In short
NFL Week 5 discussion focused on the Rams’ loss and how they could’ve been 5-0 with cleaner execution; debate over overtime rules (why teams might take the ball first vs defer); Rams’ upcoming schedule and playoff/division implications; plus Rich’s “Top 5” Week 5 matchups.
Key claims
Rams are “still too damn good” and a playoff team; Rams’ play-action and receiver Puka Nacua’s reliability drive offense; defensive Jared Verse is a nightmare but mistakes (including a Kyron Williams fumble inside the one) cost them.
Notable examples
Rams’ overtime coin-toss/Stafford deferral; McVay admitting the fourth-down call was “very poor” after taking responsibility; overtime rule debate about adding time vs current format.
Guests
Tom Pelissero (NFL Network insider, earlier in show); Travis Etienne Jr. (Jaguars RB, Week 5 recap); Jeremy Piven (actor/comedian; discussed Larry Sanders, Seinfeld audition story, Entourage, stand-up tour).
Written by AI. May contain mistakes. Listen to the episode to check what was said.
Chapters
Tap a time to open that second in VORecap of NFL and MLB
1:26 to 2:09
A recap of the NFL's week five and the MLB playoffs.
“From the Rich Eisen Show's studio in Los Angeles.”
Fantasy Football Frustrations
2:10 to 4:48
Discussion on the challenges of fantasy football and player lineups.
“travis etienne of the jacksonville jaguars who's finishing up uh the fifth week of this season on Monday night against the Chiefs on ESPN.”
Rams Performance Analysis
4:49 to 8:15
Analysis of the Rams' recent game performance and coaching decisions.
“The play-action game in the Rams is lethal.”
Overtime Rules Discussion
8:16 to 12:16
Debate over NFL overtime rules and the implications for team strategy.
“I mean, who would be the five seed right now?”
Quarterback Development Timelines
12:17 to 14:01
Exploration of how long teams should give quarterbacks to develop.
“Let him go out there, stay hot, march down the field, score a touchdown, put the pressure back on Mac Jones.”
Quarterback Development and Team Dynamics
14:01 to 16:15
Discussion on the evolution of quarterbacks and team patience.
“another one that you're referring to of being in a spot.”
Jeremy Piven's First Pitch Experience
17:43 to 19:35
Jeremy Piven shares his experience throwing the first pitch and his career reflections.
“Jeremy Piven is here on The Rich Eisen Show.”
Jeremy Piven's First Pitch Experience
19:42 to 23:05
Jeremy Piven shares his experience throwing the first pitch and his career reflections.
“The Larry Sanders Show is just one of the most perfect television shows of all time.”
Memorable Experiences in Television
23:05 to 28:00
Piven recounts his experiences on iconic shows and working with legends.
“I started Second City in Chicago with Chris Farley.”
Exploring Ari Gold: Character Reflection
28:00 to 30:59
Jeremy Piven discusses the evolution of his character Ari Gold and potential reboot ideas.
Show all 16 chapters
Emotional Moments in Acting
31:00 to 32:52
Piven shares an emotional scene from Entourage that won him an Emmy.
“And it was hard for them to even understand like what my life was like.”
Adventures with Robert De Niro
32:53 to 35:39
Jeremy Piven recounts his experiences auditioning and acting alongside Robert De Niro.
Adventures with Robert De Niro
39:37 to 40:55
Jeremy Piven recounts his experiences auditioning and acting alongside Robert De Niro.
“Future stars who are already turning heads at age 14.”
Top NFL Games to Watch in Week 5
41:01 to 42:00
Rich Eisen discusses the top matchups for the upcoming NFL week.
“Speaking of Hyundai, they bring you today's top five, as I always give you on Friday, the other five games that I'm looking forward to seeing for the upcoming week that just started.”
NFL Week 5 Matchup Analysis
42:00 to 44:40
Explore the key matchups and narratives for NFL Week 5 games.
“Jaden Daniels is playing his first, I think he's saying his first career game with a knee brace on.”
Top Matchups of the Week
44:40 to 45:36
Insights into the top five matchups of the NFL Week 5.
“Carson Wentz, sir, you best have your running shoes on because did you hear who is not playing in this game?”
Transcript
Automatic transcript. May contain errors.0:01Rich Eisen:This episode is brought to you by Google Chrome. You think you know a browser, but Gemini and Chrome, that's new. It can help you with practically anything on the web, like restoring a vintage motorcycle from a 50-page restoration block, or finally break down that long article you've had open for weeks. Gemini and Chrome is here for it. Ready to make anything online make sense? There's no place like Chrome. Check responses set up required. Compatibility and availability varies 18+. As soccer takes center stage this summer, Comcast helps bring the experience home to America as the exclusive Spanish language home of the tournament in the U.S.
0:35Rich Eisen:Telemundo is set to present its most expansive coverage ever 700 hours of programming live on-site presence at all 104 matches and with multi-view and real-time 4K Xfinity will deliver the most innovative and immersive sports viewing experience for fans watching on Telemundo, Peacock, Fox and FS1 Learn more at ComcastCorporation.com This is the Rich Eisen Show Hey, everybody. Can't get enough of The Rich Eisen Show? You're in luck. 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.
