Hour 3: ‘Bussin’ with the Boys’ Hosts Taylor Lewan & Will Compton Talk Michigan & More

21:25How about them Cowboys though, right? No. I do got to win the rest of the year. I'll be honest with you. I bought into the Cowboys. I thought to myself, if they could just be mediocre at best on defense, they're true contenders. I bought into them right before they played the Denver Broncos in Denver. Once I watch that all unfold on mine, there's no shot here. I'm a huge fan of Schottenheimer, though. I think his play calling. I'm loving him. Yeah, I think from an offensive standpoint, it's incredible. Defensively, they've gotten better, too, with the two guys up in the middle. If they can go through an offseason and add a couple of pieces, I'm feeling the Cowboys next year.

21:57It's not over this year. The way the Eagles are playing as a whole, like the way that they've had the offensive struggles all year long, and them dropping that game to the Chargers last week, Dallas lost as well. But Dallas, they still have an outside shot if they win out because the Eagles would have to win, what, three out of four games? The issue is the Eagles' schedule is they play, what, three muffins and a monster? Yeah, but you got Washington twice. They got the Raiders, Commanders twice, and then the Bills.

22:20Rich Eisen:They have the Bills in the middle of all that, while Dallas is next. They also have the Chargers on the mix, but they do finish up with the two muffins. Is that what you just said? Yeah, muffins. Muffins are bad. Yeah, they finish up with two muffins. Yeah, Washington and New York. And one week from tonight is when Seattle does play the Rams for a second time. That's the way week 16 kicks off. Give me good Vrabel stuff, Matt, because this is for real. I mean, and you mentioned the Patriots for a reason, and obviously Drake May doing what he's doing, and the rest of the offense looking as great as they've looked around him.

23:00But Vrabel adding his greatness to the mix here.

23:04Rich Eisen:I know you love him. What do you think he's adding to this mix or knowing him as well as you do? You know, when we went during our little training camp tour for Bustin' with the Boys, we went to the Patriots, and I think we both walked away from that being like, hey, they're going to be better than they were last year, but from a talent standpoint, I don't think their rosters is put together. We were saying they'll be fighting for number two in the division. Yeah, they'll be fighting for number two in the division. I think Vrabel took a new step as a head coach. The thing that always amazed me about Vrabel is the way he had the ability to break down the keys to victory and give you kind of a crystal ball of how the game is going to unfold.

23:37When he was at the Titans, we would play superior opponents. We'd play like the Chiefs. We'd play teams that had much more talent than we had at that moment. And the conversation was always, hey, you're not going to walk into Sundays and win the game. I'll tell you how this game is going to go. And he would break down the first, second, third, and fourth quarter. And he's like, if we get to the fourth quarter in this situation, this is how we win the game. And there was a handful of times where he called it exactly as if he was traveling back in time. And it's those types of things that he has the ability to do with guys like John Stryker, Stretch, which I joke as his assistant.

24:10But those two together and their ability to put game plans together, it's pretty incredible what they're doing in New England right now. It's also funny, too.

24:18Rich Eisen:We were on the air with you live when Vrabel got fired. Yeah. Oh, yeah. I forgot about that. And so from that moment to now, it's just crazy what a ride it's been. Yeah. If you're the Tennessee Titans, if you're the ownership there, you are punching air every single time the Patriots step on the field because they look incredible right now. And to build on Taylor's point, the way he's able to paint that picture of how you're going to win a football game, him doing that so well, like even Josh Allen, he plays him again this weekend. But when we play the Bills and he talked about, hey, you got to get Josh, what is it, rolling left?

24:47Yeah, yeah. Quarterbacks where you got to affect the pocket, you're playing Lamar Jackson, this guy, you got to make him throw outside the numbers. Here's how we're going to attack Baltimore in the run game. like all the things you have to do to paint that picture of success for just we're not going to show up and win on Sunday uh combined with the fact of we've been on the teams where you're winning when you went on the AFC championship run when we went 11 and 5 uh that one year and ended up losing to the playoffs to Baltimore but when you're feeling that energy of Vrabel seeing it take place with the Patriots so soon so early like with their tight end Hunter Drake Mays, Stephon Diggs, the relationships you see that is there, the culture that he brings in when you are winning.

