Hour 3: ‘4-Downs’ Houston Texans Preview, plus NFL on FOX Analyst Mark Schlereth

23:02But I love watching him play. I think they're an interesting team.

23:06Rich Eisen:So how interesting? Like at the end of the day, knocking a team from last year's playoffs out of this year's playoffs? because they're taking a spot? I don't think they're going to take a spot in the playoffs, but I think they're going to be a really tough out. Like watching them the first preseason game, John Harbaugh's fingerprints are all over this team. I mean, they are like big, physical. The Maui Noah kid, they drafted out of Miami, is going to fit right into what they want to do. And you can win a lot of games regardless of who your quarterback is, your running backs are, your wide receivers are.

23:37If all you do, both sides of the ball is control line of scrimmage, you'll win a ton of football games and i saw them against minnesota and minnesota i don't know when this changed rich you know there used to be a time like when i was playing where it was all vanilla and we had these side like like these side agreements with the other coaching staff like if we blitz we're only bringing one linebacker we're not going to cross dog we're not going to do this we're not going to do that i'm watching minnesota play and it's like kitchen sink it's release everything like here we come we're going to try to hit your quarterback which uh wasn't the way it used to be but maybe with only three preseason games you got to work on your stuff but like that was interesting to me to watch Minnesota kind of unveil their whole defense

24:20Rich Eisen:if you will yeah and of course you've got these joint practices now between the teams before they're actually playing each other and in a preseason game and they act in in these joint practices as if they've got pads on sometimes you know and you know fines just got levied on on the Saints and the Cowboys for fighting. You see all these fights, but we had Robert Sala on earlier on the program just this week or late last week. So I can't figure out the times anymore. But he's like, I love these joint practices. This is Saquon Barkley on the subject matter. Hit it. I'm the wrong guy to ask because I hate joint practice, to be honest.

24:59If you do it the right way, there's a lot of good out of it. Going against different looks, going against different people. It's hard when you got to run the same play over and over against JC and JD. They're pretty good players, and, you know, they get a hint on what you're doing. It's even harder to block. But, yeah, when you do it the right way, it's good. But, honestly, I'm not really a fan of joint practice. Just, you know, it's just more times than not, nothing good comes out of it. Like, you get to – when you have the work, it's good. But then you get to push in, to shove in, and someone says this about you, and I'm like, I don't know, but I'm not that.

25:35you're this and just like it's it's immature when we get to that level i gotta do a better job too because i'm a little you know a little troublemaker sometimes but i was good i was good this week what do you think hey listen we used to do them all the time i mean my rookie year we had two joint practices with the steelers and joint practice with the jets uh like that was that was part of the deal um and it is it's great work um you know but i you know everybody's going to talk smack and stuff, but we didn't have a bunch of just flat out brawls. Every now and again, you get into the little pushing match, but I always think it's, it's exceptional work.

26:14It's always nice to go against somebody else. And, um, and you know, it's, it, it, it represents the game a lot closer than you just do in practice. So I think there's definite value to it. Um, it is interesting to me in a day and age where we don't play in pads or we don't practice in pads, We don't do that stuff. What it feels like, there's so many more fights in today's joint practices than we used to have. Maybe it was just because we were joint practicing twice a day, and we were so beat up going into it. Maybe we just didn't have the energy to fight. It was just like, I just want to get out of here.

26:49But I always thought there was value to that stuff.

26:52Rich Eisen:Okay. Thank goodness that conversation is going to be over in short order because we have actual games. So you're saying the Giants aren't – give me an AFC team that you think we're not talking about enough. Who is it? Oh, man. That's a great question. I haven't even thought about AFC teams we're not talking about enough. I can run through. Yeah, run through a few. I think we're talking about Buffalo enough, but are we talking about New England enough? Are we feeling like they're – But don't you feel – does anybody feel like New England might take a little bit of a step back this year? Well, because they took such a big leap forward last year that it would stand a reason that maybe, you know, they caught lightning in a bottle.

