Hour 2: ‘What’s More Likely,’ Rams vs Bears Preview, plus Texans WR Christian Kirk

23:22Rich Eisen:But the old way, you hand everything off and then silence. Days pass. Weeks pass. You start wondering, should I send another follow-up email? It feels like you're chasing updates and getting nowhere. But now, taxes are different because your taxes are done for you by a TurboTax full-service expert. With Intuit TurboTax, you can match with your dedicated tax expert and hand off everything right in the app. And while your expert checks for every deduction, you'll see real-time updates on your phone so you always know exactly where things stand. Suddenly, you're not refreshing your inbox. You're going for a run, grabbing a coffee, scrolling anything other than a just-checking-in message.

24:03Rich Eisen:Because your TurboTax expert is handling it and keeping you in the loop. So this tax season, get your best possible outcome and every dollar you deserve without the guesswork. Visit TurboTax.com today to learn more. Real-time updates only in iOS mobile app. Only available with TurboTax full-service experts. Back here on the Rich Eisen Show, 844-204-RICH is the number to dial right here on the program. Eight catches, 144 yards, and a touchdown to put them up for good. although at the time it was just 7-6. We didn't know that the roof was going to cave in on the Steelers when the Texans' defense took over.

24:42Rich Eisen:But joining us in advance of the divisional round road playoff game, trying to get to the Texans, the AFC championship game for the first time, ladies and gentlemen, Christian Kirk here on the Rich Eyes Show. Good to see you, Christian. How are you? I'm doing good. Thanks for having me. What was that night like for you, Monday night, Christian? Special, honestly. you know big time game wild card round you know it was a big big win for us to go on the road you know an environment like that obviously you know Steelers being the organization that they are you know I think this I forget what the stat was of you know how many games they had won in Monday night there in that stadium so for just us to be able to go on the road and to be able to have a big impact on you know us getting the win was you know obviously a great feeling just a fourth career playoff game for you and in this environment um in pittsburgh quite something no doubt uh if you don't mind straying out of our lane in your lane for the moment uh what what'd you think of when you heard the next day that mike tomlin was stepping down and that this was the last game of his legendary pittsburgh coaching career christian uh yeah Yeah, obviously the end to an amazing career.

25:54I have the utmost respect for Coach Tomlin, and I know the rest of the league does. I got a chance to visit with him when I was coming out for the draft and just always admired the way that he ran the organization, the way he treated his players, and just the impact that he had on the game. So I guess in a sense I'm honored to be a part of his last game coaching there as the Steelers head coach, and we'll see what's next for him.

26:20Rich Eisen:Were you in one of those vaunted meeting rooms at the combine when you chatted with him? Were you in that one of those or was it like a pro day visit or something like that? What was it? Yeah, it was one of those. They call them like top 30 visits where you get to go to the organization and visit. So it was one of those post combine. So let's talk about the journey of this team this year of the Houston Texans and yours yourself. Obviously, staying healthy has not been on occasion easy, but healthy you are, and you looked as healthy as it possibly can be in this game. Walk me through your journey of this year, you personally, before we get to your team, Christian.

27:04Yeah, personally, I had to weather the storm. It's been difficult, difficult more than others at times. you know the hamstring early in the year and just kind of trying to find my role within this offense and this team and just showing up every day and you know trusting the process and just doing what they're asking me to do to the best of my ability and you know we were winning games and you know that's that's why you play football and that's why I came here and so you know whether it was one catch or three catches or no catches I was just you know out there doing my job and trying to have an impact in whatever way that I could.

27:46Monday night, the seal kind of broke for me. I'm just, like I said, glad that when the opportunity presented itself, I was able to show that I still got a lot to give. I'm feeling good, feeling healthy, and just ready to keep making this playoff push.

28:04Rich Eisen:The 144 yards, again, is more yards than you had combined all the way from when you came back from injury to that night. And, you know, you missed, as you pointed out, a few weeks early on in the season. What did click on Monday night? And that's no joke of a defense it clicked against, Christian. Yeah, like you said, great scheme. Obviously, you know, their front is very challenging. And, you know, even on the back end as well, they did some things that, you know, presented some problems. But I think, you know, we just we caught him in man coverage, you know, a few times, especially on third down.

28:42And, you know, third down is money down. And you got to be able to separate. And CJ did a good job of stepping up in the pocket and, you know, giving us opportunities all night. Even some of the, you know, more explosive plays to me. You know, he did a great job maneuvering in the pocket and, you know, really giving me an opportunity to run under some of those. So, yeah, I think it's just, you know, we were able to click, you know, when we needed it the most. and we got some explosives out of it.

