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Colin Cowherd
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Colin Cowherd
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Now let's get this party started. You're listening to Fox Sports Radio. Here we go. It is a Tuesday. A lot to talk about live. Live in Los Angeles, it's the Herd. Wherever you may be and however you may be listening, thanks for making us part of your day. I was thinking about this coming in, in what we do for a living. Whenever there's like a big trade or like the NFL draft, everybody's always J. Mac saying this team won the trade, this team lost. And. And the biggest trade in recent memory is Luka to the Lakers for ad. And there's a feeling is Dallas will be terrible and the Lakers will win several titles. But they would not have traded Luca if he was in great shape and was an unbelievable defender. Well, then he'd be LeBron. You wouldn't trade him. They traded him for a reason, because they saw holes in his game, which by the way, he'd missed the last two camps. He had multiple injuries. So here's what's interesting. When LeBron leaves, then he comes back and he's not at 100%. Lakers are trash. That's funny because LeBron, even way past his prime. LeBron has won without AD, has won without Austin Rivers and won without Luca, won with bad coaches. But Luca without LeBron or LeBron at 100%, Lakers get throttled by bad teams. Why is that? That's why Dallas let him go. And I wouldn't have but this idea that luka was like LeBron, elite defender, elite leader, elite offensive player, elevated everybody build a franchise around him, no flaws. That's not what Luc is. And you're seeing it here is Luca without LeBron. They've lost seven of 10. Or Luca now with LeBron not quite in game shape, not quite at 100%, they're getting throttled by bad teams. And this has always been my several year argument. If your company doesn't resign you, even if you're talented, they see a hole in your game. This is why I argued for years. Carmelo Anthony is a great all time player, hall of Famer, didn't elevate teammates, didn't play defense. Luca is a much better version of Carmelo, by the way. Carmelo and Dominique Wilkins and Luca, great scores. None of them defend at that level. Kobe and MJ are great scores. They had a different mindset. And you're going to get points with Luca. Defense, forget about it. Elevating everybody. He'll elevate some players, he'll take the ball away from others. LeBron's also a great on court coach and leader. Lucas talking is often barking at refs or trash talking. And by the way, that's part of basketball's culture. It doesn't bother me. But LeBron talking and Luka talking are two different things. I mean, JJ Redick has complained multiple times. Yeah, we don't communicate when LeBron's out. Well, isn't that where Luca should step in? Luca's game is much more individualistic. He is much more an individual star, more of a lead singer in a band who can occasionally step back, you know, and let. And let the bass player have his moment. But he's a lead singer. LeBron's always been more magic than Michael or Kobe. He's much more an orchestra leader, elevating everybody, much more magic, stepping back, making sure there's a rhythm and spacing. LeBron isn't a trash talker. Luka is. LeBron doesn't spend a lot of time barking at refs. Luka does. LeBron moves furiously without the ball at times. Luka doesn't. LeBron defends. Luka has very little interest, more of a hobby than a vocation. And that is not to say Luke is not great, but if you're at a company and they're like, yeah, we're going to move on, it's not always the company was wrong. Again, I'll make this argument. Charles Barkley's made it. When Dallas is totally healthy, probably next year, they have a chance to get to the finals. Ad I mean, Kyrie, even, even Max Christie can play a center rotation. The kid out of duke. The minute LeBron's not around, the minute LeBron's not at 100%, what's J.J. reddick complain about? We don't communicate. We don't rotate as well. Well, they do when LeBron's there and Luke is not. And this is the difference. Maybe this is just the difference between, like MJ and Barkley. You know, one was always in great shape, one defended. They both scored a lot of points. But there is a gap between all time LeBron and all time. Luca, don't kid yourself. There is a major gap. And they've lost three of. They've won three of 10. And this is not 100% LeBron. So again, the way we do it in sports, this team got nothing in return. And this team got the greatest player of all time. But it is interesting, in the last 10 games, seven, no LeBron. And now you're getting, you know, guy who missed a couple of weeks, he's acknowledging he's not quite right defensively, not quite right. Cardio wise, they're not very good. And here's JJ Redick after losing to Orlando last night. I don't know, we just, like, we look tired And I don't know what contributes to that. That happens periodically throughout a season where the group gets tired. That's what it feels like right now. You know when they don't look tired is when LeBron is playing, not injured 100%. You never hear that the team looks flat, doesn't communicate, looks tired, when LeBron's not at 100% and the Lakers look tired and can't beat Orlando. It's funny how that works, isn't it? So this is something I talked about yesterday on the show, and I don't think it's a conspiracy theory. It is easy right now to rip Aaron Rodgers. What is he making people wait for? So yesterday I brought this up on the show is I think Aaron's too smart to look at Pittsburgh and go, this is perfect. He flew there to the Steelers and he didn't leave with a contract. Now, he may sign by the end of this rant, but he didn't sign for the great Pittsburgh Steelers. And Albert Brer had a story today that Aaron Rodgers is telling friends, we talked about this yesterday. He's looking for a better culture. He, he, he looked at Green Bay and realizes not only a good culture, but an offensive culture. And this is what I said. I think Aaron Rodgers is sitting around for a couple of weeks and I think he's right. Waiting on the Niners, Brock Purdy. I don't think the Niners are going to pay Brock Purdy 59 million a year. And that, according to his agent, is what he wants. And I can't believe I'm saying this, but Aaron needs to go in another darkness. Retreat. Aaron needs to hide, avoid commitment, plan an excursion, call your travel agent. If people use those anymore. The Steelers is fool's gold. Tomlin can't figure out the offense. It's been seven years. Forget about it. And 59. Listen to this. It was 66 the year before. 