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Got Scotty Miller in the open. This is the Rich Eisen Show. Mahomes, Hartman, making the ghost action. They're going to run a floor past this time. Punched.
The Rich Eisen Show. Wow. Getting to the Super Bowl Bowl wasn't but our goal is. Our goal is to win. That's it.
And now we gotta go get the big one, baby. Unbelievable. Today's guests from NBC Sports, Peter King, ESPN MMA journalist, Ariel Hilwani, plus your phone calls, complete championship Sunday recap, and more. And now. It Mr.
Rich Ice and Hey everybody, welcome to this edition of The Rich Eisen Show here on a post-championship game Monday. My name is Rich Eisen. Thus, the name of the show. I've got Chris Brockman across the way right here. Good to see you, sir.
Good to see Mike Del Tufo in his spot as well. And then heading to his chair, as he always does after draining a putt to start our program, is Rich Eyes and Show Social Media Grand Maester, Kai. Joy Jefferson. Good to see you. Good to see everybody.
844-204 Rich is the number to dial right here on NBC Sports on Peacock or SiriusXM Channel 211, NBC Sports Audio, or on this. your choice of Rich Eisen Show Terrestrial Radio Network station. We are thrilled to be here. We are thrilled to be here with knowledge that we have been seeking for quite some time. And on top of all the knowledge that we've been seeking some time has been the specter of us not being able to find it out because There's been a pandemic, don't you know?
But here we are. Here we are with the postseason action going off, minus a hitch. Here we are with two weeks to go before the Super Bowl with one e only one game left. And we now who know who it is, who's in Super Bowl 55. Holy crap, it's Tom Brady.
It's the only way to put it. I mean, what other way can you put it when you have the parameters of not being able to curse? Because look. You know, I don't like to work blue, but there's really no other way to describe without using the ultimate. Superlatives or uh Oh.
Or or language that can actually punctuate it with the the uh The proper amount of disbelief. And that's why Brady's got that Fire that burns inside. That's why he has that monster chip on his shoulder. That's why. Um For Tom Brady, everyone wondering what his legacy is.
We're going to talk about legacy for the next two weeks. It's all we talk about when Tom Brady plays a professional football playoff game these days is legacy. His legacy is already done. I mean, his legacy is done. And his legacy is this.
Too much is never enough. That's it. No such thing is too much. The famous line from Wall Street and Bud Fox, the young trader on the floor. Who wants the riches that Gordon Gecko has?
And understands that the methods, the methodology of Gordon Gecko is. Not something he was prepared to undertake. Bud Fox says to Gordon Gecko, How many yachts can you water ski behind? And Tom Brady's answer is Not not enough. Too much is never enough for Tom.
Brady. He has responded To what normally would be a disorienting experience for anybody. I mean the only The only way I can equate it to anything that I've ever done, being a fellow Michigan man, outside of that, we begin to part ways in terms of similarities. Tom and I. Other than being married to a beautiful woman and aging like a fine woman.
There you go. Hey, there you go.
Well, I guess we could keep going. You're a tremendous person. But, you know, when I left ESPN, it was my identity, seven years. And it was disorienting for me to move, to change locations, to To just change the identity. You know, the four letters of that network was what I always aspired to do and aspired to be and aspired to be at.
And then all of a sudden, boom. Gone. Just couldn't work out. Didn't work out. I didn't want to stay there under the circumstances that was laid out for me, and they didn't want me there based under the circumstances that they thought were necessary for me.
It's not like they thought thought I was useless, that I was no longer any good. I didn't sit there and think that they couldn't provide me the platform for success or the path to success anymore. Just didn't work out. Done. And I had to deal with it.
I couldn't imagine how disorienting it must have been for Tom, although. It was his choice. And he chose Tampa, Florida. He chose Tampa because he saw the roster there. He saw the pieces.
He saw the coaching staff. He saw. No state tax, maybe. I don't know. You put it all together, and he kind of digged it.
And we we all know the the the path. We all know that it was a lot of downs before there were more ups. We all know the conversation that maybe Arians, his new coach, was being a lot more Sharing in public, then um. than Tom was used to, that'd have ruffled his feathers. We understand that You know, Antonio Brown was added midseason.
