Don, Hahn & Rosenberg: Hour 1 — Dart Concerns

ESPN New York | November 21, 2025

Episode Overview

The trio of Don La Greca, Alan Hahn, and Peter Rosenberg return for a pre-Thanksgiving episode, diving deep into the current state of New York (and regional) football, especially around concerns with Giants quarterback Jackson Dart’s repeated concussions. The hosts debate coaching futures, quarterback durability, and the emotional fallout of losing seasons. Lively takes, “Thanksgiving vibes of Jace,” and a round of passionate listener calls punctuate a football-first hour.

Main Discussion Points & Insights

1. Thanksgiving Vibes & Show Banter

• The crew marks the “last Friday before Thanksgiving,” joking about the blurred lines between holiday seasons.
  • “It's the definition of Thanksgiving vibes of Jace. Dude, we're here.” (Peter Rosenberg, 01:02)
• Don reflects on technical issues from a previous show, touting “Florida Don” and encouraging listeners to watch the chaos on YouTube.

2. Buffalo Bills' Struggles: Coaching Carousel & QB Frustrations

Josh Allen’s Frustration & Coaching Future (02:00–06:30)

• Bills lose to the Texans, now 7-4. Speculation arises about the future of head coach Sean McDermott, and whether Josh Allen might demand change.
• Debate: If Allen “pulls a Matthew Stafford,” does he want a defensive guy like Tomlin, or offensive like McCarthy?
  • Don: “I don’t know if Tomlin goes there and solves Buffalo's problems, but I think Mike McCarthy can... just because he's an offensive guy.” (Don La Greca, 02:41)
• Rosenberg: Is McCarthy that much more appealing than Tomlin, given their pedigrees?
  • Don: “Give me the offensive guy if I'm Josh Allen.” (02:46)
• Discussion of coaches going stale—Andy Reid as the prime example of a fresh start elsewhere making a difference.

Allen’s Toughness & Bills' Flaws

• Hahn points out Allen’s recurring issue: “Jackson Dart is still taking too many hits. I think it was 12 times he got hit last night.” (06:46)
• Offensive line, lack of discipline with weapons (Keon Coleman and Diggs) cited as key problems.

Would McDermott Fit with the Giants?

• The hosts contemplate if “one man's trash is another man's treasure.” What if Sean McDermott became available for the Giants?
  • Rosenberg: “Oh God. My God. No, no.” (07:13)

3. Patriots Surging & AFC East Outlook (09:54–12:25)

• The Patriots’ unexpected NFC East dominance is dissected, noting their schedule gives them a clear path — possibly running the table.
• Giants-Patriots MNF might be tougher than expected, especially if Jackson Dart returns from concussion.

4. The Giants & Jackson Dart’s Concussion — Lingering Concern

Dart’s Durability: A Franchise Problem? (12:29–14:44)

• Dart missing a 2nd game, with four visits to the concussion tent already.
  • Don: “You don't want this to have to be a problem because... you’ve got a quarterback with a concussion problem, then welcome to the world.” (13:30)
• Parallels drawn to Tua Tagovailoa and RG3: potential cut-short career because of perpetual injuries.
• If Dart is out another week: "Then you got a real problem." (Peter, 14:20)

Coaching Candidates & Concussion Context

• How do injuries affect the attractiveness of the Giants head coach job?
  • “Sexy job. New York. We got a really good young quarterback. And he goes, yeah, a quarterback that if he gets sacked in the preseason, he could be out for five weeks. I'm good.” (Don, 13:46)

5. Cam Scatterbo’s Twitch Choices & Athlete Coping Mechanisms (18:29–21:08)

• Scatterbo’s hyper-presence on Twitch—good for mental health, or troubling?
  • Rosenberg: “He needs feedback and needs... You could tell that he really does thrive on energy and feedback.” (20:17)
• Mental health challenges for young athletes during injury and detachment from the game.
  • “You feel so detached from the team. When you're done for the season… that is like, you're not going to be in meetings, you're not going to be part of anything.” (Alan, 20:23)
• Brief side-issue: calls out problematic social media personalities (Neon the Twitch streamer) and athlete brand-building.

6. Listener Calls & Extended Bills-Steelers-Tomlin Debate (27:51–41:19)

On McDermott, Tomlin, and McCarthy's True Value

• A Bills fan defends McDermott (“two best things to happen to this team in the past 20 [years]”), blames broader organizational issues.
• Hahn: “If this guy was a first-round talent but fell because of character, those are all risks you take... collective with that organization right now.” (29:50)
• Multiple calls examine whether Tomlin or McCarthy, both former Super Bowl winners now considered “stale,” would thrive elsewhere — and if so, where?

