Hour 2: NFL Power Rankings, Colts’ Jones Plans, plus Chargers S Derwin James

0:00Rich Eisen:Lamina Maas steps into McDonald's, looks left, sees Polisic, looks right, sees Jimenez. Gives a nod to Ronaldinho in the corner with a FIFA World Cup meal. Ronaldinho sees Son in the booth. Son finds Beckham going for extra Big Mac sauce. He's got Davies at the table just behind him. Davies going for his collectible cup. A steal by Henri, who pulls his own collectible cup. Collect one of nine legendary cups with a FIFA World Cup meal. Participating McDonald's for a limited time. While supplies last. All rights reserved. 2026 McDonald's at FIFA World Cup 2026. Are all batteries the same? That's like asking if all soccer players are the same.

0:37Take Messi, the most decorated player ever. Is there any other player who has achieved that? No, just him. Now take Duracell. Is there any other battery with Power Boost ingredients inside? No, just Duracell. Goats only trust Goats, because they're built different. And Messi only trusts Duracell.

1:00Rich Eisen: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 3 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. Now, on with the show. This is the Rich Eisen Show. The Jets? I haven't enjoyed a football season since 1969. From the Rich Eisen Show studio in Los Angeles. Jets are tearing it all down. Wow. They really are. Earlier on the show, Pro Football Hall of Famer, Kurt Warner.

1:48Coming up, Chargers safety, Derwin James. Senior writer for the MMQB, Albert Breer. And now, it's Rich Eisen.

2:00Rich Eisen:Hour number two of the Rich Eisen Show is on the air. 844-204-RICH. Number to dial to have a chat with us. Whether you're listening on ESPN Radio presented by Progressive Insurance or watching us on Disney Plus or watching us on the ESPN app, we always appreciate you taking the show on whenever you want, which is your right to listen to us on our podcast all three hours. We appreciate that. We also appreciate anybody who goes to our Disney Plus page on the ESPN page and clicks on the three-hour re-air of our show that sits there for you to stream anytime you want. We appreciate anybody who takes in our videos through our YouTube channel, youtube.com slash Rich Eisen Show.

2:41Rich Eisen:As I mentioned, 844-204-RICH is the number to dial. About to give you my power rankings. And then Derwin James of the Chargers joins after that. but i do want to take uh the approach of yesterday's sauce gardener trade from the colts side of things and um because obviously i've been very jet centric for a reason and i wish i kind of was able to grasp this what i'm about to say uh in real time yesterday but it was just so much flying around yesterday and albert breer of sports illustrate is going to talk about it in hour three um but it hit me over the last 24 hours the sauce gardener acquisition by the indianapolis colts in the short term says it all obviously right we have a seven and two team we have the ability to get a kid right now who's 110 days removed from signing a four-year contract extension so we've got contractual control the ability to plan all the way out right and the reason why we're able to plan all the way out or even get them right now or even fit them in for at least the next couple years is we have a quarterback that's not making a gajillion dollars a year we're not we're not paying our quarterback in the 50s we're not paying our quarterback in the 40s not yet not yet not yet right no but but you're you're able to do that and you're able to basically look at your fan base and go hey uh we know around here that we've been looking to get back to the playoffs and we've lost touch of what you used to be used to and all of us you used to be used to which is winning our division that's been houston's purview or tennessee's when when vrabel was doing his thing there and um we know it's been a difficult watch over the last few years and chris ballard name me a general manager who owns the bumps and bruises more than this guy right he'll just come out and say it so they have an opportunity to get sauce gardener at this age with that amount of contract that you can plan out and do it right now you do it but two ones in the future is what you're coughing up and what that shows me is sure looks like they think daniel jones is their guy like they've seen nine games from him and it's enough that this is their guy that they've seen it and they don't need to be holding these draft choices in their back pocket for the next one in the 2026 or 2027 draft and you know obviously you can get quarterbacks in second and third rounds it's not like the the first round selection is the only selection you can use on a on a quarterback but it is obviously the best one you can do to find your next one although the last time they used one this kid is now sitting out with a broken orbital bone watching daniel jones essentially cement things that's the way i'm looking at it obviously they do have anthony richardson to eventually see if he's the guy but i think they've made this decision and they've seen somebody like jones to do what he's done for them to say you know what we're seven and two with him Jonathan Taylor is our MVP, could be the league's MVP, and we're going to do this.

