Hour 3: Dart Expectations

Summary

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Don, Hahn & Rosenberg

Hour 3: Dart Expectations

Date: September 26, 2025
Hosts: Don La Greca, Alan Hahn, Peter Rosenberg
Theme: The dawn of a new era for the New York Giants, cautious optimism around Jackson Dart’s starting debut, and broader reflections on quarterback development and Giants organizational challenges.

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Episode Overview

This hour is dominated by a lively, candid, and sometimes comedic roundtable on the New York Giants’ decision to start rookie quarterback Jackson Dart for the first time. The team—Don La Greca, Alan Hahn, and Peter Rosenberg—explores fans’ expectations, the significance of quarterback-coach chemistry, how Giants fans should approach Dart’s debut, the pitfalls of overreaction, and the broader ramifications for the franchise. Listener calls, especially about expectations and fandom, round out the discussion, with the hosts also making their NFL picks for the week.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

Setting the Stage: Context for Jackson Dart’s Debut

• Chargers vs. Giants: The Giants’ matchup against the LA Chargers is framed as a challenge, especially with the much-anticipated debut of Jackson Dart.
• Cautious Optimism vs. Realism:
  • Rosenberg urges fans to “keep the expectations reasonable,” noting the franchise’s broader issues, particularly coaching:
    • “It’s losing with purpose, right guys?… Let me lose with my shiny new toy.” (01:35)
  • Alan Hahn is on the same wavelength, stressing “cautious optimism” but reminding listeners not to expect miracles.

Coaching: The Real Hurdle?

• Coaching Skepticism:
  • Rosenberg repeatedly questions whether Brian Daboll’s coaching staff can develop Dart:
    • “If there’s a coaching problem with the Giants, I don’t know how the kid overcomes that… How is he supposed to overcome bad coaching, bad play calling, just a bad aura around the organization?” (03:56, 13:24)
  • The hosts suggest that even a promising quarterback can be doomed without “simpatico” between the quarterback and coach—a connection never found with Daniel Jones.

What Should Fans Expect from Dart?

• Temper Expectation:
  • Don and Alan stress that Dart needs time—one game (good or bad) is not enough to know what he’ll become. They caution against immediately anointing or discarding him:
    • “No fan does… you always want to have that immediate moment where it’s just like, you declare it: oh, we got our guy. But you know, in reality, you’re not going to know.” (05:39, Don)
• Offense Will Look Different:
  • Don explains why the Giants can’t (and shouldn’t) run their usual offense:
    • “It’s not going to be the Giant offense. It’s going to be what they did at Ole Miss... because that’s the only way he’s going to be comfortable.” (06:09)
• Processing > Arm Talent:
  • Emphasis on what makes a successful QB in the NFL—quick processing and decision-making are more important than arm strength:
    • “He doesn’t have to have all the physical attributes that make a top five pick. I’m not worried about that. I just want to see how is he in the huddle, how do the players respond to him…” (07:23, Don)

Fan Reaction & Overreaction

• Risk of Knee-Jerk Judgements:
  • The group warns against Monday morning hot takes, both positive and negative, based on a single start:
    • “If he’s great or he is awful, that matters. Now, if he’s mediocre, Allen, I think you take nothing from it and you see what happens next week…” (08:01, Allen)
  • Rosenberg also raises how quickly fans and media can swing between hype and despair:
    • “If he goes out there and throws three touchdowns, 300 yards, I’m not going to all of a sudden book tickets to Canton, but that would show me something…” (08:29)

Importance of “The Moment” and Body Language

• Looking for Signs:
  • Fans want to see “that one play” or spark—something distinctively Dart:
    • “You want that one little magic moment that just makes you feel like, okay, there’s something there. That’s all you’re looking for.” (29:29, Don)
• Body Language Tells All:
  • The team will be watching how Dart reacts to adversity, his composure in the huddle, and how teammates respond:
    • “How does he look the series after a pick? Does he look beaten? Or does he look like a guy that wants to go out there and be better in the next drive?” (32:23, Peter)

Fans’ Role and Spectacle Around the Game

• Banner Planes and Fan Base Mood:
  • Rosenberg criticizes planned protest planes as “tired” and “performative,” questioning the timing with a new quarterback debuting:
    • “On this day that literally could be ushering in the new era of Giants football that you’re hoping for, is that really the day you want planes flying overhead?” (11:48)
• Callers Echo the Message:
  • Callers, like Griffin, urge Giants fans to be patient:
    • “Don’t get sucked into these preseason games expecting him to be great… If he has struggles versus a very good Chargers defense, don’t call in on Monday and say he’s not the guy…” (27:30, Griffin)

Quarterback-Coaching Symbiosis & Franchise Future

• Quarterback Carousel and Regime Changes:
  • The team bemoans the cycle of wasted talent through poor organizational planning—no one wants Dart to have to endure another regime change:
    • “As you root for Jackson Dart, you gotta root for Daboll and Kafka to be the right people, because that’s the best case scenario… Otherwise, it’s just not going to happen.” (15:03, Peter)
• Comparing Giants & Jets Situations:
  • Unlike the Jets, the Giants at least have a possible franchise QB to develop hope around, the hosts argue.
• Who Hurt Their Team More?
  • In a side discussion, the group playfully debates whether letting Sam Darnold or Daniel Jones go has “hurt” their previous teams more, highlighting the unpredictability of quarterback futures. (21:18)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On being restrained in expectations:
  Peter Rosenberg (02:17):

  “I don’t want to say zero expectations, but don’t put too much on the kid’s plate, man… I don’t want to put any statistical value on it… I really don’t know what to expect Sunday.”

• On coaching as the real make-or-break:
  Peter Rosenberg (13:24):

  “If you don’t have the right coach, it’s not going to matter… even if he ends up being great, it’s not going to matter if it’s this coaching staff.”

• On the importance of process over raw talent:
  Don La Greca (07:23):

  “He doesn’t have to have all the physical attributes, I’m not worried about that. I just want to see… how do the players respond…”

• On fan overreactions—positive and negative:
  Don La Greca (29:29):

  “You want that one play, that one moment where it’s like, did you see him?... That’s all you’re looking for. You don’t want him seeing ghosts… You don’t want a butt fumble…”

• Caller Griffin offering perspective:
  Griffin (27:30):

  “If he has a little struggles versus a very good Chargers defense… don’t call in on Monday and say he’s not the guy. We made the wrong choice. Don’t get sucked into what the preseason was.”

• On quarterback and coach connection:
  Don La Greca (14:25):

  “It always felt like Daniel Jones… never seemed like they were simpatico. Right? Am I right?”

