REShow: Field Yates - Hour 1

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You can't handle the truth. This is the Rich Eisen Show. Somebody felt compelled to hire a lawyer. Live from the Rich Eisen Show studio in Los Angeles. Come up with this independent study language inserted into a contract that Kyler Murray signed. The Rich Eisen Show.

Who ordered the independent study code red? Today's guests. ESPN NFL insider, Field Yates. Former NFL executive, Joe Banner. Plus, creator and host of Somebody Feed Phil, Phil Rosenthal. And now, it's Rich Eisen.

Yes, it is. Hello, everybody. Welcome to this edition of the Rich Eisen Show right here on our program. I don't know why I laugh when you do that. I don't know.

It's got like a little Killborn in it. Like, allow myself to introduce myself. I don't know. Anyway, welcome to the program. I'm wearing French blue.

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Viewing it and listening to it. 844-204-rich is that number to dial right here on the program. Christopher Brockman, good to see you, sir. How are you? Great to see you, Rich.

What's up, man? The streak is over. The streak is over.

You sound like Michael Cole in Undertaker. The streak is over. The Ripken-esque type streak of Mike Del Tufo doing 10 straight days of this program. I think he needed the rest.

I think he pulled a hamstring. I don't have everything ready. Yes, sir. Jason Feller is sitting in the chair. Good to see you, sir. How are you?

And TJ Jefferson. Why are you lighting candles anymore? The Bic, man.

I still ain't got a Bic. I don't have any matches. I just I can't light the candle without flame. Goodness gracious. What is going on?

I mean, it just throws off the whole chi of the room, doesn't it? Yeah, I felt I felt off the last few days. But, you know, we just. So you had a couple of days to get one. Uh huh. Yeah. Well, you know what he's not going to do is, is since he has not lit the candle, the Mets haven't lost to the Yankees. So I think it's true.

I think he's never going to like that candle again. You told me you went and got lottery tickets yesterday. You went to an establishment. Did anybody win? I walked over a billion dollars.

Well, you could afford a lot of Bic's there. Mega was just it wasn't the big one yesterday. It was the big one is tomorrow and it's over a billion dollars. OK, great. Yeah. And I did. I went to the guy. No, I went to 7-Eleven. You're right. And I was going to go meet Brockman for lunch after the show.

Walked right by a bunch of lighters and I didn't. OK, those are hard to find. Did you guys meet for lunch? We did have lunch yesterday. Hey, we'll post. We'll post show lunch.

Shout out to Sully. I like it. I like it. Did they invite you?

Uh, no. But anyway, welcome. Welcome to the show. When you've gone.

When you've gone. Speaking of speaking of friendly work environments, looks like the Carolina Panthers have one. I mean, as soon as we went off the air yesterday, they sent not one, but both quarterbacks to the podium, both quarterbacks to the podium. And they're they're they're they seem to be just fine with each other, which is great. Everybody's got a career on the line. Right.

They both do well, kind of. But yeah, the winner of the quarterback competition is going to have that opportunity to take the bull by the horns, take the Carolina Panthers to the playoffs and then show everybody that that Matt rules system works and they're the perfect conduit for it. And and this player needs to be signed long term. And the other one will have to sit there and watch, wait a turn, maybe have an opportunity if if ghosts are seen or injuries occur.

So let's hear from them. Because this is this is I mean, folks, I don't know if we've we we've paused long enough because of the Baker Mayfield Deshaun Watson of it all. I don't think we've paused long enough for us to realize that the first two quarterbacks taken in a an incredibly recent draft 2018.

And this is usually you know, it takes five years to figure out what's going on. And both of these quarterbacks have had four years and we haven't figured out all that much because Darnold didn't get much of an opportunity. He got the opportunity in New York, but they really didn't surround him with much at all. He had two different coaches. One coach was just absolutely not ready for it and Adam Gase.

And he and they handed the grocery shopping to him for one draft as well. I mean, the Jets didn't do him many favors, the best favor they did was send him to Carolina. And then he got hurt last year and McCaffrey got hurt. So he really hasn't had that much of a a week one to week 16 or week 17 opportunity with a roster around him to ready to roll sort of, you know, sort of in the way that Zach Wilson set up for the Jets this year, to be honest with you. And then there's Baker Mayfield. We all know his situation, but I don't I don't know if we ever seen anything like this where two quarterbacks were highly touted. One's a Heisman Trophy winner, another one's from USC and and both of them could have been the first overall pick easily that year. Couldn't have batted an eyelash if it was Sam Darnold first chosen overall. As a matter of fact, it was a surprise that it was it was Mayfield was big time coming out of the combine.

It was a lock to be Saquon Barkley. And here we are. Both of them are in the same quarterback room. It's nuts. So now that we've spent a little bit of time on that, here's Baker Mayfield.

