Did you know that driving under the influence of marijuana is illegal? Driving high will get you a DUI. And if you're wondering if law enforcement can tell you're driving high, Well, everyone else can. Friends. I can tell you drove high.
Parents. I can tell when you drive high. Relatives. I can tell. You drove here high, didn't you?
So what makes you think law enforcement can't? I can tell. If you feel different, you drive different. Drive high, get a DUI. Pay for by Nitza.
Listen, the way you sleep is unique to you, and that's why having a sleep number smart bed is so crucial. Because you can adapt to your changing needs for just right. Can't wait to nestle into bed, luxurious comfort.
So whether your needs are softer or firmer, cooler or warmer, you are never stuck. You can adjust your comfort whenever you like. And it gives you your best night's sleep night after night, year after year. I love my smart bed. My sleep number setting is 60.
My wife's is 70, just 10 numbers apart, but it means the world of difference because I can change my side of the bed to however firm or soft I want. And the same thing. For Suze.
So, why choose a sleep number smart bed? Again, so you can sleep just the way you like. The only bed that lets you make each side firmer or softer whenever you like, your sleep number setting. Sleep number's biggest sale of the year is here. All beds on sale up to 50% off the limited edition smart bed limited time.
exclusively at a sleep number store near you. Sleep Number, Official Sleep and Wellness Partner of the NFL. See store or sleepnumber.com for details. This is the Rich Eisen Show. Hey, everybody!
Can't get enough of The Rich Eisen Show? You're in luck! You can find us everywhere. Watch us weekdays on the Roku Sports channel from noon to 3 Eastern. Miss the show?
We've got a podcast, so you can listen anytime. But here's the best part. Our YouTube channel. Subscribe at youtube.com slash rich Eisen Show and you'll never miss a moment.
Now. On with the show. This is the Rich Eisen Show. This is awesome. Yeah Magic in the air.
Live from the Rich Heisen Show studio in Los Angeles. Travis Kelsey asked. Taylor Swift. Yes. Said yes.
Awesome. Your English teacher and your gym teacher are getting married. The Rich Eisen Show. She's the English teacher, and he's the gym teacher. Today's guests.
NFL on Fox analyst, Greg Olson. NBC Sports Fantasy Football Expert, Matthew Berry. Super Bowl champion Drew Brees. And now. It's Rich Eisen.
Hey everybody, welcome to this edition of the Rich Eisen Show. We're live right here on the Roku channel. We're live on the Infinity Sports Network. Sirius XM and Odyssey. 844-204 Rich is the number to dial right here on the Wednesday before.
College football explodes on the weekend of Labor Day weekend. It's going to be the middle weekend of the U.S. Open. The Ryder Cup team was just announced today here in the United States of America. The New Orleans Saints yesterday named their starting quarterback for 2025.
It's Spencer Rattler. Drew Brees is joining us in hour number three. Travis Kelsey is engaged to get married to Taylor Swift. Greg Olson is going to join us in hour number one to tell us where. They're Registered.
That's going to be great. And then there's Matthew Berry right in the middle of everything to talk about fantasy life and fantasy football. Right now, this show is embroiled in not one, not two, but three live fantasy football drafts. We are stupid. But we're multitaskers and we can handle everything.
Good to see you over there, Chris Brockman. What's going on? Rich, and you got the last pick in two of them. I did. I have.
Sorry, Liz. What does that matter? Who knows? I don't know. I don't know.
Last pick. You know what it means, Chris? It means a Cinderella story is about it. That's insane. You know, that some kid from Ohio and some crazy Star-Cross girl from the state of Pennsylvania could meet and fall in love.
I can feel it. Right? You know what I mean? That's the way I'm viewing my status. I like that.
Great to see you. DJ Mikey D isn't these nuts. What's going on? Good morning. I'm doing well.
What's going on over there, TJ Jefferson? How are you? You know, just trying to review my draft from last night and deciding how much I like it. I think I do. I love it.
Yeah, our Rich Eisen show. Uh team. Last year in Kansas City, when we were all there, we were like, you know what, let's do a fantasy draft, and we continued that tradition. this year.
So we did that. There we are. I appreciate using this photo. Jay Felly shot it, and my eyes are closed. This is great.
And that's the way I drafted. It's great. That's the way I drafted. Awesome. Um they're in Craig's restaurant last night.
Craig stopped by. It was all good. Love it. At any rate, 844-204-Rich is the number to dial. We've got a trade in the National Football League that happened this very morning.
And Tom Pellisero, wherever he is. I believe he's on tomorrow's program. He's going to join us and he gets to say, I told you so. He dropped a massive breadcrumb last week.
Now, I understand when a team like the Minnesota Vikings have Justin Jefferson on it and acquire a wide receiver from the Carolina Panthers, that's not like big-time massive news usually, or the fact that a breadcrumb is dropped. But last week, when the Vikings started trading all of these veterans. Um for draft choices I'm like, what gives, Tom? And he's like, well, keep an eye on Adam Phelan. Going from Carolina to Minnesota.
He did say that. Keep an eye on that. We kept an eye on that. Nothing was happening. Today it finally popped.
And Adam Thielen is going back home. mister Minnesota himself. Born in Detroit Lakes, Minnesota, played at Minnesota State University Mankato. I believe Craig T. Nelson was his coach, was a daubber.
Well done. Yes, sir. Thank you very much. And then his first 10 seasons of his career in Minnesota. Then he wound up in Carolina, and now you can go home again, which I guess is a theme around here as well.
And with Jordan Addison out with a three-game suspension and some other banged-up wide receivers. Adam Thielen is going to show up and show out, and it's going to be a pretty big first. Appearance Monday night football against the Chicago Bears. He's back home. And um And then when Addison comes back...
and the rest of the receivers get healthy. Um Look out And once again, it's all about the kid, J.J. McCarthy, and what is he going to look like and how coached up. Can he be? To get ready for this season after last season went down the tubes in injury, and Kevin O'Connell had a coach of the year season with Sam Darnold.
