right.
Speaker 6 (08:57):
Well, Belichick came on, what a couple weeks ago, four
weeks ago, did you think any chance Aaron you know,
you and Aaron Rodgers?
Speaker 1 (09:05):
Oh god, no, I didn't it ever. And by the way,
I make this argument, I've said it one hundred times.
If you took everything I said about Aaron Rodgers eighty
five per cents positive. But I've hammered him a few
times because I think sometimes he's high maintenance and I
don't love it at that position.
Speaker 4 (09:19):
But I mean Belichick.
Speaker 1 (09:20):
I told the staff before Bill came on, I said,
you know, I've been pretty hard on Nick Carolina. I
thought that Matt Patricia o sea Hire was idiotic, like
and I said it, I'm like, that doesn't make any sense.
Speaker 4 (09:31):
What are you doing?
Speaker 1 (09:33):
Belichick? Honestly, it was just like storytelling Bill Belichick. He
was unbelievable. It's like, oh yeah, I love to.
Speaker 4 (09:39):
Come on the show again. So maybe it's my charm.
Speaker 1 (09:42):
You know, I get these guys live, and you know
they can't help themselves.
Speaker 6 (09:46):
I don't know if Belichick's going to be in a
great mood after a couple of weeks of college football.
Speaker 4 (09:52):
I think this thing could go the other way. But
he was in a good mood that day.
Speaker 2 (09:56):
He was be sure to catch live editions of The
Herd weekdays and Nooneaster nin a Empacific on Fox Sports
Radio FS one, and the iHeartRadio app.
Speaker 3 (10:06):
Hey, It's Rob Parker and Kelvin Washington from The Odd
Couple on Fox Sports Radio.
Speaker 6 (10:10):
And in addition to hearing us live weeknights from seven
to ten pm Eastern on Fox Sports Radio, we are
excited to announce brand new YouTube channel for the show.
Speaker 4 (10:20):
That's right.
Speaker 6 (10:21):
You can now watch The Odd Couple live on YouTube
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Speaker 4 (10:26):
All you gotta do search Odd Couple FSR on YouTube.
Again YouTube, Just search Odd Couple FSR. Check us out
on YouTube and subscribe.
Speaker 1 (10:36):
Okay, So I went to the Cubs game last night.
I'm gonna do this live. I probably shouldn't do this
live on the air. My bosses are gonna think I'm nuts.
So I went to the Cubs game last night and
I was walking outside the stadium Wrigley, and they have
to there's no team that has more cool hats and
T shirts. I bought my wife, Irish wife, a Cub
shirt green with a clover.
Speaker 4 (10:55):
Is it called that, by the way?
Speaker 1 (10:57):
Okay, okay, So I I saw this dark pinstripe blue
Cubs jersey. Now I don't know how often they wear it,
but it literally clicked a memory in my head. Now
I am going total memory. In somewhere between nineteen seventy
seven and nineteen eighty one eighty two, the Cubs had
(11:21):
a left handed reliever named Willy Hernandez and it was
a Friday night game at Riverfront Stadium. And I know
that because the Saturday Cubs Reds game at Riverfront was
televised and they talked about this home run that was
hit by George Foster on Friday night or Thursday night.
So Willy Hernandez was a left hander for the Cubs
(11:43):
and he was pitching to the right handed bat of
George Foster, who was a great hitter, big power, skinny
guy with great power. And it was a upper upper
deck home run. It was a bomb. And I saw
that dark blue Cubs jersey and I have no idea
why that pitch, why that moment popped into my head.
(12:05):
So I told anybody on the staff that can find
it on my staff and send it to me We
have a coffee place in our La studio, Bluestone. It's
owned by the company. All by a five hundred dollars
gift certificate to the person on. That's a lot of coffee.
(12:28):
Bro that is a lot of smoothies. All buy a
five hundred dollars gift certificate to Bluestone. It's really good,
by the way, I have every day I'm in La.
Speaker 4 (12:36):
I go there.
Speaker 1 (12:38):
There's several of blues. It's called Bluestone Lane. All right,
five hundred dollars for all you guys. Willie Hernandez George
Foster an upper deck home run that those blue pinstripe
Cub uniforms. I couldn't stop thinking about it last night.
And I know my staff makes fun of me because
I go rain Man and all this old baseball NBA stuff.
(12:59):
I'm absolutely sure it happened. Was Willie Hernandez George Foster
Riverfront Stadium somewhere between.
Speaker 4 (13:06):
I think he. I think he pitched for the Cubs.
Speaker 1 (13:08):
I used to collect baseball cards like seventy seven to
eighty one eighty two. Ish middle Cough has no idea
what he's in for.
Speaker 4 (13:16):
John Middlecoff, with the news turned on the news.
Speaker 2 (13:21):
This is the herd Line News.
Speaker 6 (13:23):
I get a cold brew in a smoothie every single
day from there. They're fantastic fan.
Speaker 4 (13:28):
Some of the best smoothies I've ever had of my life.
I had had a power one this morning.
Speaker 6 (13:34):
Speaking of smoothies, you know Lebron James had a few
of those in his career and he's been heavily criticized.
Speaker 4 (13:40):
Well, I get the internets.
Speaker 6 (13:41):
I mean comments have been saying that he's ring chasing it,
and your guy Sam Darnold on Hard Knocks had some
thoughts on the Lebron James Sixers criticism.
Speaker 4 (13:53):
I love this.
Speaker 5 (13:55):
I also hate that people are hating on him for
dono a good.
Speaker 2 (13:59):
Team at this point, and I was like, Oh, he's
going to stack team that doesn't he can go over
he wants.
Speaker 5 (14:11):
Any free agent can do that.
Speaker 2 (14:12):
And any free agent ever would be like, yeah, I
want to go play for my last year two. Yeah
for sure.
Speaker 1 (14:20):
By the way, another reason to love Donald, I never
understand the ring chase in every other sport, Like Sam Donald,
if it doesn't matter if you're traded acquired like, We've
never beat up on athletes who end up or college
kids who choose Ohio State over Purdue. We're like, yeah,
you're smart. He wants to play with great players. What
are you talking about?
Speaker 6 (14:40):
We actually reverse criticized in the NFL. I'm jj Watt was,
you know, gonna pick his destination. He took a lot
of money from the Cardinals, and everyone's like, why didn't
you go to the Packers for less money to try
to win a Super Bowl? You know in football we
would if you go to a bad team for a
lot of money. He just took the cash. He doesn't
(15:01):
want to win. In basketball, Lebron's forty. He's gonna be
forty two in December. And it's sound like the Sixers
have been like the eighties Lakers here.
Speaker 4 (15:10):
I mean, what are we talking about?
Speaker 1 (15:11):
They probably relative to their talent, they're probably the most
under a teeming, underachieving team in the NBA for a decade.
So he went to the most weird, underachieving team in
the NBA for a decade. And you're like, oh, ring chasing. No,
it sounds like ring chasing because he joined the team. Yeah,
now it sounds like ring chasing.
Speaker 6 (15:30):
I did read an article this morning that his potential
helicopter ride from New York to Philadelphia might have some
issues with the wind, but it goes back to like
you know, Wilt Chamberlain, I guess used to live in
the city. Even a nightclub in Harlem. So it's been
done before. Yeah, but Lebron I have a theory too.
