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Robert Griffin III: I Was Surprised Being Fired By ESPN

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August 26, 2024 4:15 pm

Robert Griffin III: I Was Surprised Being Fired By ESPN

The Rich Eisen Show / Rich Eisen

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August 26, 2024 4:15 pm

The Pittsburgh Steelers are considering their quarterback options, with Russell Wilson and Justin Fields competing for the starting spot. Meanwhile, the Dallas Cowboys are dealing with contract negotiations for C.D. Lamb and Trey Lance, and the NFL is facing changes in its playoff format.

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Reliable. This episode is brought to you by FX's The Old Man, starring Jeff Bridges and John Lithgow. The hit show returns as the stakes get higher and more secrets are uncovered. The former CIA agent sets off on his most important mission to date, to recover his daughter after she's kidnapped.

FX's The Old Man premieres September 12th on FX, stream on Hulu. Hold on to one on one camera. Who's house, Chris? This is the Rich Eisen Show. Hey, I heard that. I heard that. Live from the Rich Eisen Show studio in Los Angeles. Let's go.

Family will make you do crazy things. Earlier on the show, Colts head coach Shane Steichen still to come. Georgia Tech head coach Brent Keith.

Plus your phone calls, latest news and more. And now it's Rich Eisen. Hour number two of the Rich Eisen Show on the air. 844-204-RICHES.

The number to dial right here on the program. Brent Keith, the head coach of Georgia Tech football. Shocking everybody. International shocker. Going over there to Ireland and taking care of business amidst all the hoopla and the drinking.

There was a lot going on over there. God, you gotta love Pat. Game day was a scene. Dude, Pat only knows one speed. And in terms of game day, college game day, you mentioned that.

I'll hit this here at top of hour number two a little bit. Nick Saban is excellent. Oh, yeah. I mean, we've already seen Nick on ESPN for years.

Yeah. I mean, who else would you want to hear from talking about anything to do with college football? Now, the question is, is will he be critical of other coaches if they mess up, screw up? You know, what will that be? And that's going to be something to be of keen interest to see what Belichick will say. Well, I think in that regard, I think, you know, difference between those two guys is we all assume Bill wants to coach again, whereas Nick is clearly done.

He is done. Right. And so that is going to be so much fun to watch this whole develop. You know, there was a set, I retweeted it. There was a moment where, and by the way, they put Pat right in the middle of the set, which is just smart.

It's like the dinner conversation. Right there. He's a great middle.

Yeah, he's a great middle. And Saban's talking about NIL and Portal. And Pat asked a really good follow up question.

And Saban's talking straight up about the issues going on in college football with that. I just would love to hear more stuff. Like, has anybody ever had the temerity to say to Nick, my kid needs more money, otherwise we're walking from Alabama? I would probably say yes. I would love to hear those stories.

A million percent, I'd love to hear those stories. Ricky Rowe's parents did that in Blue Chips, right? Said he needed more money. Ricky Rowe got paid, though, and his daddy got a tractor.

That's true. And right now, Blue Chips would be legal, right? Yes!

Blue Chips was so ahead of the game. Happy, friend of the program. So is Ricky Rowe getting his banners back?

I would hope so. He and Neil Bordeaux and Ricky Rowe and Butch. Dude, Craig.

It's just a fun, it's a fun show, a fun watch. And it was fun to see him in Ireland, right? Yeah. Had Seamus there, WWE superstar. They were drinking Guinness in the booth during the game. Saban said Georgia wins it all. I think it's pretty wide open this year.

But the interesting part about this, too, is the first team to get everybody to basically say, guess what? This isn't the previous years of college football anymore that one loss does not end a season. Two won't end a season.

We're going to see a two loss team in the playoffs. Of course. And so Florida State testing that right off the bat. They're the first ones.

They're the first ones. And they were the ones that last year were like, hey, we should be in with no losses. But no starting quarterback. We should be in with no losses. And they're the first team this year saying, hey, one loss isn't that big of a deal. It's kind of wild. Like of all the teams that are the first one to say, hey, you don't have to have zero losses to make the playoffs anymore is the team that didn't make the playoffs with zero losses and saying that should automatically get us in the playoffs. It's kind of wild that they're the first team to test out, to test drive the new situation.

You can't write this stuff. By the way, a buck ninety on the ground for Georgia Tech. Georgia Tech football, man. Brent Key's a former O-line coach. By the way, that's what you call O-line coaches, assistant coaches. They're called coach, just in case anybody wants to know. You call them coach, you don't call them assistant coach. By name, I'm just saying. But anyway, I digress.

What AW for Georgia Tech and Brent Key will join us in hour number three of the show as it's just wild. The team that basically said anybody with zero losses should automatically make the playoffs is the first team in this new world to say, one loss isn't a big deal. We should still make the playoffs. Yeah, they should. And they can. And that's true. But they won't.

Okay. Good point. Still a lot to go in college football. Bruce Feldman in his usual Wednesday spot will be on this program in a couple days to get a set for, I guess, week one, right? This is week zero? Yeah, last week was week zero, week one this weekend.

And I love that college football has kind of taken over the Labor Day weekend before NFL goes and just get us super ramped up. Well, guess who's going to start taking over Labor Day weekend one day? No. Too early. Too early. Okay.

Gotcha. We're going to take over the Fourth of July. We're going to have a 20-game season? We're not even at 18 and you're telling us there's going to be 20?

Yeah. No, I'm telling you there's 18. And then maybe 18 is going to start Labor Day weekend.

