Danny Parkins (2:59)

This is the Best of the Herd with Colin Cowher on Fox Sports Radio. Welcome in. It's the Herd. I'm Danny Parkins in for Colin from the great city of Chicago. It is an honor and a thrill to be here. We're ahead of the trade deadline tomorrow, so we'll talk to Ken Rosenthal later on this hour. See if any team can bridge the gap between them and the Dodgers. And if a Cowboys personnel person is speaking, they're probably saying something weird, so we'll get to that as well. But I want to begin with noting the calendar. It's July 30, and on August 30 there's a pretty big college football game, Texas and Ohio State, which means we get to see for real if archmakers Manning can live up to and begin to even attempt to live up to this ridiculous and dare I say, unprecedented level of hype. Because I can't wait for the game. He is the most compelling story in college football this year. A Manning is playing quarterback as the Heisman Trophy favorite for the team that is the second favorite to win the national championship. I am not at all surprised that there is a lot of hype around Arch Manning, but the hype around Arch Manning to me for now should be college football hype, not NFL hype. And if I'm saying that I'm more of an NFL guy than a college guy. So I just think the place that we're in here is Jimmy Clawson esque and I'll explain what I mean. In basketball all the time before you've played a minute of college ball, we are talking about you in the NBA. Cooper Flag, Zion Williamson, Victor Wembanyama, whatever. We we've seen it time and time and time again in basketball. In football, you normally have to have college production and college hype in order for us to talk about you as a pro. There aren't that many guys who came out of high school before they really played any college ball and that guy's gonna be the number one pick in the draft. And Arch Manning has 95 career college pass attempts. Arch Manning was on the sideline for a long time behind Quinn Ewers, but he's A Manning. If his name was Arch Jones, which is kind of a cool name, we wouldn't be talking about him as the number one overall pick. And I loved Collins theory. Jimmy Haslam, owner of the Browns, knows the Manning family. Terrible NFL team quarterback starvation, multiple first round picks. Go get, go get Saban, go get Arch Manning, put the band back together and try to save the Cleveland Browns. So there's been a ton of speculation on this show and elsewhere about Arch Manning to Cleveland. They asked Jimmy Haslam about it and he's not exactly fan in the flames.

Eric Mangini (6:16)

I think if you know the Manning family, I would bet that. And I don't know Arch at all.

Ken Rosenthal (6:20)

Okay.

Eric Mangini (6:21)

I bet he stays in college two years.

Danny Parkins (6:22)

So that's.

Eric Mangini (6:24)

I don't even think that's worth discussing.

Danny Parkins (6:26)

I don't even think it's worth discussing, he says, which, oh, maybe he's a secret operative agent for the Manning family and he's doing their bidding. I, we need to see if this kid is legit. He might be, I don't know. Touchdown interception ratio in college is great, but this is a different animal. This level of hype, this level of competition, this level of expectation, all of it is way different than anything we've ever seen him do before. Shador Sanders had a lot of hype because of his last name. Arch Manning is obviously going to have an extra level of hype because of his last name. But there are just not a ton of examples in college football where with this level or this amount, this lack of college production, we're already slating you to be the number one pick in the draft. Garrett Nussmeier at lsu, Drew Aller at Penn State, supposed to be a good quarterback class. There are other guys that are way more accomplished in college than Arch Manning is at this point. Kyler Murray, when he came out of Texas High school in Texas 42 and oh, talks about, oh man, this best high school prospect in the state of Texas, maybe he's going to be the number one pick. And he ended up being the number one pick, but he had to transfer. He had to sit out. There were questions about his size. It wasn't a lock from day one. And then he had to go out there and ball out and win the Heisman Trophy and actually earn it. Arch is going to get that chance. But normally when it's a guy that gets all the hype beforehand, it's tough to live up to. Jimmy Clawson obviously didn't. Trevor Lawrence ended up being the number one overall pick. Certainly hasn't Lived up to the hype thus far, even though the Jaguars gave him that second contract. It's just much more of a basketball thing. And while an owner saying something at a training camp press conference isn't the biggest deal in the world, when you figure Jimmy Haslam, Tennessee booster, brother, governor of Tennessee, knows Peyton, knows the Manning family has a terrible team, would absolutely be interested in drafting a Manning. On its surface, it's not nothing. And so this isn't like, protect the kid like, he's a Manning. He's at Texas. He's gonna have hype. He'll be able to handle it. It's part of the deal, and it's part of the burden of carrying that last name. But I'm actually almost more interested in seeing if he's good. How good is he? He looks good. His coach says he's good. His coach, by the way, when he was on with Colin, made him sound a lot like his Uncle Peyton. Here's Sark. His work ethic is incredible. Whether it's, you know, studying tape, studying film, studying the playbook, working at his craft, you know, in the weight room like that, that. That is whether it's innate in him or it was, you know, handed down from his uncles.

Eric Mangini (9:45)

Whatever.

