Best of The Herd

This is an iHeart Podcast. Guaranteed human. Ready for a different take on Formula One? Look no further than No Grip, a new podcast tackling the culture of motor racing's most coveted series. Join me, Lily Herman, as we dive into the underexplored pockets of F1, including the astrology of the current grid, the story of the sport's most consequential driver's strike, and plenty of other mishaps, scandals, and sagas that have made Formula One a delightful, decadent dumpster fire for more than 75 years. Listen to No Grip on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. I'm Amanda Knox, and in the new podcast, Doubt, the case of Lucy Letby, we unpack the story of an unimaginable tragedy that gripped the UK in 2023. But what if we didn't get the whole story? I've just been made to fit. The moment you look at the whole picture, the case collapsed. What if the truth was disguised by a story we chose to believe? Oh my God, I think she might be innocent. Listen to Doubt, The Case of Lucy Letby on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. This is Special Agent Regal, Special Agent Bradley Hall. In 2018, the FBI took down a ring of spies working for China's Ministry of State Security, one of the most mysterious intelligence agencies in the world. The Sixth Bureau podcast is a story of the inner workings of the MSS and how one man's ambition and mistakes opened its vault of secrets. Listen to The Sixth Bureau on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. I'm Nancy Glass, host of the Burden of Guilt Season 2 podcast. This is a story about a horrendous lie that destroyed two families. Late one night, Bobby Gumpright became the victim of a random crime. The perpetrator was sentenced to 99 years until a confession changed everything. I was a monster. Listen to Burden of Guilt Season 2 on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Thanks for listening to the Best of the Heard Podcast. Be sure to catch us live every weekday on Fox Sports Radio at noon to 3 Eastern, 9 a.m. to noon Pacific. Find your local station for the herd at foxsportsradio.com or stream us live every day on the iHeartRadio app by searching Fox Sports Radio or FSR. This is the Best of the Herd with Colin Cowherd on Fox Sports Radio. Ah, here we go on a Thursday. A lot more stuff to talk about than I thought we'd have to talk about, but all sorts of things happening. the combustibility rating, the combustibility factor in Pittsburgh. We got a controversy with the Steelers. So nice to have you in today. So I can argue over the last, you know, 15, 20 years, the greatest Pittsburgh Steeler is Big Ben Roethlisberger, and James Harrison's on a short list of the second best player. Great players. Well, they have podcasts, and they've gone on those podcasts over the last year or two and been critical of Mike Tomlin and the Steelers. And by the way, their message is pretty smart. Their message, to me, was spot on. But according to Joey Porter Sr., whose son plays for the Steelers, so he gets very emotional, Joey Porter Sr. says Big Ben, who he calls number seven and and james harrison uh broke the brotherhood he used his brotherhood in the article i'm reading like seven times so just remember that word here is joey porter senior mad at james harrison and number seven big ben seven definitely broke the brotherhood because like that's the one i don't understand the seven do that did that we don't talk about i know is crazy. He should never grab a microphone and really talk still a business. Because if we talk still a business, his ass is foul of all foul. He's not a good teammate. Won a Super Bowl, Woody. But the person, he's just not a good teammate. Like, he knows that. Anybody in the still a building knows that. But we protected him. Well, if James Harrison and Big Ben don't buy into the brotherhood, His word, maybe the brotherhood's not that important. I also know Big Ben and James Harrison hit. When you start attacking the messengers and not the message, they're on to something. That brotherhood couldn't beat Blake Bortles at home in the playoffs or Baker Mayfield. That brotherhood in the last 11 games against playoff teams, 1-10, averaging 15 points, giving up 28. The Steelers' culture forever under Tomlin was talent and toughness. I like those qualities. And I guess brotherhood. But with the Chiefs and the Seahawks and McVay's Rams and Shanahan's 49ers, I get the toughness and the talent, too. But I get discipline and schemes like smart football. Have you ever noticed over the last 10 years as football has gotten much smarter, more motion, more deception, more looks? There are so many great coaches out there. the mico ryans mike mcdonald on the defensive side mcveigh shanahan offensive side have you noticed during that time the steelers have become less relevant that's why i defended old guy aaron rogers this year was he part of the brotherhood no he was the new guy but the offense finally looked like grown-ups fewer penalties fewer turnovers yeah aaron rogers the