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Bill Cowher: No One Is More Frustrated How The Steelers Season Ended Than Mike Tomlin

The Rich Eisen Show / Rich Eisen
The Truth Network Radio
January 23, 2025 3:22 pm

Bill Cowher: No One Is More Frustrated How The Steelers Season Ended Than Mike Tomlin

The Rich Eisen Show / Rich Eisen

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January 23, 2025 3:22 pm

1/23/25 - Hour 2

Rich trolls TJ Jefferson about the Cowboys taking a backseat to the Commanders this season and is joined in by one of TJ’s friends from home who calls into the show. 

 

Pro Football Hall of Famer/CBS Sports analyst Bill Cowher and Rich discuss the keys to who wins the Buffalo Bills vs Kansas City Chiefs AFC Championship Game, how Commanders QB Jayden Daniels’ rookie season compares to the first year of former Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger, Mike Tomlin’s long-term future in Pittsburgh and more. 

 

Rich and the guys react to the 2025 Baseball Hall of Fame class that featured Ichiro Suzuki falling one vote shy of unanimous enshrinement in Cooperstown. 

Please check out other RES productions:

Overreaction Monday: http://apple.co/overreactionmonday 

What the Football with Suzy Shuster and Amy Trask: http://apple.co/whatthefootball

The Jim Jackson Show: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-jim-jackson-show/id1770609432

No-Contest Wrestling with O'Shea Jackson Jr. and TJ Jefferson: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/no-contest-wrestling/id1771450708

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Now on with the show. This is the Rich Eisen Show and you're listening to the best Rich Eisen. Hey, man, the Lions have lost both coordinators and their defensive line coach in the span of 24 hours live from the Rich Eisen Show studio in Los Angeles.

You know, it's Ben Johnson going to go knock on the door of his some of his former colleagues in Detroit is Aaron Glenn going to do something like that? Today's guest Pro Football Hall of Famer Bill Cower, Pro Football Hall of Famer DeMarcus Ware, plus latest news and more. And now it's Rich Eisen. Our number two of the Rich Eisen Show is on the air. Excited to chat with Bill Cower in 20 minutes time.

So much to talk about with him. Obviously the AFC Championship game that's going to be on CBS. I imagine he will be out there in Kansas City. And I wonder what Bill's cold weather gear of choice is going to be, right? It's going to be so cold. And but he, you know, obviously when you're when you're Bill Cower, you're used to standing out there in the cold, right? He's in Ohio, Pennsylvania.

Oh, please. And so long story short, there's lots to talk about him, the AFC Championship game. And then, of course, with Jayden Daniels doing what he is doing, he was the coach of Ben Roethlisberger the year that Ben won 14 games in a row to start his starting career. Ben was 14 and 0 to start his career. And then he lost to the Steelers in the AFC Championship game.

So how about this? Jayden Daniels, 14 wins going into the NFC Championship game against a dreaded division opponent. Ben Roethlisberger, same thing. Ben lost on the road in Pittsburgh. Let's see what Jayden Daniels can do. Wow.

Because the Pennsylvania team. There you go. Right? Look at us. I don't like this. I don't like it for Jayden Daniels. Why? Why?

I don't know. You just put all these things together, all these corollaries, and I don't like it. History repeats itself all the time. Or it's time to make new history.

Fresh page. Let's get a glass half full. Come on, man. I'm rooting for him.

I know that. After I was pumping the Eagles up all year. Just real quick, this is the most Northeast thing happening right now. We want the same thing, but it sounds like we're arguing.

I'm rooting for him. He yells at me. Which is why people out here in Los Angeles, when they run into East Coast people, they're like, whoa, wait a minute, sir. You know, slow your roll. Like we're not angry at each other. Do you know how often that happens to me?

They have no idea. Not angry. Just because my voice and flex a little people are like, oh, relax, man. I'm like, bro, this is how I talk. Like, I'm not mad. Like, yeah. I'm like, come on, back off.

I'm from central Pennsylvania and call it the East Coast. Listen. Listen.

TJ, you knew that was coming. Of course. Of course. Of course. Everybody's got to be chill around TJ because he's going through it.

He's going to go through nothing. You're going through it. Well, no, I mean, it's funny. It's funny. Fellow rich Eisen show, Dallas cowboy fan. Um, John Monaco, our director during the commercial break goes, we can't have the Eagles.

I start, I go in, you know, during the commercial break, you know, and frequently I'll go in the back to see, you know, how everything just played. So I'll ask Mike Hoskins and John Monaco and whoever's in there and very, you know, the very kind of them to say, no, that worked out great because they know I'm a very fragile talent. Yeah. I mean, we know. And so, um, Monaco's response to our, our open about Jayden Daniels was like, yeah, we can't, we just can't have the Eagles. No, it's impossible. So you Cowboys fans are commanders fans in the same way that Wolverine fans were Notre Dame fans on Monday.

Didn't work out for us. I'm trying one of my best friends, my old roommate spider. He's a guy. He's a spider.

He'd probably be more like the guy shooting and getting shot, but that's not the point. The boy is, he's been a fan of yours since this podcast started spider. And he's roommates and he's a Washington fan. And I'm trying, I'm just trying to be like, all right, I'll root for Washington for spider. One day we're sending me text messages. He's just spiders overstepping.

He's overstepping. By the way, he goes, he sent me a text saying, I'm looking forward to playing in the NFC championship. I'm like, bro, I know what game you're playing in.

Like, why are you guys by the way, by the way, it's all right. Is, is spider out there watching right now? Spider will either listen live or he'll listen to the repeat. I'm calling, tell spider to call right now.

Spider needs some help here. Let me text them real quick. Cause it's like, listen, you gotta check yourself. I know you're excited, but just check yourself, smell yourself just a little bit.

