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Rich Eisen here. At Hyundai, the SUV trophy shelf is getting a little out of hand because U.S. News and World Report named Hyundai the best SUV brand. That's five out of six years with hybrid SUVs like the premium and capable Palisade, the adventure built Santa Fe, and the tech infused Tucson. Which means at this point, the shelf will need its own structural support system and a dedicated construction crew.
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Something special about these Milwaukee Brewers. This is the Rich Eisen Show. The Brewers are going to the World Series. From the Rich Eisen Show studio in Los Angeles, I can't give enough praise to the Brewers. Today's guests: former Bills head coach Sean McDermott, Ravens safety Kyle Hamilton, ESPN college football senior writer Pete Thamel, and now it's Rich Eisen.
To this edition of the Rich Eisen Show, everybody eight four four two zero four Rich number to dial. Whether you're watching us on Disney Plus, the ESPN app, ESPN Radio, Sirius XM is how you can listen to us every single day. Sean McDermott, the former head coach of the Buffalo Bills, first up to break down what we saw last night. There's lots of breaking down. And there is a lots stuff coming up this weekend.
Also from last week, we haven't spoken to Coach in a couple weeks. He's going to be joining us on this program, Kyle Hamilton. Of the Baltimore Ravens sitting atop the AFC North after beating the Atlanta Falcons, now getting set to take on the Cleveland Browns in a very interesting game with teams vying for first place in that division. He'll join us, and then in hour number three, Pete Famel to make heads or tails of this twenty four school college football playoffs that are getting expanded again. You at eight four four two zero four rich to call us on the WeatherTech Fan Line.
Chris Brockman, good to see you over there. How are you, Rich Eisen? I'm excellent. How are you, Jason Feller? Good to see you in that spot.
Both of you guys on the screen. You were at Chavez Ravine last night to watch the Milwaukee Brewers wrap things up. What a game! In a four-game sweep in the NLCS, the Brewers in the World Series for the first time since Gorman Thomas and Robin Yount. Robin Yount.
All of them, man! Back in the World Series. Congratulations to all the Brewers fans that are out there. You must be out of your skulls, ecstatic and pouring one out as you might. For Bob Uecker, and it's pretty cool what's going on right there.
With all due respect to everybody listening to us here in Los Angeles, California, good to see you, T.J. Jefferson. Candles lit.
So, I mean, I don't know any Brewers fans, but I know they're out there. I saw them on TV. Oh, I was with one of my boys last night, diehard Brewer fan from from Milwaukee. It was unbelievable. We were—I don't know if we were in the Brewer section, but there were a large number of fans.
And probably did what I did: got some cheaper tickets on the secondary market. Right, sitting. In front of us, Euchre jerseys. Awesome! I saw Pat Listash jersey.
Yes, you did. Oh, it was. They were so hyped. It was really good time. Pat Listash jerseys.
Happy for them. Yeah, we'll we'll get into it a little bit more later on on on the program. Thursday night football, the game that could have been Super Bowl sixty in some people's minds. Had Bo Nix not broken his ankle in the divisional playoff win against the Bills, wasn't there in the AFC Championship game? Patriots go on and lose to the Seahawks in a game that really I didn't think the league should have replayed right off the bat this year, based on what we saw in the Super Bowl.
But I guess in many respects, if what we saw last night. Would have been Super Bowl sixty. I would have been very happy with that either. And it's kind of crazy, as you know, I've been around this football world now for almost a quarter century with NFL Network, longer than that with Sports Center before it. I don't recall the last time a team that beat the defending Super Bowl champs in their house.
To go to four and two, left such a bad taste in so many people's mouths. Right, I don't recall the last time a team's like, "Hey, we are two games above five hundred." After we started zero and one, we're we're we're at the third way mark of our season, and we're two games above five hundred. We're in second place in our division. We just beat the Super Bowl champs, and I'm wondering how good the team is. And look, Sean Payton's taking the play calling back from Davis Webb, and they clearly have a quarterback problem.
There, I mean that's that that's that's what they clearly have. And Bo Nix has played better before. We've seen him play better. We've seen him do some good things, just not really this year. And.
