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This is The Rich Eisen Show. Hey, everybody. Can't get enough of The Rich Eisen Show? You're in luck. You can find us everywhere.
Watch us weekdays on Disney Plus from noon to 3 Eastern. Miss the show? We've got a podcast, so you can listen anytime. But here's the best part. Our YouTube channel.
Subscribe at youtube.com slash rich Eisen Show and you'll never miss a moment.
Now, on with the show. Oh my god, you guys are my favorites. This is The Rich Eisen Show. The one and only. Rich Eisen.
I know what I'm talking about. That's the headline. The Rich Eisen Show. With guest host, Brian Weber. I mean, honestly, he's brilliant.
Brian Weber. I've got a long resume. Google me. It saves time. From the Rich Eisen Show studio in Los Angeles.
And now, sitting in for Rich. It's Brian Weber. The final hour of the program. We appreciate the company on this Christmas Eve. ESPM Radio is presented by Progressive Insurance in 20 minutes.
Looking forward to a conversation. With the Hall of Famer Eric Allen. In advance of that, I can tell you that Eric deserves to be in the Broadcasting Hall of Fame as well because he's just that talented. And for two NFL seasons, he had to sit next to me for seven commercial free hours. We did a Red Zone radio program for Tune In.
Of course, you can hear ESPM radio on TuneIn. I realize my style is not for everyone.
Now, the only small positive of that program was my job, like Scott Hansen, was to pivot to games, and then we would throw to local radio calls.
So, for example, Wayne Larvey has the call on the Packers Radio Network. But You have to sit in a room with me. For seven hours I have empathy for those of you who've been with me for the last two hours, and Rich is giving you an early holiday gift because I have been extremely fortunate to guest host on this program for several years with the move to ESPN and talk about stories of the year. Rich coming back to ESPN is just so heartwarming. when Rich had the show elsewhere, I would Cover Christmas Day.
So I now have tomorrow off, and I want tomorrow off, and you have the much better development. Of Not having to deal with me. and the NBA doubleheader here on ESBN Radio. With the excitement starting, with the Cavs taking on the Knicks. Followed by the marquee matchup of the Spurs and the Thunder.
I have talked enough NBA, though. If I want to be invited back on Friday, because I'm on the schedule. Let's get back to the NFL. Although, my issue has been, I'm going to do a little self-scout on the air. I know I'm not doing a show tomorrow, so I am also getting all the material that I traditionally would get in on Christmas Day in on Christmas Eve.
So. It's been a lot. And thank you for. Your patience. As my late mother used to say, dear, You're a lot.
I'm Brian Weber, Bearing My Soul. It is the holidays. People get nostalgic. 888-SA ESPN. If you're a Raider fan, Eric Allen, you know, is a member of the Raiders broadcast team.
Race to the bottom in the NFL. Led by the New York Football Giants and the Silver and Bleak. I'm taking shots of the Raiders when they're down. A matchup of two win teams on Sunday in Vegas with major significance. The losing team has the inside track.
On having the number one overall pick in the draft.
So sometimes losing is winning in the NFL. We got teams with Something to play for tomorrow. In two of the three games, and this might have snuck up on you, although the league. Does a marvelous job of letting you know about all of its content. For years, there were no NFL games on Christmas.
They made the move to the holiday.
Now they're gonna own it. Triple header. Directly analogous on the big word Wednesday version of the program, same lineup as we go through now on Christmas. is what we already saw on Thanksgiving.
So just parallel between Thanksgiving And Christmas, a triple header. That will culminate with a game when the schedule came out, looked like Must C T V, and we'll all watch because it's the NFL. But the chiefs. And rich I thought made an insightful point. I'm not just sucking up to him because I'm the guest host.
What Rich had thought, and he clarified the next day when he said, We're going to miss the Chiefs when they're not in the playoffs. There was a lot of layers to that. Lot of people resent the Chiefs because of their success. Sports is better when there's a quote-unquote villain.
So that's one component of it. The other is. If we're thinking about the playoffs, we want the best of the best and who's better over the last decade. than Patrick Mahomes.
