Albert Breer (4:01)

I would say Abdul Carter at 2 to Cleveland, Travis Hunter at 3 to the Giants. I think the Giants have protected themselves so they don't have to force anything at quarterback. And I do think, you know like the idea of taking Travis Hunter and then maybe a day two quarterback where you're not tied to that guy for the next 10 years but you get it, you're taking a shot at it might work better for them. My guess right now would be that neither of them take Shador and then it becomes anywhere's guess where Shador goes because like I said to you last week, like he's sort of like Bo Nicks to me like this, like this this year's version of Bo Nix where last year or very few teams that had Bo Nix as a first round pick, he had to find a fit and he obviously found that in Denver and no one cares or anybody had him anymore because he played great for the Broncos. I think that's chador this year where a lot of teams don't look at him as a first round talent and he's going to have to find a fit.

Colin Cowherd (4:53)

It's interesting. Joel Clatt, he played, he played football at Colorado as well. It is interesting. The. Here's the argument. For those that say Shador is dropping. I could argue this. Listen, not a special athlete. Been a couple of moments of immaturity we don't love. Not the end of the world. But he's probably closer to Jackson Dart as a talent than Cam Ward. So what's the point? We'll wait to the second round. Is that a legit argument from what you've seen?

Joel Klatt (5:25)

I don't know. I mean, I, I think Shedeur is an incredible player. I think he is and should be a top five or six pick in the draft. I think what people fail to realize is that he was doing at the college level what he's going to be asked to do at the, at the NFL level. Not only schematically, but also think about this, Colin. How many times do we evaluate quarterbacks that are playing with far superior teammates than their opposition? All the time. That's all we do is evaluate. Part of the reason why it's so difficult to evaluate college quarterbacks is because generally speaking, they're playing on really good teams and their teammates are far better than the opposition. That's not necessarily the case with Shoe Doris playing behind a really bad offensive line. And he took a team that was going from one win and then ultimately wound up in the top 25 and won nine games. Why? Because of him. So he had to raise the level of everybody around him. He did it without a running game, he did it without an offensive line. He's hyper accurate when he's on time in the pocket. He can create kind of from a magical standpoint and keep the play alive. Similar to Fran Tarkington, I hear this narrative and unfortunately this is where we're at today and kind of the coverage of the NFL draft is that the draft media or certain individuals within the league who are never going to draft this player to begin with start perpetuating these myths and these, these untruths about players stemming out of the combine going we didn't like this guy, this guy is falling. And to be honest with you, I think that this type of storyline is lazy and it's rinse and repeat every year. You take the guy that is, is the most controversial in the draft and then we end up having to talk about this exact subject because of lazy journalism and a big mouth scout. That's what happens every single year. But when you actually watch your door Guy is excellent, man. He's got surgical capability, he's on time, he's accurate, he's smart, and he led a program from one win to nine, which is exactly what he's going to be asked to do in the NFL.

Colin Cowherd (7:40)

All right, Cam Ward, I mean, Cam Ward looks like a number one pick in terms of moves, arm, anything that worries you about him, that he's a little off script. A lot of guys are early in there. Jaden Daniels was a lot of off script. It worked. My take is nobody's going to know what he is until Thanksgiving. So there's the element of the surprise in a weak division. I think he's actually going to play pretty well.

Joel Klatt (8:03)

You know, I think Cam Ward is a really talented guy. There is a little element. Colin, I think you would agree with me and we've talked about this a little bit. There's a little element of gunslinger to him. You know, he'll take some chances with the football down the field, but that's, that's part of what makes him special, you know, and he believes and he trusts himself and his arm strength. I, I've loved Cam for a long time. And by the way, he played back in his days at Washington State, you know, with a surrounding cast that wasn't necessarily the best surrounding cast. So my same argument for Shador, you could also make for Cam. He had success behind what you could call poor offensive lines at the college level. So I think that that's actually a huge feather in his cap when you talk about the evaluation to the next level. I think he's going to have to just be careful from a turnover perspective because he will make throws that others are unwilling to make sure. But that does put the ball in precarious spots. And that's the only thing that I would say is it would be my only worry. It's not that I think it's going to happen. I just. He may have to deal with a few unsightly turnovers early in his career in order to learn some of those lessons.

Colin Cowherd (9:10)

