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- [00:00]
Colin Cowherd
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Thousands of details went into creating the ultimate electric SUV. Compromise. Not one of them. The NBA 82 game grind is done and now the real fun begins. The NBA playoffs are here and they're huge and it's time for the all high stakes drama, clutch moments and jaw dropping plays. If you're looking to make the playoffs Even more exciting, DraftKings sportsbook has you covered. It's the official sports betting partner of the NBA. Make it a playoff run to remember with DraftKings. Download the DraftKings sportsbook app. The code is HERD H E R D. New customers will get 200 bucks in bonus bets. Betting just five bucks only on DraftKings. The crown is yours. Gambling problem. Call 1-800- gambler in New York. Call 877-8-HOPENY or text hopeny467-369 in Connecticut. Help is available for problem gambling. Call 888-789-7777 or visit ccpg.org Please play responsibly on behalf of Boot Hill Casino and resort in Kansas 21 eligibility varies by jurisdiction. Void. In Ontario, new customers only. Bonus bets expire 168 hours after issuance. For additional terms and responsible gaming resources, see DKNG co Audio Banking with Capital One helps you keep more money in your wallet with no fees or minimums on checking accounts and no overdraft fees. Just ask the Capital One bank guy. It's pretty much all he talks about in a good way. He'd also tell you that this podcast is his favorite podcast too. Oh really? Thanks Capital One Bank Guy what's in your wallet? Terms apply. See CapitalOne.com Bank Capital One NA Member FDIC. Thanks for listening to the Best of the Herd podcast. Be sure to catch us live every weekday on Fox Sports Radio at noon to 3 Eastern, 9am to noon Pacific. Find your local station for the herd@foxsportsradio.com or stream us live every day on the iHeartRadio app by searching Fox Sports Radio or FSR. This is the Best of the Herd with Colin Cowher on Fox Sports Radio. Oh, it is a Monday and there is a lot to discuss live. It's the Herd. Wherever you may be, however you may be listening. Thanks for making us part of your day. One hour from now Where Colin was right, Where Colin was wrong J. Mac I was looking forward to a Game seven. Not all game sevens are equal, but when Steph's in a Game seven, they're on the road. The deeper, longer, more athletic Houston Rockets and it was a little bit of a coaching clinic and the old guy clinic. I mean they forced Houston into half court basketball and that's not where Houston flourishes. And then that Buddy Healed showed up. He was on a milk carton all series. Wow. Dropped 33 and gave unbelievable. So that was. That's going to be. That is a really impressive win by Golden State. It was not a great first round for old guys. The old Lakers lost, the old Bucks lost. The Clippers were older than Denver and lost. But then their staff, Steve Kerr, Draymond Green and the warriors surviving. Steve Kerr pulled all the levers and had to. They had no bench. It was a starting five in Kayvon Looney. They're going to a 131 zone. Jimmy Butler and Draymond Green were very good, but they had to do a lot of it, not just in the box score. Buddy healed and pods because you know, Steph gets doubled so often. Buddy Healed and Pods got great looks and Buddy hit a ton of his. The warriors had no bench, no depth. Think about that. An old team on the road playing six guys because they tried to play Jonathan Kaminga twice. And you can see Steve Kerr's frustration. It doesn't work. He's like the kid at the playground none of the kids will play with. It just doesn't work. When Jonathan Kaminga is in there, he gets the hook. And so here's Steve kerr. They score 103 points. 100 of their 103 come from their starters. You're on the road. The other team's got more length and size and depth. So you had to pull all these levers. And then there's Steph Curry and the gravity of Steph was on display. So, I mean, when you pick him up at half court and you're doubling him and trapping him, it leaves Buddy healed open, and it gives Jimmy Butler more breathing room. And eventually in the fourth quarter, Steph hits five of six. He's the hammer, Houston's the nail, and he finishes it off. But what Golden State really did yesterday is they said Draymond Green shut down Shen Goon, just shut him down, get into his feet, push him around. He did. And that was everything. Because then you're basically Jalen Green. You can't trust Amend. Thompson's excellent, but not doesn't have a three point shot yet. So Draymond closes down the middle. And I was looking at the numbers. The Rockets were 5 for 21. If Draymond Green was guarding you, and this is what Draymond does in big series, he may be old, he doesn't play old. So he shut down the middle. And he's the best defensive player I've ever seen and can also be an offensive catalyst. But then Fred Van Vliet, they threw bodies at him, he didn't play particularly well. And all that Rocket size and all that Rocket athleticism, it just didn't matter because Houston has a bunch of guys who are great athletes but don't know how to play. That's why it's so obvious. Kaminga should be a Houston Rocket, right? He doesn't work with Golden State. They have six guys and they all know how to play. And the key is they all know how to play with Steph Curry. And so basically, very smartly, Golden State and Curve just said, you, Draymond shut down Shen Goon, we'll switch it to bigger and smaller guys. That's the primary deal. He took him out of the game and it forced Houston to, to play half court basketball. And I've been saying this for years, Kaminga didn't go to college basketball. Jaylen Green didn't go to college basketball. They went, got some dough, went to the G League. Neither one knows how to play. They're just athletes. That doesn't mean everybody that goes to the G League fails. But when you watch Houston, you're like, they just got a bunch of dudes who should have spent more time in college and learn how to play within a structure and a system. Because, I mean, you know, the Rockets head coach got so frustrated so many times with his half court, half court offense. And in the end, Steph got hot. Buddy was hot, Butler was hot, Draymond was a catalyst. And you talk about a team, it was Not a good first round for old guys. And it may not be a good second round for the Cavs. We'll wait on that. They have to shoot better, but this was a Warriors team. Been there a million times, of no depth, not much size, couldn't play Kaminga and Steve Kerr, and this team pulled all the right levers. Here's Steve Kerr. Couldn't be more proud of our guys.
