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Now, on with the show. Strack one, strike two, strike three! Tarek School, and you knew who was gonna go. This is The Rich Eisen Show. That's baseball.
The Rich Eisen Show. Earlier on the show. ESPN MLB Insider Jeff Passon. Hosts of ESPN Radio's The Golicks, Mike Golick Sr. and Mike Golick Jr.
Coming up, Chargers wide receiver Vlad McConkey. And now, it's Rich Eisen. Hey, everybody, it's hour three of the Rich Eisen Show on the air. Lad McConkey, Ladidi Mikonke, the wide receiver in year three of the Los Angeles Chargers football outfit, is going to be joining us in about 20 minutes' time. He's got a new offensive coordinator.
And you could basically say a new offensive line, too, because everybody who got hurt last year is back, and everyone who got hurt last year includes all pros like. Rashawn Slater and uh mister Ault.
So I should have mentioned alt as well. Right. With the Golicks, because he's a Notre Dame guy, and you know they're Notre Dame guys. Do you know if you're aware of that? They went to Notre Dame?
As if this show following two Notre Dame people wasn't enough of a difficult pill. For me to swallow. I find out Junior has not seen Hoosiers and refuses to see it. Yeah. The best sports movie of all time.
Oh, yes, I said it. Interesting. Oh, yeah. There's an argument for me for that. Oh, yes.
An argument for several.
Okay. There's several. I'll entertain a lot.
Okay, I'm all ears. I'm gonna say one. I think as time goes on, and plus that we know that both of those are Rudy and Hoosiers are basically, you know. Made up. I like Miracle more and more as time kind of passes.
He's right. As the best sports movie of all time. It's pretty great.
Well, what sports movies, what they have to have is to be great. is there has to be a um A story. Father-son is the one that jumps out at me. Sure.
Okay. Obviously, the blind side kind of had a mother and adopted son storyline at the center.
Okay. So just a family story, a parent. Child story. It's in the middle of it. Hoosiers had That with Dennis Hopper and his kid.
And then, of course, the coach and whatever. Fatherly advice, he kind of felt he needed to give some of these players tough love and things like that. A lot of tough love.
Okay. It's also got to have. Um moments in it. That You'll never forget. And who, you know, Miracle has a speech in fact with the word moments is the key word in it.
Yeah. That also could be an iconic story. The beauty of miracle is that you know how it's going to turn out, and you're still on the edge of your seat. Right. Yeah.
And you and it also helps to have a major star. You know. in the lead role.
So name any Kevin Costner sports movie. Oh, sure. Gene Hackman. Um Obviously. Remember the Titans having Denzel.
Right. And Kurt Russell, I think, suffices in that front. Friday Night Lights the movie with Billy Bob. That movie kind of gets better every time I see it. Right.
I mean, I know he said it's not, but most of us think Rocky is a sports movie.
Well, both Sylvester Stallone call a love story. And it's not just about the love story between Rocky and Adrian, but Carl Weathers said it was a love story between romance.
Well, I mean, that's the romance part of it, but a love story between Rocky and Apollo Creek. Yeah. And their friendship. That's what Carl Weather said. when he joined us on the radio side of things when the draft was in Philadelphia.
That actually happened on the show. It's pretty cool. 844-204-RICH. Number to Donald. You're on the show.
So um Interesting. When somebody gets signed to a massive contract that sets the market in the National Football League, that is what we call a big fat stone thrown in a rippling pond. I'll skip it. And Bijan Robinson. Getting signed.
to a record-setting market Altering deal. You know, everybody looks at Detroit for Jameer Gibbs. And for me, I'm like, that. That one, I think, can actually help sign Jameer Gibbs because there's now a target on the wall. And one guy went first.
So the other guy is now going to be able to Say I'll take similar or just a Just to scosh better. Just give me a little bit more. And even Dan Campbell's like, I think it, you know, it's not going to hurt. Mm-hmm. You never know, but I don't think it'll hurt.
With Jameer Gibbs, I just want him back. Yeah. But Contract that it might mess with more than anybody isn't somebody who's already ready to sign that next deal. It's somebody who's already gotten that second deal. Already.
And Now wants to redo that one. based on the new market set. And Jonathan Taylor, if you recall. How he got that second contract. Hmm.
Wasn't easy. It wasn't easy. And apparently, this is the way he took the news of Bijan Robinson making 25 mil a year now. Hopefully, actually, I got to go talk to my agent, too. I got to go talk to him and see where things are at.
