Hour 1: Big Game Preview

Summary

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Episode Summary: "Hour 1: Big Game Preview"

Podcast: Don, Hahn & Rosenberg
Date: February 6, 2026
Hosts: Don La Greca, Alan Hahn, Peter Rosenberg
Theme: Early, lively discussion ahead of Super Bowl weekend, with a sharp New York sports lens. The crew dives into football storylines, local weather malaise, fandom quirks, and listener banter, all delivered with their signature banter and sports radio expertise.

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Main Theme

This episode centers on previewing the upcoming Super Bowl (Patriots vs. Seahawks), exploring not only matchup details but also local sports sentiments, unexpected player journeys, New York winter woes, and the quirks of modern fandom. The hosts weave national narratives with regional perspective, highlighting storylines that matter to tri-state fans.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Super Bowl Hype (or Lack Thereof)

• Super Bowl matchup: Seahawks vs Patriots; Seattle favored by 4.5 points.
• General sentiment: The crew agrees excitement in New York isn't especially high, with some fans feeling jaded or only passively interested.
  • Don, 03:02: "There are a lot of people that are like, all right, yawn, it's the Patriots and Seahawks again, even though they're distinctly different teams than the last time they met."
• Interest drivers: For New Yorkers, storylines like ex-Jet Sam Darnold’s redemption fill the void.
• Coaching Narrative: Mike Vrabel’s leadership with New England is seen as a legitimate threat.
  • Alan, 05:32: "I do think the coaching matchup in this game is going to be a big part of the story."

2. Sam Darnold’s Redemption Arc

• The improbable rise of former Jets QB Sam Darnold with the Seahawks becomes a focal point.
  • Don, 04:31: "If I told you...he is going to be the quarterback of the team that's a four and a half point favorite to win the super bowl...you wouldn't think that would happen when he got traded to Carolina...I would say improbable."
• Fan attitude: Many Jets fans are rooting for Darnold, given his demeanor and the sense he wasn't set up to succeed in NY.
  • Don, 18:22: "He wasn't some punk...It was never about attitude. It was never about lack of ability to...get it done."
• The Minnesota angle: The Vikings’ decision to let Darnold go is reflected on as a possible blunder.
  • Alan, 15:35: "That was a doozy letting that guy walk out."

3. Game Analysis & Predictions

• Seattle’s edge: The hosts collectively view Seattle as the more talented, tested team.

  • Don, 06:48: "I think the Seahawks is a more tested team, a more talented team, and there's a reason why they're a 4 1/2 point favorite."

• New England’s viability: Still, doubts linger about counting out the Patriots, especially given Vrabel’s credentials and potential for upsets.

• Key variable—Darnold’s performance:

  • Alan, 42:48: "If that's the one thing...what could cost Seattle a Super bowl, that's probably what it is. Is turnovers or any type of special teams issues that could keep the Patriots in the game."

• Fan anxiety vs. betting analytics: The hosts discuss the historical performance of underdogs in the Super Bowl, noting an impressive record against the spread.

  • Statistician, 47:35: "Since 2007, underdogs of 4 plus points in the super bowl are 5 and 2 outright and 7 and O against the spread."

4. New York Life & Winter Blues

• The bleak winter gets a lot of comedic air time—leftover snow, uncollected garbage, and Christmas lights still on in February.
  • Don, 09:39: "Last night I'm driving home from the rock...Christmas lights still up because people just can't take them down."
• The “half day” syndrome: With the sports calendar easing up, Don jokes about his lighter workdays but acknowledges behind-the-scenes grind.
  • Don, 02:14: "I just have a series of half days for the next three weeks."
• Listener Felicia describes rural winter hardship in vivid detail.

5. Parental & Teenage Anecdotes

• Jokes about teenagers refusing to wear jackets in the cold—universal parent frustration.
  • Alan, 12:18: "Teenage kids will never wear a jacket, no matter how cold it is."
  • Don, 13:03: "I would rather freeze to death than be encumbered by this jacket..."

6. Halftime Controversy & Cultural Crosscurrents

• Super Bowl Halftime Show: Some listeners and radio peers are upset about Bad Bunny performing, reflecting generational divides.
  • Don, 14:28: "We end up talking about a lot of things that have nothing to do with the super bowl because it's two full weeks to prepare for a game."

7. Secondary Sports Stories—Knicks, Trade Deadline, College Hoops

• Quick mentions of the Knicks (injury issues, who will/should play), college basketball (UConn/St. John’s hype, met with moderate skepticism by the hosts).
  • Alan, 36:16: "We're talking about the Super Bowl."
  • Don, 37:27: "This is a parody Super Bowl. It was parody all league, all year in this league."

8. Ticket Scalping & Fandom Extremes

• Viral stories about young fans donating blood/plasma to afford high-priced concert tickets (Harry Styles), leading hosts to reflect on cultural pressures and industry greed.
  • Alan, 26:19: "...the demand is astronomical. More than 11 million people queued up for 500,000 tickets...that's just popularity on another level."
  • Peter, 27:32: "This is a thing where the government has to intercede somehow. The ticket thing has gotten so insane."

9. Listener Call-ins: Passion & Curiosity

• Favorite—Richard from Manhattan: A regular whose enthusiasm for college basketball overtakes the show, met with playful derision.
  • Don, 34:42: "It's a regular season college basketball game that college basketball fans will get really excited about."
• More fans chime in about sports priorities, life during snowstorms, and Super Bowl picks.

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Memorable Quotes & Notable Moments

• On Darnold’s arc:
  • Don, 04:31: "If I told you...he is going to be the quarterback of the team that's a four and a half point favorite to win the super bowl...you wouldn't think that would happen."
• On being a teenager in winter:
  • Don, 13:03: "I would rather freeze to death than be encumbered by this jacket. I need to catch the ball as if it's the Super Bowl."
• On Super Bowl’s commercialism:
  • Peter, 37:27: "If there's something to hate on about the super bowl, it's that it's been bastardized by the fact that it is the single biggest event in the world."
• On ticket madness:
  • Alan, 26:19: "The demand is astronomical. More than 11 million people queued up for 500,000 tickets..."
• On fan sentiment for Darnold:
  • Peter, 19:17: "You get to root for a kid who never did anything but really give his best effort, put his best foot forward, say the right things, do the right things, and you simultaneously get to root against New England."
• On odds history:
  • Statistician, 47:46: "Since 2007, underdogs of 4 plus points in the super bowl are 5 and 2 outright and 7 and O against the spread."
• On snow-induced apathy:
  • Peter, 11:01: "The entire street just has this layer of ice that's now just yellow and brown and people have just given up."