Be sure to catch live editions of the Herd, weekdays at noon Eastern, 9am Pacific on Fox Sports Radio FS1 and the iHeartRadio app. Omaha Steaks delivers the world's best steak experience and it brings people together with more than 100 years of family owned expertise as America's original butcher. Omaha Steak's legendary filet mignons are extra aged to maximize tenderness and are tested to the highest standards to maintain the coveted distinction of USDA certified tender. And now during their semi annual sale. You can get 50% off site wide at Omaha steaks.com plus our listeners get an extra $30 off with the promo code herdherd at checkout. This weekend was a great time to bust open my Omaha Steaks assortment. Pack air Chilled boneless chicken breasts, ribeye and steak burgers. Gourmet jumbo franks. They're great butcher's cut top sirloins and for dessert, caramel apple tartlets. It doesn't get better than this. From legendary steaks to classic comfort food, bring home that exceptional handcrafted flavor and convenience of Omaha Steaks. Every steak perfectly aged. Five generations of uncompromising quality. Omaha Steaks has been America's original butcher since 1917. Don't miss the semiannual sale at Omaha Steaks. Visit OmahaSteaks.com for 50% off site wide and for an extra $30 off, use the promo code herdherd at checkout. That's 50% off at Omaha Steaks.com and an extra $30 off with a promo code HERD at checkout. The finals are here. And the only thing for sure it's the last time to bet on college basketball this season. Been an amazing ride full of unexpected happenings. Maybe there'll be more. So get in on the action expected and unexpected with DraftKings sportsbook. Live betting promos, exclusive content parlays. I love those. DraftKings is the ultimate college basketball destination for March. So are you ready to make your first bet? Check out the matchups and pick a team to win. It's that simple. First time. Here's something special just for you. New DraftKings customers bet 5 bucks to get 150 bucks in bonus bets instantly. So bet the unexpected with DraftKings sportsbook. You download the Sportsbook app. The code is heard. That's me H E R D for new customers, get 150 bucks in bonus bets. All you have to do is bet five bucks. That's it. Only on DraftKings. The crown is yours. Gambling problem. Call 1-800- gambler in New York, call 877-8-HOPE NY or text hopeny 467-369 in Connecticut. Help is available for problem gambling. Call 888-78-97-777, help or visit ccpg.org Please play responsibly on behalf of Boot Hill Casino and Resort in Kansas. 21 plus. Age and eligibility varies by jurisdiction. Void in Ontario, new customers only. Bonus bets expire 168 hours after issuance. For additional terms and responsible gaming resources, see DKNG CO Audio we live in a divided country. I am a lifelong Republican with all.

Jeremy Hobson (12:14)

Kinds of different people.

Colin Cowherd (12:15)

You know, I'm a mother, I'm a grandmother.

Jeremy Hobson (12:18)

That's why we started the Middle with Jeremy Hobson. It's about bringing voices not from the extremes, but from the vast middle into the national conversation.

Albert Breer (12:26)

Anna, I'm calling from Las Vegas.

Jeremy Hobson (12:29)

Each week we bring together an all star panel. Mark Cuban, so great to have you on the Middle.

Albert Breer (12:34)

Thanks for having me.

Colin Cowherd (12:34)

Jeremy.

Jeremy Hobson (12:35)

Neil Degrasse Tyson, welcome to the Middle.

Colin Cowherd (12:36)

Thanks for having me.

Jeremy Hobson (12:37)

And hear from ordinary Americans from all over the country on the most important issues.

Colin Cowherd (12:42)

Hi, my name is Venkat. I'm calling you from Atlanta, Georgia.

Jeremy Hobson (12:46)

And when you subscribe to the Middle, you also get an episode each week called One Thing Trump did that focuses on just one item from the avalanche of news.

Colin Cowherd (12:54)

We should be examining what our government spends its money on and are these jobs necessary and what are we doing here? But that doesn't seem to be what we're doing in this situation.

Jeremy Hobson (13:02)

Listen to the Middle with Jeremy Hobson on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.

Bob Pittman (13:08)

Hi, I'm Bob Pittman, chairman and CEO of iHeartMedia. I'm excited to introduce a brand new season of my podcast Math and Stories from the Frontiers of Marketing. I'm having conversations with some interesting folks across a wide range of industries to hear how they reach the top of their fields and the lessons they learned along the way that everyone can use. I'll be joined by innovative leaders like chairman and CEO of Health Beauty, Tarang Amin.

J. Mac (13:34)

The way I approach risk is constantly try things and actually make it okay to fail.

Bob Pittman (13:39)

I'm sitting down with legendary singer, songwriter and philanthropist Jewel.

Joel Klatt (13:43)

I wanted a way to do something.

Colin Cowherd (13:45)

That I loved for the rest of my life.

Bob Pittman (13:47)

We're also hearing how leaders brought their businesses out of unprecedented times, like Stephane Bonsell, CEO of Moderna.

Joel Klatt (13:55)

It becomes a human decision to decide to throw by the window your business traffic strategy and to do what you think is the right thing for the world.

Bob Pittman (14:02)

Join me as we uncover innovations in data and analytics, the math and the ever important creative spark, the magic. Listen to math and magic stories from the frontiers of Marketing on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcast.

Colin Cowherd (14:17)

The you know, I was watching Ashton Genty footage about a week ago and I did this years and years ago. There was a draft and I was just going through. This was pre YouTube. I think maybe it wasn't, but I remember seeing A bunch of videos.

Joel Klatt (14:31)

The Dark Ages. Yeah, that's the dark ages.

Colin Cowherd (14:34)

And I saw Patrick Willis video a bunch of it. And I, and I went on the air and I said, that's the best athlete in the draft. He went 11 to the Niners. And I said, I don't care. I am watching him chase down sec running backs. Chase them down and they're four. Four guys. And he ended up having a great career. He retired, you know, a little earlier, but he was a great player. And I was watching Aston Genty footage the other day and he had a little Saquon or three move and I was like, yeah, that's not normal. Like, that's the stuff that's just God given. And I kind of changed my mind from, you know, it's a good quarter, it's a good running back draft. You can get 85% of them in the fourth round. I kind of probably think he may be the third most athletic player in the draft after Abdul Carter and Travis Hunter. Where are you on the running back from? Boise State.

