When did making plans get this complicated? It's time to streamline with WhatsApp. the secure messaging app that brings the whole group together. Use polls to settle dinner plans. Send event invites and pin messages so no one forgets mom's 60th.
And never miss a meme or milestone. all protected with end-to-end encryption. It's time for WhatsApp. Message privately with everyone. Learn more at whatsapp.com.
This episode is brought to you by State Farm. Checking off the boxes on your to-do list is a great feeling. And when it comes to checking off coverage, a State Farm agent can help you choose an option that's right for you. Whether you prefer talking in person, on the phone, or using the award-winning app, it's nice knowing you have help finding coverage that best fits your needs. Like a good neighbor, State Farm is there.
This is The Rich Eisen Show. Hey, everybody. Can't get enough of The Rich Eisen Show? You're in luck. You can find us everywhere.
Watch us weekdays on Disney Plus from noon to 3 Eastern. Miss the show? We've got a podcast, so you can listen anytime. But here's the best part. Our YouTube channel.
Subscribe at youtube.com slash rich Eisen Show and you'll never miss a moment.
Now. On with the show. This is The Rich Eisen Show. What's happening in the baseball world? I think we take it for granted.
From the Rich Eisen Show studio in Los Angeles. Gone! Number 51 on the season for show, Hey Holtani! Earlier on the show, SEC Network Analyst and Tisman Trophy winner Tim Tebow. Coming up.
Fuck sports rules analyst Dean Plandino. Actor Tyreek Withers. And now, it's Rich Eisen. Rich Eisenhow is on the air. We're live here in Los Angeles, California.
Dean Blandino, the former head of NFL refs and chief rules analyst, along with Mike Pereira for Fox, is making his way to our studio. We're going to ask him what's up with the tush-push and all that sort of business. His assessment of officiating two weeks in. I despise targeting in college football with every fiber of my being because it's inconsistently applied. And kids, due to the inconsistent application, miss halves of football.
and get kicked out of games that they don't belong to be kicked out of. It's every week, man. There's something going on with targeting, and it's just like, well, I mean, the helmet's connected, and it's just like. It drives me nuts.
So I'll hold Dean fully and personally responsible. That's coming up shortly in about 20 minutes' time. We're live here on Disney Plus, the ESPN app everywhere. And ESPN Radio presented by Progressive Insurance. 844-204-Rich is the number to dial.
We've got our new Thursday staple higher register, where we have to go into the higher register of our voices to say, A declarative statement about what's going to happen in week number three of the NFL season, but we got to go in the higher register in order to believe what we're saying. It's a fun segment. And it's always fun to have fun. It's coming up in the crazy and mixed-up world we live in right now. Chris Brockman and Jay Felly, where they are.
T.J. Jefferson, the candle is lit. of where he is. The latest On Jaden Daniels. We've got it.
Got it, got it. From the offensive coordinator of the Washington Commanders, the former head coach himself, so he understands how to. term things when it comes to injuries, which is say very little. and leave you to glean information. Uh see if you can catch.
What? Kirk Cliff Kingsbury has to say on the subject matter while praising Marcus Mariota. The uh the backup. Once upon a time, second overall selection in the draft out of Oregon Heisman Trophy winner. Spent some time in Tennessee and some other spots, cups of coffee around the league.
He might be playing a pretty damn big game, as you'd like to term it yesterday, revenge game, because he used to play for a hot minute for the Raiders. Yeah, of course.
Okay. P. Carroll have nothing to do with whether he was there or not.
Okay. At any rate, uh is he gonna play this week, Marcus Mariota? If so, Cliff Kingsbury is confident. Yeah, last year, uh just being around him for a year When we signed him back, we felt like we have two starters in the building, which is rare in this league. Anytime he was asked to play or practice or even on scout team, he's been.
Phenomenal. Treats like a pro. As a leader on the team, despite not being the starter, which is hard to do, and can't say enough good things about him.
So if he has to go, I'm sure he'll be ready. Can you provide any update on where Jaden is today? Um, no, he's just preparing mentally. You know, Marcus is getting the reps physically, Jaden, um, preparing mentally and and w Take it from there.
Okay, two things. First of all, Preparing mentally is the name of a racehorse somewhere. If I owned a racehorse, I've already told you, it would be called a room tone. Which is what, you know, whenever you're shooting something or whatever, they make you pause so they. The folks who have the boom operators want to take some just sound of what the room sounds like.
Yeah.
So it can match it up if they need it later on. But why a horse? I don't know. Here comes room tone down the stretcher. You don't want to be cheering for your horse when it's coming down.
Preparing mentally against room tone, room tone against preparing. Preparing mentally sounds like a great horse. Not the name you also, that's item number two. What you want to term your all-world starting quarterback on a Thursday before game. Preparing mentally.