1:15Rich Eisen:Our YouTube channel. Subscribe at youtube.com slash richeisenshow and you'll never miss a moment. Now, on with the show. This is The Rich Eisen Show. From the Rich Eisen Show's studio in Los Angeles. Earlier on the show. NFL Network insider Tom Pelissero. Jaguars running back Travis Etienne Jr. Coming up, actor and comedian Jeremy Piven. And now, it's Rich Eisen. hour number three of the rich eisen show on this friday is on the air week number five of the nfl season is already in the books and so is the wild card round of major league baseball's playoffs we've been discussing all of that over the first two hours of this show with all of us here with travis etienne of the jacksonville jaguars who's finishing up uh the fifth week of this season on Monday night against the Chiefs on ESPN.
2:22Rich Eisen:And also, we chatted with Tom Pelissero in the top of our number one. Since Tom's departure, Chuba Hubbard was ruled out of the Carolina Panthers game against the Miami Dolphins. So I immediately hopped online to see if I could pop Rico Dowdle onto my roster. And somebody's got Rico Dowdle on their team. Who would that possibly be who has Rico Dowdle on their fantasy team? You do. Oh. Jay. Oh, good job, Jay. Do you not even know that? No, I didn't. Wow. This is what's wrong with fantasy football. That. You know, I'm trying to win. I'm trying to be on top of it, and the dude who has just lucked into the starters reps of a fantasy football weekend of a running back that doesn't even know he's on the team.
3:11Rich Eisen:Good to know. Good job, Jay. Good job, Jay. Well done. Well done. Can you confirm he's on this team? Hey, look, there he is. Oh, God. Does everyone else have that person in fantasy as well that you're trying to beat? You're trying your best and this other person just lucks into that and you're like, I don't even know there's all my team. That's the way you sound, even though you don't sound that way. Okay. Disney Plus ESPN app. Didn't he beat you last week too? We're on ESPN radio presented by Progressive Insurance. That was two weeks ago. I beat Monaco, our director, who's not here today. So I can talk smack.
3:48Rich Eisen:Yeah, put him in. Yeah, go ahead and do that. You had Tonjes on your bench. I got to focus on the show. He's so great. He's so great at fantasy football. 844-204-RICH, number to dial on the show. We didn't talk about the Rams going down last night, and they fall down 14-0. They come back. And again, if the Rams played clean sheet football two of the last three weeks, they'd be 5-0. I know if grandmothers had wheels, they'd be wagons. I understand that. That's not the analogy that I normally think of. No, but if they just, you know, protected on field goals, and if they just held on to the footballs, yada, yada, yada, they'd be 5-0.
4:34Rich Eisen:Pukunuku is the best receiver in the National Football League. Did I stutter? You did not. Okay. He gets the football, and it's just like nine yards every time, right? Every time. And you're like, oh, it's going to be a first down. And then Devontae Adams is wide open. and then that means the run game can work as well. The play-action game in the Rams is lethal. Lethal. I mean, Stafford sits back there, and if he gets a second of time, he's just ripping, and there's chunk plays everywhere. Defensively, Jared Verse is just a monster nightmare. And then the mistakes come, and they lose. I mean, last night, that fumble by Kyron Williams inside the one was a killer.
5:14Rich Eisen:They do get the ball back, get overtime. They do get the opportunity to get the ball second in overtime, as Matthew Stafford deferred at the coin toss and was told you can't do that during overtime. Teams should start taking the ball first. I don't understand that. Let's get to this in a second. All right. Because the overtime rules almost cropped up again for a conversation today. Certainly if McVay had gone for the field goal at the end on fourth and short to tie the game and then play defense with timeouts and four minutes remaining on the clock, the likelihood of getting a tie in that instance for him playing for the tie there instead of going for it on fourth down i don't think that was ever a consideration and as a matter of fact he confirmed that after the game while taking the responsibility and the blame for the loss the fourth down call it's a bad call it's a bad call by me any thought of kicking the field goal there no No.
6:12In hindsight, I wish I would have, but no, we came in here to try to win the football game.
6:18Rich Eisen:It didn't go down for us, Gary. That wasn't even a thought, but the play selection was very poor. I'm sick right now because I put our players in a s*** spot, and I got to live with that. Okay. Honesty and taking responsibility.
6:36Rich Eisen:tough to give Kieran the ball there when Stafford was so incredible in the second half and that drive in overtime I know but that's the sort of thing that they normally get that one yard done they really do I saw someone post about this as well really an argument as to why every team should have a tush push play because you got it that would obviously have given them the first down and they probably go on to win the game. You've got to choose somebody else, though, right? You've got to find a tight end if you've got somebody like Stafford. For sure. They have several of them. Give the ball to Jared Verse.
7:09Rich Eisen:I doubt he's getting tackled for a loss on that play. The Rams' next games, they're going to be at Baltimore, which will still be banged up and starting Cooper Rush. And then I see them in London at Wembley against the Jaguars, and then a bye. Then they're home against New Orleans. and then they're on the next two games that are going to be very crucial about winning their division going to san francisco and get this series tie instead of being swept get seattle coming in take care of them in a in a home date take care of tampa on a sunday night as baker mayfield's i guess reunion tour continues then a ton of winnable games for them not concerned about the Rams.
