Daniel Jeremiah scopes out the prospects for new Chargers coach, Jim Harbaugh

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Learn more at Discover.com slash credit card. Limitations apply. This is the Rich Eisen Show headline to start this opinion live from the Rich Eisen Show studio in Los Angeles. Bless him.

Whatever, whatever makes Jim, whatever makes you happy. That's that's where I'm landing on that. The Rich Eisen Show. You can't deny that wherever he goes, he wins.

And then he kind of has a weird exit. You know who had that? Parcels. Today's guests, NFL Network analyst Daniel Jeremiah, Chiefs receiver Rashee Rice, NFL Network analyst Gerald McCoy.

Plus your phone calls and more. And now it's Rich Eisen. You know what?

I can confirm that. Hi, my name's Rich Eisen. It's the Rich Eisen Show. We're live on the Roku channel.

We're live on this Rich Eisen Show, terrestrial radio affiliate, Sirius XM, Odyssey and more. We are ready to roll in this three hour program. Daniel Jeremiah is going to be joining us in about 20 minutes time to tell us what's going to happen to the Los Angeles Chargers now that they have my coach. And now we also have so much to discuss with Gerald McCoy. Last time he was here, he said Justin Herbert is in the lead. What about now?

What's going to happen now here in Los Angeles, California? Gerald McCoy also a college teammate of, wait for it, Sharon Moore at Oklahoma. Whoa. So Gerald's got a lot to talk about with Championship Sunday coming up. And that also includes, I'm excited to talk to this kid because for a while it looked like he was like the Luke Skywalker of the Kansas City Chiefs. The only hope, Rashee Rice, the kid with a set of hands that the quarterback can depend on. And he is going to be playing in an AFC championship game.

Rashee Rice will be on this program. And so will you. If you want to call him 844-204-rich.

Number to dial phone lines already lighten up. That delights me. Good to see you over there, Chris Brockman. How are you, sir? Rich, what's up, man? I'm great.

DJ Mikey D is in D's nuts. He's back. Good to see you. Ready to roll. Yeah, OK, very good. He sure is.

Ready to roll. Thank you very much. I didn't know you saw it, but I'm glad you said that. I thought you sounded like Stephen Dorf.

You got you got a you got a little Dorf-ectomy while you were in here yesterday. I didn't know. Wow. Good to see you over there, DJ Jefferson. Candles lit.

Candles lit. You know, Rashee Rice was seemingly handpicked by Mahomes himself. So he really that's right. I forgot about that. Right.

Let's let's let's have this out a little bit here. Right. Didn't he work him out?

Correct. They he worked him out. He caught through to Rashee.

Rashee caught balls from Patrick. Then apparently, from what I understand, this is go ahead and draft. Mahomes put the good word in to the organization. That's right.

And it's seemingly who knew he was at some time at one point, potentially saving his 2023 season. Right. Just imagine that, you know, I'm going to need you later, dawg.

Yeah, we're going to get you drafted. Imagine that Rashee Rice missed that workout. Chris, do me this favor or TJ, if you want as well, just look that up and make sure we have all that information ready for Rashee Rice to zoom into this program in hour number two.

He'd like being smart about that stuff. Incorrect. So terrific. Thank you very much. OK. We knew this day was going to come. I knew this day was going to come when I was pounding the table for him to arrive. Again, we're in year 10 of our show.

We're going to celebrate our 10th anniversary next October. He got a lot of time between now and then. But when we first came on the air in 2014, for the first time as a TV slash radio simulcast program, the story of the day when we came on the air in October of 2014 was the San Francisco 49ers and how they were looking under Jim Harbaugh and how he was chafing at the gig, sitting there at seven and seven in the middle of November and December. And I'm sitting here and I'm hearing all these rumors that he's going to go. And there was a rumor, maybe go be the coach of the Raiders, because he's certainly not going to leave San Francisco to be coach of Michigan, which was floundering and in desperate need of his attention. And I was all over that concept when Jim was at San Diego, University of San Diego, so many people say, well, he was like, well, it makes sense that he's a charger because he played for the Chargers and he coached at San Diego State.

No, it was University of San Diego. Where he was coaching. And I remember being there on the night the Cowboys and the Ravens closed down the old Texas stadium together. And Jim was on the sideline in full Ravens regalia with John. Who I believe was handing it off to Willis McGehee to be one of the many to rumble over the Dallas Cowboys in closing down Texas Stadium with a loss.

And I remember Jim running past the the set. The NFL Network said, and I just stopped him real quick because he was saying hello to Marshall, who, by the way, just like me as a freshman on campus in 1986. Jim was my first quarterback. Jim was Marshall's first quarterback as a professional. When we were in Indianapolis together and I said to him, you got to come home, come home, and he just smiled at me and ran off.

And I'm like, all right, I'll take that as a yes. Honestly, that's the way the state of Michigan was. And that was before Jim took the gig in San Francisco. So, you know, I just had always hoped he'd do it and then he did it. And then the entire time that he was at Michigan, hoping he would do what he was setting out to achieve, which was. As he told me at one point, we need to be dominant, we will be dominant here. He used that word dominant. We will be dominant at Michigan.

