REShow: Hour 1 (1-2-2023)

Happy New Year. This is the Rich Eisen Show. Tom Brady does his thing.

Live from the Rich Eisen Show studio in Los Angeles. Frog snuck that one out and that ball popped out folks. Ball was lost by the offense recovered by the defense of the end zone. Touchback. Today's guest spills quarterback Josh Allen.

Bengals wide receiver Jamar Chase. Plus your phone calls and more. And now it's Rich Eisen. Yes it is. Welcome to the Rich Eisen Show here live in Los Angeles, California on the second day of January 2023. Merry New Year everybody.

Hey. Good to see one and all right here on the Roku channel and you seeing us right here on the Roku channel. We're thrilled to have everybody listening to us coast to coast whether it be on Odyssey or Sirius XM or yes the Rich Eisen Show radio network powered by Grainger. With supplies and solutions for every industry Grainger has the right product for you.

Call, click grainger.com or just stop by. Thrilled to have you here of course as we all love on this very busy Monday in the National Football League and that sport I used to know called college football. Good to have you all here. Again if you're watching us we're thrilled that you're here on the Roku channel which is free on all Roku devices which is free on all Samsung on all on all Amazon Fire TV select Samsung smart TVs.

We're thrilled that you are here on this program watching us potentially on the Roku app which is free with the Roku channel on it and then of course the rokuchannel.com. 844-204-rich is the number to dial. So much for you to be talking about. Good to see you over there Christopher Brockman. Good to see you Rich.

Happy New Year man. What's up? DJ Mikey D. Good to see you Rich.

As in D's nuts. Good to see you. TJ Jefferson. Happy New Year to you sir. Happy New Year to you Rich. To you Mike. To you Chris. To everyone and of course everyone except for the people at Twitter in the zone. I don't wish them a happy new year.

Oh my gosh. This beef's carrying into 23 but everyone else happy new year man. Okay how about them Cowboys indeed. That was a game that kicked off week 17 which wraps up tonight with a huge Monday night football game that's going on on the worldwide leader in sports family of networks the Bills and the Bengals. Josh Allen on this program.

Jamar Chase on this program. I mean we're going straight up the flow chart for one of the biggest games with the one seed on the line. Three teams having an opportunity to have the one seed with the Bills and the Chiefs and the Bengals being those three teams.

The seven seeds are still up for grabs. We do have playoff spots since the last time that we appeared all together here on this program. The Chargers are in the AFC playoffs. The Ravens are in the AFC playoffs. The NFC playoffs. The Dallas Cowboys have clinched a playoff spot in the NFC playoffs. The New York Giants clinched a playoff spot yesterday putting the bang thing on the Colts to seal it. The seven seeds are up for grabs and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are in the playoffs.

Oh no. And that's how we're starting this program with the 12s. The Goats. The 12s.

That's how I choose to start this program. Yes the Philadelphia Eagles still haven't clinched the one seed and that's still up for grabs in the NFC and the 49ers are now the two seed because the Vikings got smoked. We'll get to that in a second. But the 12s. One's in the other one's knocking on the door. Let's talk about the one that's in. I keep saying every time you think he's out. Every time you think Tom Brady's toast. Every time. How many times have we thought Tom Brady's been toast this year? I'll tell you. Multiple.

You got to go to your second hand for that. Whether it was the first time that he lost to Carolina after he got bailed out with some weird roughing the passer penalty against Atlanta. Every time you think he's out going to Munich to take on a red hot at the time Seattle Seahawk team. They hadn't put it all together. Under 500.

In Germany he showed up. They put together a full complete game. Then they go on a bye week at five and five. They come back. They lose in overtime to Cleveland.

What the hell was that? Tom Brady doesn't lose in overtime. He doesn't lose in overtime to Cleveland. Tom Brady doesn't show up in December on Christmas day in Arizona against Trace McSorley and need to pull one out of his orifice like he did in the last seconds against the Rams. Like he did in the last second against the Saints. Every time you think he's out. In those two games you thought he was toast and done. And yesterday watching the Carolina Panthers and Sam Darnold show up in the house.

