AFC West Predictions

24:47Rich Eisen:that it's theirs to go get.

24:52Rich Eisen:Welcome. That was awesome. Back on the radio. We just watched Matthew McConaughey on our Roku channel-only segment there. Talk about the Texas Longhorns. We'll talk a little bit about them right now as well. All right, all right. Dan Strayed, former head coach of Texas Longhorn football and is part of the Stampede, a podcast on Texas Longhorns football and its history. Vince Young is part of it. So is the CBS Austin sports director, Bob Ballew, and this man, Mac Brown, back on the program. How are you doing, Coach Brown? How are you, sir? I'm doing great, Rich. Just listening to Matthew puts a smile on my face.

25:30He and Jack Ingram and I have a charity named Mac Jack and McConaughey every year in Austin. They raised a lot of money and give them some back. And I got on them once about being a little late, and Matthew said, we're actors. We're entertainers. You're a coach. I mean, don't expect us to be on time and listening and paying attention. And I remember before the national championship game, Matthew started a song, They Don't Think So, We Know So. And he was beating his chest.

26:00Rich Eisen:Is he doing it? He was doing the beating his chest. And he had the entire team on the night before the game taking pictures in the Rose Bowl. and I'm sitting there looking at them and they're saying, they don't think so, but we know so. I mean, there are 102 of them singing it and going crazy. And I would say that when we're talking about jerseys of a guy going to a game and wearing a jersey that's not his two teams. Yes, sir. Well, I went through the Columbus airport today and I wore black. Because I was going to be really, really careful and make sure that nobody thought I was wearing burnt orange in that airport.

26:40Rich Eisen:Well, come on, no, Mac. Come on now. I mean, aren't you the one that's going to plant the flag tomorrow after the victory? Isn't that going to happen? I didn't plant it 20 years ago, and I'm not planting it tomorrow for sure. But this game is so cool, and the Ohio State fans were great on the plane. They were cutting up and laughing and taking pictures, and we're headed to the podcast. I'll put my orange on in a second. When we're joining podcasts with Ohio State players, then they've got a cornhole match tonight and give back to charity. In fact, Vin Cheung and Ricky Williams are giving the money they raised back to the flood victims in Texas.

27:19So college football is such a wonderful game, and it's so passionate. It means so much that somebody, or pro football, sports, that somebody would wear somebody else's jersey to a game and be so proud that they'd stand right in the middle. But I can't wait for this game. There's so many similarities with these two teams. It's the way to start off college football season.

27:42Rich Eisen:Mack Brown, your assessment of Arch Manning and the challenge in front of him is what? I think he's really good. He's big. He's tall. He's very accurate. He's smart. He was raised in a quarterback family. His grandfather has been kind of the go-to guy, and Archie was one of the best to ever play. And then, of course, Eli and Peyton were two of the best. And then his dad, Cooper, was a receiver at Ole Miss and very smart and very successful businessman. So very few people, I think, Rich, could handle the pressure of that name. And this young man's gotten so much pressure. They're talking about him winning the Heisman.

28:20They're talking about this, talking about that. And I've been around him quite a bit. He is so comfortable and humble that I think only a man can handle what he's having thrown at him. And that'll be a load tomorrow. I do think when we played this game, it was a defensive battle. And we made a few big plays to win the game. But I've gone back and checked the stats. It was a defensive battle. But it was 8 o 'clock at night, and you couldn't hear anything. And it'll be really interesting to see with the game tomorrow at noon, will that make a huge difference? I mean, will the fans be as loud at noon as they would be at 8 o 'clock at night?

28:58Rich Eisen:So then the challenge of Steve Sarkeesian to coach this kid and get him prepared for a game this big, knowing that it's more than just about this game this year, clearly. What's your opinion on that, Mac? Well, both of these teams have been labeled in preseason. Whether it's the defending national champ, you've got a new young quarterback that hasn't played, and saying you've got a new defensive coordinator, you've got a new offensive coordinator, all the things that are being said about Ryan's team. And these are two of the best coaches and two of the best programs in college football. And then Steve's deal is he loses four of his starting offensive linemen.

