June 25, 2025 • 32 mins
Former New England Patriot Julian Edelman joins The Herd to talk about, Aaron Rodgers last season with the Steelers, when he knew he was going to retire, what he sees in QB Drake Maye, and more
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Thanks for listening to The Herd podcast. Be sure to
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Speaker 2 (00:21):
You're listening to Fox Sports Radio.
Speaker 1 (00:25):
You see Julian Edelman on Fox NFL Kickoff Sundays and
the Fall. He's got his podcast games with names that
he is joining us. So we haven't had you on
since Aaron Rodgers joined the Steeters. Aaron yesterday saying it's
probably it twenty years. I've done my thing. So first
of all, your take on Aaron joining a defensive culture that,
(00:46):
by the way, won ten games last year and was
fairly a mnemic post Thanksgiving on offense? How's he gonna do?
Speaker 3 (00:55):
I think they're going to be a solid football team,
as they always are. I think they'll be a little
better than last year. Do I think they're gonna win
a Super Bowl? No? I love Mike Tomlin, I love
the culture, I love the defense. I like Arthur Smith.
But how fast can they get that machine going? Aaron
doesn't know his teammates at all yet, once again, he's
(01:16):
going into another year behind.
Speaker 4 (01:19):
When he did that.
Speaker 3 (01:20):
Last time they start, they didn't have a good first
eight weeks, that's right, you know, and then he turned
it on a then because he started learning his teammates.
So I like the move. It's the best thing for
the Steelers right now. And Aaron he's going to a
team that's not terrible. If he wants to continue his
football career, that's awesome.
Speaker 4 (01:40):
He gets an opportunity to do it.
Speaker 3 (01:41):
One of the pillars of the National Football League.
Speaker 4 (01:44):
But do I think they're gonna win a Super Bowl?
Speaker 5 (01:46):
No?
Speaker 4 (01:47):
I don't.
Speaker 3 (01:48):
I think they'll be a little better. They're twenty ninth
in offensive line.
Speaker 4 (01:51):
Last year.
Speaker 3 (01:51):
They didn't address it at all. They have the same
offensive line. They get rid of one of their running
backs that was pretty productive, but that kind of didn't
hit the way they want on it with Harris like
when he was a first round draft picked five years
ago and he was never the guy. Guy Warren came
in did well. How are they going to use that
running game to help Aaron? Arthur Smith does a good
job at that. Are they gonna win a Super Bowl?
Speaker 4 (02:12):
I don't think so.
Speaker 1 (02:13):
You know, think about this with Aaron When did he
have his most success when he worked with the receivers
he knew Jordy Nelson, Greg Jennings. You know those two
took years. When the Packers' receivers got young. At the
end in Green Bay, it wasn't good. He goes to
the Jets, he doesn't know the receivers. Not good. He
(02:35):
goes to the Steelers. DK Metcalf doesn't know him. It's
funny like Tom Brady had to build trust Tom at
the end of New England. I'm out now. It did
work after about twelve games in Tampa. But Chris god
Would and Mike Evig are pretty good, right, Bruce arians
as coach.
Speaker 4 (02:51):
It was also a COVID year.
Speaker 3 (02:52):
Mind you, they didn't get to prepare the way they
could prepare. So you can't even put those guys in
the same sentence because I didn't know it was Tom.
Speaker 4 (03:00):
Brady's last year.
Speaker 3 (03:01):
When it was last year, he didn't want the distraction
of that. He wanted to go out and play his
best possible football that he could play the last year
of his career without making it a distraction. Now, you know,
I we know it's his last year.
Speaker 4 (03:14):
And you know we've we've heard that before.
Speaker 1 (03:17):
When you were going did you know it was your
last year? Did you have a sense going into the
last offseason this maybe yet if I get banged up,
I might.
Speaker 6 (03:25):
Not do it.
Speaker 4 (03:25):
No.
Speaker 3 (03:26):
No, it wasn't until my last year finished. That's that
last game finished. That's when I knew my career was over,
probably because I just wasn't. I was trying to recover
from a you know, a knee thing, a root tear,
and the amount of energy I was putting in. I
(03:48):
used to get this much output. The amount of energy
I was putting it was up here, and I'm getting
this much output.
Speaker 4 (03:53):
I can never recover and get my knee right.
Speaker 3 (03:55):
It just it was going to be a long road
for me to You just didn't want to go down
that road. I didn't want to go down that road.
Speaker 1 (04:02):
It's interesting, and I saw this with Eli Manning at
the end. I didn't want to get hit smartly would
throw the ball away. I've noticed this a little bit
the last year in Green Bay and in New York.
Aaron not gonna sit in there. Matt Stafford's one of
the only old guys that will sit in the pocket
and get drilled. Yeah, most guys don't. That was my
take on Aaron in New York. It's like he's gonna
(04:24):
throw the ball away early, and I think that is
not discussed that young quarterbacks. It's almost a badge of honor,
Josh Allen big Ben, bring it on, I'll hold it
to the end. One of the disadvantages of an older quarterback.
You see it with Kirk Cousins a little bit. You
just don't want to get hit.
Speaker 3 (04:43):
Yeah, you know, I remember when I told my dad
I was retiring. He told me you finally smartened up.
And he said that because he said, it's kind of
like a fighter pilot.
Speaker 4 (05:00):
You have to be able to you have to be
willing to die doing your job.
Speaker 3 (05:04):
Yeah, you have to be on that edge of reckless
to go out and do what you have to do.
And the day where you have to think about going
to the reckless.
Speaker 4 (05:15):
Is the day you're done.
Speaker 1 (05:16):
Yeah, you get out.
Speaker 3 (05:16):
So you know, when you get older, you don't want
to get hit as much because you smartened up and
you realize that that one hit that you took, you've
had that hit before, and it took you two weeks
to get back the week before the last time, and
you were younger, and you were younger, So I mean
it does take a toll, you know what.
Speaker 4 (05:33):
I think it's going to be an exciting season.
Speaker 3 (05:36):
I mean they're bringing one of the greatest quarterbacks of
our generation into a cornerstone franchise with the Steelers. I'm
going to watch every game. Yeah, I can't wait to
see it. It's a great move. It's great for the league.
But do I think they're going to a super Bowl?
Speaker 6 (05:52):
Now?
Speaker 1 (05:52):
So? You know Mike Frabel very well, right right, He's
a friend I the last three years, I got pretty fortunate.
I have picked I pick a team every year to
double their win total, and I think New England's it.
So Mangenie told me last week that Mike Rabel's the
smartest football player he ever coached. He said his recall
was insane. He could recall. Give me some insight that
(06:17):
about Rabel that, you know, maybe as a person, maybe
not as a you know, a coach, or what makes
him different because a lot of a lot of good
players don't become good coaches.
Speaker 3 (06:27):
He's the rare case of being a tough guy that's
really smart, that's funny.
Speaker 4 (06:32):
It's weird, you know. He he he can off for you.
Speaker 3 (06:36):
With his presence, but he can also offer you with
his mouthpiece, like he knows how he had he could
like when Mangini said he could recall anything. He could recall,
Like we'd be at the Kentucky Derby and he'd pull
out a play that we played against each other when
he was with Tennessee and he said, you know that
one play, he did it and he can just.
Speaker 4 (06:57):
Bring it out.
Speaker 3 (06:58):
I mean, that's what I think is so special about
coach Rabel. He's got that alpha mentality, but he's also
a really smart guy, so he has both of them.
I'm excited to see what they do in New England.
I got to go to their camp a couple of
weeks back and it looked great.
Speaker 1 (07:18):
What jumped out to you?
Speaker 4 (07:22):
What jumped out to me? Drake made the question.
Speaker 3 (07:26):
He asked me the hunger that he had, and I
went in and talked to the team, and afterwards Drake
came by and they're they're running the same offense that
we were in and he kind of asked me, Hey,
what do you see on this? And it was a
smart question that stood out to me. That he didn't
have an intimidation factor of being embarrassed to go out
and ask a guy a question that's been in the
(07:47):
system that he's going to try to go be in
and that you know, asked that kind of question. I
thought that was big his leadership, the leadership of the coaches.
There was a good tempo, not a lot of ding around.
So I'm excited to see what they do this year.
Speaker 1 (08:04):
So John was joking the other day Sean Payton took
his camp to Hawaii and he said, yeah, McVeigh and
John said, didn't feel very Bellicheckian. I remember when McVeigh
came into the league. He's like, I'm not playing any
of my starters in the preseason. It's ridiculous. And it's
(08:26):
not a country club because you watch the rams, they're
a fit. That defense is physical. He likes to run
the ball. But I do think not that it's become
the NBA, but it's it's a more player friendly league
today than five years ago. And I think McVeigh there's
a bit of a robin hood like people are following
mcvay's lead, which is you don't have to bark like
like you when you look at them going to Hawaii.