27:39Rich Eisen:We were talking about their easy schedule so much last year, and then they hit the playoffs. But they did get it all the way to the Super Bowl, man. Yeah. But they didn't get Denver at full strength and things of that nature. So maybe that's why we're not talking about it. Maybe. I think it's going to be, it's really interesting to me too, because AJ Brown is like, he's a beast out there on the edge. He's an ex receiver. He's great. But the one guy that was kind of the chain mover, the one guy that was kind of the actuator in the passing game of the offense, if you will, is Stephon Diggs. You know, he had 85 catches for a hundred or a thousand and like a thousand and whatever, a thousand and change, 1015, whatever.

28:17But like that dude was a third down machine. That dude ran all the underneath routes. He ran in the middle of the field underneath routes. And he just like he was a security blanket. And it's it's interesting, you know, because all they said in New England, I did several of their games last year, Rich, was what a professional he is and how like how great he has been in practice, the way he practices and sets the tone and how prepared he's been. And then all of a sudden, you know, you're like, oh, one year's enough for us. See you around. Good luck to you. But it just is interesting to me because that guy was a big part to me of what made them successful and kept them on the field, kept drives alive.

28:55So it'll be really interesting to see how they replace that particular dude. Because honestly, like you look at A.J. Brown, he plays a different position to me. You know, he's not that guy that's going to be in the slot and going to be, you know, running those option routes underneath and all that stuff.

29:11Rich Eisen:We're not talking about the Ravens enough, even though that they're currently what? Are they still the favorites to win the AFC? in certain places. Yeah, they were. One second. Yeah, it'll be interesting. Kind of change the pace. No more John Harbaugh. Minter over there. Singing Eminem. I don't know if you saw that video that he was dropping bars of Eminem with the rest of the team that was going crazy in a team dinner. Yeah. Sometimes the new energy is great. They've got that. Obviously, they still have Lamar. It'll be really interesting to see exactly kind of what they are offensively. They had some injury issues, so that'll be great.

29:53But listen, man, Lamar has just been incredible. Like the transformation from being, you know, a majority runner type of guy to really, really excelling in a drop back game over the course of his career. And I think he's one of those case studies that you look at in this league because so much more of this league now is about guys who are great athletes that they turn into quarterbacks, you know, in high school or in college. And there's still a lot to be learned over the course of an NFL career. And Lamar and the way John Harbaugh and that staff did that, leaving him and letting him be the athlete that he has always been, but every year building on that to where he was really, you know, eviscerating people from the pocket.

30:44It's really kind of a case study on how to bring a quarterback along, and it may take you a few years, but it really is a case study. It's really cool to see that. And we've seen a lot of those, you know, with Baker Mayfield, the success he has had after, I mean, a couple of years ago, he was playing scout team defensive end for the Carolina Panthers, And we see Sam Darnold go from scrap pile to Super Bowl champion. So really cool to see that kind of transformation.

31:12Rich Eisen:Nine Eastern tonight. Seven Mountain local Packers at Broncos on NFL Network. Mark Schlereth. I'm sure you'll be having your eyes peeled there. Bo Nix going to get some run a little bit tonight, which is good to see. Certainly since the last time we saw him, we had no idea. He had a broken ankle. and Sean Payton's given up the play calling to Davis Webb. What do you think about that and how it works into a better Broncos season potentially? I think it's really cool. I think Sean has gotten to the point now in his career where he's like, hey man, I really like Davis Webb. I like the, you know, the just rapport he has with the quarterback and it takes that off my plate and I want to become more of the CEO and be able to oversee the entirety of the football team And I think that's I think that's part of it.

32:03And, you know, even Bo and I'm here in Denver, so I'm at practice every day. Even Bo has said, hey, man, it's just a different relationship that's developed between and I'm paraphrasing, but between he and Sean Payton, where Sean Payton can be a little bit more of a guy that's giving him pointers and talking about, hey, man, think about this. And and so there's a little bit different relationship there. And, you know, Davis Webb, man, Davis Webb was playing a few years ago, you know, And now he's a play caller. And I think it's a really cool thing. And I think there are a lot of people, and I understand why, because this defense is so good and everything else, that sleep on Bo Nix and the Broncos a little bit.