Sam Darnold to DJ Moore and then suddenly Tom Brady is needing to settle for field goals after coming out with a fourth down conversion in the red zone that was successful and the field goal hits the upright and bounces out. And you're like what the hell? They're toast. They're done. Yeah. Steve Wilks the interim head coach. Yeah. Sam Darnold the third starting quarterback.

Yeah. Christian McCaffrey's long gone. These Carolina Panthers had the Bucks out and then Tom Brady pulls him back in. Talk about making up for lost time.

That was awesome man. The Mike Evans Tom Brady connection reestablished just in time. Yeah shout out if you had Mike Evans in the championship in your fantasy league yesterday. Or most likely on your bench because he hadn't scored a touchdown in months and by the way that's not an exaggeration. Like week four right?

Yeah. I can attest to this having them on my fantasy team. The aforementioned Carolina Panthers game between these two teams. He was wide open and had one drop and that's what set them back that entire game because this is what the Bucks were like at that point in time.

That one huge mistake would set them back for the whole damn game. Not anymore and I know this is a week-to-week league and I know that we overreact from overreact from week to week but now the week-to-week league is taking you to the playoffs and that's all you got to do is just live week to week. Just make this week-to-week stuff. It ain't narratives anymore. It's the reality. It's the moment. It's it.

This is the time. It's now or never and now the Bucks go from can they possibly miss it? Is it possible Tom Brady's gonna finish his seven and ten quarterback and miss the playoffs and watch Carolina after blowing up their coaching staff and roster they're gonna win this division?

Is that entirely possible? We went from that to does Brady even need to play next week? Yeah he's going to though. Well he said we're football players it's time to play football. Come on now. Brady didn't come back to sit there and watch Blaine Gabbert take some reps in a meaningless football game and I say that with all due respect this is amazing how you can go from the outhouse to the penthouse in the NFL. Stands for not for long and the same thing as struggles not for long because it doesn't matter what happened in the previous 15 football games for this team.

They're eight and eight. They've won the division. They are printing a playoff ticket and they're going to take on most likely the Dallas Cowboys and the roof is going to be blown off that sucker and the sucker is the ratings for whichever network gets it.

Man yeah fact. Okay so it's coming. It's coming R.A. Rich.

It's coming down the pike and yes overreaction. Yeah they were terrible the first 15 weeks Rich. Fifth game 16 weeks Rich. Yeah they couldn't do anything for 15 games 16 weeks Rich. Doesn't matter because now they feel confident. Now they just did it. Now they've won it. Now they don't have to worry about that weight of are they going to blow the division the answer's done. They got it. It's in.

Brady's in the tournament and coming off of a 432 yard passing game with three touchdowns all of them the Evans who's coming off of a 207 yard receiving game and Leonard Fournette's bull rushing his way in the end zone. We're having a call back at the last second but he's feeling it. They're feeling it.

They might even get healthier. Who knows? You get Ryan Jensen back in time. Who wants a piece of that?

I'd proffer to say T.J. you don't. I mean you've been on this show for a while. I've said this for months. I know.

I don't want any part and I never counted the bucks out ever. And talk about not for long the amazing thing is your way out of that scenario might be to hit the penthouse button yourself. I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

It's possible. God if you're listening help. Because the Cowboys can be the one seed. They need a lot of help. More help than what the Niners currently need and obviously what the Eagles need. They just need to win a game against the Giants team that has quote unquote nothing to play for. I was rooting for the Raiders so hard last night.

But we will talk about that later on. For the moment Tom Brady's in and you have to go to his house to start it and he's feeling good. Let's talk about the other 12. Aaron Rodgers and the Packers were left for dead and I am fully fully confident.

I don't have to check the tapes. I have to look back to know I was one of them. We we were part of that conversation nationally after they dropped to four and eight.

Hey if his thumb's broken you got to see what you have in Jordan Love right? Yeah no for real. No. That for real was the conversation on the last weekend in November.

Going into the game when they were four and eight. No question about it. Dead.

Finished. Devante Adams was in much better position at that point in time in Vegas as they were starting to win games and not blow leads. And we were all wondering how this team would look with Devante Adams still. Because these young kids were not doing very well. They were not these young kids were not doing very much. They weren't healthy enough. They weren't doing enough and the running game wasn't significant enough and Rodgers wasn't accurate enough and Rodgers wasn't winning enough. The defense wasn't healthy enough.