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Important Timestamps

| Timestamp | Segment Description | |-----------|------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 01:35 | Opening hype for Jackson Dart’s debut—tempering expectations | | 03:56 | Rosenberg outlines his concern about the coaching staff | | 05:39 | Don on fan impatience and the need to wait for real QB evaluation | | 06:09 | Don: Giants’ offense will be Ole Miss-style to help Dart succeed | | 08:01 | Allen and Don: Only extreme good or bad in Dart’s debut really “matters”| | 11:29 | On protest planes over MetLife, and why it’s poor timing | | 13:24 | Rosenberg: QB can’t succeed if the coaching staff is wrong | | 15:03 | Peter: “Root for Dart AND the staff to be right, to avoid regime change”| | 21:18 | The “who got away” QB debate: Darnold vs. Daniel Jones | | 27:30 | Caller Griffin on resisting overreaction to Dart’s debut | | 29:29 | Don: What fans should really be looking for—a flash, a “moment” | | 31:38 | Don and Peter: What would signal Dart is an upgrade over Wilson | | 33:13 | Allen and Don: Importance of Dart’s body language, composure in huddle | | 36:54 | Griffin: The speed/physicality of true NFL play is an adjustment for Dart|

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NFL Picks Segment

The show wraps up with their weekly NFL picks, which becomes a playground for friendly rivalry, stats, and the hosts’ unique lens on the week’s biggest games. (39:36 onwards)

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Conclusion / Takeaways

• Be Excited—But Realistic: Jackson Dart finally presents Giants fans with hope and intrigue, but this hour is a relentless reminder that patience and context are essential. One good (or bad) game won’t tell us what he’ll become.
• System Fit & Coaching Matter Most: Even the most talented rookie can be doomed by a poor coaching fit. A successful partnership with Daboll and Kafka is as important as Dart’s talent.
• Enjoy the Ride: Amidst frustration and fatigue from previous regimes and quarterback swings-and-misses, this episode asks Giants fans to look for progress, flashes of potential, and avoid snap judgments—while savoring the rare feeling of meaningful hope.

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“You want that one little magic moment that just makes you feel like, okay, there’s something there. That’s all you’re looking for.”
—Don La Greca (29:29)

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[Listener calls and the NFL picks bring humanity to the sports talk—a reminder that, for New York football fans, the emotional rollercoaster is half the fun.]

Transcript

[Don Hahn]

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[Peter Rosenberg]

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[Don Hahn]

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[Peter Rosenberg]

Game time is brought to you by Tellam. Or do Irish Whiskey because when it's game time guys, sure, it's Tully time. Mets start their series final series of the regular season. Maybe their final games of 2025 in Miami versus the Marlin and that'll be right after us on 880 at 6:30 and the Yankees still a chance to win the division. Flat footed tie with the Blue Jays going into final weekend. They'll be hosting the Baltimore Orioles at 7:05, Devils and Islanders at UBS at 7 like you dream about. So a lot going on Tullamore du the original triple distilled, triple blended and triple cast matured Irish Whiskey. Be sure to grab a Tullamore due. Try the new Tullamore Dew honey during today's action glasses up to enjoying Tullamore Dew responsibly. You got the baseball this weekend and the only football because the jets are Monday. And don't forget to check out the Couchcast right here on our YouTube channel beginning at 7 o' clock right after our show on Monday.

[Allen]

You got to smash it.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Smash. That should be a lot of fun. So the Giants from a football perspective have our attention and everybody's excited about Jackson Dart. And why not? Because it's not so much excited about winning the game because it's going to be tough to win the game. Chargers are really good. It's losing with purpose, right guys? It's like if I'm going to lose, let me lose with my shiny new toy. That's going to learn, that's going to get better and then eventually become our franchise quarterback. So I'm excited to watch the Giants and see how he looks now. I caution Giant fans to go in with enthusiasm but keep the expectations reasonable.

[Allen]

Cautious optimism Dom because of the fact.

[Peter Rosenberg]

That I still think they're coached poorly, I still think they have a coaching issue and I don't think the kid's going to be able to overcome that so I think he'll be better than Russell Wilson. He's more athletic than Russell Wilson. But let's be cool, man, because I don't know how much better it's going to look on the scoreboard. It might be more entertaining and it's going to be nice to lose with purpose and maybe surprise a few people down the down. Down the road here. But, guys, shouldn't you just go in with. I don't want to say zero expectations, but don't put too much on the kid's plate, man. I know he's experienced from college. I know he really impressed in the preseason, but we don't know. We have no idea what he's going to. That's why I think the reaction inside the room has been lukewarm. We played the Dexter Lawrence sound. Why as a player, guys, would you be anything other than lukewarm? What could you know? No matter how good he's looked in practice, he's only played with the ones like 10% of the time as a backup. Did not play with the ones or against ones in the preseason. As excited as the organization is about this kid, I think everybody's just going to watch and see what it looks like. But my worry is if he. If there. If there's a coaching problem with the Giants, which I believe there is, I don't know how the kid overcomes that. So I'm going to go in and just hope to see entertaining football, see a kid that gets it. But I don't want to put any statistical value on it. I don't want to say he's got to do this or he's got to do that. I really don't know what to expect on Sunday. I don't. But I'm looking forward to it either way.

[Allen]

That's the way you have to go into this game. And the reality is when you have a team that, you know cannot do that much in a given year, it's not the best way to watch football. But when you have an opportunity at least, like, for example, I think the Giants are in a much more appealing spot than the jets because I don't believe the jets have any belief that Justin Fields is actually going to be their guy.

[Peter Rosenberg]

I think.

[Allen]

I don't. I think it was a little band aid, a nice band aid. Maybe we'll stumble into something.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Yeah, it feels like.

[Allen]

And it looks like they won't, Don. It looks like they probably won't. Whereas with the Giants, to be clear, I still think this is a big hope. I think we know very little about who Jackson Dart is, and I heard it being discussed on K show yesterday. Who is he talking to?

[Peter Rosenberg]

Probably Orlovsky. I know he had on.

[Allen]

Was it Dan? Either way, Michael was asking basically, you know, if Dart is so good, why was he picked at 25? And the explanation that essentially you could see a lot in him, but he just doesn't have that unbelievable top five pick sort of arm talent or anything like that makes this still probably an uphill battle. And I would not go into tomorrow or Sunday thinking, we found our guy, it's a done deal. But Don, you never know. We've seen great quarterbacks come from low in the first round and the second round before. So at least unlike the jets, where I just think, guys, Monday, you're just hoping, hey, could they beat the Dolphins? That would be fun. At least now the Giant season has meaning.

