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Learn more at AmericanExpress.com slash Amex Business. And the NFL, as we all know, there is no margin for error. One single mistake can change the outcome of a game or even, yeah, a career. Science proves quality sleep can help boost reaction time, recovery time, and overall athletic performance. Putting it all together, the official sleep and wellness partner of the NFL is Sleep Number, whose mission is to provide players with data and insights to optimize their sleep for the ultimate competitive edge. And you can have it, too.
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Visit the SEC store or sleepnumber.com for details. Earlier on the show, CBS Sports NFL analyst Jason McCourty. Coming up, NFL Network insider Tom Pelissero, actor O'Shea Jackson Jr. And now it's Rich Eisen. Our number two of the Rich Eisen Show on the air this first Friday of 2025 is on the air on the Roku Sports Channel.
That's not changing in our world. On Monday, what's changing is the way you can listen to the Rich Eisen Show live. We are joining the Infinity Sports Network on Monday. And that means we are going to be on a whole bunch more terrestrial radio outfits live between 12 and 3 Eastern Time. We're very excited about this. And our Sirius XM station changes, though, because the Infinity Sports Network has its own Sirius XM channel. 158, 158 for those scoring at home. Sirius XM 158.
And you can still stream this for free on the Odyssey app or odyssey.com. Very excited about our world. 844-204-rich is the number to dial to have a conversation with us right now. Time to bring in our friend from the NFL Network, NFL Media Group, NFL Plus. Don't forget about how he pluses up the NFL. He's Tom Pelissero. Good to see you, Tom. How are you, sir?
You look fantastic. Rich, how are you? What's up to my boys in the studio?
Tommy! Happy New Year, Joe. Happy New Year, boys. Okay, we're through that? We're done?
Yeah, we're good. I don't like the fact that you don't like that we do that. Yeah, where's the deal? It's not that I don't like it. You seem put off by it. Yeah, I just am. All right. Tom. It's a five-second hello, but with the whole tail analysis, Rich, you really turned it into a full minute. I'm the one.
I am extending it. You know, Pelissero's like a bull. He's ready to go. So, Tom, Jerry Jones on 105.3 The Fan in the Metroplex today, when asked if anything that happens Sunday could affect the future of the coaching staff, he mentioned that the hay is in the barn there. So, if you're Mike McCarthy, do you like that the hay is in the barn, or you don't like that the hay is in the barn?
Tom? If I'm Mike McCarthy, I don't want my fate being decided by, you know, an evaluation type of game in Week 18, where the opponent has a lot more motivation to play well than necessarily your team does. And credit to Mike and that staff. They've kept guys playing hard. They've won games with Cooper Rush.
This is not by any means a Cowboys team that's mailed it in on a season that, you know, felt like it was already on life support back in October. This is going to be a really interesting type of a situation, and I'm sure Jerry Jones loves the fact that he's got some time to play with. Mike McCarthy's contract does not expire until January 14th. So, in essence, under NFL rules, they've got about a nine-day exclusive negotiating window in which other teams can request permission. They can deny it to talk to Mike McCarthy. They can see if there is an accord that would keep McCarthy in Dallas.
Once January 14th hits, McCarthy does not need permission. He can go interview and potentially take another job. And I do anticipate, as we talked about Rich last week on Game Day Morning, there are going to be other teams interested in Mike McCarthy. The Jets, he would fit a lot of the profile that they're looking for. The Saints, he's got a history in that building. He worked with Mickey Loomis when he was the New Orleans offensive coordinator a couple of decades ago here. And for Jerry, who of course always likes people talking about the Cowboys good or bad all the time, imagine how great this is that even at a time they are not in the postseason, they are not playing a wild card game. By just moving very deliberately through this process, he can keep people talking about what exactly is happening in Dallas for up to nine days before he really has to make a final and full decision.
All right. So, your answer leads to my next question. So, you can confirm that the Jets know what they're looking for.
Is that where you can confirm that? That you said that Mike McCarthy is something that the Jets would be interested in because they know what they're looking for. If that's the case, what are they looking for, Tom? Can you let me know about what the Jets' plan is, Tom? Here's what I would say about the Jets. And it's not that they have a clear vision of a singular person that they're looking for, but after having a first-time head coach and a first-time GM last time around, they are certainly going to skew forward experience in one, if not both, spots. And this is also at a time where, and all the luck there, they're going to have to draft a quarterback.
They're going to have to bring a young player along at that position. And if you look around, who are the experienced offensive coaches with a history of quarterback development that are available right now on the market? Some of the names that come to mind, there's obviously Mike McCarthy who, when he even set aside his assistant coaching days, he got to Green Bay. Brett Favre had a career renaissance in 2007. He brought Aaron Rodgers along, and he obviously developed into a four-time MVP winner. He had Dak Prescott, who last year with McCarthy calling the plays had the best season of his career. And Mike's won 61% of his career games and has won a Super Bowl and gone to the playoffs 12 times in 18 years. When you're trying to reestablish credibility alone in your program, it would make sense.
Again, it's not a hard and fast rule. They could hire a first-timer if they want to, but it would make sense to get somebody who's got the proverbial pelts on the wall to be able to show, hey, this is a different time for the New York Jets. Beyond that, offensive coaches who have had some degree of success as head coaches. John Gruden is on that list, and that is a name that I fully anticipate you are going to hear. I believe there will be interest in John Gruden this time around, even after three years ago. Obviously, he resigned as the Raiders' head coach after offensive emails were leaked and there's ongoing litigation involving John Gruden in the league over those emails. But for a team like the Jets, who's looking for experience, for a team like the Saints that last year, my understanding is Gruden could have had the offensive coordinator job if he wanted it.