And that created potentially another added part to try and get used to for everyone. And And now After all of that. Tom Brady Wins the NFC Championship game in Lambeau Field without the services of Antonio Brown. And now is the same number of quarters away from winning his seventh Super Bowl as the same number of fingers he held up. after losing to Nick Foles because he did not know Apparently how many downs were Left for His team to win.
31 to 26 is the final score. Holy cow.
Now then, It's just there's there's no conversation. There's no conversation. Brady has removed himself from the conversation about his peers, his actual peers in his sport. I mean, win or lose, I don't care. He's now up there with name an athlete, name an athlete in any other sport that's the greatest in that sport.
Now he's compared to Jordan and Muhammad Ali. And Tiger Woods, if he already wasn't.
Now he's there.
Okay.
Now he's there.
Name somebody in baseball. You want to talk about Babe Ruth, the dearly departed Hank Aaron, you know, who didn't win as many championships? Bill Russell, keep going. Brady's there. That's where he is.
10 Super Bowls we'll never see again. I could just say a few. numbers off the top of my head. And, you know, 10 Super Bowls are absurd. He now is going to play in his 45th career postseason game.
He has more than doubled up. Joe Montana In Victories. In postseason games. And Montana's second on the list. He's doubled him up.
He with appearing in his fourteenth Game. On a championship weekend. It was 14. He doubled up Montana there. The 14 championship game appearances for Tom Brady.
Are more than 26 National Football League franchises. His 45 Postseason appearances, which will Occur when he steps on the field for Super Sunday two weeks from yesterday. He will play in his 45th career postseason game. That is more than 21 NFL franchises. Tom Brady, Thomas Edward Brady, Thomas Friggin Edward Brady, okay?
It's just no conversation anymore. There's no talk. Any more. I know your guy is your guy for your team. I get it.
I get that Niners fans will go to their graves talking about Montana. I get. That Steelers fans may go to their graves depending on where they grew up, when they grew up. About Bradshaw or Big Ben. I get that Colts fans will go to their graves about, whenever they grew up, about Unidas or Peyton Manning, I get Broncos fans will talk about Elway.
I get it. Let's just, it's one big Mad Lib. Fill in a blank. Proper name of your guy, proper name of your team. No conversation.
It's over. Done. Finished. Done. Tom Brady's done it as a 43-year-old, as the first guy to ever play 20 years with one team and then play for another team.
And in his first year in a pandemic, Goes to the Super Bowl to become the first quarterback to ever play a game, a big game, in his home stadium. The man's a living, breathing, walking first ever. Throw an avocado ice cream on top of it, and a supermodel wife, and a guy who, God bless him. Finishes the game and he runs up to the stands and says, I want to go see my son. Which, by the way, the question that you overheard him say that on Fox.
I believe he was asking it of the security guard who was doing his or her job. Like, hey, can I speak to my son? Oh, that's Tom Brady in the number 12. Yeah, yeah, let him through. Yeah.
And he leaves the Packers in. Disarray, and we'll get to that in a second. Although it may not be disarray, it could just be the moment. For Aaron Rodgers. But the head coach My brother-in-law, Scott Schuster.
Did you see his tweet? No. He said, and he nailed it. And we'll talk about it later on because Peter King's going to be joining us. And I do want to get to the fact that.
There's a pretty special quarterback playing in Super Bowl 55 as well, and we'll get to that because they are defending Super Bowl champs. Yeah, they are. My brother-in-law, good old Scottschuster, he tweeted out. that uh Matt LaFleur is football's answer to Kevin Cash. Not a bad one.
Not a bad one. Kevin Cash, the only I guess Tampa Sports. headline or Bold face name it The ultimate hasn't worked out for her. In the last counter sports year. Although the Rays did make it to the uh World Series We'll talk about Matt LaFleur and his decision in a second.
If not a second, then later on in this program, because Peter King's going to join us in nine minutes' time. But Tom Brady is a walking first. And now. Now He's coming. for the defending Super Bowl champs.
Cause we're used to seeing this. Where is she seeing this out of Tom Brady? Everybody thinks this is their moments, their time. Oh no, not today. Sure, he got picked sixed by the Titans, and he's not perfect.
He doesn't do it every time. He's coming for you. He's coming for your team. And I can't dig this Super Bowl matchup enough because here comes a team saying, bring it. Tom.