Maybe. The idea to play 18 games is to push the Super Bowl into Presidents Day weekend. As if the NBA isn't already watching the NFL turf them on Christmas Day.

They're going to turf them on their All-Star Weekend Day, too. Everything is perfect now. Everyone just chill. Good to know. Thank you.

844-204 Rich, number to dial. Aiden in Phoenix, Arizona has been first in, first up. Let's take your call. What's up, Aiden?

Here's your desk, Trent. Yeah. Aiden, you're on the air. Aiden. Careful. Hold on a second. Uh-oh. Aiden, you there? I put him back on hold.

Oh, no. Because the last thing we need to hear is... You don't know what's going on. We don't know what's going on in Aiden's conversation. Let's go to Charlie in Ocala, Florida. What's up, Charlie? How you doing, Rich? There you go. What's up, sir?

What you got on your mind? My Miami Dolphins. I feel special about them this year. Plus, I've been to many special dolphin jet games throughout the history of them, both of them teams. The fake spike, the Monday Night Miracle, I think it was, when Jumbo Elliott got that pass.

Yeah, sure. Yeah, the Monday Night Miracle was in between games two and three of the Mets-Yankees subway series. That was one of the greatest weeks in the history of New York sports, where the Mets and Yankees are playing for the World Series, and the off night on Monday night was the Jets and Dolphins on Monday night playing an instant classic.

I'll never forget that one. My team's lost both. Mets lost, Dolphins lost.

You're a Met Dolphin fan. Whoa. That's weird. Okay. Oh, yeah.

All right. Charlie, come on. How you feeling about the Mets right now? Eh, they blew a big one last yesterday.

They did, but we shouldn't... I mean... Oh, that's an evergreen statement. I'm happy, man. I thought this year was just going to be a tank year. Unless they're taking on the Yankees. They're not tanking. But I appreciate... They played San Diego Dolphins. Well, I appreciate the call, Charlie.

Thanks very much. That's Charlie in Ocala, Florida. He likes his dolphins.

Why not? You want to give Aiden one more time? You there, Aiden? Hey, what's up, Rich? Oh, well, you tell me what's up.

We were trying to get you, and you were just like, I don't know. What are you doing, Aiden? I'm at work right now, sir. Okay, all good. What do you do for a living? I work in the cannabis industry. Hey!

Hey, TK+. All right. So, at your leisure.

Literally inferior. I'm making my payrolls right now. Okay. Hey, do you have anything named after me in your... Oh, you know what?

We're going to have to work on it, because we do make some... Let's see. Well, what do you got on your mind, Aiden? What's going on here? What's on your mind there, Aiden? What's going on? Right now, I just want to do... I don't know why all the Jalen Hurts backlash is happening after one bad year.

He went to the Super Bowl, and I see him outside of people's top 10. It's insane to me, but I also want to do what's more likely. Oh! Sorry.

Okay. My original question was going to be, what's more likely? The Cowboys winning a playoff game this year, or Trey Lance starting for the Cowboys? I'll just jump in right there, Aiden. In light of the Penn State news, you know how Jahan Dobson... We got Jahan Dobson from Washington, and Saquon from the Giants.

What is more likely? The Cowboys win a playoff game this year, or the Eagles steal Micah Parsons from the Cowboys? Oh, come on. All right, here we go. Aiden, you know, I don't know if you're sampling at work, because I hear some rustling about. That's some good stuff if you think Micah Parsons.

Okay, thank you very much. That's one of the Ten Commandments, DJ. Don't get high on your own supply.

There you go, on his own supply there. Listen, two things. First of all, by the way, that's interesting that the Eagles supplementing their offense with some nice pieces from within division.

Saquon and free agency, Washington and Trey. When does that ever happen? Very rare.

Very rare. So in either of those instances, I would say what's more likely is the Cowboys win a playoff spot, because I'll tell you what, man. Trey Lance had five interceptions.

Five. He also ran one in looking terrific, I might add. Oh, yeah. He also played the entire preseason. Well, it's because you're not playing Dak, and you're not playing Cooper Rush.

And if you want to see what you've got in Trey Lance, the guys, that's the one thing. He just hasn't had snaps. He hasn't had snaps in years. Consistent snaps in years.

And so, you know, five interceptions in a preseason game is quite the feat. He's got an incredible physical skill set. I just don't know if Dallas is the right spot for him. And clearly, he's not starting a game this year. I mean, that's just not happening. Unless he becomes the Ben DiNucci, you know, of the equation where everyone else in front gets injured.

Yeah, let's not put that out there. Which is, by the way, not a bad guy to have there. You know, and I know when I register third overall. I mean, third overall in your depth chart and third overall in the draft. Don't forget, the kid gets drafted coming off a COVID year where he basically didn't play. Then he doesn't play after Jimmy G takes the team, you know, as far as he took him to the NFC Championship game. And then the next year, it's his gig. They basically said, it's your gig.

Let's see what you can do. And he gets hurt for the rest of the year. And that's when Brock Purdy is born.

And then that's see you later. So, the Trey Lance story now winds up in Dallas where everyone's like, well, he's missed a preseason and he throws five interceptions and thus he's trash. I'll just push back and say again, he has not had played a lot of football. He is still young. He is very physically gifted. And I think neck up, he's got some heart, too.

And you know who he didn't have to throw to in any of those games? Oh, C.D. Lamb. Well, I don't know. When are we going to get him done? I don't know, man. By the way.