(15:50):
On Lebron, I don't think he factored this in, but
I've lived in Philly. The Eagles, win or lose, they
are the story of the fall. He kind of gets
to fly under the radar relative to him a little
bit in the fall.
Speaker 1 (16:03):
He does he can because this team's got some ball
usage questions. This is gonna be like the Miami Heat.
It's gonna take like fifteen to twenty games. You're like, Okay,
they're really really good. They're not gonna be good week one.
Like they've they've got a lot of guys that need
to eat.
Speaker 6 (16:17):
Speaking of a guy that likes to eat, Dexter Lawrence
a massive human being. The Cincinnati Bengals got him obviously
this offseason to trade for the number ten overall pick.
Jamar Chase recently said he's been terrorizing practice during the break.
Colin I saw on social media there was a clip
of a it looked like a run drill, but like
(16:38):
eleven on eleven, he grabbed Chase Brown, the running back,
with like two fingers and he just stopped. You know, yeah,
I know yesterday you were pretty hard on the Bengals
and their situation, and I agree historically, you know, going
back to Carson Palmer. You know, I think it's fair
coaching wise, they don't exactly swim in the twenty million
(16:58):
dollar range for coaches, but this roster on paper that
trades a big time move. They bought some free agents.
Their team that they're ceiling this year is definitely super
Bowl contender. I mean, Colin, they went to the Super
Bowl several years ago, and you'd argue this team's better.
(17:19):
They're older, Jamar Chase in the prime of his career.
Higgins excellent.
Speaker 4 (17:23):
Look at the size of that guy who's blocking him.
Speaker 6 (17:25):
The Ravens lost their center. The Steelers offensive line is
always a question mark. The Browns, I mean, who knows
who's playing quarterback there? It's what their issue last year
Burrow was just because of the turf toe, which is
gone for three months. So if you tell me Burrow plays,
(17:46):
I got this team winning the division last but not
least a little breaking news out of the National Football League.
The Washington Commanders look like they're gonna sign Stefan.
Speaker 4 (17:58):
Dis He's got it. He's got a lot going on
in his life.
Speaker 6 (18:01):
It feels like off the football field, but on the
football field been productive. Obviously, played for the Patriots last
year in the Super Bowl. He's always good for a
couple of years. I mean he'll be productive for two years.
I mean he's getting her closer to the end of
his career. His private life is a little jumbled, but
I mean he'll hill. I don't think he's a bad guy.
Speaker 1 (18:16):
I just think it seems like everywhere he's at about
by year three or four, he makes some noise, but
he'll he'll be productive this year.
Speaker 4 (18:22):
He's a good player.
Speaker 1 (18:23):
Yeah.
Speaker 6 (18:23):
I guess when you're choosing between Digs and Auk, it's
you know you got, yeah, you got you know, you
go with the lesser of the two issues there and
this might end it for Auk and his his Instagram stories.
But uh yeah, the Commanders, I got no clue. If
you told me they win eight nine games, I believe
he told me they win four. I believe you same here.
They are a massive wild card for me.
Speaker 4 (18:44):
This year, John with the news.
Speaker 2 (18:47):
Well that's the news, and thanks for stopping by the
herd Line News.
Speaker 4 (18:51):
So this is funny.
Speaker 1 (18:52):
So I told the staff I told you, and the
staff I said, five hundred dollars Bluestone Lane if you
can find the Willy Hernandez dark Cub uniforms George Foster
home run somewhere between seventy seven and eighty one. The
staff they already want the money because they found on
Google that it actually happened.
Speaker 4 (19:14):
I know it happened.
Speaker 7 (19:15):
I watched it.
Speaker 1 (19:17):
I was like, you know, I was like, I don't know,
fifteen years old. They're like, hey, where's my money, where's
Mike Smoothies. I could find that it happened. That's the
easy part. This is not like a UFO siding. Ah,
maybe it happened. Maybe it was a small plane, it
was a drone.
Speaker 4 (19:35):
It happened. I want video of it. So it happened.
Speaker 1 (19:38):
On August third, nineteen seventy seven, George Foster hit a
memorable home run off Willy Hernandez. George had an MVP season,
so they're calling it a memorable home run. But it's
August third, so why would it be memorable? What home
run on August third is memorable, the one that goes
(20:00):
eight hundred yards into Kentucky.
Speaker 4 (20:03):
I'm telling you he hit it a mile.
Speaker 1 (20:06):
It says here on Google he hit a memorable home
run off Willie Hernandez. It's August third. There's never been
a memorable home run on August third. So if I
can get video of that, five hundred dollars, it's like
four bucks for a coffee, you're gonna be drinking caffeine
for three months. I'm so excited to see this video.
(20:30):
And I don't care how you get it. I don't
care if like somebody watching the show sends it to
you on the staff, one of your kids finds it
or something.
Speaker 4 (20:38):
I don't care. AI.
Speaker 1 (20:40):
I mean, i'd even take that at this point. I'd
give you like two fifty for an AI version. In Chicago,
It's The Herd.
Speaker 2 (20:54):
Be sure to catch live editions of The Herd weekdays
and Noone Eastern a em Pacific on Fox Sports Radio
FS one and the iHeartRadio app.
Speaker 6 (21:03):
Sunday on Fox, the stars of Indy Car are going
full to Rotto as they look to chase down Alex
Palo in Portland Sunday at four Eastern only on Fox.
Speaker 1 (21:12):
Speaking of home runs, there's two pieces of video in America.
Everybody's searching for an actual first piece of Bigfoot video
for the last fifty years. And the George Foster home
run in nineteen seventy seven off the Cubs left handed
reliever in dark blue uniform, Willy Hernandez. I went to
the Cubs game last night. I saw an old blue uniform.
I could not get that moment out of my head.
(21:34):
I remember as a kid, I was watching Saturday baseball.
I'd lived for baseball, and they did the pregame show
and George Foster was having a huge year and they said, oh,
you weren't here last night.
Speaker 2 (21:43):
It was like.
Speaker 1 (21:43):
Thursday or Friday, whatever the day was, and they show
this home run with Willy Hernandez. I've never seen a
home run like that upper die. I'm not sure. So
I was watching a Saturday game. I don't know if
it was a Friday the game before. It was sometime
during the probably a Thursday night home run, because I
don't think there was a lot of people in the
upper deck. And at that time, the Reds on Friday
Saturday Sunday they drew big crowds, so it's probably a
(22:05):
midweek game. I'm just guessing. But if you can find
it on my staff. And by the way, these guys
are so competitive they may not go home. They may
stay the night in the facility. Also O Tani show,
Hey Otani, we got video of this the Cubs and
the Dodgers. Cubs have won the first two games of
the series. Dodgers can't hit ten to five in the opener,
(22:27):
five to one. Last night, O Tani hits this home
run to tie actually take a one nothing lead. Pete
crow Armstrong has since tied it. Cubs Dodgers now are
tied early innings and that show, Hey O TWI kind
of a line drive home run on a beautiful day
in Chicago.
Speaker 4 (22:44):
It's a day game. Few empty seats in the day
game right now.
Speaker 1 (22:50):
I'm told it's one to one, So any luck on
finding that video we got a few minutes not yet,
YouTube doesn't have it.
Speaker 4 (22:58):
I would love that. The trend that would make my week.
Speaker 1 (23:01):
If it trended George Foster, Homer's off, Willie Hernandez, people
would be like, the hell is going on in America?
