Hour 3: Rams GM Les Snead, Baseball Unwritten Rules

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1:21Rich Eisen: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. Our YouTube channel. Subscribe at youtube.com slash Rich Eisen Show and you'll never miss a moment. Now, on with the show. This is The Rich Eisen Show. Our long national nightmare is over. From the Rich Eisen Show studio in Los Angeles. Where is A-A-Rom? I know the world was saying all types of different things. I kind of knew for two weeks.

2:05Rich Eisen:Earlier on the show, Jaguars head coach Liam Cohen. Notre Dame football head coach Marcus Freeman. Coming up, Rams general manager Les Snead. And now, it's Rich Eisen. Guys, you ready to make some money? Yeah. Whoa. Yeah. Because we've got the Warren Buffett of the National Football League joining us right now, according to the Wall Street Journal. Whoa. Yeah, I don't know if you know that. I didn't. According to the Wall Street Journal, that's Les Snead. Whoa. Yeah. Yeah, yeah, yeah. And he's joining us here on the program. What's up, Les? Hey, Les. Hey, Les. How are you? You know, I did happen to see that.

2:44I checked my bank account, and I'm pretty certain that there's a big difference between his and mine.

2:49Rich Eisen:Yeah, I don't know what's happening. I mean, there's commas and zeros. You don't ever believe headlines. Commas and zeros. I had no idea. You're the Warren Buffett of the NFL. All right. Fantastic. Guys, ready? All right. What do we got? What do we got? What do we got? Coca-Cola. You're investing? Notes. Hey, invest in AI. Oh. Or how about AD? How about investing in AD? Huh? How about Aaron Donald? You're investing in AD. How about that? Change the ID and let's do that. You're a genius, man. Way to sign him. Congrats. Football's pretty simple. someone that can change the map rush the passer yeah i've listen i'll just tell you this he's he's everything that you're looking for if in case you're wondering you know you know you got him understand okay how's the same page how does he look any like same guy to you does he look like that to you he really does i think it was i think the part that uh impressed me yesterday even seeing him at the podium you could see that joy it was almost like He was a couple years younger, just that look of like, okay, I'm back.

3:54I'm a part of a team. I'm ready to go sit at my locker in the locker room. Just to see that joy, I think the perspective of sitting out sometimes, when you do something your whole life and then there's that cliff of that's over, that part of my life basically dies. But to get a chance to come do it again, I think that you can see that perspective

4:19Rich Eisen:ooze from his body language well you know the the process less let's walk walk me through it here because you know you and i have been on the anti-duke pod before it seems like you were you slow playing the hand here you didn't want to force it right you also didn't want to get sucked out on the river here where uh all of a sudden you don't have them because you pushed them like what was it like over the last month i think we took the approach and him and shown have a really relationship but there was never a moment where we were recruiting him uh right and i think sean sean has said it many times before you know aaron owed us nothing he gave us the los angeles rams everything he had for four decades so this was just a matter of whether aaron wanted to do it and then knowing aaron aaron was only going to do it if he felt like he could do it at a level that was close to where he was at when he left and he had to go through his process which is grueling it's probably a lot harder than that he went to he went to Aaron Donald basic training for the summer uh determined whether he thought he could come back and make an impact and and uh he walked in the building yesterday and said let's do this thing now when you were chasing down Miles Garrett which you you know you were telling me the last time we were on one after the Garrett trade that it was a caper you've been cultivating for seasons you know that finally landed did you at any point in time less sit there and think if i get miles that potentially does light a pilot light underneath aaron donald did that cross your mind at all that was i think i mentioned someone this morning that wasn't even a dream it was uh that was that occurred organically and naturally so but it wasn't something we planned for at all.

6:06But I do think all that we had done, and with Miles being the cherry on top, is what may have ignited that fire to begin burning within Aaron to say, you know what? Maybe I want to be a part. I mentioned the Sean yesterday, right? I think it was the players, now his teammates. They were a big part of him coming back. I think his relationship with Sean. They have such a special one. They did a lot of hard things together. And I think because of their bond, that was one of the reasons he said, I want to jump back in. And also I give credit to our ownership, Stan Kroenke, Josh, their family for going, okay, this is a rare opportunity.

6:52We're one of your pillars, one of the best Rams of all time, a Mount Rushmore figure for the Rams is still of age to play and wants to come back. And they allowed this to happen as well. So I think it took a lot. It's going to be a meaningful journey, and it's because of the people.