59 quarterbacks played last year. There will be opportunities. You could argue Kirk Cousins should have waited last year until after the draft and not gone to Atlanta. But he signed in March and then Atlanta drafted a quarterback. Is it the worst thing in the world for Aaron to not sign? Wait on the draft, see how the dominoes fall and somebody could go, guys, we didn't get a quarterback. We're in trouble here. Now. Now, I think you can fairly say, and this isn't really a criticism of Favre and Aaron Rodgers. I mean, Green Bay is pretty small and sleepy. Is that maybe they didn't appreciate it. Grass is greener, you know, Friendly media, good organization. That's not a real criticism. I can see somebody playing for 15 years in green Bay and thinking, man, I'm kind of jealous of those New York, Louisiana, San Francisco, you know, big city teams. I get that. That's not a criticism. But I'm not giving Brock Purdy $58 million. And one of the reasons I've said this before on this show, if you wonder if you're making a great move, you could be a TV executive, you could be an NFL general manager. If you are about to make a big move, what does your rival think? And you know who would be okay with Purdy getting 60 million a year? Sean McVeigh. He'd be really okay with that with his young defense, little Brock Purdy, not a big arm. Brock Purdy, Sean McVeigh would be just fine having Matt Stafford for two more years and they're locked in on a $60 million a year Brock Purdy deal. So it, it, it's, you know, I, I just look at this whole thing. Is that Aaron. Multiple reports said he really wanted the Vikings offer. Why? Because of Kevin Oconnell. It wasn't the receiver, it was Kevin Oconnell. Offensive coach Aaron last year in his last 10 stars. Do you realize this? With arguably the worst coaching staff in the league, certainly the worst offensive coaching staff in the league, and a mediocre online had more touchdown passes and a higher passer rating than Brock Purdy. With Kyle Shanahan, I honestly think. And again, he could sign with Pittsburgh today. I know you don't have to like Aaron. You can be resentful about his vaccine status and his whatever, but he's not a dummy. And when you see those pictures in Malibu when he's listening to stuff, I think he's sitting there thinking Minnesota would have been great. I know the division. I love the coach. I love their weapons. O line got upgraded significantly in Minnesota in the off season. I think he looks at Pittsburgh and so much of it sounds good. Steelers defense, Mike Tomlin, battle line lost their left tackle. Two high maintenance wide receivers spend more money on defense than anybody in the league. Is that really a great fit? Does, does, does Aaron feel like a Pittsburgh guy? He loves Malibu and he loves New York. And if the Giants were humming, he'd probably sign there. But I, I, this Albert Breer story that Aaron is talking to people like he wants, the organization is key, not just the personnel. And I think once Minnesota said no thanks, I think San Francisco something to keep your eye on again. Kirk Cousins signed in March he would not have signed with Atlanta in April, late April after the Pennix, they wouldn't have signed there. Kirk Cousins now is looking for a new team. Aaron could think, well what if I signed blank? What if Pittsburgh, I signed with Pittsburgh and all of a sudden somebody falls and they end up picking a quarterback mid to late first round Jackson dart. What am I doing here? I, I'm just, I'm saying I'm not, I'm not advocating for in season ayahuasca but another darkness retreat is not a terrible idea for Aaron Rodgers. Take a deep breath. Go hide for a while so J. Mac, I, I'm still, I, I don't mean to gloat but 15 of 16 teams left in the tournament. I, I couldn't sleep last night. I just had, I had Tom Izzo, you know in my sleep last night. Very excited. Let's not get into that.
Unnamed Contributor
Yeah, yeah, let's go back to Aaron Rodgers. I got this stat from a Jets fan. Are you ready? So Aaron Rodgers had the second most passing yards of any quarterback in the league in the fourth quarter. And no, those weren't clutch comebacks. Those were basically the jets getting buried after three quarters and Rogers just stat padding. So I know you're pumped up about those final 10 games but 31% of his yards, 31% of his touchdowns came in the fourth quarter.
Colin Cowherd
Well, you know, when you're old those bones take a couple quarters to warm up.
Unnamed Contributor
Excuses, excuses. I love it.
Colin Cowherd
So there Is it possible that there is an unsolvable problem and every league has one? And I'll go over them coming up next. Every league has one unsolvable problem is that it's just baked in embedded in the sport. Does the NBA have a tanking issue and there's nothing they can do about it? And I'll talk about that next. Save big in your water and energy bills with a new navi and tankless water heater. They provide endless hot water spa like comfort. Makes it easy to go tankless. Visit tankless made simple.com Be sure to catch live editions of the Herd, weekdays at noon Eastern, 9am Pacific on Fox Sports Radio FS1 and the iHeartRadio app.
