Steve Young: Quarterbacks Are So Hard To Find In The NFL

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Layshack wins it for Tennessee! The Rich Eisen Show. Today's guests. Pro Football Hall of Famer Steve Young. Former NFL General Manager Mike Bayock.

Plus, your phone calls, latest news, and more. And now, it's Rich Eisen. That's right, everybody.

That's right. Everybody, our number two of the Rich Eisen Show is on the air. Steve Young is going to join us in 20 minutes time.

Mike Bayock in an hour in 20 minutes time. And then there's you at 844-204-RICH. If you're joining me and us now, I just spent the commercial break going back to the green room and putting my journalism degree back on the wall. Again, my agent Jerry calls it Clickbait Monday on the Rich Eisen Show. You love it. I love it. When I come back and give you my top five rumors I've heard at the Combine.

I'm about to make a name for myself. Thank you very much. Thank you.

Really appreciate it. So, you know, the Combine, every year I go there and I just marvel how the prospects get bigger, stronger, and faster. I come back and say that to you every time, right? And now the metrics 100% support the eye test. This year's Combine and every single time NFL Network we put together these stats, we say since 2003, that's when we came into existence. 2004 was the first Combine that we were at, you know, even though Bill Poling was basically blocking the door. And we started going there and Mayock told that story last time he made an appearance on this program about how he and Paul Burmeister, Paul who on the first night of the Combine called Michigan's buzzer beater of Rutgers on Peacock. He and Mayock were sitting in these folding chairs right on the 50 yard line and he was evaluating an offensive lineman who cursed out Mike because he overheard Mike evaluating him in a way that he didn't appreciate.

And so he cursed him out and which meant at the time there was no Starbucks. And so every year since then we've been on the air we always used since 2003. Fastest average 40 yard dash Combine since 2003. 2025, the average 40 yard dash time at this year's Combine was 4.67 seconds. Wow. When I say bigger, stronger, faster, I just gave you the faster. Here's the bigger. The 2025 Combine participants on average, six foot two and a quarter. That is the tallest Combine. So we saw the biggest and the fastest. And you know, I don't know if I have any metrics yet on the strongest in terms of, you know, the most weight and reps of 225. The list of sub 40 yard dashes, it was lengthy to say the least.

Over 20 of them. Sub 4.40s. Vertical jumps. The safety, Nick Emanwari from South Carolina, he jumped 43 inches. Saw that. He's a freak. Dude, he could be a power forward. You know? Yeah, you guys were high on him during his workouts. And he had a broad jump of 11 feet 6 inches. That's the most as well. It's nuts what we see and that's part of the reasons why I love having this Combine because you see the feats of strength.

You know, the airing of grievances again happens at a Starbucks. I can't stop making fun of that. How could you? Why would you want to? Because I, you know, I love Ian and I don't want to.

I know, but it's funny. And then, you know, you get to meet the kids and Stacy Dales of our broadcast does such an incredible job of humanizing the, uh, the Combine participants and telling you their backstories. And she's so terrific at it. And the players open up to her and she's such a pro's pro. She goes around the minute she lands, she's working and going to these podiums and hearing what they say there and then following up with them and then bringing these stories home and, and our crew, they are so amazing at showing things to you to the point where some coaches don't go to the Combine.

They think it's better watching it, which is a great compliment. But the issue is, is we want people at the Combine. And that's the major issue of the Combine. You know, we keep talking about these All-Star games and what to do with them and how the NHL cracked the code, right? With the four nations this year, even though it doesn't appear that we're going to see that for a while. And we're wondering what the NBA is going to do with its All-Star game. And I come here and I said, you know, we just want, as sports fans, we will always react positively to an event where the people participating in it communicate verbally or with their play, with their passion, that it means as much to them as it does to us.

We will always, as fans, watch that sort of stuff. And this stuff for a lot of players, it means a lot to them because it's the difference between being a first rounder or not, or in some cases being a drafted player or not. Many of these Combines, I even said it to Daniel Jeremiah, not everybody invited to the Combine makes the NFL Draft.

There's a very small handful. Usually if you watch the Combine from beginning and first of all, thank you. Secondly, you've just seen the draft pretty much with the exception of hero there, maybe an international player that wasn't there or another player that wasn't drafted. Let's just say Shiloh Sanders gets drafted, just to use somebody whose name you're familiar with. He wasn't invited to the Combine.

He breaks through. Normally you've just seen the Combine, just we'll find out in a different order. But it doesn't help our broadcast when the top players in the sport who are going to be drafted don't participate. Our NFL network opens to the Combine where you see Lamar throwing it, you see Mahomes throwing it, you see Nick Bosa going through. Saquon. Right, Saquon. TJ Watt going through the on-field drills and Josh Allen going through the on-field drills. And then they morph into their current selves, stars of the game, offensive player. We just named the MVP of the league, the previous MVPs of the league, Super Bowl MVPs, the reigning offensive player of the year, defensive players of the year.

