Hour 3: NY Football & Damien Woody

Summary

Don, Hahn & Rosenberg Podcast – Hour 3: NY Football & Damien Woody

Date: October 16, 2025
Hosts: Don LaGreca, Alan Hahn, Peter Rosenberg
Notable Guest: Damien Woody

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Episode Overview

This episode centers on the surging excitement and scrutiny facing New York Giants football after a marquee win against the Eagles, the resulting national attention (and potential backlash), and realistic expectations for the rest of the Giants’ season. The hour also tackles the New York Jets' quarterback issues and coaching questions, plus a robust New York hockey preview featuring the Devils’ home opener and the Rangers’ struggles. The trio is joined by Damien Woody for expert NFL insights, including a breakdown of the AFC and NFC contenders.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Giants' Win and the "Target on the Back"

• National Spotlight:
  The Giants’ dramatic win over the Eagles and the viral on-field celebrations by young stars Jackson Dart and Cam Scatterboo have put the team, particularly those players, in the national spotlight.
• Attention and Motivation:
  Don and Peter warn that all this attention can bring extra motivation from opponents, who may now target these players as “showboats.”
  • Quote: “Once you get everybody's attention and they know you're going to dance, the tackles are going to have a little something extra to them.” – Peter Rosenberg [03:03]
• Big Market Effects:
  Don LaGreca discusses how playing in New York elevates attention:
  • Quote: “Here are the Giants...They beat the Eagles, and all of a sudden everybody's going nuts...I'm wondering if there's some markets and some players...are like, I want to shut these guys up. They haven't accomplished anything.” – Don LaGreca [03:50]

2. Generational and Cultural Clashes in the NFL

• Player Celebrations:
  The hosts debate celebrations, with Don preferring a “Barry Sanders, act like you’ve been there” approach, but recognizing the need for young players’ enthusiasm.
  • Quote: “Younger generation is going to do that…It's also not for a lot of players, too, Alan...There’s a lot of players around the league like, oh, look at these punks.” – Don LaGreca [06:46]
• On Being Targeted:
  • Quote: “That guy gets the red dot. And you know what that means...You're in the crosshairs. You're the target.” – Peter Rosenberg (relaying Bart Scott’s wisdom) [07:17]

3. Realistic Expectations for Giants’ Season

• Schedule Analysis:
  The remainder of the Giants’ schedule is challenging with games against the Broncos, Eagles (again), Packers, Lions, an improving Patriots, and more.
• Caller Reactions:
  • Caller Victor voices concerns about sustaining success if QB Dart gets hurt and is skeptical about Coach Dable’s flexibility.
  • Quote: “Dable isn't the right coach. And unfortunately, all this excitement and all these wins…might make us hold on to Dable.” – Victor [11:11]
  • **Callers and hosts reflect on what progress means—real wins or player development—emphasizing patience and perspective after rough seasons.

4. The Jets’ Quarterback Controversy & Coaching

• Damien Woody’s Take:
  Woody strongly suggests that the Jets’ offense is failing the team and advocates for a QB change to spark the offense, at least situationally.
  • Quote: "If you’re going to give me nothing as a passer, then put Tyrod in there…You owe it to the other guys in the locker room to do what's best in the best interest of the team.” – Damien Woody [23:11]
• Locker Room Schisms:
  Woody describes how failing offenses erode locker room morale.
• Coaching Uncertainty:
  • Woody sees it as too early to say, but warns that continued losing means the coach’s seat will get hot, and questions if he should handle a possible new rookie QB next year.

5. Around the NFL with Damien Woody

• Best Team in the NFL?
  Woody favors the Chiefs:
  • Quote: “I would not bet against Kansas City right now...Are any of you guys willing to bet against Patrick Mahomes right now?” – Damien Woody [28:37]
• Bills and Ravens:
  • Bills lack elite weapons and have defensive issues.
  • Don asks if Baltimore is “dead,” but Woody believes their schedule after the bye gives them hope for a run.
• Patriots’ Resurgence:
  Woody predicted in preseason that the Patriots would return to relevance thanks to Drake Maye at QB and Mike Vrabel at coach.
• AFC North & Jets/Islanders:
  Discusses AFC North parity; when asked who wins first, the Jets or Islanders, Woody picks the Islanders.

