April 8, 2025 • 50 mins
Jason McIntyre fills in for Colin discussing the Florida Gators mounting another comeback and winning the National Championship over Houston in thrilling fashion. He ranks his top 5 NBA title contenders with a surprising Western Conference team at number 2. Also some SHOCKING breaking news out of the NBA with the Nuggets firing head coach Michael Malone despite the team being 4th in the standings just days before the playoffs begin
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Thanks for listening to the Best of the Herd podcast.
Be sure to catch us live every weekday on Fox
Sports Radio in noon to three eastern nine am to
noone Pacific. Find your local station for The Herd at
Fox Sports Radio dot com, or stream us live every
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or FSR.
Speaker 2 (00:19):
This is the Best of the Herd with Colin cowher
on Fox Sports Radio.
Speaker 3 (00:27):
Hello, and welcome to the Herd.
Speaker 4 (00:29):
It's a beautiful Tuesday in the sports world. The Florida
Gators are national champions. Oh yeah, gotta love it. It's
me Jason McIntyre in for Colin Coward. I'm joined today
by with Alex Curry. Alex, how are you no Dodger
Blue today?
Speaker 3 (00:48):
We gotta we gotta mix it up a bit. But
did you pick Florida? I get you do.
Speaker 5 (00:52):
I'm like, did we talk about that yesterday?
Speaker 3 (00:54):
You know we're talking. You kind of just talked.
Speaker 5 (00:55):
About how sad you were about Duke, So I'm like,
I don't even know.
Speaker 3 (00:58):
If we actually talked about who you were taking. I
had Florida. I think I mentioned it briefly guided into
the game, but it was a bit of a thriller.
Speaker 5 (01:07):
He got to love when it comes down to the
last minute of the game, that's all you can hope
for in like a championship final game.
Speaker 2 (01:13):
So good job.
Speaker 3 (01:15):
That was great. We got a big show ahead.
Speaker 4 (01:17):
Former NBA center Ryan Hollins on the show, joining us
in the studio.
Speaker 3 (01:22):
NFL running back Aaron Jones in the house.
Speaker 4 (01:24):
I'm very excited to talk to a guy who's played
with Aaron Rodgers.
Speaker 3 (01:27):
What does he know about JJ McCarthy.
Speaker 4 (01:29):
We'll do some NFL draft stuff, but obviously, folks, we
have to start with the Florida Houston thriller in the
National Championship last night.
Speaker 3 (01:39):
I mean, what a game. It went from bad to oh,
this is gross. The refs are.
Speaker 4 (01:43):
Ruining in to Holy Cow. Would have come back by
Florida And folks, I'm sure you've heard about the great
best selling book Grit Right The Passion and Perseverance in Life,
And essentially one of the big takeaways from the book
is those who are going to succeed in life, One
of the great predictors of success is do you have grit?
Are you just throwing in the towel at the first
(02:04):
sign of a problem. Are you bailing or are you
gonna figure out how to solve the problem and get
through it. And this season in college basketball, we saw
the Florida Gators lose three really close games. They were
excellent all season, only lost four games. One was a blowout,
but three close ones. And what happened in the NCAA
Tournament comebacks in the second half four times by the Gators,
(02:27):
the Cardiac Gators. They came back when they were trailing
yukon Texas Tech, they were down ten Auburn on Saturday,
they were down nine in the second half, and then
last night down twelve against Houston. I'm told by all
the guys who cover college basketball all season, you can't
come back against Houston. The defense is just too tough.
Florida said, hold my beer please, and the Gators stormed
(02:49):
back with a thrilling final minute. Folks, look at these
comebacks that they've had all the tournament, and the game
against Houston last night was just the perfect capper.
Speaker 3 (02:58):
Houston had three possessions in.
Speaker 4 (03:00):
The final minute, they didn't get a shot off.
Speaker 3 (03:03):
And they turned the ball over three times. That, my friends,
was incredible.
Speaker 4 (03:07):
And how about the grit displayed by the great Walter Clayton.
Speaker 3 (03:11):
Now he's a divisive figure in NBA circles.
Speaker 6 (03:13):
What's he gonna be?
Speaker 4 (03:14):
You know you got to pun it at ESPN saying
you got to take him third in the draft.
Speaker 3 (03:19):
What let's not go that overboard.
Speaker 6 (03:22):
Listen.
Speaker 3 (03:22):
I like Walter Clayton a lot.
Speaker 4 (03:23):
He had zero baskets zero for the first thirty two minutes.
Speaker 3 (03:28):
Of the National Championship. He is a guy who had
back to back thirty point games.
Speaker 4 (03:32):
He had thirty four against auburt he had no baskets.
Speaker 3 (03:35):
What did he panic?
Speaker 4 (03:37):
No, No, he just attacked the basket, buried to three,
had nine clutch points in the final eight minutes.
Speaker 3 (03:44):
And Florida is a champ.
Speaker 4 (03:46):
Here's their coach, Todd Golden, talking about how defense rode away.
Speaker 7 (03:50):
We've been a top ten defense all year also, and
we've been able to stand up against really good offensive
teams and find a way to get stops. We held
them scoreless the last two twenty and Walter great close
out and Condo, great hustle play to win the game.
And that's what made this team special all years, that
we could win different ways, and we show that against tonight.
Speaker 4 (04:09):
I gotta be honest guys, I'm not gonna lie. I
was on Florida. I was extremely nervous down twelve.
Speaker 3 (04:14):
I thought, how are they going to pull this off?
Speaker 4 (04:16):
Even when Houston had the ball in the final twenty
seconds with a chance to win the game. I love
the Florida adjustments defensively. They blitzed both of the Houston guards,
Uzah and Crier. We're not letting you shoot it. We're
going to w and they get it over to Sharp,
who has, for my money, just the most unfortunate, memorable
mistake at the end of a college basketball national championship
(04:39):
since Chris Weber called timeout, a timeout he did not
have against North Carolina.
Speaker 3 (04:45):
I felt so bad for the kids.
Speaker 4 (04:46):
Sharp, he had two turnovers in the final twenty five seconds,
dribbled it off his leg. I was like, oh my gosh,
that's devastating. I felt really bad for Houston. But at
the same time, Houston Cougars fans, now you know how
us Dupe fans felt on Saturday night as Duke was
melting the game.
Speaker 3 (05:02):
Away, just handing it to Houston.
Speaker 4 (05:06):
Duke was up nine with three minutes left and gagged
Houston up twelve in the second half and then can't
even get a.
Speaker 3 (05:11):
Shot off in the fight. Look at that. Clayton, of
course put the clothes out. Clayton heroic.
Speaker 4 (05:15):
A quick word on the refs and I don't want
to be bag on the refs guy. And anytime somebody
says that they're gonna be bag on the refs guy.
The refs called four total fouls in the first half.
Speaker 3 (05:26):
That's it.
Speaker 4 (05:27):
They let Houston do what they wanted. Defensively, Houston is
grabby and handsy. It's whether the number one defense in
the country. Well, what happened in the second half. The
refs came out and we're like, oh, oh wait, we
can't allow this. We got to call everything. Twenty six
fouls in the second half. So from four to twenty six. Well,
what's the impact of twenty six fouls in the second half? Well,
(05:47):
Florida is able to actually run an offense, you know,
without being held and jostled. And then Florida starts getting
to the line. They hit their free throws, an amazing comeback,
A great capper to folks. I'm gonna go ahead and
say I think this was the greatest Final four this century.
You had three games all determined in the final ninety
seconds and three games all the team that won had
(06:09):
trailed at halftime.
Speaker 3 (06:11):
I think it was a phenomenal final four.
Speaker 4 (06:13):
All right, let's pivot to the NFL Draft, and oh boy,
things are getting spicy at the top.
Speaker 3 (06:20):
Now.
Speaker 4 (06:20):
I do want to preface this by saying, by nature,
I think I'm a risk taker. I can tell you
stories about my family coming from the Caribbean to America
back in the sixties and seventies, but I won't bore
you with that. However, I myself am a risk taker.
Many of you who know my story. I was at
a magazine in New York City. I decided to quit
to run a sports blog full time. You can imagine
(06:42):
how that went over to the future in laws. Oh so, Jason,
how's work?
Speaker 6 (06:46):
Yeah?
Speaker 4 (06:47):
I quit my job to run a sports blog and
I get this blank stet.
Speaker 3 (06:51):
What's that?
Speaker 6 (06:52):
You know?
Speaker 4 (06:52):
This was like two thousand and six seven, and I
obviously got a little lucky with it and it paid off.
But taking a risk worked. So nine years ago, you know,
Colin Coward and Fox come to me and they're like, hey,
would you move across the country to try your hand
at TV?
Speaker 3 (07:08):
Risk taker? Jason, Yeah, let's give it a shot. Why not?
Family was like, are you sure about this? So far,
so good. We'll see what the future holds. But taking
risks in life, you know, high reward, high risk. I
like being a risk taker. I do some gambling.
Speaker 4 (07:26):
I don't mind playing the card games in Vegas. Enter
the Cleveland Browns, who are in risky territory at number two.
Speaker 3 (07:33):
If we assume Kim Ward.
Speaker 4 (07:35):
Is going one to Tennessee, which everybody has, what's happening
at two is all over the place, so everybody knows.
One of the best newsbreakers in the NFL's Adam Schefter,
he does a great job. In February, he said it
made sense for the Browns to draft Shade a quarterback,
not Shador a quarterback at two. In March, he came
(07:57):
out and said, you know what, Abdul Carter is a
lean right now for the Browns. Here we are in
April and Schefter comes out this week and says, you know,
it looks like Travis Hunter is gonna go too to
the Browns. Folks, nobody knows what Cleveland's gonna do. Let's
stop pretending like anyone has a clue. It all comes
down to, what would you do. And this is where
I get risky, and I say, I'm taking Shadoor Sanders.
(08:20):
I understand he doesn't have elite arm strength, he doesn't
have elite escapability, he.
Speaker 3 (08:25):
Doesn't have elite size.
Speaker 4 (08:27):
I mean, you know, frankly, he doesn't didn't have elite
protection at Colorado. So I don't think we've seen the
best Shadoor Sanders. Could he be Tua, a highly.
Speaker 3 (08:36):
Accurate quarterback who's kind of sort of limited by his size.
Speaker 4 (08:40):
Sure he could be Tua. I don't think that would
be the worst thing in the world. Who is a
good quarterback. He's had a couple good runs. If he
could stay healthy. You know, he's been paid.
Speaker 3 (08:47):
Dolphin's got to the playoffs with him. Could he be
too a sure?
Speaker 4 (08:51):
Could Shadore Sanders be Zach Wilson, Yeah, that would not
surprise me either. Could he be Trey Lance who the
forty nine Ers riskily not even a word traded up
in the draft. They went up to get Trey Lance,
who I believe is out of the league currently.
Speaker 3 (09:09):
He may let it end up on a.
Speaker 4 (09:10):
Roster, but I think the Cowboys have moved on with
this new Joe Milton move. So folks, do you risk
it by going Shadoor Sanders it too. I keep hearing
Abdul Carter He's safest, safest pick in the draft.
Speaker 3 (09:22):
Okay, well you start to drill down on Carter.
Speaker 4 (09:24):
He's coming off a surgery, he's got like a foot thing.
And then there are reports about like is was he
the hardest worker at Penn State? You know, maybe maybe
this is people trying to poison the water for Abduel Carter.
Speaker 3 (09:35):
I think he looks like a great football player, but safe.
You know who else was safe?
Speaker 4 (09:39):
Chase Young coming out of Ohio State, remember him, one
of the boats of twins us.
Speaker 3 (09:43):
Sorry, boats of brothers who was with the Chargers for
a long time. I thought he was supposed to be safe,
Like they just moved on from him. You know, good player,
but he was supposed to be safe. What a safe mean?
Is Travis Hunter that safe? Okay? Great, you've got a
wonderful wide receiver. What are you gonna do with him?
Speaker 4 (10:01):
Go ask the Giants how that worked out with Malik Neighbors.
They got three different quarterbacks throwing to him and they're
not winning anything.
Speaker 3 (10:07):
So what is safe? And I'll counter that with I go.
Speaker 4 (10:12):
I take the risk and I go Shudor Sanders, because
you know what, if I get Hunter and I got
no quarterbacks throwing to him, I'm probably getting fired if
I'm the front office. If I got Abdul Carter and
Miles Garrett coming off the idul exciting, I got no quarterback.
But Jay, you're forgetting Kirk Cousins to Cleveland. What about
the rumors?
Speaker 3 (10:29):
Well, guys, I looked it up.
Speaker 4 (10:31):
Kirk Cousins his last five games in Atlanta, he had
one touchdown in nine picks.
Speaker 3 (10:37):
He was benched. Now could that be because of the
Atlanta offense? Maybe? Could it be that Kirk Cousins is washed.
That's also possible.
Speaker 4 (10:46):
Is he gonna work out in Cleveland and the outdoor
situations in that division?
Speaker 3 (10:52):
I don't know. He seems like an indoor quarterback to me.
Speaker 4 (10:54):
I know he went to Michigan State, but I don't
think Kirk Cousins is a slam dunk.
Speaker 3 (10:58):
Let's not.
Speaker 4 (11:00):
Pretend that that magical run by Joe Flacco where he
won what five games, they got to the playoffs and
they got smashed by fifty because.
Speaker 3 (11:07):
He threw two pick sixes.
Speaker 4 (11:09):
Let's not act like that is definitely going to duplicate
itself with whoever you put in at quarterback.
Speaker 3 (11:15):
I take a risk and I grabbed Shaduor could.
Speaker 4 (11:18):
You wait until the second round and get Cowherd's favorite guy.
Speaker 3 (11:22):
Mister McCord from Syracuse. Sure you could do that, guys.
Speaker 4 (11:26):
I just went down the list of the best second
round quarterbacks ever drafted. Brett varv home run with Green
Bay not his first team, Gino Smith kind of sort
of thriving.
Speaker 3 (11:39):
Now in a late season surge.
Speaker 4 (11:41):
It didn't happen with the Jets when they drafted him.
He was a risk second round. He didn't work out
with the Jets. Andy Dalton, I won't even say Cowhard's
nickname for him, but he has zero career playoff wins.
