The Best of The Dan Patrick Show

00:00:00
Speaker 1: You are listening to the Dan Patrick Show on Fox Sports Radio.

00:00:04
Speaker 2: Albert Breer is the Monday Morning quarterback senior NFL reporter, and he joins this. Now, Albert, I was so curious about when the NFL was building its schedule. How long is this process and how do you start how do you finish?

00:00:21
Speaker 3: Well?

00:00:21
Speaker 4: First of all, happy for youth birthday, Dan.

00:00:24
Speaker 3: Thank you, thank you.

00:00:25
Speaker 4: Yeah, it actually starts like the minute the regular season ends, because at that point of course we know who's playing who. And you know, this has changed over the years. I remember when I first started doing this story, and you know, Peter King did it at such a high level for so many years and covering all of this, but it almost seemed like at first it was like, you know, when I first started doing this, it was sort of like a tournament almost the way that they would narrow it and narrow it and narrow it. And it's not really that way anymore. They run like a hard to call number of combinations through their computers and through you know what they do with aws, and you know, I what they wind up what they spit out about six thousand what they would call playable schedules, right like based on all the filters they have and everything else. And then you know, from those six thousand, they narrow that down and they find what they call the leader, and then over the last couple of weeks, you know, the leader is pitted against other schedules where they actually go through it like by hand and compare one to the next, and can you beat the leader?

00:01:35
Speaker 3: And the leader usually gets the leader.

00:01:37
Speaker 4: Might get knocked off, and then another schedule becomes the leader, and now you try to beat that one until you come up with what you you end up with, which was you know, Tuesday Afternoon, I believe it was. They had the final final edition that they had.

00:01:50
Speaker 2: But how do you keep score of you got a leader in the clubhouse? And then a how does another schedule get better than the one that you think is going to be the Well, I.

00:02:00
Speaker 4: Think it's like, you know, you you go through it and then you troubleshoot, like, okay, like here are five issues because none of us gonna be perfect, right, so here are five issues that we have with this schedule and is there one that could solve those issues?

00:02:12
Speaker 3: And then you know.

00:02:13
Speaker 4: It's like, all right, well those five issues are solved, but now there are seven issues over here, you know, So I think they try to get it to the point where there are enough, where there are there there there is perfect enough, I guess is the way to put it. And look like I think the huge part of this, as you know, is like how they've you know, like how many demands they have from their partners now from the networks, from the streaming partners. Like I try to explain this to people, you know, I think if you go back fifteen or twenty years, there were tiers to how much these were these costs the networks, right, so in other words, like ESPN was paying x amount less for Monday Night Football than what you know, NBC was playing paying for Sunday Night Football. So it was very easy for the NFL to go to ESPN say, well, you know, NBC is paying this much more than you are, so you know tough, you know, like you're gonna get a worse schedule now, I'd say, you know, especially with the latest rounds of negotiations, those numbers are closer, and everybody's paying an astronomical amount to broadcast these games, and you want them to keep paying that amount. So like they're trying to keep everybody happy, and there's more equity I think across the board, which is why they've turned every game into a free agent, which is why they're more you know, like they put like a higher level of demands on teams. Like I don't know if you sell the Rams schedule, but it is a gauntlet when it comes to travel in short weeks and all that different stuff. You know, it's why Like if you look at it now, and this is I mean, you remember there was a time Dame when everybody played at least one primetime game. Well now there are more primetime games, but there are more teams maxing out too.

00:03:54
Speaker 3: There are eight teams and I can name them.

00:03:55
Speaker 4: I can pull them up here. There are eight teams that Matt they're playing either six or seven primetime games. I guess these would be the marquee teams right. Those eight are the Cowboys, Eagles, Bears, Packers, Seahawks, Bills, Chiefs, and Rams. Meanwhile, there are five teams the Jets, Titans, Raiders, Cardinals, and Dolphins that aren't playing any primetime.

00:04:15
Speaker 3: Games as well.

00:04:17
Speaker 4: So like the rules of engagement here have changed.

00:04:21
Speaker 3: And you know, I think as if March Manning is with the Raiders. Yeah, this year, the Raiders have a primetime game.

00:04:29
Speaker 2: Oh yeah, yeah, but Fernando Mendoza is not going to get it.

00:04:33
Speaker 3: We don't know when he's going to play. You don't know what he's gonna play.

