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Now, on with the show. Touchdown! Patriot touchdown! Shayhawks! Live from San Francisco, home of Super Bowl XXI, it's the Rich Eisen Show.
Today's guest, Steelers defensive tackle Kim Hayward, four-time Super Bowl champion Rob Grankowski, Pro Football Hall of Famer Charles Woodson, comedian Frank Caliendo, Academy Award-winning actor Octavia Spencer, and now Rich Eisen. Oh, baby, welcome to this Super Bowl 60 edition of the Rich Eisen Show live from San Francisco, California. We are downtown in San Francisco in a random office building. I'm not lying. We're just happy to be here and happy you are here with us.
Disney Plus and the ESPN app is how you can stream us live to see what we're doing here. If you're listening to us on ESPN Radio, SiriusXM Channel 80, we greatly appreciate it. And if you want to see what we're doing in hour number three, we'll show up on ESPN 2 and our guests in that hour, as you just heard, Charles Woodson and the Oscar-winning actress Octavia Spencer will be here in our studio here in San Francisco, California. Cam Hayward, Frank Caliendo, and Gronk will be first up. 844204 Rich is the number to dial as always here on the program.
My three guys made it all the way from Los Angeles, California. Good to see you, Christopher Brockman. How are you, man? Going down the road, TJ Jefferson. You didn't bring a candle here, right?
Because I think I just don't know if it would be legal here in our building. I'll have one tomorrow, though. Good to see you, Mike Deltu. Good to see you, Rich. Wow, and it's so nice of you to join us.
Rich. By the way, I won't do any banking today. No, it's fine because you've got to focus in. You got to focus. I don't have to do it.
Well, you don't even have to do the sound. You're just here just as you. Just here to hang out. And it's so cool of you to show up in San Francisco in a Dodger hat. You're so welcoming.
Unbelievable. A Dodger hat, and he's a Yankee fan. Wow. What the heck is happening? He was a Yankee fan.
Okay, thank you. He'll be a Giants fan by the time we get to that. Get out of here. You know, and oh, by the way, I can't believe I left out our very special guest. Oh.
To my left. Oh, hey. Oh, yeah. If you're watching on Disney Plus, you're watching on the ESPN app. You 100% know exactly who's to my left.
It is the Vince Lombardi trophy. It's right here on the Rich Hobson Show. Just to the left of my desk right here, if you can show it, that would be outstanding. Um, yeah, you can see right over here. There it is.
Thank you so much. The Vince Lombardi trophy is sitting here on this set, so. You know, there's some who've won it. And those people will attempt to touch the trophy, but unfortunately, that is just not going to happen because, well, maybe we'll have Gronk put the gloves on. You've got to put gloves on in order to get a lot of money.
Or he might want to spike it. He sees football. Actually, how many trophies? I'll ask him, how many trophies has he ruined? One trophy.
One that we know of. Right, okay. One on the books, a few off. But we do have the Vince Lombardi trophy that's here, and it's pretty sweet. And I don't know if this is the one that's actually going to be handed out to the Seahawks or the Patriots on Sunday night.
It's entirely possible. There's a couple of them. Yeah, the box said VLT4. VLT4. That might be the.
Yeah, there's the. That means there's at least four of them. There's at least four. Yeah. And that's how many Grakkas won.
Interesting that you would even point this out. Oh, just fact.
Well, it's not all with the Patriots either. Yeah. Brady and he won one for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. And then, you know, this is Super Bowl number 12 for our show. And since it's Super Bowl 23 for me with NFL Network, that's how we have the Vince Lombardi trophy here as the greatest set dressing in all of sports television.
That the first Super Bowl we ever covered was Super Bowl 49. in Arizona and that was Seattle versus New England. And here we are today. With Seattle versus New England, and the circumstances could not be more different this time around than the last time around because the Seahawks were coming into this game trying to put back-to-back championships together. And they, we obviously know, could not because at the end of the game, Malcolm Butler intercepts Russell Wilson on the one-yard line, and then New England wins for the first time in a decade.
Their longest stretch. of the Brady era going without a championship. Obviously, they made Super Bowls in between. But this one was finally in the win column for New England, and this sparked Three championships in the next five years for New England. A second.
Dynasty, dynastic run in the Tom Brady Belichick era. And, you know, um, I'll do it, I'll say it. You'll hear it on Sunday night, I'm sure, on NBC, the name Patrick Mahomes. You'll hear it. And this is exactly, again, what.
