Hour 1: Wild Card Weekend Recap

Summary

Podcast Summary: Don, Hahn & Rosenberg – Hour 1: Wild Card Weekend Recap

Podcast Title: Don, Hahn & Rosenberg
Hosts: Don La Greca, Alan Hahn, Peter Rosenberg
Episode: Hour 1: Wild Card Weekend Recap
Release Date: January 13, 2025

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1. Opening and Personal Acknowledgments (00:28 - 01:59)

The episode begins with a heartfelt moment as Don Hahn and Peter Rosenberg extend their condolences to their co-host, Alan Hahn, following the passing of his sister, Deborah Marie Hahn. Alan shares information about donation links for those who wish to honor his sister's memory:

• Don Hahn (00:28): "Don and I just wanted to jump on the air and send our love to our brother and compadre on the show, Alan Hahn."
• Alan Hahn (01:20): "All donations are being [e-mail] or citizens-inc.org."

This segment sets a compassionate tone for the episode, emphasizing the show's community spirit.

2. Wild Card Weekend NFL Recap (01:59 - 15:58)

Commanders vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Alan Hahn leads the discussion on the Commanders' playoff performance, expressing mixed feelings about the game:

• Alan Hahn (02:27): "I kind of knew [their opponent] could get that. I kind of knew could get that. Of course the doink was extra dramatic..."

He analyzes the Commanders' defensive struggles and strategic decisions, particularly criticizing coach Dan Quinn's aggressive fourth-down strategies:

• Peter Rosenberg (05:28): "He decided to go for it. On fourth down the previous possession, and that's the one I disagreed with."

Comparative Team Analysis

The hosts delve into comparisons between the Commanders' current roster and previous seasons, notably drawing parallels with the Giants of 2022:

• Alan Hahn (06:32): "The Commanders are closer to a 9 and 8, 10 and 7 team than a 12, 5 team."

Peter Rosenberg counters by highlighting the Commanders' quarterback, Jaden Daniels, showcasing his exceptional rookie performance:

• Peter Rosenberg (10:13): "The guy had 12 touchdowns in the fourth quarter. No rookie quarterback had ever done that. He has shown you he's ready now..."

Playoff Structure Critique

Peter offers a critical perspective on the NFL's playoff system, emphasizing concerns about team qualifications:

• Peter Rosenberg (11:35): "It's the dirty little secret in the NFL... the Chiefs get to sit there, and deservedly so, at 15-2."

Alan supports this by questioning the meritocracy of the current playoff entrant system:

• Alan Hahn (14:10): "Are these good teams? I really cannot tell whether these teams are just horrible or not."

Steelers and Coaching Carousel

The discussion shifts to the Pittsburgh Steelers, where Alan and Peter debate the future of long-time coach Mike Tomlin:

• Peter Rosenberg (17:11): "If I'm the Jets, I'm right there waiting... I'd drive it to Pittsburgh."
• Alan Hahn (18:51): "I dare someone, I dare a Jets fan to call up and tell Don legreca that you wouldn't want Mike Tomlin."

Peter defends Tomlin's coaching prowess despite recent playoff shortcomings, while Alan contemplates the need for organizational changes.

Chargers' Performance and General NFL Observations

The Chargers' disappointing playoff performance sparks further debate:

• Alan Hahn (15:31): "He [Justin Herbert] showed me the Chargers really chocolate."
• Peter Rosenberg (16:01): "Their problem is they can't score."

Both hosts agree that the Chargers' quarterback struggles were a significant factor in their loss.

3. Listener Calls and In-Depth Team Discussions (15:58 - 33:39)

Call from Griffin in Connecticut (14:10 - 39:12)

Griffin offers a critical analysis of the Steelers' defensive strategies and the broader coaching philosophy within the organization:

• Griffin (30:05): "The team's offensive philosophy in 2025 can be considered outdated. 3 yards in a cloud of dust doesn't work."

He contends that the Steelers' repeated playoff losses warrant a reevaluation of coaching and management:

• Griffin (31:18): "We've never had a Mike Tomlin coordinator ever."

Discussion on Team Stability and Legacy (33:39 - 47:32)

The conversation broadens to include reflections on team legacies and coaching stability:

• Peter Rosenberg (34:33): "If I'm the Jets, if the Giants were looking for a coach, I'm getting Mike Tomlin."
• Alan Hahn (34:07): "We've had only three coaches since 1969."

The hosts debate whether the Steelers' managerial stability under Tomlin is a strength or a hindrance, with Peter emphasizing Tomlin's ability to maximize team potential despite organizational challenges.

Call from Corey in Tom's River (33:39 - 36:33)

Corey expresses support for Mike Tomlin, highlighting his impact on the team culture and stability:

• Corey (34:22): "Mike Tomlin brings culture, he brings stability."

He underscores the importance of leadership in reviving the team's fortunes, aligning with Peter's defense of Tomlin's capabilities.

4. Weekend Warrior Segment (40:35 - 43:29)

In this interactive segment, Don and Alan select their "Weekend Warriors" based on player performances and game outcomes.

Selections and Justifications

• Alan Hahn: Chooses Jaden Daniels for his outstanding performance despite his team's struggles.

  • Alan Hahn (42:29): "I believe Daniels wins."

• Peter Rosenberg: Supports Alan's choice but also highlights Josh Allen's impressive stats.

  • Peter Rosenberg (43:16): "Yes. No, it's you. You win."

Points and Rankings

The hosts discuss their current standings in the Weekend Warrior leaderboard, emphasizing the competitive nature of their picks and the importance of strategic selections.

• Alan Hahn (43:16): "I'm currently sitting in first place as well."

5. Closing Remarks and Community Engagement (43:29 - End)

The hosts wrap up the episode by encouraging listeners to support those affected by the California wildfires:

• Alan Hahn (44:26): "Please help those who've been affected by the California wildfires. [e-mail] ESPN that's redcross.org ESPN."

They also engage in light-hearted banter about personal experiences and potential future guests, reinforcing the show's personable and community-oriented atmosphere.

• Peter Rosenberg (48:35): "Just watch. You got to put this guy on a pedestal because this is what I saw last."

Finally, Don and Alan remind listeners to subscribe and rate the podcast to support their continued broadcasting:

• Alan Hahn (40:30): "If you're not subscribed on the podcast, guys, we need you to go subscribe to Don Hanna Rosenberg."
• Don Hahn (40:35): "Catch the show on demand whenever you want. Just subscribe to us wherever you get your podcasts."

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Key Takeaways

• Emotional Support: The episode begins with a compassionate acknowledgment of personal loss within the co-hosting team.
• Playoff Performance Analysis: In-depth discussions on key NFL playoff games, focusing on team performances, coaching decisions, and player impacts.
• Coaching Debate: A significant portion is dedicated to debating the future of Mike Tomlin with the Steelers, highlighting leadership's role in team success.
• Fan Engagement: Interactive segments and listener calls provide diverse perspectives, enriching the conversation.
• Community Focus: Encouragement for charitable actions and community support underscores the hosts' commitment beyond sports commentary.