He ultimately decided that he did not want to do that. The Raiders obviously know him well. The Buccaneers, if they were to make a change, know him well. There's a lot of teams that have a lot of respect for John Gruden out there, so if that's what you're looking for, that's another name.
Beyond that, you're talking about a pretty short list. Matt Nagy is another name that I think you're going to hear pop up. I know that there's a certain coterie of fans, namely in Chicago, who hear that name and don't understand why he's going to be a head coach again. The guy had a winning record in Chicago. He went to the playoffs twice with Mitch Trubisky as his quarterback. Nagy's first year, if not for the double doink, they were one of the hottest teams. They were dancing in the locker room with the smoke machines and everything.
It was fun. There were maybe some things staffing-wise that could have been different and whatnot. But those are some of the names.
There's not a lot of those guys. Offensive coaches who have experience. Again, that's not to say the Jets need an offensive coach or even necessarily that they're going to look for experience. But if I were guessing, Rich, what the profile is that they're looking for, certainly success as an NFL head coach would be a really big plus on a resume.
Well, that dovetails into who they're talking with right now or who they just tweeted out that they just concluded an interview with. The Jets got the first crack at Mike Vrabel. Now that he's out there and I guess what the Browns re-worded his consultant deal so he could start the process and he just chit-chatted with the Jets right there, what's Vrabel's dance card going to look like, do you think, here, Tom? I would fairly tell you, Rich, every team right now that has an opening, has a vacancy for a head coach, has done extensive research on Mike Vrabel. And there are teams that potentially are going to have head coaching vacancies that also have done work on Vrabel. Again, he's on that very short list of coaches who have had success in the NFL. Obviously, Mike's a very bright guy.
He knows the rules better than anybody else. He maxed out what that Titans team was. But the last year and a half or so did not go well. And there was a GM change, and they ended up hiring a guy that was not Vrabel's preferred pick for the position. And then there's all the stuff where he flew to New England during the bye week and was sitting in Robert Kraft's luxury box and telling the crowd on the microphone that, hey, enjoy this because it's not like this everywhere, all while being employed as the head coach of the Titans. There were a lot of things, environmentally, that just got to the point that Amy Adams Strunk decided, I want to have a more collaborative type of environment with my next head coach. That's why Vrabel ended up being out in Tennessee. I know that he did a series of interviews with The Athletic published today in which a lot of his quotes are combating this idea that he's hard to work with. But he also said things in that story about, hey, somebody's got to be in charge. Yeah, I'm going to give my opinions.
That's not going to be for everyone. I would be very curious to know how that working relationship would go in New York with an owner in Woody Johnson who wants to have a lot of conversations about his team, as is his right, as the owner. The Jets have not fulfilled the Rooney Rule yet. They did interview Ron Rivera earlier this week. You have to do two in-person interviews with external minority candidates before you're allowed to hire somebody. So this is not a, hey, don't let Vrabel out of the building, which, by the way, the fact that this is happening on a Friday while the Jets are on the practice field and Vrabel is in the building, I don't remember a lot of situations like that. But the rules now, Rich, as much as they've been set up to slow down the process and all the coaches who are still employed by teams, everything the first two weeks has to be virtual. The exception to that rule is if you are out of work, if you have an expired contract, which by the Browns giving Vrabel a weak head start here, he's able to interview in person.
But Mike McCarthy's contract is up January 14th. He too can interview in person. Everybody else, all the currently employed coaching candidates, cannot interview in person until after the divisional playoff games.
There's cadences with virtual interviews here. But it does give the guys who don't currently have a job, or soon will on paper not have a job, a leg up and an opportunity to make a first impression. Well, I mean, it makes sense, despite the awkwardness, Tom, it makes sense that the Jets would do this on the Friday before their final game to utilize the advantage that Woody Johnson created way back in week six. You know, only to have that spark that he was looking for lead to two more wins.
At least they should use that to their advantage. And at the same time, too, in the nonstop cold war, if you will, between New York Jets and New England Patriots, to go ahead and maybe land Mike Vrabel if they can. That would be a fascinating plot twist, because as you were describing Mike Vrabel's availability, and even John Gruden's name caused my friend across the aisle, Chris Brockman, to start throwing his hands up in the air for the international symbol of what about us, except the fact that his Patriots currently have a head coach in Gerard Mayo.
That is my long windup to this pitch. Is Gerard Mayo in trouble? Could the crafts with Vrabel out there talking to the Jets and being out there, could they make a move, do you think, Tom? Well, first of all, Mike Vrabel was out there last year, and there were plenty of reports linking Vrabel to potentially going to New England. Again, he made an appearance during the season in the box of Robert Kraft and talking to the crowd. Those rumors will persist as long as Mike Vrabel is available as a head coaching candidate.
I would say this. I have not been told anything definitive either way on Gerard Mayo. I would also say that it's important to remember, this was not a decision made on a whim to name Mayo the head coach last season.
This was something that had been years in the making. The grooming of Gerard Mayo and attempts behind the scenes to bring him along, the fact that contractually they put it into writing that he was going to be the next head coach, which allowed them to not have to go through several interviews to comply with the ruling rule. They could simply hire him flat out. Robert Kraft was very proud, if you go back to that introductory press conference in January, talking about how this was the first black head coach in Patriots history and the long history that Gerard Mayo had with the club, all of which is to say this has been a profoundly disappointing season for the Patriots. But if you remember that Bill Belichick with much the same roster had essentially the same record last year, and that's a guy who was arguably the greatest coach of all time, you certainly can make the argument that there's other things, namely upgrading the roster, spending money at the wide receiver position, which I know Elliott Wolf was trying to do last year, whether it was through trades to get an IU or it was in free agency going after Calvin Ridley. They made attempts.