32:43But this Broncos team, let me just tell you this. This Broncos team, depth-wise, I think arguably is the best team in football. They have got great offensive line. They've got receivers that can all play. Jalen Waddell is a huge deal, a huge asset that they acquired in the offseason. I think their running back position with J.K. Dobbins and then bringing in Jonah Coleman, I think that solidifies them. The only place you would look at, and he's been a Pro Bowl-type tight end in the past, but they didn't get a lot of production out of Evan Ingram. And then this defense, I think their secondary is the best in football.

33:25I think their D-line, the rotation they have is exceptional. This is as deep a football team as you have in the National Football League.

33:33Rich Eisen:You look at their schedule, man, though. Monday night, it starts against the Kansas City Chiefs and Kansas City. Then their next two home games are against Jacksonville, which put it on them last year, and the Rams on a Sunday night before they visit San Francisco, and then the Chargers, and then Seattle is a Thursday nighter. That's a six-game gauntlet, man. Right. You got to get through that that six games there. That is like that's one of those situations where if you go three and three, I think not that you would ever say, oh, that's great. But if you go three and three out of that game, that's the game.

34:09I feel like you've set yourself up pretty well. Even if you go two and four, I think you're you're you're OK because the second part of that schedule. But but you're right. That is a that. Hey, 14 and three AFC championship game. congratulations here's your schedule you know that's that's your reward and sean not having

34:29Rich Eisen:control of the play calls what do you how do you think that at some point do you think he's going to just press a button and and you know over or anything like that rich i went over there and sat in his office for 45 minutes about that's i don't know six weeks ago okay and we just like we like we've been friends for a long time so just chop it up and and uh and i asked him about that and he said listen there's I've I've given him the play calling duties and I'm not taking them back and he said he's gonna you know he's gonna learn on the job and I will always be part of the preparation that goes into it and you know if some things if he needs some help or there's some things on on game day that he'd like me to help him with I will certainly do that um and he goes all the good plays will be his all the bad plays will be mine um but he goes I am not and I I repeat I am not taking play calling duty away from Davis Webb.

35:23It won't happen. So, you know, I mean, obviously, if he needs to be more involved, he'd be more involved. But, I mean, he was adamant about this is Davis Webb's show. And talking to Davis Webb, I had, you know, just for your information, I had a long conversation with Davis Webb as well. And I love philosophically, like he was talking about identities and saying, hey, man, I want five core or like call them let's call them North Star plays. I want five North Star plays that we can run against any defense, any look, any whatever, and then create adjunct plays off of that that mirror and marry perfectly with those plays.

36:04And so that we can execute in critical situations. And like that is how I grew up in the National Football League. I thought we won back to back championships in Denver and we ran six freaking plays. That's what we did. But, you know, I always called it the 10 ,000 hour rule. I've done them 10 ,000 times. You've defended them 200 times. I'm better than you and I'm going to whip your ass. And that's how we approached the game. And Davis has a lot of that kind of similar philosophical approach to football, which, you know, I'm a big fan of.

36:39Rich Eisen:I love it. Before I let you go, let's test your growth. Is it okay if Idaho gives away number 60 to somebody? Yes. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. We're good. Is that fine? Wow. That has not aged well, but I tell you what, the internet's und... What do you mean? You in Idaho hasn't aged well? I'm talking about Jade. I love, and he's the greatest kid ever. this is one where you need to step in and say, Hey man, we're not going to worry about this. You know, mom, you're my mom. You're not like whatever agents like you work for me. And this is going to end right now. We're not talking about this anymore, but the internet's undefeated.

37:19The fact that you can no longer call it, you know, five guys, four guys or six guys or like it's$4 foot long, you know, like, yeah, it's been hilarious. I personally love it. And you don't think he's going to hear about it? From the moment he steps on the football field, you know he will.

37:38Rich Eisen:Yeah. So out of respect to you, the car goes from zero to 59? Yes, exactly. Yeah. We do not. We go from 59 right to 61. That's it. Let's be respectful. Good to see you, man. Let's chat again before the season. Okay. Think of Truth Podcast with Mark Schler of Fox Sports right there here on the Rich Eisen Show. Okay. So cool. He's cool with his alma mater. Okay. And the Jets. He's grown. Look at him. Grandpa Mark Schlereth. That's right. He still tells the stinking truth, but he just does it with a bit more of a smile. Well, until the season starts. We'll see. Right. We'll see. It's that time of year.

