Hour 1: Rams-Broncos, Cowboys-Ravens, JJ McCarthy to Giants, plus ESPN’s Nick Saban

0:00Rich Eisen:ESPN's going to Super Bowl 61 and so can you. Enter for a chance to win the trip of a lifetime. Four tickets to Super Bowl 61, plus a three-night stay at Disneyland Resort where you and up to three guests can enjoy the magic of Disney, plus the Super Bowl champion cavalcade. Enter at www.espn.com slash sblxi by December 31st, 2026 for your chance to win. No purchase necessary. Ends 12-31-26 at 11-59 p.m. Eastern. Open only to legal residents of the 50 U.S. states and Washington, D.C., who are 18-plus at time of entry. For odds of winning and full official rules, visit www.espn.com slash sblxi.

0:29Rich Eisen:Void where prohibited. This is the Rich Eisen Show. Hey, 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. I'm guaranteed the Cowboy will win 17 straight games. This is the Rich Eisen Show. One second left on the clock. Tyler Luke. Good. The Ravens. Wow. Winning in Rio. From the Rich Eisen Show studio in Los Angeles.

1:16Rich Eisen:Today's guests. Seven-time National Championship head coach Nick Saban. ESPN NFL analyst Marcus Spears. And now, Rich Eisen. Well, hey, everybody. Welcome to this edition of the Rich Eisen Show live on Disney Plus ESPN app, ESPN Radio Sirius XM Channel 80, one of the greats of all time. Nick Saban's 20 minutes away from chatting with us. Our usual Monday chat with Marcus Spears, top of hour number two. He's in Chicago for the week three finale between the Eagles and the Chicago Bears on ESPN tonight. Big game for both. Obviously, the Eagles trying to join a host of teams at 3-0. That includes the Las Vegas Raiders.

2:06Rich Eisen:That's right. Lots going on in our world. 844-204-RICH is the number to dial to chat with us on, wait for it, the WeatherTech fan line. Oh, that's fun. It only took almost 12 years for this show to get a concert fan line. All right. 844-204-RICH is the number to dial on all that. Good to see you over there, Chris Brockman. How are you? I mean, fine, I guess. I know. Now, listen, overreaction Monday. The podcast should be in RSS feeds all over the place shortly. You and I just recorded that. Listen, your Patriots took it on the chin. I am going to have to apparently put a chin strap on this program.

2:41Rich Eisen:At some point, George Kittle said he would send me his Iowa helmet for me to wear to pay off a bet. Should Iowa beat Michigan? Which it did in the final second, which was much to the delight of everybody that thought Michigan got too many seconds earlier on this year. but yes there's all of us to uh uh sort of huddle together and hug it out good to see you mike good morning rich tj jefferson i'll hug it out with you for a final second loss as well in rio de janeiro yeah i got i don't know what to say aren't you glad you didn't go i mean no by all the way down this hemisphere to watch that oh no i still would have preferred okay and we'll talk about that um in short order but we have to start this program with the sunday night football game in what prior to the season would be billed as a Super Bowl 61 potential preview.

3:35Rich Eisen:And coming out of it, I would say we'd sign for that game to happen where it would come down to the final second, filled with some controversial calls by the officiating and the final throws of that game. and the Denver Broncos, once again, getting it done in the second half. I don't know how often they're going to be able to win these types of games, but guess what? They're used to it. They did it all last year, and a lot of folks would think, well, they're going to be able to do it again this year, and the answer is yes. First time the Denver Broncos have ever won back-to-back games when trailing by 10 or more points in the second half.

4:22Rich Eisen:They trailed by 10 against the Jaguars in week two and trailed 16 to nothing in this one. They overcame a halftime deficit of 16 or more points for the first time since week six of 2012. And they won it because they dominated the third quarter in a way that they were just like they were dominated in the first two quarters of this game by the Rams, who made it look easy early on in this game. They were getting their yards whenever they wanted it, on the ground, in the air. Stafford wanted to find Devontae Adams. Check that box. He wanted to find one of his 19 tight ends. Check that box. You want to run it with Kyron or Balake Karoum?

