Bruce Feldman: The NCAA Is Going To Finish What They Started

Three, two, one. This is the Rich Eisen Show. The depth chart is out in Denver.

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Bo Nix three. Earlier on the show, Commander's Head Coach Dan Quinn. Coming up, Fox Sports College Football Analyst Bruce Feldman.

Two-time Emmy Award winning actor Tony Hale. And now, it's Rich Eisen. Hour number two of the Rich Eisen Show is on the air.

Lots going on. Dan Quinn we just chatted with the brilliantly funny and talented and just awesome human Tony Hale will be in studio on hour number three. 844-204 Rich. Number to dial here on the program. As we kick off hour number two with our friend from the Athletic and Fox Sports.

His annual Freak Athlete List coming into the college football season was released yesterday on the Athletic. Our friend Bruce Feldman here on the Rich Eisen Show. Good to see you, Bruce. How are you?

Good to see you. Boy, you're a timely guest because news is breaking. About 15 minutes ago, the NCAA issued a show-cause order and a one-year suspension from the NCAA Committee on Infractions on?

The neighbor across the way, Jim Harbaugh. And they said it was-because he violated-it's all for what was going on during the COVID dead period in 2021. This is nothing to do. This is not the Connor Stallion's investigation.

This is a separate one. Which remember, like he was suspended earlier in last season for that. That was the self sanctions that Michigan had done. The three games to start the season.

To start the season. It was the three games on the back end that the Big Ten punished him for that was related to the signal stealing. This, the one that the NCAA Committee on Infractions handed down today, which is a four-year show-cause, which basically means if somebody tried to hire Jim Harbaugh, it would be much harder to do it. At least if somebody in the NCAA world tried to hire Jim Harbaugh. Jim Harbaugh is now the coach of the Chargers. He just won a national title. I don't think Jim Harbaugh has any interest in coaching anywhere in college football anytime soon.

Probably again. So then why do it? It's the NCAA.

They're going to finish up with whatever they started and they feel like they have to. They have no power in this one really to, you know, they can shame Jim Harbaugh and that's the extent of it. Well, what is the extent of what he did based on what you know?

I know again, this is like old news. I mean, so some of this stuff, it's funny because Herm Edwards, who's now, you know, works in TV and left ASU. He also had recruiting violations from the COVID dead period when you weren't supposed to be contacting recruits. And there was there was a lot of very specific rules into that time that they were operating around. And Michigan and Jim Harbaugh, the NCAA felt like was also believed that they were they were also operating in the red.

Now, on top of that, Jim Harbaugh didn't cooperate with them. So he had level two violations, but they felt like he was misled them. And so in that regard, that's the show cause. That's the that's the level that becomes a level one raised up.

Level one is more significant in the NTA than the level two. Right. His his lawyer, Harbaugh's lawyer, Tom Mars, put out a statement, I think just as you were walking in the door here, quote, saying the way I see it from coach Harbaugh's perspective, today's COI decision is like being in college and getting a letter from your high school saying you've been suspended because you didn't sign the yearbook. If I were in coach Harbaugh's shoes and had an 80 million dollar contract as head coach of the Chargers, I wouldn't pay any attention to the findings of a kangaroo court which claims to represent the principles of the nation's most flagrant repeat violator of the federal antitrust laws.

So that's the answer from the Mars law. Yeah. Harbaugh has a good lawyer in Tom Morris. Tom Morris has battled and, you know, the NCA on a lot of fronts over the years. So I'm not surprised that he came out pretty forcefully on that. I know that it was a lot of frustration from the Harbaugh camp on some of the things that the NCA tried to, you know, in terms of timetable and how they were handling some of these investigations. Yes. It's messy.

It really is. I mean, you know, just the practicality purposes. The four year show cause, again, he won a national title. He's not going back like show cause or not.

He wasn't going back. I mean, it just. It's a and it's also it's not the like the thing that you'd be more concerned if you're Michigan is on the signal stealing investigation. That's tied to your your current sitting head coach and the future potential years of the program. And so this comes on the heels of your colleagues at ESPN.

Dan Murphy and Pete Vamel getting a copy of the draft. Yes. Of the what? The yes.

It's not it's not the final listing of of allegations that that right. It's a draft. Yeah. And I think and how does the draft get out?

Bruce, how does the draft get out? I know the the athletic has talked to some folks about it to the people on that side of it. Yeah. I think are.

I don't say they want to get their side out in front of of the news, but I think that sometimes happens. I mean, because why would it how else would it get out? So then where is it going? Let's let's let's tie this off, if you will.

And it has nothing to do with me not want to talk about. I mean, I had Dan Murphy on for 20 plus minutes talking about it on Monday. You know, it's just there's there's a new season come out coming out and I'd like to hit that a little bit with you. But where does this rest right now with Sharon Moore, Michigan, and how this goes back and forth with an NCAA that just put a show cause out for potentially show purposes?

You know, on this day, where does this go? I think it's one of the issues that the NCAA had a relating to Sean Moore was deleted text messages. Now, were they was it a damning allegation in there that it was going to reach a level one status?

Or, you know, right now it's level two from from our understanding. And our understanding is they they he erased those text messages on the day the stallions thing popped. Yeah. So the time.

So it looks really bad. And I think they got it back. And then he did, in fact, hand those text messages in. They are they are in receipt of those text messages.

I think they have them. Yes. So they've seen what the conversations were that he deleted. Yeah. Now, whether it's innocuous or not, I think the hard part for for Michigan on on this, at least the people at Michigan now, is just the optics of it have been have been messy.

