Andrew Whitworth: Will The 49ers Lean On The Run Game?

This is the Rich Eisen Show. It's Mahomes' world we're paying rent.

Absolutely. Live from the Rich Eisen Show studio in Los Angeles. Niners fans are saying we can stop the conversation and yes you can. You've got to take Mahomes and put his ass on the turf. Earlier on the show, Fox Sports Broadcaster Kevin Burkhardt. Prime Video Thursday Night Analyst Andrew Whitworth. Coming up, CBS Sports Broadcaster Jim Nance. Raiders Head Coach Antonio Pierce. And now, it's Rich Eisen. Alright, it is our number two, day number two of Super Bowl Week. And as soon as we are done with this show, we're all heading to the airport and we are taking off for Las Vegas, Nevada and our show emanates from the Super Bowl experience over the next three days.

844-204 Rich is the number to doubt. Great chat now, our number one with the voice of the NFL on Fox. The man who called the 49ers divisional comeback win over Green Bay and NFC championship game comeback win over the Lions. Kevin Burkhardt of Fox just left. Jim Nance will be joining us in about 20 minutes time. But let's go right now to, I believe he is zooming in from Las Vegas, Nevada. A good friend of the program. Does this show quite frequently. He was also the guest of Suzy and Amy on What the Football a couple of weeks ago.

From Prime Video, courtesy of Mattel Creations. Good to see you, Andrew Whitworth, how are you? Rich, what's going on baby? I'll be waiting on you at the baggage claim, man. Come on, let's go. You know what, you know Andrew, you touched upon a subject matter that I was planning on touching upon later on. It's a very, very touchy subject, checking a bag when you're going on a group trip. Andrew, I don't do those things. I carry on and that's so, you won't see me at baggage claims, sir. Certainly not at that airport.

Well, here's the good news, Rich. You know, not to get off subject, but my very first job as an analyst with Amazon last year, the Chiefs Chargers, I actually forgot all my bags at the airport. So I was the teammate that we pulled up to the hotel and they said, all right, everyone get your bags out. And I realized I never got them from the airport. So I had to go all the way back in my first road trip as an analyst. So I, you know, I really had it mastered from the jump. So hold on a second. You in your first road trip, I believe, was that to Kansas City last year? Was that your first?

Kansas City Chargers. You know, it's the whole deal. Rich, you show up, you're excited.

I saw Kaylee and Carissa and Ryan, I'm like, oh, it's everybody likes to start group. Got to talking, I got in the car. Not only did I check a bag, I also had a carry on that I just flat out left while I was grabbing a coffee. So I had to get an Uber. Best part is, here it is, Rich, you don't tell on yourself.

So I got to the hotel, I got in an Uber, I went back to the airport and I searched for all my bags and then took an Uber back to the hotel. And nobody knew but Carissa for a while. You didn't tell anybody, huh? Okay, except Carissa. I get it. So hold on a second.

Last one. Is that because you NFL guys don't handle your own baggage? You just thought somebody would just do it for you, Andrew, in media? Well, you know her. I'm pretty sure she was like, first time you've ever actually had to go through the airport. I was like, yeah, exactly. You know, we're used to getting bussed out to the tarmac, you know, with a store bag on the plane.

So a little spoiled. That's all it was, Rich. You just need to travel it out where you don't touch your bag once. You know what I'm saying?

That's the thing. You got to go on air out. Air out, baby.

Air out, baby. Well, good to see you, Andrew Whitworth. Let's just jump right into it. Super Bowl 58 will come down to what? I think really you look at it for the Chiefs. It seems like Amy Reid has really been a game plan guy these last three weeks in the playoffs. It's like every week he's kind of had a true plan of how he was going to attack the specific team.

And we've talked about it. I think you and I a couple weeks ago about just him different usage of his personnel and things like that offensively using more tight ends and that. But it's also been a shift in the run game. They've gone from being this zone football team to a pool power countered lead tight team. And it's been dramatic. I mean, they've gone from being leading by outside zone, inside zone to this team where we're going to pull our line and we're going to get them in space.

And we're going to create holes that way. And it has been electric for this offense. They've run the ball better than they have all seasons last couple weeks.

So I think that's going to be the key. Can the Niners stop the run for them so that you eliminate all the eliminate all those opportunities from a home to do things with you when they're moving the change? And then on the Niners side, will you lean on the run game? I mean, Kyle Shanahan and two Super Bowl appearances, zero points in the fourth quarter, heavily, heavily pass, you know, all leaning towards throwing the ball a lot, not running it much.

Will he lean on the run game? That's the one weakness the Chiefs have shown defensively is they have not stopped the run well. So when you were preparing to take on the Niners in an NFC championship game where the Rams were back in your day, Andrew, what were you looking at that you think the Chiefs might be looking at right now to exploit in this game? I think it's a different team. I mean, when we played them, you know, really a couple of years ago, I thought they were really good against the run. But this year, for whatever reason, they've started to struggle a little bit, especially here in this playoffs to stop the run game.