Earbud territory. Clipboard back in the day territory. I will be stunned if s this guy plays on Sunday. Me too. And what a damn shame that would be.
Either way, something's up. And the first month of this, we're gonna find out just how superhuman Jaden Daniels is. Because if you've just remember last year, How we're already looking last year at Jordan Love.
Well, he got banged up in week one and he just wasn't the same the rest of the year, and it's part and parcel of why the Packers. Still made the playoffs, but since they got one and done. Is that how we're going to talk about Jaden Daniels here?
Well, in week two in Green Bay, towards the end of that game.
Something happened, and we didn't know it at the time. And he said he was okay, and then all of a sudden, we find out he's not okay, and then he misses the Raiders' game. Does he come back? and look like last year? Don't forget, that's now another week in which he and Terry McLaurin aren't getting on the same page.
In the first two weeks, they were not on the same page, they were in the same book, it seemed. I'm hopeful that Marcus Mariota, who's looked phenomenal in practice, shows up that way against Max Crosby and the rest of the Raiders' defense that wants to. you know Take Mariota out and find out who the third string quarterback is there. That's for damn sure. Don't forget, I mean, this is a Raiders team that with Herbert taking the top of the defense off and also finding Keenan Allen and also looking as good as he did.
I only scored uh 20 points.
So I'd be concerned. And also then rooting for the Rams. We're taking on the Eagles. This weekend. And then there's your Cowboys against the Bears.
What a big game this is. Bears backs against the wall. 0-2 needing to come up with this win, man. Your Cowboys, thanks to Brandon Aubrey kicking it from all points of the Lone Star State. Houston.
Taking care of business. At one and one, almost taking care of the Eagles in week one. Then showing up in week two and taking out the Giants, who throw 450 yards at At Russell Wilson, and part and parcel of what's going on in Chicago, they get. a 50 burger thrown on them and You got people like Andrew Santino, the comedian here yesterday, and our call screener Adam Chudwin saying Tyson Bajant should be right around the corner if they keep struggling. And maybe he is.
You know, we're on in Chicago. I'd love to hear from anybody in Chicago who wants to chime in on this subject matter. We're already hearing from Bears fans that if Caleb doesn't start turning around. That sounds like a higher register. Maybe we should go to Tyson Patriots.
You know what I mean? Bears are favored in this game.
Well, because they looked really good in week one in Soldier Field, Chris, and that maybe, just maybe that Caleb Williams can take the top of the defense off in the way Russell Wilson did. Hey, he and Roma Dunze are connecting. It's just him and everyone else that's not. And, you know, and is Davian Connor going to come off the bench? the couch and the bench and start providing pressure.
That The Cowboys Lost when what's the name of that guy they traded to Green Bay? Man, I can't remember what that guy's name is. I think we can find out what his name is. Oh my god, oh my gosh. All right, run for you.
Maca. There it is. Maca. There you go. Maca.
There's no idea where Mike Del Tufo is hidden in the drops. We 100% need to fix this whole situation. Can I just tell you not to worry, DJ Moore fantasy fans? Because I'm just predicting he's going to have his get-right game again on Sunday, unfortunately. Mm.
But the one thing everybody's talking about out of the Ben Johnson press conference. that he held on um on Wednesday. is the fact of who's calling the game. and his comments about it. As we saw, Tom Brady was in the coach's box, very Natalie clad.
He spent his Monday night. off from his one of his day jobs on Sundays. Um of Fox calling games. up in the coach's booth. With a headset on.
And um Is he listening to the play calls? What's happening there? Is he talking to Chip Kelly? Listen, bottom line is: you're seeing an owner of the Indianapolis Colts. on a sideline.
with a headset on. on the sideline. with a headset on and Basically marking down plays and And taking notes. Take a note. you know We'll get into that in a second.
But Ben Johnson was asked: hey, Tom Brady's calling your game on Fox, and then you're taking on the Raiders next week. Do you have any concerns? about anything. on that front. Like I said, I'm really not worried about it.
I mean, we change week to week in terms of what we do. Schematically, he's going to be able to turn on the tape and see what everyone else in the world is seeing right now. personnel-wise, really the same thing. It's not like I'm gonna sit down with them and tell, hey, Don't do this to Caleb Williams, or you might get it. Like, I'm not gonna, there's not gonna be any trade secrets that are gonna be exchanged, but um.
I just I really don't think it's that big of a deal, to be honest with you. Again, Brady is not allowed in their building. Brady is allowed to Zoom and have conversations with members of teams that he's broadcasting. And, um I've been in these broadcast meetings.
Some coaches share, others do not. Others will just shut it down. And tell you nothing. Others will You know, depending on who You know, I've been in broadcast meetings. Yeah.