38:13Rich Eisen:844-204-RICH. We'll sneak in some phone calls before we get out of Dodge here on this fun Friday.

38:25Rich Eisen:Get into the Hyundai Getaway Sales Event and get away with a deal so right, it almost feels wrong. Right now, you can get great deals on our most popular models, including our adventure-ready SUVs like the Hyundai Santa Fe or Santa Fe Hybrid and the Tucson or Tucson Hybrid. Plus, there's our bold and stylish Elantra loaded with the latest tech or go all electric with the Ioniq 5 or Ioniq 9. So get down to your local Hyundai dealer and get away with a deal you'll love during the Hyundai Getaway Sales Event. Visit HyundaiUSA.com for details. Rich Eisen here for gusto. On my shows, as we talk a lot about what happens in the spotlight, the games, the highlights, and the moments that get replayed and debated.

39:04Rich Eisen:But in any successful operation, what happens behind the scenes matters just as much. Small businesses are no different. Payroll, hiring, onboarding, benefits, and all the details that keep things moving may not be the most visible part of the job, but they still have to be handled right. That's where Gusto comes in. Gusto is online payroll and benefit software built for small businesses. It's all-in-one, remote-friendly, and incredibly easy to use, so you can pay, hire, onboard, and support your team from anywhere. Automatic payroll tax filing, simple direct deposits, health benefits, commuter benefits, workers' comp, 401k, you name it.

39:39Rich Eisen:Gusto makes it simple and has options for nearly every budget. And it's all built to save you time with built-in automated tools for offer letters, onboarding docs, direct deposit, and more. Plus, you get unlimited payroll runs for one monthly price. no hidden fees, no surprises. Try Gusto today at Gusto.com slash rich and get three months free when you run your first payroll. That's three months of free payroll at Gusto.com slash rich. One more time, Gusto.com slash rich. The Rich Eisen Show, the podcast. Before you empty the phone banks, just want to let you know about our friends at LinkedIn are there for all of you because every hire matters when it comes to small businesses 100 the challenge is finding that person without sorting through resumes and finding something to help you out to help your business grow linkedin hiring pro comes in right there it screens candidates you can focus on conversations with qualified talent with hiring pro you can hire with confidence and build the team you need join the 2.7 million small businesses using linkedin to hire get started by posting your job for free at linkedin.com slash eisen terms and conditions apply greg is calling in tj from altoona pennsylvania oh what's up greg he's all right what's up how you guys doing today how's altoona for that's tj's hometown what's up greg yeah it's uh it's a nice day out today you know i don't know what it was like when he was here but there's still nothing to do here do you want to do the traffic too greg on the uh on the eights yeah how's main street yeah all right All right.

41:17Rich Eisen:What's on your mind? I don't even think there's a main street here. Hey, Greg, quick question. Where do you listen to us in Altoona? What do you mean? Where are you listening? Is there a local state? He's outsourcing or he's watching. I'm on serious. Very good. I've always wondered if we're on one of the local channels. Well, you can always ask me that question. We'll go to richeyesandshow.com. Well, it was just Greg was here. What's on your mind, Greg? So I'm calling because I'm a Chargers fan. and every single year it seems like it's just an absolute disappointment. I mean, at least for the past, what, five or six years now, last year getting knocked out by the past, year before Texans.

42:01We don't have to talk about that Jacksonville game or anything.

42:03Rich Eisen:Yeah. But years ago I was on the phone with another sports talk show host. I'm not going to drop names, but he's on Mad Dog from 9 to 12 every day. and he absolutely ripped me one because I was just being optimistic about it because you know it's just a disappointment every year and I was just wondering what do you think is going to happen this year because I think the charges are going to be improved Greg the charges are going to be improved just by the fact they've got their all world left tackle back and they're soon to be if he's not already there yet, all world right tackle. And an offensive coordinator that is going to have a run scheme that the Chargers have not run before.

