Maxx Crosby ADDRESSES TRADE RUMORS: Is he happy with Raiders? | Colin Cowherd: THE HERD NFL

What this episode is about

Max Crosby discusses his motivation and passion for football amidst trade rumors, emphasizing how his challenging journey and experiences fuel his drive to succeed with the Raiders. He reflects on how overcoming adversity shapes his competitive spirit and commitment to the game, drawing parallels to other players who have used similar challenges as motivation.

Key takeaways

• Max Crosby: proof that chip-on-the-shoulder players can tackle adversity—and offenses—with unparalleled zeal.
• Double or nothing: maximum respect means double teams; embrace it like Crosby does, or fade into mediocrity.
• From underdog to top five: motivation can stem from a fourth-round pick’s relentless pursuit of perfection.
• In the NFL, one monster sack can crown you a Hall of Famer; pressure is the secret seasoning for greatness.
• Crosby's fire is fueled by every doubter—much like Tom Brady, proving that legacy is built on resilience.

Who speaks in this episode?

• Colin Cowherd (Host) · 16 min speaking
• Max Crosby (Guest) · 20 min speaking
• Fernando Mendoza (Guest) · 4 min speaking

What is discussed, and when

1. 0:00 – 5:00: Fernando Mendoza, Max Crosby, Curt Signetti, Ian Brady
2. 5:00 – 10:00: Drake May
3. 10:00 – 15:00: Max Crosby, Zbiotics, Sachs Underwear, Matthew Stafford
4. 15:00 – 20:00: Matthew Stafford, Drake May, Ian Brady, Bill Belichick
5. 20:00 – 25:00: Bill Belichick
6. 25:00 – 30:00: Curt Signetti, Fernando Mendoza, Indiana Hoosiers, Bill Belichick
7. 30:00 – 35:00: Fernando Mendoza, Matthew Stafford, Curt Signetti, Ian Brady
8. 35:00 – 40:00: Matthew Stafford, Planet Fitness, Fernando Mendoza, Curt Signetti

Notable quotes from "Maxx Crosby ADDRESSES TRADE RUMORS: Is he happy with Raiders? | Colin Cowherd: THE HERD NFL"

• You mentioned Brady being a sixth round pick, myself being a fourth round pick, I feel like I always had to fight and go above and beyond to prove myself. And that's why I feel…

  about Max Crosby · at 1:42

• Can remember the I remember the intensity of the games. Your corners Drake May was young and I remember saying on the air, I think New England's going to get really good, but…

  about Drake May · at 7:56

• Zbiotics.com/theheer herd. Go there now. 15% off your first order if you use the herd at checkout.

  about Zbiotics · at 14:13

• For years, but there is a calmness and a maturity and an EQ. think about this. Matt Stafford has more fourth quarter comeback wins than Drake May has career starts.

  about Matthew Stafford · at 16:32

• Out of trouble so they don't have to save them. And Stafford does that as well as anybody in the NFL. This week I had Tom Brady on the show and we weren't even talking MVP debate and he just randomly brought up Matt Stafford.

  about Ian Brady · at 17:32

• Doing their own thing in America, but everybody is just outraged that Bill Bich didn't get in first ballot to the Hall of Fame. So, I just want to close this matter. Okay…

  about Bill Belichick · at 19:30

• There's a toughness here. And Fernando Mendoza has been kind enough to join us live here on a Friday before the Super Bowl.

  about Fernando Mendoza · at 25:52

• Game at Cal that unfortunately did not go our way. But I think that's great experience. And that's why when it was a Penn State game, the Oregon or the national championship…

  about Indiana Hoosiers · at 28:05

Who and what is mentioned in this episode?

People

• Max Crosby — Person · Main guest · 4 mentions · first at 0:20
  Primary interview subject; discusses his underdog mindset, being double-teamed, rehab/surgeries, and commitment to the Raiders.
• Fernando Mendoza — Person · Main guest (later segment) · 7 mentions · first at 0:48
  Second interview subject; QB prospect discusses development path (Cal → Indiana), toughness, NFL aspirations, and coach Kurt Signetti.
• Matthew Stafford — Person · Referenced player / comparison point · 8 mentions · first at 14:38
  Central to the MVP debate segment; framed as a veteran 'Jedi master' at the line of scrimmage compared to Drake May.
• Curt Signetti — Person · Referenced coach / key influencer · 7 mentions · first at 0:58
  Presented as Mendoza's developmental coach and a culture-setting, tough-love leader; also referenced earlier as part of the 'journey' comparison with Crosby.
  And then he goes to Kurt Signetti and Indiana doesn't have fivear guys like and I wonder sometimes that if your journey is part of why you're successful like you play angry and I think Brady to.
• Drake May — Person · Referenced player / comparison point · 7 mentions · first at 8:01
  Discussed both in a Patriots game recollection (young QB) and in the MVP comparison versus Stafford (mobility vs mistakes/maturity).
• Ian Brady — Person · Referenced exemplar / referenced expert · 4 mentions · first at 4:54
  Used as the archetype of the 'chip on shoulder' late pick and as a model for QB preparation; also referenced as a Raiders part-owner in the news cycle.
• Bill Belichick — Person · Referenced subject of commentary/critique · 3 mentions · first at 19:34
  Discussed in a monologue about Hall of Fame voting and controversies (Spygate, record without Brady), with the host arguing the 'wait a year' is understandable.
• Aaron Donald — Person · Referenced exemplar · 1 mention · first at 2:38
  Cited as an example of an elite defender drawing extreme attention (triple teams), used to contextualize Crosby being doubled/chipped.
  Harder it gets and I'm willing to take that, run that marathon every single time. when I remember watching a clip of Aaron Donald in his last year and he was being triple…

