REShow: Mike Tirico - Hour 2

Ladies and gentlemen, this is the Rich Eisen Show, live from the Rich Eisen Show studio in Los Angeles.

I think I said it like five times. I don't see Bill Belichick, you know, letting Matt Jones really control the situation. Earlier on the show, CEO of All Elite Wrestling, Tony Khan. Coming up, NBC Sports Broadcaster Mike Tirico, University of Colorado head coach Deion Sanders. From ABC's Big Sky Deadly Trails, actor Rex Linn.

And now, it's Rich Eisen. Yes, our number two, the Rich Eisen Show is on the air. 844204, which is the number to dial right here on the Roku channel. It's free on all Roku devices.

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The Roku channel.com is, wait for it, wait for it. What's the word for it, Chris? That's it. See, that's the sort of material you learned at the great institution of higher learning in Syracuse, right? Correct. I learned to go falsetto when saying the word free. Is that what it was? Is there a class for that?

You know that curriculum? The man who's right here on the phone line right now. The man who calls Sunday Night Football on NBC and is going to be calling the big Sunday Night Football game of Super Wild Card Weekend, fresh off of thawing out from Green Bay, watching the Detroit Lions eliminate Green Bay and send Seattle to San Francisco to kick off that Super Wild Card Weekend. Joining us here on this edition of the Rich Eisen Show is our friend, my friend Mike Tirico.

How are you, Mike? I believe the falsetto class was added after my departure. Is that right? Yeah. Is that right?

Yes. The curriculum was not as in-depth. We were just kind of trying to put the tubes in the back of the TV, you know, and I had to help people watch TV back in the old days. Yeah, I'm old school now. What was the first game you called at Syracuse? You remember? What was the first one? The first game of anything that I called is Syracuse Football at Virginia Tech in 1985 as a sophomore on the radio. Okay, so who was the quarter? Walk me through the starting lineups of that day.

What do you got? Wow. Since Syracuse, now, I don't have that chart available at the moment, Rich, but we're talking the Don McPherson era of quarterback at Syracuse. It's before Blacksburg became the, I guess, attraction that it is in college football right now.

Yes. So, I remember specifically, you know, we drive to all the games. Dick McPherson was the head coach at Syracuse, one of my favorite people to ever be around. You know, you drove up to the Lane Stadium at that time, and it was really just bleachers, no boxes. There were cows out on the front area over to the left of the stadium because there's a great ag department at Virginia Tech. Those were good Syracuse teams. That's some NFL guys. Moose Johnson's on the team.

Their best receiver was Scott Schwade. He was going to punt return for the touchdown. Nice. There you go.

That was a good call that I had in my life. There you go. And Tim Green, who's now on Fox for a long time, terrific author, has dealt with some unfortunate medical issues since he was on the team. Doug Morone. Doug Morone would have been on that team. There you go. See, I knew it.

See, I knew it would take you some time, but you'd get to some of the notables right there. And then in terms of basketball, I think that was Ronnie Cycley's ninth year of eligibility. 1985, right?

Wasn't that? The good news was that's when you could actually name people on basketball teams that were not your own. College basketball has become this nameless abyss because of guys who play one year and go on to the NBA.

That's not begrudging anybody. It's just the platform has changed where guys don't stay for two or three years. But Derek Coleman, Ronnie Cycley, Herman Douglas, Stevie Thompson, good teams on Big Monday on a regular basis. Those were the salad days, if you will.

Oh my gosh. That was the Big East being the Big East days. And you mentioned Big Monday. I remember doing sports centers on Big Mondays in between games two and three of Big Mondays, man. And that's when the Big Mondays were born in the 80s. And I got there in 96.

That's right. And that's when you sneak in a Big West game at midnight as well. And I remember when the studios, I don't know if you were there at that point, when the studios were not, we didn't have enough studio space for everything we were doing. And then a garage to house some of the trailers and go around the country, the production trucks, they converted one of those into a studio. We did NFL Prime Monday, the precursor to Monday Night Countdown in a garage studio. And then we would do hoop wraps. So you do cold nights in January where you're waiting for the midnight game and you walk out, it's freezing cold and it's snowed, it's miserable. Those are good days. I might've done a deuce wrap, you know, a couple of administrations removed from the Fennes Dembo days of Wyoming basketball.

I might've done that. And I remember the garage is famous for the time where I think Kilborn refused to do a Duke North Carolina halftime because it was on ESPN 2. I think that was a famous moment in the garage, Studio 5 or whatever it was called back in the day. I think Fowler, when it was the WAC, I don't know if it was Chris or somebody, somebody dubbed it the midnight snack from the WAC. When WAC basketball was a staple of the midnight window on a couple of those nights.

