Jason McIntyre (3:52)

I don't disagree, but Colin, you, I don't know why you don't want to use the word choke when you end the game giving up a 23, 6 run. That is choke city. Clutch time. The Knicks have dominated the series. Bridges and Anunoby are locking down Brown and Tatum. I know Tatum's getting a lot of heat, but where's Jaylen Brown? That finals MVP can't do anything. The Knicks defense in clutch time has been tremendous and they have the best closure in basketball in Jalen Brunson.

Colin Cowherd (4:17)

And here's the other thing is I see a lot of Laker and Clipper basketball because I live here, right? And so I watch on local programming at their own, I watch them, I watch more Dodgers. In football, we all watch all the teams. College football, I watch the big teams. But it's interesting, I saw this Luka Doncic yesterday said he really appreciates Los Angeles accepting him. And my take is, bro, it's not that complicated. You're a star, they need one. LeBron's getting old. Both Los Angeles basketball franchises. When I watch young Oklahoma City and young Indiana and young Houston and young San Antonio this year, boy, these, these LA franchises have to look in the mirror. It's a collection of old guys, guys past their prime, infrequently available guys, injury prone guys, marginally in shape, guys Like Luca and weird guys. And so the marquee for the movie is great. The movie's not very good for the Clippers or the Lakers. The Clippers should not have lost that series. You're talking about a head coach for Denver that got inserted into the team as a head coach against Ty Lu, one of the better coaches. The Clippers were deeper. The Clippers had an advantage at coach and coaching matters and they still couldn't win. So you got, I mean, just say it out loud. 40 year old LeBron out of shape. Luka rarely available. Kawhi and you know, James Harden. Enough said. So I just, I look at San Antonio and Houston and Cleveland and Minnesota with ant and I see all these western teams now. Obviously Indiana's east, but I look at a lot of these team. Indiana's east, but you look at a lot of these teams. It's like we said this about the Milwaukee Bucks and Yianis a couple years ago. We said this three years ago. It's over. You may not know it, you have one great player, but it's over. You're getting old and creaky. These LA teams, this is like LA fake LA nonsense. These are not championship teams. JJ Redick got work. Luke is out of shape. LeBron's old and dried up in the fourth quarter. Austin Reeves couldn't get to the free throw line. You're not close. You got completely dominated by Minnesota and Minnesota just got worked by Golden State. So playoff basketball is about being in great shape, having a culture, an elite coach, multiple wing defenders. Lakers don't have them. Clippers have the wing defenders. Can't build a cultural culture around Harden and Kawhi. And I think there is a suggestion for one of these teams because I'm told Clippers are just going to do what they're doing and they're not going to make any changes. Big mistake. To me, they'll just be the clippers, the Lakers. LeBron James could enact actionable change. Here's a suggestion about LeBron maybe taking a team friendly deal going forward. If I were LeBron, the thing you cannot buy with whatever amount of money you do get in that contract is championship rings. And if you took just the league minimum and you were, that allows a.

Jason McIntyre (7:15)

Third really sort of huge superstar to come in.

Colin Cowherd (7:18)

He could get maybe two rings.

Jason McIntyre (7:20)

And by the way, that puts him.

Colin Cowherd (7:22)

In one more ring, puts him in the Kobe conversation.

Albert Breer (7:25)

Two more rings, puts him in the.

Colin Cowherd (7:26)

Michael Jordan ring conversation. And I don't care how much money.

Albert Breer (7:31)

The Lakers can pay him in the.

Colin Cowherd (7:32)

Next year or two they can't pay him more championship rings. Yeah. Otherwise, I mean you can't be watching Oklahoma City and Indiana and Houston's talent and here comes Wemby and Giannis is going to go to one of these teams and then look at the Lakers and Clippers and go I feel great about our future. Too many weird, odd, rarely available, not in great shape, quirky guys. Again, the marquee at the theater looks great. The movie's not with that. Albert Brear, Monday morning quarterback is joining us now. So you tell me. I if Mike Tomlin bails on a high maintenance player, the history shows you they disappear into the wilderness. Bryant the wide receiver was great. He's gone. He disappears. Deontay Johnson. So it's just if Warren Buffett tells you to sell a stock, sell the stock. If Kyle Shanahan doesn't like a quarterback, I wouldn't go buy him. I think the Steelers told you this guy is a handful. Were you surprised by the move?

Albert Breer (8:38)

A little bit. Just at the timing. I know he was available before the draft, but I thought once they got past the draft maybe they would bite the bullet and go with him for the rest of the year. Now there's certainly a lot of reasons for them to move on. Right now he is to some degree redundant with, with DK Metcalf, which you know, they're both ex receivers, they're both down the field targets and, and I think if you, you know, take that into account, Colin, one thing you do have to consider is if this guy was frustrated with the direction of the offense or his role in the offense over the last couple of years, where's that going to be? If you get to October and November and now all of a sudden you've got life changing money on the line. Is that or is that going to get worse? I'd say it probably gets worse, you know, so I don't think the Steelers thought this is a bad hearted guy. There's certainly not like a host of off field issues that you're dealing with with him. But you know, I do think they looked at a player who, because they weren't going to pay him at the level he probably wants to be paid, could wind up being a problem for them as they try to pursue a championship this year and try to pursue a certain quarterback as well. And this is a chance for them to get the pick. They would probably get in a comp pick a year earlier than they would have gotten it and now they clear the decks and maybe they Make a move for another veteran receiver. They really like Calvin Austin. They got Roman Wilson, they took in the third round last year. And you know, it's a risk, but it's, it's, it's a logical calculator risk.

