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- [00:00]
Don LaGreca
This episode is brought to you by Allstate. Some people just know they could save hundreds on car insurance by checking Allstate First. Like you know to check the date of the big game first before you accidentally buy tickets on your 20th wedding anniversary and have to spend the next 20 years of your marriage making up for it. Yeah, checking first is smart. So check Allstate first for a quote that could save you hundreds. You're in good hands with Allstate Savings. Vary terms apply. Allstate Fire and Casualty Insurance Company and Affiliates Northbrook, Illinois.
- [00:31]
Alan Hahn
This is the Don Hahn and Rosenberg podcast.
- [00:35]
Peter Rosenberg
That sounds like heaven to me.
- [00:36]
Alan Hahn
Listen live weekday afternoon starting at 3 on 8:80, ESPN, the ESPN New York app and your smart speakers moving into.
- [00:45]
Joe Namath
The 5:00 hour with Don Lagreca and Peter Rosenberg. I'm Alan Hahn. It's DHR880 ESPN 800-919-3776. Of course the number be part of the conversation. We have plenty of calls to get to. We certainly will get get to those Rich Samini guys just put out an interesting tweet. Yeah that the the so the media we heard John Maris spoke today right. About his decision to keep both Joe Shane and Brian Dabel. The jets media requested Woody Johnson. The jets declined that they did not. They were not making him available for an end of season wrap up to discuss the season and what's ahead. Now NFL this is what Samini is saying. NFL media policy requires teams to hold a news conference with its head coach and or chief executive/president GM at the end of seasons. Now the jets are going through a search. They don't technically have either of those so they were kind of hoping that you would have the owner. Now Johnson answered a one question post game from reporters gave a pregame interview though to the New York Post exclusive that you saw in the paper. But Samini is saying and he's right that the fans deserve to hear from Woody Johnson at length and the rest of the media should have access to him but they're not making him available.
- [01:57]
Peter Rosenberg
And that's that's the jets preview protecting Woody from saying something he's not supposed to say cause he didn't really come across that great after the game yesterday kind of talking up happy that he won the game. You know no regrets. These are things the jets don't want him to go on record saying. Cause I cause I will tell you I've had some moments with Woody. I think he's a really nice guy. I get along with him well and a perfect Example at the stadium series last year, Alan. I'm doing the Ranger Islander game and I'm the third announcer, so I'm ice level. So between periods, I would do the intermissions from outside the glass. And Woody was there with his son. And it was during commercial break, I said, woody, would you want to come on? He said, yeah, sure. And he came on. And after it was over, I'm like, wow, I can't believe he made himself available because he wants to do it.
- [02:50]
Seth Rollins
He.
- [02:51]
Peter Rosenberg
He wants to talk. So when he is, when he doesn't talk, it's the jets stopping him from talking because they don't want to say something. It's probably a good thing. But if you really want information, that's probably not a good thing. But from the Jet standpoint, it probably is because he would probably say something like he did yesterday. We have the sound, don't we play it. It didn't come across great when he spoke after the game. You have it there, Peter.
- [03:17]
Seth Rollins
Oh, here we go.
- [03:17]
Woody Johnson
Everybody thought this is going to. Not just me thought, there's a talent, but all the networks that are paying millions of dollars. They put us in six prime times. Everybody thought this was going to be unbelievable. So from that standpoint, yeah, we didn't. We didn't live up to that early opinion of virtually everybody. We ended up well because I don't care about anything else, but a win at the end was good. And so we beat them today. They played well, they didn't give up, everybody showed up. We did some really nice things.
- [03:44]
Joe Namath
Sure, you end a losing streak against the Dolphins, but I see what.
- [03:47]
Peter Rosenberg
You can't let them speak. You can't say all I care as we won the last meaningless game.
- [03:51]
Seth Rollins
He sounds like. He sounds like an old fool. I'm sorry, but the other part, the.
- [03:54]
Joe Namath
Other, the other part that he brought up though was, you know, they had us on a ton of national tv. Everybody believed in us. But you know what? They had you early. And why do you think they had you early in the season? Why didn't they spread out these appearances? Why did they put them all in the first six weeks or so?
- [04:09]
Michael Kay
Right.
- [04:09]
Joe Namath
I mean, the whole nation was sick of seeing the Jets. But why? Because the. Because everybody, if you're. If you're a national broadcast company, you know that this probably is gonna end badly. So let's get to it early. Right? Let's make sure we get em early now.
- [04:22]
Seth Rollins
Yeah. Once they're out of contention, who wants to watch this?
- [04:24]
Peter Rosenberg
My conspiracy theory. See if you agree on'cause I don't think we've ever discussed this. My conspiracy theory is, is that if you. You ask Woody, and even in that cut, he admitted it. This has been great. Getting Aaron Rodgers has been great. All people do is talk about the jets when they were going to trade for him. That's all we talked about. Completely commandeered the entire show that we did with Michael. All we did was talk about Aaron Rodgers. All we did was talk about Aaron Rodgers when he got hurt. Then all we did was talk about, will he be able to come back all the nationally televised games. Do you know how irrelevant you are that you've gone now 14 years without going to the playoffs? So what better way to become relevant when you're not going to go to the playoffs, and that is to go get Aaron Rodgers and have people talking about you. I think Woody Johnson looks at these two years terrific. His team's being talked about. He sold a bunch of tickets early on, playing national televised games, selling jerseys, people talking about his team that can't get out of their own way. So from a marketing standpoint, this was a coup. Now, the fans don't care because the fans wanted to see Aaron Rodgers to win games. But to Woody Johnson, his irrelevant franchise for two consecutive years became relevant and were talked about. So I don't think he looks at getting Aaron Rodgers as a failure at all.
- [05:45]
Joe Namath
Then why does he want to get rid of him? Because he wants to move on. He doesn't want to deal with it.