Can you just plug JJ in and get the same or similar results? and thus a team that everyone overlooked. For a division run or certainly a Double-digit season run. Nobody saw that coming. One year ago at this time, no one was saying, watch out for the Minnesota Vikings.
Now we can sit here and say Adam Thielen is A nice key piece. Which leads to my top five. Ooh. Five minutes in. It's early, but you know what?
It's like fantasy football. You gotta get the guy when you're already on the clock. That's right. You want a guy's a reach? Take him.
So I've got every year here on this program. Uh right around this time. I identify A group of teams. That you have no idea what's going to happen. They could be great.
They could fall off a cliff. They could be a particular. Tough team to beat. They could be a factor. Or they could be.
Top ten in next year's draft. We call them shrug emoji teams. Don't know. Best guess. Figure it out.
my top five shrug emoji teams. for 2025's National Football League season hit. High five. One, two, three, four, and five. Riches.
Top five again. It's my top five shrug emoji teams of 2025 presented by Hyundai, and the first one up is: You got it. You bet. The New York Giants. And you might sit here and say What are you talking about, Rich?
They're gonna stink. Because that's what the Giants have been. But you look at this team. And you see a coaching staff. That I think Fiance.
Re-in like invigorated or reborn in a way here? Because Daniel Jones isn't there anymore. And it's a whole new set of circumstances. It's a whole new set of possibilities. I don't know when Jackson Dart's going to get in.
The assumption is he's going to get in. He's going to at one point. be the guy because Russell Wilson won't. And you look at their schedule at Washington, at Dallas, home for Kansas City, home for the Chargers, a visit to New Orleans, and a bye, after which they have a. A home and home with Philadelphia wrapped around a visit to Denver?
And then a San Francisco 49ers home date at the Bears home for the Packers at the Lions, and you're looking at the first dozen weeks and it's like, see you later. What are you talking about, Shrug emoji? Because this team has a defense. This team has one of the best guys in the middle of the defensive line in Dexter Lawrence, and he's surrounded by Kayvon Thibodeau and Brian Burns and Abdul Friggin Carter, who was the best player in the Big Ten last year. Mm-hmm.
And that back end of the defense will improve because of that. And then maybe, just maybe, Malik Neighbors is healthy and can get. A connection going moonball-wise with Russ, who can start moving the ball down the field, and this team can actually make a run for the playoffs. With a difficult schedule, I understand. Maybe they can win games 21-17.
I don't know. I'm Shrug emojiing the Giants. You might not, I am. Number four on this list of the top five Shrug emoji teams of 2025. We had Buddha Baker on last week, Chris, when you weren't here.
What? The Arizona Cardinals. Yeah, great question. Can Marvin Harrison Jr. show up and show out like the Best player in the draft ever.
Like Joe Clatt was saying he was, and so was Daniel Jeremiah, and a ton of people saying he was when he was. at the Ohio State University. Can he add? actually show up and start dominating his position. James Conner is going to continue doing what he's doing.
The running game is going to continue what he's doing. Kyler Murray. Jonathan Gannon in his now third year there selling something. Are they buying it? You look at Arizona's schedule.
They start at New Orleans. They're going to get Spencer Rattler's first week one start of his career. Then they're home for Carolina at San Francisco, where just ask 49er fans, they go up to Santa Clara and they can punch people in the mouth frequently. Home for Seattle on a Thursday night. It's going to be loud in a sea of red.
Then they're home for Tennessee at Indianapolis. They have a possibility for a quick start. Or They're going to get smoked. Because we don't know. Callaeus Campbell's back there.
Can the Arizona Cardinals Start fast, finish strong. Shrugamoji, I don't know, do you? Number three on this list is a team that is now. in the news today because they traded away Adam Thielen. Carolina.
Every year there's a team that finished strong. Last year, the year before, and then they start strong. Carolina's got that. We saw. That's the royalty, I guess.
We at NFL Network saw... Bryce Young in Munich last year against the Giants. Starting to turn things around, and he won that game. Dave Canalis told us in a pre. Broadcast meeting that he knows things are going to start to turn when the team's personality shows up on the field.
And Bryce Young was doing that first down stuff, and Xavier Liget was riding the pony, and now they got Ted McMillan. I understand they traded away Adam Thielen in that receiver room, is really green. But Carolina Starts at Jacksonville. They do visit Arizona, their home for Atlanta, at New England, Miami, and Dallas at home before they're at the Jets. Can they start strong?
Can they go three and three to start? Can they start hitting people in the mouth and making some hay in their own division? Shrug emoji. Don't know. They're running back.
Core as well. They took Rico Dowdle from your team. Swapped it out with Miles Sanders, I guess, right? More or less. And uh Chuba Hubbard.
Is there Uh I don't know. Could be good. Could be back on the clock. Number two on this list, Shrug Emoji Team. I am putting the San Francisco 49ers here.
Oh, wow. Really? Yeah. I am. I am.
Who's catching the football there? Right? George Kittle and Richard Pearsall. John John is currently ready. Christian McCaffrey.
Christian McCaffrey, you're going to catch a lot. I don't know, man. John Taylor. I'm putting them here, Jerry Rice. Oh.
I'm Brad Jones. Everybody is assuming that the San Francisco 49ers are just going to bounce back and get 10, 11, 12 wins. I just need to see a little bit first. Oh. Dude.
My guy Who's place kicking there is I think driving everybody nuts I need to see the first couple of weeks of the season. I do believe they're going to be good. But last year causes me to just wonder. If The Roster is still a little thin. We'll see how well they did draft on the defensive side of the ball.
Trent Williams, can he stay healthy? I'm putting the niners here. New course.
Okay, I'm ready for anything at number one now. Why? Because you think the Niners are definitely going to be great.
Well, I think they're going to be a superb. I know you put him as a Super Bowl contender. I don't think I'm alone. You know, Vegas has the win total at 10.5, so they're expecting a bounce back. All the metrics have them as one of the easiest schedules in the league.
Still got to play them. You know, they're in a division with some question marks with the Stafford back injury. We don't really know what Seattle or Arizona look like. I'm putting San Francisco here.