Products & tech

• Sachs Underwear — Product · Secondary_owned · 2 mentions · first at 10:50
  Mentioned as a product Max Crosby has been working with for a few years, featuring limited edition designs.
  Got my logo on it. representing represent my brand. but Sachs underwear, best in the world. I wear it every single day. And, we're going to continue building. So, appreciate it, Colin.
• Planet Fitness — Product · Recommendation · 2 mentions · first at 36:21
  Mentioned by Fernando Mendoza as a place he uses to stay in shape during the pre-draft process.
  To see what that product looks like. So with Planet Fitness, it gave me a $15 per month subscription. So I'm able to go in there, before radio row, get a workout in, do some…

Places & events

• Indiana Hoosiers — Place · Setting · 1 mention · first at 29:33
  Mentioned as the team Fernando Mendoza transferred to and led to a successful season.
• Cal — Place · Setting · 4 mentions
  Mentioned as the university where Fernando Mendoza played football before transferring to Indiana.
  And then he goes to Kurt Signetti and Indiana doesn't have fivear guys like and I wonder sometimes that if your journey is part of why you're successful like you play angry and I think Brady to.

Sponsors

• Zbiotics — Product · Sponsor · 3 mentions · first at 13:21
  Promoted as a pre-alcohol probiotic drink to prevent rough mornings after drinking, with a call to action for listeners to purchase.

Full transcript with timestamps

0:00 Welcome to the Herd's official YouTube channel. Make sure to like and subscribe. Don't forget to check out the Colin Coward podcast, all of our NFL instant reactions, and more football content. Anytime I talk to an executive in the league and I ask him about their favorite players, uh, universally, every GM, every scouting director I've ever talked to puts Max Crosby in his top five. And there is something beyond just leading the NFL and in tackles for losses or pressures. It's beyond that. It's the attitude. Uh it's hard to play for teams that lose. It's it's easy to be uninspired. Uh and Max with two X's. Max Crosby is never uninspired. And he joins us at the Raiders facility. It is interesting. You your journey is fantastic. It is just I was just talking to that Fernando Mendoza kid. He was, you know, he's going to be your number one pick and he got beat up at Cal. He was a lowar recruit. Like he didn't get

0:55 like his journey is fascinating, right? And then he goes to Kurt Signetti and Indiana doesn't have fivear guys like and I wonder sometimes that uh if your journey is part of why you're successful like you play angry and I think Brady to the very end had a chip on his shoulder about being drafted late and when you play for a team that has struggled to win games. Do you still have a little bit of that little resentment that little anger about oh no you didn't think I was good enough. I went to Eastern Michigan. You ever play with that a little bit still, that motor?

1:30 Oh, 100%. You know, that's what uh you know, that's what gets you up in the morning. You know, it's it's that obsession and that passion for the game, you know, no matter what the score is. Um that's something I pride myself on because you know, I feel like you know, you mentioned Brady being a sixth round pick, myself being a fourth round pick, you know, I feel like I always had to fight and go above and beyond to prove myself. And that's why I feel like I've been able to be at my level for as long as I have and and why I know I'm going to continue getting better because I know in my head like from the outside everyone's like, "Man, you're killing it. You're doing this and doing that."

2:01 And in my head it's always like, "No, like I know there's another level. I know there's a Dpli in my future. I know there's a Super Bowl. I know there's first team all pros." Like that's what I fight for. So, I could be top five in every category and it'll still be something else I'm trying to chase because that's like that's what pushes me because I know at at one point nobody even wanted me and and only one school took a chance on me in the whole country. So, that's that that chip on my shoulder that that only continues to grow because I know like deep down you got to earn it and prove it every single time and it's about what you're doing right now. So, the higher you go, the harder it gets and I'm willing to take that, you know, run that marathon every single time. when um I remember watching a clip of Aaron Donald in his last year and he was being triple teamed. I'm like like it's not even fair. Like I

2:48 understand why I retired. It's like okay white flag. I I give up. You now are the one Raider. Although I've said this before, I think your defense if healthy is going to be pretty interesting next year. I think you've got some really talented dudes. Um are there times you feel like now that you've arrived you get doubled, you get chipped? Are there I mean are are there times it's frustrating at all?

3:12 Yeah. Uh I mean yeah like I I would say at first when I you know first started really you know having that type of success in the NFL um right you know after that first breakout year everyone starts keying in on you. So initially you're like damn I'm just trying to get a one-on-one or trying to get more one-on-one opportunities and in your head you're like damn like I'm not going to have as many one-on ones as I usually do. But after like you you get used to it and you just understand like that's the ultimate respect in this game. You know, every single week I know they got to put a red circle around me and say, "Listen, we got to stop this guy." Like that's the ultimate respect. That's when you know you've gotten to the level that you need to be at and that you have to continue getting better because it gets harder when you got constant chips in the run game and pass game and they're running away from me 90% of the time.