Joel Klatt (15:20)

I love Ashton Genty. I really do. I think that. So I'm, truth be told, like, I believe that the number one attribute that a running back has to have, it's a prerequisite that you've got to be able to run the football. And he obviously does that in spades. But you've got to be able to catch it out of the backfield. I think you would agree with me on that. Like, in this day and age, you've got to be a threat on every down and in every personnel group, and that means catching out of the backfield. Now, some would say, and I think lazily, well, he didn't have a lot of catches last year, but if you actually just kind of peek behind the curtain of what last year was for Genty and more specifically for Boise State, they were very intently trying to win him the Heisman Trophy. The only way that he was going to have a chance to win the Heisman Trophy column is if he not only tested, but possibly beat Barry Sanders yardage mark, you know, mid 2000, 2500 yards. Well, you're not going to waste touches on catches if you're trying to get just rushing yards. So they gave it to him 28 times, but it was via handoffs, so that that yardage would be rushing yardage. Now, I firmly believe that they, they have denied it and I have talked to some of the coaches about this, but I firmly believe that they, they targeted 28, 29 touches. And why in the World, would you give some of that receiving now? It doesn't mean he can't catch the ball. So I have heard. And maybe you've heard this or not. I have heard some people say, like, well, I didn't love his catch production as a wide receiver, or, excuse me, a receiver out of the backfield, but he can do it, and it has been there in his history at Boise State. He's been a good receiver out of the backfield. So that's not a concern for me. So you go towards his special traits, his vision, his balance, and more specifically, calling his. His contact through. Or, excuse me, his balance through contact.

Colin Cowherd (17:16)

It's amazing.

Joel Klatt (17:17)

No, no one brings him down. And I understand it's the Mountain west and I've been, you know, I'm a. I'm a. I'm a big conference snob. I'm not afraid to admit it, but you watch this guy play, man, and it's. No one brings him down and he just kind of bounces through contact. It's very beautiful. I have him going to the Cowboys in the first round in my mock draft, and he might not even last that long. Really?

Colin Cowherd (17:41)

Yeah, I don't think it's a bad get. So the receiver from Arizona, it's a weak receiver draft, they say T Mac, the other day, they caught him on video saying, I don't watch football. I don't love film. It would. It had a Johnny Manzel vibe. The difference is Johnny's a quarterback, he's a receiver. You have your receiver group. You know, I mean, I watched 15 of his college games. Big catch radius, big kid, little bit of a glider. But after the catch, he's great. It doesn't bother me, but I could see a team saying, we'll get a receiver next round. What did you make of the comment?

Joel Klatt (18:14)

Sure, yeah, listen. He only needs one team to draft him, and there's going to be teams that are going to look past those comments. Like, what's he going to do? Watch film? Be like, well, I can beat that guy. You know, I mean, he's physically. He's physically so gifted that when. When you actually think about, like, what he's what? Listen, this is going to sound bad, but it's like defensive tackles and receivers need to know the least amount of schematics on the field. It's like the receiver is literally like, can I beat this guy or not? Is he in a jam technique or a bump technique or is he an off coverage? And that's, I mean, that's kind of it, man. You know, and defensive lineman is like left or right quarterback, you know, so. Yeah, so I'm. I'm not as concerned with a guy that is maybe not a football junkie. If a safety said this or if a tight end said this, or certainly a quarterback said this, I'd be like, okay, I don't love that. Because they need to know so much of what's going on schematically on the field with all 22 chess pieces. Wide receiver, not so much. So I look at traits. He's big, he knows how to use his body. Not only the catch radius, but I would say that the win percentage in contested catches is so high for him because of his instincts with the football. So to me, he screams as a number one receiver potentially. And for those reasons, someone is still going to have him high on their board regardless of what he said about film.

Colin Cowherd (19:37)

Okay, I like a lot about Jalen Melro. I like the body, I like the kid, I like the parents. But Kalyn DeBoer had Michael Penix for years, often injured, and Kaylin DeBoer struggled with him. I mean, you watched the first half against Vandy or Oklahoma, I'm like, I got no interest. And then you watch other games, I think it was the second half against Georgia and you're like, whoa, what do we got here? So it's a beautiful deep ball and again, coachable, great kid, but man, he was inconsistent at Bama. What is that? Why? What does the film say on Jalen Milroe?

Joel Klatt (20:11)

Well, I think that Jalen Milroe suffers from what a lot of guys suffer from, that are supremely, athletically gifted at this position in particular, it is both a blessing and a curse to be as. As gifted as he is running the football. I think Lamar Jackson dealt with this in his career, in particular going back to Louisville, and I think that Jalen Milro is dealing with this. When you have that trump card and that get out of jail free card, it stunts your growth as a pure passer. So he now doesn't just need to use like the schematics of the game and the control in the pocket and his ability to control things with his mind. Not that he can't. I'm just saying you don't have to do that when you can just leave the pocket and beat everybody. As an athletic quarterback, I've had this conversation with a lot of guys and I would just say, like, those of us that can't run, would we love to run? Yes. But what's the blessing of not being able to run? Well, you learn the entire game and you learn all of your get out, got to get out of jail cards that aren't your legs and Milroe and those that can just athletically get out of jail free with their legs, they, they don't develop that and eventually you're going to have to have that. So Colin, what did we see? We saw growing pains. We saw a guy that was being asked to do things that he hadn't been asked to do before. And, and we saw that. And the question is, is, is can you overcome that? Lamar Jackson has been able to overcome that. Others have been able to overcome that. And that's going to be Jalen's charge. But he's really talented and I will say this, like, he works incredibly hard. He works incredibly hard. And it wasn't right away that Pennix was able to succeed under Kalyn DeBoer. You know, Pinnock's at Indiana under DeBoer wasn't Pinnocks. He was often injured and then he transferred and went to Washington and started to have all that success with an unbelievable wide receiver core around him. And hopefully for, for Jalen, he can develop some of those traits moving forward.