6:32Rich Eisen:And this is the guy. So we're going to flip two ones to win with this guy now and also be confident that we can win with him in the future and give it up. Give it up to the Colts and the organization for saying, didn't look good against the Steelers this past week. Our guy gave it away, you know, half dozen times, right? The team gave it away half dozen times. And Taylor got smoked. So it's not winning. You can't win every week with it. Right. But some organizations might go, hold on a minute. Is that the real thing? We can't flip two ones for sauce, can we? what about the what about the other quarterbacks in the in the draft that we could maybe get if daniel jones turns back into a pumpkin no we're just going to see the opportunity and we're going to go and we're going to make it happen and you got to give it up carly ursa gordon because if there's any owner in the league who has a granular knowledge of how good this quarterback is and how that's working moment to moment.

7:46Rich Eisen:It's got to be her. She's the one. Is that what's on her notes right there? Yep. He's good. We can trade two ones because he's that good. Yeah, and I'm hearing what the coaches are saying about the back end of the defense. Sauce Gardner, okay. Because I can't imagine she didn't green light this thing. Yeah, absolutely. Hey, two ones. Yeah. For somebody whose big, fat contract, we're going to do this. So kudos all around. Kudos all around. And you know how I feel about Sauce because I wanted him. I fell in love with him watching him on television at Cincinnati. And then you were pounding the table early.

8:33Rich Eisen:I fell in love with the guy watching him in that building at the combine. Yep. I'm like, that is the guy. and you could hear all the defensive coordinators basically saying, as I was walking with them to the field at that combine, this corner's special. Good on the Colts, man. Let me ask you this. Good on the Colts. Daniel Jones is probably going to be their guy going forward, right? I mean, this is an indication, isn't it? What do you pay him? He got the 4-1-60 from the Giants, right? And that was an abject disaster. Okay. Does he get the same deal from Indianapolis? Or do you give him the Baker Mayfield, Sam Darnold, three years, hundred and with an opt out basically after the first year.

9:23And then we kind of see where it goes in 2027.

9:27Rich Eisen:He's making 14 million. Now, if you tell him we'll double your salary, he says, no, he should. Okay. Well, you're putting, you're the king of like, you don't just get paid because it's your turn. and now you're basically saying that's the approach he should take and baker didn't well it was his turn and he kind of blew it so and now he had to kind of go to timeout and now he's getting a chance and he's playing pretty well although i kind of think last week was who he really is but if you're gonna pay him what do you pay him i don't know but all i don't know it really depends on how much he likes it there and there is a new market value for guys who have been put in timeout to use your phrase yeah it's the baker darnold situation guys who've been put in timeout yeah right although baker when he's up again he might double his salary too okay he might be the first guy to crack 60 oh interesting yeah keep that in mind for later on but these are yeah But you have to live for the day, right?

10:31Rich Eisen:And the day is you're seven and two. You're seven and two. The one seed right now. And you take a look at the AFC standings, before we get to my power rankings, you take a look at the AFC standings, and they are tied with the Patriots and the Broncos. And they have a tie break on the Broncos, thanks to that leverage penalty. I mean, that moment that nobody really was thinking about other than that's a wild way for a game to end in week two. That could resonate. That is a pond ripple that can last all the way through to week 18. Yep. Now, they are 7-2, as I mentioned, half game in front of the Bills, who they do not face the rest of the way.

11:18And it's clearly unlike Donkey Kong here in the AFC.

11:23Rich Eisen:And you're in that mix, and you're in first. and you can do this right now you don't care about what you're paying Daniel Jones down the road you're just basically saying internally I think he's the guy because if I'm the owner and somebody comes to me and says we're going to trade two ones and I've got questions about the quarterback I'm going to say you give me every reason why you think he's the quarterback and if I trust you do it right i'm not going to sit here and tell you not to do it because you've got the conviction to do it and it sounds good but you need to convince me and clearly they they have to think daniel jones is their quarterback moving forward have to think it otherwise you you just you just gave away the store over the last next two first rounds when all the quarterback needy teams are going to be all over that place and there's a couple of teams Cleveland Jets who have multiple first rounders including one that now has it in the Jets because you gave it to them yep so they better be right about their quarterback and this to me makes it seem like they have seen enough it is Daniel Jones.

12:46We'll see.

12:48Rich Eisen:844-204-RICH number to dial. It's a Wednesday. And you know what that means? It's the day after Tuesday. Or it's also my day for Power Rankings. Hit it.

