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Now, on with the show. This is the Rich Eisen show. It's a blood sport when the Yankees and the Red Sox play one another. Every Red Hopper. The Rich Eisen Show.
Congrats, you're moving on. It's what it looks like. Earlier on the show, Pro Football Hall of Famer Larry Fitzgerald, NBC Sports Boston Patriots insider Tom Curren. Coming up, three-time Super Bowl champion Mark Schlereth. And now it's Rich Eisen.
Hour number three of the Rich Eisen show is on the air. First two hours, Tom Carn giving us the latest on the Patriots. Larry Fitzgerald just being delightful. He called, what what what did he call Jeremiah Smith earlier? Absolute mutant.
Mutant. Called him a mutant, like an X Man. Yeah. Or X Y Z. See what I did?
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Please go ahead and check out what we've got there for you. We talk the baseball playoffs. I'm just gonna have to go here. You know. Chris, you know how I feel about the Red Sox, right?
And how you feel about the Yankees, right? I can't even say publicly what I think about the Yankees. I understand that. Baseball, but no matter how much spite I've got and respect for you that I have, the one thing that infuriates me more than watching the Red Sox happy is watching you claim the Yankees now. That is enraged.
I claim both. You may not claim the Yankees and the Dodgers. I hope to God they play. We see somebody post. There's somebody with a that had a Niner Cowboy hat on.
Did we see that? Was that what it was? Did you send me that in the text chain? One of the text Niner Dodgers. That's what it was.
A Niner Dodger hat. Wow. And it's just like no. No, Niners Dodgers is better than Yankees Dodgers hats. Yankees opposite are dude.
It is not perfect, and the fact that you forsake. The Yankees. I told you I'll be. And you did it after the Dodgers beat the Yankees in the World Series. You may not post that toothy grin.
My East Coast team won. Posts on threads or any channel, and think that you can get away with it. You may not. You may not. I love this hat.
No, it's ridiculous. I can have two teams. There's, are you guys? No, you can have two teams. Last time I checked, none of you are named Kennesaw, Bud, Nice, Bart.
I can't. This is not. This is nothing to do with whether you have the right. You can like more than one team. Technically, Mike.
Technically, he's the commissioner of the Rich Eisen Show. No, no, no, no. But that said, you having all of the teams that you root for. There's none of them. None of them.
He doesn't have two baseball teams. Are none of none of? But yeah, but he's got. You've got two college football teams. None of them are they counter against each other.
It's not like you're. Oh, I'm a Florida State. And Florida, yeah.
Now that would be ridiculous. I root for Miami and Florida State, Penn State, or let's go on opposite. I do do Penn State and Pitt. They don't play each other anymore. But you are from the state of Pennsylvania, no?
Whatever. I get it's stupid, but my rich you being a Yankee fan both coasts all your life, and then the Dodgers. Like, were you rooting Dodgers Yankees when Andre Ethier was trying to knock in Matt Kemp? No, no. The answer to that is an emphatic no.
You only took on the Dodgers when they got Shohei to go along with every other yacht that they water ski behind, and then won the World Series because he multiple of them, multiple. Then they won multiple ones, and now you are like, oh, I can root for two teams. You may not. Claim the Yankees now. You may not.
Well, you can. I will not accept it. Yeah, it's not acceptable. I will not accept it. So we'll get rid.
Am I just a Dodger fan now? Yes, you are. Yes, enjoy it. That's it. Because they win a lot.
You can't go. Oh, I'm now just a Dodger. If the Yankees. We're struggling. I told you when Boone goes, I'm back.
I cannot like. What do you mean, Boone goes? You're back. You're already claiming him after last night when Boone had the best two games of him being a Yankee manager in back-to-back playoff games ever. The players played well.
He he he did, but he did everything right. Bunts. Moving runners, I'm not giving him all that. Oh, I am. You can, but I'm not, Mike.
The fact that they didn't have Judge all year, most of the year, and didn't have Stanton all year, and he didn't have any, he didn't have Bellinger for a month, and they still had the second best record in the league, and now they've got two games in a row like that against the Red Sox. Boston. I mean, they did it. It's not like, Mike. What you going to do since you weren't playing the last time this happened?
What you going to do if they play each other in the World Series? Oh, you'll root for the Dodgers. No, I'll cheer for both. Cheer for both. Yeah, well, I just want them both to win.
Well, you know that's impossible, though, right? They both I win. I rest my case, Your Honor. Why? I have two fair.
I have two teams. You may root for whoever you want. I have the right to not accept it. All right, I'm putting this. It's unacceptable, Paul.