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• Super Bowl Hype, Darnold’s Story: 03:00 – 07:54
• Winter Woes & Local Life: 09:39 – 14:02
• Teen Jacket Rant: 12:12 – 13:48
• Halftime Show Discourse: 14:02 – 14:43
• Darnold & Minnesota Fallout: 15:30 – 18:17
• Fan Callers & Super Bowl Sentiment: 29:48 – 32:32
• Richard from Manhattan (College Hoops Rant): 33:00 – 38:04
• Underdog Stats & Betting Segment: 46:37 – 48:42

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Conclusion

Hour 1 deftly mixes sharp sports insight (particularly on the Super Bowl matchup and Sam Darnold’s underdog narrative) with the lived realities of the New York winter and quirks of local sports culture. The hosts’ chemistry is lively and inclusive, welcoming both sports die-hards and casual fans with a balance of heartfelt analysis, running gags, and relatable, off-field stories. The episode underscores why even a “meh” Super Bowl finds a way to dominate the city’s attention—while everything else gets another day.

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For full sports analysis and classic New York attitude, Don, Hahn & Rosenberg’s Super Bowl Friday show delivers.

Transcript

[Felicia]

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[Don Hahn]

Don, there's no tush push if you're.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Not pushing the tush.

[Alan]

Don, I want you protecting my blind side and Rosenberg.

[Peter Rosenberg]

When I was seven, I was riding shotgun and smoking cigarettes.

[Don Hahn]

This isn't North Dakota. This is New York.

[Alan]

This is Don Han and Rosenberg.

[Caller]

The best threesome I've ever heard on.

[Alan]

ESPN New York and streaming live on YouTube.

[Don Hahn]

3 o' clock in the big city. Don Han in Rosenberg. It is super bowl week, weekend. Or should I say big game weekend.

[Alan]

Big game.

[Don Hahn]

Seahawks, Patriots, for all the marbles. We watch football all year, a lot of us. Painfully so. If you root for the jets and the Giants and even Peter with his commanders. But it all comes to fruition on Sunday from Santa Clara, California, for all the marbles. How are you guys?

[Alan]

I'm good. Peter Straggling. He'll get here.

[Don Hahn]

Yeah. Apparently there's. The family's got everybody. They got it.

[Alan]

Fighting through it. Fighting through it. Donnie, like, you fought through it last night. You must be like, is this for you, an exhale moment in the season? Three weeks without a game.

[Don Hahn]

Listen, I love what I do, and I'm going to miss it terribly. I'm going to miss hockey terribly. Even though we're going to have Olympic hockey and it's going to be gray and the Devils are not having a great season. But I love what I do and I'll miss it. It comes at a pretty good time, as you could tell. Congested again. I'm like on my third Colt this winter. I'm still looking at the same snow that buried us two weeks ago.

[Alan]

Oh, yeah.

[Don Hahn]

So it'll be nice to unwind and, you know, everybody starts asking each other at the game last night, so where are you going? You know, this one's going to St. Martin. This one's going down to Florida.

[Alan]

Yeah.

[Don Hahn]

What am I doing? I just have a series of half days for the next three weeks. Half days. You know, I. When I just do the show, it feels like it's a half a day. You know exactly what I'm talking about, right? Yeah, now we're not digging ditches and we love what we do.

[Alan]

No, but it's time. But, you know, it's mental exhaustion. It's time consuming, it's effort. People don't see the prep that you're putting into what you're doing to get ready for a game. They don't know how much time you're putting in. Like, it's not like Don wakes up in the morning, lounges around, hangs out and around three o', clock, just, you know, oh yeah, I got a radio show to do. And then there's a game at 7, puck drop, 708. I'll be ready at 7:08. No, like it's an all day affair. Things are happening.

[Don Hahn]

So, you know, put in Don Hahn and Rosenberg cartridge. Put in Devil game cartridge. No, you gotta, you know, build all that up. But it's fun and it's great. But it's going to be nice to kind of just unwind and we'll see what kind of changes at least two of the three locals will make during this long hiatus. You can't make any changes players wise, but we'll keep an eye on what the Devils might do after another, you know, brutal loss to, you know, an Islander team. That's good. And I don't think they played particularly well last year.

[Alan]

That was not a well played game though.

[Don Hahn]

And just looking at the games around the league had that kind of feel of the last day of school. You know, half the guys are going to Milan, the other half are going to the Caribbean and they kind of just not mailing it in. But maybe not have all their focus. But you know, the Devils can't afford to let these games slip and they did three straight losses in which they've scored just two goals in those three games. But yet we're tied in all three games going to the third period and outscored eight nothing in the third period in those three games. And that's kind of been the theme of the season. And the Knicks, they've got, I guess, a game tonight. We'll see who decides to play against the Pistons. But listen, if there's a day that you fly into the radar, I guess it's the Friday before the Super Bowl. Even though I wouldn't say, Alan, this is overly hyped at all. There are a lot of people that are like, all right, yawn, it's the Patriots and Seahawks again, even though they're distinctly different teams than the last time they met. But there are some storylines and to me, as Far as New York is concerned, my level of interest is can Sam Darnold do what you have to believe is the impossible? That's when a Super bowl now I say not well impossible. They're a four and a half point favorite. Improbable from where he was when he was seeing go if I told you I whispered in your ear during that Monday night game against the Patriots when he's seeing ghosts that, hey, you know, in 2026 he is going to be the quarterback of the team that's a four and a half point favorite to win the super bowl and be like, I don't think that's going to happen. You wouldn't think that would happen when he got traded to Carolina, when he's sitting on the pine in San Francisco, you thought maybe against Minnesota, but the way he kind of wet the bed at the end of the season with the Vikings and they went to the Seahawks, I would say improbable even to the start of the season, but right now, improbable to what? Probable that he is going to guide the Seahawks in some way, shape or form to a Super bowl championship?

[Alan]

It's very probable. In fact, I think when you consider all look, we all know when the game plays out, it's different. I do think the coaching matchup in this game is going to be a big part of the story. Because of what Mike I know it's pronounced variable, but last night at the awards it was pronounced other ways, verbal.

[Don Hahn]

It would have been funny if it was. We will get into that John Travolta that did it, then it would have been at least consistent. Adele Dazeem yeah, I remember that.

[Alan]

But I just think that if you look at it on paper, that is the most likely outcome. That's the most likely outcome. Sam is going to hold the Lombardi Trophy on Sunday night and that's what you're going to see. And again, I think it is a great story. It's one of the great stories. But do you believe that's what you're going to see, even though I'm telling you that on paper that that's the most likely outcome? If you base it off of analytics, do you believe that's what you're going to see, though done with your eyes?

[Don Hahn]

Yeah. But not necessarily because of him?

[Alan]

Well, I'm not saying because of him. I'm just saying that's the most likely outcome. How it happens if he's holding up a Lombardi, that's your end game.

[Don Hahn]

And all you have to do, if you look at the history of the Super Bowl. All he has to do is be slightly above average, and he's probably going to win the mvp. But I think the Seahawks is a more tested team, a more talented team, and there's a reason why they're a 4 1/2 point favorite. I don't ever want to take anything away from a team because of what their schedule was. We heard that all year. They really didn't beat anybody. They really weren't challenged in the postseason. They won that game against Houston, but Houston kind of lost it with the performance of CJ Stroud, and Denver was compromised with a backup quarterback. And then obviously we saw the blue in the second half and that reduced opportunities, missed field goals, and so. But I don't ever want to blame a team. Hey, take advantage of it, man. They deserve to be in the Super Bowl. But I'm allowed to analyze and say, well, you know, I think their path was a little bit easier than Seattle's, and I think that's going to help Seattle win this football game. So I think it's fair to analyze it that way. It's unfair to say they're not deserving to represent the afc, but in the final analysis, I think Seattle's a better team.

