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Now, on with the show. Joe Burrow doing the gritty. This is the Rich Eisen Show. I'm a runaway train. Bring on Albert Breer of Sports Illustrator.
Burrow has been throwing for a while. The plan, I think, is to get him seven on seven worth. The Rich Eisen Show. Tomorrow touchdown. Today's guests.
ESPN analyst Marcus Spears. Former NFL general manager Mike Mayock. Actor Allie Larder. And now, it's Rich Eisen. Oh, yeah.
Welcome to this edition of the Rich Hodgson Show on Disney Plus. The ESPN app and ESPN radio presented by Progressive Insurance. 844-204, Rich is the number to dial here on the program. We say hello to all of you who are listening whenever you want on our podcast, all three hours. We greatly appreciate that through the Rich Eisen Podcast Network.
And we've got some fun guests in store for you. The big Swagyu is going to be joining us. The great Swagu. Swagyu. Marcus Spears from ESPN is going to join us to help set the table for the 11th week of the National Football League season in advance of the Jets and the Patriots on Thursday night football.
Mike Mayoc, my buddy from back in the day and NFL Network, will join us. It's a higher register Thursday, so will you. And all of us, we... We realized sometimes you got to go higher register to see what you believe. And a perfect example for that sort of thing is.
I think we'll all be able to play it cool when Allie Lauder starts by in studio in hour number three. I think everyone's going to be able to play it pretty cool when she stops by to talk about Landman.
So that's going to be coming up later, and I think it'll be fine. Everyone's going to be cool and chill. What's up, Chris Brockman? How are you? Rich, I'm excellent.
The actual varsity plays tonight. Ah, how dare he?
Okay. How dare he? Is it a, what is it? The Maxion? What's going on?
Tonight. Patriots, baby. What's up, DJ Mikey D. Warm up the muskets, baby? I'm a Patriots fan now.
That's what I'm doing. I'm just going to go. Absolutely not. Absolutely not. I'm doing it.
I'm just going to go. I'm just going to follow. Have you noticed that Mike is now wearing a Dodger hat all the time to make it seem like he really is one? I mean, if I wear the other hat, you guys give me a load of crap.
So I'm just, I figure, you know, that hat's an abomination. No. Go back to the Fox sports hat that you normally wear all the time. Whatever free Super Bowl hat you have. TJ Jefferson, how are you over there?
It's shaking my head at this nonsense over here. Go Patriots. 844-204-Rich, number to Dahl here on the program. A.J. Brown spoke yesterday.
So did Jalen Hurts. Michael Pennock said something that's created a ripple in Atlanta and throughout. We'll get to all of that on this program. And again, as you want to chat with us, 844-204-RICH, number to dial, happy to have that conversation with you. Week eleven does begin tonight.
And as I have been doing over the last few Thursdays, I am here to set the table for you to tell you what's at stake in this National Football League campaign. as it reaches week number eleven. And we start with the AFC standings because tonight, as Chris Brockman alluded to, The New England Patriots are playing tonight. and they are one of three eight and two teams. Entering week 11 in the AFC, and none of them.
are named the Chiefs of the Bills, or the Ravens. And those are the three teams that every single year, everyone assumes going in, has a shot at the one seed, or certainly Cincinnati if Joe Burrow is healthy. And then there's always that higher register. I don't know, maybe this is the year the Texans actually take over the AFC. You know, like none of them are eight and two.
The Colts are 8-2 and they're on a bye week, which means the two other 8-2 teams have a chance. to take the lead in the AFC this weekend. And it starts on a Thursday night with the Patriots taking on the Jets. First of two times, Aaron Glenn versus Mike Vrable, two former. players in this rivalry.
Who knows what's at stake from those days? And then, in terms of the New England Patriots, seven straight wins seven in a row. Once upon a time, one and two. Seven in a row going into tonight's game. And now they are in the realm of, yeah.
Winning games they're supposed to win. And how do they perform in those games?
Well, guess what? They perform pretty much. in games that nobody expected them to win, or against the Carolina Panthers expected them to win and then they did, or winning games like the one last week against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers coming off of a buy and then just beating them.
So they can win, and if they win tonight, they will have a half-game lead in the AFC. over the Denver Broncos prior to their game. Against The Kansas City Chiefs coming off their bye week. And the AFC West is something of interest because going into October The chargers We're not only 3-0 in conference. But in their division, they beat every single team in their division.
