REShow: Dan Hanzus - Hour 1

Are you feeling good out there? This is The Rich Eisen Show. Rich Eisen here on The Rich Eisen Show.

Welcome. Live from The Rich Eisen Show studio in Los Angeles. Thanks for joining us here on The Rich Eisen Show at 11.59 as we move into our third hour coming to you live in studio on The Rich Eisen Roku channel.

Or if you're listening on YouTube or any of our terrestrial radio outlets. Today's guests, co-host of the Around the NFL podcast, Dan Hanses, Pro Football Hall of Famer, Kurt Warner, actor Quincy Isaiah. And now. As it becomes 12 o'clock noon here live in studio on The Rich Eisen Roku channel.

It's Rich Eisen. All right. All right enough. Give the look. Give the look.

Give the look. Welcome to this edition of The Rich Eisen Show everybody. We're here on the program here on a very busy Wednesday. It is, by the way, this is the last day with no football in it this week until next Tuesday. Five straight days.

That's right. Thursday to Monday. Let's go. Five straight days of football. It's like five eights of football Hanukkah starting tomorrow. How much can I bet in the next five? Oh my gosh.

I don't condone this behavior. Welcome to the program everybody. We are live right here on the Roku channel, which is free on every Roku device known to man. If you have a Roku device and you're listening to us on Terrestrial Radio or Sirius XM or Odyssey or more, you can watch us every day 12 to 3 Eastern Time on that Roku device. If you've got a select Samsung Smart TV, Amazon Fire TV, you can watch us every single day 12 to 3 Eastern Time. The Roku app has the Roku channel on it.

So it's all free of charge. And by the way, we're all excited. Again, the football season is essentially underway. There is an NFL Films documentary coming to the Roku channel next Friday.

Not this one. August 25th about the NFL draft called The Pick is in behind the scenes. I think you've seen all the trailers for it. It's awesome. A nice, wonderful taste of this past offseason. One last burst before we get actual playing season, regular season games in.

Preseason up and running last night. Hard Knocks episode two of the New York Jets preseason and training camp going down. Dan Hansus of Around the League podcast fame. He does a podcast specifically under that label attuned to Hard Knocks every single year with Colleen Wolf.

I was on it two Tuesdays ago. He's in our green room right now, I guess fittingly green room with the New York Jets being front and center. He, like me, been waiting a long time for the New York Jets to actually make a Super Bowl and win it. And he will be out here shortly in now 17 minutes time to talk about all of what we saw on HBO last night. And what you can watch on Max today right here on the Roku platform. Kurt Warner, who I will be spending many very early Sunday mornings with shortly. This coming Sunday is the third to last one in which I won't be having that 3 30 a.m. alarm. And see somebody like Kurt at the crack of you know what every single Sunday morning. He's top of hour number two.

And Quincy Isaiah and his million watt smile joining us here on the program. Apparently diehard Detroit Lions fan. Those exist? They do. Wow.

They do. How? What a very New England thing to say over there. Good to see you, Chris Brockman. How are you? Rich, I'm great. What's up, man?

Good to see you, DJ Mikey D's and D's Nuts. What's going on? You're good? I'm good. Okay. What's going on? What's happening? You just gave me like a thumbs up. You gave me a thumbs up. I didn't say anything right before the show. We look at we were we were good. We're good.

Yeah. What happened? The guy that you checked in with. You didn't say about your family, it's under the bridge. Your summer was great.

My summer been thrown off. He gets. Okay.

They were great. Yes. How are you, T.J. Jefferson? Is the candle lit over there?

I'm good. You were in the back. You didn't see it. Mikey was just earning his keep this morning. I mean, I worked.

Everything is working right. I made that catch that you got to make at the end of the game. Oh, really? Yeah.

Yeah. And then how I had the best quarterback we all made. Was it David Tyree? And the quarterbacks back through it. You know what?

It was all of us. This is what a coach. For those who may not know, in the broadcasting business, the host should not know just how bad things might be going on behind the scenes. You just shouldn't know.

Good producers like, you know, the ocean is totally like a like a like a like glass like glass. I have no idea. See?

I have no idea. We didn't even tell you. Mike Hoskins, my coordinating producer said, notice I said nothing to you. That's correct. I didn't even say it yet. But you don't say much anyway, usually. Wow.

It's 105. So there you go. And I appreciate that. That's the son of the best producer. I've told this story many times. Stuart Scott and I would always go over. We would always blow up the rundown because we would chit chat with one another and ad lib and do all sorts of stuff. And the producer of our program, whose name will remain nameless, he knows who he is out there.

Sweetheart of a guy. But but he would get in the in our ears in the commercial break. And just because now we were probably like 30 seconds over and after the second commercial break, we're like two minutes over and then we're three minutes over.

And he would increasingly get upset as the evening went on. And it's the first noise we would hear in our ears as soon as the commercial break hit would be this. And as if that was enough to go. Now we have a problem. That's what he would say.

Didn't know you and Stu couldn't be contained. And then we would look at it. We would look at it. Stuart and I would look at each other and go, you know what? Sorry.

This is part and parcel of what what happens when the two of us do a show together. And anyway, welcome to our Wednesday program. It's 906 here on the robot channel. Oh stop it.