(08:49):
How does it land for you?
Speaker 4 (08:51):
I think it's a cool opportunity.
Speaker 3 (08:53):
Some of my favorite times as a Patriot is when
we would go play an away game in Green Bay
and then as a team we would go work in
San Diego for the week and stay in San Diego
for the week and and unify as a team.
Speaker 4 (09:11):
Like those are unifying team. You go to the zoo,
you could go.
Speaker 3 (09:15):
Well, regardless you guys are, your family's there or whatever.
But you guys are all together and you're working together.
There's no you're not all going home. You're all going
to the hotel. You guys are all gonna eat with
each other. You're gonna talk with each other, You're gonna
be around each other, gonna be around each other's family.
Speaker 4 (09:28):
That's great. I don't have a problem with that at all.
Speaker 3 (09:31):
As long as the time that they used to get
ready for football in Hawaii is productive, that's that's amazing.
Speaker 4 (09:37):
That's a that's.
Speaker 3 (09:38):
Evolution to like workplace people. You know that you got
to take care of the guys, the horses. So I
thought that was a cool thing that McVeigh did. Uh,
you know, And I'm sure every meeting and walk through
or practice that they did was very productive with their time.
And that's that's the difference. You know, you look at
(10:00):
other teams that don't practice their guys. Cincinnati Bengals, Zach
Taylor don't play.
Speaker 4 (10:06):
The guys in the preseason.
Speaker 3 (10:07):
They haven't won a game in September in like five years,
like you know what I mean. Like, so, not everyone's
Sean McVay, right right, Okay, not everyone's Bill Belichick.
Speaker 4 (10:16):
Where it's completely different.
Speaker 3 (10:18):
Everyone's got their rhyme and reason of how they get
things going. The best coaches know how to get their
players up, so whatever it takes, it takes. But Sean
McVay knows what that specific team he can do that.
Speaker 2 (10:30):
Be sure to catch live editions of The Herd weekdays
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Radio FS one, and the iHeartRadio app.
Speaker 4 (10:39):
HI This is Jay.
Speaker 5 (10:40):
I'm the producer of the Paul and Toni Fusco Show.
Usually in these promos they ask you to listen to
the show. I'm here to ask you please don't listen
to the show. The hosts are two absolute morons who
have the dumbest takes on sports. Magicable don't listen to
the show so it can get camps.
Speaker 6 (10:54):
What the hell are you doing our studio get.
Speaker 2 (11:00):
Ignore that fool.
Speaker 7 (11:01):
Listen to the Pauline Tony Fusco show on the iHeartRadio
app or wherever you get your podcast.
Speaker 2 (11:06):
He's still moving.
Speaker 1 (11:08):
So I want to end with this and take your
time on this. So John and I did our AFC
NFC surprise picks, the one we totally disagree with, and
I know their schedule as easy as the Niners. So
here's what worries me about the Niners is that they
lost two defensive players that the staff loved. They loved
(11:30):
green Law and they loved Hufunga. They couldn't afford him.
So first, they're both leaders, they're both tough guys, they
both get.
Speaker 3 (11:37):
Injured, they play through pain. Those are leader guys. Don't
love that culture guys, really good culture guy, tough guys.
Speaker 1 (11:45):
What I also don't like, and I think you can
talk about this with New England, they're getting old on offense,
McCaffrey's injuries, Trent Williams Kiddle had a great year, but
and Purty as a good quarterback, but I do think
he's a bit reliant on his protection and the health
of like Kittle and McCaffrey. So when a team's best
(12:06):
players are predominantly either injured guys are old guys, and
now the season is seventeen weeks long, go to the
oldest Patriot team you played on. Everybody's been banged up,
everybody hates rehab, and the guys like maybe at Gronk
are really valuable. Does it seep into your head? Do
(12:28):
you think about it like, we've got to be healthy
because I look at this team. Kyle Shannon's a great coach,
losing record in San Francisco. Without McCaffrey, they're not the
same team. So I look at them and I think
somebody's gonna get hurt. They're too old. John looks at
him and goes schedules easy. The coach is brilliant. What
do you your take on the Niners now, because I
(12:50):
think they're getting really expensive and really old.
Speaker 4 (12:53):
I agree with you.
Speaker 3 (12:54):
First off, there is no easy schedule in the National
Football League. I don't I'm so sick and tired of here.
And people say that like there is no louis Ana
Lafiat Tech School. Everyone is getting paid the same amount
of money with Mesty McIntyre.
Speaker 1 (13:07):
Not Middle Conference.
Speaker 3 (13:08):
Well regardless, there is no everyone always says that. But
who's going to be the hot division this year?
Speaker 4 (13:13):
We don't know.
Speaker 3 (13:14):
It could be some scrambled division that plays really great.
Speaker 4 (13:17):
So that that don't like that. What was the second thing?
Speaker 1 (13:21):
The second thing is, hey, Shanahan's a great coach.
Speaker 3 (13:23):
And yeah, he's a great coach, but you know he's
a coach that likes to play from ahead. Whenever he
plays from behind, is he's not really you know, he
stays to the play sheet.
Speaker 4 (13:33):
He stays to the play sheet.
Speaker 3 (13:34):
So like if we take a look at the forty
nine ers, you know when they don't have a lead,
that the stats are terrible when they play from ahead.
They play the game the way they want to play
when their team is constructed to play that way.
Speaker 4 (13:46):
They're a really great football team.
Speaker 3 (13:47):
Yeah, offensive lines getting old. This this reminds me a
lot of the twenty nineteen Patriots, but not even kind
of close because we came off winning a Super Bowl,
but the old factor.
Speaker 1 (14:01):
But you went into the season knowing we went in the.
Speaker 3 (14:03):
Season, you know, a little banged up Gronk retires, ab
comes in. You know, if you're gonna sit there and
you're gonna say, if this guy stays healthy, we're gonna
be good.
Speaker 4 (14:12):
You're you're, you're gone.
Speaker 3 (14:14):
Well I remember that, hearing that all the time from
coaches and you know, in that facility in the Patriots organization.
If you think that, you know, we're gonna be good
if this guy stays healthy, that means your teams and
that doesn't have the depth to go out and win,
you know. So like I don't like those, those Saints
and those I just don't like that either. So when
(14:36):
it comes down to the forty nine ers, for me,
I think this is gonna be. They haven't hit on
any of their draft picks other than brock Pretty. You
know what's really interesting about this, and that's what you
have to do. Pretty draft, you take brock pretty out
of that draft. It is a bad draft.
Speaker 1 (14:52):
You know.
Speaker 3 (14:53):
They they lost Ward, they lost key parts their secondary,
which they've struggled the last few years.
Speaker 1 (15:00):
And when Bosa's hurt, the defense is not the same.
Speaker 3 (15:02):
You know, and then you look at you look at
points allowed, they're like twenty, they're like not the middle
third of points allowed, which that's the real They can
stop people because they have Bosa, who can you know,
stripsack someone and get a turnover or something. But the
game's ultimately about points and they haven't been able to
(15:23):
stop teams this year, especially when a team runs the ball.
Speaker 8 (15:26):
You know.
Speaker 3 (15:26):
So I'm worried about my San Francisco forty nine ers.
I grew up loving this team. I root for this team.
But you know, we'll see how Pierce All does. You
know they had to hit on him last year, you know,
the shoulder thing. That's a freak thing. He gets shot
in San Francisco, which is crazy. We don't have any
offensive lineman. Trent's getting kind of Trent's old. Trent missed
(15:49):
a few games last year. Yeah, you know, it gets
tough when you get he's a big man. Well, they
play the Rams twice and that's a young Rams team.
That defense is all.
Speaker 4 (15:58):
What did they do?
Speaker 3 (15:59):
What did the They hit on Pooka Aku on the
fifth round? They hit on versus they hit on who
was the other Kyrin Williams in the fifth round.
Speaker 4 (16:09):
They're hitting on draft picks, niners.
Speaker 3 (16:11):
They it's it's you know, I love lynch in All,
but they've missed on a few picks.
Speaker 1 (16:17):
You know, John's a former scout. I think sometimes the
Niners at the top, the owner of York Shanahan Lynch,
the quarterbacks are talked about. If you go to the
fringes in the margins, I mean you're a former scout.
They have had some bad misses.
Speaker 4 (16:33):
Well, the Trey Lance.
