Hour 1: Jets Coaching Decisions

Summary

Podcast Summary: Don, Hahn & Rosenberg – “Jets Coaching Decisions” (Hour 1)

Date: January 28, 2026
Hosts: Don La Greca, Alan Hahn, Peter Rosenberg
Theme: An in-depth, candid discussion of the New York Jets’ ongoing coaching chaos, controversial Hall of Fame voting practices across sports, and the frustrations of ownership dysfunction in pro football.

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Overview of the Episode

This episode centers on the New York Jets' latest coaching turmoil, focusing on the failed recruitment of several candidates, organizational dysfunction, and the nature of ownership interference. Don and Alan start with a spirited debate on Hall of Fame voting controversies in all major sports, segue into the Jets' moves (and missteps), and finish with calls from exasperated fans. The tone is conversational, dense with expertise, and loaded with New York sports cynicism and humor.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Hall of Fame Voting: Corruption and Politics

(Starts ~01:52)

• Don and Alan dissect the broken state of Hall of Fame induction processes:

  • Secretive committees, backroom deals, and voters acting with a “God complex” weren’t unique to one sport.
  • Examples included Pat Burns in hockey and ongoing controversy in baseball with PED-era candidates and so-called “Legends Committees.”
  • The sense that some voters use their role for personal power, politicizing what should be a merit-based honor.

• Quote (Don, 02:28):
  “It’s really embarrassing, quite frankly... There’s got to be some better way. I don’t know what it is, but there just has to be a better way to figure this stuff out, because it’s important to a lot of people.”

• Quote (Alan, 04:26):
  "If you don’t vote for him and you think he’s worthy, then you have a God complex and you should not vote. End of sentence."

• They express annoyance with the argument that secrecy is for voter safety—citing the bizarre logic that not voting for Jeter is grounds for hiding out, but acknowledging how rowdy fanbases can be.

• The absurdity of “make him wait a year” votes and the idea of withholding honors for drama, prestige, or bargaining was hotly criticized.

  • “That’s the part that bothers me the most, this notion that... you twisting the knife.” (Alan, 06:36)

• The process turns into politics, with “favors done all the time”—not unlike government, but “with no greater good, just ego.”

  • (Don: 07:07)

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2. Jets Coaching Circus: Organizational Dysfunction on Display

(Begins ~11:20, gets deep ~12:41)

• Jets’ failed attempt to bring in Jon Gruden:

  • Gruden was reportedly offered a job (not head coach) but unsurprisingly turned it down, possibly due to his own NFL lawsuit and the general mess in the Jets organization.
  • The hosts speculate the offer was suspect—Gruden is viewed as an existential threat to any inexperienced head coach (i.e., Aaron Glenn), since he’d clearly be next-in-line if things fell apart.
  • This fits the larger theme that hiring (and firing) decisions may be more smoke and mirrors—presenting Aaron Glenn as the “alpha” in charge, when in fact higher-ups are pulling strings.

• Alan theorizes about Glenn’s possible motives:

  • Maybe he’s finally taking responsibility, realizing he’s in over his head and needs more senior staff, but the pattern of firings and candidate whiffs doesn’t add up.
  • Alarming “about faces” in coach selection (Martindale and Leonard out, inexperienced replacements in) show a leader out of his depth, or at best, one subjected to constant outside interference.

• New Defensive Coordinator selection raises eyebrows (18:13):

  • “You had experienced people in the building and suddenly you made an about face. That doesn’t make sense to me.” (Alan)
  • The practice of offering coordinator roles to men who obviously want the head job is seen as self-defeating, especially when those men (Gruden, Reich) have no interest in being subordinate to an unproven head coach.

• Don’s conspiracy theory:

  • Glenn is being used as cover—fronting for unpopular decisions made by others (ownership or management).
  • “All of a sudden, it’s not collaborative anymore. An organization that started collaborative, all of a sudden, they’re not collaborative anymore. Every decision is Aaron Glenn’s. I don’t buy it.” (Don, 13:04)
  • The idea is to scapegoat Glenn later, even as he’s set up to fail.

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3. Jets Ownership: Woody Johnson, Accountability, and League Oversight

(Caller segments around 34:26 and beyond)

• Skeptical—sometimes despairing—fans call in, echoing the hosts’ view that Jets dysfunction is institutional:

  • No competent coach or executive wants to join a rudderless franchise with constant ownership interference.
  • “As long as the present owner owns his team, it’s never going to get fixed.” (Caller Ira, 35:45)
  • The hosts agree: “...when you think you’re smarter than football people... you look at your track record over the last 15 years and think you’re smart at all… At some point you got to look and go, maybe I’m the problem.” (Alan, 36:51)

• Comparison to other leagues:

  • Parallels with other owners forced out (Sterling, McCourt) for racism or bankruptcy. But there’s no similar standard for sheer incompetence.
  • “I just wonder... They wouldn’t let that in the hen house. But now you can’t get him out.” (Don, 47:44)

• NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell’s possible intervention discussed:

  • Both Don and Alan are skeptical anything will change, since the team is profitable, but wonder aloud why the league tolerates such a major-market embarrassment.

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4. New York Sports, Islanders' Moves, and Brief Musical Interludes

(Islanders trade talk at 24:13; musical break at 25:30)

• Sports bits:

  • Islanders made minor trades with the Rangers and Devils—not earth-shaking, but a sign of organizational willingness to improve, contrasted with the Jets.
  • Brief discussion of how Brian Cashman (Yankees) is similarly risk averse in making “rival” trades.

• ’80s Rock Nostalgia:

  • Hahn and La Greca go off on a playful tangent about classic hard rock and “stripper music” (White Snake’s “Here I Go Again”).
  • “It’s everything that is wrong but also so right about rock and roll.” (Don, 29:31)
  • Humor and old-school stories create a breezier mood before returning to fan calls and heavier Jets discussion.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Hall of Fame voting as “God complex” problem:

  • “‘Who the hell are you?’ ... That’s God complex stuff, man.” (Alan, 04:26)
  • “If you believe in God, God does what he does, and you’ve got to accept it... It’s the same way if you’re voting in the Hall of Fame.” (Don, 10:09)

• On the Jets’ executive dysfunction:

  • “I’ve always believed that this authority that Aaron Glenn has... has been a bit of a facade... There’s somebody behind the scenes, pulling the strings.” (Don, 13:04)
  • “You have a coach who’s learning on the job, and now we’re really understanding it more than ever.” (Alan, 14:39)

• On Woody Johnson and NFL ownership:

  • "They think they're smarter than everybody else... you look at your track record over 15 years and think you're smart at all?” (Alan, 36:51)
  • “You wouldn't let it in the hen house. But now you can't get him out.” (Don, 47:44)

• On possible NFL solutions:

  • “At some point, a commissioner... works for what's best for the league. When you have a franchise... at this level of embarrassment, why would you want one of your 32 teams to have zero shot because of complete incompetency by your owner?” (Don, 45:22)

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Key Timestamps

• 01:52 – Hall of Fame process critique begins
• 04:26 – Alan on “God complex” in Hall voting
• 11:20 – Transition to Jets’ coaching shuffle, Gruden rumors
• 13:04 – Don’s theory on Glenn’s role as scapegoat/front
• 18:13 – Alan on disastrous DC candidate rollout
• 34:26 – Fan calls: despair about Jets’ future, leadership
• 36:51 – Alan on Woody Johnson's accountability
• 45:22 – Don questions league inaction on ownership failures
• 47:44 – “Hen house” analogy for NFL club governance

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Tone & Concluding Impressions

The show is charged with genuine frustration, world-weary humor, and the sense of New York sports fans forever battling owners and institutions who never seem to “get it.” Both Don and Alan lean into seasoned skepticism and razor-sharp observations on everything from Hall of Fame votes to the Jets’ latest facepalm moments. It’s essential listening for NFL fans, especially those who savor the pain and absurdity of New York football.