[Don Hahn]

It doesn't matter what happens this week. Irrelevant either. He could go. He could throw for 300 yards and three touchdowns and it still. You don't know. We're not going to know. We probably won't know until the holidays are here, until we get to the end of the season. So that's. You have to watch that way and no fan does. You always want to have that immediate moment where it's just like, you declare it, oh, we got our guy. But you know, in reality, you're not going to know because as we've learned with a lot of quarterbacks, you could have a good start and then it's now they got tape on them and. And then all the defenses start making adjustments. But the thing with Dart is this. First and foremost, the Giant offense is going to look different, I promise you. And here's why. It's not going to be the Giant offense. It's going to be what they did at Ole Miss. It's going to be what. What he was good at in college and what he knows well, because that's the only way he's going to be comfortable in an NFL game right now. And I'm sure they've already prepared a playbook of those plays so that when he does get out there in the huddle, he. He has some kind of confidence because he's already done it before. That's where the confidence comes from. Demonstrated performance. Well, where did he demonstrate performance at Ole Miss? So it's going to be a lot of that kind of stuff. So that's what you have to look forward to, is what does it look like and what can they do with it. But the notion that he's a late first round pick and so you really can have great expectations. I again, I remind everybody that BROCK Purdy was Mr. Irrelevant and they had to use them. And what they learned with Brock Purdy is while he doesn't have a cannon for an arm and he's not 6, 5, 2, 3, he does have the ability to process. He does have the ability to understand plays, to have the ability to see the routes through peripheral vision and not have to wonder and not have to do the check. He is a processor, Ken Jackson dart process. Because if he can think quickly on his feet, he. He'll be successful. He doesn't have to have all the physical attributes that make a top five pick. I'm not worried about that. I just want to see how is he in the huddle, how do the players respond to him and what plays are they using to make sure he's in somewhat of a comfort zone against what is. Obviously, I mean, it's Harbaugh, it's the Chargers, he's going up against it. So don't expect a lot. But it is definitely a curious watch on Sunday just to see what they do with it.

[Allen]

I'll push back on the whole thing. I'm going to push back on one thing you said, though.

[Don Hahn]

Yep.

[Allen]

And I know you were probably being slightly hyperbolic about sort of. Nothing matters this weekend there, Peter. If he's great or he is awful, that matters. Now, if he's mediocre, Allen, I think you take nothing from it and you see what happens next week, you move.

[Don Hahn]

But if he's either lights out good.

[Allen]

Or lights out awful, Don, those are things you really do take note of. There's no way around it.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Well, like. Well, this is a really good Chargers defense. I think it's a very underrated defense because of how well they've played offensively with Justin Herbert. But it's a good defense, good defensive coordinator. So if he went out there and threw three touchdowns, 300 yards, I'm with you, Allen. I'm not going to all of a sudden, you know, book tickets to Canton for the kid. But that would show me something because then that would kind of back up what we saw in the preseason and. And then the expectations would get high. If he gets destroyed, that. That's a little different to me because again, it's a good defense, it's his debut. I just would take everything with a grain of salt, but that's what I'm trying to say. But if he does go with 300 yards, that that's I think that would be pretty impressive.

[Don Hahn]

It would be impressive. But it's also, remember, it's, it's maybe that like, look, I expect Harbaugh to know they're probably going to do a lot of Ole Miss stuff and he'll probably spend a little time watching some Ole Miss tape and say, okay, this is the type of stuff they're going to run. Let's be ready for it. Right. Because if they aren't ready for it, that's that to me, that's more on the Chargers. You got to know what they're going to do is he's not going to run Russell Wilson's offense. That's what. I don't think that's how it's going down. I could be wrong, but I don't. I just don't think that if he gets shut down because they run a very conservative play calling and they do. They. They try to run as much as they can and they have him do some runs and they're. The Chargers are ready for it and they stop the run like they're good at. What are you going to say?

[Allen]

But what on the flip side, remember Tommy DeVito?

[Don Hahn]

They don't let him throw the ball. Like you don't know what kind of approach they're going to have. So I'm with Don. This to me is more of a coaching game than it is. Is Jackson dart the savior. But you.

[Allen]

But you also wouldn't deny that if he goes in there and regardless of play calling, he ends up looking overwhelmed and like he's really not ready for the moment. Throws some bad picks at no 1.

[Griffin]

Yeah.

[Allen]

You're going to come out.

[Don Hahn]

He has happy feet. If you see. Yeah.

[Allen]

You just.

[Don Hahn]

He's batting the. He's burping the baby. Like Bar likes to say. Yeah. And he's indecisive. Yeah. That tells you he's not ready.

[Allen]

And that's.

[Don Hahn]

I don't know if he's that though.

[Allen]

I don't think he. I hope and don't think he will be.

[Don Hahn]

I'm not expecting that.

[Allen]

But there are things we're going to learn from this week for sure and we'll see how vanilla they go offensively. I mean, part of the problem with Dable has been Don. He's been vanilla.

[Don Hahn]

Yeah.

[Allen]

I mean, they really have not shown you anything that you thought you were going to get. So what I'm curious about is could it have been that they felt obligated to trot out Russell Wilson? We brought in a Hall of Famer before we went and drafted this kid. We're giving him a few games. Game one, not good. Let's see what happens in game two. 450 yards. Let's give him another one. Awful time to make the move. And now with Wilson out, they feel comfortable opening up the playbook to someone who they think is now more capable. That would be exciting.

[Peter Rosenberg]

The other thing. And we'll get to Your calls at 1-800-919-3776, where your expectations are. There's been. Apparently there's going to be several planes flying over MetLife state. Like everybody's coming out of the woodwork that they're going to be flying. First of all, it's, it's old. It's tired already.

[Don Hahn]

Wow.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Well, because it's an old thing they did back in the 70s. It was 78. Allen. I'm saying it's only burning tickets.

[Don Hahn]

It's kind of early in the season for this. Yeah.

[Allen]

What are you doing? I.

[Peter Rosenberg]

But I think, listen, it's performative. People have disposable income and they, and they know they're going to get interviewed and they're going to. So it's just. They're at 15 minutes, right?

[Don Hahn]

Yep.

[Peter Rosenberg]

And I get it. And it's something that worked 50 years ago, and I get that John Maris, sensitive to these types of things. But of all days, Sunday, when you're bringing in the new quarterback, I can get. If they didn't bring in Jackson Dart and. And they brought Russell Wilson back then. I get it. You're owing three. You're going to lose the game. Same old, same old. But on this day, that literally could be ushering in the new era of Giants football that you're hoping for, Is that really the day you want planes flying overhead about, you know, how bad the team is and sell the team and all that. Can we at least have hope Spring eternal for one week and just. And give this kid the best possible chance to succeed?

[Don Hahn]

Yeah.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Instead of it having that.

[Don Hahn]

I'm sorry. If I was a fan, I'd be pissed off about that because this is.

