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That's why the younger you are, the more you need AARP. Learn more at AARP.org/slash skills. This is the Rich Eisen Show. I'm my nickname. And this is your super week.
I'm coming for you. Covering the biggest game with the biggest guest. Earlier on the show. Three-time Super Bowl champion Willie McGinnis. Coming up.
NFL network analyst Steve Smith Sr. Co-host of Good Morning Football Kyle Brand. 2020 Heisman Trophy winner Devontae Smith. Plus two-time Pro Bowler Michael Griffith. And now.
It's Rich Eisen. All right, hour number two: The Rich Eisen Show on the Wednesday of Super Bowl 55 week is on the air. We chatted with Willie McGinnis in hour number one. If you missed it, You can check us out on our YouTube page, youtube.com/slash Rich Eisen Show. All our conversations are there.
If you want to watch us live every day, we're right here on Peacock, NBC Sports on Peacock, a standalone live channel right in the middle of a streamer. There really is no streamer like Peacock with that live channel function. And we're on every day from 12 to 3 Eastern on NBC Sports on Peacock, which you can get for free on peacock.com. TV.com, or when we're done, you go right up here. I'm pointing to the spot on the bar on the top of your screen on Peacock on our sports.
Page, you can see some clips right there as well. We're on SiriusXM Channel 211 after the Dan Patrick Show Every Day, which we're on after him on peacocktv.com as well. SiriusXM Channel 211, NBC Sports Audio, or on this. They're rich eyes and show terrestrial radio affiliates smart enough. To pick up our show, Chris Brockman, good to see you over there.
Hey, Rich, how's it going, buddy? Number two, Mike Del Tufo, our audio executive, TJ Jefferson, our social media. Grand Maester sitting in his chair. Eight and a half hours of hosting I've got on Sunday. I'm starting to hydrate right now.
I cannot cramp up an hour three or hour five, hour six. I mean, an hour seven and hour eight is really when I get so loopy that pre-pandemic I would turn around, and the fans that were behind our set, I would literally bark at them to go in the stadium so I could get off the stage. Mm. Not very fan-friendly, but I got loopy. I got loopy, very honest.
Part of that coverage was Willie McGinnis, in our number one. We talked to him. Also, part of that coverage. A friend of the program back here again, my colleague from the NFL Media Group and In my mind, a future Hall of Fame wide receiver, my colleague from the NFL Media Group, Steve Smith. How are you, Steve Smith, Sr.?
What's going on, Rich? It's it's good to hear from you. It's been but no, when you say that in that inflection, it means like I'm not reaching out to you, Steve. Is that what you're implying right there? Or am I just being a little sensitive?
Right now. You're just being sensitive. I was just talking about the pandemic. We haven't been ever traveled for. Oh, now I feel like guards.
But if you feel some type of way and tell it on yourself, then that's on you, brother.
Alright. It's good talking to you, Steve. Ha ha ha ha ha. Yeah. Oh, man.
So let's hit the Wayback Machine. Let's start our conversation in the Wayback Machine. What was it like for you Wednesday before your Super Bowl? It was the first one we ever covered for NFL Network. What was it like?
What was going through your temples? Man, it was the first one you guys covered and it ended up being the last one uh that I the first one I covered as uh with the MFL Network back in Houston after I retired.
So Uh it was amazing. A lot of feelings, uneasiness. You know, you're going, you know. what you have experienced, you know what you've done to get here. But there there still is that fifty fifty.
50% you can lose, 50% you can win. and then unexpected. And I think that's what gets more gets you more than anything is you're not sure what's going to happen. I think more of anything with all with all the with everything going on. You know, you see Tyreek Hill talking about, you know, keeping a self-distance himself from people, making sure.
He's had, um Know no COVID-19 or any false positives or contact tracing.
So I think it's a lot. I think this one is like one in a lotto. Except the only part is you don't get to buy the ticket. You just know you're not going to win if you run into the risk of contracting or getting a false positive before the game.
So I talked to Willie about the matchup of these two stellar Bucs linebackers in David and White with Travis Kelsey coming at them.
So I'd love to hit you on the other matchup that seems to be so problematic for the Bucs, and it certainly was in the first quarter of their week 12 match up in the regular season. Tyreek Hill, how do the Bucs, do you think, how do you think Todd Bowles switches it up or tightens it up? Against a guy who went off three touchdowns and damn near 300 yards receiving in week 12. Against him.
Well, he has to tighten it up and switch it up. But I think that's the chess match: their defense, their D-line with Vita Vea coming back. Um I think they do create a bigger issue. for the Kansas City Chiefs. Because They don't have their left tackle, right?
And they have Mike Rimmers and Um not every player in the league is a great player sometimes. They're just Guys who are there. And Mike Remer, he was here in Carolina and then moved on to Minnesota, and now he's out there. He wasn't necessarily a starter. He's a backup.