[Alan]

And with that, we welcome in the lovely and talented Peter Rosenberg. You bet she is.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Happy super bowl weekend, everyone. It's called canceling trips to D.C. for family. Another sinus affection running through the house, waiting for babysitters. It's madness over here, folks.

[Alan]

I feel like I should. Even though we're not in the same place today, I should be wearing a mask during this broadcast. It just feels like I. I'm. I have somehow escaped this so far, and I really don't want to be anywhere near it right now.

[Don Hahn]

I've been nursing the same cold for what feels like a month, but is that just because it's constantly cold out and we've never had a chance to kind of rest because of our schedules.

[Alan]

And you're not getting a lot of rest.

[Don Hahn]

But.

[Peter Rosenberg]

But no, it's more. It's more than that. It does seem like this has been hitting everybody. I knock on wood. I've been good this week, but Natalie now has been dealing with a bad, what appears to be a sinus infection. And then last night, Maya, in the middle of the night, I heard her. I went in there, went to check on her, and she had sweated through. Through her outfit to the sleep sack. She'd, like, sweated through it all.

[Alan]

Wow.

[Peter Rosenberg]

So. So she's doing okay. She's doing okay. Yes. Still had a fever or broke last night.

[Alan]

Okay.

[Peter Rosenberg]

And so she's just like fussy and a mess. Natalie's has the worst of it. But listen, at least we have record cold this weekend. So it's good stuff either way. That's the nice thing is I'll have a reason guys to not have any sort of fakocta super bowl party. I sat there telling you guys, hey, I don't like watching the super bowl alone. I want to have a party. And guess what? I'm going to end up sitting on the couch, me, Natalie and Maya, just taking in Bad Bunny and the guys playing and the 106 people playing some football around them.

[Don Hahn]

And I noticed this driving home last night. So last night I'm driving home from the rock, it's February 5th and I'm noticing, including myself, Christmas lights still up because people just can't take them down. So might as well light them up.

[Alan]

Right.

[Don Hahn]

You might as well have them on. So I pull up at the front of my house and Nancy's got all the Christmas lights on outside.

[Alan]

That's it.

[Don Hahn]

Because I can't get to him to take them down. No.

[Alan]

Grace and I were laughing last night. I was taking her home from practice, pulled down the driveway and she just said it's Christmas, like the whole thing. Right.

[Don Hahn]

In February.

[Alan]

It's Christmas in February. It's on the. It's on the. The timer. So it just goes on.

[Don Hahn]

And we have a big artificial tree that just the way that the house is structured.

[Peter Rosenberg]

God bless.

[Don Hahn]

It's easier for me to just take it out the front door and then take it to the garage.

[Alan]

Sure.

[Don Hahn]

So guess what? In my living room, there's still the tree. I took all the decorations down and because Nancy likes it as a nightlight, she turns it on. So we'll sit there and watch TV at night. She's got the tree on in February because this weather is now is landlocked us.

[Alan]

Yeah. Think about it. When was the last time that you haven't taken your tree down and it's almost Valentine's Day.

[Don Hahn]

No, it's.

[Statistician]

It.

[Don Hahn]

Well, it's different. You get up, guys. I haven't.

[Peter Rosenberg]

The car has not moved. We're still coming up on. We're coming up two weeks this weekend.

[Don Hahn]

Wow.

[Peter Rosenberg]

And it has not moved yet. And like the entire street just has this layer of ice that is now just yellow and brown and people have just given up.

[Don Hahn]

By the way.

[Peter Rosenberg]

It's starting to feel like what people said it used to Be like in New York City, they're just leaving dog crap everywhere.

[Don Hahn]

Garbage isn't getting picked up as promptly as you'd like it to because.

[Alan]

Well, that Manhattan. Yeah, that's the problem.

[Peter Rosenberg]

It's not great.

[Alan]

Listen, and as you said, we're going to single digits over the weekend. It's going to be bitter cold over the weekend. So for everybody again, we always care about all of you, especially those who have to do whatever you have to do outside, including the delivery people who keep. Keep commerce going. I imagine there'll be a lot of door dashing going on on Sunday for some people as well. It just be safe, be careful, bundle up. You know, anybody that has. By the way, you guys haven't experienced this yet either. Teenage kids will never wear a jacket, no matter how cold it is. Anybody parent out there right now listening is nodding their head. You have a teenager. They will not wear a jacket. They just refuse. Especially going to school. They don't want to wear jacket.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Listen, I don't need it when I'm in school. It's fine.

[Alan]

Not that cold. It's like you remember being that age. You were burning hot too. Right. So like I remember that, but it's maddening. It's like it's, you know, it's nine degrees. I don't care.

[Don Hahn]

It's funny because. Because that doesn't happen anymore. Like Marco is not. And Jalen have not had recess outside.

[Alan]

Yeah.

[Don Hahn]

In a month. But when we were kids, they'd send us outside in 4 degrees and go outside because, you know, because I guess just like Billy Madison, the teachers had the white paste on their face and they needed their downtime. Get, just get out of the class. I need my downtime. Get outside. And I could remember being, you know, in my, you know, 11, 12, 13, 14 years old outside. It's seven degrees outside. We're going to play touch football. Jacket comes off.

[Alan]

Of course.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Oh yeah.

[Alan]

I can't throw a football. I'm the quarterback.

[Don Hahn]

I can't throw a football. I would rather freeze to death than be. Than be encumbered by this jacket. I need to catch the ball as if it's the Super Bowl.

[Alan]

I remember junior year, high school, super bowl party at a friend's house. We went outside at halftime to play basketball in his driveway. We're talking frigid temperatures. But we didn't care. We were a teenager. We were playing basketball. Yeah, I'm down to a T shirt running around playing sweat sick for a week after that week.

[Don Hahn]

Right. Well, that happened and then, and Then sick as a dog, and then a few weeks later, go ahead, do it again because oh, please. You never refuse to lose the competitiveness.

[Alan]

Well, how many times?

[Peter Rosenberg]

I don't think I ever wore a jacket. I don't think once I wore a jacket during a football game ever.

[Alan]

Like playing, you mean? Yeah, yeah.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Like first. If it was, it was two hand touch on the street. If it was tackle in the backyard, hated it. I'd sooner wear a T shirt. The perfect scenario was like sweatpants and a sweatshirt that, that made you feel free, like you could do what you had to do.

[Don Hahn]

And I don't know, I still do it today. I think it's more out of habit than anything. I have to roll up my sleeves. So even if I wore the sweatshirt of the sweater, I would still roll the sleeves up even though it was freezing cold. You have to. It's crazy. But so it is the Super Bowl. Want to get your vibes on it at 1-800-919-3776. Listening to K basically did his whole show on people aggravated that the NFL hired Bad Bunny to be the Halford.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Is that worse? Is that where K went today?

