Hour 2: Live from Super Bowl LX with Cowboys WR CeeDee Lamb & 49ers RB Christian McCaffrey

21:04Rich Eisen:If I ever told you Peyton Manning would be reaching out to a New England Patriot quarterback to give some advice to him, what would you have said? You know what I mean? Did a warm place get cold all of a sudden? It's pretty cool, though. Yeah, it is. Pretty damn cool. And again, just it's amazing. One-third overall pick is clearly the guy for an AFC East team, and one third overall pick for an AFC East team isn't the guy right away. And now they're both in Super Bowl 60. Come on out here. Christian McCaffrey has just shown up here. We're live on TV and radio. What's up, Matt? Great to see you.

21:43Rich Eisen:Please take a seat. Here he is. Christian McCaffrey is here, guys. It's been a while since we've had Christian McCaffrey on the program. How are you? Doing great, man. I appreciate you having me. What's tougher, being a dad or getting through traffic?

21:57Christian McCaffrey:traffic's brutal right here it's good yes

22:02Rich Eisen:but I appreciate you just jumping right here and you're running all over the place of course, of course, yeah right out of the car

22:08Christian McCaffrey:right under the chair you fired up to be here

22:11Rich Eisen:I appreciate that, courtesy of FedEx it's spotlighting tonight's FedEx air and ground NFL player of the year awards, FedEx is going to donate$15 ,000 to Feeding America food banks in each of the winning players' home markets. Oh, is that the trophy right there? Look at that. Sweet. We should put a microphone in front of it. If only that trophy could talk. Pretty cool. How are you doing?

22:38Christian McCaffrey:I'm doing great. Doing fantastic, man. Body feels good and pumped to be here. Okay, cool.

22:45Rich Eisen:I'll ask you. I asked your guy, Juszczyk, last week about you and about the season. How would you term this 49ers season a success, Christian McCaffrey?

22:54Christian McCaffrey:Well, you know, there's always one team happy at the end of the year. And, you know, every year I've played, I don't have the Super Bowl yet. And so you always end up a little bit bitter. But I think the more experience you get in your career, the more I feel so much gratitude for teams like the one I was just on. Right. Because of the resilience, because of the fight, the character, all the things you would want in a football team this team had wasn't easy. You know, we had a lot of adversity throughout the season, but guys just showed up every single day. And it's a good reminder that, you know, the fundamentals of football, hard work, dedication to the craft, blocking and tackling, not some serious speech or potion that did it.

23:33Christian McCaffrey:It was more just guys showing up every day. And, you know, obviously we didn't end up the way we wanted to. But, you know, I was one of those teams where you'll look back on and I'll be really proud to be a part of it.

23:44Rich Eisen:I would term it a success, honestly, because of who did not play and for whatever the reasons were. And you guys just kept on clicking week in and week out. Did Kyle ever mention anything? What did he do potentially any differently this year for this team to succeed for Kyle Shanahan at the helm?

24:07Christian McCaffrey:Yeah, I mean, Kyle's the coach of the year in my book. You know, I think when you look at all of the adversity that we had to go through and still to get to where where we did, that's a testament to the staff, the players that Jed and John and Kyle have brought into the building. And then it's a testament to the leadership. You know, when you have a guy like like a Fred or a Bosa or a kid or Brock, whatever, you have them go down in the depth to be able to come in and produce. That's a big deal because that can go the other way. And so whenever you have that, it's a testament to the culture. And that starts with leadership.

24:42Christian McCaffrey:And again, just, you know, it was a cool team to be a part of in that way.

24:45Rich Eisen:It was just, you know, 49er fans were just out of their skulls about how well, you know, you guys played. So I would say congratulations on that. And I know you'd rather be in the game. Clearly, I understand that. Interestingly enough, if I'm not mistaken, I'm trying to go in my head here. You were on the team with Sam Darnold in Carolina, correct, before you got traded? Yep. later that season when he showed up or was it the same year later?

25:10Christian McCaffrey:No, I was OTAs with him, camped with him. I was with him for a year and then I was with him for the year that I got traded. So I left him in the middle of the year and then I was with him again in San Francisco.