Okay. Number one on the list. One on the list? Minnesota. Hmm.
Minnesota. I believe my guy's going to kill it. I can't wait to see it. I'm so excited to watch him play on Monday night in front of the whole country. And I'm excited to see how Kevin O'Connell's coaching him up.
And I'm excited to see this team. But he still is a kid. who's going to go through some ups and downs as you would think usually these things happen. And this is a 14-year-old. 14-win team last year.
If he struggles, what happens? I don't know. I think they're going to obviously live with it. Because at the end of the day, he's a winner. But in terms of Can they win the division?
Absolutely. Can they finish last behind the Bears? Because the Bears have greatly improved, and the Packers and the Lions are still there? Absolutely. Don't you think?
Yeah, that division is kind of a question mark. Do not know. Can the Vikings with this kid? catch fire, and win the conference. Yeah.
If he has a season similar to Bo Nick's or Jaden Daniels, if they're so fortunate. Absolutely. Could if he struggles with some ups and downs and has some problems holding on to the football and creates turnovers, as sometimes you see from rookies. Can they finish last place in the division and not make the playoffs? Absolutely.
I'm Sugar Mojing. They've got the roster and the coach and the makeup. To win the whole damn Conference. Or not. That's my top five Shrug emoji TV.
You have one more. I did not know this. Thank you from my beautiful young son, Cooper. One more. Actually, I've got three more.
Whoa. Whoa. The one more is three more. And it's everyone in the AFC East not. Buffalo.
That's pretty good actually. Every single team in the AFC East that's not the Buffalo Bills are shrug emojis. Hey man, your Patriots drafted extremely well. And then they got Stephon Diggs for Drake May, and Josh McDaniels is back. And that is the perfect guy for Drake May, right?
And they shopped smartly in free agency. They got Vrabel, my goodness. Yeah. Mike McDaniel has got, you know, Tyreek Hill is still there. Let's hope all the defenders are back healthy.
Whatever was going on in that locker room with Jalen Ramsey has been removed. Tua basically has told Tyreek Hill, that was not cool last year. Let's get together. They're the fastest team in the NFL, and arguably they are. What will that mean?
Or The other way. And then the Jeep and then the jets, alright? I mean. The Jets, you have to say this. Rogers wasn't going to be the quarterback this year.
So they got another Aaron, and the Aaron that's showing the way is a coach, which is the way you want it to be. You don't ask a player to come in and say, We've got a coach here who's terrific. Where is A-Ron right now? And for everything else, please show us the way. That's the way it was with Rogers.
And so, if they're going to get a new coach, which we knew they were going to get since they bounced theirs last year in week friggin' five. And so they're going to get a new coach. They reach back into their own. What? Passed and got a first-round selection from the Parcells years, who's been Absolutely putting in the time.
And then and has the resume. In Aaron Glenn. And then you get a new general manager who's wisely goes, you know what we're going to do? We're not going to wait around to sign our rookies of the year from a couple years ago. Garrett Wilson, you're ours.
Sauce, you're ours. Start telling people like T. Higgins to come here. All right, don't turn down these uh requests on uh on socials. from fans because you're so disappointed with what's going on here.
Let's do that. Let's take Justin Fields with an upside. And give him 20 million bucks a year and let's have him be a quarterback for us. And if it doesn't work out, it doesn't work out, but at least we're handing him. As his top receiver, somebody from college.
These are all smart moves that they've made. Or... S O S. Yeah, sure. Why not?
Cause it's S O J Same old jets. Don't know. Don't know. I'm missing anybody. You don't like the Niners on the list, which is amazing.
Yeah, it's like role reversal. You're going to make it roll reverse. You're defending Kyle Shanahan. I know. I know.
I honestly would have had the Steelers on the list. Mm. That's a good one. I know I've been hard on them all offseason, but we really don't know what Aaron Rodgers and the offense is going to look like. I think it's going to be good enough that they're going to be a playoff team or in the mix for the playoffs.
They're not going to be. The Shroga Moji team is you could be. Top of the line. Or you could be...
Something completely different. I do not know. And the Giants are not going to be top of the line, but the Giants, I think, defensively, People are sleeping on, and they're sleeping on. Dayball may be having a new lease. With these veterans, And Jackson Dart in In his back pocket.
I think the Giants are better. And they might surprise somebody in the first couple of weeks of the season. I'm looking at you all. Hopefully, it's not us. I don't know.
Michael, you think Michael will be at the. Where's he going to be in the ramp-up process that we heard about yesterday? He's not playing week one. I mean. We'll talk about that.
Brian Schottenheimer met with the media. We've got so much on our plate. Greg Olson's going to be joining us next, one of our favorites. From Fox Sports and also Youth Inc. joining us next, Greg Olson.
Hey folks, let me ask you a serious question. Did you know that driving high is considered driving under the influence? That's right. Driving under the influence of marijuana is against the law in every state. That means.
even in states where marijuana is legal. That means driving high could get you a DUI. And if you think law enforcement officers can't tell when you're driving high, well my friend, you're wrong. If you're high, they can tell. Your friends can tell.
their co-workers can tell. Even your parents can tell. Everyone could tell.
So, what makes you think that law enforcement officers don't know when you're driving high? You'd be wrong. They can tell too. Driving under the influence of marijuana can slow your response time and change how you perceive time and speed.
So, even if you think you're fine to drive when you're high, You're not. Because the bottom line is if you feel different, you drive different. And driving high is driving under the influence.
So remember, drive high, get a DUI. Paid for by NHTSA. Even the safest drivers still encounter unsafe conditions, so it's important they do it in a safe vehicle. and Hyundai's offer available class executive advanced safety features to help keep you protected against the many challenges the road throws your way. Basically, in a Hyundai, you can drive as safely as possible and enjoy your journey in confidence and style.
