The Herd with Colin CowherdWhere Colin was right and wrong
3-time Super Bowl champion Jimmy Johnson joins the show to announce his retirement from a Hall of Fame career as a broadcaster for Fox Sports
Colin's NBA Title Bubble
Ohio State Buckeyes head coach Ryan Day joined us to chat about their national championship win, the NFL Draft, and how he's adapting to this new age of College Football
Thanks for listening to The Herd podcast. Be sure to catch us live every weekday on Fox Sports Radio in noon to three Eastern nine am to noon Pacific. Find your local station for The Herd at Fox Sports Radio dot com, or stream us live every day on the iHeartRadio app by searching Fox Sports Radio or FSR.
You're listening to Fox Sports Radio.
Oh, here we go, it's hour two. It is a Monday. Jimmy Johnson, the Hall of Fame coach. It was something to talk about in five minutes. I'm excited for that. I'm excited for it now. I'm not going to get into details. I'll just say it will not be the typical Jimmy Johnson stop by, who has taught me more football than even more than Jmat and that's hard to believe. Jimmy Johnson has taught me a lot about football, al Pier stopping by. So every Monday, n You right wrong. It's a fun time of the year. By the way, we're getting into the NFL free agency. Deebo Samuel one of the first moves. It's gonna be very busy next three week plus. You love March madness. I watched some college basketball this weekend to keep up with you know, the guru over here. Let's spend Ghali for college hoops.
I did go eight and two on Sundays of the best.
I've never met anybody like you.
One and three Sunday not great, but all right.
We do it every Monday at this time. It's called Colin right, Colin wrong? Here we go where Colin was right debo to Washington. Both J McK and I thought this was an obvious one. He's a great chess piece. He's not your classic wide receiver, but for the right kind of play. Designer Cliff Kingsbury, I think it makes a ton of sense. He's only had one thousand yard receiver. But I think, you know, I think Belichick in New England did this for years when they find chess pieces.
Andy Reid does a good job with this. I like Deebo.
I think it was time to move on, and I think Washington's the perfect fit.
And we predicted it. Where Colin was right, We.
Said Matt Stafford, we thought would stay with the Rams, but the Raiders were making a real push. It's been announced yesterday the Raiders off and this was our guess. One hundred million, fifty million guaranteed two years. I thought the Raiders would go to a third year to get him. They didn't, and therefore he stayed with the Rams. I was told the Rams wanted him. They feel they're too close to a super Bowl and another trophy to move off him. Matt didn't make a lot of money last year relative to other star quarterbacks. He wanted a better deal. He'll get it. Where Colin was raw, I thought Travis kelce would retire. I thought it was time. I thought he looked tired in the super Bowl and he only had in three playoff games one touchdown catch. He still blocks, he's still tough, he's still great.
On third down.
He's got a year left. And let's be honest about this. You'd rather have Travis kelcey on your team than not. He tends to be a very good big game player. But I had predicted that. I thought this was with Taylor Swift, his life, his podcast, it was a perfect time. He's had almost ten surgeries, but he's coming back at least for one more year.
Where Colin was right.
I love Kevin Duran, but story this weekend he's gonna get traded by Phoenix and he has been reduced to a guy that scores twenty seven to night on bad teams, and I think he's really valuable. I still think he's got two or three huge years left. I wish he would have considered the Warriors. He wasn't comfortable with that. Can't blame him, I guess. But you know, five years ago we were talking about is he better than Lebron? And maybe he doesn't care, but I feel like his legacy. I hope it remains all time top ten stuff because he's one of the best basketball players.
I've ever seen.
Where Colin was right, I didn't like Aaron Rodgers using his leverage to bring in Nathaniel Hackett and Alan Lazard into Vante Adams and story this morning that Jets are going to move off to the Vontae Adams, who I like a lot. But in the end, I think GM should GM coaches should coach. Quarterback should quarterback Listen, you know how hard it is to be a good GM and a good coach. Quarterbacks should do what they do, and that's okay. Aaron's a smart guy, but I never thought it was gonna work. I didn't think having your buddies on the team matters. Sometimes being a great quarterback is being uncomfortable, not.
Just comfortable, where Colin was raw.
You know, I've been skeptical on Bill Belichick at college, but he has signed up for HBO Max. They do that hard knock show, which no coach likes. He would never do it in the NFL, and it tells me that Bill is a little bit more committed to the college game. And by the way, a couple of Bill's friends or Jimmy Johnson and Urban Meyers, so I mean, he's got guys leaning on him if he has to have questions about it. But I've always thought this was kind of a one and done, but I think him going to hard knock shows Bill's willing to get uncomfortable because he would have never done this in the NFL, and he's doing it now in.
College where Colin was right.
Well, I predicted one of my five bold NBA predictions with Paul George and Joel Embiid would not even play twenty games together, and it's been announce that Joel Embiid shutting her down for the season, so they will not play twenty games together. Listen, em Bead's an unbelievable talent, but biggs who get hurt early get hurt often, and this has been We've got to be honest. It's been a disappointing career, considering many were comping him to Shack five.
Years ago, where Colin was right.
