← The Herd with Colin Cowherd
The Herd with Colin Cowherd
3 & Out - USA BEATS Canada, Is there value to going to the Combine, Chicago MOVING to Indiana?
00:45:40
Loading summary
Transcript53 lines
- [00:00]
A
This is an iHeart podcast. Guaranteed Human.
- [00:04]
B
This is Lavar Arrington from Up on Game. This message is brought to you by Apple Card. It's a great time to apply for an Apple Card. You'll love earning unlimited daily cash on every purchase. That includes 3% daily cash when you buy the latest iPhone, AirPods and Apple Watch at Apple through this special referral offer. When you get a new Apple card, you can earn bonus daily cash. To qualify, you must apply at Apple Co. Get daily cash Apple card issued by Goldman Sachs Bank USA Salt Lake City Branch offer may not be available elsewhere. Terms and limitations apply. This is Daniel Cormier from the Daniel Cormier Show. This podcast is sponsored by Total Wireless, the official wireless partner of ufc. Power doesn't wait in the octagon or outside of it. You either make the move or you miss the moment. That's why you need a network that's just as powerful as you are. With Total Wireless, you. You get unlimited 5G data keeping you in the action from the walkouts to the knockouts. Now that's a total power move. Make your total power move today. Visit totalwireless.com or stop by your neighborhood Total Wireless store. Additional terms apply. See totalwireless.com for details.
- [01:12]
A
When segregation was a law, one mysterious black club owner, Charlie Fitzgerald, had his own rules.
- [01:18]
B
Segregation in the day, integration at night. It was like stepping on another world.
- [01:24]
A
Was he a businessman? A criminal? A hero?
- [01:28]
B
Charlie was an example of power. They had to crush him.
- [01:33]
A
Charlie's Place from Atlas Obscura and visit Myrtle Beach. Listen to Charlie's place on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. On June 11, 1998, a deputy from the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department went missing.
- [01:48]
B
Hey, if they'll kill a cop and bury him, what are they gonna do to me?
- [01:51]
A
What really happened to the missing deputy? Valley of Shadows, a new series from Pushkin Industries about crime and corruption in California's high desert. Listen to Valley of shadows on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. The volume.
- [02:27]
B
What is going on everybody? John Middelkopf3Now podcast. Hopefully you are doing well out there in the streets. Let's see if I still know how to podcast. Your boy is back. We are back again recording a little podcast after a week. You know, a couple years ago would have been a nice little vacation week. Who knows, maybe it would have gone to somewhere. I guess I live in somewhere sunny, but Hawaii or something. Now I just sit and hold a baby and watch the Olympics. So get three hours sleep. So life has changed, but sports is not. So I'm going to lead today's show with the USA Hockey situation. That was just. I watched so much Olympics over the last week, and watching that game this morning and watching all the games this week with the hockey team. Sports is special. Man, that. That was. That. That was really, really cool. This is the combine week. We will be going to the combine for a couple days, rubbing elbows with the people. Coach Reed, I was texting him. I said, coach, come on. The podcast said, john, I will not be there. I'm on injured reserve. So Andy will not be on the show. He got knee surgery, but I think we got beach. I got it. I. I sent out a million texts to GMs, efforting coaches, so we'll see what happens. But we'll have a lot of content coming from the combine. But I want to dive in with some general thoughts on the combine. And then one of the big stories last week while I was not doing shows was the Bears moving to Indiana. So some thoughts there. We will dive into as well. And that'll be the podcast today. We'll do a big mailbag for tomorrow at John Middlekoff. At John Middlekopf for tomorrow. I. I think I'm gonna record that actually right now. So. But fire in those dms. We. We will do mailbags. They're not going away. We are going to buckle back up at John Middlekopf. Is the Instagram firing those dms. And you guys know the drill. Subscribe to the podcast wherever you may. Listen, Spotify, Apple, and obviously all the videos, they live on a little thing called Netflix. We appreciate everyone watching, so let's just. Let's dive in. This is a hockey show. Let's dive into usa, baby. Like, if you're listening to this, I'm sure we can agree, like, we're big sports people. We like sports. I grew up loving sports. It was honestly the only thing or one of the only things in life I could remember. Like, I could go to class. I couldn't remember anything the teachers told me through college. I got a graduate degree. I don't remember much, if anything I've ever learned in a classroom yet. If you told me, especially when I was younger, peppered some guy that played in 1993, where did he go to college? I knew it. How many yards he had, how many home runs he had. You know, I. I love that stuff. And when it comes to sports, like, I am an equal opportunist now I don't like hockey as much as I do football or golf, but I treat it a lot like the ufc. I don't watch the NHL though I do chime in in the playoffs. I don't watch the ufc, but I couldn't have any more respect for the people that participated it I their respect level for me is a 10 out of 10. And like many of you, I watched every minute of this USA hockey run and I was glued. The Hughes brothers, the Chuck brothers. Obviously the momentum from the All Star game format of last year, which was incredible, all these same players that were on those teams was just freaking awesome. Then you factor in USA across their jersey, you factor in that we got to take out potentially if we could make it there. Canada who some players in the tournament on other teams that play in the NHL considered this Canadian team like the greatest team ever assembled. In fairness, Sidney Crosby got hurt a couple games ago, but they got the best player in the world in Connor McDavid. They got the next Conor McDavid Celebrini, whose dad is the warriors athletic trainer. So I, I'm from the, you know, Northern California, so I, I'm definitely more into the Sharks now that he's on the team. But let's face it, most people thought we were going to lose in this game. And this is what makes sports so powerful is my because of my wife, I watch a lot of Bravo. Whether it's Southern Charm, whether it's Summer House. Our guy Wes, who I met at the Volume party, who's on Summer House, who's really fucking cool and is now becoming a big star on that show, to Love is Blind. I mean we have been dialed into that show. These all have scripted elements to them. I mean there are moments in all these shows that's like this isn't raw and real. This is fake. And in fairness, they're in the business of getting the most people to watch. It's entertainment. And ultimately sports is entertainment. But there's a purity to it and there was and we've seen it recently. Like Sam Darnold several years ago was one of the laughing stocks of the sport of football. Whether it came to getting mono, I think as a rookie to I'm seeing ghosts to people just generally thinking he is not a good player to several years later being the starting quarterback for a team that won 17 games and the Super Bowl. And now Sam Darnold before Josh Allen, before Lamar Jackson. Two guys, they're going to be first bout hall