I've been trying to just focus on getting better, making sure I'm staying in shape.
So, like I said, I have faith, so I'm going to tap in and check in with him.
Now, you guys got broken news tonight.
Well, the first thing I would do if I was Jonathan Taylor before he checks in with his agent is to see if Carly Ursa Gordon. Has the family bus sitting right there in training camp. Because if I'm not mistaken, it was Jim, may he rest in peace, who once upon a time. had Jonathan come on that boss and told him Hey, the NFL, you know, outlives us all. And at some point in time, you know, we'll You know This doesn't matter in the grand scheme of things.
What's essentially take what I'm offering? That's the one that Those are, he says it with a smile on his face, but oh, I believe he would call his agent today. Oh, as like, what? Do we do something about this? He probably called it before he took his pads off in the locker room.
Or before he even had that mention. Before even that press conference, maybe, right? Yeah. Oh, I would. I would call up and say, do we lob one in?
Uh Two uh You know, mister Biceps himself, The J the GM? In Indianapolis, do we lobb a call in? I guess that that would be kind of the last call. The Colts would care to take right now on the outset of the season. Unless it's time.
But that's what happens when one guy signs. And it resets the market. Everybody else is kind of like, huh? What about me? What about me?
Yeah. I'm here. What about me? And if I'm a running back in this day and age, and you've got any sort of leverage, you even have a whiff of leverage, oh, I I become Darrell Rivas on the spot, man. You know?
You want to buy an island. No, it's not. If you remember, Darrell Rivas, I think he's in the is he in the sports business Hall of Fame? Oh, no doubt. Contract Hall of Fame?
So much paid. Oh, my God. Yeah. I become Darrell Rivas on his worst day. Yeah.
844-204-Rich is the number to dial right here on the program. Let's go to Anthony in Miami. Anthony. Anthony. I'm here on the Rich Eyes Show.
What's up, Anthony? Rich, I want to talk about baseball. Everybody keeps saying when the baseball needs a salary cap, they need a salary floor. Remember, after the 2024 season, Luis Severino had a good year with the Mets. And the A's signed him for three years, sixty seven million dollars.
And the only reason why the A's signed him is because baseball told the A's that if they didn't spend money that they were getting from all the rich teams that was being paid into the competitive balance fund, that they were going to be restricted from taking any of that money out for the next three years. Shhh. Imagine what the Pirates' rotation would be like if they had Garrett Cole and Paul Skees at the top of the rotation. It's the fact that these smaller market teams refuse to pay the players to keep their stars. That's creating this problem because these owners are greedy, they're selfish, and all they want to do is hoard the money.
And so if you have a salary for, now you're telling all these smaller market teams, this is what you have to pay to have a roster. Because essentially, then what they're trying to do is be a feeder system to the Dodgers, the Mets, the Yankees, the Red Sox. And I'm a Mets fan, so I'm with. I've been saying that they've been needing your floor for the last 10 years. And I'm with you, Anthony.
I totally hear exactly what you just said, but you also just made another case as to why the Dodgers are terrific. Is because some of the teams that you mentioned that are feeder systems do not want to pay a certain amount for their salaries to keep up with the Dodgers because they do not want to pay a tax to the teams that they share the league with. They don't want to pay a tax to the teams that don't put it into their Their roster. They put it into their own bank accounts, as you just pointed out.
So they're like, screw it. We're not going to spend all this money on salaries to try and keep up with the Dodgers, who are like, screw it. I'm going to pay.
So, what if the A's or whomever pocket our tax money rather than trying to stay competitive? That's just one extra game we're going to win. And who are we to try and tell our fans we're not going to spend the money on another star player? Like Yamamoto, who, by the way, is one of the few Dodgers who are like, I'm not deferring a thing.
So you pay me. Pay that money. And so thanks for the call, Anthony. He makes a point. I totally hear it.
But it's also. How many times have you heard At least you still probably haven't gotten the answer you're looking for as a Red Sox fan as to why. Um The deep-pocketed John Henry group doesn't spend like the Dodgers, okay? But I'm sure you've heard, like, John Henry's not going to put tax money on the table and in the pockets of his competitors for them to just pocket and sit on their wallets. if they're not going to put it into their rosters.
Right? But the Dodgers are like Okay. Honestly, if you looked it up, how many Major League Baseball teams? went into the season. With a Roster COMBINED SALARY of $163 million.