Colin Cowherd (22:28)

Finally, you were drafted by major league baseball team. You played minor league baseball. This torpedo bats fascinating where they've shifted a little weight to the barrel, to the label. I, I said it's like Gordon Ramsay's good regardless, but if you give him the freshest seafood and the freshest ingredients, it's jet fuel to a great chef. The twins had it all last weekend and couldn't hit. The Yankees, who led baseball at homers last year, are off to a torrid start. What do you make of it?

Joel Klatt (22:57)

I listen, I love it. I love the innovation. And my question is, let me like, I'll throw it back to you. How many home runs do you think they hit with regular bats? Probably a lot to your point. Right? Like this is Ramsey with. With good ingredients. These are really good hitters. You know, you give it to a team that doesn't know how to hit and it's like, well, are they going to do the damage that the Yankees were able to do? I'm not sure. I'm not sure. I will tell you this, that the innovation in baseball has been very slow over the years and this is something that I can get behind. And I just love wasn't it the guy that was like, he was like a scientist and then he was he and he didn't he work for NASA and now all of a sudden he's in baseball. And he invents this. This bat.

Colin Cowherd (23:48)

I love it.

Joel Klatt (23:49)

I absolutely love it.

Colin Cowherd (23:50)

Yeah. It's almost like HGH was creating great where great didn't exist. This is enhancing great where it already exists. You're just taking guys and saying, yeah, that. That. That line drive to short. That's a double. Or that line drive to short, and that drops in for a long single. So I don't know.

Joel Klatt (24:08)

And I believe that the. The theory is just that, like, you get higher exit velocity because the mass is greater at the point of contact. Isn't that the theory behind it?

Colin Cowherd (24:17)

I dropped out of MIT after my second year, so I don't have that down yet.

Joel Klatt (24:23)

Got it. I love it.

Colin Cowherd (24:25)

Good to see you, buddy.

Joel Klatt (24:27)

You as well. You as well. See you, dude.

Colin Cowherd (24:29)

All right. Yeah, I think it's fun.

Joel Klatt (24:31)

I mean, it's.

Colin Cowherd (24:32)

It's. So. When I was a kid, I don't know about the rest of you, but we all collected some level of baseball cards. But I used to be fascinated in the paper, in my little hometown paper, you'd go to the batting leaders and the RBI leaders, and they listed them, like, every. Every day. And I was just. I was, like, memorizing stuff. And so even now, as an adult, sometimes randomly, I'll go to, like, who leads baseball? And, you know, batting average. There's just a lot of teams hitting.240 in the last decade. And you're like, you can't have half the team sitting under.255. Like, you need more action. Some of it was defensive shift. And so that's why I asked Rob Manfred. Like, you. You get lower the man or something. This has literally found the solution. They found a solution. Now you got like, six, seven teams hitting.290, and it's not extending the time of the game. It's just more hits and more action.

Joel Klatt (25:16)

It's great.

Colin Cowherd (25:18)

J. Mac with the news. No, no, no. Turn on the news. This is the Herd line news.

J. Mac (25:25)

All right, we got a developing situation in Dallas. Oh, and I don't want to go overboard here, but Jerry Jones talked to the media, and things are getting wacky. Okay, so it was reported the Cowboys had offered Micah Parsons a contract that would make him the highest paid non quarterback in NFL history. Parsons agent, David Mulaguetta, who's kind of a big deal out there, he's had some big names. He was not involved in the negotiations. Jerry's trying to cut out the middleman. So on the facility earlier today, Emmanuel Acho cleared up some of the confusion.

Colin Cowherd (25:59)

Because of the confusion I called, mulaged.

Joel Klatt (26:02)

Myself, and where the Cowboys are currently.

Colin Cowherd (26:04)

At is they brought Micah Parsons in to talk about the deal. Michael Parsons said, hey, thanks for bringing me in to talk about the deal, but I'm not agreeing to anything until y'all talk to my agent. So it sounds like Jerry. No, it sounds like Jerry wanted to go around the agent of Micah, go directly to Micah to negotiate that deal. Oh, that. That is saucy. So agents do not. That. That infuriates the agent community.

J. Mac (26:29)

If you're Jerry, you don't want to deal with this guy. He resets the market for all of his clients. So, Jerry, understandably, I don't want to deal with this guy. Let me talk to my guy. Micah Parsons.

Colin Cowherd (26:37)

Yeah.

J. Mac (26:38)

Thinking like, the person.

Colin Cowherd (26:39)

Agents don't like that.

J. Mac (26:40)

Of course not. So Jerry then met with the media, and he's like, yeah, his agent. I don't even know what his name is, which is kind of disrespectful.

Colin Cowherd (26:47)

Oh, you know, that's saucy.

J. Mac (26:49)

Everybody's played that card before, and this is fixing to get ugly in Dallas. And now Micah Parsons is out there on social media, as you can see, pumping up his agent. Listen, I. I don't want to blast Jerry Jones. Let's see what ends up.

Colin Cowherd (27:06)

I like. I don't know his name.

Joel Klatt (27:08)

That's.

Colin Cowherd (27:09)

Yeah, that's kind of.

