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Get what you need even faster with Express Delivery from the Home Depot. Subject to availability restrictions and fees apply. This is The Rich Eisen Show. Hey, everybody! Can't get enough of the Rich Eisen Show?
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Now, on with the show. This is the Rich Eisen Show, show, show, show. With guest host, Bobby Bones. Rich Eisen. He's calling me, that's cool.
From the Rich Eisen Show studio in Los Angeles. Today's guests, NFL Network Insider Ian Rappaport. College football insider for the athletic, Stuart Mandel. Actor and musician Nick Jonas. And now, sitting in for Rich, it's Bobby Bones.
All right, here we are. Call us once I say something that irritates you. 844-204-RICH. Watch us on Disney Plus and the ESPN app. Listen on ESPN Radio, SiriusXM Channel 80, and you can follow us at Rich Eisen Show.
Also, subscribe to the YouTube channel, youtube.com/slash Rich Eisen. Chris TJ, what's up, friends? Bobby, man. Great to see you. Thank you.
We just spent 20 minutes on my hair, so you'll be good. I gotta say, it was really fun watching that whole process. Like, I haven't done that in 25 years, so it was cool to live vicariously through you having that done. I should have been sensitive to your needs. I'm just saying.
Sorry about that. Yeah, it's okay. I accept. Yeah, I accept. I do want to talk about the Pro Bowl to start.
The NFL is killing the Pro Bowl game, which I think we can all clap at that, right? Should we all off this? Oh, really? You don't want to clap at the Pro Bowl? Are we pouring one out, TJ, for the Pro Bowl games?
I don't know yet. I'm still trying to process it. Oh, you're doing games, too.
So, first they did the Pro Bowl.
Now they're killing tug of war, three-legged race. They were doing the potato sack. That was all pretty stupid. You know what it felt like the Scholastic Book Fair back in the day whenever I was in school? Did you guys have this where they would bring this thing to you, and at your school in the library, they would sell a bunch of like bookmarks?
Oh, yeah. And it was a big event. Loved it. That's what the Pro Bowl games felt like to me. Remember when we were kids and you went to Pizza Hut for the book it, and you got your stars, and if you got your five stars, you got a personal pan pizza?
That was the greatest day of my life when you filled the stars. That's how I used to eat. You don't want that sad story. Bring that back. You don't want that sad story, though.
I read so many books. Just to have dinner. Yeah, you don't want that sad story right now. That's not what we're here to do. That's not what we're here to do.
I'm sorry for your plight. Yeah, you got trauma. We both have trauma. You have bald head trauma? No, I'm a proud bald man.
Fair enough. Pro Bowl games are gone, which are good. Could this be that Shadur Sanders killed the Pro Bowl? I saw this take yesterday, TJ. Oh, someone had it before me?
Oh, yeah. People have jokes. The internet moves fast, Bobby. And it was like, look, Shadur made one Pro Bowl. And they killed the games.
I don't know. I enjoyed the games. You didn't find them fun and entertaining. The flag football was cool. The old quarterback challenge.
Remember those when we were kids? They kind of did a modified version of that. It was a fun attempt. Look, all-star games are kind of all pointless and meaningless now. They don't mean the same today as they did when we were kids.
Exactly. And we were talking about this pre-show. I don't know if it's a generational thing, the money's too big, that these guys just can't risk anything, really, embarrassment, injury, et cetera. But I thought the games was kind of a fun attempt for the kids, and I didn't mind it. But the fact that it's gone, I guess, is in a way sad because the Pro Bowl used to be awesome.
Yeah. Did it, though. Even when it was in the middle of the morning, Sean Taylor blowing up that dude. Was one of the greatest moments in NFL history. Look, when we were kids, right?
And getting to watch all of these great players come together and play on the same team, that was fun. That was play. Yeah, but When you're 13 and 12, you don't know that. You just know that, you know, Peyton Manning is throwing a touchdown pass to Randy Moss. I believe kids were, at least I was, more caught up on that aspect of it than the actual gameplay.
I like it that they're still going to honor the Pro Bowlers. I don't think we need to replace them now because you don't need to be replaced just to be honored.
So you do have your Pro Bowlers. They get their money in the contract. They were getting their bonuses for, but I don't think anybody actually cared. Again, the Pro Bowl games were fun, but if. I would compare the Pro Bowl games to what's coming up with the Olympics with flag football and NFL players possibly getting involved.
I don't want my guys playing in either one of them. Really? I don't want them playing in the flag football game. I don't want them playing in the Olympics if it's my team because I don't want there to be any risk that one of my guys might get hurt doing that.
Now, do I want to win the gold? Absolutely. Do I want all the guys from the Lions to play? Sure. Not my team.
