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Today's guests: ESPN NFL analyst Jeff Saturday, Fox Sports rules analyst Dean Plandino, Emmy award-winning actor Ray Seehorn, and now it's Rich Eisen.
Well, hey everybody! Welcome to this edition of the Rich Eisen Show. Wherever you're taking in this program on Disney Plus, the ESPN app, ESPN Radio, Sirius XM channel 80, just look up at the ceiling and see if you could peel a Milwaukee Brewer fan in your life off of it. What? It's finally happened, Brewers fans!
Congratulations to you. We'll be talking about the championship run of the Milwaukee Brewers later on in this program. To be straight up with you on the ESPN Radio Network, our Milwaukee affiliate joins us in hour number two.
So we're going to do them the favor of waiting to unpack all that till they join this program. Eight four four two zero four. Rich is the number to dial here on a day that Week Eight kicks off. Packers and Panthers tonight. Lots to talk about there.
We're going to keep our Eye on Atlanta, Georgia, because during this program, the Golden State Valkyries might cut down a net if that's what you want to do, or obviously celebrate a championship. The WNBA Finals Game Six is going down, as we know, famously in the middle of the afternoon because of all the scheduling and the snafus going on with facilities. At any rate, that's what's going down during today's program. Dean Blandino is going to join us in hour number two. I am going to hold him an account of every blown call in any sport involving involving football, yeah, college, professional.
Is there? There may be some caged's flagged exactly. If there was a blown call in cages, flagged there was. Dean's being held responsible for it. Good, I got some questions for Dean, former head of NFL refs, Fox rules analyst.
Dez caught it. Flag guarding, not flag guarding. He was in. He was in the. Oh yes, yeah.
Room for that one, huh? But he's admitted to you that it was a catch, right? Yeah. It does. What does that mean now, Chris?
I don't have a ring on my. What do we? All right. We're not going to relitigate. Jeff Saturday's going to join us in about eighteen minutes' time.
Hour number three, returning to this program, although this time with an Emmy Award for Best Actress in a Drama from Pluribus. And we're going to go down once again. A better call, Saul. Wormhole with one of the more brilliant, brilliant thespians around. Ray Sehorn returns.
She's in Stick season two, so she's trying a little comedy on for some of this for her her latest. That's an hour number three. Don't miss any of that. It's a higher register Thursday as well, which means it's great to see it, Chris. Oh, thanks.
How are you, Mike? I'm doing great. You're doing a great job over there. I mean, thank you. Wow.
It was a long time to get us. C. J. Jefferson, the star. Oh well, of to sell or not to sell.
I mean, yesterday's program. Look, Rich, it just it was bound to happen eventually. TJ may have that mean for that. You know, guess who's selling? Guess who's selling?
We did to sell or not to sell on on Wednesday's program. The Titans. We didn't even to sell. Oh my god! Oh my god!
Well, not to sell Tennessee. They weren't on the list. It's because we we just assume they were going to sell, right? You know what I mean.
So you you even threw the charges out there at winless, but we just we just pegged which ones they would sell, right? Not in my wildest dreams that they think the Titans would sell Jeffrey Simmons until the Bears said, "How about two ones and a four? How many were in two ones?" I said two ones and a four, and Yeah, the Titans are like okay. We're good. You can have one of the best at that position in the sport.
And then we'll we'll flip you a fifth round pick. About that, you think Ryan Poles was like, where did that fifth round pick come from? Is that like a last minute request? Listen, you got to just give me what what what do what are you willing to get? What you know, what's at the bottom?
And and then the Titans are like, we're going to give you Jeffrey Simmons. Like, what are you talking? Like, where did the fifth come from? Look, guys, we got to balance our books. I can't do this deal unless we get a fifth.
You know what I mean? We need something. It's like when you're buying a house. Right, and you are like, and and and you are, if you are fortunate enough to ever be in this position of. In this day and age of affording a house, right?
But at any rate, you're you're buying a house. You're in this process. It's already done, and you're you know you're like, do I ask the contingencies for that? Of course. Do I ask?