of Famers. He has a Super bowl before those two guys. Like, you can't make that stuff up. You couldn't write that stuff in sports movies. And then you get this group today who. One I don't quite understand. You know, all these games have been in the middle of the day, like one o' clock mountain time for me, which is late in Italy. And I get there's a time change. But for some reason, this game kicked off at the crack of dawn. Anyone that has a young child, you don't get much sleep. You're going to bed at like 3 o' clock in the morning. Was hard to get up for, but found a way to like, kind of groggy watching it on my phone the first couple periods. Then you kind of wake up and watch the stretch of the game. But it was just something that so many people in my life that I would not consider hockey people. I don't have that many hockey friends. I honestly don't know if I really have any. My wife would be on the extreme end. Her brother and herself and her dad, they were season ticket holders. Well, they weren't. Their dad was to the San Jose Sharks. They grew up going to these games. They love hockey. The first time I've only been to one hockey game in my life, it was one of the Phoenix Coyotes. They played in downtown or they played at Tempe, where ASU plays. It's literally ASU's club hockey arena. Sees like 4,000 people. And I got up with, while the action was going on to go get. Either go to the bathroom or get a beer or whatever. My wife like, you cannot get up. I'm like, what do you mean? And they wouldn't let me get up because in hockey it's not baseball, it's not basketball, it's not. You can't just get up whenever you want. You. You can only get up and go to the concourse, to the bathroom, whatever, when the action is stopped. And I was like, I didn't even know these rules. But you couldn't help but get behind these guys, their emotion that their, their strong connection to each other and the pride they took in their logo. And let's face it, you know, I love football, but there's no flag football is going to be in the Olympics. It's not real football. And I know flag football has expanded a lot more. People have interest. Like, it is a completely different game than what we watch during the fall. Right? Baseball, basketball, all these other sports can play their same game and in the Olympics. And it's pretty cool. In basketball Forever. Like when I was a kid, the Dream team was created. They beat the shit out of everybody. Other teams were waiting in line to get Michael Jordan, Charles Barkley, Larry Bird, Magic Johnson's autographs to now 20 years later, we lost some Olympics to the last Olympics with Stephen LeBron. There was like, that was incredible theater. And I. This is an issue the NBA has when the people involved in the entertainment don't care. You can't expect the consumer to care, right? It's one thing football has built. In football. When you watch a football game, for the most part, right, Obviously you get blowouts in games that aren't close. But for the most part, every team, especially in the NFL and high level of college, is giving 100% their full effort. No one ever disputes with college football or the NFL that players and coaches aren't doing everything humanly possible. Monday through leading up to the game to get ready and then during the game, laying it all on the field. It's why I think it really resonates with so many people. Obviously the inventory factor. There's not as many games, but when you turn on the game, like everyone is just laying it on the line. It's why UFC has become such a rocket ship. When you watch these fights, you're like, these guys, they are just crazy to get in that octagon. The level of effort you have to put in just preparing, let alone the craziness in which you have to get in there to even attempt to win a fight. And that's the one thing hockey has. Jack Hughes, who scores the game winning goal, is interviewed after he's missing a tooth and bleeding. Did he just lost in that game? Like that's the thing everyone, we'll dive into the combine and draft prospects. Part of this dude at Kansas who keeps tapping out of the games. One of the things I keep saying is this is not football or hockey. Like your likelihood of getting a major injury, especially as a smaller player, it's one thing as a big is kind of slim to none. And especially when you're getting judged against all these other guys in your class who are just playing balls to the wall. It's why if you watch byu, if you watch that kid at Arkansas, if you watch boozer play at Duke, you're like, God, these guys play really, really hard. Which I think we all really respect. You look at this NFL draft class, we watch Fernando Mendoza, we watched the two defensive linemen at Miami. You're like, these guys, till the season ended, just fucking gave it all they had. Which you have to respect, because winning and losing, obviously, is very difficult. The margins between them are very, very slim. But you watch today and you just watch a group like that was pretty special. I don't know what else to say. It was just a pretty cool, really cool, genuine moment. And I just thought it resonated with a lot of people. You can tell online because, one, we weren't supposed to win. Two, this is not our sport. I put this out on Twitter earlier this week. I kind of hate. That's actually a pet peeve of mine when people say that. Like, I tweeted out like no one cares. But I was thinking this, that's probably a better way to put this earlier this week when I'm trying to, you know, console my child from screaming where you could hear him from 10 miles away. Not because we're doing anything, just because he's a baby and they scream. The problem is they can't really communicate. So you don't really know what's up. But that's a story for a different day, is that this hockey team, this group of guys who all seem like I'm Googling them all between 25 and early 30s to be everything we've always wanted. And I don't pretend to be a soccer guy, though I respect the power of the sport. I saw someone put out on Instagram within the last week that the power of the global sport. Because clearly Raj, meaning sending people to Australia. The Niners and Rams are kicking off there potentially on Wednesday, which I do understand why they're going to have to play a game on Wednesday. Because of the calendar and the laws, they're not going to be able to play on Friday, week one this year. But they want to get two games before the weekend. So they're going to cheat the system and go Wednesday. So they said, might as well send them to Australia. But clearly they want. Unless the Bad Bunny Situ. Roger wants to go international. He wants to go global. There was a reason he would rather go with Bad Bunny than like Morgan Wallen or Metallica. He'd rather resonate with other people in other countries. That is their next big. I've been saying this forever. Roger Goodell wants to have a package where they're playing all over the world every single week. That is clearly a stated desire and goal from the league office right now. Whether we agree or disagree, whether it's going to work, only time will tell. But the old adage in business, you're either growing or you're dying. And like, I think he'd Be the first to say it's going to be hard to add more domestic fans. He's probably right. And I think a lot of casual people would go, you guys are printing money. You don't need to get any bigger. That's not how businesses think. It's like, how do we grow? How do we incrementally grow? And back to the soccer thing