When you change lanes, signal, check for traffic, and enjoy the added safety of Hyundai's available blind spot view monitor. Constantly scan for dangers and take advantage of Hyundai's standard forward collision avoidance assist to help prevent accidents by alerting you of imminent collisions and automatically applying the brakes. Stay alert at all times and be thankful that Hyundai's standard driver attention warning system monitors your attention levels and can bring your focus back on the road. Safety is all about making the right decisions on the road and when selecting a vehicle. Learn more at HyundaiUSA.com.
Call 562-314-4603 for details. Listen, the way you sleep is unique to you, and that's why having a sleep number smart bed is so crucial. Because you can adapt to your changing needs for just right. Can't wait to nestle into bed, luxurious comfort.
So, whether your needs are softer or firmer, cooler or warmer, you are never stuck. You can adjust your comfort whenever you like. And it gives you your best night's sleep night after night, year after year. I love my smart bed. My sleep number setting is 60.
My wife's is 70. Just 10 numbers apart, but it means the world of difference because I can change my side of the bed to however firm or soft I want. And the same thing. For Suze.
So, why choose a sleep number smart bed? Again, so you can sleep just the way you like. The only bed that lets you make each side firmer or softer whenever you like, your sleep number setting. Sleep number's biggest sale of the year is here. All beds on sale up to 50% off the limited edition smart bed limited time.
exclusively at a sleep number store near you. Sleep Number, Official Sleep and Wellness Partner of the NFL. See store or sleepnumber.com for details. Alright, so I've got Rashi Rice in two fantasy leagues, so that's something we can. Discuss later on.
I mean, he's back for your playoffs. I know, but we will discuss. Obviously, it's an. Awful stuff. I shouldn't say it in terms of my fantasy, but that was an inartful way of me to say that Matthew Berry is going to be joining us in the middle of this hour to talk about fantasy leagues.
And um Um, do we have do you have that video I sent you before the uh the program?
So uh Vinny Pasquentino of the uh Kansas City Royals, right? Invited us into a guillotine league, the Pasquatch, right? And we all three of us have a team in it. Indeed. Eighteen teams, so whichever team finishes last in the week gets axed, right?
Off, done. See ya, and then that team's players are. Available for waiver wire pickups and things of that nature. Yep.
So he said last night to us in a text, he's going to do a horse race. Yeah, a horse race. To decide who the order. The draft order. And instead of it being a horse race, it's a video of running people, which people running the length of the football.
So take a look. There's me fourth down from the top. Is that Saratiana? That is. Yeah, yeah, yeah.
There you are underneath me there running fast. But look at TJ at the bottom. TJ is smoking everybody. Look at TJ at the bottom. But if you're cashing out, though, that's nice.
I mean, you're like Forrest Gump, but now you're slowing down.
Now look at me up at the top. I am just running out of gas right away. And Cam's coming at the bottom. Cam's coming forward. Cam's coming.
But TJ, nice burst. Oh, look at TJ. You're one. Oh. Congrats.
Brockman is Two. All right, let's go. And then everybody else starts coming in, including friggin' cheese, whoever that is. Cheese. Rachel, is that Benetta?
Is that Benetta? Benetta's in this. Wait, here I come. Hold on a minute. Rich still isn't close yet.
How much time till Lydia's back? You made it. Wait a minute. Here we go. There's Gash.
You may not make it across the chair. Fraser and Fraser. Nope. Oh. TJ.
I am 18th.
Sorry, pal. I mean, rich. Outrageous. A terrific playing career. Even.
On top of the fact that he's an outstanding broadcaster, I do believe. Nice flexes. Emmy Award is behind him here. In support of Youth Inc. and another season on NFL on Fox, ladies and gentlemen, Greg Holson, back in the program.
Yes. That'd be great. Thank you, Rich. There's actually two. I didn't do a very good job framing them.
So, humble brag. I didn't mean to short you. Atta boy. I didn't mean to short you, Greg. Good to see you, man.
How you been? All good? Ready to roll? Good to see you, always. Ready to roll?
Great. Ready to roll. Here we go, man. Your first game for Fox is what? What are you doing for Fox first?
Yep, I got San Francisco out in Seattle.
So, two good storylines, two good teams. You know, obviously, a lot of the Sam Darnold era in Seattle kicks off. The, you know, the rebirth of San Francisco getting their guys back, hopefully, healthy and a little bit more like we're accustomed to.
So, I think. First game now in the post-purding, you know, he's got the big contract.
So I think there's a lot of really fun storylines going into that game. Two teams that are at least in the mix to say who can catch. Philadelphia. Obviously, Philadelphia looks like the runaway, you know, at least clear-cut favorite to start the season in the NFC. And I think both San Francisco and Seattle are in that mix of teams that are on their heels, but Think they can go compete for a conference championship.
I just started the show, Greg, with my annual list of Shrug emoji teams, which is. Don't know. They could be great. They could be less than. And I did put San Francisco at the top of the list of number two.
Overall, because of I did see what happened last year, and I know there was. Uh injury. all over the place at so many important positions. But I don't know if the Niners are going to automatically just roll it out with Salah and more healthy players than last year, even though Ayuk's out. For the foreseeable future, that they're just going to roll it out and be another 12-win team this year.
I wonder what your two cents are on that subject matter. Greg. Yeah, you know, it's crazy to think, you know, prior to last season, the assumption was the Sanford, you know, the 49ers were going to be in the running to make the Super Bowl, to be in the running to at least play in a conference championship game. It felt like year in and year out for a long time, kind of in that post-McCaffrey trade era. They were arguably the best team in football, or at least in the mix every single year, fell short a couple times.
But last year, it really was the injuries. And I think every team can make that case. Dallas can say the same thing. I mean, it's not an excuse in the league. It is a reality of the league where if you lose, everyone's going to lose guys.
There is an attrition element to the NFL that's just baked into the product. But so much of the luck of the season is.
Okay, we're going to lose guys, but who do we lose? Not all injuries are created equal. That's kind of the. There's just the reality and the kind of harshness of the NFL. And, you know, I think going into this year, Shanahan's got to do a great job going in, understanding I'm not going to have Ayuk.
Debo's no longer here. All right. How do we build this around McCaffrey, who from everyone said in training camp is loaded, looks exactly like the McCaffrey we remember prior to some of the injuries of last year. And obviously, Kittle.