Could he be Jalen Hurts or Drew Brees the second
round quarterback who thrives and wins the Super Bowl? Sure,
two quarterbacks won Super Bowls. Obviously, Boomerasyasin was the second
(12:02):
round pick. You can hit on them. But this idea
that Hey Schadour is a huge risk. Isn't everyone a risk?
I mean, guys, I hate to break it to your
cam Ward at one. As much as I like him,
he's a risk. You know, he's good at Washington State,
great at Miami.
Speaker 3 (12:18):
Is he gonna work in the NFL? Nobody knows.
Speaker 4 (12:20):
And that's why we could talk about the NFL Draft
for nine months out of the year, because nobody knows
a damn thing. But I'm telling you right now, if
you want to be a risk taker, Shadoor Sanders is
your guy at number two in the draft.
Speaker 3 (12:33):
Cleveland, I'm just here to help. That's all we do, Alex.
We're trying to help these teams out. And I think
you got to go Shador Sanders too.
Speaker 2 (12:40):
In the draft.
Speaker 5 (12:40):
It's also like the most important position on the team,
and if you have a gaping hole at the most
who's driving your ship the most important position, you have
to go after it.
Speaker 3 (12:51):
If the option is there, especially at number two.
Speaker 4 (12:54):
You know, and I hear all this talk, Oh well,
you could draft Travis Hunter then trade back in the
first to get Shador.
Speaker 3 (13:00):
The airports at the Saints level at nine. Yeah, you
gonn jumping up to eight. You give it up all
that draft capital. It just feels like too many gymnastics.
Speaker 5 (13:08):
I think that like when you say like safe, I
think the safest thing about both Travis and Shador is
their leader, their coach, Dion Sanders, who is obviously a
Shador's father, but a father figure for Travis.
Speaker 3 (13:22):
Like we heard him talk about.
Speaker 5 (13:23):
That and cry about that at his Heisman acceptance speech.
He knows what it takes to win in the NFL,
so he's preparing these guys to be able to be
successful at that level. So I think when you say
like safe, that might be the closest like mentally, I
think they'll be ready for it.
Speaker 3 (13:40):
Safe or risk, you know, take chances in life. It's fun.
Speaker 2 (13:43):
Be sure to catch live editions of The Herd weekdays
in neonon Easter not a em Pacific on Fox Sports
Radio FS one and the iHeartRadio app.
Speaker 3 (13:54):
Welcome Back Hour number two. Here on the Herd, Jason
McIntyre in for Colin Cowherd. It text with him yesterday.
Speaker 4 (14:01):
The fishing excursions are going great. He's just catching stuff
left and right. I'm joined today by Alex Curry. Alex,
you're a big fisher person.
Speaker 5 (14:08):
So I was in Fiji in December and I caught
my very first fish, and I caught a barracuda.
Speaker 3 (14:16):
I'm not kidding you, guys.
Speaker 5 (14:17):
This was the most thrilling and terrifying experience of my life. Wow,
and it like it has like crazy teeth.
Speaker 3 (14:23):
Yeah, comes right at you. Oh wow. So did you
sit in the water in Fiji after that or are you.
Speaker 5 (14:29):
Like, hell o, Yeah, there's sharks, there's everything. Yeah, but
you're with the locals because I stayed on like a
private circuing island, the Moo too. It's like the most
magical place in the world. So you wake up every
morning and you go fishing or circing or snorkeling like
wherever sounds good.
Speaker 3 (14:41):
But I'm like, I have a pass for me.
Speaker 4 (14:45):
We got Ryan Hollins, NBA veteran. He's a tall guy.
I'm just trying to recruit him on men's league team.
He's very tall flight center. We could use him as
a rim protector. But he's like, I'm in Houston, damn it.
All right, We're gonna start here real quick. I'm gonna
bust through my five. I have favorites to win the
NBA Championship. You're gonna vehemently disagree. Fan bases are gonna
(15:06):
be irked. Let's get started at number five, the Cleveland Cavaliers.
I wanted to put the Knicks years so badly. I
just I can't do it. Because the Nicks are gonna
probably play the Celtics in the second round. The Cavs
pathway easier since they are the number one seed. Dame
Willard unlikely to play the rest of the way due
to blood clots. I think things just line up for
(15:26):
Cleveland to have their best season since Lebron left.
Speaker 3 (15:30):
Donovan Mitchell's great.
Speaker 4 (15:31):
I know they've slid a little bit lately here down
the stret but they got nothing to play for. They
got the number one seed locked up. Mitchell, Mobley, Alan
Garland love everything about this team. Calves fifth on my
list of title contenders, number four. Let's go with the
Oklahoma City Thunder. What Jason, they're the favorites. They are
(15:51):
the favorites according to Vegas. I'm just not a believer.
I know, I know it's too out of a take.
Ryan Hollins, I could see him shaking his head over here.
He's not happy with me already, folks. Okase he got
fat and happy, beaten up on the East, blowing out
the Orlando Magic and the Wizards by like fifty.
Speaker 3 (16:09):
I know, and listen some of the numbers.
Speaker 4 (16:10):
They are nine and nine against the top teams in
the West versus the Lakers, Warriors, Nuggets.
Speaker 3 (16:15):
Rockets, and Wolves. It ain't gonna be easy.
Speaker 4 (16:17):
And again, I saw them against Luca in the playoffs
last year. He owned them. You could have your Lou
Dort and you're j Dobb and chet Holmgren. They're not
winning the finals. I have them number four on my list,
number three ahead of the Thunder.
Speaker 3 (16:31):
Steph Curry's Golden State Warriors. What's not to love? Man?
Speaker 4 (16:34):
One bad game against the Rockets, they're fine.
Speaker 3 (16:38):
If Podzemski can hit eight threes against the Lakers, they're fine.
That won't happen again. I like what I've seen from Kuminga.
I like the depth, but most of all, I like
Steph Curry.
Speaker 4 (16:47):
As long as you're not allowed to grab him and
hold him and foul him and chuck him and bury
him like the Rockets did, Warriors should be fine. I
don't want the Lakers to play them in the first round.
I know the sheet here says the Lakers with three
and one against the Warriors. Those wins were before the
Anthony Davis trade. It's not a great matchup for the Lakers.
(17:07):
But I do like the Warriors as my third favorite
to win the title. Checking in at number two, it's
the Lakers, Lebron and Luca.
Speaker 3 (17:16):
Go ahead, hate it all you want.
Speaker 4 (17:18):
I'm telling you, guys, Luca, Lebron and Reeves is the
best big three in the league, period and destroy. I
don't think the Celtics have as good of a big three.
They have more depth, of course, and they're better four, five, six,
But the Lakers big three will take them to the finals.
Speaker 3 (17:33):
All of a sudden, Denver's looking vulnerable. Folks know Jamal Murray.
Speaker 4 (17:37):
There's some quotes from Michael Malone making it sound like
Jamal Murray may play.
Speaker 3 (17:42):
In the playoffs.
Speaker 4 (17:43):
So now you're looking at it a Russell Westbrook Christian
Brown backcourt.
Speaker 3 (17:47):
Are you kidding me?
Speaker 4 (17:48):
Those guys have no chance against Luca. Austin Reeves is
just a superhero right now. And oh, by the way,
Lebron's taking his foot off the gas because Luca is
ready to take over.
Speaker 3 (17:57):
I just love this Lakers team.
Speaker 4 (17:59):
Second best chance to win the title and checking in
at number one on the top, it's got to be
the defending champion Celtics. They are the number two favorites
plus two to fifteen plus money for the Celtics to
win the title. I don't know how you don't take that.
Although the odds were probably better earlier this season, they
won't have home court advantage against the Calves.
Speaker 3 (18:17):
I don't think.
Speaker 4 (18:18):
They'll need it. Cleveland did play them well at moments
last year at times last year, but when fully healthy
or zingis Horford, Holliday, White Brown, Tatum, I mean Peyton Pritcher,
by the way, is gonna be sixth Man of the Year.
That is a nasty, nasty top seven. I think Boston's
got to be the team to be. Lakers two, Warriors three,
(18:40):
the OKC Thunder, everybody loves SGA and the free throw merchants.
At a number five, the Cleveland Calves apologies to my knicks.
Speaker 3 (18:48):
The Clippers also just missed out.
Speaker 4 (18:50):
Keep an eye on them, they're hot, and the Houston
Rockets narrowly missed one more.
Speaker 2 (18:54):
Heard the Herd streams twenty four hours a day, seven
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Speaker 8 (19:03):
Hey, Steve Covino and I'm Rich David, and together we're
Covino and Rich on Fox Sports Radio. You could catch
US weekdays from five to seven pm Eastern two to
four Pacific on Fox Sports Radio and of course the
iHeartRadio app.
Speaker 3 (19:16):
Why should you listen to Covino and Rich.
Speaker 8 (19:18):
We talk about everything life, sports, relationships, what's going on
in the world. We have a lot of fun talking
about the stories behind the stories in the world of
sports and pop culture, stories that well other shows don't
seem to have the time to discuss. And the fact
that we've been friends for the last twenty years and
still work together. I mean that says something, right, So
check us out. We like to get you involved too,
(19:38):
take your phone calls, chop it up. As they say,
I'd say the most interactive show on Fox Sports Radio,
maybe the most.
Speaker 3 (19:44):
Interactive show on planetar.
Speaker 8 (19:45):
Be sure to check out Covino and Rich live on
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Speaker 3 (20:00):
Never a dull moment in the NBA.
Speaker 4 (20:02):
Breaking news, the Denver Nuggets, who won the NBA championship
in twenty twenty three have fired their head coach Michael
Malone and their GM Calvin Booth.
Speaker 3 (20:14):
Ladies and gentlemen. The playoffs start in like ten days
in the NBA. What is happening now?
Speaker 4 (20:21):
I was scurrying during the break to get some information.
It's so weird because I think yesterday I alluded to
Denver being a bit of a mess, and this morning
I saw that Jamal Murray's hurt. And the way Michael
Malone is talking lately, he's just talking kind of wild,
but that has historically been his mo. He's a queen's guy,
grew up in the Northeast. He's a tough talker. He's
(20:44):
a little combative. Do you remember when the Lakers beat
Denver one game in that series in the playoffs and
he came back and oh the Lakers won one game.
Speaker 3 (20:55):
He's just basically, you guys are talking trash about us.
Speaker 4 (20:58):
I can't believe it. We're gonna destroy them. He said, like,
put in your pipe and smoke it. He was really
just aggressive, and this is his nature. And there are
reports I'm reading that maybe he was kind of sort
of losing the locker room in Denver again. He is
a mouthy individual. There's nothing wrong with that. As a coach,
you know that can work for so long, but when
(21:18):
you're not winning. The staff here found some numbers for
Jokic in April. Okay, this is real. He's averaging forty
five points, twelve boards, and tennysists in the month of April.
They're zero to three, Like, how are you not winning?
In crunch On, they were looking at being the three seed.
(21:40):
They could potentially fall to the six, seven, eight, maybe
into the plan. They don't have any wins with Yokis
putting up huge stats. Now, obviously the Jamal Murray injury
and Jamal Murray always seems to be hurt.
Speaker 3 (21:52):
That's kind of damaging. You do have who I.
Speaker 4 (21:56):
Believe is the best player in the league, who I
would have as MVP, in Nicola jokicch putting up historic,
great numbers, but it just doesn't seem to be working
now early in the season, and Murray hasn't played in
the last two weeks because he's so banged up, and
obviously that hurts. You know, Christian Brown and Russell Westbrook.
That's not a back court that scares anybody. But one
of the interesting things about Denver is that Malone historically
(22:21):
doesn't like playing young guys. They don't always know how
to play. There's a steep learning curve. You got to
deal with a lot of dumb turnovers and bad shots.
He likes to lean on veterans. So the GM of
the Nuggets gave this big fat contract to Zeke Nasee,
who was one of these combined Warriors, one of these
workout dudes who is.
Speaker 3 (22:40):
Like measurements through the roof, checks all the boxes. He
gets on the court.
Speaker 4 (22:44):
He can't play, and the GM still gives him a
big extension, which was a blunder.
Speaker 3 (22:48):
They paid Michael Porter Junior.
Speaker 4 (22:50):
I don't know that he could guard half the guys
in my men's basketball league.
Speaker 3 (22:53):
I like Aaron Gordon a lot.
Speaker 4 (22:54):
I think he's a good piece. I think Jokich is
obviously a superstar. I didn't like the Russell Westbrook move,
but it's speaks to Malone having influence on the GM.
Hey man, go get me a veteran who's gonna try
hard and hustle. Michael Malone loves a good try hard.
But the narrative of Denver trying hard is not there
because they're not stopping anybody now, So you got MPJ
(23:16):
doesn't play defense. Russ is a bit of a train
wreck and out of control. Joki is dominating but looking around.
Speaker 3 (23:21):
Like where's my help?
Speaker 4 (23:22):
And Jamal Murray's in street clothes again. So Denver is
slip sliding badly in the West. And as the staff
pointed out to me, Taylor Jenkins was fired by Memphis
last week. They were in the top five in the West.
And Ryan, who you know, a long time producer. He
was actually my first radio show producer when I had
a weekend show, said something smart.
Speaker 3 (23:44):
He's like, you know what.
Speaker 4 (23:45):
It kind of sort of feels like these teams don't
think they can compete to win a title this year,
so they're getting ahead of the coaching cycle for this summer.
Speaker 3 (23:53):
Hey man, we ain't gonna win. Let's just see if
the assistant can be promoted. Let's see what he can do,
if we could.
Speaker 4 (24:00):
Change some of the voices in the locker room, and
let's think about the summer. So Memphis fires their coach
two weeks before the playoffs. Denver fires their coach a
week before the playoffs. The problem is Malone just won
a title. He's the winningest coach in franchise history. He's
been there for ten years and you fire him a
(24:21):
week before the playoffs. Now the staff is sending me
some good stuff here. According to Ramona Shelbourne, the situation
in Denver is been tense and pressurized since the beginning
of the year. Malone and Booth had big ideas and
strong wills.
Speaker 3 (24:38):
Both are now gone again. This was a weird mix
in the locker room.
Speaker 4 (24:44):
Apparently Booth and Malone didn't really like each other and
get along. They did not talk, and they spoke behind
each other's backs. That's toxic.
Speaker 3 (24:52):
Man.
