Don, Hahn & Rosenberg – Hour 2: Booger McFarland & Talk About It

Original Airdate: October 21, 2025
Hosts: Don La Greca, Peter Rosenberg
Featured Guest: Booger McFarland
Note: Alan Hahn is off this episode; he’ll return for Knicks season opener.

Episode Overview

Hour 2 dives deep into the current state of New York football—both Jets and Giants—with ESPN’s Booger McFarland, including leadership, coaching breakdowns, and front office decisions. The hosts also debate the perennial kicker conundrum, discuss standards for Giants coach Brian Daboll, and reflect on key moments of football heartbreak. In the latter segment, Peter leads a “Talk About It Tuesday” on Netflix’s “Monster: Ed Gein,” followed by a candid discussion about passport mishaps and a fun debate about Billy Joel vs. Bruce Springsteen. Listener calls round out the show with more football table talk.

Key Interview: Booger McFarland on NY Football Woes

Segment Start: 00:33

1. Owners & Quarterback Mess in New York

Woody Johnson Comments, Aaron Glenn & Coaching Turmoil

• Rosenberg brings up Woody Johnson’s blunt remarks that “they don’t have a quarterback,” asking Booger if that undermines coaching confidence.
• Booger’s Response (01:50): “Sometimes owners say things that you really can't understand…see Jerry Jones for an example of that.”
  • Stresses that private owner-coach conversations matter more than PR.
  • Cautions not to overreact to public statements; “the owner says things in the public that sometimes we don’t understand.”

2. Justin Fields: Jets’ Responsibility for His Regression?

• Don asks about Justin Fields’ descent into “worst QB in the NFL” status, and what role the Jets play in it.
• Booger’s Nuance (02:50):
  • Classifies QBs into three: those you win because of, win with, or win around (“if everything is perfect”).
  • “[Fields] falls into that category at the very end—if everything else is perfect…they have a skill set you can win around.” (03:00)
  • Asserts Jets lack the talent or experience to maximize Fields, paralleling Chicago’s previous struggle.
  • “If you put Justin Fields in the [Eagles] offense…looks very similar to Hurts. But because you don’t have that great talent... Justin can’t be that.” (03:30)
  • “At 0–7, I don't think they can take the time to figure that out.” (04:00)

3. Giants Collapse Against Broncos—Who’s to Blame?

• Rosenberg: “Let’s get to the misery of the Giants…how’d they blow that game?”
• Booger’s Breakdown (04:41):
  • Pins loss on a late-game defensive coaching failure: “You’ve invested in…[four first-rounders]. I’m not blitzing, I’m not dropping eight, I’m rushing four and I’m gonna play some form of coverage on the back end…Instead…the Giants went to three-man rush, they blitzed and got away from being who they are. That’s a coaching fault.” (04:55–05:40)
  • Emphasizes that HC and DC have to own those late-game decisions: “What I cannot excuse…is when we get to that 38 or 40 seconds…and somehow that turned into rush three, blitz on one…and Bo Nix, who struggled all game, drives them down the field, kicks the winning field goal—that's directly on the heads of the head coach and the defensive coordinator.” (05:50–06:23)

4. Roster Holes: The Persistent Kicker Debate

• Don: “How…this deep into the season, another year…do you not have a field goal kicker?”
• Booger’s Rant (06:49):
  • “You're talking to the wrong guy. I’m not a fan of kickers. All they do is sit around, make a lot of money…play Scrabble all day, then come out to practice.” (07:02)
  • Don: “But you do realize you need a good one if you’re going to win games.”
  • Booger: “It shouldn’t be hard to find a good one. Bring in five or six, let them kick till their leg falls off—whoever makes the most.”
  • On kicker-coach trust: “Sean Payton had Will Lutz down in New Orleans, he brought him over [to Denver]. He trusts him…That relationship matters…you’ve gotta find a kicker you trust.” (07:16–08:13)
  • On kickers’ lack of “swag,” relates to evaluating their eyes on TV to predict success.