Ashton Gent, the running back from Boise State, announced this weekend he said running backs are not only back, they're kind of integral to football. Yes, when the media a year ago said running backs are being treated unfairly, I said they're going to get paid. Running Backs are a quarterback's best friend, especially in December, January and February when it gets cold and windy. They get first downs, they block for you. It's easier to find them out of the backfield. Running Backs will always matter in the NFL. They create physicality, especially if they can do multiple things, which Gent can do. Look at Saquon Barkley's value, Derek Henry's value in Baltimore. I think there's been a wide receiver bubble in the NA I never think there's a running back bubble. I will take a star running back. Physical toughness, can block a little, catch a little any day of the week. Colin right, Colin wrong. On a Monday well, Jimmy Johnson, I've said this before. There's been a handful of people in my life. When I used to do the weekend shows at Fox. I would hurry up and get the makeup on, and then I would go into the break room and I would basically pester Jimmy Johnson for thirty minutes, asking about pulling guards and slot receivers, and Jimmy Johnson would patiently answer all my minutia and nonsense. And he is joining us now live the Hall of Famer, the two time dud Bolt Chamber. So I owe you a debt of gratitude as I ask you about roverbacks and nickel coverage and dime coverage, and you would smile at me and patiently as I sat there eating food and asking. And I just want to say thank you for that, even in your off season, you're willing to come on the show. So thank you, Jen, and thank you for me.
Jimmy.
Well, thank you Colin.
As you know, probably the most fun I've ever had in my career, and that's counting Super Bowls and national championships, was at Fox Sports. You know, I have an absolute ball with my friends on the set, and the best friends I've ever had there with Fox, and and then I tell you on top of that, you know, I love working for Eric Shanks, our CEO, and our producer Bill Richards. But I've made an extremely difficult decision.
I've been thinking.
About it for the last four or five years, and I've decided to retire from Fox. And I'm gonna miss it. I'm gonna miss all the guys and I'll see them occasionally. But it has been a great run starting back thirty one years ago.
You know it's being met. I got to call this weekend from Shanks and this is something inside the building. We knew it was coming over the last couple of years, and they've talked you into it. One of the ways you are viewed in the building is the way you were viewed as a football coach. You're kind of the general manager and the coach of the show. Otherwise, you know, Bradshaw will never stop talking, and you know basically you have to coach the guys on the set. But and don't be humble for a second. I think you loved that is that you viewed, Jared. That's how we viewed you. You were the coach on the set behind the scenes and if you could for a moment share that with the audience.
Why you love that?
Well, you know, I guess it goes back to all the years that I coached, and you look at the guys on the set, you know, not only are they best friends, but you know, I'll watched Terry play in college when he was at Woodlawn High School and we recruited him for louis Ana Tech coach Howie Long in the Blue Gray Game when he just left Villa Nova, I had Michael Strahan. Yeah, they're in Dallas, and I was going to draft him, and he reminds me of it many many times when it was a mistake. I was trying to get him cheap and New York jumped in front of me, so I wasn't able to draft him. I actually had a scout in his home on draft day, and so we're all very, very close. And Kurt Menafee was he was in Dallas when I was in Dallas, and so it was just natural for me to be somewhat of a coach. And Bill Richards, who you know, I love to death, you know, uh, he kiddingly calls me My calls me assistant producer. Because I would have suggestions on what to do on or maybe our own the field segment, et cetera. Uh So, I just kind of played the same role that I played for many, many years as a hit football coach.
You know, Jimmy, there's a handful of people that have done it, none better than you. You were a dominant COLL coach.
That's hard.
Then you were a dominant NFL coach. I think that's harder you were. Also then you're a Hall of Famer broadcasting hall of famer. They're all hard. How are you able? College coaching and pro coaching is different now. It's a little more similar now than it was in your day. Was there ever a moment you're a Hall of Famer football broadcasting college.
Do guys like you ever have self doubt?
Was there ever a moment in Dallas that first year you thought this is a.
Bit I've been asked to show a lot. I'm not sure I bit off too much.
Collen, absolutely not. I can. I can tell you the story.
And Dave want Stad and Tony Wise, they can verify this. When I was at Oklahoma State University, I went to a little restaurant and we were struggling.
You know.
I said, you know, guys, hang with me. We're gonna win a national championship. We were at Ancestor Restaurant and we ended up winning the national championship at University of Miami cause I took all of them with me and we were going through that one in fifteen year. We went to a little Mexican restaurant right there close to Valley Ranch, and I told the guys, I said, listen, I said, we're making some moves now that are going to hurt us on the short term. We traded our starting quarterback, we cut the leading receiver because he couldn't play the caliber that we wanted then. And we made some trades, obviously trade herschel Walker, but we made fifty one trades in five years. And I told the guys, I said, listen, I know it's a real struggle right now, but you hang with me because we're going to win a super Bowl.
And that's I mean.
I might have sounded like a crazy man because we were going one in fifteen, but I said, we're making some moves now that are going to help us three years from now. And so you say, was there any doubt? No, there wasn't any doubt. And it wasn't that we had a dream. And I said this at the Hall of Fame induction. We didn't dream. We truly believe that we were going to get it done. I think if you believe that you're going to get it done, you work to make it happen. If you dream, you're hoping that it happens. But we've worked to make sure it happened.
You know, I think more than ever coach and quarterback. I've always said this, if you get the coach right in the quarterback right, everything else will work itself out.
You'll figure it out.
I've said Sean Payton and bow Nicks that I got Sean, I got bon Nicks. I don't know what's going to happen if they win trophies, but they're going to be fine in Denver, They're going to be fine. But quarterbacks now make seventy million, sixty million. There are social media stars, shoe deals. You didn't deal with that. But I still contend that the Andy Reids and the Peytons and the guys like you, you just make it work. I look at you and Troy, Troy gets emotional and you got into the Hall of Fame I'm watching that.