How many baseball teams going into the season? Had their roster cost in terms of salary an aggregate of $163 million. 16. 16, right?
So there's 30 teams in Major League Baseball. 14 teams field A roster. That is less than the amount of money the Dodgers pay in tax. The Orioles are right there. They're at 161.
Well, they're less than that now with Rutchman gone, I imagine. Yep. Think about it. Half of baseball. entered the season.
With an aggregate salary. for their roster. Less than the amount of money the Dodgers pay in tax. That's Mm. That's the same.
And the Dodgers are like, cold world. And you're like, that's not fair.
Okay. The Dodgers are are paying the money into the kitty. I mean they're paying the tax. Yeah. Yankees used to do it.
They still do it. It's kind of like the Ape Brown. The Yankees don't want to pay tax. The Deinbrenner doesn't want to pay money so the Pirates can just sit on their wallet if that's what they're doing. I'm sorry to use them as an example.
They may not be doing that. Just name any team. That's what you kept hearing. Oh, Howell's not going over the tax threshold. By the way, the Yankees are taxed.
The Yankees have a $79 million tax this year. Right. But it's not. If the Yankees had a $163 million tax, do you think they'd be in better shape right now? Would they be in front of the Rays?
Maybe the Dodgers is now or that player would be hurt. It's up to 181, by the way. Putting tax now, huh? I'm not a money man, obviously, but like this money that the Dodgers are deferring. Right.
They're putting this away somewhere that's, I'm assuming, is making and earning them way more trustworthy. Not on that iron. Not on escrow. I can't hear you.
So I'm saying.
So it's like. Aren't they kind of fudging around a little bit with it? Fudging what?
Well, because they're not paying these guys. They're putting this money in the trust. This trust is earning interest, right?
So isn't it? Oh, so you mean whatever?
Okay. Oh. Again, I don't know. Like I said, this is the best. I'm assuming the Dodgers put something aside that does have an interest-bearing account.
I'm just sure. You know, are they allowed to invest it? Are they allowed to put this money in the SP 500? That's for a record high time. I have no idea.
I don't know. See, what you're saying is like, so the money that they're putting aside, I don't know if they have to put the billion dollars somewhere right now. I don't know the answer to these questions. And I know that there's somebody who's driving around Los Angeles listening to us on our local. ESPN Radio affiliate here in Los Angeles probably knows the answer to this question.
That's why I put it on the market. But what you're saying is that if there is such a thing, are they making more money in interest or investing it than they are in paying a tax? For the 2025 Dodgers kind of popped up in the mind. Like I said, I'm not my lane. Obviously, you're right.
Some of them know better than anybody else. Dodgers have a cost of doing business that is higher than anyone else because they put. They have enough of a revenue to be able to put this money into their roster and then pay a tax and then have so much money that's already. You know, spoken for. In the future.
And other teams are like. Pinching pennies, or just saying, I'm not going to take that tax money and put it into my team. I'm going to just put it in my pocket. And that's why we have Anthony from Miami, or Anthony, the Met fan in Miami, saying there should be a floor.
So, from a December 2024 article, yes, the Dodgers are required by the collective borrowing agreement to fund and set aside present-day value of their deferred money.
So, there's a billion Dodger dollars somewhere. Yeah, somewhere. Oh, that's and wherever it is, it's got to be earning something, right? And it's the plot of Den of These IV. There.
No Shea's going to rob it. That's going to hurt. Whoever that is. All right. He's on his point.
Do we take a break? Because Ladidi is waiting. Ladidi McConkey. We can't have Ladidi waiting. Lad McConkey.
Oh, let's take another call. All right, let's do that. Let's go to Ross in New Jersey. Ross. Your home state.
CJ Mikey D. What's up, Ross? What's going on, Rich? How are you doing, man? What exit?
Yeah, good one. What exit? What exit? Bergen County, I told you, like 1015. Oh, yeah, listen, I'm I'm sorry, Ross, I don't remember every single time you come on the show.
So what Ros Ross, what exit? What exit? 61 off 80.
Okay. Yeah. All right. By the soon to be MLB Network Studio. They're moving at a sequel.
Is that right, Ross? Look at you. Yep. All right. Yeah, I heard you guys talking a little bit of NFL, like surprising under the radar teams last year.
