Hour 2: Rams-Falcons Dicey Officiating, plus Hall of Famer Rod Woodson

21:40Rich Eisen:Because he has games where he looks super mediocre and bottom of the league. He had no completed passes in the second half on Sunday. And it's just one of the biggest, I guess, mysteries. Like, if we had that old, I know I'm dating myself, you remember In Search Of? You remember that TV show? Oh, yeah. You know, where we'd look at the Bermuda Triangle or look for, you know, that grainy Sasquatch pictures and stuff like that. I do remember. the football in search of would be what is the Eagles offense every other year? You know, every other year, it's like, what's up with that? Now, part of that may have something to do.

22:25Rich Eisen:And one of the other things as well, Kenny, to give Jalen Hurts his props is, he has, did you know that except for back-to-back years, when he first arrived in Philadelphia, having Shane Steichen as his offensive coordinator in back-to-back years. He's never had a coordinator in back-to-back years since leaving high school. Yeah.

22:52Rod Woodson:I know the fact that he's never had the same offensive coordinator, and that's all the more reason he's still being leaked because he has to change offensive formulas every year.

23:02Rich Eisen:And so that may have something to do with it, but at the end of the day, it does come down to win or go home time. And in terms of the biggest game in the history of the world and football and the lives of people who play football, the Super Bowl, he's two for two and having brilliant performances. Correct. Brilliant. Thank you. There you go. Thanks for the call, Kenyon Brooklyn, here on the Rich Eisen Show. You know? Fair. and he's going to be taking on the commanders. Maybe we'll see a lot of Tanner McKee. Depends on how Sirianni wants to play it. Does the two seed matter more than the three?

23:46Rich Eisen:And then it's going to be him against the Rams if he's the three seed. I have the next-gen stats in front of me here. The Eagles, according to next-gen stats from NFL Network Research, get ready for it, Chris. The Eagles have a 69 % chance of being the three seed. Nice. And a 31 % chance of being the two seed. We do the math for you. Not nice. Yeah, although two seed is nicer. So odds are they're going to be taking on the Rams. And then it'll be on. I think they should feel good about those chances. I don't know about that.

24:24Rod Woodson:This is the ultimate, like, both teams are kind of not playing great heading into the playoffs.

24:29Rich Eisen:Joining us here on the Rich Eyes is show my Hall of Fame friend who calls Ravens games on the radio and is Mr. Steeler as well, Rod Woodson. Good to see you, Rodrick. How are you doing, sir?

24:38Rod Woodson:Rich Eisen, it is great to see you. You're my favorite Rich in the whole world. More than Gannon? Yeah, last time I seen Rich in action, he threw five picks. The gentleman Rod Woodson has shown up.

24:53Rich Eisen:Come on. All right, you think of Ravens Steelers for all the AFC North marbles, Rod. you think what? What are you thinking?

25:03Rod Woodson:I mean, first of all, let's give praise to the National Football League and the higher-ups, whoever made this decision to move back some of the divisional games until later in the year. Because before it was the beginning of the year, and then they would kind of move them all over the place. But having them at the end of the year has just made it more intriguing. And, I mean, this is winner take all. I mean and and you know that to me is what the NFL should be so first of all let's give credit to where credit's due um but when you think about the Steelers and the Ravens games out of 30 I think they played 38 games 39 now um in each game or out of 28 of those games have been by one score or less and 19 of those games have been by three points or less so it's going to be a close game It's going to be fun.

25:53Rod Woodson:It's going to be a good game to call. I think the Ravens last week got back to their bully ball. And that's the way they need to play from here on out. Giving the ball to Derrick Henry. We know what happened two weeks ago. And Derrick Henry was not in the game in the fourth quarter. And everybody's like, what the heck? How's 22 not in the game? And I think everybody heard that. I think every coaching staff has a way to do things. They have substitutions when they're going to substitute certain players. But normally when you have guys like Derrick Henry, you want them to start the game. You want them to come off in the second, be a part of the second half, and you want them to finish the game.

26:36Yeah, right.