00:04:35
Speaker 4: Yeah, right, Like so if you're going to put them in a primetime window, you might do it later in the year and you can always flex and that sort of thing. But yeah, I mean, it's it's you know, that's a huge part of it, you know, you know, I think it's just it's the curb appeal of each of these teams. And it's it's not like necessarily getting you or I because we're probably gonna be sitting there on the couch anyway watching the games. You know, it's it's how do you get like the AuAl f the more casual fan engaged. And you know a lot of times with the teams that are further down the line, that are worse teams, you know, like you have to have something that you can kind of wrap your arms around from a storyline perspective, and you know, those five teams like I, you know, you can see where the storylines are sort of lacking with.

00:05:20
Speaker 2: Those would you have opened up with Seattle facing New England in a Super Bowl remat.

00:05:27
Speaker 4: This is an interesting question because I think you do.

00:05:29
Speaker 3: Like I've gotten a lot.

00:05:31
Speaker 4: Of questions over the last twenty four hours on like how much the Vrabel storyline has to do with this.

00:05:36
Speaker 3: I actually think it might now.

00:05:39
Speaker 4: I asked Hans Schroeder, who's you know, the head of broadcasting in the NFL, about this yesterday and he said it didn't But if you want to be a cynic about.

00:05:47
Speaker 3: This, yeah, I don't think they would be honest with you on that, Albert.

00:05:50
Speaker 4: Yeah, I mean I don't need and if you want to be a cynic about it, like like, it's the same thing with the Super Bowl. You know, you got everybody bitching in moment out who the halftime show is every year. Again, that's not about like the football fan. That's about pulling in the casual viewer. And I think you know, if you put Mike Brable in the the the in that Wednesday night slot, there might be some curiosity from people like that don't really follow the league like you or I do, that are like, oh yeah, like I remember that story back in May and June. Maybe I won't go out for that Hike. You know, this afternoon, maybe I will sit down and watch football this afternoon because I want to see I want like an update on where things are with that guy that I was paying so much attention to and my social media was plastered with through you know, April and May. If you want to be a cynic, you can look at it that way, where you could say, okay, if it was the Patriots or the Bears, like the Patriots might have more appeal to the casual fan because of the tabloid nature of the story that we've all been you know, like it seems like America has been locked in on over the last month or so. You know, I personally think from a football perspective, the Bears might have been the more interesting team.

00:07:05
Speaker 3: It's a bigger market, you know, And I agree with Caleb.

00:07:08
Speaker 4: There's like more curiosity with Caleb Williams that the Super Bowl wasn't very competitive, So do you want to see that again? You know, I think from a pure football perspective, Chicago might have actually made more sense.

00:07:21
Speaker 3: But as we all know, it's it's bigger than just that.

00:07:24
Speaker 2: I am curious about football night in America. Somebody is going to do a sit down with Mike Grabel. I'm going to guess getting ready to show you that game. I'm curious how much of this off the field, that Diana Russini portion of this Mike Grabel's story can come up in an interview that is maybe not football related, it's almost football adjacent. So can you if you send Jason Garrett to do a sit down, you know, one on one, Yeah, what can you add ask that would be pertinent to the actual game itself while also acknowledging that this has to have been a distraction this right, you know, he left the last day of the draft to go to counseling.

00:08:14
Speaker 3: So how do you make it a sports.

00:08:16
Speaker 4: Story if I was on the other end, if I was sitting across from him in that setting, and I'm Jason Garrett or I'm Rodney Harrison or whoever else. First of all, I think part of it is relative to whether or not he's done the whatever you want to call it, the Today Show interview between now and then, right, because if he has actually sat down and addressed it in full, it'd be easier for you, if you're NBC, to just say, well, we've all moved on from that he's addressed it. If he hasn't addressed it by then, then I think it becomes the elephant in the room if you don't address it right like, because if it's still sitting out there, something that hasn't been you know, fully vetted or gone through in that sort of setting, and you're the first one to get in one on one sins this happened, then I think it becomes the elephant in the room if you don't address it, you know. So I think like just from you know, having been in those sorts of seats before and you know, interviewing people in these sorts of settings, it does.

00:09:21
Speaker 3: Part of it does ride on how.

