RE Show: Albert Breer - Hour 2 - (8-1-2023)

Everybody talking about the running back market coach.

Let's go, go, go. This is the Rich Eisen Show. Why did this happen with Dalvin Cook, coach? Live from the Rich Eisen Show studio in Los Angeles.

The salary cap is a real thing and the decisions that Kwasi and our front office, you know, have to make, they're never easy. Earlier on the show, NFL writer for The Athletic, Mike Sando. Coming up, senior writer for the MMQB, Albert Breer, ESPN NFL analyst, Lewis Riddick.

And now, it's Rich Eisen. Oh yeah, I mean football's back. I know the Hall of Fame game is usually the first idea that it's back and training camp maybe, but it's just back, it's back.

It's back. Everyone's talking NFL right now. It's awesome. And we just had Mike Sando of The Athletic on the program in hour one. He's the one who speaks to a bunch of anonymous sources, coaches and whatnot, GMs and coordinators to rank quarterbacks and tier them. And it's, you know, and then as I was saying, it's the time of year of like, oh, that happened in training camp.

Is this, what does it mean? And, you know, according producer of this program, big time Buffalo Bill fan, Mike Hoskins gets in my ear about a minute before we come back on the air for hour two. And he's like, Demar Hamlin picks six in practice.

Let's go. Yeah, I love the videos. I love camp stats. Somebody tweeted out last year, Kenny Pickett against this year, Kenny Pickett, air yards, yards. Everybody's better. Everybody's better. But it's awesome. I love it. I can't get enough. It's great.

I love it. I just love it when when this guy comes on and he's in the middle of his training camp tour. The man in the know, the man who gets exclamation points texted to him by Jim Irsay. He is Albert Breyer of Sports Illustrated here on the rich edge. How are you, Albert? What's up? Well, I'm never going to add the exclamation points out.

I think that's good color, don't you? Of course, because he did it. He did it. The guy actually put the exclamation point that said he's not going to trade Jonathan Taylor. I know you're in Titans camp currently, right?

That's where you are right now. You were in Bengals camp yesterday, correct? OK, but let's start with the Colts. Let's start with what's going on with Jonathan Taylor. As you and I are currently sitting here having a conversation on the Tuesday before Hall of Fame weekend.

What do you got for me, Albert? Yeah, I mean, I think it's just another one of these situations with difficulties coming off of an injury. You know, he's obviously got a lot of miles on his legs, not only as a Colt going back to, you know, Wisconsin. And, you know, you can see the logic why the Colts might want to wait and see how he comes back off of, you know, last year. But on the flip side, you know, there's the fact that he's an NFL rushing champion. There's a consistency to his performance as his place in the locker room, you know, and honestly, rich, like the reason I would pay him is in service to my young quarterback. We all know what, you know, having Todd Gurley did for Jerry Goff, what having Zeke Elliott did for for Dak Prescott.

Right. Like, we know that, like, and I don't think there's any question that Jonathan Taylor can be that guy for Anthony Richardson. So me personally, like, I think it would be worth the investment to make the guy happy to take pressure off of your young quarterback to make sure that you're in second and six more often than you're in second and eleven.

And know that he doesn't have to carry the offense. But, you know, I think that this is sort of another one that's indicative of the way this stuff goes. And, you know, part of it is the history of the position, which, you know, has been the way it's been forever.

They just don't last forever. Part of it is that you, you know, get the prime of a guy's career while he's on his rookie contract more often than not. Part of it is that they're too easy to find, you know, and that, you know, the Super Bowl champions can start a seventh round rookie of the position.

Part of it's analytics and putting real values on positions. But again, like, I'd argue that there's real value to and what that guy can be for your young quarterback. So it's a tough situation all the way around. And, you know, I think it's obviously gotten kind of ugly over the course of the last week. Well, and it also involves players who are just aces individuals.

Saquon, Jonathan Taylor, you know, anybody who's met Josh Jacobs knows his story and how what he's overcome. And it's very difficult to hear, you know, with all due respect, somebody who was born into his position talk about how nothing's really earned, right? Right.

And from a golf cart after having a conversation in his luxury bus. It's just a bad look. And some of these players are also some of the most popular players in the NFL, because again, I know this is reality football and how you build a roster in the league is through the quarterback and left tackle trenches. I understand that.

Yep. But just to finish my sentence here, there is a large cross section of the fan base in the NFL that follows the sport through fantasy football. And these are the most popular players that are being told you cannot get what Cole Komet gets, you know, like that's the tone deafness of this situation. And I understand wins and losses and roster building is paramount, but that's where I'm kind of landing on why this sticks in a crawl, Albert. Maybe this is a stupid observation, but as you were saying that it sort of kind of feels the way America is going, you know, with layoffs and putting value on people's heads and analytics telling you how much this person is worth versus that person.

And treating people like pieces of real estate. Right. Sort of like it sort of feels that way. And like and I just think that this is sort of that, you know, and I don't want to blame analytics for everything, but analytics are how we've gotten to the point where it's like, OK, like the left tackle, the head rusher, the corner of the quarterback. Those are the guys you pick.

