From Thirty for Thirty Podcasts. Brian Patter, senior defensive lineman from Miami. Gun down. The key to this case, it's Brian. An hour before he died, he was on the phone arguing with Tabaki.
This might be a hit. You want the truth. They just want a conviction. Being placed under arrest. We had to kill our monsters.
Murderer. This is the Rich Eisen Show. Hey, everybody! Can't get enough of The Rich Eisen Show? You're in luck.
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Now, on with the show. Oh my god, you guys are my favorite. This is The Rich Eisen Show. It's the one and only. Rich Eisen.
I know what I'm talking about. That's the headline. The Rich Eisen Show. With guest host, Brian Weber. I mean, honestly, he's brilliant.
Brian Weber. I've got a long resume. Google me. It saves time. From the Rich Eisen Show studio in Los Angeles.
And now, sitting in for Rich. It's Brian Weber. Easing our way into the final hour of the program, still plenty of time for you to get involved. The phone number, 844-204-RICH, 844-204-7424. If you prefer to wait for the return of Mr.
Eisen, you don't have to wait too long. Last hour with me, Rich, back in the chair with the crew tomorrow. And looking ahead, I don't have his day planner in front of me. And yes, I do have a day planner. No two, anybody.
under the age of 35, because yes, I am now. Hunt Eastwood and Grant Torino, get off my lawn. If you write it down, you memorize it, and then you got a hard copy. What if there's no Wi-Fi? What the internet Gets replaced by some monster AI.
So I don't have his day planner. I don't have his Franklin Templeton guide in front of me, but I do know Rich. And what he does this time of the year, based on our time working together at NFL Network. He is ramping up to be at the Combine.
So you're going to have entertaining and informative shows. From Indy. Lucas Oil Stadium, the site. It gets underway next Monday and it goes for roughly eight days and It gets more interesting as the days progress and coming up in our immediate future. In 20 minutes, we're talking NFL with Eric Edome, who works with Rich at NFL Network.
You can read his stellar work at nfl.com. He spends a lot of time on the draft. We'll get into those particulars and get his thoughts on today's major quote-unquote news in the NFL. I'm not diminishing its significance because of the name involved. We all know.
When healthy, what a difference maker Tyreek Hill is. Cut by the Dolphins, a salary cap casualty was scheduled to make $11 million guaranteed once we got to the start of the new league year future. Few weeks from now, early March. Plus, you know. The, and I'll be kind, we always use this kind of phrase in broadcasting, the quote unquote air quotes, always good in audio, off the field issues.
He's 31 and he's trying to come back from a torn ACL.
So I'll pose this question to Eric. What will the market look like for the cheetah?
Someone's going to sign him, and they'll probably get him at a major discount because of his age, because he's coming back from injury. They're going to want to see. How much is the speed that is a huge element to his approach? Nobody can stretch the field the way Tyreek does when healthy. What's the impact of the injury going to be in that key Area of his game.
That is coming up in 45 minutes. And I don't want to be too insular. I don't want to make this about being in the media. But those of us who speak into a microphone, even when we overannunciate and say it was all-star Saturday night on a Saturday afternoon here in Southern California, learn very early. Either we're told or we learned the hard way.
What you say has consequences. And if you say the wrong thing, it can cost you your job. I can't think of the comp. In college basketball, for what has occurred to Jerome Tang. He no longer is the head coach of Kansas State.
We'll play you the sound from last week as the team has been in free fall. That apparently led to his departure yesterday to me. This is an embarrassing response from Kansas State. They're trying to find cover for firing a head coach who's underachieved in recent years. Remember, they had that magical run to the Elite Eight just a couple of years ago.
I understand they've been terrible this year, but for the school to use that as the foundation to fire him for cause and not have to pay him roughly $19 million is just. embarrassing and inconsistent with guys like I'll stay local. Mick Cronin of UCLA, who buries his team publicly on a daily basis, that is coming up. Let's return to the NBA for the final time. And I know the audience is always changing, especially on a holiday.
How much of NBA All-Star weekend did you catch? Hopefully, nothing on Saturday, Saturday, other than what was good, feel-good development to see Damian Lillard. Continue to come back from the torn Achilles.
Now, you could question: what does it say about the three-point shooting contest that a guy coming back from that severe an injury can win it? To me, it's a testament to his perseverance. Talking about Dame. And he's an all-time great lethal shooter.
