Hour 2: From the NFL Draft with Steelers HC Mike McCarthy, plus Joel Klatt and Calvin Johnson

22:26Rich Eisen:CalvinJohnsonJrFoundation.com to purchase a four-some or sponsor. How much do you play? How much are you playing? Man, last year I got back to playing a lot because my four-year-old went to school, so that opened up some time every day for me to get out without, you know, ticking off the wife. Now, you know, I didn't help myself this year. You know, I got a dog now. So now I got a new baby, so that's going to cut into my time a little bit. But, you know, I'm feeling good about everything. I'm feeling good about my swing right now. And, you know, I got to get out. So wife, she's going to be mad at me.

22:55I love you, though.

22:58Rich Eisen:See, it's amazing. I finally found how I'm like Calvin Johnson. Yeah, of course. Blaming my poor golf game on my wife, children, and dog. That's exactly. Yep. That's really what I do. Calvin's just like us. No idea. What's the best you've ever shot? 80. Yeah, I never broke. 80. Oh, okay. I'm close. I can't imagine. Are you 6 '5", 6 '6"? That's not easy. 6 '5 golf swing is not easy. You've got to get some lessons. I remember five years ago, I really got some lessons. I had to throw away all the bad stuff I taught myself, and I still had to fight that stuff off at times. Swing with my arms and not letting my body do the work.

23:41When I get into a groove, I can play well.

23:43Rich Eisen:Who's the most famous person you've played golf with? Calvin Johnson. Most famous person I've played golf with? Mark Wahlberg. Okay. He's got it. I mean, he's really, really good. Yeah. Yeah. He's solid. He plays speed golf. Yeah. Oh, he, right. That's right. Yeah. He plays golf like it's polo because he never really even gets out of the cart. Right. He's just hitting it. 100%. He'll run to the next ball. Yeah. Crazy. Oh, okay. All right. Very good. So what advice would you have for, say, Cornell Tate? Fourth overall pick. You know, he's going to a town that is hungry for wins. You did the same thing back in the day.

24:19Rich Eisen:What would your message to the first receiver drafted last night be? Yeah, I mean, you know, obviously find a pro that, you know, that you think is doing it, that you see that's doing it the right way, putting the work in. And just find a way to endear yourself to the fans. And the way to do that is by working your tail off. You know, really focusing on what you're good at, what you're bad at. You know, making that list. You know, going through that list and putting work into each of those different attributes each and every day. I mean, more so the things that you really need to improve upon.

24:46not working on our good attributes. Just for example, my footwork needs to get better. So every day I would go out before practice and I would put an emphasis in the footwork drills in practice or in just drill work that we did. I would do the top of my routes in my drill work. I would find a way to incorporate those things so that I'm constantly working on it, constantly getting better. Not just footwork my hands. I work on seeing the ball to my hands a little bit longer when I catch the ball just to make sure I see it, see it into the tuck. And just working on those little things over time, You know, all those attributes will start to level up.

25:18You know, and it's all about making a goal. You know, doing a diagnosis, you know, an analysis of yourself, creating a goal for where you want to be at. And then, you know, once you create that goal, your mind instantly starts to go from, okay, how do I connect A to B?

25:31Rich Eisen:And, of course, get yourself an all-world quarterback. I mean, Cam Ward, hopefully, is that for him. Get yourself a great quarterback. Cam Ward seems like he can be that guy potentially in the future. And, I mean, a great quarterback. I mean, obviously, I had Matt Stafford. I thought that was going to be my question is when Matthew Stafford showed up, how fast did you realize that he was special? Instantly, you know. Instantly. He was, you know, blowing my hands up instantly. So I'm just like, you know. What do you mean? Just with a flick of the wrist, you know, when the ball's coming in, just pop your hands.

26:03You know, you just got to be a little stronger in that thing, you know. So, you know, but what I learned that was like, okay, well, yeah, he throws the ball hard. I play baseball. I can see it. I can, you know, I can diagnose that. I can catch that. But, you know, what I was like, oh, shoot, that dude can get me the ball anywhere on the field. And he could. He still can.