25:21Rich Eisen:So can you add any extra to what we're talking about his journey and what he's been able to do? You had a front row seat to the team that drafted him, sending him to your team and then seeing what happened there as well. Any extra?

25:36Christian McCaffrey:Yeah, you know, Sam's become, you know, one of my better friends. And it's always weird when you watch somebody like Sam, who you watch him every day. He's unbelievably talented. You know, you talk about a guy that can make any throw on the field. He can run. He's impressive, you know, and I don't think I even understood how good he was until he came to Carolina. And a lot of times quarterbacks get so much credit. They also get so much blame and it's not always their fault. And I think Sam was in so many situations that, you know, I can say it because I'm not Sam and I'm his friend. They weren't his fault.

26:11Christian McCaffrey:And, you know, he, all he did was bite down and continue to, to, to grit through injuries and all these other things and maybe some unfair situations and, and, and persevere through it all. And he never said anything. He showed up as a professional every single day, didn't blame anyone didn't make excuses and you know when you're that talented and stuff just isn't working out that can be you know that can be emotionally and mentally taxing but he's been inspiring to watch from from my perspective because I know him because I played with him you know and and to see him just continue to track and continue to show up every day take Minnesota to a 14 win season and go to the you know to the playoffs in his first year with the team and then you know Then he has to go through it again.

26:54Christian McCaffrey:They get rid of him. And now he's playing in a Super Bowl. And so as somebody like that, it's cool to see them getting their flowers.

26:59Rich Eisen:And between all that, Christian, you know, I mean, you saw him, you were teammates with him after the team that drafted him sends him to another spot. And then you were there when he shows up as a backup, right, in San Francisco right here. What did you see from him that you're willing to share when he's walking around the building, basically getting ready just in case he needs to be ready. And his career is now as a looks like he's a backup quarterback at that point in time.

27:30Christian McCaffrey:Yes. Sam, when he was a starter, Sam, when he was a backup, same guy. No kidding. I think that's what makes him so special. He's the same guy every single day. He's not into what people are saying about him, good or bad. I mean, he's actually one of the people that told me one time, he's like, you know, when you read stuff about yourself, it's like buying a stock and now you own the stock. And so if it's good, it's good. But you also have to read the bad if that's how you go about your life. And I just remember him telling me that. I just thought of that. But he has so much wisdom and he has so much maturity that he brings to a group.

27:59Christian McCaffrey:If he's the backup, he's accepting his role, and he's going to go out there and be the best backup on the planet. If he's the starter, he's playing in a Super Bowl. And I think that's just a testament to his character. So this doesn't surprise you? Not at all. Hmm. Not at all. And so what do you say to people who are surprised about it? Look, he's playing in a Super Bowl. Yeah, right. I don't have to say anything. He's doing it. He's in the middle of doing it. Right. So are you rooting for the Seahawks? I know that puts you in a tough position here. As a player, you don't root for teams. You never root for teams.

28:31Christian McCaffrey:You're so competitive with everybody. So it's one of those things where I'll always only root for whatever team I'm on. Right. But you watch football and you hope it's a good game. But as somebody that's not playing in the Super Bowl, you look forward to that Monday morning because it's the official move-on date. It's just fuel to the fire to continue to grow and continue to try to get there.

28:53Rich Eisen:We had Kyle Juszczyk on the show, as I mentioned last week, and I asked him what makes you great. He talked about your dedication, and he talked about the offseason, and he talks about how you're always about it. Where do you get that from? Where do you find your fire from, Christian McCaffrey?

29:13Christian McCaffrey:That's a good question. I love football. You know, I just I think it's that simple. I love football. I love everything that has to do with it. I love my teammates. You know, we get to play a kid's game for a living. And, you know, Sundays are so fun and takes a lot of hard work and a lot of, you know, a lot of hardships, a lot of trials and tribulations to earn the right to play on Sundays. But, man, I just I love it. I love training. I love taking care of my body. I like feeling good and I like competing. And so, you know, there's so much that you have to do to get to the point where you can kind of earn the right to go out there and compete.