Colin Cowherd (10:05)

Okay, so here's the other thing. CD Lamb and Dak, I mean, that lot of targets. And CD Lamb, even when targeted the most, still complains about looks. I mean, is he going to be okay getting 40% of his targets cut?

Albert Breer (10:24)

I mean, and that's that. To me, Colin is like why Brian Schottenheimer is a really important figure here. It's. This is what you've put at the doorstep for your, your first year head coach. And how is that going to be handled? And, you know, it's something we won't really know until we get to the fall. It's really easy for everybody to hold hands and sing Kumbaya in May and June. And I'm sure you're going to hear, hear a. That it's more difficult when you know you're playing for playoff position in October and November. And maybe the best thing for the team is to keep feeding the ball to CD Lam. And the best thing for the team is for George Pickens to be a decoy. But again, it's the same sort of dynamic I was talking about the Steelers. Like George Pickens, if he's not signed long term at that point could be worried about his payday. And his history has been that he's had trouble controlling his emotions and his frustrations when he doesn't like the direction of the offense or his role within it. So again, nothing like horrible here like you're going to have like this, that this guy's going to tear your team apart. But I think there is a reality to all of this that's going to have to be managed early, and I think there's going to have to be a lot of clear communication. And I think a lot of this falls at the feet of the, the, of the, of the new head coach who, you know, Shotty's got a great personality. I think he'll do a great job building a culture there. You know, one of his first jobs now is to make sure that everything is clear with the receiver room as to the roles that they're going to play, how that could play out over the course of the year. So there aren't a lot of surprises or there aren't at least a lot of things that you haven't already forecasted on the plate of those two guys.

Colin Cowherd (12:02)

So I thought your reporting on Shadour was the best out there. Shedeur Sanders. You know, I think a lot of people just didn't want to be critical of Deion Sanders because he's popular in the media and you were very upfront about it. Your reporting was great. I tend to think by Thanksgiving he'll just potentially be the best quarterback they have and the fans will be clamoring for him because it's not a very good team and they'll be losing games. Give me the latest report you have on the quarterback situation in Cleveland. Albert.

Albert Breer (12:30)

Yeah, I think the spring's gonna be really important, you know, the next five or six weeks, because you have in today's NFL a limited number of reps that, yeah, that can go around in May and June and then a limited amount of reps that you have for the summer. And this isn't just about having a quarterback derby. It's a team full of veteran players, proud veteran players like Miles Garrett and Denzel Ward that have designs and getting back to the playoffs. They got there two years ago. So a good chunk of training camp is going to have to be about, okay, who's our quarterback and how do we build around them and how do we build some momentum in the summer so we can hit the ground running when we get to the fall. And it's easy to do when you have two quarterbacks competing for snaps. It's more difficult when you're trying to get time for all four of them, you know, and so I think, you know, when you're looking at where you're at in the spring, it's going to be which veteran looks better, you know, Joe Flacco versus Kenny Pickett. And how do the two rookies look? And not only are the rookies ready to compete to be a starter, but are either the rookies ready to be a backup. You know, that's going to be a big part of the equation too, because that's going to affect how many quarterbacks you keep. The guarantees in Flacco and Pickett steals are almost identical. So the cost for walking away from either of those guys would be the same. And you generally don't cut a third round pick. But this is an unusual situation where you've got another guy at his position that you took in the fifth round. So it's complicated in just about every way. I would expect that one of the two veterans will probably be the week one starter. And then like you said, like so much of either of the rookies finding a way onto the field will be. Did they do enough in the spring to get meaningful reps in the summer? Did they do enough in the summer to prove themselves as viable options? And then if one of the veterans doesn't play well or the team doesn't play well, does that opportunity present itself when you get to the later parts of the season?

Colin Cowherd (14:20)

Okay, so I, you know, it's funny about Aaron Rodgers. I read a story, this could have been you as well. And I think this is actually smart. I had said before the draft Aaron should watch Kirk Cousins and not, not make a move until after the draft. And when Pittsburgh went out and got Will Howard, it's like, okay, that's a backup. That, that is clearly a prospect, a project. Then there's a story out that Aaron is waiting for the schedule to be released and I actually defended him. And I don't know if it's you. I think I've been reading so much stuff on this and my take is Peyton Manning and Kirk Cousins. They loved one o' clock Windows. It drove Peyton crazy when he was dotted all on Thursday night and Monday night.

Albert Breer (14:59)

Yeah.

Colin Cowherd (15:00)

And so what do you make? There's a story out there about that. I kind of buy it. What do you make of it?

Albert Breer (15:07)

Well, we know they're going to Dublin. Right. So I don't know how, I don't know how Aaron feels about, about visiting Ireland. But if that's something he's wanted to do, that opportunity will be there for this with the Steelers. So we know that that's going to be on their schedule. I mean, look like the Steelers are a premier franchise. I, I would think that they're going to have a fair amount of, they're going to have a fair amount of prime time games. Regardless of whether or not Aaron makes a decision between now and the schedule release next week. They're one of those teams with the Cowboys and the packers that are always going to be in prime time. Plenty. I actually think, Colin, I think, you know, really what this is about as much as anything else is Aaron taking his time. And I think we can all respect, you know, what he said about this being a personal situation that's held some things up. The Steelers are trying to be respectful of it too. Then I actually think a decent sized chunk of this whole thing is that the Steelers and Aaron both know like they both know that if he were to have signed like three or four weeks ago, what are we all talking about now? Why isn't he at the off season program yet and OTA starting a couple weeks, is he Showing up. Then we get to minicamp. Oh, my God, he's not at minicamp. They avoid all of this by not doing a deal now. Now, I think the risk to the Steelers, of course, and not pushing it, is that he could change his mind. He could retire. He could. There could be another opportunity that opens up somewhere else that could be more appealing to him. But the sense I've gotten to this point is that he and the Steelers are on the same page. The schedule, release things kind of interesting, and maybe that could affect his thinking. I'm just not sure this thing is that fragile where the schedule going one way or the other could really make or break whether or not he's a Steeler this year.

