Hour 2: Cardinals HC Mike LaFleur & Buccaneers HC Todd Bowles, plus NBA Playoffs

21:37They're working out, meeting with them, getting accustomed to the scheme again, changing a few things. Obviously, with a new offensive coordinator, it'll be new to them. terminology and all. Then we have the rookies coming in next weekend for mini camp on Mother's Day weekend, and then they get acclimated through camp, and then they get to stay after that with the veterans, and they will continue to get on the field activities and get them caught up. So by training camp, you know, they'll be playing fast and hopefully know everything.

22:04Rich Eisen:So when you and the Buccaneers were gaming out, mocking the draft and figuring out scenarios and how to plan because it's not easy to pick at 15 you know um obviously picking higher is better for a prospect that but it's also not great for your prospects with a regular season record um and picking lower uh obviously means you've done well sitting there right in the middle uh is you've done well enough but it is also a tough spot for you to game out and mock how many times did you have reuben bain dropping to you coach we didn't have him drop until us at one time in the draft, but we said if, you know, he's one of the guys that we know if he fell, we would take him automatically, no questions asked.

22:47And he was one of, he was the one that fell. So, you know, we were more than happy to get him, extremely surprised to get him, but extremely happy to get him.

22:56Rich Eisen:Well, I mean, his tape is off the charts and I'm sure you're aware of the conversation about his arm length and all that business. What's your opinion of that and how it translates to his success at the next level well mike tyson has short arms and he he fared out pretty good for us um the biggest thing with a pass rusher and somebody of that nature you know he plays the game with the right demeanor but even with the arms being short you never see him rushing down the middle of an offensive lineman he has a very good array of pass rush moves and he's really good with his hands understanding when to shoot him and when not to shoot him and go around that way from a past Russian standpoint.

23:37We felt really good about that. Well, I mean, speaking of demeanor, he looked pissed, not about going to you,

23:44Rich Eisen:but just about sitting in the green room for as long as he did. Did you get that sense from him? I don't know if he was pissed. He's just a very confident guy, and he's a very high, strong type of player that likes to show his emotions on his sleeve and let you know where he's coming from. So I think he was just ready to get to work, and he was excited to get to work. Well, that's a fire that I'm sure you can stoke, right? Love it. Love it to death. I hope it spreads. I bet. You know, and some of the things that we were talking about, too, about Bain during the draft and his arm length is, you know, Shaq Barrett being on the Bucs, a similar situation, but he was dominant in your defense while he was there.

24:27Is that something also that you're gaming out right there with Reuben Bain, coach? Yeah, hopefully. He has very good hands, just like Shaq has. Shaq had very good hands and a knack for rushing the passer and knowing what to do. I think Bain has the same type of hands, probably uses them differently. He's probably a little more violent with his hands than Shaq was, but Shaq was a superb pass rusher. We like everything Ruben's done on film. He's playing against five stars and all Americans every day, so we think it'll translate.

24:57Rich Eisen:Todd Bowles here on the Rich Eisen Show. When was the first time you met Jeremiah Trotter? Coach? I met Jeremiah Trotter about five years ago. That's it? You never crossed paths at all? I know your playing days were before his and your coaching days were. Oh, and the dad. I'm talking about him. I'm thinking of just not. I said Jeremiah. I met Jeremiah quite a few years ago. I bet. I've known him for a little while. So I met him a few years ago. And then both of our kids probably about five years ago were at a workout college day at Clemson. And they were both juniors in high school. It was Josiah and that was my son.

25:35And they were at a workout. And I ran in Jeremiah right there, too, as well. And it's ironic that we ended up with Josiah right now.

