Hour 2: Ravens’ Next Steps, Eagles Sitting Starters Debate, Rich’s Seahawks Mea Culpa

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1:26Now, on with the show. Happy New Year, boys. This is the Rich Eisen Show. It's a little late, frankly, for the Happy New Year, you know? Season on the line. Loop's kick is on the way. Loop missed it. Woo! Live from the Rich Eisen Show studio in Los Angeles. Earlier on the show, Jaguars head coach, Liam Cohen. Coming up, full NFL playoffs breakdown. Your phone calls, latest news, and more. And now, it's Rich Eisen.

2:00Rich Eisen:Hour number two of the Rich Eisen Show is on the air. Liam Cohen of the Jacksonville Jaguars joined us in hour number one of this program. And then you can join us the rest of the way. 844-204-RICH number to dial. Phone lines are already lit. Everybody wants to talk about a lot of coaches that have been fired already. It's four today and last night to the two that had already been bounced during the regular season. And so we wait. We wait to see if there's any more to come, but I kind of get the sense that Atlanta, Cleveland and Vegas and also Arizona are going to be it. We'll discuss that later on in this program.

2:46Rich Eisen:I don't I don't know who else there could be other than, you know, would Miami go ahead and do something? I don't know. We shall see, but I shouldn't say such things out loud when the carousel just starts spinning. 844-204-RICH is the number to dial on the program. We started talking about the Sunday night game between the Steelers and the Ravens. Took the Steelers' point of view right off the bat, because you always talk about the winners usually. Unless it's the Cowboys, then we'll talk about them first, right? That's a fact. So, let's talk Ravens. certainly coming into this game there was a lot of talk of which longest tenured head coach in the national football league is going to be on the hot seat by losing and i i just don't know um let's just put it this way i don't think the game went down in a way that could be pinned on a coach by a decision or anything like that out of anybody that could have potentially had anything pinned on him based on decisions made in the game last night it would be Tomlin deciding to go for it from the one yard line before halftime rather than taking the three points I did like the decision at the time didn't like the play call I think Jason Garrett said during halftime he liked the play call until he saw what defense the Ravens were showing.

4:14Rich Eisen:And then of all people to say of all people to, I guess, pin on to not change the play was Aaron Rodgers saying they should have checked out of it. But long story short, other than just the offense falling asleep between quarters one and four, allowing the Steelers to play catch-up and then eventually take the lead. That is something that I think is part and parcel of a Ravens season that wound up being very frustrating. Didn't help that Lamar went out of a hamstring injury as we're now dissecting or CSI-ing the Ravens season here. and the decision to go with Cooper Rush as the backup quarterback lasted just one game.

5:04Rich Eisen:We were all wondering if that was a fit. If Lamar went down, Cooper Rush is so not Lamar that you'd have to change things up. Snoop Huntley brought in and obviously he performed well enough. They beat the Bears. Yeah. The Ravens did. Huge game. And, you know, Snoop, as we know, also beat the Packers in Green Bay with Malik Willis looking more like Lamar than Lamar did all season long until the fourth quarter of this football game. And there was also that Sunday night loss to the Patriots that sticks out because Derrick Henry didn't touch the football in the final throws of that game. and you know Harbaugh and Todd Monk and the offensive coordinator responded by giving Henry the ball 36 times in Green Bay and he wound up rewarding them with 216 yards and four touchdowns and an opportunity to win the division just by at the end of the day everything that I just recounted starting with the Sunday night opener in Buffalo when the Ravens put up 40 and lost in a game that they had dead to rights until of all people Derrick Henry fumbled flipping the script the Ravens starting off stubbing their toe like that able to win five in a row and dig out of that hole only to suffer more inconsistent play and losing back-to-back home gains in a span of five days to Aaron Rodgers and Joe Burrow on a Thanksgiving night is just something that Ravens fans are going to have stuck in their crawl.