Maybe just trying to create, hey, we don't want to give up any explosives is their mentality. But you look at it, they haven't played as well as you would think they would in the playoffs. They've come back in all these games to find ways to win, which really says a lot about the job Brock Bertie's done to bring them back. But I think this team's much different in their style and how they played. And so I think to me, the physicality is the big thing you thought about when you played that team is they just play with an energy and a physicality that's rare. But this Chiefs team has played exactly like that all playoffs long.

And that's why I think this game is going to be awesome because there's going to be a lot of energy and a lot of physical play on both sides of football. What did you think of Andrew Whitworth, Nick Bosa's quote when asked about what he sees on film from the you're laughing, the Chiefs offensive lineman, quote, they hold a lot, end quote. What did you think of that? Listen, I got paid for 16 years to hold people rich.

It was great. All we are is linemen. Listen, linemen are just high paid bouncers. OK, keep you out of the door. That's our job. We're not letting you in the door.

So I don't care. Call it a hold. Call it a grab.

Say I fell down in front of you. If you don't get to the quarterback, I win. So that's all I worried about. And so I think for the Chiefs linemen, they don't care. Say whatever you want, Bosa. We're going to stop you from getting there. And that's the only thing we care about.

They hold a lot. That's I mean, that was funny. You got to give them credit for that, right? Hey, Nick's awesome. I love it. He's got a great dry wit about him. I thought that was awesome.

I mean, that's the only thing he saw. So that said, in all seriousness, are you concerned about the tackles for the Chiefs? I will say it's going to be a big part of the game, but I think just as big as if Joe and he's not in there, you know, really the ability of Jevon Hargrave.

Can he can he really make an impact on this game? Because you think about it like Nick Bosa, the guy, the way he wins is a lot of power, hand swipe stuff where he's going to close these edges. But if he's going to be closing these edges, that's what makes the Niners rush special. If Jevon Hargrave can create pressure in the middle, you know, against Nick Allegretti, I think that that's a big part of condensing that pocket on the homes and not giving him space to get out. And so that will be an emphasis for this 49ers D line.

And if they can get that done, they'll they'll win the Super Bowl because that that's really going to be the thing to tell the story. The only Super Bowl we've seen Patrick Mahomes losing played in. He was missing both his tackles and was under pressure a lot. And so they've got to find a way to create pressure if they want to be able to stop Mahomes. And that said, one of the reasons why the Chiefs are in this game, Andrew Whitworth, is because the defense of the Chiefs has been so special. And Steve Spagnolo pulled his spags bag of tricks out on Lamar Jackson. So what do you think he's got cooked up for Brock Purdy in this game to speed him up and get him seeing some ghosts, maybe? Yeah, I think the interesting part will be really the discipline that the Niners use offensively. I thought really look at that Detroit game, even as bad as it went early, they never really deviated from who they are and the system they run.

And in this game, I think it'd be similar. Spags is going to have a plan for how he's going to stop this offense at the beginning of the game. And are the Niners going to commit to being able to run the football and run it successfully? Because that's how you're going to beat this team, build it off the run, play actions off of that, and then take your opportunities to get back in gun and use it as you move the football and get those chains moving. But they've got to get the change moving first. So I think Spags is going to have a plan for all these motions and shifts and how they're going to defend Devo. But it's going to be a challenge because this is much different than the teams they've played. Now you're really dealing with, hey, we can try to eliminate a receiver in Brandon IU, but then there's the other receiver in Devo Samuel who is dynamic with the football in his hands at every level of the field, whether it's running routes or in the backfield getting the football as well.

That's a big challenge for a defensive coordinator, really have to defend it on all levels. So it's prediction time, Andrew. What do you have for me on this front? You know, I had this conversation with you just a couple weeks ago. I'm tired of picking against my holmes, but I guess I'm just going to keep doing it. I just maybe I'm a good luck charm for him because I just say every week they're not winning and every week they win.

So I'm going to do it again. I just think the Niners weapons, this is their opportunity. This game sets up how they should be able to win a football game. The Chiefs haven't been as good this season. They've struggled at moments. They've been on fire the last few weeks. But the Niners, I think, have not played as well in the playoffs as we've seen them play in the regular season.

And they're due to have a big night. So I'm going 49ers. You haven't learned is what you're saying. You have not learned.

No, but maybe it's on purpose at this point. You know, that's at least what I'm selling. That's what I'm telling Patrick and Travis and those guys when I see them when they're like, hey, you picked against us all year. We won the Super Bowl.

I was like, hey, listen, I was doing it to help you guys. It worked. Yeah, but they don't buy that.

They don't buy that at all. I know. OK, what's the score? What score do you have?

What's your final score? Oh, man, that's a good one. You know, I think you're really putting me on it today. It's Super Bowl week. Let's go step up. That's right. I'm going to go 24-20, San Francisco 49ers. OK, Chris, what does that mean?

That's exactly what Scott Van Pelt did. That's Niners cover in the under. OK. When you say those things, those mean something to the Vegas people. I don't know what it means. It means I'm going to make a ton of money. OK, very good.

Didn't know that. That's what it means. So what are you doing for Mattel Creations and Fisher-Price? Andrew, what's your score? Oh, baby, second year in a row, Rich. My kids are going to love me. Little People collector's sets, baby. The Niners and the Chiefs, Little People's collector's sets.