Bring it. Because they've got a unicorn. of their very own. They've got a kid. Who's now made it back-to-back Super Bowl appearances.
Last AFC quarterback not named Tom Brady to do that is John Elway. Here comes Patrick Mahomes. Here comes. I mean, I don't know. I've never seen anybody turn turf toe into the Jordan flu.
I've never seen that one before, but we saw that yesterday.
Well, the guy was I th I thought the guy was supposed to be hobbled. I mean, I guess I shouldn't be surprised that a guy with turft toe is making defenders, world-class defenders, miss. trying to sack him on the open field. I'm not surprised that I guess a guy with turf toe is able to drop back. float around.
Avoid a sack, avoid a rush, avoid another sack, and then find somebody across his body. And help Travis Kelsey break Michael Irvin's record for most receptions in a championship game on championship weekend. Which Kelsey did. Oh, and then Tyree Kill had almost 200 yards receiving. Again.
I've never seen a guy Turn Turf Toe into a performance like that. He's unbelievable, man. He's unbelievable. And there is no elite that's safe. Just ask the Houston Texans.
from last year and Hey. And part of that too. Part of that as well. And they're supremely talented. Andy Reid and Eric Biennemy.
Got to mention him, please. Gotta mention him, please. Please mention Eric Biennemy. Because it's Andy Reid having zero F's to give anymore, and Eric Bienemi helping him dial up the evil, all of them together. And it's Andy Reid watching McColl Hardman cough one up, leading to the first touchdown of the game.
Bill's missed the extra point. Then all of a sudden, let's feed Hardman. You saw Mahomes go up to him and say, We got to stay in this. Let's feed him. Let's feed him on an end around.
Where he runs almost as fast as Tyreek Hill to set up another score. Boom, boom, boom, boom. Once they roll, it's tough to stop them. It's tough to stop 'em. And here they come.
The defending Super Bowl champ's going to look at Tom Brady and tug on Superman's cape. Because they've got a kid. who is just as dynamite. Just as dynamite. With a group of offensive weapons that can absolutely match the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
And everybody's going to be talking about Tom Brady and rightfully so over the next two weeks and the Super Bowl chance by the time they get there, even though there will be a town in Las Vegas, Nevada, that does, if I'm not mistaken, believe that they are. The favorites to win this game, correct, Christopher? The Chiefs are the favorites. By the time we get there, the Chiefs are going to be like, okay, okay. I I get it it's Tampa in Tampa and I get it's Brady and all that but Who's wearing a ring?
Who's coming in to defend? Who's got the opportunity to defend? By the time this game kicks off two weeks from now, Chiefs are going to be salty. A salty Salty bunch. Ready to tell Tom Brady, great, good job.
Good job, Tom. Good job. Whole country is going to be pulling up a chair, and we are going to subject you. And the rest of the country. to a dominance.
That should. Shut the page. Shut the book on 2021 in most emphatic style. I cannot wait for this game. And it is the first.
Brady's a lot of firsts, as I told you, he's a walking first, and Mahomes is a young first, okay? You're going to see a lot of those Yoda and baby Yoda memes that I think are already out there right now. But it's the first. I sat there last night, Christopher, and I'm like. Hmm.
What about this game with Mahomes and Brady is so unique? Goat versus the kid, blah, blah, blah. But but wait a minute. Day one. The last two Super Bowls, Mahomes last year, year before that break.
Have we ever seen a Super Bowl? where the quarterbacks of the two previous winners are meeting each other, In the subsequent Super Bowl. I looked it up. I couldn't find the instance. I reached out to Brendan Mendoza of the NFL research staff.
Asked him to check it out. Check bark. Never seen it before. It's never happened. It's never happened.
Because usually one guy is standing in the way of the other guy in the same conference. Right.
Okay? Right.
Or it's never happened just because the football gods saw fit to not make it happen. And it certainly hasn't happened because one guy who won the Super Bowl usually doesn't switch conferences to help make it more of a likelihood that it can happen. Like Brady's done. Usually, a guy wins the Super Bowl, he's not changing teams. They're going to hold on to that guy.
Certainly two years later. Right.
You would think.
Okay, you'd think. But the football gods have saw fit. To give us Thomas Edward Brady. In this situation, at this moment of time, in that city, in that stadium, against Patrick Mahomes in this situation, in this moment in time, the first time ever. We've ever seen two quarterbacks.
