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The rule in the NFL I hate the most. This rule is a bad rule. It's Higgins, he fumbles into the end zone. The competition committee has looked at it. It's a touchback.
I hate this rule that you fumble the ball through the end zone and the defense is the one that benefits. The Rich Eisen Show. I'm just pissed. I can't stand this rule. Today's Gasps.
Host of Peacock's Pro Football Talk, Mike Florio, legendary NBC sports broadcaster Al Michaels, plus Chiefs quarterback Chad Henney. And now. Yeah. Sure. Rich Eisen.
Alrighty, everybody. Welcome to this edition of The Rich Eisen Show. Live on NBC Sports on Peacock. We say hello to everybody listening to us on NBC Sports Audio, Channel 211 on Sirius XM, or on the Rich Eisen Show Terrestrial Radio Network from coast to coast here in this football-loving nation. Chris Brockman, good to see you across the aisle.
Rich Eisen, how you doing? Good to see you across the aisle. Good to see you, Rich. Good to see you settling into your chair. TJ Jefferson, social media grandma.
I've said hello to everybody here on this program.
So there's so much to talk about from this weekend, from the fact that Tom Brady never ages to James Harden can lose 30 pounds and keep off the weight in just 48 hours. That was amazing. What else to talk about?
Okay.
So what a. What a playoff weekend. What a dynamite playoff. Playoff weekend. What a dynamite playoff weekend.
The fact that we had a one-possession game in Lambeau Field in the fourth quarter, even though the Rams got only 54% of the snaps from their Aaron and both of the Packers' Aarons were performing very well. Then we saw in the night game, we saw a game that was tied at halftime. In that contest, and then boom, the span of a couple of possessions, an 11-play score for Josh Allen and the Bills to Stephon Diggs. We try to keep you smarter here on the Rich Eisen show. We had Eric Wood, former bill, last week, saying that last year when the Ravens.
Put the bang thing on Josh Allen and the Bills by running cover zero, which means they're just daring everybody to. to throw on them. 16 times when normally it's played like once or twice a game, he said that the Bills decided we got to address this and get Stephon Diggs. Who's the guy who scored the first touchdown of the night? Stephon Diggs.
And then Taryn Johnson with a pick six, so rare. 101 yards, that's rare. It starts in the middle of the field. Usually, those start when you pick it off right on the. Pylon, or something like that.
And you just go right up the sideline. But Taryn Johnson tears it up for 101 yards, and then Lamar Jackson gets concussed because. uh the center for the Ravens I had trouble snapping Lamar the ball all night. Bills get into the AFC championship game, and it looked like they could actually host it. because the Browns had an opportunity.
To win. I have to go higher register on that. I got to go on higher register on that. The game was 19-3, and I understand it could have been 16-10. There was a pylon incident that I don't want to go down a pylon wormhole right now because I despise the rule, and we will hit that later on because there's so many more.
If you will fish to fry. Um But the Browns didn't fold. Didn't fold being down 19 to 3. Did not fold. And Mahomes gets hurt.
Chad Henney comes in. And he has not one but two. Remarkable fourth-down calls placed in his lap. And I know he's a veteran. But the guy started week 17.
for Mahomes, and I guess that got the juices flowing. And all of a sudden he's in a game. And it's fourth In short, midfield, Andy Reid, because he has cojones the size of church bells. And as you know, Andy Reid has been much better as a coach in the NFL when he has no more Fs to give. And He has Henny flip it out.
Did Williams, who gets the first down. And uh Henny Got enough more yardage to get a field goal. Which was crucial. Out of Harrison Butker. He did throw an interception in the end zone, but it was kind of like a.
Punt? And then a fourth down call. Fourth an inch. Fourth an inch is basically what it was. As Chad Henney sets it up from third and forever all the way to fourth and inch because he had wheels that you didn't know the guy in his mid-30s was going to have.
And he's got wheels, and he's got wheels to get it to fourth and inch. And what's the play call on fourth and inch? He shows up and shotgun. I'm sitting there thinking, what are they doing?
Okay, they're going to try and at least get the cheapo. First down by getting somebody to jump off sides because there's about 20 seconds left on the play clock. And you're here in Romo basically Walk us through in real time in Romo style about what he's trying to do. He's trying to get them to jump off sides, and at some point he's going to go under center and attempt to do that again before sneaking it. Right.
But he never motions towards center. He never goes towards center. And he actually, with seven seconds on the play clock, snaps the football. And I'm like, oh my God, they're going to throw it. And then Tyreek Hill's wide open and.
That was all she wrote. Couldn't believe it. And that's how the Chiefs get to the next. Round, they get to the AFC Championship game for a third. Straight year they're hosting it.
The list of coaches. who have coached a team. to A Conference Title Game at home three years in a row. Andy Reid? Kansas City?
Andy Reid, Philadelphia. That's the list. That's the list. He did it with Philadelphia, with McNabb. He's now done it in Kansas City.
with Mahomes and Henny, who will join us in the third hour of this program. Because you know, I had to call Chad Henney. Why was that, Richard? Because he's a Michigan Wolverine. Oh, okay.
And there were two quarterbacks yesterday who took victory formations, and they both went to the same institution of higher learning, the Harvard of the Midwest.
Okay.
Yeah. It's okay. They're valuable. Here you go, people.