Now, the practicality of it to me as we sit here. You know, whether they and I don't know if it's going to get to this point, whether the NCAA is going to try to redact a national title that happened and everybody saw it. The other thing that happened after it was Charlie Baker, who's the new head of the NCAA, came out and said Michigan won, quote, fair and square. I mean, those were his words. So. You know, like anything else, it's really it's really just kind of like a big pile of stuff that the NCAA drops out there for everybody and people believe out of it what they want. You know, I mean.

On one hand, I think you're going to have a lot of folks who are going to go, you know what? That's why Jim Harbaugh left. He cheated and got it.

You know, he got ahead of the posse and left. And I think all these stories, whether it's the one today, which I think people will conflate and go, yeah, that's the you know, it's not that story. And then the that's not that investigation, I should say. And then there's the other part of this where I think because we're in this different era of the NCAA, this is not like the Reggie Bush USC, you know, NCAA sanctions day.

It's certainly not the day of like Yahoo's big investigation into Miami 20 years ago. It's just like right now, I think people look at it and say, OK, you have NIL, you have all the other things that are changing around the sport that have changed how we look at the sport. I mean, right now you're going to have the green dot helmet in college football. So in terms of the communication, I'm not saying people won't still be signaling because you still have to signal stuff to the perimeter. But there's just a big change in all this. And I don't think people are going to get too bogged down when the games happen with this. You know, again, Sean Moore, basically Michigan had a head coach for, you know, half the Saturdays, right? He was there in practice and everything else being Jim Harbaugh.

But I think all that last year, I don't know how much more more damning it's going to get out of it, you know, just in a practical sense. All right. So part of the reason why I think Brockman sneezes, he's just allergic talking about this sort of thing, because it is he's sick and tired talking about it. He has a certain sense of it.

I have one, too. But I think even, you know, Finebaum, who loves to hit on Jim whenever he gets a chance and did it again this past week. He even said most fans are turn the page. That was a championship.

There's a new season coming up. That's why I brought up the Charlie Baker point. Charlie Baker is the head of the NCA. At that point, when the head of the NCA says after they won the national player, they won it fair and square. You know, I don't know.

You know, then the toothpaste is really out of the tube. I don't know. You know what? You know, if you're most fans who who are fans of college football, who do not root for Michigan, yes, are going to go, yeah, they're cheaters. Yeah. Tainted asterisk and all that stuff, no matter how many times I sit at this microphone and say everything was ripped out root root and branch.

And they went ahead and beat Michigan State all the way through to winning the national championship with everything ripped out root and branch. But Bruce Feldman here on the Rich Eisen show, the coaches poll first coaches poll is came out on Monday is out. It's out.

And what were your what was your opinion of it was kind of in line with where I thought it would go. I was a little surprised that you're on the water to get one first place vote. They're sitting at eight. And, you know, there's 50 some votes or something like that.

And they actually got one of them at eight. Most of the most of the votes went to Georgia. I think Ohio State had seven seven first place votes. And those are the two teams that I feel like are best positioned to play for the national title. I mean, Oregon's number three.

I think they're they're loaded as well. There was nothing really that shocked me when I looked at the poll in its entirety. I was a little surprised that USC made the top 25. They were only twenty third.

Yes. But beyond that, you know, it wasn't anything I when I saw there, I was like, oh, I'm surprised to see Missouri at eleven. Missouri had a terrific year.

They they're pretty loaded on offensively back. You look through this. I mean, you have to go away as to find a Big 12 school. I think it's sitting there at Utah. Then, you know, the new yes, the new member. Yeah. This also I guess this sets up what we expected to be the first big game of the year, which is Texas at Michigan. Week two, we call week two.

Yeah. That's week one of the NFL season. That's going to be huge. And this is a big game. We're excited to get to Ann Arbor for that.

You got to do that. Yeah. And then you got the Lions hosting the Rams the Sunday night after that. So it's a huge football week in the state of Michigan. So that's that's a pretty big one right there. And it's big. Also also rich because it is SEC versus Big Ten. Yes, sir.

And we don't get too many of those heavyweight kind of matchups. That is absolutely going to be one. Yeah. And since they have a working group, right. Talking together.

Yeah, they do. And I know I do know this from running into Tony Petitti, the head of the Big Ten. There's definitely a lot of communication between the heavyweight, you know, big shots. What do they talk about, do you think? What's your general sense here? I mean, everything from like there was the scholarship number of like what what it's going to be. I think they go through to try to have a real alignment there, I think, because they know their issues are different than the issues that almost everybody else who's in charge of of a entity in college. Athletics really is dealing with. Well, that's you know, I feel like we go down a similar road when we when we have a conversation here. Those are the seeds from which I believe a Super League will eventually sprout whatever they're talking about. It may not be full on conversations, but just having a conversation about that subject matter. Well, that and that subject does matter.

It grows into it grows into everything else out of it. And then eventually there will be a working framework of what the SEC and the Big Ten feel are multiple issues that they feel that they can solve together. And then who's coming with them and who's coming with them? And then that will be the framework for everybody figuring out how to work football in a way that is as uniform as it possibly can be on so many fronts where there's no uniformity right now. I think the different part of this, because there's a lot of parallels to people thinking, OK, this is going to get like the NFL. What I do think is different right now is the TV partners I feel like are way more influential in those two leagues.

