The Herd with Colin CowherdColin supports MLB star players using the "torpedo" bat and explains why this continues to build the momentum baseball has had since last season's viewership growth. He also shares his pre-draft NFL Over - Unders and why he thinks the Cowboys are overvalued entering the 2025 season. Plus, the President of FIFA Gianni Infantino joins the show to tell Colin what the U.S. needs to do in order to become seriously competitive in the World Cup.
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This is the Best of the Herd with Colin cowher on Fox Sports Radio.
Welcome in.
It is a Tuesday, and we got a show today. I was talking about this yesterday with Jmack. We're a lucky time right now where everything is working. Baseball's got torpedo bats, the NIL is propped up college basketball where we have the four best teams. NBA Lakers decided to play defense last night and by the way, it looks like overtime change in the NFL. So Jmack, we got a good one today. So we talked about this yesterday. Our leadoff hitter again today is baseball. So Ellie dla Cruz plays for the Cincinnati Reds and he's one of the great players in baseball that doesn't play for the Yankees of the mat to the Dodgers, or the Phillies or the Atlanta Braves or the Houston Astros. Ellie Dayla Cruz a couple of home runs, seven RBI's last night he used the torpedo bat. And now listen, the Minnesota Twins used the torpedo bat this weekend and got swept and scored six runs. So it's like Harry Potter the wand is choosing the wizard, all right, but it's another win for baseball. More runs, more action, more base runners. Ten teams now are averaging six runs. So last week I had Rob Manford, the Commissioner of Baseball, and I said, you've got parody. The only problem is the pitchers are dominating hitters. You have too many teams hitting two forty, like half the league. This morning you got seven teams hitting over two ninety. And it's not slowing the game down. Last night Cincinnati scored fourteen runs into two hours and twenty five minutes. So unlike when pitching dominates and pitching changes and you go to the bullpen and you bring on the fifth guy, those games get into three hours and fifteen minutes into Tuesday Wednesday night. Nobody has that time takes you forty minutes to get to the ballpark. Fifty five minutes to get home. People have lives eighty one home games. You got a create urgency. So we're now getting more offense, more hitting, and and again not everybody is using the bats. And you know, steroids was different. This is like legal HGH. Steroids would take guys that were non home run hitters and I don't even need to mention names, and suddenly they were in the race for the American League MVP. That would also help guys like Barry Bonds allegedly right.
Or other guys.
But you felt like a lot of times you were taking like TRIPLEA players and they were making the big leagues.
Because of HGH.
This is totally legal, and it's amazing when you embrace innovation and don't fight it as a sport and baseball, man, baseball is on a heater. Increase the size of the bases, you know, end extra ending games, faster, speed the game up, defensive shift, torpedo bats, more offense, more guys stealing bases, more action, and you know, it's like Grandpa got a sports car. Baseball decided, you.
Know what we're gonna get.
We're gonna join the pilates class and be hip and of all the sports, Baseball now is doing more stuff right and again, Elie Daala Cruise is great. But if you give Gordon Ramsey fresher seafood and better ingredients, you get a five star meal.
And that's what you're getting here.
So I mean, I Aaron Judge and Otawny are not using it yet and I'm not sure they have to. But this, this is not creating greatness. That was the illegal stuff. You know that, this is just kind of enhancing greatness. Elie Dyala Cruz is amazing, like, oh, he's amazing. Plus and the Yankees led baseball last year in home runs and they're gonna lead it with home runs. Plus they're not making something. Again, there is clear magic in these bats, but it's helping Gordon Ramsay more than the guy at Applebe's. It's not making the Applebee's guy, you know, a Michelin chef. But it's taking the really good players and they're just harder to get out. But it's not extending the length of the game so far. And here's Terry Francona after.
I think he has more of the player than the bat.
I really, I meant that before the game.
I still do yeah, yeah, I know it is, but it's for real and you better embrace it. I don't care if it's the one and done the transfer portal, I don't care if it's three point shots.
Don't get rigid on this stuff. It works or to the bats. Now.