26:21Rich Eisen:I mean, what he just did, too, right? So easy. It was so easy. It did. And he just has a way of fitting a football in that few human beings can do. Yeah, he's great. What do you think he's thinking right now? Age 38, he's the MVP. Again, you know, Ty Simpson's not beating him out. That's not going to happen. And the Rams have no intention of playing him until Stafford, I guess, gives the high sign that he's done. But what do you think he is thinking out there on the left coast? Calvin. I mean, I don't think Matthew is stressing about that. I think Matthew understands how these things work. You know, obviously there is life.

27:04You know, there's football after Matthew Stafford. You know, so he understands that the organization has to put themselves in a situation. and I think he can be a great mentor for whoever they bring in there. I think y 'all were talking about Ty Simpson earlier on the screen, however many starts he had. I think that if there's anybody that can help out with that, kind of curb and give him a dump experience into him, Matthew can be that guy. So hopefully they set themselves up for a situation like the Green Bay Packers did all those years.

27:36Rich Eisen:With love and waiting for, well, Rogers wasn't terribly happy about it, But that's a different story. Rodgers was there for, you know, 18-some-odd years, 16 years when something like that happened. What's your favorite Stafford moment that you were on the field with him for? When we were playing the Dallas Cowboys, not so many, but we were playing the Dallas Cowboys, and I had 329 that game or something. You started shaking your head right away. I walked in. I honestly, TJ, I was not going in that direction. Yeah, it just – Yeah, it just – We – so last drive of the game, going down the field, my boy KD, Durham caught one on the left side of the field, long one, like 40-yard pass.

28:19I caught like a 20, 30-yard pass down to the one-yard line, got popped. And I'm still trying to, you know, get myself together. You know, he's just trying to get up to the line of scrimmage. I had no idea. I don't know if this came in through the thing, through the mic. You know, I don't know if Coach told him to do it. But I say it was all Matthew. But, you know, he snapped the ball. Nobody – everybody thought he was just going to spike the ball because his clock was running down. He snapped the ball and threw that thing over the top. And I was just like, I didn't know what was happening. That was the greatest moment, one of the greater moments.

28:49Because that was a tough ball game, and we needed to win that one with the stats we put up. Did you know how many yards you had in the middle of that game? No, I didn't. I mean, once I hit the first one for like 80-plus yards, I'm like, okay, this is a 200-yard game. I knew that. I knew that. But 300 never would have thought that. When did you know you had that many years? I don't know. Probably when they made it announced something or showed a graphic probably on the screen.

29:16Rich Eisen:So it wasn't like you go back in the locker room and you found out, oh, wow, I had 320 and change. That's when I probably found out, oh, yeah, you had 329. You were the second most in history of the league. And I was like, dang, who's first? You need to get back out there. Do you miss it? I don't miss the grind. I miss the camaraderie. You know, you miss hanging out with your guys. That's why, you know, I do my – that's not why I do my, you know, my golf outing, my scholarship thing. But a big reason, a big part of it is to bring the guys back together. You know, that is to bring the guys back together, you know, get that camaraderie back going that we had.

29:54None of us miss – I don't miss running, you know, three to six miles a day. You know, we don't miss pushing all that weight. I mean, someone was, like, still pushing weight and whatnot. But nobody misses that kind of grind. You know, what it does to the body. But we do miss being in each other's presence. And catching touchdowns. I mean, there's something to that. I mean, being in forward field, catching a touchdown, even just being there when Jameer Gibbs goes off and pops a big one, it still just gives you chills because you've been there, done that. You know what that feels like.

30:21Rich Eisen:Did the Lions ever call you to come back? Come back for what? No. That never happened? No. Try one more time, come back. No, man, I got too many grades. I'm raising these kids. I'm trying to keep up with these kids, man. I got a business to run. You know, you got so many things that, you know, I accomplished the goals that I set forward for myself on the field. I think that's a key thing for guys is, you know, God willing, you don't get injured, but you got to set some goals for yourself. You know, give yourself something, you know, to drive for. I never really shared my goals with the media, even though they ask me every year, but I knew exactly what I was trying to accomplish when I came into the league.

30:56You know, did I play as long as I wanted to play? No, not really, but my body was telling me something different. Did I accomplish all the other goals I wanted to accomplish? Yeah. So?