Colin Cowherd (16:55)

Okay. I could ask you about some other stuff, but that's good. I. Hey, five, by the way, you're a Buckeye, and I. And I respect that. I think J.J. mcCarthy is closer to Jackson Darth than Jaden Daniels. I think there's a history that shows guys that come from power programs that don't play, don't play from behind. Ohio State quarterbacks, they don't play from behind. They play with stack rosters, and they're not asked to win games. They're often asked not to screw it up. I'm not a J.J. mcCarthy guy. I was much more. Even though Bo Nix didn't have a lot of deficits, Bo Nix from Auburn to Oregon had five different coordinators, and there was. I mean, he was asked to do a ton. J.J. mcCarthy was asked to hand the ball off with a 17. 3 lead in the first quarter. Well, Minnesota, what do you really hear about this? They wanted.

Albert Breer (17:50)

He made a bunch of throws that annoyed me. I know that.

Colin Cowherd (17:54)

I want. I want be totally.

Albert Breer (17:56)

Here's what I would say. Here's what I would say. Like, I think he played. I think he played really good in big games at Michigan. I do think, like, to your point, that the. The lack of, like the. The massive amount of attempts and the lack of time played when you're playing from behind, the lack of third and longs because of the great run game that he had there. It's. It limits his exposure and the NFL's exposure to a lot of the things that separate good quarterbacks from great quarterbacks. There are a lot of quarterbacks in the NFL that can play in second and five. They can play in third and two. There are fewer that can play when they're down by 17 and the pass rushers have their ears pinned back. There are fewer that can operate in an efficient way. When it's third and 14. So we have less evidence of JJ McCarthy doing that because of how good the team around him was at Michigan. Doesn't mean he can't do it, but it's something that you're projecting. And obviously the Vikings were robbed of getting to test him a lot of different ways because of the injury last year. So they're projecting a little bit too now. You know, we've been through everything that he went through. He had a lot of ups and downs going through the rehab and, you know, with the weight loss and everything else. I. I've been told, and Kevin o' Connell said this to me a couple weeks ago, that he's in a really good place. His weight's back up. He is, I think, in a better place than he was three, four, five months ago and has been in the facility every single day since the season ended. Okay, what will that add up to? We'll see. Because like you said, there's still so many things that you are projecting because there are a lot of things that, because of how good the team he played with at Michigan was, you are projecting with them.

Colin Cowherd (19:34)

Yeah. By the way, final season in college games with 30 or more pass attempts, Bo Nicks, 10, J.J. mcCarthy one. Yep.

Albert Breer (19:43)

And that's it. That's it. I mean, like, that. It's a projection. It's a. It's a. It's hard. You know, like, I hate to say this, but this is sort of what, like, hurt Brady when he was coming out of Michigan. I'm not making that comparison. It is like Brady was playing with Jeff Backus and Steve Hutchinson and David Terrell and Marquis Walker and Anthony Thomas and a stout defense with first round picks. Like, sometimes you have to make the. I mean, Peyton Manning had some of that at Tennessee, you know, so, yes, there's definitely a projection. And again, like, you have to like to be a great quarterback in the NFL. You have to be able to play from behind. You have to be able to play on third and long. And because of how good the team around him was at Michigan, he didn't have to do that a ton. Which again, means that you're. You're hoping that he winds up getting there as a pro.

Colin Cowherd (20:33)

Good stuff. Albert Brewer, good seeing you, buddy.

Albert Breer (20:36)

Awesome. Thanks, Colin.

Colin Cowherd (20:37)

I always love asking Buckeyes what they think of Wolverines. That's my favorite question. And vice versa. No, I'd say I. I'm not picking on anybody. I hope it works out well, but it's. It. I. That's one of the things I've always said, why Alabama quarterbacks don't crush. When you play with a lead and a great run game and the better coach, it's hard. It's not like. It's almost like honestly, how many pro athlete grow up rich? Most of most pro athletes in my lifetime, you can go to international soccer stars in Brazil or, or Croatia. Very few wealthy kids become great at. Because it's hard.

Jason McIntyre (21:14)

Oh, Patrick Mahomes.

Colin Cowherd (21:15)

No, no, no, no, no. But Patrick Mahomes, dad, he's a pro athlete. They weren't wealthy, I'm saying is the struggle. I was just talking to somebody last night. He is a music producer and we were talking about LA kids and he was talking about. Yeah, they don't quite have the hunger. Well, the economy here is good. Mom and dad are doing well. He goes, we've, you know, you can find a lot more talent. You ever watch American Idol? It was the kid from rural Georgia, East Texas. Those kids make it or they, or it's a sad life, you know. So it's like my takeaway has always been on this and what's the point? When you play in college football as a quarterback and you have very little discomfort, you never throw under duress, you never, you're never in a third and 24 game on the line. It's just an easier life. Matt Ryan in and told the NFL guys and Big Ben was Miami of Ohio and Josh Allen's at Wyoming and Mahomes is at Texas Tech and Aaron's at Cal and Goff's at Cal and Philip Rivers NC State. There's. It's not like just me making it up. You would think that Ohio State would have 11 NFL quarterbacks. I mean all you think of it all time. But it's just hard to play college for four years. And it is not that it's a country club, but it's good. Eaton being the quarterback with Jim Harbaugh in college.

