THE HERD - Hour 1 - Thoughts on the Bull waiving Jaden Ivey, defending Dan Hurley

Summary

Podcast Summary: THE HERD with Colin Cowherd – Hour 1

Date: March 31, 2026
Main Topics: The Jaden Ivey-Bulls controversy, workplace dynamics in sports, defending Dan Hurley’s intensity, NBA MVP chatter, NFL player issues, the state of the Yankees, and MLB’s ball-strike challenge system.

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Episode Overview

This hour of THE HERD with Colin Cowherd takes on some of the day's most debated sports stories with typical candor and sharp opinion. Colin uses recent headlines—most notably the Chicago Bulls waiving Jaden Ivey in the wake of his political/religious social media activity—to explore broader themes about workplace culture in pro sports, freedom of expression, and double standards for star versus fringe players. The episode also touches on Dan Hurley’s sideline intensity, NBA MVP debates, NFL offseason news, and the evolution of baseball’s replay rules.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Jaden Ivey and the Bulls: When Beliefs Clash with the Locker Room

[03:22–15:22]

• Ivey’s Waiver and Its Context
  Colin opens with the Bulls' decision to waive Jaden Ivey after his controversial social media posts about the NBA's Pride Month, alongside long-standing rumors of him not meshing well with teammates (sourcing both a Purdue teammate and NBA staffer).

• Cowherd’s Take on Workplace Harmony

  • Colin draws parallels to his own experience as a business owner, emphasizing that disruptiveness trumps even legal trouble when it comes to maintaining a healthy work environment:

    "I'd keep the criminal and I would let go of the annoying co worker." – Colin Cowherd [04:36]

  • He contends that talent often buys more leash in pro sports, echoing old NFL anecdotes and the enduring truth that "life is gray, not black and white."

    "The more skilled and talented... you get away with more. We all know that." [08:03]

• Marginalization and Double Standards
  Colin acknowledges why Christians might feel targeted, but insists public teams and locker rooms are not church—they require a different code of conduct.

• Concrete Example & Key Message

  "People make mistakes. This society, America, we allow them. But odd, you know, back in 1986... this big, tall, kind of looked like a Texan... said, 'Well, kid, just don't talk politics or religion in your business. You could probably commit a crime.' He was right. Life is full of gray." [13:39]

• Coach’s Perspective:

  • Bulls’ Billy Donovan emphasizes professionalism and respect in mixed environments:

    "Everybody comes with their own personal experiences... But one is, we've all got to be professional. There's gotta be a high level of respect for one another and we gotta help each other." – Billy Donovan [07:05]

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2. Defending Dan Hurley and “Coach Intensity”

[19:43–24:29]

• Hurley’s Quirkiness Under Fire
  Colin tackles the controversy around UConn coach Dan Hurley’s hyper-intense demeanor, especially after a non-incident with a ref was blown up post-Duke upset. He argues Hurley’s authenticity—and lack of “buttoned-up” comportment—should not be held against him.

  • Memorable description:

    "His coat's coming off him. His glasses are on. They're half off. He's barking, spittle... He admits he's had anxiety therapy... He's an easy guy if you want to pick on him because he's not like everybody else." – Colin Cowherd [19:55]

• Calling Out Overreactions—Especially Duke Fans
  Colin encourages fans to contextualize rather than catastrophize ordinary sideline flare-ups, reminding them the “headbutt” moment was a non-story, and both parties involved said as much.

• Hurley on His Own Mindset (Guest Clip):

  "You’re more relaxed this time of year… When you’re coaching in December or January, you’re really uptight… If things start going bad in December, now you’re looking at that 'man, I got two or three more months of hell with this group’… This time of year, you know it’s kill or be killed.” — Dan Hurley [23:10]

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3. NBA MVP Race: SGA’s “Smooth” Appeal

[24:34–28:45]

• Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s 47-Point Night & MVP Candidacy
  SGA deflects MVP talk in the post-game:

  "Nah, I'm good. Thanks for asking though. But yeah, I'm good. I'll let my game do the talking." – Shai Gilgeous-Alexander [25:17]

  Colin praises SGA’s measured, steady persona in contrast to more volatile stars and notes how likability and media access affect MVP voting.

  "Life is a lot of gray. SGA is always available to talk to the media... and that's part of why people like him." — Colin Cowherd [27:21]

• On Subjectivity and Inconsistency in MVP Voting
  The hosts compare current MVP narratives to previous years (e.g., Russell Westbrook’s triple-double season as a 6th seed)—another example of sports’ “gray areas.”

