Hour 2: Jayden Daniels vs LSU #5 Wild Legal Beef, plus Bills Hall of Fame RB Thurman Thomas

24:21And, yeah, that relationship means a lot. And he was like, you know, when I first met him, it was like, you played the game the right way. You were tough. You were physical. And even though you were small, you played the game the right way. And the one thing that I loved about you is that even though you were a smaller back, you never ran out of bounds you were always looking for contact and i was like oh my god so he actually has watched me play football i'm like oh man just coming from him man was just amazing and obviously uh with monique his wife coming back every single year is going to be uh bring

24:58Rich Eisen:back a lot of memories yeah i mean the first time i ever met him thurman was when he was on uh nfl network nfl total access our first year our first year so we were new okay we were just a new outfit and we were so excited he was going to grace us, right? Right. But he was there to record an interview with us after our live show, and they placed him in what was then a very small de facto green room. Again, we were so young. And during a commercial break, he comes out of the green room and onto the set of a live show during a break, and he finds me, and he starts complaining to me about being in the back room and when are we doing this thing and i'm like i was just stunned to be in front of jim brown and then be on the business end of having to answer something that is upsetting him you know what i mean i didn't want any of that contact you know what i mean but it it was just jarring to me and his his greatness his greatness and what he stood for marshall's the same way or was the same way about him.

26:08Rich Eisen:Yeah. The same way about him. Yeah, absolutely. I mean, just an enormous figure in our life that we all remember, the great Jim Brown and what he meant, you know, for the game on the field and really for the game off the field. I mean, because he did a lot. He did a lot to help people. and his program. What was it? American. American, yeah. I mean, just the absolute best, you know, program when you talk about, you know, the gangs and everything that were in L.A. And, I mean, he went straight forward. He went straight in to try to correct all that and has done a fabulous job, really, of educating young teenagers and getting them going and involved in the right way.

27:00Right.

27:01Rich Eisen:Fairman Thomas here on the Rich Eisen Show. Let's talk about the here and now, certainly since you're in business with James Cook. Right. Which is part of the reason why you're here to talk about Carhartt's Made Possible campaign. You and James Cook together to honor the tradespeople who made football possible in the new stadium there in Western New York and so many other places, too. what do you think James Cook's year this year what's the expectation expectation level from this year after leading the league in rushing last year Thurman well you know what when I took James out on the football field for the first time at the new Highmark Stadium and you know he was impressed with the building the architecture of it and how everything but the thing that surprised me when we got out on the football field and he was right there on the grass and he was like you know I'm a little bit faster when I'm on grass I'm like oh really are you and I said and I said well what type of year should I expect out of you and he said even a better year than I had last year so I'm like well you led the league in rushing I mean you had over 10 plus touchdowns four L plus touchdowns.

28:17And you said that you can get better. And he said, yeah, I can get better. I think I'm going to catch the ball a little bit more this year. I'm going to say, oh, well, that's something that we haven't seen out of James Cook, you know, over the past three or four years, we've seen him catch some passes downfield, but you know, he's looking for more crossing patterns. He's looking for more, you know, screens maybe. And so he's, he's trying to become a, all three down back, which was, I was very impressed to hear him say that he was like, I got a little stronger during the offseason. And so now you'll probably see me out there a little bit more on third down.

28:50I know Ty Johnson is our third down back and Ray Davis. But James Cook said that he wants to be out on the football field a little bit more. So I said, you know, to him, that's going to mean picking up the blitzes when they come from a defensive back or a linebacker. And he flat out said, I'm ready for it. So I'm expecting another big year from James Cook.

29:10Rich Eisen:Well, I mean, and then Joe Brady's now the H.C. He was the O.C. And again, fans don't really know the way the mechanics work about who goes in and who doesn't go in. But if the plan is for Cook to say, I want this, does that require the coaching staff to give it to him or he just takes it? Like, how does that work? I think the coaching staff listens to him if he wants to be out there on the football field. because there was a lot of times in the last couple of years where, you know, we might have had that winning drive, trying to get that winning drive to get a field goal or a touchdown, and James Cook was not on the football field.

29:51And the last time I remember that was an AFC championship game, that last drive. James Cook was not on the football field, and James Cook, to me, in my opinion, was the best player on the field in that AFC championship game against the Kansas City Chiefs at Arrowhead. So I'm looking more for him to be out there. And, hey, look, you know, he's an all-pro, pro bowler, had an outstanding year. They know what he can do. You know what? Go and demand it. Go and demand it. I want to do more. I want to catch the ball a little bit more. If I can't beat that linebacker or that defensive back, then I don't need to be out here.