Notable Quotes

• Alan Hahn (02:27): "I kind of knew [their opponent] could get that. I kind of knew could get that."
• Peter Rosenberg (10:13): "The guy had 12 touchdowns in the fourth quarter. No rookie quarterback had ever done that."
• Peter Rosenberg (17:11): "If I'm the Jets, I'm right there waiting. I'd drive it to Pittsburgh."
• Alan Hahn (15:31): "He [Justin Herbert] showed me the Chargers really chocolate."
• Peter Rosenberg (34:33): "If I'm the Jets, if the Giants were looking for a coach, I'm getting Mike Tomlin."

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This episode of Don, Hahn & Rosenberg provides a comprehensive recap of the Wild Card Weekend, blending expert analysis with passionate debate and personal touches. Whether you're a seasoned NFL follower or a casual sports enthusiast, the hosts deliver insightful commentary that captures the excitement and complexities of playoff football.

Transcript

[Don Hahn]

This is the Don Hahn and Rosenberg Podcast.

[Peter Rosenberg]

That sounds like heaven to me.

[Don Hahn]

Listen live weekday afternoon starting at 3 on 8 80, ESPN, the ESPN New York app and your smart speakers. Juan Soto is a New York Met. Every Mets game can be heard right here, 8 80, ESPN, WHSQ and WCBS FM HD2 New York.

[Alan Hahn]

All right, welcome everyone to the show. Peter Rosenberg, Don legreca. And before we get started, Don and I just wanted to jump on the air and send our love to our brother and compadre on the show, Alan Hahn. His sister Deb, Deborah Marie Hahn passed away over the weekend and we just wanted to take a moment before we started the show to send love to the Hahn family and to Alan. Specific.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Yeah, it's going through a lot. She passed away on Saturday morning, but she had been sick for a few days. So Allen was obviously affected by this last week and will continue to be as he goes through all the arrangements for his family. But he's anxious to get back to work. But we're gonna give him whatever time he needs. So nothing but love for Alan and everything that he's going through.

[Alan Hahn]

Allen made a point on his social media to talk about many of the wonderful attributes of his sister and also to show love to the people who gave her k care over the course of her life and those who give care to people with special needs. And if you are looking to maybe donate in memory of Deb, donations are being [e-mail] that's peoplesarc.org or citizens-inc.org but we wanted to spend a moment to show some love to Alan and his sister, Deborah Hahn. Let's start the show.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Don, one day you're not gonna play football anymore. And if there's a God up above, it'll be soon.

[Don Hahn]

Han, huge no, but big yeah.

[Alan Hahn]

And Rosenberg, I didn't listen to anything you just said.

[Peter Rosenberg]

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

[Don Hahn]

This is Don Hahn and Rosenberg on 8 80, ESPN and the ESPN New York app.

[Alan Hahn]

Well, Donald, there's a lot of different things to discuss with regards to the sports today.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Oh, yeah.

[Alan Hahn]

But I'm going to take a moment here and say, boy, does it feel good to go play a second round playoff game. I have. Should I have not felt this way? It was a lifetime ago, Don. 2006 was the actual calendar year, 2005 season when the Washington football organization last won a playoff game. It was over those same Tampa Bay Buccaneers and I guess Don, I think we all agreed we loved the Commanders. We all love the Commies I. The way the game was going and we can get into some specifics on it because I'm sure you have some thoughts on the Dan Quinn's decisions to go for it and things like that and whether or not you should have sort of a different set of rules in a playoff game. But I will say this. The moment at which I went, oh God, I think this is happening. Tell me if you agree. After the Commander's defense had struggled quite a bit, they gave up that really trash touchdown at the end of the first half where they let Tampa just march. Then they took a ton of clock in the third quarter. So there weren't a lot of possessions to go go around in the second half. Don, when they held Tampa to a field goal to just tie the game at the end, I went, I went, oh, that's. That's it. I mean the kid's going to score. The kid could at least get a field goal. I kind of knew could get that. Of course the doink was extra dramatic but boy, I'm not trying to rub in any fans faces the New York sport. The jets and Giants fans have been so sweet this year about giving me love for my team finally being good. It feels tremendous. And guess what, Don. I don't hate the matchup for them next week. I know that sounds crazy.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Well, I don't see. We will see now. I was very happy for you. I've said many times as somebody that roots for a team in the NFC East. No, no disrespect, but the team I hate the least are the commanders.

[Alan Hahn]

Thank you.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Because the Giants actually have a pretty decent history.

[Alan Hahn]

Well. And we were pure garbage for 20 years.

[Peter Rosenberg]

You know. And then you might have the same feeling for the Giants now that it's not really been much of, of a problem at least over the last year or so. But. And it was my six point play so I wanted to work out and I felt pretty good that even if they were going to lose the game that I was at least going to get three points out of it. If not, you know.

[Alan Hahn]

Well, they would if they'd given up the touchdown. Well, no, but they would if they'd given up the touchdown late. Done. It would have went to 2420.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Yeah. Then I would have been dropping. But I felt good about their defense. Listen to the turning point of the game to me was the fumble exchange.

[Alan Hahn]

Yeah.

[Peter Rosenberg]

And that gave them the ball back. And then they had to go convert on fourth down again. Which you had to do because you decided to go for it. On fourth down the previous possession, and that's the one I disagreed with. I'm like, listen, there's 10 minutes to go in the game. Just make it. Make it a one point game. Why do you have to go for it especially, you know, it was a pretty. You weren't getting close. You were moving backwards. So you didn't feel like you had any kind of momentum to convert. You didn't convert. Although I thought there was. At least I thought there was pass interference on there, maybe a hold.

[Alan Hahn]

Well, you know why I thought that?

[Peter Rosenberg]

Because you know what?

[Alan Hahn]

I have eyes. Your functional eyes.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Right, right. I could see it. But. But then after, you don't get. Then after you get the gift turnover. Well, you got to take advantage of that and you got to go forward and they convert on four. They get the touchdown and then they get the stop and. And, and then the doink. And it all worked out.

[Alan Hahn]

By the way, I hated the first one too. In the first half.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Oh, yeah, no, I explained that.

[Alan Hahn]

Don, you have a drive, you're down three nothing. All right. Detroit move right down the field, gets a field goal. You're down three nothing. You get the ball back. This is a playoff game. You have a bad drive. There was one beautiful throw From Daniels to McLaurin, who makes a great catch. Right. Which gets you into field goal range. Don, besides that, they're doing nothing positive on the drive. You could tell the kid looked a little bit rattled to start the game. The game looked a little bit and to your point again, three downs in a row, you do nothing. Don, take the three points inside the game. They're going. If you're going the wrong direction, why are you doing it?

[Peter Rosenberg]

It's become the three pointer in the NBA. It's all analytics. But even you can't explain to me in an analytic way why that made sense. But I want to ask you this. Go ahead before it actually happens.

[Alan Hahn]

Okay.

[Peter Rosenberg]

But I wonder if you see the similarities at all between your commanders and of 2024 and my giants of 2022. In the sense. I've thought this before now, The Giants were 97 and 1. Washington was 12 and 5. Much better record. However, lot.

[Alan Hahn]

A lot of yo yo get wins though.

[Peter Rosenberg]

You know, the Bear game, you know, beating the Giants, the Giants didn't have a kicker down the stretch. The Eagle win, the Saints win, the Falcons win. They pulled a lot of wins out of your. You know what.

[Alan Hahn]

Yep.

[Peter Rosenberg]

To get where they are, then you get the favorable matchup.

[Alan Hahn]

Yep.