Miles Garrett was in the open as well. If the Combine was now, or those guys were in this Combine right now, they wouldn't have participated in it. And that's a problem. That's the NFL's problem that needs to be fixed more than the Pro Bowl. That needs to be fixed. I don't know what the fix is because the sense is if fans are going to be there, maybe more of these kids will want to work out.

If it's on TV, maybe more of these kids will want to work out. I don't know because I understand the sense of wanting to put velvet ropes around you to say you're different by saying you're Ashton Gente, right? You're like, well, what do you need to see from me from this past year? A 30th touchdown. He had 29. By the way, 29 touchdowns.

What do you want me to run around those bags for you so you could see a 30th touchdown? You need to imagine that. So I understand that sense and sensibility because we try to do this that here with our guest list, right? Like we try to have a certain velvet rope mentality around the show and who appears on it and what we talk about and how we conduct ourselves when, when the show is on the air and 99.9% of the other time don't traffic and rumor.

So I understand that. And also DJ who's going to be on Tuesday's show, Daniel Jeremiah, he wisely pointed out, I didn't think about this, that with the college football playoffs lasting into late January now, what do you want somebody like from Ohio state or Notre Dame? If they're still nicked up, I mean, honestly, this, the combine was five weeks ish after they played their last game five, six weeks. Normally you're playing your last game in late November, early December. Cause if you're getting ready for the NFL, you're going to skip your bowl game.

If you're not, if you weren't in the BCS or in the final four, right? Most likely, most likely. Correct. Now kids are playing 20 games, 19 games, 18 games. I mean weeks I'm talking about. They're playing 15 games, 16. So do we move everything back?

I don't know the answer to it. Tyler Warren, I would have loved to have seen him work. That would have been awesome here. Dude finished his season mid January. He could be the first tight end taken.

I think he will be actually. Most definitely. So I don't know what the fix is. Maybe moving the combine back a week or two, then do you move the draft back or just keep the draft where it is? And just the talent evaluation portion of the calendar is more condensed. I I'll ask Daniel about, let's ask Mike this later on, because I don't know of many other evaluators that would have a problem if they had to come up with their draft board quicker. I think some people think it takes too damn long. Like let's go.

And they certainly don't want to push back. I remember one year because James Dolan told the NFL Radio City is taken by an Easter extravaganza. Sorry. And they wound up doing draft week on a Mother's Day weekend, which pissed off most of the league, including the front office of the NFL. And when the Easter extravaganza that kept the NFL from having its usual dates in Radio City Music Hall, then pop apparently got canceled and the NFL still had to stick with their date anyway. That's what was the impetus to cause the NFL to say, maybe you don't have to be in Radio City every single year and bring it all around all around the league, which has proven to be a genius idea.

Right. So maybe you just push the combine back a couple of weeks. The problem with that is that's where the new league year is. Move the league back, move that back a week. What does it hurt to have the combine mid-March and then ask a general manager. And then the new league year starts on the 21st of March.

Ask a GM. And then the draft is four weeks after that. That's a lot of stuff, man. It happens fast.

The off season goes fast. I got to be honest with you, man. It was great to see some of these really amazing athletes go at it and do their thing. You know, really, I mean truly, you know, next level stuff. Again, Eamonn Worry of South Carolina, the only other player at the combine since 2003 to be six foot three or taller, run a sub four, four forty and have a forty inch vertical and an eleven inch broad jump is DK Metcalf.

That's it. That kid Armand Membu of Missouri. Yeah, he made himself some money. He might be the first offensive lineman taken.

Thank you for working out, man. I mean, that was. Something else watching him run today that had him fifth overall, possibly.

Right. And even thank you to Isaiah Bond, to be honest with you, I know he he's getting a lot of crap for saying I'm going to break Xavier Worthy's record. I can even run in the four ones. Then he ran a four four four, by the way, which is no slouch.

That's you're one of the fastest humans on earth. Well, you know, four four four to the the the the official forty came in at sub four four four three nine. I know I was trying to keep it on my phone and I never can match up to the official time. I'm always like a few seconds off. I'm like, were you really trying to time forties, bro? Rich, were you trying to do that every year? I spent about an hour sitting there on my phone trying to see if I can get the 40 time right.

And it's never right. Yeah, the there were twenty two sub four forty. So boy, I would love to watch Travis Hunter work out. Yeah, I would love to have seen Chidor and Cam Ward spin it. And what it does, though, when they don't is it allows us to see that kid, Chuck from Louisville. Who bawled out.