So the Lakers won last night, but it was very unconventional. So the Lakers don't play defense. A lot is not good at it. Austin Reeves is okay, Lebron picks and chooses ones he wants to play defense. So the Lakers last night, they beat Memphis the other night. And the reason it's a big deal is they just beat Houston last night a two seed and they beat Memphis a five seed. And why that's a big deal because the Lakers really pick and choose one and they want to play defense. Lebron's old Luke go didn't like it, and Austin Reeves is limited, so they pick and choose when they play defense. And here comes Houston last night. And Houston is fast, they're young, they're twitchy, and they're the kind of team that would give the Lakers fits. And the Lakers held them under one hundred points. And this Laker team when they decide to play defense is good. They're ten to one. They just don't play it a lot. And when you watch this game last night, Dorian Finnie Smith is on the floor and you only got thirty six points total from Lebron and Luca. So this was one of those games where guys, the guys aren't hummed at the top. We gotta play defense. And I will say this about the Lakers is they need home court advantage. So the Lakers are twenty nine to nine at home. They're a very good home team. They're not the best in the league, but they're very good. They're surprisingly awful on the road. They're sub five hundred. Generally top six or seven teams in the NBA can be five hundred or better on the road. Boston Celtics, by the way, often played better on the road than at home when the Warriors were great. Remember when they went into that final against the Celtics, they played their best game in Boston. Cross country, tired, older players. So the Lakers are not not a very good road team. I'm not exactly sure why, but this is the way it's sizing up. So the Lakers need a few things they need to be They need to have a home court series in the playoffs. They're also and they know it. These games against Houston, like last night in Memphis are important because it'll give them a week off with an older roster. Lebron is an older player, It'll give them a week off to watch the playing stuff. But when they play defense, it's a real team. They've gotten. And I've been very critical of the Lakers front office, but right now, offensively they can match out with anybody in the league. Maybe except Boston. That's probably about it. Boston is so deep, so many shooters. But the Lakers have three playmakers. I think four guys I would trust to take a big shot, two defensive specialists, and an excellent coach. And last night, when you watch them play defense, and this is probably the effort you will get in the playoffs.
Pretty good team. Here's JJ Reddick after.
I think the competitive spirit and togetherness.
We had to play really hard tonight to put ourselves in a position to win the basketball game. You know, we weathered some misshots, did a good job of taking care of the basketball, emptied the tank on the defensive end.
It was fantastic.
For the record, Just for fun, we're gonna make some assumptions here, but the playoffs, if they were to end today and we're making a couple of playing assumptions, kind of work in the lakers favor. Okay, so there are teams that match up with the Lakers. Clippers are actually a pretty good matchup with They've got a legit big they've got a great coach. Well, the Clippers would open up with a thunder that series. That's not gonna work for them. Also, Lakers would open up with the Grizzlies, a team that's got kind of a mess right now. The coaching staff, they just fired their coach. You don't trust I mean, Jahn Morant's not having a good year shooting Memphis right now. You want to peek at the end of a year. They're a mess at the end of the year. That's great for the Lakers. Nuggets Warriors. Nuggets gonna win that series. That's a bad matchup for the Warriors. But you know what, I wouldn't want to face Steph and Jimmy Butler either. That would be one of the few teams the Lakers could face that has as much playoff experience. The Warriors are gonna get knocked out by the Nuggets. They cannot stop Jokics. They just do not match up at all. Draymond Green's great. He acknowledges it. We can't do anything. And then Rockets and Tea Wolves. I don't know who I would take there. That's a go either I may take the Tea Wolves. That's a close one. That's a go either way series based on health. But it works out. You get the Clippers out, they've got experience. You get the Warriors out, they've got experience. Uh. And then it's potentially the young Rockets, young OKC and a Denver team, which, by the way, the Lakers have beaten this year. They've always played even when Denver was clearly better pre Luca, the Lakers always played Denver close. Now they have the offensive firepower. So just some assumptions here. But that defensive effort last night felt a little bit like a playoff game. Dorian Finney Smith. Playing a real defense. You know, you're not getting a perfect night from Luke and Lebron, although they gave you thirty six points. Austin Reeves was good, but you needed other elements. They were at home, close game, held a team under one hundred. Very playoff field for the Lakers. I can't get over the torpedo. Betch j Mack. I can't get over it. The whole thing's crazy. It's just get on.
Could we get one on set this weekend? You put a special order in. I'd love to feel it and swing it just to see what it's like.
Yeah, it's uh, you know, people are I've said this, if if the Twins or Orioles were using them and that was it, nobody would care. Some of this is the Yankee It's like the Toush push. If Jacksonville was doing the Toush push, nobody would really care. It's the Eagles, they're dominating. Nobody can stop it. We all know this. Everybody roots against Duke, yet everybody watches Duke. Everybody hates the Toush push. But the ratings for the Super Bowl set a record. We know how the world works in sports, fans in America work, but it is crazy what it's doing.
Well, it's weird. There is a gambling parallel.
You know.
Sometimes you'll find a slight edge in gambling for a little while and you'll beat the market, and then everybody will piggyback. For instance, Lakers first quarterbits well, guess what. Then the team's adjust I'm curious how the pitchers will adjust to the torpedo bats if this keeps up, Like, are there radical adjustments to be made?
I don't know.
All right, next hour at the top of the hour. You know, I love over and unders in Vegas, so I'll take the entire NFL. There are three teams that are going to hit the over and three teams that are going to hit the ender. This is my favorite part. I know it's weird. I love the NFL schedule release. I'm obsessed, even though I know who everybody plays next year already. I loved I like to see when it's in order and the over unders. Last year we hit big on Denver, the Rams, and Washington. Those are the three teams. I thought those are the overs. So there's a couple obvious overs and there's a couple obvious unders. You don't want to be a sucker and just take the optimism route. There's a couple of obvious unders as well. That's gonna come up in fifty minutes.