5:04Rich Eisen:Check that box. Balake. You want to put the pressure on Bo Nix? Check that box. You want to take their running game and Jalen Waddell out? Check that box, too. They were checking boxes everywhere. Then they came out in the second half and got the Broncos three and out in their first possession. Just when you thought this thing was over, the Rams started making mistakes. The Broncos started making their offense hum. They got them out of that too deep shell that Chris Collinsworth was talking about nonstop. And suddenly, this two-point conversion to Jalen Waddell over Josh Wallace, you're like okay Nix is on point Waddle's making his plays they're scoring touchdowns and the two point conversions to tie it here we go and that's when Josh Wallace picks off Bo Nix and begins to flip the script but the Rams had to settle for another Meevis field goal and if you get too much Meevis you might wind up being the butthead oh you went that way No, but listen, in all honesty, the Rams kept on settling for field goals in this game.

6:23Rich Eisen:And you could feel like this was now the Rams game after they took that three-point lead and got the ball back. And not only get the ball back, Devontae Adams goes and scampers for half the field. and it looks like just put yet more yards together, more first downs together, and even settle for another Meeves field goal and you're up by six instead of pick six happens. Let me tell you something about this Hufunga guy. That was crazy. Talanoa Hufunga. Man, when the Niners lost him, I'm wondering why are they not keeping him? Again, it's all about the Caps, right? But Hufunga, man. He had a sack and two interceptions in the fourth quarter, including the game sealer.

7:14Rich Eisen:Only two players have done that in a single quarter, not just the fourth. Since 1982, Carlos Dansby did it against the Giants in the opener of 2005. I didn't think I'd be mentioning his name today. Dansby also had a pick six. And Hufanga had the game sealing interception as well. but in between those in between those moments after throwing the pick six Stafford leads the team right down the field like it didn't happen that's what happens when you got yourself a Hall of Fame quarterback fresh off of an MVP season who's used to throwing pick sixes it was his 33rd of his career I didn't know that he had the most in the history of the NFL also on the night where he became the first player in the history of the NFL to throw for 20 ,000 yards for two separate franchises.

8:04Rich Eisen:Unbelievable. He's got over 20 ,000 yards as a ram now. That's wild. But that's what happens when you throw pick sixes and you've been at it long enough. You could just, well, you're like a closer who blows a save one game and comes back the next day and it's baseball. Like, you know, then you pitch an immaculate inning and that's the way it goes. And it was almost an immaculate drive for Stafford. Just drove him right down the field. Touchdown, they take the lead again. and now Bo Nix has got to score a touchdown to win this thing or settle for a field goal to force overtime. And all they have to do is make sure Stafford doesn't get enough time.

8:40Rich Eisen:And that's what Davis Webb was doing, dialing up the plays in the second half to the Broncos and no doubt we would assume Sean Payton's liking. And the time was ticking down and Nix on third down, He's throwing it, what I thought, away towards Pat Bryant and Josh Wallace, who had already picked him off, seemingly picked him off again in an incredible battle for the football with Bryant. And he got the ball in his hands and a knee down, except for the fact that the official behind the play saw what you're seeing on the screen. Disney Plus ESPN app you can see what you're seeing on the screen for the radio audience it's from behind and what it looks like is Bryant is being shoved in his side by the left hand and forearm of Wallace as Bryant is flailing for a football that bounces off him out comes the flag for defensive pass interference off goes the interception possibility which would have sealed the game for the Rams, most likely.

9:55Rich Eisen:And back come the Broncos with a fresh set of downs. And they got another fresh set of downs on an illegal hands to the face on Quentin Lake that was just seemingly like a brush, but he did get him in the head. And Sean McVay and the Rams are left wondering what the hell just happened. Because the front end of that play between Bryant and Wallace, that another official had a clear view of and didn't throw the flag after staring right at it showed that Bryant had Wallace by his right shoulder and was dragging Wallace with him. And it was, if anything, in my mind, offensive pass interference and a remarkable interception.