That is cool. You can you can go on Mattel Creations dot com, put in an order for your team who you think's winning. If your team loses, you get refunded. But if your team wins, you get a Super Bowl 58 collection set that you can keep forever for your kids, for you. It's great memorabilia.

But hey, you were talking about lines, overs, unders. I don't understand that either. What I do understand is, if you want to find something to help you make your bet. Right now, the Chiefs are leading at Mattel Creations dot com in the orders that have been placed. The highest percentage is leaning towards the Chiefs, 60 percent. So I don't know what all measurements you guys are using to make your pick, but as of Mattel Creations dot com, the Chiefs are ahead.

So you can go to Mattel Creations dot com, preorder your collection set. So the Chiefs set includes, wait a minute, I have it here, Mahomes, Travis Kelsey, Le'Jarius Sneed is in there as well. Yeah, come on, baby.

Is it is it is it true that Caderius Toney was in that set and he's now no longer in that set? Is that is that is that wrong? Did I just did that? Wow.

Is that? Yeah. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm just yeah.

They dropped him. OK. Didn't know. All right.

Fred Warner, Purdy and McCaffrey. I like it. And both sets include a superfan. This is cool, man. Can we get to the super? Come on. It's really fun. I love it. I actually have you know, I have one they made me last year after doing this with a sports coat and a hoodie.

The kids keep in their room. It's pretty special. Oh, yeah. Cool. I would take one of those. I would take one of those. I think they will take notice that you said that I would definitely I would take I would definitely take take one of those. And I wouldn't leave it at the airport either.

I would take it. What a story, man. That's unbelievable.

Unbelievable. I know tell anyone you you know, you football players just don't you know, you just you just show up and you just think people will do stuff for you. You know what I mean, Andrew? What can I tell you? We're spoiled. What do you want me to know? Oh, you are not.

I hold and I can't take care of myself. Andrew, you're the best man. Thanks for a great season coming in studio.

Hanging with Susie and Amy as well on what the football. And I look forward to having you back all the time and seeing you here in L.A. You too, man. OK, Andrew, I'll see you in Vegas. Thanks again.

You are the best as well. Andrew Whitworth of Prime Video, Thursday Night Football, Super Bowl champion, Walter Payton, Man of the Year, says Mattel Creations dot com is the spot to preorder your collector set. So you order one, you get refund. Wouldn't you still want the collector set even if your team loses? What, you're out? Yeah, I kind of want it. Wouldn't you want it?

But it's you know, it's like those T-shirts of the non winning, you know, the team that don't win the Super Bowl. Oh, OK. All right. So you just ship it out overseas? Yeah. So OK. He said that comes with a super fan, right?

And yes, I mean, I don't know who's coming in. No, I guess it's just a small collect, you know, item that looks like a super fan. So the Swift is not in the Chiefs one? I don't believe so.

The ones in the Chiefs one are Mahomes, Travis Kelce and Lageria Sneed. Well, they made an error in judgment there. I don't know.

You know, I mean, I'm guessing she didn't license her. Well, again, one should have had a little foot on the line. Was that wrong? Is it hashtag too soon?

I mean, all right, let's take a break. Jim Nance, everybody. Jim Nance calling the Super Bowl will join us next. This is the Rich Eisen show prior to us heading to Las Vegas. It's about just finding whatever the new buzzword happens to be. BiggerPockets real estate podcast on YouTube or wherever you listen.

Each day, America in the morning, the podcast available wherever you listen. I don't know how to really accept it. I mean, through my entire career, you can't say Travis Kelce without Alex Smith. I mean, he's been my quarterback.

He's been the guy that's arguably, I owe a lot of my success to him. You know, so it's going to be awkward going into a huddle, like I said, with anybody but Alex. But I know Pat is ready for the opportunity. He's he's he's taking a lot of a lot of mental reps and a lot of notes from Alex and how this thing should be ran.

Alex ran into it to an absolute T this this past season. And, you know, obviously everyone's excited to see what he can do. We had Chris Harris of the Broncos on game day morning in the playoffs. And he said when he was looking at film of Mahomes and he played a couple of series against him. Yeah. He says this kid's got some serious ability. The Broncos said that. Yeah.

Have you seen anything of that note yet? Without a doubt. I mean, what he what he does in practice is it's fun to watch him in practice because kind of he's on the scout team, kind of just being a backyard quarterback, throwing it all every way imaginable. You can think of sidearm underhand, putting the ball anywhere on the field. So it was definitely fun watching him in that regard. And when he played against the Broncos, I mean, he he had a lot of footballs where he put it right on the money. And then in crucial times and crucial moments.

So, I mean, it's it's like I said, it's going to be exciting to see where you can go with it because it's the expectation is definitely high. Update. Not on the scout team anymore. Back 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. And a friendly reminder, as Jim Nance is about to join us on this program, you can also listen to Super Bowl 58 for free by streaming it. Like you've been streaming all NFL on Westwood one games all season long for free all season long. Hopefully you've been listening to every Westwood Run broadcast of the NFL live on the NFL app by asking Alexa to open Westwood one sports on your Westwood one affiliate station digital platforms, all sponsored by AutoZone.