And that is how they go into this weekend. into Jacksonville. While the Chiefs and the Broncos play one another in the AFC West, and if you look. that those standings The Chargers are the game behind Denver. And if they win in Jacksonville.
In the early window, they sit back on their flight home hoping that the Wi-Fi is working. and watching what goes on between the Chiefs and the Broncos. And you could say that the Chiefs are in must-win territory if they want to. continue their streak. atop their division.
as winners. Mahomes has never gone into. a playoff season. As a wild card team starting. In that respect, needing to come from behind.
In this division, two and a half games out.
Now they have Andy Reid, who, as you know, is the wizard of winning off of his buy. Denver has a problem starting offensively. On occasion, they have finished very well offensively, didn't last week, but still won. Last year, as we know, Denver started showing signs with Bo Nicks. Showing signs with Nix and Sean Payton went into Kansas City in one of those, well, Denver.
Had him dead to rights. One of those Chiefs, get lucky games. Blocked field goal at the end. Even though those things aren't just luck, they are the residue of design. AFC West.
At stake this weekend in week 11. Important movement there. The entire AFC North. plays each other. The Steelers, speaking of the Chargers, coming off of that loss just up the road on Sunday night football, Rogers looked brutal.
The coach is like asked about Rogers' performance. How would you assess it? And he goes, How would you? We're wondering what's going on there. Defensively, they eviscerate the Colts one week at home.
Next week, they can't do very much. At all on the road in Los Angeles.
Now they're back home against a Bengals team that is coming off of a buy. And during the bye week, who returned to practice, having a window opened up? It's Joe Burrow. And if the Bengals want Joe Burrow to play meaningful, comeback and play meaningful football. And have them make a run for the playoffs, they've got to win this game.
because they'd sweep the Steelers. And they'd send the Steelers to five and five. And everybody's been talking about how the Ravens are going to run them down. The Ravens, once upon a time, one in five, they can get back to 500 if only they could go. To the city that loves to beat 'em.
Because this is where they once belonged, as we all know. Cleveland, Ohio. Where the head coach, despite two Coach of the Year trophies in his case, He's on a hot seat. Kevin Stefanski sticking with Dylan Gabriel. Lamar is playing well, getting better each week.
Can the Ravens get back to 500? Can the Bengals surprise the Steelers? Can we have a tie atop this division at five and five entering week 12 with the Bengals just a game behind, or will there be separation? From the Bengals between the Steelers and the Ravens? Or can the.
Brown's surprise. And give the Steelers a nice gift. That's at stake. And then you've got the teams that are sniffing it. in the AFC.
The Texans Looks like it might be another Davis-Mills start for them. They're in Tennessee. They can get back to 500 like the Ravens. We'll talk about the bills in a minute. In the NFC.
What's at stake there? Nothing to night, as we know. But the next game when America sits down. with the sun down. And it's a standalone game.
On the NBC. No. Defending champion Philadelphia Eagles return home. Atop the NFC, taking on a Detroit Lions team. That is atop the NFC North.
For the moment. Dan Campbell. Clark coordinator with his glasses. Bringing his lions in. Coordinating up against Vic Fangio's defense that just sent the Packers into a tizzy at 5-3-1.
That is a massive football game, and we're all wondering about distractions in Philadelphia. As you know, I consider the distractions for them. Oxygen. They're just practicing football photosynthesis there. Yeah.
All the trees that are chopped down to make the newspapers and the headlines providing that oxygen. Thank you. Need. You know? Breathe again.
And all the Eagles do is put the CO2 right back into the NFC and keep on winning. Football photosynthesis. What I just called it. Just made that up. That's a trademark.
That's at stake. The NFC at the top, because in the NFC West. You've got two teams that will be battling it out beforehand for the right to tell the Philadelphia Eagles, you match us. You try to keep up with us. And the US are the Seahawks and the Rams, the first of two games between these two seven and two teams in the NFC.
West winner takes the lead in a big time lead. One and a half games. They're flat-footed tie right now. Whoever wins this game one and a half. One game in the win column.
And then, of course, the half game being the tie break that The two teams will try to equalize, the loser tried to equalize in the final game of the season. Pardon me, my bad. The next time the Rams and the Seahawks play one another. is week 16.
So That is pretty damn big. And Brock Purdy's coming back for the 49ers. and all he sees is Arizona.
So the NFC West plays one another. That's a big scenario at stake in week number 11. The NFC North, I already mentioned how the Lions are playing on Sunday night. They're tied right now record-wise. with the Chicago Bears.