Those are funded college hoop wraps in the garage. I remember. I remember all those days too, man. And Mike Tirico joining us here before the Ravens and the Bengals and Fowler. I just had him in the studio last Friday calling the national championship game.

It is just amazing. Right here on the Rich Eisen Show, Mike Tirico, let's jump into it. Looks like it's Tyler Huntley. What do you think?

First blush right now. You don't have a crystal ball as coaches like to say, but I don't know. You might get Huntley v. Burrow on Sunday night right now. Waiting to hear what happens at practice today. This Lamar Jackson situation is interesting in so many ways, Rich.

Let's just start with the basics. You're talking about a guy who's got a PCL injury. We don't know because we haven't been getting the medical updates, but he hasn't been at practice at all.

Right. We were there for a game. He wasn't on field even watching practice, which I found to be unique. Then you wrap it all into what about the contract?

What do you do? It's the end of a second straight season where he's missed multiple games at the end of the year because it was an ankle injury last year. It's a knee injury this year. You've got to make a decision on a long-term contract. He's his own agent.

There's a lot of questions. The Roquan Smith deal yesterday leaves them space to make him the franchise player, but in the immediate, in the short term, this team can win a 16 to 13 game with Tyler Huntley, a quarterback. They've done it. I thought Huntley was really good the year before, Rich. After the Green Bay game, which was his first start, he was up and down the field with Aaron and he hasn't been that good this year. Can he be that version of Tyler Huntley in the playoffs in Cincinnati? If he can put a couple of touchdowns on the board, it gives them a chance against Baltimore, against Cincinnati. If not, I don't think Baltimore can win a game like that.

I really don't know. Well, he had two in the air, two on the ground against Green Bay. That was a game where John Harbaugh decided to go for two at the end because Aaron Rodgers was torching his defense and he wanted to just get the win right there. You're right that the difference between that day and that team and this one is they are receiver challenged right now. When I saw them in week 15, Browns Ravens in Cleveland, they were in the midst of a 10 game stretch without a single offensive touchdown from a wide receiver.

Zero. And Mark Andrews was on a streak like that as well. Maybe they'll run Huntley more than they did because there is no tomorrow. I think that might be the way we're looking at the Ravens going into this game unless Lamar has a 72 hour period that we haven't seen him have over the last four weeks.

I don't know. And you can make the argument. It shows you how valuable he is to this team and this offense.

And it's a contract that if you don't pay him, you're not going to find a guy to replace his MVP, unanimous MVP level skill set that we saw when he won the award in 2019. But by the same token, if he doesn't play and you continue on this path, can you play winning football and win a game in different styles? That's what the playoffs. Sometimes you've got to find different ways to win a game. What if Cincinnati jumps out and they go boom touchdown second touchdown and now you're down 14 nothing.

How do you play? Can you can you stick to the run at some point? Does somebody make a play and their receiving core right now is DeMarcus Robinson, who they added to be a three and it's become a one because Rashad Bateman and Devin DuVernay got hurt. So it's Robinson, Sammy Watkins, James Crochet and Tylan Wallace, who's been out most of the year and it's just back up the last couple of weeks.

That's it. That's their entire wide receiving core. If you fall behind this team like Cincinnati and the way borough and those guys can get going, you can't win that football game without receiving core. Mark Tirico here on the Rich Eisen Show and then of course the Bengals, you're calling the first game of the AFC title defense of the Cincinnati Bengals and the right to what appears to be go to Buffalo because Buffalo is going to start the Sunday that you're finishing on NBC with Chris Collinsworth and the rest of the crew against Skylar Thompson in a Dolphins offense that couldn't put up a point in the end zone against the Jets. So we're just assuming this is going to end up being, I don't know what assuming means sometimes, for the right to go to Buffalo and the sense of Cincinnati is they're one of the hottest teams coming into the playoffs and I'm excited to see what they're going to do in their titled events, Mike.

Me too. They have a loss since Halloween, Rich, and you know, you watch borough and you just feel a confidence around it. Borough, the receiving trifecta trio, the way they are running the ball mixed in, it's gotten better, it's not great, it's gotten better. On the defensive side, they continue to make plays. Lou Annarumo, as we start to throw out all these names about this assistant coach deserves a look and so does this one, so does Lou Annarumo, the defensive coordinator for the Bengals who did a terrific job of moving the board and changing chess pieces and strategies last year as part of the Bengals playoff run and he's done it again this year and look, you're going to get all the attention on the offensive side when you've got Burrow and Chase and Boyd and Higgins and all those guys and don't forget the former Raven, Hayden Hurst, who's now really kind of found a good role with the 50 plus catch season. This defense, they continue to make plays and use their personnel very well. I like them in this playoff run and I like Annarumo as a candidate who I think teams that are looking should take a harder look.