So I don't want my guys playing flag football. I don't want my guys playing. Olympic flag football because we just see what happens. And if Joe Burrow even thinks about watching you stop. Like it n n you just stay hurt.
I don't want my guys getting hurt. That's all. And then it also comes that you think about the other traditions that used to feel important. that we don't really care about anymore. And you guys are with me, we're all around the same age.
It used to be. Not just viewing. Where you would sit down and watch, but you would wait for a month for the slam dunk contest. Yeah. It was the absolute greatest thing in basketball, bigger and better than the all-star game.
I mean, I remember Spud Webb, my favorite all-time dunk contest winner. Spud Webb winning the dunk contest because he was 4'3 and we had never seen anything like that before. I remember Michael Dominique Wilkins, like that's where he became a brand because Atlanta kind of sucked. It was Dominique. It was Doc Rivers.
Atlanta kind of sucked as a team, but Dominique. Rushed. To court and slammed harder than anybody else. Man, with authority.
So even D. Brown, like I can go to D. Brown. Yes. It was on the cover of Sports Illustrated.
Dee Brown. They put it on the bottom of his Reebok pump. That all mattered then. It doesn't matter now. The same thing.
I think it's going to happen to the Pro Bowl. I would say bowl games are getting there. Yeah, I kind of like the idea. I don't know who had this, but play the bowl games first. Play them at the beginning of the year.
Talk more, talk more. Play them at the beginning of the year where they actually matter. But how do you get the teams for the bowl games at the beginning of the year? All the bowl games are usually promised to conferences. Like, you know, a random bowl game is SEC fourth place against Big Ten fifth place.
Are we speculating? Sure, preseason rankings. Who cares? Hmm, it's too much speculation. It does feel a bit, though, when they do ACC versus SEC challenge.
Right.
So, I guess you could do that type of thing in football, but then still make the money in the middle of the market. We pretty much know who's going to be good and who like what bowl games feature how many? 60 teams? You pretty much know what the top 60 is going to look like, give or take a random here and there. You can offer up invites, and if someone says yes, they say yes.
Let's do it at the beginning of the season. Then we can really enjoy the college football year, and then, boom, playoffs hit. I don't mind it. If we treat it like college basketball does, where we just go ACC versus SEC, Big 12 versus, because the only reason we're still having them, honestly, we all know this is money. Sure.
There are so many. I mean, they start now. It's, you know, the day before Thanksgiving, and they roll all the way to the national championship games. Wonderful time of the year. June season.
It's crazy.
So I would say bowl games. Are falling into that more. But I hope they get rid of the conference championship games. Yeah. And I know that's been talked about.
If I were a team that were going to play in the playoff, and if there were two teams for sure going to play in the playoff, and you're going to stick them both in the conference championship game, I don't want to play the game. I don't want to play the game because, well, same reason, I don't want my guys playing flag football in the Olympics. Yeah, you're going to see guys sit out conference championship games, right? If they're already kind of a lock for the playoff. Even at 12 teams, 16 were probably going to expand at some point.
I would sit, guys, maybe not in the first quarter, but yeah. I don't want guys getting hurt.
So the Pro Bowl's gone. Goodbye. But I think we should just have our. But then you get into Pro Bowl versus all-pro guys. And the difference was the all-pro guys, number one, all-pro first team, second team.
The Pro Bowl guys, actually, there were more players and they actually played the game. And that was the difference. Where just because you were all pro, like, that was the highest that you could achieve. But there wasn't a game. Pro Bowl, there was a game, so they'd keep adding more and more players.
So there's going to be. Less of a difference now in all pro and Pro Bowl? Do you I would think so, yeah. In theory. I mean, look, when you have All due respect to these players.
They're in the NFL. TJ, I don't want to besmirch them. But when you have. Shador Sanders has the star next to his name for last year. I mean he was Not a good quarterback.
Snoop Huntley the year before. Mac Jones doesn't act like he wasn't. He was a, yeah, he was either sixth or seventh option because guys get hurt. They sit out. Mac Jones had a much better rookie season than Shador Sanders.
Still, the best players. Put some respect on Mac Jones' name. Not a playoff. Maybe the playoffs. Not a pro ball.
You guys are going dirty dog. I just gave you one. You guys keep throwing more people under.
Well, I'm not sure. It happens every year where it's like, wait, you go to their pro football reference page and you're like. That guy was made the Pro Bowl? Like, what happened? I mean, I have the list.
So, just quickly, Shadura replaced Drake May. Joe Flacco replaced Josh Allen. Joe Flacco was a Pro Bowler last year. Like, what are we doing? Yeah.
That was a lifetime achievement Pro Bowl. Congratulations, congratulations. You didn't break a hip? Pro Bowl. T.