Danny Parkins (9:46)

Whatever it was, his work ethic is really pretty incredible. And that lends itself to the teammate that he is, too. And again, that's not to take away the arm talent, the deep ball, the athleticism, all that. I think all those things are a byproduct of how hard he works at his craft and how hard he works at being a great teammate. So that obviously sounds a lot like a Manning, but let's just learn from history. This time last year, Carson Beck was the number one pick, and he ended up going back to school. Peyton Manning went back to school reportedly because he didn't want to be drafted by the Jets. And we know about Eli skipping out on the Chargers to go be a Giant. Maybe that's fair, maybe it isn't, but there is a long way to go here. This story is way closer to the beginning than the end, and I have no idea if he'll play one year of college football, two years of college football, end up being the number one overall pick, live up to the last name or ultimately fall short. It's a tremendous amount of hype, almost impossible to live up to. Hey, you've thrown 95 passes in college, but you're expected to be in the national championship game and win the Heisman Trophy. And, oh, yeah, by the way, you're a Manning, both your uncles were number one picks at quarterback. Almost impossible for this kid to live up to the hype, but it feels to me like we are still years away from him in the NFL. Not at all. One season away from Arch Manning being the number one overall pick. You know, it's not terribly often when you're in this business that you get to be proven right that quickly. But earlier in the week and it's only Wednesday, so you know we're in the middle of the week, I said NFL contracts now have so much money attached to them that holdouts are a thing of the past. Disgruntled players are not a thing of the past, but they're holdouts are like an endangered species. They're not gone, we'll see them again, but way less common in a post le've on Bell world. I think that was like a real turning point for players. Leon Bell sat out a bunch of games. It seemed to impact him when he came back and he was never the same player since. It hurt him financially, reputationally and with production on the field. But as the money in the NFL continues to grow and grow and grow and skyrocket, it's no reason to hold out. And I bring that up because Trey Hendrickson was so wildly disappointed in how the Bengals were handling him that he was in Florida when the team reported to camp and then yesterday he reported to camp and so will Trey Hendrickson sign? I don't know. When will he sign? I don't know. But it feels inevitable that this thing will get done. Because if you just think about it, Trey Hendrickson, he's drastically outperformed his contract where he's expected to make 16 million bucks this year. Holding out from camp and not being there. He was getting fined $50,000 a day. You go to camp that stops. He wants to make presumably what TJ Watt got, what Miles Garrett got because his sack production is similar to those guys. His age is similar to those guys. He's feels like based on production he's in that class, even if athletically he isn't. Maybe he has more pure pass rushing situations because of the talent of the offense, that sort of thing. I don't think any say he's a better player than Myles Garrett, but he's got the argument to be a north of 30, $35 million per year pass rusher. No question about it. He is underpaid relative to his production. But so let's say the Bengals in his mind are lowballing him and they're only offering him $33 million a year, well, that's doubling his money from 16 million. And in a non guaranteed sport, not many people are in a position to turn down $33 million per season. And those numbers are just hypothetical. That there is so much money now that it's going to be very difficult for guys to take a principled stand and feel tremendously slighted when we're talking about tens of millions of dollars a year to play football. And so I think ultimately this gets done. Post Levy on Bell. Chris Jones was a high profile one. Jonathan Taylor, you know, missed a couple of games. But for the most part, guys hold in. Guys make noise, guys leak things to the press, guys go on their podcasts. But ultimately all of these deals get done. And in Cincinnati, they look at it like, hey, we've got an offense that is super bowl ready. Scored nearly 28 points per game last year, 27.8 last five years. If you've got an offense that scores more than 27 points per game, on average, you win 12 games per year. Bengals won nine. And that was all because of their defense. So what do they do? They went out and hired Al golden to be their defensive coordinator. They drafted Shamar Stewart. Three of their first four draft picks were on the defensive side of the ball and probably pay Trey Hendrickson. I'll be shocked if they don't pay Trey Hendrickson because they have the money to pay Trey Hendrickson and he's by far their best defensive player. So assuming Trey Hendrickson is back and then they have this influx of draft talent plus a new defensive coordinator bump, and the offense stays the same, the Bengals feel like we can win the AFC north and in the playoffs, we've got Joe Burrow and we can score 30 a game and we can go out there and make a run. And that's where the leverage for a guy like Hendrickson helps, because he'd be like, hey, you guys are trying to win a Super bowl for Joe Burrow, right? I'm your best defensive player. Let's go get this thing done. And so when you see contract stories in May, June, July, players are supposed to be unhappy during negotiations. That's just kind of how it works at this point. So I was not surprised at all to see Trey Hendrickson report to camp. He says, or the reports are that it's a good faith effort to jumpstart negotiations. Smart play, don't get fined, jumpstart your negotiations, ultimately be a little disappointed by what they offer you. Double your salary at least, and go try to win 12 football games and be a double digit sack guy once again. Huge time of the year in baseball right now. The Dodgers are clearly the best team, but can one of the teams in that next group, which is very bunched up, make a big trade to close the gap? Ken Rosenthal in a bit. I'm Danny Parkinson for Colin this is the Herd. Be sure to catch live editions of the Herd, weekdays at noon Eastern, 9am Pacific on Fox Sports Radio, FS1 and the iHeartRadio app. Hey, we're Covino and Rich, Fox Sports radio every day 5 to 7pm Eastern. But here's the thing. We never have enough time to get to everything we want to get to. And that's why we have a brand new podcast called Over Promised. You see, we're having so much fun in our two hour show. We never get to everything honestly, because this guy is over promising things we never have time for. Yeah, you blubberlips. Blaming me. Well you know what it's called? Over Promise. You should be good at it cause you've been overpromising women for years. Well, it's a Covino and Rich after show and we want you to be a part of it. We're gonna be talking sports, of course, but we're also gonna talk life and relationships. And if Rich and I are arguing about something or we didn't have enough time, it will continue on our after show called Over Promised. Well, if you don't get enough Covino and Rich, make sure you check out Over Promised and also uncensored by the way, so maybe we'll go at it.