- [05:51]
Peter Rosenberg
Because why do you think he all of a sudden fired Robert Style? That's why. I don't believe for a second that Rodgers had anything to do with it. He wanted Aaron Rodgers and the relevancy of Aaron Rodgers. But Aaron, don't start thinking you're more important than me. I'm still the guy that's in charge here. I'm still the one that hires and fires. So I do think that maybe Aaron rubbed Woody the wrong way over the last couple of years because he started to maybe look like he was the one that was pulling the strings and not Woody. And I really think that's why Salah was gone, because he wanted to grab a little bit more of the reins from Rodgers. So I think the issue probably is that Rodgers gets a little bit too much involved in things and getting people to think that Woody isn't the one that's pulling the strings as poorly as he pulls them, by the way.
- [06:36]
Seth Rollins
Because.
- [06:37]
Peter Rosenberg
He doesn't run a good franchise. No.
- [06:38]
Seth Rollins
No. Well, if that's your goal, the new.
- [06:41]
Joe Namath
York Post story was all about him defending himself from, from the, the athletic. That that all was him just pushing back on some of the allegations about how much his son's involved and you know, how the, the place is a mess. I mean, that's all that. That, that was. And it's great when you get the exclusive. I mean, there's nothing better than that. That's a gold star. But that's all that was about. It was a trusted place that he could go to get to. To push back on some of.
- [07:07]
Peter Rosenberg
I don't know whether his son actually stopped the deal with Denver for Julie, for Judy. I don't know. It's easy to believe because of the dysfunction with the Jets. But guys, do you really think Denver's gonna admit that Woody's son was the reason the deal didn't go down? Don't you think other organizations are probably gonna try to steer away from bringing another owner down and embarrassing another owner like that?
- [07:32]
Seth Rollins
But they also wouldn't necessarily know.
- [07:34]
Peter Rosenberg
Well, that's also the possibility. But that was used like, oh, Denver said, no, they were the one that nixed the deal. But, but why, why would they want to embarrass Woody Johnson? Why would they want to possibly stop conversations in the future about trades and.
- [07:46]
Seth Rollins
All and make it look like they didn't have control?
- [07:49]
Peter Rosenberg
Right.
- [07:49]
Joe Namath
And also, I don't know. I don't know if you're telling Denver, you know, if, if you're telling a Peyton, oh, no, we're not making this deal because the Madden rating is.
- [07:58]
Seth Rollins
My son hates the man.
- [07:59]
Joe Namath
Yeah, that's, that's never getting to them. Now that could have been, you know, at, at the Pro bowl, having a beer at the bar, two front office guys, you know, who are like, yeah, whatever happened with that Judy deal? Oh, this is what I heard, you know, that may. And then, then it, then it circles back. That could be it. But I, I'd be surprised if it went that way. But, you know, who knows? 800 now 193776 the biggest problem that I seem to have with the jets and where they're headed versus the Giants and where they're headed is that there's still a great unknown with the jets and hiring the right people, the Giants, you know, who's in charge right now, like John Matt is not in this pool. Think about the teams right now that are out looking for their next head coach, the next everything. And so the Giants stand in pat. While for a Giants fan, might be incredibly frustrating because you just want to see change when you have a season as bad as this, this might be the year to wait. Does that make sense to you guys at all? This might. This might be the year to say, because Vrabel, you know, you know, like, you want to get somebody competent, you want somebody good, you can't just keep going to either, you know, the next hot name that is going to come to New York, get overwhelmed. You can't keep doing that. But you've got to have somebody that understands this job. I thought Belichick was going to be the guy. I really did, too. But he's now in North Carolina. They never even sniffed at it, which is hard to believe. So if you're not going to go in that direction to get a guy that in a short term can just get you back on track, sort of like parcels with the jets back, you know, back in the day, then what are you going to do? Who you bringing in that's going to give you. It's going to feel like the same thing over and over again. And that's why I think what the Giants are doing right now is right, even though it's frustrating.
- [09:45]
Peter Rosenberg
All just options, right? Is Brian Dable a better option than other guys that you could have brought in to coach this team? Because I agree, like, I really thought that Shane was going to stay and Dable was going to go. I never believed they were attached to the hip just because they were hired at the same time from Buffalo, but, you know, decided to keep both of them. Was it because he didn't want to go through another coaching change? Or is it what you say in a way, like, do I really want to embarrass myself and have to settle for somebody because nobody wants this job?
- [10:15]
Joe Namath
Right.
- [10:16]
Peter Rosenberg
You know, I. But I do still think this is an attractive job. It's still the New York Giants and now it's been an embarrassment for the last decade. But I don't think that John Maurer is a meddler. I still think it's an attractive job even without a quarterback. I mean, are you telling me that there's some coach is going to say no to the New York Giants now? Maybe there's another job that's better. But do you really think that they'd be sitting there without a coach? Oh, no, they're holding their nose.
- [10:47]
Joe Namath
But Don, how many times can you just keep kind of re. Recycling until you get the right one? You just, I guess, drafting one. Mel Kuiper says that, right. Draft one every year till you get the right one. Right?
- [10:59]
Peter Rosenberg
But isn't that the way if you don't have the right coach, you just stick with them. Just to say, hey, listen, look at the stability. We've had Brian Dable for three years going on four, so we're good.
- [11:10]
Joe Namath
How do I know he's. How do I know he's not the right coach? But I saw him, I saw him. I saw him win a lot of games his first year.
- [11:16]
Seth Rollins
A lot.
- [11:16]
Joe Namath
And coach really well. I've seen him coach well in certain situations. I don't know if the roster is good enough. Okay, but there's your argument. You could do the whole back and forth of who should. If you were going to only pick one to stay, who you picking to stay? I probably would have picked able to stay.
- [11:34]
Peter Rosenberg
In my opinion, 3 and 3 and 4.
- [11:36]
Joe Namath
You disagree? I, I get the record is what the record is. I totally understand it. But I've seen this guy coach. I've seen him win games.