Good morning. Pacific time. Pacific time. Because you know, we're coast to coast, 12 to 3 Eastern. All right. If you're watching on the rear. There you go. Steph Curry.

Hey, everybody. The 2023 National Football League season is automatically different than next year's than last year's. And it's different than what next year will be as well. Automatically different.

What do I mean by that? Of course, every year is different. It's like every season has its own fingerprint. Last year, we weren't talking about Jalen Hurts being an MVP candidate.

Well, that isn't the royal we I'm out of that. I was talking about Jalen Hurts having a big season going in. Everyone was on the Eagles. Everyone was on the Eagles because it's like, what are you going to talk about with the Dallas Cowboys, right? Just the usual. Which is like, are they going to actually do anything? And the Cowboys, you know what, it's kind of funny with the Cowboys hate that you see out there in the deck. You know, crap.

They won a playoff game last year on the road. They ended Tom Brady's career. And who mentions that? Nobody. Nobody.

All I ever hear is 96, 95. They don't do anything, right? Cowboys. Well, they won their first year. I think they won their first playoff game on the road since, you know, Michael Irvin was a pup. Well, you know, the triplets were pups, but anyway, long story short is what is different about this year than last year. Last year, week one, zero full blue Tarski rookie quarterback started week one last year. Nobody.

Right. So what about this year? What are you going to get this year? What are you going to get this year? You're going to get three. Three. It's the magic number. Well, CJ Stroud has not been named the starting quarterback of the Houston Texans yet.

That might just be D'Amico Ryans being a little old school. If you were to look in your crystal ball, what would it tell you? He's starting week one. He's going to be at the bank in Baltimore, by the way. If you're Carolina, you're at Atlanta, and if you're Indianapolis, you're home for Jacksonville.

No easy tasks at all. No. But if you're Houston at Baltimore is not one you would choose ever to start things off. But it's going to be CJ Stroud. They've seen Davis Mills. You know, they know he can make some plays with his arm and his legs, and they know he is really good from the neck up, but he's starting to see CJ Stroud.

That's going to happen, and this is the way it is. It's unbelievable that you have three rookie starting quarterbacks. Bryce Young is definitely starting. It's not Andy Dalton. He's there in case glass needs to be broken, and it's not Gardner Minshew in Indianapolis, and it won't be Gardner Minshew in Indianapolis unless that glass needs to be broken, because Anthony Richardson was named the starter for the year.

And I love that move by Shane Steichen for various reasons. One, it keeps us from talking about Jonathan Taylor for five seconds. And two, what else are you going to do?

Really? Like, you have to throw him in the deep end of the pool. And if he throws 28 interceptions, that's what Peyton Manning did. We all know what Peyton Manning's doing right now. So I love it.

Great idea. And that's the way it is. Three rookie starting quarterbacks, one for every year Jordan Love sat to get his opportunity as a week one starter for the first time this year as well. Desmond Ritter is going to be a week one starter for the first time this year. I don't know. Has Colt McCoy ever started a week one game in his career?

Cleveland, Washington, I don't know. He's going to do it this time around. He's going to do it this time around. Trevor Sivien is going to start a week one game potentially for Cincinnati.

I hope that's not the case for them. You look down the list and you see Jimmy Garoppolo starting a week one game for the first time since what? The year that Trey Lance was a rookie. So two years ago, it's his first time for the Vegas Raiders. He's going to be starting a week one game. Colt McCoy started week one for the Browns in 2011. Kenny Pickett will be starting a week one game for the first time in his career. Derek Carr will be a week one starter for the first time as something other than a Raider. Aaron Rodgers will be starting a week one game for the first time as something other than a Packer. Has Geno Smith ever started two week ones in a row in his career?

West Virginia maybe. Brock Purdy will be starting a week one for the first time in his career. Baker Mayfield will be starting a week one in his career for the third time in his many teams.

Tampa? Well, he was Carolina's week one starter last year, don't forget. And then you've got what you see against Arizona in a first time starter for Washington, Sam Howell. It's going to be a whole new ball of wax three weeks from Sunday for a bunch of different teams and how will that go? But the rookies are the ones that stand out and the one that stands out to me is a kid who last spun it in Indianapolis prior to the preseason at the combine. Here he is, Anthony Richardson, about being named the starter and for the season by the Colts. Honestly, I was shocked. You know, I've been grinding and putting in work just to get the title, but it's not really all about the title.

I'm just trying to make sure I'm ready for the team, despite being labeled as QB one. I still got other guys in the room helping me get to that standard, so I'm forever thankful for them. I appreciate them and I'm glad I did get to nod and I do have the trust in everybody in the building too. Did you say you were shocked by it? Was that shocked by the timing of it or I guess why? It was just hearing the words because you worked for it, I didn't know when the timeline was going to be. You know, I was just looking forward to week one and just being ready for the opportunity and getting thrown in the fire, hopefully.

But you know, he told me, I'm just like, wow, it really happened. So I'm thankful and I'm blessed and I just got to keep working and just keep building on this opportunity. What are you chasing? Greatness.

You know, I talked about it before. I want to be great. I want to be remembered and I don't want to just be one of those guys like, okay, he was in the league.