Higgins replaced Zay Flowers. I don't hate that one. Tyler Warren replaced Brock Bowers.
So. Yeah, Pro Bowl, we're all good with that. Joe Flacco was one and five, TJ. Bless you. Didn't Philip Rivers make the Pro Bowl last year?
Two and eight. No, but that would have been hilarious. Did you see Philip Rivers' son play high school football? Last week. Was he amazing?
Uh he lost to my friend Luke Bryan's son. Oh. Luke Bryan's son plays quarterback. It was a Tennessee, Alabama, two schools, high schools, and it was on ESPN. Hunting fishing.
And climb tree. And. Uh Bo, Luke's son, threw for like three seventy five. Yeah, it's pretty it's pretty. It's pretty great to see.
I'm friends with Luke Bryan, so it was pretty cool to see Bo, who a kid I've known since like 12 years old. Yeah, that's awesome. Luke has a son named Bo? Wait, seriously? Go ahead.
I mean, Big Duke's a hazard? Yeah, there we go. All right.
Now we're on. They got a cousin named Cooter or Daisy or Cletus. He's got to own a General Lee, right? You know, the General Lee, not really something you own now. Yeah.
Well, you could, well, Bubb Watson had one and he painted the car. Yeah, you paint the top. Yeah, you paint the top. But I'm saying the fair enough car. Fair enough.
Yeah. We can quickly drop into should a professional athlete be allowed to go back and play college sports? And I I think generally we could all say it together together. The answer is no. No, right?
Yeah, yeah. I mean, the only people who think yes are basically judges in Louisiana or Texas, you know. We're starting to see, though, now these conferences come out and go, can't do it. Here's the penalty. SEC said we got some pretty harsh penalties.
I was reading yesterday. It was like: if you 50% of the money, no sitting at the table making decisions with the league, your coach is suspended 50% of the year. But here's the thing, the NCAA always loses when it goes to court. Uh they don't They always lose.
So if this If they want to really press on this, they will probably lose again.
So the penal this is from Pat Forty, he tweeted this. A half season suspension for the head coach. Five, excuse me, the fine 50% of the sports budget. SEC voting privileges revoked on business matters, and the commissioner has latitude to apply other sanctions. Boy, that last one is hardcore.
That's just gen. They can do whatever they want to you.
So We all agree, but here is my medium-warmest of takes. Ooh. I want there to be pros in college football. You do? I want there to be, I want every pro to come back and play college football.
I want it to be such mayhem that they are forced to fix it and quickly because it is not going to be fixed. We have seen a McDonald's playground slide down into college football being weird and terrible and just sad because it doesn't need to be what we grew up at being. That is not how life works. Everything changes. But It sucks now because of Because of how NIL is handled, all of these things.
The one-year transfer has really made college football not fun because we can't. Bond with our players. It's why I've kind of checked out on college basketball recently. Like when we were growing, when I was a kid, but guys stayed three, four years. We got to know TJ, one of your favorite college basketball players of all time, Grant Hill, was a four-year super duper star.
And we had connections to these guys, the Michigan players, guys that went to Syracuse, Georgetown. We got to know them and know their games. We were excited for them coming back next year and looking forward to, you know, just speculating on how they were going to play in the tournament and what their pro draft prospects were going to be like. And then all the one and dones happened, and you're just like, I don't know who any of these guys are. I have no connection, even though they wear the same jersey that I, you know, grew up rooting for.
At Arkansas, those were our guys because we didn't have a sports team. A pro sports. Yeah. And so I think it needs to be so. Terribly run and organized, and everybody needs to be so angry that a change has to be forced because a change, they've tried.
They've almost got some legislation. They can't get everybody to vote because they always try to pork belly some odd things in it as well. I think it has to go so wrong that's the only time anything ever gets fixed.
So you want chaos until it blows up. It never gets fixed until there's total chaos. Yeah, I'm looking at the operating budget for LSU football last year. You guys want to guess what this is? You talk about the 50% fine if they were to play one of these guys.
$51 million, the football budget in LSU. That's your salary here. Can you imagine that? Yeah, that was between us. No, but I'm saying that's a lot.
That's how I know that's a lot, because I know that's your salary here. Again, I thought that was off-fair comment. Yeah, we hate pros in college. LSU is really the face now, and is it a surprise that LSU is being run by Langiffen? I mean, is that a surprise?
Well, I mean, is it? I mean, he goes there. Jay Felly wants a Raider, always a Raider. They kind of play by their own rules. He's the Pied Piper of just trouble.
He's the Pied Piper of like fun trouble. Dude, dude, dude. Like fun trouble. Wayne is your fun uncle who like sneaks you beer when you're 12. Right.
You know what I mean?