26:37Rod Woodson:And now I think they – I don't know if they figured it out. We're going to find out. But I think they found a way to, hey, listen, I don't know if he's going to get 36 carries. I think he's going to get about 25 to 28 carries. Keith Mitchell will get the other part of those carries. And, you know, if they let them know, hey, we're going to run the ball. We know you know we're going to run the ball, but we're still going to be successful at it.

27:02Rich Eisen:Well, why do they get away from bully ball? Again, in the AFC championship game a couple years ago, right, as you pointed out, against the Patriots on Sunday night football. And I understand the answer is like, how does 36 carries against the Packers sound to you? And the answer from Ravens fans is great. You know what I mean? Because Derrick Henry doesn't, I don't ever, he's kind of like, and I can't believe I'm making this analogy, like Roger Federer. Like he comes off the field. I never see him gasping for air. You know what I mean? I don't see him sucking on the oxygen. And I know he's human.

27:38Rich Eisen:At some point he does have to rest. But how does that happen? Why do the Ravens get away from bully ball? Rod? That's a great question.

27:46Rod Woodson:I mean, it's, you know, I said it at the beginning of the year that I thought they had the best roster going into the season this past year. Right. And then they just, they've been very inconsistent. Defensively, they hadn't played well. Then they traded all the way away and got Gilman. And Gilman, defensively, they have played better. Offensively, they've been very inconsistent. But Lamar's been inconsistent. And listen, they really need a great Lamar for this team to be at his best. When they have a great Lamar and a Derrick Henry and a tough physical defense, then that's the best version of the Ravens that you can find.

28:30Rod Woodson:Now, I don't know if Lamar's going to play this week, but I think Tyler Huntley, I think the one thing that he has taught the Ravens, And I'm glad that Tyler Huntley called John Harbaugh on the offseason and said, hey, I want to come back on the roster. And they put him back on and they got him back on the roster because he knows how to win. And he knows how to play in that system. He looks at his first read. He looks at his second read. And if he doesn't like either one of those, he's gone. And that's what Lamar used to do. And Huntley has done it extremely efficient since a couple games that he's played this year.

29:03Rod Woodson:and this past week he looked like a young Lamar quick intermediate throws and when he didn't like

29:10Rich Eisen:what he saw got first downs with his feet well why isn't the genuine article Lamar right like what what is up and and I'm sure you you heard about the column that was in the Baltimore Sun this week too Rod just putting out there his practice habits his eating habits again I mean the same thing that cropped up his last time he had a contract that was up in the air we're hearing the same thing i mean where do you where do you stand on the subject of eight here i don't wrong

29:37Rod Woodson:first of all i don't even know how they got that that that information that personal information i mean his eating habits gosh rich when i played i used to eat little debbie's twist rules like all the time a little bit like what like i get it where these players are saying they're they're gonna they're putting better things in their bodies and they're they're they're trying to be machines they're still human beings right now i would say this he's a young lamar he's still young heck when i was young we went out we you know we were out and doing things people didn't know it because you know they didn't have social media didn't have cell phones and all that stuff you know it happens but to be the best for and he's played well with that listen he was a two-time MVP and should have been the MVP last year.

30:28Rod Woodson:All right? Arguably, he should have been the MVP last year. So he could have been a three-time MVP. And he's been staying up late and eating bad food. And he was still playing at a very high level. This year, he's been injured. And I know he's been injured in the last several years. But I think it's not just the injuries. I think it's more up here. I think it's more mental. Like, does he trust his offensive line? Does he trust every person he's throwing the ball to? because he's kind of gotten back to throwing the ball to Zay Flowers and Mark Andrews. And he has other weapons, and he needs to use those.

31:04Rod Woodson:And he needs to believe in those guys. He needs to believe in his offensive line. And I think if he does play and he is the best version of himself, I don't know if the Steelers can beat him because I think the Ravens do have a little bit better roster. And I said at the very beginning of the year, I think the Ravens are the best team in the league, and I thought the sleeper team of the league was the Pittsburgh Steelers because they got Aaron Rodgers and they put a lot of money on the defensive side.