29:48Christian McCaffrey:And it's a blessing to be able to play in the NFL. So I don't take it lightly and I try to respect the game. You know, I know it has an end date. So for me, it's while I'm playing and I'm going to give it my all every day. And I know I have teammates that do the same. And, you know, those guys are so inspiring to me. And, yeah, I genuinely love football. I love my teammates and I, you know, try to respect the game and do whatever it takes. Do you have a chip on your shoulder? Always, man. From what? what's your biggest chip how you can you know find anything um you know i won a super bowl you know i think everybody on our team wants to win the super bowl and so uh you know when you get close and you don't get there that that's a chip that'll you'll die with that chip um and so you know that uh i don't know i find chips you know what i mean if there isn't a chip i'll look online and find one so i you know i'll uh try to find something man try to find something yeah i mean I love competing.

30:40Christian McCaffrey:I love when someone tells me I can't do something or you're not good enough or this or that. I've been hearing it my whole life, and so sometimes it actually gets old. But no, man, I think there's the chip on the shoulder that I'll always have, I think, probably for the rest of my life. I think it's in my DNA. It's been with me since I was a kid. I think it's just growing up with three brothers. That's probably why you're always competing, and you're always losing. When you have an older brother, you're getting your ass kicked all the time. So you learn how to compete. You learn how to get better.

31:08Christian McCaffrey:you you're constantly obsessed with how you can fix your mistakes so that you can go out there

31:12Rich Eisen:and win yeah i mean the fact that you're supposed to not be able to run between the tackles when

31:17Christian McCaffrey:you're coming into the nfl that's a chip that was a thing yeah that's which is why one of the reasons i went to stanford i was like you know what man you know there's all these other schools and people i was the you know the scat back and uh i was like if i go to stanford they can't argue that I can't run between the tackles. And then I ran power for a living for like three years. And still that was the narrative.

31:41Rich Eisen:Going into the NFL, I remember that. Exactly. I remember that. Just imagine if you had played in the bowl game. That's another one. You're a bad teammate. Let's not forget it. Sun Bowl. Let's not forget the old Sun Bowl, huh, Christian?

31:53Christian McCaffrey:Yeah, I mean, now I don't know how many guys the next year missed bowl games, but I think it was like in the hundreds. You're the godfather of this. you're like my george washington i'm a pioneer let's not forget that leonard fournette like you know i saw leonard fournette wasn't playing in the bowl game and i'm like that's my competition he's probably training for the combines i started thinking more about and there's obviously more that went into it and and and you know we laugh but that was one of the hardest decisions i've ever had to make in my life and i had to you know i did uh take a lot you know for making that decision and uh but man you know you know i'm I'm here now and happy with that decision.

32:33Christian McCaffrey:You look at the college football landscape now. Guys are getting paid. Guys are getting what they deserve. You know, college is a professional sport. They're televised, marketing, jersey sales, stadiums, all that stuff. They deserve to get paid, man. And, you know, we didn't have that. And, you know, so it's cool to see that the landscape is changing. Obviously, I think they'll have to have some checks and balances with a lot of things. But, yeah, it's cool where it's headed.

32:54Rich Eisen:So in a couple minutes I have left, again, courtesy of FedEx, we'll talk about the Aaron Ground NFL Player of the Year Awards tonight. that you mentioned you're one of four brothers. Are you the youngest or you're not? I'm number two. Okay. Older or two younger. If I'm not mistaken, Drake May is the youngest of four brothers, right? So you look at him and you're like, okay, I get it, right? That he's as competitive as he is, right?

33:20Christian McCaffrey:No, 100%. I think any time you have, especially three, I look at my younger brother, knowing that he's the youngest of four. My youngest brother, Luke, is definitely the, he plays for Washington, obviously, and he's the fieriest of all of us, for sure. That competitive, I mean, it's built in. It's in your blood at that point when you're the youngest of four. So the aw shucks, Drake May, that you see, don't buy it, is what you're saying. No, he's a killer. Yeah, whatever persona he gives you, that's persona. He is a killer, I promise you. Because he's the youngest of four brothers.

