THE HERD - Hour 3 - Three time Super Bowl champ Julian Edelman joins The Herd

Summary

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The Herd with Colin Cowherd – Hour 3

Guest: Julian Edelman, 3-Time Super Bowl Champion
Date: June 2, 2026
Main Theme: The Impact of Star Players and Team Dynamics in the NFL, Quarterback Development, and Leadership

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Episode Overview

In this Hour 3 segment of "The Herd," Colin Cowherd welcomes former Patriots receiver and Super Bowl champion Julian Edelman for an engaging conversation about the influence of superstar players in NFL locker rooms, the New England Patriots' evolving roster strategy, the psychology of aging quarterbacks, rookie quarterback development, and A.J. Brown’s anticipated impact in New England. The pair also touch upon the cultural differences between NFL fanbases and evolving narratives around star athletes such as Caitlin Clark in women’s basketball.

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Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. The Influence of Star Receivers on Team Culture

(03:17 – 05:08)

• Edelman recalls joining the Patriots’ receiver room with Randy Moss and Wes Welker:
  • “When I was a young football player... you step in a receiver room with Randy Moss, generational receiver... everyone just straightens up.” (Julian Edelman, 04:11)
  • Young receivers would seek Moss’s approval during meetings and on practice tape.
• The presence of elite players instantly raises the standard for everyone:
  • “When you get a guy like A.J. Brown, instantly everyone’s job becomes easier in that room.” (Julian Edelman, 04:40)

2. Navigating Team Dynamics with Star Egos

(05:08 – 06:07)

• Colin asks if other players get “lost” when there’s a clear alpha receiver:
  • Edelman: “I was always on teams that were mentally tough enough to do what was best for the team... guys swallow their pride. … If you’re playing in a second Super Bowl in three years, I think you’ll be all right.” (Julian Edelman, 05:29)

3. Roster-Building Philosophies for Veteran Quarterbacks

(06:07 – 08:31)

• Colin notes Rams’ aggressive approach to building around Matthew Stafford versus the Patriots’ historic “team first” model:
  • “I never felt like [the Patriots] said, okay, Tom’s getting older. Let’s stack the roster for Tom.” (Colin Cowherd, 06:07)
• Edelman’s take on the Rams’ strategy:
  • “It only works if you draft guys and they work out... who builds value enough for you to go out and get a guy like Miles Garrett. You have to hit in the draft for this whole thing to work.” (Julian Edelman, 07:00)

4. Superstars in Practice—Raising the Bar

(08:31 – 10:26)

• Edelman on day-to-day implications of a star-filled roster:
  • “It brings a confidence in the building... For us, it was Darrelle Revis in ‘14... every day in practice, I got to go against him. It made me a better player.” (Julian Edelman, 08:31)
  • Reference to Antonio Brown’s brief stint: “I don’t think a ball hit the ground... Everyone was playing to a whole another level because Antonio came in and there’s only so many balls and you know he’s going to get his.” (09:13)
• Iron sharpens iron: Having stars in practice forces every player to elevate.

Memorable Moment

“When you get these type of superstar players, it ignites teams...”
— Julian Edelman (09:55)

5. Role Change & Expectations for Miles Garrett on the Rams

(10:26 – 10:45)

• Colin notes the difference for Miles Garrett moving from a trailing Browns team to a leading Rams team:
  • Garrett will get more “closer” opportunities, likening him to Mariano Rivera.

“He’s going to be the closer.”
— Julian Edelman (10:41)

6. Veteran Quarterbacks Approaching their Final Year

(14:37 – 17:27)

• On Aaron Rodgers openly stating this is his last season:
  • Colin speculates about decreased risk-taking if retirement is already decided.
  • Edelman sees Rodgers as an outlier unaffected by conventional psychology:

“For Aaron, no. For all we know, he could have gone to the mountainside, did the Ayahuasca thing, and had a vision where he’s going to have a full send year... Nothing surprises me.” (Julian Edelman, 15:38)

• The discipline of veteran QBs
  • Shares an anecdote about Brady strategically neutralizing Von Miller by adjusting protection and getting rid of the ball quickly:
    “These veteran quarterbacks... have the discipline to sit there and potentially lose the game, doing that kind of stuff, nickeling and dime-ing you and making the other team beat you.” (16:44)

7. Rookie Quarterback Development: Sit or Start?

(17:27 – 20:14)

• Colin advocates for starting highly-touted rookie Fernando Mendoza right away, emphasizing a "winnable game" and a strong supporting cast.
• Edelman prefers patience:
  • “I wouldn’t start him right away... There’s so much value to a young football player sitting there watching a quarterback talk with an offensive coach in the meeting on how to watch film, how he asks questions...” (Julian Edelman, 18:31)
  • Cites Jimmy Garoppolo learning from Tom Brady as an example of growth through mentorship.