10:39Rich Eisen:It's the way I saw it. It's the way Terry McCauley saw it. It's the way Chris Collinsworth saw it. It's the way most people watching that game saw it. I know you feel differently, Chris, that you saw the hands on Bryant.

10:59Rich Eisen:But at the end of the day, the official who threw the flag saw what is on the screen right here, which is a guy who is flailing and has a defender's hand on his side. and you can't see the fact that Bryant has a fistful of Wallace dragging him along and that is a bitter pill to swallow although I'm sure Sean Payton would sit here and say a pass interference call going our way against the Rams in the final seconds of a game well the football gods have owed me that for years were showing the moment on the screen radio audience from the NFC Championship game a few years ago. Now, of course, Rams fans would point out this game did go to overtime and the Rams had to win it in overtime.

11:55Rich Eisen:Last night's game did not. But I'm sure part of Sean Payton as he's looking at the ceiling, you know. So, unbelievable moment right there. Sean McVay had this to say about the non-pass interference call that went against him last night. Yeah, you know what, I'll look at it. It looked like it was a good competitive play from my vantage point, but we'll go back and look at it and we'll see what they say. That's it. McVay's not going to get fined. He's not here so you don't get fined. He's too smart for that. He was locked in on that. So, listen, at the end of the day, The Broncos get the win. They're 2-1 now.

12:41Rich Eisen:They're 2-1. And basically, they should have alumni weekend every single weekend. Because, you know, it was alumni weekend where they had the alumni back last night. You know the last time they had alumni weekend? It was against the Giants last year. Remember that one? It was the last time they scored 30 or more points in the second half after being shut out through halftime. That's not happened twice. Happened last year? Happened this year when alumni weekend's back. So, come on. Let's go. Let's get them all. Now we got the muscle. Let's get Elway back. Let's get Shannon back in there. Let's just run it back, man.

13:18Rich Eisen:And the Broncos are now 2-1 after that brutal season opening performance in Kansas City that did not go their way. They're at San Francisco next in a must-have week four game for both, one would think. I mean, it's must-see. Let's put it that way. And then you got the Chargers here in Los Angeles, and the Chargers have their backs against the wall. My goodness gracious, because they're now 0-3 after a game in Buffalo that they almost had but then didn't. And then next up for the Chargers is at Seattle. They could be 0-4, backs totally against the wall with the Broncos strolling in. And as for the Rams, that's a bitter pill.

14:01It stunk to lose that way.

14:04Rich Eisen:But at the end of the day, at the end of the day, Donald is still only playing half the snaps. Miles Garrett hasn't played since that week one. And nor has Puka. And they're both going to come back, and they almost pulled this thing off in Denver at the end of the day in Denver without those folks. And their next games are at Philadelphia and then home for Buffalo on a Monday night or back on the Disney family of networks at home on a Monday night against Buffalo before their schedule, if you will, softens. And the amazing thing is that the soft part of the schedule might be the Chargers, not the Raiders, who are 3-0.

14:52Rich Eisen:Nor Washington, who they might get Jaden Daniels back and see their offense run less efficiently than what we saw on Sunday against the Seattle Seahawks. Mariota was pretty good. Not concerned about the Rams in the long run. And Denver is coming up with these wins, pulling it out of their orifice, which totally makes sense because that's the way that they win with Bo Nix and this team. It would be great if they get a lead early and then just play defense because they got the defense for it. But Stafford did almost throw for 400 yards against this defense with Devontae Adams as his main receiver.

15:28Rich Eisen:Mumfield is a guy who he could target every now and then. A bunch of his tight ends. No Puka. Can you imagine Puka's out there running around? And then Miles Garrett with Donald, once he gets all his full seed legs under him, that's what the Rams are just going to be banking on after all that. Lots to talk about just in this first hour of the program because there's breaking news that I'll react to. The Giants have traded for a quarterback. And you kind of got the sense this could be possible because it's Kyler Murray's show to run now in Minnesota with Carson Wentz behind him. And for that game in Tampa on Sunday, they did not dress J.J.