J. Mac (27:10)

People get ticked off when you do that. I've told you, like, ultimate move. If you're driving, somebody middle fingers you. You don't middle finger the back. You just put the thumbs down.

Colin Cowherd (27:18)

Why?

J. Mac (27:18)

And people get super, super angry. Somebody did it to me once, and I was. I was livid because I'm a great driver. I know that. So I think the whole I don't even know this guy's name is on par with the thumbs down to a driver. It's real. This guy's gonna be ticked off. Jerry is now gonna have to get into a back and forth with the agent, Micah Parsons. It is. It's just a constant disaster in Dallas. Colin, I'm kind of sort of loving this. Anyways, let's move on to Raheem. Morris said the Falcons are willing to trade Kirk Cousins if there's a deal that works for both sides. Diana Rossini said today she wouldn't be surprised to see Cousins in.

Colin Cowherd (27:54)

Wait for it.

J. Mac (27:54)

Colin. Cleveland, and we know a ton of teams are looking for quarterbacks.

Colin Cowherd (28:01)

That's depressing.

J. Mac (28:02)

Well, I mean, remember I said that earlier? There is momentum in Cleveland. That hurt. We're getting Kirk Cousins if we don't draft Shador, we'll get Kirk. But there is another, another theory from Browns fans. Hey, let's take Travis Hunter at 2, right? And if everybody passes on Shadour, we can then trade back into the middle late first round, grab Shador and they get Travis Hunter and Shador Sanders in Cleveland that could be in play. I don't know what you'd have to give up to get back in the first, but I, I, I just don't understand what you're, what you're doing going Kirk Cousins. I'm just telling you if he looked as washed as he did in Atlanta and you win five or six games. Is Stefanski the coach again next year?

Colin Cowherd (28:42)

I honestly, this is so strange, but I already know three teams that are going to be drafting in the top six next year. Next year, Jets, Giants and Cleveland.

J. Mac (28:53)

Well, Cleveland if they don't take Shador, right. I mean the idea that Kirk Cousins.

Colin Cowherd (28:58)

New Orleans will not, New Orleans will not be great either.

J. Mac (29:03)

Yet New Orleans is a sleeper to take Shador Sanders. I think at 8 or 9 wherever they're drafting in the top 10 there.

Colin Cowherd (29:09)

Is such a defined bottom of the league now. I never felt that until last two years. I felt like because the league has become so quarterback reliant, if you don't have one, you're bad.

J. Mac (29:21)

Yeah. Do you think Kirk Cousins bounces back?

Colin Cowherd (29:23)

No, I think he'll, he'll be a better. He'll be somewhere between what he was until Thanksgiving and what he was after Thanksgiving. He'll be somewhere in the well after Thanksgiving.

J. Mac (29:30)

He looked like your high school quarterback tape. I mean it couldn't throw an eight yard out. I mean it was, it was bleak. Remember that pick 6 cost me some money.

Colin Cowherd (29:37)

I never had one of those. Pick six, you never had one of those. Okay. We didn't throw much.

J. Mac (29:41)

Okay, qb, one final story is about, you know, your favorite guy, Aaron Rodgers. So Art Rooney II has chimed in on the Steelers and Rodgers, he said he sees positive signs on the team signing Rogers. I don't know what positive signs means.

Colin Cowherd (29:59)

But well that, that probably means that Aaron's rep and Aaron have said we feel pretty good about it. We are not going to put pen to paper but Aaron practice with DK Metcalf. That's a pretty encouraging sign. Oh yeah. You know, can I just say, you know, some things look the part but then you get there and they're not the part. Like you know, it could be a hotel reservation or a golf course or you know, certain things they just they. They sell themselves very well. And then you get there and you got a GM in Pittsburgh. Right now, I'm not sure Omar Khan is the guy. They didn't do an outside search. He's been there forever. Mike Tomlin has been lapped. Offensively, they have a ton of money on defense. Getting a little older on defense. I think Pittsburgh, they've been so relevant for so long. There's this feeling that they're this. And they're really not close to a Super bowl bubble. It's. Notre Dame has gone through stages like this in their history. Like after Lou Holtz until about year five with Brian Kelly. We talked about Notre Dame. Now Brian Kelly, last three years and Marcus Freeman are different, but there was like a 15 year gap that Notre Dame, everybody talked about him, but they were a mile from competing with the second best, third best team in the sec. And I feel like Pittsburgh's like, they've been lapped. They're not relevant.

J. Mac (31:32)

Yeah, it's tough. Did you ever see the movie Clueless? Alicia Silverstone?

Colin Cowherd (31:36)

No.

J. Mac (31:37)

Oh, gosh.

Colin Cowherd (31:38)

Why?

J. Mac (31:38)

So I'm pretty sure it was Clueless, but they called it like a Monet, where far away, the person looks really, really good. Then you get up close and you're like, ooh, not so much. Is that kind of like the Steelers?

Colin Cowherd (31:51)

Yeah. Yeah. I think you get up close and.

J. Mac (31:53)

Look and you're like, oh, this is not for me.

Colin Cowherd (31:54)

You know what? There's a lot of Vegas casinos like that. A lot of flashing lights. And then you get inside and you have. You stay. Then I've done that before. You go to one of the rooms and you're like, yeah, that's why I go to the Four Seasons. And when I go to Vegas. Yeah. I mean, there's just a lot of. There's been a lot of use. I mean, hotel rooms in Vegas are treated like rental cars. Like, nobody treats a hotel in Vegas like they would treat their. Their house.

