Hour 1: Guest Host Colleen Wolfe, Pro Football Hall of Famer Ronde Barber

23:16I mean, Mike's been out since the Jets game, I think. And it's allowed some young guys who didn't expect to play or have to play early come in and shine. You mentioned Tez Johnson. You could easily have said Cam Johnson, who was a superstar a year ago in training camp and then got hurt. We never heard from him again. Now, all of a sudden, he's getting a chance to play, and he's showcasing the ability that we thought he had a year ago. So it's just fun to watch them all kind of accept the role of filling in for our superstars. I mean, we got three receivers, you know, including Chris Godwin. You mentioned, you know, Mecca and Mike.

24:02But Chris Godwin's been out most of the year. He's only played two games this year. And it's forced some other guys to step up and play. And they have. And certainly all that credit goes to Baker because Baker's playing like the MVP. I mean, there's just so many examples of why he's the best player in football right now. But I do give credit to the way that Josh Grisard has evolved. This is first year Colin plays, man. He was a pass game coordinator last year with Liam Cohen. Before that, he was basically an intern in Miami that had a couple opportunities to stay in the league, and then we hire him.

24:42And you see his process evolve over the course of the year, and he's getting really good at it, man. It's fun to watch. So I don't anticipate this Lions defense that's beat up tonight to be able to just stop this Bucs offense because they got some injuries as well.

25:00Colleen Wolfe:Okay, well, let's flip it around to the other side to the Bucs defense. Todd Bowles does such a great job. And it's funny because I feel like this team has really taken the personality of Baker Mayfield, but Baker Mayfield's personality is so different from Todd Bowles. And you can see the two of them, both of their influence throughout this entire team. So this defense has to deal with players like Amon Ross St. Brown. How does the defense slow down a player of his caliber? And how did your defense do that against top receivers when you were playing? Yeah, well, we very rarely changed what we did on defense.

25:37Todd Bowles defense, completely different. He's got so many variations and iterations to his coverage schemes and what he asked his players to do. look there's there's some really good players on our on this Bucs defense you know Zion McCollum was hurt last week he's hopefully coming back I think I don't know what his status is but I think he's coming back we drafted a kid's name is Jacob Parrish out of Kansas State he has done an awesome job at nickel and he's been starting outside with some of the injuries as well that'll be the main matchup you know as I'm watching this game I'm gonna be I'm gonna say to myself how is Jacob Parrish very against I'm on Ross St.

26:14Brown either outside or in the slot because obviously he is their go-to guy in terms of throwing a football. But if I was preparing for this Lions offense, there's one guy I'm looking at. It's Jameer Gibbs. There's one guy that could just wreck your day, and it's him. Not only because he can catch the ball out of the backfield, it's just his explosiveness. And I look at the matchup there, and you're saying, who's dealing with him? Is it Tykee Smith? Is it Antoine Winfield? Is it Levante David or Sarvasi Dennis, the two linebackers? and the advantage physically with all four of those guys is with Jameer Gibbs.

26:51So he's the guy that you have to really take care of. Jared Goff is having another great year. I think he's, what, third in touchdown passes right now. It's because he has all those weapons. You always like to think games like this turn into shootouts and the team with the last possession wins. I would not be shocked if that's how this one ends up. Rondé, good to see you, man. Thanks for joining us. why does Jared Goff not get enough love nationally? Yeah, because he failed once in the terms of, in the mind of his head coach in Los Angeles. You know, when you're a high draft pick and you go to, same reason Baker doesn't or hasn't gotten it.

27:32You get drafted high, you fail at the team that you drafted you, and the narrative just sticks with you that you can't play, which is completely ridiculous because Jared Goff took them to, you know, to the Super Bowl and lost, right? But then he comes to Detroit and he turns into the dude that you thought he was, right? When they drafted him with a great surrounding supporting cast, a great team surrounding him and buying into him. Yeah, I don't know. I mean, people that know, know. You know what I mean? I watch enough football. I know how good he is. I would never say he wasn't good. Does he excite you all the time?

28:10No. I mean, he's not Baker Mayfield. He's not like Josh Allen. He's not lighting up the field with these extraordinary type of plays. But the consistency and the level of confidence that he's playing with these past couple years, dude, I mean, he is what he is. He's one of the top quarterbacks in the league. Yeah, it's so interesting to this game and this quarterback matchup because you're right, the temperament of both guys couldn't be more opposite. Right. Baker is different. Colleen just mentioned the difference between Baker and Todd Bowles. Their temperaments are actually pretty similar. Todd's a tough dude, man.

