Hour 2: Fraudulence & The NFL Binge

Summary

Don, Hahn & Rosenberg — Hour 2: Fraudulence & The NFL Binge

Date: December 29, 2025
Hosts: Alan Hahn, Peter Rosenberg, Don La Greca (along with contributor Anthony Pusick)

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Episode Overview

This lively second hour of "Don, Hahn & Rosenberg" is a dive into the heart of sports fandom’s suffering, NFL playoff drama, and the sometimes hilarious (sometimes painful) contradictions of rooting for multiple teams. Hosts Alan Hahn and Peter Rosenberg, joined by Don La Greca and frequent contributor Anthony Pusick, mix genuine football analysis with self-deprecating humor and big New York energy as they debate team loyalty, the NFL's wild playoff picture, big coaching decisions, and the agony of being a Jets (or Padres/Mets) fan.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Intro & The Suffering of the Sports Fan

• The hosts commiserate over the emotional cost of being lifelong fans of perennially disappointing teams (San Diego Padres, New York Mets/Jets).
• Don’s Coffee Journey: Don’s caffeine addict confessional sets a jovial tone. He describes the “remedies” (protein drinks, accidental hot chocolate) needed to power through hosting:

  “I accidentally hit hot chocolate. So, yeah, now I’m on hot chocolate with a little bit of remedy, and then I’m smart watering.”
  — Don Hahn [01:44]

2. Fandom, Family Ties & “Fraudulence”

• A running debate ensues: Can you root for two teams? Is it “fraudulent” to be swayed by family or place?
• Don is grilled for his Padres/Mets split. Rosenberg finds this suspect:

  “Those are frauds.” — Rosenberg [08:03]
  Don fires back:
  “It’s not weak. It’s actually the opposite. I don’t have to suffer with Mets fans. I choose to suffer with Mets fans.”
  — Don Hahn [08:34]

• The pain of “choosing” suffering unites them:

  “It’s a confusing life, but it’s a life under six foot that doesn’t experience championship. A lot of self fraud. Fraud.”
  — Don Hahn [07:17]

3. Baseball Free Agency and Mets Misery

• Discussion turns to the Mets’ and Padres’ team-building struggles: Soto’s trade, Pete Alonso’s future, and what teams should pay for players like Wondale Robinson.

  “You don’t just replace a burger [referring to Citi Field’s ‘Polar Burger’ dedicated to Alonso]. That was an entire right field dedicated to the polar bear area. What do you do? Very upsetting.”
  — Don Hahn [15:07]

• On Alonso's exit:

  “I can’t believe they let him walk to the lowly Orioles who fired their coach after making the playoff track.”
  — Don Hahn [15:31]

4. Jets & Giants: Season in Perpetual Misery

• Jets Fan Callers: Season ticket holder “AC Phil” calls in to express exhaustion:

  “The past four weeks… it’s just been pathetic. It’s getting worse.” — AC Phil [16:46]

• Rosenberg sympathizes:

  “You sound so beaten down, man. I feel for him. I mean honestly, who wouldn’t be?” — Rosenberg [17:19]

• Coaching Decisions and Future:
  Criticism of coaching (especially Aaron Glenn) is relentless.

  “The general manager, Glenn, if you want to call it that, his decision making is terrible… What are we doing now? Now we got to deal with this contract and this guy on our roster for years.”
  — Don Hahn [20:06]

5. NFL Quarterback Decisions & Culture Building

• Were the right moves made with quarterbacks? Should the Jets have moved on from Aaron Rodgers?

  “The best way to build a culture is to win football games. So you move on from Aaron…”
  — Rosenberg [21:31]

• The failed Justin Fields experiment is dissected:

  “The Fields experiment didn’t work because he came to dysfunction.”
  — Don Hahn [22:16]

6. Turnover Drought and Defensive Futililty

• The Jets’ historically bad turnover numbers are lampooned:

  “Going an entire season and I’m rooting for it by the way. Yeah, without an interception is just nuts.”
  — Rosenberg [23:09]

7. NFL Binge Segment — Playoff Scenarios, Coaching Brilliance & Big Calls

(Starts at [29:13])

• Anthony Pusick hosts the “NFL Binge,” swiftly moving through key matchups and playoff implications, with classic banter.

Saturday Night — Ravens vs. Packers Recap

• Harbaugh praised for backup QB management:

  “A plus. I mean a plus. Give him two pluses on top of that, maybe three. He couldn’t be any better.”
  — John Harbaugh, via clip [31:04]

Steelers vs. Browns Upset & Playoff Impact

• Sets up “win-and-in” AFC North final between Steelers/Ravens.
• Don is hilariously overconfident:

  “I’m taking the Steelers. I’m on the Steelers to win the Super Bowl. I’ll walk home voluntarily… if they lose.”
  — Don Hahn [34:11]

On Rooting for Ex-Jet Aaron Rodgers

• Rosenberg:

  “I would love to see Aaron, it would be comedy if he leaves the jets and immediately wins the Super Bowl… Some of it has been fair, but we’ve gone too far.”
  — Rosenberg [35:02]

Buffalo Bills’ Two-Point Conversion Controversy

(Bills vs. Eagles finish, clock at [37:06])

• McDermott’s decision to go for two is debated:

  “Want to be aggressive? …I’m going to be aggressive. So I’m not gonna sit back.”
  — Sean McDermott (clip) [37:53]

• Hahn and Rosenberg spar:

  “I feel like McDermott, he doesn’t have feel…”
  — Don Hahn [45:54] “Would you agree that Philly’s defense for the entirety of that game was exceptional?”
  — Rosenberg [47:02] Discussion covers analytics, weather, and clutch vs. conservative coaching.

Josh Allen Accountability & The Quarterback vs. Coach Debate

• Multiple passionate exchanges about whether Allen or McDermott is most to blame:

  “Every time Josh Allen loses, it’s always someone else’s fault.”
  — Rosenberg [45:28] “Can two things be true? You are absolutely right. Josh Allen lost the game. But what does it also mean? …McDermott doesn’t trust his defense.”
  — Don Hahn [52:29]

49ers’ Resilience & Kyle Shanahan Coach of the Year

• 49ers’ coaching through injuries is praised:

  “Can we all admit that when the coach of the year award is handed out, it has to go to Kyle Shanahan?”
  — Rosenberg [42:14] “Probably one of the greatest group coaching efforts we’ve seen in recent memory.”
  — Don Hahn [42:45]

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Junior Fandom:

  “It’s a confusing life, but it’s a life under six foot that doesn’t experience championship. A lot of self fraud. Fraud.”
  — Don Hahn [07:17]

• On Jets Misery:

  “You sound so beaten down, man. I feel for him. I mean honestly, who wouldn’t be?”
  — Rosenberg [17:19]

• On Defensive Futililty:

  “Going an entire season and I’m rooting for it by the way. Yeah, without an interception is just nuts.”
  — Rosenberg [23:09]

• On Harbaugh’s Coaching:

  “A plus. I mean a plus. Give him two pluses on top of that, maybe three. He couldn’t be any better.”
  — John Harbaugh (clip) [31:04]

• On Big NFL Coaching Decisions:

  “I feel like McDermott, he doesn’t have feel. He doesn’t have feel. What does that mean? It’s live analytics, if you will. It’s like knowing as a good point guard who to get the ball to and when.”
  — Don Hahn [45:54]

• On Suffering as a Choice:

  “I don’t have to suffer with Mets fans. I choose to suffer with Mets fans.”
  — Don Hahn [08:34]

• On the AFC Playoff Picture:

  “Just a couple of weeks ago… AFC wide open… Which means Josh Allen is the favorite to win that conference… And now what are we hearing today? Man, that foot… That foot’s giving him some problems…”
  — Rosenberg [50:43]