J. Mac (32:20)

Yeah.

Colin Cowherd (32:20)

And, you know, and I. I. Pittsburgh. Ooh, the Steelers, the helmet, the trophies, Mike Tomlin, the defense. I don't. I don't like what I hear and see.

J. Mac (32:31)

Have you ever turned on a black light in a Vegas hotel room?

Colin Cowherd (32:34)

No. And I can imagine what's there.

J. Mac (32:36)

Yeah.

Colin Cowherd (32:37)

You don't want to go into detail.

J. Mac (32:38)

Michael Scott made a great comment on the Office back in the day. That's either. I won't say I don't want to get in trouble.

Colin Cowherd (32:44)

I can imagine what the joke is. It's really funny. J. Mac with the news.

J. Mac (32:49)

Oh, whatever.

Colin Cowherd (32:50)

Well, that's the news. And thanks for stopping the herd lie news. Gianni Infantino stopped by today. The president of FIFA as the the Club World cup will have two U.S. representatives, Miami and the Seattle Sounders and the great players and clubs in the world that that will precede the World cup, which is two summers away. We had Albert Brear from the NFL owner meetings and Joel Clatt stopped by. I can't get over the torpedo bat. It's like we got six, seven teams now. People are averaging six runs a game. Baseball has solved so many issues in the last two years. Speeded up. Bigger bases, more runners, more runs. Like they've just solved. It's like NBA. Are you watching this? Like that. That might. NFL is always changing. Baseball has had an unbelievable two years of changes and they've all worked. It's like NBA. You can sit on your hands, but your AU system is bad. The G League gets in the way of marketing and promoting your players. You've got too much repetitiveness on three pointers and nobody cares about the regular season, including your star players. Like NBA, you've always been the progressive, make changes model. Like baseball has had two years of like six changes and they're six for six. They all work.

J. Mac (34:22)

A lot of it had to do. I think Ohtani going to the Dodgers, that helps. That was enormous. That would be the equivalent of kind of Luca to the Lakers. Or if Kevin Durant this summer goes, I don't know, Boston, where?

Colin Cowherd (34:33)

Knicks. If Kevin Durant goes to the Knicks, there's two moves that are really going to help the NBA. Kevin Durant to the Celtics or Knicks. And Cooper Flag goes either with Wemby or goes to Chicago.

J. Mac (34:47)

Yeah.

Colin Cowherd (34:48)

And you will be like Wemby.

J. Mac (34:49)

Oh, I hadn't even thought about that.

Colin Cowherd (34:51)

No, he goes with Wemby and Cooper Flag. Folks, you're looking at the best wing player and the best big, potentially generational talents.

J. Mac (34:59)

Yeah, that's what they are like. Let's just. Let's be real.

Colin Cowherd (35:02)

Live in la. 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, it's 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 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.

Joel Klatt (35:37)

To have the time to discuss.

Colin Cowherd (35:39)

And the fact that we've been friends for the last 20 years and still work together, I mean, that says something, right? So check us out. We like to get you involved, too. Take your phone calls, chop it up, as they say. I'd say the most interactive show on Fox Sports Radio, maybe the most interactive show on planet Earth. Be sure to check out Covino and Rich live on Fox Sports radio and the iHeartradio app from 5 to 7pm Eastern, 2 to 4 Pacific. And if you miss any of the live show, just search Kobe, Knowrich, wherever you get your podcasts. And of course, on social media, that's Covino and Rich.

Jeremy Hobson (36:10)

We live in a divided country.

Colin Cowherd (36:11)

I am a lifelong Republican with all.

Jeremy Hobson (36:14)

Kinds of different people.

Colin Cowherd (36:15)

You know, I'm a mother, I'm a grandmother.

Jeremy Hobson (36:18)

That's why we started the Middle with Jeremy Hobson. It's about bringing voices not from the extremes, but from the vast middle into the national conversation.

Albert Breer (36:26)

Anna, I'm calling from Las Vegas.

Jeremy Hobson (36:29)

Each week we bring together an all star panel. Mark Cuban, so great to have you on the Middle.

Albert Breer (36:33)

Thanks for having me, Jeremy.

Jeremy Hobson (36:35)

Neil degrasse Tyson, welcome to the Middle.

Bob Pittman (36:36)

Thanks for having me.

Jeremy Hobson (36:37)

And hear from ordinary Americans from all over the country on the most important issues.

Colin Cowherd (36:42)

Hi, my name is Venkat. I'm calling you from Atlanta, Georgia.

Jeremy Hobson (36:46)

And when you subscribe to the Middle, you also get an episode each week called One Thing Trump did that focuses on just one item from the avalanche of news.

Colin Cowherd (36:54)

We should be examining what our government spends its money on and are these jobs necessary? And what are we doing here? But that doesn't seem to be what we're doing in this situation.

Jeremy Hobson (37:02)

Listen to the Middle with Jeremy Hobson on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.

Bob Pittman (37:08)

Hi, I'm Bob Pittman, chairman and CEO of iHeartMedia. I'm excited to introduce a brand new season of my podcast, Math and Stories from the Frontiers of Marketing. I'm having conversations with some interesting folks across a wide range of industries to hear how they reach the top of their fields and the lessons they learned along the way that everyone can use. I'll be joined by innovative leaders like chairman and CEO of Health Beauty, Tarang Amin.

