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Don Hahn
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Alan Hahn
Three month plan, $15 per month equivalent required. New customer offer first three months only, then full price plan options available, taxes and fees extra.
Don Hahn
See mintmobile.com on han@ Rosenberg podcast.
Alan Hahn
That sounds like heaven to me.
Don Hahn
Listen live weekday afternoon starting at 3 on 8 80, ESPN, the ESPN New York app and your smart speakers.
Alan Hahn
Game time is brought to you by Tele Irish Whiskey. Because when it's game time, fellas.
Peter Rosenberg
It'S Tolly time.
Don Hahn
Like when he holds it, it's tolly time.
Alan Hahn
The Knicks host the Grizzlies with coverage immediately following us right here on 880 at 7 o'.
Peter Rosenberg
Clock.
Alan Hahn
The nets will be playing the Raptors in Brooklyn at 7 Tullamore due the original triple distilled, triple blended and triple cast mature and Irish whiskey. Be sure to grab a Tullamore Dew or try the Tullamore Dew, honey. During today's action, glasses up to enjoying Telemore responsibly. All right, so everybody was chiming in today on what? On dnr, on unsportsmanlike, on get up about the firing of Brian Dabel and who may be the next head coach. Jordan Ronan was on dnr and I thought this was interesting. Does Dable deserve blame for the hits that Dark Dart has taken?
Jordan Ronan
Here's where I think there's a disconnect with this whole putting him in jeopardy and running thing. It's not the fact that they're running him a lot. Lamar Jackson runs out. There's plenty of guys that run a lot. Even the design runs. People are missing the point. It's the fact that they were enabling him to try to get these extra yards. The Giants were kept saying, and Brian Nabel was downplaying it the whole time and saying this is just who he is. We love this competitiveness. We don't want to take that out of him. I don't think they were stressing it anywhere near where they should be stressing it. I think they were in a way enabling it.
Alan Hahn
And that is the byproduct of a coach trying to save his job.
Peter Rosenberg
That's right.
Alan Hahn
Exactly. And Dart was The tool to that effect. Now, the other thing that I had not heard. Maybe you guys did.
Peter Rosenberg
You don't know.
Alan Hahn
Dable was out of control on the headsets during games.
Jordan Ronan
I mean, I've heard it from so many guys. Like the headset thing that Wink said. I've heard it from a bunch of guys. It's just the yelling on the headset was.
Alan Hahn
They were like.
Jordan Ronan
It was really something else. Like, you can't even. And Wink's thing was I couldn't even concentrate because it was the yell. The yelling was just too much on the headset. I couldn't even concentrate on calling players half the time. That's great.
Don Hahn
That's awesome. From Jordan, because that, like, didn't we all see that? I'm telling you that him not being able to get along with Wink was the beginning of the end for him was you had a guy that was a phenomenal defensive coordinator. Well respected, very smart, arrogant. Yes. It's like having Rex Ryan as a dc. You live with it because the guy's good. He knows what he's doing. He gets the most out of his players, and you got to leave him alone. You just let him do it. That's what. If you're a head coach and you understand personalities, let him do it. But that kind of behavior, I mean, that he. He felt at times unhinged and watching on the side, the way no one brings this up. The way he treated Daniel Jones a lot of times, like visibly. Oh, yeah, Publicly.
Peter Rosenberg
Terrible.
Don Hahn
It was like. Did you ever see him do that with anybody else other than Daniel Jones? Throw him a tablet?
Peter Rosenberg
It always felt like he was punishing.
Alan Hahn
Daniel Jones, but you just wonder how. I don't know if performative is the right word, but it was a message. I always felt being sent that when he was screaming at Daniel Jones was sending the message, he's the reason I can't win. He's holding us back because then when Dart comes and Dart's playing well and he sees Dart as the way of keeping his job, he's hugging kissy with the guy. And I never saw him treat anybody else the way he treated Daniel Jones.
Peter Rosenberg
And I'll.
Alan Hahn
There are two.
Peter Rosenberg
There are two Daniel Jones moments I'll never forget. They're etched in my. In my brain forever and probably Daniels considerably. One, of course, the Monday night opener against Dallas. Getting there to die, getting completely drubbed. They're down 40 points. It's pouring rain. I just have this image of Jones laying face, literally face down in the mud, down five touchdowns. No sign of pulling him out. And I just thought that's a bizarre way to start the year that you just want to see this guy get crushed. And then number two on the exact opposite, the week after a playoff win against Minnesota could not give any sort of commitment to the quarterback in the presser. Not one. They were begging him to say something nice about the quarterback and. And he would say everything else except compliment the quarterback.
Don Hahn
That is so true, Peter.
Peter Rosenberg
It's a very. He's had a couple of weird moments.
Alan Hahn
And for a bit it aged well. Right? He goes to Minnesota, plays okay. Not great. Minnesota doesn't want him. He leaves, goes to Indianapolis. What's he going to do in Indianapolis?
Don Hahn
Right?
Alan Hahn
And now he's going to be MVP candidate. Right, because he was the backup going to Indianapolis. So it looked like we'll see nobody else going to be able to use him. That did not age well for Dable. Here's. I wanted to.
Don Hahn
Oh, go ahead.
Alan Hahn
No, please, no, go ahead.
Don Hahn
I just said I wanted to ask Ian, though, about that stuff, like, you know, about how much of Daniel Jones's success away from the Giants really started to turn against. For all the stuff you saw behind the scenes with Dable. How much? Even with that, because you already knew the Saquon thing, like that wasn't really on on him, even though he didn't have a use for a running back. But it was the Daniel Jones immediately finding success somewhere else. Like, how much does that make you just look at the coach, like, wait a minute, you couldn't work with this guy.
Alan Hahn
It's awful. But if the Giants are winning, you can kind of forgive it. But they were not winning. Greeny on the table, firing on get.
Don Hahn
Up is yet another example, if I may one more time say this, of an organizational failure. The Giants do this over and over again, and they're not the only team, but they seem never to learn from their own mistakes. You cannot have a lame duck coach and a rookie quarterback. You have to marry up those timelines. So Brian Daboll is allowing Jackson Dart, a young player who quotes literally wants to run with his head first into everything. And you have to stop him from doing it. But when you were desperately trying to win every game you can to save your own job, you're not inclined to do it. That's not Brian Daboll's fault. Preservation is the number one motivator in anything, professionally and otherwise. So I don't fault Dabel for doing what he did, and I believe that was the right decision to move on from him.
Alan Hahn
It is a shame his entire tenure his name was mispronounced and it'll never be worth correcting anymore unless he goes someplace else.
Peter Rosenberg
It's a great point.
Alan Hahn
It's over. Ryan Clark on NFL Live not sure Dable should have been the guy fired first.
Don Hahn
An organizational failure, not a failure between Brian Dabal and the way he communicated with his team. And when you have a young quarterback that your head coach clearly hand picked and connects with in that way. I don't know if he's the first to go before the general manager who.