8. A.J. Brown Joins the Patriots, and Paying Homage

(20:14 – 22:22)

• Colin shares news A.J. Brown will wear #1 in New England instead of Edelman’s #11 out of respect.
• Edelman reflects on his relationship with Brown:

“It was pretty cool. I mean, you got a superstar football player... he’s still a football fan... it already shows you he’s buying into the system, he’s buying into the Patriot way.” (Julian Edelman, 20:34)

• Enthusiasm for Brown’s first season under Josh McDaniels:
  • “First-year receivers with Josh McDaniels, look out.” (21:17)
• Outlook for Brown:
  • Colin: “I think he’s going to be a 100-catch guy and a 12 touchdown guy. I really do.” (Colin Cowherd, 21:47)
• Edelman on scheme versatility:
  • “You could put him in a whole lot of areas... Josh can have a great plan for him. It’s going to be fun to watch.” (Julian Edelman, 21:57)

Memorable Moment

“People are sleeping on Josh McDaniels' first year with receivers.”
— Julian Edelman (21:24)

9. Comparing NFL Environments: Philly vs. New England

(22:22 – 23:41)

• Colin breaks down the difference between Philadelphia’s “loud city” pressure and New England's more insulated, supportive “business environment.”

“Philadelphia is a hard place to play... The Patriots, for all their success, and I mean, Boston’s a big media market, but they kind of hide in the New England region.” (Colin Cowherd, 22:36)

• Thinks A.J. Brown will thrive: “I think it’s off and running week one. I think he’s going to be a Pro Bowler, first team All Pro.”

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Notable Quotes and Timestamps

• On the impact of Randy Moss:

  “Everyone just straightens up... Randy didn’t have to say anything, but you almost didn’t want to let him down.”
  — Julian Edelman (04:11)

• On team ego with superstars:

  “Guys swallow their pride... as long as we were winning.”
  — Julian Edelman (05:29)

• Comparing Pats’ and Rams’ approaches:

  “You have to hit in the draft for this whole thing to work.”
  — Julian Edelman (07:00)

• Antonio Brown’s short-lived effect on the Patriots:

  “I don’t think a ball hit the ground... Everyone was playing to a whole nother level.”
  — Julian Edelman (09:13)

• Miles Garrett’s new “closer” role:

  “Mario Rivera right there. Maybe the closer – he’s going to be the closer.”
  — Julian Edelman (10:41)

• On veteran quarterbacks’ late-career focus:

  “The veteran quarterback has the discipline to sit there and potentially lose the game, doing that kind of stuff, nickeling and dime-ing you and making the other team beat you.”
  — Julian Edelman (16:44)

• Mentorship vs. throwing rookies into the fire:

  “There’s so much value to a young football player sitting there watching a quarterback talk with an offensive coach…”
  — Julian Edelman (18:31)

• A.J. Brown’s fit in New England:

  “He’s buying into the system, he’s buying into the Patriot way.”
  — Julian Edelman (20:34)

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Additional Topics Briefly Covered

• Comparisons of current NFL roster moves (Rams, Browns, Seahawks, 49ers).
• The evolving narratives and scrutiny around women's basketball stars, specifically Caitlin Clark.
• Brief banter on other sports updates (e.g., Colts’ Daniel Jones returning from injury).

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• 03:17 — Discussion starts: Edelman on joining Pats with Randy Moss.
• 04:11 — Edelman on the effect Moss had on young players.
• 06:07 — Roster-building approaches for aging QBs.
• 08:31 — Superstars raise the bar at practice.
• 10:41 — Miles Garrett’s anticipated “closer” role.
• 14:37 — Rodgers’ mindset in a self-declared final season.
• 18:31 — Debate: Should rookie QBs start immediately?
• 20:14 — A.J. Brown’s number choice and Edelman connection.
• 22:22 — Differences between Philly and New England as football cities.

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Summary

Colin Cowherd and Julian Edelman provide a rich, insider’s look at the locker room dynamics and roster strategies that define successful NFL franchises. With sharp anecdotes and candid reflections, Edelman illustrates the impact of star power—both uplifting and challenging—while reinforcing the values of team-first mentality, patience in player development, and cultural fit. The episode closes with enthusiastic predictions for A.J. Brown’s future in New England and a broader perspective on how “iron sharpens iron” when superstar talent and solid organization intersect.