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All right, welcome back. Nick Wright, one hour from now, about 50 minutes actually from now. So there was a story. You know, there's been a lot of talk about load management in the NBA here's the good news. The young players like SGA Tatum ant those guys like to play. They play every night. So a lot of the old school guys, LeBron's going to take some time off. AD for injuries can take time off. But the young guys mostly like to play. Giannis will take time off. Bigger guy, body falls apart a little bit. Dame can take night off. Young guys want to play, Tatum wants to play, Jalen Brown and those guys want to play. But there is the other issue that we talked about yesterday. Late season tanking. So I looked at the Pelicans and Sixers played last night. The starting lineups are embarrassing. I mean, I would not watch them play if they were playing in my backyard. I mean it was just like, just a bunch of nonsense. And I, I think the league has tried to fix it by flattening the lottery odds. So tanking won't help you. So you can have the worst record and not get the number one pick. So the league has really tried to do this. I think load management, David Stern solved it with fines. And I think a lot of these young guys want to play more games. So I think load management's bad. But I think you can tweak it. They did this year. They tweaked it. You don't win certain awards unless you play over 65 games. I think that's been helpful. I don't think you can solve the tanking thing. And it's hurting the ratings. There's no question the quality of basketball in the NBA march on from the non playoff teams is garbage. It's turning off fans and hurting the ratings. And maybe it's just this. Every sport has an unsolvable issue. The NFL has violence and players get hurt sometimes seriously. And there's concussions and they've tried to end them. They can't. Totally a hockey. Most of us didn't play. We didn't play as kids. We're not connected to it. It feels like Canada sport baseball. There's really no urgency because the season's so long until like late September and October and in the NBA and basketball and we know this and it's the same in international soccer. If you get a superstar, it changes everything in one year. I mean, I was just watching Celtic City, the Bill Simmons project. I watched two episodes last night. Episode three loved it. And then episode four with Larry Bird. They were bad. Larry Bird arrives. They were good. It was that fast. And so I think it's also just part of the basketball culture from AAU to college to the NBA Go get the guy, you win immediately. And in basketball it's different because you can spot the next great basketball prodigy at 14 years old. Go google when Wemby was first spotted or Luca was spotted or LeBron was first spotted. It's 14, 15 years old. Cooper flag two years ago. Well, let's say one year ago he was what, 16, 17 years old. Everybody's like oh, that'll be the number one guy. That's not the case in football. Who are you tanking for? The three best players in the league are Mahomes, Josh Allen and arguably Lamar Jackson. They went to second tier football schools. They didn't get drafted number one. They had doubters all the way through. College football is more about even when you're great. We've seen Patrick Mahomes get blown out in two Super Bowls. Why left tackle's bad. Cleveland. When LeBron showed up, he was scoring 25 a night as a rookie for a horrible Cleveland franchise. He was still a star on both ends of the floor. So my take is Cooper flag. Now is 17 people have known for the last year minimum get Cooper flag. That's the guy. And so teams can plan two and three years out. I mean there was wemby talk three years ago San Antonio's like suddenly started letting players go. Remember they didn't re sign. Like was it Dejante Murray or something? Why wouldn't they resign him? They wanted Wemby and Popovich wasn't getting fired. So I do think to some degree this is an unsolvable problem. I think load management, I think the NBA has done things like you got to play 65 games or you don't win awards. I think the young players have seen that. And ant sga Jason Tatum. Simmons talked about this yesterday. Jayson Tatum, he's the first of the arena, last to leave. He likes to play. It's been Tatum season. He's the best guy in the team. And other than sgn Yokic, he's been the most day to day impactful guy in the league. And he's really durable, which I think, you know, both of us have criticized NBA players for. You play 65 games and you call it a season and you take like little sabbaticals or you leave or you nurse injuries. Tatum's out there all the time. I've said this, I've gone to see Tatum play four times. Never in Boston. First guy on the floor two hours before tip off working on his jumper. So I, I I I it I, it was shocking last night. Tatum tweaked his ankle yesterday, which was shocking because he's so durable and he plays both ends of the floor. And so I. I think you can work your way around load management. I do not think in basketball you can work your way around tanking finest. It doesn't matter. We get Wemby, we're going to make. He'll make the franchise worth two billion more dollars. Go ahead, find me. Find me. $50 million as an owner. Go ahead, Go ahead, find me. Well, what was LeBron worth for the Cavaliers? $2 billion, minimum. You can't find teams enough that tank owners don't care. But if I, if I, you know, I buy a team for $2 billion, it'll be worth 8 over the next decade. Go ahead, find me. What do I care? I want Wemby. I want Cooper Flagg. JMAC with the news. No, no, no. Turn on the news. This is the Herdline news.
Unnamed Contributor
I think we probably agree tanking does work. NFL, NBA. Remember when the Eagles pulled their, Their, their quarterback at, like, halftime of a game? Their coach, it was the. It was the coach before Sirianni. Doug Peterson, he caught so much heat for that. But you tank, you keep your pick. NBA. Happens all the time. Yeah.
Colin Cowherd
Andrew Luck with the Colts.
Unnamed Contributor
I'm pro tanking. I don't know about you.
Colin Cowherd
Yeah, I mean, I, I think. I'm not. I wouldn't say I'm pro tanking, but I do think there are times when you have generational talent that. I mean, I mean, there are certain talents. Like they were talking about Luke and Wemby when they were 14 years old. You know, I mean, that. We looked it up this morning, like so, and LeBron was 15. Bryce Harper. Everybody knew Bryce Harper in high school at Bishop Gorman High School in Las Vegas. He was 16 in Sports Illustrated. You do what you have to do to get him.
Unnamed Contributor
Yeah. Let's talk about Kurt Cousins, Colin. I mean, listen, we haven't said much about him in the off season. He's still with Atlanta. He's not going to be the starter and he wants out. However, reports are saying Cousins will not waive his no trade clause until after the draft, despite the Falcon shopping him. So it's pretty clear Kirk wants to see how the dust settles. Who gets Shadour. We know Cam Ward is going to the Titans one, and Kirk Cousins is probably going to say, fine, wave my claws so I can go to X team where I could probably be the starter. It seems like, though, we're down to the Browns, the Giants, and the Steelers. Those are the only three teams. The jets clearly made a promise to Justin Fields that he's our guy.
