Hour 3: NFL on FOX Analyst Greg Olsen, plus the Red Sox Fire Alex Cora Reactions

0:00Rich Eisen:For some of us, personal finances aren't just personal. They include a lot more people than ourselves. Loved ones, neighbours, the communities we call home, and the causes we hold in our hearts. At Thrivent, we help plan your financial picture with the bigger picture in mind. Because even though our business is helping guide your finances, our ambition is to make it mean so much more. Thrivent, where money means more. Connect with us at Thrivent.com. If you've ever wanted real energy without choking down something that tastes like regret, Bucked Up is the answer. The flavor is the thing people keep coming back for.

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1:18Rich Eisen:You can find us everywhere. Watch us weekdays on Disney Plus from noon to 3 Eastern. Miss the show? We've got a podcast so you can listen anytime. But here's the best part. Our YouTube channel. Subscribe at youtube.com slash Rich Eisen Show and you'll never miss a moment. Now, on with the show. Pittsburgh, make some noise! This is the Rich Eisen Show. The Los Angeles Rams select Ty Simpson. Okay, wow. Live from the Rich Eisen Show studio in Los Angeles. The Rich Eisen Show. Earlier on the show. NFL Network Analyst Daniel Jeremiah. Actor Phil Dunster. Coming up. NFL on Fox Analyst Greg Olson. And now, it's Rich Eisen.

2:11Rich Eisen:Hour number three of the Rich Eisen Show is on the air. Right back here in Los Angeles, California. 844-204-RICH is the number to dial here on the program. We chopped up the draft with Daniel Jeremiah on hour number one. the tv show rooster uh starring phil dunster in part he also jamie tart from ted lasso back in the day we just had a great chat with him if you missed anything go to our youtube channel youtube.com slash rich eisen show that's where the overreaction monday podcast post nfl draft is residing joining us here one of our favorites um on the program and it is great to see him here courtesy of the relax it's a blood test um campaign that highlights making sure you are screened for prostate cancer ladies and gentlemen greg olson back on the program fox sports good to see you buddy how are you yeah it's good to see rich what's going on man i'm better for seeing you what'd you think of the draft you know i thought it was fun you know i i find that there's so much coverage going in and so much speculation and so many stories and and articles written and obviously a million mock drafts so you know i feel like by the time the draft comes we all have a pretty decent sense of who are the guys.

3:20I think the Ty Simpson pick obviously was the main kind of surprise, at least in the top half of night one. You know, certainly I don't think a lot of people had the Rams going quarterback. They're kind of in a win now mode with Stafford and all of that. But, you know, I enjoy the draft. I think it's fun to see how teams, you know, view the draft board. You can get a really good sense of what teams value certain positions and, you know, no two organizations approach those elements kind of the same way. And I think it gives you a really good insight into how certain teams view roster building and roster construction.

3:54And I enjoy that aspect of it a lot.

3:57Rich Eisen:Well, I mean, you know, since you were part of the combine coverage for a couple of years on NFL network, you know how we normally handle things on NFL network, which is not to immediately say this is terrible or, you know, this is something that's a total surprise and they shouldn't have done. You know, it takes a while to figure this stuff out. And you know what it's like to also develop a quarterback. So that's my long-winded setup by asking you what you thought of Ty Simpson being chosen by the Rams. Yeah, certainly after every selection, after every draft, you know, every NFL front office, we never have seen a coach or a front office personnel, LGM president ever get up there and say, you know, the draft, it didn't fall the way we wanted to get any of the guys that were at the top of our board.

4:45Rich Eisen:I know, man. You see, you see the draft rooms, right? They drafted the pick 230th pick overall and they're all hugging and high five and shaking hands like in their clapping, you know, I hear you. I know. You know, so I think everyone exits the draft with a renewed sense of optimism. I think that, you know, in the big picture is a big reason why the NFL is king. I think every season, organizations, players, coaches, front office, of course, fans, there is a renewed annual optimism going into every season. And that's what makes it fun. That's what makes every team feel like they can compete. But, you know, specifically about the Ty Simpson pick.