[Peter Rosenberg]

I think of all the.

[Alan Hahn]

Just like the Giants did against Minnesota.

[Peter Rosenberg]

A buck team on the road. But you still felt like. You know what? I like the matchup. You win the game. Not to the way the Giants won. The Giants won that game against Minnesota going away. But still was a win, a playoff win on the road. You don't throw them away as NFL fans.

[Alan Hahn]

No.

[Peter Rosenberg]

And now you're going to Detroit. Detroit, which is eerily similar to the Giants going to Philadelphia. Will you say the same thing to yourself that you said to me in 2022 if they go out there and lose 45 to nothing in Detroit?

[Alan Hahn]

First of all, Football Mondays on 8 AD ESPN are brought to you by Infinity Experience the Infinity lineup at your Tri State retailer today. And the phone lines are open already, guys, whatever it is you want to get in on. 1-800-919-3776. Obviously we'll touch on the Knicks and Rangers weekend, et cetera. There's certainly a Jets angle here to talk about the coaching carousel is a. We'll get into that in a moment.

[Peter Rosenberg]

But K riled me up in the last segment. So.

[Alan Hahn]

So but all things NFL and NFL playoffs phone lines open for you. Would I feel that way? Um, okay. I certainly wouldn't feel it to the extent that I would have felt it if, if we were to have gone to Philly and had that happen. Like, I do think there's the divisional part that just makes it even worse. Like there is no so I didn't want to play Philly because I was terrified of that possibility. Just the, the thought of that living with me forever was too much. I have thought about the similarities previously. Certainly we are not a 12 and 5 team. The commanders are closer to a 9 and 8, 10 and 7 team than a 12, 5 team. They absolutely fell into some wins. The only reason, Don, I'm going to say no, they're not the same is that you could not get your head coach. And now we know why to confidently say Daniel Jones was his quarterback at the end of that season because we all know we found the quarterback. Whether we're a little bit inflated with wins right now, we found the quarterback. So maybe next year they take a step back. They don't have the talent. I don't know. But I don't think next year we're going to find out. Oh, Jaden Daniels was really Daniel Jones and then he falls.

[Peter Rosenberg]

That's the difference.

[Alan Hahn]

But isn't that the answer? But isn't that the whole. To me, that's the time.

[Peter Rosenberg]

I didn't think your angle necessarily was, oh, now you got to get. You got to climb back in bed with Daniel Jones because we didn't know that at the time. You were saying to get that humiliated on the road in Philadelphia makes everything rather have lost the week before.

[Alan Hahn]

No.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Like, is there any score you can lose to Detroit?

[Alan Hahn]

No.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Boy, I wish we lost to the Bucks.

[Alan Hahn]

No, no, no. The only way. Here's how I could feel that way, okay? If, God forbid, something bad happened to.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Jaden, the game wouldn't have been played.

[Alan Hahn]

Or if even if even Jaden were to be awful next week, like, it ends up, they not only lose badly, I gotta. He looks completely outmatched.

[Peter Rosenberg]

I'm not trying to jinx anything. I don't see that happening. I expect them to lose. I don't agree with you. But you don't think it's a great matchup.

[Alan Hahn]

You don't think Jaden will be out.

[Peter Rosenberg]

The guy had 12 touchdowns in the fourth quarter. No rookie quarterback had ever done that. He has shown you he's ready now, how good he could be will be ultimately determined. He is not going to fail because he can't handle the moment. He can handle the moment, man. He's legit. But I don't know how good he's going to be ultimately. But I don't think he's going to, you know, soil himself going to Detroit. I think that ship sailed. May not be good enough, but it ain't going to be mental.

[Alan Hahn]

My feeling is the reason I say I quote, like the matchup, even though Detroit's fantastic and I could see Jameer Gibbs just touchdown after touchdown. It's possible, but I also could just see it being an absolute shootout. Last possession wins, and you should score. If we can score, which we should.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Score, and you get a turnover here or there and all that, but I just think it's Detroit's time. They're very good, and I got to.

[Alan Hahn]

Check their injury report and.

[Peter Rosenberg]

But, you know, you could have said the same thing about the Vikings last week and say, oh, they should be able to score against Detroit and all that. And you saw the way Detroit showed up. They're still very good. They're exceptionally well coached. They're not going to lose their first playoff game. That would be an absolute disaster if that were to happen now.

[Alan Hahn]

Now, can we. Can we. We can all agree with one thing, though. You might be listening, going, I hate the damn commanders. I don't give a damn about your team. You can say one thing, though. They and the Tampa Bay Bucks saved a horrid weekend of football that's, you.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Know, that's, it's the, it's the dirty little secret in the NFL.

[Alan Hahn]

Go ahead, talk about it, though.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Let it, let it out, because everybody get all sports. Well, we got to have more playoff games. We got to add more playoff. Deal. Keep doing it. You got four divisions. Not all of every division is going to be good. I mean, you really looked at it and said, are these really playoff teams? The Buccaneers really a playoff team? Oh, they won their division, Don. What are you talking about? Yeah, they won an awful division in week 18, right. So I don't know how good they are. How good. Can we stop with the Justin Herbert stuff now? Can you do something in the playoffs, for God's sakes? Listen, he had more, he had more interceptions in that game than he had all year.

[Alan Hahn]

Did you.

[Peter Rosenberg]

I don't want to take anything away from. But are these good teams, Peter?

[Alan Hahn]

That's, that's the question. Are these good teams? I really cannot tell whether these teams are just horrible or not. I really don't know because.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Especially this year. Here's the problem with this year. You have so many. It's a top heavy league, right? So you look at the division winners. Buffalo wins 13 games. They got to play wild card weekend because Kansas City goes 15 2. And because you've added these playoff teams, only one team gets a buy. So now it forces all these really good teams to play on wild card weekend. In the old days, Buffalo, that's a team that deserves a buy. In the old days, Baltimore would be a team that deserved a buy. But because you got four divisions and because you've added these wild card teams, the Chiefs get to sit there, and deservedly so, at 15 2. And you've got a 12, 5 and 13 and four team playing wild card weekend in the NFC, you've got a 14, 3. You got two 14 and three teams playing wild card weekend. It's crazy because Detroit, Detroit Lions go 15 and two, you only allow the one by. So you've got all these amazing teams taking on okay teams. They're not great teams. Denver's a great story. They won 10 games with a rookie quarterback. They had no shot in Buffalo. That gave Buffalo a scare. It's a 10, 7 game at the half. Denver scores on their first possession. Buffalo kicks a field goal on their first possession. So maybe you were, you were sweating a little bit if you were the Bills, but that's a, that's not a great matchup. No, but you did get, you know, a commander's team. You admitted Yourself probably not as good as 12 and five indicates against the team that won a lousy South Division. You got a great matchup. But, but otherwise, you know, how good are the.

[Alan Hahn]

Oh, you heard, you hear that sound?

[Caller]

Okay.

[Alan Hahn]

How good are the charges? You said, right?

[Peter Rosenberg]

Yeah.

[Alan Hahn]

Let's get things started with Griffin in Connecticut. 1-800-919-3776 Griffin. I see you're calling about the NBA, not about the Chargers, who you got us all.

[Peter Rosenberg]

What happened? What happened? Did you misread it?