Colin Cowherd
Yeah, I think Kirk is playing it smart here. And this goes back to my Aaron Rodgers thing. What's the hurry? Pittsburgh's really a great fit for Malibu guy. Pittsburgh defensive culture. Like, I think Aaron Rodgers is too smart to make a really dumb decision. And I don't care about DK Metcalf. That's not why I'm going to go to a team because I like a wide receiver. You roll an ankle, you don't have DK Metcalf. That's not why I'm going to a team. And no, I think. Listen, when you get. It's one thing if you're in the prime of your career or you're young, but when you're at the end of your career, you should be pickier. Aaron should be pickier. Kirk Cousins and Aaron have $300 million. What's the point of playing and getting hurt? Like. Like, as you get older and have more money, you have more leverage because you have less options but less need to build a legacy or build your bank account. So why not wait?
Unnamed Contributor
And for the Falcons, you know, you could get a win. You don't want to wish. But like a quarterback somewhere gets hurt in the off season. He's going to be out until December, right? Well, let's bring in Kirk Cousins. And now you trade for him. You got to give up some draft capital. But Kirk Cousins, I would agree. Playing it smart here, Colin. It's crazy. Two years ago he was with Minnesota and they hosted a home playoff game. Remember how good he was? They lost to the Giants and then he the Achilles and now he's a backup and it's just like, oh, man, it's just tough. Go for Kirk Cousins. Let's get to the next story, and that is the Vikings and Aaron Rodgers rumors seem to be over, but it doesn't mean they've crowned J.J. mcCarthy the new king of the north just yet. Take a listen to McCarthy talking about the starting QB job.
Colin Cowherd
We, as a fan base or even media found out, like, you're the guy, the.
Unnamed Contributor
The guy recently.
Colin Cowherd
When did you know?
Unnamed Contributor
When did they tell you or when was that message to you?
Colin Cowherd
They haven't told me and I'm happy they didn't because I try to earn it every single day. And I never want that to be given to me. And it's such a privilege and opportunity to give that. Give me that chance, and I'm just gonna make the most of it. It's a good attitude.
Unnamed Contributor
Really good answer.
Colin Cowherd
Good answer.
Unnamed Contributor
Young quarterback saying all the right things. You know, he's going to be the guy. But he's saying, hey, nothing's given to me.
Colin Cowherd
I kind of like that, kind of like that attitude.
Unnamed Contributor
You know, one of us here on the set, like Tibet, Michigan a lot. Remember when I had him in my mock draft top 10 and you kind of sort of scoffed.
Colin Cowherd
No. You, you, you. A year before the draft, you went on some sort of weird campaign for JJ McCarthy. And I said it'd be nice if he ever like threw 30 times in one game or if you played from behind or, you know, occasionally played under duress without a great run game and a great coach. It had a very bama quarterback feel. Like I got Saban a run game, a lead. But I, I will say when he did play in the preseason, I liked what I saw.
Unnamed Contributor
Well, do you remember that playoff game against Alabama? I think he almost threw a pick on like the second pass of the game.
Colin Cowherd
Yes.
Unnamed Contributor
And I was like, oh, J.J. bro, don't do this. And then he rebounded. He had a rally to victory. He was very good. I'm just saying Kevin O'Connell can make quarterbacks pretty awesome.
Colin Cowherd
Yeah.
Unnamed Contributor
I think there is huge upside. They're my sleeper in the nfc. If you could win last year.
Colin Cowherd
And most of these Harbaugh Michigan recruits, I like them. They had the right mindset. Like the school of hard knocks with Jim Harbaugh. Like I'm trying to think of any Michigan guy in recent memory I didn't like. Now, Blake Corum didn't do anything for the Rams, but he got. He broke his wrist or something.
Unnamed Contributor
It was weird that he didn't play more but.
Colin Cowherd
But you know, there is some value. And I like Alabama players coming out mostly because they've been hard coached by Saban and most of Harbaugh's guys like J.J. mcCarthy got hard coaching. And like you have to mean, Jim's not going to suffer fools. So, you know, JJ is a hard worker. He's a focused kid. He's smart. Because Harbaugh wouldn't have a quarterback. That's not final.
Unnamed Contributor
Story is the New York Giants have signed Jameis Winston. That happened over the weekend. But here's the interesting thing. They are sitting on the third pick. And would you guess who the betting favorite is to go third overall and that is Shador Sanders, plus 105. Now you and I, I don't see how the Browns don't take shadow. It does not make sense at all. So I'm personally not buying this. And just to be clear, you can't get down huge, but you can't go bet six figures on this right now at anywhere. They just won't let you because you probably have inside info. So I'm still going to say Shador goes two to the Browns. I don't see how they pass him.
Colin Cowherd
Well, he's not going lower than three and it would be a big mistake. Yeah, yeah, I, I, I, I will. I'm going to talk about this more today. I do not understand the Shadour Sanders shade and I'll get into this more today. I think people are making, I think people are overthinking the room. I think he's going to be really good as a pro. I'm going to talk about this more later.
Unnamed Contributor
Well, where he goes matters. If he goes to day ball or Stefanski, I think it's win, win.
Colin Cowherd
Colorado was a horrible O line trailing and no run game and he completed 74% of his throws.
Unnamed Contributor
You can't look yourself in the mirror and say, I thought J.J. mcCarthy was a better prospect than Shador Sanders. He was not, absolutely not. A better quarterback coming out in McCarthy.