6. NY Hockey Preview

• Rangers’ Struggles:
  Patient optimism despite offensive issues; key injuries discussed.
  • Quote: “You can't also have your best line be your fourth line…at times they look like the most dominant guys on the ice.” – Don LaGreca [37:02]
• Devils’ Home Opener:
  Don exudes excitement for the Devils’ return home despite early injuries, specifically the loss of top goalie Markstrom:
  • Quote: “Not what you want early in the season, losing your number one goaltender.” – Don LaGreca [39:53]
• Atmosphere:
  Don is happy to be calling the game in-person and describes the palpable excitement among Devils fans.

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Notable Quotes & Moments

| Timestamp | Speaker | Quote / Moment | |------------|-----------------------|--------------------------------------------------------------------| | 03:03 | Peter Rosenberg | "Once you get everybody's attention…The tackles are going to have a little something extra to them." | | 03:50 | Don LaGreca | "Here are the Giants…all of a sudden everybody's going nuts…I'm wondering if some players are like, I want to shut these guys up." | | 06:46 | Don LaGreca | "Younger generation is going to do that...There’s a lot of players around the league like, oh, look at these punks." | | 07:17 | Peter Rosenberg (via Bart Scott) | "That guy gets the red dot…You're in the crosshairs. You're the target." | | 11:11 | Victor (Caller) | “Dable isn't the right coach. And unfortunately, all this excitement…might make us hold on to Dable.” | | 13:26 | Don LaGreca | “This is kind of what it is. So let's just move forward, forget the record and just play better football.” | | 23:11 | Damien Woody | "If you’re going to give me nothing as a passer, then put Tyrod in there…You owe it to the other guys in the locker room to do what's best in the best interest of the team." | | 28:37 | Damien Woody | “I would not bet against Kansas City right now...Are any of you guys willing to bet against Patrick Mahomes right now?” |

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Important Timestamps

• Giants: Market Attention & Celebrations – [02:37] to [07:25]
• Realistic Outlooks/Caller Debates – [09:56] to [15:23]
• Woody on Giants’ Ceiling – [21:31] to [22:33]
• Jets Quarterback & Locker Room Analysis (Woody) – [22:33] to [25:54]
• NFL Best Team/Contender Overview – [28:25] to [32:56]
• NY Hockey Check-in – [34:37] to [40:47]

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Tone & Chemistry

The episode maintains the crew’s signature blend of sharp insight, New York sports fandom, friendly ribbing, and a touch of self-deprecating humor (“It’s more front than back…no back conversation at all.” – Don LaGreca [18:23]). Woody brings grounded NFL analysis, the hosts trade jokes and vent their exasperation at New York sports futility and fleeting hope.

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Summary Takeaways

• The Giants are the talk of New York, but both fans and experts urge caution amid hype.
• Celebratory antics bring attention—and perhaps a “target”—from other NFL teams.
• Long-term success will require staying healthy and, above all, developing winning habits against a brutal remaining schedule.
• Jets fans’ patience wears thin over quarterback issues, with critics calling for immediate change to reward other hard-working units.
• Hockey-wise, cautious optimism persists for the Rangers and Devils, despite injuries and early struggles.
• National NFL scene remains in flux, but the Chiefs are still the kings until someone knocks them off.

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This episode is a must-listen for NY sports fans seeking a reality check, some therapy, and hopes for Giants’ and Jets’ progress—sprinkled with sharp banter and colorful, honest sports talk.

Transcript

[Alan Hahn]

Talk about stepping up. Bang, bang.

[ESPN App Announcer]

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[Peter Rosenberg]

The electricity is palpable.

[ESPN App Announcer]

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[Don LaGreca]

Level up.

[ESPN App Announcer]

For More on the ESPN app or at stream.espn.com sign up now.

[Podcast Host (Don Hahn)]

This is the Don Hahn and Rosenberg podcast.

[Don LaGreca]

That sounds like heaven to me.

[Podcast Host (Don Hahn)]

Listen live weekday afternoon starting at 3 on 8 80, ESPN, the ESPN New York app and your smart speakers.

[Peter Rosenberg]

504 in the big city with Don Legreck and Peter Rosenberg. I'm Alan Hahn. We got you in the five o' clock hour at 800. Now 193776. Don at the rock. With all the music and the pomp and circumstance of the home opener for the Devils tonight against the Florida Panthers. You can hear Don on the call on MSG Network tonight. Puck drop 7:30. Don.