So he wins it for the third time. That was a good watch, putting him in select company with Craig Hodges and Larry Bird. Then we move to the Slam Dunk contest. Our time is valuable together. I'm not going to waste any more breath on that.
The thing is, I'm watchable. Just pull the plug, end a discussion. And that has been the chatter surrounding the All-Star game itself for the last handful of years. And conventional wisdom said how How can the league figure out a way to get their stars to care about this thing, knowing? It's always been an exhibition.
Understanding that is a huge problem. In all of sports. Look, you watch Olympic hockey and you see the differential between, and this is a reach, but I'm just at least self-reporting that I'm stretching here. Playing for your nation. With a gold medal on the line compared to what we see, the slop on the ice in the NHL All-Star game, where it's 13-11 every year.
So I'm not picking. On the NBA. I've already crushed. Probably never going to work again because the NFL has a long memory. But I've already said the obvious: that the Pro Bowl is unwatchable.
Baseball's all-star game, a decent watch. But it's been thoroughly diminished because of interleague play.
So. We have to accept the facts as they are. These are merely exhibitions. And the goal, at least, is to be entertained. And that's the problem the NBA had been facing because it went from a celebration of the sport.
To something that felt like it was compulsory. It was a drag. I don't want to show up for this thing. And it was clear the players felt that way because they just went through the motions.
So the league has thrown. Every potential solution against the wall. Looking for something to stick. Remember the other crappy formats that didn't work? Like a player draft.
Or the TNT draft with shack picking players and candy picking players. And of course, now they're part of. The ESPN, ABC family, great to have inside the NBA leading up to significant games and the postseason, especially the post-game show, because the fellows still have the opportunity to stretch out. The Elam ending with a target score. None of it worked.
And as we discussed in the last hour of the show, With Kurt Halen, lead NBA writer for NBCSports.com, I will borrow his analysis that it really felt like a nice combination of factors that led to a much more watchable product yesterday. First Sometimes Quantity isn't quality. Hmm. Getting deep on a holiday. I'm Brian Weber.
Sounded like LeBron here throwing riddles your way. I'm in for rich eyes and hit me up on the X platform, BW Weber. Weber with two B's. If you don't love basketball, hang tight. We're getting back to the NFL in less than 15 minutes when we're joined by Eric Edelm of NFL Media.
The quantity quality. Pivot point is this. The league was only asking these dudes to play hard for twelve minutes. Mission accomplished. And I don't know if it was just serendipity or the fact that these were abbreviated games.
The first three were all dynamic. All tight finishes coming down to shots like DeAren Fox hitting a buzzer beater to give. Team USA stripes, a two-point win.
Now, the final game, the championship game, was anticlimactic, but this thing has been so gruesome for so long. I'll take what we can get. And I'm speaking for all of us as sports fans out there. The majority of the day was entertaining. We saw competitive basketball.
We saw players engage. We even saw some defense.
Now, they're never going to lock each other up. It's not a game that matters. I found it farcical. That towards the end of the game, that was deciding who would move on. To the championship round.
Team World down by three. Reggie Miller poses the question on the broadcast: do you foul here? And then he says, because this now feels like a regular season game, nobody's fouling in an all-star game. Because it's an exhibition. But at least it had the feel.
of a real game. With legitimate effort.
So I think the shift in the Timing aspect of the game. Going with the condensed chunks made it much more of a possibility. These guys would ball out. And then the format shift. And I think they got lucky with Team USA and, of course, more Americans than European slash international players.
So you need a couple different American rosters. But there was something too. The idea. of having some national pride. And playing for your nation.
And it's always going to be more interesting to have those kind of stakes. Just to add another element of intrigue. I don't want to overhype this. And maybe we're all so beat up as NBA consumers that something that over-delivers with our minimal expectations feels like a revelation. It was a good watch.
That's all we're looking for moving forward. And hopefully the league has figured out that this formula is sustainable. In terms of what's coming up. And I know I'm speaking to a good chunk of the audience. I'm Brian Weber in for Rich.
It is a President's Day edition of the Rich Isen Show here on ESPN Radio. Many of you, quote-unquote, casuals, as I try to be here. Paying no attention to the NBA until Christmas. And now, if that was the case and Years past, you don't watch any NBA because the NFL has hijacked that holiday.