Jason McIntyre (22:37)

What about your guy Mac Jones? How's he panning out in the league?

Colin Cowherd (22:39)

Prime example, Never played trailing. But if you start looking around like.

Jason McIntyre (22:44)

I mean Jalen Hurts is probably in recent memory the best quarterback from Alabama. He got a transfer.

Colin Cowherd (22:48)

Well, but he got benched.

Albert Breer (22:50)

Yeah.

Colin Cowherd (22:50)

So he's a guy that's got. Somebody told him you're not good enough and bench. So he was, you know, humbled. Not that he needs it because he's such a good kid, but there is something to be say a lot of the quarterbacks had to transfer. Joe Burrow, Ohio State, you say, well, he played at lsu. No, no, no. He's an Ohio kid. He wanted to be a Buckeye. He had to transfer schools and go to Louisiana and ed orge on a new coaching staff. So he had some turbulence in his career.

Jason McIntyre (23:16)

Yeah, that's it.

Colin Cowherd (23:17)

It's like you. You could living over on the beach.

Jason McIntyre (23:20)

What would now I am. I did. I grew up a hard scrabble. Northern Virginia, the top.

Colin Cowherd (23:25)

Northern Virginia, the richest county in the world.

Jason McIntyre (23:29)

No, not even close. Outside, definitely not. I know. Hey, never did Europe or Asia as a kid. I know.

Colin Cowherd (23:35)

You're a world for you a five or a six car family. Family.

Jason McIntyre (23:38)

No, we are our big trips. And I hope my family's not watching. We'd be like, hey, we're driving to Canada to see some family members. We would drive like nine hours to Canada. I didn't fly.

Colin Cowherd (23:48)

Well, we all did as kids.

Jason McIntyre (23:49)

Yeah, a lot of baller trips. You know, the kids now are spoiled. They are.

Colin Cowherd (23:54)

Especially in your neighborhood.

Jason McIntyre (23:55)

No, no, no. Enough about me. Let's turn it back.

Colin Cowherd (23:59)

Where'd you go last night, by the way? What'd you have for dinner?

Jason McIntyre (24:02)

Anyway, so we're doing herd line after the break.

Colin Cowherd (24:04)

Let's go. She sends me a picture of wine and steak. One more herd. The herd streams 24 hours a day, seven days a week within the iHeartRadio app.

Albert Breer (24:14)

Search herd to listen live or on demand, whenever you'd like.

Colin Cowherd (24:18)

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 day at the lake. That's a no. A Philly cheesesteak? That's a yes. A nice tan. Sorry. A box fan. Happily, yes. What about a day of sunshine? Not happening. How about a box of fine wines? Yeah, that's happening. Delivery's on its way. Okay, how about some clear skies? Nope. Well, how about some french fries? Yeah. So how about a freshly cut lawn? Can't help you there. But a barbecued prawn? Order it and it's on its way. Even throw in some paper towels. Clean up after the feast. So while you can't get fun in the sun delivered, don't worry because you can get pork buns delivered. 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. Introducing Instagram teen accounts. A new way to keep your teen safer as they grow. Like making sure always have their seatbelt on. All right, sweetie pie, buckle up. Good job. Or ring the bell on their bike. Okay, kid, give it a try. Nice. Or remember their elbow pads. Knees too. Okay. Yep. There you go. New Instagram teen accounts. Automatic protections for who can contact your teen and the content they can see. When you're with Amex Business Platinum, you.

Jason McIntyre (25:56)

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Colin Cowherd (26:12)

That's the powerful backing of American Express.

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Colin Cowherd (26:17)

Learn more@americanexpress.com AmExBusiness if you're an inventory specialist in a warehouse, Grainger knows you've probably faced a situation like this before. Your forklift, your facility's workhorse, is leaking hydraulic fluid. And with a full schedule of shipments on the docket, this has the potential to cause a major delay of game. But you're not worried. You're prepared for this type of situation and you have an ace in the hole. Grainger Grainger offers professional grade products for every industry, from hydraulic oils and hoses. So much more. Plus next day delivery. So you can be confident that you'll have the product you need on hand to fix that forklift and get it back in the game. Call 1-800-granger. Click granger.com or just stop by Granger for the ones who get it done. Well, congratulations to the first American pope. Robert Prevost from Chicago went to Villanova, so he's a culture guy. Totally. How about that? Gotta speak Italian, not Latin. But is that the first American pope? I think it is.

Jason McIntyre (27:24)

I think so. Chicago just winning the off season.

Colin Cowherd (27:27)

Things are happening there.

Jason McIntyre (27:29)

Ben Johnson, offensive line rebuilt. They just got to fix the Bulls.

Colin Cowherd (27:32)

Pretty cool. People are crying, there's tears, there's children. It's amazing scene. Yeah, amazing scene. All right, J. Mac with the news.

Jason McIntyre (27:40)

No, no, no, turn on the news.

Colin Cowherd (27:43)

This is the Herd liability Nova mentions on the show today. Yeah. Went to Villanova.

