Jason Stewart (2:41)

You're listening to Fox Sports Radio.

Colin Cowherd (2:45)

What up? It's the Herd. FOX Sports Radio iHeartradio app. Welcome, welcome. Welcome in. I got some good Herdline news for you. A little bit more on the Tushbush still being allowed. Guess who says, hey, Tush push. Cool play. Not using it because I'm just a man. New head coach in the NFL. We'll get to that in about 20 minutes. Plus Mike Malone, who. He was kind of feeling himself a little bit as doing some ESPN analysis. He happened to say that Shay Gilgis Alexander should be the mvp. Now he's backpedaling faster than Deion used to backpedal as the best cornerback of all time. There's a lot to get to. Mark Dominic will join us. We'll ask him about Brock Purdy's new contract and Brock Purdy saying He's a top 10 quarterback in the NFL. It's like Brock Purdy is a. Is a. A radio producer or a TV segment producer. Hey, I'm top 10 quarterback in the NFL. You know, everybody loves their lists. Let me start with this, though. So. So technically, LeBron James has a player option, right? A player option. So he can not sign or opt out of his player option, become a free agent, and essentially pick where he wants to go. All right? But LeBron James, at 40 years old, well, his options are kind of limited nonetheless. Rich Paul, his agent, was on the Rich Eisen show, and he asked about LeBron's upcoming player option this. This off season. I think they've been on pins and needles for a while, I think. I don't know about that, though. I. I wish I had the answer, Rich. I don't know.

Doug Gottlieb (4:25)

So you don't have conversations with him.

Colin Cowherd (4:27)

About how much longer he wants? Okay, No, I don't have. I don't have conversations like that. I just. I go into each year like he's continuing to play. I never even, like, talk about that. I don't talk about that. Well, I mean, you are his agent and his best friend, so, look, we can just cut to the brass tacks. LeBron's not going anywhere, right? They just drafted his son, and I'm sure he wants to leverage some of whatever farewell tour he has to potentially draft his other son, Bryce, who's gonna be a freshman in Arizona. I'm sure that's probably part of the weight on his mind, right? Is this the last year, or do I wait another year? Make that the last year. And we could act like a LeBron, he could just walk away at any time. But does anyone think that a guy who has gotten and honestly earned as much attention as he as, as he's gotten, like, we can sit there and say a lot of these things are attention getting things, but I mean, have we seen a guy play as consistently well for 20 years in the NBA? No. No. Is he as good as he used to be? No. But to those of us who remember Kareem playing at 40, he was much more of a shell of his former incredible self. So again, I'm not, I'm not the guy that's sitting there hating on LeBron, telling you, oh my God, LeBron wants attention. Like, look, when you've gotten this much attention since you were 16 years old and you've lived up to and probably exceeded anybody's reasonable expect, or what you could do, or how well you could do it, or how long you could do it, how well you could do it, you're going to get a bunch of attention. And it's a really, really hard lifestyle to get out of. It just is. But, but if we're honest, he's not going anywhere and he's not retiring without some sort of ceremonious retirement celebration. You know, like Kareem wants far less attention yet Kareem did the whole tour after becoming the all time leading scorer in the game. LeBron likes the attention, likes it again. And you can sit there and go, oh, here LeBron or whatever. Like, no, I just don't know anybody who would dispute that. Right. It's not like he's pushing away attention to his private life, to his off, off court conversations. No, he wants attention to that. So, you know, he's got his production company, that's his little baby. He, he makes, makes movies and does documentaries out of it all. Great. All that requires attention, that, hey, we have this here and you get that through LeBron James getting attention. But I mean, this is like a nonsensical question. You know, he's got a player option because if he really, really, really wanted to win in la, he would go, hey, here's what we'll do. Let's opt out of this, sign a minimal deal or a small deal over a couple years and then let's go, go to work and go get me some guys that can play some defense. I, I don't, you know, and when he talked about, when Rich talks about the Lakers being on pins and needles, like, is that, is that what you need? Is that. Because that's that's obviously leverage. That. Why would you do this? You would only do it is if you want to have some sort of power or the organization that you play for. Right? And he used and he wielded that power to get them to draft Bronnie and play Bronnie way above the level of his competency at the time which he was drafted. And whether or not Bronny becomes a full time NBA player and a guy who's a reasonable rotation player is. Is a. Is. Has actually nothing to do with the farce that took place last off season. Because last off season we were told there's all. There was multiple teams interested. There weren't. You know, you had J.J. redick in one of his first press conferences saying he earned. He earned where he was drafted. He didn't. Again, it doesn't mean that you can't draft a guy. You're allowed to draft a guy and say, hey, you know, he went through a heart issue. He had a hard first year at usc, but we see the future as being bright. But sit there and go like, well, he earned it. Like, doing what? But nonetheless, that was all because LeBron has power and he leveraged it. And he's like, look, I don't want to leave la, but I also want to help raise my kid, coach my kid, see my kid grow. You guys are going to draft him. He'll play some of us and some of the G League travel with him. It'll be awesome experience. And I'm sure for Bronnie, it probably was outside of a lot of the. The. The yakking on it. And for LeBron too, right? Yeah. Some of that stuff, you know, strikes close to home and really hurt him. But when he zooms out, he's like, I got to spend a whole year with my son in and out of the NBA. Probably wants to do with Bryce, whether Bryce isn't even as good as Bronnie. So he has power. He's trying to leverage that power. That's the only reason for doing it. Because at some point you start talking about this stuff and guys are just rolling their eyes like, he's not going to retire without a. Without a proper send off. The league wouldn't want him to do that either. And we can act like the league is. Well, it's like something nefarious from the league. It's not. It's not. If the league could have done with Jordan, they would have done it with Jordan. But with LeBron, I mean, that. This is. They don't want to kill the golden goose. They want him around as long as possible. They just want to keep milking it. And you can sit there and go like I'm tired of LeBron. But if, if it comes out and LeBron says, hey, this is my retirement tour, you're going and gobbling up those tickets, you're going to watch TV a lot more. It it. Because it's LeBron. He's Haley's comment. It ain't coming around for another 87 years. By the way. J. Stu, do you think people who are like under 40 get the Haley's comment reference? I, I feel like that's a really dated our age reference of Haley's comment because Haley's common hasn't been around in like 40 years and won't be around for another 40 years. And unless you were a kid or adult lived through it, you have no idea what I'm talking about.