6:54Rich Eisen:And now the question is, what next? Because they do have an incredible roster. I mean, you look at their team and you're wondering, how did they finish below 500? I just gave you some reasons. And do you pin that on a coach who otherwise is burnishing a Hall of Fame resume? And I know Ravens fans might not want to hear that. There is some maybe fatigue of having the same things materialize in fourth quarters and in, you know, Januaries and with the exception of one February day in New Orleans. winding up short.

7:35Rich Eisen:And John Harbaugh was asked after the game about his future. It's disappointing. It's disappointing. Our guys fought. We were that close to winning the North, and we didn't get a chance to get it done. So all that other stuff is history. We had a chance to do it. We didn't do it. We were disappointed, and we'll move on. I mean, it just happened, but are you feeling like you want another shot with these guys? yeah, I love these guys. I love these guys. You know, and for the radio audience, there was a furrowing of the brow from John Harbaugh listening to that question before answering it. The body language being, are you asking if I want to quit being the Baltimore Ravens head coach?

8:20You know?

8:21Rich Eisen:Or are you asking me if I'm worried about my job? and if you're asking that you didn't ask me that directly so i'll turn down answering that directly and just say of course i want to be with these guys i love them what are you what are you inferring you know and and the question is at the end of the day what does the owner think and i i don't i don't have any uh inkling of what's going on inside steve bishotti's head other than the fact that the guy likes continuity, obviously, and that the teams that don't have a shot at the Super Bowl are the ones that churn through head coaches and churn through front offices.

9:02Rich Eisen:And I understand at some point the Ravens would like to see some churn in terms of results. Four playoff wins in the last 13 seasons. And so the question is, is what do you do now? I don't think the Ravens are going to do a damn thing with John Harbaugh. and if they did I think one of the six teams that's currently going through a coaching cycle would be all over him in two seconds flat and so you know because I know when my end of the collegiate world was going through it a couple of weeks ago looking for a coach there is a lot of Michigan friends of mine were like would John Harbaugh do it I'm like let the man finish the season uh before you even ask would you want to do something your brother did i don't think so i think he's in a spot that he wants to be and that's his answer now the quarterback's a different story in terms of the answer he gave in the first blush moments of losing in heartbreaking fashion listen to this exchange that's been resonating all since the The words came out of Lamar's mouth.

10:16This offseason, there's a lot of questions about your contract, your salary cap number. Do you feel you'll be back as the Ravens quarterback this season? We just lost a game, you know, a divisional game, you know, a game to put us in the playoffs. I'm not even thinking about that right now, to be honest with you. I'm still caught up in what just happened, you know. That's not my focus right now. There's a lot of questions about Harbaugh's future as well. Do you want to see John remain the coach next year? You asked me about next year, Jameson. I'm so caught up in what just happened tonight. I can't focus on that right now.

10:54I just told you. Like, he asked me, are you stunned? I'm stunned right now. I'm still trying to process what's going on. I know we lost, but what the, you know?

11:03Rich Eisen:I think he almost went WTF right there. and into his defense, if you will. He was still steaming about the loss long after. I don't know if you caught this exchange. Did you see this one where Jason McCourty had a screen grab of Ben Skoranek, their stellar Steelers stellar special teams player, seemingly using the backs of his teammates as leverage. to try and block the eventual game missed, game-winning field goal that was missed. And Lamar reposted that with SMFH, not to go all Kurt Cignetti on you, but Google it. And so he was still steaming afterwards. But the question of, like, you know, listen, let's just put it this way.

12:01Rich Eisen:let's say we are fortunate enough to be emmy nominated again right in the running for the ultimate prize that you search for in our business right other than just success and happiness working right right you're looking for the accolade sure um let's just say we uh we get nominated again and don't win it again so let's just say that happens and you then say to me do i want to like you come up to me within five seconds five minutes of losing okay let's just say i had a press conference okay you ask me if i want to still be the host of the rich eisen show go ahead go ahead go ahead rich i know heartbreaking loss and again at the at the hands of the emmy board yeah you still want to be the host of the rich eisen show you still want to keep doing this Of course I do.

