REShow: Davis Love III/Deforest Buckner - Hour 2 (8-3-2022)

The Labor Day event from Dell Technologies is here and it's time to take productivity to another level. End the summer strong by upgrading your growing business to the latest tech. This new season begins with up to 48% off top performance laptops like Bostro, taking performance to the next level with 12th Gen Intel Core processors. You'll also save big on monitors, docks, mice and more must-have accessories. Plus, get free shipping on everything. It's the perfect time to get ahead with powerful tech designed to stay motivated throughout the year, and encourage collaboration and innovation among your team. Now, at special prices for a limited time only. Summer might be gone, but it's just the beginning. What's next for you?

Upgrade today by calling 877-ASK-DELL, that's 877-ASK-DELL, to save up to 48% on our latest technology. Earlier on the show, host of Peacock's Pro Football Talk, Mike Florio. Coming up, United States President's Cup captain, Davis Love III. Legendary broadcaster, Bob Costas.

Colts defensive tackle, DeForest Buckner. And now, it's Rich Eisen. Our number two of the Rich Eisen Show is on the air.

844-204-RICH, number two. We've had a lot of folks calling in with their memories of Vince Scully and what he meant to them. I started the show by telling you what he meant to me and my family. Again, my parents being from Brooklyn, New York, told me about Vince Scully when I was a kid. And then, of course, I got to learn who Vince Scully was on my own, watching him call games nationally on NBC Sports, baseball games and football games on CBS Sports and the Masters.

Him calling the catch, Montana to Clark and Candlestick on that January day in 1982. If you missed that at the top of the show, please go to our YouTube page, youtube.com slash Rich Eisen Show for that and our full archive. We already played back for you a portion of an interview Kevin Costner, or an appearance Kevin Costner had here in 2018 when he was here to promote this newfangled show called Yellowstone. And him telling the story of Vince Scully calling the action of Billy Chappell at the end of For Love of the Game.

And just a great story. That's on our YouTube page as well, youtube.com slash Rich Eisen Show. Bob Costas will be joining us top of hour number three, exactly one hour from now. Make an appointment view for that or appointment listen for that right here on Sirius XM85 or the Rich Eisen Show terrestrial radio network Coast to Coast. We say hello to our Peacock viewers and our podcast and Odyssey listeners on the program.

Davis Love III is about to join us. But before we do, I want to play this soundbite for you that made the rounds on Twitter. Greg Norman spoke this past weekend. I don't think we've ever played a soundbite from the Tucker Carlson program on this show.

First for everything, Rich. But Tucker sat down with Greg Norman and I want to get this soundbite up there for Davis Love to chew on on the other side. Why is it so offensive to some American golf fans that you're doing this? What are they mad about? I don't know.

I really don't care quite honestly. I just love the game of golf so much and I just want to grow the game of golf. And we at Live see that opportunity. We at Live see it not just for the men, but for the women. We at Live see it for NCAA and younger generations.

We at Live see it as a pathway to opportunities for these kids to experience a new world out there. Well, to talk about the state of play on this is a World Golf Hall of Famer, two-time Ryder Cup captain, this year's U.S. President's Cup captain, and who's playing in the Wyndham Championship on the PGA Tour this very week, an event he has championed three times with the most recently being in 2015, the great Davis Love III here on the Mercedes-Benz phone line on the Rich Eisen Show. How are you doing, sir? Great, Rich. How are you? I'm doing well.

I'll just open it up to you. What do you think about the state of play right now with the Live Golf Tour and the PGA Tour, Davis Love III? Well, it's unfortunate that we have a rift in our game that was brought on by a Hall of Famer that came from Australia with a dream to play, to chase new opportunities, to be like Jack Nicklaus, and won a lot of golf tournaments on the PGA Tour and around the world, and now he's challenging that platform that gave him the opportunity to become the great white shark.

So it's very strange. Another kid from outside the U.S., Rory McIlroy, wanted to play on the PGA Tour and win a bunch of tournaments and win majors, and he came over and did that, and now he's on the board of the PGA Tour, and he's making the rules and leading the charge to grow the game. So a lot of the things that they're claiming are kind of hollow.

Growing the game is the USGA, the RNA, Augusta National, Drive, Chip and Putt, PGA Junior League Golf, PGA Tour with the first tee. All those opportunities are there, and Greg never took those opportunities to work within our organization to try to grow it. So what do you think it is? Well, there's a lot of press conferences and a lot of talking points that you're hearing. It's all about the money.

There's never anything else other than that. They're not playing for titles. They're playing an exhibition, a 54-hole exhibition event against the same guys every week.

It's not playing for history. Tiger Woods has 82 wins. He's trying to be Jack Nicklaus' major record. That's what Tiger's playing for. He's not playing for money. Like you said, Jack Nicklaus turned down a lot of money to be involved with Liv. Tiger Woods turned down a lot of money to be involved with Liv.

