In short
Rich Eisen’s Hour 2 focuses on NFL quarterback decisions, playoff matchups, and the upcoming draft, with guest Kurt Warner (NFL Network, QB Confidential) and Todd McShay (The Ringer, NFL draft analyst).
Guests and backgrounds
- Kurt Warner: Pro Football Hall of Famer; NFL Network analyst; breaks down film via QB Confidential.
- Todd McShay: The Ringer NFL draft analyst; leads draft evaluations and prospects.
Key claims and notable examples
- Warner: Tua Tagovailoa’s benching is driven by Miami being out of the playoff picture and needing answers about the future, not just recent form. He argues Miami’s offense is “feast or famine,” requiring tight-window accuracy; Quinn Ewers will be tested on whether he can fit the same system. Warner compares Bo Nix’s development, praising his improved willingness to push downfield (e.g., a go-route TD vs. Green Bay) and noting he can be impatient in the pocket.
- Warner: Phillip Rivers’ return after five years showed strong game management and key throws (including a late back-shoulder TD setup).
- Warner: For AFC/seed chaos, he leans Texans (defense + CJ Stroud post-protocol) but acknowledges Josh Allen’s threat.
- McShay: Fernando Mendoza is a likely top pick; he highlights turnover-worthy issues, pressure panic, and the need to fit Kirk Signetti’s system. He cites Mendoza’s toughness and late-game throws (including vs. Penn State) and wants to see him vs. Ohio State.
- McShay: He expects the 2026 top pick to be valuable for teams needing a reset; he discusses the 2027 QB class depth and mentions teams like the Jets, Browns, and Rams as quarterback-needy.
Written by AI. May contain mistakes. Listen to the episode to check what was said.
Chapters
Tap a time to open that second in VODiscussing College Football and the SEC
1:26 to 3:42
Rich Eisen and guests discuss the SEC, college football playoffs, and upcoming games.
“Earlier on the show, SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey.”
Kurt Warner on Tua's Bench and Future
3:42 to 7:40
Kurt Warner analyzes Tua Tagovailoa's performance and the implications of him being benched.
“Is he the future for at least next year with the big cap hit?”
Evaluating Bo Nix and Denver's Success
7:40 to 11:30
Kurt Warner evaluates Bo Nix's performance and discusses Denver's quarterback strategy.
“And I think that's why we've gotten to this point where we're asking the question about the future.”
Phillip Rivers and Conference Standings
11:30 to 14:03
Kurt Warner reflects on Phillip Rivers' performance and analyzes the playoff picture.
“I'm going to ask you a question I haven't asked you for about five years.”
NFL Playoff Seeds and Team Performances
14:03 to 20:35
Discussion about the importance of playoff seeds and standout NFL team performances.
“You don't want to play one of those teams.”
NFL Playoff Seeds and Team Performances
20:39 to 20:59
Discussion about the importance of playoff seeds and standout NFL team performances.
“Todd McShay looks over the steering wheel.”
College Football Playoffs and Draft Insights
20:59 to 24:47
Insights on college football playoffs and NFL draft prospects, focusing on quarterbacks.
“ABS, or maintenance light with O 'Reilly Veriscan.”
Fernando Mendoza's Potential and Future Prospects
24:47 to 28:00
Analysis of quarterback Fernando Mendoza and his potential as a top draft pick.
“Well, we already know what the New York Jets think about it, Todd McShay, because they told the Dallas Cowboys, give us our second one for Quinn and Williams in 2027.”
Quarterback Evaluation Insights
28:00 to 30:00
Discussion on evaluating a quarterback's performance and potential.
“excelled in it and didn't have mobility to start with and had the injury as well.”
Draft Predictions and Player Analysis
30:00 to 33:10
Analysis of potential top draft picks and their projected impact.
“I love, you know, you just had Kurt Warner on.”
Show all 17 chapters
College Football Playoff Predictions
33:10 to 35:00
Discussion on potential outcomes and standout teams in the playoffs.
“But that aside, I think if you look back at last year, it was experienced quarterback with a running game, great defense.”
Michigan Football Coaching Discussion
35:00 to 38:00
Discussion on potential coaching candidates for Michigan football.
“And I think with that defense getting better and better.”
College Football Coaching Landscape
38:00 to 39:40
Insights into the current state of college football coaching and key figures.
“When I'm talking to people there that are very much in the know and around the program, it feels like an underswell of something's happening.”
Listener Call-ins and Responses
41:10 to 42:13
Listener interactions and responses to previous discussions.
Listener Call: Support for Jalen Hurts
42:19 to 42:49
A caller discusses her support for Jalen Hurts and shares personal anecdotes.
“Let's go to Angie in South Jersey, everybody.”
Baseball Movie Comparisons
42:50 to 44:25
The hosts compare the New York Mets to a movie plot and discuss player acquisitions.
“So just to qualify as a bird stand, my grandmother worked at a diner called Ponzio's that Buddy Ryan used to come in and sit at her counter.”
Yankees vs. Mets Debate
44:26 to 46:49
A lively debate ensues between the hosts about the Yankees and Mets' legacies and player migrations.
“I think we got a movie poster of it right there.”
Transcript
Automatic transcript. May contain errors.0:01Todd McShay:This episode is brought to you by Google Chrome.
0:03Rich Eisen:You think you know a browser, but Gemini and Chrome, that's new. It can help you with practically anything on the web, like restoring a vintage motorcycle from a 50-page restoration block, or finally break down that long article you've had open for weeks. Gemini and Chrome is here for it. Ready to make anything online make sense?