7:11Rich Eisen:Well, who was the first one to tell you then this was possible? How did you first learn that Donald was interested, Les? You know, I do think when we did sign Miles, there was maybe some social media post that he kind of was flirting with it. But I do know this. he reached out uh to sean and and mentioned that okay i know i know that's hey that's the metaverse that's a post uh but he that he was seriously thinking about this so from that from that from that beginning i would call it initial conversation text uh it you know it grew into a reality and then sean calls you up and goes hey man guess what is that how it worked you i think he probably yes he or either called me down to the office said hey you won't believe this i just got off the phone with Aaron Donald and he might be serious about this but and that was that was in that was in May that was it during the spring but we knew it was going to be a process because Aaron was like okay I and I I think there was probably a couple times during the summer in July where Aaron said okay I'm gonna I'm gonna I'm gonna dive into this I'm gonna train really hard to figure out if my body can handle it and at that point I think Sean and I knew okay wait a minute this This is becoming more reality than a dream, per se.

8:32Rich Eisen:Well, I mean, and part of the benefit, too, Les, as you know, and I know this is part of your philosophy, I don't know if this is the Warren Buffett-ish thing here or not, but when you add Miles Garrett in Aaron Donald, that's one thing, but when you add one in June and one in almost September, your competition can't make any adjustments. They can't add somebody to fight fire with fire. they don't there's there's only there's you can't add two unicorns let alone one sometimes you know so um that's a benefit to you as well right like that that that donald did take another month to make this decision like the timing is perfect in that respect you know what i think during these uh football seasons and they're long they're 17 weeks you know plus the bonus rounds but during during the course of this journey, every team's going to have some good luck, good fortune, and every team's going to have some bad luck, bad fortune that's unexpected, that's around the corner, some version of a black swan that you don't know is coming.

9:34And sometimes it's good, sometimes it's bad. This is something that's fortunate for us, right? There's probably a lot of teams out there with players who've retired, but, oh, by the way, if they wanted to come back, maybe they are 51 years old and they can't do that now. So it is interesting that, okay, we're in 2026. We were able to finally acquire Miles Garrett along with everything else we've done, along with bringing back Matthew Stafford and all the players on his side of the ball. And guess what? Aaron Donald still is of age to play good football.

10:08Rich Eisen:And he does, when I said, what does he look like? You went with the personal and seeing what he looked like from the podium with joy. what does he look like to you when you see him out on a field he definitely looks very similar to who he was uh for sure so and and that's that's in shorts he'll tell you let's get in pads and let's find out from there we'll take it day by day uh you know one day at a time from there but he is and i think we've all seen uh if you follow football in a sense seems like once a month or once every three months, there's always a pretty good Aaron Donald workout video.

10:45Some version that would come out. So he is someone who, he didn't go sit on the couch in retirement. He was always someone who was going to prioritize working out in some fashion. He would tell you that's different than football shape, and that's what he's been trying to get into. But he was not going to come into this thing, let's call it fat and happy.

11:05Rich Eisen:We're not talking about you not giving Stafford any extra pieces for 2026. anymore are we less we're talking about that in this meeting you know we want to make the most of the the matthew era we're fortunate to have him right playing at the level that he is paired with with our head coach who's at the level he is those two that that combination uh has done their thing and and as we all know it's not just quarterback quarterback is very important uh but there's 22 others on the field and 53 in the locker room and let's call it 70 if you add your practice squad and all those things. It's going to take all of us, but we definitely want to make the most right of having a quarterback who's playing at an MVP level.

11:47That's our responsibility, and that's what we're trying to do.

11:50Rich Eisen:Well, listen, and obviously Stafford, Les, is the MVP for good reason and what he did last year and how everything's set. The table looks wired. Again, I keep going to these gambling phrases, but the table looks wired, and now you've just got to hit the point. your backup quarterback position. You know, Jimmy G's been sitting there and all of his experience, and you've got two guys who've really haven't done it in the pros. You've got a rookie behind Stetson Bennett. What do you say to fans who are genuinely concerned if you've got to go in those directions, Les? You know, I think, guess what?

12:25To earn it, I guess to gain experience, you've got to earn it. And whether it was Jimmy Garoppolo or Matthew Stafford, At one time, they didn't have game experience, and they were afforded the chance, and they made the most of it. So that's what you have to do. It's on us to prepare those players. I do think in Stetson's case, it's been very beneficial to sit behind Matthew and Jimmy, learn this offense, get closer to mastering it over the last so many years, and you go play preseason football. And the same for Ty. Give Ty credit for coming in as a rookie and really, really prioritizing preparation so that, you know, he could get as close to mastering this thing as you can as a rookie, which you probably can't.