00:09:22
Speaker 4: Much of the subject matter has already been covered, you know. And then I think the other piece of it is just kind of like you know, you you if you want to keep it in the football context, like the football context of it is relatively easy, like how did does this affect, you know, the way that you did your job in April and May and June, And how did it affect your relationship with your players? And you've preached about, you know, about family and welcome so many people's you know, spouses and children into the building and you've made it that environment, Like, has this in any way affected your ability to do that? Like, I think that there are there are fair questions, and look like Mike's a logical guy. Mike's a really smart guy. I think Mike deep down is a really good, really good guy. You know, I really believe that I've known him since he was a player, Like I think I think it's he's a really good human being, you know, Like at his core, I think he understands that this sort of question is going to come, you know, and I think he's smart enough to navigate it. And uh, you know, if we could all be grown ups about it, Like, I think he would answer questions on it. Now that's just me talking, but like, you know, I think as long as it wouldn't adversely affect the other people in his life, which is the wild card and all this, How does this affect his wife? How does this affect his sons? I think, you know, he would be I like, I like, I'd imagine, like you know, he would he would, he would take the questions, and I don't like it. I think he understands the way all this works. He's again, like he's been in the public eye for so long, for more than half of his life. I think he kind of he kind of gets the rules of engagement here.

00:11:00
Speaker 2: I'm talking to Albert Brier the Monday Morning quarterback. How close are we too? Every team will have an international game?

00:11:08
Speaker 3: You mean every year?

00:11:09
Speaker 4: Yeah, as soon as we get eighteen games, I think it happens.

00:11:12
Speaker 3: Okay, And when is eighteen games happening? Well?

00:11:15
Speaker 4: I mean like there's still that thing hanging out there that there's no date for the super Bowl after the twenty twenty seven season in Atlanta, you know, Like so I like that to me has been sort of the smoking gun on what their plans are for a long time.

00:11:29
Speaker 3: Now.

00:11:29
Speaker 4: You know, the NFLPA has new leadership JC Tretters and is the executive director. What's his stance on eighteen games? They haven't been that public about it yet, They let their let their feelings have been known on other subjects like the grass versus turf debate and all of that. So you got to figure all of that out.

00:11:48
Speaker 3: You know, I did.

00:11:49
Speaker 4: I did ask Peter O'Reilly, who's the head of events for the NFL a month or two ago, Like when you actually have to set the date for that Atlanta super Bowl, and he's said you would have to set it like before the start of the season, before that Super Bowl year, so that will be the start of this season.

00:12:08
Speaker 3: So you can you can, you can you.

00:12:12
Speaker 4: Move fast enough now to get something in place and agreement in place for the twenty seven season. I think we're that close of where the owners want to do it. Whether or not they can pull it off that fast. They can't make that decision unilaterally, so it's a lot of it's going to come down to the players of cooperation. But I will say this, like, I think when they go to eighteen games, I think we're talking about a sixteen game schedule of international and I think then the rhythm becomes for teams that you play internationally once a year, and one year that means nine home games, eight road games, and a neutral site, and then the following year eight home games, nine road games, and a neutral site.

00:12:49
Speaker 3: Are there any more live windows for the NFL to go after.

00:12:59
Speaker 4: That's a good question.

00:13:01
Speaker 2: I mean, I I mean Friday night's off limits because of high school football.

00:13:06
Speaker 4: As a high school football right, and then Saturday is off limits because of college football and the rules there. And I think they should respect those by the way, you know. I mean, like Netflix has kind of like created this like events package almost, I think is what they would refer to it as, where they have a week one game, a week eighteen game, two on Christmas and one on Thanksgiving Eve. I just don't know what the holiday would be outside of what they've already covered, you know what I mean. And I think you see like the breaking point where they need more inventory. I had a look at the master schedule yesterday morning, and so I'm going through it trying to digest as much as I can. And what was really jarring to me Dan was looking at week sixteen, and in week sixteen, which is the Christmas week, they have a Christmas Eve game, three Christmas Day games, two Saturday games, a Monday game, a Sunday night game, and so that Sunday afternoon window. CBS had two games in the early window. Fox had two games in the early window, and then they had one a piece in the late window, and that was it. And two games are going to fall out from the Saturday cluster, so it'll be a little more than that. But this, I think it shows why they want eighteen games, because they want more inventory. But it also shows there may be a little bit of a breaking point as far as like do we still respect Sunday as like what you and I grew up watching was like this is like massive buffet of football, you know, and Sunday at.

00:14:38
Speaker 3: One o'clock and four o'clock. I love that, you know what I mean?

00:14:41
Speaker 5: So I'd hate to see that go away.