And we all know the Bears. Got boat raced in Ben Johnson's return to Detroit in week two, which is the pivot point for Detroit. We thought. on the season when they then went on a four-game win streak, but the pivot point might be Dan Campbell Taking the reins of calling the plays. From the man who was doing it when Ben Johnson left, but the Bears now.
Our in division taking on Minnesota. And that'll be a game that the Lions are paying attention to as they're getting dressed. We're ready to head to the stadium. for Sunday night in Philadelphia. That's a massive game because if the Eagles beat the Lions and the Bears go to Minnesota and win that game.
The Bears can enter week As a first-placed team in the NFC North. Because even if the Packers win, they can't catch them. If the Bears win, while the Packers. Are taking on Jameis Winston, which makes week 11 that much more interesting. Anytime Jameis is active.
Makes it more interesting. Why would he not be? The Bills, as I mentioned, now let's take the pin out of there, they're taking on the Bucs. B NFC South, in my estimation, is not really up for grabs. I know the Panthers are sticking around.
But at some point, the Bucs are going to get healthy again. And all they got to do is just win games like this, which is a tall order. But which team are the Bills? Who are they? Who are they?
And two quarterbacks that have been mentioned as MVPs of this season at certain points of the season, taking on one another: Baker Mayfield. And Josh Allen, who makes plays, and it's exciting, and somebody's going to have to. win this Football game. And regardless of what happens. with The Bucks, they're still in first place at the end of the day.
The Bills need to keep pace with a Patriots team that could have nine wins by the end of tonight. Big game there. Lots at stake there, even though it's an out-of-conference game for both. In the NFC standings, You take a look at the sniffin' at teens. What's at stake for them?
As I mentioned, the Niners already, they're taking on Arizona, Carolina. Carolina is in Atlanta. Which is not even on the screen. It's sniffing it because their 3-6 isn't better than the Cowboys 3-5-1 there in Vegas. We mentioned the Vikings as well.
So much at stake in week eleven Falcons need to hold serve at home. and get to four and six, get back on the sniffin' it trail. and make a run. Question is, is who's in their quarterback's ear to help him out? That is again part of the storylines entering week 11.
And what is at stake? Oh baby. I believe I've set the table. I've set the table for Marcus Spears. He's going to join us next right here on the Rich Eisen Show.
Oh, yeah, Paul Skeens did win the NL San Young Award. Shocking. Nature met Paul Skeens. No. He says he's staying with the pirates.
We'll talk about that later on on this edition of the Rich Eisen Show that's off and running. Um As many of you know, supporting pediatric cancer research is something I care deeply about. That's why I'm proud to share what Hyundai is doing through Hyundai Hope on Wheels. For over 27 years, with every Hyundai sold, they've helped fund pediatric cancer research. Alongside over 850 dealers, they've raised more than $277 million, helping over 25,000 kids and supporting more than 1,400 research grants at 175 institutions nationwide.
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And because Granger knows safety is always a priority, they're committed to being your partner in protecting both your people and your facilities. Call 1-800-GRANGER, clickgranger.com, or just stop by. The Rich Eisen Show Podcast. Rich Eisen Show on Disney Plus, the ESPN app, and ESPN Radio presented by Progressive Insurance. Uh, joining us once again here on the Rich Ass and Joe, one of our favorites, been it too long.
Marcus Spears back here from ESPN and all their terrific football programs that feature him. Good to see you, Marcus. How are you? Rich, what's up, man? My apologies on not being available, brother.
What are you doing? What's up? Marcus. I'm just saying, man, I've been wanting to come on, but I'm just dealing with a lot of other stuff outside of work with kids, sports. Listen, I'm with you.
I love, despite the sign here on my desk, blaming things on my children.
So I totally understand that. I got it. But I also see where you are. I see where you are.
So, you know, freezing your tail off in the state of Wisconsin. You know, so what do you make of the Philadelphia Eagles and everything that goes on and A.J. Brown and what he said yesterday that it's a group thing? And Jalen Hurts was echoing that. And I personally think it's their oxygen, but I'm wondering what it is from your perspective that ails them, or is there anything that you are concerned about?
Marcus. Rich, I agree. I agree with you that it's their oxygen. I mean, when you think about this team. We've tried to figure out ways that they were going to suck for like the last three years.