- [11:43]
Seth Rollins
I mean, have you like, yeah, I saw him win enough games to sneak into the playoffs and beat a Fugazi playoff team and then get absolutely embarrassingly smoked. I'm sorry.
- [11:57]
Joe Namath
They got boat raised by a great team in the Eagles. That was a great team.
- [12:00]
Seth Rollins
No, I get it. But it doesn't change the fact that what was their best year ended in complete disgrace.
- [12:05]
Joe Namath
And then year after they made the playoffs. To be fair, the three weeks into the season, no Saquon, no Daniel Jones.
- [12:12]
Peter Rosenberg
Come on. Hey, I lived through it, Alan. We, Peter and I were together every Monday and Peter and I would always talk. How are they doing this? It's like they're doing it with smoke and mirrors. How is this?
- [12:28]
Joe Namath
Yeah, they want a lot of comebacks. I was there too. Bart and I talked about it. We talked about it all the time. And the one thing I kept coming away with is that Dable is coaching his ass off. That's the one thing I was noticing. It's Daniel Jones. How amazing is it that he turned back into a ball.
- [12:42]
Peter Rosenberg
It's not the same sport, but always be careful of the teams that kind of pull it out of your. You know what. And all the come from behind victories and all of a sudden the worm turns and it's a completely different animal. Look at the Rangers. Rangers had 28 come from behind victories last year, 12 in the third period. Reliant overly on their power play, which bailed them out of a lot of situations, including their goaltending. And they won the President's trophy as the best team in the regular season and came within two wins of going to The Stanley cup, pretty much the same team, same coach, power play is now ranked 26th in the league, not getting the goaltending. And now they're trying. They're with the Islanders in last place in their division, Basically the same team. So now you go nine, seven and one. You're. You're going for two at the end of the game and you're. You're getting this big turnover and this big win here and there. This come from behind win. And then all of a sudden it gets back to normal and you win six games. Okay, the worm turned. Let's see how we respond. Then you go and you win three games. So now I've got enough evidence, Allen, to say maybe that 22 season was fugazi. You won nine games that year, and then nine games the next two combined.
- [13:56]
Seth Rollins
And then you look at what this year really became from 2 and 3 to where they landed, including that game. Guys, remember where they were. Two and a half touchdown Dogs at home to the Ravens. I think this team stopped playing for their coach. I'm sorry.
- [14:11]
Joe Namath
Well, that's more discussion we can get into later on. But back to the jets we go because Joe Namath, the great Joe Namath, the Hall of Famer, of course, joins us right now on the show. And the whole motivation behind bringing Joe on, not only because we love having him as a guest, was a very interesting tweet from yesterday which caught all of our attention because it is something that is, with the Jets, a topic of debate, and that is Joe Nama said this. After watching Aaron Rodgers play today, there's no doubt he's got at least another year in him. So if he wants to, I'd love to see him stay with the Jets. He could definitely help the new GM and coach as well as play ball. He's still throwing with accuracy and authority. And that is a very, very interesting take from a guy who certainly has eyes that would know it. So, first of all, Joe, thanks for giving us a few minutes here. What is it that you have seen from Aaron Rodgers that convinces you that there is still more in him and that the jets should consider keeping him around?
- [15:08]
Michael Kay
Well, first of all, hello, Don. Peter, Is Alan there, too?
- [15:12]
Peter Rosenberg
Oh, sure is.
- [15:14]
Michael Kay
Okay. Okay. Well, hey, I love football. I watch football. I can tell a lot about the guy's movements. And I feel like that I am a semi expert in my mind's eye and watching a player play and knowing what's happening with the game and when I watch Aaron play, like I say, man, he's still got the movement. He's still got his frisky. He's still sharp. He can still throw. He can if he wants to play. I hope he comes back to the Jets.
- [15:53]
Peter Rosenberg
So we're talking about it. You're right. I thought he closed out the season very well. He looked like he had a spring in his step. But how do I wrap my mind around when it still meant something? Earlier in the season when he really struggled and he was turning the ball over and he wasn't taking advantage of those drives at the end of the games, how do you figure out, all right, when it meant something, it wasn't there and then when the season was over, it came together. How do you explain that?
- [16:24]
Michael Kay
Your memory is a little better than mine, probably. I don't dwell on the negative side. You're going back to early in the season and I can't visualize a play at this time that I got down on Aaron's ability. I've seen him play over the years. I've seen him play this year and especially recently. And I still believe he has the physical ability and certainly certainly the strength mentally not to be fooled with any defense 90 plus percent of the time. And it all comes down to me as if he wants to play. He could stay there and play and help the team in other ways. He can help whatever other quarterbacks or offensive lineman he has. He can help defensive players if they're giving giving away a coverage. You know, he picks it up, he sees it. He can help both sides of the ball with his presence now at the wants to play again or if he's physically able to play, which he'll have to show it, you know. And to me, I see it. I see. I can see that he hasn't lost the throwing ability to passing ability. I just know he knows what's happening out there at all times on the field. So if you got somebody better that can play for the jets at that position, play him. You're out there to win. Right now he's the best quarterback the jets have. And if they're going to bring in a young quarterback, who better to help teach him as well and be a backup if that's the case. It depends on what Aaron wants to do. And my regard for him is very high. In a lot of ways he's lived football more than most of us. And I am just a big fan.
- [18:34]
Seth Rollins
Of his, no question. You know, we often say Don and I always talk about this at his best. Joe. I don't know if I've seen a better Quarterback. I mean, that's how great he was. I want to ask you something else, Jet related, of course, you focus on this team and you care for them greatly. I'm sure you may have heard that Rex has been. Rex Ryan has been lobbying to be the new head coach. I'm going to play you some audio from our morning show earlier, DP on Rothenberg where they asked Rex if he thinks he'll be the next coach of the jets.
- [19:07]
Joe Namath
Oh, 100%, absolutely I do. And the reason I think I'm going.