Speaker 7 (16:34):
You know, they got rid of a bunch of first rounders,
so they didn't have one for a couple of years. Yea,
So those I mean they were missing three players. Trey
Lance was a zero and then two the next two
first rounders didn't exist, that's right, So then the pressure
on the second and third rounders. You miss a couple
of those, and Jules knows this, you start winning. You're
drafting at the end of every round. So you're drafting
at the end of the second round. That's your first pick.
(16:55):
It's like pick sixty, and you whiff on that.
Speaker 3 (16:57):
All of a sudden, you're like, man, And that's that's
how you build your team.
Speaker 4 (17:01):
You got to build it through the draft, and.
Speaker 1 (17:02):
You need cheap labor. At some point, you have to
hit on fourth and fifth round players. I mean Joan
Jennings and Brock Purty are two of their best players,
and they hit on later on those are where would
they be without brought Perty and Jennings right now, they'd
be in trouble and they're both sevn drome Adye McCaffery.
Speaker 3 (17:20):
I will say one thing though about the San Francisco
forty nine ers. There's been a lot of talk about
them regressing this year, which they've been the target of
the West Coast for the last five years. Maybe them
flowing under the radar could help them this year. Maybe
the week's schedule where everyone thinks they're circling San Francisco
(17:41):
because they're banged up, Maybe they know energize that fuel
and put that towards when You never know, But I
think this could be a good thing for them if
they are the underdogs going under the radar, because they
haven't been that in a long time.
Speaker 1 (17:55):
You know, it's funny because McIntyre has been on this.
His whole thing is the schedules easy, and it is
easier than let's say, the Giants. But part of the
reason it looks easier Shanahan and brock Purty like you
can score points the Giants can't. In your career, and
I know Belichick never let you overlook anybody, but there
had to be one game in your New England career
(18:15):
when you looked at the schedule, saw a film and
thought they aren't good and they either beat you.
Speaker 3 (18:23):
Yeah, Cleveland Browns and thirteen Iron twelve or thirteen in
Cleveland in Cleveland housed you.
Speaker 4 (18:30):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (18:32):
I think I had a fumble. Rob had a fumble.
We fumbled on a kickoff return. And that was in
like twenty thirteen.
Speaker 4 (18:40):
Bill was bitter.
Speaker 3 (18:42):
We watched anytime we played Cleveland from there on out,
we would have a thirty five play cutup of that
year's game of like I remember it fellas, let's not
let's not turn the ball over on special teams and
lose this game?
Speaker 4 (18:56):
Can we can we do that?
Speaker 3 (18:57):
Like? We watched that game the whole rest of my
career for like seven more years, eight more years. Isn't
that every time we played the Cleveland Browns.
Speaker 1 (19:06):
Dude, Peyton hillis playing that game.
Speaker 3 (19:08):
Peyton hillis jumped over like three of us. I think
I don't know it was that game.
Speaker 1 (19:13):
I remember a flow game when Brady threw four picks
up in Buffalo.
Speaker 4 (19:18):
What year was that?
Speaker 1 (19:19):
It was probably before you.
Speaker 3 (19:21):
There could be before me, because I don't I think
we want. When we got Gronk, I don't think we
ever lost to Buffalo. It was crazy because Gronk would
go play in Buffalo, it's his hometown. He'd have like
three two touchdowns every time. Yeah, the bad Brady game
in my life rememb There was the Cincinnati game where
he played in a rain game in thirteen.
Speaker 4 (19:41):
I believe were you know it's raining.
Speaker 3 (19:45):
It was, but it was like a trenial downpour and
we had it for the last drive.
Speaker 4 (19:49):
They had the rocket.
Speaker 3 (19:50):
You know what I remember about the Cleveland game, Bright
blue skies, bright blue skies, beautiful, beautiful.
Speaker 1 (19:56):
I'm like rain Man on the little windy. That's Cleveland.
Speaker 4 (19:58):
It's Cleveland.
Speaker 1 (19:59):
But I remember Hayton Hillis. It's like Marshawn Lynch against
the Saints. He's just blowing over all.
Speaker 6 (20:04):
You go.
Speaker 8 (20:05):
It was.
Speaker 1 (20:06):
It was a not a good flight home.
Speaker 3 (20:09):
Wasn't a good time anytime you played them again after that.
Speaker 1 (20:14):
Julian Edelman, what a pleasure, What a pleasure. Good to
see any buddy. We'll take a break.
Speaker 6 (20:19):
It's the hurt.
Speaker 2 (20:30):
Be sure to catch live editions of the Herd Weekdays
and Noone Easter not a Empacific.
Speaker 1 (20:35):
Rick Patino will put him on the podcast today. He
was sensational. But now we go to John Middle cop
with the news.
Speaker 4 (20:44):
Turn on the news.
Speaker 2 (20:45):
This is the Herdline News, curt In.
Speaker 7 (20:48):
The NFL, Colin, were Kyler Murray, who we talked about earlier,
and the Cardinals were to look for their first winning
season since twenty twenty one after just missing out last
year at eight and nine. I had Arizona off Kyler
in our predictions earlier. Yeah, but Trey McBride has some
other ideas, saying that he believes that he and Kyler
can form the same partnership as Mahomes and Kelsey. I
(21:11):
don't know about that, Colin, What do you think?
Speaker 1 (21:12):
Well, I think McBride's great, awesome player. I think he's
an awesome player. It's my buddy drafted him, Steve Kaime.
I think he's a tremendous player. I actually think from
Connor to McBride to Harrison to Kyler Murray, I think
their on lines Okay, I think offensively they're really interesting,
(21:33):
and I think this year they kind of went back
to defense in the draft. So I like their personnel,
Like I feel like they're a little like Seattle. They
could beat anybody in the league. Anybody in the league.
With Arizona Kyler's getting protection, they can beat anybody. I
just don't know if they can put together twelve wins.
Kyler gets banged up. Kyler can get you know, sometimes moody,
(21:55):
but their talent. There's eight or nine guys on this roster.
I think there's insational play. Well.
Speaker 7 (22:00):
He deserves credit because he's clearly mature from what was
a couple of years ago. I know Jonathan Gannon living
in that area that they're higher on him as the guy,
the leader, But as a player, he can be frustrated because,
like you said, they can beat anyone.
Speaker 2 (22:12):
In an individual game.
Speaker 7 (22:13):
You could put Himunday Night Football against the Bills and
Kyler could outplay Josh no question. Then the next week
he could play the Jags and throw FO one hundred
and fifty yards and lose by twenty.
Speaker 1 (22:22):
They are a maddening team.
Speaker 7 (22:23):
So I do think he's fascinating coming into this year
because the talent it OSes off the screen and it
has since. I don't think he lost the game in
high school. I think he went forty five and zero
his three years in high school. So he's a twelfth
highest paid quarterback. The team has finished either last or
second to last, and five of the last six years.
So beside that one year with Kingsbury, remember and they
(22:43):
fell apart at the end of that season, it has
not gone well from a wins and losses standpoint. I
just this kind of feels a little make or break
just because he makes a lot of money and he
still would have value to pivot.
Speaker 4 (22:55):
Plus the quarterback draft is good.
Speaker 1 (22:57):
Yeah, but this is not a franchise that is. I mean,
if you told me take the Packers and take Arizona,
take the best seven players, I mean, I'd say McBride
is arguably better than anybody on the Packers.
Speaker 4 (23:11):
Arizona's got good players.
Speaker 1 (23:13):
No, I mean, and they've got high end Marvin.
Speaker 7 (23:15):
Harrison Junior is the guy everyone would take. They just
signed Sweat from the Eagles. I think they drafted in
the second round Will Johnson, remember he kind of fell
in the draft.
Speaker 1 (23:22):
I mean, their roster's not bad, not bad at all.
The Baker, yeah, Boot is great.
Speaker 7 (23:27):
So we'll stick with the NFL to Miami where Tua
he's entering in his sixth season and he'll look to
stay healthy enough. Right He just played in eleven games
last season. Prior to joining Miami in twenty twenty two,
the now retired to Ron Armstead played nine seasons with
New Orleans and had an up close look at Drew Brees.
In an interview on The Rich Eisen Show, Armstead talked
(23:47):
about the similarities between Tua and Breeze.
Speaker 8 (23:52):
Anticipation, the accuracy, time and of throws, the ability to
knock a wing off a fly repeatedly. Those those guys
throw darts, they don't throw to areas. They are very precise.
That's an elite talent. It's elite, elite trait very few
people possess.
Speaker 2 (24:08):
He's one of them, and Drew Brees another.
