Don, Hahn & Rosenberg – Hour 2: Wentz for Jets & Fraud Alert Friday

Date: March 6, 2026
Hosts: Don La Greca, Alan Hahn, Peter Rosenberg
Podcast: ESPN New York

Episode Overview

This episode dives deep into the New York Jets' quarterback conundrum for the 2026 season, spotlighting the (somewhat unenthusiastic) possibility of Carson Wentz as the next starter. The hosts break down free agent and trade options, covering the challenges the Jets face in attracting viable quarterbacks. The second half of the episode is dedicated to "Fraud Alert Friday," an interactive feature where listeners email their suspected cases of sports fandom fraudulence, prompting animated debate on loyalty, relocating fanhood, and sports peer pressure.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Jets’ Quarterback Situation

(00:45–13:09)

• Current State of Options:
  The hosts lament the Jets’ lack of appealing quarterback options. The talk centers around Carson Wentz potentially becoming the 2026 starter due to his connection to coach Frank Reich, noting other options like Kyler Murray, Malik Willis, Kirk Cousins, and Geno Smith are either landing elsewhere or off the table.

  Peter Rosenberg:

  "Jets fans, you deserve better than to be having a conversation about...Carson Wentz is going to be your starting quarterback. This guy is hanging on to being in the league by a thread. In fact...a thread off of Frank Reich's crusty boxers." (01:47)

• Jets as 'Least Attractive Destination':
  Alan cites insider Jeremy Fowler, reiterating that no big-name free agent wants to come to the Jets, likening the process to "musical chairs" where the Jets are left standing.

  Alan Hahn:

  "The quarterback chase in free agency will be a game of musical chairs and the Jets will be the team that does not have a chair." (02:49)

• Potential Free Agency/Draft Strategy:
  Alan proposes following the Giants’ recent model: signing two veteran QBs plus drafting a rookie. Geno Smith is discussed as a "bridge" starter with Wentz as Reich's system guy, with consensus that both are unexciting but pragmatic options.

  • Geno: Capable, but declining; possible low-risk starter.
  • Cousins: Hosts express skepticism about his arm and health (broken, “gone away quickly”).
  • Tua Tagovailoa: Floated as a trade possibility if Miami includes a first-round pick to dump his salary; concerns about health offset his higher upside.

• Other Names:
  Flacco, Jimmy Garoppolo, Kenny Pickett are all dismissed as “flotsam and jetsam” options lacking real upside.

  Alan Hahn:

  "This is the flotsam and jetsam you’re left with." (09:00)

2. Fan “Fraudulence” & Listener Scenarios

(25:09–51:25)

• What Makes a Fraudulent Fan:
  The segment explores what defines legitimate versus “fraudulent” sports fandom: changing teams, rooting for frontrunners, and adapting allegiances after moving.

• Listener Cases:

  1. Colin’s Dilemma – New Loyalty
     A North/South Carolina-native adopts Mets and Knicks fandom after moving to NY; accused of “fraud” for giving up on the Hornets.

     • Hosts agree moving teams because your original team relocated is not fraudulent; rooting interests can shift with life moves.

     Don La Greca:

     "They moved. So what was he supposed to do?" (27:56)

     Peter Rosenberg’s Take:

     "There's a thing about moving to a city that becomes your permanent home…if it's like, oh yeah, I liked the Hornets, then they left. Yeah. Why wouldn't you pick up the Mets and the Knicks? You live here now. This is your home." (28:49)

  2. Logan’s Accusation – Dad as Bandwagoner
     Listener’s father starts calling himself a Dodgers and Lakers fan post-2020 titles, didn’t follow teams beforehand. Doesn’t watch the games, finds out about big trades late.

     • Hosts: Open-and-shut fraud case. Explicitly called out for “bandwagon” rooting.

     Don La Greca:

     "When it's this obvious...what are you doing?" (34:24)
     Alan Hahn:
     "Younger than Don and I. Don and I should call him and rip him." (35:04)

  3. Tommy’s Birthday Bash – Birthday at Yankee Stadium as a Mets Fan
     Diehard Mets fan throws his own birthday parties at Yankee Stadium, citing the bar scene as more fun than Citi Field, even though he isn’t rooting for the Yanks.