12:55Rich Eisen:What are you talking about? See how that works? Right. Now, ask it again, and I'll give the answer similar to what Lamar just gave. Yeah, Rich, another heartbreaking defeat here at the Sports Emmys. Seemed to be a tradition that's taken place. You still want to be the host of the Rich Eisen show? I just lost again to that show and that host. That other host. I just sat through four hours of sitting in the back of this room waiting for the awards where they don't serve you anything to eat or drink. You know, you're sitting back there. You don't have any Wi-Fi connection. It goes in and out. you're like sitting here thinking this is this is the heart of new york city you can't give me a wi-fi connection and i'm still going for what the just give me a minute you see the difference yeah i feel unemployed sorry jay do you see the difference that's a difference yeah but now again lamar is a different He's a unicorn.

14:07Rich Eisen:There's very few people like Lamar, and he can potentially compartmentalize that sort of thing without realizing if you don't give an immediate answer of like what Joe Burrow did, remember a few weeks ago, where he gave a cryptic answer about being happy there, and then he was asked point blank, do you see yourself as anything other than the Bengals quarterback next season? No, I don't see it. Of course, you know, I don't see not being here. He's like, give me a minute before I answer the question about whether I'm going to be here or not. Sometimes you don't need a minute. You see the difference between John Harbaugh's answer and the quarterback's answer?

14:51Rich Eisen:Now, again, I'm just pointing out why this is going to linger. and I'm just wondering if we're entering a period of time where Lamar wants a contractual enhancement or something similar and we're going to be in another spring wondering about their relationship. We already spent another, like the last time we went through this, Snoop Huntley late season start wondering where Lamar is under center. We just spent that week hearing all sorts of stuff about Lamar falling asleep in meetings, which he pushed back against vehemently when asked. I'm just saying, I think we're going to go through that. I think we're going to go through that where John Harbaugh says nothing but love for Lamar Jackson and he stays put.

15:46Rich Eisen:How's that for a prediction? But that answer is not going to help calm any waters. Yeah, but he gave a perfect answer to start with. He's still in his feelings. He's, like, not registering what's going on. I think we sometimes hold these athletes to this regard that, like, they should be wordsmith like you. You know, they can't. They're not. Well, but I don't think it's about a choice of words. I think it's about an emotion, right? You're saying he's too emotional to sit there and tell everybody in the fan base that he's not going anywhere. you know what i mean again it's a question of like are you going to have a massive career change seismic and ask him that obviously in the in the moments that might give you a more visceral answer not like i can't even think about that you understand the difference of what i'm saying like i i understand that you know he might not have found the words but the bottom line is he was just asked are you going to be here and he's just like i can't think about that right now and the answer to that is what's there to think about if he was designated as a post june 1st trade oh gosh saves the ravens 52 million dollars against the cap i get it i get it just saying i i i hear you and where am i going to be in another situation of like who wouldn't want him of course everyone's going to want him yeah but we said that last time too and apparently nobody well it was also two firsts that would cost just saying even though that just got flipped for sauce gardener and i think people would probably use it on lamar more than a corner sauce gardener who won two games this year oh my gosh that's true again it it just strikes me it's like it's a simple question that at its heart is like john harbaugh was asked it do you want another shot at being the coach here and he's just sort They're like, of course, I love these guys.

17:52Rich Eisen:Not like you're just asking me in a really difficult moment a question about my future. If John had given the same answer as the quarterback, this would be a massive alarm fire right now in Baltimore. Rich, pretty tough dinner situation at your house. Seemed you and the wife got into it a little bit. You still want to be married tomorrow? Don't ask me now. I'm still upset about dinner. do you see what i mean it's like that do you love me in any breakup yes of course you know but i don't know nothing me yeah i've already no i know you said you spoke my okay but again the answer is lamar is definitely he he definitely is wired differently he's 100 wired differently and so like i said that's why the first thing i showed you before setting up the question about it was him being upset about the leverage penalty that apparently could have been called to wipe off that missed field goal.