Eric Mangini (17:45)

Even a little harder.

Danny Parkins (17:46)

It's gonna be the best after show podcast of all time. There you go. Over Promising. And remember, you could see it on YouTube, but definitely. Join us. Listen to Over Promised with Covino and rich on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.

Tito Beveridge (18:01)

Life's messy. We're talking spills, stains, pets and kids. But with Annabe, you never have to stress about messes again. At WashablesOfAs.com, discover Annabe sofas, the only fully machine washable sofas inside and out. Starting at just $699. Made with liquid and stain resistant fabrics. That means fewer stains and more peace of mind. Designed for real life, our sofas feature changeable fabric covers allowing you to refresh your style anytime. Need flexibility. Our modular design lets you rearrange your sofa effortlessly. Perfect for cozy apartments or spacious homes. Plus they're earth friendly and built to last. That's why? Over 200,000 happy customers have made the switch. Upgrade your space today. Visit washablesofas.com now and bring home a sofa made for life. That's washablesofas.com offers are subject to change and certain restrictions may apply.

Colin Cowherd (19:01)

Life moves fast. A new home, a new baby, a new chapter. But without an estate plan, your future's still vulnerable. With trust and Will, you can name guardians, start a trust, create health care directives and more. All online in about an hour. It's attorney designed, state specific and built to protect what you love. Trust plans start at just $199 and every plan is safe, secure and kept completely private. From families with young kids to adults caring for aging parents, Trust and Will makes it simple to take control without a law office, paperwork, stress or court delays. Go to trustandwill.com and use code RADIO to save 20%. Start your plan today. Don't wait for life to force your hand. Estate planning is one of the smartest, most loving things you can do. Trust and Will is an online estate planning service. See website for details.

Danny Parkins (19:57)

Ooh. Trust and will.

Eric Mangini (20:01)

Introducing the new Dell AI PC. Powered by the Intel Core Ultra processor. It's not just an AI computer, it's a computer built for AI. That means it's built to help do your busy work for you. So you can fast forward through, editing images, designing presentations, generating code, debugging code, running lots of apps without lag, summarizing meeting notes, extending battery life, finding that file you were looking for, managing your schedule, meeting your deadlines, responding to Jim's long emails, leaving all the time in the world for more you time and for the things you actually want to do. No offense Jim. Get A new Dell AI PC starting at $749.99 at Dell.com AIPC how those ahead?

Danny Parkins (20:51)

Stay ahead.

Eric Mangini (20:52)

Hi, it's Colin. I've been around long enough to know quality when I see it. Or in this case, when I taste it. Tito's Handmade vodka. Good stuff. No flash, no gimmicks. Smooth, clean, tasting, made the right way.

Ken Rosenthal (21:03)

Okay.

Eric Mangini (21:03)

I like things that are built to last. A great team, a well run organization. Same goes for my vodka. Tito's. Made in Austin, Texas. Real care, attention to detail, distinct, crisp taste. I was just telling my wife the other day, Tito's is the one vodka. It has a completely distinct taste. Been my go to for years so I like to keep it simple. Tito's soda, one lime, lot of ice, refreshing, easy summer, winter, spring. Totally versatile. Always works. Listen Baseball season's here. Your team's gonna play 162 games. A perfect time to kick back with some Tito's. It's what I pour. You should, too. Distilled and bottled by 5th Generation Inc. Austin, Texas. 40% alcohol by volume. Savor responsibly.

Danny Parkins (21:49)

We roll on on the Herd. I'm Danny Parkins in for Colin at the top of the hour. Why do a top five or a top 10, a favorite over under, when you could do all 32? It's gambling season in the NFL because it's always gambling season in the NFL. And when Cowboys executives speak, it's apparently silly season. I love this organization. They're the best. It's so fun. It's 30 years since the Super Bowl. 31 teams and one television production. Everyone has an opinion. Love them or hate them. They have star players. They have legitimate hype and expectation. Cause it's not like they're. They're not bad. We sometimes talk about them like they're a terrible organization. They aren't. They've drafted and developed more Pro Bowlers than any team in the last decade other than the Ravens. Micah Parsons is elite. CD Lamb is elite. Dak Prescott, highest paid quarterback, was second in the MVP a couple of years ago. But Stephen Jones went on the radio in Dallas and he pushed back against a very common media narrative. I have a theory that maybe you guys drag out the deals to get engagement from the media and it's like the best 2 million bucks you can spend, having to give Dak a few more.

Eric Mangini (23:09)

Well, let's just start. Start off. We don't agree on that. We don't drag deals out. We do deals when there's an opportunity.

Danny Parkins (23:15)

To do a deal.

Eric Mangini (23:16)

And certainly no one knows what goes on internally with a. A particular negotiation. But, you know, sometimes agents and players aren't ready to pull the trigger till they see other cards play.

