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Now, on with the show. Live from the NFL Combine in Indianapolis, it's the Rich Eisen Show. And those are ready to take the staff. Jeremiah Wall. Touchdown picked up Sonny Starles.
The Rich Eisen Show. In this hour, Buccaneers head coach Todd Bowles. Eagles GM Howie Roseman. Falcons head coach Kevin Stafansky. Panthers GM Dan Morgan.
And now, it's Rich Eisen. Sam, since, since. Hour number three of the Rich Eisen Show, live at the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis is on the air here on ESPN2, here on Disney Plus in the ESPN app, ESPN Radio. Chris Brockman and TJ Jefferson. Great job today, guys.
They are here. I'm going to tell you, this has been my best show in years. I haven't seen it. This is going to be an awkward hour, I'm not going to lie. Because normally, people are supposed to sit down when you just start the segment, and you're supposed to get up when the segment's over.
Sure. But Todd Bowles is making his way here, and I'm going to have to kick your guys out. I mean, it's understandable. I get it. And then Howie Roseman comes, and in the middle of that segment, he's leaving, and Kevin Stefanski's sitting down.
How do I tell Howie we're done? We're just like you just did. Offer him a trade. I think he might be someone. That's true.
Someone from Georgia's over there. Hey, whoa. I gotta run. All right. We'll give you a third-round pick if you leave right now.
That's the way it works.
So, as soon as Todd Bowles makes his way here. And we've had a great first two hours. I've been speed digging. You really have. Jesse Minner, Jeff Hafley, and John Eric Sullivan of the Ravens and Dolphins organization was on an hour number one.
Omar Khan, Robert Saleh, Brad Holmes, an hour number two, meaning nobody on the show had hair. Todd Bowles is making his way here. We're on a roll. Yeah, Todd Bowles is here. Like, I'm the outlaw.
And if you missed anything, it's all available on our YouTube channel, all available on our podcast. All right, guys. There he is. All right. See you later.
All right. This is great. Come on, coach. Come on in. Come on in.
We're live on the air. We're live on the air, so here he comes. The head coach of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Todd Bowles, making his way in. Good to see you, Coach. We are live on the air right now.
Good to see you. How are you doing all this? Take a seat, sir. Ah, you look good. There we go.
Right back at you. How are you doing? I'm doing good. Yeah? You're doing well?
Awesome. Absolutely. Awesome. Getting old gracefully, Rich. Yeah.
You are like a fine bottle of wine. You are exactly that. I was going to say that about you. First, I don't drink, you got to tell me what kind of wine. I'm a red guy.
Okay. I'm a red guy.
That's good to know. What about you? I don't drink. You don't drink at all. I don't drink.
Never have. Awesome. Good for you. Never have. Good for you.
That's about property. This game starts. I was about to say this profession might change things. It brings you that way, but I haven't done it. Oh, my gosh.
Well, it's great to see you here. What do you like to achieve at a scouting combine? What your goals are going in and what they are coming out? What is that for you, Todd? Going in, it's really.
Getting to know the players in the interview process, that's big for me. You can watch the tape, but you don't know the person and you don't know the player, you don't know the work ethic, you don't know what makes them tick.
So going in, that's very important for me. How do you figure that out in 15 minutes though? Because that's all you get. You don't. You just get a feel.
You get a feel and it makes you want to dive into it more once the combine is over and you get more information on it. But it's a start and you get to see body type because you don't see them in pads. Yes. And you get to see them in person and you get to see them face to face. And I think that's huge, putting a face to a face.
And that's big for me. And whatever you see on the field, Uh I don't know he was more athletic, I don't know he was less athletic, but the tape doesn't lie. How was Ibuka at this process last year that made you say, okay. I like this kid. Let's learn more about this kid.
And then obviously you draft a kid.
Well, Mecca was great, and obviously, he comes from a great program, and they've talked about him all year. I felt like I knew him coming in already when he came on the 30 visit. And everything about this kid, and everybody you talk to, from the weight room to the equipment people, to the coaches, to The friends to the teammates was just top of the line. And you couldn't miss with this guy. And he had no flaws.
He had no enemies. And I thought that was very rare. And he carries himself that way. And he just came in, and he was as advertised. Dutcher was, what about Bucky Irving in a process like this to choose a running back out of the mix of a, you know, there's seemingly 40, 50 of them almost every time at a combine.
We had Bucky on a 30 visit. Didn't really get to talk to him here. We had him on a 30 visit. He was a very good football player, but he was a little undersized, so we couldn't take him early. And we were sitting there around the fifth round, and he was a returner, and he was a tough runner, and I thought he was an outside runner, and I was like...