What New England was able to affect after beating Seattle in that first Super Bowl we covered, and the last time these two teams played, obviously, in the big game. Is exactly what we're seeing, or we're trying to see from Kansas City. Moving on to a second iteration of a Reed-Mahomes era, except Mahomes is going to start most likely. Watching, unless he comes back from a knee injury, which is a very 2008. New England story.
So there's a lot of parallels in the history of this game, and the matchup of this game, and how different it is. From that time to this time, also in the scope of the NFL writ large, because Drake May joins Joe Burrow as the only non-Mahomes AFC quarterbacks in the Super Bowl this decade. Which started, as we all know, with Mahomes taking on Brady in that Super Bowl, and then Burrow pops through, beats. Mahomes in the AFC Championship game to get to the Super Bowl to take on the Rams, who almost made it to this game if Seattle had not dispatched with them in the NFC title game. Mahomes makes it the next three years, and here comes Drake May and the New England Patriots as far afield from the last time a veteran team around the GOAT who he already knew was a first Ballot Hall of Famer, which Tom Brady's going to be.
We don't know that. Tom Brady's going to be. I don't know. I said it. We were so sure about Bill and Robert.
It's a different story, as we all know. But who? It's a different voting method. But we stray from the lane here that I'm trying to get to, which is this Patriots team is a completely different type of team than the last time they played Seattle in the Super Bowl. A second year quarterback Trying to take this team to where Brady took it as a second-year quarterback with a stunning win against an NFC West team that everybody thinks is going to spank them.
Drake May had this to say about how he's feeling the latest shoulder check on Drake May. Hit it. Yeah, I'm feeling great. I'm so fortunate to be out here with these guys. We've got a full week of practice.
Felt good on Monday and looking forward to getting back out there today and tomorrow and Friday and having a normal week.
So looking forward to that and feeling good. He's handling his business, sir. He's got one more day of answering that. Let's go. As the media availability for the Patriots went down today, Mike Vrabel also spoke.
Again, this is a guy. He was gone by the time that this game took place. And he had already won his three rings with the New England Patriots. And he's now trying to take New England back to the podium. For a seventh time winning a seventh ring for the franchise, he was asked about all the experiences he had as a player in this game.
I don't know how many times they're just going to try and unlock something from his playing in the Super Bowl that can actually be translated to his team this time around as a coach. Every game is different, and don't anticipate how it's going to go. Whether it comes down to the end-of-the-game situation, or a kick, or a two-minute drill, try not to predict what those are going to be. Make sure that each and every situation is covered, and understand that each of them is critical, whether that's a short yardage early in the first quarter or that's a red zone stop late in the game to give our team a chance to win.
So, just understand, having watched all these Super Bowls in the last few years and the ones that I've been a part of, is try not to really predict how it's going to go. And you'll have to see how the game's unfolding, but understand each situation that we're going to be asked to execute, we've been through since April. Vrabel was the Texans linebackers coach in 2014 when this game was going the first time. And Mike McDonald was a Ravens intern coach. He was on the coaching internship program with the Ravens.
in 2014. And Vrabel was a linebackers coach for the Texans in 2014. And Drake May was a baby. Nine years old or something? Yeah.
That is insane. We're old, is what I'm saying.
Well, that that too. Yeah, and and we all know Sam Darnold is practically a you know, a a a child as well back then. There's really no and and that's why Mike McDonald being asked on that Monday night Media session about what play are you calling on fourth down or on the one-yard line. What play are you calling on? 30 seconds to go, one yard line, what play?
It's got to be Kenneth Walker, right? I mean, a quick slant to JSN, that works too, right? I mean, the sports gods have a chance to do the funniest thing ever. A.J. Barner in the corner.
Why would that be the funniest thing? That would be funny. That's funny. Why would you find that funny if you're sitting in Seattle right now, TJ? But I'm not.
I'm sitting here.
Okay. I think that would be a funny thing.
Well, you're speaking for a Niner fan. Is that if the Seahawks lose in their building in that manner once again? For the record, Rich, I would never speak as a 9-erfield. But you need Cooper Cup to make a crazy acrobatic 50-yard catch. A couple plays before that, that's what happened.
You know, Jermaine Kerker. With Jermaine Kerr setting them up inside the 60-yard line, right. And then Kenneth Walker gets tackled at the one. By who? Spillane?
Yeah, Spilane. At one. Right. That's a decision to make. And then they hand the ball to Kenneth Walker.
And then Silene goes back to pass. And again. And again. Okay. Sorry, Sam Donnett.