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Transcript

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[Colin Cowherd]

Up Randy Moss and Edelman did overlap. Randy was there first. I said Edelman was. Randy was there first. And then for a year and a half, Edelman joined the Randy Moss Patriots. And let's, let's bring Julian on because I'm, I'm not saying A.J. brown is Randy Moss, but I will say this, that A.J. brown with the run centric Titans and the run centric Eagles has been crazy top four productive. So I think he's going to pop in New England. But let me ask you about that because you were there with Randy Moss, when you have a star number one receiver in the receiver room during practice, during media scrums like how does it change the temperature of the room? You were, you were young, you weren't established yet, but you were watching. You're an observer, you're self aware. How did it change the temperature?

[Julian Edelman]

You know, when I was a young football player and you step in a receiver room with Randy Moss, generational receiver, you also have Wes Welker, who was an elite player at that time, but with, with Randy specifically, everyone just straightens up. Like when you're a young football player, you sit in that meeting. Randy didn't have to say anything, but you almost didn't want to let him down because you saw how his practice was. You saw the examples that he was given.

[Colin Cowherd]

That.

[Julian Edelman]

And anytime that you had an example as a young football player, if the coaches put you on coaching take, you'd like look over at Randy because you wanted his approval because he's that big of aura in that room. So you know, A.J. i think this is going to be an awesome addition for them. By no means am I calling him Randy. I think they're different types of players. But when you get a guy like AJ Brown, instantly everyone's job becomes easier in that room.

[Colin Cowherd]

Yeah. And you, you know, Tom Brady's a friend of yours. It do you feel sometimes if you're a receiver, when you have a star player, obviously the quarterback, I mean, Tom loved throwing to Randy is. Can you feel sometimes, do other players, tight ends, receivers, get lost when you have a superstar receiver in the room?

[Julian Edelman]

I think I was always on teams that were mentally tough enough to do what was best for the team. As long as we were winning and we had an opportunity to win, and the guy you're bringing in the room gives you an opportunity to win. Every single week, guys swallow their pride. At least where I was, you know, that was. That was a testament to all, you know, the upper division, bringing in guys that wanted to win. So I think you can get lost in the sauce, but if you're getting lost in the sauce and you're playing in a second super bowl in three years or two years, I think you'll be all right.

[Colin Cowherd]

So I saw the Miles Garrett move yesterday, and I always felt in New England, they didn't do this, and I wish they would have. Maybe they did, but they. They never. I never felt like they said, okay, Tom's getting older. Let's stack the roster for Tom. Kind of. Bill did what Bill did, and it was always team first. The Rams are like, listen, Matt's older. We're getting McDuffie, we're getting Garrett, we're getting Devonte Adams last year. We're building everything. It's almost like the warriors with Curry. We're building everything around Matt's timeline. They love Verse. We're going to let him go. Three draft picks. I like when you get an older quarterback going for it. It can backfire, but I don't feel like that was ever the New England way. Were you okay with giving up three picks and a great young player in Jared Verse for an older player in Miles Garrett?

[Julian Edelman]

Well, I think this is pretty standard protocol for less need and what he does. And it only works for one specific reason. When you go out and get the big free agents, like they did six, seven years ago with Matthew Stafford after going to a Super Bowl. It only works if you draft guys and they work out on your team. The Kyron Williams in the fifth round, the Pukinaku in the fourth round, the hitting on your Jared Verse in the first round. Who builds capital, builds value enough for you to go out and get a guy like Miles Garrett. You have to hit in the draft for this whole thing to work. I mean, we can look at other teams and say, well, they bring in guys and it doesn't really work out. It's because they're not building through the draft as well. So seeing Les need go out and Buy these guys at the right positions that they feel that they need to go out and win a Super bowl if. It's almost like deja vu to me,

[Colin Cowherd]

you know, you look at the high end players on the, on the Rams, Stafford's gonna be a Hall of Famer. Miles gonna be a Hall of famer. Puka, Devonte, Adams, he just start. Look, McDuffie has a chance to be a Hall of Fame player. What is practice like? Go to the most talented Patriots team you were ever on when you've got guys, a half a dozen guys that are hall of Famers. Is practice more fun? Is it more competitive? Is it more intense? You know, because they brought in to a great team, they brought in two defensive players who may be in Canton. What does it make practice like?