So that's the point I think he was trying to make. He was not saying that somehow The playoffs are going to be diminished because the Chiefs aren't there because we know the core asset of the NFL is its unpredictability. Parody is not just a word, it's a reality. Competitive balance. What's it been?
20 of the last 21 years, some team has gone from worst to first, to win to division. And it continues year after year. That's why the NFL is gambling.
So, with the Broncos taking. the field coming up. And that's why the NFL is king, and gambling is a portion of that success. With the Broncos taking the field tomorrow night against a Kansas City team that is dealing with a myriad of injuries and will not be going to the playoffs. For Denver.
It's a chance to get back on track. After a game that I think led to some legitimate question marks about the Broncos. I am not. in any way saying They can't win at all. And in fact, if the road to the Super Bowl in the AFC goes through Denver.
As the top seed, they get the valuable buy, They get the advantage of playing in front of that raucous crowd. You got altitude as well. Like everybody, Bo Nix plays better at home. My Observation If I was a handicapper, my concern would be Just the swings, game to game. The ups and downs of Bo Nicks.
Now that is understandable. He's a second-year quarterback. But If you're just looking at things from a who-would-you-rather start point of view. If you're not a bow leaver, And it was hard not to be part of that crowd when they were stacking all those wins with the 11-game winning streak that was snapped. on Sunday by the Red Hot Jaguars.
You would point to Drake May, and we saw it again. Sunday night, although context does matter, remember Baltimore's defense has been lousy this year, and Lamar Jackson had gone down towards the business end of the second quarter with the back injury, putting his status in doubt for Sunday. As the Ravens are just clinging to hope of having a small possibility of making the postseason. Still, Patriots dealt with injuries, specifically a running back and Drake May looked sensational.
So, maybe this just comes down to style points. When I watch Drake May play, he looks the part. But if we go back to coaching and it's clear Josh McDaniels is not a head coach in the NFL, maybe gets one more shot after flaming out both with the Broncos and the Raiders, he is an extraordinary offensive coordinator. Case in point. The transformation of what's been going on with Drake May over this season.
And he, if you care about the view from Vegas, because Sports. Investing now plays such a big role in our lives. After Matthew Stafford, the Touts in the desert say Drake May is the second most logical choice to be the MVP.
So I'm looking at Drake May and I'm looking at Bo Nicks, and I see a disparity between the two. But we're not talking about arm wrestling here. We're not playing one-on-one hoops. Football is the ultimate team game. And if you're a Bronco backer, you're going to remind me.
They have a superior defense. They get to the quarterback. Think about Patrick Sertain II. Their best player, the reigning Defensive player of the year. There are many positives.
I could continue to go through the checklist regarding the Broncos. That's why they're 12 and 3. That's why I think they're going to hammer the Chiefs. Would love to make a statement. When you know the nuances of that rivalry, and also to signal to the rest of the AFC that this team is the one that they're going to have to come after to make it to the Super Bowl, and at 13 and 3, I would seem like I'm being myopic to say, yeah, but I need to see more from Bonix.
Well, I do. Because When you get to the postseason, everything can change. And if you are a bit skeptical of the Broncos, you don't have to go too far back in history to come up with a comp. Think about the Vikings in 2022. 13 wins and so many victories coming.
in one score games. They just found a way repeatedly Well, what happened when they got to the playoffs? Daniel Jones and the Giants. I'm not predicting that's going to happen for the Broncos because I don't know the matchup. Still, There's enough time down the stretch.
And also, let's not overlook the fact. That the top seed has not been clinched. By Denver. That's what made that loss to Jacksonville all the more costly. Still, it's right in front of them, especially when you think about the manageable matchup tomorrow.
I just want to see to have a higher degree of confidence in the Broncos. Meer. consistency from bow nicks. And all I have to do is go back a couple of weeks. The hell Exceptional, he was against a stout Packer defense.
Before Micah Parsons went down with the torn ACL. And we're all caught up in what happened 20 seconds ago. But as that game was playing out. What was crystallized in my mind was, okay, this is the statement game I've been looking for. From Bo Nix.