- [19:11]
Peter Rosenberg
To get it is because I'm the.
- [19:12]
Joe Namath
Best guy for it and it ain't close.
- [19:15]
Seth Rollins
I wanted to get your impressions of that. And if you have an appetite to see Rex Ryan back at the helm of the jets.
- [19:22]
Michael Kay
If he's back at the helm for the Jets, I'm going to be pulling for him. I promise you that. I am a Jet fan and we got a Jet fans out there that have been supporting the jets for years and we haven't come through. And yeah, I would be definitely pulling for Rex if he's the head coach. Now, who is doing the investigating, the shopping? Who's picking the head coach?
- [19:49]
Peter Rosenberg
I guess it's willing.
- [19:50]
Michael Kay
Who's the general manager? Who's the, who's the general manager at this time? Who's going to have to work with the coach? And I'm not negative on Rex, but you know, it's. It's a hard job. Well, their philosophy, you got to have a lot of. Pardon me.
- [20:11]
Peter Rosenberg
Their philosophy, Joe, is the quarter, the head coach and the general manager, two separate entities. They'll hire the head coach and then they'll hire the general manager. Maybe have the head coach decide who their general manager is. Are you okay with that or do you more want to see the old school? The GM hires the head coach.
- [20:30]
Michael Kay
I want to see them do it the way they want to do it and win. That's all. You know, you can say a lot of different ways about going, going about these things and whatever makes them feel the most comfortable giving them the best opportunity to win. Whatever the players feel, they got to be convinced, too. So you got to get somebody in there that the players are going to trust and believe in.
- [20:59]
Joe Namath
That's what it is. It starts at the very top. And we're talking with Joe Namath. Joe, if we can go back to Rogers, because, you know, you've been watching and if anybody can relate to coming off an injury and coming back from an injury, the one as devastating as it was for Rodgers and Achilles, can you explain to those listening the experience of you come back from something like that. Does it affect the first couple of weeks of a season like he didn't play for a whole year, how much does that take to, you know, does the end of the season sort of him finding it? Because early in the season there was that, you know, he's going to need some time to get his legs under him, literally. After being out for so long. What is that like for an athlete?
- [21:43]
Michael Kay
Well, the speed, first of all. I mean, the speed of the game, you don't see that in practice very often. So coming off an injury, things have changed so much. These guys work out year round, or they should be. And the nutrition's better than it's ever been. The doctors, the trainers, there's more things that these guys have access to that help them throughout the year become a better athlete. And if Aaron wants to play again, he's going to come in in good shape. Because these guys, they don't stop training. It's their life. Used to be you take off six months, you know, after the season of five months, you go work out on your own. These guys are able to go into the facility that the jets have and the other teams have and work daily if they want to, Six, seven days a week, six days a week, five days a week, with trainers with guidance on becoming a more fit animal, so to speak, stronger animal, quicker, faster, both physically and mentally. If they're not working on it year round these days, those kind of guys don't make the team.
- [23:08]
Seth Rollins
Joe, this is Peter speaking and we did a lot of. I did a lot of conversations leading up to the end of the Michael K Show as we knew it. And one of the things I talked about when people asked me about being on the show, one of the true joys of me being here is getting to interview you a couple times a year for the last nine years. And I think I speak for all of us when I say what a joy it is that we talk to you. And when I first started interviewing you, you were in your early 70s and we talked to you about, you know, your hopes and getting to be there if they win again. You're now 81. Do you still have faith that this team can find a way for you to celebrate a Jets championship?
- [23:49]
Michael Kay
Faith. No, I mean faith. Excuse me. I have faith in the good Lord. I have faith in some decisions that I make and faith in my children, but what I don't have, the faith that they're going to bounce back. I'm not convinced of that. They got to prove it to everybody. The fans have faith because they love the team. They are Jet fans. But no, they've got to show something for me to have faith in them.
- [24:20]
Seth Rollins
Fair enough.
- [24:21]
Joe Namath
Joe, how are you feeling these days?
- [24:26]
Michael Kay
I'm laughing. I feel pretty darn good. You mentioned the number there. You know, when I was 17, 20, 30, whatever. I never thought I'd. I never thought about being an octogenarian. Plus, you see, and I do a lot of reading. You know, I was confused when I read this. The short term memory is not as good as the long term memory. I read this a couple of years ago. What is that about?
- [24:58]
Seth Rollins
Well, you sound. Well, you sound great as ever. You sound great as ever.
- [25:02]
Joe Namath
Yeah, no, you sound good.
- [25:04]
Michael Kay
I thank God every day. I really do. I'm lucky. I have my daughter living next door to me with three grandchildren, and my other daughter's out in California, so I don't see them as much. But on a daily basis, I get to visit with the grandchildren and I'm reasonably healthy, so I'm just thankful to be here.
- [25:25]
Peter Rosenberg
Well, you're the best.
- [25:26]
Joe Namath
Yeah. We are thankful that you gave us a few minutes here as well. We look forward to talking to you again. And we look forward to better days, of course, for your Jets. Thanks so much, Joe.
- [25:35]
Peter Rosenberg
Happy New Year.
- [25:35]
Seth Rollins
Thank you, Joe.
- [25:36]
Michael Kay
Well, John Peter. Thank you, Alan. I hope we get. I hope you. I hope you make team.
- [25:43]
Seth Rollins
He made it with flying colors. Yes.
- [25:45]
Joe Namath
Always got to work every day to keep my spot. No doubt about it. Thanks, Joe. Thanks so much.
- [25:51]
Michael Kay
Okay.
- [25:53]
Seth Rollins
I. I mean that. I mean, that, man, like, when people ask me, like, what's the best thing about this gig? I'm like, the fact that we talk to this man every once in a.
- [26:02]
Joe Namath
While is I still want to. I want to get him and Clyde and like, like the guys from that era, it's different. And the stories they have to tell, it's special. And the New York that they lived in, those guys in their, in their prime, that, that, that, you know, early to mid-70s, it's, it's.