31:33Rich Eisen:And yet the Steelers are the ones with the home date and one win away from winning the division after all. But as you pointed out, Rod, the Ravens are coming in with a much better performance the week before without their quarterback. And the Steelers are coming in off a loss to the Browns in which they sure looked like they were missing DK Metcalf, even though he really wasn't a world beater for much of the year anyway. But he's still DK Metcalf, Rod, and he's not going to be there on Sunday night. So I just asked you about the conversation that's going on in Baltimore, where you're far more embedded being the radio voice of the Ravens.

32:15Rich Eisen:And then you are of the Steelers, but you still are Mr. Steeler. Do you think if the Steelers lose this, this could be Mike Tomlin's last game as the head coach there? No, no.

32:27Rod Woodson:I mean, one thing I like about the Steelers, the one thing I like about the Ravens, that they don't listen to the outside noise. A lot of owners in front office groups do, but the Rooney family and Steve Bouchard, they're not going to listen to the outside noise. I mean, if if John Harbaugh loses this game, does you fire John Harbaugh? No. Mike Tomlin loses his game. Do you fire Mike Tomlin? No. I think Mike Tomlin needs to make some changes with his coaching staff because at the end of the day, it's not just your players who aren't playing at the best level. That has to be a reflection of the coaches, right?

33:07Rod Woodson:And the same thing with the Baltimore Ravens. And I know they've got a bunch of new coaches, or not a bunch, but they've got quite a few new coaches this past offseason talking about the Ravens. So they have to reevaluate that. I think every year John Harbaugh, Mike Tomlin need to reevaluate how can they get better as an organization? How can they get better as a football team? How can they have the players be the best version of themselves week in and week out consistently throughout a year? And sometimes you have to make hard changes and let coaches go and bring in new coaches and new blood and new energy.

33:42Rod Woodson:But I don't think Mike Tomlin or John Harbaugh is going to be gone.

33:46Rich Eisen:Rod Woodson here on the Rich Eisen Show. I was mentioning moments ago, Rod, that you and I did more NFL total accesses maybe than any host analyst combination at the start of NFL Network all the way through halfway through its existence. And so you've played a lot of football. You've seen a lot of football. Have you seen a field, a playoff field this wide open? Honestly, I really feel a dozen teams can take it. Somebody can get hot and take it for real.

34:17Rod Woodson:I have not. I mean, you know, you look at Seattle and, you know, I'm thinking Seattle's is going to be that team. And then you've seen they had some hiccups. You know, the Rams, they look like that team. And then they have some hiccups. And really, the 49ers, you know, they've played extremely well without some of their key players. The Philly, the Eagles, who reigning Super Bowl champs, they look very inconsistent. How about the Bears, Rod?

34:49Rich Eisen:Caleb's playing out of his skull and that defense takes it away. I'll tell you what.

34:54Rod Woodson:If anybody deserves coach of the year, to take Williams and get him to the point where he's held accountable weekly, and I think that's what's made him so good now. I think he's learned what defense is trying to do to him. And at the end of the day, in the fourth quarter, he's still allowed to get out of the pocket, run around, make plays with his feet, and ad-lib, which most defenses aren't ready for. I think that's an amazing job what the coaching staff has done up in Chicago. But it's going to be fun to see which team can play the best football for 60 minutes for three games to get to the Super Bowl.

35:40Rich Eisen:Who do you think they are?

35:42Rod Woodson:Well, that's a good one, Rich. That is a good one. You know, I really like the Rams. Okay. I do like the Rams because I think Matthew, I think Stafford should be the league MVP. That's not even a question to me. That's like, I mean, he is. There's a lot of questions after last night, Rod. A lot of questions after last night. You're not going to have great games. Every quarterback that's played in the league this year, they haven't had, you know, 18 great games. It's just hard to do in the National Football League. But he's had a lot of great games. And at his age, nobody thought he was going to play at this level.

36:27Rod Woodson:Right. I didn't think he was going to play at this level. I mean, I thought he'll be good because he's an older player and he knows what he can and cannot do. And he's been in the rigors. He's seen a lot of defenses. So it's not going to surprise him what he sees. But he is slinging it to everybody. And they got a solid running game with a two-headed monster, right? So I – and they got a young defense that can get after you.