Kevin Harlan and Kurt Warner will have the call by. You can listen to it again for free. Get in the zone with AutoZone.

AutoZone's free battery testing and charging is available for free at your local AutoZone. Restrictions apply. Get in the zone AutoZone. I do not take this for granted at all that I'm able to call him a friend and have him join us on this program the Tuesday before calling a Super Bowl. Always appreciative of having the great Jim Nance on The Rich Eisen Show streaming.

As you can see right now from Las Vegas. Good to see you, Jim. Hello, my friend. It's great to be with you, Rich.

Tradition unlike any other for the big events. And I love being with you. Your name came up yesterday. I just have to give a great public shout out here.

Unsolicited by you. But you were doing those games over in Europe. Play by play this season. And you were working with a CBS production team.

That's correct. These are all all friends, colleagues, great, great friends of mine. Everybody universally came back talking about how much they enjoyed working with you and everyone from NFL Network. A huge legion of fans over here for all of you.

And of course, they were aware that we're pals, but you had a lot of new friends that came out of those experiences in Germany and the U.K. So congratulations. Thank you, Jim.

And again, you were you're so kind to pass that along. And the feeling is completely mutual. I mean, you know, when you're you're you're endeavoring a broadcast, it is a team effort. And then when you're in this particular instance, when you're flying to a different continent to do it, there's a certain, you know, there's a certain togetherness that you need in order to have something work.

And I felt the same way about all of the CBS colleagues and always have working on Thursday Night Football. First time I met you was it was at the U.S. Tennis Center when you were coming out as, you know, I guess just a fan going to watch some tennis when I was doing the late night show on CBS, the the the highlight show that used to exist. I still have my jacket.

I still have my blazer. It fits. Where is it? Is it in the master bedroom closet? It's actually I think it's in our closet right here at work, I think. Is it here? I think so.

I don't know. But I also notice they've they've upgraded like you and Roma are wearing like the parkas. I like that with the logo right there.

I mean, they've got they've got the whole thing working now, Jim. We were in a blizzard in Buffalo back to back weekends. We had to put on the parka. I mean, it was that was rough sledding.

That was before the wildcard game against Pittsburgh. I came in in advance, a day in advance to get out in front of the storm. And then, of course, the game got pushed back a day and there was this tribal travel ban. And unless you were a necessary worker, you you had you were not allowed on the roads three days without leaving the hotel. We're in a little boutique hotel that did a great job. The Reichert house. They kept some personnel because they couldn't get home. And it was like being in a private home as they cook for us. Three meals. But yeah, we needed the parkas, man.

No parkas this week, though, indoors. I love it. I love it, Jim.

It's great. And you're you probably called more Brady games than other human on planet Earth. That's not even close. Right.

Not even close. OK, it's over 100. This was actually researched one time by Stacy James, the great PR man for the for the Patriots. And when I eclipsed a hundred, he fed this information to the Boston Globe. And second most all time, I believe, was out at fifty nine was the number.

But I was over 100. So surprisingly. Yeah, that was the second. No. Yeah.

So you're the perfect person to ask. Are you getting a sense of deja vu with the Chiefs again? I mean, is this does it look similar to what we're seeing right now from this in terms of a dynasty? Yes. Yeah. I mean, when you're talking four out of five years and you have a chance to match up something that they did, you know, three or four, go back to back the first franchise since New England to win consecutive Super Bowls, you bet.

I made it. It definitely is taking on the same characteristic. A star generational quarterback. I mean, yeah, it's a coach that is the first ballot legend and Hall of Famer and Andy. So, yeah, that's there's some similarities. And I'm just grateful they've landed in our conferences.

We're primarily the AFC Network. And we've had a chance to see and document these stories. How have you watched him grow up? Mahomes, Jim, how has he changed in that way? I think I my first thought when you ask that because I've been asked that before is that he hasn't changed. Now, naturally, he's grown up over the course of the six years as a starting quarterback, but he's grounded. He's got a wonderful way about him. He's respectful to people. And I don't think he's changed all that much. I mean, listen, we're talking about a guy who has now become a father twice over, you know, family man with a great family. And but his playing is the same, his ability to lead. We saw that right out of the box. So I don't think I don't see anything about him that, wow, I remember how it used to be.

No, this is kind of what it's been since twenty eighteen when he got the starting job. It's truly amazing what he and what he can do now to go back to back and that the last time we saw back to back Super Bowls, thirty eight and thirty nine. Thirty eight being the last one for CBS. You did not call you were you were doing the pregame because I remember I had you and Dion and Boomer and everybody on NFL Total Access in our first ever Super Bowl in the history of NFL Network. So this is your seventh Super Bowl that you're calling, Jim, if I'm correct. I hosted it twice and you gave the Lombardi Trophy away on those two occasions. And I've given it away these times that I've called the game to. I've made the march down from the from the booth currently with a lot of assistance and got down to the field through the blizzard of confetti, as they say. And I've been there for that incredible coronation when the trophy is presented.