Some of you ease in for All-Star Weekend.
So, if this is your entry point, you picked a good time, although. And In no sport can you control injuries, but the fact that We didn't have Giannis. We didn't have SGA, we didn't have Steph, makes what we saw all the more impressive on the floor.
So some of you are jumping in now, and then there's a large portion of casual fans who pay no attention to the NBA until we get to the postseason. In terms of where we're headed, as we discussed with Kurt Hewitt of NBC Sports, and a reminder: if you missed that conversation, you can catch it on the podcast. You can listen to any portion of any program anytime. That'll drop shortly after the conclusion of the show, coming up at the top of the hour. Is it truly just a three-team race in the West?
The Thunder have been inconsistent, in part because of injuries, but let's just presume. SGA and J-Dub are back. Come playoff time. You know, the Spurs match up incredibly well with them. It is not an aberration.
They've won four or five. Meetings head-to-head against OKC because Wemby is unguardable. He can neutralize the height of Chet Holmgren, and you have that young core. Witcastle and Harper, who's playing very well as the second overall pick, that replicates the depth and youth of Oklahoma City. You throw Denver in there.
They've been hammered by injuries. But the good news is, Joker, when he went down, there were fears it could have been a multi-month injury. Obviously, he came back and. Was selective with his effort yesterday. I'm not going to feed into the narratives that Kevin Durant threw out there, blame the European players.
Didn't look like he wanted to be on the floor. That's okay. Not everything has to be perfect in the world. Would you include another team in the West as having a legitimate chance of coming out of that conference? I'll throw it out to you on the X platform.
B.W. Weber, Weber with two Bs. Your candidates include The Rockets, who you recall, were the two seed last year, lost in the first round to the Warriors because they were young and had no playoff experience. They've been banged up as well. But as I glance at the standings, they're currently in fourth place in the West.
I'll throw them in there just because of the learning curve that Shangoon and Ahmed Thompson took something away from that playoff experience last year. You throw Katie into the mix, but we're looking at four, I think, and four teams only, unless you want to ride with Anthony Edwards and the T-Wolves. Remember, they've made back-to-back trips to the Western Conference finals, but. Who's their second best player? If you're asking me, I just don't see.
And having enough help, as we talked about for years in the NBA, you need a complimentary talent. Still, it feels like more than ever, even with so much talent dispersed across the league, if you're looking for a winning combination, look towards the usual suspects with the Spurs now joining that conversation. Coming up. We'll shift back to the NFL. After being cut by the Dolphins, what's coming up for Tyreek Hill?
And with the Combine looming next week, is Fernando Mendoza a lock to be an NFL star? We'll find out when we're joined by Eric Edom of NFL Media. I'm Brian Weber and for Rich. Appreciate you joining us on this Monday installment of The Rich Eisen Show. Bum bum.
The Rich Eisen Show Podcast. Brian Weber always having a great time whenever I'm fortunate enough to sit in for Rich and the fellas. It's a President's Day edition of the Rich Eisen Show. Last call for phone calls, 844-204-Rich, 844-204-7424. Or you can give Mr.
Eisen a call tomorrow coming up in 30 minutes. A college basketball head coach. learns In a most challenging way. That what you say has importance will get there coming up. Let's get you set for the The NFL Scouting Combine.
It is just a week away in Indy. And say hello to a good friend of the program, a colleague of Rich's at NFL Network. One of the best in the industry. It is Eric Edome. Check out his great work at NFL.com.
Eric, it's the most wonderful time of the year for you. Are you ramping up mentally for the combine next week? I am. I'm doing some research on the top 40-yard dash potential winners this year and reading up on watching some tape and getting familiar with some of the players I didn't get to during the season.
So it's, yeah, it's a good time. I mean, no rest for the weary, but that's all right. We love football and there's some version of it left. And we're not digging ditches, as my late father used to say.
So since you mentioned speed, that's a nice segue to a player who's now available, as expected. Dolphins cutting Tyreek Hill today. We know he's 31. We only played four games last season because of the torn ACL. What do you think the market for the cheetah is going to look like?