So we saw all those great. Games Um Saturday afternoon and evening and Sunday afternoon, and it had the sense and feel of For the lack of a better phrase, and with all due respect, when you give those two caveats to start a sentence, you can be totally disrespectful after that. Felt like the varsity. was taking the field. In the superdome.
Okay.
That the They Rest were just the Appetizers, and here comes the Filet Mignon Entree. of Brady versus Brees. And I couldn't have been more excited for this game. I was really fired up. You know, I'm thrilled to say I'm not jaded at all when it comes to.
my job and being able to watch football and enjoy it and It was just Tremendous. It was so much fun to watch these two guys go at it. And in the end, it was at the very end, despite it being A unique unicorn of a matchup because of the Resumes of these two quarterbacks. And also, the fact that it was a division rivalry. We're seeing it for the third time this year, and the Saints.
Had Swept the season series to that point. Brady had never lost to a team, same team twice in the same year. Never been swept by a divided opponent. Never saw the same opponent in the Playoffs that he lost to in the regular season, then lost to him again. He's never been, I mean, despite the unicorn.
aspect of this game, it all comes down to the old axiom of win the turnover battle in the playoffs. That simple. The fumble by Jared Cook was absolutely a crusher. because breeze and the offense was beginning to cook, even though Jared. was the one who had it knocked away Antoine Winfield.
Making a Veteran play for a rookie playing in his second career playoff game. A big time play. And You could see it on Cook's face because I mean How good is that Devin White kid? Christopher and Levante David. How good are those linebackers right in the middle?
That kid, White, had a heck of a day too. He sure did. He's the one who scooped up the fumble and took it to the red zone. and then later on picked off Tom Brady. to essentially I mean picked off Drew Brees to essentially seal the game.
But That fumble, you could see it in Cook's eyes. It was one of those, like, I can't believe that just happened. because it did change the tenor of everything. And it was Going to be a first down right around midfield, converting a third down. Instead, it's first down.
Red zone territory for Tom Brady and the Bucs, who were beginning to get. A little out of sync, out of sorts. Aaron Andrews, who was doing the sideline that we were showing. the the buck sideline looking to be, as you could see, a little bit In disarray, beginning to feel the sense that this wasn't going their way. And that fumble was a killer.
It really was. This defense by the Saints for the Saints that has been so terrific all year long, backed up. The kid Anns alone has number 47 on the Saints is going to have a long. Night or two because the Bucs considered and Brady considered it was his birthday yesterday. And that's the phrase I learned from all my Hall of Famers: that they when they see a defender that they think they can match up well against with Either a receiver or a running back that they could have.
have their way with him. And um they did yesterday. And certainly, they turned all those turnovers into touchdowns. And that's the answer. I mean, we could sit here and go, Brady this, Breeze that.
But When it comes down to it. If you throw interceptions, if you fumble the ball. In a playoff game, doesn't matter what. The circumstances were during your regular season appearances, and doesn't matter the fact that you're at home. And that's all she wrote.
And there's two things that Caused me to sit here and pause on this game, and it's talking about legacies. It's talking about legacies. First up, let's talk about Toms. Because his is going to continue to grow. potentially even more next week.
All offseason long, my goodness gracious. It was right around this time last year. That Brady had just been won and done by, of all people, Mike Vrabel and the Titans. It was right now last year that we were beginning to hear the rumblings of Brady's out. He's out.
Or no, he's not out. Patriots are going to make a run. Nope, they know it's over. I mean, this is when we're beginning to hear all of that. This point last year, this very moment, calendar year 2020, that's all we were talking about.
And then. Right around. Free agency beginning. We heard the Los Angeles Chargers. We're out on Brady.
What does that mean? Where's he going? Tampa Bay.
Okay.
Tampa Bay.
How's Brady going to look in Pewter? That's weird. He's going to a team that hasn't made the playoffs since 2008. That's weird. He is going to a very talented roster.
He is going to a coach that is kind of the antithesis, if you will. of Belichick despite being equally as old school. How's this gonna work? How's this going to work then? Oh, God, all of a sudden, there's something called COVID-19.
We're in a pandemic. We're all quarantining. What's this going to look like for Tom? Brady, Thomas Edward Brady, leaving the New England Patriots. What's it going to look like for New England?
What's it going to look like for Tampa? That was a conversation all off-season long. Cam Newton even got thrown in the middle of this conversation. When he Was acquired in June, signed. And now we have an answer.
Now we have our answer. Despite the ups and downs, and how the Patriots looked in the first month of the season, with Cam looking like he was. MVP Cam, and then he has COVID. Then it doesn't really work out for New England. Then it goes completely south.
They get a little burst, finish up out of the playoffs. Finish up with a non-winning record. First time since 2002 with the non-winning record. First time since Brady blew out his knee that they didn't make the playoffs. That's what happened with New England.
Quarterback questions, issues. What's the future going to be like there? No idea, no earthly idea as we're sitting here on this calendar date in 2021. What about Brady? Yeah.
Guy is going to the NFC Championship Game.
Okay.
Okay.
That's what he's doing. He's going to the NFC Championship game After beating Breeze. In a playoff game, first playoff matchup between these two GOATs.
Now he's got the first playoff matchup. with Aaron Rodgers. In Lambeau Field, as vaunted and as hallowed as a football ground as there is in this great event. American sport. And that's.
A fact. He Did it. Talking about his arm strength, talking about how in the first game in the Super Dome home, he threw one out. To the flat, pick six, and there's going back and forth with the coach, not liking it, and he's calling him out. All that's business.