Dude had a cannon, so a obviously I'm biased. I want this thing to be as terrific as it possibly can be. It would be great to see everybody work out. Do you actually I'm going to say this. Do you actually give these kids a stipend for for participating? What's enough, though, in today's and I like nothing I get to make it worth it. I know. But I think, you know, lunch money.

These these kids are now in the NIL era used to getting paid for this sort of stuff. And I understand for some people it is a privilege and a massive opportunity. For others. It's like, OK, I'll meet with you.

I know it's a job interview. I understand. I need to see a doctor, certainly if you're Abdul Carter, right? Where we found out something about his foot, he did. So I don't know, that's my concern for the combine moving forward, because there were a ton of. I mean, it's entirely possible if it's Abdul Carter, Travis Hunter, both quarterbacks and Ashton Genti, the top five picks in the draft didn't work out a combine. Tyler Warren, it's could we go through the top 10 and not see anybody that worked out?

You might get a majority over 50 percent in the top 10. That's just. Not great, Bob. Not great, Bob. Not great. Eight four four two or four rich number to dial Steve Young going to join us. Let's talk San Francisco 49ers football with the Pro Football Hall of Famer.

That's Steve Young right here on the Rich Eisen Show. Insurance insured by NCOA investment products are not insured, not obligations of Navy federal and may lose value. Some people just know they could save hundreds on car insurance by checking all state first.

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Learn more at American Express dot com slash Amex Business. Back here in the Rich Eisen Show before Steve Young joins us because the radio audience is about to rejoin us. I'd like to wait till he gets to the radio audience rejoins. I mentioned this earlier in the program because, like I said, with Debo going now and the general sense that decks need to be cleared for a bunch of people that need to get paid in San Francisco won't matter when Kittle gets his and other people get theirs.

People go, oh, that makes sense. If Purdy gets his to the tune of fifty million plus, well, then that's where people will be pointing out, saying, why are we paying this guy? So before Steve Young joins us, this is what Joe Montana had to say on the subject matter of Brock Purdy staying in San Francisco and getting paid for that right. What do you think the Niner should do with Brock Purdy?

You got to pay him. I mean, I can show you four or five guys in the league making tons of money that haven't produced anywhere near what he's been able to do. They just had one of those years where guys are getting hurt offensively, defensively, craziness in the beginning of the year with the trade, talking trades with the wide receiver and then he gets hurt. They just had one of those years you just can't wait to get behind you. Yeah, just chalk it up to that.

Yeah, move on. But you think Purdy is the quarterback of the future payoff? Yeah, I think he's got a good understanding. I think one of the things I thought they pressed a little bit towards the end every time they got behind. So you saw Purdy get sacked more times. First of all, you've got some offensive linemen who are hurt.

And so now you're making him hold the ball longer. And sometimes, I don't know, it's only on TV that I can see, which I hate to make the judgment, but when the guy gets sacked and I can't see a wide receiver or any receiver on the screen, it looks like they're trying to push the ball down the field. And that's not what they do.

That's not typically what they do. That's what Joe said as we were saying goodbye to him at this year's Super Bowl in New Orleans. And now it's going to be time for Brock Purdy to get paid.

It's going to happen. Back on our radio show, Steve Young, my pro football Hall of Fame friend, kind enough to join us right here on the Rich Eisen Show. How you doing, Steve? Good to see you. Rich, good to see you, buddy. Okay. You know, the conversation about what the Niners are up to right now, before we get to the Deebo, I want to just start right off the bat with what you think the Niners should do with Brock Purdy, Steve Young.

Well, you got a little backdrop. I think that the effort to make sure that we had Super Bowl ready teams the last few years while Brock was on his rookie contract was, you know, the owner Jed York and John York and Denise, DeBartolo York, all were all in. And I think what happened with Nick Bosa and then with Brandon Aiyuk changed the nature this year of how they are going to go about it. I don't think they were really appreciative of how that went down and how they got pushed. And I think that they're, you know, they're going to, you almost feel like a lot more declarative statements coming out. And I think that's not going to change Brock's situation. It's just like, give you, you have to have the background. It's not the same mentality that in the last couple of years, I think there's going to be a little more rigor to it all.

And that's okay. Back to Brock, your original question, look, you know, the game today is, is dominated. The prototype is the guys that are winning the Super Bowls, the guys that can throw it all over the field, run all over the field, get all the free first downs, all the touchdowns that are out there with their legs. They press if even if they don't use their legs every play, they threaten every play. It is the NFL today. So if Brock is 80% of that, you know what I mean?

Like he can threaten, he can, he can move around, he can do all the things you do and he can process as well as anybody. So in that way you know, quarterbacks are so hard to find that Brock has done enough for sure to go out and get, you know, and get paid and get, and get it done. Now, back to my original point, there's, I don't know that it's going to be smooth.

