Hour 3: Live from London with NFL Power Rankings, ‘Higher Register’ plus Larry Fitzgerald

20:26Yeah, I mean, Anquan, I mean, I hope I don't offend any of my teammates. I've had hundreds of teammates, but Anquan was so unique. and how he just allowed me to come in. I mean, Anquan was a rookie of the year in 2003. 1 ,400 yards, 10 touchdowns, over 100 catches, broke a lot of rookie records. And they drafted me with the third pick overall. It could have very easily been a really contentious situation. Like, why do you need to go waste a third-round pick when I'm obviously the bell cow? And that's not how he treated me at all. From the day I walked in the building, And it was just like brothers.

21:06And, you know, I'm always indebted to how he treated me and what he cultivated in terms of his toughness every single day. And I don't think you can just you can't really tell the story of Anquan by just looking at his numbers. You know, every team he's ever been on, he's been a meaningful contributor in and out of in and outside of the locker room. and a Walter Payton man of the year, always championed for causes, not only in his community, but nationwide. When you build a teammate, like the perfect teammate, the perfect team player, like there's a picture of Anquan Bolin there. And, you know, I know, you know, all of these things are subjective, but, you know, we don't make the playoff runs that we make without him.

21:51Our team is not as resilient without him. the level of care in the community is not as high without him. The way he set the bar was unbelievable. Still one of the greatest things I've ever remembered. And it didn't start off great, but we were playing against the New York Jets. We were out of the game. We were down 20 plus points. We were trying to just put some drives together late. And Ancon was running a scene and got hit, knocked unconscious. I mean, I got to him first and I saw blood come out of his nose and his mouth and he was out of it. They carried him off the field. And, you know, I just remember the feeling that I had.

22:29And I remember going to the going to the locker room. He was in the x-ray room. It was right by right by our locker room. So you had to pass him. So I go in and I'm like, I'm crying. I'm emotional. And his head is strapped to this gurney on the board. He looks up at me and he couldn't talk as his jaw was broken. He goes, why are you? Why are you crying? Why are you crying? He's asking me. He said, I'm going to be all right. I'm going to be all right. Like he's mumbling this to me. And I'm like, if I could ever be this tough in these type of moments, I would actually have a successful career. And two weeks he was out.

23:03Literally he was drinking McDonald's shakes because he couldn't eat any solid food. Two and a half weeks, he comes back with 40 screws. And I remember him running through Thomas Davis. And I can't remember who the other, other cornerback or linebacker was, but he ran right through him for a touchdown. and like it just embodied like who he was and how tough he was and dude was just like he was he was the toughest cat i've ever been around man and um yeah man i got he's special

23:32Rich Eisen:yeah i hope he he's in the same room in canton as you uh one day he deserves it as do you um larry fitz show a few minutes left with with larry uh pinkham campaign is available uh through draft kings to support the larry fitz show foundation and breast cancer awareness all October long. Who's the wide receiver if you could watch just one? You know, you got a lot going on in your life. You got the remote control in front of you. You can watch any game you want. You turn it on because you want to watch this one wide receiver in the game today. Who would that be? Larry Fitzgerald. Oh, man, that is such a tough question.

24:07That is such a tough question.

24:13I mean, I think Justin Jefferson, to me what he's been able to do and I think Jamar Chase and Justin Jefferson are like like neck and neck right um but Jamar has had the luxury of having you know somebody who's in the conversation of MVP quality player quarterback and and Joe Burrell his entire career um just Justin has done it with Sam Darnold. He's done it with JJ McCarthy. He's done it with Kirk Cousins. He's done it with a lot of different players and his numbers never change. And so I think that's really truly a testament to being the best player on the field. Everybody's key in on you, every defense, every coordinator, everybody's aware of where you are and you're still able to go out there and make play after play after play and getting to know him.

25:05He lives in Minnesota. I'm a Minnesota guy. He's so humble. He's down to earth. He's engaging. He just stands for all the right things. I think he's just in the long line of great Minnesota Vikings receivers from Ahmad Rashad to Anthony Carter to Chris Carter to Randy Moss to Adam Thielen and now Justin Jefferson. I'm a homer. I don't know if you can tell, but I'm born and raised in Minnesota still got a little Vikings love for me.

