Hour 1: Mike McDaniel’s Hot Seat, Tim Tebow Talks Arch Manning & More

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1:27Rich Eisen:What's happening in the baseball world? I think we take it for granted. From the Rich Eisen Show studio in Los Angeles. Gone! Number 51 on the season for Shohei Ohtani. Today's guests. SEC Network Analyst and Heisman Trophy winner Tim Tebow. Fox Sports Rules Analyst, Dean Blandino. Actor Tyreek Withers. And now, it's Rich Eisen. presented by progressive insurance sirius xm channel 80 we say hello to everybody out there who's listening to us through our podcast all three hours available however you get them and certainly thanks to our partnership with the espn pod center uh we're up there we're out there and hopefully you're in there and hopefully you're also checking us out on our youtube channel in any way shape or form that you can youtube.com slash rich eisen show um and every single uh follower counts certainly my my youngest son is counting it uh cooper this morning when i was seeing him says dad you're you're over 985 000 oh which is uh words that you know my 14 year old's never said to me before so i'm very very proud of what we're building here on our program good to see you over there christopher how are you rich i'm great uh battled the uh the drizzle this morning to get here for those out there uh nationally you're listening to us we greatly appreciate uh being on your local station here um if you're on the espn radio network we're also so appreciative of being heard nationally on Sirius XM, light a candle because it's raining here in Los Angeles, which means people around here don't know how to drive.

2:59Rich Eisen:And it's something. But we're here nice and safely. Is that why Del Tufo's not here? Is he on the side of the road? Oh, I don't know. Good to see you, Jason. Good to see you, too. Hey, how's the weather out there? It's not sunny right now. The candle's lit? Is the candle lit, TJ? Lighten the candle for all those out on the freeway right now. Did I say a lot of candle? I didn't even mean to say that sort of thing. Good to see you. You too, Rich. How are you doing? I'm good. You're going to Indianapolis this weekend. Are you not? It's starting to hit me. I'm not going to lie to you guys a little bit.

3:28My stomach kind of went a little bit yesterday. Is that right? I was pulling out a bunch of ESPN paperwork to make it official.

3:35Rich Eisen:Look at you. You're signing paperwork with ESPN to host along with O'Shea Jackson Jr. That's going to be so cool. No Contest Wrestling is hosting the, have you been informed, it's no longer an hour, it's two hours? Am I breaking the news to you? Welcome to ESPN, by the way. The news got broken. We'll talk later. When I read the official press release in Variety and it said two hours, I was like, oh, Variety. I guess I should have broken the news to you. It was a couple of days ago, like, we'd like them to do two. And I'm like, man, you and O'Shea Jackson Jr. would do 24 days in a row talking about it.

4:09Rich Eisen:So it's the first PLE on this ESPN app and Disney Plus of the WWE and no contest wrestling. Check it out on the ESPN YouTube and Facebook pages on Saturday. Very excited for that sort of expansion of our world. 844-204-RICH is the number to dial. We keep talking about the firsts this year, right? First week of the season, first barn burner of the season that was a Sunday night football game, to say the least, between the Ravens and the Bills. It's the last time we saw the Bills at home. And in between that game and tonight's Bills next home game, which is a standalone everybody watches contest on prime video um and um before those two games uh we've seen a lot of other firsts which is uh the first team to have to start their backup quarterback san francisco 49ers yes sir um the uh soon this weekend we're going to see the first game between two teams now having to start their backup quarterbacks against one another uh it's the Vikings now and Carson Wentz taking on the Cincinnati Bengals and Jake Browning.

5:27Rich Eisen:The Bengals are the first team in the NFL to potentially lose their quarterback to injury for the entire year. Three months is what we're hearing about for Joe Barone. You hear something that's three months that could easily become four and maybe not coming back at all. Shut it down. You're also seeing a first that we didn't see but heard about. And that's the first team to hold a players-only meeting. And that happened after just one loss by the Miami Dolphins. Two days after getting spanked by the Indianapolis Colts and Danny Diamonds, they held a players-only meeting. And so we have now reached another first.

6:11Rich Eisen:Tonight, the Miami Dolphins are the first team to take the field to potentially play for their coach's job. And it's getting real, real fast for friend of the program, Mike McDaniel in Miami. And it's a far cry from the Dolphins making the playoffs in McDaniel's tenure. And it's a far cry from, if you recall, the massive points of Palooza they put on Sean Payton. if you remember that in Peyton's first year there where the Dolphins had a chance to damn near put up 80 on Denver and this was a team that came out of nowhere and put a whole bunch of points on the Ravens defense earlier in the first month of Mike McDaniel's tenure oh yeah crazy in Miami and we were talking about how this guy is perfect for Tua and Tyreek Hill's coming and talking about how Tua has thrown a better ball than Mahomes.

