Travis Kelce's Future

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Speaking of podcasts, Travis Kelsey and Jason Kelsey have one. I don't know if you're aware of it. They do. Yeah. Oh, wow. Yeah. That's what a fun idea. Well, because of that, we were able to eat for free last Wednesday at the Super Bowl.

I don't know about eating, but drank for free for sure. There you go. Yeah.

New Heights party and all that good stuff. Right. And so the post Super Bowl edition of the New Heights pod, did they have a pod the last time the Chiefs lost the Super Bowl? I don't think so. To the Bucks? No, no.

You know what I mean? No. When Travis and Jason played against each other, they did have a pod. Correct. But what I'm saying is the last time Travis Kelsey played in and lost the Super Bowl, I don't believe their podcast existed yet. No. So this is the first ever such edition of the New Heights podcast.

Yes, sir. So as you know, in this day and age, the question and answer of Travis Kelsey's future would have been out there after a Super Bowl. I don't believe Travis addressed it after this year's Super Bowl.

Now, your own content, your own Q&A is your own content, right? So that was on today's edition that hit today of the highly popular, always listenable, must grab edition of the New Heights pod. Travis on his future talking about it with his bro. I know everybody wants to know whether or not I'm playing next year. And right now I'm just kicking everything down the road.

I'm kicking every can I can down the road and I'm not making any crazy decisions. But I right now the the biggest thing is just being there for my teammates and being there for my coaches, understanding, you know, that there's a lot that goes into this thing. You know, I've I've been fortunate over the past five, six years.

I've played more football than anybody. Yeah, and it's it's because the people that are in that building and the fact that we keep going to these AFC championships and these Super Bowls and that means I'm playing an extra three games more than everybody else in the in the entire league. And that's a lot of wear and tear on your body. And it's a lot it's a lot of time spent in the building focusing on your craft, focusing on the task at hand, every challenge that you set up for yourself. And it's that process can be grueling. It can it can weigh on you.

It can it can it can make you better and it can drive you crazy at the same time. And right now it's one of those things where it was kind of driving me crazy this year. I'm going to take some time to figure it out. And I think I owe it to my teammates that if I do come back, that it's going to be something that it's a wholehearted decision. I'm not half assing it and I'm I'm fully here for them. And I think I think I could play.

It's just whether or not it's I'm motivated or it's the best decision for me as a as a as a man, as a human, as a as a person to to take on all that responsibility. Wow. Right there from Travis Kelsey, that right there is as straight truth as one can get, because, you know, once this show this game was over and you saw how bummed he was and we came on the overreaction Monday pod the next morning and we talked about Kelsey's future and what might happen. And our general sense was there's no way he's going to walk off this way. That's how I felt.

Right. Like there's no chance that this guy. Is going to have the final game of his.

First Ballot Hall of Fame, self-made man, grown ass man, you know, from an angry kid into grown ass man and Walter Payton, man of the year and Captain C wearing on his chest type guy that this guy would say, yeah, this this will be the last. This will be the last way I write a chapter or the chapter is written for me. And then I hear this. Yeah. And then I hear this and it is as raw as one can get when he's like, there's a lot that goes into it that it's grueling. It can wear on you.

And he said this year it did. And I'm I'm so appreciative of him being so straightforward and honest. Now, I I have no idea. Sounds like he's done. Well, it sounds like that there's there's no simple answer, right?

You know what I mean? It's not as simple as like, yeah, there's no way I'm walking off this way. You know, I can win it again one more time.

Let me give it one more shot here. But to do the one more shot here. Is. Is stepping away from the rest of a life that any other human being. Would want to live. And I understand football is what set it up for Travis Kelsey to live the manner in which he is living right now.

But. He's got to sit there and say for me to, you know, wake up at this certain time and live this way and go to the facility. I understand everyone would want to live the life of a first ballot Hall of Fame.

Tight end as well. But the physical nature that goes into it and then the, you know, living separate from your girlfriend aspect of it and the opportunities to do X, Y and Z next are knocking on his door right now. And instead of, you know, hosting this show or taking that acting gig or flying around the world to be there for his his girl in the way that she is there for him or to, you know, stroll down the red carpet at the Grammys, if that's the sort of thing that he feels like he he'd like to be doing. He's not because he's in a weight room or he's in a trainer's room or he's in a film room or he's in an airplane or he's waiting to get on an airplane or he's sitting on a bus.

Which is, again, part and parcel of being professional athlete, but when you've done it for as long as he's done it and he's accomplished everything he's accomplished, now it's suddenly like, do I really want to keep doing that anymore? And that's what I just heard. That's the reality of it.