And they've continued to win, make the playoffs, and obviously win in the Super Bowl last year. And I give some credence to what A.J. Brown said. I'm very fond of A.J. I think he's a deep thinker, but he wants to be competitive.
He wants to win, but he wants to do it in a dominant fashion. And if you think about the guy's career. Coming from Tennessee as a dominant wide receiver without having the opportunity to win a Super Bowl to becoming a Super Bowl champion with Philly, you have expectations. And You know, I would rather that come from A.J. Brown.
And obviously, if you listen to him, it wasn't about him. Necessarily in the grand scheme of things, it's about how much he knows that he can help this team and how much they feel like. They're struggling offensively to maximize. What they have at their availability, so um, but I'm with you, Rich. I said a couple weeks ago I was on uh first take.
And I said, I was with Mad Dog and Stephen A, and I was like, this team, they operate in dysfunction. They're they're just fine. with with the outside noise they're just fine with some internal stuff And You know, it's one of those rare situations where I don't think it breaks the team. It actually galvanizes them and pulls them together. I remember Jalen Hurts sitting on an interview after a game of throwing for 300 and asking the whole world, that's what y'all wanted to see?
But they they are just fine when in 10-7. 3-0? as opposed to thirty one nothing or thirty one seven. And I think that's the makeup of a really good football team of keeping the main thing, the main thing. Even though, you know, we're going to make a big deal out of everything that they say.
Well, what is it then, Marcus? I mean, I kind of go back to the movie A Few Good Men. You know, if Santiago wasn't supposed to be touched and no one was supposed to order a code red, then why was he touched? You know, if you have A.J. Brown and Saquon, and Devontae Smith, and Jalen Hurts, and Dallas Goddard to dominate.
then why aren't they dominating? Why? Rich, we don't give enough credit. Like, we talk about this like it's a monolith, right? Like, them dudes on the other side are very, very good.
And defensive coordinators are staying up seventy-two hours a week. Trying to figure out how not to let that happen. And obviously, Philly has some things that they want to continue to get better at. But you've been doing this show for a long time. Two years ago, we thought we were sitting here and like this is the worst offense we've ever seen in our life.
And obviously, they had that downturn and they lost to Tampa Bay in the playoffs. And everybody was like, Yeah, we saw it coming. And this could potentially be one of those seasons as well. But. I don't believe so.
I believe this is a Super Bowl championship team. That's getting everybody's best shot. They're everybody measuring stick now. They're young. They're a different football team.
And I think we're starting to see some things come back to life that we saw from them last year. Nobody's talking about a defense giving up seven points in a football game because we're so enamored. With Jalen Hurts and AJ Brown and Devontae and Saquon not running it well and Dallas Goddard, like you mentioned, like I get it. I understand that everybody wants 40 points a game. But an NFL football team went out and just gave up seven points to an offense that's supposed to be pretty good.
And we all we talking about. Is why are they not scoring 40 a game?
Well, it's hard to do. It's hard to do it. We watched Kansas City last year struggle themselves all the way to the Super Bowl.
So again, I'm for it. I understand it. I know why people are up in arms about. How it looks, and it needs to look a certain way if you have all of these guys. Last time I checked, Rich.
And you know this as well as me. The most important thing after that game over with is what? Mm. The W. Winning.
That's it, bro. End of story. Because I don't see any photographs in the standings ever. Me neither. They win, man.
Marcus Square is here on the Rich Eisen Show. All right, so you're a Parcells guy. Yeah. He always said, you know, right around Thanksgiving is when you know. whether you got it or not.
We're not there yet. We're close.
So, I want to run through some teams with you, and you tell me if you think they're Super Bowl-worthy. Like that. I'm going to keep it short. I know that. I know that.
And let's start with the Patriots. Are they Super Bowl? Got it. Got it. Yeah.
Got it. I'm a huge fan of Mike Rabel. I've been a huge fan of Mike Bray, but I still don't understand what the Tennessee Titans were thinking when letting him walk out of the door. But you see the tone and you see how much it has changed. And then, too, they got the seemingly have the most important position in football, right?
And that's the quarterback. And sometimes being young and dumb. Makes you a really dangerous team. And I don't care if it's. A game in Foxborough, or a game in Berlin, or a game in Tottenham, where you've been a bunch of times, Rich.
They just gonna go out and play and do whatever it takes to win. I think that's Mike Rabel's mentality. And he got a quarterback that don't know no better other than just to go out there and make plays and ball. Yeah, Belichick had one as well in his second season in the National Football League, and they won it all and didn't know any better either.