Let's get him first up. This is what he had to say about how things are working in that quarterback room. It's unique because we're all pretty young. You know, I mean, Sam and I are the oldest ones in the room and we're only going into year five. So we're able to compete and kind of bounce ideas off of each other. Just the different systems that we've we've been in.

Obviously, they're learning this one for the first time, too. So compare it, contrast and just come up with ideas to see the most efficient way to run things and get this team winning. Sounds professional.

Sounds great. Right. Sounds professional. That's how Baker kind of always sounds. That's the thing.

He's professional. I think so. Well, his first year, remember, he wasn't shaking hands with Hugh Jackson. Remember that? And I thought that was well, I thought that was spot on, to be very honest with you.

I think Hugh had it coming. Let's start Teron Taylor after drafting you first overall. Let's do that until until the Jets knock Teron Taylor out of a game and then you can start winning.

Oh, my God. Let's not go down too deep in that wormhole, because guess who was the starting quarterback for the Jets in that game? This guy, Sam Darnold, who's in the quarterback room with Baker.

This is nuts. This is what Sam Darnold had to say. Yeah, I think that's kind of the philosophy of anything in life. If you want something, you just got to go out and take it. And that's kind of the philosophy that, like I said, you just got to have in anything in life, not just football or winning a quarterback competition. So, you know, we're both me and Baker going to compete like heck to go out there and compete for the starting job.

That's sounds pretty healthy and normal, too. And, you know, if you want something in life, you just got to go out and take it. That's with a little bit of a grain of salt, because if that was the case, then T.J. Jefferson would have shoplifted that Bic Leiter the other day. I'm glad that you did, because you are a law abiding citizen who represents you and your family in the show with a plus first class all the time. Yeah. Look at me, Rich. I already look suspicious. I can't be doing stuff like that.

Oh, my goodness. Come on. Sam Darnold, though, is making it look. I've said it. I'll say it again. It's and Joe Banner, long time general manager and team president in this league is going to join us in our number two.

I'm going to ask him this look. They saw Darnold. They've gotten a year of seeing him up close.

If they thought he was the guy, he would be the guy. If they thought Kyler Murray was studying hard enough in Arizona, they wouldn't have put a clause in the contract. Things happen for a reason, which is another way that you can go out and live life.

Things happen for a reason. Baker was acquired in Carolina for a reason. And I think that gives him the leg up. He's also won a playoff game, and I think Sam Darnold is there in case Baker goes down.

How does that sound? But it's a quarterback competition. Matt Rule says we'll know when we know. And another fascinating storyline playing out going into the 2022 season. And a lot of people aren't paying attention to it because they just feel that both of these quarterbacks are already washed up, which is not true.

They're still so young. And everybody feels it's Tampa's division, even though Ryan Jensen, their center, went down earlier today. In practice, did he have to be carted off with a knee injury, Chris? Is that what happened today? I was seeing conflicting reports on that, but it did not look good.

Okay. So the Bucks appear to have suffered the first significant injury of training camp season of any team. The guy right there in the middle of their offensive line for Tom Brady.

The New Orleans Saints got Michael Thomas back on the practice field for the first time in 18 months this week. So everyone just assumes it's Tampa's division and nothing else is going to happen to surprise us. And Carolina might be raising their hands and saying McCaffrey's healthy. We've got these quarterbacks, let's go. And this is a fascinating quarterback storyline to play out. There's only one other one in the league to focus on right now.

Outside of the Mayfield and Darnold quarterback situation, the one other quarterback situation to focus on right now is one James Garoppolo in San Francisco. Did you see they're allowing him to just come and go as he pleases at training camp? Hey, you've got a spot here. Parking spot still works.

Your key card still works. We're not kicking you out, Jimmy. We just told you it's Trey's team, but we're not kicking you out. Come and go as you please. Food's good. You can go to the cafeteria. You want to work out? You want to work out here?

Sure. It's good. Stop by and say hello. Stop by. Knock on the door.

Door's always open. Hey, how you been, Jimmy? What's going on with you? I think that's cool. I know. But it's another situation you don't see very much.

A quarterback that you've already been told who took you to a Super Bowl a few years ago and almost took you to a Super Bowl last year like, hey, we're done here and you can hang out here as long as you want while we figure out where we're sending you next. He's still technically employed by them. No. So?

How many guys that you've seen technically employed by people are just like, just you don't have to show. Yeah. Just go home. You don't have to come here. You can go watch Soaps.

Go home. That's like a couple that gets divorced and the husband doesn't move out. It's a war of the roses? Yeah. It's like, is Jimmy G. Michael Douglas now?

That's mad uncomfortable, wouldn't you think? So it appears the inevitability of all this is, you know, everybody, why would you trade for somebody who would cost you 24 some odd million bucks that you know the team that has him on the roster has moved on from him? Why would you trade for him? You wouldn't.

Just wait for you to release him. And if that team is Seattle, oh man, would that just add a whole new layer to everything? And obviously you'd have to get up to speed, you'd have to learn the offense, so on and so forth.