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That's Covino and Rich.
Well, the next year and a half in the United States, we are going to be the centerpiece of the world's greatest soccer. Gianna Infantino is the president since twenty sixteen of FIFA, not only a global citizen, seven different language as a world traveler. I am jealous, I will admit, and you are joning us. So now it's called the Club World Cup. So not this summer. The following summer is the World Cup. We know about that, Harry Kane, then Bape our best players. The Club World Cup is on our soil. We're lucky enough. Explain who will be involved in that?
Do I get the best of the best?
You get the best of the best?
Well, Hurricane and Bappe will be there as well, so Leo Messi and many many others, the thirty two best club teams the world.
Now, what's at stake? What kind of money are we talking about?
Well, first of all, what doesn't saying is this incredible trophy here, which is beautiful. But the money we are talking about is one billion US dollar prize money which is there for grab for the winning team. First time we organize an event like that, first time there will be a club truly crowned world champion by FIFA.
So we are seeing in Major League Baseball, and we've seen it over the course of my life. Latin America has furnished us with great players. Now Asian players coming over. The Dodgers have a pipeline to it, and it's absolutely helped the game.
Ohtani's our biggest star.
How is the United States viewed globally in soccer? Because I always felt I remember the Kyle wrote junior Days in the seventies. My mom was British. I went over there when Netherlands in England in the seventies were dominating Johann Crouth and the great British teams, and you know, we were kind of clunky and our players weren't as aesthetically pleasing. How are we viewed now in the States?
Well, I think what is seen from outside of the United States, he said. Of course in America, other sports are more important than soccer, which is the most important sport all over the world, in every other country.
Right.
However, I think that the two World Cups, the one this summer or the team of the clubs, and the next one of the countries next year, which changes fundamentally.
Since you have been the president.
What do the numbers say about the growth in the country, Because generally when a World Cup is hosted by US, even if it's not, but if it is, there tends to be exponential growth. So if you've seen growth in your run as if a president United States.
Oh, definitely, we basically double the revenues when it comes to FIFA and the World Cup by organizing it here. But what is important is that what happens here in America has an impact all over the world. So the gross figures cannot just be measured in the United States, but all over the world. And when it comes to most women's football actually a men's football, whenever we do something here, it has such an important global impact that you know is just incredible for the game.
When you look right now, I think I've said this before. I think this is the most talented group of players we've ever had.
Now we're young.
When we got beat by Netherlands, clearly they had older, more senior players, we weren't at that level. That was almost aspirational a goal. I look at our team, it's kind of a golden age of soccer. The academy system. We have many players over in Europe. Are we viewed in the world now as a serious soccer country.
Well, definitely.
I think that the work that has been done with the MLS in the United States, in Canada, the work with the academies that has been put forward is really impressive. You have a good team, you have good players, have a great coach as well, Mauricio, who was really fantastic, and these players they play now, you know, for the best teams in the world or in Europe if you want, and the world can see that. Combine this with the fact of playing a World Cup at home, Well, it's quite an explosive commindation, isn't it.
Is it harder?
I mean because of security reasons among others and technology? Is it harder to put on a World Cup than it was eight years ago?
Well, to put on a World Cup is obviously always quite a challenge. Especially the next World Cup will be for forty eight countries participating in stead of thirty two. Yes, so we increase the number by fifty percent. We'll have you know, ten million people coming to the US. It's these are incredible fas we'll have six billion people watching it.
All over the world.
This requires a lot of organization, and we're here for that and we team up with you for that as well.
Yeah, that doesn't hurt. Where is soccer now? It's growing.
I looked at a number this morning which was amazing. According to Forbes, the number of United States people who have been soccer fans for five years or fewer, so this is our newest fans has gone up fifty seven percent year to year and over and the number of first time fans is a four hundred percent year over year, So over five years at fifty seven percent. So something has happened in the last year where there's been an explosion in the United States. So when I think of soccer, I think of a Spain, and I think of Germany, and I think of the nether and I think of Italy and France, and I do think of the United States selfishly, Where is this game growing? That would surprise me? Is it growing everywhere?
It is growing everywhere.
It's growing in the Middle East, it's growing in this year in East Asia. But I think the big surprise will be the growth here in North America. When you see every child, girl or boy now plays soccer. What happens then, is that the most talented players they go to other American sports, right because they maybe don't see a path to glory through soccer, but they will see it now. This year with the Club World Club with the best teams in the world, next year with the World Cup with the best countries in the world, they will see that there is a path to glory, a path to something incredible.
And this will make a big difference.
