Hour 1: Harbaugh/Ravens Reactions, Steelers HC Mike Tomlin, NFL Network’s Kurt Warner

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1:02Hey, everybody. Can't get enough of The Rich Eisen Show? You're in luck. You can find us everywhere. Watch us weekdays on Disney Plus from noon to 3 Eastern. Miss the show? We've got a podcast so you can listen anytime. But here's the best part. Our YouTube channel. Subscribe at youtube.com slash richeisenshow and you'll never miss a moment. Now, on with the show. The one and only Rich Eisen.

1:34Rich Eisen:John Harbaugh here on the Rich Eisen Show. I think everybody's coaching for their job. Everybody's playing for their job. That's the nature of the National Football League. This is the Rich Eisen Show. Today's guests. Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin. Pro Football Hall of Famer Kurt Warner. ESPN college football analyst Jesse Palmer. Actor Sean William Scott. And now Rich Eisen. Well, hey, everybody. Welcome to this edition of the Rich Eisen Show live on Disney Plus, the ESPN app, ESPN radio and Sirius XM. Literally, we're everywhere. So there's no excuse. And we've got a great show for you in store.

2:13Rich Eisen:Mike Tomlin's about to zoom in. We expect him to say hello in about three minutes. We're going to start the show with him. This is when he said he was available. So the answer is, of course, stay by the phone. We may need you. that's basically you know we did one of our favorite drops here on the rich rich eyes and program uh and so we're we're here waiting for his zoom uh and kurt warner usually this is his his time uh right in the first hour of a wednesday program we asked him push back for a few minutes so he's going to join us in the back end of the first hour jesse palmer and all of his wonderful hair uh talking about the college football playoff semifinals and the rest of the world of the portal and the NIL that's so crazy to keep up with.

2:56Rich Eisen:It's a year-to-year re-recruitment of your team as well as recruiting other players from other programs. It's just crazy. Basically, it's college football free agency that's happening right now in the middle of a national semifinal that kicks off tomorrow night between Ole Miss and Miami, and then it's Indiana and Oregon. And then we find out, in terms of Indiana, how are they killing it in the portal? How do they afford all these players to say, yeah, I'm going to Indiana? And then we find out from front office sports earlier today, it's Mark Cuban helping him. Duh. How do we not see that one coming?

3:32Rich Eisen:So that's all in our number two. I also have my final power rankings of the National Football League regular season, getting ready for the wild card. That's on this program. Sean William Scott stops in. You may know him as Stifler from back in the day, if you recall. and now he returns tonight, today's program, as he did for last year, Shifting Gears, a new episode at 8 p.m. on ABC. We're just one big happy Disney family here on this show. And, of course, normally I would be deep into this right now, but Mike Tomlin's going to join us in a second. On Sunday Night Football, the Steelers advance, as we all know, and the Ravens do not.

4:17Rich Eisen:and the Ravens go through their end of season conversations and the conversation between Steve Bishotti and John Harbaugh after almost two decades of being together winds up with the Ravens parting ways with the head coach, with Steve Bishotti and John Harbaugh deciding it's over after 18 tremendous years, as they say on their Twitter site. and um so that's to be discussed no and mike tomlin and the steelers move on and the ravens move on to someone else and that's seismic to say the least so there's you at 844-204-RICH number to dial i'll give my full opinion on the parting of ways between the ravens and john harbaugh the uh coaching carousel spinning off its axis with that piece of news and um and we'll keep an eye on whether your team that decided to keep its head coach is now actually deciding to bounce their head coach because john harbaugh is now available yeah it doesn't seem like we're done so stupid for me to say such a thing yesterday saying you know i kind of feel like this thing's over that uh the coaches that have been fired are the only ones that are going to be fired I get it.

5:37Rich Eisen:And as I said, 844-204-RICH is the number to dial on the program. Good to see you over there, Christopher Brockman. How are you? Good morning, my friend. Jason Feller, good to see you where you are. Good to see you, TJ Jefferson, where you are. And again, the wild card weekend is all set, and it ends on Monday night football with the Pittsburgh Steelers taking on the Houston Texans. And it starts with the Rams taking on the Panthers for a second time, and then it goes to the Packers and the Bears, after that the Sunday game is the Bills and the Jaguars the middle game between the Niners and the Eagles is just going to be off the hook on Fox and then you've got the Chargers and the New England Patriots on Sunday night football before the standalone game between the Texans and the Steelers let's go on that I mean this is every single team that you see on the screen there every single team that you see on the screen there can win their game on Saturday, Sunday, or Monday night.

