Hour 1: Don't Rush Dart

Summary

Don, Hahn & Rosenberg Podcast Summary Episode: Hour 1: Don't Rush Dart
Release Date: August 12, 2025

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Introduction & Initial Banter

The episode kicks off with the hosts, Don La Greca, Alan Hahn, and Peter Rosenberg, engaging in their signature humorous banter. They discuss the rotating intros of their show, with Anthony Pusik expressing discomfort over the current introduction format. Don emphasizes the importance of variety, stating, “You don’t want to hear the same thing over and over again” (01:46).

NFL Quarterback Debate: Should Jackson Dart Start Early?

A significant portion of the discussion centers around the New York Giants' quarterback situation, specifically debating whether rookie Jackson Dart should start in Week 1.

Don La Greca argues against rushing Dart into a starting role, citing historical precedents:

“Why are we so hot to have this kid start right away? Did we not see the disaster that was starting Zach Wilson right away or the disaster of starting Sam Darnold right away?” (12:12)

He further elaborates on the Giants' decision-making process:

“The objective for Jackson Dart is to beat Winston for the backup. That's your objective, is we want to get to a point where Russell Wilson's our starting quarterback and you're playing so well. You're the backup, you're next up.” (14:05)

Anthony Pusik presents a contrasting viewpoint, suggesting that giving Dart an early start could benefit the team's long-term prospects:

“Why are we worried about being mediocre with Russell Wilson? If I believe we can be mediocre with Jackson Dart and get him approved...” (19:50)

Peter Rosenberg and caller Tessa add depth to the conversation. Tessa emphasizes the importance of building a foundation around Dart, advocating for his development alongside veteran Russell Wilson:

“Let this guy get a foundation. Let him learn from Russ, who's a pro. Pro who's a veteran.” (29:04)

Drew, another caller, supports Don's stance, highlighting the potential pitfalls of starting Dart too soon:

“Every mistake becomes a chip away of the confidence, you begin to question yourself and you can actually do more damage than good.” (36:10)

Caller Insights: Tessa and Drew Weigh In

Tessa passionately supports Don's perspective, stressing the need for Dart to develop at his own pace:

“If you build a foundation and you had cracks in it, what happened? Eventually whatever you built on top falls down.” (28:42)

Drew reinforces the idea that experience does not necessarily come from playing prematurely:

“I think there's a lot more damage can be done if you're not ready and you're thrown to the wolves than the value of the experience of playing.” (36:10)

MLB Updates: Yankees vs. Twins & Mets vs. Braves

The hosts transition to discussing Major League Baseball, focusing on recent performances and ongoing rivalries.

Don La Greca critiques the Yankees' effortless victories over the Twins:

“It's ridiculous. They can't beat the Twins on a bet.” (28:12)

He also touches on the perennial rivalry between the Mets and Braves:

“The Braves have been a Mets' Achilles heel forever.” (27:00)

Fantasy Football Frenzy

Towards the end of the episode, the conversation shifts to their fantasy football league. Don La Greca expresses frustration over not being invited to colleagues' leagues, leading to a lighthearted discussion about league punishments.

Anthony Pusik shares his disdain for the commitment required in fantasy football:

“I'm the king of forget. And in week four, I forget and someone's on the bench.” (42:25)

They humorously debate potential punishments for losing, such as growing an Amish beard or dressing up as a mascot, highlighting the camaraderie and competitive spirit among the hosts and their colleagues.

Closing Remarks

As the episode wraps up, the hosts reiterate upcoming sports coverage, including in-depth analyses of the Mets vs. Braves series and the Yankees' ongoing performance. They encourage listeners to stay tuned for more engaging discussions on New York sports and beyond.

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Notable Quotes:

• Don La Greca on rotating intros: “You don't want to hear the same thing over and over again, especially when we're pounding out contact content the way we are.” (01:46)
• Anthony Pusik on fantasy football commitment: “I'm the king of forget. And in week four, I forget and someone's on the bench.” (42:25)
• Tessa on building a foundation for Dart: “Let this guy get a foundation. Let him learn from Russ, who's a pro. Pro who's a veteran.” (28:42)

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This episode offers a comprehensive look into current NFL quarterback strategies, MLB rivalries, and the lively dynamics of the hosts' fantasy football league, all delivered with the trademark humor and insight of Don, Hahn, and Rosenberg.

Transcript

[ESPN Fantasy Promo]

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[Don La Greca]

Don, where do we. Sedan on Sus Han? It's lame. It needs Viagra.

[Peter Rosenberg]

And Rosenberg.

[Anthony Pusik]

I'm gonna lift my shirt up, take my pants down and shake it all around.

[Don La Greca]

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

[Peter Rosenberg]

This is Don Hahn and Rosenberg on 880 ESPN and the ESPN New York.

[Don La Greca]

App 301 of the big city. Don Han and Rosenberg till 6, 30. Then it's Mets, Braves right here on ESPN New York.

[Anthony Pusik]

So I'm starting to think we should change that.

[Don La Greca]

In what?

[Anthony Pusik]

I'm not comfortable anymore.

[Don La Greca]

With what?

[Anthony Pusik]

The intro. My. My line on the intro, it's. It's a bit. It's a lot.

[Don La Greca]

Well, you said it.

[Anthony Pusik]

I know. I didn't know it. Live forever, you kind of think it's gonna go away, but the whole rotation.

[Don La Greca]

Idea was yours, so there's gonna be a time where maybe we rotate into something that's not exactly flattering to you.

[Unknown]

One in nine, you're gonna hear it.

[Don La Greca]

We got nine of them. That's not bad.

[Anthony Pusik]

No, we gotta go up, though. We need. Then we need more because I feel like I hear that one too often. Maybe I just notice it the most. By the way, how do we feel? Quick, quick, quick. Check in.

[Don La Greca]

Yeah.

[Anthony Pusik]

What are we, six months in now? No, more seven months in. How are we feeling about the rotating intros?

[Don La Greca]

What are we.

[Anthony Pusik]

What are we feeling?

[Don La Greca]

Good, apparently. I'm on board, but you're the one complaining.

[Anthony Pusik]

But in general.

[Don La Greca]

No, in general, it's fantastic. You don't want to hear the same thing over and over again, especially when we're pounding out contact content the way we are.

[Anthony Pusik]

Oh, you kidding me? Pounding the lore.