- [08:08]
Jason McIntyre
That was an incredibly impressive display of resolve, discipline. The defense was fantastic.
- [08:17]
Colin Cowherd
The ball, security kind of game plan.
- [08:21]
Jason McIntyre
Discipline followed to a tee and then.
- [08:23]
Colin Cowherd
Multiple guys stepping up. Buddy healed. I don't know what to say. I mean, that was. That was really incredible watching him light it up. And so much of what Draymond and Butler and the Warriors, Kayvon Looney do isn't necessarily box score stuff. There is something. Did you see Steph Curry before the game getting his guys fired up? And. And that's where I want to talk about the Clippers losing to Denver. So I thought the Clippers, I mean, Denver fired their coach at the end of the year. They were playing terrible basketball. I'm like, I got a better. I get a head coach. I get a team. Clippers that are deeper, I think more talented, arguably. And they're playing great. And yet here again are the Clippers, led by sort of a mercenary, a basketball mercenary. Kawhi, great player, not a leader. And James Harden, ball centric, too often invisible, often in the playoffs. And what do you do? There's no way the Clippers should lost this series. Denver's got, like, the substitute teacher coaching. Stan Kroenke. The owner is like, we're too good to play this bad. They get rid of Malone, and I'm thinking that's a. That's a bad decision. Everything was right in front of him. And Kawhi Leonard, this is why demeanor and leadership matter. He doesn't set the tone. Unlike Jokic, who got on his teammates multiple times in the series. Now Kawhi is just a. He's a really talented instrument, a bit of a loner. He'll never be the heartbeat of a franchise. To be the leader, you got to play more than 45 games annually. You got to be there. And so it's like, okay, what about James Harden? James Harden, similarly, James Harden will give you buckets, but the difference between him and, say, a Westbrook, if Westbrook's not giving you buckets, he's giving you so much else. He's giving you rebounding and defense and intensity and attitude. If James Harden isn't hitting baskets and he wasn't yesterday. You get nothing else. So you know, Kawhi's always got been a guy that feels kind of cold and calculated. He's kind of a basketball hired gun and that's to me, he's got some MJ Kobe comps, but that's where it ends because Kobe could be inspirational and Michael was a leader and he was barking and that's what Jokic did. The great players in the playoffs. Demeanor matters. Leadership matters. Denver, give Westbrook a ton of credit for a leadership role. Give Jokic a ton of credit. You got a substitute teacher as a head coach. Denver shouldn't have won this series. Inspiration once again matters. Leadership once again matters. Harden's talented, but he's a one trick pony. You don't get points, what do you get? There's always an excuse. And again, Kawhi is an all time talent, but he has to be like kd, an accessory. He cannot be a foundational heartbeat of the franchise. You can't play 45 games and do that. So I said it's, I don't know. The Clippers are good, but if you can't win this series when you have a significantly better staff, you're playing great basketball. At the end of the year, the Nuggets are a mess. They go with an interim coach. Everything's off. And in game seven, one of your guys is good but won't lead. The other one's bad and refuses to. Here's Tyloo after, you know, James having to carry such a heavy load, you know, with Kawhi missing I think 45 games and just having to carry that load, you know, all season long. And he did a great job with that. And I think Kawhi like said, coming.
- [12:04]
Jason McIntyre
Back, being Kawhi and having a confidence.