3:56 It's like that's when you know you're doing something right. Um, but at the same time, uh, you have to just be level-headed and stay calm because if you start just freaking out and, you know, getting frustrated, you'll start losing yourself and not playing your best ball. So, you know, I have guys on my team, Malcolm Coun all the time, you know, he started having more success and he started getting chipped a little bit more. And he's like, Max, I don't know how you do it, bro. And I'm like I'm like, listen, I said, you can't let it frustrate you. You got to keep going because the one time you get that one-on-one and you're not ready for it, you're not think you you think you're going to get chipped or whatever, that's when you might miss that opportunity to go get a strip sack or go make a game changing play. So, you got to just, you know, be locked in and tunnel vision when that stuff is going out.

4:36 Yeah. I mean, think about that. If you get one sack a game, you're a first ballot Hall of Famer in your career. Just one. You can get you can get tossed around like a crouton in a salad bowl for three hours and you get one great sack and you're a Hall of Famer. You know, there's there's a bunch of stories because you're such a high-profile player. Tom Brady's part owner. Here comes Fernando Mendoza. You're in the news now all the time. So, I I I don't know what's true, what's not. Here's what I'll ask. Where are you today with the Raiders? Where's your mind at? What are your thoughts? I I don't know what I read's true. What I read that you're in the news all the time. So, just lay it out there. Where are you with the Raiders?

5:17 Yeah. You know, it's it's funny. I'm I'm glad you brought it up because um you know it's like damned if you do, damned if you don't. You know, for me um in the past I've learned, you know, being too vocal and and too involved with trying to make you know, I want this coach or I want this. Like I've learned my lessons and I've learned from that. And like that's not my job. My job is to be the best player I can possibly be. Be that guy in the locker room every single day, the leader. That's who I am to my core. That's all I love. That's all I care about and love is being the best version of myself in that locker room and on the field on Sundays and in practice and doing all those in the weight room leading leading from the front, not talking and you know, not leading every day. I do it every single day. So that's what my importance is. And nowadays, you know, especially like this past year,

6:00 year and a half, like I'm not talking about stuff like that cuz that's not my job. And I've been advised, hey, Max, I think it'd be best, you know, some of the best mentors in my life. Max, just I know you care a lot. You you're obsessive about it. You want to win no matter what. Like, but some you can't control everything. And I've learned that. So, now that I be quiet, now now that I'm quiet, now I got random people making big statements for me and they're like, "Oh, Max must have told him this and this guy." For me, I just sit back and laugh because I know my truth. And when I go to bed at night, I I have a smile on my face because I don't have to explain nothing to nobody. I've said it over and over again. I'm getting healthy. I'm in the building every single day. If I'm in this building before 6:00 a.m., it is dark out and I am in here for until almost 2 o'clock, almost eight hours, I'm putting in

6:45 straight work, rehab, lifting, getting prepared for next season. Like, that's all that I care about. So, all the noise, it's news to me sometimes. I got up yesterday, I looked at my phone or two days ago, I look at my phone and all of a sudden now I got a bunch of PR people talking about what they, you know, what Max is doing. And it's like I just I just laugh because if I address it, then someone's going to pick apart what I say there. So, it's a lose-lose. I'm just going to keep doing what I'm doing. I'm getting healthy. I'm going to be the best version of myself upcoming this year, and I'm going to put myself in the best position to do that. And that's by carrying, you know, taking care of myself and and being the best version of myself on a daily basis. My family's good. My wife is doing incredible. My baby girl's three. She's running the house. Uh life is incredible. So, I just try not to,

7:32 yeah, you know, address certain things because no matter what, someone's going to, you know, pick it apart and make it some some way. So, I'll let people do their talking. All I'm all I'm about is action, my actions. And my actions, everyone knows what my actions are. I do the same thing every single day, and I'm going to be the hardest worker on the planet every single time. So, that's all I care about. you played New England earlier this year and beat them and I can remember uh the I remember the intensity of the games. Your corners uh Drake May was young and and I remember saying on the air, I think New England's going to get really good, but they got a lot of new players. They got a lot of free agent money. They didn't look quite organized yet. What What do you remember about um I think that game was in Foxboro. What do you remember about that week?

8:19 Yeah. Yeah, that was week one. you know, we're uh we're playing a team with a new uh new head coach. They got a young quarterback. They have Josh McDaniels, obviously, who I'm very familiar with. And Pat, you know, Pat Graham, our D coordinator, um was hired by, you know, Josh to be the the guy. So, Pat knew him really well. So, I felt like, you know, going to that game, we were extremely confident. Um and we went on the road and and got like a a convincing win, you know what I mean? And after that game, we're like, okay, you know, we were supposed to do that. Obviously after that it didn't really uh you know the season didn't go the way we expected but that's a testament to Mike Vrabel and that whole staff Josh McDaniels Drake May they they obviously took a lot of guys from my team that all some of my favorite teammates Roberts Fain Chson Holland like all the closest guys that I have are all gone now and in the damn

9:08 Super Bowl. So it's really really dope to see. Um, I'm happy for them. You know, uh, the competitor in me, you know, I obviously want to be playing right now, not sitting here. As much as I love you, Khan, I would not, you know, I'd rather be in the Super Bowl getting ready to get it to go play. But those are my guys. So, I know the type of guys that they brought over there. They're they're culture guys, guys that love the game and that are going to go out there and do exactly what they need to do. And that whole team, you can see they're all on the same page. They're not doing anything crazy flashy. They're not going out there running a bunch of wild exotic looks. They're out there executing and not losing the games. They're taking care of the ball and they're playing really good complimentary football and that's why they're in the Super Bowl.