Alan Hahn
Has assembled the rest of the talent around him.
Don Hahn
Especially when Malik Neighbors is injured and also Cam Scatter Boo.
Alan Hahn
Yeah but it was falling apart way before that. Ryan Mel Kuiper Jr. On DNR should the giant fans be nervous? Shane is still here.
Caller
It's all bad. You know, however you construct a team, it's about winning football games and you know this team has a lot of good young talent that came in that way. Joe's done a good job there as day ball did. Who was responsible for Jackson Dart being selected by the New York Giants? Who made that move? Who was. You have to think Brian Dabel had a lot to say about that. Picking your quarterback. Okay, Morrison as GM it's like that's your head coach at your offensive guy that's up. Yeah, I think that it's always the GM stays the head coach, you know, as the one that has to take the blame and ends up getting fired. Normally it's not in Miami they let the head GM go which is a shift in the way it's usually done. They stuck with the head coach, got rid of the general manager. So at the end of the day the personnel is there now.
Alan Hahn
I'm glad Ian had a chance to explain his tweet about Shane being on shaky ground. He in case you missed the interview, he said that he's the odds on favorite to stay the general manager. He just left open the possibility. Listen, if they lose the next seven games and it just looks like a complete dumpster fire they would be open to moving on. But it feels like the hope is it's not a dumpster fire and the chains gonna stick around and he is the obvious betting favorite to do that and I didn't bring it up with Ian I'm the more I think about it guys, I think Kafka's got a legitimate shot at this in the sense that if he can win some games here I think he's going to get some major consideration. Think about it.
Don Hahn
Like this. They. The offensively, were they good enough to win over the last six games?
Alan Hahn
Yes.
Don Hahn
All right, they were good enough to win. They blew some games. That was on the defense. So that's. I don't know how Kafka fixes the defense because the defense was the bigger part of the problem. Aside from, of course, the, you know, the. The punter making the terrible mistake late in that game last week. Yeah, but. But then also obviously turnovers and stuff that happened but didn't have to happen on play calling. But Kafka's the guy calling the plays. And the offense has been fine even with all the bodies they're missing. With no scatter, but with no neighbors, they're still finding ways to be competitive offensively. Who fixes the defense? That's the part that I'm kind of surprised with, but I'm with you. I think, you know, what you want to believe is the roster was good enough to be.500 right now and in the conversation to try to push for a playoff spot, at worst, the roster is good enough for that. Now prove it for the rest of the season that the roster was good enough to be competitive and that the coach was the one holding that, though.
Peter Rosenberg
It'S actually an interesting opportunity in that way. Right. Because nothing's changing except for Dable out, right?
Alan Hahn
Yeah.
Peter Rosenberg
So in this moment, well, what art.
Don Hahn
Could be out, though?
Alan Hahn
Well, that.
Peter Rosenberg
That makes you worried about now, if that changes everything, obviously Dart being out, especially if it's more than just this week.
Don Hahn
Russ. Russ is like this.
Peter Rosenberg
Nothing, by the way. And again, I want to get thrown off my point. Please remind me to go back to this because I have something about that too. But in particular, if you're able to write this ship a little bit with nothing changing, that's a pretty big endorsement of Kafka because Bowen's still there. They don't in theory. I would imagine in the off season they're going to go get a new defensive coordinator as well. They have to know there's a problem there as well. And even if they don't, if they see an improvement over the next seven games simply by Kafka taking over the addition by subtraction, who knows, it may.
Alan Hahn
Not even be about wins. It just might be about, you know, how does it vibe now? Don't, don't lose. The other point you have but to staying on the point about Bowen. Jordan Ron on DNR said firing Bowen wasn't an option for Dable.
Jordan Ronan
Yeah, I'm not sure that was an option for him.
Peter Rosenberg
Right.
Jordan Ronan
He had already. I guess fired isn't the right word, but he had already butted heads with Mick Martindale. This was. That was his hire. Right. Shane Bowen. So I don't, I don't know if that was really interesting, throwing another coach to the Wolves. I don't know if that would have been good for him long term. Remember, he's got to go find a job at some point somewhere else. If he's just pointing the finger and sacrificing coaches left and right, which he already did a bunch. Right. Like to do that again, that would have been a tough thing to do. So I, I don't know if that really was an option for him, whether the Giants wanted to let him do that and whether he wanted to do that.
Peter Rosenberg
So that is very interesting. It makes a lot of sense. By the way, how could he send another one this time a coordinator he brought in? That's a tough. That makes you look pretty bad.
Alan Hahn
But are the Giants saying, guys, that a fish rots from the head like the head coach? He was disorganized. There were a lot of problems that led to everything else looking poor. So maybe Bowen isn't the problem. Maybe the problem was Dable and it created a problem with Bowen. I don't believe that. I don't think Bowen's done a good job. You heard players complain about his defenses in Dallas and in Denver, the way they lost games playing the prevent defense. But maybe we'll find out later. Dable had something to do with that. I don't know. But maybe there's a chance. Guys, for him to save his seven games is a long time now. I don't expect him to beat the packers, but who heck knows? The packers, you know, didn't score a point until like the fourth quarter yesterday.
Don Hahn
Right. So.
Alan Hahn
So what if they win four of these last seven and it looks good and the defense comes together, all of a sudden Dable's the bad guy and everything else looks better.
Peter Rosenberg
That would be fascinating if it plays out that way. Now here's a question with. With Dable gone, can we have a conversation about it? Them not putting Russell Wilson in football games anymore?
Don Hahn
There you go. I'm so glad you said that.
Peter Rosenberg
Peter Jameis Winston still on the roster.
Don Hahn
There you go.
Peter Rosenberg
What are we doing?
Don Hahn
Like, if you're Kafka, were you saying, you know, can we give Jameis a shot? Because Russ doesn't want to run, he doesn't want to get hit, he doesn't want Allen and he can't throw even.
Peter Rosenberg
When he Wants to throw. He can't throw.
Don Hahn
Good point.
Peter Rosenberg
Everything's a duck. He can't do it.
Don Hahn
Did Dable say, no, I'm not playing that guy. And now that Russ, like, now that Dable's gone, will they say if Dart is not available this week? And by the way, like, they held Stroud out for a whole week. Concussion protocol, like, after four. How about we give him a week? So if they're not going to play him this week, it does feel like. Shouldn't you. If you're going to change everything, how about just put the guy out there that hasn't gotten a shot all season and see if at least he can give you something competitive. And it's going to be obviously a very difficult game and a very difficult stretch of games coming up.
Alan Hahn
Because if Dark can't play, then Winston has to dress.
Don Hahn
Yep.
Alan Hahn
So if you're dressing, that means you can play because you can come into the game. Especially with Wilson being an advanced age, it's not crazy to think he can get himself hurt.