All right. He just sends me like random pictures of Dan Quinn with no text. We had no idea. At least the Buckeye fans in my life knew to just back off. They were going to root for their team. Just let me stew in my own garbage.

I'll tell you what's even worse. When spider and I lived together in Pittsburgh on Mount Washington, his mom, great woman, miss Peggy, also a Washington fan. She would leave messages on our voicemail back when we had an answering machine and she would talk trash about the Cowboys. Like, well that makes sense for two, for two things. One is because miss Peggy sounds like a very smart woman. Oh, she was okay.

Raising someone like spider to tweak you a little bit here. But number two, back when they were answering machines, it was when Washington fans could actually boast about something. That's true. Let's be honest. That's what I mean by you got to check yourself.

Okay. Back when they were answering machines, pre-call waiting is when it was dominating recall waiting when you would get a busy signal calling someone's house. I'm pretty sure we had call waiting in 98, but I call waiting in like 87, 88 call waiting in 87. I know you did it for a while, man. Do you know how Mike Del Tufo first went to work was in a flying car? I'm sorry. No, that was you wrapping the car around a pole. No, that was as a member of the police force. I crashed the bicycle first. I hit my head bicycle to a much harder crash.

Call waiting was introduced in the early seventies. Thank you. And I told no one I had it at my house. Three words I have for you. Three words out there for you for me. Bring me spider.

Bring me the head of spider. I just texted him. So we'll see if he answers. Rob in Austin, Texas, you're here on the rich eyes and show. Let's take your call here. What's up, Rob? Hey guys, how's it going, Rob? What's up, Rob? I got a solution. Well, two things now that you guys have been tripping up Rockman, I'm with Rockman on this, not getting scanned and everything like that. I don't need everybody knowing that, but if they are going to use all this technology, they got to be wiring you some money back when the stars don't play.

I want to see that ring. Oh, what a take now talking Rob, there may be a position for you on RAS consulting. Well done, Rob.

Hey man, I've been, I'm in the waiting line, man. Shuffle that resume to the top. So interesting. If I'm giving you my face, my credit card for you to just use my face at any point in time and and charge my card. Then if I don't see, I don't see certain faces on the court, then you have my credit card.

You need to give me a charge back. Yeah. Yeah. A 10th man on the roster playing rebates. Let me tell you what's never going to happen. That's actually not my take. I have a solution for the sliding quarterback thing.

Oh boy. You bring in something kind of like the, the fair cash with the punters. They got to do some sort of gesture.

You can co-op the deuces from Reek. You know, that's the sign. Maybe, maybe that's a stretch, but yeah. So wait, wait, so hold on. So I'm running, I'm, I'm running. I'm, I'm a quarterback, by the way, I'm an excellent quarterback.

I'm not just any quarterback. I've got speed. I've got moves by the way.

Was that, is that a BG song? I've got motion. Okay. Okay.

Right. So, so, Oh, Greece is the word. Greece is the word. Oh, he hasn't BGs.

It's Greece is the word or is that it's BGs. All right. I digress. Rob I'm fast. And what happens? I just stop and stand up straight and wave my arm. Like plays over.

Is that it? Well, pot returners are pretty fast too. No, but hold on a second. They're stationary and people who are running at them have a lot of, uh, real estate while they're running at them to see this signal. So if I'm running and I've got three, four defenders gunning for me from like two yards away, I stop and raise my hand and that will prevent me from being hit. So what you're saying?

No, no, no stop, no stop. Some sort of gesture. You got the ball in one hand gesture with the other hand, some sort of gesture.

It might not look that cool, but it's better to get lit up. Uh, you gesture it and then it's more or less, Hey, blown dead. I mean, that's basically what the slide was.

And you know, people started doing the fake slide or the tiptoe on the sideline before I step out and get hit dance. Like it's, you know, change begats more change. That's my, that's my thought. You need something like that. Rob, you were in ideas, man. And I appreciate you.

That's Robin Austin. He's in ideas, man. By the way, Clippers starting five last night, Mo Bamba, Derek Jones, Terrence Bennett, Amir Coffey, Kevin putter Jr. What do we do? What are we doing?

What do you still almost lost? I know that that's because we're going through some things true holiday, no Porzingis, no Al Horford. That was a fun game, man. It really was a fun game.

I'll be honest with you. It was, it was disappointing not to see the stars of the Clippers, but man, that second unit, like that's not what you want to go to the game to good, to marvel at the second unit. You know what the first unit can do already know what they can do. I need to make sure the second unit is got to be rested for the two win wizards tonight.

And by the way, Barry Gibb wrote, Chris, Frankie Valley. You guys didn't ask me. I told you guys speak up, guys, everybody, listen, stand down, spiders on the phone, TJ's friend, spider and diehard Washington fan overstepping this week, overstep spider. Are you there? I'm here. All right.

Spider, are you are spider in Pittsburgh is joining us here on the, spider. Are you texting TJ Jefferson, random commanders, memes and photos just out of the blue right now. Is that what you're doing? Of course. Of course.

Why wouldn't I? He's a Cowboys fan. I'm a Washington Redskins commanders fan. I understand. No, by the way, first of all, don't forget the football team spider.

That's their actual name. So, but, but spider like really he, you, you've got a guy here ready to join forces with you and every single time you are sending him this stuff, you're, you're kind of pushing him away. Spider, you know, well, you know, he's had many, many, many opportunities to join and um, I don't think we really want any Johnny come lately at this point now that we have, now that we have Dan Quinn, uh, who he could have had, he could have kept, he could have shown love and uh, his friend Jerry didn't, uh, didn't do that. So, um, uh, so we, we, we, we, we like Dan Quinn. We'll take him and we'll, uh, and we'll take it all the way to the NFC conference championship game too.