new guy walked in at 42. And it's like, oh, this is despite having some limitations at wide receiver, you're like, oh, this is how an offense should function. That Steeler brotherhood has not beaten a top 10 quarterback in the playoffs in 15 years. And Big Ben and James Harrison called it out. You know, Mike Tomlin, bottom 10 offense, seven years. Why? Not innovative, not creative. You can win with defense. Seattle did it. But a sophisticated, progressive, new approach, new looks. Not just what the Steelers do. Let's spend more money. The Steelers passed defense this past year, 29th defensively. How's that brotherhood thing working? I don't know, Big Ben and James Harrison, and it takes some courage to do this, pushed back on very popular Mike Tomlin. Pushed back on this organization which keeps everything in house. I'm not into that. I'm about beating teams in February and January, top quarterbacks. So, I mean, this whole thing about talent and toughness, everybody in the NFL is tough. Everybody in the NFL has talent. You can call it a brotherhood. But if Big Ben and James Harrison are saying things they shouldn't, to me, that's the underlying problem. What Joey Porter is saying is, hey, nothing leaves house. Yeah, that's the problem. You don't discuss real problems. You don't put them out there. You don't take criticism well. You get stubborn and rigid, and the way we used to do it, it's the way we do it. They brought in 42-year-old Aaron Rodgers, old guy. In one offseason, he fixed the offense to the degree anybody could fix that offense where you didn't have a number two receiver. So I'm going to defend Big Ben and James Harrison going out and saying, there's some issues here. And some of them were Mike Tomlin. It should be noted, Mike Tomlin no longer coaches. So Big Ben and James Harrison aren't the only people that wanted to bring that up. Drew Brees was on the show yesterday, and he was great. And it was at the end of the show. And I said, Drew, if you look at your career, and you look at Super Bowl champion Sam Darnold's career, and all the turbulence you both had early, does sam's career remind you drew a little of your early career all the lessons that we hope to teach our kids through sports and through team athletics and that is that you will face adversity you will face failure and disappointment and it's how you react to it that matters and while it didn't work at the first couple teams that he went to he continued to work. He continued to recognize where he needed to get better and learn. While it wasn't maybe the road that he would have envisioned when he first got in the league, it was meant to be. And it's what has brought out the best in him and allowed him to play the way that he has, lead the way that he has, and also inspire others the way that he has. Drew said, yeah, when I watched Darnold, I thought of my early years. And you know what Drew Brees' comments made me think of? Not Darnold. Arch Manning. All these college quarterbacks now. The minute they have a bad week or get bad news, I'm out of here. Give me a paycheck. I'm out of here. And there are times I think college quarterbacks should transfer. Cam Ward at Washington State gets a Miami Hurricane offer. You take it. Trinidad Chambliss, great quarterback at Ole Miss, came from Ferris State. You take that offer and go to the SEC. but Arch Manning never left. He had to sit for two years at Texas. And then when he finally played, it was rough. He got crushed. He was bad. And he stayed there. He hung in. He was tough. And did you watch his last five or six games in the SEC? Five and one, beat A&M and Ole Miss. Or excuse me, A&M and Vandy. Five and one. 20 touchdowns, two picks, 320 yards a game. He overcame. He endured. He had to sit. I watch these five-star quarterbacks. If they're not starting by their red shirt freshman year, I'm out of here. The first sign of adversity in the NIL world, I am out of here. You do understand the NFL is adversity I mean God Belichick and Brady never had dinner for 20 years like it it can be grumpy it can be harsh it can be punitive It can be tough You can be injured Every time we bring on an NFL player who even 30 years old he's on his ninth surgery. So when I'm watching Drew Brees talk about Sam Darnold, it makes me think of Arch Manning. That is the one five-star quarterback that I can think of, top of mind, who could have transferred multiple times, who had to sit behind a guy I'm absolutely convinced he's more talented than, got beat up when he played, was really bad, and just hung in, head down, put in the work, didn't sulk, and at the end of this past year, it was really good. Too many young quarterbacks see adversity, and they scramble. They're just running, and they don't know where they're running. They're just running. And I'm not saying you shouldn't transfer again. If you're at a small school and get an Oklahoma to call, you should go. I'm not saying that. That's opportunity. If you're at Ferris State and the SEC calls or you're at Cal and Indiana's