He literally told me this. In a phone conversation, and I'm like, OK, coach, you go be dominant. And then we saw obviously a lack of dominance against Michigan State, that awful, stupid punt and then. Urban Meyer taking charge of the rivalry in a way that Ohio State fans loved to load over my head. And then this script flipped in 2021, and then, as we all know, three consecutive Big Ten outright Big Ten championships, three consecutive trips to the college football playoffs. And eventually this year, a national championship. And the question was, why would he stay? And, you know, deep down, I hoped and a lot of Wolverine fans hoped he would stay because he wanted to just be our version of Bo Schembechler, stay there for two decades and win Big Ten championships and go and retire in Ann Arbor with his family. We hoped for that, but. This completely. Makes sense that he would become the Los Angeles Chargers coach.

Today. Because he's been kicking tires on the NFL the entire time he was winning Big Ten championships and all of us in Michigan fandom were nervous, like, hey, he's going to leave before he accomplishes the mission and hey, how are we going to accomplish the mission if he stays, if he's, say, talking to the Vikings on signing day, as he did two years ago? And how is he going to then say, I'm not going to look at anything in the NFL after he comes back from Minnesota and then sit in his Ann Arbor living room with the new owners of the Denver Broncos? And how are we going to win a championship even if he stays? And then he stays and we won a championship. Because he's Jim Harbaugh and he does things his own way and he beats to his own drummer. And we don't know where the hell the drum is located or what the beat is.

It's just his beat. And that was part and parcel of rooting for Jim Harbaugh as Michigan head coach. And then this year was a perfect microcosm of all that. With suspensions, not once, but twice.

Beginning and end. And all of that eventually meaning nothing about taking him off the scent of winning at all, which he did in, as we found out, beating Nick Saban in his last game at Alabama and then beating Saban's successor in the national championship game. And then deciding that he does, after all, want to finally scratch that itch to add a Lombardi trophy to his case, just like his brother has.

And his brother could have two of them two Sundays from now, three Sundays from now. So it makes sense. Makes complete sense that he wants to leave and I have no problem with it. Zero problem with it.

And there is a personal reason for it as well. And this is something that Charger fans get ready because he's going to have a sense of tradition and reach out to people from the Chargers past and try and build it as part of the present. He did that. I was honored with me when he asked me in 2016 to be an honorary captain. And I went out there. Brockman, you were there.

He let me speak to Team 137. I blacked out while talking to them. You were personally there watching me essentially black out.

I watched it. It was really cool. And it was just great to be in Michigan Stadium and be part of the program. And it was a personal thrill for me that I will never, ever forget. And then this past year, remembering these moments, talking to the team with Jim sort of like beaming behind me there.

And reliving my campus days with you and my buddy Paul and going out for the coin toss and forgetting what Jim actually told us what we should do if we win the toss and freaking out. And hearing the cheer from the crowd, I was talking about this with my son Zan yesterday, and he goes, did you did you get and coop? He's like, did you get cheered, Dad? And I'm like, yeah, it was the loudest cheer I've ever heard. And they're like, really cheering loudly for you?

I'm like, no, that's what when polite applause is given to you by one hundred ten thousand people at once, you know, a lot of people. And I remember I remember going back to the sideline and Jim was already hands on his knees, leaning over, getting ready for the game. And I'm like, oh, God, did I not do this one job that I have to do as honorary captain right about, you know, did I choose which way we're supposed to go properly? Because this is him giving the the instruction to me.

That's Jake Butt on the left, who's now the Big Ten network telling us what to do if we do it the toss. And I totally forgotten. And and then went back. I'm like, oh, no, did I screw it up? And Harbaugh looked straight at me after I walked back and he says to me, hey, nice ovation.

He said, OK, I guess it didn't screw it up. And then this year. This year is a lifetime memory. For me and every single Michigan football fan and for him to bring a national championship home and make it happen with a bunch of kids who are mentally tough and great representatives in the community. And be the Michigan men that we want them to be, and I understand about the whole Connor Stallion stuff, and that is going to be part and parcel of anything mentioned to him.

I see all these conversations about. You know what happened that I am absolutely. Glossing over because I choose to talk about what this means to me and what he did and how anybody is like, so are you upset that he left?

Absolutely not. Jim Harbaugh, thank you for absolutely everything that you did for Michigan and you go get what you want, sir. You go get what you want. You want a Lombardi trophy, you go get it. And that's my my opinion. There might be some Michigan people out there that are upset that he's leaving, you know, those who stay will be champions. Well, now you can basically say in this day and age, those who are champions.

Go ahead, chase your other dreams. And and he's included in that. I have no problem that he wants to leave and do this. Whatsoever, certainly in this day and age where he's now going to a league that has rules over free agency. When you get the guys under contract, they're under contract.