And then we saw the regression last week with a pair of costly turnovers.
However, He wasn't throwing against air. And if we're going to be fair, We should. Give credit to the Jaguars defense. Much better than a casual fan would be aware of. But you know how it works.
In our business, we get attracted to the bright, shiny objects. And I am a fan of Duval. I'll do my Liam Cone. Who a lot of us just put in a little box, okay, Duval. He's a tough guy.
Dude. Remember the Willow internet with. Robert Sala. See Payton tried to pay a compliment, a backhanded compliment, as Sean can do, to the Jaguars, referring to them as a small market team before the game and that Cohen had the receipts. He brought it up after the game in his press conference.
The Jaguars are legit. The only question would be. Is this version of Trevor Lawrence over the last month and change the real Trevor Lawrence? Because When I watch the NFL every Sunday, I also see performances like the one not too long ago in which he imploded at Arizona. They won the game in overtime.
Bye. I just want Trevor Lawrence from a Jaguar point of view. to close out the season, maintaining his momentum. Because we all know what he did in college, and we've all been waiting to see that Trevor Lawrence in the national championship game when Clemson was still good at college football. The feeding Mighty Alabama led by Nick Sabin.
I'm Brian Weber in for Rich. Jot down the number because I'm back with you on Friday, the day after Christmas, 888-CESPM. Conversation never stops on social media. My handle is BW Weber, Weber with Two B's. Because Part of me still wants to convince you to watch a little bit of NBA tomorrow.
And I'm not a shill for the league. I'm not a plant, I'm not getting paid. By the folks in New York City, I just think sports is better when we have variety. Before we Close-up shop coming up in about... 40 minutes.
We will take you back to something that seemed like it was a bombshell. Before the NBA dealt with real controversy and real allegations of crimes, their gambling. Scandal. Whatever happened to Kawhi Gates? Bring that up because I'm here in Southern California.
And there's something that tells me, and Bill Simmons also mentioned this on his podcast, there could be news coming as soon as Friday. That is on the agenda. Straight ahead. Looking forward to Connecting with an old friend, a broadcast colleague. And foremost, A Hall of Famer.
Who was a legend in Philadelphia?
Now that the Eagles have won the NFC East for the second straight year, what's the playoff outlook for the reigning champs? And what could be the X factor when they take on the Bills on Sunday? We'll cover it all when we check in with the Hall of Famer Eric Allen. I'm Brian Weber, always enjoying every moment whenever I have the great fortune of. Sitting in for Rich and the guys.
It is the Rich Eyes and Show on Christmas Eve here on ESPN Radio. The Rich Eisen Show Podcast. Rich Eisen here, and we're brought to you by Sonos. This season, make your home feel alive with Sonos speakers. From cinematic sound that pulls you into every holiday movie to game day audio that puts you right in the middle of the action, Sonos makes it effortless to fill your home with incredible ambiance.
Stream everything you love, music, movies, or your favorite sports podcast, all in one place.
Sonos' holiday sale is on now through December 28th, 2025 at Sonos.com. Discover how easy it is to bring every room to life with Sonos. Brian Weber back with you. In for Rich and the guys. We're live on Christmas Eve here on ESPM Radio.
It's presented by Progressive Insurance. It is always a pleasure to talk to a Hall of Famer But even more special when I happened to be a friend of that Hall of Famer. Let's say hello to Eric Allen, the former NFL quarterback, played 14 years in the league. For the Eagles, Saints, and Raiders, and was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame this summer. Least important is a former broadcast partner of mine, Eric, it has been too long.
How are you, my friend? Hey, my man, what's going on, man? It's great to be on with you, and I actually. Talk about those days, all the times when we were able to kind of do the NFL on Sunday. No commercial.
You know, in advance of you joining us. Yeah, I told the audience who I know is just yelling at the radio, oh my goodness, this guy's a blowhard. I said, You think I'm bad for two hours and 20 minutes with commercials? Eric deserves to be in the broadcasting hall of fame because we did, remember, Eric, seven plus hours. One day we did seven and a half hours, but who's counting?