is, I guess there was a soccer game, like Man City might have played Liverpool or somebody. And it might have been Sunday morning of the Super Bowl. And 750 million people watched, like 150 million people watched Super Bowl. 750 million people watched that game. And I think Roger forever is like, Roger is trying to screw Adam Silver. I don't think Roger Goodell thinks about Adam Silver. He's completely irrelevant to their operation. I think he goes, how do we become closer to soccer in the epl? And again, whether that's possible or not, I don't know. But part of what makes the Olympics cool is like this global operation. Now, hockey is a little more specific to certain countries, right? Canada dominates in theory. Some, like, Eastern European countries should dominate. And obviously we've gotten really good and we haven't won the gold since 1980, when NHL players weren't even there. But watching the pride and the joy they had in it. And then there's just. I said this about Sam Darnold. There was a human interest level story in Sam. Most of us could relate to it, right? He failed, stumbled. Now most of us can't relate to, like, millions of people watched his. His failure, right? And I guess indirectly made fun of him when we stumbled. Maybe our family knows, maybe the people we're working with knows. It's much more of a kind of controlled environment. But I think that resonated with a lot of people. And then you went like, is Sam a good guy? Is. Is Sam the type guy that most people I know would want to be friends with? And the answer was, like, always, yes. So I think a lot of people just gravitated. Like, Sam Darnold is just a fun story to root for. He is a relatable individual. And you watch these guys that moment, like, you can't make up the situation that happened with. I think it's Johnny Goudreau. I might be messing up his name. Also known as Johnny Hockey, who died in one of the worst tragedies you can ever imagine, right? Hit riding a bike with his brother the day before his sister's wedding while he has two young children. And it turns out his wife Was seven, seven months pregnant. I, I just, I, I can't. Even before I had a child, that story is just, that hurts every single human I will ever meet to their soul. Died riding a bike the day before his sister's wedding while his wife is pregnant, while they also have two young children with his brother. And he obviously was a star American hockey player by all accounts. He not only would have been on this team, but he was close friends with all these guys and then they win the gold. And his best friend, who his teammate who happens to be on this team, grabs his kids, brings them out to take the picture with his jersey. Like it's like you can't, I don't get those reactions and those feelings inside me. In many walks of life, right, Most people, like you don't have a kid every day, you don't get married every day, you don't go on the best date of your life. Most days you don't have devastating things happen to you. Most days you don't even have that many things that happen outside of your world that really emotionally move you most days. I mean you just don't, you know, especially if you don't live on your phone and let the algo create madness in your brain and you see this and you go, damn. That's something that just, I, I, it's words can't even describe it, but you know, when you watch it, the feeling you get inside. And that's what I think this, what happened with this team was like, man, that was really, really cool. And I, I think sports is still one of the last kind of areas in society where it just draws so many people from so many different walks of life, from so many different beliefs, from so many different economic statuses, from most of us that you're listening to me, I'll probably never meet you. Yet. We all sat there and watched these games and had a similar reaction. No different than Canada being devastated by losing the game, right? That it draws all these people in a country that live on opposite ends, you know, of 3,000 miles away, they're all pulling in the same direction now Canada pulling for their guys is more like us pulling. If the NFL was a global sport and we were represented in the Olympics to play football, right? That's not the case. But I just think that was awesome. It really was. And I couldn't get enough of it. And I'm glad that the way the timing of this worked out with my day. Hopefully many of your days were able to experience that run cuz that was really Cool. Today's show is brought to you by our presenting sponsor, Hard Rock Bat Florida Sportsbook. I know it's tough with no football. Makes me sad, but like the song says, I bet I will survive with Hard Rock Bat. There's always something every single night. Hoops, hockey, so much more. Plus all the great same game parlay, live betting and player prop options you're used to. And did you know that Hard Rock Bet is the official sports betting partner of the Miami Heat and the Orlando Magic, so they know their basketball. Hard Rock Bet app is the only legal sportsbook whenever you're in Florida. So if you live in Arizona, Ohio, New Jersey, Indiana, Tennessee, Virginia, Illinois, Colorado and Michigan coming to states near you as well. If you haven't signed up for Hard Rock Bet yet, there's never been a better time. New signups can double their winnings on their first 10 bets max 50 bucks. That's right. If you would have won a hundred bucks on your bet, you make 200 plus. Hard Rock vet offers new promos daily. Download the Hard Rock Bet app and make your first deposits today. Payable and bonus bets. Not a cash offer. Offered by Seminole Tribe of Florida in Florida. Offered by Seminole hard Rock Digital LLC in all other states. You must be 21 plus and physically present in Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Jersey, Ohio, Tennessee and Virginia to play. Terms and conditions apply. Concerned about gambling in Florida? Call 1-833-PLAY-WISE in Indiana. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem and wants help, call 1-800-9 with it gambling problem call 1-800- gambler Arizona, Colorado, Illinois, New Jersey, Ohio, Tennessee, Virginia cold days, big goals. No time to cook Factor makes healthy eating easy with fully prepared meals designed by dietitians and crafted by chefs. So eat well without planning or cooking. Listen as new parents, you don't have quite as much time to cook because you're just tired. You're trying to do a million things, and it's so easy to have already prepared meals that fit your goals and your schedule. But here's the key healthy eating, calorie management and more protein. So they have over 100 rotating meals per week. Options include High Protein calorie, smart Mediterranean, GLP1 support and ready to Eat Salad. It's always fresh, never frozen, ready to eat in about two minutes. So head to factor meals.com john50off and use code JOHN50OFF to get 50% off and free breakfast for a year. Eat like a pro this month with Factor New subscribers only. Varies by plan. One free breakfast item per box. One for one year while subscription is active. If you're the purchasing manager at a manufacturing plant, you know having a trusted partner makes all the difference. That's why hands down, you count on Grainger for auto reordering. With on time restocks, your team will have the cut resistant gloves they need at the start of their shift and you can end your day knowing they've got safety well in hand. Call 1-800-GRAINGER Click grainger.com or just stop by Granger for the ones who get it done.