29:07Rich Eisen:Christian Kirk here on the Rich Eisen Show. Walk me through what makes D 'Amico Ryan special in your estimation. Christian? Yeah, special is definitely the word to describe him. I've loved every moment of just being around him. And from a leadership aspect, I think the accountability piece is the thing that jumps out to me. You know, and as a coach, he just does such a good job of, you know, establishing the culture. And, you know, everybody's bought into it, you know, from the janitors to the kitchen staff to the assistant. I mean, everybody has the same mentality. Everybody is here. And that was the one thing that really jumped out to me when I first got here is everybody's here to help get us to our ultimate goal.

29:56And that's to win a championship. and they all take on, you know, Coach, you know, Ryan's mentality and his approach. So it's been awesome playing for him.

30:07Rich Eisen:Yeah, and at 0-3, what was it like? I know right around then, you know, your team was adrift at that point in time. You were only a couple weeks away from going through your injury. It must not have been a fun time, But what was it like for this team then, Christian? Yeah, I think, you know, being a part of it, and I've been a part of teams that have gone through, you know, a slide like that, you know, where you drop a few, especially early in the season. And, you know, obviously it's a little bit of a different situation. We start off 0-3, but everybody knew the type of talent and the type of team that we had in the building.

30:52It was just getting us to, you know, execute and start playing, you know, complimentary football. And it was it was, you know, you look back at the games that we lost. They're all one score games and it was just like one or two plays here. And obviously in the NFL at this level, that that'll get you beat one or two plays. And it was just eliminating those mistakes. And, you know, we finally were able to, you know, get on the winning side of things and find that recipe. But I think it just it speaks to the leadership in the locker room. You know, guys didn't blink. Guys didn't get down on themselves.

31:24The confidence was still there because, like I said, day in and day out, you know, we knew the type of team that we had, and we just had to go out there on Sunday and put it all together.

31:32Rich Eisen:And then down 19, staring a season sweep in the face at the hands of the team that, you know, you were just playing for in Jacksonville, and then the comeback hits, and you haven't lost since then. What was it like in that moment on the sideline there? Christian Kirk. If you're like me and my family, you're all about creating amazing memories while on vacation. And for me, many of those have involved a home we found on Airbnb. We had such great experiences that whenever we travel somewhere new, we always check Airbnb first to find a place that fits our needs. The homes we've stayed in, comfortable, safe, private.

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33:19Call 1-800-GRANGER, click granger.com, or just stop by. Yeah, an incredible game, one that I definitely won't ever forget. I had been a part of some good comebacks, and that's definitely up there. And yeah, it's just, I think in that game, it kind of encapsulated our season of just weathering the storm. You know, even when you're down and out and everybody's telling you that you have no chance, you know, you just keep playing the next play. And that's one thing, you know, D 'Amico always talks about is just playing the next play and, you know, extreme ownership to your job and executing at the fullest.

33:56And, you know, who knows what's going to happen when you do that? And it's usually good things. And, yeah, just another game that you look back on. And, you know, it makes sense that, you know, we've been able to put some games together and be where we are today.

34:10Rich Eisen:Christian Kirk, a few minutes left with the Houston Texans wide receiver here on the Rich Eisen Show. One last what is it like question for you. What is it like to go against your defense in practice? Yeah, I just look back to training camp. And after the first couple of days, I was looking around like, is it always like this? Are we like, are we going to start, you know, scheming some things up? Because, you know, it's kind of hard to move the ball and make some plays. Yeah, I mean, they immensely talented. What you see on Sundays is what we get day in and day out. It obviously makes us better because you're going against the best every single day.

34:54and I could go on and on and on about each guy and what they mean to that defense and what they mean to our team, but they play as a unit. They play for one another and they are the identity of swarm mentality and it speaks for itself every time they're out there and I'm glad I'm on their team.

35:18Rich Eisen:Again, Christian, we at NFL Network did Texans Chargers Week 17. we asked everybody on the team that we were able to speak to prior to the game. You were not one of them. The same question, I'll ask it to you as well. The player with the best hands on the team is, who has the best hands on the Houston Texans? Christian Kirk. I mean, I think that I would be wrong if I didn't say myself. Okay. But taking myself out of it, I would say Nico. And I think his ability to catch some of those contested catches over the middle and whatnot, uses size and speed, he's definitely got sure hands. Okay. Does it affect you or offend you that the answer, almost unanimously, was Derek Stingley Jr.?

