Don, Hahn & Rosenberg – Hour 1: NFL Parity & Steve Gelbs

Date: October 14, 2025
Podcast: Don, Hahn & Rosenberg (ESPN New York)
Hosts: Don La Greca, Alan Hahn, Peter Rosenberg
Special Guest: Steve Gelbs

Episode Overview

This lively first hour centers on the ongoing unpredictability in the NFL—what the hosts call true "parity." The trio analyze surprising outcomes across the league, debate the appeal of relegation (as in European soccer), break down which teams are real contenders, and make time for highly entertaining sports banter. They also welcome Steve Gelbs (SNY Mets & Jets coverage) for an incisive conversation about the state of New York sports, particularly the Jets’ and Mets’ troubled seasons.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. NFL Parity: Nobody Knows Anything Anymore

• The Problem with Predictions

  • The group bemoans how notoriously hard it is this season to pinpoint strong teams, as presumed juggernauts, like the Bills, keep faltering.
  • Alan Hahn (04:25): "Guys, it's November 1st. We can make our Super Bowl predictions. We do not know. Are you telling me we're sure... we're sure who the Giants are?"
  • Don Hahn (09:56): "Now you're telling me the one sport I do have where the regular season is supposed to matter, it matters, but not until Thanksgiving. So my 17-week season—I gotta wait until like week nine before I have to care?"

• Bills and Other Underperformers

  • Detailed breakdown of the Bills' recent struggles, including surprising losses to the Patriots and Falcons, raising questions about their status as AFC favorites.
  • Don Hahn (03:59): "They've just lost two games in a row to the Patriots and the Falcons... on national television after losing to the Patriots, you'd score more than just two touchdowns in Atlanta."

• Relegation: A European Import for American Sports?

  • Playful but thoughtful debate on whether the drama of relegation (bottom teams being sent to a lower league) would work in the U.S.—with Don vehemently opposing the "copy Europe" mindset.
  • Don Hahn (07:00): "We do it different here. In America, we count the clock down... we like to score, we like lead changes, we don't relegate."
  • Peter Rosenberg (07:23): "It really does put pressure on you to not stop trying... forces you."

2. “Relegation Game” and Sorting the NFL

• Hosts simulate their own "relegation," rapidly eliminating hopeless teams

  • Teams relegated: Jets, Titans, Saints, Dolphins, Browns.
  • On the bubble: Giants, Cardinals, Ravens, Bengals, eventually adding the Raiders.

• Tier 1 Conversation

  • Remaining "must-watch" teams are whittled down, with an argument about who actually deserves to be seen as contenders. Notable skepticism about the 49ers, Eagles, and even the Colts, despite their records.
  • Don Hahn (18:19): "Eagles in tier one? ...Not right now."
  • Peter Rosenberg (18:56): "My tier ones right now...Washington, Detroit, Tampa. Only one AFC team, and that's Buffalo. Despite what we've seen..."

• Questioning Team Records

  • Hosts drill into each team's point differential and win quality, often using contemporary performance rather than history.
  • Don Hahn (20:06): "Don’t you have to put the Patriots there? They've got the same record as the Bills, same net points, same point differential. They beat the Bills."

3. The Past Still Shapes Our Instincts

• Consensus that reputation and past success make it hard for fans, media—and themselves—to accept new realities.

  • Don Hahn (22:06): “What we've come to is that football was the one sport where every game is so meaningful… but we don’t have a clue. And everything we're basing things on, let’s be honest... is based on the past.”

• Discuss the impact of reduced preseason, with Hahn noting how lost preseason time now affects early season play quality.

  • Alan Hahn (23:38): "It makes me appreciate how valuable the preseason once was... now it's amazing how much it affects the season."

4. Listener Calls: Comparing the Bills to the Yankees (29:09)

• Caller Brian offers an analogy:

  • Bills (Allen/McDermott) are like the Yankees (Judge/Boone)—loaded with star talent but unable to get over the championship hump.
  • Don pushes back, noting coaching impacts NFL outcomes more than in MLB:
    • Don Hahn (29:09): “I could say the Bills aren't winning the Super Bowl because of McDermott, because when he goes up against Andy Reid… it's a mismatch.”

• Discussion about Buffalo’s window and whether a coaching change is necessary, with questions about realistic high-caliber replacements.

5. New York Stadium Woes & Fan Morale

• Discussion about dwindling fan turnout for Jets games as the season spirals, with lighthearted jabs at stadium atmosphere.

6. Guest Segment: Steve Gelbs Joins the Show (43:33)

Highlights:

• Nicknames and Hockey Talk:

  • Spirited exchange about hockey nicknames—“Gelbsy”—and why they stick in the sports world.
  • Steve Gelbs (45:07): “I played hockey last night. I'm in the local men's league now. The good news to report is that today was the first day I could walk [after]... but two games ago, got a little out over my skates and scored a goal, had an assist. Also got into a little bit of a fight in men's league.”

• Mets Season Autopsy

  • Gelbs details the disappointment of covering a talented but underperforming Mets squad, and the inevitable shakeups to come.
    • Steve Gelbs (46:51): “The weird thing about this is that not only was it a really talented group, but it was a great group of guys… You didn’t necessarily want this group to go out that way.”

• Pete Alonso's Contract Future

  • Gelbs doubts Alonso lands a 7-year deal, suggesting the more likely result is 4–5 years given the league’s current approach to aging, one-dimensional hitters.

