Don, Hahn & Rosenberg – Hour 2: Giants & NFL Binge

Date: October 27, 2025
ESPN New York Hosts: Don La Greca, Alan Hahn, Peter Rosenberg

Episode Overview

This lively episode is a classic blend of sports banter, heated New York football analysis, and a full-throttle NFL binge. The trio dives into the perpetual Jets' "fret," dissect the battered Giants' season and Jackson Dart’s leadership, rage at NFL officiating, break down recent standout NFL performances, and engage in rapid-fire sports trivia and debates—all with their characteristic blend of humor, sarcasm, and exasperation. The second hour seamlessly weaves between in-depth football talk and the hosts' trademark personality-driven tangents.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Jets' Emotional Dysfunction: Tanking vs. Competence

[00:41 - 05:32]

• Jets First Win & the "Jet Fret":
  • The group comments on the Jets finally getting a win, but Peter Rosenberg captures the fanbase malaise:
    Peter: "You always worry about the bad result of the good things happening. Because we don't deserve good things." (03:02)
  • Debate over tanking for draft picks versus rooting for actual progress and competent coaching/management.
• Don’s Tough Love:
  • Don: "How about rooting for knowing what you’re doing? And when you know what you’re doing, you win. So stop with this BS tank and garbage, all right?" (02:26)
• Alan: Criticizes the consistency of dysfunction, regardless of who gets drafted:
  • “How many teams they don’t know what they’re doing…the Jets don’t know what they’re doing.” (02:07)
• Peter: Shares the wounded resignation of Jets fandom:
  • "As a Jets fan, we've seen a million quarterbacks and we've messed them all up. We've wrecked them all, right?" (04:51)

2. Giants Grit, Injury Woes & the Future of Jackson Dart

[05:32 – 14:01]

• Injury Catastrophe: Cam Scatteurbeaux’s rise and awful injury gets spotlighted.
  • Peter: "The poor guy, that injury was gruesome. When you dislocate the ankle and you get emergency surgery…that’s really concerning. I feel bad for the kid who was having just a hell of a rookie season." (05:56)
• Dart’s Resilience & Offense Woes:
  • Despite five sacks, Dart is commended for battling on, but the offense is depleted.
  • Don: "You’re not going to win any games. There’s just too many guys that have walked out the door. The defense isn’t any good…right now you’ve got no running game." (07:52)
  • "All this season is about right now...is watching Jackson Dart mature and become a better quarterback." (08:16)
• Coaching & Coordinating Future:
  • Consensus that defensive coordinator is “dead man walking” (07:05).
  • Outlook: likely blowing everything up except possibly Dart as the franchise centerpiece.

3. Officiating Controversy: The Tush Push Outrage

[09:10 – 15:16]

• Tush Push Debate:
  • Controversy over a play where Giants’ Kayvon Thibodeaux forced a fumble that was negated for “forward progress”—infuriating for Giants fans.
  • Alan: “Could you call. Read the room. I don’t. I can’t believe…this play is impossible to stop. And there you’re going to have a bam, bam, instantaneous strip and you still give them forward progress.” (09:45)
  • Don: “If you can’t officiate it, you’ve got to get rid of it. Mike Pereira has said it. Officials have come forward to say it...it can’t be officiated. That’s how you bring it to the table.” (11:11)
• Broader Officiating Issues:
  "The officiating part has really come off the hinges this season..." — Alan (11:21)
• Fairness & Replay Deficiency:
  • Questioning why forward progress isn’t reviewable: “If the whistle didn’t blow, how can they rule forward progress for sure?” — Alan (14:14)
  • Railing against the NFL’s inability to modernize rules for clarity, safety, and fairness.

4. Jackson Dart: The SWAGU Leadership Debate

[16:00 – 22:36]

• Alan’s Critique (with timestamps):
  • Criticism of Dart’s reaction to Cam’s injury (“the screaming…gave very high school college energy,” 16:00) and his post-game “nozzle glasses” at the podium (“the whole swag thing…only plays well if you’re playing exceptionally good football,” 17:33).
  • Suggestion: Show more “quarterback leader” demeanor at the podium, especially after a loss.
• Rosenberg & Don: Uncle Vibes and Changing Times:
  • Peter: “This is like the uncles coming into the living room and saying, son, sit down a second. We gotta talk to you about something.” (18:15)
  • Don: Acknowledges that the message matters more than the look, but optics can affect perception, especially in a city like NY. "Isn’t the fact that he said the right things more important than the decision to wear the glasses or how he looked at the podium total, rather than him walking out there looking perfect?" (20:33)
  • Players now have more individuality, and not everyone will be “buttoned up” like Eli or Jeter.
• Analogy: Rosenberg recalls being chided for wearing a backwards hat on CNN—a metaphor for presentation affecting message perception.