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Useful Timestamps

• [01:44] Don’s accidental hot chocolate and “remedy” beverage saga
• [07:17] Don’s self-deprecating “fraud” monologue on double-fandom
• [08:03–09:21] Fandom authenticity debate between Don & Rosenberg
• [15:07–15:31] “Polar Burger” and Pete Alonso Mets lament
• [16:39–17:19] AC Phil, the beaten-down Jets season ticket holder
• [21:31] Big quarterback/culture debate (Rodgers v. Fields)
• [23:09] Jets’ epic lack of interceptions
• [29:13] Start of “NFL Binge” segment
• [31:04] John Harbaugh soundbite – backup QB praise
• [34:11] Don justifies his Steelers Super Bowl pick (“I’ll walk home voluntarily…”)
• [37:53] McDermott defends two-point call
• [42:14] Kyle Shanahan as likely coach of the year
• [45:28] “Every time Josh Allen loses, it’s always someone else’s fault.” — QB vs. Coach blame debate
• [47:02–47:39] “Would you agree that Philly’s defense…?” — Play-calling analytics talk

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Tone & Style

Fast-paced, irreverent, deeply New York. The hosts mix sharp analysis with genuine fan anguish, wisecracks, and the kind of arguments only heard between people who live for their teams. They’re as comfortable quoting Geno Smith (“they wrote me off, I didn’t write back”) as they are diving into betting trends, and every big sports feeling—joy, cynicism, and obsession—gets aired out.

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For Listeners: Why You Should Care

• If you’re an authentic, long-suffering sports fan—especially in New York—this hour is a group therapy session with great insight.
• NFL obsessives will find sharp analysis on the playoff picture, coaching trends, and the thin margin between genius and scapegoat.
• Fans of sports radio banter get classic rapid-fire debates and a taste of what it feels like to root for teams that “choose suffering.”

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Final Words

The episode is a rich tapestry of sports suffering, classic radio energy, and genuine debate about what “real” fandom is and what makes (or breaks) NFL teams. Amid the laughs and rants, the heart of sports passion is fully on display.

Transcript

[Don Hahn]

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[Rosenberg]

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[Don Hahn]

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[Rosenberg]

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[Don Hahn]

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[Rosenberg]

So how you feeling, man? Two hours in. First time hosting the show.

[Don Hahn]

You're piloted. I'm just happy to be on the plane, fired up, jamming with you. Great, great job driving, man.

[Rosenberg]

I appreciate you. Great job co hosting. So we're. What is this? Coffee number three.

[Don Hahn]

If you do look at my collection of beverages, we run a little. We run a little high energy. I didn't think out the four hours. This is. This is San Diego to Vegas for me. So we got a little remedy. 20 grams of protein gone.

[Rosenberg]

Oh, nice.

[Don Hahn]

The coffee machine at ESPN New York, it. It's almost like I'm in the plaza. I didn't even know what button to click.

[Rosenberg]

Are we blowing smoke or are we being serious?

[Don Hahn]

Oh, I'm being dead serious.

[Rosenberg]

Okay.

[Don Hahn]

One of the nicer coffee machines I've ever seen. Couple of words I've never even seen. I'm a standard coffee order. In fact, I'll go old school Mad Men and just take it straight black Here. You got to spruce it up.

[Rosenberg]

But you feel good energized, like your feet.

[Don Hahn]

So first, well, I accidentally hit hot chocolate. So, yeah, now I'm on hot chocolate with a little bit of remedy, and then I'm smart watering.

[Rosenberg]

Why not just pour it out and start it over?

[Don Hahn]

You know, I'm a resourceful lad. What can you say? Oh, man, I don't want to waste.

[Rosenberg]

So first segment, you were pumped up and you got it going. Now you're starting to feel a little bit more comfortable because you did get some criticism that you were screaming too much.

[Don Hahn]

Italian mom lets me know I'm too loud. I'm too loud.

[Rosenberg]

So you took that advice. I didn't think you were.

[Don Hahn]

You know, I'm excited and I'm passionate, so it's tough to not Yell sometimes being Italian, you should be excited. I think the Giant, I think both these team. I'm excited cause I don't think it could get worse. So I'd love to come in with some SoCal optimism and just try to try to steer us in a positive direction. I've never won a championship, Lakers excluded. I've lost a team in third grade. The Padres made it to the World Series. My third grade teacher, she had tickets to game five.

[Rosenberg]

How'd that World Series end for you?

[Don Hahn]

There was no game five. Thanks to Scott Brocius, there was no game five. And my wonderful teacher took it out in the class the rest of the year. That's the only championship. And then when I was four, Deion Sanders went out, allegedly the night before the Niners Charger Super Bowl. Jerry said, what are you doing going out? And he said, we're playing the Chargers and we haven't been back since.

[Rosenberg]

But you're 11 and 5, you're going to the playoffs. And by the way, in a wide open AFC with unproven quarterbacks at the top in Bo Nix and Drake May, you still have Trevor Lawrence, who, yes, now looks excellent, but he's won one playoff game. And he had that period in between winning the playoff games. And now where folks were ready to write him off, he didn't write back. I think we could do that for every quarterback now. We could just quote Geno Smith and say, uh, they wrote me off, but I didn't write back. And then you also have the Steelers. I don't trust their offense. Right. The Texans. I don't trust that offense either. So it's wide open. You've got one of the best head coach quarterback combinations in the conference. So you should feel good until you start to remember Chargers history. And then that's where.

[Don Hahn]

Remember Chargers history. The jets own the Chargers. Shout out Sean Green back in the day, well before the iPhone and Cromartie running away from him in San Diego weather. Afraid to tackle Ty in San Diego weather. Don't make me mention Nate Kading. We don't have subways, we have trolleys. Not a fun trolley to take after the jets and Rex Ryan. Just pick a year, any year, and the Chargers will let you down. I've said it. I'm from the area. You can't have the weather, the burritos and winning football. Pick two.

[Rosenberg]

That's the case.

[Don Hahn]

Pick two.

[Rosenberg]

Then you know what we need? We need Justin Herbert to become unhappy so the jets can just give all their first round picks for him.

[Don Hahn]

Herbert's not going. When you got your coach with a voluntarily tucked in shirt saying, he's got.

[Rosenberg]

Plays.

[Don Hahn]

He'S all ball. You couldn't distract Jim Harbaugh if you tried.

[Rosenberg]

I remember Adam Gase one year said he was so locked in to football, he just decided, I'm not spending Thanksgiving with my family. I'm just going to prepare for the game. And the jets still stunk. So could you imagine he wasn't locked into football. What would that have looked like?

[Don Hahn]

Oh, my gosh. The thing is though, with Harbaugh is he was a quarterback and he played the game. That's why the Aaron Glenn thing is so bothersome. He was playing his position at a high level. He was in a championship game. He knows what a real culture is. He lived it with parcels.

[Rosenberg]

Do you still go back to San Diego?

[Don Hahn]

Oh, yeah.

[Rosenberg]

Or are you strictly in New. So you're New York City, I'm in.

[Don Hahn]

New York and then SoCal Summer.

[Rosenberg]

So you're there for the summers?

[Don Hahn]

For the most part.

[Rosenberg]

Once.

[Don Hahn]

Yeah, once. NBA, NHL raps and you're here. Go watch some Padres play some above.500 baseball, lose some meaningful games, come right back.

[Rosenberg]

But at least you had Soto for a year. That was fun.

[Don Hahn]

Don't get me started that. Fleeced C.J. abrams, James Wood. Brutal.

