Colin Cowherd (2:59)

Here we go, hour number two. I can't get enough of Wemby and El Fernando Mendoza. I think they're my two favorite players. For a while it was like LeBron, Steph Brady. I think my two favorite players now are Wemby and Fernando Mendoza. I've never bought, I've never bought a jersey ever. Not one. I've never bought a player jersey ever. I got one for Christmas when I was like seven years old. It was the Cleveland Browns. And I forget what the number was, but I, I, I, I'm telling you this Fernando Mendoza.

Rob Parker (3:39)

What about Cooper Flag? Would you buy a Cooper Flag jersey?

Colin Cowherd (3:43)

No. I think he's really good, though. I really like him.

Rob Parker (3:45)

Arch Manning when he goes to the Jets.

Colin Cowherd (3:46)

No, no, no.

Rob Parker (3:48)

Wow, you are tough on this, huh?

Colin Cowherd (3:50)

Nano Mendoza is not just about being a quarterback.

Rob Parker (3:53)

Yeah.

Colin Cowherd (3:54)

It's that I love when people are willing to be authentic and just lay it out there. And yeah, I'm a little cringy. I'm a little dorky. And it's like, you know, whatever. It's, you know, you know how I feel about quarterbacks. It's a different position. There's only one coach, head coach per team. But there's one head coach on the field. It's not the wide receiver. It's not the edge rusher. It's the quarterback. He touches the ball every snap. And you need a different personality. And I have. Oh, you know, it's, it's. I remember telling a certain broadcaster this years ago and I, he was a young broadcaster with a lot of talent, and I said, and had a little bit of a tude. And I said, just remember, you'll never be the coolest guy for very long. It's almost like beauty. You're the prettiest today. You won't be in eight years. There'll be somebody prettier. Talent endures. Work ethic endures. Commitment endures. I can work harder than anybody else for 50 years. But you can't be the coolest for 15 years because culture changes, style changes. So I love that Fernando Mendoza is like, yeah, like, I'm not worried about the cool thing. And I said, I thought Cam Newton was the best college football player I've ever seen. Cam needed to be cool. He never had back to back winning seasons. He was distracted. Cool was a really important thing to him. Cam Newton's got more talent than Fernando Mendoza. And I don't think, I mean, I think Cam, history of college football, is the most devastating player I've ever seen.

Rob Parker (5:21)

Well, for one year he was.

Colin Cowherd (5:23)

I don't care.

Rob Parker (5:23)

He only played one year.

Colin Cowherd (5:24)

I don't care the most.

Rob Parker (5:26)

Tim Tebow was more devastating.

Colin Cowherd (5:27)

If you're the fastest rocket ever, do you have to be the fastest rocket for nine years?

Rob Parker (5:31)

Well, no, you don't have to.

Colin Cowherd (5:33)

No, you don't.

Rob Parker (5:34)

You're saying one year of Cam was better than three years of Tebow?

Colin Cowherd (5:37)

You understand the World Olympics, right? If you do the longest long jump, you don't need 80 of them. If you set the record, you get the record individual.

Rob Parker (5:45)

This is a team sport.

Colin Cowherd (5:46)

No, I'm saying Cam Newton talent, bigger, stronger, faster, deeper ball than Menendo's. Not even arguable. It's. It's all data. But Cam needed to be cool. Vince Young sometimes liked the cool thing. Johnny Manziel loved the cool thing. Baker could worry a little bit too much about chest out. Just win games. Everything just win games. I want to talk about another athlete, though. And we've talked about this. When I look at mock drafts, they're sending messages on certain teams like, the Raiders need a quarterback. That's not a message. Fernando's the best one available. The Rams are a stacked roster and to have two great receivers, yet everybody's mock draft is the Rams targeting a wide receiver in a draft that it's not a great receiver draft. Carnell Tate is considered the one absolute first round receiver. The kid out of Arizona State had injury issues and Makai Lemon from USC doesn't really separate. He's not a burner. You can, you can hold him up in traffic. But yet everybody's got the Rams taking one of those guys. Why? Because of what we've been talking about for weeks. It's not the Devonte Adams age. It's the Puka issues. Story came out yesterday that Puka has entered rehab. His attorney says, and this is why the AJ Brown to the Rams rumors surfaced. We've been talking about this and hinting about it for weeks. Stuff is going to come out, drip, drip, drip, drip. And it's the reality of pro sports. Some players, especially when they're young, have some personal demons. And pro sports has always been a little cruel and unfair for all sports. It works in the reverse of real life. The average American millionaire becomes a millionaire at 61. The average pro athlete today becomes a millionaire at like 25, 23. And listen, that's a lot. I mean, Puka's from a small town in Utah. He goes to la. He would have been much better served going to Green Bay, going to Tampa Bay. He goes to LA with McVeigh, with Stafford. Super Bowls, number one offense on national TV, 75,000 people in the number one, number two media market in the country. It is a lot for somebody that, you know, that's excelling on the field and getting this attention. I mean, I've talked to a lot of pro athletes, even the smart veterans, and they're like, oh, yeah, my first contract, I bought 30 suits. I bought, you know, I bought, you know, I was playing the game. It's. It's a lot. Pro sports is tough. A lot of these athletes, probably half, don't come from a lot of money. Come from small, great powerhouse football programs in Hoover, Alabama or Provo, Utah. You know, they don't come from big cities. And now you play for the Philadelphia Eagles and your name's being mentioned and you're getting screamed at by the fans and you're on WIP radio. It's a lot. It is overwhelming. You hear all the time about young people on Instagram. Well, imagine being on Instagram, literally on everybody else's Instagram talking about you. So I hope, you know, I've said this before is I think part of them drafting a receiver in the first round is an insurance policy. Not on devonte Adams, injuries, on Puka's stuff. Tom Palacero last week on the contract, and Puka's future in la.