Yeah, there's uh you know, he offers something that Most teams don't have, which is that game-breaking speed. He's also got, you know, a running back-like build, and you can do a lot of creative things with him. But. You know, it also comes with some baggage, right? There's been some injury history there.
There's some off-field stuff that's going to be concerning.
So. I'll be fascinated. I think y y you you probably have to feel like you have a secure locker room and a quarterback who's you know, confident in his standing on the team and um but but also an offense that needs that extra little bit of juice.
So kind of kind of curious to see what happens. I mean, there's obviously some some candidates out there. I'd be fascinated to see like if there's You know, if a team like, if there isn't a massive market for him, a team like Tennessee could certainly use him and give Cam Ward another weapon. The Kansas City Chiefs, I don't think, would. Jump to bring them back, but I think they would have to look, right?
They're still looking for that big playability, even with the receivers they've added the last few years. Um, you know, I would probably throw in a team like the The Raiders, if they if the market isn't as clean as Hill would hope, you've got a a young quarterback likely falling at number one in Mendoza if it goes that way. They have obviously weapons at running back and with a and Bowers at tight end. But really need that game breaker of some sort.
So there will be some teams that are very much interested. I think it comes down to cost and comfort level for him. Fit finances and situations. Eric, let me throw another team your way. How about Buffalo?
Do you think the Bills and Hill make sense?
Well, you know, I mean, if you consider they really haven't been the same unit, at least in terms of makeup, since Stephon Diggs left. Um, you know, Diggs had his share of issues too, obviously, but was one of those guys that when it was good with Josh, it was great.
So, yeah, I mean, I think I'm and I'm sure Hill would love to look at stay in the division too, you know, and and play his old teammates twice a year, even if some of them are gone and a lot of new faces expected in Miami this year. But yeah, I think that would have to be another option for them. And and I guess the question is how much can they afford to pay him and how much would he accept to play for Josh Allen? Because their cap situation is a little bit clunky right now. They've got to probably redo Josh's deal and let some veterans go and maybe redo one or two other contracts.
So it's a possibility, but the money will be a factor. I'm Brian Weber in for Rich Eyes and we're talking football here on the Rich Eyes and Show with Eric Eddom of NFL Media. Eric, all eyes will be on Fernando Mendoza, not in terms of having to throw at the combine, and we know he's on his way to Vegas, but I think what's interesting is how he's viewed in NFL circles. Do you get the feeling, and it's all subjective? Do you look at Mendoza and say he's a lock to be an NFL star?
He's someone who's going to be a franchise quarterback. Yeah, there aren't too many quarterbacks the last decade where I've said he is guaranteed he's going to be a star, but there are some you feel like the bar is certainly higher. I mean, I thought Caleb Williams would eventually find his footing, and he did last season. You know, Jaden Daniels maybe progressed a little quicker than some people expect, but then obviously had a little bit of a backstep year two. Drake May the other direction, obviously, too.
But I would rate those guys as having maybe a higher ceiling than Mendoza, but the floor is very high for Fernando, and he does give you a little bit of athleticism. That's not really his game, but as you saw, obviously in the national title game, he had a touchdown run that changed the outcome and was pretty impressive, too.
So he's a big kid with some athletic traits. But in terms of style, you know, he's probably closer to, I would say, a Jared Goff. You know, I mean, you're more of a jot back passer, I think is the system that he's going to employ there. Or, you know, if you think about Clint Kubiak coming from Seattle, you could probably do a lot of the stuff that Sam Darnold ran last year and translated to Mendoza.
So, you know, Sam's obviously somebody who, when the time is called for, he can pick it up and run and grab you a first down and he's an athletic guy. But that's not the main part of his game. That's not something we see on a series to series basis with him.
So You know, I don't know that he's going to be an instant coffee kind of star to where he steps into the league and is just dicing people up because so much of it comes down to timing and precision. And again, with a limited utility for scrambling and then design runs, there isn't that. that fallback option that's as easy.
So I think he'll be good. I think he'll be very capable. I think he'll have some humbling moments, too. A lot of work to be done out in Vegas, assuming he ends up there. But yeah, the general view around the league is not of a generational Andrew Luck type prospect, but of somebody who obviously comes with some pretty darn good credentials in leading Indiana to their first national title.
Really interesting, you alluded to Darnold because earlier in the show we heard from Field Yates, ESPN NFL draft analyst, and he came up with that exact same linkage.