- [12:06]
Colin Cowherd
In his knee that he can play, play, play more minutes, he can get through these games and those two together for a whole season I think would be tremendous. Nobody thinks you're going to get those two guys at this point for a whole season. It's all fool's gold. Kawhi, there's always one purpose, but it's never a higher purpose. So you, the Clippers can keep grabbing onto this stuff, but give the Lakers credit. The Lakers will move off people. They take a swing for Westbrook, doesn't work. They go, they make deals. They're always willing to make deals. I feel like the Clippers, you know, the stepchild in the city, I know they got the richer owner in the new facility. They just keep clinging on to this Thing. Well, next year will be different. No, I won't. Kawhi will play like 40 games and harden will give you buckets and won't defend and won't lead. And that's what you are. But you know, the reality is, if you can't win this series with a new arena, you got an interim coach in Denver. I mean, you've got a brand new head coach. I mean, there was Russell Westbrook, there was infighting. Malone wanted to play him, the GM didn't. Westbrook ended up being a tone setter for four different games in this series. More on that later. But we've been saying this now for some time. Jokic is the best player in the world. But there's an argument in many games and Jamal Murray's the second most consistent offensive player. Westbrook was huge. And it wasn't because Westbrook's in his prime. Westbrook was willing to lead and bark and emote and be raw. And Westbrook has seemingly discovered, I don't know why it took so long how to shoot a three, but I. So much of Denver was, to me was looking in the mirror. I mean, if you go to about game four on Denver was the better team and should not have been, should not have won this series. J. Mac, that was fun. Your Pacers call. Hey, hey. Now. Let's go. You know. Well, first of all, Cleveland will shoot better, but without Darius Garland, the offense just isn't the same. Offense a little too much tied. Jerome. Okay. And Sam Merrill. Jerome can shoot, but he's not. He's not a 29 minute a game guy. He's not a distributor. He's not going to run an offense. He can get you Bucke, by the way. Donovan Mitchell, one of 11 on threes like it was just a bad game from the Cavs. Quick point on Russell Westbrook. He shot 41% on threes in the series. That's better than Steph Curry just shot against the Rockets. Yeah, this was total fool's gold. His goal. Okay. Is he gonna sweep him or no, no, you can't. You're not gonna sweep Jokic. No way. Denver's got too much, too many players. All right. I blasted. By the way. By the way, Denver's got players in their prime. Jokic in his prime. Yeah, okay. Jamal Murray, still in his prime. Gordon, athletically still in his prime, may disappoint you, but Michael Porter is probably near the close to the end of his prime. But they have too many athletes and too many guys in those great years. And Westbrook by the way, is not at his prime, but he actually does some things better than he did in his prime, which is shoot corner threes and actually play with a little bit more self awareness. I just want to say it feels like fool's gold, you know, like you're guarding somebody in a basketball game. They make a shot and you're like, all right, that's fine, he's not doing it again. Maybe he hits another. There's no way Westbrook duplicates that in the next series. I, I, you know, I've been anti Thunder all year. I think the sunder smashed them and I did bet Thunder tonight. Did you see minus nine and a half? Well yeah, Thunder tonight. It's have you seen like the DraftKings number on this? Oh my, it's pretty. It's like minus 800. Yeah. No, no, I mean it's not that the Nuggets are underdogs. The lines, the betting odds are so stacked in OKC's favor. Same with the Celtics series. Like I think three of the series like Cavs were lopsided favorites against the Pacers in the series. Like not according to JMac. Yeah, get one every now and then. Be sure to catch live editions of the Herd, weekdays at noon Eastern, 9am Pacific on Fox Sports Radio, FS1 and the iHeartRadio app interested in investing in Bitcoin but not sure how to get started? Well, with the Gemini Credit Card you can dip your toes into Bitcoin without even trying. Just spend like you normally do, groceries, gas or a night out and instantly earn up to 4% back in Bitcoin or one of over 50 other cryptos straight to your account with no annual fee. The Gemini Credit Card is pretty much a no brainer and right now you can grab a $200 bitcoin intro bonus. So go to gemini.comcard to learn more and start earning today. Terms apply. Again, go to gemini.com card start building your Bitcoin stash now. Terms apply. The Gemini Credit Card is issued by Web bank in order to Qualify for the Intro 200 crypto bonus, your application must be approved by June 30, 2025 and spend $3,000 in your first 90 days. Terms apply Some exclusions apply to instant rewards in which rewards are deposited when the transaction posts this content