Speaker 4 (24:53):
When are we gonna start reading about are the Denver
Nuggets wasting your kitch's prime?
Speaker 3 (24:58):
I mean, that's probably gotta come next.
Speaker 1 (25:00):
Now.
Speaker 4 (25:00):
I did see one of my buddies who's a huge
Knicks fan. I mean, the body's not even cold in Denver,
and Knicks fans are like, can.
Speaker 3 (25:09):
We get Michael Malone for TIBs? Can we do that trade?
Can we run up move off TIBs.
Speaker 4 (25:13):
Tibbs, by the way, in New York is running his
players into the ground. I think for like the top
thirty players minutes wise are on the Knicks. And you
know what's gonna happen when they get to the playoffs,
They're gonna be broken. The same thing happened to TIBs
in Chicago. Could Michael Malone, who instantly is going to
vault to the top of every wish list around the league?
Speaker 3 (25:32):
Hey, man, I would not be surprised if there's NBA
teams right now looking do we love our guy? Should
we go after Michael Malone?
Speaker 4 (25:42):
I mean, I don't know that the Phoenix Suns would
do it, but remember they ran off Frank Vogel, who
I saw at an event a couple of weeks ago.
Speaker 3 (25:50):
Very nice guy. Does watch the Herd shout out to Frank.
They fired him after one year.
Speaker 4 (25:54):
Well, Budenholzer comes in, he beefs with Kevin Durant. The
videos are out there and now KD has downplayed it.
But would the Suns move off another coach two one
and done's and bring in Michael Malone. I don't know
it's possible, but oh my gosh, alex Any, I.
Speaker 3 (26:13):
Know it's just breaking and we're trying to get get
our bearings here, but it's.
Speaker 4 (26:17):
Just kind of fascinating.
Speaker 3 (26:18):
I fire your coach ten days before the playoffs. It
feels weak.
Speaker 5 (26:22):
It feels weak to your fan base, it feels weak
to the organization. You're still in a playoff position, you
are in fourth in the West right now, and you
are throwing in the towel saying I don't think we
can do it. I don't think we can win a championship.
It just it's not the mentality you want from a
franchise an organization at like the most important stretch of
(26:43):
the regular season, when you're in a playoff position, you
suck like you oh man, like you tough it out.
You tough it out, like what are you gonna do.
Someone's not gonna come in and make it better right
now the last week of the regular season and into
the postseason. But it also because we were talking about
Russell Westbrook's body language yesterday when he was talking to media,
(27:07):
and now it all kind of makes sense, like oh,
things were like not good behind closed doors, and you
might have thought that might have been the case, and
he was kind of giving that energy and vibe off
and this is just whoo. It's just I don't agree
with when you are in a position to win and
(27:28):
you are in a playoff position, a high playoff position, like.
Speaker 3 (27:32):
Why would you do that something weird? Why would you?
There's something more that we don't know.
Speaker 4 (27:36):
I've been waiting for the Memphis story to come out
on Taylor Jenkins and nothing's come out.
Speaker 3 (27:40):
It's been a week.
Speaker 4 (27:41):
Maybe they're still waiting to do the TikTok, but and
not TikTok, the app like the story of.
Speaker 3 (27:46):
Day to day, hour to hour. Kay, So we're still
we'll wait for that. I'm alone. But here's another interesting note.
Speaker 4 (27:51):
So the owner of the Denver Nuggets is Stan Kronky,
and he also owns the Rams. What do the Rams
have a really unified front with mc they and Snead
They're like a tandem.
Speaker 3 (28:02):
They go everywhere together.
Speaker 4 (28:03):
They seem to get along great. They have a shared
unified vision. It doesn't appear. And I again, I don't
know one hundred percent if there is a shared unified
vision between Booth and Malone, But it sounds like Booth
wanted to mix in some young guys and Malone was like, eh, no, thanks,
I want veterans. Remember he was reluctant to play Christian
(28:25):
Brown at all. And I watched a video clip during
the commercial about Brown meeting the media and he just
he looks young. Okay, he's playing with Yokich, Westbrook, Aaron Gordon.
These guys have been around a lot of playoffs. And
Brown looks still kind of wide eyed and kind of
shook and rattled.
Speaker 3 (28:42):
And I don't know. If your coach in the GM
are not on the same page, it ain't gonna work.
Speaker 4 (28:46):
Listen, If Alex and I are not getting along or
we totally disagree, this is gonna look awkward.
Speaker 3 (28:52):
And I think the audience is.
Speaker 5 (28:53):
Gonna tell yeah, but again, like then, let the GM
go right now, fire the GM, but keep your head coach.
Speaker 3 (28:59):
Yeah, Malone has won so much.
Speaker 5 (29:02):
Like and it was a twenty twenty three you wont
an NBA championship. He is your winningest coach in franchise history.
He's been with the team for ten years.
Speaker 4 (29:09):
His story coming from the Kings where he got run off. Yeah,
were again. He is a combative guy. And listen, you
can only battle with management long enough when you're winning.
Speaker 5 (29:19):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (29:19):
Right, Hey, I'm gonna say what I want. I'm gonna
do what I want. We're on top. I don't give up.
Speaker 4 (29:23):
You know now you're certainly losing, sliding in the standings,
and all of a sudden, maybe the locker room. Then
it's easy to move off of them, and you just
make it a package.
Speaker 3 (29:32):
You'll, let's get both of the hell out of here.
Speaker 5 (29:33):
But no, right now, right now doesn't you're in fourth place,
you still have a winning record.
Speaker 4 (29:40):
There was video of Malone talking about Jamal Murray and
talking about his team and I think there was a
loss a Monday to the Pacers.
Speaker 3 (29:49):
That was what it was on Monday.
Speaker 4 (29:51):
And he came out and is basically like, yeah, nobody
watches their minutes on film.
Speaker 3 (29:56):
Nobody watches film. He's like taking shots at his players,
Like I try to She's got to watch film.
Speaker 4 (30:01):
They don't want to watch film. Hey, listen, it's tough
to teach at old dog new tricks.
Speaker 6 (30:04):
Now.
Speaker 4 (30:05):
I'm sure it's difficult to tell veteran Russell Westbrook, who's
been in the league for like fifteen years, Hey man,
let's watch some film together. Hey, I'm an MVP, I'm
a triple double machine. I'm going to the Hall of Fame.
I'm good on the film. Carmelo Anthony ran into some
of this at the end of his career, when he's
bouncing around. It's tough to teach old Dog's new tricks,
and it's like, I don't know. I'm not ready to
(30:25):
side with Michael Malone yet. Obviously more information is gonna
come out. This literally just broke eight minutes ago. But
the Denver Nuggets have fired their head coach, who won
a championship, have been like twenty twenty three, Yeah, twenty
twenty three, it was like within the last two years.
Speaker 3 (30:42):
Yeah, unbelievable.
Speaker 2 (30:43):
Be sure to catch live editions of The Herd Weekdays
and Neon Eastern not a Empacific.
Speaker 4 (30:48):
All right, we got a special guest in studio. I'm
sure you guys recognize him. Legendary NFL running back. He's
carried me to a fantasy championship. Aaron Jones, Minnesota Vikings,
played for the Packers.
Speaker 6 (31:02):
How you doing, man, I'm doing great, are you?
Speaker 4 (31:04):
Yeah? I'm happier now that you're here. We had a
great comploy during the commercial break. My favorite stuff is
just asking them random questions. But first, you recently participated
in the NFL USO Tour visiting US service members it
military bases in Kuwait.
Speaker 3 (31:20):
I've never been to that part of the world. What's
that like?
Speaker 6 (31:22):
It was amazing. I grew up a military child.
Speaker 9 (31:25):
My dad served twenty nine years retired as a command
sorry major, and my mom served twenty seven and retired
as a start major. So for me, it was a
big part of giving back going over there, it was
a full circle moment.
Speaker 6 (31:38):
One of the.
Speaker 9 (31:38):
Bases that we stopped at Air of John in Kuwait,
my mom was deployed there in two thousand and three,
so completely full circle moment. And then just getting to
go over there talk to soldiers, lift them up, you know,
give them that little bit of joy. I know what
it's like having parents deployed, and when one person serves,
the whole family serves, you feel those hearts.
Speaker 6 (32:00):
Ships. Also got to.
Speaker 9 (32:02):
See high school, high school basketball teammates or kids who
went to other schools, guys from Al Paso or people
were stationed at Fort Bliss, so that was surreal. Got
my haircut by one of my high school basketball teammates
who's a barber.
Speaker 6 (32:16):
Now.
Speaker 9 (32:16):
I was sitting in the barriers with the guys, just
hanging out midnight, child eating the DFACT, eating lunch with them,
doing everything they did, but just also being there meeting
with them, talking to them and trying to lift them up.
Speaker 4 (32:29):
Dude, that sounds awesome. Man, I did hear you say
high school basketball? So you were football and basketball in
high school just dominating both or no.
Speaker 6 (32:36):
Track as well? Football, basketball and track? Yes, sir? So wow, you.
Speaker 4 (32:39):
Would you rather start with the Packers or the Vikings,
because I shocker, I've got some Aaron Rodgers.
Speaker 6 (32:43):
Questions for you. Wherever you want to start here, start
with the Packers.
Speaker 3 (32:46):
So you're you're drafted by Green Bay, but there's a
log gym at running back.
Speaker 4 (32:50):
And as you were telling us during the break, it's
like you had a big champion in the organization.
Speaker 3 (32:54):
Tell us how you first got on the field.
Speaker 9 (32:57):
Really it was a rod He went on to the
like I want thirty three in the game, uh, signaling
from the field, But then went over there it was
like I want thirty three in the game, and I'm
looking down.
Speaker 6 (33:06):
I'm like, hey, let's me, let's go. Uh.
Speaker 9 (33:09):
So, like I always tell people, uh, I think people
have the wrong perspective of them or whatever. If you're
a player, you've been around him, you'll and you're you'd
be thankful for your time around him and what he's
done for you in your career. So, uh, he's really
helped jump start my career, gave me that confidence and
continue to give me that confidence.
Speaker 4 (33:27):
So why do you think he gets a bum rap
in the media if he's so loved by so many teammates.
Speaker 9 (33:33):
Uh, because the media can sway sway whatever you say,
whichever way they want to, whether you minted in a
certain type of way or whether you didn't.
Speaker 6 (33:43):
So I feel like it's part of that. Yeah.
Speaker 4 (33:47):
Now, your time with the Packers, A lot was written
about McCarthy versus Rogers. At the end, there was some
kind of cold war. They didn't talk whatever. I don't
know what did you see in Green Bay near the end,
because you guys had a great, great run.
Speaker 6 (33:59):
Uh. You know, I was a fifth round guy, so
my head was just down trying to stay out the way.
Speaker 9 (34:05):
But uh, it was it was we We were like a.
Speaker 6 (34:11):
Middle of the pack team.
Speaker 9 (34:12):
We win, lose, win, losing a lot of it depending
on if a rat was healthy and ou out there
able to play. We went as he went, and so
he once he got back healthy, we were great. So
I feel like he was a big part of a
big part of us. You know, when he was out there,
we were doing great.
Speaker 4 (34:29):
Yeah, I guess playing in Green Bay is like a
running back. At the time, you know, the running back
position was still highly thought of, but in the last
few years it kind of dipped down.
Speaker 3 (34:38):
Did you notice it as one of the.
Speaker 4 (34:39):
Top running backs in the league that hey, man, we're
not getting paid, we're not getting respected.
Speaker 6 (34:43):
What was that like one hundred percent? Uh?
Speaker 9 (34:46):
You know, as you're as you're going through contract negotiations
or you're seeing what other guys are getting across the
other positions, and you can kind of see what's going on,
and you start talking all the backs as a whole,
not just the running backs on your team.
Speaker 6 (35:02):
But across the league.
Speaker 9 (35:04):
You guys start talking and everybody's kind of feeling and
consistence of that way of Hey, they're trying to devalue us,
devalue our position, but we bring so much value to
the to the game, you know. But luckily guys bought
out this year. Tae Kwon did what he did and
was really able to help the running back market kind
(35:24):
of get back a little bit to where its supposed
to be.
Speaker 6 (35:27):
I still think it should be a little bit better.
Speaker 9 (35:29):
But the reason I said that because you have a
think about how many times a running back is touching
the ball a game versus a receiver number three. Yeah, uh,
you know we're picking up blocks as well, or we're
lining up out why running routes.
Speaker 6 (35:43):
So I feel but hey, I'm I'm not gonna play it.
Speaker 9 (35:47):
I'm happy that that it's gotten bumped up, but I'm
I'm advocating for the backs, not complaining and advocating.
Speaker 3 (35:53):
So you're in Green Bay. I had to look this up.
Speaker 4 (35:55):
So you guys are doing well and then they draft
aj Dillon and at that point you know you're one
of the top backs in the league. But are you, like, guys,
what are we doing I'm the guy or is that
just part of the job, Like you always got to
be looking over your shoulder.
Speaker 9 (36:06):
As you learn your time in the league. That's just
part of the business. They're always trying to either bring
somebody in to replace you.
Speaker 6 (36:13):
Uh.
Speaker 9 (36:14):
And if they can replace you, there there there, or
if maybe not to replace you, they're there to team
them up with you and you guys go to work together.
But that's part of your job to know that, hey,
they're bringing some they're trying to replace me.
Speaker 6 (36:27):
Every year.
Speaker 9 (36:27):
They're trying to bring somebody in every year, and that's
your it's your job to stay on top of everything
and put in that work.
Speaker 6 (36:35):
So so when it when that those challenges do present itself,
you're You're still on top.
Speaker 4 (36:40):
Would you see like, oh damn, it is probably ending
soon for me in Green Bay. I need another landing
spot because very rarely do people stay in the division.
Speaker 6 (36:50):
Uh. Definitely did not see it coming to an end. Uh.
I finished the year off strong.
Speaker 9 (36:58):
I got hurt earlier year, scoring a touchdown against Chicago,
battled the hamstring for a little bit.
Speaker 6 (37:04):
Then once I was back.
Speaker 9 (37:05):
Out there, I feel like I helped lead us to
UH to the playoffs and it was essentially a first
round win. Uh So I was everything I was being
told from the organizations.
Speaker 6 (37:16):
Hey, you're the heart and soul this team. You'll be
back here.