From the two previous Super Bowl winners facing off. In the same game. In the subsequent game, we have never. Seen it before. But we will see it.
two Sundays from now. Can't wait. We haven't even talked about, again, the state of the Packers. And we'll begin to do that. With Peter King in a moment.
Because Aaron Rodgers sounded like a guy. Who was sitting there with a stiff drink in his hand watching Jordan Love get drafted? After we thought that narrative was supposed to be dead and buried, here it comes again because we're reading a lot into what Aaron Rodgers was saying in a moment that had to have been deeply emotional. And depressing. And um Peter King will join us on that.
Ariel Helwani will join us because it was a huge weekend in. On Fight Island, Connor McGregor lost. Dustin Poirier dusted him off, didn't he? Sure did. You love it when we talk about mixed martial arts, do you not, TJ Jefferson?
This is your, this is your, you love this. It's my favorite. And then, and then we find out today that WWE Network's been added to our streamer in Peacock. I mean, this is like happy day for you, man. If you look at this corner, I'm so WWE heavy over here that I figure at some point they're going to have to send us guests.
They're going to have to get me to host some type of podcast for WWE. Let's make this happen. Yes, we can. Jeez, let's do it. We can make it happen.
Why not? Anything is possible. Anything's possible. Tom Brady's in the Super Bowl at like 80 years old. You know what that means, Bruckman?
Anything's possible. Anything's possible. Hashtag. We didn't all know this was going to happen at the beginning of the season. See, dude, you're just honestly, your sports takes are so way off all year long.
The fact that you might have nailed this one four months ago does not mean a thing. Man, you did nail it, though. I nailed the Super Bowl to the T. Great job, Mike. I'm right once every so often.
It's all good, man. All good. All good in the hood. 844-204, Rich is the number to dial here on the Rich Eisen Show. Peter King, when we come back here.
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This is the Rich Eisen Show. I got one. All right. It's coming. On the show, back here on the Rich Eisen show.
844-204, Rich is the number to dial.
Okay, love this man's perspective, which is why he's in the Pro Football Hall of Fame for his work writing and covering this sport for decades and having him on now that the Super Bowl 55 matchup is set between the Bucs and Chiefs, Brady and Mahomes, Peter King from Football Morning in America, and NBC Sports, our colleague from NBC Sports. How are you, PK? Hey, Rich, I'm getting ready for Brady Mahomes 5. Two to two so far. Mahomes 121 points, Brady 120.
That's insane.
So I have a feeling this might be a good one. I still can't. It's still, Brady's numbers are ridiculous. I mean, it looks like a typo anytime I read it in, say, your column or on a topic bar, as we use the phrase on NFL Game Day Morning. It's insane.
There are no numbers, and the conversation is who's the greatest is over. It doesn't matter if Brady wins. Two Sundays from now, Peter. It's over. Of course.
But I think just. you know, like I I talked to him last night. He was on the bus. on the way from Lambeau to Austin Strobel Airport in Green Bay. I'm so sick I know the names of the airport in these towns, including who the airports are named after.
It's Austin Strobel International Airport in Green Bay. It's about a ten to twelve minute ride from Lambeau.
So anyway, last night I said to him, You were going to your tenth Super Bowl. No other quarterback has been to more than five. You know, two years ago after the game in Kansas City, you said this is. It's crazy, it's insane, it's uh you know, it's it's ridiculous. I said, So what about now?
And he goes, I know, I know. And and then Rich, there was this pause of six seconds. I ended up timing it. There's this pause. And I almost said to him, Hey, are are you there?
Hello? And it was just, he had no idea what to say. Yes. You know, it was. He just He I mean, he could have been Faulkner or Hemingway.
I don't know how you put into words what the heck is going on here other than You know, as I wrote today, I mean, look, as incredible as Michael Jordan was, He went to six finals in fifteen years. And Gretzky went to six Stanley Cup finals in twenty years. This guy's been to 10. Super Bowls in 19 years. I don't know.
I just, I mean, you know, it's hard to, really is hard to put into words. And then it's the first ever matchup between two winning, the quarterbacks who won the two previous Super Bowls. We've never seen that in a Super Bowl. That's never happened. Super Bowl 55 will be the winners of Super Bowl 53 versus the winner of Super Bowl 54.
