Don, Hahn & Rosenberg – Hour 1: Football Woes (Dec 8, 2025)

Episode Overview

In this episode, Alan Hahn and Peter Rosenberg, minus Don La Greca (who is traveling), dive deep into the ongoing struggles of New York football teams, particularly the Jets, following another dismal showing and a record-breaking streak of playoff futility. Raw, witty, and painfully honest, they commiserate with fellow suffering fans and debate the broader chaos of the current NFL season. Expect plenty of humor, brutal truths, and signature banter on the state of professional football—and being a sports fan in New York.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. New York Football Misery – Jets' Abysmal Season

• Hahn opens by questioning, half-joking and half-serious, “Who even likes football?” alluding to how unwatchable the Jets and Giants have become for their fans.
• Discussion centers around the Jets' humiliating loss at home to the Dolphins and what that symbolizes for the franchise. Hahn admits he only watched the first half, stating:

  “There was a million drops. So stop telling me about these wide receivers. Stop telling me about Brady. No, I’m not listening. All I need to see was that first quarter and a defense that didn’t want to tackle … I’m going to make a business decision here …” (03:36)

• Rosenberg parallels his own pain as a fan of other struggling squads, underscoring football's unique ability to “just shove it right where you don’t want it to go. It is so painful to watch a team that is just completely lost and broke … unlike any other sport.” (02:17)

2. Coaching, Effort, and Culture

• Both hosts question the team’s competitive spirit:
  • “They weren’t ready to play mentally. No, that’s it.” – Hahn (05:27)
  • Discuss comments from Aaron Glenn, calling out how a lifeless performance is “on the head coach.” (05:09)
• Rosenberg: “That’s not 21-nothing in the first quarter. That’s not playing for the head coach and this poor tackle.” (07:54)
• Emphasize lack of optimism: “Very difficult to have any optimism until you can get tangible proof that it’s heading in the right direction … being absolutely embarrassed on your home field … unacceptable.” – Hahn (07:10–07:54)

3. Statistical Futility – Historic Jets Drought

• Hahn highlights the grim record:

  “That is now 15 consecutive seasons without a playoff appearance. The most. The longest current streak in professional sports in North America.” (06:04)

  • Comparison with Buffalo Sabres and the Sabres’ own drought. (06:46–07:00)
  • Six straight seasons with double digit losses.
• Rosenberg empathizes, noting fans survive purely for “tailgates, meeting other fans and camaraderie” at this point. (26:07–26:42)

4. Looking Ahead – The Unwatchable Finish & “Simulating” the Season

• The hosts, in gallows humor, “simulate” the Jets’ remaining games, predicting blowout losses and calling to “just sim the rest of the season” like a video game. (09:28–10:41)
• Rosenberg: “You are cooked. … Just run the Madden simulator … Do we need to go through it?” – capturing both resignation and sports-nerd humor. (09:29–09:39)

5. NFL State of Chaos – Which Teams Can Feel Good?

• Rapid-fire review of the rest of the NFL, with Rosenberg and Hahn questioning what, if any, teams’ fans can feel optimistic or confident:
  • “This might be the year … if you’re a team that’s thinking maybe I can sneak to a Super Bowl, this might be the year. Because, listen, I’m not … Chiefs are dead.” – Hahn (19:43–20:04)
  • Teams and fan bases like Denver, Green Bay, Houston, LA Rams cited as “feeling good.” (19:43–21:43)
  • Debate over whether “feeling good” and true confidence are the same, especially with questionable QBs at the helm. (21:16–21:54)

6. “Eulogizing” the Chiefs

• Speculation if Chiefs’ dynasty is done:
  • “Do we eulogize the Chiefs at this point? Like, do we wonder if we’ll ever see them the way they were again? Is this kind of the end of…” – Hahn (22:21–22:29)
  • Witty speculation on player retirements and personal lives: “Travis is … getting married … It’s so dead.” (22:42–22:44)
  • Discussion of Travis Kelce’s struggles and the idea that “once you think about retirement, you’re already retired” (23:27–23:52)