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4. NFL Musings: Cowboys, Pickens, and the Draft

[28:45–33:34]

• George Pickens Franchise Tag Standoff

  • Reports of possible OTA holdout prompt discussion about “personality risks” in long-term wide receiver contracts.
  • Colin prefers reliable, “no-drama” WRs:

    "I like my receivers like St. Brown, Larry Fitzgerald... but you know George's history. It would worry me with a long term contract." [30:13]

• Cowboys Fan Optimism & The Draft

  • If Dallas lands certain targets (Caleb Downs, Jeremiah Love), Colin remains optimistic:

    "If you told me there's two guys that cannot miss, I would say it's Love... and Downs for Ohio State." [32:19]

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5. Around the Leagues:

a) Ravens–Max Crosby Free Agency Fiasco

[33:34–35:39]

• Discussed as “slow news cycle” filler more than substance. Colin shrugs off the amount of attention it received and reaffirms Max Crosby’s Raider future.

b) MLB Hope-O-Meter & Yankees’ Fan Angst

[35:43–39:53]

• Yankees rated low by their own fans despite winning pedigree:

  "Yankee fans have officially become the unhappy billionaire who's no longer the richest man in the world." — Colin Cowherd [36:19]

• Colin and Nick Swisher (clip) discuss media/fan pessimism versus the real strength of the Yankees’ roster (“Yankees are going to be just fine.” [39:37])

c) Ball-Strike Challenge System in MLB

[40:15–47:45]

• Colin praises the new review system’s accuracy and how it reveals the precision of hitters.

  "It blows me away how great major league baseball hitters are. So here's Aaron Boone last night on going 5 for 5 against the Mariners…" [45:01]

• Co-host sees it as "gimmicky," wishes it remains a fad, but Colin argues it’s accountability for all.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Colin’s Principle on Talent & Tolerance:
  "Be really great at something, you'll be able to get away with more." [07:23]

• Life in the Gray Area:
  "Life is full of gray. And I understand that Christians feel marginalized… Timing, place matters." [09:56]

• Hurley’s Coaching Energy — The Real Story:
  "Jacket's half off. He is just perpetual motion... both men involved said, no big deal." [21:20]

• SGA’s MVP Philosophy:
  "I'll let my game do the talking." – SGA [25:17]
  "His nickname is SGA. It should be Smooth." – Colin Cowherd [25:25]

• On Changing League Standards:
  "What you can say and I can say and others can say and where it's at and what time..." [10:17]

• Yankee Discontent:
  "There’s a saying, comparison is the thief of joy. And this is a great example." [36:33]

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Important Timestamps

• Jaden Ivey/Bulls Waiver Discussion: [03:22–15:22]
• Defending Dan Hurley Segment: [19:43–24:29]
• SGA & NBA MVP Race: [24:34–28:45]
• NFL: Pickens and Cowboys Draft Talk: [28:45–33:34]
• MLB: Hope-O-Meter, Yankees Discussion: [35:43–39:53]
• MLB Ball/Strike Review System: [40:15–47:45]

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Tone and Style

Colin’s signature mix of pragmatism, personal anecdote, and frank opinion carries the show. He freely bounces between empathy (recognizing feelings of marginalization), industry realism (the rules are different for stars), and comedic humility (his “B-minus college transcript”).

The co-hosts and guests provide necessary context, push back where appropriate, and maintain a conversational, accessible tone for sports fans and casual listeners alike.

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For Listeners Who Missed the Episode

This episode is classic Cowherd—big-picture sports commentary rooted in today’s news, but intent on exploring why locker rooms, organizations, and fan bases react the ways they do. Colin's advice: focus less on “fairness” and more on realities of group dynamic, stardom, and the ever-changing lines of public (and locker room) discourse. If you want nuanced takes on sports, where talent, culture, and modern media intersect, this hour delivers.

Transcript

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[Colin Cowherd]

Thanks for listening to the Herd podcast. Be sure to catch us live every weekday on Fox Sports Radio and noon to 3 Eastern, 9am to noon Pacific. Find your local station for the [e-mail] or stream us live every day on the iHeartRadio app by searching Fox Sports Radio or FSR. Now let's get this party started.

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You're listening to Fox Sports Rad Radio.

[Colin Cowherd]

Oh, we'll have a hot one today. We're live. It is Chicago. It's the Herd. Brad Underwood, Illinois head coach, getting ready to face Yukon. Stopping by wherever you may be and however you may be listening, thanks for making us part of your day. Well, today is one of those stories where half of you will agree with me and half of you won't. And the half of you who won't are not going to listen. Because Christians in America feel marginalized and sometimes for very good reason. Reason. Most of my friends are Christian. I've said before, I'm kind of agnostic. I got no idea what's going on upstairs. But there was a story yesterday that developed and it just so happens I got lucky with this story because I had context and context around it. I know somebody that went to Purdue and played with Jaden Ivy, and I know somebody in the NBA that's been on a staff with Jaden Ivy. He doesn't necessarily mesh well with others. So yesterday the Bulls let him go. He went to Instagram multiple times. He he called out the NBA for promoting Pride Month, saying it celebrates unrighteousness. And again, his reputation at Purdue, I've got it sourced. And in the NBA, he only had seven games left with the Bulls this year and they were not going to bring him back. So they said, you know, hit the road, good luck in free agency. Here's the first thought I thought about was never screw with a locker room. Never screw with a workplace. And I'll give you an example. I own a company. We got about 60 employees. It's called the Volume. If I found out somebody did something illegal and it was bad, a dui. Maybe it was a misdemeanor, but they were good people. They made a big mistake. They were contrite, they were apologetic, they worked well with others, and they were really, really a good person in the building despite committing a misdemeanor. I'd keep them, but it's a private company and if they were annoying, odd, sometimes talk too much, politics and religion. And multiple employees came to me and said, they're not good for the workspace, they're disruptive. I'd fire them in 30 seconds. I would keep the criminal and I would let go of the annoying co worker. And that's a private company. And I could. The Bulls, for the record, are a public facing company. Athletes. You'd get to this point, they'd figure out, keep religion and politics out of it. Mostly there's thousands of Americans who have been arrested, who have made serious mistakes, who are tremendous employees and their workers, their boss, love them. But you know what? There's not a million of in America, annoying, weird people who talk politics and religion at work and, and don't mesh well with others. Don't screw with the workplace. Too many of you are getting into this dopey freedom of speech. Jaden Ivey's not a lawyer being disbarred. He's not going to prison. He got seven games left. And the Pistons, who strangely made him a top five pick and let him go. The Pistons are dying for guard play and they let him go. Why would that be? Bulls seven games left, said hit the road, which they have every right to do legally. Here was their coach, Billy Donovan.