[Don Hahn]

K went there today because I think for the most part, again, I don't want to speak for the people. That's why we have a phone number and it's toll free 1-800-919-3776 to voice your opinion. But if you go through the entire week and this is not the first time this has happened, where we go to super bowl week and we end up talking about a lot of things that have nothing to do with the super bowl because it's two full weeks to prepare for a game. And listen, the Knicks have been good. We had the trade deadline and there's been other stories going on that take up our attention. And now it's the Friday and we're going to talk Super Bowl. But I'd love to get the vibe from people of just how they feel about it. You got Jet fans who are like, you know what? I'm sick of New England, you know, Then you've got some Jeff fans that are on board with Sam Darnold, that are happy for him, rooting for him, and then there's others that feel away about it because he was in your camp and now he's gone. Although I think the team that's kicking themselves on Sunday is more Minnesota than New York. Right. It's a different regime. There's a lot of teams. San Francisco had them, you know, Carolina had them.

[Alan]

Minnesota Made a change at the front.

[Don Hahn]

Office, but Minnesota have won 14 games with the guy and still let him go.

[Alan]

Yeah, that's my point though is like the reaction in Minnesota was right, yeah, that's a. But you've made some bad draft decisions. But that was a doozy letting that guy walk out.

[Peter Rosenberg]

And what was their situation again?

[Alan]

Did, did.

[Peter Rosenberg]

How much, how much would he, would he have required or was simply. They believed in J.J. mcCarthy.

[Alan]

They believed in J.J. mcCarthy, but as the story goes, they, they did offer Sam the opportunity to come back, but what they wouldn't do is guarantee he would start.

[Don Hahn]

Right.

[Alan]

But they did say they wanted him back. They didn't want him back at the number that he got from Seattle. So Seattle gave him an opportunity to be a starter and to get starter close to starter money and to get an opportunity. And he took that instead of staying where it was comfortable, he bet on himself and it was the right thing to do. He could have stayed in Minnesota and said, well, I'll beat this kid out and I'll get the job. But they weren't offering the same type of security that he would have got Seattle. Smart move.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Still, it's funny too, because it's still a favorable deal. He signed a three year, hundred million dollar contract with the Seahawks. 55 guaranteed.

[Alan]

That's pretty good, man.

[Peter Rosenberg]

And a 32 million dollar signing bonus.

[Don Hahn]

Now.

[Peter Rosenberg]

It is pretty good. But all in all, for what they've already made, the deal's already worth it. They already won the deal. Like he, God forbid he could get hurt. Game one next year, Seattle already won. They, they got a $33 million quarterback. Essentially went to the Super Bowl.

[Alan]

Yeah, done. Yes. And they're only guaranteed for 50, which most of the better quarterbacks in the league, that's one year. You know what I mean?

[Don Hahn]

Yeah.

[Alan]

So. But. And if you get to. You got to the Super Bowl. No, no, this, this was a win. A win for them.

[Don Hahn]

And in Minnesota, there was the arrogance of, hey, I gotta, I got a coach and o'. Connell. I can just, you know, turn any quarterback into a superstar. JJ McCarthy is a first round pick. He's not getting paid yet. So why are we gonna pay a guy when McCarthy's just gonna become great? And I wouldn't. That would make sense to me if JJ went first overall, second overall. He went tenth. Yeah. You know, so to me. And he got hurt. So I know that in a cap era you want to try to go with the cheaper option. And if you believe in the quarterback, you took him in the first round. But hey, listen, it cost the general manager his job. Minnesota had a miserable season. We still. The jury's still out on J.J. mcCarthy and Sam Darnold is a four and a half point favorite in the Super Bowl. And Peter, we opened the show with it as you were, you know, getting on about, like, what were the odds of that? Never mind when he was seeing ghosts in New York or riding a pine in San Francisco and Carolina, and then winning 14 games last year with Minnesota, what were they on opening day in Seattle that this guy would represent the NFC as the favorite to win the Super Bowl? It's an incredible journey.

[Alan]

There were 60 to 1 odds, right? Isn't that them and Patriots were both 60 to 1.

[Don Hahn]

And I'm glad you see it the way I think Jet fans should look at it, that as much as you're disappointed you had him and you let him go is, well, that was a long time ago. He's a really good kid, and I think you want to root for people like that. You want to root. This is a great story. He wasn't some punk and he just didn't do the work here and got cut. And then you could feel bitter that all of a sudden he got a better attitude once he left the Jets. It was never about attitude. It was never about lack of ability to go out there and try to get it done. It was just that he was young. They didn't know what to do with him. They didn't have the ability to grow him. I think the motto that he had in that second season really kind of derailed that year for him. Just a lot of bad luck that the jets go through, unfortunately. But I don't think any of it's on Sam. So why not root for him if you're a Jet fan?

[Peter Rosenberg]

Yeah. I wouldn't understand going another way. I mean, it's a double whammy. You get to root for a kid who never did anything but really give his best effort, put his best foot forward, say the right things, do the right things, and you simultaneously get to it against New England like this. This isn't even a conversation.

[Don Hahn]

See, that's. You brought up a very interesting point.

[Alan]

That's exactly it.

[Don Hahn]

What if it wasn't New England and forget Buffalo or anybody in your division. What if it was the Texans? Would you be that adamant? Like, I'm not saying you hate Sam. I'm not saying you wouldn't root for him, but would you be so on board as you are now if it were Houston or the Chargers?

[Alan]

No. Like A team that didn't have any effect on you.

[Caller]

Right.

[Peter Rosenberg]

You know, it's a combo pack.

[Alan]

Yeah, I do. I'm with you, Peter. I think it does. It does add to it that if I didn't have a dog in the fight, like, I don't. What would I, you know, what would I prefer? Well, I know I don't want to see the Patriots win, even though I'm afraid they're going to. Like, I actually think they're going to win.

[Don Hahn]

Wow.

[Alan]

It's out of respect to Mike Vrabel, Mike Verbal, that I think they're going to win. I had a doubt happen, but. But I would care probably a lot less if Sam was playing against an AFC team that I had no movement for at all. Like, didn't mean. Didn't mean a thing to me. Right. It is like. How about like. Like again, like, what if it was Daniel Jones? Like, it looked like it was going to be Daniel Jones and the Colts.

[Don Hahn]

Hey, you know, that's a good point, too.

[Alan]

What if it was that? If you're a Giants fan, what are you doing?

[Don Hahn]

Yeah, that is a great question. What if it was. Look like it could have been Indianapolis.

[Alan]

Why couldn't it have been Eagles, Colts, Eagles. How you feeling if you're a Giants fan?

[Don Hahn]

I'll tell you what, I'm a Giant fan. I'd be rooting for Sam.

[Alan]

Yeah.

[Don Hahn]

Because it's Philadelphia. But if you're playing a Colts, Eagles, I don't know, playing the Seahawks and Samuel Jones, because was. How culpable was Daniel Jones in the failure. It wasn't his fault he got hurt. I don't think there was a lack of development because they. I think they had the pieces in place to develop him. At least they thought more so than the jets did.