How could it be smooth, right? Cause there's going to be, you know, Brock's people are going to want $60 million a year and the 49er, I'm just making this up, whatever it is. And there's this going to be some back and forth. And, uh, but I guess under just hold on to that thought that I gave you earlier about this, I don't know, the spirit of, of what ownership and what, you know, general managers and even Kyle are thinking about in the rigor about how they're going to handle some of it.

So I, it'll get done, but I don't know how fast it'll get done. Right. And, um, you know, obviously negotiations are, are frequently messy.

I mean, the, the, the easy sailing is that that's, that's the infrequent one. So let's just put aside what, what, what, how we're going to get there, but I do believe they will get there, but so what do you say to anybody out there in Niner fandom? Certainly when you, you see Deebo, um, get his exit visa and there's probably more to that than just cap concerns. But what do you say to Niner fans? It'll be like, you know, I, it's more of a risk to go with Purdy than it would be to keep everyone together and find a new quarterback say on the free agency front, Steve. Yeah.

We've seen that roulette too, right? And it's just so few guys that can command a huddle can process. I mean, look for some of the shortcomings Brock is as elite as it comes in processing, which is so much of the job. And so in that elite nature and in commanding the huddle and having the respect of your teammates and can stand up a team meeting and people want to listen to them.

I mean, that's, you don't, that just doesn't show up. So in that way, that's all things to lean into and, uh, and not worry about. Now, again, the game is changing. The prototypes are changing.

They have changed. And, uh, and I've said this all season long, the more they can threaten with Brock, Purdy's physical and with his legs, every play, he needs to be a threat. Doesn't need to use it all the time, but needs to threaten like Jayden Daniels, like CJ Stroud, like Patrick Holmes, like Josh Allen, like those are the guys that are going to win super bowls. And so that's why he needs to have, and he and Kyle got to come together on how he's going to play his game. But you go back to how this gets done. It gets done like it has to get done. There's not alternatives out there to, uh, now I guess rich, you could fit, you could kind of dream up scenarios where it gets crossways and they go after Sam Darnold.

I mean, you could see that, but it's so far in the distance. That's a crazy, that's, that's someone would have to go haywire for something like that to happen. Well, what's your evaluation of Sam? If you have one, Steve, I'd be willing to take it from you.

I appreciate that rich. Uh, I think Sam, uh, it, it proved the point that in the NFL there are now, I mean, what's, it's amazing to me, the bears now have an innovative offensive mind. The jets have an innovative offensive mind that have young, the Jaguars, like these teams that like been so terrible for quarterback for so long, like the whole league's catching on now to that it is the quarterback and it is training and innovative mindsets that are going to get it done and, and, and making the whole organization about making the quarterback's job easier. And so that way, um, Sam has, you know, found a place in Minnesota with a guy that really understands the game today, innovative mind that's calling plays and great talent around him. And I think that's Sam Darnold now, Sam Darnold going back to Cleveland, going back to, it's hard to pick a team that, you know, you feel like you can't handle the, uh, going to Pittsburgh.

Like it's a whole different story. And, uh, and we've seen Sam Darnold in, in Carolina, we've seen him at the jets where, where they don't understand quarterbacks at least back then. So look, I, I, he's completely capable of repeating what he did this last year and getting better if they ask, that's the, I guess that's the simple answer. Well, I mean, in terms of what we saw in the last two weeks of the season and how poorly it went against Detroit in the finale, and then obviously against the Rams and the, in the playoffs, there's a sense that Darnold hit a ceiling. But yeah, he had a ceiling his first, you know, it was a purse first playoff run and it was a magical season and, and, and, and, you know, you, every, every game in the season, rich, you get tested, tested, tested, and he kept answering those tests. So those, those aren't false tests. Those aren't false positives. Those are all positives, but getting in the playoffs and, and not hitting the moment.

Okay. There's not a, what's the ceiling like you saw him during the season. He can, if he plays like that, he will, he can take his Superbowl.

It's not like you can't do it, but you got to do it to prove it. And so anyone who says, well, I've seen Sam Darnold and he can't get there is wrong. Steve Young here on the Rich Eisen show for me, I'm, I'm just thrilled to see Stafford and the Rams stay together. It just seemed to be the smart move, right?

Like that. And I loved how they handled it. I loved how Sean handled it, how they did it in a really, cause you can see that it was, you know, you can get really offended. You've seen teams screw this up and, and, and, and they were very open about it.

Matthew was open. Like it just, it was how you should handle complex situations and, and so smoothly, it says a lot about the management of the Rams and the, and the coaching the Rams. And it says a lot about Matthew as a kind of a guy that's been around a long time knows that I don't want to end up in a place that can't, you know, thrive with, you know, for the quarterback.