00:14:43
Speaker 4: So it's just gonna be interesting to see the way that that that that that's handled. I just don't know where the extra windows would be. Maybe it's Labor Day and they they they they they go in on Labor Day and try to turn that into a big kickoff weekend. If they don't want to move the super Bowl even further back, and they do want to end the second they do want to have the second bye week, that will be one one area I just could see them going in. I'm not sure where the next broadcast one knows, but if it's out there, I guarantee you that they're gonna find it.

00:15:12
Speaker 2: Thank you, Albert, have a great weekend, awesome thanks DP. Happy birthday, Albert Breer they like to call him Bert.

00:15:19
Speaker 1: Be sure to catch the live edition of The Dan Patrick Show weekdays at nine am Eastern six am Pacific on Fox Sports Radio and the iHeartRadio app.

00:15:29
Speaker 6: Hey, this is Jason McIntyre. Join me every weekday morning on my podcast, Straight Fire with Jason McIntyre. This isn't your typical sports pod pushing the same tired narratives down your throat every day. Straight Fire gives you honest opinions on all the biggest sports headlines, accurate stats to help you win big at the sports book.

00:15:49
Speaker 1: And all the best guests.

00:15:50
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00:16:01
Speaker 2: Scott Van Pelt SportsCenter anchor, Monday Night Countdown host, golf host. He's there on the call for ESPN's coverage of the PGA Championship Round two, starting at noon eastern. Van pas good to talk to you. What's the atmosphere like there outside of Philadelphia?

00:16:20
Speaker 7: Well, I please, if I may, from my heart, happy birthday to you. My only gift is my presence. I don't know that that's much of a president, but thank you and happy birthday from Philly. It is carnage out here, man. I am shocked. It is so much more difficult than we thought it would be. It's much windier than I think anyone projected. The whole locations are tough. Guys are backing up, great scene. It's the sports fans in the Philadelphia area are phenomenal. They're coming out and I think throughout the weekend it'll only get more crowded and more voluminists. But right now it is a struggle for the best in the world.

00:16:58
Speaker 2: Give me your dream matchup on Sunday. What would you hope to see.

00:17:04
Speaker 7: I mean, when Scotty's in the mix, I think he's the He's the the yardstick at the moment, and anyone that from that zip code. I mean, it's hard to say Rory now just because he's so far out of it after yesterday. Although if he shoots a couple under, he's still in the mix. But I mean, look, Scotty Rory would be fun, just because we've really never seen it Dan at this point. And that's the thing about golf, you know, for years we tried to manufacture, Man, how cool would it be of Tiger and Phil. Well, there's one hundred and fifty six guys out here, and there's four days of your life and it's all got a funnel correctly, But Scotty against any world class player would be fun just because Scotty's been so consistently brilliant.

00:17:44
Speaker 2: Do you think or what has to happen for us to root for Scotty to see his greatness the way we did Tiger?

00:17:52
Speaker 5: Totally different people, right, I.

00:17:54
Speaker 7: Mean it's it's not Lebron and Jordan because those are different air is then I guess to look, Tiger and Scotty are different areas as well. But Tiger made people feel and there was another electricity to him. There is a completely different feeling with Scotty. He's not emotionless, but he doesn't outwardly show it a lot. And so I think that the respect for Scotty's greatness, I don't know how you could withhold it at this point, but I don't know that he plays in a way that moves people to feel passionately about man.

00:18:29
Speaker 5: I can't wait to watch it, I thought.

00:18:31
Speaker 7: Paul McGinley of the Golf Channel did an awesome job last night of describing Scotty's first round about the technical brilliance of it. Well, he shot sixty seven and he just thought his way around the golf course. You know, Tiger felt like he forever had that one shot right Dan that would just make you jump up out of your seat. And I guess s Sheffler doesn't do that quite as much. But I would just say that really comparing anyone to Tiger is kind of a fool's Errand because.

00:18:54
Speaker 5: He's singular, you know, he's the only one of him that were likely to ever see in our life.

00:19:00
Speaker 3: Scheffler is like Pete Sampras in tennis.

00:19:03
Speaker 7: Perfectly said, you know, perfectly said, and and you know Pete was an all time great. But I mean, did he move people in the same way that maybe a Federer did. Probably not.

00:19:13
Speaker 2: I think Deshambo if he had Scheffler's success and was playing on tour, Scheffler moves the needle or Deshambo moves the needle from the standpoint of you're like, oh wow, And he's got personality attached to that as well. I just don't know if we're going to see that anytime, certainly not seeing it this weekend there. But like his future on the PGA tour is what in your opinion.

00:19:40
Speaker 5: For de Shambo, I don't know.