Right. And I think it's also how, you know, you kind of come to cold values on players and, you know, I think a lot of times you can get excited because those things can lead you to the right decisions. The problem is, you know, you are taking the part out of it where these guys are human beings. And, you know, to kind of build off of your point about who Jonathan Taylor is and who Josh Jacobs is and who Saquon Barkley is, like, how does that resonate in your locker room? You know, if you're a new head coach coming in, Shane Steichen in Indianapolis or, you know, relatively new, like Josh McDaniel still is in Vegas and Brian Deball is in New York. Like the guys in your locker room are I mean, they're you know, they know the score. Like they're trying to make as much money as they can while they still can as football players. They're paying attention to who you're rewarding. They're also paying attention to who you're not rewarding. And so, you know, when there's a guy like a Josh Jacobs or Jonathan Taylor or Saquon Barkley and you don't reward him, there's a cost for that. Now, I think it's a big part of why the Giants did what they did to get him in and gave him the sweetener was because I think Brian Deball and Joe Shane recognized, like, this is not the guy we want off the reservation.

You know what I mean? Like, this is the guy who, like, stands for everything we're trying to build here. Maybe he's not going to be here for the next five years, but we want our locker room to know we appreciate him.

Right. And I also just want to just say here, since we're having this conversation, Albert, that just because I left some names off the list, like Henry and Eckler or what have you, these are those are also Aces individuals. And I also, you know, think a lot of, you know, positively and think, you know, on occasion, the world of Jim Irsay, I thought his stance with Dan Snyder was gutsy when a lot of other owners said nothing. And so but to hear him say, you know, hey, you got to earn your spot. And as if Jake, you know, Taylor hasn't already.

And then, of course, you know, his own history, Jim Irsay's with the team and how he got it. It just it's just terribly unfortunate. But what is what is the way out? Are they going to really NFI him? Like, is that legitimately the way that they're going to go?

Albert? I mean, I really I don't think so. OK, but I mean, if they're really pushing for him to come back and show up and and get out on the practice field, then I mean, I guess it's one way to do it. You know, like, what are you doing to your locker room at that point, though? Like, what are you going to get from him coming back in? Like, how engaged is he going to be? You know, that's the other thing is like, what percentage of the player are you going to get?

You know, running back is not a position where you want a guy out there protecting himself. You know what I mean? Like, I'm worried about, you know, what's going to happen next. And so, you know, I think that's part of it, too. Like, I mean, look, like I think, you know, Cleveland's a great example, right? Because I don't think there's a more analytical, analytically driven organization in the league than the Cleveland Browns. Right. And they've gone all in on it.

And, you know, obviously Paul Deepades has been there, and Andrew Berry very much subscribes to a lot of things analytically, and Kevin Stefanski, too. You know, they paid Nick Chubb. Do you think they regret that? Or do you think that they went in and they recognized, like, this guy's different.

This guy's like an outlier. Like, this guy's so important to what we're trying to build here and so important to who we've been offensively. And there's such a benefit for us in showing the rest of our locker room that we're going to reward Nick Chubb.

It's totally worth it. And then what are we talking about? $12 million a year? Right. I mean, no offense to these guys. Hunter Renfro and Courtland Sutton make $15 million a year.

Like, who's the better player? You know what I mean? Like, so, it's like, if there's a bad year on the back end of that, it's like, is that really going to be a team killer? Like, that you gave them $12 million a year?

Probably not, right? So, I don't know, I think you add all this up and it's just, I think sometimes the problem with looking at these things so coldly is it creates absolutes. And there are exceptions. And, you know, you would think a player like Jonathan Taylor, just like Nick Chubb, would be worthy of being an exception. Albert Breer here on the Rich Eisen Show. Let's talk Joe Burrow.

You were just in Cincinnati. What is your definition of several weeks, which is what Zach Taylor termed the amount of time it would take for Burrow to come back from his calf injury he suffered last week? Yeah, I mean, just kicking around, like, you know, players have gone through similar stuff.

Like, I, you know, the time table I got, like ballpark, was four to six. Now, like, that's not his specific injury, that's not time table for his specific injury, but it's just a general, you know, thing to work off of, you know, with some other players. I didn't sense much concern at all that he's going to miss week one.

Like, I think he'll be out there week one. You know, the big thing is, it's different about this one. He's traditionally a fast healer, but, like, he came back fast from appendicitis, he came back fast from, you know, from the ACL. This is different, you know what I mean?

Like, this is a, this is more of a pull, like a muscular thing, you know? So, like, how does his body react to that? Like, that's where a little bit of the unknown is, but, I mean, I talked to a lot of people in that building when I was there, you know, yesterday, and I didn't sense much, like, alarm on where he is. I think that they very much feel like they dodged the bullet coming out of that one. Okay, and what is your history of stuff like this when you sense alarm?

You know, give me what makes you think that they have no alarm on it, you know, because I'm sure they're guarding this like a state secret. I'll give you an example. He was off his feet last week after he got hurt. He's already back on his feet and walking around.

Okay. So, like, that's a good sign, right? That they're comfortable with him walking around and being back on his feet. So, they did try to limit him moving around last week, just, you know, like normal moving around. And he is doing rehab work, you know? Like, I, my understanding is, like, while the team's out of practice for right now, and he'll eventually get back out there with a watch practice, but for right now, like, he's inside doing therapy and rehab work while they're out of practice. So, you know, again, it looks like he's going to be fine. It doesn't, I mean, it's not ideal, you know? Like, missing, you know, another month of practices, just like he did last year.