[Peter Rosenberg]

I am.

[Don Hahn]

This could be the first day of the next era. As, like, I know it sounds dramatic, but you don't know. It could be the, the time you look back, like, again, we all mentioned the, the week that they decided to give Eli the ball. Right. Like you, you could look at it as, you remember, they had Russell Wilson, remember that? And they, they, they pulled the plug on him. And that's when Dart started. And maybe it was rocky, but, you know you knew this was a new era. And then all these years later, he's holding up Vince Lombardi. Right? That's what you're. That. That's the dream. That's what happened with Eli. So that's. Yeah, you don't want to. That was also the day they flew some planes over the stadium saying, sell the team. So, yeah, if I was a fan, I wouldn't want any negativity around this day.

[Peter Rosenberg]

But my fear throughout this whole thing is if you don't have the right coach, it's not going to matter. Agree a great quarterback, unless he's a veteran. You know, if you bring in a veteran, Brett Favre, if you bring in Aaron Rodgers later in his career, Joe Montana maybe can overcome bad coaching, but a kid's not going to be overcome bad coaching. So I hope, I think I'm. I think I'm right, that they don't have the right coaches in place. So that's why I don't have any heavy expectations, because how is he supposed to overcome bad coaching, bad play calling. Just a bad aura around the organization that I think should have been changed before the season started. I hope I'm wrong. I hope this is where it all comes together for not just the quarterback, for the coach. That's what you gotta be rooting for if you're a Giant fan. It can't all be about the quarterback. Even if he ends up being great, it's not going to matter if it's this coaching staff that's going to move forward.

[Don Hahn]

All right, he has his guy. Where you could see that they're in their simpatico, that, that I'm calling plays with this guy's skill set in mind and this kid gets the stuff I'm calling and it starts to work. It always felt like Daniel Jones had the physical attributes that fit what they wanted to do. But Daniel Jones and Dable never, ever seemed like they were sympatical. Right? Am I right?

[Peter Rosenberg]

Right.

[Don Hahn]

Like it seemed like everything he had about him, the size, the ability to run, like all that stuff felt like, yeah, that's a guy that fits with David, wants to do with the quarterback position, but yet it never felt like they were on the same page or really connected. And now you want to see, does it happen here with Dart, because that's his pick.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Now. It doesn't feel like it's going to happen just because you see what Daniel Jones has done since he left. But I hope I'm wrong. I hope this is what brings everything together for Kafka. And for Dable and they just start to look better because I don't want to have to see this kid go through another head coach, another offensive coordinator, maybe another general manager in year two after, you know, he went out there and played 14 games under the previous regime. So I'm rooting to be wrong and hopefully this all comes together. But as you root for Jackson Dart, you got to root for Dable and Kafka to be the right people because that's the best case scenario. Yes, agree of it all coming together and then getting it right by keeping those guys and have Jackson Dart not have to go through a regime change. I don't think I'm going to be wrong guys. But that's what you got to hope for because the coach has to work too. Otherwise it's just not. It's not going to happen. And it's the reverse for the jets, as Peter said, because I don't think they have the quarterback. You're hoping they have the coach, but unless you get both, it's not going to happen.

[Don Hahn]

Yeah, again, the quarterback is more of the reach right now and hoping it can catch lightning in a bottle and you know, a Darnold, Dan Jones, Geno Smith type situation. But there's no, there's no guarantee that that's going to happen. You're just going to. What's. I'm not completely out. I just want to see if it, if it happens at some point during the season or if you know, okay, they got to go in another direction. But, but when it comes to Jackson Dart, like I, I don't. You feel like though, especially who you're playing. You know, you keep talking about coaching Don, like knowing who you're playing. They are coming to the East. They are. You know, I mean it is, you know, one o' clock game. You know that stuff is true factor but I do feel like this is going to be a game that's more on the defense. A lot of pressure on the defense and if you just like look it sounds cliche but don't turn the ball over and just try to like carry a series. Get some third downs, which they were terrible at third downs last week. One for 10. You just want to have the ability to win a game. 17:14 or. Or 20:17. Am I crazy to say that that's probably the game plan? Not not having to see the kid just unload. I don't think you're going to see them really let him unleash down the field like, like Russ was doing. I don't think they're going to play that way. I think they're going to be extremely conservative. They'll run a lot and they'll depend on their defense in this game. I don't think it's going to be, you know, a laser light show by Jackson. Dark.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Well, we'll see. I mean, if they really do believe in him, I think that he would have probably thrown a couple of passes when he came into the games the previous two weeks. He didn't. He was the backup. And they are. You heard it throughout the Sunday night broadcast against Kansas City. Everybody's thrilled with this kid. They're ready. So, you know, winning the game's not important to me. So if he makes mistakes, you know, like the whole Bill Parcells, if you're throwing interceptions, that means you're going for it. You know, if you believe in the kid, I think you can give him opportunities to go out there and take what the defense is going to give you.

[Griffin]

Right.

[Don Hahn]

At some point.

[Peter Rosenberg]

At that point. Because again, it's not the game. Your own three. You want to win games, but at the end of the day, you want to develop. And so if he throws an interception, it cost you the game. But you're learning something and he's learning something. There could be value to that. So I'm curious to see it. It's probably as excited I've been for a Giant game since, like going into last year when I thought they had a chance to be pretty good.

[Allen]

I'm sorry.

[Peter Rosenberg]

No, seriously.

[Allen]

No, I'm sorry.

[Peter Rosenberg]

I know what that's like.

[Allen]

I know what it's like to go, finally, I at least have something to root for. Can I see if a kid's good?

[Peter Rosenberg]

Yeah, I'm exaggerating. I'm probably. You know what? This is probably the most excited I've been about a Giant game since the Cowboy Sunday night game when they lost 40 to nothing.

[Don Hahn]

Oh, wow.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Because no, they're coming off.

[Allen]

We had hope then.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Yeah, they're coming off, going to the playoffs and they're taking on the Cowboys national television at home.

[Allen]

And then what an underrated. What an underrated, horrible moment for the franchise that was.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Yeah, well, because it got completely overshadowed because of the next night.

[Allen]

Rogers tore his legs.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Rogers Terror's Achilles and that's all.

[Allen]

But that night, you know, we were out there across the street at from MetLife and it really was like a hope springs eternal kind of moment. Like they're coming off the tough loss to the Eagles, which granted was horrible, but you wanted to believe that was an anomaly and Daniel Jones had found something. And then you fast forward three hours and I just have the image of Daniel Jones laying face down in the mud with shots on the sideline of it looking like his head coach was like trying to teach him a lesson by keeping them in the game. It was truly the beginning of the end of that era of this team.