00:19:42
Speaker 7: I mean the suggestion that he could go be a YouTube player and then just show up and play in the majors. I mean, I don't that's just not a realistic thought. You have to you have to be competitive, competitively sharp to come out here and play the hardest courses in the world against the best players the world. And you know, your reference to Shambeau, we saw I think the height of his popularity when he won at Tinehurst, and that was an immensely popular victory and he hit a shot of a lifetime to beat Rory there, and you know that to me was sort of his peak moment of power. And you could do that, be an influencer, be a YouTube player, and I'm sure you could monetize that and make a pile, but ultimately, you make your bones in this game and your legend in this game being a major championship player. And you know, he got off to a horrific start, didn't play well with the Masters, and missed the cut there with with a triple on the last on Fridays. So you know, I think for your popularity to continue to ascend, or at least maintain its place, you need to be part of the weekend story in the biggest tournaments of the year.

00:20:48
Speaker 2: I also wonder and watching the coverage yesterday with these greens, that there are fast greens and then there are greens that are punishing, and these are you know, we've played Augusta, and yes, those are challenging greens. They're nothing like some of these other courses around the world. If they really want to dress it up and say you're going to be three under and win, Augusta doesn't want the Masters, doesn't want three under. They want birdies and eagles and roars. This the US Open, like they want to humble a little bit here.

00:21:24
Speaker 7: Yes, but I'm shocked, I mean legitimately shocked because for Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, I wander around out here with these you know, the best in the world, which is it's so much fun, right you get to see them and how they're going to play this golf course, and they had driver wedge into these greens, and I thought, yeah, the greens are really really challenging, and they could put the.

00:21:43
Speaker 5: Whole locations in spots that would make it very difficult.

00:21:46
Speaker 7: But I thought low was in the offing, and so did everybody else, all the players, all the folks you talk to on the range are like, yeah, this is mid teens or you know, literally like fifteen under.

00:21:57
Speaker 3: Is going to win.

00:21:58
Speaker 5: Well, they the winds, and they have.

00:22:01
Speaker 7: Put the whole location through two days in some spots that are incredibly difficult, so it feels more like, Look, the weather feels like the Open Championship, the leaderboard looks like a US Open.

00:22:13
Speaker 5: And normally in the PGA you see him go low.

00:22:16
Speaker 7: Now the weather could change, it could get warmer, and they could give him some more accessible whole locations, and I would think the PGA of America would because I don't think they want to see, you know, the best in the world that are really not able to hit shots that are rewarded.

00:22:29
Speaker 5: That's I don't know who wants to see that.

00:22:31
Speaker 2: Yeah, I always get that when somebody says, boy, I like to see them struggle like we do, and I go, I don't like watching you play, So why would I want to see the great golfers play like that?

00:22:41
Speaker 5: Right?

00:22:41
Speaker 7: And the thing about that Dan, you know, the six or the ten or the eighteen handicapper that wants to sit down, pop a beer on the couch, and I want to see Scottie Scheffler shoot seventy eight. Buddy, if you played out here, you'd shoot one hundred and fifty.

00:22:57
Speaker 5: I promise you.

00:22:59
Speaker 2: Thanks for making some time. I know that you guys are going to start at noon Eastern. Thank you again, Scott. You have a good weekend.

00:23:05
Speaker 7: Sincerely, man, happy birthday. Can continue success in everything. You're an inspiration. I mean you've been in inspiration for years. If you'll let me say something kind to you, I just appreciate your friendship and your kindness all these years.

00:23:16
Speaker 5: Dan, you're the best.

00:23:17
Speaker 2: All those years I was trying to pry you away from the Golf channel. I kept saying, Scotti, you're wasting your talents there. Come on and you go. I got a great gig here, and you did. But we're grateful that you did come to the Mothership, my man. Thank you all right, buddy.

00:23:36
Speaker 1: At Scott van Pelp. Fox Sports Radio has the best sports talk lineup in the nation. Catch all of our shows at Foxsports Radio dot com and within the iHeartRadio app search FSR to listen live.

00:23:49
Speaker 2: Rich Eisen's here he is, of course NFL Game Day Morning and the Rich Eisen Show on the Mothership. And now you have this was Sports Center limited podcast series that you're doing interviews with Sports Center anchors including me.

00:24:05
Speaker 3: That's right later today, later today?

00:24:07
Speaker 2: What exactly is the platform here? What do we just reminiscing?