[Alan]

Yeah.

[Don Hahn]

Turned out. Didn't work out. But really, I mean, I'm trying to think of an example of a guy that failed because he didn't work hard enough or didn't show a problem or. He failed.

[Alan]

Yeah, it failed.

[Don Hahn]

Like, if Zach Wilson all of a sudden found it, you'd be red hot if you were a Jet fan. Right. Because that kid didn't seem like he had a clue here.

[Alan]

Not a clue. He even admitted he'd have a clue.

[Don Hahn]

And then all of a sudden, two years from now, he ends up in. I don't know. Who needs a quarterback? That could be good, you know, I don't know. He ends up. He ends up in Miami and he's in Miami and he ends up becoming the starting quarterback. And wins. Goes to a Super Bowl.

[Alan]

Yeah.

[Don Hahn]

Yeah. I don't think Jet fans would be like, go, go, Zach, go. What the hell? That's what they'd be saying.

[Alan]

But it is. It is interesting, right? It does. It does create, if you're a Jets fan, more of an interest than normal.

[Don Hahn]

You know what I think it does? I think it takes that guy that would root against Sam because he didn't do it with the jets and give them a reason not to because it's the Patriots. I think that there is a percentage of Jet fans rooting for Sam. They'll be rooting against him. If it was anybody else but New England or Miami or Buffalo, we've got a big show.

[Alan]

We do.

[Don Hahn]

Harrison Phillips of the jets had some very interesting things to say about the Jets. We'll hear from the guys involved in the Super Bowl.

[Alan]

Sure you will.

[Don Hahn]

We'll hear from Darnold. We'll hear from Drake May. How close to 100% is he? So not only has he not played well in the postseason, he might be compromised going into this game. Get into the Knicks. They've got the Pistons tonight. We've got a fraud alert Friday at 430, not only that, at 6. And we've got a full vehicle today.

[Alan]

Yes.

[Don Hahn]

Right up until 7 o'.

[Alan]

Clock.

[Peter Rosenberg]

And not only that, not only do you get full frontal, Don, it's also, wait for it, the full frontal final Football Friday. And as we've said all week long, it's the last call for football.

[Don Hahn]

Yay.

[Peter Rosenberg]

And FanDuel is giving you a daily profit boost every single day leading up to the big game. Today's 30% profit boost is for first quarter markets. All passing, receiving and rushing yards. So if you think both teams will start off hot, you could go with overs. If you think it'll be a defensive battle, go with unders. All you have to do is opt in each day and place an eligible bet to use that day's profit boost. So whether you're locking in early lines, do it riding your favorite props or taking one last swing before the final whistle, you ride it hard. FanDuel is giving everyone something extra to cheer for during football's final week. Don who? The Bills. Go out and get Tay Diggs. Stefan Diggs. Play your game with FanDuel, official sportsbook partner of Super Bowl 60, 21 and over. Fiscally present. New York Opt in required boat is issued as non withdrawable profit boost tokens. Restrictions apply including any token expiration, max wager amount. See [e-mail] for help with a gambling problem, call 877-8-HOPE NY or text OPEN Y467-369.

[Don Hahn]

It feels like it's gonna be one of those shows you're gonna want to be on board for. As you know, managing maintenance, repair and operations is never easy. But for the ones who always rise to the challenge, Grainger has your back. From professional grade products you can count on to fast, dependable delivery, they're there to help you keep things running smoothly. Plus, their technical product specialists are here to help answer your toughest questions. And because Grainger knows safety is always a priority, they're committed to being your partner in protecting both your people and your facilities. Call 1-800-granger. Click granger.com or just stop by.

[Alan]

Thanks for listening to the Don Hahn and Rosenberg podcast.

[Peter Rosenberg]

I didn't listen to anything you just said.

[Alan]

Catch the show on demand whenever you want. Just subscribe to us wherever you get your podcasts. I'm just reading something on Rolling In. Rolling Stone that.

[Don Hahn]

Okay.

[Alan]

Before we get to calls and so, you know, we talked about Harry Styles in the show and all that stuff.

[Don Hahn]

Sure. And you not being able to get in the garden.

[Alan]

Yeah. Well, shout out to Jose for pointing this out to me in the chat. So I'm reading Rolling Stone. There's a girl who is donating blood as much as she possibly can to make as much money as she can so she could afford tickets to come to New York and see Harry Styles. This has got to stop. What are we doing here? And this is not about the fans. The Tickets are like $1,000 Ticketmaster. Even our partner, Live Nation. Like this. Well, crazy now.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Well, this. Yeah.

[Don Hahn]

Tickets are always expensive.

[Alan]

Yeah, but like, come on.

[Peter Rosenberg]

No, it's.

[Alan]

It's.

[Peter Rosenberg]

It's insane.

[Statistician]

It's.

[Peter Rosenberg]

It's. It's absolutely madness to this.

[Alan]

Listen to this. The demand is astronomical. More than 11 million people queued up for 500,000 tickets for shows in the New York City area. 11 million people were in the waiting room basically, to get into the opportunity to buy a half of a million tickets. That's. Popularity is great, but.

[Don Hahn]

Well, I guess the good news about this, guys.

[Alan]

Wow.

[Don Hahn]

Is that all we hear about is that the younger generation doesn't want to leave the house. They're not dating. Everything is interactive. They're playing video games. They're on chats. I guess it's good news. They're willing to leave the house for this and pay a good price for it. But when you hear stories about somebody giving blood. Peter, how much of this is performative. Like, hey, maybe I'll get picked up. Look, Rolling Stones is writing about Rolling Stones writing about me. Maybe Harry Styles are here about and give me free tickets. Like.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Well, I think all of it's true. I think sure.

[Alan]

Those things mean her 24 year old girl, Daniella Barone.

[Don Hahn]

There you go. So now she's in Rolling Stone, getting talked about on New York radio.

[Alan]

Student in college in Florida.

[Don Hahn]

And that's not a kid. If you're in college, you're making decisions in college.

[Peter Rosenberg]

But also, Allen's right though. I mean, this is a thing where the government has to like intercede somehow. The ticket thing has gotten so insane. It's. It's just, it's unreasonable. It's just gotten completely unreasonable.

[Alan]

There's another girl, this one's in San Diego State University.

[Don Hahn]

Okay.

[Alan]

Ava Engel, 18 year old. She's deathly afraid of needles. But after failing to find ticket under $1,000 during the official Ticketmaster sale, she signed up for plasma donation. Each one is 90 bucks.

[Don Hahn]

But how much more do you think you have?

[Alan]

Right?

[Statistician]

There's also a limit to how much you could donate.

[Don Hahn]

And 10 times, all of a sudden, you know they're gonna be, they're gonna be willing in your corpse to the.

[Alan]

Show if Emma does this.

[Don Hahn]

Hey, stay on top of it, man. Like these. I look at all the. Nancy and I are having a conversation because there was a stupid TikTok. There's this stress cube. Have you seen this? Yes, it's a stress cube that apparently on. It's become viral on TikTok that if you heat it up in the microwave, it becomes more pliable.