They're watching this show. That's what's going on, Oh somebody
on the staffs that were getting closer.
Speaker 4 (23:15):
On the video.
Speaker 1 (23:15):
Yeah, they're ai and it to death. I guarantee you.
I guarantee you. That's what the staff's doing. They want
that coffee. Albert Breer was on about thirty minutes ago
and forty minutes ago, and we talked I guess it
was an hour ago. We talked about Aaron Donald on
a stacked roster. Aaron Donald's returned to the Rams, and
(23:37):
it sound like it's borderline a done deal.
Speaker 7 (23:42):
What's given them the framework for that?
Speaker 8 (23:44):
As the holdouts in twenty seventeen, twenty eighteen, Now, you
remember he reported to camp very late both years. Both
years he won Defensive Player of the Year. So they
have a way to do this now. It's not the same.
Of course, he's thirty five. Now, he's you know, obviously
two years away from football.
Speaker 7 (24:02):
But they feel like they've got a good plan.
Speaker 8 (24:04):
They're going to have a way of managing him that
isn't going to cost the team.
Speaker 4 (24:08):
You know.
Speaker 8 (24:09):
I kind of take it back to like the Eric
Weddell situation a few years ago. He was there because
they needed him to be there, and he played every
snap because the Rams needed him to play every snap.
Speaker 7 (24:18):
I don't think that's going to be the case with
Aaron Donald. In twenty twenty.
Speaker 1 (24:20):
Six, and we talked about how loaded the Rams are.
People talk about the stack Dodgers deck, but it's a
lot of guys out of their prime. If you go
to the ten best players for the LA Rams, I
don't think there's anybody in the league maybe Philadelphia that
compares Miles Garrett, Matt Stafford, Poka Nakua, Trent McDuffie that
you can argue those four players are in the top
(24:43):
one or two at their position in the league. Davante Adams,
Kevin Dotson was the top rated guard last year, Byron Young,
a Pro bowler, poona Ford number one rated defensive tackle,
Kyron Williams one thousand yards and ten touchdowns three years
in a row, and Kobe Turner, who was rated higher
than Chris Jones, last year's sixth best interior linemen. It
(25:03):
is a completely stacked roster. So if you put I
mean that defensive line, if you put Aaron Donald in it,
that is pretty unblockable.
Speaker 4 (25:11):
I mean that, you know.
Speaker 1 (25:14):
The way to beat the Rams has been kind of
going forward. Charlotte gave them all sorts of problems, attacked
their corners.
Speaker 4 (25:21):
You can't do.
Speaker 1 (25:22):
They went and got They went and got two corners,
including Trent McDuffie from the Chiefs.
Speaker 4 (25:26):
So those days are done.
Speaker 1 (25:27):
They're good at safety, they're good at tight end, and
neither group has a player in the top ten. But
the Rams tight end grouping is top five in the league.
Their safeties are excellent. Sean McVay is arguably the best
coach in the league. So I mean, it's just something else.
It is something else. Can't wait, all right, John, Yesterday
(25:54):
we had our five new teams in the NFL playoffs,
and we both kind of agreed on Kansas City and
New Orleans. Then I think you had the Bengals, Cowboys,
and somebody else was in there. I had the Giants, Uh, Lions, Uh,
somebody else in there.
Speaker 4 (26:15):
Ravens. Who was it Ravens?
Speaker 1 (26:18):
Yeah, I had the rate It just kind of basically
out of respect for the organization. But the one team
I said the crazy pick would be Cleveland. So Todd
Monkin blasted blasted Cleveland local media today for being negative
with Shador Sanders and in that poll of NFL execs
(26:38):
that Mike Sando had Sanders was dead last behind JJ McCarthy,
which is not true, but that's what they put him.
So it's somebody that was a pro scout in the league.
There have been players that have been underdrafted. Rock Perty
was underdrafted, Dak Prescott was underdrafted. Puka Nakua was underdrafted.
I mean when this happens all the time. George Kittle
(26:58):
was massively underdrafted. Juwan Jennings for the Niners underdrafted. When
you look at Shador going in the fifth round deep
as a scout, when you watched them in you watch
a lot of college football, where did you have him graded?
Where did you see him as a player, forget all
the dad stuff. What did you see?
Speaker 6 (27:18):
Yeah, I would say a top seventy five player, somewhere
between middle second round the third round, you know. I mean,
I think the argument sometimes with quarterbacks are, if you're
going to take a guy in the top fifty, you
know that's where Derek Carr went, Will Levis, you expect
the guy to be your starter.
Speaker 4 (27:38):
You know, now some of them don't work out.
Speaker 6 (27:39):
But when you draft a guy, why wouldn't you just
draft him in the first round then, So what happened
this year? For example, no one went in the second
round right now, it wasn't a great quarterback draft where
they started going to the third round, which Carson Beck
I think it was announced going to start this Hall
of Fame game.
Speaker 4 (27:55):
There's no pressure to start a third rounder.
Speaker 6 (27:58):
But when you draft a guy in a second that's
where it gets weird. I think with Shador in my years,
you know, I know so many people in the league
that go are sit in on all these meetings at
the combine. Sometimes when you get like a top five pick, right,
they won't meet with teams drafting and pick twenty.
Speaker 4 (28:16):
It happens in the NBA a lot. It happens a
little bit in the NFL.
Speaker 6 (28:19):
Anyone that is not a lock top ten pick kind
of meets with everybody, absolutely, and Shador wouldn't really, he
wouldn't even give the time of day.
Speaker 4 (28:30):
Like the Eagles and the Ravens are two teams.
Speaker 6 (28:33):
I don't know exactly what round they would have taken him,
but my guess is third or fourth, definitely not the fifth.
And they couldn't even like he wouldn't talk to them,
and he would go, well, you got Jalen Hurts and
Lamar Jecks. It's kind of the way football works, you know,
unless unless you're Fanana Medosa is not even certain Like
most of these teams, there's a veteran quarterback there. I
understand those guys are fifty million dollar guys, but once
(28:56):
you go out of the of the first round, any
team can draft you at any moment. I mean, the
Packers have made a living off Aaron Rodgers, Brett varv
and what if Jordan Love had picked up like don't
want you?
Speaker 4 (29:07):
You got Aaron Rodgers, we got what It changes life.
Speaker 6 (29:10):
So the league changes really quick, and I think they
regret that. But now the Browns, it just sounds like
Watson's hasn't been great. Why would I just start Shadoor
week one?
Speaker 1 (29:22):
Well, it feels like I saw video this week of
Chadeur making a big downfield fourth quarter throw in practice
and the teammate's reaction to the play. And we don't
talk a lot about this, but a part of what
there is a belief. It feels like the Browns players
are rooting for Shador Sanders. They like like his vibe
(29:44):
and Deshaun Watson's older got some baggage.
Speaker 4 (29:48):
Some of it weird.
Speaker 1 (29:49):
That's not going to say the players are rooting against
a Sean, But when I watch video of Shaduur, it
feels like the Because the Browns are young, John it's
a young team. Miles Garrett one of their big senior leader.