[Julian Edelman]

You know, if I was on the offense for the LA Rams, I assure you they're all on their text groups right now saying, we're going to win the Super Bowl. It brings a confidence in the building when you bring in guys like that. For us, it was Darrell Reavis in 14. You know, we go to the AFC championship in 13. Akeem gets hurt. We lose. We were kind of banged up. And then we bring in Revis the very next year. He not only brought a confidence to us because of the player, he's shown that he was in the league, but every day in practice I got to go against him. It made me a better player every day in practice. That left tackle, that right tackle for the Rams is going to have to go against Miles Garrett. That secondary is going to. Or that the receivers are going to have to go against that secondary. With McDuffie, it's going to sharpen this iron on iron type mentality, which we always used to say. The practices are always so good because we practice so hard. When you have great players on both sides of the ball, it just creates a confidence. It makes work so fun. I mean, I remember when we brought in Antonio Brown for those three weeks or two weeks, I don't think a ball hit the ground literally in practice for four or five days. We had elite practices. Philip Dorsett had to raise his game because Antonio came in and put a fire up under everyone's bum. You know, Flash Gordon was making plays. Everyone was playing to a whole nother level because Antonio came in and there's only so many balls and you know he's going to get his. So everyone's got to bring their A game to try to get the ball in practice. So I think when you get these type of superstar players. It ignites teams because it's just like you look at the team, you, you look at each other and you're like, there's no excuse. We, we have an opportunity to literally go out, win every single game. We strap them up this year.

[Colin Cowherd]

So, yeah, and the other thing is Miles Garrett in Cleveland, the Browns trailed in the fourth quarter, whereas the Rams every week. Yeah. Where the Rams lead in the fourth quarter. So he's going to have far more opportunities to come off the edge, screaming off the edge.

[Julian Edelman]

Mario Rivera right there. Maybe the closer he's going to be the closer.

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[Colin Cowherd]

So when Tom Brady retired, I don't think he knew it going into the season. When you retired, I don't think you knew it necessarily going into the season. Aaron Rodgers has already said, this is it. This is my last year. And I thought he played pretty well last year. But it is interesting to think about that. Like. Like it's one thing to go into a season, and then week 13, you're like, man, I'm not recovering from this high ankle sprain. Like, this is it. I'm slower, I'm watching the film. Do you worry a little bit that Aaron has already made his mind up, this is it, that you don't sit in the pocket as long, you're not going to take that shot, you'll practice hard, you'll be a good teammate. But it does, you know, you don't want to break stuff heading out the door in, you know, 20 weeks. That's the only downside to Aaron already making his mind up, because I do think it gives clarity to the Steelers. They know, okay, we get one great year with Aaron. But do you worry a little bit that if you're talking about it, you're thinking about it, it affects your play?

[Julian Edelman]

For the majority, yes. For Aaron, no. I mean, for all we know, he could have went to the mountainside, did the Ayahuasca thing and had a vision where he's going to have a full send year, where he's going to leave everything on the field. And it wouldn't surprise you. Last year he played significantly better than the year before off the Achilles with the Jets. I think he's going into another this year with more weapons, a better offensive line, a little more continuity, and it's essentially like having a coach on the field that's going to get you in the right play every single time. And when you got guys that don't want to get hit, like when we. When Brady was getting, you know, the later parts of his career, you know, they played so much football. I remember there was a specific game in the AFC championship. We couldn't block Vaughn Miller, so Tom got rid of the ball before Von Miller ever got to him. And he slid the protection to him every single time, or he ran the ball away from him every single time. And he wasn't gonna. And these veteran quarterbacks, he got maybe three or four opportunities and he knew he was gonna get that. The veteran quarterback has the discipline to sit there and potentially lose the game, doing that kind of stuff, nickeling and dining you and making the other team beat you. So, like, with Aaron, nothing surprises me. I think he's. He's in his own little category. I. I've become, you know, when. When guys get this old, it's almost like I become more of a fan of them now because they're doing things that are, you know, that are so hard. And. And Aaron, he still can throw it, so I'm excited to watch him. Man, this is going to be fun. And I don't even necessarily think this is his last year. For all we know, he could probably come back and play next year. We don't know. That's the unpredictable, unpredictable thing about Aaron Rodgers.

[Colin Cowherd]

Finally, I would start Mendoza, Fernando Mendoza, Week 1, for two reasons. He played a lot of college football. He's a completely dedicated kid. They open with Miami, probably the worst roster in the league at home. It's a winnable game. And I love the idea that Tyler Linderbaum, a smart, veteran center, going to call the protection. He's going to be. You know, that's a great, great first thing they did in Chicago. Ben Johnson went and got Drew Dahlman from Atlanta. I'm getting Caleb Williams, a respected, smart, veteran center. Call the protections, take it away from the kid. I would start him early. Do you think, having been in the locker room with a lot of guys, including yourself, who walk into this league, do you think it's just too much to ask a kid, Fernando Mendoza, kid, you're starting. It is a lot to ask, but I think Linderbaum, it's the Dolphins, he played a lot of college football. I. I'm not that worried about it. Would you be?