13:07Rich Eisen:Power Rankings! There are many like it, but this one is mine! Power Rankings! My Week 10 Power Rankings presented by Sonos. I got to be honest with you. Oh, it's shake-up time. Mike Del Tufo, as much as I love the drop from Godfather 2, how the rent stays like before. Stays like before. There isn't a single team that's in the same spot from last week's Power Rankings. Not a single team. That's a shame. Because, good one. That tracks, though. It was crazy. It was crazy last week. So let's start with the teams that dropped because they lost. I can't knock the Chiefs out of my power rankings. Still can't.

13:53Rich Eisen:I mean. I still can't. Do you owe someone in Kansas City money or something? I don't. Yeah, the mob used to be in Kansas City. I just think they are that good. They are that stacked. They are the best 5-4 team in football. I'm not dropping them out. The Bills are a stout opponent. so is going into western new york and beating the bills the patriots are the only team to have done it this year as we know and you'll hear their name shortly can't quit them they're too good they still have an mvp quarterback kelsey's better than he has in the last couple years defensively they're terrific i'm telling you i can't quit them plus i have them winning the super bowl this year and i'm not dropping them out of my power rankings just because of this and they're on a bye week they might drop out because they're on a bye week and other teams might knock him out because you'll find out who didn't make the list.

14:46Rich Eisen:Number nine on this list, I knocked him down all the way from one. The Lions are on this list. Whoa. Down eight spots. Wow. That was a tough one, man. You're home. You've got the momentum. You haven't lost at home this year. You're coming off a bye, and you've got a kid who hasn't played since week two. Yeah, I expected a little bit more. And that's what happened. I'm stunned. That one was a shocker. But you got to give it up to the Vikings. Tip your cap. The Lions are still really damn good. Again, I have them winning the NFC. That's your Super Bowl, right? That's it right there. That's it. That's maybe why they're on these power ranking lists that may not be on others.

15:33Rich Eisen:But this is my power rankings. There are many like it, but this one is mine. That's why we got Private Pile at the top of the drop here. number eight down five spots are the packers not quitting them either i am genuinely concerned about tucker craft being out for the season that's a major it's uh luke musgrave time it is and uh we'll see if he can provide similar production i thought they might have been in on njoku or one of these tight ends that that seemingly was available yesterday or they just like trust their roster and good accounts to trust and uh let's just bury that tape for the 27th birthday as the panthers gave uh the birthday punches he gave two for flinching on jordan love inch to grow an inch number seven down five spots are the indianapolis colts yeah i dropped them that far uh it's one of those that shakes your confidence and uh we um are we pumpkining or we're still uh we're still carriage riding what are we doing here what are we doing here big game in uh berlin it's a big one against the atlanta falcons who are you know on a dire red alert or approaching that um so i got the colts down to seven now let's get to those who won um or or sat back and improved i'm going the bills here at three plus three i moved them up three spots to six.

17:03Rich Eisen:I like what I'm seeing. I need to... Man, I just wish they had done something aggressive. You know what I mean? Aggressive. Like a Debo. Why aren't they on Rahid Shahid? Why aren't they on him? The Debo rumor popped up about an hour before the deadline. That would have been a great move for them. That would have been just some big breath of fresh air. I may not need it because the quarterback is the personification of that. James Cook not practicing today. Well, I mean, they said he was sore coming off of the 27 114. Something to monitor. Whatever. Monitor. Give him Wednesday off. We won't take a Wednesday off.

17:46Rich Eisen:No, of course not. When else am I going to do my power rings? Number five. New to the list. You just made the list. New to the list. Let me tell you this. Xander Eisen told me his buddy jake sea chickens right his buddy jake who he's doing his play with this weekend everybody go see the crucible xander's accusing people of being witches it's gonna be great just like the house um at any rate his buddy jake apparently told him your dad's not putting my seahawks on his power rankings list jake that's over and they debut at five they should have been on last week but five is a good better late than never yeah agree but but never late is better man that's all i gotta say is man they are really good sam darnel is ballin and they added shaheed huge to horton and jsn and cooper cup and sharpener and walker is a pretty good one to punch and defensively they hit you in the mouth the legion of zoom zoom alright they're number 5, number 4 up 4 spots, yes Christopher you can make that, I need to hear it the New England Patriots are 4 the Patriots are 4 you know what they're doing winning?

19:19Rich Eisen:no no no they're firmly in a category of Yeah, but who have they really beaten? No doubt. But you can't say that about a team that over the last two years couldn't beat their way out of a paper bag. That's also true. And so the fact that they are beating the teams that they're supposed to beat is really impressive because I told you I needed to see more because normally with a young quarterback, you go up and down, right? Or in a new roster with a new coach altogether, they go up and down. It fluctuates. One week they're world beaters. Next week they beat the Bills. The next one, you know, they come back and let me get this right to be accurate.