- [23:12]
A
On June 11, 1998, a deputy from the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department went missing. It's an all out manhunt for John Awjay. Every search and rescue team in LA county has been called in to help. Within days, tips started flooding into the sheriff's department. They ruler around the drug scene. Was that a deputy was taken care of. Is this the story of a man who just got lost in the desert? Or of a cover up inside the nation's largest sheriff's department?
- [23:42]
B
A homicide captain saying detective, do not find out if this guy's guilty or innocent. Who does that?
- [23:50]
A
Valley of Shadows, a new series from Pushkin Industries about crime and corruption. California's high desert. Do you have any advice for us while looking into this disappearance?
- [24:02]
B
I wouldn't do it alone.
- [24:05]
A
Listen to Valley of shadows on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.
- [24:12]
B
Segregation in the day, Integration at night.
- [24:17]
A
When segregation was the law, one mysterious black club owner had his own rules. We didn't worry about what went on outside.
- [24:24]
B
It was like stepping in another world.
- [24:28]
A
Inside Charlie's Place, black and white people danced together. But not everyone was happy about it.
- [24:35]
B
You saw the kkk. Yeah, they was dressed up in their uniform. The KKK set out to raid Charlie. Take him away from here. Charlie was an example of power. They had to crush him.
- [24:52]
A
From Atlas Obscura, Rococo Punch and visit Myrtle beach comes Charlie's Place. A story that was nearly lost to time. Until now. Listen to Charlie's place on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.
- [25:12]
B
This is the biggest night in podcasting. The countdown is on to our 2026 iHeart Podcast Awards live from south by South, March 16th. We'll honor the very best in podcasting from the past year and celebrate the most innovative, talented creators in the industry. It's truly a who's who of the podcasting world. Creativity, knowledge and passion will all be on full display. And the winner of the iheart podcast award is. See all the nominees now@iheart.com podcast awards
- [25:41]
A
Audible is a proud sponsor of the Audible Audio Pioneer Award. Explore the best selection of audiobooks, podcasts and originals all in one easy app. Audible. There's more to imagine when you listen. Sign up for a free trial@audible.com.
- [26:04]
B
The combine is this week and big picture. I mean, there were a lot of talks over the last several years to move the Combine to Los Angeles. My, my buddy Phil Savage, who I I haven't talked to in a while. I think he's still working for the jets, ran the Senior bowl for a long time. He's originally from Alabama, worked for the Ravens, forever became a GM in the league. I worked with him for a brief stint in, in Philadelphia. That's how I got to know him. And when he ran the Senior Bowl, I remember talking to him. He's the thing he was always worried about. And he's. He lives in New York City now, but forever. He's from Fairhope, Alabama, and you know, the small town, that area means a lot to him. He was always worried that they were going to move the Senior bowl eventually to like Los Angeles, right to SOFI Stadium. And it still might eventually happen. Right? Jim Nagy, who then ran the Senior bowl after Phil, is now the GM in Oklahoma. So. And by all accounts, the Senior bowl, the talent they get is not quite the same. I don't think it's necessarily long for Alabama. I'd say the same thing about the combine. They desperately wanted to move the combine to a bigger city, specifically Los Angeles, and there was a lot of pushback for the league. It's really one of the most unique places I've ever been to because you can stay at most of the hotels, whether it's the Spring Hill Suites or whether it's like I don't think they have a four seasons in Indy, but like the JW Marriott, which is probably the nicest hotel to all these. You never have to go outside. So even in the the heart of winter when it's freezing cold, it's all connected by these walkways and this convention center that leads right to the football stadium that you're all kind of under the same cocoon. It's just an incredible city to operate from a logistical standpoint to run this event. And there was a major pushback and they were able to keep the event in Indianapolis, which I'm glad it's a city that I don't go to very often and I've only been to for the Combine. But whenever I'm there, someone asked me recently, like, what's it like? Is it cool city? I'm like, yeah, I always really, really enjoy it. It's clearly kind of a small, bigger Midwestern city that is just very, very easy to operate. But the keys of this week, which has changed a lot, right? A lot of teams. I just read a story today, read a story to be strong, saw a headline that the Jaguars will not attend. You know, the Rams do not attend. Kyle Shanahan, I'm sure, will not attend. A lot of people have chosen. Sean McVeigh will not be at the combine now. John lynch will be there. I don't think Les Sneed goes. A lot of GMs go if their coaches don't go. No one with the Jags is going. And I think the Jags like the Rams. They believe there's this bias. Kyle Shanahan just doesn't want to go things. It's kind of pointless. He just zooms into the meetings. Listen, I think there's value there and I want to go through some of the things that are valuable. One, the most valuable thing in the immediate is your GM and your front office going to gauge the market. How much are players on my team that are free agents going to cost? Because these agents are going from team to team, finding the market, finding the number, and then knowing how much higher with that number can we go? So the number one thing of the free agents that are on your own team that you want to keep, how much are they going to cost? What's the price and can we afford to keep them based on our salary cap or if we can't, do we need to manipulate some stuff so we can resign them? To me, that's the number one thing. And then the guys that are not on your team that you would be interested in signing, how much are they going to cost so you can gauge do we have enough room to sign them? Because by now you've targeted the good teams. It's hard for some of the teams with new coaches. A lot of moving parts. But if you have a team that everyone you know, the packers, the Niners, the Rams, all, all your front office and coaching staff is returning. You have spent the last month plus determining these three or four guys are number one targets. Well, how much are those guys going to cost and can we afford to have them in our salary cap? And if we can't, can we manipulate some guys that are on our team, move some money back and figure out a way to keep them so to me, it's all about in a couple weeks, free agency hits, the setting that up and then factored into that. If you are teams interested, a lot of these new teams, you know, whether you're the Dolphins, the Harbaugh, the Ravens, all these teams have new coaches. So are there, were there players on the staff or, excuse me, on the roster? Even if the gm, you know, Joe Shane is