There was not enough of enough for us to think that there was a way out. And here we are on the first Monday of 2023. Here we are in the first business day of this calendar year and the Packers are in a win-in scenario in week 18. Still alive.

Still alive. If you told them you have to win one home game against the Detroit Lions to make the playoffs. If we told them that going into the season. If we told them that at four and eight even with the Lions performing as well as they have been performing. Don't forget the Lions were in the midst of a nice winning streak when they barely lost to the Bills at home on Thanksgiving. We're talking about the last weekend in November.

Packers fans would have said absolutely we'll sign for that. Well guess what? Now you got it. And just like we talked about with the Bucks it does not matter one bit about the first 12 games of the season.

It doesn't matter at all. Because the Packers are coming into these playoffs or week 18 in the same way, I'll say it, the Niners went into last year's playoffs. The proverbial wild card team you don't want to see. Are they as good as last year's 49ers team?

We could sit here and say for the first 12 weeks no shot. Not a chance. You take Aaron Rodgers over Jimmy Garoppolo I'll check that box.

I'll check it. Every other way are they as talented as the 49ers were last year? You would say no. But then again I look at the I always go back to the movies and sports movies and iconic sports lines on this program and I'll go back to the one for Miracle. I don't need the best players I just need the right ones. That's it. I just need the right ones and right now the Packers have the right ones. Kristen Watson is doing more than just catch touchdowns. Romeo Dobbs is healthy. And the defense is balling out.

Finally. They're stopping the pass and they're stopping the run on the way to the quarterback. And AJ Dillon is being rolled downhill in a way that we didn't see in the first 12 games. They scored 41 points and Rodgers had 159 yards.

Well it's because they scored all three different phases. Yeah. And Rich Passaccia last year's interim head coach in Vegas took that team to the playoffs. Mr. Special Teams Maven. I'll tell you what if you're going to beat the Packers this year it's not because their special team stinks. Yeah. That's why they lost in last year's playoffs. One of the many reasons I guess. It's a team game.

And Jair Alexander he talked and talked and talked about Justice Jefferson ain't all that. Shut him down. Man. One catch. One catch. One singular catch.

Cousins hectared. They scored on a kickoff return. They scored on defense on a pick six and they scored on offense. Aaron Rodgers ran one in himself even.

Okay. They're feeling it. And it's kind of like maybe we're all on an ayahuasca trip. Because you ask Aaron Rodgers and he is manifesting. Big time. Here's what 12 had to say in Green Bay after the game. Four wins in a row.

Eight and eight. Now they're full circle. Blown out in Minnesota. They blew out Minnesota at home. They are now going into the final week with a win-one home game against the Lions who seem to be a different team on the road outdoors.

One win against the Lions away and they're in. Hit it. Feels really special. It's been an interesting year. Hasn't been my best football at times. But I've been asked to step up my leadership I think. And be someone the guys can count on to keep it together. Even when it doesn't seem like there's anything to play for.

We don't have a chance to make a run. There's been a lot of special moments throughout the year. And it didn't look great for a while. And I was resigned to some of those realities being possible. And when I took my mind there, I had a peace about it. I had a peace about all of it.

Whatever was supposed to happen, I was surrendered to that reality. With also the resolute mindset that we could still get back in this thing. And I think that's what I'm most proud of. That's what I'm most proud of. That's what I'm most proud of for myself and our team is that there were a lot of different things that could happen. And we stuck together. And we put ourselves in position to do something special. I totally understand the whole having a peace of mind when you stare into the abyss. And it turns out to be if you have a peace about the reality of it, it's all good. I mean, I deleted Twitter off my phone last week.

You know what I mean? Felt good. It was great.

Went through it. Felt great to not check it for a week. It was wonderful.

The negativity that you were surrounded, I didn't suck at all to miss that. Awesome. And you put it back on this morning? Oh no, over the weekend. But be that as it may.

He was going nuts yesterday. Be that as it may. I'm kind of having a little fun with it. But the bottom line is everybody make fun of his trips or his trippiness or he's drinking the tea or he's into one thing and then he's into another thing.