He's gone now. They replace him with a Jared Verse,
a younger player. They're top players, are a lot of
young guys. It's a young locker room. So it's New
(30:10):
England and it feels like to me, it feels like
Shadur is the locker room favorite. You know, he's the
fan favorite. That's not even disputable. The question is with Monkin,
is he the coaching staff? Because the players and the
fans are rooting for Shadur, the question is, what's the
coaching staff thing? What is Jimmy Haslam saying, guys, we
got to get one star out of Deshaun. I'm paying
him a bloody fortune.
Speaker 6 (30:31):
Well, I think if you go back that the Ravens
were interested a couple of years ago, I think that
would be I'd be stunned if Todd Munkin wasn't part
of that conversation of like, yeah, I like him, let's
take him in the third or fourth round, especially, Lamar
had been banged up a little bit by then. So
I think if you're Shadoor, there's a high likelihood when
this guy got hired, he was kind of in your
(30:51):
corner as a player coming out of college.
Speaker 4 (30:54):
So uh, I mean, Watson hasn't been good.
Speaker 6 (30:57):
Watson is one of the most precipitous drop offs just
on the field I think we've ever seen, because he
was pretty good player with the Houston Texans and now
he's if he can't win the starting job, I mean,
his career is probably over.
Speaker 1 (31:09):
You think, yeah, I think between the weirdness, I mean,
he and Russell Wilson just got really average to really
bad or very quick, and you.
Speaker 4 (31:18):
Know, they're both athletic guys.
Speaker 1 (31:20):
You elude some of that athletic ability and it's never
the same, but you know, at.
Speaker 6 (31:24):
Least Russell, I mean you can some people think he's cheesy,
little fake or whatever, but there was nothing off the
field like Watson. I don't think most teams would touch
him with a ten foot points. Oh god, over the
previous baggage. Oh my god, I can't believe this found it.
I can't believe they found it we have, Okay, don't
(31:45):
show it to anybody. I want to see it live.
We have found the George Foster home run video.
Speaker 4 (31:51):
I don't know.
Speaker 1 (31:52):
I want to first of all, know how they found it,
because it's not on YouTube. So you know what I
bet I bet ya Shanks went upstairs to call the network,
called Rob Manfred and got it. Because Shank's probably wants
free coffee too. I can't blame executives. I think it
has to be an executive that got this because the
average produce. I don't know where our producers found it.
And they said, in my ear, we're getting closer. Okay,
(32:13):
that somebody called Manfred. He released some video. Okay, America
only now needs the Bigfoot video and we're home free.
Speaker 4 (32:21):
We'll show the video 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 (00:24):
Well, let's go live to the Pittsburgh Steeters camp with
our friend Mike de Fabo, the beat writer for the
Steelters for the Athletic, covering the team for about a
half a decade. Okay, so I hear they're not tackling,
which I'm not necessarily opposed to. Tomlin was old school, very
physical practices. What have you seen so far, Mike, Yeah,
it's a very different approach to training camp.
Speaker 3 (00:46):
Mike Tomlin led arguably the most physical training camp in
the league. A couple of years ago at the Athletic,
I surveyed my colleagues and I said, how often does
the team you cover tackle? And it led me to
conclude that Mike Tomlin did have the most physical training camp.
Very different coach to tackling. There will be no ball
carriers taken to the ground under Mike McCarthy.
Speaker 4 (01:04):
But what I think that.
Speaker 3 (01:05):
Tells you is, here you have the third oldest coach
in the league.
Speaker 5 (01:10):
But he's not old school. Okay.
Speaker 3 (01:12):
You know, he looks at he talks about things like
GPS monitoring, sports science, analytics, and so even though he's
advanced in his career and he's established, he continues to
look at the trends. And the reason why he's not
tackling is because he doesn't want guys to get injured.
And you look at Tomlins teams routinely they fell apart
near the end of the season. And in Mike tomlins
(01:33):
first training camp, the players said themselves, he ran them
into the ground. He tried to set a tone and
instead he wore them out. And so I think that
while this might rub old school Pittsburgh people the wrong way,
they want to see a tough, hard nosed, physical camp
and if there's no tackling, they don't think that that's true.
I think at the end of the season, when the
team is healthy and when the team is fresh, you're
(01:54):
going to see the dividends that are paid.
Speaker 4 (01:56):
Right here, what's the you know for the record.
Speaker 1 (02:00):
Added to that is the Steelers have in the last
several years, melted down end of the year.
Speaker 4 (02:04):
You could argue some of that is just fatigue.
Speaker 1 (02:06):
Now with seventeen games, what is the Aaron Mike dynamic
like when you're there at practice.
Speaker 5 (02:13):
I think have a great relationship right now.
Speaker 3 (02:16):
I mean you see them jovial, joking with each other,
and you know, Aaron had a conversation with my colleague
Mike Silver and Aaron said at the time that.
Speaker 5 (02:25):
The heart grows much fonder because of absence.
Speaker 3 (02:29):
And I think that Aaron Rodgers didn't realize necessarily how
good he had it with Mike McCarthy in terms of personality,
in terms of play.
Speaker 5 (02:37):
Calling, and also just the schematic fit.
Speaker 3 (02:40):
Aaron Rodgers was at his best in Green Bay because
of the West Coast offense. That the style of offense
and the quarterback that Aaron Rodgers is and was fits
perfectly with what Mike McCarthy wants to do. So I
think that Aaron's really excited to get back to those
true West Coast roots and thinks that if he's going
to play at his best at forty two soon to
(03:01):
be forty three years old, it's going to be because
of this scheme that he's thrived in for so many years.
Speaker 5 (03:06):
It helps him get there.
Speaker 1 (03:07):
I thought, I actually thought Aaron was pretty good last year,
considering it's a tight end heavy team without a star
back DK Metcalf. You know, he's not running the JSN
route tree. I think he's a declining, very big, physical receiver.
But when they lost him for a couple of games,
I mean, they just didn't have anything there. They've addressed
some of that stuff in the offseason. Do you like
(03:28):
the roster this year better than last year? I mean,
they'll be better, They'll have a more offensive sensibility, that's
just a fact. With Mike McCarthy. I mean he won
with Cooper Rush. I don't doubt that. Roster wise, roster composition.
They're still old and expensive on defense a little bit.
But do you like the roster more?
Speaker 4 (03:45):
Yeah?
Speaker 3 (03:46):
I mean last year, going into training camp, the Steelers
thought that John new Smith, who was a tight end,
and Calvin Austin third and Roman Wilson together could become
a wide receiver too, And ultimately what ended up happening
is John new Smith got cut at the end of
the year, still remains unsigned. Not to criticize him and
pick on him, but that just shows the way that
the Steelers incorrectly evaluated what they needed at that position
(04:09):
and instead what they did this offseason is they went
out and they got Michael Pittman Junior, who at different
points in his career has been a wide receiver one.
Speaker 5 (04:17):
Now he's willing to be that wide receiver.
Speaker 6 (04:19):
Two.
Speaker 5 (04:20):
You're also seeing Roman Wilson showing some.
Speaker 3 (04:22):
Signs of development, and more than anything, you're seeing an
evolution in the personnel. As you mentioned, Arthur Smith was
probably the least wide receiver friendly offensive coordinator in the
entire league last year because he was so tight encentric.
Now you go to Mike McCarthy offense that in Green
Bay they were near the top of the league and
eleven personnel usage.
Speaker 5 (04:41):
So they're going to spread it out more. They're going
to put wide.
Speaker 3 (04:44):
Receivers on the field more, and that's going to fit
the quarterback position much better.