Danny Parkins (23:30)

So this is one of those weird times where I'm going to try to operate in the area of gray. Multiple things can be true. I think the Cowboys drag out deals and it costs them some millions of dollars on the margins. I also think we overstate how big of a deal that is. And he is correct. Stephen Jones is correct that we do not know what these players are doing. And sometimes the best players at their position who really do not have any risk of getting paid, are very interested in waiting things out. Dak Prescott had a no tag clause and a no trade clause. We haven't seen a player have that kind of leverage since Tom Brady like it is super rare. Hey, I'm second for mvp. We led the league in scoring. I could walk. You'd, you'd get me. You'd get nothing for me. Now they did that after that four year, $160 million deal. Was smart by Dax agent to put the no tag, no trade clause in. But Dak, of course, he's like, I want to get paid before me. I want Jordan Love to get paid before me because I want to set the bar higher. And I've got the Cowboys over a barrel. CD Lamb, he didn't have the no tag, no trade clause, but the guy who's the only part of the Cowboys offense got 180 targets, superstar player. He wanted to see what Justin Jefferson was going to get. He didn't wanna risk lowballing himself and then be passed over by like Devonte Smith or something. He, he wanted to wait it out as long as possible. Micah Parsons says that he would've signed last year. We have no idea if that is true or not. And we have no idea if Micah Parsons would've accepted Nick Bose's at the time record setting deal for an edge rusher. Seems like he would, would've reasonably. But we don't really know whether he would have or would not have. But the Cowboys, I do think whether they would call it dragging it out or not because of the access that we get to Jerry Jones, to Stephen Jones like that clip that we just played you was from local radio in Dallas. Jerry Jones goes on local radio in Dallas weekly during the season. He did a press conference with Cowboys cheerleaders behind him. He talked about Micah Parsons at the beginning of training camp and took a shot at Dak Prescott. We don't, we don't hear from Howie Roseman like that. We don't hear from Brett Veach like that at Kansas City. We don't hear like from Ryan Poles like that in Chicago or John Schneider like that in Seattle. We do not hear from these people with the same degree of frequency that we hear from them in Dallas. And I think that is what directly leads to what that radio host was talking about. Like, you guys eat this up. Whether you call it dragging it out or not, you absolutely play the media to get into the news cycle. Because as I pointed out earlier in the week, I think Jerry Jones gave away the game in the Netflix stock in the trailer. It's a soap opera 365 days a year, his words. So I actually think the Cowboys have a little bit of a leg to stand on on the not Dragging out deals thing. We don't know what the players are doing in those negotiations. And the best players with the most leverage do tend to want to wait till the final moment in this era of the NFL because they already are financially secure. They make a ton of money from endorsements, they make a ton of money from media deals. Dak Prescott had already been paid that they are willing to be last because the last guy to sign gets the most money. So I actually think they have a leg to stand on with that, but they have no leg to stand on. But we're not really perpetuating this narrative and we don't talk about. Yeah, you do. You drag it out as much as anybody and you just say funny things like, Brian Schottheimer's already exceeding expectations. You haven't played a preseason game yet. How is he exceeding expectations? He rearranged the lockers. In the locker room, people are like sitting next to different people. He hasn't done anything yet. So that with all of that access, with these weird personalities, you say weird stuff and that's what gets the narrative going. That's what gets the news cycle going and that's what keeps you out there. So I'm here for it. Keep talking. Because I actually legitimately do find them fascinating. I know a lot of you like, well, I've got Cowboys fatigue. I don't know. They won 12 games three years in a row, fired Mike McCarthy and hired a guy who was already on the staff with the highest paid quarterback in the NFL, a top five defensive player in the NFL and a top five receiver in the NFL. They are objectively interesting. Keep talking. Jones family. I absolutely love it. I want to talk now, though, about a guy who I wish was a cowboy. Because as much hype as Travis Hunter is getting, I actually do not think it is nearly enough for what he is trying to do and what I believe he is about to accomplish. We know that Travis Hunter is special, but for some reason, people keep asking the same question about Travis Hunter. Can you play both sides? Is it possible to do this in the NFL? Doesn't matter what the Jaguars say. Doesn't matter how they drafted him. Doesn't matter how they're working him out. At practice. He. Every time he speaks, he keeps being asked these questions. And here's the latest on how Travis Hunter responded to it.

Ken Rosenthal (29:16)

I need to be able to progress everything fast, quick. If the offense change on. On defense, when I'm on defensive five, the offense change the strength. I got to know what I'm doing. Right away. And if the offense, if we change the play, I got to know what I'm doing right away. So I like that we starting off slow, getting me adjusted, making sure I know where I need to be on one side of the ball each day and then it all come together.