7. Injuries & The Brutality of Football

• Recap of major injuries, including Zach Ertz’s probable career-ending ACL and Daniel Jones’s Achilles, underscoring the harsh realities of the sport. (02:17, 12:05)
• Rosenberg’s frustration with QBs risking injury on low-percentage plays: “Should I be angry that Jaden Daniels got semi hurt chasing down an interception?” (12:23–13:22)
• Hahn: “I would rather … beg you to dial it back than try to get you to ramp it up … I want the guy that just, he only knows one way.” (12:55–13:13)

8. The Fans’ Perspective & Callers

• Callers offer their bleak takes:
  • Moose in Jamaica proposes phrases for the DHR show’s drinking game and shares his unique experience as a Muslim singing Christmas carols in school glee club – leading into dialogue on inclusivity and nostalgia. (34:07–35:05)
  • Brian in Sleepy Hollow, a Jets fan, reflects on why he still sticks with the team: “Childhood, maybe. … I could say that we’re not the Giants and Jets fans. You know, we’re beaten-down people and Giants fans have this, like, smugness to them …” (49:14–49:42)
• Caller Nas in Pine Brook performs a heartfelt (and humorous) Chiefs eulogy, setting a playful yet honest tone (46:46–48:48)

9. DHR Holiday Party & Show Banter

• Extended, humorous riffs about the ESPN New York holiday party, ugly sweaters, and the creation of a Don, Hahn & Rosenberg “drinking game” based on show catchphrases. (29:23–34:07)
• Playful debate about what makes a real “holiday” party and the complexities of branding (“Is it a Christmas card or holiday card?”) (31:15–33:33)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Jets Futility:
  • “That is now 15 consecutive seasons without a playoff appearance. The most. The longest current streak in professional sports in North America.” — Alan Hahn (06:04)
• On Painful Fandom:
  • “Football will just shove it right where you don’t want it to go … It is so painful to watch a team that is just completely lost and broke …” — Peter Rosenberg (02:17)
• On Coaching Accountability:
  • “They weren’t ready to play mentally. No, that’s it.” — Alan Hahn (05:27)
• On Losing Hope:
  • “I wanted to care, and I am glad I didn’t. I’m glad I don’t.” — Alan Hahn (06:04)
• On Simulating the Rest of the Season:
  • “Can’t we just sim the rest of the season?” — Alan Hahn (09:29)
  • “It’s my favorite, like a Madden simulator. Just run the…” — Peter Rosenberg (09:36)
• On Chiefs' Possible End:
  • “Do we eulogize the Chiefs at this point? … Is this kind of the end of…” — Alan Hahn (22:21)
  • “Once you think about retirement, you’re already retired. A lot of guys say that.” — Alan Hahn (23:27)
  • “By the way, Mahomes is having another run. He’s so young … This was run one.” — Alan Hahn (48:06)
• On Holiday Banter:
  • “If I reference Jaden Daniels … the Vape Ape days … If Don references, you know, hockey…” — Peter Rosenberg riffing on drinking game (30:53)
• Caller Highlight:
  • “Yes, it’s over. Call it a day. Sorry that it had to end this way. No reason to pretend. We knew it had to end someday.” – Nas in Pine Brook (46:53–47:36)

Timestamps for Important Segments

• Jets’ Loss & Utter Futility — 03:34–07:54
• Coaching & Accountability – Aaron Glenn Comments — 05:02–05:27
• 15-Year Playoff Drought — 06:04–07:10
• Jets Fan Experience & Caller Stories — 26:07–26:42, 49:09–50:31
• Simulating the Season / Playful Gallows Humor — 09:29–10:41
• NFL Snapshot – Which Fan Bases Feel Good — 19:43–22:12
• Eulogizing the Chiefs / Dynasty Over? — 22:21–23:52
• Caller Nas — Chiefs Eulogy / Song — 46:46–48:48
• Holiday Party Plans / Drinking Game Riffs — 29:23–34:07

Tone & Language

The episode is classic New York sports radio: sharp, funny, irreverent, with a strong undercurrent of frustration and gallows humor. Both hosts balance genuine sports analysis and emotional venting with rapid-fire banter and self-deprecating asides, inviting the audience to commiserate, laugh, and, above all, stick together.

Summary by AI Podcast Summarizer—crafted to serve listeners who missed the show, want the important beats, and love the DHR crew's unique blend of heartbreak and hilarity.