Speaker 1 (04:49):
I think Cleveland's a little better than people think. Still
don't buy into Cincinnati yet. Baltimore will be good, but
it's a new coach and a first time play caller.
Speaker 4 (04:56):
If I said all.
Speaker 1 (04:57):
Right, give me a I mean, listen, they're going to
be Carthy's too good. Aaron gives you a high floor.
They've got nice pieces there. I think the roster is
pretty solid. If you look at the schedule, it's it's
not that it's easy, but you get you know, Atlanta, Cincinnati, Cleveland,
the Colts, Tampa, the Saints, Cleveland. It's a pretty I mean,
(05:18):
compare that to Kansas City or Denver, some of these
early awful NFL schedules. I don't know, it toughens up
in the middle, but I would be shocked if they're
not a nine ish win team.
Speaker 4 (05:31):
How do you feel, Yeah, that's what I feel.
Speaker 5 (05:34):
I think that there's somewhere around that nine to ten
win range.
Speaker 3 (05:37):
And you know, Aaron Rodgers is, you know, talking about
potentially playing in the preseason for one of the first
times in several years. And I think a big part
of that has to do with that schedule that you
just reference. It's kind of soft, kind of winnable games
at the beginning, but it does toughen up after the
bye week when you look at them turning the corner
and playing Cincinnati on the road in Sunday Night Football,
(05:58):
and then the Eagles and then number of other playoff teams,
including the Houston Texans that beat them last year and
ended their season, including the Denver Broncos, who should be
improved this year. So if this team is going to
get to nine to ten wins, you know they're going
to have to get off to a fast start. I
think that's a big reason why they've talked about Aaron
Plaine in the preseason.
Speaker 1 (06:16):
By the way, if Aaron, let's say Aaron twist and
ankle misses a game or two, they've got a bunch
of young quarterbacks. Any of the backup quarterbacks doing anything.
Speaker 3 (06:24):
Well, they've actually got a quarterback competition.
Speaker 5 (06:26):
It's just not for QB one, you know.
Speaker 3 (06:28):
Right now, the question is do the Steelers go into
the season with Mason Rudolph as their backup quarterback. He's
proven at certain times in his career he can step
up and win them a game or two, and if
you're sitting here right now as we're having this conversation,
he is the quarterback best equipped to do that. But
they've got two other guys. They've got Will Howard, They've
(06:49):
got Drew Aller. So ultimately, can you fit four quarterbacks
on a depth chart? And can you fit four quarterbacks
on a fifty three man roster, and I think that's
going to be one of the tough decisions the Steelers
have to make at the end of training camp is
do you go with the guy that's the proven veteran
behind a forty two year old quarterback, or do you
(07:09):
go with the youth and have two guys who have
never played at this point even in a preseason game
in Will Howard and Drew Allers. So it's kind of
a tough decision that they're going to.
Speaker 5 (07:19):
Have to make, an important one going forward.
Speaker 1 (07:21):
By the way, Aaron made news this week with some
you know, fauci comments and taking shots at networks.
Speaker 4 (07:28):
How is he like to cover on a local I.
Speaker 1 (07:31):
Mean, you're the athletic, but when you're in these scrums
with Aaron talking to the media, how is his personality?
Speaker 3 (07:38):
You know, there are times where he definitely takes shots
at the media. I remember last year there was a
lot of times I was standing there and he would
criticize the media and say they didn't know what they
were talking about when it came to Mike Tomlin and
those kinds of things. But the bottom line is I
think that he has the locker room behind him. I
know that he got a bad rap, and I think
that it was a mischaracter is of him as a teammate,
(08:01):
because the teammates do buy into his messaging. They do
respect him because they acknowledge they're playing with the future
Hall of Fame quarterback. And I think for those reasons,
they follow him, and they believe in him, and they
respect and they appreciate what he gives them.
Speaker 4 (08:15):
Yeah, Mike is always good to see anybody.
Speaker 3 (08:18):
Yeah, absolutely, thank you so much for having me here.
Speaker 4 (08:21):
You bet, Mike.
Speaker 1 (08:21):
The fable covers the Steelers has for a while for
the athletic Yeah.
Speaker 4 (08:25):
I mean, I think it'd be fun to cover Aaron,
I really do.
Speaker 1 (08:29):
He's feisty, you know, Matt Stafford, You're going to get
the same you know, he's going to say nice stuff.
Speaker 4 (08:34):
And justin Herbert, you know, he likes me, so that'd
be fun. Sometimes it's nice to you know.
Speaker 1 (08:38):
I remember when I covered Charles Barkley in the locker
room and he made fun of my shoes, you know.
Speaker 4 (08:44):
Sometimes a feisty guy, Jerry.
Speaker 1 (08:46):
Tarkenny and by the way, we got along very well
at the end, but there were years he didn't like me.
Speaker 4 (08:51):
And you know, Aaron's you know, Aaron's just not everybody
a cover likes to be covered.
Speaker 1 (08:57):
Right.
Speaker 6 (08:57):
Well, Belichick came on, what a couple weeks ago, four
weeks ago, did you think any chance Aaron you know,
you and Aaron Rodgers?
Speaker 1 (09:05):
Oh god, no, I didn't it ever. And by the way,
I make this argument, I've said it one hundred times.
If you took everything I said about Aaron Rodgers eighty
five per cents positive. But I've hammered him a few
times because I think sometimes he's high maintenance and I
don't love it at that position.
Speaker 4 (09:19):
But I mean Belichick.
Speaker 1 (09:20):
I told the staff before Bill came on, I said,
you know, I've been pretty hard on Nick Carolina. I
thought that Matt Patricia o sea Hire was idiotic, like
and I said it, I'm like, that doesn't make any sense.
Speaker 4 (09:31):
What are you doing?
Speaker 1 (09:33):
Belichick? Honestly, it was just like storytelling Bill Belichick. He
was unbelievable. It's like, oh yeah, I love to.
Speaker 4 (09:39):
Come on the show again. So maybe it's my charm.
Speaker 1 (09:42):
You know, I get these guys live, and you know
they can't help themselves.
Speaker 6 (09:46):
I don't know if Belichick's going to be in a
great mood after a couple of weeks of college football.
Speaker 4 (09:52):
I think this thing could go the other way. But
he was in a good mood that day.
Speaker 2 (09:56):
He was be sure to catch live editions of The
Herd weekdays and Nooneaster nin a Empacific on Fox Sports
Radio FS one, and the iHeartRadio app.
Speaker 3 (10:06):
Hey, It's Rob Parker and Kelvin Washington from The Odd
Couple on Fox Sports Radio.
Speaker 6 (10:10):
And in addition to hearing us live weeknights from seven
to ten pm Eastern on Fox Sports Radio, we are
excited to announce brand new YouTube channel for the show.
Speaker 4 (10:20):
That's right.
Speaker 6 (10:21):
You can now watch The Odd Couple live on YouTube
every day.
Speaker 4 (10:26):
All you gotta do search Odd Couple FSR on YouTube.
Again YouTube, Just search Odd Couple FSR. Check us out
on YouTube and subscribe.
Speaker 1 (10:36):
Okay, So I went to the Cubs game last night.
I'm gonna do this live. I probably shouldn't do this
live on the air. My bosses are gonna think I'm nuts.
