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You have got what appears to be a dynamite sound. This is the Rich Eisen Show. Daddy's hosting today kids. Live from the Rich Eisen Show studio in Los Angeles.
Would Dak Prescott for the rest of his career be better off somewhere else? Depends on how you look at things. Is it about making money?
Because bottom line is that's what it's all about. Earlier on the show, Jaguars linebacker Joshua Heinz Allen, ESPN NBA reporter Dave McMenamin. Coming up, co-founder of the Men and Blazers Media Network, Roger Bennett. And now it's Rich Eisen.
That's right. Hour number three of the Rich Eisen Show is on the air. We just hung up on his... Did you say hung up with zooms? We just hit the end button?
You just hit the red button. At any rate, we were talking to Dave McMenamin in hour number two. And Joshua Heinz Allen, the artist formerly known as Josh Allen of Jacksonville Jaguars, very large human, was in our guest chair in hour number one. If you missed any of that, we re-air on the Roku channel as soon as we are done. And if you missed anything, there's our three-hour version of our show on a podcast, all three hours, thanks to the Cumulus Podcast Network. There's our YouTube channel. Hit us with a follow there. We would greatly appreciate it.
We re-air on the Roku channel as soon as we're done as well on channel 210. But with Team USA, the US men's national team, bouncing their coach Greg Berhalter yesterday, and also England advancing to the Euro Cup final, definitely had to reach out to our friend and friend of the program, the co-founder of the Men and Blazers Media Network, Roger Bennett, back here on the program. Good to see you, Roger.
Oh, Rich Eisen. It's a joy to be with you, you beautiful human being. Yeah, I'm back at you. And I refer to you as a beautiful human being as well.
You came in here years ago. You gave me a bilf mug. You and I have got the same, you know, follicle situation, go in the beard because we're out of moves. You know what I mean?
I feel like, hold on, I'm going to put my glasses on as well. Look at us. What can you do?
What can you do? Can I just tell you one of the many reasons I love America, one of the many reasons becoming an American has made me love this nation even more than Kenny Powers loved this nation, is that you allow bald men on the television. It's an amazing, basic freedom.
I'm in England at the moment. They don't allow bald men on the television over here. That's right. Graham Norton's got a full head of hair, right?
He's got that working. I'm just trying to think who else. I didn't see it when I was there for a couple of games last year. Didn't see many presenters looking like us. No. You do not see a single one of us, Rich Eisen, and you're doing the law to work, mate. Thank you. Right back at you. All right, you naturalized co-founder of the Men and Blazers media network.
Why is Greg Berhalter no longer the coach of the U.S. Men's National Team? What do you think? Good Lord.
You want to start there? I'm in England. England just qualified for a final. We could have done happy things. Instead, we're talking about Hello Darkness, my old friend. The U.S. Men's National Team.
England, who I don't support because I am American now. That's right. But there's a yearning. There's a longing there. An unfulfilled longing.
Very different from the yearning in the United States. We put a man on the moon. We are the world's first superpower. The one thing we remain crap at and have a sense of inferiority is men's football.
Our women are remarkable. They've won World Cups, gold medals. The rest of the world knows that they know that we know that they know that we know that we're still quite poor at football and we shouldn't be. Because this is the best of times, the worst of times for men's football.
We have the most successful crop of young talents who are now plying their trade in Europe. We've been able to field a team for the first time in our nation's history. Not in Abraham Lincoln's time. Not in George Washington's time.
None of this happened. We can start 11 players who all are on clubs in the top five leagues in Europe. So we've got this raising talent, steel sharp and steel.
They're very young. The coach for the past five and a half years was a gentleman, a fellow bald Greg Berhalter. He was a young coach.
He was a raw coach. He was let go after we just failed in a tournament that's being held right now in the United States with your Brazil's, your Argentina's, your Colombia's, called the Copa America. He failed to get the team out of the basic group stage.
First time in the nation's history that a host has failed. Ultimately, you know, in marketing you can take a new product to an old market or an old product to a new market, but you can't take a new product to a new market or it's very difficult. To have such a young coach with such a green learning curve with so many remarkable Christian, many of your viewers will have heard of the King of Hershey, Pennsylvania, the LeBron James of soccer, Tyler Adams, Weston McKinney, young, raw, wonderful talents. To have such a young manager ultimately playing quite naive football, almost trying to make us play too complex a football, trying to be like Barcelona 2012 or Brazil of Pele because we have an inferiority which is we want to show the world not just that we can win but that we can play razzle dazzle. In the international level you just have to bloody win games. We can, he couldn't and so he's gone and the World Cup is just 700 days away in this nation that will be held from when we're speaking rich.