18:56Rich Eisen:Similar to the way Denver lost in Indianapolis this year. At the time, I was thinking that would cost Denver a one seed against Indianapolis and yada, yada, yada. Denver got the one seed because the week one loss to the Raiders cost the Patriots. Embarrassing. Okay. Week one's the preseason. 844-204-RICH is the number to dial right here on The Rich Eisen Show. We come back, we'll take your phone calls, and then the conundrum of do you play your guys or not in the last week of the regular season. We saw two teams having different approaches, but the same result.

19:36The Rich Eisen Show Podcast.

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21:44Rich Eisen:Back here on the Rich Eisen Show is a simulcast ESPN, the app, Disney Plus, ESPN Radio, Sirius XM, Channel 80. We always appreciate everybody checking us out. All right. Let's go to Ty in Illinois. Let's go to Ty. What's up, Ty? Hi, Rich. Thanks for having me on. Hey, I think that Lamar either needs to move on or he needs another play caller. He needs a dynamic play caller. Imagine him in Green Bay or Los Angeles. He needs the type of play caller to do for him what Ben Johnson did for Caleb Williams in Chicago. Well, didn't Todd Monken, you know, change things for him? I mean, he had, well, with Monk in an MVP season and one that a lot of fans think in his corner got stolen from him by Josh Allen last year.

22:38Rich Eisen:Ty, it's not like it hasn't happened. It just hasn't happened. And I don't know. I mean, Zay Flowers holds onto a ball against the Chiefs. It just, you know, that's one. I understand that Derrick Henry disappeared in a playoff game against the Chiefs as well. I don't know certainly last night's game I can't pin that one on him I think he needs the accountability piece of it too if you go back to what was done for Caleb Williams the accountability is so huge I don't see the accountability there I don't know Ty I understand that he gets love and support non-stop to the point where what we read about in the Baltimore Sun gets alleged and that there might be some smoke, if not a complete fire, on his ability to prepare himself for a game similar to what we would think a conventional quarterback would do.

23:34Rich Eisen:And thanks for the call, Ty. I don't know if there's a lack of accountability other than the fact that you hear he doesn't take care of his body, he doesn't take care of this, he doesn't take care of that. And then after that was all alleged again, he showed up on that opening night in Kansas City. We were there a couple of Septembers ago, slimmed down. He looked great. I don't know what else can be done, except when it happens in January or February, things go differently. This year was just sideways from the start. I don't know if they need to break up, right? He was pretty out of it last night, I thought.

24:11Just kind of, I don't know if his disinterested is the right word, but just not himself until the fourth down play.

24:17Rich Eisen:Well, not the fourth down play. When he burst through a sack and found Zay Flatt. That's what I mean. running for a first down and he finds Zay Flowers up top. You know, the fourth down play, he threw an incredible ball to Isaiah Likely. And then in terms of play call, Dodd Munkin kind of dialed one up where Zay Flowers got lost in the trash on the right side of the play. And then he's dashing empty. I mean, with nobody wide ass open. Listen, I mean, it's just that kick, if it goes through, We're talking about the Ravens hosting the Texans, and we're talking about what do the Steelers do from here.

25:01Rich Eisen:Man, the NFL. It's just really so razor thin between success and despair. In a way that I don't know how many other sports are. And that's kind of why the World Series came as close as it does in terms of viewership or interest to the NFL, because it was so razor razor's edge over and over and over again well if that guy was you know safe if that ball won another inch if it didn't get lodged in the in the um in the wall what would happen it's similar to what we saw last night 844-204-RICH number to dial here on the program um a lot of recrimination in philadelphia which by the way could be any day of the week ending in y um but the eagles decided to hold out their starters and let the chips fall between the two and three seed and the chips fell and sure enough the other result that the eagles needed in order for them to get the two seed with a win over the commanders who hadn't won in forever in a day happened.