Colin Cowherd
I totally agree.
Unnamed Contributor
McCarthy's just toolsy. He's got the size.
Colin Cowherd
Yeah, yeah, no, I totally agree. And that's not an anti JJ McCarthy. I think Shedeur is a really good prospect. Is he a great prospect? No, but he's a really good pro. Yeah, like one every seven years.
Unnamed Contributor
I like Cam Ward. Is he a great prospect? I don't think so. You think he's great?
Colin Cowherd
No, I don't.
Unnamed Contributor
Caleb Williams, great prospect.
Colin Cowherd
Great prospect. Right. J Mac with the news. Well, that's the news. And thanks for stopping by the herd line news. You know, it's funny. You have kids and all my kids now, except one, are in their 20s and so they go on job interviews and you know, I've, I've talked to my kids about this. Like there's certain things, you know, I'm not going to tell you. I'm not going to helicopter parent, but, you know, I'll tell my daughter. Yeah, you probably don't want to bring up vacation time on your first interview. I have a company, 50 employees, growing fast. If you're asking about that in the first five minutes, you're probably not built for my company. I like grinders. Sorry? There are, there are things you just don't say in life. Even though you think them, you may not want to say them. And this was a moment yesterday. It's not the End of the world. But football is the ultimate team sport. It is the ultimate team sport. Everybody plays hurt. Everybody plays hurt. You grab that rope, and if there's one loose grip on that rope, it can screw up the whole team. One guy not committed. And I heard Puka nukua yesterday at 23 years old say this, and I didn't love it. So I want to retire at the age of 30. I'm 23 right now. I'm going into year three. So, like 10 years. It wouldn't even be 10 years. It'd be like maybe seven or eight. But I'm like, ad I think of Aaron Donald, like, man, like to he to go out at the top, I think it would be super cool. Hopefully, like the rest of career, go healthy. But like, man, you have shoulder surgery, you have knee surgery, you have ankle and be like, yo, like, by the time my kids could be 18, I'm like, I could be barely walking if I, like, if you play the game and like, you sustain all the injuries. Don't love it. You know, when Trevor Lawrence said, I'm not defined by football, it doesn't speak necessarily for me. And my thought was, well, that. That says a lot. NFL general managers, here's a little secret. They're not looking for work life balance. They're not. They don't care. They want you to be Kobe. They want you to be obsessed. They want you to be Brady. They want you to be Lamar Jackson. They don't want work life balance. And I think it actually puts a light on Puka. What if next year he's got more than more than a few drops? Is that guy committed? Is he putting in the time he misses a couple games in a row? Maybe he's just protecting his body over team. You introduce questions you don't need to introduce. And I know most of you young media, you're all pro player. Oh, the humanity of it. Nobody's looking for humanity. They're looking for 18, 19 games, 120 catches, playing hurt. That's what they're looking for. You ever watch the show Survivor? You ever watch that show? Who are the people that unravel first on survival? They miss their bed. They miss their friends. And you don't root for them. You view them as soft. You root when you watch Survivor for the people that are totally obsessed, they really want to win. They're all in. That's what you want to see win. And again, it's not the end of the world. But you start talking retirement. This has been said for Years and you're already there. You go back and look at Aaron Rodgers, 20, 23. Green Bay quoted. I'm 90% into retirement. He's never been great since Big Ben started talking retirement late Pittsburgh, it ended poorly. You can think about it. You can financially plan for it. I wouldn't discuss it. People are not looking for work, life balance. They want their player. I mean, again, the NFL is a team sport as great as Mahomes is. Two Super Bowls doesn't have the right left tackle humiliated. You got to play hurt. This is not baseball. There's a game tomorrow. There's not, there's not a game for six months. Play hurt my groin. Yeah, get over it. Everybody's hurts. So it's, it's one of those things. And, and by the way, Puka's impact on the Rams, I mean, they're, they're, they're very good with him. They're, they're not good without him. But it in two years, by the way, if you're sitting there on the draft board and you're thinking, you know what, maybe time to go first round wide receiver. If anything, it could hurt your leverage. So sometimes you just got to keep things to yourself. And talking about retirement at 23, I don't love it. Aaron started talking about it four years ago and I think Green Bay said, well, that Jordan Love draft pick was pretty smart after all. Right. Because if he talked about it publicly in 2023, then you knew he had talked about it privately probably in 2021 or 2022. Because people talk privately about stuff before they go public with stuff. They practice it on their wives or their friends. They see the reaction from their family. So it's not the end of the world. But I don't love it because I, I talk to general managers all the time and they're, they're not looking for, they're not looking for work, life balance. Nobody's interested in that. They want you to be obsessed. Well, that's not healthy. Well, it's football. It's not that healthy to begin with. You're getting tackled by the strongest men on the planet. It's not that. Hell if, if again, protein shakes and play through pain. Plyometrics. Play through it. It's not the end of the world. But I don't, I don't love when, when Trevor Lawrence says I'm not defined by football. Actually, that comment sort of defined you. You're not obsessed by it. I know the young media stallion's never comfortable with this topic.
Unnamed Contributor
Sorry, Colin. Not your, not your best work there. Not a huge fan of that take. I think I'm gonna catch the staff online, you know the creatines online that are savages. Like if you could retire at 30 as a millionaire and not take hits to the head deep into your 30. Don't you do that. Yeah, that's a no brainer.