That ought to tell you something. The two guys that we look up to the most as the best players ever in the game just flatly said no. And back in 1994, when Greg brought this up, we all had to go. The top players had to go to a meeting in our Palmer's office when he told us this is not the right thing to do.

Jack and I helped set up the PGA Tour, and it's doing fine. Let's move on. And we moved on in 1994, but now, unfortunately, Greg has deeper pockets behind him to try it again. So, Davis Love III here on the Rich Eisen Show. What happened in 1994?

For those who may not be familiar, this is, and I guess I'm one of them. It was a long time ago for both of us. But in 1994, Greg proposed the world tour.

Thirty top players played the weeks before the majors hit. The Fox Network back then that didn't have any sports programming offered him a $25 million contract. And he tried this exact same thing. Google it. Go back and read the articles. It's the exact same thing.

He just had not the same amount of money. And it threatens the structure of the PGA Tour. We are a group of charitable golf tournaments around the country that are put on by Tiger Woods and Jack Nicklaus and Davis Love, Arnold Palmer's family. We own and operate these tournaments. The Phoenix Thunderbirds or the Dallas Salesmanship Club, they own and operate the tournaments, not the PGA Tour. The PGA Tour is a vehicle for us to play under a brand like a league like the NBA or the NFL. We're just a league of tournaments that raise money for charity and play for a big prize that week.

And it's based on, we're a tax-exempt organization that's growing the game and is built around our members. And unfortunately, that wasn't enough for Greg and for some other people that they want their cake and eat it too. What they're challenging is that they can do live and then come back and cherry-pick the PGA Tour events. That's what's not fair to the guys, the Jordan Spiess and the Scottie Shefflers that are out here playing week in and week out. They don't want a guy to come in and pop in every once in a while when he's getting hundreds of millions somewhere else and breaking our tour rules. Davis Love III here on the Rich Eisen Show. Again, did somebody piss off Greg Norman in like 1990 or something like that?

I'm being serious. I know it sounds facetious, but it seems like something happened with Greg on the tour. We have four player directors on the board of the PGA Tour. We have 16 player advisory council members. We have player meetings once or twice a year.

Greg never participated in any of that. Guys like Brad Faxon and Jay Haas and Davis Love and Charlie Hoffman and now Rory McIlroy, Patrick Cantlay is going on the board next year. We make the rules for the PGA Tour. I don't agree with every decision the PGA Tour makes. They changed the schedule right now. They changed the fall schedule that affects my tournament. I don't totally agree with it, but I'm a PGA Tour guy.

I'm going to make it work out because it's good for the game. My little tournament creates playing opportunities for 156 guys every year to come and play at Sea Island. Tiger has his tournament in LA. They're going to play for $25 million next year.

We are providing an opportunity for kids to come out and chase their dreams. For some reason, Greg doesn't like that system. He didn't like it in 1994. He thinks that the top players should get all the money. We should not be helping the bottom 150. It's all about the top and making more money.

Look at the comments Phil Nicholson has made. He just wants more money for him and less for the guys at the bottom. That's not what business or what this world is about. It's just taking care of the few at the top.

You take care of everybody and that's how you have a successful organization. Hasn't the PGA Tour responded in a way that might have proven that Greg has a point and the purses have been improved? As you mentioned, they're tinkering with the system. It does seem that the PGA Tour has reacted in a way that makes it seem that the Live Tour has a point, Davis. There was a good point that Greg brought up in 1994.

Greg wasn't the only one. There were other top players that agreed, hey, we need some smaller field events. So we came up with the World Golf Championships. The players asked for it. Now they're saying, hey, we want more opportunities to play in big tournaments and not have to play 40 weeks a year.

So yes, we are reacting. We've been working on the fall schedule, the new schedule, the $25 million tournaments for over two years because there is this undercurrent of, hey, we have a lot of tournaments but we need some more elite tournaments. So change is good. They just passed a new schedule for next year.

Some guys aren't happy with it. They passed a new system for the playoffs and after the playoffs. We're not going to have a wraparound season next year.

We always make changes. Look at NASCAR. How many times have they changed their playoffs? They're trying to get it right. They're trying to do the best job of having an end to their season for their fans and for their athletes.

I love watching NASCAR. The playoffs are exciting. The PGA Tour has tweaked their playoffs two or three times and we're not against doing it again. But yes, we're reacting to the market and if the players want it and the fans want it, we can react and have bigger, different tournaments. But since 1997, when Tiger Woods started playing, we have grown exponentially. The future is incredible. The Tour just did a little exercise and if I, my career, say Kameon, played my career as a rookie starting right now, I made $58 million in comprehensive earnings, unofficial, unofficial retirement.

Kameon had my career starting now. He would make $615 million from the PGA Tour. There's incredible opportunities for these guys to make a lot of money. Patrick Cantlay made $22 million on the golf course last year. There's plenty of money, but it's chasing the dream. I'm trying to break the record for most PGA Tour events ever played. There's all kinds of goals out here to play for, including trying to play on the President's Cup team, which is coming up in Charlotte. So, a lot to play for out here and it's just unfortunate that a few are taking the money and don't get to play for that, don't get to play in the President's Cup this year.