Don Hahn
I just wouldn't trust Russell Wilson anymore this season. I couldn't trust him. Those who were watching the game saw that he had an opportunity to blast through. There was a hole there, just not there. It was closed by. I forget if it was a linebacker safety who came up, and instead of him trying to fight through it, he held up and let himself get tackled.
Alan Hahn
Well, you were saying, he's been making business decisions. Now they just let the coach go. You know, he knows this isn't going anywhere. But I will say, you know, Winston, I don't know how he can play. I haven't seen it, but he's engaged on the sidelines. Looked like he was getting in Dable's face when he decided to kick the field goal instead of going forward on 4th and goal.
Don Hahn
Hell, yeah.
Alan Hahn
So he. Now, that doesn't translate him going out and playing well, but it seems like you're looking for guys that are going to be engaged, trying to win, trying to leave an impression on what could be a new regime here. At least with, you know, with. With the. With the head coach and the new coaching staff. Interesting. But I'm. When you. When you're given a road like this, like, Ulbricht didn't stand a chance. Right. But Kafka feels like because he's interviewed for jobs, he's been there a while, the offense has functioned. Seven games is enough of a road where he might be able to leave some sort of an impression. And the fact that Karl wouldn't go There because he mentioned that Kafka is a candidate and he's right now the head coach of the Giants. It just feels like that maybe within that organization, not that they're rooting for Kafka to win, but they're going to give him a chance to win this job. That there is that possibility. And we'll see. We'll see what it looks like. But no neighbors maybe no dart, no scatter. Boo Packers. What is it? So it's, it's the, it's the packers, the Lions and the Patriots. The Lions and the Patriots on the road. But then the last four a little bit different but still a real tough road to start. We haven't taken one phone call yet. We apologize for that. Well, we had Michael start in trouble earlier in the show. We had Ian o'. Connor.
Peter Rosenberg
Let's get to the people.
Alan Hahn
So let's do it and let's start it off with Robbie in Lenox, Massachusetts. You're on ESPN New York. What's up, Robbie?
Caller
Holy moly, I thought you forgot about. No, you're right there.
Alan Hahn
I can see you right there.
Caller
38 years down the dial. Now I'm here and I'm going, wait a second. I did an award winning show in Massachusetts. I never let my guys wait two hours. I said I'd rather get you in Manhattan wine for two hours right now. I'm joking. Anyway, listen, Don, you know what? I'm four year.
Don Hahn
What?
Caller
Four years old. And by the way, I have to say I miss you on ESPN radio doing the Rangers. But congratulations on the Devils. You finally are doing what you should have been doing a long time ago. And I'm very happy, thank you. Absolutely. Way back, listen, I mean Sid Briano helped polls against Yankee Stadium in 1972.
Sponsor/Ad Voice
Right.
Caller
For long I've been a Giant fan but even though I've lived up here in Massachusetts 21 years, man. Why is Joe Shane still the GM? Who the hell made this decision? I mean this is like Chris Drury keep hiring coach after coach after coaching. By the way, miracles do happen to.
Alan Hahn
Rangers want let's say.
Caller
Oh yeah, the beat Nashville. Honestly. But my question to you guys is here's who I want in.
Jordan Ronan
All right?
Caller
I would like to see them hire Lane Kiffin or a guy like John Gruden. I want a rear end kicking, you know, guy who's a CEO who's in charge of everything. My biggest problem with Brian Dable his first year he looked like that type of guy. A guy who's involved in everything. And then towards the last Three years he didn't. But I wanted to say this is more on Shane than even Dable. Yeah. Gable makes the dumb decisions. Endeavor doesn't during the timeouts, doesn't play smart. Shane does dumb prevent defenses. This is a personnel problem for me.
Don Hahn
No, it is. I completely disagree. They should be five and five at work. Absolutely.
Caller
No, no, no, no. That's coaching. Oh, no, that's coaching. Oh, no. The coach is terrible. I'm so glad. But, but I'm saying that. I'm saying that they have enough talent, okay? If this organization had a decent GM and even a quality coach, they'd be so much better. You got scouts coming back, you got Malik, they got a chance to drop another receiver. I want to sh telling you right now, you bring in a solid GM and a solid coach, the New York Giants are going to be on top again. I saw films of Jackson th. I'm telling you, Peter made fun of us, but it's true. I sent him to my girlfriend two weeks. I said, this is a guy I want comes out of a pro style offensive program. He can run, he can throw. And the one thing I love about Johnson dart, he steps up in the pocket. Daniel Jones is to collapse. This guy steps in the pocket and it's instinctiveness.
Don Hahn
He's got to learn, they got to teach him. And you know what though? I sent it to the group Gruden had him on, you know, in his quarterback thing that he does, which is always entertaining, very good. And he was shown film and he was actually scolding the kid about, listen, man, I see a guy that's gonna have a short career if you don't start learning how to slide like he was calling him out then for it. And that's the kind of stuff that like as a coach, you've got to always look out for. But I'm sorry, you can't tell me that that get a new GM and they're going to have a high pick. That's where you get. You're going to need a safety, you're going to need a corner. You know that you can get that stuff in the draft and you could start to build forward. They have done a good job building this thing. Remember, they had to get out of the mess that Gettleman left them, the cap hell and all that stuff. That's why that roster was actually fairly decent to win with for year one because you had guys but you knew the cap hell was coming and so they had to get out of that. They had to go through it and they were poorly coached this year because the roster wasn't as bad. That defense should be better than it has been. You had a great dc. You got rid of them because you couldn't get along with him. All of that is on the head coach, not on the general manager.
Alan Hahn
You need football people involved in this decision. And I'm sorry. John has not made the right decisions. Chris Mara has not made the right decisions. I mean, go up and down the line of people, whether it's Kevin Abrams, whoever it is, they have not made good decisions here. Joe Shane has made mistakes. There's no question. But I'd rather have Joe Shane help pick a coach than John Marra have to fire. Find a coach and a general manager. That's what it comes down to.
Don Hahn
What was the biggest mistake that Joe Shane made?
Alan Hahn
Well, the biggest mistake to me. Well, there's a. There's a. There's a few.
Peter Rosenberg
That's a good question.
Don Hahn
The biggest one, though, is not listening to the owner.
Alan Hahn
Well, but, but I don't.
Don Hahn
The owner. The owner made it clear.
Alan Hahn
Fine.
Don Hahn
That it was. It would hurt him to see Saquon go.
Alan Hahn
But. But.
Don Hahn
So that's when you bring the owner in and say you really want him. This is what it's going to cost. If you're. Are you ready to go forward with that? We'll go forward with that. We. We'd love to have him because we know how much it means to you. And he said, I'm afraid to see him go here. Well, you know, you know, the Eagles are. It's a real thing. It could happen. Well, that's happened.
Alan Hahn
See, that's the mistake.