When the US organized the ninety four World Cup, eighty five percent of the Americans a couple of months before didn't know that the World Cup was happening. Is the other way around, eighty five percent of Americans they know that the World Cup is coming already one year ahead. So these are signs that things are changing. Plus one more thing, if I may, sure, you know you are the United States of America, right, the greatest country in the world.
You're number one in kind of everything you do. Yeh.
You cannot be satisfied to be number twenty in the number one sport. It's right, you want to be number one in the number one sport. So let's go for it.
Yeah.
No, you're you're listening, You're you're preaching to the choir here, believe me. But I grew up in the Pacific Northwest. My mom was British, so when I was a kid, I went to England. At the time, the English team was battling for the World Cup, like nineteen seventy two, seventy three, and again Netherlands was great, so I when I was a kid, I was introduced to it. Then I moved to the Pacific Northwest, which Seattle and Portland are great soccer market, so I think I got an advantage. My Seattle Sounders made the NASL Championship game against the New York Cosmos. Of all the great players you've dealt with over your not just at FIFA, but you're a global citizen. There is something special about soccer players.
There is there.
I like the global feel to it. There's a graciousness and a gratitude for what soccer presents. It's the happiest sport. And nothing against football players in baseball guys, but that is is that something you within FIFA that you talk about that it's the world's game and it's very welcoming.
It is.
You're absolutely right, it is the world's game. It brings happiness. I mean, look at this what we brought for you. You can see this. This is yoursift. Can I, yeah, gift? Can I give it to you?
Absolutely?
By the way he hears a small ownership and a small soccer team.
It has your name. Look at that.
Well, now this is the official magic ball of the FIFA Club World Cup.
Now look at your face. You're smiling.
You see why because his ball is a magic object.
There's much more than just the ball. It is magic.
It brings smiles to faces of children all over the world.
It's a very simple sport.
It's the world number one sport for that, and that's why we are investing.
All over the world.
The revenues we generate, we invest them in Africa, in Asia, in Americas, everywhere in the world to make sure that the game.
Game if American soccer.
If you could say, and Jenny Infantino is joining us to president of FIFA, he has been since twenty sixteen. If you could, if I may, I'll put you on the hot seat, if you could make one change to US soccer.
And just nudge them to do something.
There is there anything that you're frustrated a little with USA soccer?
Yes, okay, they should listen to me, yes, and then they become number one league in the world.
But anything in.
Particular that you would push, they are a little bit too how shall I say.
Two communists? Can I say that word? Yeah?
Exactation, Yeah, too much regulation, too much limits. You know, be America, open up, bring the best invest money, and the returnium investment will be just incredible.
Because it's interesting.
Our other pro leagues are global and spend nothing but money. But you think we could open up the pocketbook a little bit more.
One hundred percent and the impact will be global because your other leagues. I mean, look at the Super Bowl, which is fantastic, right it has what one hundred and twenty hundred and thirty million viewers?
Right? The World Cup has six billion viewers.
Crazy.
So a World Cup is one hundred and four Super Bowls in one month.
It's three Super Bowls a day.
And this can this happens from here, and this can happen every week if you have the best league in the world.
You know you travel, you travel the globe. Give me something about America that you really love. You you live in Switzerland and Italy. If I could choose two places that would be close to it, World office is in Zurich. You have a Miami office now, so obviously United States soccer is growing. You now have a Miami office. What's something when you travel the globe that you love about America?
Can I say Burger?
Yes, you could say no, but I would say Burger definitely. But well, I think as well here and this is really is not too flatter anyone, but it is really the land of opportunity. I mean, there are so many opportunities here for so many people, which is why I still don't understand why soccer has not become the number one here.
Four hundred percent year to year of new soccer fans. Gianni Infantino, A pleasure, Thank you.
So thank you, so much.
Power you next, be sure to catch live editions of The Herd weekdays in neon Eastern non a Empacific on Fox Sports Radio FS one and the iHeartRadio app YEP.
Coming this summer the Club World Cup before the World Cup a year out. So great to have the FIFA president on. By the way, the US will have two teams, Seattle Sounders and Miami will both be in Those will be the two teams, and then is it thirty two other teams or thirty other teams involved in the club World Cup winner a billion dollars in versus a billion dollars.
So it's like a pre.
World Cup with the world's best club teams, all the best players and BOFE will be here, Messi, Harry Kane, all the best players in the world will be here.
So it's gonna be a pre World Cup.
And there's clear evidence that anytime a World Cup is in the United States, massive popularity swings in merchandising and fandom happen.
Yeah, listen, I can't take full credit, but I do like I know you like soccer in college basketball, but Colin, you to it. You're starting to nuts a little more in the direction of those sports since the edition of Your Boyhood.
I'm jealous of anybody who lives in Zurich and vacations in Italy.
I've heard the things I've never been to either.