7:53Rich Eisen:They're still too damn good. I think they're a playoff team with a shot at still winning the division. They do have to win in San Francisco in that Week 10 game. That's a must if they want to win the division. And if not, they're going to wind up being on the road. They could be on the road at a place like Detroit again. Could you imagine that? And yet another playoff spot for them in Detroit? Or would they rather stay at home? I mean, who would be the five seed right now? It could be somebody from their division. Sometimes home isn't even the home game. I know, which is nuts, man. It's crazy.
8:27Rich Eisen:Especially when they're constantly asking whose house it is and it's obvious it's not theirs. I mean, Allen and Herbstreet even cracked wise about that last night. Always a lot of Niner fans down here. Now let's just quickly talk about them. The overtime rules again. You're like, why wouldn't you take the ball to start? Take the ball to start. Because you don't You want to give your opponent the opportunity to get a fourth down, go for it situation every single time. You just don't want to give it to them. Even if you score a touchdown, then you know, okay, you know when you get the ball second, you have to score a touchdown in order to continue the game or go for two and win it.
9:14Rich Eisen:You're giving the other team the opportunity to just keep going for it on fourth down like they're playing a video game. But say you score a touchdown, right? you have the opportunity to use as much clock as humanly possible. Thus, giving the other team who gets the ball second, they're going to have to play hurry up. They can't just take their sweet-ass time going down the field. There's maybe three minutes left or three and a half minutes left. They have to play a quicker game. You get the ball, and you're going to say, here's what we're going to do. We are going to run clock and get a score.
9:45Rich Eisen:No, they're going to methodically go down the field and score. That's a best-laid plan, but what if you don't do it? How do you give your defense a chance to rest? Listen, you're the Rams. You just tied it up. And then you're like, let's give the ball to the 49ers. Let's play defense. And let's know what we have to do. You want to know what you have to do. If you did what I'm advocating, which is five more minutes on the back end, a full quarter of action, full 15 minutes of action, then you take the football to start. Just like anything else. You're not deferring anything to any second half. You take the football to start.
10:24Rich Eisen:Because the other team might not go for it on fourth down if you're going to just... If there was another five, if that was with eight minutes to go in overtime, McVay would have kicked the field goal right there. Yeah, sure. And he would have played defense. I just had more time. But instead, there's four minutes to go. So I'm going to go for it right now. And I think maybe the NFL and the competition committee likes that because you just don't want these guys out there for another five minutes. They want it quick and done. Unfortunately, it's going to lead to a tie more often than not, I think, even though last night did not.
10:56Rich Eisen:I mean, the Niners play defense. I just think you tack on another five minutes. I also think you tack on another five because had there still been another instance, right, let's just say they did pick up that first down, and now they're chewing more clock, and now it's inside the five-yard line, and the coach has now got a decision to make. am I going for the tie right here or am I going for the win from the four yard line on fourth and goal am I going for the tie or am I going for the win and I know that's why they get paid the big bucks and I know that's what we're trying to see these guys being put in that position I'd rather see five more minutes of overtime I wonder if two of a fix potentially be take out the idea of the second not sudden death second death right right and just play it like a fourth quarter where you're playing at the zero
11:49Rich Eisen:tj do you have us anything to say on this subject matter i know we've been going back and forth about the college thing and i know you say you don't takes the kicking game straight out yeah again just real quick start at the 50 it does not take the kicking game out what we saw last night the niners got the ball in the 40 because cardi blew the hitting the the kicking zone do you know who hits the kicking zone every time the landing zone pardon me your guy yeah aubrey well cardi's been a great kicker he just blew it on that it happens and you that's why you don't take the kicking game out like hey let's just start the other day too and i don't i don't think so somebody missed no aubrey's the king of just putting it in the landing zone and making sure you get the ball on the 20 i was saying in terms of last night though and the the idea of the rams taking the ball first stafford was on an ultimate heater last night why do you want to let him sit now and watch for 20 minutes of real time, six minutes of game time of him just sitting on the sideline.
12:44Rich Eisen:Let him go out there, stay hot, march down the field, score a touchdown, put the pressure back on Mac Jones. I just didn't like it. I didn't think McVay had his best night. And, you know, you kind of saw how the game played. You heard him say that the call sucked, which is, you know, what a lot of people say when they watch somebody on their fantasy bench score a bunch of points. Would you have noticed Rico Dattle was sitting there? Man, you're so mad about this. I'm just happy you finally gave me advice. Okay. Do you even know who Rico Dattle is? He doesn't. What team? For who? For who? For the Panthers.
13:18Rich Eisen:Oh, wow. I'm shocked. Did you just look that up? He looked it up. Just looked it up. Let's go to Matt in Maryland. You're here on the Rich Eisen Show. Back to line three, Mr. Dattle. Matt in Maryland. You there, Matt? Yes, I am. Thank you very much for having me. What's going on? Well, I want to set a scene here. We got Baker Mayfield. The Browns gave up on him. He went around. Now he's a superstar. Then you got Sam Darnold. The Jets gave up on him. Then he went around. Now he's a superstar. So I got to ask the question, and I want to follow it up. Part one, how long until teams should stop losing their patience with quarterbacks and give them time to develop?