5:25And then I think, you know, the press conference that followed with McVay. I think there was some speculation about his body language. And I think his explanation was actually really sound. You know, here's a guy who's a highly animated, super engaging, big personality. And then him and Les Snead sit in front of the media following the Ty Simpson pick. And, you know, he seems a little bit more subdued than we're traditionally used to seeing him. But in his mind, he's doing it out of respect for, you know, Matthew Stafford and, you know, the MVP. And a guy that just, you know, had the season of his career at this stage.

5:59you're up there being a cheerleader and pounded on the table for how excited you are about this new rookie and could it be seen as a jab to Stafford's? I think in McVay's mind, that's what he was trying to portray and it certainly makes sense. In their mind, they probably don't ever think that they're going to draft that high. I think with the success that they envisioned having this year and with that young talent and their ability to draft well the last couple of years, They feel like their roster is set up for a lot of success. And, you know, if you want a quarterback in the first round, you're probably taking them in the top half, top 10.

6:33So there they are sitting there in the top half to draft. Maybe they don't think in the next couple of years they'll ever be there again. And Ty Simpson is a guy that they believe he's not the quarterback this year. He might not be the quarterback next year, but we've seen teams, you know, do that. Look at Green Bay with Jordan Love and Aaron Rodgers, Aaron Rodgers with Favre. I mean, there's a, you know, Mahomes. So we can see a lot of really good quarterbacks that were drafted when there was a clear starter in place. And one, two, three years later, they transitioned in and have had great success.

7:05Rich Eisen:Yeah, I just I go back and forth on it, Greg, where, you know, obviously how difficult it is to win in the NFL. And you could use the 13th overall pick on somebody who turns into Jared Verse because whenever Les does use a first round pick, it works. even though he rarely does it. And then, you know, you could draft a rookie and then it's got to be Jared-verse in order to get on the field because Sean doesn't play rookies. You know, it's a tough one to wrap your arms around, especially when, you know, the whole, like, they didn't get anybody from Matthew Stafford thing is blown up when Trent McDuffie's on the back end of this defense now, right?

7:45Rich Eisen:And you take a look at how, also, I liked what Seattle did too. They didn't have many picks, but they went ahead and they got the second running back off the board, kind of dug that. What do you think of the Carson Beck pick by Arizona? I mean, he might be the first starter of the quarterback group this year, Greg. Yeah, and that's where things – everybody wants to be – we'll just stick with the quarterback position because it's the easiest one to talk about. Everybody wants to be the first quarterback taken. Everybody wants to be drafted as early as humanly possible. You want to be the first overall pick.

8:24You want to be a top 10 pick, so on and so forth. Where it gets really tricky is when you become the top pick of the lower mid rounds because you don't get the luxury of being the 25th pick, the 20th pick in the first round. There's a contract. There's a different element of being a first rounder. But you also go towards a team that, traditionally speaking, was one of the worst teams in the league last year unless they got that pick via trade or whatnot. So you look at Carson Beck going in, you know, those subsequent day two, three rounds. And but you're at the top. You go to Arizona, a team that's clearly searching for their new identity.

9:00You know, the floor, Mike LaFleur, now the head coach, go in there trying to establish, you know, what are we going to be? How are we going to kind of rebound following, you know, what's been a difficult run these last couple of years? They make a coaching change. They move on at quarterback from Kyler Murray. So, yeah, do you want to be the young quarterback playing? Of course. But do you want to be the young quarterback that's being thrust into a situation where maybe the roster around you is not real strong? Maybe the growth of the team is not really where we want it to be for you to go out there and really be evaluated and be in a position to have success.

9:35I think every organization in the NFL fights that battle. They're going to fight it in Las Vegas with Fernando Mendoza, right? Do you start Fernando Mendoza from day one, let Kirk Cousins be his backup and just let him take some lumps early? Or do you let Kirk Cousins go out there and be the veteran and let Fernando Mendoza sit behind him? We've seen teams do both. Playing as a young quarterback helps. Playing as a young quarterback in a situation where you are going to have a hard time finding success and you're just going to get beat down over and over again because of the pieces around you or the status of the organization.