[Peter Rosenberg]

That was the any given Sunday moment. They're not playing for him, coach. Let them learn.

[Don Hahn]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Allen]

That went great. And I'll tell you what. Daniel Jones got the lesson. It's unfortunate it hit him in Indy, but.

[Don Hahn]

Right. It didn't. It did feel like Dable, like, almost hate coached Daniel, like, you know what I mean?

[Allen]

It felt that way. You remember after the playoff game they had Minnesota and in the post game presser, he would not compliment the quarterback. He never compliments the quarterback if you want.

[Peter Rosenberg]

It's not a conspiracy theory, Allen, but it's. It almost feels like he was setting up for if I'm not successful here, it's because of Daniel Jones and the way he treated him, Leaving him out there against the Dallas Cowboys despite them getting killed and berating him on television all the time. He made a mistake. Even though the rest of the team was complete garbage too, including himself, that it was almost setting up where. Listen, I could be winning here, but I don't have the quarterback. Well, now he's got his quarterback, and the quarterback he said he couldn't win with is 3 and O in Indy. All right? So it's not aging well for him at all. So we're down to. We're down to the nitty gritty here. But this is what we have. So you can root for it to go sideways, which I'm sure a lot of fans are, in hopes that Dable and Shane are gone. But it could come at the expense of a kid that might be a really good quarterback someday.

[Don Hahn]

So who's the one that got away more? And I know we got to go, but just because of what I watched last night, Sam or Daniel Jones? I mean, Sam Walt just. It doesn't that like, for me anyway, it just feels like they had the number two pick and they had to make a choice. And at the time it's like, well, the obvious thing to do is reset the quarterback because you don't want to have to pay Sam, right? Just take a quarterback at 2 and move on. And. And my God, they took. They took a guy that obviously can't play in the league. And Sam has turned into what you thought he'd be when he was the number three pick in the draft out of usc. And it's kind of, you know, you didn't think Sam was going to be a megastar top five quarterback, but you knew he, you had to feel like this guy's going to be a good quarterback in the league and he's become that. But Daniel Jones and what he's doing now too, it's like the guy that you took and were supposed to be your future you move on from and he's figured it out.

[Peter Rosenberg]

That's a great question.

[Don Hahn]

Which one obviously hurt that French their previous franchise.

[Peter Rosenberg]

More obviously the sample size is greater for Sam. We're only talking three games for Daniel. We had a whole, whole 13 win season plus here with Sam.

[Allen]

Now Sam's a guy. Sam guy.

[Don Hahn]

He's a guy.

[Peter Rosenberg]

But we'll see. It may not age well for either of the teams and knowing the history, it probably won't. 1-800-919-3776 we got our picks coming up at 5:45. We've got Ian coming up at 6, Ratta Dodge coming up at 6:30 because then it's Mets Marlins right here on ESPN New York.

[Allen]

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[Peter Rosenberg]

Hey, it's Sydney Sweeney. I'm not here to tell you to buy American Eagle jeans. And I definitely won't say that they're the most comfortable jeans I've ever worn or that they make your butt look amazing. Why would I need to do that? But if you said that you want to buy the jeans, I'm not gonna stop you. But just so we're clear, this is not me telling you to buy American Eagle jeans.

[Griffin]

Sydney Sweeney Hasbrouck Jeans.

[Peter Rosenberg]

You see what I did there, right?

[Don Hahn]

He got Willa. He got my daughter.

[Griffin]

I need to find her.

[Don Hahn]

Willa. From acclaimed director Paul Thomas Anderson.

[Peter Rosenberg]

You can save that girl Today.

[Don Hahn]

Experience what is being called the best movie of the year. This is the end of the line.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Not for you.

[Don Hahn]

Leonardo DiCaprio, Sean Pan, Benicio Del Toro, Tiana Taylor Chase Infinity.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Let's go.

[Don Hahn]

One battle after another.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Now playing only in Beaters, experience it in IMAX.

[Don Hahn]

Rated R. Under 17. 9aminute without parrot thanks for listening to the Don, Han and Rosenberg podcast.

[Allen]

I didn't listen to anything you just said.

[Don Hahn]

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

[Peter Rosenberg]

Get ready for a new Monday Night Football experience with the ESPN New York Couch cast. When the gents take on the Dolphins for their Week 4 divisional matchup. Settle in on the couch and join the old cast with all of your favorite ESPN New York personalities for instant reaction, unfiltered commentary and behind the mic banter. Stream live on our YouTube page from kickoff to the final whistle. Grab your snacks and watch the game with the pros. It's the ESPN New York couchcast, presented by Calandra's Bakery, Jacob's Pickles and driven by the All American Ford Group. Your giant Ford auto group with giant savings and a giant selection. That's Monday, September 29th. Start at 7:00 clock right after our show on the ESPN New York YouTube channel. So we're really looking forward to that. Getting a chance to see guys we don't normally get a chance to see all the time. It should be a lot of fun. Let's hear from you at 1-800-919-3776. Always cool to talk to Griffin in Connecticut. How are you, buddy?

[Griffin]

Hey, guys. How are you doing?

[Peter Rosenberg]

Good. How are you?

[Griffin]

I'm good. I just want to let you guys know I will not be talking to you next week at all. I will be on a cruise.

[Don Hahn]

Oh, yeah.

[Allen]

That time of year. Oh, my man's about to get it cracking again. Young Griftster. Now, Griff, you got some outfits. You got some outfits to wow the ladies with on the boat.

[Griffin]

Oh, my God.

[Peter Rosenberg]

What are you going. Wait.

[Griffin]

I just wanted to let you know that. So I wanted to let you guys know that. So when you go to hear from me, you're not.

[Don Hahn]

That's good to know.

[Allen]

We're not gonna have a great time.

[Don Hahn]

Have a great time.

[Allen]

We're not gonna worry about you.

[Griffin]

I want to talk about Jackson Dart this weekend. I got a message, like, for Giant fans, I don't want them to get sucked into these preseason games expecting him to be great like he was in preseason. If he goes out there and has a little struggles, not think really bad struggles, but as a couple of struggles versus a very good Chargers defense. Don't get. Don't. Don't call in on Monday and say he's not the guy. We got to get rid of him. Why did we draft him? We made the wrong choice. Don't get sucked into what the preseason was and it is, and expecting that to happen in the first game at its actual football play, at its great number one. That was not happening in preseason. People do not get sucked into what happened in preseason. Preseason means nothing. So don't get sucked into that, thinking he's going to do that versus the Chargers. So don't call in and say he's not the guy. Please do not.

[Allen]

It's a fair point, Griffin. Thank you, buddy.

[Don Hahn]

Well said.

