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!
You can find us everywhere. Watch us weekdays on Disney Plus from noon to 3 Eastern. Miss the show? We've got a podcast, so you can listen anytime. But here's the best part: our YouTube channel.
Subscribe at youtube.com slash rich Eisen Show and you'll never miss a moment.
Now, on with the show. Live from the NFL Combine in Indianapolis. This dude is a freaking animal. This is the Rich Eisen Show. Earlier on the show, Broncos head coach Sean Payton.
Coming up. Bears general manager Ryan Poles. Commander's head coach Dan Quinn. Seahawks general manager John Schneider. Eagles head coach Nick Siriani.
And now, it's Rich I said. Hour number two of day number two of the Rich Eisen Show here in downtown Indianapolis for the 2026 NFL Scouting Combine kicks off right here on Disney Plus and the ESPN app and ESPN Radio with the general manager of the Chicago Bears, Ryan Pulse. How are you, Ryan? Good to see you, man. Good to see you too.
What combine is this for you? I think it's 17. 17, yeah.
So you first showed up here wearing the Chiefs gear, right? Yeah, shoot, going back. And back in the day, you had to save seats for all the executives and the head coaches.
So you're up at. You were in charge of the seat saving. Oh, yeah, 3:30 in the morning. You'll be over here in the convention center holding on the floor. Yeah, it's part of the deal.
Sounds like you're on vacation, you got to put your towels down on the chairs and the beach, right, for you and your family. Yes.
So, no kidding. And so, who were you saving seats for back in that day? Oh, that was the Chiefs. Yeah, I think it was Scott Pioli, Todd Haley. Yep.
Trying to get that whole setup going.
Okay.
So is there, I mandated to ask, is there now a seat saver on the Bears staff for you? Nope, they've eliminated that part of the party. It's amazing. How has this changed since you first showed up? Yeah, it's it's continued to grow.
Um A little bit more intense, I think. I think there was a lot more focus on the players, and everybody did, I feel like everyone performed. You know, everyone threw, everyone did every drill. It was just part of the deal.
So it's a little bit more selective now. But I think. One, getting the medical is really important to understand what structure and systems we've got to have in place for these players that are coming into our building. Right. And then spending time with them in these interviews.
Getting to just know the man a little bit and comparing that to the scouting reports we got from our scouts that gathered information all fall. And with the on-field drills, how do you, how do you, like, give me an example of one of your draft choices in recent years for the Bears that you saw. here and you go, okay. That kid is now on my board better or more solidified, and now he's performing for your team right now. Oh, man, I have to think back.
It was just last year. I mean, you nailed a lot of draft choices last year. Yeah, I'm just running out of guys that have done a whole lot. I'd say Roma Dunze was probably the big one. He was a unique one that did every, I think he did every single drill.
And I know there's some teams that actually track guys that do every drill, and actually, the success rate is really high. I think it's just a mentality that those guys have. But I remember Rome doing everything. I think he was the last player in Lucas Oil doing the short shuttle to finish and complete.
So that's probably the one that stood out the most. And then he checked boxes every single time. You sat down with him when you had him into Chicago, right? Yep. Pretty much.
Yep. Yep. Go through the whole process. And then, how much does Ben Johnson have a table pound in your system right now? Big time.
At the end of the day, we want to make sure. That we're giving our coaches players that fit our system, their DNA fits, and then there's a clear vision. And one of Ben's many strengths is creating clarity in terms of how he would use a certain player.
So if you go back to last year, a lot of discussions about Colson Loveland, and it was very clear how he was going to use him, and we saw that come alive. And from an evaluator, GM, that gives you a ton of confidence and conviction when you select the guy you're going to get the most out of them because there's belief and a vision from the coach. And Ben does an amazing job at that. Drill, let me drill down on this for a little bit, if you don't mind, Ryan, because. You're saying he's got plays, like he comes to the fore with an actual play, and like this is the way I'm going to use Colston Loveland, or just a couple of things.
I would say concepts.
Okay.
Concepts. We had Cole Komet, we have Cole Comet.
So what does it look like? What does the playtime look like with both Cole and Colson in the game? Right. Because you want to make sure both guys are being utilized and there was clear vision. And there's a track record of how he used that setup and 12 personnel in Detroit as well.
So I think that's a great thing to have as a front office, that clarity. And then when you, you know, it's not just day one, it's not just day two. Right. Kyle Monungai played such a massive role for your team this year. Yeah.