So, okay, what about the Broncos? Very shaky on the Broncos, Rich. Offensively, I worry about them, and that's crazy to say with the Sean Payton team. But defensively, this team is really, really good. And can they get hot?
Yeah, we've seen them get hot and score 33 points in a quarter.
So Yeah, but it's been a little volatile on that offensive side. It's been too many slow starts for me to make them 100% a contender. If they can get hot and both knicks, can get streaky. A team that absolutely has a chance because that defense is phenomenal. But I worry about the Broncos offensively a lot.
Eight and two cults. Are they a Super Bowl contender right now? Rich, can I just say this, brother? Please. And I know I'm scared of Daniel Jones.
I haven't loved what I haven't seen what I've seen from him the past two weeks. Without Jonathan Taylor taking over these games, I'm not sure if he's not going to be mistake-prone in some critical situations for me to pick them as Super Bowl contenders. I just get very nervous. I'm starting to see the fumbles in the pocket, which is the thing that plagued him in New York, the interceptions. And it just looks shaky.
And I hate saying this because the dude is having his best season that he's had in the NFL. I worry about that, though, because we know majority of the time, you're not just going to be able to run your way to winning the Super Bowl, as we saw with the Philadelphia Eagles and Saquon Barkley not being dominant and Jalen Hurts being the dominant factor in the Super Bowl last year. What about the Chargers? 7-3, Marcus Spears, Super Bowl contenders. I think they are contenders.
I think getting back healthy on defense, obviously, Khalil Mack being back. And I just think Justin Herbert is supremely talented. I think this team, from a physical standpoint, now I worry about this offensive line and I worry about that left tackle position for sure. But I think they have a quarterback that can go beyond some of your faults. And now we got to see it.
And he hasn't won a damn thing so far. But I think he's around a really good head coach in Harbaugh who believes in him supremely. I think Greg Roman has done a phenomenal job. This defense is playing well under Jesse Mentor. I think the Chargers are a legit problem.
And our true contenders.
So then let's go with a trio of teams. And you could say all three and none of them or pick and choose. Uh Bills Ravens Chiefs. All three. All three.
All three. Name their quarterbacks, Rich. And listen. Yes. Listen, man.
I'm a believer. And if you, Rich, you know me, and my counterparts know me. It takes me a while to come around on quarterbacks. And to give them that type of credence. But Are we would we be surprised if Josh Allen, Lamar Jackson, or Pat Mahomes lost their mind for a three, four-week span that once they get into the playoffs?
Nobody would be shocked. Um the only problem with them is they have to play each other. But Lamar Jackson in the playoffs I know hasn't been great. But we know what he's capable of. We've seen Josh Allen play to the highest level and still lose with 15 or 13 seconds on the clock.
And I'm not going to waste my time talking about 15 in in Kansas City. What about the Steelers to finish up the AFC? No, no, pretenders. Pretenders. You know, I I Defensively, it's been a very disappointing year on that side of the ball.
There's a lot of dudes on that side of the ball that I love. Pat Queen. Cam Hayward, TJ White. And they would all tell you, we haven't played to our standard, Jalen. Back there, we've seen them play well.
They had a couple weeks where they looked dominant, turned the football over against India a bunch of times, and still only won the damn game by seven points. And it was the first time I saw Aaron look 40 last week. Avoid and I said this about Tom Brady his last year in Tampa. When when when those fast big dudes start coming down the center of the pocket, and you start second guessing if you're gonna stand in there and try to deliver one. That's probably when it's time for you to hang it up and go home.
Marcus Spears from ESPN and all its family of shows of the National Football League here on the Rich Eisen Show. Let's move to the NFC and find out how many contenders there are. Are you guys taking down how many he's said so far? Would you please continue to get a mental note? You can make actual notes if you don't mind so we can come with a number.
Me and Chris got the same shirt on today. Oh, yeah, you do. Styling. Chris, you look phenomenal, brother. You know what?
You look phenomenal. We might have to call it. Yeah, we're ball-headed. That's right. That's right.
I need a haircut. We might have to call Us Magazine to ask who wore it better. All right.
Well, we know what the answer to that question. One's called Swagoo and the other one isn't. Hey, I get it. All right.
So let's move to the NFC. I'm assuming we're just going to throw the Eagles in that mix. Obviously, Super Bowl contenders, Rams as well, right? We'll just say Rams as well. What about the Seahawks, Marcus Spears?