0:19Todd McShay:There's no place like Chrome. Check responses set up required, compatibility and availability varies 18+. Study and play.
0:28Rich Eisen:Come together on a Windows 11 PC. And for a limited time, college students get the best of both worlds. Get the Unreal College Deal. Everything you need to study and play with select Windows 11 PCs. Eligible students get a year of Microsoft 365 Premium and a year of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate with a custom color Xbox wireless controller. Learn more at windows.com slash student offer. While supplies last, ends June 30th. terms at aka.ms slash college pc this is the rich eisen show hey everybody can't get enough of the rich eisen show you're in luck you can find us everywhere watch us weekdays on disney plus from noon to three eastern miss the show we've got a podcast so you can listen anytime but here's the best part our youtube channel subscribe at youtube.com slash rich eisen show and you'll never miss a moment.
1:22Rich Eisen:Now, on with the show. The 2025 NBA Cup champions, your New York Knicks. This is the Rich Eisen Show. The New York Knickerbockers. Wow. The Rich Eisen Show. He was wild, man. Earlier on the show, SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey. Coming up, Pro Football Hall of Famer Kurt Warner, the Ringer NFL draft analyst, Todd McShay, actor Gary Cole, and now it's Rich I Says. What a great hour, one we just had. Greg Sankey, the SEC commissioner, talking about college football and the state of it and the college football playoffs that are starting on Friday night between two SEC teams, Oklahoma and Alabama. 844-204-RICH is the number to dial.
2:10Rich Eisen:We ask Eagle fans to call in and tell us how they feel about Jalen Hurtson. They have a blodge. We'll get to your calls later this hour. Please stay on hold. Todd McShay is about to join us to talk about the future and the National Football League draft. Maybe we'll talk a little bit of college football with him, but he's his usual Wednesday spot. My Hall of Fame friend from the NFL Network and also QB Confidential is great. Must subscribe to YouTube channel, ladies and gentlemen. Kurt Warner back here. How are you doing, Kurt? I'm doing well. How are you doing, buddy? Hanging in there. So the news breaking on Wednesday morning that Tua Tungo-Vailoa will be benched.
2:46Rich Eisen:Mike McDaniel, after the loss to the Steelers, said all options are on the table at quarterback. And the option now is Quinn Ewers, I guess, for at least this week for the Miami Dolphins. And I'll give you the floor on what you've seen from Tua this year and why you think we're at where we're at right now in South Florida. Yeah, I mean, these things always are interesting that obviously they had won five of six before Monday night. So they had got back to playing decent football. They didn't play well early in the year, too. It wasn't playing well early in the year. So at that point, you kind of go, OK, if you make a move now, it's a little more understandable.
3:24Then you go on a run. And then after one loss, you bench the guy. And that's like, OK, how does that make sense? But I think, you know, what we're seeing is that they got knocked out of the playoff picture. And so they get knocked out of the playoff picture. And now you're starting to ask questions about the future. What is the future? Is Tua the future of this franchise? Is he the future for at least next year with the big cap hit? Or do we at this point explore some of the other guys we have on the roster and specifically the young rookie and Quinn Ewers to see if maybe he can be that guy? You know, maybe, you know, it makes it easier, but we at least need a sample size to see what we have in this room to decide.
4:08Is it Tua? Is it a guy in this room? Is it neither? Do we have to address that moving into the offseason, whether that's in the draft or free agency? If they've got that that ability with obviously the cap hit that Tua would take if they decide to cut ties there. So I think that's why this happens now. Not necessarily that Tua hadn't played good football the last month and a half, but it's at the point now where we have to start making some decisions for the future. So why do you think Tua needs to be benched in the eyes of Mike McDaniel,
4:45Rich Eisen:other than what you just said, hey, we need to see who else we've got? He would never do that, obviously, look to see who else we've got. if Tua's play in his mind was significant enough to keep moving forward with him. As you know, McDaniel might not have his job either. And you've said here, because I listen to you, Kurt, as well as Game Day Morning, which means I have no choice but to listen to you. For four hours. That McDaniel and his system, Tua's great for it. and obviously the system that McDaniel would bring to a, or let's put it this way, the Dolphins want to stick with Tua. This would be the coach to have.
5:28Rich Eisen:So I'll give you the floor on that one. Yeah. I mean, I think the biggest thing is, you know, we've seen Tua play at an extremely high level in this offense, but this year he didn't. And, you know, a lot of factors, you know, what you see oftentimes when you watch this Miami offense is that, It's kind of feast or famine. Like there are, there have been games this year where you go, Oh, there it is. There's the offense they're trying to run. And it looks almost picture perfect. And Tua is the perfect fit for this offense. But I've, you know, I've been outspoken a lot about how this offense is really tough for a quarterback.
6:10And why Tua fits it is because they ask you to fit it into your number one receiver a lot. like we've got this tremendous system that's built where if this guy's covered, then this guy's open, and then this guy's open. It is, we're going to run the football, we're going to play action, and we're going to find small windows for you. Hit those windows. And Tua has been great at hitting those windows more times than not, but it also forces him to have to try to hit those windows more than, and I don't know, I want to say more than Tua would like, but when I watch, more than I would like. Like, my gosh, that is a really tough throw and he'll make it over and over again, but you're going to miss that throw a number of times.