technically just a college scouting director now, but, you know, do we have guys on this roster that are not going to fit, that might be good players, but are not going to fit what we want to do on offense or defense? Because if we do, we're going to be interested in trading them. So that gets out this week, hey, these five players we're open to trading and then you find a market or hey, we'd be interested in these three guys. Would you be interested in trading them? How much are they going to like, what do you want for them? And then clearly the big name guys, everyone's going to be asking about A.J. brown and everyone's going to be asking about Max Crosby and there are probably other, several other players that we will find out over the course of the next week that are also available for trade. What's it going to cost? Obviously, Max Crosby. I was texting with a, you know, pretty accomplished coach over the course of the last week and he's like, I'd be a little stunned if they traded Max Crosby. They just elevated the defensive line coach, who is Max Crosby's boy, to the defensive coordinator for the Raiders. And a lot of people around the league think that's a sign. They're going to desperately try to keep them in their good graces and keep them on their team, which don't blame you, he's one of the best players in the league and very well respected. But I, I think they're going to treat this like an NBA player, like a Giannis of like, well, what would it cost to get him? If you would entertain trading to me, A.J. brown, things a little more complicated. He's a little bit of an older player now when he's on. He's still elite whose productions dipped a little bit the last couple years. And he's really, really expensive in a league where you can find wide receivers kind of easily. Now, maybe not to AJ Brown's level, but could I sign two guys, sign a guy and draft a guy for way cheaper than trading a second round pick for a $32 million guy. So I, I do wonder if that thing's. If, if A.J. brown ends up going for less than you would think a player of his status and talent would go for. Where on the flip side, I think if Max Crosby was traded, my guess would be you get multiple first round picks. And I, if I was a team the Bears, the Lions, the Bills, those type team, the Eagles, I would have no problem giving multiple first round picks. Still risky. And this is football, guys get hurt. He's a little bit older, he's finished the last couple years injured, but I, I would have no problem making a very aggressive bid to land Max Crosby. He is that good, he's that serious, he's, he plays that hard, he's that dominant of a player. I can't even imagine if you put him on a good team, what he would look like. I mean, he's played on one of the worst teams in the league over the last several years and is clearly one of the best players in the league. What would he look like on a team that's winning 12 to 14 games that has help around him? He, I mean, it would be pretty scary. It would kind of look like Micah Parsons this year on the packers, it's like, holy, this guy looks good. Okay, so we got that out of the way. To me, the second most important thing is just meeting the draft guys. And this is where the Rams and the Jags guy, Gladstone, they feel this creates some bias. At the end of the day, you are acquiring human beings. And while your scout, whether it's the SEC scout, your west coast scout, whoever has met these guys, maybe your college director has met these players in an all star game or when they've gone to the school, your GM and your coach have never met these guys. Now, what can you make in a 15, 20 minute interview with the player? Obviously you got to take it with a grain of salt, but I do like meeting other individuals. If I'm going to be in the business of using a high draft pick on them, that kind of matters. And also meeting a guy, if you have some questions, what does he do when we, when we ask him something that maybe isn't that comfortable and it doesn't have to be, hey, remember when you got your second DUI at 19 years old? It could be as simply something like, this is what we saw on tape and it really bothers us. What do you have to say for it? Just see what he answers. And I, I think there's value in meeting people. I think we would all agree in this world. I mean, several years ago, it's like no one's ever going to meet in person again. Everything's going to be zoom, Business travel's done. It's like. No, actually, it's not. I, I flew across the country last year to help land deal and it mattered and it worked. Why? Because talking to people face to face will always have value, at least for the foreseeable future. And I think that's no different when it comes to football, Just like it's no different in whatever business we're in. And I, I think meeting these guys initially really matters and laying the groundwork of a relationship that you can build on and see if this is something you'd be interested in. Because for as much as you are drafting the player to put on the pads and make tackles and throw touchdowns and catch touchdowns, you are signing the player. This goes back to the James Pierce situation. No one, and I repeat, nobody in the NFL would have said last year at this time, James Pierce couldn't play football. That guy is like, holy shit. This guy's a big time talent in any draft. He's a top 15ish talent. But we're not comfortable with the guy. But with those type players, I want to get to know the guy. That's the business we're in. To do the research, to do the detective work, to do the vetting of the human being. It's not that complicated. So I, I can never get on board with these guys not valuing the combine when it just comes to meeting the guys. Two or, excuse me, the second part of the draft prospects, and you could argue this is equally as important, at least with anyone that has question marks, is the injury information. The NFL differs from baseball and basketball. Again, basketball. These guys go, These guys don't give out injury information. I, I remember, listen, I grew up a Sacramento Kings fan. The top prospects still to this day, like, withhold medical information from the Kings. It's like, yeah, we're just not going to give it to you. Why? Because we just fucking think you're a joke. That's why. In the NFL, these guys go to the combine and they go to a medical check where every trainer, every doctor is there and they get full on physicals. So sometimes, you know, a guy's never been injured, he's never had an issue, and then something comes up. And before. This has also saved people's lives. They found situations with regular heartbeats. There have been countless examples of that. And this is also where you get into kind of weird territory where one team and their doctor will go, we have this guy as a medical red flag. We do not think he will last more than two or three years. And so that team, like what are you supposed to do as a GM or coach? He's got to listen to your doctor and then you take him off the draft board and then all of a sudden that guy has a 10 year career, makes a couple Pro Bowls. You're like, well, we really like the player and our doctor told