That makes me emotional.
What was the relationship even then? Because Troy was getting banged up, he was getting criticized quarterbacks go one on fifteen. They don't you know, Dallas media was not giving you guys a pass. How did your relationship get so tight or was it always like that?
No, it wasn't always right there. I actually tried to recruit Troy to Oklahoma State there in Henrietta, Oklahoma. I was in his home when he was a sophomore and junior, and Troy was just here at the house two weeks ago. We had a strained relationship that first year because I drafted Steve Walsh with a supplemental pick, and I knew Troy was our guy. But I wanted to take Steve Walsh because quarterbacks are so valuable. I knew that I would be able to trade him. I actually started trying to trade Steve Walsh a month or two after I drafted him.
But I had to kind of walk a tight.
Groupe because I couldn't brag on Troy knowing that I was going to trade Steve Walsh.
So I had to kind of brag on both of mine, you know.
I kept saying we got two quarterbacks, but I knew exactly what I was going to do, and then I end up trading Walls for a one, two and three. But that upset Troy that I didn't go all in on him that first year. But after the first year, then you know, I started making overtures to Troy to get our relationship better. And like I said, we're best friends now. He was just here two weeks ago. So yeah, again, it was a strained relationship because of the way we were dealing with things. Plus we went one at fifteen. That'll strain any relationship. But it got better and now it's fantastic.
You know, Bill Belichick, I remember when he left New England. I think he was grateful for Bob Kraft. But in the end, richer owners now, Jimmy, they're all billionaire, and the richer owners get they'll just run. They'll fifty millions a rounding air, they'll just blowout of staff. I have never seen more impulsive owners in my life. In the NFL, there used to be one crazy guy or too. Now it feels like half the league's owners think they're coaches. And when Belichick left, he acknowledged that you had relationships that may have been impulsive, but you turn it into championships. Do you think it's harder to coach today. I mean, there's a lot of ways it could be easier. But the owners, Jimmy, they're all billionaires, and that has a way of making owners think they know a lot more football than they do.
Yeah. I think it's it's more difficult with the owners. But what makes it a lot easier if you've got a great quarterback. You got a great quarterback that you could overcome a lot of things. But you know, you're talking about billions of dollars, you know, and you know, Jerry and I our relationship was fine for a while because he borried one hundred and forty million dollars. He was trying to pay off that loan, so he spent all of his time trying to make money to pay off the loan. So he really didn't bother me. Now, once he got the loan paid off, after we won the Super Bowl, he wanted to jump into football business. But yeah, I think the relationship with Bill and Kraft probably was a little strained there at the end. I told Bill. In fact, he came down here right after he left doing and with his girlfriend. And I was talking to him and I said, you know the NFL stuff, but you know college football with the nil and the transfer portal, that's a headache.
He said, yeah, but they were headaches in the pro football as well.
Yeah, when you ultimately made this decision, if you just joined us. Jimmy Johnson has announced his retirement from Fox. H you kept coming back and we talked into it about four different times. Right, That's the truth. And I there are people people in the hallway this morning that are are a little melancholy about all this. How do you hope I mean, you achieved everything, three different Hall of Fames?
How do you hope you're viewed?
How do I I mean, obviously you're successful. You're successful at three different Hall of Fames? What matters if somebody, if I'd never met Jimmy Johnson, I walked up to somebody, said, tell me about Jimmy Johnson. What at a value level? What matters to Jimmy Johnson?
Why?
What your relationships?
You know the guys that were here, like you said a couple of weeks ago, some of my former coaches and Troy and you know, players, et cetera. Yeah, they were talking about. I said, you know, the thing I try to do is I try to bring out the best in everybody, everybody that I came into content with, UH, and I tried to have some interaction. The way you bring out the best in people is you have interaction with them. You communicate with them. The biggest problems I ever had with anybody is when I didn't communicate. And that's what happened to Jerry and I on our relationship until it got fixed here later on. Is we stopped communicating. And you know, it never gets better if you don't talk about it. It never gets better if you don't interact. And you know, and not not necessarily you know, pumping somebody up and praising them, but they are just acknowledging them, you know, and saying, hey, you need to pick it up a little bit. You know, maybe in a kidding way, but you need to have some interaction with individuals. But I tried to bring out the best in everybody that I came into contact with. I don't care what their role was, I don't care how important they were. I don't care if they were a Hall of Fame player or an intern on our set.
UH. I tried to bring out the best and everybody.
How are you going to watch football next year? And not send Eric? And I send Eric Shanks written notes on email about things he needs to tweak.
Colin, I've got three TV set up, and you know how much I love watching football, Terry said brad Jo.
He told me that day before yesterday.
He said, guy, you're gonna be able to sit at home and what's all those college games without me? And you're gonna watch all those pro games without me? I said, yeah, but I'll be watching them with a cold beer.
Absolute pleasure. One of the best people I've and smartest people I've ever met in this business. And you've always treated not only people behind the scenes here uh, interns, producers, nobody sees, but I just want to put it out there. You treated me great and I appreciate it.
Coach Colin.
I loved every minute of it, and thank you. I appreciate and hey, thanks to Fox Sports. I mean, it was really the best time of my entire career. And you mentioned it the Hall of Fame, College Hall of Fame, Pro Hall of Fame Broadcasting. The best time in my career was with with Fox Sports.