[Caller]

Apparently I missed. Apparently they forgot that, that there's a football game on Saturday. They thought, they thought they were playing in some magical different time because that was not the Charger team I thought I was going to see. That defense was supposed to be so good. You've been so good and then you get trounced by C.J. stroud like that. And there's nobody that can guard Nico Collins. He's the only one on the game for that. So I don't know what. The Chargers game plan was really bad. And I'm, I'm, I, I thought Herbert was something. Herbert? Yeah, Herbert showed me. He, I don't know who Herbert is. We're all high on her, but he get to show me anything in the playoffs. And he really, really chocolate.

[Peter Rosenberg]

It was bad. You talking in your pants now. Meanwhile, you know, good on the Houston Texans. They won their division. Like they can't beat the jets, but they go into the playoffs and they smack the charges around.

[Alan Hahn]

It's. It's chocolate.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Soft serve in your pants.

[Alan Hahn]

That was from the second I turned it on. Pure garbage. Four picks for Justin Herbert. And listen, a rating of 13. Don, his QBR was 13, his rating was 40.

[Peter Rosenberg]

And listen, I got it wrong because I looked at the nine and a half with the Steelers and I said, you know what? I think that's too many points. And I was almost right. It was 14. But really they didn't deserve to be on the same field as Baltimore.

[Alan Hahn]

No.

[Peter Rosenberg]

And now Tomlin, there's talk that he could be gone.

[Alan Hahn]

All right, let's talk about this.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Cameron and Baltimore's really good. How good are the Steelers? So everybody that wants Tomlin gone, all the Steeler fans, the Danny's on Long island, what do you expect this team to do? What did you expect them to do? Russell Wilson's your quarterback. Did you see him in Denver last year? He comes to a professional organization like the Steelers, who are always good, and they were good to start the season. They lost their last four games, lost the playoff game for A fifth straight loss. But what did you expect them to do in a division that has the Baltimore Ravens and the Cincinnati Bengals? Guess what? They didn't bangle the situation and get off to an awful start and blow a chance of making the playoffs. I know you're frustrated that you haven't won a playoff game in forever, but you're good. Every year you went, you. You were at above.500. Team with Kenny Pickett is your quarterback, for God's sakes. What do you expect this Steeler team to do? And the comparisons to Aaron Boone? I see the similarities because Yankee fans hate Boone, Steeler fans hate Tomlin. But the Yankees have a roster. This is supposed to win the World Series. They had Judge, they had Soto, they had Cole. What do the Steelers have Peter now?

[Alan Hahn]

T.J. watt.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Yeah.

[Alan Hahn]

Joey Porter Jr. On the defensive side.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Of the ball, their problem isn't on defense. Their problem is they can't score.

[Alan Hahn]

Cannot score.

[Peter Rosenberg]

So what do you want Tomlin to do? So for all those Steeler fans that want him gone, if I'm the Jets, I'm right there waiting. Right there.

[Alan Hahn]

Oh, you kidding me?

[Peter Rosenberg]

And then, and then K mentioned and Bart agreed. Bart was on with Carlin. They're in studio too. Is awesome to see him that they wouldn't give up the seventh overall pick for Tomlin. I'm like, why? Who's jets taken at 7? That's going to turn your organization around the way Tomlin would turn around the Jets. You wouldn't want to have Tomlin as your head coach and be above.500 every year with a chance to go to the playoffs every year. And you haven't sniffed the playoffs since 2010. Who. Who seventh overall is going to turn your franchise around the way Mike Tomlin would turn the jets around?

[Alan Hahn]

I dare someone, I dare a Jets fan to call up and tell Don legreca that you wouldn't want Mike Tomlin.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Now if you've got the first overall pick. Peter.

[Alan Hahn]

No. Well, then, okay.

[Peter Rosenberg]

And you think Sanders or Ward are going to win you a champ? That's a different story. Because yes, the quarterback can impact, but who are you taking at seven? That's going to impact the franchise better than a legitimate head coach now does. Is he flawed? Has he not won a playoff game in a long time? Of course I understand. Same thing with Mike McCarthy. I'm not the biggest Mike McCarthy fan in the world. He underachieved with a very talented Dallas Cowboys team. But you know what? You're the Jets. You wouldn't take Mike McCarthy in a heartbeat. A chance to be in the playoffs every single year.

[Alan Hahn]

If I were a Jets, if I were a Jets fan and I had the opportunity at Mike Tomlin, I would make myself physically available for whatever is.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Needed and asked of me, not that the pick actually exists as a person, but if the seventh overall pick was a person, I would drive it to Pittsburgh.

[Alan Hahn]

Yeah.

[Peter Rosenberg]

If I were a Jet fan to say yes, absolutely.

[Alan Hahn]

No, not only that, I might say if they said, just for, you know, kicks and giggles, we want you to take this physical pick and just burn it alive, I might do it. I run through glass like, like Brute, like Bruce Willis and Die hard. Like John McClain walking on glass to get Tomlinson.

[Peter Rosenberg]

I was really surprised because we didn't get the chance to get too into it, but I hopped on the N the K show and when he said that it's like you can't keep giving up picks. They gave up. They gave up a first round pick for Rogers. But it's a coach. You can make the case that the coach is as big a reason the jets haven't gone to the playoffs since 2010 is the lack of a quarterback. They haven't had a quarterback. They haven't had coach. When was this time they had a really good game. I want to say Rex Ryan because he went to back to back championship games. Okay. But who have they had since then? I would be even close to Tomlin. I don't know what they can get at seven. I mean, they might get a very good player at seven. I mean, I would expect them to get an outstanding player at 7.

[Alan Hahn]

On the flip side of that coin, I know there are a lot of Steelers fans out there. Maybe we'll hear from some. I understand being a Steeler fan who's.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Completely just done, oh, I'd be ready to move on.

[Alan Hahn]

I totally get it. But let me just offer this out there and you tell me if you think this is possible or not. Steelers fans, is it possible that what happens is not so much of a Tomlin collapse, but more that your team was never that talented in the first place and he's able and they are able to coach and scheme them to a really good record over the first 10, 12 weeks and then the rest of the league catches up with their talent down the stretch? Is that possible?

[Peter Rosenberg]

And then the other thing that gets thrown at all and he hasn't been able to do anything since Roethlisberger left. Do you think that maybe Roethlisberger did some stuff because you had a stable organization led By Mike Tomlin. Listen, Ben Roethlisberger is a Hall of Famer. I'm never gonna argue that he was an amazing quarterback. But was he Patrick Mahomes? Was he Joe Montana? Was he John Elway? That any coach could take him to a Super Bowl? Come on, man. Listen, I. If I'm the Steelers and you want to move on, I get it. He's been there a long time. You've had three coaches. Think about this. Three coaches since 1969. Since 1969, when we first put a man on the moon, the Steelers have had three coaches. Three. But if you wanted to say it's. Maybe it's time. Okay, I get it. But one man's garbage is another man's treasure. And the treasure would be for the New York Jets, I would give up that seventh pick with a grin that would actually fold my head back like an egg there.

[Alan Hahn]

Don. There are three Steeler coaches since we walked on the moon.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Right.

[Alan Hahn]

We've had that many since I've been on the case show with the Jets. And am I forgetting one? Is it. Who was the first year I was here? It's been gays.

[Peter Rosenberg]

You came in in 2015. Right. So the start of the 2016.