Speaker 1 (24:12):
Yeah, I don't disagree that he is his comp He's
a left handed Drew Brees. Now Breeze Again, it's unfair
because Breeze is an al timer. I've always liked I've
always liked to when he has stable protection and when
the weather's good, like he at home, I've always felt
different home and away with him. I always feel like
(24:35):
the elements. And I've said this about brock Purty. If
it gets cold and windy and wet, I don't think
about Purtty the same. That's exactly how I feel about Tua.
But if the conditions are moderate to good and he
has ample protection toa throws a great.
Speaker 7 (24:49):
Ball, well we say the same about Jared Goff. But
Jared Goff got to play in LA and now in
Detroit in a dome. You know, Drew Brees got to
play in a dome. Tua while he plays in Miami.
They play the Bills r they play in the AFC,
and they make the playoffs.
Speaker 4 (25:02):
They played the Chiefs.
Speaker 7 (25:04):
It is a difficult proposition when you don't have a
great arm and you're in the AFC because of the
teams that you're going to have to play in the playoffs.
Speaker 1 (25:11):
Also, and we have to be fair. They have not
done a good job in the old line and they're
not ready for Armstead to move off. You cross your fingers.
It's I think there are certain players. If you have
two as a quarterback, you have to have a good backup,
a stable backup. They've not been good at backup quarterbacks.
And I also think you've got to have a top
seven to eight to nine offensive line. You've got to
(25:33):
protect to it. He is smaller, he doesn't have a
big arm. He needs the extra half second of protection.
Speaker 7 (25:39):
I think we all respect the guy in his toughness.
I do think we have to be critical when he's
played better teams in big spots, he's kind of crumbled.
He has not played good football against the better competition
in the NFL.
Speaker 1 (25:49):
And I think Mike McDaniel is clever. I think he's smart,
but sometimes I feel the organization lacks steak and has
a lot of sizzle.
Speaker 7 (25:57):
We could argue that you're just not winning in Miami
given them modern day economics of football and how much
stuff's going on, how rich these guys are, it's kind
of been a disaster for a long time there. Yeah,
now to the WNBA, where your girl, Kayln Clark has
been having a tough last three games she has, including
last night where she was limited to a season low
six points went over six from three in the grand
(26:17):
scheme of things. It didn't matter though, with the Fever
winning the game and her teammate Lexi Hall believes there's
nothing to worry about amid Clark's shooting woes.
Speaker 1 (26:27):
She'll be fine.
Speaker 7 (26:28):
I don't think for a word we're not worried Bama.
Speaker 1 (26:30):
She's a great shooter. This is a great player.
Speaker 3 (26:33):
This happens to every team, Leverick player, every great player.
Speaker 8 (26:36):
She'll be fine.
Speaker 1 (26:37):
Yeah, I think we forget that. Steph Curry and especially
Clay Thompson. You know you hear about hitting slumps. Steph
Curry had shooting slumps. You were there, You're a Warriors guy.
Speaker 7 (26:50):
Happens all the time. I mean Steph and Clay, who
are by far the greatest shooting backcourt in the history
of the league. You could watch him on an individual
game basis, especially Steph.
Speaker 4 (26:59):
Little late in his career play later in his career.
Speaker 2 (27:02):
You have bad weeks, a bad month.
Speaker 1 (27:04):
Clay had bad series. There was an Oklahoma City series
years ago where he had like a great game.
Speaker 2 (27:10):
Game six.
Speaker 1 (27:11):
He was a hare season, save their season. But if
I recall he struggled in the series.
Speaker 7 (27:16):
Listen, did Ted Williams get a base hit every time
he went up to that Tony Gwinn? Did Steph Curry
made every three point shot he's ever attempted?
Speaker 4 (27:23):
Of course not.
Speaker 7 (27:24):
I also think there is you know, she's coming off
an injury. The road home splits a little interesting this year.
I would not sell any Kayln clarkstock.
Speaker 6 (27:33):
Moving forward, we agree.
Speaker 2 (27:36):
John Middlecoff with the News, Well that's the news, and
thanks for stopping by the herd line.
Speaker 1 (27:43):
So tonight is the NBA Draft. I don't We had
Reck Petito on for twenty minutes. He was tremendous. Today.
I don't know if you're ever going to have a
great draft again, because it is such a projection draft.
So many of the players, whether international or domestic, there's
just a lot of young guys. It's not your guessing,
but there's a lot of projection. I don't feel that
(28:05):
in the NFL draft. I mean, quarterback is always going
to be hard. He needs the right coach and right
sports system. But in the NFL, you with on fifty
percent of your picks and you have three and four
years of tape. You know, in college, you may get
thirty games of tape for a kid that plays at Kentucky,
and he may only go against an NBA player in
(28:26):
six of those thirty games. That's all the tape you have.
You know, it's the interview, it's the combine in Chicago.
You know, you're just projecting. So I don't know if
this is a great draft. I think Cooper Flag is
as good and as exciting a domestic prospect as we've
had in a long time. Saint John's coach Rick Fatino
(28:48):
on Flag.
Speaker 9 (28:50):
Well, he's physically ready. He's extremely athletic, he shoots the basketball,
he's a tough young man, and he's maybe one of
like three players that are ready to have an impact
right away for the Dallas Mavericks. He's got a good
inside game, good outside game. He drives with force, he
knows how to play the game.
Speaker 2 (29:11):
He actually is young.
Speaker 4 (29:12):
He skipped the year of high school, so.
Speaker 9 (29:14):
It's he's ready for the NBA and I think he'll
be an impact basketball player right away.
Speaker 1 (29:19):
I also think we have a comp on him that's
pretty accurate. It is Jason Tatum. They played in the
same you know, at Duke, so very rarely do you
get a comp and you're like, oh, yeah, that's an
obvious camp. I mean they both played at Duke, both
same Duke culture. Cooper Flag was younger, yet his numbers
were all a little better. He is absolutely a better
(29:40):
defensive player at this point, and he is absolutely a
more aggressive player now. Tatum much like Cooper Flagg Jason Tatum,
and they've entered a NBA with a very solid, well
run organization in Boston and had that iconic dunk as
a rookie over Lebron James. So in the very first year,
(30:00):
Jason Tatum, who went number three, I think that was
the Markel Fooles draft. Wasn't that the big bust? So,
I mean Tatum very early. We were all excited, and
I think that's what you'll feel. I don't know if
Dallas is well run. I think they were better run
with Mark Cuban, but the coach is good. You could
say what you want about Nico Harrison. They've drafted well.
They've got really good players. And I'll say it again,
(30:23):
you may not like the Luca trade if it was
a d and instead of Max Christie it was Austin Reeves.
I think you might feel different about that trade. And
one more first round pick, but they didn't get it.
But I know you all, you know all, you know,
how did they get Cooper Flagg? However, he's gonna be
really good, really fair.
Speaker 4 (30:42):
I think he's gonna.
Speaker 1 (30:43):
Look like Tatum as a rookie. You're gonna have some
iconic dunks and iconic moments and you're gonna be like, oh,
I can't wait till year two because you'll see some rawness.
I mean the NBA. One thing about the NBA that
you noticed in the playoffs, it is physical. Like like
Jay Billis said this the other day. I thought it
was a great point. In college, you talk about individual possessions.
(31:03):
In the NBA shot clock, the game is so fast
that you look up and you've had three or four possessions.
The NBA is just a faster league, and I think
that's why highlight Cooper Flagg. I think he plays fast.
I mean he's one of those guys he'll take two big,
long strides with the ball and he's at half court,
so he is not a plotting player. He is long,
(31:24):
he's athletic. He plays very fast. And that's the difference
between college and the pro. The pacing is insane at
the NBA level. I mean it's one of those things
where rarely do you see a coach in the NBA
like call a play, you trust your guard, you try
to catch him in a free throw break. But it's
just possession after possession after possession, and I just think
(31:47):
he's built for it.
Speaker 7 (31:48):
I think if you're getting Jason Tatum, if you factor
in the economics, of the league. Would you take, you know,
trading Luca getting rid of that three hundred and fifty
million to start with a rookie contract, getting Jason Tatum
at eighteen years old. It might end up working out
for Nico Harrison. That's the best case though. I mean
that's a positive.
Speaker 1 (32:05):
Much better defender, much better defender, and I would argue
a better athlete than Luca. Not the offensive prodigy. Lucas
one of the great me walked into the league. He
was an elite scorer. But in terms of a I
get right now, healthier player, better defender, better shape, and free.
(32:25):
I mean, you're not paying anything for you. Yeah, and
I again that Dallas front line. He doesn't have to
protect the rim. He can get out in transition because
their front line in Dallas is outstanding. John Middlecoff, you
absolutely crushed. Loved having you.