We've never seen anything like that. We've never seen a quarterback take the field in his home stadium for a Super Bowl. And we've never seen a chief quarterback play like Mahomes. We've never we you could make a case that, you know, obviously Brady won back-to-back Super Bowls in years four and five when he was in in In the NFL, after pretty much sitting his first year, too, Mahomes is kind of the only guy who could ever catch Brady, and he's got the coach who's not going anywhere. You know, like there's that too.
That Brady couldn't kind of derail this.
Somebody wrote me an email this weekend and said, hey. You know, you say we're never going to see that again in our lifetimes when I said that Brady. In fourteen conference championship games, I just don't si think we'll ever see it. And my point to him was Okay, I mean, certainly Patrick Mahomes is off to a fantastic start.
Okay.
Now all he has to do is get to 11 of them in the next 15 years. And you know what? He might. I'm not saying that it can't happen. I'm saying that I do not think we're ever going to see this again.
as great as I think Mahomes is. And Rich, you know what? His full personality. Was absolutely totally, and the way he is as a person was absolutely totally on display in that. In that call with you.
you know, about about his nickname because He is a guy. It's like Tyron Matthews said to me last night, he's the ultimate perfect leader for a team. It is never about him. He's a little bit uncomfortable now. He doesn't want to say, hey, Rich.
I hate that nickname. it stinks. But so he just says, ah, you know, I I don't really want any gamer you know, he and and so what and again, I am not saying these two things are similar. You know what impressed me the most? about the Chiefs yesterday?
The absolute most. And obviously, we take for granted the greatness of Tyreek Hill and Kelsey and Mahomes. But I'll tell you what really impressed me the most.
Okay.
McColl Hardman muffs that punt and hands Buffalo a 9-0 lead. And you're thinking Man, this is... This? might be a game. Buffalo might be able to do this.
And then what happens on the next long drive by the Chiefs? Second play of the drive, first down conversion pass. Mahomes to Hardman. Uh and then the last play of the drive, a touchdown pass. from uh from Mahomes to Hardman.
And I just kept thinking to myself, Don't you want your leader. You're a great guy. There's a lot of guys who are going to go up to Hardman on the bench and say, hey, don't worry about it, man. Don't worry. And you saw it.
T V showed. Dave Tob, the special teams coach, and Andy Reid went up to him. A bunch of players went up to him. Mahomes put some action behind his words. He didn't have to say, Hey, I'm still coming to you.
It really reminded me of. When David Tyree before the Super Bowl against the Patriots thirteen years ago. when David Tyree dropped five balls at practice. They get back to the hotel two days before playing the 18-0 Patriots and Eli Manning. says to him, I'm coming to you on Sunday.
And it wasn't just words. She came to him on Sunday. He threw a touchdown pass to Tyree in the fourth quarter, and then he threw the helmet catch to Tyree. And so that, to me, is what a leader does. Peter King here on the Rich Eisen show and coaches too, Bienemi and Reed dialing up the plays too, including flipping one two Hardman on an end around, and he took it damn near to the house as well.
I mean, it's again, the fact that it's Reed and Bienemy and Arians and Leftwich, you know, two old school coaches with younger assistants dialing up the plays, former players, leader of men. Look, it's an amazing matchup, and we're going to have two weeks to dissect it. I do want to spend the final moments here with you to talk about not only the aftermath in Green Bay, but some of the other stories, including Matthew Stafford is now available, and Watson is rumored to be on the run. And it's entirely pos or. And on that front.
Is it at all possible? that Aaron Rodgers really is going to have the hard feelings that he clearly had on display yesterday, whether it was something we don't know about, the iceberg, we're just seeing the tip from the draft, That he said wasn't much of anything all year long, and he puts together an MVP campaign. Um is it possible that the hard feelings that he definitely Expressed yesterday in a fit of depression, potentially, and an awful gutting loss. Can actually linger and that this is a possibility that his future is up in the air? But they might.
They might, but there's a few different things in play here. Aaron Rodgers has three years left on his contract. You know Brian Gudekinst has shown that he's got a lot of Ted Thompson in him. You know, we're not we're not Do we're not like you know, when they decided to move on from Favre in two thousand eight, He didn't care about the public pressure and he didn't care about the pressure from FARF. You know, he made Aaron Rodgers his quarterback.