So the next appointment is utterly crucial. So the question is again, I mean just taking a look at the Copa America results as an example, I mean taking care of Bolivia first up and sports fans may remember Bolivia as the place where Mike Tyson once said he wanted to send one of his opponents to Bolivia instead of Oblivion, that's one thing. God bless also, we got we got our revenge for Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid in the end in Bolivia. That's it, there we go. Finally. Come on it's fun, get out of here. Sorry guys. No but I mean Christian Pulisic started the scoring in that with a brilliant, a brilliant goal right and then obviously what happened against Panama, everything went haywire after scoring the first of the opener in that one with Weah getting a red card because he'd lost his mind and then what happened against Uruguay in their final attempt, I mean how does that rest on Verhalter's... Rich, we lost to Panama, we lost to a Van Halen single, like that is a no-no whether you care about football or you don't care about football, you do not want to get beaten by Sammy Bloody Hager right?
So that is not acceptable. You're asking me how is it on him? You know this, you know what coaches do, look there's an adage. In international football, the football needs to be simple, it shouldn't be complex, these are essentially all-star teams that come together fleetingly and the coach sets a tone. He actually had many achievements, this gentleman in all seriousness did build a brotherhood, a deep brotherhood amongst these young players where you couldn't interview one of the US stars without them using that word band of brothers at least twice in an interview and it was glorious. It created a wonderful team culture but it almost became too cosy, too complacent. You've seen in this Copa America, you saw it in an instance where one of our players ultimately punched an opponent in the back of the head, then it became too complacent.
So you know there's a thin line between feeling great in your place, feeling complacent, entitled, feeling privileged and ultimately that culture went awry. The football, the results were terrible. I think we lost five of our last nine games and what do we love in America, Rich Eisen? Winning. We love winning.
Yes sir. We love teams that win. This team can win. We've seen in the Euros, here's the thing, international football is a wonderful journey. It is football made of vibes and moments.
It's Virgil, it's Homer's Odyssey. It is just remarkable, national moments and we've seen this this summer in the Euros in Europe, we've seen Slovakia have games of wonder. We've seen Slovenia, we've seen all the Slavs have games of wonder. We've seen Albania make their fans cry with joy. We've seen Georgia rise up and smite Belgium, make their fans joy. Georgia, bloody, I mean, go dogs. I don't mean the state, I mean the country. Why never us?
That's really the question. It should be us too. We should be able to go on a dizzying hero's journey with the talent we have available and so with this World Cup coming to 2026, to these shores, who the United States appoint, who they can bring in. There's rumors of all kinds of big names, there's rumors of many American-born coaches because there's some philosophy that there should be an American leader of the American face of the team when the World Cup is here and the spotlight's on, the global spotlight, but also the national spotlight, the fan base of Rich Eisen who are not yet won over to soccer, some of your fans.
We want an American speaking to them. So the decision that US Soccer now make in this moment of quandary is going to be definitive. You could argue it's probably the biggest decision economically, commercially, and in terms of the future growth of the game on the men's side that they've ever made. Well, would you say it's fair, Roger Bennett, that the talent level that we've seen on the pitch, right, that clearly is better now than has been in the past, has not been matched by the men's coaching community, that there's a brain drain at that level, that hasn't developed as terrifically as maybe the on the field talent? Is that a fair assumption?
You're 100% right in a non-controversial statement. Look, elite football coaching occurs in Europe. That's where the cross-border, cross-pollination of ideas is sharpened. You have Catalan coaches, German coaches, the occasional English coach, Italian coaches, Basque coaches. There's a tiny area in Spain within the Basque region where I think five or six of the best club, it's just a crazy moment where they've all risen up from this tiny, essentially a neighbourhood. They're all sharpening their ideas together and what's happened is Americans play very little part in it.
We're in a bubble, we're in a backwater here in the United States for many reasons that are too complicated for this show. There's very few American coaches who've even gone over to Europe to take an apprenticeship, to become an assistant coach, to learn at the knee of the great managers and until they do, look we're American, we love our three-ply toilet paper, we love our home comforts. It took forever for our men's players to feel comfortable enough to go over to the cutting edge of football. It's a brutal, unforgiving world and until American coaches do go over there, the level of men's coaching will be about as good as, you know, for instance here in England, the level of basketball coaching, the best English basketball coach. You wouldn't be appointing him even at the college level of any significance and so our weight class as coaches is just not where we need it to be. I'd love them to appoint Steve Kerr, Rich Eisen. I think they should take Kerr. The nation needs Kerr.
We need Kerr more than the Golden State Warriors need Kerr. He loves his football, he appreciates it. Yes, he's mad for Liverpool. When you speak to him, he understands the difference in space and vision and passing.
He's really turned his head to it. Get Kerr. Jay Missoula, another guy, hangs out with Pep Guardiola, the great Manchester City manager, kind of the Bill Belichick equivalent within club four. But get us, lend us Missoula, Celtics. Lend us Steve Kerr in our nation's hour of need and we will repay you with goals.