Wondering when we're going to start fast. That's been the conversation. When are you going to start fast? And guess what? They scored two touchdowns early in the game, pretty fast, which is good because over their last ten possessions of the game, thirty-two total yards.
I am not lying; that's not a misprint. Ten possessions of football.
Now I know how good this Seahawks defense is, but. Thirty-two yards of offense. I mean, over ten drives, starting from the middle of the second quarter all the way through to the overtime period.
Now, two of them were at end of halves, so let's just say eight drives. Eighter. That doesn't make it much better. It doesn't. And good for them that they went on long drives early in the game.
And it doesn't matter if you're slogging along if you punch it in for a touchdown, as they did with J.K. Dobbins and R.J. Harvey. Their two running backs scored, but Bo Nix has been excoriated by everybody that has a microphone attached to their lapel or in front of them that's played quarterback before. You've seen it.
If you just spend even a split second on threads, as I have, it's just one after the other. Dan Orlovsky this morning on Get Up saying that it looks like Knicks doesn't want the ball in his hands. To him, I saw Chris Sims talking about what Knicks has looked like. Never good things to say about Darnold either. Towards the end of the game, we'll get to that later on on this show.
But man, oh man! After Bo Nix had an evening of seventeen for twenty-seven and a hundred and seven passing yards, second fewest in any start of his forty-two game, including playoff start career. Averaging four yards a pass, which is, by the way, less than his five point six yards per attempt this year, which is thirty first in the National Football League of anybody that started three games or more. It's point two yards per attempt less than Cam Ward, to give you an indication. And we're talking about him maybe getting benched.
Nobody, Cam Ward, correct? Yeah, Cam Ward. Nobody though took the cake more about non-stuttering in their commentary of just laying it bare of Bo Nix than Ryan Fitzpatrick. On Amazon Prime after this game, after they showed Sean Payton talk to his team in a celebratory locker room, saying, "Hey, you win games differently in this league." And the defense was outstanding. They carried the day after the two touchdowns that the offense put on the board, and intercepted Jaquan McMillan intercepting Sam Darnold in overtime after the Seahawks took possession to start.
Setting up the Broncos in field goal position to win it, after intercepting Sam Donald towards the end of the fourth quarter, as well. But offensively, they they gave the ball right back as Bo Nix dirted one on a screen pass, allowing the Seahawks to get the ball back with a timeout. Ryan Fitzpatrick mints no words after. O'Nix is not playing competitively. It's almost disrespectful to the quarterback position how he's playing football.
What do you mean? What do you mean when you see what? How is he playing? I mean, first of all, the guy doesn't want to throw the ball. That's fine.
He's throwing to the flats. He's throwing behind, but he has no trust for his coach. He calls a screenplay on third and eight. Just run up and let the clock keep going. What does he do?
He throws it away. Seattle gets the ball. They have a timeout, and then in overtime, he's got two chances to be competitive. The last one being a designed run for him. To run, make somebody miss, and get a first down for your football team.
He's not playing competitive football right now. I can only imagine how Sean Payton feels. I mean, Sean Payton, Davis Webb, everybody that blocks for him—he's not competing right now, and that's something that he's hung his hat on for the last two years. I don't know if he's still injured, I don't know what's going on, but it's not good enough. It's effort.
Wow, Ryan Fitzpatrick. That's what an analyst is supposed to do on television. And by the way, kudos to Carissa Thompson for asking that.
Some of the best follow-up questions by a host is the simple one of "What do you mean?" We don't get the rest of that soundbite. Perhaps if if if Carissa didn't just ask the simple host question of "What do you mean by that?" I was great out of out of the crew. Also, that's not like his thing to really.
Well, I mean, like to watch it. We didn't see the video. When you're watching it, you can see. Yes, he's he's really passionate about obviously, and he's also referring to Knicks and the they ran. I thought Knicks was going to pick up that first down, third down, and overtime, and instead he's just stopped and just God took a big hit.
As as it does look like he's just turning down competition.