us not to do it. And there's nothing you can really do about that. That's the subjective nature of this time of year. I mean, most famously, it potentially derailed Nick Saban's career in the National Football League. The Miami Dolphins team doctor failed Drew Brees on a physical. The Saints clearly did not. How'd that work out? Now it worked out for Saban, at least in college, but not in the pros. So I just think that the medical information during this time of year is extremely important and every team is, it's one of the biggest priorities of the combine. And last but not least, and I think this is diminished over time, the on the field work. You know, Belichick's big thing always was now you could hit him on drafting as he got older, but we're not signing guys to lift 225 pounds. We're not signing guys to run the short shuttle. We're signing guys to play football. Right? So the underwear Olympics get some pushback, which I understand though there are some basic metrics that you need to be able to do to excel in the NFL, right? You, you can't be a 48 corner. That ain't going to work. I don't give a what defensive scheme you run, right? So obviously there are some basic metrics that, that you run. The biggest part of the on the field workout, whether it's the 40s, whether it's some of the, the short athletic testing, whether it's the jumping, whether it's just some basic open field movements, is comparing it to previous drafts. So when I say, hey, this wide receiver reminds me of Zay Flowers, or this guy reminds me of Fletcher Cox, or this guy reminds me of whoever. Well, we can put their tape against each other and then we can put their physical metrics against each other. It's, I say it all the time. It's a lot like real estate. The, the, the physical testing determines your market value in the draft. It does not determine if you're going to be a good player or bad player. It just determines what I have to pay for you. So if you run a really slow time as a wide receiver, you're probably not going to go super high. So I still might really like you. Can I get you in the third round? Puka, Nakua, Devonte, Adams. I can get. I don't have to draft in the top 50. Devonte might have been. I think he was like 55 or whatever. But that's my point. Keenan Allen ran a 47 7. Did that derail his career? No. Why? Because he can get open. DeAndre Hopkins probably couldn't run a 5040 right now. Doesn't matter. Elite contestant catching guy So I think a lot of guys, like one of the stories right now is Fernando Mendoza is not going to throw at the combine. Don't blame him. He just played 16 games. He played one of the most important four game stretches in the history of college football. Beat Ohio State, beat Alabama, beat Oregon and beat Miami. Every team in the league watched every single snap of those games in terms of their scouting department. Like you've seen enough and you've seen over the body of work of this year. He's been a multi year starter. Like he does. He honestly doesn't need a throw. And one of his big things, I will throw. I'll just throw at the pro day with my guys. Don't blame them. A lot of these guys, if some of the Miami guys and some of the Ohio State guys, like I've seen these guys play a lot of games like what the film is what matters. And as long as they do that at their pro day, it's like I don't have a big deal with it. I don't have a big issue with it. And if some guys don't want to like do some open field workouts and want to do individual workouts on the teams, like that doesn't bother me either. The world has changed. It used to really bother teams. I think it bothers teams way less and less in 2026. So there's still a lot of value with the combine. There's still a lot of interest with the combine. I think the combine has become a lot different for teams. It used to be a grind. Used to do workouts. You know, once the workouts start like Thursday through Monday, they would start bright and early and then you'd be interviewing guys till like 11:30 midnight. I mean they were long days. Now the interviews, I was texting with a buddy, I'm like, what's the schedule now? He's like, it's way easier. You get interviews closer to the morning. You get some of these workouts in the afternoon. When you kind of zone out because all that stuff's taped anyway. So I, I just think the combine is kind of morphed and for my own personal interest, I hope it stays in Indianapolis. But if I was a betting man, we're it's probably not going to be in Indianapolis long term. Foreign. Can I tell you about my new friends Zebiotics? Let's face it, after a late night with drinks, I want to bounce back and I want to bounce back fast. Zbiotics is a pre alcohol probiotic drink that is the world's first genetically engineered probiotic. It's been invented by PhD to tackle rough mornings after drinking. You have one before you start. You have a few cocktails you hydrate during and the pre alcohol produces an enzyme to break this byproduct down. Just remember to make pre alcohol your first drink of the night. Drink responsibly and you'll feel your best tomorrow. That's why every time I drink I have a Zbiotics ready. To try it, go to zbiotics.com 3&out now you'll get 15% off your first order when you use 3&out at checkout. Plus it's backed by 100% money back guarantee, so there's no risk. Subscriptions are also available for maximum consistency. Remember to head to zbiotics.com 3&out and use the code 3&out at checkout for 15% off.
- [42:47]
A
On June 11, 1998, a deputy from the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department went missing. It's an all out manhunt for John Audrey. Every search and rescue team in LA county has been called in to help. Within days, tips started flooding into the Sheriff's department. The rumor around the drug scene was that a deputy was taken care of. Is this the story of a man who just got lost in the desert? Or of a cover up inside? Inside the nation's largest sheriff's department.
- [43:17]
B
A homicide captain saying detective, do not find out if this guy's guilty or innocent. Who does that?
- [43:25]
A
Valley of Shadows, a new series from Pushkin Industries about crime and corruption in California's high desert. Do you have any advice for us while looking into this disappearance?
- [43:37]
B
I wouldn't do it alone.
- [43:40]
A
Listen to Valley of shadows on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.
- [43:47]
B
Segregation in the day. Integration at night.
- [43:52]
A
When segregation was the law, one mysterious black club owner had his own rules. We didn't worry about what went on outside.
- [43:59]
B
It was like stepping in another world.
- [44:02]
A
Inside Charlie's Place, black And white people danced together. But not everyone was happy about it.
- [44:10]
B
You saw the kkk. Yeah, they were dressed up in their uniform. The KKK set out to raid Charlie, take him away from here. Charlie was an example of power. They had to crush him.
- [44:27]
A
From Atlas Obscura, Rococo Punch and visit Myrtle beach comes Charlie Place, a story that was nearly lost to time. Until now. Listen to Charlie's place on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast.