And it's, you know, full disclosure, I work at Fox, which is one of those bigger TV partners, especially as the big 10. But in the NFL, I'm not saying they don't have and you know this way better than me, they don't care what their partners think on the broadcast side. But I feel like the NFL is driving the NFL's business. Well, because they have an actual governing body with a commissioner and everybody and a uniformity and a salary cap. And we know the schedule and we know when free agency is and there's a contract and a union.

So that's where I'm saying this is headed on every single one of those fronts, whether it's an impetus from the Supreme Court's decision or it's an impetus between a working group figuring out who's with them in the same boat. You know what I mean? Like, that's the point. I also don't know, though, on that part, though. I remember hearing this this anecdote about one of the owners in the NFL saying how, you know, on Sundays he roots for the Dallas Cowboys because it's good for business. You know, I seriously doubt that there is like, you know, an AD who roots for Ohio State in the big 10, who's not in Ohio State, you know, or whatever. Sure.

Because of it's really good for business. I just think that there's there's certain things that either need to shift. I'm not saying you can't still get to the place you're talking about without that, because I mean, there's a lot of changes that have happened in the sport in the last 20 years that myself and a lot of other people didn't think they would get to. And they've gotten to it.

But those are the biggest I feel like disconnects right now. Bruce Feldman here on Fox from Fox Sports and the Athletic here on the Rich Eisen Show. Let's talk about your latest piece in the Athletic. How do you put this list of freak athletes together? When does it start? How do you compile it?

What do you got for me? Yeah, it starts, you know, it's almost a year round project, but I really get very involved in it in the summer, in the spring to the summer coming out of spring football. And it's a ton of phone calls and text messages and emails. And I really do try to connect with every college football program in the country. And I'm every I mean, there's Division Two schools, there's every FCS school.

What's the number of schools you think you reach out to? What's the grand total? Over 300? Oh, yeah. Hell yeah. Right. Yeah.

Okay. I mean, Rich, I have a subset of the Freaks list today on a guy at Middlebury College in Virginia. It's like Stump the Truck in our draft coverage. We're like trying to Stump the Freaks list here. Ten months from now, Daniel Jeremiah will know exactly everything about Thomas Perry, who's a guard there, who's like has a 396 major in like molecular biology and something else.

You know, and he's a 485 pound bench press guy and he will be in the NFL. And what's the name of this institution? Middlebury College in Vermont? The Middlebury College? Middlebury College. I guarantee you, if you knew a lot of good students in your high school. Yes. You know, that was the caliber of school that they were probably looking to if they didn't want to go to a huge school.

Got it. OK, so who else is jumping out that we'll see mostly on Saturdays, do you think, on big noon or whatever? Yeah, I mean, so look, your alma mater has a couple of guys high up on the Freaks list. One of them is Kenneth Grant. He's 350 pounds and he runs a sub 5.040.

I don't, he's rare. I mean, Michigan has had a bunch of Freaks, D. Lyman, over the last six years. D. Tackles, too, like really in the middle.

Edge guys, though. But you go through, you start with Rashan Gary, you got Aidan Hutchison, you got Quitty Pay. Those are, you know, three high level draft guys. You had Mozzie Smith, who was a first round pick of the Cowboys. Yeah, the Cowboys are all still waiting on him. Yeah, but he's only been out, you know, a year, right?

So you have Chris Jenkins last year. And but but this guy's the biggest one and he's probably the freakiest one. I mean, he's almost 100 pounds bigger than some of those other guys. And Justin Tress, who's their strength coach, he's protege of Ben Herbert. He was telling me he thinks he's going to run in the four eights when he goes to the combo.

That would be insane. You know, and you can watch it. I mean, it's it's stuff. People are like, oh, yeah, I remember that play. He ran down a Penn State running back in a game.

It's not just stuff in the weight room. Then there's like Alex Orgy, who's the front runner to be the quarterback for Michigan. I mean, the video we have of some of the freaky stuff that that guy can do at six three and almost 240 pounds is insane compared to other elite athletes. Yeah, I've heard some folks in Ann Arbor use the words Anthony and Richardson when they talk about him a little bit. I don't know if he can throw it like that, but and he's you know, but again, he's legit six three to 38. He's a 41 inch vertical jump inch guy and he can do so much else. Who else?

So people don't accuse. Yes. So Michigan heavy. Yeah.

So let's start with go to your arch rival. So J.J. Smith is a freshman receiver from South Florida. Five star guy. You know, he was a huge recruit. Everybody want him. He'll be the most talented receiver that has come out of South Florida ever. Is that the kid who flashed with the video and in practice or something like that? He is.

They usually have multiple versions of that receiver. I will say this just from the people I trust around there. He will be the best receiver Ohio State has ever come on. We hear this every year. And and they're there. By the way, they're right.

You know, when they're like, here comes here's a lobby. Here comes Garrett Wilson. Here comes bigger than Marvin. Ten pounds bigger. He is stronger than Marvin.

He's got better top end speed. And that's not a knock on on Marvin Harris. The fact that could be any knock or anything perceived as a knock on him. I'm reading you're right up on this kid right now. He benches three fifty five and he just graduated high school. He was there for you know, he's been there for a few months. His strength is crazy.

You know, he's basically an 11, 11 foot broad jump guy. So he's 18 years old. Yeah. He's this at 18 years old. Yeah.

OK. Jeremiah Smith, which means he's got three years until the NFL can call him to and he's sitting out one. Right. No, I don't know. I don't know.

Everybody raves about his work ethic and his maturity to there. That's great. So, yeah, that's cool.