And what about the offense? And when's he going to get used to it? And all of that. He's going to the NFC Championship game. And if he doesn't even have to win it, Don't tell this to Tom Brady.
Honestly, he does not have to win it. It's already done. Yeah, he was. Being better off and him having the better year, and him making the better decisions, and him having. a greener pasture.
And he retires Drew Brees. in the process.
Now then. Bree said after the game that he wants to think about it and everything like that. And it's totally understandable. thing to say because After the game, I mean, we're not There's still football left to be played. And this man deserves his day.
He deserves when all of the confetti is picked out of the hair of either the Bills, Chiefs, Bucks, Or Packers. He deserves his solo moment on the stage. He deserves his press conference. He deserves to get. Whatever he feels he would like.
He has served. With distinction? He has made himself into what he has become. I know that makes very little sense when you just write it down. But when you look at him being a second round Choice.
Out of Purdue. By the way. LaDanian Tomlinson was the first-round draft choice that year for the San Diego Chargers. But when you are a second-round draft choice coming out of the Big Ten. And nobody thinks you have much of a chance in this league because of just how literally tall in stature you are.
And then he loses his job in San Diego. By Getting A younger kid drafted. He hurts himself. Just as he's going to free agency, how crushing could that possibly be? He goes to New Orleans.
He does Strike gold in the fact that the head coach who brings him there is a perfect match. And the rest is literally NFL history. The way that he reacted. yesterday, leaving the field, blowing kisses to his family. The video that my colleague James Palmer of NFL Network shot of him and Brady after the game.
The way that everybody is saying, let's leave it up to Drew to talk about it, the way that Drew's like, I'd like a few. Let's put a pin in the conversation of retirement. The fact that he's got a contract with our colleagues at NVC Sports. Ready for him. Every piece of He is Retired is written on the wall.
And barring anything totally unforeseen. He retires. One of the greatest quarterbacks in the history of this game, which nobody truly gave this guy a chance. for being called. when his name was called.
By the San Diego Charges. on that draft day. I think that's a fact. Anything is possible. We've seen crazy Disney-like runs out of players.
I sit next to one. On NFL Game Day morning, everything's possible. Brady as well. But it takes hard work and determination. It takes hard work and heart.
And that's what this guy has coming out of his pores. Not a perfect. He'll tell you that. He'll tell you that. But what a run.
Most passing yards in the history of the game. Currently, he retires number one in that category. Brady will probably catch him because Brady is not done. He's got 1,154 yards on Brady right now. Most completed passes in the history of the sport.
364 better than Brady in that regard. Brady will never catch him in this There have been multiple quarterbacks who have thrown for 5,000 yards in a season. Only one has done it more than once, and it's Breeze. He's done it five times. Mm-hmm.
Mm-hmm. Passing attempts, passing yards, passing yards per game. And also A statistic like passer rating. I don't have the slide rule or protractor to figure it out. He's right around close to the top.
The only people who are in front of him in many of those categories are players who don't have nearly the amount of years on. Under their belts, like Mahomes, for instance, is somebody who's on top of him in terms of passing yards per game average. Breeze retires, averaging 280 yards passing per game. For a guy who supposedly wouldn't be able to see a b above his offensive lineman because of his height. And he leaves the game with a legacy of others following him.
No question in my mind, Baker Mayfield got drafted first overall because look at how Breeze. was conducting his business. At a similar height. No question about it.
So anybody who's Of the six feet and around that mark, and under, or just around that mark. Tip your cap to Drew Brees because he blazed a trail. No question in my mind. And he's uh he's he will go down as Maybe the greatest athlete in the history of that state. And I know I'm treading into waters that include pistol peat and things of that nature, but.
I'm serious. That's what this guy retires with. And I say to him, it was an honor covering him. From Sports Center all the way to NFL Network and getting to know him. I'll say that in advance.
Because it sure looked like that was a retired man coming off the field, blowing kisses to his beautiful wife and family, and then taking one last look. over his left shoulder at the Superdome. And again. The guy who moves on. We can't I can't say this enough.
How many times have we said into this microphone? Everybody hears it too, about how unprecedented Tom Brady is. This is to me sums it up. We saw yesterday. A 43-year-old man.
in career playoff start number 43. He's hitting his age.
Okay.
He's hitting his age.
It's like a seven-year-old golfer shooting par, is literally what this is like, okay? All right, so he's hitting his age in terms of playoff experience. We saw a 43-year-old man in his 43rd career playoff start. Win a playoff game in the same building where he won his first Super Bowl as a 24-year-old. That happened yesterday.
That's insane. That's insane. And he now goes TLAMBO FILED.
Well, I can guarantee you, Packers fans, you are feeling good. I saw the Packers fans on Twitter, and you should feel good because you've got your GOAT quarterback playing at an absurdly high level, and everything's working in your home, and it's going to be cold. But I'll tell you what. If there's a single Packer fan out there saying, bring on Tom Brady, you have lost your friggin' mind. Last guy you want walking into that building.
Especially since He knows. There's another first. On a table. First quarterback to ever host a Super Bowl in his own Building. to play Host.
and play as the home team in the Super Bowl in his own building. That has never happened and it's in the ether. We'll talk about everything with Al Michaels, who called that big-time football game in Buffalo in the finale of Sunday Night Football on NBC. Chad Henney is going to join us from Kansas City, but coming up next, what in the hell is going on in Houston with Deshaun Watson and everything else in the world of the NFL? Pro Football Talks Mike Florio and you on this busy Monday show.