31:03Rich Eisen:So CalvinJohnsonJrFoundation.com, purchase a foursome, become a sponsor, or just learn more about the mission. Do you want to give you the floor on the mission? Yeah, man. We're really just striving to bring literacy to children, really just to protect our youth, just bring them up to be productive members of society. What we're doing, we're just trying to give scholarships to those that start deserving youth that are really putting back in their community, that are deserving by showing their grades, and that really can use the financial impact. So we put everybody, do that gauntlet. We really try to measure what we're doing so that we can change the impact or change the trajectory of the youth.

31:46I think the conference that we do every year, really by bringing people that have had success in different areas and people that look like these guys, like these gentlemen that are getting these scholarships, can really breathe success into them. I just think back to the time that really, one of the moments that really breathes success into me or just confidence, really. My high school coach, he told me, hey, you really know? He sat me down one day in his office. He was just like, you really could be one of the best that has ever done this. And I'm a goofy, ain't even really got into my body. I'm in 11th grade starting to get letters from all the schools and stuff like that.

32:20I'm just like, I ain't even thinking about college. I'm having fun. I'm trying to be prom king and all that stuff. I ain't thinking about that. And he tells me that, and it kind of changes my mindset, you know, from, you know, high school to like, okay, what's next? You know, my mom always talked about, you know, what's next, what's your goals? You know, you hear it from somebody else and it's like, okay, dang it, she knew what she was talking about. You know, so then I was always goal-oriented and, you know, that kind of, that confidence built. It was a start, you know, of a snowball effect, I guess I could say.

32:51Rich Eisen:Well, I'm just glad that your confidence wasn't burst by the fact that Sean McVay, who was the player of the year over year in the state of Georgia. That's BS because he wasn't in the same year as me. That's not even possible. That's just not a true story. It's not a true story. Just like somebody gave me cleats at the combine. Calvin, if I could ask you about another guy, right? We spoke about this years ago on the show, but now with our new home here on Disney Plus and ESPN, they might not know. You played at Georgia Tech with a man named Joe Anawaii, who now most of the world knows as Roman Reigns.

33:23Just became world heavyweight champion. What do you remember about Joe from your career? A man to be reckoned with. If Joe was healthy, man, like, he will wreck a defense. He'll come off the edge. He'll come off the middle. You couldn't stop him. You know, like, Samoa blood, like, Samoa blood. That dude was a beast in there. As you see, like, you know, he made it to the NFL. You know, he had this cancer battle. You know, God willing, he was able to overcome that. And, you know, that just wasn't his path. But he's found his path. He's had success. He's doing well for his family. So, it's awesome just to think back.

33:55I was just talking to Reggie Ball, our quarterback, in the days, you know, when we're in college and, you know, we'll go see Joe when he's in town or if he has a show and stuff like that. But, you know, just we had a captain's picture, like Reggie, myself, and then Joe in the back. And we all had, like, these mirror advisors. And it was so cold. Like, it was – we had a great crew. A lot of us made it to the league. And, you know, Joe's story is an awesome story.

34:18Rich Eisen:The Georgia Institute of Technology, as it's officially known. Then he goes and he hooks up with a Georgia Bulldog in the professional ranks. How about that? Now the Georgia Bulldog is coached by Sean McVay, who did not, just to repeat, did not beat this man out for player of the year in high school. Because that's a story going around. Apparently what I heard. I mean, I just don't know. Good to see you. Thanks for having me. That is Hall of Famer Calvin Johnson. Again, calvijohnsonjrfoundation.com to learn more about the great golf tournament in Plymouth, Michigan on June 15th and, of course, the foundation itself.

34:53Rich Eisen:We're going to take a break. And when we come back, we have got Mike McCarthy of the Pittsburgh Steelers joining us here on a draft day in Pittsburgh. The Rich Eisen Show, the podcast.

35:09Rich Eisen:Rich Eisen here. PayPal is now the official peer-to-peer payments sponsor of the NFL, which means all the money moments that fandom creates, whether splitting tailgate costs or chipping in on tickets and game day food between friends, are covered. Wherever the game is played or watched, PayPal moves with fans. You can send money through text, email, or directly to your friends with eligible accounts on Venmo. Just download the PayPal app and share all the moments that matter. Account with PayPal is required. Not available in all regions where PayPal operates. Quick timeout. Some breakfast intel you want to know about.

