Colin Cowherd Podcast - Reaction to Packers & Dolphins signing Jordan Love & Tua, Jim Harbaugh playoffs? - The Herd with Colin Cowherd

Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:01):
The volume.

Speaker 2 (00:03):
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Speaker 2 (01:56):
All right, it is time. This is sort of the
semi official start, John or I may miss one Sunday,
but this is kind of the official start as we
move into August very quickly, John, former NFL scout three
and out. You know, I was thinking about it this
weekend that it's been an interesting summer. COPA, the Euros,

(02:20):
the Olympics, there's just been a lot of big, big
events and my kids are doing a lot of traveling.
Is that I used to always view like August as
a kid, fourth of July to Labor Day as summer,
and I still have a little bit of time I
have to burn before the football season, but it feels
like August. Now these damn schools, high schools and colleges

(02:40):
start by like August twelfth, and it's like what happened
to August? Like my kids are starting college like early August.
So do you have a big August plan or to
you as August football?

Speaker 1 (02:53):
Yeah? To me July we've been gone for a month.
We're in Tahoe and home with our family. But talking
to you know, I don't have kids yet, But a
lot of people's kids go back to school early to
mid August the latest. When I was in high school,
and even at cal Pauly in college, we didn't start
till probably a week into September. The quarter system UCLA, Oregon,

(03:15):
they always had a big advantage in college because their
first couple of games the kids weren't school. I hadn't started.
So when I see these schools junior high, high school
and college going back in a week that's crazy to me,
that's insane. Yeah to me. I'm back in the football
mode a little bit. But I'm a podcaster podcast from wherever.
But I don't really have anywhere to go.

Speaker 2 (03:35):
I keep telling people before we get into NFL, I
don't recall a year. I'm more excited for college football
and I'm a PAC twelve guy, and it, you know, imploded.
You know, the big networks, Fox included, you know, wanted
an AFC, NFC and college football. Venture capitalists will probably

(03:55):
own the sport within five to ten years. But it
was so I got into this discussion over the weekend
with a friend up the food chain at USC and
I said to this person, I said, you know, take
out saban. I said, this stuff takes longer than you
think that this person we were talking about Lincoln Riley,

(04:18):
and I said, when Harbaugh got to Michigan, he actually overachieved.
In the first year, they went from five to ten wins.
I watched this first game, it was a win at Utah.
I said, they weren't that good. They really didn't have
a lot of NFL guys, but just power of personality.
They got very physical, very fast, and the big ten
wasn't as good as it is now, and they won
ten games. Two years later they won eight, and he

(04:41):
was getting ripped because he was polarizing, and I said this,
I said, what Brady Hope did to Michigan is sort
of what Clay Hilton did to USC. Didn't kill the brand,
but the rosters were so depleted. And I said this
to the person that was critical of Lincoln. I said,
but does everybody understand how bad it was at USC?

(05:03):
They weren't only four and eight. I always told that
Lincoln and his group looked at the players and thought
they had thirty three guys that they could use, like
could play. So as I look at their schedule this year,
you know it's full of Penn States and LSU's and
Notre Dames. They're not playing, you know, these regional schools.
They got LSU and Notre Dame is out of conference schools.

(05:25):
What does USC have to win? So you John Middelkoff go,
I'm good with that.

Speaker 1 (05:31):
Well, my buddy, Guy Harman and Yogi are doing Big
ten games and they were back in Indy for the
Big Ten. You know the media days which is like
four days long, because they got eighteen teams and you
start looking at the conference. Are we sure they're not
a seven and five team? I mean, is that possible?

(05:52):
I mean, I know you're a USC homer and listen,
I root for West Coast teams, but same same, I like,
it's seven and five on the table. Do you acknowledge that.

Speaker 2 (06:02):
If they can't beat Michigan. So Michigan lost eighteen pros,
new coach, and then already lost their best coaches, assistants,
head coach. So I think it's a much bigger rebuild
than people think at Michigan. So my guess is if
they can beat Michigan and go one and one to start,
I think they win eight to nine. If they go
zero and two, seven's on the table.

Speaker 1 (06:24):
I think the problem. And you use Harvard as an example.
Jim was a Michigan man, right, so he resonated with
the people there. He was part of them. And in
college more than the pros, that's a big deal. No
one gives a shit where you're from, and in the pros, right,
you can be an la guy coach in New York.
If you're winning great vice versa. In college, it kind

(06:45):
of matters. And let's face it, Lincoln is a Texas guy,
had all the success at Oklahoma, came here because they
paid him a lot of money. And I do think
the money factors in. I mean, are they paying one
hundred and twenty million dollars if they go even eight
and four? And this isn't his doing and his fault,
but Oregon's going to be really good. Dan inherited a
much better program. They had a lot more talent because

(07:06):
of the way Mario recruited. But if they're eleven in
one or in the conference championship game and in the
playoffs and they're eight and four, not even sniffing the playoffs,
I do think it just gets weird because you're not
one of them. And we see this in college football
a lot. Our buddy Jim mcawain, he was having success

(07:27):
at Florida. I mean, look at that place before and
since you know, after Urban Meyer in the last four
or five years, they ran him out of town, ran
him out of town. Now it's different with Lincoln than
Jim mcawaane. He's a much bigger name, bigger brand, has
more success at a higher level. But if you go
eight and four, you start asking yourself ten states rolling,
I mean, if their quarterback is just decent. They should

(07:48):
win ten games. Like you said, Michigan, Okay, they take
a step back. Ohio State's got the best roster in
college football. Oregon can't be far behind. Matt Ruhle knows
what he's doing in college football, Luke, it's just a
really hard conference. The other thing is like random teams
in that conference in Iowa or a Minnesota always have
an upset throughout the season. So it just becomes very,

(08:09):
very difficult. And you know, these people, a lot of
rich people behind the USC program, and they're cutting enormous checks.
And the bigger check that you start cutting, I think
the more the questions get crazier. You see it in
the SEC all the time. The reason there is crazy
in terms of the turnover with coaches when they because
the amount of money they're paying to not just the
head coach, but the assistants. You have gms in college football. Now,

(08:31):
I got buddies making three four hundred grand. They're just
in charge of recruiting. So I mean, I have buddies
that scout in the NFL for fifteen years that don't
make that. So it's just it's a money thing. And
the expectations. You could argue it should be easier in
theory with the transfer portal to get better fast.

Speaker 2 (08:49):
By the way, what's going to happen in college football
in the next year. This is really a thing that's happening.
So I've talked to two different athletic directors. Is these
college programs are going to hire general managers because right now,
these guys don't know how to work their cap So
let's say I'll just take usc they're making somewhere between

(09:11):
thirteen and fifteen million in IOL That's what I've been told.

Speaker 1 (09:14):
You're saying, that's their budget to pay.

Speaker 2 (09:15):
That's their annual budget. They're building new facilities. That money's
always easy to get. Boosters love facilities that they can.

Speaker 1 (09:21):
Feel they put their name on it.