And each one you're like, really? You're into that? It works for this guy. It works for him.

And you know what also works for him? These young receivers knowing where to be and catching the football and making plays and a run game working and Bakhtiari's back and the defense is rampaging. It took 17 weeks. It doesn't matter. It's taken enough. The only thing that matters about how long it took is that they're not already in. They got to win one more. Tampa's in. For this 12 to get in, they got to win one more.

And the Lions have a lot to play for too. But the bottom line is, I have made a note. I have made a note to myself. Next year. Next year. I'm not going to go all in on a team that's lost four of their first 12.

Not anymore. Not when there's a 17th regular season game going on. By the way, thank goodness, you Packers fans, for that 17th regular season game.

Because if it was just 16 games, you'd be out. You'd be out and Seattle would be in. And Seattle would be the one going to San Francisco and San Francisco would be like, bring it. You know who San Francisco doesn't want to see to bring it? Green Bay. And I know you Niner fans will be like, yeah, well, we punked them last year in their house. Exactly.

Exactly. Because the narrative last year, and I'll just front load everybody here, the narrative last year after San Francisco bounced Green Bay was, Green Bay's offense is not set up for the freezing cold. It's set up for more San Francisco's weather. It's set up for road games. It's set up for road games. Guess where they'd have to go?

San Francisco. Okay. And Jimmy G might be able to hit Brock Purdy's first career start going against the defense that you saw yesterday, do what it just did to Justin Jefferson and Kirk Cousins.

Okay. And Jarrett Stidham just carved up that defense. You don't think Rogers could do that? And I understand it's a week to week league. I'm just pointing out week to week leagues that we overreact to. Fine for the regular season to use that. When you hit the playoffs, all bets are off. And the narrative is what it is to use the phrase. And what it is right now is Green Bay playing out of their skulls. And one, when, Hey, rest of the NFC, I said it on Christmas day. I got a whole bunch of grief.

That's the last one of the last tweets I sent out before I deleted Twitter, which like do not let this guy Rogers get hot and do not let the Packers in the tournament NFC. Well, guess what? They're coming. They're coming. And it would make the NFC playoffs that much more interesting.

It would make them fascinating. What do you think? 8 4 4 2 0 4 rich number to dial here in the program. I've set the table. Josh Allen, Jamar chasing you overreaction Monday, a centerpiece of our second hour, right in the middle of our show. When we come back, I'm going to relive the weekend and the final moments of my following college football. Is that the name of the sport? I think so.

Yeah. I was at the Fiesta bowl. Not much of a Fiesta half the time, but we'll discuss it in that peach bowl, man. Oh, what a weekend of college football here. Happy new year one and all on the rich eyes and show. This is it. The putt to win the tournament.

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Head to the Mercedes-Benz van dealership and get that Sprinter. Tell them your dream sent you. Back here on The Rich Eisen Show, one big happy family, the Roku channel and our audio, our listening audience. By the way, hello to our podcast listeners as well. We love you. And we also give us a subscription.

Hit the subscribe button on our YouTube page. Fiesta Bowl. Let's talk about it.

College football playoffs. No, it's Verbo, sir. Verbo.

I know, it's so weird. No, I gotta give it up to Verbo. I like Tostitos. I met a lot of the Verbo people there. They were very, very nice.

Very accommodating to me. I brought my son, Koop. He's been my watching buddy for all year long. Michigan Wolverines.

Michigan Wolverines. And we were sitting there and it's amazing. He was 11 years old when the game started. And he's on social security now. That's how much he aged.

He aged. I'm lucky to be alive. I'm lucky to be alive. Let me just sum it up.

Let me just sum it up. I am so proud of my Michigan Wolverine team, 13-0, going into the Fiesta Bowl. And absolutely, I thought they were going to win that football game. There's no doubt in my mind they were going to win it and I was going to watch them in SoFi Stadium and take a trip down to 405 to watch my team in a national championship game. Absolutely thought that was the case. Certainly when Donovan Edwards, on the first snap of the game, burst free and then got caught from behind in a way that he didn't in Ohio State and in a way that he didn't all year long in the Big Ten. And I'm just wondering was it Rust?