Did you first meet him at the Combine last year or walk me through that process, how he goes from Rutgers to your team through all of this? Yeah, I think the unique one there is we had Eric Bandemi in the building at the time. Yes.
Um there's a little bit of a parallel with Pacheco. Same coach at Rogers. Then they both have EB, and it was a mentality in how they played the game on top of their intelligence, on top of their overall culture fit in terms of what they bring to the locker room, their work ethic.
So spending time with him really more in our building was the important piece, and we knew that we had a fit for us, and it was cool to see his progression through camp and then obviously coming alive in the season.
So when did you realize you got the right guy in Ben Johnson? It was it was quick. I was saved. By the end of training camp. Not only did we know we would have a clear tactical advantage in terms of our offense, but from a leadership standpoint, his ability to inspire and move our team was very clear at that time.
And I knew we got more than just offensive mind. This guy's a leader, he's consistent. There's a level of holding the standard of how we're going to operate that he's very consistent with, and the players appreciate that consistency. And he did that every single day.
So by the time we got to training camp, I knew we were the right man, and I'm excited to see him grow too. Every single Bears fan I know, Ryan Poles, is just out of their skulls with excitement. We are. Because it's not. It's not the way Caleb Williams came on, but it is.
The sustainability that appears to be Thank you. At heart right now, like this is not a flash in the pan. This is what you were imagining. Envisioning when you first drafted him. Absolutely.
And the thing that I find really impressive about him is, I know there are times where. You know, there might have been a mistake. I don't know whose it was, but every single time he made it his. Every time. And, you know, tape doesn't lie, things don't lie.
I'm wondering where he, has he always had that in him, or is Ben helping bring that part out of him as well? I'm trying to get under the hood here of that relationship. Yeah, I think that's the relationship between an offensive-minded head coach and a young quarterback. If you just hear Caleb talk now, he's like a different person. There's a level of maturity that happened in professionalism that he has.
He understands the expectation of being a professional quarterback. And when you're a leader in an organization and that includes a quarterback, there's times where you got to go up there and then take it head-on and make it yours. And then you can make those corrections in the back.
So just seeing his growth and development, I think that's been directly, you can correlate that to Ben and that impact that he's had on Caleb. The narrative is as to what Caleb needs to improve upon, but what does he need to improve upon from your perspective, Brian? Yeah, I would say just the efficiency. I mean, he learned a lot through the season. I think it's.
Taking what's given to him, being a little bit more efficient, and then obviously holding on to that special thing that he has when the game's on the line or it looks like it's ebbing away from us to capture that back and bring a win back to the table.
So, yeah, just the. You know, starting fast, coming out of the halftime, a little bit more efficient, is going to put us in a situation where we should be in those crazy moments, too.
So, yeah, I'm looking forward to seeing his growth. Do you have a cardiologist in Chicagoland? Yeah, you needed a lot of them. Oh, my gosh. Were there ever times where you were like, I would love to be in a rocking chair here, or you're like, this is just the way?
We clearly are doing football this year. It happens so many times. It's interesting to feel your own emotions throughout that season. You don't show them, though, Ryan. Yeah, you try not to, but.
As this game went along, you're like, we'll be okay. We'll be okay. And the kid would just bring us back and put us in the situation. And that pairing between our defense taking the ball away and him finishing it off and putting us in a position to win games was critical. And it really took everybody, but it was great to see that he has that critical gene that you need to, I think, that you need to win championships.
And your head coach taking his shirt off to give the good people of Chicago a free wiener circle of hot dogs. Did you see that in him when you hired him? I did not see that. You did not see that one. I did not see that, but listen, the guys respect it.
Hey, if I could look like that, I would do that. I would do that too. You should see that guy in the weight room. What do you mean? He moves weight.
He does. A lot of weight. Like what? How many 225? How many reps do we got?
It's a lot. The guys talk about it. I mean, you walk in the gym and you hear the bumperweight slamming around. He's in there cleaning and snatching and throwing squat and stuff. No kidding.
Yeah, he gets after it now.
Well, he also gets after the head coach of the Green Bay Packers. You cool with all of that stuff, Ryan? He's competitive. I love the competitive fire. He rubs off on our team.
So, yeah, I love what he's made of. And I always want him to be him. If that's the case, we're in a good situation in Chicago. All right, in the few minutes I have left with you here, what's on your to-do list over the next three weeks? Walk me through what you're willing to share about what you need to do as you generally manage this situation, Ryan.