6:52And so when you're asked to play in that tough of a system over and over again, there is going to be obviously some great moments when you can anticipate and throw with accuracy like Tua can, but there's also going to be some of those famine moments where, man, you were off by a little bit and it's, and it's four picks, you know, or it's incompletions because the timing was just a tick off. And so it's a challenge to play in this offense. I'm really interested to watch Quinn Ewers. And if they try to do the same things, did they build more of this offense around Tua's strengths? Or is this their offense?
7:27And they're going to try to fit somebody else into it. I will be fascinated these next three weeks to watch Quinn Ewers if they're going to ask him to play the same way that they asked Tua to play. But, you know, Tua has taken a dip this year. The offense has taken a dip this year. And I think that's why we've gotten to this point where we're asking the question about the future. But make no mistake, this is not an easy offense for any quarterback to just get plugged into. And if you don't have certain skill sets, accuracy and anticipation, this can be a really tough offense to run. So, like I said, I'm fascinated to see the next three weeks and see how Quinn Ewers, which is a guy that I saw in college that I didn't necessarily think was that kind of a guy.
8:11You know, anticipation, you know, throwing ahead of schedule, you know, hitting the tight windows. I didn't feel like he was that kind of guy in college. So I'll be interested to see how this this plays out these next few weeks.
8:21Rich Eisen:Kurt Warner here on the Rich Eisen show and bring up to speed of what I said at the top of the show. Kurt, I'm not a capologist. I don't play one on TV. There are a lot of different variables that go into this. But if Tua is in fact cut next league year or post league year starting, depending on all the designations and whatever, it would be a larger cap hit than the one that the Broncos took for Russell Wilson. That said, it's not too far apart. And all you got to look at is Denver did what they did with Russ. and all they've done is draft a quarterback and win 22 games to date over not even two full seasons.
9:05Rich Eisen:And they're the one seed right now heading into the final three weeks. So there are ways through taking a massive dead cap hit. But you got to, I guess, have somebody like Bo Nix. What are you seeing out of this kid right now, Kurt, as the Broncos are moving towards the one seed? Yeah, you have to have somebody like Bo Nix. But, you know, they also had a really good team outside of the quarterback. I think that's another question with Miami is they've been so quarterback driven in their approach. They haven't been a great defense. They haven't been a great run team. And so, you know, that makes you wonder, OK, you know, can you do and simulate what Denver did in a short period of time?
9:44OK, so that's the end of that conversation. Bo Nix. Yeah, I thought he played one of his best games this past weekend. And, you know, when you watch Bo, I mean, he's he's always a playmaker. Like he's always going to create positive plays for you and make plays in the course of the game. I've been, you know, again, I want to say critical, not critical. But the one thing that I've watched with Bo, you know, over these first couple of years is that I often think he's impatient in the pocket. He kind of hits the top of his drop and wants to take off and doesn't want to settle in and take some of those shots that are coming for him down the field.
10:20He'd rather get on the move and create that way. But I felt like in this game against Green Bay, he did a better job of, you know, hanging in there and pushing the ball down the field. And he made big throw after big throw, you know, a couple touchdown throws, the huge throw on fourth and two, where he probably had some some easier looks and shorter throws there. And he said, forget it. I'm taking the go route to my guy Corlin down the sideline and drop the dime down the sideline. And so if you get that version, obviously they've been really good. We went 11 straight. They've obviously been really good with whatever version of Bo Nix because he's a good player.
11:00But if you can get the version that is more willing, you know, and risk averse to push the ball down the field a little bit more and create some of those big plays along with everything else they have, this becomes a really scary theme, in my opinion, because he is a playmaker and he's going to make a lot of plays for you in the course of the game. If he makes some on schedule and big plays for this team, along with that defense, they're going to be really tough.
11:29Rich Eisen:Kurt Warner here on the Rich Eisen Show. I'm going to ask you a question I haven't asked you for about five years. What did you see on film from Phillip Rivers, Kurt? Yeah, it has been a while. I tell you what, yeah, I know we were all going into this thing, you know, holding our breath a little bit. in Seattle against a really good defense, five years off. Oh, my gosh, what are we getting here? Like, we just hope this goes somewhat well for Phillip. And, you know, it was mostly managing the game, you know, getting into run plays and keeping them on schedule. But Phillip made, you know, some key throws in the game, including, you know, the touchdown throw, the late kind of back shoulder throw that set them up for the field goal.
12:14you know a couple of other anticipatory throws in the game so I thought it was a great start I don't know if you could have asked for much more than than what we got you know the physical part of it you hope as he practices a little bit more that comes along you know a little more velocity or snap on the football those kinds of things but extremely impressed with how this thing played out how we kept him in the game, how we made some critical throws when he needed to, and thought Shane Steichen and the team managed it really, really well to give themselves a real chance to win that game and knock off Seattle.
12:52Unfortunately, it didn't pay off that way, but more than impressed. You know, coming back off of five years, and we talked about it on the show, I don't even know what I could have expected, you know, in that kind of scenario. And so after watching it, I'm like, man, that's about as good as I could have expected for a situation like that.
13:12Rich Eisen:Kurt Warner here on the Rich Eisen Show looking at the standings right now. I want to focus on the six and seven seeds in each conference just to give you the the mind's eye of it. You got the Bills at six, the Texans at seven in the AFC and the NFC. You've got the Niners at six, the Packers at seven. I don't recall entering the final three weeks of the season, seeing a six and seven of both conferences. You could say, absolutely, they could win it. And there's the Chargers at five, with Justin Herbert taking as many sacks as he has in the last two games, and 11 sacks in the last two games in that broken left hand as he's ever taken in his entire career, Kurt, over a two-game span.