And I know nobody's playing any small, tiny violins. I'm just talking about the reality of his life and his decision and what he needs to do to put into it. And it's not as simple as like, I just got boat raced and I can't let that be the last game of my career. And at the end of the day, he might come to that conclusion.

Yeah, I can do it one more time after talking to everybody. After talking to Taylor Swift, after talking to his mom, after talking to anybody in his inner circle like Jason, after talking to his agent, after talking to this director, this casting director, this producer, this television network or streaming network mogul that would love to have him do whatever the hell he wants. That's in play right now. That's what I just heard. That's what I heard, too. What is the saying?

If you're thinking about it, then you're already there. I mean, Aaron Rodgers said he was 90 percent retired and came back and we've seen how the last two years went. I don't think Travis wants to go out like that.

He said, obviously, he's the first Ballot Hall of Famer, this, that and one of the greatest of all time. It's yeah, it's time to live the rest of your life and start that second chapter. I think it's spoken of a man who's still in the hurt process trying to figure it out. No doubt based upon the conversation Chris and I did have with his mom on Friday in regards to his brother. I would make the guess that he'll be back based upon the thought that I think his brother may, you know, you said this yesterday.

I don't think Jason Kelsey has a single regret, man, and certainly even with the Eagles winning at all. I understand you spoke to his mom and I don't know how private that conversation she considered it was, you know, and now that's twice. We've been bringing it up on this program and I want to make sure that everyone understands based on what you heard and based on what we're talking about here is that we are dealing with ultimately. In the case of Jason and in the case of Travis, two of the top flight football players, regardless of them being brothers and life livers to its fullest. And they, you know, one guy is a bachelor with maybe the one of the most famous entertainers of the world is his girlfriend. Another one has got. A wife and a bunch of little babies at home and different ways to think about.

Do I want to continue doing this again? And it's not easy. It is just not easy. And, you know, we're all just speculating. Well, I but yes, correct. And all of us trying to figure out again what Kelsey's next move is. I don't know how he's going to go about it or what his inner circle is or what. I just hope he comes back. That's that's my own selfish right way of looking at this thing. This league is better with Mahomes to Kelsey. This league is better with Travis Kelsey being on the field. This league is better with the new heights pod being a conversation now between the first Ballot Hall of Fame retiree and a first Ballot Hall of Fame tight end of one of the most popular. Although some are fatigued by their popularity. Franchises and that's how you how you know you're doing it right now. Right.

And dynastic runs that we've been seeing. It's better with him in it. Absolutely right. It's better with him in it. And it's better with everything that he brings to it and everything that he has made himself into, because that's what he has done. Obviously, with the help of of many that he would that he will shout out when he does go to his home state and accept a jacket and a bust one day. But he's going through it right now.

That is a fact. And I thought it would be OK. Just give him a couple of days and. Because he's not going to walk off like that.

Maybe he will. I think it's hard for us because we see how much success they've had. Right. And I've heard people go, oh, you lost one. What's the big deal? Well, you know, it obviously, despite everything you win, Tom Brady said those losses hurt more than the wins felt good. So, yeah, and that's what happens with people who wind up at the end of their career is that they realize that the lows are so much more intense than the highs.

You talk to any coach that's finally said, we're done, I'm done, my family, we're done here as a life of a coach. It's that the losses are just so dark and deep and the abyss is so endless when you lose. And then when you win. The high of it lasts so fast because you're back into making sure you don't go into that abyss.

And that. Based on my experience of being around this game for over two decades and having seen all that, that at some point the scales tip and somebody realizes that and then when it's a coach, the sacrifices you make aren't physical unless it is your physical well-being because you eat like crap and you live like crap. You're living at your facility in twenty four seven. Your sleep patterns are crap and your moods are crap.

And then you're around your family and they they that's how life becomes crap. Despite you being in one of the most incredible jobs in the world, I'm seeing with Kelsey. Maybe the scales just are tipping, but we are still in the after math of a tail kicking that I don't think they saw coming. I don't think he saw coming. I don't think anybody in Chief's Kingdom saw coming.

And a lot of us in this media world didn't see coming either. Rich, I got a question for you. You work with so many Hall of Famers, legends of the game. Have you ever had talks with Kirk or Marshall or Dion or Mike about like what they felt after losing the Super Bowl like that? Has that ever? Oh, yeah. I mean, it's the lowest of lows of lows of, you know, where you're you can't believe.

Your world just got flipped upside down like that. You didn't see it coming. You know, Kurt did not see coming.