So I hate it. And cannot get understand where your mom gets mad at you. Yeah, and you're just like, Wayne, coming out. You know what I mean?
It's the big thing. Teaching you how to drive at 10. There he is. We all hate it, but I feel that it needs to happen even worse. Because it's got to get fixed, and they're not fixing it as is.
They're just trying to bandaid it, and those bandaids are falling off like you just got in the shower with it on. They're falling off like that that quickly.
So that's that. Another one is Bill Belichick. He's going to play this week, week zero of college football is this weekend.
So it's year two at North Carolina. One to ten, ten meaning you totally care. How much do you care, former Patriots? Lover? Yes, love Bill.
Everything he did for the team that I root for for X amount of years. A lot of winning, TJ. Put up a statue. It should have a gold jacket already. I am less than zero interested in North Carolina football.
Really? Yeah. What about you, TJ? I got so many teams, Bobby. I just don't have the capacity to take on another one right now.
Well, you just took on, Bobby, you may have missed it. TJ is now a diehard Oregon football fan. Really? And so, oh, Jay Felly, breaking news. I haven't been here for a while.
Die Hard Oregon fan over there, TJ Jefferson.
So, asking him to root for the Char Hills probably is a bit. And I don't even know if you need to root. Are you interested? I am interested for one more season. He went four and eight last year.
It was a fun story. Greatest NFL coach of all time. Takes to college. Wasn't it a fun story, though? It seemed like a lot of people was cracking a lot of jokes.
That's fun to me.
Okay, well, I like that. It didn't have to be like a wholesome story. I like your style. I see where you're coming from. Yeah.
I'm playing TCU this week. In Dublin. Which is pretty awesome. College football overseas does not make sense to me. Because NFL wise, I could see where you could bond with an NFL team.
Right.
College football, there are so many schools. And also, college football is based on where you grew up or where you went to school or where your dad went to school. In Dublin, they don't care. There's no so there's no real attachment. Yeah, I feel that Bill Belichick Going 4-8 last year, if he doesn't have seven wins this year, I think he probably says, Hey, I'm going to go ahead and call it.
They're going to let him call it. And he's probably going to step away. But it'll be interesting. Is it still novel? No.
I think a little bit, some of that shine of Bill Belichick being the greatest coach ever. You think this is Tainting the legacy a little bit? I think it's we'll call it acute tanking because what will happen is Michael Jordan on the Wizards. We can do all these where you're going to ruin your legacy. But Brett Favre is a great packer, regardless of what happened.
Belichick is the greatest coach of all time. It's just going to take about three years to fully wash it off. Does it make you think that it was all Tom Brady? Mm-hmm. It doesn't.
It makes me think that Tom Brady probably wouldn't have been Tom Brady without the exact coaching style of Bill Belichick. Agree. I do a podcast for the NFL with Matt Castle and who Was under Brady, obviously came in when Brady was out. And he talks a lot about that dynamic, and he thinks that it's very much. Those two were together at the right time, the right place, and they worked together wonderfully.
And he talked about how Tom Brady would take coaching as good as anybody on the team and how hard Bill Belichick was as a coach. And what's funny to me is When talking with other patriots, Just through Matt, is that once Tom left, And Tom was the example on that team of: hey, you're the best player, and you also take coaching wonderfully. Once Tom left, they didn't have that anymore. And so Belichick really wasn't able to coach them as hard because there wasn't the main guy going, Yeah, I'll be coached hard, everybody else can too. Yeah.
So I think it was the perfect mix. But all right, Bill Belichick, we don't care that we're Very higher register. They go on the run, we'll care. Yep. They will not go on a run.
So we will not care.
So true. Ian Rappaport's coming up. I love Ian Rappaport. That's right. ESPN, NFL Network Insider, the go-to guy.
If there's somebody I'm going to read, it's Ian. We will come back with Ian Rappaport in just a second. I'm Bobby Bones in for Rich Eisen. Thank you guys. Bobby Mose.
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The Rich Eisen Show, the podcast. All right, call us 844-204-RICH. Would love to hear from you, especially about our Pro Bowl talk. If you think the Pro Bowl was a complete waste of everybody's time and the Pro Bowl games, Ian Rappaport, co-host of The Insiders on NFL Network, ESPN. Let's go to the Pro Bowl for a second.
Obviously, they're not doing the games now, they're just going to recognize the players. What do you think, Ian? Good move? You know I never really watched the Pro Bowl, if we're being totally honest. Thank you, Ian.
So, I don't know that really affects my life very much. I think they tried. You know, I've been to some Pro Bowls, it was surely a fascinating experience. Not a lot of people trying, not a lot of people playing hard. Um, one or two guys would try to play hard, and you're like, What are you doing?