He can block. But this is the last game of the season. This is a Super Bowl, the creme de la creme. All the chips are in. are on the table So you would imagine they're going to try to attack the weakest link, and the weakest link isn't necessarily because he's not very good.
is because he's the new guy on the block. There's a reason why he was not starting. He was not the guy. Unfortunately, we may find that out and uh uh and Jason Pierre Paul is, he you know, he's no sloucher. He's gonna He's going to let you know that he's present on the field.
These DBs are going to have to step up because this offense for the Kansas City Chiefs is explosive and Coach Andy Reid is masterful. When he has a couple of days off, when he has a week to prepare, he's going to take what we call Jedi Mind Trick window dressing. He's going to take his tendencies. Utilize it against you. and dangle that care make you Try to bite for it and then double move you.
So you got to be prepared for that. And then that means you're not going to bite on a double move.
So They're gonna do some things that make you second guess, make you stop your feet. And when you have speechsters. Like Mikhail Harmon, w like Tariq Hill? When you stop your feet, and those guys are running nineteen, eighteen miles, twenty-one plus miles per hour, and you stop your feet. you're not going to catch up.
By the time you catch up, They're across the finish line, which is the insole. How would you have handled back in the day, prior to the Super Bowl, if there was a Scotty Miller saying, I'm faster than. Steve Smith, how would you handle that? I mean, I w I watch Scotty. He you know, he's fast.
I I don't necessarily know how fast he is, but I love his confidence. You know, I tell my kids all the time, it's hard for me to believe in you if you don't believe in yourself.
So he believes in himself. I think it'd be entertaining. If he wins, great. If he loses, Great. He's He's in the conversation and that's the whole point.
Yeah, I mean, you know, it's been a minute again, as you pointed out, since we've spoken here on this show. If you go higher register, as you just did to start your comment about Stevie Scotty Miller, you don't really maybe believe it. You need to go, but. I'm way up here, like you just started your statement with Scotty Miller.
So, did that just happen? No, I just The thing is, I don't want to doubt the man. But again, I also see Tyreek Hill, and I've seen him more than I've seen Scotty Miller. Yes.
So It's almost, you know, you know, I love food and I use food analogies. It's a peanut butter jelly sandwich or grilled cheese. I mean, it really depends on what's. You know, is this tomato diss then I'm going with the grilled cheese. Mm-hmm.
So which one is which in your Is Tyreek is Tyreek the PBJ? Or which one is the safe, but listen. I'm not going against Tyreek Hill. And if Scotty Miller proves me wrong, Hey, I've been wrong many times before. It seems Steve Smith, Steve Smith Sr., it seems that this is the mother of all.
You know, can't bet against this guy, Super Bowl. You know, you could sit here and go, well, hey, Chiefs, X, Y, and Z, but how are you going to get against Tom Brady or Bucs XYZ? But how are you going to bet against Mahomes or Kelsey or. Obviously, Hill. And then Evans has done something with 7,000-yard seasons to start his career.
No other. Human has ever done, and Godwin and Gronk. And this is it. I mean, how do you rate? Is this the most talented Super Bowl thing?
You've seen I was thinking about this. This reminds me of when I was growing up and watching football. The NFC When it was the, was it the Green Bay Packers with. We're Sterling Shark. Or was it Michael Irving?
You know, with the Cowboys, or was it Jerry Weiss with the San Francisco 49ers? You have just such dominant teams. That whoever you pick, you can't go wrong because they've shown us. that they have the the the capability of playing excellent football. And so, for me, offensively, so if you're an offensive guy or you're a county who loves numbers.
This is where you sit on the couch. You go ahead and tell your workout person, your nutritionist, I'm off this weekend. Sunday is my multiple cheat day on steroids. And I am going to eat. Drink And watch football because it's going to be high flying.
And you got to follow it up with some great beverages because you're just going to be eating. And as T.O. says, bring your popcorn. I mean, you got to have the appetizer with your wings. You gotta have your main course, which is pizza.
And then you gotta have your dessert, which is cake, pie, whatever it is, a whole hole of ding-dong. But you gotta just pick out because it's gonna be epic football. And we're at the house. you know, everybody has the COVID twenty fifteen whatever it is. And this is a great excuse.
to do it. You go ho let Steve Smith getting a round of applause here in the Rick Joshua Show studio.
So you go hostess for your desserts? Is that where you're going? The hostess? The host ho the ho hoes, the ding dongs? Is that where you go for?
I'm I you know, honestly, I'm uh it depends on the day, but I I will sneak in Um, a Zenger or The I like the chocolate Twinkies. Oh Wow. By the way, this entire segment is making me hungry. I mean, Del Tufo can't handle it. Steve, what are you doing to me?
He's out of his mind right now.
Okay.
So, what do you make of Deshaun Watson situation, Steve Smith? What would you do? What advice would you give him right now? Yeah. What do you think?
Where'd he go with him? I'll be honest, um I'm not a huge fan of Cully. I don't think he. Listen, when you're 65 years old, and the first time head coach I look at it why. And there's a reason.