I got the cinch of the offseason for you, right? The cinch of the offseason. This is the sleeper team of the 2026 NFL season. Rawson, New Jersey's got a cinch. Of the offseason.
What is that, Ross? The Tennessee Titans. They're over under that six and a half. You talk about in this town, Rich, you know all too well if people kind of fail here the second they leave this market, they look to succeed somewhere else.
So you talk about a head coach, an offensive coordinator, pretty much half of their roster, formerly Jets and Giants. Look at the running back in Philly, the quarterback in Seattle, former second and third overall picks back to back, but said pretty much, at least in Saquon's case, the second he left, Darnold a few stops later. And Cam Ward, a first overall pick from two years ago, and you talk about a division that pretty much every single year has turnarounds. Who had the Jaguars winning 13 games last year with a first-year head coach and Liam Cohen? And every single year you see, you kind of see that team take a different team take that leap in that division.
And when you got a team full of guys with you know with something to prove, you got Cornell Tate as that rookie that could potentially make that year one leap that we see a lot of times, you know, rookie, offensive rookie of the year. And Cam Ward, like I said, a year removed from a first overall pick with. A completely new regime and a division that has turnaround every single year.
So you're saying, Ross, Ross, you're saying, from your position. The tightened being the cinch. Sleeper team of twenty twenty six. is not so much about their roster and how they've built it and how they've cultivated it and how they have playmakers there. You even mentioned Jeffrey Simmons on defense as well.
You're saying what really puts him over the top. is they hired the former Jets coach as their head coach. and the former Giants coach is their offensive coordinator. And the football gods like kicking the Giants and Jets fans in the Nards by having those that leave succeed elsewhere. That's what puts the Titans over the top.
That's what you're saying. You hit it right on the head, Rich. What I do for a living, Ross. Thanks for the call. That's Ross in New Jersey from Bergen County.
Don't forget it. Write it down. They were my number one pick in the sleeper. Is that right? Ross has a point.
It took Darnold a while. I mean, it took him a while. But a Super Bowl. Yes, he did. By the way.
Prime coffee. First one for the 2018 draft class. Just to make Ross's point even more crystal clear. For jet fans. to see Sam Darnold doing what he's doing.
and did do what he did. and have the Super Bowl. Be the first time Darnold ever beat the Patriots in his career. Is the ultimate nard kick man? That is a fact.
That's true. All he did was see ghosts. He saw ghosts. And then it's time for him to be in the Super Bowl for someone else. Seeing ghosts.
And he turns the Patriots into his own personal ghosts. that he sees. Leave their bodies because he cleans the house. That's exactly. Go figure that.
That's too true. It's not figured out. Poor Jeff Fair. Ross might have a point. Cinch of the offseason, he calls it.
Ross. Cince of the offseason. Go figure that. All right. Lad McConkey plays in so far, right?
Correct? Yes, correct. Maybe he already knows about SoFi personal loans because of that. I don't know how he couldn't. It's here to help you achieve something you maybe thought was impossible, and that's overcoming high-interest credit card debt.
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Rich Eisen here for Gusto. After all these years talking to athletes, coaches, entertainers, and people at the top of what they do, one thing is pretty clear. Success usually depends on getting the details right. For small business owners, that includes payroll, hiring, onboarding, benefits, you know, the work that keeps everything moving, even if it's not the reason you started the business in the first place. That's why there's Gusto.
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FastFunds terms apply at sofi.com/slash debt play. The Rich Eisen Show, the podcast. Hi, right. The first time with LinkedIn hiring pro people, get started by posting a free job at linkedin.com/slash Eisen. All right, let's bring him back in.
It's been a bit since we've had him on. He is back for year three in his career, just across the street with the Chargers. Ladd McConkey back on the program. How are you doing, Lad? I'm good.
I'm good. How are y'all? I'm doing fine. Let's just jump into the big news. The breaking news that we saw On Monday, congratulations.
You and your wife Sydney are expecting. Amazing. Yes, sir. Yes, sir. Thank you.
I appreciate that. Oh, look at that. It's a blessing for sure.
So I'm so excited. I can't wait to be parents with it.
So, okay. You're getting ready for making this announcement, and you're getting ready for parenthood. When's the due date?
Sometime next year, obviously? Yeah, off season, 2027.
Okay. So that's good planning. We we timed her up. It's very good planning.
So, uh, congratulations. Uh, how long have you been married? How long have you two guys been married? I'm going on year two.
So, April twelfth was was a year.