James Harrison. Well, he didn't. That one's kind of different in a way, but obviously it hurts that that he does see that all the time and he wears that really well. But the one to Brady, I think, is the one that really hurts because they were about to win their second in three years. They would have had this talk of dynasty. They were ready to go, you know, and that first one was like, oh, man, I just wound up a few inches shy of losing that Super Bowl right now.

Here they're coming out of the greatest show on turf, taking on a Patriots team with a kid quarterback and they got beat. That's the one I think that probably sticks with him. But that's the whole question is like, you know, when do you know when it's time to retire? And and when you do retire, you you miss the locker room, you miss the guys, you miss those camaraderie moments, you miss the moments in the end zone, you miss the dancing, you miss the fighting for your right to party. You miss all of that stuff, but you don't miss the the workouts, the workouts and the cold tubs and the counting your calories.

And, you know, and and and making sure I got to be at the facility and and saying, sorry, I can't be there at this thing because I got to make sure that I'm I'm in the you know, this training room at a certain time and I got to be at this meeting five minutes ago and I'm late and I'll talk to you later and. You know, and and when you do have the oyster world. Cracking open like Travis Kelsey, I don't blame him for taking a beat and saying, do I want to push that button on that part of my life right now? Yeah. And that's what that's what it sounds like right there.

Kick it down the road. We'll take a break. Eight four four two oh four rich number down the aforementioned Kurt Warner. Chris Mad Dog Russo. I might talk to I might talk to him about Juan Francesca.

Oh, New York City saying it's a Mettown. Are we still not over this year? We're definitely not over. Pitches and catches are about to report and it's only going to get more intense, pal. And then my Florio and our number three and you throughout. I've got a great power rankings. You're not going to want to miss because it's about the twenty twenty five season.

Kurt Warner 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 one point five times membership rewards points on select business purchases, and you can get complementary access to more than fourteen hundred 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.

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Over your right shoulder. Yeah, it was. Who is this guy was the was the cover. So, yeah, that was the first Sports Illustrated cover. I was a guy that grew up collecting Sports Illustrated. So that was kind of one of my you made it moments when you make the cover of Sports Illustrated. But how did how did that title hit you? Who is this guy when you saw that? Like, OK, I'm on the cover of Sports Illustrated and they're wondering who I am. You know what I mean? Like, how did that hit you, Kurt?

I mean, you know, you're realistic with the situation, Rich, is that, you know, hopefully people were going to find out who I was, you know, because I was on the cover of Sports Illustrated. But I fully got it. And I think that's the question everybody was asking at that point in time.

Where did this guy come from and who is this guy and how good can he actually be? And so so that didn't bother me at all. And I kind of liked it because that was really the story that I got to tell throughout that whole first season. Was who I was, what I was all about and where I had come from. And so I thought it was pretty fitting. But nonetheless, didn't matter what the title was going to be.

Being on the cover was that was a really cool moment for me. How far is Odebolt, Iowa, Cooper DeGene's home from from your neck of the woods? I'm not sure. What's his hometown? Odebolt, Iowa. Odebolt, Iowa. It's yeah. I have I have no idea. I'm not even sure where that is. So I have to look that up. I'm not sure.

I know Iowa City is only about 30 minutes from my hometown of Cedar Rapids, but I'm not sure where that is. Yeah, I know. How about that? Population 985. Nine eighty nine eighty five.

Wow. Just a couple of Iowa guys at the Super Bowl back here on the 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 click Grainger dot com or just stop by my Hall of Fame friend, Kurt Warner, fresh back from calling Super Bowl fifty nine on Westwood one radio with the great Kevin Harlan and the great crew at Westwood one right here on the Rich Eisen Show. When did you first dawn on you that this wasn't the Chiefs night on Sunday night? Well, I mean, yeah, I think it was very quick, very early in the game, just kind of watching the approach that they had and, you know, just looking at Patrick, you know, he just he didn't look to be on his game, was missing things that he normally hits, you know.

And then I think the other factor was that in the back of my mind, I felt like it could go this way to some degree. And so I think when you started to stack it up after the first couple drives and seeing that, you know, how good Philly's defense was, how the Chiefs didn't really have answers. And then there was a few little things that were just off with the Chiefs. You started to get the sense, OK, the Chiefs team that again, I didn't know how good they were coming in. You're starting to see some of their flaws exposed by this really, really good defense on the other side. And, you know, early on, you wonder, can they find a way to make some plays and keep it close? But you saw a team, in my opinion, that was outmanned by, you know, who Philadelphia was across the board. How many playoff games can you recall in which you weren't blitzed a single time, Curt? I mean, I'm not sure there was a single one where that happened.