[Rosenberg]

But yeah, then you gave him away to the Yankees and we gave him.

[Don Hahn]

Away the Yankees, I'm telling you.

[Rosenberg]

So are you someone who's like anti Yankee?

[Don Hahn]

Well, I grew up in a Mets house, so to be recovering San Diego Charger fan, Padres Mets fan.

[Rosenberg]

Wait, so you root for the Mets too?

[Don Hahn]

Well, yeah. My dad's a die hard Mets family.

[Rosenberg]

He played a playoff series two years ago.

[Don Hahn]

I'm telling you. Two uncles, a grandpa and my pops. And Mets and Padres merch is mixed all in between.

[Rosenberg]

But you've got to stand 10 toes down.

[Don Hahn]

Well, I'd stay with. I'd stay with the Padres.

[Rosenberg]

You got to stand for something or you stand for nothing. So in that playoff series when the. When.

[Don Hahn]

Joyless. Really joyless. And then I learned what it was like to be a Padre fan going to Philly, not wearing red.

[Rosenberg]

But why were you joyless if you just want your. You just watched your team win a playoff series.

[Don Hahn]

Well, I was in New York. It's kind of nice. Would have been nice to see the.

[Rosenberg]

You're one of those.

[Don Hahn]

I'm not one of those. Very viable Friday.

[Rosenberg]

Yeah. You've got to be involved somehow.

[Don Hahn]

Well, it's a confusing life, but it's a life under six foot that doesn't experience championship. A lot of self fraud. Fraud. A lot of self deprecating. I can't walk back. If you're from an area and your family's from another screw up. Yep. So you want me to pick Mets or Padres?

[Rosenberg]

You're. You don't have to pick between a Mets or the Padres. You're a Padres fan. Shouldn't be rooting for the Mets.

[Don Hahn]

My whole life.

[Rosenberg]

Yo, my whole house is met here.

[Don Hahn]

There's nothing wrong with San Diego. Three fourths of my family's from New York. I'm not gonna root for New York.

[Rosenberg]

No. What does where your family's from have to do with who you root for?

[Don Hahn]

I think a lot of people would sit here, let's take a caller where your family's from, you end up being a fan.

[Rosenberg]

Those are frauds.

[Don Hahn]

Oh, get out of here. I have family in Philly. Doesn't mean I'm gonna be a Phillies fan and root for them too. As a Mets fan, I got a.

[Rosenberg]

Family of Knick fans. You think I'm coming off the Lakers?

[Don Hahn]

Listen, I suffer.

[Rosenberg]

I guess it wouldn't make sense because the Lakers are about winning championships and the Knicks get excited about making the conference. Finally. Oh, come on, come on, come on, come on.

[Don Hahn]

How do we. How do we get there? Where are we? On the 5 Freeway.

[Rosenberg]

But you come off of your fandom just because your family swayed you is just like weak. It's.

[Don Hahn]

It's not weak. It's actually the opposite. I don't have to suffer with Mets fans. I choose to suffer with Mets fans. Subway Series, my trip to New York. I went to Shea and not Yankee Stadium. I don't like the Yankees because of my house. Growing up. Die hard Mets Subway series hat.

[Rosenberg]

Everything about this conversation is odd. Your reason as a Padres fan?

[Don Hahn]

No, I'm from San Diego.

[Rosenberg]

But you, you're declaring Padres, right? That's one of your teams.

[Don Hahn]

Well, yeah. There's no third team, so.

[Rosenberg]

So the reason why, as a Padres fan, you should dislike the Yankees is because of what happened in the World Series.

[Don Hahn]

Yeah.

[Rosenberg]

Not because of your allegiance or this fraudulent allegiance to the man.

[Don Hahn]

It's both. If I was a Yankee fan, I'd be a completely different person. Completely different person.

[Rosenberg]

Man, I'm learning a lot today. I don't know tomorrow mess.

[Don Hahn]

Padres is a special kind of suffering.

[Rosenberg]

Special. But it's. You can't feel bad for that because it's voluntary.

[Don Hahn]

I'm not asking anyone to feel bad.

[Rosenberg]

It's voluntary. Like, no one's asking Me to root for two baseball teams.

[Don Hahn]

That's all right.

[Rosenberg]

Speaking of baseball, any free agent moves being made?

[Anthony Pusick]

Is that what did I tell you last week, Ty?

[Rosenberg]

Is that going to happen at some point?

[Anthony Pusick]

What was going to happen? Jets or Giants win a game first. Cody Bellinger becomes the Yankee.

[Rosenberg]

So were you excited when the Giants won this game yesterday? You're a Giants fan?

[Anthony Pusick]

No, I watched the game like I do most December Giants games with very little emotion. But it was encouraging, regardless of what you want to say, that Jackson Dart did look like he's figured out something from the past two or three weeks where he hasn't looked as good.

[Don Hahn]

Anthony, what's more important, a win like you said, and looking good with the quarterback at the moment or losing the game? Now Giants fans everywhere going, I guess we should go with Mendoza. I don't know if Dart's the guy we're going to have that conversation.

[Rosenberg]

I find it. And he can answer, but I find it hard to believe that there's any scenario that would exist where Jackson Dart plays that poorly. The chorus of Giant fans who were screaming at me when I just simply suggested it's on the table, it could happen are like, yeah, you know what, let's trade Jackson Dart, right? Anthony, like, that's just too dramatic.

[Anthony Pusick]

We already started to see people in the Viking game say, maybe we have to consider this Mendoza guy who by the way, every single like expert that we've said is, yeah, he's the consensus pick. But like Dart would be over him and other people would be over him. And now it's all, well, you know, he beat Ohio State and not Patricia. So, you know, everybody loves Fernando Mendoza now. I don't know, I. Does it matter? They beat the Colts in the same fashion with a quarterback that they hoped would be an answer for them at some point. And it didn't mean an amount to anything. So no, I don't know how I'm supposed to feel. I think it's great that Abdul Carter's look better over the last four or five weeks. I think it's great that in a pinch, Marcus Membo had to come in and look pretty good with half the O line hurt. So this draft class looks like it's got some promise. Wanda Robinson having a good year is great. Are they going to pay him? That's a question.

[Rosenberg]

Yeah, you put in your rundown and it was cute.

[Anthony Pusick]

Thank you.

[Rosenberg]

That the numbers and I'm trying to pull it.

[Anthony Pusick]

I know it doesn't mean it as a positive thing, Jacob, but you know, I Take it as positive.

[Rosenberg]

Well, like he was sensational, right? Like he had.

[Anthony Pusick]

He's had a great.

[Rosenberg]

He's a buck 13. Rest of the team went for 11 and 94. And he's had an awesome year. Is this a guy I'm paying top dollar to? Absolutely not. I can just find his replacement in the draft. Every draft now is like wide receiver heavy, rich. Why am I paying this guy top $10? Nice. Nice story. He's been. He's been really good for an offense that at times has looked really, really good. But paying top dollar for Wanda Robinson, that's not how I'm expending my resources.

[Don Hahn]

He's top 10 in receiving yards.

[Rosenberg]

Great. I can find that in a draft for the right number. Sure. I'll be.

[Don Hahn]

What do you think now? I don't think you pay like you don't want to get in a scenario like Miami and Cincy where you got to pay T. Higgins and Chase and then you got to pay Waddle and Hill. It doesn't work out. You got to pay one. So obviously it's neighbors. But if you can somehow get a discount or maybe. I mean, is he a guy you franchise?

[Rosenberg]

No, I'm not franchising Wanda Robinson.

[Don Hahn]

On some level, though, you're building infrastructure for your quarterback for the next decade. If that's one of his favorite assets.

[Rosenberg]

Cool.