13:53Rich Eisen:So you put your marker on which one to maybe pop through and go on a run, Kurt. What do you got? Which one to pop through and go on a run? Man, yeah, it makes that number one seed, you know, so important, right? You don't want to play one of those teams. You don't want a piece, no. In round one, you want to sit at home and hope they beat each other up. Heck yeah. Man, that's a great question. I think any of those teams obviously could knock you off for sure. Man, I want to say the Texans just because of how good their defense is And I feel like their offense and CJ has been better since he came off of this kind of concussion protocol and had those few weeks off that their offense has been better.
14:39It's hard for me to go against Josh Allen just because we know what he's capable of. And the fact that with a ball in his hands and a ball in the quarterback's hand, 60 snaps, he can beat anybody and he can he can put on the cape as we always talk about. And so I think the best team in that scenario for me would be the Texans. But I won't go against number 17 right there and Josh Allen and say, man, nobody would want to play him in the first round with a higher seed going. Really? We got a higher seed for this. Yeah, I don't think you want that scenario either.
15:14Rich Eisen:And last week I asked you about Trevor Lawrence, about what you've seen out of him. And then he accounts for what was it? Six touchdowns, five, six, six touchdowns. I'll revisit now because that's the game. When he was doing it at Clemson, that's what everybody thought. Let's go, Drett. Let's go get the first overall pick. That's why I was sitting on game day morning saying, let's go ahead and get Trevor Lawrence for the Jets, right? So what are you seeing? Are you seeing this guy finally hitting it to that strike? Yeah, I mean, he's playing really well. You know, we talked to him over in London, and you remember him talking, you know, That was kind of earlier in the season where he said, OK, I'm still kind of getting my feet under me in terms of this offense.
15:56And even some of it is in the run game because we've got a lot of run checks. And so, you know, I'm just trying to get up to speed. You know, I'm getting there, but I'm not there yet. It sure feels like he's found that groove now. The last three or four weeks, I think he's played some of his best football. You know, you always ask me who the best quarterback performance was every week. Yes. He was going to be my number one on this this past week. And it's one of those scenarios where even when he's a little bit wrong, it's right right now. And so he had a touchdown pass to Brian Thomas where I felt like he got off the backside a little bit too early.
16:33And the backside defender fell off on the play. But he zipped it in there and made a perfect throw that it went just off the fingers of the defender and right into Brian Thomas's hands for a touchdown. So like even when he was a little bit off with his read and kind of sped it up too much, he's playing so well and so perfect that he gets away with some of those plays as well. I mean, it just, yeah, so many things are going right. And we've all seen this, right? We've seen the moments that say, OK, when this all goes right, this kid has everything you could possibly want to be a top level elite quarterback in the league.
17:11We just haven't seen him put it all together. The last three or four weeks, it's been put together. And so now the question becomes, OK, can he sustain that? Is that what we see the rest of the year? Is that what we see the rest of his career? But right now, Coach Cohen is doing a great job of dialing it up. And Trevor Lawrence is locked in and throwing the football really, really well.
17:32Rich Eisen:And some great games coming up this week. I mean, the aforementioned Chargers trying to get to 11 wins, stay in the mix in the AFC West, taking on Dallas, Tampa, and Carolina. of the first of two times over the last three weeks. They're tied atop their division. Pittsburgh, two wins in a row, taking on Detroit. Rogers, final visit, one would think, potentially to Detroit in a game that both have to have. Of course, there's the one that we also mentioned with the Packers and the Bears. Jaguars taking on the Broncos. Trevor Lawrence, red hot. Nobody's hotter than Bo Nix. And it all starts with Rams, Seahawks on Thursday night.
18:10Rich Eisen:So let's finish with that one. Ram Seahawks comes down to what do you think? Yeah I mean I think the big question or the big thing we're going to say is it's going to come down to Sam Darnold against the pressure of of the Rams the last two times they've played whether that was in Minnesota last year in the playoffs I think he was sacked nine times in that game but just didn't look like the same Darnold we had seen the rest of the season uh when the pressure was on him and he was getting hit and he was rushed to make decisions. Earlier this year, we saw the same thing. Four interceptions in the game at L.A.
18:46Same thing. Pressure and bodies around him on every snap where he was forced to have to drop back and throw the football a little bit more. He hasn't performed well in those situations. So that, to me, is going to be the question of this game. A, if they get into that kind of a game, can Sam quiet the critics in that regard? or B, can they play a different style of game? Like all year they've wanted to play with more tight ends and run into football and play action and under center and all of that stuff. They haven't been quite as good this last month offensively. And so can they play that brand of football to slow down the front and not get into that drop back game where Sam has struggled against the Rams the last couple of times out?
19:30So those are the big questions that I have going in specifically from that kind of matchup.
19:35Rich Eisen:thank you kurt greatly appreciate it man um and are you i meant i totally forgot the monday nighter which i should do always mention here on on disney plus and espn and espn radio are you calling that one on radio are you doing that i am not calling next monday i got it i got it off earlier in the year and now i'm kind of wishing that i was well i was on that one i'd love to see philip and 49ers are playing well brock birdie had a great game this past week so So a really good matchup with, obviously, high stakes at that one, too. But, well, you and I will have our hands full for Texans at Chargers on NFL Network this Saturday of Week 17.