And Jason really liked him. He said, let's take a shot at this guy. And what I didn't know when we got him was how good of an inside runner he was and how tough he was. I got to know him on his 30th visit, but I really got to know him after we took him.
So that kind of benefited us without even. But at least me talking to him here, at least talking to him at the facility and understanding his talent kind of got him in the league and his drive kept him in the league. Todd Bowles, the head coach of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, on the Rich Eisen Show. It's good to see you in good spirits. You were very uncharacteristic at a podium moment this year.
It sounded like a truck backing up. Where you let frustrations fly in a way that I never see from you. What do you look back on this season and think of about your Tampa Bay Buccaneers season? I thought we lost a lot of close ball games in the second half of the season. We might have lost five, if I'm not mistaken, in the second half by three points.
Just the execution, whether it was the call or whether it was the player. You know, the execution of us not finishing and being in all those ball games and missing the playoffs by one game. And I think we went through about a four game losing streak at that point, and we lost all of them kind of at the end. And that kind of boiled over a little bit from a frustration standpoint as a coach. I mean, they hear me in practice, but I've never done it.
In game, like after a game, so to speak, and probably the locker room was more worse than when I came to the podium. You know, that's just part of having passion for the game. I don't apologize for it, but at the same time, we as coaches have to hold ourselves accountable and at a standard to where our players feed off of us.
So I don't regret what I said, but I got to have. Better self-restraint than that.
Well, I'm not criticizing you, I'm just saying it's completely out of character for you. You know what I'm saying? It's probably more in character. It's just the first time it happened on the microphone. Yes, I forget you're a BA guy as well.
Yeah, I got it. Bruce just says it out loud all the time. I kind of keep mine down a little bit. No, I know that. I know that.
And so, you know, obviously, you've got so many great pieces in place. What are you looking for in the next six weeks, free agency in the draft, that you think? Can help your team here with the money. I think we definitely need to build up the middle of our roster from a depth standpoint because you know the injuries are going to happen. We need guys that can step up and play without us missing a beat.
I thought we've been doing a good job at that over the past few years. This year, not as much, but we were in all these ball games. It wasn't from an injury thing. I think we got to get better at a few spots. Like, we only have two inside backers on the contract right now, so that's obviously a depth spot that we need and try to get those things handled.
Obviously, Mike and Levante being free agents. Hopefully, those guys can get back in the fold and then we can move on from there. But we got to do a great job at making sure we get some depth in this draft. Let's talk about that. Mike Evans, what's your expectation involving him?
I'm hoping and praying he comes back. I mean, he's been a buck his whole life. You know, he's done so much for the city and the team of Tampa Bay that it's unmistakable. His legend. Is etched in stone there.
He can still play at a high level, but he's earned the right. To look around in free agency because he's played so long, and we just hope and pray that he comes back. Is Levante a question of does he want to just keep playing, or is he also? But he hadn't made that decision yet.
So he's also earned the right, and both of them are legends and have carried the team in the city for the past how many years? 10 plus years, and they've been playing 13 and 14 years.
So, you know, we're waiting to see what he wants to do. But he's earned that right to do that with all the years he's played.
Well, is Baker knocking on Mike Evans' door and basically saying, What's up? I'm hoping he is, but you know, I'm sure Baker wants him back a great deal, and he's looking and listening closely, so hopefully that works out for us. What's been your experience with Baker. That has blossomed here. For him within It's been unbelievable just coming in.
And I think the first day, me, Jason, we all told him the same thing. We didn't want him to be Tom Brady. We wanted him to be Baker Mayfield. You literally said those words to him. Yes, that's it.
I'm not asking you to be Tom Brady. I'm asking you to be Baker. We don't want Tom, we want Baker Mayfield. They're different players. Tom, Tom's a legendary.
Nobody's going to ever replace Tom. Tom's like a. pair of shoes that he put up on the shelf. that you wore for a long time and you buy a new pair and you gotta break them in. And Baker came in and he's the new pair of shoes for us, even though he's been in the league for a while.
But I think we found each other at the right time. He's the right fit for this team. But mentally, He is so sharp at Reading the room as far as understanding what the defense needs, what the offense needs, spending time with players, where they're sitting down at lunch, giving them advice, hanging out with them later on, you know, hanging out with the offensive line. He runs with the linebackers. He does a great job of keeping everybody in sync while he learns the game plan.
And he's a very sharp passer, especially a deep ball passer that he doesn't get enough credit for. And he's been a godsend for us. Yeah, telling him we want you to be you had to have been. Maybe one of the first times he's ever heard that. That's a professional.