Brian Baldinger (9:23)

He's still one of the best players in the entire NFL.

Colin Cowherd (9:27)

He is still somebody who's going to

Brian Baldinger (9:28)

be in line for a big contract

Colin Cowherd (9:30)

extension at some point.

Brian Baldinger (9:31)

I don't get the sense that the Rams are really in much of a rush to do something with Puka, but

Rob Parker (9:37)

again, I wouldn't directly connect that to

Brian Baldinger (9:39)

any of the stuff that they've had to deal with with Puka off the field. He is under contract only for one more year, but you've got multiple franchise tags on top of it. They've got time, and this is probably more so something we're going to be

Colin Cowherd (9:50)

talking about in June and July potentially

Brian Baldinger (9:52)

getting done with Puka and we'll see how some of these other things at

Colin Cowherd (9:56)

a league level and a legal level

Rob Parker (9:57)

play out between now and then.

Colin Cowherd (9:58)

Well, it is since he said that it is ratcheted up on rehab for Puka. So, you know, I think, listen, he's great. He's a Ram. Stafford loves him. You know, Stafford doesn't want to start over with a Nucky, another rookie receiver. He loves his personnel. The Rams defense is young, but the Rams offense now, Kyron Williams and Puka and Higsby and Parkinson and. And it. They got dudes and they're, they're veteran players. And Matt Stafford, you know, most veteran quarterbacks, Brady Aaron, Roger Stafford, you know, they like their guys, they like going into a season with their. So he's a great player and hopefully he gets all this stuff sorted out. So Mike Sando at the Other Place has been talking to execs around the league here in the off season and they're being quoted anonymously, which is. People always say more when it's anonymous. We talked about last hour. I defended the Buffalo Bill signing DJ Moore. He also talked to people about the Pittsburgh Steelers, a franchise that's. Fans hate me, but I'm right. Which is what's your plan? What are you doing? It's an offensive league. Why are you spending so much money on defense? Well, what do you know? Said one league exec on the Steelers. What's their vision? What's their plan? An affable talk show host pointed at that. The last seven years they got slower, said another. Rico Dowdle. He's a Comfort signing for McCarthy. Are they super bowl talented? No, I don't think they're a Super bowl team. So you know what I think is sort of ironic about the Steelers? They've always projected the toughness. Mike Tomlin's teams projected this toughness and you know, it's like the small town bully. He's got the barbed wire tattoo, he's got the 4x4, the cowboy hat. But he's really terrified to ever leave his hometown because he knows he'd have to compete in Dallas or the big city. A lot of smart people in those cities and, and the Steelers have that kind of bully complex. We're tough, we're intimidating. No, you're terrified to rebuild. You're terrified to rebrand yourself. That's why you've had the highest paid defense as the league has pivoted to offense the last four to five years. That's why Aaron Rodgers is so valuable. He's at least maybe not a current model due to his age, but he gets offense. The Steelers have been the slowest team in the league according to Next gen stats in 2024-2025. So as the league is getting faster and younger, the Steelers are getting older and slower. So they've projected all this toughness and all this, hey, we are the Steelers now. What you are is slow and outdated and terrified to rebuild. I mean, what's terrifying in the NFL is Sean McVeigh going to 13 personnel mid season, changing his offense mid season. And you don't know what Rams offense is showing up next week that's terrifying. Or what's terrifying is Vrabel takes his team to the super bowl in year one of the rebuild. Psych. Damn. What they get me next year. That is terrifying. Somebody that rebuilds really quickly or on the fly or in Week 13. The Steelers are not terrifying, they're predictable. Those Mike Sando articles, they are so good. Absolutely so good. J. Mac was smiling during that one. That was one of the rants he left.

Rob Parker (13:38)

Listen, I was just about to send you a text during the commercial break. You've had some pretty good one liners this week. Are you somebody writing new material for you there in Chicago? What's going on?

Colin Cowherd (13:48)

I put Carrot Top on the staff. He's crushing.

Rob Parker (13:50)

Oh, yeah, okay. Something's going on because you had that line about the Steelers and like the small town bully afraid to like leave the town. That's really good.

Colin Cowherd (13:59)

You know what?

Rob Parker (13:59)

And I agree with it.

Colin Cowherd (14:00)

Can I say it? It's that Neurogum. I swear to God, I thought it

Rob Parker (14:06)

was going to that. That basketball. The Michigan Wolverines game this week. You saw what real dominance is like. So you're like, I gotta set my Michigan, Arizona, by the way, Michigan, Arizona this week. Very excited for Saturday. You're watching those, right?

Colin Cowherd (14:19)

You're locked in? Yes. Am I watching them? Yeah. I'm gonna find time for Michigan, Arizona. One more herd. The herd streams 24 hours a day, seven days a week, within the iHeartRadio app. Search herd to listen live or on

Brian Baldinger (14:32)

demand whenever you'd like.

Rob Parker (14:33)

Hey, it's me, Rob Parker.