Jason Stewart (10:47)

I think it's a, I think it's pretty tangible reference for any, any educated generation. But I guess that's saying a lot. That's assuming that our kids are being educated.

Colin Cowherd (10:57)

Yeah. Is there a TikTok on Haley's comment? Is there an Instagram reel on Haley's comment?

Jason Stewart (11:07)

You'll get, you'll get the first 10 tick tock results will be Haley. Was it. What's, what's Haley Bieber? No, the Haley is the wife of the Bills quarterback. What's her name? Seinfeld. Seinfeld. Ryan Smith here is a big Marvel fan. She was one of the Marvel characters. Steinfeld, Seinfeld. There you go. Go past all the Haley.

Colin Cowherd (11:28)

Sorry. Yeah, there's a lot of other Haleys. Matter of fact, there is kind of a rush on Haley's that are older teenagers. Right. That's a, that's a big name. Maybe that came from our generation. And Haley's comment and saying, hey, I kind of like this name Haley. Who is the first to name their kid Aiden? Because I know 15 Aidens who are under 20. I don't know anybody over 20 name Aiden. Just want to point that out.

Jason Stewart (11:54)

Speaking of LeBron thing, one thing about this. So was a, a little less than a year ago, we, we all witnessed that ruse, that circus where the Lakers tried to convince the public that Bronnie was a legitimate draft prospect.

Colin Cowherd (12:11)

Sure.

Jason Stewart (12:11)

And then they, they drafted him and said that he earned it. And then they, you know, they signed, they gave him a, the guaranteed deal for a second round pick. You're saying to me that LeBron would compel a historic franchise like the Lakers to do Something embarrassing like that and lied to the public and then not come back after one year. I mean, isn't. Doesn't he have. Doesn't he. Doesn't he owe the Lakers something for that massive favor of being able to play with his son and do that thing where he invited the Griffeys in and nobody cared but him? Doesn't he owe the Lakers at least one more season?

Colin Cowherd (12:49)

I mean, I think the answer in terms of reality is yes. But in terms of LeBron, does he think he owes them that? I don't think the answer is yes. I just don't. And, and you know what? He. He might have a little bit of a point, right, because he has. He didn't play every game, but for four years old, he gave him. He gave him a lot. And he does compete to win, and he has a gigantic name. So does he owe it to them? Of course he owes it to them. But again, you're looking at this as a non parent, rational human being that hasn't had fame thrust upon them and been told they could do no wrong. Like, he went. He had his show called the Shop, right, which was the barber shop, and he actually sued Nick Saban because they had a similar show, because he believed he invented barbershop conversation being recorded. Like, what. What do you think the essence of first take is? What are we even talking about? But when you live in a world where everybody just says, hey, whatever you say, King, it's really hard to tell if up is up and down is down. And so, yeah, if it's me, if my son, who's not clearly qualified, even close to as his son is, hey, dude, we're going to draft you in the second round and give you a guaranteed contract. I'd be unbelievably grateful. It's the type of thing that you do for a lifelong friend. Man, that's a real solid. I truly appreciate it. If there's ever a way I can help you return the favor, you just ask. That's how normal, reasonable relationships, it's not a quid pro quo. You take care of me, I take care of you. It's like, hey, that's a real solid. I appreciate it. I feel so close to the Lakers organization. That's just not what we've heard come out of LeBron or come out of Rich Paul. An example. Hey, they're, they're, they're on. What do you say? They're on eggshells. Why are they in eggshells? Like, you're his agent, you're his best friend. They did him a solid. Like, look, the Lakers are completely lockstep with LeBron. They know everything he wants to do. They've done right by him. He's going to do right by them. They're. They'll come to a mutual decision. But that's not what you hear. It's not what you hear. You hear, I don't know. They're waiting on eggshells. He's got a lot of options. No, he doesn't. His option is come back and play, figure out how he wants to play, how he, they can go and get, you know, legit defenders to go along with their, their best three players who are all offensive players. I don't think it's a championship makeup or championship roster. And if he wants it to be his last year, give the heads up. It's his last year so the whole league can do the proper celebration. And if you want to push back in a proper celebration because Jordan didn't have one, just know that, like, look, LeBron James, what was it? Nine straight NBA Finals, four titles. He's in any conversations the greats of all time. And he's done it for a long time. And I continue to say this, if the worst thing that he's done is forced the Lakers to draft Bronnie and play him and do that whole dog and pony show, that ain't that bad. Most other superstars have done far worse. Bar worse. And especially off the court, there's never been a whisper of anything. So I'm Doug Gottlieman for Colin. Coming up in the Herd, the NFL teams are ready for another season. Are you ready for another season of the Tush push? We'll get into that next in the Herd.