They just weren't able to lure anybody. Maybe this time around, Drake may, looking as good as he has, make your situation more attractive to outside free agents. You may still have to overpay to get guys in there. And then there's probably going to be tweaks to the coaching staff as well. We all lip read along, Rich, with the crafts when they were up in the suite saying, I believe the quote as read from the lips was the offensive play calling is terrible, which just on the surface, Alex Van Pelt is a very smart and capable guy.
That's not a great sign for him when the owners are saying that. So perhaps you're thinking about let's make changes to the offensive staff. Let's put better players around our bright young quarterback here and let's take another shot at this in 2025.
Again, I've not been told definitively one direction or another. Based on how Robert Kraft has operated, not just in recent weeks or the past year, but for several years now, I would certainly say it would qualify as a surprise if Jerrod Mayo were not back. Tom Pelissero here on the Rich Eisen Show. Let's flash forward to this weekend, the final for week 18 and the battle for, if you will, the first overall pick. Patriots are involved in that. They're currently one. Titans are two. Browns are three. You've got the Giants at four. Raiders further down, thanks to a couple of wins in recent weeks. Jaguars sitting there at five, et cetera. Name me the teams that you think are quarterback pickers in the draft sitting there in the top five right now.
Yeah, so keep that graphic up for me. Patriots are not. They've got Drake May. Titans, obviously, yes. Browns, I would say yes. They know, even though they've got Deshaun Watson under contract for another two years, 92 million.
They know they need alternatives. That could be a veteran, a rookie, or both. But they need competition for Deshaun Watson. The Giants, of course, absolutely. The Jaguars, in all likelihood, not because they gave Trevor Lawrence 55 million a year last year. The Panthers right now, no.
Bryce Young has had certainly a resurgence. The Jets at seven. The Raiders at eight. Those are both teams in that mix.
We're talking about six of the top eight teams, Rich, and I think one of the really fascinating things. There's enough other stuff going on that I don't dive into the draft, really, until I'm about to get on the plane to Mobile and be the sideline reporter for the Senior Bowl. That's just a couple weeks away, pal. That's right around the corner.
I've got 24 days to catch up on this, and I'll start doing my production interviews in a couple of weeks here. But I would say, just in my casual conversations with people within the league, there is certainly not consensus that there's going to be one, two, three quarterbacks that are all going up there in the top five. In fact, some of the most commonly talked about names could end up being projected lower than anybody realizes. The names that people bring up the most would be Cam Ward out of Miami as certainly a prospect. In another year, is he a top prospect? Maybe not, but this is this particular draft class. Shadore Sanders, for a variety of reasons, is going to be a really fascinating overall evaluation. I've already talked to people within the league who don't have anything close to a first-round grade on the guy. He certainly has fans. He certainly comes in with high profile, but this idea that, what did Shadore do?
Didn't he walk into the bowl game wearing a Giants outfit or something like that? The idea that he's just going to walk in and be the number one pick, that's probably pushing it. I'd probably, and I'm not setting odds on this rich course, because I would not do that on your show, but if I were guessing who comes off the board first, I'd say Shadore is not the first Colorado player off the board as it stands today. Travis Hunter may be a generational type of player.
Somebody may well fall in love with Shadore Sanders. He could go number one overall. I would just say in my conversations, there is healthy skepticism among people in the league that when it comes to the end of this process, and we get to that last week of April, that somebody's going to jump out there and use a really high pick on making him a franchise QB. And then in terms of this weekend's games, obviously the Broncos are going to be taking on Carson Wentz. It does look like Snoop Huntley for the Dolphins against the Jets right now.
Tom? That's what Mike McDaniel is saying. Tua suffered, it didn't really get much attention, but it was about three weeks ago, he suffered a hit pointer, basically a bruise on the hit, that slowed him down in that game and affected him. Then the following week, he got hit again. And the word is, it's not a bruise at this point that's the concern.
It's something muscular. And from my understanding, it's really impacting his strength and mobility. And so they just don't feel comfortable putting Tua onto the field.
And I'm certainly not going to sit here and bag on Tua about durability. We all know the track record. We all know the serious time that he has missed because of concussions in his career. But you go back a couple of years ago and they go into a playoff game with Skylar Thompson at quarterback. Now, here they are facing that same team a couple of years later with the playoffs on the line. And Tua is out once again. They paid him.
They're not moving on from Tua. They gave him 50-plus million dollars a year on a long-term contract. But I definitely would tell you, Rich, as we go into the next offseason, I would anticipate the Dolphins, whether it's through the draft, free agency, or both, are investing more in the No. 2 quarterback position. Because even though Snoop was 22-26 passing last week against the Browns team, they made him 4th string before cutting him at the end of camp there.
You generally don't want to be signing a guy off somebody else's practice squad during the regular season and then end up starting him in a pivotal Week 18 game. And maybe the playoffs, if they're so fortunate. Do we see, is Chase Brown going to play for the Bengals? That's such a crucial part of their offense he's become.
What do you think? It sounds like they're going to take that one all the way up until kickoff. You know, he suffered a, you know, certainly a painful ankle sprain in that game. But the fact they haven't ruled him out, you would think, gives him a decent shot. I would say right now I would not be counting on Chase Brown playing in that game. He listed as questionable, so is T. Higgins.
Let's put it this way. I would put a much higher percentage chance for it. Do you see T. Higgins in this game than Chase Brown?