No, it's it's honestly it's it's great to see. You know, it's I don't think the combine where you're able to beat Michigan. I feel very confident that Jeremiah Smith will be able to do that. Who else do you have on the list?

You want to make? Yeah. So I mean, there's there was a lot of guys. Not just obviously in, you know, Big Ten, but this is a year where you sit back. So I had the first time I've ever had a repeat number one guy, Nick Harbor. Nick Harbor is a six five two hundred forty two pound receiver at South Carolina who ran ten one in the hundred meters and was qualifier for the NCAA championships this past spring. What's crazy about him is he is competing in those sprint track meets against guys who are 70 pounds lighter than him.

Like nobody's close to his side. Right. You're talking about a guy who's way, way bigger than like Randy Moss and has that kind of speed. Now he's needs a lot more polish as a receiver. He started five games as a true freshman last year, but he's definitely one that he was just rare.

Number two is Prime's guy, Travis Hunter, Travis Hunter. Like the freaky thing about him. He has just got an insane level, like of a gas tank where 80 plays in. He is he looks like he just got out there and warmed up. You know, he's rare in that regard. You just don't see like we had him in the in the opener at T.C.

with one hundred degrees out there. The plays he's making in the third quarter and his ability to close on the ball is rare. Isn't that what Dion said at halftime? You know, if the kid had caught it, the Heisman would already be at the crib in his halftime interview before he turned off the locker room. Is he going to do that again this year? Play 120 plays a game?

I would think so. I mean, the challenge for him, because they were a four win team, is they need much more help in the trenches. Right, sand in the pants. That's apparently what they're you know, they were hitting, you know, in the period. You're skeptical of it?

What do you mean? Are you skeptical that they got enough sand in the pants up front? I think they've gotten I think from the talent they brought in, they will be better this year.

I think they can win seven, eight games and be bowl eligible. OK. You know, the key thing, though, for everything and you can say this with a lot of schools, but like they really need to protect Chador because if Chador goes down, I think they are they're going to be reeling. Well, but he also got Dion knows. I mean, he doesn't need to be told his son got his. Oh, he did. Absolutely.

It's hard, Rich. It's like that is the key crap beaten out of a position to have cohesion. You know, they had an offensive line that basically was patchwork. Yeah.

And I do know they've upgraded the talent part of that. So we'll see how it comes together. I you know, I like some of the moves they've made, you know, but people will be watching because it's like it's must see TV, whether it whether they win or lose.

You got one more freak before I let you go, because I mean, we have time later on this month to to start previewing the season a little bit more with you. But, you know, yeah, I keep an eye on Florida State. They had to, you know, like remember, they had two high level D lineman who went to the draft last year.

I think they both went to the Rams. Yeah. Yeah. Now, Darryl Jackson, six five three hundred thirty pounds runs almost twenty one miles per hour. You know, 11 inch hands like this is the guy, 36 inch, 36 inch arms.

Yeah. Like when I was talking to their strength coach about him, I was like wanted to text D.J. I was like, you got to start carve out some time to see this because this is a kid who's now on his third school. He started out at Maryland, went to Miami, sat out last year. They had a great defense. They lost some really good players, but I think their D line is going to be really, really good.

And it starts in the middle. And again, I don't know if we talk enough about where Florida State was at the end of last year. You know, and they were the school I felt like got snubbed by the CFP. I think they're you know, they're a top 10 team. You know, we'll see how they do on offense. Mike Norvell has always been good with that, but I just think they have some loaded.

You know, they got Marvin Jones Junior's now over there as a as a defensive end. But Darryl Jackson is one of those wow guys I think people will be buzzing about. And again, I can't wait to talk more about the season with you writ large. Twelve team playoff field, how that's going to totally reimagine the way we look at the season. I think is I don't think that's covered enough. I don't think people realize how that's going to change things.

It will still be immense level of importance and intensity and interest. But I mean, you know, two, three win teams that would or that in the past would be like, yeah, well, forget it. Now we'll still extend the season. We'll have a run.

Yeah. And you also like you guys put up a graphic of the top 25, but a bunch of those teams in the top 10. They're not going to be ranked that way because you're going to have an ACC and a big, a big 12 team champion that are going to get first round buys. So you may have a team that's like 10th in the country, but they're going to be third or fourth when it comes to the playoff. And I think that's a big adjustment for how a lot of us and especially fans are going to kind of process this new year.

All the change. You're the man. Thanks for coming in. Everybody should check out Bruce Feldman's work in the athletic.

You just scratched the surface on how deep and how wide the freaks of nature that play college football are. And and I look forward to having you in studio on Wednesdays. And once again, I love your work and you always make us smarter. Thanks for coming in.

Thanks for having me. Bruce Feldman, everybody right here on The Rich Eisen Show. Tony Hale's making his way to our studio. But when we come back, I believe Bobby Bones is jumping in here.

Hey, yeah, just got to L.A. We'll talk with Bobby Bones on studio coming up. Let's talk about sleep number, people. We all know in the NFL there's no margin for error.

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See store for details. Put your hands together for the most recent Heisman Trophy winner, Kyler Murray. Where is that trophy right now? I sleep next to it. It's on your nightstand. Yeah. See, it's good morning Heisman every day. Seriously, it's right there next to it. Like there's a night table next to Kyler Murray's bed and the Heisman Trophy is resting. Yes, sir.