[Don La Greca]

Yeah. We're pounding and pounding, pound for pound. We pound it out better than anybody, and I think it's great. And I'm surprised we have nine or ten that we can rotate.

[Anthony Pusik]

Oh, no. Why surprise? Nine or ten? I think it's. We probably have. There's way more drops now. Think about it. If we were to look back at just the last couple of months, like, when was the last one made? Guys? I bet I Bet we haven't had.

[Don La Greca]

One a little while. Yeah, probably. Well, because. Because of your absence. Piece of hack. Say it.

[Anthony Pusik]

Come on. That could be there.

[Don La Greca]

Ow. Nobody coaches me up.

[Anthony Pusik]

There's so many things you've said, Don.

[Don La Greca]

Every day there's something.

[Anthony Pusik]

Yeah, something. Something good. And guess what? Today we get to go on this radio on Beyonce's green earth and talk about foosball. It's a beautiful thing.

[Don La Greca]

Well, and in part of the reason. And we'll get into baseball. Mets, Braves. Very, very interesting series. On paper you're happy you're taking on a team that's miserably out of it, but the Braves own the Mets. And speaking of ownage, the Yankees played the Twins and I don't want to take anything away from the Yankees, but I'm not throwing roses at their feet to beat the Twins. As I sent to the group text last night, the Yankees compete the Twins while having a colonoscopy. Like it takes no effort to beat the Twins at all. But they made you nervous. 3. Nothing became 3. 2. But then you win in the game. 62 and. But Bednar gets the save and he's now obviously your clothes are moving forward and Renegade now is being used in the building and everything.

[Anthony Pusik]

Excited about it. Big devil. I think it's. I think he really just needs a shot. Just give the kid a chance.

[Don La Greca]

Well, after it's been announced by Boone that he will not be given chances in high leverage situations in case. But. But you never know what's going to happen.

[Anthony Pusik]

Oh, and by the way, you know, one of those days is coming, right?

[Don La Greca]

It might be tonight.

[Anthony Pusik]

One of those moments is coming where everyone goes, all right, we moved on from this all of a sudden huge spot. Here comes Devin win Yankees.

[Don La Greca]

They had to do and they got a win. So we'll get into the baseball a little bit later. Ron, let's talk about a Tuesday at 4:30. Another Anthony Pusick led Ian at 6.

[Anthony Pusik]

I'm already seeing stories. I need Anthony. I need Aaron Rodgers discussing the new football helmet. Is that on your.

[Don La Greca]

Really? Yeah, we'll get there. We'll get. We'll get to that.

[Anthony Pusik]

Think about this headline and tell me I don't have to have this in the inn.

[Don La Greca]

Okay.

[Anthony Pusik]

Rogers on new helmet looks like a spaceship. You know, I need that conversation because I love spaceship.

[Don La Greca]

And if anybody else says spaceship, it's okay. We move on. Roger says that, you know, there might be a lot more to it than that. Like what kind of conspiracy?

[Anthony Pusik]

Exactly.

[Don La Greca]

There's something actually wrapped around this so, yeah, we'll get to that. That sounds like an ENN story. And I had my like, real first official day at the Devils. I got to tell you about that. That was fun as I got a chance to kind of walk around and get introduced to everybody. And I actually taped a commercial that I can't wait, you guys to see within the next week or so. I. I've never had the chance to. To act. I think I can do it.

[Anthony Pusik]

You think?

[Don La Greca]

But you don't know. But I always looked at it. I'm not like Michael, where I'm begging people to put me in a movie.

[Anthony Pusik]

No.

[Don La Greca]

Because that's how Michael got in. Grown ups too. Let's you. But I got my acting chops. And I will say this. There's something in the commercial that I did that will be viewed as controversial.

[Anthony Pusik]

No.

[Don La Greca]

Yeah.

[Anthony Pusik]

What do you mean?

[Don La Greca]

It's gonna rub a lot of people the wrong way. Did you bury the Rangers? No. Had nothing to do with the Rangers.

[Anthony Pusik]

Would you have if you needed to bury him dead if you needed to?

[Don La Greca]

Well, good actor sticks to the script. Who am I? No thing to do with the Rangers. Had nothing to do with anything. But I did something that many people are going to look back and go, I can't believe you did that. Shirt off. No. Why? No. What kind of organization do you think I'm going to be doing play by play for? Well, I don't know. Who would think would be a good idea? Hey, Don, we want to promote you being the. The new play by play guy and maybe sell a few tickets. Take your shirt off. I'm flattered, Peter, that you think that that might actually move the needle.

[Anthony Pusik]

You know what's one of the best points you've ever made, by the way? If you want to see how good an actor you are? I recently somehow stumbled on one of the horrible commercials that we did. Oh, my.

[Don La Greca]

What the hell were we thinking? No, not. Not the one. Not the one where I go and we talk to the biggest names in the game. We're all sitting by the bar. It's the worst.

[Anthony Pusik]

We look terrible. First of all, we look terrible. Especially me and you. Well, second of all, the script is just. This was our idea. We're gonna spend money on a commercial and all we're gonna do is be like, we talk sports. I wanna go to a bar and talk about sports. It's the lamest. Like, at least Michael at some point had that show that. That commercial at the ATM that was.

[Don La Greca]

Kind of funny that we weren't in or I wasn't in.

[Anthony Pusik]

Yeah, I wasn't around. But Michael had a funny commercial at the atm that was at least something you'd go, what is this?

[Don La Greca]

Right.

[Anthony Pusik]

Our sitting at the bar. We like to talk sports. Have you ever been to a bar and eaten peanuts and talked about football with a friend?

[Don La Greca]

And when we get guests, they're gonna be people that you know.

[Anthony Pusik]

Yeah, we're gonna talk to all the people you like because we love sports.

[Don La Greca]

The biggest names in the game. Get it? Name and game rhyme. Games are in sports.

[Anthony Pusik]

And we like sports games because we talk about the games.

[Don La Greca]

Oh, it was absolutely. I remember when we were doing that, how awful we thought it was then. And we kept making suggestions like, no, no, no, we're just gonna do this. We're just gonna do this. And then we just got to the point, like, listen, if we're gonna get out of here anytime soon, let's just do exactly what they tell us and let's just get the hell home. And that's what happened.

[Anthony Pusik]

And it begs the question. Michael has such odd times when he chooses to swing it.