And I mean, it's a different story, obviously, but. Brian Gudekinst is just going to say, hey, listen, Let's give this a month. Everybody just calmed down. Of course everyone's going to be gutted after an emotional game like this. But I also will just this occurred to me.
After listening to Rogers last night. First of all, over the years, over thirty-seven years and forty years really covering sports of all kinds. It's always better to get real feelings talking to players very soon after the game.
Okay, that obviously you're going I think if you talk to Aaron Rodgers on Thursday of this week, you'd probably get a different view, not as gloomy a view from Rogers. life happens sometimes, you lose games. But I'll also remind you that wasn't it just a week ago when they had this great game against the Rams? against this great Rams defense. That he said, it's, and I'm paraphrasing, I don't remember exactly what he said, but it's something like: it's the honor of my lifetime to be the quarterback of this team.
I love this team. Yeah And now all of a sudden, he's dropping hints That maybe we ought to think about my future. And again, I don't even know what he said yesterday other than I'm really depressed that we lost this game. He said that we need to see what the future holds. No, he said that people's futures are up in the air, including mine.
Those are the words that he used. Of course, he. Of course he did, but does that mean that He personally believes that he'd be better off somewhere else. No, he didn't say that. I mean, I think the proverbial we on people's futures are up in the air, including me.
Of course, he's going to say that. He's whatever he is, thirty-eight years old. Uh, who knows how much 38 this year, I think. Right.
Uh, who knows how much longer he's going to play, but. All I can say is this, he just had an MVP season. He's going to win the MVP. Why the Packers would think of trading him now? Maybe he pulls a I want out and I'm not going to play in Carson Palmer.
Maybe he pulls that, I don't know. I he could do whatever he wants, but it sure seems like life changed with one loss in one week. And I would also say this, Rich. you know Aaron Rodgers was not faultless on that last drive. At all.
On third in goal from the eight. He should have run the ball. Into the end zone. and a two-point conversion ties and and whatever. I mean You know, look at the throw he made to Devontae Adams at the goal line on that play.
Look at it, watch it. How in the world do you make that throw?
Well, it's a scrum of people and he throws a ground ball at Devontae Adams when he's got a wide open pasture in front of him. Would he absolutely have made it? I don't know. but he's got a heck of a lot better chance of running that ball in. Than in trying to laser a throw into the ground to Devontae Adams.
Well, let's discuss this a little bit. Peter King, here on The Rich Eisen Show. That, yeah, of course, there's blame to go around everywhere. That two Brady picks were turned into zero points. You can't, and you keep allowing Brady an opportunity to beat you.
He will, certainly when he's playing at such a high level like this, which makes it all the more bizarre that you would hand the ball off to him with a five-point lead, hoping to get it back. That you hope that you would get one more shot from the eight-yard line thanks to your defense. And that's the decision that ultimately Matt LaFleur made. I will make a decision to get my defense to give my guy the ball back rather than put it in the hands of my MVP. And I think that's.
Why Rogers was potentially very angry at the end of the game because it's writ large that here I am back in the NFC Championship. Hold on a second, that here I am back in the NFC Championship game, Peter, and we lose again. And you drafted my replacement instead of somebody that could have helped me in a game like this. And one last thing. And I think his And I'm going to talk about this later as well, get into it.
I think his fit of peak with his coach was obvious when he said. The reason why I didn't run it and threw it to Devontae Adams is because I thought I had one more down left. When running it would have been the indication that he thought he had another down left, because wouldn't you rather, if you're stopped on fourth and two, get those six yards with your legs that you clearly could get? Clearly, him saying, I thought I had another down left, which is why I throw it, is throwing his coach. A little wee bit under the 12 bus right there.
And I think his coach deserved it. I'm not saying it was unwarranted. But I think that that's how I interpreted Rogers' comments yesterday. If he thought he had another down, he should have run it. I agree.
I agree. I'm not arguing with you about New York way of raising my voice. That's what I'm saying. He should have. Aaron Rodgers should have had Another down.
It is totally fruitless To kick a field goal, you still need a touchdown. Why are you kicking a field goal? It's a dumb call by Matt LaFleur.
Okay, uh it but but be that as it may. Be that as it may. Aaron Rodgers is not faultless on the last drive of the game. On third down, wouldn't you re if you thought you had four downs, If you thought you had four down, And you could get and you could get five, six, seven yards. With your legs.
