Hour 2: ESPN’s Marcus Spears Talks Tua, 49ers, Rams, Chargers & More

19:55Rich Eisen:Okay. I just want to make sure they ask the right question. I don't want to be yelled at. You know what I mean?

20:01Marcus Spears:If the gumbo and the jambalaya is not good, we get mad.

20:04Rich Eisen:I get that from my children enough. You know what I mean? Yeah. All right. Let's jump into it. What do you think is happening in the Dolphins locker room right now, Marcus Spears?

20:15Marcus Spears:You know, Rich, it's funny, man. And it's probably hard to dissolve as a football team because they actually play well up until the end of the game. You go on the road against Buffalo, you're in position to have a chance to tie the game up and presumably try to win the game. And obviously, Tua throws the big interception late and Josh comes out and seals it. But last week, obviously, it was so much talk about those guys having a players-only meeting and having these conversations. But ultimately, this thing is about wins. And I know people say no moral victories, but they showed up in Buffalo against a divisional opponent and played well for three and a half, three and three-fourths of a quarter.

21:03Marcus Spears:But I got to imagine, Rich, with all of that positivity that I just gave you, that they're really a little bit, especially when you get to a certain point where you're trying to decipher between if your team is good enough to make the playoffs or should we blow this thing up and start all over. And I'm not sure if that involves Tua. I'm sure that involves Tyreek Hill and trying to figure out the direction in which this organization is going to go. And these type of games actually make it harder. Now, hear me out, Rich. When you go and have a really good performance like that and the guys that you've paid a lot of money played very, very well in the game.

21:45Marcus Spears:And you think about all of the things that you would have to do if you were saying, all right, we're going to disband this thing and try to rebuild it. One, you're obviously going to take a step back on offense. I firmly believe that unless you're telling me they're going to get another prolific guy like Tyreek Hill in the building. Two, defensively, we all see that they got to get better on defense. So it's kind of like a reset button there. You got some really good players on that side of the ball, but you're going to have to do a lot of work to improve that unit. So, again, man, I think it's a very perplexing situation.

22:19Marcus Spears:I think last night made it more difficult for you to just say, look, we're going to blow it up and get ready for another season. But I also believe that how long do you want to waffle in this parts unknown? Shout out to my man, Anthony Bourdain, rest in peace. But, again, brother, I just think it's a difficult time to be a Miami Dolphin and a fan because rich you've been doing this longer than me and i've been doing it long enough to know when you really don't know the direction of an organization and a team that's probably the worst place to be you either need to be bad so everybody acknowledges that we need to completely do something different or you need to be a couple pieces away potentially where you can try to go and add those in free agency in the draft but they kind of be waffling in the middle with some really good players on offense and defense you got rid of some really good players on defense as well and kind of you in that gray area and that's the worst place to be to me as a team in the nfl well

23:19Rich Eisen:again you know i was talking about at the top of the show here marcus is that two of mike mcdaniel's captains uh for the lack of a better phrase let him down you know where where you know zach sealer puts Josh Allen back on the field with a roughing the punter penalty. It's a de facto turnover. I mean, that doesn't show up in the turnover column, but it was a turnover. And then Tua, I mean, Mike McDaniel said in his own way, you know, he made the wrong throw. Should have been the flat. He threw a brutal interception. And otherwise, you know, the question about whether McDaniel has the locker room, they came out and hit the bills in the mouth also with a brilliant first half closing drive and they have the game right there so I don't know what you do if you you got to stay the course if you're the Dolphins right now and I understand that that that that is an issue uh if you're if you do need to rebuild you or you you want to hit that button but the last thing you want to do also is fire a coach fire a GM and then start from scratch no no no ownership wants to go through You don't want to do it.

24:28Rich Eisen:You know, a search and all of that sort of business. And also admitting that they were wrong. You know, no one wants to do all of that.

24:35Marcus Spears:You know, Rich, it's like the way you just explained it is why I think it's so difficult.

24:41Rich Eisen:Right.

24:41Marcus Spears:Right? Like, you look in your division. Buffalo is going to be good for a long time. And it looks like New England is starting to kind of show them signs of trying to get back right. We know when they hire Vrabel, this team is not going to take long to get really, really good. And I think sometimes we talk about it, and obviously the Jets with Aaron Glenn, and we'll see in which direction they go. I think if they get a quarterback, they can start to kind of count on things with them as well.

25:07Rich Eisen:Well, just not to jump in here, you kind of hit that, which is the ultimate third-rail conversation, that instead of throwing an interception at the end of the game, the Dolphins need the Tua that finds Devontae Smith for Nick Saban to show up. There you go. And the question is, is he the right guy? Is that a fair question to ask right now, Marcus?