got money with Kurt Signetti, like, go. I get it. Go. But there's – I'm telling you, when people are banging on Arch Manning and say some article was like, oh, biggest bust ever, I'm like, but half these five-star quarterbacks, if they're not playing through one year, they're out the door. Thanks for flying United. Get me where I can play. We're going to look back in about 10 years, 15 years, at how many of those get-me-out-of-here guys did, and my guess is Arch Manning will be better than most. All right, J-Mac. There's some, you know, sometimes during Super Bowl week, a lot of stories get buried. Yeah. The Jonathan Kaminga, Steve Kerr warrior story got buried. it is fascinating what's going on thing got that thing got ugly i think that era's over uh real quick on arch manning if the jets have any clue how to tank they will they will tank the entire season and get arch manning we've screwed this up before we had to settle for zach wilson instead of trevor lawrence and this year we're settling for no quarterback instead of fernando mendoza if the jets want a quarterback and a future in this league they got to tank the right way. Even if it's not Arch, it's going to be someone else. Would you agree on that? Yeah, I don't think Aaron Glenn has to try to tank. Oh, come on. You're taking shots at Aaron Glenn every day now. I mean, if you don't have an interception as a defensive coach and play in the same division as Tua, you know, I think you're tanking without trying. And that's what the Jets are doing. Although maybe, hey, maybe there's a chance that Raiders don't take Mendoza and the Jets get him at two. I mean, based on yesterday's talk, and I ran into a guy at the gym who's a big Raiders guy. He doesn't want Mendoza. Like, what are you talking about? These people are losing their mind. It's unbelievable what's happening. I'm going to address that coming up. Be sure to catch live editions of The Herd weekdays at noon Eastern, 9 a.m. Pacific on Fox Sports Radio, FS1, and the iHeartRadio app. Stigatz here. I have a podcast empire. It continues to grow, and I have brought it here to iHeart. I'm also doing a live radio show from 3 to 5 p.m. Eastern because my wife wanted to kick me out of the house. It's called Stugats & Company Live, which is available in podcast form right when the show finishes every single day. Some of the biggest names in sports. A lot of phone calls. I love you guys' show. It's one of my favorites. A lot of interaction. Guys not taking themselves too seriously. Those are just some of the things that you can expect from Stugats & Company and Stugats & Company Live. So, listen to Stugats & Company Live and our original podcast. Please subscribe, rate, and review Stugats & Company and God Bless Football. Taylor's livelihood depends on it. Do it today and you can check all of those out on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Ready for a different take on Formula One? Look no further than No Grip, a new podcast tackling the culture of motor racing's most coveted series. Join me, Lily Herman, as we dive into the underexplored pockets of F1, including the astrology of the current grid. Lewis Hamilton, Capricorn Sun, Cancer Moon. Wouldn't you know it, Michael Schumacher is also a Capricorn Sun, Cancer Moon. The story of the sport's most consequential driver's strike. We have one man who, upon hearing that he was going to be fired, freaked out, and apparently climbed out the window of the bathroom. And was Daniel Ricciardo's illustrious F1 career a success story, a cautionary tale, or some combination of both? He started getting all this attention, and he maybe started to think, I'm bigger than this, I'm better. And plenty of other mishaps, scandals, and sagas that have made Formula One a delightful, decadent dumpster fire for more than 75 years. Listen to No Grip on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hey, I'm Jay Shetty, host of the On Purpose podcast. I'm joined by Luke Combs, award-winning country music artist and one of the most authentic voices in music today. Luke opens up about success, self-doubt, mental health and what it really takes to stay true to who you are when your life changes overnight. I hate fame. I hate the word celebrity. I hate those words that you make me uncomfortable. But I think when you get to a certain point, the fame or the success or the influence, it just accentuates and exacerbates the inherent person that you are. The guy that says he's always going to be there and that will do anything to be there is the only guy that's not there. I'm in Australia when Bo was born. My whole identity is that no matter what, I'm going to prioritize my wife and my children over my job. I dread the conversation with my son. What do you think you'd say? Listen to On Purpose with Jay Shetty on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. In 2023, a story gripped the UK, evoking horror and disbelief. The nurse who should have been in charge of caring for tiny babies is now the most prolific child killer in