You don't have to sit there and wonder if they're going to transfer portal in year one of four that you have them. You know what I mean? Like it's a totally different world. And if he wants to go to the NFL now. You know, with his family and live out here in Los Angeles and do it. So. Thanks for the memories, Jim. And.

And good luck. See you around Los Angeles, see at the Starbucks down the street. El Segundo, where the Chargers are now moving their facility just down the street from us. The funny thing is you probably will run into him at Jersey Mike's one day.

Maybe it's right up the street. So what a couple of things I want to say before we get to break and Daniel Jeremiah is going to join us. Let me just give Charger fans a little idea of what's coming. What's coming, I believe, is a fullback. What's coming is an offensive line that is going to.

Be stout and crush. What's coming is. Justin Herbert having a spirit animal. And whatever Justin Herbert has in him, the dog or whatever that he's got in him, Jim is going to talk to him about it and talk to it. He's also going to have somebody not in the quarterback room, put gloves on and throw the football around before a game. He's going to get his coach going up to him and just slapping his shoulder pads and talking straight to his grill. And going to have that in the third and the fourth quarter, and this team's going to be really tough when it comes down to that. This team is also going to have a guy.

Face front here in Los Angeles. That is finally, I think, going to solve the Chargers going to charge your situation. Now, I say this fully again, as I mentioned at the top. What happened to Michigan against Michigan State and Jim, I believe, his first foray against them. Well, all you got to do is get a punt off and you win the game and they don't and they lose it. And all you have to do is after the punt gets fumbled and the guy who picks it up is rumbling to the end zone. All you got to do is tackle him and the game is over. Instead, he scores and the game is over. That is the most charger way a game can end.

I totally understand that happened to Jim. Right. There were some other moments, too, like the T.C. U game is a charger going to charge your type moment.

But I feel this is your best bet to break the chain that binds so many different charger fans over decades of disappointment. And gutting losses. I feel Harbaugh solved that riddle and puzzle in Michigan. He solved that riddle and puzzle in San Francisco. Don't forget, San Francisco was terrible before Jim got there.

Brutal. Before Jim got there. He solved that puzzle in Stanford when there was a provost standing there saying those kids aren't coming here because of their GPA. And he still went ahead and took down USC. When USC was USC.

What's your deal, bro? Yeah. Right. And so he's going to solve the puzzle here. And this makes the AFC West that much more interesting. When he brings his brand of bravado and backs it up with the stout physical play, that is always his earmark and fingerprint. When he brings that to the fore against the Kansas City Chiefs, who may be two time defending Super Bowl champs. When they play each other twice. I profit to say Travis Kelce will find himself marked in a way that he has not been, where he's wide ass open like he does against the Chargers.

I will tell you that. I will also tell you this Chargers fans, get ready to be called out for selling your tickets to other people when the Steelers are in town or the Raiders are in town. You know, I played and it'll it'll come in a very subtle way or Harbaugh staring off into space at the microphone and. And get ready for him to just do things really differently. You are not going to be used to this. Chargers coach. It's going to be different.

And I believe. This is a watershed moment, I really do believe it. And it's going to be a battle joined here in Los Angeles, where the Chargers have always been since they came from San Diego, just, you know, tenants or interlopers. No, obviously him against Sean Payton in Denver, you know, Denver wanted them. No, Sean Payton gets a job. Now he takes a job for the Chargers. It's going to be so different.

And the world of the NFL is so much more interesting with Jim Harbaugh in it. The Ravens play at the L.A. this year. Yeah, so we're going to get a hardball right off the bat. Bookmark that for Sunday night football week two. I mean, there'll be a battle for it. I'm sure ESPN will want it. I'm sure CBS will want it. I'm sure it'll be a big battle. Already, and the 2023 season isn't even over yet. And John's got a big game this weekend. Three games left. We'll talk about that with Daniel Jeremiah, who's in the booth for the Chargers. So lots to talk about with him. That's next, your phone calls as well.

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Last minute tickets, lowest price guaranteed. Back here on our show, Daniel Jeremiah about to join us. So Jim Harbaugh was here for we've only had him in studio once. Correct. We've had him on many times.

Many, many times. Yeah. 2016. He was here. Oh, wow. Yeah. And we had some fun with him.

That was back when we did a cold open and we did cold open from time to time. Yeah. Yeah.

So we did a cold open with him involving my diplomas from Michigan and Northwestern that are are in the studio. Check it out. Mr. Eisen. Yeah. Moment, please. Yeah, coach. Yeah. Look, Michigan diploma number 1986.

First walking on a diet. You were the quarterback. Man, I just loved two great universities. Michigan, Northwestern, impressive track record. Yeah, it's my journalistic degree, which, you know, I need every single day.

When the job that I do, you know, I'd expect nothing less than thank you, Michigan, Northwestern, Michigan. Oh, yeah, I mean, OK, yeah, I don't even know what what you were thinking there. Yeah. OK, perfect. Good, good.