And then also with this young quarterback that we have a number five, it's a very beautiful thing and it makes me very excited. Do you realize that you have an ally here that you are not welcoming even just for the week, even for the week, you're, you're, you're antagonizing and I understand you're what you're doing to a cowboy fan. I get it, but this is TJ spider. This is TJ baby.

It's me. Well, first of all, first of all, I love TJ. I love TJ. TJ was in my wedding. TJ is one of my very, very old, old friend, a roommate. Uh, I love, I love him to death. My mother loves him to death.

She thinks of him as her, as her second son. So, um, um, I, there's so much I love about TJ. The one thing that, uh, that, uh, that we split on, oh, we both met stance. Oh God. Oh God.

Where we will always split, um, on Washington. Listen, spider, spider. I would go on and on and ask you down the list of whether you also share the same fandom as the 90 other teams that TJ roots for, but I do have bill Cower calling in in about five minutes. So I don't have the time for that spider. This said though, I do have to, uh, on behalf of most sports fans who are listening to this conversation, clap back a little bit and say, it's been one year, you know what I mean?

Like one year. And I know you've been waiting three decades for these moments, but don't you think there's a little bit of spider that should check himself? Spider? I, you know, uh, TJ has, has, uh, has told you many times to, uh, talk and speak with your chest. Uh, and I, I am taking, I am taking his lesson and doing that with him and I'm, I'm talking with my chest, spider and Pittsburgh using my own words against me. This is very impressive. This is very impressive. All right, well good luck to you, spider. Have a great weekend. Thank you.

Thank you. I just want to tell you, I've been a big fan of yours for years and years and years, well before TJ ever joined up in the AT&T thing, uh, been a fan of yours and um, um, um, it's, it's nice, really nice to speak to you for the first time. Um, I usually listen to you because I live in Pittsburgh and I'm on the road all the time and I kind of listened to you on podcasts.

I listened to you after the fact, so I never get a chance to call in. Thanks. Um, I got an invite to do so this time and I'm, uh, and I'm, I'm grateful for the opportunity.

Okay. And just for future, just in case, you know, um, you know, you do advance, uh, you do realize that, uh, no matter how badly you troll him, um, you would be saving TJ Jefferson from Karl Anthony towns trolling him worse. So I don't know, uh, we're kind of caught between like, I want you to be happy, but I want Karl Anthony towns to keep lording stuff over TJ spider. You know, I, I have been, I have, I have enjoyed that. I've also been a little jealous because I thought I was the best caller for him.

And now, uh, I have to admit that, you know, uh, Carl Anderson has taken it the next level. That's true. I'm not in the, in the same position to do that. So I'm a little jealous at the same time. Very good. Thanks for the call.

You're in Pittsburgh. There you go. All right, brother.

Let's, uh, let's take a break right here on the rich eyes and show. When we come back, let's go, let's go. Let's make sure we're on time for this man.

He's Bill Cower. He's going to join us next. He's going to Kansas city. He's going to be cold, but guess what?

He'll be in the warm embrace of the rich eyes and show. When we come back, let's talk turbo tax people. You might be sitting there going, wait a minute, rich.

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They've got an expert who knows what they're doing all the time. Now this is taxes into a turbo tax. Get an expert now on turbo tax.com. This episode is brought to you by progressive insurance. Do you ever think about switching insurance companies to see if you could save some cash? Progressive makes it easy. Just drop in some details about yourself and see if you're eligible to save money. When you bundle your home and auto policies, the process only takes minutes and it could mean hundreds more in your pocket.

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Terms and points can't apply. Learn more at American express.com slash Amex business back here on the show already. Audience will return in less than two minutes time. That's what we'll bring in a bill cower who's hanging out in our zoom room right now. And I, I just, you know, love it.

I couldn't be more excited. So much to talk about with him. One of my favorites I've gotten to meet, I think Ray balls technically on the cower tree. Cause he started in Pittsburgh. Oh, that's, you know what Patriots fans don't remember. He's a stealer first. He's a stealer first.

Yeah. We got him in free agency. Let's bring him bill right now. Bill you're there. You're there bill. Yeah, I am.

I am there. And Chris is correct. I, we drafted Mike for everyone in Ohio state, made him an outside linebacker. He was a defensive lineman at the time. And after his four years, true story is he wanted to stay, but I could not promise him a starting position. And I said, but you know, after you can get more money, quite frankly, if I were you, I'd go to get more money, maybe a chance to play more, but I'd love to have you back.

You have, you have a place here and he left. And to this day, he always will remember the truthfulness with which I told him that story. And I think it's, you know, he said, to be honest with players is the way to go.

That is, that is the way to go. It's kind of funny, but bill, we, we we've had the actor at O'Neill on this program. And your, I don't know if you've heard this story, your predecessor, uh, cut him in, in, in his first, uh, training camp season, Chuck Knoll sat him down and he's just like, you know, it's my first year here. And I, I, I can't have you basically what he said, but he said, I can send you to Philadelphia if you're interested in Ed O'Neill city retired on the spot, but he appreciated the honesty, you know?

Right. And you know, I think it's sometimes too rich, like even in training camp, sometimes you pull a player in and say, you know, listen, um, there's not a place for you here. And quite frankly, I think you should think about, you know, your future at work. Um, I says you can maybe make it somewhere else, but make sure you have a backup plan in life. And I think right now in the national football league, you're going to be a fringe player. Unfortunately, we probably don't have the room for you here because we have some other better players. You may make it somewhere else, but you need to start thinking about life after football.

So I think just giving people a sense where they are, a sense of perspective is very important as in a coaching profession. Bill Cowher here on the rich eyes and show as we're back here on the radio network and the also Roku sports channel, where we've been chit chatting with bill for a couple of minutes from CBS pro football hall of Famer and so much more bills. So you're, when do you head to Kansas city tomorrow? Saturday? I had not had that Saturday. Yeah.