13:55Rich Eisen:And two, if you were a GM, how long would you wait? Well, we've asked Jared Goff this question himself, another one that you're referring to of being in a spot. And by the way, this coming weekend, the Lions at the Bengals, it'll be the first time that Goff takes the field, having been a Lion longer than he was a Ram, in terms of games started for the teams. So he basically said it should be at least four years you give somebody. Give somebody at least four years. I just don't know how patient people are going to be in that regard. Certainly, thanks for the call, Matt. I mean, things got so bad in New England, it was over for Mac Jones.
14:36Rich Eisen:And it's not his fault. It's not his fault. No, it's squarely on bill. As we just found out. You know what I mean? And there was no way the Jets were sticking with Zach Wilson for another split second. Right.
14:50You know?
14:51Rich Eisen:And it takes a while for a quarterback to figure things out maturing as well. and again that that will be part and parcel of of the browns decision if they ever do go to is he mature enough to go which is why you know the miming stuff doesn't play well for him because that is a conversation that i'm sure one coach will bring up in the room at one point you know it's it's you never know you just have to have a gut and a feel and you have to go for it you got to figure it out sooner rather than later which is why i think shador is going to get a shot unless dylan gabriel's less like screw it i'm not giving this thing up and we're talking about dylan gabriel being the brown savior and bringing the browns quarterback for for a long time to come that could start and be born in london sort of like america you know what i mean well i mean they had to go back to the united states to but it started in london okay very Very good.
15:53Rich Eisen:844-204-RICH is the number to dial. I've got my top five list that will reveal the other games that I'm looking forward to this weekend. See if they match up with yours. Jeremy Piven is here, everybody. We're going to bring him out, stroll down some good, fun television memory lane with him, talk a little bit of sports, and then get everyone else on with the rest of their weekend and their Friday. That's how we're rolling into this break here on the Rich Eisen Show on ESPN Radio presented by Progressive Insurance, Disney Plus, and the ESPN app everywhere.
16:26Rich Eisen:A bandwagon fan. The biggest insult in sports. But this summer, during the FIFA World Cup, it's an invitation, America. Never 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 Lays and jump on the bandwagon. We're undefeated. Lays, the official sponsor of the FIFA World Cup 2026. Save money on your next oil change with O 'Reilly Auto Parts. Get a$15 O 'Reilly gift card after rebate when you buy five quarts of Mobile One full synthetic motor oil for just$35.95.
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17:43Rich Eisen:The Rich Eisen Show podcast. Jeremy Piven is here on The Rich Eisen Show. We don't have it. just to get how we, I will leave with that. But how, how did we do when we threw the first pitch? In my, in my defense, um, you know, most actors are frustrated athletes. I was a five foot nine Jewish linebacker. Um, why is that funny? Why is everyone laughing, Rich? Well, there, there, none of us in the NFL except for Julian Edelman, who's our, all of our spirit animals, another undersized you um uh yeah i listen all the guys were were so great to me and you know one of the things that where we can go wrong in this life is we can we can overthink things and and all i need to get out there was just throw it i was filming my special my stand-up special at the vic theater i was peaking i was up there on the mound you know doing the thing and i've done it before and i and I get it and I don't bounce it and I had 116 different cues from the guys in my head okay and I overthought it and I bounced it and when you hear an entire stadium groan it's it's a problem that's when you know something went wrong but you're not YouTube famous bouncing it you know I mean like bouncing it like 45 feet Obama 50 cent situation yeah you didn't do that sort of that that's the that's the painful part of throwing on a first pitch Jeremy the only reason I didn't do that is I understand the moment yes and I'm not filled with hubris I get like oh this isn't my lane I'm gonna go and get a bunch of practices in yeah and you know I'm hard on myself and it didn't go as well as I wanted okay but that's the way life is and yet you're sitting here and you survived it and you got your stand-up tour again you're going to Sony Hall in New York City in October followed by some dates in Palm Beach in Dallas Texas and then I'm at the Irvine Theater at the beginning of November back in LA, back here, where to get all the guys to come out.
19:33Okay. You'll see if people are real here.
19:35Rich Eisen:Or you can just visit jeremy-piven.com for tickets here on the Rich Eisen Show. Let's just jump into a few things from your history. The Larry Sanders Show is just one of the most perfect television shows of all time. Yeah. What was it like working with Gary Shandling on that show, Jeremy? I was right out of college and I was, I understood immediately, you know, that I'm on the bench and I'm witnessing greatness and I just need to soak it all up. And they were incredible. He was an absolute genius. And I was, it was like, I just was so lucky to be a part of that. I was walking across the parking lot.
20:19Mark Hirschfeld, who cast Seinfeld, approached me and said, would you audition for Seinfeld? I had never seen Seinfeld I didn't have a TV I'm a stage actor from Chicago I still think I'm broke even though I'm on a TV show I'm living in the pool house sure without a TV I'd never seen the show he said you're gonna would you audition for George I said of course I'm not even allowed to audition for I'm on a TV show yes right so I auditioned get get the role do the show I was on Seinfeld and I'd never seen the show right so I was playing George being directed by Larry David and Jason Alexander, three different incarnations of George, and I'd never seen the show.