Do I say that the the outdoor furniture's gotta be thrown in? Hundred percent. Need the washer and dryer. You know what I mean? At any rate, Jeffrey Simmons is a bear.
Which this is what it means.
Okay. With all due respect to Titans fans. You know what it means. It means that we're done here. For Robert Sala to essentially say Jeffrey Simmons is is available for a certain price, and the fact that they hit the price just goes to show you that the Titans are are retooling, and that clearly, as you would might imagine, makes sense.
But what this means is Ryan Poles and the Chicago Bears feel like now is the moment.
Now we go for it.
Now we take somebody like Jeffrey Simmons, and when Sweat comes back, and when this defense that is coalescing has somebody right in the middle. Of the defense to say to Jameer Gibbs or you know Jacobs, not today, not today in division. To say to Christian McCaffrey or Kyron or Balakay Karum of the Rams or. Anybody that the Seahawks are going to finally suit up and and ride, or if they face down the road the Chiefs, Kenneth Walker, name any running back not today, and any quarterback that thinks that they're not going to get Jeffrey Simmons stopping a run on the way to the quarterback, they already know they're sadly mistaken.
Okay, they already know that, and he's that good, and. This is a move they have made now, as opposed to next week, because there's no time like now. If now is the moment, now means now. Like, let's do it. Because when you bring in Jeffrey Simmons now, and he clears his physical, and he walks around the building, and it sends a jolt through the building.
You could potentially throw him out in your next game, which is Monday night. And amazingly, the Seahawks' newest acquisition and Quinton Nelson's going to be the one right across most of the time, maybe from Jeffrey Simmons.
So the Bears are like, okay, we see your Quinton Nelson, and we'll raise you Jeffrey Simmons. And then next week, Bucky Irving and everybody else running downhill at us. Not today. Then they get a bye week, and then there are two games against Detroit. That last game at Minnesota, they got to win, otherwise they might.
That might be for the whole marbles in the division. Never know, because Minnesota, as you know, beats Chicago for their first loss of the season in a game in which Caleb Williams hurt his hamstring. There's a game at Buffalo in a week 15. Not today, James Cook. Not today, maybe Josh Allen.
This is why the Bears feel this is the moment, and part of the reason why this is the moment is because their quarterback is now officially ready. Our own two eyes see it, right? Our own two eyes see it, definitely, right? And so, if our own two eyes see it, you know. The two eyes of the head coach, and the general manager, and the rest of the locker room sees it.
This is a move to say we're super in 2026, and we're going to be for the future because we're coughing up two ones and a four. And in terms of Caleb Williams's readiness, this one I was going to play this soundbite anyway, but it moved up in our rundown because the Bears made this move. Seismic move today. Ben Johnson had this to say about Caleb Williams. Let's not forget at this point last year.
Okay, the Bears were digging out of their own to start after Caleb Williams was fed the entire Ben Johnson system through a fire hose. That's the phrase that we heard throughout two training camps ago, and that's an old school football phrase to say we are just absolutely taking this kid, not giving him a drink of water. We're giving him all the water all at once with the highest pressure. And he's going to have to absorb it. He's going to have to drink it.
He's going to have to absorb it, and he's going to have to do well with it.
Well, that's not the case anymore. Listen to Ben Johnson talking about his quarterback just Wednesday. I love just where he is mindset-wise right now. No one's more critical of him than himself at this point, and you know is. Good as he's done taking care of the football, and certainly the higher completion percentage and all those things, you know, we would come in and there's a lot more to be had last week.
And he's the first one to say it, and we go through it and and where can it improve while still highlighting the improvements we've already made along the way. I thought he he had some of the more accurate run after catch throws, ball locations last week, than and it continues to get more and more each and every week, and we we need. Certainly, as we emphasize the playmakers that we have and their ability to to make big plays after they get the ball in their hands, so that's a bright side. And yet, there's there's a number of things that we left out there, and you know, we'll never play the perfect game, never coach the perfect game, and yet we're always striving for that. And I think that's that's what I love the most about him right now is he he loves that criticism, he loves to to take that, and he chews on it.