I had on Saturday and it's whether it doesn't look too bad. Um, it's a hot higher 24. And so it's, uh, that's, that's okay.

It's single digits here in New York city. So we're good. Right. I'm, I'm, I'm sure you're, you're, you're prepared for the, uh, the Arctic blast, but I'm speaking of, I mean, what a blast, obviously it's going to be to be there. Alan and my homes, it's their fourth playoff meeting. That's one shy of the amount of times that Brady and Peyton Manning took on each other bill. And, um, it's the new fangled, I guess 21st century classic battle here.

How do you see it? What's your, what's your keys to this big game? That's going to be on CBS on Sunday. Well, I think Richard, you look back, we were at the game that was up in Buffalo and week 11. We were actually made, we took our show up there before the game and had a chance to sit down with Sean McDermott the night before it kind of went over and got to see him and Joe Brady and, um, got to know these guys a little bit in the off season. So, um, you know, and I know Steve Spagnola and Andy and I mean, how about Steve Spagnola and Sean McDermott were on the same staff with Andy back in 2006.

So they know each other. I feel like Buffalo, there's a little different vibe this year. There's a freedom with which Josh Allen is playing.

I think that there's a responsibility he's taken leadership element wise to another level this year. And I think this football team's healthier than they've been in years past, a little bit of different identity, almost a run first team. And then you go back to the Kansas city chiefs and how comfortable are they in one score games, all these games in the fourth quarter where special teams blocking kicks, offense or defense. This has been a football team that just is very comfortable in close games. They know how to win these games in a playoffs. Um, Patrima homes, he didn't use his feet in this last game. I could see him using his feet a little bit more in this game.

He always does the playoffs and certainly it's Travis Kelsey time. So I think it's gonna be a classic matchup. Um, I think the turnovers of both these teams have done a great job of minimizing turnovers.

They don't beat themselves. So it's almost like which one's going to blink and they stay patient as this game starts to unfold. So you said a couple of things. I want to, I want to pull the string on a little bit more here and the, what you said about the bills that there's just a different feeling here.

Uh, I, I agree with you. I'd love to try and put my finger on it a little bit more because I have been saying that all year long that this is the best team. Josh Allen has been quarterbacking because it may not be the best, if you will, roster with bold face names here and there and maybe on your fantasy team, but the sum of its parts, this is the best team.

And I'm wondering what, what, what is it that you're referring to? And I, and I think you nailed it because I think the biggest thing is look at the wide receiver room. You know, a year ago you had Gabe Davis and Steph Diggs and I felt there was like this sense that I had to keep everybody involved, making sure I keep everybody happy. He comes into this year. He's got a key on Coleman Shaquille clear Curtis Samuel.

You know what? There's a freedom that he has. He's not worried about keeping anybody healthy or happy. He's worried about just doing the right thing and spreading the ball around. He's got Kincaid, he's got knocks. So, and then James Cook also in this running game with Ty Johnson, they kind of Joe Brady and they've gotten to the same page. I think he came in with this sense of purpose. You know what?

We may not know anybody in this room, but we're going to do this thing together. There's a selflessness that's on that team right now where no one really cares what the numbers are. The only thing that matters is the end of the day that they have more points than the other team. And I think no one exemplifies that more right now than Josh Allen with the way he's playing his decision-making. He's not trying to force things and do too much. He's taking what the teams are giving him because he feels that element of responsibility. That's called leadership. That's called growth. And I think that's the best way of taking it to another level this year. And then you mentioned about the Chiefs, their ability to not beat themselves and do what they do in one score games. And of course, many of us in the talking about a business call it luck.

But there is a residue of design, right? When you get lucky. So what is that though? How does one coach a team or coach it into people to make sure that you just drill down, snap to snap moment to moment, situation to situation and don't make the mistake?

How does one do such a thing? I think Andy Reid is a master at constant evolution. And I say constant evolution because I think he, he will turn over every stone to the course of a season. You know, you can go into a season with a certain identity, a certain plan that you have in effect, but all of a sudden as the season comes along, it's about making the tweaks, making the adjustments, adhering to what you have. I think when he moved Joe tuning to left tackle, that changed a lot of things that fixed a lot of problems, maybe a little bit weaker in the middle, but all of a sudden Patrick Mahone's got a little bit more time and Joan tuning again and his selflessness being able to do that.

I think they have one of the best defensive coordinators in the game of football and Steve Spagnola. He will come after you. He will make you feel uncomfortable. You don't want to get in third and long against him. He's going to blitz you no matter what he will draw people back.

He's a hard guy to prepare for. And then I think they've kind of relied on this running game with the Zeko and all of a sudden cream hunt now becomes like the guy who's almost a hot hand. And then all of a sudden Travis Kelsey is starting to step up into play in the, in the, in the post season. So they have so many different ways and maybe have the best kicker in the playoffs that are left Harrison, but I mean, we think about all the other teams that got some kicking issues. And so this team doesn't have a weakness.

It don't really have a flaw. Probably don't have a strength that's better than any other team, but collectively their mindset, the way they approached the game, their psyche in the fourth quarter of a game, they got one of the greatest guys in the world. And that's Patrick Mahomes.

He, he answered every question, doesn't flinch. And again, this is why they're looking at her two games away from a three-peat. So do, but do you, as a coach constantly bring up situations and game it out? I mean, that's what I'm saying. How do you get, how do you get a unit to not make the mistake and win all these close games and, or is it just, Hey, they've got the good fortune of having one, two in a row and three out of four and things of that nature, you know, They don't even talk that way, Rich. They, they stay in the now. I think when you're doing something that's special, you don't ponder what you did. You don't sit there pondering what's going on. You don't reflect what you just did. You stay in the now. And part of the now right now is costly tweaking what you have, whether it's tweaking what you have because of the opponent or whereas tweaking what you have because of your situation from a health standpoint. So I think you kind of simplify it. And I think when you have great players, they can concentrate on one thing.