Zurich's got my favorite airport in the world. It's like a great Swiss watch. It is perfect, The trains are on the second, the food, the cleanliness, it's great. If I owe anytime I can connect through Zurich, do it spend an afternoon marveling at the airport. Okay, so we're gonna go to the NFL, you know, winter meetings here pretty quick. But the over and unders are now with all the betting companies are coming out, you know in Vegas over unders. So these numbers are how many games do you think a team can win? And you know, as you know, they always come in half seven and a half, eight and a half, and you, as a consumer, bet the under or bet the over. Now, most fans bet the over, they're optimistic. I tend to find unders, but I found three unders and three overs that are interesting. So let's go to the conferences first. The one that jumps out to me. Let's start in the AFC for our radio audience. Bills eleven and a half, Dolphins eight and a half, Jets five and a half. The Patriots at seven and a half to me, feels like an over. Massive upgrade on coaching staff. Also, they were three and six in one score games with a rookie quarterback, so there's going to be an ascension. They're gonna be a better one score game team. They spent almost two hundred million in free agency. I would bet the over on the Patriots. Let's go to the Ravens, Bengals, Steelers, Browns. Nothing jumps out to me. Ravens eleven and a half, Bengals nine and a half, Steelers eight and a half, Browns five and a half. Nothing seems underwhelming or overwhelming. The next division projected win totals AFC South. This is one of my favorite overs. So the Texans at nine and a half. Colt Jaggs seven and a half wins the Titans at five and a half. Bet the over. Brian Callahan, Listen, he was so frustrated. Will Levis arguably gave three wins away last year. So cam Ward there's just not gonna be Nobody's gonna quite know what to do until he has an offseason.
Remember c J.
Stroud came in, and it kind of feels like everybody's kind of waiting for CJ. Stroud to fall apart, and he didn't. So I think Ward, the upgrade cam Ward to Will Levis is gonna get you a seven or eight or nine wins in this division. Just a very weak AFC South, Chiefs, Broncos, Chargers, Raiders. I think Kansas City under eleven and a half is one of my favorite bets. Broncos nine and a half, Chargers nine and a half, Raiders six and a half. I'd probably go over Chargers, but the under on Kansas City. Remember they were eleven and oh in one score games. Like recovering fumbles, regression is come even if they go eight and three. Nobody goes eleven to zero and one score games. Also, they're still trying to figure out their offensive line. Joe Tooney left their best offensive lineman, and they don't you know, they're using somebody's backup at left tackle. They're an injury away in the O line from being a complete mess. They're also getting older in key spots. Now we go to the NFC. One of my fa I have an over and under bet in the same division, So Eagles eleven and a half.
That's about right.
I'm gonna take the over on the Commanders and the under on the Cowboys. So listen, Jayden Daniels is the real deal. I just talked to somebody, a friend who was at an event Jaden Daniels was at in the last couple of weeks. The kids unbelievable. They spent money, the coaching nine and a half. I mean, they're gonna go two and zero against the Cowboys and two and oh against the Giants, So I think the Commanders is I mean ten and seven with the Lamar Jackson of the NFC at quarterback. Shock anybody also the Cowboys. I would bet the under they want. I don't think anybody's quite embracing. Brian Schottenheimer to me, had struggled to remain at the same place as a coordinator. I think they went cheap. They also got to pay Micah Again. This is a team that's a ceedee lamb sprained ankle from, you know, being fairly weaponless. I would take the under now we go. Nothing jumps out to me. At the NFC North Lions ten and a half, Packers nine and a half, Bears eight and a half, Vikings eight and a half. Nothing jumps out to me. Everybody wants to bet the Bears in the over. Be careful, really, jumps out to me. In the NFC South Bucks should win best roster Falcons maybe a little underserved, but I refuse to bet the Falcons on anything. I've lost a forge in over the years. Panthers Saints both six and a half wins. Now they're two surprises to me. In the NFC West, I would take the under on the Niners ten and a half. They are getting old in key spots. You got Christian McCaffrey coming off an injury and then Brandon Aiyuk coming off an injury. They have twelve draft picks. That is a lot of young players. Rookies don't flourish generally except key positions in the NFL. Also, they lost Greenlaw and Hufunga. They wanted to keep both. Those are leaders, great instinctive players. So we haven't loved their defense in the last couple of years. And when Bosa gets hurt, it's a bad defense. So and he's getting older. I would bet the under on the Niners at ten and a half. I would bet the over on the Rams at nine and a half. They need a corner. Outside of that, they are set, they're getting better. The defense got better Thanksgiving on so the Rams, I would take the over. So my over and under bets I would take the Commanders over nine and a half, the Patriots over seven and a half, and the Titans over five and a half. My unders are the Chiefs under eleven and a half, the Ram the Niners under ten and a half, the Cowboys under seven and a half. I also think the Rams can hit the over. I think the Rams can hit the over McVeigh, Stafford, Davante Adams. They cannot be as physically immobile as they were last year when the offensive line fell apart. That's not gonna happen again. They'll have more debt. They're gonna draft to tackle early in this draft. So, j Mac, anything jump out to you too much?