I don't want to end up in a place that in my career, just kind of bouncing around like no way. So I thought it was handled really well. And it does seem like the marriage that makes a lot of sense, but it puts Aaron Rogers in a tough spot, right? Cause that's where if Matthew goes, then makes a lot of sense that Aaron Rogers shows up in LA. So what is your, what would be your two cents of solicited or unsolicited advice for Aaron Rogers? Steve really tough, rich, because as I said, you don't want to bounce around the league and people that understand one thing Aaron has always had until recently was an, you know, a great team, great understanding of the quarterback position, you know, innovative minds, great play callers, stuff that, you know, I had, you know, it's just, it's a blessing and people in quarterbacks lives and you don't want to go to a team just to finish your career to give it another shot. That doesn't really have an innovative young mind that can, can call the plays and the protection that you need and the athletes around you. And then, so there's not many spots, that's a hard one and you're not going to go back up.

So it's a, it's a really tight spot right now. And what about your own personal experience about your own end game scenario for your career and how, you know, he's going back and forth about exactly what you said, but also feeling like he could still do it. I would imagine Steve in today's game, he was trained in a more sophisticated era. He can take advantage of it.

If you get the right people in the right places. I mean, that's what Matthew Stafford's doing is taking advantage of being trained in more sophisticated area. Now you can just take it because Tom Brady, at the end of his career, I saw him in one of the games in Tampa and he's like, Steve, today's game, the flats are always open. The middle of the field is unpatrolled and no one can hit me. Like let's go.

So yes, Aaron Rogers wants to keep playing cause he can thrive if he gets the right situation. It's just hard to find that spot. And you know, for, for me at the end, rich, the toughest thing is you're one of the best in the world at something. And then it ends at a young age and you wake up the next day and you say, what am I great at? Cause the thing I'm the best at is, is no longer. What am I great at? Nothing. What am I even good at looking forward?

Maybe not much like it. I've always said when your career ends, the dream is shattered. You're the bag of bones at the bottom of the cliff and you've got to start.

And like Roger Stoback was the one that told me my advice when I was retiring since Steve just run, run away, the game will never leave you, but you've got to run. And that's the best advice I can give. Cause it's, it's a death. You have to treat it as a death. It's a death.

And you've got to go through all the processes of death because it's, it's what you're best at. Man, Steve young here on the rich eyes and show, I mean it, the giants reportedly interested in Rogers, you know, I mean, wherever he goes, he, I guess he could try and bring Devante Adams with him. But we've seen that movie, right? We've seen that. And it's just like, you gotta have, look, you rich, you know, you've, you, you can smell a great spot for a quarterback and they're getting more like I would go to Jacksonville right now with Liam. Like I really believe in his mentality and how he sees the position. Now he's got to go play it out as an organ, you know, and run the organization and run the, run the whole thing, which is not always the easiest thing to do, but like, they're great. They're better places. All I'd go with Kellen Moore down in new Orleans, like there's, but there's not jobs to be had. And that's where you got to find that match.

And it's just right now, it doesn't feel like the there's a seat with the music playing. Well, I mean, Dables, a terrific offensive mind. No, you mean you're there's a, there's a philosophy and I think it's very sound and, and, and, and, and 20, 10 years ago was really probably the prototype, right? We're going to play great defense. We're going to run the football and we're going to respond with a passing game. That's really efficient.

Okay. But the game like there's all these open areas now on the field. Like what I just explained to Tom Brady saying, it's like, because you can't launch defenders, can't launch into anymore. They have to bring their legs to the tackle, slow the game down, made much more space in the NFL, made it more Canadian like right.

And it made this. And so you've got these innovative minds that are putting people in places and even the quarterback in spots to take advantage of it. And I would think that the giants is really an offense that philosophically is, is not ready for that prime time.

I'm hunting and pecking. What about, what about the Raiders? Right? I mean, just Chip Kelly and there's, there is Brady.

I mean, in the owner's suite for Rogers. What do you think about that? I think it's, I think that one is possible only because it's, you know, like if I, if I just can't retire, I just, I can't, the games, the game's too rich for me right now.

Not only for money, but just how, how I can, how I could thrive. I can see you say, look, I can go to L Las Vegas. I can, I can finish, you know, there's a flash there. There's Pete there.

There's, there's like you said, it's, it's, there's something to be said about it, but it doesn't feel like they're ready to give them the protection and the, and the, and the weapons to go do it. No, you bring Devontae back to Pittsburgh. What about that with Arthur Smith?

Steve, I think that's a fit. I feel like Pittsburgh is what I just explained about the giants. Really good regular season, beaten up people, rank and file getting there and can't, they're just not built for today's game. I don't know how else to say it. It's just not that it's built for success, but not for super bowl.

I guess that's how I describe it. All right. In the few minutes I have left with you, what did you glean from the super bowl?