So, yeah, it goes fast, man. This is nine overall for me. Seven play by plays.

And I am due, Rich, for a close one. I don't mean to laugh, but what what is the history here? What do you got? Well, you want history?

I'll give you a few things. I'll give you I'll give you that riveting Patriot Rams game in Atlanta, which was Super Bowl fifty three. I think it was what?

Thirteen to three finals. And there was one snap the entire game in the red zone. One one. It was a two yard touchdown run by Sony Michelle. It was set up with a scene pass down the field to Gronkowski. Got tackled at the two the next play.

They punched it across. They never saw inside the twenty the rest of the game. And the Rams never saw it the entirety of the game. That was three nothing, I believe, going to the third quarter.

So we're due. And then we had the can't miss Mahomes Brady matchup, the covid game, the covid Super Bowl. And that was one sided. That wasn't great.

But yeah, you know what? I'm actually being a little unfair here. The Saints in the Colts game, which was Drew Brees greatest moment, greatest triumph, was a seven point game, thirty one twenty four. And the Ravens forty Niners Harbaugh Bowl was the three point game with the Niners having four throws into the end zone from the five in the last two minutes to try to win it. All were incompletions.

Three of them were incompletions directed toward Michael Crabtree. That was a good game. But, you know, I'm looking for a field goal at the end of this one, you know, something like that. I'll take the Hail Mary if somebody wants to give it to us.

We'll take that, too. But I'm ready. I'm tired of being a number of times into the fourth quarter and in the fill material and actualizing and big picture and all this stuff. I want to be locked in on the next chapter. That is the next play.

I love it. And but but let's let's also how it all started. Your first ever Super Bowl call. Your first ever Super Bowl kick. Right. Was, if I'm not mistaken. Devin Hester.

Yeah. The only the one and only opening kickoff return for a touchdown in Super Bowl history. It's a record I'm rather proud of. Rich, I when I'm not doing the game, you know, we get it every third year. It's about to go to every fourth year. I root for the opening touchback, you know, opening kick touchback. OK, we got another year out of this bad boy. So I'll be thinking of that on Sunday when we see the opening. It'll keep going. That's honestly, though, Jim, I'll never forget that moment, because when the Bears were receiving the whole stadium, everybody was thinking there's no way they are going to kick this ball to Devin Hester. There's no chance they're going to do that. And how rare is it, Jim?

And you would obviously know better than anybody, anybody that when there's a moment that everybody is watching collectively as a country, thinking it would be amazing if this happens. And it never does. The expectations never met. They kicked it to him and he returned it. I'll never forget that.

Never. The last thing that left my lips as Vinatieri was was Adam was putting the ball on the tee, was setting up Hester and his his ability and and as he's now approaching the ball, I said, and the Colts have had a difficult time all season long covering kicks. They kick it down to the eight yard line. And then, you know, Devin took off and got past the first wave is what I said.

And here he goes, you know, and he was gone. The thing I loved about it the most rich was it was perfect symmetry with the first play I ever saw in my life, which was the Saints first ever game in franchise history, September the 17th, 1967 at the old Tulane Stadium. They took on the Los Angeles Rams. I was eight years old.

I was there with my father. I'd never been to an NFL game. And again, it's the Saints first game. And the opening kick was returned for a touchdown by a player named John Gilliam, 94 yards for New Orleans for the touchdown. And to have that as my first play and then my first play calling the game goes the distance. My life was coming full circle and I was grateful for that.

Jim, I love that. Before I let you go, what what's going to go through your your head and your your heart, your chest? You're sitting there. It's what?

I guess 318 local time in Las Vegas, 618 Eastern. What's going to happen on Sunday for you, Jim? Going to get lost in the game.

Listen, we've done 21 broadcasts this season. It's been a wonderful season with Tony and Tracy and our crew. I just wanted to feel like it always feels the camaraderie, the chemistry.

I just want to get lost in the game. I'm going to be very excited. The fact that my children are going to be at the game. That includes, believe it or not, I have an eight year old son who's the same age. His first Super Bowl is at the age of eight, which was my age when I went to my first ever game.

The one I mentioned, the aforementioned Saints debut. So he's eight. He's going to have a memory seared into his brain. That's important to me. And I'm just going to hope he's having a great time and I hope to be watching it with a very well prepared week for me. And I hope to see the joy and the gift of this game through a child's eyes.

My son. That's beautiful, Jim. As always, you are just one of one, man. I really appreciate the time here.

You bet. And I can't wait to watch it. And and literally, you already know there's no way there could be any bigger surprise or throw a figurative curveball your way more than, say, the moment in Buffalo between the Chiefs and the Bills when they show a cutaway of Taylor Swift's suite.

And instead, you see a shirtless yelling, beer holding Jason Kelsey. That has to be way up there in terms of your having a curveball thrown your way in the history of your career. That was priceless. We also had the great moment, though, at the end of the game. I think great moment. It wasn't a great moment for the Bills mafia that I absolutely admire. Under the degree, but the kick with a minute and a half to go that went wide right. You just never know what's going to happen. And although I will say this, I really felt like had he made it, it was still going to be the Chiefs in the end because it was way too much time left for Patrick with two timeouts. You got but they were going to win it anyway, I feel like.