Speaker 9 (37:18):
So UH didn't turn in my iPad, didn't do anything
because I'm under I'm I'm thinking I'm coming back and yeah,
and uh so what happened.
Speaker 6 (37:29):
Uh that didn't happen.
Speaker 9 (37:30):
They wanted me to take a pay cut, and sometimes
you know, you got to bet on yourself, and yeah,
that's what I did. I love the organization, love the
connections that I've made there, but at the same time,
I have a family to feed, and yeah, I felt
like I knew my worth and my worth was more
than what they wanted to give me.
Speaker 3 (37:49):
So was Roger still there?
Speaker 6 (37:51):
No, he wasn't. This was Jordan. This was Jordan Love.
Speaker 3 (37:54):
He was your advocate and Jordan Love. You probably didn't
know him as.
Speaker 9 (37:56):
Well, right, Oh, No, I knew Jordan very well. Uh.
That's that's the thing. I get all the I got
all the receivers, Jordan, his quarterback, coaches like my uncle,
like my uncle Steve Calhoun.
Speaker 6 (38:10):
Uh, we got all. I got all of them.
Speaker 9 (38:12):
Hey, we're going out here this offseason work with Jordan.
He's gonna be first time starting. So I was a
catalyst and a lot of that getting us, getting us together.
And I think that's some of the stuff they started
to see from behind the scenes. But uh, you know
I have a lot of love for those guys as
as well. Uh, my young receivers, my young my quarterback.
Speaker 3 (38:31):
You know, I wonder if the audience picked that up. Guy,
you got to listen closely to what he says.
Speaker 4 (38:37):
Anyways, So you're, you know, you're igniting all that stuff,
and all of a sudden they come to you with
a low ball that was kind of when the running
backs nobody wanted to pay them, right.
Speaker 6 (38:44):
Yes sir, but.
Speaker 9 (38:46):
Got got worried that they were going to bring in
another back, didn't know who, but they were gonna give
essentially make me take a pay cut, asked me to
take a pay cut. Uh, but give another back extension
or a big deal.
Speaker 6 (39:00):
I'm out, sorry, and you know you kind of the
writing's kind of on the wall. Then do I want.
Speaker 9 (39:08):
To be be a two or do I do? I
feel like I can go somewhere and prove myself, continue
to prove myself and show them I still can play.
I got a lot of value left in So that's
that's what I essentially did.
Speaker 4 (39:22):
So naturally, you go to Minnesota and then you dominate
and you can flash the middle finger to them. They
talk about the transition to Minnesota in the Division A
tea a franchising team. You know, well, but you got
to move your family and everything. Was your family behind
the move and everything.
Speaker 9 (39:35):
My family was definitely behind the move. They were they
were all for it and uh everything. I don't know,
if you guys see those report cards that are given
out on every NFL team, Yah, yeah, yeah, So that
that was very true when we got there. The treatment
of the family, everything, it's it's a world class organization
and I'm blessed to be there. You know, there was
(39:58):
a lot of guys who're like, oh, don't leave green Bay.
Don't leave green Bay, like a lot of vets where
they were leave. They're like, Oh, they really take care
of you. The grasses and greener and all the things
that they will tell you. And you know, so I
was kind of like nervous making that move, but God
doesn't make mistakes and I ended up there for a reason,
and it's it's been a blessing for me and my family.
Speaker 6 (40:19):
They really take care of you.
Speaker 9 (40:20):
It's like I said, it's a world class organization. And
I was able to stay healthy all year. Yeah, it's
just a it's a great place to be. And I
think you'll really continue to see see the Minnesota do
great nuts because it starts so.
Speaker 4 (40:35):
Now I got to be careful with the questions because
you're in Minnesota, you know, and you got to see
these guys all the time. But you know, you get
to Minnesota and they got Sam Darnold, but then they
draft McCarthy and you were there for the quarterback battle.
Speaker 3 (40:46):
And the office.
Speaker 4 (40:47):
Did you because you're a new guy, were you able
to like, hey guys, let's get together and let's go offense,
let's go do stuff the way you did in Green Bay?
Speaker 9 (40:55):
Kind of just trying to get moved in, get settled there.
Everything found my foot in. But it was we were
still close, you know that, And I think that's what
made us.
Speaker 6 (41:06):
Really good this year.
Speaker 9 (41:07):
We had a bunch of guys on there on one years,
but veterans and we knew we had to come together.
Speaker 6 (41:15):
And I think that's that's what made us special.
Speaker 9 (41:17):
And it didn't matter who was Like in the preseason
with j J and Sam was out there, it didn't
matter who was out there slinking and we were.
Speaker 6 (41:25):
We were pumping pumping that quarterback up.
Speaker 9 (41:27):
Whoever was out there taking the rep were we were
pumping them up, lift them up, and you couldn't you
couldn't tell who was who really, Like from that close,
I went, I don't know how close it was. Uh
both of them were balling the preseason though, but I'm
saying you couldn't, like in terms of all we're cheering
for this converinent, like the way that they built it
(41:47):
up there, like each guy was getting loved on.
Speaker 3 (41:50):
So I'm just curious how this works. Like, you go
to a new team, new franchise, you've got it. Everybody
knows who everon.
Speaker 4 (41:55):
Jones is right, But you got to meet, like make
all these new relationships. How was that like in the
locker room because obviously they had other running backs.
Speaker 3 (42:03):
You're coming for their job. You're gonna be the guy.
Speaker 4 (42:05):
They got a new quarterback, they got something of a
quarterback controversy, they got a young coach.
Speaker 3 (42:11):
Just what was that like.
Speaker 6 (42:12):
It's a lot of fun. It's honestly, it's a lot
of fun.
Speaker 9 (42:16):
And I feel like that's part of the military help
help me just being able to adapt to change quickly.
Military was moving every two three years, so as a child,
having to re establish myself in sports. So it was
fun just going and making new relationships, meeting new people,
learning about them. And these are relationships that will last forever,
(42:38):
not just this this couple of months. These are ever laughing,
everlasting relationships. They getting to know about you, you're getting
to know about them, and then you're finding out, hey,
we're a lot, we're a lot of like or we
come from the same kind of the same background, or
same makeup, or you know, just being there as a
(43:02):
resource as well. Like you said, I'm a veteran coming
in and we had Todd Chandler, Pam Akers. They're still
young guys on their third fourth year. So I can
just come in and give those guys everything they need.
And then I think as an athlete, you know, like, hey,
if this guy's better than me, then he's better than me,
(43:23):
and I can learn from him and I can improve.
But there's also bits and pieces you can take from
everybody's game. So I'm taking something from Cam camp Akers game,
I'm taking something from Todd Chandler's game. I'm learning from
those guys just as much as they're learning from me.
Speaker 6 (43:37):
So I think is just great.
Speaker 4 (43:40):
So now you're out here doing media and I have
to ask, as a high profile player on a team
that I don't think anybody had the vikings peg to
do what you guys did this past season.
Speaker 3 (43:50):
Are you reading the stuff in the preseason.
Speaker 4 (43:51):
Where people are like, oh, well, I don't know if
Vike he's maybe five hundred.
Speaker 3 (43:54):
You know, they got Aaron Jones and Justin Jefferson, Like,
are you reading that stuff?
Speaker 4 (43:58):
Because the media, I don't think loved the Vikings coming
into the season.
Speaker 6 (44:02):
Uh.
Speaker 9 (44:02):
You know, you see those first couple of headlines come
out and you just like whatever. And then after that
we kind of didn't pay paying any attention. You know,
We're like, Okay, we're gonna make We're gonna make them
respect for us. They're not talking now, but when it's
when it comes down to what they will be and
you know, what's what's done in the darker will always
come to light. And we put our heads down and
(44:23):
we worked even though we the light wasn't shining on us,
and eventually everybody started talking about us and seeing what
we were doing over there.
Speaker 4 (44:32):
It felt like the injury to the left tackle was
kind of one of the big infection points during the season.
And I don't want to say it went south, but
its just what the offensive line wasn't clicking the way
it was with Derrisa and there is that a fair assessment.
Speaker 9 (44:46):
Definitely, Cam Cam Tom Cam Cam Robinson came over and
did a great job. Though came in I want to
say two days and started, but really one.
Speaker 6 (44:56):
Day of practice. He did a great job.
Speaker 9 (44:58):
I think it's just cd uh was like the leader
of the line group kind of you know, maybe and
get getting them going. So he's all pro, you know, yeah,
all pro guy. So when you lose one of one
of those guys up front, and he's given a lot
of those guys across the board confidence as well, Uh,
(45:20):
it does get a little tough. But like I said,
Caim did a great job of stepping in. Uh, and
I'm proud of him and he gotta he gotta paid
off of that as well. So, uh, congratulations to my
left tackle KM.
Speaker 3 (45:31):
Yeah, he's pretty damn good.
Speaker 4 (45:33):
And and the other guy with Cam was our first
round picking his own right right with the Dax Comps.
Speaker 3 (45:37):
All right, So tough question, got to ask it.
Speaker 4 (45:39):
Play with DeVante Adams, play with Justin Jefferson, it's better
I got.
Speaker 3 (45:44):
I have to put you on the spot. These are
two of the best. I mean, these are true Hall
of famers.
Speaker 6 (45:48):
Obviously, I would say two different receivers.
Speaker 3 (45:52):
Of course, he's ready for the media.
Speaker 9 (45:54):
There are two different receivers. There are two different sivers,
both very special. That's a tough question. Honestly, I've seen
both of them go to work every day and consistently
to it every day. I'm gonna say the only difference
that I've seen is I wasn't there when DeVante was younger,
(46:20):
when he was in his first three years, first four years,
first five years. All right, I got there, Well he was.
He's still young, but Justin's like, you're four year five,
So I get to you got to see that a
little bit. But I would say, that's that's all.
Speaker 6 (46:38):
You flip a coin.
Speaker 3 (46:39):
Get used to being in the media.
Speaker 6 (46:40):
You flip a coin. You flip a coin. Right there.
I go with either of one.
Speaker 4 (46:44):
If we gave you truth serum, And the question was
when Aaron Rodgers and the Vikings were doing whatever dance
they were doing last month, were you privy to what
was going on? Did Rogers call you to check in, Hey,
what's the vibe like there? Did you talk to Rogers
when he was allegedly talking on Vikings.
Speaker 9 (47:00):
We really didn't talk, you know, but I would love
for him, would have loved for him to come over there.
He can do a lot for the young players, not
just see. That's that's the that's.
Speaker 6 (47:15):
The that's the that's the media, that's the media side.
Speaker 9 (47:18):
You guys got rid of Robert Sala through five games
in you guys got rid of Robert solid five games
I like him.
Speaker 6 (47:26):
What you guys with two and three? What was the record?
It was?
Speaker 3 (47:30):
It was not good and three?
Speaker 6 (47:31):
Yeah, okay.
Speaker 9 (47:32):
With my last year in Green Bay, we were like
four and seven and made the playoffs.
Speaker 3 (47:39):
Yeah.
Speaker 9 (47:40):
So so you guys, you guys are giving up on
you guys are it's the I don't even want to say,
it's the fans. You guys are so quick to just
give up on each other though, Like, no, that's.
Speaker 3 (47:51):
Fair, not not necessarily me. I like Sala. He didn't
do a lot of winning. But apparently he had a
rift with with Rogers. You know, they didn't remember.
Speaker 1 (47:58):
Uh.
Speaker 4 (47:58):
Sala was all excited and he came over Rogers like,
bro chill, come on, man, that's a head coach.
Speaker 3 (48:05):
I know that's your guy.
Speaker 6 (48:07):
I don't. I don't. I went in the locker room.
I don't know the dynamic.
Speaker 9 (48:09):
But but I mean, you guys are two and three
and you go and fire him like, I don't.
Speaker 3 (48:20):
Know, have been a dysfunctional mess for a while.
Speaker 9 (48:22):
So it's so you can try to throw it all
on a rod or Salah, it's more to it, you know,
it's fair.
Speaker 6 (48:31):
And they were trying to get the pieces over there.
Speaker 9 (48:33):
They were trying to get the pieces over there, but
you also got to be able to.
Speaker 6 (48:36):
Protect the quarterback as well.
Speaker 3 (48:37):
Do that.
Speaker 9 (48:38):
You also got to be able to protect them. But
you know, no, he I feel like he does get
a bad spin on the media. But the thing, like
I spoke on it a little bit, and I'm sure
there's so many more athletes out here that can speak
positively about a Rod. I haven't had a negative interaction
with with him ever.
Speaker 3 (48:58):
I had what was h Deshaun Jackson came on the
last year. He's very good.
Speaker 4 (49:03):
I like to talk to him about it. All right,
So we got one minute left. Vikings is super Bowl
a reasonable expectation this.
Speaker 9 (49:10):
Year, I truly think so. We have all our skill
positions back. JJ is ready. We're ready to surround him.
Speaker 3 (49:18):
Have you seen JJ lateley?
Speaker 6 (49:19):
Is he good? Coming? Healthy? Is good? JJ is ready
and he's different.
Speaker 9 (49:23):
He's gonna He's gonna show you.
Speaker 3 (49:26):
Vikings are my sleeper pick to win the division up there.
Speaker 9 (49:29):
We're about showing it instead of talking about it. So
we're gonna show show you, guys.
Speaker 4 (49:34):
What's the best thing about McCarthy. Is he a leader
in the already or too young?
Speaker 6 (49:37):
No, he's a leader already already.
Speaker 9 (49:39):
He's a winner. Like he's a winner, he's we believe
in him. He's going to get it done for us.
I mean where we're all behind him.
Speaker 6 (49:46):
Man.
Speaker 9 (49:48):
He comes in with that confidence as well and excited
to have them all right.
Speaker 4 (49:52):
Aaron Jones, the great running back a lot of time
with the Packers, now dominating with the Vikings. Vikings are
my pick to win the division. I think the Lions
fall back a little.
Speaker 6 (50:00):
You. I think we have the best division of football.
Speaker 9 (50:03):
I don't know if I don't know if they necessarily
fall back, but I think it is definitely gonna be competitive.
Speaker 6 (50:08):
Chicago also got better in free agency
Speaker 3 (50:10):
So thanks good stuff, man, It's gonna be great.