[Don La Greca]

And that was one of those times.

[Anthony Pusik]

He didn't swing it there. I would. I would have, like, guys, this stinks. We're doing something different. It's my show that. Your name's on the show. You're the guy who gets to do that. But he chose odd times to swing it.

[Don La Greca]

I don't want to remember that time. I thought you were going to say about my acting chops, the you're a fraud video from back in the day. If you. If you really want comic relief, go to the YouTube. Go to our old 1050 YouTube channel.

[Anthony Pusik]

He doesn't mean comic relief because the bit is so funny.

[Don La Greca]

I thought it was all right, but.

[Anthony Pusik]

That'S not what you're talking about.

[Don La Greca]

But it's.

[Anthony Pusik]

It's the quality of the video.

[Don La Greca]

It's a long time ago.

[Anthony Pusik]

Can we. Can we post that, please? Can we get that up on the old Twitter machine?

[Don La Greca]

Yeah, get it going. So let's post that. I'll mention what happened today with that. But where I want to begin is kind of a continuation of yesterday's conversation about Jackson Dart. We wanted to get Mike Tanenbaum on today. He's not available. We're going to try to get him tomorrow. But Mike Tanenbaum's view of. I believe you mean Mike Till Jackson Dart should start week one. And how. I 100% disagree. And how. It's complete folly. It's a ridiculous point. And what made it even worse And I'll bring this up with Tanabama we have on tomorrow. Is the analogy that he uses or the comparison of. Well, that's what we did with Sanchez back in 2009. Sanchez was the fifth overall pick, darts the 24th. The jets were an 8 and 3 team. But before Brett Favre injured his shoulder the year before, in 08, you had a really good football team. Kellen Clemens was your backup at the time. So why not have Sanchez game, manage a team and maybe get yourself into the playoffs? Which they did and they were able to do it with back to back championship games in which I really believe Sanchez was more of a passenger than a contributor. But we can debate that another time.

[Anthony Pusik]

I mean, is it a debate? We all know what it was.

[Don La Greca]

And then you look at the jets, you know, and how it turned out. I don't think it turned out great for Sanchez. He ended up becoming a journeyman quarterback after that and it didn't work out. And we'll debate that with Mike Tannenbaum coming up tomorrow. But today on Barton Carlin and Ty is working with Carlin this week. They had Kevin Clark on.

[Anthony Pusik]

Okay.

[Don La Greca]

And Kevin Clark had this to say about Jackson Dart and the Giants.

[Kevin Clark]

I think that if he's ready to play, I would want to see him as soon as possible. And I think that there's so much grace now with rookie quarterbacks where even if they struggle, if they just show you something, people want to believe in them, okay? And so I just want to see them play. The only way to get better is to play. I think that the, the quarterback room with the Giants is a little illogical right now when you consider basically how practice is done now. In training camps, it's impossible to get a lot of reps necessary to get up to NFL speed. Unless you're playing a lot or you're with the ones or the twos. Okay. The fact that they have three NFL quarterbacks outside of Jackson Dart never made much sense to me. If you were going to draft a quarterback, why you stack the room like that? I don't know how much of a mentor some of those guys are going to be. So it never made much sense to me. If I was day ball, I would try to get Jackson Dart ready as soon as possible. I would not consider a bridge quarterback at all.

[Don La Greca]

I don't understand why we are so hot to have this kid start right away. All right, he was not taken first overall. He wasn't taken in the top five. As a matter of fact, the Giants could have taken him at three, they had the third overall pick. They didn't. They went with Abdul Carter and that was the right pick. And then they traded back into the first round to take him at 24. So hot dart was never considered a camp miss prospect. He was never considered a high end draft pick that if the Giants didn't trade back into the first round, somebody else would have taken him still at the bottom of the first round. Peter, why am I so hot to start him now? If he sets camp on fire, then maybe there's an avenue he can replace Winston and be the backup to Wilson. But why is everybody now clamoring for this kid to start right away? Did we not see the disaster that was starting Zach Wilson right away or the disaster of starting Sam Darnold right away? Don't we see the value in how Bo Nix was treated early? Let him watch and then eventually take over as the starting quarterback. We saw with Eli manning in his first year as he took over in Week 10. Patrick Mahomes sat the entire first year, didn't start until the last week of his rookie season and now has become one of the best quarterbacks in the history of football. Why are we so hot to start Jackson Darter on a team that's going to be facing the toughest schedule in the NFL?

[Anthony Pusik]

And why are we acting all of a sudden as man Field? Yates has just gotten better and better looking, hasn't he? He's really put the whole thing together. Hasn't. Apropos of nothing, it's just beautiful hair.

[Don La Greca]

What do you want to say? Really?

[Anthony Pusik]

Although. Although we're acting. We didn't. Guys, he wasn't drafted two. Okay, right. Let's just stop. Stop at. Well, we got an opportunity. We got a top five draft pick. No you didn't. No you didn't. Jackson Dart guys, until the Giants fans got so hot and horny for this man, so hot. It wasn't really that big a conversation. This wasn't a super quarterback heavy draft and Jackson Dart was a guy you could get. Now all of a sudden I would stop everything I was doing.

[Don La Greca]

Why?

[Anthony Pusik]

And by the way, you already made the mistake. Don't. Doesn't it matter somewhat what you do? I get it. You could, you could say, hey, no, it doesn't matter. As long as Russell Wilson gets his money, he gets his money. But Russell Wilson also doesn't deserve to get treated like a shmagegy. You went out and got the guy. He's going in there to assume he's the quarterback. Okay, now listen, do I Think Russell Wilson still has a Super bowl lift in him? No, probably not. But he's not a guy who's ready to be sitting on the bench either.

[Don La Greca]

And the Giants quarterback room was constructed before the draft when they didn't know if there'd be a quarterback to take. They didn't know they'd be able to trade back into the first round to get Dart. There's a very good possibility that they wouldn't be able to draft a quarterback in the first round at all. And maybe they would just take a flyer on somebody late in the draft. So they needed to build a quarterback room because they didn't have one. The only quarterback sitting in their quarterback room before they went out got Winston and Wilson was DeVito. We love him and God loves DeVito, but, you know, he's not an NFL quarterback. I mean, he's there. So they bring in Wilson, who's obviously on the back nine. You bring in Winston to back up Wilson in case he gets hurt. So you don't have to rush whoever your quarterback was going to be into the front line right away.