25:43Rich Eisen:Isn't it amazing how football life works, right, that you draft that kid from that day that you met five years ago? It really is unbelievable. I mean, so is Jeremiah a helicopter dad? What type of dad is he going to be with his kid on your team, do you think? I think it would be great. I mean, he still has one on the Eagles as well. So I think he'll be flying back and forth and he'll see them both. I think he's very proud of them. And you can tell by the way he plays that he learned a lot from his father. What do you make of Josiah and how you can work him into your defense? I mean, you got Bain and you got Josiah Trotta here in your first two picks.

26:22Rich Eisen:And we see the whole draft up there. I'll give you the floor on him. And anybody else you want to highlight that's on the screen right there from your draft, Coach? Well, he plays with the same demeanor that Bain plays with. He's a very thick, physical linebacker that can run. He's a heck of a blitzer, so we'll utilize him that way as well. But people underestimate his coverage skills. Really love where he's at. I'm really excited to see Ted Hurst play. I think he did some great things at Georgia State. I think he's really a hidden project right there that can really help us. And he's a very talented guy, so I was excited to have him.

26:58Obviously, Keontae Scott, we thought he'd be gone as well. Love the way he plays with the energy and the passion he plays with. He's a heck of a blitzer. He's a cover guy. He can tackle. He's not afraid of anything. So I'm very excited to have him get him worked in. He can do a lot of things for us. He plays anywhere from nickel, the corner, to safety, to linebacker. So, you know, he'll be a great piece to have going forward. And then Capehart, who's a big body forward technique that can play across the line, really ran well, like a 4 '8 something. Very strong hands, so we understand that as well.

27:34And then we got Shrop from Notre Dame. I think he's a very good guard. He's tough. He's physical. He can play. And, you know, our two guards got hurt last year, so he adds some depth to us. And Bauer Sharp is a very talented athletic tight end that we think we can develop. And he's very good down the field, and he's a willing blocker, and he sticks his face in there. And we just think he'll get better with time.

27:57Rich Eisen:Isn't it great that you don't have to choose a quarterback? I mean, in a draft. You know what I mean? I'm so happy we don't. I'm sure. You know what I mean? Like, it is where you go in a draft room and it's just like, okay, that's fine. Everyone else, you can choose one. You got yours, right? I'm very happy to have Baker, believe me. What have you learned about him that you didn't know over the couple years that you've had him as your QB coach? You know, you didn't know exactly the leadership qualities off the field and not just from the offense. I think he helps the defense just as much as he helps the offense.

28:35He runs sprints with the linebackers. He sits down at the cafeteria with these guys. He relates to these guys off the field and whether it's trash talking, just being funny or just understanding the game and trying to help guys out. I did not know that before we got him. I think that's a great quality to have. and he understands he can read a room probably better than anybody he's one to root for i met

28:58Rich Eisen:a young man uh at saint jude uh in memphis uh when i went there for my run and don't worry i'm not going to be on your draft board anytime soon with my run um and he's a kid from oklahoma and uh 11 year old and he was wearing a baker mayfield bucks jersey because he's been a baker fan forever and he's one to root for. You know what I mean? Like it's pretty cool just to see Baker's reach at this point of his career. You know, when you get to know him as a person, you really root for him as a player more than just seeing him being an underdog on the field. Once you know the guy off the field, he's really down to earth, easy to talk to, very bright, helps out anybody no matter what, doesn't look for credit, doesn't look to stand out.

29:46He's really a heck of a guy and a heck of a person off the field,

29:49Rich Eisen:which really makes you root corn on the field. No doubt about it. Losing Mike Evans, coach, I was stunned. I'm wondering from your perspective how you took Mike Evans going to San Francisco and no longer being a Buccaneer. I mean, it was a huge loss. Everybody felt it. Somebody has been with the organization forever and holds all the records offensively and the presence he had on and off the field to all the guys on the team, that was a big blow from that standpoint but we understand he's got himself in a position to make that type of decision and we had to respect that as well and we all love mike here he knows how he feels about him we'll always feel that way about him but we do have to turn the page and we do have a lot of receivers in that room that are eager to prove themselves and some are already proven and we can only get better from there and we're going to tweak some things and we're going to go forward that way yeah and we had levante david in our guest chair just a few weeks ago talking about his decision to finally retire and no longer play football.