33:51Rich Eisen:Yep. I love that. So the FedEx Aaron Ground NFL Player of the Year Awards. Okay, man. What names there are? Josh Allen, Trey McBride, Puka, Bijan, Matthew Stafford, and Jonathan Taylor are all in the mix, right? And you are the 2025 winners. You and Drake May and Jackson Smith and Jigba have been named FedEx Aaron Ground NFL Players of the Year. So congratulations. Appreciate it, man.

34:18Christian McCaffrey:Thank you. It's a huge honor. Huge honor. Appreciate it. That is pretty cool, right? Yeah, really cool. Yeah, FedEx has been amazing, too. I mean, this award's been around for 23 years. It's voted for by the fans, which is really cool. And, again, they're giving$15 ,000 to Feeding America Food Bank here in San Francisco. And so it's a great partnership and really honored and blessed to receive the award.

34:38Rich Eisen:And, again, I love that you talk about your team, and I understand what that's all about. And I'm not being flippant about it. But if you win Comeback Player of the Year Award tonight, that's for you. That's for you. That's for your wife. That's for everybody who's in your circle, right? What would that mean for you if you wouldn't come back Player of the Year award, Christian?

34:59Christian McCaffrey:Oh, man, it would mean a lot. You know, I think of all the years I played, this one was interesting because there were so many things being thrown at me. You know, and last year ending the season that way and having to rehab multiple things to start, there was so much doubt, you know, transparently and really uncertainty with how the season was going to play out. But, you know, you said it, man, it takes a village. You know, we have our team, we have our trainers, we have our teammates, our coaches, you know, there's so many people involved. But then in the offseason, you're your own team. And you've got to have good coaches, you've got to have good staff, and it really does take a village.

35:40Christian McCaffrey:It takes consistent commitment to helping us get to where we want to be. And so I'm really thankful for all of my everybody. And they know who they are. For my trainers, my bodywork people, everybody that played a part in helping me get to where I'm at, man. I feel very, very blessed and, you know, thankful because it was a hard year. My wife, I had a baby, which was the coolest thing ever. And having my daughter was, like to say, was my superpower, man. Because that was a good day, bad day. You come home and you see her and takes away all the pain. No kidding. What's her name?

36:10Rich Eisen:Collette. Sorry? Collette. Collette. and so what's the toughest thing about being a dad that you learned you didn't know going in for you? Well, it's softened me up for sure.

36:23Christian McCaffrey:It did. Yeah. Girl dad, man. You come home, you see that smile and she wants to see it. She's noticing the world and you can't help it, but it's been so much fun, man. It's been cool watching my wife become a mom and how much she loves it. And so it's just been awesome, man. But diaper changing, you're in the mix, right? You do this? I changed her first diaper. I didn't want anyone else. I'm like, this is my job. First diaper. Okay. To be honest with you, I've been lacking. Uh-oh. I've been lacking. I owe a few diaper changes. Okay. All right.

36:56Rich Eisen:But you know what? It's called, you know, responsibility. Yeah. And you're taking accountability. That's a sign of leadership.

37:03Christian McCaffrey:There are areas where I need to get better. That's one of them.

37:05Rich Eisen:That's a sign of leadership, even though you're clearly dropping the pulse. Yeah, absolutely. I say that now in a I'm gonna say the same thing. Oh, by the way, you're finished though. I mean, my daughter is now 12 and there, you know, it's time for her to get to sleep and she doesn't have like her ice water that she likes to have and she'll look at me and can you go downstairs, dad? I'm like, oh my God. And he goes down. Yes, the answer is yes. She knows the answers, yes. Before she even asks, she'll give me a look. Yeah, man, you're finished, but it's all good. Congratulations on everything happening in your world.

37:38Rich Eisen:I hope you get to hear your name tonight it the way you want it. You got it. Christian McCaffrey again. FedEx is spotlighting the FedEx Aaron Ground NFO Player of the Year awards 15 grand of Feeding America food banks in each of the winning players' home markets. Christian McCaffrey is here. We'll be back to wrap up our number two before our three hits here on the Rich Eisen Show with Steve Smith Sr. coming up. Awesome. Thanks, Matt. If you're ready for an oil change, trust the professional parts people at O 'Reilly Auto Parts to recommend the best products for your vehicle. Right now, get five quarts of Valvoline full synthetic motor oil and a Wix filter for$35.99 and receive a$15 O 'Reilly gift card after rebate.