But yeah. Hey, listen, it's it's hard to believe there's only been now there's the fifty eight game. I've been the nine of them. That's that's not lost on me.

This is this is as big as it gets. And my heart is overflowing with gratitude. That's all I can tell you right now is the people that have had that chance. There's very few of us who have, and I'm grateful to be able to have it one more time. Well, hopefully more after this, too.

And of course, no question about it. And so let's we're rooting for at the beginning a touch back so we can continue this. No, that's OK. As long as as long as the opening kick happens on return, it happens on my watch. OK, I'm fine. It's next year.

I'm looking for the touch back. My bad. I will make that note. You know, when we don't have the Super Bowl, we we get we go through the AFC Championship.

Yes. And, you know, I look at the rosters for the Super Bowl. The first thing I want to look at is how strong a leg to the two kickers taking off.

But I want that record to hold up. There's two people that are watching that with a lot of concern. Me and Devin Hester.

That's right. You got that in common. Oh, my gosh, Jim, you're the best to have a great broadcast. I truly appreciate it. You'd be well with your pal on behalf of all of us at CBS. Thank you for being such a great pro and a friend to so many. Oh, that means the world.

You have no idea. You're the man. Thanks, Jim.

You'd be well. That's Jim Nance. Great Jim Nance right here on the show. How about that?

Congratulations. Oh, well, I mean, when you're on the road in Germany and London and you're calling a game that, you know, the rest of the world is going to be watching. Seriously, literally, you know, because our broadcast is. Shown locally and then.

Back home and. You know, and you don't know a lot of these folks personally, just thrown together, you want to go out there and. And meet and hang out and imbibe, you know, it's the truth, especially if it's going to be on the NFL's dime. You know, I'll have another, you know, but still, I mean, that says a lot about you as a person, bro. Like, you know, a lot of people and you're a lot of people aren't nice. Let's just be honest. And so for him, Jim Nance, of all people, it was that compliment that something to be. Well, first of all, Jim is a prince, too.

You know, that speaks to him to pass that along. But also. The Dolphins Chiefs game. Was the weekend of NFL Network's 20th anniversary.

So here I am. You know, 20 years after launching this network in Germany, hanging with a crew from CBS, an NFL partner, which would have been a dream. Are you kidding me? When we launched NFL Network, OK, we're going to have a game. Partners of the NFL are going to argue.

Well, I mean, the NFL tells a partner this is what we prefer. But honestly, though, that they that we are part of their world and there with ours, it was kind of a fascinating cross-section. I had a touch of the Vermeil, like literally every word out of my mouth, I started tearing up in front of the whole crew. And they were awesome. They were awesome. And we watched games together and.

It was it was pretty cool. I mean, you bond when you work together on a crew that was so nice of Jim to pass that along. He is, as I said, one of one calling the game with Romo. I believe it's his third with Romo. Third Super Bowl with Romo.

And by the way, cosine on the tight finish. That would be great. His first Super Bowl call is Devin has to return. That was the Prince halftime show. We were talking about 17th anniversary was over the weekend. Seventeen. How's that much time? Seventeen years.

Wow. Since that one. And again, our first Super Bowl, we were in Houston, which is, you know, obviously Jim's town. And he was the the host of the CBS.

Pregame show. And that was huge for us when we were doing total access. And then we had Jim Boomer Dion. Together. And that was wild. Having all of them together just meant so much to us.

We make sure I get the I got all of them correct. It really meant so much to us that they were all with us. Yeah, it was Marino Dion and Boomer and Nance. And Greg Gumbel and Sims called that game. And and and then Jim did all the Super Bowls on CBS since this is his seventh. That was a blast.

He's the best. Don't take it for granted. Now, let's take a break and I'm going to go see if the CBS jacket is in the back. I don't because it's not there.

I don't know where it is, which is freaking me out right now. You pulled it out. You brought it out about two years ago.

I can't. Well, I brought it when when NFL Network and CBS started doing the NFL Thursday night together. We had an event in New York where our crew and the CBS crew all got together in the off season and held our preseason symposiums together. I wore my jacket to that one. I thought it was when Suzy made you clean out the closet. And maybe that, too.

It may have been one of the many like that. You know where that would look good? Not here. All right. Let's take a break. Eight, four, four, two or four, rich number. T.J. has got a great top five when we come back.

Antonio Pierce from Vegas in hour three. It's kind of difficult to describe to people who were unfamiliar with it, as you might have been. I have. Yes, I have met. He's one of my heroes. Oh, is that right? That's true. I root for that team, even though I've never lived there. Yes.

I think he is just phenomenal to watch. Apropos of nothing. But I was going to talk about the season finale of Barry. Yes. And you were talking about the season finale.

And I was hoping Patrick was in it. Next time you come on. Yes. We'll make sure Mahomes is on the phone.

We'll do that. Truly. You like him that much. I think that his ability is such a cut above. He is so passionate in the way he plays.

Yes. He is so improvisorial in the way he plays. He is so sure. I just think it is instinctually great, actually. OK, well, he now knows that. And we will make sure that we'll make this happen. Yeah.