Danny Parkins (29:36)

He says that the people that doubt that he can do this, the haters make him smile. I just want to be very clear and on the record. Travis, I do not doubt that you can do this. I am firmly in your camp and I don't think it is as crazy as many people are making it out to be. And I understand that someone who looks like me questioning the analysis of the former NFL players who say this is impossible feels a little ridiculous. But I think a place that media, common people and even ex athletes are way behind on is how incredible the modern athlete is and how incredible sports science is. We've seen great athletes before, right? Bo Jackson, historically great athlete. Deion Sanders, historically great athlete, best cornerback in the NFL. Played receiver, his best year as a receiver. He has like 36 catches. It was the year he took off from baseball. We've seen guys try to play both ways before, but nowadays sports, science, sleep science, nutritionist, massage therapy, everything that these guys can do, it's different. It used to be, hey, you're a running back, once you hit 27, you fall off the clip. Now we've got Derrick Henry at 30, approaching 1800 yard seasons. It's just a different era. These guys are better. LeBron is playing 22 years in the NBA. Tom Brady is winning MVPs and Super Bowl MVPs into his 40s. Aaron Rodgers is still playing. Athletes have just gotten better. So why can't Travis Hunter be a great defensive player and a great offensive player in the NFL? When in college he was a great defensive player and great offensive player. He won the Blitnikov Award and the Bitner Award. He won the award for the best receiver. He won an award for the best defensive player in college. And this is one of my favorite stats because I feel like this is going to fall this year. This record, most snaps played by a single player in a season. It's not a household name, but Malcolm Jenkins in 2014 and 2015 was over 1350 snaps. He played every game as a corner and then he also would play on the coverage units on special teams. So it was 1357 snaps is the record for most snaps in a season by an NFL player. Travis Hunter played 1483 snaps in 13 games last year. In 13 games. So if Travis Hunter shatters Malcolm Jenkins, his record for most snaps in a season as a rookie. And at the rate that he did it in college, if he did it in the NFL, he would break it by like 5, 400 snaps. But let's assume that they're going to slow play it a little bit. He can change the sport, he can change how we think about what a world class athlete in football is able to do. And that to me is exciting because in baseball with Shohei Ohtani, it's, it's blowing all of our minds. But you've got to do it from a young age. You got to keep doing it from a young age and maybe we will see the next shohei Ohtani in 10 or 15 years. If Travis Hunter proves that he can do this, we're going to see it much quicker in the NFL. Hey, you're an awesome athlete. Can you catch? Let's put you out there on both sides of the ball. And I think that the possibilities and the expectations of what Jacksonville is trying to do with this kid is so potentially game changing and landscape shifting that if he just wasn't in Jacksonville we'd be talking about it way more. He's by far one of the most interesting stories of this upcoming NFL season and I just want to be very, very clear. He will do it and I expect him to do it. Be sure to catch live editions of the Herd, weekdays at noon Eastern, 9am Pacific on Fox Sports Radio. FS1 and the iHeartRadio app there's nothing.

Tito Beveridge (33:46)

Like sinking into luxury. At washablesofas.com you'll find the Annabe sofa which combines ultimate comfort and design at an affordable price. And get this, it's the only sofa that's fully machined, washable from top to bottom starting at only $699. The stain resistant performance fabric slipcovers and cloud like frame duvet can go straight into your wash. Perfect for anyone with kids, pets or anyone who loves an easy to clean spotless sofa. With a modular design and changeable slipcovers, you can customize your sofa to fit any space and style. Whether you need a single chair, loveseat or a luxuriously large sectional, Annabe has you covered. Visit washablesofas.com to upgrade your home. Right now you can shop up to 60% off storewide with a 30 day money back guarantee. Shop now@washablesofas.com Add a little to your life. Offers are subject to change and certain restrictions may apply.

Colin Cowherd (34:45)

Life moves fast. A new home, a new baby a new chapter. But without an estate plan, your future's still vulnerable. With trust and will, you can name guardians, start a trust, create health care directives and more. All online in about an hour. It's attorney designed, state specific and built to protect what you love. Plans start at just $199 and every plan is safe, secure and kept completely private. From families with young kids to adults caring for aging parents. Trust and will makes it simple to take control without a law office, paperwork, stress or court delays. Go to trustandwill.com and use code RADIO to save 20%. Start your plan today. Don't wait for life to force your hand. Estate planning is one of the smartest, most loving things you can do. Trust and Will is an online estate planning service. See website for details.

Danny Parkins (35:42)

Just and Real.

Eric Mangini (35:45)

Introducing the new Dell AI PC. Powered by the Intel Core Ultra processor. It's not just an AI computer, it's a computer built for AI. That means it's built to help do your busy work for you so you can fast forward through editing images, designing presentations, generating code, debugging code, running lots of apps without lagging, summarizing, meeting notes, extending battery life, finding that file you were looking for, managing your schedule, meeting your deadlines, responding to Jim's long emails, leaving all the time in the world for more you time and for the things you actually want to do. No offense Jim. Get a new Dell AI PC starting at 749.99@dell.com aipc how those ahead Stay ahead. Hi, it's Colin. I've been around long enough to know quality when I see it. Or in this case, when I taste it. Tito's Handmade vodka. Good stuff. No flash, no gimmicks. Smooth, clean tasting, made the right way.

Ken Rosenthal (36:47)

Okay.