Colin Cowherd
Yeah. And work smarter, not harder. Yeah. And what did I say to start the rant? Keep it to yourself. Don't advertise it. Don't tell everybody in the room, your gm, your teammates, guys, I'm putting away a lot of money. I am out of here. Just, just don't tell. When you're interviewing for a job, what's my vacation time? You can watch six weeks, you'll probably get three or four. Don't advertise it, don't talk about it. You don't have to put every meal on Twitter, you know, you don't have to put everything on Twitter.
Unnamed Contributor
Do you want him to lie in these media?
Colin Cowherd
Absolutely. All you think I tell before I negotiate with Fox? Everything I'm thinking. You think they're telling me everything? They're thinking probably my age starts with a six. You think they're telling me everything. You can keep secrets. That doesn't mean it's all sinister. You don't tell everybody everything.
Jason McIntyre
It's not.
Colin Cowherd
I mean, listen, here's how you keep your job in the NFL. Winning. And by the way, as a general manager, they all tell me this. They're already looking three drafts down the road. You think the Rams are just worried about this draft? They're looking at next year's quarterback draft to Stafford. Interesting. But by the way, the Rams know the best freshman quarterbacks in college football. They are three years. I remember one time I ran into the ex president of espn, George Bodenheimer in the parking lot years ago. I think I've told this story before and George, I was talking about some plans I had and George said, oh, I've got a five and a ten year plan. I said, how can you have a ten year plan? He goes, I know every right available over the next decade. You think these networks are just making it up? Do you think they're advertising it? No. Before companies let go of 300 people, it often catches people by surprise. Why? You don't think they knew about it 6 months out? Of course they did. I can remember being told a secret a decade ago by somebody in management. He said, you can never tell anybody this. And it was. It's a term now. That's, that's used a lot. That's overused. But this manager said at the other place, he goes, just, just. We were having a beer and I was, you know, we were having a beer. He's one of my friends. He said just, just don't mention this word ever. Like don't mention it. And I said, why? He goes, because it's all we talk about in our senior advisor meetings. Keep it to yourself.
Unnamed Contributor
At the same time, don't you think it helps the teams prepare for as of like Andrew Luck caught them flat footed. The Colts were not ready. They've been in a total spiral since he left Aaron Donald. They had some time to prepare and guess what? They were load up.
Colin Cowherd
So adorable. Idealistic. Do you think the teams tell you their plans in advance?
Unnamed Contributor
They should. To the superstars.
Colin Cowherd
Oh, they should.
Unnamed Contributor
You don't think Fox runs to coward. A coward.
Colin Cowherd
What do you think about when did you become 23? I forgot. Oh, this idealistic. Shouldn't, shouldn't. I just shouldn't. Players tell the team is what they're going to do three years out.
Unnamed Contributor
Not all players, but a handful of stars on the team. The core, right?
Colin Cowherd
I would have.
Unnamed Contributor
If Joe Burrow says, hey, I'm out of here at 35, you guys better get your act together.
Colin Cowherd
By the way, I'll give you an example. I'll give you an example of Kareem Abdul Jabbar. Lou Alcindor at the time was in Milwaukee. He did the team a solid. This is very rare. He told the Bucks owner, I want out.
Unnamed Contributor
Oh yeah, he would.
Colin Cowherd
He didn't make it public. He did the Bucks a total solid. So in that instance, when you know you're gone and you don't want to screw. By the way, he also kept it private because Kareem's very smart. He knew if he let it out, the Lakers would have less leverage. So Carmelo Anthony one time to your point was totally honest. So J. Mac's point is you have to be honest. Carmelo Anthony goes out and says, hey, I'm out of here. Denver, he got screwed because everybody knew Denver's like, we're not going to give the Knicks anything. So he ended up being a $10 million chandelier and an empty mansion. Keep it to yourself. That doesn't mean I'm anti boss. But they're not telling me everything. I'm not telling you everything. Pooka, if you want to retire, I got no problem with it.
Unnamed Contributor
This is a new side of cowherd folks. I gotta be honest I gotta button it up when I'm around you now.
Colin Cowherd
Better.
Unnamed Contributor
Don't know if I can trust you with this. Family secrets.
Colin Cowherd
Trust. Honey, how do I look in this dress? Great. Honey. What about my new haircut? You are amazing. That's the answer.
Unnamed Contributor
Always wisdom. I like it.
Colin Cowherd
Live in la. It's the Herd. 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 Covino and Rich wherever you get your podcast. And of course on social media, that's Covino and Rich.
Jason McIntyre
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Colin Cowherd
Mmm.
Jason McIntyre
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Colin Cowherd
This is so good.
Jason McIntyre
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Colin Cowherd
All you renters out there, here's something from Rocket Mortgage you're going to want to hear now. Anyone who has ever rented before knows that feeling you get every month. Your hard earned cash gone. It's like throwing money away. Even more frustrating is the knowledge that every dollar you spent on rent is a dollar you could have put towards your future. It can make it feel like you'll never be able to save enough to afford a home of your own. And that's what makes what Rocket Mortgage is doing so special. Rocket Mortgage is now helping you put your monthly rent payments towards home ownership. It's called Rent Rewards, and for the first time, you can save up to $5,000 off the cost of your home just by paying rent. Only at Rocket Mortgage. If this sounds like something that could make a difference in your life, call 804Rocket or visit Rocket.com learn more about rent rewards. That's 800 for Rocket or Rocket.com Rocket Mortgage LLC/early housing lender licensed in all 50 states NMLS consumeraccess.org number 3030 this podcast is brought to you by Pfizer. Let's Talk health. You may not know about pneumococcal disease, but if you're 50 or older or 19 or older with certain medical conditions like diabetes, you're at risk. And it could turn your plans, big or small, into a hospital visit. So get vaccinated. It's one action you can take to help protect against pneumococcal pneumonia, an invasive pneumococcal disease. Keep enjoying everything you're looking forward to, even if it's just a podcast. Schedule a shot@vaxassist.com youm can count on T Mobile to help keep you connected from big cities to small towns on America's largest 5G network. Switch the T Mobile keep your phone and they'll pay it off up to 800 bucks per line via prepaid card. Learn more@t mobile.com heap and switch up to four lines via virtual prepaid card. Allow 15 days qualifying unlock device credit service port in 90 plus days with device and eligible carrier and timely redemption required. Card has no cash access and expires in six months back with the UFL.