So let's give Knicks a chance to describe where where the chunk plays are, you know, because he he was talking all week long about just see it and rip it. I'm sure that he's just echoing what Sean Payton is telling him. Is what he had to say? Yeah, we're we're definitely capable. We've shown it, and you know, I don't know where the disconnect is right now, to be honest with you, because like when you know the the shots called, read it out.
It's not there. You make the right play with the football, check it down, and you go to the next play. I just think we're really, for some reason, struggling to find those explosive plays, and that's what makes an offense really spectacular: is finding explosive plays. And right now, those we don't have those. We don't have those.
Listen, I haven't heard the whole press conference. Quarterbacks are supposed to say, "I need to do better." You're supposed to. Have the thumbs pointed at you? I'm not saying he's pointing the fingers in other directions. It just that soundbite sounds like it.
It may not be fair to just writ large it like that, but the bottom line is from what everybody's saying about him, and I have met Bo Nixon, spoken with him prior to a couple games that we called with on NFL Network. He does not. Go on social media. He may not be seeing the stuff that's being said about him. I'm sure somebody's going to tell him, and I'm wondering if that will light a fire.
If everybody is right in saying he's turning down competition and he's disrespecting the craft. Man, the good news is they're four and two. They've got a championship defense, and. The total yards they came up with last night, 168, is the fewest in a win since September 4th, 1983, for the Broncos. The good news is the quarterback on that day was named John Elway.
It was his first career start.
Okay, okay, all right. There's nowhere to go but up. And in terms of up, there's Mount Rushmore. Right, you know what I mean. Yeah.
So there's room here, you know. But I'm already talking to some people in our industry, just texting back and forth, like, "What's up with Bo Nix?" That if this doesn't improve, like, even if the Broncos do get to a certain point, the coach has a pair of eyes, and he's got a um pair a pair, as you know, if you will, and you got to wonder, like. He's he knows he sees he gets it. Like down the road, if this doesn't improve, even if they win, you know there is a fifth-year contract option you got to throw out there. That's how significant the conversation is coming out of a win for the Broncos.
So, all of this conversation that is highly negative, including what's coming out of my mouth here at this set, at the end of the day. They are four and two, and on a mini buy. And next up for the Denver Broncos is a visit to Arizona, which, by the way, has got their own quarterback question that they've got to figure out. Because you know who's right above Nick's in terms of yards per attempt? Right there at five point six and a little bit of change that puts them in front of Nick's is Jacoby Brissett.
So going to Arizona might be a nice. Way to cleanse the palate, get Knicks up to running because they have to win the game after that. Because if they don't beat the Chiefs at home, they're swept by Kansas City, and the division might go away. And you're looking at a wild card spot at best before you visit Carolina, which is going to put points up based on what we've seen through the first four games of their season.
So the national conversation. About Knicks is front and center today, to the point where we're not even talking about a defending Super Bowl champ being five hundred through six weeks, which we will do. But we're going to take a break to get ready for our friend Sean McDermott, who's going to join us. I'm wondering what what he has to say. You know, because bless him.
You know, I I think he will have more insight into, say, play calling, not play calling, and delegating and not delegating, and maybe finding out what's going on with your team's defensive coordinator by hiring somebody like Mike Pettine to come in, then say, your young quarterback struggling, struggling quarterback. You know what I mean? Like he might be like. How does that feel?
Next question. Josh Allen's early years weren't, you know, spectacular. Dude, he made he made the playoffs and and went to Houston and almost won that playoff game. If not for a holding call, if I'm not mistaken, Mike Hoskins that hosed them in overtime. If I'm not mistaken, that playoff game.
Um, he's he struggled early. It's it's okay to point that out. All right. Year three, though, how was he in year three? Year three was awesome.
Okay, because that one hit last night. Um, and the only reason why, again, I think we're harping on it, is because otherwise this team can win the Super Bowl. That's a Super Bowl winning defense. That was without Patrick Sertan, Riley Moss. Without the two so-called top corners.
Yeah, can't have the guy you traded a first round pick for only have twenty four yards. You know what is going on with Jalen Waddle? Right, it's just t here is that as well. Cortland Sutton, a thousand yard wide receiver, nineteen yards, and right, and then and the quarterback who's just checking it down here, checking it down there. Let's call a screen pass.