28:49That quiet, calm demeanor that you get, that you see in the press conferences where he just kind of looks like he's completely uninterested. There's an undercurrent of rage there that never comes out unless you're on the wrong side of it. But when you see it, you're like, oh, that's it. So Todd likes a team that's tough, has a tough mentality, can deal with anything. Adversity is part of the growth process. And that's what Baker has brought. So they're actually very similar, Colleen. He's got that fire under the surface, just bubbly. Yes, but Baker's just is unmasked, always. Yes, exactly. It's just right there.

29:34It's on his sleeve. Todd Bowles sometimes has that Caldwellian stare.

29:40Colleen Wolfe:Yes, exactly. And he's like sort of soft-spoken. But you know that he is like, he's a killer. Like in terms of his defense, he is going to go out there and he is going to try and wreck a game plan. But just under the surface. A man of few words, that's all it is. You know what? It doesn't take many words, honestly. TJ? What's up, Rondi? How you doing? What's up, man? How you doing, bro? A guy that I'm a big fan of and I know of us here are fans of is Mike Evans. Yeah. He's been as consistently great as any receiver that there's ever been year after year after year after year. What do you kind of contribute that consistency that he has to?

30:23Because he's had some great quarterbacks and then he's had some not so great quarterbacks. And yet year after year, you know, unless injury hit like this year, you knew what you were going to get out of Mike each and every year. and it just never falters. Right. Well, he had Jameis. He had Mike Glennon, I think, at the very beginning. You know, he had Tom Brady then, and now he's got Baker. He was pretty good. Yeah, he was pretty good. Mike, and I love Mike to death, he's probably the best offensive player we've ever had in team history, and I don't think I'm saying that lightly. In fact, the 50 greatest bucks, he finished above me at number four.

30:58Who's counting? Who's counting? I'm not paying attention. He's bigger, just being around this team for all of his years, obviously. He's bigger, faster, and more competitive than you think. I think people that don't really know Mike, sometimes you get lost down here in Tampa. It's a middle-sized market. Other than our Super Bowl year, prior to the Super Bowl year, people just didn't really pay attention to what he was doing. But we've seen it. I mean, he's a different type of receiver. Because he's big, you don't think he can run. I can't tell you how many times I've seen takeoffs go by corners.

31:40They're just like, oh, damn, this dude can run. You know, he can really run. But I think what really separates him is his willingness to play through anything. You know, he's had this chronic hamstring deal. Like, it's every year. Like, usually we're in training camp, and you're like, oh, there goes Mike's hamstring. You know, he's going to miss a couple of days. or a couple of weeks, and he always comes back from it. Like, he's the type of guy that loves to power through his adversity, his own adversity. And I think we just forget sometimes how immensely talented you have to be to do that, and he just is.

32:17He's fun to watch, and he's a great ambassador in our community, so everybody loves him, and he'll be fine. If he plays tonight, it'll be really good for this team, especially if Abeka doesn't play. Abeka's injury, by the way, last week, I was watching it on the film. I never saw it grab. So I never saw him reach for the back of his hamstring. So the fact that he might play probably means that it just got tight at some point and they decide out of the abundance of caution that, you know, this sensation shouldn't keep going. So we should try to make sure he's available since we don't have any other receivers.

33:02So hopefully they both get a chance to play, but you know, a Mecca and Mike Evans in the same lineup. That's, that's, that's tough, tough to deal with for any defense, especially when it's missing four secondary players, I think. Right.

33:15Colleen Wolfe:Yeah. I, when I think of Mike Evans, I just will never forget the victory lap that he basically took last year when And he finally tied the record with Jerry Rice, 11th straight season with 1 ,000 yards receiving. And he was he was so excited, but he was also he was just so fired up. And that was just such a cool moment. And I feel I'll never forget the look on his face. So I just he's so consistent. He has been for so long to TJ's point. And no matter who the quarterback is, Mike Evans has always been the one to show up. And now you got a Buka too. Like what? Come on. He's been so dominant this year.