And everybody listening on ESPN LA and in New York City on ESPN thinks I'm nuts. I get it. They they they would agree with me. I have been here 50 of my life. You have.
I totally get where you live, and I get it. I may die. My son is so. I don't know. My youngest son is so upset that I'm.
A passionate Rams fan, as he calls me, and that the Jets are one and two, and he's just like, "What happens if the Jets get good again, Dad?" And I'm like, "I will always have a keen interest in the Jets, and I always, you know, my brother, my, you know, his son Lee, my nephew, they they're diehard. Like my brother is living and dying with the Jets. I know so many of my friends who do that, but it's so much more enjoyable not living and dying watching them. Good Lord, I hope they play each other so bad. Who a Jets Rams Super Bowl?
What would look it up? What what what is that right now? Oh God, that would be great. They're both one and two. Second, they're both one and two.
Oh, that's got to be like conferences. Jets getting set to go to Chicago. Rams set to go to Philadelphia. Rams still have tied with San Francisco. Best odds to win the NFC.
They still do, yeah. And even at one and two, yeah, they're still plus four hundred for Vegas. Again, it took every fiber of my being to not put them in my in the power rankings. The Jets are a hundred and five to one to win the AFC. Oh, no!
Wait, that didn't. That them's odds are long. But bottom line is, root for whoever you want. God bless you. Whatever makes you happy makes me happy.
Until you like claim the Yankees after you disowned them, and for the Dodgers, for the Dodgers, man, for the Dodgers, and and it's again, my fan, I got into it with a Dodger fan on a Halloween night dressed as a banana when he's just like you know, Yankees are a bunch of chokers, and this was before they got Otani and went on this run, and I am like, really, really. That's what you're saying, sir. As you're giving my son wearing an Aaron, an ironic Aaron Rodgers jersey with his. Remember, he that was after he blew out his Achilles. He ironically walked around.
In a Rogers, or my patriot-loving son dressed up as Rogers, ironically with a wrap around his leg. That's fine, and he gives my son crap for being a New York sports fan, having no idea he really roots for most Boston sports because of Susie. And I am dressed as a banana going at him, and I was doing what Yankee fans should do. When accosted like that with my son, accosted, yeah, my son is asking for an extra Twix, and he's giving him crap because the Yankees hadn't won anything, and the Dodgers hadn't won anything either. The Yankees still haven't won anything.
I got it. Thank you. No, I'm aware of that. I know that.
So for him to basically say, "I'm rooting for both," now unacceptable. Unacceptable. A Jets-Rams Super Bowl, five hundred and thirty to one. Whoa! Let's put a buck down.
All right, let's go to Kyle in Florida, line four. Before we get to high register, what's up, Mike? What's up, Kyle? What's happening, Rich? Boys in the studio, how we doing?
What up, man?
So I got a little bone to pick with Brockman on over overreaction Monday. He's talking about Joe Burrow not being elite anymore. He's talking about in the fourth quarter he can't do anything when he has 17 fourth quarter comeback, 11 game winning drives. Check your stats, and he probably have 20 more if the Bengals didn't blow every game in the past three years with their defense. But I have a term for I think what you're going through is Drake dismay.
Oh, Drake dismay syndrome, DDS. DDS, you've got DDS, Chris. Go, go consult your local doctor or dentist. DDS. Let me pull out all my Super Bowl rings so I can hear this conversation.
Oh, baby. Yeah. Fair enough. Fair enough. Hold on a second, Kyle.
Kyle. Kyle. Who did you say in the over? Or I am on the Overreaction Monday pod has replaced him. Oh, Brock Purdy.
Purdy. That's what you said. Yeah. Okay. Yeah, Purdy's playing.
Purdy's playing good. Purdy's playing good. But I tell you what, nobody wants to see Joe Burrow in the playoffs. I mean, you can ask any team.
So we get in the playoffs. You know, Brockman might be thinking he might be seeing the elite come back, maybe restore his faith in old Burrow. Another thing I wanted to I wanted to touch on after Case Keenum's performance the other night. You know, I was thinking about some of these guys that come in. I was thinking there could be another award, maybe on your guys' show, or maybe at the end of the year we should we should petition for this an old reliable award, an award for.
Old reliable, you know, like Mike Evans, who doesn't matter who's throwing him the ball, he's getting thousand yards.
Okay, you know, or Case Keenum coming back from twenty twenty three, and you know, third string quarterback throw in old reliable. I got it, Kyle. Thank you. Thank you for the idea. I know who's leading that department right now.