No commercials, and you had to sit next to me as I just wildly gesticulated and drank. Gallons of diet pepsi. We had a great time, but that's kind of our joint love. Of the game, and that's kind of where this time of the year for so long has been married up with good football and. Playoff kind of type of environment.
So we just love the game. I was just really excited and happy to be there for those years for you.
Well, you said it well, and I appreciate our friendship. And you noticed I was not one of the 5,000 people that piled on when you were getting that gold jacket. I wanted to wait, like any broadcaster, to have the conversation on the radio.
So when we did those shows together, you'll recall, I always brought you in as the future Hall of Famer because beyond me being able to read stats, objectively, you always deserve to go to Canton, Ohio.
So, Eric, what were your emotions like this summer when you got that gold jacket? Yeah, what an incredible Just time and my life and my family's life. And I think that's the one thing that. I was so happy to see that uh I kind of was at peace because I knew At some point, I would get in, or I was confident that I would get in. based on the numbers and the people who are already in there.
But for all of those People who are supporting me, my family members, my friends. who always came to the fight with stats and things like that. They were Really, the ones that were able to kind of take a big sigh of relief. Like I told you so, so that was incredible, but. the from this about this time last year You know, we were getting that great feeling, and we hadn't received a call.
I had been a semifinalist before, and you get a call. before the Super Bowl and they're like, Hey, you know, unfortunately you didn't make it. We hope that you would remain silent, so it would be a uh a um a surprise to the go-et guys who made it.
So from it's almost been a year and with pins and needles, Uh just so many phone calls, so many supportive people. But at the end.
Well, as we were going through the summer, as Randall McDaniel, my good friend from college, knocked on my front door. you know, right before the Super Bowl, to to kind of lock it in. It has just been an incredible just experience as far as the outreach of the Hall of Famers. Peyton Manning, Warren Sapp, Michael Irvin, Emmett Smith. You know, all those great guys giving me a phone call, just saying, hey, you know, we're glad you're in here now.
So it's this big community. that I'm with now that is allowing me to really just kind of whatever I want to do off the field, they're there to help.
So the community of the Hall of Fame is just not a bunch of guys getting together talking old stories. It's really about the community and how they can help you kind of whatever you're involved in in your community.
Well, you're in the most exclusive club in all of sports, and you certainly deserve it. We're getting you ready for the NFL Triple Header coming up tomorrow on Christmas Day. We'll look at the Sunday as well with the Hall of Famer Eric Allen. Who is still active in the game as a member of the Raiders broadcast team?
So, because we're friends and because it's the holidays, I'll frame it this way. Been a challenging year for the Silver and Black. Is that fair to say? What changes would you expect in the offseason? We've been bad.
We have not played complimentary football. I don't know that's a big term that guys use, but We'll have a game, for instance, where we are playing really well in offense. Particularly last week. Had a pretty good game. Ashton Genty with over 100 yards.
They split him out. He was able to get one-on-one with a linebacker, beats him. Max Crosby is going crazy as he always does in a good crazy where he's tackle for loss. Sacks just has energy level above and beyond. On some line, pretty much.
We're playing some young guys. They're doing a little bit better. But there's always a situation that arises that we're not prepared for. And when we get into that situation, we're just not experienced enough on defense. to be able to Put yourself in that situation to have made the play, whether that's the middle of the football field and our just lack of tackling.
Our arms of line and quarterback play. The performance has not been great, has not been good on a consistent basis.
So that has led to this really terrible season that the Raiders have had. Everything around this organization is A. The facilities, some of the best in the league. The weight room, some of the best in the league. As you know, our stadium, one of the best in the league.
Everything around. Except The performance of the football field is A plus.
So we need to find a way. to of course I think Get a young quarterback. that the fan base and the organization can really get behind and understand that they can come in at one spot and develop them into a person and a player who can be the franchise quarterback. I think that's where it starts. I'm Brian Weber, In for Rich.