42:50Rich Eisen:And that's all going to help Justin Herbert. And I dig it. I dig it, and I think you should just breathe through it. I understand the Chargers leave scars. I get it, but I think you're in good shape. That's Greg and Altoona, Pennsylvania. That's my two cents. I won't read you on that. But isn't it interesting? Can you dig it? Mistrust of team in Altoona, Pennsylvania, connected with one another on this program. And that's how we turn to Noah in Portland, Oregon. Noah. Back on the program. How are you, Noda? Noah, how you been? Noah, yes. What's up, Noah? Hey, guys. Oh, my goodness. Okay, I'll make this quick.

43:34Rich Eisen:We have a minute for you. Take a breath and come correct, if you don't mind. All right. Well, I don't know that Oregonians are going to accept the fandom for a pair of shoes. I'm not going to go the Judas route, but it reminded me of the Chronicles of Narnia when that kid gave up his crew and his family for a Turkish delight. Wow. I didn't see that one coming. A little line. Which one is TJ? the Penn State Nittany Lion. Okay. You think Dr. Oz is, you think Oz Perlman, pardon me, is a witch. Yes. And the shoes you sold Penn State out for could go in your wardrobe. I didn't sell anybody out, but if that's...

44:23Rich Eisen:What does TJ have to do to earn the trust of the Duck faithful? Oh, show up. Show up to Austin Stadium. You know? But don't wear the shoes, I guess. That's probably a bad idea. I don't know. Maybe a couple jerseys. Show your fandom. I don't know. I'm a Beavers fan. I'm a Beavers fan. What are you talking about, Noah? Go pound dirt. I'm an Oregonian. I'm an Oregonian. I know a lot of Ducks fans. Like I said, there are some jabronis out there. On behalf of the rival fan base, that's a tough one. That's what I'm saying. We got no dog in this fight. What we have is a macaroni to offer you if you want to be a Beavers fan.

45:05Rich Eisen:I mean, I do enjoy macaroni. I don't think. Well, there you go. Yeah, I don't know. Max Allen. Thank you. That's Noah in Portland right there. A little too honest. A little too honest. Well, I'm a Beaver fan. Yeah. I don't think people are going to accept you and Wolverine Nation. I'm a Spartan fan, so I know a lot of people who root for Michigan. See, I wouldn't be able to accept that. That was great. I'm not accepting any of this. You accepted the shoes. I accepted the shoes. Yeah, you know, I did accept that. You're accepting nothing. I'm not accepting anything from a bunch of jabronis calling in, all right?

45:42Rich Eisen:The head coach is the one who said you've got to give something up. It's fine if he wants to have this discussion again, but I'm not listening to people like Adam and Homeboy from the Oregon Beaver here. I think I've got something to say. It's Oregon State. It's Oregon State. Yeah, Oregon State. I'm saying he's in Oregon and he's a beaver. There's a lot of them there. It's funny. That was a great finish. That was great. That was great. I'm a lot nicer to these people. Somebody from, I thought that was, you know, I see that. Listen, I don't just take phone calls willy-nilly. I see a guy from Altoona says, I don't trust my team.

46:16Rich Eisen:And there's a lot of people who are thinking you from Altoona, Pennsylvania, should never give up your team and there's some mistrust in you. And I thought that would be perfect. That's fine. I don't know. This guy from Oregon to say, Ducks fans need to see something from you. And then he says, well, actually, I'm a rival. I don't care what none of you guys have to say Yes you do I really don't You act like you don't I'm looking directly at the camera You read the comments You're the king of the comments You act like you don't but then you do I can handle it better Can you? You sure about that?

46:51Rich Eisen:There he is That's the old Look at the mascot Let's go Cowboys We got Caleb Downs That's all that matters We got Caleb Tapps. Thanks for listening to the Rich Eisen Show podcast. You can watch and listen to the Rich Eisen Show live weekdays from noon to 3 Eastern on ESPN Radio, Disney Plus, and on the ESPN app. The Rich Eisen Show, the podcast.

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