[Don LaGreca]

No, it'll be puck like a little after 7:00'.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Clock. Okay. So it's a seven. So 7ish. Okay. Yeah. So that, that's coming up on MSG. We got a lot of hockey tonight. Rangers playing tonight in Toronto. The Islanders have the Oilers at ubs. Oilers are in town for the whole week, I guess. Yeah.

[Don LaGreca]

And this week.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Yeah. And then this weekend, of course, we have week seven, believe it or not, the Giants and the Broncos. So there's anticipation from Giants fan because the Broncos needed a lot, including the jets helping them to beat the jets in London and the Giants coming off a huge win over the Eagles. And there's a sense of, you know, maybe they could get one here. And now, as Peter said, you know, suddenly three and four looks a lot different than two and five would look and the anticipation would continue to build. Denver is a seven and a half point favorite. They are home, but they are coming back from London. But they are home and it's, you know, mile high and all that stuff. But I wanted to point out a quote that I saw from Jonathan Cooper, the linebacker of the Broncos. And I'm wondering if it is a little. Oh, oh, great, we have it. This guy's is what you would expect after the, what you saw from after the game Thursday night when the Giants won. And you love the youth and exuberance of Scatter Boo and of dart and how they were celebrating the shirts ripping off and the dancing, all that stuff. But you also know that's going to catch everyone's attention. It caught Cooper's attention. The Denver Broncos linebacker. Here's what he said.

[Unidentified Commentator]

Yeah, I mean, he's a young, young guy. He's, you know, feeling himself a little bit. He's out there running around. He's got the chain on. He's dancing. It's like everybody needs something, you know, but we've went against QBs who have ran around in the pocket and have tried to do stuff with their legs, so ain't nothing we haven't seen.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Mention the chain on.

[Don LaGreca]

Yeah, like.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Like that is something to watch when you are doing a little too much of it is after a while you're gonna like, you know, scatter. Boo's already dealt with it with some of the. The defensive lineman where they're trying to get him like, hey, hey, calm down. Like, dial it down, buddy. And that is one area, as we know with dart is he's got to slide more and stop trying to, like, battle through people. But, you know, once you get everybody's attention and they know you're going to dance, you're going to do a lot of that kind of stuff. The tackles are going to have a little something extra to them, right? The pursuit's going to have a little something extra. And I imagine you're. Now, you're. Now you got the red dot now, right? Like, you're. You're on the radar now.

[Alan Hahn]

You want to do your little dance. You're trying to do your dance. We know you're waiting to do your dance.

[Peter Rosenberg]

I'm telling you something to watch Sunday.

[Don LaGreca]

I'm just wondering how much New York plays into this. Like, I mentioned about the Knicks, how they got a target on their back even though they didn't even go to the NBA Finals last year. Because you play in some markets like you play in Denver, and you're a good team and you play some nationally televised games and. And here's this team that really is. Was an embarrassment last year is under.500 this year. And look at the attention they're getting for just winning one game against the Philadelphia. They beat the Philadelphia Eagles the week before. Nobody seemed to really care about it. And they're a winning team. They went to the playoffs last year. Here are the Giants. They won three games last year. They're on their way to probably winning five this year. They beat the Eagles, and all of a sudden everybody's going nuts. And Dart and Scatterboo are. Are getting all this attention. I'm wondering if there's some markets and some players are like, I want to shut these guys up. They haven't accomplished anything. We're so much better than them. And they're strutting around and everybody's talking about them on SportsCenter. And it's getting all this attention all over the place, getting viral on social media. And when they do great things, it gets a fraction of the attention because they're not in as big a market. I wonder if that plays into it too.

[Alan Hahn]

And Don, they're coming off of a win on national television where you had this really marquee sort of win and the big celebration. And you know what it's like when you win on national tv, play a game at home, watch a game on national television and see how the national commentary team talks about the winning team. You would think every team that's winning a game on national tv, even if just half of a quarter, they're the.

[Don LaGreca]

Best team in football.

[Alan Hahn]

All of a sudden they spend, they spend 60 minutes waxing poetic because what else you need to do to fill.

[Don LaGreca]

The time, especially now? Right. Because what happens after the Thursday night game, Peter? They basically do like adjacent to a late night talk show.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Yeah.