So I went to the Cubs game last night and
I was walking outside the stadium Wrigley, and they have
to there's no team that has more cool hats and
T shirts. I bought my wife, Irish wife, a Cub
shirt green with a clover.
Speaker 4 (10:55):
Is it called that, by the way?
Speaker 1 (10:57):
Okay, okay, So I I saw this dark pinstripe blue
Cubs jersey. Now I don't know how often they wear it,
but it literally clicked a memory in my head. Now
I am going total memory. In somewhere between nineteen seventy
seven and nineteen eighty one eighty two, the Cubs had
(11:21):
a left handed reliever named Willy Hernandez and it was
a Friday night game at Riverfront Stadium. And I know
that because the Saturday Cubs Reds game at Riverfront was
televised and they talked about this home run that was
hit by George Foster on Friday night or Thursday night.
So Willy Hernandez was a left hander for the Cubs
(11:43):
and he was pitching to the right handed bat of
George Foster, who was a great hitter, big power, skinny
guy with great power. And it was a upper upper
deck home run. It was a bomb. And I saw
that dark blue Cubs jersey and I have no idea
why that pitch, why that moment popped into my head.
(12:05):
So I told anybody on the staff that can find
it on my staff and send it to me We
have a coffee place in our La studio, Bluestone. It's
owned by the company. All by a five hundred dollars
gift certificate to the person on. That's a lot of coffee.
(12:28):
Bro that is a lot of smoothies. All buy a
five hundred dollars gift certificate to Bluestone. It's really good,
by the way, I have every day I'm in La.
Speaker 4 (12:36):
I go there.
Speaker 1 (12:38):
There's several of blues. It's called Bluestone Lane. All right,
five hundred dollars for all you guys. Willie Hernandez George
Foster an upper deck home run that those blue pinstripe
Cub uniforms. I couldn't stop thinking about it last night.
And I know my staff makes fun of me because
I go rain Man and all this old baseball NBA stuff.
(12:59):
I'm absolutely sure it happened. Was Willie Hernandez George Foster
Riverfront Stadium somewhere between.
Speaker 4 (13:06):
I think he. I think he pitched for the Cubs.
Speaker 1 (13:08):
I used to collect baseball cards like seventy seven to
eighty one eighty two. Ish middle Cough has no idea
what he's in for.
Speaker 4 (13:16):
John Middlecoff, with the news turned on the news.
Speaker 2 (13:21):
This is the herd Line News.
Speaker 6 (13:23):
I get a cold brew in a smoothie every single
day from there. They're fantastic fan.
Speaker 4 (13:28):
Some of the best smoothies I've ever had of my life.
I had had a power one this morning.
Speaker 6 (13:34):
Speaking of smoothies, you know Lebron James had a few
of those in his career and he's been heavily criticized.
Speaker 4 (13:40):
Well, I get the internets.
Speaker 6 (13:41):
I mean comments have been saying that he's ring chasing it,
and your guy Sam Darnold on Hard Knocks had some
thoughts on the Lebron James Sixers criticism.
Speaker 4 (13:53):
I love this.
Speaker 5 (13:55):
I also hate that people are hating on him for
dono a good.
Speaker 2 (13:59):
Team at this point, and I was like, Oh, he's
going to stack team that doesn't he can go over
he wants.
Speaker 5 (14:11):
Any free agent can do that.
Speaker 2 (14:12):
And any free agent ever would be like, yeah, I
want to go play for my last year two. Yeah
for sure.
Speaker 1 (14:20):
By the way, another reason to love Donald, I never
understand the ring chase in every other sport, Like Sam Donald,
if it doesn't matter if you're traded acquired like, We've
never beat up on athletes who end up or college
kids who choose Ohio State over Purdue. We're like, yeah,
you're smart. He wants to play with great players. What
are you talking about?
Speaker 6 (14:40):
We actually reverse criticized in the NFL. I'm jj Watt was,
you know, gonna pick his destination. He took a lot
of money from the Cardinals, and everyone's like, why didn't
you go to the Packers for less money to try
to win a Super Bowl? You know in football we
would if you go to a bad team for a
lot of money. He just took the cash. He doesn't
(15:01):
want to win. In basketball, Lebron's forty. He's gonna be
forty two in December. And it's sound like the Sixers
have been like the eighties Lakers here.
Speaker 4 (15:10):
I mean, what are we talking about?
Speaker 1 (15:11):
They probably relative to their talent, they're probably the most
under a teeming, underachieving team in the NBA for a decade.
So he went to the most weird, underachieving team in
the NBA for a decade. And you're like, oh, ring chasing. No,
it sounds like ring chasing because he joined the team. Yeah,
now it sounds like ring chasing.
Speaker 6 (15:30):
I did read an article this morning that his potential
helicopter ride from New York to Philadelphia might have some
issues with the wind, but it goes back to like
you know, Wilt Chamberlain, I guess used to live in
the city. Even a nightclub in Harlem. So it's been
done before. Yeah, but Lebron I have a theory too.
(15:50):
On Lebron, I don't think he factored this in, but
I've lived in Philly. The Eagles, win or lose, they
are the story of the fall. He kind of gets
to fly under the radar relative to him a little
bit in the fall.
Speaker 1 (16:03):
He does he can because this team's got some ball
usage questions. This is gonna be like the Miami Heat.
It's gonna take like fifteen to twenty games. You're like, Okay,
they're really really good. They're not gonna be good week one.
Like they've they've got a lot of guys that need
to eat.
Speaker 6 (16:17):
Speaking of a guy that likes to eat, Dexter Lawrence
a massive human being. The Cincinnati Bengals got him obviously
this offseason to trade for the number ten overall pick.
Jamar Chase recently said he's been terrorizing practice during the break.
Colin I saw on social media there was a clip
of a it looked like a run drill, but like
(16:38):
eleven on eleven, he grabbed Chase Brown, the running back,
with like two fingers and he just stopped. You know, yeah,
I know yesterday you were pretty hard on the Bengals
and their situation, and I agree historically, you know, going
back to Carson Palmer. You know, I think it's fair
coaching wise, they don't exactly swim in the twenty million
(16:58):
dollar range for coaches, but this roster on paper that
trades a big time move. They bought some free agents.
Their team that they're ceiling this year is definitely super
Bowl contender. I mean, Colin, they went to the Super
Bowl several years ago, and you'd argue this team's better.
(17:19):
They're older, Jamar Chase in the prime of his career.
Higgins excellent.
Speaker 4 (17:23):
Look at the size of that guy who's blocking him.
Speaker 6 (17:25):
The Ravens lost their center. The Steelers offensive line is
always a question mark. The Browns, I mean, who knows
who's playing quarterback there? It's what their issue last year
Burrow was just because of the turf toe, which is
gone for three months. So if you tell me Burrow plays,
(17:46):
I got this team winning the division last but not
least a little breaking news out of the National Football League.
The Washington Commanders look like they're gonna sign Stefan.
Speaker 4 (17:58):
Dis He's got it. He's got a lot going on
in his life.
Speaker 6 (18:01):
It feels like off the football field, but on the
football field been productive. Obviously, played for the Patriots last
year in the Super Bowl. He's always good for a
couple of years. I mean he'll be productive for two years.
I mean he's getting her closer to the end of
his career. His private life is a little jumbled, but
I mean he'll hill. I don't think he's a bad guy.