Or, yeah, well, maybe. Yeah, good. Sure. Yeah, thanks. Better.

That's why you're the coach. What were you thinking? Don't know what you were thinking. Remember the script originally called for him to throw it in the trash and he refused to do it because he said he didn't want to have an ever throw a diploma in the garbage like it's a piece of trash. So we can we convinced him.

What if you just placed it on the floor? He said, I forgot all of that. That was way funnier than I thought it was going to be. You know, the chops, man. He had this.

He still does. Back on the Rich Eisen Show radio network, sitting at the Rich Eisen Show desk furnished by Grange with supplies and solutions for every industry. Granger has the right product for you.

Call clickgrange.com or just stop by. We're going to spend a lot of time together at the combine and the draft, but obviously so much to talk about with what's going on here in Los Angeles. He's in the radio booth for the Chargers, amongst many other duties, our buddy Daniel Jeremiah back here in the Rich Eisen Show. How are you doing, DJ? I'm doing great, Rich.

How are you doing? By the way, have you started prep yet running? What are we doing here training wise? Prep.

Let me think about this preparation. Is that what prep is short for? Well, you know, I've moved my run to April anyway during the during the April months. I always forget that. I always forget that.

You know, I run at the Rose Bowl because all Michigan men win there. I don't know if you notice that. You know what I'm saying?

Nicely done. And I said that that that victory lap, I mean, it is. You are about 10 strides into that victory lap. There's plenty more, plenty more to go. As soon as I cross the finish line, I'm going to look for a guy from Alabama to retire. You know what I mean? Like, who wants a piece? You know, that's what I'll be as soon as I cross the finish line.

Who wants a piece? So at any rate, so Harbaugh going to the Chargers. Tell me why this is the fit that everybody thinks it's it is.

D.J., I don't think there was really I don't think there was really another option. You know, I think it was the the right time, the right fit for everything that he brings in. And I've been asked this a bunch. You know, what does Jim Harbaugh bring? And I'm like, well, you know, when people get hired, you can hypothetically say, I think this or I think that with Jim, there's some knowns like he is going to have a physical tough football team. They are going to be with a lot of enthusiasm. There's going to be a lot of energy and a lot of excitement and a lot of buzz that he's going to bring. And he's going to win.

He's done it. He's done those three things everywhere that he's gone. And, you know, people I saw I was laughing when I saw, you know, a bunch of articles about the salary cap and, you know, Jim Harbaugh doesn't know what he's inheriting there.

Like they have thirty five million dollars or whatever the number is over the salary cap. I'm like, he went to Stanford. He went to Stanford when USC was at the top of the mountain. Stanford was a laughingstock. I was scouting during those years. I went in and looked at what they had.

I knew how hard it was to get players in there. And I thought this dude is nuts. He thinks he can win here and he beat USC year one. So that I don't think the obstacles are too great. So then what what what do you think? What do you think he's going to do with Herbert that that that nobody else has been able to do or for the lack of a better way of saying it, that Herbert has not been able to do for himself? Yeah, I think less is more.

You know, I think, you know, I don't totally agree with some of the sentiment of that. Jim Harbaugh is there now. Justin Herbert is going to win MVPs. I'm like, Jim Harbaugh is not going to care about Justin Herbert winning MVPs. Jim Harbaugh is going to beef up the offensive line. He's going to get a big physical back.

He's going to run the ball. He's going to take some of that pressure off of Justin Herbert. Justin Herbert is going to be more efficient.

Justin Herbert can do what needs to be done in clutch moments. I saw this with Andrew Luck. Andrew Luck was the most talented player in college football.

And for a two year period, it wasn't close. He was clearly the best player in college football. And most coaches would have said, oh, I'm going to take this Ferrari out on the highway. We're going to let him throw it 55 times a game.

And he didn't do that. He asked Andrew to play efficient, play smart, protect the football, make plays when you have to. I think he'll take some of that load and some of that pressure off Justin Herbert. OK, so then what do you think Herbert will do better because Harbaugh is in the building with what he's bringing to the equation?

Well, I think I think being able to finish, you know, especially this last year, Justin has had some amazing comebacks, you know, during his brief career. But last year specifically, they had opportunities with the ball in their hand to go finish games and they couldn't. A lot of it was offensive line, you know, pass pro related where he was getting heated up. I mean, it happened at the end of the Miami game. It happened at the end of the Dallas game where they had the ball and a chance to go to go win the game.

And they couldn't protect. So I think he's going to help get that fixed. And they're going to have, you know, some more answers for him to protect himself with control at the line of scrimmage, as well as have an outlet. So I think that's going to help him, you know, be able to get two or three of those wins that are just sitting there.

As you know, every every year that that's it. That's determines whether you're a playoff team or not. You're going to have a handful of those, you know, one score games, three point games late.

Can you finish those games off? He'll help that Justin Herbert do that offensively. Now, defensively, they need some pieces there before they can do the same thing.