- [26:24]
Seth Rollins
It's a different time.
- [26:25]
Joe Namath
I think there's a whole generation that needs to hear what it was like. Well, it'd be great to get them together.
- [26:30]
Seth Rollins
Oh, well, listen, speaking of things you need to hear, guys.
- [26:32]
Joe Namath
Yeah.
- [26:33]
Seth Rollins
Monday Night Raw debuts on Netflix tonight. And we have one half of the main event next. My guy, Seth freakin Rollins, who, by the way, big football fan. We're gonna get into it with football and talk about his match with CM Punk tonight. And what the whole like Netflix sports entertainment thing is that's going on right now.
- [26:51]
Joe Namath
I love it. I love it. That's coming up. But I think Don's got a little business for us. Right, Donnie?
- [26:55]
Peter Rosenberg
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- [27:38]
Joe Namath
Oh, such a clutch off season pickup, Dave. I was worried we'd bring back the same team. I meant those Blackout motorized shades. Blinds.com made it crazy affordable to replace our old blinds. Hard to install. No, it's easy. I installed these and then got some for my mom. She talked to a design consultant for free and scheduled a professional measure and install hall of Fame son. They're the number one online retailer of custom window coverings in the world. Blinds.com is the goal.
- [28:02]
Seth Rollins
Shoplines.com right now and get up to 40% off select styles.
- [28:06]
Rich Samini
Rules and restrictions may apply.
- [28:09]
Alan Hahn
Thanks for listening to the Don Hahn and Rosenberg podcast.
- [28:13]
Seth Rollins
I didn't listen to anything you just said.
- [28:14]
Alan Hahn
Catch the show on demand whenever you want. Just subscribe to us wherever you get your podcasts.
- [28:22]
Seth Rollins
Burn it down.
- [28:32]
Joe Namath
So tonight, not only do we have a game here at Madison Square Garden with the Knicks and the Orlando Magic, it is a big debut tonight. Peter. Monday Night Raw on Netflix as they are getting into the sports and entertainment game. There's no question about it. And that of course, the music of Seth Rollins will be joining us momentarily. But Peter, this is a big. This is a big deal. Explain why it is a huge deal.
- [28:56]
Seth Rollins
Well, I mean, I mean besides the straight finances of it, which was just a monster billion dollar relationship between WWE and Netflix, I mean it's the Monday Night Raw is the longest running episodic television show in history. It obviously puts up big numbers, always in the early 2000s. You're talking about 5 million people a week. Obviously, as cable and TVs changed now it's like a couple of million people a week, but you're still talking about huge numbers. Alan and Don, for the most valuable thing, which is like sports live programming, because there's only so many things that get people to tune into a TV live. And that's where wrestling and sports are so similar, because it's something that people want to watch live more than on dvr. So it going in Netflix and now being on a streaming service as the exclusive place to get it worldwide, it's a game changer.
- [29:52]
Peter Rosenberg
Let me ask you this. When Yankee games are going to Amazon and when we're going to have an NFL playoff game that's going to be on an app, how are wrestling fans handling this?
- [30:03]
Seth Rollins
Oh, no one. This is not like Yankee fans being like, I don't want to be on Apple tv. No, people were excited, and they were ready because everybody has Netflix. And now the guy who's tapped to be a part of the main event tonight on the debut episode of Raw on Netflix is my buddy, Seth Rollins. Seth, it's Peter, Don, and Alan. How you doing, man?
- [30:29]
Rich Samini
I am great, man. Thank you guys for having me. I am here. I am excited. Let's go, man. Main event, Netflix. First time tonight. Gonna be hot.
- [30:39]
Seth Rollins
Have you to the question Don and Al were just asking me, what have you been hearing from, like, fans and the world about it going to Netflix? It doesn't seem like there's any resistance at all. It seems like all excitement, right?
- [30:53]
Rich Samini
All excitement, yeah. There's tons of questions, right? Like, how's it gonna work? Work? What's the rating going to be? How long is it going to be? But, like, nobody is upset about it going to Netflix. I think, if anything, it's the opposite. There's, like, a real enthusiasm about us landing on the biggest streamer in the game. And so, yeah, nothing but positivity, but just a lot of unanswered questions, but in an excited way, like, anything is possible. And it's been a long time since I felt like anything was possible, and I think I feel that way. And our fans echo that sentiment.
- [31:26]
Peter Rosenberg
Now. Picking Peter's brain. Getting ready for this interview. My brother David has a show on Sirius xm, and he asked me to ask you, what is the deal with CM Punk? What is the problem you have with him?
- [31:40]
Rich Samini
I mean, I think I've made it pretty clear maybe people are just missing. And it might be a situation where, you know, it hits me close to home because I was really affected by it. But, I mean, this is a guy that left the company on bad terms. And he didn't just go to, like, take take a break, you know, like, to do his own thing, to go poorly, fight in UFC or whatever. Like, he. He left, and he was. He was, like, so violently angry at the company that he tried to tear it down. Like, he wanted it to die. He wanted it to fail. He actively took pot shots on his way out. And during his leave, he wanted people that were his friends to leave the company to, like, give up their livelihood for loyalty to him. And then he went and joined the rival company. Aw. And he took more pot shots on air and, like, really tried to make it like he was gonna be the second coming and take this company and make it bigger than wwe, and it just didn't happen. And then he came back here after he got fired from there, and he acts like he was responsible for all the change that happened over the last 10 years when he wasn't here. And, like, that's just. That's gross. To do a new abandoned. My. To my friends, to people that I cared about. You were bad to the company and the business that I worked for for 10 years and dedicated my life to getting better. And then you come back and you want to. You just want to jump right back in and, like, claim that you had anything to do with that.
- [33:09]
Peter Rosenberg
It's.
- [33:09]
Rich Samini
It's gross. It's disgusting. And I don't. I don't appreciate that for myself and for my. My colleagues. Like, it's. It's.