I don't know the answer. But I know when you're 65 years old and you're just getting the opportunity to be a head coach. There might be reasons why. And then he was also the past coordinator for the Baltimore Ravens. How is that working out for the Baltimore Ravens in the playoffs?
They're dead last. There's some people who say I'm hating or I'm throwing shade. It's possibly true because I have a history with David Cully because. He was the coach. at the Pro Bo who told me to go on over with the wire uh go over with the specialist.
So I think he doesn't necessarily know how to Eye talent when you go back into his catalogue of wire receivers of developing. He's had some good wide receivers, veterans on the team. but you never really see him develop any wire receivers Under his tenure. Kansas City Chiefs, he was with them. When did they win the Super Bowl?
After he was gone. Right. I I just, you know, my job is to look at coaches and players And sometimes I get a bad, you know, a bad rapper's I'm I'm o u uber critical, but I just don't see a guy who has never really had Had responsibilities to this depth, being successful. When your team is in shambles because your quarterback doesn't want to be there, and then you go on the podcast and you're. down talking some of your wide receivers that you coached.
And Now you're talking about other people when you're quarterback, your franchise, the face of your. Of your team doesn't want to be there. I think you probably should be investing your. time and equity in things that are productive. And I just don't.
I don't. I think he's going to be. Look, I think it's a Wally Pimp. All these great coordinators out here. I think in two, three years they found out that was a mistake, he'd be moved on.
So, two things, real quick: he's got a no-trade clause, and the Texans say they have no intention of. of trading him. Like so what move do you make if you're if you're him?
Well, you know, there's a lot of things that people say in front of camera, but a lot of things go on behind closed doors. And I believe Deshaun, if he really wants to get out there out of there, I think he can. I also believe that the way they've operated, the way they've done things, I think it has rubbed him the wrong way. And I'm I'm not really sure that This relationship will get better because I believe, and what I've heard is.
So he was Deshaun was supposed to be part of some of the dialogue and conversations and input. through the steps which The Houston Texans said that they would allow him to be part of the process. He has not been part of the process in those steps. And so he believes from my interpretation of things, That If they told me this and then they did that. What else are they going to do in my future?
that is going to not align with what their words are saying. You gotta understand, he gets no do-over. And sometimes money, just because you pay someone, doesn't mean they're going to do everything you want them to do. Not everybody you can buy. And I think he's at the position, he knows his value.
And I believe he feels that Maybe. I would just prefer to go somewhere else and and and start over because I can't trust them. And then David Cully, Steve. Are you talking about a a 20-year-old grudge with him where you made the Pro Bowl as a rookie? No, I'm not talking about it.
I'm just giving context of why I'm just giving context of it's not a grudge, it's one of the things is When I look at i if Rich, you've been doing this for a long time. I have. If you weren't very good in it, You wouldn't be doing it this long.
So if all of a sudden you're an analyst, And you never host it, and then you go out there and host. And then you stumble over yourself. That would kind of say you're probably not a good host.
So, what happened in 2001? You made it as a kick returner, right? As a rookie. You're a rookie, right? And you.
Tell the story. Go ahead.
So, here's what happened.
So, I was a rookie. Um, I think Tour this is the year that the Rams lost to Tom Brady and New England Patriots. Yes, sir. They didn't come to the Pro Bowl. That was when the Pro Bowl was in Hawaii and after the Super Bowl.
He didn't come.
So John Harbaugh said, Hey, they're mi they're down the wide receiver. Go over there. it was, you know, you know how to catch punts. The Punter Todd Soundbook was not always Punctual time.
So he said, go over there, they need a body. Go run. I know Jermaine Lewis will be running some plays for the AFC, so go ahead. Go over there, colour he says, Hey. Hey, uh, we're g we're about to meet, so go ahead and go with uh backwards to special teams.
I said, Well, the special teams coach control ball told me to come over here.
Well, these are wide receivers. That's what he said. And I walked back over there and he told me, he goes, Oh, And so after that It just kind of tells me.
So the reason I say that is To this day, Coach Cully will say Like you said, you're still holding that grudge. It's not holding the grudge, it's the fact. I was a Pro Bowler. I was also you were down the wide receiver And the fact of the matter is, you scooted me along Because you didn't believe I was a real wide receiver.
So that tells me your eye for athleticism and talent. Is as good as Ray Charles and Stevie's Wonder's Eyes.
Okay.
Yeah. You know, I could do this all day. And we would like you to. But he is going to he has to go. But I love you, Steve.
Okay.
Cut to it. Your pod. You're podding now, huh? I love it. Can I come on your podcast?
I owe you so much. You became my pod. You've come on this show. Will you have me on? Let's do this.
Seriously. Absolutely. I would love to have you on. I'll have my people contact your people. Right?
Hey, listen. You can't be the only one flexing. You know, I'm not on Peacock, but hey, I can, you know, I can have my dude text your dude and then. We could play the whole, let me check my schedule. No, no, you could do that for sure.