[Alan]

Right?

[Don Hahn]

So kids are put in the microwave and taking it out just as it's about to explode and like burning their face off.

[Alan]

Well, that's. Oh, that's. Yeah, that's not smart.

[Don Hahn]

Yeah, because thank God, because they have not discovered. They've discovered the computer. So eventually they're gonna discover social media. Got to stay on top of this because you know what I'm not. My kids could be just as dumb as any other kids unless I'm. Unless I'm careful. All right, I'm not gonna sit there. Go. Not my kid. No, no, not my kids. You know, Marco, let's do it for the story. So I, I gotta stay on top of him for. That's why he's just like his dad. I mean, seriously, you know how many times Nancy be like, he's so your son.

[Alan]

Yes, he is.

[Peter Rosenberg]

That told us.

[Alan]

How have you not said that? After like a play yet on the air.

[Don Hahn]

Holy cow. I don't know where he got it. I've never even said that.

[Alan]

So what? Be amazing. Be amazing. If you drop that like Jack Hughes does like a between the legs goal or something like that and you just yell out holy canoli.

[Don Hahn]

Holy cannoli.

[Alan]

That'll last forever.

[Don Hahn]

Well, I have a good authority that Felicia, Mississippi would sell blood for tickets to a. An Islander playoff game. Is that true, Felicia?

[Felicia]

I don't know about. Maybe if it was like the game seven of the Stanley cup finals.

[Alan]

Well, there you go. Yeah.

[Felicia]

So just kind of want to piggyback off of what you said earlier about teams. I don't want to necessarily say mailing it in, but I definitely think this break is going to help a lot of teams. And it might sound terrible, but I'm happy we're only sending two players to the Olympics. I'm excited to watch it, but I'm glad we won't, you know, like, no, if we lost or better be horrible. But yeah, a lot, you know, that wouldn't be devastating. But that was kind of my point on that. I'm happy we're only sending two and I'm kind of looking forward to a little bit of a break just to get everybody's head back.

[Statistician]

Right.

[Felicia]

Because we have not played well ever since. I accidentally missed. I really did misspeak the last time I called when I said we're going to make the playoffs look worse. And as soon as I hung up I was like. I did not mean to say. Of course I meant to like.

[Alan]

But.

[Don Hahn]

No, I think you're in good shape.

[Statistician]

But.

[Don Hahn]

But what. What is this story? You haven't gotten mail in two weeks.

[Felicia]

Yeah, so we did remember.

[Don Hahn]

I don't know.

[Felicia]

I don't know if you were on. If it was Alan and Peter. That were the one time I called before the storm, we got. We got almost 8 inches of snow and then the very next day we got tons of freezing rain. So it's just been horrendous. Thankfully, my husband and I both have four wheel drive, so we've been playing like pickup, grocery pickup for neighbors and stuff who can't literally can't get out of our driveways. We live out kind of in the country and all of our driveways are like long and windy. We have like one of those big aluminum carport things, like kind of the cheap ones that we had our boat parked under it. It collapsed like it. We tried to keep it clear. We just could not keep up with the volume and the ice was so heavy, it just collapsed. It's been horrible here today. We actually, I think I just saw. It looked like a mail truck, so I think we might have gotten mail today because it's starting to melt. Well, yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Don Hahn]

Hopefully all the bills you didn't pay that they're forgiving all of that. Right.

[Felicia]

And then just my, my final point as a Jets fan, I'm totally rooting for Sam. And I'm going to be honest, like, I can't, it may, it may be kind of fraudulent because I, you know, I don't know what I would do if he's playing somebody other than the Patriots because of course I'm going to root for. I can't think of a team I'd root for over the Patriots. I mean, you know what I'm trying to say? Like, I can't think of a team I'd root for the Patriots over. But, but I do think I still would root for him because he's such a good guy and it's not like he did anything whatsoever wrong here. I never had any ill will towards him. So, yeah, I hope he wins. But I'm with Alan. I'm kind of nervous that the Patriots are going to pull it out.

[Alan]

That's, I'm telling you. We'll, we'll do our picks later on. Thank you, Felicia. But I, I, I'm already going to let you guys know I'm, that I'm leaning that direction.

[Peter Rosenberg]

It doesn't surprise me. You've been, you've been big on the Pats all year.

[Alan]

I have.

[Don Hahn]

Showing your hand for the picks at five.

[Alan]

I don't mind.

[Peter Rosenberg]

What does it matter?

[Alan]

Does it matter? No.

[Peter Rosenberg]

It could not mean less.

[Alan]

It doesn't.

[Peter Rosenberg]

You're beating him by a thousand. He's beating me by a thousand. There's nothing going on.

[Alan]

I'm stuck in the middle with you.

[Don Hahn]

Well, that's right. Chalk this up to morbid curiosity. Richard in Manhattan. You're on espn. New York.

[Caller]

What's going on, fellas? With all due respect, your show should have been at the foot of Madison Square Garden.

[Don Hahn]

Tonight we've got Pitino versus regular season college basketball game. For God's sake. For God's sake.

[Caller]

St. John's is eighth straight. Yukon is 15th straigh. Oh, it's huge. And the two.

[Don Hahn]

It's not huge. It is not on Super Bowl Friday. You're nuts. Okay? You're nuts.

[Caller]

I'm going to combine a lot of things. Don't do it. What about Detroit and the Knicks. Now look at this. Detroit is coming off the worst loss of the year, 25 games better than the team they played, who they played last night. They lost by. Lost by 25 games better at home. The Knicks are coming off a great, great win, double overtime, a top team in the West. And this is a preview, possible, very likely, of the Eastern final. What a game to talk about then if we have the Olympic pre. The Olympic pregame, pre. Ceremony. If it's half as good as the French ceremony and half as good if it is half as good as the French. And that was fantastic. That French pre. Olympic ceremony.

[Don Hahn]

I gotta tell you, I love you program this radio station. We'd fold. All right. I do not want to be that guy because there's a lot of fans in the Garden, I'm sure is going to be packed. UConn, St. John's was it number three versus number 22. It's a regular season college basketball game that college basketball fans will get really excited about.

[Alan]

I'm sure it's a great college basketball game.

[Don Hahn]

It's a great college basketball game that if it's a Tuesday and there's not a lot going on, it could be the lead. But it is the super bowl, and we're going to talk about the super bowl not doing a remote from Madison Square Garden. And don't tell me about Nick's Pistons. Is anybody playing?

[Alan]

Well, we don't know. We're going to see who's available because the Pistons played last night. Duran hurt his knee. We don't know what his story is going to be for tonight's game. And, you know, we'll see what the Knicks end up doing as well, because it's their third game and four, and they got to play Sunday afternoon in Boston. So there's a lot to think about. This is, you know, this was supposed to be a big weekend, but as. As this continues, you go, wait a minute. They played a double overtime game Wednesday. I don't know if this is one of those games, you know, that you say, listen, I understand that on the marquee, it looks pretty big, but it's not at the Garden. And it's one of these games that you're like, you know, I'd rather win the war than win a battle. That's one, two, if I'm not mistaken. When Pitino, who we Love, got that 900th win, we asked. We asked for him. What do we hear back?