I understand that. But the Seahawks would become on the spot that much more of a viable team in this league, in this division. On the spot. How amazing would it be? I mean, is it possible?

I don't know. He'd have to, he's apparently gonna be healthy enough to go. Seattle hosting Denver. What if it's Jimmy Garoppolo versus Russ Wilson all over again? I'm much more interested in that game.

How about this one? If you got the Seattle schedule, throw this up here. Thank you. Here we go. You're more interested in that season opener on Monday Night Football, right?

One thousand percent. What does Buck and Aikman sound like, even though we've heard them for 20 years coming out of a Disney microphone? I'll do respect to Drew Auk and Geno Smith.

How about at San Francisco, what do you think about that one, week two? More interested in that one? You get my drift? Uh, yes.

You get my drift? How about against, how about that game in Germany? Brady versus Garoppolo in Germany. Ullten Morgan. How about that?

Yo, that's kinda cool. Do you get to do the ceremonial coin toss as Matt Castle? No, Brian Hoyer.

Who am I kidding? Oh, Brian Hoyer. It would be Brian Hoyer. Brian Hoyer bobblehead day in Germany.

I figured it'd be Boris Becker, but I'll see what you're saying. Those games against the Rams, look out, please. Especially since Geno Smith is the only tier five quarterback, according to the athletics group of 50. Why do we have to do Geno like that? I don't know. You couldn't just put them at the tail end of tier four? They told all evaluators. You know what I mean?

Here, I have it written down here. Or put someone else in five so he isn't just by himself. Yeah, just not by himself.

You know what I mean? Somebody. Brian Hoyer, could be Hoyer.

Just anybody. Hoyer out there. Who's the last person in tier four? Do you remember? Uh, I think it might've been Trulock. Tier four is unproven player or a vet who ideally would not start all 17 games. You're just gonna put them both together?

Hoskins is probably furiously looking for it. Sorry, Mike. Throw this Omaha at you. Tier four are those, yeah. And then tier five is best suited as a backup.

Here's tier four for the athletic. Yep, it's Trulock. It's number 34. Trubisky's 33. Wasn't the live tweeting of practice at Latrobe, his first two throws were incomplete passes? And then a fan yells, time for picket. Is that right? Oh my God. So Trulock is 34 out of the 35 quarterbacks that were asked to be evaluated and tiered by all 50 experts, Trulock was 34 and poor Gino, the sole lone individual areas in tier five, number 35 right there. Which is why everybody's sitting, all eyes peeled on James G. All eyes peeled on, what's the name of that movie where George Clooney was at the airport?

What was that? He lived in the airport? Up in the air. Oh, was he up in the air? Up in the air, yeah. Yeah, he was always traveling. That's him.

Yeah. He's up in the air, right? He's living in the airport. He's just living, that's where he is. He's just up in the air.

We don't know where he's gonna go, but he's definitely not gonna stay in San Francisco. Terminal was the one where Tom Hanks actually lived in the airport. That's the one. Right. That doesn't mean, it doesn't fit the situation. The title, Up in the Air does fit that. Yeah.

Okay. At any rate, all eyes on James Garoppolo and that's gonna play out over the next two. What plays out? First, Garoppolo gets cut or Sue L. Robinson decides to actually issue a ruling on what the Browns quarterback situation is.

Well, you could start bench cut, cut it all. Put Lamar in there. Does Lamar get a new deal?

Do we hear about Deshaun Watson or does Jimmy get a new team? Which happens first? Yeah. Start bench cut, though.

Which happens first? I will start the Watson ruling. We're gonna have to get that sometime soon. Right.

I will start that. I will bench Garoppolo getting cut and I'll cut Lamar's contract because he could just be- Is that gonna go into the season? Why wouldn't it be? I mean, the guy would just be fine with that.

I mean, if he's just rolling with life and just rolling out of the pocket and not caring about his long-term future being secure and just being Lamar. Yeah, but you know that's not the case, right? You know, there's gotta be something deeper though. It's not like he's just lollygagging. I don't know what's going on. I don't know. I'm not saying he's lollygagging. I know, but I mean, there's gotta be some that we don't know. It's not like he's just like, hey, fine.

I'll go play. I don't know. I don't think it's anybody like him. Like week one Sunday morning he signs? Could be. Could be.

Sure. If I was him, I'm not playing a single game this year without a new deal. By the way, you ever think that maybe Lamar's not happy with the, like we talked about yesterday with the weapons that he doesn't have and maybe that that has some effect on- I think we just, it's confirmed. It's confirmed. It's confirmed. That'll be, it's exactly how it's gonna go. Week one Sunday.

Wake up, it'll be like breaking news on week one Sunday because he will take that momentum into week one and dominate week one because guess who they're playing week one? Dolphins. Jets. Jets.

Happens. There you go. It's done. It's done.