Davis Love III here on the Rich Eisen Show. So, what's the future? Because it is, LIV does appear to be here to stay. It's not going anywhere. The money behind it is certainly bottomless and the players that are on the LIV Tour are significant. There's no question about it.

I'm not a fan of the format and the way that they've come out of the box PR-wise, to be honest with you. I mean, you just heard prior to we started chatting Davis Love III that Greg Norman, when asked about criticism, says he doesn't care, but he's trying to grow the game, which doesn't sound like somebody's trying to grow the game if he doesn't care about the criticism. So, where do we go from here, Davis?

Davis I don't know. And again, Dustin Johnson is a friend of mine. He's a great teammate, great player for me. I hope Dustin Johnson is happy and successful.

I don't hold it against him. They can go play those tournaments. The thing is, they can't come play in the FedEx playoffs. It would be like leaving your baseball team and going and playing for somebody else and making a bunch of money and just coming back for the postseason.

You just can't do that. You can't cherry pick, just play the Players' Championship in four majors. No, the members play all year to get to play in the Players' Championship.

So, I don't hold it against them. I hope that they're successful and they make a ton of money, but they're going to be doing it in a different league if I have anything to say with it and if our commissioner has anything to say about it. Hopefully, this too shall pass. The game moved on from Jack and Arnie. It's going to move on from Phil and Greg Norman and Dustin Johnson.

It's going to move on from Davis Love. We're just trying to build this for the future and not have it get torn down by something that is breaking a rift in our business right now. Obviously, someone from the Live Tour is reaching out to players non-stop. Are you or anybody else in the PGA Tour reaching out to players to tell them, don't go? Are you doing that or what? Yeah, we're talking to players. Giving examples like the tour is doing with the stat that I just gave you about how much money somebody can make on the PGA Tour, they're telling them the opportunities, they're showing them the new schedule, they're showing them the plans for the future, and they're also, which Commissioner Monahan has been doing for over a year, saying, look, if you break the rules, these are also the consequences.

So, as long as you understand that, yes. But, Greg Norman said yesterday it's a closed shop. Well, that's just not true.

If they're recruiting guys currently, they would have to push somebody else to put the next guy in. So, it's not over. It's going to be a court fight. Hopefully, cooler heads will prevail and we can co-exist. They're not going to merge or they're not going to buy the PGA Tour. Like Max Homer said, you can't buy my dream.

Hopefully, something will work out in the future where they can go do their thing and we can do ours. A kid coming out of college like Greg Norman, you ought to make a choice. Do you want to go play for money or do you want to come play for history?

And you have to make that decision. Davis Love III, thank you so much for joining the program. One of the beauties of the game of golf is somebody like yourself and somebody like me could say that we had some of the greatest moments in the history of our golf game on Wing Foot. You with the 97 PGA Championship.

Me, one time I made the term of the chance to break 100, which I didn't do. But, I still find it glorious, Davis. Well, we can both go out and enjoy the game together no matter what we shoot, right? Well, I mean, and Joy does a very heavy lift in that sentence, potentially. But, I would love to do that, for sure.

I require a ton of candy. But, other than that, I would love to do it, for sure. No question about it. Well, thanks for the time today, Rich. Anytime, Davis Love III.

Good luck with the President's Cup and beyond and let's stay in touch. Thanks again. Thanks. Thank you.

That's DL III right here on the RES. Sounds like he was unimpressed with my Wing Foot story. Well... Well, here it is. Here's my Wing Foot story.

I mean, he got a big trophy at the end of his Wing Foot story. I've got a lifetime memory. Can't take that away from you.

Well, I'd like you to. To be honest. It's one of those where I played very well on the front. Shot right around 50. Thought to myself, just put something together on the back nine, here we go.

Shot about 60-something on the back. Yeah. Nothing worse, though, than playing Congressional two weeks before the U.S. Open.

Oh, geez. So, it was set up. Well, they had yet to cut the grass down to what they eventually had there. So, I was playing in spinach thicker than what the U.S. Open field was going to play in. But thankfully, they had already set up the stanchions for the gallery to sit in.

That's good. On the famed 17th, because that was when Congressional had its par 3, I believe, which is now the 10th, that was the 18th. Remember they had the par 3 finisher? The small little par 3 finisher, and people were like, well, that's kind of weird to finish a U.S. Open on a small par 3. On 17, which is, I believe, now 18 there, I snap hooked my drive so hard it hit the second to the last row of the stanchion that had been placed there, and clanged off it right into the middle of the fairway, like I striped it right down the middle. Got up and down in there from 3, and I parred. So, it was great. But my golf ball had this big green paint stripe across it.

Shot at, I think, 120-something on that one. Yeah, I've got some history. Interestingly enough, the Saudis haven't called me. You're going to be an announcer for them. I wonder why. Perhaps they've seen some clips.