It would be my listen. Yes. Patrick. Hi.

He does. We can. How are you listening? Can I just say, no, Patrick is listening. I'd like to you know, we make a great chicken stuff with ricotta and spinach. Yes.

With an unbelievable reduction. It can be yours if you're here in L.A. Well, the Chiefs come play the Chargers, right? The Chiefs play the Chargers.

We'll make this happen. Those guys are good, too. Yeah, they are. They're good quarterbacks.

They are not my home. That is correct. Oh, my gosh. All of Henry Winkler's appearances.

YouTube dot com slash Rich Eisen show. OK, look at what I got on. Hold on a minute. Hold on.

Hold on. Back on the Rich Eisen show for the radio audience. I did find my CBS sports blazer that was given to me when I worked for CBS in the summer of 2003, four and five. And I'm pleased to say it fits with a sweater underneath as well. What do you think? Do I look full CBS or what?

Hello, Frank. On fleek. Thank you very much.

I am on fleek. I am. Is that John Miller? That is John Miller. Remember when he came in here and he was in shorts? He was wearing a Hawaiian shirt and sandals. I know, in shorts and sandals. He's like, oh, we're on TV. Squad goals.

That's right. He was fantastic. We got to get him back. I miss him. He had an A plus appearance.

I miss him. That's funny. Game time tickets, everybody. Get the game time app on your mobile device near you immediately and get yourself a ticket to the big game. And if you do that, one hundred dollars off when you use the code Vegas one hundred. I've been telling you about game time for quite some time. It's the fast and easy way to buy tickets for events near you.

Football, basketball, baseball, concerts, comedy, theater and more. The game time guarantee gets you the best price every time. And the guesswork's totally removed out of buying tickets with game time because you get all in prices.

You get to see the view from your seat. And right now, all game time users get one hundred dollars off a big game ticket with the code Vegas one hundred. Restrictions apply. Visit GameTime.co for terms. Just download the game time app and use the code VEGAS100 for one hundred dollars off a big game ticket. Or if you're not going to the game, use the code Rich for twenty dollars off your first purchase. Download game time today.

Last minute tickets, lowest price guaranteed. Boom. Thank you. Appreciate that.

Guys, I mean, this is that looks good. This means you know what this means. I'm a fine wine. And also I was a. I don't know. You've kept your playing weight. Why am I playing weight? It's just I'm buttoning a jacket that's under with a sweater underneath it.

Which means maybe I needed to let this out a little bit a long time ago. I don't know. This mean you're running a five nine. What are we talking?

I'm feeling good, brother. What can I tell you? Are we talking about? I don't know. All right.

But that's not it's not until April. So, TJ, you have a top five. I do. What's your top five? Well, J. Philly. What in the world is in that bag? What you got in that bag? All right. Hit that theme music.

What do you guess? You stepped in the room. Listen, Rich. On Thursday, February the 8th, as you know, during NFL honors, the twenty twenty four class will be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Yes, sir. You'll be there, right?

I will be there. So that kind of made me think. And I know MMA does this one in addition to inducting individual fighters and people who contribute to the sport. They also induct individual fights.

OK. And that made me think, man. So I dug into the big ass grab bag and I decided I was going to give you five NFL games throughout history that I feel the Pro Football Hall of Fame should induct. So if they were inducting contests, games, individual games.

Yes. These are the top five that you would induct. These are five playoff games or all time games.

Any time there's been a toe meeting football. Any time, Rich. All right. I have a copy of games. All right. So the first game I got starts in nineteen sixty eight. Oh boy.

A little bit. And it's the Heidi game. We're OK. Raiders beat the Jets forty three to thirty two now. Sixty five seconds left in the game. The Jets kick a field goal to go up thirty to twenty nine over the Raiders. The Jets kick off and then the movie Heidi starts just out of nowhere because NBC decided that no matter what, at seven p.m., they were going to start the movie Heidi. Imagine millions of Americans just assumed that the Jets won the game, which they did not because the Raiders came back.

That's what that did is it changed a bunch of television rules. Now, you know, you're not allowed to cut away from from games. And I know as a jet fan, you probably wish that they weren't even alive yet. Yeah.

So you can't really be too mad about it. But the Heidi game was just such a big moment in football, especially with television that feel like that game should be remembered and inducted into the Hall of Fame. Also, nineteen seventy two down seven to six with twenty two seconds left. Terry Bradshaw's pass intended for French Fuqua bounces off of Jack Tatum's helmet and it's plucked out of the air by Franco Harris.

He runs 60 yards for a touchdown. And so the immaculate reception is born. This was voted the most famous play in football history, if I'm not mistaken. And I know that this game is very well deserved to be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

OK, next we have nineteen seventy five. OK, when I close my eyes and I threw the ball, I said to Hail Mary, Roger Starbuck. I think the Hail Mary game between the Cowboys and the Vikings deserves to be inducted just because that term has become so synonymous in sports. Let's go on with football and hope and you're throwing the Hail Mary. And Dallas came back to win that game and almost kind of kickstart their dynasty. But they lost the legs for the next week, so whatever. But I think the Hail Mary game, also one of my least favorite games.