So, right minds think alike. We are getting you set for the The combine, and it's on to the draft. Eric Edom does a marvelous job of covering all of that for NFL media. A year ago, we had two quarterbacks taken in the first round, and we saw Jackson Dort deliver for the Giants towards the end of round one. What's your outlook for Ty Simpson of Alabama?
Do you have a first round grade for him? Yeah. Save money and get a better view of the road when you replace your worn-out wiper blades at O'Reilly Auto Parts. Right now, save $10 on a pair of Rainx Latitude Wiper Blades. They feature beam blade technology to improve windshield contact for maximum visibility.
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Rich Eisen here. You know that feeling of handing off your taxes and then hearing nothing? Total radio silence.
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I don't know that I have a personal first-round grade on him, but what I saw early in the year was very, very encouraging. You know, before the injuries started mounting and before he started taking a ton of hits. uh give him credit obviously for toughness playing through it, but With a small sample size, it you know, y You look at those games and realize there just isn't a lot to analyze, right? And that's the risk of a one-year starter. But obviously, he has a little more experience than that, has been in the program a few years.
Has some real athletic upside and traits. Again, not a true scrambler, but somebody who I think can run a little bit, move around the pocket, and throw on the move too. it maybe traits are just even a little higher in some cases than Mendoza, but the floor would be lower because we just don't know. We don't have that breadth of information. And you go back and look at, for instance, the Watson Trubisky draft, obviously Mahomes You know, both those other guys, besides Trubisky, had a full diet of, you know, 29, 35 starts, whatever it was for those guys, versus 13 for Mitch.
And that's the debate I think a lot of teams are going to have: what do we know? What do we feel? And what do we think he is right now versus what he can be? But yeah, I would say his range is. Anywhere from number two to the Jets all the way down to where Tyler Shuck went last year, early second, because.
You know, that's what this process is about: is sorting out, you know, quarterbacks are treated a little bit differently, right? If you need one, you You're willing to overspend, like the Giants did for Daniel Jones, who obviously had a great year last year before getting hurt. But at the time, I don't think there was another team that was going to take him to number six.
So I use that as an example to say that. All it takes is that one team to decide that We don't need him right now, but we think he can be special down the road or Maybe we do need him right now, and we think he'll work through his issues as he becomes a star. It's a wide range right now. I would guess back into round one would be the most likely landing spot, but I am not ruling out something higher than that in case he has a good predraft process and or the feedback from around the league is strong. Derek, since you gave us that range, those parameters, how about Simpson and the Steelers at number twenty one?
It's got to be a spot that makes a lot of sense. Obviously, Mike McCarthy was hired for his quarterback coaching prowess. That obviously Aaron Rodgers connection is a nice story, and maybe it works out for a year, who knows? But they need a quarterback in some form. Even if you really like Will Howard, I don't know that you can go into the season with Even if Rodgers does come back, do you feel entirely comfortable with that room?
Or is there one more guy you need to bring in? There are certainly a possibility. I would throw the Rams in there, too, with the two first-rounders and Stafford coming back for another year. You know, Simpson has actually mentioned Stafford as a guy that he looks up to.
So possible pairing there. I'm sure there are other ones, too. I think a lot of it depends on that game of musical chairs this offseason. Once the dust has settled on Caliburi and Tuatongovailoa and Daniel Jones and all the quarterbacks who could be moved this offseason, who's left needing one? You know, there will be three or four teams that I think you could put on that list.
And I suspect the Steelers and maybe the Rams are two of those teams. Eric Edholme of NFL Media is our guest on the Rich Eisen Show. I want to hit on Miami, Arizona, and the Jets in our remaining minutes. But first, one more draft-related thought. Let's presume.
Trinidad Chambliss has continued legal success, stays at Ole Miss because the NCAA loses in every courtroom these days. Who's your third best prospect? How big of a gap is there between Mendoza at the top, Simpson, maybe late first round? Who's next? Yeah, I think Drew Aller has a chance to kind of refurbish his image a little bit.
And, you know, I know things didn't really go according to plan the last year and a half or so. Really, you know, he felt like he was going to come out a year ago until those last few games, and then everything kind of changed.