Obviously Kurt Warner. Is there And quarterbacks share with other quarterbacks in things. And sometimes we'll say this is off the record, but I'm just telling you this anyway.
Now clearly Yeah. We know what the difference between off the record is and not. And sometimes coaches are comfortable sharing stuff with Michael Irvin or Mooch. I've been in these things. Mm-hmm.
Right. And there is information you can glean in these broadcast meetings, even off the record, that you can then turn around and. Tell the team that you own. If you want. Um I don't know if any of that is happening.
Why would you tell Tom Brady anything if you're going to be playing his team next week and you've seen him in a coach's booth with a headset on? And Tom can separate church and state, I'm sure. Here's where I'm going with this one.
Okay. When you see again the owner of the Colts on the sidelines. taking notes, listening in on play calls. As Carly Ursay Gordon is currently doing right now. I don't think anybody's thinking that the Colts are getting an extra advantage because she hasn't played quarterback.
in the National Football League. to be known as the greatest to ever do it.
So there is some neck up and ability that Tom Brady is bringing to the equation as a quarterback. When he is potentially Talking, and I don't know who knows more football than Tom Brady. When you hear him break it down, He's awesome at it. and you hear him on other podcasts or on other shows. He's saying things that absolutely make you smarter because he's been there and he's done that.
And it makes complete sense for the Raiders to. Pick his brain. As Pete Carroll. Said earlier this week, they in fact do. He does have conversations with Brady, and so does Ship Kelly.
Wouldn't that make sense? Do you have an owner to do that sort of thing? You should definitely take advantage of that. Pete said they do.
So And he's it's not like He's a Michigan guy who's taking photographs of your sidelines to re to steal your signs, right? He's doing his job on Fox, and then he's also trying to beat you. When he's not on Fox. Which just creates a weird dynamic. I'm not gonna lie, it's just weird.
Swearing. He's calling your game and then next week He wants your team to beat your team.
So why would you tell him a damn thing? That's on you.
Now Brady did respond to what Ben Johnson had to say where he says much about nothing. Uh he said it on social media essentially like uh Thank you for some common sense. Finally, a smart coach speaks up. Yeah.
Because uh again, Tom is probably be like, I've got enough. knowledge to help my team, I don't need to know your team as well. But he is getting eyes on the Bears. And for somebody that Brilliant. At it.
to get eyes on the team. That's a hell of an advanced scout. Hell of an advanced scout. And the thing that I'm stunned about all this. Um Is that NFL owners are fine with it?
Because it In my 20 some odd years, of being around the NFL. and hearing stories about NFL owners, when I Was it with the NFL prior to my. 20 plus years with NML Network. They are some of the most paranoid competitors I've ever been around. I mean Somebody I don't know.
Ask Mark Davis what his dad would think of if the shoe was on the other foot. You know, Al was one of the most paranoid guys out there. He'd probably been looking at the skies looking for drones over practice fields. I don't know if it's just a different era now. I have no idea.
But NFL owners Yeah. Always freak out about: are you stealing this? Are you getting an advantage there? Are you looking at our practices? You're doing this.
I mean, ask anybody who's part of the Rams organization if they thought the Patriots were sneaking in their practices. You know? To this day. There's conspiracy theories around it. But NFL owners are fine with it.
And, you know. And if you're the Raiders and you have Tom Brady as a resource, Of course you're going to use them. You're going to find is this the right quarterback? Is this the right draft strategy? Is this the right thing?
Why wouldn't you? That makes sense. And if you're Fox and you can hire Tom Brady and get his insight, why wouldn't you do it? But if you're in NFL, like Are the McCaskies all cool? The family?
I mean, the are they all cool with... Oh, he's calling our game and then... We just saw him with a headset on in a booth, so he's clearly locked in on what the Raiders are doing. And Now he's going to see the Bears and He sees one thing with his incredible keen advanced scout eyes, and he's not going to pass that along to the team. I guess he could pick it up watching it at home on television too.
I don't know. Seems a little unfair. On its face, it does. In practice, it may not be. That's why Brady's just like, yeah, well, you're making much ado about nothing, but hey, if you're going to try and do both.
This is the sort of stuff you're going to hear. You know, and from Fox too. They're going to hear about it too. The thing is I just like NFL owners, okay. I've met NFL owners that wouldn't allow fans of other teams in their suite.
To watch a game. They want to see all that stuff. That happened to me once, Rich, actually. Ashley and I, we got a chance to go watch the San Diego Chargers and sit in the Spanos box. And one thing we were told, because they knew I was a Cowboys fan, is like, you cannot.
cheer for the Cowboys.
So I had to sit there and Just keep my thoughts to myself.
So, which was understandable. You're in the, you know, they own the team. Right. That's their super sweet. I guess that may be different from what I'm also describing as well as a competitive advantage.