25:34Rich Eisen:I know you do. And the story goes, Kevin O 'Connell will tell you, that when he took the job in Minnesota, a member of the Viking staff handed him a FaceTime call as he was getting off the podium where he was introduced as the new head coach. And it was Justin Jefferson asking him, because he's coming from the Rams, how does Cooper Cup get so wide open on every play? I want to do the same thing. you know and and and o 'connell basically told him you got to you know know how to play every position and everything that's going on i'm happy to to be that guy for you i'm obviously paraphrasing what his answer was but you know obviously in your career you went inside after not being inside your whole career and i'm wondering if you see something similar to having to just learn different parts of the game to get better no matter how many years you've been excelling at it you know yeah I mean he's a much better player than I I mean I developed into that you know when Bruce Arians got there you know I was primarily in uh you know your prototypical ex that just stayed outside the numbers backside of most plays and then coach Arians got to Arizona you know he pushed me into being um a more versatile player moving me inside like Justin came in out of the gate you know doing a little bit of everything and being able to really playing a sophisticated scheme like he was with Kevin.

26:56And so, you know, barring anything from a health perspective, I don't see anything slowing him down. I mean, the guy's a force of nature.

27:04Rich Eisen:All right, two more questions for you. Do you reach out to Marvin Harrison Jr. at any point? Do you have a relationship with him? And if so, what two cents have you given him? Yeah, you know, Rich, I try to be really respectful to players.

27:20things that he wants to talk about you know he's always got that but I always tell him whenever I see him I tell him if there's anything I can do to be of use for you I don't care if it's you know landscaping or if it's a house cleaner housekeeper or whatever whatever it is that you need you know I just want you to know I'm here and I'm available to you what I'm really what I really am thankful for about him is how he's treated my son my son met him at a restaurant randomly and he sat outside and talk to him for 45 minutes about life, ball, how he should be approaching the next level of transition that he's going to be making in a little bit.

27:56And so it's very similar to how Randy and Chris kind of treated me, right? And so Devin's very fortunate to be able to have that relationship with him. He's a super sweetheart of a kid and glad to see him, especially last Thursday. I think it was Thursday, two weeks ago, when they played against Seattle. started off tough and really came out and made some plays. And then last week before he went down in Indianapolis, you know, had a really good start to that game too. So I just hope he continues to stay on the trajectory. He's a wonderful kid. I'm always pulling for him.

28:29Rich Eisen:It seems like he's putting a lot of pressure on himself, Larry, right? I mean, you should, Rich. Rich, you got to. You got to be your own biggest critic. You know, when you're in studio and you don't perform to a level that you know you're capable of, like, you know, people could tell you that, but it doesn't matter to anybody as much as it matters to you. And I love that quality. I love that trait. You need to be your biggest critic, and your best has to be what you expect of yourself every single day when you step on that field. And I admire that about him, that he's not going to settle, and he wants to be the best.

29:03Rich Eisen:All right, last one for you here. It's week seven. Who do you think is in the Super Bowl? I don't know if I had your pick prior to the season or if you do such things. Which teams do you think are going to be in Super Bowl 60 as we're embarking on week seven, Larry Fitzgerald? I mean, it's – can I just give you two from each conference? You're Larry Fitzgerald. You could do what you wish. Go for it. You could use the I'm Larry Fitzgerald preemptory of not answering the direct question. That's fine. Well, Detroit, I mean, I know they got beat by Kansas City last week, but on the NFC side, Detroit looks really good.

29:39But, you know, I think the Eagles are just so talented at some point. They will, you know, get back on track, get that offense going like they were able to. They kind of went through this kind of same phase and flow last year and then got it going. I think they're just so talented on both sides of the ball. Like they will get it figured out. And on the AFC side, you know, I really think that Andy Reid and Patrick Mahomes, you can't have a conversation on the AFC side without talking about them. And the team I also think is going to make a push is the L.A. Chargers. I mean, I know they're banged up at running back right now, but I really like the fact that they're going to get Khalil Mack here soon.

30:21You know, and if they can somewhat keep that offensive line standing upright, you know, keep Justin Herbert standing upright, I think they're going to be able to get in the competition too. I like the way they're able to move the ball around.

30:34Rich Eisen:Larry, you're the best, man. Thanks for taking the time. don't be a stranger I'd love to have you on anytime anytime you want you're welcome absolutely thank you I do know if I do come on I can't use my British accent so if I do get on do you have one Larry? do you have one? no I don't well TJ you could coach Larry there's nothing I can coach Larry Fitzgerald on Larry I don't know your name was invoked on the show last week again I know I've kept you too long, but just before I let you go, your name was invoked on the show last week when Devin Lloyd ran one back 99 yards on a pick six in the state of Florida.