Old reliable, Kirk Cousins. Oh yeah. If there's an old reliable award, Kirk Cousins is is your clubhouse leader. Interesting idea, an old reliable award. That's a Tuesday.
I know TJ is down with the OTC, the OTC award in the NFL off the couch. Yeah, but there's only one OTC. That's the Tribal Chief Roman Reigns. We can't.
Okay, but Kirk Cousins isn't he the old reliable clubhouse leader? Yes, through three weeks. That 38 year old first one to ever go back to back to back to start a season with three touchdown games. Sam Donald was once the three week MVP as well. Yes, he was for Carolina.
By the way, not Seattle. Yes, that's like what three teams. He was though three teams ago. Yeah, three. Jeez, who else is in the old reliable category?
Old reliable. Interesting.
So they obviously you have to be. What's the cutoff? An old player. They got to be old. Thirty-six, right?
Thirty-six. Maybe thirty-five and up is fine. Thirty-five and up. Thirty-five and up is fine.
Okay. Yeah. All right. Tom Brady would be the actual trophy itself. That's right.
It's just a picture of Tom Brady. A picture of Tom Brady. Tom Brady isn't old reliable. Like that, old reliable is something that you kick the dirt off or the dust off. That's true.
That was never Tom Brady. Yeah. By the way, I like that. That's true. That's beneath him.
It's beneath him. That's true. Cam Hayward's over thirty-five, but he's. It's not like his. His play didn't dip or anything like Kirk did.
Hey, listen. Let's let's ask Cam next Tuesday. To start an old reliable award, Rivers was it, and who would be involved? Rivers last year. You know he's not there yet, but maybe Derrick Henry.
He's a thirty-two year old running back.
So, but thirty-two year old running back is like a thirty-five year old person, right? Exactly. Maybe Aaron Donald could wind up being that. All right, now Kirk Cousins is the old reliable. And by the way, good good stuff out of Kyle in Florida.
He gave us an idea, a germ, and a new term for you. You got DDS over there. I got a lot of stuff. You need you need you need to take some laughing gas from for DDS right now. I need to take a hit.
Drake dismay syndrome, which causes you to start carpin on other far more worthy quarterbacks' accomplishments. That's the side effect. Consult your dentist to see if you have DDS today. Side effect. I hate my team.
Last week he had nine targets, six catches, sixty three yards, and a touchdown. Kenan Allen, old reliable. Yeah, okay, good one. I like it. Your nominee, good one.
New segment. Are you starting to Google who's over thirty-five? I got, I got people in my in my head now. I am just that's a good one. I could do old reliable player of the week.
Hey, the old reliable player of the week is.
Okay, you know what I mean. We just Kyle in Florida. Two great things are going to linger. Old reliable. Well, do you have to let?
And he's got DDS. Do you have to? You just can't help yourself, song lyrics. I know, but people are music. All right, speaking of speaking of music and register, if you will, I'm just trying to turn the page here.
It's our weekly segment, higher register, brought to you by Sonos. Hit it. There's a chance the Rich Eisen shows that there could be higher. Register take of the week. All right, this is our weekly segment where we've got to go higher.
Register. I mean, I love this. To believe our opinion. It's brought to you by Sonos. Just here in Caliendo, do it's just Jeffter.
Jeffter. It's it's it is the best drop we have. It's pretty good, but. What take do you have entering Week Four of the NFL season? You got to go higher register in in order to believe, Chris.
I'm going to go higher register to believe this one, but I still think it's a possibility. Huge game in Philadelphia this weekend. Rams Eagles, and I think the loser of this game is going to miss the playoffs. Oh wow! Really?
You do realize the Eagles would only be two and two, and potentially still leading their division.
Well, they look terrible. I hear you, and really, the Rams are one and three. With yeah, they're being what three and a half a back of this. San Francisco, come on, man! Niners are the way of the Patriots going one and three, and you're like the season could potentially be over.
You know, they don't. The Rams are going to get Miles Garrett back. They're getting Puka Nakua back. They're gonna get. Aaron Donald having more of a the Rams and Patriots could have the same record.
I'm a one Monday. I know, and we were talking about which one's more likely to go one in three, and you said you would eat El Tufo's hat if the Patriots did, and we're basically saying they're going to, and you are not going to eat the hat. I'm not going to do it. I kind of think you should. TJ, I know you don't like doing this because you're a lower register guy, but.
You're a gamer. I'm a gamer. What do you have?
Well, you guys know I won my fantasy football league last year, and you keep them. I didn't know that. You're really good at fantasy. Yeah, I'm not that bad. I think you're good at it.