I want my legacy to be remembered forever and I'm working, just trying to work forever and build, know what's happening with this team and this organization. All right, get him Jonathan Taylor, will you please? I'm so excited. Well, Jonathan Taylor is there. There's nothing to get.

Yes, there is. He's there. He's under contract. Get him on the field. Get him on the field. That seems like it's up to JT. Okay, look at you, Mr. Management over there. All right.

Just get it. He's there. Kid needs it and that's the one that really fires me up more than anybody else that's a rookie quarterback.

Well, he is a glob of clay who's yet to really be molded. He hasn't played a lot of football. He is definitely out of, let's just say, all three starting rookie quarterbacks, the one that people have seen the least, I think.

A lot of people have seen Alabama and Ohio State football more than Florida football and I know it just means more and CBS put Florida on a bit. Bryce Young won the Heisman Trophy, CJ Stroud was the Heisman favorite for most of last year and Anthony Richardson is super raw. Big arm, very athletic, Cam Newton-esque.

You would say, you could make the case you saw more Will Levis throws in the palm of your hand on your phone than Anthony Richardson plays. Mm-hmm, and the Colts, my gosh, just to see somebody under the age of 50 being a starting quarterback for the, what did I say, 50, I meant 30, I meant 30 for the Indianapolis Colts. I'm excited for you Colts fans, man.

Yeah. That Jonathan Taylor does get off the physically unwilling to perform list and the Colts get off the physically unwilling to pay list over the next three weeks and somehow someway Jonathan Taylor is running with heavier pockets out there on the field and he is showing up like the kid who ran in 2021 healthy and ready to go downhill and Anthony Richardson is that guy and they play a two-man game at the mesh point. There is no predicting what the Colts can do this year. That's a fact. You could talk about their weaponry outside all you want, but they have some physical physical beasts at the running back spot, quarterback and tight ends that'll be tough to deal with.

So I'm excited about that. Just seeing that there's three rookie starters. There were none last year. There's a ton of week one starters that are new to Sean Watson.

We didn't even mention him who Joel Botonio of the Browns is saying the Eagles are taking cheap shots at during a practice this week. Eagles are salty, ready for the season right now, I believe. What they mad about? Just everything. It feels like they got screwed in the Super Bowl.

They're very or they're just that's that's who they are. Their coach is cursing at you and yelling at the fans and stuff like that and they're hitting their cheap shot and quarterbacks during training camp. Here we go. And that's the first game. Browns and Eagles on Thursday night, tomorrow night. Kurt Warner is going to join us middle of hour number two.

In hour number three, Quincy Isaiah, the actor is in studio and then your phone calls 844-204-rich number to dial right in the middle of the show, a centerpiece of our program. I do have my top five list of quarterbacks under the most pressure entering week number one of the 2023 season. You know, that's what we like to do here in the world of the media. We talk about pressure. I love it's now a centerpiece of the show. I know that. And it makes diamonds centerpiece.

This top five list makes diamonds. So we've got 844-204-rich is the number to dial here on the program. When we come back, Dan Hanses, NFL.com around the NFL podcast host and the host of the hard knocks exclusive hard knocks podcast is next in studio. Back here on our Roku channel feed, our radio audience will return shortly. First of two times, I say hello to my colleague from the NFL media group, the host of the exclusive hard knocks podcast through the around the NFL label featuring him and his band of merry men as well as Colin Wolf. Good to see you, Dan. Hanses. How are you, Dan?

Rich Eisen. Very nice to see you. Thank you. I figured this a home and home. You had me on yours last week. Yes, I was in my home for that one. I appreciate you coming to this television home for this one. So at an all time flex, I mean, you are NFL network. I'm hosting that show, but then we're doing the interview and you take out the sign.

You don't name it. Oh, yeah. Photo of you guys sharing a big belly laugh together and you just go over the show and you took it from me. So now that's basically your podcast. My problem, Dan, is I'm a control freak when it comes to a microphone. It's tough for me to be the A.

Sometimes it's got to be the Q more than not. So I apologize if I took anything over. No, I think we did. I put you over. I mean, podcasts are not timed. So I just figured I had a few more. No.

Anything we can get. So when jet fans come together at important junctures, I was on the show a few years back and it was during the Sam Darnold era. And I remember after we got off air, you were like, I don't know about Darnold.

I was like, no, Richie, you're too jaded at this point. And you were right about Darnold. But I feel like we're in a much healthier place and maybe on the same page about this jet's team. And that's why it's been so fun to watch right now.

And let's just be as gentle as we can. It might not be a Darnold thing, as we may see this fall, potentially. It was a, you know, Todd Bowles was at the end thing and he's not an offensive minded head coach. And that's the way if you're going to be drafting a quarterback, you should have normally for your young quarterback and then, you know, Adam, Adam Gase, you know, that didn't work out.

So let's be let's just, you know, we'll find out, I guess, a little bit this year. I'm back here on the Rich Eisen Show radio network. I'm sitting at the Rich Eisen Show desk 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 as my colleague from the NFL Media Group and one of the many that are making the Around the NFL podcast the most successful podcast in maybe the history of the NFL Media Group. And then through this around, the NFL label is where you can catch or listen to the only exclusive podcast on the hard knock series with HBO and NFL Films and NFL Network. Dan Hanses, that's a very long introduction, but you've got a lot going on in your life. So thanks for being here. Very excited.