Thanks for listening to the Best of the Herd podcast.
Be sure to catch us live every weekday on Fox
Sports Radio in noon to three eastern nine am to
noone Pacific. Find your local station for The Herd at
Fox Sports Radio dot com, or stream us live every
day on the iHeartRadio app by searching Fox Sports Radio
or FSR.
Speaker 2 (00:19):
This is the Best of the Herd with Colin cowher
on Fox Sports Radio.
Speaker 3 (00:27):
Hello, and welcome to the Herd.
Speaker 4 (00:29):
It's a beautiful Tuesday in the sports world. The Florida
Gators are national champions. Oh yeah, gotta love it. It's
me Jason McIntyre in for Colin Coward. I'm joined today
by with Alex Curry. Alex, how are you no Dodger
Blue today?
Speaker 3 (00:48):
We gotta we gotta mix it up a bit. But
did you pick Florida? I get you do.
Speaker 5 (00:52):
I'm like, did we talk about that yesterday?
Speaker 3 (00:54):
You know we're talking. You kind of just talked.
Speaker 5 (00:55):
About how sad you were about Duke, So I'm like,
I don't even know.
Speaker 3 (00:58):
If we actually talked about who you were taking. I
had Florida. I think I mentioned it briefly guided into
the game, but it was a bit of a thriller.
Speaker 5 (01:07):
He got to love when it comes down to the
last minute of the game, that's all you can hope
for in like a championship final game.
Speaker 2 (01:13):
So good job.
Speaker 3 (01:15):
That was great. We got a big show ahead.
Speaker 4 (01:17):
Former NBA center Ryan Hollins on the show, joining us
in the studio.
Speaker 3 (01:22):
NFL running back Aaron Jones in the house.
Speaker 4 (01:24):
I'm very excited to talk to a guy who's played
with Aaron Rodgers.
Speaker 3 (01:27):
What does he know about JJ McCarthy.
Speaker 4 (01:29):
We'll do some NFL draft stuff, but obviously, folks, we
have to start with the Florida Houston thriller in the
National Championship last night.
Speaker 3 (01:39):
I mean, what a game. It went from bad to oh,
this is gross. The refs are.
Speaker 4 (01:43):
Ruining in to Holy Cow. Would have come back by
Florida And folks, I'm sure you've heard about the great
best selling book Grit Right The Passion and Perseverance in Life,
And essentially one of the big takeaways from the book
is those who are going to succeed in life, One
of the great predictors of success is do you have grit?
Are you just throwing in the towel at the first
(02:04):
sign of a problem. Are you bailing or are you
gonna figure out how to solve the problem and get
through it. And this season in college basketball, we saw
the Florida Gators lose three really close games. They were
excellent all season, only lost four games. One was a blowout,
but three close ones. And what happened in the NCAA
Tournament comebacks in the second half four times by the Gators,
(02:27):
the Cardiac Gators. They came back when they were trailing
yukon Texas Tech, they were down ten Auburn on Saturday,
they were down nine in the second half, and then
last night down twelve against Houston. I'm told by all
the guys who cover college basketball all season, you can't
come back against Houston. The defense is just too tough.
Florida said, hold my beer please, and the Gators stormed
(02:49):
back with a thrilling final minute. Folks, look at these
comebacks that they've had all the tournament, and the game
against Houston last night was just the perfect capper.
Speaker 3 (02:58):
Houston had three possessions in.
Speaker 4 (03:00):
The final minute, they didn't get a shot off.
Speaker 3 (03:03):
And they turned the ball over three times. That, my friends,
was incredible.
Speaker 4 (03:07):
And how about the grit displayed by the great Walter Clayton.
Speaker 3 (03:11):
Now he's a divisive figure in NBA circles.
Speaker 6 (03:13):
What's he gonna be?
Speaker 4 (03:14):
You know you got to pun it at ESPN saying
you got to take him third in the draft.
Speaker 3 (03:19):
What let's not go that overboard.
Speaker 6 (03:22):
Listen.
Speaker 3 (03:22):
I like Walter Clayton a lot.
Speaker 4 (03:23):
He had zero baskets zero for the first thirty two minutes.
Speaker 3 (03:28):
Of the National Championship. He is a guy who had
back to back thirty point games.
Speaker 4 (03:32):
He had thirty four against auburt he had no baskets.
Speaker 3 (03:35):
What did he panic?
Speaker 4 (03:37):
No, No, he just attacked the basket, buried to three,
had nine clutch points in the final eight minutes.
Speaker 3 (03:44):
And Florida is a champ.
Speaker 4 (03:46):
Here's their coach, Todd Golden, talking about how defense rode away.
Speaker 7 (03:50):
We've been a top ten defense all year also, and
we've been able to stand up against really good offensive
teams and find a way to get stops. We held
them scoreless the last two twenty and Walter great close
out and Condo, great hustle play to win the game.
And that's what made this team special all years, that
we could win different ways, and we show that against tonight.
Speaker 4 (04:09):
I gotta be honest guys, I'm not gonna lie. I
was on Florida. I was extremely nervous down twelve.
Speaker 3 (04:14):
I thought, how are they going to pull this off?
Speaker 4 (04:16):
Even when Houston had the ball in the final twenty
seconds with a chance to win the game. I love
the Florida adjustments defensively. They blitzed both of the Houston guards,
Uzah and Crier. We're not letting you shoot it. We're
going to w and they get it over to Sharp,
who has, for my money, just the most unfortunate, memorable
mistake at the end of a college basketball national championship
(04:39):
since Chris Weber called timeout, a timeout he did not
have against North Carolina.
Speaker 3 (04:45):
I felt so bad for the kids.
Speaker 4 (04:46):
Sharp, he had two turnovers in the final twenty five seconds,
dribbled it off his leg. I was like, oh my gosh,
that's devastating. I felt really bad for Houston. But at
the same time, Houston Cougars fans, now you know how
us Dupe fans felt on Saturday night as Duke was
melting the game.
Speaker 3 (05:02):
Away, just handing it to Houston.
Speaker 4 (05:06):
Duke was up nine with three minutes left and gagged
Houston up twelve in the second half and then can't
even get a.
Speaker 3 (05:11):
Shot off in the fight. Look at that. Clayton, of
course put the clothes out. Clayton heroic.
Speaker 4 (05:15):
A quick word on the refs and I don't want
to be bag on the refs guy. And anytime somebody
says that they're gonna be bag on the refs guy.
The refs called four total fouls in the first half.
Speaker 3 (05:26):
That's it.
Speaker 4 (05:27):
They let Houston do what they wanted. Defensively, Houston is
grabby and handsy. It's whether the number one defense in
the country. Well, what happened in the second half. The
refs came out and we're like, oh, oh wait, we
can't allow this. We got to call everything. Twenty six
fouls in the second half. So from four to twenty six. Well,
what's the impact of twenty six fouls in the second half? Well,
(05:47):
Florida is able to actually run an offense, you know,
without being held and jostled. And then Florida starts getting
to the line. They hit their free throws, an amazing comeback,
A great capper to folks. I'm gonna go ahead and
say I think this was the greatest Final four this century.
You had three games all determined in the final ninety
seconds and three games all the team that won had
(06:09):
trailed at halftime.
Speaker 3 (06:11):
I think it was a phenomenal final four.
Speaker 4 (06:13):
All right, let's pivot to the NFL Draft, and oh boy,
things are getting spicy at the top.
Speaker 3 (06:20):
Now.
Speaker 4 (06:20):
I do want to preface this by saying, by nature,
I think I'm a risk taker. I can tell you
stories about my family coming from the Caribbean to America
back in the sixties and seventies, but I won't bore
you with that. However, I myself am a risk taker.
Many of you who know my story. I was at
a magazine in New York City. I decided to quit
to run a sports blog full time. You can imagine
(06:42):
how that went over to the future in laws. Oh so, Jason,
how's work?
Speaker 6 (06:46):
Yeah?
Speaker 4 (06:47):
I quit my job to run a sports blog and
I get this blank stet.
Speaker 3 (06:51):
What's that?
Speaker 6 (06:52):
You know?
Speaker 4 (06:52):
This was like two thousand and six seven, and I
obviously got a little lucky with it and it paid off.
But taking a risk worked. So nine years ago, you know,
Colin Coward and Fox come to me and they're like, hey,
would you move across the country to try your hand
at TV?
Speaker 3 (07:08):
Risk taker? Jason, Yeah, let's give it a shot. Why not?
Family was like, are you sure about this? So far,
so good. We'll see what the future holds. But taking
risks in life, you know, high reward, high risk. I
like being a risk taker. I do some gambling.
Speaker 4 (07:26):
I don't mind playing the card games in Vegas. Enter
the Cleveland Browns, who are in risky territory at number two.
Speaker 3 (07:33):
If we assume Kim Ward.
Speaker 4 (07:35):
Is going one to Tennessee, which everybody has, what's happening
at two is all over the place, so everybody knows.
One of the best newsbreakers in the NFL's Adam Schefter,
he does a great job. In February, he said it
made sense for the Browns to draft Shade a quarterback,
not Shador a quarterback at two. In March, he came
(07:57):
out and said, you know what, Abdul Carter is a
lean right now for the Browns. Here we are in
April and Schefter comes out this week and says, you know,
it looks like Travis Hunter is gonna go too to
the Browns. Folks, nobody knows what Cleveland's gonna do. Let's
stop pretending like anyone has a clue. It all comes
down to, what would you do. And this is where
I get risky, and I say, I'm taking Shadoor Sanders.
(08:20):
I understand he doesn't have elite arm strength, he doesn't
have elite escapability, he.
Speaker 3 (08:25):
Doesn't have elite size.
Speaker 4 (08:27):
I mean, you know, frankly, he doesn't didn't have elite
protection at Colorado. So I don't think we've seen the
best Shadoor Sanders. Could he be Tua, a highly.
Speaker 3 (08:36):
Accurate quarterback who's kind of sort of limited by his size.
Speaker 4 (08:40):
Sure he could be Tua. I don't think that would
be the worst thing in the world. Who is a
good quarterback. He's had a couple good runs. If he
could stay healthy. You know, he's been paid.
Speaker 3 (08:47):
Dolphin's got to the playoffs with him. Could he be
too a sure?
Speaker 4 (08:51):
Could Shadore Sanders be Zach Wilson, Yeah, that would not
surprise me either. Could he be Trey Lance who the
forty nine Ers riskily not even a word traded up
in the draft. They went up to get Trey Lance,
who I believe is out of the league currently.
Speaker 3 (09:09):
He may let it end up on a.
Speaker 4 (09:10):
Roster, but I think the Cowboys have moved on with
this new Joe Milton move. So folks, do you risk
it by going Shadoor Sanders it too. I keep hearing
Abdul Carter He's safest, safest pick in the draft.
Speaker 3 (09:22):
Okay, well you start to drill down on Carter.
Speaker 4 (09:24):
He's coming off a surgery, he's got like a foot thing.
And then there are reports about like is was he
the hardest worker at Penn State? You know, maybe maybe
this is people trying to poison the water for Abduel Carter.
Speaker 3 (09:35):
I think he looks like a great football player, but safe.
You know who else was safe?
Speaker 4 (09:39):
Chase Young coming out of Ohio State, remember him, one
of the boats of twins us.
Speaker 3 (09:43):
Sorry, boats of brothers who was with the Chargers for
a long time. I thought he was supposed to be safe,
Like they just moved on from him. You know, good player,
but he was supposed to be safe. What a safe mean?
Is Travis Hunter that safe? Okay? Great, you've got a
wonderful wide receiver. What are you gonna do with him?
Speaker 4 (10:01):
Go ask the Giants how that worked out with Malik Neighbors.
They got three different quarterbacks throwing to him and they're
not winning anything.
Speaker 3 (10:07):
So what is safe? And I'll counter that with I go.
Speaker 4 (10:12):
I take the risk and I go Shudor Sanders, because
you know what, if I get Hunter and I got
no quarterbacks throwing to him, I'm probably getting fired if
I'm the front office. If I got Abdul Carter and
Miles Garrett coming off the idul exciting, I got no quarterback.
But Jay, you're forgetting Kirk Cousins to Cleveland. What about
the rumors?
Speaker 3 (10:29):
Well, guys, I looked it up.
Speaker 4 (10:31):
Kirk Cousins his last five games in Atlanta, he had
one touchdown in nine picks.
Speaker 3 (10:37):
He was benched. Now could that be because of the
Atlanta offense? Maybe? Could it be that Kirk Cousins is washed.
That's also possible.
Speaker 4 (10:46):
Is he gonna work out in Cleveland and the outdoor
situations in that division?
Speaker 3 (10:52):
I don't know. He seems like an indoor quarterback to me.
Speaker 4 (10:54):
I know he went to Michigan State, but I don't
think Kirk Cousins is a slam dunk.
Speaker 3 (10:58):
Let's not.
Speaker 4 (11:00):
Pretend that that magical run by Joe Flacco where he
won what five games, they got to the playoffs and
they got smashed by fifty because.
Speaker 3 (11:07):
He threw two pick sixes.
Speaker 4 (11:09):
Let's not act like that is definitely going to duplicate
itself with whoever you put in at quarterback.
Speaker 3 (11:15):
I take a risk and I grabbed Shaduor could.
Speaker 4 (11:18):
You wait until the second round and get Cowherd's favorite guy.
Speaker 3 (11:22):
Mister McCord from Syracuse. Sure you could do that, guys.
Speaker 4 (11:26):
I just went down the list of the best second
round quarterbacks ever drafted. Brett varv home run with Green
Bay not his first team, Gino Smith kind of sort
of thriving.
Speaker 3 (11:39):
Now in a late season surge.
Speaker 4 (11:41):
It didn't happen with the Jets when they drafted him.
He was a risk second round. He didn't work out
with the Jets. Andy Dalton, I won't even say Cowhard's
nickname for him, but he has zero career playoff wins.
Could he be Jalen Hurts or Drew Brees the second
round quarterback who thrives and wins the Super Bowl? Sure,
two quarterbacks won Super Bowls. Obviously, Boomerasyasin was the second
(12:02):
round pick. You can hit on them. But this idea
that Hey Schadour is a huge risk. Isn't everyone a risk?
I mean, guys, I hate to break it to your
cam Ward at one. As much as I like him,
he's a risk. You know, he's good at Washington State,
great at Miami.