36:52Rich Eisen:What about the AFC then?

36:54Rod Woodson:The AFC I think is more wide open.

36:57Rich Eisen:Yeah.

36:58Rod Woodson:I really do. I mean, I like – the best defense in AFC right now is the Denver Broncos.

37:03Rich Eisen:Not Houston? I saw them in my own two eyes this weekend, Rod.

37:06Rod Woodson:Yeah, you just – Ooh. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Let me reel that one.

37:13Rod Woodson:Let me reel that one back in. Okay. There's a 1A and a 1B. Yep. And I really, I really, I just missed, I misstepped. Yep. The Houston Texans are 1A. Because they got rushers that can get after you.

37:30Rich Eisen:And the defense on the back end, man. There's four guys with four picks. And the back end guys, they like to hit and they can cover.

37:36Rod Woodson:I do like, I mean, my best, my favorite player to watch right now is Sertan, right? So I love Denver and what they've been doing. They got a young, fast, physical defense. They can get after everybody. You know, they make it hard on everybody. You know, you look at, you know, Bo Nix, and Bo Nix doesn't have great stats all the time, but he has two drives in the fourth quarter or one drive in the fourth quarter that makes you go, oh, I like this kid. I really like this kid. He's gritty. He's tough. He doesn't sulk in self-pity if he doesn't do something right early. And they won a lot of close games.

38:15Rod Woodson:That's why I kind of like them. But the defense for the Texans, if anybody reminds me of our 2000 Baltimore Raven defense, this defense does. Wow. Because they can get after it. I mean, they can stop the run, they can pressure the quarterback and they can play on the back end before i let you go rod i've

38:37Rich Eisen:got a caller who called in an hour number one and asked me this question and i'm like i gotta let him stay on hold to hour two to ask you mr purdue this question rod woodson let's bring on kenny from massachusetts kenny you still there kenny yes i am all right kenny you have the foot rod Woodson, meet Kenny from Massachusetts.

38:57Rod Woodson:Kenny, hi, Rod. It's an honor. I'm a Boilermaker graduate. Huge, huge fan. What I'm about to ask you kind of feels sacrilegious because I really am a died in the world Purdue fan. Didn't miss a single game at Ross-Ade. Didn't miss a game at Mackey. But right now my football watching life is pretty turbulent. Not only am I a Dolphins fan, we're not doing too well, but I'm also a Massachusetts transplant. I got to hear from everybody I know. So I really want to just not even root for a winner, but not hear it from the winners.

39:32Rich Eisen:I got to be honest. I'm a Miami kid. I'm a Cuban American, just like Fernando Mendoza. The dark sign is kind of calling me for Indiana, this college football playoff. And, you know, I don't know.

39:46Rod Woodson:I'm at like a crisis of faith. You're going to root for Indiana? I don't want to No you're not No you're not Listen I root for the Big Ten But I'm not going to say I'm going to root for Indiana I'm going to root for everybody Else in the whole world Except IU

40:10Rich Eisen:I get that I really do If you say so I got to stick it out

40:18Rod Woodson:It's like You can't It's like if you are Purdue, you said you went to Purdue, you love Purdue, and then you turned around and said, but I'm going to root for Indiana. Like what?

40:34Rich Eisen:No, you can't. You cannot do that. You just can't. No. But this Cignetti is great. What a story they are. He is. But still not, though, right? I love the coach.

40:44Rod Woodson:Still not? I love the coach. I love what they're doing. I love that they're winning. But they're IU. I will never, ever, you will never, ever, ever, ever hear me say, IU is great. Oh, I won't say that. You know what? I'll root for Bama to win. I'll secretly smile if Mendoza throws some touchdowns.

41:03Rich Eisen:All right, Kenny, you got your answer. Kenny in Massachusetts. There you go. R.E.S. Consulting hooking up. See, I couldn't answer that question. I figured you'd be the better guy to answer. But I thought you'd be like, no, you know what? Let's give Indiana its one shot, one shot out of nowhere, Rod.