Speaker 2 (09:23):
Yeah, right, nil again, about thirteen million a year in
that ballpark. They don't know how to spend it. They
don't know. They just don't understand quite they need a
general manager. So I think, what's going to happen in
college football in the next eighteen months. A guy like
a Chris Peterson who works at Fox, A guy like
a Christer. You hire Chris Peterson, You give him a

(09:45):
good salary, and see, Chris, you just run the cap
You organizationally kind of run our personnel. You don't get
the heat of the coach. And I think that guys
like Chris Peterson are going to have schools throw seven
figures at them, and can you run, from a personnel standpoint,
organize our football program because these guys, these schools now

(10:07):
are paying high schoolers, not seniors. They're paying juniors to
announce start going to the schools. So I think there's
a massive shift going on. UCLA can't compete at all.
Thank god they're moving to the Big ten because the
home attendants will bully their you know, their revenue, but
they have a debt service every year. They they're they're
in big trouble.

Speaker 1 (10:27):
Did you see the highlight of Deshaun Foster talking at
That's which is crazy because he was a high level
college player, a good NFL player. It's not like he's
never been in front of the media. He's not some
lifetime coach. It was pretty it felt very UCLA right
now and kind of Mickey Mouse, and it's they're going
to be terrible. Jake Rosenberg, who I was dming with

(10:48):
this weekend, who I used to work with with the Eagles,
who was one of how he's right hand men with
the cap, who worked in finance before he got hired
with the Eagles, left the Eagles and created a company
and is now working with Oklahoma. He's literally signed contracts
and worked with these contracts, and his business will only
grow exponentially quick because again, obviously thirteen million is less

(11:10):
than two hundred million NFL salary cap, but it's still
These guys aren't used to and philosophically. You know, Kirby
Smart I've heard, is very uncomfortable getting to a certain
number with a high school kid. Yeah, he will pay
his own guy once he gets established, or pay a
transfer portal guy. But in terms of a high school kid,
I mean Nebraska Dominic Riola, who I think is the dad?

(11:31):
I think with the kid's name, who's the quarterback? You know,
there are rumors he got four million dollars and you
fall college recruiting probably closer than I do. We have
seen a million, number one, number two overall guys, the
guys that turn into Andrew Locke and Trevor Lawrence and
Kayleb Williams. But those guys are actually the minority. Yeah,
the majority bounce around, become average, get bench. That's a

(11:53):
very risky proposition. Like you said, you don't have fifty
million to deal with, so if you're going to allocate
several millions. The thing a couple of years ago with USC,
I guess it would have been two years ago when
they had Jordan Adison and Caleb Weren't those guys taking
like eighty percent of their nil money to the two players? Yeah,
they were worth it, but still, I mean, you better
get it right.

Speaker 2 (12:14):
It's a much bigger mess than anybody in the sports
media is talking about. It is a shit show. It
is these schools are paying juniors in high school. Some
of these guys take the money and then they flip
their senior year to the school that comes to like
an Oregon and pays more money. So it's a mess.
So general managers are coming. I think venture capitalists could

(12:40):
own chunks of college football programs. But it is is
it's pro football and the other thing. You know, the
other thing athletic directors are going to have to go
through over the next couple of years. John, All these
sports are driven by football. At basketball makes money for
men and women. At a lot of colleges. After that,
they all lose money. So let's sit up money a lot.

(13:03):
I mean so, and but it's hard because if let's
say you have a swimming program or a golf program
and it loses a million a year, but your third
biggest booster in the athletic department supports their kid who's
on the swimming team. So it's very you get you
have to be very judicious with your decisions because a
lot of times the biggest boosters their kids. You know,

(13:26):
they got a scholarship in golf for swimming, or water
polo or fencing. It out east hockey and it's like
the sport loses just three million, but the guy gave
us eight million. I think if you really privately asked
athletic directors what they could do, they would all shave
off twenty programs, twenty five programs. You can't make money.

(13:48):
And so I've said years ago you should privatize football.
But a lot of the biggest boosters at these schools
are not football boosters. And so, but I'm here to
tell you those there's guys out there, the Chris Peterson's
bob stoops those guys. Now, people are going to start
calling them and say, do you want to run the program?

(14:10):
You're the GM. Here's a million a year. Just organize
this stuff. Run our cap and or xgms at fifty
five who is just burnt out from crazy owners. There's
a new industry starting in college football. General managers are
a year away from being hired everywhere.

Speaker 1 (14:28):
Well, that's why you're going to see it this year,
and it's only going to grow the next five years.
Is the wiping out of all the random colleges when
it comes to football. I was at the gym today
and this guy who looked like he played football was
decked out in Washington State football gear. Kind of made
me sad, you know, I mean, we grew up on
that program playing in big games. They're going to turn

(14:49):
it in closer to UC Davis in the next five
years than they are back to Washington because the money
the SEC has made. I mean, look at the SEC,
the amount they pay college basketball coaches now, I mean,
and they're college basketball conference now. I fall college golf
because a lot of the top guys go on to
the PGA Tour. All the college golf programs in the
SEC they flay private because, like you say, they have

(15:10):
big boosters, they have the football money behind it, and
the Big ten is not going to be far behind
as they start making gobs of cash now that they've
gotten Oregon in USC and it's inevitable. It feels like
Notre Dame, you know, and those programs go and the
SEC gets Florida State and Clemson over the next decade,
it's going to wipe out the little guy. And I
started at Fresno State, they don't have a snowballs chance

(15:32):
in hell to survive. And it's just it's going to
become the NFL light Because I get a lot of
questions like why doesn't the NFL invest in minor league football?
So why would they? College football produces all their talent
and they don't have to spend a penny, so why
would they spend any expense on developing players. Besides, once
they have them in their own building, when college football

(15:54):
is doing it for them, they're spending all and football,
like you said, makes all the money in college sports.
It's also the most expensive program to run. It's why,
you know where I grew up in northern California, Saint
Mary Santa Clara. When I worked for Pat Hill, he
played at Riverside those programs back in the seventies, Pete
Carroll played it, you know, Phacophic School Pacific. They all

(16:18):
cut football after a while because they couldn't afford it.
And that's back. I mean they were bare bones. So
it just becomes how does Washington State or Fresno State
or New Mexico whose programs forever, I mean they were
playing real football, how do they survive moving forward? And
the answer is they just don't. That's just the way
kind of business works, right.

Speaker 2 (16:36):
Yeah, And I for the record, you bringing up Pete Carroll.
Pete Carroll's somebody that USC could hire and just say
you're our general manager. Pete would be great. He loves
the school, The school loves Pete. So keep your eye
on for anybody listening to Chris Peterson, Bob Stoops, Pete Carroll.
These schools they're looking for those guys to step in.

(16:58):
I mean, Pete Carroll, wouldn't that be a great way
to close out your career. He's got great energy. Pete's
on USC's campus, he's he's the ambassador running USC football.

Speaker 1 (17:08):
Well, why do you think most people would agree that
Bill Belichick? More than likely he's gonna at least get
interviews and probably get a head coaching job. No one
thinks Pete Carroll is ever getting a head coaching job
again in the NFL. And I'm sure you saw the
story last week. I mean, Kyle asked Bill Belichick if
you wanted to be his defense promenator. Bill wasn't interested.

(17:28):
Why wouldn't he ask? He didn't ask Pete Carroll, who'd
gone against for eight years, didn't even cross. He runs
Pete's defense, and it feels like Pete, in a weird way,
is like this relic where Bill, who didn't have I mean,
Pete had more success the last couple of years than Bill,
and listen, I agree, I would hire Bill over Pete
because if you really followed Pete, like their defense was terrible,

(17:49):
some of these moves. But it feels like Pete is
just done. He's too old, and Bill's like, yeah, he's old,
but he still knows what he's doing.