Yeah, I do generally manage it. I would say the first thing is the guys that are here.
So we've got to interview the players, collect their information in terms of the medical to help clear our draft board up. And then the next thing is financial. We got some cap things we got to clear up to put ourselves. In a position to build this team. You're currently over it, right?
Yeah, currently over, so we've got some big decisions that are always tough. Anytime you have success in the season, your relationships and your bonds with the players get deeper. But the way this is set up, you've got to make tough decisions.
So we're going to have to do that over the next few weeks and then build the team back up and fill some of the needs that we need.
Okay, and then what positions are you willing to share that you think you need to address for the Chicago team? I think the clear one is our safety position. Yeah. Yeah, all four guys are up. And Kevin is one of the leaders of our team.
So he's a guy that we're interested in bringing back. And then there's. From there, it's a domino effect of what we can and can't do. But we'll start with our own and build up into free agency.
Okay, and then free agency hits, and how active do you expect yourself to be, even though right now the cap is not your friend right now, but that could be massaged. Yeah, we'll be active, it'll just be in a different space of free agency. We'll have pretty strict guardrails on what we can and can't do, and that dictates what the next move is. We'll also be opportunistic in any trades with the guys coming or going.
So, if there's anyone coming in that maybe has a bigger contract, then that'll create another set of transactions that got to happen to make sure that we're in a good spot, cap-wise. And while you're here in Indiana, you're learning the state tax system? Yeah, learning that. How many people come up to you thinking that you're in charge of this? All the time.
I just went on a very quick, like, 48-hour vacation with my wife. I had And I was out of the country, and people were bumping up to me in the pool being like, are we going or not? And they were asking questions. I'm like, listen, I'm just focused on the football team right now. You're building the roster.
Exactly. You're not, you know, that's Kevin Warren's deal. And everybody else who's in ownership. But people think you're in charge of that. They do.
They do. Okay, so we've cleared that up. We've cleared it up. All right, do not just ask Ryan Paul's about.
So, what's your message to Bears fans coming off of that? Remarkable season. Yeah, we need that same energy from the very beginning this upcoming season. It's nice to have a You know, a very good head coach paired with a very good young quarterback. We expect to continue to improve.
But that atmosphere that we had down the stretch was the best that I've ever seen in soldier field. And we need to pick that up where we left off. That'll give us a huge advantage as we start the season. And then watching back. your favorite Caleb throw.
What was it? I know the one who, you know. Obviously, I know you wish you made it further than you did. Yeah, the one late touchdown, the coal against the Rams was the one that I just couldn't believe actually happened. What was your reaction?
I know that, but what was your reaction? I know I was cursing on the couch. I actually said a curse word. Yeah, I was just ready. I'm like, oh, oh, you know, fill in the blank.
Yeah, I was lost for words. I didn't understand exactly how that happened. The fourth and eighth throw. Yeah. That throw was ridiculous.
The one, my favorite one is the walk-off to DJ. That was a really cool moment. I'll never forget, yeah.
Okay.
So you're entering that fray, too. Yeah. Okay.
Very good. Ryan Pulse, thanks for coming here. Appreciate it. Thanks for having me. Always great to catch you.
Here at the Comba. That's Ryan Pulse, Chicago Bears General Manager, right here at the 2026 NFL Scouting Combine back. More here on Disney Plus and ESPN Radio in a moment. The Rich Eisen Show Podcast. Get into the Hyundai Getaway Sales Event and get away with a deal so right, it almost feels wrong.
Because right now, you can get great deals on our most popular models, including our adventure-ready SUVs like the Hyundai Santa Fe or Santa Fe Hybrid, and the Tucson or Tucson Hybrid. Plus, there's our bold and stylish Elantra loaded with the latest tech, or go all-electric with the IONIC 5 or IONIC 9.
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. Dan Quinn, DQ, the HC of the Washington Commanders here, as our radio audience has returned on our television stream on Disney Plus and the ESPN app. How do you evaluate what your team did last year? Is it feasible to do that based on everything that happened injury-wise for you?
I think. You don't want to go back and look at everything, and the injuries are part of that. Ever like to use anything as an excuse, but some of them are reasons. And so, a lot of changes with our team this year, both on and off the field. And that's what excites you, man.
As a coach, although the changes are hard, you have these bonds with coaches and players that will be moving on to other teams. But at the same time, there's an excitement that goes into putting it all together. And this today and being here this week, that's a big step in that. Who you're going to add to the team, how do they fit in, and the right style and attitude of players that you love coaching. And so, I like this process, it's a part of it for sure.