I haven't heard all the rumors and every name that gets thrown out there, but usually it's offensive guys. Lou Annarumo is one that absolutely should be looked at, I think, by the folks with the five openings right now in the NFL. Well, if you need a fact or a nugget about Lou Annarumo for the game, Mike, he went to high school with my brother and I went to high school with his sister, Susan B. Wagner High School in Staten Island, New York.

If you want, I can text you that information if you don't have a pen right now. So there you have it for you. Very familiar with Susan B. Wagner High School. As a matter of fact, I think my alma mater at Bayside High School played Susan B. Wagner in a playoff game. It's Susan E. Wagner. E? Yes. E? Yes.

No relation to Susan B. Anthony, but Susan E. Wagner High School, which is where Lou went to high school with Jeffrey Eisen and I went with Elena Annarumo. You make that correction. Susan E. E. Correct. There you go. Very good.

So again, if there's a blowout, again, if you really just need to empty the case, you can just do that. Great. Hey, so you know, and you guys did a great job with your, uh, your, your TV studio partners in the booth. I enjoyed the, thank you, making the reception 50 year anniversary game and the point of that and the game overseas. It was fun listening to you guys.

Thank you. As you know, now doing, doing games as you have for the last few years, there's a nugget or two that you always want to get into a game that you just don't get to. And I tell you the one that because of the way the Lions Packers game went, I didn't have a chance to get to, if the AFC championship game is a neutral site game, let's go to Lambeau. Let's go to Lambeau. I, it, it's about an 80 mile difference. If you go Buffalo to green Bay, Kansas city to green Bay, let's just assume me that those are the two teams that are in it.

Cause that would be the scenario would happen. Yes. Let's let's where, where I, I shouldn't say this without looking it up, but think of all the championship games that have been played at Lambeau over the years. There's no real home field because it's an NFC venue. Right. They're both outdoor cold weather teams. Yep. So I say, if it's going to happen, let's go to Lambeau.

You know what? You know, I, I do think the, in AFC championship game at a neutral site should be played in the cold weather outdoor. I agree with you on that front. Cause you've got two cold weather outdoor games. Fellow Syracuse alum Chris Brockman thinks it should be a warm weather site or a dome, right?

That's what you're looking for. Mike Tom Coughlin's face still hasn't unfrozen since the last day. You know, I swear during the game, I almost brought up Tom Coughlin's face when they kept looking at Dan. Yeah. Right.

His nose. Very Coughlin, Mike, very Coughlin, like too far down the road. People not my heart might remember, but I'm like, Dan, come on, man.

Are we that cold? So that was a heck of a game. That was a, that was an impressive performance by his team and all the folks who had their labs at the bite and kneecaps and all that stuff.

Um, I think they've seen the reality of what truly setting a culture means, uh, by those guys going in there. And they were almost energized by the fact that it was their last shot that they couldn't get in the playoffs. It was an impressive performance. Well, before I let you go, I do want to hit you up Mike Torrico on the way the game ended. And by that, I don't mean the actual on the field, but you picking up on the microphone, Jamison Williams coming up to him, the rookie wide receiver of Detroit asking Aaron Rogers for his Jersey. And you heard him say, you know, I'm going to hold onto this one. And you, you picked up on that right away saying, could this be part of the conversation about what he wants to do moving on?

And then he had that moment where he shoved a camera out of the way. So you can have a private walk up the tunnel with Randall Cobb. Was there anything that you heard picked up in any of the meetings prior to the game conversations buzz about Rogers and his future then at all?

Yeah, not specifically. It was just a tone, you know, and look, you know, it's been, it's been oxygen for your and other shows last few years. The, the off season atmosphere filled with speculation of where will it be? And it wasn't necessarily, could it be the end?

Is it? And Aaron was very clear with with us when we met with him during the year that if this season got out of hand for them, they might look at Jordan Love. They may decide organizationally cause they've got other decisions. They've got a bunch of decisions. Rogers is under contract for two more years. They've got decisions to make about, do they start to go younger?

They've got two young receivers. Do they start to move in that direction and move on from some of the veterans? We've seen teams do that. As we know, Parcells always told you, Hey, say goodbye a year early as opposed to a year too late.

That's how you stay relevant and keep going. I based that question on what were they going to do with Jordan Love? It sounds like from the quote that you heard at the end of the regular season for management, they've seen enough of Jordan Love and know what they have to be confident in giving him the 50 year option and make a decision on that by May.