No, and then the Seahawks actually win it. How does that sound? How's that sound? Not great for you? No, I need because you put it out, Ricky Bobby.
You know what I mean? Like, don't put that out there. Don't we love stories here? Oh, we do love stories. Shout out to Wednesday that this comes down to the last minute of the game?
Well, I mean, we're going to open tomorrow's show. At least that's the plan right now. The last 10 games between these teams, last 10 games going back to 1992, have all been one-score games. And not just one-score games, but interceptions, fumbles, and sacks, and touchdown throws, and. Wild sequence after wild sequence.
These two teams play. Intense Crazy ass, fantastic finish. Football games.
So the idea that this is going to be another blowout We're going to unpack that considerably on our show to start Thursday, but we are off and running here. on a Wednesday and we have one of the best in the business sitting on our green room couch right now. And there he is. Why is Cam Hayward? Why you shake?
Don't shake your head. We're excited to have you. Don't butter me up. The Tulsa Tones of Cam Hayward coming up next. Pittsburgh Steeler and the Ohio State Great coming up to start off our Super Bowl League from San Francisco.
The Rich Eisen Show Podcast. As you know, managing maintenance, repair, and operations is never easy. But for the ones who always rise to the challenge, Granger has your back. From professional grade products you can count on to fast, dependable delivery. They're there to help you keep things running smoothly.
Plus, their technical product specialists are here to help answer your toughest questions. 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. We're back here on the Rich Rising Show on our radio, simulcast on ESPN radio, as well as serious XM Channel 80 and our Disney Plus and ESPN feeds. Courtesy of the Crucial Catch Initiative and not just football with Cam Hayward podcast, Cam Hayward, seven-time Pro Bowler, finished up season 15 right here on the program.
You're sitting next to the Vince Lombardi trophy. I don't know if you've noticed that, just sitting right here. What would it mean to you? Is that why you keep coming back? This baby in between us, right?
One of the reasons. You know, I think. We all want to be at the top of the mountain. And I've accomplished a lot, but that's one thing that's kind of eluded me to this point. Right.
And what would it mean for you to have this thing? When you get quick gratification, but I think it would just culminate to the work you put in for all those years. And it would let me know that the decisions I've made for my family to keep playing, they're all justified. How many kids do you have? Three.
Three. How old are they? Ten, eight, and six.
Okay, man. The boy is He got in trouble while I was gone. What happened? He was chasing his dressing my daughter. And he's the 10 or the 8 or 10?
He's the 10.
Okay. And he looks like he's 19. I think he's you already. Yeah, he is.
Okay. You know, he's like the, you know, you've seen the Robin Williams movie Jack? He's like that in school. He's so much bigger than everybody else.
Okay. And I was too. But he was running after my daughter, and he tried to stick his arm up and stop the door, ended up punching the door, so now there's a big hole in the door. And like, he didn't tell me, he was talking to my wife, and he was like, have you told dad yet? And I was like, She told me, just get ready for when I get home.
Is it perfect timing that there's sirens as he's telling this story? The sirens going off. Wow. Yeah. Okay, but that's what he.
He's going to have to pay for it. He sounds like a smart kid, though. When he wants to be when he's not I'm just saying. Chasing after his sister. That's true.
He might have the grades to get into Michigan, is my point. He'll have better grades. We don't worry about getting into Michigan. We're going to pass it off to somebody else. Come on now.
Herb Street sent his kid to Michigan. You know what I mean? I didn't know what Herbstreet was doing. I got to talk to Herb Street about that. He's giving his kid a great education and an exposure to a terrific.
He's going to enter the transfer portal and make his way over to Ohio State. We're breaking news here with Cam Hayward on the Rich Isen Show. What do you think of this Super Bowl matchup? I think it's really fun. One, you got a really good defense.
You got two really good defenses with really good fronts. With Seattle has Leonard Williams and Byron Young. And then you have New England who has Milton Williams and Christian Barmore, who all of these D-linemen have a lot of respect for, but. You know, you have a mobile quarterback and Drake May, and you know, you see the resurgence of Sam Darnold.
So I love this game as a defender, and you know, I'm glad that it's good weather for everybody.
So is it tough to because you're not in it, you don't want to talk about it or something like that? Yeah, okay. I have this dream that I play out in my head where, like, The game just gets canceled for some odd reason.
Well, that wouldn't be very good for anybody. You know, you gotta get it. Good for me. No champion. No champion.