Right. And so that's my question is like at one point is Mahomes thinking, where's the blitz? Like, you know, how does that mess with a quarterback's head, do you think, Curt?

Well, I mean, it shouldn't mess with them at all. I mean, if that happens, especially with what Philly likes to do, you know, they like to play what we call quarters coverage or cover four, four deep, three under, and then rush the four guys. I mean, going into this game, I would be kind of licking my chops going, okay, I love playing against cover four. There's so many ways to attack cover four, which was one of the things when you asked me about when I felt like the Chiefs were a little bit off, is when I came out and saw kind of their game plan early on, assuming that the Eagles would play a lot of cover four, because that's what they do, wasn't a real fan of that. So coming in, I always welcome the blitz because, you know, obviously there's a lot of feast or famine with the blitz. But if a team was going to play basic cover four for most of the game, that wouldn't mess with me at all.

I'd be thinking, oh, this is going to be awesome. We're going to have a chance to have a lot of success against this team, even though they've got a really good front four. There's a lot of ways to neutralize that by attacking the underneath zones of the field, because there's only three defenders covering from sideline to sideline in a cover four look. And so, you know, he might have thought it was coming at one point, but even with the Eagles all year long, I mean, they were a base cover 14. They would switch it up with man to man coverage, but they weren't a huge blitz team all year long. I don't think you came into this game expecting them to do something that they haven't done all year and all of a sudden throw a bunch of blitzes at you. That couldn't have been what the Chiefs were thinking coming into this game, because that's just not who the Eagles were. So it's as simple as they just couldn't protect Mahomes and it was a wrap. Otherwise, he could have had a day. It just, you know what I mean? It just doesn't appear to be his day, right? Yeah.

No, he was off. They got great pressure. But again, to me, they weren't attacking the defense the right way. And so they were playing more into the hands of what the Eagles were doing, which is that's what really surprised me more than anything else. Like if, if you were going to tell me a team was going to play me and cover four quarters all day long, man, I can think of 10 staple plays right now that I am running numerous times in this game.

Over and over and over again. And yeah, a lot of them are going to be quick and underneath throws. But that's what I'm going to do to him.

I'm going to beat him underneath and going to neutralize their front by quick throws. And it just didn't happen in this game. And, you know, so I broke it down yesterday for QB confidential. And I was just, I was just really surprised. I was really surprised by how it played out and kind of the game plan and some of the, you know, play designs that the Chiefs came up with.

Against what I went into this game, expecting to see from the Eagles and what they did for most of the game. So then how, by the way, in QB confidential is what Kurt is referencing YouTube channel. Everybody check that out at some really insightful analysis from the hall of Famer, Kurt Warner right here on the rich eyes and show. So why, how does, how does that happen? We, we, we, we spend and rightfully so, so much time talking about Andy Reid being a master of, of dialing stuff up and scheming stuff up.

And adjusting stuff up. It just didn't happen. Right. Why? I don't, I don't know the answer to it.

I mean, I can't come up with the right answer. And again, if you go to my, my piece on YouTube, just there's a couple of references to things to plays that they ran that you would almost automatically do a little bit differently against cover four. And, you know, so I just sit back kind of dumbfounded and, you know, I think sometimes it comes to, Hey, this is how we do it. This is what we do. This is what's worked all year long. Let's just do this in this game and we'll be successful as opposed to going. This is what they're going to do. Let's go and design or come up or pull out our best cover four plays.

Even if we haven't run them a whole bunch all year long. We need to do what needs to be done to attack this particular defense. So I don't really know exactly why the approach was the way that it was. But that was the thing that, that left me shaking my head and back to your original question early in the game. What had me saying, Oh, this thing could, you know, could get ugly because I don't see them attacking them the way I would have thought in my mind.

They would have attacked them early in this game. Let's talk Jalen Hurts, Kurt. What's your opinion of this kid? You know, my opinion continues to grow. But what we all know is he's a great winner, right? In other words, he does what he needs to do to help his team win.

And, you know, again, just did another piece on Jalen. And what I continually said is he makes the right decision in the moment. You know, I still think he has room to grow in terms of processing and seeing the field and doing that stuff. But what he does so well is no matter whether he sees it or not, he makes positive play after positive play after positive play. He finds a way to make the right play in the moment. And the other thing that, you know, I come to appreciate more and more is he's an elite deliverer of the football. He's an elite thrower of the football. He's got great pace on the ball. It's very catchable ball. His throws down the field are like handoffs. You see it over and over again that he is a great thrower of the football.