It's just, I'm just saying that there's a lot of not thinking straight. Just surprised that they're cool with it. I think there's so much money being floated around, they don't care anymore.
Well, at any rate, that game's on Fox this weekend with a ton at stake, man. Massive amounts at stake. Who are you liking that game right now? Great question. I think the Cowboys are the way that played on the road.
It should win it. The way that they played in Philadelphia, that team shows up in Chicago, they'll win the football game. Definitely has shootout potential. It's one of the highest total of the week over 50.
Well, that would be fun. I'll take it. Eight foot and so would Fox, so would Brady. Yeah.
And uh Burkhard. I'm sure. 844-204-Rich is the number to dial right here on the program. Dean Plantino. Of Fox Sports, now that I've talked about his bosses, he'll come on out here and break down what's going on and officiating.
He says he's done with the tush push. Oh man, let's hear it. It's Pro Savings Days at Lowe's. Get up to 35% off select major appliances and save an additional $1,000 when you buy four select LG major appliances. Plus, get a free DeWalt 20V Max 5 amp hour battery when you buy a select DeWalt 20V Max tool.
Get the job done for less at Lowe's. We help. You save. Vala through 926. Selection varies by location.
While supplies last. See Associate or Lowe's.com for more details and qualifying items. Imagine fast hydration. Combined with balanced energy, Perfectly flavored with zero artificial sweeteners. Introducing Liquid IV's new energy multiplier sugar-free.
Unlike other energy drinks, you know, the ones that make you feel like you're glitching, it's made with natural caffeine and electrolytes.
So you get the boost without the burnout. Liquid IV's new energy multiplier sugar-free hydrating energy. Tap the banner to learn more. There's a reason Chevy trucks are known for their dependability. Because they show up no matter the weather, push forward no matter the terrain, and deliver.
That's why Chevrolet has earned more dependability awards for trucks than any other brand in 2025 according to JD Power. Because in every Chevy truck, like every Chevy driver, dependability comes standard. Visit Chevy.com to learn more. Chevrolet received the highest total number of awards among all the trucks in the JD Power 2025 U.S. Vehicle Dependability Study.
Awards based on 2022 models, newer models may be shown. Visit jdpower.com slash awards for more details. Chevrolet, together, let's drive. The Rich Eisen Show Podcast. Rich Eisen Show back here on the ESPN Radio Network presented by Progressive Insurance, former head of NFL refs and current NFL rules analyst for Fox Sports.
Excellent at his job on a great broadcast team with Kevin Burkhart, Tom Brady, and the rest of the crew. Good to see you, Dean Blandino. Thank you for coming here in person. I really appreciate that, man. Always great to see you.
Yeah, you know why I'm one of the reasons why I texted you. You said, I'm done with the tush-push when you were part of the crew in Kansas City, seeing it for the umpteenth time. And man, you know, it helps to be part of a crew with uh great professionals and 90 cameras I think. And that that shot that they had right. Down the line of the line of scrimmage when you could clearly see The Eagles were false starting and it wasn't called.
Was that the play that caused you to see yourself?
Well, I think it was a combination of things. There were, I think there were six in the game, but there were really three that stood out.
Well, four. There was the third and goal play where they ruled Hurt short and it looked like he scored. And we got, now we got to spend two minutes reviewing it and looking for the football and all these bodies. Then on the fourth and goal play, they false start that doesn't get called. They false start again later in the game.
And then the last one where I made the comment was Eagles are trying to get the first down to run out the clock. They run the tush push. It's a big pile. The Chiefs come out with the football. They're waving.
They have the football. The officials don't do anything. And I've got Brady and Burkhart looking at me in the booth like, what's going on? And I just was, it was just a visceral reaction where I was like, you know what? I am done with this play.
I'm proud of myself that I didn't say I'm effing dumb with this play because that's that's where I was in that moment. And it just. Then it, you know, it kind of took on a life of its own.
So, why are you dumb? Like, what's the problem? I was thinking about this on the way here. I'm going to present my argument three different ways. Please.
Okay, three different ways. First, we'll start with health and safety.
Now, I don't think. There's no hard data that says this play is any more dangerous than other plays in the game or short yachtage plays, right?
So I don't think that's necessarily a strong argument that, oh, we have all these injuries. But the league has in the past, I think about low blocks and some of the chop blocks and some of the things they've outlawed. There wasn't a ton of injuries, but the league said this is putting our players. In a position of unnecessary risk. Let's be proactive versus reactive.
So let's not wait for somebody to get hurt on a play like this. Let's say, okay, this is unnecessary. We don't allow the defense to push in field goal formations because the league felt it was dangerous, right? We're pushing these teammates, the down linemen, into the offensive formation.