7:22Rich Eisen:And we've come a long way from all of that. Because now we're wondering if McDaniel is right for Tua or Tua is right for the contract that he's gotten based on some of the McDaniel's right for Tua moments. And this team is not only 0-2, they are a hard 0-2, a blowout loss on the road uncompetitive performance in week one players only meeting two days after five days after the players only meeting a home date with the new england patriots in front of a lot of empty seats in hard rock but that you know might be because it's a billion degrees out of miami and everybody's doing other things but um not a packed house in hard rock one of the people in their seats is Stephen Ross, the owner, and he watches the Patriots take care of business against Miami.

8:20Rich Eisen:And when you lose a division game at home to go 0-2 after a blowout loss that causes you to have a players-only meeting two days after that, five days after that, the dreaded home division loss, if you have that, you're a hard 0-2. Hard 0-2. 0-2 in conference, 0-1 in division, 0-1 at home in division. one for one in terms of week one losses and players only meetings. And there's somebody who's hiring a message to fire everybody on a plane above the stadium. Mike McDaniel spoke this week about his job status and how he's approaching his everyday status himself. I think if I worry about my job security, I won't be doing my job.

9:05And I think that inherently is against all things that I believe in. I've never felt entitled to any sort of I've never felt entitled to this position. And it's very important for me to spend all of my waking hours worrying about exactly how to do my job and what and all the residual effects of that are. There's a lot of people affected. So, yeah, I won't spend one moment thinking about all the things that, I don't know, people, whatever people want me to think about, I'm thinking about this team and the Buffalo Bills here after I get done with this podium.

9:52Rich Eisen:That was postgame on Sunday, and then he shows up on Monday, and he's asked about control of the locker room. again you know in the nfl we we look at head coaches like dan campbell right we're biting kneecap off we're gonna we're gonna come at you we're gonna bark we're gonna hit you big imposing former tight end in this league and then you see a guy who says the word inherently um and you think he can't coach in the nfl i mean did what rex ryan call him nerd boy on get up i mean that he's got glasses by the way hey rex am i a nerd boy for espn radio and sirius xm and our podcast listeners i just put on my my glasses don't answer that right i was about to say is that rhetorical or you know but um that's it it's always the case right in in how visuals do matter right joe tory perfect example perfect example um when he doesn't show he doesn't show any emotion he never did right he used to sit there and everything he was half asleep right and half the time he and don zimmer were probably talking about the ponies that they had just bet on earlier in the day i don't know where they're eating but um you know if you're losing it's just like can you show pulse do you remember kevin mcrennolds in the mets oh yeah right and he he was struggling but he never showed any emotion And I heard from Mets fans, my brother, you know, other friends of mine, who would be just like, can he take a bat to the Gatorade jug just once?

11:27Rich Eisen:So he shows us that it means a lot. Did Kevin Mack hit three home runs? He strike out three times. You don't know. You don't know. So when you're winning, it's just like, boy, this guy just shows no pulse. And it's just like everybody's just following, staying calm and winning. But when you're losing, it's just like, can you show some emotion, please? and you know for McDaniel it's like when you're winning it's like boy this guy's a genius he's thinking next level stuff. Remember we had Andrew Hawkins here who remembers how he was with the Browns on the staff and he was talking about footwork and where to place your feet as a wide receiver and he unlocked him and it unlocked a bunch of people.

12:00Rich Eisen:Guy's a genius. Damn near puts up 80 points on the Denver Broncos he comes back on the Ravens. Tua's playing well. I mean the guy's a genius. Now you start losing and it's just like do you are you a molder of men or are you not? you know you can give me a terrific synonym for the word mold but how about actually molding this team can you can you can you i mean tyree kill is even like you know why are we running behind a fullback and and and and mcdaniel goes to the podium he goes his name's alec ingold we have one

12:36Rich Eisen:so when you lose you get questions like this the day after you're talking about your job status I think if there was anything that would lend me to believe that messages weren't being received, then you address those things. To me, I think I've seen a team that is trying to do everything they can to win and coming up short and pressing forward and trying to change that result. And again, it's part and parcel. That's the way he talks. He's very methodical in choosing his words. He has a large vocabulary. He's a smart guy. and I'm sure people in Miami are like, so when you were asked about control of the locker room, can you just say, I've got it.

13:31Rich Eisen:Next question.