6:44Rich Eisen:It really is just that simple. This is one of the most wide open playoff fields that I can remember. And anybody can go on a run and win it all. It really is that simple. And as I mentioned, I cannot recall the last time that something like that had happened. And this is my 23rd year with NFL Network, 24th postseason going through all that. Anybody can win, and it's really anybody's Super Bowl to be had. 844-204-RICH is the number to dial. I see our next guest checking in right now from Pittsburgh, PA, and I could not be more thrilled to have him join. I'm honored, to be honest with you, that this juncture of his season, he says yes to appearing on this program.

7:28Rich Eisen:Plus, it's not only been such a long time since I talked to him, I was excited to tell him some story I've never told him about my own aunt and uncle. And he's joining us right here on the Rich Eyes Show, Mike Tomlin. Good to see you, Coach. How are you? How are you? Always an honor to be on with you, Rich. Thank you for having me. Hey, man, I really do appreciate that. And so let me just jump into what is going through your mind as you're getting ready for this Houston Texans team, your 12th postseason as head coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers. What's going on in your head right now? You know, it's just it's at the strategy stage of the week for me.

8:02And so I'm just really working hard to put our guys in position to be successful. You know, we haven't had a lot of cross video with these guys. And so I'm a little bit less familiar with these guys specifically than I am. A lot of people that you play this late in the year is just one of those years where they haven't been in a lot of our cross video, but I'm sure they have the same perspective. And so it's equal footing from that perspective.

8:26Rich Eisen:So you're staying up late watching film. That's where you are pretty much. Yeah, I've been up a long time today. This is probably the first time I've ever talked to anyone. I've been in dark rooms. Do you need a minute? I mean, I can give you. So you sit by yourself and watch the film. That's your prep to start a week? I do. I like to work independently before I work as a collective. I don't like anyone else shaping my opinion or my perception. All right. So then who are you willing to share with me that jumped off the screen in a Texans uniform? Who made you write the most notes in your notebook?

9:06I'll tell you that Ed's rush tandem and that cornerback tandem are both special. You see why they're number one in the league in defense. When you got guys that can rush the pass are like those two. Hunter's got 15. Will Anderson's got 12. collectively they got 27 then you got two corners man that are very aggressive play close bump and run coverage I think both got four more interceptions um and Stingley and Lassiter um there's no secret why they're kicking a lot of butt um if you're rushing and covering you're

9:38Rich Eisen:gonna play good defense and so you at least have a guy on your own side um you've got some guys on your own side who can obviously rush the passer and take the ball away but also when facing two guys who are coming at you as you mentioned in hunter who as you know has a chip on his shoulder i don't know if you're aware he didn't get a pro bowl nod and then you've got um stingley lassiter who i believe you're referring to uh on houston on on on the back end you got a neck up guy and you got a guy who's been through now his 12th postseason in aaron rogers as well when do you sit down with him and go and pick his brain about game planning and things like that we'll get an exclusive hour tomorrow morning.

10:23We start every week with the quarterbacks and myself at 7 a.m. and we'll lay a good foundation for the week, talk about personnel of Houston, Texas. We'll also talk about schematic strategy, what they do in large volume, etc. And it's an opportunity for us to exchange perspectives. Aaron spends a lot of time watching tape on his off days and And by the time we get to that point, he certainly has an opinion. And I'm always interested in hearing it.

10:52Rich Eisen:I'm sure. You know, exactly. And so this workflow, you and he, when did you create it? When did this start with you and Aaron Rodgers this year? Specifically, we've been doing it all year. You know, we got unique positions. He and I, head coach and quarterback. it's important that we have an understanding that we spend quality time together, that we communicate about a wide variety of topics, but especially things that are relevant to the here and now and so we start every Wednesday and every Thursday morning before team meetings with some exclusive time in an effort to make sure that we're getting the train out of the station on the same page and so it's been a really good time for us you know you don't wait till you need it until you do it uh you do it on a regularly scheduled basis um it's just good um it's just good football discussion that aids in the growth and development of a young guy like will howard um who sits in on those things but we don't allow him to say anything but we do let him sit in yeah yeah and and and this week we're playing on monday night so we just moved it back 24 hours we'll meet tomorrow morning and friday morning to kind of get things started well what's it like for you to be in your position headset on game like sunday night um and somebody like rogers at the controls where you know there's really it it'll take something to fool him and it'll take something to i guess a helmet not working would throw him off or throw anybody off but what's it like from your perspective coach after all this time of you standing on a sideline having somebody with his knowledge and operational controls coach you know i don't think there's any lack of intensity or urgency but at the same time there certainly is a comfort and an ease knowing that you got to been there done that guy at the controls uh there's value in it that's immeasurable um not only in terms of his performance but just the collective performance he's got a way about him that's cool he he calms the waters um and certainly we got some young, significant contributors in his huddle, and the informal things that he does are just as critical as the formal things.