J. Mac (37:34)

The way I approach risk is constantly try things and actually make it okay to fail.

Bob Pittman (37:39)

I'm Sitting down with legendary singer, songwriter and philanthropist Jewel, I wanted a way.

Joel Klatt (37:44)

To do something that I loved for.

Colin Cowherd (37:46)

The rest of my life.

Bob Pittman (37:47)

We're also hearing how leaders brought their businesses out of unprecedented times, like Stefan Bonsell, CEO of Moderna.

Joel Klatt (37:55)

It becomes a human decision to decide to throw by the window your business strategy and to do what you think is the right thing for the world.

Bob Pittman (38:02)

Join me as we uncover innovations in data and analytics, the math, and the ever important creative spark, the magic. Listen to math and magic stories from the frontiers of Marketing on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast.

Colin Cowherd (38:17)

I'm Camila Ramon Peloton's first Spanish speaking cycling and tread instructor. I'm an athlete, entrepreneur, and almost most importantly, a perreo enthusiast.

Joel Klatt (38:26)

And I'm Liz Ortiz, former pro soccer player and Olympian. And like, call me a perreo enthusiast. Come on, who is it? Our podcast, Hasta Bajo is where sports, music and fitness collide and we cover it all. De Arriva sit downs with real game changers in the sports world, like Miami Dolphins CMO Priscilla Shumate, who is redefining what it means to be a Latina leader.

Jeremy Hobson (38:51)

It all changed when I had this.

Joel Klatt (38:53)

Guy come to me.

Colin Cowherd (38:54)

He said to me, you know, you're not Latina enough. First of all, what is that? My mouth is wide open. Yeah. History makers like the Sucar family who became the first Peruvians to win a Grammy. It was very special moment for us. It's been 15 years for me in this career.

Jeremy Hobson (39:11)

Finally, things are starting to shift into a different level.

Colin Cowherd (39:14)

Listen to astavaho on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Presented by Capital One, founding partner of iHeart Women's Sports. You have to be very careful with.

Joel Klatt (39:26)

Tradition because sometimes tradition is just dead people's baggage.

J. Mac (39:30)

I'm Jamil Hill, host of the sports and politics podcast Spolitics. On this week's episode, I talk with comedian and CNN host Roy Wood Jr. About the lack of African American star power in Major League Baseball.

Colin Cowherd (39:42)

Baseball needs an Anthony Edwards, and I.

Joel Klatt (39:48)

Don'T know who that could be.

Colin Cowherd (39:50)

Mookie Betts is Steph Curry. He's exceptional and likable.

Joel Klatt (39:55)

Million dollar smile, that's important.

Colin Cowherd (39:58)

But you also need chaos, Negro. You need.

J. Mac (40:02)

So you think Anthony Edwards is a chaos.

Colin Cowherd (40:04)

He told, he talked. You saw the clip of him talking to Obama. He was talking to Obama like that was his little brother.

Joel Klatt (40:09)

Oh, yeah, you what you did? You killed Bin Laden. That's what's up.

J. Mac (40:12)

Listen to Politics on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. Catch the reigning MVP Shohei Ohtani as he leads the defending champion Dodgers in a must watch early season showdown against Bryce Harper and the Phillies Saturday at 4 Eastern on FS1.

Colin Cowherd (40:33)

Oh, that's in Philadelphia. Oh, that's a good one. That'll be a good watch. Good weekend watch. By the way, J. Mac had me watch White Lotus, so I went on vacation. I was forced to watch season three.

J. Mac (40:43)

Forced? No.

Colin Cowherd (40:46)

Nope. But I did watch on Netflix. Hold up.

J. Mac (40:49)

Timeout. Time out. Who's your favorite character on season three? White Lotus?

Colin Cowherd (40:52)

I don't. I hate all of them. Everybody. I think everybody's unlikable.

J. Mac (40:56)

That's your kind of show.

Colin Cowherd (40:57)

I think the pop star is cute.

J. Mac (40:59)

Oh, I love her.

Colin Cowherd (41:00)

Yeah, she's. She's adorable. Everybody else is completely unlikable. Instead, I waited for my show on Netflix yesterday called Gone Girl. It's about The Suffolk County 30 Year Serial Killer. That was fascinating. Just. It dropped yesterday, so it's called Gone. It's fascinating.

J. Mac (41:17)

You're all over these Netflix drops.

Colin Cowherd (41:19)

I like docs and true crime. You like fluffy, make pretend movies.

J. Mac (41:23)

I love that creativity. I'm sorry. I like creative, interesting people.

Colin Cowherd (41:28)

They're so over the top. It's just.

J. Mac (41:31)

What do you think? You're a detective. You try to solve these crimes.

Colin Cowherd (41:34)

Yeah. Interesting. I'd love to be a detective.

J. Mac (41:36)

I would love to be a Navy seal.

Colin Cowherd (41:38)

Okay, well, I think you have to be at least five, four. Oh, come on.

J. Mac (41:42)

Are you kidding me? So it's funny. I know a former Navy seal. I can't reveal his name. He coached hoops. We've become friendly and I told him I want to do a Navy SEAL workout. So I will report back to you. He's a pretty. Pretty jacked individual.