20:58Rich Eisen:So when you, again, you're referring to the show. The show within the show. The show within the show, where you played the Costanza of the show that was being put on about nothing that George and Jerry had sold to NBC, and you played that George being directed by technically, well, the real George, Jason Alexander, and then Larry David, who George is apparently based on, and you had never seen Seinfeld before. No, never. But I talked to Jason in the parking lot, and so I whipped it. See, I'm still in that journeyman actor mentality right now. Sure. So, like, if you said we have an audition in the parking lot, I'd go, yeah, let's go.
21:38What are we doing? Right. So I just went after it and somehow got lucky and did it. I didn't even understand they were the Beatles because I was just on the show and they were great. I didn't have a TV. So I knew they were a big deal, but I just got to hang with these guys, and they were amazing and great, and I had an incredible time.
21:55Rich Eisen:But you were on the Larry Sanders show at the time. Correct. I was a series regular playing the head writer, and I played that character as if I thought I was not funny at all, but I was the head writer. So I played him in this very tragic way, and it was a blast. Who were some of the guest stars on Larry Sanders that you got to meet that were really like big for you? Because that was the real deal that was coming through as the guest stars on that show. Yeah, I mean, we had everyone, and you have to understand, I'm a huge sports fan, so we had Sugar Ray Leonard, and a lot of people doing the show, and you have to understand, this kicked off original programming at HBO.
22:37Yes. So there are people doing the show who thought it was a talk show. They didn't know it was a fiction, no, literally. Really? And it was incredible. My job on that show was to not break. And that was my only point of concentration was I have to get through this scene and look at Jeffrey Tambor and not laugh. That's all I was thinking. Good luck. Yeah, because everyone was a genius on the show. Yeah, everyone was crushing it. Right. And so I just got to learn a lot. So by the time I was up for Entourage, which is another HBO show, I had, you know, I'd been on stage since I was eight years old.
23:13I started Second City in Chicago with Chris Farley. that's how old i am this is the 90s yes you know what i mean so i had done you know 40 movies before i even started entourage so i was ready all right i'm gonna bite on that one so you're
23:28Rich Eisen:you're doing second city with chris farley yeah what was that like well chris was he'd like no other and you know he you know he he went hard in the paint um you know what i mean and every he was all in in every aspect um but those were the days of dennis rodman who another i don't know why i went there okay so what else i'm loving this no because i went i just thought hard in the paint and that was a guy and i said how do you do it you would hang out with rodman until a million o 'clock and then he would get 11 minutes sleep and pull down 19 rebounds still hammered you know and i'm looking at the tv like this and i'm going how is he doing that you you've experienced this yourself Oh, I was in the belly of the beast with him.
24:11With Rodman? Correct. At like, you know, Crowbar, which is a gay nightclub until a million o 'clock. Are we on the air right now? I can't tell what's happening. I'm telling you too much information. But no, I mean, we need an hour segment because I can unpack everything. My first movie was with your guy, Charlie Sheen.
24:27Rich Eisen:Okay, who was here just yesterday. Yes. Yeah. And so imagine me. I'm a stage actor from Chicago. I just completed my football career. Yes. And people laugh. Why is that funny? my jersey number said linebacker my body said kicker but i was doing fine and then i got to put the pads on again and being lucas charlie sheen comes to town and that's hollywood royalty i'm a huge fan of martin sheen and on day one of our shoot and i'm like oh my god this we get to i'm a paid actor yeah and i'm i'm a football player and he goes dude the only thing that's going to get me through this dude is if I have a 12-pack and a big fat joint dude
Read the full transcript
25:09Rich Eisen:I didn't see that line in Lucas Charlie we're going to get on that 12-pack and that that joint he goes dude I forgot a mic dude that was that was my first day on a set he came out of the womb like that he came out of the womb Just a complete and utter wrecking ball, dude. Yeah, and this is a question about Chris Farley Yeah, I know I have a limited amount of time. No, dude, I'm just going to stay No, Chris was it was a genius from the jump. Do you remember a second city? Skit that you wound up being in with him. Do you have any they separated us? Okay Because we were both a bit out of our minds and so we were in the touring company.