So when he knows where he wants to throw it, the ball is on the money most of the time. And, you know, I keep talking as we talk about the Super Bowl that two plays that just kind of jump out to me that say this is who Jalen Hurts is. Fourth and five NFC Championship game, 14 to 12, two minutes to go in the half. You go for it on fourth down.

If you don't get it, Washington has a chance to drive down, kick a field goal, score points, and take the lead at halftime. They go for it on fourth and five. And they don't call a play to get five yards. They call a go route down the sideline, or at least that's the one that he throws. A go route down the sideline to A.J.

Brown and drops a dime on him. First down, sets up a touchdown, and the route is on. Super Bowl, first drive, get into fourth and two. Okay, most teams are going to go, okay, let's design our best two-yard play to move the chains and keep going.

What do they do? They throw another go route against press coverage, best corner on the Chiefs down the sideline, and Jalen Hurts once again delivers a perfect throw to A.J. Brown that's going to set up the first score of the game except for the OPI on A.J.

Brown. But that, to me, speaks to who Jalen is. Biggest moment. Not afraid, and he's confident in his ability to throw the football. Will make the hardest, one of the lowest completion percentage throws, two biggest games of his life, maybe two biggest situations early in those games, and he delivers both times. And you see that over and over again, is delivering on the big throws time and time again. His accuracy, elite level, throwing the football that I think I've come to appreciate more and more from him as I've seen him in these big moments. And then there's the stuff inside, Kurt, that I kind of want to hit with you because, again, over your right shoulder is the first ever Sports Illustrated cover of your career with the headline of Who Is This Guy? We know who Jalen Hurts is because the question of who is this guy for Jalen Hurts when he first burst on the scene was Tua, right? Who's this kid Tua coming into this game? Throwing it to Devante Smith, of all people, right? And then, so Hurts' narrative as being the guy passed over is crystallized in the most significant, nationally televised way from jump.

And to the point where even this year, it's like, when's he going to turn into a pumpkin? And to be able to do what he's done under those circumstances, I'd love to ask you, what does it take? Well, I mean, the biggest thing, and so, yeah, I guess it's a good reference to, you know, my first year in the NFL and everybody wondering what I could be and who I was. But there was never a moment throughout my journey where I didn't believe in what I could do. I didn't believe in who I was and the gifts and talents that I had didn't always go in my favor, whether that was sitting on the bench in college or getting cut and having to work in, you know, the grocery store and arena football, and then even getting cut and released and having to play for three teams in the NFL.

People thinking I was too old and people thinking that I couldn't come from here to do that. But I never lost confidence in who I was and what I believed about myself. I think that's what we've seen with Jalen Hurts through all of this stuff and all of the scrutiny. He knows who he is. He knows what he's capable of.

And so he's never wavered in that mindset, even when the circumstances were a little bit off or when people doubted him. All he had to do was go back and say, hey, but when I was on the field, here's what I've done everywhere I've been. Oh, Alabama took my team to two championship games. Oh, Oklahoma, I took my team to the playoffs. Oh, the Eagles, I've gone to two Super Bowls in three years.

Like this is what I do. And that's exactly how I felt, even though I wasn't doing it on a big stage and some things had gone against me when I got to the NFL. Everybody was, you know, how did you think? Why did you think you could be this good? And because I never lost who I felt I was.

I never lost the confidence because when I had a ball in my hands, I was always successful. Jalen Hurts has been the same way. And so this doesn't surprise me that through the thick and the thin and the doubters, that he continues to be the same guy because that guy has always been good. He's always been successful.

And so now we're just getting a chance to, you know, to see a little bit more of it. But I would bet my life that if you ask Jalen those same things, OK, when he got into the championship game and he had to go to a different place. And then you came and you struggled maybe early with your ego. If they asked him, OK, how did you bounce back? I'm sure he would say, because I always believed I was this guy. Like some people didn't know.

They didn't know what they didn't know. This is who I am. This is who I've always been. And when you give me an opportunity to show it, here it is again.

Like how many times do I have to show you that I can do this before you start believing it? Kurt Warner, a few minutes left with the Hall of Famer here on the Rich Eisen Show. How repeatable is this for the Eagles? Sure looks like it can be, right? It's not like there's any. They did lose their OC again for Jalen Hurts again, right? You know, some of the free agents that are there aren't aren't any of the major offensive weapons or even on the offensive line, other than Makai Becton. Right. How repeatable do you think this is for the Eagles, Kurt? I mean, I think it's very repeatable. I mean, they're young. I think they're going to get better.