It's done. By the way, when we talked about this- MetLife, he'll sign it and then, you know, he's got insurance, right? He's got insurance. He'll go to MetLife and dominate.

Live his best life in MetLife with insurance. Look at my best life. Yeah, I mean, it's right there. It's right there. So yes, I will cut that. That'll happen last.

Let's take a break. Field Yates, the worldwide leader in sports. He's also a dominant name in the world of fantasy. We'll ask him who he is, who should be your first overall selection in a draft, not just overall but also top running back and top receiver in this draft. And on top of all of that, Joe Banner will join us to tell us what he thinks of the Kyler Murray contract and the independent study clause. By the way, I don't know if you know that, Jason, did you receive your Rich Eisen show issued tablet? Yeah, big deal.

And do your independent study? I did not. Uh oh. I'm unaware. That's why you're doing so well today.

It's an HR. You're like the Kyler Murray. You're just by the seat of your pants.

You're just going with the natural ability. Well done. And then the long time producer and writer and creator of Everybody Loves Raymond, Phil Rosenthal has got a huge show on Netflix, season five of Somebody Feed Phil available now on Netflix. He's here in studio an hour number three. That'll be a terrific conversation. Don't go anywhere. 844-204-rich will take your phone calls as well.

Phil Yates when we come back here on the program. Why choose proven quality sleep from sleep number? Because they got your back. They've got great tips to keep you sleeping throughout the night, like prepping your bed before going to sleep with sheets made of natural fibers that can help you stay cooler and drier or try temperature balancing bedding like sleep number, true temp bedding. What about sleep IQ data?

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Goes on dry, clean feel all day. Back here on the Rich Eisen Show, everybody, you just missed some very important conversation. Good content.

Okay. Let's talk some football, shall we? From the worldwide leader in sports, the NFL insider from ESPN, and also the cohost of the Fantasy Football Focus podcast, joining us on the Mercedes-Benz Vans phone line as every training camp is up and active in the National Football League, none other than Field Yates. How are you, Field?

Rich, I'm doing well. It's starting to feel a little bit more like the football season. It is.

Training camp's underway and added practice is not that far behind. Yes, I sometimes cramp up. I'm not ready for it. I need to be a little bit more hydrated. I need a little bit more water, but maybe not during this interview.

I think I'm going to get through it just fine. So let me just hit you with the question I've been asking everybody from the world of NFL media over the last several days. The most intriguing team for you entering 2022 is which, Field?

I'm going to go with the Chargers, and the reason why is they've got a team that even going back to when Phillip Rivers was their quarterback, felt tantalizingly close to being in the contention race in the AFC and potentially a Super Bowl contender as well. And this year, and maybe I'm taking the bait, and maybe I'm overreacting to some of the off-season moves, but it feels as though this year they are closer than ever, and it's not just because of the additions of Camille Mack and J.C. Jackson and Kyle Benoit and others on defense, Zion Johnson on offense, and some other pieces added as well. I think it's just because Justin Herbert has a chance to get even better than he was last year, which is sort of a scary thought when you look at how he performed last season. We're talking about a guy who, I know it sounds a little bit hyperbolic, but could one day set individual season passing records, whether it's passing yards, passing touchdowns.

He's just getting started, and he already feels like one of the top quarterbacks in the NFL. Speaking of just getting started, are you holding the Rookie of the Year while conducting this interview right now? Field? Are you doing that right now?

You know something, Rich? You are spot on. I'm on daddy daycare today, and my wife is, she's a coach, so she's at camp today. And so I've been, daddy daycare duties, and normally, this would be the time that my daughter is down, and she has decided to change up her schedule. She called the odd vote on me, so I'm trying to keep her down, but, or keep her quiet, I should say. It's okay, Field. She's got some thoughts on the Chargers as well. She's called an Omaha on you, huh, Field?

Okay. What's her name? What's her name? What's your baby's name?

This is Kinley. She's six months old, and she was born on the Friday of the divisional round of the NFL playoffs this year, which I know you will recall was, in some people's estimation, the greatest divisional round the league has ever seen. And every competitive NFL game she's seen since then has been decided in dramatic fashion. So no pressure rams and builds when you guys get started in six weeks from tonight, but if you don't hold up your end of the bargain, she may never be a football fan. Well, for your wife's sake, I hope her birth was more, was less eventful than every single playoff game that followed, Field. I'll just say that.

Fortunately it was, yeah. Okay. So very good. So the Chargers, huh? Oh man, I've been picking the Raiders to win the division. Talk me out of it. Go for it.

If you want to. Well, here's the, I mean, I could make the case for the Chargers as an AFC favorite. I could also make the case that they might finish fourth in their own division, and that's not necessarily because they have glaring weaknesses, but to your point, the Raiders, the Chiefs, the Broncos, I mean, any single one of those teams could have a formidable case as the AFC West favorite going into this year.