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Restrictions apply. Before you leave, I'd like to play a game that we've created here called Start Bench Cut. Similar to that. You know, blank marry kill game that we always used to play as kids.
Okay.
Do we, as kids, play that? Or as collegiate last week or adults last week, okay. We call it start bench cuts. You can have to start somebody, bench somebody, and cut somebody. And we have a Game of Thrones theme to it.
Yes. All right. What's the first one, Chris Brockman? What are you your favorite? The first one is your favorite Game of Thrones character.
Okay, hold on, just to give him the three. Khaleesi. Jon Snow, Jorah Morma. Start bench cut. You have to start bench cut.
Bench one and cut. I'm starting Khaleesi, Mother of Dragons, Breaker of Chains. I'm uh. I'm benching Jorah and I'm Cutting John. Cutting John.
You can't have any rivalry. Johnny always try to hit his hand, but he's trying to get in there. Oh, my God. We gotta cut John. Didn't see that cutting.
Oh, Kang. He's cutthroat. But because we also knew in one of the many times we have conversations, you're a big Joro fan. I am. I am.
And now that he's got the Gracio out, you know, he's... Hey, John Snow's out. And John's out. He could be in.
Okay.
I don't think that matters. Yes, Game of Thrones. All right, give another one right there.
Okay, the nastiest MFer on Game of Thrones. You have to start one, you have to bench one and cut one. Ramsey Bolton. Walder Frey Joffrey. Fit's nastiest.
I mean, you gotta start Ramsey. He's the worst. I mean, he is the woke, right? He's the worst of all time. Worst of all time.
I'm gonna bench Joffrey because he's close. You know, the stuff that he did, I mean, Sansa's put up with all this crap. From the men in her life. She's six big men. Exactly.
And so I want to base Walter Frey. He's up there, but his death was exciting.
So you cut him. He's out. He's out. Okay.
Well, which he actually was, in fact, cut. Right, literally, from all that.
Okay.
And then we'll just do one more favorite movie.
Okay, the three choices are Shawshank Redemption. A fugitive. You've got mail. Start bench cut. I'm starting the fugitive.
I mean Tommy Lee and Harrison Ford fantastic. The best, right? I'm going to bench Shashank. Phenomenal movie as well. And I'm cutting.
You've got no. It's not even the best Tom Hanks McBride movie. Yeah, but it's modern times. Online and all that. You got sleepless in Seattle?
That was like a phone call on a radio show and everything. Yeah, but you've got dial-up. You've got dial-up email. Come on, now. You guys are wrong.
Yeah. Yeah. Really? Fantastic. I forgot about that.
That's great. I forgot about that. We threw you under the bus with Aaron Rodgers at the Super Bowl in Minnesota. Yeah. Okay, fun stuff to kick off our show.
And we've got Chad Henney coming up. Al Michaels will be joining us here on this program as well here on a very busy Monday on the Rich Isen Show. We are back here on our program with all of our ready audience returning. He is a must-read all the time. I reach out to him and I'm like, hey, mind coming on?
And he's part of our Peacock World, NBC Sports on Peacock. He starts the day, he ends the day with Pro Football Talk, and then with PFT PM. He is Mike Florio. How are you, Mike? Doing great, Rich.
How are you, man? I am doing fine. Let's start, I guess, with the playoffs: your impressions of divisional playoff weekend. What leaps out at you? Yeah.
The Saturday games were okay. The Saturday night game looked like it was going to get a little interesting until the pick six from Teron Johnson, and that was the moment you could drop the curtain on that one. Yesterday's games, though, very exciting, very intriguing. Browns had a chance, especially after Mahomes went out, and then we got from the Buccaneers and the Saints the game that I thought we expected. And it looked like the Saints We're going to win the game until the Tampa Bay defense had something get into them.
When Antoine Winfield Jr. stripped the ball from Jared Cook and Devin White scooped it up, and that's when the pendulum swung. The Buccaneers are where we kind of thought maybe they had a chance to be before there were stretches of the season where they didn't look like the team that was going to get there. I love that. That's a perfect way to put it.
They are where we thought they had a chance to be. Because we were waiting at some point for this team to gel. And even when they did gel in December, Mike, it was like, well, Atlanta twice, Detroit once, so what? And now they're in the NFC Championship game. And now, as I started the show, Brady has officially, if there is some sort of competition with him and the Patriots, post-Patriots, he's won.
There's no two ways about it, and he doesn't even need to win this coming NFC championship game. Don't tell him that. But the mission is already accomplished, as far as I'm concerned. For Tom. One of the most amazing feats That I can think of in any sport is the idea that of the last ten years.
Tom Brady has qualified for the final four in his sport. Nine times. eight times with the Patriots. One time now with the Buccaneers. The only exception was last year when they exited in the wild card round in New England against the Titans.
I mean, that's incredible. Teams weight decades. The Cowboys haven't been to the NFC championship game since 1995. And Tom Brady has been there nine of the last ten times in the final four. And that's how you become.
A team that wins six Super Bowls over 20 years. You are on the porch kicking on the door every single year.
So. Once every few years, the door's going to pop open for you. And then, you know, obviously Mahomes and the Chiefs being the one seed that advances in the AFC, walk me through the process. That's going to happen with him and his head and the independent. Individuals that will clear him for play in the AFC Championship game.