So he's got those two pieces. How does he use Purdy? How does he use his strengths as both a play action guy and a pocket guy? Build that system around them. Pierce all now in his second year, the first-round pick from last year.
Get Ayuk back at some point in the future. Hope this is probably something for San Francisco. The idea is to get back to playing great defense. You mentioned Sala coming back as the defensive coordinator when he was there years ago. They were one of the best units in the league.
Can they play really good defense? Fred Warner is one of the best defensive players in the league. Can they hold it down, get healthy on offense, and build as the season goes and be there at the end? They've got the coach, they've got the pieces, do they have the depth in the entire roster? Obviously, time will tell.
Well, another featured game you and Joe Davis are calling is the game in Ireland, which is going to be off the charts, man. I mean, what a scene that will be. Between the Vikings and the Steelers, you know, the Rooney family. Um you know, the patriarch once upon a time being our ambassador. To Ireland.
And then there's an O'Connell coaching a McCarthy going to Ireland. And it's all set up for you. But the Vikings were at the top of my Shrug emoji list just because of. this quarterback And then obvious and Chris was pushing for the Steelers to be on that list. What are your levels of expectation?
For the two teams that you are going to see in Ireland in week four on Fox and a film network as well, Craig? Yeah, so the NFL schedule makers definitely know what they're doing, right? You laid it out so perfectly. And when that game was picked, Rogers hadn't officially, there was a lot of rumor and speculation, but Aaron hadn't signed with Pittsburgh just yet.
So that's even an added, obviously, element in a storyline of Rodgers in Pittsburgh.
So starting with Pittsburgh, obviously they're a perennial playoff team. The job that Tomlin has done, everyone knows about his track record of winning records and that streak and whatnot. They're going to play really good defense. They're going to have guys that can get after you on the defensive side of the ball. They've been trying to figure out, okay, what does this quarterback situation look like?
They've tried a numerous amount of guys. They've gone veteran last year with Russ.
Now they're going veteran again with Aaron. I think people don't appreciate it. I think people think Aaron's time in New York was probably worse than it actually was. I know the first year obviously was a huge expectations and he didn't make it very far and that was unfortunate. He was not nearly as bad as everyone thinks.
He was last year. I think he was less good on the Aaron Rodgers scale of expectations, which I think for most quarterbacks playing, they would have taken his season last year. I think there were a lot of things going on in New York with the Jets that were. Bigger problems than Aaron. I think a motivated Aaron Rodgers, a guy looking to say, okay, I know I'm on my, you know, I'm moving around a little bit, bouncing around the league and late in my career, but I'm still the dude, I'm still an MVP, and I can go still carry an offense.
I think that's a dangerous proposition as they piece that thing together. Obviously, DK Metcalf and some of those pieces. On the other side, I think Minnesota is really fascinating. I think they caught the league by storm last year. Sam Darnold resurrected his career.
They let him walk in free agency, obviously, now out in Seattle.
Now they turn it over to the first-round pick. J.J. McCarthy got injured early on last year, which really opened the door for Sam to take that job. And obviously, he ran with it. If I'm taking from a small pool of coaches, Rich, in the league, that I say, okay, I get a coach's draft.
And by the way, you got to get your horse to run a little faster. Tell me about it, man. It's so freaking on the nose brand, man. But I understand. Thank you.
Let's just say if there was a coaching draft picking 18th, you're not going to get Kevin O'Connell. I think it's safe to say he would be gone.
So I think he's one of the handful of guys in the league that understands how to scheme schematic advantages for an offense through play calling, how to develop and get the best out of his quarterbacks. He did it with Kirk Cousins, obviously did it with Sam. Can he do it again with JJ McCarthy? And then obviously just his charisma, his ability. To coach the entire roster.
So I put him in that very small group like a guy like Tomlins.
So it has every storyline, every matchup. Both these seems to me fascinating for the whole season, but of course. The game in Dublin. Yeah, I'll be on the Senate NFL Network doing the studio show, throwing to you guys. And it's just, I cannot wait to see that scene.
You know, and then the Vikings. I had heard, sorry, you might know more than me. You might know more than me. I had heard, Rich, that the day the tickets went for sale. I don't know exactly the mechanism of how all of that works, but the day they went for sale to the general public.
I had heard through someone at the NFL that the queue of like people waiting in there to get access to tickets was like. Six hundred thousand people are like something outrageous.
So I think the demand. In the city and just the country as a whole is pretty outrageous. Which team storyline are you most locked in on, Greg? You know, I'm going macro with you here. Obviously, there's.
There's 32 teams. All of them have hopes and desires. Not everyone are realistic. to end with the ultimate But which team are you looking forward to following their entire season-long storyline because of the last few months? or what you saw from Booth last year.
I'll give you the floor on that. Greg. I think, yeah, obviously, that's a great question. There's a lot of different storylines going into the season that I think. Are really fascinating, and as a Fox analyst, obviously, we're a very Dallas Cowboy-centric network.
We call one their game is. fairly fairly certain it's going to be on our network. To some degree, most weekends. I think what's fascinating about Dallas is, I think a lot of people have counted them out coming off last season. You talk about injuries in San Francisco, the injury situation in Dallas.
Um, you know, between losing Dak and then Micah missing a few games, and Deron Bland trying to come back from the foot, and um, their digs. And I mean, you can go across the board, they lost. They're top players on that team. They went periods of time where they had none of them on the field for stretches.
So I think that is an interesting storyline. How do they get healthy? How do they bounce back? Obviously, they have a new coach. You know, how does that work out with Shodi?
Can Shadi come in and kind of give them that shot in the arm to give them some juice, to give them some energy in the Michael, you know, the post-McCarthy era. And then obviously that Micah Parsons is like the cherry on top, right? It's the storyline that maybe everyone didn't see playing out earlier in the offseason, but it's dominated the stories, obviously, coming out of the training camp. And you see the pictures on the sideline and the body language and whatnot.