Ah! YouTube.com slash Rich Eisen Show, everybody. DeForest Buckner of the Indianapolis Colts is going to join us on this program. Debo Samuel, everybody, has spoken, now that he is a pizade man. More of your phone calls at 844-204-RICH with Bob Costas to help us remember.

Vince Scully, still to come. Does your antiperspirant keep you dry all day? Dove Men Plus Care Dry Spray goes on instantly dry for a cleaner feel and offers 48 hours sweat and odor protection.

Let me repeat that. 48 hours of sweat and odor protection. Use it and don't even think about it. Also, Dove Men Dry Spray contains Dove's unique one-quarter moisturizing cream that helps protect your skin. Try Dove Men Plus Care Dry Spray. Goes on dry.

Clean feel all day. We're back here in our terrestrial radio outfit talking about the Nitschke luncheon, the members only luncheon at the Pro Football Hall of Fame. That you were shooting a video to just act like you were trying to get in and John Randall thought you were literally trying to get in. He thought I was really trying to get in. I was like, oh no. When he put the face paint on, you know, and you just became a different person. I shot a SportsCenter commercial with John Randall back in the day. The Y2K commercial, the one that ended with Charlie Steiner having a tie around his head and a lantern saying, follow me to freedom.

Follow me to freedom. I was in an office, not mine, because I didn't never have one. You had a cubicle. They shot one. They shot me in an office and John Randall and I are playing cards with an open can of peaches because and with the lights out and a generator trying to just keep things going because the lights had went out for Y2K.

And it was just me and John Randall eating peaches and playing cards. And even then, he was intimidating. Right. Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah. Yeah. Bro, I backed up real quick.

Oh, yeah. I didn't want that John Randall smell. Yeah, man, that's what's common for for pro football fans.

Rich isn't the thing to like the newer inductees. They can't even speak that whole time. They just have to sit and listen. Well, I mean, they that's the way it used to be.

I don't know if it is that way anymore. They do. I think they get up and you can tell a grown ass man like Bill Parcells.

You're not a lot of speed. Well, I thought that was the funny thing, like guys like Ray Lewis just had to sit there for a while and just like, you know, and many of them, many of them respected that and would sit there. And this is the stories I would be told because, again, I have not been in there. I can't I can't imagine there's no big league in that in that room. Oh, no, no. Right. You walk in there. They're all legends in the game there.

They are. But, you know, now you're you're entering the realm. Of Pro Football Hall of Fame, and there's I don't know what number they're up to. I think it's only 350. That's it.

I soon to be approaching 400 members of the history of the hall. That's it. That's all there is. That is like all there is, man. And I just love going there and the people of Canton spend all year to make it a special weekend.

And it is it's such a great event. So really, that's coming up. I'll tell more stories tomorrow. We've got a little bit more real estate. We've got Indianapolis Colts defensive lineman DeForest Buckner joining us shortly on the program. The Callaway Chrome Soft golf ball I've been telling you about. Let's talk a little bit more about it.

We we we've got to get you. You've got a whole bunch of Chrome softs over there. Yeah, they're right there. All right. Well, grab some next time you play. Will you play this weekend with Ashton again? I think that I think that might have been grand opening grand closing.

I don't know. You know, you're a golfer now. You got the Chrome soft, man. It's true. I got the Max D over here.

Yeah, you do. Chrome soft X, Chrome soft XLS on top of it gives you some great feel around the greens. Also, the Chrome soft is the regular golf ball designed for the widest range of golfers. You want spin consistency. That's excellent. There's the Chrome soft X.

You want some sort of lower spin golf ball for longer shots, firmer field. That's these these are all technical terms that say David's love. The third would understand. So don't worry. I get it. Oh, yes. That's the Chrome soft XLS. Look, when you add it all up, it's so simple. Chrome soft is better for the best and it's better for everyone.

Find out which Chrome soft is right for you at Callaway Golf dot com slash Chrome soft. When Debo Samuel was. Making it known he wanted out trade me. I mean, that trade me. When I heard that, I said, no chance they trade this man.

No chance. We went into that draft week in Las Vegas, Nevada, saying, well, we can hear Debo Samuel's name before the first round of this draft, because that's the way the Niners might be able to get back some of those first round picks that they sent to Miami for Trey Lance. And I assume one of those first round picks that the Niners sent to Miami for Trey Lance. That's the only one that Miami is using next year because Miami Act.

Go ahead, Chris, say the word you like it. Forfeit. They're going to forfeit their next draft choice. They're going to voluntarily giving it. They're literally voluntarily giving it up.

So. It's nice that another team gets forfeited draft picks for a change. I never bought into it. I thought to myself, there's no chance the forty Niners. Trade this guy.