25:28Seeing that take place in New England, we're not surprised that they're sitting at the top of the division.

25:33Rich Eisen:Is he more touchy-feely right now by like shaking everybody's hands going in the locker room with you guys? Oh yeah, he would say that at the tunnel. Absolutely. Raybould knows where the cameras are. He's very aware. He's going up to guys on the sideline, like putting arms around guys or putting hands on the shoulder pads. I don't know if I saw. Maybe I'm wrong. He did it at times. I do think if he's. 2018, though. He did not. Right. If he's self-scouting himself, he did it with certain guys. But I think he understands how much he affects his players, like whether or not they're having a good game or a bad game, like what his emotion does.

26:12So I feel like with you, I've kind of observed and noticed the same thing to where he's always kind of keeping that rallying energy now out in New England. and you see it kind of permeating and formulate permeating. You like that?

26:24Rich Eisen:You like that? Permeate is a little. Well, I think I know that one. No, no, I think I'm permeating to you right now. Yeah, yes. That's what I'm doing. I'm thinking, okay, I kind of got out of my depths with that word. No, you nailed it. Hopefully I said it correctly. No, you stuck the landing. But you see that happening. Yeah, because I don't know. It just seems like maybe he's just as intense and he's just as demanding, but he's turned the red ass down from like maybe 11 to like 9. and we're always in the media looking for that sort of stuff like Tom Coughlin, right? Tom Coughlin got all of his players together and he handed stuff off to them and they're basically saying, you're being too much of a hard ass.

27:01Rich Eisen:Let us handle a little bit more of the emotional piece of this and let's get you guys, coach and players, a little bit more closer on the same level. I'm wondering if there's just a little piece of that. You mentioned self-scout, a guy getting his second coaching opportunity. just from afar. He's still, when he came on the show, he still was needling me. You know what I mean? Like he's still the same guy. Yeah, he's still one of the boys. He's always going to be, in every conversation, he's going to be the alpha. He's going to dictate the conversation. If you go in, you're laughing and joking around, he doesn't feel like that, buddy, you're going to get checked very, very fast.

27:36And it's not like a smooth, soft landing. That day, that's abrupt. All right, that's like you watch the Crash Cars Test Dummy type thing. But 2018, when Vrabel first came into the Titans versus when he, my last season when I was 21, completely different coach from a, being a little more massaging, a little more like, once he instills the culture that he thinks is acceptable for championship football, that's when he starts to back up a little bit and allows his leaders to lead. But the 2018. Oh, for sure. There were guys ready to rally. Yeah, my second stint, I didn't know when he's joking with me, I almost never knew how to take it because I'm like, do I laugh with him at this?

28:16I know he's busting my balls, but the kind of the image I had and relationship I felt like I had with him in that first year was way different. But he's a guy who's able to do it because every player views him in such a way. Because, again, he played, what, 14 years in the league? Buddy, 14 years in the league, was at every position. He sat in every seat in the locker room. Exactly, but that right there. He'll tell you that every time. Which we'll joke about, but that is a connecting piece that he has that another coach has. He's sat in every seat. He's been a draft pick that didn't – you know, Pittsburgh wasn't working out.

28:44Then he goes to New England and has a career that he does. Finishes up on the back end with Kansas City. He has been in every seat, every position in the locker room. So I feel like that is a superpower that he's now tapped into in New England. I'm not very savvy on how much time we have, but my favorite story about Mike Vrabel is 2020. We're in the midst of COVID. We're doing the masks. We're doing the tests and the whole thing. And so there's an outbreak with the Titans. We're like the first team of like six or seven that had like a bunch of issues. So we go to Zoom calls. We're supposed to play the Steelers.

29:14four or five days takes place guys keep getting positives over and over and over again to where the league says hey this is now your bye week and in four or five days you're going to play the buffalo bills so we end up playing the bills on a tuesday we do not meet like in person for whatever those nine days are and we have like one walk like saturday-esque walkthrough on monday and rabel quickly breaks down what will was talking to in the beginning this conversation was josh allen when he rolls to the left this is the kind of stats you're going to see you're going to see incompletions and first downs.