That's amazing. Have you ever woken up in the middle of the night and you've had it in your arms? Have you been spooning with it? There's no spooning. There's no there's no Heisman spooning. By the way, I would absolutely spoon with the Heisman if I won the Heisman. Now taking part in the Rich Eisen Show Throw Challenge. Kyler Murray, is this the first NFL Duke ball that you've thrown? That's an NFL. Oh, my God. You won't even answer that. Go for it, Kyler.

Go for it. That's one. That's two. That's three. By the way, that's four. Those are all Duke NFL footballs. Just wanted everyone to know that.

First overall pick. That's four. That's five.

These are the footballs Kurt Warner complained about. That's six. That's seven. That's.

Oh, my goodness. Let's get some. Here we go. Keep going. I'm off. You got one more. Here we go.

No, it's getting bad. You got seven for first seven. Good enough.

Seven out of ten. Congratulations. He won the Heisman and it seems the Rich Eisen throwing contest in the same year. That's a first.

No one could ever take that away from you. Happy twenty seventh birthday to Kyler Murray today. Back on the Rich Eisen Show radio network, 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 clickgranger.com or just stop by. One time guest host and one of the more popular radio hosts in the United States of America. Bobby Bones just landed here in Los Angeles. He's going to visit the Chargers today. So he's going to stop by in here. By the way, we are happy to be the landing spot for anybody that's heading across the street. Yeah, absolutely.

Prior to going or coming back. We'll pit stop. That's what Pelosero did last week, didn't you? Yep. Let's take a phone call here. A lot of win-loss games, Rich. Is that what they are? A lot of win-loss games?

A lot of win-loss games. Actually, come on out here. Bobby Bones is going to sit down right now, ladies and gentlemen.

Bobby, we're live. Come on. You can sit down. Come on out, ladies and gentlemen.

Make your way out. Bobby Bones is here. He just got here from beautiful Nashville, Tennessee. Good to see you. How are you, Bobby?

Good to see you, man. Oh, wait. Mike's got to turn his microphone on before it happens. Go. It's all good.

We're live on the Rich Eisen Show radio and television network. Oh, don't. Are you touching his board, Chris?

Is that what you're doing? Chris can do it. It's all right.

Chris has to. Is it on, Mike? It's the wrong one, but don't worry.

It's like family reunion that I was in a family for two days. Ladies and gentlemen. Thank you.

Bobby Bones. I'd like to apologize. I made a mistake on the way over here. I don't do this, but I took a Xanax because I don't fly. I don't fly very well. And so, I have a prescription from like three years ago, and I got off the plane, and I thought to myself, am I in Los Angeles?

Like, where? So, I'm a little disassociated right now. So, let her rip.

OK. So, this is a perfect... No chemicals in my body ever. So, this is weird. I've never had alcohol. So, when I take a Xanax, it wrecks it.

So, this is truly... Chris, we're turning ten this fall. Is Bobby Bones the first Xanax-infused guest we've ever had to admit? Openly. Maybe openly. I think to admit, yeah. To come through the front door with it, I think, for sure. There's just a warning in case you're like, man, what's up with that dude?

What is he saying? So, yeah. Good to see you.

I feel like I'm also imposing... You know how you go to someone's house and you knock on the door without being invited over, right? Back in the day, when we were kids, we did that. We would just show off at the neighbor's house.

It's not a big deal. Now, if anyone did that, I would be ready to... I think that's a Sebastian Maniscalco bit where it used to be, when you were a kid, people would just knock on the door and everyone would run to the door, who's here? This is great. Now, if somebody knocks on your door, rings the bell, it's just like, call the cops. What the hell is going on?

It's a very funny Sebastian Maniscalco bit. But I invited you. I invited you. I'm like, hey, I heard you were coming. And I'm like, stop by. And you're like, actually, I don't know if the schedule is going to work out. Then I woke up this morning and I found out you might be coming by and it's all good.

I gave you every reason to say no. You said, hey, come by. And it's when you say to someone, we should have dinner sometime. You don't really mean it unless you say we should have dinner at Thursday at 7 30 p.m. And I'm a Rich Eisen stan. I've said this to you. I'm your biggest fan.

I have been for many, many years filling in for you as a highlight of my career. And he was like, you should come by at some point in your life. And I was like, how about two days? So here we are. And by the way, that's funny, but that's not a Nashville thing, is it? I thought it's an L.A. thing where you're like, we should hang out. And you don't really mean it.

I thought that's an L.A. thing. I think it's an everybody thing now when they don't mean it. In Nashville, it's like the creative thing is we should write sometime or we should really create. But really, that means I would prefer if we didn't run into each other again. But in case we do, this is the cordial thing to say. OK, so here's what I feel like what we should do here.

What I feel we should do is we should take a break instead of just throwing you on here. Are you a coffee drinker? Can we get you some coffee? No, no coffee. Don't do coffee. OK, does that does that affect you?

Here's what I could do. I don't want to be a diva, but I would like a catcher's mitt, a two foot tall bottle of Zima plastic. Zima! I'm a big Zima guy. Zima with Chambour.

What is happening? Is there a hot tub time machine to get the Zima? You want a Crystal Pepsi? Does a Zima exist?

Like if we could make it happen for you. I don't even drink. It's just I don't know why that came to my head. Zima came back like two years ago, maybe two, three years ago. How would you even know? Because I bought it because I was a Zima drinker.

It came back and it just came and left. You were the one. You were the one. You were the one dude that admitted it. We liked that. I mean, I did it. Little Chambour, my ex-wife liked it.

It was a drink from when we were dating. Oh, my God. It's in Japan. I don't think we can get you one. I think that's where I am right now, as a matter of fact, in Japan.