Jason McIntyre (27:48)

Jaylen Brunson's taking the Knicks to the finals. It's going to be a Villanova all all next month. So we haven't talked a lot about the Met gala, which was Monday night. Saquon Barkley was there and of course they asked him on the red or blue or whatever color carpet it was. Hey, man, what about the tush push? Saquan if you don't like it, get better at stopping it. It's not like a play that we only do. Everyone tries it. We're just super successful at it. He's not wrong, Colin. Don't be part of the NFL, no fun league that wants to outlaw the Tush push. Do not outlaw that. I like the Tush push. I know you're against it because, well, you know it.

Colin Cowherd (28:24)

There is something to be said that it works because of a uniquely gifted quarterback in Jalen. Hurts size and strength. We've never had a quarterback you know squat, 660 pounds. That's a big part of it. And Howie Roseman has built a, A, a brick wall of an offensive line. So it's a personnel advantage. They're not rigging the system. Their personnel is built for it to work. Like Buffalo has a good old line, but their quarterback, 66 and a half. So when Josh Allen jumps over, he's an easy target. The problem with Herz is you can't get a shot at him. Grabs it. Docs goes down and his leg strength is historical.

Jason McIntyre (29:02)

Try it against the Chiefs.

Colin Cowherd (29:03)

It just doesn't. It's. Justin Herbert tried it. He was too tall.

Jason McIntyre (29:06)

Daniel Jones tried it. That guy got hurt.

Colin Cowherd (29:09)

Doesn't work. So it is based on personnel. It's not, you know, it's. It's harder for me to say no. Now, I do think people can get hurt. I also think it's awful aesthetically. But if you're arguing, hey, we came up with something and our personnel is built for it to work. Everybody else in the league can use it. Now, I do think because everybody else in the league doesn't do it, that's an advantage to Philadelphia. If everybody was doing it nine times a game, they would ban it because it's ugly.

Jason McIntyre (29:38)

Well, they still might ban it.

Colin Cowherd (29:39)

We'll.

Jason McIntyre (29:39)

We'll see. Next up is the Chargers. Colin, yesterday you said they were maybe. It was two days ago you said they were going to win the division. Well, you know, Jim Harbaugh mentioned that Herbert, he wanted to get him to the hall of Fame. Well, how about this one? Chargers quarterback Eli Apple says Justin Herbert has the most impressive arm he's ever seen and been able to watch up close. Adding the way the ball comes off his hand is nothing short of amazing. Herbert definitely opened my eyes. You're impressed by arm strength?

Colin Cowherd (30:10)

Part.

Jason McIntyre (30:11)

That's part of the reason I got this job on the show. My arms.

Colin Cowherd (30:13)

Well, I think it's time to win a playoff game. And I love him, but it's time.

Jason McIntyre (30:16)

Can they pull that off this match?

Colin Cowherd (30:18)

They're going to win their division by two games. They're going to, they're going to, they're going to be. Listen, you guys doubted me on Denver and Washington. They're going to win their division going away.

Jason McIntyre (30:25)

So we have like the four obvious, the four horsemen, the four great quarterbacks in league. The fifth spot has been a revolving door. Remember Trevor Lawrence had a shot. Yeah, I put Jalen Hurts there. I think you kind of lean Herbert as the fifth best quarterback.

Colin Cowherd (30:38)

Stafford, I think is better in big game situations.

Jason McIntyre (30:41)

He's a veteran. He's got like 15 years on.

Colin Cowherd (30:44)

So. Yeah, I mean it's, he's top 10. We all know that. C.J. stroud, him. I don't need a ton of playoff wins by CJ Stroud or Justin Herbert. My eyes tell me they're great. It's again, we get so caught up on this. Like Lamar Jackson, he wins 77% of his games. He's really good. I'll resign him.

Jason McIntyre (31:01)

I was trying to think of an NBA player comparison for Herbert. Someone who all the stats guys love, right? He's, he's toolsy, he's got the frame and everything. But the results are quite there. But I couldn't really come up with anyone.

Colin Cowherd (31:14)

Well, the results were there except the playoff game and they're just a.

Jason McIntyre (31:17)

All that matters is the playoffs.

Colin Cowherd (31:18)

No, that's not true. That's not. Dan Marino's an all time great.

Jason McIntyre (31:21)

He went to a Super Bowl.

Colin Cowherd (31:23)

One in 20 years. Come on. Nobody has zero playoff wins and baseball in the NFL. Winning matters in the NFL. But if you're an unbelievably profound regular season winner like Lamar Jackson, Lamar's going to go to the hall of Fame if he never wins a lot. Absolutely.

Jason McIntyre (31:41)

He's got playoffs.

Colin Cowherd (31:42)

Eli Manning wasn't good enough. He had to win Super Bowls to get in. Philip Rivers wasn't good enough. He had to win Super Bowl.

Jason McIntyre (31:50)

At what point do we say, hey, Herbert, can you win me a playoff game? Like, is that too much to ask? I'm pro, Herbert. I think they're very good.

Colin Cowherd (31:58)

How about, how about I make a small bet this is the year he'll win 1? Or 3. I still think they have a chance.

Jason McIntyre (32:04)

Excuse me?

Colin Cowherd (32:04)

Or three, I think they have a chance to win the Super Bowl.

Jason McIntyre (32:09)

I think it's time for a herd hierarchy. They got to be top 10 then.

Colin Cowherd (32:12)

Yeah, they are. Yeah. Chargers win this, I think after the draft. Najee Harris. I think they're 6th, 7th, 5th 6th best team in the league. Yeah.

Jason McIntyre (32:19)

Do they have the worst wide receiver room in the. In the nfc?