30:29That would be a decision that you guys make. But I want to give me that opportunity to show you guys what I can do on third down against a linebacker or a defensive back. And so I'm really looking forward for him. I mean, I don't know if he's going to have over 16 yards, 100 yards rushing again like he did last year. But he wants to be more involved with the offense. And I think that's a great thing for the Buffalo Bills.

30:53Rich Eisen:Well, I mean, and in terms of scoring touchdowns back in your day when you were doing the running and the catching and the protecting, like James says he wants to do, your touchdowns weren't basically taken away by your quarterback running it in. No, it wasn't. Jim wasn't doing that. But, I mean, Josh Allen adds a totally different dimension to all of this, right? So the conventional way of saying, I want to be out three downs. I want to get this. I want to get that. Right. Kind of goes by the wayside sometimes because 17 is a unicorn. Yeah, he is a unicorn, right? Yeah. So, I mean, I think, look, and actually, we actually had this conversation while we were on the football field.

31:33I was showing them the stadium. Like, yeah, I do all that work and they get down to the one-year-old line. They let Josh run it in. I was like, you know what? You got to say something, man. You can't just sit back and just take that, you know. And that was kind of the way it was when I was playing because I would, you know, catch the ball and run the field, run the ball down the field. And all of a sudden, you know, here come Kenny Davis running in, you know, when we get inside the five, because that was Marv Levy's decision. And I never questioned Marv, but I think James Cook can question Joe Brady because he's a young head coach and he's in that spot.

32:11I was not going to question Marv leaving, not at all, for taking me out. And if I, I mean, I could have had at least 20 more touchdowns and I would still have the record and Josh wouldn't have it right now. So, yeah, so it's a lot going into that, Rich. But I think those guys, I think those guys are figuring it out.

32:29Rich Eisen:Thurman Thomas here on the Rich Eisen Show. Any similarities between Josh and Jim Kelly that you've noticed at all? um no i i think the only thing that's uh comparable to those guys is that they want to win they want to win so bad and when you look at the way that jim played it was always going against dan marito and now you look at the way josh is playing it's always going against patrick mahome right uh or joe burrow two of those guys so uh you know their will to win or toughness and you You know, you see Josh out there, you know, talking a little smack to just about anybody that wants to talk smack to him.

33:08And, you know, he's the guy and he knows that he's a man. And I know that he's a man. I mean, he's I mean, I'm looking at this guy's career and I'm like, wow. Up until this point, he's had I think I just saw a statement where he has the most touchdowns combined out of anybody in the National Football League after like nine years. and man he's a unicorn he he wants to win and jim had that fiery look in his eye all the time now you know it was a little bit different you know back when we played when you know jim would throw jim would release the football and greg lord or somebody would take three four five steps and still hit and it wouldn't be a flag so uh i think that's the kind of the difference but they're two tough individuals that just want to help this football team win and they're down to

33:55Rich Eisen:earth and beloved in town in the town right i mean they don't yeah like western new york in love and like head over heels in love with josh allen similar similar to the way they did with jim kelly back it's it's it's josh's town i was just with jim and he's like the same thing it's josh's town now and we're just we're just kind of living in his town right now yeah we're you know i'm buying 17 jerseys for all you know all nine of my kids and plus my five grandkids They all got 17. We don't even wear 34 jersey around here anymore. It's all about 17. So, yeah, it's his town, man. He's done a remarkable job, really.

34:33I mean, because, you know, he cares about this community, he cares about this football team. And, yeah, Josh is a man. And you know what? To be honest with you, it's not just around here. I think it's across the country, too.