That is okay because that really doesn't kick in financially until the following year. They can run it back. But I think Aaron's aware of that. And you know, Aaron, they're just, cause Tom's doing this at 45 doesn't mean that Aaron's going to do it till he's 43 or 44 or 45. So you just sense nothing specific, but just in general that there's the possibility, whether it's never again in the NFL or never again with the Packers, that Aaron was going to appreciate the moment just in case it is the end.

And that just kind of fueled it. And maybe it's the end for Randall Cobb and we don't know if Randall told Aaron anything about that, but to see those two wait for each other and walk off arm in arm just felt more than we got knocked out at the end of the regular season. Yeah.

We're showing a photograph of it. Like Rogers is looking up into the stands and he does, he's been doing that during the four game win streak too, when he leaves Lambeau and then, you know, give him the, I love you sign with his hand. But you know, and, and, and it did feel like this is a last walk for the two of them together. We had Andrew Whitworth in studio yesterday and he had a unique take on, on what you caught on the microphone of saying, I'm going to hold onto this one was maybe Rogers way of being polite to a rookie wide receiver coming up and having the temerity to ask for his Jersey after being eliminated like that and being polite, saying, I'm gonna hold onto this one. Like that's what he said. The press conference that, but I think he and Williamson had that conversation, the game in Detroit and he's like, I'll get you in green Bay. So he kind of even added to that a little bit. Like there was already some foundation laid for that.

It wasn't, it wasn't taking the ball up to Tom Brady after picking them off. Oh my God. Drake Greenlaw. I mean, talk about that. Yeah.

That, that moment holds the beer of this moment. I mean, no question. My goodness. I mean, Hey Tom, I just picked you off in front of your whole family here and in the spot where you grew up and you wanted to be with wearing this uniform and uh, how'd you like, can you sign my football that I picked off from you?

I'm like, my gosh, good Lord. In the spirit of Joe Horn in the cell phone or, or, or mixing and the coin in the sock last week, when, when is the DB going to pull a Sharpie out of his sock after he picks a guy and then run right up to the quarterback with a Sharpie right on the spot. Like real time.

You just gave someone the idea. So this week or you can combine the two and take out the cell phone and then Instagram live it, you know, you can combine the two. As much as we laugh, probably coming to a game near you within the next 10 years. Sunday night, maybe Sunday night. We'll see. I'll be ready for it.

Mike Torrico. Thanks for the call. As always, you take care. You too, pal. All the best. You guys keep crushing it by Sunday morning. Start with you all. And then you and you and the guys do an incredible job and uh, and Rachel and the team as well as Cynthia. So keep up the great work, bud.

Thank you. Same to you, Mike Torrico. There's Mike Torrico.

Sunday night football on NBC calling Ravens Bengals AFC wildcard game Sunday 8 15 8 15 PM Eastern on NBC and yes, Peacock. Sauce would have done that if the Jets had made it, right? Sauce is a guy that would have done that.

I don't know. Sauce put on the cheese head, right? It's the only moment he's had like that this season. He has his own barbecue sauce.

I get it. And I know I understand he has that, but the only time this season on a field either during the game or afterwards that he was been brash and sort of on the edge of being disrespectful. Otherwise he has let his play speak for itself. Speak, spoke loudly. You know what I'm saying?

But other than that, I mean the cheese head wearing in front of the cheese head crowd. But I did not know that Jamison Williams said prior to in the game where they beat him in Detroit, I'd like your jersey out. We'll get you in Green Bay because I'm assuming we'll beat you there.

Happy to give you my jersey after that. First time the Lions have ever swept Aaron Rogers. They've swept the Packers during the Rogers administration, but he didn't start both games.

First time that's ever happened this year. I bet you Rogers didn't think it was possible. I mean, or that it would happen. Would happen. And I would proffer to say that San Francisco would not be leading off those super wild card weekend if Green Bay was the team visiting them with all due respect to Seattle.

Wild card weekend starts with Seattle at San Francisco. 844-204 Rich is the number to dial. We will take your phone calls in a moment.

I've got my power rankings. Oh baby. Last chance to piss these gentlemen off and have them heckle me while I tell you what's right.

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Can do it without you. We've got a great season two coming up. Catch up with season one or start season two on YouTube or wherever you listen. 844-204 Rich. The number to dial right here on the Rich Eisen Show. The Rich Eisen Show radio network has rejoined us by our network Roku channel. The Rich Eisen Show radio network powered by Grainger with supplies and solutions for every industry.

Grainger has the right product for you. Call clickgrainger.com or just stop by. Dion Sanders is our next guest coming up in a half an hour time. Colorado football. He was here at SoFi. Did you know that? Yeah. He's hopped on the ESPN set. Oh nice.