16:05Rich Eisen:McCarthy because he's now a New York Giant. Wow. After all. Wow. If you recall... I brought that up. If you recall, just as a first blush, and we'll hit it again shortly, if you recall, there was a question, would the Giants take J.J. McCarthy or not? they went Malik neighbors instead and then went Jackson Dart the next year and now they've got Jackson Dart and J.J. McCarthy on the same roster and McCarthy's got a hell of an opportunity does he not we'll talk about that in short order but we'll take a break to make sure we're on time for Nick Saban because I don't want him to be angry isn't that the way most people probably operate around him yes very much so nick saban is going to join us in support of the new documentary on his career a six-part espn original docuseries called saban how'd they come up with that name that's next but when you run a small business you don't just do the job we've been talking about gusto for a while because they're an online payroll and benefit software built for small businesses so if you've got a small business and you're doing everything guess what gusto's all in one remote friendly incredibly easy to use so you can pay higher onboard and support your team from anywhere unlimited payrolls for just one monthly price no hidden fees no surprises save time with built-in automated tools offer letters onboarding docs direct deposit and more it's quick and simple to switch to gusto just transfer your existing data to get up and running fast plus don't pay a cent until you run your first payroll try gusto today at gusto.com slash rich and get three months free when you run your first payroll.

17:47Rich Eisen:That's three months of free payroll at gusto.com slash rich. One more time, gusto.com slash rich. Nick Saban will join us next on the Rich Eisen Show.

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18:44Rich Eisen:Join our fight at HyundaiWarriors.com. Taking a quick break to tell you how Saturday's game time can get a little messy. Your crew just came over to watch. Snacks on the table, drinks in hand, and somebody celebrating like they just won the whole season and beyond. And when that energy gets going, your walls can end up taking the hit. Whether it's a big spill or a noticeable scuff, that's where bare ultra-interior paint comes in. It adds an extra-durable, stain-blocking finish that helps your walls hold up for the whole season. It also delivers outstanding coverage and hide in fewer coats with easy application and a smooth, even finish that goes on clean from the first pass.

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19:36Rich Eisen:The Rich Eisen Show podcast. Talking about J.J. McCarthy being acquired by the Giants, who apparently have lost Brian Burns for the year now with an ACL. So they're a quarterback, and then arguably their best defensive player has been removed with knee surgery, which is just brutal. But Jameis, again, didn't look good in the loss to the Rams, and you could potentially chalk it up to the fact that the team was shocked and he wasn't the answer against a defense that's pretty damn good and then against a Titans defense that is definitely the team's strength right now on a brutal weather day Jameis is the starting quarterback and the Giants don't put a lot of points on the board and damn near almost lost it at the end Titans almost pulled that one out of the fire but they are two and one the Giants are two and one and their next games are home for Arizona at Washington home for New Orleans at Houston which doesn't appear to be as crazy an assignment as before and the question is how quickly can they coach up J.J.

20:54Rich Eisen:McCarthy and when are you going to throw him in and you can't make it up anybody who thinks that just being benched or being shut down on the depth chart is the end of your career in the NFL I don't know how many times we can keep proving that's not the case over and over and over again. So J.J. McCarthy is now a giant. Go figure that. 844-204-RICH is the number to dial right here on the Rich Eisen Show. Pleased and honored to have this man on the program. Best of the best. And his life and times and coaching career is now part of a six-part ESPN original docuseries from ESPN in Words and Pictures that premieres Thursday, October 8th at 6 Eastern on ESPN.

21:37Rich Eisen:All six episodes will be bingeable on the spot on the ESPN app. Ladies and gentlemen, Nick Saban here on the program. How are you coach? Good to see you man. I'm great. I just had a question for you before we get started. You know having seen you run the 40 at the combine. Yes. I was just wondering if we could have implemented that speed into the Michigan-Iowa game this week and maybe impact it a little different in some kind of way. Yeah, you know what? I was looking for that extra second on the clock this time around. Didn't get it. Didn't get it. But, yes, you can't teach what beats inside.