modern British history. Everyone thought they knew how it ended. A verdict, a villain, a nurse named Lucy Letby. Lucy Letby has been found guilty. But what if we didn't get the whole story? moment you look at the whole picture, the case collapses. I'm Amanda Knox, and in the new podcast Doubt, the case of Lucy Letby, we follow the evidence and hear from the people that lived it to ask what really happened when the world decided who Lucy Letby was. No voicing of any skepticism or doubt. It'll cause so much harm at every single level of the British establishment of this is wrong. Listen to Doubt, The Case of Lucy Letby on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. China's Ministry of State Security is one of the most mysterious and powerful spy agencies in the world. But in 2017, the FBI got inside. This is Special Agent Regal, Special Agent Bradley Hall. This MSS officer has no idea the U.S. government is on to him. But the FBI has his chats, texts, emails, even his personal diary. Hear how they got it on the Sixth Bureau podcast. I now have several terabytes of an MSS officer, no doubt, no question, of his life. And that's a unicorn. No one had ever seen anything like that. It was unbelievable. This is a story of the inner workings of the MSS and how one man's ambition and mistakes opened its vault of secrets. Listen to The Sixth Bureau on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. I'm Nancy Glass, host of the Burden of Guilt Season 2 podcast. This is a story about a horrendous lie that destroyed two families. Late one night, Bobby Gumpright became the victim of a random crime. He pulls the gun, tells me to lie down on the ground. He identified Jermaine Hudson as the perpetrator. Jermaine was sentenced to 99 years. I'm like, Lord, this can't be real. I thought it was a mistaken identity. The best lie is partial truth. For 22 years, only two people knew the truth. Until a confession changed everything. I was a monster. Listen to Burden of Guilt Season 2 on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. You're now entering the no bull zone, sponsored by Credible, Great Rate, None of the Bull. So I've been doing this about 30 years, 35 years, and I always felt kind of my responsibility is to form relationships in athletic departments, form relationships in professional league scouting departments. So I have the most informed opinions. Now I do three hours a day. Some of it's just my gut instinct or my eyes. But a lot of times if I have my strongest opinions, I remember when Tebow was on a hot streak and I was like, this isn't going to last. And I had somebody inside the Denver locker room saying, dude, can't play. He's not an NFL. Don't listen to all the nonsense. whether it was Darnold over Baker, it was Herbert over Tua. Through the years, I've relied on scouts, often with my strongest opinions. They get backed by people in the league. So my scouting guys, sometimes there's a problem when I like a player way more than my scouts do, or I don't like a player as much as my scouts do, and that's with Fernando Mendoza. I like Fernando Mendoza a lot. Everybody else just kind of likes him. Albert Breer came on the show yesterday, and this is kind of the universal opinion I hear about the Hoosier quarterback. Two years ago, when Caleb Williams went first, Jaden Daniels went second, Drake May went third, Penix went eighth, McCarthy went tenth, and Nix went twelfth. The consensus I've gotten is that he would have been the fourth of those quarterbacks, so right in the middle. I think most teams like the makeup. They like how much he's won. They like the accuracy. But is he physically what, you know, say Drake May was coming out of North Carolina or Jaden Daniels was coming out of LSU or Caleb Williams was coming out of USC? He's not that. Okay, when I watch him, here's what I see. Bigger, stronger, more athletic version of Matt Ryan. That's what he looks like. Well Matt Ryan is ninth all in passing yards and top 10 all in touchdown passes got to a Super Bowl and led 28 has an MVP season behind him 15 years four Pro Bowls So add 30% to that. Because I think Mendoza is a little bigger, he moves a little better, and I think he's got a slightly stronger arm. so I think Matt Ryan you can build a franchise around and get to Super Bowls with in fact I think largely the Falcons failed Matt Ryan he didn't fail them he was a very good quarterback so and again Matt Ryan plus I remember when CJ Stroud came out and everybody said Jared Goff says comp and I'm like yeah that's an accurate comp Jared Goff gets to Super Bowl. He got to a Super Bowl. Jared Goff's top 10, 12 quarterback in the league. That's what everybody's trying to get. So it's interesting, though. I like him a lot. Everybody kind of likes him. The knock on him is he's not super athletic. It should be noted. Lamar Jackson is and Josh Allen is. And they haven't gotten to a Super Bowl. The athletic thing we talk about, Sam Darnold's athletic. How many times did he scramble in that game? How many times did