So obviously, somebody who I think at one point. Was given that, hey, he could be a top overall pick at some point, kind of label. He's not there now, but I still believe there's a Starting quarterback starter kit in there that if you work with the right team, and maybe that's Pittsburgh or one of the teams we mentioned, or maybe somebody else who's got a starter in place, but Drew Allard's got an opportunity. Garrett Nutsmeyer's had a little head start here. He got back from the injury, played well down at the Senior Bowl.
I don't think he was great, but I think he was fine. You know, he at least answered the questions about his health. And that's a great place to start. Um, atypical dimension, small hands, you know, maybe some limited upside in some regards, but I think he's on the right track to be a possible day two pick. Um, and then, you know, and Carson Beck, obviously, with the national title run, you know, not everybody's favorite quarterback.
I think there are some teams that are down on him, but there might be a few that have seen him kind of. take some lumps the past few years and still have some success on the field and say there's enough there to put him in range.
So I think those are the three guys that I would immediately kind of summon to mind that could be in the quarterback three discussion. You know, the combine's coming up if we're talking about small hands and we're breaking it down with Eric Inham of NFL Media. All right, Eric, quick hits. I'll give you a team. You give me likely names that could be a weak one starter.
How about the Jets? Oh man, that's a tough one. I mean, you got five minutes if you need it, my friend. Yeah, I'm going to run out the clock if I can here. I filibuster for a minute, but yeah.
You know, I I still think because like the Dante Moore situation and Simpson, I would say, would still be considered a reach at that point. They'd also have a second first rounder. I think it's number sixteen off the top of my head.
So again, maybe that's a more realistic range possibility for them. But as a week one starter, their car has been mentioned as a possibility. I think that there's some There's some meat to that one if he comes out of retirement. Saints still retain his rights. I don't think it would require a massive trade to get that done, but that's a real possibility there.
I don't think they want to go in with a Justin Fields or a Brady Cook or Adrian Martinez or any of the options they've had the last year or so. I I think there is gonna be a little bit of a Clearing of the decks. You saw what happened to the coaching staff, and I think Aaron Glenn is feeling the pressure.
So, the idea of a rookie or a young player, kind of an unproven quarterback, starting there week one, even with a limited supply, I tend to veer toward the veteran there.
Okay, how about Arizona? Do you think it's a done deal? They're moving on from Kyler Murray. I don't think it's a done deal, but it seems like it's sort of trending in that direction. Yeah, I mean, I.
I think they've probably Decided that if they can make this happen, they're going to do it. But you got to have somebody who's interested, too. And certainly the Jets would be a possibility. I don't know that. that's their first thought, but it's it's gotta be somebody that they consider.
Um, you know, and there are other teams obviously as well who kind of fit into that same category a little bit, but Yeah, I mean if they have the opportunity to bond from him, the kind of the soft benching that we saw last year where Jacoby Brissett was playing a little bit better and You know, nobody was really too sure how bad the injury was for Murray, and it felt like kind of the the anticlimactic end to his career out there. Again, you gotta have I I think they're going to try to trade him, and I don't think they wanna release him, but again, sometimes what we want and what we can do are two different things. And finally, because it sounds like you've entered a wind tunnel, quick thoughts on Tua and the Dolphins. I'm sorry. I'm trying to find the least.
Oh, not your fault. Hey, I was watching the golf on the Monterey Peninsula yesterday. It feels like you're at Pebble Beach. I'd love to be back in town. I got to play it years ago.
It was a lot of fun, but not quite like the seventh hole out here right now. And it's stay again who we're talking about here, Tua. Tua and the Dolphins. Mm-hmm. I think they're moving on from them.
I just sort of feel like Malik Willis is going to be a possibility there. They can make that work and give him an opportunity to start on a deal that probably is somewhat similar to what Fields got last year, although maybe a little bit more, and especially with the Green Bay connection. Jeff Hapley, John Eric Sullivan now running the show down there.
So You know, I again, who's who Do they just release them or is there a trade opportunity? When does it happen? Because the earlier it happens, if it's pre-June 1, the cap hit is more significant. Then again, we've seen in two years how the Broncos have been able to completely remake their roster after doing the same, making the same tough decision, swallowing hard on that contract with Russell Wilson. it's going to be more cap space, but percentage wise, it won't be too much different.
And the Broncos were a couple of plays away from a Super Bowl.