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For further discussion:

• Will the Jets ever attract competent staff under the current regime?
• Can any league police ownership incompetence, or does cash always win?
• Is the Hall of Fame, in any sport, still a credible institution?

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End of Hour 1 Summary
(Skip to next episode hour for more fan calls and NFL deep-dive.)

Transcript

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[Podcast Producer]

Don Sydney Sickness stink.

[Alan Hahn]

Han, how about your nuts? Can I get some?

[Podcast Producer]

And Rosenberg, he wanted me to jump.

[Don La Greca]

Up and make the jokey jokey so the people go. Laugh time. This isn't North Dakota, this is New York.

[Podcast Producer]

This is Don, Han and Rosenberg.

[Peter Rosenberg]

The best threesome I've ever heard on.

[Podcast Producer]

ESPN New York and streaming live on YouTube.

[Don La Greca]

Three o' clock in the big city. Donna in Rosenberg. Four solid hours of radio for you. Lots to get into, lots to discuss in the big bad city. How are you, Alan? You look great today. Terrific.

[Alan Hahn]

Even so do you. By the way. The angle of the camera. Exquisite.

[Don La Greca]

Yeah.

[Alan Hahn]

Why is that today?

[Don La Greca]

Oh, this was gifted to me by the great Alan Hahn. I've been using this apparatus that you gave to me and I traveled to Western Canada with it.

[Alan Hahn]

Yeah.

[Don La Greca]

And now I've applied it to my home. So there it is in all its glory. Thank you so much.

[Alan Hahn]

I'm so happy. I'm so happy.

[Don La Greca]

You should be happy.

[Alan Hahn]

Was.

[Don La Greca]

It was. It's cool. It took a little while. It was, it's. It was a little bulky to travel with, but now that I've gotten used to it, now it's in, it's in the rotation. That's all we care about. Of things that I have to do before we have to go on the air.

[Alan Hahn]

Yeah.

[Don La Greca]

There's so much to get into. And we did Belichick yesterday because the.

[Alan Hahn]

News broke, what, during the show?

[Don La Greca]

A quarter to six yesterday. So we did get. We did get some calls and we'll re. Connect with it because the poly and stuff is. Yeah, it's really embarrassing, quite frankly. It's really, really embarrassing. And I would like to have a conversation at some point, Alan, of how we can fix these hall of Fames, because clearly baseball and football seem to be broken. Hockey's very cloak and dagger too. There seems to be less controversy there. There's controversy. There seems to be less controversy. But again, no one knows who anybody is that votes for these things. And part of the problem, guys get in. Guys don't get in. Remember, you know, Pat Burns is dying of cancer. And I'm like, can you put this guy in?

[Alan Hahn]

Right?

[Don La Greca]

He was a. He was a three times Jack Adams trophy winner, won a cup with the New Jersey Devils in the one place he didn't win, Coach of the. And then after he dies, they put him in. Yeah, it just, it made me sick in baseball, all the controversies with not just the pds, but certain guys getting in and not getting in. And now this whole, you know, Legends Committee and favors being done. And football's been an embarrassment forever with their system. So maybe they're just. There's got to be some better way. I don't know. You're closer to basketball than I am. But is that a system that needs to be fixed or maybe looked at as how everybody else should do it? I don't know.

[Alan Hahn]

It's all the same. They don't do anything differently in any of the other sports.

[Don La Greca]

Right? Yeah.

[Alan Hahn]

So I have theories. I do. I have theories on it. And I also have a theory of why it has gone the way it's gone. Because, you know, look, there are times hall of Fames are criticized because it's like too easy to get in. And I can remember I.

[Don La Greca]

For.

[Alan Hahn]

Who was the player? Was it Dion, who felt a Hall of Fame should have another level?

[Don La Greca]

Right.

[Alan Hahn]

For the elites?

[Don La Greca]

And they listen to him and it.

[Alan Hahn]

It'S, you know, now what, you know, like, so the hall of Fame is supposed to be the elites, not like, well, these guys were good, but these guys were really good. Like, like, what are we doing? So I think part of the problem is when you're on a committee like that, you don't want to be accused of, like, you're letting everybody in. It's too easy now to make the hall of Fame, so you try to be a little tougher about it. But this thing with Belichick sounded a little more personal, a little more of like a God complex thing. And it's, it didn't make sense. It's the same thing as a writer saying, I know he's going to go in, but he doesn't deserve to be unanimous. So I'm not going to vote for him. It's like, who the hell are you?

[Don La Greca]

Or the.

[Alan Hahn]

That's God complex stuff, man. And that should never be part of any type of decision making.

[Don La Greca]

Well, that's why these guys need to be vetted better. They should have their Votes taken away when there is.

[Alan Hahn]

And you should impropriety.

[Don La Greca]

And it should be public. Listen, Kay made this point about the Gary Myers tweet. Like, why do we need to know who these guys are? What do you want to egg their house? I'm sure there is something to. Fans get crazy. And if you go public and maybe you're the one that didn't vote for Jeter and afraid some Yankee fan is going to jump you in the street or set your house on fire or the player. I can't rule things like that out because the world has gone sideways. So would I bat an eye? Would I be that shocked if all of a sudden somebody went public saying, I didn't vote for Derek Jeter and then that guy's house gets vandalized or that guy's getting threats on the phone.

[Alan Hahn]

I understand.

[Don La Greca]

You know, so I get. But there's just gotta be a better way. I don't know what it is, but there just has to be a better way to figure this stuff out, because it's important to a lot of people. I mean, the hall of Fame is what it is. It's the greatest honor that could be stowed on an athlete.

[Alan Hahn]

Agree.

[Don La Greca]

And it gets very political and favors are done. We can make it as cut and dried as we don't like Belichick. Poline didn't like him. Let's get him punished and sit out a year. But it could go even further. Like, hey, don't vote for him. And then I'll use my vote to get somebody in that you're going to struggle to get in in a couple of years. Favors are done all the time. And that's not the way it's supposed to be done. But that's not supposed to be that political, Donnie.