13:35Rich Eisen:Yeah, I've got control of the locker room. Just watch the way we're going to play this weekend. You know, I was talking to the guys the other day. You know, you ask them. Tonight's the rubber meet in the road. I mean, if they get smoked, if it's like a Brandon Staley type blowout, and again, I bring that up again because Brandon Staley lost his gig when he was on the road in division when everyone's wondering, do you have control of the locker room? Do you know what you are doing around here? And he goes to Vegas and damn near, you know, winds up, you know, getting hit by everything, everything from the kitchen sink the Raiders threw at him to Carrot Top.

14:09Rich Eisen:Carrot Top might have come in in here and just started hitting him. That game felt like 70 to nothing. What was the final score? And Al Michaels is just like, shut your mouth, Rich, because I had to call that game and I don't want to fly all the way to Western New York on Air Al to call another one. because everybody's thinking that, and the recent history ain't good. It was 63-21. The Miami Dolphins have lost to the Bills in 13 of the last 14 meetings. The only win is a September 2022 nail-biter in a very hot and humid day in Miami. 21-19 was the final. The Bills have won the last past nine at home.

14:49Rich Eisen:and um the Dolphins most recent win was uh in Orchard Park a uh 34-31 overtime game on Christmas Eve which led to the Bills firing their head coach at the time uh and he's the guy that called Mike McDaniel nerd boy that was his last day as a head coach in the NFL. So, the way through is this. Tua, hold on to the ball. Tua, make your connections. Tua, don't turn it over. And I understand I'm laying a lot at the feet of the quarterback, but it's a quarterback-driven league. Just look at the other guy tonight who was playing the position. See what he does. They came up with a 20-point win in New York just five days ago.

15:36Rich Eisen:He didn't do anything. And he didn't score. He didn't count for a single touchdown. James Cook did for two. And that's the way through as well. Devin Achan, that's the guy. Achan scored the only touchdown for the Dolphins in week one. Yeah, he's a good. He scored again in week two on a 29-yard pass from Tua. He almost scored a second time. If he didn't step out of bounds, then everything else that happened after that where the Patriots put a sack of palooza on Tua to end the game, it would have been Drake May trying to win it. Yep. a chance the way through especially when the guys right up the middle Ed Oliver and Matt Milano are out that's the way through through the tackles can they hit people in the mouth and can you win the game for your coach do you believe in him or not because if you go to 0-3 and you get blown out and you don't have another non-compete game in front of the whole country I don't know what Steven Ross is going to do

16:34Rich Eisen:um two is oh and two for the first time in his career he i mean this we're we're in the land of the unknown for the dolphins because they'd be oh and three and a hard oh and three because now you're oh and two in division and the team that's roosted atop your division has just beaten you i know it's kind of unfair to lay all the eggs in this basket when it's a short week game in division in a very tough place to play as we saw for the Ravens and week one. And we'll see for every other team that walks into this building in the last year of this building, people are looking at every single game as a last year and a first there.

17:11Rich Eisen:It's a big one tonight on Thursday night football. I think I've set the stage for the stakes. We got a fun show in store. Dean Blandino, the former head of NFL officiating, now a rules analyst for fox i called him in person to the studio i mean i texted him okay um but he's coming here nice he said he's done with the tush push done with it that's what he said during the broadcast i'm done with this so uh we're gonna talk with him about the the first two weeks of season um and uh then in um our number three the uh star one of the stars uh of the new movie him tyreek withers who plays the quarterback in question he's in studio hour three apparently he has as many uh different teams that he roots for as you do tj so we spread the love around including florist state you share a lot i know he played um he played there um but first up tim Tebow.

18:11Rich Eisen:Let's talk college football. Let's talk Tebow time. Let's just go down memory lane with the highly popular T squared here on the Rich Eisen show, 844-204-RICH to have a chat with us.

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20:24Rich 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. The Rich Eisen Show podcast. Back here on the Rich Eisen Show, everybody. Here on ESPN Radio presented by Progressive Insurance. It's been a very long time since I've chatted with you. Is this the first time he's joined our program? I think it is. I got to think so. I think so. We're turning 11 next month. Ladies and gentlemen, courtesy of Allstate, ESPN, and so much more, Tim Tebow, everybody.

21:07Thank you so much for having me. Come on, it's been way too long since I've talked to you. So it's good to connect, man.

21:14Rich Eisen:Well, Tim, I think pop it up on the screen. I just heard. I've just been surprised by my own team. We have a photograph. Look at us. Look at the baby faces on the screen right there. Wow. Look at that. I wish I got to see it. Come on. That's it right there. That's it. That's where we're little babies in 2012. This is a Super Bowl in 2012. Back in the day, man. And look at you now. You're fine wine. Look, I don't know what's happened to me. You know what I mean? I've fallen apart. All I know is the run, Rich, run, man. Your form's getting better every year. I love it. I mean, most of us just decline in our athleticism.