Speaker 3 (12:18):
Is he gonna work in the NFL? Nobody knows.
Speaker 4 (12:20):
And that's why we could talk about the NFL Draft
for nine months out of the year, because nobody knows
a damn thing. But I'm telling you right now, if
you want to be a risk taker, Shadoor Sanders is
your guy at number two in the draft.
Speaker 3 (12:33):
Cleveland, I'm just here to help. That's all we do, Alex.
We're trying to help these teams out. And I think
you got to go Shador Sanders too.
Speaker 2 (12:40):
In the draft.
Speaker 5 (12:40):
It's also like the most important position on the team,
and if you have a gaping hole at the most
who's driving your ship the most important position, you have
to go after it.
Speaker 3 (12:51):
If the option is there, especially at number two.
Speaker 4 (12:54):
You know, and I hear all this talk, Oh well,
you could draft Travis Hunter then trade back in the
first to get Shador.
Speaker 3 (13:00):
The airports at the Saints level at nine. Yeah, you
gonn jumping up to eight. You give it up all
that draft capital. It just feels like too many gymnastics.
Speaker 5 (13:08):
I think that like when you say like safe, I
think the safest thing about both Travis and Shador is
their leader, their coach, Dion Sanders, who is obviously a
Shador's father, but a father figure for Travis.
Speaker 3 (13:22):
Like we heard him talk about.
Speaker 5 (13:23):
That and cry about that at his Heisman acceptance speech.
He knows what it takes to win in the NFL,
so he's preparing these guys to be able to be
successful at that level. So I think when you say
like safe, that might be the closest like mentally, I
think they'll be ready for it.
Speaker 3 (13:40):
Safe or risk, you know, take chances in life. It's fun.
Speaker 2 (13:43):
Be sure to catch live editions of The Herd weekdays
in neonon Easter not a em Pacific on Fox Sports
Radio FS one and the iHeartRadio app.
Speaker 3 (13:54):
Welcome Back Hour number two. Here on the Herd, Jason
McIntyre in for Colin Cowherd. It text with him yesterday.
Speaker 4 (14:01):
The fishing excursions are going great. He's just catching stuff
left and right. I'm joined today by Alex Curry. Alex,
you're a big fisher person.
Speaker 5 (14:08):
So I was in Fiji in December and I caught
my very first fish, and I caught a barracuda.
Speaker 3 (14:16):
I'm not kidding you, guys.
Speaker 5 (14:17):
This was the most thrilling and terrifying experience of my life. Wow,
and it like it has like crazy teeth.
Speaker 3 (14:23):
Yeah, comes right at you. Oh wow. So did you
sit in the water in Fiji after that or are you.
Speaker 5 (14:29):
Like, hell o, Yeah, there's sharks, there's everything. Yeah, but
you're with the locals because I stayed on like a
private circuing island, the Moo too. It's like the most
magical place in the world. So you wake up every
morning and you go fishing or circing or snorkeling like
wherever sounds good.
Speaker 3 (14:41):
But I'm like, I have a pass for me.
Speaker 4 (14:45):
We got Ryan Hollins, NBA veteran. He's a tall guy.
I'm just trying to recruit him on men's league team.
He's very tall flight center. We could use him as
a rim protector. But he's like, I'm in Houston, damn it.
All right, We're gonna start here real quick. I'm gonna
bust through my five. I have favorites to win the
NBA Championship. You're gonna vehemently disagree. Fan bases are gonna
(15:06):
be irked. Let's get started at number five, the Cleveland Cavaliers.
I wanted to put the Knicks years so badly. I
just I can't do it. Because the Nicks are gonna
probably play the Celtics in the second round. The Cavs
pathway easier since they are the number one seed. Dame
Willard unlikely to play the rest of the way due
to blood clots. I think things just line up for
(15:26):
Cleveland to have their best season since Lebron left.
Speaker 3 (15:30):
Donovan Mitchell's great.
Speaker 4 (15:31):
I know they've slid a little bit lately here down
the stret but they got nothing to play for. They
got the number one seed locked up. Mitchell, Mobley, Alan
Garland love everything about this team. Calves fifth on my
list of title contenders, number four. Let's go with the
Oklahoma City Thunder. What Jason, they're the favorites. They are
(15:51):
the favorites according to Vegas. I'm just not a believer.
I know, I know it's too out of a take.
Ryan Hollins, I could see him shaking his head over here.
He's not happy with me already, folks. Okase he got
fat and happy, beaten up on the East, blowing out
the Orlando Magic and the Wizards by like fifty.
Speaker 3 (16:09):
I know, and listen some of the numbers.
Speaker 4 (16:10):
They are nine and nine against the top teams in
the West versus the Lakers, Warriors, Nuggets.
Speaker 3 (16:15):
Rockets, and Wolves. It ain't gonna be easy.
Speaker 4 (16:17):
And again, I saw them against Luca in the playoffs
last year. He owned them. You could have your Lou
Dort and you're j Dobb and chet Holmgren. They're not
winning the finals. I have them number four on my list,
number three ahead of the Thunder.
Speaker 3 (16:31):
Steph Curry's Golden State Warriors. What's not to love? Man?
Speaker 4 (16:34):
One bad game against the Rockets, they're fine.
Speaker 3 (16:38):
If Podzemski can hit eight threes against the Lakers, they're fine.
That won't happen again. I like what I've seen from Kuminga.
I like the depth, but most of all, I like
Steph Curry.
Speaker 4 (16:47):
As long as you're not allowed to grab him and
hold him and foul him and chuck him and bury
him like the Rockets did, Warriors should be fine. I
don't want the Lakers to play them in the first round.
I know the sheet here says the Lakers with three
and one against the Warriors. Those wins were before the
Anthony Davis trade. It's not a great matchup for the Lakers.
(17:07):
But I do like the Warriors as my third favorite
to win the title. Checking in at number two, it's
the Lakers, Lebron and Luca.
Speaker 3 (17:16):
Go ahead, hate it all you want.
Speaker 4 (17:18):
I'm telling you, guys, Luca, Lebron and Reeves is the
best big three in the league, period and destroy. I
don't think the Celtics have as good of a big three.
They have more depth, of course, and they're better four, five, six,
But the Lakers big three will take them to the finals.
Speaker 3 (17:33):
All of a sudden, Denver's looking vulnerable. Folks know Jamal Murray.
Speaker 4 (17:37):
There's some quotes from Michael Malone making it sound like
Jamal Murray may play.
Speaker 3 (17:42):
In the playoffs.
Speaker 4 (17:43):
So now you're looking at it a Russell Westbrook Christian
Brown backcourt.
Speaker 3 (17:47):
Are you kidding me?
Speaker 4 (17:48):
Those guys have no chance against Luca. Austin Reeves is
just a superhero right now. And oh, by the way,
Lebron's taking his foot off the gas because Luca is
ready to take over.
Speaker 3 (17:57):
I just love this Lakers team.
Speaker 4 (17:59):
Second best chance to win the title and checking in
at number one on the top, it's got to be
the defending champion Celtics. They are the number two favorites
plus two to fifteen plus money for the Celtics to
win the title. I don't know how you don't take that.
Although the odds were probably better earlier this season, they
won't have home court advantage against the Calves.
Speaker 3 (18:17):
I don't think.
Speaker 4 (18:18):
They'll need it. Cleveland did play them well at moments
last year at times last year, but when fully healthy
or zingis Horford, Holliday, White Brown, Tatum, I mean Peyton Pritcher,
by the way, is gonna be sixth Man of the Year.
That is a nasty, nasty top seven. I think Boston's
got to be the team to be. Lakers two, Warriors three,
(18:40):
the OKC Thunder, everybody loves SGA and the free throw merchants.
At a number five, the Cleveland Calves apologies to my knicks.
Speaker 3 (18:48):
The Clippers also just missed out.
Speaker 4 (18:50):
Keep an eye on them, they're hot, and the Houston
Rockets narrowly missed one more.
Speaker 2 (18:54):
Heard the Herd streams twenty four hours a day, seven
days a week within the iHeartRadio app Heard to listen
live or on demand whenever you'd like.
Speaker 8 (19:03):
Hey, Steve Covino and I'm Rich David, and together we're
Covino and Rich on Fox Sports Radio. You could catch
US weekdays from five to seven pm Eastern two to
four Pacific on Fox Sports Radio and of course the
iHeartRadio app.
Speaker 3 (19:16):
Why should you listen to Covino and Rich.
Speaker 8 (19:18):
We talk about everything life, sports, relationships, what's going on
in the world. We have a lot of fun talking
about the stories behind the stories in the world of
sports and pop culture, stories that well other shows don't
seem to have the time to discuss. And the fact
that we've been friends for the last twenty years and
still work together. I mean that says something, right, So
check us out. We like to get you involved too,
(19:38):
take your phone calls, chop it up. As they say,
I'd say the most interactive show on Fox Sports Radio,
maybe the most.
Speaker 3 (19:44):
Interactive show on planetar.
Speaker 8 (19:45):
Be sure to check out Covino and Rich live on
Fox Sports Radio and the iHeartRadio app from five to
seven pm Eastern two to four Pacific, And if you
miss any of the live show, just search Covino and
Rich wherever you get your podcasts, and of course on
social media that's Covino and Rich.
Speaker 3 (20:00):
Never a dull moment in the NBA.
Speaker 4 (20:02):
Breaking news, the Denver Nuggets, who won the NBA championship
in twenty twenty three have fired their head coach Michael
Malone and their GM Calvin Booth.
Speaker 3 (20:14):
Ladies and gentlemen. The playoffs start in like ten days
in the NBA. What is happening now?
Speaker 4 (20:21):
I was scurrying during the break to get some information.
It's so weird because I think yesterday I alluded to
Denver being a bit of a mess, and this morning
I saw that Jamal Murray's hurt. And the way Michael
Malone is talking lately, he's just talking kind of wild,
but that has historically been his mo. He's a queen's guy,
grew up in the Northeast. He's a tough talker. He's
(20:44):
a little combative. Do you remember when the Lakers beat
Denver one game in that series in the playoffs and
he came back and oh the Lakers won one game.
Speaker 3 (20:55):
He's just basically, you guys are talking trash about us.
Speaker 4 (20:58):
I can't believe it. We're gonna destroy them. He said, like,
put in your pipe and smoke it. He was really
just aggressive, and this is his nature. And there are
reports I'm reading that maybe he was kind of sort
of losing the locker room in Denver again. He is
a mouthy individual. There's nothing wrong with that. As a coach,
you know that can work for so long, but when
(21:18):
you're not winning. The staff here found some numbers for
Jokic in April. Okay, this is real. He's averaging forty
five points, twelve boards, and tennysists in the month of April.
They're zero to three, Like, how are you not winning?
In crunch On, they were looking at being the three seed.
(21:40):
They could potentially fall to the six, seven, eight, maybe
into the plan. They don't have any wins with Yokis
putting up huge stats. Now, obviously the Jamal Murray injury
and Jamal Murray always seems to be hurt.
Speaker 3 (21:52):
That's kind of damaging. You do have who I.
Speaker 4 (21:56):
Believe is the best player in the league, who I
would have as MVP, in Nicola jokicch putting up historic,
great numbers, but it just doesn't seem to be working
now early in the season, and Murray hasn't played in
the last two weeks because he's so banged up, and
obviously that hurts. You know, Christian Brown and Russell Westbrook.
That's not a back court that scares anybody. But one
of the interesting things about Denver is that Malone historically
(22:21):
doesn't like playing young guys. They don't always know how
to play. There's a steep learning curve. You got to
deal with a lot of dumb turnovers and bad shots.
He likes to lean on veterans. So the GM of
the Nuggets gave this big fat contract to Zeke Nasee,
who was one of these combined Warriors, one of these
workout dudes who is.
Speaker 3 (22:40):
Like measurements through the roof, checks all the boxes. He
gets on the court.
Speaker 4 (22:44):
He can't play, and the GM still gives him a
big extension, which was a blunder.
Speaker 3 (22:48):
They paid Michael Porter Junior.
Speaker 4 (22:50):
I don't know that he could guard half the guys
in my men's basketball league.
Speaker 3 (22:53):
I like Aaron Gordon a lot.
Speaker 4 (22:54):
I think he's a good piece. I think Jokich is
obviously a superstar. I didn't like the Russell Westbrook move,
but it's speaks to Malone having influence on the GM.
Hey man, go get me a veteran who's gonna try
hard and hustle. Michael Malone loves a good try hard.
But the narrative of Denver trying hard is not there
because they're not stopping anybody now, So you got MPJ
(23:16):
doesn't play defense. Russ is a bit of a train
wreck and out of control. Joki is dominating but looking around.
Speaker 3 (23:21):
Like where's my help?
Speaker 4 (23:22):
And Jamal Murray's in street clothes again. So Denver is
slip sliding badly in the West. And as the staff
pointed out to me, Taylor Jenkins was fired by Memphis
last week. They were in the top five in the West.
And Ryan, who you know, a long time producer. He
was actually my first radio show producer when I had
a weekend show, said something smart.
Speaker 3 (23:44):
He's like, you know what.
Speaker 4 (23:45):
It kind of sort of feels like these teams don't
think they can compete to win a title this year,
so they're getting ahead of the coaching cycle for this summer.
Speaker 3 (23:53):
Hey man, we ain't gonna win. Let's just see if
the assistant can be promoted. Let's see what he can do,
if we could.
Speaker 4 (24:00):
Change some of the voices in the locker room, and
let's think about the summer. So Memphis fires their coach
two weeks before the playoffs. Denver fires their coach a
week before the playoffs. The problem is Malone just won
a title. He's the winningest coach in franchise history. He's
been there for ten years and you fire him a
(24:21):
week before the playoffs. Now the staff is sending me
some good stuff here. According to Ramona Shelbourne, the situation
in Denver is been tense and pressurized since the beginning
of the year. Malone and Booth had big ideas and
strong wills.
Speaker 3 (24:38):
Both are now gone again. This was a weird mix
in the locker room.
Speaker 4 (24:44):
Apparently Booth and Malone didn't really like each other and
get along. They did not talk, and they spoke behind
each other's backs. That's toxic.
Speaker 3 (24:52):
Man.