5. Punters vs. Kickers

• Briefly, Booger lumps punters with kickers: “They’re kind of the same…Punters can affect the scoreboard, so they’re really useless.” (09:38)
  • Rosenberg counters: punters change field position and can set up safeties. Booger: “I still have to do something…in the end, he didn’t really do a lot for me.” (09:54–10:05)

6. Giants Loss vs. Commanders Loss: What Hurts More?

• Peter: Worse to be a Commanders fan (blown out by Dallas) or Giants fan (blown lead)?
• **Booger is emphatic: “100%, it's the Giants…when you’re the Giants and give up 33 points in the fourth quarter, that's heartbreaking.” (10:15–10:32)
  • “If you notice what Brian Burns said walking into the locker room, he said ‘three-man rush.’ Because he knows…and I know…they had that game.”
  • Reflects on how one loss can fundamentally change narratives about the coach and the future.

7. Daboll, Development vs. Game Management

• Don explores conflict for Giants: If Daboll has found and developed Jackson Dart (rookie QB), but keeps blowing big games, is he truly the long-term coach?
• Booger’s Perspective (12:28):
  • “I honestly think that the better Jackson Dart looks, the better chance [Daboll] has of coming back...If this regime identified, drafted, developed the quarterback and…everybody feels like you have your quarterback of the future, he's got to get credit for that.”
  • Don pushes: Can you be a great QB developer, but not a good in-game coach?
  • Booger’s reply: “He just beat Philadelphia the week before…I’m the guy that says if he won the game, I’m gonna give him credit for winning the game. If he lost, then he gotta wear it…We have to be consistent in what we do, especially when that is your forte.” (13:56)

8. What Record Saves Daboll’s Job?

• Peter: “What does Daboll have to do, record-wise, to protect his job going into next year over these next 10 games?”
• Booger’s Benchmark (15:53):
  • “If they get to eight wins with a rookie quarterback…maybe even five out of ten [back half]…if the quarterback looks like a bona fide #1 guy, I think you bring him back…Give he and Joe Shane two-year extensions.” (16:04–17:47)
  • Explains how rookie QB contracts can drive team-building strategy.
  • “You build a team, you take advantage of the rookie quarterback…do everything people do when they have a starter/star on a rookie deal.”

9. Wrap-Up & Kicker Banter

• Closing banter about Booger’s distaste for kickers; gift ideas for him (Ali Haji-Sheikh highlights, Chip Lohmiller jersey). (17:54–18:04)

“Talk About It Tuesday”: Netflix’s "Monster: Ed Gein", Passport Woes, and Music Debates

Segment Start: 24:46

1. True Crime Dramas: Entertainment vs. Accuracy

• Peter’s Rant (25:12):

  • Rails against Netflix’s "Monster: Ed Gein" for being “gross and horrible…completely made up.”
  • Critiques creator Ryan Murphy for repeated artistic license: “It’s almost, like, shocking that it’s legal that you can say something is based on a real person and give their name…for some historical accuracy, it doesn’t matter at all. He just keeps making these specials. And because we are just freaks as a society, we keep gobbling them up.” (27:16)
  • Questions the over-emphasis on gay/trans themes in all stories, suggests it can be counterproductive for representation: “Every story…I gotta tell you, he’s out here making gay people look nuts over and over again. What kind of representation is this?” (29:08)

• Don’s Point (27:53):

  • Draws a parallel with Oliver Stone’s “JFK,” pointing out how fictionalized fact can become accepted history.

2. Travel Woes: The Passport Card Fiasco

• Don shares his futile attempt to travel with just a passport card—not valid for flights to Canada. (29:42–35:07)
  • Don: “I listen to people, I made the mistake of listening to people, Peter.” (31:36)
  • Retells a New York/Toronto trip where he lost his passport, only for it to be returned: “I wanted to kiss the guy. You know where they found it? In the concourse of the arena.” (33:33–33:45)
  • Discussion on cab fare inflation to JFK: “Now it’s like $100…If I take an UberX…117 at this moment. UberBlack, 156.” (36:11–36:43)

3. Knicks & Giannis Rumor

• Peter tees up Brian Windhorst’s revelation: “The Knicks were in position to get Giannis…and they didn’t get him either because they didn’t offer enough, or because they believe in this team.” (36:52)
  • Don hints he’ll address it more on the next episode, especially with the Knicks’ season starting.