So I don't think you want to give a whole lot to think about. And I always felt like that was the thing to me. I learned through down through the years of coaching is to stay in the now, which is really right now is keeping the players mentally focused on what's in front of them, where it's that particular day and more importantly, that particular week and not think about the consequences, not pondering the future, not reflecting on what you just did.

You have time for that to do that when it's all said and done. And I think for this football team, they keep finding a way to win each and every week, trying to take that little chip on their shoulder, which I think right now, almost to me, the Buffalo Bills have what the Kansas City Chiefs had last year, a chip on their shoulder, tell us we can't do something. We're underdogs at home. We're underdogs on the road.

And also they're kind of taking this thing and kind of running with it. So there's nothing like that little chip in the playoffs. I know I try to create that every year. All the dollars that are out there, all the things they say we can't do, I reminded our team about what was being said about us. Bill Cower, Pro Football Hall of Famer and also member of CBS Sports and the NFL on CBS and CBS, the NFL Today, which will be emanating from Kansas City for the AFC Championship game on Sunday right here on the Rich Eisen Show. Let's talk about Jayden Daniels, Bill. And he's got 14 wins on the season, including the playoffs, which matches somebody that you know very well for the most wins in a rookie season, including the playoffs and Ben Roethlisberger, your guy back in the day in 2004. How much did you put on Ben's plate compared to what you're seeing the commanders put on Jayden Daniels' plate, Bill? I think Jay Daniels has had a lot more put on his plate, Rich, than Ben did. Ben eased into it as the season went along. We gave him more and more as he became more comfortable with what he was doing. But I think what they've done this from day one, Jay Daniels, you know, Ben started the season. He was actually a backup to Tommy Maddox and to Charlie Bash, but he got inserted into the first start in the third week of the season. So, you know, we had to kind of bring that along, but certainly what he did was unbelievable.

Can I just make this comparison? If you look at this question, the commander team in 2005, Ben's second year, we started off 7-2. So did Washington. We lost three in a row to go to 7-5. So did Washington. We won out the rest of that season and entered the playoffs as the number six seed. So did Washington. And we had a quarterback who was 23 years old in his second year.

Jay Daniels is 24 in his first year. I kind of seen this story unfold before. So, you know, there's something about, you know, the comparisons and I've actually texted Dan Quinn and told him, like, I've watched this movie before. And I said to him, as I said to you, stay in the now, I know the next chapter, but don't you worry about it. Just keep doing what you're doing.

Stay in the now. Jay doesn't blink. He doesn't flinch in the biggest of moments. Cliff Kingsbury has done a great job with him on that side of the ball. I gave a shout out to Adam Peters. Think about the players he brought into this football team in this particular year.

Certainly starting with that young man with Jay Daniels, but Austin Eckler, Frankie Lubbel, Marshawn Lattimore, Bobby Wagner, you can go right down the line. They have transformed this team and this organization almost overnight. A lot of credit, not number one, it goes to Dan Quinn, no question, but Adam Peters deserves a lot of credit for what he did in terms of restocking that football team. Yeah.

I mean, it is, it is year two of the new ownership group, right? And then obviously number two overall pick Jayden Daniels comes in and it is, I have been saying Bill all week long, that he is the greatest rookie quarterback I've ever seen with all due respect to Ben, who was, you know, that was our first full year on NFL network, man, watching him. You had a big decision that I believe it was a week three game in Miami.

There was a hurricane that moved the time of the game from one o'clock to eight o'clock. You went with the rookie instead of Charlie Bach. I think Alan Fanica, who you share a room with in Canton and Ben will one day too, was just like, what the hell are we doing with a rookie?

He comes in and wins 14 in a row. And I'll never forget that. And it was truly amazing, but you didn't put like, there was a lot of kind of let's manage the game a little bit. Let's not, let's not do too much, Ben. That's Dick LeBeau's defense.

That's Jerome Bettis. Let's just, you know, take it easy. And they don't do that with Jayden Daniels at all. It's the opposite, you know?

They do, right. And the other thing that we did, well Ben did, I mean on his own, like he was, he had a little Josh out in him. He, he felt more comfortable outside the pocket so he can escape the pocket.

It became street ball. So he didn't have to go through progressions and have to listen to anything. And he was out there making it look so easy. And I remember sitting there with Ken Wiesen and I said, you know what, Ken, I'm going to pull him in and tell him he can't continue to do it. He's got to go through his progressions.

I wanted to understand this is not sustainable. I said, when I get done talking to him, can you tell him it's okay? So it was, it was good cop, bad cop. I want to make sure I said it. He was mad at me all the time. He was mad at me.

I said, I can't make sure it's okay. I kind of like what he's doing because we can't script up these planes. He's just making them all up on the field. So a little bit of the Josh Allen, but I think what you're saying is true. I think with Jayden Daniels and Cliff Kingsbury, the things that he does, his decision-making and his decisiveness and doing so to me is just so, so veteran-like he's so comfortable and kind of has got that really kind of a laughing and no pressure on him.

Just going to take it the moment in and a great competitor. And just, again, his accuracy on the deep balls, his ability to gather pocket when he has to the design runs that they do with him. I think cliff has done a masterful job, honestly, and getting this kid ready to play.

And Dan Quinn has got this football team kind of playing with a chip on their shoulder. And, you know, like I said, I've seen this movie before. I love it. Yeah.