And then last one for you. I don't know how to go about Vikings-Lions, so I'll just give you the floor on that. And if you wouldn't mind including in your answer the possibility of Lions defenders getting healthy in time for the playoffs, regardless if they get a bye week or not.
Tom? Well, Alex Anzalone was a full participant in practice yesterday. I haven't seen the Lions' final injury report here, but it certainly seems like that's tracking for him to be back, which is a big piece fix. Remember, they lost Malcolm Rodriguez around the same time, so it's both your inside linebackers. We all know Aiden Hutchinson's been out and Carlton Davis is out, and a bunch of rotational guys have all gotten injured too.
So they're still going to be shorthanded. Anzalone being back, if indeed he's activated and plays in this game, would be a big deal for him. You know, you go back to that first meeting, and it was, I believe, a 31-29 Lions win in Minneapolis back in week seven. You know, I joked on local radio here the other day, this one feels like another, you know, race to 32. The Lions are putting up 40 every single week. Brian Flores' defense, you have to go back to week six, week seven, you know, to find the last time they were even given up 30 in a game. I think that Ben Johnston and Brian Flores are very alike in terms of not just, you know, the intensity that we see from both those guys on the sideline, but they both have a little bit of chaos theory to them. I'm going to put so much stuff on tape.
I'm going to make you prepare for so many different looks. You know, the Packers' center, Josh Meyers, told me last week one of the challenges of facing the Vikings' defense is, you know, they'll have the same guy who on different snaps will play three different positions. So you can look at their personnel, but then they may line up in a different complete formation than you were thinking with a guy playing a different spot. So all the things you're seeing pre-snap can be deceiving, which is a lot of what Ben Johnston, you know, is able to do as well in terms of moving those parts around every now and then, getting Pené Sewell out on an end-to-round or something. There's so much stuff that they put on tape. And that's one thing, Rich, where every time that, you know, Ben Johnston will call one of these things like the hook and ladder last week, everyone's like, oh, why did he burn that in a meaningless game? It's like, number one, he's putting that on tape because now you've got that much more to prepare for. Number two, do you really think he's not setting up something else that he's going to use this week or in the playoffs? Both these guys are so good at their jobs.
I think that that's going to be a really fun chess match. And the same thing on the other side of the ball. I mean, Kevin O'Connell, there's a reason that I fully anticipate.
Coach of the Year sometimes is tough to predict, but I'd be shocked if Kevin O'Connell is not the Coach of the Year in the NFL. You saw that scene in the locker room last week where everybody's dousing Sam Darnold with water bottles and throwing them up on their shoulders in the middle of the locker room. It's such a cool culture. They've got such a great locker room in that building. And going up against a group with, you know, Aaron Glenn's defense that, yeah, they've been giving up a lot of points, but look what they're playing with.
You've got a bunch of guys out there. They're signing off other teams' practice squads and just trying to, you know, just trying to get by here. I think it's going to be a physical fight because that's the brand of football the Lions always play. I think that the creativity on both sides, you know, nobody's going to hold anything back because I had this thought, Rich, when I walked out of US Bank Stadium last week after the Vikings beat the Packers. You know, I grew up in Minneapolis, okay? So I've followed the Vikings going back to, you know, being a kid. And you remember those years where it really feels like there's something special because you feel it in the community here and the things that, you know, the texts I still get from friends and family members and whatnot.
And everybody remembers what it felt like in 1998 and 2009 and 2017. And every one of those years, hey, you get to this point, you've won this many games. It's like, all right, home field advantage, here we go. And I'm walking out of the stadium going, that might have been their last home game. They've got to go into Detroit and beat the Lions or that's it. They're going to Tampa or something next week. It's just, it's wild to think that you're going to have a 14-win wildcard team going on the road. But I also can't help but think, Rich, somewhere down the line, and depending how the seeding lines up, it'll probably be a divisional playoff game.
But who knows, maybe this is not the last Vikings-Lions game we see here in the playoffs. How about that. Tom, one thing we definitely have seen the last of is the Elvis album cover over your right shoulder. It must be the end of the holiday season. So sad. I cycled him out.
I got to New Year's Eve and decided all the garland, the Christmas trees, the Elvis album had to come down. So I got my friends pew pew pew back up there. They'll hang out for a little bit.
Is that Jonathan Gannon's favorite? My guys, they're big football fans. They're fans of your show, Rich. Fantastic. Send them my best. Send them my best. All right, Tom. Hayes and the Barn in this segment. I appreciate the time. Thank you so much. Thanks, Rich. Tom Post everybody.
Check him out on the Insiders NFL game day morning and more. We humans have a way of misplacing things, be it our keys, our socks, or that charging cord for our phone. That's why the 2025 Hyundai Tucson Hybrid is such a lifesaver. Wireless charging keeps that phone all juiced up so it's ready to use as your Hyundai digital key when you can't seem to find yours. The Hyundai Tucson Hybrid with advanced tech for humans who are just that, human. Visit Hyundai, pardon me, HyundaiUSA.com for details. Hyundai, there's joy in every journey. Let's take a break right here on the Rich Isaac Show. It's a What's More Likely Friday. I got my top five games for the week 18 Sunday.
That's all coming up. As a business owner, you're always going that extra mile to pursue your passions. So you deserve partners who can help you go further with premium benefits and rewards. The American Express Business Platinum card offers world-class business and travel benefits so you can get more for your business wherever it takes you. With the Amex Business Platinum card, you can earn 1.5 times membership rewards points on select business purchases. And you can get complimentary access to more than 1400 airport lounges worldwide, including the Centurion Lounge. So you can keep running your business while you're on the go. See how the Amex Business Platinum card gives business owners like you the tools and rewards to do more of what you love. Terms and points can't apply.