So I think from a health and safety perspective, being proactive versus being reactive. The second argument I have is that it's a competitively unfair play. It is. When you think about the defense, if the defense. Hits the running back at the line of scrimmage, stacks him up, and drives him 10 yards back.
The offense isn't going to lose 10 yards, right? You got forward progress right there. But we allow the offense to push and now gain an advantage in that instance. And it's also a hard play to officiate consistently. It just really is.
And it's never been legal in the history of the NFL. You go back, I was talking to Joel Bussert yesterday, longtime head of player personnel. Yes, at the league office, liaison to the NFL Competition Committee, and a historian. Of the game, and he was reading to me from the 1938 rule book, you know, as one does on a random Wednesday. And the language in that book about aiding the runner was almost verbatim to where it was in 2005 before it came out.
So it's never been legal in the NFL until 2006. And so, because the people that created this game and made the rules, they wanted to kind of separate it from rugby, right? This is more a rugby play, it's not a modern football play. And so, they wanted to separate it from that. And that's where I think, you know, it's never been legal.
Why do we allow it? And the third thing is just as a fan. It's not a fun play to watch. I mean, think about the Eagles. Saquon Barkley last year has one of the most incredible.
I mean, he's hurtling people backward, right? Wouldn't we rather watch Saquon Barkley try to get a first down? Or some other than this, just all of these bodies and pushing. I just don't love it from an aesthetic standpoint. You want to excite.
Me about NFL football. Let's watch the fourth quarter of the Giants Dallas game. You know, let's watch that. This tush push thing, again, that's where I'm at on it. But obviously, look, it's legal.
Eagles do it better than anybody. Good for them. League's got to get 24 votes. They couldn't. And it's here for at least this year.
So, but I don't think they would be like if the tush push was banned, we would now just see Saquon behind a fullback. We might see there are still quarterback sneaks, which are going to still be happening. They've always happened. I'd imagine just as difficult to officiate. Maybe this one makes it more difficult to officiate because.
There's two, sometimes maybe three people piling on top of the quarterback because that's the way the momentum takes them when they're pushing him. That's exactly right. And so these challenges aren't unique to this play. Like you said, short yardage plays are tough to officiate. And I think if we get rid of this play, Eagles come up with a quarterback sneak.
I think they're going to be just as successful. I really do. It's just this idea of pushing the ball carrier, which has never been legal in the history of the NFL. It was never officiated that way.
So they took the language out. And in hindsight, that really was a mistake because if that language had stayed in the book, even if you don't officiate it, this play never comes into existence. Do you know why they took it out? Because it just wasn't being officiated. And they felt like, okay, if we're not calling this, why is it in the book?
And the Tushbush didn't exist back in 2005, 2006. But again, taking that language out allowed however many years later for this play to be born. And here we are watching it, you know. Again. I don't think it's a I don't think when you talk about NFL football and what it means and why people love it, it's not that play.
So, knowing the competition committee and the way it works, and knowing membership and the way they vote, and knowing the meetings in which these all come together. As well as you do. 22 to 10 last year being it brought up and it's two votes shy of being Voted out. Do you think that this is the last year we do see the Tush push? What do you think?
I think it's going to depend on what happens the rest of the way, right? This is week two, short-term memory. If nothing happens, there's no controversy. We're going to run it multiple times. And the Eagles are on national television or on standalone games on Fox.
100%. Non-stop. I mean, it's not. The chances that something's going to come up later in the season are pretty high. I think I really believe that of those, of those, right, there were 10 teams that voted to keep it.
The Eagles and nine other teams. Of those nine teams, I know there were several that felt like the Eagles won the Super Bowl. We're not going to take the easy route. We're going to be the ego and we're going to stop it. And we're not going to be seen as we couldn't stop them.
They won the Super Bowl. I know for a fact that there were some clubs that had that in the back of their minds and might have been a factor in voting to keep it.
Sort of like the defense in the tush push. We're going to be the ones to finally stop it. We're going to be the ones to stop it. We're going to be the ones that are going to stop it. In the competition, not competition committee.
Correct. Correct. And look, the Eagles are. They're better than anybody at it. They sure are.
And part of my frustration at the game was that the Eagles normally don't fall start. They usually line up correctly. And it was like, okay, now if you're going to have this play that nobody else can do, and now if you're going to gain an advantage by and the officials aren't going to call it, it just added to the frustration in the moment. Dean Blandino here, former head of NFL refs and now rules analyst on Fox. And I guess you're going to be Bears.
Cowboys, you're going to Chicago. Cowboy's yes. That's a big game. We'll see that on Fox later on this weekend. Replay assist.
I love it. Yeah.
I love it. I'm. And I couldn't have been more excited that they folded into Replay Assist this year. Is somebody being hit out of bounds late? If there's a flag, let's pick it up if it's not the case.