I am going to dirt it when I. That's the last thing I should do. I'd rather him take a sack. You know, and at least have them burn their final timeout, which they use to go tie the game and send it into overtime. But the defense bailed them out, and they do have the offensive weapons there.
They should be able to make chunk plays. That's the only reason. And is there room for improvement? Of course. Can he improve this year?
Absolutely. Do they have the next game where they they they should be able to put some points up, like the Lions just did? Yeah.
Defensively, they're better than the Lions. They're better than most. They're outstanding. That's why we're talking about it. Let's take a break.
Sean McDermott is going to join us here on the program. Hiring for a small business is hard. You don't often have a team of people helping you out. That's why LinkedIn built Hiring Pro. It's like having a true hiring partner, and you can chat with it just like you would a recruiter.
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Oh boy, phone lines are lit. Yep, Sean McDermott coming up next, head coach of the Bills, formerly now of the Rich Eisen show every other week coming up. Rich Eisen here. At Hyundai, the SUV trophy shelf is getting a little out of hand because U.S. News and World Report named Hyundai the best SUV brand.
That's five out of six years with hybrid SUVs like the premium and capable Palisade, the adventure-built Santa Fe, and the tech-infused Tucson. Which means at this point, the shelf will need its own structural support system and a dedicated construction crew. Probably need those little visitor hard hats too. Visit U.S. News Best Cars at car.
Cars.Us.News. Com and visit HyundaiUSA. Com for more details. Today's forecast: falling leaves, football, and an eighty percent chance you're going to need a few more things for that backyard project. Running low on yard bags?
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Order select in-stock items by four PM. Restrictions and fees apply. Rich Eisen here for Gusto. On my shows, we talk a lot about what happens in the spotlight—the games, the highlights, and the moments that get replayed and debated. But in any successful operation, what happens behind the scenes matters just as much.
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One more time, gusto. dot com slash rich. The Rich Eisen Show podcast here on the Rich Eisen Show on a Friday. Dan Olalsky said Bo Nix looks like. He wants anybody else but him to be touching the football.
What do you see when you watch Bo Nix play, Coach?
Well, both of those two have played the position, right? I had a chance to be around Fitz and Dan, you know, in my career to this point. I love Fitz. I love Dan. They're passionate about the position, and so they take a lot of pride in because they played it at a high level.
I'm. And Fitz is like basically registered legendary status in my book because he's the only one to rip off his shirt in Buffalo and get the crowd like in a frenzy before a playoff game. I mean, probably the loudest crowd I've ever heard in my life was when Fitz ripped off his shirt. He earned legendary status in my in my book, and I'm sure in a lot of in a lot of Buffalo fans' book as well, and maybe even before that because of how he played. You know, here's what I would say: like, do I see what is being said?
I do, and I and and it's you know, I listen. I remember going against Bo last season and the season before that. He's a very competitive, edgy. Type of player with with a certain play style. That's how I know him, and I have a great amount of respect for him.
What what I'm seeing a little bit this year, to their point, is some of the maybe indecisiveness. And listen, he's he's he's kind of volleyed back and forth between two different play callers now.
So maybe that's it, right? You just you just never know. He's got game. He's got the skills. I see him on the bench a little bit this year.
He looks very relaxed, and maybe that's just how he is. You know, again, I wasn't in the seat that I'm in currently this year. I wasn't in that seat last year, so I was on the other sideline where I'm not looking at Bo and how he is. You know, off the field and on the bench, and but sometimes. A quarterback, in particular, needs to have that demeanor on the sideline because you have to stay consistent.
You've got to stay poised for your team. Just overall, listen. It's whatever works as far as that goes. But there is something a little bit off this year, and and and I would agree from that standpoint because I know what what he's capable of doing.
Well, I mean, he looks different than the guy you saw in the divisional round last year, right? For sure, absolutely, yeah, absolutely. Do you think it could be? Do you think it could be he's coming back from an injury and he still isn't trusting it? Could it be because it looks like there's some trust issues maybe within his own brain?
He's saying that he doesn't know why the chunk plays are not there. They're not getting it right now, is what he's saying, right? You know, and then everybody else is saying it. They're laying at his feet. Yeah.