Speaker 4 (24:53):
When are we gonna start reading about are the Denver
Nuggets wasting your kitch's prime?
Speaker 3 (24:58):
I mean, that's probably gotta come next.
Speaker 1 (25:00):
Now.
Speaker 4 (25:00):
I did see one of my buddies who's a huge
Knicks fan. I mean, the body's not even cold in Denver,
and Knicks fans are like, can.
Speaker 3 (25:09):
We get Michael Malone for TIBs? Can we do that trade?
Can we run up move off TIBs.
Speaker 4 (25:13):
Tibbs, by the way, in New York is running his
players into the ground. I think for like the top
thirty players minutes wise are on the Knicks. And you
know what's gonna happen when they get to the playoffs,
They're gonna be broken. The same thing happened to TIBs
in Chicago. Could Michael Malone, who instantly is going to
vault to the top of every wish list around the league?
Speaker 3 (25:32):
Hey, man, I would not be surprised if there's NBA
teams right now looking do we love our guy? Should
we go after Michael Malone?
Speaker 4 (25:42):
I mean, I don't know that the Phoenix Suns would
do it, but remember they ran off Frank Vogel, who
I saw at an event a couple of weeks ago.
Speaker 3 (25:50):
Very nice guy. Does watch the Herd shout out to Frank.
They fired him after one year.
Speaker 4 (25:54):
Well, Budenholzer comes in, he beefs with Kevin Durant. The
videos are out there and now KD has downplayed it.
But would the Suns move off another coach two one
and done's and bring in Michael Malone. I don't know
it's possible, but oh my gosh, alex Any, I.
Speaker 3 (26:13):
Know it's just breaking and we're trying to get get
our bearings here, but it's.
Speaker 4 (26:17):
Just kind of fascinating.
Speaker 3 (26:18):
I fire your coach ten days before the playoffs. It
feels weak.
Speaker 5 (26:22):
It feels weak to your fan base, it feels weak
to the organization. You're still in a playoff position, you
are in fourth in the West right now, and you
are throwing in the towel saying I don't think we
can do it. I don't think we can win a championship.
It just it's not the mentality you want from a
franchise an organization at like the most important stretch of
(26:43):
the regular season, when you're in a playoff position, you
suck like you oh man, like you tough it out.
You tough it out, like what are you gonna do.
Someone's not gonna come in and make it better right
now the last week of the regular season and into
the postseason. But it also because we were talking about
Russell Westbrook's body language yesterday when he was talking to media,
(27:07):
and now it all kind of makes sense, like oh,
things were like not good behind closed doors, and you
might have thought that might have been the case, and
he was kind of giving that energy and vibe off
and this is just whoo. It's just I don't agree
with when you are in a position to win and
(27:28):
you are in a playoff position, a high playoff position, like.
Speaker 3 (27:32):
Why would you do that something weird? Why would you?
There's something more that we don't know.
Speaker 4 (27:36):
I've been waiting for the Memphis story to come out
on Taylor Jenkins and nothing's come out.
Speaker 3 (27:40):
It's been a week.
Speaker 4 (27:41):
Maybe they're still waiting to do the TikTok, but and
not TikTok, the app like the story of.
Speaker 3 (27:46):
Day to day, hour to hour. Kay, So we're still
we'll wait for that. I'm alone. But here's another interesting note.
Speaker 4 (27:51):
So the owner of the Denver Nuggets is Stan Kronky,
and he also owns the Rams. What do the Rams
have a really unified front with mc they and Snead
They're like a tandem.
Speaker 3 (28:02):
They go everywhere together.
Speaker 4 (28:03):
They seem to get along great. They have a shared
unified vision. It doesn't appear. And I again, I don't
know one hundred percent if there is a shared unified
vision between Booth and Malone, But it sounds like Booth
wanted to mix in some young guys and Malone was like, eh, no, thanks,
I want veterans. Remember he was reluctant to play Christian
(28:25):
Brown at all. And I watched a video clip during
the commercial about Brown meeting the media and he just
he looks young. Okay, he's playing with Yokich, Westbrook, Aaron Gordon.
These guys have been around a lot of playoffs. And
Brown looks still kind of wide eyed and kind of
shook and rattled.
Speaker 3 (28:42):
And I don't know. If your coach in the GM
are not on the same page, it ain't gonna work.
Speaker 4 (28:46):
Listen, If Alex and I are not getting along or
we totally disagree, this is gonna look awkward.
Speaker 3 (28:52):
And I think the audience is.
Speaker 5 (28:53):
Gonna tell yeah, but again, like then, let the GM
go right now, fire the GM, but keep your head coach.
Speaker 3 (28:59):
Yeah, Malone has won so much.
Speaker 5 (29:02):
Like and it was a twenty twenty three you wont
an NBA championship. He is your winningest coach in franchise history.
He's been with the team for ten years.
Speaker 4 (29:09):
His story coming from the Kings where he got run off. Yeah,
were again. He is a combative guy. And listen, you
can only battle with management long enough when you're winning.
Speaker 5 (29:19):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (29:19):
Right, Hey, I'm gonna say what I want. I'm gonna
do what I want. We're on top. I don't give up.
Speaker 4 (29:23):
You know now you're certainly losing, sliding in the standings,
and all of a sudden, maybe the locker room. Then
it's easy to move off of them, and you just
make it a package.
Speaker 3 (29:32):
You'll, let's get both of the hell out of here.
Speaker 5 (29:33):
But no, right now, right now doesn't you're in fourth place,
you still have a winning record.
Speaker 4 (29:40):
There was video of Malone talking about Jamal Murray and
talking about his team and I think there was a
loss a Monday to the Pacers.
Speaker 3 (29:49):
That was what it was on Monday.
Speaker 4 (29:51):
And he came out and is basically like, yeah, nobody
watches their minutes on film.
Speaker 3 (29:56):
Nobody watches film. He's like taking shots at his players,
Like I try to She's got to watch film.
Speaker 4 (30:01):
They don't want to watch film. Hey, listen, it's tough
to teach at old dog new tricks.
Speaker 6 (30:04):
Now.
Speaker 4 (30:05):
I'm sure it's difficult to tell veteran Russell Westbrook, who's
been in the league for like fifteen years, Hey man,
let's watch some film together. Hey, I'm an MVP, I'm
a triple double machine. I'm going to the Hall of Fame.
I'm good on the film. Carmelo Anthony ran into some
of this at the end of his career, when he's
bouncing around. It's tough to teach old Dog's new tricks,
and it's like, I don't know. I'm not ready to
(30:25):
side with Michael Malone yet. Obviously more information is gonna
come out. This literally just broke eight minutes ago. But
the Denver Nuggets have fired their head coach, who won
a championship, have been like twenty twenty three, Yeah, twenty
twenty three, it was like within the last two years.
Speaker 3 (30:42):
Yeah, unbelievable.
Speaker 2 (30:43):
Be sure to catch live editions of The Herd Weekdays
and Neon Eastern not a Empacific.
Speaker 4 (30:48):
All right, we got a special guest in studio. I'm
sure you guys recognize him. Legendary NFL running back. He's
carried me to a fantasy championship. Aaron Jones, Minnesota Vikings,
played for the Packers.
Speaker 6 (31:02):
How you doing, man, I'm doing great, are you?
Speaker 4 (31:04):
Yeah? I'm happier now that you're here. We had a
great comploy during the commercial break. My favorite stuff is
just asking them random questions. But first, you recently participated
in the NFL USO Tour visiting US service members it
military bases in Kuwait.
Speaker 3 (31:20):
I've never been to that part of the world. What's
that like?
Speaker 6 (31:22):
It was amazing. I grew up a military child.
Speaker 9 (31:25):
My dad served twenty nine years retired as a command
sorry major, and my mom served twenty seven and retired
as a start major. So for me, it was a
big part of giving back going over there, it was
a full circle moment.
Speaker 6 (31:38):
One of the.
Speaker 9 (31:38):
Bases that we stopped at Air of John in Kuwait,
my mom was deployed there in two thousand and three,
so completely full circle moment. And then just getting to
go over there talk to soldiers, lift them up, you know,
give them that little bit of joy. I know what
it's like having parents deployed, and when one person serves,
the whole family serves, you feel those hearts.
Speaker 6 (32:00):
Ships. Also got to.
Speaker 9 (32:02):
See high school, high school basketball teammates or kids who
went to other schools, guys from Al Paso or people
were stationed at Fort Bliss, so that was surreal. Got
my haircut by one of my high school basketball teammates
who's a barber.
Speaker 6 (32:16):
Now.
Speaker 9 (32:16):
I was sitting in the barriers with the guys, just
hanging out midnight, child eating the DFACT, eating lunch with them,
doing everything they did, but just also being there meeting
with them, talking to them and trying to lift them up.
Speaker 4 (32:29):
Dude, that sounds awesome. Man, I did hear you say
high school basketball? So you were football and basketball in
high school just dominating both or no.
Speaker 6 (32:36):
Track as well? Football, basketball and track? Yes, sir? So wow, you.
Speaker 4 (32:39):
Would you rather start with the Packers or the Vikings,
because I shocker, I've got some Aaron Rodgers.
Speaker 6 (32:43):
Questions for you. Wherever you want to start here, start
with the Packers.
Speaker 3 (32:46):
So you're you're drafted by Green Bay, but there's a
log gym at running back.
Speaker 4 (32:50):
And as you were telling us during the break, it's
like you had a big champion in the organization.
Speaker 3 (32:54):
Tell us how you first got on the field.
Speaker 9 (32:57):
Really it was a rod He went on to the
like I want thirty three in the game, uh, signaling
from the field, But then went over there it was
like I want thirty three in the game, and I'm
looking down.
Speaker 6 (33:06):
I'm like, hey, let's me, let's go. Uh.
Speaker 9 (33:09):
So, like I always tell people, uh, I think people
have the wrong perspective of them or whatever. If you're
a player, you've been around him, you'll and you're you'd
be thankful for your time around him and what he's
done for you in your career. So, uh, he's really
helped jump start my career, gave me that confidence and
continue to give me that confidence.
Speaker 4 (33:27):
So why do you think he gets a bum rap
in the media if he's so loved by so many teammates.
Speaker 9 (33:33):
Uh, because the media can sway sway whatever you say,
whichever way they want to, whether you minted in a
certain type of way or whether you didn't.
Speaker 6 (33:43):
So I feel like it's part of that. Yeah.
Speaker 4 (33:47):
Now, your time with the Packers, A lot was written
about McCarthy versus Rogers. At the end, there was some
kind of cold war. They didn't talk whatever. I don't
know what did you see in Green Bay near the end,
because you guys had a great, great run.
Speaker 6 (33:59):
Uh. You know, I was a fifth round guy, so
my head was just down trying to stay out the way.
Speaker 9 (34:05):
But uh, it was it was we We were like a.
Speaker 6 (34:11):
Middle of the pack team.
Speaker 9 (34:12):
We win, lose, win, losing a lot of it depending
on if a rat was healthy and ou out there
able to play. We went as he went, and so
he once he got back healthy, we were great. So
I feel like he was a big part of a
big part of us. You know, when he was out there,
we were doing great.
Speaker 4 (34:29):
Yeah, I guess playing in Green Bay is like a
running back. At the time, you know, the running back
position was still highly thought of, but in the last
few years it kind of dipped down.
Speaker 3 (34:38):
Did you notice it as one of the.
Speaker 4 (34:39):
Top running backs in the league that hey, man, we're
not getting paid, we're not getting respected.
Speaker 6 (34:43):
What was that like one hundred percent? Uh?
Speaker 9 (34:46):
You know, as you're as you're going through contract negotiations
or you're seeing what other guys are getting across the
other positions, and you can kind of see what's going on,
and you start talking all the backs as a whole,
not just the running backs on your team.
Speaker 6 (35:02):
But across the league.
Speaker 9 (35:04):
You guys start talking and everybody's kind of feeling and
consistence of that way of Hey, they're trying to devalue us,
devalue our position, but we bring so much value to
the to the game, you know. But luckily guys bought
out this year. Tae Kwon did what he did and
was really able to help the running back market kind
(35:24):
of get back a little bit to where its supposed
to be.
Speaker 6 (35:27):
I still think it should be a little bit better.
Speaker 9 (35:29):
But the reason I said that because you have a
think about how many times a running back is touching
the ball a game versus a receiver number three. Yeah, uh,
you know we're picking up blocks as well, or we're
lining up out why running routes.
Speaker 6 (35:43):
So I feel but hey, I'm I'm not gonna play it.
Speaker 9 (35:47):
I'm happy that that it's gotten bumped up, but I'm
I'm advocating for the backs, not complaining and advocating.
Speaker 3 (35:53):
So you're in Green Bay. I had to look this up.
Speaker 4 (35:55):
So you guys are doing well and then they draft
aj Dillon and at that point you know you're one
of the top backs in the league. But are you, like, guys,
what are we doing I'm the guy or is that
just part of the job, Like you always got to
be looking over your shoulder.
Speaker 9 (36:06):
As you learn your time in the league. That's just
part of the business. They're always trying to either bring
somebody in to replace you.
Speaker 6 (36:13):
Uh.
Speaker 9 (36:14):
And if they can replace you, there there there, or
if maybe not to replace you, they're there to team
them up with you and you guys go to work together.
But that's part of your job to know that, hey,
they're bringing some they're trying to replace me.
Speaker 6 (36:27):
Every year.
Speaker 9 (36:27):
They're trying to bring somebody in every year, and that's
your it's your job to stay on top of everything
and put in that work.
Speaker 6 (36:35):
So so when it when that those challenges do present itself,
you're You're still on top.
Speaker 4 (36:40):
Would you see like, oh damn, it is probably ending
soon for me in Green Bay. I need another landing
spot because very rarely do people stay in the division.
Speaker 6 (36:50):
Uh. Definitely did not see it coming to an end. Uh.
I finished the year off strong.
Speaker 9 (36:58):
I got hurt earlier year, scoring a touchdown against Chicago,
battled the hamstring for a little bit.
Speaker 6 (37:04):
Then once I was back.
Speaker 9 (37:05):
Out there, I feel like I helped lead us to
UH to the playoffs and it was essentially a first
round win. Uh So I was everything I was being
told from the organizations.
Speaker 6 (37:16):
Hey, you're the heart and soul this team. You'll be
back here.