I mean, with all the young guys that have played integral roles in what they did this year, you have to believe they're going to get better. You know, we already talked about, like, it's not overcomplicated. It's not like, you know, we're going to run a simple system because we're really talented in areas.

Obviously, health is always important. Your key components, you know, playing big and staying healthy in those moments. But why isn't it, you know, they can win so many different ways. They got so many different ways to beat you, starting with the guys they have up front on both sides of the ball. And so as long as those pieces stay in place, I think it starts there. And then we know Jalen's going to be there and you got AJ and Saquon.

I'm sure he doesn't want to go anywhere. The young talent on defense. I mean, I don't know why it isn't repeatable. And especially when you look at the NFC, you know, you have to believe that this team, you know, in its, you know, in its hole is going to be the most talented. We all thought it was the most talented team coming into the season this year with what they had done roster wise. And then that played out as they got better through the season. And I don't think there's going to be a team on paper that is going to be better than this Eagles team going into next year. And I think they're going to have guys that are growing and get even better than they were. So a lot of things have to happen. We understand that, how hard it is.

But I definitely think it's repeatable and not just for a year. I think this Eagles team can be around for four or five years competing for, you know, being the best in the NFC and championships. And lastly, Kurt, you were at the end of your Hall of Fame career when you lost to second Super Bowl, already having that resume in your rearview mirror. What insights can you provide to me about what you think is going through Mahomes' mind now and your advice to him after losing another one here, Kurt?

Yeah, I mean, I hope that there's two facets to this. I hope the first facet is that we all kind of come to understand and we had our joke on the show all year long. Is this the most complete team? Is this the most complete team? And I told you, I saw flaws on this team all year long.

And so I couldn't figure out how they were here. So I think the first part is appreciate, you know, what Patrick Mahomes and Andy Reid and this group of guys did to get to the Super Bowl, because I don't believe they were a great football team this year. And they willed themselves to the Super Bowl by making plays in a moment and overcoming a whole bunch of stuff. And we saw that on the biggest stage.

So it's a bummer to lose on the biggest stage like that. But I think the thing that got illuminated was this team's not good enough. We've got a great quarterback, we've got a great coach, and we've got some really good pieces that, you know, did something that they probably shouldn't have done. And so we all look at this and everybody wants to beat up Andy Reid and Patrick Mahomes and say, oh, you can't ever talk about them being great because of this performance.

Well, I didn't think this team was all that good, you know, across the board coming in. And so I think that's the first thing is it was really, really impressive what they did. And then I think the second thing to your point is this just illuminates to me what I saw all year long. And I think it has to illuminate that to the Chiefs, Chiefs brass to go, OK, we were fortunate that we found ways and we had some guys that could overcome all of our deficiencies. We have got to retool and rebuild this thing if we want to be back here in the future. And, you know, if this is a close game or find a way to win a close suit, I don't know if they're doing that and they just think, oh, we can do this every year.

I think this just said, you know, at least said to me, those flaws that I saw are real. When you're playing against a really good football team, those things become bright light that you just weren't a good enough football team. And some young guys over there will grow up, but they have got to get better across the board. And specifically, I believe on offense, if they're going to continually be back and be able to compete, because this year we're not going to say they were lucky because they were good and they were good in the critical moments.

But I don't think they were a good enough team to truly compete on this biggest stage because they had so many deficiencies. Well, just in a minute, if you don't mind, what do you think is going through Mahomes' mind and your advice to him would be moving forward here? I mean, I mean, the first thing would be, man, you've been incredible. And, you know, look at this season and look at the success of this season, which I'm sure he is going, man. Now they look back and go, man, it's pretty awesome that we were actually in another Super Bowl with this group. But I think the other thing is that, you know, Patrick knows how hard it's been the last couple of years. And so I would just say it's going to get easier and it's going to get better around you. I truly believe that, that he's got a long career ahead of them. These last two years was really hard for him and he had to play at a high level. And I know he takes great pride in what they were able to overcome to get to this point. But I think the biggest thing is, man, with the noise, the start has been incredible by you. Now you just need to settle back in.

They need to build some things around you. And it will be easier than this, I think, at different times throughout the rest of his career, that it's not always going to be this hard for him. This hard, and he almost three-peated. Unbelievable. Yeah, exactly.

You know what I mean? And by the way, the winning streak of one-score games is still intact. Because, as we know, this was not a one-score game.