[Alan Hahn]

Politics is favors.

[Don La Greca]

Right?

[Alan Hahn]

I'll vote for your bill, but you got to help me get this thing done like this. Everything is compromise. Everything is negotiation. That's what everything is. But something like this, that's an honor, that shouldn't be negotiated. Right? You either earned it or you didn't. That's it. There's no second sentence. There's no other paragraph. There's no stipulation. You either earned it or you didn't.

[Don La Greca]

And that's why.

[Alan Hahn]

And I'm sorry, Donnie, one more point.

[Don La Greca]

Yeah, sure.

[Alan Hahn]

And that's why this notion of make him wait a year is stupid. He's going to be in the hall of Fame regardless. What does it matter if he has to wait a year? You twisting the knife like that's the part that bothers me the most, this notion that if you're not voting for him, that means you don't think he's worthy of. If you don't vote for him and you think he's worthy, then you have a God complex and you should not vote. End of sentence.

[Don La Greca]

Yeah, it's. It's a joke. Now, please don't snicker when I say this, but I do, too. Oh, yeah, that. At least on the political front, when favors are being done, it is supposed to be at least in the interest of the general public. Right. Where you're passing laws. Things where I'll cross the divide of Democrat and Republican for the greater good. All right? That's why I want something I wouldn't vote for. But I. But you know what? That means less to me than the ultimate thing I want. And that guy is gonna help me. So those favors, at least there's the air of. I'm trying to do it for the greater good. There's no greater good here. It's just ego.

[Alan Hahn]

Yeah.

[Don La Greca]

And it's first battle. I'm a first ballot hall of Famer. Are you a Hall of Famer or. Nah, that's it. Peter would say, you know, right? And maybe that's the way it's got to be. It's like, hey, you retire when your eligibility comes up, we vote for you. If you didn't get it, goodbye, you're not in a Hall of Fame. Maybe we'll revisit in 25 years because maybe the landscape will change or something. But if you're not good enough in 20, 26, and you don't play another down, you don't swing another bat, throw another pitch, shoot another pucker, or basketball, then how all of a sudden you're now eligible. Now you're better five years later to get in when you weren't better the day after you retired.

[Alan Hahn]

Because it's based on class, right? Is this a strong class? It's not. So somebody from two classes ago has a better chance to get in because this class isn't as strong because they have to have a ceremony every year. And we can't have a ceremony if there's no headliner and it's a show.

[Don La Greca]

Debt's money again.

[Alan Hahn]

That doesn't make sense. If there's 15 guys in a class and they all deserve to be hall of Famers, Suck it up, buttercup. Make it two days, I don't care, but do it.

[Don La Greca]

And then on the other end, if it just happens no one was eligible one year Then we don't have a ceremony.

[Alan Hahn]

We don't have a ceremony.

[Don La Greca]

We'll figure something out, you know, the NFL Prince money. So if Canton's going to suffer, you know, throw him a couple of million dollars to compensate for not having anybody. But I'm not going to. And Cooperstown, too. I'm not gonna throw somebody in because we have to have a ceremony. Oh, you don't understand, Don. The economy of Cooperstown ceremony. All right, so we're following the money, then. Guy doesn't really deserve to be in, but we're gonna put him in because if we don't, we won't have a ceremony. Yeah, but we're gonna leave these five guys out because we can't have 20 guys, because then the ceremony will be too big.

[Alan Hahn]

And that's why the whole thing is, to me, it reeks a fallacy, because that's the problem, is it's not supposed to be that. It's supposed to be cut and dried. It's not politics. Where we're negotiating, there's no negotiation. You are. You aren't. That's it.

[Don La Greca]

Yeah.

[Alan Hahn]

So that's why I don't like this stuff. I don't like that voters have a God complex. I'll control it. I'm sending a message. He doesn't deserve to be in the first time around. He'll get in two years. He's not. He shouldn't be in right away, but in two years, we'll get him in. So don't worry. He'll get it. Like, no, no, no, no, no, no. That's not how it works. It shouldn't work that way. It has for too long. So when you ask me what's. What's wrong, that's what I see as the problem.

[Don La Greca]

You just described them having a God complex. I believe they are almost literally God, because if you're not held accountable for your vote and you don't have to answer to anyone, then you become God. If you believe in God, God does what he does, and you've got to accept it. You can't challenge it. You can't go to the altar and say, why God did you do this? And get an answer. It's just that's the way God wants it. Well, it's the same way if you're voting in the hall of Fame and I don't. In the NFL, you don't say anything. In Major League Baseball, you are allowed to be anonymous if you want to. Then you are playing God, because now you're not being held Accountable for what you do. You don't have to answer to anybody.

[Alan Hahn]

Yeah, well, again, that. That is the. That, to me, is something that is part of the problem. Now we're going to have Booger on, and Booger had a lot of strong statements about this Right. On Twitter, like a lot of people did. So we can definitely dive deep into it with him because he has a little more. It's a. It's a lot closer to him personally. Right. So.

[Don La Greca]

Right.

[Alan Hahn]

That'll be a great conversation to have with Booger.

[Don La Greca]

Now, there's. There's always some Jet news.

[Alan Hahn]

Yeah, I wish there wasn't, but, you.

[Don La Greca]

Know, we learned after the show that according to reports, Jon Gruden was offered.

[Alan Hahn]

A job with the jets, but not the job.

[Don La Greca]

Not the job, but a job. And when you're Jon Gruden, I'm sure it's an eye on the job. Now, he's got a current lawsuit against the NFL, and the feeling is he probably won't take a job at the NFL until that's resolved, and that's probably why he said no to the Jets. Although there's a million reasons why you say no to the Jets. But if you got Jon Gruden and you got Aaron Glenn hanging on by a thread, inevitably Jon Gruden would become the head coach of your team. So when I see that he was asked to be a part of this, you wonder what the ulterior motive is. We're getting more clarity on what happened with Wink Martindale. That looked like a fait accompli. Goes in for what's supposed to be just a formality of a conversation and then finds out, no, Aaron Glenn is going to call the plays. And now Wink's gone. Frank Reich's momentum has completely changed. Right. That looked like that was done. I mean, what the heck is going on? They fired nine people off of Aaron Glenn's staff. Not saying that any of them didn't deserve it.

[Alan Hahn]

Well, when you say they don, it seems like Aaron Glenn fired nine people off of Aaron Glenn staff.

[Don La Greca]

Well, you don't believe that. Well, I'm gonna try to be consistent. That's interesting.

[Alan Hahn]

So, I don't know. I'm actually more interested in you not thinking that's the case right now and then getting to the next step. So please indulge.

[Don La Greca]

Well, if you've listened to me, and I know you do.

[Alan Hahn]

Oh, yeah.