Speaker 9 (37:18):
So UH didn't turn in my iPad, didn't do anything
because I'm under I'm I'm thinking I'm coming back and yeah,
and uh so what happened.
Speaker 6 (37:29):
Uh that didn't happen.
Speaker 9 (37:30):
They wanted me to take a pay cut, and sometimes
you know, you got to bet on yourself, and yeah,
that's what I did. I love the organization, love the
connections that I've made there, but at the same time,
I have a family to feed, and yeah, I felt
like I knew my worth and my worth was more
than what they wanted to give me.
Speaker 3 (37:49):
So was Roger still there?
Speaker 6 (37:51):
No, he wasn't. This was Jordan. This was Jordan Love.
Speaker 3 (37:54):
He was your advocate and Jordan Love. You probably didn't
know him as.
Speaker 9 (37:56):
Well, right, Oh, No, I knew Jordan very well. Uh.
That's that's the thing. I get all the I got
all the receivers, Jordan, his quarterback, coaches like my uncle,
like my uncle Steve Calhoun.
Speaker 6 (38:10):
Uh, we got all. I got all of them.
Speaker 9 (38:12):
Hey, we're going out here this offseason work with Jordan.
He's gonna be first time starting. So I was a
catalyst and a lot of that getting us, getting us together.
And I think that's some of the stuff they started
to see from behind the scenes. But uh, you know
I have a lot of love for those guys as
as well. Uh, my young receivers, my young my quarterback.
Speaker 3 (38:31):
You know, I wonder if the audience picked that up. Guy,
you got to listen closely to what he says.
Speaker 4 (38:37):
Anyways, So you're, you know, you're igniting all that stuff,
and all of a sudden they come to you with
a low ball that was kind of when the running
backs nobody wanted to pay them, right.
Speaker 6 (38:44):
Yes sir, but.
Speaker 9 (38:46):
Got got worried that they were going to bring in
another back, didn't know who, but they were gonna give
essentially make me take a pay cut, asked me to
take a pay cut. Uh, but give another back extension
or a big deal.
Speaker 6 (39:00):
I'm out, sorry, and you know you kind of the
writing's kind of on the wall. Then do I want.
Speaker 9 (39:08):
To be be a two or do I do? I
feel like I can go somewhere and prove myself, continue
to prove myself and show them I still can play.
I got a lot of value left in So that's
that's what I essentially did.
Speaker 4 (39:22):
So naturally, you go to Minnesota and then you dominate
and you can flash the middle finger to them. They
talk about the transition to Minnesota in the Division A
tea a franchising team. You know, well, but you got
to move your family and everything. Was your family behind
the move and everything.
Speaker 9 (39:35):
My family was definitely behind the move. They were they
were all for it and uh everything. I don't know,
if you guys see those report cards that are given
out on every NFL team, Yah, yeah, yeah, So that
that was very true when we got there. The treatment
of the family, everything, it's it's a world class organization
and I'm blessed to be there. You know, there was
(39:58):
a lot of guys who're like, oh, don't leave green Bay.
Don't leave green Bay, like a lot of vets where
they were leave. They're like, Oh, they really take care
of you. The grasses and greener and all the things
that they will tell you. And you know, so I
was kind of like nervous making that move, but God
doesn't make mistakes and I ended up there for a reason,
and it's it's been a blessing for me and my family.
Speaker 6 (40:19):
They really take care of you.
Speaker 9 (40:20):
It's like I said, it's a world class organization. And
I was able to stay healthy all year. Yeah, it's
just a it's a great place to be. And I
think you'll really continue to see see the Minnesota do
great nuts because it starts so.
Speaker 4 (40:35):
Now I got to be careful with the questions because
you're in Minnesota, you know, and you got to see
these guys all the time. But you know, you get
to Minnesota and they got Sam Darnold, but then they
draft McCarthy and you were there for the quarterback battle.
Speaker 3 (40:46):
And the office.
Speaker 4 (40:47):
Did you because you're a new guy, were you able
to like, hey guys, let's get together and let's go offense,
let's go do stuff the way you did in Green Bay?
Speaker 9 (40:55):
Kind of just trying to get moved in, get settled there.
Everything found my foot in. But it was we were
still close, you know that, And I think that's what
made us.
Speaker 6 (41:06):
Really good this year.
Speaker 9 (41:07):
We had a bunch of guys on there on one years,
but veterans and we knew we had to come together.
Speaker 6 (41:15):
And I think that's that's what made us special.
Speaker 9 (41:17):
And it didn't matter who was Like in the preseason
with j J and Sam was out there, it didn't
matter who was out there slinking and we were.
Speaker 6 (41:25):
We were pumping pumping that quarterback up.
Speaker 9 (41:27):
Whoever was out there taking the rep were we were
pumping them up, lift them up, and you couldn't you
couldn't tell who was who really, Like from that close,
I went, I don't know how close it was. Uh
both of them were balling the preseason though, but I'm
saying you couldn't, like in terms of all we're cheering
for this converinent, like the way that they built it
(41:47):
up there, like each guy was getting loved on.
Speaker 3 (41:50):
So I'm just curious how this works. Like, you go
to a new team, new franchise, you've got it. Everybody
knows who everon.
Speaker 4 (41:55):
Jones is right, But you got to meet, like make
all these new relationships. How was that like in the
locker room because obviously they had other running backs.
Speaker 3 (42:03):
You're coming for their job. You're gonna be the guy.
Speaker 4 (42:05):
They got a new quarterback, they got something of a
quarterback controversy, they got a young coach.
Speaker 3 (42:11):
Just what was that like.
Speaker 6 (42:12):
It's a lot of fun. It's honestly, it's a lot
of fun.
Speaker 9 (42:16):
And I feel like that's part of the military help
help me just being able to adapt to change quickly.
Military was moving every two three years, so as a child,
having to re establish myself in sports. So it was
fun just going and making new relationships, meeting new people,
learning about them. And these are relationships that will last forever,
(42:38):
not just this this couple of months. These are ever laughing,
everlasting relationships. They getting to know about you, you're getting
to know about them, and then you're finding out, hey,
we're a lot, we're a lot of like or we
come from the same kind of the same background, or
same makeup, or you know, just being there as a
(43:02):
resource as well. Like you said, I'm a veteran coming
in and we had Todd Chandler, Pam Akers. They're still
young guys on their third fourth year. So I can
just come in and give those guys everything they need.
And then I think as an athlete, you know, like, hey,
if this guy's better than me, then he's better than me,
(43:23):
and I can learn from him and I can improve.
But there's also bits and pieces you can take from
everybody's game. So I'm taking something from Cam camp Akers game,
I'm taking something from Todd Chandler's game. I'm learning from
those guys just as much as they're learning from me.
Speaker 6 (43:37):
So I think is just great.
Speaker 4 (43:40):
So now you're out here doing media and I have
to ask, as a high profile player on a team
that I don't think anybody had the vikings peg to
do what you guys did this past season.
Speaker 3 (43:50):
Are you reading the stuff in the preseason.
Speaker 4 (43:51):
Where people are like, oh, well, I don't know if
Vike he's maybe five hundred.
Speaker 3 (43:54):
You know, they got Aaron Jones and Justin Jefferson, Like,
are you reading that stuff?
Speaker 4 (43:58):
Because the media, I don't think loved the Vikings coming
into the season.
Speaker 6 (44:02):
Uh.
Speaker 9 (44:02):
You know, you see those first couple of headlines come
out and you just like whatever. And then after that
we kind of didn't pay paying any attention. You know,
We're like, Okay, we're gonna make We're gonna make them
respect for us. They're not talking now, but when it's
when it comes down to what they will be and
you know, what's what's done in the darker will always
come to light. And we put our heads down and
(44:23):
we worked even though we the light wasn't shining on us,
and eventually everybody started talking about us and seeing what
we were doing over there.
Speaker 4 (44:32):
It felt like the injury to the left tackle was
kind of one of the big infection points during the season.
And I don't want to say it went south, but
its just what the offensive line wasn't clicking the way
it was with Derrisa and there is that a fair assessment.
Speaker 9 (44:46):
Definitely, Cam Cam Tom Cam Cam Robinson came over and
did a great job. Though came in I want to
say two days and started, but really one.
Speaker 6 (44:56):
Day of practice. He did a great job.
Speaker 9 (44:58):
I think it's just cd uh was like the leader
of the line group kind of you know, maybe and
get getting them going. So he's all pro, you know, yeah,
all pro guy. So when you lose one of one
of those guys up front, and he's given a lot
of those guys across the board confidence as well, Uh,
(45:20):
it does get a little tough. But like I said,
Caim did a great job of stepping in. Uh, and
I'm proud of him and he gotta he gotta paid
off of that as well. So, uh, congratulations to my
left tackle KM.
Speaker 3 (45:31):
Yeah, he's pretty damn good.
Speaker 4 (45:33):
And and the other guy with Cam was our first
round picking his own right right with the Dax Comps.
Speaker 3 (45:37):
All right, So tough question, got to ask it.
Speaker 4 (45:39):
Play with DeVante Adams, play with Justin Jefferson, it's better
I got.
Speaker 3 (45:44):
I have to put you on the spot. These are
two of the best. I mean, these are true Hall
of famers.
Speaker 6 (45:48):
Obviously, I would say two different receivers.
Speaker 3 (45:52):
Of course, he's ready for the media.
Speaker 9 (45:54):
There are two different receivers. There are two different sivers,
both very special. That's a tough question. Honestly, I've seen
both of them go to work every day and consistently
to it every day. I'm gonna say the only difference
that I've seen is I wasn't there when DeVante was younger,
(46:20):
when he was in his first three years, first four years,
first five years. All right, I got there, Well he was.
He's still young, but Justin's like, you're four year five,
So I get to you got to see that a
little bit. But I would say, that's that's all.
Speaker 6 (46:38):
You flip a coin.
Speaker 3 (46:39):
Get used to being in the media.
Speaker 6 (46:40):
You flip a coin. You flip a coin. Right there.
I go with either of one.
Speaker 4 (46:44):
If we gave you truth serum, And the question was
when Aaron Rodgers and the Vikings were doing whatever dance
they were doing last month, were you privy to what
was going on? Did Rogers call you to check in, Hey,
what's the vibe like there? Did you talk to Rogers
when he was allegedly talking on Vikings.
Speaker 9 (47:00):
We really didn't talk, you know, but I would love
for him, would have loved for him to come over there.
He can do a lot for the young players, not
just see. That's that's the that's.
Speaker 6 (47:15):
The that's the that's the media, that's the media side.
Speaker 9 (47:18):
You guys got rid of Robert Sala through five games
in you guys got rid of Robert solid five games
I like him.
Speaker 6 (47:26):
What you guys with two and three? What was the record?
It was?
Speaker 3 (47:30):
It was not good and three?
Speaker 6 (47:31):
Yeah, okay.
Speaker 9 (47:32):
With my last year in Green Bay, we were like
four and seven and made the playoffs.
Speaker 3 (47:39):
Yeah.
Speaker 9 (47:40):
So so you guys, you guys are giving up on
you guys are it's the I don't even want to say,
it's the fans. You guys are so quick to just
give up on each other though, Like, no, that's.
Speaker 3 (47:51):
Fair, not not necessarily me. I like Sala. He didn't
do a lot of winning. But apparently he had a
rift with with Rogers. You know, they didn't remember.
Speaker 1 (47:58):
Uh.
Speaker 4 (47:58):
Sala was all excited and he came over Rogers like,
bro chill, come on, man, that's a head coach.
Speaker 3 (48:05):
I know that's your guy.
Speaker 6 (48:07):
I don't. I don't. I went in the locker room.
I don't know the dynamic.
Speaker 9 (48:09):
But but I mean, you guys are two and three
and you go and fire him like, I don't.
Speaker 3 (48:20):
Know, have been a dysfunctional mess for a while.
Speaker 9 (48:22):
So it's so you can try to throw it all
on a rod or Salah, it's more to it, you know,
it's fair.
Speaker 6 (48:31):
And they were trying to get the pieces over there.
Speaker 9 (48:33):
They were trying to get the pieces over there, but
you also got to be able to.
Speaker 6 (48:36):
Protect the quarterback as well.
Speaker 3 (48:37):
Do that.
Speaker 9 (48:38):
You also got to be able to protect them. But
you know, no, he I feel like he does get
a bad spin on the media. But the thing, like
I spoke on it a little bit, and I'm sure
there's so many more athletes out here that can speak
positively about a Rod. I haven't had a negative interaction
with with him ever.
Speaker 3 (48:58):
I had what was h Deshaun Jackson came on the
last year. He's very good.
Speaker 4 (49:03):
I like to talk to him about it. All right,
So we got one minute left. Vikings is super Bowl
a reasonable expectation this.
Speaker 9 (49:10):
Year, I truly think so. We have all our skill
positions back. JJ is ready. We're ready to surround him.
Speaker 3 (49:18):
Have you seen JJ lateley?
Speaker 6 (49:19):
Is he good? Coming? Healthy? Is good? JJ is ready
and he's different.
Speaker 9 (49:23):
He's gonna He's gonna show you.
Speaker 3 (49:26):
Vikings are my sleeper pick to win the division up there.
Speaker 9 (49:29):
We're about showing it instead of talking about it. So
we're gonna show show you, guys.
Speaker 4 (49:34):
What's the best thing about McCarthy. Is he a leader
in the already or too young?
Speaker 6 (49:37):
No, he's a leader already already.
Speaker 9 (49:39):
He's a winner. Like he's a winner, he's we believe
in him. He's going to get it done for us.
I mean where we're all behind him.
Speaker 6 (49:46):
Man.
Speaker 9 (49:48):
He comes in with that confidence as well and excited
to have them all right.
Speaker 4 (49:52):
Aaron Jones, the great running back a lot of time
with the Packers, now dominating with the Vikings. Vikings are
my pick to win the division. I think the Lions
fall back a little.
Speaker 6 (50:00):
You. I think we have the best division of football.
Speaker 9 (50:03):
I don't know if I don't know if they necessarily
fall back, but I think it is definitely gonna be competitive.
Speaker 6 (50:08):
Chicago also got better in free agency
Speaker 3 (50:10):
So thanks good stuff, man, It's gonna be great.
Hosts And Creators
Colin Cowherd
Jason McIntyre
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