And mine was big shots. It's okay. Yeah, it happens. That wasn't the register though. But a lot of it, you know, it's mine.
This guy put my team on his back and won me fantasy last year.
So everybody had high hopes for him. I know he went high in drafts. Pickens draft Pickens not Pickens. I know he started off slow this. Week, but I'm not really worried about Amari and Hampton this year.
Oh, really? Because it doesn't look good. Doesn't look good. I mean, balls on the ground a lot. I know, I know.
We give Justin Herbert a lot of crap and the Chargers, but I think Amari is kind of waiting to see it. Kind of waiting to see it. Mitchell had a touchdown last week. Yeah, that's the problem. All right, he's got a vulture, but he's hurt, so I'm staying in this division.
Wow, I'm going here. You accuse me over and over and over again, accurately, of being a Chiefs Kingdom closeted closet member of Chiefs Kingdom. I mean, you're good. You're passionate about two teams. They are what the Chiefs and the Rams.
Okay, yeah. Chiefs are filled with likable people. I like them. I like them. It's okay.
Yeah, yeah, that's good. You party with some of those, and even even the Chiefs, even the Chiefs fans who are still trying to keep their feet planted on the ground while their team keeps reaching for the stars, will always say when they go to Las Vegas, it's their home away from home. And as you know, Andy Reid, if he wins this, he will have more wins. Eight in that building.
Well, it just regular season wins. Yeah, he will have more regular season wins in that building than any Raider coach. I didn't know that, and I don't really care. That's what he said. I heard about that.
I don't. I kind of think he cares, but that's not my higher register. At the end of the day, kind of think the Raiders could go four and zero. Whoa. I think they can really do this.
I kind of think they can. I kind of think Max Crosby can get after it. We know that. Kind of think Brock Bowers is going to be another favorite target of Kirk Cousins this week. I don't know.
Kind of think I the Raiders can go four and zero. At the end of the day, it's it's entirely possible they're playing better than they have in years. I want to go to this game. And the Chiefs are going to be coming to town. You know, we're world beaters in Miami.
No, I mean they did cover though. At the end of the day, they did. They did. And what do great teams do? Great teams cover.
I don't know. Just keep an eye on it. Chiefs four and a half point favorites. I don't know what that means. Oh, you don't have to play that game anymore.
By the way, you don't have to play that game anymore. That's higher register. Brought to you by Sonos. Love the sound, feel the system. Build your system at Sonos.
dot com. The new drop got me, Mike. Give it to me one more time, please. Going to break. Give me a break.
I am drunk. Thank you so much. I am drunk. Mark Schlereth is about to join us here on the program. Before we take a break, Hyundai Hope on Wheels.
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Join our fight today at hyundaiwarriors dot com. Eight four four two zero four. Rich number doll. Mark Schlarf back on the program when we come back. The Rich Eisen Show podcast.
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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Be confident in your hiring decisions with LinkedIn Hiring Pro. Post your job for free at LinkedIn.com/izen. Terms and conditions apply. But I will tell you this about the Cleveland Browns: their defense is legit. Their defense, they can cover, and they will line up and just play you a man and say, "Come get a taste, man." So they've got some big time cover corners, a couple of safeties, and nickel guys that can flat out cover.
And they've got a few guys off the edge. Verse is a really good player. Mason Graham from Michigan, your guy, is just incredible, outstanding. He is just an outstanding season so far.
So yeah, I mean, Mark Slareth here on the Rich Eisen Show, the Stinkin' Truth Pod with Mark Slareth. Check it out, our radio audience is just returned.
So you are saying, Carolina coaches were telling you before the game against the Browns that Deshaun Watson looks like the guy that the Browns hoped to have acquired years ago. That he is that guy again because that that would be a first in terms of pundits saying that sort of thing. Yeah, Mark. Yeah, yeah. He from a movement.
Skill standpoint, being able to manipulate the pocket, being able to scramble, even designed runs. Rich was I was shocked when I went and started studying the film. You know, there was a third down and three, I believe it was, against Tampa where they ran quarterback sweep, and they did it again in this particular game. And all his scrambles, like there's some designed QB runs off a zone read stuff, but they were like from a pure movement skill standpoint. Even though he's 31, you know.
He hasn't played a lot. He hasn't taken a beating. Obviously, he's played 20 games in the last five years, but just his movement skills are exceptional. And so, and he did in this particular game against Carolina. Man, he kept drives alive by scrambling around and getting out of the pocket, and then even scrambling around, finding himself some time.
And he threw a touchdown to Fanin off a scramble that was exceptional.