It's a 0-59. Great job all year, man. Great job all year. So next up, a little break, then you start grinding Cam Ward, Shidoor Sanders tape for the combine and things like that.

Yep, getting ready for the combine and the draft and moving on to the next phase. Let's go. I'll see you in Indianapolis. In the meantime, everybody, check out QB Confidential on YouTube, the brilliant YouTube channel of my buddy, Kurt Warner.

Best of Brenda. Great to see you both. All right, buddy.

Same to you. Enjoy some time off. Kurt Warner, everybody. Time off. What is that?

No idea. We'll take a break right here on the Rich Eisen Show. Come back and, I guess, review what we just heard. For the moment, here's a sports update from Andrew Bogusch. Here's a sports update from Andrew Bogusch. It's winter, and you can now get almost anything you need for the coldest months of the year delivered with Uber Eats.

What do we mean by almost? Well, you can't get a ski slope delivered, but you can get dish soap delivered. Sunshine? That's a no. But a bottle of wine? That's a yes. A snow angel?

Sorry, no. But angel hair pasta? Uber Eats can definitely get you that. Get almost, almost anything delivered with Uber Eats. Order now. Alcohol in select markets.

Product availability may vary by region. See up for details. What did it mean to you to lift this? Knowing, again, your story. A lot of folks think they know your story, but the amount of time and effort you took to put in, to never give in to those who said you can't, all came to a head the night that you won this in this town. Yeah, I mean, you dream of winning that trophy and winning the Super Bowl and being a part of that. But for me, it was so much more because it happened so quickly, and it was that first year that I was starting to go on to win the Super Bowl. You know, it meant more than even winning the Super Bowl, I think, for me, because it was the journey, and it was the people that said you had no chance. And it was the moments that I remember sitting there with my wife going, is it just time they can give up? Is it time to let the dream go?

How often did you have that chat with Brenda, do you think? I don't know if we had it a lot, but we had it a few times, where, you know, you have those people that are in your life that want to support everything you do, but they give you that look like, you know, I'm supporting you, but come on, dude. I mean, really, it's probably not going to happen at this point. It's just, you know, so at some point you have to let it go. I mean, I think about that with my kids. You know, my kids have the dream of playing in the NFL and doing that, and, you know, I've got one that's playing in college now in Nebraska, right, in Nebraska, and one that's, you know, just 14, a freshman. But I just think to myself, for most people, it comes to an end at some point, and I've got to be ready as a dad to go, okay, it's been great, but maybe this is the end for you, and that's how the people, my parents, my wife, as much as they wanted to support me and help me along this path, I mean, you get to be 26, 27, and it's like, you know, I love you, dear, and maybe the thing I have to tell you is it's time to let it go.

And, you know, and I tell people all the time that, you know, they say, how do you keep going, you know, how do you keep going when you're working in a grocery store and you're doing that sort of stuff? The funny thing for me was that everybody looks at sitting on the bench for four years and getting cut by Green Bay and going to the grocery store, and all I ever looked at was every time I played football, every time I was between the lines, my one year in college, player of the year in our conference, you know, when I played in arena football, we went to two championships, I was the best quarterback in the league, when I went to Europe, and so what kept me going was nobody's ever shown me, I've never stepped on a field and not been able to be successful. And so I think that's what would have just killed me is had I walked away, never given the opportunity to succeed, I didn't want to be that guy that was 47 years old sitting on the couch going, man, if I would have just got the opportunity, I could have done it.

So that's what kept me going was just I need that one legitimate chance to prove I can play, and thank goodness it came from St. Louis, Maryland. God, I love that man and his entire story. You know how into journeys I am, no greater journey than this guy. You know, no greater journey than this guy. And then just getting to know him and getting to be around him and his family has just been one of the treasures of my entire career. Suzy feels the same way.

And then just getting to know the fact that he is an absolute underrated red ass of all kinds and a little bit of a mini ax grinder, like that chip that's on his shoulder is still there, man. It is still there. Yeah, it has to come out on Sundays. You guys mess with Kurt too much on Sundays. We do not. We don't mess with him enough, is my opinion.

I mean, Mooch every week. Oh, my God, it's amazing. It is just amazing. Here's a riddle for you. What do yoga mats, a toothbrush, and a Hyundai have in common?

I'll give you a moment. If you guess they're all fun, well-designed, and super useful, you guessed wrong because the answer is you can order all those things on Amazon. And the best part, you don't have to break down a car-sized Amazon box after because you'll pick up your Hyundai at the dealer. Hyundai is now available on Amazon. Just visit HyundaiUSA.com or call 562-314-4603 for more details, limited availability.