Jason Stewart (16:36)

Be sure to catch live editions of the Herd, Weekdays at noon Eastern, 9am Pacific on Fox Sports Radio. FS1, and the iHeartRadio app.

Doug Gottlieb (16:45)

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, deliver. 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. Everybody loves a good MVP story, and the story of Wasabi Technologies is one of the best. Wasabi is purpose built to free businesses from skyrocketing storage costs and unpredictable egress fees from old and top heavy legacy providers. You know the big guys. Wasabi is the world's hottest cloud storage company, becoming the go to provider for professional and collegiate sports teams and leagues around the world. And here's why. From Wasabi's AI enabled intelligent media storage, Wasabi Air to the industry's only cloud storage service with triple protection against cybercriminals, data deletion and ransomware, Wasabi has taken the lead in driving innovation in data storage, eliminating overhead where it matters to deliver you results you can count on and won't break the bank. In fact, Wasabi is up to 80% less than those other guys and doesn't charge a cent for businesses to access their own data. Wasabi Another championship story. Check them out for free@wasabi.com Wasabi Hot Cloud Storage Proud partner of the Voluum Podcast Network hey everybody, you've heard me talk about Green River Whiskey, the official whiskey of the Herd podcast. And if you know anything about me, I love a good metaphor. So the team at Green river challenged me to come up with a perfect metaphor to describe their incredible bourbon and rye whiskeys. And with the playoffs upon us, the answer is clear. Green River Whiskey is like a big playoff win by your favorite team, always sure to raise your spirits. So pair the thrills of this playoff season with Green River Whiskey. And with four core products in their starting lineup, there's something to suit any taste. To find Green river near you, head on over to greenriverwhisky.com here's the green River Whiskey Raise your spirits A product of Green River Distilling Company, Owensboro, Kentucky. Alcohol by volume, varies by product. Greenriverwhiskey.com, please drink responsibly.

Mark Dominick (19:41)

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Colin Cowherd (19:46)

Your grandpa and I used to work on this car together, and when I'm gone, I want you to have it. Wow.

Doug Gottlieb (19:52)

Thanks dad.

Mark Dominick (19:53)

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Colin Cowherd (20:13)

Alibin for con heard Vox words Radio iheartradio Apple. Welcome in. Happy Memorial Day weekend to you. It's the unofficial beginning of summer. If you're going to the beach, you're going to a lake, you're going to a mountain. Wherever you're going, drive safe. Keep it tuned right here to Fox Sports Radio. Mark D is going to join us upcoming. Probably about five minutes. Of course, Mark was most notably the GM of the Tampa Buccaneers. He's worked his entire life in professional football. We'll get his thoughts on Brock Purdy's new deal and, and you know, when, when is it the you know what or get off the pot for Aaron Rodgers and the Pittsburgh Steelers. All that up up to come. But first let's get to Jason Stewart with the news.

Jason Stewart (20:55)

No, no, no, no.

Colin Cowherd (20:56)

Turn on the news.

Jason Stewart (20:57)

This is the third line news.

Colin Cowherd (21:00)

Jason, what up, bud?

Jason Stewart (21:01)

Hey, Doug, I need you to put your, your coaching cap on. You got it on?

Colin Cowherd (21:06)

Yeah, I do, I do. Coach got was a coaching cap. My coaching cap this year was a dunce cap, but that's okay.

Jason Stewart (21:12)

Ouch. Whoa. I like self deprecation. That was, that was a good one. So I need you to give me the code here, what Steve Kerr is actually saying. So you know more about Jonathan Kaminga than I do. I know he was a lottery pick. I don't know if he's a swing man. I think he had a couple pretty good games when Steph Curry wasn't on the court in these playoffs. Well, the question is, will he be a Golden State warrior moving forward? Steve Kerr recently said this one and I need you to tell me what he really means by this. It's a tricky one because Jonathan obviously is gifted and wants to play a bigger role and wants to play more. And for me, we've been asked to win and right now he's not a guy. I could say I'm going to play 38 minutes with the roster that we have. What does that tell you, Doug?