[Don LaGreca]

Then they.

[Damian Woody]

With the winning team.

[Peter Rosenberg]

With the winning team on the field. Right.

[Don LaGreca]

And so it's almost like they're doing. It's Letterman, you know, and it's. So in the league watches that stuff, the players probably watch that stuff. And so there might be an MV there. And then, and then what happens on, you know, this Sunday night, it's a, it's a little toned down because they had to get to the news. But like Monday night, what do you.

[Alan Hahn]

Well, not only that and, and players are traveling and not watching as much.

[Don LaGreca]

Exactly.

[Alan Hahn]

Thursday night, you think they're not sitting around with that game on and post game on.

[Don LaGreca]

And also. And then what happens on Monday night? The star of the game is on svp.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Yep.

[Don LaGreca]

You know, he interviews him on the field. Like. So there's, there's a guy who's on.

[Peter Rosenberg]

SVP on Thursday night too.

[Don LaGreca]

Right. So. Well, see, you're, you're all over the place. And they're like, who is this guy? Can't even pronounce his name. He's on a 2 and 4 football team.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Guys ripping his shirt off with Ryan Fitzpatrick on Prime. Yep.

[Don LaGreca]

We, we had a very interesting discussion off the air about that last week about how we felt about it. It's not my cup of tea, but I get it. Younger players are going to show off and all that. I, I'm always the Barry Sanders. Give the ball back to the official. Act like you've Been there before, but I'm not going to fight it.

[Peter Rosenberg]

But this was after the game.

[Don LaGreca]

Younger generation is going to do that.

[Peter Rosenberg]

You know, it's not for you. It's not for me. Know what?

[Don LaGreca]

Let's not. This gets brought up during baseball, too. It's also not for a lot of players, too, Alan. Like, it's not just old and young. There's a lot of players around the league like, oh, look at these punks.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Yeah.

[Don LaGreca]

You know that you're two and four.

[Alan Hahn]

Shut up.

[Don LaGreca]

You know, and whether that's right or wrong doesn't matter, because if I. If I'm getting paid to tackle him or chase him down in the backfield, you don't think that gives me maybe a little more added motivation? Did I get the. To shut that guy up?

[Peter Rosenberg]

Bart always told me, he said, that guy gets the red dot. And you know what that means.

[Don LaGreca]

Of course.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Like, okay, now you're. You're in the crosshairs. You're the target.

[Don LaGreca]

Now.

[Peter Rosenberg]

We're going to make sure. We're going to let you know, like, okay, you're a big star now. Oh, you know, like, you're running around teams. You dance. Okay, let's see how you. Let's see if you dance after this hit. And that's a real thing now. I love the enthusiasm. As I said, as I said Friday, I think the franchise desperately needed that kind of injection of enthusiasm and optimism and bravado. I think they desperately needed it. You could tell Dable loves it. I mean, he practically kissing him on the cheek, I think. Actually, didn't he kiss him on the cheek at one point? Like, he really, like, was.

[Don LaGreca]

I know that.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Whatever it was, but you could just see, like, he is just all about him, which is great. And those two. It's like the buddy cop movie. We didn't know we needed between he and Scatterwood because they're both just these. These, you know, right. These college bros coming into the NFL just having a great time chugging a beer and ripping off T shirts. But as you know. Okay, you got everyone's attention. This is that type of game. They got Nick Bonito. He'll get after the quarterback. They've got a defense. I know it's Sean Payton, and everybody talks about offense with Sean Payton. They got a defense that gets after it. And they also. They are well aware of the Giants. Well aware of the Giants and these two guys.

[Don LaGreca]

And maybe not as well aware if it had been just a quiet 2 and 4, but it's kind of a loud 2 and 4 now. And both could be true because I am 100% with you. The Giant fans needed that. They needed that moment. It's been a real rough couple of years and I loved it. So you get it. And a little attitude goes a long way. I think both can be true, but it does put a target on your back. And there are two kids that are going to make their mistakes. And I wouldn't be surprised if you if Dart, even if he's on his way to hall of Fame career, goes to Denver and throws three picks and a pick six and. And maybe cost the Giants again, because that's part of the growth process of this. And you let you take a look at their schedule, you mentioned it. And what's coming up after this, having to play the Eagles again. You don't think the Eagles are going to have a chip on their shoulder as broken as they are? They're going to have it back in Philadelphia. They're going to. They're going to want to pay the Giants back. And right then you've got teams like the packers and the Lions. So even the best of teams have a difficult time navigating through that schedule. That's why, as frustrated as I am, they lost to the Saints and the Cowboys and how much different things would look if they were 3 and 3, 4 and 2. This is kind of what it is. So let's just move forward, forget the record and just play better football. Let's see if we got a quarterback, a running back and a coach and move forward that way.