[Billy Donovan]

We have people from all different walks of life working in the building and players from all different walks of life, right? So the first thing is, you know, everybody comes with their own personal experiences. But one is we gotta all be professional. I think there's gotta be a high level respect for one another and we gotta help each other, you know, and then be accountable to those standards.

[Colin Cowherd]

You are always entitled to your own opinion, but you're never entitled, especially if you're not productive or you're disappointing to disrupt the workspace. And that's the thing about life. I tell my kids jokingly, half jokingly all the time, be really great at something, you'll be able to get away with more. The legendary stories that Bill Belichick tells about Lawrence Taylor when he was a defensive coordinator for the New York Giants. And one time he showed up 15 minutes late to a meeting and Belichick goes to Bill Parcells and says, bill, I just thought I'D tell you Lawrence showed up 15 minutes late to our meeting and Bill Parcell said, why the hell did you start the meeting? He's the best football player in the league. Jimmie Johnson, guy falls asleep at a meeting, kicked him off the team. Troy Aikman, did Troy, get up? Troy, the meeting's still going. Life's full of gray. And I understand that Christians feel marginalized. I get it. And you often have a point. And you can often take these disruptions to court. Gina Carano, an actress. Right. Stuff like that happens. But the more skilled and talented, the more I know it stinks. Right. You get away with more. We all know that Dennis Rodman and Draymond Green created some headaches for Steve Kerr and Phil Jackson, but they got four and a half more rebounds per game than headaches per game. And so they stuck around. And that's one of the things that you say, life is not fair. So many Christians this morning or last night read that story and feel attacked. And I understand it. Some of what he said, I'm sure has been said in churches last weekend. But they're not a locker room and they're not necessarily a workspace. They're a house of worship. Timing, place matters. I mean, in Hollywood, if you're a B lister and you're just, you're talking politics and sports on set, you're only in two scenes, they'll reshoot them. If you're an A lister, they're not redoing the movie poster. They'll just try to get through this puppy as fast as we can. And of course, there's lines that you can cross and you can't cross, but I literally had this sourced. And a Purdue former Purdue player said he was viewed as a guy that didn't always mesh well with others. And the injuries have compounded his frustration. He went to Detroit desperate for a guy of his talent, and they let him go quickly. And now Chicago, with seven games left, said, you know what? We wish you the very best in free agency. And I'll give you an example of this. That place and time matter is that Josh Giddey, there was an allegation when he was a very talented young player for Oklahoma City. It was an ascending roster, very good roster. Now you've seen it a couple years later, it's like, wow, there was an allegation, no arrest, nothing proven with Josh and an underage person, a girl. And in conservative ascending okc Sam Presti said, we're going to let you go. Big city Chicago Bulls are like, come on down, bro. We need. We, we. We. We'll give you a chance. You made a mistake. You've showed contrition. We need it. And he's been a great player. Different organization, different maybe political environment, different. You know, small town, big city, conservative, liberal. All that stuff plays into it. All of it plays into it. You know which way you lean in. Hollywood may not be in Dallas. And in this instance, Jaden Ivey is, for a public team, in a locker room is viewed as bro if you average 29 points a game. And I thought about this this morning. What if he averaged 29 a game and he didn't just have seven games left and several injuries? My guess is he and Billy Donovan would have discussed it and he would be given a second chance or a fifth. That's life. Let's make this instructive is that it is unfair. But rules aren't even. And the Internet wants to make everything black and white. Life is gray. What you can say and I can say and others can say and where it's at and what time and what I understand. Christians feel attacked. I get it. I mean, I watch the media and I am often uncomfortable with how Christians are marginalized for things that are. I'm not a religious person. Are probably close to doctrine in a church. But in this instance, bro, injuries, you're not really the kind of personality that matched at Purdue all the time or Detroit all the time. And Chicago can't go there. I agree with what the Bulls did. You just can't go there again. They're not disbarring him from the law firm. There's seven games. They're like, bro, somebody, you know, he's talented kid, somebody may pick him up. Right? People deserve second and third chances. But I hope what you've taken from this rant for me is I own a small company. I would absolutely move off an employee who I viewed as disruptive to the work environment 10 times faster than somebody who made a big mistake in life, showed contrition, well liked, highly productive, good teammates. Even if the mistake was something that you should know better, even if the mistake is something that gets public scorn. People make mistakes. This society, America, we allow them. One of the great things about America, but odd, you know, back in 1986, I was a sportscaster. This is my first year as a sportscaster out of Eastern Washington University. And I was at. It was the first time I'd ever gone to a really nice restaurant. My boss at the time, the late Larry Kentuck, took me to his golf Club, the Desert Inn. If you ever watch the movie Casino, it plays a part. The Desert Inn. And so I go with Larry. I don't even have. I mean, my suit is like a wool suit in Vegas. It's 110. I mean, I just don't look the part, right? It's all these guys with big Rolexes and tans and open shirts, and I'm just some rural kid. And we go to a lunch at Desert Inn. You know, I don't even know what to order. And as I'm walking out, some big rich guy comes up and Larry introduces me. He says he wants to be a sportscaster. And I never forget what this guy said. This big, tall, kind of looked like a Texan, a strapping guy at the di. That's what they called the desert in di. He said, well, kid, just don't talk politics or religion in your business. You could probably commit a crime. He was right. Life is full of gray. Live in Chicago, it's the Herd.