It's the Rich Eisen Show on ESPN Radio, taking you around the NFL with the Hall of Famer Eric Allen. Eric, objectively, two wins would say any head coach could be in trouble. You're around the team. Do you get the sense the Raiders are still playing hard? Because just as a guy on my couch watching the red zone, they gave Houston all they could handle on Sunday.
Yeah, what a big surprise coming off of weeks and weeks. where its performance on Sunday or Thursday or Monday was not like that at all. But you have to give credit to Coach Carroll being able to continue to preach that positive message in the locker room. And you saw That football team goes down to Houston and slug it out with one of the best defenses in football.
So that tells me the message is still resonating with the important players. And he also has, again, I'm going to say Match Crosby. Is one of the best teammates that I've ever been around. He's positive and he understands what this football team needs emotionally on game day. And when you see him before the game, Huge smile on his face.
He's ready to play. He's put in a great week of preparation and practice, and he brings that. And there's just some guys who are not able to have that energy consistently throughout the games on both sides of the ball. Or it's just a lack of experience. And that's what it comes down to me: I see young players getting opportunities, but they just don't have the experience to be able to get on the football field.
And if you're going against, This great cornerback or this great receiver, he's able to put you in situations where you're in conflict. If you're a young player and you're not able to. Go back on that experience and make that correct play by processing the information and saying, like. You gotta find a way to make the play. Former NFL quarterback and Hall of Famer Eric Allen is our guest on ESPN Radio.
EA, let me tap into your current experience as part of the Raiders broadcast team. You follow this club closely, especially every Sunday.
So you've seen the matchup with the Broncos twice. Where do you come out on Denver at this stage of the season? The old adage: you are what your record says you are. Are they as good as 12 and 3 would indicate? Yes, they are.
And I'm very surprised at that coming into the year. I thought Bull would take a step back. Offensively, you didn't see huge names But Coach Payton has done a great job of really rallying around that defense for the most part, but Bo has been a really good. good football player in the fourth period and winning counts. His experience in college, I think, has really helped him be able to get in, settle down, and process those situations where he's in two-minute.
He's in the four-minute drill. He needs to extend the play and make a play with his legs or his arm. He's done that pretty much the whole season. I am so surprised and so happy for Bull Knicks, not the Diver Broncos, but for Bull Nicks and some of the players that I know in their football team. But defensively, they're going to lean on that defense.
They're going to run the ball effectively. And you know that Coach Payton is going to have two or three plays that no one has seen leading up to that game. And that gives them that element of surprise.
So, yes, I think they're a really good football team with a young quarterback who is really making big-time plays in critical times in the game. I have more doubts, and maybe I'm being president of the moment. Also, I should give Jacksonville more credit based on their defense. I just thought Bo was a little bit wobbly with a couple more turnovers, but look, we know it's a long year, and you're not going to ball out every Sunday. Let me get you to Philadelphia because you're an Eagles legend.
Defending champs have been inconsistent, but you saw them hammer your Raiders, and they had another get-right game against the Commanders. Where do you think Philly is at this stage of the season, and how do you see the big matchup against the Bills on Sunday? They're playing their best football of the season right now. And because of the two opponents, we're going to give them, we're not going to put them totally back, but we're going to say they're trending in the right direction. Most importantly, they have to win the line of scrimmage on both sides of the football.
Whenever they're on their run, They're able to go up to the line of scrimmage. RPO would hurt. And if he wants to pull it, get positive yards. The problem has been this football team has not been dynamic at the alms of line spot. And usually, you don't hear that word dynamic and see and think about alms of line.
But over the past seven or eight years, when this football team has been in the top of the NFC, They've been able to dominate At the arms of line. That has not been the case this year. Maybe Lane not playing. He's going to come back in a little bit. Maybe it'll get better.
The running game has been a little bit better, but the opponent hasn't been great.
So. They're on the right track. I love the fact that They're starting to give some different window dressing to opponents. Defense. Go empty.
Now Hertz is in the backfield by himself. Of course, you have to worry about the run, but the quick throws to those talented receivers can also be a weapon.