10:12we've seen it be detriment we've seen it be a detriment to the future career of a young player but we've also seen young players become better so it's a very case-by-case basis and you have to trust that these coaches and organizations know their personality traits of the player

10:28Rich Eisen:and which box they fall in Greg Olson here on the Rich Eisen show NFL on Fox and we'll talk about a crucial blood test uh to prevent prostate cancer um and find out what's going on in your body uh important subject matter we'll get to in a second right here on the Rich Eisen show uh also a draft can inform about what a team's about to do and it sure looks like Makai Lemon drafted by the Eagles on top of Dontavian Wicks being acquired on top of Holly Brown Hollywood Brown being signed does mean AJ Brown is going elsewhere and you've got Sean Mannion now coming in pardon me sean manion coming in now to be the new offensive coordinator walk me through whatever you would know about the manion system hurts his um you know abilities all coming together to try and get this offense together and it sure sounds like it's going to be a lot of new pieces for the philadelphia eagles coming into this season with the um giants getting better, the Cowboys hitting the heck out of the defensive side of the ball in the draft.

11:38Rich Eisen:What do you think, Greg, about the Eagles offensive challenges that we're about to see coming up? Yeah, so I think it's going to be a pretty significant change in just the way it looks, right? The way it's presented. I think the Mannion system, the tree he's coming from, the organizations and the coaches that he's been with is going to be more of the, you know, not necessarily the modern day McVay but like think the Shanahan LaFleur under center play action uh turning your back to the defense not sitting there and shotgun RPO quarterback read that we've seen really Jalen Hurts for the most part throughout the course of his career now certainly it's a great fit for Jalen Hurts from what he did in college and what he's done growing up and certainly fits his play style his ability to be a designed runner you don't want to put those guys under center very often because you lose the threat of the quarterback being a part of the run game, being a part of the RPO passing game and whatnot.

12:34I do think as they've shown the reluctance to run Jalen Hurts as much as they did earlier in his career, certainly the benefits of sitting in shotgun all day long have been diminished. So I think getting him more comfortable under center, working on the footwork, being comfortable turning your back to the defense on play action pass before you reset and find your crossers and whatnot. So I think visually it might look a little bit different. And then obviously that ties in with a little bit of a different run game with Saquon. And again, there's a lot of residual impacts when you make radical changes in the presentation of your system.

13:13I think in regards to the wide receiver position and A.J. Brown, it's been one of the bigger mysteries in the NFL over the last couple of seasons. You know, you're talking a premier wide receiver duo, you know, on the outside with with A.J. Brown. And we got tight ends, you know, with Gowder and Saquon. And they got two of the best tackles in the league off it. So you start looking at the roster and you go, OK, this should be the best offense in football. And at times they over the years, they've been awesome. And this past year, obviously not the consistency in the high level production certainly wasn't there.

13:46So all indications are they are going to move on from A.J. Brown. I've always been of the mindset of like, you better have a really good plan in place before you just letting great players go out the door. And A.J. Brown is a fantastic wide receiver in the NFL. They've had a hard time building that passing game around his strengths, you know, over long periods of time. So I think now you draft in the first round, you acquire Wicks in free agency. So there's clearly a plan that Howie Roseman does have in place that they feel like it is addition by subtraction. there are examples of that throughout the league where you do let go one star player and things do get better but in those cases traditionally you've gotten better either at the same position of the player that's left or you've gotten better around them or the system has changed so they certainly check all those boxes as far as the transition to this new system for the upcoming season but um man it I just knowing what it's like to play with big time receivers like A.J.

14:46Brown. I got to play with Steve Smith. I've gotten to play with, you know, those guys are unique and those guys change things on game day. And if you're going to let guys like that walk out, you better have a really good plan. And Howie Roseman has shown, in my opinion, you know, he's a top two personnel guy in the entire league. And if anyone's earned the right to make these decisions and have to trust that it's going to work out, it's him.