You are kind of all over that. I'm like, this is going to be a contract that they're going to figure it out, except there were two items that would be irreconcilable. You cannot negotiate if you're the team on these items. One of them is the fact you didn't want to live in Santa Clara, Northern California. He wanted to live on the East Coast because he's from South Carolina. He's you can't negotiate that you can't sit here and say, Debo, here's what's going to happen.

You stay and we're going, you know, we'll go together to change. We'll call the Panthers and we'll swap locations that ain't happening. And the other one is him saying he didn't want to be used as a running back as much as he was, because what are you going to tell Kyle Shanahan? There's now a run count as you go about your business. Third down, third and four. You can't call that run in the third quarter when you got to keep the football. You can't call that run because Debo's already hit his limit. You made some sort of an agreement. Five runs a game, six runs a game. You can't do that.

Well, Debo, now that he is signed and delivered. Says that was a whole bunch of nonsense anyway. Check it out. One of the narratives this season was that you were upset with how you were going to be used. Can you say that's correct or not?

That is false. There's a lot of things that came out that I want to speak on, but at the end of the day, I wasn't allowed to. So, I mean, you can turn on the tape or go back to the Cowboys game. It kind of shows what kind of player I am.

And also, I mean, you can go turn on the Pro Bowl tape. And like what I said about being a wideback, I don't mind, you know, saying do whatever it takes for this team to win. And in some ways almost amuse you as you saw the various stories coming out. I mean, you kind of try to avoid it, but when it's thrown in your face, you're just like, yo, they just at this point, they're kind of making up stuff.

But being who I am and, you know what I'm saying, with the communication with the people that was close to me, keeping me level headed, it wasn't a reason to entertain it. Headline, which I would be concerned about if I was the rest of the National Football League. Debo is not amused. And he is ready to do whatever needs to be done for the 49ers to matriculate the ball down the field and jam it down your throat. Oh, boy. After all of this, the Niners put Humpty Dumpty back together again.

He is there and he is coming for you. Number 19 cracking downhill. That is a problem.

19 problems with a Z, as he is. Known on Twitter, he also apparently has a few million reasons to want to keep rushing the football. Indeed, because all the incentives were running incentives, were they not rushing touchdowns, rushing yards. Here we go. Nine, five million.

Here we go. So they're running it back with 19. They are running it back with 19. And if you think this is a problem, you're correct. And on top of it, what happens when five and 19 meet at the mesh point and five still has it?

That could turn into a problem for you as well. Because when Jimmy G and 19 met at the mesh point, the entire defense was like, OK, we'll just keep on with 19 here. I know Jimmy G might have kept it and found 85, Kittel.

Or 11. Ayuk, who apparently was throwing down with Fred Warner yesterday. The troops are salty in San Francisco and Santa Clara. He's also apparently been dominating. Here we go. In practice. So it's all going to be on five.

Trey Lance. And I believe this is going to work out. There will be downs. There will be downs. I don't mean first, second, third or fourth.

I mean ups and downs. It stands to reason. Somebody who is new at this every week starter. You're the leader of the team. You're the starting quarterback is going to have his problems.

And not the good ones that we're talking about. For Debo and also for Lance, when he's keeping the ball inside the 10 yard line, inside the five, look out. Because he's big and he's strong and he can sling it. And he can do the things that Kaepernick did, man.

You all remember that when he was the ATM, as I referred to him here on this program, where you just put in the card, you pressed instead of savings or checking, you pressed run and pass and the money came out. He can do this sort of thing. He can do this sort of thing. And if he's up to speed, look out. That's all I'm saying, because I heard from Debo this running back, wide back thing, not an issue. I'll take him at his word. And as you point out, Chris, he can run to the bank with this stuff, too.

Interesting way that they put the contract together. When is your game day morning kickoff show? That's when you're making your prediction. That's Tuesday after Labor Day. Yes, sir. So we've got about a month, right?

Yeah, right around there. So we've got about a month for you to pick the Niners to make the Super Bowl. Is that what's happening? Well, the Raiders, Niners. So 49ers, Raiders, Bay Area Super Bowl. I'm not saying that they're making the Super Bowl.

That sounds like it. No, I'm saying that they're really good and they're going to be better than more people think. Well, they were close last year. They almost beat the Rams.

I know that. But they also had a more they also had a more veteran hand. And I think Lance is going to be better than you think. But I'm also saying there will be games where he's going to have downs. And that's what happens with a kid this young, which is why when you said the other day, three year window with Debo and and Trey Lance, because Debo's making the Super Bowl. Right.

Is the otherwise it's a failure. No, it's not because Lance is going to be here for a long time. A long time. Do you think this is also just like wild speculation? Do you think Trey Lance will ever have a back to back season where he goes to the Super Bowl and then the NFC championship game? Well, Garoppolo didn't do that. There was a down season in between. No, he didn't go Super Bowl one year and then the NFC championship game the next. That's true. But two out of three years in three years, Super Bowl, NFC championship game. That's a tall order.

Yeah, because that's what the guy he's replacing did. So that's the that's the floor. It's a tall order.