Yeah. So he was at SoFi in the national championship game night. You know who the first team he's playing?

Dion, don't look it up. Dion Sanders' first game as Colorado football head coach is at TCU. TCU's next game will be against Dion Sanders taking the Colorado Buffaloes on the road.

His first game at the national championship runner-up. I was gonna say because a story just broke that they were trying to play Arizona State to open the season in that week zero but that's been denied a waiver by the NCAA. Yeah I mean there's a there's a lot of T date TBAs right now on their schedule.

Yeah. But I and I know I'm playing with fire here talking about Georgia football with you but Dion's schedule is way tougher than Georgia's next year. Way tougher than Georgia football. There's a lot has been made of the Georgia football schedule and I didn't have a great schedule but when they played tough teams they smoked them.

How about this one? I mean this is Dion's schedule next year. At TCU September September 2nd of September 2nd Labor Day weekend. Then the next week home for the Nebraska Cornhuskers. How about that? His first game at home is against Matt Rule's Nebraska Cornhuskers.

Interesting. Then Saturday Colorado State and then here are the other teams he's playing. He's got to go to Arizona State home for Arizona home for Oregon State home for Stanford home for USC and he's got to go to Oregon to UCLA to Utah and to Washington State.

Might be rough for Dion next year. Georgia football you ready for this one? Open up. Okay.

Okay open up. Saturday Labor Day weekend they are going to raise the banner against the UT Martin Skyhawks. Then after that Holy David Letterman Batman Ball State. South Carolina visits.

Oh. And then after that oh boy Georgia welcoming in Trent Dilfer's UAB Blazers. At Auburn okay home for Kentucky at Vanderbilt. That'll be so difficult Georgia's got to take the next week off.

The world's largest cocktail party in our first hour in studio guests stadium in Duval. Home for Missouri home for Ole Miss at Tennessee at Georgia Tech. That's their schedule.

You know what word is missing from it? Why don't they play Alabama every year? And I understand they're in different conferences. They do play them every year in the SEC Championship.

Schedule them. What's up with that? Why are you talking to me?

I have no idea. I'm talking to you. I can talk.

Look at anyone in the room. He's a Georgia proxy though. I don't get it.

I don't get it. They're not the same division as them. I understand that.

Well you keep bringing it up. Then they should be put in the same division. Michigan's in the same division as Ohio State and Michigan State and Penn State.

We're in the same division and I don't know what they're by the way that's one of the most amazing I am on pins and needles and I cannot wait to see. And the same thing with any other Big Ten fan. Where are they putting USC and UCLA?

Are they just going to throw them in the other division? That would kind of even this out with all due respect to Wisconsin. That's how geography works. Well that doesn't really matter though.

Doesn't really matter. Cowboys in the east? Yeah exactly. By the way the Atlanta Falcons were in the in the NFC West for a very long time. Those are professional teams.

College pretty much goes by geography. Whatever. Georgia should play Alabama every year. By the way I said that like a New Yorker. I just said Alabama. I don't know where that just came from.

I just went full Francesca on you. But every year. But they don't play for two years in a row. How does it work in the SEC? How does it work?

By the way I don't know. Just to be fair and balanced Michigan's out of conference football schedule ain't lightened too many fires either. No you guys had a joke last year too. Michigan opens up against East Carolina. Then UNLV comes to the big house as does Bowling Green.

There comes the Bowling Green massacre we heard all about about six years ago. Then Rutgers at Nebraska. Oh it's the busting bowl. It's the busting bowl at Nebraska this time around. At Minnesota home for Indiana. At Michigan State home for Purdue. At Penn State at Maryland home for Ohio State. There's literally two good teams in the Big 10 East. I don't know. I mean three.

Well three including your own. Michigan State was down this year. Normally they're a lot better than that. They're better than that usually. Normally they are. Are they? Yeah a little better. Better than missing a bowl game Chris.

I don't know. At some point and I'll say this too like for sure there should be something about non-conference scheduling. They got to do something about that. I mean there's no reason why you know I haven't read Ohio State's schedule either but I just read you two of the nationally national championship semifinal teams out of conference schedule. You know UT Martin and East Carolina should not be the first games for two of the follow follow it's starting for follow-up games. The schedule is made 10 years in advance. Sometimes it's done sooner than that as you know as we and by the way what's the ruling that they said that you can't switch Arizona State in there?

I don't know. They needed a waiver. I think Dion was just trying to make that game happen and they denied it. What's the waiver?