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[Lisa Coffey or Mike Cesario (Marketing Execs)]

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Love.

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It's not a destination.

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You have to work on it every day.

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Keep It Positive Sweetie creates space for honest conversations on self worth, love, growth and navigating life with grace and grit. Led by women who uplift, inspire and tell the truth out loud.

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I have several conversations with God and I know why it took 20 years

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[Colin Cowherd]

Come back. It's the herd, man. We have so many great stories right now. I got to tell you, with the emergence of college basketball being so good now over the last several years, due in large part to the nil, and all these colleges being able to go buy and recruit the best European young players and really good players staying in college another year, they're just college. I don't think I've watched as much college basketball in a long time, and it's given us so many stories. And one of them is, you know, Dan Hurley. He's very intense. I would say this, and I would say it to his face. I'll say it the next time I have him on. He's so intense sometimes you. It's odd. I mean, his coat's coming off him. His glasses are on. They're half off. He's barking spittle. You know, he's a lot. I mean, he admits he's had anxiety therapy. He's, you know, he's very honest about his issues, his struggles. And so he's an easy guy if you want to pick on him because he's not like everybody else. He's not always perfectly buttoned up. I mean, look at the picture over my shoulder. That's like his default face, you know, mouth open, outraged. But Duke fans need to lighten up. One of the things that drives me crazy since we legalize gambling, sports gambling in this country is when a team loses, they never look in the mirror. It's rigged. It's the refs. It's the television network. Now, the Kansas City Chiefs were bad last year. That's why they didn't do well. It wasn't the networks, okay? Duke blew the game. They blew it. Not great coaching. Too many turnovers. The two men involved in what looks like a headbutt. Dan Hurley and Roger Ayers know each other, get along, and both say, it may look weird, but it's a non story. I mean, there's Hurley on the screen. His jacket's half off. He's looking at him right there. That's Hurley. If I saw Dan in his office, I mean, look at him. He's physical. He chest bumps players. His jacket's half off. He's not Bobby Knight. He's not barking, trying to intimidate here during the games. He barks at refs, but he acknowledges he likes the refs he barks at. And so this is just. This is just Hurley to a tee. Jacket's half off. He's looking over his Glasses. It looks like he's an old man with bifocals. And Roger Ayer says, it's no big deal. We know each other. It's all good. I took the train to work this morning. I get face to face with about four people every morning on the train. It was just a brief, tight space. The ref and Dan walked by each other. The ref may have said something. Dan didn't say anything. He just looked at him and they moved on. And so it's like a lot of this is just Duke fans apoplectic, outraged that they lost. And they're like, hey, you gotta throw that guy out. We have to understand there are certain people in society that are wired differently. Dan Hurley is one of them. And jackets off. He is just perpetual motion. It was brief, it was a tight space. Both men involved said, no big deal. I mean, I went and looked at some of the complainers. Was remarkable. How many are Duke fans? Duke, you blew it. Own it. Here's Hurley last week on my show.

[Dan Hurley]

More relaxed this time of year. I think you work so hard to put yourself in position where you're in contention now. You find yourself with a team that's in contention. You got. You're more relaxed this time of year. When you're coaching in December or January, you're really uptight, man. It's like if things start going bad in December, now you're looking at that staring down the barrel of man, I got two or three more months of hell with this group. If we get on a two game losing streak where you don't worry about picking the pieces up this time of year, if you go down, you know it's killer be killed.

[Colin Cowherd]

Also, context matters. His team just beat Duke with a game winning shot in which they trailed by 15 and a half. I don't think he was mad at the official. I think it was one of the happiest moments he's ever had. And most relaxed moments, like just beat Duke down. Big roaring back, miracle shot. It's not like there was a bad officiating call that sent Duke to the line and won the game. That's as happy as he has been since the last time he was with his wife at a Billy Joel concert. That is as happy as Dan Hurley gets right there. And he's just a quirky, unique, intense, brilliant guy. And you're seeing all of it all the time. J. Mac with the news.

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No, no, no, turn on the news. This is the Herdline news.

[Guest or Co-host on Keep It Positive Sweetie Podcast]

All right, let's go to The NBA where SGA had a decent night last night, Colin. 47 points. The free throw merchant went to the line 25 times, 21 of 25 from the charity stripe. And the Thunder beat the Pistons in overtime. That's the Cade Cunninghamless Pistons. But afterward, what everybody's buzzing about is SGA was asked if he wants to, you know, talk about the MVP race. Here we go.

[Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (SGA)]

I think it's good for the league. I think it's good chatter. It gives people something to talk about. There's a lot of good players in this league and a lot of guys in the conversation because of that.

[Colin Cowherd]

There's been chattering on behalf of other players. Would you like to chatter on behalf of yourself?

[Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (SGA)]

Nah, I'm good. Thanks for asking though. But yeah, I'm good. I'll let my game do the talking.

[Colin Cowherd]

I know his nickname is sga. It should be Smooth.

[Guest or Co-host on Keep It Positive Sweetie Podcast]

Oh, he is just listen, he's dapper.

[Colin Cowherd]

He's. That guy is smooth. You know, there's just Walt Frazier, the legendary, just had his 81st birthday. Walt Frazier is one of the all time great characters in the NBA. You know, Frazier was just a great player for the Knicks. He just kind of smooth. SGA's game, you know, it's not highly vertical. He's not dunking over yet. He's not shooting from 38ft. He's just bowed hands. He kind of gets you off balance. Little leaner to the right. And I like his personality. He's just, he's just one of those never too high, never too low. I think the, the OKC embodies, you know, Sam Presti is the same way. Sam's never too high, too low. It's analytics, it's data. This whole organization, the gm, the star player, it's just they're smooth adult high EQ IQ operators. I really like his personality. He's cool.

[Guest or Co-host on Keep It Positive Sweetie Podcast]

I mean, they got a great leader face of the franchise. I will say I was watching last night and tie game, fourth quarter, he makes one of his patented shots. But Colin, they called the offensive foul on him because he clearly pushed off and everybody was like, oh my gosh, I can't believe they actually called it because the refs protect this guy everywhere. Anyways, Thunder with the Goodwin. This was obviously a dig at Wemby. I'll let my game do the talking because Wemby got to the podium and was talking about it. I'm just telling you how it's going to work right now. The media loves sga. They are going to vote for him. They don't like Luca because he whines. And they think, well, Wemby is going to have his shot. He's got the next 10 years. The media votes for it. They're going to vote for.

[Colin Cowherd]

I have no problem with SGA winning it. I would vote for Wemby and sga, too, but I don't have a problem because, again, here's a prime example. So this is a J. Mac. This is a subjective vote.

[Guest or Co-host on Keep It Positive Sweetie Podcast]

Yep.

[Colin Cowherd]

Just like we talked about in the opening segment. Life is a lot of gray. SGA is always available to talk to the media. I mean, you know, you can say what you want. Oh, the media just loves LeBron. LeBron's always available to talk to the media. LeBron's always been great with the media, and that's part of why people like him. And there's other players in the league that have been, you know, discouraging the COVID Disruptive. People don't like that. It shouldn't be that way. But part of it is. To your point, the feeling is Luka complains too much, Wemby will get his. And SGA is such a likable, great player. He's an easy guy to vote for.

[Guest or Co-host on Keep It Positive Sweetie Podcast]

I kind of wish they just kept it to basketball. And the goofiest is this whole, will the Thunder have the best record? What were these morons? When Russell Westbrook averaged a triple double, was like the sixth seed in the west, and they gave him the mvp, it's just like. There's no consistency.

[Colin Cowherd]

Well, that's a prime example. That was a great story. Westbrook lost kd. There was some sympathy for Russ. Russ put up unbelievable numbers, and people are like, you know, Russ got abandoned by his star.

[Guest or Co-host on Keep It Positive Sweetie Podcast]

That's what Kevin Durant left him. Let's give him the mvp.

[Colin Cowherd]

Well, no, no. He gotta be fair.

[Guest or Co-host on Keep It Positive Sweetie Podcast]

Sympathies for everybody.

[Colin Cowherd]

No, Russell had a great year now.

[Guest or Co-host on Keep It Positive Sweetie Podcast]

He was. He had a great year.

[Colin Cowherd]

Yeah. Now, I will say the rebounding stats were goosed a little, obviously, but. But in fairness, he did put up historic.

[Guest or Co-host on Keep It Positive Sweetie Podcast]

He had a great season. Yeah, no doubt about it. All right, let's move on to the NFL, where the Cowboys franchise tag George Pickens. I mean, who knew, and nobody could have guessed, Colin, that this would come back to be a potential issue. Well, reports are now indicating Pickens could sit out the voluntary OTAs. Brian Schottenheimer, of course, is not concerned.

[Brian Schottenheimer]

GP loves it here. We love GP. We have plans for GP to be here for a long time. So we'll let the business side of this thing see where it Goes, I haven't pushed that on him. I mean, again, we're all going through the process. It's almost April. We're still a couple weeks away. It's going to play out the way it plays out. Again, it's all voluntary.

[Colin Cowherd]

I had to squeeze in a cowboy story.

[Guest or Co-host on Keep It Positive Sweetie Podcast]

Yeah. Hey, listen, man, that was not me. And I even got, I'm like, I, I loved your opening rant. I loved the Jaden Ivey stuff. I'm like, I, that, that's a great topic. Schottenheimer, though, is annoying to me. And listen, I have some bias here. Colin, he was the Jets OC when we went to the AFC championship game.

[Goldbelly Promoter]

We.