It's a tall order. So Niners and who? Chiefs? You going Chiefs? Who are we going to rematch?

You going to run it back? Niners in the Super Bowl? I might go Rams and Bills when it's all said and done, too. But that doesn't mean that the Niners and Bills. Niners and Bills?

A little Berman throwback. No, Rams, Bills, Rams, Bills. You're going to take the Niners. I have a month back off.

Meanwhile, take a break when we come back. Indianapolis Colts defensive lineman, former 49er. DeForest Buckner will join us from Colts camp. And then Bob Costas, top of our number three to recall. Vin Scully and those on hold will take your calls as well. 844-204-rich. 844-204-rich number to dial if you're on hold.

Stay on hold. We will take your phone calls. Bob Costas will be joining us top of the next hour in about 19 minutes time to discuss the life and times of Vin Scully.

But joining us right now on the Mercedes-Benz Vans phone line is one of our favorites. Veteran defensive lineman, one of the best at it. Now with the Indianapolis Colts joining us from Colts training camp is none other than DeForest Buckner. How you been?

DeForest? Rich, I've been good, man. Thank you for having me on the show again. You got it.

Anytime. You driving around? You driving around the area there for your training camp? I usually am on my motor scooter, on my fat scooter, but I'm actually just getting off the field. Oh, you are? Okay. Normally you're on the, what are you normally on? DeForest? My fat scooter.

I bought a bunch for the D-line back last Christmas. So, you know, training camp out here at Grand Park, there's a lot of walking involved and stuff like that. So, you know, we got to stay off our feet. So we'd be on a little motor scooters. Okay.

And you got to keep you safe, man. The little motor scooters, right? Okay. Oh, yeah.

Oh, yeah. Okay. All right.

All right. So now you're at Grand Park in Westfield, Illinois right now. Indiana, pardon me, getting ready for another playing season. What is your sense of the 2022 Indianapolis Colts as it currently stands right now?

DeForest, big question. Oh, yeah. There's a lot of excitement, you know, on the team. Obviously, we know we got pieces, some new key pieces that, you know, nobody added to our already good team. So we're excited, you know, about this year. But, you know, we're just taking it one day at a time, man.

You know, just because you got the pieces, you got to put it together. What has Matt Ryan brought to the equation? Man, a lot of veteran leadership. I mean, you know, he takes over the huddle offensively. You know, when he speaks to the team, obviously everybody listens. Just how he demands the team and leads us is, I mean, second to none.

So it's been awesome to see. So how does how does that affect the defense? I mean, honestly, the fact that, you know, that the offense is in such good veteran hands with Matt Ryan.

How does that affect your preparation and play? Yeah, yeah. Just seeing him, you know, the way the offense is operating right now, it causes the defense to step up to another level, you know, elevate our game. And that's what we want to do is we're trying to build competitive toughness along both sides of the ball. So it's been awesome. You know what I mean? Every day competing each and every down. It's been fun so far. Well, I mean, and I don't think I could read the quote directly of how you referred to the way last year ended DeForest.

It involves a bed and it involves some some form of of going to the bathroom within it. I think. Did I did I appropriately describe the way that you said that the way the Colts finished 2021? Yeah, that we that we did. Yeah. OK. Why do you definitely why do you refer it that way?

Why do you refer to it that way? Because we did. You know, I'm saying we didn't we didn't finish. You know, I'm saying when it came out, when we came out there, I mean, obviously we got our we got our butts beat that day. You know what I mean? On Sunday, Jacksonville came to play. We did, you know, I'm saying all phases of the ball and we got to own that.

You know what I mean? The only way we can move on from it is we own it and we learn from it. That's what we've been doing. And now we've just been chipping away day by day. What did you learn from it?

What can be learned from that? I mean, just obviously come in, come in each game, no matter who it is, you know, said, coming with the same energy playing your style of play. And also, I mean, you know, finishing.

That's what it comes down to is finishing the ballgame, finishing the season off right so we can make it to the postseason. DeForest Buckner here on the Rich Eisen Show. Has anybody slipped up and called Shaquille Darius right now? Has that happened yet? No, so far everybody's been pretty pretty on point with it.

Did he? You know what I'm saying? I mean, OK, I mean, majority majority of guys already been calling him Shaq by his little name. So, you know, it's been new.

Really? OK, so. So Darius Leonard has been called Shaq already within your your spot. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Even since I got here, you know what I'm saying?

People have been calling Shaq around the office. OK, well, what's your middle name? DeForest, just in case you make this decision at some point in time.

What is it? What is your middle name? My middle name is George.

George Buckner. Yes, sir. That's my father's name. OK. Yeah. OK. So if it's your father's name, I mean, DeForest, you're going to stick with DeForest, right? You're going to stick with that one? I'm going to stick with DeForest, yes sir. OK, very good. OK. I just I just found this interesting that suddenly this is this is what he's wants to be known outwardly.