You know, gets a little time out of the building, chews on it, and then he comes back and just had a great walk through. And once again, it's not flawless. Certainly, will never be this early in the week, and and yet you can see see him, you know, working through it. And man, I got to get disentrenched. But what am I going to do?
What's it going to look like? He's just matured a lot in that regard, taking a game plan, downloading it, and being able to bring it to life on a fairly quick basis here. Man, do I love that! Right? How what great insight that is.
Obviously. From the coach, I mean, we've they've graduated to this point fast, fast.
Now is now. We were all wondering when is now going to finally arrive, right? With Caleb in general, and then when Ben Johnson gets hooked up with Caleb, now is now. Obviously, have to execute. Caleb knows the significance of this acquisition on his Instagram.
It was hailed. It was heralded. If you want to put it up, there it is. Good morning, world. Good morning.
So there you have it. Wow. And clearly, I guess a bygone is bygone because Jeffrey Simmons has been on this show once. He came in. The day after my birthday, twenty twenty four, yeah, off season, two years, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
So he he he filled up this chair in a way that is very, very rarely filled up. He's a giant here, yeah. And we pointed out to him that he and the Titans were the first team to face Caleb Williams, Caleb, a very heralded first overall drafted rookie coming out of. USC, and this led to his first ever, I believe, public comments about Caleb Williams. We figured we'll replay it now that they're teammates.
You, Jeffrey Simmons, week one of the National Football League season will be the first human being. On the other side of the line of scrimmage, painted nails in a game. I can't wait to say that to him for Caleb Williams.
So you got that plan? Oh, it's gonna yeah, it's gonna be one of them games. Especially, I mean, he probably get talked smack. I mean, smack talked to his about you know his teammates right now, but. Like it's gonna be, especially a game like that.
My first game, like of course I missed the last end of the season. Right, it's gonna be the first game of the season. They got us coming to Chicago. He going all the hype gonna be around them.
Now all the hype's around Jeffrey Simmons joining Painted Nails. They're gonna paint the town maybe together. Right, that's a monster of the midway right there. Instant, just add trade. And again, for any Bears fans that's listening to us on ESPN One Thousand in that awesome city, or maybe in the back answering our phone calls at eight four four two zero four rich.
When you call, tell Adam congratulations. He's walking on air. Absolutely. For any Bears fan that might be like, wow, that's a lot. Two first rounders and a fourth rounder.
If you are. Going down Michigan Avenue with a trophy.
Okay, if you're doing that, you will not think about that for one second. And a move like this indicates one thousand percent that the Bears front office, coaching staff, and locker room believe now is now. And it has arrived.
Now has arrived in Chicago, and what a first game! My God, the Week Eight Capper in Seattle. I've been saying all off season and all the way up until the other day that this should have been Game One of the regular season. Bears in Seattle, the would be NFC Championship game, if the result in the divisional round game against the Rams was different, instead of the Super Bowl sixty reheat that that didn't really light many fires in advance, and on that night. But I am now officially glad that this waited till now.
You come around. That the Seahawks are coming off that win against the Chiefs, the way that they looked. As I started the week, saying the defending champs have entered, re-entered the chat, because they really did look for the first time this year, soup to nuts, all three phases, all four quarters, like that. And then they had Quinton Nelson, and now here come the Bears. Off of that win one week ago tonight against the team that the Seahawks had in their house in Week One and won Super Bowl sixty against the way that they looked there, the way that they have looked since Caleb has come back from injury, the way that the defense has been falling out, and they had Jeffrey Simmons just in time to face one another on Monday night and put it all to the test.
Oh, baby. What a great way to start week eight! Can't wait. Bears fans excited, Seahawks fans excited, Niners fans excited. Just to name three, right?
Niners off, but Bears and Seahawks on together with two. All pro dudes added, and it's not like you know two quarterbacks going against each other. Is like they don't face each other on the same field against each other on the other side of the line of scrimmage. These two guys, Nelson and Simmons, will. Oh man, on the Disney Family Networks to wrap up Week Eight, eight four four two zero four.
Rich, number to dial. I want. I want to hear from you, Wheeling. I want to hear from you. Chicago land, gotta be psyched.