What is the next few days going to look like for? Uh for him.
Well, first of all, we can't forget about that toe. And in a weird sort of way, maybe it was good he got off that toe. before he did more damage to it because he clearly was hobbling. He was kind of trying to put the weight on the outside of the left foot the way he had the left foot pointed. He was trying to keep putting keep from putting weight on the toe.
And maybe in a weird sort of way, his toe is more likely to be ready to go Sunday because he ended up out of the game when he did. But You know, Rich, when the NFL first had its epiphany about head injuries in 2009, and implemented very clear and unprecedented procedures about when and how a guy can get back into a game. After he's been diagnosed, It was a presumption that if you got a concussion, you missed a game. And it just felt like that was the Check the box, guy got a concussion, he's missing a game. And that was the way it went.
And then at some point it went the other way. Where When you get a concussion, Far more often than not, you're back on the field the following week. And I don't know whether that's anything other than happenstance, but if this had happened ten years ago, I think we'd be saying, holy crap, it's going to be Chad Henney. against Josh Allen in the AFC Championship.
Now, I think we monitor it and we watch it. But I think there's just this rough sense that That Mahomes will be cleared by Sunday because we see that regularly now. When a guy gets a concussion one Sunday, he's cleared by the following Sunday. Mike Florio from Pro Football Talk Here on The Rich Eisen Show.
Okay, Mike. Um The Deshaun Watson scenario that we were talking about just a couple of weeks ago, and you popped on for just a few minutes to describe your tweet and your reporting about Watson and there being a bigger problem in Houston than anybody is letting on. This is now a full five-alarm fire with Andre Johnson of all people. Opening his mouth and saying something. That Sports Illustrated deep dive that came out about the Texans was eye-opening.
to say the least. Um, today, Deshaun Watson got wind that there was going to be some sort of march planned on his behalf in Houston today to have fans come out and show the Texans that they don't want him going anywhere and he should be listened to. And I'm showing a tweet on right now him asking humbly that whoever is organizing the march cancel for the sake of public safety. COVID spreading at a high rate. I don't want any fans to unnecessarily expose themselves to infection.
I mean, this is just.
Something we have never seen before. We have seen star athletes break with their management and demand to get out, though, but this is reaching. Five alarm fires, they said, what the hell is going on in Houston is my setup, I guess, leading to the market. And let me take it back to what was going on at the end of the season. I think the Texans were beginning to realize that Deshaun Watson was becoming disenchanted with the franchise.
And this effort to involve him, Rich, in the Selection of a GM and the hiring of the coach. I was kind of surprised they went so far as to get his input for the GM. Because what player can give meaningful input on a GM? You can give meaningful input on a coach, but what input can you give on a GM? And then I realized: you know what?
He's got as much qualifications as Cal McNair and Jack Easterby to hire a GM. I mean, hell, if they're going to hire the GM, why not get. Deshaun Watson's input. He at least puts a helmet on. He at least knows something about the game.
These guys don't. One guy inherited the team and the other guy came into the league as a chaplain and just kind of worked his way into a position of influence somehow.
So All due respect. Does that make it better? All due respect. No, you got to say it first, Mike. You can't do it ad hoc, unfortunately, but it's all right.
We can. You know what I mean?
So, anyway, so but the coach thing. I don't know if you saw a pregame show on Saturday Night and Shame on You if you didn't. I I reported there that it wasn't just Watson. recommending that Eric B. Enemy, the Chief's Offensive Coordinator, be considered for the head coaching job.
and ultimately was ignored until they realized we'd better Try to put this five-alarm fire out, to use your term, and interview the enemy. He also recommended that they interview Robert Sala. and they didn't interview him at all. And they're the only team Of the seven that have had coaching vacancies or had, to not talk to Salah. How hard is it, Rich?
to open up a laptop. And fire up Zoom or whatever the equivalent is, Team, Zoom, whatever, and talk to a guy for 90 minutes. How hard is that? It's amazing to me.
So that's perceived as disrespect. To Deshaun Watson, he's yet to utter the magic words, trade me, because he understands the import of that. Once you cross that bridge, you can't go back. But that's the message. That is kind of subtly being sent, and we'll see how the Texans act on it.
And the problem is, they've screwed this up at every turn, they've taken a bad decision at every fork in the road. I don't know what they're going to do. I don't put anything past them at this point when it comes to screwing this up and making it worse.
Well, I mean, in terms of Bienemi being interviewed, apparently that's happening as you and I speak, Mike, that they're firing up Zoom and that the league and the Kansas City Chiefs said okay, even though they're still playing right now, normally they'd have to wait until the Chiefs are out because they did wait so long. The window in which they could have interviewed him closed.
So that's happening. But why wouldn't Bienemi or anybody else? Start the interview by saying, Well, what are you guys doing about Deshaun? Right? I mean, so that's the thing: the fix could be hiring the right coach who can throw their arm around Deshaun saying, I got this.
Forget about Easter B, forget about everything about, you know, Casario. I got this. You're my guy. I'm your guy. Let's go to battle together and win together and put the fire out.
But that right coach might not come because of what the hell's happening, there's a fire. You know what I'm saying? Like, how does that how does this work for Houston? I'm not taking that job. Unless I know that Deshaun Watson is fully and completely on board with it.