30:51Rich Eisen:So your challenge finding the leadership void to be filled is what? What is the plan that you have and the people that you might try to coach up or lean on whose job it is now to fill such a massive amount of leadership shoes like Mike Evans being in San Francisco and Levante being a retiree? It's already taken place defensively. I think with the additions of A'shaun Robinson, he's already stepped up and speaking. And Nacho, Rakim Nunez, Roaches have stepped up, obviously, as well. We have Vita, and we have Kansi and Yaya speaking up, as well as Winfield and as well as Tykee Smith. So we have a lot of guys defensively that's stepping up.

31:33And Baker on offense, along with Godwin, along with Worth, and along with Graham Barton and Bredesen, those guys have really stepped up and started speaking. and it won't be the same type of leadership, but you need different leadership as you go along in this ball game and different guys stepping forward, and it's a great challenge for them.

31:50Rich Eisen:Two other things for you, Todd Bowles, before I let you go on with your Tuesday. You were the first head coach for Sam Darnold. What did you think of on Super Sunday watching him lift that trophy for the Seahawks? I was so happy for him, so proud of him, the journey he took and the way he went about it and the class he went about it with and never deterred from who he was and who he was trying to be. And he stuck with it and he got some experience and he bounced around a few places and he really found the home there. He did a great job in Minnesota the year before and then going to Seattle and winning the Super Bowl.

32:24It came full circle for him and just seeing the journey that he took, I appreciate it more than anything and I'm very happy for him.

32:32Rich Eisen:As a coach, to see somebody resilient and take moments that weren't going his way and to somehow find the reserve and keep on chugging. I imagine that's a coaching point for others, do you think? It is. In a business where people make their minds up for you when you listen and you don't stick to your guns, you don't fare too well, but he stuck to his guns and he stuck to who he was and he did it his way and he had the same class and respect when he won as he did when he was going through his journey of rough times. I can appreciate that, and I really have a lot of respect for them that way. What's the Buccaneers Coaching Academy that got announced this morning, Todd?

33:15Oh, what's that? The Glazer family has come up with this. We're going on our third year in a row now of the coaching academy, just trying to get people into the NFL, get an NFL experience coaching that probably would never get a shot otherwise because you have to climb a ladder in such ways. So we bring in people from all over the country, and we narrowed down to 25 people that come in during mini camp. Then we narrowed down to five people going into training camp and we give them the opportunity to coach NFL ball. It gives us as coaches a chance to see them and teach and learn from them. It gives them a chance to learn and get NFL experience and really see what it takes to coach and get better that way.

33:57And, you know, when you have changes every year, sometimes those people come about and you never forget them, but it really gives them a chance to do some coaching. It's a different avenue of just going through the process of trying to hire coaches on the outside. And the Glazers family does a great job trying to bring people in and fresh new faces that nobody knows to get to know and learn from and see if they can cut the mustard in the NFL.

34:21Rich Eisen:I'm just curious, who enters a program like this? High school level? Pop Warner? High school, Pop Warner, some UFL coaches, college coaches it comes from everywhere it comes from everywhere overseas we've had a lot of foreigners from overseas as well so we kind of span the globe on this thing it's not just in the U.S. yeah I love that Buccaneers Coaching Academy that was announced this morning just make sure if you join that do not sit in the front right seat of the bus don't do that that's the first order of business yeah that's a problem love chatting with you todd bowles thanks for joining i appreciate it appreciate it right you got it that's the head coach of the tampa bay bucking one of our favorites coach on bowls right there on the program love that hey superstitious just like us by the way what's your superstar nestle's crunch yeah outstanding that's yours well i mean you add you add the uh mooch would throw the snickers on the set well mooch would do that because he would think that i had a short temper about things you never no stop it stop it stop it i speak up about certain things for which and about which i um feel the need to take a stand on does that make sense i don't know if i wrote out exactly what i said makes complete sense but yeah so for some sweet people from the upper peninsula of michigan my new york way of standing up sounds angry a little you know what i mean i got mike you're from new jersey living out here in southern california long enough that you're passing off the fact that you're a dodger fan for real right i mean i am actually but you've been here long enough you've been here long enough to know 100 that when you talk in a demonstrative way southern california people think you're angry Yeah.