Don Hahn
Should have listened to the owner.
Alan Hahn
See, that's the mistake because again, I see value in letting Barkley go.
Don Hahn
I know you do.
Alan Hahn
Ready to win.
Don Hahn
And by the way, how about the stones it took to face the owner down knowing the owner wanted.
Peter Rosenberg
Listen.
Don Hahn
And you're like, that's not the right decision for us. And you made it. That's a tough, confident.
Alan Hahn
But I. Again, the Giants might have won a couple of more games. They weren't winning with Saquon Barkley. I know that because they didn't win for six years with the guys. Right. They're just not ready to win. The Eagles are ready to win. That's why they made the deal.
Don Hahn
Yes.
Alan Hahn
His mistake was thinking Philadelphia wasn't in play. He said it there. I don't think he's going to Philadelphia. I don't think Philadelphia is interested. That's where he screwed up. Yeah, but you shouldn't make decisions based on, well, I don't want to help Philadelphia win a Super Bowl. That's thinking your heart, not your head. We had that same conversation about how there was an opportunity for the jets to trade, you know, their. Their running back to New England.
Don Hahn
Yep.
Alan Hahn
Right. And they didn't want to do it to help New England. We all agreed. Listen, if you can get a better pick from New England, you make that deal. Who cares about what you do with the Patriots? You're not ready to win yet. So it's the same logic, but he misread the room and he ended up going to Philadelphia. But maybe he would have done it anyway. But if that's the only mistake he made, at least that's a football decision. It wasn't complete incompetence. It was like, hey, I don't value a running back. We're not ready to win. That at least makes some sense to me. You could disagree with it. The Daniel Jones thing was bad. But is that on Shane or is that on Dable? The general manager's job is to get players that the coach wants to coach. Didn't look like Dable wanted to coach Daniel Jones, so he got rid of him and he went out and drafted the dart, which is what he was supposed to do. I'm not going to sit there and defend everything that Shane has done. There's been a lot of mistakes. He can't build a secondary at all. But I agree with you and disagree with the caller. Robbie, there's talent on this team. Yes, it's not super bowl talent, but it's certainly talent should be better than.
Don Hahn
2 and 8, especially on the defense.
Alan Hahn
5 and 5, 6 and 4, definitely with this talent is on the table.
Don Hahn
A couple of things. The defense obviously has more talent, skill on it than the offense. The offense is young. But can I also ask you something? What is one area of the offense that we have talked about with the Giants as a major detriment for the last couple of years that we have never talked about this season? We have never mentioned it about the quarterback, besides the quarterback. I'm sorry, the offensive line.
Peter Rosenberg
Well, that's Andrew Thomas turning into the guy he's supposed to be.
Alan Hahn
Staying healthy. Yeah.
Don Hahn
And a Luminor and John Michael Schmidt's like. Like the offensive line has actually.
Alan Hahn
Brought in by who?
Don Hahn
Stable.
Alan Hahn
Brought in by who? Yeah. So again, I'm not going to sit there and give him executive of the year. But.
Peter Rosenberg
But it's a nice heading in the right direction.
Alan Hahn
And if you wanted to get rid of both of them. I think we've all said it. I would have understood it. I would have gotten it. Start fresh.
Don Hahn
Yep.
Alan Hahn
But we also all said that if you got to get rid of one, Dable's the guy to get rid of. And right now, God bless him. But do you want John Mara to be the guy deciding who the next general manager and head coach is going to be? Do you want this regime to do that after they've literally failed four consecutive times with their coach and twice with their last general managers, you know, or at least with Kettleman. Now we'll see what happens with Shane. I'm sorry, you've whiffed too many times. I need a football person to be able to make that decision and we'll see what he does.
Peter Rosenberg
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Don Hahn
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Peter Rosenberg
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.
Alan Hahn
What is this now, Jacob?
Peter Rosenberg
He's going all over the place, this guy.
Alan Hahn
So let me tell you a story, Alan.
Don Hahn
Yep.
Alan Hahn
I stumbled upon a song. My brother sent it to me. It's a yacht rock song by the name. The band is called Sneaker.
Peter Rosenberg
Never heard of Sneaker.
Alan Hahn
Never heard of Sneaker myself, either. All right. But it's. It's a cool. So I tried to play it for Alan earlier, but he just, for whatever reason, couldn't hear it.
Peter Rosenberg
All right.
Alan Hahn
More than just the two of us is the name of the song. Apparently, Jacob didn't hear that part of it. So this is the second rejoin in which he's played a sneaker song. That is not the song.
Don Hahn
But the voice sounds very familiar.
Alan Hahn
But more than just the two of us, it's their only hit. Jake, you are playing deep cuts on a band that doesn't have deep cuts. They've got one song. It's one hit.
Don Hahn
Wonder Scratches.
Alan Hahn
I'm surprised any other song came up with this.
Peter Rosenberg
How do you spell it? Just like the word sneaker.
Alan Hahn
It's just like sneaker. All right, now this is the song. I hope. There it is.
Don Hahn
I found it.
Peter Rosenberg
That's Alan playing it.
Don Hahn
Yeah.
Alan Hahn
Oh, Alan's playing.
Don Hahn
I got it.
Alan Hahn
Now tell me my phone. Let's see if you even heard the song before.
Peter Rosenberg
I can't even find the artist on Spotify.
Alan Hahn
It's coming. I promise.
Don Hahn
Yeah, we got to get to the lyrics. This is. This is drippy yacht rock. This is.
Alan Hahn
Listen, I had a nice analogy off the air that I can't share on the air.
Don Hahn
So sappy you could blow your nose in a pancake.
Alan Hahn
But I love it. Okay? I love it, but I just love it. Like, Jacob was so on yesterday. Jacob was Ohtani in Game three of the World Series. Yesterday he was right. And today he's like, judge in the postseason before this.
Peter Rosenberg
Oh, no. What's the song called again?
Don Hahn
More than just the two of them.
Alan Hahn
Yeah, There he goes. Here we go.
Peter Rosenberg
Here's the hook.
Don Hahn
I've definitely heard this, Donnie. Oh, yeah.
Peter Rosenberg
It is familiar.
Alan Hahn
Yeah. So Jacob was trying to get into the Rejoin and found, like, every song except that one. And every time, he's got a look on his face like, I got it. And he could see by the dead look in my eyes, like, I don't know what the heck is this?
Peter Rosenberg
I don't know what he thought.
Sponsor/Ad Voice
I was so confident both segments.
Don Hahn
And then I'm looking at him like.
Alan Hahn
I'm pretty sure this is a song.
Don Hahn
Don told me about.
Alan Hahn
No.
Peter Rosenberg
Nope.
Don Hahn
Papa Pusick said it's his favorite song.
Alan Hahn
What?
Don Hahn
His favorite sneaker song.
Alan Hahn
His favorite. Really?