So I think that's the justification for moving on and not going to his health and future. And obviously, a new coaching staff kind of portends those things. Eric, terrific information as always. Thanks for being so generous with your time. Enjoy the rest of your day and keep it on the fairway.
Okay. We'll do it. Thanks, Brian. Eric Adam does a marvelous job anytime we reach out, and that's not his primary goal in life, not to be a compelling guest with a fill-in host, although he's on with Rich as well. He spends a lot of time, as you heard in that conversation, breaking things down in an understandable manner.
He's not going to overwhelm you with. All of the Analytics and the data-driven observation.
So, check out his work. He's ramping up the content on NFL.com. That was an interesting thought. Regarding the Broncos decision. And that was completely driven by Sean Payton.
Payton just did not want Russell Wilson around for understandable reasons. Felt like it got personal there, but. In no way can you quibble with the outcome. It also took Literal buy-in from ownership. And remember, The Broncos, new owners, have Walmart money.
The Walton Penner family. No need for GoFundMe. or a bake sill for that behemoth, so ownership was willing to eat the dough.
Now It is challenging from a salary cap perspective, and I always find that really boring and tedious, especially on a national platform. But You got to make some short-term trade-offs and navigate your cap limitations, but mostly it's about an owner saying, okay. I'm writing this check. It's a loss. As we learned on Seinfeld, Jerry, they just write it off.
Do you even know where the write-off is? No, they just read it off.
So. The question is to Stephen Ross, who's now 82 years old. As the owner of the Dolphins, you would think he would have. an urgent approach to win. Dolphins have not won a playoff game since what, two thousand, two thousand one?
It's been a minute. Is he willing to swallow the fifty million bucks? as they blow things up with the new GM. And the new head coach, Jeff Hafley. To have a fresh start at quarterback, most things are pointing in that direction.
And then the question becomes. Where is Tua going? And we'll save that four another day. Tomorrow is another day with the host in the chair, Rich back from The much-deserved three-day weekend tomorrow. You can give them a call at 844-204-RICH.
You can continue to throw me your thoughts on the X platform. It is B.W. Weber, Weber with two B's straight ahead. We wrap it up with gusto. I keep going back to the media point of view because Nothing gets more traction.
And resonanced. Than talking about what we do for a living. But if you speak into a microphone, you learn. Words have importance. Kansas State basketball coach Jerome Tang just found that out in a very profound way.
Details coming up. I'm Brian Weber, InforRich, here on The Rich Haisen Show. The Rich Eisen Show, the podcast. I am Weber. It's been an absolute blast to.
Keep you company for the last two hours and 45 minutes, potentially saving the best for last. And as always, If we are winding down, that means Rich is warming up. Mr. Eisen's name is on the marquee, and he's back in the chair tomorrow. With the guys.
Offering his perspective on NBA All-Star Weekend, as we've done in detail, plus all the NFL news. I'm sure he'll have. Thoughts as to where Tyreek Hill could be heading with today's development? He has been predictably cut. by the dolphins.
It is intriguing to see. In a world with so many options, What gets noticed? I don't love the term viral, but I think you know what I'm talking about. What's able to cut through the clutter? And in sports, especially.
Because we love lists.
So with the NFL draft coming up, you can do it. You can flip around and catch shows like the top 10 draft bust of all time or Top 10. Coaching/slash managing meltdowns we've ever seen in sports. A week ago, we got a gem. From then, and that's the key word, then, Kansas State head coach Jerome Tang.
Now you'll remember Jerome was part of a miraculous run as head coach of the Wildcats. Guiding them to the elite eight and 2023.
So, just a couple of years ago, they had the brilliant play in Madison Square Garden. They got New York City energized. They're having a miserable year. Just one win. In Big 12 play, last week they got shellacked by Cincinnati.
And Jerome went to the podium and went thermonuclear on his players. This was embarrassing. These dudes do not deserve to wear this uniform. I I'm embarrassed for the university. I'm embarrassed for our fans, our student section.
You know, it is just ridiculous. We got practice at 6 a.m. tomorrow morning and And we will get this thing right. I. I I have no answer and no words.
So you got y'all got two questions.
So whoever want to ask two questions, I will answer them to the best of my ability right now. But right now, like I'm like pissed. And what was most interesting about that was he was so measured. And so, even Kield, think about your parents when they didn't scream at you, when they were really seething, you knew you were in trouble. But the context was.