He said that, and he's actually said that. It's the first time he's ever said that. And as he got going a couple days and he saw it was true and believed it, everybody rallies around Baker, and we love him to death. You're the second former jet head coach I've had here today. I had Robert Sala on in the last hour.
But the reason why I bring that up with you right now is: how did you? Watch Sam Darnold. do what he's done. You were his first head coach in the national football league. I was so happy for Sam.
I was so happy for him. He came in under a lot of pressure in New York, but... He got injured a little bit, and then I don't know what happened after I left, but I know he bounced around a few. But we always exchanged pleasantries when we played each other after the game. And I'm just so happy for him because I know he works at it, I know he cares, and it's great to see him blossom.
What does that tell you about? Quarterbacking in this league and and Obviously, you have a veteran, you have the guy chosen, it's amazing, you have the guy chosen two picks ahead of him as your quarterback right now.
So you've coached the number three overall guy, you've coached the number one overall guy of that draft who both had to go somewhere else. What does that tell you about? You know, grooming, if you will, quarterbacks in the next year. It takes a few years in this league to develop into a full-time. legendary quarterback.
You know, you got, it's one, you can have a great first year. That doesn't mean you're going to be great your entire career. It takes about three years to learn the system and settle in and four years before they really start to blossom or not blossom. And I think they all need time, regardless of what they did in college. And they're coming out less and less with 18 games and 20 games.
And those instead of playing, Coach Parcel used to say, they haven't played four years. You know, you don't know what they're going to be yet.
So, a lot of those guys coming out early, you just got to be careful and you got to do your due diligence. Not that they're not great players, but it helps when you have games under your belt in college. Great to see you, Todd Bowles. Very good. Thanks for coming by and seeing the fine aging wine.
Oh, yeah. Who doesn't drink it? I appreciate you. Great to see you, Todd Bowles. That's Todd Bowles, the head coach of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
When we come back, Howie Roseman of the Philadelphia Eagles is standing by. This is the Rich Eisen Show live from the Combine. Please, Todd. The Rich Eisen Show Podcast. Get into the Hyundai Getaway Sales Event and get away with a deal so right it almost feels wrong.
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The professional parts people will even install your new wiper blades for free. Choose Rainex Latitude Wiper Blades at your local O'Reilly Auto Parts store or online at O'ReillyAuto.com. Back here on ESPN Radio, I've got Howie Roseman. Here live at the Combine. Let's just jump right into it.
How do you term last year's Season. Yeah, I think disappointing. You know, disappointing because coming off of our 2024 championship felt really good going into the season that we had a chance to compete for another championship. Obviously, every year is not going to end with confetti falling on our head no matter how hard we try. Things happen, but when it does happen, we're disappointed.
And so we got to start and look at that and why it didn't happen and go through the reasons and go through the tape and go through the roster and all the things that could potentially make us better so that next season has a better result. What is Sean Mannion bringing to this equation now, your new OC? What do you think? Incredibly impressive person, really, when you sit and talk to him about football and his vision for the offense and the people that he's been around and hopefully the talent that we can surround him to make his transition easier as a first-time play caller. And I think the good news.
And you and I got married a little later, so we saw this in our own personal life: the more you meet, the more sure you are, you know? And so I think that going through the process and being open-minded led us to Sean, and just really excited to support him.
Well, what's he going to do that gives you the confidence to tell your fan base? This offensive coordinator is going to be less scrutinized than the previous one and the one before Kellen Moore.
Well, I don't know that the bar is if they're going to be scrutinized or not. I mean, we do play ball in Philly. And so being scrutinized is going to be part of the game. The scrutinized will only come because if there's another question about play calling or lack of points or consistency and tweets and posts that are. I think, Rich, what we were looking for is we were looking for a system of play to fit our players and having a system that we can go back to our players and show them the vision for.
And Sean has a vision for how we're going to play. He has a vision for how our offensive line is going to play, how our skilled guys are going to play, how our quarterback's going to play. We think it fits the talents that those players have. And so for us, that's exciting. We go back and we look, and a lot of categories in offense, we're 20th, 21st.
And so there's a lot of room for improvement. And you've got to combine that. We can't forget about the defense. And Coach Fanjo coming back and the defensive talent that we have, and continue to improve on that side of the ball as well. And special teams, we're not looking to go this way here and then fall back that way.
We're looking to hopefully be great in all three phases. Is A.J. Brown going to be one of those players? I think I've been really consistent in talking about how hard it is to find great players. And AJ's been a great player for us.