Well, not to have you speak for your quarterback, but I'm going to ask you to, if you don't mind. Caleb Williams, breakout year, he was outstanding. Drake May makes the Super Bowl. The guy drafted in between them, who had a unicorn rookie season. Injury wipeout.
Yep. How's he doing? He's feeling this. It's hard. Jay only getting about six or seven starts in this year.
He didn't get to fully express who he is. And take that step forward. I want her to see it. Yes, and it's going to happen. He is an absolute savage competitor, man.
We love everything about him. And so he's putting in that work right now to get ready with he and his teammates. But I love that he has things to prove. And those are good moments to be in as a player and as a coach. And so we can't wait to get rolling.
I know the answer to the question, but I'm going to ask it anyway. Why is it advantageous for you to have him? Feel like he's got something to prove? I think everything can get elevated. And one of the things about great quarterbacks and Jaden being part of that, they also can multiply and elevate others around them.
And that's what you see people do going from year ones into twos and threes and four, where early on they. Play good at their position, be a great teammate, and now they're able to expand and raise the standards of others around them. And think of all the great quarterbacks, Rich, that have done that. And Jaden's going to be right into that conversation this year as well, just by what he brings, not only to him, but to the guys around him. Why did you make the moves at coordinator that you did?
Yeah, those are tough, man. what happens at the start where things went well.
Sometimes you have to adjust and you have to change even when it's hard. And that's what we had to do on both sides of the ball. And going into it, having a vision for how we want to play in 25 and beyond, that's what drove the decisions. And both Cliff and Joe are excellent coaches. And so we've added David Blau, who is on the staff here, and we added Durante Jones, who has been in Minnesota the last few years.
And both these guys, Rich, are excellent coaches. Man, I can't wait to get started with them. But you're calling the defensive players. Durante will. Devrante will.
Yes.
Okay.
So you like delegating? I do. You like it? I like. Why do you like it?
I love one. I know I can help on the leadership of everybody. And so I like being in other meetings and being around the players in different spots. I felt for me personally when I was just doing the play calling, I felt more segmented from everybody else. And although that model works great for some people, for me best, I love when I'm able to help.
You know, lead the entire group and provide the support that both the coordinators need. I know that's how I do it best. What's your approach to having a very important draft choice, not just for your organization, but right there in the first round where there could be some movement if somebody wants a certain player? You've got optionality, which is what you like to have going into a draft. It is.
This is not that, you know, you don't want to pick this high where you're at when you're here on that time.
Okay, you know, there's going to be some really, really good players, Rich, that can help change, you know, and change your team, change how you play. And so Adam and his crew, man, they're on it. They've got a vision, they know what to do. I like seeing Adam on game day, which is draft weekend, you know, to see those decisions. And, you know, like as a coach, During the game, that's go forward, don't, punt, kick, all of those went to go.
And during draft weekend, you get to see that same space that he's in. And it's kind of this great balance that we have together, and I certainly enjoy it. Pardon me for asking about a specific player, but I'm going to do it anyway. Jeremiah loves sitting out there. And obviously you've got some You know, decisions to make on the offensive side of the ball.
Yep. The dynamic running back. You could see what you, as a defensive coordinator in this league, know how difficult it is to stop.
somebody who can do it from that position. Where are you on the philosophy of taking a running back as high as you're drafting? Yeah, I think the best thing, man, like, who are the guys that can help impact your team? And I think our league has changed a little bit, Rich, you know, over the last few years into that way when you see guys who can absolutely make impactful plays to do things, that's really what you're looking for. How does somebody impact the team in a great way?
And sometimes that's through running back, and we've seen the players over the last four or five years who have done that. And they deliver. What happens I like him and him and him. When you get into that spot, there's so many guys that you like and you start putting them into rankings and where do you go? But like I said earlier, Adam and his group, they've got a really good process, man, that they go through.
I'm still learning a lot of the guys now from the college side, just getting done free agency and going through a lot of those evaluations. I'll learn more over the next few weeks for sure. Do you have a guy in your career at any point? Um current. Head coach, previous head coach.
a previous coordinator that you spotted at the Combine. And you're like, I dig this kid. We need to do some more digging. Yeah. Check boxes and turned into somebody significant.