38:22Rich Eisen:Upgrade to a Wix XP oil filter for just$2 more. Limits apply. See store for details. Stop by your local O 'Reilly Auto Parts store or shop online at O 'ReillyAuto.com. Rich Eisen here. The tax deadline will be here before you know it, and you just want to know your taxes are actually being handled. But the old way, you hand everything off and then silence. Days pass, weeks pass. You start wondering, should I send another follow-up email? It feels like you're chasing updates and getting nowhere. But now, taxes are different because your taxes are done for you by a TurboTax full-service expert. With Intuit TurboTax, you can match with your dedicated tax expert and hand off everything right in the app.

39:06Rich Eisen:And while your expert checks for every deduction, you'll see real-time updates on your phone so you always know exactly where things stand. Suddenly, you're not refreshing your inbox. You're going for a run, grabbing a coffee, scrolling anything other than a just-checking-in message. Because your TurboTax expert is handling it and keeping you in the loop. So this tax season, get your best possible outcome and every dollar you deserve without the guesswork. Visit TurboTax.com today to learn more. Real-time updates only in iOS mobile app, only available with TurboTax full-service experts. Want to earn extra income for your business?

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40:13Rich Eisen:The Rich Eisen Show, the podcast. Hyundai Hope on Wheels is something I'm proud to talk about all the time. pediatric cancer research and awareness. My gosh, let's all get behind it. For over 27 years, every Hyundai Sold has helped fund life-saving pediatric cancer research, together with over 850 dealers nationwide. They've raised more than$277 million, supporting over 25 ,000 kids in their fight against cancer. At Hyundai, Hope isn't optional. It comes standard. Visit HyundaiUSA.com and search Hyundai Hope on Wheels to learn more. Apparently, if you're on wheels in this town right now, it's not great.

40:53Rich Eisen:No, traffic's a little tight. I've just been told we might have walk-ons the rest of the show. But I don't care. People behind you are all waving to you. Hi, Rich. Yeah, Rich. Hey. Look at that. Everybody, hey. Hey. What's up? Should I give you the man point? Yeah. Hey. Tiger Woods, big dog. There he is. There it is. Hey. All right. Now, please, can you leave? No, I'm just kidding. Is that wrong? A little bit. Well, yesterday, we had just come on the air, and there was a dude literally right behind me. Trust me. I'm like, it's a magnet. Same thing back in El Segundo. That's what I'm saying. Where it's this one guy who's power cleaning the courtyard, stands right over my shoulder like it's a, I'm Beretta, and that's the parrot.

41:38Rich Eisen:I know that's an old school. Yeah, I get it, Rich. He's one of my favorite people on campus, though. He's so nice. Who, the power cleaning guy? Yeah, he is a nice guy. He's so happy. But can he move five feet to the left or the right when we're doing it? Okay. I told you, he reminds me of the dude from Game of Thrones. He does. Who teaches the sword fight. Yes. Oh, but not today. Not today. Meaning he looks like that? Or when we ask him to move, he says not today. He looks like him. Okay. He does actually. Steve Smith Sr. and Adam Ray are going to be our third hour guests. That'll be on ESPN2 for those who are maybe listening and want to watch and see what we are talking about because we're right here.

42:17Rich Eisen:on 2nd Street in downtown San Francisco. And we love being here. Last night, I've been talking about the gig for a while, the Strand Theater last night. I did record an episode of This Was Sports Center with Chris Berman last night. You guys were all there. It was epic. It was so good. Now you're really making me sound like Jim Rome here. Just tell me how epic it was, please. No, but in all seriousness, it was just a blast because, again, this is a show that, you know, As soon as it became possible to move this show to the world of Disney and ESPN, I don't know why it just hit me, but I've always wanted to do a legacy pod on SportsCenter in the same way what there's legacy pods for The Office, right?