I wish I did know. Let's go. By the way, when are we going to get him done? Settle down just a little bit. Honestly, because after the game this weekend, Jerry had his, you know, his usual media scrum. And last time he had a media scrum about him, he was basically joking.

There's no urgency and I'm hanging a no-bo and all that stuff. He went to high school and college. And Jerry was just mum on it. He had no interest in really talking about it.

Which strikes me to believe that maybe C.D. 's got a little bit of a hammer and it's pissing Jerry off. Get a deal done, bro.

Like, what are we waiting on? I just don't understand what Jerry is doing with these, T.J. I never understand.

I don't even pretend to understand. I just know this. By week one, 88 better be on that field. 88 ain't practicing, right? We saw one is practicing in Cincinnati. Yeah, I know.

That means a deal seems close. And I got on the plane with San Francisco to Vegas. Okay, where's 88? Well, he's working out and apparently in Houston. This is what Jerry had to say after the pre-seasons finish.

I don't have any updates, but we are near the season start. Have you seen him or his representations? Listen, I've got a lot of things to talk about. I'm only talking about who's here.

Only talking about the guys who were here. He did it. He did it. Jerry going into the bag of cliches. He almost, Jerry has to realize, we haven't spoken in a while. That's where you break out the crystal ball.

Because I'll tell you what, man. It is time. One week from today, midnight is striking. Midnight is striking. We're going to have these guys in camp and practicing.

Yes. Because I don't care how much CD Lamb and Dak are on the same page until they're actually throwing to one another or catching passes from the other. All you need is just one bad piece of timing against a marauding, terrific Browns defense.

And that can get ugly fast. No doubt. And you know who wants to beat the Dallas Cowboys quite a bit? Everybody.

Amari Cooper. Oh, yeah. Don't you think?

I would think so. Throw him the ball. But he got his money, so he's all right.

What is going on? Yeah, Rich. Trey Lance ain't starting a game, and Micah Parsons is not going anywhere. But one thing that I think you can make sure that will definitely happen with me and the Cowboys and Micah Parsons is they'll just wait till everybody else signs so the market goes through the roof and they'll pay through the notes for the guy, because that's what they do.

And don't care. And that's why we're in situations like that. It just happens over and over and over again. Over and over again. It's like Zeke's in Mexico again.

So why do we fall for the banana in the tailpipe every time? Meaning what? Like when are they going to do it? Yeah, I mean like we know. I'm not saying, we know he's going to. I just mean the general we in the sports world, like we all know what happens. Well, what else are we going to do between now and game time?

I don't know. Talk about the Bills. Because at some point maybe there'll be one guy who does say, I'm Emmett.

Enjoy going 0-2. And then you'll give me what I want. There ain't a lot of Emmett Smiths walking this earth. I know that. But C.D.

Lamb has got quite a, let's put it this way, similar level of importance to the success of the offensive side of the ball. Now you are dead on there. It's just funny. He said, I don't have any more news. You're the one who is in charge here. No, because there's no news to tell you about. Something's up. Something's up.

Now, of course, you could turn to me in the next 60 seconds and say, we got breaking news and my eyes see, C.D. Lamb's in. And as soon as that happens, Jamar Chase will sign and we'll see what Ayuk gets. I have a feeling before noon Pacific Standard Time, this deal is going to get done today.

Today? It seems super unlikely. I don't know.

I don't really know anything. What's going on with Ayuk? He's traveling with the team and it just seems so silly and unnecessary, man. Exactly. That's the word. Unnecessary. It just seems for everyone so silly and so unnecessary. It's all avoidable.

Stubbornness, man. But I would be stunned if Ayuk's not in uniform week one, the Monday night against the Jets. For San Francisco? Yeah. And I would be stunned. Yeah. Yeah. What about the scuttle that Washington is now in play again with Dotson being traded? I don't think that has anything to do with anything. They now have an extra third round pick.

You flip a second and a third. I don't think that has anything to do with anything. For Ayuk, does that get the deal done? I have no idea what gets the deal done. There just strikes me as why would you make major moves like that? Listen, I know guys have been added during the season. I just don't...

I don't know, man. It's time. It's time to play football.

It's time to get this stuff done because you know you're going to have to. And then there's Dak too. Geez. But that's the way the Cowboys like it. That's the way they like it. We're talking about them and they can handle it.

They're used to it. Whereas me, I'd be running a team like, I don't need this nonsense. No, I don't have time for this. I don't need this nonsense. Let's go. All right.

844-204 Rich, number to dial. When we return, the Pittsburgh Steelers have some questions about their quarterbacks. Or at least we have some questions.

Tomlin has an answer and is apparently going to give it the next couple of days. We'll discuss that. Your phone calls as we return here on The Rich Eyes and Shore.

There are NFC East predictions in hour three. Say goodbye to complicated, expensive, and uncertain shipping and say hello to an advantage. With USPS ground advantage shipping from the United States Postal Service. Every business faces challenges, but shipping shouldn't be one of them. So keep things simple with clear upfront pricing and no unexpected surcharges for Saturday deliveries, residential deliveries, or fuel.

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Simple, affordable, reliable. The Rich Eyes and Show is sponsored by Grainger. Does this sound familiar? You're a maintenance specialist and you've been squaring off with a leaky radiator at your facility for hours.

You're both drenched in sweat. You've thrown the whole playbook at it, but so far it's got an answer for everything. What you need is a teammate, a pro who's seen it all before, and that's Grainger. With support specialists always ready to chat the product you need plus a million more, just give this ringer a ring.