[Guest or Co-host on Keep It Positive Sweetie Podcast]

And I did not like his play calling at all. So I come in bias to this. It's probably not fair for me to chime in. I'll let you chime in on Pickens versus Schottenheimer. I mean, he's not gonna show up. Let's be real.

[Colin Cowherd]

Well, they didn't give him a long term contract. I don't think he's a long term contract personality. I think he's a super tal. Yeah, but I like my receivers like jsn. I like my receivers like Ebuka. They go, they're on ST Brown, Larry Fitzgerald. It is a position with a lot of personality and mood swings and for whatever reasons. So I think at wide receiver there are things that concern me in terms of long term. That doesn't mean I wouldn't acquire somebody for a year or two. I liked Amari Cooper's personality. I didn't love DEZ Bryant's personality. I like my wide receivers and I understand they're the most talented players. They have kind of an NBA feel like they can take a game over. But you know George's history. It would worry me with a long term contract.

[Guest or Co-host on Keep It Positive Sweetie Podcast]

I'm just curious, you know, my team is the jets, so I know they're going nowhere. But I'm just curious if you were a Cowboys fan. You watch the off season now you see the picking stuff. I mean like, are you even optimistic about next season?

[Colin Cowherd]

If they landed Caleb downs and if they went into the secondary in the first round and got Caleb Downs and then got the third best corner with Rashawn, Gary Quinn and Williams, Kenny Clark, overshone. Damn right. I'd be excited.

[Guest or Co-host on Keep It Positive Sweetie Podcast]

So you, you think there's some optimism around that?

[Colin Cowherd]

I, I, I want them to, I want now I want them to get cheaper and less expensive on the back end of the defense because now they're spending money. The cap Hits go up for Quinn Williams, Kenny Clark on the front end. So my take with Dallas is if they go secondary, I love Caleb Downs. I mean, I think he's. I think he's the most undervalued guy in this draft. I see him going 11th. I'm like, you don't you think there's 10 guys better in college football than Caleb Downs? You're crazy.

[Guest or Co-host on Keep It Positive Sweetie Podcast]

Okay, so you're optimistic. Do you want to guess the win total on the Dallas Cowboys right now?

[Colin Cowherd]

Six and a half.

[Guest or Co-host on Keep It Positive Sweetie Podcast]

Come on. Six and a half. The jets are five and a half. Dallas Cowboys over is eight and a half wins. How are you optimistic if your win total is.

[Colin Cowherd]

If they nail their draft. Let me revisit that. I would say. What's that word? Like a win.

[Guest or Co-host on Keep It Positive Sweetie Podcast]

Come on, half a win.

[Colin Cowherd]

If you get Caleb Downs. Who. I think I'll make an argument. Caleb Downs is the. I've done this before. I did this years ago when Patrick Willis played for Ole Miss and the Niners got him at 11. I said, the Niners just got the only can't miss guy in the first round. At number 11, Caleb Downs and Jeremiah Love. Those are the two players. I also love Fernando Mendoza, but it is the Raiders. If you told me there's two guys that cannot miss, I would say it's love. The running back out of Notre Dame and Downs for Ohio State. Even if they went to a bad team, a dysfunctional team, those guys are. It's really funny about this. There's very few guys that fall into. Jonathan Ogden came out at left tackle. You're like, he was a can't miss guy. Like, he literally. You just couldn't. He was. He was like trying to block the sun, get around the sun. The diameter, the length, the. He was just ridiculous. But there's not that many. Nick Almond War. He went to the Seahawks in the second round and almost everybody went. That is as good a pick in the second round as there's been in years. Like, everybody knew that was John Snyder, that he was a first round talent. Slid to the second. Dallas gets Caleb Downs with their pick. And I've seen mock drafts. They aced the first round regardless of their next pick in the first round.

[Guest or Co-host on Keep It Positive Sweetie Podcast]

All right, finally, the Ravens and Max Crosby, that deal that kind of blew up earlier this month, you know, everybody knows the Ravens backed out of the deal. It's obvious, regardless of what they want to say. But how about this one? Team president Sashi Brown is acting like, hey, you got to hear our side of the story here.

[Colin Cowherd]

We Go.

[Lisa Coffey or Mike Cesario (Marketing Execs)]

I think it's a slow news cycle. I don't want to at all downplay the experience that Max had coming that we all had. Raiders, Ravens, Max, our locker room. As Eric said, we were incredibly excited and just as equally, if not more disappointed that we weren't able to pull off that transaction and bring Max to Baltimore.

[Guest or Co-host on Keep It Positive Sweetie Podcast]

Huh. Slow news cycle.

[Rob Parker]

Well, they.

[Guest or Co-host on Keep It Positive Sweetie Podcast]

This is the biggest story of the offseason. Colin.

[Colin Cowherd]

I will say what was bigger. I will say, what's he talking about? When the NFL season ends, there's about a three to a four week stretch. And you and I do this for a living. That is really slow. In fact, you and I generally go on vacation and that Max Crosby story fell in that space. People ask me all the time, what's the worst time to be a talk show host? And I say, well, March is amazing. You got, you got March Madness. And then the Masters is coming up in the draft and you have the NBA playoffs. And they're like, oh, I always tell people, June, take your vacations in June. And that three or four weeks after the season. So that is a time when you and I are bailing water. And that Max Crosby story was getting daily play for hours on shows. I don't think it was worth that. I really don't. I think it was. It happens. It's odd you think you'd have medical clearance before trades were made, which I've always thought's weird in the NFL. Like, shouldn't you have clearance? Then you have a trade. But it, it, it works. The inverse. But I, I think he's going to be great with a. I think he's going to be a great raider for the rest of his career. I really, I don't think he's going to get traded. J. MacLean.