But, you know, I I could at least attest the fact the reason why it's taken this long for me to get your podcast doesn't mean that you can't podcast. You know what I'm saying? Oh, no. You just got your opportunity now. You're not the dick at Kanye of Podcasting, is what I'm saying.
You got the colour popping. I joke around, but at the end of it, I love doing it because I love. Talking about, talking to guys and finding out, and girls, finding out. who they are. We're interviewing I th I believe next week we're interviewing Jennifer King, the new full-time coach for the Washington.
Washington football team and so uh excited about that.
So we have all kind of folk on there.
So we'd love to have you on there. to just hear who you are and you know what makes you click Other than the mic and also? I'd love it, Steve. I really would. I really, really would.
I'm not just saying that. For real. Please reach out to me. I'll be around for sure. Steve, thanks for the call.
I appreciate it. I'll see you. Am I seeing you in Tampa? Or are you just. No, no, no.
I'm here in Charlotte.
Okay, good. You know, it's. You know how it is, man. It's craziness. And to be honest, I don't want a q-tip up my nose every five minutes.
I prefer not. Yeah. You know what? I totally can relate. And that way you can just be part of the program and then go have your ho-hos and ding-dongs and pizzas and whatever you got for Super Sunday.
And then we'll have you on right after that. How does that sound? I love it. That works. You take care.
You'd be watching. There's a go. Steve Smith, everybody. Check out Cut To It, the new pod, where all pods are available, and Steve will be part of. Nine and a half hours then.
Eight and a half hours. I'm I'm extending it because uh we need we need to have more time for So basically, here's the deal coaches out there. Just let the special teamers join their position group that they're normally in professionally if they've made the Pro Bowl. Just to 'cause you never know who's going to remember that twenty years later. He says, even Collie's like, You hold that grudge against me?
The answer is, yes, you don't. Yes, yes, yes. Shouldn't laugh. Let's take a break, Kyle Brent, when we come back here. Good morning, football on The Rich Eisen Show.
And he's got Brett Favre on his pod this week. Don't go anywhere.
So, you know, we love talking movies around here. You know, we love talking comedy around here. We also love talking about classics around here.
So, You know what I'm all about. That said, All of that said, you know how I must have felt when I was sitting in the movie theater like I was the other day watching the previews, and up came a preview. for the naked gun. with Liam Neese and his Frank Greben, junior. That Preview had me at hello.
I loved police squad back in the day. I loved the naked gun back in the day. And here comes the naked gun once again with yes, Liam Neeson as Frank Drebin Jr. Come on now, son of the celebrated police squad, Lieutenant Frank Drebin from the original movie, Paul Walter Hauser's in this movie, also Pamela Anderson. Guess who also makes an appearance?
WWE superstar. Cody Rhodes and the producer of the movie is Seth McFarlane, the creator of The Family Guy. Come on now. This is going to be so much fun. I'm excited to see The Naked Gun in theaters on August 1st.
So. What do you do on August 1st? Of course, you're going to a theater near you and you're seeing the naked gun. I might even be there. Get in the zone, AutoZone.
Welcome to AutoZone. What are you working on today? Hey, that's the spirit. Right now, we're celebrating free with a free STP oil filter when you buy five quarts of oil and free Duralast brake pads when you buy two rotors. Like always, free battery testing, charging, and recycling at every store.
Celebrate free at AutoZone now through July 28th. Get in the zone! Auto zone. Restrictions apply. This is the Rich Eisen Show.
Sure. We just had Steve Smith Sr. here on the program. 10 Questions with Kyle Brandt is his popular podcast on The Ringer and Spotify, and also where all podcasts can be acquired. Brett Farves is a guest this week, and Kyle Brandt here on The Rich Eisen Show.
He's part of the eight and a half hours with the Good Morning Football crew on Sunday. How are you, Kyle? I'm great. I'm thrilled to join the movement with you, Rich. It is Wednesday of Super Bowl Week, which we've been talking some Steve Spagnolo versus Tom Brady memories, which enables us to talk about the helmet catch, which I know you've been getting into, which is always fun.
Yes, because it's the thirteen year anniversary of the helmet catch Bar Mitzvah today. It's the Barmitz models of David Kyrie. I know, exactly. Words that have probably never been uttered, let alone in an area of seriousness. And look, I apologize that we are late.
For you, but you know the value of a good story, and when somebody is a great storyteller is spinning it. I asked Steve Smith Sr. about what Deshaun Watson should do, and he told a story about David Culley from the 2001 Pro Bowl. Did you ever hear this one about what Coach Cully do at the one Pro Bowl?
Well, he was the wide receiver coach of the Eagles, you know, and John Harbaugh was the special teams coach of the Eagles, and the Eagles were the NFC coaches that year. And Steve Smith Sr. at the time was a rookie who made it as a kick returner. But as you know, that wasn't his only thing he did for the Carolina Panthers. John Harbaugh said to him that, you know, because.