[Don La Greca]

That. I've always believed that this authority that Aaron Glenn has, the decisions that he has made, has been a bit of a facade to try to make it seem like he was the alpha dog. And I've always felt as there's somebody behind the string, behind the scenes, pulling the strings for Glenn and then saying no. That was Aaron Glenn wanted Justin Fields. You know, Aaron Glenn chose his whole coaching staff, making it feel like Aaron Glenn was the one that didn't want Aaron Rodgers. I never believed that. I'm not saying that he didn't make any decisions, but I do believe that there's. All of a sudden, it's not collaborative anymore. An organization that started collaborative, all of a sudden, they're not collaborative anymore. Every decision is Aaron Glenn's. I don't buy it. And now Aaron Glenn decided to let go of his entire staff. I don't buy it. Now. I think he might have had a say in some of them, but. But I always believed, and I could be dead wrong. I didn't talk to anybody. I don't know anybody over there anymore that's gonna feed me any information. But I think I've been around long enough to see the way they operate. Let's bring in an alpha dog. Let's make him the guy that made all the decisions, and then eventually he'll look like the fool if they all fall apart. So I never bought that for a second. So if I'm gonna be consistent, Alan, why would I buy that? He was the one, the sole one to let go of all of these coaches.

[Alan Hahn]

Because it was his coaching staff that he put together. But I was trying to convince myself that him doing this was him having accountability and understanding that. You know what? I got this job. I didn't really understand how I need to get experienced people in here. I thought I could get anybody. I can get a high school coach and have him coach, and it's just football, right? There's no difference. He'll be able to do it until you realize that when. When. When they kick the ball off, it gets real. And the guy across the field from you that comes over and shakes your hand and pat your shoulder when the game's over, he's trying to kill you like, he's trying to make you look stupid. And more times than not, the opposing coach did that this year. So he realized I'm not. I'm not that smart as a head coach. We have a coach who's learning on the job, and now we're really understanding it more than ever. But firing everybody didn't. That didn't alarm me. That didn't concern me. That made me feel like, all right, maybe he's realizing as he Looks around like, I gotta get some real coaches in here. It's what's happened since Donny and the reports about all that stuff that to me, is what alarms me now more than ever. Because you had experienced people in the building and suddenly you made an about face. And that. I don't. That doesn't make sense to me. And that gives me more reason to be concerned going forward because you seriously might have somebody in control or as a head coach who really doesn't know what he's doing and is changing his mind almost like daily. That's what I'm worried about.

[Don La Greca]

Well, the Jon Gruden thing is interesting. Did you really think Aaron Glenn wants John Gruden on his staff?

[Alan Hahn]

I don't think that's an issue. Because you what. What I thought was funny is that they wanted Gruden to be the offensive coordinator.

[Don La Greca]

Right.

[Alan Hahn]

And Gruden is like, I'm a head coach man. Like, I'm not working under anybody, especially an inexperienced guy like you. And they probably had no relationship. But so Gruden just turns it down a. Because it's the jets and he knows there's no quarterback there. There's no true leadership there. I can't go to a job and look bad in the first year. Can't happen. So he didn't look at it like we thought Frank Reich would look at it. Let me take this job and then this guy's gonna be over his head. They'll fire him, and I can slide right into the head coach job. That would have been really the right play for Gruden, but he didn't want to deal with any of it because I'm sure it's his. How he feels about the jets as an organization.

[Don La Greca]

No, I agree.

[Alan Hahn]

That's concern one. The Wink Martindale stuff, though, to me, that doesn't make any sense at all. How they came up with the defensive coordinator they just announced versus an experienced guy like Wink or Jim Leonard. That blows my mind. Blows my mind. So those who don't know then. So they had Wink in. The reporting is Martindale was in the building. They felt really good about hiring him as a defensive coordinator. It got to a point where they were actually talking details. Then for some reason, Aaron Glenn is letting everybody know, you know, I want to be the plate caller, though. Which, as you know, for an experienced veteran defensive coordinator, that ain't gonna fly. Especially a guy like Wink. We already know how he and Dable went at it.

[Don La Greca]

Well.

[Alan Hahn]

So we already know there was issues there. So he hears that you Know, he's gonna say, I'm out. Jim Leonard, who is, you know, has blood in the ground, who does care about the jets, who wanted an opportunity. Once he heard that, he. He's like, I'm good. I'm out. And so there's your two best candidates out the door. And you hire somebody who's a passing game coordinator that does no defensive coordinator experience that you knew in Detroit. And you're just hoping it's going to work out because you're going to do the play calling, which means all he's going to do is sort of just like, organize things and manage things on defense. That's alarming to me, Don. Why do you need to be the play caller? Just be the head coach. There's enough there to keep you busy.

[Don La Greca]

But again, to stay with my, you know, consistent conspiracy theory. Okay, if he fired all of his coaches, then he would be hiring new coaches, right?

[Alan Hahn]

Yes.

[Don La Greca]

I wouldn't. When I. When I'm. When I'm calling Wink Martindale, if I'm Aaron Glenn and I, it's my idea to bring Wink in and I want to hire Wink, I wouldn't tell him right off the bat that I'm calling the plays.

[Alan Hahn]

You would think you would, Don. You would think it would be the first thing you discuss.

[Don La Greca]

Or how about, I'm bringing in Wink Martindale. I'm going to hire Wink Martindale for you, Aaron Glenn. And then Glenn goes, okay. And then when I finally meet him face to face, I'm going to tell him I'm calling the plays. Like, that makes no sense that I'd reach out to Wink Martindale with the intention of me calling the plays, and then wouldn't let lay that on him till the last minute. Oh, I'm going to call Jon Gruden, hope that he becomes my offensive coordinator. A guy that's going to want to take my job, and the fans will be screaming for him to take my job when I start Owen 7. Oh, I'm going to decide. Have Frank Reich be my offensive coordinator. A former head coach who also be gunning for my job. Do these sound like guys Aaron Glenn would want to hire?

[Alan Hahn]

When you put it that way, what are you suggesting? Is this Darren Muji or is this Woody Johnson and company?

[Don La Greca]

Well, I don't know. If Woody, who's.

[Alan Hahn]

Who's doing this, then shouldn't Aaron Glenn be Martindale? Well, but should Aaron Glenn be the one that's his coaching staff? Should he be the one that's deciding who do I want to work with? Right.

[Don La Greca]

So if I will.

[Alan Hahn]

Or did he just. I'm sorry, Don. Did he just wake up after spending enough time with Wink and just start, like, it was eating at him? Like, I'm really going to have to just let him make other. I'm going to have to do this. Did someone else say, hey, by the way, you know, when he was with Dable, this is what he did? Are you sure that's what you want to deal with? Like, how do you know that someone didn't kind of call him as the process was getting close and just kind of give him a little bit of, like, you know, spill the tea? And made Aaron Glenn say, I don't know if I want to do that. I mean, like, if I. I'm going to want to have a say. Like, oh, no, no, no. He's not going to let you.

[Don La Greca]

That's possible. But I'm Wink Martindale. I butted heads the last time I was in New York with my head coach.

[Alan Hahn]

Yep.