Steve Lasso, Joe Lasso or something like that. I guess, you know, but I do know you have been another reason why you and I get along so well, Roger Bennett, is I love speaking things into existence. I love, you know, landing my chess piece in a spot and keeping my finger on that piece until that piece is the winning piece and I know we were talking about Coach Klopp. You're talking about Jurgen Klopp quite a bit and so there's a photograph that you posted online today. I believe this is at Men in Blazers. There you go and that this is from Liverpool today. You said it's a thousand percent real. I don't mean to pop your bubble here, but it looks awfully familiar, this photograph from one that was part of a Hollywood reporter feature on you. So, I mean, did you really place the word states with a Nike swoosh on that sweatshirt today, Roger? I don't know what you're doing. I feel like this is to catch a predator suddenly. You are on the prowl though, that's for sure.
All I'm going to tell you is that second photograph, somebody's airbrushed something out. Anyway, all of this is ridiculous because Jurgen Klopp, who is the Rich Eisen Show fans who don't follow football, he's kind of like German Jim Harbour, if you can just keep rolling with me there. He's like a Teutonic Care Bear. He's like all vibes and wonder. When he was here, he was probably the last sensible man left in England.
He's a wonderful, empathetic human being. There were rumours abounding the past 48 hours. He's just retired from club football at Liverpool, run by FSG, Fenway Sports Group, the Boston Red Sox owners.
They had a love affair, a wonderful run with this man, a genius, spent a lot of time with him. One of the most joyous human beings in sports. 48 hours of madness where it was rumoured that US soccer were trying to tempt him. He was burnt out with club football.
Take an easier job, come over to America, manage the team a little bit, come on the Rich Eisen Show on occasion, play chess with Roger and Rich. It was rumoured in today's English papers that US soccer had made a hard approach to Jurgen Klopp, which is news that made American fans nipples tingle. And then half an hour before I got on the Eisen Show, Jurgen Klopp's people put out a statement just saying, no, nine.
I missed the detail out there. He's such a wonderful man. On July 4th, he put out a I love America post on his social media that did make us think it's not happening, Rich.
But maybe more money. I mean, what is he like? Does he want to live on the West Coast? Where does he want to live? Do you want to live in South Florida?
Where does he want to live? I mean, come on. I've got a feeling US soccer offered him the chance to be part time manager and also to become the next president of the United States.
Maybe so. We'll give him anything. If that's what it takes, we'll give you anything.
But it's not going to happen. And so the search goes on. Steve Kerr, if you watch the Rich Eisen Show, give me a call.
We'll get this deal done. Oh, he does. Roger Bennett here on the Rich Eisen Show. And again, the Men in Blazers Media Network, you are the co-founder.
I'm assuming Mr. Davies is the other co-founder of it as well. And you had a you put together a survey of some sort. Roger, what's the survey that you guys put together? You're talking about our survey of American sports fandom. We polled 9000 American football fans to get a state of the American fan. We did this with YouGov. We just put it out.
It's available on our website. Eighty seven percent of Americans under the age of 30 say they are quite fascinated by the sport of football. But what we wanted to look at was how Americans are different to European football fans. Now this sport is truly becoming this nation's truly becoming a football crazy nation. Every streamer, NBC doing such a great job with the Premier League, CBS being over the Champions League, everybody's you know, every kick of the ball is now available. And so the report details how American fans are.
They are radically different. I'm in Liverpool at the moment where I grew up here. You support the team that's local, that was in your multi-genera. You know, I'm an Everton fan.
We're terrible. But my dad was an Everton fan. My grandpa was an Everton fan.
We love trauma. And in America, you are choosing with fresh eyes. And what's fascinating is that 43 percent of American football fans support not one, not two, but three football teams that choosing with fresh eyes. You know, they say my English team is Arsenal.
My German team is Dortmund and I love AC Milan because of Christian Pulisic. And also when they stop being interested in the team, when Chelsea start losing instead of winning, there's nothing to keep them there. They're not bound by that generational past or familial constraints or geographical reality. Americans love a winner. When they stop winning, 12 percent of American fans have changed their Premier League team in the past five years, which is fascinating.
We're not monogamous and we have to have the story hum and emotionally connect with us on repeat or else we'll move away. So ultimately, the great news is Americans adore this sport. But the teams who are trying to win their hearts and their minds have to truly understand the differences both on the women's side and the men's side as they capture what was when I came here, Rich, to 2026, the World Cup, Men's World Cup will be here. I moved here in 1994 and this nation, America, felt like space to Captain Kirk, the final frontier when no one cared. In 2026, the games coming back here, there's a massive audience.