Like, that's not what, that's not how anybody would draw it up. But, but also, again, I feel like they really feel like they dodged a bullet, both in it not being what I think a lot of us thought it looked like when it first happened, and then also just on the severity of it. Albert Breer, Sports Illustrated, the MMQB's senior NFL reporter here on the Rich Eisen Show. A story I think a lot of folks are not talking about or beginning to talk about more are the number of reps Brandon Allen is getting in San Francisco's training camp. What is going on with that quarterback sharing of reps in the Shanahan world right now? Well, one thing I've learned is to not speak in absolutes on the, on the Niners quarterback situation ever, you know?

Right. Because it's been so wild the last couple of years. Yeah, I mean, I think, I think one of the great things that Kyle does is I think he creates opportunity for everybody. And if there's anybody who's got the stomach to make a decision that might seem off the board or unpopular or that wouldn't fit, like, a certain narrative, it's Kyle. You know, like, Kyle's the one who was going to stick with Brock Purdy over Jimmy Garoppolo last year. Kyle's the one who decided to trade up in the draft. Like, Kyle, like, Kyle is not afraid to do things that are different at that position, you know? I mean, he was once part of the group in Washington that decided, like, Kirk Cousins was a better option than Robert Griffin when almost nobody would have said that.

And you know what? They were right. Twelve years later, Kirk Cousins is still in the league. So I just don't think you rule anything out. I think the way that they look at it, Brock Purdy's earned the right to be the starter and will be the starter. But, you know, I also know well enough to know that if he sees something in Sam Darnold or Trey Lance or Brandon Allen over the next, you know, four or five weeks, like, that, like, Brock Purdy better continue to be really, really good if he's going to hold on to the job. Well, so, okay, so you're saying that somebody could come at Purdy's role.

It strikes me, it Purdy's the guy. They're going to give him that shot, that opportunity. But is it possible Lance doesn't even make the team or get traded?

Like, again, I understand you don't talk in absolutes, but what's going on? The contract makes it hard, too, to cut him. Just because you have to, I believe, over the next two years are fully guaranteed and he was the third overall pick, so it's not, like, small money, you know what I mean? So, would they cut him? Maybe. I personally think it would be hard to do that. Would they be open to trading him? I think that that depends on how the next, you know, how the next few weeks go.

Okay. And, but, I mean, there's no question. I mean, one way, for one reason or another, like, things have come undone for Trey Lance. And, you know, I look at it last year and where they were and how they felt like they were going to throw the kitchen sink at him and keep testing him.

And, you know, he was going to drink through a fire hose. And they felt like if we can go from, you know, where he is in September to where we think he should be in December, he'll wind up being the best option for us, a quarterback, to where they are now. Where, you know, it's, I mean, he's, you know, obviously part of a bigger group and he's not the one who's the lead dog.

It's obviously striking. And so, I, you know, again, like, I don't know, you know, where they're going to be three weeks from now. But, you know, if he doesn't start playing better and someone calls, I think they'd listen. Sure. And that's just my opinion.

That's not based on anything I've heard. Albert Breer here on the Rich Eisen Show, a couple more quick hitters, the Dalvin Cook visit to the Jets and Ezekiel Elliott visit and breaking of bread, literally, with the Patriots and Mac Jones. What, what, why didn't they sign? What's going on there?

What do you have for me on those fronts? Sometimes guys just don't want to go to training camp. Got it. No, it makes sense.

I hear you. Yep. Yeah, I think, I think Dalvin wants to be in New York. I saw somewhere, like, this is the drive of the price.

I don't think that's what it is. Like, I've heard for, like, about a month now that, like, he really likes the idea of playing with the Jets, with Aaron Rodgers. And, you know, that he went there, I think, you know, with the idea that there's a really good chance he's going to play for the Jets this year. And we've talked about why it'd be ideal for the Jets, too, right? Like, because this allows you to manage a guy who you expect to be one of your best offensive players by the end of the year, Breece Hall, judiciously coming back off an ACL there. So, I still think, like, Cook winds up with the Jets.

The delay, I'm not quite sure what the delay would be. I think with Zeke, it's probably tied a little bit more to money and how much somebody's willing to pay him. And he's used to making a certain amount of money, and this happens with a lot of veterans, right? Like, where, for a lot of veterans, it's, you know, like, they're used to making a certain amount. It's jarring for them when, you know, they're only being offered a fraction of that. So, you know, I think for someone like Zeke, there's a little bit more of an element of, do I take what I can get right now?

Or do I wait and see if there's an injury somewhere where somebody's going to be a little bit more desperate to pay me? But, you know, I would say with Zeke, it might take a little bit longer than with Alvin. Last one for you, Albert Breer. In our world, when a quarterback or a coach speaks, we usually ascribe the, well, they never say anything just off the cuff. It's always a message. It's always a plan.

There's always a plan. Is it possible Sean Payton just got pissed off before he talked to Jarrett Bell about something and just popped off? Or what's your two cents on why Sean Payton said what he said that puts the Jets' visit to Denver now up on a pedestal on a marquee that it wasn't on prior to last week?