So I think when you mix that all together with arguably the most popular or the most hated, depending on which side you're on, but the most covered franchise in the league, to have all of those things thrown into a bucket. I think it is a pretty fascinating team to follow, if not for the sake of at least they're entertaining. Yeah. Glorg Olson here on The Rich Eisen Show, The Youth Inc. podcast launched two weeks ago.
I see you got the hat, you got the. The logo, you got it all working. Um, Tom Brady's not a bad way to start a chat. You just had Ryan Day on your podcast yesterday. What is this and what do you want people to know about it?
Right. Yeah, it's been a really fun project. It's kind of been in the works for a while. And what we're trying to do, you know, Rich, for anyone who has kids growing up in this youth sports world, is it's a very different landscape than any of us, you know, remember it being. You know, there's a lot of decisions.
There's a lot of things being done at the early age that didn't used to happen until high school and college. There's specialization. There's training. There's pressures. And we set out as a dad of three young kids who grew up in a high school locker room with my dad as a longtime public school football coach for 40 years.
This was something that I felt struggling as a dad that like I didn't have all the answers, but there's a lot of people out there that have really unique perspectives. And whether they're, you know, some of the greatest athletes of all time, like you said, and Tom Brady, not only his experience growing up that we could draw on, but also now his experience just as a dad and what he's learning raising children, you know, both boys and girls. And then we had Malcolm Gladwell as our second guest. And obviously people are familiar with his work at Outliers and talking with strangers. I mean, some of the most thought-provoking thought leader, you know, studies in the world of parents.
Parenting and you'd sports and a lot of societal issues, and Malcolm. And then, as you said, our next guest is one of the top coaches in all sports, and Ryan Day, and coming off. Of a national championship and obviously talking team and culture and roster building, but also he has a son going through the recruiting process. What does that look like on one side of the desk as a coach? But then also, he's now sitting on the other side of that desk with his son going through the recruiting process entering his junior year.
So, we have a lot of really fun guests coming down to just really try to paint this picture and be a service to families that they can hopefully draw some insight from people who've been down that road or have really unique perspectives on it and just make their youth sports experience a little bit better. I love it, man. That's great. Youth.inc is one way to find it. There's an Instagram account at youthink as well.
And Youth Inc. Sports is a YouTube channel as well. Check it all out. You got it all. got it all covered.
And speaking of all covered, Greg, there's a new, I guess. uh one would say um part of the syllabus of Tight End University. Um and uh that's how to propose to your girlfriend. Yeah. And Claire, were you the one who said, here's what you should do?
Just surround yourself with flowers. But first things first is have a record-breaking podcast interview with her. Uh surround yourself with flowers. And then release it a few weeks ago later. Was that your instruction?
Was that behind the scenes of Tighten University? For transformation. It was. We really spent a lot of time just mapping it out and the color palettes and. The florists, and we considered a few different florists, but um, you know, some of them were super busy.
But no, I mean, it it obviously that story is the probably the number one uh story in the world right now, and rightfully so. Yeah. You know, we've been asked a lot about it. Obviously, you got to spend a lot of time with them at TEU, the first time being around them together. I've known Travis for a while, and obviously, he and I and George come together every summer for our TEU event that we've done in Nashville.
But just spending time around the both of them, they are as genuine as you hear. And I know it's hard for people to believe that you can live in the spotlight and you can be. You know, at the level that obviously she is, and now her and Travis are as a unit, but they are as genuine, they are as real, they are as fun to be around as anybody that you would imagine. And to see your friends, to see people that you care for that are really enjoying each other and have found happiness is really all that matters. And it's been nice to obviously get to know him at a deeper level.
And obviously, we've only spent a limited amount of time with her, but they're obviously happy. I got a text from my 12-year-old daughter yesterday in all capital letters. The second school got out. Dad, Travis, and Taylor are engaged. And word spreads very fast in the middle school girl world.
So That was pretty big day yesterday.
Well, the world uh the the word spreads fast as well in my oldest son's high school. My oldest son is a diehard Swifty, Xander. And I didn't hear from him until he got out of school either, which means, Greg. Our kids' schools' cell phone plans and making sure they're off screens.
Well done. Day one. Nothing's bigger than this news. For a kid to grab our box our kids' phones up like a chapel wedding. Got it.
I see. I see what you're saying. Yeah. So. That at least is working.
Where are they registered, Greg? I want to send them something. What do you think? Do we know yet where they're registered? I don't know.
I got to figure out where the wedding registry is. I would safe to say that'll be pretty uh Pretty significant. I imagine so. Maybe it maybe could be Tiffany, and he can get this trophy like this tall. It's made of silver.
He's had it before. I don't know if that's something that you can get. Yeah, you know what I mean? I don't know if that's what you get. I don't have any, so I'm not the guy for that job.
Well, you got those two behind you that are gold. You know? You take what you can get. It's not too bad. Not too bad.
All right, so um. I might not speak with you before the season. I probably won't. Your Super Bowl prediction. Let's go, Greg.
Let's go. Wow. On the spot. On the spot. I'm not a huge hot take guy.
I'm not a huge, you know, go against the grain. I'm just a realist. And I covered a bunch of their games last year. I said in week four. 13, 14, whenever I called.
One of their games at that point that I thought they were the best team in the league. It turned out to be true. I still think until someone shows me a better roster. top to bottom, then Philadelphia. I still think they're the team to be, especially in the NFC.
I know that's not necessarily a huge shocker pick. I just really, when you look top to bottom of the group that they have, they're young, they're experienced, they have great coaches on both sides of the ball. I think Howie Roseman is as good, if not the best, front office guy in the league with their ability to build volume picks, add a lot of young talent. They don't hit on everything, but they take so many swings. They don't have to bat a thousand.
They add just the right veterans, just the right moves. I just think they have a really good understanding and a pulse of why they've been so good over the last couple of years. And I. I think there are some really interesting contenders there. I just, I don't know if in the NFC.