Brian Baldinger (14:36)

Check out my weekly MLB podcast, Inside

Colin Cowherd (14:39)

the Parker for 22 minutes of piping hot baseball talk featuring the biggest names

Rob Parker (14:45)

and newsmakers in the sport. Whether you believe in analytics or the

Colin Cowherd (14:49)

eye test, we've got all the bases covered.

Rob Parker (14:52)

New episodes drop every Thursday, so do

Colin Cowherd (14:55)

yourself a favor and listen to Inside the Parker with Rob Parker on the iHeartRadio app or wherever you get your podcast. Hey Herd, Listen up. Sports and steaks go hand in hand and True Nature Meats is delivering an incredible offer. Their precooked New York strip steaks are insanely tender, juicy and packed with rich beefy flavor that melts in every bite. Ready in just four minutes. In a warm skillet, buy 10 New York strip steaks and get 10 free sirloin steaks. 20 steaks total up to 80% less than what high end steakhouses charge for these same premium cuts. And here's the best part. It comes out to about $7.40 per steak. Incredible value. With over 30 years supplying top restaurants, True Nature Meats delivers restaurant quality flavor straight to your kitchen fast and eas. Only 250 promo codes will work, so this is extremely limited. Head to true naturemeats.com right now. Use the promo code Freestake. That's true nature meats.com free steak don't miss out. This is a real deal. Most people think their insurance will cover them if disaster strikes. But here's the truth. Many are wrong. You pay your premiums, you assume you're protected. Then the fine print hits. Exclusions, loopholes, limits. Suddenly that coverage you counted on isn't really coverage at all. That's why I like my policy advocate. They take your actual policies, Home, Life, auto, break them down in plain English. They show you what's really covered and what isn't. Cost 27 cents a day. That's it. Less than a cup of coffee. Before you assume you're covered, go to mypolicyadvocate.com let them review your policy. You might be shocked at what you'll find. MyPolicyAdvocate.com support for the show comes from public, huh? I wonder if this can beat the market. Everyone's talking about the NASDAQ 100, but let's get more specific. Software? Actually, too broad. How about software that's already profitable? Companies that beat the last five quarters. Oh, and I want founders who are marathon on runners. That's discipline. Yeah, let's see what that looks like. With generated assets on public, you can turn any idea into an investable index. Just enter a prompt and watch the AI screen thousands of stocks in seconds. You can then back test your index against the S&P 500. Make adjustments, refine your criteria, and when you're ready, invest in what you've built. Go to public.com and build your own index with generated assets plus earn a 1% uncapped match when you transfer your portfolio Public Investing for those who take it seriously AD paid for by Public Holdings Brokerage Services by Public Investing member FINRA SIPC Advisory Services by Public Advisors SEC Registered Advisor Sample prompts are for illustrative purposes only, not investment advice. All investing involves risk of loss. See complete disclosures@public.com disclosures oh, I'm loving this. I've always had eye issues. Struggling to see up close make it visible with viz. VIZ is the once daily prescription eye drop to treat blurry near vision for up to 10 hours. The most common side effects that may be experienced while using VIZ include eye irritation, temporary dim or dark vision, headaches and eye redness. Talk to an eye doctor to learn if VIZ is right for you. Learn more@viz.com Vizz.com Thirteen years in the NFL, about half of it with the Cowboys. Aldi's breakdowns. NFL Network analyst Love having him on the show. Brian Baldinger is joining us now live from his office. So J. Mac and I go back and forth on this. I really don't have a problem a quarterback sitting the first year. Now I do believe as the NFL, Brian has adopted or adapted a little bit to the college game. And the college game looks more, a little bit more. I mean it's in the 70s or 80s. Some of the concepts, the motion, the multiple sets feel a little more like the NFL. This kid played at Cal, Indiana. He's got a lot of starts. I'm okay with him still sitting for Kurt Cousins, but I think he's going to look really, really impressive very early in camp. Where do you kind of lean on a college kid like Bo nicks? Brian had 61 college starts. If he's good, he's good. If he's not, he's not. He was ready to play, you know, I mean, he'd played in, in, you know, Sean Payton. Where do you stand on that?

Brian Baldinger (19:17)

I mean, you go back, I mean, you're a USC fan. Carson Palmer sat his whole first year. John Kitten has started in Cincinnati for an entire year. I mean, Donovan McNabb was drafted with the second pick of the draft and Doug Peterson was brought in to be the starter. If, if Fernando Mendoza plays anything like he did starting from that Penn State win last year with the touchdown Omar Cooper in the last 30 seconds all the way through the gauntlet to the national championship game. And he plays at that level, it's going to be hard to keep him on the sideline. Kirk Cousins or not Kirk Cousins there, you can't lie to your team. If he's the Best quarterback on the team. Then I march him out and play him just like they did Joe Burrow or any of these other number one picks in the draft.

Colin Cowherd (19:59)

Yeah, Mark Slearth has told me stories about that, where you go to camp and you're like, yeah, the draft pick is either really can't play a lick. And you can't lie to the locker room because players know. I, I, my take is watching him yesterday at the pro day, he put on 10 to 12 pounds. I mean, you watch the college stuff. And then you watch him yesterday, not in pads, in that T shirt. Brian, he looked 15 pounds thicker. Did he not?