Colin Cowherd (41:55)

Yeah. I'd rather go to an aquarium and watch the seals. We had Gianni Infantino earlier, the president of FIFA, and we were talking about, I said, listen, we're going to have the World cup here and the club World cup here in the next two summers. And it'll. It's. There's a 400% increase in soccer fans created in America in the last 12 months. So this is. We got some players and people get excited about this stuff. So it's just good for the overall global sport. It's good for United States men's and women's soccer. But I asked him about his message to U.S. soccer. You know, you are the United States of America, right? The greatest country in the world. You are number one in kind of everything you do. You cannot be satisfied to be number 20 in the number one sport in the world. You want to be number one in the number one sport. So let's go for it. Yeah, I mean, despite what our media tells you, we are a pretty good place to live. And so the media hates America, but most of us like it. No, I think it's. I can't wait. I'm very excited. And I will say this. You know, they call it a beautiful game. There is what is really good. If you ever go over to Europe and you're ever over, like let's say in England and there they have their, you know, English Premier League matches. It is fascinating. Just. It is unbelievable. It's just like the NFL over here. Like everybody's glued to a tv. You can walk anywhere outside the pubs, have a pint. It's just great. There's just nothing like it. And Mbappe appears to be one of the two or three best players we've had in the last 30 years. He's that kind of. He's kind of their LeBron. He's an all time talent and you are watching him. Also today we had Albert Breren and you know, we were. Ty said, you know, I think Aaron Rodgers loves football and loves playing it, but there's not a great offer. And Pittsburgh sort of a okay offer, but he doesn't want to quit, he wants to play. And Albert Breer responded to that.

Albert Breer (43:56)

The perfect place would have been Minnesota. Minnesota wants to get a LONGER look at J.J. mcCarthy. And again, we've been over this before, Colin, like if they bring in Sam Darnold or Daniel Jones, like that's much different than bringing in Aaron Rodgers, where if you bring in Aaron Rogers, you are just jamming on the pause button on the J.J. mcCarthy era at best. I think one thing the Steelers have going for them, the young offensive line's gotten better. They also have peers of his on his team that are going to be operating with the same level of urgency. Veteran players, guys like T.J. watt, who will be 31 1. Make of its. Patrick will be 29. Cam Hayward, who I believe is going into his 14th year as an NFL player.

J. Mac (44:35)

D.K.

Albert Breer (44:35)

Metcalfe, now on his third contract. This is jumping on a moving train.

Colin Cowherd (44:40)

Yeah, I don't know. Just don't like it. But you know, Aaron's one of those, if you what it's. I feel bad because I think he's trapped. I think he loves football. I think he loves playing it. He gets great joy out of it. And what happens if, you know, in my field, if you love doing a talk show and you hit a point where there's no great options and you don't want to stop doing it, forget the income, you just like doing it. So I feel like Aaron was hoping the Minnesota thing became true. Knew the division, loved the coach. Justin Jefferson upgraded their O line. I think he really wanted to go to Minnesota. I think he'd really go to San Francisco tomorrow. And I think he's going to settle for Pittsburgh. A defensive culture where they cannot get the O line right and they lost their left tackle and they lost Najee Harris. So, yeah, just. I just. Joe Burrow twice a year. Lamar Jackson twice a year. All right, the crown. The Fox Sports created basketball tournament. How about that? DePaul and Cincinnati on FS1. So this is a good little basketball tournament. Yesterday, watching Butler yesterday. We will see you tomorrow live in Los Angeles. It's the Herd.

Jeremy Hobson (45:54)

We live in a divided country and our media couldn't be more polarizing. That's why we started the Middle with Jeremy Hobson. It's about bringing voices not from the extremes, but from the vast middle into the national conversation. Each week we hear from ordinary Americans from all over the country. And when you subscribe to the Middle, you also get an episode each week called One Thing Trump did that focuses on just one item from the avalanche of news. Listen to the Middle with Jeremy Hobson on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.

Colin Cowherd (46:24)

You feeling this Too is a horror anthology podcast. It brings different creators to tell ten vile. No, no, no, no, no, no. Grotesque. Oh my God. Horrific stories on what scares them the most.

J. Mac (46:42)

My.

Colin Cowherd (46:46)

You feeling this too? Listen on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. What's up, everyone? Julie Swearbinks here along with former NHL player Nate Thompson.

Joel Klatt (46:59)

We're doing a new podcast together. Here we go.

Colin Cowherd (47:02)

The name Energy Line with Nate and jsb.

Albert Breer (47:05)

Each week we'll get together and talk about hockey life. All topics are fair game, right?

Colin Cowherd (47:10)

Exactly. And you'll never know who will drop by to join us.

Albert Breer (47:14)

Julie is pretty well connected. She has text threads going that you wouldn't believe.

Colin Cowherd (47:19)

Listen to Energy Line with Nate and jsb on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. You have to be very careful with tradition because sometimes tradition is just dead people's baggage.

J. Mac (47:31)

I'm Jemele Hill, host of the sports and politics podcast Spolitics. On this week's episode, I talk with comedian Roy Wood Jr. About the lack of African American star power in Major League Baseball.

Colin Cowherd (47:42)

Baseball needs an Anthony Edwards, and I.

Joel Klatt (47:46)

Don'T know who that could be.

Colin Cowherd (47:48)

Mookie Betts is Steph Curry.

Joel Klatt (47:50)

He's exceptional and likable.

Colin Cowherd (47:52)

Million Dollar Smile. But you also need Chaos Negro.

J. Mac (47:56)

Listen to Politics on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.