Yep. Yep, that defense is unbelievable. And I think. I think the confidence, I talked about this, the psychological confidence that I think Sam Dorno has with being the guy. Um You know, he was in Minnesota playing for his job, per se.
And I didn't like that going into the playoffs. We all talked about it. We all knew what the implications would be. If he performed well in the playoffs, he may still be a Minnesota Viking. But I think he's been put in a great situation.
Mike McDonald, I think, is a phenomenal, young, up-and-coming head coach. He did a phenomenal job as a DC with the Baltimore Ravens. But, Rich, if you watch this defense play, They will tear you out the frame, brother. If they get any opportunity. to get a lead and play from ahead it is a problem trying to get After DeMarcus Lawrence and Leonard Williams and Mafe and all these guys, they are animals over there on that side of the ball.
And I think anytime you got a defense like that with an offense that has the opportunity to be explosive, you're a true contender. Where are you on the 49ers as Super Bowl contenders, Marcus Spears? Not there, man. Why? I'm not there.
Injuries on defense? Injuries. Injuries, man. Like, look, I think I talked to you about this. Fred Warner, to me, is one of those guys that you could argue at times should be in the MVP conversation.
That's how good he is defensively. And I. I just think missing that as you get down to the nitty-gritty in your own conference at that with between LA and Seattle, I just don't, I don't. And I look, I think Shanahan, man, is we all do. We all think he's one of those guys that will always have his team lurking.
Around the playoffs. I just don't think they have enough, Rich. I think these injuries have caused attrition once again for this football team. Let's go to the NFC North for seeking Super Bowl contenders. I'll just throw it out to you.
How many Super Bowl contenders reside in the NFC North? Marcus Spears. Detroit. Um That's it? That's the end of the sentence?
That's the end of the sentence? Yeah, I just can't get on board. I can't get on board with Minnesota. Can't get on board. With Chicago.
Green Bay, yeah, we could throw a Green Bay in there. Rich, I'm nervous though. Why? I was there Monday night. What'd you see?
And I saw this team at home with a great opportunity to beat the Philadelphia Eagles when the Eagles did not play well and they weren't able to do anything. Offensively. The defense is good. They only gave up 10 points. When you look at the totality of the game.
But the inconsistency Of how they operate offensively bothers me. And I know some receivers were out. Tucker Kraft was the heartbeat. Of what they were doing, the tight end who's, I think, was ascending, potentially having the all-pro year, um, being injured is a big deal for them. But seeing Jordan Love fumbled before the half.
Making those plays, and everybody talks about well, he doesn't have a lot of turnovers.
Sometimes it's about when they happen. And they've happened at some bad Inopportune times this season. Cleveland, you think about that, that game. You think about the Carolina game. And now you get Philly.
Where you have a chance, where you maybe erase three points off the board.
So Teetering, but no. Pretenders. So why don't you buy the Bears? More on. Rich, look at the schedule.
Okay. And look at these wins because I know everybody riding high. And I got, look, man, I love the development I'm seeing from Caleb Williams, the playmaking ability that he showed, but. I I mean, th these wins now Washington, New Orleans, Cincinnati. And maybe you put Cincinnati up there.
The Giants and Jackson Dart got concussed in that game. Are you going to have they really beaten on me right now? I mean, look at the schedule, Rich. What's the record for these teams they've beaten? But you know, wins are tough to come by in the National Football League.
You got to be a family. Yeah, but they're not all equal. They not all equal. They not all equal, brother. Do you hold Do you hold, um, let's see.
Let me go. If they had beat Detroit. Oh, well, that's a different story. Yes. Okay, well, there you go.
Okay. There you go. The Raven scene that just got healthy with Lamar? Give me the one on the schedule that's right coming up that makes that would make you flip. on this the day after Thanksgiving.
That one in Philadelphia. And we just talked about Thanksgiving. We did. You are what you are. Bears have the lowest strength of victory of any of the 14 playoff teams right now.
Look, see, my guys back. We've been watching football. We've been watching it every week, Chris. We know that. We know that.
We know them wins are boo-boo. There you go. Them wins, boo-boo, man. Let's go, buddy. Let's go, baby.
But, but, but, but, to their credit, they might have lost some of them last year.
So, they're a better football team. I got to give Ben Johnson credit for that. But uh I I I the schedule matters to me. If my son. Who plays prep school basketball now was still at his private school, and they'd probably be undefeated, but he would not be as good of a basketball player.