Sam Darnold scramble in the Super Bowl? A couple. What he mostly did, he commanded the game, managed the game, and didn't use his hyper-athleticism. I'll admit, Mendoza's not super-athletic. But, I mean, I think his athleticism, I don't think he's Justin Herbert athletic, but he's big and strong like Herbert. So I see a better version of Matt Ryan, and Matt Ryan's was really good. Was a really good quarterback. Be sure to catch live editions of The Herd weekdays at noon Eastern, 9 a.m. Pacific on Fox Sports Radio, FS1, and the iHeartRadio app. Ready for a different take on Formula One? Look no further than No Grip, a new podcast tackling the culture of motor racing's most coveted series. Join me, Lily Herman, as we dive into the underexplored pockets of F1, including the astrology of the current grid, Lewis Hamilton, Crapicorn Sun, Cancer Moon, Wouldn't you know it, Michael Schumacher is also a Capricorn Sun Cancer Moon. The story of the sport's most consequential driver's strike. We have one man who, upon hearing that he was going to be fired, freaked out, and apparently climbed out the window of the bathroom. And was Daniel Ricciardo's illustrious F1 career a success story, a cautionary tale, or some combination of both? He started getting all this attention, and he maybe started to think, I'm bigger than this, I'm better. and plenty of other mishaps, scandals, and sagas that have made Formula One a delightful, decadent dumpster fire for more than 75 years. Listen to No Grip on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hey, I'm Jay Shetty, host of the On Purpose podcast. I'm joined by Luke Combs, award-winning country music artist and one of the most authentic voices in music today. Luke opens up about success, self-doubt, mental health, and what it really takes to stay true to who you are when your life changes overnight. I hate fame. I hate the word celebrity. I hate those words. They make me uncomfortable. But I think when you get to a certain point, the fame or the success or the influence, it just accentuates and exacerbates the inherent person that you are. The guy that says he's always going to be there and that will do anything to be there is the only guy that's not there. I'm in Australia when Bo was born. My whole identity is that no matter what, I'm going to prioritize my wife and my children over my job. I dread the conversation with my son. What do you think you'd say? Listen to On Purpose with Jay Shetty on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. In 2023, a story gripped the UK, evoking horror and disbelief. disbelief. The nurse who should have been in charge of caring for tiny babies is now the most prolific child killer in modern British history. Everyone thought they knew how it ended. A verdict, a villain, a nurse named Lucy Letby. Lucy Letby has been found guilty. But what if we didn't get the whole story? The moment you look at the whole picture, the case collapses. I'm Amanda Knox, and in the new podcast, Doubt, the case of Lucy Letby, we follow the evidence and hear from the people that lived it to ask what really happened when the world decided who Lucy Letby was. No voicing of any skepticism or doubt. It'll cause so much harm at every single level if the British establishment of this is wrong. Listen to Doubt, the case of Lucy Letby on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. China's Ministry of State Security is one of the most mysterious and powerful spy agencies in the world. But in 2017, the FBI got inside. This is Special Agent Regal, Special Agent Bradley Hall. This MSS officer has no idea the U.S. government is on to him. But the FBI has his chats, texts, emails, even his personal diary. Hear how they got it on the Sixth Bureau podcast. I now have several terabytes of an MSS officer, no doubt, no question, of his life. And that's a unicorn. No one had ever seen anything like that. It was unbelievable. This is a story of the inner workings of the MSS and how one man's ambition and mistakes opened its vault of secrets. Listen to The Sixth Bureau on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. I'm Nancy Glass, host of the Burden of Guilt Season 2 podcast. This is a story about a horrendous lie that destroyed two families. Late one night, Bobby Gumpwright became the victim of a random crime. He pulls the gun. Tells me to lie down on the ground. He identified Jermaine Hudson as the perpetrator. Jermaine was sentenced to 99 years. I'm like, Lord, this can't be real I thought it was a mistaken identity The best lie is partial truth For 22 years, only two people knew the truth Until a confession changed everything I was a monster Listen to Burden of Guilt Season 2 on the iHeartRadio app Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts Daniel Jeremiah works at the NFL Network. He's got a podcast. It's a good one, Move the Sticks. His 24th NFL Combine coming up. Somebody we rely on and trust as the NFL season ends. You know, it's interesting, Daniel, you know this. A lot of times the free agent