Don, Hahn & Rosenberg — Hour 3: "Don't Watch This Season"

Date: October 6, 2025

EPISODE OVERVIEW

This episode dives deep into the ongoing misery of New York sports fans, focusing on the disastrous starts for the Jets and Giants football franchises, and the intense scrutiny faced by Aaron Judge and the Yankees following postseason struggles. The hosts blend fan frustration, media narratives, and old-school sports talk with pointed analysis and plenty of bleak humor. Throughout the hour, callers commiserate, joke, and demand answers, while Don, Hahn, and Rosenberg debate what hope (if any) remains for New York sports.

KEY DISCUSSION POINTS & INSIGHTS

1. The Jets’ Orchestrated Tank and Fan Expectations

Timestamps: 00:44 – 13:07

• The hosts lay out how the Jets’ disastrous 0-5 start isn’t a shock to the front office (“They told you. Don’t even look here. We're not ready. It’s not done yet. Dinner’s not done yet. Go back to watching. Don’t even watch this season.” — Don, 00:59).
• They highlight the disconnect between fans’ optimism and reality, blaming inflated expectations on media/fan hype, not organizational signaling.
• There is talk of the Jets holding the #1 overall draft pick, but dissatisfaction with the coming QB class (“This is not a year to be the number one pick if you need a quarterback.” — Alan, 10:33).

Notable Insight:

• The Jets never “sold hope” this year—this was always going to be brutal, and any fan disappointment is more about wishful thinking than real promises.

Quote:

“You guys said, ‘Oh, we can win eight games.’ That’s on you. The Jets never gave any indication at all they were going to be any good.”
— Don, 03:35

2. Coaching, Discipline, and the Same Old Mistakes

Timestamps: 04:07 – 13:07

• New head coach Aaron Glenn’s pre-season promises to cut down on mistakes and penalties have become ironic as the team remains undisciplined.
• The Jets made NFL history as the first 0-5 team to not create a single turnover. (“First team in the history of football ... to be 0-5 and not turn the opposition over. How do you do that in this league?” — Don, 04:23)
• Justin Fields’ acquisition is discussed; hosts ridicule the notion he could be a franchise QB, pointing out his lack of awareness and inability to adjust at the line.
• The risk of organizational “rot” if the team tanks too long: Losing breeds losing, and even talented players might sour on the franchise.

Quote:

“All throw seasons away, get the draft pick, lose games. Guys, sometimes you just gotta win for your own psyche. You can’t work this hard every week ... it just kills a team.”
— Don, 12:20

3. The Giant’s Similar Woes & Future Hope

Timestamps: 13:07 – 14:47; 40:30 – 41:43

• The Giants’ futility is contrasted with a slim hope of a rebuild around a young QB, Jackson Dart. Concern that playing Dart too soon, behind a weak line, could backfire (“I feel like this guy might get thrashed ... they’re going to be putting him in predicaments that he shouldn’t be in,” — Tessa, 39:06).
• Both teams’ defenses, expected to be strengths, have become liabilities. Hosts and callers lament missed opportunities and poor coaching adjustments.

4. Talent Dilution in the NFL — Too Many Teams, Not Enough Players?

Timestamps: 17:49 – 25:01

• Don questions if the NFL’s expansion has outpaced the available talent pool, since football draws almost exclusively from North America, unlike other global sports.
• Alan notes: "Bart Scott says all the time that the league now is dumber than it’s ever been. The athletes are better, but what he watches: the decision making ... there’s not enough guys in the league now ... that can do that.” (21:57, Alan).
• Football's unique physical demands allow “run through a wall” types, but true game intelligence is rare, especially at QB and linebacker.

5. The Aaron Judge/Yankee Standard Debate

Timestamps: 28:00 – 35:11

• The hosts and callers discuss the “impossible” standards Yankees stars face, especially Aaron Judge, post-season heroics versus legends of the past.
• Callers are divided; some defend Judge, others say he must win a ring to enter true Yankee lore.
• Monument Park ranking and the narrative of “the next one” in Yankees tradition discussed: If Judge never wins, what’s his legacy?
• Comparisons to Don Mattingly—beloved despite ringless career—versus the higher bar for Judge, who joined after the dynasty years.

Quote:

“He’s supposed to be the next one ... Ruth, DiMaggio, Mantle, Jeter ... and he hasn’t lived up to it yet. And so now people are going to get more and more frustrated every time they fall short. He’s going to wear it.”
— Alan, 31:46

6. Old-School Fan Meltdowns, Humor, and New York Sports Misery

Throughout Episode

• Listeners call in to vent, sometimes hilariously (Jay apologizes to his wife and church guests for a post-Jets rant, 45:41–46:45).
• Tales of franchise curses and desperation, referencing “the deal Namath made with the devil” and joking about the need for “an exorcism.” (Don, 47:27)
• Historical asides, like the Brooklyn Dodgers’ only World Series win, and George Steinbrenner’s legacy as both savior and destroyer of the Yankees.

MEMORABLE MOMENTS & QUOTES

• Jets to Fans:
  “Don’t even look. Go shopping ... there was almost zero promotion.” — Don, 08:15

• On Modern NFL Talent:
  “Are there too many teams? ... Is there enough talent to fill these rosters, compared to the other sports?” — Don, 19:13

• On New York Football Coaching:
  “Why can't we make in game adjustments? ... I'm starting to feel like this is 1000% on the coaches.” — Tessa (caller), 39:06

• Fan Meltdown:
  Jay (caller, 45:41): “We have a five-day-old. I was holding her, she was sleeping ... I went into a complete nuclear profanity lace rant when Breece Hall dropped the ball in front of church people.”

• On Steinbrenner & Yankees Mythology:
  “Yankee fans have morphed the two Steinbrenners into one. Like super Steinbrenner ... all the meanness, all of the accountability, the ripping in the players.” — Don, 44:15

• On NFL Defensive Gaffes:
  “But defensively, there's enough bodies there that you should not look this bad defensively ... these are all the fundamental things that ... you can then point to coaching and say ... the answer right now is, no, it's not.” — Alan, 07:44

TIMESTAMPS FOR IMPORTANT SEGMENTS

• Jets tank / fan expectations: 00:44 – 04:06
• Jets, penalties, coaching failure: 04:07 – 07:44
• Justin Fields critique: 05:53 – 07:44
• Jet, Giants’ rebuild, tanking: 11:07 – 13:07
• NFL talent pool dilution: 17:49 – 23:16
• Fan calls / Yankee standards & Judge debate: 28:00 – 35:11
• Giants futility and defensive issues: 39:01 – 41:43
• Fan stories and historic asides: 41:43 – 47:11

OVERALL TONE & STYLE

True to the personalities of Don, Hahn, and Rosenberg, the hour is a rapid-fire, no-nonsense, irreverent therapy session for New York sports fans—equal parts gallows humor, heated debate, and nostalgia for when things seemed less dire. The hosts are blunt but passionate, with constant call-backs to the rich, tortured history of New York sports.

SUMMARY FOR NEW LISTENERS

If you missed this episode, you missed an in-the-trenches commiseration session for the hardest-hit fans in sports, featuring sharp banter, self-aware cynicism, and open mics for listeners to join in the venting. The hosts are dead serious about New York’s sports pain, but never take themselves too seriously.