Was it ever? No, TCU is an incredibly talented football team. And they have speed. They have, I mean, brute force. They can lay the wood. They can block. They can hit you. And man, can they win because they've got a big heart.

Big purple heart. Those horned frogs. And Michigan made way too many mistakes to win a football game against a stout opponent. Two pick sixes and two trips inside the three yard line to come away with no points. I mean, that first drive, I thought we'd get at least six out of it.

I mean, get at least three. I thought Michigan would get at least three out of it. And then on fourth and two, looked at the goal, he went for it and tried some sort of Ann Arbor special.

I don't know what the heck that was, but I'd like to take that play and never see it again. And then my guy, JJ McCarthy, who's been playing terrific football. They don't get to this game without him. They're not 13-0 without him. And also the kid who I saw prior to the game on crutches, Blake Corum, he threw a terrible pass after Michigan got the ball back. And I know so much in the Michigan community has been made about how Harbaugh got out-coached in the first half of that game. They had a shot to score touchdown on the opening drive. They played defense, got the ball back, and a terrible pass by JJ McCarthy's brought to the house. Michigan's two interceptions, not brought to the house. Their two pick sixes put 14 points on the board. I mean, you want to talk about difference makers in a game like this?

That's pretty much a difference maker. And then every single time Michigan tried to come back, TCU would just score in one snap of the football. But still, to give up two pick sixes and have two trips inside the three-yard line, or from the two-yard line and in, to come away with no points? You're going to lose football games. Certainly if the refs stink.

And that is where I want to, I just have to address it. I have to address it. Michigan did not play better than the refs reffed. They made too many mistakes. I've mentioned the mistakes that they made, and I've left off false start penalties. I've left off a ton of other issues.

A ton. I'm not even, I'm barely touching on the mistakes that Michigan made that you can't make in a bowl game and just expect to make the national championship game. Man, you know, the touchdown that they took off the board, I know that they parsed it down to the last frame. It did look like Wilson did not get in the end zone. Like his keister hit the ground before he fell into the end zone. Just don't fumble the ball when you, don't fumble the ball after this. That's my two cents. Right now we're showing a photograph where it looks like it's keister and the ball has crossed the goal line.

I mean a body part could have, because he could have hit the ball right off the bat. Here's my issue with it. Okay. Here's my issue with it. And it's made worse by the fact that Michigan, instead of sneaking it like everybody else has been doing, like taking three huge individuals and shoving the quarterback across the goal line.

He does it better than anybody. Well, except they didn't do it against Kansas State. You know, in their big 12 championship game, they couldn't get it in from inside the half yard line. And by the way, I was hoping Michigan would show some of the same defensive line resolve in that moment as Kansas State was able to pull out of their resoluteness in overtime of that game and couldn't. Again, I'm not saying anybody cost Michigan the game other than Michigan. And I think anybody on that team will tell you that. But my issue is if we're parsing things down to the last frame in replay at that moment, how the hell when replay looks at the final hit of the football game, is that not called targeting? Now, you know my issue with targeting.

It is way too open to interpretation. And one officiating crew's interpretation of what's targeting and what's not is different from another. And it is not nearly as consistent across a college football landscape as it needs to be. But you can't tell me that what happened at the end of that football game where Michigan is doing a little pitchy, pitchy woo-woo.

It's going crazy. And the game is essentially over as Michigan's ball carrier falls down to the ground. And as he is falling down to the ground from behind, gets hit in the back of the helmet by the crown of the helmet of a TCU player that has no business even being in on the tackle because the game's over. The game's just over.

Just let them fall down. The game is over once the play is over. But the play is not over when the helmet meets helmet and then they review it. And I think to myself, if they're reviewing it, it's definitely targeting. So we'll get the ball back with 20 some odd seconds to go, needing 60 yards.

It's a bleak scenario, but at least there's a scenario. And then come back and say it's not. What is more targeting than a player falling backwards and from behind gets contacted so hard his head looks like it's a bobble head? That's a defenseless player being hit in the head. So if we're parsing in the middle of the game, what, we're not parsing at the end of the game? Because the game's over. I mean, what are we going to do? Put the players back on the field when the game's essentially over after Michigan made one last mistake, which is a snap that the quarterback didn't expect, hits him in the shins, balls all over the place? By the way, Donovan Edwards having the presence of mind to know that he's still behind the line of scrimmage so he can throw it to a teammate was, in retrospect, pretty fascinating to me, but you come on.