You pick it up through a participating Hyundai dealer only in select markets. The player that doesn't get much run on the Eagles, you got Saquon, you got Hertz, you got A.J. Brown, you got the defense. Name one on defense we're talking about. The offensive line, the tush push, all that stuff. Tight end.

Yes, you get that too. Dallas Gotter. Good playoffs. How about this one, though? Okay.

Devante Smith became the fifth player to win the Heisman Trophy, a national championship, and a Super Bowl all-time. Ooh. Who are the others? Care to name the others? I know the answer to this, so I'll bow out. Okay.

You know all four of them off the top of your head? Yeah. Impressive. It was a sack going around Sunday night.

I was really into it. Is Joe Namath on this list? He is not. I will give it to you. I'll give it to you. They're three running backs and a defensive player. Three running backs.

You'll know them. Friend of the show, TJ, went to a certain school in the state that looks like a glove. Hello. Charles Woodson. Charles Woodson. Reggie Bush. Marcus Allen. Tony.

And your favorite player growing up. Tony Dorsett. Tony Dorsett. Tony Dorsett. And Devante Smith. Remember when he was 170 pounds?

Which he still is. And everyone's like, why draft him? He's going to get his ass kicked in the pros.

He has not. He's very good. You wouldn't talk about a big game player. Big game player. The guy that Tua threw the national championship game-winning touchdown to. Devante Smith. Who, by the way, how amazing is that? He's now catching touchdown passes from Jalen Hurts, who was benched.

Can't make this stuff up. He caught the game-winning 41-yard touchdown in the national championship game that year. Three years later, who led the Alabama Crimson Tide in the national championship against the Ohio State with 215 yards in that game? Devante Smith. Who led the Eagles in their Super Bowl 57 loss in receiving yards? Devante Smith with 100. Who led the Eagles with 69 receiving yards in their Super Bowl win over the Chiefs, including a touchdown?

Nice. Devante Smith. Big game player. Yeah.

Good one. Big game player in four championship games. Big player with 100 or more yards receiving in a BCS, college football playoff title game, and in a Super Bowl. And that, as you know, is going to be a subset that grows larger and larger and larger now. And you've got a college football playoff title game that includes a tournament with 12 teams in it now, right?

It's going to get only more and more competitive. The first one, the flag planter, Devante Smith. And the Eagles and Howie Roseman goes, we'll take him.

Unbelievable. 169 career Super Bowl receiving yards is the most in Eagles franchise history. The only others with more active players, among active players, are Travis Kelce and the Cheetah.

And then there's Devante Smith. Give it up, dude, to this pocket player. That's supposed to be big enough to succeed in the NFL. Little guy, not strong enough. Can't go over the middle. All he does is come up with big catches, man.

That one, that bomb. That wrapped it. Because it was right after the Chiefs go forward on fourth down. And that is now the open admission of desperation has set in, that we're going for it in midfield on fourth down, because we are down 27-0. And we have got to start, possessions are clearly limited. We are admitting, lifting the kimono and saying, we are absolutely in deep football trouble here. And, okay, let's dial one up from Hertz to Devante Smith.

And again, can we linger just for a second here? Hertz to Devante Smith in a Super Bowl, and this to win it, to seal at that point in time. It was sealed, I believe, because you could have said, well, maybe Josh Swett can be the Super Bowl MVP. If Cooper DeGene picks one off again, it's his birthday. That's a nice little narrative for all the voters to knight him at age 22 on his birthday as a Super Bowl MVP. But Hertz sealed the MVP when he went up top to Devante Smith with this.

And this is the receiver who caught the touchdown that essentially, in the mind's eye of everybody sitting at home watching, sealed Jalen Hertz's entire football life as passed over. I get goosebumps talking about it. You can't make it up, guys. You can't make it up. Full and complete personification, tell your kids if they ever doubt themselves. If your son, your daughter ever sits there and goes, well, that's the end of this because everybody thinks this about me, show them Jalen Hertz 100%. Tell them the story about Jalen Hertz. I can't get enough of it and stress it enough. What an incredible journey.

Our number one in the books, our number two, Mad Dog Russo coming up. Wealth building expert, Candy Valentino, paves the path to success. I'm sorry, you're a human with a heart and lungs. There's no price tag that you can put on a service that you offer. And everyone that I know, every entrepreneur, they all have one common goal. You want to strive to be like the Ritz Carlton of your industry. Do the work, take the time to really understand and master these things. It's really essential to your path for success. The Candy Valentino Show, time to invest in your future. Follow and listen on your favorite platform.