[Alan Hahn]

So it was Bowles.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Bowles to Gase to Salah to Albrecht.

[Alan Hahn]

Oh, so it's four. Sorry.

[Peter Rosenberg]

And there'll be a fifth.

[Alan Hahn]

And there'll be a fifth.

[Peter Rosenberg]

And there'll be a fifth when the Steelers. And if they. If they traded Tomlin.

[Alan Hahn]

Yeah.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Which I think they'll probably. I don't think they'll fire him. I think they'll probably want compensation. That's what good organizations do.

[Alan Hahn]

Well, I don't think they're eager to get rid of him. So. But, But.

[Peter Rosenberg]

But I do think they would hear a conversation if the jets offered the seventh overall pick. I think. Listen to that conversation. Then they would have to go out, get their fourth coach since 69. That was 10 years before Peter was born. Your parents probably hadn't met yet.

[Alan Hahn]

No.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Were your parents dating in 1969?

[Alan Hahn]

They were. Well, they got married in, like 70. They may have just met.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Did they get married?

[Alan Hahn]

I think 71.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Text. Find out. Text Mindy. She probably remembers the date she keeps. Probably.

[Alan Hahn]

I would. You know what?

[Peter Rosenberg]

It is possible your father was with another woman.

[Alan Hahn]

Oh, my God.

[Peter Rosenberg]

No, that's not wrong with it. He wasn't married. You might have been dating. Your parents might have been dating other people. When Chuck Noel was the quarterback, the head coach.

[Alan Hahn]

Let's see. My brother was born in 75. I know their anniversary is August 22nd of 71. No, I'm guessing 70.

[Peter Rosenberg]

You don't know the year they got married? What does it matter with you?

[Alan Hahn]

That's not great.

[Peter Rosenberg]

No, but, Anthony, don't you think you need to know it's not great? You know the year your parents got married, right? 91.

[Alan Hahn]

91.

[Peter Rosenberg]

How do you like that? My parents were married in 66. You don't remember the year your parents got married?

[Alan Hahn]

No. It's a bad job out of me.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Bad.

[Alan Hahn]

And listen, I'm embarrassed. You want to make me feel worse? I know they're over 50. They're over.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Well, what year was it? When was their 50th anniversary? You had to throw a party or something.

[Alan Hahn]

No, it was Covid.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Well, did you get it hard?

[Alan Hahn]

I got it right. 70.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Oh, you didn't get it right?

[Alan Hahn]

I said no. 70. I said, mom, you said 71. Well, I thought about it more and I wrote, mom, what year did you get married? 70. And she said yes. So I got it right.

[Peter Rosenberg]

And when did she start dating your father?

[Alan Hahn]

Within a year.

[Peter Rosenberg]

So 69. They might have been dating.

[Alan Hahn]

Yes. God, by the way, married within a year.

[Peter Rosenberg]

That's kind of the way it went back then.

[Alan Hahn]

It's insane.

[Peter Rosenberg]

It's like, what are we doing?

[Alan Hahn]

My mom, she's my dad, giving all these speeches on different political things and is like, who is this crazed 21 year old who's basically leading political rallies? I need to see what this is all about. Oh, this is so exciting.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Your parents were 21?

[Alan Hahn]

Something like that, yeah.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Can you imagine getting married at 21?

[Alan Hahn]

It's absolutely insane. And having kids five years later, by the way, I think we make it harder as ourselves. One thing I've been realizing, Don, as I prepare for Baby Guadalupe, is that this generation of parents, we make things harder than our parents did, don't you think? We have so many different things to think. And I'm including you in this same generation of parents. You're an older dad, like I am, but you're still in the new generation of parents where there's so many things to think about. Our parents were just smoking heaters and chucking us in the back seat. Well, what's to even think about?

[Peter Rosenberg]

Oh, absolutely.

[Alan Hahn]

We make it too complicated, I think. Did you guys use. Did you guys have a sterilizer for the bottles?

[Peter Rosenberg]

No.

[Alan Hahn]

Did you boil the bottles to sterilize them?

[Peter Rosenberg]

Yeah.

[Alan Hahn]

You went old school. You just boiled them in water?

[Peter Rosenberg]

Yeah, we don't think we sterilized, you.

[Alan Hahn]

Know, you had an actual sterilizing machine? Because that's the thing. Sterilizing machine.

[Peter Rosenberg]

I don't remember a sterilizing machine.

[Alan Hahn]

Okay, just curious. Checking things out now. It's gonna open the door when you get calls about sterilizers instead. But guess what? Don and I aren't sterile. We're ready to go.

[Peter Rosenberg]

No, we've proven that, right? There's the evidence right there. I mean, I haven't checked in the last seven years.

[Alan Hahn]

Yeah, I mean, yeah, yeah. You know, I mean, some of us more than others.

[Peter Rosenberg]

I don't know how you prove it. I guess. Well, you get tested or whatever?

[Alan Hahn]

I guess. Yeah. And I. I believe me, I don. I did ivf. I've been tested for everything many times. That's what I'm saying. Some are more. Still, I'm. No, no, for 46. No. I mean, listen, I had enough there that we're gonna have be parents soon. I wouldn't go writing home about it. You know what I'm saying? Let me put it this way. If future civilization. If they said the future of civilization depends on one man's loins, I have to say it's not my loins.

[Peter Rosenberg]

You're in trouble.

[Alan Hahn]

No, I'm saying I'm stepping aside, Don. I would be man enough to go. I gotta be honest, guys, it shouldn't be me. There's someone else who's gonna do better. Maybe it'll be you. I don't know. I think honestly at this station I'd probably look towards John Winthrop or Alan.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Hahn and say these are guys based on the numbers. Yeah.

[Don Hahn]

Thanks for listening to the Don Hahn and Rosenberg podcast.

[Alan Hahn]

I didn't listen to anything you just said.

[Don Hahn]

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

[Alan Hahn]

Keat alive, eating right. I don't know what we're gonna get your calls right now, but Don, the shout out to the Knicks who got up yesterday and had their Wheaties 140. I put up a 140 spot on.

[Peter Rosenberg]

The Milwaukee was kind of figuring it out, right? I mean, they were. What are they in fourth?

[Alan Hahn]

Yeah, they've been pulling together.

[Peter Rosenberg]

They're not awful, but. Wow. Good job. Good, good job. And the Rangers all nice.

[Alan Hahn]

Hello.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Couple of wins in a row. Going to Vegas and beating the best team in the NHL is not nothing. So we'll see what they can do against Colorado tomorrow. But hey, maybe we have a. Some of the winter sports will be able to save us here before Bucks are six.

[Alan Hahn]

They're 27, 2017. Who's the. By the way, I had a chance on Saturday. Unfortunately, I was with a friend of mine who's a Duke fan, so I had to watch Cooper Flag put up the greatest rookie performance in the history of the acc. Jacob, why'd you pump your fist like that? Oh, I'm a big Duke fan.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Listen, I mean, why. Yeah, what's the matter with you?

[Alan Hahn]

Mets?

[Peter Rosenberg]

Just Knicks. Do I have much to root for? So you just.

[Alan Hahn]

So you just picked Duke? You just went, I want to be down with these nerds.

[Peter Rosenberg]

No, I mean, I've been, you know, repping a Duke fan.