[Don Hahn]

You got to find a way to have a conversation.

[Rosenberg]

The favorite one in the draft. He'll be fine. They met each other five minutes ago. They're in love.

[Don Hahn]

Anthony, little help here. I don't know if Wanda Robinson is just fall out of the draft.

[Anthony Pusick]

Well, certainly not for the Giants. They don't fall out of the draft. But could you find a wide receiver that could? Again, he's having, as you pointed out, Alex, a top 10 season in terms of receiving yards for wide receivers. It's nice that that has been dart security blanket. I would imagine that a man named Malik neighbors will make a much more comfortable security blanket for him next year. Are you telling me that now? Put it this way. If you didn't pay Darius Slayton what you paid him, I'd rather that money or money more than that go to Wanda Robinson.

[Rosenberg]

Yeah. We got a better way to use our resources. And what you just did there, I just noticed, was he's having a top 10 receiver season.

[Anthony Pusick]

Yeah.

[Rosenberg]

Now let me ask you this. Is he a top 10 receiver in football? No, you don't.

[Don Hahn]

No shot.

[Rosenberg]

But you're. But you're dressing it up as he's having a top 10 season to make it seem more attractive than what it actually is. He's having a nice season. Good. Good for him.

[Don Hahn]

8Th in receptions, 12th in yards, and it wasn't even dart every game.

[Rosenberg]

Awesome. Am I paying him top dollar?

[Don Hahn]

Oh, no. But what. I mean, what is the Wondale Robinson open market look like?

[Rosenberg]

What is maybe a team getting high off of? Because if we're raving about him, maybe there's another team that's saying, hey, I can use that guy and we'll outbid the Giants. All right. 800-919-3776. How about this? Because we were just talking baseball. The Giants hadn't won a game since October 9th. Why is that important? That was the night after the Yankees were eliminated by Toronto in the division series.

[Don Hahn]

Wow.

[Rosenberg]

That's how long it had been. 9 game losing streak for the Giants finally snapped in Vegas yesterday. It was one game shy of time, the longest losing streak in franchise history. It was also their first win of the season versus a team that entered.500 or worse. They were.06 in said games.

[Don Hahn]

Back then, Citi Field had Pete's Polar Burgers in right field. I've asked this to many. What are they going to do in right field? You don't just replace a burger. You don't. That was an entire right field dedicated to the polar bear area. What do you do? Very upsetting.

[Rosenberg]

You're a burger guy.

[Don Hahn]

I'm a Pete Alonso guy. I can't believe they let him walk to the lowly Orioles who fired their coach after making the playoff track.

[Rosenberg]

You're. You're not, you're not getting into bed with that easy.

[Don Hahn]

It's not a salary cap league at the moment. Yeah, who cares? You're a billionaire.

[Rosenberg]

No, but that's a parking ticket. Sure, but you also last year told us you didn't feel like he was worth that money. So now he's a year older and you're giving him, giving him that contract when you don't trust him at first. I just, I would love to have Pete Alonzo back. The argument should be they should have made the long term deal work last year if you really wanted them back. But they told you they didn't want him back at that. At that price. So they're too busy.

[Don Hahn]

They're just too busy trying to pick and peel off Yankees relievers.

[Rosenberg]

How about that? Just. Which would be funny if the icing on the cake is Cody Bellinger. If he signed, which would be a great move.

[Don Hahn]

That would be a great.

[Rosenberg]

It's a great move for the Mets if they. If they get get that to happen. But we'll see. 800-919-3776 let's go to AC Phil. What's up AC Phil?

[Don Hahn]

Good afternoon.

[Rosenberg]

I just.

[Don Hahn]

I'm a season ticket holder with the.

[Rosenberg]

Jets and I will not be renewing.

[Don Hahn]

The past four weeks.

[Rosenberg]

It's just been pathetic. It's getting worse.

[Don Hahn]

I agree with the Bird thing being worth 100 first round picks, but they.

[Rosenberg]

Need those fix to improve the roster.

[Don Hahn]

Aaron Glenn is terrible.

[Rosenberg]

I have no faith.

[Anthony Pusick]

I don't know what they're going to.

[Don Hahn]

Do, but it's just not looking good for my boy. How long have you been a season ticket holder for?

[Rosenberg]

He sounds so beat. 2016.

[Don Hahn]

Okay.

[Rosenberg]

Wow. So the year after it. The year. So you became a season ticket holder the year after the Buffalo disaster? Yeah, I mean it's disaster after disaster.

[Don Hahn]

So I can't even keep track.

[Rosenberg]

I'm sorry. You sound so beaten down, man. I feel for him. I mean honestly, who wouldn't be?

[Don Hahn]

Every week they lose by 20. Would you have felt better yesterday, A.C. phil, if they just put a little effort into the game it looked like they lied over? I would have felt better over these past couple of weeks, practically the entire season, if the game wasn't over by 1:30. It's a 1:00 clock start.

[Rosenberg]

Oh man.

[Anthony Pusick]

But I'm not even exaggerating.

[Don Hahn]

Yeah, and shout out our guy Cass, his viral tweet yesterday.

[Rosenberg]

The call. AC Phil, I was thinking right along with you, Kazim Famuyadi, who does a tremendous job over there at MSG and he's on the podcast 7pm in Brooklyn with Melo. Put this tweet out during the game yesterday. Trying to find it. Hang on. Oh, here it goes. He took my daughter to her first Jet game, got popcorn and hot dogs and was down two touchdowns. By the time we got to our seats, we're already home. And that tweet was sent out at 2:45. So somewhere in the third quarter he was already home.

[Don Hahn]

Fantastic.

[Rosenberg]

Sweet by Ira in Staten Island. Said he was done at the two minute warning. Now I wonder, was that the two minute warning of the first half or the second half?

[Don Hahn]

Definitely the first half. It's that rivalry.

[Rosenberg]

The fact that you're going to that game though, just speaks to. I mean that's a type of fan loyalty and allegiance that I guess just how I feel.

[Don Hahn]

Let's die hard.

[Rosenberg]

Yeah, literally dying hard. Let's go to Bobby and Belmore. What's up, Bobby? All right. How are you Ty, three quick things.

[Don Hahn]

In a nutshell about Glenn. Number one, he picked a quarterback that shows his decision making, which is the biggest decision a coach has to make. Number two, in the Denver game, they're down by a field, go to 40, 45 yard line, yard line, excuse me.

[Rosenberg]

And they asked him at the press.

[Don Hahn]

Conference, why don't you try for the field goal? He said, well, I wanted to get to the 35 yard line.

[Rosenberg]

Now folk just kicked a 58 yarder.

[Don Hahn]

Two weeks prior to that, according to elementary education, 35 plus 18 is 53. So that just talks about his mental aptitude. And the most important thing, number three is these defensive players are complaining all year about the schemes with Wilkes, about the soft coverages.

[Rosenberg]

Where was Glenn?

[Don Hahn]

I mean, are you supposed to be a defensive guru even though you got.

[Rosenberg]

Bombed in the last playoff game in Detroit?

[Don Hahn]

I mean, there was no communication. So until you have decision making, mental aptitude and communication and just about wraps it up with him and I don't know, I'm not saying to fight a guy, but I wouldn't, I wouldn't.

[Rosenberg]

I don't think 90 + 90% of.

[Don Hahn]

Your fans wouldn't care if he was.

[Rosenberg]

Yeah, I don't think anyone would be opposed to that, Bobby. And I appreciate the call.

[Don Hahn]

He laid it out very succinctly. The general manager, Glenn, if you want to call it that, his decision making is terrible. You, you signed. It would be one thing if you signed Justin Fields on a one year rental. All right, you wash your hand. What are we doing now? Now we got to deal with this contract and this guy on our roster for years.