Cause the play used to begin with Ben after he escaped the pocket, not with the snap, you know, when he extended the play, that's when the play used to begin with Ben. And I, I love that. See, bill, this is why you got to bust in Canton, man. Like you're, you're like, I'll be the bad cop.

Can you go in and tell him it's still okay. Cause you know, you do need some of that, you know, you do need some of that. You don't want to heart. You don't want to harness greatness. We got another guy in Troy, Paula Malou at times he would, he would abandon whatever a defensive call was.

And he would do things that honestly, when he did it, we were the first one to be surprised by it as well as much as was the offense. But I says, you know, sometimes you have to trust the players and give them the freedom when you know that 90% of the time is going to be the right thing to do. And you want them to feel like they're Superman on that field. And I don't want to harness that. I will pull you back when you start to get maybe a little too much and careless and reckless with what you're doing. And I'll be the first one to tell you, stay within the system, play smart, see the situation on the game. I mean, make sure that we don't turn it over. So these are the things again, you don't want to harness greatness.

You want to keep things kind of some, some degree of guardrails in there, but there are certain players you don't let them be free and be who they are. Few minutes left with bill cower here on the Rich Eisen show. And before I let you go, I would be remiss without talking about the man who succeeded you in Pittsburgh bill. And you're, you know, I was saying here, I'm as the biggest Tomlin fan there is.

And and I'm, I'm seeing Andy Reed in his second act, right. To leave the state of Pennsylvania, find another spot after it did appear that maybe things had run out of steam in Pennsylvania and seeing what he's doing. And I'm wondering if Tomlin's thinking the same thing or should think the same thing based on what's been going on there, which is success, but not the ultimate success that, you know, Steelers fans and Tomlin expects. So what's your opinion of, of the future, Mike Tomlin, the Steelers and everything that is going on in Western PA bill? Well, I will say this, no one is more frustrated or disappointed at how the season ended at Mike Tomlin. I will say that too.

I was in there earlier this year and did a sit down with Russell Wilson. They've made some tweaks. They tried to make some changes on the staff and maybe there'll be more to be had. But I know for that man right there, that, that, that winning championships is what he is all about. And he's not going to run away from anything. He's not going to be pushed out of anything. He'll have more resolve than he's ever had before.

That's just two weeks is that's how he's wired. That being said, there's going to be some uncomfortable conversations that they've had to have. And I know that Art Rooney will be a part of that. Omar Khan will be a part of that. They'll sit down and look at what their options are and have a plan moving forward. I think it starts more so than a quarterback position. I think it's going to start with a defensive staff and philosophically speaking, where do we go from here? Then when you talk about philosophically speaking, where we go from here, then you start to assemble the people around you that can get that you can plant into those pieces, into that puzzle. So again, I think they got a chance to get away. I think the worst thing you could do is make rash decisions and, and not be hasty in doing that.

Remove the emotion. And I think that that's what happened last week. And I think as they came back this week, there'll be a lot of those conversations you're going to have. They'll have to have a vision that's aligned and have to make whatever change a theme needs to be made to get a different result. And that's basically how you're going to go about it.

And again, I'm not sure what those conversations are. And I know one thing that starts with the coaching staff first, then make the decision with the players. So that's where they have to be.

They have to be aligned. They have to make that decision and you start to move on forward with what your options are quarterback, what your options are for agency decisions you have to make on your own free agents coming up, who's out there and everything. Then, Oh yeah, get ready for the draft.

It's very busy this time of year. I know he embraces that part of it. And and we'll see what happens in the next couple of weeks. Cause I think it starts with the coaching, the whole coaching staff. If you don't mind pulling the curtain back, what is it like to have a difficult conversation with the Rooney's?

What, what, what, cause I'm sure you've, you, you had them, you had to have had them, right? I mean, and, and, and they, they are the, you know, platinum standard that might even be devaluing the, the, uh, the precious metal in terms of the standard of, of patience and continuity. But what is it like to have a conversation to difficult chat with the Rooney's bill? You know what, Richard, it's, it's total transparency in a room and it's not being hurt by someone's feelings, not being hurt by disagreeing with someone sitting there and talking about what's in the best interest of your football team, recognizing there have to be some, you know, you're going to have to have some collaboration between you, which means some sacrifice on everybody's part to walk out of that room with a collective agreement with what that decision may be. So, you know, there, there's, you know, things you have to say, there's reasons for it. Um, as you watch it, why were the things not done? Why were these things certainly done? I think those things, I know when I was there, we're talking about as we were doing them, um, but a lot of times you just don't have the opportunity to sit back and look at the thing collectively because you're going working week to week.

And so I think it's very important that the GM and Omar and, and Mike have a relationship and I know art will have a relationship with them. And so you all sit down and sit back and reflect right now on, on what happened, what went wrong down the stretch to lose those five straight games. Is there anything we could have done differently? Is there anything moving forward that we feel like that we are holding back on? Um, so I think there's, there's, there's a reflection that takes place. There's gotta be a vision.

It's also there with where we are a realistic vision and then the necessary changes that need to be made. So, um, again, those are conversations that are had more than this one day. It's on a collective day because you start to ponder and start to reflect on some of the conversations you have in the previous day.

You let them set in and say, okay, well I thought about this more. Um, okay, but if this happens, there's a repercussion. So there's always choice, repercussion.

What's the consequences of that? So all those things, all the hypotheticals that we don't deal with in the media, those hypotheticals are all discussed in the back room of these, of these meetings. Well, really appreciate the time.

Always love our chats. Um, before I let you go, uh, is there a backstory to this moment? Uh, earlier, what, what, what are we seeing here when you were in Buffalo? We got here. So, so, so we got, we got a 67 year old man airborne.