You know like I mean what's the they make stuff up. Honestly I don't know why I'm like sorry Dion you can't do it. Why?

I don't know. There's a rule for it. I'm reading Jeff Proman's amazing book on Bo Jackson right now and it's just remarkable how times are different and how times are changed in so many different ways. Did you know that Bo took a flight the Tampa Bay Buccaneers Hugh Culverhouse sent a flight to Auburn for Bo to come work out for them in advance of the draft so they could take him give him a physical and you know because there were no computers back then where you could share MRIs and stuff and just scan it and send it and whatever they flew him on a team plane and that immediately ended his baseball career.

That's what ended his baseball career at Auburn. Oh because it violated it or whatever. Yes. Oh wow. The SEC had rules. It was an SEC rule that said that you violated your amateur status and it's just like the SEC was just like there's gambling going on in Casablanca. Really?

In the mid-80s you took a flight to go work out. Crazy. Good God. 844-204 Rich is the number to dial here on the Rich Eisen Show. Jessica in Los Angeles, you're here on the Rich Eisen Show. What's up Jessica? Hey Rich. I have seen some fun rumors this morning and tweets and whatnot regarding Lamar Jackson and Seth Gardner. Just looking like they're hanging out in New York.

What would you think of Lamar Jacksons in New York? All right. You just opened a door, Jessica, didn't you? You just opened a door. You opened that door because the Jets, you know, could have had Lamar back in the day but they chose Sam Darnold instead but they also overlooked Josh Allen at the time too so that's kind of the door. Don't play with results.

Don't play with results. But Lamar at the time, you know, and I'll never forget that draft as well. I think the, what did the Saints trade up for somebody?

Marcus Davenport. Right. And we all thought there goes Lamar to New Orleans. That is what we thought, yeah.

And he wound up being there. Look, and here is my concern for anybody and this is what the Ravens have to figure out too. It's what Toriko just referred to, Jessica. It's what the Ravens have to figure out too.

It's what Toriko just referred to, Jessica. The best ability is someone's availability and for the second straight year it looks like Lamar Jackson is going to finish this season hurt and he's going to finish this season watching his teammates finish the season without him. And that's something that the Ravens will have to take into account and I would be very wary of that.

And thank you for the phone call. I started this program by saying that the Ravens will praise him to the rafters whenever you speak to them off camera, off camera and away. And, and you could sit here and say to them that then that has to be one of the most rehearsed lines of anybody because there has to be something that drives them crazy. Whether it's his style of play sometimes not working out or it's because he is so instinctive on the field.

It works great in one aspect and it doesn't in the other. I told a story to start the program where John Harbaugh says he gets the same line from Lamar when he makes a great play as what he does makes a play that makes a head scratcher which is I'm just playing ball coach. How long can somebody be sustained at a successful level in the NFL if you are playing instinctively?

I'm not saying he doesn't come prepared. Clearly every quarterback spends tons of time in the film room and knows tendencies but when when push comes to shove and your big plays are more instinctively rather than stepping back and making throws in the pocket. And Harbaugh said this as well in that meeting that I was referring to earlier on in the first hour of this program when we first heard that Lamar might not play is that he said that the Ravens have thought about it and he's thought about it that to succeed in the NFL with your pocket passers in the NFL that you have to get somebody who's just as much of a unicorn as Lamar. That you have to find that person as well and he thinks that the way that they're playing with somebody as good as Lamar is definitely sustainable long term or successful in the short term and long term more so than trying to find the pocket passer that you could see the rest of the league is desperately trying to find and don't. That when you have somebody like Lamar you should change your style to this rather than hoping to find the unicorn in the draft that so many teams try to find and don't have. And I found that interesting as well and they feel like they're striking a blow for the game with Lamar with a style of Lamar's game. Certainly when people thought Lamar should have been a receiver at the combine instead of a quarterback that they are planting a flag for the game by sticking with Lamar and believing in Lamar and I'm just again wondering if his inability to be available potentially for the second straight time to end the season will affect any of that thinking because they love him and I'm telling you off camera there's not a hint of and rehab's not going because Lamar's maybe not doing this or that the other thing or yeah you know what like Lamar's this or that the other thing or maybe it is the contract nothing I mean when I say nothing I mean zero and this is a league where everybody talks everybody. And that's fine and good they can like him all they want but we're a few days from Buck Purdy having the same number of playoff wins as Lamar.