20:13Rich Eisen:I can't believe we're coming down to it here. Kurt, thanks for the time. Greatly appreciate it. Everybody check out QB Confidential, which is how Kurt breaks down everything from his All-22. It's his must-subscribe-to YouTube channel. We'll see you soon, brother. All right. See you soon, everybody. Kurt Warner, everybody, right here on The Rich Eisen Show. Before we throw it a break, ESPN Radio is presented by Progressive Insurance. Keep your career moving forward. Visit careers.progressive.com. All right, we go from the here and now to what may be coming up. Todd McShay looks over the steering wheel.
20:44Rich Eisen:We'll talk a little college football playoffs with him. And, of course, the National Football League draft and how it's shaping up. That's next. This is The Rich Eisen Show.
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22:55Todd McShay:Drew Aller took several steps back from his performance at Penn State. And so we're left with a class now where Fernando Mendoza looks like potentially the number one overall pick coming off of the Heisman. Phenomenal season, has all the traits. Now we enter the college football playoff and we've got two quarterbacks that if they make a run and things end well, with some uncertainty with coaching staff situations in Dante Moore at Oregon with his offensive coordinator, taking the head coaching job at Kentucky, even Will Stein. And with whatever seemingly is going on with Caleb DeBoer and with Alabama, do they make a long run, Oregon and Alabama?
23:36Todd McShay:Ty Simpson is the Alabama quarterback who could be a first-round pick, but is only a one-year starter, entering into his 14th start. And Moore had five starts in 2023 at UCLA before taking a sabbatical year and having a breakout year under Will Stein at Oregon this year. So two inexperienced but really talented quarterbacks that could be first-round picks this year and would be probably a year from now if they had great years. But everyone's looking and saying, you know what, maybe I bucked a trend and go into the NFL as an inexperienced quarterback versus being part of that group next year that could have Arch and Lenora Sellers and could have Julian Sayan and could have a DJ Lagway off of a transfer portal.
24:22Todd McShay:and all these other, you know, Sam Levitt, Jaden Maieva. I mean, there's just so many quarterbacks for next year. It's shaping up 2027 to be one of the best quarterback classes ever. And so do we want to put our hat in that ring or leave school with inexperience and test our luck in the NFL because we know we're going to get that$35 million to$39 million guaranteed over a five-year span and speed up that second contract?
24:49Rich Eisen:Well, we already know what the New York Jets think about it, Todd McShay, because they told the Dallas Cowboys, give us our second one for Quinn and Williams in 2027. So clearly they are looking at the quarterback class and potentially not even thinking about 2026. Who the heck knows? Todd McShay, the McShay Show podcast, as well as the Ringer.
25:12Todd McShay:I don't mean to cut you off, but we also saw. I'm just trying to reset you.
25:15Rich Eisen:I'm just trying to reset you.
25:16Todd McShay:No, I got you. I'm all worked up. I get it. But we saw, like, Les Snead isn't an idiot. He made a smart move to move out of the first round last year because he had an aging quarterback who's played better than most people expected this year and doesn't look like he's anywhere close to the end necessarily in Matthew Stafford. And so they made an organizational decision to let's trade out and get a first-round pick next year because there is Nussmeier and maybe Arch is ready. And there is Klubnik and Aller and all these other guys and Lenora Sellers. and now it's being pushed back a year. So now we're looking at a top 10 right now with Cleveland at four and two first-round picks, Jets at five with two first-round picks, and the Rams with their trade from Atlanta who traded up to get their pass rusher last year, their linebacker, and those three organizations are in the top 10 needing a quarterback, right?
26:10Yeah.
26:11Todd McShay:And so you wonder, one team is going to get Mendoza. Dante Moore and Ty Simpson are, I would say, right now it's more likely they're not in the 2026 draft than they are in the 2026 draft and so could we see teams trying to move out to try to get involved and get extra ammunition next year in 2027 when a lot of organizations in the league thought this was going to be a great year too
26:36Rich Eisen:well i mean speaking on behalf of what i covet what i see you know if the jets snagged caleb downs uh fifth overall that's not a a shabby consolation prize for being at the top of a non-quarterback draft but todd mcshagan of the ringer here on the rich eisen show let's talk about fernando heismandoza um and his abilities and how it translates to the next level and whether you think he would be a worthy like and listen raiders fans are are uh are eager to see if their quarterback problem can be solved at the top of next year's draft what do you think Todd
27:14Todd McShay:I feel like I was first one in on Mendoza potentially being a first round prospect last July and last one in on yeah he should be the first overall pick for a team that's moving up to get that that the top quarterback in the class the reason I say that is I loved his Cal tape and I didn't expect to I didn't know a whole lot about him right I knew he was transferring to Indiana made the decision, you know what, let's dive in. It's July. What else do we have to do? And when I was done with the tape, I saw the turnovers. I saw the turnover-worthy plays. I saw the inexperience in his game. I saw some of the panic when pressure came.
27:51Todd McShay:But I was hopeful in this new system with Kirk Signetti and their offensive staff that he would fit in well because basically Curtis Rourke a year ago, late-round draft pick, excelled in it and didn't have mobility to start with and had the injury as well. But I just started to imagine we got the 6 '5", 220-pounder with mobility, with a better arm, with kind of some traits in terms of throwing off platform and extending and creating. If they can teach him to play within the system and do the little things right and to kind of dial back some of those turnover-worthy plays and mistakes that he was making at Cal, this guy could be a really high pick, and he could be a really good NFL player.