9:47 How is your uh rehab going? Uh phenomenal. It's going going incredible. Um like I said, you know, it's it's everyday process. You can't uh look too far down the road. You're going to, you know, go crazy and and it can get difficult, but you just got to stay stay in the moment. And um I'm absolutely killing it. I'm ahead of schedule and uh it's business as usual. you know, it's unfortunately it's been this is my eighth surgery. Um, eighth surgery in seven years and uh it's something that I've uh something that I've gotten used to. Um, but like I said, you know, it's all about perspective how you approach what uh what you want to accomplish. For me, I'm willing to run that marathon. And you, like you said, you know, I heard you on the broadcast, you know, a guy that a future Hall of Famer, a guy, a Super Bowl champion, a defensive player of the year, that's all still in the forefront in in my future. And uh people that

10:37 doubt that, I appreciate it and it's going to continue motivating me and the ones that believe it, um I'm excited to show y'all um the best version of myself, you know, in the near future.

10:46 Great seeing you. You got great energy. Um sorry that I made you Oh, you're working with Sachs Underwear, aren't you? Isn't that your

10:54 What is Yep. Yep. Sachs underwear. You know, I've been working with them for a few years now. Um we got a couple limited edition uh underwear out there right now. I got my dogs on it. You know, I'm a big pitbull guy. So, I got my three dogs featured on the underwear. Go get that right now. And the other pair, I got my logo on it. Um, you know, representing represent my brand. Um, but Sachs underwear, best in the world. Um, I wear it every single day. And, uh, we're going to continue building. So, appreciate it, Colin.

11:20 Good seeing you, buddy. We'll see. We'll we'll spot each other at a UFC fight soon.

11:24 Absolutely. You call me anytime. You're the man, man. All right. Max Crosby, uh, just again, just what did you hear there? Gratitude, humility, people doubting me, gratitude. And for the record, remember this week we were when when Bo Nicks and Shawn Payeyton went back and forth at each other about the surgery and I I remember I said on the air I said, "You really have no idea how many surgeries these guys have?" I had no idea Max Crosby had eight surgeries. These guys get cleaned up almost every year. I mean, you can't play certain positions in this league and not get annual surgeries. I I I I I will stand by this.

12:05 Do whatever you have to do in your life to get a sideline pass once to an NFL game. You you My takeaway is how how do you get to the end of a season like this Super Bowl and almost everybody's healthy? How how is it possible? It's like it's like just trains colliding strong athletes. And one of the ways is you you you get cleaned up fast. These guys are mid-season surgeries. Uh the the train I I always defend officials. It's easy to watch a game on TV and think you know what the what the call is. Those officials get it once and you think a lot of guys are like, "Man, I wonder if I could play like just one series in the NFL.

12:52 eight surgeries, Max Crosby, and he's one of the physically dominant players. He's hitting people. They're not hitting him. He's hitting them blindsided. With a big game coming up, we're all about enjoying the moment without paying for it the next day. Whether I'm hosting friends, jamming, cheering from the couch, heading to a watch party, I want to be fully present and still feel good in the morning. For me, that means planning ahead, especially if I want to have a few drinks. My simple trick, start the night with Zbiotics pre-alcohol.

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14:13 zbiotics.com/theheer herd. Go there now. 15% off your first order if you use the herd at checkout. It's backed by 100% money back guarantee. No risk. Subscription is also available for maximum consistency. Remember zbiotics.com/theheerd. Use the code the herd at checkout for 15% off. Matt Stafford won MVP last night by a vote over Drake May. I would have voted Matt Stafford. Both are excellent. Uh I don't think it would have been difficult for me to make the decision. And here's why. Because there's one thing that's not discussed about Matt Stafford. So Drake May led the NFL in scrambles. Clear advantage over Stafford. But Stafford dominated him in so many other important things.

15:04 It's like Stafford had twice as many what they call big- time throws. Stafford also faced the Seattle Seahawks defense twice, right? And by the way, did very well against the Seattle defense. Stafford played a much better schedule. Uh Stafford had fewer what they call quarterback miscus, sacks, fumbles, interceptions. Stafford had 38. Um May had 63. So Drake actually led the NFL in fumbles. So, you got more big plays, you got fewer mistakes. Um, but that's and more touchdown passes, but you don't get the mobility.

15:44 But to me, here's really the difference between the two. There is a reason in this country you cannot be president until you're 35. Matt Stafford understands the why on every play. Drake May is 23. He's still trying to figure out the what. It's like great parenting. You don't have to save your kids if you're a great parent. You don't put them in positions to be saved. Great presidents are like that. Matt Stafford's like that. He's a Jedi master at the line of scrimmage. You ever watch how often the Rams go to the line of scrimmage and he's changing plays? He's getting you out of trouble. He's getting you into yards. Drake May can't do that.