Learn more at americanexpress.com slash Amex Business. You met Lala Kent on Vanderpump Rules. Now Lala and her friends share everything on Give Them Lala. Bagel, everybody says I say that weird. It is ruined by a proposal story. How Jason proposed, and she was like, he brought in a bunch of bagels.
I was like, I have to stop this. I will punch you in the throat. If you ever tell this story again and call it a bagel.
But he'd tell you. Now when I tell the story, I go, he went and got breakfast. There you go. Bagels.
Yeah. Watch what Lala is talking about on YouTube, or search for Give Them Lala wherever you listen. Welcome to the Jungle Clones. It's the Jim Rome Show podcast. The greatest and loyal fan base ever, you, the clones. It all starts with the jungle. We're in it to win it. And I'm in it to go as hard as I possibly can every day to make sure that you clones get the best possible product every single day. Day one, all in, let's freaking go. The Jim Rome Show.
Follow and listen on your favorite platform. The ladies will be all right. I know you guys, I know, I know, especially you. I know y'all waiting for us to fall.
And y'all are just, y'all. Waiting? Asking in their basket. Where have you been the last six years? I mean, what have y'all been doing over there in the East without LeBron?
Nothing. That's cool. I mean. We'll be all right. As long as y'all don't win and we win, I'm good. As long as the Celtics don't win the championship, that's a successful season for a Laker fan.
You're not doing any winning either. Look, man, all right. We'll stay at the house with me then.
Chill out. You know what the best part about Godzilla King of the Monsters? What is it? We destroy Boston in the movie. We level it.
Just level it. I love it. It's so many references. It's a Laker fan's dream, Godzilla King of the Monsters.
Oh, my gosh. Dodger fans too, because obviously the Celtics standing in that way. And the Rams.
The Patriots and Rams. Lakers, a golden dragon. Delusional Laker fan is my favorite Laker fan. Delusional Laker fan? Is my favorite.
That's cool. What do you guys call you Celtics? Look, O'Shea, I'm here for your Boston 8. I'm here for it. Oh, thank you.
Speaking of somebody who's from New York City, and a diehard Yankee fan, I would take it in liquid form and inject it into my veins. But you really don't have much of a position right now to carp on a Celtic fan as a Laker fan. You just really are, you don't have a position.
Are they one of the championships? No, no, I know that. But you don't have, like you're out of position under the boards right now. You're reaching in. You're going over the top. I'm like kind of calling the foul right now. And I'm sending it. Look, that's fine.
You don't have much of a position. I am a Los Angelino. I'm a Los Angeles Laker. A non-Laker fan will never see me sweat. I will die with the Golden Army. They will bury me at center court.
And I will not let a Bostonian get under my skin. We've been hanging with O'Shea for quite some time. O'Shea Jackson Jr. coming up. Back here 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. O'Shea Jackson Jr., the secondary star of No Contest Wrestling, comes here. I mean, honestly, you've outshined O'Shea Jackson Jr. so much on No Contest Wrestling. No, we don't outshine each other, bro.
He's forced to go back into his acting career. By the way, we're working on some merch right now, trying to see how the people feel about this NCW t-shirt. Okay.
He's popping that out there. Just let me know about these things in advance. I can actually help with you on that front. I've asked multiple times. Oh my God. Oh, Rich. Wow, Rich. I'll step aside.
Okay, we'll talk about it all fair, TJ. It's not like my door's closed. 844-204-RICH is the number to dial here on a busy Friday here on the program. It's a what's more likely Friday. It's not just any Friday, though. It's a what's more likely Friday before the end of the National Football League regular season, so much up in the air. Hit it. Let's go. What's more likely?
Never say never, but never. All right, Christopher, what do you have over there? Hey, everybody, what's up? Happy Friday, Mike. Great to see you. I'm doing good. Mike, a full week of Mike.
Wow. I don't know, what's that like? Well, technically it wasn't full, Chris, because we weren't here. Well, yeah, we were one day off.
Four days. What's more likely, guys? Everything goes the Bengals way and they make the playoffs or the Falcons win the NFC South? Everything goes the Bengals way to make the playoffs is what's more likely. Unfortunately for the Falcons, the New Orleans Saints with their interim head coach and the U-Haul completely backed up.
I'm not questioning their professionalism. I'm just saying at some point, you know, it's week 18 and you normally see teams like this despite disliking their opponent, spitting their last breath in a different direction. And I think the Bucks with Baker are a focused bunch. And I think Mike Evans is going to get his 1,000 yard season because Baker is going to manifest it and Spencer Rattler or whomever is going to be out there for a lot of injured Saints are going to have a long day and the Falcons need a miracle on that front in order to make it.
And their game against Carolina is no slouch either. So everything goes the Bengals way where they win and the Broncos and Dolphins lose, I think is more likely. That would be nuts, man. That would be nuts. Yeah.
All right. What's more likely to be the larger number? Man, I couldn't believe the spread when I saw it. Ravens winning margin or Bailey Zappi completions?
Let me ask you a question, Chris, because, you know, I'm not focused on these things. OK, what happened to the line of this game that you texted the group about last night? What happened to the... It's minus 20. OK. And what happened the minute Bailey Zappi got announced as the starter?
They like moved three points. No respect for Zappi. So it's the Zappi effect. Yeah. You're saying Zappi effects. And I'm going to say that the number of Zappi completions will be larger.