Yeah. Somebody? Um Yeah, I'll go way back into my file here. One name that popped into my mind was Grady Jarrett. And you felt the competitiveness, the effort, and now he added Skill and learn more as a rusher and how he could go affect things.
So he was definitely, I think he might have been a fifth round pick, but there are certain players, man, you'd love to coach that guy. You definitely want him on your team, what it means, how he would do it. And they're not all first-round picks, so like some of the ones that you were talking about, he wasn't rolling through as first round, et cetera. But that's, by the way, great name, great player, and what he's become. What was it?
Somebody, something in a meeting? Was it an on-field drill or something? What was it? I felt him. I felt his energy to lead it and I can even remember like going to his pro day and people saying there, Okay.
First in line, everything. Like, he wasn't missing a thing, Rich. Like, there was a chance to express how he wanted to compete, he did it. And that was lifting, that was competing, it was in the drills. When people come here and just want to work out and just win the drill to work out, it just shows they love to compete and battle for it.
And those are things that I look for. Not necessarily what the inches are or the time, but just seeing how hard they want to go after it and express that competitive nature.
Okay.
So what's your message to Commanders fans who are just so out of their skulls giddy? With your first year and the results of that year, and seeing what Jaden Daniels is going to do, and then this year, you know, you're backpicking in the top 10. for for various reasons, many of them out of your control. What do you say to that fan base that's looking to see what your three for your issue is? One of the things that's very, you know, one of the most cool parts about being the coach in Washington is like the heavy hitter fan base, man.
This fan base has experienced success from a long time, you know. And so, for me, coming up and watching that and seeing that, we can't wait to uphold the standards they've set for the organization. Guys like Gibbs and others from coaching that have done it, we can't wait to go prove it, man. Just like we were talking about our QB. We love to battle and compete, and like, man, we cannot wait for that to be expressed.
Okay, and then I lied one last one. The Walter Payton Man of the Year is somebody you've coached for a very, very long time at various spots as well. I'll give you the floor on Bobby Wagner, who I think is the first Ballot Hall of Famer. Clearly, I'm not out on a very thick limb here. You're not very thin limb.
But bottom line is, he's amazing. Yeah, he is amazing. And so, what is he like coaching? Yeah, the. The easy part when you see on the field the tackling, the performances, and he is elite at that.
He'll go down as one of the best tacklers that's ever played. But what you don't get to see is who the man is and this consistency and the discipline of who he is.
So as proud as I am of what he's accomplished on the field, to see that take place that night. Because then everybody else got to see, you know, the man behind it. He makes our entire building better by who he is, and that was true in Seattle, and it was also true here. And I'm certain the year he spent in LA, it was true there as well. For sure.
We were talking about multiplying people and standards, and I think Bobby Wagner lives that at one of the highest levels.
So he's an incredible leader, and so to see that happen early in his career, and then me now seeing that in this part of his career, it's been very cool to see. Pardon me for not knowing, but were you there when he was drafted? The year after. Year after. Yep.
So you get there. Yep. And here's some year two linebacker named Bobby Wagner, right? First call, he wanted a question scheme. What can he do to do better?
Is that right? Absolutely. And like in the meetings, I can remember just staring at me, writing things down, like, you know, over and over. He was not going to miss it. Like, he had standards that were so elite early.
Same now, right? Same now. Same now. And now it's, can people come in early to train with him, as much work as he puts in to study? You've heard the word pros, pro, and then there's a whole other level of...
Elite beyond that, and that's what Bobby represents. Thanks for the time here, Dan Quinn. You got to rich. You're the man. You're the man.
Thanks for taking the time whenever you zoom into the show, and I always love chomping it up with you. Yes, amen. You bet. Thank you. That's Dan Quinn, the head coach of the Washington Commanders, right here on the Rich Eisen Show live from the NFL Scout and Combine.
Yeah. The Rich Heisen Show, the podcast. Back on ESPN Radio on our Disney Plus and ESPN app feed, Mike McDonald, the Super Bowl winning head coach of the Seattle Seahawks, is just behind. This monitor talking to local reporters. He just went from the podium over there just behind me.
As soon as he's done chatting with the Seahawk beat riders who are here at the scouting combine, he's gonna come around the corner and sit right here in this chair. And then, after he gets up, John Schneider, the general manager. who hired Mike McDonald. We'll kick off hour number three. Then we'll have Nick Siriani of the Philadelphia Eagles joining us.
And then we'll play an overreaction Monday on a Wednesday here at the Combine to finish things up. And we'll be halfway through all of our shows. Want to talk about Pella Windows and Doors, everybody? We got their Pella helmet sitting right here on our set.