Not a good player, a great player for us. He does have tremendous character, and so I think from our perspective, we're looking to add to our roster. We're not looking to subtract. And so, you know, I've been really consistent in saying that.
Well, I mean, he's a great player, and obviously, you want to have somebody like him catching the ball. And you also got him. You got obviously Devontae Smith. You got your tight end. You got your quarterback.
You got Saquon. You're ready to roll. What's your offensive line outlook as you're sitting here at the combine? Do you think? I think we got four Pro Bowl players coming back on our offensive line, you know, which is exciting.
We feel like we got some young talent there as well. Tyler Sheen will be in his second year as a starter, and we haven't hit free agency of the draft, you know, to continue to add. And really, that's what we want to continue to do. We want to continue to add talent. You know, I describe it like the layer cake.
You know, once you take out a layer, you got to rebuild that layer.
So if you can add on to that cake and add on talent upon talent, you got a chance to be a really good football team. What does Jalen Hurts need to improve in?
Well, Jalen's been an incredible quarterback for us for five years as a starter. Five years ago, man, no doubt. Two Super Bowl appearances, one World Championship. Probably would have been the Super Bowl MVP in two of both those games if we would have pulled out the first one. If there was no penalty at the end is what you're saying?
Hurts my heart talking about that.
Okay. And so I think that the guy's always trying to improve. He's always trying to work on whatever it is. Obviously, he's got another new offensive system. You know, he's been around a lot of offensive systems as a starting quarterback, not only in the NFL, but in college.
And all he's done is embrace that and take on that challenge and persevere through it. Do you like the drama? Do you like it? I don't know any different way to go about it, you know. Like you just said how many combines, they've all been in Philly, you know, and so for us, you know, it's part of running a team in Philly.
It always seems to be something, though. Do you prefer it? Would you just like to come to work and. And there's no storylines, there's no phone lines lit. I understand it's part and parcel of Philly.
And what is that like? I don't know what that's like, you know, and I think for us, what I prefer is winning. and winning at a high level and doing that in a way that changes lives. And so we got to get back to that. And we're not far removed from that.
And certainly when you're talking about eleven wins and winning the NFC East, Well, it's not terrible here, you know, but our standards are what they are and we embrace that. All right, in the few minutes I have left with you. W walk me through watching Cooper Dejean and Quinyon Mitchell here. A couple years ago. Let's pull back the layers on evaluating and nailing it, and what you see here.
And what boxes needed to be checked after that? Yeah, now Coop was a medical, right? Because Coop wasn't here. He was coming off an off-season injury. We were chatting with him.
We brought him into the facility as well. And I think when we were going through our draft prep, thinking Q had a good chance of being selected before we picked at 21, had done the work on him, loved the player, loved the person, and just anticipating he probably wouldn't be there.
So really thinking that Coop was a legit option for our pick. And when we were on the clock, it was because we had done so much work and we were prepared to take Coop at that pick, and having them both there at a position of need, it was a hard decision because we love both of them. And both those guys, you know, first-team all-pros, Pro Bowl players, better people than even players, as hard as that is to believe. And so once we picked, once we picked Q, immediately on the phone, trying to trade up. And when the day ended that whole Friday, thinking about ways to go up.
And get Coop, not knowing where he would go and just having some hope that we would be able to do it because we had two second-round picks in that draft. But when you like someone that much, whether it's Q or Coop, you're anticipating that everyone likes them the same way. And so you're anticipating with every pick, anytime someone says, hey, no, we're going to pick, they're taking who you want. And so when we were able to get Coop, I think it was just a really exciting and a huge part of our world championship team and certainly even, I guess, our division winning team last year. No doubt, no doubt about it.
And hopefully for a long time to come, both those guys. What's the deepest group here, do you think? You know, I always get in trouble when I do that, and then if we don't pick from that group, that's you know, how he said this group's really deep.
So, or you could be throwing us off the scent, so go for it. What do you got? I got to be careful on that. But, you know, I think that where we are as a team, you know, you look on both sides of the ball, we got a lot of players playing at a high level for the Philadelphia Eagles, a lot of players that are either on their second contract, or hopefully, will be on their second contract, where their journey started in Indy. And, you know, getting a chance to draft and develop, everyone's going to get in front of a microphone when they're hired as a GM and say, I want to draft, develop, and re-sign.
And that starts here. It starts right here. It starts right here. And then when does free agency... hit for you like Here as well?
Are you taking meetings? Just wondering how you manage generally. With our own players, certainly. Understood. We are meeting with our own players, and we have a bunch of free agents.