That's correct yes sir. Here's you got the John Harbaugh sound if you don't mind from the other day this is this is what he had to say when asked how Lamar's spirits were were as he was going through clearly a rehab process that's taken way longer than anybody thought. Lamar's been in great spirits I mean he's he has been he's been working super hard he's out there again today I mean I don't watch the workouts with the trainers it's with the trainers and and hopefully it's progressing to the point where he can get to practice it sometime soon I mean that's that's really what we're all hoping for for sure you know and when we have the report on that we will honestly I mean it's just the truth of it but he's been great he's always in good spirits you know he's he wants to play there's no doubt that's that's my feeling you know I I'm Lamar you know I love Lamar I love Lamar always have always will so he's working hard been in good spirits.

I mean you hear that every time. And my point in bringing that up is is that look you got a guy Brock Purdy who's the last pick of the draft sure Lamar who's the Heisman Trophy winner and they're gonna have similar career results like evaluating the quarterback position is the most difficult thing to do no doubt in all of sports you see people fail at it time and time again like Zach Wilson all the pedigree all the accolades number two pick in the draft can't win games would you take him looks like New England might be in the market would you take him? Lamar Jackson? Yes sir. You know I was kind of interested in Lamar you know when during that draft of Bill moving up and kind of just doing something different like like I said I wanted Justin Fields a couple years ago I want something different than what New England has had the last 20 well maybe 30 years and that's why the Ravens did that's why the Ravens did that in a way and it's in the same way like the pocket passer as he said it's so difficult to find that pocket passer so let's go differently when we have somebody like a unicorn like Lamar might have been somehow informed in the fact that Flacco they found wasn't sustainable long term they had that guy in Flacco yeah and it's funny what is ending up being sustainable you know I said something about Fields being you know missing time because of injury right he missed the same number of games this year as Mac Jones who's a quote unquote pocket passer it's like it's really hard to evaluate you have to have the right system and you have to be willing to go all in on your guy and to change your offensive way of thinking to fit his specific skill set and the Ravens have done that it's been successful obviously in MVP they've won a playoff game but the last two years he's missed the end of the season and has not been available so what exactly is the answer moving forward it's really hard to tell I just I if if he becomes available for the Jets I just don't think you know you if you you if you're going to spend 35 40 million dollars a year on that position what you want to guarantee that it's going to be for 16 games it's got to be it's got to be for somebody that that's kind of already proven themselves and right now the last two years that'd be very difficult for me to do that right now yeah we're now four seasons removed from his MVP I'm now two it's these last two years would give me pause it really would certainly when Brock Purdy you choose somebody the last pick in the draft you surround them with what you need to surround them with and go to work Brock Purdy now has the fourth best Super Bowl MVP odds that is insane nobody knew who the guy was two months ago does that mean he's a lock for offensive rookie of the year uh when you think hey no again though we're we're talking about Brock Purdy like he's going out there like a one-on-one confrontation it's not he's got a defense that is unbelievable no doubt which is why you're allowed which is why you can play him there yes yeah the whole I don't know how I feel about this like putting everything on the quarterback thing by saying well this guy was Mr Relevance excuse me he's the Ravens have a heck of a defense they have got a championship defense and Roquan Smith I can't wait to see what Roquan Smith looks like paid by the way that's going to be big on Sunday night he's been paid and I bet you that is right Quan he's got the he's got the he's got the the Quan as well now in his bank account and and he's gonna and and and yes this is his first playoff game too that's a big factor and if Lamar can come back oh my goodness and and you will see the my opinion on the difference that would make in my power rankings when we come back right here on the Rich Eisen show 8 4 4 2 0 4 Rich Dion Sanders right behind that back here on the Rich Eisen show let's get to my power rankings brought to you by my friends at NFL stream the NFL postseason this one coming up every Westwood one NFL broadcast streams live for free the wild card round the divisional round the AFC and NFC championship games the Pro Bowl games and the Super Bowl catch all the action on the Odyssey app on westwoodonesports.com via Westwood One Station streams or by asking Alexa to open Westwood One Sports my power rankings I decided you know what how do I do my power rankings now that this regular season is all over and one of the biggest games as we all know Bills and Bengals did not finish my answer was I just decided to list it in my in my thought of who can make a run the best who can go on a run the best that's what I decided to do what about the best teams and I think that's what it comes down to okay but but but I told you through the prism of who can make the run he's power ranking who can make the run he's because as you'll hear in the uh in the so-called drop uh they're these are my power rankings hit it that's right that's right number 10 on this list is a New York football giants I think they are sneaky they are coming to Minnesota it's Daniel Jones's first opportunity to say I sound like Eli I act like Eli maybe I got a little bit of that Eli Manning in me in the playoffs where I'm just gonna play out of my skull we will see