[Alan Hahn]

Well, Elton Brand, JJ Redick, I mean.

[Peter Rosenberg]

But to me, the best Duke play is Jason Tatum though, so.

[Alan Hahn]

Oh, well. And he's. And he's Duke player Jace, as I maintain. But yeah, Cooper Flag put up. What was it? 41, 42, 42, 6 and 7. 42, 6 and 7 for Cooper flag on Saturday.

[Peter Rosenberg]

So what are we looking at? Well, the, you know, maybe the Nets can get them. Right? The Nets will be in.

[Alan Hahn]

That would be conversation.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Well, they still got a ways to go to get a few more of those. They don't use the ping pong balls or whatever.

[Alan Hahn]

Yes. Guess what?

[Peter Rosenberg]

Five in a row.

[Alan Hahn]

Let's go to Danny on Long Island. Hey, Danny.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Hi, Danny.

[Alan Hahn]

We literally in our meeting today, we said. We all, we all said, what is Danny going to say today? So, Danny on your Pittsburgh Steelers, what do you got?

[Peter Rosenberg]

Well, I wasn't going to, I wasn't going to call.

[Caller]

I always let the body lie before the autopsies or before the emotion gets taken out. But my man Donald McGregor summoned me and here I am. First of all, let me just say, don't make fun of my friend Ben Roethlisberger. My rookie year, 15 wins, Super bowl three out of the next five years. And then. And then nothing after that. For a whole slew of different reasons, the team was never really able to put it together. Some horrible playoff losses. But, but listen, Mike Thomas was never going to be fly and my Thomas, I'd be trade. I think, I think it's absolutely ridiculous. So. But, but the game does pass people by. Tom Landry was fired. Don Schulich was fired. Parcels didn't listen. No one listened to his nonsense anymore. So his offensive philosop year 2025 can be considered outdated. 3 yards in a cloud of dusk doesn't work. Look at this. You look at those wide receivers that the Pittsburgh Steelers have on their team. One complete psychotic. And George Pickens, who by the way, Is a, is the last in a line of a bunch of psychotic wide receivers that we either draft or we create by not having the discipline required. Antonio Holmes, A.B. liman, Swede, Le'Veon Bell. It's an endless list of, you know.

[Alan Hahn]

What if this was. If we were playing around the horn, I'd give you five points just now for. That's a good point. Very fair point.

[Caller]

So let me go on so now. So yes, in yesterday's game, you know, at no point yesterday's game did the Pittsburgh Steelers bring in an extra lineman on the defensive side of the ball. We stayed in a 2, 4, 5 the entire game. Minka Fitzpatrick is, was playing somewhere in Massachusetts, which is great because we, Tomlin doesn't like to get beat over the top.

That's great.

They didn't complete a 40 yard pass but you know, we got bled to death up the middle and all this stuff. TJ Watt was asked why he, why he tackled the running back after each play. He said that's what I was told to do. So it's something. He's not going to be fired. But and you're right, we do not have Lamar Jackson, we do not have Joe Burrows. But at some point something has to change in offensive philosophy. We have never had a Mike Tomlin coordinator ever. Nobody on his staff has ever reached the rank of coordinator or head coach after 17 years. That's an eye opener. So we have, we have a defensive coordinator this year. That, that was Gabaj. He was a retread. 6 or 7 different players. Can we get the 27 year old hot guy next time? Can we get a 25 year old.

[Alan Hahn]

Also?

[Peter Rosenberg]

It's the organization too. It's not, not all on Tomlin, but you look at the last three playoff losses, all right, Baltimore, Buffalo and Kansas City. I mean you weren't winning those games.

[Caller]

We're not winning those games, but we're losing 21 nothing at halftime. The Steelers now have the sixth longest playoff drought in the NFL. Let that soak in. It seems like they're always there, but we're third behind the jets at 14 years. The Steelers have is eight years and you always mentioned we only have three coaches. We've also only had three general managers in 35 years. So it's the entire organization that has now kind of like flipped onto the waves. We need to update this now. The general manager, Omar Khan, he's only been here three years. He worked in the organization for 20 years.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Because he was like the vice. Yeah, he's. Because I. Yeah. I looked it up. Because that's the thing, Danny. If you want to think, say things are a little stale and change, I don't have a problem with that. If you wanted to move on from him, I get it. But I'm still. If I'm the Jets, I still take him because I still think he's a good coach. I still think he gets more out of the team. Yeah, you watch every play. You're going to nitpick certain calls and certain ways they do things. But all I know is I look at the Pittsburgh Steelers and not once in recent vintage have I looked at a team and said, that team should win a Super bowl, that team should make a run. More times than not, I look at them and go, I can't believe this team is above.500. I can't believe that this team is in the playoffs. And then, listen, you should have beat the. Probably should have beat the Browns four years ago, but in the last three years, you lost to maybe the best teams in football in the first round of the playoffs. So if you had lost to the Texans yesterday, if you lost to the Chargers yesterday, then I think you'd have a kick coming. You lost to Baltimore, who might be lifting a Vince Lombardi Trophy in a month.

[Caller]

It wasn't the loss, it was the manner in which they lost. And this is an NFL now where it's almost the NBA. 4, 14 out of 32 teams make the playoffs.

[Peter Rosenberg]

No.

[Caller]

So it's not. So it's not like you have to be 11 and 6. Mike McCarthy got fired. Mike McCarthy won two or three less games and his quarterback was out for the entire year. They had massive injuries. He's gone. He won a Super Bowl. You know, you, I don't sometimes just have to make a change to make, just to make a change. I, I don't think they're. Obviously, we all know it's the Pittsburgh Steeles. They move like molasses. They're not going to fly a Thomas. But will he be able to do self introspection, whatever you call it, and say, listen, we can't do this anymore. Would they be able to force that on him? Is Omar Khan going to say, listen, we have to go, we're going out four wide. Well, this is, we have to go something different than Najee Harris. Nine yards in the backfield, taking a pitch. It's enough is enough already.

[Peter Rosenberg]

I 100% agree that things have gotten stale in Pittsburgh, but that does not necessarily mean it's a reflection on Tomlin's coaching ability. You Mentioned Khan being the guy. Listen, he's been the general manager since 2022, but he's been with the organization, as you said, for 16 years. Peter, the philosophy doesn't change and maybe it's time for a new breath of fresh air. I get that. But if I'm the Jets, if the Giants were looking for a coach, I'm getting Mike Tomlin. I think that he gets the most out of his team. And for a Jets team that hasn't been to the playoffs since 2010, I'm definitely kicking the tires on him and.

[Alan Hahn]

McCarthy 100% on the same page. Let's go to Corey and Tom's River. Hey, Corey.

[Caller]

Hey.

[Peter Rosenberg]

What's going on?

[Caller]

Good afternoon, guys. Hey, just listening to that. That take about Mike not or Michael K not wanting to trade the number seven overall pick.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Yes.

[Caller]

I'm not even gonna. I'm not even gonna say what I would trade for Mike Tomlin because it's not appropriate for radio.

[Alan Hahn]

See, that's what I was suggesting.

[Caller]

Not not wanting to give up the seventh pick, especially for like just the. I don't even have the appropriate word to like, say how bad the jets have been over the last 10 years. But like, Mike Tomlin brings culture, he brings stability. He brings a plethora of different things.