[Allen]

It's a fair point. And to think that Griffin was so concerned about making sure people don't get sucked in, and all I was concerned about was making sure Griffin does get sucked in.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Exactly. It is a cruise, after all.

[Don Hahn]

There's things.

[Peter Rosenberg]

One of the two or three reasons you go on a cruise.

[Allen]

So two or three acts like I'm nuts. I just want the guy to go have a let. Let his hair Down a little bit.

[Peter Rosenberg]

I. I don't think we have to worry about Giant fans throwing him away after a bad game. If anything, I think we'd have to worry about him playing well and fans going a little too crazy over a positive performance. But I think Giant fans, I don't think their expectations are going to be that through the. I mean, they don't want to see somebody that doesn't look like he belongs. I don't think that'll be the case, but I do. I could, I could see win or lose. But if you put some, you know, decent numbers, fans going ballistic in a positive way.

[Don Hahn]

Oh, yeah, yeah. Well, that's what you're looking. You know what you want. You want that one play. That's all you want. You want that one moment, one play, one something where it's like, did you see him? Did she want a third down? Right when he. What he. Like, whatever he does, that's what you want. You want to have that one little magic moment that just makes you feel like, okay, there's something there. That's all you're looking for. You don't want him seeing ghosts. That would be bad.

[Allen]

That's a lot. That is the one thing you know you cannot have.

[Don Hahn]

You just don't want that. You don't want to butt fumble. That would be bad. These are all jets things. So that's why the Giants don't have to worry about stuff like that now. They just have to have a kicker, you know, can dart kick, by the way.

[Peter Rosenberg]

I'm aware of. Yeah, because now, now looking at Eli's career, he got into a handful of snaps at Philly in September of his rookie year. And then at Minnesota, he appeared in the game but didn't throw a pass. So his first actual start was at home against Atlanta. 17 at 37, completed 47.9% of his passes, 162 yards, touchdown, two interceptions. That's kind of what you figure you're going to do in your first NFL star, right? On a bad team or. Not that the Giants were bad, but. And then it got a little, you know, didn't get much better after that. It took a long time before he did anything in that first year, but that's probably what you're looking for, right? You're going to see like a guy that'll have some moments. I'm with you. You want to see something. You know what you want to see is. Here's what I want to see. Allen Russell Wilson wouldn't be able to do that. Like that Play that you were talking about in that first game against Washington where he didn't hit the corner in the red zone and he ended up throwing the ball away, right?

[Don Hahn]

Yeah, he could have. He had a boot. He could have just gone right to the pylon.

[Peter Rosenberg]

And if that play happens and he takes it to the pylon and scores, you'll come in on Monday and say, see that. That. That's something Russell Wilson wouldn't have done.

[Allen]

Or, for example, you get the ball first and goal inside the five, and on one of the three plays, you don't throw the ball out of the back of the end zone. That's the kind of thing you're hoping to see.

[Don Hahn]

You don't hit the mascot. Yeah.

[Allen]

One one ball you try to throw into the end zone to a guy wearing blue, that's great.

[Don Hahn]

Here are the things that are not in his control. The Giants are one of the worst in the league of taking penalties. Jackson Dar can't control that, can he? Unless his cadence is off in his offensive line is a mess.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Penalties, if they're not on the same page.

[Don Hahn]

Yeah, like you got to worry about stuff like that. You've got to worry about Justin Herbert just slicing and dicing on. On your defense. You got to worry about that. Jackson, I can't control that. The Giant defense gives up points. And he's got to now chase because you don't want a rookie quarterback in his first start chasing a scoreboard because that means he's got to throw more. And that's when you start getting desperate, and that's when you start seeing the warts.

[Peter Rosenberg]

And now. But what he'll do is he'll kind of set the tone. So then next week against New Orleans, on the road against a bad team, then be. Just be a little bit better than the short turnaround against Philadelphia. I don't know what you expect at that point, but just. Just see a quarterback gradually get better. And that's what just looking at Eli's first year, the first game where Eli looked like he got it was in week 15 at home against Pittsburgh. Was a Saturday. They lost that game 33 to 30. But they. They hung in the game for like 200 yards, completed 70% of his PAT, looked good, almost won the game. But that was like several weeks in. You know, it took a while, and it's gonna take a while here, too. Just want to see it get better. And how does. How does he look the series after a pick? Does he look beaten? Or does he look like a guy that wants to go out there and be better in the next drive, stuff like that.

[Don Hahn]

It's little things. It's in the. In the huddle. What does he look like? You know, like that's the. You know, is he steaming Willie Beeman and he's throwing up or is he. Does he look like he's in control? That's what you. Let's. You want to see how the guys respond around him. That first series he's in, you know, it's going to be scripted. You know, it's going to be very conservative and very script. They just want to get him. Get him into. Just get him into the game. And so I would not expect a lot of fireworks, but I am looking at body. You nailed it, Don. I'm looking at body language. I'm looking at one of the players around him. That's what you want to see. Is he putting some. Is he giving the team some energy that they desperately needed? 0 and 3.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Let's go to Danny. Long island, you're on.

[Allen]

There he is.

[Peter Rosenberg]

What's up, Danny?

[Griffin]

First of all, I have a fraud. I don't even need to be in charge. Listen to this guy. Working with this guy. Last Sunday, I picked up a Sunday ship. I accidentally. Big football fan. He shows up with. Returns a computer on the desk to the NFL.com. he brings his own laptop, and he's on the phone. He had three things going, like Rothenberger. Rothenberger. I tell him I'm a Steeler fan. He says, ready for this? Done. Get one of my three favorite teams.

[Don Hahn]

Okay.

[Griffin]

So I give. I give him a look. What? Yeah, the jets, the Steelers and the Ravens.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Wait a minute.

[Griffin]

I give them a look. Like. I give him a look. Ravens, Ravens and Steelers, two of his favorite teams. I give him a look like a pair who's disappointed in their kid. I shake my head, I walk out. I don't speak to him for the next six hours.

[Don Hahn]

Favorite team.

[Griffin]

How are you a football fan with three teams? One of them just feels. One of the Ravens.

[Don Hahn]

He's not a football fan, but he's probably gambles.

[Allen]

Yeah, maybe that's.

[Griffin]

No, I know that didn't. Listen, we'll have our second favorite team on a Sunday afternoon.

[Don Hahn]

Of course.

[Griffin]

But listen, rooting for dart. I mean, I don't root for the. Obviously, I don't root for the Jazz. I always root for the local teams to do well, to live playing against my team and the amount of misery that we have to deal with. Who wants to deal with it? I mean, it's not good for radio. It's not good for radio. No one wants to listen to radio after the Giants. We want to have winning teams here for a change. So having said that, if Jackson Dart goes out and throws three touchdowns, what's the headline of the Post? Throwing darts or jacked up?