market can be initiated and propelled because there are weaknesses in the draft. So it's obviously, if you look, I mean, there's some really good edge rushers. It's a pretty good D-line draft. I think in the first round, at least, there's some nice offensive tackles, a couple at Utah maybe. Where is the draft lacking, in your opinion, which will increase the activity in free agency in March? Well, I would give you two positions, Colin. First of all, the running back position. Draft-wise, I think we have one first-round caliber back, and then I think there's a chance we don't see one even going. the second round and we'll see a flurry of them there after at that point so i think there's a really good crop of free agent running backs which is going to you know inform maybe some franchise tag opportunities for teams or teams are going to be aggressive and going out and paying some of these young veterans that are on the market and then the obvious elephant in the room is the quarterback i mean there's there's one for sure quarterback who everybody believes myself included goes one one and then there's a conversation on ty simpson and where does he fit into this whole thing. But when you have one and a half first round caliber quarterbacks, and there's a lot of teams out there that have a need at the position, it's good to be the Malik Willises. It's good to be the Niners holding on to Mac Jones to see what comes their way as well. Yeah. So let's get to two evals. I like Fernando Munoza kind of more than everybody else does. I don't think he's Andrew Luck or Sam Darnold athleticism. But I think the staff showed me something this morning. Tom Telesco, our friend, said Matt Ryan, I think he's bigger, stronger, and more athletic than Matt Ryan, although I think that's a good comp. I think he is a, if he gets decent coaching, he is a plus player. He's a franchise guy. I'll make a couple Pro Bowls, maybe several, three or four. Is that, I mean, I think he's big, accurate he's been bloodied his lip multiple times he's some say that indiana offense is too simplistic maybe they need what do you see well yeah i talked to tom and i actually i told him i was going to steal some of that with with matt ryan because i i do like that just in terms of kind of the grittiness toughness uh you know aspect of it i look at quarterbacks almost in terms of families as opposed to just like that single comp i think if you had kind of that jared Goff, Matt Ryan family. He kind of fits into that family, whether or not, whether or not he's a brother or a cousin, I'll let everybody else figure that out. But that's kind of the style of quarterback that he is. And for the evaluation part of it, look, when you go through and you watch third and seven plus throws, which weeds out all the RPOs that everybody complains about, when you go look at him in the red zone, when you go look at him in big games, when you look at him on big moments, see the end of the Penn State game, see the national championship game, And this guy stepped up and done it every single time. So I'm a huge believer in him. And I would also say for as much grief as everybody has all this problem with the transfer portal, what the transfer portal has done for the evaluation process, we've seen Bo Nix with inferior players at Auburn, then go play with good players at Oregon and look at the play and look what you get there. We saw Cam Ward, who is an incarnate word to Washington State, to all of a sudden he gets with Miami, and look what he does with real players. now we're seeing with Mendoza who was a good player at Cal but he gets a great coach and a great infrastructure and the guy goes undefeated wins the Heisman Trophy in the National Championship so I thought Jackson Dart was more of a top of the second round guy he went in the first and had a good year I was wrong I think Ty Simpson feels like a top of the second round guy but I could see the Rams taking him they got two first how do you evaluate Ty Simpson at Bama yeah he's my 40th player, you know, as we are in the process right now, which I wouldn't look at. If somebody wants to take him with the 25th pick that not that out of realm of possibility And I would think that not really a reach based off how I evaluated him I don think he one of those quarterbacks you drop into any of the 32 rooms and he going to have success you know any system any supporting cast. I do think you need to protect him. He's mechanically sound. He throws a nice ball. He's got touch and accuracy, but when bodies get around him, I thought there's times he plays a little small and then the guys only started 15 games and he's been beat up. So those are the negative sides of it. That's why I kind of slot him outside my top 32. But if you're the Rams, you've got a great offensive line. He doesn't have to step in and play right away. So that lack of experience, we can kind of give you some of that in our system before we needed you to play. You know, I can understand that. Yeah. Let's go back. This is always