I don't really have a great counterpoint working against any of them, to be honest, Rich. More, I would say that somebody has to finish in last place, right? Somebody has to go maybe seven and 10 or maybe eight and nine as opposed to 12 and five.

And so I think that when you sort of play out each of their schedules, you know, you and I and 25 other people that follow Lee closely could do so and come up with 25 different outcomes. The Raiders, probably the biggest question mark for me coming into this season. And we still have a long way to go before we actually play games. But the offensive line, which in recent years felt like it was trending towards a strength over the past couple of years, it's been broken up a bit. There was the Rodney Hudson trade, Richie Incognito retired. They're sort of trying to figure out what to do with last year's first round pick Alex Netherwood. So the Raiders offensive line has my attention, but in that division, every offensive line, specifically the right side of the offensive line, has my attention because if it's not Khalil Mack one week, could be Bradley Chubb the next week. It could be obviously Applewood Raiders, Matt Crosby or Chandler Jones the following week. So a right tackle may not get paid on average as much as a left tackle, but you could make the case that in the AFC West, they're just as important.

Field Yates, NFL insider from ESPN and father of the year here on the Rich Eisen show. So week one, Jimmy Garoppolo will be where, Field? I think Seattle, and that also means that I don't believe that the 49ers will find a trade partner as I can't imagine a scenario in which they would trade in the Seattle unless Seattle said you can have DK Metcalf or a first round pick or some gargantuan package, which I don't think any of us could ever foresee Seattle offering. But I think eventually the 49ers realize that the powder is dry in terms of opportunities to trade Jimmy Garoppolo and at $24.2 million for a base salary, that's just too expensive to have as your backup quarterback, even if he is a really, really good insurance policy.

The number were a dramatically reduced figure, we'd be having a different conversation. I think that just go around the NFL, spin the wheel of quarterbacks, and there's really only one team that I could make the case right now against having their week one starter on the roster right now. And there are teams that certainly are going to have quarterback turnover next offseason, we'll see what happens with the New York Giants, we'll see what happens with the Houston Texans if they have a high draft pick, and they still have Davis Mills, and we'll see what happens with the Carolina Panthers as an example, as both Sam Darnold and Baker Mayfield are in the final year of their rookie contracts, but for now I think all of those teams are more likely to go with the in-house option and try to develop either a young player in the case of Daniel Jones, and also Davis Mills, or the two guys in their fifth year in Sam Darnold and Baker Mayfield. So who do you think wins that competition in Carolina field, what do you think? I think it's Baker Mayfield, and I sort of laughed at first when GM Scott Fitterer called it a competition because it's not as if they paid a significant amount to Baker Mayfield, they are actually paying him less this year than Sam Darnold, and also the draft pick sent back to Cleveland was, and that was in terms of draft parlance, like that was a relative bargain, but Baker Mayfield, that is a better player than Sam Darnold, and I know that neither of them has been the model of consistency during their career, but Baker Mayfield's best football has been, at least in my estimation, far better than Sam Darnold through the first four seasons of their career, and things went really, really wrong last year for Baker and Cleveland, between the injuries, between what felt like just a bad dynamic, between the head coach and the quarterback, which is hardly ever a recipe for success in the league, and then also a team that looked out of the gates when they played Kansas City, really tough in week one, like they had a chance to be the real deal, and the wheels fell off, and the past two years the entire league has obviously been dealing with things like COVID complications, lack of practice time, and inconsistent availability, and it felt like last year was the perfect storm for Baker Mayfield. I don't know that he's going to be a long-term starter in Carolina, but I think he's at least the week one starter, and I'd guess much of this year's starter as well.

Phil Yates, ESPN NFL insider here on the Rich Eisen Show. The team that can be the surprise division winner is which, do you think? Yeah, that's a great question, because it feels as though a lot of the teams that made the playoffs last year, in the NFC at least, are pretty well positioned to get back there this season. The Packers and the NFC North feel like their path is fairly clear, we all believe in the Bucks again, same thing for the Rams, and then the Cowboys and Eagles, one of those two teams seems likely to win the NFC East, so I don't know if Baltimore is really a surprise, so I think they're probably too trendy, that's too much of the low-hanging fruit for me to grab. The team that finished in the moving record last year at 8-9, a team that obviously stumbled to the finish, largely due to injuries and the fact that Lamar Jackson was not available for them, that will be my team, but I think maybe if I'm going to pick a bigger surprise, I suppose if your Raiders pick is accurate, that might be a bigger surprise, not because the Raiders were worse than the Ravens last year, they were a playoff team, but just because the mountain they'd have to climb over in the AFC West this year would be more significant. The AFC is, and you've been covering this league for a long time, I can't recall a year in which the AFC or any conference, either conference, has ever had this kind of depth, 1 through, maybe not 16, but maybe like 1 through 13 or 14, it's a really, really deep year. I got one for you, how about Philadelphia?