It's just like. Also, guys aren't really in shape, and there's always freaked me out about would a guy get an injury or not. Um So You know, I'm probably the right decision. I mean, it wasn't a good game. I think the flag football attempt was a really good effort, a really good answer.
Um I think they tried. They really tried. And like flag football is obviously having a moment.
So that was a really good thought. I just don't know that players want to work out after and like try hard after taking off for three weeks. Like, that just leads to their bodies feeling terrible, and it's just like, I. I don't know who needs it. And if there's an opportunity to cut it, like, cut it.
Should be honored. Should still have Pro Bowlers. Like, I really like. that players are Pro Bowlers. Like I like All of it.
Um It's just not the game part of it, so probably the right decision. Patrick Mahomes continues to hit all of his rehab checkpoints. I don't really see it. I d I don't know what that means even, except I feel like he's getting healthier. But how much of this is propaganda?
How much of this is Patrick Mahomes is going to be ready to deal week one? Yeah, I mean, it feels like Patrick Mahomes is going to be ready to go week one. I was there in Kansas City, one of the last training camp practices. And I was there with Brian Baldinger and like I really could not believe, honestly, how good he looked. I was sort of told going in, like, he's going to look good.
He's doing a lot of things. I'm like, okay, okay. He looked. Not good, but great. You know, is he 100% speed-wise?
Like, can he do everything? Like, I don't know. But like, you know, eight or nine months off in ACL, he's doing everything in practice. Um And it looks like Mahomes, like, you know, might they have to rely on the run game a little more? Or, like, maybe.
Um but I thought it looked great. And you know, the Chiefs are very, very good. Um Like, from a health and safety standpoint, they have a great athletic training staff. They have really good medical situations. Their players do very, very well.
I just. Um Okay. I trust them to make the right decision. I do think there's a pretty good chance he's out there. This is going to be an elementary question, but can the Chiefs be good this year?
Duh. It should be good. I mean, I think some of it depends on, you know, draft-wise. Um You know, where, how quickly can some of these guys come in and hit the ground running? You know, I mean, they got.
Um two First rounders who were on defense. Um, you know, they got Monsoor Delaney, they got Woods. Woods sounds like he's at a really good camp, Peter Woods from Clemson. Delane was injured some, but is healthy now and is like a crazy talent. If those guys come in and start, I think they're going to be.
You know, really good. And like, remember, it's the Chiefs.
So if their defense is.
So let's say top Mike, they're probably going deep into the playoffs, really, just because of what they can do on offense. I think the receiving core will be fine as well. Injuries. Jamar Chase's knee. What have you heard about that?
Uh sounded like a mild hyperextension, probably scared him a little bit. Um but I think overall he's gonna be okay. 53 man roster cuts are going to happen. Anyone that you're hearing that probably will be surprised by that gets cut? You know, I haven't heard a ton of that.
I think what has happened more and more is. teams feel like they're guys or it might not be making the shop a much earlier. Like they have a good idea. And so, like, in March, those guys get traded. In June, those guys get traded.
I mean, there'll be some trades, don't get me wrong, but I don't know that there's gonna be a lot where you're like, I can't believe this guy was traded. Every year, there's maybe one or two. Um I just don't get the chance. I don't get the sense there's like just a. you know A huge amount of starters who are going to get cut because guys know the landscape a lot of time.
Guys want to stay with the team they're with and will take pay cuts.
So, like, I don't know, there's going to be a ton of surprises coming. Help me read between the lines here because we would see this a bit, and even going back to Jamar Chase. When a star player says he's fine, he's fine, got it, no problem, but then misses practice the next day. How are we supposed to feel about that? I mean, players are generally terrible sources on their own injuries.
So. You know, I would. I mean, I've had it happen a bunch back when I used to cover the Patriots hanging out in locker rooms. It's like. You know, you'd ask the guy on his way out, like, How's your neat?
I'm good, man, I'm good, no problem. And then he'd be like, Out for the season. You're like, Oh.
Okay. Players are terrible sources.
Now, this one, from my understanding, I feel confident that he's going to be okay, but I'm just saying in general, a player saying he's okay doesn't always mean that he's just going to be fine. Like, it means probably no long-term injury, which is my sense on this one, too. Are there any teams that Maybe we'll try to trade a player now that we would know because, again, going back to the cuts that they think they may have to cut them. I think a lot, yeah. And that's really what's going on today, tomorrow and Saturday is, you know, you'll I think it's Saturday will probably be a big trade day.
You'll get players who You know, some you've heard of even. You know, who gets traded for a six-round pick, and you're like, all right, this guy wasn't going to make the team, and you had two teams vying for him, so it's a six-rounder, not a seven. You know, most of these trades will be like player for seventh rounder for depth. I don't know if there's gonna be a lot of starters. Unless it's a situation where a player wants a new contract.