What do you got for me there? I've obviously been in these situations before where people have said explosive stuff to me. And I, you know, I always try to be judicious about like, all right, because I view all my relationships with coaches, players, front office people as 30-year relationships, which I think is how you should manage any of your relationships. But, you know, I always try to kind of take the context of what they were saying into account. And, you know, I know because I know things look a certain way based on the medium the presenter did.

Like if it's on a podcast, that's one thing versus it being print. You know, I say that because I do think, you know, this feels to me like, you know, Sean getting himself going a little bit and wanting to make a point, but going over the top and making that point, you know, and and that's where maybe the mistake was. Like where it's maybe it's a little bit of that, like Parcel thing, where you don't want to sit there and tell Russell Wilson how great he is, but you do want to send a message that you have his back.

Yes. And so you do that by saying he had tough circumstances last year. Now, how far do you go in saying he had tough circumstances last year?

You went way too far in this case. And, you know, I think Nathaniel Hackett, in my two cents, I'm not saying he's perfect last year. I think he's taken way too much blame for what's happened last year. I think he's an scapegoat for last year. I think it's terrible that he got put in this position for no reason again, because he's just trying to move on.

Yeah. But it does feel to me like Sean was trying to make a point and it's in there somewhere, but he went way, way, way too far in what he did. And quite frankly, I mean, I've I've talked to, you know, coaches, you know, on my trip and through the league over the last few days that, you know, we're very we're very clear that that this protocol that they all have between each other. Which is coaches don't criticize coaching jobs of coaches that they've replaced, is what you're saying. It's not only that, it's just I mean, I think it's more there's a line you don't cross, you know what I mean? Like and I it does feel like I mean, I look like guys who coach with Nathaniel are going to be a little bit more protective of them, a little angrier in the spot. But, you know, I I think that there's there's criticism, right? Like and then there's something like even if even if like Sean Payton had said this on Fox, I don't think it would have gone over well. You know what I mean? Like, I think even that way, like and that's like what you always hear, like when these guys get in the TV, are they going to be able to criticize?

Because it's like if you want to give it back in, maybe there are some lines you can't cross. Right. Right.

I think this is like that. Right. Like we're like this would have been over the line on Fox, you know, let alone doing it while you're back in the coaching fraternity.

Well, I guess he wouldn't have had the I do and I do think and I do think he's like legitimately apologetic. No, I know. I get the I get that sense, too. But I don't know if he'd be caping for Russ on Fox in the way that obviously he has a desire to right now being attached.

Right. I mean, Aaron Aaron Rogers basically saying that he's just, you know, gilding the lily for for an inevitable fall, not to have his fingerprints on it. Which is, I think, is what he's I will say he's not the only person that feels I've heard that and I would say not the only person even in the Jets building. I've heard that received that those words that way, that thought like he's setting himself up.

So his hands will be clean if things go wrong. I'm not saying that's right, but I'm saying that's not. Yeah, I get it. The only one who has that theory that one just didn't bring. Well, you know, it didn't land with me in that same way, because if he doesn't fix it, he's been brought in to fix it. So he's that's that's why he got all that money.

That's why the the Wal-Mart family didn't, you know, take potential initial no's for an answer. You know what I mean? Like whatever happened, he's been brought in to fix it, all of it. And so we'll see that man. Week five. That is going to be, as the kids say, lit. Hopefully I will see you soon out here, Albert. I hope we we don't miss like two ships with me going to Canton, but I hope to see.

I'm afraid that it might be that, but I definitely will make a trip out again soon if we do miss each other. And I'm I'm I'm I'm I'm I'm upset that you're that all your listeners are going to miss my chance. That's all right. That's OK. That's why there's, you know, Twitter or you don't want me to say Chris will not let me use the brand name.

If we keep calling it Twitter, it'll stay Twitter. OK, there you go. Way to make a stand.

Way to make a stand against the richest man on earth. Thank you, Albert. Appreciate the time. All right. Thanks, Rich. Always great to chat with him. Take a break. Eight, four, four, two or four rich number. I've got a top five list, top five underrated difference makers of twenty, twenty three NFL season.

And let's talk a little baseball trading deadline when we come back. If you're looking for plump lips that last, you need to know about Juvederm lip fillers with Juvederm, Valbella XC and Juvederm Ultra XC. Your lip look, whether it's subtle or bold, can last up to one full year with optimal treatment and no additional maintenance. Find a licensed specialist and see if it's right for you at Juvederm dot com today. That's Juvederm dot com. Add fullness to lips and adults over 21 with Juvederm, Valbella XC or Juvederm Ultra XC. Do not use if you have severe allergies or a history of severe allergic reactions or if you're allergic to lidocaine or the proteins used in Juvederm. Tell your doctor if you have a history of scarring or taking medicines that decrease the body's immune response or that can prolong bleeding. Common side effects include injection site redness, swelling, pain, tenderness, firmness, lumps, bumps, bruising, discoloration or itching. As with all gel fillers, there's a rare risk of unintentional injection into a blood vessel, which can cause vision abnormalities, blindness, stroke, temporary scabs or scarring.

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Apple, Spotify or wherever you listen. It's going to take a while. OK, here we go. Popcorn machine. By the way, you've got to bring in this popcorn machine if you win.