So, we've been together since high school. Uh, we're, you know, in college, got married my rookie year and Now we're expecting a baby.
Okay. Well, congratulations on that front. Outside of that, how are you getting ready for your season, lad? Oh man, I mean it's uh obviously we just started a training camp. I got healthy this summer.
We're rolling a whole new dynamic with a new offense, new coordinator, a bunch of new faces around here. And I feel like we've got off to a great start.
So super excited. We're about to head down to San Diego and get in front of some of the fans down there, put the pads on.
So I feel like we're rolling. We're in a good spot.
Okay. So you're feeling good. You're healthy going into the season as we're talking right now? Is that different from any of the previous two seasons? For you?
Um, no, I think going into the seasons, uh, into the past two seasons, I've been good. Had bumps and bruises throughout the year, but uh, I think that's pretty common. But no, I feel like we just stay on this this path, and Coach Harbaugh and then the staff have done a good job of ramping us up and and keeping us safe. And it's our job to just, you know. Take care of our bodies and be prepared when we get out there.
Now, obviously, the health factor wasn't there going into the season for you on that offensive line, and that just began everything from Rashawn Slater to alt to everything that happened. Are you seeing just the first blush look? Of what everything looks like with that healthy offensive line up front, lad. Does it look different? Just that alone?
I mean, those guys, yeah, just having the presence of Rashawn and Joe back out there, you can feel the energy when you get in the huddle. And just the way that those guys are working, not just those two, but all of them. Watching them in Indy, they're over there firing off the ball, running.
Sometimes I get caught just looking over there, watching them work.
So it's been awesome to see it fired up for them. And then, so you say the energy is different just in the huddle, seeing those guys. Yeah, absolutely. They have I mean, their captains are our team. Like, they have the presence.
And, you know, when they, you know, for Justin as well, like, when he's got those two guys out there, he can trust them. Yeah, and then the run game, too, right? Where O'Marian Hampton has now got this thing moving just from last year. How does he look differently? Uh from your perspective.
The dude's a beast. You look at him. He's jacked up, running 4-4. He's a stud.
So that whole running back room, we got Kamani, you got Keaton and Marion. I mean, we have so many guys that are special. Just get the ball in their hands and watch out. Yeah, I mean, Keaton Mitchell, for those Ravens fans, would know. I mean, he's a home run hitter for wherever you grab, wherever he takes the football from.
Like, he can hit a home run at any point in time. And clearly, you now have an offensive coordinator that does know. What to do with some speedy players, with all due respect to any predecessors, it's not like they didn't. But Mike McDaniel, his system is predicated on speed. And I'm wondering if you've got any sense of the difference there already.
Yeah, I mean, even just lining up, like, he's like fast to the ball. Like, we're doing everything fast, shifts, motions, making the defense react off us.
So, I mean, just speed into the defense. That's what he's preaching: speed, speed, speed. Like you said, whether that's up front with the O-lineman, running backs, quarterbacks getting the ball out, receivers through the defense.
So, speed, speed, speed. I think that's a good way to put it. Yeah, I did see some footage of him being mic'd up where he's barking at you guys for not moving fast enough to the line of scrimmage. Correct? Did I see that?
Oh, yeah. He wants us, he wants us up there, like, break the huddle, sprinting out there, get going.
So, learning new offense, you know, you're trying to process everything, but it's like, just play fast, and you know, the rest will take care of itself. Stories that I've also heard for people who have been coached by McDaniel. Andrew Hawkins told a story once, you know, he's a receiver like yourself. That even where you're placing your feet, footwork, even where your stance, pre-snap stance, Is something that he feels you need to work on because of the way that you can get off the football. Has that happened with you guys already?
Yeah, absolutely. It's just jumping off the ball. Like he talks about it all the time: jump off the ball, jump off the ball. And all it goes back to like the speed being timing. If we're not running full speed, quarterbacks can't know when to match it up with their footwork.
So it's just everything goes together, and it all starts with lining up and then jumping off the ball. What about blocking schemes? Lad, how's he working on with that with you? For us or for the for you, for receivers. I mean, you know, I mean, everybody's got to have a hat on a hat here.
Absolutely. I think as receivers, like. Our job is like turn those five, six yard gains into fifty, sixty yard gains.