29:39I think these guys lost 23 to 27 guys to the NFL. I mean, they're just machines putting out NFL players. They've got C.J. Baxter back as a running back. They got hurt last year. They had to replace three great receivers. Both teams are great on defense. Coach Sarkeesian's got to figure out what Pat Patricia's going to do on defense because he hasn't seen him, and Matt hadn't coached defense for a number of years. So that's going to be a different dilemma, trying to redo the game plan in the first quarter. And I think, Rich, more than anything else, there's so much pressure on these two quarterbacks, and they're playing great defenses and they don't have a game under their belt, we're going to find out their identity tomorrow.

30:30So both coaches have to handle their quarterbacks, get them some easy throws early, make sure they can protect early, throw the ball outside, throw the ball deep, but don't throw it across the middle because you're hyped and a ball will get tipped. You'll overthrow it, be an interception. And most early games are lost more than one. And that sounds really strange. And coaches usually, a lot of fans hate it because they say, well, you're trying to keep from losing. No, you are trying to keep from losing. And you start talking about Julian. He was 5 for 12 last year. He has had very few opportunities to play, and especially in a game like this.

31:10And he was the number one dual threat quarterback in the country. So he can run. So I think taking care of the ball, who can handle goal line and short yardage situations and which quarterback will make enough plays with his feet to keep them alive on drives and have long scoring drives will be the ones that win this game.

31:30Rich Eisen:Mack Brown here on the Rich Eisen Show. Obviously, this Texas team is trying to do what the last Texas National Championship team did with you, is win it all. Were you surprised at the end of that game that Reggie Bush was not on the field, Mack Brown, at the end of that game? Well, I was, but Lindell White had gained about 250 yards rushing on the power play, off tackle. so it's if I was Pete I would have gone for it because they weren't stopping us and if I was Pete I would have handed it to to Lindell White now if Reggie should have been on the field if they'd made the first down it would have never been mentioned pretty much since we stopped them and we go back and score then it got to be a big deal but Pete's pretty good coach oh yeah I think we're good no I I know that I just that's part of the conversation even years later from all that.

32:26Rich Eisen:Your recollection then of that game and that night, Mac? It was really special, and that's why tomorrow's so special. It's different now because with the playoff, the team that loses tomorrow can still get the playoff and still win the national championship. When we played Jim Trestle's team, I think Ohio State's team in 05, the Texas team we had, and the USC team were the three best teams in the country. and the team that won this game was going to probably play USC for the national championship because Ohio State ended up having a great year too. And I thought it was really cool, Rich, even in the BCS, that there wasn't any question that those were the two best teams in the country, Texas and USC, and it was everybody else.

33:13And people didn't give us much of a chance, but they were a little afraid to say, Yeah, Texas pretty good. But two Heisman Trophy winners, Vince Young had just lost the Heisman to Reggie in New York. And he got on the phone with our entire team who thought he was going to win. And they're in the team meeting room back in Austin. I just remember him telling Rod Wright, tell them all, man, game on. Game is on. So probably Vince losing the Heisman was an early edge for us because he got everybody stirred up.

33:48Rich Eisen:Mac Brown here on the Rich Eisen Show. Now you're doing a podcast with him, huh? We are. And Vince and I are having a blast. And I told him, memories are really a weird thing. Sometimes they come out and say, remember when you said this? And I said, no. I never said that. He said, oh, yeah, Coach, we all remember you saying that. Nope. That may be what you heard. That's not what I said. But we're having a blast. and just talking about Texas past, Texas present, and college football currently and in the future. Yeah, it's the Stampede. So all you Longhorn fans and fans of college football, check out the Stampede wherever you get your podcasts.