I want this popcorn. Seven. One forty one. Forty one dollars. It's not a seventy one dollars. Forty one.

Forty one. That's one key. That's one key. Grab the key. Take the middle key. Take the middle key. There's five keys.

Yes. He takes the middle key. He's not looking. He takes the second to the right key. Here's another key. Here's a basket. Five eighty four. That's that's a fifty eight dollar basket. It's not an eighty four dollar basket.

No way. Well, you've got to get what's in it, too. Oh, it's an eighty four dollar basket. It's an eighty four dollar basket. That's where I messed up.

I listened to it. That's an eighty four dollar basket. Listen to the people. Come on, TJ. Eighty four. He only has one key. Oh, my gosh.

Come on, TJ. Eighty four dollar key. Oh, that's right. Does it unlock the. OK.

It does not. Coffee maker. No coffee maker. Coffee maker. OK.

He's going to unlock the electric bike. No, no, no, no, no. All right. All right. Does it unlock the car?

Oh, my God. Does it unlock the car? Let's go. Does it unlock the car? Does it unlock the car? Does it unlock the car?

Does it unlock the car? He's turning the key. Oh, TJ.

That may be my greatest play by play ever of anything I've ever done. Back here on the Rich Eisen Show, we're sitting at the Rich Eisen Show desk on the Rich Eisen Show radio network. It's all furnished by Grainger with supplies and solutions for every industry. Grainger has the right product for you.

Call click Grainger dot com or just stop by. At the end of the year. If I do a top five list of most surprising sports stories of the year. One's forming right now. One is forming at present. That's the Los Angeles Angels going on a run. After Mike Trout gets hurt. Going on a run when everybody's wondering they should trade Ohtani. And they go and get some reinforcements.

And in their first game with said reinforcements. They wind up in Atlanta taking on the best team in Major League Baseball. How many we've had passing.

We've had only we've had Verducci on in the last week and a half. And all three of them were like, oh, yeah, Atlanta is the best team. And who strolls into Atlanta last night?

Yeah, buddy. And wins a game with timely home run hitting and pitching. Adding an insurance run in the ninth after.

Who was that? Was that Harris who robbed Ohtani? Yeah, it was unbelievable. It was like, OK, that's a three run shot. They're going to go up six one. This game's a wrap. Nope, nope.

And then they said anyway. Great Chuck, fresh to the team, homers. The Angels went in last night, got two hits from Ohtani, almost damn near a third in the three run shot, and they beat the Braves is now one 10 of 13 out of the All-Star break.

Bro. I am so impressed. And Ohtani sitting there like high fiving guys, and he's he's beginning to feel it. I think he's getting the juices flowing here. It's trade deadline day. This day has been staring everyone in the face all year long.

Hot stove to present moment. Spring training to present moment, first half of the season to present moment every single time if you had to take your hard earned American dollars and wager is Ohtani going to get traded? Is Ohtani even going to be a red hot rumor on August the first two thousand twenty three on a date where by six p.m. Eastern Time, you have to make a trade or that's it. In Major League Baseball, you would say Ohtani is absolutely on the block that day. Maybe it's going to be is Ohtani going to be traded day.

And that day is not today. How about the Angels? Currently, three games out of the wild card and the way that they are playing.

They're going to track somebody down. They've already passed the Yankees, who are absolutely a brutal watch. And the Rays did what I expected they were going to do last night, which was going to New York and dominate them.

I mean, that thing was a wrap. It was a two run shot in the first for the for the Rays who got a homer from Wanda Franco as well. And that's it. I mean, Yankees look defeated. You just see their body language. Just tune in tonight and you'll see it just they look beat from the minute they put the pinstripes on.

And they're the ones on this trade deadline day where it's like, you know, they're they're like there's no options. The Angels are incredibly impressive. I hope they keep going. It's a fun watch right now. They beat the Braves last night, pal.

In Atlanta. And Madelson Homer. So I mean, that's that's kind of their like, well, everyone Homer's on that team, but not last night. Just him.

My boy, Moniac, right in the middle of that lineup, protected and protecting and trout's coming back. That's probably what two weeks, two weeks a week. It was kind of a bit August, you know, are we going to see it? Maybe. Are we going to see it? Are we going to see it right now? August 1st. You got to say October 1st. Are we seeing it? I don't even know if that's the end of the regular season or like, but October 1st will know.

Two months from today. Are we seeing it? The it is what is it? Here's the it. ALCS?

No. That they're making it. They're in a wildcard game. They're going to.

They will be in a wild card contest schedule. So hard. I know. But they started it started last night and they beat the Braves and gave up one run. And they're the ones hitting the. The homers. I'm going to say no.

Oh, bummer. They just miss those hard T.J. It's glass half full or empty. I know what your answer is going to be. Your glass is always let's go, let's go, let's go. Oh, Tony does not pitch in Atlanta.

They want to avoid the heat with the blistering and whatever. So he's going to start Thursday night in their return home. Should we go? I want to see. I want to see. I want to see.

I want to see 40,000 fannies in the seats. They're about it. Huh? Rich Eisen Show outing Thursday night.

Yeah. It's Susie's birthday. We're not going. What better way to celebrate your wife's birthday, your wife's birthday by watching she's doing the show Friday. That's kind of show prep. It's show prep.