They got obliterated. They got destroyed by Cincinnati by 29 at home.
Some folks in the student section showed up in The garb with bags over their heads.
So you know things are spiraling in Manhattan, Kansas. They lost again over the weekend, making six consecutive defeats. Dropping 11 of their last 12, and the news came out yesterday, broken by ESPN College Sports insider Pete Thamble. That Tang had gotten fired with nearly 19 million left on his contract, but. For now, at least, he won't be seeing a dime of that money because he was fired for cause.
Why did that occur? What was the justification?
Well, let's hear from Kansas State Athletic Director Gene Taylor explaining why Tang was fired for cause. I don't want to get into it. There's language in this contract that addresses um You know, certain Certain things that could potentially Bring embarrassment. You know, basically, his comments about the student athletes and the negative reaction. To those comments from a lot of sources, both nationally and locally, is where.
were kind of where I thought we were needed to Make the decision. I speak Gene Taylor. I speak athletic director nonsense because I spent a lot of time in the college sports. Space, calling games back to my early twenties on my alma mater. That is nonsense.
What Gene Taylor is saying is we fired him because people were laughing at Kansas State nationally because that clip went viral and was on all the Talking Head shows. And you heard it here on ESPN radio. I was watching Part of the Interruption that day. I have it on my Ti-Vo, old school. I still record it every day.
Tony and Mike. Both absolutely crushed. The school. And primarily tang because what you did not hear in that tirade was: this is on me. He took no responsibility.
He pointed the finger at his players. But the disconnect was who was in charge for recruiting and signing those players. Last time I checked, it's the head coach.
So he had no accountability, no responsibility. He lost me when he made it so personal. At the same time, To say that is justification for firing someone for cause is absurd. I'm not a lawyer, but I'll play one on the radio. Right now, we're at a stalemate where.
When you get whacked for cause, you get nothing. You get shown the door. It's the end of Willy Wonka. Or Caddyshack. You'll get nothing in like it.
You lose, sir. Good day. I mentioned the buyout, remaining money on the contract, roughly $19 million.
So, where is this going?
Somewhere in between. or somewhere that Tang feels like, okay, Pick a number, five, seven million. And nobody wants to waste money on lawyers. And remember, Kansas State has their own legal department that the taxpayers in Kansas pay for.
So they have. More wiggle room there. But in terms of the larger point here, And we don't have enough time, and I'm not that much of a hack. We could play 45 different, especially college basketball coaches. Just burying their players.
This has been going on for decades because the old school types, a la Bobby Knight, would tell you, well. It's a way of motivating my guys. public shame and humiliation. And I've always had a problem with that for college players because we're talking about young people who in the past weren't getting paid.
Well, now they are getting NIL money, so that's going to evolve. But it is a farce to say That Tang somehow was an outlier, bringing embarrassment and ridicule to the school. Because, and this is not just an LA lien, as I come to you from our outstanding studios in Southern California. Mick Cronin did it at Cincinnati.
Now he's doing it on the regular at UCLA. He destroys his players on a daily basis when he's not busy burying the conference because clearly he doesn't like the fact that the Big Ten makes him, him, not the team, him, get on a chartered jet and fly to Bloomington, Indiana.
So I can't defend Tang in terms of the details. He was wrong for pointing the finger at his players, but this is foolish and embarrassing for Kansas State. You want to fire the guy for underachieving on the floor? Yeah. Pay the man.
That's why contracts exist to try to wiggle out of a payment because he said something that crossed the line. is an absolute joke. But welcome to College Sports in twenty twenty six. I'll leave you with this thought. Sacramento State is joining the MidAmerica Conference with Northern Illinois joining the Mountain West.
Make it make sense. Always an honor to be in this share for Rich. Want to thank our guest, Eric Edom of NFL Media, Kurt Healen, NBCSports.com. Thanks to Rich, Jerry Silbowitz, and his team. Thanks to our great production crew, led by our producer James Steele, Nick Cardy, and the rest of the gang in Bristol, Connecticut.
My name is Brian Weber. Rich is back tomorrow, so keep it where it is on The Rich Osen Show. The Rich Eisen Show Podcast. Mm-hmm.