25:23Marcus Spears:It is a very fair question. And Rich, it's so sensitive on Tua because we've seen him go through all of the concussions. And we've seen him miss time with some catastrophic things. And also, we see those times of brilliance. Like last night, there were times when Tua looked, you know, when he gets in that rhythm and he's just in a free flow and pushing the ball downfield. He made some plays with his legs last night. I was actually more impressed with him evading the rush and being able to push the ball down the field at times in that game as well. So there are things about Tua that is always going to be tantalizing and enticing.

26:01Marcus Spears:But obviously, like, I don't know it right in front of me, but I think he's at like four interceptions on the season already. And we threw week three, which is not a good sign for what you're trying to do. And especially in offense. And think about how far we away from this, Rich. This team put up 70 points in Denver at the beginning of the season. Was that last year or two years ago? It was McDaniel's first year.

26:24Rich Eisen:They came out of the box really, really, you know, coming back on the Ravens and doing stuff like that, you know?

26:29Marcus Spears:Absolutely. So you thought the trajectory, especially offensively, and the way that Tua played and the way that they paid him, that this was going to be a constant with this football team. And the outing hasn't been bad the last two weeks. And obviously the crushing interception. But ultimately, man, it's like I don't think you can get rid of the quarterback. I think he plays well enough for you to still feel like you can get something going. And then, too, like this part of it, Rich, and what they were doing successfully, and you know I got to get to it at the line of scrimmage, Miami doesn't run the ball well anymore.

27:01Marcus Spears:And I think people forgot how good they were on the ground when they had Mostert and they drafted A-chan. Remember we talked about all of the speed and the track runners? that's when that offense was absolutely phenomenal. And they had some runs last night that was really good, physical runs. But it feels like this offense has become one-dimensional a little bit, and they depend on, obviously, Tua making throw after throw after throw and trying to get the ball in Jalen Waddell's hands and trying to get it in Tyreek's hands and see if they can be dynamic. And that's something that Mike McDaniel is going to have to fix as an offensive coordinator.

27:37Marcus Spears:That's something offensive line with Chris Greer. You're going to have to figure out if you got the right guys up there or if you need to retool the line of scrimmage. But I don't think Tua is the issue. I hate the interceptions that he's thrown at this point in the season, but I think you still have enough faith, especially last night for a large majority of that game, that this guy can win games for you in the NFL minus these mistakes that he's been making this particular year. Miami, like I said, Rich, you think about how long we've been in this conversation. It's a conundrum a little bit, man.

28:15Marcus Spears:It's not as simple as saying, let's do this and let's do that, and now we're back on track. They've had the player stuff. They've had the, if Mike McDaniel has the locker room, like you just asked, like everybody is asking. The defense didn't look good at all last night. But, again, you probably give them a little credit because that's Josh Allen and, you know, all of that. But in the same vein, the fear is that the rest of them catch up. Because remember, we thought this division was just really Miami and obviously the Buffalo Bills. Well, once it turns and you still kind of running in the mud, now you vying for a third or fourth spot potentially, as opposed to your conference just – I mean, your division just being down and you by default getting second place in that.

29:06Marcus Spears:And I think that's the fear that they have to have right now as far as if they're going in the right direction.

29:11Rich Eisen:Marcus Spears, our colleague from ESPN here on the Rich Eisen Show. So the Bills have now won three different ways. A track meet comeback against the Ravens. A 20-point beatdown on the road of the Jets despite Josh Allen accounting for zero touchdowns. And then last night, a gritty sort of grinded out home game against an opponent that you think they have to beat, but it's a division game. They also didn't have two very strong Warriors up the middle on defense. They won without Ed Oliver and Matt Milano. Where do you place the Bills now overall, Marcus?

29:49Marcus Spears:I think they're the best team in the NFL. And look, I don't say that easily because I think the Baltimore Ravens are still right there. But obviously, you got to give them benefit of the doubt for being able to come back and win that game. And I think that's the only thing and the only reason that I would put Buffalo number one. Or for me, it would be Baltimore. Baltimore looks more – when they're dominant, they look more dominant than anybody, in my opinion. Even in that Buffalo game for a large majority of it. But it speaks to the brilliance of not only Sean McDermott, but I don't think this guy gets enough credit for what he's been able to do and get Josh Allen to buy into, and that's the offense coordinator, Joe Brady.

30:29Marcus Spears:Now, I'm fond of Joe Brady because in 2019, he was a member of the LSU coaching staff that gave me the greatest college football season ever. Joe Burrow's 60 touchdowns.