5. Around the NFL: The Binge Segment

[27:02 – 38:51]

Buffalo Bills Blowout

• James Cook’s Breakout:
  • 216 yards, 2 TDs - best since O.J. Simpson (1976).
  • Josh Allen: "He’s playing outstanding. I think the more times we get the ball in his hands, the better we’re going to be." (29:34)

Ravens Without Lamar

• Tyler Huntley Gets a Rare Win:
  • Ravens beat Bears with Huntley at QB—a rare non-Lamar win; Harbaugh clarifies injury status confusion.
  • John Harbaugh: "It really is an honest mistake. I can tell you this. Nobody’s trying to hide anything." (30:03)

Colts Keep Rolling

• 7-1, Jonathan Taylor Dominates:
  • Taylor: 153 yards, 3 TDs.
  • Stat from Peter: “After Week 7, the team with the best record in the NFL eight of the last 10 years has gone to the Super Bowl.” (33:36)
  • Alan: “Why can’t he have his moment?” (33:10)

AFC Contenders Debate

• Don poses a Super Bowl question: "Are you taking the Ravens or the Colts to come out of the AFC?" (31:03)
  • Peter: Colts. "Their defense is so bad." (31:16)
  • Don: Leans Ravens with Jackson’s return.

NFL Trivia Fun

• Which QBs have beaten all 32 teams? (Favre, Brady, Manning, Brees)
  • Fun back-and-forth as the crew struggles through the answers, riffing on NFL history and player movement. (From 37:33 onward)

6. NFL Jerseys & Throwbacks: Too Much Nostalgia?

[41:03 – 49:30]

• Steelers’ 1933 Throwbacks:
  • Strong disdain for the “repulsive” Steelers’ throwback uniforms.
  • Don (Passionate Rant): “This is why you’re trying too hard, bro…honor the ’70s Steelers, right? Nobody cares about the 1933 Pittsburgh Pirates that finished 3, 6 and 2…What are you honoring? You’re honoring nothing.” (48:07-49:30)

7. End-of-Episode Banter: Hibachi & Road Life

[50:23 – End]

• Don’s road trip to Denver, team dinners, and their thoughts on Hibachi etiquette (the ‘kid sake’, squirt bottles, and sake fun).
• On drinks at Hibachi:
  Alan: “I don’t like the idea of someone…sprays liquid into my mouth. It’s not…not my favorite thing.” (52:19)
• The three riff on group meals and holiday parties before wrapping up.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Don (on tanking): "Stop with this BS tank and garbage, all right?" (02:26)
• Peter (on Jets fandom): "You always worry about the bad result of the good things happening. Because we don't deserve good things." (03:02)
• Alan (on Giants’ outlook): "All this season is about right now...is watching Jackson Dart mature and become a better quarterback." (08:16)
• Don (on officiating): "If you can’t officiate it, you’ve got to get rid of it." (11:11)
• Alan (on Dart): "...be a regular dude. I just don’t...the whole swag thing that Dart is rolling with only plays well if you’re playing exceptionally good football." (17:33)
• Peter (analogy): “This is like the uncles coming into the living room and saying, son, sit down a second.” (18:15)
• Don (on Steelers’ throwbacks): “You’re honoring garbage…nobody cares about the 1933 Pittsburgh Pirates that finished 3, 6 and 2.” (48:07)
• Fun sentiment: "We're gonna rub football all over ourselves today." — Alan (27:02)

Key Timestamps for Major Segments

• Jets Fret & Tanking Debate: 00:41 – 05:32
• Giants Injury Crisis & Dart Fire: 05:32 – 14:01
• Tush Push/Officiating Outrage: 09:10 – 15:16
• Jackson Dart SWAGU Debate: 16:00 – 22:36
• NFL Binge Segment Starts: 27:02
• James Cook/Bills: 28:24
• Ravens Without Lamar: 29:47 – 30:55
• Colts Win/Stats: 32:23 – 33:47
• Beat All 32 Teams Trivia: 37:33 – 40:27
• Steelers Throwback Debate: 41:03 – 49:30
• Final Banter/Hibachi Talk: 50:23 – End

Tone & Language

The episode is rich with classic New York frustration, self-deprecating fandom, blunt honesty, and quick-witted humor. The trio is candid—often sarcastic, sometimes exasperated, always passionate about their teams and the state of the NFL.

For New Listeners

Even without having heard the episode, this summary captures the thematic whirlwind: the despair and hope of NY football fans, hilarious debates on style and substance, frustration with NFL officiating, and first-hand accounts of sports culture—both on and off the field.