Sometimes teams take a time out to regroup and call the right play. When it comes to your home, Pella Windows and Doors always has the winning game plan. They're not just window and door experts. They're experts at taking care of you and your home. At Pella, they find the products that meet your needs, and their experts install them.
They do it every day, and that's why your neighbors trust them. Discover why Pella is a trusted choice for homeowners everywhere. Visit Pella.com slash Eizen today. That's Pella.com/slash Eizen. And again, John Schneider is going to be joining us here at the top of the next hour.
We'll hit him on the subject matter of building this roster that Mike McDonald. Honed into Super Bowl champions this past year, and how at this point. Last year at the Combine, the question was... How are the Seahawks going to address their quarterback position with Geno Smith? Are they going to extend him?
Are they going to give him more money? What does he want after a season in which Mike McDonald Seahawks won double digits but did not make the playoffs double-digit in terms of wins? And so. What ended up happening, apparently, and we'll talk with John Schneider about this, is they tried to expend Geno Smith, but Geno wanted a bit more cash. And what they decided to do is flip Geno to Vegas and then get into the Sam Darnold sweepstakes.
And it's always just amazing how you take a look at the way a team can be formed, the way a team can be put together, and how. When you look back on it, like, oh yeah, that was a no-brainer. This is what you do, then you send Geno along, and then you give Sam Darnold a contract, you bring him in, and then off we go. We got ourselves a Super Bowl championship. But these things are very tenuous, and they're not guaranteed.
And you can have a plan, and that's one of the things that I want to talk about with John Schneider when he shows up here at the top of the next hour. You can have the plans all you want, but they've got to go down and then you've got to execute them. And the man who's helped execute it, please come on in, Coach Mike McDonald. We're live. We're live on the program, just like you were in Santa Clara a couple weeks ago.
Good to see you, man. We're here live on Disney Plus and also on an ESPN app and ESPN Radio. Great to see you, man. How are you? Yeah, you too.
This is cool. Hey, I'm so happy for you, just to start things off. The video that I saw. That I just couldn't get out of my head was you and your wife and your son, right? Your son, how old is he?
14 months. 14 months, right there on the field, right? Yeah. Your wife said something along the lines: How was your day? Right?
Yeah, that was good. A little inside joke. That was great. What do you mean, inside joke?
Well, it is just. Inside joke. Between her and I, just, you know, it was like an intimate moment. It's cool because it was like an intimate moment that we shared. You don't realize that the camera's on yet.
Oh. And then it's like, oh, well, now we have that for the rest of our lives. Right. Yeah, that was special. How was your day?
Pretty cool. And then you said something along the lines of your son, like one day you're going to understand what this means right now. Yeah, well, we came off the stage and I was having visions of Drew Brees with his son with the confetti in the background and his eyes of wonder and the whole thing. And we saw Steph and Jax, he's. He didn't want to leave his mom, and so he wasn't very excited about me grabbing him.
So he grabbed the Lombardi and Stephen a little upset. And so, like, the only thing he was interested in was just grabbing confetti and trying to save some confetti and put it in Steph's bag. Um And you're just thinking, hey, like, how special this is. And one day he's going to have this memory that he can look back at and say what he was a part of. The confetti, so you saved that?
Yeah, we got a bunch of the confetti.
So awesome, man. And so. Looking back on it. Give me your thoughts on when you realized this team had a real shot. To win it all during the playing season, Mike.
It's interesting. I don't, I've never been to a Super Bowl before, so it's like in your mind, you don't really. Like what is a Super Bowl caliber team. Sure. I don't really know the answer to that.
Now you do.
Now we know.
Now we know what the standard is. You have a feeling what the standard felt like, sure, every day. And what I can tell you is, our guys. Our guys nailed all the challenges. We fell short sometimes, but they would respond, answer the bell.
And so It was a team that we believed in, you know, given like whatever the circumstances were. And we start stacking some of those wins, saying, okay, like, we should go into games expecting to win games if we bring our A game. And at that point, you know, it's just kind of like circumstances don't matter and You can pull off winner of the Super Bowl.
So then, looking back, now that you know what a Super Bowl winning team is, when did you. Like what was that moment where you thought, okay. It changed at this point in time? Or it took a bit of time? There's a couple.