34:26Rich Eisen:Mack Brown, in the tenure that you were with North Carolina and Texas and then North Carolina again, if I told you that when you left North Carolina, you would be succeeded as the head coach of North Carolina football by Bill Belichick, you would have said what to me? Mac Brown. I would have probably said, nah, I don't think so. It's amazing how things happen. But Lee Roberts is the new chancellor, and he has really committed to football. And it's a time where you have to. But Lee Roberts is committed to Coach Belichick in every way. and they have a chance to be as good as anybody in the country.

35:09And now they brought in 70-plus new players. Now that you can buy players, it's more like an NFL model. They've got money, so they can buy really good players. So there's Abs and Bill's arguably the best coach of any sport in his life. He's won so many Super Bowls. It'll be fun to watch them. We've still got some of our players that are there. I've got a lot of friends in that state that love North Carolina football And like I said, this is the first time they've really stepped up to the plate and committed to it, so it's going to be fun to watch.

35:41Rich Eisen:And before I let you go, Mac, it's a big day on ESPN on Saturday, College Game Day, as Lee Corso says farewell to College Game Day, and it's to him. Your favorite Lee Corso story, please, what do you have for me, Mac Brown? Well, the first thing, how many of us have always said, not so fast, my friend. Pretty much. I mean, just in conversations because of Coach. But Coach and I, he was a mentor of mine. When he first got in the business, I would talk to him a lot. We would go to different bowl functions. He was so successful, but he was out of the box, like he's been on game day. He'll say anything, he'll do anything, but he'll back it up.

36:24And he's a guy with stats, and he's a fun guy. And I remember when he would pick us, and he did many times, he was the only one to pick us for the national championship game. He would come down on the sideline and say, okay, I stuck my neck out now. You better win. And I mean, he would walk up and down that sideline, and he would be stalking you and staring at you. Is that right?

36:50Rich Eisen:Is that right? Is that right? His picks have been really, really important to him. There will never, ever be another Lee Corso. and he's an icon in our business. We're all going to miss the headgear picks. And it's just something I've loved about in the morning getting ready to coach. You always wanted to see if coach picked. And it was just because it was fun. And he's put fun into a very, very difficult business. And I know I'm really going to miss him. And I know many people will. Mac Brown, you're the man. Congrats on the pod. Let's chat more often. Obviously, Texas is going to be in the spotlight this year and your delight to talk to.

37:33Rich Eisen:And thanks for the time. Appreciate it. Have a great day. Thank you, Rich. Thanks for having me on. I'm going to go put on my orange now so I can go back. Go ahead and do that. And just walk around town. Just walk around town. I'm Matt Brown. Am I burnt orange? Who are you? You know what I mean? I will say, Rich, when USC and Ohio State fans come up and say, I hate you. I said, well, let's see. That means you're an Oklahoma fan. You're an A &M fan. You're a USC fan. You're an Ohio State fan. Ohio State, you ruined my life. And I said, good. Better me ruin your life than you ruin mine. That's it.

38:07Rich Eisen:That's it, Matt Brown. You go into that Columbus afternoon being yourself. Enjoy it. Thanks, guys. You got it. He's recording the latest episode of The Stampede. Everybody check it out where you can get your pods. 844-204-RICH is the number to dial here on the program. Phone calls, AFC West predictions, and a farewell. That's all coming up. Rich Eisen here for Gusto. After all these years talking to athletes, coaches, entertainers, and people at the top of what they do, one thing is pretty clear. Success usually depends on getting the details right. For small business owners, that includes payroll, hiring, onboarding, benefits, you know, the work that keeps everything moving, even if it's not the reason you started the business in the first place.