Speaker 6 (32:41):
I appreciate it. Cal see them all
Thanks for listening to The Herd podcast. Be sure to
catch us live every weekday on Fox Sports Radio in
noon to three Eastern nine am to 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 (00:21):
You're listening to Fox Sports Radio.
Speaker 1 (00:25):
You see Julian Edelman on Fox NFL Kickoff Sundays and
the Fall. He's got his podcast games with names that
he is joining us. So we haven't had you on
since Aaron Rodgers joined the Steeters. Aaron yesterday saying it's
probably it twenty years. I've done my thing. So first
of all, your take on Aaron joining a defensive culture that,
(00:46):
by the way, won ten games last year and was
fairly a mnemic post Thanksgiving on offense? How's he gonna do?
Speaker 3 (00:55):
I think they're going to be a solid football team,
as they always are. I think they'll be a little
better than last year. Do I think they're gonna win
a Super Bowl? No? I love Mike Tomlin, I love
the culture, I love the defense. I like Arthur Smith.
But how fast can they get that machine going? Aaron
doesn't know his teammates at all yet, once again, he's
(01:16):
going into another year behind.
Speaker 4 (01:19):
When he did that.
Speaker 3 (01:20):
Last time they start, they didn't have a good first
eight weeks, that's right, you know, and then he turned
it on a then because he started learning his teammates.
So I like the move. It's the best thing for
the Steelers right now. And Aaron he's going to a
team that's not terrible. If he wants to continue his
football career, that's awesome.
Speaker 4 (01:40):
He gets an opportunity to do it.
Speaker 3 (01:41):
One of the pillars of the National Football League.
Speaker 4 (01:44):
But do I think they're gonna win a Super Bowl?
Speaker 5 (01:46):
No?
Speaker 4 (01:47):
I don't.
Speaker 3 (01:48):
I think they'll be a little better. They're twenty ninth
in offensive line.
Speaker 4 (01:51):
Last year.
Speaker 3 (01:51):
They didn't address it at all. They have the same
offensive line. They get rid of one of their running
backs that was pretty productive, but that kind of didn't
hit the way they want on it with Harris like
when he was a first round draft picked five years
ago and he was never the guy. Guy Warren came
in did well. How are they going to use that
running game to help Aaron? Arthur Smith does a good
job at that. Are they gonna win a Super Bowl?
Speaker 4 (02:12):
I don't think so.
Speaker 1 (02:13):
You know, think about this with Aaron When did he
have his most success when he worked with the receivers
he knew Jordy Nelson, Greg Jennings. You know those two
took years. When the Packers' receivers got young. At the
end in Green Bay, it wasn't good. He goes to
the Jets, he doesn't know the receivers. Not good. He
(02:35):
goes to the Steelers. DK Metcalf doesn't know him. It's
funny like Tom Brady had to build trust Tom at
the end of New England. I'm out now. It did
work after about twelve games in Tampa. But Chris god
Would and Mike Evig are pretty good, right, Bruce arians
as coach.
Speaker 4 (02:51):
It was also a COVID year.
Speaker 3 (02:52):
Mind you, they didn't get to prepare the way they
could prepare. So you can't even put those guys in
the same sentence because I didn't know it was Tom.
Speaker 4 (03:00):
Brady's last year.
Speaker 3 (03:01):
When it was last year, he didn't want the distraction
of that. He wanted to go out and play his
best possible football that he could play the last year
of his career without making it a distraction. Now, you know,
I we know it's his last year.
Speaker 4 (03:14):
And you know we've we've heard that before.
Speaker 1 (03:17):
When you were going did you know it was your
last year? Did you have a sense going into the
last offseason this maybe yet if I get banged up,
I might.
Speaker 6 (03:25):
Not do it.
Speaker 4 (03:25):
No.
Speaker 3 (03:26):
No, it wasn't until my last year finished. That's that
last game finished. That's when I knew my career was over,
probably because I just wasn't. I was trying to recover
from a you know, a knee thing, a root tear,
and the amount of energy I was putting in. I
(03:48):
used to get this much output. The amount of energy
I was putting it was up here, and I'm getting
this much output.
Speaker 4 (03:53):
I can never recover and get my knee right.
Speaker 3 (03:55):
It just it was going to be a long road
for me to You just didn't want to go down
that road. I didn't want to go down that road.
Speaker 1 (04:02):
It's interesting, and I saw this with Eli Manning at
the end. I didn't want to get hit smartly would
throw the ball away. I've noticed this a little bit
the last year in Green Bay and in New York.
Aaron not gonna sit in there. Matt Stafford's one of
the only old guys that will sit in the pocket
and get drilled. Yeah, most guys don't. That was my
take on Aaron in New York. It's like he's gonna
(04:24):
throw the ball away early, and I think that is
not discussed that young quarterbacks. It's almost a badge of honor,
Josh Allen big Ben, bring it on, I'll hold it
to the end. One of the disadvantages of an older quarterback.
You see it with Kirk Cousins a little bit. You
just don't want to get hit.
Speaker 3 (04:43):
Yeah, you know, I remember when I told my dad
I was retiring. He told me you finally smartened up.
And he said that because he said, it's kind of
like a fighter pilot.
Speaker 4 (05:00):
You have to be able to you have to be
willing to die doing your job.
Speaker 3 (05:04):
Yeah, you have to be on that edge of reckless
to go out and do what you have to do.
And the day where you have to think about going
to the reckless.
Speaker 4 (05:15):
Is the day you're done.
Speaker 1 (05:16):
Yeah, you get out.
Speaker 3 (05:16):
So you know, when you get older, you don't want
to get hit as much because you smartened up and
you realize that that one hit that you took, you've
had that hit before, and it took you two weeks
to get back the week before the last time, and
you were younger, and you were younger, So I mean
it does take a toll, you know what.
Speaker 4 (05:33):
I think it's going to be an exciting season.
Speaker 3 (05:36):
I mean they're bringing one of the greatest quarterbacks of
our generation into a cornerstone franchise with the Steelers. I'm
going to watch every game. Yeah, I can't wait to
see it. It's a great move. It's great for the league.
But do I think they're going to a super Bowl?
Speaker 6 (05:52):
Now?
Speaker 1 (05:52):
So? You know Mike Frabel very well, right right, He's
a friend I the last three years, I got pretty fortunate.
I have picked I pick a team every year to
double their win total, and I think New England's it.
So Mangenie told me last week that Mike Rabel's the
smartest football player he ever coached. He said his recall
was insane. He could recall. Give me some insight that
(06:17):
about Rabel that, you know, maybe as a person, maybe
not as a you know, a coach, or what makes
him different because a lot of a lot of good
players don't become good coaches.
Speaker 3 (06:27):
He's the rare case of being a tough guy that's
really smart, that's funny.
Speaker 4 (06:32):
It's weird, you know. He he he can off for you.
Speaker 3 (06:36):
With his presence, but he can also offer you with
his mouthpiece, like he knows how he had he could
like when Mangini said he could recall anything. He could recall,
Like we'd be at the Kentucky Derby and he'd pull
out a play that we played against each other when
he was with Tennessee and he said, you know that
one play, he did it and he can just.
Speaker 4 (06:57):
Bring it out.
Speaker 3 (06:58):
I mean, that's what I think is so special about
coach Rabel. He's got that alpha mentality, but he's also
a really smart guy, so he has both of them.
I'm excited to see what they do in New England.
I got to go to their camp a couple of
weeks back and it looked great.
Speaker 1 (07:18):
What jumped out to you?
Speaker 4 (07:22):
What jumped out to me? Drake made the question.
Speaker 3 (07:26):
He asked me the hunger that he had, and I
went in and talked to the team, and afterwards Drake
came by and they're they're running the same offense that
we were in and he kind of asked me, Hey,
what do you see on this? And it was a
smart question that stood out to me. That he didn't
have an intimidation factor of being embarrassed to go out
and ask a guy a question that's been in the
(07:47):
system that he's going to try to go be in
and that you know, asked that kind of question. I
thought that was big his leadership, the leadership of the coaches.
There was a good tempo, not a lot of ding around.
So I'm excited to see what they do this year.
Speaker 1 (08:04):
So John was joking the other day Sean Payton took
his camp to Hawaii and he said, yeah, McVeigh and
John said, didn't feel very Bellicheckian. I remember when McVeigh
came into the league. He's like, I'm not playing any
of my starters in the preseason. It's ridiculous. And it's
(08:26):
not a country club because you watch the rams, they're
a fit. That defense is physical. He likes to run
the ball. But I do think not that it's become
the NBA, but it's it's a more player friendly league
today than five years ago. And I think McVeigh there's
a bit of a robin hood like people are following
mcvay's lead, which is you don't have to bark like
like you when you look at them going to Hawaii.