What do you think about them? What about the Eagles? I'd be in on Philly as well, and every year during the offseason, because the NFL offseason is longer than any other sport, we have a ton of time to not just see moves play out, but also think about a variety of moves and develop and formulate opinions, and sometimes we try to find the opinion that no one else has shared before and be super unique, and then sometimes I come back to the same things that I thought at the beginning of the offseason, and that's where I met with the Eagles, is that I like a lot of what they did.

A.J. Brown is a bonafide star receiver, and I thought that in the draft they got better in a hurry with Jordan Davis in the first round, attention to Kobe Dean, his college teammate in the third round being an instant starter, but Jalen Hurts is kind of a feeling setter for Philadelphia, right? I think we all agree they're going to be pretty good this year.

If Jalen Hurts takes a step forward and looks like a much-involved player from where he was against Tampa in that playoff game last year, then Philly could push for 12 wins and be a division winner, and because their division is not as stacked as perhaps the NFC West, they could at least compete for a top three record in the NFC this year, and it shouldn't surprise any of us. Last one for you, Field Yates, put your fantasy football hat on. Many drafts going down right now in the next couple of weeks. Who was a consensus first overall pick in fantasy, do you think, this year? It's going to end up being Jonathan Taylor this year, Rich, and Christian McCaffrey has a very viable case, but Jonathan Taylor last year led the NFL in rushing attempts, rushing yards, rushing touchdowns, rushes of at least 20 yards. He had 40 catches last season, and there's an old fantasy mantra that you really can't win your league in the first round, but you can lose your league in the first round, and if you take Christian McCaffrey, which I am not going to try anybody that does, and his injury luck continues, and over the past couple of years he's had very little injury luck, then you could be looking at a lost season. Jonathan Taylor has not missed a game during his pro career.

At one point there was talk, I believe it was during the game on Saturday night late last season when they played in primetime against the Patriots, where it was like an incredible note shared where he hasn't missed a practice since like middle school. So as far as availability is concerned, these players offer as much as Jonathan Taylor does, so I would say that he is the consensus first overall pick in fantasy, and deservedly so. Who's the first receiver off the board, do you think?

Or should be? Yeah, I think we're going to go back to the well here with Cooper Cupp, and there have been seasons similar to Cupp's last year, like Michael Thomas is back for the things when he set the single season catch record, that did not sustain the following year. Again, injuries can play a concern there, but with Cooper Cupp, led the NFL in not just catches, receiving yards, touchdowns, but also had the most catches of at least 20 yards, not like this guy is 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 yards per catch, he's a legitimate big play threat, and hit 7 targets in every game last year, that's an incredible run of consistency.

I know there I am, that and Alan Robinson, but as things presently stand, no Odell Beckham Jr. for this team, and even if they do have OBJ back, we all suspect it might be more of a, maybe a November slash December and January impact for OBJ as opposed to an early season splash for him. So I think Cooper Cupp is, as far as safe picks go, even if he doesn't repeat last year's success, he'll end up being a worthwhile first round pick. And then the breakout star that you think either played last year or could be a rookie, that you would want to come away your fantasy draft having, who's that? I'm feeling pretty good about Darnell Mooney, who, if you go back to last year, it's not as if he was off the fantasy radar, he was a top 20 wide receiver, but you go back to the second half of last year, and part of this is because the Bears did not have Alan Robinson's lineup very much, but it was like every game, you just look at the game log, and it's like 8-10 targets, well over 100 yards during games. Really talented guy who's worked extremely hard this offseason with Justin Fields, the two of them have trained together in Atlanta, there is a rapport there, and that has been discussed partly this offseason. The Bears went more of a journeyman route for wide receivers that they added this year, they added a guy, there are examples like Byron Pringle from Kansas City, Bailen Jones, a third round pick out of Tennessee, who I think is going to be a good player, but if the Bears had approached this offseason differently at wide receiver, I might feel differently, but Darnell Mooney seems to be, he could be a guy that finishes the end of the year with maybe like a top 10 target share in the entire league, just based off who Chicago has or doesn't have available. Outside of David Montgomery, are you allowed to draft a Bear in fantasy football? I'm just wondering if, I guess you got to check everybody's, I guess Javonte Williams is the one that I keep hearing that people are just coveting, thinking that now Russ is there, and he was terrific last year in his role whenever he got the ball, and you know, Nathaniel Hackett coming in, that he's going to have some sort of Aaron Jones type year.