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Jeff Saturday here on the Rich Eisen show. Our radio audience has returned.
Okay, what do you think is going on with the Colts right now, Jeff, your former franchise? Yeah, you know they're they're trying to accumulate as many picks as they can. I'm sure trying to stack them up so they can get back in the first round. Obviously, giving that pick to the Jets, which will be, I'm sure by the by the ears, end will be a top five pick, has set the Jets up in a big way. You had expiring contracts on both.
Q and Buck, and so you know from that perspective, you're like, hey, we can get whatever we give, we get an extra something. Let's try to do it, you know, from just a you know comp pick.
So I'm assuming they're just trying to trying to grab as many or or bolster their draft as much as they can, understanding that this thing is a rebuild. Gonna have to make a decision, obviously based on Steichen and Daniel Jones, what both of those things look like at the end of the year, and I'm sure all that. Plays out by how they look the next, you know, towards towards the next few weeks, or even through through the season. And it's, but it's sad, right? As as a person who you know had a fantastic career there in in Indy to watch them strip this thing there.
Q obviously will be in the Hall of Fame and and is definitely you know culturing of honor.
So as well as he's played, but let me say this, Rich, because because I. I need to say this. I said it on television a little bit, but I'm also happy for those guys because they're going to organizations that win. And when you've been as good a player as those guys have been, and never had the opportunity to really go win, I know Buck had a little more than Q did. They deserve it, man.
One of the things that makes me sad as a player is when I see guys go in the Hall of Fame, and you call them like Sunday at One guys. They never got to play big moments, and big moments matter. Like I, I mean, there's nothing better in my career than. The Patriots in those massive games, or the Steelers in the massive games, or the or the Bears or the Saints in the Super Bowl, like the moments—that's what you remember. The Sunday at once, man.
Like I get it. Like you're good. It's great. But but that doesn't. That shouldn't.
That that shouldn't be that the tipping point of how good we are as individuals playing on good teams, which Q is now going to, and Buck is going to. Both will have a shot this year at you know potentially running back a Super Bowl. Or making it to a Super Bowl, tip of the cap, and Jeffrey Simmons. But I mean the same type of career. This guy is a fantastic player.
Now he goes to the Bears, gets out of purgatory in Tennessee. That stuff matters to me, man.
So I love seeing the best players get on really good teams, so that you can see really how good they are. Because they just they stay under the radar way too much when they play for teams that can't crack into the playoffs, or if they do, they're One and dons, and and the markets are too small to support as good as they are.
So, as sad as I am, I'm glad those guys are making it to to organizations that have a real shot.
Well, I mean, and you mentioned about Daniel Jones at quarterback and Shane Steichen at head coach; those are decisions down the line. What about the one that's right there in front of them, Jonathan Taylor? You know, you want you want to get back in the first round. That's the way to get back in the first round, right? And you know that certainly.
If you if you dare to trade him within conference, you could even jack up the price for that sort of thing. What would you do that though, Jeff? I think so. I think at this point where you are, so here's how I would frame that. JT is the face of our franchise, and deservedly so.
Right, the guy is an absolute stud. One of the biggest disappointments for me was when I did have the opportunity, coach. He was injured, so so I didn't. I got to see him week one when he lit it up against the the Raiders, but then he then he goes down and and but let me just. He is so silky smooth, man.
Like. He is. People hear Gibbs. They hear McCaffrey. They hear all these big names, right, of running backs, and he's that man.
He is that good. And again, because we haven't won, people don't know how good he really is. But this guy. What what McCaffrey did to San Fran, what Marshawn Lynch once did, what Kenneth Walker is doing for the Chiefs, Taylor does that, bro.
So yeah, I mean, if if if I'm the Colts, I know it's probably going to take me more than a year or two to get this thing really running and humming, and so. I probably not thinking of a back who's aged two years and is going to take a ton of beating because you are going to rely on him. You know, taking three, you know, three hundred plus touches. I'd probably get the best value I could. But again, if they didn't, I would understand.
This is one that I would understand both ways because he is the face of your franchise. He would be great for a young quarterback if you have to draft one.