Well, I mean, we'll get to that in a second. Who else on this roster do you think Harbaugh is going to identify as one of his guys? And let's not talk cap here, because he'll figure it out. They'll figure it out like he's he's going to want that guy.

This guy, maybe not. You know, you know this roster inside and out. What do you think about that? Yeah, I know there's been some talk. You know, Derwin James has a pretty big number.

I think it's like 19 million. Derwin James is a Jim Harbaugh style player. I mean, he plays with his hair on fire. He's tough. He's physical. He plays kind of, you know, a real kind of a violent brain to football.

He's he I can't there's no scenario I can imagine where he isn't a part of this thing going forward. They have the big four they need to make decisions on. You've got the two receivers. Keenan and Mike have big, big numbers.

Mike Williams, Keenan Allen. And then you have Mack and Bosa have big numbers. So I would imagine, you know, you're probably going to have one odd man out there in terms of being cut or traded.

And then they can you know, you can do some things salary cap wise to extend guys out. I think Keenan, even though he's on the other side of 30, played at such a high level that I would think he would fit, you know, what Jim Harbaugh desires and likes. But other Jim Harbaugh guys, Rashawn Slater, he's going to love because he's he can really move people in the run game. The one name that most people won't be familiar with that I thought oh, Harbaugh is going to love Thule, Thule Piloto, the edge rusher that they have from USC, who's just a real rough, rugged, tough football player, kind of looks like a guy that's played for Jim in the past.

Daniel Jeremiah here on the Rich Eisen Show, fifth overall selection. Again, we don't know who the general manager is yet, but the fact that they hired Harbaugh first gives you an indication as to who might be the loudest and most listened to voice in the room when the Chargers are on the clock, when we're in Detroit. Nope, we're going in another direction. You know what I mean?

Like that that doesn't appear to be happening. So what do you think here? Do you think he got a close look see at at one of the players in the national championship game? Daniel? Yeah, I think we'll have a much better feel for what he wants to do and his vision based off the decisions they make with those four players that I just mentioned. If you know if they were to move on from Mike Williams, per se, I would say, man, you're going to be staring at Roma Dunze, who he saw up close in that game against Washington, who is to me is like a Larry Fitzgerald type talent. Like he is an outstanding player. I'm sure he would love his first pick to be a line of scrimmage player is just kind of like that's what we're about now is this toughness and physicality. But I think a Dunze is one of those rare wide receivers who has such a physical presence out there that you still capture that, even though he's not an offensive or a defensive lineman. You know, and I just remember before I asked this question that when Pete Carroll went to Seattle, right, and everybody thought that he would just draft one USC guy after another. Right.

And then he didn't. But there are so many Michigan guys available in this year's draft. Who do you think knowing draft positioning and and Harbaugh, who Jim might bring from his national championship team if he has the shot when they're on the clock? Daniel? Well, I would I would give you two that would just jump immediately into mine. Austin Eckler is a free agent. You've you've had the luxury of watching a really good college running back.

And Blake Corum, he would make some sense there whenever that opportunity is. You know, what is that second? Would that be a second day to, I would say, comfortably saying day two. So you're talking about second, third round. OK. You know, depending on what happens with running backs, you know, that's a that's the conversation we'll have here in a few weeks.

But that would be one. And Sanders still to me is just like a playmaker who's a leader. Everything I've heard and you are around that team and know that team as well as anyone.

Everybody that I talked to said he was the leader of this group. So you've got somebody who's takes the football away, who's tough and feisty and then also is a leader. And on top of that knows your new head coach and what he wants to accomplish.

That's one to me that I thought, oh, man, he'd be a great, great addition. And then the the unknown. There's always that with Jim, honestly, the entire I said this at the top of the program, Daniel, that the entire conversation I've had with everybody over the last three weeks from the NFL or Michigan when they're guessing what's going to happen was always finished with the phrase with Jim, you never know. So with Jim, you never know. That said, crystal ball for me, what do you think he's going to bring that we just don't see or we can expect to the Chargers? You know, the, if you will, Clippers are in this town when it comes to football based on what the Rams have done.

And then just in this town where, you know, the Lakers and the Dodgers are at the top. And Jim, as you know, he's he's not just going to be quiet. He's going to make these comments every now and then that Los Angelinos might be like, huh, really from the Chargers coach. So what do you got for me on that front, Daniel? You know, I, I, I don't want to ever try and think for him or guess which way he's going to go because it's unpredictable.

The only thing I just keep thinking, it wouldn't surprise me. And I don't know how he would do it, how he would phrase it or what he would say. I would just say what stood out to me when he went to Stanford and he did not show any deference to USC. And USC was the king of the hill at that time. And there was no fear in that dojo. And they had they set their sights on them immediately.

Then you go to Michigan. Obviously, it didn't start out great against the rival. But that was always center of attention. It was well known that they had the, you know, the Ohio State drill.