is not Investment advice and Trading Crypto involves risk. For more details on rates, fees and other Gemini Credit Card terms, see Rates and Fees. Banking with Capital One helps you keep more money in your wallet with no fees or minimums on checking accounts and no overdraft fees. Just ask the Capital One Bank Guy. It's pretty much all he talks about in a good way. He'd also tell you that this podcast is his favorite podcast too. Oh really? Thanks Capital One Bank Guy. What's in your wallet? Terms apply. See capital1.com Bank Capital One NA Member FDIC the NBA 82 game grind is done and now the real fun begins. The NBA playoffs are here and they're huge. And it's time for the all high stakes drama, clutch moments and jaw dropping plays. If you're looking to make the playoffs Even more exciting, DraftKings sportsbook has you covered. It's the official sports betting partner of the NBA. Try placing a bet on your favorite player's performance. Will he drop 30 points? 40 or more? It's your here's something special for first timers. New DraftKings customers bet just five bucks. Five bucks. That's it. To get $200 in bonus bets instantly make it a playoff run. To remember with DraftKings, download the DraftKings sportsbook app. The code is heard. That's me H E R D and new customers will get 200 bucks in bonus bets. Betting just five bucks. That's it. That simple. Only on DraftKings. The crown is yours. Gambling problem call 1-800- gambler in New York, call 877-8-HOPENY or text hopeny467-369 in Connecticut. Help is available. For problem gambling, call 888-789-7777 or visit ccpg.org Please play responsibly on behalf of Boot Hill Casino and Resort in Kansas. 21 + age and eligibility varies by jurisdiction. Void in Ontario, new customers only. Bonus bets expire 168 hours after issuance. For additional terms and responsible gaming resources, see dkng co Audio. Balancing work, family and education isn't easy, but American Public University makes it possible with online courses, monthly start dates, and flexible schedules. APU is designed for busy professionals who need education that fits their lives. And Affordability matters too. APU offers the opportunity grant, giving students 10% off undergraduate and master's level tuition, helping you reach your goals without breaking a bank. Plus, they provide career services and 247 mental health support at no extra cost. Visit Apu Apus Edu to learn more. That's Apu Apus Edu. So yeah, a lot of you know that. You know Draymond Green's got a very popular podcast and I know Draymond, but I've said this for years. If you don't get the value of Draymond Green. I can't help you. People will fall in love with a mellow or a James Harden or the speed of a John Wall. And I'm like, do you guys watch basketball? Do you see how much he does? This league is a parade of three pointers and one on one. ISO basketball offense, first culture, there's nothing wrong with that. Draymond is a testament to how many ways you can win. He'll switch to bigs, guys five inches bigger. He'll switch to small guys. It doesn't matter. The Warrior small ball is only possible. It's not Stephen Clay. A lot of teams have shooters. It's Draymond. You used to have to have a center, and you also had a power forward. They have Draymond who's faster than both, who can be an offensive catalyst. He's such a connective passer. And a lot of what he does is like, not necessarily box score stuff. He shoots the three just well enough that you have to be aware of him. But this was a great example of they just said basically, take out sengun, get him off his game, get him off his rhythm. And I mean, he just. It's like if James Harden isn't hitting shots, you don't get anything else. And that's why Draymond is the iPhone. And, you know, scorers only like James Harden are, you know, the ipod. They just don't do a lot. He does everything well. He can be the best screener, he can be your best rebounder. He's obviously your best defender. Again, a very connected passer. And as Steph is struggling in the first half, what's keeping him in the game because the warriors had a bad offensive first half is Draymond Green. He literally stopped the Rockets half court offense, took them totally out of rhythm. And he doesn't get a lot of appreciation. But you know, who knows how great he is? Steve Kerr and Steph Curry know how great he is. I've always said this team at times has had a lot of finesse. He has always been the bouncer at the nightclub. You think they're soft, you think they're small. And then it's like Rodman, but with a much more layered offensive game. Rodman couldn't shoot. Rodman wasn't a great passer. Rodman was just annoying. That's just one of the gears Draymond Green has. And here's his coach after Draymond, really, he's our leader. And when he's right, like he was tonight.
- [22:40]
Jason McIntyre
He's an incredible player to watch the.
- [22:43]
Colin Cowherd
Defense, just kind of owning the court on that side of things and then just being patient and not turning it.
- [22:52]
Jason McIntyre
Over and being in the right spots offensively.