(08:49):
How does it land for you?
Speaker 4 (08:51):
I think it's a cool opportunity.
Speaker 3 (08:53):
Some of my favorite times as a Patriot is when
we would go play an away game in Green Bay
and then as a team we would go work in
San Diego for the week and stay in San Diego
for the week and and unify as a team.
Speaker 4 (09:11):
Like those are unifying team. You go to the zoo,
you could go.
Speaker 3 (09:15):
Well, regardless you guys are, your family's there or whatever.
But you guys are all together and you're working together.
There's no you're not all going home. You're all going
to the hotel. You guys are all gonna eat with
each other. You're gonna talk with each other, You're gonna
be around each other, gonna be around each other's family.
Speaker 4 (09:28):
That's great. I don't have a problem with that at all.
Speaker 3 (09:31):
As long as the time that they used to get
ready for football in Hawaii is productive, that's that's amazing.
Speaker 4 (09:37):
That's a that's.
Speaker 3 (09:38):
Evolution to like workplace people. You know that you got
to take care of the guys, the horses. So I
thought that was a cool thing that McVeigh did. Uh,
you know, And I'm sure every meeting and walk through
or practice that they did was very productive with their time.
And that's that's the difference. You know, you look at
(10:00):
other teams that don't practice their guys. Cincinnati Bengals, Zach
Taylor don't play.
Speaker 4 (10:06):
The guys in the preseason.
Speaker 3 (10:07):
They haven't won a game in September in like five years,
like you know what I mean. Like, so, not everyone's
Sean McVay, right right, Okay, not everyone's Bill Belichick.
Speaker 4 (10:16):
Where it's completely different.
Speaker 3 (10:18):
Everyone's got their rhyme and reason of how they get
things going. The best coaches know how to get their
players up, so whatever it takes, it takes. But Sean
McVay knows what that specific team he can do that.
Speaker 2 (10:30):
Be sure to catch live editions of The Herd weekdays
and neonon Eastern not a IM Pacific on Fox Sports
Radio FS one, and the iHeartRadio app.
Speaker 4 (10:39):
HI This is Jay.
Speaker 5 (10:40):
I'm the producer of the Paul and Toni Fusco Show.
Usually in these promos they ask you to listen to
the show. I'm here to ask you please don't listen
to the show. The hosts are two absolute morons who
have the dumbest takes on sports. Magicable don't listen to
the show so it can get camps.
Speaker 6 (10:54):
What the hell are you doing our studio get.
Speaker 2 (11:00):
Ignore that fool.
Speaker 7 (11:01):
Listen to the Pauline Tony Fusco show on the iHeartRadio
app or wherever you get your podcast.
Speaker 2 (11:06):
He's still moving.
Speaker 1 (11:08):
So I want to end with this and take your
time on this. So John and I did our AFC
NFC surprise picks, the one we totally disagree with, and
I know their schedule as easy as the Niners. So
here's what worries me about the Niners is that they
lost two defensive players that the staff loved. They loved
(11:30):
green Law and they loved Hufunga. They couldn't afford him.
So first, they're both leaders, they're both tough guys, they
both get.
Speaker 3 (11:37):
Injured, they play through pain. Those are leader guys. Don't
love that culture guys, really good culture guy, tough guys.
Speaker 1 (11:45):
What I also don't like, and I think you can
talk about this with New England, they're getting old on offense,
McCaffrey's injuries, Trent Williams Kiddle had a great year, but
and Purty as a good quarterback, but I do think
he's a bit reliant on his protection and the health
of like Kittle and McCaffrey. So when a team's best
(12:06):
players are predominantly either injured guys are old guys, and
now the season is seventeen weeks long, go to the
oldest Patriot team you played on. Everybody's been banged up,
everybody hates rehab, and the guys like maybe at Gronk
are really valuable. Does it seep into your head? Do
(12:28):
you think about it like, we've got to be healthy
because I look at this team. Kyle Shannon's a great coach,
losing record in San Francisco. Without McCaffrey, they're not the
same team. So I look at them and I think
somebody's gonna get hurt. They're too old. John looks at
him and goes schedules easy. The coach is brilliant. What
do you your take on the Niners now, because I
(12:50):
think they're getting really expensive and really old.
Speaker 4 (12:53):
I agree with you.
Speaker 3 (12:54):
First off, there is no easy schedule in the National
Football League. I don't I'm so sick and tired of here.
And people say that like there is no louis Ana
Lafiat Tech School. Everyone is getting paid the same amount
of money with Mesty McIntyre.
Speaker 1 (13:07):
Not Middle Conference.
Speaker 3 (13:08):
Well regardless, there is no everyone always says that. But
who's going to be the hot division this year?
Speaker 4 (13:13):
We don't know.
Speaker 3 (13:14):
It could be some scrambled division that plays really great.
Speaker 4 (13:17):
So that that don't like that. What was the second thing?
Speaker 1 (13:21):
The second thing is, hey, Shanahan's a great coach.
Speaker 3 (13:23):
And yeah, he's a great coach, but you know he's
a coach that likes to play from ahead. Whenever he
plays from behind, is he's not really you know, he
stays to the play sheet.
Speaker 4 (13:33):
He stays to the play sheet.
Speaker 3 (13:34):
So like if we take a look at the forty
nine ers, you know when they don't have a lead,
that the stats are terrible when they play from ahead.
They play the game the way they want to play
when their team is constructed to play that way.
Speaker 4 (13:46):
They're a really great football team.
Speaker 3 (13:47):
Yeah, offensive lines getting old. This this reminds me a
lot of the twenty nineteen Patriots, but not even kind
of close because we came off winning a Super Bowl,
but the old factor.
Speaker 1 (14:01):
But you went into the season knowing we went in the.
Speaker 3 (14:03):
Season, you know, a little banged up Gronk retires, ab
comes in. You know, if you're gonna sit there and
you're gonna say, if this guy stays healthy, we're gonna
be good.
Speaker 4 (14:12):
You're you're, you're gone.
Speaker 3 (14:14):
Well I remember that, hearing that all the time from
coaches and you know, in that facility in the Patriots organization.
If you think that, you know, we're gonna be good
if this guy stays healthy, that means your teams and
that doesn't have the depth to go out and win,
you know. So like I don't like those, those Saints
and those I just don't like that either. So when
(14:36):
it comes down to the forty nine ers, for me,
I think this is gonna be. They haven't hit on
any of their draft picks other than brock Pretty. You
know what's really interesting about this, and that's what you
have to do. Pretty draft, you take brock pretty out
of that draft. It is a bad draft.
Speaker 1 (14:52):
You know.
Speaker 3 (14:53):
They they lost Ward, they lost key parts their secondary,
which they've struggled the last few years.
Speaker 1 (15:00):
And when Bosa's hurt, the defense is not the same.
Speaker 3 (15:02):
You know, and then you look at you look at
points allowed, they're like twenty, they're like not the middle
third of points allowed, which that's the real They can
stop people because they have Bosa, who can you know,
stripsack someone and get a turnover or something. But the
game's ultimately about points and they haven't been able to
(15:23):
stop teams this year, especially when a team runs the ball.
Speaker 8 (15:26):
You know.
Speaker 3 (15:26):
So I'm worried about my San Francisco forty nine ers.
I grew up loving this team. I root for this team.
But you know, we'll see how Pierce All does. You
know they had to hit on him last year, you know,
the shoulder thing. That's a freak thing. He gets shot
in San Francisco, which is crazy. We don't have any
offensive lineman. Trent's getting kind of Trent's old. Trent missed
(15:49):
a few games last year. Yeah, you know, it gets
tough when you get he's a big man. Well, they
play the Rams twice and that's a young Rams team.
That defense is all.
Speaker 4 (15:58):
What did they do?
Speaker 3 (15:59):
What did the They hit on Pooka Aku on the
fifth round? They hit on versus they hit on who
was the other Kyrin Williams in the fifth round.
Speaker 4 (16:09):
They're hitting on draft picks, niners.
Speaker 3 (16:11):
They it's it's you know, I love lynch in All,
but they've missed on a few picks.
Speaker 1 (16:17):
You know, John's a former scout. I think sometimes the
Niners at the top, the owner of York Shanahan Lynch,
the quarterbacks are talked about. If you go to the
fringes in the margins, I mean you're a former scout.
They have had some bad misses.
Speaker 4 (16:33):
Well, the Trey Lance.