Now there's a certain rhythm to offensive play, right? Way more than defense. Like, how do you get in a rhythm? And sometimes again, it's it's the cadence with the coordinator. Hey, I'm I know what play is coming next, and you know, people would say, well, he's been with Sean a long time, and he has.
Remember, through the first X amount of games, he was with Davis in his ear, and now it's back to Sean. And so, I'm I'm sure they're going to regain their cadence and and their rhythm together. What do you think, Sean McDermott, here in the Rich Eisen? Turning to Seattle, they're now three and three in their title defense. I don't believe Mike McDonald would have thought in a million years they'd be 500 through the first third of their regular season schedule, essentially.
The defense is balling out. Sam Darnold got hurt; he's back, and he's having some protection, ball protection issues of his own here. What do you think's going through Coach McDonald's mind right now, Sean?
Well, you know, every coach in the NFL, myself included, Mike in this case, you go and you assess after each game. Hey, where are we at? What are the strengths of our team? Where do we need to improve? Certainly, their strength.
It was last year. It is again this year. Very talented defensively. Mike does a phenomenal job along with his staff defensively and what they're doing and how they execute it. I mean, probably one of the better, if not the best, defense right now in the NFL.
And offensively, again, here's what we've got. We've got another new coordinator. You know they've got some running backs that are not out there playing. That I'm sure that they would like to have out there to give them that more of a two dimensional threat. Last night, Sam was was affected by a very good defense.
But what I love about it is, you know, the OC got to his quick game later in the game, and that started opening up the run game. That's really what you saw. You know when JSN got the yards in the second half. I think he had over 100 yards in the second half alone. They started targeting him more.
I think prior to that third quarter, they they only targeted him maybe in the first early in the game, somewhere in the first quarter. And so I think getting back to getting the ball in the hands of your best players is key, and that opened up the run game. And then all of a sudden, they're back in a rhythm. I thought it was impressive what they did down the stretch, albeit, you know, the turnovers are are key in a game like that. A defensive game, it's a line of scrimmage game.
You've got a good defensive line on both sides of the ball. Can you stay two dimensional? Neither team was really able to run the ball that effectively, and Sam was being affected probably a little bit more. Than than Bo was. I mean, sacked five times, hit more than that, but just affected overall.
That can show up later in the game, in particular, and that can lead to some turnovers once in a while as well.
So, the question I'll ask you is a question so many fans are wondering about the Seahawks, and you know, I don't know if it's as simple as this as well. Do the Seahawks miss Kenneth Walker, Sean? Do you think he's certainly a good player? I think any any team would miss would miss hit would miss his ability and his contribution. I mean, you know, you watched it, I watched it last year, in particular the last couple of games of the of their season.
You know, the NFC Championship game and then into the into the Super Bowl and and what he was able to do. And now you watch him with Kansas City. That's a real that's that's a real component and a good point. You know, again, you. Any team that becomes one dimensional is easier to defend than a team that is a true two dimensional team.
What I'm talking about is having the ability to run the football and not be a legitimate threat, and also play action off of it in the passing game. You know, when you sit in the gun in the shotgun, as you saw Sam last night. Early in the game, the balls were looked like they were trying to go a little bit more intermediate range, maybe some down the field. And then later in the game, as I mentioned, in the shotgun and the drop back game, he was getting the ball out of his hand fast.
So I thought that adjustment was big, as I mentioned before. But you you need to have, especially with the way defenses are playing now, with the split safety looks and and and so on and so forth. You you you need to have a running game. You know to help, and and and also that sets up the play action game, or one sets up the other. And so many of these offenses are going back under center.
That's where Sam was a ton last year. That's probably where he's best. Sean McDermott here on the Rich Eisen show. Yeah, I am just wondering, McDonald sees even even though he does have. The reigning offensive player of the year on his offense, and you want to get the ball into Jackson Smith and Jigba's hands.
He is a game changer. We saw that opening night on a fourth down flip the entire field and the game when he ran one in with all that yak against the Patriots. But he sees fifty-one attempts from Sam Darnold, right? I mean, you want to. Kind of don't want to see that.