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36:47Rich Eisen:But, you know, like looking down, you know, looking down on your chest right there, there's a Steelers logo. Do you do you pinch? Do you have a pinch yourself moment every now and then, Mike? Oh, definitely. All the time. I mean, it's been surreal, you know, since the really since the interview, then the press conference and to look out your office window and, you know, see your neighborhood across the river. So, you know, the drive into work is on the streets that I grew up on. And so personally, it's just been incredible. But, you know, it's year one, loving the grind of it, you know, putting together a staff and putting together the playbooks and, you know, all the stuff that, you know, football coaches, we love to do.

37:26It's been incredible having the players here the last two and a half weeks. So it's football. We're back into it. Now we get the draft here in Pittsburgh. So, you know, the energy and the vibe of the Pittsburgh Steelers has always been so unique. And I'm enjoying every minute of it.

37:42Rich Eisen:So your 21st overall selection last night, the tackle out of Arizona State, Maxie Honachor, what do you like about him? What does he bring to the equation for you? Well, number one, we just love his play style. I mean, obviously his physical gifts are that of such with a high ceiling. Just his feet, one thing I've always looked for, I look for particularly an offensive lineman, the ability to strike and sustain. And he does it. I mean, you see when he strikes, he sticks on blocks, he finishes, does a great job against second or third reaction. So there's just a lot there. And I think he's an incredible fit for our offensive line group, which I'm very high on already, just having a chance to work with those guys the last couple of weeks.

38:28They've, you know, they've been here and we've been able to look at different things that all first year staffs, you know, normal process of going through. So Max is a great, great fit for us.

38:38Rich Eisen:Yeah, and then obviously, you know, Broderick Jones and what's going on with him. What can you tell me on that front? And did it influence who you chose last night? Well, I mean, Broderick's, you know, he's going through a medical situation. It's a normal process that he's coming back. So I think I'm personally of the opinion that you can't have enough, you know, big men in your building. So, you know, but Broderick's, you know, he's doing well. he's going through the rehab process but it's going to be a minute for him and then last night the story of the drafting of the kid that you did draft and how you were keeping your options open just to pick before trying to reach Makai Lemon on the phone is there any from your perspective have you ever had a situation where you're trying to talk to a kid you're thinking of drafting and and somebody else is breaking in on call waiting?

39:39Rich Eisen:Is that the first time that happened with you, Mike? For me personally, but I think, you know, the norm that I've been experienced and my experience has served me is, you know, when you get down to these picks, particularly when you're down in the 20s, you know, you usually have a pod of players, which was our case, you know, and Lemon was definitely part of that. He's a fine player and obviously ended up in Philadelphia. So I think the good Lord always works, and works his magic. And Max is with us. So I feel great about the way it ended up. Like I said, Lemon will do great there over there in Philadelphia, but we're right where we need to be for good reason.

40:23Rich Eisen:And again, just I'll ask you, since fans ask me all the time, this is clearly not your first draft rodeo. It's your umpteenth. Why do coaches and general managers and teams want to call the player? What is the purpose of actually contacting the player that you're thinking of drafting you're about to draft from your perspective? Rich, that's a great question. I think so much of what we do, whether it's training camp and every organization is a little different, there are traditions and mechanics of how you operate that carry over. But, you know, that's a great question. And I think really the excitement of bringing an individual into your building, I mean, that is part of the draft day process.

41:09So, you know, so I don't think it's out of the norm. And it's definitely not out of the norm to go the direction of the win.

41:17Rich Eisen:I hear you. Mike McCarthy, a few minutes left with the Steelers head coach here on the Rich Eisen show. I think I have shown remarkable restraint, if you don't mind, but I haven't brought Aaron Rodgers up to you yet. I thought it was almost a clean getaway. Not to pat myself on the back here, but there is an eye in Rich and Eisen, you know. So where do things stand with Aaron right now, Mike? Well, we're in constant, consistent communication. And so, I mean, he's going through his process. But, you know, we're just continuing to keep working. And our focus is on the draft, and hopefully we'll have a decision in their future.

41:58Rich Eisen:All right. And in terms of the – so in the meantime, you're getting reps in for the guys who are there. I had Cam Hayward on the show the other day, and he complained to me that I got him into trouble because I only talked about Will Howard with him and not Mason Rudolph with him the other day, and apparently Mason pissed. So where do this – talk about the quarterbacks that you do have, the guys that are there. Yes, definitely. I mean, Mason and Will have been there, you know, the whole time. And frankly, and I've even discussed this with Aaron because it was no different when he was younger. I prefer for, you know, the veteran not to be here at this particular time because it gives us, you know, the opportunity to be fully focused on our two younger quarterbacks.