Same thing with roughing the passer, same thing with 15-yard penalties that are so big. You know, same thing with grabbing face mask.
Well, didn't grab it, pick the flag up. Uh, but they're not going to put a flag down on the field, correct? I understand that, but I do seem to feel like there have been is a guy out of bounds or not, and you can clearly see the guy was in bounds, the flag was thrown. Let's pick it up. They're not doing it.
Am I wrong? Am I missing anything? I'm not saying I'm seeing every snap of football, but I'm also seeing roughing calls that aren't. Roughing, and I understand that they want the officials on the field that their subjective. Um process is the standard, like that, let's go with them.
But At what point are we going to have replay assist have a different subjective look at something and say, pick the flag up? I'm not seeing that yet.
Well, I think that's kind of the next iteration of this. With replay assist, they wanted to keep it to the objective elements of the play.
So if it's a hit on a quarterback and the referee says it was forcible contact to the headneck, replay can look at whether there was contact to the headneck. And if there wasn't any contact to the headneck area, they can pick up the flag. If there's any contact to the headneck, they can't say, well, it wasn't forcible enough, because then that's the subjective part of the judgment call. Right. So I think that's where some of these roughing the passers that there was one in the Giants Cowboys game on, I think.
Maybe early in the game, that to me wasn't rough in the passer, but it was more the bodyweight version, and that's not subject to replay assist. Hits at the sideline, it's whether the runner was in or out of bounds. That's objective. And again, still, regardless of. Saying it's objective, you still have people making these decisions.
Correct, and I do want the human element involved. Of course, we all do. We all do, but we also. When does Replay Assist get the hundred people in a bar can see it? They all understand it, we know what it is.
Type of mentality into replay assist. That's what I'm looking for here. That's the next step. I think that's where you, but again, you got to be careful. We don't want to reofficiate every play because then the game becomes unwatchable, in my opinion.
So I think there's areas, I think Replay Assist has been great. I think they're going to, you know, they always take an approach of we're going to crawl before we stand up and then we're going to walk before we jog and we'll jog before we run.
So I think that's where they are right now. We're probably in a walking phase right now.
So how does it work for people who are wondering, does at some point in time, Somebody who's assisting via replay, looking at it, and get in the ear of the head ref and say, We're looking at it. And the head ref might just like call other officials over to take a second while that's being looked at. Is that how it works? They all have wireless communication.
So, all seven officials on the field have an earpiece and they can listen in. The replay official up in the booth, the folks in New York in the command center, they can communicate to the onfield, all seven.
So, when there is a situation, maybe it's a hit on the quarterback, referee will communicate. I've got rough in the passer, hit to the head, neck, replay. Booth will say, We're looking at it and either clear it or, nope, there's no contact to the headneck area. Pick up the flag.
So it should be seamless. It's communication right away. They have access. They use the Hawkeye system, which you have access if there's 20 cameras that Fox is using. They have access to all 20.
They can immediately pull it up, get the best angle, and communicate that to the on-field crew. Is it possible then when we're seeing some zebras huddle up and talking? That Replay Assist is saying, hang on a second, we're looking at it. And it's like the Bulldurham conversation about candlesticks, who wants who's getting candlesticks for the wedding. Is that potentially what's happening right now?
I think where we've come with Replay Assist, first, like, year or two was like this big secret. Like we all know what you're, it's like stop. Like just, and now they've come out and said, okay, after replay assist. Before it was like after discussion, it's like, no, you got the, you got it from upstairs. Like, stop.
We know what's happening. And people kind of, I think, are appreciative of being officious like that. Of course. Because we want to get this thing right. You know, again, I'll never forget being in the first owner's meeting that NFL Network we covered.
when replay was up for a vote about being made permanent. And Charlie Caserly, who I think was running the competition committee at the time. He was a co-chair at the end when he was with the Houston Texans. He basically told the owners: if everybody with their new fangled high-definition TV sets on their walls can see it. we should use it.
Yes. And so if we're all seeing it at home, we should use it. Um, it's just again, I'm I would love for it to be used. Would I understand? Sure, like, did a part of the helmet hit a part of the upper body?
Maybe, but if that's the case. Let's pick the flag up because that's not roughing. That's not, that shouldn't merit 15 yards to potentially give a fresh set of downs or alter the momentum of a drive. And I agree. I think that's where you start.
You start with the personal fouls because those are 15-yard priorities. And the more you can do with that and the more that you can get those right, I think that's a positive for the game. I think you got to stay away from things like holding and some of the other very, very subjective calls. Hey, man, we saw pass interference was a holy mess. Yeah, it was a mess.
When that was made reviewable, and that was a one and done. And coaches stopped challenging for it. Because they never could stick to a consistent standard. It's like, okay, where is the bar? And it seemed to change every week.