[Anthony Pusik]

Can I see a question, though?

[Don La Greca]

Humor me for a second while we're having this.

[Anthony Pusik]

Why couldn't you have stopped? Because they added a year to DeVito, too. No.

[Don La Greca]

Well, I think he. They had to bring him. They had to give him something because I think he was a free agent, right?

[Anthony Pusik]

So. But they kept him. They gave him a couple million bucks, Right. Why couldn't they have Justin Wilson and DeVito? Well, like DeVito showed, he can get.

[Don La Greca]

You through a start.

[Anthony Pusik]

He's. He's an NFL quarterback. He's not a star, he's not a starter, but he can get. You can bridge the gap. He wasn't enough.

[Don La Greca]

I don't know what the logic was at the time, but maybe they were thinking, we're going to draft a project quarterback. And as much as DeVito could make a start, he has made starts. He's won games in the NFL. When I say he's not an NFL quarterback, I mean he's not a starting NFL quarterback. He doesn't have a future with this organization other than what he is. All right, but if I. If for some reason, God forbid, Wilson got hurt in a preseason, I don't have to have DeVito start the year with everybody itching to have Jackson Dart replace him. If I have Winston, then that's a professional quarterback that can play where I don't feel the need to throw dart in any second before I believe that he's ready. So I am Building buffers so I don't have the temptation by the media from my owner even to say, play this kid. Now, I think the objective for Jackson Dart is beat Winston for the backup. That's your objective, is we want to get to a point where Russell Wilson's our starting quarterback and you're playing so well. You're the backup, you're next up. So that gives him a target to surpass, and it shouldn't be that difficult to surpass. And then you can let Winston go. He's got no future here, and that's the objective. Don't put him in a situation where you're still a work in progress. As an NFL team, you've got the toughest schedule in the NFL, and I'm going to throw you to the wolves because you can do damage to a quarterback that can be good. I've seen it. I've seen it with the Giants. I've seen it with the Jets. I've seen it around the NFL. If you give a quarterback too much too soon, you can ruin him. So this whole idea, get him, and you can't learn unless you're getting reps with the number one team. That's bull. You can learn and get ready and have the opportunity to play by watching professionals at work, watching Russell Wilson, who has won a Super bowl, who is a veteran, who's been around the block and even learned something from Winston, who has thrown 30 touchdowns in this league, he's thrown 30 interceptions. But learn how to conduct yourself as a quarterback. Give the kid a chance to actually make it instead of ruining him. And the other. The other suggestion, here's. Here's something else from Kevin Clark.

[Kevin Clark]

This is just the reality of it, okay? The entire mission with the Giants is job preservation for the coach and the GM right now. And if you can say, hey, we hit on a quarterback, he's playing well in our offense. We've hit on a couple draft picks the last couple of years. You can't fire us. Now, I think that Jackson Dart, and I know I have some enthusiasm for what I saw over the weekend, but it's still preseason and defenses just really don't want to show anything. So I'm reserving judgment on the entire deal right now. But if Jackson Dart is a hit, everybody keeps their jobs. If you have to throw Russell Wilson out there for 14 weeks and it kind of drags on and they win three games, that's where everybody gets fired. That's where you hit the reset button.

[Don La Greca]

But here. And he might be right, but here's how I look at it. The objective, at least on the surface, Peter, can't be, I'm trying to save my job. The idea is to do your job. Your job is as a coach and a general manager, general manager, draft players, build a team, coach, take that team and do what you can with that team. That's why I say I can't put a win total on what the Giants are going to do, because I don't know how many wins you can get out of this very difficult schedule. But I want to see if it can function. I want to see if they're at least growing, getting better. But you want to prove to your owner, you want to be able to prove to the organization that you can coach. And part of the job is developing a quarterback. Part of a job is making it work with a veteran. Peter, you, job preservation can't be number one in saving your job. The objective is to do your job and to do it as best as possible and help the organization be the best. I don't want a coach that is going to purposely drive a quarterback that's not ready down everybody's throat for the sole purpose of saving his job. That doesn't help the organization at all. No, he can't use Jackson Dart as a shield. He's got to use Jackson Dart as a reason why he deserves to have a job. So it's not just the wins and losses and how it looks with Russell Wilson. All right, how is Jackson dart developing? How does he look in practice? How does he look in the preseason? What kind of camp did he have? Does each week he get a little better? Did he get elevated to the backup quarterback if he had to play because of injury? Did he serve the job well? Those are the things you judge it on, not, I'm going to draft the quarterback, so there's no way they can fire me because it would be unfair because he's a rookie quarterback. That's not doing your job. I don't think that's what Brian Dabel's trying to do. He's trying to do his job, and hopefully it's enough to save it. But you don't start. You're not allowed to start Jackson Dart to save your job. If I'm John Mara, I'm like, no, no, no. You don't just start him so that you can fool me into thinking you should be back.

[Anthony Pusik]

But if they do start him, because.

[Don La Greca]

He deserves to start.

[Anthony Pusik]

But here's the thing. That could still work out for Dable because it could be starting him is the best long term play for this team. We're not going anywhere this year anyway. Why are we worried about being mediocre with Russell Wilson? If I believe we can be mediocre with Jackson Dart and get him approved.

[Don La Greca]

I think that that logic would apply if he was taken in the top three. Right, but like Cam Ward, that makes sense. Cam ward was taken first overall. This kid was taking 24th. So doesn't 24 tell you he's a project? That nobody was clamoring all the teams they needed quarterbacks, including the Giants. Fair did not take him there. Why? Because they probably didn't think he was ready. He's a project, so why am I forcing him out there? What, to save my job? To make it look like I've got no chance to win? So please bring me back. Because Jackson Dart was our opening day starter against the Washington Commanders.

[Anthony Pusik]

And I understand people are saying it's not about how he looked in the preseason game, but I really hope that's true, guys. Because some decent looking slow motion passes in the first game of the preseason should not get you.

[Don La Greca]

I don't think it is because Peter, he has. He has been the shiny new toy from the second they traded back into the first round for him.

[Anthony Pusik]

Oh yeah.