- [44:46]
B
This is the biggest night in podcasting. The countdown is on to our 2026 iHeart Podcast Awards. Live from south by Southwest, March 16th will honor the very best in podcasting from the past year and celebrate the most innovative, talented creators in the industry. It's truly a who's who of the podcasting world. Creativity, knowledge, and passion will all be on full display. And the winner of the iHeart Podcast Award is. See all the nominees now at iheart.com podcast awards.
- [45:16]
A
Audible is a proud sponsor of the Audible Audio Pioneer Award. Explore the best selection of audiobooks, podcasts and originals all in one easy app. Audible. There's more to imagine when you listen. Sign up for a free trial@audible.com
- [45:34]
B
I'm Daniel Jeremiah. And I'm Greg Rosenthal. And this is 40s and free agents. The games may be over, but the NFL never stops. This is my favorite part of the calendar. Yeah, mine too, Greg. Free agency, the combine, the NFL draft, pro days, trades. This is where teams reshape their future. This is where Daniel Jeremiah makes his money on 40s and free agents. We break down every move that actually matters, from my draft evaluations, mock drafts, and team fits to my top 101 free agents and how real rosters are built. Cap space, contracts, and all the tough decisions included. You got quarterbacks on the move. We got teams rebuilding. It's hope season. Absolutely, it's hope season. We'll tell you what's real, what's noise, and what it means for your favorite team. Smart, analysis, real conversations every week. I don't know about the smart, but definitely analysis. Listen to 40s and free agents on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.
- [46:33]
A
You can accomplish a lot in a decade. You could earn a bachelor's degree and a master's degree back to back. You could compete in two separate consecutive Olympic games. Well, we made my favorite murder. It's been spent. Ten years of true crime, ten years of conversation, and a hundred years of swearing. Here's the thing, everyone. Politeness. Go yourself as much when someone sneezes. From now on, we have something for everyone. Advice, support, and a safe space for your feelings. This is terrible. Triflers need not apply. Stay out of the forest. You're in a cult. Call your dad. Don't worry, it gets worse. Toxic masculinity ruins the party again. I said, dad, what the hell? What are we gonna do? And he goes, I don't. What the hell? I don't know. We're gonna sally forth. Sally. We're gonna sally forth. You guys stay sexy. Don't get murdered. Elvis, do you want a cookie?
- [47:25]
B
A cookie?
- [47:27]
A
Listen to my favorite murder on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Goodbye.
- [47:40]
B
Another big story is the Chicago Bears. And for those of us that don't live in the area or know the area, when you just see the Chicago Bears are going to move to Indiana, like, I don't know if I didn't listen in in geography, but I'm like, damn, they're going to move a long way away. And then you hear people break it down. It's technically like 30 miles from where they play now, but when you factor in traffic, it's like an hour drive. And depending on where you live, it could be a couple hour drive. It's like, okay, it's not as crazy, but when I was in radio, we had the Raiders. And an enormous story during that period of time was the relocation of the Rams, the Chargers and the Raiders. And my overall take is, as a fan, it is exhausting. It is an exhausting situation as a fan. Now the Raiders, even looking back, I was biased because I was in business with the Raiders. I didn't want them to move, so I rooted for them to stay. Though big picture, you would much rather be from a financial standpoint in Vegas than in the city of Oakland. Especially when you factor in there's another team that takes up all the resources in the area, given it's the 49ers and the warriors had left and then obviously the A's had desperately been trying to leave forever. And you think they've pulled it off. They're currently playing at a Triple A stadium in Sacramento. But the point is, like, every team left Oakland. The Raiders weren't alone. The Rams had been stolen from Los Angeles. So when, you know, back, I remember Joe Bucket and so mad. It's like the only reason you had the Rams, because you took them from Los Angeles, they weren't technically your team. San Diego. I wish they would have stayed in San Diego financially. From knowing people around that organization. It was the right economic move. And this stuff is all about economics. This situation happens when there are two variables. And I ultimately got fired for this because, well, this and I, I used to piss Mark Davis off because I used to. Their team was terrible. I did the postgame show and I used to be like, this is awful. But they, they used to get really, really mad when I would come on air and talk about how stupid the move was. Like they wanted me to be like an activist, push propaganda. And I was like, you shouldn't move to Vegas now. If I removed my emotional attachment to the. At the time, all the people in my life were like, it's a no brainer move. It was a no brainer move. And financially the Raiders are way better off now than they were when I was around them and they were in major, major economic trouble. The Bears are on a higher level because they're in a major. One of our biggest cities in America that has unlimited financial capital in terms of, to invest in the team. Sponsorships, suites, like they will have no problem printing money. But like the raider situation, like the Bengal situation, their owners do not have liquid cash. And whenever I see people online of like, we do not give billionaires tax breaks. There's a big difference between a. David Tepper who owns the Panthers. I just saw a headline that Steve Cohen made more money last year than any other hedge fund in America. Steve COHEN Profit was $3.4 billion. David Tepper was right behind him at $3.2 billion. That has nothing to do with the Carolina panthers. He made $3.2 billion in his side business. Well, he'd say probably his main business, but maybe the Panthers are his main business. But you know what I mean. David Tepper is a money printing machine. You see this with Steve Ballmer. There is no amount of money that's any issue to the guy. Hell, he hates that there is a salary cap in the business that he's in now in the NBA because it neutralizes his ability to outspend people. Right? And so when you look at the Bears, their family does not flush with cash. Stan Kroenke, we had Al Guido on and he was talking about the cost of, of making these stadiums. And he mentioned there was a six billion dollar stadium. You know, paid for that Stan Cronky in cash. Maybe not all cash, but he paid for it all. Stan. Like that's, that's his. He owns that himself. He rents it out to the Chargers for a dollar a year, which isn't A hell of a deal. But it stands. Why? Because he has an ungodly amount of money. When you want to build one of these stadiums and you're someone like the Raiders seven, eight years ago, they needed help. They could not do it on their own. Not because they're these filthy rich guys that are hoarding all this money. They don't have the money. They can't do it. And whenever