Yeah, so it's it did you watch any of the playoffs or not really? I started watching the championships, but the divisional round I was kind of checked out. You were still, what, were you pissed, angry? Pissed, angry, sad. Um You know, I went through it all.
Especially with Mike T retiring and that was just Very abrupt.
Okay, so if you don't mind, walk me through that. He probably told you before he told me. Actually, I did not know about it whatsoever. But you talked to me. Do you know I do?
I know. You definitely knew. I know I didn't. You didn't tell me. I'm heartbroken.
Well, here's the thing, though, Cam. You know, it surprised me because I just. know what you live. And that's why I'd love for you to give some voice to it. Is guy just loves coaching.
Yeah. So the idea that he's like, yeah, I'm done here and I'm just not going to coach this year really stunned me that because he just loves chopping it up with somebody like you and your colleagues and being out there and the challenge and all of that. But what was it like when you walked into that meeting room, when he told you and the team, if you don't mind taking me into that room? I was the last one to get in the room because I was handling an MRI before. And so everybody thinks I had talked to him.
I hadn't had a chance to talk to him. And so I get into the room and I'm looking at my player grade sheet, you know, going through the plays. I'm like, he's going to go through what exit meetings are. And set up times with all your coaches to talk. And then he starts talking.
He says, You know, I think it's time to step down. And I was Like Did I just hear this right? Like, my T's about to step down and. I think we were all just in shock by it. You know, you could hear a pin drop, and everybody was in there, and I got a chance to talk to him after that day, but You know, I just told him like I This shocked me.
And, you know. It happened so abruptly, I felt like I had failed him in that moment. What do you mean?
Well, just we never got to reach the pinnacle of success like we always talked about. Huh. Right. So You had paperwork in your hand that indicated business as usual. Yeah, well, that's from your assistant coaches and everything.
Right, but it still is an assistant coach that you're thinking is going to still be your assistant coach because your head coach is still your head coach. Yeah. And then words come out of his mouth that you probably never thought you'd ever hear out of his mouth. I thought I was going to beat him to the punch, you know, retire before him. It was just it was really shocking.
Is he retired though, do you really think? Like, done, done? Do you really? He's having a lot of fun. You know, he's got that glow of just like.
Not having the weight on his shoulders. We've been talking about his daughter. He's playing she's playing at UGA.
Well, he was there within 24 hours watching her. And you just see like he's excited about it, and we talk about it, and you know. He loves being a parent. And I think, you know, spending that time and being a husband again is really huge for him right now.
So he's going to just, again, I'm sorry to put you in a position of speaking for him. You can't do that. No, I know that. And he's going to have to speak for himself. But I just, it's.
It just stuns me that he's just gonna like, you know, I'm just gonna see the world, I'm gonna travel the globe. Yeah. I'm gonna get out of the game. But after a while, like, he just got a hunger for it. That's the problem.
Like, that dude. Loves to break down tape, and he's a historian when it comes to the game. Like, you know, he'll be watching film, and it might not apply to us, but like, he's just a fan of the game. And so Bundle that up of not doing anything for a year, it's going to be hard to pass up that itch gets to that point. Right.
Is he going to be on your pod with you or something like that? Are you going to do me? I think so. Do you have him on it? There's a new both with Cam Hayward and Mike Tomlin podcast.
I told him. I said, Don't you do Ben or Koontz's pod first. I need that interview.
So he laughed, but we'll see. Right. And you know, your perspective. I asked you about this a couple weeks ago when you were kind enough to zoom in towards the end of the regular season about you strolling off the field with Mike and Aaron. He gave a lot more of an answer.
I was surprised by that. When you saw about it? Yeah. Yeah. I mean, there it is.
That's the three of you guys. You know, walking off a field in victory right here. It's funny, I remember this conversation. We were talking about practice for the next week. What do you mean?
and making sure that we had all the guys in. On Monday, to go through everything and just really hit the ground running. This was after the Detroit game. It was all debacle at the end of that game, but you know, me, Aaron, and Mike T were just like, man, we gotta. We gotta keep cooking with gas and get ready for the next game, but uh yeah.
We we always have like intimate conversations about whether the game or the next week and Those two guys are pretty special. Yeah, you bonded well with Aaron this year. Been texting him. It's been fun to text him out of the season. And we talk about things.
But no, those two men is. Have made this game pretty special.
Okay, so you eventually got past the. Come on, Aaron, make your decision. I didn't say that. Come on, Aaron. I didn't say that.
You basically pointed at your watch and said, Do you want to be a Steeler or no? Are you just trying to show off your watch now? Yes. Wow, look the flags. Show him the watch.