Then the winning margin. Really? Yeah, because I think he's going to he's going to sling it around. And I've seen Bailey Zappi in person. As a matter of fact, yeah, I have Bailey Zappi, who looks very Johnny Manziel in that photograph, by the way.
Can you put that back on one more time? Or was that Tim Couch? Doesn't that look very Johnny Manziel? Did Johnny wear two? Johnny wore two. So did Tim Couch.
I'm just saying, like, that's a very Johnny football type. Can Zappi make the money sign if he scores? Throw us a touchdown. Bailey Zappi. Interesting nugget. And this may be a forever nugget.
Last winning quarterback for Bill Belichick as a professional head football coach. That's going to be on Jeopardy. I've seen it. I've seen the Zappi effect.
I've seen Bailey Zappi sling it. So you know what he's about. I do. So I'm saying it's more likely. Wow. I'm saying that's more likely.
Wow. And the interesting thing is this is first up. So the Ravens are going to put their guys first up. This is first up. Yeah, because they can't run the risk of the Steelers, right?
You know, winning the division, which is why it might be 40 to zero. Shiny Zappi. But Zappi is still going to complete a lot.
All right. So Saquon needs what? One hundred and one yards for the record, right? But he's probably not going to play.
I would agree with that. And I'm hoping, you know, for some bad things in my game. So what's more likely, guys, the Patriots end up with the number one pick overall or anyone rushes for one hundred and one yards in the Giants.
Oh, I'll go. Anyone rushes for one hundred and one yards in Giants Eagles. You think we're going to win, huh? I think Drake, Draca, Maya is going to go out there and play one series and go back to the bench.
Excuse me, sir. I think Jiraki Maya is going to go out there. He's going to play four quarters. They're going to win this football game because the the the crafts are going to keep Gerard Mayo. And I think Gerard Mayo is going to be there. And I think the the Patriots are going to choose two or three. And you're still going to get Travis Hunter anyway. And you'll be a very happy camper. And I think Josh Allen is going to play a couple series. You might hold your own on that.
So McDermott's like, get get him the hell out of there. And it's going to be Jiraki Maya versus Mitchell Trubisky. And I think you win this game, pal. So congratulations.
I feel for you. You know, I do not accept. I do not accept.
I'm very excited for you. I do not accept that. And so I think Kenneth Gainwell might have one hundred one yards. I'll even call my shot. Whoo. Kenneth Gainwell will gain.
Well, I don't want you, man. If I any I don't know how any announcer for the Eagles or for an Eagles game can't just say. And Kenneth gains gains. Well, it's right there.
All right. More likely to be the greater total. Jordan Love, TD passes or times Caleb Williams gets sacked. Jordan Love touchdown passes. Oh, I'll say Caleb Williams is getting sacked.
Why wouldn't I why wouldn't I choose that? No, what if I mean, even if Jordan Love throws five touchdown passes. Right. Five sacks in the game is a lot. That's a lot. But that's that's that's any given Sunday for this kid. Between the protection problems and his issues of holding onto the ball, sometimes too much. He holds on to it a lot.
I'll go Caleb Williams sacks, pal. Oh, yeah. Mm hmm. Sixty seven on the year. Yeah. You know, in this game, let's see here, the Packers and the Bears are early. That's about four game.
The commanders are at the same time. Yeah, the NFL, nothing escapes them, because, again, that's that's for the six, seven seed right there. So they can't just sit Jordan. They're going to have to play.
Yeah, they need to play. That's what I mean. Yeah.
All right. What's more likely Super Bowl champion backup quarterback to get an upset win? Carson Wentz or Jimmy Garoppolo?
Oh, OK. Hey, can I be honest with you guys? I thought about this the other day. Rich, that this right now was the first time I've heard Jimmy Garoppolo's name. All year. All year. Yeah. I thought about it last week.
I have not heard the man's name mentioned until right now. Well, they're both Super Bowl winners. So let's see how are they Super Bowl winners?
What do you mean? Wentz has a ring and Jimmy's got two. That's right. I mean, they didn't win the game necessarily. I mean, they're Super Bowl winners.
All right. Who gets a win? Ray Marino ain't got a ring. You know, I'm going to go Carson Wentz. I think I agree with you. I'm going to go Carson Wentz.
So there you go. Wentz is also kind of auditioning for next year. Yeah, he is. Well, so is Jimmy G, one would think. Jimmy G's starting days are over.
Wentz, I don't know why you could say that. I don't know how you could say that at all. How dare you?
How dare you? He's not going back to the Raider. We can take him. You want him on the Jets next year?
Huh? You want Jimmy G on the Jets? He's a better bridge quarterback than the current one. Imagine Jimmy G in New York. He would thrive. Oh, my God.
Why would you say that? What about New York makes him want to thrive? The ladies love him, apparently, according to you guys. That's all your big thing about Jimmy. Broadway Jimmy.
He's very handsome. What's more like it? Rich, you mentioned this, so I think I know where you might be leaning. But what's more likely? Mike Evans gets his 1000 yards or Aaron Rodgers gets his 500th touchdown pass. But Aaron needs only one, right?
He's four ninety nine. And I think both happen. Not the question. I know. I think both happen.
Yeah, I mean, how do you differentiate? What's more likely, though? Evans is getting a thousand. That's given.
Evans is 85 yards still. Yeah, he's getting that on the first try. How about this first try? All right. What happens first? Excuse me. I don't know. How about this one?
What's more likely? Rogers doesn't get his 500th passing touchdown because the dolphins just come in and hold it down and it's just more yada, yada, yada of the same. Or Rogers has an absolute field day. And it's like, there's the offense. There it is. And then you decide to run it back next year. That's it right there. And it ends with Rogers and Davante Adams, you know, arm and arm, just like he walked off with Randall Cobb, you know.