But I don't know if there's going to be a lot of starters traded, maybe one or two, but it certainly doesn't seem like that many to me. I'd like to know the vibe on Kyler Murray now that he is the starter and up in Minnesota how they're feeling about that. No, I think they're feeling okay and pretty optimistic. You know, Kyler's an interesting one because he's a flyer on a quarterback who's cheap because the Cardinals are playing, but he's still young. And so I think, you know, if he goes out there and plays Average, let's say he's the 16th best quarterback.
You know, they're going to be pretty good. Defense is good. Brian Forrest does a great job. Kevin O'Connell has always put his quarterback. imposition to succeed.
Um and this is you know Maybe what they kind of should have done with Sam Darnold, which is take a fire on a quarterback. If he hits, extend him on like a three-year deal, and like, there's your guy. And you can stop wandering in the wilderness looking for a quarterback for. The next several years. I mean, that's all anyone wants: you just want an answer.
And you know, there is a chance that Kyler Murray is the answer. For them. And I think that would be great for all parties. What about down in Atlanta where we got the dual lefties? Who's going to be quarterback?
Who's going to be healthy? It's not really who's going to be healthy, but it's really just who seizes the job.
So you had, you know, Tua Takawailoa with a. Big time head start. You know, really someone who I think a lot of people thought would earn the job. He's at an up-and-down camp. Maybe gotten better the last couple days, but up and down camp.
And then you have Michael Pennix Jr. who You know, they really thought they were going to be taking it slow with. And then because Tua maybe hasn't performed like you wanted, You know, you You get panics, you pass his physical. He's in full team practices, and all of a sudden he has a chance at the starting job.
Now, he's not going to play in their final preseason game, so he kind of misses that opportunity. But like if Tua goes out and really struggles, then I think the door is wide open.
Now if Tua goes out and plays well, Then maybe Sarah hit the pause button for a little bit, but Um you know, I think the Falcons quarterback battle is is probably more open than you'd really want. What about O D B? Will he be on the Giants' roster? Got a chance. I think tonight, you know, whenever they play, um, Is it tonight or Friday?
Whenever it is. You know, he goes out and has a good game. I think he's probably on the roster. You know, the Calvin Austin injury helped. Hate to see it because Austin was having a nice camp, but that helped.
Probably created a spot. You know, it doesn't have to be a receiver, it could be someone else. Um But Odell is Been really good. Kind of been what they wanted. A good performance, I think, really solidifies.
Um Him making the Giants, which would be, you know, really just a great outcome. Really would. Great pivot, because I accidentally asked about one of my favorite rappers from the 90s, Old Dirty Bastard. Rest in peace. Yeah, rest in peace, Old Dirty Bastard.
I said ODB thinking, hey, dirty. Baby, I got your money. Don't you worry. Oh, Ian's going back to the Yes! There he is.
Okay. Baby, I didn't even know you had that right there. Yeah, boy. As soon as I asked, I thought. Awesome.
I wonder what is the story? How did you get that? And what One of my buddies was over watching football. And I go upstairs and I see him leave my office, and I'm like, oh, okay, he was like taking a peek, I guess. And he put it in my background, and then the next time I was on, I think, McAfee or something.
He was like. Do you see anything in your background? I'm like. No, and I look and There it is. One of the classics.
One of the classic MTV segments. That's amazing.
So, anyway, I'm a fan as well. I've seen Wu-Tang concert twice. The most amazing show of all time. They're unbelievable.
So yeah, rest in peace, ODB. It's amazing. Maybe I was supposed to mix up Odell Beckham Jr. and ODB just to get that store. That's what I'm saying.
You never know what you're going to get. Got that as Giants Point Friday, Ian. Prior to there you go, obviously I was. paying close attention. Uh the Texans almost You could say one it all with a great defense, almost, maybe not close enough, but man, they were so elite defensively.
What do they expect from C.J. Stroud this year? I think they still really believe in CJ Stroud. You know, he didn't play well at the end of last year, but look, we'll see. But by all accounts, he has had a really, really good training camp.
Like, The CJ Stroud we saw as a rookie, and the flashes that we've seen since. A really, really good quarterback. I mean, he seems like he's in a really good place. And there's been some discussion about the contract. We'll see on that.
But I mean He sounds like he is primed to have a really big year.
Now, the Texans defense. Is pretty awesome, and I expect them to be awesome again. Um they are just I mean They're awesome. Like, they've drafted well. They are ferocious.
They are nasty. Matt Burke, their defensive coordinator, has done an unbelievable job coordinating that defense and calling the plays. Like, they are really good. I I don't see why they you know shouldn't be one of the Let's say eight or 10 teams has a chance to win the Super Bowl. I've got two final questions.