What do you take? What's your take away from that? Number one, it's a game rich that, you know, you have to go Ram into everybody. And because it's a physical, other than any of the game, probably you can think other than boxing, there's a preparation that you have to make every week to go play great football. And there's an emotional preparation that you have to make to be ready to go fight. And the chiefs game after game after game answered that bell. And then you think they get the two weeks off and somehow they did not do the preparation. They were not emotionally ready to go face the Eagles flurry. Now you think the Eagles were ready? Do you think they showed up with that emotional kind of preparation?

Like thousand percent. And usually in championship football, those teams are so used to it that they, they respond to each other and they're ready. And there's the chiefs. I could see in the first quarter is like, where are they?

Who are they? Where they did not get ready to go play championship football. And that's crazy with what was at stake for three feet that times that they faced it before, like it makes no sense to me that they got caught short, but they were, and they had no real response. And then when Pat threw the Patrick through the pick six and essentially the second pick six, it was done. It was, it was done in 18 minutes and that's championship football. That's how it goes.

And if you're not ready, that's how fast you get punched in the face. What'd you think of Hertz? And what do you think about him moving forward? No, no, he's got a ring solid, right? Solid. I think that he's a guy that he will, I think a ring expands your mind to being more like it settles you in some way. And I think he'll play better and more consistently, but he's, he's that threat. He's that big arm, big legs get easy, you know, for free first downs, free touchdowns and with the talent and a running game like they have, that's the unusual part of it in the game today is you have a running game like that, like, and a defense, right? So they got all of that. There's no reason that Jalen can't go back with this team if they can hold it together and 20, 25 and six, right?

They're in the thick of it. All right. Before I let you go, did you go to the combine? Steve, did you go to a combo? I, rich. I did not go to the combine.

I appreciate the late invitation. I will tell you that I was, I can't believe that I'm watching the combine and having you tell me about the tight end class and they're watching them run the 40 and then they were done the w I see it as the M drill. You see it as the w I don't know why they, it feels like it feels, well, I would call it the M drill, but I'm accused of being a Michigan Homer too much. Steve, you know what I mean? So I fell into that one, rich.

I fell into that one. I didn't even think about it. I was just, I actually thought to myself, I don't know why they call the WSM to me. So anyway, so you never went to the combine, you know?

So what was your evaluation? I know you had options. I know you had options back in the day, somewhat. I didn't, I didn't go back back then. You didn't have to go. Now you really kind of have to show up a little bit, I think. Um, but I just, I didn't, I didn't go. Okay. And I guess your biggest recruiting moment was when the bucks brought you to dinner to try and get Bo to come to the Buccaneers, right?

Steve, is that it? Well, that was when I was on the other side of recruiting. Like I was already in, I was already on vote, man.

If you came, we could, we could do some great stuff here. And Bo turned to me like, bro, I'm never coming here. Mr. Colvin, he'll go over.

I was the owner. He had us, he stepped away. He goes, five minutes in, I'm going to step away to go to the bathroom and take a call. And then I really need you to, you know, seal the deal.

Right? And so he stepped away and it was my turn to like, Bo, you know, man, we, this is what you and I could do together. And he didn't even let me get started. Like literally, that's all I said. He goes, bro, stop. It ain't happening.

I'll never come here thousand years. So just, you know, let me have my steak and lobster and I'm going home. Right. I'm done. And I was like, dang, man. So what happened when Culver house came back to the table? It was not good. It was just, it was like, look, we're buying a mistake.

I said, look, we're buying a mistake in lobster. Like that's what we did. You know?

And that's, that's, oh my gosh. So that was the plan. That was the plan.

I had a plan. So I remember I only had one full season there since I was the one he's an off season. And by the end of the end, by three months later, I was traded the 49ers.

Like it didn't, you know, it didn't take long. So at least you got steak and a lobster out of it too, Steve. Right.

You got a little surf and turf. Rich back then. That's a big deal. That was a big deal. Like, you know, free food. That's right.

Certainly from, from Hugh Culber house. All right, Steve, thanks for the time. I just love talking to you, man.

You're just awesome. I miss, I miss talking to you. We didn't talk about any of the young quarterbacks and the prototypes, but we'll catch that another time. I, you know, it was just too much, obviously what's going on with Deebo Deebo gone. And I guess do me this, if you don't mind, give me in a couple minutes, what, what will the Niners offense look like this year minus Deebo and, and what you think he's going to look look, they have got to find offensive lineman. They have got to have them a top five offensive line.

They've got to develop it now. And if there are average offensive line with not showing up early in the season and Deebo gone and Deebo is a talent, don't kid yourself. He's on the other side of it, but he's a, he's a, he's, he's one of us so that this one stings.