36:18Rich Eisen:Right. That happens. Correct. And that's the way we just talk. You're from the New England area. You must have that too, right? You're from the East Coast town of Altoona. Okay. When I talk, my voice naturally goes up so everyone thinks I'm arguing. It's just the way I talk. And you have a deep voice anyway. It's the way I talk. When I'm mad, I probably go silent. It also comes in handy like the way I got here today. Everybody here in Southern California lines up very nicely in the right lane to try and exit somewhere. I'll sneak right in. every day you know what i mean i mean that's the east coast way of working out here i can't believe i'm saying this into a microphone everybody's listening on espn 710 la they're like i'm not letting you in anymore hey rich too bad real quick you too bad you mentioned your uh 40 time right like yeah yeah i think we're all at the point now where we realize man after especially after watching that video your time is does not matter thank you the time what that video what goes on No, man, but for real, like what they do, what it means, like your time is the most insignificant thing.

37:19Rich Eisen:Very sweet. That happens on that. Thank you for saying that. Yeah. So if you run a seven, who cares? And I appreciate you saying that. I don't want to run a seven. A seven was unfortunately one of the numbers. You know, if this was The Price is Right, I'd want that seven to appear in the third spot. I get that. I get that. Not the second spot. Certainly not the first. All things concerned. But I appreciate you saying that it was a beautiful day at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. The piece put together by a gentleman named Jim Fabio and his incredible crew and Dallas Hitchcock, who is the one guy with the most Emmys on NFL Network's staff.

37:57Rich Eisen:Yeah, man. The two of them together put their heart and soul and their entire teams into putting that piece together. and everybody at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital with Kevin Neenhouse running the show for all of this, the fundraising aspect of it. It was a beautiful day. And that kid, Reed, who I met from Oklahoma, you could see through his white Tampa Bay Buccaneers jersey he was wearing an OU shirt underneath it. So he's like Baker through and through. And so he was a sweetheart and so was everybody else. And I appreciate you saying what you said. and I should bring the cleats in. I have them at home.

38:37Rich Eisen:We should put that up for auction. I love that. Absolutely. I'll sign them because they say he must be butter on one shoe because he's on a roll for the other. I had no idea because they always put the shoes together for me. Yeah. And I had no idea what the design was. And I opened the box. They had one of the children from St. Jude hand me the box. I open it and I see Stuart's, you know, phrase on there. I was a mess. I was a mess, you know, and there was also a kid there named Bailey who I met at the run. I can't remember how long ago, years ago in Indianapolis. And he shows up with a mustache, a grown ass man in college, you know, the most important.

39:25Rich Eisen:And that's what it's all about. Right. Right. Years ago. Correct. Years ago. and you know he's still he's still you know dealing with some stuff um and you know i appreciate you saying what you saidst jude.org slash run rich run we're still fundraising the fundraiser you know is still going on uh and any dollar any penny you can give is great but you're right i need to get faster you know you and susie lead the charge on that i'm glad i haven't heard from dion yet i disappoint him annually but yeah like you're doing great no you're not saying that for real i appreciate that you are thank you let's take a break 844-204-rich number to dial in a world in need of a hero one man rises to the challenge in style he is just driving the kids to soccer practice you can make every day feel epic in the all-new hyundai palisade hybrid with up to an epa estimated get this 619 miles of range on select trims advanced tech and class-leading interior space because when you're hauling kids gear snacks and backpack space matters and so does comfort.