[Rosenberg]

No. So he's going to get cut. They'll have a dead cap hit.

[Don Hahn]

All right, so it's a little Russell Wilson, Denver esque.

[Rosenberg]

Yeah, people. But people keep making it out as if like the plan all along was for them to be awful this season at the deadline we're going to make these trades. Get that was not the plan coming into the year. He said himself, we're going to have a team Jet fans are proud of. They then had to call an audible because you started the season 07. You trade sauce, you trade Quinn, and your quarterback's a disaster. You then had to fire defensive coordinator, your owners holding court in the middle of a hotel, telling you he's got the worst starting quarterback in football. So none of this sounds like it was the plan coming into the season, which is why I just get so agitated at folks that are like, man, what did you expect? It's a rebuild. I didn't expect 3 and 14 and being outscored by 107 points. Well, take your last 16 quarters, take.

[Don Hahn]

Me back to August, tie July. Did you agree with moving off of Rodgers at that time?

[Rosenberg]

Absolutely not. Because I thought it was silly for the rhetoric to be hey, we want to build culture but we're going to get rid of a quarterback that can help us win games. The best way to build a culture is to win football games. So you move on from Aaron and he wasn't great last year but showed some signs late in the season that, you know, he was still capable of playing. So I thought bring him in, see what he's got for one final year, try to establish a winning culture and then, you know, let him go. Draft a quarterback and let him go. Instead you go to Justin Fields who Mike Tomlin told you wasn't good. And that's last I checked. Mike Tomlin's one of the best coaches in football. If I can't look at his acumen and say maybe he's got it right.

[Don Hahn]

Well, it's like the Fields experiment didn't work because he came to dysfunction. He may were, I don't want to call him a straight bust. He's shown flashes of athletics but he.

[Rosenberg]

Didn'T work in Chicago, didn't work in Pittsburgh.

[Don Hahn]

Yeah, it's dysfunction. Dysfunction. I mean that's the thing you need.

[Rosenberg]

He can't read a defense.

[Don Hahn]

Yeah, he, he can't rely on his athleticism. But it's back to the Bobby's take, take there. Where do we go? How do you spin this as a fan? Like our guy moved off a four time MVP for a 20 game under 500 quarterback which you could spin into.

[Rosenberg]

It was going to be a huge dead cap hit. He didn't want Aaron Rodgers, the polarizing locker room figure to interfere with what he was trying to build. And he saw an opportunity at a reset in a quarterback who yes, has underwhelmed but had athleticism. Which again, I disagree with the decision to get off of Rogers, but if that's what you want to sell me on, fine. Because your defense at least is going to be excellent. Which we know has not been the case. And we're still. Wait yo. Going an entire season and I'm rooting for it by the way. Yeah, without an interception is just nuts.

[Don Hahn]

It's crazy.

[Rosenberg]

Batted ball deflection, just by accident, -19.

[Don Hahn]

In the turnover differential department.

[Rosenberg]

You can't get an interception. Like even the worst teams in football, the Giants are bad. We saw Bobby Karake Almost got, you know, have a pick six yesterday.

[Don Hahn]

Literally any dumb luck play and it's just not. That's why it's almost not to get too. Exactly you. It's like Aaron snubbed Aaron. The football God said you're going to free fall this year. Oh yeah, you're going to free fall.

[Rosenberg]

Early read on Sunday's game, Steelers, Ravens.

[Don Hahn]

I think you're onto a sharp thought here if you want to share it on the. On the three and a half.

[Rosenberg]

Yeah. So the opening line is three and a half.

[Don Hahn]

Pittsburgh getting home dog points.

[Rosenberg]

Three and a half points.

[Don Hahn]

Yep.

[Rosenberg]

It's Tomlin. It's that defense. It's 42 year old Aaron Rodgers. Prime time against the Ravens who we don't even know who their quarterback is.

[Don Hahn]

It's such a riveting matchup. All we know. All I know is a guy trying to get back some Vegas money. Over half my life is you want to take the dog, especially the home dog in the AFC north divisional dances. I'll throw you a little bit here on just head to head stuff. But just on this year alone, Mike Tomlin as an underdog, one of the best covers. So as a home dog or 7 point of 7 points or fewer on the sample size of his whole career, he's 196 and 1. That's 76% covering. Ridiculous. He's a 74% cover as a divisional dog. Absolutely remarkable. Now here's the most compelling trend not to get too in the weeds. Tomlin vs Harbaugh, 257 and 3 against the spread the underdog is covering. So it doesn't matter if it's Pittsburgh laying points. Baltimore Lane, whoever's getting points in Tomlin vs Harbaugh usually covers 25 7.

[Rosenberg]

Now here's what's fascinating too beyond just the gambling part. If you're a Giant fan, there is a part of you watching this with a little bit more interest because it's like hey, winning coach goes to the playoffs, losing coach coaches the Giants. Maybe there's that element to it.

[Don Hahn]

You think Giants fans would jump? Because I feel like some there's part of me that feels like Giants fans, all of them wouldn't jump on Harbaugh or Tomlin like might want a new fresh face look.

[Rosenberg]

You run into Giant fans who get silly in the, you know, Mike Tomlin, what's he going to do here? All he does is go 10 and 7 in Pittsburgh and the idea that you could be a Giants fan and just sneeze at a winning season is just crazy to me. By the way, Pat Leonard, before we take a break of the New York Daily News, tweets out to reiterate what I wrote in the New York Daily News and discussed on his podcast Talking Ball, a separate league source. Just text him, get ready to cover Joe Shane for another year.

[Don Hahn]

Oh Dr.

[Rosenberg]

So there is that. Hey, Ryan Reynolds here wishing you a.

[Don Hahn]

Very happy half off holiday because right.

[Rosenberg]

Now Mint Mobile is offering you the.

[Don Hahn]

Gift of 50% off unlimited.

[Rosenberg]

To be clear, that's half price, not half the service. Mint is still premium unlimited wireless for a great price. So that means half day.

[Don Hahn]

Yeah, give it a [e-mail] Switch upfront payment of $45 for three month plan.

[Anthony Pusick]

Equivalent to $15 per month required new customer offer for first three months only.

[Don Hahn]

Speed slow 135 gigabytes of network busy.

[Rosenberg]

Taxes and fees extra CMintmobile.com if you've.

[Don Hahn]

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[Rosenberg]

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[Don Hahn]

Thanks for listening to the Don Hahn and Rosenberg podcast. I didn't listen to anything you just said. Catch the show on demand whenever you want to. Just subscribe to us wherever you get your podcasts.

[Rosenberg]

This is.

[Don Hahn]

We're going to rub football all over ourselves today. I did consume a lot of football back in the day. Pre kids in my underwear. The NFL binge. You watch any game you baby, are you watching?

[Rosenberg]

All right, let's get to it. Ty Butler, Alex Monaco here till 6 o'. Clock. It is time for the NFL binge with the miserable Ranger fan. He goes by Anthony Pusick.

[Anthony Pusick]

Oh, thank you, Ty. Alex, good to work with you.

[Don Hahn]

Hey, what up, Anthony?

[Anthony Pusick]

For the last four, five, six, I probably can't even go longer. Seven, eight weeks I've had the joy if Peter's not in of actually talking good football on this second season.

[Rosenberg]

Wait, why has Peter been going for so long?

[Anthony Pusick]

Well, no, it actually is really more of who isn't here. Whether Alan's traveling, Don's traveling. Peter hasn't been here for a couple weeks. So whenever I have the opportunity and the privilege to do the binge and even when Peter gets the chance to do it over the last seven, eight weeks, we get to talk about the football that people actually care about, not what's happening in New York. All due respect to our two teams, they've been dead since Halloween.