28:39Todd McShay:Early in the season, I saw a little bit more robotic than expected, but there were moments, and a lot of road moments, clutch situations. Talking about Oregon, didn't play great for a large portion of that game, but in the end, when they needed him, he was there. Iowa, same thing. Then the Penn State, leading them back late in that game without their number one receiver. Elijah Surratt, who's going to be probably a day two draft pick. And so you start stacking those things. But in the back of my mind, I want to see him against Ohio State. We're talking about this Ohio State defense like historically, like 2001 Miami and like some of the USC with like Malaluga and Cushing and all those guys and Alabama and some of their great defenses in Georgia.
29:24Todd McShay:More recently, we're talking about Ohio State as one of this defense as like one of those. How does he perform against them? And it wasn't all beautiful, but the throws he made on time, NFL, mobility extending. How about the toughness, man?
29:40Rich Eisen:He took a shot to start the game, man. I thought he was going to be blue-tented and or, if not, then just mentally wrapped for the rest of the day. And he was awesome. I loved it. He was awesome.
29:52Todd McShay:And then to make that throw late in the game down the right rail. Unreal. I'm like, yeah, I'm in. I'm good. Yeah, I saw that too. And I love that he's quirky. I love, you know, you just had Kurt Warner on. He's like kind of a mix between Kurt Warner and Kurt Cousins. He's different, and that's good because you know what? He knows who he is, and he's completely unapologetically himself. And I think that that's an important thing that we overlook a lot of times with these quarterbacks. Do they know themselves? Are they mature enough to handle what's about to come to them as a starting quarterback in the NFL?
30:27Rich Eisen:Heck yeah. fluent in Spanish um he's he's perfect for our multicultural world um I I think it's he's already ours huh no I'm dude I'm telling you I I think he is um he is really good you know second overall pick to the Raiders because again you know I don't know how the top five is gonna play out so walk me through who else would be sitting there because I mean we had you know our buddy Daniel Jeremiah on a few weeks ago. He's like, I can't tell you who's first overall in this draft. Could you?
31:01Todd McShay:I hate to say this as we get ready to embark on the 2026 draft process. Yes, sir. It's not a great top 10 in terms of what we're used to, right? With the elite offensive tackles and pass rushers. There's a lot of good ones. And there's a lot of really great players. You mentioned Caleb Downs. phenomenal football player as smart as he is gifted and some of the things he does on the field are remarkable right but he's a safety and we saw kyle hamilton didn't run a great 40 time and where he falls to what was 12 overall or you know somewhere in that range falls out of the top 10 to the ravens so where does he go arvel reese on that same defense absolutely like he's different than everyone I've watched in this class so far from a tool state.
31:49Todd McShay:He's long, tall, powerful, athletic, can run. And the thing that I'm kind of holding on to with him is he can be an edge rusher, not just an off-the-ball linebacker. But do NFL teams view him as someone who's a legitimate – is this like a Micah Parsons thing? Or is this he's an off-the-ball linebacker that we can utilize in some situations as an edge rusher? So those are two of the maybe the two best football players in the entire class. But it's an off-ball linebacker and a safety. And so you look at the rest of this class and it's, you know, oh, and the third, maybe the third best player in this class, Jeremiah Love, Notre Dame.
32:27Todd McShay:He just said he's a running back.
32:28Rich Eisen:Yep. He just said he's coming out.
32:30Todd McShay:Yeah, exactly. So it's a different class in that the positions of value are not the best players this year. So I'm looking at that number one overall pick, and I think I have it right. Is it the Giants right now, if the draft were held right now? Yes, sir. Would have it. I would love to have that first pick because if it's only Mendoza, or even if it's Mendoza and let's say Moore but not Simpson, teams are going to be clamoring to go up and get that pick ahead of the Raiders. And now you're setting yourself up. Like I love Jackson Dart. I was the biggest backer of Jackson Dart coming into the draft last year.
33:05Todd McShay:and I like a lot of the things I saw but if you're worried the durability is he going to hold up five times now with the head stuff you say all right well let's take this pick and move back let's give Jackson another year let's get an additional pick next year in case we're in a situation where we say you know what we need to press reset on quarterback so whoever has that first pick knowing it's not just quarterbacks next year it's wide receivers and several other positions he's got a chance to be one of the best drafts we've ever covered rich and so i i think i think a team that's picking at one that doesn't have a quarterback need winds up winning this draft
33:40Rich Eisen:todd mcshay a few minutes left with him here on the rich eyes and show uh you want to take a shot at the college football playoffs you want to what do you think what you're seeing i'm i'm intrigued
33:50Todd McShay:by a few things right i i can't i yeah i went to university of richmond i should love the underdog I can't stand the fact that we have two group of five programs in there. But that aside, I think if you look back at last year, it was experienced quarterback with a running game, great defense. That's what you talk about. Notre Dame, Ohio State got all the way there, and Ohio State wins it. I look at, and I know, first of all, Miami is one of those teams that I would be very wary of because I think if I was an opponent, They've got two of those three qualities, the defense and the most experienced quarterback in the entire playoff.
34:32Todd McShay:He's got 2 ,881 snaps, Carson Beck does. So while I love Texas A &M and what they've done this year, I think Miami's a live dog in that game, and I could see them giving Ohio State a lot of trouble as well in that second-round game. But I think Georgia is a team to really watch out for. I think Georgia, the way they finished the season, inexperienced at quarterback compared to some of these other guys, But Gunnar Stockton has played at a level that I don't think any of us expected him to play this year. And I think with that defense getting better and better. So I kind of like Georgia to win the whole thing.