Happy to be here. And Colleen Wolf is my co-host. And like like me, she's a huge fan of the show. Watched it all the way back from 2001 when Brian Billock was lounging in the hammock, just enjoying life after winning the Super Bowl the previous year and the second go around for the Jets and hard knocks.

And it's been an interesting first two episodes. Well, I'm sure Colleen was watching that first episodes of Hard Knocks upset about the veteran stadium turf in her local Philadelphia. If you remember, that was one of the first big scenes in the history of Hard Knocks is that they had to cancel a preseason game because the seams in the turf were not fit properly back where the Phillies had just played. You know, that's how long ago this was.

And, you know, maybe in this day and age, we wouldn't see those moments in this 21st century as well. But all that put that together. That was also back when Brian Billock and the Ravens were coming off their championship season and he wanted that spotlight to keep everybody kind of focused. What is your sense of episode two of Hard Knocks from last night, Dan, what you like about it?

I thought with the episode one, the focus was obviously on Rogers and had to be on Aaron Rogers because that's he's the son that everything's orbiting around. And I thought it was it was smart to show the defensive side of the ball, put a little more focus on that side. Quinnen Williams, Hubel getting some airtime because, you know, if the Jets are to finally spend 55 years, as we know, and in February for a Super Bowl, the Stroup, it is the defense that's going to lead the way. And I think it was interesting watching, as we saw in the joint practices and some of the dominance by the defensive line there and then shutting out the Panthers in the preseason game, that that's what's going to take them.

I mean, the Rogers is the the headline here. And if he's proficient or better at quarterback, the offense is going to win games instead of lose them. But the fact that they went through that whole episode and you barely saw sauce, Gardner, arguably the best player in that defense, you see Will McDonald, you know, with the spin moves that he has and Jermaine Johnson coming off the edge and Quinnen Williams in the center like that has potential to be a very special unit. And there was this nice moment where Frank Reich, Panthers coach kind of talking with solid during the joint practice in and Sal goes, you know, the D line, that's my baby.

And Frank's like, oh, that's always your baby. You know, calling back to his Niners run as D.C. there. The Jets have had trouble getting to the quarterback. There's this famous stat that drives me crazy as a jet fan. Not since John Abraham have the Jets had a true edge rusher.

Everything's different now. They could lead the league in sacks potentially. They have that type of ceiling. Yeah. And and that's why one of my favorite moments of the first two episodes of Hard Knocks was Jeff Ulbrich, the defensive coordinator in episode one, pointing out a throw that Rogers made from the right side of the field all the way to the back shoulder and the left. And, you know, in one of his many earmuffs type moments of the first two weeks, he talked about how the Jets are going to be in every game this year. And and my only pushback to that is the Jets were kind of in most games last year because of the defense. What I think he's saying is that they're going to get the points that the defense needed last year for the Jets to have gotten as great as they looked in the first half of the season. They're going to get those points this year, certainly with Dalvin Cook being added and Breece Hall coming off of Pup. And you see all the other weapons that they do have there. But the defense is pretty damn special for sure.

And it's good to see them get a little bit of run. Yeah. You mentioned earmuffs. I tried it, Rich. I have a boy who just turned nine on Saturday, Jack and a nearly seven year old Harrison. What's up, guys?

Have you, first of all, before you finish, have you inflicted them or they are they are they following? It's kind of in to Herbert. And I got him a jersey. I'm giving him the opportunity. I'm giving them both opportunities.

I kind of put in a charger fan. Oh, my God, that's exactly what I'm saying. You're supposed to let him find his own path instead of the Jets, Dan. You should get him some other team that doesn't appear to be so football God afflicted. You know, I mean, so I'm not going to push anything on him.

He's on his journey. OK. Good enough. Good enough. And you know, like this, Brockman, you know, you have to be a Yankee fan in my house. But I am not after what I've gone through as a Jets fan. I'm letting you go down your road.

But yeah, they're kind of gravitating towards the Jets. But I did try to give him a chance to watch hard knocks against my better judgment because of some of the salty language. And my wife was sitting on the couch watching, too. She was like, no, we're cutting this. It's over. It's all Rick's fault. It's really all Rick's fault. It's solid body mouth last night. But again, I kind of like seeing that because the solid that you see, are you touching the best? No, I guess I'm a bad dad.

No, no, no. I just was thinking to myself, like, you know, I need to based on your excellent parenting skills just have to flex a little bit. But when you saw Salah this past week prior to the game, asked about that offensive line performance in the one joint practice against Carolina that we saw last night that did lead to Salah's highly profane soliloquy and message to the team that get your you know what's out of your your you know what's, although I don't know why I just use the word what's for head, but long story short is he he was very comported in front of the media. I think we even played that soundbite and we talked about how he paused for a second before he's like, you know, you're a head coach, you kind of want everything yesterday. But we understand that there's still time left.

But behind the scenes, he is broken his foot off. And I kind of dig that. And I like seeing that.