[Rosenberg]

So by the way, real quick, the Chargers are resting their starters on Sunday.

[Don Hahn]

Not playing against the because they are not playing for the AFC west, which.

[Rosenberg]

They should have been. Yeah, they don't care about seeding so.

[Anthony Pusick]

Well, we do have some games that will be of interest on week 18 and we didn't think we would. There was a chance that this all would have been wrapped up for most of most of it and we all would have been good up except for one game. But on Saturday night, we go all the way back to Saturday night and we've had a long week 17. It started on Christmas and then we had Saturday. We have Sunday. We still have a game tonight. Yeah, but on Saturday night, the battle of the backups went to the Ravens.

[Don Hahn]

It is third and eighth from the Packer 10 look like they're bringing pressure with zero coverage. Huntley throws on third down. It is complete to the one turn to the end zone. Touchdown Zay Flowers.

[Anthony Pusick]

On wbal, Tyler Huntley and the Ravens bested Malik Willis and the Packers 41 to 24. Head coach John Harbaugh talked about his backup's performance.

[Don Hahn]

A plus. I mean a plus. Give him two pluses on top of that, maybe three. He couldn't be any better. I just saw some of the clutch plays, the kind of plays that you have to make and then, you know, I see Tyler every day in practice so I'm not surprised. I see him execute every day in practice. But for him to make the third down conversions, the scramble plays, the throws, the on time throws, the accurate throws that he made to run the offense in Lambeau Field, I mean it's loud in Lambeau Field. To run the offense the way he did, make the checks, the way he did, get us in the plays we needed to get in. Just a plus.

[Anthony Pusick]

That was a pretty entertaining game. When you thought that you were going to get Jordan Love and Lamar Jackson, you end up getting Tyler Huntley and Malik Willis. But it still lived up to a pretty entertaining game.

[Rosenberg]

Derrick Henry, man, four touchdowns, stiff arming and his issues this year have been fumbling. But maybe the Ravens learned a little something about, you know, in that game about, hey, how about we get Derrick Henry the ball more because against New England the fact that he had scored a touchdown and then for the final 12 minutes of that game we didn't see him on the field was just a disaster class from John Harbaugh. So expect to see more King Henry this Sunday night when they play the Steelers in a game to determine who wins the AFC North.

[Don Hahn]

Yeah, it's interesting guys. I mean in short, you lose your star quarterback, it makes a game plan pretty simple. And then on some level, football psychology wise, the Lions lay a complete egg, you know, day before Christmas to a guy who doesn't have a picture in Madden. And now all of a sudden the packers are in the playoffs just by osmosis and or just by a default. And so they just perfect timing there for the Ravens to play. Ravens top three rushing football.

[Anthony Pusick]

Who had the three touchdown Derek Henry, first half ticket. That's what I want to know. If that even exists.

[Don Hahn]

I will say I am in a fantasy championship named Henry Rowan Gardner. Shout out to the movie. Nice, nice little W there. I went against Malik in another one, so call it a wash. But yeah, fantasy sick.

[Anthony Pusick]

There were some unbelievable performances if you were in your fantasy championship to help you out this weekend. Yeah, but we talk about that game because thank you to the Browns. That upset for week 18 makes it very, very interesting.

[Don Hahn]

Out of the shotgun should order throw. Looking right past the ball, lofting right. He's got Fannin who catches at the two and rolls in.

[Rosenberg]

Touchdown.

[Don Hahn]

Oh, what a catch. Harold Fannin looked up, bounded in the rain, landed on his back and rolled untouched into the end zone.

[Anthony Pusick]

Our friends at ESPN880WBNR Cleveland upsets the Steelers 13 6, which sets up the Raven Steelers Week 18 AFC north crown on the line. Sunday Night Football. Aaron Rodgers, Steelers quarterback why are you confident in your team?

[Don Hahn]

Because we've done it all season. We handled diversity well and we had.

[Anthony Pusick]

To play our best ball.

[Don Hahn]

Yeah, we did.

[Anthony Pusick]

Other than today, you guys have mentioned the line. John Harbaugh already said wait and see with Lamar Jackson will know more on Wednesday. If you guys had to pick it right now, who do you think not cover who wins that game, Steelers or Ravens?

[Don Hahn]

I'm taking the Steelers. I'm on the Steelers to win the Super Bowl. I will have really. I'll walk home voluntarily, Anthony, from wherever I am on Sunday if they lose to which home? Yeah, I might go old school Tom hanks and walk 3,000 miles, backpack across.

[Rosenberg]

That I would love to see.

[Don Hahn]

But more just I'm walking all the way. All the way.

[Anthony Pusick]

See, that is interesting. Alex and Ty brought this up last week. You as a Jet fan, I know this is, I have to preface this because I've known you before he was a Jet. You love Aaron Rodgers. You've always loved Aaron Rodgers. You'd be happy to see him win a Super Bowl.

[Rosenberg]

Of course I love it.

[Anthony Pusick]

Ty, after the two years that again, not his fault that he got injured, but the two years with the jets that were so disappointing you'd want to see him win a Super Bowl.

[Rosenberg]

But I don't root against Darnold, I don't root against Salah. Like if you leave the jets.

[Anthony Pusick]

How about Zach Wilson?

[Rosenberg]

Just nothing to root against there. But like I would love to see Aaron, it would be comedy if he leaves the jets and immediately wins the Super Bowl. But just like there were people a couple of years ago trying to have the conversation, well, whose career would you rather have, Matt Stafford or Aaron Rodgers? And I thought it was ridiculous. A four time league mvp. And I get they've got the same number of championships. Right. But on no planet do you think that Stafford has had a better career than Rodgers. So I think we've gone too far in the other direction when it comes to how much we've criticized him and some of it has been fair, but we've gone too far. So to see him get a Super bowl, you know, as the icing on the cake for what's been one of the greatest careers we've seen in sports history, I just think it would be.

[Anthony Pusick]

Awesome that Conversation gets closer. If Stafford pulls it out this year.

[Rosenberg]

By the way, can I ask you a. I mean three.

[Anthony Pusick]

I said closer.

[Rosenberg]

I didn't say one MVP to four.

[Anthony Pusick]

He might get two to Ty's credit.

[Rosenberg]

No, but this would be his first league mvp.

[Anthony Pusick]

Is that right?

[Rosenberg]

Yeah. He never. He's never won an mvp.

[Don Hahn]

You called Browns, by the way, in the group text yesterday. I gotta give you credit. Not a soul had the Browns.

[Rosenberg]

I didn't call it.

[Don Hahn]

You had an inkling it was gonna happen.

[Rosenberg]

Can I just ask you guys a question?

[Anthony Pusick]

You can ask anything you want.

[Rosenberg]

So Miles Garrett, after the game says, to an extent, they were more worried about keeping me away from Aaron Rodgers than getting win. That came back to bite them. And I just thought it was silly because wouldn't the game plan anyway be to keep mob guard away from your quarterback? Like, why is that being treated as mutually exclusive?

[Anthony Pusick]

I guess overly cautious was the argument. You're being overly cautious.

[Rosenberg]

Okay, guys.

[Anthony Pusick]

That much protection preventing you from playing.

[Rosenberg]

You see that dude, Miles Garrett. Let's make sure he doesn't touch our quarterback. Whether it's, you know, trying to guard against him, getting the sack record or not, I think that gives you the best chance to win. I'm not Bill Parcells, but that feels like the best way to go about trying to beat the Browns.

[Anthony Pusick]

Well, we know the Patriots decimated the Jets. We've talked about that at length. But they should probably send another team that wears green a late Christmas gift for what they did in Buffalo.