Eric Mangini (36:47)

I like things that are built to last. A great team, a well run organization. Same goes for my vodka. Tito's. Made in Austin, Texas. Real care, attention to detail, distinct, crisp taste. I was just telling my wife the other day, Tito's is the one vodka. It has a completely distinct taste. Been my go to for years, so I like to keep it simple. Tito's soda, one lime, lot of ice. Refreshing, easy. Summer, winter, spring. Totally versatile. Always works. Listen, baseball season's here. Your team's going to play 162 games. A perfect time to kick back with some Tito's. It's what I pour. You should too. Distilled and bottled by 5th Generation Inc. Austin, Texas. 40% alcohol by volume. Savor responsibly.

Danny Parkins (37:33)

The home you've worked so hard for is ready to work hard for you with a home equity loan from Rocket Mortgage. To learn how you can turn your home's equity into cash, visit RocketMortgage.com today. Rocket Mortgage LLC, licensed in 50 states. NMLS ConsumerAccess.org number 3030. Welcome back in to the Herd. I'm Danny Parkins in for Colin. Soon you'll be able to catch me on first things first, but you can always catch this man. He is a staple of FtF. Former NFL coach of the year Eric Mangini, kind enough to join us on the Herd Coach, thank you very much for the time. Looking forward to working with you more closely soon.

Ken Rosenthal (38:12)

Yeah, that's going to be fun.

Danny Parkins (38:14)

It's going to be fun. It's going to be fun.

Ken Rosenthal (38:17)

We can give Nick a hard time together.

Danny Parkins (38:19)

Oh, it's one of my passions in life.

Ken Rosenthal (38:24)

It's become a passion of mine as well.

Danny Parkins (38:26)

Yeah, it's fun. You know the guy who says he's undefeated in sports arguments, it's fun to kind of back him into a corner and laugh at him. But help me out with these stories. You know, Terry McLaurin, he was holding out, but then he's back. Trey Hendrickson holding out and then he's back. You obviously would deal with this, but Hendrickson's the most high profile one. Are you surprised at all on how this has gone down between Hendrickson and the Bengals?

Ken Rosenthal (38:53)

I'm not completely surprised at all. And you were talking about before the break, the $50,000 fine. And the difference for the $50,000 fine now versus what it was before is that fine is not forgivable. So when these guys are getting hit with that $50,000 number, even when the deal is done, someone's got to pay that number. So either the team's got to compensate the player for the $50,000 per day. So look, if you go over the course of the month, it could be over a million dollars, million and a half dollars. Or the players got to deal with that where previously when you redid the contract, you could forgive the fine. So those numbers are more meaningful. And with Hendrix, Hendrickson's situation, he signed the initial four year deal and then two years into that deal, he wanted some more money. So they gave him $8 million up front. They gave him another $8 million guaranteed and they added a year to his deal, which is this year right now, which he's unhappy about. So I understand from an organization's perspective, the organization's perspective, that they don't want to have to keep redoing deals. And I understand from Hendrickson's perspective too, he has been outstanding and he's been outstanding on a team that is in desperate need of defensive players that are outstanding. So he's got a lot of leverage as well. So they've got to find some sort of happy medium to give the team a chance to be successful. And what's been Cincinnati's biggest problem is slow starts, right? Slow starts have killed them. So if they don't get Hendrickson back till the start of the season and he doesn't play as well as he could, that could be that, you know, part of another Cincinnati slow start and another problematic finish of the season for him.

Danny Parkins (40:35)

So in Dallas there's also a contract story. But frankly I find the contract stories a little tedious because they ultimate they ultimately get done and we're parsing millions of dollars for millionaires already. But the big story in Dallas, to me anyway, is Brian Schottenheimer and where they go from there. Like Michael get done. Shotty was on your staff, so you know him. I was surprised that they hired someone who was already with Mike McCarthy. What will the differences be between Schottenheimer and McCarthy?

Ken Rosenthal (41:08)

You know, I think Brian is an underrated candidate. And when I hired Brian, one of the things that I really liked about him is not only was he smart and had good relationships with players, but he was also flexible. So he had a system that he ran that was really had given us problems in New England that I wanted to bring with me to the Jets. He was willing to run that system, but he was willing to incorporate other things into that system in order to make it our system in order to take advantage of the players that we had. And I loved that flexibility that he showed. And now look, it's been quite a few years since then. So he's learned a lot. He's got a ton of experience and he's a first time head coach just like all these first time head coaches are. But I think he's got just as much potential to be successful there as any of the other, any of the other first time head coaches.

Danny Parkins (42:00)

I want to follow up on that. I feel like I always hear coaches say I'm going to build the system around my players, around the personnel that we have. But then there are so many examples and I'm a Bears fan, I saw it in Chicago. You know, Matt Nagy trying to fit Justin Fields into his system was probably the most prominent example of my fandom where it was very clear that they weren't really building a system around the player. They were trying to fit the player into their system. Why is that so difficult for so many coaches to actually do build a system around the talent that they have?