[Don La Greca]

Abdul Carter has been completely ignored. What other organization picks a guy third overall and he's not even talked about? But the quarterback at the bottom of the first round is all anybody could talk about. So before he even played the game against Buffalo and I'm with you, I thought he looked pretty solid. It was just we got to get him in there. Got to get him in. He's our future. Got to play him. I've seen more quarterbacks get ruined that way. This whole idea, you got to play. The only way you can learn is you got to play. You don't think Eli Manning benefited from watching a future hall of Famer and Kurt Warner for nine games? You don't think Patrick Mahomes benefited from for the first 15 weeks of the season.

[Anthony Pusik]

As a backup quarterback? Someone sent me the commercial. Just seeing it is depressing. Don A. You're still right on the verge of a pug.

[Don La Greca]

Yeah, let me see.

[Anthony Pusik]

Take a look. Am I right?

[Don La Greca]

I'm not on the verge. It's the fourth quarter but you know there's a. We're right. We're a game winning drive. There's a chance for pug can go in overtime.

[Anthony Pusik]

Not a word from either of you at that point. I didn't know you well enough yet. Although it says this is 2019. You were still operating this way.

[Don La Greca]

Wait a minute.

[Anthony Pusik]

We did this in 2019?

[Don La Greca]

No way.

[Anthony Pusik]

Maybe it aired in 2019. We recorded in 2018.

[Don La Greca]

No way.

[Anthony Pusik]

It's earlier.

[Don La Greca]

I think we did it five minutes after they hired you.

[Anthony Pusik]

I can't say.

[Don La Greca]

There's no way I look that way in 2019. 2018?

[Anthony Pusik]

You hope not.

[Don La Greca]

Well, I don't look like the way I look now, but that's. That's. That's the meat of repug.

[Anthony Pusik]

Anthony, I don't know if it was sent to you, but I'd like us to play the audio so people can hear. How bad this commercial was that we thought this was gonna get people to listen to our radio program is very upsetting.

[Don La Greca]

And this is. This is right out of not knowing who wrote it and whether they are even still here. Probably not.

[Anthony Pusik]

My guess would be not, but just.

[Don La Greca]

Your thoughts on it, because I know there's a lot of people out there that agree with Kevin Clark and Mike Tannenbaum that they want to see Jackson dart. Listen, I'd like to see him sooner than later, too, if he deserves to play, but the idea is, you know, just throw him out there. And I'm not expecting Russell Wilson to tear it up, but I want this kid to give the. Be given the best chance humanly possible to succeed. And throwing a guy to the wolves, taking your kid and thinking they're going to learn to swim by throwing him in the deep end. Yeah. For every Mark Spitz that comes out, 10 of the kids drowned.

[Anthony Pusik]

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[Peter Rosenberg]

Thanks for listening to the Don Hahn and Rosenberg podcast.

[Anthony Pusik]

I didn't listen to anything you just said.

[Peter Rosenberg]

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

[Don La Greca]

Jets, Giants had their inner squad practice today. Apparently started off well for the jets and then a little worse late and reversed for the Giants. Makes sense because they're kind of playing up against each other. And then only two more preseason games left and again a nice little break before we actually kick it off for real. So football certainly on the table. Baseball, Mets, Braves. And we'll get into that. Just something about the Braves. Man, I don't know if this is a good time or a bad time to be facing them. They're out of it. But at the same time, the Braves have been a Mets Achilles heel forever. And that coverage will begin at 6:30, right after this show here on ESPN. New York and the Yankees continue their series with the Twins. It is amazing to me again, I don't want to take anything away. A wins, a win. Stan had a big home run. Rice home run too. And. And Warren's pitching really well. And the bullpen got a bit of a rest. You only had to go too deep in the bullpen because Warren was able to give you the length that the Yankees haven't had in a long time. But Peter, what is it about the Twins? The. Listen, the Twins aren't very good. They're going through some real struggles right now. They had a. They had a little bit of a run earlier in the summer, but they can't beat the Yankees on a bet. It's ridiculous.

[Anthony Pusik]

But isn't it just like that sometimes.

[Don La Greca]

There'S just certain teams, there's just going on forever.

[Anthony Pusik]

Forever. I know. Different players, different managers, different everything. And it's just. Nothing changes.

[Don La Greca]

No. So listen, you got to win, but you got to have a win. That's why I said sweeping the Twins had to be on the table. If you're a Yankee fan, you can't do that. Then where are you going? But Yankees did get a win. But we're talking some football. And this obsession, it feels like with a lot of people in the media and the fans that they want to see Jackson Dart right away. 1-800-919-3776 let's go to our friend Tessa and Wes Caldwell. You're on ESPN New York. Get us started here on Don Hanna.

[Anthony Pusik]

Rosenberg. What's up?

[Tessa]

Hey guys, thanks for taking my call. I missed you guys. But hopefully now my schedule at work will be better because they know what time it is with the season coming around. So I think I'm back now. I just want to say, Don, number one, you're out of control. And I love it when you just said the Yankees, you are out of control. I love it. I was drinking some water and I spit it across the room. Thanks a lot, Don. But it's okay.

[Don La Greca]

Oh, my. While having a colonoscopy.

[Tessa]

You are crazy. But I just want to say this really quick. I agree with you 1000%. Now, I told you guys before the season, you guys know what I said? I would love to win seven games, if not five. At the end of the day, somebody who's been miserable, I feel like for a lifetime I want to win. And if this guy is going to be our franchise quarterback, we need to build a foundation around him. When you build a foundation and you had cracks in it, what happened? Eventually whatever you built on top falls down. Let this guy get a foundation. Let him learn from Russ, who's a pro. Pro who's a veteran. Like, what is the obsession? Like, okay, great. You look a little poised. You look okay. Great job. I was so excited about the 34 points. And everybod contributor from a defense, I don't know why they keep looking over at D. Carter, AKA I call him Baba Yaga, because that guy is going to be a freaking nightmare. He's going to be knocking quarterbacks blocks off, including Jaden. Remember I told you that back in April. Peter insane. Like, he's a. He's insane. Like, this guy's like. And they're not even talking about him. Don. A little bit I feel bad because I'm like, this guy is no, you know what?

[Don La Greca]

Believe me, his play. And I'm with you. I think he's going to be a beast. Is going to do all the talking once it starts. But everybody loves their quarterbacks. And thank you for the call. Everybody loves their quarterback. And that's the sexy little new toy that you can play with. Carter's legit. And the Giants think that because they drafted him third, they didn't take dart third, didn't take any other quarterback third. They took him because he is going to be the real deal. You're right about that. But whenever Dable gets asked, Shane gets asked anybody. Giants organization gets asked, when's dark going to start? The only answer is when he's ready.