[Don Hahn]

Hmm.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Throwing darts. Now I suggested in our meeting what it could be if he completely wets the bed. And I don't think I'm allowed to say it on the air, but I could see the Post using that as a headline.

[Griffin]

I also think they're going to come out and they're going to let him play because they was going to say we're trying to win the game. He's ready to be an NFL. NFL quarterback. Let's let him be an NFL quarterback. You're not going to win the game by handing the ball twice to one running back. We don't even know.

[Peter Rosenberg]

I don't think Ellen dumb it down. I just don't know how much of the offense he knows not even a month into the season. That's the thing. You can only play the plays he knows. Right.

[Don Hahn]

I think he's playing a lot of Ole Miss stuff. That's what I think. It's what he knows.

[Griffin]

Yeah. If you were planning on putting him into putting him in in week five or six, regardless, that should have been the plan to insert those plays four months ago. Not just so he's been working on those plays. So they're going to go to plays that he throw. He knows very well. You talk about how's he going to look after first interception. How is he going to look when he's just been hit harder than he's ever been hit in his life. Because the first thing every NFL drafted player has to prove is I can stay on the field because everybody on this field is now bigger, stronger, faster and hits harder. Everything I've ever done is irrelevant competition wise because even in the preseason when they show you these highlights of dart, there isn't even a defensive player in the picture. When these guys are catching, it's not. That's not the way it's going to look on Sunday. It's going to be this guy's open. You got to throw the ball. Doesn't look like he's open compared to. But you're going to get hit, you're going to get hit hard and let's see if you can do that. I wish him all in the world.

[Peter Rosenberg]

The thing he. And then they can't do it in practice. I didn't know he was on the scout team and he played the role of Mahomes last week in preparation for Kansas City and apparently did a very good job. The thing that he is going to notice, first and foremost is how fast it is because it's not like that in practice and it wasn't like that in the preseason when you had guys that are like second and third teamers chasing after you. These are going to be the big boys, okay. And it is going to be faster than anything he's ever seen before. That's where it comes. I think he could take a hit. He had some big boys hit him when he was at Ole Miss. That was a big time program. He faced draft picks. He faced good.

[Don Hahn]

Yeah, well, that's the G League sec, right?

[Peter Rosenberg]

But the speed of it is going to be just, I think incredibly overwhelming. Tim, early on, that's what I've always heard from draft picks. Like they just could not believe how fast it was compared to, to college and the preseason and practice. It's going to be, it's going to be fifth gear and he's going to have to adjust to it. Real quick.

[Don Hahn]

Real quick, a message from McAfee.

[Peter Rosenberg]

I'd say howdy, but I'm not a real cowboy and I'm not a real alien. We're deep fakes and because of fakes like us, it's hard to tell what's.

[Allen]

Real unless you have McAfee.

[Peter Rosenberg]

McAfee's scam detector automatically identifies text and email scams and even deep fake. And it works everywhere, even out on the range.

[Don Hahn]

Yee haw.

[Peter Rosenberg]

But you're not even a real cowboy. If they're faking it, they're not making it past us.

[Allen]

Get award winning scam detection today.

[Peter Rosenberg]

McAfee.com Keep it real. I'm Christian McCaffrey, pro running back and Abercrombie is an official fashion partner of the NFL. I'm not kidding when I say NFL by Abercrombie. Broke the Internet last year and I think this season's lineup is even cooler. And so does my wife, who keeps stealing all my hoodies. Stay fit for the season and Abercrombie's newest arrivals. Shop NFL by Abercrombie in the app, online and in store.

[Don Hahn]

When did making plans get this complicated? It's time to streamline with WhatsApp, the secure messaging app that brings the whole group together. Use polls to settle dinner plans, send event invites and pin messages so no one forgets mom 60th and never miss a meme or milestone. All protected with End to end encryption. It's time for WhatsApp message privately with everyone. Learn [e-mail] thanks for listening to the Don Hahn and Rosenberg podcast.

[Allen]

I didn't listen to anything you just said.

[Don Hahn]

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

[Allen]

What's the game called?

[Griffin]

Football.

[Don Hahn]

These are the Don Hahn and Rosenberg pro picks.

[Griffin]

Dance football.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Allen Hans, our leader with nine points. I've got seven. Peter, with his three point play last night. Now four points back.

[Allen]

Back, baby, back.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Oh. Because Allen is our fearless leader. He is going to go first.

[Don Hahn]

Oh, okay. My one point play. Don, you saw it. You thought I was gonna fall for the banana and tailpipe. Not doing it. Chargers. I'll lay the six and a half at the Giants. It's also my survivor pick by the way.

[Allen]

Whoa.

[Don Hahn]

I'm all in. Giants like yes. Jackson dart. It's gonna be fun. There'll be some energy and all that stuff. But the Chargers defense is like one of the best in the NFL in red zone defensive efficiency. So now when Jackson Darko's in the red zone, he's going up against the best defense in the red zone. Good luck. Now they'll get a spark. I think it'll be an interesting game. But come on. The Chargers are trying to do something they haven't done since 2002. That's when four straight games to start the season. So there's my one pointer and my Survivor, my two pointer. This is a good game. Or at least it looks like it on paper. It might not be though. Ravens. I'll lay the two and a half against the Chiefs. The Chiefs have to understand that despite the fact they're not that same team, they still are the hunted. Teams like Baltimore want to beat them and this usually feels like a good game. I don't know if it's going to be. And then my three point play. I think Indiana Jones finally meets the Temple of Doom. They go to the Rams. The Rams are laying three and a half at home. I think this is where it ends for Daniel Jones. Remember, the Rams should have won last week. They blew a big lead. That's a really good team. And I think for the Colts, their, their undefeated run ends in LA.

[Peter Rosenberg]

I gotta tell you.

[Don Hahn]

3, 3, 3, 3.

[Peter Rosenberg]

I love your picks in the last two. I don't have them in my picks up for the air but I have them in my cover five.