[Don Hahn]

Allen quiets the clown. He's got three receivers to the far side.

[Rosenberg]

Allen puts a man in motion. Allen looks. He's back.

[Don Hahn]

He's firing. And it is incomplete. The Eagles win. The Eagles win. Now there's five seconds the clock, but the Eagles are going to win. He threw a pass for Shakir and it wasn't even close. The Eagles put the pressure on him.

[Anthony Pusick]

They're going to win on 94 WIP. Probably a conversation that will last much longer than this segment. Perhaps the gift that I mentioned from earlier should go to Sean McDermott. The Bills elect to go for two to win and not kick the PAT to tie after missing a pat earlier. They lose to the Eagles 13 to 12. That gives the Patriots the AFC east crown. Sean McDermott. One question. Why go for two?

[Don Hahn]

Want to be aggressive?

[Rosenberg]

Going for the win, you feel like.

[Don Hahn]

You know, only a certain amount of time left at that point, and felt.

[Rosenberg]

Like we had a great call, great opportunity to go win it, and I'm gonna be aggressive. So I'm not gonna sit back.

[Anthony Pusick]

Yeah, but those five seconds that was left on the clock, I don't think the Eagles were gonna come down and score. I think you had a pretty good chance that if you kicked that extra point that you most likely would have gotten, you would have went to overtime.

[Don Hahn]

Kick the pat. Go to overtime. Mediocre McDermott strikes again. Ty, I'm sorry. Talk it out with me.

[Rosenberg]

Let me ask you a question. Was, am I bugging or was Khalil Shakir wide open in the end zone to win the game?

[Anthony Pusick]

It could have been. It could. It would have been a completion if it was thrown.

[Rosenberg]

Better yet. So the Bills should have won the game if their quarterback would have just connected with an open receiver and. No, none of us are having this conversation today. None of us are killing mediocre McDermott if Josh Allen, the MVP of the league, simply completes a pass to a wide open Khalil Shakir.

[Don Hahn]

It was stretching to get a point back from a previous.

[Anthony Pusick]

I don't think so.

[Don Hahn]

It was when Philly hadn't scored in.

[Rosenberg]

30 minutes, which was trying to win the. I listen. So I don't think he's the best quarterback in football.

[Anthony Pusick]

We know that.

[Rosenberg]

But. No, he's great. But.

[Anthony Pusick]

No, I'm saying you don't. You don't view him.

[Rosenberg]

If you asked me one quarterback, I could have from the two yard line. I'm taking Josh Allen over everyone in football because of his physicality. Obviously, he's got arm talent. He is the scariest quarterback in the league in that situation. Two yards to go. So Sean McDermott realized I don't want to take any chances in overtime where things can get. Fluky, the MVP of the league, has the ball in his hands to steal a win a game we had no business winning. He's got an open receiver in the end zone. If he just simply completes that pass. No one's having this conversation today.

[Don Hahn]

I'm not a patient guy, albeit I meditate every morning. I can't believe he didn't. Just one more series. This is all be. It would be different if Bagley hit the extra point and they. Do you not feel like they were trying to get a point? It was. I don't know.

[Rosenberg]

Yeah, but it would have been different because they would have been down 6. So they now are kicking to win the game as. As opposed to kicking this in.

[Don Hahn]

So that's why I think they made a. Again, it sounds like how you dress it up. That was the right call. It was hot, garbage weather. No one could hold on the it was pouring rain, it was slippery. And then Josh Allen wants to get cute like an NBA guy shooting a regular season three and throw off his back foot going to his weak side and he comes up short.

[Rosenberg]

Why are we killing McDermott for something most of the coaches in football would have done yesterday?

[Anthony Pusick]

Oh, well, listen, going for two now is that's the thing to do, the easiest thing.

[Rosenberg]

We see it every week. So to pin this on McDermotter because.

[Don Hahn]

Because I, okay, I, I'm sitting there. What would Mike Rabel do in that spot? He would let his defense, I, I.

[Rosenberg]

I, I think stop if Drake May is cooking. We had seen two straight possessions of, of Josh Allen getting his team down the field and seemingly into the end zone. I, you go for the win.

[Anthony Pusick]

Which team changed the overtime rules, by the way? Or one of the overtime rules to be changed.

[Don Hahn]

That's great right there.

[Rosenberg]

Kept losing.

[Anthony Pusick]

I rest my case. Sunday night, another good one ended in San Fran with a thriller ball at.

[Don Hahn]

The two yard line for the Bears. No timeouts left. Here's the snap. Williams looking left. Williams looking right. Williams U turns gets away from Huff. Still looking, still looking. Backpedaling throws and it is incomplete. The ball game is over and the 49ers have won it.

[Anthony Pusick]

Electric on KNBR. Niners hold on to beat the Bears 42 to 38 and we'll play the Seahawks for the NFC west title on Saturday night. Kyle Shanahan not only getting a chance to play for the division week 18, but playing for the 1 seed. How do you feel?

[Don Hahn]

I mean, we've earned this. This is the game that we want. We love that it's here. Would love an opportunity to never leave here again this year. And we got that opportunity Saturday night.

[Anthony Pusick]

He's a really, really good offensive coach.

[Rosenberg]

Can we all admit that when the coach of the year award is handed out, it has to go to Kyle Shanahan.

[Anthony Pusick]

I believe he's the Favorite now on DraftKings. He's not mistaken. I believe he is.

[Don Hahn]

I double check when you look at.

[Rosenberg]

The injuries to that.

[Don Hahn]

No, I'm with you. It hasn't lost.

[Rosenberg]

He lost his quarterback. He lost his tight end. He lost his two best defensive players.

[Anthony Pusick]

Brendan Ayuk doesn't even want to show.

[Rosenberg]

Up his tight end. Yeah, Ayuk just quit on the team and they're about to be the one because I think they're gonna beat the Seahawks. They're gonna be the number one Seahawks. It's one of the greatest conference with all those injuries.

[Don Hahn]

One of the greatest. I mean you got to give credit to Salah too. Coaching up the D. No Warner, no Bosa. Not a soul had him run the table. Probably one of the greatest group coaching efforts we've seen in recent memory. Ty.

[Anthony Pusick]

That will be the NFL binge, fellas.

[Rosenberg]

What a tremendous job.

[Anthony Pusick]

Nice four little games there.

[Rosenberg]

You said you're just a hockey guy.

[Anthony Pusick]

I am just a hockey guy.

[Rosenberg]

You've got a lot more talent than that.

[Anthony Pusick]

Oh, that's very kind of you.

[Rosenberg]

This episode is brought to you by State Farm. Listening to this podcast. Smart move. Being financially savvy. Smart move. Another smart move having State Farm help you create a competitive price when you choose to bundle home and auto bundling. Just another way to save with a personal price plan. Like a good neighbor, State Farm is there. Prices are based on rating plans that vary by state.

[Anthony Pusick]

Coverage options are selected by the customer.

[Rosenberg]

Availability, amount of discounts and savings and eligibility vary by state. Coca Cola for the big, for the small, the short and the tall. Peacemakers. Risk takers for the optimists, pessimists for long distance love for introverts and extroverts, the thinkers and the doers for old friends and new Coca Cola for everyone. Pick up some Coca Cola at a store near you.