33:59Colleen Wolfe:But in general, when the Bucks play the Lions, do you get a little nostalgic because of your past performance against them? And that came, what was it? 2008-ish around then? Yes. I, there was, what year was it? I think it was 2008. I think you're right. I mean, obviously I played in the Central, the NFC Central before it became the North. So I came into the league playing against the Lions, Vikings, Packers. So I've got a lot of history. I played against Barry Sanders twice a year. That was fun. That was awesome. I'm sure. But yeah, there was a point in my career. I presume you're talking about the point in my career, Colleen, where it was almost towards the end.

34:47And then I had a – there was a thought that I was going to get replaced in Tampa by some younger corners. And I hadn't really done anything that year. And I was set to get benched that day prior to this game in Detroit.

35:07Colleen Wolfe:No way. Yeah, ultimately, Monty decided not to do it, you know, let Rondae go out there and play. He's been doing this forever for us. ended up with two two interceptions and a touchdown and like i played four more years after that and the thought of me not ever not me me being on the field was gone um that is okay wow talk about like playing under pressure and with a deadline we were talking earlier about the broncos just saving themselves for the fourth quarter god this is your version of that oh you want to bench me hold on a second wait i got a little something for you that is awesome oh my god i love that yeah that's part that's part of my hall of fame story colleen yeah yeah i was dealing with adversity yeah what was it like going up against barry sanders oh not good not good what did that feel like right i have a huge they have these old posters that they you know they they had around the building uh back at the old at over one buck and um it's me and barry sanders kind of in the hole i'm like kind of going up to tackle him and uh i i know for a fact it looks like i probably would have got him on the ground, but I know for a fact that he ran right by me.

36:15But it's a really cool – it's kind of like that. I'm almost touching him, and it's like, oh, did you tackle Barry right here? No, I didn't even get close to him. I was like – Just the air. Just the air behind him. Fortunately for me, I only played against him one year because he – because in 97 when I got drafted, I didn't play much. But in 98, I played both times. We played Detroit, and he retired the next year. So I didn't really have to deal with them much, but the few times that I did was not always great.

36:48Colleen Wolfe:A real treat. Yes. Yeah, that's what you call a treat. Well, it really has been a real treat watching Baker Mayfield do the things that he's done with this team and really kind of turn the narrative around about himself in the league. because I think about how people thought about him when he was with the Browns and he was not living up to his expectations because of the situation that he was in. And then when he and Sam Darnold were with the Panthers and he signs this one year deal with Tampa Bay and then absolutely goes out and just destroys it and does it in a perfect way, in a great way. Like he kills it out there.

37:33Colleen Wolfe:And I just I think that he's become such a likable character in the NFL. And that was not where his reputation was in the beginning of his career. And I think this is a league where it's really hard to change the narrative of when you come into this league. It's usually that first impression at to our point talking about Daniel Jones and Sam Darnold and Jared Goff. Like you are judged on how you first come into this league. And then it's really difficult to come back from that. But Baker Mayfield has done it. And I just think that that is such a testament to his work ethic and just the fact that he's always playing with this chip on his shoulder, Rondé.

38:19I got a great story for you about this. So same thing about Baker. I had the same opinion. And partly it was true, right? Baker was the number one pick of the draft. You can't discount the fact that the league made him the number one pick in the draft when he was drafted by Cleveland. But I had the same opinion of Baker. And he was probably immature, right? He probably did some things wrong that he would rather do over. But he's matured since he's got to Tampa, right? He's married now. Him and Emily have kids. And he is this guy that really has great balance in his life now. But I remember the year Jason signed him, Jason Light signed him.

39:01I was going out to Tahoe to play in American Century, right? And Jason called me. He's like, hey, you might see Baker out there. Tell him, you know, try to get to know him a little bit. Say hello. Right? As fate would have it, we get paired together one day, okay? And I'm out there with my buddy Nick. He's my caddy. All the time caddy here in Tampa. I take him out there. And he goes, oh, my God. Are we playing with Baker Mayfield? and I'm like, yeah, Claymore Baker. He goes, I can't stand Baker Mayfield. I'm like, Nick, you're going to find out today. We're going to be with him for five hours, dude.

39:37By the end of that round, I'm going to make a long story really short. By the end of that round, Nick goes, I love Baker Mayfield. Oh, yes! You just get around them and it kind of coincides with another story I have. That first week that he was in Tampa, I remember I went to a Lightning game, and we're actually going to the same suite, Steve Graves, the president's suite. And Baker's walking down the hall. He's got Tristan Wirfs. I think Luke Getticke was with him. There was another offensive lineman, Kyle Trask, whom he was competing with for the starting job, was there. It's the first day he's in Tampa, and he is leading this pack, walking to this suite.