15:09Rich Eisen:You know, and then there's the advent of the tight end position becoming such a crucial part of you mentioned the Shanahan McVay offenses that have become more proliferate in the league. Now, Ben Johnson in Chicago. You know, and I remember when Loveland got drafted, I was like, well, they already have Cole Komet. Like right now, if you don't have two or three or four, right? I mean, the Rams got another one, like, you know, like 16 personnel's coming in this league, right? I mean, like, this is what we're seeing currently. Wouldn't you agree? Greg? Oh, absolutely. You know, we used to joke that we need to find 05 personnel, right?

15:49Like there's no backs. There's no – we're just going to have all the eligibles. You're just going to be tight ends. But, you know, I think it's a really interesting trend. And, you know, it goes back to, you know, kind of my first – when you asked me just my thoughts on the draft. I think aside from the individual players and their stories, which are great, you do get a pretty good sense of the direction of where the league is going and where leagues value certain positions at certain, you know, draft stages and certain pay scales and, you know, and obviously positions. So I do think that the, especially in those middle to late rounds, the teams continuing to load up on the tight end position, there's a lot of different factors.

16:28Number one, there's just more of them, right? When I came into the league, it was a lot of converted receivers. It was a lot of guys who used to play basketball. They used to play quarterback. everyone kind of became a tight end because whatever you were doing prior you kind of reached the end of your rope now kids grow up playing tight end now kids are high school tight ends college tight ends it's a premier position some of the biggest stars around the NFL now play the tight end position so it's just an entirely different uh growth pattern like along the way for these young tight ends coming you know into and out of college and then big picture wise NFL play style you've seen that as teams have gone defenses have gone small they've gone bend but don't break everyone plays deep coverage and if you're gonna score on me you're not gonna throw it over my head teams have said okay there is an inherent advantage to getting bigger on offense right more tight ends getting under center running the ball at people and the idea you look at the Rams who you brought up it's a great example the success that the Rams had throughout the course of the season and Seattle was very similar on their way to the Super Bowl they were getting big because the idea is you're getting big because you want to run the ball at me and as teams then on defense started matching them what happened all of a sudden now Jackson Smith and Jigba and Puka Nakua and all these receivers out of these big personnel groupings it turns into a pass game so there's a little cat and mouse there now as offenses are going to react to what defensive strategy is and getting big guys on the field as many of them as you can but with the idea being yes we want a threat to run at you but we really want to have a threat to throw the ball at you so the more guys that I can have um in those personnel groupings the better yeah and

18:19Rich Eisen:the Eagles drafted Eli Stowers you know like to go with Goddard but there there's your two there I mean, you're seeing more and more of these teams do this over and over again, and it's changed things around. What's Relax? It's a blood test, Greg. Yeah, so it's actually it's really been a lot of fun for anyone who tuned into the Super Bowl this past year. We had our big Super Bowl commercial debut. A bunch of tight ends, both current and former alike, came together. It was a fun play on kind of relax your tight end. And there's kind of a stigma around prostate cancer screening. And it's the most common form of cancer among men in the United States.

19:00But with early detection, very treatable. And, you know, the idea is just to get this campaign and let people know, like, it is a simple blood test. And it is very easy to diagnose. It is very easy to detect early. And it can save lives. So a conversation that probably years ago was not the easiest one for men to have with each other. We had a lot of fun with it. A really cool kind of play on tight ends and relaxing them. And I think everyone can kind of put two and two together.

19:29Rich Eisen:It was really well thought out. Novartis has been a great partner. And this campaign has reached millions and millions of people all throughout the country. And it's going to save a lot of lives. Yeah. Relax. It's a blood test. everybody should make sure to prevent whatever you can, a cancer that affects one in eight men in the United States, and it can be screened with a simple blood test. Greg, you're good. And I'll give you the floor on your hat and your shirt, too. I know what it is, but go for it. Oh, I appreciate that. Yeah, so Youth Think is a platform that we started all around youth sports.