Colin Cowherd (32:22)

I don't think it's great. But that's not Harbaugh's history. He didn't have a bigger receiver room at Michigan, San Francisco, Stanford. That's not ever been his thing by the way, is the best receiver room. Did New England have it a lot?

Jason McIntyre (32:36)

I'm not asking for the. I'm just asking for nothing.

Colin Cowherd (32:38)

How's Kansas City's receiver room the last two years? You know who had a great receiver room last couple years? Miami. Congrats. Congrats Miami. And you're great.

Jason McIntyre (32:47)

Let me rephrase the question, mister. Like this is a courtroom. Can they get to the Super bowl with Lad McConkey as their number one receiver?

Colin Cowherd (32:55)

Well, he will. It'll be a run team. First 55% run team. You can get to the NFL. Vlad is your highest producing receiver, but you have to have twos and threes. By the way, the two best receiving courts in the league last year were Cincinnati and Minnesota. Kansas City's got two trophies.

Jason McIntyre (33:14)

Won the Super bowl with A.J. brown and Devontae Smith or two top 10 receivers.

Colin Cowherd (33:18)

They were. But I. When I think of them, I think of Saquon Barkley. I don't think of their receivers.

Jason McIntyre (33:23)

Well, that's a U problem. Problem, my friend. Final story calls to the NBA where the Knicks came back from down 20 in game two. And this has become a trend. The comeback win. With the fifth time in these playoffs a team has come back from down 20 to get a win. Wow, Colin, that is historic stuff. And we can't just chalk it up to three pointers. I don't think we can just chalk it up to physical play. Is there something else that we're missing here on. I think the Thunder Grizzly gave me John Morant got hurt and missed the second half.

Colin Cowherd (33:54)

So that one's so It's a great question. Why do we have so many comeback wins? Number one is the three point shot allows you to catch up fast. Number two is we don't have a great team in the league right now. There are no.

Jason McIntyre (34:07)

I was told OKC almost won 70 games. They're not great.

Colin Cowherd (34:11)

They've. They've never been to a finals with this group of guys. So when you don't have a great team, you have a lot of really good teams losing home games and blowing leads. And over the last seven to eight, we thought Denver was going to be great. No, Denver's very good. I thought Boston was Great. They look like they're terrified.

Jason McIntyre (34:31)

So what is Boston? Are they great?

Colin Cowherd (34:32)

Well, I think they have things they're great at. They have a depth of roster, a lot of ball handlers, passers and shooters. I think their front office is great. But there's a lack of aggressiveness from their star that is noticeably absent in big spots.

Jason McIntyre (34:52)

How much is coaching a factor? Because one thing I noticed in that pacers come back two nights ago against the Cavs, Indiana had 26, 26 points in the paint in the fourth quarter. Yeah, they just were going to run pick and roll.

Colin Cowherd (35:03)

Carlisle is a great coach.

Jason McIntyre (35:04)

Carlisle, Kerr.

Colin Cowherd (35:06)

I think Finch and Kerr are excellent coaches.

Jason McIntyre (35:09)

Watching Boston, New York last night, I'm expecting Boston to just say let's get some switches. Tatum on, Brunson on the, on the block and you get a bucket. There was none of that, Colin.

Colin Cowherd (35:17)

Well, I don't think Missoula's viewed as Steve Kerr.

Jason McIntyre (35:21)

Would you give me a percentage that Joe Missoula. If they lose this series, Joe Missoula is fired.

Colin Cowherd (35:27)

No, they don't. That's. That. That's not how they are.

Jason McIntyre (35:29)

Timeout. Michael Malone just got run.

Colin Cowherd (35:31)

No, no. The. Michael Malone is a disagreeable, hot tempered coach that Missoula's not. He's got great religious conviction. He is very centered. He's not a screamer. He's a different cat.

Jason McIntyre (35:44)

Zero percent chance Missoula.

Colin Cowherd (35:45)

Zero.

Jason McIntyre (35:47)

Oh, I have. I have a feeling some people are going to clip this off and hold it over your head.

Colin Cowherd (35:52)

0% chance you would fire him if he loses to a really good Knicks team.

Jason McIntyre (35:56)

I didn't say I would, but this is embarrassing when you're blowing 20 point leads at home in the third quarter. Colin. That's really bad. It can't just be on the stars. I would say at least 25% chance Missoula's gone.

Colin Cowherd (36:09)

Well, that's not how the Celtics operate.

Jason McIntyre (36:12)

So you got zero. I got 25.

Colin Cowherd (36:15)

Why in the world would they. I said this two days ago. The Celtics are a weird champion. They're better on the road than at home. Their star is passive. I mean, they don't historically make sense, but they're so well drafted and well constructed that they're just. They almost have a little bit of a cheat code with a new cba. Nobody else would have this many good players comes into the middle of it and you can't do this, this, this. The Celtics are like, well, we've already done it. We're all grandfathered in.

Jason McIntyre (36:46)

So Sprat Stevens built an amazing team. They've got an incredible roster top.

Colin Cowherd (36:51)

How about this? Now, is this the legitimate site or the fake one?

Jason McIntyre (36:56)

Let's not fall for anything, okay?

Colin Cowherd (36:58)

According to Brian Windhorst. I really like Wendy. I don't know about you, but I think he's very good. The Celtics could break up if they lose this series against the Knicks. According to Windhorst, windy quote. There's a possibility this team's not going to come back. That's what's on the line. Well, if they, if they. By the way, if they got beat like in five and you're like, holy, then you would just make moves. Because by the way, they have a new owner and they're very expensive and that guy could be saying, timeout, I'm paying this and you can't beat the Knicks then.