40:28Rich Eisen:Just make sure they keep their cleats off the seats. The all-new Hyundai Palisade Hybrid. Visit HyundaiUSA.com or call 562-314-46034. Details, your phone calls, overreaction Monday on a Tuesday. Ray Romano in studio. All still to come here on this show. The Rich Eisen Show, the podcast.

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43:13I got a bit of a, I guess you could call it an overreaction Monday on a Tuesday. Okay, great for it. Go for it. You know, after the Thunder swept the Suns last night, I'm pretty ecstatic today. They're looking pretty awesome. You know, winning the championship last year was amazing. They're really just such a great team to watch. They're so fun. They're really unselfish. I love the way they play. So, again, you be the judge if it's an overreaction. I think they have the best team chemistry in all sports.

43:46Rich Eisen:Well, I mean. That's interesting. They are connected, man. they are absolutely connected and they're only going to get better because they have a million draft choices that are coming from other teams because of how they built their team and i can't remember a team that won the championship and then the next year brought back 13 guys like the top 13 guys like they're all champions well they don't play like it they're still so selfless i guess i think it's because she is so great but he's so humble i don't know i love the way they do the interviews together just everything about him i can't think of another team honestly that has it together like that no yeah listen you know i'm excited for you that you are excited you do realize the rest of the country thinks that if he gets breathed on it's an and one right yeah you're seeing that right now i've watched every single game for the past four years and it's just there's a lot of his narrative it just seems like kind of made up because they're so good you know what it also means i think there is there is some legitimacy to it you're seeing you're seeing some moments where you're like, he was not fouled and he's getting a call, but you're hearing the more of the hue and the cry of it because your team is beating the crap out of everybody.

44:57Rich Eisen:And that is also something you should wear as a badge, right? Yeah, I mean, they're so young still, you know what I mean? Like, they just all, they come together. They play the right way. I mean, I really got out of basketball for a while until I moved here to Oklahoma and started watching them. and I love the way they play so selflessly. They literally beat everybody because they out-hustle them. You know what I mean? They play defense on a string and just play the right way, and I love watching them, and I'm happy that we're on another run here. I'm so happy that we got our, I think, three years in a row now we've swept the first round.

45:29So, yeah, I'm doing pretty well.

45:31Rich Eisen:Enjoy it. Thanks for calling. Call back throughout the playoffs because I'm sure you're going to advance pretty deep. They're so good perimeter defensively. They just close out. They've got Homer in the middle. They got Hartenstein on top of it and SGA playing his head off and getting all the calls. It's the truth. They're going to be very, very difficult to beat. I'll be honest, Chris. I said this before. I'll say it again. Certainly with the Magic now up three games to one on the Pistons. That series is wild. And the Magic are doing it. It's not like the Pistons stink. The Magic have them completely out of sync.

46:08Rich Eisen:I think they are playing really, really well. That Kane posterization of Durin last night is still reverberating right now, right? But there is no way on planet Earth, and if the Knicks somehow survive the Hawks over their two out of three that it now has been boiled down to, there is no reason why the Knicks and the Celtics should play next. the Celtics will have earned the right to play the 8th seed and I do not know why the NBA must treat their bracket like it is the NCAA tournament reseed like the NFL, you can do it I don't understand it, there's no reason why the Celtics should play the 3rd seeded team just because it's the way the bracket lays out if the 8th seed advance, the top seed should get them that's it that's it i wonder if it has to do with travel or the schedule what does it have to travel what's the big deal what's the big deal i don't know tv schedules but the cavaliers with the fourth seed if they beat if they survive the raptors or the the raptors with the fifth seed they should get the eighth seed and two versus three should have at it get out of here with that man yeah that's not right case that is not right and the nba is smart enough to realize just reseeded on that front but obviously there's still more basketball to be played Ray Romano coming up in our number three of this program the Ridge Eisen Show podcast