So where do you answer? Ricky Piersol has got to become a top 10 receiver. Uh, John Jenny's a top 10. These guys have to be huge threats and George has to stay healthy. And then you got to have Christian McCaffrey 1000% ready to play and be the MVP of the league. That's the story that that's the storyline of how you get back. Man. That's it, huh?

That's a lot. That's why, that's why look, there's, there's trepidation. There's there's anxiety. Like there's not, this is not like we're like loaded in the last few years. We were loaded and just ready to go attack people.

Like this is full of trepidation, rich, full new territory to say the least. All right. So, uh, we'll have you back on in a few weeks.

If you don't mind talking about the kids that we talked about today are, are going to be a deeper into pro days and stuff. So I'd love to chat with you again, Steve. Always. I love it. Rich gotcha.

That's the best football hall of fame. There he goes. Everybody. Awesome. Love it. Love that guy. Makes me smarter. Just love the love.

Everything talking to him the best, the best honored to be able to call him a friend and a colleague and a friend of the program. In the NFL, there's no margin for error. As we just saw one mistake can change the outcome of the game and a season and the biggest game at that science proves quality sleep can help boost reaction time, recovery time, and overall athletic performance. And that's why sleep number is the official sleep and wellness partner of the NFL, because they provide players with data and insights to optimize their sleep for the ultimate competitive edge.

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See store or sleep number.com for details. Can you just clean that up please, sir? Thank you. Let's talk TurboTax people. You might be sitting there going, wait a minute, Rich.

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Get an expert now on TurboTax.com. Over your left shoulder, I couldn't help but notice there's Montana. You know, over your right shoulder, there's Dwight Clark reaching out for a pass from Montana. Have you spoken to Montana? You got any relationship with him at all? Bronc?

A little bit. I spoke to him actually at the Super Bowl event. That was the first time I saw him.

The last time he was in, I think, Santa Clara. He was here for the Chiefs game last year. I wasn't playing at the time, so I didn't really have an opportunity to talk to him. But when I have talked to him, he's been nothing but great. He's supported this team and how I've played and stuff. And so just to be able to hear him show some gratitude and stuff for me, it's like, dude, that is a legend. That's the guy. That's the guy. You know, when you look at the 49er logo, that's who you think of.

So what an honor. And what about Young? What about Steve Young? Yeah, he's been around too. Spoke to him the Sunday night game, actually.

He was on the field for a little bit. And how, you know, he's very just really nice about everything. He's like, dude, how you handled everything and your decision making and your process.

And he goes, I want to sit down and talk to you more about it. So just to know that he has our back, too. That's awesome, man.

It's like a dream, too. But what an honor for both of those guys to love what we're doing. In a few minutes, I have left with you. How do you respond to those who say you're just a product of the system there, the coach and the guys around you, and all you're doing is basically rolling the balls out and not making mistakes? How do you respond to that, Rock?

Man, I would just say, you know, I don't really care in a sense. You know, I just want to win. I want to help this team win. People can say what they want. That's cool. I just want to help this team win and reach our goals.

And then we'll see at the end of all this if that's true or not. That's my boy. That's one of them. One of them.

Just an update. My oldest son. Your actual son, you mean? Got his learner's permit. Oh, look out. Get it, Sam.

His second swing at the learner's permit, Apple, has yielded fruit. And my youngest son, Coop, he's out six weeks with a broken bonus. Oh, no. Really? What happened? Did he punch something? Did he get mad and punch something? Yeah, that's what it was. Did the children rankings come out and he didn't agree with them? You like that segment? That's what I would agree with.

First of all, yeah. The fact that Chador had an earpiece in and heard you ask. I didn't know he had an earpiece in.

I didn't know. Usually Stacey's interviewing. So did you see this moment?

I saw that clip. Stacey's standing there with Chador and Jimmy Horn. And after Jimmy was finishing his workout and Chador was there and she's interviewing and I just, I don't know why that one popped in my head. I just said, you know, Hey, I want to, I want to ask you a question.

Normally she had needs to relay it, but I didn't know he had an earpiece. I'm like, ask him where Chador is currently on the list of being ranked children. And you know, Chador said, it's me, but you know, it could be, it could be anybody, you know, they're all, you know, we're all Dion's kids in the program, whatever. And literally as soon as he said that, my phone looked down, just saw Jimmy number one, Jimmy number one. And sure enough, our broadcast was on the board in the stadium and they saw it and Chador just shook his head.

It's the only time all week he was not smiling. Fantastic. Back on the Rich Eisen show. 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 ranger.com or just stop by. You know I know when Susie was here, Jean Hackman passed away and she immediately called David Anspaugh, the director of Hoosiers because we've known David for a while. And she had a great conversation was great. A lot of it was David passing along how, how difficult Jean was on the set. Right.