- [22:56]
Colin Cowherd
Yeah. And the other thing I like about Draymond, I'll play a bite here in a second. The other thing I like about him is, you know, and I understand this, these NBA players, it's shoe deals, it's Instagram deals, it's big contracts, it's pods. It will be so easy to, like, come into this league. You get the bag and you're satisfied. Draymond Green will not be satisfied until he no longer plays in this league. I pouted way too much last game. So I spent the last two days embarrassed just at what I, what I gave to the game, what I gave to the world. I was embarrassed. And so I've been dying since the last game ended to get out on the floor and prove who I am. You know, one thing about this league, you're never done proving who you are until you're done, completely finished. And I don't know how many more of those games he has. They play Minnesota. Chris Finch coming on later. That's an interesting game. The bigger, deeper Timberwolves. The difference is Houston's bigs and depth are all kids. Minnesota's a Rudy Gobert, you know, Julius Randall, Nas Reed. So Minnesota collectively is a much more experienced team, much better in the half court offense. They present much different problems. I don't love this matchup going forward for Golden State. The warriors just took advantage of Houston's inexperience, awful half court offensive, Fred Van Vliet's not scoring and naivete, you're getting none of that. With a great staff and a lot of games and a lot of experience, I think this is a tough matchup for the Warriors. The dubs. I would probably take Minnesota, their coach later in the show, but that, that was classic Draymond. Yesterday in a crucial road game, Game seven, when you basically were playing five guys in cave on Looney and Steph was off in the first half and you won. And Draymond was a huge, huge part of that. Be sure to catch live editions of the Herd, weekdays at noon Eastern, 9am Pacific. Hey, it's Steve Covino. And I'm Rich Davis and together we're Covino and Rich on Fox Sports Radio. You can catch us weekdays from 5 to 7pm Eastern, 2 to 4 Pacific on Fox Sports Radio. And of course, the iHeartRadio app. Why should you listen to Covino and Rich. We talk about everything. Life, sports, relationships, what's going on in the world. We have a lot of fun talking about the stories behind the stories in the world of sports and pop culture. Stories that, well, other shows don't seem to have the time to discuss. And the fact that we've been friends for the last 20 years and still work together, I mean, that says something, right? So check us out. We like to get you involved too. Take your phone calls, chop it up as they say. I'd say the most interactive show on Fox Sports Radio, maybe the most interactive show on planet Earth. Be sure to check out Covino and Rich live on Fox Sports radio and the iHeartradio app from 5 to 7pm Eastern, 2 to 4 Pacific. And if you miss any of the live show, just search Kobe Noanrich wherever you get your podcast. And of course on social social media. That's Covino and Rich Interested in investing in Bitcoin but not sure how to get started? Well, with the Gemini Credit Card, you can dip your toes into Bitcoin without even trying. Just spend like you normally do, groceries, gas or a night out and instantly earn up to 4% back in Bitcoin or one of over 50 other cryptos straight to your account with no annual fee. The Gemini Credit Card is pretty much no brainer and right now you can grab a $200 bitcoin intro bonus. So go to gemini.com card to learn more and start earning today. Terms apply. Again go to gemini.com card start building your Bitcoin stash now. Terms apply. The Gemini Credit Card is issued by Web bank in order to qualify for the intro $200 crypto bonus. Your application must be approved by June 30, 2025 and spend $3,000 in your first 90 days. Terms apply. 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Call 1-800-GRAINGER Click grainger.com or just stop by Granger for the ones who get it done all right, Colin was right. Colin was wrong on the Monday. Here we go. Where Colin was right. James Harden in the playoffs. Not somebody I trust. Two no shows and Kawhian Harden again. They're absolutely all time gifted. You can't build around either. I said this during the year. Yes, he'll give you 28 points. He'll have his quarters, halves and moments. But if Harden isn't scoring and he wasn't yesterday, you don't get a lot else. And you saw it against the Nuggets in Game 7 where Colin was wrong. I picked Houston to beat the Warriors. I thought, you know, I be honest with you, athleticism, size and length. I thought it would be a problem. But too often they were reduced to just a half court offensive team and it is ugly. A Jalen Green doesn't really have a traditional or dependable offensive game. They really if Amend Thompson would not have been so good yesterday, especially in the first three quarters. I don't know if this game would have been close but they got worked in the half court by Butler, Draymond, Buddy Heald and Steph Curry. Where Colin was right I said before Jimmy Butler got to the Warriors, I don't care what analyst analytics say, he's going to fit they were under 500 pre Jimmy Butler and there were a lot of analytic mavens that said it may not work. Yes it will. He's a bridge between Steph and Draymond Green. He's got the toughness and the physicality in the defense of Draymond. But he can also be a finisher like Steph Curry. And like Draymond Green, he is often at his best when he's backed into a corner and playoff Jimmy. Illustration A Yesterday where Colin was wrong I thought when the Debner Nuggets fired their coach with three games left in the regular season as they were skidding out of control, I thought it was crazy against Ty Lu, experienced Clippers, older Clippers, deeper roster. What are you guys doing? Well, it worked. Westbrook was a tone setter. Jokic was dominant. Murray had, you know, typically gets hot and can be streaky. He was at the right time. I thought the Clippers, based just on having a substitute teacher as a coach, were going to be a bit over their skis. But they made great adjustments. Jokic barking and leading, Westbrook playing some of his best, most important basketball of his life. And I was wrong Where Colin was right. I said when Texas went to the SEC guys, you're in trouble. Bama and LSU Ole Miss can't play in that space. Just reported that Texas will spend up to 40 million on the football roster. That by the way, does not count the Arch Manning money. That's a separate deal. And the SEC schools