Call 1-800-GRAINGER, click Grainger.com, or just stop by one of their local branches. All right, this programming note when we return from our radio audience, it looks like Robert Griffin III will join us today. Hey, all right. This is fantastic.

There you go. We appreciate this. It's one of our favorites. I appreciate him.

Well, I think we're all appreciative. We were in an episode of The League with him. That's right. In 2012. Is that how long ago it was? It's a very long time ago. Oh, my God. Yeah. You know, you never feel old until you sit between two YouTube influencers like I did yesterday.

I can feel it. How'd that go? It was great. Had the YouTube TV, NFL Sunday ticket fantasy draft. Hadn't seen Cam Newton in a very long time. You know what Cam Newton is? Tom.

Just large. Oh, my God. Yeah. Keeps going.

It's just tough having conversations. The thing is, it's kind of like Fletch. You know, he's 6'9 with the hat. Oh, yeah, he had the hat on. He's already 6'5, and then he wears those hats, and he's even bigger, you know?

Yeah. You know what I need? A hat. You should be a hat guy.

Should I? Well, you've got to raise your hat. Cam's hats, though.

I don't think I can. You know, those are four-figure hats. I'd look like a park ranger in one of his hats. Got the Deadwood hat.

That's what I mean. Cam basically kind of wears a Deadwood hat. Do you want to bring it on?

Yeah, yeah, yeah. I don't think anybody's worn this hat now. The thing is, you've got to be careful zooming in on this, because the Deadwood hat that we have, because Susie worked for HBO for many years and then got this hat as a promotional item, and every single person that's appeared on this show, in the show Deadwood, we've had sign this hat with their favorite curse word.

Favorite curse word. So this is going to be, this is not as tall as the Cam hat. No, but Cam hat, that's what I mean.

It's like Indiana Jones. What do you think? By the way, if I had not appeared on Bussin' with the Boys, this would be like day 781, this screen grab. But no more pictures, right? Nope. Back on the Rich Eisen Show radio network, I'm sitting at the Rich Eisen Show desk, furnished by Grainger, with supplies and solutions for every industry.

Grainger has the right product for you. Call clickrainger.com or just stop by. All right, so he is going to join us here, courtesy of Call of Duty YouTube, or Twitch channels, on Wednesday at 9 a.m. Pacific, noon Eastern. You can catch this guy with his friends hosting Call of Duty Next, an in-depth look at the highly anticipated blockbuster video game Call of Duty Black Ops 6. Our friend RG3, back here on the Rich Eisen Show. How are you, Robert? Good to see you.

Hey, Rich. I'm doing great, and always a blast to be on your show. I appreciate you having me on. Any time.

As you know, absolutely any time. All right, before we get to your Call of Duty-ness, what do you think the Steelers should do at the quarterback spot, RG3? What do you think?

Yeah, Rich, I think it's super simple, and I think they knew this all along. You start Russell Wilson. Justin Fields in the perfect world for him, right? If you're just talking about his career.

Yes. Russell Wilson goes out, doesn't play that great for five games. Justin Fields is able to come in while the season still has an opportunity, and the Steelers still have an opportunity to make the playoffs and leads into the playoffs. What does that do for Justin? That allows him to resurrect his career.

He now becomes the quarterback of the future for the Pittsburgh Steelers, and it's all gravy after that. Go ahead. No, you go ahead. No, if you sit him, then what? It's the opposite.

It's not very good. Yeah, but if you sit him and Russell plays his tail off, leads him to the playoffs. I don't want to go so far as to say they go to the Super Bowl or whatever, but if they go to the playoffs and they play well, how old is Russell Wilson? He's not going to be playing for another 10 years, right? So Justin gets an opportunity to now grow and develop within the Steelers' culture. Yes, it puts a little bit of a damper on the immediate future of his career, but he will have an opportunity to grow there, and I think the Steelers will commit to him to allow him to grow.

If you start Justin Fields first and he goes out and plays bad for five games, his career is over as a starter. So to me, I think Mike Tomlin understood this. Maybe front-facing to the media and to guys like myself and you, he'll say, hey, it's an open competition because you have to as a head coach. But he knew all along who he wanted his starting quarterback to be, if indeed it is Russell Wilson, and I don't think that there's a problem there. I think that people in our business have a problem with Russell Wilson. They don't have a problem with the way Russell Wilson plays because last year he had a top five touchdown interception ratio.

Now, I watched the tape, and yes, he took some unnecessary sacks, but you can't replace that top five touchdown interception ratio just because you don't like the guy. So I think this is the perfect plan for both quarterbacks. Let Russell play.

If he gets the job done, it's great for everybody, maybe not the immediate future of Justin, but if Justin goes out and plays and it's not great, his career is essentially done as a starting quarterback in the NFL. Why do you think the media writ large, Robert, feels the way they do about Russ? And I know you smile and your reaction knows that that's like a spinning curve in the Aaron Judge heat zone for you, but go ahead, Robert.

Go ahead. Rich. Rich. It's, some people don't, I'm not one of those people, by the way. I've got a great relationship with Russ. I think that some people in our business don't believe that he's a genuine guy, or they believe that he's, you know, he's too perfect, right? He tries to say the right thing too often.