Mentally in Japan, popping open a Zima. Oh, my gosh. The very popular syndicated host, Bobby Bones, has stopped by right here before he goes across the street. Let's take a break. We'll come back. We can maybe even take a phone call or two with Bobby Bones right here on The Rich Eyes. I'm sure with Tony Hale at hour three. And I've got a power rankings as well on the best quarterbacks to win a game in the league.

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That's OReillyAuto.com slash E-I-S-E-N. O-O-O-Reilly Auto Parts. Shopify is the global commerce platform that helps you sell at every stage of your business. Shopify is there to help you grow. Shopify helps you sell everywhere from their all-in-one e-commerce platform to their in-person POS system. Shopify has got you covered. Shopify helps you turn browsers into buyers with the Internet's best converting checkout. Thirty-six percent better on average compared to other leading commerce platforms and sell more with less effort thanks to Shopify Magic, your AI-powered all-star. What I love about Shopify is how no matter how big you want to grow, Shopify gives you everything you need to take control and take your business to the next level. Shopify powers ten percent of all e-commerce in the U.S. and Shopify is the global force behind Allbirds, Rothy's, and Brooklinen and millions of other entrepreneurs of every size across one hundred seventy-five countries. Plus, Shopify's award-winning help is there to support your success every step of the way because businesses that grow, grow with Shopify. Sign up for a one dollar per month trial period at Shopify.com slash Westwood One.

All lowercase. Go to Shopify.com slash Westwood One now to grow your business no matter what stage you're in. Shopify.com slash Westwood One. Bobby Bones here on the Rich Eisen Show. Our radio audience returned shortly. I don't know if this is the right to do to somebody who's already admitted that he's hopped up on Xanax and he doesn't usually take these things.

But Mark Dalton, one of the best in the best in the business. Media Relations and Communications tweeted this out from the Arizona Cardinals. They are offering this at Arizona Cardinals games this year. The Cotton Candy Burrito. What are we doing?

You burrito this thing. You open it up. Let's see if we can open that up. Look at what's inside. Froot Loops and... Fruity Pebbles, right? No. Candy.

I don't need to do this to you right now. This does look like you would be on some sort of induced haze here. I feel like I should really be into that based on all the TV shows I've seen about people who feel like I feel right now. But it doesn't look that good. Maybe it's my IBS hitting the version of Xanax right now. It's those two colliding where... IBS meets NFL. It's a bad future.

That's what I see is bad future for me right there. There's many franchises in the National Football League for whom their play induces irritable bowel. Yikes.

And they don't need that sort of push. But were those M&M's in there too? Yeah, M&M's, Fruity Pebbles. I feel like Nerds would be the proper candy for Dad. Yes, Nerds.

If we're in a room, a boardroom, it's like alright Bobby consult on this. I would go I feel like more Nerds and less chocolate inside of the Cotton Candy. Yeah. Spree or is that too large of a disc to place in there? What about Smarties? Smarties are great.

I think Spree is amazing but they're hard on the teeth. And with those you kind of blindly go in much like a burrito. You have to blindly go into that. And if you need a dusting on top, a little Fun Dip. A little Fun Dip, yup.

And you slice it open with that sugar stick, right? Yeah. I mean we've got Fun Dip and Zima. I don't think those mix Bobby. We're retro VH1 in the 90's right now totally. Bobby Bones here on the Rich Eisen Show everybody. Rich we've got breaking news. We've got the breaking news drop right here. Here it comes. Breaking news.

Where's Bobby Bones sitting here? What do we have? Six minutes ago the 49ers have announced the following roster move. They've signed wide receiver Jontay Kirkland. Oh come on you're going to tease us like that?

And running back Keyshawn Vaughn to one year deals. What are you doing over there? That's the tease. The Niners are literally trolling everyone by putting out this post.

Or they're conducting their business. Really very convenient as the world waits to see where they're trading their superstar wide receiver to announce roster moves. Or were they on the team? This is new. Do we know?

Well in order to make room on the roster they released Eric Harris and Tariq Owens. Good update. You got it. And I have a question if you guys would.

Bobby Bones the floor is yours. Expert opinions. He obviously didn't want to go to the Patriots. Correct. Yes. Do we just feel like the Patriots even though they have well he's not going to start obviously. I don't believe so.

Right. Do we feel like we would not want to go to the Patriots as well? Like the organization is overall worse now than going to like the Steelers? No no no.

This is not I believe an organizational issue or an issue I wouldn't think with the area. They're not ready to win right now. They're just not ready to win right now. But the Steelers are their record. The Steelers don't have a rookie guy. I mean although how about this Mike Tomlin today mentioned how Justin Fields is going to start their preseason game and Russell Wilson's not playing. He's not healthy. So Justin Field here we are in August and with conversation of who's going to start if I'm Ayuk obviously I would take the combination of Justin Fields and a potentially banged up soon to be healthy Russell Wilson hopefully for the Steelers over Jacoby Brissett and a raw rookie who might not be ready and a roster that had only won a handful of games last year over the Pittsburgh Steelers who were otherwise loaded I think.

I would take that for sure. And then there's the Browns who made the playoffs last year. And told me on a Steelers question. Sure. Do we like Justin Fields because of the camp videos we're watching or because the backup quarterback is always the most popular guy on campus?

Can we say both? And also we saw what he did at times for the Chicago Bears and potentially has a better offensive lineup front than he ever had in Chicago and weapons and an offensive coordinator like Arthur Smith better than he's maybe ever had in Chicago. And he can go to work a little bit better there in a new spot where he doesn't have the well you were drafted top third of the draft by us. You're now here.