16:29 And maybe it's the fact that Stafford's got four daughters. He's been married for years, but there is a calmness and a maturity and an EQ. I mean, think about this. Matt Stafford has more fourth quarter comeback wins than Drake May has career starts. He's he's attempted 8800 passes. Drake May's at 800. They're just different people. Life experience. We won't let you be president until your mid30s. And I'd suggest we go to 40. I I I mean I'm getting tired of the 70 and 80s, but there's a reason we have that. And so it's not just that I get more big plays because you can argue, well, you got Devonte Adams, you got Puka Nua, you got all those tight ends. Although I would argue New England's receiving core is really deep and Hunter Henry Henry's excellent. The Rams do have a better offensive line, but it comes down to the maturity and the seasoning. And parents don't get credit for keeping their kids

17:32 out of trouble so they don't have to save them. And Stafford does that as well as anybody in the NFL. This week I had Tom Brady on the show and we weren't even talking MVP debate and he just randomly brought up Matt Stafford. When you have a very highly intellectual quarterback, let's look at Matt Stafford who's going to probably win MVP. That's how he's walks to the line of scrimmage now. He's got 17 years of wisdom. He can now say, "Great, there's a very high percentage chance that this play is actually going to work. Let's run it."

18:10 That's how you continue to take growth as a quarterback and level up every single year because the processing amount of the processing information, the speed of processing information can get better as you get older. And that's why I think you see a lot of success from quarterbacks in their mid to late 30s. You know, when you have an older brother and a younger brother, many times the younger brother will get upset and a bad moment becomes a bad hour becomes a bad afternoon becomes a bad day. And the older brother is like, "You'll get it later. Don't worry, buddy. You're going to understand it years from now." Drake May is still trying to figure out when he goes to the offensive line, when he goes out of the huddle and he's ready to take the snap, he's still trying to figure out the what.

19:00 Matt Stafford's like within seconds understands the why. And if you watch Stafford every snap, and I did, he is at a Brady Manning level that very few quarterbacks in my opinion ever get to. Okay. So, uh you know, you had the NFL big event last night and they're giving out awards, NFL honors, and people are are really insensed this week. It's you don't get people to uh join forces very often. Everybody's doing their own thing in America, but everybody is just outraged that Bill Bich didn't get in first ballot to the Hall of Fame. So, I just want to close this matter. Okay, first of all, let's talk Hall of Fames. The Basketball Hall of Fame lets in officials and Metoark Lemon.

19:48 His commitment and confetti got him in. The Baseball Hall of Fame doesn't allow the all-time home run leader or the all-time hits leader. Okay, got it. The NFL Hall of Fame outrageously and egregiously for one year made Bellich wait and people are losing their you know what. Spygate one. Spygate two. First round pick. Third round pick. Fines taken away. 45% winning percentage without Brady. Can we take a deep breath? Can we take a deep breath? Hall of Fames are museums. So they serve primarily three functions. Number one, they're field trips for kids.

20:36 They're a way to burn a day if you're a senior. And it's where guys take their girlfriend to make them feel that they're more sophisticated. That's the majority of people that go to museums, field trips, burn a day as an 80-year-old, or impress your girlfriend. Something to remember. You get in or you don't. You get a jacket or you don't. The Lou opened in 1793. Mona Lisa did not get in until 1797. She did not get in. Yeah. Nobody 10 million people a year go to the Lou and look at the Mona Lisa. Not one of them has ever said, you know, she wasn't first ballot.

21:24 Nobody's ever said that. And by the way, why not? She was bad with the press. And if you take Da Vinci out, very thin resume. But in the end, you can't tell the story of the Italian Renaissance without her. So, she got the jacket. Nobody cares. And that Lou is more important than the Pro Football Hall of Fame globally. Nobody's asking when Luke Keequley got in last night. Awesome. Awesome. One of the great guys ever. One of the great linebackers ever. 20 years from now, nobody's asking when did he get in. I get more worked up that Green Day got in before Pearl Jam and Bon Joy.

22:06 I'm still pissed about that. That's what works me up. BUT IF MONA LISA, four years, outrageous. Spygate one, Spygate 2, multiple fines, $2 million in fines, taking away first round picks, third round picks, and I'm sorry, Jimmy Johnson without Troy Aman, and an old Dan Marino still won 58% of his games. You take out Brady, go look at the resume. He's got the winning percentage OF JERRY GLENNVILLE. FUNNY GUY, NOT A GREAT football coach. So, can we all take a deep breath? Just take a deep breath. You get a jacket or you don't. You get in or you don't. You don't get everything in life. And if you are viewed as somebody and I don't think this is even disputable that kind of pushed the envelope with the rules calling everybody did it. Next time uh next time you get audited tell the IRS agent that everybody cheats on their taxes. It's not going to work. I said it earlier this week. You get pulled over by law enforcement after a

23:24 couple of beers. Hey, everybody else here's a a little sauce, too. That's not going to work. There is a tax and a price to pay if you are seen, regardless of the number of trophies. If you were fined multiple times, if they took away draft picks multiple times, he has to wait a year. A year. the Pro Football Hall of Fame. The headline this morning was, "Has this forever tarnished the Football Hall of Fame? I don't even know where the Hockey Hall of Fame is. Barry Bonds and Pete Rose aren't in the baseball hall of fame." And they let in officials to the basketball hall of fame. Football Hall of Fame's just fine. Mona Lisa got the gold jacket. She got the jacket. She's in. Jmack, I'm glad I put a bow on that.