Jason McIntyre (37:33)

That doesn't totally. Remember I floated the Giannis for Jalen Brown package about two months ago. I'm just telling you they can go and get Giannis because they've got pieces. Right? And you pair Giannis and Tatum in Boston. That's formidable.

Colin Cowherd (37:47)

That's interesting because I would take Jalen Brown, would be a very nice piece, but I would need four draft picks. Jalen Brown, Peyton Pritchard, I want my back court set. Give me Brown, Peyton Pritchard, four draft picks and then a bench. Like a, like a. I'm giving you.

Jason McIntyre (38:04)

A finals MVP in Jalen Brown.

Colin Cowherd (38:05)

An all star timeout.

Jason McIntyre (38:06)

You're not getting four picks. Fine, go ahead, take the Houston offer. Go ahead, take all.

Colin Cowherd (38:10)

Enjoy all your. Okay, I'm giving you three first round. Jalen Brown, Peyton Pritchard and a D in a big somewhere. Maybe Scalabrini comes back and play.

Jason McIntyre (38:20)

Listen, I. I would take Jaylen Brown if I. If I was Milwaukee, I would take him over Jaylen.

Colin Cowherd (38:25)

If you can be Peyton Pritchard and Jaylen Brown, I'm going to have the best bench guy, arguably an all star guard.

Jason McIntyre (38:30)

He might start at point guard.

Colin Cowherd (38:31)

Pton Pritchard, I don't know.

Jason McIntyre (38:33)

He got a contract.

Colin Cowherd (38:35)

He's a good player. I like him. He's a. He's a. He's a dog. I like him. J. Mac with the news. Well, that's the news and thanks for stopping by the herd. Lie News. A lot of things happen sometimes, you know when you have big news and you can't announce it? J. Mac, there's a lot of stuff happening in the world.

Jason McIntyre (38:54)

Wait, you have.

Colin Cowherd (38:55)

I just, I did. I just.

Jason McIntyre (38:56)

I thought you revealed the Pope stuff like 15 minutes ago.

Colin Cowherd (38:59)

Isn't it crazy? He's a Villanova guy.

Jason McIntyre (39:02)

Yeah.

Colin Cowherd (39:02)

I mean, it's honestly, Villanova's taking over the world.

Jason McIntyre (39:05)

So people are now finding stories where the Pope said a certain political vice president, he was wrong about all this stuff. He's like, they're finding old stories.

Colin Cowherd (39:14)

Choose the Pope. You have to speak Italian. Yeah, we know. Mostly they're upstanding guys with a certain moral code.

Jason McIntyre (39:20)

Yes, moral code is interesting. You have a high moral code.

Colin Cowherd (39:23)

Oh, certainly. But I think, like, what do you do? Like, I mean, how do you choose Chicago guy, indie guy? I mean, what do you do? Do you go to the Rivals.com rating or something? Like what is there a rating, a power rating of Pope?

Jason McIntyre (39:36)

He was a four star recruit coming out of wherever Pope's coming.

Colin Cowherd (39:40)

I think Villanova helped him. I'll be honest. It's the Herd. Be sure to catch live editions of the Herd, Weekdays at noon Eastern, 9am Pacific, on Fox Sports Radio, FS1 and the iHeartRadio app. Hey, Steve Cavino. 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 4pm 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 podcasts. And of course, on social media, that's Covino and Rich. 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 day at the lake, that's a no. A Philly cheesesteak. That's a yes. A Nice tan. Sorry. A box fan? Happily, yes. What about a day of sunshine? Not happening. How about a box of fine wines? Yeah, that's happening. Delivery's on its way. Okay. How about some clear skies? Nope. Well, how about some french fries? Yeah. So how about a freshly cut lawn? Can't help you there. But a barbecued prawn? Order it and it's on its way. Even throw in some paper towels. Clean up after the feast. So while you can't get fun in the sun delivered, don't worry because you can get pork buns delivered. 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. Introducing Instagram Teen Accounts. A new way to keep your teen safer as they grow. Like making sure they always have their seatbelt on. Alright, sweetie pie, buckle up. Good job. Or ring the bell on their bike. Okay, kid, give it a try. Nice.

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Or remember their elbow pads.

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Knees too. Okay. Yep. There you go. New Instagram Teen Accounts. Automatic protections for who can contact your teen and the content they can see. When you're with Amex Business Platinum, you.

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Jason McIntyre (43:38)

Saturday it's baseball night in America as Kyle Tucker leads the Cubs against Juan Soto and the Met, where the Giants take on Byron Buxton and the Twins. Check local listings for the game in your area Saturday at 7 Eastern on Fox.