won't we Saquon's first taste as well in the postseason warning to the Minnesota Vikings they're new to my power rankings listen I don't think I had the Giants top 10 all year long um um maybe maybe in the first parts of the season maybe but certainly not the second half of the season number nine on the list of the Chargers I uh they can they can be that proverbial team to go on a run that nobody's thinking they have got playmakers all over the lot and I cannot wait to see Justin Herbert in winter go home time this is it was certainly with Sean Payton circling around so far wondering if that plane is gonna land at LAX even though he already lives out here I'm done with the analogy he's out there and he looms and I can't wait to see what the Chargers do with Justin Herbert can they go on a run that's no change they were ninth in my last power rankings list which by the way was December 21st keep that in mind number eight I've got the Vikings down one spot right here on a power rankings list eighth they are eighth I just don't like the way they finish the season and I don't like how they played in big games I just don't they got boat raced by the Cowboys you know they had to come out with the biggest comeback of all time they needed a fourth and 18 grab at Buffalo and needed Josh Allen a fumble you know I I don't know but that's number eight on my list one more yes I'll give you another number eight this is where I put the Ravens if Lamar plays and is active in his Lamar with this defense where Roquan's paid and JK Dobbins is playing in a in a winter go home game he I love by the way meeting him and talking to him he's really got the it factor I'm concerned about their receivers but they can play defense and if Lamar can show up I put them there and the Vikings 9 Chargers 10 and the Giants drop off the list number seven on the list up three spots I believe I'll put the Jaguars here the Jaguars are balling out on defense and let's see what Trevor Lawrence looks like last playoff game we saw him play right was in college the facto playoff game last week didn't look great no I know that but the defense did didn't they yeah defense special teams brought him home um and so let's see let's see uh I I'm I might even take that I think I'm taking the Jaguars this weekend too I kind of like them I kind of like them to maybe go on a run number six is where I've got I've got your Dallas Cowboys TJ six yeah I got him at six because I think they lose to every single team above them on my list including the team they're playing um no I don't even have the team they're playing on this list I don't even have them there that's why that's I I hate the way they played the last month of the season and I don't use that word a lot I dislike it intensely and I'm not I'm not feeling great but I still love their talent that's why I got them there at six number five down three spots are the Bills um I I know that they've got a lot going for them uh feeling you know they're getting healthier Micah Hyde is gonna be active I don't know or they hope he's active I don't know if he's gonna play um but I just kind of like the Bengals in front of him at four I think the Bengals would have won that game on that Monday night I think that a lot of I I do too Joe Burrow bro those are the three words Joe Burrow bro number three on the list down two spots because I'm concerned about their health are the Philadelphia Eagles if they were fully healthy I would have them maybe on a top but right here I'm I'm I put them three on my list number two up three spots from the last time are the Chiefs not a fan of the way they finished also but I think they're going to get healthier and you got to go to them uh that neutral site game if it happens would be fascinating but number one is a team that I think is going to win it I chose them uh on Thanksgiving and I'm going to keep with them the Niners have it the only thing they don't have is a quarterback with experience and that may not matter and that may not matter but right now they have got everything you need playmakers all over the place and anybody can score anybody defense and offense from the spot where they got the ball they can score on that spot to take it to the house and that's my power rankings going into the playoffs Dion coming up comments concerns thoughts I got nothing I got nothing Jags over charges chargers got to go all the way across the country we'll find out if Mike Williams can play Joey Bosa I don't know bro no bucks no bucks at 10 I didn't put him there I I like the Giants in Minnesota what's what is uh the town where Mo Green does not have a plaque or a signpost to uh honor his you know founding of the city Vikings by a field goal I think that's going to be everyone's kind of sexy upset pick this week Giants well because the Vikings have not really shown very much have they in the final throws I know but they're better they're they're obviously more talented at basically every skill position and then the Giants are one of those people that will just watch Kenny Godel Dale have a three touchdown game he had a touchdown with a beautiful one-handed grab where's Daniel Jones is gonna find him like Mario Manningham seriously in my nightmares yeah I mean that's the beautiful thing about the playoffs right because stuff like that happens it does happen and then someone's gonna catch fire and it's gonna be great I think it'll be great eight year anniversary of the des that he caught it I mean why are you bringing that up I'm in a good mood anything can happen and yesterday was the the anniversary of the catch by Dwight Clark Deion Sanders coming up for over 40 years Jim Ross has been the voice of wrestling nobody has stories like Jim Ross and he shares his tales with co-host Conrad Thompson on Grilling JR Bismick man was the top heel in the Attitude Era it was a fresh character it was new it was material that we had not seen or heard to that date we could have created a bigger or better heel now we wanted to make more heels and we tried to make more heels and we did but nothing but nothing compared events the Grilling JR podcast listen wherever you get your podcasts