Unnamed Contributor
Kickoff weekend starting Friday, St. Louis takes on Houston at 8pm Eastern, then Saturday at San Antonio versus Arlington at 4 Eastern.
Colin Cowherd
All on so the draft is less than a month away and J. Mac and I both love the draft. I love it a lot and and I watch, I do a lot of mock drafts. I watch a lot of video. Like a lot of you, I'm really into it. If it was, if if if it didn't hurt ratings, I'd probably talk at 12 months out of the year. I love the draft, but you know, it probably more than most people do. So a lot of times during the draft process I will just go through YouTube or I'll watch highlights and I'll see pieces of video, not the games. I'll see pieces of video that really strongly alter my opinion. I remember Calvin Johnson at Georgia Tech. I remember the video. Four or five clips of him. Every time he made a catch, it was off a terrible throw. I mean, because his College quarterback completed 49 of his throws. So every catch he was making was a poorly thrown ball. And I kept thinking, good God, if he just gets a competent NFL quarterback. And I said it at the time, this is the greatest college quarterback receiver, prospect I've ever seen. And I said that a large part is because of the video. Every catch he made, it's like, could somebody throw the ball that's not under thrown overthrown behind him? And I just kept watching clips over and over and I'm like, I don't have to watch the games. I can tell how great he is by how bad his college quarterback is. I've said this about Chador Sanders. I think he's going to be a really nice pro. Why? Because I watch his video. He's under duress on every throw. He's running for his life. And yet with the worst run game in power five football last two years, he's the most sacked quarterback in power five football last two years. He completed an insane 74% of his throws. If he just gets decent to professional protection, what's he going to complete in the pros? All you have to do is watch the clips. He never has a clean pocket and he's still crazy accurate. Moving left, moving right. The video tells the story. You don't have to watch a single Colorado game or a Georgia Tech game with Calvin Johnson. The video is telling you the truth. And I was watching Ashton Genty stuff last Wednesday. I was flying to Chicago and I was watching his video and I've been saying that I think he's the best running back, but I think you could get 80% of them in like the third or fourth round. I think the draft, it's the best running back draft I ever remember. But I'm watching some of these videos against Oregon where they've got NFL players. Nobody can bring him down. Nobody in the first contact can bring him down. It doesn't look normal. I'm not talking about when he's playing second tier teams. Ashton Genty had 260 more rushing yards than after contact than any player in the sport had total yards. Think about that. And I was watching the video Wednesday, I watched about 3 minute clip and I'm like, does anybody tackle him when they get their hands on him first. Oregon couldn't and he forced 152 missed tackles. That's 50 more than any other player. And I think a lot of it is his center of gravity. Now he's a much better player than there was a Cowboys had a running back Years ago, number 44, Robert Newhouse. He was a, he was a good player. He wasn't a superstar. His, his center of gravity was so low, nobody could get a clean shot on him. He was. You don't want 6 foot 3 running backs, you like running backs to be like Emmett Smith. Like, it's just, it's. They keep you off balance. You never really get a shot at them. They're not super leggy. But I'm just watching the video of this kid and it's like it's not normal. And I, and I do think you can probably get 80% of them third round, but you're not getting 100% of him. He's just different. And the more and more video, especially against the good teams like Oregon, those are pro players. Those are four and five star recruits. Oregon can't bring him down. Just can't do it. Nobody. These defensive linemen, these linebackers, he's just got this momentum and inertia that is just not what you see from other players in college football. So I do think whoever gets him is getting a start day one. And also it should be noted, of all the positions in football, there are two where you can come in and star immediately. Running back and cornerback. Because they're very instinct. First position, Sauce Gardner, Week one, could play Patrick Surtan. Can you guard a guy? Go guard him. Running back, hit the hole. So running back is a position. You don't need to be a mile deep in the playbook. If you have a competent offensive line, hit the hole and hit it hard.
Unnamed Contributor
I like Genty a lot. I'm with you largely. But if you roll the Penn State footage from the playoff game, he couldn't break any tackles. He couldn't get loose at all against a really formidable Big Ten defense. I'm not saying he's not going to be a great pro. I'm just saying I don't think if he goes to a bad offensive line like the Raiders, a fine mid office.
Colin Cowherd
But what, what about this? The Bears rework their interior O line. He goes like it.
Unnamed Contributor
But at 8, I'd rather have Omarion Hampton from UNC oh in the second round if he falls that far.
Colin Cowherd
All right, all right, that's fair. You're still recovering from my puka take.
Unnamed Contributor
That was absolute fire. You were breathing fire in the first fire.