22:15Rich Eisen:I don't know if you're aware of that. You know what I mean? Like, that's the way I roll. And plus, you know, it's now the logo of the program. But it's good to see you. It's good to see you. Why did you, you know, I guess, assent to having a six part documentary series on your life and career? Nick? Well, a lot of people wanted me to write a book, which I wrote a book back in 2003 after winning a national championship at LSU. And I said, never again. But I did think that maybe having something that was a navigation of developing a program and to be able to see all the people who had some impact on that, whether it was when you're growing up as a kid, friends, family, coaches, players, all those things that help you, you know, sort of develop that would actually be fun.

23:16for fans to be able to get sort of an inside out look at, you know, competition in college athletics. And, you know, there were a lot of things that contributed to that. You know, there were like 70 people that got interviewed for this. And so it gives a lot of personal perspective from a lot of different angles. and one thing that Alabama never told me that I never knew was happening because I would never let the media in the locker room after the game. I thought there was a time when the coach-team relationship was really, really important. What you said to the team was not for public information.

23:59Well, Alabama was doing an archive on all those things and team meetings and all this. I never even knew that stuff existed. I didn't know there was something when I told, you know, Tua that he was going in at halftime for Jalen. I didn't know any of that existed. So to see all that sort of inside out sort of stuff that happens behind the scenes, I thought would be very, very interesting for, you know, fans in terms of, you know, the competitive nature of sports, which you see and make an external sort of opinion about how things might be happening. But this is a real live look at it from inside out.

24:46And it goes all the way back to when I was a kid growing up, you know, how I never really ever wanted to be a coach. And because I was going to stay and go to graduate school because Miss Terry had another year of school. That's how James got me to get into coaching. So a lot of crazy stuff that people probably don't know that may be interesting that I think if you can see it, it's better than reading it.

25:11Rich Eisen:Well, I mean, in terms of, you know, doing my job, Nick, I like to ask questions I only already know the answer to. You know, it's kind of like scripting, you know, first 15 in a way. and you kind of just took one of my questions and also my breath away at the same time here about did you learn anything that you didn't already know by having seen all this and um did you also did you just say that there's video of you telling Tua he's going in the national championship game at halftime and that's part of saving the stock you said is that what you said that's in there it's in there I didn't even know it existed so wow wow just so um is there video of you I don't think they got video of me talking to Tua in the locker room after the game.

25:59Well, Tua told me that's the angriest he's ever made you. He told me that. I mean, I was like broke the headset when he took a sack because it was the last thing I told him. You can't take a sack in this situation. We held them to three points. We can extend the game with a field goal. Don't take a sack. Yeah, first thing, not just a sack, a 16-yard sack going backwards. So I tell him after the game, I'm trying to have a teaching moment with him, and I say to him, can't take a sack in that situation. You know, it could have cost us the game because it knocked us out of field goal range. And he looks at me, serious as a judge, and says, Coach, we just needed more room to throw the ball.

26:49I'm like, you got to be kidding me.

26:53Rich Eisen:I couldn't do anything but laugh. Right. I mean, you did win the game, I guess, thanks to that throw to Devontae Smith. And so what did you tell Jalen Hurts, though, coach, at that time? Well, I think there's some historical data that goes with all this, which I think the documentary, this is the kind of stuff that you go behind the scenes and gets to see is, you know, people don't understand we had three or four first round draft pick receivers on this team at this point in his career you know even though jayton was 26 and two he was a great athlete and he ran and he made yards and he made plays but he wasn't like as developed as a passer as he became later in his career and tua even though he was a freshman was sort of a natural you know when he came in.

27:48So we played Tua as much as we could, knowing that we were going to have to play somebody at some point in time. We're going to have to get all these great receivers more involved in the game. And obviously the Georgia game, you know, half their front seven played for the Philadelphia Eagles. So we couldn't run the ball in the first half of the game. And I just, I always had it in my mind that there's going to come a time when we're going to have to get these other guys involved in the game. And Tua would be maybe a better option at that point in time to be able to do that. So, and 13-0 at halftime, we couldn't run the ball.

28:24We weren't very effective throwing it. The receivers weren't having any impact on the game. So, you know, these kind of decisions are only good ones when they work out. This one worked out, so it turned out okay.