31:14Rich Eisen:I brought it up to Kurt, and interestingly enough, who was trying to chase him down? I think it was Tyquan Thornton. Tyquan Thornton tried to chase him down on the strike. And even Kurt pointed out that that was your attempt. You tried it. I'll never forget, man. I hit James Harrison. And the only visual that I can give you what it felt like hitting them was like tackling a refrigerator. That's what it felt like. I was like, Lee, this hurts.

31:50Rich Eisen:Tackling a moving refrigerator, that's for sure. All right, thank you. Yeah, you bet. Pinkham Campaign, everyone support it. It supports the Larry Fitzgerald Foundation. and breast cancer awareness all October long with free-to-play pick-and-pulls every Sunday on DraftKings. Thanks for the time, sir. You're the best. Thank you. Have a great day, my friend. Ladies and gentlemen, Larry Fitzgerald, great human and soon-to-be first belt. I mean, we are in England tackling our refrigerator. The Who album? I think so. Pink Floyd, one of the albums. By the way, what's more disrespectful, me doing a British accent or you bringing up probably one of the least favorite memories He's one of the greatest football players of all time.

32:33I feel like that was a little bit more disrespectful.

32:36Rich Eisen:Good point, TJ. Thank you. Why is it disrespectful to Larry? Why would you? He had a great interview. He's not the one who threw the interception. He didn't throw the interception. I know, but he would have had a game-winning touchdown. He would have had a ring. Maybe. I mean, like, excuse me. It was a great interview, and then you have to bring that up at the end? Excuse me. I don't know, man. I will never forget this moment. Listen, Governor. I will never forget this moment as long as I live. We were in the green room, the NFL Network green room, going to the field. for the post-game game day highlights or whatever the heck we were calling, final for the Super Bowl.

33:08Rich Eisen:Me, Mooch, Irv, Marshall Falk in an elevator. That's some talent. Okay, we're getting ready. We're going down to the field. We get out of the tunnel and go right on the field. And as we walked on the field, Larry Fitzgerald was running straight in our direction. And I'm like thinking to myself, is there a timeout or something because there's no Steelers around him and he's just running straight and I thought was like did he pick up a fumble and there's a whistle like no he's running straight for the end zone and the referees who are trying to keep up with him yeah signaling touchdown and we looked at each other we're like oh like holy s yeah um the Arizona Cardinals are leading the Super Bowl with three minutes to go yep or I think it was three minutes to go and we were all looking at each other like weird like because we were stuck in the like it didn't we're stuck in there the elevator took forever down and we didn't hear the play-by-play we didn't know that they arizona was moving the ball or anything and we couldn't believe that so my point of bringing this up is twofold one you know i can flex every now and then sure two um Most importantly, that me bringing up this play.

34:24Rich Eisen:2.47 left in the game. Larry Fitzgerald still gave the team the lead. Yeah. They overcame a pick six. He would have had three touchdowns in that game, Rich Eisen. It would have been Super Bowl MVP. I mean, he caught a slant and was gone. Gone. How about that? Kurt's like, this is the way you're going to make the Hall of Fame, kid. Basically. We got Torrey Holt on tomorrow's program first up. He should be in two. Who? Torrey Holt should have been in the Hall of Fame years ago. Let's get his numbers ready tomorrow. Let's pound the table for him. He's one of my favorite people, too. I remember I did the top five a while ago about five people who need to be in the Hall of Fame, and I think he was number two.

35:02Yeah, big game Holt.

35:03Rich Eisen:All right, we'll take a break. We'll finish this show with a little higher register, phone calls and more. Here on a Thursday night, I'm going to text Kurt. Are you in intermission yet, and where are you?

35:16The Rich Eisen Show, the podcast.

35:41hands? Me too. Just here for the snacks? Now we're talking. So grab a bag of Lay's and jump on the bandwagon. We're undefeated. Lay's, the official sponsor of the FIFA World Cup 2026. As you know, managing maintenance, repair, and operations is never easy. But for the ones who always rise to

36:00Rich Eisen:the challenge, Granger has your back. From professional-grade products you can count on to fast, dependable delivery, they're there to help you keep things running smoothly. Plus, their technical product specialists are here to help answer your toughest questions. And because Grainger knows safety is always a priority, they're committed to being your partner in protecting both your people and your facilities. Call 1-800-GRAINGER, click grainger.com, or just stop by. As you all know, I care deeply about pediatric cancer research and awareness. That's why I'm always so proud to talk to you about Hyundai Hope on Wheels.