But to truly engage it, you just have to understand the differences because it is unbelievable. And anyone who hated football, who's watching this, who now has a Tottenham Hotspur tattoo on their forearm and they're not quite sure how they got there, you're probably nodding and saying, yeah, that's me. No, no, Susie and I, my wife and I, we took our 13-year-old son before sending him off to summer camp to the Copa America, Mexico, Venezuela match at SoFi. Awesome. Just awesome. I mean, the crowd was into it.
It was great. And so the sport is no question growing here. There's no doubt about it. There's more interest. There's more, you know, understanding of, you know, I hear so few times now, oh, it's just one nothing. That's so boring.
It's not at all. I mean, there's so much strategy. There's so much excitement that goes into it.
And also, I'll be honest as well. And this one thing I want to hit with you before I let you go, Roger, is I saw this, I do believe on the Men in Blazers site on Twitter handle first, and it's everywhere now, the Killers concert last night in in London, that they stopped the concert to watch the end of England beating the Netherlands and then went right into Mr. Brightside. That is truly one of the most amazing pop culture moments I've witnessed anywhere on the planet. That was awesome. I'm not an England fan, Rich. I'm not a Killers fan, but I've got to say, I watched that clip.
Right. And I teared up watching it. It is so stunningly beautiful. This nation where I was born, this nation where I'm from, they have longed to win a tournament on the men's side since 1966, a fabled year when they won the World Cup on home turf. Since then, they've just wasted every opportunity.
They've had so much opportunity, so much superiority, just frittered away by a self-destruction and just an adoration for national trauma. They are in a final on Sunday. They will play a quite daunting Spain, it has to be said. They've been terrible in this tournament. They have been, every single game, they have great players, but they play very conservative, very slow paced, very, I mean, a game of, they play a game of vibes and moments, but those moments have been so ecstatic and they have almost crapped themselves.
They've almost self-loathed themselves into this final. And every time they've won, the nation has said, but you're terrible. You're awful to watch. You're awful.
You're doomed. But no, they have reached the bloody final of the Euros. This, Rich, may be the most English thing that ever Englished if they finally win this tournament that the nation has longed for. But the nation just says, God, you won. We've dreamt of it, but you were crap. That will be, that self-loathing in a moment of victory may be the most British thing that's ever British. I was texting with a British friend of mine during the extra time of England versus Switzerland when it was obvious that there were going to be penalty kicks, which is, you know, the bugaboo of all bugaboos. And I texted him right at the end after they made all five of their penalty kicks and, you know, stopped the first Swiss one.
I'm like, easy peasy. You're in a rocking chair, man. Who knew? You know?
It is, it is incredible. By the way, penalties for decades were just a dragon that always slayed us. We have now slayed that dragon. It's hard to imagine a team that more takes the field between soaring destiny and absolute self-sacrifice and slaughter. Every time they kick a ball, Rich, I think of the Rudyard Kipling line, if you can keep your head while all around you are losing theirs and blaming it on you. So Godspeed.
I don't support England. My old man, my father, just passed away on July 4, so I'm back here burying him. So I get great pleasure knowing he would have gotten such great pleasure out of this whole spectacle.
This is a country that's in slight chaos at the moment, but there is a sense of destiny, dare I say, magic about this team. And I would love nothing more, honestly, than on Sunday for them to experience happiness, even of the fleeting time type, even of the self-loathing time. Well, Roger, before I let you go, I mentioned this off air. I'll say that you're on air again. I lost my dad in, gosh, it's five years now, and coming up in December. And so it's a club you don't want to be a part of, but I just wanted to offer my condolences.
I think we have, you posted a photograph, there you are with your dad right there. Just from all of us here, we just send our condolences. But based on the post that I saw, you lived a terrific life and you guys enjoyed your time together.
You're a beautiful human being, Rich. To you, to your viewers, savour the time. Ultimately, I say this, what sports does is allows us to make, at its best, transcendent cross-generational memories. So many of my happiest memories with my dad, whom I did love, were watching football. By the way, football when we won, football when we lost.
It didn't really matter. But all I say to your viewers out there, savour every single second watching the sport you love with your family members. Do not take a second of it for granted. You're the man, Roger. Thanks for the time.
Greatly appreciate it. Enjoy your time with your family while you were there. Will you be there still for Sunday when England is there? I will be back in the great United States of America. I'll be in Dallas. So any of your viewers who are in that city, I'll be watching the Cooper American final with the great Brendan Aubrey, the Dallas Cowboys kicker, once a great footballer himself. Come and have a pint with us and come and give me a hug. Enjoy every second.
Go, go, go USA. At Men in Blazers on Instagram and Twitter, also at Rog Bennett on Twitter. The Men in Blazers media network also includes, obviously, the Men in Blazers show you could see on Peacock, which you can see right here on Roku. You're the man, Roger. Take care of yourself, brother. Rich Eisen, big love. Right back at you.
That's Roger Bennett right here on the Rich Eisen show, everybody. Okay. Everton apparently is the Mets of the Premier League. That's the way it's been described to me. So they're currently better than the Yankees?