I don't think that. I just think it's his personality. He understands that being the CEO of Russell Wilson Enterprises and being the CEO of whatever team he's playing for is important. And what he says and how he operates matters to people that are even beyond himself. I think that some people wish that Russell would just, you know, I don't know, go to the club with him or something or, or, you know, hang out and smoke some weed or something. But that's not, but that's not his personality, you know? And, and I respect that. He's always been that way.

From the very first time I met Russell Wilson, when we were rookies in 2012, he was the guy that I see in Pittsburgh right now. And listen, the man loves going to children's hospitals and giving back to the community. What is wrong with that? He loves his wife. He loves Sierra.

He loves his kids. What's wrong with that? I don't think that you have to be what everyone else wants you to be. You just have to be yourself. And I think Russell is being himself. I just know that there's some people out there that don't like that. Well, just, just chop this up a little bit more here.

Because again, I am with you. I've known Russell. He was one of our, when this show was just a mere podcast on NFL Network, he was a guest that was a late ad for our season kickoff because he got the gig in Seattle when it was, you know, like Matt Flynn's job. It was supposed to be Matt Flynn's job, right? He got the gig and I'm like, I got to see what this kid's all about. And he was terrific. And then he showed up on NFL Network on game day morning, one of our playoff shows. He was first in. He was first in and he beat me to work. He was showing me up, you know? And then, and then he, after appearing on it, sent a handwritten note with an autographed jersey to me, you know, thanking me for the experience as if I was the one who hired him or let him. And, you know, it was, so he is first class all the way.

I have seen all that. But I think some of the things that rub people the wrong way, what you're saying, that they feel like he's a little fugazi. And in this particular instance is that he's showing up to Pittsburgh and saying, black and gold, here we go. In the same way that he showed up to Denver, like Broncos country, let's ride. Like where he, where he shows up, he's going to say like his Hawk stuff worked in Seattle. So he's going to do that in Denver and he's going to do that in Pittsburgh and the Denver and Pittsburgh stops in the end of the Seattle stop have not like been the same of the Go Hawks era.

And maybe you should try something different instead. I think Stephen A. even had a similar point of saying like he should act like his career is on the line. And instead he just does it the way that he does it. And I think that rubs people the wrong way.

Yeah. And Rich, you put you, this is why you're one of the best in the business, man. Not only have you always been great to guys like myself and very supportive of the guys that are coming, that are coming up, you, you can understand and talk through the intricacies of these situations. Russell is doing what Russell has always done. If I was to tell you, Hey, your job or your career is on the line, act like it. What does that even mean? Are you now supposed to be shaking in your boots? Are your fingers supposed to be quivering when you grab the mic? Because you know that based off what you say next is, is a die do or die moment for your career, like a guy, one of the greatest quarterbacks we have ever seen in Peyton Manning said, pressure is what you feel when you don't know what the hell you're doing.

Right. Russell Wilson knows what he's doing. He's doing what he always has done. I listened to Paul George go from, you know, Indiana to OKC to the Clippers. Now he's in Philly and guess what he's done.

He's done the same thing every single time. Hey, I really want to end my career here in OKC. Hey, I really want to end my career here in LA. And then he leaves and he's like, man, I felt like I was on the B team when I was with the Clippers.

Right. Like these guys, they're going to go to new teams. It's the new day, day and age of sports. You don't see the longevity of the Jerry Rices or the Emmett Smiths. And even those guys played on new teams at the end of their careers. Russell is trying to do what he can do to connect with his teammates and the Pittsburgh Steelers fan base.

What is so wrong about that? My question to guys like Steven, a former colleague, a lot of respect for him. Appreciate the call after everything that went down.

My brother. What do you want him to act like? Like saying that he should act like his career is on the line.

What does that look like? Because I know as a quarterback, you can't walk in the building on eggshells like your career is on the line. You have to save face and let them know that you are unfazed, confident and that you believe you're the guy for the job. I don't think Russell Wilson has done anything but that in his time in Pittsburgh. He's been confident. Calm down, everybody. Nothing's done. Nothing.

Nothing to see here. We're just all competing, having a good time. He believes he's the best quarterback for the job. He's going to go out and either prove it or he's not going to prove it. But I don't understand what more he's supposed to do to prove to us that he doesn't know that his job's on the line. Robert Griffin III, courtesy of Call of Duty Black Ops 6, noon Eastern time this Wednesday.

You can catch Robert and friends hosting Call of Duty next. We'll get to that next after this question. We're talking about careers on the line.

It's so important that the career starts off well. Not everyone can RG3 it. You know what I mean? What was it called when you were doing this on your behind in your first game? RG3-ing or whatever was the phrase? They called it Griffin-ing. Griffin-ing.

That's it. I remember that. Not everyone can Griffin right off the bat. But in order to do that, you need to have a line up front.

You've got to have some weapons around you. We saw what happened to Jacoby Brissette six snaps in last night. What do you think the Patriots should do with Drake May, who has definitely had a better end of the summer than his start, Robert? Yeah, Rich, I mean, Drake May should be the quarterback. Drake May is quarterback one for the New England Patriots.

It's clear as day. What you saw from Jacoby Brissette is what we've always seen from Jacoby. He will manage the game for you. He is an elite decision maker with the football. He's kind of the extension of the coach, right? When you put a quarterback out there that you're comfortable with because he sees it how the coach sees it.