25:51So he went, you know to the east and i went to the west okay yeah jeremy piven here on the richard's show here
25:58Rich Eisen:all right so how you got so you got entourage based off of you you know your hbo time on on larry sanders or that was completely separate i mean no doug ellen i think was had watched larry sanders okay and was a fan of that show um my agent was ari emmanuel so unbeknownst to me i had been i had been a dramature yes and preparing for this role because that role is aria manuel so i i was like oh i know this guy i know i'm inside and out and so by the time the role came up i was i was ready ready like shakespeare says the readiness is all and that was a blast and my character was kind of a fringe player you know he wasn't and you know i had one scene in the pilot and so you you gotta you gotta stay ready and so when when the opportunity arose i like you know i grabbed it dude it was like every scene it was a spinning curve in the zone and you took it to the deep part of the park every single well thank you man you're very welcome that's that's incredible and on on the sports analogies we we would have all these incredible athletes that would come to the show so you know early lebron tom brady and russell wilson said to me one time he said when you act is it um is it a preseason regular season playoffs or super bowl each take and and it sounds really pretentious i was like it's it's the super bowl i i don't know any other way right you know what i mean you've got to go literally all in yeah and you know sometimes that's misunderstood you know and but that's the way life is i i would rather just go all in than be available to schmooze and and do all that there's time for that but i just i got to be locked in because you get one shot i mean the number of times on my instagram algorithm the scene of yours from entourage shows up is non-stop and there was one that popped in the other day of you leaving couples therapy because you just wouldn't countenance being attacked in there and the way you just got out with a sort of a salute and walked off camera was just laugh out loud hilarious that's all doug ellen every word of that is is written by him and and it was it was just a gift to be able to say these but you know my character had to be it it's it's a big compliment that people thought i was improvising yes because that's all acting is you take the written word and you're present and it feels improvisational so the way i got to play was all the physicality and how i portrayed it but i had it was word for word and it was it was an honor and i loved it and ironically now we have this whole new generation of these these guys in their late teens early 20s that have binged it since the pandemic so there's a whole new audience for it and they're out there rebooting everything but entourage no literally saved by the bell there is no bell no one's in school what are we doing literally well you had the movie i mean we had the movie i mean you got the band back together for at least the band back together you know but people people are clamoring for well where is harry gold now where would you say he would be if you could if you could write your character let's do this if we're rebooting entourage where is he in charge of his agency has he crapped out has he burned every bridge like where he's running the studio is he running a studio studio in the movie i you know there's so many different ways to go i think if you're if you're true to that character what we've been through over the past decade him navigating that i think he would have he might have rubbed someone the wrong way you know what i mean maybe a little bit so um you know what i mean flamed out correct and then lloyd would have to be his politically correct consultant who would have to just let's go Ari let's go let's get the pronouns pronouns pronouns your has hasn't been that's your pronoun has no whatever no there you go he just came up with it yes so he would have to probably navigate his way back in i don't know there's so many different ways to go about it and you know i got to work with mike tyson and guys and and creatively get them into a place where they felt comfortable um to do their best work yeah so i think you know ari emmanuel owns the ufc he's running uh you know a sports management company so i think that could we could just take you know a cue from reality which is what we did anyway yeah so i think he would he could be representing a lot of athletes which would which would be really fun yeah um there's a lot of different ways to go rich i think it's fertile ground i love it um and and before we move on a couple other things here jeremy pivot on the rich eisen show uh your favorite soliloquy your favorite uh ari gold scene or soliloquy you get the script from doug allen and you're like i am gonna just chew this up and i'm gonna spit it out and i'm gonna stick the landing on this thing do you have well one of those i i mean every every one of them there was no kind of moment that you take for granted every moment was like okay there's there's there's something here uh a moment that you wouldn't have thought of is my character uh his son doesn't get into private school and so he has to go to the actor dan caslanetta who played homer simpson the voice of homer simpson is very prolific and he he's the headmaster and i have to go to him and you know i think i'm going to strong arm him to get my son into school and he goes it's not your son it's you you're yelling and and so my character gets very emotional and you suddenly get to see this other side to him and doug and i you know it was an interesting moment with us and he's got kids and i you know i i thought he he might have felt the the emotionality you know might might have not been appropriate for that moment what we've seen with ari and i said you got kids you get in the way of your kid's education would that affect you and he said absolutely and that was one of those moments where we all kind of came together and submitted it and i won my first of three emmys for that scene jeremy who's counting me who's caring who's counting you know guys for me if i could personally as jeremy as all these guys know in the early 2000s i was ashton kutcher and i were roommates i'm sorry about that no no it was a very good thing and uh you know i was trying to who described to my friends in Pittsburgh what my life was like, you know, hanging out on the 70s shows that were going to movies.
32:33And it was hard for them to even understand
32:35Rich Eisen:like what my life was like. And then Entourage came out, you know, and I'd be down in the Endeavor offices because he was a client. So I'd always see Ari down there. So that was like, gave me a chance to show my friends, like, you know, this is kind of what my life is. Kind of. Pretty much exactly what my life is. That's exactly what. It was like, he was Vince and I was Turtley and drama all rolled into one you know and so for me entourage was just like my way of showing my boys like you know this is what's up right now out here with me well thank you i appreciate that um i i think you know people felt listen if we got it wrong we would have known you know we would have known about it and i think and i appreciate that there's there's an authenticity to that and i think people kind of miss that you know um the number one show last year on netflix was the roast of tom brady yes you know um and people really kind of dropped the gloves for that and it was raunchy and funny and i think people just need to laugh right now more than ever and the sooner people everyone gets that the better for all of us and that's why again you're you're you're going around the world in the country and on your stand-up tour jeremy-piven.com for tickets on that before i let you go one last one for you here heat with robert de niro yes okay walk me through that scene working with robert de niro that where you're the doctor a little bit before that again journeyman actor i'm waiting to audition one hour two hour and it hit the three hour mark where you're sitting there i've got one scene and you're just running your lines and i just kept saying to myself if you hold it together you get to post up against michael jordan you know what i mean that's literally it yes and so i held it together and an actor broke and he threw the casting assistant up against the wall people started losing it because after a couple hours you know you start to snap um i got in there um the great michael man was there and i auditioned for him and got lucky and and got the role and then you knew it would be playing with de niro yes prior to prior to auditioning for this yes that's why i said that's why i said michael george you understood yeah so you know for me being a chicago actor and with a background in sketch comedy and whatnot i'm ready the moment there's a pause in the action the director doesn't yell cut i'm still going and so i just start improvising with de niro and so that's how i have a career is just kind of keeping it going so now i'm improvising with de niro and having the time of my life and it was everything that you could ever imagine and more and now they're doing the sequel yeah yes so before we get to that even i mean um what what made it that you you ad-lib with de niro do you remember like what what what actually made the movie oh yeah like everything else i've ever done if you look at rush hour that entire scene was improvised buttercream buttercream cracks Skin buttercream.