I mean, come on. So we're going to take a touchdown off the board in the middle of the game because you know what? It's the middle of the game.

Game's still being decided. We're not calling targeting because the game's essentially over and we're going to, we're going to put TCU back on the field and then there's going to be an uproar. It's like, is it a spine issue? It's an uproar? It's like, is it a spine issue?

Is it really a spine issue? Because it can't be that wasn't a targeting play issue. So I got that off my chest. I say TCU was the better team. They deserve to go. And I can't wait to see them play with the house money against Georgia because they got house money and all the folks saying Big 12's this, Big 12's that, one thing that they're not is the Big 10. One thing they're not is a big time team. They didn't even win their conference championship. Didn't deserve to be in. Okay. That is a hell of a football team with a great coach who knows how to coach these players up and make them believe.

That was amazing. They can hit you. They can run past you. They can run over you.

They can run through you. So I say, well done TCU. And thank you Michigan for an incredible season.

I can't wait to see where you go from here. Peach Bowl. Let's hit that.

Let's hit that. CJ Stroud played his tail off. That kid, look, that kid against Michigan.

I'm sorry, Georgia. If that kid had shown up against you, you probably would have won by a million points, but this kid made the throws and he ran forever. He pulled the whole Justin Fields.

He was terrific. And he knew when to run and he knew when to throw and he knew what to do with it. And, and Ohio State's defense showed up. Ohio State's defense was confounding Stetson Bennett and stopping the run. He couldn't run a lick on him, which as you know, Michigan did all fourth quarter in the horseshoe.

Marvin Harrison Jr. getting knocked out for me was the game changer. I've looked at that play over and over and over again. I didn't think that was targeting. I thought that was just, I thought he hit him with his shoulder. I thought, I thought it was just a really hard hit that, that has to be delivered or allowed to be delivered by a defender in the end zone when, you know, ball's being thrown over the middle too.

It's not. Oh, he kind of just threw it up. He was getting, Stroud was getting hit as he let go of it. I didn't think that was targeting. And I didn't think that was, I thought that was just playing football, quite honestly.

That's what I thought too. And unfortunately it knocked the best receiver, arguably in college football out of the game. He said he could have went back in.

He felt fine, but they were being a little overly cautious. I mean, for my money, college football plays a lot more fast and loose with concussions and when kids need to come off the field than the NFL does. And I think everybody knows that too, watching these games.

So. But you could see how different Ohio State was. There was at one point, JJ McCarthy got hit so hard. He was lying on the ground and he got up. If this was the NFL, I thought they would have taken him out of the game, but he stayed in.

He stayed in and he played well from there on out. I'm just shooting everyone straight. I don't, I don't know, man. I didn't think that was targeting. And then Georgia just turned on the jets, man. They did what Michigan couldn't do, which is score, stop, score, win. Michigan did the score, stop. They did the stop, score, stop.

Couldn't win. Georgia did. Got a little lucky at the end. They sure did. But Stetson Bennett made the throws. That's what it takes.

Oh my goodness. Did he make the throws? Did he make the throws? And Ohio State, thanks to CJ Stroud's arm, legs, head, and heart, guts, that was incredible to get them in position. Yeah. Can't say that Ohio State didn't deserve to be there.

They were arguably the better team for the whole game up until the end. Stroud, absolutely. After hearing all the stuff for months and, you know, about a month about his draft stock, I would take him number one after that game.

That's for a different road. I mean, Bryce Young looks pretty, if you don't, if you're not concerned about his height or his build, his build. Big boy, put on a show, put on a show, biggest game. He did. He came up big.

Similar to what Justin Fields did when he had the opportunity at Ohio State in a college football playoff game. So I did not see the final kick of the game. Oh no.

Because we were watching the ball drop. Oh jeez. Now I had my finger on a button. I don't know if anybody else had this issue.

Oh no. I don't know if anybody else had this issue, but this is unbelievable. Literally, Ruggles swung his leg through the game-winning field goal attempt and pulled it left, I believe, toe met ball just as the Times Square ball dropped to ring in 2023. I mean, I think they, they happened simultaneously.