But it's because of his limitations as a quarterback that he has to be that way. And I tip my cap to Jacoby because he is he has proven that he can be that guy. But Drake May is the guy that's going to help them with some of the deficiencies that they have right now, whether it be on the offensive line, whether it be the fact that their roster doesn't stack up to the roster of the Miami Dolphins, it doesn't stack up to the roster of the New York Jets. But at the end of the day, Drake May has to be kind of like the hope and inspiration that too has been for the Dolphins, that Aaron Rodgers has been for the Jets and Josh Allen has been for the Buffalo Bills. You know, the whole, you know, Kendrick Lamar, Drake battle, like, hey, Drake's not like us. I kind of tweeted that out last week and said, yeah, Drake is not like us, but he needs to be like those guys. Because I feel like when he is behind center, everyone else is more confident because they know, you know what? If I don't block this guy that well, Drake May might actually be able to get out of that. He might be able to make a play out of nothing. And right now, to me, he just gives him the best chance to win.

They got to score points to win games in that division and he gives them the opportunity to score much more points. Ride the wave with Drake May. I will be the first one to say, Rich, I was fully on board with Drake May sitting out for an entire year because I watched him play last year. And I called his games last year at North Carolina, especially one against Clemson.

But I will go as far as to say, when the guy comes out and he outperforms everyone else in the quarterback room, you got to play that guy, especially when he was a first round pick. Robert Griffin, the third here on The Rich Eisen Show. What are you doing with Call of Duty, Black Ops 6? What is the gig about on Wednesday for you? Well, well, Rich, as an unemployed broadcaster, you got to find work wherever you can. You know what I'm saying? And listen, comedy is what we use, right?

So we can laugh about it so we don't have to cry about it. But in all honesty, Call of Duty has been an incredible partner for me. This was all in the works and already signed and dated before anything happened last week with ESPN. And you know this, Rich, sometimes in this business, you know, brands or sponsors only want to be there for you when things are going great.

But in this sense, they stood behind me, said they wanted me to still come out and do this event. And now I've had the blessing to be on shows like Monday Night Countdown and call college games at a high level at ESPN, called the NCAA Championships for the last three years with an amazing crew there. And now I get an opportunity to call an event in Call of Duty next for the drop of Black Ops 6, a game that I feel like I'm the biggest fan in the world of. And I got to let everyone know I'm not the best player at Call of Duty.

I'm just not. But you don't have to be the greatest player at something or the greatest player at a game to be the biggest fan. So I'm really going to enjoy this broadcasting role with them to kind of do the play by play of what's happening and give my analysis of some of the greatest players in the world that are going to be at this event and competing and having a good time for this launch.

And it's something that I really hold dear to myself and really a dream come true. The game is going to launch on October 25th and this event will be August 28th. That's going to be a lot of fun, man. Yeah, again, that's noon Eastern Time.

Catch it on the Call of Duty YouTube or switch channels this coming Wednesday. Listen, Robert, this just now means you and I have something else in common other than running 40 yard dashes that people talk about. You know, being sort of stunned by ESPN, I imagine this surprised you, right? That surprised you when this happened to you last week. Robert, what a great question, Rich.

What a great question. Well, I mean, I was asked that also. I was surprised. You know, I'm back in 20, 22 years ago. I was surprised.

But, you know, I would I would say this, Rich. What happened was, you know, I'm I am grateful to ESPN for all the opportunities they gave me, just like I know you were. But you had a much longer tenure there. So for me over the last three years to get to work, like I said, on Monday Night Countdown, the legendary crew with Suzy Culber, Steve Young, Booger McFarland and Adam Schefter, and then the revamped crew with Scott Van Pelt, Ryan Clark and Marcus Spears was a dream come true, man. Like I didn't even know that that was going to be something that I enjoyed doing so much. But I had a ton of fun and especially connecting with the fans and the people behind the camera, because you and I both know we're the front facing people, but it's the people behind the camera that we work with that really make it all work. So that part of it, I'm going to miss those people because I don't feel like they get the love they deserve. And I try to make sure I point that out as often as I possibly can. But for me to say I was surprised, I'd already been assigned a team.

Rich, you know, in college football was going to be back with my guys, Mark Jones and and Quinn Kesinick and our producer, Ken Belton and director Anthony DiMarco on the college side. And that that hurt me for them. Not because they need me, because they don't. Like, that's the thing about this business.

Nobody needs anyone. But just because we we were so close and we were kind of getting the chance to rekindle that fire. So that that had already been assigned. And so to answer your question fully, because I love you, man. Yes, I was surprised.

Well, listen, it's it's tough, certainly when it's your first major gig. Right. Because, again, that was mine, too. I mean, they took me. ESPN took me from Reading, California, you know, a very small market TV and changed my life, changed my life. And ESPN was part of my professional DNA. It still is.

I met my wife there. So my kids are technically ESPN babies. And I'm still very proud of that today.

You know, but I was stunned and it made me, you know, kind of feel unmoored, like I was cut loose and trying to find a new identity based on the fact that I always thought ESPN was part of my identity was very difficult. And but the grass is just as green. You know, you went home and hugged your wife and your kids just the same day as you did the day before. And you're employed by them. And you know that. So I just wanted to say that to you, you know, as we're having this conversation and the grass is greener.

You know, you're right. I appreciate you saying that. And and and really, as you know, you probably got a massive outpouring of love from the fans when that went down.

And I've experienced something similar with the outpouring of love from the fans. It really showed me that we were doing it the right way. You know, having a good time. It's about informing the viewer, but also entertaining the viewer.

And that was the re re re emphasize statements that I kept getting from everyone, whether it be on social media or on YouTube. And and I hope, you know, that that showed me that this is something in a business that I should be involved in and continue to be involved in. And, you know, that's why we're going to be doing this.