- [33:16]
Joe Namath
I need to ask a question. Then here. Hearing you in that kind of passion about this is, like. So that tonight's personal. Like, there's extra. There's extra something going on here then for you with this. This is obviously, yeah, it's. It's a big deal. It's a show and all that stuff, but it feels like there's a little something extra in this for you.
- [33:33]
Rich Samini
There's definitely something extra. You know, I mean, what. Win, lose or draw? Like, I finally get the opportunity. Opportunity to slap this guy in the mouth. I finally get the opportunity to, like, put hands on him, you know, elbow him in the face, whatever it is, Claw his eyes out if I feel like it in the context of a wrestling match. But, like, you know, I finally get that opportunity, and there's going to be a catharsis involved with that. Right? There's going to be this. These moments where I just. I've been waiting to do this for so long, and I finally get to. And so, yeah, it's definitely personal, man. I I if you've heard me speak about this over the past, I mean, 10 years, really, but especially on television in the last few months or weeks leading up to this match, you know how much it means to me. So yes, it's very personal to me.
- [34:16]
Seth Rollins
So I gotta ask you about it and I don't always like going this inside when we're on the radio, but I don't know if you've watched the cold open yet, Seth. They showed the set. The cold open for RAW is out on social media and in the cold open, I mean Triple H literally uses words like heels and baby faces. So I think I'm comfortable asking this question about something a little bit inside. Tonight is literally what I adore about this business the most. You have two people who are really not friends with each other, who have to get into a ring and beat the hell out of each other, but are also tasked with protecting each other. What is that experience like of like you would actually kinda like to smack him up something extra and hurt him. But you are also the ultimate professional who cares for your opponents, knows what it's like to be injured in a match, has been through all these things. What is that dynamic like of kind of hating someone and protecting them at the same time?
- [35:15]
Rich Samini
I mean, it's just dangerous. It's just a dangerous environment because anything can happen and like one, one wrong step could pop something off, you know, and you don't know where that, where that direction could lead you. And so there's, you're extra protective of yourself. But you know, there is going to be for sure a moment or two in this thing where, you know, whatever happens, there's going to be a real emotion behind it. There's going to be a rawness to it. You know, there's going to be nerves that are going to be kind of ripped at that have been waiting and open for a long time. And so it's a dangerous environment. You have to look out for yourself a little bit better because, you know, I don't know what, what this guy's thinking. I don't know what he, what, what agenda he has when he gets in there, you know. And so yeah, obviously you want there to be some collaborative process, but at the end of the day like, you know, it's still a one upmanship game and it's still like he still kind of little brothers me or tries to a little bit, but those roles are so starkly reversed. I'm younger, I'm bigger, I'm faster, I'm stronger than him. And if things we do get out of line, I am 100% sure I can handle him a lot more than he can handle me. So there's definitely a danger involved and you just got to protect yourself and take care of yourself.
- [36:31]
Seth Rollins
I texted with you yesterday at the. At the end of the Bears game. Thank you. As a Commanders fan, I appreciated that, that win. How frustrating. How frustrating was this season? How frustrating has the Eber flu situation been? Have you heard that there's now Bears interest in Mike McCarthy? According to Adam Schefter. Where are you at with your Chicago Bears?
- [36:54]
Rich Samini
Yeah, I mean, look great way to cap off a horrible, horrible season. Expectations were through the roof in Chicago and surrounding areas in our fandom. You look at the division, you knew it was stacked. Obviously, I don't think anybody thought Minnesota was going to be as good as they have been stacked. Detroit's a given. Green Bay played really well at the end of last season. We knew they'd be a tough franchise moving forward. They've got a lot of pieces there, but we really thought as Bears fans, this was going to be our year. We got our guy at number one. We added weapons around him in the off season. Defense was really good last year, so it all felt like we were going to be competitive. And up until week six, we were. After that Hail Mary, everything went south, and then it was just a slow log for the rest of the season. You know, I was a proponent of keeping Justin Fields, keeping everything intact and moving forward. But I said, and you can go back and check me on this, I said, if you were going to go with Caleb Williams, you needed to go with a whole. You needed to start fresh. You needed to just can Iber flutes and start fresh. That way you have synergy in your head coach and your, you know, your star quarterback, your rookie guy, and you can move forward. And that's a recipe for success in this league. And you saw what happened when that. That didn't happen. Right. It was the opposite of synergy. It was chaos. And it led to Caleb having a really up and down rookie year. Great stats on him realistically, aside from all the sacks he took. But, I mean, the future is bright. I think McCarthy and some of these, like Pete Carroll names and stuff like that, I mean, I look, I think the Bears are going to. They're going to exhaust all the resources, sources. They're going to look at every possibility because they want to get this right. I hope they don't overdo it. You know, I hope there's some gut instinct There, that tells them, like, we should go get this guy. And they feel strongly about that. But I do think, you know, they're going to take a look at every single possibility and see what's going to be the best fit. So, looking forward to next year, as is every year. As a Chicago Bears fan, I'll tell.
- [38:53]
Joe Namath
You what, with Ben Johnson in the division, with the weapons they have on offense, that's got to be the guy they target, isn't it? Like everything that he's done with Detroit and that offense?
- [39:03]
Rich Samini
Yeah, you hope so. You look at that offense and it runs like a smooth machine, right? It runs on time. You know, Jared Goff is the perfect quarterback for that system. He's not a guy like Caleb that makes a lot of plays, you know, outside of the structure of the offense. But what you hope is that, you know, you can put a quarterback like Caleb in that system and he's going to work and learn on his timing and those weapons will do the work for him. And then when the play breaks down, those special throws and those special plays come into, into the, you know, the frame.
- [39:31]
Michael Kay
But.