And so it also comes down to people and who's making those decisions. And do you have a small group of people that can make consistent decisions and apply a consistent standard? All right. In the minutes I have left with you here. You know, actually, can you stay to the end of the hour?
I know I only gave you five minutes before you. Is that fine? I want to come back because I'm targeting something for discussion. Yeah.
Did you see what I just did? Wow. That was a good one. Did you see what I just said?
Okay, thank you. I appreciate you calling that amazing because I agree. After further review, that adjective stands as called. All right. We're back here on the Rich Eisen Show with Dean Blandino, the head of NFL Refs.
I cannot stand targeting college football. That's a little hint that's coming up. The Jack Welch Management Institute at Strayer University helps you go from I Know the Way to I've Arrived with our top ten ranked online MBA. Gain skills you can learn today and apply tomorrow. Get ready to go from make it happen to made it happen and keep striving.
Visit strayer.edu/slash jackwelchmba to learn more. Strayer University is certified to operate in Virginia by Chev and its many campuses, including at 2121 15th Street North in Arlington, Virginia. Race the rudders! Raise the sails, raise the sails! Captain.
Unidentified ship is approaching. Over. Roger, wait, is that? An enterprise sales solution? Reach sales professionals, not professional sailors.
With LinkedIn ads, you can target the right people by industry, job title, and more. Start converting your B2B audience today. Spend $250 on your first campaign and get a free $250 credit for the next one. Get started today at linkedin.com/slash campaign. Terms and conditions apply.
The Rich Heisen Show, the podcast. Back here on the Rich Eisen Show. What is it that makes the all-new Hyundai Palisade hybrid an incredible SUV? Is it the spacious interior that's comfy for the whole crew or the capability to go off-road? Maybe it's 600 miles of range, 600 plus miles.
I don't want to. I don't want to leave out the plus right there. Of range. The all-new Hyundai Palisade hybrid.
So much more than just another SUV. Visit HyundaiUSA.com or call 562-314-4603 for more details. That's 562-314-4603 for more details. Dean Blandino of Fox Sports, former head of NFL Refs, current rules. Analyst here on the Rich Eisen Show.
Thank you for staying for another segment, especially when you know I'm about to. Oh, yeah. Let's go. Again, it's not like you're responsible, but you are somebody who is a consultant for officiating, correct? At the collegiate level, I despise targeting with every fiber of my being with the white hot of a thousand sons.
And the reason why is it's so inconsistent. Like what what what is targeting? Like what can you tell me is targeting? Dean.
So, targeting, and I do look, I think the rule. I want to preface this by saying the rule has done a good job. I think the rule accomplished what it was meant to accomplish up until this point. You know, getting the real flagrant, egregious hits out of the game. And I think everybody has adjusted.
You don't see in today's game, you don't see those types of flagrant hits that you saw 20 years ago before the rule.
So, I think the rule has done a great job up until this point. It's what it is: it's either lowering your head and attacking with the crown of the helmet, the very top of the helmet. Think spearing, right? Think what we all growing up playing football, whatever it was. Spearing, that is one type of targeting, and that would apply to anybody, a ball carrier, a defenseless player.
Then you have the defenseless player version of the rule, which is leading with the head, the shoulder, the forearm to make forcible contact to the head-neck area of a defenseless player.
So, that's the rule book definition. But I agree. It hasn't always been officiated consistently. And I think the angst though around this rule, the real issue with the rule right now, I believe, is the penalty. I think it's the disqualification.
I think it's the carryover. If these were just 15-yard penalties, not that those don't matter, they do. But I don't think this would be as hot a topic if it didn't have this carryover. And I think, my personal opinion, I think it's time to rethink that penalty part of it because players have adjusted, coaches have adjusted, and the rule has done a great job making the game safer. Two things I also don't like.
One is that replay can put a flag on the field for it. Infuriating. Absolutely infuriating.
So, if it's not called live, guess what? We're going to do, like, again, we showed the Michigan, New Mexico. Moment that obviously inflamed me because I'm passionate about Michigan football. Of course. That we're taking a look to see whether the ball was still in control by the quarterback based on a sack-forced Fumble and recovery for a touchdown with a lot of people.
Oh, by the way, not only is it not a touchdown, which, by the way, it wasn't. We're going to eject the kid for sacking him for targeting. And there's a difference between target this just in for targeting on sacks of quarterbacks. Yes, the defender's targeting the quarterback. Sure.
You know what I mean? Like, that's Colts. That's his job. It's their job. You know what I mean?
Like, that's, yes, he is targeting the quarterback because that's the job of a defensive player to sap the quarterback, to target him. It might be roughing. It might be the definition of Helmet meets helmet. That's not targeting, man. And that is an objectionable offense.