35:37What's below the waist? Mystery meat. Let's go in. Hey, sweetness. That's all improvised. I made$270 for that. Wow. For that role. Chris Tucker and Jackie Chan each made$20 million. That's why I'm bitter, guys. This is why I'm bitter. What made it into the De Niro scene was my daughter gave me that shirt. Everything I said, you know, I just kept improvising. That was not scripted. No, no, no, no. because you got your backstory and and so if they don't yell cut you just keep talking you know that's that's how you know they don't say there are no small roles like there aren't it's your job it may be awkward for them de niro may be angry in the moment why is this kid still talking but you know what i mean you never know what's going to happen and what do you say to you when the scene was over i well i can't i you know we're live so i can't say some of the things And if you look at that scene, he's just dropping F-bombs on me.
36:33Yeah, right. And so that's how he went. That's how he plays. And he's the GOAT. And, you know, you can do one of two things. You can either freeze up or you can just let it go. Nerves are an energy, and then you just start playing.
36:49Rich Eisen:That your daughter gave me that. Yeah. I love it because that's a line that I remember from the movie. Primitive War is available today on VOD, starring this man. um jeremy piven also going to new york back here in los angeles the vic theater in chicago back in june was a stand-up special that's coming soon to a television set near you the palm beach improv and then see him in dallas uh next year as well jeremy-piven.com for tickets thanks for coming on brother thank you for having me we just scratched the surface yes best of luck well may more w's be flown yes uh in wrigley field if not uh yes in milwaukee we're up the toll road What's significant?
37:29I don't know if they'll have me back because last time I did the seventh inning stretch, they said, do your signature catchphrase. And I said, let's hug it out, b****. And it was Father's Day. And the Cubs haven't invited me back. There we go. Wait a minute. Look at this. Look at that. Okay. Okay. We're doing something there.
37:45Rich Eisen:I mean, the ball is getting your, like, are you running through the curve? Are you spinning this? Like, what are you doing? You know, I, again. That's not bad. You know, it was. You're rocking back. Listen, I need to make it back to Wrigley. You know, I need to right the wrongs. Let's go. I don't know if the footwear was a great choice. I mean, you don't have any socks on or anything? I've got some socks, man. I'm a bit of a slave to fashion, Rich. I'm not going to lie to you. I wanted the ankles. I wanted the ankles showing, you know? Are you quoting her Aldous Chapman now? Just kidding. Well, I am like a Cuban baseball player in the way that I'm in total denial of my age.
38:28You know what I mean? How old is he? Wait, he's been playing for 40 years. He's been playing long. He's got like six percent of body fat. That is funny. He's built like Ray Lewis.
38:38Rich Eisen:How terrifying would that be? Yeah. And he comes at 104 miles an hour or something like that? But he's got some time off. Let's go, Yankees. Ladies and gentlemen, Jeremy Piven with a mic drop, everybody. There we go. At Jeremy Piven on Instagram. Again, Jeremy-Piven.com for tickets to see this man as you see him on the screen. Back on The Rich Eisen Show to wrap this up in a second. Sir.
39:06Rich 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. N.M. L.S. 696891. Fast funds. Terms apply at SoFi.com slash debt play. While the world watches the stars at the FIFA World Cup this summer, Hyundai has its eyes on the next generation of talent.
39:42Rich Eisen:Future stars who are already turning heads at age 14. because Next doesn't wait for an invitation, and neither do we. Hyundai has always moved the future within reach. We did it when we made advanced safety standard on every vehicle and engineered EVs with ultra-fast charging capability because the future isn't some far-off concept. It's already here. Next starts now. Hyundai, an official partner of FIFA. The Rich Eisen Show, the podcast. Back on The Rich Eisen Show here on ESPN Radio. presented by Progressive Insurance. As everyone knows here, the logo of the show is me running the 40-yard dash in my suit.
40:23Rich Eisen:So you know I care deeply about pediatric cancer research and awareness. As I do that run for charity for exactly that, which means our relationship with Hyundai Perfect for the Hyundai Hope on Wheels that you might not be familiar about for over 27 years. Every Hyundai Sold has helped fund life-saving pediatric cancer research together with over 850 dealers nationwide. They've raised more than$277 million, supporting over 25 ,000 kids in their fight against cancer. At Hyundai, hope isn't optional. It comes standard. Visit HyundaiUSA.com and search Hyundai Hope on Wheels to learn more. All right.