Great to see Jimmy Thanks man, the great Jimmy Johnson retiring at Fox. You know I had all these football questions. I was gonna ask him, Yeah, forget it, it doesn't matter. Let's talk about the stuff that matters for people that don't know. Behind the scenes, Jimmy was essentially along with Bill Richards, that's been number one for I think thirty one years in a row. The Fox Show has been number one for thirty one years in a row. Bill Richards is the producer. And it's a lot. It's a lot. There's a lot of live shows, and it's you do live television. You bounce around a city to city to city. It's a lot of work. It is hard and on any given segment can go sideways fast. And the guy on the set that was the glue men. I feed the host obviously, and Jimmy Johnson. And with that we take a break. Jimmy Johnson retiring from Fox Sports.
It's The Herd.
One more Herd. The Herd streams twenty four hours a day, seven days a week within the iHeartRadio app. Search Herd to listen live or on demand whenever you like.
You know, it's funny.
I believe in analytics. But there are certain players that are just a good vibe. They're just good energy in the room, and it's like, that's Jimmy Butler. Like in Golden State, Staff's like showing off like you're a good hang. It's a good hang. I'm gonna tell a story. Let me tell a story before we go into video.
Low energy cow Herd.
Before this Sunday, the NASCAR Cup Series hits to f S one day the subdor to door action at the Jewel of the Desert in Phoenix, pre raise kicks off and too Eastern with the green flag flying at three thirty on FS one.
So like, if you're ever gonna go, like on a Vegas trip with buddies or a golf trip with buddies, there's a saying or a question you often ask when you're organizing it. Is he a good hang? Can you hang around him for four or five days? A lot of guys are a bad hang. They're cheap, they're weird, they're needy, they drink too much, they say inappropriate stuff, they're not ill meaning, But like, are they a good hang? If you're gonna be with guys for five days, you're going on a rafting trip or a Vegas trip.
Are they a good hang?
Some people just bring really good energy. They're easy to be around. They may be intense, but they're just something about it. The analytics, said Jimmy Butler to the Warriors may not be a perfect fit.
They're now eight and one. They're eight and one.
The night that Steph had fifty six, Jimmy Butler had five.
It doesn't matter.
It's like Steph Curry taking one more shot of games since Jimmy Butler arrived and averaging seven more points. I looked at the stats, turnover differential. Warriors are now first in the league assists the game, first, free throw percentage first, Like, it's just good vibes. He's just good juice. He's tough, he's intentional, he's physical. In the NFL, we call these force multipliers. They're just guys you put in a room and they make everybody better. And a lot of times analytics can't capture this stuff. Analytics will like certain guys and I'm like, yeah, they're a bad hang.
It's bad energy.
And that's why I kept saying, just get Jimmy Butler on the Warriors. I'm watching the Warriors play Steph had no energy. Nothing against Draymond. Draymond's not a big score. It's like they just they just needed a second behind their ace. And sometimes you need a great motivational speaker. You have a Tony Robbins come in and talk to your company. It's nothing against your boss, it's nothing against Steve Kerr.
But I mean it's the NBA.
There's if you get to the playoffs, there's one hundred games a year. How many times can you of a pep talk? And this team just needed juice, It just needed good vibes. And Andrew Wiggins was sort of Jimmy Butler is the He's the anti Andrew Wiggins. He comes with physicality, intensity, even a shoot around, like you never have to ask, is Jimmy Butler on the floor. And I'd said this for years about Jimmy Andrew Wiggins. I'd seen him play live four or five times. He could drop twenty eight points when he was at Minnesota. I never knew if he was on the floor, Like you always know when Jimmy Butler's on the floor, he's getting fouled, he's fouling, he's getting to the line, he's trash talking, And it's the same with Lebron and Luca. Lebron like has a new energy and a new joy. Steph Curry's plan out of his mind. Even guys like Michael Jordan and Kobe sometimes had to create obsessed guys had to create motivation. And I mean Steph Curry, how fired up kind of guy that's gonna be first fout Hall of Fame. Get trying to be a tent seed. So right now they are in the playoffs, and I've said this, here is my NBA Finals bubble. I think there are six teams Lakers, Warriors, OKC, Nuggets, Celtics, Cavs can win the championship. Nicks I feel like just may not be able to defend the pick and roll good enough. Robinson's back, they'll be better defensively. I don't buy Houston they can't shoot. And I don't buy Memphis. I still think they're too young. But here's here is Steve Kerr on Jimmy Butler and what he brings.
I think they compliment each other really well. Jimmy's a phenomenal all around basketball player, two way player. He's at his best when the ball is moving. I think we can do a better job of getting him involved. It was still a work in progress. But I love Jimmy's fit here. I think he's perfect next to Stephen dre and it's showing.
Obviously.
I think we're eighting one since we got him with him in the lineup. That's not by accident.
Yeah, it's not at all.
One NFL story and I was confused about this yesterday as a staff.
This morning, we're kind of trying.
To figure out this jigsaw puzzle in Minnesota with Sam Darnold, and I don't have a real strong take because any take I could have could be wrong.
They could franchise tag him. I don't think they will.
Tom Paula Sero and Ian Rappaport are reporting yesterday they're working on a deal with Sam Darnold, and it is no that's what.
It's a crazy story.
Because they drafted JJ McCarthy, they have Daniel Jones and they're working on a deal.
So it's funny.
I think we forget this. Josh Allen was the MVP last season, right, it was going to be Lamar or Josh Allen. You do realize that Josh Allen last year had a couple of stinkers. He went nine for thirty in a game against Houston and had a fifty six passer rating.