No, no, no, no, no. Show him the watch. Show him the watch. No, no, no. I don't need to watch it.
Come on, big money. See? Brockman is everybody. He was about to watch last night. Did you see what he's doing?
See what he's doing? He's deflecting. He's deflecting. That's the sign of a true media professional. Yeah.
Is what that is. Truth. I think you should FaceTime Aaron Rodgers right now. Hell yeah. He's probably a little bit enigma right now, so he's got a little busy.
He's in what? What did you say?
Well, you know, he had a show on Netflix, so he's probably shooting season two. Oh, I see what you're saying.
Okay. I'm kidding. No, but you guys got along very well, and it seemed like everything, you know, in the locker room, and it was like he'd been there for years. Years that it seemed like just the way you played and then communicated with each other, it seemed like.
Well, I think for our team and what he was used to. He loved accountability and he wanted to be accountable, but he also wanted to hold others accountable. And you know, as a team, we love that. You know, you don't have to sugarcoat it. You can say how you feel.
But we're all trying to get here to get better.
Well, he's out of everything to give at this point in time. Like, it's it's either he wants to do it, and in the manner in which he wants to do it, Or not. Not that it's just he can't be collaborative, but I mean, it's. He's collaborative, but I think you have to hold back on four. The thing I love is he gives back to the game.
The time he spends with Mason Rudolph and Will Howard, you know, he is a true teammate where, you know, it's not just about him. He's teaching guys of like how I go about my business, how I get better. And I think it benefits all three of them.
Well, how is Will Howard? How is your guy? How's your national champion quarterback? He's good. Yeah.
He's good. He picked some stuff up, you think? I think so. I don't think it was the season he was expecting, but.
Well, he got hurt. Yeah. And, you know, nobody expects that, but I think he learned a lot. And I think he got better. You know, we saw him a lot during practice towards the end of the year, and he was, you know.
Trying to make some impressive plays.
Okay, before we get to your pod and the crucial catch initiative, where are you in terms of your future? What are you thinking? I'm right here.
Okay. Do you want to keep playing? Do you want to keep playing? Do you want to keep playing? I'm working on that.
Okay. Is it a money thing and a contract thing?
Okay, okay. It is more just about. Um Where I'm at. and kinda just decompressing after the season. That was Uh that whole week of Mighty and everything, it kind of threw me for the biggest loop.
I uh You know what? My mom and my brothers, they were all checking in on me. I'm like, I just need to shut up right now. I don't need to say much. And, you know, even on the bot, I was just like, I can't talk about this stuff because I'm not ready to.
So, then, will you then indulge me on this, if you don't mind, Hayward? to give voice to The player who needs to decompress and go through some things and think things out. Because some fans are like, You either want to play football or not? Like, do you want to still do it or not? You know, and Matthew Stafford, right?
I mean, it's just like, hey, man, you know, that was an incredible season. You could be the MVP. I mean, I think we're going to see him here tomorrow night and accept the award on the stage and honors. He's bald this year. Right?
So, but it's just like. What do you got to think about? Like, can you give voice to the decompression part of this thing and why it's necessary? Yeah, first I go back in the dad mode. Like, I get to take my kids to school or at least walk them to the bus stop because they don't want me to drive them to school.
And so they get embarrassed by me already. But, you know, I get to be a dad and I get to be a husband again. And, you know, they make sacrifices throughout the year where I'm. like unavailable Physically, emotionally, mentally, you name it. And then I just kind of turn that back on.
But it's like, you know, putting my body through that. Um, you know. Trying to spend extra time watching film. You know, 15 years is 15 years. It's not like I'm a spring chicken, but still trying to craft and still trying to get better.
All these things go into mind. And is it good for my family for me to keep playing? Right. You know, they want to see me not just now, but. Years from now, and you know, I gotta make sure I take care of my body.
Okay, so these are the things that you start thinking about, and then Mike McCarthy calls in the middle of it and says, Hey, right? Yeah. That's how, did I? Is that an accurate timeline here? Did he have you spoken with him yet?
I talked to him when I was actually in the airport, and you know, we chatted, and you know, you could sense, like, you know. The love he has for Pittsburgh and the way he. Yeah, he's the real deal.
Well, his brother lived across the street from me and welcomed me into my house. I'm still in now 10 years ago. Really? Yeah. And, you know, his brother ended up passing away, but I remember talking to Mike about it and I was just being like, I got a chance to know your brother.