[Anthony Pusik]

And also, like, it's a nice thought that Tessa just had and she said the word. Of course, if, like, if he's their franchise quarterback. Guys, no matter how much people get Hyped right now, for whatever reason, they're getting hyped. It's still a complete roll of the dice when you're talking about your 24th pick. It is. I mean, listen, it happens every once in a while, but it's a complete shot in the dark. They don't know what because they like his attitude. You like how he sounds when they interviewed him in the offseason. You like the way he looked in one game. It's so early to know anything, so. And that's why I keep coming back to this, Don. I know they're saying it has nothing to do with how he played, but it sure seems that the conversation picked up a lot of momentum since this past weekend, did it not?

[Don La Greca]

No.

[Anthony Pusik]

But no one was discussing Wilson's not going to play.

[Don La Greca]

I know, but it didn't have to take much because I think everybody's hot for this kid to play right, right away under this, I think fake narrative of the only way to learn is to play, but the only way to screw it up sometimes is if you play. There's just too many mistakes, especially in this town. And you look at how bad Eli was and I don't want to even you compare him to Eli because both were first round picks and both came from Ole Miss, but they're not the same quarterback. One was taken first overall, essentially, and the other one has been taking. I had to trade back into the first round to take him at 24. So completely different ends of the spectrum as far as prospect is concerned. But Eli was a deer in the headlights when he took over. And then he turns around and becomes, you know, ice water in his veins and wins two Super Bowl MVPs. But Tom Coughlin also, that was his first year as coach. He wasn't going anywhere. Ernie, of course he wasn't going anywhere. So they just were able to plan it and say, okay, we're going to throw these games away and let Eli play after he watched Kurt Warner for nine games and that was like the best case scenario. And I think he learned over those nine games. Now you're taking a quarterback taking 24th overall. He's played one preseason game. He's barely a couple of weeks in the camp and you've got like major players in this league. I mean, Mike Tannenbaum's not nobody. He's on television. He's a former general managers league. You know, Kevin Clark. These are people who know what they're talking about. And they're even saying that he should play right away. I don't get it. I don't understand it. So they may know more than me. But I think sometimes you get caught up in what is going to be the alternative opinion that's going to gain some traction. Because that's the only explanation I would have for anybody suggesting that the 24th overall pick in the draft should play immediately, especially when you have two veterans ahead of them. And even though I don't think Winston has any kind of a future, I think Russell. Is there a way, Peter, that Russell Wilson can play his way into being around next year in some capacity? Probably not the best case scenario for him, because I would think by next year, Jackson Dart takes over.

[Anthony Pusik]

Well, I mean, listen.

[Don La Greca]

But what if he ends up playing? Look at when Kurt Warner. Think about this, Peter. When Kerr Warner was sat down after going 5 and 4, he would go on to go to a Super bowl with another team. Like, I don't think Russell Wilson's done. Could he build up numbers to get another job someplace else? I think so. So wrong with him being your starting quarterback right now.

[Anthony Pusik]

I mean, listen, we don't know what the hell's going to happen. This is all such a. All of it so far. But what if the Giants have a good year with Russell Wilson at quarterback? What if they overachieve and he's good?

[Don La Greca]

Well, then I think he's the quarterback all year, and I don't see anything wrong with that. I think there are fans who think that if Jackson Dart does not play this year, it's a disaster. Why? Why would it be a disaster? What would be so wrong with a kid watching the NFL game for a year? He wasn't your first overall pick. He wasn't even your first pick in the first round. I don't. I just don't get the play. He has to play. Has to. I don't. I don't. I don't see it. Now, if he plays to a certain level where it makes no sense to sit him, it's a different story. Russell Wilson struggles dark, continues to be terrific in camp, preseason practices, different story. When he's ready, he should play. But the idea that at any point he plays before he's ready to me, is ridiculous. Drew and Hoboken, you're on espn, New York.

[Drew]

What's going on, Don?

[Don La Greca]

Peter, thank you so much for taking my call. Always, man.

[Drew]

Just wanted to say, Don, I agree with you 100%. There's also no chance he actually starts. They've made it very clear. And you hear from all the beat reporters like it's going to be Russell Wilson starting week one. And to your point, like this isn't, this isn't like Washington last year. It's not like you have Jaden Daniels or selecting two who just got a Heisman and is going up against Marcus Mariota. You know what I mean? You're talking about Russell Wilson. Sure, he's not what he was before, but he is a competent professional quarterback and their best chance to win. And forget job safety because they ultimately need to win games. Their best chance to win, especially early on, is with Russell Wilson. The one thing I will say though is to play devil's advocate. I do hear this a lot and I'm, I just don't really understand, like what, what does a rookie learn more on the sidelines watching a starter than they would playing? You know what I mean?

[Don La Greca]

I, I, that's where I hear that.

[Drew]

I have a good answer for that.

[Don La Greca]

What is it? You have no good answer. You have no. The, the, I don't think there is one. No, no. But I think the answer is yes. There is value to playing. The experience, like what helped me become who I am today is that I got real world experience working at sports phone. I got to be on the air. I was able to get my reps. I worked at a radio station at Rapoe College where I was able to work the equipment, do shows. I think working is a great experience, but it wasn't under the scrutiny that the quarterback in the NFL is going to be in New York. And I think a lot more damage can be done if you're not ready and you're thrown to the wolves than the value of the experience of playing. Because with every mistake becomes a chip away of the confidence, you begin to question yourself and you can actually do more damage than good. So yes, I think there is value, but let's not also underrate the value of watching somebody at the level of a Russell Wilson do his job. Even if Russell isn't necessarily helpful directly to him. Watch how he prepares, watch how he watches game film. Like you don't.