[Julian Edelman]

I wouldn't start him right away. And that's because you have Kirk Cousins, a guy that's played in Clint Kubiak system, that knows how to operate in that system. And there's so much value to a young football player sitting there watching a quarterback talk with an offensive coach in the meeting on how to watch film, how he asks questions. There's so much value in that. I mean, I specifically remember Jimmy G. He comes in when TB was, you know, on his vacation, that for the first four in that post, whatever gate that we had, and. And he came in and it ran smoothly because he got to sit and watch Tom every day. How he Talked to Josh McDaniels, how Tom talked to, you know, the receivers, how he asked the question, why did this look not work? There's so much value to that. And it gets into this one. Another thing with the expectation of the first overall pick, you know, you throw them out in the fire and you have a very capable quarterback and Kirk Cousins behind you. That's there. And then maybe he gets his welcome to the NFL moment. Week one, week two, there's going to be one of those moments you can't pull them and then bring Kurt, Kurt back in. It may ruin the confidence. You don't know. I mean, we all see Fernando and how he handles the media and the maturity is. I mean, you want this guy to do well. We're all falling for this guy to do well. But you know, I think with, with who they got over there, you know, tv and if he's given any kind of influence, we all heard how he likes quarterbacks to learn under someone, let them go out and do their thing, let them learn from someone. And I think that's how I would, I would go about it as well.

[Colin Cowherd]

By the way, I just saw this came over Mike Reese. He said, A.J. brown chose number one. He's going to wear number one instead of number 11. He wanted to respect Julian Edelman even though he had Edelman's blessing. And it brings him back to his roots. Did you know he was going to do that?

[Julian Edelman]

I didn't. I gave him the blessing. But that's pretty dang cool. We've had a cool relationship because, you know, it's been pretty, it's been pretty publicized that he's a, he was a Patriots fan growing up and he hit me up one day and I sent him a jersey, he asked for a jersey and he's. It was pretty cool. I mean, you got a superstar football player in the league right now that, you know, he's still a football fan. And you know, with that, with that attitude, it already shows you that he's buying into the system, he's buying into the Patriot way. He's got Bravel over there. He's excited. I mean, seriously, everyone's talking about, oh, look at his off the field antics with the other team to this. Which was very similar to how Stefan Diggs was. Diggs was when he came to the Patriots. He's got a motivation. He's got an alpha coach that's gonna, you know, know how to coach him. He's got Josh McDaniels. I'm so excited for this. People are sleeping on Josh McDaniels first year with like receivers. Randy Moss had 23 touchdowns. Brandon Marshall had like 118 catches. First year receivers with Josh McDaniels, look out.

[Colin Cowherd]

Yeah, you and I agree, look out. I think he's going to be 100 catch guy and a 12 touchdown guy. I really do. I think he's going to be an unbelievable player and his versatility, I mean

[Julian Edelman]

you could put him in a whole lot of areas because the Patriots, you know, they can get in that 13 personnel and your one receiver out there is A.J. brown. You can manipulate the coverage, you can put teams in certain coverages and he's a smart enough football player. Where we've seen him play in the slot, you've seen him play at the X. Josh can have a great plan for him. It's going to be fun to watch and hopefully everyone can stay healthy.

[Colin Cowherd]

See you, Jules. Good seeing you as always, buddy.

[Julian Edelman]

Good to see you guys.

[Colin Cowherd]

Yeah, I think he's going to be. They had some video there of him at practice. He is just going to, you know, it also is, it's funny because,

[Julian Edelman]

like,

[Colin Cowherd]

Philadelphia is a hard place to play. Like, the, the sports talk radio is loud, the fans are crazy. You got Dom, the security guard. You got Sirianni. Half the fans love him, half don't. I mean, it's just, it's. Philadelphia is a loud city. New England, the Patriots, for all their success, and I mean, Boston's a big media market, but they kind of hide in the New England region. Like, it's just, you know, the media is. Because they've been so successful, it's pretty supportive. You've got a great coach who's proven. Yeah. I mean, for all of the success is. It's kind of a business environment. The fans are, they're not. I mean, again, they love their team. But I always think Philadelphia is a whole different animal than like a New England. Even New York. I. New England's, you know, ownership front office coach. Now you got an adult playing quarterback. I think A.J. brown. I don't, I don't see any issues. I think it's off and running week one. I think he's going to be a Pro Bowler, first team All Pro. I really do. I think he's going to be unbelievable in Chicago. It's the Herd.

[Show Producer/Promoter]

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

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[Jason Smith]

We get to ask other people questions because we're sick and tired of being asked questions.

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Hey, Jonas is available now. And their first guest is a big one, Paul Rudd.

[Rob Parker]

You know, Steve Carell is a great singer.

[Show Producer/Promoter]

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[Colin Cowherd]

at the office or something.