Wouldn't you rather have fourth and goal from the one point five than from the eight? I would. You have an incredible, but you have much more that you can do.
So again, Rich? I agree, he should have had that fourth down. And look, Brian Goudekunst, I said it on draft weekend. It's insane that the Green Bay Packers didn't draft a wide receiver In the draft last year.
Okay.
Drafting a running back at the end of the second round. I just, I'm. I'm mind-boggled.
However, however. Aaron Rodgers, the whole year, has been a don't worry, be happy guy. We're going to cope with this, everything's going to be okay. It's like one series of downs. Made all the happy stuff that he talked about all through the offseason.
It seems to me. Seems to me. made all that really question whether he really is mister Zen. Has he been has he been, you know, sort of burying this this disdain for Goudekunst? and whatever he feels about Matt LaFleur, I don't know why in the world you'd be upset about a guy who, going into Sunday's game, had you twenty eight and seven over the last thirty five games when you were fifteen, nineteen and one over the previous thirty five.
I mean, Matt LaFleur has been a pretty great coach for that team. But again, this is the way I feel about events like this. Everybody needs to Calm down. And everybody needs to get away. It's just like what he said.
I think he's absolutely right. I just need to get away and clear my head, as everyone does. You can't make a decision. about the 2021 Football season, and who is your quarterback with the guy who's got three years left on his contract? on Monday, january twenty fifth.
It's just it makes no sense. Anyway, a couple minutes left here with Peter King.
So I got about two minutes here, Peter. Stafford, what's the market for him? And is Deshaun Watson? Going anywhere? Everything you hear is that he wants to go here, he wants to go there, but he doesn't create a he doesn't demand a trade, even though whoever they hire doesn't matter to him.
I mean, there's reports all over the map here. On blocks. You know, it's like I wrote in my column today, Rich, it is beyond. any reasonable expectation. That if I mean, and I don't think Josh McCown is getting this job, don't get me wrong.
I think They might hire him as a quarterback coach or maybe even offensive coordinator, but they know they can't hire Josh McCown. But if Josh McCown, anyway, did get hired. You know that he would not take this job without without assurance that Watson was going to be his quarterback. And why do you think I mean, this is exactly why I think that you don't make decisions. Three months before the draft.
It's now three months and four days before the draft. I you just don't make decisions. You you calm down And you tell Nick Casario, hey, listen, we got time to fix this. Let's try to let cooler heads prevail. And as far as Stafford goes, I think you'll have a good market.
You should be able to get like Indianapolis got, I think, the nineteenth pick in the draft or twenty first. That seems like fair market to me. for a guy who's going to be thirty-three this year. And despite some great talent, uh has never won a playoff game in his life.
So that would seem to be fair. Maybe somebody will offer more than that. I don't know. Peter, you're the man. Thanks again.
Appreciate it. Let's talk before the game and then after. I'm not going to be shy calling you.
Sounds good, Rich. Take care. You're the man. That's Peter King. I was on his podcast.
Check it out, where all podcasts can be acquired. Lots to unpack right there and we will attempt to do that. Here at 844-204-RICH to take your phone calls as well on the Rich Eisen Show the day after Championship Sunday. What if I told you you can take you and your family and your friends to the ballpark with such low-priced tickets you can invest more in buying food and drinks, merchandise, and easily on top of all of it, get a larger group to come with you? That's where Game Time Tickets comes in.
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Okay.
At the top of the next hour, I'll give you my two cents on Aaron Rodgers' post-game press conference, and then, of course, the Bills season and the way it ended, and the way I think both teams. At some connective tissue to the way they lost on Championship Sunday. One thing I want to hit here: Stafford being up for grabs. I don't think the Patriots have the draft capital, brother. I know you really want them.
But um I don't I mean, there's going to be a bidding war for him. And I think the Colts are the team. They've got the draft capital, they've got the team to insert him. I mean, he. You could say, in terms of being a gamer, in terms of being able to throw for a million yards, and in terms of being on a team that didn't do him.
service, more often than not, He's like a younger version of Phillip Rivers. Would you agree with that? Yeah, I mean, like, you can come in there and he can sling it around and. Better arm talent. I think the Colts, that's a perfect.