What do you say? Chris Todd Sauerbrunn was late. He said he wasn't usually on time. He throw the punter under the bus 20 years later. That Harbaugh basically said, why don't you go to the wide receiver group?
Because it's entirely possible, you know, you could be running a play. See, he said, Jermaine Lewis might not be playing.
So we might as well go over there. And sure enough, he goes over and Cully says, We're about to meet here as the wide receiver group. Go back to your group.
Now, knowing Steve Smith Sr. as you do, as a fellow at NFL Media Group, could you have chosen the worst player? To say something like that too. I think that'd probably be the worst ever born. Oh.
In history, not only worst player, but maybe worst human being to say that to him. Go back to your position group, is what he told Steve Smith. And to this day, Uh Steve Smith remembers it. Shocked the world.
So he was telling me that story. I had to let him finish it, Kyle, essentially. Oh, listen, when you're telling the David Cully Steve Smith story with cameos. By God Sauerbrun, the great punter of the Bears and Panthers from West Virginia. You let Steve finish.
Steve is a man of stories.
So Rich, I take no offense, I would have done the exact same thing. I am way into that. And it also makes me think that David Cully, my thoughts on the whole Deshaun Watson thing, as it pertains to him, is it's, you know, you keep hearing that he's this incredible salesman, that story notwithstanding. He's this great person. And I just, can't you get the two of them in a room somehow?
Like, there's a steakhouse and there's a back room, maybe even a Zoom, anything. Just get Deshaun and Coach Cully in a room and just let him give his vision. I had nothing to do with DeAndre Hopkins trade. I'm not Bill O'Brien. I'm not Cal McNair.
Just if you can at least get them in a room, maybe, maybe you can save this.
Well, I mean, that's the only way out, I think, because Watson is not going to be painted as a malcontent. That is, you know, making a money play. I mean, that's just not, you know, that's not going to happen. And if he doesn't really want to play for them anymore and he's demanded a trade, how do you put All that back together. I guess you can.
I guess he can start. I guess he's going to be forced to start. I guess you can find him. I guess you can do all those things. And then you've got a reluctant superstar, which is the last thing I would think I would ever call Deshaun Watson.
I mean, you want to get his effusiveness. You want to get his absolute best, which is his essence, his spirit. And I don't know a way out of that, man. And that's why I'm sitting here thinking that that's what kind of surprised me about Stafford and how quickly that went, you know, and how quickly that went.
So that takes the Rams' chess piece off the board for Watson. You know, like if you're going to, if you're going to deal with this, it's got to be like now. Like, don't let this thing linger so everyone feels out their quarterbacks. I look at it in the DEF CON scale. People always think the DEF CON scale goes up.
It actually goes down as it gets more serious. We're at DEF CON 3 now. I think when you get to the draft, it gets to 2 because then that's when the trades happen and you want to know what you're dealing with going into the draft if you don't have them. And then DEF CON 1, that's training camp. And they said, screw it.
We're not drafting a quarterback. We're not training. You better show up. We're going to start fighting. I hope it doesn't get to that because I think.
I think Deshaun Watson rich somehow applies to what's going on this weekend in Tampa in that we need someone to challenge Mahomes. We need someone to do it. And Brady's the only one who's doing it right now. And Brady's not going to be around six, seven, eight years from now, we don't think. We if you look around at these the Lamars and the Josh Allen's, like I feel like Deshaun Watson is supposed to be the guy.
Say what happened say what you want about what happened afterwards. He was up 24-0 on Mahomes in the playoffs and all hell broke loose, not only in that game, but with the Texans since then. I want if Ross is leaving I want him someplace that matters. And God, I would love it if the Raiders got crazy or the Broncos and said, screw it, we're going to flip the table and make the move for him. And they're going to battle for the next 15 years.
I just think not only Texans fans, I think the whole NFL and all the fan base has a stake in Watson because he may be the only guy who can be the bird to Mahomes' magic. No, and I get you. I, however, would, if you're the Texans, you'd want to flip him to the other conference. And if you're Watson, you'd agree with that. I mean, I would want to get as far away from Mahomes over the next 10 years as I possibly can.
I'd want to sit out somewhere in the NFC. I'd want to go somewhere warm if I could, you know, even though the coldest summer anybody's ever spent is, or the coldest winter anybody's ever spent was the summer in San Francisco. I mean, that might be the spot for him. And just before we do delve further into the Super Bowl, if I'm not mistaken, I'm going to run the risk here, but I think I know the way you tick and the way you're required, Kyle Brent. The fact that you know that.
That DEF CON 1 is more serious than DEF CON 5, even though 1 is a smaller number than 5, is through the movie War Games, correct? Yeah. Rich, you lobbed it up and I'm dunking it down. A young Matthew Broderick messing around on his computer, next thing you know, DEF CON levels. Of course, it's War Games.
Absolutely. That's the reason why I know. I mean, so many people are like, hey, it's going to DEF CON 5. I'm like, you realize that's not as serious as DEF CON 1 because I saw War Games and Barry Corbin, future star of the great Northern Exposure television show, Get the President on the Horn, all of that stuff. I just wanted to make sure that we are locked up in that.