34:45Rich Eisen:Yeah, he is. He's just awesome people. He really is. On the screen, you know, one of the things for our radio audience that we popped up um you were the 91 mvp of the national football league and we just had marshall on last week he was the 2000 uh mvp of the nfl adrian peterson next year is going in um last mvp to be a running back so let's just say this there's going to be a running back who's mvp of the season this year this year this year this year okay who do you think it's going to be thurman thomas who do i think mvp out of the running back group obviously you know if you want you could throw james out there um but right you know you got bijon you got janeer gibbs who's going to get the ball more than ever there's always mccaffrey in this mix uh every now and then um you know saquon could be in that mix who do you think yeah this is a tough one man but i tell you what if the atlanta falcons have a winning record i think bejohn robson could get the mvp um i think he's one of those guys who i mean obviously he does everything for that football team he might even play defense this year i have no idea but he he i mean he is a guy that absolutely does everything and you know he's going into what is fourth year and it doesn't look like he's slowing down at all so if atlanta can give him some help because he's going to touch the ball anywhere from 25 to 35 times a game per game i mean that's how much they use that guy and so if i had to pick one it would probably be john robertson being the mvp tell me about this made possible campaign from carhartt and your role thurman what do you have for me oh well yeah i i've been now with carhartt now for the last couple of years uh you know and they've been a great a great company to be involved with and um you know i wear their stuff all the time all of my employees at my construction company my wife's construction company uh wear it all the time uh you know we had james cook out there on the football field and uh you know it's all about the trades people that really make this thing go right all the stadiums that are always built uh you know we had a part in putting in all 60 000 i think it's 60 129 seats and we did that with a company called Irwin, and we put in all the seats.

37:10We did some stuff for the grass, some of the sod and stuff, but it's the people that wake up every single day, they go to that stadium and build that stadium. It's not the 34 group. It's not Turner. It's not Gilbane. It's the people that are inside of that stadium, building it to be the best stadium in the National Football League, and I'll tell you what, it is. So I think for this first preseason game, They're going to have the first 20 ,000 fans that go into the stadium are going to receive a towel. And the towel has every single worker that was on that had a part in building this stadium. Their name is on this towel.

37:48So hats off to them, man. They've done an outstanding job. You know, there's still a little work to be done. But, man, it is an awesome stadium, but it is built by the people, you know, the trades people who come in and work every single day, every single week.

38:03Rich Eisen:Yeah, the Panthers. For the past three years, too. The Panthers and the Bills preseason game is this Saturday night. You can check out a whole long-form documentary type of video at Carhartt with twotees.com slash jointhetrades, all about the people who build stadiums rather than design them, which has been a lot of the conversation throughout the week. Yes. Hey, man, you just put the seats in where they tell you to put the seats in. I just went to see something where they told me to. That was it. I had nothing else to do with it. Yeah. Last one for you, Thurman. Who should be in the Hall with you from your teams that's not in there yet?

38:42Oh, boy. I got about three guys, man. I'd probably say Ken Hull, our center. Cornelius Bennett, our linebacker. And Darrell Talley. But I'd probably say, first of all, it would probably be Steve Tasker. When people say that you are the greatest special team ever, why are you not in the Hall of Fame? I think the guy the guy changes the game the way it puts play on special teams Marv Levy used to always say you can score a touchdown on offense you can score a touchdown on defense it would never fuel the excitement of having a touchdown made on a special teams play it's a different type of play and tasker even with blocking punts you know tackling Deion when he was a punt returner the guy came up with big plays throughout his entire career so for me it's definitely Steve Tasker yeah and our our coordinator producer fellow

39:42Rich Eisen:named Mike Hoskins is a diehard Bills fan from uh from New York which is why a Steve Tasker photograph was ready instantly when you mentioned instantly yeah he's got him all he's got him and And I'm going to tell you something, too. You know, it was great to see the fans for the Saints show up, really. But let me tell you something. Bills Mafia will take control of that place if another Bills goes in. Thurman, the reason why the ceremony is in the stadium now. It's because of Jim. It's because of Jim. Yeah, it's because of Jim. Because they could not fit. Well, again, Buffalo, Pittsburgh, right down to Ohio.

40:25Rich Eisen:It's a straight line. It's a straight line. So he's from Pittsburgh. So Buffalo hit Pittsburgh, picked up some people, and brought them all down by bus, you know, when it was time. I liked it. Picked up some people on the way. Yeah. The mafia picked up the Pittsburghers, and then look at that picture right there. It's so cool, man. It's so great to see you guys all together when it's time to celebrate each other and football and mortality. Thurman, good to see you. Good to see you too, Rich. Let's do this more often. I'll reach out to you during the season. We'll see if James Cook lives up to it.

41:01Rich Eisen:Yeah, let's do it. That's Thurman Thomas, everybody. Courtesy of Carhartt's Made Possible campaign right here on The Rich Heisen Show. Alright, let's beat it on down the line. We're back with your phone calls and hour number three beckons right here on the program.

41:18Rich Eisen:The Rich Heisen Show. The podcast.