[Don La Greca]

Aaron Glenn, a neophyte, a guy that's only coached one season in the NFL, is calling me and asking me to be his defensive coordinator. The first thing I'm going to ask if I'm Wink Martindale is am I calling the shots? Is this my defense? You're a defensive guy. You're a former defensive coordinator. I don't want to butt heads again. I would think Wink would have started that conversation. Or did it go, Muji called him or Woody called him, or somebody in the organization says, you got to come over. You got to help my coach, man. He's in over his head. I need somebody like you to be my defensive coordinator. Am I going to be allowed to call the plays? Oh, man, you. Yeah, yeah. Don't worry about it. Glenn will let you call the plays. Glenn will let you call the plays. Then you come in to meet him and Aaron Glenn. And I'm not saying he's a pushover. I don't think he's making the decisions. But I also don't think he's a pushover. Probably said, no, I am calling the place. I'm putting a stop to this right now. So I think there's more evidence, Allen, that he's being fed these guys. Somebody else fired him. Somebody else is trying to hire him, and I think Glenn's trying to get the reins in. Come on. You think Aaron Glenn's hiring John Gruden and Frank Reich?

[Alan Hahn]

Well, he's got to get somebody that knows what they're doing on offense. He's got to get somebody with experience. And nobody with experience or anybody that's good wants the job. So you find who, who needs the job that's experienced and Reich hasn't, Right?

[Don La Greca]

Yeah. And that could be fine for Frank Reich, because I don't think Frank Reich is a bad guy who's going to try to steal somebody's job. I think he wants to be a head coach. But I could see him sitting back and saying, all right, listen, I'll be an offensive coordinator. I'm not looking, I'm not gunning for anybody's job. Jon Gruden has told you he wants to be head coach.

[Alan Hahn]

Oh, no, no, that's a different story.

[Don La Greca]

You reached out to a guy that will be gunning for your job.

[Alan Hahn]

But that, to me feels like no stone unturned. Let's just check in with everybody and let's sit down with them and see what we get out of it. Let them make us say no. That kind of thing. Right? Like, I, I, I'm, again, I, I gotta feel like as, as stupid as all this stuff looks and all the reporting, everything you read, you just keep facepalming like, there's no. Nobody's this stupid. Which is why I keep stopping myself and saying, okay, no one is this dumb. So if, Even if it's 70% true, there's got to be 30% where you're like, no, no, it's not. They're not. That. They can't possibly dump. It can't possibly be this bad. It can't be. If it's really this bad and this dysfunctional, then Roger Goodell is going to have to say, I got to step in here. We got to. This is, this is an NFL franchise in a major market. You cannot operate like this. It's an embarrassment. You cannot operate this way. It's not even functional. You can't. How do you have a team next year, Don, if this is how you're operating?

[Don La Greca]

Well, I want to get into that as well. 1-800-9193776 we got the jets on the table, we got Belichick on the table. Still more on Giannis.

[Alan Hahn]

Oh, my God. Wait till you hear the latest, everybody.

[Don La Greca]

You know, a big game for the Islanders. Yeah, the Islanders mean businessman. In back to back days, they made trades with the Rangers and the Devils.

[Alan Hahn]

It's good to have friends.

[Don La Greca]

I wish somebody would talk to Brian Cashman about. You can trade with the Mets if you think it makes your team better.

[Alan Hahn]

Yeah, it's okay.

[Don La Greca]

These aren't colossal deals by any tread. You know, Susie, and Palat are not going to win the Islanders the Stanley cup. But it's just interesting. They're knocking on everybody's door.

[Alan Hahn]

It added depth. You needed it.

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[Podcast Producer]

Thanks for listening to the Don Hahn and Rosenberg podcast.

[Don La Greca]

I didn't listen to anything you just said.

[Podcast Producer]

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

[Don La Greca]

Oh, this list is going to be a lot of fun. Yeah, you're going to enjoy it, Al.

[Alan Hahn]

Really I am.

[Don La Greca]

You're going to be a part of it. Making you a part of it.

[Alan Hahn]

Playing a little, Little Melon Camp right now.

[Don La Greca]

Yeah.

[Alan Hahn]

This is when the walls come crumbling down. It's a Jet song.

[Don La Greca]

We're in the John Cougar Melon Camp stage here.

[Alan Hahn]

This is Cougar Mellon Camp. Not just Mellon Camp. He didn't get rid of the Cougar.

[Don La Greca]

So there's John Cougar, there's John Cougar Mellencamp, and then there's John Mellingham.

[Alan Hahn]

Yeah. Which one do you, which version did you like?

[Don La Greca]

Oh, John Cougar.

[Alan Hahn]

Cougar, without a doubt. Right? Yeah. Yeah.

[Don La Greca]

That's so good.

[Alan Hahn]

Yeah. Full rebellion.

[Don La Greca]

Yeah. Jack and Diane. Really? No, there's a ton of really good stuff.

[Alan Hahn]

Yeah. Completely agree. By the way, if we could stay on music for three seconds before we get to calls. I was driving in and I just kind of sometimes don't know what mood I'm in. And Jake can understand this. So I'll just randomly like, I'll just roulette wheel the playlist because I've made like a million playlists.

[Don La Greca]

Right.

[Alan Hahn]

And so punched it in. And it was like this, this hard rock playlist I made like five something years ago and a song came up. I'm like, and I like, I was so fired up just listening to this song. Like absolutely. Just seriously might have touched 80. And I'm like, Don is going to get. He's going to be sick to his stomach that I, that this song gets me fired up. But I don't care because it just gets me fired up. I don't even know if I. I'm afraid to tell you because I. I disgusted you will be that I even consider this hard rock.

[Don La Greca]

Do me a favor. What? I got a read to do.

[Alan Hahn]

Okay.

[Don La Greca]

While I'm doing the.

[Alan Hahn]

I'm a text Jake.

[Don La Greca]

Have. Have Jake play it.

[Alan Hahn]

I'm going to text you right now, Jake.

[Don La Greca]

Yeah. All right. Coordinate it quickly, and I'll stall for time, and then hopefully.

[Alan Hahn]

You'Ll name that tune in three, not even one or two notes.

[Don La Greca]

All right. Have Jake ready to play it when I'm done with the read. All right. So I won't start the read until, you know, Jake's got it. And once Jacob has it, it won't take him long to punch it up. Ambassador Johnson.

[Alan Hahn]

Oh, it. It auto corrected on me. Damn it.

[Don La Greca]

Come on.

[Alan Hahn]

There it is.

[Don La Greca]

We're under a lot of pressure.

[Commercial Announcer]

No, no, we're good.

[Alan Hahn]

It's in. He's got it now, Jake, do you have it? Jake, you got it, right?

[Don La Greca]

Okay, now you think you can.

[Alan Hahn]

You think from the beginning. You got to play it from the start because the first two, three notes. Don's gonna just. He's gonna walk away.

[Don La Greca]

Do you think you can play it when I'm done with my masery? Absolutely.

[Alan Hahn]

Oh, yeah.

[Don La Greca]

Okay.