Brian Baldinger (20:24)

He, he, he, you know, he's, he's constructed pretty well. And you go back and just, I always kind of look at the times when he just got blasted in a game like that. Throw in Penn State to Omar Cooper. Like, he got blasted in that play and the ball still went where he wanted it to go. Some guys get blasted, the ball pops up in the air and it gets intercepted. His ball still, like, he's got lower body strength that I think he can still follow through even when he gets hit. And that lower body strength carries, you know, that ball to where he wants it to go.

Colin Cowherd (20:54)

So a story yesterday came out during the summer, in August. I was told by somebody connected to the front office of the Eagles that Jaylen Herz was wearing coaches out. Was not the easiest to coach, could be a little rigid, was a little reluctant or reticent to make changes, which you get sometimes with older quarterbacks. Brett Favre famously, like, I'm not learning a new offense. I'll retire. And then the story yesterday comes out with 12 sources from Jeremy Fowler that, listen, they got, this is, this is tough. This is not what it appears on television. And it's got a, Brian, it's got a little Russell Wilson vibe, little smaller than average, transferred in college. Go to a team that's ready to win, get a lot of credit for the winning. A little bit of a politician at the podium. What did you make of the story? Is it, is it too much too soon? Or do you think there's a little bit there?

Brian Baldinger (21:53)

If you would, look, I live in Philly here, Colin. I know what this is like. And look, I mean, the writers that came in, they're good writers. They know what they're doing. I think that Honestly, like, you're 57 and 25 as a starter, and you've been to the playoffs every year as a starter. Like, there's some, you can't, you can't finagle that. That's not luck. That's not good fortune. Like, that's, you know, he doesn't turn the ball over in the Postseason. He's thrown 11 touchdowns, three interceptions in a postseason. When we measure these guys at the. At the highest level of measuring a guy, he is, he has played well. When he has given those opportunities and he's gotten them there, he's been a good leader. He never misspeaks at the podium.

Colin Cowherd (22:36)

Never.

Brian Baldinger (22:37)

And all Philadelphia is looking for is for him to misspeak. Donovan did that a bunch in Philly, and all they got to do is go back and redo the press conference all over again. He never misspeaks. It's amazing, actually. But he's the son of a coach and he might not be easy to coach, but he's the thing that can kill a team quicker than anything. And that's why we doubted Sam Darnold all the way to the end last year was turnovers. But he's not going to get you beat. But does he hold the ball too long? Yeah, he does. Does he not want to do certain things that maybe the offense asked for? Probably. But at the same time, he's not going to get you beat and then he's going to find ways to beat you. So the question is, he's going to have to evolve, though, because he's not the same runner that he was at Alabama.

Colin Cowherd (23:22)

Good point.

Brian Baldinger (23:22)

Oklahoma in the beginning of his career and Russell wasn't and Steve Young wasn't. And so all these guys that help make a living by being good runners and scramblers, I think he's going to have to adjust and be a better from the pocket than he's been. And all quarterbacks have to evolve in that regard.

Colin Cowherd (23:42)

So a player, and you watch more tape than anybody any analyst I know, and there's a player in this draft and I've always struggled with this. They just, they are bullies in college football. And then the pros are like, well, their hands aren't big enough, their arms aren't long enough. And I'm like, all I know is when I watch Ruben Bane, he's just mowing over. Now, Jared Verse was a guy. People said, well, he's only got one move. Well, that one move works in college and pro. Yeah, but Ruben Bane, it's an arm length issue. Historic. What does the film say? What's your projection on him?

Brian Baldinger (24:18)

He was the best player in the national championship game. I mean, no offense to Fernando Mendoza. He was the best player on the field. And he was almost unblockable wherever he lined up. He's got real power that works at any level. And he's just, you know, I've been to those Miami practices with Jason Taylor coaching on one side and Mario Cristobal on the other side. It's a war when you go to practice at Miami, it is. He's battling against Marino every day, against Markel Bell, the left tackle. He's going up against NFL tackles, good NFL tackles every day in practice. And so there is no, let's go put a baseball cap and go sit out there and go through this walkthrough. There's no walkthroughs at Miami. It looks like Tom landry in the 80s to me. So I think he's been schooled the right way. I think he's wired the right way. The arm length thing, when I see him turn the corner on teams and players, good players in his business, I don't see an issue.

Colin Cowherd (25:17)

The other player, and this is another issue I have is. And I, and I through the years I followed high school recruiting and the five star kids that don't pan out don't have a position. They're just big strong kids that bully in high school. They get to the college game and they don't have a position. They're like a tight end, slash receiver. Arvell Reese is amazing.

Brian Baldinger (25:39)

Or they don't love football, they're just talented.

Colin Cowherd (25:42)

Just.

Brian Baldinger (25:43)

That's another category there.

Colin Cowherd (25:45)

Arvell Reese, yeah, he's going to learn a position in the pros and by the way, could go to the jets, an organization. I'm sorry, I don't trust. If he was going to Salah Robert Sala, I'd be like, he'll. He'll fame. There's something like. Or Mike McDonald or D' Amico Ryan's. I'm like those guys. They'll figure him out. I don't trust the Jets. I'm sorry, I. There's teams I don't. What do I make of Arvell Reese when he's. He's an incredible athlete, but I don't know what he is as a pro now.