I see people, if you can't afford to build the stadium, you should sell the team. That's a great mindset in theory. No one thinks like that. And the McCaskeys definitely are not selling the team, at least for the foreseeable future. So if they're going to build one of these stadiums, especially in a place like Chicago, it's going to be expensive as. And they do not have the cash to spend 3, 4 billion dollars, which I'm sure that's what it would cost in Chicago. When you factor in the unions, when you factor in all the red tape, when you factor in the building costs, it would be astronomical. It was like the 49ers when they built in Silicon Valley, which they got a lot of shit for because the stadium was much closer to the city. They could not build the stadium on their own. They needed help, and Santa Clara gave them that help. They gave them a lot of money to help build the stadium. And 49ers split a lot of the profits with them. Why? Because the Yorks did not have the money to do it. So these situations are only possible to get this weird twofold. The owners don't have money and you get to these politicians that are just kind of wacky. In Chicago, politicians, like Oakland politicians are big on our taxpayer dollars, are not going to go toward a team which. Listen, okay, but are you going to lose the Chicago Bears? Are you going to lose Chicago Bears? Like, is that going to go on your watch? The Chicago Bears leave? Because I've seen this song and dance before. They might leave. If you do not help them, they might leave. And that goes on your watch, which is okay, just do it. Just deal with it. And here's the thing is the NFL, they were like, I remember in Oakland, we're not dealing with Libby Shaft. We would never do business with this human being. So we're not going to like get into this war of power. You, we're out. And that's how that operated. And I could see Chicago going like this too. With I. I saw the mayor, the chubby billionaire, JP whatever his last name is, one of his big Things was like, you know, we've talked to him and our. We're big on affordability, so if we do help you, we got to make these tickets. So he's trying to determine what they can sell tickets. It's like, this is never going to work. This is, they're just at an impasse. And this thing could get a lot uglier before it gets better. But here's what I know. If I'm Roger Goodell, I gotta have the Chicago Bears in Chicago. So we got to figure out a way to make this happen. And I Googled it. The bears. The McCaskeys own 80% of the bears, which is obviously a large chunk. Do they have to sell some percentage to help have people come in and get them? Kind of like the Raiders did with Brady's crew of super billionaires? I don't know. But if I'm Goodell, I just can't have the Bears be playing in Indiana. I just, I really can't. So I wonder when the league gets involved, which I would imagine will be relatively quick before ground's ever broken. But I've seen it before. I would not just, like, I don't think some of these reporters are doing, like, propaganda for the Bears to go, like, this is real. Like, I think we're far enough along. Like, yeah, this is real. Like, this is real. They don't have the money to build in Chicago. They, or, you know, in downtown Chicago, which is ideal whenever you're in one of these major cities to put a stadium down there. But if you don't have unlimited cash, it is not financially viable to do it because you don't have the money. So I, I think these situations take on a life of their own. And I think the situation's got a chance to get a lot weirder. Right? I mean, a lot of. I know several people that are associated with the Big Ten, Like Kevin Warren is not exactly viewed as some, like, genius deal maker. Obviously, the people, the politicians in Chicago are not exactly viewed like Warren Buffett when it comes to fucking handling money. So you, you got a lot of different moving parts here. Uh, I, I, I. My bet would be this situation's gonna get a lot more bizarre before we ever get like, oh, they've just figured something out. All as well with Chicago Bears. My take is the Chicago Bears got to play in Chicago. Chicago Bears got to play in Chicago. Right. I don't think that would change. Right. The Kansas City, Missouri thing, like, moving across, like, that's not as weird. Chicago Bears got to play in Chicago now, whether that's in the suburbs or whatever, I'm not as caught up on that. Like, I'm not as bothered with the 49ers playing in Silicon Valley as some people. At first, it was like this kind of stupid. Over time, it's like, I get it. It's a longer drive. You're coming from Sacramento. Candlestick, there it is what it is. Some people like it. If you lived in San Jose, it's great. It's way closer. So buckle up. I guess if you're a Bears fan.
- [56:59]
A
The volume.
- [57:03]
B
This is Julian Edelman from Games With Names. I want to take a second to talk about something that's personal to me. I've had the privilege of working closely with Robert Kraft for a long time, and one thing I've always respected is how seriously he takes up standing up to hate. As a Jewish athlete, my identity is something I am proud of. But I also know what it feels like to be singled out for it. That's why this new commercial for the Blue Square Alliance Against Hate that aired during the big Game really hit home. It's about showing up for someone when they're targeted, even if you don't have the perfect words. And sometimes standing next to someone is enough. And you can show support by sharing the Blue Square.
- [57:48]
A
When segregation was a law, one mysterious black club owner, Charlie Fitzgerald, had his own rules.
- [57:54]
B
Segregation in the day, integration at night. It was like stepping in another world.
- [57:59]
A
Was he a businessman? A criminal? A hero?
- [58:04]
B
Charlie was an example of power. They had to crush him.
- [58:08]
A
Charlie's Place from Atlas Obscura and visit Myrtle Beach. Listen to Charlie's place on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. On June 11, 1998, a deputy from the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department went missing.
- [58:23]
B
Hey, if they'll kill a cop and bury him, what are they gonna do to me?
- [58:27]
A
What really happened to the missing deputies? Valley of Shadows, a new series from Pushkin Industries about crime and corruption in California's high desert. Listen to Valley of shadows on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.
- [58:47]
B
This is the biggest night in podcasting. The countdown is on to our 2026 iHeart Podcast Awards live from south by Southwest. March 16th. We'll honor the very best in podcasting from the past year and celebrate the most innovative, talented creators in the industry. It's truly a who's who of the podcasting world. Creativity, knowledge and passion will all be on full display and the winner of the iheart podcast award is. See all the nominees now@iheart.com podcast awards
- [59:17]
A
Audible is a proud sponsor of the Audible Audio Pioneer Award Experience. Explore the best selection of audiobooks, podcasts and originals all in one easy app. Audible. There's more to imagine when you listen. Sign up for a free trial@audible.com. this is an iHeart podcast. Guaranteed Human.