So he's you know he's not where he was as a quarterback per se in a pure drop. Accents and a pure reading progression standpoint, but from just an overall movement skill category, the guy is still incredibly dangerous that way. And so, Mark Slareth here on the Rich Eisen Show, seeing the the games that you've called, you've seen the Raiders. You had called their season open and dub, and they've only won twice more, and they look better each week. Are they for real, Mark?
Yeah, they're a much better football team. One, they've got—I mean, one—they—they have an identity. One thing about Clint Kubiak is he's going to go in there and say this is what we do, right? And we're going to live in these things that we do. And so you can definitely see that with Clint Kubiak, that influence.
And then they really addressed the team from the inside out. They really built their offensive line. Linderbaum at centers really helped them. They actually had Jackson Powers Johnson, their right guard. They Basically, say, man, if you are going to play, you are going to have to lose a bunch of weight because we need you quicker.
We need you better in shape. We need you all these different things, and so you could see how much better they are up front. And then I thought it was really interesting just talking to Kirk Cousins, talking to Clint Kubiak, talking to you know the people within the Raiders. Kirk Cousins told me, hey, man, the best thing I can do for Fernando Mendosa is play great. And show him what an NFL offense is supposed to look like.
That's the best thing I can do for him. And eventually, I know that he's going to take over eventually. But as long as I play well, and as long as we're winning, I've been guaranteed that they're not going to take this job away from me. And so, Kirk is playing great football. He's got great confidence.
He's an unbelievable mentor to Fernando, and Fernando is doing it—you know—a great job of trying to learn this offense and see what it actually is supposed to look like.
So. Definitely, they've turned things around there in in Vegas, and and you know I've always said this, even though I'm a Bronco, you know, and and always hated the Raiders when I was a player. I think the league is better when they're relevant, when they're winning. I think the league is a better league, and so. I'm happy to see.
I'm happy to see that transition. Happy to see them actually playing legitimate, like professional football. I'm with you. I'm with you on that, and I'm with you on that. They they they look improved, but with all due respect, my question wasn't, do they look improved?
My question was, are they for real, Mark Schlereth? Are they the Chiefs coming into their house? Right, and they are. They're they're they're in the deep end of the pool here now. Yeah, yeah.
I think I think that they are for real in that they will press. They will press for a winning record. They will be in that hunt for a for a wild card berth. Do I think they're the best in their division? Do I think they're capable of winning the AFC West?
No, I don't think that, but I do think they're much improved, and I do think they'll push for a wild card spot.
Okay, now you were also in the booth for the last Seattle win because they went to DC, former place of business for you. And and Marcus Mariota was lighting them up. A pick six from Sam Darnold coming back. Put it all together, and the defending Super Bowl champs, who are the kings of going west to east and winning in games like this, lost.
So where where do you stand on Seattle as they welcome in the Chargers, who are zero and three this week? Yeah, Seattle's still a really good football team. I mean, a really good football team. Obviously, Sam Darnold coming off the injury had a couple of errant throws, had the pick six that he had. That you know, you just can't make that throw.
You got to either eat that ball, you got to scramble, get yourself four or five yards, and move on.
So that's one that you chalk up to, hey, you know, got hurt in the fifth play of the game, week one, and hadn't played for a while with that kind of mini buy.
So you chalk that up to lack of experience. The crazy thing for me was the first two weeks of the season. The Seattle Seahawks were the most tied together defense I've watched on tape, and I've watched a bunch of defenses on tape. They are so good, and they have so many dudes that can play multiple positions.
So when you start looking at, At Witherspoon, like Witherspoon will play the nickel corner. He can play the outside corner. He'll actually go inside and play linebacker. He's all over the place. Eman Warry, who was great last year for them, came off the bench because he was suffering with some injury issues in week two.
Came off the bench and at times he was lined up defensive end. Like here's a safety that plays nickel that plays oh you're going to play defensive end in this third down package for us, which is insane to me. Drake Thomas, their their weak weak side linebacker, that dude is an eraser. He is all over the place and he plays nickel, he plays dime package, he plays linebacker, and so they've got all these guys that can play three or four different positions. It makes them really hard to identify, but they stay very tied together.
Now the big issue for them last. Week, I think, because I've never seen them give up so many explosive plays, both in the run game and the pass game, was they didn't have their safety love, and he's the main communicator in that back end. He's the guy that keeps it kind of all tied together. He was out last week, and I think that had a lot to do with the fact that they gave up so many explosive plays in the back end in the passing game. All right, so of all the film that you've watched, the best team through three weeks, entering week four, is which, Mark?