[Anthony Pusik]

Let me ask you, let me, let me sum this up. Let me, let me put a bow on this thing for you. Oh, if they, I mean, I think this is an argument under him, in my opinion, if their defense is everything that the most hyped fan feels it could be, which I think, I think there are fans out there think this is a top 10 defense, maybe top six, seven defense. People believe that, right? Let's suppose the defense Carter is exactly who you think he is. They are elite Defense neighbors is great, takes a step forward, and this team can actually be competitive week to week. Realistically, what gives them the better chance of going 10 and 7 and sneaking into the playoffs? Russell Wilson. As this version of Russell Wilson or the 24th pick overall in his rookie season, Russell Wilson. Not even close. As much as Russell has not been special. You're telling me you can't picture a world in which in the right system and with the right pieces around him, Russell Wilson can't game manage his way to a nice 107 season, get you into the play. You're in all likelihood not doing that. As the caller just pointed out, this isn't. This isn't Jaden Daniels walking in the door. So you're probably not going to overachieve with your 24th pick and all of a sudden make the playoffs. I think you're a better shot if you want to have a competitive season is with the guy you went out and got for a reason in Russell Wilson.

[Don La Greca]

And then you see what it looks like if Russ, if you're winning games but Russell Wilson isn't the reason, you're winning them. And Jackson dart is popping and you were like, I got to play this guy. There may be a scenario.

[Anthony Pusik]

Eli scenario.

[Don La Greca]

An Eli or the Eli scenario would be all right, you get off to an 8 and 3 start, but then you 8 and 4, 8 and 5, 8 and 6. Russell Wilson's not really playing all that well. And then you say, you know what? We're going to give it to the kid. That might frustrate a lot of people because Russell Wilson may still technically give you a better chance to get to the playoff.

[Anthony Pusik]

You see the way.

[Don La Greca]

What am I doing right? Russell Wilson's not going to be here beyond this year. Look at the way he's playing over the last few weeks, that kind of a situation.

[Anthony Pusik]

But by the way, there's another scenario where the one I laid out happens and he's playing great and they're competing for the playoffs and they're going, sorry, kid, we'll see you next year.

[Don La Greca]

And I don't think that's a bad thing.

[Anthony Pusik]

That's fine. Again, you didn't. I'm sorry, guys. I know they moved up to take a shot at the kid. At what point, if you believe this guy could be the future, do they decide that was possible days before the draft? And do they really think it's possible? Or is it. Is it. We're taking a shot here.

[Don La Greca]

We're going to.

[Anthony Pusik]

We're going to swing and see what we Get.

[Don La Greca]

Hey, listen, if they thought he was a camp miss, they would have taken three. You wouldn't even have taken the chance of hoping to trade back into the first round to get him. You knew he was a project. If a project sits a full season. And don't tell me you wasted that season. I do think there's value watching professional quarterbacks work, especially a guy that's going to go into the hall of fame. It's going to help. I do think it helped. Love watching Rogers. It did.

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[Peter Rosenberg]

Thanks for listening to the Don Hahn and Rosenberg podcast.

[Anthony Pusik]

I didn't listen to anything you just said.

[Peter Rosenberg]

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

[Don La Greca]

So listening this morning to dpa, Tron Rothenberg and Rick is on vacation. So Dave was doing it with Jake Aspen and I don't know how to feel about this, but I've never even been invited to their fantasy football. No, not, not that I would do it necessarily, but I've never been invited. So they got their own little clique where they are all in their fantasy football thing. I think Gross is in it. Dave, Rick, Ray, rj. Jake sounded like he was in it. Oh, maybe you guys in it. Anthony?

[Unknown]

I'm in a Jacob one.

[Don La Greca]

I'm not in it. I don't know why, I don't know why you wouldn't send the invite to everybody at the station.

[Anthony Pusik]

Well, you draw the line.

[Don La Greca]

Well, why are you drawing a line?

[Anthony Pusik]

You can't have like a million people in your.

[Don La Greca]

Oh, I understand that, but it's not like a million people work here. You would at least reach out to all of the talent, you know, not like Kay's not going to do it. Right. Right.

[Anthony Pusik]

I probably won't do it.

[Don La Greca]

You wouldn't do it. I probably would say no. I, I get excited about the prospect of fantasy and then the second I commit to it, I wish I didn't because it takes a lot of time if you want to win.

[Anthony Pusik]

It's too much.

[Don La Greca]

It's a little bit too much.

[Anthony Pusik]

I'm the king of forget. And in week four, I forget and someone's on the bench. And then.

[Don La Greca]

Yeah, and then you feel like a jerk because your team's lousy, not because you don't know football, but, you know, you're seven at a time.

[Anthony Pusik]

But I know what you're saying about how you feel. You're saying this.

[Tessa]

You're hurting me.

[Don La Greca]

Well, I don't know why you wouldn't send the invite to the staff. So who. You have to send it out. All right. You already got the morning show, right? Bart, Carlin, Kirk, Dan. Who they've already invited. What? Pat o', Keefe, Ty. Who am I forgetting? Jake, they already invited. And then you. And then you got a behind the scenes guys. We're only talking to maybe about 10, 15 people. It's not a lot of people.

[Anthony Pusik]

Well, no, if you include the behind the scenes guys, you're up above.

[Don La Greca]

Oh.

[Unknown]

I mean, that's a pretty big league. If everybody was involved.

[Anthony Pusik]

If everyone's.

[Don La Greca]

But you know, you know, K's not doing it.

[Unknown]

I know that.

[Don La Greca]

All right. Peter just said he wouldn't do it.

[Unknown]

That league I'm not sure about. I don't know if Dan and Jake were added late because obviously in existing leagues, if somebody. One or two people drop out, you can't send the invite to everybody.

[Don La Greca]

Listen, I don't know Jake that well. Jake looks like when it comes to fantasy, he's got a problem. I wouldn't. I wouldn't be surprised if he juggled like 10 leagues.

[Unknown]

Oh, I don't think so.

[Anthony Pusik]

Not his way.

[Unknown]

I don't think so.

[Don La Greca]

Really?

[Unknown]

I don't think he likes fantasy football that much. I think you'd be a part of it.

[Don La Greca]

Interesting.

[Anthony Pusik]

But he takes the game, too.

[Don La Greca]

But anyway, they. Did you hear. I don't know if you heard this at all. Well, you're on the air, so you. If you still even work there. I don't even know I was on the air. Okay. That they have a punishment, like whoever finishes in last. And we see it at the. There's always that one guy. I think it's the same guy. Every year at the beach Bash has to wear a dress because he came in last in his fantasy football. I think it's the same guy. I think it's the same guy. And then Jake told the story that he had to dress up like the Patriot mascot at a Met game.

[Anthony Pusik]

Patriot mascot.