Although I'm wondering, do you ever do that? We see Josh Allen throwing it 50 times, and then we're a couple interceptions where where you say, "Let's let's balance this out a little bit." Do you do that, Sean? Absolutely. I mean, you don't really want to be throwing no no coach no no real probably honestly quarterbacks like throwing it 50 times, right? Because that's how they're wired, right?
That's what they do. But you don't want to have to throw the ball that many times in a game.
Now you give them the benefit of some overtime throws and whatnot, but and they were in, as was mentioned last night, they were in somewhat of a hey comeback attempt type of situation where they were they were forced to be one dimensional, but again, to me, it goes back to. You know how they how they play their best on offense is when Sam is under center. You have the run threat, you have the play action off of it. The screens are set up off of that as well.
So that that's a harder thing for a defensive player or coach, in particular, defensive coordinator, to call a game against that style than it is sitting in the shotgun. In a one-dimensional type situation, Sean McDermott here on the Rich Eisen show. The Cowboys bring Mike Pettine in from outside the building, but you know Christian Parker, their defensive coordinator, knows him because he gave him apparently his first job in the NFL. And you know we're having a conversation about whether you know Parker is going to go upstairs or downstairs. What do you think the Cowboys are hoping to achieve?
With this maneuver here, Sean, and what you think can be achieved in such a short amount of time, middle of the season.
Well, it's interesting. Number one, I think it's I think it's very valuable to have a senior type of assistant on your staff. If you don't have that, then you're going to go have to go like they've gone and gone outside, which you don't really want to do. Because it's just it's like anything else. You throw a little bit of a pebble, into a still pond, it's just going to have some ripple, whether you like it or not.
And Mike's Mike Patton's a tremendous coach. He's been in he's been in the seat Christians in currently, and like you mentioned, they've coached together before.
So all that is good. I think the interesting thing here is, you know, you feel like. A young coordinator can do the job, and people what they're doing is they is they look to hire from these systems, and he comes from a great system with Vic Fangio, one of the best defensive coordinators to ever coach in the NFL. And so people want the system, but within that system, which person is it? Right in terms of who you want, and how long have they been in that system?
And do they really know how to build it? Because remember, now he's gone from that system Christian has to his own system.
Now that that's that's his new signature, and you've got to build it from the ground up.
So. How long was he with Vic? Was he, you know, there when Vic was building it early in the early days in Philadelphia?
So he knows the kind of the intangibles and the and the finer details of the system in order to build it the right way. And then the other piece of all this is, is the play calling piece. And I could just promise you that that's one of the toughest things to do, one of the toughest jobs in the building in the NFL is calling plays. It's really an art form, and in some cases, you either have it or you don't. And it's hard to evaluate if you're hiring that piece because if the person doesn't have it, you don't really have much to go off of, right?
And the experience piece for a new coordinator is real. And so, in this case, and then the last piece I would say is changing viewpoints. You mentioned the the box versus the field. I think that's an interesting piece of all this because, listen, the environments are vastly different. In the box, it's more of a more of a library type of static environment where you can see everything, and so you can see the run game, the pass game from a defensive standpoint.
I'm talking here, and then. But if you're downstairs, you you can't always see what's happening. Believe it or not, because you're at you're at field level.
So what would that tell you if there's an inexperienced play caller that they're thinking of putting him upstairs, and they're hiring someone from outside the building? I mean, let's let's just brass tax it. I mean, what what does that say to you? Again, I know you're not there. You're sitting on your porch, but you you have a set of eyes and you're watching this the game, right?
So what does it tell you?
Well, it's clearly clearly an adjustment is needed to be made, and and and Shadi's doing that. He's taking a step to see if he can get this thing corrected so that they play better. Their quality of football and defense, in this case, is better. Maybe giving Christian a better viewpoint of what's going on will help him, and a chance also to get away from the chaos on the sideline. Because really, what happens up there is he's playing chess.