Colin Cowherd (22:02)

It means that, that if they, they're going to move him to somewhere he thinks he can start and play, but kind of a lot like Kyle Kuzma. Right? Like Kyle Ku, A starter on the worst team in the NBA. And the Wizards, you know, put him on one of the best teams in the NBA and suddenly comes out the bench. It's a, it's a different role. So, you know, obviously he wasn't in their rotation consistently. It's got to be defense and rebounding and shot selection, coachability and just trust. So, my, my, that sounds like a guy who you're going to give a bigger opportunity to elsewhere. Sounds like a sign and trade guy.

Jason Stewart (22:38)

Interesting. Michael Malone. He won a ring just a couple seasons ago, was unceremoniously fired this past season, and now he's doing work for espn. Now, he raised some eyebrows the other night because in his analysis after the Thunder game, he said, quote, shea showed us why he's the mvp.

Colin Cowherd (23:01)

Yeah.

Jason Stewart (23:01)

And then of course, the entire media world goes crazy like, whoa, he just got done coaching the greatest player in the world. Jokic. What's going on here? Is there a rivalry? Is there a beef? Did Jokic get him fired? You know, all the speculation. So last night he went on ESPN and he felt the need to correct the record.

Doug Gottlieb (23:21)

And I did vote for him again.

Colin Cowherd (23:22)

This year, if I had a vote.

Doug Gottlieb (23:23)

Want to make sure the people in Denver know that because right now I'm getting a lot of heat back.

Colin Cowherd (23:32)

Yeah, I mean, I think he gets a little excited now. Look, he can say, this is why he's the mvp. And that's. He didn't say, I think he's the best player in the world. I think he's the mvp. Right. Again, it sounds, it's semantics, but you're arguing semantics. I do hate though, when you make a statement like that, then all of a sudden you backpedal, you know, Whereas what you could say is like, man, I don't know. I mean, I've been coaching Jokic, who I think is the best player in the world for however many years, and watching this cat up close, I'm like, I see why he's the mvp. I see why. It's an interesting conversation, but it happens. When you're doing tv, first time ever, you are getting pushed by producers and just by the energy of saying bold things. And sometimes you say something like, I don't know if that came out the way I wanted. And even when it did, you don't realize there implications of it.

Jason Stewart (24:27)

For me personally. And you know, I don't know if you're wired this way, but as a guy that just loves content that is uncomfortable and controversial. Yeah, him backpedaling was a huge deflating part for my week. I needed him to, to keep that controversy brewing, but that's not interesting. Kellen Moore is the new head coach in the New Orleans Saints. Okay, now, I don't know if the Saints are trying to win. I'm trying to come up with the saying for this Saints season, I haven't gotten past March for Arch or Planning for Manning. If someone comes up with a more witty, you know, title, please let us know. But he was asked about the tush push because, remember, Kellen Moore was the offensive coordinator for the Eagles that won the Super Bowl. Right? He's seen the tushbush up close and personal. He's actually called for it. He was asked about it surviving another year, and Kellen says, I had great experience with it. It's an investment. It's a play that Philadelphia has done a great job of investing a lot of time into, spent a lot of time embracing that play. And there's a component to it, too, that we have to evaluate. But Kellen Moore would not commit to creating his own tush push with his new team. This coming on the heels of what yesterday, Ben Johnson, the new coach of the Bears, is like, I like explosive plays, so I don't understand why other teams, since they're going to have this for a year, wouldn't go out of their way to try to figure out a way to do it themselves.

Colin Cowherd (25:58)

Well, I mean, I think the component issue that he's discussing is that Jalen hurts, squats 600 pounds, and he has just this unique ability to do it and to not get hurt. And they kind of, hey, this is what we do. This is who we are. And we actually, you know, it's one of the first things we teach. So I kind of get it with Ben Johnson, even if he's doing the knuckle dragging. I like explosive plays. You know, I like, I like first downs, Ben. I like first downs, you know, and look, he sounds like every first year head coach, every guy who, like myself, you take over, you're like, man, we can do this on offense. We can do that on offense. None of that matters if you can't stop anybody or if you can't none of the throwing, if you can't run the football. But I think what Kellen Moore is discussing is he's like, we just, we might not have the personnel for that. You know, they had Jason Kelsey, who is a, a small but powerful and super quick center when they first put it in they had Jalen Hurts, who squats more than anybody else, is a quarterback in the NFL. And I think those two parts are parts of the component. Now they're replacing Kelsey. They've replaced Kelsey a year ago. Now they got to. Now they got to keep doing it with Jalen Hurts. I think that's the part that he's saying. As for Ben Johnson, yeah, I kind of think he's sticking his chest out because he loves explosive, creative plays. When didn't the Lions try a double pass in the fourth quarter, trying to come back this year, try to get cute with explosive plays instead of just running the football. And that's her line news.

Jason Stewart (27:29)

Well, that's the news. And thanks for stopping by. The Herd line news.