29:43When he rolls to the right, that's when you see explosive plays and touchdowns. So if we are going to rush him a certain way, you have to do it this way. And quick breakdown of the whole thing, gave us a breakdown of how the game is going to go. We smacked the Buffalo Bills. We smacked them to the point where it's like, you ain't got to practice anymore. We're talking about Will's were enough to feel like this ass beat was brought to you by Zoom. It was like, we sat there, we got to win the Braves. I was like, we got to practice? So we don't have to practice anymore, right? We can just go to the park with our position.

30:12He's sitting there. You're practicing. And that was, I mean, that's the leadership that he has. I hate how much we've kind of loved on him on this because you know he's sitting there right now calling Stretchy and being like, look at these clowns. That's our boy. Hey, Vrabe, you are our boy. We're friends, man.

30:29Rich Eisen:Yeah, my wife got our youngest son, who's a diehard Patriot fan, a ready, willing, and vrable T-shirt for the holidays. I love that. Eddie wore it to school the other day, and he's just out of his mind. That's another Patriot fan there that's out of his mind. I'm married into a whole family of Patriots fans who have lost their minds because it is real. I mean, this is real. I mean, you mentioned them as a legit team right now. Yeah. Because it is 100 % real. I don't care about the who have you really beaten. When you've got a team that's choosing at the top of the draft three years in a row, they're not in a position to just beat anybody, let alone the who have you really beaten, let alone beat a bunch of people up, let alone going to Buffalo, to Tampa, and coming out with wins.

31:15Rich Eisen:This is a legit team. But with the momentum the Bills have right now, and then playing them a second time, This will be to kind of quiet all of the quote-unquote haters out there that talk about the scheduling. That's why this one's a big game. I don't think Josh Allen's been swept by a divisional opponent going 0-2 since Tom Brady. Tom Brady when he was with the Patriots. Again, Brady and the Patriots. Brady was a first-time starter in his second year for a coach getting his second crack at it, and then nobody expected him to keep winning and let him go to the Super Bowl and maybe play the Rams.

31:52Rich Eisen:I mean, everything is kind of going in a direction that feels a little deja vu-y. What a spoiled fan base, huh, you guys? What? The Boston fan base? Yeah. Dude, just specifically the Patriots because that's kind of more my wheelhouse. You get Tom Brady for as long as you do, Bill Belichick, and then you have just a couple of years of, oh, man, we suck, and now all of a sudden we're back. Here's the thing. Try being a Titans fan, man. Here's the thing. There are two-year-olds in New England right now that haven't seen a parade. Think of the kids. Look at this. Think about the kids. Think of the kids.

32:23Think of the time. Think of the kids. I love your bit. This is hilarious. You and your fandom privilege is crazy. Two-year-olds.

32:30Rich Eisen:Good bit. Two-year-olds. Think about the kids. By the way, the late window games this weekend, Packers at Broncos, Lions at Rams playing each other, and then you got Phillip Rivers might be starting in Seattle. What the hell, man? We're going to find out. Well, honestly, like how wild would this be if he does in fact start in Seattle to go from sitting at home, not even knowing what is going on, maybe on the field with an Achilles, getting a phone call, deciding to do it, and then suddenly he's going to be under center within four days, five days? Yeah, it's incredible. And he says he gets more confident by the day, by the snap.

33:11Rich Eisen:Well, that was never Philly Rives' issues. No, yeah, confidence, yeah, that's never been a problem. It was towards the end of his career, you know, moving around and getting out of danger and extending plays when you need to. He's built much more like a father, too, now. He's built much more like a father. That's a polite way of putting that. Yeah, yeah. And his oldest child is 23, the same age as Cam Ward. Yeah. Like, his oldest kid is the same age as the number one overall pick. He's a grandfather. He's literally Gramps, the OG, coming out. And Seattle has been dispatching quarterbacks by the end of the first quarter.