So whether we're digging to safety, whether we're staying on corner, there's so many different rules that we have implemented within this offense, and that's just another element to it. What about your route running in the McDaniels offense? What's been different for you already in that regard? I think it's the the timing of it. It's like, get the ball in our hands and let us go make a play.
So, I mean, it might be right out of the break. We're catching. Obviously, there's nuances and different opportunities for different routes. But I think the biggest thing for me is the timing. It's like, get your head around quick, ball is on you, catch.
And let's go. Vlad McConkey here on the Rich Eisen Show. How is Herbert taking to the new offense? Not for you to speak for him, but I'm asking you to. What do you think?
Oh, I mean, he's going to pick it up. Anything you throw at him, easily. Guy's a beast. He's studied so hard. He's first one in here, last one out, trying to craft the offense and know it better than anybody.
And I think he's done a great job with that. And then his physical attributes, they speak for themselves. He's a stud.
Well, how does this offense suit him better than maybe previous ones, do you think? I don't want to speak for him in that sense, but I think he's just. I think the way that him and Mike have been able to connect, and then obviously Coach Shane, the quarterback coach. I feel like they're on just such a good page with everything and just a bunch of built-in answers for him, get the ball out of his hands, and then when it's time for him to make a play, he's going to make a play.
Okay. And did you know he was going to get engaged to give you a heads up? I had a little heads up. You did.
Okay. Did he ask for any advice from you since you've obviously gotten to a knee sooner than? I mean, this is the ultimate victory formation. Absolutely. Any advice?
Did you give him any advice? He was ready for it. He was ready for it. I think anybody in that situation is going to have little nerves. And I told him, I was like, you're going to be nervous up there, but speak from the heart.
You'll be good. He was ready for it. Oh, seriously.
So that was your advice to speak from the heart. You'll get nervous, pretty much? Oh, I mean, I told him, I said, when I do it, dude, I feel like I blacked out. I was just up there nervous. I don't know what I said, but all I know is she said, yes.
Did he report back? By the way, this just did. Did he report back that he did, in fact, feel nervous? Did he report back? I think they even asked him in the media that he was more nervous leading up to that than.
Than other things.
So, yeah, I mean, I think it's nerves are a good thing.
Okay. Where are they registered? Can we send a gift? What do you think? Do you know?
Oh, I'm sure they accept the gift. Are they registered anywhere? Do we know? I don't know. I don't know.
Okay. Because, I mean, we should get them some. We should. Like a gravy boat?
Something like that? Candlesticks. Right? Like, what did you want when you got engaged? Like, what did you need?
What? What do you think? What did you do? I was trying to move in a new house. I need a house for my gifts.
Okay. Figure that out. Very good. And how was you got a good Harbaugh McDaniel story that you're just sitting back watching there? interaction and that you guys just start chuckling about it?
Anything? Um I'm trying to think. Uh I don't know if I can I don't know if I have one off the top of my head, but I'd love to be a be a fly on the wall and just sit in on their conversations. I think it would be something. Why?
Because they share a love-a-ball. Is that what you're saying? Absolutely. Those guys love it. You never know what they're going to say.
They're going to speak what's on their mind.
So you never know what's going to come out. Did you just laugh just seeing the photograph on the screen? Because I just did. Did that just happen? Because you and I both shared that moment.
You did yourself. Look at them. Two P's in a pod. That's all. Right?
I mean, one guy's got a hat on all the time, and the other guy's got product in there. You know what I mean? Like, just look at the sunglasses. That's the difference, y'all. Their choice and I wear?
Absolutely. That sums them up pretty well. But they do have a share of a love of ball, right? That's what they're about, correct? 100%.
I mean, those guys, when they get going and they get going in the offense talking about things, like you can you can just see it. They want to win so bad. And I feel like that's what's that's awesome about it. Like Coach Harbaugh is a winner, Coach McDaniel is a winner. And then just putting them together, it's going to be really good.
Well, I mean, what do you what's the expectation level? Lad, because, you know, this is a tough division. Yeah. An opportunity though. Here, right, where the offense that's in there.
You know, I'm knocking on wood here that everybody is healthy in the offensive line. protects your guy To get the ball to you and the rest of this wide receiver room and running back room and defense that does feel improved just looking at a roster. Lad, what is the expectation level? I mean, obviously we're taking it taking it day by day, but I think um I think the The goal What we're pursuing is just championship level football. Like, at the end of the day, that's what we want to play.
We want to win our division first off. We want to get in the playoffs. We want to make a run. Ultimate goal, we want to be the team that wins the last game. We want to win the Super Bowl.