And if not, it's just a second off. And I don't know about anyone out there in my viewing and listening audience, but there had to be a major, major tug of war over remote controls across the country because Zan, you know, loves the ball drop. My oldest loves the ball drop more than he loves football. And Coop loves football more than the ball drop.

And Tay, my daughter, kind of was interested in both. And you know where Susan and I land here? The ball. I mean, Susie and I have seen the ball times. We've been to Times Square. I mean, I've been to Times Square.

I don't know if she's actually been. We've rung it in many new year. Yeah. This is Ohio State, Georgia for a trip to go to the national championship on the line. One kick for no time left. But we've, like, I was flipping back and forth, back and forth. I'm like, see, the ball's not dropping yet. And I'm like, oh, I'm going to go to the national championship. I'm like, see, the ball's not dropping yet. And there I was, we watched the ball drop. We hugged each other as a family. And then I had my finger hovering on the button to switch back, the previous button, the P-R-E-V button on my remote.

And I thought to myself the following, I'm being very honest, I'm shooting everybody straight right here. Because again, Michigan losing was really tough. It would have been made that infinitely much tougher if Ohio State went on to the national championship game.

Infinitely tougher. And then I think my phone lines would be lit from many 216 area codes and throughout the great state of Ohio today. Hey, congrats on winning the battle. And I said, I'm going to hit this button and I'm either going to see a celebratory Stetson Bennett, really is what I thought, or Buckeye fans going eight. And I hit it back and I saw Stetson Bennett running around the field.

I mean, so you, you did change the channel. After the kick was over. Okay. Ball drops. We hug each other.

We wish each other happy new year. But I missed the kick. I didn't see.

Wow. TJ, I'm telling you, the ball hit the bottom of the times square pole. I saw a video at the moment. I saw a video that was, yeah, met the football. It was, they were synced up perfectly.

It's unreal. I saw none of that. And the latest example, why the hell are we holding these games on new year's Eve? Why are we doing that? Everyone's at home watching.

That's kind of late though. Or at parties or someone, no, everyone's dispersed. You want the largest. I, I shouldn't say this, but I would imagine the Fiesta bowl got bigger ratings maybe than, than, than the peach. I don't know. You're watching that game before you go out to a party or something. How many people, seriously, you can call me at eight four four two Oh four rich. How many people were like watching that final on your, on your phone? This is where I'm old.

People still go out for new year's. Oh yeah. By the way, I saw none of that because I woke up to fireworks. I slept through the, oh boy. We landed back. We had a flight issue coming back. And so we had a connection instead of a direct like we're supposed to. So we missed the first quarter, probably. Coop and I were following prior to the plane and then the wifi connection going on.

Coop was giving me updates his wifi connection on his phone was better than mine. And then we got in top of fourth quarter of that game. But I'm telling you, man, ball dropped just as the field goal went wide left. So it's Georgia versus TCU.

Fun game. On Monday night, just up the road. I imagine you're going. Uh, we're working on it.

Okay. Um, man, your left might have, uh, Oh, they're gone right there. They're gone. They're gone. They're gone. They're gone. 8 4 4 2 0 4 rich number to dial here on the program.

Josh Allen, Jamar chase over reaction Monday. Still to come here on the program back here on the rich eyes and show terrestrial radio network. And so much more when you open up a Mercedes Benz sprinter van, you know what you're doing? You're more opening up more than just doors. You are unlocking potential to do your own thing and be your own boss and steer your own success and blaze your own trail. What a perfect time for you to check out a sprinter van that's built, designed and equipped to let you hit the open road and take on any goal you set because it's a new year.

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Let's go to the phone lines here on the rich eyes and show GK and Farmington, Connecticut. Happy new year to you, sir. What's going on in your mind? I'm thank you.

Happy new year to you, Rich. What's going on in my mind is that the Ravens are an absolute embarrassment. You know, how the hell we did not game plan for the Pittsburgh Steelers running the football and Kenny ticket is just an absolute mind blower.

And it just goes to show that we need changes from the head coach to the coordinator and just a new coaching staff. Wow. Look at you coming in hot. Here's the deal, man. The, you just got to, it's a rivalry game.