24:18 So, so all week, all week I've said, "Take the under. It's low scoring. The defenses are better than the offenses. It's unbelievable coaching. Vrabel and Josh McDaniel have a huge advantage and I still think they do."

24:35 Something though on a deeper dive, there is something that I I literally wrestled with last night.

24:43 I struggled. Now, I've slept poorly all week. Well, listen, that happens when you're living it up out here in Los Angeles. But hey, I quick question on the Mona Lisa. Did the Mona Lisa hold Shawn McVeyy's offense to three points in a Super Bowl. Could the Mona Lisa have done that? We had the slot receiver because of Bill Bich. Mona Lisa didn't do anything with a slot receiver. Okay, Bellich did a lot for this league. He got jobbed, Colin. It's okay to say that. By the way, nice job on the artwork. Uh

25:08 yeah, our our graphics department. Who knew who knew that she wore hoodies? I mean, it's the Italian Renaissance just keeps unveiling itself. Yeah.

25:17 Well, he is impossible not to root for unless you're a rival of the Indiana Hooers. Uh Fernando Mendoza, you know about the Heisman Trophy, uh and you know about the remarkable Indiana story. He originally out of Miami committed to Yale and then flipped the Cal, another remarkable school. And I talked about the first time he he really I watched that Penn State second half and I went, "Oh, wow. This kid is different." And then I started going on YouTube and watching the Cow games and uh it's like this there's a little Andrew Luck here.

25:52 Uh there's a toughness here. And Fernando Mendoza has been kind enough to join us live here on a Friday before the Super Bowl. So, it's just you're such a neat story and a and very true to your personality. Fernando, when was the first time that you thought to yourself, because you're a real humble kid, but you thought to yourself, maybe after a game, you know what? I may be able to play on Sundays. I I think I can play maybe pro football. Was Was that at Cal? Was that in high school? Was that When When was that first moment?

26:27 Well, first of all, Mr. I really appreciate you having me on and as much as I love the compliment I don't think I'm in the same sense as Andrew Luck I'm still a long way to go but at Cal I was a very raw prospect and I know I need to get developed and that's why after graduating cow in three years I took the jump to join signetti and co to try to become a developed quarterback because I know I need to get my footwork right I need a whole another skill set to even think about the NFL and I would say mid year when we played Oregon at Austin Stadium and came back I was like wow maybe Hey, maybe I can play in the NFL.

26:59 And then the whole month of December, as we here have here the Ohio State clip rolling and the playoffs, I was like, okay, I think I'm confident enough to take this next step, to take this next leap and bet on myself and declare for the NFL draft this year.

27:12 You know, it's interesting though. You went to Cal, you didn't play with a lot of five star players and you you you know, you lost some games, but I I talked to an NFL executive

27:22 and he said um I said, "What do you like about him?" and he said, "I like his toughness. You guys all talk about his arm and his size." He said, "I saw him get whacked by Miami. I saw him get hit hard at Cal. I I saw the Ohio State game." He's like, "That a lot of guys don't like to sit in the pocket." Where do you think your toughness comes from? I think it comes from not wanting to let my teammates down. And I always trust my offensive lineman. And I know that if I sit in the pocket and I deliver a strike, not only is it going to deflate the defense, it's also going to inspire my team. Wow, Fernando could get back up and deliver the next play. Oh, that's something we want to play with. That's something we want to play for. And like you mentioned, there are a lot of close game at Cal that unfortunately did not go our way. But I think that's great experience. And that's why when it was a

28:11 Penn State game, the Oregon or the national championship, whenever the high pressure moments, it was that Cal experience where we won some close games and we also lost some close games like the NFL. The margins are very, very small and it kind of gave me that experience to help the Indiana Hooers go 16 and0.

28:28 So, it's interesting. We all know Curt Signetti is a great coach now. Yeah. But he's not a I mean, we were at Cal and a lot of people were interested, Fernando. They wanted you. And it's not like Signetti is just Mr. Personality and oneliners and funny. What did you see in him? What in that recruiting pitch? What did you see in him that you're like, "Okay, this is the guy to take me to another level."

28:55 So my younger brother, Alberto Madoza, who's now going to be the starting quarterback for the for Georgia Tech, he was there the year before. And when I was, you know, in Cal for three years under, you know, a couple different OC's and I saw the way he developed the one year, I was like, "Wow, the way he's learning about defense, the way they're processing information, and the way they're really developing the quarterback, that's where I need to go." And when I visited these other schools, they're like, "Hey, we have the best shot of winning the national championship. Indiana, I mean, they're a Cinderella story." But coach Signetti was like, "Fernando, you want to go to the NFL? I'm going to develop you into the best quarterback you could possibly become." And that's what sold me because I want to control the controllables and be the best quarterback I could become.

29:36 The best ser my teammates and coaches. Yeah. The um Does he ever get mad at you? Cuz boy, he gets mad at the media all the time. He gets mad at you. He does.