They didn't call it that. But whatever drill they had where it was nine on seven, it was physical. And that was with Ohio State in mind. They were the bullseye. He put the bullseye on the Buckeyes and eventually he conquered that one as well. And then once they beat them a couple of times and he'd fallen short in the playoffs, they had a Georgia period because he was like, well, this is, you know, forget forget them in the Big Ten. We've got bigger goals here. So we need to prepare for this team and put the bullseye on them.

And then he ended up winning the whole thing. Nobody, I mean, and rightfully so. Nobody's dared say anything about the Kansas City Chiefs. They are getting ready to play in their sixth straight conference championship game. But I have a hard time thinking that Jim Harbaugh is going to go in there and say, you know what, guys, we're competing for the wild card. The Chiefs, they own this division.

Try and we're the little engine that could down here. He's going to put the bullseye. He's going to put the bullseye on him now. And everybody can laugh because I remember people laughed when he when he did that at Stanford. I remember when the story broke. I think Bruce Feldman might have broken about them having a Georgia period. And all the SEC people chuckled and laughed like, oh, Michigan thinks they can, you know, look, what's going to happen if they see the SEC?

Well, nobody's laughing. So that would be my guess. Whether or not that got out or whether or not he said it publicly. I just I feel like that's the that's the target. Yeah, I was kind of moving in that direction to start the show as well. The one that I hit, I'm wondering what you think is at some point, he might make some sort of offhanded remark at a podium about the stadium being filled with a lot of the opposing teams fans in there, you know, and just say, hey, I noticed, you know, we had a we had to get ready for the silent snap count, you know, and in our own building, you know, and, you know, we're we're we're doing our best here and, you know, we're we're we're keeping our head down, focused on the prize, attacking, you know, with an enthusiasm unknown to mankind. But, you know, be nice. Something like that.

I of that variation. Now, I think folks should get ready for that out here, too. I think that's I think that's a great point.

That would not surprise me at all. I've seen I've seen the number of Chargers fans since I've been doing that for six years. I've seen it increase just about every year now. At the end of last year, when it got away from them, it was it was not great. But prior to that, I'd seen, OK, they're making a dent.

They're growing. This is a chance for them with this move, I think, to to generate some enthusiasm and to generate some excitement and turn it into, you know, maybe less less a bowl game environment and more into a, you know, a true home home field environment. And before we turn to this weekend's games with you, Daniel, Jeremiah, one last one for you here not to turn you into you are insiders and not to turn you into Ian or Tom or or Garofalo here. But any sense who might be coming with Harbaugh from Michigan? Is Jesse Minter going to be the D.C. there?

What do you got for me? Well, if I'm going to try and jump inside Ian's head, let me just try and just know, oh, yeah, I like it right about here. Ladies and gentlemen, Daniel Jeremiah. Yeah, I think I think Jesse Mentor, Jesse Mentor would definitely be coming. So that would be I would be shocked if he's not coming.

I like it back up. Now you got to get up, get up, don't hurt your back. You got a long day ahead of you. So you think he's coming? He's coming. I do. I think that once you make the commitment that they made to Jim Harbaugh, I think that you're committed and you are. Hey, what's the number? What do we have to do for you to be successful?

You know, I would imagine that would have been number one on his list that that that has to get done. OK, let's talk about Sunday's games. The AFC Championship game will come down to what if you can boil it down? D.J., man, I to me, I think chiefs have to get turnovers. And again, the chiefs are so established and they are so good and defensively, they're great. I just when I look at the way the Ravens defense is playing right now, I don't see the chief scoring a ton of points.

They're suffocating everybody. And I don't think the chiefs can really stretch them like you would need to to loosen them up a little bit. So to me, they need to get turnovers and get some short fields and catch some of those. And I just think the Ravens defense, if you're having to drive 80 yards, the whole game, that's going to be tough to pile up points. But the chief defense is outstanding. And they've done if you watch them in the postseason, Rich, every single tackle, they are punching and pulling at the football, doing everything they can to force turnovers.

And they've made that a focus. I think they win if the chiefs win this game. I think now they win the turnover margin. They probably win it by a couple. That would be their formula.

How about that? OK. And then the NFC championship game. That's a tough one for Detroit.

I mean, it's such an incredible story and what they've done. But Rich, they've built their team to function in the middle of the field. Last week, you had Laporta and St. Brown, I think they combined for 17 catches.

Well, now that's Dre Greenlaw and that's Fred Warner. That's that's the real estate you're trying to compete in. That's going to be difficult. They're going to have to hit some plays on the outside and over the top against the 49ers. That's where they're vulnerable.

That's where you have to take your shots. That's not typically how they in Jared Goff individually likes to play. So they're going to have to get outside of their their normal realm a little bit to win this game, in my opinion. Well, and that's why I think it's a Jameer Gibbs game if they need to win, which is kind of crazy to sit here and say that, especially I just remember we're sitting there in Kansas City and the Lions are 12th on the clock and they draft Jameer Gibbs and there was like a whoa aspect of this thing. Look at him now, right? D.J., he's a great player.