Don Hahn
And I was like, why didn't you say something earlier?
Caller
And I remembered he can't hear it.
Don Hahn
Because he's watching on YouTube.
Alan Hahn
Tell your dad he's got great taste. This was a hit song. Probably not Got. Didn't get any higher than, like, 30.
Don Hahn
You suck.
Peter Rosenberg
Pierce.
Alan Hahn
In, like, 1983. All the other songs Jacobs play, I'm not even sure that they were published or songs.
Don Hahn
They weren't hits.
Peter Rosenberg
They were right.
Don Hahn
They weren't deep cuts. They were scratches.
Alan Hahn
It's like. It's like saying, listen, I. I heard this Men Without Hat song. Use it in the Rejoin and never play. Come on, Eileen.
Don Hahn
19. What? Oh, 1981, Don.
Alan Hahn
1980. See, that's. That's when the 80s were.
Don Hahn
Now I've got. There's got to be. There's got to be a little bit like. How. How high do you think it charted? I got it here.
Alan Hahn
I want to say 30.
Peter Rosenberg
So that's a really interesting question because. Yeah, it's maybe.
Alan Hahn
Maybe like 38.
Don Hahn
By the way, the band. The band's influences. Steely Dan, Eagles and Doobie Brothers. That's very, very young.
Alan Hahn
Well, they missed on all three. That song is still good, but you don't know. They're still a good song.
Peter Rosenberg
All right, so what's the.
Alan Hahn
Yeah.
Don Hahn
What size More than just the two of us hit in 1981? 34.
Peter Rosenberg
Look at you. Don't.
Don Hahn
It's not very good.
Alan Hahn
It's not nothing.
Don Hahn
No, you'd be proud of that Adult contemporary chart. It got as high as 17.
Alan Hahn
Well, there you go.
Peter Rosenberg
You know who was a guest on Kimmel last night?
Alan Hahn
I'm hearing who.
Don Hahn
Oh, yeah.
Peter Rosenberg
Christopher Cross.
Don Hahn
Christopher Cross.
Peter Rosenberg
How do you like that?
Alan Hahn
I love that.
Don Hahn
I missed it.
Peter Rosenberg
Is that. Is that up there? Can we hear? Is it. Let us know if that's up there. I want to hear a little Sailing. Live in 2025.
Alan Hahn
Sailing takes me away.
Peter Rosenberg
Wonder how he did.
Alan Hahn
I'm sure.
Don Hahn
I'm sure it was good. Although, have you heard the Tiny Desk Doobie Brothers?
Peter Rosenberg
I've never. I have never seen. It's bad.
Don Hahn
Just. No, yeah, please. Never. Like, no, I should just. Yeah, it was.
Peter Rosenberg
Why are you saying this?
Don Hahn
It was tough on the ears, really. I was so. I felt terrible. But I gotta be honest. It was rough.
Peter Rosenberg
I don't. I, like, don't believe you.
Don Hahn
Like, Rerun would have just dropped the tape recorder and run away. He wouldn't have continued, or he would.
Alan Hahn
Have just pressed Stop and he would have bootlegged the tape out. And for people who don't understand the reference, that's on you.
Don Hahn
Yeah, right.
Peter Rosenberg
It's an episode.
Don Hahn
Google it.
Peter Rosenberg
Episode of what's Happening where he reruns taping John, by the way, don't look now.
Don Hahn
Sneaker did have a second top 100. Oh. Actually, it reached 25 on the US rock chart.
Alan Hahn
What I got to hear. What is it?
Don Hahn
Don't Let Me in.
Alan Hahn
It's. It's nothing that Jacob played, I'll tell you that.
Don Hahn
1982. Don't let me In.
Alan Hahn
All right, well, I will see if we know that and see if Jacob can find it. Luca in SoHo. In the meantime, you're on ESPN New York. What's up, Luca?
Caller
Guys, guys. How do you expect me to follow this up?
Alan Hahn
You will. I have.
Don Hahn
I think you can do it.
Alan Hahn
You will.
Caller
I was going to say, Don, you said yesterday something about retread coaches, and I immediately thought of Kevin Stefanski, who is the opposite of the quarterback, who doesn't have stability. This Guy's coached, like, 12 different quarterbacks. I think given there's the right circumstance and it's the NFL, anything can happen. I think it would be an interesting fit for the Giants. And another thing, Joe. I laugh about Joe Shane. I think the worst thing he's done so far is you can't get the kicker right.
Don Hahn
Yeah.
Caller
If we get a kicker right, at least we got two more.
Don Hahn
The Gano thing is Gano's older. When healthy, he's reliable, but the guy just keeps breaking down.
Caller
I think the Giants are disgusted. That position.
Don Hahn
Maybe they've had a little bit of.
Caller
A history, but they brought KU in.
Don Hahn
They brought Coo in, and Dable didn't want Coo he brought in the kid from Rutgers and the kid couldn't kick.
Alan Hahn
Right? So. So Dable even had fingerprints on that. But Stefanski. Here's Dan Orlovsky on. Get up, guys.
Caller
Well, the number one name that I.
Don Hahn
Would pay attention to if I were.
Alan Hahn
The Giants is what happens in Cleveland with Kevin Stefanski.
Don Hahn
If I could hand pick a guy.
Alan Hahn
It would be Stefan. No, I'm going to shut it off because I just can't stop it. I mean, it's a mess in Cleveland. Did you see the way that game ended on Sunday?
Don Hahn
Not. Not.
Alan Hahn
Come on, man. And maybe, you know, maybe. Maybe Dan's right and he's like a hidden gem, unpolished. And if he comes to New York, it'll all come together, but, you know, I'm good.
Peter Rosenberg
You're all set.
Alan Hahn
How about you?
Peter Rosenberg
Yeah, it's hard. How do you. How do you get excited about Stefanski?
Don Hahn
Look, he had a lot going against him, which included the Deshaun Watson thing was just a disaster from day one. Right. Like, so he hasn't had a quarterback, but you could see in their draft room that they don't even have any continuity there. Right. I. But I get it. I totally understand, like, why you wouldn't want to go there. Because why would you bring in somebody who has done. Who has been part of losing so much? He's probably used to.
Alan Hahn
Can I just ask these people? And I keep repeating myself over and over again, but I still have to because people are obviously not hearing me or completely ignoring me. Can be both at the same time. Do I think Stefanski can get something out of a quarterback? Yeah. You know who else got something out of a quarterback? Brian Dable. Can't coach. Can Stefanski coach? When did all of a sudden we take the coach out of head coach? Is it head quarterback guy? Is it head quarterback whisperer? No, it's still head coach, people. You still have to coach. You have to make decisions on fourth down. You got to get your team ready to play. You got to develop a game plan, you got to make adjustments at halftime. There's a lot of things that go into being a coach. Then you just getting quarterback play. I know it's important. I get it. It's so vitally important. But it can't be the whole kick caboodle. It can.