20:07The consumer-facing element of it is youth sports content and our coaching and stories and interviews. And we bring on guests and specialists all across the youth sports landscape. For anyone who's raising a kid in today's world, son or daughter, it is an ever-changing youth sports experience. There's a lot of good, there's some bad, and there's a lot of unknowns. And then kind of the backbone of all that is there's a commerce engine for custom fanware, custom gear for your son's travel ball team, your daughter's travel basketball, their school sports. So it's a really cool platform. It's doing a lot of education and our overall goal, just try to improve the experiences that families and children alike are having in the youth sports landscape of America.

20:52And it's something I do virtually every single day of my life. And we love it.

20:59Rich Eisen:And it's always a pleasure having you on here, Greg Olson. You're one of my favorites and I'll have you on anytime you're up for it, brother. Thank you. Anytime. I always joke, my TV career started with you and Mayock and down on the ground doing NFL combine drills and evaluating the gauntlet. And here we are all these years later. You've always been great and much appreciate all the support you've given me. You survived us. You survived. You survived. You started it all. I appreciate everything you've done. I still feel the same way about the gauntlet drill, man. Like, why do we have a drill where you catch it five times and you drop the football?

21:37Rich Eisen:Like, you got to catch it. You know what I mean? Like they don't complete the process, Greg. I understand it's about how you can hold, you know, how you hold your hands, how you catch it, what your hands look like and how you can, you know, run in a straight line and make sure you're doing the right thing. But these guys don't complete the process every time. There's a lot of things in the evaluation process that we could probably do better. And we'll save that for my next visit. Ladies and gentlemen, Greg Olson, take care of yourself, bud. You be well. I appreciate it. NFL on Fox analyst. One of the bad.

22:04Rich Eisen:I just worked with Joel Klatt over the weekend. Now with our friend Greg Olson right here on the program. In a world that needs a hero, one man rises to the challenge in style. He is just driving the kids to soccer practice. Make every day feel epic in the all-new Hyundai Palisade Hybrid with up to an EPA-estimated 619 miles of range on select trims, advanced tech, and class-leading interior space. Because when you are hauling kids' gear, snacks, and backpacks, space matters. You just heard about youth sports. Just make sure they keep the cleats off the seats. So the all-new Hyundai Palisade Hybrid, also all about comfort.

22:40Rich Eisen:Visit HyundaiUSA.com or call 562-314-4603 for details. When we come back, baseball. And I thought baseball was the only sport in which the unwritten rules being broken are applicable. That's next. This is The Rich Eisen Show. The Rich Eisen Show podcast.

23:08Rich Eisen:For some of us, personal finances aren't just personal. They include a lot more people than ourselves. Loved ones, neighbours, the communities we call home, and the causes we hold in our hearts. At Thrivent, we help plan your financial picture with the bigger picture in mind. Because even though our business is helping guide your finances, our ambition is to make it mean so much more. Thrivent, where money means more. Connect with us at Thrivent.com. Rich Eisen here. PayPal is now the official peer-to-peer payments sponsor of the NFL, which means all the money moments that fandom creates, whether splitting tailgate costs or chipping in on tickets and game day food between friends, are covered.

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24:47Rich Eisen:Back on the Rich Eisen Show, 844-204-RICH, number to dial right here on the program. Baseball! Baseball! Let's go to the phone lines. I don't think we need to talk about this. Evan in Denver! Evan in Denver! What do you want to chime in about, Evan? What do you want to talk about, Evan? Hey, what's up, guys? Thanks for taking my call. What's going on, Evan? What up, man? What do you want to talk about? This is for TJ. TJ, I am unfortunately a Rockies fan, and I've been through many heartbreaks, but I was just wondering how you are feeling getting swept by the Rockies coming off one of the worst seasons in baseball.

25:27Rich Eisen:Rockies fans calling in and giving some shade and smoke to a Met fan. So go with other people. Rockies who have never won a championship. At least we have some. I'm more concerned with the NFL draft right now. Oh, here we go. Here we go. Evan, you bring this smoke all you want, man. Well, he's in Denver. Of course he brings this smoke. Did the Rockies sweep the Mets with Juan Soto back in the lineup? Did that happen? I mean, that's old stuff. We're on to the next one now. Did they sweep? Did they just a doubleheader? Did they take all the games in New York? All the games. They took all the games.