So, but if the numbers right. I'd make the move, Jeff. Saturday here on the Rich Eisen show. Let us talk about the major acquisitions that we've seen this week through a sports talk radio question, if I might dare, Jeff. But again, you are used to this sort of stuff on Get Up and First Take.
Quentin Nelson to the Seahawks, Jeffrey Simmons to the Bears. The one that will have the biggest impact this year, twenty twenty six. Not talking about down the line. Which one is going to have the biggest impact? Dang, dang!
Yes, sir. I, um, I'm gonna say Q, and I'm a because I think I think Q specifically fits what McDonald wants to do right now, and he has he saw how they won the Super Bowl last year. And the thing that I love most about Mike last season was, even when their run game wasn't great, it wasn't efficient. He stayed with it, right? He tells the coordinators, "We're going to stay in this kind of this this this mindset of physicality, and we're going to we're going to rely on Sam when we need to and JSN when we need to." But he saw the games they didn't play well.
Sam threw the ball for forty plus times. That's not a Winning formula for the Seahawks. You saw their winning formula when they beat the brakes off of Kansas City. Play physical, run the ball, stop the run, and then let JSN make these explosive, amazing plays, play after play. And they're good enough.
You know, they they made the trade for Rasheed Shahid last season, so they have pieces and parts. And as Charbonnet gets healthy, as Price gets healthy, that that pickup of Q in the middle. Was Zabel on the other side? I know Cross is banged up, but whenever he gets back, these pieces and parts are stylistically the way that the Seahawks won it last year and want to try to repeat this year. That said, you would know from your position of what you played about what Jeffrey Simmons could do for a defense, right?
Like he's the type of guy that you would, I'm sure, when you were getting ready to play a game and against someone of Jeffrey Simmons is ill. Man, you knew you had to get your rest all week long, right?
So, what do you think he does add to the Bears, then, Jeff?
So, so I'll tell you they they will have the Seahawks will have conversations about knowing where Jeffrey Simmons is every play because he has he has the ability to move around throughout the entire offensive line or up and down what we would call through every one of our gaps and be be proficient.
So he's not a guy that has to line up in a certain place with a certain hand or a certain leg. Like he that dude can go. Everywhere and and his efficiency inside the pocket and and I've I've I've told this to people so many times the value of Aaron Donald when he was in his prime I would equate to the best defensive end because it's so much harder to double a guy inside than it is to either double chip slide like you get a guy on the edge they are still finishers don't get me wrong but it's much easier for the offensive line to take advantage. Of that, when you put them guys inside, there is no way because if you know the center is going to have to turn a certain way, by alignment, you can get one-on-one matchups on the guys inside. That's exactly what the Bears will do.
And the other, the other major factor of this is they get on the quarterback so much quicker. Rich, like when I tell you, when Tom Moore, our old offensive coordinator for so many years, who's a Hall of Famer, would tell Peyton. One, two, three, throw it away.
Well, when you had to go face those internal pass rushers, it might be one, two, and a half balls got to come out because it speeds up their timing so much more. Because the distance to the quarterback is so much shorter, he is a fantastic pickup and an absolute unit, bro. He he is, and again, a guy who's been stuck in purgatory because I don't want to use the other word in the NFL of not being on good teams. This guy is an absolute beast, and he will he will completely change the effectiveness of the pass rush for the Bears and and everything that they gave for him. I know people are like, "Oh, man, the Titans win." They may long term, you know, because their draft picks make get back, but you ain't replacing that that dude right there is an absolute unit man.
And so, so much respect for the Bears picking him up. And how about this? First game for both of them. They go back in the Titans. These dudes have faced each other a ton, so you're going to see an insane matchup week one, which I freaking love, man.
I've already circled it once. That thing came out. That's beautiful. That is beautiful. It's like the football gods wanted it.
And speaking of speaking of words you're not using and replacement, Tom Moore's the guy who once famously said, "You at the Colts never practiced without." Peyton Manning, right? Correct. Because you didn't practice a certain way. Exactly. Exactly.
One hundred percent. Everybody should Google that. Look it up. We cannot say it here. We're Disney.