A generationally talented athlete. You want to bounce that offer? You bounce it off her when you're finally going to pick up that. I'll see her today. By the way, we have we have this beautiful paint. I'm going to bring this up. We have this beautiful painting.

Coop's had it. It's this beautiful painting of cars in the shape of cars, automobiles in the shape of a peace sign. They're all parked fender to fender and bumper to bumper in a circle.

And then the peace sign. Beautiful. Uh, you know, our child, our children, they've kind of outgrown it.

Name me a child who loves cars and little mini cars and matchbox cars more than cage problems I don't think, I don't know, I don't know of one in the United States of America. How long ago did you say you were going to collect that from our garage? Well, you guys were out of town for a while.

I need a date. Like was it, is it, is it, is it Joe Burrow's diagnosis? Is it several weeks?

Four to six? It's several. It's several weeks.

Like Zach Taylor would decide. I would say it's been several weeks. You were also in a different, on a different continent.

I know we have been unavailable. Yeah. Yeah. Okay.

I don't know how many days a day. I hope it fits in my car. Oh, Tawny not traded. You pick up the painting. Yeah. Fantastic.

It's also big, so I'm worried it may not fit in my car. So you're going to, okay. It is big. Yeah. Well, we're just going to make it work.

We'll make it work. Yeah. We're just going to figure it out. It's just like the Angeles. Yeah. We're going to figure it out. They're inspiring.

Put it tight to the roof. They're inspiring. And to answer your question when I said, let's go, yeah, I want to see this man, because you can't have a team with two players that are that good and not see any success ever. Like come on. Honestly today was supposed to be the day that the angels were just going to have to give up.

Punt. Yeah. Today was the day they were just going to have to be like, where are the ones were trading away the best player of this generation, maybe potentially all time.

And that's not an exaggeration. Where are the ones we got to trade them away? We just couldn't make it work and they lose trout and win 10 of 13 anyway. So is trout the problem? No. Yeah. Right. Good one.

Next. On undisputed. Mike Trout's got to go. Skip back from his two month hiatus. Two month hiatus.

I don't know what's going on. Also I'm on the ESPN schedule for the angels here. You know, Otani's pitching Thursday. Thursday. Is that on the net?

Is that on the net? No, no. No tickets next to it.

Tickets as low as $5. Dude, I mean. There's no excuses.

Go see this guy. Let's go, Brockman. Susie would love to go for a birthday. Don't you think?

Yeah. Put her up on the big screen. Have the whole park.

Nothing she would rather do. All 1200 people serenaded. If there's anybody who's ever sat in this chair or in this room who is well versed on the traffic patterns to get from Los Angeles down to Anaheim, which I know they call it Anaheim. Yeah. They call it Los Angeles. 5 freeway. Oh my God. It's it's Susan. Figuring out her questions for Socia and Darren Erstad on the way down.

It's not a great drive. Percival in the middle of the afternoon for Boyd Percival. So Troy Glaus. Here we go.

By the way, it's gloss spelled gloss, but it's OK. It's OK. It's been a while since we've seen the angels. Win a playoff game. I get it. Very long time.

All right. Let's take a break here on the Rich Eisen show. Two oh four rich numbered at all top five underrated difference makers of the upcoming NFL season.

Let's do it. And also still to come, Lewis Riddick of ESPN and Dan Campbell wants a line on the sidelines. It's time for kickoff and the Believe podcast will get you ready for the new season. How do you live through this as a Detroit sports fan? The best podcast covering all 32 professional teams and many of your favorite college teams to solidify your defense, you got better sideline to sideline, end zone to end zone. If you don't do those things, then you're not even trying your hardest to win at football. And I don't know what we're doing.

There was a lot of great players on those teams that I was fortunate to be part of. Search BLEAV podcast wherever you listen. Did you see who took a seat on the PGA Tour policy board? I did. I saw that this morning. You know, I didn't, but the PGA Tour policy board is going to have a large say, apparently, in whether the live tour lives or dies. And Tiger Woods just took a seat on the policy board. I just saw that during a commercial break after some comment, some comments that Phil made yesterday about how no one wants to join the PGA Tour. There should actually be sanctions for guys who come and join the live tour. Right?

Sure, Phil. Yes. Don't think we should be sanctioned. We're the ones who should be doing the sanctioning.

Makes complete sense. Anybody that comes over to the live tour from the PGA Tour should be sanctioned. So vehemently sanctioned that they should, what, have to accept millions of dollars from the Saudi government?

I don't understand it. Because that's the only reason why they would join the live tour. How do you sanction somebody who's taking money for arriving, right? Don't sanction us.

We should be doing the sanctioning. Makes sense. And Tiger's now standing in the way of Phil.

Yeah, he doesn't want to come back anyway. I just find this interesting, huh? Throwing his weight around. Best of all worlds. Tiger plays ten tournaments for the live. Ten live tournaments. Hey, you got a live team. You got a team and you're going to have to play ten times. I get a jacket, you get a team.

Excuse me, what now? A cape. I get the old Royal and Ancient.

I get a tee time whenever I want to go to Scotland. Cool, cool, cool. Win-win.

We call it a win-win. Yeah. What a world, man. Unbelievable.