[Peter Rosenberg]

800 now a 9 3, 7, 7, 6. Back to the calls we go. Let's go to Victor in Roselle Park. Victor.

[Victor (Caller)]

How you doing, guys?

[Peter Rosenberg]

What's up?

[Damian Woody]

Good, good.

[Victor (Caller)]

The only thing I wanted to say, I'm excited about what's going on, but I want to temper it because I think one thing that has been decided and, and I guess we can argue this, but I think we don't have a coach. I think we have a good quarterback coach or a good offensive coordinator. My concern is the way that. That Jackson dart plays. If he gets hurt, then we're not going to be any good anymore because Zabel has already shown us that he can't work with somebody who's not his guy. And some of the great coaches in this league, like the one from Minnesota, San Francisco's coach, you plug in another quarterback, they look like a competent team. And now we got Daniel Jones and Indy with a good coach who's found out how to work with him. So I think One thing we have learned is that Dable isn't the right coach. And unfortunately, all this excitement and all these wins that we might get this year might make us hold on to Dable. And with the way Jackson Dart plays, if he gets hurt, we're not going to be any good again.

[Peter Rosenberg]

So are you, Victor. What are you rooting for here, then? Because it sounds like you're concerned with the more Dart plays well, the more Dable is going to be secure in his job, which is entirely accurate. But as a Giants fan, are you conflicted right now on what to root for?

[Victor (Caller)]

No, because I'm a Giants fan. I'm rooting for the Giants to do well. I just feel like if the.

[Damian Woody]

If.

[Victor (Caller)]

If this in fact happens where Dart is playing well enough, that we're going to be stuck in another limbo. Because, you know, let's just say Dart is kind of. Will remind me a little bit of Burrow getting hurt every year.

[Damian Woody]

And.

[Victor (Caller)]

And then now we're stuck with Dable because they're going to say, oh, well, Dable needs his guy. Dable needs his guy.

[Don LaGreca]

Well, I mean, Giants need a guy. Well, first of all, you're throwing injury into it.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Thank you very much.

[Alan Hahn]

To Burrow in any way possible.

[Peter Rosenberg]

But you're right.

[Don LaGreca]

But I think what he's trying to say is, let's say they do discover the quarterback, and that makes you keep a. Makes you keep the coach, and then he turns out to be Joe Burrow, where he can't stay healthy. And now you got a terrible coach that's just trying. You're digging too deep to find negative.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Yeah.

[Don LaGreca]

All right. If your quarterback gets hurt, you're in trouble no matter what.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Yeah.

[Podcast Host (Don Hahn)]

No matter who's coaching.

[Alan Hahn]

You could have Joe Gibbs and Bill Parcells. If your. If your quarterbacks hurt every year, you're not winning.

[Don LaGreca]

I agree. He's found his quarterback. So as a Giant fan, good. If that means I got to keep Dable, then if he's got the quarterback and the quarterback's gonna play well, fantastic around. I'm not worried about how he's gonna be with other quarterbacks if this guy gets hurt. Because all coaches look bad when they're starting. Quarterback gets hurt. All right? So I want to see what this looks like at the end of the day. That's why it's. Right. Records are folly. Right. Because. Because we now feel good about this team. Right. We felt better about this team than we felt probably since 2022 just because they beat a dysfunctional Eagle team. Right. But still, that's how much we've longed to see good football.

[Peter Rosenberg]

The Charger win is a quality win, right?

[Don LaGreca]

The Chargers win, but then they lost the last week and almost lost to the Dolphins.

[Peter Rosenberg]

The New Orleans was exactly what you said. It's sort of like that's when the young players player who's starting to feel himself has that bad game that brings him back down to earth. Now he's got the Eagle game. That puts him back up in the stratosphere. Is the Broncos game one against a really tough defense going to bring him back to earth? This is the roller coaster you're going to ride.