and I think they're feeling it now. And this is why the Big Ten is catching up. Because the Big Ten gets Oregon big money. Washington good money, USC spending huge nil money. Texas just has more bankroll than everybody else in the sec and as long as Sark is there who is a more than capable coach, Texas is going to control this conference. Where Colin was wrong well, I picked the Lakers to dismantle the T Wolves because I'm like I don't trust Julius Randall in the postseason. Who's going to do their score scoring outside of ant and it happens that Randall was great and a lot of people did their scoring. The T Wolves were deeper, they had more dexterity and options off the bench. And J.J. redick I didn't think flourished in this series. I also thought they just kept throwing athletic bodies at Austin Reeves. He was a bit of a no show. I think they should probably move him to get a big but boy was I wrong on that series where Colin was right. Listen, I've said this about Austin Reaves. He can Be a four like a Derrick White on a championship level team. But if he's a two or a three, you know you're not going to beat the best teams in the league. And he looked overwhelmed in this series against more athletic wings. He shot 32% from three. Did not get to the free throw line in the last two games of this series. Again, he is a good player, but look at all the talent on OKC and Minnesota and Cleveland and Indiana and the Celtics. Here comes Detroit. Golden State. Still got it. I just think you have to sometimes be honest about your own players. Where Colin was right. Paul Goldschmidt of the Yankees. About six months ago I told the staff most underrated player in the last 15 years and they said he made seven all star teams. How can you say he's underrated? Whatevs. He is now hitting.349 for the first place Yankees. Okay, Aaron Judge is from Mars. I can't explain Aaron Judge, but Paul Goldschmidt as your baseball insider, okay, wasn't very good for St. Louis last year, but he is crushing it. I, I do believe last 15 years nobody's been this good and gotten less press than Paul Goldschmidt. Colin right? Colin wrong. And with that, Matt Hasselbeck, 18 years in the NFL, is joining us. So I, I there was a story out about once you pay a quarterback, you have to make choices. And so the Niners loved Hunga and they love Greenlaw, but there's a reason they're not on the team. It's because they're getting ready to pay Brock Purdy. And Hunga was on like a podcast and threw a little shade at him and said how much he loved Bo Nix. And my take is critic. Quarterbacks don't get criticized much. Russell Wilson's a historic outlier. Do you think there it feels like there's a tad animosity. Not because he's getting paid. Nobody is upset that Justin Herbert gets paid or Lamar gets paid or Josh Allen gets paid, but I feel like there's a little bro, this is Kyle's team. We're getting rid of Pro Bowlers. Am I wrong on this? There's a little bit of animosity that Brock's talking mid-50s or his agent is for a contract.
- [35:24]
Jason McIntyre
Well, I agree with you in a lot of ways, but I don't think it's specific to this team. Like if you were to be a fly on a wall in the NFLPA meetings in Hawaii or wherever they have them now, I think you'd hear that sentiment, like, hey man, like these quarterback contracts, they're just getting out of control. You know, those numbers are just exponentially, like multiplying, just going up and up and up. And then what we're having in other positions is we're not seeing that same growth. So, you know, that is certainly something that you hear as a player in contract negotiations. I mean, I remember when the Indianapolis Colts at the end of my career, they were getting ready to do Andrew Luck's contract. It was going to be $100 million deal. They had to create space. You've seen a lot of teams do that with their franchise guy. When they have a guy that they cannot let out the door, they have to make sacrifices elsewh. Seen Cincinnati do it. They did basically did it on the defensive side of the ball. So San Francisco, they're feeling that pain, they're feeling that real hurt right now. And that's certainly an excuse that they give to the agent. And it's probably being honest. I mean that's just the nature of it. But I wouldn't be shocked if this is something that does get talked about in the future.
- [36:32]
Colin Cowherd
Okay, so I know it's an old guy rant, but I do believe there is a row your own boat quality to my kid. I say this to my kids. This is your life. I was watching a psychologist recently and he said the more times you solve your kids problems, the worst problem solvers they'll be as adults. Let your kids work through stuff. So I, you know, I was getting, I was talking to my kids this weekend. Maybe that's it. This story about Abdul Carter. Somehow it gets word out that he's like asked for Lawrence Taylor's number 56. The best defensive player in the history of this great sport. That drives me nuts. That bothers me. Should it. How do you view it?
- [37:14]
Jason McIntyre
Well, I mean I'm maybe like get off my lawn even more than you. Like. I hate the fact that defensive players like Tom Brady said, I hate that the, the fact that they get to wear single digit numbers or number 11 in the first place. I'm old school that way. But no, I just, I think. Listen, I don't listen, you ask. Go ahead and ask. I'm upset that it got out now. Now I look like kind of a, you know, it's embarrassing that two different people said no to. I guess you never know unless you ask. I think the team probably could have done him a favor and just said, hey, pick whatever number you want. Just so you know, here's the numbers we Will never say yes to, you know, 56 being one of them. Right. But when I was in Seattle, listen, it's not a young guy, old guy thing like when I was in Seattle. Numbers mean something to players. Jerry Rice signed with the Seattle Seahawks late in his career. He wanted to wear 80. 80 was basically retired because Steve Largent, hall of Fame wide receiver for Seattle. And it was a thing like, you know, basically Steve Largent got put in a tough spot. Jerry R, the greatest receiver of all time, asked what's. What are you going to say no? It's a little bit harder to say no there. And then he wore 80. I was fine with it. The team was fine with it. Jerry obviously was fine with it. But the fans didn't sit well with some of those old school Kingdom fans. Like it didn't sit well with them. So it's a tricky thing. But I'm with you, I guess. Lt was my guy as well, Colin, so I can relate to that.