No, no, no. What that means, I was going to say, is a passionate fan base of teams of fans who are used to getting kicked in the nards way too many times. Well, you hit the nail on the head there, Rich. No, they're like the Mets slash Jets of the Premier League.
That's the way it's been described to me. Can we throw the Clippers in there too? Because yeah, I guess you could, you know, for all these teams, all those, all these tenants, man, I get kicked in the nards quite a bit. You just start rooting for Everton.
It's amazing. You can walk. I'm going to have to walk. We take a break. We come back. We'll take some phone calls from folks that have been kindly, patiently waiting.
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He wanted to change the culture and he wanted me to be a part of that. With Believe, you get immediate reactions, game previews, and expert analysis from all 32 teams, plus all of your favorite college teams. He's just rare in just about everything he does. Sideline to sideline, end zone to end zone. This was good for everybody.
Just search Believe, that's B-L-E-A-V podcast wherever you listen. You know what I mean? I'm happy with my head.
Zoom in on it. I'm happy with my head right now. I'm happy with life. My hats have been cutting down. They were up to five days a week.
Now I'm at two days a week now because I'm feeling good about prime right now. I look at myself on social media, it's taken at least nine years off of my life. Nine years?
Yes. I'm looking like a young prime right now. I looked at a picture of me on my profile the other day. I didn't know if it was one of my sons or me.
That's the way I am right now. You know, you know, Suze, you know, my wife, she's like seeing you on the air and she goes, huh? She's like, what? Is that Dionne?
I'm like, yeah, that's Dionne. You know what she's really saying? She's really saying it's almost like a guy. See, we can't do this. You know, if your girl starts to pick up a little weight, you really can't say it. You just, you know, like, Hey, you want to work out day, baby?
Not, not true, but we should work. You know, you can't say it. So she's like, is that Dionne? Yeah. And she's just waiting for you to jump in there.
It's like double dutch and you just sitting out there and she, and she has the ropes and she's just doing the ropes and she just keeps looking on you like, come on baby, jump in there. Come on. Bitch, you can do this, man. I know I can, but I mean, you got a lot to work with on the outsides. This is your expert opinion having, okay. So you have a lot of donor hair.
They call it donor hair. Should I do it? Do it, Rich. Rich, do it. Rich, do it.
You should do it. All right. My dear friend, Dion Sanders, back on the rich eyes and show radio network. I'm sitting at the rich eyes and show desk furnished by Granger with supplies and solutions for every industry. Granger has the right product for you.
Call click ranger.com or just stop by. All right. Chris, you choose, you choose. There's five win loss games on the line here. Take it, take into account how long people have been waiting as well.
That's usually the way I go through this process. You want to choose one? Choose one.
Chris. Let's go shepherd in the Bay area. Shepherd in the Bay area has been waiting the longest.
See, you went, you, you, you went on a rescue plan, which is what you did. All right. Shepherd, you're there, sir. Oh, here I am. Where in the Bay area are you? Yeah. Funny enough, I lived in Santa Clara.
Oh, okay. So that's the home of the San Francisco 49ers. That's where they play.
And I am, I am so glad that you ribbed some of your co-hosts for selling their season tickets. It is hard to be a Rams fan up here and see the sea of red. Oh, so you're a Rams fan. Here I had the Niners page open.
I need to go to the Los Angeles Rams page. Is that what I need to do? Yes, indeed. Oh my God. All right, shepherd.
Let's get him some music. He's a Rams fan in the home of the San Francisco 49ers and the Rams start off where their season ended last year. What happens on Sunday night football week one at Detroit?
It's a brutal placement. I think we're going to lose that one. Just like the second gentleman did a few weeks ago. He said the same thing. Let's see if you rip off some wins as he thought at the Cardinals.
Oh, that's a, that's a dub. Okay. And then, and then home for their home opener against the 49ers with you in the seats purchased from one of the two other Jim Oakes across the way.
What happens? I think we'll win that. I think this team is hungry.
All right. At the Bears. That's going to be a win. Home for the Packers.
Unfortunate loss. Three and two off the buy home for the Raiders. Oh, that's home.
We got to defend that. Four and two home for the Vikings on a Thursday night. That's a win.
At the Seattle Seahawks. That's a win. That is now six and two home for the dolphins on a Monday night. We're going to lose that one. Six and three at the Patriots. Seven and three home for the Eagles. That'll be a win. Eight and three at the Saints.
That's a win. Nine and three home for the Bills. We're going to lose that one.
Nine and four at the 49ers on a Thursday night. Keep your voice down. Keep your voice down.
What did you say? We're going to lose that as well. All right. So that's now one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, and five at the Jets. I think we're gonna win that. Ten and five home for the Cardinals. A win. All right. 11 and five home for the Seahawks. That's a win.