All right. So that's happening. Yep.

Back here on our radio show with our live stream on Roku. So we got that going for us. Is there any trading going on? Any popping? Anything popping?

Small moves. The Padres. Oh, they got Rich Hill. Yeah, Rich Hill has played for every team now.

So is it a specific retirement community in Southern California for Rich? Impossible. Paul DeYoung to the Blue Jays. Yep, yep, yep. Okay. On Verlander.

Oh, baby. There would be a party in Baltimore, like a friggin' welcome parade for Justin Verlander. Dodgers in the mix for Verlander.

How many yachts can you water-ski behind? It doesn't matter. They can't win the big one, so. Okay.

I need NFL Films music. Oh, baby. Thought about this on the flight home on Sunday night. Oh. Oh, yeah. I can never turn it off, Chris. You know?

Take a nap. No. I was thinking to myself, not a lot of people are talking about these guys as a possible difference maker for whether their team does well in 2023 or does not do well in 2023 or does better than expected in 2023 or even go very far in 2023. A lot of people are focused on Aaron Rodgers as a difference maker or Odell Beckham Jr. as a difference maker or DeAndre Hopkins as a difference maker.

They're bright, shiny objects. I've got a bunch of names. I've got five names.

Five? Top five underrated difference makers of 2023. And we start with this future Hall of Famer. He's going. He's going. He's going to get a jacket. He's going to get a bust.

And I'll be watching him get in and make a speech. And he left his team for one year last year. The team, the only team he'd ever known. And this guy is now back to where he once belonged. Nobody's talking about Bobby Wagner as a difference maker in Seattle.

I am, however, talking about it. Pete's way of doing things, the always compete way of doing things. He and John Schneider made up with Bobby Wagner. He's going back there, just him strolling out on the field, making things even louder in one of the loudest places on planet Earth for a sporting event. And then, of course, what he brings to this team locker room was everything that Bobby Wagner can do for this team. Nobody's talking about. And if he shows up with his Hall of Fame credentials and his Hall of Fame game and defensively, they can actually impose their will in a way that their offense does, when healthy, have an opportunity. Bobby Wagner is a difference maker.

I don't think people are talking about enough. Number four on this list. We spoke about him yesterday and we spoke about his quarterback earlier on his program as a guy of maybe you just watch him go and blossom and become a tier two on his way to becoming a tier one quarterback. Whether that happens for Justin Fields or not, I do believe depends on D.J.

Moore, number four on this list. What a coup for the Chicago Bears to get this guy, an underrated wide receiver and in my mind an underrated difference maker for this offense. How about the fact that you get to keep Justin Fields and get D.J. Moore for that decision?

Well done, Ryan Polz. Basically this right there, D.J. Moore and whether he does well or not and what he brings to the Bears, that is Lovey Smith's eventual final gift to Bears fans for giving the Bears the first overall selection and them trading it and getting D.J. Moore and future draft choices.

Number three on this list. All right, we're all focused on Saquon, aren't we? And then his salary in relation to his quarterback's salary and who the Giants paid and who they did not pay. Don't forget Darren Waller is a New York Giant. What is he going to look like on this team? We're overlooking the Giants period.

We're talking about the Cowboys, Eagles and things of that nature. Darren Waller is exactly who Giants fans love. This guy is somebody the Giants will definitely lean on offensively and this is the type of guy with, you know, Zeke Moat and Jeremy Shockey type numbers.

Let's go. I think Darren Waller is a difference maker that few people are talking about, whether the Giants can take a step up offensively. I think everybody thinks the Giants are ready to take a step back. Last year was Fegazi.

Same thing with Daniel Jones. They messed with the wrong guy in Saquon Barkley. The coach of the year, Brian Deball, had his moment. And this year, we'll just take a step back. Don't miss the playoffs.

That's the team that if you had to identify a team that made the playoffs last year in the NFL, most likely to miss it this year, I think the Giants would be at the top of a lot of people's lists. Darren Waller can change that. Number two on this list, you've seen some video of him in training camp and it's jumps off the screen at you. And it's been a while since we've seen him play in the National Football League. But what Calvin Ridley can do for Jacksonville's offense and what he can do for Trevor Lawrence.

And if Travis Etienne shows up in the same manner as he did last year and the rest of that offense can be clicking in the way that Doug Peterson had them clicking in the second half of the season last year and coming back on the Chargers and given a little bit of a scare to the Chiefs. Calvin Ridley, people, let's not forget what he did in the ATL and what he can do right now, fresh legs. He's a number two underrated difference maker of 2023 and number one on this list.

I wanted to go with somebody that nobody is talking about and has a chance at his own personal redemption for a team that everybody believes is in the crapper. Number one in terms of an underrated difference maker in 2023 is Baker Mayfield. I knew it. I knew it.

I knew that. It's Baker Frickin Mayfield. Hey, your reaction is exactly why he's number one on my list, because before he got his shoulder banged up in Cleveland and kept playing when he shouldn't have, how many years ago and then last year got caught up in everything that happened in Carolina.

That is not an fair evaluation of Baker Mayfield that we got last year in Carolina. Coach that brings him in gets fired in the middle of the season. McCaffrey gets traded away. He gets benched.