38:52Rich Eisen:That's why there's Gusto. Gusto is online payroll and benefits software built for small businesses. It's all-in-one, remote-friendly, and incredibly easy to use, so you can pay, hire, onboard, and support your team from anywhere. Automatic payroll tax filing, simple direct deposits, health benefits, commuter benefits, workers' comp, 401k, you name it. Gusto makes it simple and has options for nearly every budget. And it's all built to save you time with built-in automated tools for offer letters, onboarding docs, direct deposit, and more. Plus, you get unlimited payroll runs for one monthly price.

39:26Rich Eisen:No hidden fees, no surprises. Try Gusto today at gusto.com slash rich and get three months free when you run your first payroll. That's three months of free payroll at gusto.com slash rich. One more time, gusto.com slash rich. Rich Eisen here. Running a small business means every hire matters. A bad hire costs time and money, but the right one helps your business grow. The challenge? Finding that person without sorting through resumes. That's where LinkedIn Hiring Pro comes in. It screens candidates so you can focus on conversations with qualified talent. With Hiring Pro, you can hire with confidence and build the team you need.

40:03Rich Eisen:Join the 2.7 million small businesses using LinkedIn to hire. Get started by posting your job for free at linkedin.com slash eisen. Terms and conditions apply.

40:16Rich Eisen:You told a story about the genesis of all right, all right, all right. Would you please tell that story? Here's where that comes from. So days are confused. Yes. Genius film. I'm in the right bar at the right time. And a guy goes, hey, you ever done any acting? You might be just right for this part. Legendary cast director and producer Don Phillips. And I said, yeah, I was in a Miller Lite commercial for about this long, but, you know, maybe I'm in film school at the time. And he goes, well, come to this address. You might be just right. Pick up the script. I go down, I pick up the script. There's three scenes with three lines.

40:51And one of the lines is Wooderson out front of the pool hall. The girls walk by. He checks her out going by. And his buddy says, man, you've got to cut that out. You're going to go to jail for that, Wooderson. And Wooderson steps forward and says, no, man, that's what I love about those high school girls. I get older, but they stay the same age. Legendary line. I call it a launch pad line. Like you're going to say, unpacking anyone, any character who says that and believes it, we can write a book on that guy. Right? So that was one of the lines. So I go work on those three lines for three weeks.

41:23I come back and they do what's called a makeup and wardrobe test, meaning they're shooting another scene one night. I'm just going to show up. Director's going to step off the set and come and look and go, great. I approve. Well, he comes and looks. He goes, geez, this is Wooderson. It's great. He goes, listen, you're not scheduled to work tonight, but we're over here at the top notch drive through. And you think Wooderson might want to pick up on the redheaded intellectual? And I'm like, sure. And he goes, want to shoot it? I'm like, sure. So I go get in the car. I shoot my first scene ever in a film.

41:56Of your career. Of my career. And I had been listening to a lot of 70s rock and roll at that time. And there was a certain live recording of a Jim Morrison concert in Amsterdam or somewhere where he barks at the crowd, all right, all right, all right, all right. Four times real aggressively, though. I'm not thinking about that. But this comes back. So I'm in the car, and I'm like, who's my man? I'm nervous. I'm about to hear act. Who's my man? Who's Wooderson? I said, well, I'm about my car. And I go, well, I'm in my 70s Chevelle. There's one. I said, I'm about getting high. I said, well, Slater's riding shotgun.

42:31You know, he's got a Dubois rolled up. There's two. And I said, and I'm about rock and roll. And I said, well, I got Nugent, Stranglehold in the eight track, man. There's three and I hear action. And I look up and in my mind, I go, and I'm about chicks. I got three out of four. Let's go get the fourth. All right. All right. All right. Wow. That was it. First words I ever said on screen. First words I ever said. And that was the three affirmations of those three things I had. There we go.

43:05Rich Eisen:All of Matthew McConaughey's appearances on the Rich Eisen Show can be seen on our YouTube channel, youtube.com slash richeyesandshow. I love that guy. Have you seen Interstellar again yet? You haven't seen it yet? I told you I saw it. No, I haven't seen it. Dude. I was so late to that party. Yeah, I don't think I've seen that one yet. Oh, my gosh. I love McConaughey. I told you it made me cry on the plane home. Yeah. And I got up, and I sought out Taylor, and I gave her the biggest hug. On the plane? Oh, so it's one of those movies, huh? Well, it's a girl dad's story. Oh, I got you. Among many other things.