Speaker 2 (17:57):
Yeah, it's interesting. I think, you know, all these rings
and trophies for Belichick just puts them in a different class.
And you know, it's like I always sort of laugh
if you look at you know, these bands that haven't
had a hit in forty years, they're still making millions
a year playing at Foxwood's casino. Once you're a legend.

Speaker 1 (18:17):
Brooks hasn't had a hit since the nineties.

Speaker 2 (18:20):
And you're still making ten million a year minimum Celine Dion.
So I think I think Belichick is just such a
legend that he'll just make money on being Bill Belichick forever.
Pete had he won that second Super Bowl and that
interception by Malcolm Butler, maybe he would be in more
legendary status. He's more in a Mike Tomlin thing. But
I also think Pete's got a place. I think in

(18:41):
the North Shore in Hawaii. He's happy. I really think
this for Pete embracing USC.

Speaker 1 (18:48):
They love him.

Speaker 2 (18:48):
You know, he's just he is the most popular coach
in the history of USC is Pete Carroll still today.
I wish he would literally sign up and run their
football management team, because I think that's what USC is going.

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Speaker 2 (19:50):
So I'm looking at all these new contracts, and you
know what, it really is interesting. I'm totally comfortable with
Jordan loves and some of it's just this because I
fashioned myself as a poor man's scout. He's bigger than Tua,
he's faster than to A, he's got a better arm
than to A, and Green Bay almost always gets offense, right.

(20:11):
I really that's my bias. Whereas too a smaller, don't
love his arm, not his athletic and Miami screws stuff up.
The two two hundred and twelve million dollars. I am
a little uncomfortable with it. I don't think I would
have gone there. But I think to myself all the
time what Jay Glazer once said, the worst great job
in America is being a football coach driving to the

(20:34):
stadium knowing you're gonna win six games and if two
is upright, you have a chance to win eleven. So
I just think I trust the Packers. Jordan's bigger, stronger, faster,
better whip. Where are you one TUA to twelve over
four years? Would you have gone there?

Speaker 1 (20:51):
And one hundred and seventy million dollars guaranteed is insane
to me. I think there's two ways to look at it.
That contract to me is jaw dropping. I think most
people that have watched and play go that's crazy. That's
that's insane because you have no shot to beat any
of the top quarterbacks who are all in your conference.
And we just saw last year you were like, what

(21:13):
were they eight and one or nine and two and
the other Bills were six and six and they still
ended up winning the division. Why because Josh Allen translates
in November, December and January, and your guy doesn't. But
there is value in just being relevant and competing to
make the wild card every Yes, so why can't we
find some middle ground of like Alex Smith never made

(21:34):
Peyton Manning, Aaron Rodgers or Tom Brady money, but like
he was getting Harbaugh and Andy Reid to the playoffs
and there was value in him. And now we've got
to the point of like, well, you just gotta make
this much. Why why couldn't you just offer him Daniel
Jones money, like ninety million dollars guaranteed. You cut that
guarantee in half. Who are you bidding against the thing

(21:55):
with Dak? You know, if he hit the open market,
other people would be interested. The Raiders would take him
in a beat like they were. And he's proven like
every single year you can win twelve games to it
still feels like is he even that good? But but
he clearly you could win with him. You have a
good offensive coordinator. He's a good guy, like all the
character stuff, but his physical flaws one, he's a relic.

(22:16):
He's a true pocket quarterback, bad athlete relative And I
heard you, what was your analogy about the furniture with
your with your quarterback?

Speaker 2 (22:23):
I like my I like my quarterbacks like my furniture,
big and hard to move.

Speaker 1 (22:28):
Okay, so the old school quarterbacks. Anyone that's ever met
one of these guys, Carson Palmer, Eli or Peyton. Did
you see the pictures of Peyton at Team USA practice
standing next to all these guys that are six seven
and six ten. He does not look that much smaller
than any of them. I know, the Mannings are huge.
Carson Palmer is a giant, Philip Rivers is huge. Well,

(22:50):
that's how Tua plays. The problem is he's six feet tall. Yeah,
and he's got a weak arm, so he doesn't translate
to the winter. Well, he plays in the division with
cold weather teams. So I just I get investing in them.
And if you would have said, hey, they signed him
to a three year, one hundred million dollar deal and
they guaranteed every penion, Like I kind of get it.

(23:11):
But to pay him enormous money I think is insane.
I just don't know. Like when it comes to Jordan Love,
if you and I pulled every GM we know and
said who would you take for this next five years?
Jordan Love or to us that all take Jordan, it'd
be unanimous. It would be one hundred percent. So Jordan
Love technically signed for less. That's what I just think.

(23:34):
I listen, I don't get it. That's I'm shortened the
Dolphins for the next three or four years. I'll tell
you that.

Speaker 2 (23:39):
And here's the other issue. In thirty two years since
Brett Favre arrived, it's been thirty two years since he
stepped foot he was a Packer. The Packers have the
number one rated offense in the league, second winning his
team to New England, and have never in thirty two
years that I recall, have a bad offensive line. So

(24:00):
if you look at the ancillary reality of Green Bay,
Jordan Love will get better protection on average and better
coaching on average. So Jordan Love got paid less and
has much better support system. So I mean, Stephen Ross
is one of the richer owners, but do you really
trust him. He's always been a distracted owner and Miami

(24:24):
hasn't had a great offensive line since Don Shula. So
my take is, not only don't I Love the to
a contract, but let's just be honest, over five years
of it, he'll have middle of the Paco lines and
there's the possibility that they won't draft terribly well. I
mean Green Bay is I said this the other day,

(24:47):
like there's certain people. If Spielberg makes a movie or
is involved in something, if you go to his like
movie page, it's almost always good. He doesn't he has
B projects. He doesn't have any c's like Green Bay.
If they had a bad season, it's because a quarterback
got hurt. I mean, there'll be two A minus virtually

(25:07):
B plus to A minus every year in my life.
So the other thing I don't like about Tua is
Marino had shula. I don't think Mike McDaniels. I guess
the way I would say it's this, there are about
four organizations and four ownership groups I just trust implicitly,
and Miami's not one of them.

Speaker 1 (25:29):
No, I think people often ask like, why have the
Ravens stayed so consistent over now two and a half decades.
They've had the same people there forever. So Eric Acosta,
who's now in charge, worked for Ozzie Newson for twenty years. Well,
when you look at the Packers, it's kind of similar.
Maybe coaches, you know, they go from McCarthy to the floor.