[Rob Parker]

I told him whoa, we were filming Anchorman. Clearly I was the idiot. Thank God he didn't listen to me right?

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

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What's up fam?

[CJ Toledano]

It's Isiah Thomas and I'm CJ Toledano and our podcast Point Game is about defying the odds.

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Like LeBron heading into the playoffs without

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Luka and Austin finding ways to win no matter what.

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He's the smartest player to ever play the game. His IQ is at a level that we've never seen before and he knows without Luka and Austin Reaves I gotta manipulate the game.

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[CJ Toledano]

And when it's friends stop by like Quinton Richardson, we dive into some playoff history too.

[Show Announcer]

Steve Nash would get that thing. That man hell get the flying he running up the court licking his fingers while he got the ball. Like you go through a training camp with that Isaiah, you figure it out real quick. Oh yeah. Get your ass up and down the court and you gonna get the ball.

[CJ Toledano]

So listen to Point game on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcast.

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[Colin Cowherd]

Brown to the Patriots, Jared Verse to the Browns. Don't get lost in all that stuff. Jared Verse quietly goes to Cleveland. I'm telling you Cleveland has got got so many good young players 24 years, 25 years old or younger, they're not paying them yet. Fannin's great Judkins, Mason Graham A Concepcion out of Texas A and M is going to be a day one starter. I actually not all bad teams are uninteresting. I don't think the Raiders are going to be great. Can't wait to watch them play Shador Sanders in Cleveland. You can't convince me they're going to be bad if Monken can get it together. Like I got too many good young players. I'm not saying they're the Seahawks where they're just a quarterback away, but they've got, they've got, I mean, the last two or three drafts they've landed a lot of really good players. J. Mac with the news.

[Show Announcer]

No, no, no, turn on the news.

[Show Producer/Promoter]

This is the Herd line news.

[Jason Smith]

All right, interesting first story here. Seattle has re upped a edge rusher by the name of Derrick Hall. Not exactly a household name. He was not a starter for much of last year. Rotational piece only had two sacks in the regular season. Then at a monster super bowl, forced to fumble two sacks, he got a three year $42 million extension. Part of my, part of my reasoning here is they lost three starters on defense. And I don't think you want to just start hemorrhaging guys. You know what happens once you make a Super bowl run. Yeah, people come pick off guys on your roster. So hole was a second round pick out of Auburn. Yeah, good player, but three years, 42 mil seems steep. But Colin, when your quarterback is on the cheap, you could do stuff like this.

[Colin Cowherd]

Yeah, and I think they lost some really good defensive players. I think offensively they're in a really, really good spot. I think that running back they got at the end of round one from Notre Dame is, I think he's going to end up, he and Charbonnet are going to end up being really good players. So I think Seattle's going to be a really good football team. I kind of trust what they do. They, you know, you can go back to the, the Matt Hasselbeck super bowl against the Steelers with Holmgren. They've mostly been a well run franchise. So I mean the schedule is, you know what it is for a Super bowl champ. You got the Rams a couple times

[Jason Smith]

in division late, late in the season, interestingly. Hey, real quick. So you know Seattle's got one of the guys, jsn, who you can line up anywhere, anywhere, especially in the slot. Well, you know what the Rams did? They went out and got Trent McDuffie who was an elite slot cornerback and he could also play on the outside. I wonder, do you, do you think the Rams specifically saw Seattle as a problem? Said we're going to go get our JSN stopper in McDuffie and then versus good for getting pressure, but we need a closer like Myles Garrett. So they basically just upgraded to go after Seattle. You know, Darnold can win with his legs a lot. Scrambling, you're not running away from Miles Garrett.

[Colin Cowherd]

Sorry.

[Jason Smith]

I mean, this is the record setting sack. Superstar defensive player of the year. Two of the last.

[Colin Cowherd]

Seattle's got left tackle Charles Cross. They got their tackle situation in a good space. I mean, I think, you know, Miles Garrett's really good, and you've got to reckon with it. You know, Niners are pretty well protected with Trent Williams for at least one more year. They have to make sure they got somebody ready because Trent may not play 17 games. But. Yeah, I mean, I think when you get these transformational players, it does change. Like, I wouldn't be surprised. No, this, this move is made after the draft and after free agency. So you do get into a situation. Where will it make Seattle make a move at the trade deadline? Would. Would San Francisco say, okay, Seattle is upgraded, we got to make a move? I mean, listen, San Francisco went and got Mike Evans, so that's an upgrade for them. Yeah, I mean, that division's just really.

[Jason Smith]

Remember at the deadline last year, Seattle got Rashid Shahid and he paid immediate dividends. That was a huge get for them. All right, let's go to the Indianapolis Colts. Colin, I'm floored by this. Okay, Daniel Jones is cleared for seven on seven work. I mean, he tore his Achilles in December.