13:12And then you make the most of the reps you get. And if you're caught upon, it'll be on us to rally around either one of those two to keep the train going.

13:22Rich Eisen:But you're confident going into the season with those two guys behind Stafford. Okay. How's my guy Korn looking? You know what, Blake has done – had a really good camp. Him and Kyron both had good camps, and we like that one-two punch, good Notre Dame-Michigan punch. Usually y 'all don't get along, but in our case, they do get along. I think I saw Marcus might have been on the show earlier. So we had a little Notre Dame flavor. But going back to Michigan, Blake, they may be of similar height. They're shorter running backs, but they bring two different skill sets to the table, and we definitely want to make the most of them.

14:03And Garrett's health, any concerns there coming into the season? No concerns. Right now we want to get him ready for this 17-week journey and hopefully with the vision of earning some more ops after those guaranteed 17. So we're using our sports science to prepare him for the journey ahead.

14:23Rich Eisen:And how's Puka's health and also just a general mindset and off-the-field situations coming into this season? He's definitely getting closer to returning to practice. And again, that's what we've done in training camp. When you have some players that may get a nick or a knack, not necessarily to rush them back, Puka's resume speaks for itself. So instead of rushing them back for practice, we'll be patient with them so that when things start mattering and we're getting closer, those preseason games are over now. We're getting closer when it really matters. And that's the vision. Always love Puka's journey right from the end of last year to now and some of the bumps that he went through.

15:09But I do appreciate how he attacked that part of his life. And he knows it's going to be ongoing, but I love the way he attacks life and attacks trying to improve and get to where he wants to go.

15:22Rich Eisen:Okay. And again, oh, by the way, Devontae Adams is on this team, which is the dumbest thing I may have ever said into this microphone. Like, oh, by the way, right? Who are we not talking about? That is a Devontae. What a campaign. Sometimes I think it's we've seen it where you have some attrition, like with Puka not practicing and more Devontae practicing. seeing uh it's been fun to see him and matthew get on a page where let's call it a different page than if puka and him are out there where sean can move davante around so uh you you really start to appreciate right the skill sets that he brings to the table as a player that we've all seen for i'm pretty certain that he's going to be one of those guys that that gets a yellow jacket at some point here no i'm of course that that's no doubt who we not talking about fifth sixth or seventh i know No, it's crazy.

16:12Devontae Adams is seventh batter.

16:14Rich Eisen:It's crazy, man. Got one next to the Little League team. Well, it's like the Dodgers. Well, I guess last one for you. Who are we not talking about? Who's on this roster that you're proud to have either acquired, found, drafted, or signed that we're not talking about that you're like, I can't wait to see this guy? This is the obvious one probably. The obvious one probably is how the offseason started, and that's Trent McDuffie, right? We sent a first-round pick to one of the better corners in the league. And I understand why we didn't bring him up because of the players you did bring up. Take Trent out of it.

16:50Take whether it's Jalen Watson solidifying some of our corner play. This is going to be a long year. We talk about it a lot. There's going to be some adversity along the way. There's going to be some moments where we're probably sitting in the belly of that well. You mentioned Stetson. You mentioned Ty. We're hoping we don't get there, but there's going to be some players that we're not talking about that we're going to have to rely on at some point along the way during this journey. And it'll be on all of us to get closer during that time so that the collective stays strong, even though that maybe there could be some, let's call it kinks in the armor, as some of the players are hopefully just healing up for a couple weeks versus maybe a season end or something like that.

17:40But that adversity occurs. Every team's going to go through it. Some are going to go through it more than others. So there's some players that we hadn't talked about that's going to come off the bench and definitely make a contribution.

17:51Rich Eisen:Yeah, man. I mean, again, you're as clear-eyed as anybody else in this profession. And, you know, you and everybody else who does it for a living at the high level that you do it knows that these bumps come and all that business. But I'm just wondering, again, you're not an emotional guy, but I'll ask it anyway. Is this – how would you describe your emotions right now going into the season? You've set the table. The table could not be more set right now from your position, what you have done for a Super Bowl that will be played in your building. And you won the last one. I mean, Donald pointed to a ring in the last one, and now he's come back.