[Peter Rosenberg]

No, we lost them.

[Alan Hahn]

Oh, no, no.

[Peter Rosenberg]

I would think most Jeff fans would be in exact lockstep.

[Alan Hahn]

I think most would be as well.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Because if you're. Unless you're eyeballing somebody you think is going to completely change anything. What player outside of like a Lawrence Taylor or a Reggie White like that can have that kind of move the needle direction of the franchise outside of a quarterback, like, who are you drafting in this draft? That's not a quarterback that you're going to look back and go, that franchise won four Super Bowls in the last five years.

[Alan Hahn]

Come on. That's the point. What you just said right there. That's the point. All right, let's do it. Let's go to Richard Manhattan. Hey, Richard. Sure it's a risk. It's 341 and a half, Richard.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Why not?

[Caller]

Oh, yeah.

[Alan Hahn]

Richard.

[Peter Rosenberg]

I thought that was for real.

[Alan Hahn]

It's. That's what makes it such a great drop.

[Peter Rosenberg]

It's.

[Alan Hahn]

It's so hard to tell. You want to see the matter? I wonder if he actually had a client.

[Peter Rosenberg]

I'm wondering if. What do they even call the thing that sucks the saliva out of your mouth?

[Alan Hahn]

I love the saliva sucker. It's. What is that thing called?

[Peter Rosenberg]

I don't know. What they call it, but let's say it's seven inches into your nose and.

[Alan Hahn]

He goes, so glad you said nose, doctor.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Richard, does this look right? Is this right? That would be a reason not to come to the phone. So I would think the fact that he wasn't there, it's on the table that the patient he was with just died.

[Alan Hahn]

Well, maybe not, because guess what. Hey, Richard.

[Caller]

Sorry. No, fellas. I had to take another phone call. Sorry, fellas, before I get to Jaden Daniels. Don, if this season the Rangers and Islanders both get into the playoffs, you're going to remember it like me and the day that I called and said this may propel them into the playoffs. Well, it's only football Friday. They were nice wins, but let's see what happens. But, man, you can't beat these four wins the Islanders and Rangers of Fur just had. So this is great things. And now one other quickie. One thing I would hope for, if the Devil's Islanders and Rangers can't win this Stanley Cup, I would hope for either. Toronto hasn't won it in 60 years, but especially the Washington Capitals. And this is what I would love. I'd love to see the Capitals win it. Ovechkin break the record and then retire at the end of the year. Man, that would be the greatest thing I've ever seen in sports. Breaking a great record, Gretzky's record, and winning a championship and then going out on top like that, I think that would be unsurpassed. All right, let's get to Jaden Daniels. Now, fellas, out of the five games that were played yesterday, Buffalo had a running back, Cook Hunt, 20 yards, 5 yards a pop. Philly had Barkley Hunt, 20 yards, 5 yards A pop. Houston had Mixon Hunt, 10 yards, 5 yards a pop. Baltimore had Henry, 190 yards, 8 yards a pop. Daniels had nobody, nobody, nobody. He ran himself for 36 out of his team's 82 yards. This guy has an effect I haven't seen in a rookie quarterback. Now, they did it differently, but don't give me Sanchez, don't give me Russell Wilson. Those guys had great defenses. I would go back to Dan Marino in 83 with super duper and them guys, Clayton and Duper. Man, this guy does it differently. But this guy is unbelievable. I've never seen a rookie quarterback. He never looks flustered. He is unbelievable. He runs inside this guy and we never even talked about him as mvp. I think I might have mentioned him in the. With the. This guy is more as. Just as Deserving, in my opinion, as all these other great quarterbacks. I really mean it. There's. Nobody could have done what this guy has done. So let's, let's. You know, you got to put this guy on a pedestal because this what I saw last. And that, by the way, that was the only good game out of the whole. Out of all five games this week. But we made it up with the two college games, so that was great. And then we had the St. John's game, which was big for them because this may bring college basketball back to New York. It's a signature win. So the. Johnny should get into the NCAA tournament. But this Jaden Daniels, he was worth the wait last. But their fifth game was not the least. This game was worth watching. This. Just watch.

[Alan Hahn]

Oh, you want Richard and Richard you watched on television?

[Caller]

Yeah, this one. This one I watched. Yeah, well, it was Sunday night, Peter. Why not?

[Alan Hahn]

Why not?

[Caller]

I got. I gotta watch. Okay, fellas, always a pleasure. Thank you, guys.

[Alan Hahn]

Thank you.

[Peter Rosenberg]

How about that?

[Alan Hahn]

Now, do you think. Because he didn't mention it at all. Like, normally if someone would call up to wax poetic on Jaden Daniels, they might, like, mention me. And so do you think when he watched the game, he recognizes, like, oh, I'm going to call Pete. This is Peter's guy. You think he doesn't, does he? This. Is he aware that fully that I'm a commander's fan?

[Peter Rosenberg]

Yeah. You think he's aware? I don't. I don't know how much he cares about it, but I think he's aware.

[Alan Hahn]

Do you think the college games made up for. I think it was the second college game. Really? Yeah, it was fun. The Texas Ohio State. I'm not writing home about it.

[Peter Rosenberg]

It was, well, the strip sack or whatever. Touchdown. That was something.

[Alan Hahn]

That was something because.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Because they're driving for the tying score.

[Alan Hahn]

Right.

[Peter Rosenberg]

But I. I wouldn't. You know, it's not a classic. You're not putting in a time capsule.

[Don Hahn]

Thanks for listening to the Don Hahn and Rosenberg podcast.

[Alan Hahn]

I didn't listen to anything you just said.

[Don Hahn]

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

[Alan Hahn]

Warriors come out to play.

[Don Hahn]

Don Hahn and Rosenberg's weekend Warrior.

[Alan Hahn]

Now, we all chose a weekend Warrior on Friday, as we're gonna do every Friday here on don Rosenberg on 880.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Not just football season, not all the time.

[Alan Hahn]

And I'm not getting around. And also, by the way, if you're not subscribed on the podcast, guys, we need you to go subscribe to Don Hanna Rosenberg. And if you already subscribe, you gotta go rate and review. We need everyone. Our life depends on on it. So weekend Warrior Don, you and Allen selected Josh Martavius Allen. Now, Josh had a very good performance and as you know, they went on ahead and won convincingly. Josh was 20 of 26 for 262 with two touchdowns and eight rushes for 46 yards. Easy work for your Buffalo Bills who rolled. And I wasn't absolutely confident in this team heading into the weekend that they'd cover the number. They did easily 31 7. Broncos did nothing. So good performance from Josh Allen.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Yes.

[Alan Hahn]

Now, I selected surprisingly senior Jaden Daniels who as Richard just mentioned, was 24 of 35 for 268 with two touchdowns, 13 rushes for 36 yards. I'm not trying to be that guy. I want to ask fully, honestly and get your opinion because Anthony thought this could be so close that we would have to go to a vote. I think you will agree with me that when you think about the supporting cast on the ground, for example, like Richard brought up that James Cook rushed for 120 yards and touchdown and the fashion in which that was the support for Josh Allen that Daniels didn't have and the fashion in which Daniels won with yet again late game heroics, I believe Daniels wins.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Yes. No, it's you. You win. It's not even about. It's not even about what an honest man you are. I would like to debate, but let's face it, the better team was Buffalo. Yes, I know they got a scare early and it was only 107 at the half, but he did a ton of damage to a team that he was clearly better than. Then I think the commanders are better than Tampa, but we much. And come on, one of those touchdowns was on fourth down and the game was in the balance, man. Come on.