The sign you see behind me out of pocket with RG three doing a podcast in that realm. And our first guest will be dropping here in a few days. So hopefully the fans will continue to support us and have fun as we make our way through this this tough time.

But we'll be back and we'll be back and better in no time. Thrilled to hear that Steven hits you up, too, because I remember I was on my honeymoon because this happened to me just before I got married and I was on my honeymoon and I'm driving. My cell phone goes off and Suzy, my wife, picks up the phone and then hands it to me. And she does not like it when, you know, I'm not hands free.

And here I am driving on the A1 in Italy with some Italian person riding my bumper at like one hundred and twenty kilometers an hour. And why are you handing me the phone? It was Dick Vitale to tell me he was disappointed to hear what happened and wanted to talk. So he's kind of like the Stephen A of my generation, Dick Vitale. So I'm glad to hear that. And, you know, and and I appreciate you coming on here and I look forward to seeing your next moves, Robert. No, I appreciate that, Richard. And I got to also say before I bounce, just want to give a huge shout out not just to the fans, but also all my colleagues at ESPN that reached out. The support was overwhelming.

Stephen A wasn't the only one. But I want to just give a shout out to them. You know, it's it's a tough thing, but I'm not the first person to ever get laid off. There's a lot more people who are dealing with bigger problems than I have to deal with right now. Sure.

Take taking all that into consideration. Just want to give them a huge shout out. And anyone out there that is struggling with anything, just know I'm praying for you.

We're in this together. Robert Griffin, the third at RG three on Twitter and Instagram. Thanks for the time, everybody. Check out a Robert on Wednesday, YouTube and Twitch channels for Call of Duty. Check out Call of Duty next. And of course, Black Ops six is coming out on October 25th.

Only 450 million copies in the franchise's history has been sold worldwide. Thanks for the time, Robert. We'll chat to Rich.

God bless you. But an out of pocket with RG three podcast as well. Keep an eye and ear out for that.

Love that, dude. Never forget getting that cardboard box. That was quite a day. Did they literally send you a box or how? I don't recall how, but I did fill up a box. I had a guy to come in, probably a banker's box, right?

I had to come in to work and clean, clean every clear everything out. I did. Yeah. Now look at you.

Listen, it's just people. Suzy made you put that box in storage. That's a good one. Yeah, whatever is in it. I don't know where it is. Actually, it's probably some stuff.

That's not true. I was actually during the last commercial break in the last commercial break, you know, going into our mini fridge that we have out there. We have magnets, a sports center and a baseball magnet. That was 100 percent taken from my desk. Twenty two years ago, last May. Can't believe it's been that long.

All right, we'll take a break. Eight four four two or four rich number to dial. Brent Key, the head coach of Georgia Tech football, is coming up in our number three. Thanks to RG three for that. Let's talk about sleep number, people. We all know in the NFL, there's no margin for error.

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Sleep number is the official sleep and wellness partner of the National Football League. See store for details. This episode is brought to you by FX's The Old Man, starring Jeff Bridges and John Lithgow. The hit show returns as the stakes get higher and more secrets are uncovered. The former CIA agent sets off on his most important mission to date, to recover his daughter after she's kidnapped.

FX's The Old Man premieres September 12th on FX, stream on Hulu. What is going on with you, Jim Brockmire and Brett Musburger? This is my Musburger face. You know, you can't put that to bed, Rich-ass. You know why you can't put it to bed?

Okay. Because he's a punk, that's why. Brett Musburger is a P-U-N-K punk. The man is a thief, okay? Brett Musburger is a thief.

How so? Stole my line. What line was that? This is for all the Tostitos. Remember that?

These are all the Tostitos. Remember when he said that? Everybody in the business, nah, it's not funny. Everybody in the business knows that was my line. But he went ahead and used, that's what I always yell when I climax inside of a woman. Or when I'm just, when I climax all by myself. And ever since then, now I have to yell out, the Ruffles have ridges.

And it's not, it's not the same thing. Here he is, Brett Musburger. How are you, Brent? Hey Rich, Rich, I'm great. Listen, I'm so proud of you guys for trying to help resurrect little Jimmy Brockmire's career.

We all know the problems, we all know the problems that he had in the past. He says that you stole all the Tostitos from him, Brent, from back in the day? No, I got paid. I got paid by a company to drop the name. I got three Tostitos for a week. What are you talking about?

Okay. You know, Rich, it's really interesting because as we started these in here in Las Vegas and Brickmire was having trouble getting a job. So he called our executives and our general manager, he interviewed Brickmire and asked him about a three team parlay. And our boy, Jimmy, he thought that that was two hookers with him in a Morristown hotel room. You know, Jesus, we would have loved to help him out. But I wish him the best. He's so delusional.

And listen, let him go at it. All the Tostitos, baby. Fantastic. Just fantastic. Game time tickets, get that mobile device handy and download the app. Make sure you get game time on any mobile device, certainly before you want to buy tickets. Football season's back, don't you know? What a great time to go check out a football game.

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Game time. 844-204. All my Tostitos, baby. 844-204, Rich is the number to dial. Lenny in Panama City, Florida. You're here on the program. What's up, Lenny?

Lenny! Good morning, gentlemen. What's going on, sir? I'd like to thank you for having me back on. I'd like to touch on the Florida State game this weekend. First of all, I'd like to congratulate the Georgia Tech coach, Coach Key. He brought a team that was well prepared. A lot of starters came back and it showed. They handed it to us, ran the ball right down our throat all day long.