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42:29Rich Eisen:The Hyundai Getaway Sales Event and Getaway with a deal so right it almost feels wrong. Driving all electric, awesome, no emissions. Ioniq 5, Ioniq 9, bold and stylish Elantra loaded with the latest tech. That's for you, unless you want an adventure-ready SUV. the Hyundai Santa Fe or Santa Fe hybrid, Tucson or Tucson hybrid, all great deals on our most popular models available right now. When you get down to your local Hyundai dealer and get away with the deal you'll love during the Hyundai getaway sales event, visit HyundaiUSA.com for details. I just love our relationship guys. And I'll just say that out loud.

43:04Rich Eisen:I don't care who knows it. I don't care where anybody sees it. And this is of course, it's set up for what's to come next. Oh, oh boy. Oh God. Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah. Who did what? We're involved in a fantasy league where it takes eight hours to pick. That's not me. It's absurd. Okay. You're involved in the fantasy league. What are you talking about? Well, I'm saying this isn't particularly directed at me. Oh, it is absolutely directed at you. It's about to be directed at you. Absolutely directed at you. Chris Brockman picks. You're on the clock. He texts you. You're on the clock. You thumbs up it.

43:35Rich Eisen:Yeah. 45 minutes later, you haven't picked yet. He's thinking. About what? It's like you should see the pickings right now, how slim they are right now. It's slim. Okay? Yeah. Like, I've got four running backs. I don't even, like, I just need to know which second stringer that has no shot to start might actually get some run, literally and figuratively. I have no idea. What round are you in at this point? 12? Out of 21. These are the guys that don't even play. We're in day nine. We're in day nine of this draft. We're in day nine of this basketball draft. These are the bye week guys. It was two Wednesdays ago.

44:05Rich Eisen:TJ, make a pick. Commissioner Latrulio came on. These are the bye week guys. Make a pick, TJ. Come on. you don't play so hush i have played so you can't say he texts you you're up you're up you thumbs up it yeah thumbs up yeah you did 45 minutes later you haven't picked and then he texts the reason why i know that if it's been 45 minutes he texts he goes come on tj i gotta go to sleep this guy has a six-year-old at home it was 9 30 i was ready i was ready for bed and the thing is i didn't want to just like wake up what is it and then have 15 minutes left because you picked in the middle of the night yeah you put them on the clock at 1 30 in the morning on monday night Because you went to O'Shea's after party where you couldn't pick because you were too busy being a social butterfly.

44:44Rich Eisen:I was talking to folks. I was talking to folks. Talking to folks. All right. I mean, you said that again. Did you not pick on purpose? No, I absolutely not. I was on the phone. I was sending text emails. I was doing stuff. It was up on my laptop. I'm like, yeah, I got you. I was on the phone with O'Shea. Then I was on the phone with another friend of mine for a little bit. That's all I was saying. And when you are on the phone every morning, what do you do? choose a player. No, no. You walk around in pace. So I was just walking around the apartment, doing dishes, doing stuff. I have a player in the queue.

45:16Rich Eisen:Okay. I'm hosting the Rich Eisen show. I am ready to pick. But in the middle of an interview, except for... But the fact is, you're taking more umbrage to this than the guy who's picking behind me. That's the crazy part. That's what's wild to me. I was upset for him. Why? It had nothing to do with you, though. Thanks, Rich. It had literally nothing to do with you. Absolutely. It does. It's a ripple effect. Because if he doesn't go... It's not the butterfly effect. Because you don't go, then it takes longer to finally get to me. What's it matter when you know you have people who are going to take all eight hours?

45:43Just infuriating me. Well, we're waiting. You're more mad than Chris was, and he was trying to go to sleep. I was just trying to go to bed. I was mad for you, Chris. Thanks. I appreciate that. Like I said, I just didn't want to wait. Like the other day, we woke up, and Jon Hamm had 30 minutes left, and you're like, he's been on the clock for seven hours?

46:02Rich Eisen:I just didn't want to have that situation. And then he sent an email to the group saying, Does anybody know how to set up an auto draft? Because we are on a new site, how to set up an auto draft, which is a very nice community-related thing. And I, of course, responded that I have binge-watched Mad Men Season 5 and Friends and Neighbors Season 2 while waiting for his last two picks. So it's good to know he responded, which I think is a proper response. Which is good to know he's not just a jerk to us for this. He's a jerk to Jon Hamm. That's right to Jon friggin' Hamm. I mean, look, if Jon Hamm can get it, I can't say no.

46:31Rich Eisen:It's as popular as it gets. You can't get mad that you're getting it. I'm being consistent. And this is what a change should be like for a fantasy league.