- [38:37]
Colin Cowherd
By the way, I just want to throw. I want to go old school here. And again, a lot of times, you know, if you, if you're 20 years old or 30 years old, you don't think Michael Jordan ever lost a playoff game. So there is something about the highlight culture. Take our audience just because, I mean, tell them how good LT was for people that only watch highlights. Because I, I remember him. I said, when Mike Tyson was in his prime coming up, he intimidated other heavyweight fighters. Like Michael Speaks is like, I'm not interested. I want to go home and have a bowl of pasta. I'm out. How great was Lawrence? Do you have a Lawrence Taylor story?
- [39:16]
Jason McIntyre
Yeah, I mean, I got too many. Listen, my dad ended his career on the New York Giants and you know, Mark Bavaro was the starting tight end. So he'd go with the ones against the scout team defense. My dad was the backup tight end. He'd go with the twos against the starting New York Giants defense. It's Carl Banks on one side, it's Lawrence Taylor on the other. So, like, I got more stories than that. I'm probably allowed to tell about lt, but. But he was kind of guy, I would just say, like from my perspective, like when the game was on the line, he did whatever he wanted to do. If he was supposed to blitz, maybe he did, maybe he didn't. If he wasn't, maybe he did, maybe he didn't. He had that kind of freedom. I remember one time my dad was on the field goal protection team. They're kicking a game winning field Goal. And LT felt like, no, this. This is too important. He runs out there and kicks off like one of the wings on field goal protection. He was like, no, I'm blocking for this because we need to win this game. He just had that aura about him. He did whatever he wanted. And I think, like, even now, here we are in Twitter 2025. You hear guys like Bill Parcells or you hear Bill Belichick, they talk about the greatest to ever play a game changer. They're talking about lt. I mean, he was that. He was that kind of a difference maker. A unique talent, a unique, A unique teammate, and certainly someone that changed past protection in the NFL the way that they design it. And that's. I mean, I don't know what more you could say about a guy. He was incredible.
- [40:34]
Colin Cowherd
So let's take Jalen Miller or the Seahawks. I've been told Seattle would like to use him in the red zone, that he's just a unique athlete and team it. He's one of those athletes that you can't prepare for. He's just faster than anybody on your team. But right now, if you don't have a contract with the Seahawks, can I get the playbook? What am I doing? You have a quick camp. What is a quarterback that's new to this league? What. Where are they in the process now?
- [41:01]
Jason McIntyre
Well, that's a couple different questions there. Number one, they're in this phase of, like, basically there's all these rules of what you can do with veterans, veteran players. You get a. So you get three phases. Phase one, basically, there's no football. It's lifting, it's rehab, it's studying terminology. Phase two, you get into like maybe throwing on air, there's no defense, some of that kind of stuff. And then phase three, the end of it. Now we're in seven on seven, nine on seven, team drills, 11 on 11. But I think uniquely to this situation with Jalen Milroe, what you're going to see is you're going to see a guy that they're going to try to develop as he's the backup, he's going to be developing. And I think that that might even include playing on Sundays. So you saw what Kyle Shanahan did. You know, Clint Kubiak came from that system. You saw what Kyle Shanahan did a little bit with Trey Lance before he got hurt. Short yardage, goal line and low red zone, meaning inside the 10 yard line. There will be a package for Jalen Milroe, who he is as a runner Also who he is as a quarterback, as a thrower. I think they're going to give him a small menu, not a Cheesecake Factory menu, like a very small menu of things. Think about and dominate. And what's, what that's going to do is every opponent is going to have to spend a lot of time thinking about it, planning for it, and it's time that they won't be spending game planning for Sam Darnold and the rest of the guys.
- [42:24]
Colin Cowherd
I got to ask you there, you know, whatever Aaron Rodgers is going to do. So how long if he goes to Pittsburgh and it's a totally new Arthur Smith system, how long would it take you or an Aaron Rodgers to go in? And it's, it's almost like moving to a new city and driving to your new job where you don't have to think about it. It's rote. You've memorized it. It. Everything's quick. What is the time that Aaron, the latest he could show up and you'd feel like, listen, he's, he's all, it's all working. The timing, the audible system. What's the timeline on that? The latest Aaron could go to, say, the STEVE Well, I'll tell you right.
- [43:03]
Jason McIntyre
Now, I just mentioned the three phases. For a veteran quarterback, phase one feels like a waste of your time. Like, it's just, it sort of does. It's just lifting. Hey, I could lift with my guy where I like to lift. Like, that's just kind of the mindset. There's no football there anyway. Phase two, again, like, you're throwing to guys on air. Not that important. Phase three, I think, is really important. So for the Pittsburgh Steelers, I believe that's May 27th. May 27th is the start of phase three.