[Alan Hahn]

Yeah.

[Don La Greca]

There are a lot of reasons why at Ramsey Mods. That's their selection, it's their customer service, and it's their savings. Lisa, new 2025 Mazda CX 32.5s all wheel drive for 189 for 33 months. Start shopping now at RamseyMazda.com. choose wisely. Choose Ramsey Mazda. Call 833-853-2970 for lease details Vin SM 844681 MSRP 21075 0. Security deposit ends 22 26. It's not a bad song.

[Alan Hahn]

Come on, man. Try driving open road. Oh, I know you hate it, but you can't hate it.

[Don La Greca]

Every. Every fiber of my being wants to just hate everything about David Coverdale. And of course. All right. The whole. The whole hard rock with old man with the long hair.

[Alan Hahn]

Not only long hair, but like he went to the beauty parlor to get it. Just like he had rollers in his hair.

[Don La Greca]

It's not glam rock, but it's certainly. It's close. It's.

[Alan Hahn]

You know what it is? I think it's more. It's testosterone rock, but because it's all about, like, just. It's. It's misogyny and it's like aggressive. Like, it's aggressive misogyny. How about that?

[Don La Greca]

It's everything.

[Alan Hahn]

It is.

[Don La Greca]

But it's everything that is wrong but also so right about rock and roll.

[Alan Hahn]

Yeah. And it's right. It's right in. When I was 12 years old. Like, come on. When you're 12, you got all kinds of hormones just buzzing around. Like that comes on a video. Like that comes on. Forget it. I'm lost.

[Don La Greca]

That came out, I want to say, 1984. That's 384 somewhere around there.

[Alan Hahn]

That's about right. I was 12. Yeah.

[Don La Greca]

So I was, like, 15, 16. So I'm mowing the lawn, right? I'm taking a break, wiping my brow on a hot day, And a guy with, like, a 67 Camaro, hell yeah. Comes driving down my street, and he's blaring that song out of the Camaro, and I'm like, what is that song, man? That sounds awesome. So I file it away, and then I think it pops on MTV or something like a white snake. And. Okay. And. And I did go out and get the album. I. Again, principle, if anybody knows my musical taste. Like White Snake. Like Def Leppard point. It's. It's stripper music.

[Alan Hahn]

Yes.

[Don La Greca]

And I'm against it. But that song.

[Alan Hahn]

Hell, yeah. Okay, so you feel.

[Don La Greca]

Play the beginning again, Jay. Just the beginning of.

[Alan Hahn]

You feel.

[Don La Greca]

It's one of the great beginnings of all time.

[Alan Hahn]

This is foot down on the accelerator. When this song.

[Don La Greca]

Play it again.

[Alan Hahn]

Just start it again right from the top, right from the rip. Damn.

[Don La Greca]

What do you think?

[Alan Hahn]

I could have just pulled it up on my phone.

[Don La Greca]

What do you like cleaning the cupboard? You don't want to leave anything up on the screen.

[Alan Hahn]

All right, let's go. Nah, you're not. You missed it. You missed it.

[Don La Greca]

It's a shame.

[Alan Hahn]

The first. That first note.

[Don La Greca]

Yeah. It's not the beginning of. It's the very first sound you hear.

[Alan Hahn]

Yes.

[Don La Greca]

One more time, Jacob. We had a good run. We could try. So good.

[Alan Hahn]

Come on. So I'm right. I'm not crazy. Like, this is Mustang G, top down. This is Camaro Z28. This is Firebird T. Tops off. Like that's what this music is.

[Don La Greca]

And then you got Tony Kitain basically just molesting a car.

[Alan Hahn]

She. Yes. She's making love to a car now.

[Don La Greca]

She was in bachelor party, which is one of my favorite Tom Hanks movies. You can tell me about. You know, Forrest Gump.

[Alan Hahn]

Bachelor party's Bachelor party.

[Don La Greca]

Right. So how do you not, like, fall for. Turns out My. Because through wrestling my brother becomes friends with her.

[Alan Hahn]

Wow.

[Don La Greca]

And this is, this is the woman that like beat Chuck Finley. Like, like Chuck Finley like charged her with like with spousal abuse.

[Commercial Announcer]

Wasn't it?

[Alan Hahn]

With a shoe.

[Don La Greca]

With a shoe. Very, very, very good memory out of you. And so my brother talk. And then she unfortunately just passed away a few years ago. But she was a cool person and so there's a lot. So you're not wrong. You want to jump me and I want to jump myself for. For liking it. But no, that's jump yourself pretty. That's pretty special stuff. 1-800-9193776 I'm trying to keep the voice together. Seven goals last night. So this, this trip and these games starting to pile up a little bit. I got. I need the Manuka.

[Alan Hahn]

Honey, I can. If you need me I could. I could tag in. I only have pre and post tonight. Not a lot of heavy lifting. Wally's in the studio. He takes up a lot of oxygen. So for me like I can. I can tag in if you need.

[Don La Greca]

Yeah. Well you're definitely leading tomorrow.

[Alan Hahn]

Okay, that's cool. Absolutely.

[Don La Greca]

I'll be at the arena and I got the game and yeah Predators in town. That whole deal. 1-800-9193776 oh, by the way, the Johnny Mack ceremony. Very cool. Geeked out. I mean I got the interview Aaron Broughton. Not a lot of people would care. I did. I. He's. He's such a cool dude and he was a original devil and he was so nice and I thought that was a really good. They. They deserved better. They should have won the game. Unfortunately they didn't.

[Alan Hahn]

Is he brothers with Neil Broughton?

[Don La Greca]

Yeah. Neil. Neil. He leaves The Devils in 1990. The Lou trades for Neil Broughton in 95 and they win a cup with Neil. So he's watching his former team win a cup with his brother on the team.

[Alan Hahn]

I did not.

[Don La Greca]

Paul brought. And also all three of them brought.

[Alan Hahn]

I knew there was a Paul. That's right. There was a Paul. Okay.

[Don La Greca]

Yeah, that was good. And if the fans are cool. It was.

[Alan Hahn]

It was.

[Don La Greca]

It was a cool night over at the Rock. But we got the list coming up at 4:30. But your calls on everything. Jets here. 1-800-9193776 and why not start where we usually start when we're talking Jets. And that's Ira in Staten Island. You're on ESPN New York. It's a Vira.

[Caller Ira]

Hey Don. Peter. Don. Peter, Alan and Don. You know it's amazing this Such sad state of affairs what's going on over there. And you know who really knows exactly the details?

[Peter Rosenberg]

Who fall in the shop?

[Caller Ira]

Glenn, Ruby, Woody, Matt, Team Skillman, whatever it is. It's just they have hit a level that I have just never seen before. And who even leading up to the three weeks ago when they started looking for coaches and making changes, who in their right mind, what fan would ever think any qualified coach would come into a mess like this? And you guys hear Riddick with you guys in the morning and whenever he's on the station he has such a pulse and he is so spot on with everything he says about the jets from the top 10 from the top down is such a mess. And I honestly, I think it's unfixable. I think as long as the present owner owns his team, it's never going to get fixed. It's just never going to get fixed. And Glenn is so in over his head, even as a defensive coordinator. So he's calling the plays next year. Who cares? Washington hung 45 points on his defense in the playoffs two years ago. So why do you think he's going to get it right? It's talking like this.