Brian Baldinger (26:18)

He's a wheel linebacker. He's a wheel linebacker. He's not going to wear the green dot. He's not going to get people lined up. That's what Sonny Styles did. That was his job. But he is a talented player. Now people want to make a big deal. Well, he's a pass rusher. Well, like Matt Patricia used him in a variety of ways. He did Come off the edge a little bit. Not much, but they use him as a spy. Got some sacks on that against some athletic quarterbacks. You go up against Lamar or Josh or, you know, Jalen hurts like you could spy him on third down. And you know, the spies only work if you're faster than the guy that's actually running the football. And he's probably faster than anybody who's going to run the football. Like, I think he's a will linebacker. Just let him run and hit. He is a. He is a great athlete. He's got great twitch. He reminds me of Frank Louvre. If you study Frank Louvre, who's just an electric wire on the field. Bobby Wagner was the mic. Frankie Louvre was, was the Will in Washington. And he's, he's, he's a great talent. And this guy's bigger and faster than Frank Louvre. But there's a position for him. I think he's a will linebacker. And you can use him in some ways, but that's, that's what he is off the ball. Inside will linebacker.

Colin Cowherd (27:26)

The.

Brian Baldinger (27:27)

You can move them around a little bit, match them up with different running backs and tight ends.

Colin Cowherd (27:31)

Hey, you played off every offensive line position for the Cowboys. Miami's got a guy that, that can play tackle. Maybe an interior guy is nasty, tough guy. I just. One of those guys. Just let me draft him and he'll play for no out of Utah. Probably more right tackle than left tackle. But you cannot get around him. The tackle class is being called. Very, very good. What is your take on. On the top tackle prospects? What do you see? Very rarely do you have a 6, 7 guy with great feet. The Utah guys, they got a couple of them that appeared to have that. Is the class as good as everybody says? Offensive line, offensive tackle class?

Brian Baldinger (28:14)

No, I don't think there's Trent Williams or Lane Johnson in this draft, but we have to allow a guy like Monroe Freeling, you're talking about.

Colin Cowherd (28:21)

Yeah.

Brian Baldinger (28:21)

You know, These guys are 20 years old. Like, he's gonna, like. I don't know why he actually came out. He only played one year. But that's, you know, you develop in the NFL. We'll see what he looks like two years from now when he gets stronger and his core is better and all that kind of stuff. Like Francis Manoa. Marino right now is like, I think he can be. He looks like a guard playing tackle, even though he's, he's huge. He's 66 and he has tackle. But he reminds me of Zach Allen when he was at Notre Dame. I think, I think he could be an all pro guard in this league, but I think he can start at right tackle in this league. There's no question about it. I think that Fano and Lomo, those guys at Utah, I think they both can be good tackles. Loma was only 20 years old. I mean, he might only be 19 if I, if I remember correctly, like, they're all going to get bigger and stronger and have a chance to really develop. I remember talking, I'm good friends with Wayne Johnson. He said he never really got like, NFL strength until halfway through his second year and, and when he really kind of figured out how to play. And so you got to give these guys a little bit of time to, you know, get on the program and get on the strength program and figure out what, what functional strength is in his business and what you need to work on.

Colin Cowherd (29:35)

Brian Baldinger, NFL Network does great work. Baldies breakdowns. Good saying, as always.

Brian Baldinger (29:41)

Thanks, Colin. You bet, man. I'll talk to you soon.

Colin Cowherd (29:43)

All right. I love guys that sit and watch tape. I, I got to tell you, that interview, when he starts talking about Mario Cristobal and their coaching and how they, they, it, it is like an, it's like an NFL 1980s camp. I've said for years college football is better when the Miami Hurricanes, the USC Trojans and the Texas Longhorns are good. It, they just, they got a 30% NFL feel to them, big city feel to them. I, I, I, I found the Hurricanes last year to be so much fun to watch and they are committed financially. You know, Miami, I don't know how many. You know, this Miami is literally been changing the last three to four years. It's becoming a tech hub. The richest guy in, one of the richest guys in Chicago, Ken Griffith, moved down there and he's trying to get all these billionaires to move down there. Is keep your Miami now. They got a lot of lettuce.

Rob Parker (30:40)

J. Mac, that's more of a tax dodge than anything.

Colin Cowherd (30:45)

All these rich guys moving like that.

Rob Parker (30:47)

I think it's a, it's more of a crypto play, which is sketchy as hell. And you know that down in Miami, they were trying to be a crypto hub, like Silicon Valley out west. They were trying to do that with crypto and it kind of sort of flopped.

Colin Cowherd (30:58)

Well, I think it's a little bit more of a, a little bit more tech.

Rob Parker (31:02)

Yeah. Why don't you go ask your rich friends like Zuckerberg how things are going down in Florida. All these rich guys moving down There.

Colin Cowherd (31:07)

Okay. Miami is officially the fastest growing US city for technology startups. Not one word in there about bitcoin.

Rob Parker (31:15)

Yeah, because bitcoin's taking. They're pivoting quickly. Listen, go down there for tech, save money on taxes. I'm sure the governor will do a great job with everything down there.

Colin Cowherd (31:24)

Maybe I like him. Maybe he's a friend. I'm a little bit more.

Rob Parker (31:30)

Never a dull moment with C squared. That's you, buddy. Yeah. Nice job.

Colin Cowherd (31:34)

Oh, if you want to pay all my taxes, I can send you a bill. J. Mac with the news.

Brian Baldinger (31:40)

No, no, no.

Colin Cowherd (31:41)

Heard on the news.

Brian Baldinger (31:43)

This is the herd line news.