36:08Rich Eisen:Christian? Oh, forgot about Sting. Sting's got good hands. Sting's got great hands. Because normally people who play his position play that position because they can't catch, right? Yeah. You know what I mean? But, you know, there was even conversation that he would have been the best on his college team that included Justin Jefferson and Jamar Chase. Look, I don't really have a rebuttal to that. Okay. I've definitely seen Sting. Obviously, this year he had a one-handed pick against Jacksonville. Some of the catches he has in practice, I mean, he's a freaking nature so uh yeah i would agree with that okay um and then is it which is the guy on your defense that you during practice say i'm glad i don't have to go against that guy this week uh who's that probably uh either will or daniel i don't know how you could look at i don't know how you could look at either of those guys and say i would i would love to go against him on sunday that's that's just a problem that i don't i don't want to have to handle and like i said i'm glad i'm I'm on their team.

37:20Rich Eisen:Yeah, you don't have to chip them in practice, right? No. Okay, we're not doing that. Thank goodness. Okay, we're not doing that. All right, and not to turn you into my information man here, but how is Nico right now for this game? Yeah, doing good. Obviously, the protocol is the protocol. So, you know, he's taking it day by day, and, you know, we've been checking on him and just wishing that, you know, he has a speedy recovery. And what's being discussed about the weather? I don't know if you've seen the weather. We could have a snow game on our hands in Foxborough. Christian, you seen that? No, this is first I've heard of it.

37:57So, yeah, weather's the weather. We just know that when that ball set down and the whistle's blown, we're ready to go. Okay, all right.

38:06Rich Eisen:So there's, you know, you got the cold weather gear. You got it working. What do you got? What do you think if it's really cold? How do you prepare for such a thing? You know, this year has been the first year I've used a little hand warmer cutout in my jersey. That's been something nice that the Texans have provided me. So I've been enjoying that. You know, I got some of those hand warmers in there. So, I mean, as long as the hands and the feet are warm, I'm good. I mean, you played in Arizona. You played in Jacksonville. You know what I mean? Like, these are not cold weather environments. No, not at all.

38:46Yeah, I'm not going to shy away from the fact that I haven't lived or been anywhere that is remotely cold. So, but I'm able to get through. I'm able to bear it.

38:58Rich Eisen:Okay, last two for you. You're a quarterback, C.J. Stroud. He doesn't seem to show much emotion even when things are not, you know, sticking to his hands like they were on Monday night. What's he been like this week and also in the huddle? So, Christian, what do you have for me on your quarterback here? Yeah, I mean, same guy. Like you said, he doesn't waver, doesn't blink. He understands the ebbs and flows of the game. And he wants to be great. So, you know, this week, been super locked in, had a great last two days of practice. And, you know, once CJ's at his best, you know, we can accomplish anything as an offense.

39:39And, you know, just with the way he's been preparing, his communication uh you know that's one thing he's really great at you know especially throughout the week is just communicating uh with us not only as receivers but offensive line what he likes what he doesn't like uh and i think that's key you know from that position and he does a great job so um you know i definitely expect him to to go out there uh on sunday and be at his best okay and

40:03Rich Eisen:then on sunday you will know uh christian kirk if you and your teammates have the right to win a game and host an AFC championship game. We'll already know if the bills have knocked off the Broncos. And if that happens, your game is for the right to host an AFC championship game, which would obviously be a nice twist in your journey to the Superbowl. Potentially. Do you allow yourself to sit around and think about playing in Superbowl 60? Do you let your mind wander at all? And if so, what, what you think about Christian? I honestly don't because I can't. It's hard to imagine something that you can't experience if you don't win the one that's in front of you.

40:49So to me, this is this game is the biggest game because we got to earn the right to be able to even go play for that. So I've learned I've played in this league long enough that if you start looking forward and past what's right in front of you, it'll sneak up and bite you. So I'm just relishing in the opportunity to play in New England in the divisional round to keep our season alive.

41:17Rich Eisen:Well, the kid in the backyard, Christian, you used to be, I'm sure, is like, what gives? You dreamt of it, I'm sure, this moment. And then on top of it, you know, the Super Bowl's in the spot where your coach started his coaching career. It would be quite a moment, I think, for all of that. That's my one last swing to make you think about it. You know, for sure. I mean, look, I won't lie that everybody wants to play in a Super Bowl. I want to play in a Super Bowl. I've always dreamt of it. And I realize that we have the opportunity that if we keep winning, we'll be able to play in one. So, yeah, it would be great.