Colin Cowherd (27:33)

Mark Dominick joins us. Course. He joins me weekly in the Doug Gottlieb show on Fox Sports Radio. This is the Herd phone for Colin on a Memorial Day weekend. Mark, let me, let me ask you why, why would a Ben Johnson say I like explosive plays instead of the tush push?

Rich Eisen (27:49)

I think it just sounds good, right? It's for the fans, right? It's kind of what you were just talking about. It's like I can, I can create something that's more dynamic, more exciting than the touch push, which is, you know, I guess a play that, you know, everybody knows is coming when it gets lined up. So I gotta think that's the whole reason he's just trying again state that he can create explosive plays and fans want that.

Colin Cowherd (28:11)

They're. They're two votes away. So again, how long do you think this play lasts?

Rich Eisen (28:20)

I hope they don't get it. I think the place should last. I mean, it's unique that the Philadelphia Eagles are the only ones that are really good at it. Right. And that's. And there's a lot to be said about, you know, their timing and everything coming together and you touched briefly about it. You know, Cam Juergens comes in there and now is a starting center, built completely different than Kelsey, but a very powerful Mahler, but just, you know, a much more higher cut guy where Kelsey was a lower cut, you know, quick twitch. And they had no problem with it because Cam can move mountains. He's a powerful kid. I don't think you should outlaw it. I think it is what it is. And, you know, I think you just got to figure out how to stop it or slow it down. And if you can't do it, then push push days. Get them in third and three, not third and one.

Colin Cowherd (29:01)

Mark Dominic's our guest here on in The Herd. I'm Doug Gotti be filling in for calling Brock Purdy's deal. How does the GM look at it?

Rich Eisen (29:09)

Well, I think it's. I think it's not surprising. I think you and I had been talking about, well, I was hoping, you know, this would come in 45 to 50 with incentives, that it comes in around 52. I don't think it's a shocking deal to any general manager. I think they all kind of look at it like, you know, that's just what the rate is. And obviously he's getting less than the starting rate, quote, unquote, for every club. I think it's somewhat of a fair deal across the board. I think it's certainly a good narrative for Brock Purdy and, you know, being Mr. Irrelevant to now signing this deal, to seeing what else is in his chapter of his NFL career. But it's also, you know, Brock Purdy. You know, it's not saying I need the entire bag and I want the bank and this all in that it's a good that. I think that the 49ers still have a little wiggle room with their roster, even though they just did a contract extension with a quarterback.

Colin Cowherd (29:58)

Yeah. And I'll see. Also did one with. With Fred Warner. What are your thoughts on the guys they let go? Because one of the thoughts I had was some of those guys they didn't really want back, like Debo Samuel. I don't think they wanted Debo Samuel back anyway. But they made it a casualty of the Brock Purdy thing, and it made it much more convenient. What are your thoughts on the percentage of those guys? Name guys that they had to part ways with that they were really kind of over anyway, and this just allowed.

Rich Eisen (30:26)

Him to do so well, I think Deebo. I agree with you. I think Deebo was, give or take, basically Debo's frustration. Sometimes we've talked about how I feel very strong about what Ricky Pierce is going to do. I think Drake Greenlaw was one they didn't want to let go. I think that one hurt. I think that they really love that kid and what he's been able to do and what he's all been through. I think those are the ones where it kind of burns a little bit. I bet you for John lynch, certainly for Coach Shanahan to lose a guy that's, you know, been a warrior for you since you had him. So I think those hurt. But, you know, that that's just part of the game. And so they had to make these tough decisions with Guys that they do like, you know, Aaron Banks went out and broke, you know, crushed it in Green Bay with a huge contract. Would they like to have Aaron? I'm sure they would have, but I think they realized, hey, look, there's only so many things we can do. And you know, there are certain positions we can't pay and it's going to be hard. You know, Dominic Puni came in and played really good at guard. It's hard to pay guards in the National Football League when you're paying your tackles. It's hard to pay linebackers, the National Football League when you're paying your quarterback. And so they went to the positions that I think are always going to get a little bit more dinged or you can't pay as many guys. And that's linebacker, that's safety, that's running back badly, and that's interior. Offensive line, you can't pay three guys inside.

Colin Cowherd (31:35)

We mentioned we're looking for like a phrase for the Saints. Is there any way they're competitive with this roster and with the quarterback play they seem to have?

Rich Eisen (31:45)

I know it's a, you know, it's a tough job for Coach Moore, you know, the personnel there and the cap has been hard. It feels like an angst bag over your head this year for them, I'm afraid. I just, I think the other teams, even the Carolina Panthers, I think are, you know, trying to improve the roster, working on getting a better and stronger roster, certainly with the wide receiver room. That's the way it is set now in Carolina. This is a, a team that I just, I don't feel confident in the quarterback class. And when you're the fourth, you know, you're, you're, you've got the worst quarterback of the four teams in your division. That makes for a really long year. And I think that's what the Saints fans have to endure.