[Colin Cowherd]

I know.

[Jason Smith]

So we're only now six months in and he's already on the field. He actually looks decent there. I'm shocked by this.

[Colin Cowherd]

Well, young athletes heal fast.

[Jason Smith]

This guy has a rich injury history. He's not that young. He's no spring chicken. Okay. This is a guy who's had a lot of injury. For him to be back in six

[Colin Cowherd]

months, Colin, that means how good are the Colts? So obviously he's going to start week one. Oh, how that. You know that division we used to roll our eyes. The Texans have the best defense in the league. Period. Period. Now, the Rams may challenge that this year, but the Texans defense is unbelievable. The Jags offense is really good.

[Jason Smith]

They lost etn.

[Colin Cowherd]

They did. But Liam Cohen is really good. I mean, Baker Mayfield draw had a drop off like when he lost, you know, like Liam Cohen. We said this last year when Daniel Jones was healthy, they went into Los Angeles and outplayed the Rams. If not for Mitchell doing that, you know, like got rid of the ball before the end zone. They were going to beat the Rams,

[Jason Smith]

but look at the schedule. Colin. Okay, you are.

[Julian Edelman]

You put it.

[Jason Smith]

I thought he would definitely miss the first month, maybe more. Are you putting Daniel Jones off in Achilles against the Ravens, Chiefs and Texans? Yeah, right out of the gate. So I'm. This is selfishly. The jets have the Colts first round pick. So in my perfect world, the Colts win like five games. By the way, their win total is

[Colin Cowherd]

way too many good players. Way too many good players.

[Julian Edelman]

And they lost Pittman.

[Jason Smith]

Alec Pierce is going to become fricking Randy Moss.

[Colin Cowherd]

They. They've got enough weapons. I don't worry about their way. I think Colts got too many good players.

[Jason Smith]

Well, we need, we need the Colts to struggle. That Washington game is in London, one of your favorite cities in the world.

[Colin Cowherd]

Yeah.

[P]

So.

[Jason Smith]

All right, let's move to the final story. I want to leave some room for this, Colin, because we haven't talked about her lately, and that's Caitlin Clark. So something went down over the weekend. Here she is getting yelled at by her coach. And Caitlin Clark at this point has had enough. And she fires back and is talking. They're talking about defense and the coach has enough and she says, caitlin, you're out of the game. And she replaces her. And Caitlin, still popping off here. She's ticked off now, Colin, this did go viral. 10 million views or whatever. All the lip readers went crazy. I didn't want to overreact. I thought actually this was AI the first time I saw it. So then yesterday, Caitlin Clark was asked by the media about it. Here she is talking about the heated sideline exchange.

[Q]

Two people that really want to win. And, you know, I think a lot of those things happen all the time. And I know there's a camera on me and that's how it's going to be, but there's a lot of people out there in the media or on TV that they think they know a lot of things and they're just blatantly wrong about a lot of things. And I ride for Steph. I ride for these girls. Steph has my back more than anybody.

[Colin Cowherd]

Yeah. I tend to defend athletes when they get into shouting matches. Peyton Manning and Jeff Saturday or Brady and Josh McDaniels. In the heat of a battle. I think it's unfair for me as a media person to swoop in, in my chair wearing a dress shirt and go, ah, that seems outrageous to me. It is the heat of a battle. Coaches bark, players bark. This is sports. It's, you know, this is not hr. You know, at a company, two employees yelling at each other. This is a game. It's heated. She's. She's banging on Clark because she didn't play enough defense. Clark gets tired of it. I mean, to me, this is sports. I. One of the things that I think we make a mistake and I'm. I'm probably done this before. Sports isn't your job. Well, in my job, it's not. If you yelled at a coworker like that, I'd be up in HR in 5 minutes getting in trouble. This is sports. Yelling happens, emotions flow. And I, I mean, I, I remember years ago going to a Miami Heat game when LeBron was down there and Ann and I were down in Miami for the weekend. And LeBron is in that huddle. He's barking at Mario Chalmers and, you know, they weren't playing well and, and, and Spoelstra and LeBron, it looked like they. It's, you know, it's a little uncomfortable. And I'm like, that's the NBA. I mean, listen, Dan Hurley's banging on players. Tom Izzo is banging on players. I've always defended coaches. Now I. There are some coaches I think are a little over the edge. But, I mean, Nick Saban's beloved by his players. How many times did he throw a headset? He's barking at guys constantly.

[Jason Smith]

Yeah, no, that's fair.

[Colin Cowherd]

I think it's sports.