[Don La Greca]

So their punishment and I don't know how I feel about it. It feels lame to me. But I was surprised how some of the guys on the show were like, I would never do that Amish beard. Now, an Amish beard is basically a beard without the mustache. That would be the punishment for who finishes and last for how long. A month.

[Anthony Pusik]

Well, you have to grow it.

[Don La Greca]

Grow it for a month. So it wouldn't even. You wouldn't even notice it the first week. Right. So you got to get a month growth. No shaving. Except your mustache.

[Anthony Pusik]

Who's doing this?

[Don La Greca]

Whoever finishes in last. And they're actually doing that. That's what they were.

[Anthony Pusik]

All the more reason I would never be in the studio.

[Don La Greca]

You wouldn't do it?

[Anthony Pusik]

No.

[Don La Greca]

Really? That would be. That would be a game changer for you. Now you are on the air at wwe.

[Anthony Pusik]

I'm not doing that. And also just walking around all the time like that. Don't.

[Don La Greca]

Well, it's a month. It would end up being what, like two and a half weeks? Like, if you shaved right down to the bone, how long would it take for people to notice stubble on your face?

[Anthony Pusik]

Well, you have to remember, Don, I would immediately look like a freak just for shaving my face completely.

[Don La Greca]

I understand. But not that big of a freak. You just would not have no facial hair.

[Anthony Pusik]

For the record, if all of a sudden, right now, I showed up with completely a bald face, you'd be taken aback in the moment.

[Don La Greca]

Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa.

[Anthony Pusik]

That's weird.

[Don La Greca]

But we wouldn't notice an Amish beard until, what, ten days in.

[Anthony Pusik]

Okay, that part. Yeah. I guess it would take five, six, seven days.

[Unknown]

Now you know why you're not invited.

[Anthony Pusik]

Yeah, I guess. Although, let's not act as if. Let's not act as if. They always pay off their bets.

[Don La Greca]

Great on that show, too.

[Unknown]

None of us. We should never make bets.

[Anthony Pusik]

No. The whole station's a disgrace in that way.

[Don La Greca]

Well, the only people that have. Is Dave.

[Anthony Pusik]

Still running with the hoop earring, by the way.

[Unknown]

I don't know if he's still wearing it, but he did. He had the LT hanging.

[Don La Greca]

He only had to wear it for the teed up.

[Anthony Pusik]

But then I thought he liked it.

[Don La Greca]

No, he couldn't.

[Unknown]

I didn't see it on him today.

[Don La Greca]

He looked like a yo yo. Which.

[Anthony Pusik]

Which is the point.

[Don La Greca]

Which is the point. Right. So I'm not being critical of him. I'm just saying that they. He. If he thought he looked good.

[Anthony Pusik]

I'll say this, though. He didn't look nearly as feminine as I thought he would. I thought it'd be worse.

[Don La Greca]

He didn't look awful, but you could tell it was something he was uncomfortable with. No. The only people that can have any pride about are me, Peter and Alan Hahn. Al Hahn's got a tattoo of a Met logo because of a bet he lost during. You guys are the Real Deal, Han and Humpty. And I've honored all of my bets. And so has Peter eating crickets. Michael, still waiting for his.

[Anthony Pusik]

He got a nice haircut.

[Don La Greca]

Yeah, he got a nice hair. Yeah, right? He got his hair dyed and then never looked back, by the way.

[Anthony Pusik]

You know what I want to do, guys? Let's do a bet. And if I lose, I have to do Ozempic. Is that a K, like, bet? Oh, guys, if I lose, I gotta do. I gotta do tricepatide or Ozempic. Oh, Michael, that's crazy. You did ozempic. You lost £30. You look tremendous. That's a Michael K bet.

[Don La Greca]

Yeah. It always seems to find a way to work out for him. And again, like, I still will go to my grave believing that he had us all faked out. Not me, but everybody else. That, like the Whopper. Was that disgusting? No. I don't care how much you hate ketchup and tomatoes. A Whopper is absolutely delicious. Nobody ever ate a Whopper and almost threw up.

[Anthony Pusik]

I think he is.

[Don La Greca]

It is his preference. No, but to sit there and make it like he was gagging on a wonderful Whopper.

[Anthony Pusik]

I think he, like, has trained himself.

[Don La Greca]

No.

[Anthony Pusik]

Not to, like, almost believe it, but he can't really, in his soul, when that meat slathered in mayonnaise and ketchup, cheese, pickles, onions, lettuce, tomato. When it slides down your gullet.

[Don La Greca]

Oh, God.

[Anthony Pusik]

It's one of the great sensations in the world.

[Don La Greca]

Listen, I love him. So. I haven't had a Whopper in God knows how long because, again, I don't want to go back to my Repug days. But in my Repug days, I. I'd three fist them if it was possible, and they were fantastic.

[Anthony Pusik]

You three fist?

[Don La Greca]

Well, you know what I would do? I'd get three Junior Whoppers and make it seem like I'm, you know, I'm watching my way.

[Anthony Pusik]

So. So it's funny you say that. So when I went to the.

[Don La Greca]

When I. Anthony knows what I'm talking about.

[Anthony Pusik]

When I went to France, right, we went to Burger King, they had a Royale with Cheese. They had a. They had a situation there. They were doing. I don't know if they're doing the States, because I wasn't checking for Burger King.

[Don La Greca]

Here they have the baby burger meal, okay?

[Anthony Pusik]

And you order. You get the baby burger meal. It comes with three burgers, a Whopper, some other like Baconator or something.

[Don La Greca]

That's Wendy's, but I get you whatever the thing is. Right?

[Anthony Pusik]

And one other thing, don't when I tell you they call them baby burgers, they were basically the size of a junior Whopper. Like three of those though in a meal.

[Don La Greca]

That's a lot.

[Anthony Pusik]

No, it was so good.

[Don La Greca]

No, but it is good. So for Michael to lose a bet to eat a whopper, 99.9% of the population's like, that's a win. So a lot going on there, but the Amish beard stuff.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Thanks for listening to the Don Hahn and Rosenberg podcast.

[Anthony Pusik]

I don't want to know how the.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Sausage is made, but I just want to know.

[Don La Greca]

It's good.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Hear more of Don Allen and Peter weekday afternoon starting at 3 on 8 80, ESPN, the ESPN New York app and your smart speakers.