Speaker 7 (16:34):
You know, they got rid of a bunch of first rounders,
so they didn't have one for a couple of years. Yea,
So those I mean they were missing three players. Trey
Lance was a zero and then two the next two
first rounders didn't exist, that's right, So then the pressure
on the second and third rounders. You miss a couple
of those, and Jules knows this, you start winning. You're
drafting at the end of every round. So you're drafting
at the end of the second round. That's your first pick.
(16:55):
It's like pick sixty, and you whiff on that.
Speaker 3 (16:57):
All of a sudden, you're like, man, And that's that's
how you build your team.
Speaker 4 (17:01):
You got to build it through the draft, and.
Speaker 1 (17:02):
You need cheap labor. At some point, you have to
hit on fourth and fifth round players. I mean Joan
Jennings and Brock Purty are two of their best players,
and they hit on later on those are where would
they be without brought Perty and Jennings right now, they'd
be in trouble and they're both sevn drome Adye McCaffery.
Speaker 3 (17:20):
I will say one thing though about the San Francisco
forty nine ers. There's been a lot of talk about
them regressing this year, which they've been the target of
the West Coast for the last five years. Maybe them
flowing under the radar could help them this year. Maybe
the week's schedule where everyone thinks they're circling San Francisco
(17:41):
because they're banged up, Maybe they know energize that fuel
and put that towards when You never know, But I
think this could be a good thing for them if
they are the underdogs going under the radar, because they
haven't been that in a long time.
Speaker 1 (17:55):
You know, it's funny because McIntyre has been on this.
His whole thing is the schedules easy, and it is
easier than let's say, the Giants. But part of the
reason it looks easier Shanahan and brock Purty like you
can score points the Giants can't. In your career, and
I know Belichick never let you overlook anybody, but there
had to be one game in your New England career
(18:15):
when you looked at the schedule, saw a film and
thought they aren't good and they either beat you.
Speaker 3 (18:23):
Yeah, Cleveland Browns and thirteen Iron twelve or thirteen in
Cleveland in Cleveland housed you.
Speaker 4 (18:30):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (18:32):
I think I had a fumble. Rob had a fumble.
We fumbled on a kickoff return. And that was in
like twenty thirteen.
Speaker 4 (18:40):
Bill was bitter.
Speaker 3 (18:42):
We watched anytime we played Cleveland from there on out,
we would have a thirty five play cutup of that
year's game of like I remember it fellas, let's not
let's not turn the ball over on special teams and
lose this game?
Speaker 4 (18:56):
Can we can we do that?
Speaker 3 (18:57):
Like? We watched that game the whole rest of my
career for like seven more years, eight more years. Isn't
that every time we played the Cleveland Browns.
Speaker 1 (19:06):
Dude, Peyton hillis playing that game.
Speaker 3 (19:08):
Peyton hillis jumped over like three of us. I think
I don't know it was that game.
Speaker 1 (19:13):
I remember a flow game when Brady threw four picks
up in Buffalo.
Speaker 4 (19:18):
What year was that?
Speaker 1 (19:19):
It was probably before you.
Speaker 3 (19:21):
There could be before me, because I don't I think
we want. When we got Gronk, I don't think we
ever lost to Buffalo. It was crazy because Gronk would
go play in Buffalo, it's his hometown. He'd have like
three two touchdowns every time. Yeah, the bad Brady game
in my life rememb There was the Cincinnati game where
he played in a rain game in thirteen.
Speaker 4 (19:41):
I believe were you know it's raining.
Speaker 3 (19:45):
It was, but it was like a trenial downpour and
we had it for the last drive.
Speaker 4 (19:49):
They had the rocket.
Speaker 3 (19:50):
You know what I remember about the Cleveland game, Bright
blue skies, bright blue skies, beautiful, beautiful.
Speaker 1 (19:56):
I'm like rain Man on the little windy. That's Cleveland.
Speaker 4 (19:58):
It's Cleveland.
Speaker 1 (19:59):
But I remember Hayton Hillis. It's like Marshawn Lynch against
the Saints. He's just blowing over all.
Speaker 6 (20:04):
You go.
Speaker 8 (20:05):
It was.
Speaker 1 (20:06):
It was a not a good flight home.
Speaker 3 (20:09):
Wasn't a good time anytime you played them again after that.
Speaker 1 (20:14):
Julian Edelman, what a pleasure, What a pleasure. Good to
see any buddy. We'll take a break.
Speaker 6 (20:19):
It's the hurt.
Speaker 2 (20:30):
Be sure to catch live editions of the Herd Weekdays
and Noone Easter not a Empacific.
Speaker 1 (20:35):
Rick Patino will put him on the podcast today. He
was sensational. But now we go to John Middle cop
with the news.
Speaker 4 (20:44):
Turn on the news.
Speaker 2 (20:45):
This is the Herdline News, curt In.
Speaker 7 (20:48):
The NFL, Colin, were Kyler Murray, who we talked about earlier,
and the Cardinals were to look for their first winning
season since twenty twenty one after just missing out last
year at eight and nine. I had Arizona off Kyler
in our predictions earlier. Yeah, but Trey McBride has some
other ideas, saying that he believes that he and Kyler
can form the same partnership as Mahomes and Kelsey. I
(21:11):
don't know about that, Colin, What do you think?
Speaker 1 (21:12):
Well, I think McBride's great, awesome player. I think he's
an awesome player. It's my buddy drafted him, Steve Kaime.
I think he's a tremendous player. I actually think from
Connor to McBride to Harrison to Kyler Murray, I think
their on lines Okay, I think offensively they're really interesting,
(21:33):
and I think this year they kind of went back
to defense in the draft. So I like their personnel,
Like I feel like they're a little like Seattle. They
could beat anybody in the league. Anybody in the league.
With Arizona Kyler's getting protection, they can beat anybody. I
just don't know if they can put together twelve wins.
Kyler gets banged up. Kyler can get you know, sometimes moody,
(21:55):
but their talent. There's eight or nine guys on this roster.
I think there's insational play. Well.
Speaker 7 (22:00):
He deserves credit because he's clearly mature from what was
a couple of years ago. I know Jonathan Gannon living
in that area that they're higher on him as the guy,
the leader, But as a player, he can be frustrated because,
like you said, they can beat anyone.
Speaker 2 (22:12):
In an individual game.
Speaker 7 (22:13):
You could put Himunday Night Football against the Bills and
Kyler could outplay Josh no question. Then the next week
he could play the Jags and throw FO one hundred
and fifty yards and lose by twenty.
Speaker 1 (22:22):
They are a maddening team.
Speaker 7 (22:23):
So I do think he's fascinating coming into this year
because the talent it OSes off the screen and it
has since. I don't think he lost the game in
high school. I think he went forty five and zero
his three years in high school. So he's a twelfth
highest paid quarterback. The team has finished either last or
second to last, and five of the last six years.
So beside that one year with Kingsbury, remember and they
(22:43):
fell apart at the end of that season, it has
not gone well from a wins and losses standpoint. I
just this kind of feels a little make or break
just because he makes a lot of money and he
still would have value to pivot.
Speaker 4 (22:55):
Plus the quarterback draft is good.
Speaker 1 (22:57):
Yeah, but this is not a franchise that is. I mean,
if you told me take the Packers and take Arizona,
take the best seven players, I mean, I'd say McBride
is arguably better than anybody on the Packers.
Speaker 4 (23:11):
Arizona's got good players.
Speaker 1 (23:13):
No, I mean, and they've got high end Marvin.
Speaker 7 (23:15):
Harrison Junior is the guy everyone would take. They just
signed Sweat from the Eagles. I think they drafted in
the second round Will Johnson, remember he kind of fell
in the draft.
Speaker 1 (23:22):
I mean, their roster's not bad, not bad at all.
The Baker, yeah, Boot is great.
Speaker 7 (23:27):
So we'll stick with the NFL to Miami where Tua
he's entering in his sixth season and he'll look to
stay healthy enough. Right He just played in eleven games
last season. Prior to joining Miami in twenty twenty two,
the now retired to Ron Armstead played nine seasons with
New Orleans and had an up close look at Drew Brees.
In an interview on The Rich Eisen Show, Armstead talked
(23:47):
about the similarities between Tua and Breeze.
Speaker 8 (23:52):
Anticipation, the accuracy, time and of throws, the ability to
knock a wing off a fly repeatedly. Those those guys
throw darts, they don't throw to areas. They are very precise.
That's an elite talent. It's elite, elite trait very few
people possess.
Speaker 2 (24:08):
He's one of them, and Drew Brees another.