Speaker 1 (18:16):
I just think it seems like everywhere he's at about
by year three or four, he makes some noise, but
he'll he'll be productive this year.
Speaker 4 (18:22):
He's a good player.
Speaker 1 (18:23):
Yeah.
Speaker 6 (18:23):
I guess when you're choosing between Digs and Auk, it's
you know you got, yeah, you got you know, you
go with the lesser of the two issues there and
this might end it for Auk and his his Instagram stories.
But uh yeah, the Commanders, I got no clue. If
you told me they win eight nine games, I believe
he told me they win four. I believe you same here.
They are a massive wild card for me.
Speaker 4 (18:44):
This year, John with the news.
Speaker 2 (18:47):
Well that's the news, and thanks for stopping by the
herd Line News.
Speaker 4 (18:51):
So this is funny.
Speaker 1 (18:52):
So I told the staff I told you, and the
staff I said, five hundred dollars Bluestone Lane if you
can find the Willy Hernandez dark Cub uniforms George Foster
home run somewhere between seventy seven and eighty one. The
staff they already want the money because they found on
Google that it actually happened.
Speaker 4 (19:14):
I know it happened.
Speaker 7 (19:15):
I watched it.
Speaker 1 (19:17):
I was like, you know, I was like, I don't know,
fifteen years old. They're like, hey, where's my money, where's
Mike Smoothies. I could find that it happened. That's the
easy part. This is not like a UFO siding. Ah,
maybe it happened. Maybe it was a small plane, it
was a drone.
Speaker 4 (19:35):
It happened. I want video of it. So it happened.
Speaker 1 (19:38):
On August third, nineteen seventy seven, George Foster hit a
memorable home run off Willy Hernandez. George had an MVP season,
so they're calling it a memorable home run. But it's
August third, so why would it be memorable? What home
run on August third is memorable, the one that goes
(20:00):
eight hundred yards into Kentucky.
Speaker 4 (20:03):
I'm telling you he hit it a mile.
Speaker 1 (20:06):
It says here on Google he hit a memorable home
run off Willie Hernandez. It's August third. There's never been
a memorable home run on August third. So if I
can get video of that, five hundred dollars, it's like
four bucks for a coffee, you're gonna be drinking caffeine
for three months. I'm so excited to see this video.
(20:30):
And I don't care how you get it. I don't
care if like somebody watching the show sends it to
you on the staff, one of your kids finds it
or something.
Speaker 4 (20:38):
I don't care. AI.
Speaker 1 (20:40):
I mean, i'd even take that at this point. I'd
give you like two fifty for an AI version. In Chicago,
It's The Herd.
Speaker 2 (20:54):
Be sure to catch live editions of The Herd weekdays
and Noone Eastern a em Pacific on Fox Sports Radio
FS one and the iHeartRadio app.
Speaker 6 (21:03):
Sunday on Fox, the stars of Indy Car are going
full to Rotto as they look to chase down Alex
Palo in Portland Sunday at four Eastern only on Fox.
Speaker 1 (21:12):
Speaking of home runs, there's two pieces of video in America.
Everybody's searching for an actual first piece of Bigfoot video
for the last fifty years. And the George Foster home
run in nineteen seventy seven off the Cubs left handed
reliever in dark blue uniform, Willy Hernandez. I went to
the Cubs game last night. I saw an old blue uniform.
I could not get that moment out of my head.
(21:34):
I remember as a kid, I was watching Saturday baseball.
I'd lived for baseball, and they did the pregame show
and George Foster was having a huge year and they said, oh,
you weren't here last night.
Speaker 2 (21:43):
It was like.
Speaker 1 (21:43):
Thursday or Friday, whatever the day was, and they show
this home run with Willy Hernandez. I've never seen a
home run like that upper die. I'm not sure. So
I was watching a Saturday game. I don't know if
it was a Friday the game before. It was sometime
during the probably a Thursday night home run, because I
don't think there was a lot of people in the
upper deck. And at that time, the Reds on Friday
Saturday Sunday they drew big crowds, so it's probably a
(22:05):
midweek game. I'm just guessing. But if you can find
it on my staff. And by the way, these guys
are so competitive they may not go home. They may
stay the night in the facility. Also O Tani show,
Hey Otani, we got video of this the Cubs and
the Dodgers. Cubs have won the first two games of
the series. Dodgers can't hit ten to five in the opener,
(22:27):
five to one. Last night, O Tani hits this home
run to tie actually take a one nothing lead. Pete
crow Armstrong has since tied it. Cubs Dodgers now are
tied early innings and that show, Hey O TWI kind
of a line drive home run on a beautiful day
in Chicago.
Speaker 4 (22:44):
It's a day game. Few empty seats in the day
game right now.
Speaker 1 (22:50):
I'm told it's one to one, So any luck on
finding that video we got a few minutes not yet,
YouTube doesn't have it.
Speaker 4 (22:58):
I would love that. The trend that would make my week.
Speaker 1 (23:01):
If it trended George Foster, Homer's off, Willie Hernandez, people
would be like, the hell is going on in America?
They're watching this show. That's what's going on, Oh somebody
on the staffs that were getting closer.
Speaker 4 (23:15):
On the video.
Speaker 1 (23:15):
Yeah, they're ai and it to death. I guarantee you.
I guarantee you. That's what the staff's doing. They want
that coffee. Albert Breer was on about thirty minutes ago
and forty minutes ago, and we talked I guess it
was an hour ago. We talked about Aaron Donald on
a stacked roster. Aaron Donald's returned to the Rams, and
(23:37):
it sound like it's borderline a done deal.
Speaker 7 (23:42):
What's given them the framework for that?
Speaker 8 (23:44):
As the holdouts in twenty seventeen, twenty eighteen, Now, you
remember he reported to camp very late both years. Both
years he won Defensive Player of the Year. So they
have a way to do this now. It's not the same.
Of course, he's thirty five. Now, he's you know, obviously
two years away from football.
Speaker 7 (24:02):
But they feel like they've got a good plan.
Speaker 8 (24:04):
They're going to have a way of managing him that
isn't going to cost the team.
Speaker 4 (24:08):
You know.
Speaker 8 (24:09):
I kind of take it back to like the Eric
Weddell situation a few years ago. He was there because
they needed him to be there, and he played every
snap because the Rams needed him to play every snap.
Speaker 7 (24:18):
I don't think that's going to be the case with
Aaron Donald. In twenty twenty.
Speaker 1 (24:20):
Six, and we talked about how loaded the Rams are.
People talk about the stack Dodgers deck, but it's a
lot of guys out of their prime. If you go
to the ten best players for the LA Rams, I
don't think there's anybody in the league maybe Philadelphia that
compares Miles Garrett, Matt Stafford, Poka Nakua, Trent McDuffie that
you can argue those four players are in the top
(24:43):
one or two at their position in the league. Davante Adams,
Kevin Dotson was the top rated guard last year, Byron Young,
a Pro bowler, poona Ford number one rated defensive tackle,
Kyron Williams one thousand yards and ten touchdowns three years
in a row, and Kobe Turner, who was rated higher
than Chris Jones, last year's sixth best interior linemen. It
(25:03):
is a completely stacked roster. So if you put I
mean that defensive line, if you put Aaron Donald in it,
that is pretty unblockable.
Speaker 4 (25:11):
I mean that, you know.