You're spot on. You're spot on because that is, it's a high hit. And I think everybody would be comfortable if you say, you know what? You got to lower the target zone. It's rough in the passer, but it's not.
You're going to miss the rest of this game and you're going to miss the first half of the next game, which I'm sure had nothing to do with they were playing Oklahoma. If they'd been playing Central Michigan, would he have been that? No, no, no. I get it. By the way, you're not wrong.
Of course, it means a lot. That's why the next half of the next game is crucial. It's such a big penalty. And like I said, I think it's now time. The rule has done a great job up until this point.
I think players understand coaches, everybody gets it. Do we need to have this draconian penalty associated with this when 99% of these are just kids trying to make a play? Right. And again, that's the subjective. Like, was he trying to hurt the guy?
Was he trying to do that? Was it particularly malevolent? On this player's part. Like, what was in his heart as he was looking to make a tackle? And I understand that you're trying to not.
Certainly, when we're at a level where not everyone's got the professional football ability to make a Mid-athletic Thought process hits you to say, I need to make sure I don't hit him the wrong way. Sure. To ascribe that to an 18-year-old freshman. At full speed. Right.
That's a lot. Right. Especially since we also, the way it's sometimes called in the ACC, It's not in the Big Ten where you're seeing a targeting call that ejects my Michigan Wolverine, you see something even worse. Later that night in a game in the Mountain West or ACC or the SEC, and it doesn't happen, you're like, Maybe that's where you come in. It's trying to make sure that that's my job on the replay side to make sure that it's administered nationally, consistent standard.
And one of the just the issues with college football from an officiating standpoint is you do, it's not like the NFL where you have 32 clubs, they're all under one umbrella, everybody, the messaging is the same, leadership is the same.
Now you have the ACC, which has their own officiating department, and the Big Ten, which has their own officiating department. And so we do bring them together and collaborate a lot.
So it's a lot of off-season. We do Zooms. I do Zooms every two weeks with all of the different conferences. I bring conferences together.
So it's not just one Zoom for the ACC. We have a Zoom with the ACC, the SEC, the Big 12.
So they're together and they can hear the same message. And we go through, it's an hour long every two weeks. We go through four or five plays, work through it. Here's where we need to be on this play. Forget about what happened.
We're not here to be critical of what happened. How do we adjust? Going forward, how do we apply a consistent standard? And that's just one of the challenges with college football because you do have different conferences, and sometimes the messaging can be different. Who's the competition committee, though?
Who's deciding, you know what? We should be able to put a flag on the ground when it's not called in real time. I mean, who do you go to to basically say that's absurd to put flags on the ground through replay? The NFL doesn't do it for a specific reason. Why is college football doing it?
And that's the college rules committee, which is made up of coaches, administrators, ADs. And so it's a cross-section of all these different stakeholders in college football. And we go through a very similar process. I've been a part of that rules committee. I've been a part of the competition committee.
You look at plays and they end up voting. The college process is a little more layered. They've got a playing rules oversight panel that has to basically bless these rules changes. That's going away on the football side. All right.
Which I think is a good thing. That's going away.
So you don't have all these layers. You can have the rules committee go through it and ultimately decide what we're going to do in the game. And I think that's going to help. It's gotta. I mean, because at this point, it's so inconsistent, it's so punitive, and it seems to be so arbitrary, and it makes everybody look incompetent.
I'm not gonna lie, man. It's a bad look. It is a bad look for when you're watching a game and you're like, That's not targeting, and then you look and see something far more egregious when you're flipping the channel. La-de-da. Nothing's happening.
And that's the biggest challenge. Coaches can't shave. It's the consistency. Coaches can't challenge to put something on the ground, right? No, they can't challenge targeting.
So if it's a change of possession that mandates something gets looked at. It's opened up for targeting. Yeah, yeah. Every player, but you can't challenge to look at targeting. No, coaches cannot challenge targeting.
But if it's something that's mandated to be replayed, targeting is fair game. That's stupid. Have I used the right word? Yes, you have. With the right inflection?
Agreed. Stupid.
Okay. Yeah.
Yeah.
Thanks for coming on, team. Appreciate it. I can't even speak straight now. I'm so fired up. I am.
We got it. I am. Yeah, and playing Oklahoma matters, man. Could have used him. I know.
You definitely could have used them.
Okay, very good. I don't know if anybody's beaten Oklahoma this year. I know, which is kind of cool for them. I mean, we just had Tim Thibault on, and I asked him who's the best SEC team, and I thought he'd go, well, you know, Georgia, LSU, and he goes, Oklahoma. Wow.
That's what he said. Dean Blandino of Fox Sports is here. Tyreek Withers of the movie Him coming up. Got a couple more minutes to go here. The Rich Eisen Show Podcast.
Mm-hmm.