Remember that game.
He also was awful against the Colts, no touchdown, two picks at a passer rating of sixty. That's the MVP. We watched Patrick Mahomes struggle twice against the Raiders and be awful against the Eagles. Let's just remember that we have to be totally honest about this. Let's just talk about last year with Minnesota a team pick for fourth. Okay, Sam Donald played with a roster that wasn't as good as mahomes roster and wasn't as good as Josh Allen's roster. Let's look at the splits on Sam Darnald. I think what Kevin O'Connell is saying is this guy's insanely talented. We're not sure JJ McCarthy is as good as him. So if you start looking at Sam Donald last year, yes, he had a couple of really bad games the first sixteen games of the year thirty five touchdowns, twelve picks, fourteen and two sixty eight percent completion percentage. By the way, he lost his left tackle midway through the season, and a passer rating at one oh six and a half.
Yes. Did he lose to the Rams they had a better roster.
Did he lose to the Lions in Detroit Game of the Decade, Yes, they had a better roster. So I mean, go back to Mahomes and Josh Allen that had, you know.
Better rosters.
They had awful games, and so I think and Minnesota was picked for third or fourth.
Remember they're over under. Was was it like six or something?
So I think what Kevin O'Connell is saying is, listen, guys, don't go crazy on the last two games. Is that Sam Darnold is in his prime, put up insane numbers in a division, in an NFC that was better this year than it was the previous two years.
And we're going to negotiate with him.
And I'm trying to figure out why they have JJ McCarthy and people are like, well, the injury.
I don't know.
I watched these young athletes. They're always healthier in rehabs sooner than later. I don't think it's an injury. I think it's they're looking at Sam Donald and they're thinking, well, I mean, the Niners drafted a quarterback, they never played him much, and they were fine, like like you, I mean RG three. You know, Washington moved off him to Kirk Cousins in the fourth round of the same draft, and they were fine. I just wonder if Kevin O'Connell saying, is everybody watching what happened, like this guy was a step below Josh Allen last year? You you don't do that out of luck or good fortune. Minnesota was not a great roster. They had two really good receivers. So that's the only thing. I mean, that's that's really the only thing I can figure out in Minnesota right now, because the story is, according to legitimate reporters, they're working on a Sam Donald deal in Minnesota. They're working they're doing franchise tag, which is a one year deal. They're working on a contract. I mean, honestly, we start.
There this morning.
I'm like, isn't Kevin O'Connell telling you, I mean, yesterday, I theorized they're just saying nice things about him to get him on the market and pay him back for what he did to the team. But when two legitimate reporters come out and go, yeah, they're we're working on a deal with Sam and it's not a franchise, maybe Kevin O'Connell is just saying, go look at the numbers. You're being way too harsh on him. We watched Mahomes and Josh Allen have terrible Sundays.
Okay, how about this listening to you, I just internalized, and I'm like, what if Darnold looked around the landscape and said, I don't want to go to Vegas, colts or nothing. I'm definitely not going back to New York. Hey, guys, I'll stay in Minnesota on a cheap deal.
Give me twenty five thirty million, forget forty forty five.
I don't need it.
I'll take a cheaper deal to stay here, and I'll Tutor McCarthy. You know what if he's willing to take less to stay in Minnesota because he loves it there.
Well, first of all, it's always been a you know, it's funny they don't have Super Bowls, but I've never thought of Minnesota as poorly owned or poorly run. They've always been viable. They just you know, it's like I've always thought the Minnesota Vikings, because the Packers are in their division, we don't talk about them a lot.
I've always thought they draft.
Well, they developed. They're well owned. The will family. Never you know, you don't You don't hear about chaos or nonsense. They always have the quarterback situation.
I mean, I don't know.
I just I look at it and I think, if Kevin O'Connell is willing to draft a quarterback and want to resign Donald, then Donald's better than all of us are giving him credit for we are. We are punishing him because he didn't work with the Jets.
Who works with the Jets?
Nobody does. That's it's a fact. Well ask Karon Rodgers, who works with the Jets.
Didn't you say Minnesota nice was like a thing, that's like a known thing.
I've never been to.
That part of the country. It's beautiful, but I hear good things. Oh it's great. It's a great place.
Be sure to catch live editions of the Herd weekdays and noonon EAS theyre not a Empacific.
Hey, Steve could be and I'm Rich David and together we're Covino and Rich on Fox Sports Radio. You could catch us weekdays from five to seven pm Eastern two to four Pacific on Fox Sports Radio and of course the iHeartRadio app.
Why should you listen to Covino and Rich.
We talk about everything life, sports, relationships, what's going on in the world. We have a lot of fun talking about the stories behind the stories in the world of sports and pop culture, stories that well other shows don't seem to have the time to discuss. And the fact that we've been friends for the last twenty years and still work together, I mean that says something, right, So.
Check us out.
We like to get you involved too.
Take your phone calls, chop it up.
As they say, I'd say the most interactive show on Fox Sports Radio, maybe the most interactive show on planetar. Be sure to check out Covino and Rich live on Fox Sports Radio and the iHeartRadio app from five to seven pm Eastern two to four Pacific. And if you miss any of the live show, just search Covino and Rich wherever you get your podcasts, and of course on social media that's Covino and Rich.