[Don Hahn]

Yeah, I have two others in my cover five.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Okay, so we're, we're kind of on the same page there. I guess I'll go second. You already know two of them. But the one point play I'm going to go with is I think the Texans get it going here. I'm a little afraid of the hook at seven and a half. Pretty extensive. But Donnie Tennessee and their head coach Brian Callahan, 3 and 17 under Callahan against the spread. That is the worst against the spread in 20 games in the super bowl era. Tennessee is kind of giving up and the Texans have got to get well. So even though the hook scares me a little bit, I think the Texans get well cover the number at home against the Tennessee team that looks like they've already tapped out. I already told you about the jets has my two point play. Now I'm going to just tell you why quickly. Two of the three games they've played well, the Dolphins are a mess. I know they did a pretty decent job hanging with the Bills. So we still a ton of Jet fans in Miami. Jets not great against the spread in prime time 22 and 33. But we have seen them come up with efforts where they hang a couple of years ago against Kansas City, of course, that big win against Buffalo on prime time. So I really love the Jets. It's all. It's two and a half. I think the jets win the game outright, to be honest with you. They get on the horse, they cover the two and a half, they go to Miami and they win as a, as a dog. On the road against the Dolphins is my 2.0 play. And I just love the packers getting well. All right. They got shocked by a really good defense with the Cleveland Browns. They're going to face an awful defense in Dallas under Matt LaFleur. The packers are 61 and 42 against the spread. I'm getting less than a touchdown at six and a half. I love, love, love the packers to get well on this Cowboys defense. That's my three point play.

[Allen]

One, two, three point play. All right, Petey. Well, I'm in. I'm in trouble, as you guys know.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Yeah, but it's. No, it all starts with a simple first step.

[Allen]

It does. And by the way, last week I thought I'd already turned the corner because I picked the Rams and felt so glorious about them beating the Eagles. And of course that didn't happen. No cover happened. Speaking of which, I'm in lockstep with Allen. I'd like to gain ground on him, but I can't. I love the Rams. How about this? Allen, our Cover 5 app is confusing to know who's playing where I liked him at three and a half thinking they were an Indy.

[Don Hahn]

Oh, oh no.

[Allen]

And then Allen said in LA and I went, oh, what a. Oh, I'll take him at seven and a half.

[Don Hahn]

Colts at Rams 405 Eastern, baby.

[Allen]

So I like the Rams a lot there. That the Colts have been solid, no question, particularly at home. But give me, give me the Rams. They, they're going to be angry. And let's not forget this is a Rams team that basically dominated the Eagles for three quarters. They're going to, they're going to make things ugly for the Colts on Sunday. Making my two point pick. There is not a whole lot out there on the board that I, that I like and it's interesting because normally I really have been trying to stay away from my team. Commanders are down Terry, they're down Jaden and they're going to Atlanta. Who last week Allen and Don both liked and turned out to be pure hot garbage.

[Peter Rosenberg]

I do it again.

[Allen]

And Don would do it again because he thinks he was right and they were wrong. It's not a sexy pick. But even with the backups in Gimme the Commies on the short line on the road, I, I watched this team play a similar sort of level team last week in the Raiders. The Commanders are not a world beater, certainly not without Terry McClaurin and Jaden Daniels. But they're a solid defensive team with a nice running attack. And in Marcus Mariota, an undervalued quarterback for how he fits into Cliff Kingsbury's scheme. I'll take the Commies, given the short one and a half as my one point play. Commies for one, Rams for two.

[Don Hahn]

You know, a reminder for everybody. I'm sorry, I. I just, I think Jake needs to have this when we do the picks because I could. I see a trend with Peter already. All right, we need Lisa. Lisa and the Cult Jam lost in emotion. We got to play that song when Peter does this. Is that you're. You are so in emotion right now. That's.

[Allen]

Is that really an emotional pick?

[Don Hahn]

Oh, yeah, yeah. 100.

[Allen]

You guys see that game different? I didn't notice either of you guys pounding the Falcons.

[Don Hahn]

Well, I'm not on. I'm not on either of them. That.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Not a Bird guy. No, you're not big into A reminder for everyone playing ESPN New York Survivor, make your pick before Sunday's 1 o' clock games. After three weeks, we've lost 1888 players, including me and Chris Carlin. Again, they didn't fix the glitch leaving 1,227 still eligible for the $5,000 grand prize. Now follow along on the ESPN New York app powered by Splash Sports.com Let me just squeeze in Moose in Jamaica. What do you got, Moose?

[Griffin]

Listen, this is Fraud Friday, by the way. What's up, guys? Good evening.

[Don Hahn]

What's up, Moose?

[Griffin]

All right, chilling. So I'm a fraud NBA fan and also a fraud NFL fan, but I'm here to talk about the NBA. Right? I was growing up in New York City being a. I'm trying to have my son, like, you know, status removed or changes up to less derogatory. So basically I was a Knick fan up until like the 2001. 2002 draft. And if you remember, on. On MSG, Spike Lee was talking about how great the picks were. The trade was with Zach Randolph. And I'm like banging my head against. I love this trip.

[Allen]

I remember it.

[Griffin]

Yeah, but. But so like, I'm banging my head like, this is a terrible trade. And we sucked ever since then. Wait, wait.

[Don Hahn]

I just move, please, just one, because I want to keep up. When was this.

[Griffin]

2001 or 2002 draft? The year of Nicholas Skills, Billy. We traded Nene. We drafted Nene, traded him for somebody who didn't even make the team a year after.

[Don Hahn]

So what did you do?

[Peter Rosenberg]

What did you do?

[Don Hahn]

Wasn't that Antonio McDyce?

[Griffin]

So I ended up being a fan of players because I was playing ball at the park, trying to make basketball teams in middle school and high school, modeling my game after certain players. I fell in love with Dwin Wade, female, you name it, in the 2000s. So that's how I was basically being a fan of players. And then I never really picked up a team, devout per se. But I was watching in 2014, the Eastern Coppin second round, and the Brooklyn Nets were playing, and I was like, I need to be a fan. My friend who was watching with me, living me, living me at the. In the house.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Are you still in that fan? Because we got to get to the bottom of this. It's taking too long.

[Don Hahn]

Very.

[Griffin]

I'm still in the fan. Net. Net fan. Been watching since the losing. Never left them. Even was against the James Harden trade because I thought we were good enough to win without him. But you know what that turned into? I'm trying. I've been. I listen to the games if I can't watch them on the radio and stuff like that. So I'm trying to have my. It's been like 11 years of not rooting I didn't want to go back to the Knicks because that's thank you.

[Peter Rosenberg]

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[Don Hahn]

Thanks for listening to the Don Hahn and Rosenberg Podcast.

[Allen]

I don't want to know how the.

[Don Hahn]

Sausage is made, man. I just want to know. It's good. Hear more of Don Allen and Peter Weekday afternoon starting at 3 on 880 ESPN, the ESPN New York app and your smart speakers.

[Griffin]

This isn't just another ESPN Fantasy football.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Season, it's your shot at greatness. With a refreshed design, the ESPN Fantasy app is sharper than ever, so you can draft like a pro and dominate your league. And introducing Gridiron Gauntlet, a new game mode where the best compete to be crowned the number one fantasy football player of 2025.

[Griffin]

One app, one shot, one champion.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Download the ESPN fantasy app and sign up to play ESPN Fantasy Football today.