Actually, I know we have a guest coming up. We definitely need to revisit this. I've got some beef with some stuff you're saying. The one thing that really jumped out. So I see Titans five and a half, totally agree. But did I see the Jets and the Giants are also five and a half, meaning those are the three worst teams in the league.
Oh, oh my gosh, I.
Didn't know the the jetson falling.
That far five and a half win total. Gosh, it's a bleak.
Yeah, I mean New York Football's bleak.
Terrible.
Albert Breer joining us live Here we go from Palm Beach. Not a bad place to join us live from. Okay, at the NFL owner meetings. Okay, let's get so. I've always had a theory on overtime, you want it to be quick. I don't want my defense on the field for another fourteen plays. So the NFL has said, okay, both teams now get the ball once. It's going to be ten minutes. My question is what if a team gets it to the nine minute fifty eight second drive and scores.
What do you do then?
I mean, I your takeaway and the new NFL owner change in overtime.
Well, I think there are a couple of factors there.
Of course, it won't affect you know, play the playoffs, because the playoffs still play until they have a winner and a loser. And you know, I think during the regular season there's the broadcast partners, which I think like to keep these games as close to the window they're prescribed to be in as they can, you know. And then I think there's the element of adding more place to the game, and that's a health and safety thing, you know, And that was part of the argument against this sort of thing years ago was that they didn't want to put that much more damage on players. So I think this is a fair compromise, and it does add that element of strategy to it. You know. I think one thing, if you look back, like Bill Belichick always wanted a timed period, right, And the reason he wanted to time period is because he wanted the clock to be part of the overtime. I think in doing this, you are making.
The clock part of the overtime, you know.
So you know, I think from a viewership standpoint, fifteen might be better because you're getting the full quarter. But you know, I think when you go to ten minutes, you're making the clock even a bigger factor. And I think that could interest like that could add like an interesting element of strategy and how teams approach it. I mean, if you're the receiving team, don't you almost don't you almost automatically going to the four minute offense.
I think that's what we're going to be looking at.
Okay, tush push.
Packers are very anti tush push. It's been tabled, meaning they'll do it in mid May and figure out at the mid May meetings. What is green Band matt le Floor's primary objection to the tush push.
They don't think it's a football play.
And you know, one thing that was interesting to come from the room now, you know, a couple of days ago when they first met on this you know, Jim Harbor Mike Rabel brought up some of the holes in the way the rule is written, and can you, I mean the most Harbaugh thing ever, can you put two extra guards on the field and line them up behind the guards and push the guards because you're not pushing behind the center? Rabel asks the same thing. Can you take the quarterback and move him behind the guard and then push him behind the guard. So there are some holes in how the rule was written. Howie Roseman was passionate about this in the room and saying that there's no injury data. This says it's more dangerous. The league comes back and says, well, actually, we think, based on the posture of the player that this could lead to major head and spine injuries.
Not that it hasn't yet, but that certainly is a concern.
So, you know, you put all this in and I think you know, now, how how do you rewrite it? And one thing that happened inside the room today earlier this morning was, you know, Rich Piquet, the chair of the competition for me, said why don't we go back to the two thousand and four rule, or at least look at that rule and how it was written and maybe we adopt that. So I think around somewhere around twenty teams were in favor of looking at that rule as potentially something that could be the framework of something they vote on in May. And it's interesting, Colin, Like when they took the rule out twenty years ago, the reason they took the rule out was because what was happening downfield. And you'll remember this is there were guys getting pushed into the end zone downfield, and when they flag it, it was hard to tell if you had a scrum downfield whether or not you know, an offensive player coming in was trying to block the defensive player push his teammate across the line. So is that less of a concern now? Is there a way to address that and how you write the rule? I think it was just there are too many things on the table and too many concerns to pass it now.
But the fact that they're tabling.
It until May shows the league as a real desire to get something done before the season.
I just saw a headline this morning Steelers are very comfortable with Mason Rudolph as their starter, and I thought, oh boy, if I was a Steeler fan, that's pretty discouraging. So I have made the argument with Aaron Rodgers that he ideally wanted Minnesota, knew the division, loved the coach, love Justin Jefferson, and that I think deep down he knows Pittsburgh can't get the old line right. It's a defensive culture. He's done the East Coast. He'd probably like to drift back to the West. And my guess is, I don't think he's stalling or being obnoxious. I don't think deep down he wants to go to Pittsburgh. But I do think he loves football and wants to play and was pretty good last year. What is your vibe on what you're hearing about Aaron Rodgers.