33:43Yeah, but you'd rather have Seattle than, like, Houston. Could you imagine him playing against Houston this week? Seattle's been nasty, but you're right. Daniel Hunter and Will Anderson coming after you. Crazy.

33:51Rich Eisen:That's the Colts' last opponent is Houston. Yeah, yeah. Jacksonville is another Colts' opponent. I mean, and then he's home for San Francisco. Yeah. Isn't it wild? Like, I'm excited for Phillip Rivers to come back because I feel like he's playing with house money, getting to kind of come back. He's kind of – there's no expectation. He can go out there and grip a rib. He just gets to find out and play the game that he remembers loving as he was in the process. But also, the question for me is, like, what does this say about the quarterback development in the league with your young guys? The fact that there's nobody else out there, or even that you have on your roster.

34:28Was it Riley Leonard?

34:29Rich Eisen:Riley Leonard is hurt, which is another reason why they were maybe not even going to just throw all their eggs in that basket. But to the point to where you're calling Phillip Rivers, Their next available quarterback was Tyler Warren. All-state in high school. Quarterback. Yeah. So, listen, if you're a Colts fan and you're watching the show, don't have the expectation of being like, hey, we're going to compete for a Super Bowl. Like, sit back, grab the popcorn, get in the group chats. Tell your boys, this is wild. Let's see if he can pull it off. Because he's not going to go in like, he's playing with house money.

35:03He does not have, we talked about in the show about Joe Burrow and how he's just, he's in hell with all the injuries he's had and how he's zoomed into the process. Like, Phillip Rivers, I've been out of the league for, this is my third season being out of the league, and I watch, I go to games, and I watch people warm up, and I think to myself, oh my God. Like, you guys are doing this? This is like the most horrible thing ever. Like, you kind of lose it, and you realize you zoom out, and you're like, man, all those things that I was doing and having this main character syndrome about, they're not real.

35:29So now Phillip Rivers gets to go in, chuck it like Joe Flacco did, They'd probably have, you know, 315, two touchdowns, three interceptions. Just out there, rip it. Like, he's going to just throw – he's not going to care. And if you're a coach, you shouldn't either. And he's going to talk new. Get him mic'd up. Yeah, get him mic'd up 100%.

35:48Rich Eisen:And we also talked with Kurt earlier on the show, not just about this, but about Joe Burrow, too. He sounded like an Andrew Luck 2.0. Yeah. Dude, that's exactly like that. That's what it sounded like. I heard him on Wednesday, and I thought to myself, have the Bengals broken Joe Burrow? Did that happen? Because that's always been the Bengals fans' deep fear, as all Jet fan fears or Browns fans' fears, or when they get somebody who's potentially generationally great, are we going to break him? And just hearing him, because he's normally like, oh, we've got a chance here, because I'm the window.

36:25Rich Eisen:I am the window here. You want to talk about a Super Bowl window? I am the window. Or, hey, yeah, I'm back. feeling really good and you think to yourself oh he's ready yeah but you heard that yesterday i thought to myself he's ready for the season to end which is kind of crazy unless i read too much into it no i i agree with you shane go ahead i was just gonna say yeah it is it's bizarre watching that uh answer from joe burrow and feel like this dude is questioning if he's even enjoying the game he thinks he loves right now perfect because he's so beaten down like again we're seeing philip Rivers he got outside of the bubble and now he gets to come back in with just this sense of freedom and lightness and expect or uh loss of expectation whereas you look at Joe Burrow and you see a guy who's fully in the bubble fully in the suck and just kind of saying out loud like man I don't even know if I'm enjoying the game right now but is it that way like I still love the game I think I love the game the injuries whatever's going on and uh off the football field like everything kind of coming to a head to where this dude plays this game at a high level He wants to play this game at a high level and be with a team that can play the game at a high level.

37:31For me, I'm reading it. It's like, man, I think he wants out of Cincinnati. Yeah, if not, it's a very smart chess move by him to publicly be as vague as he is. Because now if you're the Bengals, you pull them in the office and be like, what do you need? What do you need from us for you to be happy, for you to feel more protected? Because as a player who was injured and was plagued by injuries at the end of his career, like, dude, it really does kill the fun. There's a level of everyone's like, hey, treat it like a business. But if you don't love playing the game, when you get to October, November, it's like those things add up.