And it's and it's Rogers is a fantasy camp. And in MetLife, and they're all chanting his name and whatever and all that, like what's more likely? And that leads to him coming back? I don't know about no, I'm just saying what's more likely of a day? Yeah, knowing how things go, probably that's what I'm saying. Yeah.
All right. Two more. What's more likely the winner of Vikings, Lions goes to the Super Bowl or the loser is one and done in the playoffs? I'd say goes to the Super Bowl.
Yeah. I don't I don't know about you think Minnesota would be one and done by the Bucks? I don't know. The Lions would be one and done by the Bucks. They're going on the road. Maybe it's a wet rainy day in Tampa.
Who knows? The Lions would have to. It would take a day or two for them to stop reeling from the punch that the Vikings just threw on them. But they are also the only undefeated road team in the NFL.
True. So I would say the winner of Minnesota, Detroit goes to the Super Bowl is more likely. What else?
Last one. College football playoff. What's more likely we get an all Big Ten championship or Notre Dame, Texas? I think it's more likely that we get a Notre Dame, Texas or Big Ten. I think it's it's likely we get an all Big Ten championship. I think I agree with you. Right.
Seems like it's trending that way. Notre Dame is practically a Big Ten team anyway. Oh, they played at ACC schedule. They're practically a Big Ten team anyway. I don't I don't like this question. It's actually it's actually making me feel queasy. Just even talking about it.
All Big Ten championship or a Notre Dame, Texas. Yeah. Thank you for saying that again. It makes it worse.
Just wasn't sure if anyone heard properly the first time. Honestly, one shy of the four apocalyptic college football horsemen. You know, it's going to be great because like Del Tufo has a hookup, right? So if Notre Dame does win the title guaranteed the next day, head to toe championship gear, you'll somehow have confetti from the game. Like that's just the way you operate this guy. I just like it. The other side of the apocalypse, I got two fans growing against me already.
The other side of the apocalypse is already hit. Mike Del Tufo hand feeding a squirrel locally in the marina. Well, he took him on this boat, too, before Chris and I even got on the boat. You saw the picture yesterday. No, I didn't.
Yeah, it didn't even show. Yeah, you saw the squirrel. Oh, I thought you really did. Really on the boat. You said that wasn't a real picture. I've never been on the boat.
Squirrels aren't both like I've known you 15 years. Life insurance. You know you need it, but maybe you think you can't afford it or it's too complicated or you want to deal with medical exams.
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844204rich number to dial. And my five most intriguing matchups of week 18. It will not include Del Tufo and the squirrel. Big set of ovaries and then we obsess follow and listen on your favorite platform. So just in the commercial break, just went in the back and you could tell the minute you walk into our green room, you could see you can tell that O'Shea Jackson Jr. is not here for no contest wrestling, but Den of Thieves to right off the back.
You could tell those PR people and stuff. He is rolling deep. Oh, that's how he was getting his his beard sort of combed out. There's a whole coat.
There's a whole coat rack wardrobe back there. I mean, I'm in this right now. And normally, you know, when he comes in for no contest wrestling, I give him like a bag of Doritos and room temperature water. This is actual, you know, he's coming in here for Den of Thieves, too. He's got the Lionsgate person back there. Oh, he's oh, he's rolling. He's doing this right now. He is rolling deep.
It's not even in all my name when it comes out. That's how you do. I guess when you're about to be in the number one movie in the world and you're coming for Rich Eisen Productions podcast work, bag of chips, maybe some water. No, but we definitely give him water, you know, because he's got to talk for an hour. So this one, I mean, he is just did he did he did he put on a British accent when he saw it? Wait a minute, he did. See, I'm just saying, oh, he's an actor. I honestly hope he does the whole interview in character, like like Donnie, full on accent at the end of the first part when he went. Yeah, when he's at the bar. Yeah, that's what I'm talking about.
I can do that for you. See, I just watch that the other day. T.J., that wasn't good. Oh, I mean, that was pretty good, T.J. But the hanger, hey, give him a little give him a little. So we're OK. That's crazy now.
He's just OK. I'm glad he's not like that every Wednesday. That would be a be a lot for us to handle. What do you mean if he showed up like that every Wednesday?
Actually, we might get more downloads. That's true. He's definitely pampered. Right now, in a way that he normally isn't sitting in that green room being pampered. You got somebody fanning them back there? Yeah, maybe in the next two minutes.
Feeding grapes, potentially. Back here in the Rich Eyes and Show, O'Shea Jackson Jr. about to come out here an hour. Number three in support of Den of Thieves, too, everybody. Oh, can't wait. Can't wait for that Pantera. Don't forget that.
My bad Pantera, my bad. OK, there's there's only 16 regular season games left. Jeez, how does this fly so fast? It goes it goes fast every year.
I try to tell you guys it goes fast. So we wait two months for the season and then there they are. There's your week 18 schedule right there. Two games on Saturday, the rest on Sunday.
I am pumped. You know, there's only guys there's only 16 games left and there's only two witching hours left in the regular season. More importantly, witching hours are down to two. Oh, oh, so poor one out in the same way that I, you know, when I'm doing my power, what I'm doing, my power rankings, when I'm doing my power rankings, there's fewer and fewer teams to put up there in the final ten. Right. Yeah.
And so there's a few and fewer games that intrigued me. Top five most intriguing matchups of the final regular season week. Presented by Hyundai. One, two, three, four, five richest top five. All right, here we go.