And I was very thankful because they were like the first nice neighbors next to me.
So You know, then now seeing him and watching him from afar and having a lot of success he did, especially on the offensive side of the ball, should be pretty interesting.
Okay. And everyone's now thinking that Aaron's coming back because he's there. Yeah. What do you think of that?
Well, you want me to say, either you want to be a Pittsburgh Steeler or not? No. No. I'm not doing that. No.
No. Well, he might beat you to the punch, say, I'm playing, and then call you up and say the same thing. Because I guarantee you this, Cam Hayward. What do you guarantee? Aaron Rodgers, if Aaron Rodgers decides in a new league year, timely fashion to say, I am playing with the Pittsburgh Steelers.
I have a deal. I'm happy with it. Mike McCarthy and I are going to go riding into week one together. One of the first people he's calling to say, Are you coming back is you? Wouldn't you say?
Like, he would be basically, whereas you might have already had that conversation with you, if I'm not mistaken. Aaron's probably worried about other people coming back. It's not just me. You got to get a guy like Kenneth Walker. Not Kenneth Walker.
Why is it? Kenneth Gainwell. Right, right. I got Seattle on the mind, but Kenneth Gainwell, our team MVP this year, who balled out. That's a guy that a lot of people really like in our locker room.
And, you know, there's some offensive pieces that he wants too, because you're not just going to play this game to play this game. You want to play at a high level. You pretend to win it. You know, I mean, you're not coming back at age 42 to just, you know, just get through the season healthy. You know, you're not coming back for season 16 to do the same thing.
I'm not trying to play patty cake. Just with you, though. I love it. You're loving your pod? You're loving doing that too?
Well, I got you on the pod.
Well, you know, I'm a guest anytime you need. You know that. Right now, let's go. Let's do it. You're in mind, yeah.
You got Frank Caliendo waiting over there. That's true. I do have two and a half hours to go. Are you doing your pod here? I am.
Okay. I'm doing it. And guess who we've got on all week with us? Who you have? Joey Porter.
Oh, yeah. And I told him who we're getting on. He got really excited.
Okay. Now, speaking of Seattle's Super Bowls. Yes. Super Bowl, you know, the Super Bowl 60, I can't believe it's Super Bowl 40, right? Like, that's 20 years ago.
We were, NFL Network, we were two plus years old. This is our third Super Bowl we're covering. And the first two were Patriots Super Bowls, like Patriots versus Carolina, Patriots versus the Eagles, and there really wasn't much going on. I mean, the Eagles had their own stuff with T.O. and McNab and the vomiting and all that sort of business and T.O.'s comments, but that was after the Super Bowl.
Super Bowl weeks were quiet. And then Super Bowl XX and Joey Porter. Goes at Jeremy Stevens, right? Is that who it was? Is it Jeremy Stevens?
Yep. He went in and it lit up. Super Bowl Week. It was the only thing everybody talked about was Joey Porter. Joey, Jeremy, you know, Joey, Jeremy, who used his hands to say he was better than him.
He was the star of that week. And everyone was focused on Jerome Bettis coming back to Detroit. And, you know, here's Dick LeBeau, and they're wearing the jerseys for him. All of that business. But it was Joey Porter, man, all Super Bowl Week.
Joey is a character and loves to be the alpha male. And so it's going to be fun because we're going to get him to interact with Adam Pac-Man, too.
So there's a story behind that Cincinnati game.
So can't wait to stir up some troubles. See, you know how it works. Getting there. And then it's pretty cool. We got that.
Put that picture up if you don't mind. Mike Hoskins just mentioned. Look at that, man. At Super Bowl 40. with your one of your current teammates.
A little joey. You know? Big old head. Dude. But that was unbelievable.
I I will never forget that that Super Bowl. It was pretty big for us because Cower was the first coach to ever visit us after a game. Yeah, because Belichick, the first two years, went straight to ESP and walked right past the NFL network set. We're like, damn. One day.
One day. Look where you've come. Oh, I can fill stories for you with Joey Porter and that day, and that was an incredible game, obviously. Big-time Steelers stuff. A lot of Seattle Seahawks think that game was rigged.
Let me tell you something. They get very protective of that game.
Well, I'll also tell you this: Matthew Hasselbeck, the quarterback of the Seahawks, he will be the first to start talking that way. I'm sure that's what you're laughing about, right?