What do you think? Yeah, I would love to see that one, and he's another good example of a guy that based off of where he finished last year and where he started last year as well, is being drafted well ahead of that pace. He had one week last year where Melvin Gordon was not on the field as the starter, and in that one week, Javonte Williams finished with more fantasy points than any other running back in the league that week, so he had nearly 25 against the Chiefs, it was a Sunday night game where he was awesome. I think the concern, and I use concern very relatively, I would not say major concern, I think I actually was just doing a refresh this morning in my rankings, and he's right on the borderline of the top ten for my running backs, it's just that Melvin Gordon was refined, and I think Melvin Gordon is still a really solid running back. He's had at least six rushing touchdowns in every year of his career, and I'll be curious because last year, this is almost like one of those, I don't know about too good to believe, but he has to double check it because it seems so unlikely. The two of them, in terms of 50-50 workloads, the same number of rushing attempts, almost the same number of rushing yards, Gordon had the edge in rushing touchdowns, if that turns into a 70-30 split in favor of Javonte Williams, then I'll be too low on him.

If it's more like 55-45 or 60-40, then maybe some of the expectations for Javonte Williams will look a little bit lofty going into the season. David Yates, thank you so very much for the time, greatly appreciate it, fitting us into your busy schedule of being on TV and also being a dad, and so your daughter, not only Rookie of the Year, I think we haven't heard her in the last 12 minutes, come back Player of the Year as well. Two awards for her, well done. They say during the football season, you just got to get better from training camp until Thanksgiving when the playoffs start to feel a little real, and then eventually January, so she's a January player.

She was born in January at City, and she performs her best in the metaphorical January stage of this interview. Or she was spending the last 15 minutes in independent study time. We'll find out later on. We'll watch later on for that answer.

That sounds good. At Field Yates on Twitter, check him out, ESPN NFL insider Field Yates on The Rich Eisen Show. Nice maiden voyage on this program for Field Yates.

Absolutely. Otherwise, I would have pointed out to him, when you come on The Rich Eisen Show and you refer to somebody as really solid, you've got to go higher register doing that. Javonte Williams, he could be a breakout star for the Broncos this year, but Melvin Gordon, he's really solid.

You know, that's the way you got to go. Melvin Gordon, he's a really solid, he's a really solid running back. In these parts, folks, the word solid is an insult. So many people I know in this world, when they call what I did, that I'm a solid host, solid, that's a solid segment. Do a solid job. Solid is not, there are so many more descriptive, complimentary adjectives that can be used than the word solid. Solid to me is just like, that's average.

You're average. I don't think other people look at it as negatively as you look at it. I do.

I know I'm in the minority like this. I know. What do you want to hear then? He's a terrific running back. He's very good. Solid. Serviceable.

That's it. Solid equals serviceable. I don't believe solid is an insult. Serviceable is an insult. Solid is not.

Think about the slang back there. Yo, you are a solid cat, man. That's a good thing. If I tell somebody they're a solid human being, that's as high of a, do someone a solid.

It's a 21st century thing going on here. Okay. Solid to me is a negative in the same way when you say somebody's got drip, is that good or bad? Good.

Right. That's liquid. Liquid good, solid bad. How?

There you go. Liquid is good. Liquid's good. Solid bad.

Solid bad. Did you just make that up? I did. Okay. Cause I was about to say. Where's the gas in all of this? What do you mean? Well, liquid solid gas.

I mean, those are the three things that we're talking chemistry. Check out the big brain on Brad over here. Let's take a break. 844204rich is the number to dial. Aaron Rodgers has chimed in. This is going to be good on Alan Lazard taking Devante Adams spot.

Neat stuff coming up. Back on the Rich Eisen Show. 844204rich is the number to dial. Let's go to the phone lines. Howie in Dallas, Texas. You're on the Rich Eisen Show. What's up, Howie?

Hey, what's going on, Rich? Love your hair. You're looking great today, baby. Everybody looking good in the studio. I appreciate that. Howie!

Howie. Hey, hey. All right.

So my first question is this. You like salty tua. You made it no yesterday, Rich. I do. Yes, the best tua. My question is, since you like salty tua, I'm curious.

Nice guys finish last in the NFL. Oh, and one more thing. Yes.

One more thing. I heard that you narrated a Jets documentary, something about the history of the football team. I imagine you didn't get paid very much because all you had had to have said is, it was the worst of times.

It's still the worst of times. Oh my gosh. Howie, just to correct the record, I did voice over the Jets chronicling their off season in a very hard knocks type way.

I think it's all on YouTube. And the payment I accepted was a donation to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital on behalf of the New York Jets. So now I feel like an absolute jerk. No, I just wondered.

That was not the intent. You complimented my hair. Thank you for the call.

I appreciate it. The salty tua is the best tua. That's the best tua. We need salty tua. Nice guys.

I don't know about you, but that looked like money. To me, as you know, nice guys finish last in the NFL. Come on. There've been some tremendous nice guys in the NFL that have crushed it and done very well. They don't finish last. Some of them, not all of them finish first.

Not all of them finish first. But salty tua is the best. We need salty tua. So we were just talking about tua right here, right? So Tyreek Hill talking up tua is not the only wide receiver talking up his quarterback.

No. Devante Adams, though, goes way back with Derek Carr to the college days, right? Old school.