29:44 Oh. Oh, a lot. Yeah. I would say that there's been a lot of times at practice he's like, "What the hell are you throwing here?" And you know, and it's that tough love. He honestly he doesn't give us a lot of love at all, especially the quarterback. But I think that's what makes him special cuz he never wants to keep us complacent. when we had great victories early in the year, he was like, "I don't know who you guys think you are. We're not that good as a team. We still need to go a long long way." And coachi was always always made sure to keep our team and especially myself humble.

30:14 So, he was always very hard on us. And I think especially in the day and age of college coaches, you know, going to more the side of NIL, the power shift to the players where they, you know, wanted to be a little more friendly. He brings that old school leader that kind of like fear leader CEO type where it's hey you're going to respect him you're going to do what he says and you listen to his coaching points. So it was a great learning opportunity for all of us.

30:36 The um in terms of just football players, quarterbacks, um a lot of times we in the media or draft analysts will say, "Okay, here's his comp. Here's his comp. Here's who he is." And I do think you have I mean I to me you have a toughness that has an Andrew Luck feel. Um and and you have a poise and a toughness and the intellect and that's why you know and by the way like Andrew Luck Andrew didn't play with fivestar guys at Stanford. He played with good players. You play with good players.

31:09 Um yeah. Do you is there a professional quarterback at any part of your journey that you even subconsciously you kind of the footwork, the style, the jersey there? Was is there a professional that you've always kind of thought I kind of like the way he plays, the way his feet work? Is there a guy for you? Yeah, I would say there's a lot of guys for me throughout my entire childhood. And then when I started getting to high school and the college level and actually learned how to study tape and really extracting things from their game to put into my game. As a child, I was always a huge Tom Brady fan. I read the TB12 book. I was always big on the preparation cuz like Tom, I'm not the biggest. I'm not the fastest. I'm not the strongest, but the edge is in the intellect and preparation. So, I really appreciate him preaching that message from a young age.

31:58 Yeah. And what's really important about being quarterback is being cerebral, knowing where to go to the ball, knowing your checks and all that different, you know, all those different external factors that you don't think about when you just think about arm talent and footwork. And then this past year, our quarterback coach, Chan Whmer, who's now the quarterback coach for the Bucks with Baker right now, he made me watch every single clip of Sam Darnold from the past year and Matthew Stafford as they had a little bit of a similar system as we did at Indiana for some of the play action games. uh not not the RPO but for the play action games and for the drop back game and it was great to see their footwork and really how they processed the game and it helped me learn a lot about the NFL game because you always see the highlights but it was really interesting to see this how they dealt with plays that didn't go their way when

32:42 they needed to throw the ball away or they needed to check it down and I think that really helped my efficiency this year.

32:48 Um listen, you're going to go to the Raiders. We we can project that. I'm projecting you're going to go number one. Um, you will lose some games. It's a great division. Um, and I when I watched you against Miami, they were running some zone, some man-to-man. It was a very smart defense and they were really physical. And I kind of felt I honestly felt Fernando, I'm like, he's kind of getting a glimpse of the NFL. Like Miami's got professional level athletes. Take me back to that Miami game because you were so good on big downs. Was that the most professional feeling? I mean, Ohio State's obviously great, but when you played Miami, honestly, it felt I said this, I'd never watched the college game that I thought felt like a little bit of a pro game. When you were in that game, did it take you to a place did you I mean, did you think at any point this is the this is the best personnel I've ever faced?

33:43 Honestly, I think poundfor-pound Ohio State had the best personnel, but what it made what Miami made an NFL game is the edges they had. They have two first round picks on the edge. And that's how it is in the NFL. You want to stay at front of the sticks. You want to be efficient so you don't get in the long third downs because they have Jason Taylor's a Dline coach and they're doing all different NFL stunts, all these different disguises. So, you want to stay ahead of the sticks and Miami had an extremely physical defense. And with the NFL, like we talked about, the margins are so small and it's going to be a dog fight every single week. And when it seems like you're up by a lot, you're not really because then it comes back to equalize. And I think the Miami game was great experience because you're going to get roughed up. So what? Cry about it. But you're going to need to be able to deliver in the big moments. Like

34:26 they say, money down, third down, and even more than that, fourth down. You know, it's um your personality is very infectious and it's very authentic.

34:36 And you're just a you're a very optimistic guy. But what I I actually I'll tell you, it's not just the Indiana stuff. I like that you played at Cal. Aaron Rogers played at Cal. Jared Goff played at Cal. Jared Goff, I don't know if you've seen the tapes. Jared Goff got beat up a lot at Cal. He was He got sacked a lot. And I look at Cal and I'm like, "Oh, this kid knows what it's like. He's gonna This is tough." Um, if I said to you, Fernando, what is the one thing you have to work on before you take an NFL snap? What's the one thing that I'm not saying it keeps you awake at night, but you're like, "Man, I got to get better at blank."

35:15 Yeah. I always say with the NFL, I mean, my I believe my footwork needs to get better cuz anticipation at time in the NFL, it's larger than college. College, you know, you always got to throw it, you know, right as they break or before they break, but the NFL, you can't get away with that stuff. And with the footwork and timing, it's something that I've really improved on from Cal to this year. But I think the footwork is so important and it's really the small movements in the pocket. We see quarterbacks when I was watching the NFL tape. You see Matthew Stafford, he moves a foot is stable and then rips the ball rather than escaping the pocket or these large movements in the pocket. It's all about being subtle and being a master within the your telephone booth in the pocket.