19:56Rich Eisen:They come back and lose in New Orleans, right? Or they'll lose at Tennessee, which they, it was a little dicey. Or they'll lose at home to Cleveland or they'll lose at home to Atlanta. They didn't do any of that. Or they'll lose at home to Carolina after Carolina shuts somebody out. Instead, they'll just put 42 on them. And Drake May is a viable MVP candidate. And they, you can't run the ball on them. Nope. So they can't keep Drake May off the field. And then the only thing that will put Drake May off the field is the deep ball that he keeps connecting for scores. Sometimes they might score too fast.

20:35Rich Eisen:It's awesome. Congratulations. Thank you. We'd have liked to see him move yesterday at the deadline for an edge rusher, maybe some offensive line help, but in Grable we trust. My in-laws and Cooper and Suze, they're out of their skulls. We're back. All right. number three up two spots I'm putting the Broncos here they're not higher because when are we going to see quarters one through four offensively consistent when are we going to see that and I know I'm nitpicking here but you know at the top of the list you got a nitpick you're picking nits they've won six in a row up five spots I'm putting the Rams here man the Rams have an MVP quarterback I told you this is the year Stafford's going to convince everybody who needed convincing that he's a Hall of Famer.

21:22Rich Eisen:And it just keeps getting better. Puka being in and out of games is beginning to concern me a little bit. Hopefully he's going to be back. Devontae Adams has been unreal. It's tough to say here in Los Angeles. A massive upgrade from Cooper Cup. Not even close. There's all these tight ends that you can pick up probably on your waiver wire. Ferguson, the rookie. You just don't know which one I mean, sorry. You just don't know which one Stafford's going to pick. Defensively, we talk about verse, and then they got Byron Young chasing a sack lead. Landman making tackles. Our friend Quentin Lake leading the back end there, man.

22:02Rich Eisen:They are good coaching. We don't need it. One concern for me is their kicking game is a god-awful mess, and they got to fix that. Cardi party, no good. I don't know if he's looking at the rush or what. I mean, but it's, well, and McVay is on it, which leads you to believe something will be done. And then number one, I'm sorry. I know they didn't play a game and I popped them up five spots. I think the Eagles are the best team in football. Wow. And, you know, again, they didn't trade A.J. Brown smart. They get Jalen Phillips for their pass rush. They're getting healthier. And they're coming off the bye.

22:38Rich Eisen:And they're number one in the NFC. And go get them. Come at them. they're number one again on my power rankings list and my power rankings are brought to you by sonos explore soundbars speakers and more at sonos.com sonos products look as good as they sound this was my toughest power rankings of the year i believe that because everyone that was on the top loses and everyone at the bottom pops up and then i name as my number one team a team that didn't even play last week and a team that didn't even play last week falls off the list i took the bucks off and put the seahawks on and the eagles just like the bucks didn't play and i moved them up chiefs probably should have been off bucks should have been on that okay chiefs play the bucks right now i don't know pal uh 44 patrick mahomes showing up okay we'll see okay i don't think they play each other do they um they do not yeah maybe maybe in san francisco maybe in santa clara 844-204 rich number to dial what uh what do you say happy to hear from you derwin james we'll hear from him next our neighbor across the way chargers getting set to host the steelers on sunday night on the nbc coming back the rich is a show podcast

24:07Rich Eisen:A bandwagon fan. The biggest insult in sports. But this summer, during the FIFA World Cup, it's an invitation, America. Never watched soccer before? Perfect. Think a corner kick is a karate move? Sure, why not? Prefer sports where players can use their hands? Me too. Just here for the snacks? Now we're talking. So grab a bag of Lay's and jump on the bandwagon. We're undefeated. Lays, the official sponsor of the FIFA World Cup 2026. Rich Eisen here, and summer's here too. And that means it's travel season. My favorite summer trip last year was to Sao Paulo, Brazil. With so many fans traveling for the Los Angeles against Kansas City game, they got to see how lively the city is.

24:50Rich Eisen:I love the culture and the amazing food that I'm still craving. Those memories remind everyone that it's that time of year to plan a little getaway. And that's why summer has a way of turning weekends into big events. One minute, it's a normal week, and then all of a sudden, a huge concert, sporting event, or festival brings people in from all over. And when that happens, visitors start looking for places to stay all across your city. So if you're already planning a summer trip of your own, you could list your space on Airbnb and earn a little extra cash while you're away. Doesn't have to be some big year-round commitment.