(25:52):
But Gudakins worked for Ted Thompson, who worked for Ron Wolfe.
I mean, the carryover of the philosophical beliefs of the
organization have not changed the non negotiables of what you
look for in players, the way you develop. Obviously in
Green Bay they love offensive coaches, and I think when
you look at Jordan Love, I don't think they get

(26:12):
enough credit because we just the way our society works,
were always onto the next for when they pulled the
trigger on drafting him, I mean, it was pretty ugly.
They got destroyed. You know. Charlie Munger says, if you
can't handle you know, the fifty percent downturns, you deserve
the mediocre returns. Well, they that was ugly. I mean,
it created this weird dynamic with Rogers. It was crazy,

(26:34):
even though Rogers member was coming off that kind of
weird season their first year. But when they did it
well three four years later, it's paying off big dividends.
Now they're still risk involved. But there are still some
unknown with this player. He's only had eight good games.
But I don't know if you have watched any of
just I watched a little bit of his press conference
I think yesterday, and I saw a clip today with

(26:54):
the NFL networkers there. Just because he's been the backup
you haven't really heard. He's pretty impressive, yes, you just
as a guy, and yes, his maturity. I was like,
oh damn, that's this is this has a Mahomes Josh Allen,
the way he carries himself. And obviously, like you said,
first off, you have to have the physical Alex Smith
checked every box except weak armed. Yeah, you know, he

(27:16):
had a great arm. He would have been Aaron Rodgers
or something, you know. And that's what this guy has.
He has these physical characteristics, he has the infrastructure around him,
and then he has the maturity. I I think you
just I don't know if he's gonna be then Aaron
Rodgers two point zero, but how's he not gonna be
pretty damn good, you know? And that's it's listen my life.

(27:39):
Joe Montana was a little bit before me. I remember
as a kid he was more on the Chiefs than
Steve Young and then Jeff Garcia, who was nowhere near
as good as those two, but he was still damn
good going the Pro Bowl. I think this guy has
a chance to be like their version of Jeff Garcia,
but the but actually closer to Rogers or Farth. And
that's why I think they are. They feel really good.

(27:59):
Now he got he got seventy five million dollars signing bonus,
he will get seventy five million dollars. I think it's
three twenty five million dollar direct deposits between now and
like mid December. So I mean they're pushing all their
chips in the middle of the table on this. But
I think you ask people around the league, any person
that watched them, if you're a fan of the Packers,
you go, yeah, I get it, I would do it.

(28:19):
Or the opposite reaction to Tua, like did you need
to do this? That's my question? Did you need to
do this? Well, the everything you know NBA. You know
when NBA teams just max out guys like you're a
forty win team, you have to pay this guy two
hundred million dollars. You don't, right.

Speaker 2 (28:35):
But I also think last year when I watched Green Bay,
I actually thought it was Matt Lafleur's team. When I
watched them, I thought, oh, I feel like I'm watching
Matt Lafluur's play calling. And I think you have to
kind of you know, I mean, the Jets or the
Packers with Aaron Rodgers, it's kind of Aaron's team, and
that's you know.

Speaker 1 (28:55):
You just deal with that.

Speaker 2 (28:56):
Even Brady, as great as he was, especially in New England,
maybe less so. And Tampa, I mean Tom kind of
let the coach call the plays. Peyton knows kind of
around the offense he wanted. So I feel like that's
the other thing with Jordan love really coachable, really easy.
The other thing I wanted to kind of jump into

(29:17):
is I don't know why I'm so interested in this,
but I am. This is my this is kind of
my thing. I talked to Dave wants that about this.
So this is not an opinion by me. This is
the truth. When when Russell Wilson gets married, he doesn't
have ten players at the wedding with Ciarra. He's never
been wildly popular inside of his locker rooms, and he's

(29:38):
been good. It's like generally good looking, rich guy, beautiful wife.
You'd be just by you know, just the way the
world works, you'd be kind of popular.

Speaker 3 (29:50):
He's not.

Speaker 1 (29:51):
Really.

Speaker 2 (29:51):
We've seen players in Denver, we've seen players in Seattle.
Coaches take shots at Russell. I like him, but he
comes off to a lot of people as inauthentic. So
and I don't think he's changed. In fact, he's befriended.
I've been told Mike Tomlin more than any teammate, like
he's because Tomlin, by the way, is like Russell wealthy,
you know, worth seventy five to one hundred million dollars

(30:13):
or more. So he's befriended. You know, Tomlin not a teammate.
And then here comes Justin Fields, who to the last
day in Chicago. Despite being the worst fourth quarter quarterback
in like a decade, players loved him. He's young, he's
a nice guy, he's supportive, he's secure in himself. He
just doesn't he's got a Zach Wilson thing. He struggles

(30:34):
post snapped or read a defense. He just struggles with it.
He doesn't identify certain things. Zach and Justin I see
everything except that. But now Russell's banged up, and Justin's
guarantee as a great practice player.

Speaker 1 (30:50):
And here's my thing.

Speaker 2 (30:51):
You look at that Pittsburgh schedule. There are a lot
of two game losing streaks in it. I mean, if
they don't get that old line right, there's a lot
of two game losing streaks. And you tell me, having
worked for the Eagles, Russell has a two game losing streak,
and like right now, Justin's crushing it at practice. It's
a young roster players like Justin. Like, I think that's

(31:15):
a fascinating potential mess. Do you think they replaced Russ
or do you think he's been guaranteed a starting spot
this year?

Speaker 1 (31:24):
I think it's already getting weird. I mean he's already injured.
It's late July, pulled calf. He feels like a weathered
guy that's thirty four to thirty five years old, and
partly is the way he's looked the last couple of years.
I've said forever, if I was a Steeler fan, I
would want no part of Russell Wilson's starting because we
hire Arthur Smith, who we've seen resurrect Ryan Tannehill's coather.

(31:45):
Now I would say Tanny Hill then a little more accurate.
This guy's a better athlete. Can you get anything out
of this player? The other thing in Pittsburgh, what's that
territory like right by Ohio State. A lot of those
fans watch Justin fields succeed. Remember the game he had
to get Clemson the playoff game. I think he threw
six touchdowns. There's stuff there. I would just want to
see that guy. When I think the Steelers going back

(32:08):
even before I was born to throughout my youth to
this team. Now, they just have guys. Guys like when
you think football players in the like TJ. Watt feels
like everyone likes Cam Hayward's the man of the year,
think of Fitzpatrick's like one of Saban's favorite players, and
it doesn't feel like those guys are going to be
into this at all. I mean at all. And the

(32:29):
other thing is, let's face it, Russell's more of a
dink and dunk guy now and they have explosive players
on that roster. My guess is I think we now,
who knows, We'll see if he can by the time
within a week and pads are on, if he's back
at the starter, it would not shock me if Justin
Fields started very early on. I wouldn't even put week
one out of the realm possibility. They're not invested into

(32:50):
this player. I mean, they're in for a million dollars,
so it means you can't get a player of his
status any cheaper.

Speaker 2 (32:58):
You know, it's amazing. So John Snyder was number three,
it was Pete Russell and John Snyder. Snyder almost left
because Pete was taking over too much of.

Speaker 1 (33:09):
The personal law. He almost leave the line.

Speaker 2 (33:12):
Yes, he basically almost agreed to terms. Pete got fired,
Russell got traded, and now John Snyder overwhelmingly runs the
Seattle organization. So I grew up in the Pacific Northwest.
I think he's a very good drafter. And as much
as I like and admired Pete Carroll, I thought he
underachieved with his talent the last couple of years. I

(33:34):
am a team that's completely under the radar is Seattle.
So Gino's not the future, but more than capable to
win ten games in the NFC. I think of all
the teams in the NFL, and I try not to
be a homer on this stuff, but I from there,
and I'm so. They hired McDonald, the young defensive coordinator
from Baltimore, and people are like he's Demico. Ryan's two

(33:56):
point zero super smart comes from a great organization. Schneider's
of funny guy. I won't go into too many personal
things I know, but he enjoys his life. He's tremendous
at what he does. I think Snyder's great at what
he does.