21:55and you just continue to grow and adapt and improve. I love it.

21:59Rich Eisen:I appreciate that, Tim. It's good to see you. So let's talk a little ball first before we get into the matter at hand about what's going on. I'll just jump in and give you the floor on what's happening at your alma mater and your two cents and what's happening there. Tim, what do you think? Well, I actually think that there's a lot. People won't fully understand this, but there's a lot to actually be encouraged about If you actually watch the All-22 and the coaches tape, you go to Death Valley at night against one of the top teams in the country. And for a lot of areas, you match them stride for stride.

22:35And in some areas, you outperform them. But you're just not going to win with five turnovers. I don't care what level. When you lose five turnovers to, I believe, one, you're not going to win. When your defense really shuts them to 10 points, but the offense gives them another 10. Like, it's just, it's too hard to win, especially in the SEC at night. And so I think when you really look at it, there's a lot to be encouraged, but you have to win in situational football. And you, there's a reason why those always get talked about as the fundamentals, turnovers, scoring in the red zone, penalties, third downs.

23:10There's just certain things that are always the basics. And you have a team that in areas of playing really well, but in some of the fundamentals, the penalties, the turnovers, scoring in the red zone. when you lose all of those, it makes it almost impossible to win the game. And so that's just areas. The situational football is where we have to improve.

23:31Rich Eisen:Which is the best team in the SEC through the first almost month of the season then, would you say, Tim? I think the first team that came to my head was probably Oklahoma. When you look at their violent, aggressive defense, when John Matier as a quarterback, he's fun to watch. He's twitchy. He's a twitchy dude. I think he's probably kind of has a little bit of that Johnny Manziel twitch in the pocket, ability to get it out really fast, super accurate. Their receivers, underrated, can make a lot of plays, like just can take the top off. I'm excited to see when they get more of these backs going, Jaden Ott and some of these other guys going.

24:15I think they can improve their running game. but that Michigan team was a good team that the game was closer the score was closer than I think the than I think it really was like they really dominated a lot of that Michigan had the one big play to start the second half and and made it feel closer but that was a really good performance by by Oklahoma but I also think you cannot take Auburn lightly this weekend because they're much improved Jackson Arnold be a good storyline coming back to Norman but they're getting better And Auburn's receivers are pretty darn athletic. And they can take the top off and make big plays.

24:55And their defense is approved. So I'm excited. We actually will fly to Norman here in a couple of hours to be a part of that for SEC Nation. So it'll be fun.

25:03Rich Eisen:Yeah, I can understand why you'd think Mateer is fun to watch. But, you know, I did go to the University of Michigan. That was not fun to watch. And I can confirm to you, Tim, that the scoreboard difference felt much larger watching, that it felt as if this thing was over. And obviously I was hoping that there would be some form of a Tebow time like comeback, you know, with a few minutes to go, but that did not materialize, Tim. But you have to be encouraged by Bryce Underwood. Oh my God. I've never seen, Tim, I'll say to you what I've said here. um i i have you know i went to school starting there in 1986 so from harbaugh to the present day i've seen michigan quarterbacks including brady um including name it uh chad henny had a big arm um joe milton while he had a cup of coffee there obviously had a big arm i've never seen a an arm like this attached to a body like that in one human being playing quarterback for michigan ever ever it's rich it's so crazy so um we uh flew to pasadena for the cover shoot for the ea sports game and so there's all these different players that you know ryan williams and uh jeremiah smith and everyone and bryce underwood is there and he's right beside me as we're taking some of the photos and i'm uh standing beside coach day and some of the other coaches and we're talking and i'm like looking and i'm like it's my first time to see him i've seen some of his tape but it's my first time to see him up close and personal and i'm like holy cow like it's this is crazy like it's what it's what a lot of people see the think the first time they see cam newton is you're like whoa like it's just different it's right it's just i'm not saying other guys aren't athletic or gifted at all you're just saying like wow like when when god made him he just made him bigger stronger, faster.

27:01Like he's just gifted. Like it's just different. And you're like, he, he, like his size and his length and the physicality, you, he looks like he's 24 and, and, you know, it just, it's so gifted and I'm really excited to see. And everybody's like, well, week one, week two, you know, and you're like, no, he's still a baby and he's got to give time to develop and learn and just because you're that talented doesn't mean everything's going to come easy and I actually think that he's handled the pressure really well I'm excited to see you know what he's going to become because his gifts are just off the charts yeah we had him here in studio uh in the