38:04Like a bank account, people talk about how players get paid so much money. Yeah, people are very well compensated. But when you're in the suck and you're so zoomed in, it is very difficult to remove yourself if you're dealing with ailments over and over and over again. So he just needs to get healthy. He needs to get healthy. He needs to be protected. And the Bengals got to do whatever they can to keep him.

38:22Rich Eisen:Taylor LeJuan, Will Compton, Bustin' with the boys. Check it out wherever you get your podcasts and wherever you get your Lawan and Compton. And, of course, on GetUp every Thursday. Lots of great things happening with you guys. Have you pinpointed one specific moment where everything did, in fact, turn and start to go much better for an already terrific career? I know exactly. I know exactly when it turned. The exact moment. 2019. It's July. I'm sitting in the parking lot of Lipscomb High School. I get a phone call. Who is it? Michigan alumni, Rich Eisen. Hey, what are you up to? I'm starting a podcast.

38:59We'll come. Yeah, it's really interesting. You going to bring it down to LA? Ah, the bus doesn't run. But would you come on? Make the bus run and I'll come on. Click. Hangs up. That moment right there I knew. Boys, we got something.

39:13Rich Eisen:I would think it was when I actually showed on the bus. That was a huge moment. You know what I mean? It was almost kind of sad that it was over. A cloud lifted. Yeah. Yeah, yeah, yeah. I thought a cloud lifted, a weight lifted. and then everything just took off from there, don't you think? Yeah. But I would like that. I mean, now suddenly you're on Disney, I'm on Disney. When we were on the sideline for the Altcast we did over the weekend for the SEC Championship, that was very much like a, I cannot believe we were getting to do this. There you go. Should have seen Will walking around the stadium too.

39:42He thought he was going to play. I didn't think I was getting locked in.

39:47Rich Eisen:Gentlemen, Taylor LeJuan and Will Compton, busking with the boys, check them out there and obviously on GetUp every single Thursday. There's the bus in its original form. Yeah, that is where it started. We're back to wrap up this Thursday show from New York in a moment.

40:07Rich Eisen:Rich Eisen here with some advice. If high interest credit card debt is grinding you down, it might be time to call an audible with a SoFi personal loan. It consolidates your debt into one low monthly payment with no fees required. And with as soon as the same day funding, you can make the right play fast. Call an audible on your debt today at SoFi.com slash debt play. Loans originated by SoFi Bank N.A. Member FDIC. Terms and conditions apply. NMLS 696891. Fast funds terms apply at SoFi.com slash debt play. A bandwagon fan. The biggest insult in sports. But this summer, during the FIFA World Cup, it's an invitation, America.

40:46Never watched soccer before? Perfect. Think a corner kick is a karate move? Sure, why not? Prefer sports where players can use their hands? Me too. Just here for the snacks? Now we're talking. So grab a bag of Lay's and jump on the bandwagon.

41:01Rich Eisen:We're undefeated. Lay's, the official sponsor of the FIFA World Cup 2026. Rich Eisen here, and summer's here too. And that means it's travel season. My favorite summer trip last year was to Sao Paulo, Brazil, Still, with so many fans traveling for the Los Angeles against Kansas City game, they got to see how lively the city is. I love the culture and the amazing food that I'm still craving. Those memories remind everyone that it's that time of year to plan a little getaway. And that's why summer has a way of turning weekends into big events. One minute, it's a normal week. And then all of a sudden, a huge concert, sporting event or festival brings people in from all over.

41:40Rich Eisen:And when that happens, visitors start looking for places to stay all across your city. So if you're already planning a summer trip of your own, you could list your space on Airbnb and earn a little extra cash while you're away. Doesn't have to be some big year-round commitment. It's about making the most of a busy weekend when your place would just be empty otherwise. I can tell you, people love finding a place that helps them feel connected to the city that they're visiting. If your city's about to have a big summer moment, this is a great time to maximize your space. Your home might be worth more than you think.