Speaker 1 (34:11):
He's a top five GM in the NFL. Aiting one
in the league would tell you.

Speaker 2 (34:14):
That, Yeah, he's an excellent drafter, and I think he
got frustrated the last two years of Pete. I mean,
he hit on a couple of really nice offensive players
and they're just it's just not working. So I actually think,
and again I like Pete. I think this young coach
is gonna I think they have a chance now. They
don't have the right quarterback to be a little bit

(34:34):
like Houston where they're forgotten. So McVeigh and Stafford, I
mean that's just they get a lot of attention. The
Niners get attention, Kyler gets attention, the Lions do, the
Packers do. I have this weird feeling that Seattle is
going to shock people and they're not a super Bowl
team because I think there's limitations at quarterback. But you know,

(34:56):
much like Brady left, Belichick went to tam and you're like, shit,
Tom really overcame Bill a lot in the last few
years in New England. It's not great for Pete if
this new guy comes in and they crush. But I
went and looked at their two deeps this morning, John,
they got a ton of talent. They have a they

(35:17):
don't have a great edge rusher. Outside of that, they're
receiving corps. They're running backs, they're corners. Jesus, they're tackles.
They are talented.

Speaker 1 (35:29):
Well, let's not forget they made the playoffs two years
ago and last year they were in the mix basically
the last two weeks, right, and they you could argue
their receiving corps. The top three guys are the best
in the league. You know one, you know the three,
the group of the three. I have a hard time.
I think there are two major question marks for me.
One of the division's good. So do you like Geno

(35:50):
Smith against the Rams and the forty nine ers and
the Niners haven't lost to him in a long time now.
And anytime you get a new coach, I had a
buddy worked with him in the Ravens. They called him
boy genius. I mean, he's special. Demiko did get c. J.
Stroud and his division was kind of down last year.
Anthony Richidon gets hurt, Yes, that helps, that helps. And

(36:11):
the Jags were weird. I mean by the end of
the season. Even the Cardinals, if they're one of the
worst teams, like they're a problem. The other thing is
I always struggle with coaches. He saw this with Urban,
it was a different scenario, but a guy that has
zero NFL experience, Matt Ruhle had one year as an

(36:32):
assistant on line coach. They were head coaches, but Ryan Grubb,
who was divorced right hand guy, went with him to Alabama.
Then John Schneider and McDonald offered him the job. He's
an off He's never coached in the NFL. Now, he's
clearly been an awesome offensive coordinator for a long time.
But that's a pretty big jump. And like you said, Listen,
Geno is an incredible story. Easy got to roof four.

(36:54):
But I just don't like him against the Niners and
I do not like him against the Rams. But they
they have the talent to win nine games for sure,
and so if they're better on defense because of their
offensive talent for yeah, I mean Kenneth Walker, that guy's
a baller.

Speaker 2 (37:08):
Yeah, I thought they should have It was my take
last year in the draft. They should have taken a
big swing and gone for a quarterback. I think I
what my concern is next year at Shador Sanders just
too much about himself, really, worries me. The kid at
Georgia is great, but he'll be gone. Seattle has a
chance to get into quicksand here where they're winning like

(37:29):
eight games a year. Drafting thirteenth and have to sell
the farm.

Speaker 1 (37:34):
You become the Raiders. You have a lot of good players,
but you have no quarterback.

Speaker 2 (37:37):
Yep. And I think although Gino's more than capable. You know,
I get into this discussion with gms and executives in
the league. The league's gotten smarter. First of all, fans
have gotten smarter because gambling is legal, so fans are
more analytical now. So football fans ten years ago and
football fans today when I talk to them, fans are

(37:57):
much smarter today. If the media guys like like you
that commit to it are much smarter today. The coaching's
much smarter. Belichick and Pete Carroll looked outdated. Tomlin offensively, shit,
how many years do you get to fix the offensive line? Mike,
It's like six Andy Reid did it in one year.
McVay did it in the year and a half, Like,
it can't take this long. So I just look at

(38:20):
Seattle and I think a defensive coach, but I think
the fascinating story with the Seahawks is John Schneider, this
guy who was sort of suppressed under Pete. He survived,
and you know Paul Allen died. Pete kind of filled
that void, used a lot of that power. Made some mistakes, which,

(38:41):
by the way, Pete, if you asked him, I've been told,
acknowledges those mistakes. But to your point earlier, Pete and
Russell Wilson have fallen off the football map virtually overnight.

Speaker 1 (38:56):
I think it's very difficult. Like if you're a computer
program or you're some guy at Google or Apple making
millions of dollars, but you're just in an office. It's
like if you're weird, who cares does? I think it's very,
very difficult to be a weird quarterback. Obviously, different people
have different personalities, but like you can be a weird

(39:16):
guard or a weird safety, But as a quarterback, you're
so reliant on not just the face, to the fans,
to the owner, to the coach, to your teammates. It's
why most guys are just pretty smooth cats. They can
just you just go. That guy could be the CEO
of a bank, he could start his own company, he
could be a high school football coach. He could do

(39:37):
whatever he wants. And with Russell, the most bizarre thing
is that everywhere he's been two places, but they just
have a lot of like I would say those Seattle teams,
they had aggressive guys, but they're pretty authentic, like sure,
authentic guy. They just had a lot of just Doug
Baldwin high level guys, and none of them just they

(39:57):
like sniffed out like they He couldn't just be normal,
like couldn't give out his phone number, you got to
call my people. It's like, bro, what are we talking
about here? And at first I thought was he putting
on like a facade as he tried to be, But
I really think maybe he didn't start as his person.
He's morphed into this guy. But whatever it is is
too far gone. And I just don't think that Pittsburgh,

(40:19):
wouldn't you say, Pittsburgh, Ohio the last place at that
type stuff, Seattle, Progressive, West Coast, whatever, he's the best
most talented quarterback they'd ever had, whatever. But I just
think I think Justin Field's if this injury lasts at
all and Justin is just serviceable in practice, it would
not shock me at all, he's the starting quarterback Week one, would.

Speaker 2 (40:40):
You no, not really what they have to lose? Well, again,
I guess it would surprise me because Russell doesn't have
a history. He usually overcomes his injuries, so that would
surprise me. But I do think people are just saying
it's Russell's team. I think it's I've been told that

(41:02):
he's really connected more with Tomlin than any teammate. And
but I also look at you know, I was really
close to my teachers in high school. It was my
football coach, my basketball coach, the women's pe coach. I

(41:22):
was closer. I had two or three really close friends.
And you know, Russell came from there's some Ivy League
connections here, and we all kind of beat up on Russell,
myself included. But you know, Russell just doesn't have a
lot of immaturity in his DNA. You know, he just doesn't.
He's like Kirk Cousins. He feels like he was twenty
seven going on forty three. And Russell, to me, is

(41:46):
like he's just not one of the guys. And I
feel bad for him. My son is a little bit
like this. My son he like skipped junior high, like
he was talking politics with me when he was thirteen.
Someday I'll write a book and put an incident that happened.