30:39Rich Eisen:I was just talking about it with my kids, too. Justin Jefferson and Jamar Chase were teammates of Joe Burrow in college.

30:50Marcus Spears:An embarrassment of riches.

30:51Rich Eisen:I mean, it was, you know, so Odell wasn't the only one making it rain. But, you know, postgame, I know we're supposed to, you know, bury that. But what about the Packers, though, Marcus? The Packers have looked pretty darn dominant. Two home wins, but against playoff opponents, one they're going to have to beat to win the division in the Lions. And then obviously what they did to the commanders, they may have put Jaden Daniels on the shelf on top of all of it. what do you make of the Packers right now?

31:23Marcus Spears:They are very scary and they are a top five team in the NFL look it is so hard especially in the regular season for me to look at football right now and think that anybody is better than the Bills in Baltimore that's just where I am and then how you perform matters as well and I think they've had dominant obviously defensive performances in Green Bay. Jordan Love looks as comfortable. They got Josh Jacobs in the backfield. They are a complete football team. And if they represent the NFC in the Super Bowl, I don't think anybody is going to bat an eye. And obviously the mega trade that was made, unfortunately for me as a fan of Micah Parsons going over there.

32:08Marcus Spears:So I think a lot of what I'm waiting to see with Green Bay is can Jordan Love keep this consistency? He's been up and down a little bit to me, and you just want to see him kind of stay even-keeled. Now, he looks much more comfortable in this offense, and Matt LaFleur wants him to push it downfield. They want to be explosive as an offense. And I think sometimes last year, if we're being honest, we watched him struggle early in games, turning the football over, and then you could see those glimpses of, hey, this is going to be really, really good, and this team going to be really, really good. They came into the season with high expectations before Micah Parsons.

32:47Marcus Spears:So I think they are one of those top tier, top five teams in the league. I just think Buffalo and Baltimore have been doing it a little bit longer, so I'm going to get them the benefit of the doubt. But if you were asking, I would probably put them behind Philly at four. Philly would be the third best team. I haven't really loved all the Philly performances, but how in the hell do you take away from a team that just wins any way they can?

33:12Rich Eisen:That's right. And they feel invincible, to use the Vince Papali phrase for Philly. And they do feel that way. And as I was saying last week, the Chiefs and the Eagles may have swapped places where the Chiefs are the team that can't afford to make the mistakes. And the Eagles are the team that if you make one single mistake against them, they will beat you over the head with it. And they did that in that moment where Mahomes and Kelsey didn't connect. A few minutes left here with Marcus Spears here on the Rich Eisen show. So which 2-0 team? Colts. I'll throw you the Niners. I'll throw you another 2-0 team.

33:54Rich Eisen:And I'll throw you the Bengals. Tampa. I think Tampa is Super Bowl worthy. I think we know who they are. I really do think. I'm concerned about Cancy being out. Where are they going to get some pass rush? I get it. But, I mean, I'm not worried about them. Which one is realer? You know, in the Niners, despite their injuries being 2-0, the Colts at 2-0, the Bengals, I know they've lost Burrow, but I don't see him.

34:25Marcus Spears:I know you believe in Jake Brown.

34:26Rich Eisen:I know it's provided some topic bars for some television shows. But, I mean, honestly, Browning went one game above.500 in a seven-game stint when Burrow got hurt significantly a couple years ago. All he's got to do is go one game over 500, and I know it will be a longer period than just seven games. That would be a 10-7 season, and maybe the Bengals get Burrow back. Who knows? You know what I mean? I don't know.

34:52Marcus Spears:Listen, I completely disagree with you that he's going to play well, but I would not be shocked. Here's what people have to understand, and this is why there is some validity to what you're saying. Jake Brown has been in this organization. He understands what Zach Taylor is wanting to do offensively. I don't think anything is going to change. Now, can he be as dynamic with the ball as Joe Burrow over a consistent time is what I would love to see because I'm with you. If he can, obviously we know Jamar and T is out there. He has significant playmakers. Cincinnati has shown some life on defense a little bit, But I just have to be convinced that Jake Browning can perform well enough because this team still is about scoring points, and a lot of them.

35:39Marcus Spears:They're not going to win 20-17. That's not the type of games that they are going to play. They're going to have to be a high-powered, prolific offense. I don't think that defense is just going to stand up over and over again as the season goes along. The realer one to me with this 2-0 start would probably be, out of the three teams that you just gave me, I would probably have more confidence in Kyle Shanahan. And I love what Robert Saleh is doing now defensively. San Francisco looked like that fire is back. We know how good Fred Warner is. Brother, I'm telling you right now. I know, right? We just don't talk about him enough.