We basically didn't give up much for you but we believe and you're going to give you an opportunity. And he steps out in his hometown in Atlanta if he gets the gig right? In Atlanta week one?

That's the stuff. I think it's happening. I think he's starting week one.

Well I mean at this point in time. He has to. Yeah.

But Russ. I guess he heard his calf pushing a sled. Did quarterbacks push sleds?

What's happening now? I haven't even heard of that before. I thought they wore a jersey that kept them away from the sled. Like two Norths on a magnet.

Like if you put on that jersey you don't go near the equipment. Yes. There is some sort of. I shouldn't go that route. I'm not a science guy.

I'm terrible at that. Why don't you even go in that. I never got the green wedge in Trivial Pursuit.

Ever. The green wedge of science? The green wedge of science. Orange which is where I went first. Orange. Of course. Orange and yellow.

Yellow? That's history. Yeah.

History's good. Oh I went pink. Entertainment. Pop culture.

Pink entertainment. I'm also wildly color blind. So I know the orange. That's a very bad game to be color blind playing.

That's why when you guys were going around I was like I'm going to set the rest of this out because I'm not sure really what was what. Geez you're color blind and hopped up on Xanax right now. I'm starting to feel the Xanax wane a bit.

Thank you. Bobby Bones waning Xanax. What album was waning Xanax? Whose album was waning Xanax? Pink Floyd. And the Wiggles. The Wiggles also had a version which was really great.

My favorite Wiggles. It was the early days before they sold out and wore the jumpsuits. That's a good one Bobby. Why are you going across did Harbaugh invite you across the street? How did you get to the Chargers?

What's going on here? I would like to apologize to you and to coach Harbaugh. Harbaugh is no longer doing an interview with me today.

I'm still going to the Chargers. The reason I think it's happened. I also now really dislike the guy who took all the pictures and ruined Michigan. You're talking about Connor Stallion?

I don't want to say his name. He's like Voldemort to me now because what I think is we were going to talk to Harbaugh today but I think now that the new story's out I would be dodging everybody too if all they want to ask about is that again. So we came to the Chargers camp.

We're still going. We're going to have fun. We're going to hang out with some players.

Talk to some players. But Harbaugh now and I think it's a wise decision has decided I'm not doing any interviews with people I don't trust which if it were me it would be the entire body of sports media right now. So you have reversed course on Connor Stallions because again I'm a current.

Is it current or are you put on other pods? No, no. You're the current guest on 25 whistles, my sports show. Okay, very good.

And get it where all podcasts can be acquired. And in this conversation you, Arkansas Razorback die hard. I would love a Connor Stallions for Arkansas is what I said. That's what I said. And I told you, no you don't. No you don't. He's ruined it for me now.

So now I hate Connor Stallions too. But you, I told you that. And I knew exactly why he said that. You want to explain it? You want someone to care enough to try to go to those great lengths to win games.

He wrote a manifesto and nobody got hurt. How rare is that that we won comes to surface and it wasn't for a terrible. But no, I hate Connor Stallions now as well because he ruined our Harbaugh experience today. See, you're like a lot of politicians where you rail against something until it happens to you and now suddenly you know, or you like something until it happens to you, then you rail against it.

Unfair? I would say I actually learned from my mistake and pivoted unlike the politicians. Ah. Yes. But you were right, I was wrong. You have awareness, you're a man of the people.

Very little. Understood. So who are you going to see over there, do you know? Or are you just going to go and hang out? Yeah, we're just going to go and we have some players we're going to work with.

Jerry Rice's son? Yes. He's going to be over there. Maybe the goat will be just, yeah, just hanging out.

Strolling around. Maybe. I'll fill in.

I have something. By the way, another Dancing with the Stars veteran, Jerry Rice. He did the show. He finished runner up to, he finished runner up. By the way, one of my favorite stories about Jerry Rice's remarkable, unparalleled sense of competition. Being a competitor.

He lost to Drew Lachey. I Yikes. Mine's a boy band though, he has experience. Careful, careful. Jerry might hear this.

I understand, I understand. So I'm doing, I was hosting a live Pro Bowl show on NFL Network. Amit Smith, Jerry Rice together at a Pro Bowl while in their playing days. And it was just awesome. Just, you've got the greatest receiver and the most prolific running back of all time.

Right there. And I went to break, it was a two segment situation. I went to break saying, we'll come back and we'll talk about Dancing with the Stars with a guy who won it all and a guy who didn't.

And that three and a half minute long commercial break felt like three and a half years with Jerry Rice staring a hole through me. Like Homelander. You know what I mean? Pretty much.

You know, like he was pissed off. It takes a lot of dedication if you actually want to win that show if you don't have it. By the way, I won the show.

I know you look at Let me just say it, I thank you. I won the show. You've got the ball, the trophy in your podcast studio.

We actually used it to weight down a table because once a guest fell over in the chair, so now we put it behind the table. But this is my greatest Dancing with the Stars story. It was the final I was never really that good of a dancer, but I understood the formula of how to win the show. And it's the finale and Emma Smith is in the audience. And I'm like, that's crazy. I've never met Emma before. I was like, that's crazy.

That's Emma Smith. And I'm in the hallway before my final dance and I'm nervous, just pacing a little bit. And Emma Smith comes out in the hallway to find me and he goes, you alright? I said, yeah, I'm a little nervous. He goes, well, you should be because this right here, it all comes down to this. And I'm like, well, that's making me a little more nervous. And he said to me, you should be nervous, but I would bet because I guess Emma watches, anybody that watches, we understand how hard it was because by watching you this whole year, no one is more prepared than you.