12 and five. Says Shepard in the Bay Area. All right.
I don't blame you. Shepard in the Bay Area, everybody. Okay. 12 and five.
Thank you so much. That's Shepard. That's one game worse than though the second gentleman in the United States said 13 and four when Doug Emhoff was in. Even he at one point, he goes, he said, I'm that guy. I'm being that guy right now. He didn't want to be that guy, but he's that guy.
All right. Deion Sanders spoke at the Big 12 Media Day. You know, he didn't do the Pac-12 Media Day last year because he was recovering from his toe surgery. Oh, yeah. So here he is, the head coach of the now Big 12 Colorado Buffalo football program.
This is the exchange that has gotten the most attention with Prime. With what you brought to the programs in the historic black colleges and to Colorado, do you feel an obligation with whom you are to perform at a higher level or coach at higher level? Yeah. Like, yes.
Yes. I'm judged on a different scale. My wins are totally different than your wins. Your wins, you just judging football. That's why I have to start out and give you education and academics and so forth.
I have to give you those things so you understand there's a greater scope. I can't win nine games and we, our GPA suffers. Our GPA can't be high, but we lose another eight games.
We can't not go and grab high school players and you got a bunch of guys in the portal, out of the portal that's getting incarcerated. My wins are different. We have to win in every area. That's the way we're judged. And I'm cool with that because we come a little different. So the expectation is greater, but it's not just football. It's been like that all my life. I've always had a greater expectation for myself.
So the expectation you have for me would never outweigh the expectation I have of myself. So I've been around this man for a long time and I know some people will take some of what he's saying to mean that he's unfairly being placed in this position. Because Deion knows he's in this position because of himself, because of the way he talks about his program and the way his son, Chidor, is getting heat because he said that Colorado's everyone's Super Bowl. And I think a lot of folks are saying, well, I guess there were eight Super Bowl winners in college football last year.
Because that's the number of games that they lost. But Deion puts a target on himself because that's the way he likes it. And I don't think he's like, I'm going to go out today and put a target on myself. It's just this is the guy. This is the man.
This is the guy. He's going to come up with his blenders and he's going to come out and talk about how they'd already be chilling with the Heisman Trophy in the building after just one half of football had a couple of other plays been made. Remember that was his first halftime interview as a head coach at Colorado last year, by the way, as they were beating TCU. It's just the way he operates. This is who you get with him. And he knows. And so when he says that he's got to have the GPA up here, it's not that he feels put upon. He just knows that if he wins without the GPA, he'll get criticized for it because you're just doing it for the dubs. And that's the only reason why you're a head coach is because you're all about yourself. There's an I in Deion and you don't care about the kids grade school, the grade point average. And I would also say that probably some other schools that you don't talk about their grade point averages, but his will definitely get talked about because it's always going to be a yeah, but with him because of the way that he does his business.
And it's the only way he knows how to do his business. Did I stutter? Nope. I don't think anybody or fans care about grade point average. Maybe not. I don't know why he's bringing that up because fans don't care about it. Fans don't care about it, but I think folks might pay attention to it if you don't think if Deion goes 11 and 0 and then all of a sudden it's like his grade point average is 2.5 or 2.0 like they would that wouldn't get pointed out in some way shape or form. I don't.
I disagree with that. Billion percent getting point out. Or the number of guys that would get arrested because he goes in the transfer portal is because he's not a guy who goes into people's. Let's joke ourselves and act like it wouldn't be a story.
I'm not going to kid myself and say no no one would care about that. That's the last time you heard any college football players grade point average. That's very true Chris, but there is Deion is different. Like he said he's going to be held up to a different standard. He's different because he wants to. He's just got to win guys.
He's got to win. They can't go four and eight. Four and eight this year would be would be very difficult.
Can't do it. Would be very difficult and certainly since what that's already being talked about is the number of kids he got rid of. They come to kids being brought in but he's used to that.
Yeah that's no big deal. He's he because that's the way he and obviously his son is just a chip off the old block saying everyone's a everyone treats them like it's the Super Bowl. I wanted to see that clip because I thought maybe it was kind of a tongue and cheek and he was laughing.
He wasn't. No he's pretty serious. No because but it's the way because the Sanders family conducts themselves in a certain manner just like Deion did the minute he started showing up on everybody's radar screen out of Fort Myers Florida. This is the way he goes about his business and in this day and age of NIL and transfer portal and needing to have heat on you to be a successful football program one would think. You know he does seem to be cut out for these times that's for sure. Winning games man like that that's that's got to happen.
All the matters. I'm assuming based on the the mountain of a of a prospect that we had here when he announced that he was going to Colorado and then it was dicey that he wasn't then he did go to Colorado. That kid who was here looks like they have more sand in the pants up front which is what they needed because his chador is getting his ass handed to him in the Pac-12 which is going to find out what it's like to be in the big 10 this year. So again I point I just don't but again if that was the grade point average it would be pointed out.