By the way, somebody just sent me a friend inside the company sent me a text about this Celtic I'm calling the Celtics the greatest roster construction I've ever seen. The fact that Tatum, Drew Haliday and porsingis can be gone and Derek White and Pritchard last night both drop over forty. It's in that's that nobody could do that. Now the Pistons, somebody sent me this. The all four Pistons that beat the Lakers similarly did not have a superstar, although it was Ben Wallace and Rashid Wallace and Chauncey billups a Tayshawn Prince. I think the Celtics are a better version of that, a much better offense. That Rip Hamilton was on that team as well. I think this team's better, But I would say this Celtics, those Pistons, you know, the Sonics, the Blazers, the Washington Bullets.
At the time, it's just incredible.
And the other thing is people say, well, how come he always makes all NBA? Remember the NBA came out with that sixty five game minimum to make awards. Tatum always plays sixty five games, you know, like sometimes is Lebron gonna do that, is Ad gonna do that, is Gianna is going to do that? Is is Luca gonna do that? So Tatum's gonna make the lists. That doesn't necessarily mean anybody thinks he's yokic. But if you go look at Jokic, Stephan Giannis, and Lebron. When they're off, the team is noticeably worse. This team's ten and two without Tatum and scores eight more points a game. It shows you how unbelievably historic the Celtics roster is. I mean, I think Cleveland could win the championship in almost any other year in the last seven or eight. I just don't think they'll get through Boston. So I know Celtic fans think this is hate. It's like, no, this is the greatest non superstar team ever. You just keep telling me Tatum's a superstar, and I'm just telling you he's a star. He and Jalen Brown are Tatum's better. It's close. So I love this. The other day, Shack came on after Steph went into the Garden and you know, rocked another one. Just a great night, and Shaq came on the air and giving the ultimate respect to Steph Curry.
I demand your fans to start putting Steph Curry in that greatest of all time conversation. Just start putting them in a compensation the conversation. Start putting stuff in that conversation. I demand it.
Why does the Big Men Alliance.
Need to say something because I am the supreme leader in Manvoy's camps. Listen, I played against Mike, played with Kobe, played against Anew, with Lebron. They're all great, but you go, at some point, we're gonna have to put Steph Steph Curry in that category.
I think the greatest compliment about Steph Curry that I could pay him is I think you have to consider replacing Magic Johnson on the all time starting five.
I'm not saying you do it. You gotta consider it.
Now.
We all know Kareem, Lebron, and mj those are etched in stone. Kareem most unstoppable shot, Michael the most relentless, greatest player, and Lebron the greatest Swiss army knife. We can argue about forwards, Duncan bird, whatever you want, but we have three etchton stone. I always thought it was four. I always thought Magic was etchedon stone. But if you look, one of the reasons that Lebron and you know it would wear well because Lebron would be good fifty years ago, good, ten years ago, good today, good twenty years ago.
Lebron's everything.
I don't think Magic he would be great today, but I don't think his game ages as well. I think Larry Bird's game ages better than Magic's because of the three ball. I think Larry Bird today would be I mean, what would he be. He would be Luca. I mean he would be Luca in better shape. That would be Larry Bird. He would be unbelievable passer, unbelievable score, not a great defender. But he'd be Luke in better shape. You couldn't stop him. He'd score whatever you want. He would score forty points regularly. He could score fifty if you wanted to. Bird ages very well. Magic's not a shooter and it's a shooters league. That's why I don't like the Houston Rockets in the playoffs. They can't shoot. I don't want to hear about their athletes. They can't shoot.
And so.
But if you've never seen Steph play, he never him play. Here is think about this. This is how you would describe his game. He scores faster than any human being ever. Like remember when Reggie Miller got like eight points and nine seconds. That's Steph's entire career. He scores faster than anybody. So he changed. I mean, Magic Johnson may have saved the NBA, but Steph Curry revolutionized not only the NBA, international, high school AU and college basketball. Here's Steve Kerr talking about his best player.
Steph is the most unique superstar of all time. The way he impacts the game is different. And so when you have these conversations about who's the greatest ever, you know, you automatically go to these you know, his genetic marvels, you know Lebron and Michael Jordan, and you know will change on whoever else. Steph doesn't fit that normal mode. So I love that Shack is bringing that up because from a skill standpoint, it's not even close. He's he is the greatest ever from a skill standpoint.
Yeah, And I just love that he's enduring and that he just he was sort of on a treadmill to nowhere. They gave him Jimmy Butler and he has just said I'm my average, I'm gonna take I'm gonna take one more shot a game and average six and a half more points a game since Jimmy Butler. Rive. That tells you he just needed he needed a push, he needed a buddy to show off to, and he's back to being all time stuff.
Be sure to catch live editions of The Herd weekdays in neon eastern non am Pacific on Fox Sports Radio FS one and the iHeartRadio app Ryan Day.
The Ohio State Buckeyes national champs favored next year as well as joining US Live. You know, I was thinking about this this morning. I was thinking about this years ago. Mike Krzyzewski when they did the one and done he didn't like it, and then I asked him about it and he goes, I didn't like it. And then three years in I realized I was losing to all these one and done guys.
So maybe it's time for me not to be stubborn.
Your sport, Ryan has become incredibly transient, I mean, just what it is. Was there a moment when it all came down the hill transfer portal nil? Was there a moment where you said.
This is a lot.
I don't know if I like this is it? We're going to just do high school guys? Or did you buy into it? Ten minutes in?
I mean, I I you know, there's still things going on that I throw my hands up right now. There's so many changes I think about, you know, the NIL, the transfer portal, the conference realignment with eighteen teams.
So now you know in the Big ten, we.