fun. Sam Darnold, go back online. Tell me what your evaluation was. Well, it used to be hidden underneath my bed for a couple years, Colin, when my report. Now it hangs up next to my diploma on the wall. I'm going to have it engraved. But no, look, he was my top quarterback in that draft class. And I was actually talking about him the year before because he has that Rose Bowl game, you know, against Saquon Barkley and Penn State and that epic comeback. He makes some big time throws in that game. And I had mentioned at the combine before he was draft eligible, like this is the guy everybody's talking about is next year's quarterback, you know, and Sam Darnold because of, you know, just kind of the natural way he plays the game, the ball explodes out of his hand. He's just a real, he's just a real fluid, natural athlete who's got an explosive arm. And he went to a tough situation. And, you know, I do, you know, look, I'm so happy for him because he's such a good dude. And I have always believed in the ability, but I don't agree with the, well, you know, the Jets, they should have just stayed there. Eventually it would have happened. I think he needed to get out of New York. I think he needed to get somewhere else. I think that was good for him. and I think being around Shanahan that time there was an incredibly smart decision on his part, knowing that, look, I'm going to soak up everything this guy has. Not only is he going to help me learn football, but then there's also the reality that this is the offensive system that half the league runs because they all come from underneath his tree. So for him to have the maturity to take a step back and learn that, I thought that's one of the reasons why he is where he is. You know how good John Snyder is, and I was just wondering, and this popped into my head when you look at the Seahawks, he's gone like eight for his last eight or nine for his last nine on first and second round guys. Like, not only does it miss, like, they all become really good. Some become incredibly special. And I think that the safety from South Carolina, people said right after the draft, that guy's going to be a star. That's one of the easier second round guys. Does he have a theme? I mean, why is he such a good drafter? You've been doing this. is there something he does that other gms don't do i mean we're putting it up now i'm sorry to the radio audience we're putting it on television it's like just no misses uh like like you tell me what what's his secret to this stuff well he lets the draft fall to him you know for one like even warry i think was my 15th or 16th overall player i'm not saying everybody has it the same but this guy was a first round talent uh who just kind of fell to him so he he took him there but when you start looking at guys who when we when i was in baltimore we had a red star meeting where you would go through and each scout could put a red star on one player in the draft didn't necessarily mean they were the best player but they were the guy that was just the most competitive we talked like he played like a raven like he fit us and when you look through like jsn ultra competitive tough physical gray zabel you go to the senior bowl he took nine million reps everybody was trying to go against him and he slaughtered everybody like super super competitive on and on and on Kenneth Walker uplifted that entire Michigan State program on his shoulders. Like, these guys are all guys who are passionate, love football, and there's no turds. There's no jerks. There's no selfishness in that group. They're all good dudes, good competitive dudes. That, to me, is the overall theme. Yeah, it's – I want to ask you about the Chargers because you work on their broadcast. and I said, you lose Jesse Minter, your defense probably not quite as good. You gain Mike McDaniel, you'll be a much more effective passing offense, plus you get your tackles back. Plus the Chargers have cap space. I mean, this is conjecture and projecting, but J-Mac and I agree on one thing next year, is that the Chargers will go from a team that was surviving on offense and flourishing on defense, or the offense could be spectacular next year. And the defense may, I mean, Minter was a really, really good defensive coordinator. You tell me with the Chargers, with that cap space and Mike McDaniel, what do you think they'll target in the draft, and what will they look like next year? Because we both believe week one, you're going to watch the Chargers and go, okay, this is the Harbaugh-Herbert thing that we thought we'd get this year. Well, Colin, I think when you look at free agency, I could see them targeting interior offensive line. When you look at the draft, I could see them targeting interior offensive line. When you look at the trade market, we could also target the interior of the offensive line. When the draft's over and you want to bring in some extra bodies, we'll bring in some more interior offensive line. So, I mean, that is priority A, B, and C. And it's providing overall