He'd probably suck. as a basketball player right now.
So who you play matters. All right.
Last one for you then the Bucks. Yeah. They are contenders. Contenders, even currently constantly, we got to get Bucky Irving and we got to get Godwin back. We got to get them guys back.
And I was just about to say, my caveat is health, obviously, right? For this football team, and you know, defensively, Todd Bowles is going to have you right there. And then, look, man. Speaking of being hard on quarterbacks, when Baker was in Cleveland, one of my biggest gripes was. Slow down, young fella.
You're going too fast. You're trying to lead a locker room of grown men based off a chip being on your shoulder, and that doesn't resonate until you do something. in the NFL. And now that he went to Tampa, that's his show. That's his team.
Baker took a long route, proving almost the overseas version of a football player. You didn't do well early in your career. They kicked you out of the NBA. You went overseas. You balled out.
You came back to the G League. You balled out. Now you're back. And now you have an opportunity to be a face of a franchise. That's who Baker is.
And Baker has taken the reins of that. And I think the level he's playing that is going to have Tampa with the ability to win every game they play in the NFC, potentially getting to a Super Bowl.
Okay, so you have a final number of the teams that Mark Harris identified as Super Bowl contender worthy. Yeah, here's what we got.
So AFC, Chargers, Patriots, Bills. Chiefs, Eagles. No, you got the Ravens as well. Right. NFC, Eagles, Rams, Seahawks, Lions.
And then question marks on Packers, Colts, Broncos. There we go.
So what's the grand total of yes, definite yeses? Nine. Nine. A little less than a third of the league. There you go.
All right.
Well, okay, very good. Throwing around like manhole covers. Hey, Rich, if you disagree, find me 10 through 32. No, I don't disagree. I mean, 10-22.
I hear you. I think the Colts are Super Bowl contenders, and I understand what you're saying. I got you. But, you know, and Indianapolis coming off of their buy, have some tests, you know, for me at Kansas City. We don't have to fight, but tell me why.
You have that confidence in Daniel Jones. Is it based off what you've seen so far this season? It is based off of that. But at the end of the day, 28. 28.
I got you. And I understand in the playoffs, if 28 doesn't do it, can 17 do it? I get it. I understand your, you're, I totally, I'm not saying what you're saying. I just say that, Rich.
I say that. I say that about JT because I think Johnson Taylor should be an MVP conversation. Correct. But the running back that was in the MVP conversation last year did not go off in the Super Bowl. It had to be their quarterback.
Understood. Before I let you go, perhaps the most important question: who do you want? You could choose. It's your choice. You're in charge.
And it also happens. You get them. Who's the next coach of LSU football? Who would you want? Why you put me in this situation?
Because I love it.
Well, it's because you also have that beautiful, you know, magnet helmet thing that it's always twirling. You know what, man? You know what? Ideally, and you know, I'm going to get flagged, but I don't care. Ideally, it would be Lane Kiffin.
as my one a. And my one B would be Drinkawitz from Missouri.
Okay. And I just hate bringing up names of guys that are already at schools. Of course. Not that I got a lot of love for old Miss O'Missouri. I could care less if they get mad.
It's just, you know, I know sometimes certain people in the media, and I'm probably one of those guys when I say something, it goes out over the diaspora. And then people got to ask questions, answer questions about it. I've never heard our business chatterbox called a diaspora. I love it. Rich, you know, you know, worldwide, Rich.
Yes, I know. Marcus, I look forward to seeing you. We're coming to New York. We're going to do a week's worth of shows in New York at the end. And I would love to see you and have you on when we're there.
I look forward to seeing you. That's Marcus. Spears, everybody. Appreciate it, gentlemen. Right back at you, there's Marcus Spears getting ready to call Lane Kiffin as soon as he hangs up from the Zoom.
There he goes. Yeah. Let's give his son some props, too. ESPN's number one ranked high school player of the class of 2027. Oh, really?
It's legit at Spears House. No kids.
So, is that popping back on real quick? Is that what you were referring to about the youth sports taking over part of your life, Marcus? Yeah. I'm not sure.
Okay. And Rich also, because I never can mention my son, my daughter is a freshman at the University of Texas playing volleyball and may be freshman of the year in volleyball. This year, fantastic. It's all my wife, though. You know that.
You know that. You know what? I don't know her, but I can only assume that it's correct. Former WNBA player. Oh, that's right.