[Fox Sports Radio Announcer]

Well, that's the news. And thanks for stopping by the herd lie news.

[Colin Cowherd]

Okay, this made me laugh. The athletic. Great journalism. Subscribe. It's great. They did a. This is funny to me. They polled fans of every major league team. They called it the Hope O Meter. Okay, The Dodgers and the Blue Jays were 1 and 2. They were in the World Series. That's not surprising. The Reds were 11. The A's haven't played in their stadium, 12. Pirates 13. And the New York Yankees hobo meter. They were one spot ahead of the Marlins at 22. Yankee fans have officially become the unhappy billionaire who's no longer the richest man in the world. He, he's like number two and he's miserable. The Yankees haven't had a losing season. Since 1992, I look it up. Since 2005, they lead baseball in wins, yet they're neck and neck with the White Sox and the Marlins in the Hopo meter. There's a saying, comparison is the thief of joy. And this is a great example. Yes, if you compare them to the Dodgers the last eight years, they're not number one. Or if you compare them to their own dynasty in the late 1990s, well, they're not that either. So they're not as special as a current dynasty or their dynasty. But today is 2026, and here's the good news. If Garrett Cole, when he comes back in May or June, if he is 85 to 90% of what he was, the Yankees starting staff is one of only two or three in the sport that could beat the Dodgers if they met in the World Series. Never forget the last time they met, the Dodgers beat them. What were the two games in the Series the Dodgers couldn't hit? Garrett Cole starts. So the Yankees starting staff, I mean, I don't know how many runs they've given up this year. The answer is not many. So the Yankee staff, if Garrett Cole comes back and is 85%, 80% of what he was, they actually match up great with the Dodgers. Don't Forget, Ohtani was 1 for 18 against the Phillies pitching. Great players have bad series and bad postseasons. The Yankees have given up three runs in four games. Their pitching is great now without Garrett Cole. So I mean, to me, if you said, who could beat the Dodgers in a series, I'd say Yankee pitching right now. Yankee pitching could beat the Dodgers. They wouldn't be favored. But I watched that World Series a couple years ago that went five games. The Aaron Judge error one, they couldn't hit Garrett Cole. When Garrett's on, nobody hits Garrett Cole. Nick Swisher on the recently on our show, part of the Yankee broadcast on, on the critics of the Yankees.

[Nick Swisher]

And one of the things that I really appreciate about spring training this year was, listen, there was this narrative about how, you know, the Yankees are just running it back like they weren't very aggressive in the off season. Didn't get a whole lot of names out there like Bregman, the whole nine. But at the end of the day, you're talking about the team that won the team Silver Slugger award, right?

[Colin Cowherd]

So that just goes to show you

[Nick Swisher]

how talented this team is. Now all of a sudden, you not only have an unbelievable offensive roster, you now have some depth with your pitching staff.

[Colin Cowherd]

Yankees are going to be just fine. That is funny. Fans hope oh meter the A's and the Pirates and the Reds double digit spots ahead of the Yankees make it make sense.

[Fox Sports Radio Announcer]

Be sure to catch live editions of the Herd weekdays at noon Eastern, 9am Pacific.

[Guest or Co-host on Keep It Positive Sweetie Podcast]

The United Football League is back with a new season of pro football in the spring. UFL Week 2 kicks off with Fox UFL Friday. The reigning champion D.C. defenders face the Columbus Aviators Friday, 8 Eastern on Fox.

[Colin Cowherd]