(42:08):
It is high school in Las Vegas. He was creating
security systems. Some of it's intelligence, some of it is
just he's a unique kid. So I have a soft spot,
you know that for people that just don't hang out
with their age group, their peers, And I feel sometimes
I feel bad for Russell.

Speaker 1 (42:27):
To me, that's I struggle with that excuse because wouldn't
you say Tom Brady pretty early on and Peyton Manning,
I mean, their maturity levels and maybe it's just that
they could balance to like be one of the guys.
I mean, tom Brady was resonating with people in his
locker room they were twenty two when he was forty
four years old. Like, you either kind of have that

(42:47):
or you don't. Maybe that's what you're saying is he
just doesn't have that capability. You have to have that
capability though to think of play that position. Think it's
impossible to play that, would you agree? Impossible to play
that position if you can't resonate with anyone the offensive
side of the ball.

Speaker 2 (43:01):
It's hard. I mean, remember this This is almost implausible.
He got benched. His college coach, he was a great player,
said we're gonna move on. He had to transfer to Wisconsin.
Jesus Christ, he was great. It's North Carolina State. It's
not Georgia. North Carolina State. It's like, we're moving on

(43:21):
to immobile. Mike Glennon and I messed up that one up.
But it's it's interesting. I mean, there's the there's the sign,
like the coaches think, I'm gonna.

Speaker 1 (43:31):
Go think about it. Yeah, I was thinking about this today.
You know, Jordan Love, do you think it was easier
for him just to sit keep his mouth shut? Obviously
he had a lot to learn. But he's coming from
Utah State, you know, Josh Allen coming from Wyoming, Patrick
Mahomes coming from Texas Tech. I think sometimes, like, let's
face it, Caleb is an incredible prospect, ton of hype,

(43:52):
but like, I don't think he could just sit for
a year. I think it would be very difficult. I
think it's very hard for some of these guys coming
from these big programs, the spotlights in this modern day
society where you get some of these guys from these
smaller programs who turn out to be awesome players. It's
easier for them to kind of mix in because of
their well, they're not used to flying first class essentially

(44:13):
when the football world.

Speaker 2 (44:14):
I think it's much harder for young athletic quarterbacks. Josh
lamar Vic. I think when you're athletic and you know
you're a better athlete, and that matters so much in
pro sports, you're a better athlete than the starting quarterback.
They are not cognitively, line of scrimmage, pre snapped, you're

(44:35):
not in the same class. But I do think players
are impressed with athleticism, and so I think when you
when Russell walks into the league in that camp and
they had Matt Flynn in three weeks into his Seattle tenure, Pete's.

Speaker 1 (44:47):
Like players like that guy.

Speaker 2 (44:50):
So I think it's really it's easier to be Jared
Goff to sit back and go I'm gonna wait a while.

Speaker 1 (44:56):
I think it.

Speaker 2 (44:57):
Shows maturity that Jordan Love who you know, in the
the end the last couple of years he was in
Green Bay, he was much more athletic than Aaron Rodgers
and he didn't say a peep, which tells me he's
a pretty mature kid.

Speaker 1 (45:09):
You could argue his story. Colin, do you remember last year.
I think around the bye week Gudikins went on record
it had not been going well yeah, and said like, yeah,
I'd be lying. These next eleven games are kind of
going to determine his future. And I was kind of
out just because I was like, Oh, this guy's been
around a while. And then he turned into Aaron was
on point zero. Yeah, and within I mean, I don't

(45:30):
even know what's July under twelve months, he made one
hundred and fifty five million dollars and they deserved a
lot of credit. Remember they worked out that kind of
weird short term contract. They're like, I don't even know
if he's worth a fifth year option yet. Yeah, And
it just shows you I think they were set on
the guy. But ultimately, football, more than any other sports,

(45:50):
truly about production that leads to wins. Listen, John, in
the NBA, you can produce and lose and still get paid.
In football, you could not produce and lose and stay
on that team.

Speaker 2 (45:59):
I'll make an argument Jordan Love is a bust with
eighty percent of the teams in the league, and that
Trevor jo hiring, that Trevor Lawrence and Justin Herbert with
the Packers would now be considered top four quarterbacks. Is
that green Bay people fans tend to think it's just
a zero sum game. It's like, you got talent, you play,
You're great. Jordan Love goes to the Raiders. He's done.

(46:23):
He's a backup in the league. Is that even in
green Bay? He just needed support support, then he got
then he played and they gave him support. And green
Bay last year had I mean Aaron's last year in
green Bay, they're O line PFF had it at third best.
They're never bad offensively. But Jordan Love is a case
study on green Bay. This thing. He had a pot

(46:45):
bust in college. He sat for three years. He was
awful as first six weeks. The organization gave him Alwonkee
two year deal. He is a backup in the league
on virtually everybody except Green Bay, which is just a credit.
I mean, Trevor Lawrence, people are doubting him now if
you put him with Andy Reid of the Packers. What

(47:05):
do you think Trevor Lawrence is today?

Speaker 1 (47:07):
Give me a break, give him Kyle Shanahan, Sean McVay.
He's not as bad. I think it's more that it
hasn't been the hype, Like he didn't look like Andrew Locker,
Peyton Manning, and he got two hundred million dollars, right.
I mean, it felt like a pretty aggressive investment based
on the way he's looked. But I talked to Doug
at the combine and Doug loved him, and he kind

(47:29):
of wrote off last year. He's like, I don't think
people realize how banged up he was. Obviously the turnovers,
the fumbles. He's got to figure that out. I do
you ever bet over unders on the season?

Speaker 2 (47:39):
Oh? No, yes, so I love future bets. So two
years ago, Minnesota was at like eight and a half
and I just sold the farm. I said, that is
a terrible mistake by Vegas. They won thirteen. I think
last year, I said, do you realize the Rams were
at six and a half in Vegas? That'said Timeout. They're
just an older Chiefs. Great offensive coach, great quarterback, one

(48:03):
great defensive lineman outside of Cooper Cup. We don't know
what they're but pretty good protection and kind of young
on the defensive side. I said, Now, Mahomes is better
than Stafford, I said, but they kind of line up
with Kansas City a weaker version. They're winning eight nine games,
so the team this year, Listen, I don't think they're great.

(48:25):
Denver's over unders five and a half left tackle, excellent
O line was rated seventh by PFF. One of their
guards is top four in the league. Excellent offensive coach,
two solid NFL running backs, an elite corner in safety,
linebackers move well, one good defensive lineman. They drafted an
edge rusher. That's a weakness. Mimes could be an excellent two.

(48:49):
Courtland's sort of a Week one, but two dependable receivers,
service sole tight ends. If bow Nicks just runs the plays,
and I do think there's a Drew Breeze thing here.
They can't go seven and ten.