Speaker 1 (24:12):
Yeah, I don't disagree that he is his comp He's
a left handed Drew Brees. Now Breeze Again, it's unfair
because Breeze is an al timer. I've always liked I've
always liked to when he has stable protection and when
the weather's good, like he at home, I've always felt
different home and away with him. I always feel like
(24:35):
the elements. And I've said this about brock Purty. If
it gets cold and windy and wet, I don't think
about Purtty the same. That's exactly how I feel about Tua.
But if the conditions are moderate to good and he
has ample protection toa throws a great.
Speaker 7 (24:49):
Ball, well we say the same about Jared Goff. But
Jared Goff got to play in LA and now in
Detroit in a dome. You know, Drew Brees got to
play in a dome. Tua while he plays in Miami.
They play the Bills r they play in the AFC,
and they make the playoffs.
Speaker 4 (25:02):
They played the Chiefs.
Speaker 7 (25:04):
It is a difficult proposition when you don't have a
great arm and you're in the AFC because of the
teams that you're going to have to play in the playoffs.
Speaker 1 (25:11):
Also, and we have to be fair. They have not
done a good job in the old line and they're
not ready for Armstead to move off. You cross your fingers.
It's I think there are certain players. If you have
two as a quarterback, you have to have a good backup,
a stable backup. They've not been good at backup quarterbacks.
And I also think you've got to have a top
seven to eight to nine offensive line. You've got to
(25:33):
protect to it. He is smaller, he doesn't have a
big arm. He needs the extra half second of protection.
Speaker 7 (25:39):
I think we all respect the guy in his toughness.
I do think we have to be critical when he's
played better teams in big spots, he's kind of crumbled.
He has not played good football against the better competition
in the NFL.
Speaker 1 (25:49):
And I think Mike McDaniel is clever. I think he's smart,
but sometimes I feel the organization lacks steak and has
a lot of sizzle.
Speaker 7 (25:57):
We could argue that you're just not winning in Miami
given them modern day economics of football and how much
stuff's going on, how rich these guys are, it's kind
of been a disaster for a long time there. Yeah,
now to the WNBA, where your girl, Kayln Clark has
been having a tough last three games she has, including
last night where she was limited to a season low
six points went over six from three in the grand
(26:17):
scheme of things. It didn't matter though, with the Fever
winning the game and her teammate Lexi Hall believes there's
nothing to worry about amid Clark's shooting woes.
Speaker 1 (26:27):
She'll be fine.
Speaker 7 (26:28):
I don't think for a word we're not worried Bama.
Speaker 1 (26:30):
She's a great shooter. This is a great player.
Speaker 3 (26:33):
This happens to every team, Leverick player, every great player.
Speaker 8 (26:36):
She'll be fine.
Speaker 1 (26:37):
Yeah, I think we forget that. Steph Curry and especially
Clay Thompson. You know you hear about hitting slumps. Steph
Curry had shooting slumps. You were there, You're a Warriors guy.
Speaker 7 (26:50):
Happens all the time. I mean Steph and Clay, who
are by far the greatest shooting backcourt in the history
of the league. You could watch him on an individual
game basis, especially Steph.
Speaker 4 (26:59):
Little late in his career play later in his career.
Speaker 2 (27:02):
You have bad weeks, a bad month.
Speaker 1 (27:04):
Clay had bad series. There was an Oklahoma City series
years ago where he had like a great game.
Speaker 2 (27:10):
Game six.
Speaker 1 (27:11):
He was a hare season, save their season. But if
I recall he struggled in the series.
Speaker 7 (27:16):
Listen, did Ted Williams get a base hit every time
he went up to that Tony Gwinn? Did Steph Curry
made every three point shot he's ever attempted?
Speaker 4 (27:23):
Of course not.
Speaker 7 (27:24):
I also think there is you know, she's coming off
an injury. The road home splits a little interesting this year.
I would not sell any Kayln clarkstock.
Speaker 6 (27:33):
Moving forward, we agree.
Speaker 2 (27:36):
John Middlecoff with the News, Well that's the news, and
thanks for stopping by the herd line.
Speaker 1 (27:43):
So tonight is the NBA Draft. I don't We had
Reck Petito on for twenty minutes. He was tremendous. Today.
I don't know if you're ever going to have a
great draft again, because it is such a projection draft.
So many of the players, whether international or domestic, there's
just a lot of young guys. It's not your guessing,
but there's a lot of projection. I don't feel that
(28:05):
in the NFL draft. I mean, quarterback is always going
to be hard. He needs the right coach and right
sports system. But in the NFL, you with on fifty
percent of your picks and you have three and four
years of tape. You know, in college, you may get
thirty games of tape for a kid that plays at Kentucky,
and he may only go against an NBA player in
(28:26):
six of those thirty games. That's all the tape you have.
You know, it's the interview, it's the combine in Chicago.
You know, you're just projecting. So I don't know if
this is a great draft. I think Cooper Flag is
as good and as exciting a domestic prospect as we've
had in a long time. Saint John's coach Rick Fatino
(28:48):
on Flag.
Speaker 9 (28:50):
Well, he's physically ready. He's extremely athletic, he shoots the basketball,
he's a tough young man, and he's maybe one of
like three players that are ready to have an impact
right away for the Dallas Mavericks. He's got a good
inside game, good outside game. He drives with force, he
knows how to play the game.
Speaker 2 (29:11):
He actually is young.
Speaker 4 (29:12):
He skipped the year of high school, so.
Speaker 9 (29:14):
It's he's ready for the NBA and I think he'll
be an impact basketball player right away.
Speaker 1 (29:19):
I also think we have a comp on him that's
pretty accurate. It is Jason Tatum. They played in the
same you know, at Duke, so very rarely do you
get a comp and you're like, oh, yeah, that's an
obvious camp. I mean they both played at Duke, both
same Duke culture. Cooper Flag was younger, yet his numbers
were all a little better. He is absolutely a better
(29:40):
defensive player at this point, and he is absolutely a
more aggressive player now. Tatum much like Cooper Flagg Jason Tatum,
and they've entered a NBA with a very solid, well
run organization in Boston and had that iconic dunk as
a rookie over Lebron James. So in the very first year,
(30:00):
Jason Tatum, who went number three, I think that was
the Markel Fooles draft. Wasn't that the big bust? So,
I mean Tatum very early. We were all excited, and
I think that's what you'll feel. I don't know if
Dallas is well run. I think they were better run
with Mark Cuban, but the coach is good. You could
say what you want about Nico Harrison. They've drafted well.
They've got really good players. And I'll say it again,
(30:23):
you may not like the Luca trade if it was
a d and instead of Max Christie it was Austin Reeves.
I think you might feel different about that trade. And
one more first round pick, but they didn't get it.
But I know you all, you know all, you know,
how did they get Cooper Flagg? However, he's gonna be
really good, really fair.
Speaker 4 (30:42):
I think he's gonna.
Speaker 1 (30:43):
Look like Tatum as a rookie. You're gonna have some
iconic dunks and iconic moments and you're gonna be like, oh,
I can't wait till year two because you'll see some rawness.
I mean the NBA. One thing about the NBA that
you noticed in the playoffs, it is physical. Like like
Jay Billis said this the other day. I thought it
was a great point. In college, you talk about individual possessions.
(31:03):
In the NBA shot clock, the game is so fast
that you look up and you've had three or four possessions.
The NBA is just a faster league, and I think
that's why highlight Cooper Flagg. I think he plays fast.
I mean he's one of those guys he'll take two big,
long strides with the ball and he's at half court,
so he is not a plotting player. He is long,
(31:24):
he's athletic. He plays very fast. And that's the difference
between college and the pro. The pacing is insane at
the NBA level. I mean it's one of those things
where rarely do you see a coach in the NBA
like call a play, you trust your guard, you try
to catch him in a free throw break. But it's
just possession after possession after possession, and I just think
(31:47):
he's built for it.
Speaker 7 (31:48):
I think if you're getting Jason Tatum, if you factor
in the economics, of the league. Would you take, you know,
trading Luca getting rid of that three hundred and fifty
million to start with a rookie contract, getting Jason Tatum
at eighteen years old. It might end up working out
for Nico Harrison. That's the best case though. I mean
that's a positive.
Speaker 1 (32:05):
Much better defender, much better defender, and I would argue
a better athlete than Luca. Not the offensive prodigy. Lucas
one of the great me walked into the league. He
was an elite scorer. But in terms of a I
get right now, healthier player, better defender, better shape, and free.
(32:25):
I mean, you're not paying anything for you. Yeah, and
I again that Dallas front line. He doesn't have to
protect the rim. He can get out in transition because
their front line in Dallas is outstanding. John Middlecoff, you
absolutely crushed. Loved having you.
Speaker 6 (32:41):
I appreciate it. Cal see them all
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Colin Cowherd
Jason McIntyre
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