Rob Parker (31:45)

We gotta. Yeah, I'm sure the audience love that. Let's go to somebody that Colin Cowherd loves near and dear, close to his heart, Sam Darnold. Colin. Sam Darnold had a phenomenal season last year. Won a Super Bowl, 67% completions, 4,000 yards, 25 tuddies. And GM John Schneider talked to foxsports.com and said it's crazy to say because he won 14 games last year, but Darnold can be even better in 2026. Now it's interesting you love throwing out the two years worth of data on Darnold.

Colin Cowherd (32:14)

Yeah.

Rob Parker (32:15)

Great at Minnesota, great in Seattle. I will push back a little and say I think this Clint Kubiak loss to the Raiders is significant and Kenneth Walker was phenomenal down the stretch. I obviously not an easy replacement.

Colin Cowherd (32:27)

Okay, so let me throw, let me push back. So darnold went 14 and 3 and 14 and 3 and you're saying hey, may pull back a little. Yeah, it's possible. He's going to go 11 and 6. The guy is the winningest quarterback in the league including Mahomes and Josh Allen the last two years. So saying well he may pull back a little.

Rob Parker (32:47)

Ya think I gotta set you up with some meatballs occasionally so you can knock him out of the park. I don't know. So what are you saying? If we do a top 10 quarterback rankings in the off season? Is Darnold in there?

Colin Cowherd (33:00)

How can he not be? How can he not be a top 10 quarterback?

Rob Parker (33:03)

So is Brock Purdy in there?

Colin Cowherd (33:05)

No. Oh boy.

Rob Parker (33:07)

I can't listen to the.

Colin Cowherd (33:09)

How in the world can Sam Darnold who just hoisted a trophy, had a perfect playoff run off a year in which he was getting MVP taught you're not going to put him top 10.

Rob Parker (33:21)

Well, I mean Jalen Hurts hoisted a trophy a year ago, 13 months ago.

Colin Cowherd (33:26)

I think Jalen Hurts is close. Top 10 probably 12 for me. I'm not as high on him as you are. And that's been the case for two years. Yeah, and Brock Purdy is good, but I think Brock Purdy's probably closer to 11 or 12. I don't think Brock's 28.

Rob Parker (33:39)

We have the Darnold postseason stats. Five touchdowns, zero turnovers, 102 passer rating. Now, the Niners did not field it. I think they had, like a mash unit on defense there, so that doesn't count. He did perform well against the Rams at home, and then the Patriots defense was whatever. So I don't know. Top 10. Interesting. You have him definitely top 10. I got to see that list.

Colin Cowherd (34:01)

I say closer to 10 than 1, but I mean, again, how long can Patrick Mahomes play average football? And we keep him at one or two. Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa.

Rob Parker (34:10)

Who's we?

Brian Baldinger (34:11)

Who.

Rob Parker (34:11)

Who's we here? That's not me. Mahomes was bad last year before the injury.

Colin Cowherd (34:16)

Yes. Yeah.

Rob Parker (34:17)

No, that. Maybe Darnold cracks it. I don't know. I haven't. I haven't drilled deep on.

Colin Cowherd (34:22)

I mean, I love CJ Stroud, but I think he's moving out of the top 10 the last two years. I still think he's tremendously. I think he's so gifted. But yesterday, Lancerlein comes on, he's like his footwork shot. Well, okay, then I can't. I mean. I mean, outside of Josh Allen, maybe Joe Burrow, when he's healthy like Mahomes, the last two years has been. Had moments, but hasn't been consistent at all. It's not all his fault.

Rob Parker (34:47)

Who do you think was better last year, Dak Prescott or Sam Darnold?

Colin Cowherd (34:53)

Sam Darnold's a better quarterback. More talented.

Rob Parker (34:57)

Wow.

Colin Cowherd (34:57)

Hold on.

Rob Parker (34:58)

Jordan Love or Sam Darnold?

Colin Cowherd (35:00)

Sam Darnold more consistent. Oh, boy. Sam has an occasional stinker. Hey, you know, I mean, sometimes, you know, chef burns the cake. It doesn't mean you're a bad cook. Sam has the occasional. Sam will go sideways a couple times a year. He'll have a couple of two pick halves, and you're like, sam, what are you doing?

Rob Parker (35:20)

Yeah, but that's so game against the Rams.

Colin Cowherd (35:22)

Brady had a pick six in the Super Bowl. It was so wild.

Rob Parker (35:26)

Interesting.

Colin Cowherd (35:26)

Wow.

Rob Parker (35:27)

Okay. I did not expect that, but here we are. Let's go to the NBA, Colin, where we've heard a lot of talk about Whether or not LeBron James will stay in LA, go to Cleveland, go somewhere else. Well, Rich Paul has chimed in I. I have a theory on this, but he went on his podcast to shut down speculation about LeBron definitely staying with the Lakers. Here we go.

Colin Cowherd (35:50)

You got all this speculation.

Rob Parker (35:52)

You got every article. What happens is you just have these algorithms pick up and everybody's talking.

Brian Baldinger (35:57)

So you're saying there's no truth to

Colin Cowherd (35:58)

it, to those five teams?

Brian Baldinger (36:00)

There's no truth to any of it.

Rob Parker (36:02)

I don't. First, I don't know what's happening.

Brian Baldinger (36:05)

Remember when you just said believe half of what you see and none of what you hear?

Colin Cowherd (36:09)

I don't know if I believe any of that.

Brian Baldinger (36:10)

I'm telling you don't know what's happening.