He's a great player. And then this is a preview of the discussion we'll have as we're sitting next to each other for all those hours at the combine. But the running back position, the argument's been framed the wrong way, in my opinion, where it's do you take one in the first round? Do you not take one in the first round? Are they valuable?

Has it been devalued? No, it's timing. When you have when you have the quarterback in place and you've built up the lines and your team's ready to win. Sure. Take the quarterback in the first round, because every carry he gets matters when you're picking second or third and your team stinks and you don't have a left tackle and you don't have, you know, a quarterback's OK. Like taking the running back there, you're wasting two to three years of his six year run.

That doesn't make any sense. The Lions had the quarterback. They had the offensive line. They had all the key pieces, you know, in terms of the edge rushers that are expensive. And so, yeah, absolutely.

Take the running back. And he's been awesome. Yeah, exactly. But it's not it's not like he's a luxury. It turns out he could be a necessity. That's the thing about running backs that I always have an issue with.

And we're going to have this conversation again. Like you said, at the combine at the draft, the running backs aren't a luxury. They are a necessity. I mean, ask the Giants with what what what they need out of out of Saquon. Jonathan Taylor, when it all came down to it, after everything that happened in the summer and everything that happened in the first four weeks of the season, when it all came down to it in a win or go home game, the Colts kept handing him the football and he ran one in from midfield. Like, so these guys are necessities in games like this. D.J., no, no question, although I know there's a Colts fan saying I wish he was in on the last play of the game.

But that's exactly the point, right? I mean, so last one for you before I let you go. I'm going to keep asking you a question of this variation all the way up until we hear his name in Detroit. And it's probably the first one we're going to hear with Caleb Williams. The the selection of Shane Waldron to be the offensive coordinator in Chicago. Does that inform you at all of who the Bears are going to take first overall? I know you think it's Caleb Williams should be Caleb Williams.

What do you think now? Yeah, I don't know that there is a coordinator in terms of what Caleb can do physically. I don't think that you'd have to put him in a box and say he needs to play in this system from this, you know, from this tree, so to speak. I think he can do anything. So, yeah, I didn't it didn't it didn't lean me in one way or the other in terms of that being the reason why they're going with Caleb.

But just to me, I have not seen anything to dissuade me from the fact that that's what they will ultimately end up doing. All right. And you need to choose one for you before I send you on to your your day, sir.

Yes, sir. Who is more excited today? A Los Angeles Chargers fan or an Ohio State Buckeye fan?

Daniel, who's more excited today? Well, I can tell you my my dad grew up in Cedarville, Ohio, and is a lifelong Buckeye fan. Oh, I didn't know that. Oh, now I know where it comes from. Now I know where it comes from. I thought it was Appalachian State this whole time.

No, no. Well, that didn't carry down to me. I didn't I didn't really adopt Ohio State as my team. But the the and then he's you know, he's been in Southern California for 40 years and is a huge Charger fan. OK. And so to answer Jim's question, it's my dad. He is the one he's excited today.

All right. So which part which part is more excited? The Buckeye fan or I?

I would say the the like. I think the Chargers are going to be a playoff team this year. And there's a lot of roster building to be done. And I think eventually, you know, hopefully they get all the pieces in place to go chase a championship. I think the Buckeyes now have a good looking runway to try and win the whole thing. So I would imagine the Buckeyes had a wonderful celebration yesterday. Yeah, they're spending all that money on their team. And they got they got Jim now in the AFC West. And and we'll we'll see. Sharon Moore should be the coach, by the way.

By the way, real quick, Rich, I've been and I told you this before. I've I've been watching a ton of tape and I've seen a lot of Michigan. And I know all the guys they lost, but they've got the tackles. They've got they've got a tight end.

I mean, they've got that cupboard is not as bare as people are making it out to be. So don't don't punt on this season just yet. I'm not punting. I am not punting. You know what I am doing?

I am just living my best life, D.J. And I've got my coach here in this town now. And they're opening and the charges opening a facility across the street. Yeah.

Yeah. I'm going to run into him at Starbucks. It's going to be great. I love it.

Who's got it better than the whole whole milk, please? D.J., you're the best brother. I'll see you soon. See you, buddy. Daniel, Jeremiah, move the sticks right here on The Rich Eisen Show.

All right. Well, we're up against it. We've got to beat it on to break. And when we return, the Panthers have named a new head coach and it's kind of off the radar screen.

That's next. Whenever they have a shot of a head coat, the cutaway, the cutaway, we like to guess what that individual is like as a stepfather. Brockman, who's up first? Who do we have up first here? First up, Alabama head coach Nick Saban. What is he taking a look at Nick Saban? Nick Saban is the kind of stepfather that, regardless of how different he may seem to you in every single Christmas card photo, his hair has been the exact same since the since he married your mother. He's also the kind of stepfather that wears a dress pants and then a, you know, a white tank top undershirt all the time unless he leaves the house and then he puts on the dress shirt.

Former 49er head coach, current Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh. Be gentle here. You be having a conversation with him. You think it's going really great. And then he just all of a sudden gets a look on his face and he goes, what was that?