• Jets’ Season So Far: Hopelessness and Apathy

  • They discuss the pervasive sense of futility around the Jets—“not just anger, but apathy”—and how glimmers of progress have been snuffed out almost weekly.
    • Steve Gelbs (51:12): “You don't want apathy. That's where it gets really dangerous. And it does feel like we're spiraling towards that... I just wanted to see something that looked like progress. And at times it's looked like it's going the other way.”

• Jets’ Mishandling of Rodgers/Fields/Wilson

  • Long debate about the fallout from moving on from Aaron Rodgers, organizational dysfunction, and how “committee decisions” at the Jets' top have left the team leaderless and adrift.
    • Don Hahn (64:17): “But your pivot was terrible. Can we at least admit that you get rid of Aaron Rodgers, who's balling in Pittsburgh, and your pivot was to a guy that can't throw down fields that you have zero trust in…”
    • Peter Rosenberg (64:42): “The problem continues to be at the very top. There is no real leadership... Instead of one person, one voice, one way—we're doing this so we don't go deeper into the suck—but where are the Jets?”

7. More Listeners and Devils Hockey

• Don shares his new Devils signature broadcast call:

  • Don Hahn (69:02): “Five seconds ago, centering pass off skate. Put a pitchfork in this one… their first victory of the season.”

• Quick NHL/Devils talk, Jack Hughes’ slow start and optimism for the Devils’ depth.

Notable Quotes & Moments

• On NFL unpredictability:

  • Peter Rosenberg (05:13): “If there was something to vote for in North American sports, would it not be relegation in all of our four major sports?”
  • Don Hahn (07:00): “Is this so wrong to just say, you know, in America, we do it different here?”

• On how team reputation clouds judgment:

  • Don Hahn (22:06): "...everything we're basing things on... is based off the past."

• On fan attendance tanking:

  • Don Hahn (36:01): “I would be shocked if that place is more than half full. I think it's going to be half...”

• Gelbs’ nickname origins:

  • Steve Gelbs (44:31): “You grow up in hockey culture, which we all did, it’s gotta be Gelbsy. There’s no such thing as Steve.”

• On organizational dysfunction with the Jets:

  • Peter Rosenberg (64:42): “There is no real leadership. They are making committee decisions... Instead of one person, one voice, one way—we're doing this so we don't go deeper into the suck—but where are the Jets?”

• Don’s new Devils call:

  • Don Hahn (69:02): “Put a pitchfork in this one... their first victory of the season.”

• Steve Gelbs’ son, the pragmatic Rangers fan:

  • Steve Gelbs (59:17): “He looks at me and he goes, is there any chance they're playing the worst team in the league anytime soon? I said... they play the Sharks next Thursday. He's like, yeah, let's go see the Sharks.”

Timestamps for Key Segments

• 00:55 – Opening banter about NFL parity, Bills, and karma.
• 03:37 – Recent Bills/Falcons/Patriots games dissected.
• 04:25 – Uncertainty and predictions around top NFL teams.
• 07:00 – American sports culture vs. European relegation debate.
• 09:56 – NFL regular season value questioned.
• 12:32 – "Relegation Game": Eliminating hopeless teams.
• 18:19 – Contender tiers—debate over Eagles, 49ers, and actual AFC threats.
• 20:06 – Are the Patriots the new sneaky power?
• 22:06 – Why reputation clouds judgment of current standings.
• 29:09 – Caller analogizes Bills and Yankees; coaching impacts.
• 36:01 – Debate over Jets stadium being deserted.
• 43:33 – Steve Gelbs joins: hockey nicknames, men's league adventures, Mets autopsy begins.
• 46:51 – Gelbs on covering the Mets' disappointing season.
• 51:12 – Gelbs on Jets: "apathy," missed opportunities, and futility.
• 69:02 – Don debuts his Devils “pitchfork” call.
• 71:10 – Final Devils/NHL player praise and wrap-up.

Tone & Style

• Dynamic banter with plenty of quick-witted humor and friendly ribbing.
• Deeply New York flavored—mixing sports analysis, cultural commentary, and inside jokes.
• Unfiltered frustration and honest appraisals of local teams, mixed with sports nostalgia and the warmth of broadcaster camaraderie.

Summary Takeaways

• The NFL is pure chaos this year. Despite seven weeks in, nobody has true confidence in any contender—past performance is proving to be a weak predictor.
• The show's ongoing “relegation game” is both satire and a sharp method of clarifying which teams are out of the running.
• Don, Hahn, and Rosenberg continue to be skeptical of importing European sports conventions—relegation, naming conventions—while treasuring the unique quirks of American sport.
• The Jets are a case study in dysfunction, with the hosts and Steve Gelbs connecting the dots from owner egos to ineffectual pivots at key positions.
• Segments on sports nicknames, stadium atmosphere, and children’s fandom provide lighter moments, keeping things fast-paced and entertaining.
• Steve Gelbs’ guest spot offers grounded insight into the emotional and professional tolls of covering disappointing teams, and the persistent hope embedded in New York fandom.

For those who missed this episode:
You’ll come away with a clear view of the NFL as a chaotic, hard-to-read product this year; get schooled on why franchise inertia is so hard to snap; and delight in classic New York sports radio banter—including a memorable, deep-dive into sports nicknames and the trials of modern Jets and Mets fandom.