I think that's what everyone's pushing for. That's what our eyes are set on. One day at a time, Starts now.
So, championship little football, I think that's what we're focused on. Yeah, and of course, you know, obviously, with Super Bowl 61 being in your home stadium.
Well, a lot of people are mentioning your co-tenants, you know, your neighbors there, because they want it there the last time it was there. And Miles Garrett just joined them and Aaron Donald is reportedly set to do that. Do you feel you're overlooked even in this town? Uh I don't say I don't know. I don't Speak too much, but I got confidence in our team.
I know what we can do. Obviously, they're a great team as well. They played great football. But I'm rocking with the guys in my room for sure. Because if I'm not mistaken, Georgia's used to winning in that building, too, when all the chips are down, correct?
We got some good history in there. All right, I'll make sure to let my fellow. TCU teammates, uh let them know. Yeah, Quentin. Quentin.
Yeah, guys, I got you and then Didi, Darius Davis. Oh, okay. Both in the receiver room, so they start talking. I got some ammunition. Then is the La Didi thing run its course, or are people still referring to you as that from the Mr.
Drivers kids? People still say it every now and then, especially like fans and stuff. You'll hear them screaming, La Didi.
Okay. Ladidi McConkin. It's funny. I'll take it.
Well, I guess you're welcome, or I'm sorry. I don't know which one that is since that started on this program. If that's the worst thing people are calling me, I think I'm okay.
Well done.
Well, the best thing they can call you is dad, so congratulations on that. And good luck on the championship run that you're hoping for, Lad. I appreciate it. I appreciate it. Yeah, thank you.
As always, Lad McConkey of the Los Angeles Chargers, our neighbor across the way, Ladidi McConkey. Right here on the Rich Isen Show. See ya, thank you. There he goes. It's a delightful chat right there.
All right, we will take a break. And you know how I like pounding the is he back yet into the ground for the Los Angeles Rams. I'm about to officially tap out on hunting and pecking on another storyline that we'll keep on returning to.
Okay. I think I'm about to officially tap out of that. No, but it's bad. You don't know what I'm talking about yet, do you? I don't know that's what teas.
Yeah, I'm curious. Maybe been teasing the own uh the my own uh colleagues. Oh my. Take a break. We're back on the Rich Eisen Show in a flash.
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So, you know, I love pounding the table on this Aaron Donald story. Is he back yet? Are you giving up? Oh, I'm not giving up on this. Oh, no, no, okay, no.
Oh, no. I think I know what you're giving up on. I love it. I love it. Is he back yet?
Is he back yet? I'm assuming the answer is still no, otherwise we'd stop the program, right? Oh, we'd have to celebrate. Aaron Donnell is, in fact, not back yet. Yeah, no.
Like Judge Smells, well, we're waiting. Ugh. Back in March, if we had had a similar segment, Okay. For Max Crosby, it would be called Is He Gone Yet? Yeah.
He gone.
Okay. And then he was gone. He was. And then if we had had an Is He Gone Yet segment, we would have like, oh, that segment's over. Until uh the Ravens uh said, uh oh, oh, oh, oh, he's gone from here, he's back where he would belong.
Original. And I've been saying For weeks. A, when Max comes back healthy, the question will be: does he still want out?
So you still want to be gone. And I'm. been pounding the table Talking about your Cowboys, this is the guy. Go get him. Right.
Jerry, when he showed up in Oxnard for his training camp opening press conference, said, We're giving up, we'd be up for giving up futures. That's what he said: futures. We worry about the future. MACA. You want to win the present right now?
You get Max Crosby, and you're like, Welcome back to Texas, kid. Is there some breaking news I don't know about, Rich? No, I'm officially giving up on it. Yeah. Oh, you have?
Yeah, yeah. For the beginning of the season, though? Back Together Again weekend happened, right? Yep, yep. Is it Back Together Again weekend or is it Back Together weekend?
It's back together. It's Back Together Weekend. Last weekend. Back together weekend. And the training camp coverage on NFL Network outstanding.
Omar Ruiz, David Carr. Sitting there at Raiders Camp. Max Crosby, shirtless but inked like crazy, talking about how he looks. forward to seeing Fernando Mendoza become the man. and also join them in the leadership front.
In this league, you need a great quarterback to win and compete. And Fernando is going to be that guy at some point. And I want to see him succeed. I want this organization to succeed. I'm a Raider to the core, and I want to win more than anything.