26:16Rich Eisen:The Lions go into Chicago and beat a Bears team. That starts everybody. Two coaches have different approaches, both lost on Sunday. Who would you rather be? The coach that, had they started everybody, could have gotten a better seed, and you lose, and you can go into the playoffs saying, that's not the team that we are. We rested everybody. Or do you want to be the head coach that said, we play people around here. We put it all out there. We almost pulled it out of our orifice again, but we still lost to a Detroit Lions team that didn't make the playoffs and swept us. And you're now saying we're not that team, even though it kind of looks like you are because you started everybody.

27:09Rich Eisen:and you still wind up the seed that you wanted anyway, which is the two seed, because the difference between the two and the three seed in the NFC, the two seed takes on a Packers team that didn't start anybody at all, you know, from your quarterback to pretty much everybody, lose to Minnesota, but they're also 9-7-1, and, you know, ever since the Packers lost that game to the Bears that they were up 10 points in with, you know, just a little over two minutes to go, they didn't win. And it's the Packers and the Bears. And if you're the two seed and you win that game, you get another game at home.

27:57Rich Eisen:The only road game you have to play would be an NFC championship game unless somebody knocks off the one seed. And if you're the Eagles and you fall to the three seed, instead of getting a Packers team that you have had a number against in various hemispheres, instead of them, you get a 49ers team that's coming in. And let's put it this way. If you knock Brock Purdy out of this playoff game, you know, Josh Johnson and Christian McCaffrey running a wildcat offense is not walking through that door. so there's a difference let's hear what nick sirianni had to say after the game as i'm sure today in philadelphia everybody is just spending one more day upset about not putting out the best team on the field in an 18th week to get the best possible seed before they turn a page and focus on a 49ers team coming to town now you know again you do you go through your process you make what you think is the best decision for the football team.

29:05And that's what we did. I knew this was an outcome that these things could happen. Like I said to you guys, one thing I could guarantee was giving them rest. I couldn't guarantee anything else. And us being healthy and going into the playoffs healthy is a big deal for us. And, you know, that served us well in the past. And so, So, again, I know there will be debate on that, but, you know, again, I have to do what I think is best for the football team moving forward, and that's what I did.

29:36Rich Eisen:Has there been – name me another coach in recent memory who's won as much as this guy has, including a Super Bowl as recently as this guy has, to have his process questioned as much as it is.

29:53Rich Eisen:Yeah, that's a good point. him coming out and saying, uh, trust the process, by the way, in Philadelphia, um, maybe choose a different, you know what I'm afraid that we have a process and we're sticking to it. And that's our process and trust my process. And that's going over. I'm sure like the proverbial, what would you say? Um, church, like, um, flatulence. so that's liquid oh uh don't forget that part yeah sure meanwhile there's ben johnson whose process is beyond trusted in the city in which he coaches because the previous processes were so bad and so in question and have been that way for so long that just seeing what we saw from them in NFC North Championship, regardless of result yesterday, starting everybody, only to have another three-quarters of mind-numbing offensive inactivity suddenly come alive like the undertaker off the mat or Tim Tebow starting a fourth quarter, only to have that happen again, only to lose to the Lions anyway.

31:23Rich Eisen:Ben Johnson on his process hit it. Ultimately, as you mentioned, this doesn't cost you exceeding. What was your messaging for the guys? That we're quickly turning the page here. Everyone's disappointed. I appreciate, like I said, their effort. Some teams, they rest their starters. We don't. we play football and you know and we felt like it was really important that we were playing our best ball here today and we didn't get that job done and so we're quickly turning that page and now we got a home game coming on up and there's a way to win this game this next game and that's what we're going to be solely focused on