42:41So, you know, Will and Mason have done a great job. And, you know, we had a chance to get on the field, you know, Monday and Tuesday in our veteran minicamp. And, you know, it was great work. You know, this time of year, frankly, is a chance for your younger players to get those reps. And our young guys are doing a great job taking advantage of that.

42:59Rich Eisen:Okay. And so with Will, what have you seen? What's your assessment of the kid, Mike? Very athletic. You know, it's something that, you know, I think like a lot of, you know, past experiences, you never really know until you get in there and, you know, work directly with your athletes. But the quarterback school drills, I mean, I thought he did a hell of a job the first time out. So the ability to throw the ball around and, you know, put some concepts in. So he's off to an excellent start. So if I had told you, since you just pointed out there that, you know, you've told Aaron, like, hey, back in the day, helps.

43:36Rich Eisen:I guess it helped when Favre was kind of wondering what's up and you're getting reps for Rodgers. Just the fact that, does it marvel you at all that this situation, you're in a way waiting on an answer from Aaron Rodgers in the same way you were on Favre back in the day and the kid that you're bringing along is a guy named Rodgers, who's now the guy you're waiting for, for the Steelers, which is the team you beat in the Super Bowl in Dallas where you wound up coaching anyway. Like, have you, this is, you can't make this, did I miss anything, Mike, with you? No, that's plenty, Rich. I mean, it's hard to believe everything you just said is actually true.

44:16But, yeah, it's been an incredible ride. And I just can't tell you how grateful I am to be here and enjoying every minute of it. But, you know, the experience with Aaron and Brett, it serves me well. I think it gives me peace in these type of moments.

44:34Rich Eisen:Yeah. I mean, by the way, this is nothing compared to back then. Like, this is a walk in the park on a day like today compared to back then, Mike. Well, I'm working with pro. I'm working with the pro. You know what I mean? You make it so easy. I feel like I can hit it out. I'm not talking about the media. I'm talking about it. You just keep feeding it, man. Well, listen, thanks for the time. I'm not even going to ask you about tonight, right? I mean, what would you allow? What are you willing to at least say about your plan for this evening without tipping anything, Mike? Well, you know, second round, third round is always exciting.

45:12You know, I think, you know, you look at the history with, you know, what happens in the second round, particularly watching what happened at the end of the first round. So, you know, people jumping up in there and, you know, getting what they feel like they need. And I think that's always helpful to these second and third round picks. So, obviously, we have four picks coming up, and I'm just excited to add a huge draft class to this football team. So, yeah, we're just looking at all the options right now. But, you know, the city's buzzing. It's a great atmosphere. But, you know, I really love the job that our personnel department's done, and we just got to trust the board.

45:51Rich Eisen:Mike, I appreciate the time, man. Congrats again. I haven't spoken to you since you got the gig in your hometown for the hometown team. You're a good man, Mike. And I'm psyched for you. And I appreciate everything that you've done so far here. All right, Rich. All the best. Always appreciate you. Thank you. You got it. That's Mike McCarthy, head coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers, right here on the Rich Eisen Show, everybody. If you're running a small business, that means every hire matters. A bad hire costs time and money, but the right one, well, that helps your business grow. The challenge is finding that person without sorting through resumes.

46:25Rich Eisen:And that's where LinkedIn Hiring Pro comes in. It screens candidates so you can focus on conversations with qualified talent. With Hiring Pro, you can hire with confidence and build the team you need. Join the 2.7 million small businesses using LinkedIn Hire. Get started by posting your job for free at linkedin.com slash eyes and terms and conditions. Apply. All right. Okay. Let's take a break because the radio hardout, as they say, is about to come. What's with the two people that stood behind me And just turned around and showed their Kirk Cousins Eight jerseys I hope they felt better I think they were taking a selfie See it's the Rich Eisen Show You know what this is what happens when you've got this Beautiful vista behind you Reese and Greeny Next on the Rich Eisen Show To kick off Hour 3 on a what's more likely Friday The Rich Eisen Show Podcast