Presented by Hyundai, everybody. Riches, top five, my most intriguing matchups of week 18. And we start with number five. That's obviously if the Bucks win there in over the Saints. But that is not as intriguing to me as the other game that's going to be happening at the same time. Falcons and Panthers.
Pennax v. Bryce Young. It should be kind of fun. I think so, because the Falcons need to win it. They're going to be at home. And you know, the Panthers are playing every snap like it's their last still. Kudos to Dave Canales, the head coach here that has got this team all spun up and they play some really.
I mean, the Bryce Young to Adam Thielen connection has been as dynamic as any quarterback wide receiver combination in the last month and a half. And you know, every single rep that the Falcons can get for Pennax is crucial and they need to win it. And they're going to look up at the scoreboard and hope against hope that Darren Rizzi's final game is the interim head coach there in New Orleans. You know, it's obviously going to be an emotional Saints team. They're going to hope for that result that they need and seeing Pennax versus Bryce Young to be fun.
That intrigues me. One Eastern on CBS. Now, in the afternoon, we're going to see the Dolphins take on the Jets.
Snoop versus Aaron Rodgers. Is this Aaron Rodgers last game as a professional football player? Will it be his last game as a New York Jet?
He's going for a 500th career touchdown pass. Davante Adams, you know, wants to catch it. You know, the Jets would love to stick it in the eye of the Dolphins who are sending stoop Huntley in. They need to win this game. And at the same time, look at the scoreboard and see the result coming from the third most intriguing matchup of the weekend.
Chiefs and Broncos. Now, if everybody sits here and thinks, well, no homes, no Kelsey, no chance for the Chiefs, I think you're out of your minds. This is a team that is deep and every single player that's out there in the place of all the starters that have been deemed too important to to risk getting hurt and needing their rest.
They have got a captive audience of all those teammates, and they can say we are belonging. We can do this for you. You know, we know you want that 16th win.
We're going to do it. And Carson Wentz is going to use this as an opportunity to just knock the Broncos out of the playoffs, which is possible if they look up at the scoreboard and see the Dolphins beating the Jets and they lose. And it's possible if the Broncos lose and the Dolphins lose.
Number two on this list. Saturday night, Bengals at Steelers and the Steelers. The Steelers need this, guys.
Yeah, let's go. Steelers are already in, I understand. But if they go in at 10 and seven, which has been, you know, kind of the record of the Tomlin era, recent Tomlin era Steelers who just barely get in the playoffs and then get one and done, because clearly they're not as good as every other team in the playoffs for the Bengals to come in and make them 10 and seven and say, you're not not only is not as good as the teams that you need to beat in the playoffs, you're not as good as a team that might not even make the playoffs. And the Bengals need it to hope against hope for the results they need on Sunday.
This is going to be dynamite eight Eastern Time. Bengals Steelers, a very important game for both in my estimation. It feels like the Steelers have had 10 wins for a month.
Yeah, right. Feels like they have, by the way, they've lost three in a row. Yeah, so it's been a month since they won their 10th game.
There you go. Final game, we all know what it is. Vikings, Lions, Vikings, Lions. Guys, the winner of this game is first overall, and the loser of this game is a 14 win wild card road team. It is that big of a stakes and for the Lions to lose it if the Vikings win it and they're the one seed on a 10 game win streak to turn the Lions into a road wild card weekend playoff team after their most impressive 2024 season. The most prolific regular season in the history of the Detroit Lions to turn them into a road team for the playoffs, not even winning their division would be a stunner. And for the Lions to just basically say, hey, you think we're diminished due to injury?
Guess what? We're not. We're going to sweep the Vikings anyway. And they're the 14 win road playoff team.
It is something. And that is my most intriguing matchups of week 18 presented by Hyundai. Get a great deal on a new Hyundai at the Hyundai Getaway sales event and make your next getaway your best one yet.
Visit HyundaiUSA.com today. Do you think we need one more? There's so many different directions for me to go in, but there is a team out there that, despite not being in the playoffs, having been eliminated from the playoffs, is desperate to win. They must win. They're playing like it's all in on a Super Bowl type win. And that's the New England Patriots. And I can't wait to see how they put it all out on the line.
You're the worst. They put it all out on the line for their coach, who they adore. And they're going to work if the if he is on the hot seat, they're going to go out there and win one from win one for Girard. And and and the crafts are going to be up there pumping their fists. And it's going to be just like, hey, the Buffalo Bills have had an incredible season, but guess what?
They're walking into the New England Gillette Meat Grinder and the Patriots are putting it all out on the line because it is one of the most important regular season games in recent memory for New England, and that's the way they're treating it. If the crafts really want to win this game, then they shouldn't be owners anymore. Oh, boy. Wow.
Damn. That's going to be an intriguing one. And how is Drake May going to perform under these circumstances? He's going to play great because he's sick. Everyone else on the team is garbage. No.
Not when they beat the Bills. What a flourish finish to our number one here on The Rich Isaac Show. O'Shea Jackson, we have an hour left. Oh, man.
And his coterie of friends. Hour three. The actor, Michael Rosenbaum, you know, some of the most talented people in the business, and now he's getting the inside story.
Let's get inside of Heather Graham. I can't look at like Boogie Nights and think that you are a nerd. Johnny Knox, you think you're going to do another Jackass movie? What do your kids want?
Dad's not going to do that. You got to be careful how you choose your heroes. Hear from some of the most fascinating people in pop culture today. Danny Trejo, you're a legend. Do you know you're a legend? You can't be a legend having this much fun. The Inside of You podcast follow and listen on your favorite platform.
Whisper: medium.en / 2025-01-03 16:40:54 / 2025-01-03 17:06:17 / 25