So we always used to have Mike Pereira, the head of NFL refs, on NFL Total Access right after the Super Bowl. But he didn't appear the week after that Super Bowl because he went on vacation. And so I saw Hasselbeck at the Pro Bowl, and he goes, Where was Mike Pereira after the Super Bowl? You didn't want to talk about, you know, they were pissed about Big Ben didn't score. His helmet creased the goal line, not the football.
After the interception, Hasselbeck got called for blocking below the waist. It was another 15-yard penalty. And of course, there was the holding penalty that really, really lit him up. Did I name all three of them 20 years later? Pretty much.
And so he was calling it, you know what I'm going to talk about? Hasselbeck was all over me. He's just like, you know what we're going to do? We're not going to call it NFL Network anymore. We'll call it the NFL's network.
And he, you know, he really leaned to me. And you're telling me 20 years later they're still pissed, huh? Still pissed. My editor is actually a big Seahawks fan and We were ribbing back and forth, and he was just like, Well, you guys didn't win that game. I'm like, I wasn't even playing.
You need to calm down. I can't take credit for that. Where were you in 2005? I was like. Oh man, I was in middle school.
You were in middle school. Middle school. Yeah. You just had buck-out dreams at that time. I did.
I did. Yeah, and then listen, and there's a lot of Seattle fans that, again, even though they beat Denver in the Super Bowl in Met Life in New Jersey, that was just one of them that obviously they would love to have. But there's more that they've left on the table. That Super Bowl that we just mentioned, the one against the Patriots the last time. And so that's what a lot of people think that they're coming in with a chip on their shoulder.
None of those guys were there. I know that. It's a brand new team. I know. It's fans, though.
That's what the fans are. The Crucial Catch Initiative, I'll give you the floor on. We were talking about it last night. There was an event at the Pop-Up Rayos here in town, and the commissioner was there. And it was beautiful.
They were talking about how through the Crucial Catch Initiative, they're closing in on 850,000 pre-screenings that are happening. The numbers are going up because of what the league's been up to with this program. Yeah, you know, I think we've all been affected by cancer. You know, my family, my dad, I've had people who've had breast cancer that are still dealing with it, but you know. We all have somebody that's affected, but we also need to make sure we get early education and get screened earlier.
And so, partnering with them, I just want to be a conduit to make sure I can help out. NFL.com/slash crucialcatch. Everybody, just go there and obviously to find the nearest cancer screening center and additional screening resources near you. Catching it early means the biggest, what a big difference it is. And I imagine you'll be at Honors tomorrow night.
I'm not. I'm taking the year off. They didn't want me. What do you mean?
Well, me. But they're giving out the Walter Payton Man of the Year Award. Eric Armstead should be giving that thing out.
Okay. Is he doing it? I don't know. I don't make the show. The producers do.
By the way, if I were you, I'd have that patch on every ounce of clothing I would wear. Would you? I would. Yeah. I'd let everyone know.
I always forget to wear it. I love wearing it. What do you mean you forget to wear it? I have like a pin.
Okay. And they actually give me like 30 different pens. Tracy Perlman hooked me up, but like I always forget to put them on.
So she's probably watching, going, where's the pin? I know, I know. That's one person. She and Mike T are two people you don't want to disappoint, by the way. Yes.
Who love the sport.
So, you know, for sure. It's great to see you. Great to see you. Thank you for being here. Thank you for having me.
And you know, here anytime, man. Anytime.
Well, I love watching. I love when you had Seth Rollins on, too, and he was filling in for you. Yep. Did a great job, but you always kill it. You guys are always great as well.
Would you ever want to fill in? If you would let me. What do you mean would I let you? I don't know. I don't think you won't want me to take this over.
This becomes an Ohio State podcast then. Or Ohio State State Show. Do you want that in your life? Yeah, because it's you, you being genuine. If that's the way you want to operate, you're supposed to wear a jersey.
We talked about that. No, no, no, that's not. Yes, we made a bet. Oh, now we did. Last time.
We did. Here we go. You said you were going to wear an Ohio State jersey. I need the tape. That is not true.
I would never do that. I've done that so many times. I've done it a few times. No, I would never do that ever again. No, I would not.
You were so smug. Yo, do you want to make a bet? Do you want to wear Michigan stuff too? I did that four years in a row. I did that three years in a row.
The fourth year, I wasn't so confident. And then we didn't. With a walk-on quarterback going into your house? Come on now. Come on now.
Go check your own pod that I came on. I gave Jack Sora so much crap, man. I did. You did. And then I'm glad I did it before the game as opposed to being on with him after.