depth of that offensive line, investing in a third tackle that you really, really like so that you're covered. I think if they have an offensive line that's healthy and deep because the tackles are two of the best in football. So just healthy and deep along the interior, having a third tackle out there that can withstand some injuries. All these young guys, these skill guys on offense, these first and second year players that they've drafted with Joe Ortiz there are awesome. Like McConkie, I think you'll see him go to another level in this system. Quentin Johnson, for all the abuse he caught for some of the drops early on, is a functional, solid player. Yes. Trey Harris, the rookie at Ole Miss, made some big catches. Rondé Gadsden is a talented rookie tight end. Omari and Hampton could be one of the top five backs in the league. These guys are all on rookie contracts. They cost you nothing. So to me, it's really about just getting this offensive line locked in. And then defensively, you've got young corners. Derwin's still playing in an elite level. You've got a sign. You know, you've got some free agents on the edge with Owe and Mack, but they have plenty of space to do that. Maybe a defensive tackle, you know, or two and free agency or the draft. But I don't know if I mentioned it, Colin. I would probably address the interior of the offensive line. Absolutely. And finally, just because somebody gets drafted number one doesn't mean they're the best player. It's usually a quarterback because it's a quarterback star of league. Is there a best player in the draft? Like everybody talks Arville Reese, and my take is, well, the position he'll play in the NFL may not be quite what he's doing now. He's going to get bigger. It could be edge. I look at Bain at Miami, and I'm like, oh, that's fully formed. That guy's going to walk in and play. I think actually Miami's got an offensive lineman that feels like you can put him at guard tackle, like that dude's going to start day one. I think that running back from Notre Dame looks like that. Like, oh, that guy's going to pop. Is there a guy, if you just said, best player, can't miss, because all quarterbacks can miss, even the good ones early. Who's the can't miss in the draft? Well, I mean, I'd have love up there, you know, the running back from Notre Dame. I still, you know, normally I am true to the grade. So even if, you know, I know Cam Ward's going to be the first pick, he might be my fourth or fifth player in the draft. So that's, you know, it's rare that you kind of have the quarterback. Just in this draft, because, you know, there's flaws in all of these guys, you know, Baines, not the prototypical, you know, arm length and all the other stuff that comes along with that, that you can poke holes in all of them. To me, Mendoza, I'm like, he's one of the years where I think he is the best player in the draft, in my opinion. And I do think he is one of the safer picks in this year's draft. That's just kind of the way I look at it. I don't know. I think you've got to get really, really nitpicky to poke holes in him. I think he's got a chance to be a really good player, and that's why I have him as my number one guy. Okay, so is Fernando Mendoza, Daniel, how does he compare to Drake May? Is he in that class? Drake May is more athletic. I mean, he's a better mover, but are they kind of close? I would have those three guys from that draft just grade-wise come into the process over him. So I had it Caleb, Drake, Jaden Daniels, all three of those guys would carry a higher grade than Mendoza. But in this draft class, there's nobody else that I would put, you know, up there at other positions higher than the level that he's at. I don't think he's as natural as Drake. Drake's just, it was so athletic. And I mean, and just had just such a good feel for movement and getting around things and making things happen. And I don't think he's quite, I think he's a little more robotic is what I would describe Mendoza. Yeah, that's fair. That's fair. Great seeing you as always, my man. Good to see you, buddy. Hey, the Dodgers haven't spent any more money in the last five minutes. So there's that. Listen, this is a pro Dodger show. I'll tell you. Oh, gross. It's gross. Daniel Jeremiah. Ready for a different take on Formula One? Look no further than No Grip, a new podcast tackling the culture of motor racing's most coveted series. Join me, Lily Herman, as we dive into the underexplored pockets of F1, including the astrology of the current grid, the story of the sport's most consequential, driver's strike, and plenty of other mishaps, scandals, and sagas that have made Formula One a delightful, decadent gumster fire for more than 75 years. Listen to No Grip on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. I'm Amanda Knox, and in the new podcast, Doubt, The Case of Lucy Letby, we unpack the story of an unimaginable tragedy that gripped the UK in 2023. But what if we didn't get the whole story? 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