36:25Marcus Spears:I even feel bad for not talking about how this dude is great at football. And I think that matters when you start talking about kind of San Francisco and who they are and what they're going to be. I love Brock Purdy and the way he's played and shown that he is the guy. But Mack Jones, when he was coming out, I was vehemently against him going third overall. I just didn't think he was a third overall talent. Obviously, Trey Lance didn't end up being that either. But I think Matt Jones obviously fits what Kyle Shanahan wants to do. He's a cerebral quarterback. If you can get him to take care of the football, his eyes and all of that stuff goes to the right place.

37:10Marcus Spears:And Kyle is obviously – Kyle is not bringing quarterbacks in to back up his starters that he doesn't believe he can win with. So, yeah, I think the 49ers are going to be something to be reckoned with. And obviously, we're being able to get their guys back healthy as the season goes along is what you hope because it's been a team riddled and decimated by injuries. They've been probably more unfortunate than anybody when it comes to dudes missing time and not being available. And we're not just talking about some guys that back. We're talking about the superstars for their football team. So hopefully they can get rid of that injury bug, and they'll be a team to be reckoned with as the season goes along.

37:53Rich Eisen:Yeah, I like to do top five lists around here, Marcus. If I did a top five list of guys in the NFL who I think there are two of on the field at once, Fred Warner might be at the top of the list. You know what I mean? Like how many of them are on the field? Because he's wearing the same number, but how could he be in those places like that? I am with you, man.

38:12Marcus Spears:Look, you can get excited when you watch him on TV because you see the plays and the announcers are saying, brother, when you turn the tape on like we do to study these games, it's unbelievable how many plays he's affecting when he not making the time. That's right. It's like, is he a part of 100 % of the defensive plays that are happening? But he is phenomenal, and he is also a guy, Rich, that I believe once you get into the playoffs, and I used to talk about this. I played with DeMarcus Ware. I played with T.O. He's a guy that brings the best out of everybody around him. And I think in order to wear those gold jackets and be in that Hall of Fame, There has to be something about you that the guys next to you, the guys behind you, they benefit from you being on the football field.

39:05Marcus Spears:I think that's a big deal when we start talking about being great. And I think Fred Warner is great.

39:11Rich Eisen:Last one for you, Marcus. Two teams that we haven't mentioned in this conversation who are absolutely in the top maybe five, if not top seven in the league, are both teams out here in Los Angeles. I don't know if people sleep on us out here because we arrive late. You know, we leave early and things like that to beat traffic. And we got the sun here. And, you know, it's a hard-nosed sport here. But the Rams and the Chargers can both hit you in the mouth. And there are big games for both this weekend for both being 2-0. If you had to put your marker on one of them, Chargers-Rams, to go last longer, it would be which Los Angeles team, Marcus?

39:48Marcus Spears:I would probably go Rams over the longevity of the season because I don't think the NFC is as strong as the AFC. That's number one. And we know the Chargers got to play Kansas City again. And I'm not ready to bury Kansas City, Rich. I just don't feel like this team is going to go quietly in the night. But I do love what the Chargers are doing. They have an identity. And obviously you give a lot of that credit to Harbaugh. He has bought and sold into Justin Herbert. And not only did he talk about him, he's showing. Like he's making sure that Greg Roman elevates Justin Herbert at the quarterback position.

40:28Marcus Spears:He's playing phenomenal. But I've seen Matthew Stafford win a Super Bowl. I've seen the Rams go on the road against Philly, which ended up being the best team in the NFL with an opportunity to win the game on the road, in the playoffs, in the cold. In the snow. Yeah. So and I got a lot of confidence in this defensive line. Another guy that I think I think doesn't get enough credit for what he does. I know we talk about him. We went through the highlights. Poole McCoy is as good as they come at the wide receiver position. Devontae there now. Like the Rams are, and they still are. Here's the thing I love about McVay.

41:05Marcus Spears:McVay wants to push the ball down the field. He wants to be explosive, but he does not get away from the roots and the nuts and bolts of football, and that's the line of scrimmage and being physical. So I think the Rams have a chance for that longevity, one because of the division and the conference, but also because they've shown us that they, they are formidable against the Superbowl champs.

41:28Rich Eisen:All right. We got to do this more often, Marcus. I'm not lying. Let's do it,

41:30Marcus Spears:bro. You got my number.

41:31Rich Eisen:And I'm about to text you mine. So there's no excuses. We're out of excuses. Thanks again, Marcus. You, you're the man. All right, my brother, Marcus Spears, everybody here. Check him out on all shows on ESPN, right here on the rich eyes and show. There he goes. All right. We'll take a break back with more. 844-204-RICH, number to dial. Our number three is just for all of us right here, including what's more likely coming up.