Yeah, well, I would have said. I would have said Seattle before last week, just based on what I watched with their defense, and and you know, and offensively what they have become. Kansas City has just been outstanding. They have just been, I mean, incredible. And I'll tell you, even with the injuries, San Francisco.
Their offense and what the production they're getting out of Purdy, and I've always said I thought Purdy was a top five quarterback from a processing, just a pure processing skills standpoint. How fast he reads things, how fast he eliminates one side, gets the backside. I think the two guys that process as fast as anybody in the league are Purdy and Joe Burrow, and so they've got a kid right now at the quarterback position that's playing at MVP level. I guess you could say that every year, right, about the Niners that despite. Injuries, right?
It's it's insane, Rich. Like, how many times they're suffering and they're dealing with the injuries? It just doesn't make a lot of sense to me. Yeah, and but they keep persevering. What a big game against Denver!
What's your take on what we've seen from Denver through the first three weeks, Mark? Yeah, Denver is like Denver's a really talented football team. This goes back. This is three years now, where they just have been notoriously slow starters. And you know, and if they had the answer, they'd fix it, right?
If if they knew how to fix it, they would. When I look at the film, Rich, it's you know, there's an old saying is that there there are many fingerprints on success.
Well, there's also a lot of fingerprints on failures too. And you watch, they always seem to have one bust. It's either a mental assignment bust, right, on the offensive line. It's The quarterback not reading the coverage, predetermining where he wants to go with the football. It is the quarterback so adverse when it comes to taking sacks that he bails out of the pocket earlier.
He looks at the rush first and bails out before a route truly develops.
So it's all these little things that compile into big things. And early in games, they're not converting on third downs. Early in games, they're giving up big plays in the beginning of drives and ruining drives.
So. I don't know how they're going to fix that. I don't. I don't know what the answer to that is, but they're certainly going to have to get it fixed because you can't continue. I mean, we say you can't continue to live like this, but they seem to be able to do it.
Where they've got a quarterback that all of a sudden in the fourth quarter he comes alive and just makes great plays.
So they seem to be able to do it every week, but it's they never seems like a long term recipe for success. The two and one team that you'd put your marker on the most is the two. The two and one team. I got to go through the two. I got it for you.
I got it for you. I got it for you. Everybody in the AFC North. Everybody in the Jacksonville Jaguars are two and one. The Lions are two and one.
The Bears are two and one. And then, and then you've got Seattle at two and one. Let's remove them since you were going to make them the best team in the NFL before they lost. And the Eagles, Eagles, Denver's two and one, and the Eagles two and one. Yeah, you know, as far as the two and one teams are concerned, I don't trust Detroit's defense at all.
I really like Jacksonville, and I know they came to Denver and they lost a game here in Denver, but that is a Physical football team. Love Liam Cohen and his ability to call a game plan. But I think they really dominate people on the front seven. Even though they don't have a bunch of household names, they're a really solid football team, and they can they can throw it over the top of you. But they can really kind of line up and and have that kind of fisticuffs game with you.
So I really like where they are right now. Do you take the Ravens over the Vikings at three and zero right now? I would take the Ravens over the Vikings. I still am not a hundred percent sold on Kyler and that offense. And you know they've been winning.
Obviously, they've come from behind against the Packers. Brian Flores is blitzing. I read a stat that he was blitzing at about seventy five percent clip. And which is insane to me because you we used to always say, "Hey, man, we'll beg them to blitz because we pick it up." It's their touchdowns, you know, they're they're big time plays at the top, but they are incredibly tied together that way. I still just don't trust that offense entirely yet.
By the way, the Giants are two and one as well. What you make of the JJ McCarthy acquisition, and how do you think that's going to play out, Mark? He needed to like he needed to leave and and you know go to a different organization. And and start over from scratch.
So I thought I thought it was the best move they could make for him. But he's got a lot of growth. I mean, he's got a lot of growth that he has got to you know that that he's got to go through. And I think the one thing that's really cool about that position is we have seen this with a bunch of different quarterbacks, whether it's Baker Mayfield or Sam Darnold. We've seen this kind of reclamation project.
Where guys get into a situation that it just doesn't go well from the start, they get another chance at redemption and figure it out.
So the one thing about playing quarterback in this league, you know, everybody just throws you into the fire, and sometimes it's just overwhelming for guys. The speed, the athleticism—you know, there are no blind sisters of the poor. When you play in the NFL, every team has great players, and so it's it's a hard transition to make. And so to get out of there to not be you know not to not have to start in New York to to be under the tutelage of John Harbaugh he's such a great man and and you know it'll be a great I think it'll be a great experience for JJ McCarthy just to get out of that environment in Minnesota where you know anyway you look at it he was just a disappointment as the what he was a ninth tenth overall draft pick whatever he was then lastly what do you make of the Joey Porter Jr. acquisition by the Cowboys overnight?