[Jason Smith]

So this is where. So I've been trying to wedge Clark in the show for a minute now. I keep getting Jason and nobody cares about this. Caitlin Clark was a fun story two years ago, but here's the worst. Interesting. Colin. So last year she was hurt, okay? Didn't play a lot. Beaver had a nice playoff run without her. This is year three, and I posed a question to a producer here. I'm a Caitlin Clark fan. When the schedule comes out, we look at the schedule. When is she coming to la? Let's try to get tickets. But I'm going to ask you, and this is not attacking Caitlin Clark, has she improved in year three in the wnba? Because a lot of the metrics say defensively, she's getting abused. They are attacking her relentlessly. The same way when Steph Curry became a thing, defensive said, well, we're just going to put him in action all game and attack him. He can't defend anybody. And they're doing that to Clark this year. Her offensive numbers. And I just wonder. She was the jam in the league as a rookie, and now here we are two years later, and it's like, have we seen improvement? I'm just going to ask it that way.

[Colin Cowherd]

So what's she averaging a game?

[Jason Smith]

I don't have her numbers exactly right in front of me. But the thing is, she's not dominating the way she did that first year. She Hit the league like a comet. She was pulling up for three. They weren't ready. The no look passes, everything. There's now two years, a year and a half of data because she was hurt on her. And I don't want to say they've figured her out, Colin, but they clearly have. There's more defenses in place to slow her down and they're attacking her more. So she's working harder defensive.

[Colin Cowherd]

So she's, she's averaging 20 points, eight assists, four rebounds. Still the best long range shooter in the league.

[Jason Smith]

These are good numbers. But like Wemby in year three has made a quantum leap.

[Colin Cowherd]

Well, remember, she's not. So she's, she's averaging. She's playing fewer minutes and scoring more points per minute. So she's, she's coming off the injury. The other thing is male NBA, male basketball stars are different. They can, they can go over you, they can jump over you, they can go vertical. The women's game is not as vertical. So the truth is when you throw. The WNBA has always been an incredibly physical league. Yeah, okay, the NBA used to be, but they got rid of the forearm in the back, the hand check. And the NBA players are now so quick it's impossible to stay in front of anybody. The quickness. And they also, if you do, they jump over you. The women's game is, is closer to the floor. It's highly physical. So throwing bodies at people can probably be more effective. I will, I will note though, when I look at her numbers now, she's averaging a career high in points while playing her fewest minutes. So her efficiency is excellent. It can't, you have to contextualize it. But I, I do think the men's and women's games are different. Is that.

[Jason Smith]

Yeah.

[Colin Cowherd]

And women's basketball has always been incredibly chippy and physical. It's, I mean, it's sometimes to the level, it's inappropriate. I mean, players in the WNBA regularly complain the officiating's horrible because they let everything go.

[Jason Smith]

I mean, I'm just saying, like this is year three. We, the numbers are up a tad. We're expecting Caitlin Clark to be an all time great player. I haven't seen that leave. I mean, Angel Reese, by the way, who she came in with, they figured her out. Make her put the ball in the ground. She can't dribble. She's already on her second team, the Angel Reese. Things kind of over Caitlin Clark. I think she's still got room to grow as a player. I just haven't seen it yet this year. So I, I do think, you know, World Cup's coming out.

[Colin Cowherd]

Indiana doing.

[Jason Smith]

Huh. There's a 500 team right now that. That was not expected with Clark returning off a good playoff run without it.

[Colin Cowherd]

If you're a 20 and 8 player and you're not playing, you're playing fewer minutes, that's pretty impressive to me.

[Jason Smith]

That's coming off an injury, I'll say that. So don't come after me. Caitlin Clark fans, I know they go crazy online. No, I'm a fan.

[Colin Cowherd]

I don't. I don't watch enough WNBA to be an expert, but I watch it. If I flip it around and it's on.

[Jason Smith]

Yeah.

[Colin Cowherd]

And when I've seen her play, she's the same great shooter. Yeah. I mean, I don't think she's the best player in the game. I think she's arguably the most interesting. Yes, but, but the kid, the Wilson. Aisha Wilson for Las Vegas, the best player in the league. Yeah, that. That's a different ballgame. J. Mac with the news.

[Show Producer/Promoter]

Well, that's the news.

[Colin Cowherd]

And thanks for stopping by.

[Show Producer/Promoter]

The herd lie news.

[Colin Cowherd]

Yeah, it, it's interesting. If you didn't watch the WNBA for years and you just think, you know, it's women's basketball, it's a little more finesse. The opposite is true. The WNBA is completely chippy. It's an incredibly physical league to the point in the regular season where players star players complain. Not like subs. Stars are like. Could somebody blow a whistle here? All right, good day. It's the herd.

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