But you've already said that inwardly. How is he doing and how is the rest of the defense look to you so far? Oh, yeah, love him. Shaq's doing good on the whole, the rest of the defense. You know, we're learning a new system, you know, day by day, getting better in all phases. So we've been it's been looking good so far. You know, I mean, obviously we still got some work to do moving forward, but it's still early.

So it's been it's been fun to see, you know, guys working. OK. And so there's so much conversation to DeForest Buckner about the AFC West and other people that have come in there. And then obviously the Bills have a lot of heat on them. The AFC North has got a lot of conversation because the Bengals made the Super Bowl and Lamar Jackson with his contract. We all know Deshaun Watson has got a lot of attention on him right now.

Doesn't seem like there's a lot of people paying attention to you and your division DeForest. Would you agree with that? Definitely. I mean, you know what I'm saying? I mean, just, you know, just let him keep sleeping. That's all. It's all good. Let him keep sleeping.

Let him keep sleeping. Yeah. You know what I mean?

And, you know, by the end of it, we'll see who comes out on top. OK. I heard Reggie Wayne's doing a bang up job coaching right around there, huh?

DeForest? Oh, yeah. He's done a great job with the receivers out there. They're looking good.

You know what I'm saying? I mean, you know, if I was a receiver, I'd be excited to have Reggie Wayne as my coach as well. I would agree. He's one of my favorites.

He's definitely one of my favorites. And so when you got a good Jonathan Taylor story for me, DeForest, when you realized when he was... What do you got? No, no, no, no. Honestly, no, I ain't got any tees.

I ain't got no secret ones for you. So my bad. I got a big chopper flying over the top. Is that right? That's the Rich Eisen show chopper.

We're doing the traffic and weather together with the sports. I ain't got no secret. I ain't got no good Jonathan Taylor story. No, just the moment when you realized he was special or somebody that could be an MVP of not just your team, but the league. Is there a moment like that you might recall? Did I lose you?

Hello? I'm there. Yes. Oh, there we go. There we go.

No worries. Is there a moment where you realized Jonathan Taylor could not just be an MVP of your team, but for the entire league that you might recall, DeForest Buckner? You know what? Honestly, just honestly, every week, just him going into games and really, really breaking out some, you know, some typical, you know, some running backs would get, you know, we call a dive and they'll get maybe like a five yard gain or something like that. But hit all the explosive runs that he's been having, you know what I mean? On a consistent basis every week at a point last season. I was like, oh, yeah, he could definitely be MVP at a league.

Not everybody's doing that. He's just unbelievable. And does he look like he's carrying even more of the load this time around? What do you think?

Any different? I mean, they've been doing it. They've been doing a good job with, you know, obviously, you know, keeping them, keeping them healthy and keeping, you know, not, you know, pairing him with reps right off the bat in training camp.

But he's looking really good right now. All right, DeForest, before I let you go on this busy day, you just stepped off the field. You know, we're here in Los Angeles, otherwise known as Big Ten country, DeForest. Are you concerned about your school, your alma mater, and it's standing in college football right now based on what's happening with the Pac-12 and realignment and USC and UCLA going to the Big Ten?

No, yeah, I'm actually very interested in seeing what's going to happen with that. You know, obviously, we all know the Ducks scared, you know, both LA teams out of the Pac-12, obviously, in the Pac-12 for so long. So, you know, obviously, that was bound to happen, but we're going to see what goes on with my Ducks. Well, you chased them to the Big Ten.

Maybe the Big Ten doesn't want any piece of Oregon because they showed what they could do when they go to Columbus, Ohio. Maybe that's what happens. You know what I'm saying? I know, exactly. So we're going to see what's going on in the future. Well, the enemy of my enemy is my friend. That's why I brought that up right there.

You know, that's the way it works. All right, DeForest, go about your day, sir. Go enjoy it, and we'll catch up at a quieter time during the season when you guys are doing what you want to do. How does that sound? Sounds good. Okay, you got it.

Right back at you. This is DeForest Buckner joining us here fresh off the practice field. Man, they got helicopters in Westfield, Indiana. They got air traffic there in Westfield, Indiana? Ray Liotta driving around looking at the sky. Yeah. Is that what it is? I can't fly without my hat. I can't fly without my hat.

Don't talk on the phone. As we're hearing, like, George Harrison music playing in the background. You see it right there.

Yeah, I don't think that's what they're up to. Let's take this phone call from the great city of Las Vegas, where Chris Brockman somehow emerged with his shirt intact. And he survived the deluge that went down. Thank goodness it wasn't the cards that deluge you.

It was just the weather gods. Jared in Las Vegas, Nevada. What's up, Jared? Rich, how are we doing today? We are doing well. How are we?

Ah, you know, it's it's hot. I'm working. Okay. You know, trying to trying to survive staying hydrated. Okay. As my man Denzel Paramin likes to say, stay hydrated.