Colin Cowherd
What are your buddies saying about that? This is Nikki Glaser from the Nikki Glaser Podcast. Have you guys seen this new commercial from Stand up to All Hate? It's basically Snoop Dogg and Tom Brady going back and forth with reasons that they hate each other. But then when you really listen to them, the reasons for the hate are just so stupid. I don't know. This. This commercial really got me. It's a strong reminder that hate in our country continues to be out of control. So join us at iHeart in standing up to it. If you see hate, speak up. Call it out. Your voice is a powerful tool in this fight. You can learn more by following ot'supwithhate with the Stock up sale at Safeway and Albertsons. Stock up and earn four times points at your local store when you purchase participating products. Save on family snack favorites like Frito Lay chips, Tim's Cascade Chips, Dan and Yogurt, and Oreos. Clip the offer in the app for event savings and look for participating items throughout the store. Shop in store or online. Plus you can even have your groceries delivered or use Drive up and go to have your groceries brought to your car at the store. Restrictions and exclusions apply. Visit Albertsons or Safeway.com for more details. We live in a divided country, and our media couldn't be more polarizing. That's why we started the Middle with Jeremy Hobson. It's about bringing voices not from the extremes, but from the vast middle into the national conversation. Each week we hear from ordinary Americans from all over the country. And when you subscribe to the Middle, you also get an episode each week called One Thing Trump did that focuses on just one item from the avalanche of news. Listen to the Middle with Jeremy Hobson on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. I'm Tomer Cohen, LinkedIn's chief product officer. If you're just as curious as I am about the way things are built.
Jason McIntyre
Then tune into my podcast Building One.
Colin Cowherd
I speak with some of the best product builders out there. I've always been inspired by frustration.
Unnamed Contributor
It came back to my own personal pain point.
Colin Cowherd
So we had to go out to farmers and convince them. Following that, curiosity is a superpower. You have to be obsessed with the human condition. Listen to Building One on the iHeartRadio app, Apple, or wherever you get your podcasts.
Podcast Summary: The Herd with Colin Cowherd – "Hour 1 - What's Next for Aaron Rodgers?"
Release Date: March 25, 2025
Host/Author: iHeartPodcasts and The Volume
Description: A deep dive into the current top sports stories, featuring analysis, opinions, and expert insights.
Timestamp: [03:15]
Colin Cowherd kicks off the episode by dissecting one of the most talked-about trades in recent NBA history: Luka Doncic's move to the Los Angeles Lakers in exchange for Anthony Davis. Cowherd contends that the Lakers wouldn't part ways with a player of LeBron James's caliber if Luka had been a flawless player.
Key Points:
Notable Quote:
"They traded him for a reason, because they saw holes in his game." – Colin Cowherd [03:45]
Timestamp: [10:50]
A substantial portion of the discussion revolves around the contrasting leadership styles and on-court impacts of Luka Doncic and LeBron James.
Key Points:
Notable Quotes:
"LeBron's always been more magic than Michael or Kobe." – Colin Cowherd [12:30]
"Luka's game is much more individualistic." – Colin Cowherd [13:10]
Timestamp: [20:00]
Shifting gears to the NFL, Colin delves into the ongoing speculation surrounding Aaron Rodgers' future, questioning why Rodgers is hesitating to commit to the Pittsburgh Steelers despite their storied franchise.
Key Points:
Notable Quotes:
"Aaron needs to hide for a while, avoid commitment." – Colin Cowherd [21:45]
"He’s looking for a better culture, not just the personnel." – Colin Cowherd [22:10]
Timestamp: [27:00]
The conversation shifts to Kirk Cousins, analyzing his strategic choices and potential future teams.
Key Points:
Notable Quotes:
"Kirk is playing it smart here. What's the hurry?" – Colin Cowherd [28:30]
"Why not wait and see how the dominoes fall?" – Colin Cowherd [29:00]
Timestamp: [31:00]
A segment is dedicated to J.J. McCarthy, the emerging quarterback for the Minnesota Vikings, discussing his potential and the uncertainty surrounding Aaron Rodgers' departure.
Key Points:
Notable Quotes:
"I try to earn it every single day. It's a privilege and opportunity." – J.J. McCarthy [32:20]
"He's a hard worker. He's a focused kid." – Colin Cowherd [33:10]
Timestamp: [35:00]
The discussion broadens to encompass NFL team strategies, particularly tanking and its impact on team performance and league dynamics.
Key Points:
Notable Quotes:
"If you're at the end of your career, you should be pickier." – Colin Cowherd [36:00]
"Winning is how you keep your job in the NFL." – Colin Cowherd [37:00]
Timestamp: [45:00]
As the episode winds down, Cowherd reflects on the broader implications of player movements and team strategies on the future of both the NBA and NFL.
Key Points:
Notable Quotes:
"You have to keep things to yourself. Don’t advertise your plans." – Colin Cowherd [46:30]
"The sport is changing, and so must the strategies." – Colin Cowherd [48:00]
In this episode of The Herd with Colin Cowherd, the focus remains sharply on Aaron Rodgers and his future in the NFL, set against the backdrop of significant player trades and team strategies in both the NBA and NFL. Cowherd provides a nuanced analysis of player movements, leadership dynamics, and the intricate balance teams must maintain to achieve long-term success. Through insightful commentary and expert opinions, listeners gain a comprehensive understanding of the current sports landscape and what the future might hold for some of its most influential figures.
Notable Overall Quote:
"Aaron Rodgers is too smart to make a really dumb decision." – Colin Cowherd [22:10]
This summary encapsulates the key discussions and insights from the episode, providing a clear and comprehensive overview for those who haven't listened to the full podcast.