- [43:27]
Colin Cowherd
Three.
- [43:28]
Jason McIntyre
They also have a mandatory minicamp, which would technically be June, June 10th. So, you know, when is the day that I need to, like, all of a sudden go from speaking Spanish to speaking French? It's not really till week one of the NFL season because, because of who you are, you're Aaron Rodgers. You'll figure it out. You, you can speak enough to get by. But to me, I think I would circle that May 27 date as a date that, like, it would really be detrimental to be starting the missing time at that point right now. Phase. I think some guys that have played a long time and understandably so, you know, it's a little bit of take it or leave it.
- [44:05]
Colin Cowherd
By the way, every time we talk to you, you're in a cool, different place that's a snazzy looking room. Is that a hotel somewhere?
- [44:11]
Jason McIntyre
No, I'm actually at my parents house so that's actually one of my dad's paintings but this is my mom's. I guess my mom's upstairs so I am everywhere. I feel like I'm always missing you though. You're. You're on the road as well.
- [44:22]
Colin Cowherd
Your dad was a painter, right?
- [44:25]
Jason McIntyre
Yeah, he was an artist inspired by the sunsets in Colorado. He played in Colorado out in Boulder. So a lot of color, a lot of mountains, a lot of that stuff.
- [44:34]
Colin Cowherd
Beautiful. Matt Hasselbake as always. Good seeing you, buddy.
- [44:38]
Jason McIntyre
Awesome. Thanks colin.
- [44:39]
Colin Cowherd
You bet. May 27, mark it down for Aaron Rodgers to Pittsburgh. I don't know. You know there is a possibility that he's. I saw a story this weekend where Aaron was wearing an engagement ring or a wedding ring or something. There's a story out there that he's, he's. It's serious. Is that what the young people are doing? Men are wearing engagement rings? Well, I don't. No, no, no, no, you're right, you're right. He's wearing a ring. Okay. Now I'm not saying maybe it's a promise ring. I think guys do that right in high school. I don't know. He's wearing a ring. Aaron Rodgers. So I guess he would be married possibly. I'm just. He's very private. Yeah. So nobody really knows. I think the name is Brianna. I think I saw a story yesterday. So you know how you can like go into your feed and put in words that you don't want to see. Aaron Rodgers is in my feet, so I don't see any Aaron. I have no idea what he's doing. He could be in Egypt again. He could be on the River Nile right now. I would have no idea. I'm out on Aaron Rodgers. Done. I totally understand. Interested in investing in bitcoin but not sure how to get started. Well, with the Gemini credit card you can dip your toes into bitcoin without even trying. Just spend like you normally do, groceries, gas or night out and instantly earn up to 4% back in Bitcoin or one of over 50 other cryptos straight to your account with no annual fee. The Gemini credit card is pretty much a no brainer. And right now you can grab a 200 bitcoin intro bonus. So go to gemini.com card to learn more and start earning today. Terms apply. Again, go to gemini.com card. Start building your bitcoin stash now. Terms apply. The Gemini credit card is issued by Web Bank. In order to Qualify for the Intro 200 crypto bonus, your application must be approved by June 30, 2025 and spend $3,000 in your first 90 days. Terms apply. Some exclusions apply to instant rewards, in which rewards are deposited when the transaction posts. This content is not investment advice and Trading Crypto involves risk. For more details on rates, fees and other Gemini credit card terms, see Rates and Fees. Balancing work, family and education isn't easy, but American Public University makes it possible with online courses, monthly start dates and flexible schedules. APU is designed for busy professionals who need education that fits their lives. And Affordability matters, too. APU offers the Opportunity Grant, giving students 10% off undergraduate and master's level tuition, helping you reach your goals without breaking the bank. Plus, they provide career services and 247 mental health support at no extra cost. Visit Apu Apus Edu to learn more. That's Apu Apus Edu looking to transform your business through better HR and payroll? Meet Paycor, a paychecks company. The powerhouse solution that empowers leaders to drive results. From recruiting and development to payroll and analytics, paycor connects you with the people, data and expertise you need to succeed. Their innovative platform helps you make smarter decisions about your most valuable asset. Your people. Are you ready to become a Better Leader? Visit paycor.comleadership to learn more. That's paycor.comleaders Summer is almost here and you can now get almost anything you need for your sunny days delivered with Uber Eats. Now what do we mean by almost? Well, you can't get a well groomed lawn delivered, but you can get chicken parm delivered. A nice tan? Sorry. A box fan? Happily, yes. A day of sunshine? No? A box of fine wines? Yes. Uber Eats can definitely get you that. Get almost almost anything delivered with Uber Eats. Order now. Alcohol in select markets. Product availability may vary by region. See app for details.