[Don La Greca]

Are you're close to it? Did you think, do you believe me, that he's not calling all the shots or do you think he's calling.

[Caller Ira]

At this stage of the game? I think there's other people involved. They do because it's just. It's too. It's too much all over the place. It really is. I think he came in with full power. I think some of that power has shifted.

[Don La Greca]

Yeah. I'm not sure he even had it to begin with, but I appreciate the call Iraq, I just, I'm. The reason I go to this conspiracy is because I felt like after Saleh and they felt Salah was soft and too much with the players and too friendly with the media, that they wanted to bring in an alpha dog and there was a person in charge and they wanted a face of who was in charge and who better than a long time great jet. And I just, I think it was a facade. I. All of a sudden everything's collaborative and now with a neophyte head coach is not collaborative anymore. And now one guy is calling all the shots and not Bill Parcells, not Tom Coughlin. You know, it's. It's literally never done it before.

[Alan Hahn]

See again, that's what I'd want. And this is the problem again with, with, you know, Woody Johnson, when you think you're smarter than everybody else or you think you're smarter than most football people, or you look at your track record over the last 15 years and think you're smart at all, right? 15 years. At some point you got to look and go, maybe I'm the problem. At some point you gotta. It's 15 years, man. So why wouldn't you instead say to Aaron Glenn, you're really close to Parcells, aren't you? Think we could bring him in and at least advise. Think we could bring, like, can we give him an official title? Can we talk to him and just have him come in and oversee so we have some credibility in the building? You know, can we just. He doesn't have to have a real job because he probably doesn't want one. But what if we just said, hey, Bill, we just. I need you out in front because I suck at it. I need you here. And I, you know that. Then I go, okay, that sounds crazy, but it's not. I get it. But this stuff, this stuff feels. It's just so strange.

[Don La Greca]

I think, I think. And also, I'm sure Aaron Glenn does this. Anyway. I'd make phone calls, inquiries to parcels about decisions. I think at this stage of Bill's life, he's over 80 years old now. He. He sees the heavy lifting of changing this organization. I don't know if he'd want to take that on as a full time role, but to have, you know, bounce things off of him or having him be a. A collaborative with a few other people that you trust and would want to talk to. But if you're Bill Parcells and you retired, you're in Saratoga, you're down in Florida and enjoying your life, which was a. A life well led.

[Alan Hahn]

Yep.

[Don La Greca]

And you're going to just all of a sudden try to turn this ship around.

[Alan Hahn]

Yeah, no, I, I get it.

[Don La Greca]

Too much work, man.

[Alan Hahn]

My point is just that if you were doing those type, like, if you were reaching out to people like that, you know, a report that they reached out to Tomlin, even a report like, I know you don't want to coach, but can we bring you in? Like, just help us out, get us on, you know, get us on track. Like, that's what I'd be looking for, somebody that I could put in front of me. So people are no longer seeing me because for 15 years, that's what they saw. All the other faces changed. Mine didn't.

[Don La Greca]

They need to bring in a Tom Brady. What Tom Brady's doing for the Raiders, although they.

[Alan Hahn]

What is he doing really? But they are coaching fireman one year. They don't have a coach yet.

[Don La Greca]

But. But like, but listen, it takes.

[Alan Hahn]

But you're right, you're right.

[Don La Greca]

You can't. You can't turn. As you said, or as Aaron Glenn said.

[Alan Hahn]

He said it.

[Don La Greca]

The battlefield, your ships turn slow, whatever. You know, to paraphrase that. But no, it's just somebody that can throw a little of the, like the, the shade away from the owner. Like you said, when, when the Raiders walk into a room, all eyes are going to be on Brady, Tom Brady's Raiders. They're not thinking about Davis with his, you know, haircut that looks like Bolton with a spoon.

[Alan Hahn]

Yeah.

[Don La Greca]

You know, that's the thing is that if you bring in some, like, if you brought in Curtis Martin. Curtis Martin is now president of football operations. Even if he just showed up, it's. People will talk to him. People respect him. People would want to work for him.

[Alan Hahn]

Just make him a mouthpiece. Just make him a guy that talks and distracts people. And I get to go away. Right. But the problem with a lot of owners is they want the credit. They want the credit. You know what I want to get out there? Honestly, if, if I'm an owner, Don, you know, when I want the credit, I want. You know what? I want to be seen. When my team's winning in the divisional round, heading to the AFC championship game, and they put the camera up in the owner's box, and I'm sitting there high fiving my kids, that's when I want to be seen. Not like, oh, I'm going to try to hire this guy now. Oh, we're going to try it again. Like, no, I don't want to be seen. I don't want to talk to him.

[Don La Greca]

No, when you want to be seen is at the podium, at the 50 yard line when they're handing you, well, that Vince Lombardi.

[Alan Hahn]

I mean, that's nice, too.

[Don La Greca]

That, that's. That's when you should be seen. Right. And that's ultimately what you would. You would want to have do. But again, it's like the wizard of Oz, right? Let's. There's the great wizard, but there's somebody behind the curtain. It's pulling the strings. But Woody keeps moving the curtain because he wants everybody to know that he's the guy.

[Alan Hahn]

Yep.

[Don La Greca]

And that's never, ever going to work.

[Podcast Producer]

Thanks for listening to the Don Han and Rosenberg podcast.

[Don La Greca]

I didn't listen to anything you just said.

[Podcast Producer]

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

[Don La Greca]

1-800-919-3776. Don Han and Rose over Peter Roth. They'll be back with us tonight. Tomorrow, live from Saudi Arabia.

[Alan Hahn]

That should be interesting for Live from Saudi Arabia. Words we've never said on this show.

[Don La Greca]

No, for what is the. What is it, Anthony? Because it's not SummerSlam. Because it's not summer and it's certainly not the Royal Rumble.

[Alan Hahn]

The Royal Rumble.

[Don La Greca]

It's not. It's not WrestleMania. No, WrestleMania.

[Alan Hahn]

Well, WrestleMania is a super Bowl. Yeah, you're right. I'm sorry. Royal Rumble is what will be Royal Rumble be.

[Don La Greca]

Then it's like the big four. So probably like Survivor Series, SummerSlam, Royal Rumble and WrestleMania. They're trying to equate it to.

[Alan Hahn]

If it's not so, what is it like in sports? What would you say, like, if it's.

[Don La Greca]

Not the Super Divisional weekend in the NFL? Yeah, probably like AFC Championship Weekend. Probably. Like Championship Weekend. Probably will be similar to. All right, for me, it'll be the Pro Bowl. I won't watch. That's right. From what I understood, my brother was telling me that the stadium they built in Riyadh, the Royal Rumble built it in 20 days. We may not have ice for the Olympics. Yeah.