And then. Doesn't that create an awkward situation on the way through the door? When you have to basically get on bended knee to convince the quarterback to want to play for you, that's not the way it's supposed to be. See, this is what happens. when in a clumsy effort to placate an unhappy quarterback, You give him a seat at a table that teams typically don't give quarterbacks a seat at.
Now, I believe that because they want quarterbacks to act like quasi-members of management and show up early and stay late and influence the team and study the playbook and act like they're at the table, they should be at the table. But there's a way to do it. There's a way to nuance it. There's a way to talk to a guy without saying, you're going to have input in this decision.
So that's where they screwed up. And now it puts the new coach in a position of weakness. And it makes Deshaun Watson. The most powerful guy in the organization, if they Capitulate to him in the hiring of a coach, so they're far better off capitulating to him in his request to be traded and get as much as they can for him, have an auction. Involving all teams that he's interested in playing for because he has that no trade clause, which is very, very powerful.
But if there's three, four, five teams he played for, just hold up the contract, who wants it, and have them bid, like JFK's golf clubs, until they get the winner. Mike Florio, Pro Football Talk here on the Rich Eisen Show.
Now, there's also another coaching scenario that's tied open coaching spot that is tied to a quarterback question, although it appears that the Eagles have answered it. That it's going to be Wentz's show for whoever comes in and takes this job. How does that affect the coaching search for Jeff Lurie? And how does this play out with Wentz? And hurts under a new regime.
How does that work, best you're going to?
Well, this is another mess too. You know, Rich, if I was a guy who had options and had confidence in my ability to stay at or near the top of the A list for coaching hires, I'd wait till next year before touching either of these jobs. Because You're going to have to be on board with Wentz. And you're going to have to mean it. You're going to have to have a plan for getting the most out of Wentz, and it's going to be on you if it works or if it doesn't work.
Meanwhile, you're stepping into this. This the situation where The media is going to be relentless. The fans, you know, you would think that winning a Super Bowl would kind of placate a fan base. The Eagles fans are like it's some sort of a drug that they're now instantly addicted to, and they want all the Super Bowl trophies. Like it's made it harder to coach the Eagles now that they've won a Super Bowl.
So good luck with that. I would want a six-year fully guaranteed contract with no offsets. at a minimum before I'd even think about that job. Because there's no way you could feel confident going in that this is going to work out perfectly and you're going to give the fans what they crave so badly, another Super Bowl trophy within the next year or two. All right, so here's a question I wasn't planning on asking, but I'll do it right now.
And it's a Sports Talk Radio question.
So they're. You can only choose one. Which one's most likely to be on a different team next year? Deshaun Watson. Carson Wentz Sam Darnold.
You have the floor, Mike Florio. Right now, I'd say Deshaun Watson. I'd say Deshaun Watson because he is so close. to saying, trade me. And I think once he gets to that point, there's no going back.
And will the Texans dig in? Will they dust off the catchphrase, we can't have the inmates running the prison, which I'm sure has something to do with Deshaun Watson's overall discontent, just the attitude that the organization has had about players. I I think it's going to be Deshaun Watson. And I guess there's a chance they reach an impasse And he just doesn't play for anybody. Although I I think it would be ludicrous for the Texans once they know Watson is out mentally.
To not position this to get the absolute most they can for him and move on. It's unbelievable. Before I let you go, let's talk about the two hires. Um, the one that is coming and assumed with the Lions and Dan Campbell from the Saints staff, and then Brandon Staley. Getting the job.
I guess the Chargers were just watching their co-tenants and the defense this year and decided. One year is the DC there is good for them. Let's make them the HC of the LAC. Walk me through these thought processes.
Well, with the Chargers, I don't know how this has happened. Maybe it's because nobody pays attention to the Chargers, but they have become the ultimate cone of silence. Where no one knows what they're gonna do. Nobody knew what they were gonna do with Anthony Lynn. And there was reporting that they were going to hire Brian Dayball.
I'm told, Rich, and I'm working on this story right now, it'll be posted at ProFootballTalk.com minutes after we're done. Brandon Stanley was always the guy. He was always the guy. It was never day ball. I don't know how the Chargers pull this off.
And they want Staley, they got Staley. My concern about Staley is when you've got a young franchise quarterback in Justin Herbert. Daley's going to bring in an offensive coordinator. Herbert's going to play great. That offensive coordinator is going to be a head coach somewhere else.
You bring in a new offensive coordinator. Lather-rinch repeat. I'd rather have my young quarterback tied to an offensive mind for 15 years like Sean Payton and Drew Brees. I felt the same thing about the Jets with Robert Saul. He may end up being a great coach.
But if Sam Darnold gets fixed, Then Mike LaFleur, the new offensive coordinator, is going to be a head coach somewhere else, especially because he's Matt LaFleur's brother and worked with Sean McVay. I mean, he's got all the planets lining up for him to not be there for very long.
So that's my concern about the Chargers. And with the Lions, a ton of respect for Dan Campbell. I'm surprised. I don't understand. How the saints' assistants Don't get more run.
Whether it's Dennis Allen, the defensive coordinator, never mentioned Rich as a possible head coaching candidate. I'm not saying he should get hired, but I think he's done enough to merit an interview the last four years. And then Pete Carmichael, who's just kind of there, and people just assume that, well, it's all Sean Payton.
Well, in Kansas City, it's all Andy Reid. And he's got this pipeline that's spitting out head coaches. And now finally, Dan Campbell, assistant head coach, tight ends coach, is going to get his opportunity. He's been an interim coach before in Miami. And there's a thought he's going to be really good.