35:08Todd McShay:Indiana should win it based off of what we've seen. But it's tough to go win the Big Ten championship and then make a run in the college football playoff. Yeah, give me Georgia to win the whole thing. And give me Miami to make a little bit of a longer run than people might think.
35:23Rich Eisen:Okay. And you got two cents on who my alma mater should target? If I, if you, tell me who I would be most happy with out of the possibles right now.
35:32Todd McShay:I know all the big names, right? And it starts with DeBoer and what's going on there in Tuscaloosa. Let me just throw this out randomly. Sure. Why wouldn't you have Brian Greasy involved in some of this, in some way, shape, or form?
35:46Rich Eisen:Mm-hmm. Oh, yeah.
35:48Todd McShay:I'm all ears. Keep going. Keep going. he he's what he's he might be the smartest football person i've ever been around okay and i've been around a lot very fortunate to be around a lot of the the you know the the the elites of the elite okay yeah and his passion runs really deep obviously brought the first national championship to to michigan in over 50 something years or whatever it was um and and i I just think he is the character and is the type of person. I'm not saying necessarily as head coach, but I'm saying you might want to get Brian Greasy involved in this process, whether it's administration, athletic director, offensive coordinator.
36:33Todd McShay:I think this program needs someone like Brian who runs deep in his veins, the highest character human being you could ever come up with, along with one of the smartest football people that are out there and could be a possibility. I'm just throwing that name out there.
36:48Rich Eisen:I'll be honest with you. I'm on a handful of text chains during Michigan games or not with a whole bunch of Michigan friends of mine on one of them. We were going back and forth. Why isn't Brian Greasy even reached out to to talk to Underwood? Give him two cents. Bring him on the staff. Give him whatever he needs to be the quarterback coach or the for the lack of a better phrase. I promise you.
37:09Todd McShay:And I know you care about Michigan. My grandfather, Marshall Brown, worked with Bo Schembechler and was an area recruiter in the Sandusky area in Ohio. I grew up bleeding maize and blue. It was just kind of ingrained in me. Honestly, it's why I have such a passion for football. It's where it started. I know what it's like to the Michigan man and the importance, and there are certain people who just embody everything you're looking for. I think Brian is someone, and I'm not speaking for Brian at all. I'm just saying that's someone, if I was in a situation where it's kind of like circle the wagons, let's get the people in that really believe and have the passion and it's deep inside them that's that's a guy that i would i would get involved in this process some some way okay
37:56Rich Eisen:but any any other any other names of i guess conventional head coaches you want to throw out there that i should be i'd be happy with you think i'm just curious on the whole deborah thing
38:09Todd McShay:you know because something's going on in alabama and you can see it in the product of the field And I don't know if it's just a long SEC season or it's, it doesn't feel like Brian Kelly at LSU. When I'm talking to people there that are very much in the know and around the program, it feels like an underswell of something's happening. So I'm curious if that's from both sides or if it's just frustration because Alabama has gotten spoiled. I've, you know, I've heard, you know, Dillingham. I've heard of Jed Fish. I've heard all of the same names. It seems like they've kind of targeted who they're going after.
38:47Todd McShay:I would just be very – I think you're at a junction as a program right now where it needs to be someone that can come in and get a foundation rebuilt or establish what the foundation has been prior to what's gone on in recent years. I think there needs to be as much emphasis on that as there is on just the football program.
39:14Rich Eisen:All right, man. You're the best. Thanks for the time, man. I appreciate it. I appreciate that knowledge. And for the rest, I'll ask Jimmy Sexton. Right? Right, Tom?
39:22Todd McShay:I mean, please. Is there a more powerful man in any sport at any level than Sexton is in college football right now? It's wild. All the tea leaves. He's got a lot of people. Penn State made a lot of people rich with the way he did this throughout that process.
39:42Rich Eisen:And they wound out with Matt Campbell anyway, which is an outstanding hire. A phenomenal hire.
39:47Todd McShay:And that wasn't even, yeah, there's a whole story on that. That's not even, that's the president kind of stepping into a conversation that nobody expected. And there were wrong email addresses and couldn't have been bungled more, but it all worked out. But I was told it was like almost$370 million that Sexton did this with Penn State to get other coaches and cost other programs around the country during that process.
40:11Rich Eisen:That's commerce. That's for sure. Todd, thanks again, brother. Look out for more of my calls and texts. Appreciate it. You got it, my man. Look forward to it. Have a great holiday season. We'll talk maybe in the new year. That's Todd McShay, everybody. At the Ringer, everybody check out his pod. and, of course, everything that he's got to say wherever you follow Todd McShay and The Ringer. That was great stuff. All right, we've got to beat it on down the line. Phone calls, 844-204-RICH, number to dial. That was great.
40:43Rich Eisen:Rich Eisen here with some advice. If high-interest credit card debt is grinding you down, it might be time to call an audible with a SoFi personal loan. It consolidates your debt into one low monthly payment with no fees required and with as soon as the same day funding you can make the right play fast call an audible on your debt today at sofi.com slash debt play loans originated by sofi bank na member fdic terms and conditions apply nm ls 696891 fast funds terms apply at sofi.com slash debt play while the world watches the stars of the fifa world cup 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 and we're still doing it every day because the future isn't some far off concept it's already here next starts now hyundai an official partner of fifa the rich eisen show the podcast get into the hyundai getaway sales event folks and get away with a deal so right it almost feels wrong right now great deals on the most popular models including their adventure ready suvs like the hyundai santa fe and santa fe hybrid bottles models there's also our bold and stylish elantra packed with all the latest tech or go all electric with the ionic fiber ionic six and ionic six good move uh get down your local hyundai dealer and get away with an awesome deal only during the hyundai getaway sales event visit hyundaiusa.com for details.