13:14Rich Eisen:And you got a good story, just before I move on from Rodgers, you got a good story of the first time this year where you're like, okay, you know, he's got it, I'm not concerned, or not that you were, but you got a good story where you're like, this is it, we got this thing? Coach? I don't know. I make some assumptions sometimes just because I got so many other things to focus on. I know exactly what I was getting. I haven't been blown away by his command of moments, his desire to conquer moments, his ability to do so. I just seen him too much for too long. And that's who he is. And so, you know, I think it's probably quite the opposite.

14:00And if he doesn't rise up in those moments or smile in the face of adversity at those times, I'd probably be surprised. And he certainly hadn't done that.

14:09Rich Eisen:Who came up with the idea of you, Rodgers, and Cam Hayward walking off the field together this year? It's funny. Cam and I have been doing it for years. We just have. We get a road victory. He and I generally have responsibilities and so forth. and we made eye contact a number of years ago. It might be eight, ten years ago now. And we've been walking off the field together like that for that long. Nobody cared or paid attention until Aaron got involved. And so, you know, we invited him into our little group. And it's gotten a heck of a lot more attention, obviously, since he's gotten involved.

14:53But Cam and I personally have been doing it for years.

14:56Rich Eisen:Well, maybe part of that is obviously Rodgers is who he is, but he's also the quarterback. And, you know, the Steelers are in a lot of standalone broadcast games, and the quarterback speaks to a sideline reporter afterwards. And, you know, it's very rare to see a coach and somebody who I think is a Hall of Fame defender standing waiting for the quarterback to be done so you can all walk off together. That could be it too, you know? You know, it probably goes back to our days, to be honest with you, when that rivalry is really heated versus the Cincinnati Bengals and Vontaze Burfik and Pac-Man Jones and stuff.

15:32I think Cam wanted to walk out with me, man, because people would be throwing stuff at us when we exit the tunnel. If you really want to hear the real story, some of these road game venues, man, have been hostile environments, and that's why we started walking out together. And so we figured we better do the same with eight because I imagine he faces a little hostility as well.

15:55Rich Eisen:Mike Tomlin here on the Rich Eisen Show, a few minutes with the Steelers head coach before he goes off to see more about the Houston Texans on Monday Night Football right here on the ESPN Families of Networks. So how do you work DK Metcalf back in after the two-game suspension? Was he going out of his mind watching these games? Rich, how I'm working back in is immediately. You know, he's a guy that's, you know, ready to go. Certainly he was able to work out and so forth in the midst of the two game. And so I don't expect it to be any rust or any issues relative to him getting back on the moving train.

16:36Certainly we're excited about having him back, but certainly there's growth in not having him. You know, just us having to strategize and grow from that perspective, individual players getting an opportunity to rise up and expand their roles and make plays. And so, you know, hopefully we benefit from the from from the, you know, from having him back, but also just some of the challenges of having to function without him as well.

17:04Rich Eisen:What about growth from his point of view of not being available based on what happened in Detroit, Coach? Man, he's sick. about it. I'm tired of hearing them apologize about it. It's behind us now. It's time for us to move on and get singularly focused on what lies ahead. Certainly, there's a growth opportunity there as a man, but all indications are that it has happened, and he's open and non-resistant to that. And so my focus is the football that's ahead of us. And how's T.J. Watt feeling right now? You know, I think he feels great. I'm sure there's some, you know, soreness. It's certainly been a number of weeks since he's played in a football game.

17:48But just from a general health perspective and so forth, I think he certainly was glad to be back out there. I know we were glad to have him back out there. He didn't take long to make his presence felt, man. We needed that short field, that turnover that he provided.

18:04Rich Eisen:A few minutes left with Mike Tomlin here on The Rich Eisen Show. I'd be remiss if I didn't ask you about the news involving John Harbaugh, coach. Obviously a guy that you took on multiple times, including this past Sunday night, and is almost as tenured as you are in your job as he was, past tense now in his. What's your opinion upon hearing that news? You know, first, I just have so much respect for Harbs. You know, our stories will forever be, you know, interwoven. this rivalry we've been fortunate and honored enough to be a part of I just got so much respect for him and how he's gone about his business and we've certainly had some legendary battles over the years you know in terms of him being let go unfortunately I just think it's a component of today's sport culture and so you know there have been many examples of that and so it's unfortunate but I'm sure that he is going to move on And if he chooses to coach again, I'm sure he will.