There's a couple, probably, inflection points throughout the season, camp. You know, we had some great practices like in the tough parts of camp where guys were just into it, you know, so we didn't have any drag in camp. going to play against the Packers, seeing the connectedness of the team, the practice. Uh That probably after we after the, I forget who we went after the Saints game. But being able to stack plays like later on in games where we're not letting teams going back into the games, that was critical.
Losing to the Rams. Losing to the ramp. I mean, like, just feeling the guys fight, the connectedness of the team. The physicality that we were capable of playing with, like the resilience, all that type of stuff. But so losing.
Yeah, yeah. Like I remember telling the team in the locker room. after the game, I said, look, I know we're really disappointed to lose the game, but Um, you guys are a championship team. Like, that was. You told that to them.
Yeah, yeah, yeah. When did you learn what Ernest Jones had said about the quarterback? When did that hit you? It was. I'm pretty sure it was after I did the media.
I think Ernest went after me. And then that's when I heard about it.
So I might be wrong on that. Right. So that's when you learned what he had had to say. Yeah, and Dave told me to walk him back to the locker room. It was great.
He nailed it. It was awesome. I know when you say when he nailed it, he did. I mean,. Because that, listen, I deal in narratives, you don't.
You deal in X's and O's, you deal in personalities, you deal in culture, you deal in finding matchups and exploding them in real moments. I deal in narratives. And narratives about your quarterback is that, okay, he keeps hitting his head on the ceiling against the Rams. And to come out of that and maybe be a closer unit, be a closer team. And realize that, okay, we damn near pulled this thing off anyway.
I imagine week 16 was another inflection point. That's the Thursday nighter that you were kind enough to zoom in after that week. Win over the Ramparts. I mean, I think it was really great for the 12s. Like being able to play a big game at home.
Feeling their energy throughout the game, also winning a quote-unquote big game throughout the season. I think that was awesome for our home field advantage and them seeing what type of team that we were capable of. I think we kind of knew who we were at that point. As a as a team, you know, and so we just Kept proving it.
So pretty cool. Going for two. was a big moment for you. I think But you won that you win this game?
Well, if you look back at it, yeah, that was a big part of the season. Right. Determines home field to a certain extent. Yeah, you couldn't. If you tied, you'd be 1-0-1, and you're 0-0-1-1, obviously, against the Rams.
Well, that was part of the decision criteria on going for it.
So it actually kind of made it a little bit easier knowing what was at stake. And what was it like for you? I know we chit-chatted, and I appreciate that when you. You zoomed in with me for a chat for the NFL Network pregame show. What was it like for you prepping for a Super Bowl?
Mike McDonald, what was that like? I think what made this experience unique was we really didn't have a lot of, well on our players, like our coaching staff and our player side, we didn't have that much Super Bowl experience. And like John's been there and he was able to guide us and a lot of other people that were in our organization, you know, Eric Kennedy. Um Mo Kelly had had great like things to draw from, but What made it unique for us was: hey, look, we're entering this experience together. There's going to be some things that are different than we're usual, we're so process-driven that, hey, we can't just bang our head against the wall and stick to our process every day because there are going to be some different variables.
But let's just call it out now and what's going to be different. Let's have a plan for it, let's attack it together and let's go experience this thing together as a team rather than saying, hey, look, this is what's going to happen and this is what we have to do every day. It's like, that's not really how we roll. And so we kind of took our MO and our kind of way of life and And translate it into that whole like two-week process. And I'm really proud about how we handled it and what the guys' attitudes were.
What were you able to, now that we've seen? What happened in Super Bowl 60, what you prepped going in, saying, this is the way we can win. We saw the way that you won. Can you walk us, connect those dots of what you wanted to affect and what you were able to do?
Well, I think it starts with having a confidence and belief in who we are and what we were capable of.
So the focus was how can we go put ourselves positionally to play our best football? All the process behind that was really just the principles of how we applied every week, just kind of within the Super Bowl setting. You know, make it, you know, there's some decisions you gotta make, like, how do you handle the bye week, and how many reps do you take, and what intensity? And guys get banged up like Nick with his ankle, and as a head coach, you're like losing your mind. Hey, we shouldn't have practiced that way, or maybe we practice too hard.
But at the end of the day, you gotta trust. How you built it that certain way, and I think the guys feel that: that we have their best interest at heart, and we're gonna do what we need to do, what the Seahawks need to do, and not necessarily like. What the conventional wisdom says, or you know, it's always been done this way, we're going to do it with what we feel like is unique to us, and let's go rock and roll. What about rattling the cage of the kid quarterback? And the kids, rattling the cage of the kid quarterback, and then also the left side of that offensive line for New England.