Tomlin’s Management & Steelers Fan Frustration

• Passionate Steelers fan: “Mike Tomlin's time is over. We need to have a fresh start... he doesn't like to throw the ball over the middle... It's not 1975.” (Danny, 38:44)
• Don: “How about having a coach that gets more out of a team than not? So like where the Giants are right now, I'm not thinking Super Bowl. I think can I just get to above 500?” (Don, 38:46)
• Consensus: Tomlin is a safe floor, but for elite teams, perhaps the next step requires a different approach.

7. The Giants and the “Jackson Dart = The Guy?” Debate (49:00–51:40)

• Peter: “I think we've gotten very happy go lucky with the sentence: the Giants have found their quarterback. I think that's been, like, wildly overstated this entire season. I think he's... absolutely yet to prove that.” (49:46)
• Don and Alan agree: small sample size, flashes of potential, but inconclusive.
• The loss of Malik Nabers and a reduced supporting cast make true evaluation tougher.
• Significance: The last weeks of the season, when Dart returns, will be essential to evaluating whether the Giants have “the guy.”

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “Jackson Dart is still taking too many hits. I think it was 12 times he got hit last night.”
  – Alan Hahn, 06:46

• “You don't want this to have to be a problem because... You’ve got a quarterback with a concussion problem, then welcome to [that] world.”
  – Don La Greca, 13:30

• “Give me the offensive guy if I'm Josh Allen. I mean, how do I know it gets any better if it's Tomlin, what it is now?”
  – Don La Greca, 02:41

• “My man is every day, every day. Last week, UFC. Monday, he's at Raw. Now he's hanging out with Neon. Like my man. Clearly he needs to get the energy out.”
  – Peter Rosenberg on Cam Scatterbo, 19:29

• "If Dart is playing, that's a... that's a problem. Guys. This is not a knee injury, ankle injury, elbow injury. He's concussed. He's going to miss a second game. He's already visited the tent four times this year in concussion protocol. Two games is not nothing guys."
  – Don La Greca, 12:33

• “If he doesn't play a third week... No, we got problems. Then you got a real problem.”
  – Peter Rosenberg, 14:16

• "And now if I've got to tell Dart, I need you to stay in the pocket. I need you to avoid contact because you have concussion issues. Can he still be a great quarterback? Maybe. But now it's a big maybe."
  – Don La Greca, 14:44

• "I think we've gotten very happy go lucky with the sentence: the Giants have found their quarterback. I think that's been, like, wildly overstated this entire season... I think he's absolutely yet to prove that."
  – Peter Rosenberg, 49:46

Key Timestamps

• 01:02 — Thanksgiving/holiday banter kicks off
• 02:00–06:30 — Bills’ loss, Josh Allen's frustration, McDermott’s future & coaching debate begins
• 06:46 — Jackson Dart and Josh Allen both hit too much; concerns about durability
• 09:54–12:25 — AFC East discussion, Patriots’ dominance, Giants-Patriots upcoming game if Dart returns
• 12:29–14:44 — Jackson Dart concussion/development worries, impact on Giants coaching search
• 14:44–21:08 — Cam Scatterbo, Twitch, mental health for injured players, athlete detachment
• 27:51–41:19 — Listener calls, deep dive on Tomlin/McCarthy/McDermott, team's leadership ceilings and floors
• 49:00–51:40 — Giants “do they have the guy” QB debate, urgency to see more from Dart

Overall Tone & Style

The episode blends classic New York sports talk verve—argumentative, slightly cynical, but always insightful and self-aware—with humor and personal anecdotes. The trio’s authenticity and easy chemistry allow them to navigate between earnest football analysis and lighter, sometimes zany tangents, always circling back to what matters most to their diehard New York fan base.

Summary Takeaway

“Dart Concerns” is an episode defined by uncertainty—about the future of young QBs like Jackson Dart, about what makes a coach the RIGHT coach for a team “stuck in neutral,” and about how much suffering fans can rationalize before demanding real change. The most sobering thread is the durability of promising quarterbacks—concussions are not just a stat but a potential franchise-altering variable. If you're a Giants or Bills fan bracing for more “almost but not quite” seasons, you’re in good company—at least with Don, Hahn, and Rosenberg.