Peter Rosenberg
Stop it.
Alan Hahn
Stop it.
Don Hahn
I'm gonna let you in on a secret here. Some names that you, you know, get pushed by some members of the media are favors. Good relationship with them. Want to help them out. Want to get him some Pub like this.
Alan Hahn
I've had that happen to me. I've had that happen to me.
Don Hahn
It's a real thing.
Alan Hahn
I don't do it because I need to have the conviction. If I believe it, I'll say it. Yeah, but you know guys are going to do favor. I don't know if this is the case with Orlovsky and listen, I'm sure Dan believes Stefanski is a great offensive mind and can work with quarterbacks. To me, Dan, that's not enough to come to New York and deal with the media and the pressure to win. I mean there's a lot that goes into being a head coach than just he can get good quarterback play. Got good quarterback play. Brian Dable was able to get Jackson dart. I'll give him all the credit for dart if you want. It's not enough. You know how I know it's not enough? Because he's playing at an elite level and they're still not winning games. Still not winning. Let's go to Jason and Inwood. You're on ESPN New York. Hi Jason.
Caller
Oh, thank God you had someone on first. And I get back to leaving my bedroom and that music, it's.
Alan Hahn
I enjoy that music. What's the matter with you?
Caller
No, no, that's what I'm saying. I needed someone to get. Get me back to earth.
Don Hahn
He's talking about how he was doing it.
Peter Rosenberg
He was in my. Too much.
Caller
Yeah, never heard of it before but it looks fantastic.
Alan Hahn
I thought you were making fun of me.
Caller
A couple things about David. I just wanted to say the one thing that always showed me that he is not a head coach is they got the doors blown off of them every first game of the year.
Don Hahn
Yep.
Caller
And he was on the sideline just standing around and I got. Let's see how everything goes. Everybody else is kicking our ass but he. We're getting our ass kicked. That was the first thing that. It's interesting, you know, gave me signs that he couldn't marry the entire team. The second thing is the lattering of Jackson Dart. I'm sorry.
Don Hahn
Not a terrible take at all what you're saying. Week one.
Caller
Yeah, I just. They had the whole summer to prepare for it and they were terrible every first game of the year and Jackson Dart and how he lathers Jackson Dart. I just couldn't see it anymore. It was just too much. He was not a head coach and he's not a quarterback whisperer and he's not that offensive mind that you know the guy for the Rams and you say Stefanski but did Baker Mayfield play for Stefanski?
Alan Hahn
I don't think. No.
Don Hahn
No, that was. That was what's his name before him. I thought.
Caller
I thought they kicked. I thought they kicked him to the side.
Don Hahn
And, you know, maybe he did or maybe, as I said, Stefanski's been through, like, what that organization has done there is like, how do you judge a coach?
Peter Rosenberg
That's what I'm saying. But it's. But at the same time, how do you get excited?
Don Hahn
But he's cloaked in it. He's cloaked in it. Like you'd be afraid the next job of a guy who's. Who's been part of so much losing. Yeah, yeah.
Alan Hahn
He had Stefanski at least the last two years.
Don Hahn
Okay.
Alan Hahn
Yeah. Because he had Freddy Kiki.
Don Hahn
That's who it was. Right.
Alan Hahn
And then Stefanski, his last two years, both losing seasons.
Peter Rosenberg
Not all things are equal. Not all losing.
Alan Hahn
And you know what, guys? You know what? I forget? And Anthony can look it up and correct me if I'm wrong. The only time that Dable opened a season with a win was in Tennessee. Remember that 9, 71 season, they go to Tennessee, they're a huge underdog. They go for two, get the touchdown in the fourth quarter, take the lead with a minute to go, win the game. Right. All we remember is he had the stones to go for two. I didn't even think about it until they were showing, like, highlights from, you know, after him being fired, that Tennessee missed a field goal at the end of the game. So if Tennessee makes the field goal.
Don Hahn
Yep.
Alan Hahn
They. They finish, you know, eight, eight and one. Missed the playoffs. And we're not even having a guy. He probably got fired last year. Like. Like people forget that 22. The. The breaks that they got. So even in the game that he won and all. He went for two. We've got our coach. Well, you caught a break at the end of the game. Then you know what? And you know what? Didn't catch another break again. Ever. Unless it was broken bones on the players that tried to sacrifice themselves for you and it didn't work out.
Don Hahn
Ah.
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Don Hahn
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Peter Rosenberg
Seriously, it's $15 a month.
Don Hahn
3. No big contracts.
Alan Hahn
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Don Hahn
I use it. 5. My mom uses it.
Alan Hahn
Are you.
Don Hahn
Are you playing me off? That's what's happening, right? Okay, give it a try@mintmobile.com Switch upfront payment of $45 for a three month plan. $15 per month equivalent required.
Alan Hahn
New customer offer first three months only, then full price plan options available, taxes and fees extra.
Don Hahn
CMN thanks for listening to the Don Hahn and Rosenberg podcast.
Peter Rosenberg
I didn't listen to anything you just said.
Don Hahn
Cat on demand whenever you want. Just subscribe to us wherever you get your podcasts.
Alan Hahn
Is this the other Sneaker song? I'm not feeling it.
Don Hahn
Hold on. Give it a second.
Peter Rosenberg
For God's sake.
Don Hahn
Yeah, I know, right?
Peter Rosenberg
That was fast.
Don Hahn
I'm into it so far.
Alan Hahn
Why can't I give you updates in progress?
Don Hahn
Donnie, this is 198263 on the top 125 on the rock the mainstream rock charts.
Alan Hahn
But was.
Peter Rosenberg
I'm not mad at it.
Alan Hahn
Was it. Did it make the top 40 of the Hot 100? So was it considered a hit? No. No, no. So Sneaker is a one hit wonder, but that song is fantastic. Not this one.
Don Hahn
No, more. More than. More than just two of us. I'm adding that, by the way, to my my yacht rock.
Alan Hahn
Right? My brother sent it to me. I'm like, this is fantastic.
Don Hahn
Yeah.
Alan Hahn
He's like, I know you're a yacht rock fan. How good is this? I'm like, it's great.
Don Hahn
Yeah, that's an ad.
Alan Hahn
And we know it's sappy, like SAP right out of the tree.
Don Hahn
That's it. Straight up. But. But we like this this is what you want.
Alan Hahn
That, that's why it's good.
Peter Rosenberg
That's the beauty of yacht rock.
Don Hahn
And I'm, I mean, Don, I know you are. I'm man enough to say I like it. So what? Just because you don't like, it's your problem.
Alan Hahn
I know. Nancy gets on me all the time for these songs. And she rolls her eyes.
Don Hahn
Does she?
Alan Hahn
And then I remind her that she purchased the cassette single when that was a thing of the Macarena. So. And that shuts the conversation down over. Shuts it down over. So you can make fun of all my yacht rock. And I love this song. And Christopher Cross and Sneaker and, and she.