God, I love Tom Moore. Did Tom Moore smoke? I couldn't tell. Did he smoke? No.
Is he a smoker? All right. Jeff Saturday here on the Rich Eisen Show. How do you think the rest of the NFC North is taking this? Right?
Because it's it's. Top to bottom, outstanding. Right, yes. Everybody's above five hundred. Lions, Vikings playing each other this week.
Packers play tonight. Yeah. After having just lost to Detroit in a very bitter, bitter, bitter L as well.
So I'll I'll reverse my subject by asking you for a take. Bears win this division now. Like, did they seal it? Yeah, so I picked Detroit yesterday. I think Jared Goff is absolutely insane and has played fantastic this season.
I I went on record. I didn't love the Dan Campbell go for it on my own twenty-five. Obviously, obviously the drop and the shank help, but whatever it is, it is. But I still. But but now now that Jeffrey Simmons in Chicago, I do believe the the the it aligns for.
The Bears, right? Because that was the area you were most concerned of—is their defense. But now you've got a guy in the middle, not only who can pass rush, but will play the run. He will make other players around him. He's he's a force multiplier.
And so I would say now that the NFC North is on notice, man. This this team—they're for real. They've already shown you what they can do offensively. And the the other benefit that I love. And again, this goes to style, style of play.
Ben Johnson wants to be physical, and he calls a physical offensive game. You flip that over and start playing physically from the defensive front, which they've kind of lacked a little bit. Holy mackerel, dude! Like this dude, he's an animal, man, and he's about it. And so, you know, he's the Hutch.
For the the Bears right now, right? Think about the guy that you know. Everybody's concerned with you. You go play the Lions, right? Can can you find them?
Can you block them? That's exactly what everybody's going to be doing when they're prepping for the Bears. I think I think the way that they have it, I would lean it towards the Bears now. Yeah, that said, the Packers are getting Micah back, right? The Vikings are undefeated.
They are taking on the Lions this week, and I know what you said about golf. You're one hundred percent right. But how about these words that I'm actually saying into a microphone about the Lions? They're getting healthy on the defensive back end. Brian Branch came back.
Kirby Joseph's return to practice. Those are the guys. You know, back in the day, if you will, a couple years ago, when the Lions were threatening to make the Super Bowl, those guys are now back, or they're coming back. And I can't wait to see this whole thing play out. Lions and Vikings are the first up in terms of playing one another this week.
The AFC North—you got the Steelers and the Browns playing each other. The Bengals just did to the Ravens what we just saw them do. The Ravens are playing the Bills this weekend, right?
So the best team in the AFC North—you put your marker on one right now, Jeff. Saturday, it's which one? Oh, yeah. I'm only asking the tough ones today, man. Yeah, yeah.
I mean, the reality is, is this going to be with Lamar or without Lamar? It's like It's with Lamar. I think Lamar's back. Res Consulting took a look at him trotting on the field during practice. He didn't do very much, but we have keen eyes.
I think he's going to be fine. Oh, Jeff, I'm going Ravens. I'm going Ravens. I'm going Ravens. So, so I would tell you how Lamar performs will would will completely change my mind.
I I do like how the Browns have played. I love you know the the Deshaun Watson like kind of kind of. Rebirth through through tide has been insanely good. You know, fourth quarter comes back, but again, you wonder can they go hang thirty on people? Right, like right now they play really good defense.
Same kind of the same thing. Then you you flip it over to the Bengals. You saw them hang up thirty five and a half against the Ravens. Can the Ravens' offense match that? How long does it take Lamar?
Because I would honestly lean towards the Bengals right now, which is just the way they. Played and and you know they're kind of up and down their defense. You don't really know what you are going to get week in and week out. But if they get hot, they're they're as good as there is. I I love what the Steelers have done.
Again, the the the the receiving core. You know, the Jeremy Bernard has been beautiful. I know they're going to get Pittman back, but I just I'm not I'm not sure I would I would set that with the Bengals. If everybody's playing to strength, I would probably tilt it towards the Bengals, with the caveat of Lamar. Man, like he he just.