So it's going to take all of us, not just myself. It's everyone. It's all three levels. You know what I mean? And you talk back to the Patriot days back then.
They had Teddy Bruski at linebacker. They had Rodney Harrison at safety. They had Richard Seymour up front. They had vets and dudes everywhere that led.
So I don't want to just be the only guy talking all the time. It can't just be me. It's not basketball where Kobe grab the dudes and be like, no, this is what we're doing. There's 15 dudes on the team. You got 90 guys on the roster right now and 40 coaches.
I don't know if you have so many damn coaches. You know how it is.
So like, my. point is is intentionality, and that's like a big word for me this offseason. I've been intentional with all the things I'm doing, and I want to be intentional with everything.
So that includes leadership. Fernando's a great kid, he's got all the talent in the world, and I want him to have all the success in the world and help lead that offensive side. Yeah, he's not Switching in any direction other than just staying put and being intentional to stay put and be ready for the season. You know? So I think I'm going to give up on this one.
Don't.
Well, I know you want him in Dallas, but Unless you're calling up and you're telling John Spytech, I'll give you the same two ones that the Raiders, I mean, that the Ravens gave you. Oof. You hang up the phone, right? You see how it works. Certainly if he's the one who's like, I got traded.
Because it wasn't working out here. I'm back. And I'm taking a leadership role, and I'm telling everybody else who's with me. You wanna trade that guy away? Who, by the way, is one of the best Pass rushers in the National Football League.
I don't want to trade that guy away. I want to win with him.
So, I'm going to stop with this whole business. Like, I need to see it. Let's see what happens. And training camp arrives.
Now, trade deadline's a different story. You're going through half the season. The Raiders might be struggling. And he's just like, I. Can't do it anymore.
Or I'm ready to ring chase a little bit here. But I watched that same thing earlier, and he's leading by example. They were showing shots of the team running gassers. He is leading the team. Like he's out in front of everyone doing these, you know, this workout.
So he's in there leading by example. You know, there's only one way to do it, I think. And When they told him you're sitting for the last two games of last season, he was done with it. Yeah. It didn't matter that Pete was gone and everyone was gone, and they're bringing in a new guy.
He was done with it. Yeah. And don't forget, you know. It would be wild if he stays put. And he's still the same guy for them.
And he stays, and they win. They turn it around. And they turn it around. And part of the reason they turn it around is in the 48 hours that he was gone, and they figured they had all this cap space. They go and get Tyler Linderbaum.
You know what I mean? They get this guy. Who proves to be the guy who does shepherd Fernando Mendoza through? And they get They keep Max too. I don't know if those are mutually exclusive, that they would, if Max wasn't gone, they wouldn't have gotten.
the best center on the free agent market. It just makes sense. Again, if you want Fernando Mendoza to succeed, And you want him to succeed. and become the leader that Max Crosby says he would like him to see. And he does strike me as he's ready to lead.
Like that's going to be something he takes very seriously. He's ready to get LinkedIn on that. You know what I mean? To use that phrase. And you want to get him to that position where he's comfortable doing it because he's the man, you know what you do.
You gave him short fields because Max Crosby is still on the team to put him back on the field. And you get them a a center. Who he could share brain with? You get them that.
Solidifies a line. It's a guy that, you know, the quarterback-center relationship obviously is a close one. Smart moves, and then you get him a coach who's going to build an offense around him. Mm-hmm. So They're checking boxes.
But I'm unchecking the box if I need to see a full training camp season to believe Max Crosby is still going to be a Raider or wants to be one. I don't think that's a good idea. I'm with you, though. Let's check back in at the Trade Center.
Well, I mean, we'll have to see the way the season goes in there. I mean, they can be one and six, and then it's like. And it's just like really getting my brains beating in again, and I just see how happy Miles Garrett is somewhere else. Yeah. And then Uncle Jerry makes a call.
Ah. Yeah. Futures. Futures. Giving up futures.
Hey, don't stop on that table just yet, Rick. All right. Call Mark Davis. Say, I got futures for you. Bust the budget.
Yeah. Right. Bust the budget. By the way, your boy Overshawn, I was watching a clip. He blew up a player on offense yesterday during practice.
Just wait for Barham to join him, too. Oh. That wraps up our Tuesday show. Thanks for listening to the Rich Eisen 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.
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