It looked like, you know, you identified a way through. and hit the crap out of that. I think one thing that doesn't get talked about enough is how we play it on early downs. You know, in some of those run or pass type of situations where we're able to like force and maximize the amount of times that Uh they needed to drop back. And so it's tough to do that in the NFL at a certain frequency throughout a game.
And the way our guys play it on first down to create those opportunities. Was what our guys asked for, because now they can come to life and execute their rush plan and dial up blitzes, things like that.
Okay.
So, what's the secret sauce? About What worked? and what you were able to say Okay, when, because we got John Schneider coming up next, what you're able to say in the meetings before you got hired, then you get hired, then you show up and you're like, this is the way we're going to do things. because we're going to win a championship this way. And now it has been affirmed.
What is the it? What is the it that we can ascribe to you, Mike McDonald, and this organization for Seattle and this copycat league? What do you got for me on that? I think, I mean, it's, I don't want to sound cheesy, but it is like, it's the power of like. doing of like the synergy of doing it together, the connectedness of from the top down, from Jodi throughout.
you know, Chuck and the business side to all of our support staff. being bought in on how we want to operate. Ultimately, on a daily basis, it's my responsibility to make sure that we're on track and we're hitting those things. But I think, again, what makes us. You know, unique to us is like I'm going through these experiences, and our coaching staff are doing it with the players in real time.
So, I think everybody feels like we're all in this thing together, we're all growing. We all have each other's best interests at heart, you know, what we're trying to create, and that's something that you can't fake. You know, so it just takes an authenticity. Yeah, right, I guess it takes an authenticity, but how do you.
Well, you realize really quickly what you don't know as a head coach. There's a lot of things you don't know you don't know, and you realize that you have a lot of talented people around, you're like, hey, well, it's. Let's unlock all these people, you know, let's rock and roll, let's use everybody's talents, and how can we create it? And hey, so-and-so can do this, and how we build it, and hey, you go take this project and make it come to life, and what happens is all these little cool, organic things happen that are unique to us, inside jokes, and then you're creating an atmosphere where I feel like. One, it's fun to come to work and people can be the best version of themselves.
They can just kind of be them and focus on playing great football. And winning games. And I know you're still relatively new to the area, right? Like, certainly, if you get the longevity in your career that you hope for, you're just getting started. Hopefully, right?
Do you realize What you've just accomplished by going through San Francisco and the Rams to. Cauterize the wounds of Super Bowl XLVIX against the Patriots for the 12s. Right. To win in the home of the San Francisco 49ers and maybe have them think about ripping up the carpets and changing things in their locker room because you celebrated them there. Do you realize what you've just done for the 12s?
Mike. Probably not to the to the extent which As justified as how they should feel, you know, take a lot of pride in delivering that to our fans and to the 12s. Um I think, take me and the coaches out of it, but what our players did, this team, in Michigan, we would like number the teams, teams 142. I know about 144. You were on 142, right?
Yeah, I believe so. And so, like, the 2025, 2026 Seattle Seahawks. I think deserve to be one of the recognized as one of the all-time Great teams, great performances. Find me a stat and compare it to everybody else. But that's important, you know, in the history books, and our guys deserve that recognition, I think.
But the number of times we saw Malcolm Butler picking off Russell Wilson in the weeks leading up to this game. Yeah, I mean, that's now history. It's now truly history. It is. I mean, and also, you know.
What was I doing in two thousand I was a I was a GA at Georgia. Our guys are probably 10 years old.
Well, you said you were watching that game, you said at your sister's house or something. You were at the Ravens watching that game, is what you were saying. That was 2014. Yeah, so that was the 2014 season. Actually, I was in LA and.
I remember exactly where I was. My little nephew Charlie. Watch the uh halftime show, he's digging Katy Perry. Yeah, that was cool. Yeah.
And now you're the Super Bowl winning head coach of the Seattle Seahawks, man. Pretty well. Couldn't be happier for you. Couldn't be happier for you. Thanks for joining me here.
Yeah, you got it. On the program. My pleasure. Yeah, and John Schneider's about to join us next.
So that's Mike McDonald, the Super Bowl-winning head coach of the Seattle Seahawks, helping us wrap up hour number two. We're back on the ESPN radio feed in just a moment. The Ridge Eisen Show Podcast. Mm-hmm.