So, the last three or four weeks, I've seen where they've tried, even the Charger game. Offensively, they had a pretty good game offensively against the Chargers.
So that's three weeks in a row offensively. They have given us different looks and been us really. Secure in running the football, and the last two have been great on both sides of the ball. They played their best, but the last two opponents are not the greatest.
So we're going to pump the brakes a little bit on saying they're totally back. With degree of difficulty coming up taking on the Bills on Sunday in Western New York, We are talking NFL with the Hall of Famer, Eric Allen. I'm Brian Weber InforRich. It's The Rich Eisen Show on ESPN Radio, presented by Progressive Insurance.
So you laid out the reasons to believe in your old team. Who do you think is the team to beat, irrespective of record and seeding? Who do you believe in most in the NFC?
Well, I'm going to go right up the block here because I'm in San Diego, as you know, and I'm going to go with the team that's in Los Angeles, not the Chargers, but the Los Angeles Rams. I think quarterback play extremely high. Coaching and breaking down the opponent's defense extremely high. Young defense can get after you up front. has some pretty good cover guys in the back end.
I think those tremendous receivers, once Devontae gets back, Now, I'm not seeing a lot of receivers who have an A one and an A two outside of the likes of maybe the San Francisco 49ers with Jerry Rice and the great John Taylor or some of those great combination receiver tandems, but that is two of the best. That I've seen. If Devontae is completely healthy, I'm not sure if anyone can consistently. cover those two receivers with that coach making those great offensive play calls.
So I think the Rams are the team to beat right now in the NFC. And we hope that Puka Nakua grows up off the field because undeniably, as we saw again on Thursday night, He is an absolute talent. Eric? I appreciate the friendship. Thank you so much for making yourself available on Christmas Eve.
As I said, not to cover my tracks. I knew your phone was blowing up when you were at Canton. I said, wait a minute, let's bank it. I will talk to him on Thanksgiving or Christmas. We'll catch up.
I'll do it on ESPN's Done. But I am so happy for you, continued success, and I really do hope we get a chance to work together in the future. Yeah, me too, Brian, man. Really take care and enjoy your Christmas and your happy new year. Thank you.
Say hello to JT the Brick. If he needs a day off, I'll drive up to Vegas, all right? There you go. Thank you, my friend. The great Eric Allen, part of the Raiders broadcast team with.
The Immortal JT the Brick. They handle pre-post. And other shows that the silver and black push out from inside their great facility and. Here's what I admire about Eric. In addition to His Hall of Fame talent.
Beyond his knowledge, his expertise playing at the highest level. He expresses his opinions. in a transparent fashion. Because he has confidence in who he is, because he knows his opinion is respected.
So if you listen closely, he gave you his assessment of the Raiders. Not much to be positive about, certainly. But when you have The ability to reset as quickly. as any team in the NFL does. Clearly you want to win every game.
But even if the Raiders drop things head-to-head against the Giants on Sunday, you could argue that's the better outcome because you want to maximize your possibilities of getting the number one overall pick. Eric was a joy to work with. Has so many great stories to tell. If this was a podcast, I would have gone back to the run in Philadelphia. With Buddy Ryan and the guys.
And I thought what he said about the Eagles was intriguing because, not just to mimic my friend and defer to a Hall of Famer. I've had a similar thought process when it comes to Philadelphia.
Now, if you want to be Somebody who is just looking for a reason to stomple over them. The Eagles have given their detractors plenty of reasons to be skeptical. But when you watch these games, it is interesting to View how the offense remains a work in process.
Now, I don't know, and it is, by the way, work in process, not progress, as I take you to my MBA degree. I didn't mangle that. That's what it really is. It's like the irrespective, irregardless thing, but Now I'm venturing into my podcast, Breaking Down Grammar with B Webb. across all the ESPN audio platforms.
Jalen Hurts is risk averse. I think that is a positive. I think that is an asset.
Now, you can say to win in this league. The margins are so tight, you have to be willing to throw into tight windows. I'm with you. But I don't want a quarterback who is reckless. I don't want a quarterback who's out there just tossing around the yard.