Oh, absolutely. And that's a pre-Ferris Matthew Brown. That is, on the first 1983, and I'm sure they'll remake it eventually with Zach Efron or something. Yes.
That's how I got classically educated on the DEF CON. Yeah, involving the Robin Hood app or something like that. Game Wars. I love it. That's it.
Kyle Brand here on The Rich Eisen Show. The storyline that you think we're going to be talking about Monday morning. Best you can tell. Just go for it. Which one?
Odds on favorite of the story on Monday. Monday morning. Listen, it's probably. Mm-hmm.
Here's the thing, Rich. And this is why I'm struggling with this question because as we get to the end of the week, it's almost there. You can smell it, it's almost prediction time. And I'm having a really hard time with this game. In the times when I struggle, And this has happened and I'm sure you've done the same.
I've learned a thing or two about Super Bowl picks is if you can't decide if you're really at a stalemate, you go with the defense. Do you go with the defense? And I had a really hard time with the Panthers versus the Broncos, and it was Cam versus Peyton. Sure enough, it was the defense. Same thing Peyton when he played the Seahawks, with the Broncos.
It's the defense.
So if I'm going to go with what I've learned, which is what you're supposed to do in life and in picks, I should be going with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Which means the story is Brady won his seventh Super Bowl. He passed Michael Jordan. Bruce Arians won his first. It's all that.
And yet I don't help me, Rich. I c I'm having so much time, so much trouble saying, Yeah, I don't think Mahomes can win. I think they're gonna beat Pastor Mahomes. Pastor Mahomes doesn't lose football games. It's really difficult.
Well, I think the way the way you do it is kind of you're you're cutting around the edges here, Kyle, because the way you do it is you go with one and then you couch it, right?
So that's the way you do it.
So you gotta you gotta you gotta say the most definitive thing possible, then couch it. Which is here we go. Here we go. Chiefs, man. Mahomes, it's just his time.
I think we're in this time, and the fact that it's still Brady's time is truly remarkable. But Mahomes to Hill, even if you shut that down, there's Mahomes to Kelsey, and the odds of them shutting both of them down and Mahomes is so very difficult. That yes, there is some weaponry in Tampa, but when you do match it all up, I think that Mahomes is going to be the guy with the rest of that offense. Here we go. But how are you going to bet how how can you bet against Brady?
And then leave it at that. I'm doing the Meryl Streep standing up at the Oscar idea right now. That's that's that's it. But I was around the block a few times with the Super Bowl, and that's what I need. And I gotta tell you, Rich, like, I I you know, you you do different media appearances throughout the week.
I talk to this blog and this tweeter. I feel like I've I've said Chief six times in Bucks. 12 times. I can't even. What do you care?
But, you know, obviously, deep down, because you have a soul, and many people in our business do not, you know, it bothers you. And you want to be consistent. You want to give everybody a level of consistency because that's who you are, Kyle Brandt. That's why your DNA is a very, very, very commendable DNA for somebody in this business. But honestly, that's the way you can do it.
Now, I'm going to have to on game day morning, I'm going to have to, and you will as well. I know. You're going to have to have that logo underneath you that the 20-year-old that runs the Twitter account of the team that you're betting against will take a screen grab of and just like, you know, shrug emoji if you're wrong. Just whatever. Go to sleep that night and wake up the next day.
And try it again. And that's the way you do it. And Rich, you and I have something in common in in that for the AFC title game, we both pick Buffalo. And it did not go well, and they were wildly overmatched. And I've even got something now where people with the Chiefs and their fan base.
They've gone from being pissed off that I didn't pick the Chiefs to saying, Please don't pick the Chiefs this week. We don't want you to because every time you do, you look like a clown. Pick against the Chiefs. We win every single time.
So I may just give them that and say I'm picking the Buccaneers to give you your wish. I like it. I like all of this, Kyle Brent here.
So you spoke to Favre this week for your pod, correct? You spoke to Brett? I spoke to Favre. Yeah. Listen, it's a big honor for me.
I grew up in Chicago, and as I told him, Brett Favre ruined most of my adolescence and into my young adulthood. And he's, you know, as you know, as everybody's hearing and seeing, he's got takes. There was a bunch of interesting ones, Rich. A fascinating backstory behind the casting of him in There's Something About Mary and how that came to be. I didn't know he was not only not the second choice, but he was the third choice for his role to be Cameron Diaz's boyfriend in the last scene.
And I think strangely, oddly, Rich, and this is something that I know sports fans will relate to. Brett Favre refuses steadfastly to admit That he handed the single season sack record to Michael Stray. He goes into a long story of, I say, Brett, what happened on that play?
Well, I had a I had an option to keep it and to run and uh I ran into Strahan and I had to go down. Hold on, Brett. You had an option to run? I mean, Brett, I watched your career. You were not Kyler Murray out there.