[Don Hahn]

There's a reason Chevy trucks are known for their dependability. Because they show up no matter the weather, push forward no matter the terrain and deliver. That's why Chevrolet has earned more dependability awards for trucks than any other brand in 2025, according to J.D. power. Because in every Chevy truck, like every Chevy driver, dependability comes standard. Visit chevy.com to to learn more. Chevrolet received the highest total number of awards among all the trucks in the JD powered 2025 U.S. vehicle Dependability Study Awards based on 2022 models. Newer models may be shown. Visit jdpower.com awards for more details. Chevrolet together. Let's drive. Thanks for listening to the Don Han and Rosenberg podcast. I didn't listen to anything you just said. Catch this show on demand whenever you want. Just subscribe to us wherever you get your podcast.

[Rosenberg]

That's some type of bench said that Anthony Pusick has talent, great energy. I can't believe you want to kill McDermott today. So Josh Allen throws an errant pass and we blame the head coach. Yeah, something about that feel is unfair when you're that great. When you're the MVP and you lose the game he cost his team not just that game, but the division they were going to have something to play for in week 18 and he throws an errand Pass. But every time Josh Allen loses, it's always someone else's fault.

[Don Hahn]

It's optics. We know Buffalo's defense has been sus all year, Ty, but they were great yesterday. Yes, which is to my point. You got Saquon held the what, 3.6 a carry under 70 yards. You got hurts doing nothing on the ground. Hertz was terrible yesterday. Pedestrian 13 for 27. They didn't move this.

[Rosenberg]

No passing yards in the second half.

[Don Hahn]

I feel like McDermott, he doesn't have feel. He doesn't have feel. What does that mean? It's live analytics, if you will. It's like knowing as a good point guard who to get the ball to and when. Okay, so you say out loud to anyone, you're at home, your defense is pitching a shutout in the second half. And it's not the old school overtime rules. Even if Philly went down and scored, which they wouldn't have, they would get a rebuttal, then go for two, then don't go for two in awful weather with so much on the line, do we realize that they would have had a home game if New England loses next week? And they would have won out now in a, in a last season for one of the best fan bases in all of sports, Bill's mafia. They don't even get a playoff home game now because of mediocre McDermott.

[Rosenberg]

No, because the quarterback missed the pass. But let me ask you a question. So would you agree that Philly's defense for the entirety of that game was exceptional?

[Don Hahn]

They're very good.

[Rosenberg]

If I ask you when was Philly's defense at its worst, what would your answer to that question be?

[Don Hahn]

I see what you're doing.

[Anthony Pusick]

Just answer the question.

[Rosenberg]

Just answer the question.

[Don Hahn]

Four last six.

[Rosenberg]

Okay, the last six minutes, fourth quarter. Okay. So knowing that I give the MVP of the league one play to win the game from the two yard line, you're telling me that at the point where we just acknowledged Phillies defense, as great as they were, were at its worst at the last part of the game, you're not signing up for that. Especially when the play call is drawn up and Shakir is wide open in the end zone?

[Don Hahn]

I would rock with you on that. Without question, Ty, if they weren't shutting down Philly's offense. All it is is patience. Stop them once for the ninth time in a row, go down and kick a field.

[Rosenberg]

We saw Josh give the ball up earlier in the game where he's like, he can't. He's kicking it down the opposite Side.

[Don Hahn]

Of the field I haven't believed in.

[Rosenberg]

McDermott brought up the weather like that. That to me gives me more confidence to just put it in his hands to end the game there. Because we get to overtime and flukiness.

[Don Hahn]

I get it. As the other factor is it's fourth in goal from the same exact spot. You get it successfully. You got to do essentially a two point conversion two times in a row. That is where I get a little tripped up.

[Rosenberg]

Saying that statistically is probably that at that point is. I don't want to say reeling because they were like really good. But it's on its heels. No man talking about like the pace of the Bills offense right now has that D line exhausted.

[Don Hahn]

It's too much. Look, if it was Jake Moody kicking.

[Rosenberg]

Okay, maybe it worked though. It worked. The play call works. Your quarterbacks got to make that.

[Don Hahn]

Well, I think he makes that play in a crisp dome with no weather.

[Rosenberg]

Come on, we can't do that. We're talking about one of the three best quarterbacks.

[Don Hahn]

No, you're spinning on any given Pacino Sunday. Would I take Josh Allen from the two yard line one play to win it all? The answer is yes. In that certain circumstance, I'm not doing it.

[Rosenberg]

Do you think Josh Allen thinks he should have made that throw?

[Don Hahn]

Well, yeah, it was going ballistic.

[Rosenberg]

Exactly.

[Don Hahn]

Mr. Steinfeld was not happy.

[Rosenberg]

He knew he should have made the throw. Poor Josh Allen just got engaged and now that's kind of like sunk the mood in the house because he cost this team the division.

[Don Hahn]

I'm telling you. When?

[Rosenberg]

When? And now you got to win three playoff rounds on the road just to get to the Super Bowl.

[Don Hahn]

And that's why you kick. You have too much on the line. If you're Buffalo, the only chance Buffalo hat to run the AFC table was through Buffalo. And of course so Buffalo it. No Lamar, maybe no Mahomes, none of the Big Goliath Joe, Joey Burr in the way. And then mediocre McDermott strikes again. A guy that burned a timeout down two scores with three timeouts and Allen on the one last year in LA. Not saying I have a rain man photographic memory may or may not have had a little bit of money on it. And I remember Josh Allen's body language and if you watch Josh Allen's body language in reference to McDermott, very often he is non verbally frustrated. He's a nice guy though, unfortunately he's going to run. He's going to run ringless until they make a change, they're not winning a Super bowl with McDermott. He's not situationally sound. It's actually an abomination how little they've won in postseason play. You have no one else to stare at.

[Rosenberg]

Interesting, considering it was the quarterback who lost him the game yesterday. But this is the trend that tends to happen because we're already seeing it. It's funny. Just a couple of weeks ago. And we'll hit a break here in a moment. Just a couple of weeks ago, everyone in the national media and I think rightfully painted this picture AFC wide open. No Mahomes, no borough. Didn't look like we were getting Lamar Jackson. It is wide open. Which means Josh Allen is the favorite to win that conference. He's the favorite. He's got the most experience. He's the best quarterback. And now what are we hearing today? Man, that foot giving him some issues? I don't know. That foot's giving him some problems. And it's going to be perfect because when the Bills lose in the playoffs, we're not going to hear people killing Josh for failing to meet the moment the way they would with the Lamar or the way they would with even a Patrick Mahomes who's already proven the way they would with Joe Burrow. What we're going to hear is, man, that foot injury, who could have done it?

[Don Hahn]

So you think Allen gets all these.

[Rosenberg]

Excuses and then people are going to do what you're doing right now, which is head coach has got to go.

[Don Hahn]

Can I just.

[Rosenberg]

Head coach has got to go. Just mediocre.

[Don Hahn]

Just rock them.

[Rosenberg]

It's so funny. The Bills have no help. All I see every week is James Cook just gashing people's D. He's going to be the rushing leader, but apparently he has no help. So let's blame the, you know, lack of weapons, blame the head coach, blame the injury. It's never this dude's fault. So he threw the pass yesterday that, you know to an open receiver.

[Don Hahn]

But you're can to to end it here. From my perspective, can two things be true? You are absolutely right. Josh Allen lost the game. But what does it also mean? What does it tell you at the poker table? It tells you McDermott doesn't trust his defense. This is a three phase.

[Rosenberg]

Tells me that McDermott, maybe to a fault, trusted his MVP quarterback to pick up two yards.

[Don Hahn]

Thanks for listening to the Don Hahn and Rosenberg podcast. I don't want to know to how the sausage is made, man.

[Anthony Pusick]

I just want to know.

[Don Hahn]

It's good. Hear more of Don Allen and Peter. Weekday afternoon, starting at 3 on 880.

[Anthony Pusick]

ESPN, the ESPN New York app, and your smart speakers.