Now, the balancing act for Jalen is to be more open to taking a shot. And I think that was the frustration we saw from A.J. Brown. It's just too knee-jerk to say. Wide receiver, me first, wanting to enhance his stats.
I think he was saying. or at least my view of it was We have all of these weapons and There's Clear evidence that Saquon Barkley is not as locked in as last year because think about all of the touches to go NBA, because I'm talking hoops to wrap up the program coming up. Usage rate. That guy had a ton of mileage last year. Carrying the Eagles offensively to winning the Super Bowl.
So. It was to be expected he would take a step back this year. Eric mentioned the issues on the offensive line. Losing Lane Johnson has a major impact. But I'm not ready to bury this team.
Now Eric's right about If you're looking for the most complete team, the most comprehensive roster, clearly it's the Rams. But I do think championship experience matters, knowing the Rams aren't that far removed from winning the Lombardi trophy at their own stadium here. in Southern California. But I'm not ready to throw dirt. on the Eagles just yet.
I want to see Saquon get back on track in terms of having the most compelling argument to make, if that's the point of view. But I'm in a real conundrum here because I started the last hour of the program telling you that I think Josh Allen. Is talented enough not only to be the MVP. We know he's not going to win it, it's not going to go back to back. But I think he's Transcendent enough to carry the Bills all the way to the Super Bowl with the upgrade he's been getting on the ground from James Cook.
Well, That was the story I told you an hour ago, and now I just told you why I believe in the Eagles.
Something's gotta give. On Sunday, to quote the great Chris Perman. That's why they play the games. That was the worst impression in the history of Sports Talk Radio. Coming up.
We're going to wrap up the program with gusto. Just a smidge more MBA I know. I'm playing Ram Bowl Rock. On the interior soundtrack. In my mind.
We got wall to wall hoops tomorrow, five games ESPN, ABC on T V, double letter here on ESPN radio. When I'm back with you on Friday, could that be the day the NBA drops the hammer on the Clippers for Kawaigate? That is on our immediate future. I appreciate the company. On this Christmas Eve, I'm Brian Weber in for Rich, Rich Eisen Show on ESPN Radio.
The Rich Heisen Show, the podcast. It is hacky to tag. The music we call bumpers in the trade, but Francis Albert on Christmas Eve. Oh. Uh A lonely man getting more nostalgic.
Brian Weber with you. It's a good thing I work throughout the holidays. Always an absolute honor to be in the cheer for my friend Rich Eisen and the team. If you've enjoyed my approach, Have a great holiday and we'll do it again on Friday. If you've Found it challenging, I understand.
Here's the best news I can offer you. I'm not here tomorrow. Because the NBA still makes a claim to Christmas Day. I'm going to give you a few more reasons why, as I am not going to let this go. That the NFL does not have to have sole domination of every holiday.
That is coming up. But as you may know, the host of this program, my friend Rich Eisen. Cares deeply about pediatric cancer research and awareness. And that's why I'm proud to talk on his behalf about Hyundai. Hope on Wheels.
For over 27 years, every Hyundai Soul has helped fund life-saving pediatric cancer research together. With over 850 dealers nationwide, they've raised more than $277 million. A phenomenal total supporting over 25,000 kids in their brave fight against cancer. At Hyundai, Hope isn't optional, it comes standard. Visit HyundaiUSA.com and search Hyundai Hope on wheels to learn more.
We've got football in our immediate future coming up 7:30 Eastern here. on ESPN radio, The Sheraton Hawaii Bowl. It's Cal taking on Hawaii. And I've been mentioning for The casuals, even if you knew a little bit of college football, in the past. Remember when Hawaii was cranking out?
Teams that were lighting up the scoreboard. Colt Brennan and Timmy Chang come to mind.