In a static environment, and so you should be able to execute your best when you're in that type of situation. But what you lose, Rich, and it's important to note, is what you lose is you lose the leadership piece, and you lose the ability to feel the game. And the best place you can feel the game. Is on that sideline because you're down there amongst your your people and your players, and you can look them in the eye and you have direct communication with them. And so, moving upstairs, I hope Christian has the leadership piece that he needs from the coaching staff down on that sideline because that's also a critical piece when you move upstairs.
Yeah, I mean. It'll be interesting to see who's on the field, who's not. I'm imagining Petten is going to be on the field, right? I mean, or I don't know. I mean, I mean, it'd be interesting to see because being new, does he really know everything that they're trying to get done?
But dividing and conquering would, to me, be the best place to start. Is hey, Coach Petten goes downstairs. You know, Christian goes upstairs, and and then they can just kind of get together after the game or at halftime and share experiences and and and where things were, you know, went well and where things didn't. Last one for you, and again, we're we're still talking about it. It's Friday.
This happened Sunday, and it's still being talked about because these two teams, the Niners and the Commanders, aren't playing till Monday. But the Commanders' end game scenario. Where Jaden Daniels did come out and say it's on me, just in his last media availability, Dan Quinn was like, "Yeah, it's on me." You know that that can't happen. I mean, I don't know what the hell happened. I've never seen anything like it.
Have you ever seen anything like it, Sean? As a fan, you know, I listen. I watched it more than once. First, the first time I watched it, I watched it as a fan, right, and And then I watched it through the lens of a coach multiple times, and let me just say this: as a fan, we all saw what unfolded, right? And and as head coaches, you you you wear that result and you carry that result, good or bad.
That's just what goes with the job description. When you when you go back and look at what some of their options, and I say some because they may have had more. Right away, the most simple thing you could do is clock it after the the run play. Fifty five seconds, they run the running play. Right, Rich, kind of innocent run.
You get up, you clock it, you try and go win it. The challenge of that is going to be a you know you leave room for a potential counter attack, where you could get beat on a field goal there. The second option is you clock it immediately. Maybe we we term the the term in Buffalo foul ball. You roll your quarterback out, tries to buy time, launches the ball as far and as high as he can, and you burn some of that some of that time off the clock, so you mitigate at least maybe some of the potential for a counter.
Lastly, I would say, you know, we we we also operated under this slow clock type of tempo in Buffalo and. Where you get up to the line, and you just kind of sit there and you drain as much of the clock as you can, still not maybe able to burn all the clock, and then you kick it.
So three options. There's there's more, and I'm sure. And this is the the piece to me that's really key is I'm Dan Dan Quinn. I've known him for a long time. He's a tremendous coach, and I'm sure Dan had those on his radar as well.
And I think so. Where I believe things have probably broken down is in the in the critical piece of the execution of their communication, right? And that's harder sometimes than you think. You know, it's I had a somewhat of a similar situation in Buffalo. It was late in the year, and the execution of our communication was not good enough.
And that starts with the head coach. Right, it starts with Dan. starts Started with me, and but I can promise you this: you go through and you are saying, "Okay, you know, we should know as fans exactly what happened." Most head coaches, Dan, myself, you know, we're protected by nature. We're not going to go outside and tell you exactly, you know, detail to detail the way it unfolded. But what we are going to do, and I'm sure Dan's doing this, is Meeting with the people that he needs to meet with—is that the whole team, possibly, but maybe not?
Is it certain individuals, as well as him? Probably more so that because accountability and versus calling people out and ostracizing those are two different things, right? And so, from a leadership standpoint, you want to make sure that we're fixing it so it never happens again. And I think that's the key in all this, as they move forward as a team, and and I think that's the critical part here for them. What was the moment in Buffalo you're referring to, Sean?
We're not going to go there, Dan. Rich.
Okay, just figured I. Yeah, we're not going to go there. I just had to figure it. I'll give you that that that dart throw right there, Sean. I appreciate that.
Hey, you know what?
Well, we'll. I'll let you know over beer sometime. I look forward to that. I look forward to that, Sean. Thanks for the time, brother.
Always great to be with you. Right back at you. That's Sean McDermott right here on the Rich Eisen Show, everybody. You know, can't blame a guy for trying. You miss a hundred percent of the shots you don't take.