But that is the ultimate. I think the reason why he was so demonstrative. That is the question. Like, if you're not going to protect Aaron Rodgers, the rest of it simply will not matter. Yeah, I did like the the forthrightness there that he came out and said after that first joint practice where the offense struggled, the offensive line really struggled. He kind of put it out there right to the teams like, listen, we were seven and 10 last year and it wasn't the defense's fault. We were known as the team with a very good defense and an offense that basically killed us.

I'm paraphrasing. That can't happen again. And he even made the word like we don't get another chance. And I wonder, and we talked about this on the podcast, how many head coaches in recent NFL history can go three years and not get to the playoffs by year three and then get a fourth year? And as much as I like Salah and I feel like things are functional and competent with the organization, I just don't know how Woody Johnson is going to handle if this season did go sideways and they didn't make the playoffs. Is Salah in playoff or bus mode?

It feels like he shouldn't be, but I kind of think he is. Well, I mean, they're all in, brother. Yeah. They're all in. And we just need to see how it plays out. If Rogers doesn't, has one of those rare seasons where he can't answer the bell 16, now 17 times and they are forced to go with Zach Wilson, then every move that they made in this nonplaying season goes right down the tubes, straight down the tubes, because we're just assuming, even though he can tell the difference between Rogers's run and play fakes, you know, which is a great scene last night.

That's it. He's not. They went for Rogers because they knew choosing him when they did and what happened, he's not ready for this moment. And the rest of the team is, and you could see how the rest of the team has gravitated towards Rogers, like as a sigh of relief, but also a general burst of excitement because they do see the difference and they can tell the difference and they know how good they can be. You're seeing that all play out through the first two weeks of hard knocks. And it is, it's the truth. That is the truth.

So I don't know. Let's see how it plays out, why they would miss the playoffs before you hang it on the coach. Sure. But I, you know, if you're Woody Johnson, you're like, I'm sick and tired of getting my ass kicked. Let's go get the quarterback, right? If we can go get this guy and we can pay him and my people tell me this is the thing.

And then let's do it. To their credit, they did it like they have set it up and they are ready to go. And I do think they do have the coach as long as he doesn't have those final two minute clock management issues that might befall a third year coach in the NFL. They are set up for success, Dan, they really are. Here's the magic of hard knocks, too, that I can and I've seen two years of Zach Wilson and history is instructive, as my late great friend Chris Westling often said out around the NFL.

Attaboy. Usually if you kind of stink in your first two years and if you have decent supporting cast around you, as he did last year, it's probably not going to happen. And yet I watch these first two episodes and I see him complete like a wide open play action goal line touchdown pass and I'm like, I think Zach Wilson's starting to get it. I think we'll be OK if Aaron estimates a couple of weeks. But it is to me like the two things with this team that really jump out is the offensive line going to be OK? And the thing I keep on going back to and this is part of just being a tortured fan of this organization. If Rogers misses time, the fact that it is Zach Wilson, who's one heartbeat away and this guy that, like you're saying in these episodes, these players on this team are celebrating essentially that Wilson's not there anymore, that he's not the guy.

And now he's so close with a 40, there was a report yesterday, Rich, that Rogers pulled his other calf because he's 40 in December. And it's just like he's close Zach Wilson to being the face or the front of that offense. And that makes me crazy nervous.

And I need that hard knocks juice to give me some sense of confidence and not fear. Well, again, I mean, when Salah said we were seven and 10 last year for a reason. That's you're basically calling out Zach Wilson in the meeting, but you can't blame him for saying that because it is the truth. Aaron Rodgers is here because Zach Wilson, if Zach Wilson was like Trevor Lawrence, then Aaron Rodgers might be either still on Green Bay or, or done like, cause I don't know what other team would have gone and gotten him and that's nothing against him. He's an expensive guy who's getting up there. The Jets absolutely needed him and he has shown up in the right way with the right mindset and hopefully the right body.

But that's cause that's your point. Chris Brockman is we're talking about them not making the playoffs cause Rogers can't answer the bell. Your point is if Rogers answers the bell and he's not as good as we expect him to be right, then that's the issue for the New York Jets this year as well.

Yeah. And just looking at Zach Rosenblatt, I know you guys hate the live tweeting of practices, but they're playing against the bucks right now. And Rogers 11 on 11 opens with two sacks. So that's a huge issue in the offensive line. And if he gets beat up, then what, you know, he had the injury last year because he was beat up and he clearly wasn't in MVP form and he is turning 40.

Your body does feel different after that. We'll see. I'm pulling for you guys. He's not.

Please. He's definitely, he's not. I know who you are, sir. The only thing he's rooting for pulling is, is another one of a, I guess, a groin. Rogers is out of calfs to pull at this point is what you're saying. Yeah. Can't do more. You know.

Yeah. It is unique. I always look at someone because I used to do kind of the hard knocks beat for NFL dot com.

Give me something new and fresh. Rogers is by far kind of the biggest name quarterback ever to be on the show. And the Wilson of it all is truly unique. This number two overall pick two years ago. Now in this situation, you see it around the league and some of these interactions that we're getting from NFL films, Adam Thielen coming up to him after the second game, you know, giving him words of encouragement, Jeff Ulbrich before the game. And smile.