[Don Hahn]

Eggs.

[Alan]

Eggs.

[Don Hahn]

But I'm not even being bitter about that. I'm just saying it's a big deal in college basketball circles. It's a regular season game. The winner or loser of that game is not going to have their season defined. Hey, listen, I could sit there for some reason, you know, if both teams are good, the Rangers and Islanders are playing each other. Hey, it's a big deal. It's a big rivalry, but, you know, it's a regular season game. Look, in the middle of the year.

[Alan]

To be fair, it's. It's a big game.

[Peter Rosenberg]

But we're talking about the Super Bowl.

[Don Hahn]

I understand the super bowl is kind of yawn, but it's still the Super Bowl.

[Alan]

Everybody's having parties for this. St. John's Yukon is a. Is a. It's. It's a for. For the Garden. It's a big game for St. John's it's a big game, right?

[Don Hahn]

Yes.

[Alan]

Because UConn has really been a dominant program for years. For a long time. They have. They have taken over in the Northeast as the team. And that's all nice, but in all due respect, and I'm a basketball guy, it pales in comparison. That's what I'm going to have on Sunday.

[Don Hahn]

I am. Because, listen, I'm a hockey guy, so I get disrespected all the time when I think something's big and people are like, yawn. I'm not saying yawn. You're talking about a regular season college basketball game. You're talking about a regular season NBA game. And I'm sorry, Richard. No one, and I mean no show has been more on top of the Knicks than we have been literally two weeks ahead of everybody else with every story, with every bit of breaking news, with every theme. And in normal circumstances, on any other day, our open would be Nick's Pistons. But I'm sorry, it's the Super Bowl. And if people are disinterested in it, fine. It's still the Super Bowl.

[Peter Rosenberg]

I mean, think about what the topic is. The topic all week has been us discussing how basically, if there's something to hate on about the super bowl, it's that it's been bastardized by the fact that it is the single biggest event in the world.

[Don Hahn]

Right? That. That's.

[Peter Rosenberg]

You can't. The idea that we're going to stop for regular season college basketball, as much as it excites Richard and I. Listen, my favorite thing about Richard is that he loves sports more than any human being I've ever met in my life. There's no question. Richard of Manhattan. Hi, Richard. There's no one who loves Sports than the man. But at the same time. Yeah, you program the station, Don. And we're playing muzak next Monday.

[Don Hahn]

Well, I'm just. Listen. You know how big a hockey fan I am. And if. That. If I had a devil predator game on Super Bowl Sunday, going up against the Super Bowl, I'd skip to the rock to do the game because I love to do it, but I wouldn't open the show with it because I enjoy my job and I think I'm pretty good at it and I want to entertain a mass audience.

[Peter Rosenberg]

You don't think the Dev Pred game gets. Gets billing over the Super Bowl.

[Alan]

But again, to get back to Richard, he was very passionate about it. But if he would have just said it in a regular voice, the fact that he started screaming about it as if it's the most preposterous thing, that we didn't begin the show with St. John's Yukon. That. That's. That's just.

[Don Hahn]

Again, let me just. Let me just say. When dealing with the gas. Righty tighty, lefty. Lucy. It's possible that he was thinking he was turning it off. Instead, he was turning it up.

[Caller]

Take it all off.

[Alan]

By the way, whoever was waiting in the chair while he was on hold, right?

[Peter Rosenberg]

Oh, you kidding?

[Alan]

Just imagine what he. You're gonna have. Like, you know you can't talk when the dentist talks to you and you're just like, you can't say anything. Imagine what you got to hear while he's. Whatever he's doing with your teeth.

[Don Hahn]

You believe those guys aren't talking? Red Storm.

[Alan]

Can you just. Just, just, just fix. Just fix it for me.

[Don Hahn]

Like, now I'm gonna get a bunch of tweets from basketball fans. But I'm sorry, it had to be said.

[Alan]

It was.

[Caller]

I got one quickie.

[Don Hahn]

Again, it was the morbid curiosity of. Was he gonna go there? Yeah.

[Alan]

You asked for it.

[Don Hahn]

I asked for it. I got it. Toyota again. Righty tighty, lefty.

[Alan]

Lucy, thanks for listening to the Don Hahn and Rosenberg podcast.

[Peter Rosenberg]

I didn't listen to anything you just said.

[Alan]

Catch the show on demand whenever you want. Just subscribe to us wherever you get your podcasts.

[Don Hahn]

Broad alert. Friday at 4:30 E. And at 6. We got a full vehicle today. And then we got the Knicks and the Pistons. And if you want to hear Yukon, St. John's that game is going to be on 1050 at 7:40 Ray Row. Let's get back to the busy phones. Danny on Long island, you're on ESPN New York. Hi, Danny.

[Caller]

Danny, who is Presently, Danny from South Carolina.

[Alan]

Yeah.

[Caller]

So it's amazing how good 53 degrees feels when you've been in 12 degrees for about a month. I'm out in the backyard sunbathing in 53 degrees.

[Alan]

Danny. It was 38 degrees yesterday and I was out back with the dogs, just taking in the sun. It felt so good.

[Caller]

I wanted to talk about the super bowl, but I was quite. I was literally horrified that you guys didn't start with the Two Man Lewis preview. Because really, I mean, I'm really waiting for that. And really the essential, the opening ceremonies, who cares? Anyway, let's get on to more important things. I like to ask each of you one question in analyzing this game, either yes or no, can the Patriots win if the, if the Seattle Seahawks don't commit a couple of catastrophic errors, I'm talking about like a pick six, a part return, a block field goal. Can the Patriots win if Seattle doesn't have massive major catastrophic events?

[Don Hahn]

No, I don't feel like it. No. I think that's why I like them so much.

[Caller]

And there's the answer to your question right there. That, that, that's who you're taking. The only question is, are they going to win by four and a half points? You get that backdoor cover and I listen to the morning show and all these, everybody's talking about all these weapons and they don't even mention the running back. They have the best running back on the. Besides having the best wide receiver. And the quarterback is playing much better than the Patriots quarterback. Their running back is, might be the best running back in the NFL right now. Catching passes out of the backfield, knocking people over, running inside, the tackles, he can do it all. And they got an offensive coordinator that knows how to use them. And they pick up this guy Shahid in the middle of the season and he's only run back two or three points for touchdowns. And every once in a while he catches a 40 yard pass out of nowhere. So I just think Seattle can win in many ways. Special teams, defense, offense. And New England needs massive errors from Seattle. And I'm not saying it's not, it's not, it's not out there.

[Don Hahn]

But I guess because of the narrative with Sam. Can Sam go out there and throw four picks and one one pick six and they lose the game? Yeah, could be on the table. But you've got Drake May, who has not played well in the postseason at all and now he might be coming in with a compromised shoulder. And I think Seattle, even though New England's defense Is good. Should be able to put some points up because they can run and throw and they can control the clock. There's a lot of boxes that Seattle checks, but yeah, hey, turnovers are the one thing you can't predict and can change everything. So if Sam goes out there and throws three of them and one of them is a pick six, it changes everything.