42:19Rich Eisen:Kimberly in Virginia. You're here on the Rich Eisen Show. What's up, Kimberly?
42:25Rich Eisen:She's up. Okay, Kimberly in Virginia. Let's go to Angie in South Jersey, everybody. What's up, Angie? Hi, Rich. Hey, what's on your mind, Angie?
42:38Todd McShay:I'm just calling in response to some of the comments you were making earlier with the Jalen thing. I live in Long Beach Island, New Jersey now, but my family's from Cherry Hill, and I come from a long line of diner waitresses. So just to qualify as a bird stand,
42:54Rich Eisen:my grandmother worked at a diner called Ponzio's that Buddy Ryan used to come in and sit at her counter. So I have been a bird stand since I was a little girl drinking Shirley Temple's next to him. Okay. I love that. Yes, I thought you would, but I just wanted to throw my support behind Jalen. I happen to be a yoga teacher now and always trying to keep people even keeled, not getting too high, not getting too low. I feel like he embodies that. I think he's a great leader, and I really love him as a quarterback. I do find that I have to defend him constantly amongst the fan base here.
43:37Todd McShay:So, you know, I don't have maybe the most popular opinion because the fans here do seem to get on the roller coaster.
43:46Rich Eisen:But I am with him all the way. And I really like what you said earlier about him and his character. So when they wear dog masks back in the day, they were downward facing dog masks is what you're saying for you, Angie. Ladies and gentlemen, that's a yoga joke. Wow. Thank you, Angie, in South Jersey. See you. You can go from drinking Shirley Temples next to Buddy Ryan to be a yoga teacher. Like Ponzios. Looks like the carrot cake. Dude. I love that. I love stories like that. Angie had me at hello. All right. So, by the way, we're all about pop culture here. Remember the movie Single White Female?
44:28Rich Eisen:Yeah. I think we got a movie poster of it right there. Single White Female. That was where Bridget Fonda's roommate started creeping her out, right? Remember Jennifer Jason Leigh wanted to become her. Be like her, yeah. Be like her, like take her entire life. We now have a baseball version of that. Uh-oh. Oh, gosh. The New York Mets are the single white females of the New York metropolitan area. All right. Take Juan Soto and Clay Holmes one year. now Devin Williams and guess who just signed a two year deal to close for the New York Mets Luke Weaver the single white females of Queens do we need a restraining order TJ do you want to be the Yankees just change the interlocking NY to the Yankees just go ahead and do it what else you got when you guys won those world championships in the 90's you had Darryl Strawberry he was a Met he was a Met David Cohn he was a Met so were you the single white females wasn't Joe Torrey a former Met no we had our own identity we had our own identity and we supplemented we had our own identity and supplemented Pete Alonzo's gone hopefully the same thing works for us hopefully your players bring us a championship they were not the sole members of a bullpen and the number one player on the team they were just role players would you have won the World Series in the 90s without those guys.
45:56Rich Eisen:What we were trying, maybe. No, you were a lot of good. You might have. Maybe. So right back at you. Like, you could have won without Strawberry. I know history a little bit. I know what was going on. Dwight couldn't have got to go to the Yankees to get his no hitter. Oh, so that's how you flip it. Oh, I'm not flipping anything. This is just weird, man. Do we need a restraining order? Did we need one when you were taking our guy? Why are you acting like that didn't happen? Because we also had Jeter and we had our own identity. Did you win before those guys come? Did you win before Doc and Daryl got there with that team?
46:26Rich Eisen:Oh, get out of here with that nonsense. Let me Google because it exists. Let's see. They went out for the sole reason. We didn't remake our entire image in the Mets image. That wasn't happening like it is now. We don't care about you, man. We ain't trying to make ourselves into your image. Who are you? You ain't won nothing lately. If anything, I'm going to make our image into the Dodgers. Excuse me. Let me just tell you. Okay. What? Hour three. Gary Cole's coming up. The Ridge Eisen Show Podcast. There's a new way to sweet green. Meet Wraps. Handheld, hearty, and made for life on the moon. With bold, chef-crafted flavors, fresh ingredients, and over 40 grams of protein, they're built to satisfy without slowing you down.
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47:22you
From the publisher
NFL Network analyst/Pro Football Hall of Famer Kurt Warner and Rich discuss Tua Tagovailoa’s benching by the Miami Dolphins, how Denver Broncos QB Bo Nix has improved as the season has progressed, why he was “extremely impressed” with Philip Rivers in his first NFL game in 5 years, why the Houston Texans and Buffalo Bills could be the two most dangerous teams in the AFC playoffs field, how the Jacksonville Jaguars have levelled up Trevor Lawrence this year, and previews what to expect in the Rams-Seahawks pivotal NFC West showdown on Thursday Night Football.
The Ringer’s Todd McShay tells Rich why teams would much rather select a quarterback in the 2027 NFL Draft instead of in 2026, if Indiana Hoosiers QB Fernando Mendoza is worthy of the #1 overall pick next spring, reveals his pick to win the College Football Playoff, and discusses Michigan’s search for a new head coach in the wake of firing Sherrone Moore.
Yankees fan Rich reacts to reliever Luke Weaver ditching the Pinstripes to sign with the crosstown Mets.
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