Okay. And look at the look on the face as a determined man right there. I'm going to break this fricking table. And now here's my boys. There's my boys helping me out.

So, so, okay. So that's my teammates. It was Matt, JJ, and Nate right there picking me up and JB's just enjoying every second. So it was a, there was a, there was a soft landing.

Is that what you're saying or you just went for it? I played in the NFL at Grish for five years. Yes, sir. I got knocked on the ground a lot. So I learned how to fall. I wasn't the greatest athlete. So I played special teams.

I was a backup player. So being on the ground was not new to me. So I knew how to fall. I've learned how to do that down through my years.

I just applied my experience to the game. Just took it one table at a time and hope for the best. Have a great time in Kansas city. I'll be watching a great stuff all year and always appreciate catching up with you. Thanks for the time, bill. Good luck at the combine. Thanks for you. I want to see your best, your best 40 yet. I appreciate it. The fact that you're pulling for me means I won't pull anything.

That's that's what I'm hoping for. Take care of bill. You'd be welcome. The great bill Cower football hall of fam. I love that guy. So lucky that we have a relationship for me to ring him up and he says, sure. I'll come on and talk about all this neat stuff. They're going to Kansas city for the AFC championship game. Love watching them on the air.

Great to see him as always. Here's a riddle for you. What are yoga mats at toothbrush and a Hyundai? I haven't comment. I'll give you a moment. Time's up. They're all fun, well-designed and super useful. Yeah, that's true, but you guessed wrong. The answer is you can order all these things on Amazon and the best part.

You won't even have to break down a car size Amazon box after, because you'll pick up your Hyundai at the dealer Hyundai now available on an Amazon visit a Hyundai usa.com or call five six two three one four four six Oh three for more details, limited availability pickup through a participating Hyundai dealer in select markets. God, that was so much fun. So much to chew on right there. Let's take a news update though. Break on the infinity sports network. Like this man broke a table.

I mean, bill not rich accurate. 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.

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See allstate.com for details, all state fire and casualty insurance company and affiliates, Northbrook, Illinois. Pro football hall of Famer, Bill Cowher here on the show. How does that sound Bill? I'm still trying to get used to that one, Rich. It really is. It's been a short period of time, but boy, you know, it happened so fast and what a whirlwind. We had two shows on the weekend, you know, now just kind of soak it in a little bit. It's it's pretty special.

Yeah. I know obviously being on live television is a, is sometimes a difficult enough, even no matter how many times you've done it because you're on live television. I mean, what was going through your head when David Baker appeared all of a sudden, Bill? You know, it's, I had absolutely no idea. And the ironic part of it was that I sat down that morning with my wife, Veronica, you know, I talked about it. I said, I don't think I'm going to get in and I'm okay with it. I almost put some closure on it. And that was okay. You know, when I came in, no one really said anything, weren't discussing it. I thought, again, pretty professional.

I appreciated them kind of like giving me my space from it all. And I was getting ready to do an iVision with, with Phil Stemms and talking about Lamar Jackson. And then next thing I turn around and I see David Baker and we all know what he stands for. And, and it just was a lot of things to try to process at the time. It's kind of why I thought this is, this is the way I, I thought this was going to be. I thought I was going to get a call and say, Hey, you know, you were close, but you didn't get in.

And we'd all find out on Tuesday night or something because it's going to air on Wednesday. And yeah, it was almost surreal. And you know, they ask you to duck a speech. Wow. That gave me a time to think about this one. So it just kind of rambles out and I got dying.

I'm not even sure what I just said. But it was a pretty surreal moment. And you know, every day you wake up, it's just like, wow, it's something you dreamed about as a kid.

And you know, you never feel like you're worthy. And I looked at all the candidates that were there and it's so funny. I sat back and watched Jimmy Johnson and the same thing happened to him on the halftime of the second game on Sunday at home. And I know exactly what he was feeling. As a matter of fact, I had to put out a tweet and I first thing I thought about is, you know, did Adam Stanley really know that he had two future hall of fans players watching Bobby Buscea on the water? And Jimmy, Jimmy, Jimmy Johnson and I were down there and I remember Jimmy and I, and this is like 1997, 98, whatever it was. And, and Adam, actually, I think it's like since then retweeted, I said, but we're talking about boogie, who's Bobby Buscea. And he sat, he's saying that Jack Taylor, I go, no, he's like Greg Lloyd.

He goes, whatever. So it's going to be really, really kind of fun to kind of get reunited with Jimmy over that little one. That's fantastic, Bill.

I mean, that is just great. I love all of Bill Cower stories, man. How about the one he just told, which is Ben Roethlisberger definitely wanted him to make sure he played within some constructs here, go through progressions, stay in the pocket, don't break pocket because that's where mistakes can happen. And then he tells Ken Wisen on his offensive coordinator, I'm going to say this to Ben, when I'm done, you pull him in and say, don't worry about it. So he hears what I really want him to understand. But also I understand that when he breaks pocket and he turns it, how many times I've said here this week, he reminds me a little of Josh Allen. So obviously I love hearing from Bill Cower that my instincts are in the right direction.

Just make sure that you're also doing the right thing. Love all of that conversation we just had with Bill Cower back on the Rich Asin Show radio network, sitting at the Rich Asin Show desk, furnished by Grange with supplies and solutions for every industry. Grange has the right product for you.

Call clickgrange.com or just stop by. Three new, freshly minted baseball hall of famers by vote. Two others, including Dave Parker, the Cobra, finally, man, getting in and overdue. And the hall of fame class of 2025, Billy Wagner, who I'll be very honest with people when he was performing and doing some lights out stuff, Astros, he spent some time with the Mets too, right?