[Don LaGreca]

That's why I thought it was folly to talk about he's got to win X amount of games because we feel good about the Giants right now. But do you have them necessarily beating the Broncos? Well, Vegas doesn't. They're a seven and a half point dog. And what are they going to do against the Eagles in the revenge game? What are they going to do against the packers against the Lions against an upstart Patriot team? You see what I'm saying? Like, really, honestly, let's say this Jet, this Giant team is for real and that Dart and Scatter Boo are going to be with the way they were against the Eagles, you know, more often than not the rest of the year. Like how many of these games do you really still see them winning? They can play well against Denver and lose by three. I think it's real tough to win in Philadelphia Packers, Lions, they could play their absolute best and lose to those teams. So really, what. How much is the record change? What do you think this record's going to be now? They got two wins. What do they got? 11 games left. Honestly, seven games left.

[Peter Rosenberg]

How many? Yeah, they have a lot of time. I told you. They have the third hardest remaining strength of schedule. And this is. Here's all you need to know. They're the easiest opponents, quote unquote, that are considered among them the Cowboys and the Commanders. How are you possibly look at AFC opponents as easy opponents?

[Don LaGreca]

And the Saints just beat them and the Saints are one of the worst teams in the league. So honestly, it's interesting because Peter, you know, Peter looks at the Giants as a rival and rightly so, they're in the division and all that. But like, realistically, how many more wins do you think they're going to get? 3.

[Peter Rosenberg]

But it's so true though. 4. What Peter said is so true. 3 and 4 looks so much different than 2 and 5. And how one game this week, if he Falls. Right. If Denver's got a little lag in them because they came back from London all of a sudden and their offense still can't get on track. The Giant defense frustrates Bo Nix and their running game. And now all of a sudden you just find a way that the jets couldn't find a way pull out a win. Because you do kick the field, whatever.

[Don LaGreca]

It is, it all changes.

[Peter Rosenberg]

And you head back to New York at 3 and 4, playing the Eagles.

[Don LaGreca]

Hello. They just lost to the Saints. Beat the Eagles and everybody's up, you know, going crazy. So if they beat the Broncos and make it two in a row, forget about it now. Now the narrative is going to change.

[Peter Rosenberg]

But that game in Philadelphia now has all kinds of repercussions. Right, but.

[Don LaGreca]

But it just shows you it doesn't. It just show you guys how desperate we were to see good football.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Yes.

[Don LaGreca]

That we are high on a team that just lost two weeks ago to the world worst team in football in the Saints. That's right. And beat an Eagle team that is completely lost.

[Alan Hahn]

Yeah, well, they're lost, but they're 4 and 2. It is what it is, the super bowl champs, but you kill it.

[Don LaGreca]

You know how big a Giant fan I am, but you can't tell me the Eagles didn't contribute to that game. Okay, they did and they're mad. But the Giants smacked them around, which is good. And it was fun. And you hate the Eagles and you're down on Saquon Barkley, so it felt really good. But I think you got to be realistic. And we could be sitting here on Monday talking about a team that just, you know, is still not that great.

[Damian Woody]

But what a.

[Alan Hahn]

What a perfect follow up couple of games you have. Yeah, because Denver is a sort of middle of the road team. And then you're at Philly again. You get to find out how real that is. Home, San Francisco. Not a team you cannot play against. Not this year. You can play against San Francisco at Chicago. Why not? So before you get to that brutal stretch at the end, you play a handful of games here that can really.

[Don LaGreca]

Show you where you are.

[Peter Rosenberg]

It's exactly it.

[Don LaGreca]

Because you did it in order. I was just, you know, cherry picking the tough games. You can find an avenue to victory over the next four. Right. Denver coming back from London. Could you catch him in the right spot? You haven't played for 10 days, so maybe you're a little bit more well rested the next week. Maybe Philadelphia is really broken and you could beat him again. Kudos. And then San Francisco. Yeah, the San Francisco's 4 and 2, but kind of been ugly. And the Bears, they just coming off a huge win, but I mean a.

[Alan Hahn]

Huge win that they, they, they needed to win the turnover battle. Three nothing and still barely won the game.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Right?

[Alan Hahn]

So that's a beatable team. They're a good team. They're decent. But you could beat the Bears.