Yeah, so my vibe would be a I think you're absolutely right that he doesn't want to go out the way that he went out last year. I know he you know, and coming back from the Achilles like wanting to really appreciate the sport and you know, rediscover his love for the game, and despite how hard everything was last year on the Jets, Like, I think he did do that to a certain degree. So I think he does want to play, and I think you know, if you're in his spot, you say Okay, I got one year left. You're looking for the perfect place. The perfect place would have been Minnesota. Minnesota wants to get a longer look at JJ McCarthy. And again we've been over this before, Colin, Like, if they bring in Sam Donald or Daniel Jones, Like, that's much different than bringing in Aaron Rodgers, where if you bring in Aaron Rodgers, you are just jamming on the pause button on the JJ McCarthy era at best.
And how how do you figure that's going to affect his development?
There are a lot of things that go into that, you know, And so I think now it's sort of going through the situation with the Steelers. I think one thing the Steelers have going for them, the unoffensive line's gotten better. They also have peers of his on his team. They're going to be operating with the same level of urgency. Veteran players, Guys like TJ. Watt, who will be thirty one, make if it's patch, if he will be twenty nine, Cam Hayward, who I believes going into his fourteenth year as an NFL player, DK Metcalt now in his third contract. This is jumping on a moving train. This is not a team that needs to be lifted up. They've been in the playoffs. They need somebody to come help me trying to take him over the top. So ultimately I think he does wind up there. But I think I think you're right when you say, like, this isn't the perfect situation, it's a really good one.
And I think that's what he's considering right now.
Okay, at West Palm Beach looks like the Breakers, if I, if I may guess, yeah, yeah, pretty good place.
And I don't and I don't normally wear sunglasses. I think it's kind of douchey to wear some glasses on the air. But it is so bright out here. And I'm not saying that to make anybody back home jealous, but it is so bright out here that actually hurt my eyes.
That he's sitting here.
It's okay, So let's wrap it up with this.
We've got Cleveland owners saying yep, swinging a miss on to Sean. We've got the Giants getting Russell Wilson and Jamis Winston. There's a lot of move and we're all trying to play like Inspector Clusau and figure out with the clues what's gonna happen.
Who's gonna pick a quarterback?
And then there's other reports on mock draft people that oh, Schador is dropping out, Well, we know Cam's going one the Giants in the Browns. Do you believe Shador Sanders goes to either Cleveland or the New York Giants.
If you put a gun to my head today, I would say, I'm do a Carter at two to Cleveland, Travis Hunter at three to the Giants. I think the Giants have protected themselves so they don't have to force anything at quarterback. And I do think, you know, like the idea of taking Travis Hunter and then maybe a day two quarterback where you're not tied to that guy for the next ten years, but you get it, you're taking a shot at it.
Might work better for them.
I think Cleveland could take a similar approach here and maybe working out of trade for Kirk Cousins the Friday after the draft.
And it's an interesting thing. So Jimmy Haslam, J W.
Johnson, and Andrew Berry had dinner on Thursday night in State College, Pennsylvania with Abdul Carter. Kevin Stefanski wasn't there. Kevin Stefanski was actually an Oxford, Mississippi for Jackson Darts Pro Day, and the fact that they would take their head coach and put him there in Mississippi rather than sitting down with Carter tells me they're at least thinking about the idea of taking Carter at two and either sitting there at thirty three and Drakes and taking one there, or maybe moving into the bottom of the first round and taking one at that point. And I think if you do that, then Cousins comes into play because the relationship between Stefanski and Cousins, So I think there are a lot of moving pieces with both those teams. My guess right now would be that neither of them take Shador, and then it becomes Anywhere's guests where Shador goes because like I said to you last week, like he's sort of like bon next to me like this, like this this year's version of bon Knicks where last year or very few teams that had Bonnicks as a first round pick, he had to find a fit and he obviously found that in Denver and no one cares or anybody had.
A name because he played great for the Broncos.
I think that's Shadoor this year where a lot of teams don't look him in as the first round talent and he's gonna have to find a fit.
Wow, that is really really And then you get down to the Raiders where they've got Gino, who, by the way, plat play action passing because I think they're going to take genty and and the reason I think that is Pete Carroll's best years were with Reggie Bush at SC and Marshawn Lynch in Seattle, and he and they need a run but running back, and this is a star running back. And also Gino on play action passes is like his passer ratings one oh six since he's been in Seattle, So he's not a guy that's going to play from behind and sling it forty five times. So that is really interesting. On Shaduur, So what you're basically saying is the draft guys that think there's not a big gap between Shaduur and Kyle mccordon, Jackson Dart and Jalen Milroll. So what's the point of tying yourself to all right?
Right?
Is that what you're saying?
I think it's I think I would say this.