I didn't mean to suggest you were tampering. And I think for us, it gets a chance. To be eye to eye and see people. And I always like doing business face to face rather than on the phone if you have that opportunity.
So I look forward to doing that and trying to really retain as much of our guys as we possibly can. We had a lot of young players on our football team who, whether it's this year, next year, or even a guy like Q, three years from now, will have contracts that expire and guys that we want to keep in Philadelphia. Right. Who's that right now for you?
Well, we got a lot of free agents here, and I wouldn't want to just pick out one, but we'll meet with all the representatives. We owe these players a lot to our success. It's because of the players that we have in Philadelphia. And so we'll try to keep as many guys as we can, but also an eye on the big picture and understanding that we got a lot of guys who are huge parts of our team, who we also want to extend coming up. Unfortunately, in this league we do have A salary cap.
Yes, you do. We do. I understand that. I know. The conundrums of your jobs, or the failures of your gig.
Yeah, conundrums. But it is also the beauty of leveling a playing field here in the NFL. I guess, if we have to do that, I didn't vote on that. It wasn't a vote on that.
Well, speaking of voting, there's been apparently a very quiet competition committee conversation on the subject of the tush push, if not at all. Does that surprise you? Um No. I mean, I think we had a lot of conversation last year about the play and our feelings on the play. And so I think that that's where we are right now.
And so whatever we got to vote for and vote on, we'll evaluate and analyze and have the conundrums Of the decision.
Well, why do you think there's apparently no conversation on the tush push? No, I would hate to put words in others' mouth, Rich. I would hate to. Should I do it? Should I do it then and have you react or not behind it?
I am not in control of what comes out of your mouth. Look at you.
Okay. I just think it's because, you know, you didn't beat everyone over the head with it this year as much as you did the year you won it all. That's what I think it is.
Well, maybe it's another area we have to improve on. Look at you.
Maybe just too much. Hey, listen, my time with you is up. I don't want to take up too much more of your time right now. I appreciate that. I appreciate that.
Kevin is a Philly guy. Kevin's the fancy guy.
Well, he's still chatting on the podium. I don't want to take you away. His dad was a GM of the Sixers, right? Yeah, right? Yeah, yeah, and so he knows what it's like.
You know, I have him talk to my sons about what it's like to be a son of a GM in Philadelphia. His dad's a great guy. Yeah. You know, now, unfortunately, he's got to come to the NFC and we got to compete. Yeah, you got to compete.
Whatever it is, it is. And by the way, it's great to see you in person. I don't see anything on your forehead. No, no, no. You know, it's funny.
I saw John Schneider, I didn't see anyone throw anything on his head.
Well, it's fish. They throw fish there. Dude, that would be a bit more. But it's in Seattle. Right, I don't think that would hit as hard as the beer bottle.
Look at that right there. Tell me, do you have that photograph in your office, right? You know, it would be weird to have a self-portrait in my office. That would be a weird thing to have.
So I don't have that in my office.
Well, we can set that up for you. But it was a great, happy moment, even. Gushing blood. You give blushing. Slightly concussed.
You give blood. You give blood to your city of Philadelphia, is what you were saying, man. That's what I do. Hey, buddy. Thanks for coming on the program.
Really appreciate it. That's Howie Roseman, the general manager of the Philadelphia Eagles. Here he is. Come on over here, Kevin Stefansky. Oh, yeah.
Right here in the program. There you go. Thanks again for coming on, sir. You got it? I know this is really weird that we do this live, but what the heck.
There they go, they're hugging it out. I'm describing for the ESPN radio audience. They're chit-chatting. This is what happens at the combine. They hug it out, they dap it up.
Great to see you, Coach Kevin Stefanski. How are you? Right now, good to see you, man. Great to see you. How are you?
I'm great. I'm an Indy. Did you have a good podium session? They were easy. Easy question.
You know, it was good. Ian Cunningham went first.
So it's always good when the GM goes first, he can get all the tough questions. I come in and get the easy ones. How's it going for you, man? Good. You know, I'm drinking out of the fire hose as you do as a new head coach.
And a lot of this early in this process is putting a coaching staff together.
So I feel very, very strongly about the group we've put together. We're almost done. I've got one more hire to make, and then can press send and can announce that staff, but I feel really strong. And working with Matt Ryan, walk me through what is that like? It's his first role at this very important gig.
It's awesome. And to Matt's credit, you'd think he's been doing this for 30 years. And maybe he has. Maybe the truth is he's been doing this his whole life because as the quarterback, you're the leader of the team. In a lot of ways, you're the leader of the franchise, and that's a role that he's been in.