     • Hosts: Ruling is “human fraud” (not sports fraud); criticize prioritizing friends’ enjoyment over personal fandom on his own birthday.

     Don La Greca:

     "It's your birthday. What are you catering to them for? That's like, I don't like having birthday cake, but everybody at the party likes it, so we’re gonna have it. No, it’s your birthday." (37:34)
     Alan Hahn:
     "They're not friends. They're users. Next, you're gonna tell me you buy all the tickets." (39:32)

  4. Peter’s Fence-Sitting Fandom
     Recurring debate: Can Peter be a Celtics (lifelong) and a Knicks supporter (due to living and working in NY media)?

     • Heated call-in criticizes Peter’s lack of commitment; claims neither set of fans will accept him.
     • Peter and the hosts explain the difference between city “adoption” and “planting the flag,” agree Peter is somewhat “fraudulent” but defend the complexity of rooting interests for media personalities.

     Peter Rosenberg:

     "I'm not changing or planting the flag somewhere else...I love the Celtics. They're a team I've rooted for my whole life, but I've always rooted for them from afar. It's never a city I've lived in once in my life." (47:01)

     Don La Greca:

     "It's still fraudulent in a way, but nobody can compare their situation to your situation." (48:53)

3. Hockey Trade Deadline Frustrations

(16:34–22:05)

• Hasty breakdown of major NHL deadline moves and strong opinions on the league’s playoff format, particularly how top teams face each other too early.

• Don vents about teams like Colorado, Dallas, and Minnesota battling it out in early rounds, blaming the NHL’s bracket obsession.

  Don La Greca:

  "We're gonna take either the second or fourth best team in the league and boot him out of the first round so some yo-yo in Nebraska can have fun. That's what you porn's for." (17:59)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• "Musical chairs and the Jets will be the team that does not have a chair."
  – Alan Hahn, on the Jets' free agency situation (02:49)

• "This guy is hanging on to being in the league by a thread. In fact, it's less than a thread. It's a thread off of Frank Reich's crusty boxers."
  – Peter Rosenberg, on Carson Wentz (01:47)

• "It's not sports fraud. This is human fraud."
  – Don La Greca, admonishing a listener for putting friends' fun over his own fandom on his birthday (38:33)

• "You're a fraud. Good for fraud. No, because that's what you’re supposed to do."
  – Peter Rosenberg and Alan Hahn, riffing on birthday party loyalty (40:08)

• "When it's this obvious, man. What are you doing?"
  – Don La Greca, ruling on the bandwagon fan father case (34:24)

• "Younger than Don and I. Don and I should call him and rip him."
  – Alan Hahn, on the 50-year-old “fraud” dad (35:04)

• "You accept that, Alan? ...Yeah, of course. I mean, it's not like the Wizards, the hometown team, right? This is different."
  – Alan Hahn, on Peter’s complicated Celtics/Knicks rooting (49:33)

Important Segment Timestamps

• Jets QB situation opens: 00:45
• Wentz as frontrunner & “musical chairs”: 01:43–03:09
• Veteran vs. rookie draft approach: 03:29–06:55
• Tua Tagovailoa trade speculation: 09:08–12:30
• Jets QB “bottom of the barrel” reality: 12:37
• Listener Q&A (“Fraud Alert Friday”) begins: 25:09
• Celtics/Knicks dual-loyalty debate: 44:51–51:25
• Hockey trade deadline frustrations: 16:34–22:05

Tone & Style

The conversation is fast-paced, candid, and peppered with the trio's trademark humor, sarcasm, and blunt New York sports talk. The hosts riff with each other and the audience, fostering a spirited—and self-deprecating—debate on what it means to be a “true fan” and the unending headaches of rooting for troubled franchises.

Summary

• Jets' QB search: Uninspiring and desperate; hosts predict more “bridge” solutions and little hope for a star.
• Fan “fraud” cases: Switching teams, choosing fun over tradition, and bandwagoning are debated with passion and wit.
• Hockey segment: Angry and humorous dissection of the NHL’s playoff problems.
• Recurring theme: In New York sports, loyalty gets complicated, everyone’s a little bit of a fraud, and sometimes you just have to own it.