You know again so I don't feel Deion's like you know put upon. We're the students in these athletes that would be something that no question about it but when it all comes down to it there's got to be a wins and losses. Absolutely yeah yeah. I'm hoping to see better than four and eight.
For sure no doubt. 844-204-rich number to dial here on the Rich Eisen Show. We'll be back with a piece of the Giants hard knocks that I saw just this morning that I did not have already in my view gate when I mentioned it yesterday.
I just heard your voice throughout that whole. Dude I heard that just this morning so that's next this is the Rich Eisen Show. Back here on the program we're gonna have a little bit of housekeeping shortly another phone call or two here on the show.
Happy Skeens Day Rich. What's going on is he is he pitching today? Yeah he's pitching right now. You need a big one.
You need a big one. Milwaukee. Cooper and I are locked in against the best team in our league and of course it's a two-week banger because of the All-Star break.
Oh yeah. Next week. He's got four strikeouts. So Chris is he just getting his last work in before he starts the All-Star game? That's what I'm saying. That's what I'm saying. Well today is Thursday so.
Pitch one inning on Tuesday. He's not even going is he? Is he a reserve?
Skeens? Yeah. Oh yeah. Oh he is good. I missed that.
First player ever to be selected for the All-Star game the year after he was drafted. Love it. Start him. So who's starting?
Not announced yet. Gotta go. We gotta get it. Let's go. Gotta go.
It works right? So he's pitching today. Friday, Saturday, Sunday.
Come on Monday? It's his day to pitch. There's always consulting you need to lean on major league baseball to make this happen. Like we're going to consult you.
This is going to help grow your game. Hunter Green six innings 10 k's so far right? Yep. So far. Against the Rockies? Yep. Rockies one of the worst. What do we got from Skeens here man?
Uh two innings four k's. All right. I'm calling up because Cooper says to me before he goes off to camp he goes, dad you're in charge of the team. Uh oh. Yeah that means that means don't screw it up. That's what he basically said.
That is code. Hey dad don't blow it. I am blowing it this week. So Brockman he's on pace for what like 17-18 strikeouts right now? I keep forgetting to swap out one of these pitchers.
No place for 18. Brian Bell the other night had struck out the first nine outs for all strikeouts. I saw that. I'm following baseball again the Yankees won last night. Hey you're back. I'm back. You're back. So that's six out of 22 now?
Uh whatever. It's one it's one out of one. Oh oh. Today is two day as Jim Harville would say.
Back on the Rich Eisen Show everybody. All right some housekeeping. Housekeeping.
Housekeeping. So Dan Graziano of ESPN reporting Brandon Ayuk is coming to terms with the sense that he's going to have to plan his 50-year option. Told you. Rich by the way. You didn't tell me. You didn't tell me. It's not happening.
Rich it's not happening. Mike while you were gone I know that's the housekeeping. What I miss.
Hold out. While we were gone. Yeah. I don't know was it was it a what's more likely?
Was it more likely two weeks in a row? Oh no no no was it the no not the construct of was it an overreaction subject that Ayuk's gonna hold out? Oh it was overreaction. Okay and I said he's not going to hold out for the entire season. And that I said he should just hold out and then you took it to. No I said he's not going to hold out at all and you said well what if he holds out the entire season? Yeah what if he just sits the whole year?
Full avion. And I said that would never happen. Even Livion came back by the way because you got a contract's got a toll it's got to move. He sat out a year.
Lost a lot of money. Dude I'm telling you. I said that if he misses the entire year I would eat your shorts. He said any item of clothing of yours that we choose. Yeah and I said well what about his shorts and then Chris was like no that counts.
I do have a couple pair of khakis still left. You don't mean those shorts. I mean I mean undershorts. Mike we don't mean those shorts. Oh you're talking about short shorts. Like whatever. That's how confident.
I got a couple pair you know. But he's he's he's understanding he's gonna have to play on the 50-year option is the way that he's looking at it. He ain't sitting out. He ain't sitting out. So.
Pound sand. That's his choice. I'm sure there's something on the on the table that's better than the 50-year option money. And and they would just franchise him the next year. I swear Kittle said the right thing yesterday where he's like hey I remember when I got signed it happened in the middle of the preseason. Bosa happened week one of last year. That's the way these things go with the Niners.
I'm still believing. Yeah. You know uh Gabriel and Washington. Let's hop him on here. What's up Gabriel? Hey how you guys doing? It's been a while. How you been sir? I made it back. You did.
Yeah. Just like Mike Del Tufo. Mikey B.
What it do? Where you be? It was soccer Gabriel. I'm back. Back in the lineup. Good to hear from you. I'm back.
For two days. Chris Brockman. Hey buddy.
TJ Jefferson and of course. What up G? The holy catfish rich eyes in himself.