43:46Rich Eisen:Sure, of course. I mean, I'm boiling down just one aspect of it. Girl dad story. Pretty amazing. So. 844-204-RICH is the number to dial on the program. Fun Friday show before a big Labor Day weekend is right here upon us, back on the Rich Eisen Show. Let's get a Milwaukee perspective. Michael in Milwaukee here on the Rich Eisen Show. What's up, sir? What's up? Not much, Rich. What's going on with you guys? What's on your mind, sir? I would love to play the win-loss game for the Green Bay. Now we are talking. The previous three have been done without knowing. Micah Parsons was going to wind up on the team the weekend before, taking on the Lions.

44:28Rich Eisen:What happens now, Michael, in Milwaukee, when the Packers are opening up against the Lions? What happens? I think people are underestimating Dan Campbell. I think the Packers and the rest of the league are going to come out a little cocky against them. I think we're going to lose the first game at home. Okay. Didn't they see that one coming? I mean, what happens when the commanders come into town just five days later? I will be at Lambeau Field watching Micah Parsons give Jaden Daniels hell, and the Packers are going to win. Now we're 1-1 at Cleveland. That's going to be a win as well. We're on a roll going into Dallas with Micah Sunday night.

45:00If Jerry doesn't regret that trade now, he will regret it then.

45:04Rich Eisen:Now you're going into the buy on a three-game win streak, coming out with the Bengals in town. That's going to be a win. 4-1 at the Cardinals. Win. Five straight wins before you see Aaron Rodgers on Sunday night football in Pittsburgh. Going to get sacked three times, and the Steelers are going to lose that one. By Micah. Is Micah doing the sacking? I'm going to say he'll get two. Rashawn Gary will get the other. That's calling a shot. Six wins in a row. Six and one home for the Panthers. That's a win. Seven wins in a row. Home for the Eagles on a Monday night. That's going to be a loss. All right.

45:40Rich Eisen:Now seven and two at the Giants. come on Ritz that's going to be a win 8-2 home for the Vikings I think that is a win there as well I think we had a real rough record against our division last year we're not going to have the same issue this year 9-2 at Detroit on Thanksgiving you have a history of ruining Thanksgiving in Detroit and history is going to repeat itself okay that is now 10-2 home for the Bears that's a win 11-2 at the Broncos That's a win as well. 12-2 at the Bears. We're going to go 2-0 against the Bears. 13-2, home for the Ravens on a Saturday. That's going to be a loss. 13-3 at the Vikings.

46:24Rich Eisen:And that's going to be a win. 14-3, says Michael in Milwaukee. Thank you, sir. After an 0-1 start. One seed. It certainly would be. All right, it's time to predict the American Football Conference Western Division. uh tj we'll give you the first up since you're licking your wounds the most i'm hurt son i'm hurt predicting the afc west sir afc west i gotta i'm gonna preface this by saying this was the toughest division so far and i do believe all of these teams guys are going to finish with a winning record okay but that being said someone's got to fall into each number so jay felly i told you earlier i don't mean any disrespect to raider nation but i got you guys coming in fourth, but again, I think your season's going to be pretty decent.

47:11Rich Eisen:What a jerk. I got the Chargers third, the Broncos second, and until Patrick Mahomes doesn't exist anymore on the football field, I'm sticking with the Chiefs. Chargers third, huh? Yeah, but again, I think this is going to be a very tight division. I think three of these teams are probably going to make the playoffs. Christopher? I have a feeling I'm not going to like any of your answers. I would agree. You know, TJ, you and I are lockstep. Excuse me, the exact same thing. The Raiders, I think, are going to be better than people think, but they're not going to be as good as the other three teams ahead of them.