40:21It's just he has this natural charisma and leadership ability about him that everybody buys into. So you say, you know, how do you change the narrative about yourself? You do it by doing. You don't do it by like talking or like, you know, hoping that it that it that it, you know, material materializes into something you want. You go out and get out in front of it and be a captain, you know, represent what the sea really means. And he in every single way he's done that here in Tampa. I mean, we talk about this now getting recognition, but he's been doing this for three years. You know, last year was a career year for him in terms of yards and touchdowns.

40:57And obviously through a lot of interceptions, but he's got one this year. You know, he's cleaned up the things that he that he that he wanted to work on this year. And now it's starting to look like, man, this is the guy that was the number one pick in the draft all those years ago. So I'm happy for him, man. I love the dude. I'll stand on the sideline before the game last week. You know, he's got that headbutt thing. And I kind of gave him a little low five. And I said, don't you headbutt me, dude. He's just that guy, man. You just love the guy. He's fun to watch. And he's such a great competitor.

41:31He really is. He's been great for Tampa.

41:33Colleen Wolfe:He's cool. He's calm. He's confident. He has that swagger. And that just is contagious throughout the entire locker room. It's been really fun to watch. It's been awesome talking with you, Rondé. When I asked you if you would come by, I said that, you know, the Eagles, this was before yesterday. I said the Eagles, you know, they haven't been doing that great. So you can throw some punches at them if you want, like as part of that. Come on. Come on the show. Hang out. So I'll just as I say goodbye, I will hit you with a go birds. Sorry, we didn't get to that. We ran out of time and they also won.

42:07Colleen Wolfe:But also go bucks. And thank you for coming by today. Great to see you as always, my friend. Good to see you, Colleen. I'll see you again. but Rondevar Pro Football Hall of Famer here on the Rich Eisen Show. A great day to call in, guys. Call us.

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43:32Colleen Wolfe:the rich heisen show the podcast espn radio is presented by progressive insurance supporting you every step of the way progressive.com yeah i hate losing more than i enjoy winning so like i could never gamble ever um but we were the thrill when you win though no When do you stop? It's stupid. The other day, Brockman was giving me odds on something because I don't really gamble a lot either. He's like, basically, you bet$5 ,000, you win$100. I'm like, in what world does that make sense? What? How? How do you even equate that? No. Free money. $100. There's no such thing. Like betting on the Patriots.

44:16It's free money right now. It actually is. But I get some of the bets, but that one in particular, I was like, that makes zero sense to me.

44:23Colleen Wolfe:How about the Patriots? I knew that Mike Rabel going to Tennessee and playing the team that had just fired their head coach who replaced him was going to be a scene. And boy, was it the Patriots? They now are five and two, which is better than their record. All of last season, they have more wins than last year. They're four and 13. but they've done such a good job with Drake May and just building this physical identity with the defense. I mean, the Patriots are looking really good, and they, I think, have turned things around much quicker than at least I expected, for sure. Yeah, I think when you look to the schedule ahead of time going into this year, you're like, all right, Mike Vrabel, new coach, that's automatically worth a couple of wins just because on how much of a disaster the Gerard Mayo era was, right?

45:17And you saw some glimpses from Drake May, but you're like, is he really going to take a year to leap? Josh McDaniels was able to have a lot of success with Mac Jones. So maybe that can correlate here with Drake, who has, you know, a higher ceiling than Mac did a few years ago. Then you had a last place schedule. So, you know, things kind of broke your way. Maybe you can get, you know, eight or nine wins, you know, and that was kind of on the optimistic viewpoint of it. I said 10 and 7 when we did the schedule, but I was kind of being overly Homer. And now you're like, all right, how do we win less than 12?

45:52I don't see it. And it just happened a lot quicker than everyone thought, especially even the most probably ardent homers like me sometimes. And there's a belief now that this team can win a playoff game this year, and I don't think that's crazy. And now there are going to be buyers at the trade deadline for maybe a weapon or an edge rusher and you're like, huh, we're back. We never left, TJ. God. Oh, my God. The Rich Eisen Show Podcast. Uncovered windows can make your home feel up to 20 degrees hotter. Stay cool and save up to 50 % off custom window treatments during the 4th of July mega sale at blinds.com.

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