Damn near his whole life.
So it comes very naturally to him. Very intelligent, emotional intelligence off the charts.
So I've been very impressed, obviously. All right, so I'll ask the same question that I asked Robert Salak, it's his second run at being a head coach. How are you going to take your experiences from Cleveland into Atlanta and maybe say, I'm not going to do it that way anymore? I would hope that I'm taking every experience really from year to year and month to month and game to game and trying to. Become a better version of myself.
And there's obviously, you look back over six seasons in Cleveland, there's a ton of stuff I'm proud of, and there's things that I would definitely do differently.
Some of them are really small things, some of them are big things. And I think if you have the right mindset, if you have the right growth mindset, the humility to say, hey, I'm not a finished product, I think you can take that with you and use it to your benefit.
Now, to say that you're not going to make another mistake, that's not realistic. I mean, you're not going to be perfect at this thing, but I certainly feel more comfortable after six seasons of doing this in my chair.
Well, what's the small thing? What's the big thing that you're interviewing? Yeah, doing interviews, franchise and seem a lot of you guys here. Yeah. Well, I mean, just comfort in everything in the decisions that you make.
Comfort in putting a coaching staff together. I would tell you, Rich, being in the league now, being a head coach for six seasons, being in the league, you feel confident in knowing what your roster needs from a coaching perspective.
So putting that staff together was something that I felt really strongly about. All right, Kevin Stefanski here on the Rich Eisen Show. Who's your quarterback going to be?
Well, it's February, so that doesn't matter. You can't ask me to be nuanced, Kevin. I'm very excited about Michael Panix, as you can imagine.
Now, what's most important to Michael, and he knows this, and he's done an amazing job, is rehab. Yes. He's getting healthy and he's attacking his rehab.
So I'm proud of where he is right now. He definitely still has work to go, but he's just got to keep his head down so he's doing. And then do you have a plan if Kirk Cousins is available or he will not be available? Or I know what's being reported, right? Yeah, I think those are all things that we're working through.
I think Ian and Matt, myself, have had a lot of those discussions. And obviously, Ian talked this morning about Kirk. And I think the world of Kirk, obviously, I have a personal relationship with him. But we're excited about what we have moving forward.
Okay. And then Panix, what do you see from him? Yeah. I don't think so. I mean, obviously, Watson was still, you know, either healthy or coming back.
Did you kick tires on him in Cleveland at all? No, you watch all the guys. We didn't, at that moment in Cleveland, didn't think we'd have a chance at him, but you watch all of them. And anytime you're watching those receivers from Washington, you're watching him.
So there's some crossover that you're doing. Really talented young man. The highs on tape are quite impressive, and it's our job as coaches to put a system around him where we feel like he can go maximize his talent. But this is a young man that can make all the throws, is a good athlete.
So excited about him. But again, what's most important for Michael is getting healthy.
Well, in terms of excitement, right, and in terms of you being a coach and. How many kids do you have? I have three. How old are they? 16, 13, 10.
Okay, so bigger kids, bigger problems. I've got 17, 15, and 12. And there are times where I'll wake up in the middle of the night and I'll start thinking about work, and I've got to turn my brain off. I imagine a head coach in the NFL, something similar to that. But how tough is it to turn your brain off when you think about Bijan Robinson?
Man, I can't wait to. Coach him. And I've had a lot of conversations with him. He was in the building, and we talked not about football, don't worry, didn't break any rules. But this guy is wired the right way.
I mean, man, he is all ball all the time. Forget how physically gifted he is, which we all know and we all see. But just getting to know the person, oh man, I can't tell you how pumped I am to coach this young man and for us as an offensive staff to put. A system with this guy in mind, but the impact that he has in the building, just being the person that he is, is off the charts. Yeah, he's a dream come true, just in every facet.
But what are you willing to share about what you think you can do with him? Like, what are you doing?
Well, I think to his credit and to Zach Robinson and the coaches he's had, they've done a great job with Bijan. Sure. It's not something you have to wholesale change every day. It's not a real reinvention here. He's done a terrific job.
I'm excited about some of the things we're going to do that maybe a little bit differently in the run game, maybe a little bit differently in the past game, but there's no shortage to the things you can do with him. And we have to guard against a little bit and pump the brakes and say, okay, I don't think we can give it to him every play. Maybe we can. Maybe we'll try to break the record. But just understanding that we want this player to affect our games on Sundays.
And what he can do in the past game, what he can do in the run game is really all untapped.