Colin Cowherd (43:52)

For the record, you know, Pittsburgh, when they had Big Ben, the knock on them and it was legitimate, is, are you planning for the future? You know, a lot of these teams, like Green Bay, they'll get. They'll get their Jordan Love or their Aaron Rodgers years and years in advance, but that's just not the way it works in Pittsburgh. It was Big Ben's franchise. He could get a little dramatic or prickly if you drafted somebody like Mason Rudolph instead of going out and getting like, you know, another receiver, whatever. So this is interesting. When the Steelers traded George Pickens to the Cowboys, they got a third round pick. Well, they're also already getting four compensatory picks next year, the most in the NFL. So right now the Steelers already have 12 picks. What does that tell you? It tells you the Browns, the Rams, and now the Steelers are building a draft room, building draft picks to go up and get their franchise quarterback. And so what Pittsburgh probably said is Shador Sanders was not that much more highly graded than Kenny Pickett, and that's not good enough for our standards. So what Pittsburgh's doing is accumulating. This is what the Rams and the Browns did during the draft. They accumulated another first round pick. So right now the Rams have two first, a second, a third, two fifth Tuesday, two seconds. Get rid of all those things to get, you know, the number two quarterback. They're going to be too good, obviously, to get the number one quarterback. And anybody that's getting Arch Manning is not giving it up. I would imagine you're a bad team. You need a quarterback. But I think what the Steelers told you is we didn't think this draft class because they had the 21st pick. The Steelers telling you we didn't think this class had outside of maybe Cam Ward. And we weren't going to give away the farm for Cam. We didn't think it had a number one quarterback. So we'll go get Will Howard and move Mason Rudolph here in a year or two. That's our backup. We're getting. We're accumulating draft picks. Omar Khan, the GM and Tomlin. We're going, we're going to trade these things and get. Because we got our defenses set, the O lines, got some good young players, tight end is set. So I mean, I again, Pickens, once you sign DK Metcalf, you had a very good receiver in the contested catch catching radius category and also one that has a little bit of maintenance. DK wants the ball a lot. Don't blame him. Here's Albert Brer. Earlier on the Steez Steelers decision to trade Pickens to Dallas for a third round pick.

Albert Breer (46:18)

I don't think the Steelers thought this is a bad hearted guy. There's certainly not like a host of off field issues that you're dealing with with him. But you know, I do think they looked at a player who, because they weren't going to pay him at the level he probably wants to be paid, could wind up being a problem for them as they try to pursue a championship this year and try to pursue a certain quarterback as well. They really like Calvin Austin, they got Roman Wilson and they took in the third round last year. And you know, it's a risk, but it's, it's, it's a logical calculator risk.

Colin Cowherd (46:49)

Yeah, I think, and I think the winner on this will be the Pittsburgh Steelers who are going to have a bunch of picks. They're going to be able to move up, you know, 15 spots. Let's say Pittsburgh and because Pittsburgh right now with Will Howard. So think about what Pittsburgh's thinking. We draft Will Howard, Mason Rudolph in that division at best. That's a 7, 8 win team. I'm sorry. It is. And by the way, Tomlin. Tomlin now knows he and Omar Khan are on the same page. My job's not in jeopardy. It's a plan. And so it's not going to. You're not going to lose any sleep if Tomlin's record is broke. Because I'm sure they've had these discussions in the building where Mike Tomlin said, yeah, I know I've never had a losing season. It would really help with all these draft picks if we were already drafting 11th and not 18th. So if the Pittsburgh Steelers win, let's say they go a 7 and 10 because they're just not good enough at quarterback play in the afc. I mean, think about it.

Jason McIntyre (47:46)

You don't think that's generous? 7 and 10.

Colin Cowherd (47:48)

No, no.

Jason McIntyre (47:49)

Mason Rudolph.

Colin Cowherd (47:50)

No, no, no. I'm saying. But I think Tomlin, the defense. So Mason Rudolph, Will Howard, let's. So let's go 7 and 10. That's going to get you about the 10th draft pick. Okay. It's much easier to go 10 to 3 than it is 17 or 18 to 3. Then you got to give up multiple ones. So Pittsburgh saying, I mean, they've had these discussions, guys, it's not that we're punting on this year, but if we don't have a starting quarterback and we want to find one, what we don't want to do is be a non super bowl team that wins nine games, gets in and we're drafting 21st. And now we have to give up nine picks to move up to the sixth.

Jason McIntyre (48:27)

Okay, well if that's the goal, why would you, why would you get DK Metcalf?

Colin Cowherd (48:30)

What's the point?

Jason McIntyre (48:31)

Why not just openly tank?

Colin Cowherd (48:32)

Because, because you want a star receiver in the room when you eventually next year land your guy.

Jason McIntyre (48:39)

Yeah, Metcalf's getting old. I, I would push back against the gm. Colin. Hey man, if I'm the owner, what was your game plan this offseason? Did we get better? No. We let Russ walk out the door. He's starting. We let Justin Fields walk out the door. He's starting. We have no plan.

Colin Cowherd (48:52)

Let me defend Botch Rogers. Let me defend him. They do have a plan. They have a plan.

Jason McIntyre (48:58)

So you want the GM to tell the owner, the billionaire, hey, I got a plan. It's we're going to stink and get a good.

Colin Cowherd (49:04)

They've got compensation for all these guys walking out the the door. They got comp picks. So they have 12 picks already. So they already have 12. They could end up with 13 or 14. And they're going to use seven of these to go from the 11th or 12th draft pick 13th to get to three. They'll probably get the second best quarterback because we are of a saturation point now. I mean about 20 teams have their guy. 23 teams at least have a guy that they're not worried about drafting a guy. So I, I think Pitts are all.

Jason McIntyre (49:35)

Defender punching on Rodgers.

Colin Cowherd (49:38)

No, no, I think they could bring an Aaron in for a year. But my question is, let's say they bring Aaron for a year. I think it only makes them about a game to two.

Jason McIntyre (49:46)

Better not nine wins maybe.

Colin Cowherd (49:47)

Nah. Eight. Nine. You saw Aaron last year. He's a pocket quarterback learning a new system. Arthur Smith. That doesn't scream 12 wins to me. Summer is almost here and you can now get almost any 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.

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