Peter Rosenberg
Well, hold on. But all there's a, all the artists you just mentioned are, Are make good music. I mean, Sneaker I never heard of till five seconds ago. And that wasn't really in your list until five seconds ago. Right, but all the other people you're talking about have.
Alan Hahn
Yeah.
Peter Rosenberg
Multiple songs that are really good.
Alan Hahn
The musicality, Orleans and Ambrosia.
Don Hahn
Ambrosia, sure. Little River Band.
Alan Hahn
I mean, I love them.
Don Hahn
Come on.
Peter Rosenberg
I mean, you guys are going a bit far, but they make good songs, though.
Don Hahn
The argument is this, though. Macarena, I think.
Alan Hahn
Macarena.
Don Hahn
Yeah. Stephanie and Nancy are in sort of the same category. Bad taste of music she's now hearing. Because I, I, she wanted me to make her, her, her favorite songs playlist. So we sat one day, and I'm just playing songs, and she's like, I love that one. All from the 90s. And then she's working out and she pulls her earpod out, she comes over me, she goes, I can't believe the lyrics of this song. K7 come baby come. And I said, oh, yeah, you didn't know what that song was about when you and your softball team were dancing around and singing it out loud.
Alan Hahn
Did you see?
Peter Rosenberg
Can I just ask a question of curiosity? Because I've never paid attention to the lyrics, but I can guess based on the title what they're about.
Don Hahn
You want me to read them to you?
Peter Rosenberg
No.
Don Hahn
No. Are you sure?
Peter Rosenberg
What, what, what would she have thought? What would anyone have thought it was about?
Don Hahn
Because they're not, they're not paying attention. They're just dancing and being happy.
Alan Hahn
Because women, like, they don't think dirty the way we do.
Peter Rosenberg
No. By the way, I've never thought about it ever until right this moment.
Don Hahn
But here, here, I'll give you one lyric, one line. I won't go any farther.
Peter Rosenberg
All right, thanks.
Don Hahn
Come get some of this. Don't forget the innuendo.
Peter Rosenberg
That's just a bad line. I don't even know what that means.
Don Hahn
Doesn't matter.
Peter Rosenberg
Don't forget the innuendo.
Alan Hahn
You know what? I take it back.
Peter Rosenberg
I would like. I know the song, for God's sake.
Alan Hahn
Maybe you're already.
Don Hahn
But you know what, Ryan, come on now, they're alive.
Alan Hahn
Our audience is breaking down box scores.
Peter Rosenberg
Wait, what rhymes with innuendo?
Don Hahn
Keep it so loud, you'll be hitting the crescendo.
Alan Hahn
It's not.
Don Hahn
You know, that's actually pretty good.
Alan Hahn
There's nothing wrong with finding the obvious rhyme.
Don Hahn
I give them credit. They probably sat around going, man, what rhymes with innuendo?
Alan Hahn
Hold on, hold on real quick.
Peter Rosenberg
Alan, you made a mix. You made a mix for your wife and you put on K7. Come, baby girl.
Alan Hahn
Because she liked the song.
Don Hahn
I did not make the mix. I sat down at. In the. At the counter, in the kitchen while she was doing something, all right. And I was playing her songs on the Sonos. And she would say yes and no. And so I was going through top 190s from 90 to 90, 99.
Peter Rosenberg
All right, so you weren't like, hey, here's a good one. You were just saying, no, these are okay.
Don Hahn
Nope.
Peter Rosenberg
Yeah, I was just checking here because that's a tough. That's a tough.
Alan Hahn
Nick's Grizzlies coming up at 7 o'. Clock. Allen is going to be on television tonight, correct?
Don Hahn
Yes, sir.
Alan Hahn
No. Mitchell Robinson, left ankle maintenance. What?
Peter Rosenberg
Yeah. You have to.
Don Hahn
Yes.
Peter Rosenberg
Do you have to keep the ankle.
Don Hahn
Expected. Expected. Boys, it's the first game of a home of a back to back. So there'll be a game tomorrow. This is a Western Conference opponent tonight. Tomorrow's the magic Eastern Conference opponent. You would want him for that then. You've got no back to backs now for about two weeks, so he should be available now. They're playing him in short stints, but, man, his impact. Oh, my God, his numbers have been phenomenal. So, yeah, I'm not surprised he's not playing tonight.
Alan Hahn
Let's go back to the busy phones. 1-800-919-3776. Moose in Jamaica. You're on ESPN, New York.
Caller
Evening, fellas. Real quick on one hit wonder marble number five. Need I say anymore?
Peter Rosenberg
That's a tough one, too. That's a tough one, too.
Don Hahn
Not either. It's.
Peter Rosenberg
But I'll tell you this, though. Mambo number five to me is like Mozart compared to Macarena.
Alan Hahn
Right? I mean, here comes the sun.
Peter Rosenberg
It's as good as it gets compared to. I mean nothing's worse.
Don Hahn
So true.
Caller
Two quick points from the Giants and what has happened so far then I'll get it to Shane, then I'll get into who I want. One I didn't think much of the season with the defense having half veteran talent, half rookie second year talent. So I didn't expect more than four or five wins unless we started dart and they would save their job, win six to seven games and then maybe we see the end of their deal. That's two things real quick on Shane. I want him gone too. For every good draft pick or good signing he's made, he's had two or three bad ones and the the courts. Coach, slash quarterback, offensive coordinator, defensive coordinator. Look at the Chargers, their D coordinator since Jim Harbaugh got there as have a top 5 top 10 defense. Hire him the defensive coordinator as head coach. Bring the quarterback coach to run the offense and we might have a spine of success as a Giants franchise. That's my only suggestion. Thanks for taking my call.
Don Hahn
Sounds like a lot of reaching.
Alan Hahn
Yeah it does.
Don Hahn
It's a lot of reaching. Hope this, bring that guy in. Do this, do that. No, no, no. I need somebody that's got a resume that's done it before so I know what it's supposed to look like.
Peter Rosenberg
See that's, that's right.
Alan Hahn
Everybody's gonna have an opinion, right? Every assistant is gonna come with a tremendous resume. Hey, we talked about it on Hard Knocks when Dable was talking about oh we got, we gotta get, we gotta get Bowen from Tennessee. Do you see the average yards per carry that they're holding opponents? Yeah. All these guys, the hot assistants, they're all going to come with nothing but positives, no negatives. Otherwise they wouldn't be a hot assistant. But when you bring the retread. And again we hate that word they're going to have. They've been fired before. You've seen it so you know exactly where all the holes are. So. But I just think it's too important a job. They have literally failed four consecutive times with their head coaching hire. They can't afford to get it wrong because now it looks like they've got their quarterback and they don't want to waste that by not having the coach. And I don't care how good the quarterback is, if you don't have the coach, you're not winning. So they've got to get this right guys. They have to. And you're coming into a job where you've Got the world's biggest media. You've got a tremendous upset fan base that you're going to have to deal with, egos, all the things that comes with taking over a roster in New York where you're the number one team in your sport and everybody's following it, everybody's paying attention, everybody's expecting you to fail because the other four all failed. It's a lot of pressure to go under, and I need some experience. You know, could a kid. Could an inexperienced guy do the job? Maybe. Hey, Bill Parcells was. Was nobody when he got hired. Right. But you know what? It was good to bring in Tom Coughlin who had success in Jacksonville. That's helpful to have a guy that's got a resume. You could do that, too. We could also do enn. How about that?