The only thing missing is their boy blue. And so Devante Adams had this to say about hooking up with Derek Carr in Las Vegas. I mean, anytime you change quarterbacks from Hall of Famer to Hall of Famer, you go stapler to Rich Gannon or whoever you go to. It's going to be a little bit of an adjustment. Both are great players and great to be around.

So I'm just enjoying that process and getting better myself, trying to do as much as I can to help these guys go out there and win as many games as we can. There you go. From Hall of Famer to Hall of Famer, Aaron Rodgers to Derek Carr, Hall of Famer to Hall of Famer. And, you know, kudos to the members of the local television community there interviewing Devante. They didn't bat an eyelash. They didn't move.

They didn't twitch. Derek Carr is a terrific quarterback, but I don't think anybody believes he's currently on a Hall of Fame path. That's why when we speak to Devante Adams next, I want to ask him, does he take his tenure in Vegas with him already, him already on a Hall of Fame career path?

Maybe if he continues doing that and they win championships, he can take Derek Carr along with him. I think that's fair. That's what I'm saying.

Well, I guess that comment filtered back to the state of Wisconsin. Aaron Rodgers, this is him in front of his locker being asked about going from Adams to Allen Lazard. He was asked about Lazard in practice, making a great play and listen to how he answers it. Good to have Allen back.

I know it's just day one, but what did you think of that catch you made? It's always tough going from Hall of Famer to Hall of Famer. From Devante to Allen, it's going to be a transition, but he's capable of a lot. The way things have gone with the reps and the guys that we've had here and the targets that we've doled out, he hasn't had a ton of opportunities, but since his first day here, he's turned heads and so it's not surprising. Looked like he had that one in the back pocket, locked and loaded. First question he's asked about any of his receivers, any of them, didn't matter who it was. Going from Hall of Fame, it's always tough going from Hall of Famer.

That's some next level material right there. And also a quarterback who's clearly under pressure. He's feeling it. Feeling that pressure.

No doubt. He's under pressure. Come on.

0.0. By the way, we talk about QBs under pressure. Why do we never say Baker or Sam Dahl or Daniel Jones? Don't you think that if it doesn't work for one of them, they might be working with us this time next year? They might move on to a Trubisky spot currently, but we'll talk to Joe Banner in a second.

But I know what you're saying. We say Dak Prescott. If the Dallas goes 6-11, guess what?

Dak is still going to be in the NFL next year. If the Giants go 2-14, Daniel Jones might be sitting next to Brockman this time next year. By the way, I would love that.

That would be great. So that's pressure to me. That would be great if Daniel Jones was sitting next to you. I don't know what we would do with him. It's like he can't work the board, right? Yeah, I don't know. Jay, you feel a little nervous now? Now what's the power rankings of audio executives under pressure on the Rich Eisen Show? But in all seriousness, I have an answer for you. I have an answer for you, having been around this NFL media block for some time. Twenty years, right? Well, coming up.

Yeah, if I can make it. So the quarterback under pressure conversation, the annual churning of that conversation, the subtext of it includes the stakes of expectation. Every quarterback that's the most under pressure is expected to win and on top of it on a team that can win the Super Bowl.

That's the subtext. Of course, when you're talking about Justin Fields, he's under considerable pressure, right? Because he wants to improve.

And if it doesn't happen from year one to year two, things can go a little sideways. Clearly there's a significant amount of pressure for every young quarterback trying to perform in the league when they have a contract that they need to make a second time. Jared Goff is under significant pressure in Detroit because if he doesn't show it this year, they might move on to someone else and then where does he go?

But the Lions aren't expected to win it all. Thus, you don't see Jared Goff on that list. That's why you see Dak.

That's why you see Kyler. That's why you see Aaron Rodgers, even though I think that's ridiculous. That's why you see all of the quarterbacks who have a certain level of expectation. Those are the stakes. That's why you don't see quarterbacks like Daniel Jones on there where his job is truly on the line. And the same thing with Baker and Sam Darnold, their jobs as first tier, potentially, on a path to first tier quarterback status or their jobs as absolutely their starting quarterback in the NFL. That's on the line for those guys.

And that will add pressure, but we're not talking about them because we don't think they'll win the Super Bowl. Does that make sense? That's why I mess with you, Rich Eisen. That was a solid breakdown. I think that had a lot of drip to it. Actually, liquid. Actually, I have two buttons on buttons, so that's drip.

Came through dripping. For the real story behind some of wrestling's biggest moments, it's something to wrestle with Bruce Prichard and Conrad Thompson, too. All-time Hogan opponents. Macho Man's got to be in the conversation. Where's Andre for you? I've always said Andre was number one. Wow. Going back before Hulk Hogan was a babyface, Hulk and Andre were able to go in and headline at the New Orleans Superdome, at Shea Stadium in Japan. Wherever they went, that was an attraction. It's something to wrestle with Bruce Prichard. Listen wherever you get your podcasts.