- [39:32]
Rich Samini
But yeah, I mean, Ben Johnson, to me, is got to be number one candidate if you're looking at someone to create that synergy between a play caller and a quarterback. I, I love him. I love what he's done in Detroit. It's incredible watching them play as a unit. I mean, unbelievable. And they, they've got great weapons, but just the scheme, the way they set everything up, it's unbelievable to see. It's really something special.
- [39:55]
Seth Rollins
How bad? One of the greatest days of the last several years of my life. I mean, I've been telling people this, Seth, I'm having a daughter in a few weeks. Obviously, that's the most important thing that's ever happened to me. But finding a quarterback in Jaden Daniels has been a true, true joy. And the moment that I truly knew I had my guy, I have to imagine, was one of the worst football moments you've ever had. What was the Hail Mary like from your side as a Bears fan?
- [40:23]
Rich Samini
Dude, that game was so nuts, right? I was there. I went there live. I took my, my uncle who lives in D.C. and we went with, with some of my cousins and we were in the box and, you know, it's all Commander's fans, right? In the first half of that game, first 3/4 really are all commanders. Bears offense. Oh, yeah, nothing, nothing. And the Bears, Bears defense is able to hold Jaden Daniels inside the red zone. And field goals, field goals, field Goals. And then when Chicago started to rally, the tide turns in the fourth quarter and we're the only Bears fans in the box, maybe in the stadium. We're going nuts. Crazy. I mean, when you get it down to a Hail Mary, like, there's always that feeling in your gut. But the odds are so slim, right? They're so slim. So you're kind of just like, oh, somebody's going to knock it down and that's going to be it. And when that, when he, when brother caught that pass in the back of the end zone, I couldn't believe it. Like, I just, it was almost like an out of body experience. I dropped to the ground in dramatic fashion and like slowly pulled myself up. It wasn't even an anger at that point. It was just this like, what just happened type moment. I've never seen Hail Mary live in person. It was, it was staggering. But it really, I mean, you can make a 30 for 30 on the Bears season. The way everything went after that was just, it was a disaster. A pure disaster.
- [41:46]
Peter Rosenberg
Seth, I want to close out one last one for me from a wrestling perspective. Your wife, Becky lynch, any chance she'll be in the Royal Rumble?
- [41:53]
Rich Samini
Oh, I have no idea. You know, that's one of the things we keep our business separate. You know what I mean? She, she does hers, I do mine. We try not to intertwine them too much. So I have no idea. I wish I could give you guys some insight on that. She is doing great. I think yesterday they, you know, I saw some leak that, you know, her Happy Gilmore role had come out.
- [42:12]
Joe Namath
Yes, I saw that.
- [42:13]
Rich Samini
About that. She did Star Trek while as well which will be coming out next year. So like she's got a lot on her plate right now. Maybe she could fit the Royal Rubble into. Into her schedule. Will see. I have, I honestly have no clue.
- [42:26]
Seth Rollins
I didn't see. I'll tell you what, I didn't think I'd see Becky lynch on screen with MJF before Seth Rollins. I got to tell you that.
- [42:33]
Rich Samini
That's true. Good point. Good point.
- [42:36]
Seth Rollins
Seth, have fun tonight. Don't hold back on CM Punk. You go get the W. Please.
- [42:42]
Peter Rosenberg
Sound like you will.
- [42:43]
Joe Namath
No.
- [42:45]
Rich Samini
Thank you guys for having me. I promise you I will not hold back when Lose or draw, somebody's getting slapped the mouth. And his name's Phil Brooks from Chicago.
- [42:52]
Seth Rollins
All right. Thank you, buddy. Appreciate it, Seth.
- [42:55]
Rich Samini
See you guys.
- [42:56]
Seth Rollins
There he is, the great Seth Rollins. Tonight Raw on Netflix. I cannot wait. I'll tell you what, guys, that if you get A chance. If you get a chance, I'm going to send you a link. Alan, during the commercial, watch the cold open that they put out. It's pretty awe inspiring.
- [43:10]
Joe Namath
Yeah, I'm looking forward to that. But just hearing him say what he said, they're like, I've got a game tonight, but I'm going to have all my friends. Netflix is, I am just curious because you're right, what he just said about, you know, if one, if one mistake, one thing happens, I'm ready to throw down if he's gonna do something stupid.
- [43:26]
Seth Rollins
Well, and you don't even know the history. You don't even know the history of this guy, CM Punk who had his last company. He's gone rogue. Well, he's just, he's a guy who has had his moments of going a little rogue before and they have, you know, I don't think they have a deep personal history. I think it's exactly what Seth said. He just doesn't respect the man.
- [43:45]
Joe Namath
All right, well, they did. That was a lot of fun to listen to. All right, 800 now, 193776. Rest of this show will be a lot of fun to listen to as well. A lot more coming up. The NFL binge.
- [43:55]
Seth Rollins
Oh, yeah.
- [43:56]
Joe Namath
Coming up at 6:00 as well. So stay tuned for that. But let me introduce everybody to an SUV where everything for every passenger feels just right. That is the all new 2025 Infiniti QX80. It's Infiniti's most luxurious full size three row SUV. It's full of customizable and advanced features. I love this suv. It has become the family favorite car. Whenever we go anywhere, that's what my daughters right away, they want to take the Infiniti. Why? First of all, it's got a system. I mean, they grab the AUX20 plus speakers in this thing. But the best part is if I get a call, it isolates calls and even the directions to the driver's seat. So when you have to take a private call, it's easy to keep your business personal. 64 customizable shades. You can set the interior to match your mood. Plus another one of the favorites for the girls, two rows of heated and cooled massage seats. So the second row where the girls are sitting is like a spa day. Seats are back, massagers going, the heater's going. They never hear, are we there yet? They don't want to get there. They're enjoying it too much. So all that and more are all part of many new and amazing features available. In the all new Infiniti QX80. So how about you discover you're just right? Visit InfinityUSA.com to learn more about the all new Infiniti QX80. Availability of features may vary by trim level, packaging and options.
- [45:12]
Alan Hahn
Thanks for listening to the Don Hahn and Rosenberg podcast.