Okay. So you know what? Before I get to my point, if I may, I think the forest forgot one key bedwetting performance. And that was the Raider game. You know, they were a shoe in on your network, on other networks. They were an absolute shoe in. And then they ran into Rich Passaccia's Raiders.

Hey, man. Do you remember that? Dude, Rich Passaccia's Raiders were fantastic last year. And Rich Passaccia, you could you could make the case that Rich Passaccia's Raiders had, with the exception of prior to blowing that opportunity to score at the end of the first half in the AFC Championship game.

You could say that the Bengals were were the most beatable when they took on Raiders in that wild card weekend game. I would agree. You could say that. Obviously. You know, Rich, what I wanted to talk about was the whole live golf thing. Now, I'm I am I am a, you know, a bit of a duffer myself, as as you admit to being. Yes. And I've enjoyed the game, not as a good golfer, but I've enjoyed the game for quite a while.

And I was brought to it by my uncle. And I would just have to say every time I hear these PGA guys talk, I just want to say maybe say less, maybe say a lot less. I would feel and I think as the rest of the country, as average golfers, would feel better hearing it from, say, number 50 on down than, say, the guys whose career earnings are astronomical. Well, we go to our YouTube page, then go to our YouTube page, Jared, and listen to Mark Hubbard. When he came on a few weeks ago, he's the one who who made it into the travelers because Brooks Koepcke left for the live tour.

And he's been performing very well. And he was talking about the benefits of PGA Tour and things of that respect. But I understand, too, Jared, that, you know, I do I do understand that, Rich. But you know what? That that opportunity came to him by live golf. And all I got to say is, is if if Americans have such a hard time with live golf, we don't have to let them play tournaments here. But yet we're all too happy to take their money. So, you know, what's good for the goose?

All I got to say, it just rings hollow to me. I think competition is good. Competition is never bad.

Competition is good. I get it. You know what Greg Norman said, you know, didn't sound good, but it was also also probably taken out of context. Thanks for the call. Appreciate it, Jared. I could care less. Thank you for the call, Jared.

I appreciate it. And Jared's giving voice to what I think a lot of fans are saying is like, you know, we don't want to hear from. You know, it definitely doesn't help as Jared is taking time out of his work day to call into the show about this. Davis loved the third saying, hey, if Cameron Young has my career now with the way that the purses are in the PGA Tour, he could make six hundred million on the tour and people be like, OK, so cry me a river that the live tour exists. Right. And breaking news in the last hour, Rich, Phil and ten others, including Bryson DeChambeau filed antitrust lawsuit against the PGA.

So it's now in the court system. And again, fans will begin to check out on it like the. You know, we don't care. I just hope I just hope that the live tour lawyers don't accidentally text all of their emails to the PGA Tour lawyers. Just rip straight straight from your Twitter. Just throwing that out right there.

Bob Costas is about to join us. But the real thing that just happened. Look, like I said, you know, people who. Are just your casual golf sports fans, as Jared says, a duffer.

He's not going to care how much a player makes. And it's interesting, he says that the competition is good. Right.

Live tour is competing with the PGA Tour because that competition is good, except on the live tour. There's no competition. You make the field, you're going to get paid.

You're in it. You get an orange wedge. It just happens to be the orange wedge is one hundred twenty thousand dollars at the very least.

And at the very most, that's a very that's like a Faberge orange orange wedge. Right. So and so Phil and everyone and Bryson DeChambeau are suing the PGA Tour that they're not allowed to have their tour card over their suspensions.

Yeah. In the filing, it was disclosed that Phil was actually suspended on March 22nd. So remember, we're all wondering who's going to play the Masters and if he was he was asked not to leave or asked not to show up. He was actually suspended by the tour.

And does it say when his suspension had ended? The one hundred and five pages. I haven't got you haven't got through one hundred five pages yet. Yeah. Mm hmm. OK. I mean, so he was suspended for his comments and things that he said about the PGA Tour. He was suspended for recruiting guys to join the live tour. Oh, I see.

Yeah. Again, I don't know what the fine print is or anything along those lines about a lawsuit right off the top of my head. But I'll just say, can't the tour just do what it wants to do? I think they're the ones who hand out the tour cards. And if they're byline, if their bylaws are something that they violated by going to live, then I don't know how they're going to win this thing.

Just off the top of my head with my dime store sports law degree from Gabe Feldman at Tulane that he never signed. So. But I just find it funny, like, hey, the live tour is competing with the PGA Tour, except the guys on the live tour. They're competing with each other for just more money. There's no cut.

There's no nothing. I guess what the cut now is, if they keep on adding more guys, you're going to just not make a tournament, right? Is that the cut now? You just cut from the tournament.

You're cut from the 54 holes. Right. And who decides that? Does the commissioner does that? Greg Norman does it himself?

Yeah, who knows? The number four rich is the number to dial here on the program. Next person you hear from Bob Costas. Wherever they went, that was an attraction, something to wrestle with. Bruce Prichard. Listen wherever you get your podcasts.