41:54I'm sure a dream come true for all of us. But like I said, we got to go win this one first.

41:58Rich Eisen:Well, it's a pleasure for me to sit here on your journey here, having been around peripherally, seeing you in London a couple years ago when you were with the Jaguars a couple of years in a row. To see you in this position, seeing you balling out on Monday night, seeing the Texans being able to get into the AFC Championship game for the first time, I appreciate you giving me the time. And I wish you the best of luck. Of course. Thanks, Rich. Always good to speak to you. Right back at you. That's Christian Kirk getting set for the Texans to take on the Patriots to kick off Divisional Playoff Sunday right here on the Rich Eisen Show.

42:34Rich Eisen:All right, there you go, Chris. There's Christian, Christopher. Yes, sir. On different sides of the Sunday contest. Sure. It's going to be a fun game. 844-204-RICH. Number to dial Blake Corum top of the next hour. I'll still have my top five list. That's coming up. Get you set for divisional playoff weekend. Coming back.

42:59Rich Eisen:The Rich Eisen Show, the podcast.

43:26Rich Eisen:That's LinkedIn.com slash Eisen to post your job for free. Terms and conditions apply. So I referenced it the other day, alluded to it in my open to preview the divisional playoff weekend, the Rams and the Bears. Listen, two guys who can dial it up, two guys who are really intense, two guys who are young. and on a heater when it comes to call and plays. And Ben Johnson in his first year as head coach of the Chicago Bears is in fact, as you know, intense guy. He's also the first coach to have his offense top five in the league and lead his team to the playoffs to go and turn around. An offense to go from the pits of the offense to be a playoff team in his first year on the sideline.

44:29Rich Eisen:Last guy to do that was Sean McVay. So those two guys know what it's like to turn an offense around, install one, make a young quarterback drafted first overall, feel confident. And off you go like they were with Goff, who they eventually swapped out for their current quarterback, and Caleb Williams in Chicago. Chicago and Ben Johnson as Kyle Brandt was talking about this week does not care that he's saying F the Packers every single Bears fan we talk to says love it love it he's insane but he's our insane guy good better best whatever it takes to get this team going Caleb Williams going the way that he's going does not care that he went ahead and said F the Packers F Green Bay that whole business and Matt LaFleur on the wrong end of a handshake that gets quicker and more of a swim move every time.

45:18Rich Eisen:And we, again, talked about how the Rams aren't in this rivalry, Green Bay versus Chicago normally, but when it feels personal against Matt LaFleur, who Sean McVay considers a de facto brother and has as his offensive coordinator, Matt LaFleur's actual brother. When it comes down to it, will that make a difference? Really only matters about executing in the trenches, things of that nature, but one never knows. And Sean McVay was, in fact, asked about, has he reached out to Matt LaFleur this week before taking on Matt's new nemesis? Matt LaFleur, obviously, big in Green Bay. And my thing on your staff, he's played with Matt Johnson three times.

46:09Rich Eisen:Yeah. What would you guess? Now, you know what? We watch the tape. We do our work. And, you know, Matt is a very close friend of mine.

46:21Rich Eisen:So, yes? Oh, yeah. Very much yes. Oh, yeah. Very much yes. You know, our old friend from Good Morning Football, not just Kyle Brent, Peter Schrager mentioning on a podcast this week that the Rams have taken notice, particularly of Ben Johnson's demeanor in relation to Matt LaFleur and are coming to exact a piece on their behalf, obviously. But why, again, and I said this when you brought it up, if I'm Jared Verse, why do I care? Like, how's that giving me any extra motivation? It's not that. It's the coaching staff maybe pushing the pedal to the metal a little bit if they have that opportunity.

47:09Rich Eisen:Just it's something to keep in the mind's eye. Like I said, they want to win because they want to go to the Super Bowl. Jared Verse wants to go to the Super Bowl. Jared Verse wants to be great. Whatever. But if there's anybody who wants to do it for Mike on behalf of his brother who's been disrespected and thus, you play whatever disrespect card you want. And I'd have to imagine that Ben Johnson would have to tip his cap to it. Well, we have an actual Los Angeles Ram coming up. Maybe we'll ask Blake Corum. He can tell us. You never know. We can tell Blake Corum, hey, he disrespected Ohio State.

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