41:01Rich Eisen:Speaking of Hyundai, they bring you today's top five, as I always give you on Friday, the other five games that I'm looking forward to seeing for the upcoming week that just started. my top five matchups of week number five. In other words, presented by Hyundai. High five. One, two, three, four, five. Rich's top five. All right. Number five on the list is the Sunday night football game. Normally it's a little higher, but I need to see it to believe that this is going to be a tight one that a lot of people think it could be because of the way Drake May has played, the way that the Bills could get got.
41:39Rich Eisen:Maybe the, you know, the Bills could get got. The Saints gave him a scare in that building last week. And Drake Mays walking through that door playing really good football. Really good football. If they don't turn it over, can they give Josh Allen a run for his money? There you go. There's your crux. I'm talking about it. On Sunday Night Football, Patriots, Bills is number five on the list. I like it. Number four is just up the road. Jaden Daniels is playing his first, I think he's saying his first career game with a knee brace on. And he doesn't have Terry McLaurin. He doesn't have Noah Brown.
42:11Rich Eisen:he doesn't have austin eckler this would have been a return game for him to take on the charges a revenge game for him he's out and you know again um you could sit here and say the commanders are undermanned or you could sit here and say this could be a sofi uh week five sort of i i guess a narrative where team that's banged up comes in and beats the home team so we'll see how the charges bounce back against the commanders after losing to jackson dart and the Giants last week. That can't sit well with them. That's a late window game on Fox. Number three is the Monday Nighter we've been talking about with Xavier Worthy on Thursday and with Travis Etienne in our number two.
42:51Rich Eisen:Chiefs-Jaguars. Jaguars 3-1. They beat the Niners. Only team to beat the Niners so far. How about them, Apples? And then the Chiefs turned a corner, starting 0-2. They're now 2-2. They look terrific. They looked championship quality last week against the Baltimore Ravens. Now the Jaguars are going to sell out that stadium and the whole country is going to be watching duval go nuts it's all on and crack taylor swift has her new album out xander stayed up late last night to listen to it and it's all coming up roses literally figuratively okay very good number two on this list is bucks seahawks three and one versus three and one the nfc south leader taking on the nfc west contender to try and get a piece of the nfc west lead they wouldn't be in first because Because as we know, the Niners did win in week one in Seattle, as Baker Mayfield and the Buccaneers would like to do coming off of that loss to the Eagles.
43:48Rich Eisen:They will not have Bucky Irving, however. And we'll see how that goes. Late window on CBS. Number one. Number one. The bandwagon has been full for the Denver Broncos. And for them to tell everybody that has been on their bandwagon, smart choice. Handing the Eagles their first loss of the season. Would be the way to do it. They do have the horses, if you will. See what I want. Come on now. They do have the horses on the back end of the defense to keep A.J. Brown frustrated. Keep that passing game down. Get everybody in the link murmuring. Dare I say booing. They have that sort of defense to set things up.
44:32Rich Eisen:The running game to keep Jalen Hurts off the field. i'm giving you the roadmap of there being a potential upset that's my top matchup of week number five here on the rich isaac show one more thank you so much it's got to be with the cowboys coming no no no no it's i'm gonna do one uh do one for the team here on nfl network first window of football vikings browns it's the first career start for dylan gabriel against a vikings defense that loves to blitz. He better be ready. They better have a plan. What's that offense going to look like? And then Carson Wentz. Carson Wentz, sir, you best have your running shoes on because did you hear who is not playing in this game?
45:14Rich Eisen:The starting center, the backup center, the right guard, right tackle and left guard. They're all out. Oh, no. That's right. Oh, no. So the offensive line is going to see the Grim Reaper standing there with Mason Graham. It's going to be an interesting one. Queshawn Judkins coming downhill at him. He got sacked six times last week. So tune in to NFL Network to see what happens. And those are my top five matchups of week number five. Thanks for listening to the Rich Eisen Show podcast. You can watch and listen to the Rich Eisen Show live weekdays from noon to three Eastern on ESPN Radio, Disney Plus, and on the ESPN app.
45:50Rich Eisen:The Rich Eisen Show, the podcast.
45:59Rich Eisen:You know when you're locked in, focused and fearless. Welcome to the WNBA. Your vision narrows. You can't look away. Every assist, every stop, every logo three. From beyond the logo. Every did you see that moment. You bet. What records are going to be broken this season? All of it right here. Lock in. It's the WNBA on ESPN. All season long. you
From the publisher
Rich recaps the Rams falling to 3-2 after their overtime loss on Thursday Night Football against the 49ers, and previews NFL Week 5’s top games including Patriots vs Bills, Commanders vs Chargers, Chiefs vs Jaguars, Buccaneers vs Seahawks, Broncos vs Eagles, and Vikings vs Browns.
Actor/comedian Jeremy Piven joins Rich in studio where they discuss his upcoming stand-up tour, his Chicago sports fandom, shares his favorite stories from being on ‘The Larry Sanders Show,’ ‘Seinfeld,’ ‘Entourage,’ doing improv with Chris Farley, and partying with Dennis Rodman, and reveals that he improvised much of his memorable scene opposite Robert De Niro in ‘Heat.’
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