Have fun. Rogers obviously giving him special attention like they know he's kind of in a weird spot. And I think it's kind of an interesting, unique subplot for the show. But it also again, just to bring it all full circle, he's going he might have to play this year. He might have to play this year. And if he does, he's got to be ready to do it because the rest of the Jets are I mean, they have done exactly what they needed to do for a team that missed. It's called what it is missed on the quarterback at second overall a couple of years ago because he was not ready for the moment. And maybe the way that Joe Douglas drafted was so damn good. A lot of folks are kind of surprised that they're ready to win right now that they do have the team to win right now. And to their credit. They went ahead and you know, I know there's a lot was made of the list that Rogers put out there, but they didn't bring any slappies. I mean, they brought in Allen Lazard, Randall Cobb, one will believe will give you the Jets significant plays this year.

It will happen. It did last year, even when Randall Cobb was healthy. Meeko Hardman, Corey Davis, Breeze Hall, Dalvin Cook, when I even mentioned the tight ends that can actually perform very well, it is down to can Rogers still do it? Can he stay healthy?

Can he be protected? Because the defense is ready to roll. Yeah, I love the as an outsider, I love the Quinnen Williams aspect of last night.

That was really fun. And then him talking with Rogers. Oh, I had 10 sacks. And then he looks at Rogers 11 because he got another one like defensive line is incredible. They're ready to go. They're ready to go. And then Dalvin is going to arrive and we'll see what happens. Any idea, Dan, about what the split's going to be use of of Dalvin and Breeze Hall coming back? Michael Carter sitting there.

The kid had a pit, too, right? So Breeze Hall comes off the publicist the day after they announced the signing. And then there's a sneaky other subplot in terms of health that Dalvin Cook himself is coming off a shoulder surgery. So we'll see when he's able to get in there.

It feels like it would be smart, I would think, for something close to a 50 50 split. And then if Hall can regain that juice, I mean, could you could you flip Dalvin Cook at the deadline? You have some depth that wow. That's your running back. Look at you, the guy's just showing up on a jet right now and you're already draining away from the Jets.

That's the way to show up. It's a one year deal. Dude. So Breeze Hall comes back and then Dalvin Cook can be flipped for assets? I kind of like Michael Carter, even though he struggled last year. And I'll just say Breeze Hall is that good.

And I know he is. If Dalvin Cook, is he going to be cool with Breeze Hall being the dude if all of a sudden Hall is once again that guy? I don't know if one year back if you're going to get that Breeze Hall, which is why it was another smart move that the organization and Joe Douglas, who, by the way, was the first Turk in the history of hard knocks for the Baltimore Ravens in 2001.

I wonder I wonder if Cook's are going to be OK with this role once Hall's healthy. We shall see. Good. No good. Let's put a bow on this.

And can you stay to the top of the hour? Great. Because we'll talk about the rest of the NFL with you. But just to put a fine point on this.

So everyone understands with two Jets fans talking about this, I think this is a very reasonable conversation that we're having. I would like points for that. Do you want the pom poms for the next segment? I don't. I am not. I am not a 54 year old cheerleader. I am not. I'm not putting on any gear. I thought this was a very I thought this is a very reasoned measured conversation, because the bottom line is this.

The bottom. Excuse me. And I'm sure I sit here and I think to myself, what are like Chiefs players or coaches or Bills players or coaches thinking when they see folks like us talking like this or maybe so. And it's totally understandable if they would, because they have a team that has been there and done it.

They've got their quarterbacks. They've tinkered. OK. They've tweaked.

OK. The Bills did some tweaks. And I don't even know what the Chiefs do. They run it back. They just get better by just taking all those rookies last year and now having them have a ring on their finger and more experience with Mahomes and Kelsey and Reid.

I totally get it. But just to put a fine point on it, you chime in, if you will. We have been kicked in the nards so many times and the hope we would enter a season with always had reasonable beyond reasonable senses of doubt. This year is a totally different ball of wax. There are doubts, but there is no doubt. This is the best Jets team and chance to go deep into the playoffs. If not, finally, you and I cover a Super Bowl and don't say it seemed in green, the four left the four letter word and it starts with a J.

No on on the turf, but the hyphens hyphens in there to just get exactly right. So this is this is we are not pie in the sky, head in the clouds, in the sand. This is real.

This is real. And we are allowed. To do what we're doing right now.

Well, I mean, the Brockman's of the world get to go to the Super Bowl nine times in 20 years. Exactly. So just one.

Just one. I know that. And I don't need more than that. I mean, and the smugness, the smugness is it's not it's not appreciated, as earned as it may be. We're meeting on the yacht, because, again, like you want to talk hope. We're not sitting here hoping for Malik Cunningham to give us some reps, OK? We're not hoping we're not hoping we're not hoping. We're not hoping. So if there's more.

Of a heavy lift of hope in this room, heavy lift of hope. It's for that guy. Not us. Right. Not us. I think what's a little mind bending for Jets fan is the logic checks out.