25:24Rich Eisen:it's about making the most of a busy weekend when your place would just be empty otherwise. I can tell you, people love finding a place that helps them feel connected to the city that they're visiting. If your city's about to have a big summer moment, this is a great time to maximize your space. Your home might be worth more than you think. Find out how much at airbnb.com slash host. 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.

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26:21Rich Eisen:back here on the rich eisen show on espn radio presented by progressive insurance direct tv uh pardon geez uh we're on disney plus it's crazy we've been we're on the campus we're on the campus of direct tv uh which is by the way you can get espn there i'm trying to cover my tracks now we're on disney plus streaming as well as on the espn app everywhere let's just get to the guy right he's our neighbor across the way pro bowler all pro one of the best on the back end of the chargers derwin james back on the rich house show good to see you derwin how are you good to see you i am doing i'm doing fine well i i just want to start before we get into you and your team and your week and your season uh your reaction to the monster trade deadline tuesday in which uh sauce gardner within 110 days of signing his new four-year 120 million dollar contract extension gets traded for two ones to uh to the indianapolis colts uh derwin you're you're two cents on that one wow that's that's that's a big move especially uh when one of the top dbs get traded like that uh i feel like both teams made a move for their team and Man, I can't wait to see it.

27:33Rich Eisen:I know you saw the Indianapolis Colts in your building just in recent days as well, Derwin. And you saw what that team looks like. I wonder, I'm not turning into a pundit or an analyst about what you think it means for the Colts. My just two cents is a team that goes out and gets to be aggressive, flipping two ones for a defensive back like Sauce. I mean, when you being a back-end player on defense, what do you think when you hear that sort of thing? Being a player, I feel like when you make that type of move, especially with the type of team they already have, I feel like you're trying to win right now.

28:10That's where that move speaks. I got a lot of respect for Coach Shane over there and a lot of guys on that team. But a good team, and I feel like they just added an even better player. So we'll see how it goes. I know.

28:21Rich Eisen:And, again, I guess it just shows you. I mean, how do you as a player, again, you know, I know the Chargers love you, and for good reason, and you love Los Angeles, but I mean, just this is a business at the end of the day, right? I mean, here's a player that just struck a deal like that, and then within 100 days, you know, two first rounds later, he's gone. You know what I mean? Yes, sir, and that's part of the business, and like you say, it's part of it. Okay, let's get to you now and this team. How does this feel different than previous years for you, Derwin, so far, Chargers? I just feel like we're connected on all levels.

29:00I just feel like we're playing team football, and when you can play team football, you can get through a lot of adversity things. I feel like guys have been down during the season, but it's been a next-man-up mentality, and it's been fun just taking the field with these guys every day and taking them to the locker room every day.

29:17Rich Eisen:What do you mean by connected? Can you give me a little bit better description of what do you mean by connected, Derwin? Having each other back. whether it's when offense need us to get a stop as a defense or whether we need the offense to score points for us and special teams having both our backs. So I'm just saying we don't have, like, a lot of superstar big-name players, but I feel like we go out there every day and we play team football. Okay. I mean, yeah. I mean, you're a superstar big-name player, you know. No, man, no. No, why do you say that? Hold on a second. What? Come on. What are you?

29:52Rich Eisen:No, man, no. It's Derwin James. Stop, stop, stop. No, you're being humble. You're being too humble. And I refuse to accept your humility. I won't accept that, Rich. I won't do it. No, none of us will. The entire Rich I was in showroom. Don't start that, Rich. Don't start that. No, no, no. Come on, now. I appreciate you, brother. Appreciate you, brother. No, no, no. Right back at you. But, I mean, where does that humility come from, Derwin? Where does it come from? I'd say probably my parents are doing a great job in stealing me, especially my mom and my dad, just always being there for me. um had great parents growing up and uh brothers and sisters in the house so it was a lot of come from a great family honestly no no hold on a second how many kids do you have darwin i have two kids and i i have a daughter that's also on the way that'll be here in february okay first week of february so no now just giving you a heads up because i you have two sons and you have a daughter coming is that what you're saying no i got i got one son and i got one daughter okay and i got another well then you know you know that the daughters are the ones that will keep you humble you know oh yeah oh yeah for sure yeah my daughter has definitely softened me up she's one year she's one years old this year she just turned one like two weeks ago so uh my son he's four so uh yeah my kids are my world man they they keep me grounded man honestly now listen you know uh i the sons are are one thing but when when uh when your daughter has she said the word daddy to you yet has she said that oh that was her first word that's the only word she knows uh my girlfriend and get so mad about it because she's like, can we teach her another word?

31:20So, like, that's all she said.