35:54 All right. Um, by the way, are are you do are you picking a team for the Super Bowl? Do you is there a team you think's better?

36:02 I'm not I'm not picking a team for a Super Bowl. I don't want to get in any trouble, you know? I just hope it's a good game. And you know, it's kind of it's kind of funny because now I'm in the real world and actually going to play in the NFL. So, from being an NFL fan, I've I've I've got rid of that aspect of my life now cuz I realized I'm going to be playing for an NFL franchise and organization and I need to give them give him my all.

36:21 Yeah. Planet Fitness is who you're supporting. You got a word for Planet Fitness?

36:26 I do. You know, as much as I love coachi, he kicked me out of the Indiana football facility. He said, "Get out of here. We're ready for the new team." And so when I'm here on radio row, I need to get a workout in. I need to be prepared. I can have two weeks off not working out. If not, you know, I don't even want to see what that product looks like. So with Planet Fitness, it gave me a $15 per month subscription. So I'm able to go in there, you know, before radio row, get a workout in, do some, you know, pliability, be able to, you know, work on my core and maintain and strain for this pre-draft process as I know how important it is. And I need to give this eight weeks. And honestly, this entire year, my all.

37:05 You know, I'm starting to really like Kurt Signetti's crankiness. That makes me laugh. That is Curt Signetti types. I'm starting to I really an endearing quality. Get out of my facility, kid. Hey, congrats. Can't wait to watch you play in the NFL. Uh there's just it's you're an easy guy to root for and thank you for taking 15 minutes for our show.

37:25 Thank you so much. God bless you guys. I appreciate again. All right, Fernando Mendoza. Um, yeah. I mean, I I I've said this. If you look at quarterbacks in the NFL where they went to college, you know, obviously Matt Stafford goes to Georgia and and Sam Darnold, USC. I think he's the first USC quarterback in a Super Bowl. I think there's a lot of quarterbacks in this league. Philip Rivers, North Carolina State. Eli Manning, Old Miss, Aaron Rogers, Jared Goff, Cal, Big Ben, Miami of Ohio. There's a lot of I mean Joel Flacco's journey and I Matt Ryan and I've had this theory for years is that you it should be like well you're number one you go to Alabama then you star in the NFL. No, that's not a real experience. A real experience for a quarterback is Cal to Indiana. That you get hit

38:17 and that your receivers aren't wide open. Look at how many great quarterbacks don't come from traditional powers. Even this Indiana team didn't have a lot of fivestar guys. Miami did. You you you think quarterbacks should always be like from Bama, Texas. They're not. They're so often from smaller schools where you have to elevate three star guys. So I think those Cal years for him I I mean YouTube him, go back and look. He can't he he doesn't have a lot of time to throw at Cal and he's not throwing to fivestar guys. You know, uh, Colin, we we got a lot of guys coming on the show, do interviews. A lot of them are coached up. They don't want to give any bulletin board material. I feel like what you just heard from Mendoza was 1,000% authenticity.

39:02 Like every single thing he said, he felt it. Like he felt genuine like a real good human being. Like the kind of guy if if your daughter brings him home, you're like, I this is a nice guy. If he came here and wanted my job and took it, I wouldn't be like angry at the world. I'd be like, that's a good dude.

39:17 Listen, that's been taken under consideration. He's just a good guy. Like he's just

39:20 Well, you know, the other thing I'd like him who somebody said this the other day,

39:24 they may have said this on the air or they may have said it off. I I don't remember where I heard this,

39:30 but somebody said something that was very interesting that um I think it may have been Jordan Palmer is that the one thing you can't be to succeed at quarterback is a chameleon. You can't be a guy that comes into the locker room as a quarterback and you're just a different guy every day.

39:51 You've got to be true to you. Even if some say it's cringey, you have to be true to you. Tom Brady was like overly optimistic. First day, last day, you'd be like, "Nobody's that optimistic." And then you have Tom on my show. No, that's who Tom is, right? Like this kid's personality, this is who he is. He doesn't care if you think it's cringey. It's totally true to him. I think a lot of that's from his parents. Yep.

Questions about this episode

Who speaks in "Maxx Crosby ADDRESSES TRADE RUMORS: Is he happy with Raiders? | Colin Cowherd: THE HERD NFL"?

Colin Cowherd (Host), Max Crosby (Guest), Fernando Mendoza (Guest).

What is "Maxx Crosby ADDRESSES TRADE RUMORS: Is he happy with Raiders? | Colin Cowherd: THE HERD NFL" about?

Max Crosby discusses his motivation and passion for football amidst trade rumors, emphasizing how his challenging journey and experiences fuel his drive to succeed with the Raiders. He reflects on how overcoming adversity shapes his competitive spirit and commitment to the game, drawing parallels to other players who have used similar challenges as motivation.

What is mentioned in this The Herd with Colin Cowherd episode?

13 people, works and ideas are mentioned, including Max Crosby, Fernando Mendoza, Matthew Stafford, Curt Signetti, Drake May, Ian Brady. Each one on this page links to its own page with every episode that mentions it.

How long is "Maxx Crosby ADDRESSES TRADE RUMORS: Is he happy with Raiders? | Colin Cowherd: THE HERD NFL"?

The episode runs 40 min; the transcript is about 7,955 words in 73 timestamped sections.

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