[Alan Hahn]

Yeah, you gotta give it to my guy, number five, JD and mark it down, I get my first weekend warrior win. I'll take it. And on right now in our pick them all segment, I'm currently sitting in first place as well.

[Peter Rosenberg]

You are?

[Caller]

Oh, my God.

[Peter Rosenberg]

No, you're. You're having a great start to the show. You are. I'm happy with my picks, but I got 12 points. You got 16. We both have the Rams tonight, where Alan's sitting with nine. Correct.

[Alan Hahn]

No, Allen. I think it's a 12 2, isn't he?

[Peter Rosenberg]

No, hold on.

[Alan Hahn]

I gotta pull up the email and I'll read this. In the meantime, I'd rather just go.

[Peter Rosenberg]

To Jarv all right. Got the whole graphic.

[Alan Hahn]

Yeah, There you go. If you're able to, guys.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Well, you're right.

[Alan Hahn]

If you're able to, guys, please help those who've been affected by the California wildfires. [e-mail] ESPN that's redcross.org ESPN to help the Red Cross respond and help people recover from the California wildfires. So real quick, Don, what was the breakdown? Why. Where was your big L? Why am I so far ahead of my big L?

[Peter Rosenberg]

Was the Chargers at four point plus?

[Alan Hahn]

Oh, yeah.

[Peter Rosenberg]

And I blame that more than anything.

[Alan Hahn]

Why did we get caught up? I, when I initially looked at that, I was like, ah, Houston's home dog, huh? They could do all right here. And then as the week went on, I went, no, no, I love the Chargers.

[Peter Rosenberg]

And they were scoring 35 points a game. And I looked at the Texans the same way that I looked at the Buccaneers. They won a bad division and I just thought the Chargers would show up. They didn't. So that's where I lost. And I lost the Steelers. But that was only a two point play. We. We both nailed our five and six. So did Allen. So we have the Rams tonight as a three point play. So you can get to 19, I can get to 15. Allen's got the Vikings as a two point play. So if the Rams cover tonight and they're getting three, then we're in pretty good shape as far as being ahead of Allen, because Allen would be stuck with 12. I'd be three points ahead and you'd be seven points ahead. I love this.

[Alan Hahn]

This big scoring is fun.

[Peter Rosenberg]

It is. It is. You. You text the thread like a six point play now. It wasn't really. Well, it was very much in doubt. The commander game was towards the end. The Ravens.

[Alan Hahn]

The Ravens were kind of in doubt for a cover too.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Well, because the Steelers had the ball and they were, they were moving. They could have scored a touchdown there, lost, but still covered the number. And it. The Eagle Packer game was very strange because that was weird too. There was never really a moment where I felt like the Eagles were in trouble, but the score said otherwise.

[Alan Hahn]

I know.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Like, I felt like Philadelphia was in control. But why was, why was Green Bay still hanging around?

[Alan Hahn]

I just, I just knew Ballard had a certain. He was resigned this week. He did not feel good about them.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Well, how do you feel about. I know Love was not good.

[Alan Hahn]

He was not good. Tough, tough outings for Love and Herbert. Man, that's. Remember I said to you on Friday, I would have rather lost the game Than had Jaden Daniels have, like, a bad performance. Bad playoff performances meant you're not guaranteed to get the playoffs. And so, like, you just want confidence, and it stinks. Now, if you're a Charger fan, you go into next year thinking, I hope we have a great regular season. Are you going to believe in them if they make the playoffs? Are you going to believe your quarterback to play well?

[Peter Rosenberg]

How could you?

[Alan Hahn]

Four picks, he could not find his own man.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Now, logic would tell you 17 games, he played very well. So shouldn't that be the sample that you look at rather than just the one game? But if you really, truly want to be a great quarterback, you got to perform in the biggest moments, right?

[Alan Hahn]

I just got a text from Mark Finesand saying that he's high, still high from last night. He wrote me, really? One of the great Commander fans.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Really the strange bedfellows that Peter has because of the Commanders. Like, you wouldn't think that he'd have any relationship with Mark Feinstein. What do they have in common other than the fact that they both walk the earth, but the other thing they have in common.

[Alan Hahn]

Well, you know what? You know what Mike would say? We love our family. We love our mothers.

[Peter Rosenberg]

I'm just saying logic. Everybody claims that, but it's just weird. Like, I would not think there'd be a connection. And then you find out you're Commander's fans, and all of a sudden you guys have an in. There's a few people like that that you're connected with because of.

[Alan Hahn]

Oh, yeah, I love. I've had very pleasant conversations with a great actor, Jeffrey Wright.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Jeffrey Wright?

[Alan Hahn]

Yeah. Big Commanders fan.

[Peter Rosenberg]

How did that happen?

[Alan Hahn]

I met him at an RG3 event years ago.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Is that right?

[Alan Hahn]

Yeah. Robert Griffin had an event and Jeffrey was there because he's a huge Commander fan there. No, there are a lot of. You know what it is, Don? The Commander. The Washington football thing is weird. They're a huge franchise, but they've become. Because they're so bad, they've become niche enough that there's like a good bond among everyone who's a fan. We have kind of like a little. There's a little community there.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Who'd you say after Jeffrey Wright?

[Alan Hahn]

I didn't.

[Peter Rosenberg]

I thought you said there was another person that you were. Oh, yeah. How come there was never any connection with Tom Cruise?

[Alan Hahn]

I don't think that was ever real.

[Peter Rosenberg]

You don't think he was really a Commander?

[Alan Hahn]

No, I think he was just a friend of Snyder's. That's what I think. I think he's a friend of. I'd love to meet Earnhardt Jr. I've never. I've never met Dale Earnhardt Jr. We.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Should try to get him on the show.

[Alan Hahn]

I would. That would be so funny because he.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Is a big sports fan. He. Forget about the nascar. He's a household name.

[Alan Hahn]

Yeah, of course.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Just the connection with his dad, his commander, fandom. Very opinionated.

[Alan Hahn]

A big hip hop guy, too.

[Peter Rosenberg]

And of course, I got engaged at his race and I was. We snuck into the winner's circle. Cause the security guard was asleep and watched the last, like, hundred laps from the winner's circle that he eventually ended up in for winning the Daytona 500.

[Alan Hahn]

There's a lot.

[Peter Rosenberg]

He needs to hear that story.

[Alan Hahn]

No, there's a lot there with Dale Earnhardt.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Can we make that happen?

[Alan Hahn]

Well, we're going to work on Dale Earhart Jr. I also want Josh Hart. Josh Hart, you know, he's repping them at every game.

[Peter Rosenberg]

He's hardcore. Commanders fans are on our air. Who is the biggest. Who is the most famous? If you're saying that Cruz is fugazi. Who is the most famous Commanders fan?

[Alan Hahn]

I'll have to think about that and tell you after the break.

[Don Hahn]

Thanks for listening to the Don Hahn and Rosenberg podcast.

[Alan Hahn]

I don't want to know how the sausage is made, but I just want to know it's good.

[Don Hahn]

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.