00:24:13
Speaker 3: That's it? You and I have done this before, Yes we have, and it's just gonna it's a fun series that it's mostly in the can. But you're the missing piece. Wait, how many of these interviews have you done? I've done five already, Okay, and you are the you're the lead. Guess you're the one who's We're coming out of the shoot on June fifth on Disney Plus and the ESPN app and my YouTube channel and wherever you get your podcasts, because you could watch it and listen to it, Okay, and you know, I mean the nostalgia of when we did what we did, you know, or you were doing before I even arrived, you know with Ko and Berman and you know Bob Lee and Robin and Charlie. I mean, I can go down the whole lane. He here. Who are the other anchors that you've I interviewed Chris Berman at the Super Bowl and Chris Fowler then stopped off in my l A show studio after coming back from the Australian Open, so I interviewed him there, Mike Greenberg in New York, and then just this past week I interviewed Linda Cohne and Kilby Lord Kilby, oh Kill, Craig Kilbourne, Craig Killer Killer, he told some, He told some, He spun some yards Dan, including on just But it's just fun, like I provide the memories that I have. Obviously, you know, you and I go way back, and you know and how I first arrived there and and some fun stories about that. And Craig got he He and I overlapped by about three months. And I'll never forget. He took me to dinner, he asked, because we were doing a two am sports center. He said, Spark, do you want to go to dinner? And I'm like sure. We hopped in his car and he took me through the Kenny Rogers roll in Roaster Drive three Yeah, in Southington, beautiful downtown Southington, Cannet. That wasn't Plainville, that was South it was Southington, Okay, And I'll never forget him. After we ordered our chicken, he turns to me and he proceeds to tell me that he's got another job offer and should he take it? And I'm like, again, I'm twenty six. I just showed up from reading California. This might have been like my tenth sports center I ever did. I'm like, why is he even asking me this? And he described the Daily Show to me and I'm like, sounds great. Man, like, let's go do it if that's what make you happy. Honestly, I didn't know him from Adam, so to recount that story with him, now you know about thirty years later, not about it is thirty years later. That's what the show's all about. You know. Have you reached out to Keith Oberman? I have, indeed, and I try to interview him when I was in New York recently, but schedules just didn't align. But he'll he's up for doing it. Who else? But that's this is just for the first season. I'm just doing six just to get this ball rolling. But I told you this, and this is you know, no surprise. I mean, you're the only person I'd want to be the first guest of this series because of what you've meant to me and what you did mean to me back then, what you mean to so many people, and you know, and I appreciate you doing it. The older I get, the better I was though, rich, is that what it is? I think so, because you know when you're doing it.

00:27:47
Speaker 2: When we did Sports Center, yeah, you're just trying to survive because it's really really competitive. And I told people that. I tell people that it was cutthroat. Oh yeah, like it wasn't. Hey, we're we're rooting for you. You had people who were circling, you know, the Sports Center set, waiting for somebody to keel over so they could sit in the chair.

00:28:08
Speaker 3: Well, and this is something that I plan on talking with you later. I mean when when Ko left and your seat was open, it was on. I mean it was way on for everybody wanted that seat next to you in the worst way, at least I know I did. That was a bad time.

00:28:24
Speaker 2: It's a bad time for me because I didn't want to pick Keith's successor. I wanted management to do it right, because I wanted them to be on the hook for that person to sit in Keith's chair, which that's you know, almost irreplaceable, you know, trying to get somebody to sit in there. And so I turned it around to management. I said, tell me who you want to watch at night? Right, And I mean, I had my thoughts, but I was worried. Were we going to try to recreate Keith and Dan? And I didn't want to do that because it wasn't fair whoever sat there. And then I thought, well, Linda Cone could sit in and then there won't be any comparison. And then they came back to me. I'm on a scouting trip with my son. I have no contact with anybody. They say they're going to make the decision over the next two days, and all of a sudden, I go to a convenience store to get a six pack of beer because I couldn't survive the scouting trip without having beer, even though they frowned upon that you could lose a merit badge or something like that. And I see my phone. It's got a message and it says we're going to go with Kenny Main. And I called my boss and I said, I got your message, okay, and that was it.