Well, I mean, again, I know you spent your time in Cleveland. Certainly, we're in talking fantasy football, but his usage has been a massive topic of conversation since he's come out. Whether he's used in the red zone, whether he's used to punch it in the end zone, whether he's used enough. And I'm wondering where you land on that subject matter.
Well, as a former fantasy player myself, I understand people's desires, I'm sure, having him on their team.
However, we're focused on that W at the end of the day. I understand. And this comes from some, you know, we had Nick Chubb, so anytime you didn't hand the ball to Nick, you know, there was some boo birds there, which I do get. I do get. I taught Sean Payton the term vulture.
He'd never heard about a touchdown being vultured before because he, you know, he had Chimara back in the day, and I'm like, he didn't handcuff him? No, he didn't. Come on, Sean. No, but I do bring up the fantasy element because obviously his usage in real football is a conversation to be had as well. Without a doubt.
And the truth is, we have talked about and will talk about, you want Bijan for a 17-game plus season, and you want to make sure that you're being smart about what you ask him to do throughout the season. And it's a long season, but we want to make sure we're maximizing the player. But just to go back, Rich, I can't tell you how excited I am about the person. Yeah. Before I let you go, what's the most physically freakish thing you witnessed Miles Garrett do?
Man. I mean, you could put on the highlight reels. Sure. Even if it's in practice. Even in the weight room.
Well, yeah, actually, you could do that too. You could put on the highlight reels, you could look at the weight room. I would always go back to Miles, we had an understanding, and he got mad at me because we'd do two-minute drills and. You know, miles would He's unblockable in games. He's also unblockable in practice, right?
So, in a two-minute drive, he'd sack the quarterback every time, if you called it a sack. But as a coach, I'm trying to get the work done.
So, I told Miles, I said, I'm not going to call the first sack, I'm going to call the second one. And I probably didn't do it enough to Miles' liking. But we also probably wouldn't have been a very good two-minute offense because the drill would be shut down because he would just end it every time.
So, I marvel at what he can do physically. The first time I put eyes on Miles was when it was COVID, so we didn't have an offseason. Then we had to show up for training camp, and I got to watch this guy bend. I remember walking down the defensive line drills, I was just blown away.
So, yeah, physically gifted, also just an incredible person. You know, was very, very lucky, blessed, you name it, to be able to coach him for six seasons. Yeah, and again, when you say you didn't call it, you let the first sack go. Let the first sack go. You should have called the second one.
Sometimes it did, but it was every single time Miles wanted that. I could have called the second the first one. Third and the fourth sack, also. Yeah, but you got to practice your two-minute drill. You got to get some work in, but he makes it very hard to practice against, and he also makes it very hard to play against.
And we play those Cluven Browns this season, so that's something that I don't know that any coach looks forward to going up against number 95. What secret of you like for you, do you think? Yeah, I mean, you know, I think so much of this, Rich, is the relationships that you build in this day and age. And it's not just, I mean, it's with players, it's with coaches, it's with the staff, it's with all the people throughout that building. Those are friends, and those are really family.
I mean, you spend so much time together.
So, you know, that'll be a special time for me. You know, I went back when I was in Minnesota for 15 seasons, went back and played there, I think, in 2021. Very similar, where you're staring across the sideline at so many of your friends, so many people that you know and you love.
So, that's just part of this business. Good luck to you, sir. It's great to have you on the show. I'll take that luck. You bet.
That's Kevin Stefanski here on the Rich Odyssey Show. Before we take a break, I just want to let you know to get into the Hyundai Gateway. Sales event right now and get away with a deal.
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So get down to your local Hyundai dealer and get away with a deal you'll love during the Hyundai Getaway Sales event. Visit HyundaiUSA.com for details. One last segment and one last guest: Dan Morgan, the GM of the Carolina Panthers, to wrap the show. The Rich Eisen Show, the podcast. Our radio audience is back.
One last segment here in our first of four days of the combine. The GM of the Carolina Panthers, Dan Morgan, is here. What was your combine like when you were a player? You know what? Like, it's funny 'cause I try to remember like What I went through and like being here.
I remember coming. I didn't work out here, but I did the interviews, though. Why didn't you work out? Were you hurt? Or did you work out?
No, so we. At Miami at the time, we had so many draft prospects that we all decided. Hey, we're gonna go down there. Like, they're all gonna come.
So, it's not like if we don't work out here, then.
So, the hurricanes en masse said, We'll do it at the pro day, we're not working out at the combine? Yeah. How would that fly to Dan Morgan, the general manager right now? I'd be fine. You'd be fine now.