For their defense, Mark, I thought I thought it was huge for them. I mean, he's a really good corner, and what that does for you, especially in the red zone, when you can lock one side, you can push coverage to the opposite side, and like three by one formations. But I just thought it was I just thought it was interesting. I don't know exactly what the Steelers were doing. I know they had this kind of whole thought process of we don't negotiate during the season.
Forget that. You figure out a way to play your best players. I think you've got to. And I think it's a big, I think it's a big move for the Dallas Cowboys to get a real cover corner out there in Dallas. I think that's huge.
Yeah, and I thought so too. But some of the pushback I'm seeing on that is like, well, that doesn't do anything to help stop the run, and that's their biggest problem on defense in the first three weeks, Mark. Certainly, it is. But you know, if you have if you have the offensive production that they have, and you have some guys that can play some man to man coverage, where we can put extra dudes in the Box right, so now all of a sudden you don't have to play in the two high shell stuff. You don't have to do all that stuff.
All of a sudden you say, "Man, we're going to roll down a safety. We're going to roll down an extra defender in the box to help stop the run because now we've got one on one on the outside." So the people who told you that weren't thinking deeply enough about how this game works.
Well, I mean, in that regard too, what what if that safety, that extra defender you can bring, is named Caleb Downs? That's a bad one. No, that dude, that dude's an absolute piss missile, man. He's he flies around, hits people. That I love that kid.
I don't know if you heard Brady use that once in a broadcast, and then the next week he called it a miss missile. A miss? No, I did. I no, I did not hear that. Covered his tracks.
That's an old. You know what? That's an old. That's like old NFL vernacular. Like he's been around.
Like I'm, I'm old.
So like those are the type of things we used to say. And then you know it got to be gentler and kinder. And you know, and bounty gate happened. And now we can't say the things like we used to say.
Well, let's go scramble that dude's brains. And you know, let's like we used to say things. Not that you ever intentionally try to hurt anybody, but you did try to shorten a few necks every now and again. And um, and now you can't. You know, now you got to be politically correct and every.
Everybody's worried about what they say, and which is absolute garbage.
So whatever. Don't don't don't forget. I guess juice is the new beer. In the National Football League, don't forget that, right? Exactly.
How ridiculous is that? I mean, the things the things we try to police are just ridiculous. You are the man, Mark. Thanks for the time, pal. We'll do this again.
Appreciate you, buddy. You got to enjoy the week off. Stinking Truth podcast with Mark Schlereth. He's off this week on Fox. Back on with the Bengals and Dolphins will be his next game.
Stinking Truth podcast with Mark Schlereth. Everybody, check that out. All right, we will take a break and wrap this show up. Get you set for our Friday show. Who's on it?
And maybe sneak in a phone call before we take a break here on the Rich Eisen Show. Don't go anywhere. The Rich Eisen Show, the podcast. Running a small business means every hire matters. If you have a bad hire, time and money goes out the window.
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Game three as well, and the only wild card series remaining. Two TVs going on in your house. Oh yeah. Although I might watch the football game outside. Oh, because Sarah Sarah's just going to be climbing walls.
She was talking about maybe going to the movies this afternoon to just distract herself. I mean, I like it. She's a mess. I love it. I got it.
That's a fan. Then you're locked in on the football game. Yep. You know, and your regular fantasy teams because we've got. The two last guillotined individuals here in this room.
Yeah, we love bringing it up, don't you? I mean, Rich, you love bringing it up. It's called facts. That's the saying. Like Ron in Pittsburgh, it's fact that he's been hanging out for two and a half hours.
What's up, Ron? Ron, how you doing, Rich? Longtime listener, first time caller. Thank you, thank you for chiming in on the WeatherTech Fan Line, sir. What's going on?
And congratulations on the Yankees' future home of Paul Skeens and Connor Griffin. Oh, stop! Yeah, PJ. By the way, you're. Roddy Piper's picture fell off during this show, so just want to let you know.
Yeah, wow, Ron's locked in the last two and a half hours.
So I noticed every day, all day. The tape, the tape wasn't working too well, Ron. I got to work on. By the way, could you tell Roddy's from Pittsburgh? Congratulations on getting Joey Porter.