Fun & Culture: Billy Joel vs. Bruce Springsteen

Segment Start: 39:42

1. Musical Identities

• Don and Peter discuss their music preferences:
  • Don: “I appreciate [Springsteen] being a guy from Jersey, but that’s one of his songs I like…but I’m more of a Billy Joel guy.”
  • Peter: “It is more like Long Island girl, you know, drunk, sing along dumb than Springsteen…But I say that as someone who loves Billy Joel. Springsteen has a little more grit.”
• Rapid rundown of favorite Billy Joel albums/songs:
  • Agreeing that 52nd St. and The Stranger are peak Joel.
  • Peter: “Billy Joel’s biggest hits often irritate me…Piano Man, fine, whatever, I don’t really feel like hearing it very often. Uptown Girl, forget about it, I’ll go to the bathroom.” (41:28)

2. Listener Calls: Danny (Long Island) on Billy Joel’s Lyrical Storytelling

• Danny: “Between Down Easter Alexa, Allentown, Good Night Saigon…he made a song about the Vietnam War that will just drive you to tears…He did his homework.” (44:49–45:11)
  • Don: “If you look at the video, he’s got veterans on stage…He did the work, which I appreciate.”

3. Football Table Talk: The “Jaden Daniels” Question

• Danny: “Is Jaden Daniels at table one anymore?” (46:19)
• Peter: Stresses availability as key; “I guess I’d have to drop him off.”
• Don brings up Joe Burrow, Jalen Hurts; Peter concurs Hurts still deserves a top seat (“He’s up to 1500 yards, 11 TDs, 1 INT…I feel good about Hurts sitting there.”). (47:14–48:02)

Notable Quotes & Moments

• Booger McFarland:

  • “Stats are like bikinis. They show some things, not all things.” (16:09)
  • “Kickers…most of them don’t even look like football players. Some have no swag. I play a game…look at the kicker’s eyes and see if he’ll make it or not.” (08:35–09:24)
  • “The owner says things in public that sometimes we don’t understand. Again, just see Jerry Jones.” (01:50)
  • “We can start to have these macro conversations…Instead, we’re still in the micro because he lost the game.” (11:00)

• Don La Greca:

  • On the Giants: “If you need a game like that to expose [Daboll] and make the change, could that be a positive in the long run?” (12:02)
  • “Great quarterback play in a loss.” (20:13–20:35)

• Peter Rosenberg:

  • On Netflix’s “Ed Gein”: “Not only are you watching filth, it’s completely inaccurate filth.” (27:16)
  • “Billy Joel’s biggest hits often irritate me…Piano Man? Fine, whatever. Uptown Girl—forget about it, I’ll go to the bathroom.” (41:28)
  • On Brian Windhorst Giannis rumor: “How does that make you feel? The Knicks might’ve had Giannis and didn’t even try?” (37:34)

Important Timestamps

• 00:33: Booger McFarland joins: Jets’ leadership/quarterback woes
• 04:41: Giants’ heartbreaking loss to Broncos: coaching/late-game breakdown
• 06:49: Roster management: why no reliable kicker?
• 10:08: Giants vs. Commanders: which loss is more devastating?
• 12:02: Is exposing possible flaws in Daboll actually beneficial for the Giants?
• 15:43: How many wins saves Daboll’s job? Rookie QB impact on expectations
• 24:46: “Talk About It Tuesday”—Netflix “Monster: Ed Gein”
• 29:42: Don's passport card disaster story
• 36:52: Knicks-Giannis rumor teed up for next episode
• 39:42: Billy Joel vs. Bruce Springsteen debate
• 44:49: Danny’s call—Billy Joel’s songwriting and football banter

Tone & Style

• Conversational, irreverent, and occasionally self-deprecating.
• Don and Peter riff, joke, and challenge each other; Booger is candid, analytical, and injects humor.
• Shows a blend of deep sports analysis, pop culture chat, relatable “life goes wrong” stories, and listener banter.

For Listeners Who Missed It

This episode breaks down the good, bad, and ugly facing NY football teams with classic candor—an especially sharp and funny Booger McFarland segment provides must-hear nuance for anyone invested in the Jets, Giants, or the ongoing debate about what makes a truly great NFL head coach. Outside sports, Tuesday’s episode also delivers spirited rants about true crime television, travel mishaps, and why Billy Joel still rules. Listeners get a full spectrum: hard-hitting sports takes, heartfelt rants, and classic New York talk radio spirit.