Brad Underwood, coach with the Fighting Illini, Illinois we could have a Big Ten national championship. We could have Michigan against Illinois. I actually think it's going to happen, although it's impossible to bet against Yukon in March. And they just, it's just magical. This is not a big story, but it's something I liked it all the NFL head coaches, the GMs are in Phoenix this week and it was interesting. Matt LaFleur was asked about the players survey. So they did player surveys forever. But the owners don't like it because especially like Arizona or the jets or a lot of these owners, they get called out, they get Fs. Matt LaFleur did not get an F. He got a B minus. B minus is not a D minus. A B minus is basically my college transcript. And that's fine. But what I like about it, that he didn't deny it. He said, I got to figure out why he addressed it. And he owned it. And I think that's what smart people do and what smart organizations do. They stay ahead of problems, proactive, not reactive. So a prime example is The San Francisco 49ers got a very solid grade a B to a B minus with their training staff and their training facilities. They immediately addressed it $9 million into upgrading their training facilities and they hired a three or four more trainers to give the players more individual access. So I mean player surveys are not everything, but they're something I think by and large now they're occasional. Occasionally in any workforce you're going to get grumpy guy, and you know, I'm not getting treated fairly guy. But when you have a collective and you know Matt LaFleur, who by the way since 2019 is second to Andy Reid in wins by active coaches. So he's tied with Harbaugh for second. He's ahead of Kyle Shanahan and Sean McVeigh. So he's a really good coach. But it this is what I've always lauded the Dodgers for. Dodgers were number one in baseball, number one in attendance. They win the World Series in 2024. What do they do? Improve the stadium like, stay ahead of stuff, be current. So the Yankees last night, I got to tell you, this ABS system, the ball and strike replay system is really good in baseball. And I know there's going to be. Old timers don't like it. I get it, Colin. You always like the new stuff. No, I don't remember when the NBA came out with a new ball or they made guys wear like jerseys that were like over the shoulders. Like that's bad this thing. Yankees are 10 for 11 this year and they were 5 for 5 last night against the Mariners. And so what it, you know, people, the first thing you think is, ah, these lousy home umpires. First of all, calling balls and strikes is, is some of the best umpires ever had bad nights behind the plate. Mike Easterbrook, Easterbrook had a bad night. The Yankees challenged him five times and they were right all five times. But I don't think it's just about the umpires. There are all. Mike Trout this year is three for three. What it's shown me is that most batters really, really know the strike zone. Down to the millimeter. Ronald Ocuna of the braves, he's, he's 0 and 2. So what you're finding is, I think the thing that impresses me the most because remember a manager, it's got to be a pitcher, a catcher or a batter that taps the head. Can't be the, can't be the manager. The thing that blows me away just, I can't believe it is how well most batters know the strike zone. I mean they are. It's. It's like Ronald Ocuna. I could tell that that was a strike. Yeah, he, he, it was close. But I think it's fascinating and it impresses me more with hitters. I mean, it's so, it's stuff's kind of. Have you ever gone to a batting cage? I used to do this. I'd go to a batting cage and I'd turn it up to 80 miles an hour. And I mean I could, I could, I could. I mean that to me was NOLAN Ryan through 101 with movement. I don't know how. I mean I, I was reasonably athletic. You can't even see 80 is on your hands like that. These guys are all throwing 98 splitters, so. And these batters to the millimeter can figure it out. It blows me away how great major league baseball hitters are. So here's Aaron Boone last night on going 5 for 5 against the Mariners.

[Podcast Guest (Personal Story)]

Really, really good job by the guys. You know, when you have that kind of success rate, it's not going to be like that every night. But I thought everyone was, was obviously warranted and couple in some key spots to give us a chance to build an inning. We just weren't able to build much offensively tonight. Probably can be a little bit, you know, you also get a little frustrated over there. Like let's, you know, you don't want to. Those are razor thin pitches sometimes you don't want to always have to be challenging but.

[Colin Cowherd]

J. Mac, do you like it? I think it's, I think it's, I think it feels like a game show.

[Guest or Co-host on Keep It Positive Sweetie Podcast]

I mean it does feel a little gimmicky. You remember the Torpedo bats last year, how they had a moment for like, I don't know, two weeks. It was like the big deal and then they kind of went away. Yeah, it, I hope this is kind of just a fad because I don't want this to be baseball every night. Do you? Yeah, just it's basically like umpire versus batter now.

[Colin Cowherd]

Well, I mean you get football replays every game.

[Guest or Co-host on Keep It Positive Sweetie Podcast]

Yeah, but there's limited to replays. You can't have replays every five seconds.

[Colin Cowherd]

It's interesting you bring this up. So I have thought, you know, because they've baseball fiddled around with this in the minor leagues like the pitch clock. And so I mean they, they have done their homework and due diligence on this. They're not making it up. They watched it for years. They had discussions. It's funny, I remember when the pitch clock came out and there were a lot of baseball purists and, and, and, and legitimate baseball reporters that said, man, this is going to be hard for some of these batters. They have years of habits and virtually within three at bats everybody figured it out. The reality is if there's a law posted on the freeway, don't go over this speed in the school zone. I don't care if you're a racy driver, you won't go over that in the school zone. People can follow direction. People are capable. The batters and the pitchers figured out the pitch clock by the second start or the third at bat. I do think, I mean, I know the umpire union probably doesn't love this. Probably. Yeah. And like last night, it's embarrassing if you're a home plate umpire. I do think, I wonder if this happens. If what happens if a home plate umpire and these guys have egos, melts down and has a 7 pitch ABS inning. Like I could see an umpire melting down. I mean they better have a therapist and a couch somewhere in that umpire room, because I could see it getting really ugly. I mean, it got ugly the other night, and that was at the Reds Red Sox game. Yeah. You're like, this is embarrassing for the umpire. The umpire was clearly embarrassed.

[Guest or Co-host on Keep It Positive Sweetie Podcast]

And they're also going to have a quick hook with anybody giving them lip if you're constantly challenging them. By the way, these umpires then get reps the next game they go to after getting called out. Five for five. You know, the batters are going to be looking, oh, I'm going to show this guy a peaky. His eyes are terrible. You know, I don't love that, but maybe it's early and these are growing pains.

[Colin Cowherd]

I like that. It holds everybody accountable. It also holds batters accountable or pitchers accountable. You know, there are grumblers in every workforce in America. There's. There's got to be. Every staff's got a pitcher or two that always thinks, I, yeah, I can't. My, my, my, my sinker, I never get. Okay, champ, test it. So it gets out a lot of the grumblers. I mean, that's the great thing about technology. It gives you the truth. Whether you can handle the truth. It gives it to you. Brad Underwood, Illinois head coach, joining us. Man, there's a lot going on.

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