Ken Rosenthal (42:33)

Well, when. When you're raised in a system and when you've had success in a system and you've seen it work at a really high level, which most of these guys who have gotten head coaching jobs, that's been the case. And then you go to a new program and that's your expertise, you tend to want to bring all those good things and show the group, hey, this has real value, which is great, which over time can work really well. But you also have to understand that, and this is happening right now a lot, Danny, in training camps is you go into a season with who you want to be, and then the good coaching staffs figure out who they need to be. That's the difference between. Between good staffs and great staffs, is knowing who you want to be and then realizing who you need to be in order to be successful that year. And you have to. You have to have enough humbleness and openness to say, this isn't going to work right now. It's not that it's bad. It's just not good for us right now. And what's best for the player is that we do X, Y and Z that he's really good at. And when I brought Brett Favre into New York, I wasn't going to try to run our system that didn't fit Brett Favre. I was going to do the things that Brett Favre did really well to make sure he was the best version of himself. And you saw that in Tampa Bay with. With Tom Brady. Initially, they were doing, you know, they weren't doing what Tom did really well. When they pivoted towards what Tom did really well and ended up bringing to the Super Bowl. And it's the same thing with young players, too. You. You just gotta. You gotta be able to take a step back and say, hey, this is good. It's just not good for us right now. The best thing is what's good for this player who's leading us.

Danny Parkins (44:17)

I think one of the most fascinating stories in the NFL this year is Travis Hunter, because of what Jacksonville is trying to do with him. And they are saying, we're not only going to try it, we're going to do it. We're going to play this guy on both sides of the ball at camp. So far, he's split in terms of first team reps on offense and defense. It's been 50, 50 and coming up, they're going to do the first practice where he does both in the same day. How would you manage an athlete like that as a coach?

Ken Rosenthal (44:43)

Yeah, so. So in New England, we had Troy Brown, different athlete he had played. I think he was in his 11th year as a wide receiver, never played on defense and pro football. But we worked him in camp and he ended up playing on on defense as well as offense. And that year he played more defensive snaps than offensive snaps. But my approach with Travis Hunter and I think would would be most efficient is start them on defense, let them play full time on defense, because you can't guarantee what the other team's offense is going to do. So let's say you want to have them in dime defense and they come out and they're playing a bunch of things where you're going to have to play more dime than you wanted to and he's got to play more reps. You don't have control. But if you start him on defense, say he's playing full time there, and then you play him situationally, offensively, that to me is the best approach to it because you control when he goes in. So play him on third down, play him in the red zone and play him in two minute on offense and play him full time on defense and control what you can control with the athlete and give him the best chance to maximize his talents and impact on both sides.

Danny Parkins (45:53)

How many guys do you think are going to be raising their hands and being like, I can do it too?

Ken Rosenthal (45:58)

Yeah, yeah. Look, every. There's a lot of guys who believe they can do it. And even with Travis, the difference is every athlete he faces is good. And even the guys that are considered not great in the NFL are probably on the highest end of the guys he faced while he was at Colorado. So to go down in and down out against the best athletes that he's faced, it's hard to do. And we're not talking about 12 games, we're talking about 17 games. And that doesn't even account for the preseason. That doesn't account for how much longer the season is. That doesn't account for how much bigger the playbook is on offense, how much bigger the playbook is on defense. And as much as he wants to do this organizationally, they're going to have to protect him from himself because the wear and tear is a big thing and they want him all season long and they want him to have a very long, productive career. So I hope they don't burn him out here too early and they let this build at a rate that's sustainable.

Danny Parkins (46:58)

So we're going to be working together a lot more on first things first. And so you've been exposed to Nick Wright's lists and so now I want to show you a perfect list for a change. I just felt like I'd help you out a little bit.

Ken Rosenthal (47:07)

Finally, I'm going to get a perfect list.

Danny Parkins (47:09)

Exactly. I see no flaws in my top 10 quarterback list, Coach. Eagles fans seem to have a lot of problems with it, but I'm curious. Mahomes 1, Herbert 5, Baker 9. Jalen hurts 10. It looks perfect to me. What say you?

Ken Rosenthal (47:27)

Okay, so looking at this list, I absolutely agree with Mahomes at one. I think you're two, three, four are completely interchangeable. I think if you put those three players up and said to all 32 teams you can draft any one of these three players, it would probably be. Be split, you know, in thirds in terms of who guys would want based off of the system they had or, or which way they were leaning towards. So, so those guys are to me, interchangeable.

Danny Parkins (47:52)

Yeah, there's a clear tough four. There's a, there's a clear tough four. The debate is five through 10.

Ken Rosenthal (47:57)

Yeah. So even, even five through 10, I would, I, I went Jaden Daniels at five and, and I know, you know, we're going into the sophomore year and there could be the sophomore slump and people are going to catch up. I, I do think that the difference is not only what he did as, as a runner, but his accuracy. To me, I would, I would push him to that five spot with Stafford being my slash there. Stafford and Jaden Daniels. I, I love Stafford. The fact that he won the Super Bowl, I played again, coached against for a long time, caused problems, but his age to me bumps him to six. And then after that I, I get the Justin Herbert where he is. I struggle with his performance in the playoffs. That's why I think you gotta bump Jalen hurts. You got to give him credit for, for what he's done in the biggest moments. So I'd probably bump him up and, and he and Justin are kind of in that next area. And then with, with Jared and Baker, I mean, it just depends on, on what you like. I mean, I, I'm a little hot.

Danny Parkins (49:05)

Cold on Baker problems. Coach. I'll take it. I'll take.

Ken Rosenthal (49:10)

Is I don't love six and seven. I'm more five and six. Justin, Justin, Jared, Baker, they're kind of in a group. And then I get why you have Jalen at 10, but. But you do have to. I think you got a great amount of curve based off of performance in the playoffs.