[Alan Hahn]

Is that a good thing?

[Don La Greca]

They must have did it like the pyramids. They must have had, like a million people, you know, building this stadium to get it in 20 days. And they paid like $250 million for it to be out there. I'm telling you, there will be a Super bowl in Saudi Arabia.

[Alan Hahn]

Oh, we could.

[Don La Greca]

20 years.

[Alan Hahn]

What do you think? By. By 2040?

[Don La Greca]

Yeah, right.

[Alan Hahn]

15 years.

[Don La Greca]

Because they've got all kinds of money. And if they just give the NFL like, $20 billion to have the super bowl there, you tell me they're going to say no.

[Alan Hahn]

Why would they say no? They could do it.

[Don La Greca]

They might go, all right, how about 32 billion? We'll give each owner a billion dollars. You think they're going to vote no?

[Alan Hahn]

Right, right, exactly.

[Don La Greca]

But that's where Peter is, so he'll be joining us tomorrow. Let's get back to the busy phones. Justin Thomas River. You're on ESPN New York. What's up, Justin?

[Peter Rosenberg]

Hey, guys. Thank you as always, for taking my phone call. You know, I really follow the same sentiment as Ira. As a longtime jets fan. I know. And Don, I think you hit the nail on the head. You know, as Long time, Jeff. And we all know Woody Johnson's M.O. as an owner, he gets impatient very early. You heard it the year before Salah was fired. He was thinking about firing him. Woody gets very impatient. There's no way that Aaron Glenn would want John Gruden hovering over his shoulder, knowing that he's on the hot seat coming into this year. And, you know, it's unfortunate because, you know, this fan base deserves so much better. You know, so true, loyal fan base. And then you sit there, you. In the beginning, you actually were optimistic. You know, you heard some of the names with Jim Leonard coming in here, possibly Frank, you know, Frank Wright, I thought would be an important piece for developing a future quarterback. But what he just can't get out of his own way. And unfortunately, Woody Johnson as the owner, I don't think anything's going to change. And it hasn't changed since he's been here. And unfortunately, this organization is so dysfunctional, nobody's going to want to come here. Nobody does want to come here. And I'm going to tell you now exactly what's going to happen. The jets are going to have the first pick next year and that a player like Arch Manning or whatever is going to say they don't want to come here. And it's going to be the demise of the franchise, just like it was with the Baltimore Colts, unfortunately. And it's going to be an absolute disaster. And I don't see any change coming anytime soon.

[Don La Greca]

And you know, it could, believe me, I would think that Archie Manning would rather have his son Eli play for the San Diego Chargers than have, I guess it's technically his nephew be the be on the beyond the New York Jets. You know, and to the point we were making before, Justin, is how does the NFL not get involved? Why would you want one of the most important cities in North America have a football team at this level of embarrassment? Why would you want one of your 32 teams to have zero shot because of completing competency by your own? I understand you want these guys to live and die on their own. As long as they don't get involved in controversy, you want to leave it alone. But at what point does Goodell step in and go, no, we got to fix this?

[Alan Hahn]

I don't think.

[Don La Greca]

No sense.

[Alan Hahn]

I don't. I don't think it happens because it's not like the owner isn't broke, right? He's not running out of money and there's nothing salacious happening publicly. I think the only way you could. You have other owners want to step in. You think 31 other owners give a rip about the jets sucking every year. They actually enjoy it. It's a fun part of the story, them and the Browns, both pathetic. Keep that going.

[Don La Greca]

No offense to Cleveland, but when you're talking about New York, hey, listen, they probably don't care, because if you're.

[Alan Hahn]

Bottom line.

[Don La Greca]

Yeah, but at some point, a commissioner. I know, he works for the owners, but he also works for the fans, and he also works for what's best for the league. And when you have a franchise, because why does Donald Sterling have to sell the Clippers because he was a racist? Because that's bad for business, right? It's bad to have somebody that evil own a team. Why was McCourt forced to sell because of the financial trouble? It's bad for the league. So don't you think not knowing what the hell you're doing is also bad for the league? It's bad that one of your 32 owners is completely lost in the wilderness and can't get out. You can't find a way to help them. No, that's not good for the league.

[Alan Hahn]

I'm telling you. I thought the same thing, Donnie. I did. I was saying this a couple of weeks ago, and everybody thought I was crazy. Why would Goodell care? They don't do those things right. But if you're Goodell, how do you not just wonder? Like, are they ever gonna get it right there? Like, what's the problem? There's. They're a mess, but nobody cares in the league because they make tons of money. Everybody else has success. They don't need a New York market like they once did 20, 30, 40 years ago when a New York market mattered to your league. It doesn't anymore.

[Don La Greca]

I mean, come on. But you've got. You've got a club that not anybody can get into you or I just can't have a bunch of money, buy a team and join the NFL. You got to get approved. Yeah, right. So they care who owns these teams. And I just wonder. They don't want a criminal. They don't want a racist. They don't want, you know, somebody who doesn't have any money.

[Alan Hahn]

Yeah, I wouldn't want any of that either.

[Don La Greca]

But also wouldn't want somebody who doesn't know what they're doing. So, you know, if Johnson wants.

[Alan Hahn]

Who knows what they're doing.

[Don La Greca]

Well, but I'm just saying that if you had the Red. Let's say Woody Johnson owned another franchise in another sport. Let's say he owned the Buffalo Sabres, all right? And the Buffalo Sabres for 30 years, never made the playoffs. Embarrassment, complete joke of a franchise. Do you think the NFL would let Woody Johnson buy an NFL team. No, they wouldn't. So now you've got that in house and you won't do something about it. You wouldn't let it in the hen house. But now you can't get him out.

[Alan Hahn]

You can't get it out. But again, and the success that he did have, mildly, at the very beginning, in his first. Think about it, in the first, what, 12, 11 years of his ownership, they made the playoffs seven times, I think got to the conference finals twice. So it started out fine. It's the last 15 years that have been a disaster. And that's why in American sports, not having something along the lines of relegation doesn't hold any ownership accountable for the way they run their franchise.

[Caller Ira]

Yeah.

[Alan Hahn]

You just live with it.

[Don La Greca]

No. And they share the wealth, for sure. And. Yep. And they. Unfortunately for Woody, he's got a passionate fan base that won't give up because I bet you if they all gave up and that building was empty, Roger Goodell would step in.

[Alan Hahn]

Well, you have to. That's the problem. You know, you have to do that, but you can't because it's also a lucrative business to own those tickets and then to resell them to other fans.

[Don La Greca]

Well, I think you saw last year that those tickets were not very valuable.

[Alan Hahn]

That's for sure. Yeah.

[Podcast Producer]

Thanks for listening to the Don Hahn and Rosenberg podcast.

[Don La Greca]

I don't want to know how the.

[Alan Hahn]

Sausage is made, man. I just want to know. It's good.

[Podcast Producer]

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