42:00Rich Eisen:Rich Eisen here for Gusto. After all these years talking to athletes, coaches, entertainers, and people at the top of what they do, one thing is pretty clear. Success usually depends on getting the details right. For small business owners, that includes payroll, hiring, onboarding, benefits, you know, the work that keeps everything moving, even if it's not the reason you started the business in the first place. That's why there's Gusto. Gusto is online payroll and benefits software built for small businesses. It's all-in-one, remote-friendly, and incredibly easy to use, so you can pay, hire, onboard, and support your team from anywhere.

42:35Rich Eisen:Automatic payroll tax filing, simple direct deposits, health benefits, commuter benefits, workers' comp, 401k, you name it. Gusto makes it simple and has options for nearly every budget, and it's all built to save you time with built-in automated tools for offer letters, onboarding docs, direct deposit, and more. Plus, you get unlimited payroll runs for one monthly price. 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.

43:12Rich Eisen:While the world watches the stars at the FIFA World Cup this summer, Hyundai has its eyes on the next generation of talent. Future stars who are already turning heads at age 14. Because Next doesn't wait for an invitation, and neither do we. Hyundai has always moved the future within reach. We did it when we made advanced safety standard on every vehicle, and engineered EVs with ultra-fast charging capability. Because the future isn't some far-off concept, it's already here. Next starts now. Hyundai, an official partner of FIFA.

43:44Marcus Spears:The Rich Eisen Show, the podcast.

43:47Rich Eisen:I want to show that to the kids here. Back here on the Rich Eisen Show. Definitely not. The Hyundai Palisade Hybrid. It's all new. It's an incredible SUV. And it's, for many reasons, there's a spacious interior, comfy for the entire crew. Is it capable of going off-road? You bet it is. Maybe it's up to 600-plus miles of range. you know and it could be also the driver behind the wheel it's really special the all-new hyundai palisade hybrid so much more than just another suv visit hyundaiusa.com or call 562-314-4603 for more details it's 562-314-4603 for more details um we started the uh hour with fantasy football wondering if the ashton genti story is completely 100 fantasy football related um Then we found out in our number one that TJ Jefferson spending 350 fantasy dollars on getting Jaden Daniels plucking that off of the the I'll just say it.

44:47Rich Eisen:I'm sorry. The buzzard like over Sarah Tiana's guillotine team. TJ Jefferson spends all that money to watch Jaden Daniels sit for a week. Let's hope. Let's hope you're not out this week because I have him in my poker league. I want to win and I'm going to because he hasn't done jack. Like I said, it was an accident. I didn't mean to spend three or four feet. But I don't know if there's a bigger foul than what Jason Feller committed during commercial break. Yeah, you missed this one, Chris. Is there a bigger fantasy foul than... Go ahead and ask the question you asked of me. Go ahead and ask it so much.

45:24Rich Eisen:Do not give any other background other than the information of the question that you gave to me. Who are you feeling this week? You think Mahomes or Goff's going to have a better week in fantasy? There's an answer to that question, and I appreciate you asking me. I respect you. You respect my football acumen and ability to conceive or whatever. There ain't no reason, though. Now ask him who he's playing in fantasy this week. Who are you playing? Rich. Wait, so you asked him for advice on who you should play against him. Now, did you do that just to troll, or did you really think, I didn't know I was playing, and you might sneak out some crucial information.

46:06Rich Eisen:I don't know if you recall. This happened in the playoffs last year. Oh, I remember. I got it out of you eventually. Oh, I remember. But I had to watch you on a different show to get it. I know that. I know it. Just a second. You're paying attention. Because I respect you, I will give you an answer, okay? And I looked it up on PFF, Pro Football Focus, PFF, and there's a special new stat from PFF, and I'll read it off right here. It's a stat that's three letters GFY. And the GFY is very high on that particular question. And there's an answer of the GFY. You should look it up yourself. Okay. I mean, I don't know why we were even talking about your matchup, the 10th and 11th place teams in our league playing each other.

46:57Rich Eisen:That's one way to say it. I mean, there's one 2-0 team and one 0-2 team, and the rest are all one and one. So it's a crucial week three. But I would start Goff. See, now I don't know if you're just trying to. Because now I'm going to start Goff. I would start Goff. The guy had five touchdowns last week. He's clearly on fire, and Mahomes is having trouble. I'd start Goff. There you go. Thank you. Yep, you got it. The Ridge Eyes and Show Podcast.