Traveled to the West coast and you have the playoff change, Like just just those four things and those are just four things that have all happened. Those are like major, major changes. So you just had to be comfortable being uncomfortable in solving it and getting it because nobody cares, like there's all kinds of things that happened, you know, in the last month or so. Know that, you know, after our game, we can get into later, but nobody cares about like what matters is putting your talent, uh, you know, a town accusation on the field and put them together and putting a team together. So as much those things have changed, to me, I felt with this team it was about the kind of timeless principles of hard work and sacrifice and loyalty and resilience that separated us.
So I'm a friend of Chip Kelly, and he you know, he's told me about your friendship for years and years. And I said, I said, I predicted before the season. I said, Ohio State's gonna lose at Autsin. I've been in too many games there. You can't hear yourself think I don't think anybody in the country is going to beat this Oregon team at Dotson. You got close. I said, Ohio State's gonna beat him. They're gonna meet They're gonna meet it later. And Ohio State's got better personnel and Ohio State's gonna beat him. But one of the things I theorized, I said, Chip Kelly is a real advantage that you're not going to notice until the playoff. He has he knows how to stagger these games because college football now feels like pro football. You can lose late in the season. It's not a death now. It's about staggering. It's about slowly unveiling. Take our audience into the value of Chip Kelly in that playoff that I can't see, you know, guys like me can't see, but inside your building the additive value that Chip gave you, that had a little NFL field to it.
Well, yeah, well, I think like you said, when you're talking about now sixteen sixteen games in a long season with a playoff format at the end of the year, it starts off with even this time of year, making decisions on how you want to proceed, Like, for instance, we decided to huddle on offense this year.
We had never done that.
Certainly Chip hadn't done that a lot, you know, with his background in tempo. But but that decision was a huge decision and that you know, we wanted to continue to evolve as the season went on. But then you know, really have our best football for the end of the year. And I think having the NFL experience, and I would think a lot of teams would tell you, you know, in the NFL, in in September, there's you know, sort of the preseason October, they're finding their identity and then by the time they get to November and December, now they're going to play for championships and everything's on the line. And I wouldn't say that that's the way it is in college right now, but it's trending towards that, and having somebody that's been in that position before, certainly with his experience in the NFL, it made a big difference.
So you have a player, you have two players.
And I had said this, I had an NFL general manager tell me a month ago that if Jeremiah Smith and Caleb Downs were in this class, they'd probably be the second and third guys taken they're unbelievable players, and you guys have done a really good job. And I think this is really hard, especially now you're paying players that you have, these superstar players, and yet it felt like such a team. You felt like such a team, your sideline, your body language. Is it harder when you have you know, Ohio State's one of four programs maybe three that gets those guys. When you have literally NFL players, they're just not eligible, yet you're paying them. You're not paying everybody big money in the NFL. Everybody's doing fine in college, there's a little gap. Is the hard for you to massage as a coach?
Well, I think it starts with the identific I mean, there's a lot of NFL players that you know aren't in at Ohio State. You know that that maybe just aren't the right fit for for who we are, and so we try to do, you know, a great job of identifying, you know, the right people that fit us. You know, there's a lot of great players out there, but what you know, Ohio State's not for everybody, and you know, we try to make sure that.
We bring in the right folks that fit our culture.
Because now, again, like you said, these guys are making money now, so it's now even more important to bring in the right fit and then what you what you say to them in the recruiting process, you better follow through with because they can literally walk out the door tomorrow if they wanted to. So, you know, it's really forcing everybody to really, I think, follow through with what they talk about on the front end.
But then these guys still want to be held accountable, you know, and.
Coaching them hard and giving them life lessons and building trust within the.
Building is is very very important.
And I think you know, our fan base and being in Columbus and what comes with that. You know, our guys understand that there's a big obligation when you come to Ohio State what comes with it. So you know, the fact that we were able to overcome some things this year and then prevail on the back end certainly is going to you know, carry over into the season.
You've got a bunch of guys that are going to be very good. I mean, you're really a factory now you've become the best you know, you guys have done a little bit Alabama did so. Saban was a defensive coach and by the time he left Alabama was known for wide receivers and quarterbacks. Ohio State in my lifetime was running backs, o lineman, linebackers, and now it's it's wide receiver you and I've said this. I told Urban Meyer this once. I said, when you have receivers as good as Ohio State, you got.
To feed them.
And I said, I think it can hurt your run game in physicality. How do you simultaneously build power football. It's easy for hardball with the Chargers now, by the way, because they don't have superstar receivers.
Once you have four of them, is it hard for you as a coach?
Okay, we want to be explosive, but we want a little nineteen eighty.
Five Ohio State too. Is that hard for you?
Oh?
I think it's a great conversation, Colin.
I think it's it's a great point because when you're in the Big Ten, like you've got to play smash mouth football, but then you also got to be able to go out to the Rose Bowl or down to you know, the Cotton Bowl and play Texas and Oregon and attract me, you know. And so that's the combination of things that we're constantly trying to make sure we balance out, and the only way you can do that is if you have unselfish guys. So like you know, to have Trevon Henderson and quinch On Junkins together in the backfield together and let young players see that their unselfishness and willing to sacrifice being the guy or a number of carries so that they could play really, really fast and really physical down the stretch made a big difference, I think, yeah. And the only way that happens is if guys are unselfish and to your point, you know, if you have selfish guys who just want the ball and don't understand how important is to establish their run, it's not going to work.
And vice versa.
You know, if you have you know, running backs who want certain number of carries when the ball needs to get thrown out to some of our receivers, it isn't.