I just don't know who's given up a first round pick for Matthew Stafford. The Indianapolis Colts can. You think so? They can. Why not?
They gave up a one for DeForest Buckner and they all, you know, they used him to great effect and made the playoffs. You can get Stafford in here and go? And get him, by the way, T's two years, $43 million. That's a bargain. That's cheaper than Jimmy G.
Or you use your draft capital to trade up to take one of these young guys that you have on the hook. Starting from scratch, you got a team that can win right now. There you go. You got a team that made the first round of the playoffs. If Frank Reich pushed a button here or there.
And they had Stafford instead of Phillip Rivers, maybe towards the end of the game. I don't know. Philip wasn't the reason why they lost, but I think he's an improvement. To the point where you're not the seventh seed. Yeah, I just don't know if a first-round pick is worth it.
He's worth it for a 33-year-old quarterback who's got zero playoff wins. I understand. But he's a better option than maybe a scene which you could get in the. The kid from BYU or the kid from The Ohio State. Yeah, maybe.
Brock when you've said multiple times, though, that Stafford could play another seven or so years and break all these records. Brady's shit. How much hell you can actually play in your life? I just don't know if you give up a first-round pick for it, as valuable as first-round picks are in the NFL.
So, um, I I I just You know, in terms of the Lions as well.
So Stafford, he could just let's trade him. And then you give a six-year deal to Dan Campbell when I don't think anybody else is in the market to give him six years. No way. Look, this may work out, it may totally work out. But they're going to have to start from scratch, from the very bottom, with a quarterback.
They're now in the quarterback drafting market. Yep. And then let me just say this about Josh McCount, who I think the world of. He's been on this program. And if the Houston Tech, just the mere fact that the Texans were late in getting on Eric Bienneme.
They were late on getting on Eric Bienemi, and they've got a quarterback that is thinking it doesn't matter who the hell you hire. I would disagree with that. Even though I'm not familiar with Watson's position, I don't know anybody close to the situation or anything like that. I just think if they do eventually hire Eric Bienemi or Leslie Frazier, who's now. done with the Bills season.
And that's the guy who calls up Deshaun Watson and says, let's meet. I I I think this five alarm fire might be able to be put out. Which is why Peter King's like, hey, don't make any decisions now. Draft day is three months from now. Let's just take a beat.
Let's take a break. Everybody, just let's exhale. Let's get the coach in position. And Whoever we hire has got to say, Okay, it's entirely possible we don't have Deshaun Watson. And they have to roll the dice and say, I'll go to an organization that.
decides that Deshaun Watson. Has to be traded, or created a situation where Watson felt he was no longer. Viable quarterback there. But Josh McCown, to go out, even, even to even interview the guy. Who's never coached at any level, hasn't paid a single due at the coaching level when you have viable candidates out there, black and white.
Okay, black and white. But here we are seeing a hiring period. Where No African American head coaches have been hired. None. And there are multiple that have paid their dues and are ready to be hired to do a great job.
And you go out and interview a white guy who's never coached anywhere? And is ready for an opportunity a la like Steve Nash? You know, when people like Ed Reid say, I'll coach. No, you can't because you haven't paid your dues. Deion Sanders.
Is Going, and he is the head coach. He is the HC at an H B C U in Jackson State. But no, Dion can't be head coach. He can't just go straight. He hasn't paid his dues.
But, Josh McCount, you're giving him the airing of a sit-down interview? What the hell are they thinking? It's truly the only thing I sat there and thought of. What the hell are they thinking? They can hire him.
He might be the guy, but. How in the world is Eric Bienemi considered, you know, like, let's just take our time? The Chiefs are going to the Super Bowl the second straight year. They've gone to the AFC Champions Game three straight years. Patrick Mahomes is a dream come true, all these other weapons around him.
You know, you sure you can roll a football out and score some points, but Eric be Andy Reid's not doing it by himself. My God. What's happening? I saw that this weekend, and I'm like. Me too.
You gotta be kidding me. And I love Josh McCown. He may be head coaching material.
Well, let him go be a quarterback coach somewhere. Let him pay the dues that they're eching Leslie Frazier and Jim Caldwell and Eric Bianame and Deuce Staley, who's decided to leave Philadelphia. Mm-hmm. Mathwatch. 844-204-Rich is the number to dial here on the Rich Eisen Show.
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