And your heart just goes into your throat and you think you've you've said something horribly wrong and you instantly start thinking about all the things that you could possibly be getting in trouble. Sure. Do we have Tom Sula? Yeah, we have a bonus one. You got Tom Sula?

I've got this one. What about your current non head coach? He is the kind of guy that we will be having a conversation with you and he'll never be looking at you. And he'll be going, how's your day? You got a good day and you start telling me how you do.

And then he'll always go, hey, honey, what's for dinner? No matter what you are talking about, you need to be bearing your soul. Can we try?

Yeah, you'd be bearing your soul. Yeah. So hold on a minute. So I'll be I'll be your stepson. OK, Richie, how was the day? That was great. Dad, let me tell you about what was going on. Hey, honey, have you seen the clicker? Where's the clicker?

This cracks me up, man, every time I see that. Back here on the Rich Eisen Show. OK, so the Carolina Panthers have named their coach. And I know there were some thoughts that maybe they'd go ahead and land Vrabel. Remember there was talk, even Harbaugh would go there. Obviously, that was that was one that that wasn't in the cards because he never interviewed there. Oh, Belichick, didn't you say Tom?

Tom won. Maybe if he were to write, if you were to pop free because David Tepper comes from the Steelers minority ownership group. And everybody thought they they they were going to wait for Ben Johnson to be free from the Lions, the offensive coordinator of the Lions, because they coveted him their last coaching search. And as you know, they've they've had many, many different coaches there since they bounced Ron Rivera. Well, Ron Rivera from the mold, if you will, of Tom Flores, because they're both of Mexican heritage, there's now a new head coach there of Mexican heritage. His name is Dave Canales. The offensive coordinator for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers is going to be the next head coach. Coach for the Carolina Panthers, and he will be the one. Charged with solving the Bryce Young puzzle, if there is such a thing. And so there you have it, Dave Canales.

Who is well known around these parts? Once upon a time, an offensive coordinator, he started off as the offensive coordinator, Carson High School and then El Camino College is where he started cutting his teeth as a special teams and tight ends coach and wound up landing on Pete Carroll's USC staff at the very end of Pete Carroll's run as an assistant strength coach. And at a crossroads of his life and career, whether he wanted to continue staying coaching, he and his wife decided to apparently stay the course of coaching, and Pete Carroll called and offered him a job on the Seahawks staff where he was the wide receiver coach for folks like Doug Baldwin and Jermaine Curse and Golden Tate when he was there for a while. He was the receiver coach from 2010 to 2017, then became the quarterback's coach, passing game coordinator, and was the quarterback's coach for Geno Smith's resurgent season. And that's when Todd Bull said, hey, I need someone to call plays down here for Baker Mayfield.

Are you interested? He said, yes, calling plays as a professional NFL coach for the first time. And you saw the results and clearly impressed the Tepper family enough to say you're the guy. A lifer who once upon a time before. He started really get sinking his teeth into coaching, sold cowboy boots.

Wow. Sticking with it, and now he's the head coach, the Carolina Panthers with. A very important task due for Bryce Young, what you were doing, obviously for Baker Mayfield. And then obviously it also would mean, well, can you get Mike Evans and Godwin around here?

You know, that would help. That's the problem, too, is it's not just obviously the reason why Bryce Young might not have looked as great as C.J. Stroud is. You know, let's get him a Nico Collins, let's get him. You know, some weapons, but they got him the guy who just turned the Tampa Bay Buccaneers offense into something. That a lot of folks didn't see coming. And that's the same thing you could say about Dave Canales as coach of the Carolina Panthers.

So that's breaking news, hour two coming up with Rashee Rice to Kansas City. So, I mean, I don't know what to make of it. I've never met Dave Canales.

I've never had much of a conversation with him and I. But the Tepper families, let's go get him. To be fair, Adam Phelan low key had no decency. I'm not saying the cover was totally bare, but I mean, you know. But not Mike Evans, right?

No, absolutely not. I honestly don't know what to make of it. It's one of those things again.

Hey, is he going to is he going to be the next genius coordinator to turn into a head coach who can handle everything, the locker room, personalities, challenge coaches, challenges, OTAs, get your staff that's going to be equally as young and dynamic. Clock management. And that's the whole thing.

Do you do that? You pay someone a little less than what you would have to pay somebody like Vrabel or Belichick. And I keep on turning to what we just saw with the Milwaukee Bucks. They're like, we've got a team that can win right now. And let's get Adrian Griffin in the 43 games.

And despite winning 30 of those, 43 go, well, he's not it. Let's get the guiding hand. Let's get the more veteran hand. But the Panthers aren't ready to win now. Right.

So you'll be development key. Mina Khan's great tweet right now. Baker Mayfield played the fastest he played in of his career and the lowest sack rate since 2018. Obviously important for Bryce Young. And obviously, how did Geno Smith look as with analysis as quarterback? Great comeback player of the year. Rasheed Rice coming up.