So just go be prepared and win the thing. And so I go out and I win the show. And the very first person to come up to me after it's like the big ah, Emmett broke through the crowd and came up and just hugged me immediately. It was the greatest sports highlight that I, Emmett Smith hugged me at a dance competition.

Who can say that? And there's a picture of us together right after. And I remember thinking Emmett will never be my friend again, but for this one moment, we have this shared experience in sports where we were both champions. And so Emmett was awesome. Yeah, I've since tried to DM him.

He doesn't respond, but for that like 30 seconds, it was the greatest. And as they say to champions, no one can ever take that away from you. They cannot. My wife doesn't let me keep it in the house anymore. It's in the studio now. Look at my studio.

I know exactly that. We talked about that on your podcast as well. Because your studio is in your home, your beautiful home. And I asked you, what in fact is yours in that house? Because it looked like something that potentially, even though we had never met that was the first thing we actually met in person.

And now twice in the same week, we can't quit each other. But I knew, I basically said, you don't have a lot of your own stuff in that house. And I said, zero. Yes.

I would like to say something about Rich. I don't want to be embarrassing toward you. And hopefully we have a minute or so. We do.

We have about two and a half. Okay, I've got two things. One, I am fans of certain people. I listen to podcasts. I feel like I know people. I've mentioned to you like I listen to Big Cat. I have all these people. When I was here, I met Craig Kilborn because he was someone that I looked up to, but because of the show. And I always wonder people that I don't know if they're actually cool in real life. That matters to me. Because we don't get to see them.

We see a version of what they want us to see. And I would like to let everybody out there that listens to the showers watch you through the years. This is a rare thing, but you are as warm and accommodating and nice and friendly as you are on this show. You are that in real life. And that was so surprising to me.

Not because it was you, but because that is very rare. Thank you. So for everybody out there, if you're like I wonder if Rich is that cool. Like Rich is that cool and he surrounds himself with like-minded and acting people. So that is it.

I am such a big fan of just the operation after being in it, but also getting to know you a little bit. And it means that much more that the Xanax was waning. Yes, it's completely waning. As you said it. Completely waning.

You know, this is not influenced by anything. Thank you. That you truly feel this way. It means a lot.

Thank you. I do feel it. Do I have 30 seconds?

Do I have 30 seconds? Yeah. Okay. I have this card I need you to sign. Here's the thing. I opened this box from tops because I'm a collector in the hobby. Okay.

And it was an error card and it wasn't autographed. I've got it. I've got it. Like a Sharpie pen? Oh, I have one right here.

I've got one right here too. And so here's what happened. I can't. The guy who's card it is Reese Olson. He won't respond to my DM's either.

Like Emmett. So I've signed it. I've got country music star Thomas Rhett to sign it. I'm going to get you to sign it.

I have a couple other people. And then I'm going to travel to Detroit to get him to sign it and then auction it off for St. Jude. Fantastic. And this will be a one of one. Nice. And I think we can get $10,000 for this thing. Okay. Very good.

To get to the hospital. So it's weird to sign a card that's not you but this whole thing. This whole life is weird Rich. So if you'll undo that. I shall do that.

No problem. And just sign a little piece over there. In the 40 seconds we have left, what are we promoing? Your daily show? Nothing. We're promoing nothing except love each other. Go Arkansas Razorbacks. Donate to the Arkansas Razorbacks NIL.

How about that promo? Give money to the Arkansas Razorbacks NIL. John Calipari is your head coach now. Yeah he doesn't need it.

Football needs it. He's got millions. He's got Tyson Chicken money.

We got nuggets out there now. Just give this guy his annex and he turns into Connor Stelly. Look at that. You have become Connor Stelly. He's in disguise.

He's in disguise. You take it over. Mine was legal though. Mine was legal.

Mine's legal yeah. Bobby Bones everybody right here on the show. Thank you. Tony Hale in studio coming up in hour number 3. We're still here on Roku for another 90 seconds. Bobby what would be your Olympic sport that you think you could medal in?

Nice. Sitcom trivia knowing the actors who actually played the people. Reginaldville Johnson, Family Matters.

Let me give you one. Who played the governor and Benson? You're talking about the stuff from the 60's. I said 90's. I literally said 90's and he's like who played the sheriff in Gunsmoke.

I don't know who played Derned Extra in Gunsmoke. I said 90's. Alright 90's. Chris call it up.

Call it up. I was looking up Benson. Is Benson the housekeeper that was really funny? No he was the only guy who's ever gone from Butler to Governor.

Who was the doctor in Seinfeld that told George that his wife had died. What? Yeah that's too deep man.

That's a famous actor. You'll never medal in this Bobby. You'll never medal in this.

I won't. Anyway that's what I thought I could medal in. I can't get out of regionals apparently. Mine was two bounce tennis.

I don't know what that is. Is that like it takes two bounces to get to it? If you gave me a second bounce I'd medal. I think another one of mine would probably be saying the exact wrong thing to my wife. I've only been married three years so I don't really know how to like handle some of that fine or sure like those words. It's alright.

I haven't quite mastered yet. Listen there's still time Bobby. Bobby Bowen's having fun right here on The Rich Eisen Show. We're sending him off across the street to the Chargers. The Sean Ryan Show on YouTube or wherever you listen.