Yes, it does. Logic boxes are getting checked. The cowboy fan behind you is not saying a word because he knows week two will be a possible issue because somebody who has solved that Dallas Rubik's Cube many, many, many, many times is coming wearing green this time. I want to argue this point, but I already chalked up that L on my prediction. So what's your what's the L on your prediction? I said that you guys I gave you guys the W against us. I already said that we're going to lose to you. And now I can't take it back.

Otherwise, I would have your fingers on the chest piece all the way up until the beginning of the season. I also just think for you guys, there's no Vernon Gholston's, Kyle Brady's, Christian Hackenberg, D Milliner's, Blair Thomas's on this team. You left out Kajana Carter. He wasn't a Jet.

He was a Bengal. I know. Could have been one. But I'm just saying there's actual real, solid, very good, high quality draft picks who are turning into stars on your team so that you're kind of out of excuses like the hype is real.

But you know what? I'd rather be out of excuses than hope. I would be. Well said.

Good luck. Let's take a break. Let's talk about the rest of the NFL season before Kurt Warner joins us here in the show. Eight four four two oh four. Rich, if you'd like to chat as well.

Back on the Roku channel in this station in a moment. What are you guys talking about over there? Most, most infamous games you're at that you bought a ticket to.

Those things, like, because Dan revealed he was at the fake spike game. You were, huh? Yeah.

Trying to think of what. Tough one. That'll leave a mark as a fan, Marino.

He just. Oh, I mean, all four touchdowns to Mark Ingram senior. Well, Dan Marino, Dan, like, if you had a rank, the people who love to beat the Jets the most, Belichick's clearly number one of all time.

He's in his own world. But Marino is maybe number one in terms of players. He loved beating the Jets. You remember that? Dan, Ken O'Brien beat him like fifty one forty five, Leslie Walker.

That was one of my greatest moments of my life. I'm like, wow, maybe we did get the right guy from Cal, who, by the way, did he was at the Hall of Fame? He was. He got a shout out from from Cleco. He was there for Cleco.

Cleco. Joe wasn't. Ken O'Brien. Namath?

Yeah. I did not see him there. No, I don't think he was. I was a little nervous about that. I didn't see him there. Ken O'Brien was good.

He was good. I was a little worried about that. Yeah. OK. So you were there for that. So which game?

I don't know. I was there for the helmet catch. Yeah. But as a fan. I was a fan. Like, go to a game. Yeah.

I've never seen any. Oh! What?

Mike? Buckner's not really. You can't count Buckner.

What are you talking about? Does Buckner count? Are you at the game? Yes. Does Buckner count? I was at the game.

No? Would that be? One of the most infamous baseball games ever. I was at both of those games. Was that?

Oh, I was at the Jeffrey Mayer game. Does that count? Like, that's like the same thing, almost. Buckner. Exactly.

Buckner would be, yeah. Oh, no. I was there. As a fan.

I was there for the Bartman game. Does that count? Like, how many more? Like, what?

Yes! The Buckner game counts, Mike. But you're a Mets guy.

No, he's not. No, I was for that baton because the Yankees suck. Oh, but he also found it. He also founded the K-Corner, too. I did found the K-Corner.

No, I didn't. Back here on The Rich Eisen Show on the radio network, along with our Roku Channel stream with Dan Hansis of Around the NFL. And everybody should check out the only podcast that is official to cover Hard Knocks with Dan and Colleen Wolfe every single Tuesday.

It comes out after the latest episodes of Hard Knocks. So we're in the credits this year, Rich. Oh, is that right? Oh, yeah.

That is the... We've reached the mountaintop, my friend. That a boy. Yeah. That's cool.

Did you freeze it on the screen? Oh, yeah. Damn straight you do. You gotta do that. Of course you will. Hey, next year, you'll get a helicopter sent for you. I would like that. Why not? You'll get the Liev treatment.

Voicing it would be the next step, getting that plug. The biggest story that will wind up being a nothing burger that we've been covering over the last several weeks, if not months, will be what, Dan and Hansis? Stefan Diggs hates his teammates and Josh Allen.

Okay. That felt like such a June type. He doesn't want to be at mandatory minicamp and just kind of annoyed. But when Sean McDermott said he was very concerned about it, that's the end of that. And the same thing that Eric Bienemy is such a hard ass, that may be a big nothing burger, but the reason why it was a something burger is the head coach said something. So McDermott saying, I'm very concerned, that put it on the front burner for me and caused me to ask about a half dozen guests about it over the following two, three weeks. And I understand June is June and we're waiting for stuff to talk about. But I could totally understand that that means nothing.

He's an emotional guy, obviously, and that's part of what makes him great, I think, is his passion. And I think with the bills, we did something around the NFL a couple of weeks back, the urgency meter. What teams have the most urgency? The Jets are very high on that list. But I had the bills at a perfect 10.0 because they've gotten so close now and they can't get over the hump.

And you kind of could feel the vice tightening around them as they get beat in the snow in western New York by the Bengals last January. And then you go into this year and it's like, OK, is this going to be the year? And I think some of the frustration that just I'm just throwing it out there is tied to that idea that they keep up. It's expected to be this is our year and that it's not your year.