I want to go to Miami. I don't know. They just reached out to me recently and asked me to play wide receiver.
So I think that they don't have a lot happening there on the outside. But can Malik Willis succeed without weapons? You know, I think it'll be a challenging year. I think the coaching staff is pretty good. And so.
You know, they'll be well coached. Like, do they have enough firepower? Like. You know, they're taking a historic cap hit. They clearly are viewing this as a Rebuilding year.
Um You know, I would say They have a chance to be okay, but there is a chance that they are not.
Now, It's a great year to have an early pick. And they are just taking their medicine. Like, you know, Chris Crew did some good things as the GM. But, you know, it's fair to say, like, Their cap situation was a mess. They spent all sorts of money in weird places.
Quarterback contract turned out to be a disaster. Like, they're just in a little bit of cap hell right now, and they're taking it all this year.
So, I think whatever happens, the most important thing is them setting themselves up. to have a really good 2027 and 2028.
So we saw him go from the backup at Green Bay and now he's in Miami. But if we go to the greatest backup in TikTok history, in preseason history, that would be Joe Milton. Is there any chance Joe Milton has a life kind of like this? You know There is a chance. Illustrious career.
Um That preseason is different. I mean, it just is different. And there's been a bunch of players who shine in the preseason. I'm like, man, if this guy ever got a chance, and you're like, you know what? Coaches know.
Now, for Joe Milton, he is incredibly talented, and he's obviously not playing because he's behind Dak. But like... If he stuck behind Dak for however many years Dak wants to play and then ended up as a starter, that'd be a great outcome. Um We'll see. We'll see what he is.
The talent is clearly there. He has impressed what he's had the opportunity. Um The arm strength is wild. Um But I don't know. I don't know.
We'll see what he ends up being. But I'm I'm curious as well. I really am. Ian, you're the man. I really appreciate the time.
All right.
Good hanging, man. Take care. Thanks, guys. Thanks, Ian. See you.
The great Ian Rappaport. Here's what I want to do in the next segment. It's your show, Bobby. It's not my show. And I was just texting Rich, by the way.
Oh, yeah, yeah. I didn't mean to name drop. Wow. You guys heard of it? Just set that up, bro.
Yeah, name drop here. It's not my show, just for the record. It is as Rich's show, but I would like to tell you: our number is 844-204-Rich. What I would like to talk about in a minute in the next segment is: what team does everybody think is going to suck that actually might be pretty good? Oh.
And so, if you're listening right now, or you're watching, I would love for you to call. Say it. What team? Is everyone going? Nope, no chance, and that's why I brought up Miami.
And they're actually going to be pretty good. We will do that in more next Bobby Bones in for Rich Eisen today. Uh Oh, oh, oh, oh, Riley. Check engine, ABS, or maintenance light on? Take the guesswork out of your warning lights with O'Reilly Veriscan.
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Terms and conditions apply. The Rich Eisen Show Podcast. Do you guys have some for me? Because we're going to do teams that probably. Aren't going to be good, but they might be good.
I like this. It's fries everybody. I like this game. By the way, I'm Bobby Bones. Call us.
We'd love for you to hop in. 804. 844.
Sorry. Where is he? Where is he? My right eye doesn't work.
Okay. I'm going to be honest with you. No, I get it. 804 is East Central Virginia. Yeah, yeah.
If you're in East Central Virginia, this is our number locally. 844-204-Rich. You know how many numbers I have for all my shows? I'm sorry about that. No, no, no, no, no.
I'm not. I said old dirty bastard was playing for the Giants, okay? That I really enjoyed. Teams. That probably won't be good, that might be good.
You go first, Chris. Uh I don't know. I was listening to a fantasy pod this morning, TJ, and. I'll call them out. The fantasy footballers, they're friends of ours.
And he was really hyping up Garrett Wilson. And I'm like. The Jets have been losers for 50 years, aside from that one season and a couple years with Mark Sanchez. Geno Smith looked pretty good the other day. Oh, no.
I just heard a glass shadow. And Garrett Wilson, you could probably get really good value on him in your fantasy draft, and he might be a top seven wide receiver this year. Did you do 40 seconds of high register there? Was that a record? It was high.
It was high. I think everyone expects the Jess to be terrible. I think they want to be terrible. to get a top five quarterback next year. But You know, Miami doesn't look great.
And of course, Buffalo and New England are kind of in their own thing, but could the Jets win seven or eight games this year? Probably. I would say probably not, but maybe. Right? Yeah.
This fits in the construct of this segment? Yes, I agree.
Okay. Yes, that fits in the construction they're saying. You know what I mean?