What's up sir? Hey uh this one is actually kind of for TJ but I know there's been uh some coaching talk about the Cowboys and but anyways Jerry Jones his definition of all in the big rumor from the combine you know Jerry Jones going all in this year. I think what Jerry Jones is doing is just pushing all the chips in the middle of the table and then when you don't get the cards that you want you bust and you gotta get a new deck new hand dealt to you. I think those new cards I think Mike McCarthy's gone.
I think Dak Prescott's gone and the way you rebuild in big D is you're bringing in big time prime time Deion Sanders and the new coach the Dallas Cowboys and you draft his son should do her to be the next quarter man. That would make that would make Lebron and Bronny look like uh the Smothers brothers. Yeah.
Huh? Yeah that would make him yeah that would be. Thanks Gabriel.
I appreciate the time right there. I don't think that will happen. Now I mean he's said multiple times he's not looking to leave. No I think if Dallas blows out McCarthy I think it would be Belichick. I really do. He's got to get the first call right?
I really believe it. Bill or Deion? Bill. Yeah and again everybody thought Parcells would never do it. Maybe Bill's done. That's true too Mike like what if he just has so much fun.
They actually not want to go back. He's like 10 wins from the record what do you mean? Guys the season hasn't begun he hasn't said a single word on the CW yet. Yeah but we know it's gonna be great. Yeah. By the way I did did anybody see on the hard knocks of the the Giants this past week that the Giants the hard knocks folks did a whole segment on Xavier Worthy's 40-yard dash. That was cool. That was awesome and I texted today Daniel Jeremiah and Stacy Dales and our producer Mark Teitelman that that moment was so special for us. Mark Teitelman in the truck and DJ and I in the booth and Stacy Dales on the field. That was the greatest moment in the history of the combine for all of us when Xavier Worthy ran a 4-2-5 and damn near broke the record of John Ross and we thought he wasn't going to go again because these you know guys have a pro day or whatever or they're just rest on it just and and again the fact that there are about 15,000 fans in the stands and the fact that we are televising this on NFL network now has now brought to the fore a sense of competition and a sense of wanting to do it in front of a whole bunch of people and be a performer. Yeah. And just seeing how they had some scouts miked up and the Giants booth reaction Joe Shane like listening to Daniel Jeremiah and I like I'm like I don't think he's going to run it again and DJ's like you're close to the record you got to do it and they cut to Joe Shane the GM of the Giants going he's got to do it he's got to do it right so close and then we throw it on to Stacy Dales and say runners run right right yeah right and and Stacy Dales's report I'll never forget it T-man that Mark Teitelman producer gets me here so throw it down to Stacy she's she's got a report on Worthy and she's got I know the answer guys he's running and we were like outstanding that's cool it's outstanding yeah and um just seeing this this scene this moment get the hard knocks treatment was really cool for for me and and and for the whole crew the NFL network for the whole crew that we're there and we're doing this thing and it means so much to all of us that it that we're chronicling these moments in real time and to see it hard knocks style is really great but my favorite part about Hoffman was in the middle of wondering whether worthy is going to run again or not Brian Deball who thinks he can run a 40-yard dash in less than seven seconds very confident turns to the rest of the group and he goes if I start at the 20 would I be able to beat by the way and they all go no and this is the conversations that I have with the rest of the crew watching these guys run knowing that I'm going to get the simulcam treatment for run rich run by the rest of the end of the broadcast like if I start at the 10 will I beat him if you start me at the 10 would I beat this guy so Brian Deball you and I we kind of share this whole thing where we think we're faster than we we really are we got a sense of pride I've dropped weight you've dropped weight maybe you got to get Deball running the 40-yard dash next year that was prior to the guy you see on the screen now that's funny he's cut wait funny it's his regimen it's his program or it's his as I've been saying maybe Blue's Empic big Blue's Empic you know whatever it is I like it and he's got the same sense when he turned and he said to the rest of the guys like if I start at the 20 I could beat him right and they're like no and that's the answers I get from the NFL network colleagues it's like starts at the 35 we'd be able to beat them they're like nope hey coach Deon Sanders once beat me running a full full-on 40 running backwards as Leon Sandcastle with a fake fro wasn't he talking to you the whole time he's talking to me the whole time so you may think it coach but I love that you're thinking it we're like this man and that'll wrap up this edition of the Rich Eisen Show I want to thank all our guests we'll be wrapping it up on Roku in a moment welcome to talkville the ultimate smallville rewatch podcast season four I'm glad that it's over I'm glad that it's over um as as we know now that season five is supposed to be one of our better seasons obviously the tattoo storyline you know how I feel about that you were hating that storyline probably a lot of joy because I kept waiting to see how it was going to keep going and then how they would somehow settle it binge seasons one through four of talkville before season five begins wherever you listen