41:22Rod Woodson:I love what they're doing. I do. But you won't hear it come from my mouth that I love IU. It just won't happen. Love it.

41:31Rich Eisen:Mr. Indiana saying that himself, ladies and gentlemen. Rod, you're the best. Love you, man. We'll chat again soon. Love you. Have a great cast. That's Rod Woodson who's going to call Ravens locally on the radio, right there on the Rich Eisen Show.

41:43Rod Woodson:That was great.

41:47Rich Eisen:oh my god let's take a break 844-204-RICH number to dial call in we'll hook you up with whoever you know if they're on our roster

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44:10Rich Eisen:I know what I'm doing at 4 Eastern, 1 o 'clock local tomorrow. What's that? Sitting in front of the television and watching the Cheez-Its Citrus Bowl. Oh. Yeah. Is that Michigan? Yes. Oh, nice. Congrats. Well, all of us Wolverines are excited to talk football and see football and an actual game as opposed to everything else. Although Kyle Whittingham's arrival has certainly calmed some waters. I bet. And we will see who is dressed, who's not all out of business against Texas. Pretty big football game. God bless Sark. He was sitting next to Biff Pogey, our interim, at the press conference held today.

44:49Rich Eisen:And he said he thinks that this Texas-Michigan bowl game could outview some of the actual college football playoff quarterfinal games. Way to flex. We're Texas, that's Michigan. Again, we're going to combine for a big, fat rating. I'll be watching. That is for sure. And Sark let loose on what else he's up to on a day like today prior to this game. And it's amazing. He was talking about transfer portals right around the corner and talking to players and talking to recruits and high school recruits and drop this soundbite.

45:33Rod Woodson:We've got to have our list of needs, our list of wants, and our list of luxuries. And then what's the dollar sign next to all that? And then what's the bottom dollar from an organizational standpoint? And the idea that I can sit up here in 2025 and talk about money and players and things, like, it's pretty crazy, right? From where we've gotten to, where we were four or five years ago, to where we are today. But that's the reality of the situation of college football right now, and that's where we are. Again, I think there's nothing wrong with that. We just got to tighten it up. And hopefully we can get there sooner rather than later.

46:12Rod Woodson:Because, again, I'm probably going to be on the phone with an agent today that's going to throw a number at me that I'm going to be like, good luck, I hope you get it. If you don't, call us back. But I can't do that number.

46:22Rich Eisen:Could you imagine? We just talked about Raven Steelers in hour one, hour two. Could you imagine if Mike Tomlin getting ready for this game on Sunday night had to deal with free agency? I'm serious. And re-recruiting his own players. Yeah, like whoever didn't play because DK wasn't there, because they decide this player's not ready enough yet, or Rodgers doesn't trust him. I'm not saying that it exists in real life. I'm just giving you hypotheticals. Right. And that player walks up to Tomlin and says, I'm out of here unless you pay me. Yeah, exactly. Right before the game. Bananas. That's what's happening.

47:03Rich Eisen:And this is at the Cheez-It Bowl level. You don't think that's happening with any of the eight coaches playing in the college football playoff this weekend? I bet you it's happening with all eight of them. For sure. That they're getting ready for these games and also having to talk to eight. And agents, as Sark mentioned in the moments before, it was a two-minute long soundbite. I had our crack staff cut it down. He said some of the agents that he's dealing with, most of them aren't real agents. They're not certified like they have to be in the NFL to be dealing. He said some of these agents might be the freshman player involved's roommate.

47:47Rich Eisen:That's what's happening in college football. Like, what the hell? The Rich Eisen Show Podcast. From 30 for 30 Podcasts. I'm in the air. You got a shot. Did you take someone back to you? Brian Pata, senior defensive lineman from Miami.

48:06Rod Woodson:Gunned down. The key to this case, it's Brian. Boy, he scrapped it.

48:12Rich Eisen:An hour before he died, he was on the phone arguing with somebody. This might be a hit. You want the truth. Biggest one of convictions. Being placed under arrest. we had a killer amongst us murder at the U listen now