Danny Parkins (49:30)

He's been unbelievable in the playoffs. The Steelers are such a fascinating team for a number of reasons. I actually like the moves they made in a vacuum for this year. There's huge questions about the long term ramifications, but I thought that they made sense. My question is let's say I'm wrong and let's say this goes poorly. And it is a seven win season, first losing season under Mike Tomlin, and we're now at nine going on ten years without a playoff win. And there's a handful of offensive coordinators and a bunch of different quarterbacks. Is there anything that could actually turn up a hot seat on a guy like Mike Tomlin, given that Pittsburgh has had three coaches in the history of their organization?

Ken Rosenthal (50:11)

I don't, I don't think there should be. I'm a huge Mike Tomlin fan and, and what people forget is how hard it is to deal with transitioning after a great quarterback. So Bill Belichick after a great quarterback, not very good, right? Sean Payton without Drew Brees, pretty different equation than what we were used to seeing. And it's the same thing, you know, Ben Roethlisberger. And they haven't had the losing season, which to me is remarkable. But they haven't found their answer at quarterback. And finding that answer at quarterback, everybody's chasing it. And that's why when these great quarterbacks become available, all the teams that are quarterback starved, they go and see if they can hit on them. So whether it's Aaron Rodgers at the jets and now Aaron Rodgers in Pittsburgh, or, you know, take your pick, it was us with Brett Favre trying to capture some of that magic. Russell Wilson when he got traded. It's. You're. You're hoping that this is the answer. You're hoping that Aaron Rodgers is over, you know, wanting to be gm, wanting to be head coach, and now just wants to be a great player and a great teammate and a great contributor. Maybe it's not the level we've been used to seeing him at his high point, but hopefully it's a better level than we've seen him since, since he's left Green Bay.

Danny Parkins (51:36)

Football season's here, coach. This feels good. It feels good to have hype. It feels good to have like, we got a game on Thursday. Are you a play guys in the preseason guy or are you, you know, risk averse like me, I'm scared of injury.

Ken Rosenthal (51:51)

Yeah, it's, it's, it's, this is always the challenging part. So it's, it's this time of year figuring out whether you want to play your stars or not. And then it's at the end of the season when you've made the playoffs and you're trying to figure out whether you want to play your stars or not. And it's always the, what is it, rust versus rest philosophy. And I think you want to get some reps for your guys and have them feel what it's like to work together, even if it's a limited exposure so that the first time they're seeing action isn't in game one. But, you know, I understand why a lot of head coaches say, yeah, I'd rather him be rusty and available than hurt and not available.

Danny Parkins (52:35)

Eric Mangini, Fox Sports NFL analyst, former coach of the year Looking forward to working with you on ftf. And we'll be watching later on today. Thank you, coach.

Colin Cowherd (52:43)

Life moves fast. A new home, a new baby, a new chapter, a new. But without an estate plan, your future's still vulnerable. With trust and will, you can name guardians, start a trust, create health care directives and more. All online in about an hour. It's attorney designed, state specific and built to protect what you love. Plans start at just $199 and every plan is safe, secure and kept completely private. From families with young kids to adults caring for aging parents. Trust and will makes it simple to take control without a law office, paperwork, stress or court delays. Go to trustandwill.com and use code RADIO to save 20%. Start your plan today. Don't wait for life to force your hand. Estate planning is one of the smartest, most loving things you can do. Trust and Will is an online estate planning service. See website for details.

Danny Parkins (53:40)

Just and real.

Eric Mangini (53:43)

Every once in a while, you get the chance to make a real difference. And this is one of those moments. Folds of Honor provides educational scholarships to the spouses and children of fallen or disabled military members and first responders. It's a powerful mission, honoring their sacrifice through the gift of education. But last year, about 7,000 qualified students didn't receive funding and that number is expected to grow to nearly 10,000. Don't let financial needs stand in the way of their future. Visit foldsofhonor.org to donate. Any amount helps. Together, we can close that gap one scholarship at a time. Hi, it's Colin. I've been around long enough to know quality. When I see it. Or in this case, when I taste it. Tito's Handmade vodka. Good stuff. No flash, no gimmick. Smooth, clean tasting. Made the right way. Tito's. Made in Austin, Texas. Real attention to detail. I like to keep it simple. Tito's Soda, one lime, lot of ice. Refreshing, easy. Summer, winter, spring. Totally versatile. Always works. Listen, baseball season's here. The perfect time to kick back with some Tito's. It's what I pour. You should too. Distilled and bottled by 5th Generation Inc. Austin, Texas 40% alcohol by volume. Savor responsibly. Wasabi Technologies is purpose built to free businesses from skyrocketing storage costs and unpredictable egress fees from those old and top heavy legacy providers. You know, the big guys. Wasabi is the go to provider for professional and collegiate sports teams around the world. From Wasabi's AI enabled intelligent media storage, Wasabi Air to the industry's only cloud storage service with triple protection against cyber criminals, Wasabi is driving innovation in data storage. All for up to 80% less than the other guys. Triumph for free@wasabi.com Wasabi Hot Cloud Storage Proud partner of the Voluum Podcast Network.

Danny Parkins (55:41)

This is an iHeart podcast.