He swears it had nothing to do with it. And as far as I'm concerned, I could care less if he got the record.
So it's a strange string of I guess people call it BS of him saying, Nope, I didn't give Strahan anything. You know what? It does. I love it. The fact that here we are in 2021, still talking about it, sort of like it's just, you know, the fact again that the first Super Bowl NFL Network ever covered was Brady beating Carolina and Steve Smith.
And one of the first, the first greatest segment we ever had in the history of NFL Total Access was Michael Strahan on Giants Cam and Warren Sapp on Bucks Cam, and then eventually Raiders cam of the two of them just barking at each other every week on NFL Total Access. And it was born out of Sapp. Absolutely swearing that Favre gave the sack record to Strahan. That's great. And it so.
It all worked out, man. You know, and the fact that we're still talking about it. I I think what you're doing with a twinkle in your eye is I think you are uh honoring Strahan by go swearing that you're gonna go to your grave never admitting that you gave it to him. But we do have the tape. And the New York Times, no less, wrote, Brett Favre gave Michael Strahan the record as if someone tossing coins into the Salvation Army bucket, and he will live to regret it for the rest of his life.
He says, Nope, I had an option to run and I took it. It's wild, man. It's a strange listen, but I got, I loved it.
Well, in our first year of this show, the Rich Eisen Show, just to make sure everyone understands. The mug and everything else right here are just pounding the table, Kyle. Yeah. The first it that we had the Farrelly brothers here and we surprised them with Favre on satellite. And they told the story that I believe it was Steve Young first that they wanted to have Chris Brockman.
And he was, I think the movie wasn't to his tastes or liking. And then they went to Bledsoe and Bledsoe got into a fight. Didn't he get into a bar fight or something like that? Big deal in New England. They went to a concert and like not into a fight in the concert.
Yeah, and the pair of it's and then they went and then they went to Favrea.
So Brett was like a third stringer. I think Young balked at the R rating. And this is in my research, this is what I found. Bledsoe went to a concert and it was either moshing or fighting or stage diving and he gets injured. He can't do it.
Does anybody, Rich, you, the boys, everybody, want to guess? What concert that Drew Bledsoe was at?
Now, bear in mind, this is probably they came out in 98. They were shooting it in 97. I know the concert. And I presented at the farm and he cracked up. Anyone want to guess?
We are going to our audio executive, our music expert on the Rich Eisen Show. I'm hesitant to do it, but I'm going to do it anyway. I'm going to defer to Mike Del Tufo, my colleague across the aisle. Mike, shall we play? Oh my God, no.
No more him. Stand by. Not for you. By the way, okay. Wow.
I think I know it.
Well done. What year again? 98. Dynamag. Movie came out in 98.
Rage Against the Machine with moshing back then, Pearl Jams at the end. My guess is Mighty Mighty Boss Tones. Mighty Mighty Boss. There was not a fight at a Mighty Might. They were like the in-house band of the Espeys.
Like, you're not mosh pitching. You're trying to pick it up. End of the real big. I mean, what do you got? Kyle, what do you got?
Oh, yeah. No one was moshing to knock on wood by the boss tonight.
However, Tom Favre got the role on something about Mary because Drew Bledsoe was injured at an EverClear concert. Ever clear house. Santa Monica, right down the street from you guys. That's how that came to be. But the whole bit about that's the fact that it was Favre in a cameo is one thing.
The fact, though, that. Ben Stiller could not pronounce Favrea. Apparently, that's the way he did pronounce it, and the Farrelly brothers kept it. Like, that's that. That actually.
Oh, that's a real take? That's what they, that's, that's part of the lore as well. Like, Favreau, just call him that. And so he did. And so that's part of the gag that it was, that the Brett turned out to be Favrea.
You know, you can't mispronounce Bledsoe or Young. I mean, it all worked out. It was. It's a better joke. Of course, it is.
I actually asked Brett. I said, Brett. Prove to me that your name should be pronounced Favre. Because, I mean, Rich, I'll end with this, and you'll love this. I played the clip of the Falcons drafting them, and it's a famous clip, you've heard it, where they Joanna Falcons select Brett Favor.
What I didn't know was that on the live broadcast of the draft, seconds later, after they say Brett Favor, it then goes to Berman at the desk. And he says So the Falcons doing a favor by drafting Brett Favre, like he nailed it seamlessly on live television. And I asked Brett about, I said, Brett, what is the deal with Favre versus Ed Favor? And he goes, well, I got some Native American ancestry, and I think it involved peyote and a fireplace. I was like, that's a great explanation, Brett.
So that's what it is. Yeah. Kyle Brent, thank you, sir. Really appreciate the time, as always. Let's.
I'd love to have you on. I know we've been doing every single week throughout the season. Just next week, we'll just wrap it up, and then I'd love to have you on whenever you want to. Do this truly. Rich, I love this.