00:29:47
Speaker 3: Well, because we all assumed that you would be giving two cents, I did not, and that had to be you know, I had to be tough for you. But I mean, again, this is the sort of stuff that this show, This Was Sports Center is all of out like diving into this behind the scenes that sure, no, I can to the airport. Can we just clip and save? But yeah, like and and I think fans can't get enough of it, you know, and when you came back and did your show with with with Keith, you know a few years ago, when you did your show with Kilbourne, because we he and I talked about that that was the last time he did Sports Center. Fans can't get enough of it, Dan, they really can't. I mean, I did it twice in the last year, and the reaction that I got was overwhelming and obviously humbling and awesome. It's just a different time and and and that's why I'm just diving straight into the nostalgia.

00:30:45
Speaker 2: He's Rich Izon joining us here in the man Cave and the podcast This Was Sports Center taking off the This is Sports Center campaign June fifth on Disney Plus ESPN, the Rich Iison Show as well. The schedule really, yes, sir, when did it become When we.

00:31:05
Speaker 3: Were starting NFL Network and we're like, what are we going to do in between games being played? And you know, and how are we going to follow through on the branding that we put out there. The very first NFL Network Super Bowl commercial was in two thousand and four after we launched an three in the middle of the Patriots and Panthers Super Bowl, Jake Dilone versus Tom Brady, and it was right was that Jane Jackson Sir, which mean and And this commercial was amazing because they we got the rights to Tomorrow from Annie, and we had Jerry Jones and Bill Parcells and Warren Sapp and uh Terrell Owens and all the stars of the day singing Tomorrow because the day after the Super Bowl is when NFL Network you should still tune in because everybody's O and O, all thirty two teams are active and we're going to be all over it. That was the branding of the commercial and I'll never forget it. I found a TV in the stadium in a in a suite. I snuck in so I could see the commercial. It was very big for me and everybody that worked there. And then it was in the commercial pod right after halftime. Nobody saw it. Not a soul saw the commercial. As a matter of fact, it was the most rewound TiVo moment in the history of that DVR, so nobody saw the commercial, but we had to come We had to follow through on it, though, Dan. We had to start coming up with things that we had to cover, and one of the first things we came up with was what if we eventized the schedule being released, Like what if we're celebrating paperwork, you know what I mean, which is basically what it is, the same thing with the draft. It's just that, is it. I mean, like you could do the NFL Draft like your fantasy league and do it in two hours and be done with it. But it's a show. And now it's something massive where it's like the super Bowl for every team's social media group and they've been better out of them and great at it that these are these are fun videos to watch and now it's a big thing. And now you know, the NFL times it with their ten different partners and all the upfronts and everybody announces a game here, in a game there, and I think it just it just gives the NFL a big splash in the middle of May. Right now. Is there such a thing as too much football? I don't think so, do you? I think we will.

00:33:48
Speaker 2: I think we're inching closer to are you going to watch all the games?

00:33:53
Speaker 3: Well, I think you're You're asking a lot of people when you know, Thanksgiving is one thing. Hey, we're all sitting around, we don't want to talk to each other. Let's watch a game. Or you've spoken to each other enough, let's watch a game. And there's three of them. Now it's a Wednesday and a Friday with the three in the middle. If I'm the NBA, I'm like, you're looking at that Christmas Day triple header? Oh? They just those and the NFL. You could see the NFL is deciding to just keep on raising the ante on those holiday specials. Yeah, I mean the Thanksgiving games used to be, you know, two games and it didn't matter who the Lions or the Cowboys were playing. Now, you know, last year they put the Chiefs in Dallas fifty seven million viewers for that one. And the NFL is like, all right, let's let's see if they, you know, this year last year can hold this year's beer. And they decide to put the Eagles in Dallas after the Bears and the Lions before the Chiefs and the Bills. And that's after the Rams and the Packers kick it off on a Wednesday, and the Steelers and the Broncos have at it on a Friday. So that's asking a lot of people to watch all five.

00:35:04
Speaker 2: Well, I think we're doing a disservice to Sunday afternoon schedules, Like I worry about that, where we're kind of kicking games to the curb, you know, like Sunday at one and Sunday at four thirty. Sunday night is still going to be special with NBC.

00:35:18
Speaker 3: Okay, so you're lighting a candle for Scott Hansen? Is that what you're saying?

00:35:21
Speaker 1: Right?

00:35:24
Speaker 3: Scott got one game? One game a red game. It's a red game. It's not even a zone anymore game. All right, Well, they're on the twenty three yard line and it's for sure. What happens to the NFL network? Oh what do you mean now? Well, the games are now, they're still on NFL Network. There's seven of them, five International, two others. Nothing changes though with the marriage.

00:35:53
Speaker 2: No.