But we'll see. I mean, the Lions. You know, the Lions have been so bad for the last 60 years, my default position with them is I'm going to assume it's not going to work until they find a formula that does, and then I'll change my mind. In the minute I have left, Arthur Smith's hiring by the Falcons. What does that mean for Matt Ryan's future?
Well They also have to hire a general manager, but the expectation is Terry Fonteneau from the Saints is going to take that job. Then it's going to be up to them to figure out what to do with Matt Ryan and Julio Jones, and then they have to convince. Rich McKay of it, who's kind of the, you know, GM Emeritus and or Extra guy with a spoon in the stew who can influence what Arthur Blank wants to do or not do, but they're in a huge cap problem anyway. I'm surprised Arthur Smith took that job because he falls into that category of guy who would have gotten a job next year or could have gotten another job this year. too many cat problems.
And I just feel like Rich, and it it's been almost four years now. But that stink of 28 to 3 is not washing off. And maybe you do have to move on from Matt Ryan. Maybe you do have to move on from Julio Jones. But I just feel like that.
Still, don't you feel that? That it still kind of hovers over the team. I don't know what they need to do to change it. New uniforms didn't change it. I don't know what changes it, but but it just shows you what a disastrous day like that can do to a team and how it can just echo for years to come.
Mike, you're the man. Thanks for the call. Really appreciate it. You take care of yourself. That's Pro Football Talk.
Mike Florio. Pro Football Talk Live starts us every day on NBC Sports on Peacock at 7 a.m. Eastern Time, and PFTPM will end it as it will today at 5 Eastern Time. Back with your calls at 844-204-Rich. Lots to unpack from that when we return, including the Eagle situation.
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That's O'ReillyAuto.com/slash Eisen. Yeah. Thrilled and delighted. Commander needs no introduction, but I'll give it to him anyway, the legend. Thank you.
How are you, bud? Very good, thank you.
Okay, so what do we have here? Choices, because you know, I've never been on a spectrum. I heard that, yeah.
So, well, your staff brought sort of a spectrum aboard. This one's straight out of, I'd say, like 1982, 83-ish. This one is relatively new. It's a little bit, it's more like for trick-oriented.
Okay.
So, I'd say less stable for you.
Okay, we can't have that. Right. I guess mine's kind of in between because I got big feet, so I ride a stable board with tight charts. You actually use your straight board? Yeah, of course.
Okay, so, wow. All right. Alright. Have you ever done any board scores, surf, snowboard? This is a blank slate situation.
Alright. So if I were to, let's see, you have to decide which way you stand first of all.
Okay.
Right? So you're either gonna stand with your right foot forward or your left foot forward. I'm a right-handed guy, so. That doesn't matter. How do you ski?
Let's say if someone were to push you forward, which foot would you, all right, I say you're goofy footed.
Okay.
Like me. There we go. You riding my board, you're goofy footed. It's great.
So what you want to do is put your front foot on the board, a little bit of an angle.
Okay.
Right? Yes. And then just give it a little push off, and then straighten your feet, your front foot out after it's moving.
Okay.
And my only advice is to anticipate the motion. Anticipate the motion.
So I'm going to foot like this. Oh my god, this is no good. And then push off with the left. Yeah, and then just lean forward. Make sure you're leaning forward.
Somebody's got. That would be leaning back. Is that what you guys are hoping for? Sean is exactly what we were hoping for. What a horrible but this is what everybody in this room was hoping for.
Wow, I'm gonna do it again.
Okay, you gotta do it again. You gotta lean forward, lean forward on your front, like over your front foot.
Alright, you're centered more over your front leg.
Okay.
There you go. That's it. That's it. You got it. Gotta teach my kids to stay on the port.
There you go. Look at me. You're scanning. Tony Hawk, everybody! Uh High five for perseverance.
Try to teach the kids to get back on it. But I do need an ice pack. I'd lend an ice pack. Please, somebody. Oh.
Man. How often am I on television looking like a total idiot doing something physical?
Well, don't answer that question. Shut up. Don't look at me. I mean, every day I try for myself. But I'm talking about something physical.
Kurt Warner loves it. I mean, he's so Mr. I'm Such a Nice Guy, Kurt Warner. He just loves it. He could not get enough of it.
He secretly is like that. He's a hater. Not a congratulator. He's a hater. He is a hater.
Nobody ever describes Kurt Warner as that. But it's true when it comes to my physical prowess. Here on the Rich Eisen Show. 844-204-Rich is the number to dial. We're back here on the Rich Eisen Show Radio Network.
Okay, so much to unpack from Mike Florio, okay, and I know how long it's going to take me to talk about Deshaun Watson.
So we're going to hit that in the next.
Okay.
And I still have yet to talk about. The fumbling into the pylon. You know we're going to get to that today.
Well, yeah, I do. But again, The Philadelphia Eagles. The Philadelphia Eagles are in A situation we have never seen. a team in before. We have never seen a team Commit nine figures.
to their quarterback. Who they feel has proven himself worthy of that contract by two things. One, He got them into the one seed before he got hurt. and before Nick Foles won the championship for the head coach.
Okay.
And they thought that that was enough. That was enough. For them to see, and it was enough for him to get through last season, not this season, the previous season healthy from start to finish.
Okay.