There's someone off the top of my head that I say, okay, they start out in front of Philadelphia. And then in the AFC, I think the Chargers are close. I don't think they're there yet. I think Kansas City, you know, it's still the three-headed race: Kansas City, Buffalo, and Baltimore. Cincinnati's got to figure out their defense, I think, a little bit and figure out how they're going to.
You know, support Burrow a little bit on the other side of the ball.
So I think it's the usual suspects. And I know that's boring, and I know that's not real hot tape, but. I don't know how you pass those rosters and those quarterbacks. Out of complete nowhere, but the NFL is real. There's injuries, there's surprise.
You never know how things play out. But right now, with all rosters intact, I'm just going to stick with the people that have proven year in and year out to be at the end, they're there. Yeah, I mean, in the NFC in particular, Greg, if this smash cut to one year ago at this time, we're not going, watch out for Minnesota and Sam Darnold. And this kid, Jaden Daniels, is special.
So special, they're going to the NFC Championship game. Nobody was saying that. You know what I mean? Like, nobody was saying that. It just does appear that the AFC is.
Is what you say. You know, there's the Bills, there's the Ravens, there's the Chiefs, and then there's that fourth seat that does appear to be occupied in the musical chairs by Houston. last couple years and we'll just see You know, who winds up in the AFC championship game? Like, that is the way that you kind of handicap it. Right now, yeah, and then I think teams that are coming there, right?
Teams that are on the rise, you got Denver, you got the Chargers. If Cincinnati, not necessarily on the rise, because everyone's familiar with Burrow and they've been to a Super Bowl, but that defense has obviously got to be figured out. Al Golden now taken over as the coordinator, and Hendrickson is holding out so that. Their best player.
So, some questions there offensively, Cincinnati will always be good.
So, there is that next crop. Obviously, Houston and what they've done with CJ now going into year three. Can they be more like his rookie year and less like last year?
So, every team has these questions. Um But it does seem like year in and year out that the conference has run through the same two or three teams for a couple years. And it's just not by accident. Yeah, and we'll see, again, just to bring it all full circle, what Rogers looks like with the Steelers when you see him. Yeah, Pittsburgh's coming on as well.
That's a good point. Good to see you, Greg. Good to see you, man. You'd be well. It's good to see you.
I always love chatting with you, and I look forward to more down the line. And I look forward to tossing to the booth you and Joe Davis on that week four Ireland game on NFL Network. Good to see you, man. You got it. Youth Inc.
Youth. Thank you so much. You bet. Everybody, follow Youth Inc. online, Instagram, YouTube, and, of course, for the podcast, Greg Olson, right here on The Rich Eisen Show.
Let's talk O'Reilly Auto Parts, people. They're in the business of keeping your car on the road. OOOORILY Auto Parts offers friendly, helpful service and the parts knowledge you need for all your maintenance and repairs. They've got thousands of parts and accessories in stock, either in store or online, so you never have to worry if you're in a jam. The team at O'Reilly Auto Parts can also test your battery for free in or out of your car.
If it needs to be replaced, they'll help you find just the right battery for your vehicle. Need your windshield wipers replaced, a brake light fixed, or a quick service?
Well, they'll help you find the right part or point you to the nearest local repair shop for help. I know because it's happened to me. The professional parts people at O'Reilly Auto Parts are your one-stop shop for all things auto-do-it-yourself, and you can find what you need in store or online. Stop by O'Reilly Auto Parts today or visit us at O'ReillyAuto.com/slash Eisen. That's O'ReillyAuto.com/slash Eisen.
You said how Aaron Paul, you were thinking of killing off his character by the end of season one. The original idea was, you know, you always got to come up with a great season ender. You you want a cliffhanger of an episode to keep folks watching next year. And my thought early on before I even met Aaron, before we cast Aaron, Was to have this young guy, former student of Walter White, played by Bryant Cranston. Give Walt his entree into the business, sort of show him the ropes of criminality.
And then at the end of that first season, that character, Jesse Pinkman, Would get horribly killed in some very cinematic, graphic way that I never quite nailed down. but he would be murdered by some rival drug dealers and Walt would feel very guilty, and then he would seek revenge, and that would propel us into season two. Then I meet Aaron Paul, and I cast this young guy, and he's. Fantastic in the role. And he's such a sweet guy to boot.
He's just a wonderful guy. That I think we're probably shooting the second episode. And I was hanging out on the set. with him. You know, sitting in those chairs near the monitors, and I just make a conversation.
I say, you know, I was going to kill you off. That was the original plan. He goes, What? He gets all really nervous. He goes, What are you talking about?
No, this is a good thing. It's a good thing. And I tell him the story I just told you, but he's not hearing the compliment. contained within. He's just thinking, oh my god, I might get killed off.
And I told this story to Brian Cranston. I think he wandered by as he was hearing the tail end of this, and he. He was relentless for the next six years. He'd get, every time he got a script for a new episode before Aaron did, he'd look through it and he'd read it, and then he'd go up to Aaron and he'd say, Buddy put his start massaging his shoulders. It was it was uh this next one.
It's At least you're going to go out with a bang. Yeah. And Aaron, it never got old because Aaron did bless him. His eyes would just go wide like a deer in the headlights. And because anything could happen on this show.
And that was what was such a great thing for me consuming it, watching it. is you just really never. New. I see something off camera. I'm wondering what What is that?
Did you bring this? I did indeed. And this is a gift for you and your studio. No way. This is, of course, The character of Gustavo Fring, played by the amazing Giancarlo Esposito.
And this is him post. Spoiler alert, this is him posting. That was a bad moment in the nursing home. That was a huge home. Very bad moment in the nursing home.
Very bad moment, and a wonderful artist. Uh this was part of a uh An art show we had a couple years ago where artists who were inspired by Breaking Bad came up with various artworks, and this is one of them. I love this one. We're going to put this on the wall. You'll always have a place here, Vince.
That was our first show ever. Wow. End of story. That piece of art is now on our green room wall, and Chris has improved. on the air so much.
From just sitting there on your phone while you're on live television back in the day, I was working. That was great.
So glad you were paying attention to what was happening. I was probably doing show business. Is that what you're doing? I think so. On your phone.