43:06Rich Eisen:And there's Entourage did one. There's a whole bunch of them, right? SportsCenter deserves to have one in itself because of what, you know, it was, how it was born and what it became. And before, again, I know I date myself before the Internet became big. And that there were, you know, handheld phones that didn't look like the one that's the brick phone on front of you on your desk. In our El Segundo studio. Right. that it had a different place in our sports viewership world than it currently has now. And it's just a sign of the times, really. But it's still a great highlight show that you seek out when you want to see something again, or you haven't seen something, or you've got an hour where you're just like, you know what, I just want to sit around and watch some sports and forget about the world, which is what SportsCenter still is.

44:03Rich Eisen:but I always wanted to do a podcast on Back in the Day where I'm chatting with all my old colleagues when I was 26 with Hair and they were all far along in their careers at some point or maybe not. And it's happening. And ESPN has heard the idea and the immediate were like, let's do it. You should do it. And we'll back up everything. So last night we did it in the Strand Theater and the folks behind the scenes at ESPN, led by Megan Judge, I'll shout her out here, just killed it. I mean, the stage was set and it's part and parcel of the promotional campaign that's going to back it with old school televisions with knobs and VHS tapes were all over the stage.

44:50Rich Eisen:And it was really cool. And there's no way I'm going to do this pod without having Chris Berman part of the first season. And he agreed to do it live last night here in San Francisco in between all his other gigs that he's doing here. And it was great. I mean, I'm wondering what it was like from your perspective hearing these stories last night. Just sitting in the front row. Yeah, you guys were all right up front. I was in the very last row. Well, that's because you don't like being all the way up front. It was easier for me to take it all. Okay, cool. Or you weren't really there and there's no way I could actually take an attendance when you saw the way in the back row.

45:30Rich Eisen:I can show you pictures. Oh, no, it's okay. I think for me, wanting to be in this business since I was a very young boy, it's because of Chris Berman and growing up seeing the primetime show and sports centers and the draft. That's why I wanted to be a sportscaster and talk sports and do this for a living. And so getting to see that up close and hear all the story, like the skunk story was, oh, my God. Yeah, about how a skunk got into the old SportsCenter, the old SportsCenter studio when they first started out, had a garage door on one wall of the studio that sometimes didn't close all the way down because there were wires and things that were running from one thing to the other.

46:13Rich Eisen:And he said a skunk got in one night. Yeah, he was running for months, he said. And playing the name game, like we would do that because of Berman. and you talked about growing up watching him when you were in school. I used to watch you in school when I was a freshman. And so it's just like it's all come full circle, and it was one of the coolest nights I've had in this business. No kidding. One thing Vernon said that I thought was interesting, when he got his first job, he goes, we heard you were a good kid. Isn't that what he told you at one point? He said because it was some people from Brown where he went to school, and they heard that and are like, all things being equal, we'll take the good kid over somebody we don't know.

46:50Rich Eisen:And we used to have college high school kids come through the studio and they were like, could you give us any advice? I remember telling them once, sometimes it's better to be liked because if it comes down between you and another person, people are more likely going to take the person they want to be around. And when he said that, I was like, yeah, that definitely makes sense. But it was amazing, man. It really was. Thanks. I'm glad you guys felt that way. We also recorded an episode of This Was SportsCenter. By the way, It's coming out later on this year. I'll let everyone know when it's going to start hitting.

47:22Rich Eisen:And it's going to be on our YouTube channel, but mostly also on Disney Plus and the ESPN app. It's going to be great. And we're going to dress it up with videos and back in the day, bells and whistles. Chris Fowler, we just shot one with him too. So it's going to be really cool stuff. The Rich Eisen Show Podcast.

47:43Christian McCaffrey:Shot clocks, big shots, upsets, aces, TGL playoffs are here. First, Atlanta Drive starts their repeat run against Los Angeles Golf Club. Then, Rory's Boston Common Golf and Tiger's Jupiter Lynx face off in their playoff debuts.

47:55Rich Eisen:Who will advance? Keep up. It's playoffs. Tune in Tuesday, March 17th at 6.30 p.m. and 9 p.m. only on ESPN and the ESPN app.