36:34Rich Eisen:It's been going on for over 27 years. Every Hyundai Sold has helped fund life-saving pediatric cancer research with over 850 dealers nationwide taking part. They've raised more than$277 million, supporting over 25 ,000 kids in their fight against cancer. At Hyundai, hope isn't optional. They come standard. Visit HyundaiUSA.com and search Hyundai Hope on Wheels to learn more. 844-204-RICH is the number to dial. David in Richmond, Virginia. You're here on the Rich Eyes Show. Hey, what's up, David? Hey, Rich. It's first and foremost been aligned to say since you got back on. It is so great to have you back on the air.

37:15Back in the day, I was able to sneak in a few phone calls on your old show. So hearing you, and you are by far my favorite sportscaster, I just want to let you know it's great to have you back, sir. Thank you.

37:26Rich Eisen:I appreciate it. Listen, I want to talk a little bit about the Miami Dolphins, and it's not necessarily what Tua said, but, Rich, you demand excellence from you, and that's why your crew is so excellent, because it goes from the top down. I am not blaming everything on Mike McDaniels, although I do think he has to go. I'm not blaming everything on Tua. I am blaming on the owner named Steven Ross, who when he bought the team in 2009, we have not gone to a playoff game since. And I would like very much someone to ask him in the know, do you just want to be one of 32 owners or do you want to be an excellent owner?

38:04You're an excellent sportcaster. The people that work for you are excellent. It goes from the top down. Anybody can write a check, but it's the attitude that gets you winning. So that's where I'm with the Dolphins. I'm a lifelong Dolphins fan. Two things real quick before I go, Rich. A, I'm surprised you didn't give Kevin Hart grief because he actually had a jersey with a player's name on the back of it. And the second thing is, since I've brought you the last, I have never taken my shoes off in an airplane.

38:31Rich Eisen:Ladies and gentlemen, David in Richmond. David, you go way back with us, is what you're saying. So when I guess we started moving around the dial and moving other spots, you lost track of us. We never left. But we're still here for you, David, and I appreciate your kind words. Thank you. And in terms of what you said about Stephen Ross, I mean, let's... No, thank you. Appreciate it. I mean, honestly, I mean, you make your decisions and then you stick with them. And obviously, didn't he try to get Sean Payton and Tom Brady? Yeah. That's why they got fined. And I understand that. But I mean, those aren't.

39:15Rich Eisen:He took swings. Didn't work out. He tried. and again Mike McDaniel's been to the playoffs I guess what are you supposed to do not sign Tua you're not supposed to sign it to 50 something million bucks here's the thing and no one's done it yet I've been pushing for it I've been pushing for it for a while make them prove it don't pick up their fifth year option make them prove that they earn they deserve that 200 plus million dollar contract but that's not what owners are doing now They signed guys after their third year. The last thing you're going to want to do, again, and the Titans are now in this mix right now, and if you want to fire your guy, is there anybody sitting out there that you'd have to go heaven and earth to go get?

40:05Rich Eisen:Right now? I mean, Nick Saban's the guy that you call, but that's absurd. He's not going to the Dolphins of all places. No, I'm just throwing Bill. Do you get Bill off of the campus at North Carolina and give him one last shot? Bill's lost some shine. I don't think you do that. But it's not like there's anybody like Sean Payton sitting on the Fox set that you go snag. Who would be the one person that you'd throw every single dollar and cent to? Does Bill Cowher still want to coach? I doubt it. I don't think so. Even for$100 million? I don't think so. I really don't. I'll give you a name of somebody.

40:39Rich Eisen:And I understand that he has some history and some past that you're going to have to explain to your fan base. if somebody requires that answer. John Gruden. Yeah, I figured that's right. It's Gruden. And I know he's in the middle of a lawsuit with the NFL, which, by the way... He's winning, by the way. I'm just saying, if there's anybody that's kind of coming back around again that you'd want to hand your team off to for a swift kick in the ass, also with somebody who is 100 % locked in on the latest of X's and O's. But does Gruden want two of them? Probably not. Yeah. Does he want Cam Ward? I think he would.