Speaker 1 (49:05):
Yeah, to me, that's that'd be a pretty easy overhammer.
There are some I can't they make the playoffs or
whatever with the rookie quarterbacks different five five and a
half feels insanely way I was looking at I was
looking on our friends at DraftKings. I usually don't do
over unders because for me to get the juices flowing,
you know, the number's got to be like five or
ten thousand dollars. And I don't want to just have

(49:27):
it sitting there. But I saw something that I'm like,
I'm all in the Chargers to make the playoffs are
plus one ten, so you are You're not even having
to pay a vict You're getting plus one odds on this.
This is the best quarterback he's ever had. They invested
in another offensive lineman. They're gonna be able to run
the ball. We know wherever he's gone. They've been good

(49:48):
on defense. Yeah, wherever they and let's face it, you
get to ten wins with that quarterback, you're probably the
seventh seed. I like them a lot more than the
Dolphins this year. I think that was my favorite. Just
long term, I think the Charges are in the playoffs.
I mean, Jim Harbaugh has a long history. The other
thing is I've watched a lot of just Charger content

(50:10):
Jim and I was around him for a couple of
years when I kind of got into radio when he
was with the Niners, and I think early on Stanfordson,
he had this huge chip on his shoulder. He was
just hard to be around. I think, Yeah, I don't
know if it's the championship. For the last couple of
years in Michigan, he feels a lot lighter. I know,
you know, the Spanos says, he feels a lot easier
to be around, and there's a looseness like a I

(50:32):
don't know if it was insecurity, but he just tried
to beat this bull in the China shot NonStop and
it feels looser. But he clearly is better at his
craft now than he's ever been in his entire life.
And he's been good at it since he started coaching.
How are they not really good? I actually think if
you just go well, I can see the Chiefs kind
of just cruise control. I don't know. They just won
the last two Super Bowls. Is it out of the
wrong possibility they win the division?

Speaker 2 (50:54):
I mean, first of all, it's San Francisco. That was
a great team, but they weren't. It was Crabtree and
a lot of guys at receiver. At Michigan, it was
Colin Wilson and just a bunch of guys. His great
teams have always been okay on the sideline. He never

(51:14):
needed it, and so when people say, well they're not
great at receiver, that has never been an issue. Stanford.
Did he ever have one great receiver at Stanford?

Speaker 1 (51:24):
I don't think he did Baldwin, who was like a
seventh round pick.

Speaker 2 (51:27):
Yeah, so Niners, I remember, I remember Crabtree and that
was about it. They missed in a couple receivers. Michigan
last year didn't throw the ball in the second half
of the road against Penn State, and so I kind
of look at it, and I think in the NFL also,
and I love this is the opposite of the d WNBA,

(51:47):
which couldn't figured two years in advance. We should probably
give Caitlin Clark an easy opening schedule. Let her go
like six and five. Did you the schedule that they
basically gave the Chargers, just if Herbert's upright, they're four
and one. They gave their weakest games early. First of all,
they want Harbor to win early. It's good for the league.
They want Aaron Rodgers and Mahomes to win early. But

(52:10):
that Charger schedule, and remember Herbert and his entire high school,
college pro career has been hurt once last year. Sixty
quarterbacks played in the league last year. You start looking
at that schedule, it's reasonable to say in the league now,
if you have a Josh Allen that doesn't get hurt,
or a Herbert who historically doesn't get hurt. You're gonna

(52:31):
face backups. By Thanksgiving on, you're gonna face backups. I
think the Chargers are that Joe alt Pick was so
Jim Harbaugh. I mean, by the way, Notre Dame in Northwestern,
super smart, physical tackles Herbert, tough, physical kid. He went
and got two running backs, I think one from the Ravens.

(52:54):
You can see what he's doing, like he's just laying
out the blueprint of what he's done his entire career.

Speaker 1 (53:00):
Have you watched the Giants hard knocks?

Speaker 4 (53:02):
Oh?

Speaker 1 (53:03):
Yeah, So when you watch the GM, seems like a
nice guy day Ball, just your classic football guy. They're
just kind of freelancing. They're like, what do you want
this year? I think we need some O linemen. Let's
say Quon maybe we'll bring him back. Maybe we want
where Jim everyone that falls football goes. It's laughable that
anyone thinks he's taking a wide receiver at five. He's

(53:24):
taking the star tackle who clearly wasn't gonna get drafted
the top four. He's gonna be sitting there for him.
And that's exactly what happened. And then he took a
slot receiver in the second round, right, I mean he's
these are the type players he likes. Well, the Giants
are just kind of freelancing. Yes, And in football philosophically,
the way you it doesn't change year to year. You
make tweaks, you hear McVeigh and Kyle and Andy, you

(53:45):
tweak it, but their football philosophical beliefs have been set
in stone. I mean, Jim Harbaugh's probably thought about this
since he was talking about coaching with his dad when
he was in college playing for Michigan in both ye
That's the way Andy's thought about football since he was
playing at BYU. It hasn't changed that much. And you
watch the Giants and you go when I was with
the Eagles, and I listen, I was a West Coast

(54:07):
spent my whole life on the West Coast. I was
more of an NFC West guy. You go to the
NFC East, I'll never forget being on the sideline. Those
Giants team came out huge on the defense. Defensive line
was massive, I mean every guy was six five plus
and the offensive line were all big, tough guys. And
it was like Eli and a bunch of tough guys
and old Tom Coughlin and now you watch him. You
go the Chargers, who have a clear identity, and Hardball's

(54:29):
only gonna keep doubling down the next couple of years,
and it's gonna look exactly like a Jim Harball team.
With the Giants, you just have no clue. Let's just
take a sweet wide receiver who is really talented, but
that makes no sense on your team right now with
the average arm quarterback right and you just see And
I remember telling you this when I went to the
combine because sometimes when you just fall in the league
on TV, but when you're around the teams and you

(54:51):
see it, you're like, seventy percent of this league has
no shot, I mean none. McVeigh and Kyle and Andy
and the Ravens. The advantage they have, it just grows
by the off season. You know it Really the Giants,
you know, back in the day when you were living
out there and I was in Philly, they were a
well run Jerry Reeves, Tom Coughlin. They had a true identity,

(55:12):
like there was a reason they.

Speaker 2 (55:13):
Had an identity, a true identity.

Speaker 1 (55:16):
And now they got none. And this notion that like
John Mara only wanted to keep him as a popular player, No,
he was their best player. And where did he go?
Did he go to some shitty team? No, he went
to the best run team in your division. Like, so
I understand exactly, are we sure? And then you go, well,
how much did he cost? Well? How he paid him?
Twenty six million dollars guaranteed. It's not like he costs

(55:37):
fifty million. These running backs now it's like anything in society.
They used to cost a lot and now they're cheap.
Now they're a bar. I get Saquon Barkley for twenty
six million dollars if I don't love him at forty
five million dollars guaranteed, but I get him well under thirty.
Easy deal for I'm howie.

Speaker 2 (55:52):
You know how that's going to play out?

Speaker 1 (55:55):
So often? The fire everyone's fire.

Speaker 2 (55:57):
Well yeah, I mean he's going to have two things.
Because they have excellent receivers Devonte Smith and A. J. Brown.
You can't put your safety in the box against the Eagles,
and a good tight end, so against the Giants, battle line, safety,
jam the box one's gonna have. He'll there's a chance
he could lead the NFL in rushing. And then they're

(56:20):
gonna play the Giants and they're gonna cook up special plays.
You just see how this is ending with the Giants,
and it's so funny. I said, for years, I thought
the New York Giants were the accounting firm of the
of the NFL. Boring but strategic and efficient. You trust
them with your money. I don't think they're well run.
Watching Hard Knocks, they just feel like they're making stuff up.

(56:42):
I like Day Bowl, but there is a component to
that show that I'm like, if I'm a Giants fan,
I wouldn't feel great well.