They thought that that was sufficient for them to go early. which they were properly lauded for because look at the Cowboys and they're waiting. Go early and sign them. Never have we seen somebody sign to a nine-figure deal. And then Disintegrate.
completely and utterly disintegrate. And the team have a quarterback that they have just freshly drafted. Who seems better suited to the current day and age of offensive NFL football? Have that guy at the ready. And then have that guy at the ready.
and then run the offense much better than the nine-figure guy. And how that all play out? We've never seen that. We have never seen that. I've mentioned it here before.
I'll say it again. We've always seen in the past. Quarterbacks get big, huge deals. Before they even play a snap of football, that was the way the NFL used to conduct its business in the previous collective bargaining agreement when they drafted players and bestowed upon them the richest contract in the history of. They are franchised just because they were drafted first overall.
Those days are over.
Now the NFL has set it up so the guys got to prove themselves. And that's why you haven't seen somebody who signs a nine-figure deal call fall completely flat and disintegrate.
So, now what do the Eagles do? They fire the coach in the middle of all this. And the issue for me is. I would think that firing the coach Would be the opportunity to settle the quarterback business at the same time. That's the way to cleanly do it.
Because you hire a guy who comes in and sends Wentz back into the locker room, and if they are not. Kelsey and Ertz aside. All on board with the decision that Wentz should be given another shot while Hertz sits there. If they're not on board with that and the new coach comes in and says, This is what we're going to do, you're wondering who's really in charge here? Is it the dollars and cents and the management team that insists that Wentz is the guy because they have no choice but to stick with him because of what it means cat-wise?
And Financially for the team to succeed. that they are so invested they have no choice but to keep it going and run it back. If that coach walks into that locker room and they're 0-2, 1-3, and says, let's keep doing it. How in the hell Do they not have a repeat? of what's going on.
in Philadelphia right now. How do they not just sit there? And Go with Hurts. I know it would, but I don't have the books in front of me. I'm not the bookkeeper.
Okay.
I haven't been. Put on the train in Chicago. Yeah. But why is Whence so untouchable? I just again the the money is significant But Hertz, can this kid catch a break in a quarterback situation or what?
What a horrible situation for him to be in. And new coach comes in and he's going to have to navigate everything. Jalen, you're our guy. You got to stay ready. Wentz, you're our guy.
Let's go. And then the whole locker room's like, let's go. Oh, okay, great. In Philadelphia. Where I'm hoping Knock on wood if everyone's with me.
Fans will be all over that building in September and letting everyone know about it. Certainly, if week one is going to be the Giants, as we all suspect. because of the way two fifty six Of the regular season, Game 256 played out. I'm sort of just stunned. Even though I guess the dollars and cents should ground me here.
Yeah. The Wentz is crazy. It's $59 million. Dead cap if he's released before. I'm not saying you're going to release him next year.
That also includes a trade, too? Yeah. $59 million if they trade him. There's no way to. figure out how to Get around all that.
$25 million guaranteed salary next year.
So it's, I mean, I don't know all the ramifications, and people in the know in Philadelphia might be: this is the only way. But I don't understand how that's possible. The Deshaun Watson scenario and where he might be winding up if not staying in Houston. Al Michaels, who called the big Bills win on Saturday night. That's all coming up, hour two.
There was a there's a piece of video I want to show everybody right now from my uh colleague James Palmer in the NFL Media Group, who is covering the Saints Bucks game from the Buccaneers point of view for NFL Game Day Morning. He was right there in the front of the stands, and this is Breeze and Brady. I've watched this so many times. And his Beautiful family, four children. his wife Brittany, they're all just kicking it after the game and look at this.
Throw me a pass, Tom. Nice high point by one of the Breeze boys. I watched this. Look at his daughter. Just bashing one of her brothers, just jumps, jumping all on top.
Okay.
You know, and this is parenting of four kids. It's just, you pay it no mind because it happens all the time. And then the daughter's like, you know, hold me, dad. And he's like, see it, Tom. See you, Tom.
Hang my daughter upside down here in the Superdome. I just love this as Brady and Breeze are you know, a brotherhood of quarterbacks and dads family and Honestly, I watched that over and over and over again last night, and I just. The respect and just the beautiful aspect of the Breeze family rolling around. The, you know, the turf, and then Breeze is like, I'm going to, I'm going to play, you know. My daughter's doing all these cartwheels and stuff.
I just, I don't know. It just hit me right in the gut about what's important in life and also how life moves fast. I'm sure. You know, Breeze and his wife look at their children, can't believe how big they're getting. And don't forget one of those kids on the field.
Had those headsets on in the 2010 calendar year.
So it's 11 years ago when Breeze. One the Oof. Super Bowl. It just goes at you so fast. Time goes so fast.
And Breeze has been around as a quarterback since 2001. And you're just sitting here like, where the hell did all the time go? As there's Brady and Breeze, and we were showing video of these two guys playing against each other in the big house in 1999. And now those are the number one and two quarterbacks on all time lists, all over the place, in terms of every possible passing metric you can have after playing in a playoff game against each other. And there are the kids rolling around, and hey, Tom, throw me a pass.
Sure, I'll do that. And the kids will just remember that. Maybe more than just dad. Not anyone. I know.
It's really amazing. The whole thing is just truly amazing from soup to nuts. And I just wanted to show that video and. Not Surprisingly, it's been viewed millions of times. Al Michaels will be joining us next here on the Rich Eisen Show to lend more perspective to the weekend.
Down, down, down, down, down, down.