Yeah, a few years with the Mets. You know, from the left side, I wasn't sitting there thinking there goes a hall of famer when he went on the mound or when he left it, but he is exactly that. CeCe Sabathia and Ichiro. And now you've got no problem with CeCe getting in.

I have no problem with CeCe getting in. I mean, CeCe was a terrific member of the Cleveland organization and when they wouldn't pay him, they've sent him to a place that definitely didn't want to pay him, but definitely wanted to use him as a, a trade deadline pickup. And dude, he won 11 games for the Brewers that summer and fall. It led them right to the playoffs. He had seven complete games of the 11 wins.

And he admitted, I heard his interview with Dan Patrick the day after he got in, he said that the way the games played now helped his resume become more hall of famous because people aren't putting up the numbers that he's going to put up. Oh, interesting. That's a good point. He mentioned Verlander Scherzer and Zach Greinke. It's others that are coming. Dan, you know, chimed in with Kershaw.

He agreed. And that may be why Billy Wagner's the first left-handed reliever getting in. I, I really don't understand the Billy Wagner thing. Never led the league in saves. Has a career war of 27.7. Eighth all time in saves. So you'll get the guys ahead of him. John Franco, Frankie Rodriguez, Craig Kimbrell, Kenley Jansen should all get in.

Maybe they will one day. I never thought that when Billy Wagner was playing, but let's stay on the positive. Each hero. I mean, I knew it from the very beginning, right? Everybody did too. Well, did you hear the mariners tweeted out that he, he went three for his first 10. You know, he was two for his first 10, first nine. And then he went three for his first 10, never hit under 300 the rest of his life.

Yeah. Career 300 hitter after 10 at bats. Never is career batting average. Never dipped below 300.

That's awesome. His, his, uh, his speed, his, uh, his throwing as well. Right. No MVP rookie of the year in the same year. I mean that famous throw where he throws, I forget who it is at third base right off the bat. I mean, guy could do it all. And one person did not vote for him. So we're still without the first ever 100% position player.

Mariano Rivera is still the only 100% hall of Famer and whoever this guy is, you're fired. Like what are we doing? That's the way I look at it.

Each role had a completely different point of view on it. Um, I was able to, uh, receive many votes from the writers and grateful for them, but there's one writer that I wasn't able to get a vote from. I would like to invite him over to our, to my house and uh, we'll have a drink together and uh, we'll have a good chat. Uh, very, very grateful to be here and thank you. That was each.

He wrote through his interpreter. Um, and you know, high class. I wouldn't, uh, it's just so stupid. So stupid.

It's so stupid. And you know what? If they don't want to make it public, fine. Cause you know, don't put your name to it, but the, the hall of fame writers community should find out who that person is in revoke.

How do you know? Cause you, you, you get a sheet of players and you could vote for, what is it? Uh, up to 10.

You can vote multiple for up to 10. Yeah. And to, to leave them off, what are we doing? Come on.

What are you? That means you got a grudge. You got something going on. Police yourselves. If you, otherwise we're going to demand to see this publicly. Oh, this person will get snuffed out.

We are going to find out who this is. Think of all the great players in the history of baseball. They weren't either. I mean, so I can't get any more mad over its row than I was about Ken Griffey or Jeter or you know, I'm still mad about those Tom Seaver or just going down the list, you know, like how could you not vote Cal Ripken jr into the hall of fame unanimously?

Like that doesn't make any sense. Good, good points on, I guess it's part and parcel of the process. It's not perfect, but what is perfect is CC Sabathia going in just at a time to remind everybody what it used to be when New York was a Yankee town. I'm glad I'm good.

The good old days when the Yankees were the team of choice in New York city, not like it is with the Mets now, like future hall of Famer and noted New York sports expert expert Juan Soto said he is a future hall of Famer. That's a fact. Okay.

Two, you don't even live in New York, so you don't really know the temperature of New York anymore, right? All my time growing up there, I've, I've totally lost touch. Now bro, you're soft. You know what? I can't stomach it. You're not, can't stomach it. He's got beef too. He's got a lot of, he's been eating a lot. He's got a lot of pork now.

It's amazing beef and pork that you can't even sign a polar bear. Welcome in the guy who says New York is a Mets town. And then the guy who has represented the Mets more than anybody else. Let's, let's, let's, uh, let's become deadbeats with him and send him, let's send him out of town.

No, no, no, no, no, no. But it's a Mets town and they're, but they have their finger on a pulse of who the Mets fans really have enjoyed. I mean, more than you out here, no question about it. He goes in as a Yankee, right? I hope he does. He told Dan he wants to. Oh, interesting. Okay. Let's see the stats.

What he plans are pretty equal. Yeah, no, he's come on now with the Indians. Didn't want to pay him. They sent him to Milwaukee where he had a cup of coffee. He won a world series with the Yankees who paid him. Yeah. And by the way, if he goes in as a Yankee, I imagine we'll keep paying him. I'm just happy for that, for that stuff that, that, that comes to the cost. I'm just happy Dave Parker got in, man.

Well-deserved no doubt health issues right now. So it's great that he wrote it back when Pittsburgh was a pirate's town. Yeah. Great nickname to the Cobra.

As opposed to the other team that's playing there in baseball, the penguins, my bad. No. Yeah. That too. Yeah.

That too. Get out of here or this next town, my ass. Hey, it's Rich Eisen here. Join me in my compadre Chris Brockman every Monday on the overreaction Monday podcast. Also saying the record's going to go down.

I'm saying the record's going down anyway. I don't think you're off on this at all. Like you're spot on here. I don't think this is an overreaction because we have no idea what we're reacting to. Come react or overreact with us. Overreaction Monday. Follow and listen on your favorite platform. It's game over. Over, man.
Whisper: medium.en / 2025-01-23 16:51:35 / 2025-01-23 17:17:00 / 25

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