Peter Rosenberg
I'm glad we. I'm glad they ran Coughlin out of town, though. You know, I'm glad they were on his neck every single year.
Alan Hahn
I'm so interested.
Peter Rosenberg
So.
Don Hahn
Well, unreal.
Alan Hahn
I'm reading Jordan's book and all the times that Coughlin's job was on the line after going to the playoffs two straight years, they lost the first two games in 07. They were going to fire him. Now we're talking about trying to keep coaches that start two and seven every single year.
Don Hahn
Yep.
Alan Hahn
God, do I miss Tom Coughlin. God, do I miss all of the issues of the Tom Coughlin Giants.
Peter Rosenberg
I mean, by the way, listen, in all fairness, he couldn't hear all the chatter about him because the rings were jingling, jangling too loud in his pocket. But I always just marveled as a. As a fan of another team. Sports talk radio people, every year they lose two games in a row. You've got to move on from Coughlin.
Don Hahn
He's too old. He can't relate to Odell.
Peter Rosenberg
I'm like, this guy's got rings galore. He wins every few years. You dream of that. There are kids who grew up with that. They had the exact same experience that I had. So I was a kid. Commanders 1 in 87 and 91. Now I was 8 and 12 years old. There are kids who had the exact same thing in New York with the giants 7 and 11. They're like, oh, that's what happens. You just win championships every four years. And now Coughlin's been gone and it's been pure garbage ever since.
Don Hahn
Thanks for listening to the Don Hahn and Rosenberg podcast.
Peter Rosenberg
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 88 80, ESPN, the ESPN New York app and your smart speakers.
ESPN New York – November 11, 2025
Hosts: Don La Greca, Alan Hahn, Peter Rosenberg
This episode dives deep into the state of the New York Giants following the firing of head coach Brian Daboll, dissecting where responsibility lies in the organization’s failures, and speculating on the future of the head coach and general manager positions. The trio, joined by insights from reporters, callers, and prominent voices in sports media, explore the complexities of the Giants’ woes—player handling, fractured relationships among coaches, and the conundrum of picking the next leader for the storied franchise.
Jordan Raanan’s Insight on Daboll’s Handling of Dart:
Raanan highlights that the issue isn't just Jackson Dart's style as a running QB but the organization's enabling of his reckless play, emphasizing competitiveness over player longevity.
Hahn and Rosenberg on Daboll’s Coaching Tactics:
Hahn notes that Daboll’s approach—using Dart as a tool to save his own job—led to a Jekyll-and-Hyde treatment of his quarterbacks.
Iconic Daniel Jones Memories:
Peter recalls two haunting moments: Jones left in a blowout on opening day and the lack of public support from Daboll after a playoff win.
Unfiltered Sideline Dynamics:
Reports indicate Daboll’s volatility on the headset—disruptive yelling so intense that defensive coordinator Wink Martindale struggled to concentrate.
Leadership Failures:
Don laments how Daboll’s inability to coexist with top-tier assistants and fractious sideline interactions foreshadowed his doom.
Org Structure Observations:
Several hosts emphasize the Giants’ chronic failure to learn from mistakes—especially the perils of mismatched QB and HC timelines and the recurring pattern of GM/coach instability.
Ian O’Connor via Alan Hahn:
Shane is likely to stay unless major collapse occurs, but his missteps—mostly personnel, not structural—are underscored. The Saquon Barkley transaction and misreading the Eagles’ intentions are cited.
Caller Debate:
Disagreements with listeners on whether talent or coaching is the central problem, and if Shane deserves to lead the next phase.
Mike Kafka’s Interim Audition:
The guys see real upside (and little risk) in letting Kafka prove himself. If the offense stays afloat amid injuries—and with no major defensive upgrades—that may be Kafka’s best argument for the full-time job.
Defensive Coordinator Dilemma:
Uncertainty about Shane Bowen’s future and who’s truly to blame for the defensive woes.
Callers’ Coaching Wish List:
Lane Kiffin, John Gruden, and Kevin Stefanski are floated. The hosts dissect their merits and question whether a “retread” or a “C-suite” type is what the team needs.
Hahn’s Coaching Perspective:
Cautions listeners not to overrate offensive whizzes—head coaches must marry the whole operation, not just the QB.
The Legacy of Tom Coughlin:
Nostalgia for Coughlin, contrasting current impatience with the legendary coach’s turbulent job security—reminding fans and the media of the perils of overreacting and failing to value actual success.
On What’s Needed Next:
Don and Hahn agree: With four consecutive failed hires, only a proven, seasoned hand should take the Giants job this time—even if an “inexperienced guy” could surprise.
On Sideline Drama:
“The yelling was just too much on the headset. I couldn’t even concentrate on calling plays half the time.” (02:26 – Jordan Raanan)
On Treating QBs Differently:
“Did you ever see him do that with anybody else other than Daniel Jones? Throw him a tablet?” (03:27 – Don Hahn)
On Organizational Failure:
“You cannot have a lame duck coach and a rookie quarterback. You have to marry up those timelines.” (05:50 – Don Hahn)
On Fan Cynicism:
“There are kids who had the exact same thing in New York with the Giants 7 and 11. They're like, oh, that's what happens. You just win championships every four years. And now Coughlin's been gone and it's been pure garbage ever since.” (50:22 – Peter Rosenberg)
Robbie (Lenox, MA):
Wants a “CEO” type like Kiffin or Gruden; argues it's more about Shane than Daboll.
Luca (SoHo):
Suggests Kevin Stefanski, but the crew is skeptical about bringing in a coach steeped in a losing culture.
Moose (Jamaica):
Calls for a new regime top-to-bottom; suggests someone from the Chargers’ defensive staff.
This episode offers a razor-edged critique of the Giants’ leadership and the perils that come with decades of organizational misfires. While diving into the potential for an in-house solution or an external overhaul, Don, Hahn & Rosenberg balance incisive sports breakdowns with classic New York personality, sharp humor, and fan interaction.
If you missed the show, this is the episode to understand the Giants’ crossroads and what’s (possibly) next.
Original Tone and Language Maintained. Attribution Provided. Ad/intro/outro segments omitted.