Going to work.
So buying into the team is critical.
You know, There's been a couple of moments in my life when I had my first child that I literally was floating, like I didn't feel like, I'm like, what's happening to me? I got salty discharged, I'm crying, you know, And so we have had that too. We've all had personal moments, but I want you to pivot now to a professional moment because there is a difference between work and home, even though we love both. Take me back to the moment you knew you were going to be national champion. Who was the first person you thought of?
Oh? Well, for me, it was my father, you know, And I didn't really make this public before, but since you asked me, I'm going to answer the question. You know, I lost my father on January twentieth when I was nine years old, and I saw when the schedule came out that the National championship game was on the same day that I lost my father, and so, you know, I just knew that he was with me that day, and that was the first guy.
That I thought of.
Oh, that's a great story. We've said this before. You know you're in a good program when you get heat for losing occasionally to Jim Harbaugh Georgia, it's right now. It's the best program. In my opinion, it's the best program in college football, nil transfer portal coaching destination.
It's Ohio State.
Do you ever ever just get to go for a walk in the park in Columbus put a baseball cap on and not get noticed, or do you sometimes feel like, man, this is a lot. It's a lot coaching the buck guys in Ohio State. How's that land for you?
It is a lot, it is, but that's what you signed up for.
And I remember when the first press conference, you know, I was there with with with Urban and you know, a lot of people just kind of asked, you know, how do you follow up coach Meyer a legend, and what if you don't do this? And what if you don't do that? And I just kind of had the mindset of what what if? What if we do? What an opportunity to be at a place where there's just such great tradition. And you know, my wife that night, we're on the bed together, I had three young kids, knowing that we were probably the first, you know, family to go through this with young kids, you know, going through elementary school and now into junior high and high school. And she kind of cried and she said, this is the last time our family will be normal. And I didn't even understand at the time, but she did and she was right.
But but you know, it's it's part of the job. It's part of the obligation.
And I think after this game, so many people have come up to me across the country when I've traveled to different places, and the first thing they say is thank you, just thank you for what you did this year. And they tell the stories of where they've been across the country or who they were when they watched the run that we went on, and it just makes you realize that Ohio State football is bigger than any one of us and the obligation that we have, and it's just a you know, it's an honor to be the head coach Ohose State.
I love all the you.
I appreciate you giving these stories to us because you don't have to and you're opening up and it means a lot. Finally, a big thank you from me for playing Texas so Ohio State. A lot of programs won't do this and it drives me nuts.
You guys.
I remember when Pete Carroll you schedule the Trojans in LA you know, Ohio State played him.
At home, and a lot.
Of coaches won't do this, and you know you you have just made a point.
Let's you know.
I don't mind the Youngstown State. I don't mind that uh, you know in State Ohio. But when you when you it's one thing to make a commitment three.
Weeks before that game. Are you gonna be thinking, you know, we could have played Texas State at.
Arlington, that would have been I mean, you had a hell of an opening game.
You're gonna lose some sleep when that thing's two weeks out.
Well, I think it's one hundred and seventy three days from today.
So yeah, to say I'm gonna lose sleep, yeah, you darn aroun I'm gonna lose sleep.
I think a couple of things.
I think one, it allows you, you know, an opportunity to figure out where you're at early in the season. And but I think it's important moving forward with the playoff system that like in the Big Ten in the SEC and as we start to work through this, that we do get automatic qualifiers and a certain amount of automatic qualifiers.
If we don't, then you're never going to see these games schedule.
To your point, that's right, that's right.
Yeah.
So I think that's critical if we want these games, which I think we should have these games, yes, and we need to make sure that that happens because I think it's really really good for college football.
Oh, I mean, I think the loss at Oregon, my takeaway is that was going to easily be the harshest environment you would play in that I didn't care what you did the rest of the year.
I don't care if you're that was good. No, I'm not. I covered Oregon.
That is as loud as any football stadium I've ever been in NFL or college. So in a way, you look at it at the time and it stinks flying back to Columbus, but it paid dividends later. Your guys saw what real duress is like. In Ohio State, you don't face a lot of that, you know, I mean, you know. It's just I feel like the football gods, you should have won this year, and I love the way you won. I want to thank you for coming on, giving us a little insight into your life and uh, impossible not to root for Ryan.
Thank you so much.
I appreciate col much respect man.
All right, great football coach, and I really believe this is I think if you count transfer, portal, nil coaching, home environment, budget focus, I think Ohio State this moment is the best football program in America. Now there it's always like you know, Bama, Georgia, Ohio State. You know it ebbs and flows. It never lasts forever. But that's that is a tough job. That is a you do not escape. I mean you can when you coach Ohio State. You can take your family on a trip to Florence, Italy, and there'll be buck guys over there too.
Appreciate that. So j mac.
Got uh, you got your uh, you got ad Jason Tatum Tomorrow's headlines today. You know It's what's really unfair is I am just a journalist. And when you're a journalist and you're just laying out data and people are attacking you, you know that's not I got into this business.
Who is? I'm not attacking you. No, do you feel attacked? People in Woolster are up in arms. How many people are listening to this show? Can point out Wooster on a map. I used to live by it. Course I lived in Connecticut. I'm in Boston six times a year because of certain.
Wooster like what like a cultural Crossroady Town.
People come up to you and they say you like produce, how you like these apples? And they punch you right in the forehead. That's what Wooster's about no messing.
Around in my kind of town college. Oh yeah, uh