Come on. Just because Steve Wilks didn't use him doesn't mean he's toast. And then he shows up here in Los Angeles and on pure guts, guile and will and knowledge for the Rams. What he did last year in that Thursday night game is truly one of the most unbelievable performances of last year.

So he's got it in him. What about the other three games? I understand, Chris.

I understand it's still in there potentially. I'm not, I'm just saying the Bucks right now would be what dead last DFL and everybody predicting whether they win the NFL, NFC South this year. Okay. Cause you're going with Derek Carr and the saints and you're going with Bryce young and he's looking terrific. That's all you're hearing about. And you're going with Atlanta. He's the number one difference maker in the NFL, whether the Bucks make the playoffs and he's got a career and he's their future guy and he just shows you, I was number one overall for a reason. I'm showing up. Like I showed up against Pittsburgh in the playoffs.

I am waking up dangerous every day. And being that leader that you heard from Chris Godwin that he can be, he's got the weapons and he's got the opportunity. He's number one on my list.

Nobody's talking about Baker Mayfield. Do you think we need one more? Okay. All right, we'll get one more. I'll give you a rookie.

I'll give you a rookie. What was the number one problem for Josh Allen last year? The doing too much, right? The red zone issues, trying to do it too much.

He's the one who's running it into a heavy box. Dalton Kincaid can make that all go away. Kid from Utah, 16 touchdowns in his final two years combined, eight last year, 70 catches, 890 yards. If he shows up and puts some incredible rookie of the year, offensive rookie of the year ability on that field and gives him that option, what does that open up for everything?

Honestly, think about that. It can open up the world and nobody's talking about him because I understand why. You want to talk about Bijan Robinson, Jamir Gibbs is getting that conversation around him about he's going to be a matchup. You know what they're going to do in Detroit? They're going to split him out one. That's what you're hearing about. Gibbs is going to be a wideout, he's going to be a receiver, he's going to be a slot guy, he's going to be a running back, he's going to be everything and you're hearing about I think Jackson Smith and Jigba's in a nice spot too.

This kid. And those are my underrated difference makers of 2023. You are just not in the Baker, you think I'm caping for Baker right now, right?

The Bucks have the third worst playoff odds. So? Because Baker had an arm like a t-shirt cannon. You were on board at one point.

Six years ago. That's why he's a difference maker. Don't you think if he shows up? I don't think he's going to show up. But he's got a better shot, he's much more, other than the fact that you could make the case that Todd Bowles is coaching for his job, you could make the case he's in a much better spot this summer than he was last year. Matt Ruhle?

Sure. And that might all be true. I mean, I don't know if Todd Bowles is a really good, I don't think Todd Bowles is a great coach, but... Chisten Wurf's back healthy, the line might get healthy. They got a ton of guys who won the Super Bowl just a few years ago.

He really has to prove it. Baker is a difference maker between having the third worst odds of making the playoffs and winning the division. That's called a difference maker, pal.

Eight to one to win the division, almost four to one to make the playoffs. If you ain't got no haters, you ain't poppin'. Facts. He's a difference baker. Dad jokes.

I've got dad jokes for days, man. I don't want that to age poorly for you, Rich, that's all. But that's why I'm saying it's a difference maker. I'm not saying he's going to do it.

Okay. He's number one, he's in that spot. He's gonna make a difference. We don't even know if he's a starter. Oh, he's gonna be coming.

Ah, come on, bro. You know that. Louis Riddick coming up. By the way, are we sure that Kincaid's gonna start?

No, I don't believe so. I know. I think Dawson Knox is gonna- 15 touchdowns in the last two seasons, almost 100 catches out of Dawson Knox. They're gonna be on the field at the same time. This kid has a knack inside the 20, and he's big, he is tall, and yes, he doesn't have to start. That's what I'm saying. The pressure is not on him.

He's in a great spot, and I'm sure Dawson Knox is a great guy to have in the tight end room. I'm willing to wager that, and again, I wanted to talk about people that fewer people are discussing. I wanted to go deep in the weeds here.

I like your style. I'm gonna go deep in the weeds here. The difference maker. That's a guy who can make a difference. Darren Waller.

Does everybody think the Giants are just in the crapper, right? Well, kind of a one year wonder, I think. Uh-huh.

And if Waller shows up like he did two years ago. You know? He was hurt last year.

Calf thing. And I just think he and, I don't know if McDaniels was the guy for him. Well, apparently, we know he didn't get invited to the wedding, so. That's true. We do know that. So, you know. So Dayball is gonna sprinkle his coach of the year fairy dust on this guy, and he's gonna come out, and he's gonna show the guy that Mayock paid for a good reason.

Like, let's go, right? All they had to do was give Daniel Jones $35 million, give Saquon the five difference, and everyone would be kumbaya. Happy.

Or the coach of the year is gonna make it so anyway, right? All right. Oh, by the way, Nathaniel Hackett's talking today.

Oh, yeah. For over three decades, nobody has had a wrestling career like Arn Anderson. Conrad Thompson gets all the stories with Arn.

Thanks for watching AEW's Double or Nothing. Amy wants to know, what does dinosaur taste like? It ain't chicken. It's like biting into a scented charcoal briquette. But chewy. Oh, wow. That's disgusting. It sure is. And check out Arn every week, wherever you listen.