Nineteen eighty two. The catch. This ended kind of Dallas's run. This started San Francisco's dynasty with Dwight Clark catching the pass in the back. The end zone is Joe Montana's on his right with two tall Jones and half the defense of the Dallas Cowboys chasing him. He hits the white.

Clark makes the catch. The dynasty is born. I think this game is worthy of being inducted.

And lastly, Brockman, I think you'll like this. Two thousand and one. Let me just get this right. NFL rule number three, section twenty two article to note two.

It's the tough rule. It's the game that kicked off the Patriots dynasty is the game that kind of started Tom Brady on his route to becoming the greatest of all time. Patriot 16 Raiders 13 in that AFC division. I just feel like some of these games they had, you know, dynasty starting ends and I feel like these games are a good place to start. But also I'm also interested to see what you guys have to say.

What games would you think? OK, worthy of being inducted. It's called a snowball. That's you don't you know, New Englanders call it the well. I'm not I'm not knowing, you know, last game at old Foxborough Stadium.

I mean, come on. That's that's right. Tom Brady's first career playoff game, wasn't it around? I think didn't they didn't Brady perform here?

Let me check. OK, let's see what we got here. I just feel like these games kind of like kind of encompass the game, some big moments, some some terminology. The way they want television was presented, the way sports on TV was presented, was changed forever by the Heidi.

Yeah. I mean, that was an amazing game in the snow, too. I remember it.

OK, so over time and the one to tie it right about this, Chris, think about back in 2022. We're watching the Chiefs. That was Brady's first career playoff game. We're watching the Chiefs builds playoff game where the scoring was going crazy. Imagine if at like seven o'clock, CBS decided to chase NCIS and you're like, wait a minute, that's not Patrick Holmes. That's Wilmer Valderrama.

Like, what are we doing? So, you know, that changed television and sports forever. By the way, Brady had a rushing touchdown in that game. By the way, Brady won the first 10 playoff games of his career.

He is that good? He was almost on one, but started 10 and 0 instead. Big difference. Unbelievable.

Great rule. It was a let me tell you something. What's kind of crazy, first of all, that they took a television. They took a football game off the air to make sure that everybody got to make the start. Heidi on time. Also, how long would they have been replaying that touchdown if instant replay existed?

The Immaculate Reception. We'd still be going. Right.

We've seen that play so many. Right. Like you can't tell. You'd have to stay. It would have to stand is called.

You can't tell if that ball hit the ground. Also, if that happened now, there'd be I mean, we saw the did the promo. How many cameras are going to be at the Super Bowl? That's right. There were only four cameras.

They've got six. I should ask Jim about the upright cam. Upright cam. It literally took about 48 years for me to see a shot of that play that I'd never in my life seen. It was like somebody held on to this footage forever. And it clearly shows Franco did catch it. All right.

Welcome us to the airport. But that was a great game in itself. The snow game.

Brady versus Oakland, you know. Yeah. By the way, there's so many I had 20 chopped down the list. I mean, there's so many games out there. You know, the ice bowl. There was a game that was literally called the greatest game ever played. You call it the snow game.

Everyone else calls it the tough game. Correct. Amy takes the the the T.F.

and puts the F game. That's Amy Trask. It is called WTF hour three coming up. Best Super Bowl ever. Or one that you maybe you've personally seen. Well, I mean, I told you the other day I gave a top number.

Number one was was the Patriots and the Seahawks. I've never seen anything like it. You know what I saw, Chris? Right. I'd never seen this.

By the way, the tons of lead changes in that one, too. Let's back and forth right at the play before as the play about Butler caught the pick. Oh, it wasn't in the game. Like I saw a video of a coach saying Butler get in. So just the amount of preparation that was for Al, too. I mean, I don't think he had Malcolm Butler on his sheet, you know, prominently displayed. I mean, he had a board and he was on the board, but and also a couple of times he was right on it.

Jermaine curse makes one of the greatest catches ever from his back. Right. I know.

And me and I'm sure past friends everywhere thinking, here we go again. This is Tyree 2.0. I know.

How did he catch that? And then it was going to be a continuation of the the longest drought of Brady's career without winning one. Absolutely. It's going to be another one.

It's gonna be 11 years. Yeah. I mean, and we wouldn't and we wouldn't be talking about the Chiefs being the first repeat winner since Brady. Yeah.

Seattle was about to go. Absolutely. And you're talking about different Hall of Fame trajectories. And you're talking about you're talking about dynastic. Oh, yeah. Conversations.

That's why that's number one for me. The Rolling Stone Music Now podcast gets inside the biggest stories with Rolling Stone senior writer Brian Hyatt. And here's Lil Yachty with Tierra Whack. I've never been to a fashion show. I never did any Paris fashion week, New York fashion week. And I'll tell you why. Because I would always go to events and people would say to me, oh, man, Yachty, man, I love your music. Well, I should be like, what song? I didn't even at the time I didn't love my music. I was like, I'm in a room with all these artists and they all respect each other. No one respects me. Rolling Stone Music Now, wherever you listen.