Colin Cowherd (32:23)

What do you think the progression is in Cleveland with. You know, they got, you got four quarterbacks plus desean, but Sean's had multiple Achilles, so I mean, the likelihood of him to ever taking a snap again isn't great. But what, what, how is that handled? What's the progression like in terms of reps, in terms of opportunities, when you have just four kind of unique quarterback prospects like, like Flacco and like Trubisky and then obviously the two rookies, it's weird.

Rich Eisen (32:54)

I mean, you look at Flacco and I would guess that he's going to get the, I mean, he may get first team reps. I know they talked About Kenny Pickett getting first team reps. That's a. Oh, Pickett.

Colin Cowherd (33:04)

Sorry. Yeah. I said you' bisky. My bad.

Rich Eisen (33:05)

It's all right. We talk a lot of sports, don't we? So sometimes you're allowed to get a name mixed up. So, you know, Kenny Pickett, I think is, you know, probably just going to get an opportunity. I think what's going to happen is Joe Flacco is going to be the one that probably doesn't see as much preseason work. Doesn't see. He'll still get the work, but they don't need to see a lot out of Joe Flacco. I don't think they need to find out these young three to see if they like any of them more than the other. And this will be a chance for Shador. Same with Dylan and Kenny Pickett. I think that they're going to spread it around. They may start each one of those young guys as a starter in the preseason game just to give them the start of the tunnel. Say, what do you look like? But certainly it's hard. You know, you get all these reps right now, and certainly camp is going to be the important part. The stuff we don't get to see, the classroom, the. The ability to, you know, regurgitate what. What's going on, you know, in. In the classroom and be able to, you know, see how they can parlay that to the field is going to be the big difference for all three of these guys. And to see how they can do that. Kenny Pickett's weaknesses, his arm strength and elderly can fix that. Gabriel, you know, to me, there's a little bit of an accuracy thing. And Shador, you know, he seems to be handling everything very well right now. I like the way he's being quoted and what he's saying. So I think it's pretty open there.

Colin Cowherd (34:16)

Yeah, it's. It's a fascinating one. Okay. If you're in Pittsburgh, how long. How much longer do you give Aaron Rodgers to make a call on this deal?

Rich Eisen (34:25)

Yeah, I really want Aaron there for the veteran minicamp. Doug. I need him there by then to kind of at least take the reins, have the playbook under your belt for, you know, even though over the weekend, and just go out there, be around the players before you come back to camp and show up. I think that's really kind of my drop dead time. And so I think he's got, you know, a couple weeks left here before, you know, Pittsburgh has their veteran minicamp. And I would think that that's what they're waiting on.

Colin Cowherd (34:50)

You're in the shirt. You're your same position you have with Tampa, only in Chicago. You know, this story that's come out, the book that's come out with Seth Wickersham talking about Caleb Williams in the draft process, where he said, you know, or his dad said that's where quarterbacks go to die. He wanted to be a Viking, Obviously. They have a tremendous head coach and tremendous system and probably better weaponry. Nonetheless, it doesn't look good, right? You don't ever say you want to be a Viking when you're a Bear. What's the conversation like between GM and starting quarterback?

Rich Eisen (35:22)

Well, I think. I think it's GM and father is what I really would start with. You know, I love the quarterback. Usually I like to let the quarterback handle with the head coach and then let Coach Johnson talk to him, knowing that, you know, we would talk first and then I would. I would call, you know, the father. I mean, obviously have a conversation with him about, like, what are we. What are we trying to accomplish here? Like, what's the goal? What do you want? Because you're making it harder, and there's no reason to make it any harder on your son. That's all you're doing now. You're creating even more fan disappointment. If he struggles, it's going to be even harder for him, you know. And so that's the conversation I'd be having with the dad. Like, we just need to dial everything down. He just needs to go out there, say the right things, do the right things. We've done everything we can for your son. In terms of offensive line, I feel like it's as good as it's ever been, but, you know, I think it's more of a conversation with the bad, and I think the coach handles the. The player.

Colin Cowherd (36:14)

Let's circle back. Mark Dominic, our guest here in the Herd. I'm Doug Gottlieb filling in for Colin Brock. Purdy said He's a top 10 quarterback. Is he right?

Rich Eisen (36:24)

As a winner, I'd say yes. As a. As a tools, I would say no. You know, I think. I think if you sit there and say, okay, just give me the winners. I want the guys that are the best of the best and show me what that looks like. Yeah, I think he's in that top 10 conversation. When you think about quarterbacks and, like, he's the best quarterback, you know, I think you have to personally, even though you know Jaden Daniels, you know, homes Allen, you can start going down to some of These guys, Lamar Jackson, obviously, you know, Justin Herbert, Jordan Love. It's hard. Joe Burrow. It's hard to get in the top 10, but I think he's very close. But as a winner, I think He's a top 10 quarterback.

Colin Cowherd (36:59)

Well, is that the goal of the whole thing? I mean, that's. That's where I'm like, okay, I'll give you. I'll just question. Okay, start at zero. Justin Herbert or Brock Purdy?

Rich Eisen (37:10)

I will take Justin Herbert still.