41:27Rich Eisen:There's a question. That's a real good question. Or would he just say, I'll take whatever. I didn't think I'd get back in the league and I'm suing my way to try and get my day. Gruden, interesting. I'm hearing that name mentioned more and more. Yeah, I think you're going to. It's a Thursday, and it doesn't matter if we're out of the country. We're going to, you know, I mean, just take a look at our Rich Eisen Show logo for London with the bear skin on. It's great. I don't know why this just hit me like a thunderbolt, like a lightning strike about an hour and a half before the show. And Smitsch cooked this thing up right away.

42:02Rich Eisen:Well done, Sean Mitchell. All right. So even though we're out of town, it's still a Thursday, which means it's time for higher register Thursday on the Rich Eisen Show. Hit it, please. There's a chance. The Rich Eisen shows. The Derby Higher Register. Take of the week. You know, anything Caliendo makes me laugh. Anything Caliendo speaking of Gruden. Once again, if you need a refresher, we have noticed around these parts for the past 10 plus years, whenever anybody in my life, or certainly around here, says something that they struggle to believe, they go higher register in order to help them believe it.

42:43Rich Eisen:chris brockman you're first up i need a higher registered take for week number seven in the national football league uh this team did not make your power rankings this week uh much to much to our surprise on this side of the desk but they are playing well kurt water said they've found their identity patrick mahomes leads uh that leads the betting right now is the mbp favorite and i think after they blow out the raiders this week and we're gonna be talking about the Chiefs as Super Bowl favorites. Oh, you're coming around. Oh, okay. You keep on coming around, but you didn't really go higher register.

43:17Rich Eisen:Well, they win this week. They're four and three. They're not blowing anybody's socks off record-wise, but they're Rasheed Rice back. I think Kelsey's fighting some sea legs. It's one of those things. Chris Jones seems to have had a fire lit under. Look out a little bit. TJ? We were talking about this team a lot today. And this week, the Browns and the Dolphins are playing. Now, the winner, they're going to get their second dub of the season. That's big. But the loser, I think, is probably going to be looking for a new head coach next week. Oh, man. Next week. Oh. I've never seen a higher register involving the loss of a football job.

44:00Rich Eisen:But the loser of Browns-Dolphins is one in six. and wow for some new leadership normally you leave people feeling with a little laugh with a higher register but TJ I'm not saying I enjoy people losing their jobs we're on a lack of sleep here over in this time I understand that I've made reference over and over again about this Monday show I said that the Jets Broncos game aged me felt like it's aged me You look like a week older since I saw you. I appreciate you saying that, just leaving it at just a week. I've made many references throughout this program about how professionally depressed I was and how those three-plus hours I'll never get back, and I need to turn the page.

44:47Rich Eisen:And I think I'm going to turn the page right now with the New York Jets performing as poorly as they did on offense last week. And this week, obviously, Denver's a pretty tough opponent, and this week the New York Jets are in for it as well. They're taking on the Carolina Panthers at home. And, you know, the Panthers just have beaten the last couple of teams very well. Rico Dattle's coming to their house. But my point is I need to turn the page on the New York Jets. And so I think against the Carolina Panthers, I think the Jets' offense is going to do better this week. I really feel. They couldn't do worse.

45:27Rich Eisen:The Jets are going to do better. No, no, no. No, I'm not just going to say they couldn't do worse. I'm going to say I think they're going to do better. I think statistically they could not do worse. They got more than negative 10 net passing errors in them. You could do worse. Don't make me go back down this wormhole again. I'm getting out. I'm digging myself out. I kind of think the Jets are going to do better on offense this week. You're skirting close to Lou Holtz there, Rich. Oh, God. I mean, that Panthers team can really beat some people. All right, that's my high register. That's our high register.

45:57Rich Eisen:We're now done. I've turned the pages. All right? That Jet Broncos thing is over. Over. It's over. It's done. I got Rams and Jaguars to talk. Man, yeah, this is like you deserve this. Yeah, we got a Ram and Tori Holt tomorrow and Maurice Jones Drew for the Jaguars. We got it going. That's on Friday's edition of the Rich Eisen Show. We're done. We are for the day. We'll be back on Disney Plus to wrap it from London. 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.

46:33Rich Eisen:The Rich Eisen Show, the podcast.

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