18:30Rich Eisen:I mean, what's going through your skull right now as we're about to kick off? Going through your skull, we do know that here's what's awesome. Okay. The offseason's about over the season, and the season matters more, and the offseason matters a lot more. We're jacked that that's around the corner, and we're going to start keeping score for real. We're all aware that this journey in 2026 is going to be meaningful, But what makes it meaningful is really the people and the relationships we just talked about, whether it's coaching staff, players, whether it's more known players or whether it's someone that's going to start the season on practice squad and we're going to have to activate and it's going to make or play a key role, a contributing role to keep the train going.

19:12So we're well aware of the meaning of this journey and we definitely want to embrace it and we're going to attack it and have fun doing it.

19:19Rich Eisen:Has the market gone up with, before I say goodbye to the Warren Buffett of NFL front offices? Has the market gone up while we've been talking to Les? Yeah, it's ticked up a few times. See, look at you. You don't even know how you're a factor. Les, well done. Thank you, Les. Thank you. Appreciate it. I think there's a few people, right? I think when they have an interest rates press conference, that probably affects the market a little more than our conversation. See, but you're keeping your eye on everything. You're generally managing, and I appreciate it. You're the best, man. Thanks for the time.

19:48Rich Eisen:You be well. I appreciate you having me. You're the man. That's Les Snead, everybody. See you, Les. I'm in the Los Angeles Rams. There he goes. There he goes. Portfolios are all up. Invest in AI. Invest in AD. What about AD? I like that better. Dude. I like AD better than AD. Quote, unquote, we're jacked. Cool. Like he is. How can you not be? How can you not be? All right, we got trouble at the cornerback spot. Let's take a first round choice, flip it for Trent McDuffie at age 25. Let's get Jalen Watson as well. Let's bring some of these other guys back. Let's see if we can try and pry loose Miles Garrett.

20:29Rich Eisen:We've been cultivating that caper for years. It was apparently, what, two, three years ago? You were saying they first started talking about it? Okay, fine, let's bring him in. And then let's get Aaron Donald's pilot lit and get Stafford re-signed. everybody else just because we can't quit him i didn't mention that let's get 2-2 at well back because they can't quit 2-2 right you know what i mean can't quit him i said 2-2 yeah second time around let's get 2-2 twice okay you know what i mean two running backs not one but two running back like quorum wears 22 it's like the noah's art Okay. He wore two at Michigan with Kyron Williams.

21:16Rich Eisen:Fun. I said two. And by the way, Devontae Adams. Oh, he's still there. Yeah. And they did try to trade him the soft season. I know that. But that's – and honestly, that's Les. Les is like, you know what, love him, love the – Well, they were kicking tires on A.J. Brown. He removes a lot of emotion from this. That's why I'm like, so what are you feeling right now? Yeah. Because if you're a GM, you're trying to – and that's why I asked him about the backup quarterback. Well, I think a lot of people assume that, oh, you know, it'll be fine. These kids will have it out, but then we'll just bring Jimmy G back.

21:48Rich Eisen:I don't know. Maybe Stetson Bennett's ready. Maybe. Or we won't see him at all. 844-204-RICH, number to dial. When we come back, we pour one out for the Boston Red Sox. Announced team. Season's over? No, the announced team. We pour one out because there was some feelings. Got to edit. Where is A.A. Ron right now? Here, Coach.

22:18Quick break to tell you some game time tips. When you're hosting during football season, you've got to be ready for every kind of craving. Somebody wants fresh pizza. Somebody wants crispy wings. Somebody's asking if there's sliders. That's when you need more than one call on the playbook. Frigidaire offers ranges and wall ovens with over 15 cooking modes so you can tackle hosting with confidence. There's Stone Baked Pizza for restaurant-quality pizza in as little as two minutes. Air fry mode for crispy favorites and air sous vide for juicy tender sliders. Plus there's slow cook, no preheat and more.

22:48Stone baked pizza and air fry, both built right in your oven. That's the game time MVP combo. So when you're hosting before kickoff, Frigidaire helps you cover every craving. Available at the Home Depot. Outdoers get more done. Only when using stone baked pizza mode, cook time requires preheat and reheat and may vary based on ingredients. The greats don't shy away from change. They attack it head on with confidence, preparation and a clear strategy. KPMG LLP and their transformation professionals work with organizations across industries using their advanced AI to help them move faster, work smarter, and adapt with purpose.