Colin Cowherd (37:12)

Okay. And all those other quarterbacks we established. Established previously. Right. You're talking about Josh Allen, Pat Mahomes, whatever. Yeah, yeah. But I do think the difference is, like, well, they already have him in San Francisco, so it's. We make it out like you got to choose, but he's. He's very much on the board there. But again, so. So in terms of winner, you're talking about intangibles, whereas he doesn't have the tangibles of a top 10 quarterback. Is that fair?

Rich Eisen (37:39)

That's exactly right. That's how I feel. And then that's the only thing that keeps him. Like, do you sit there and say Jalen hurts or him. You know, there's part that maybe he does better than Jalen, but there's. Jalen's been a great winner, you know, since he's been in there. You know, Jaden Daniels, maybe it's a little early to crown him up there and put him that high, but what he was able to accomplish with that Washington roster and his rookie season, it's hard for me not to put him in that conversation with those guys. So I. I love Brock. 40. You know, I've been a Brock Purdy fan since the beginning, even through the injuries and everything. I thought this was a great story. But he also, you know, just the way he carries himself and handles everything. I'm just saying, from a pure, you know, arm talent, Legs talent. Brockford doesn't fall in there. But is Brock pretty worthy of that contract he just signed? Yes, he is.

Colin Cowherd (38:24)

Interesting. Mark, great stuff. Enjoy the weekend. Thanks for being our guest on Fox Sports Radio.

Rich Eisen (38:29)

Thank you, Doug. Enjoy the week.

Colin Cowherd (38:31)

You too. That's. Mark Dominick spent over 20 years in the NFL, front offices, in scouting, and of course, former general manager of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. I'll tell you, this J. Stuff you had had to know and do. I think it was a sponsor deal. I do. But when he gets Those Toyota Tacoma TRDs for all of his offensive linemen, like that is a bold. Again, has to be a sponsorship deal. But Otherwise, you gotta know you're getting paid. Like, you have to know you're not getting paid. You're getting paid. And I am looking both ways before I cross the street. I'm not. I'm. I'm wrapping myself in bubble wrap, right? Because one of those, those got to run in the 60s, right? So if you go 60 times and you're not just buying, you can't just buy the starting line. And you got to buy all those. All those meatheads, like eight of them, right? Eight of them. You're talking like half a million dollars if, if you're spending your own money on those TRDs. He had to know he was getting paid. That's. Otherwise, it's a bold move when the amount that you're paying in cars for your linemen for protecting you is the same amount you're making per year.

Jason Stewart (39:41)

No doubt. And I would just wonder if there was not a sponsor involved, if he literally just went on to a Toyota dealership and said, I need these many cars and I'm going to get 180 guaranteed in the next couple of months. I wonder if they sell him on that credit, on that verified credit. I don't know what you put up for collateral. I don't know if you give them your football helmet or something. But yeah, that's an interesting story. But you must admit, like, the team's messaging, they haven't even hidden this. There was zero suspense. Like, no. Early in the season even. They're like, we're going to take care of the kid. We're going to take care of him. And to our astonishment, they kept saying it, but. And then they did it.

Colin Cowherd (40:23)

Yeah, they did it. I guess maybe that's their men of their word. They, hey, this is our guy. He played for us for almost for free for a couple of years now. We're going to. Feels like overpaying him. I don't know. Hey, I'm Doug Gottlieman. For Colin coming up in the Herd, I'll give you my advice. Actually, I'll give you some advice. To the New York Knicks on game two against Indian tonight. Wanna hear it? It's next in the Herd.

Jason Stewart (40:45)

Be sure to catch live editions of the Herd, weekdays at noon Eastern, 9am Pacific, on Fox Sports Radio, FS1 and the iHeartRadio app. Be sure to catch live editions of the Herd, weekdays at noon Eastern, 9am Pacific.

Steve Covino (40:58)

Hey, 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. 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.

Doug Gottlieb (41:56)

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Mark Dominick (44:52)

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Colin Cowherd (44:56)

Son, your grandpa and I used to work on this car together, and when I'm gone, I want you to have it. Wow.

Doug Gottlieb (45:03)

Thanks dad.

Mark Dominick (45:04)

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Colin Cowherd (45:24)