Speaker 1 (56:51):
The one thing in my experience about Howie and still
know him to this day, is like he has the answers,
Like his capital is his information, Like he has to
know everything, because you can't make decisions with investing in
players and making trades if you don't have all the information.
And you saw during the offseasons like, yeah, we think
he's gonna go to Chicago. No, he's gonna go to

(57:13):
the Philly. I mean, it doesn't get any especially when
the owner does not want to lose him because he's
their best player, most marketable player, and he's just a
high level good guy. And then he goes to the
team that's won your division. Two out of three years,
went to the Super Bowl two years ago, even with
the disastrous ending to the season, was still in the
playoffs where you die to be. It's really crazy that
Damar's clearly they're a high level family. It shows you

(57:39):
when you hire the wrong people in football college or
the pros, GM or head coach, you got no shot
and it just derails you. And they've since they fired
Tom Coughlin, which it was time, they have just consistently
hired the wrong people coaches, gettlemen, and it's it's made
them just feel like not that relevant in the NFL,
which is pretty crazy.

Speaker 2 (58:00):
John Middlecoff, former NFL scout three and out podcast, Go
Lo Golf. We are back mostly mostly, we may miss
one more.

Speaker 1 (58:08):
I got one a lot of Olympics to watch Colin.
I was watching Simone Biles. She was battling through a
calf injury.

Speaker 2 (58:14):
By the way, how long do we have to keep
pretending that Embiid's a winning player. Jesus, give me a frickin' break. Jokic,
when he was on the floor, Serbia played the USA
eighty one eighty one. When he was off the floor,
the USA outscored Serbia. Twenty eight to three. And I

(58:35):
mean in my lifetime, there have been three basketball players, Magic,
Lebron and Jokic that make every teammate better. Michael Jordan
didn't make every teammate better. I mean there were times
that he's Durant doesn't. There's a lot of great players.
They don't make everybody better. Jokic is take Jokic off
that team? What are they Embiid was so bad in

(59:00):
stretches in that game that and it's long, so he
now can't elevate his team to a win in the
second round of the Eastern Conference. He's a bad fit
on the Olympians. He can't really be a complimentary player.
He clogs up the offense. I never want to hear.
Remember they gave m Be the MVP over Jokic. It
was sort of an anti Jokic vote. I'm watching him

(59:22):
today and I'm like, only Magic and Lebron do what
Jokic does.

Speaker 1 (59:28):
Yeah, I had three takeaways. One. I think four of
the best top fifteen players in the history of the
sport were on the court. Obviously, Lebron's like the second
best player. Curry and Duran are top fifteen players. Is
Jokic that much different than those two guys and Steph Curry.
I think he's one of the most remarkable athletes I've
ever seen in any sport. I mean he was. I

(59:48):
think he's underrated. I mean, I think he's underrated. Second,
I'm out on the sixers, like you got no shot
at Darryl Morien. Listen, smart guy said we're coming after
the Celtics. You got no shot. And three. Anthony Davis
takes a lot of shit, and rightfully so. He's been
banged up and it feels sometimes like he's always hurt.
He's in a different universe as Embiid. I mean, you

(01:00:10):
look at him in the playoffs, how good he's been
the last couple of years. Like this conversation with Embiid,
Let's just what are we even talking about. He's closer
to the Paul George's and the Gas scenes in the
twenties than he is the big dogs like him and Jokic.
It's like Mahomes and Tua or something. I mean, when
you really break it down, nobody cares about scoring seventy
points against the Kings in January. It's like James Harden.

(01:00:32):
Nobody cares.

Speaker 2 (01:00:33):
Yeah, No, Anthony Davis. If you turn the sound down
and just and you just watched what you're saying. Anthony
Davis is a monster like he is, just he doesn't
look like here's a fourth take. When you put Jason
Tatum around Alpha's, he is invisible. So we always said
this for years, Jalen Brown was the Alpha. Tatum was

(01:00:55):
more talented. But this year in the playoffs, Brown watch
the ball. When you put Tatum around other Alpha as
an Olympic team, he didn't get.

Speaker 1 (01:01:04):
On the court.

Speaker 2 (01:01:05):
I mean, so Steve Kerr didn't put him on the
court like. Tatum is so passive and so collaborative. And
I remember somebody said this years ago, as most of
the great athletes, like the Michael Jordan's, you'd never want
him as your boss. You'd never want to work with him.
You'd just be miserable. You'd want to work with Tatum.
You wouldn't want to work with Kobe Bryant or Michael

(01:01:27):
or Byrd they're too feisty, Brady or a Manning, You're
just really super intense. Tatum's a really talented player and
a really nice guy. But there were games all through
the playoffs and I've noticed this watching the five and
zero exhibition run. He didn't play against Serbia. I don't
know when he's on the floor. I can't tell when

(01:01:48):
Jason Tatum's on the floor. He's just not aggressive. And
when you put a guy that's kind of passive around
other super aggressive guys, it can be in a car
at a kegger on a basketball floor, dude shrinks, shrinks.

Speaker 1 (01:02:04):
Isn't it crazy that the other two dudes on the
Celtics are playing like major roles and any three hundred
million dollar players on the bench, and no one even
thinks it's that weird. It's pretty it's pretty wild to
watch because obviously, I mean it's it's Lebron Steph and
Kevin Durant's team, and even Anthony Edwards. I mean, the
moment he gets on the court, he's just he's he

(01:02:25):
sucks all the oxygen up. It's it was pretty fun
to watch this morning because for a minute you're like,
is Jokic's really gonna play one on five with four
other guys? It wouldn't even make the JV team of
this team USA. And then obviously they just ran out
of gas. But he I thought, if you watch that
and you love basketball. You're like, this is one of
the greatest players I've ever seen in my life.

Speaker 2 (01:02:45):
Yeah, the NBA is Owa's style and aesthetics have always
mattered in the league. I mean, Westbrook can't shoot, has
bad hands, but he can be you know, optics are god.

Speaker 1 (01:02:55):
He is so hyper athletic.

Speaker 2 (01:02:57):
I've had people tell me I hate watching Jokic, and
I'm like, he's kind of a much bigger Larry Bird.
Like he just shoots pat. I mean, it's just like,
take Larry Bird at thirty eight pounds and four inches,
that's what he is.

Speaker 1 (01:03:10):
My takeaway, would you be shocked if that team medals
like beside USA, he can go toe to toe with
any other team.

Speaker 3 (01:03:16):
I think they will.

Speaker 1 (01:03:17):
They should get like the bronze.

Speaker 2 (01:03:18):
Yeah, that's crazy. All Right, John good as OLA's buddy.
We'll talk soon, see you, Colin.

Speaker 3 (01:03:25):
All Right, the volume.

Speaker 2 (01:03:29):
Thanks so much for listening. If you've enjoyed the podcast,
take a moment, rate and review.

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Colin Cowherd Podcast - Reaction to Packers & Dolphins signing Jordan Love & Tua, Jim Harbaugh playoffs?

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.css-14f5ked{margin:0;word-break:break-word;display:-webkit-box;-webkit-box-orient:vertical;box-orient:vertical;-webkit-line-clamp:2;overflow:hidden;}Colin Cowherd Podcast - Reaction to Packers & Dolphins signing Jordan Love & Tua, Jim Harbaugh playoffs?