42:13Rich Eisen:Find out how much at Airbnb.com slash host.

42:20Rich Eisen:The Rich Eisen Show, the podcast. The Rich Eisen Show brought to you by Sonos. We are, that was a very Yoda way for me to say it. The holidays sound better with Sonos speakers, everybody. Whether it's a movie night that feels larger than life, the roar of the crowd as your team takes the field, Sonos helps create the moments you will remember. Beautiful design, incredible sound, effortless control means you can focus on what matters most, which is enjoying the season. I love Sonos. Have it all throughout my house. You will love it as well. Discover how easy it is to bring every room to life with incredible sound.

42:53Rich Eisen:Explore Sonos speakers, sound bars, and more at Sonos.com. I believe we got a couple phone calls that we want to get to. Our friend Al in Dallas. Al, we're in the old hinterlands here, brother. hey listen um you know the the reason you're there obviously is more important than anything right so you were there to to do your event and a couple other things so you know that that thanks yeah buddy i'm glad you're in new york but but since you've been there richard uh and you brought this uh this uh carpet bag or tj jefferson with you uh the sport has completely fallen off its access, so I need you to leave immediately.

43:34Rich Eisen:What's going on with the Mets? What's going on with the Wolverines? I mean, this is a disaster. I mean... How are you blaming me, Al? I'm not blaming you, Richie. Why am I the carpet bag? No, it's all right, Albert. I hear you. Yeah. Yeah, I mean, a Dodger fan, dude. Are you out of... Yes. Give it to him, Al. Give it to him. Do it. Do it. Come on, TJ. Have you lost your mind? Give it to him. You do it. I mean, nobody knows how old you are, but I know you remember 1988. That's a memory that will never leave me. I mean, that's a fan. I mean, fan is short for fanatic. Yeah, both barrels. Give it to him.

44:16Rich Eisen:You can't cross it. You can't cross it. I'm fighting a losing battle, Al. I can't have my baseball team stink and both basketball teams stink. I love sports too much. So it's either I've got to stop being a sports fan. the Germans bomb pro-hobber. No. So, I mean, come on, man. Ladies and gentlemen. Well done, Al. Good reference. I did win the Yankees. Thanks for the call, Al. I appreciate you joining, Al. You're just another goodbye. Al and Dallas. That's it. I'm going to hang on. All right. Let's take this call. I believe Brian in Raleigh, North Carolina is calling in for some advice. As you know, are you ready to unite?

44:58Rich Eisen:What's up, Brian? Good afternoon, gentlemen. How are you all today? Great. Thank you. Fantastic. Fantastic. Yeah, I have a bit of a conundrum on my little fantasy league here. It's my first year ever doing it. My wife and I do it together. I love these questions. I have three quarterbacks purely out of spite for everybody else to not have them. So put that out there in front. I have Matt Stafford, Josh Allen, and Dan Darnold this week. Who do I start? Who do you start? I would go Matthew Stafford at home against the Lions, who, as you know, have Brian Branch out with an Achilles injury. We just heard, I don't know if you were on hold hearing, the Bussin boys from their day with Vrabel know exactly how to try and beat Josh Allen, and that happened again earlier in this season as well.

45:59Rich Eisen:So I would go with that. Yeah, Rams-Lions is the highest total of the week, 54.5. Rams have an implied total of 30 points. I think Stafford's going to throw it a lot. And Seattle might make short work of the Colts with all due respect to our senior citizens. That may happen. Sam Darnold is a point fiend this year, but against potential Hall of Famer Phillip Rivers, what are you doing? Brian, I hear you. I hear you. But he hasn't been a points machine when the Seattle defense has given him the rest of the afternoon or evening off by halftime. Thanks for the call, Brian and Raleigh. Sorry, Josh Allen, Brian.

46:38Rich Eisen:Quite a show. Quite a show. So good. Tom Pellicero is going to be on the program tomorrow in part of our final day here in New York City. We sign off of ESPN Radio. 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 +, and on the ESPN app. The Rich Eisen Show, the podcast.

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