100%. With a computer in front of you. Yeah. Well, I mean, I got multiple screens. I got multiple people I'm doing business with back then.
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. That was our first show. That's crazy.
Now we're just doing fantasy drafts during the show. Yeah, you guys are like all three of them. Three of them. You were just on the clock. I did.
I just chose the San Francisco 49ers as a best golf secondary defense. Crazy. It's crazy. These drafts that you're up in seven on the Vinny League. Eight hours a pick.
With Major League Baseball players, like, what are we doing? What the heck is happening? Back on the Rich Eisen Show, 844-204, Rich. Number to dial Elliott in Kansas wants to join us here on the Rich Eisen Show. What's up, Elliot?
Hey Rich, how are you doing? How are you? What's going on in the great state of Kansas, sir? Oh, just working.
Okay. What are you what are you working? A delivery driver. Ladies and gentlemen, delivery driver. Very good.
What are you delivering to us right now, Elliot? The win loss for the Seahawks. Oh, are you from the beautiful Pacific Northwest originally? Are you just a fan? You're one of the Twelve?
I'm from the Columbus, Ohio.
Well, at some point, you know, us Michigan people will be allowed back in there.
So, listen, one of the 12s from the heartland. Wants to play the win-loss game for the Seattle Seahawks. Let's go, Elliot. You're only the second one to do this. What happens when the San Francisco 49ers...
go and uh and and show up to start the season in Seattle. That's a win. All right, next up at the Steelers. Oh. No both.
Too much in the air for Aaron Rodgers. I'm going to go. That's a win. That's a win. 2-0.
Home for the Saints. We'll go win. 3-0 start at the Cardinals on a Thursday night. I'm gonna say a lot. That's three and one at the home for the Bucs.
At the win. Four and one at the Jaguars. At the win. Five and one home for the Texans on a Monday night. Six and one off the bye at the Commanders on a Sunday night.
That's a lost. Six and two, home for the Cardinals. At the win. We're splitting. Seven and two at the Rams.
That's a lot. Seven and three at the Titans. Eight and three, home for the Vikings. That's a win. Sam Darnold has revenge, even though he helped him at the Falcons.
At the win. Ten and three. Home for the Colts. 11-3, a home for the Rams on a Thursday night. We'll split with them as well.
Okay, that's a 12-3 at the Carolina Panthers on a Saturday. Another win. 14 and 3 at the Niners. 13 and 4, says Elliott in Kansas. Um May may May what you're delivering make as many people as happy as a 13 and 4 season would in Seattle.
Yeah, that'd make me happy.
Okay, Elliot in Kansas. There you go. Get it. I bet you when Elliot and Kansas holding on, thinking, I'm not going to have the Seattle Seattle. You go 13 and 4.
And then you play the win-loss game and you get lost in it. And it's like, wait a minute. I have them the one seed in the NFC. That's the NFC West. It is the NFC West.
100%, right? 13-4 would be in the NFC West. Yes, it would. And maybe I'm not sure. Hour number two coming up, Matthew Berry, with fantasy football advice and so much more here on this Wednesday.
Still here on Roku. Seahawks are 5-1 to win the West. Wow. That's a good pick.
So he has them splitting with the Rams. Yeah. They'd be 3-3 in division, which is not usually what wins you a division, but 13-4 overall is a dub. Let's see. Oh, yeah.
Seahawks to win the NFC. On their way down. 25 to 1.
Okay. Amen. If Darnold shows up in Seattle and JSA is a number one and Cooper Cup has. A 2.0 in him. And that running game, Kenneth Walker's healthy, and Zach Charbonnet helps.
Uh Add to it. That they also have a good offensive line. The defense starts to improve. That's Mike McDonald's area of expertise. They got young kids everywhere.
I'm trying to give other. Um You know, bobo. Jake Bomo. Did I lay it out for you? Sam Darnold MVP odds.
Wow. The same as Bryce Young, Geno Smith, and Cam Ward. I mean, that's a taller one. A hundred to one. MVP.
Wait a minute, Sam Darnold has the same MVP odds as Cam Ward.
Now that's disrespectful. With all due respect to Camp Ward. A first overall rookie for a team that had. The worst record in the NFL last year, and Sam Darnold fresh off of a 14 or, you know, a. But he had 14 wins last year, right?
14 wins season last year, then goes to Seattle. Which is not First overall. On-the-clock type talent of a roster. 35 touchdowns last year. I mean, that's.
That was a lot.
So, somebody in Vegas is saying Sam Darnold going to Seattle fresh off of what he just did has the same odds. As a first overall picked rookie winning the MVP, which I imagine, has that ever happened? Has that ever happened?
Well, rookies never won MVP.
So So there you have it, man. Man, if How many times is Sam Darnold just gonna take it in the chops from people?
Well, you're just saying, you know, he's been... Seven years in the league and he's had one great season and, you know, that's the outlier. But Oh, stop it. That's not cool. Genie's dorm.
That's not cool. That's all right, Mike. 844-204-Rich is the number to dial here on the show. Our number two coming up, Matthew Berry with some fantasy advice. Uh and but when we come back, you know um We'll talk about some new quarterbacks being named as starters or second stringers, that's important, and then Rashi Rice being suspended.
For a third of the season, that's coming up. Hey folks, let me ask you a serious question. Did you know that driving high is considered driving under the influence? That's right. Driving under the influence of marijuana is against the law in every state.
That means. even in states where marijuana is legal. That means driving high could get you a DUI. And if you think law enforcement officers can't tell when you're driving high, well my friend, you're wrong. If you're high, they can tell.
Your friends can tell. Their co-workers can tell. Even your parents can tell. Everyone could tell.
So, what makes you think that law enforcement officers don't know when you're driving high? You'd be wrong. They can tell too. Driving under the influence of marijuana can slow your response time and change how you perceive time and speed.
So, even if you think you're fine to drive when you're high, you're not. Because the bottom line is if you feel different, you drive different. And driving high is driving under the influence.
So remember, drive high, get a DUI. Paid for by NHTSA.