Well, Timmy will be patrolling the sidelines now, coaching his alma mater. Catch all the action here on ESPN Radio, and you can see it, of course, on ESPN as well. Tomorrow, you got the NFL and you got a lot of NBA. I mentioned in the first hour with a reminder: if you miss any portion of any program, you can listen anytime on demand. Check out the podcast, that'll be available.
just shortly after the conclusion of this program, That By design, the league opted not to have Giannis and the Bucs play tomorrow. because they knew what we all knew to be true. Bucks don't have much talent on that roster beyond his transformational star power. The goal is to get. As many eyeballs as possible, especially now with the monumental challenge of going head to head with the NFL and the NFL supersizing, something I know.
A bit about With three games.
So As you're looking at the schedule, you're not looking, it's theater of the mind, as you're Thinking about the games, which I've done my best to get you prepared for. You will not see. The Los Angeles Clippers in the mix. I try my best not to be more obvious and repetitive than I am. And stopping on the Clippers.
is the easiest thing to do in the world. You can just go old school and say, Ernie Igregorio ain't walking through that door for our friends in Buffalo. I can tell you that I appreciate the Clippers because I live here in Los Angeles. More basketball. Is a good thing as I'm auditioning to be the Dr.
Naismith of my generation. I respect, how can you not respect the business acumen of Steve Bommer? And if you care about my resume, I used to work for the Clipper flagship radio station here in Los Angeles before it got replaced by Bollywood Music. That said, you know what's coming.
Now I got a knife up.
Well, it's not too hard. Two. B Critical of what's happening with LA's other team because they have been abysmal.
Now, they did beat Houston last night. Maybe the Rockets enjoying. The holiday spirit in Hollywood as they have an extended stay getting ready to play the Lakers tomorrow, part of the five-game slate of action. Clippers eight and twenty-one. Not a surprise and I am not trying to kick a franchise while they're down, but If you follow me on social media, it's BW Weber Weber with two B's.
Like many people who really appreciate hoops, I understood the motivation to sign Bradley Beal, especially at a massive discount. But when he joined that roster and when he was projected to be part of the starting five, statistically, they had the oldest. Collection of starters and something like 40 years in the NBA.
So you knew it was fragile. It fell apart when he got hurt. Say goodbye to CP3. Everything the Clippers have done this year. Has fallen apart other than One healthy.
Kawhi is still a bucket. 41 points last night. Could have surpassed his career high, but didn't have to play in garbage time. Still, what's hanging over this franchise? They are hosting The NBA All-Star Game.
Comprehensive coverage, of course, on ESPN radio. I don't think they're going to have any all-stars. Here is what's out there, and there's too much pilfering going on in our industry.
So I'll give attribution to Bill Simmons, but a lot of people were. Thinking about this, He's the first I heard articulate. That if you know anything about public relations and that we live in a world filled with spit, and I'm not getting. Too deep here, but We used to have objective truths.
Now we have alternative facts. Bill Simmons put out Be mindful of the calendar. In the PR world, there's something called the news dump. If you want to minimize the impact of a story, release it Friday. 5:30 Eastern type, and you can really go the extra mile by doing it in the midst of a holiday.
Well, what's the best ground for a news dump? Any time of the year, especially the way the calendar is lining up this year. How about the day after Christmas, which also coincides with being a Friday?
So I'll be with you. On Friday, perhaps I will be talking about the league finally. coming up with sanctions for Kawaige.
Now, many of you, and I can understand if you're not in the sports business, found this story to be tedious, but we all want fairness, and we don't know all the details about the no-show job. And clearly, The NVA had an ongoing massive scandal involving gambling, but. If you're tracking what could be going on. Coming up, if you want other things to think about other than avoiding your family on Christmas, we could get the league with a news dump on Friday. I think it's going to be a massive find, maybe a draft pick or two, like the Joe Smith case back in the day.
A lot of people to thank. Want to start with our guest, Kurt Halen, NBCSports.com, the Hall of Famer Eric Allen. Want to thank the team. Led by Rich Eisen, our great production crew, James, Brendan, Cameron, and Michael. My name is Brian Weber.
Have a wonderful Christmas, and I'll talk to you on Friday on ESPN Radio. The Rich Eisen Show Podcast. Mm-hmm.