He's missed 19 games since 20. It's just the middle of 21. That's a lot of football, man. And it's it's as good as Snoop is, man. It's hard to win in the NFL when you're he.
He's such a difference maker. He got to get back, man. And against a mass. And I said this. It's a must play, must win, in my opinion, for Baltimore.
And I know it's not their division, but man, you get so far behind these really good AFC teams in playoff standings, and You got to go chase all the way through. That's just a really difficult travel. It's just really tough, man.
So this one to me is a big one against the Bills, and they got every chance to do it with Lamar. It's just, is he there? Yeah, measuring stick game. That is for sure. And in terms of no matter the happiest you've ever seen Peyton Manning in your career and friendship and life, and I'm sure you've seen him happy as happy can be.
I don't know if it can compare to Joe Burrow this morning when he was told this week's game against the Titans will not feature Jeffrey Simmons on the other side of the line of scrimmage. Right? I would love to have had a GoPro on whoever got to tell that to Joe Burrow today. Right? Let me tell you, you know, as an offensive lineman, he ain't happier than we are.
You're like whoa. Praise the Lord, baby. I don't know how I'm living, but I'm living right. Right. They spent the first two days of this week circling that guy, and they're like, "We're race the circles, you know." Oh, don't have to deal with ever, right?
You know, the lie of the NFL is everybody's like, "Y'all want to go play those guys full strength." I was like, "I hope they all catch cramps right before kickoff, bro." And they can't. I don't want them hurt for good, but if they gotta miss this next sixty minutes, God bless them, bro. Bro, I ain't into all that. I I don't want to play anybody full. I want to play however we win.
That's what that's how I said. Don't don't go tell people lies. Don't nobody want nobody. Jeffrey Simmons full string, bro. We want Jeffrey Simmons on another team.
That's what we want. That's right. And who I don't know who got to tell Sam Donald this fact. Hey, Sam, I don't know if you're aware of this, but but hey, he's got Q as you mentioned, Quentin Nelson. Jeff, thanks for the time.
Always a pleasure. Let's do this again real soon. Thank you, brother. Great, great seeing y'all. Have a great one.
That's Jeff Saturday, everybody. The one and only, faithful as always. Right? Yeah, we don't play in full strength. Praise the Lord.
You know? Yeah. Nobody wants that. Yeah, man. Telling equals tolerance, though, is what I took.
Telling equals tolerance. I'll never forget that story. Bill telling it to Lawrence Taylor, and all of us sitting at that table. I told Bill Parcells, "LT's late again, man. What do I do?" And Parcells looked back at Belichick, said, "Why are you starting the meeting without him at all?" It's great.
Got to wait for LT. Come on, eight four four two zero four. Rich, number to dial here on the WeatherTech Fan Line. We'll do that when we return. It's See Better, Drive Safer Month at O'Reilly Auto Parts.
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Find your perfect match at Walmart.com or to. Store near you. The Rich Eisen Show, the podcast. At Hyundai, the SUV trophy shelf is getting a little out of hand because US 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. View US News best cars at cars.usnews.com and visit Hyundai USA. Com for more details. All right, Dean Blandino, former head of NFL refs, current Fox rules analyst. We we sent up the bat signal for him on Sunday.
Yeah, we did during the Lions Packers game. We're like texting each other, like we got to get him on. We got to get somebody on it. Brady's complaining about calls, right? And so he will join us because again, we we don't just complain.
We try to fix. That's what R S Consulting's about. Yep. Outside of what the best thing is about us, you know, the best thing about us, though, is it's about us, right? And even with that mantra, we're we're we're here to help others.
We're gonna have fellie to that. I want to know where. What is the rule? Or how about this? I want to know what is the mechanics.
What are the mechanics of Getting together once a fifteen-yard roughing the passer or roughing play has been called, they throw it and then they get together and discuss it amongst themselves, or or the head ref throws you know roughing the passer and says, "I saw it in my own two eyes. I'm not waiting to talk to anybody." Here is the announcement. They always wait a second, but hold on a second, Mike. Yep, is that they don't always wait a second. They don't.