I think for most of the people I've talked to, and I still have a ton of phone calls to make over the next three or four weeks. But I think the consensus that I'm getting from people who evaluate this stuff for a living is that cam Ward talent wise, there's a bigger separation talent wise between cam Wharton Shador Sanders than there is between Schidor Sanders and Jackson Dark. Again, that does not mean Chad or Sanders can't go top ten. It's because there could be a team of season as the perfect fit, and if you see him as a long term answer quarterback, you swallow hard and take him the same way the Broncos did at twelve last year Bonix, even though if the Broncos didn't take him at twelve, he may have slipped out.
Of the first round altogether.
But yeah, I think Chador is closer to the pack, if that's what you're asking now. He's closer to the pack than he is to cam Ward from a talent perspective.
When you talk to all of these NFL people, Wow.
I kind of look I like the sunglasses. I can be honest with you and makes you.
Look more mysterious and like you have better information hiding something from us.
I like it.
I don't know, there's there's something when you get those shades. You got like a detective look to you. I like you're out there behind bushes trying to get scoops from NFL owners.
I like the look, my man.
All Right, maybe maybe, maybe maybe I'll try it again next week.
We'll see, Okay, Albert Berry good, see anybody that's really that's really interesting. Basically, Cam's the star and Chadure is more middle of the pack. He's in the mill row, Kyle McCord, Jackson dark class. So it's like, you know, if you take a quarterback first round, you gotta play him. If you take a quarterback in the second round, you can sid him. Nobody's gonna complain. For two or three.
Years, I had totally forgotten what he said about bo Nix, how the bo Nix wasn't loved by a lot of teams. You just need one team to love him. But here's the thing. Bo Nicks was pretty damn good as a rookie. They got to the playoffs, their win totally, you just flash was nine and a half. Did this idea that people are passing on sdur because he may not be a good fit.
I'm stunned, I got it. I'm flabagaster.
You know, it's interesting. It was a very good quarterback draft class last year. Bo Nicks was like, but people thought he had a lower ceiling. Now Sean loved him. That's the Jalen Millroll thing. I hear Pittsburgh and the Jets both really like Jalen Milroe. Now with the Jets, this is this is a gut feeling. So the Jets are like, We're not gonna take Jalen Millrow, not at seven.
No.
Aaron Glenn's like, I just came from a stacked roster. We have a good roster here, Jets at seven go, we'll trade down. Somebody will trade down, and all of a sudden you get down to twelve and you get an extra second or third round pick. Then you're like, okay, we could do and then you again, you let the you answer the phone, don't. I'm dead serious on this. When you get a new coach in like a Vrabel or an Aaron Glenn, a lot of those guys they want their own players, they want more draft picks, they want their own they want there privately, I mean, Aaron Glenn said to Aaron Rodgers not interested.
By the way they did.
Like you said, they just fired what one hundred and fifty people in the building, Like.
No, Aaron Glenn New coaches generally want their god.
Time to take out the trash, as they like to say.
Yeah, So I could see the Jets trading down. And if they trade down in the I mean even going down to a thirteen fourteen, then you take Milroe and it's like you can argue it's a little hot. You're not taking him at seven, right, I'm pro Milroe again.
I know he's the tapes don great. I just want to know because I think Klat's coming on later, right. I think I saw that most of the season. We said Shadur is going to be one or two in the draft, Yes, And now all of.
A sudden he's dropping like a rock. Colin.
Something's not adding up here? Is he not interviewing? Well, something's got to be going on.
Was they're like Caleb Williams. There were some moments people question maturity.
He's a twenty one year old kidd in from now whatever.
We never questioned that with Jayden Daniels or Bonick, and we never saw in the NFL.
So there was a little question on Caleb. There's a little question.
We don't see it with Milrow, So you know, you like with Milrow, you don't see any immaturity bo Nicks, Michael Pennix. You saw a little with Caleb. I defended him, and you see a little with Shindor. The difference is Caleb is a much better athlete than shud Or Sanders.
It's not close.
So what people may be saying is he doesn't blow you away as an athlete, and he got some of the Caleb maturity stuff we worry a little bit about.
Well, I mean, do you think he's not as good of an athlete as bon Nicks.
I'm gonna say something right now, No, Nicks. Bo Nicks is way more mobile than anyone. He wants you to one.
Needs to start running a forty. He needs to do some activity. I need to see something.
I haven't seen anything from him in months, right since the end of the season.
I feel bad for the kid a little bit.
But yeah, I mean, people are saying he doesn't blow you away physically, and then you throw in some stuff where you're like a couple of times, I don't love some of the things he did, and I defended Caleb on it when he jumped into the stands or he painted his fingernails. I did have an executive in the NFL say they hated the fingernail thing. I thought it was really juvenile and really stupid whatever, but but but that stuff matters.
That's like me saying I hate your hat backwards take man, I just I can't do it.
I count when I can't.
The rest of the country loves it all. That's all. I'm