I watched the game twice. And I walked away with two conclusions about our Seminoles. There was a lot of confusion and no leadership on either side of the ball. And I believe the reason for that is because we lost so many of our leaders to the draft last year. Such as Jordan Travis, who for a counter in Long Island went to the Jets.

And I think Aaron Rodgers will take care of him well. Jared Burse and Brandon Fisk went to the Chargers and gave Jim a big set of jewels. And Trey Benson, there was just confusion and lack of leadership.

And I don't think anybody's figured out who that is yet. And again, the neat part about it, Lenny, for that is there's still time. I mean, back in the day, a loss like this in August would crush a team. Even last year, like I mentioned, the team had a perfect record and it wasn't good enough. So one loss would have eliminated Florida State in a heartbeat. And now one loss, totally different. And thanks to the call, Lenny, I appreciate it. Call back any time. Don't you worry about anything in the past, Lenny.

But it's not that big of a deal, certainly when you got all of the changes. By the way, first game in Ireland, too? My gosh. You want to talk about feeling out of body and how weird it must have felt for these guys. By the way, the two Florida State defenders that he was referring to didn't come out here for hardball. The Rams drafted them. They're Rams. Had to replace Aaron Donald.

That's true. So you got two Florida State guys for one Pitt Panther. But no, obviously they play different positions on the line. But the Rams have them, just to be clear on that. Pittsburgh Steelers, what are they going to do? Russell Wilson and Justin Fields led the Steelers on scoring drives, touchdown drives in their preseason opener, a preseason closer, pardon me, against the Lions.

Mike Tomlin had this to say about his quarterback decision after. They both moved the ball. They won possession downs. They were able to put the ball in the end zone.

Things that we hadn't done to this point sufficiently enough in the preseason. There you go. And he says they're going to make a decision later this week. Oh, here we go.

This is Mike Tomlin on that front. I think we have that. We'll make a decision at the end of our work week, this upcoming week. We've got three days of Steelers versus Steelers work and why not do it then? It kind of, you know, minimizes the Steelers versus Steelers work when we start making decisions prior to the completion of that. We've got ample time to prepare for Atlanta and make whatever decisions or announcements regarding division of labor or pecking orders and so forth. And so we'll do it at the end of the work week. There you go. Division of labor, Steelers on Steelers. That's Mike Tomlin being Mike Tomlin right there.

Can I ask you something? I don't know if you had a thought, but I know that he basically asked his way out. Who?

Kenny Pickett. What are the chances they should have just kept him? And he's better than Russ and Justin Fields. Well, no. First of all, you don't know that.

Secondly. I mean, I've seen these two guys play and it's not great. And again, I have to hunt and peck for what your real thoughts are when you're throwing overreaction Monday topics at me. Certainly when we were in New York City, you thought Russ might be a top ten quarterback. You might have just been doing that just to have a little bit of fun in front of the New Yorkers.

You pissed off with your Red Sox Celtics gear on at the same time. I was great. Listen, Pickett, they had a front row seat to him.

They got Russ. He didn't appear to handle it in a way that they were very happy with. It was over. Get him out.

Fields dropped in their lap. I kind of agree with RG3. I kind of agree with RG3. You go with Russ. You give him his shot. You give him a chance. You got the veteran presence right there. And if it doesn't work out, then you go to Justin Fields and see what the kid has. If you get Fields and it doesn't work out, now you got a veteran that got beat out by a guy that couldn't do the job.

And now what? And I understand that Tom unusually doesn't traffic in this sort of narrative business. But it is the locker room. They'll follow Russ. Certainly if they've gone through this entire non-playing season figuring out that this is Russ' gig and they have followed him, they're ready to do it. And Tom clearly would have his finger on the pulse of that. That's why you start with Russ, go with Justin, maybe sprinkle him in. But hope that's all he is, being sprinkled in.

I totally agree with that line of thinking and I assume that's what's going to happen. Certainly since Russ came out, had a nice throw to Pickett. I mean to Pickens. You can put Pickett in my brain. He found George Pickens and you go with him. You go with him against Atlanta. You go with the veteran and you'll see what he's got.

Totally. But you watch Fields play. He's doing the same dumb crap he did with the Bears the last few years. Which is struggling to see the field. Late throws, running around.

He's wild. That's why you don't go start with him. You give him a Fields package so he stays alert and then you deal with whatever howling at the moon you might hear from the fan base.

I'm just wondering, I guess my question is... Well if Fields can do that in a package, why isn't he starting? And the question is, Pickett's gone dude. I know but I'm just asking if you think that he had handled it differently.

Oh sure. Do you think Pickett would have beat out these two guys? Maybe.

And I kind of think so. I think Pickett had handled it differently. They might not have brought Justin Fields in. And then he would have beat out Russell Wilson though. Maybe.

Maybe not. Pickett was pre-season but he was the MVP last year in pre-season. But that's just pre-season. They all set a front row seat to everything. I don't know.

I think it could be a long year in Pittsburgh. I guess that's what I'm getting at. I know what you're saying but Russ has got, there's a very powerful sense you get when you're motivated with your career on the line. I know he's not outwardly showing it in a way that Stephen A. wants to see it but we'll see how powerful that is. I would say my main skill is I believe my instincts. I don't hesitate to follow my instincts. Ever. The extent that I have, I've gotten in trouble.

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