And then that starts to, I think, build in terms of frustration, bad vibes. Well, in terms of the bills, I can't put them anywhere on the urgency list because Josh Allen's going nowhere, man. You know, like that's to me what urgency or the Jets are more urgent because Father Time might be taken for Aaron Rodgers. And then, you know, the the undercurrent of the whole Zach Wilson thing is that, oh, like the ultimate thing is Rodgers will do great, but, you know, the Super Bowl three trophy won't be alone anymore. He'll go right off into the sunset and hand things off to Zach Wilson, who will only probably have an overcast team that makes Eric Tana I mean, Mike Tannenbaum's world, you know, look completely, you know, in order. I don't know. You know, obviously, in Joe Douglas, we trust.

To me, that's more urgent than the bills. And plus last year, you know, as much as you want to pin anything on on Allen's inability to make smart plays in the red zone or whatever, I think they've tweaked and fixed that. This year. But what they went through last year from a shooting there in in right at the outset of the season, they had a play in Detroit and back to back games once as a home team.

You know, Damar Hamlin. I mean, what are you going to really just put it all back together? You know, and and obviously, Joe Burrow and the Bengals came and kicked their ass in the snow. I mean, that happened.

But I'm that's why I wouldn't be urgent on like this. Because during the break, we're talking a little bit about Marino and yes, he gets the Super Bowl year two, never gets back. And Josh Allen has plenty of time.

But these certain windows are finite, right? And and I think this team with this coaching staff in this moment, it feels like we're ready to go and sure, they could reload and have another five or 10 runs at this. But for this particular era of Bills football, it does feel like there should be a Super Bowl berth in there somewhere. Yes.

If it's not the if it's not the Jets as a fan of the Jets, I'd like it to be the Bills because that's a team and a rival that I kind of feel empathy, empathy toward because they've been through a lot as well as an organization as a fan base. Yes. How magnanimous I am. We share the Tom Brady scars. Yes, that's true.

That's for sure. So in the couple minutes I have left here, the team that we're not talking about enough is which so you can't include the lines. You can't include I mean, the Jaguars are even getting discussed enough, I would think, but you never know. This is going to sound insane.

OK, cool. But the Cowboys, well, I know that doesn't make sense, but I just think it's kind of all there for them. And if the Eagles come down a little bit, I don't think it's crazy to see them as a team that could take that division and all of a sudden have a one seed in the NFC. I think the defense is loaded. I think Dak is going to be better and healthier this year. I think the Brandon Cooks move gave them some balance.

Yes. Tony Pollard gets healthy here. I thought they would end up with Zeke. I thought he would end up coming home.

That didn't work out. Their depth at running back. But then there's Deuce, Deuce Vaughn, who everybody's excited about. They would be the team. I think maybe people are just assuming they're going to be the Cowboys again and they'll do what the Cowboys do, which is either flop or win eleven or twelve games and they go one and done.

But I kind of like them. I kind of like them maybe finally getting back to the NFC title game and truly being in the mix. So then would you say the Steelers of the AFC team, Browns of the AFC team, nobody's talking about? On the AFC, the Browns to me are the team.

And it's thorny because people don't want to see this as a potential situation. But you look at their roster and you look at both sides of the ball and Deshaun Watson as bad as he was for six games to end last season, I think it's way more likely he regains his Texans for him. And that's another team that's sneaky, has a really strong offensive line of defense that got better. Elijah Moore was an interesting add to that offense and Mari Cooper, I think, is going to be the man there again. And I think I like Anjoku, who's kind of a guy that could really break out in a big way with a full year of Watson. I think that's a loaded division, the North, and a competitive division.

But I'm picking the Browns to win it. Dan Hansis, thank you for coming on here, man. Every single Tuesday, check out him and also Colleen Wolfe together on the only podcast that will be able to play clips from Hard Knocks. And it's part of the Around the NFL label. Kurt Warner, our NFL Media Group colleague coming up.

Still have about a couple minutes left right here. OK, so what have we what have we not covered here? Russell Wilson. What do you think? What's your two cents? That's it. OK. Great. Gino Smith.

Gino's good. OK. Yeah. All right. Dan Hansis makes noises. That's the that's the new segment right here.

What else? Tuah. Tuah is interesting. I think Tuah is a guy that the Dolphins, if everything goes right for them, kind of like the Jets, they're similar. You can make a case for the Dolphins playing in late January, but there is that injury concern. Mike White was a nice pick up. I thought he was a little shaky in the first preseason game.

They're going to need him to be better because I think he's going to play games. You just history tells us that you could make the case that there are more teams that you could make the case for playing in late January in the AFC than there are teams that are not. Smells like a top five later this year, but I'm serious. You could make the case for every team in the AFC East and the AFC North to play late into January.

For sure. OK. The Texans are out. Texans are out. Colts are out. Colts are out. Panthers are out. Are the Titans out? No, I'm talking the AFC.

Oh. Titans are out. Titans are out.

Or you could make a case. I don't know about that. Titans are out. Jaguars, you can. Yep. And every team in the AFC West.

Eh. Broncos, you're down on top of the cage. Broncos feel like a chance. Raiders feel like a stretch. But the charges you can. I think so, yeah.

So there are more teams in the AFC that you could make that case for than not. Yes. Thanks for coming on, Dan. Appreciate it. Thank you very much for having me. I'll see you next time.