But, you know, and of course, you can come on, make it whatever you want. And if you do all the Ohio State stuff, it's okay. There's always disinfectant for the deck. Oh, just wipe it clean. Rich.
What? What are you doing? You like Columbus, too, probably, too. Have you been to Columbus? Besides where, like, a game?
Nope. Never once. I flew into it once and then he's eating the buckeye. Why would I want to go there? Because you would actually love it.
I'm sure I would. I'm sure I would. It's like any other college campus, I would.
Well, like I had. You know what? Maybe I should go there with you. You should. I will give you a great time.
Okay. You know all the spots, all the great stuff. It's changed a lot, but I can work around. I can make things happen. All right.
Just for you. But the first things first, if you want to come guest host the show, 100%. I would love to. Because, you know, my home is yours always. And everybody check out the not just football with Cam Hayward podcast, wherever you get your podcasts.
And certainly this week, Joey Porter being part of it of a Super Bowl week is all kinds of great. And NFL.com/slash crucialcatch. Let's make sure we catch anything that needs to be caught. Thank you, sir. Good to see you.
Great to see you. Ladies and gentlemen, Cam Hayward, he says he's coming back and Aaron Rodgers, too. And he's going to host. Wait a minute, is this a moment? Why are you doing this to me?
What? You're just throwing me. Yeah. Yeah. The Rich Eisen Show, the podcast.
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So you can cut through clutter and clear a path to your best work. Learn more at microsoft.com/slash m365 Copilot. Back on the Rich Eisen Show on the radio. Might as well mention here as well, we just showed a tape of Chris Berman and I on previous Super Bowls. And tonight at the Strand Theater, once again, richeisenlive.com.
If you're in the area, you're hearing us, or you're planning on coming tonight to San Francisco, it's 7 o'clock Pacific, a chat with Chris Berman and yours truly. And we posted it on various social media sites, and some of the answers that I get back are like, can't be there, but will it be archived? And the answer is yes, because this is a taping of a new podcast series that we're producing and I'm hosting called This Was Sports Center, where I'm sitting down with some OGs of the show. And Chris Berman will be one of the guests of the upcoming series that is going to be starting to post later on this spring.
So that's still to come. Listen, I know we're here for Super Bowl 60, but it seems to happen. every year. Every year that we're here, that the NBA trade deadline coincides with it. And I think it was we were in Arizona for the last Arizona for Super Bowl when Kevin Durant got traded to the Suns and the town went nuts.
In the middle of our dinner. Right, in the middle of everything that was going down. And so the trade, TJ Jefferson, did in fact go down yesterday. That has been rare. In fact, James Harden, 11-time all-star, despite the Clippers going from 6-21 all the way into the playoff chase in the Western Conference.
He's out. He's a Cleveland Cavalier, and Darius Garland is coming with a second-round choice in a future draft. And with that, T.J. Jefferson, I turn to you. And I ask you: do you want to sign this document?
Oh, wow, look at this. A release of fandom presented to T.J. Jefferson. From the Los Angeles Clippers, and it's forever, is what it says. Forever, I can't come back.
It's about it. Forever. I don't know what w d do you consider this to be a legal document even though even though it even though it was made up by Jason Feller who is not a notary despite Mike Del Tufo telling Susie that back in the day and she actually brought documents to the studio to b for him to notarize and he's just like I hate to tell you I'm the never I was never a notary. Problems in the I told you guys earlier this week, I'm like, this is Super Bowl week. I gotta keep my mind on Super Bowl type things.
That's enough. That's a no.
Next week, back. How about this? I will say this: if Garland is healthy, then you just traded for somebody ten plus years younger than James Harden. And in the same way, when if when Chris Paul and the franchise parted ways in that wild manner and you're all wondering what the hell are they doing there, The team has performed well, and it's not like Chris Paul is a problem, but. We are wondering what does this do for the team?
Maybe Darius Garland shows up and they gel and they keep On keeping on here. You know what? You were about to get your wish, right? You want me to sign one of these documents? I do.
And I was giving a lot of thought into doing it, but you just now ruined it because you talked me out of it. You now gave me hope, and that's all I want.
Well, you know, I'm all about the hopium. I'm a glass half-full guy, as opposed to that's part of my brand. Because it's the truth, though, right? I mean, it's not. Listen, Hardin's going to make the calves better now, I would think.
and Garland can make the the clippers better down the line. Guy's 10 years younger. And he's a player when healthy. Damn straight he is. Mm-hmm.
So no dice on the side of that. The Ridge Eisen Show Podcast. Mm-hmm.