00:35:53
Speaker 3: I have been told Sunday Game Day Morning that I'm hosting is the same, and so is the combine in the draft. If we're gonna we're still gonna have the combine. We're gonna have the draft. The rest of it. I mean, we didn't have a schedule release show for the first time in years. I don't. I don't know if that's an indication other than just you know.

00:36:13
Speaker 2: But do you want to be introduced as ESPN's Richison or the NFL Networks rich Ion?

00:36:18
Speaker 3: How about you know your your good friend here on your birthday?

00:36:20
Speaker 2: Oh? I know, but I have to say I don't know the NFL Networks Richison who also works for the Mother show, The.

00:36:26
Speaker 3: Rich Isison Shows Richison just so because you could say my name twice in the same sentence. Okay, product placement there, Oh yeah, but it's all about the branding. But no, it doesn't matter to me. But it's pretty wild to me. It's I'll tell this story to you when I went back and I did Sports Center in Bristol, or did I tell you this one? I called you the Today whatever, I'll tell it here because you know, twenty three years ago, I got handed a cardboard box.

00:36:52
Speaker 2: And I was with you remains, Yes, sir, I was escorted.

00:36:59
Speaker 3: Man. I went in and then I was escorted, and then Pete mcconvall and Gus Ramsey. You know you're was I there when you got escorted. I don't think so twenty three years ago, but I was there and they helped me clear out my apartment after I got escorted. So I had a cardboard box. And when I went back this time, I wore my show gear. I wore a Rich Eisen Show like pullover. And I did that on purpose because I'm like, you know what I'm gonna do. I'm gonna wear my show gear because I'm a partner of the ESPN. I'm not just an employee. I'm a partner, Damn straight, Okay, and I'm a partner. I'm gonna walk through that same door with my show gear that I walked out of with my cardboard box I was escorted out. And not only could I not find that place when I first got there because it's a totally different spot. I finally found it and it's now a brick wall. So I'm like, okay, I'm so glad I spent all that energy on that, but it's just totally changed. It's totally changed. But it's wild that, you know, I have an ESPN ID now and I am an ESPN employee again, working for the spot that I left to go start. It's you can't make it up. You know, it's wild.

00:38:13
Speaker 2: When I went back after ten years and I was on with Van Pelt and I showed up at the security desk with Paulie, and I didn't want to go back. I still had bad feelings there and some things that happened behind the scenes. But Scott said, hey, look, I'm launching this show. Will you please come on? I said yes, I'll do it for you. I get there at the security desk and the guy goes, I d please. I said, I helped build this place. Yeah, and then he goes, I still need an idea, so he gave me a Hello my name is Dan, So he gave me a name tag, which I wore on the show with Van Pelt. I'm like all right, and then I remember the producer Mike McQuaid goes.

00:38:59
Speaker 3: Hey, can you take that off? And go no, no Q, I'm gonna wear this.

00:39:03
Speaker 2: I you know they don't This guy didn't care, didn't know, didn't matter, Yes, Polly and rich.

00:39:09
Speaker 3: On the way out, Dan lit up the tires and did a patch.

00:39:12
Speaker 2: Did are you seriously? I had my truck, I had a boy. And then I'm like, all right for you, and I burned my burned rubber.

00:39:21
Speaker 3: It's so funny because when I did this Sports Center a few weeks ago, I showed up early and they had it. They have this terrific team there for special pieces and features involving Sports Center, and we shot a you know of this was Sports Center kind of mock up old school commercial based on my return and one of the segments or parts of the piece was I walk up and my card doesn't work. And so the guy we had, this guy in New York accident was really working behind the security deak screen. Can I see some ID? And I held up a picture of me and Stuart from like thirty years ago, and the guy goes, really, that's the sort of thing you're talking about, Like, you know, I've been here, you know, like you did with Keith and all of the colleagues you had in the day, created something incredibly special, man that it still resonates today. It's part of your fan base as you sit in that chair, and it's also part of the reason why you know, Van Pelt says, I want you to please come and why I'm physically here and appreciate your doing this on your birthday because you know, you deserve it. I know you don't like people talking about you, but it's the truth, man, right you the man? Well, take a break. It's a meat Friday if you want to join us. I have already seen what's going down out there, and I would be offended if you asked me to leave, all right.

00:40:56
Speaker 2: To be honest, you'll be able to see this episode June fifth on Disney Plus ESPN The Rich Eisen Show YouTube channel wherever you get your podcast. Rich Eisen of NFL Network, ESPN, ESPN, NFL slash Nets