- [45:15]
Seth Rollins
I didn't listen to anything you just said.
- [45:17]
Alan Hahn
Catch the show on demand whenever you want. Just subscribe to us wherever you get your podcasts. It's a Football Monday brought to you by Infinity Experience the Infinity lineup at your Tri State retailer today.
- [45:36]
Joe Namath
I'm back with the DHR 880 ESPN 800. Now we're 93776. Let's keep talking to the people, boys. How about we next go to Frankie in Hudson Valley? What's up Frankie?
- [45:48]
Caller
Hello.
- [45:50]
Joe Namath
What's happening?
- [45:51]
Caller
What's going on guys?
- [45:53]
Peter Rosenberg
It's all going on.
- [45:54]
Caller
Congratulations on the new show.
- [45:56]
Michael Kay
Everything.
- [45:57]
Joe Namath
Thank you.
- [45:57]
Caller
Great. As expected. Of course. Congratulations to Peter and Natalie.
- [46:02]
Seth Rollins
Thank you, buddy.
- [46:03]
Caller
My wife and I. My wife and I actually just had our first baby New Year's Day.
- [46:09]
Seth Rollins
Do you have a boy or a girl?
- [46:12]
Rich Samini
Girl.
- [46:13]
Seth Rollins
How? Let me just quickly, just quickly. How was the delivery experience? Terrifying.
- [46:19]
Caller
A little bit. My wife's actually here with me too.
- [46:23]
Seth Rollins
Tell her congrats as well. But it wasn't you guys. You made it through. You didn't panic. You're figuring it out. You're getting by. I'll survive is what you're saying.
- [46:33]
Rich Samini
Absolutely.
- [46:33]
Caller
I just told she's got to push her out before the Knicks game starts. So she got it done by 6:00.
- [46:39]
Peter Rosenberg
Game.
- [46:42]
Seth Rollins
One of 82. Wow.
- [46:44]
Joe Namath
Good for you. Well done.
- [46:47]
Caller
Yeah. So I just had a question about the Knicks for you, Alan. Just what do you think that they need to do before before the trade deadline to go all the way this year?
- [46:57]
Joe Namath
Well, I tell you what, the first thing they've got to know before the deadline is if Mitchell Robinson is available to play. They said he's going to start practicing at some point this month and the February 6th trade deadline is shortly after the end of this month. So they're going to need to know right there because if he's not ready or if he's not looking like he's ready, there might not might. They're going to have to find themselves a another 7 footer, 6 11, just a big man who can spell Carlton town some minutes and not make them play so small. So I think that is one of the priorities that they've probably been keeping an eye on throughout. But you know, the Best case scenario is that Robinson practices, you know, gets himself into game shape and is exactly what they needed and what we saw from him last year.
- [47:43]
Caller
Nice. Would you go anywhere near Jimmy Butler, by the way? I just wanted to throw that out.
- [47:47]
Joe Namath
You can't. There's no. There's no mathematics that can happen without gutting your team even more. It's just not possible. So, yeah, that whole situation, that is a mess, huh? What an unbelievable think about that one. And guys, did you hear what's going on in Phoenix? Bradley Beal and Nurkic, their center, are both no longer starting for the team that was announced today. They will not be starting anymore. Bradley Beal is just never. He's never available. And Nurkic is just one of these guys. He's never happy. He's always kind of miserable. So they're just, literally just moving on. That's it. You're not starting anymore. Because they can't count on Beal anymore. He plays. He doesn't play.
- [48:26]
Seth Rollins
Something always bothering Beal is one of the great physical disappointments of this generation. It's.
- [48:32]
Joe Namath
Way to put it. The great way to put a physical disappointment.
- [48:35]
Seth Rollins
Yeah, it's just so true. He could have talent. Do you remember when there was a period when Knicks fans fantasized about getting him? And you would have just been. It would have been heartbreak. You would have to give up a lot to get him, and he wouldn't have been available.
- [48:47]
Joe Namath
Ultimately, disaster got there and he just. Again, every. Every day it's something. He's a guy that he plays, and you're like, oh, okay. He just needs to get in game shape. And if these guys, three guys play together, you're going to see something special. And then it's like, next day he's like, yeah, you know, Hammy's a little tight. It's like. But do you even like playing basketball? It's a strange.
- [49:06]
Seth Rollins
And what's going on in Miami? Tyree Kill and Jimmy Butler. Nobody. Nobody wants to show up to work, huh?
- [49:10]
Joe Namath
Well, Jimmy started all that. That's all on him. He's become a lot to deal with down there. He really has. He's. Look, LeBron tried this, too. You push Pat Riley's buttons. You try to act like, you know, you. You need me more than I need you.
- [49:24]
Peter Rosenberg
Good luck.
- [49:25]
Joe Namath
Pat Riley will tell you, dude, I walked away from LeBron James. I can walk away from you.
- [49:29]
Peter Rosenberg
Exactly.
- [49:29]
Joe Namath
And that's literally what he told Jimmy Butler. So that's something to watch. What they get for him will be really interesting, but he's getting moved for sure.
- [49:37]
Peter Rosenberg
That's a big contract, right?
- [49:39]
Joe Namath
It is. It's got two years left, another 48 for next year. So, you know, again, for anybody that's wondering, Knicks wise, it's not that Tom Thibodeau wouldn't want them, it's that they just, there's no way for them to do it. There's no mathematical way for them to make a trade without still having anything semblance of a team left because they're right up against the second apron. So you can get that out of your mind right now.
- [50:01]
Alan Hahn
Thanks for listening to the Don Hahn and Rosenberg podcast.
- [50:05]
Joe Namath
I don't want to know how the sausage is made, man. I just want to know. It's good.
- [50:08]
Alan Hahn
Hear more of Don Allen and Peter weekday afternoon starting at 3 on 8 80, ESPN, the ESPN New York app, and your smart speakers.