There you go. I do know. Marcus Spears, everybody. Let's go. All right, let me go call Lane.
That's it. Yeah, do it. What's the aerial code for Oxford? There he goes. Marcus Spears, everybody.
There he goes. Oh, my God. That is so much fun. All right, let's take a quick break. 844-204-Rich.
Number to dial. Don't go anywhere. Mike Mayock beckons. Uh The Rich Heisen Show, the podcast. ESPN Radio is presented by Progressive Insurance.
Progressive Insurance. offers twenty four seven protection when you bundle home, auto and motorcycle. Learn more at Progressive dot com. A.J. Brown spoke on Wednesday after we went off the air.
The reason why we didn't lead the show with it, like so many other shows are leading with this sort of material, is again. I believe this is the Eagle's oxygen. I do not believe this is a... distraction at all. I think it's a problem, X's and O's that could cost them a game, and eventually it might cost them a season.
No big deal. But they got to figure out how to get A.J. Brown the ball. Certainly, if he's going to keep going on Janky Rondo's live Twitch stream, talking about how his workplace life is not nearly as great as his regular everything else life. And he was asked about.
The implication that his work life stinks. when he was at uh work yesterday. No, I think that's fair. I think if you got eyes, you can see that. You know, that's the same thing about this saying.
Um It's a dollar season. You know what's on me? making light of my situation on Twitch with my friend. You know, uh Alright, that's something I'm not apologizing for. You know, because like I said, if you got eyes, you can see that.
And so uh Shoot, that's me trying to like laugh through my situation. Oof. Wow. That's honest, man. That is.
He also said part of the frustration is not just his stat line, it's the collective. Like at some point, the defense is not, you know, the same thing that's going on in Green Bay. Hey, the defense, we've Green Bay's lost three games now. in which the defense has balled out. Hardly giving up points.
Only 10 points they lost. Last time, as we mentioned, the last time they gave up 10 points and lost at home was 1991 when Jim Harbaugh and Mike Ditkas Bears went in and 110-0. In Lambo.
So he's talking about the collective, which also did dovetail with the comments from Jalen Hurts, who spoke on all of this. Once again, A.J. Brown. sounding distressed off of a win. His frustrations have been voiced after wins on multiple occasions now.
Are you good with that? We've got the Detroit Lions, so I'm a. I'm going to definitely put a halt to to that, I think. The more we drive that, the more of a distraction it becomes. And I think ultimately it's about the group.
And so, um Things have been what they've been and they are and they are where they are. We are who we are as a team. We're all we got and we're all we need. I mean, I don't know how does he come up with these off the cuff? You know what I'm saying?
Did he say anything, though?
Well, you know what? If he is a superhero and he plays like one sometimes, you know what his superhero name would be? The Extinguisher. You know what? He just extinguishes the fire.
Puts it all out every time. Listen to this sound bite again when he was asked what's the setup for this one. Oh, getting, yeah, like get why not you're the quarterback, get A.J. Brown more involved. Where do you stand in terms of getting him more involved in the office?
Yeah, I know you got to ask those questions. I have a lot of respect for that and I think my focus always gears back to what the group is. doing and what the collective is. Obviously plays he plays AJ plays a pivotal role in what we've been and what we've done. And so we just have to continue to grow with that every day.
I know he's talked about having a growth mindset. and embracing that. And so we just need that mentality as we go throughout this season and try and get to where we're trying to go. Again, he is the perfect Philadelphia quarterback. He really is.
He's exciting. He's a winner more often than not, and he absolutely does not add a single drop of gasoline. to the fire. Does he win every year? No.
Does every quarterback win every year? No. He's just perfect for it. But it would be good to. I think I wrote it down somewhere.
My favorite bit. Get A.J. Brown the football. Yeah, there. I wrote it down.
I wrote it down here. Get him the football. That would be a good idea. And then you know there's talk about how he and AJ went rogue on that fourth down play. Yeah, but Siriani shut that down yesterday.
He did. I know what the play call was. I am the one who's in charge. Right. Like I said, It is their oxygen.
It really is. But it does. We are who we are as a team. We do what we do. You know.
Sounds like the name Carol Motto or something. Yeah. 844-204-Rich is the number to dial right here on the Rich Eisen Show. Don't you dare go anywhere. Mike Mayock, who's in Philly, is ready to talk.
The Rich Eisen Show Podcast. Mm-hmm.