[Alan]

All it takes is a. It's like the, you know, a ball. It's tipped and suddenly anything can happen. But they have the. You know, he mentioned Walker and he's a terrific running back. Smith and Jigba Cooper cup was the super bowl mvp. Don't forget about him. Yeah, there's tons of weapons on the offensive side and yet we're always come back to if Sam doesn't make mistakes because in his career we know. I remember him at usc. Watched him for two years at usc. He was such a good college quarterback. But there was always that threat of the turnover with him because, you know, like he, he makes aggressive mistakes. So that's the. If that's the one thing that you would say, what could cost Seattle a Super bowl, that's probably what it is. Is turnovers or any type of special teams issues that could keep the Patriots in the game. And that's it.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Am I the only one, though, who feels. I guess not, Alan. Because you, you like the Pats.

[Don Hahn]

I like.

[Peter Rosenberg]

I just don't. I'm leaning Seattle and I think that's who I'll pick. I'm shocked that there are people who think like, oh my God, you think the Patriots could win. This is not a. There is not a huge gap between these two teams.

[Alan]

It's a four and a half point. That's.

[Don Hahn]

That's not a big gap. I think there's a. There's a. But people are.

[Alan]

Oh, no, Peter's right. Peter's right.

[Peter Rosenberg]

No, but Don disagrees, though.

[Alan]

You think, you think there's a gap.

[Don Hahn]

You think there's a neutral site game? They're a four and a half point favorite, so if they were home, they'd be a more than a touchdown favorite. But. And I don't.

[Peter Rosenberg]

I don't see them as more than a touchdown apart.

[Don Hahn]

I really don't.

[Peter Rosenberg]

I see them as similar kind of teams in a lot of ways. Two teams on the upswing. New England has not been great recently. Seattle has looked really good. Their path to get here, certainly more impressive. I mean, New England had, as I've said, one of the most unimpressive past the super bowl in history. Seattle's is not that. However, I still think when it's all said and done, these are two not super bowl, super memorable all time super bowl teams. Two really good teams with sort of with, with quarterbacks who have potential, but we don't know their level of greatness yet. I think this could be a very close football game.

[Don Hahn]

This is a parody Super Bowl. It was parody all league, all year in this league. But I just think Seattle's better now. We do have some breaking news. Here we go. Former commanders OC Cliff Kingsbury has joined the coaching staff of the Los Angeles Rams.

[Alan]

That's a good business though.

[Statistician]

They'll never punt again.

[Alan]

That is a good business decision. I like that.

[Don Hahn]

Now, I didn't say he'd be the oc. He just said that he would join.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Oh, join the staff.

[Alan]

Okay.

[Peter Rosenberg]

So they'll have a good time. I mean, that's a big. By the way, congrats to Shouts to rams fans. Good 24 hours for Rams fans.

[Alan]

Yes.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Getting Stafford back and Kingsbury in the mix. They look like they are clearly interested in going forward again.

[Alan]

Well, also, also think about this too. If you click congratulations to Kingsbury because who needs LA more than him? I mean, that's like for him, his lifestyle. Oh my God. Clean it up.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Bless.

[Alan]

Yeah, right. God bless is right. And then on top of it, we run into a Panarin on top of it. He'll also be on like a team that is successful. It'll be good for his resume building as well because clearly he wants to be a head coach again. There's no question he wants to do this again. So it's a good spot for even.

[Don Hahn]

Though he's only 40, he has toyed about moving on. So you think about, all right, maybe they win another Super Bowl. Maybe I become the head coach of the Rams one day when McVay decides to go sign big money in football or kind of change things up again.

[Statistician]

I have a fun stat for you guys if you're interested.

[Don Hahn]

I love Fun Stats.

[Statistician]

Since 2007, there's been an underdog of four plus points in the Super bowl seven times. Anybody want to guess what their record is outright and against the spread?

[Don Hahn]

Well, since 2000.

[Statistician]

Since 2007.

[Alan]

Yep.

[Statistician]

There's been an underdog of four plus points in the Super bowl seven times.

[Alan]

Seven times.

[Don Hahn]

Well, I could tell you right now the Giants have won two of those.

[Statistician]

Okay.

[Don Hahn]

All right. So that's two wins out of the seven. So that's two and five right there.

[Alan]

Yeah, I wouldn't go any higher than two and five. This is spread or out three and four.

[Statistician]

I'll give you the outright and against the spread of the seven.

[Peter Rosenberg]

I'm gonna go. I'm gonna go against the spread.

[Caller]

The.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Oh and seven.

[Statistician]

Okay.

[Don Hahn]

No. Well, you gotta figure that Eagles were a big dog against the Patriots. So that's three. I've already got three. Guy, I.

[Peter Rosenberg]

The Chiefs. Weren't the Chiefs a favorite last year?

[Don Hahn]

But was it more and lost? I don't know if it was four and a half.

[Alan]

Put us out of our misery.

[Statistician]

Okay, you guys don't read the rundown. Since 2007, underdogs of 4 plus points in the Super bowl are 5, 2 outright and 7. 0 against the spread.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Wait.

[Statistician]

Underdogs of 4 plus points in the super bowl are 5 and 2 outright and 7 and O against the spread.

[Peter Rosenberg]

They all covered and 5 of them have won.

[Don Hahn]

I had to be right. I had to be right about the two Giants and the. And the Eagles, right? Am I right about at least three of the five?

[Statistician]

I don't have the games.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Oh, Jesus.

[Statistician]

I have the style.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Well, but you wouldn't son of a. Right.

[Alan]

I have been reading 7 0.

[Peter Rosenberg]

The Underdogs covered every time. You're right.

[Don Hahn]

They covered win outright. Those are three that won outright. The two Giants and the Eagles. And were the Bucks a dog against Kansas City with Brady?

[Alan]

There we go.

[Don Hahn]

They had to be right. I was at four and a half.

[Statistician]

An example of a cover but not winning is 20, 21. It was the last time, actually. There was a four and a half point dog. It was the Bengals. The Rams won that Super Bowl 23 to 20. They covered. They did not win.

[Alan]

The underdog has won each of the last three Super Bowls has covered in each of the last five. Wow.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Don't you know what that means, guys? You know what that means?

[Don Hahn]

That. Yeah.

[Peter Rosenberg]

And it means Vegas has killed it the last three years in the super bowl because people love the favorites. No one. No one likes betting dogs. It's scary betting dogs. People like betting the favorite and Vegas is good at what they do.

[Alan]

Thanks for listening to the Don Hahn and Rosenberg podcast.

[Peter Rosenberg]

I don't want to know how the.

[Alan]

Sausage is made, man. I just want to know. It's good. Hear more of Don Allen and Peter weekday afternoon starting at 3 on 8, ESPN, the ESPN New York app, and your smart speakers.