Collins the hurt Fox boards radio iheartradio app, I think. Look, not everything about the new generation is bad, right? We do this and if you listen to the show, I'm Doug Gottlieb, my esteemed producer Jason Stewart joining me today. And Jason, you. You do like to point out how some of the hypocrisies, some of the bizarre stuff that gen Z is into and how they all have to have their feelings heard and vindicated and how different is from how we were brought up, right? Like we do. It's pretty easy to poke fun at some of this stuff, but. But not all of it is bad, right? Let's. Let's not act like everything in the new generation is bad. And I give you Tyrese Halberton. Tyrese Halberton was an overlooked player, right? AK Came. He's from Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He went to Iowa State. It wasn't like there was great fanfare, and he just worked and worked and worked. And again, even now with the most overrated player mantra that he carries because of a player poll he doesn't know, does he not shrink from the moment, hitting what was an incredible shot, although he double dribbled? I mean, anybody sees that video, you can say, well, he got fouled, but he also double dribbled. If he gets fouled, then it's two free throws and then the Knicks get the ball back, you know, after the two free throws. But nonetheless, I don't know if you saw this, but Halliburton was asked by ESPN about being the most overrated. He says, I love external motivation. Somebody's talking ish. I want to know because I want to go back at them. And don't get me wrong, talking trash in basketball is as old as the game itself. Although I'm not really sure that doctor, Dr. James Naismith, who invented it for aerobic activity, was. Was really into the trash talking even when he was the least successful coach in the history of Kansas basketball. Right. Like, I don't think he was. I don't think James R. Na Smith was a big trash talk guy. But since it became kind of a city game in probably, I don't know, the 30s, 40s, definitely the 50s and 60s, trash talk has been a part of it. And we. I don't know if we try and take it out of it. It's just sometimes the women's stuff is, wow, well over the top. And then, you know, obviously there's moments where, like, his dad coming on the court, like, what are you doing? But. But here's what I do, like from the Gen Z generation is because they've grown up with a phone in their hand because they've grown up where X was Twitter and there were message boards. People have spoken their mind more and said more Bombay bombastic stuff on tv, on radio, online than at any time in our lifetime. Right. I mean, again, go back to how sports was always covered in the 90s, and it was far different. Were people critical of Jordan before he won an NBA title? Yes. But was it was. Was the noise this loud? No, no. And average Everyday Joe's now feel like they have the ability to say and do whatever they want. It started with message boards and it moved into social media and now they're getting quoted on, on real TV shows. I don't know why we do that, but we do. But the point is that between Tyrese Halberton, Anthony Edwards, you know, some of these guys, they have grown up idolizing the Jordans, the Birds, the Kobe's guys who were, who were great trash talkers. And they've grown up in an era where you can kind of say whatever the hell you want, you know, you, you know, take your shot, talk your ish. And I think Halliburton's a perfect example of it. It's like, do I, if I'm a, if I'm a Pacer coach, do I love that he talks trash? He runs his mouth? Maybe not. But one, it kind of works for him and two, it kind of fits with this generation. Like, I actually think, Jason, in your, in your weekly evisceration of all things Gen Z, there may be a mea culpa at some point in time because Gen Z, they'll actually say what they think every now and again. More, more often. Now, look, some of them get their feelings hurt way worse than previous generations and they make it about things it's not about. But I do think that there's a portion of them that, that matches the kind of message board Twitter trash talk that I actually think is a good thing from this generation.

Jason Stewart (50:09)

And as a parent of Gen Z, I take full responsibility for how Gen Z is. And just to be clear, I've always said that Gen Z walks around thinking that we owe them happiness all the time. Like, what is it the Declaration of Independence said that our country guarantees you the pursuit of happiness? Gen Z somehow reads that as, we guarantee you'll be happy all day. And if you're not, then you can complain. So yeah, the refreshing part of that is you're right, this kid could easily take the high road and be like, I don't listen to the noise. It's all about basketball.

Colin Cowherd (50:47)

I love the I go Zero Dark Thirty. I don't listen to any of that stuff.

Jason Stewart (50:52)

Correct.

Colin Cowherd (50:52)

I just lock in, lock in.

Jason Stewart (50:55)

It's more interesting when they do hear the noise and they acknowledge it and he's literally putting it where his mouth is. I don't even Know what that even means. But he's putting it on the court.

Colin Cowherd (51:11)

Yeah. How does that work? Where you put your money, where your mouth is. I want to know the impetus of that expression.

Jason Stewart (51:17)

And I just use a Gen Z thing and I use literally in the opposite term that it's actually used. So that I just fell for that.

Colin Cowherd (51:24)

Yeah, no, of course you did. And well, that's what's interesting is they've changed what literally means in the Webster's Dictionary to where it actually, one of the definitions is figuratively, not actually literally, but, but I, I, I digress. The point is that any generation has, you can, you can pick apart negatives about it. Our generation, our parents, their parents. The greatest generation of all time. The greatest generation of all time. Awesome. But let's not act like the world was perfect back with Ozzy and Harriet. All right? And they did, you know, greatest generation was World War I. Right. That's trench warfare. Let's dig a big trench and then let's go take another trench. And everybody dies in between the two trenches. Not the smartest of generations. The greatest generation, though, because of what they did to stand up for, for the right side of history. And with this generation, there's a lot of negatives you point out, but one positive is they will take their shot. Oklahoma City takes the two games non league. Do we like them? That's next. It hurt.

Doug Gottlieb (52:32)

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Mark Dominick (53:44)

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Colin Cowherd (53:48)

Your grandpa and I used to work on this car together. And when I'm gone, I want you to have it. Wow.

Doug Gottlieb (53:54)

Thanks, dad.

Mark Dominick (53:55)

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Doug Gottlieb (54:16)

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Colin Cowherd (54:46)

You're listening to an Iheart podcast.