Rob Parker (36:11)

I do not know. He don't know either. He don't know.

Brian Baldinger (36:15)

We don't.

Rob Parker (36:15)

We don't even talk about it.

Colin Cowherd (36:16)

I know. Okay, they do talk about it, but they. I. They do talk about it, but I think Rich Paul's being truthful. They don't know. They don't know. Is LeBron willing to take a pay cut? The Mark Walters group, these guys are sharp, okay? They don't know yet. What if they get. What if they lay an egg, can't defend anybody. Play Minnesota, first round, and it's ugly. What if they end up in the Western conference finals and LeBron is willing to be a third option and says to him, I'll take a pay cut? Well, then it's a different argument. Then it's a different discussion.

Rob Parker (36:53)

That's 100%. Now the question of how much of the pay cut is why I think Rich Paul's talking about this with the lakers cooking. Oh, LeBron's at 50 mil. Can you imagine him at $10 million next year? This team has room for you. Add whoever. Now, I'm sure Ritz Paul hears that and is like, lebron ain't paying for 10 mil playing for 10 million. So he's pushing back against the narrative. But you're right. Could be a first round flame out.

Colin Cowherd (37:16)

Yeah.

Rob Parker (37:16)

Conference finals.

Colin Cowherd (37:17)

I think this is one of the things in life, like when the Dodgers went after Ohtani, they planned that two years in advance. They literally. There was a. I was told there was a game plan two years in advance. They knew they were going after him. Okay? So they. They knew what they were doing. There are also stories where aging stars, you're like, let's just see how they play at the end of the year. LeBron could have an injury tomorrow. And they're like, now we're not going to do it. LeBron could be unbelievable in the playoffs. And they Say, okay, I do not believe in my opinion, they're going to bring him back for the current salary.

Rob Parker (37:51)

No way. There's no shot of that. I will say I agree with you. But you know the saying, have a plan or plan to fail. The Lakers new ownership group's only been on board, I think. Was it September right before the season?

Colin Cowherd (38:03)

Yeah.

Rob Parker (38:03)

So they. They don't have a two year Runway here and they've got to get a lay of the land with this Giannis situation. By the way, very quiet on the Giannis front. You notice that. Very quiet as we head into the offseason.

Colin Cowherd (38:15)

All right, final story.

Rob Parker (38:16)

Colin is sticking in the NBA. This is kind of spicy. So the Mavs are still without a GM after they ran Nico Harrison out of town. Reports are indicating that the most frequently whispered candidate is. Drumroll, please. Former Warriors GM Bob Myers could be the new GM of the Mavericks. Now, we know Bob Myers had a rough ending. Last few years in Golden State was terrible with the draft and free agency, handling Clay Draymond, all that. However, he's a big name. And guess who could be drafting in the top five? The Dallas Mavericks. Colin, the chance to draft Cooper Flag's wingman for the next decade. That's a great job. And I'm sure Bob Myers would leave TV in a heartbeat and take that gig.

Colin Cowherd (39:02)

No, Bob, a little. I. I'll tell you, go look at the Dallas Mavericks draft and where they're drafting and what's available. Keep your eye on the Illinois Yukon game and the point guard for Illinois.

Rob Parker (39:19)

Yeah, that would be a good bit.

Colin Cowherd (39:20)

Six. Six. Yep. Six. Six. SGA. Feel. 66 to go with Cooper flag. You are set for 10 years. I'm telling you, the Dallas. This draft, the Dallas Mavericks. I listen. They always say, you don't want to come in and be, you know, Bob Myers is like, I don't want to be a GM at the end of a dynasty. It gets sloppy. You know, the late Jerry Krause. It's great to be part of building a dynasty. In the middle of a dynasty, you want to get out of it late because then you have to make tough decisions on personnel. Do we keep Klay Thompson? Do we get rid of him? If they get. I can. This NBA draft, the NFL draft, the New York Giants and the Dolphins. Fascinating. Dallas Mavericks in the draft. Who do you. Who do you couple with Cooper Flag? Because that's the whole draft. Which guy works best off him? I think it's the Illinois guard.

Rob Parker (40:13)

I like that. So remember when LeBron was a rookie they tried to make him point guard. It just didn't work. Back in the day, they needed him off the ball. They end up bringing in a point guard. I think it was Mo Williams and it worked great. Keaton Wagler. With Cooper off the ball.

Colin Cowherd (40:27)

Oh my God.

Rob Parker (40:28)

Or you run pick and roll with those two. It could be lights out. So I think you're right. I remember when I was building the big league back in the day, everybody wanted to come on board and write, you know, it was fun. It was kind of, we could do whatever we wanted once I sold it. And then new owners come in and they start telling me what to do. Hey, you got to move off this guy. That's not fun. And I'm sure Myers was dealing with that. Yes, at the NBA level.

Colin Cowherd (40:49)

I think at the end of dynasties, you can go to Jerry Krause, the Last Dance, you can go to Bob Myers. It's no fun because now players are past their prime. Now players, they expect to get big contracts because they're rich. They're a bit, you know, I mean, listen, they're, they're legends and they're icons and well, how, how do I not get a max deal? It's no fun to be a GM at the end.

Rob Parker (41:12)

Who wants to break up Clay and Steph?

Colin Cowherd (41:14)

Nobody wants to do that.