Gino Smith line, like, you never know. Uh, TJ. Hmm. I hadn't thought about this until the second that you mentioned it a second ago. Can I pick a team that we think is going to be bad and is going to be bad?
Not quite, but you know what? We're just three dudes talking, so go for it. Sure. All right.
Well, based upon the fact that the Cleveland Browns announced Deshaun Watson as their quarterback, even though statistically Shador has had better preseason numbers, tells me something. Tells me they don't want to win football. They don't want to win any games.
So and it it tells me that my my nephew Archibald Jefferson Manning is someone who's on their radar. And I think they think by starting Watson that's going to help them ensure the fact that my nephew goes there and therefore Buying me a boat in the future. That's a story for another day, Bobby. We won't have to get into it now. But yeah, I think the Browns people think they're going to be bad, and they are going to.
Man, I hate to do this. I hate to counter you on this. I think the brown the Browns are going to be better than we think, and it's only because of schedule. Can I just read you the schedule? Sure, please.
They have a lot of talent, too. Defensively, they're going to be great. I really like a lot of their skill position guys. They hit on both rookie receivers. Let's see.
They just want to be. Honestly, they should bring Joe Flacco back. Yes, correct.
Okay, at Jacksonville. That could be a win. I didn't say it would, but that's one they could win. Guys, they have a great defense.
Okay. It's not like they are, we'll call it anti-elite on both sides. They have a pretty good offensive line.
Okay, Jags. Tampa Bay. They're at Tampa Bay. Maybe. There's two maybe.
We don't know what Tampa's going to look like this year. In uh versus Carolina. Maybe. We're looking at possibly one and two or two and one here. Pittsburgh.
Maybe. That's four maybes right there. Four maybes. You know how the rivalry goes. Let's go to the Jets.
Maybe. Possibly two and three or three and two at this point. They're going to lose to Baltimore. The Titans. Maybe.
I was going to put the Titans on this list, too. Pittsburgh again at New Orleans. I'm just saying, and I think the over-under was like five, five and a half. I think they can win six or seven games. They're playing the Giants.
Who knows? They're playing Las Vegas. Maybe. I'm just saying the Browns may not be as terrible as they hope they're going to be as well. Did this segment just turn into higher register?
Hit it, hit it, hit it, hit it. The Rich Eisen shows. There could be higher register. I am going to do the Saints. We're going to add your maybe to that.
I think Tyler Schuck really showed. The last third of the season last year, that he actually could be something. Oh, Bobby, you'll know we're high on this. We're big on Chuck in this room. He played in college for 13 years.
Pretty cool. He's got that experience. He got that grown man strength, Bobby. He does. You know, everyone else is out there 21 years old.
He's 37. They're also playing in the NFC South, which means you don't have to be a juggernaut to really suddenly find yourself in the mix and playing meaningful games in December.
So. I think the Saints could be that team that wins seven eight games. Maybe. This whole segment's high register. Exactly.
So how do we feel about Arizona? I don't. You don't feel anything about Arizona. There's no feeling. Is it just the heat, the ungodly 117 degrees?
They're not even a real team. Interesting. Yeah, I know. Rich had Jacoby Brissette on. What was the list yesterday?
The top five maybe surprises, surprising players this year or something. Just, I don't know. I feel like They drafted really high. They got an excellent running back that hopefully we're going to see at some point. Yeah, catch and run.
And I just feel like Arizona, to me, they've been such a loser for so long that I don't consider them at all. Where Las Vegas is interesting. You could put them in. I was actually going to bring them up next. I mean, expectations are so low, but.
Why? I mean, Mendoza Mania. I just think this guy. He's special, and I think he's got whatever that it quality is. Like, he's kind of got it.
Really curious to see what the actual deal is with the Ashton Genti injury, but Brock Bowers is super elite, TJ. I mean, God, he's so good. If they could just get all receiver, I would have liked to have seen them in on maybe the Kayshawn Booty mini sweepstakes that went on this week, and he ends up in Houston. But Max Crosby, still there. Yeah, and I think Max seems rejuvenated.
Tyler Lenderbaum. Like would they actually have they have improved the roster and obviously a big upgrade over at head coach this season. And so I don't know. They're kind of sneaky. Maybe they won't be as bad.
The other one that I feel like is a bit of a sneak is just because we've seen consistency from John Harbaugh. And you're talking about the Giants?
So if they can keep their quarterback out of the tent. That's a big if, Bobby. That is a bit well, th this is all ifs, right? This segment's basically. August 27th is nothing but ifs.
I know. It's just John Harbaugh is the only reason I think they could be a little bit better because John Harbaugh was consistently pretty good. I'm going to zag on that in 10 seconds. That's fine.
So we got the Giants, the Raiders, the Jets, the. No Titans though. No Titans though. 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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