I'm thrilled to come on anytime, and we will reminisce more about War Games and the Zach Efron remake of War Games Stop. I think it's called Google. Real quick, I know I'm up against it, but my EP, Don Bowie, gave me a question to ask you real quick because I know you can handle this on the fly. Best 80s Matthew Broderick movie, not named Ferris Bueller, Biloxi Blues, War Games, Lady Hawk, or Glory. Go for it.
Oh, man.
The absolute beauty of Michelle Pfeiffer, Rutger Hauer, and Matthew Broderick, and Lady Hawk blew my mind as a seven-year-old. That's Lady Hawk and Runaway. There you go, ladies and gentlemen. Kyle Brent, everybody. He does not go for Morgan Freeman, Denzel.
No, he goes for Rutger Hauer and Michelle Pfeiffer, and that's Kyle Brent in a nutshell. God bless you, man. I appreciate it. Love you, Rich. Thank you.
Right back to you. It's Kyle Brent, everybody. 844-204 Rich, we're back. Devontae Smith and Michael Griffin, hour number three, and Chris Bachman's news update. This episode is brought to you by Navy Federal Credit Union.
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That's O'ReillyAuto.com/slash Eisen. Eisen This is The Rich Eisen Show. I think that was Bushrook Bill when he shot himself. 844-204-Rich, number to Dow, here on The Rich Eisen Show. Devontae Smith.
Hey, you gotta check out our Peacock-only segments sometimes before the radio comes back. Devontae Smith is going to join us here. This is incredible. He's the Heisman Trophy winner, right? First Heisman Trophy winner receiver since Desmond in 91.
Easy. AP Player of the Year. Last time that went to a wide receiver was 1998. He won the Maxwell Award. He won the Walter Camp Award, the Balitnikoff Award, the Paul Horning Award, the Sporting News Player of the Year, AP Player of the Year, and he was a unanimous All-American.
Yeah. Top 10 picks? I'm going to. Here's what I want to ask him. Obviously, the question that we just showed, I asked Tua.
When he was on our set, we just replayed that for our Peacock-only audience when he was on our set at the Super Bowl last year. I asked this of every Alabama player: what's the most pissed off you've ever made, Nick Saban? Because I I asked the question because obviously it's always You know Uh a visual To say the least, when Nick goes ham, right? Did I use that properly? You did.
Thank you. But it's also, I think, it just shows you the coaching, you know, the tough love sometimes, or the fact that it doesn't matter that these stars are star players. They're going to get coached and they're going to get coached. That's it. If they run afoul of uh of what's supposed to be done, um Schematically or In any way, shape, or form, what needs to be done to get the first down or stop the team and get them off the field?
He's going to coach him hard. I love these stores.
So I'll ask him that. But I also want to know if he's aware, because I looked it up, he has eight of the nine Receiving records of the top receiving records in the history of University of Alabama football. Wow. I've got them up right here, just to mention here. Because this kid is going to make some team very happy, even though Bucky Brooks.
Um The kid Chase from LSU is number one on everybody's list for wide receiver. And Jalen Waddell coming back from that. You know leg injury from that ankle injury. Uh Bucky's got uh Waddle. Higher.
Snake going 16th overall. I got it up right now. Bucky has Jamar Chase third to the Dolphins. Right. He's got Kyle Pitts, the tight end, going sixth, Jalen Waddell going seventh.
And like you said, who's picking 16th? 16th is the Arizona Cardinals. Oh, boy, could you imagine putting this kid in that offense with Kyler Murray? Look out. DeAndre Hopkins.
Oh, my gosh. We would just have to run it back in our fantasy league with Kyler and Hall. He's already on my team for the next year. He leads the Alabama all-time career receptions with 235. Amari Cooper is right behind him.
Single game record, Devontae Smith, 15 receptions. That was in the SEC championship game. He's got the most receiving yards in the history of Alabama, more than Amari Cooper. Single game record, 274 yards. That's better than the 231 yards.
He's second place on that list, too, from this year against LSU. Receiving touchdowns, he's 15 clear of Amari Cooper. Single game touchdowns. He's five against Old Miss last year, which is better than the four. He's second on the list there against Mississippi State this year.
Um It's unbelievable. The only record he does not have is. Receptions in a season. That's it. That's the only record he does not have.
In receiving. Amari Cooper's got him. By seven. He's second to Amari in that. I wonder if he knows which of the receiving records he does not own.
Kids special. But he's one hundred and seventy four pounds. That's it. And that's lighter than Hollywood Brown, as the lightest receiver in the league. And again, is it fair to say Hollywood Brown hasn't Panned out as a Tyreek Hill type fast receiver or whatever.
I mean, Tyreek is. Stacked, he's yoked. The kid is going to have to put some weight on one would think. Yeah. But.
But where he goes matters too. Arizona. Oh my god. That does not seem fair. Rich, will you ask him if he looked at any real estate in the New York area just out of curiosity?
I don't know. I don't think he'll last to the Jets' second round selection. And the first one will belong to Houstons anyway. Yeah. I just dropped that in there.
Devontae Smith coming up in hour three.