However. I know his PFF grade is only second to Stingley Jr., but he gets penalized way too much, and a lot of times he's getting holding calls and pass interference calls. I just hope he he locks in and he gets better for your Cowboys. I appreciate that, Ron. It's just like you've that's three Steelers now on the Cowboys.
Three of them. They they they have each other's phone numbers. We got a pipeline, you know.
So thanks. I got TJ's number. You got yes, he's got your number now. That would be nice. That would be nice.
I would definitely get a hold of TJ. Call me at nine seven six one three one three.
Okay, thanks for the call, Ron. It's not a real number. Ah, that's correct. By the way, you know the interesting thing is Pickens and Porter are represented by David Mulligetto, who also represented Micah. Jerry Jones doesn't know, which is very strange.
An agent cannot take things personally over one client, even though, even though the owner of the team that you are dealing with here basically said, you know, that you were trying to pull a fast one on me because I shook your client's hand. Dumb. Shake my hand to make it a firm shake. You know, but this just shows you again what he said: an old man with money. Old man with money.
Is that the? Is he? Is he the one from the Hall and Oates rich girl? Because you're going too far. That's him.
You can rely on an old man's money, unless you're Micah. And then you could repeat it. You can rely on an old man's money. You sir are a rich cowboy fan, right over there. Look, I get, I get what Jerry said.
He's like Tony Montana. All he has in this world is his, in his word. He said this after beating the Washington Commanders, who sent Marcus Mariota out there because Jaden Daniels' non-throwing arm collapsed like an accordion for the second straight year. Yeah, that was a hard one. But guess who's meeting with the media in London?
Who? And practicing over there? Number five. That's correct. Roll it.
It feels good. Feels good to be back, and you know, it's taking it day by day. Are you surprised at any part that you'll be able to possibly be back out there this soon? What you think? No, I don't think so.
I'm not surprised. No, everything I went through. You know, everybody said I'd be good to go if I'm able to go out there on Sunday. But again, just taking it day by day. And anything in the back of your head in terms of like falling awkwardly, getting hit on the elbow, concerns of getting re-injured?
That was what the brace is for.
So, if I had concerns, then I would have got surgery.
Okay. Okay. R.E.S. Consulting, seeing that arm just hanging on the other side, and the other one he was bending. I don't know.
Yeah, he's. Is that a shirt or sleeve? What was it? Sleeve. I don't.
What do we got? I don't love it. I don't think he's starting this week. How about that? I would recommend he's with the team, so he can be with the team, and he's part of the team.
He's a leader on the team, and I keep saying the word team. But I'll just say this: I, I, I think it's it's Mariota's gig. This, yeah, and he can win this game, Marcus Mariota. I think so too. Yeah, that's what he's there for, so he can take his time.
Yeah, yeah. You don't want to rush this. Don't rush this. That's why the backup is so important, as we always. It's correct, and that's what he's there for to back up Jaden Daniels.
I don't want to hear if he does beat the Colts again.
Well, they look better with him. He's going to take the job. He's not taking the job.
Well, let's just wait for Monday. It's I understand, but. That's the whole business. It's the Cooper Rush syndrome, CRS. You've got DDS.
That's the Cooper Rush syndrome. Oh gosh, look at him. He's better than Dak. He should be running this team instead of Dak. And it's like, get out of here with that nonsense.
Yeah, but that was all nonsense by some jabroni. Oh, sir, that was a large part of the conversation, not here in this room. Come on, we know how we know how it goes. What do I have again? DDS.
What is that? DDS. You've got Drake dismay syndrome, according to Ryan and. Florida, and the the the the side effects of that are you start. Denigrating other quarterbacks' accomplishments, you can't get over the fact that yours isn't the real thing.
You've got to start calling Joe Burrow not the real thing.
Well, except Drake May and Joe Burrow have literally the same amount of Super Bowl appearances. I am just explaining to you. Come on, bro, what DDS is, and the fact that you have it, and you need to consult your dentist to see if you know. And I might. What's the medicine for it?
I don't know. Vraybelia, some some clams. What it is? Clam chowder. Consult your doctor to see if Vraybelia is right for you.
Consult your dentist. I know what Vrayble needs. Hey, can I throw out another birthday? The quarterbacker doesn't turn it over.
Well, I mean, sorry. Today's my goddaughter's birthday. Hey, so I want to wish Yaya a happy birthday. Happy twelfth. Better go out the gate.
We got a hat for her. Del Tufo. Thanks for listening to the Rich Eisen Show podcast. You can watch and listen to the Rich Eisen Show live weekdays from noon to three Eastern on ESPN Radio, Disney Plus, and on the ESPN app. The Rich Eisen Show, the podcast.