Yeah, I get to go down to Miami. Why not? Yeah. But yeah, so we went down there, we did our workout down there, so I just did the interviews here.
Okay. And I remember going in there, and it's funny because when guys come in in the room, I kind of know what they're feeling like. You know, you're sitting there like some of these guys haven't done an interview before.
So, like, they come in, they sit down, they have 10 people staring just at them.
So, it can be a little nerve-wracking for you. No doubt.
So, I try not to judge those guys, you know, these young men, you know, too harshly on a 20-minute interview because it can be a nerve-wracking thing. What was Ted McMillan like when he walked in? You just like, okay. Walks in, you like, look up, you see this like big human being that's super confident and. Just like a smooth guy, but then he becomes an animal out on the field.
So, yeah, his pre-draft was awesome. Like, talking to him and just kind of getting to know him as a person and like hearing his football story and just kind of how he, you know, developed into who he is now. It's pretty cool. Were you white-knuckling the choice? Because you're thinking somebody might hop in front?
We were. We were. Yeah, we fell in love with him. And, you know, you watch the tape, and then you meet the individual, and you just fall in love with them.
So, yeah, we. We were high on him and hoping that he fell to us at eight and luckily he did. Are you ahead of schedule right now? Would you, is that a fair assessment or not? No, I really try not to put like timelines.
I let the timelines stay on the outside. Like people can put the timeline on. That's my job. Yeah. Right.
You guys can put the timelines on, but like. We're going to stay disciplined. We have a plan. We want to win the division every year. We want to go to a Super Bowl, the same thing that every other team does, but.
Anything good doesn't just happen overnight.
So, you know, we have to be real picky, and we've got to be methodical in our approach and do things the right way, and spend money the right way, and keep our draft picks. I don't w you know, none of us want to go all in and just like Hey, we're going to get this guy. Like, not one guy is just going to make you a better team.
So, yeah, we just got to stay disciplined and keep building this thing brick by brick. Whenever I talk about the Panthers on this show, I always bring up the game that Kurt Warner and I called on NFL Network in Germany between your team and the Giants, and how we were interviewing Dave Canalis. He goes, I know we're going to be in the right spot. when everybody's personality comes out on the field. And that game, Bryce Young was hopping up and doing first down stuff, and the rest of your team was beginning to get into that.
Finished nicely, last year happens. And if you think about it, you know, everyone's saying in the again, narratives, the NFC Championship game is a de facto Super Bowl, with all due respect to obviously New England or Denver. You almost beat the Rams a second time this year.
So is that a measuring stick that you're taking in your favorite? Yeah, I think we're definitely headed in the right direction. You know, the culture around our building, it's. Shifting to a winning culture. People are expecting the win and wanting to win.
But everybody knows in our building that nothing's going to be handed to us, that we have to go, we have to earn everything, we got to put the work in.
So we're, you know, the whole building, you know, we're all aligned, we're all on a mission. to be great and you know we we want it bad. And we just, again, we got to put the work in. In the 90 seconds I have left, was that your belt you gave to Irv on the sideline? For these Miami Hurricane college games that he was beating you on I didn't see you on the sideline of these Miami Hurricane college games.
I wish I could go down more often, but you got still caught up in the playing season. Yeah, the Panthers. Yeah, the Panthers making the playoffs kind of took you out of that mix. Yeah, it did. It did.
I guess that's not a bad job. But I love that. I love watching them on TV, though. Right? Yeah.
Just watching what they did this year came awfully close. Yeah, Mario did a good job.
Okay. So I just okay. Otherwise we would have seen you would Michael on the side. Otherwise, I would have been down there with the belt. That's right.
Yeah. How about Irv with his belt, man? Yeah, he has fun. He looks like he has fun. Yeah, he's one of my favorites.
Yeah. Well, thank you for coming on here. Yeah, great. You're helping me finish up my show today. Awesome.
Awesome. And I greatly appreciate it. And I just love, again, I like your coach. I like what you guys are doing. I like how Bryce has grown into the role here.
Yeah. Appreciate it. Pretty cool. Congrats on that. You got it.
That wraps up day one right here on the Rich Eisen Show live from the Scouting Combine. We're going to be back with you here all three hours on Disney Plus and the ESPN app. Sean Payton, John Schneider, Dan Quinn, Ryan Poles, Nick Seriani on our Wednesday show. Thanks for listening to the Rich Eyes and Show podcast. You can watch and listen to The Rich Eisen Show live weekdays from noon to 3 Eastern on ESPN Radio, Disney Plus, and on the ESPN app, The Rich Eisen Show, the podcast.