47:44Rich Eisen:The Chargers, I have them third. I don't love the Rashawn Slater injury. Yes, I hear you. And I'm just wondering who else is going to catch the ball. I know that Keenan Allen's there, but he's 34 years old. We know Adidi is awesome. Really excited for Omari and Hampton. But they're not quite as good as Denver, who is not quite as good as Kansas City. I still think this is a Chiefs, though I don't think they're going 15-2 again. I'll tell you this. I am toying with the idea of the Chiefs winning the Super Bowl. I've got to come up with this for Tuesday's NFL Game Day morning season kickoff show on Tuesday night at 8 Eastern time.

48:20Rich Eisen:It's never a stretch. Chiefs winning the division. I have Harbaugh and the Chargers finishing second. Keenan Allen's back. And I am concerned about Rashawn Slater. but when they drafted Joe Alt, he was a left tackle. Yeah, I get it. He was doing great on the right side. I get it. At least they have that, though. You think? They have that. And Denver, I'm excited. We're talking to Sean Payton next Tuesday. He thinks they can win the Super Bowl. You can win the Super Bowl from finishing third if you're a wildcard team going on a run. Sure. And I think your Raiders will be toying with the idea of making the playoffs at some point this season.

49:01Rich Eisen:Okay, this season. Thank you. Of course. Dude, you know how I feel about Pete here. You know how I feel about Pete. Need to see it. They've got a lot to prove. Need to see it. A lot to prove, guys. Offensive line's a little shaky. Right. And the line we came up with the other day. Ashton Gentry. He's going to be terrific, but he's going from Boise to men. It's pretty good. It's a pretty good line. I didn't. We said that the other day because I missed that. No, no, no. It's coming. It's coming. It's coming. We recorded the Overreaction Monday podcast for Monday. I like that. It's coming. Boise to men.

49:33Rich Eisen:Yeah, the next Overreaction Monday podcast is dropping on Labor Day. Hopefully the end of the road is a long way down the road for him. I got to say, Rich came up with that on the spot. Slayed me. That's what he does. I know, I get it. He's got a huge smile as he thought of it. He was very proud. You watch the Overreaction Monday podcast on our YouTube page on Monday or get it wherever you get your podcasts. I almost walked off the set. I was so proud of that. It was really good. I almost mic dropped and walked off the set. Did you hear how I ended that for you, though? Hopefully the end of the road for Gentile's way.

50:06Rich Eisen:No, I didn't get that. End of the road was the very famous place to get to. Now that we've come. Okay. Texas wins, Ohio State wins. Texas wins, Ohio State wins. Hook him. Let's go. TJ. Gotta go to Texas. You already know. Yeah, gotta go to Texas. Come on. Okay. It's Arch season. I don't know. It's Arch season. Let's go. You know what my heart says, but I think that's a tall order, pal. I mean, Jeremiah Smith. For who? for my show. Yeah. I think Ohio State's going to win. I mean, they feel it. They know it. That's why Portnoy's not allowed to see it with his own two eyes. I can feel it. Oh, God, I can't get enough of that.

50:44Rich Eisen:Archibald is coming. Syracuse, Tennessee also, same time. You need counter-programming. We're going to sign off on Roku in a second. We're signing off on the Infinity Sports Network. this show could be is available throughout the fall and many of these stations and we appreciate everybody there at Westwood one I skip my shout out to to all those who have been so supportive Bruce Gilbert and you know my friend Teresa Gage as well back to sign off on Roku in a second you know when you're locked in focused and fearless welcome to the WNBA your vision arrows You can't look away. Every assist, every stop, every logo three.

51:33From beyond the logo! Every did you see that moment?

51:38Rich Eisen:You bet! What records are going to be broken this season? All of it right here. Lock in. It's the WNBA on ESPN. All season long.