Sometimes it's just they they can't even get the the referee, you know, on camera fast enough because he's already announcing to the to the to the country that there's a roughing call. And I want to know why aren't they taking time to huddle up so New York can chime in to pick it up or not? Is New York not chiming in every fifteen yard flag? They should every every roughing call. Whether it's a defender on an offensive player that's supposedly not that's in a defenseless position, or a quarterback, every one of them should be reviewed if replay assist is allowed to pick it up.
If you have it, I want to know that, and I also want to know: is there any way the NFL will reverse course on their clear mandate to the officials? And the television broadcast crews that the minute there's a replay, you're going a commercial break. We want to use a replay challenge moment as an opportunity to get a commercial break in because we want these games to go faster than college. We want these games to be in a certain amount of time. We don't want one window to bleed into another.
That they would they would do away with that. To give us fans at home what we're seeing in college football, which is a full listen in on the conversation between the replay center and the official that's looking at the replay. I want. Will they do that? It's going to add.
I don't know. I want those. Those are two things that I'm front loading in advance to talk to Dean. Eight four four two zero four. Rich, let's go to the WeatherTech fan line right now.
Josh in Kenosha, Wisconsin. What's up, Josh? Hello, guys. Hope you're all doing well.
So, a higher register for today regarding my Bears. Last week, I had the Patriots Bears possible Super Bowl preview. How about NFC Championship preview Monday night?
Okay, Bears and the Ox.
Well, first of all, two things. Many things, Josh. First of all, I thought I'm going to Kenosha, Wisconsin, because I was going to wish you congratulations on the Brewers. Do I get to do that, or you're you're you're not a Milwaukee or Wisconsin sports fan in any way, despite calling in from there?
Well, I am a Cubs fan. I'm excited, helpful though.
So, how we feeling? How we feeling today watching the Brewers celebrate? I'm okay with it.
Okay, great. Ten years ago, Brewers fans in large part supported the Cubs to break their curse.
So I am happy to return the favor for them ten years later.
So I'm happy for the fans. Very good. And the Bears and the Seahawks being an NFC Championship game preview sounds to me like a regular register. You got to go higher register to believe that, right now, Josh. Yeah, just just because I love the move for Simmons, but I still feel like we're we're another piece or two away.
Interesting, especially with the secondary. I don't like Jalen Johnson right now, as most Bears fans don't. Correct. And then I feel like we're another. Honestly, another receiver away as well.
I'm not sure what's going on with Rome.
Okay, yeah, no, Rome. Hey, man, a couple weeks ago, that big catch against the Patriots, Rome was phenomenal in the back half of that game.
So, and and I'll say this, and thanks for the call, Josh. One way to help your your back end, your defense, is for the front end to get a little bit stouter. Fact, good point. You know, and that's another thing. Like, hey, we're not going to we we don't see a corner that's worth it.
For our system, or the amount of capital that's being asked of us to give up to get the corner, so let's just put it all in Jeffrey Simmons. Not a bad choice, and and again, I I think he's he's right from all the Bears fans that we have heard from and the comments that we're getting on a lot of our videos. Jalen Johnson is getting it's his time in the barrel right now. Yep, and he was good, man. Or he was better than what we're seeing, don't you think?
Maybe, maybe that's the higher register. I think he's gonna. I think he's gonna be all right. Yeah, I think the higher register. You, that's the higher register.
Yeah, yeah. Simmons is gonna help this group out. Oh no, I think you can go regular register. No, I mean the the secondary. I see.
Yeah. For American-made floor liners in a cargo liner that laugh in the face of fall weather, visit Weathertech.com today. Every bad call that you've seen in football, collegiate, and professional this year, we're going to hold Dean Blanedino to account. He has no idea what he's getting into. Good, he's a former stand-up comic.
He gets the game. He knows. He takes the heckles. Yeah, he can do it. Yeah, that's coming up.
He's coming up next year on the Rich Eisen Show. Thanks for listening to the Rich Eisen Show podcast. You can watch and listen to the Rich Eisen Show live weekdays from noon to three Eastern on ESPN Radio, Disney Plus, and on the ESPN app. The Rich Eisen Show, the podcast. This episode is brought to you by State Farm.
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