Hundred percent, as they say.
Okay, eight four four two zero four rich number to dial. Phone lines are lit. We'll take your phone calls on the WeatherTech fan line. When we come back, right here on the Rich Eisen Show. Replace your worn wiper blades right now at O'Reilly Auto Parts.
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Conditions apply. NMLS six nine six eight nine one. Let's go to the weather check fan line right now. Dakota and Arizona first and first up. What's up, Dakota?
Hey, Rich. Hey, boy. How's it going? We're all good. What up?
Yo, I'm a diehard, lifelong Seahawks fan, right? Yeah.
And I've been trying to give Sam the benefit of the doubt. I'm skeptical last season. Yeah, he put us in situations to win. Of course, we won the Super Bowl. Yes, and now this season it's hit or miss.
I don't blame the offensive coordinator. I think the way that he's been playing, he's about as even where Kubiak was last year. And so I'm kind of thinking, when do we bench Sam? Wow, and kind of like a Bryce Young aspect to let him sit, kind of build that fire, get it together, and then hopefully. You know, Dakota, start playing like you did last year.
Because right now he's looking like he's back on the jet, Dakota. Oh my goodness! Did you just yada yada yada? Of course, you took us to the Super Bowl. Did we and won it?
Did you just yada yada yada a Lombardi Trophy? Did I just hear that? Because, like, come on, man! The Seahawks—if you talk to them this year—they're not worried about last year. They want this year.
How about this, man? I mean, like, if you're wondering about where the mojo is, and I appreciate the call—that's Dakota in Arizona on the WeatherTech Fan Line board. If you're wondering where the mojo is, he could be in the backfield in Kansas City. Bingo! I mean, honestly, if they do look different to you.
Because they don't have the fire, gumption, mojo. Take a look. I mean, Jackson Smith and Jigba looks just the same. As a matter of fact, he over the first five weeks, six weeks, pardon me, looks way better than the last six weeks of the regular season last year. Right?
Yes.
Okay.
So, and I understand that of the losses. By these Seahawks, Sam Darnold has had thrown some interceptions, and the defense has been balling out. I I don't know what caused Jackson Smith and Jigba to not. I mean, he made one catch last night towards the end of that game, where it's just like that was spectacular, and is exactly why when he didn't catch the one against the Niners, we were all just. Mouth agape, stunned, right?
Yep, stunned. And I'm not going to hit the panic button on this team. Their defense is spectacular, and Sam Darnold just needs to play better, and he knows it. I mean, this was point blank. Just listen to the difference between, by the way, him and Bo Nix.
Hit it. I just think it's. It's BS, you know, for for me to keep turning the ball over, and it's not fair to our defense, not fair to our special teams group, not fair really to the the entire team.
So, I got to be better that way. I mean, I understand he didn't do well with the Jets to start, and he bounced around, and then he went to Minnesota, and a few bad starts or subpar starts. We're going to bench him for Drew Lock. That seems extreme. Come on, you know, even for someone who deals in overreaction.
Come on, throwing it fifty-one times. I get it too. You got Jackson Smith and Jigba. Their top two corners are out, but you know, and they ran it for a hundred and thirteen yards, nineteen of which were scramble yards by Sam Emmanuel Wilson, fifty-two yards. Again, let's see what happens when Jadarian Price comes back healthy, and Zach Charbonnet's out there too.
But right now, through the first six weeks of the season, they miss Kenneth Walker the third. It's just that simple, I think. And it would help to balance it out. You heard Sean McDermott just say it's it's tougher to coordinate against a balanced team. I know that that's.
Stating an obvious thing, and I'm restating it, but I guess it's kind of obvious. One guy is, you know, coming back from his bye week after four games, where he's a quarter of the way to a 2,000 yard season, and the other team is three and three, and you know there are some mistakes here and there, but they could use Kenneth Walker the third. They're going to reinforcements are coming. For American-made floor liners and a cargo liner that laugh in the face of fall weather, visit WeatherTech dot com today. Kyle Hamilton, what's more likely?
And also Pete Famel on twenty-four college football programs making one single playoff. It's coming, not just soon, next year. 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.
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