Let's throw some, let's throw some records out. Number one. And then, and then number two, look, it's all about Lamar. This team is built around Lamar. The mindset of this team is built around Lamar. The essence of this team is built around Lamar.

He's not there. Tyler Huntley is doing the best that he can, you know, when, when, when the wide receiver six and also well gone from Kansas of the Kansas city chiefs is your number one receiver in DeMarcus Robinson. You know, I mean, that's just the way things are going right now for you. You need Lamar back.

You need his mojo back and then go into the playoffs and you know, and, and that's my two cents on it. I mean, I know that they ran all over the Ravens last night, but I get it. Like I literally, like literally I'm going to watch the film, which the amount of times that the Steelers were running all over us and the amount of times that TJ was just completely running on an island to get to Tyler Huntley. I literally, I literally wanted to break my TV, Rich.

I was absolutely serious. But you also, Chike, and thanks for the call brother. Happy new year.

Let's, let's have a happier new year. I mean, you also hadn't given up a touchdown. Did you see that a touchdown at home and in 15 quarters. So give it up.

You got to give it up to the opponent sometimes when, when they put on their big boy, big boy pants, just as much as you put on yours. And just a couple minutes here on the Ravens. I don't know what's going on with Lamar, because when I spoke to the Ravens, when I saw them in week, was that 15?

They all mold together right now. Yeah, it was week 15. That Saturday night game in Cleveland. They were all saying, we're going to get Lamar back, I think next week. He could have played now, but he doesn't want to play with a brace on. He doesn't want to do this.

He doesn't want to really do that until he's 100% healthy. And he's still not back. Tyler Huntley is doing what he can, but this team is a totally different animal when Lamar Jackson is behind center or in shotgun.

A totally different ball of wax. And he's got to come back and he's got to be Lamar. Because you're looking right now at the rest of the AFC playoffs. Talk about a great time to be alive. Josh Allen, Patrick Mahomes, Joe Burrow, Justin Herbert.

Let's go. Are in the playoffs in the AFC. Finally. And it could very well be, and I believe it will be, Trevor Lawrence getting his first role at it.

Yeah. And those are your five other quarterbacks that are currently most likely to be a group of five. You got to have Lamar. You got to have Lamar. In this tournament with those quarterbacks in it, and the seventh one coming in may very well be Kenny Pickett playing well as he's doing, or can Mac Jones get in there?

Can it be Tua if he is healthy enough to come back? You got to have Lamar. Lamar's your difference maker. That defense is a difference maker. Despite getting run all over on Sunday Night Football, they had one last shot to try and get off the field and win the game and couldn't.

Got to tip your cap to the opponent. But Lamar Jackson has to come back. He is the ultimate difference maker. Certainly when the pool is so deep, you got Alan Mahomes and Herbert and Burrow in the playoffs. In the playoffs. Got to get him.

Got to have him. But how about that AFC quarterback group in the playoffs already in? Man. And you had Trevor Lawrence in that mix?

Yeah. Because the Ravens, we're assuming, are not going to win this division. Bengals can wrap it up tonight with a win and then personally do it against the Ravens next week. Boy, the Ravens are rooting for the Bills hard tonight. But right now, the Ravens are behind the Chargers. And Bengals Ravens might be a matchup we see right away in week 18 and then in week 19. Or the Ravens somehow get above the Chargers. I don't know, the Chargers probably looking at the Jaguars saying we want them again. I really want to see that game. The Jaguars, as you know, put a 40-burger on them earlier this year. That was a nice little snapshot of what was to come from this team. These playoff matchups are going to be so good.

They are. The AFC's off the charts, which is just, again, I'm going to kind of repeat myself here, the Ravens have to get Lamar back. And they got to get Lamar back being Lamar. And making these defenses totally confused, head on a swivel.

Who's got it? Where are they going with it? And then somebody's got to make a play down the field. Unless it's Lamar running past everybody.

Hour two, overreaction Monday and you coming up. They're not. Everybody's gradually losing audience. Not that people will say, well, but AEW is 15% ahead of where they were last year. But there's variables there. Let's see where we're at year from now. 83 weeks on YouTube or wherever you listen.