Speaker 1 (25:14):
The way to beat the Rams has been kind of
going forward. Charlotte gave them all sorts of problems, attacked
their corners.
Speaker 4 (25:21):
You can't do.
Speaker 1 (25:22):
They went and got They went and got two corners,
including Trent McDuffie from the Chiefs.
Speaker 4 (25:26):
So those days are done.
Speaker 1 (25:27):
They're good at safety, they're good at tight end, and
neither group has a player in the top ten. But
the Rams tight end grouping is top five in the league.
Their safeties are excellent. Sean McVay is arguably the best
coach in the league. So I mean, it's just something else.
It is something else. Can't wait, all right, John, Yesterday
(25:54):
we had our five new teams in the NFL playoffs,
and we both kind of agreed on Kansas City and
New Orleans. Then I think you had the Bengals, Cowboys,
and somebody else was in there. I had the Giants, Uh, Lions, Uh,
somebody else in there.
Speaker 4 (26:15):
Ravens. Who was it Ravens?
Speaker 1 (26:18):
Yeah, I had the rate It just kind of basically
out of respect for the organization. But the one team
I said the crazy pick would be Cleveland. So Todd
Monkin blasted blasted Cleveland local media today for being negative
with Shador Sanders and in that poll of NFL execs
(26:38):
that Mike Sando had Sanders was dead last behind JJ McCarthy,
which is not true, but that's what they put him.
So it's somebody that was a pro scout in the league.
There have been players that have been underdrafted. Rock Perty
was underdrafted, Dak Prescott was underdrafted. Puka Nakua was underdrafted.
I mean when this happens all the time. George Kittle
(26:58):
was massively underdrafted. Juwan Jennings for the Niners underdrafted. When
you look at Shador going in the fifth round deep
as a scout, when you watched them in you watch
a lot of college football, where did you have him graded?
Where did you see him as a player, forget all
the dad stuff. What did you see?
Speaker 6 (27:18):
Yeah, I would say a top seventy five player, somewhere
between middle second round the third round, you know. I mean,
I think the argument sometimes with quarterbacks are, if you're
going to take a guy in the top fifty, you
know that's where Derek Carr went, Will Levis, you expect
the guy to be your starter.
Speaker 4 (27:38):
You know, now some of them don't work out.
Speaker 6 (27:39):
But when you draft a guy, why wouldn't you just
draft him in the first round then, So what happened
this year? For example, no one went in the second
round right now, it wasn't a great quarterback draft where
they started going to the third round, which Carson Beck
I think it was announced going to start this Hall
of Fame game.
Speaker 4 (27:55):
There's no pressure to start a third rounder.
Speaker 6 (27:58):
But when you draft a guy in a second that's
where it gets weird. I think with Shador in my years,
you know, I know so many people in the league
that go are sit in on all these meetings at
the combine. Sometimes when you get like a top five pick, right,
they won't meet with teams drafting and pick twenty.
Speaker 4 (28:16):
It happens in the NBA a lot. It happens a
little bit in the NFL.
Speaker 6 (28:19):
Anyone that is not a lock top ten pick kind
of meets with everybody, absolutely, and Shador wouldn't really, he
wouldn't even give the time of day.
Speaker 4 (28:30):
Like the Eagles and the Ravens are two teams.
Speaker 6 (28:33):
I don't know exactly what round they would have taken him,
but my guess is third or fourth, definitely not the fifth.
And they couldn't even like he wouldn't talk to them,
and he would go, well, you got Jalen Hurts and
Lamar Jecks. It's kind of the way football works, you know,
unless unless you're Fanana Medosa is not even certain Like
most of these teams, there's a veteran quarterback there. I
understand those guys are fifty million dollar guys, but once
(28:56):
you go out of the of the first round, any
team can draft you at any moment. I mean, the
Packers have made a living off Aaron Rodgers, Brett varv
and what if Jordan Love had picked up like don't
want you?
Speaker 4 (29:07):
You got Aaron Rodgers, we got what It changes life.
Speaker 6 (29:10):
So the league changes really quick, and I think they
regret that. But now the Browns, it just sounds like
Watson's hasn't been great. Why would I just start Shadoor
week one?
Speaker 1 (29:22):
Well, it feels like I saw video this week of
Chadeur making a big downfield fourth quarter throw in practice
and the teammate's reaction to the play. And we don't
talk a lot about this, but a part of what
there is a belief. It feels like the Browns players
are rooting for Shador Sanders. They like like his vibe
(29:44):
and Deshaun Watson's older got some baggage.
Speaker 4 (29:48):
Some of it weird.
Speaker 1 (29:49):
That's not going to say the players are rooting against
a Sean, But when I watch video of Shaduur, it
feels like the Because the Browns are young, John it's
a young team. Miles Garrett one of their big senior leader.
He's gone now. They replace him with a Jared Verse,
a younger player. They're top players, are a lot of
young guys. It's a young locker room. So it's New
(30:10):
England and it feels like to me, it feels like
Shadur is the locker room favorite. You know, he's the
fan favorite. That's not even disputable. The question is with Monkin,
is he the coaching staff? Because the players and the
fans are rooting for Shadur, the question is, what's the
coaching staff thing? What is Jimmy Haslam saying, guys, we
got to get one star out of Deshaun. I'm paying
him a bloody fortune.
Speaker 6 (30:31):
Well, I think if you go back that the Ravens
were interested a couple of years ago, I think that
would be I'd be stunned if Todd Munkin wasn't part
of that conversation of like, yeah, I like him, let's
take him in the third or fourth round, especially, Lamar
had been banged up a little bit by then. So
I think if you're Shadoor, there's a high likelihood when
this guy got hired, he was kind of in your
(30:51):
corner as a player coming out of college.
Speaker 4 (30:54):
So uh, I mean, Watson hasn't been good.
Speaker 6 (30:57):
Watson is one of the most precipitous drop offs just
on the field I think we've ever seen, because he
was pretty good player with the Houston Texans and now
he's if he can't win the starting job, I mean,
his career is probably over.
Speaker 1 (31:09):
You think, yeah, I think between the weirdness, I mean,
he and Russell Wilson just got really average to really
bad or very quick, and you.
Speaker 4 (31:18):
Know, they're both athletic guys.
Speaker 1 (31:20):
You elude some of that athletic ability and it's never
the same, but you know, at.
Speaker 6 (31:24):
Least Russell, I mean you can some people think he's cheesy,
little fake or whatever, but there was nothing off the
field like Watson. I don't think most teams would touch
him with a ten foot points. Oh god, over the
previous baggage. Oh my god, I can't believe this found it.
I can't believe they found it we have, Okay, don't
(31:45):
show it to anybody. I want to see it live.
We have found the George Foster home run video.
Speaker 4 (31:51):
I don't know.
Speaker 1 (31:52):
I want to first of all, know how they found it,
because it's not on YouTube. So you know what I
bet I bet ya Shanks went upstairs to call the network,
called Rob Manfred and got it. Because Shank's probably wants
free coffee too. I can't blame executives. I think it
has to be an executive that got this because the
average produce. I don't know where our producers found it.
And they said, in my ear, we're getting closer. Okay,
(32:13):
that somebody called Manfred. He released some video. Okay, America
only now needs the Bigfoot video and we're home free.
Speaker 4 (32:21):
We'll show the video next
Hosts And Creators
Colin Cowherd
Jason McIntyre
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