Rob Parker (41:15)

Who wants to pay Draymond a max deal? Then the Jordan pool fallout. He whiffed with Weissman, Kuminga and so forth. Yeah, it was ugly at the end, but Myers was part of, the architect of building that, that great dynasty.

Colin Cowherd (41:25)

Yeah. J. Mac with the news.

Rob Parker (41:28)

Well, that's the news and thanks for stopping by.

Brian Baldinger (41:30)

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Colin Cowherd (41:33)

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Rob Parker (44:22)

is Baseball night on Fox. This week we've got Pete Crow, Armstrong and the Cubs versus Jose Ramirez and the Guardians or Ronald Acuna Jr. And the Braves against the Diamondbacks. Baseball Night in America Saturday at 7 Eastern only on Fox.

Colin Cowherd (44:38)

By the way, I love bringing Brian Balding around and people that you know. You don't have to agree with me on this show. I would prefer it no Brian Balding. I would talk about Jalen hurts and he's too small and he's gotten banged up this and that but but Baldy knows Philadelphia well One of the things he talked about that's really important. Philadelphia is the loudest city in the country. New York is a city where sports matters. But I remember when there was a Super bowl in New York, being in New York, and it's like you didn't know the super bowl was going on. It's like the UN was in town. Like, it was just like. Honestly, it was like, the city's too big to host a Super Bowl. It's the same in Los Angeles. They do a great job. But, I mean, LA has got, you know, if you live in Malibu, you know, even go downtown, like, there's just. You live in your area because of the traffic. And New York's got so many things going on, like, sports can get lost. And we know the Yankees are great. You go to Philadelphia, sports is number one. That Eagle football, that's what they care about. So there's an argument that Jalen Hurts his personality, much like Russell Wilson's, and they're kind of similar, are actually perfect for noisy, noisy cities. Russell's going to be a politician. He's going to say the right thing, and that's not necessarily always bad. In Philadelphia, Jalen Hurts is going to do the same thing. But there's stories out now that he's harder to coach, and he's a little rigid and reticent to change. And baldy. On where Jalen Hurts needs to improve.

Brian Baldinger (46:04)

He's not going to get you beat. Does he hold the ball too long? Yeah, he does. Does he not want to do certain things that maybe the offense asked for? Probably. But at the same time, he's not going to get you beat. And then he's going to find ways to beat you. He's going to have to adjust and be better from the pocket that he's been. And all quarterbacks have to evolve in that regard.

Colin Cowherd (46:25)

You know, I said this once about Baker Mayfield. Cleveland was a tough place for Baker Mayfield to go, just like the jets were for Sam Darnold. Is that Baker Mayfield had a lot of chutzpah and a chip on his shoulder. And the Cleveland media and I. Some of them, I think, are very good. But the Cleveland media loves. You know, they're just negative. It's their default personality. Just the composition of Cleveland makeup Cleveland personalities. And they're. They've been beaten up for so long. I. I really honestly think if Baker would have gone to Sean McVeigh. Happier organization, great ownership, no Looney Tunes. And Baker McVeigh had sat him down and said, hey, scale back on that stuff. And the LA media, you know, their teams all win. They're in a good mood. I think Baker going to the Rams or Darnold going to Kyle Shanahan right out of college, those guys would have been Pro Bowlers very, very quickly. But you go to the jets, who never seem to get the coach right. You go to the Browns, where, you know, they're beaten up on, you know, LeBron left in to the Miami Heat, and they're like, worst human on the planet. No, I don't think he's going to qualify for that. So where you land goes. And in Philadelphia, Bill Parcells famously said, when Andy Reid got the job there, young Andy Reid got the job in Philly. He said, you do know that's the toughest place to coach in the league. Way tougher than New York. I always said about New York, Boston will be loyal to you day one. But even if you're Ted Williams, they'll crap on you on the way out of town. New York is really tough when you show up, but once you win in New York, you're theirs forever. Phil Sims, Eli Manning, I mean, Eli Manning had lost his fastball. They were outraged. He was benched. New York is for a. For a. For a city with so many different voices. New York's incredibly loyal. If you're a New Yorker, you're theirs. You're a made man. You are a minted made man in New York, Boston, you could be Brady. I mean, they're already selling their stock on Brady. Well, we gave him a statue. We get absolute loyalty on every story. Tom's a broadcaster now, right? He's got to play it down the middle. So Philadelphia is a whole different ball game. And a lot of it's the talk radio. It is. It's fantastic. Complete cuckoo for Cocoa Puffs, but it's absolutely fantastic. There are days, once or twice a year, I'm jealous of local sportscasters. It's always Philadelphia radio after the Eagles meltdown. I would die for that microphone on that Monday. Hour three coming up. Most people think their insurance will cover them if disaster strikes. But here's the truth. Many are wrong. You pay your premiums, you assume you're protected. Then the fine print hits, exclusions, loopholes, limits. Suddenly that coverage you counted on isn't really coverage at all. That's why I like my policy advocate. They take your actual policies, Home, Life, Auto, break them down in plain English. They show you what's really covered and what isn't. Cost 27 cents a day. That's it less than a cup of coffee. Before you assume you're covered, go to mypolicyadvocate.com let them review your policy. You might be shocked at what you'll find. MyPolicyAdvocate.com you ever wonder how far an EV can take you on one charge?

Brian Baldinger (49:59)

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Rob Parker (51:11)

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Colin Cowherd (51:21)

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Colin Cowherd (51:32)

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Colin Cowherd (51:48)

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