You know, that's the truth. Well, that segment, that story about him was wearing the leather jacket, you know, in the movie and the apparently had another option of a jacket. He wanted a different one.

He ripped it up. Well, you know, he was an established star and it was a bunch of first timers. Well, did he tell the story of the, um, the montage of when Hickory was getting better and he, he and Dennis Hopper are laughing on the bench. And, and David said that Jean Hackman thought the movie was going to be such a flop as they were getting set up for that shot of Jean and Dennis Hopper on the bench. Jean says to Dennis Hopper, like, this is going to basically be the end of our careers. And they laughed and it was such a great laugh moment. They clearly took the sound out, but use that shot in the montage where they're laughing. They're not laughing and celebrating Hickory.

They're laughing about what they thought was going to be the end of their careers. Anyway. So, um, but so I'm on the flight home last night from the combine. I had some choices. I don't know why, but I, I, uh, I rented and watched Crimson Tide.

Oh man. Great movie. Crimson Tide, you know, which is not usually the gene hat. It's not a classic gene Hackman. It's not unforgiven either for which he won the Academy award. Right. He's secondary a little bit to Denzel and Crimson Tide.

That scene where he and Denzel are arguing and then he tries to get Denzel locked up and then right. That is weights. Yeah. Do you know how many Academy award winners are in that movie?

Well, those two, those two, four, I'd say three or four for Vigo Mortensen. Oh yeah. Isn't it? He eventually won the Academy award, Jason Robards with a, a cameo at the end. And then of course you want to know how many Emmy awards are in that. Gandolfini's in that, in that movie. James Gandolfini is in that one of his early projects. Steve Zahn is in it. Um, you know, he's in it for real quick.

Quickie Ryan Philippi is in it. Really? Yeah.

Yeah, man. And that movie rocks. That movie was phenomenal.

I was on the edge of my seat and I knew exactly what was going to happen. And Gene Hackman just dominates literally. And he had like this way about him.

I know Morgan Freeman told that, excuse me, story when he was here, um, talking about the, uh, unforgiven scene where he really believed that Gene Hackman was going to hurt him. I believed him. That's it right there. Yeah. Great. And having that drop, just talk about believable, like everything he does and did was as genuine for anybody who was acting. Yeah. Unbelievable. Like he has an incredible way with his eyes and he would just wink on occasion and he would just move his cheeks.

Unreal. I was just so gutted, so gutted when I heard he passed away and then the manner in which he passed away, it's just so, you know, gutting is the only way to put it. So then the Oscars were on too. It was cool to see Morgan Freeman, you know, uh, right. He's in the memoriam and start with, you know, talking about gene, obviously it's good friend and so then just watching the, uh, the Oscars go down last night made me think, you know what, certainly there's so many TV people on the Oscars these days, the host, the narrator, some of the winners.

Um, you know, I'm, uh, I can sort of dip my toe in the, uh, movie and television pool myself. It's been a while since we've done residual rich. Conan was really good.

He was good. Uh, it's been a while since we've done residual rich. Hit it, hit it. Let's do it. All right. Cause I come home from the combine.

I've had four SAG AFTRA checks and I'm thinking to myself, okay, here we go. Uh, who wants to choose? You choose one number two. Okay. Envelope number two. Here we go.

Everybody inspired by the Oscars Academy awards last night. I'm hoping it's a movie instead of one of my TV appearances. It is. Oh good Lord. Oh, I'm not going to do that one for the a hundred thousand dollar pyramid.

Oh, straight hands pan. Wow. Oh, here's the only way.

I've never gotten a residual check for that ever. Wow. Let's do it. No, no, no, no.

It defeats the purpose. $4,000. No, it's not that much, but it is in three figures. Yeah.

Those ones are always like, well, a hundred bucks. My gosh. Stray. Thank you.

Stray. Seriously. I'm going to take Sue's to dinner on that one. Here we go. CSI Miami. Okay.

Okay. Caged or the other one. What's the other one? Caged and deep freeze.

Foreign extended use and syndication. Oh, uh, $8 and 15 cents. Close without going over eight 15. Let me go three 33, three 33. And the man who's actually been on the price is right.

TJ Jefferson. I'm going to go with $5 and six cents. Rich five Oh six. Oh, hi.

Come on. I thought you were going to go five 60. Cause if you had, you'd have been, you'd have been crushed because the actual retail check is $5 and 59 cents. Wow. I don't know why I said five Oh six. Cause if you said five 60, you'd have been over by pain.

I'm used to going over on here to go kill my streak. Screw it. I'll show stray hands. Check. Can we guess? Sure. All right.

I'm just 20 seconds here. I'm just a three 50, one 28, 500. The actual retail check is 300 bucks. Oh dang. Damn. It's right. I'm on fire today. What the hell? Thanks straight. 300 bucks. Lunch on rich. Yeah.