19:07And I'm sure he'll be very successful at doing so. But more than anything, I just think it's, you know, a larger example of today's sport culture in terms of, you know, not a lot of patience in the entertainment component of what it is that we do. There's just not a lot of longevity. You know, I'm sure we all would like to be Don Shula and Tom Landry, but I think those days are gone.

19:30Rich Eisen:Well, I mean, you are the avatar of that these days now more than ever. Certainly since a guy was one year behind you in terms of tenure. Now it's, I believe, Andy Reid who's closest to you. And that was in Kansas City. And he had to leave the state of Pennsylvania himself. I'm miles away from Tom Landry and Don Shula. Well, I know that. But I mean, if anybody could, if you will, run them down, it would be you and your current position. I had Bill Cowher on the show yesterday, your predecessor. almost two decades ago, which is kind of wild to say. And he was going through in detail what his conversations with the Rooney family would be after a season and how they don't really stick their two cents in during a playing season.

20:18Rich Eisen:And so I'm wondering if you think about those things, about your longevity as you go into this game on Monday night at all. You know, I don't. First of all, I'm certainly really appreciative of the work environment that I've been in for 19 years and the stability and the steadiness of our ownership. But, man, I'm just I'm tunnel visioned. You know, as a leader, man, I'm you know, I'm called upon to serve these guys. And, you know, NFL playing careers are very short. And so I certainly can't seek comfort in the longevity of my career. I work with guys who have very short careers, and I tend to try to always have and mirror that urgency.

21:05I think it's disrespectful not to have that level of urgency when I lead them. And so, man, very rarely do I delve into big picture perspectives or appreciate the longevity component of what I've been able to do. There's just so many things that are waiting for me. today, this week, that demand my attention.

21:29Rich Eisen:Do you have an outside noise person in your world that informs you of stuff? I don't. People that are closest to me know I really don't care. And so they've learned over the years. But every now and then, just the number of texts I get in my phone of people checking on me gives me an indication of the level of outside noise. When I get texts from people that are just checking in and checking on me, that lets me know that the outside noise is pretty loud. Well, I mean, you know, the outside noise hit inside the building weeks ago. You go on a win streak as well, and now here you are hosting a playoff game with the fans around you now.

22:19Rich Eisen:And that was a large conversation. So when I'm reading about some stories about you thinking about TV or thinking about other things than just coaching the Pittsburgh Steelers, that comes from outside, not from your two cents and thinking about it? Hey, Rich, I don't participate in any of that, man. I can't allow myself to. I'm not even really privy to the specifics of what you're talking about. I just realized it's a component of what I do and what we do. And you better learn to live with it or at least endure it. You know, there's more U.S. senators than NFL head coaches. And I have a respect and appreciation for that and an understanding of maybe some of the things that come with that.

23:04Rich Eisen:All right. So last things for you is you still seem to love it. You love it? You really love doing this? I know you're laughing, but honestly, it's a grind. I mean, you have more gray in your beard than the first time I interviewed you. That's for sure. You know, I'm institutionalized, man. I got to have it. You know, I just love the challenges week in and week out that this job provides. The growth in it, the collective growth, the individual growth. A lot of lessons I've learned in life, man, has kind of been through my football experiences. I've been on the team every year of my life, man, since 1980.

23:44and so I really appreciate it.

23:47Rich Eisen:Excellent. Well, I appreciate you. Thanks for taking the time and I guess my excitement of you saying yes to this interview, I guess it can be summed up like this way and then, did I do it right? Hey, absolutely. Did I do that right? That's a tip of the cap to one of my favorite MMA competitors, man, Derrick Lewis. Okay. That's his celebration. Well, there it was right there. Very good. Yeah, he's been on this program before, so I - I got so much respect for that human and how he goes about his business. Okay, I just want to make sure I did it right. Thanks for the time, Coach. Really appreciate it.

24:23Rich Eisen:Good luck Monday. I'll be watching, and then I'll be chatting with you down the line. Thanks again. Appreciate you, buddy. All the best. Right back at you. Ladies and gentlemen, Mike Tomlin of the Pittsburgh Steelers right here on the Rich Eisen Show. I guess I'm the first human he spoke to all day. That's what he just said. I'm honored. They're on East Coast time. Right. I'm glad we get an idea of how does he operate what does he do let's take a break 844-204-RICH-NUMBER-TO-DOLL talk about John Harbaugh when we come back The Rich Eisen Show Podcast

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