[Don LaGreca]

Peter, from your lips to God's ears. If we're sit. If we're sitting here and this. If they win the next four games and are six and four, well, forget it. I'll be, I'll be like, will you.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Be like meat sweatshirt like Dave will do something with your butt cheek?

[Don LaGreca]

No, I can't imagine there's anything. Listen, I just had, I just was given the dream job. My life work in the Devil Gate never even came into thought that I about that it spread something. I never thought. It never came, Peter. It never occurred to me when they did, when they called and said, would you be interested in the Devil job? My butt. It didn't enter the conversation. Nevermind opening it up.

[Alan Hahn]

The only butt never entered the conversation.

[Don LaGreca]

I've seen my team win Super Bowl. I saw, I saw the helmet catch again. Nothing. Nothing happened below the waist?

[Peter Rosenberg]

No, nothing happened below the waist, helmet catch. Nothing.

[Don LaGreca]

Well, I'm going to tell you, I can't believe we're having this conversation. It's more front than back. There's no back conversation at all. Never mind. I. My.

[Alan Hahn]

It's closed.

[Peter Rosenberg]

No, I think they.

[Don LaGreca]

I honestly, I think Dave revealed a little, little bit more than he wanted to in that, but now he's leaning.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Into it, so I respect it. Let's go to Jay in Queens. Jay, you're up next.

[Jay (Caller)]

Hi, good afternoon, guys. You guys are great entertainment for New York traffic. I, as a Giant fan, I'm kind of with you, Don. I want to have tempered expectations. I want to see how the progression of dart goes and I want them to be competitive with the schedule they have. I don't expect them to win any more than two or three, possibly three games. I think the excitement is not so much that they won two games, it's just who they beat. They were good teams that when we looked at the early part of the schedule, we didn't expect them to be in any of those games. And even though Philly contributed to the Giants losing, I think as Giants fans, we're used to the Giants finding a way to give that game right back. So I'm hoping that they give this kid a chance to develop and we don't get too much early success because I think that did Dan Jones in. And the last thing I'll say is with darts, I think they're kind of the anti giant in the sense of what we're used to. He's totally opposite of someone like Eli and Scatter Boo. And I don't think we're really used to that. So it makes it even like a little bit more glorified if it is because these guys that we've had as great Giants were never like that. So it's something for us to have to get used to as Giant fans. But hopefully it's, you know, a taste.

[Don LaGreca]

Of what's to come.

[Jay (Caller)]

Take care, guys. Enjoy the week.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Thank you, Jay. Think about what a difference guys Daniel Jones and Saquon Bar Barkley are in comparison to Jackson Dart and Cam Scatterber. When I come to personality, right, it's.

[Don LaGreca]

Different, but it was just. You're right. The timing of it was needed. It's been a rough time. And to have entertaining athletes to kind of have fun, they leaned into it. It was good, but it might have. It might have caught the eye of a few people.

[Peter Rosenberg]

So this town needs an enema. Who's behind you?

[Don LaGreca]

That's Ken Danico. Say hi, Ken.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Oh, look, look, there he is. Danico Dano. Ready to go, baby? Here's all. Here's perspective for you. The power rankings for ESPN, right, for week seven. The Giants last week, in week six were 30th out of the 32 teams.

[Don LaGreca]

Right.

[Peter Rosenberg]

They are now 25th. So five spots moving up is pretty significant, that is. But it's still 25th.

[Don LaGreca]

Yeah, it's still 20. You still are what you are, you know.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Yeah, exactly. So maybe you got the guy, but definitely have to take this. I hate to say the cliche, one week at a time.

[Podcast Host (Don Hahn)]

Thanks for listening to the Don Hahn and Rosenberg podcast.

[Alan Hahn]

I didn't listen to anything you just said.

[Podcast Host (Don Hahn)]

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

[Don LaGreca]

The Damian Woody Report is brought to you by bet. Three, six five, two football teams going in opposite directions. And a week seven to preview that begins tonight. And we do it with Damian Woody, our friend. Our weekly spot here on Don Han and Roseberg.

[Damian Woody]

How are you, buddy? I'm good, guys. How are you guys doing?

[Don LaGreca]

Well, the Giants, man. I mean, nobody expected them to beat the Eagles, never mind destroy them. And now everybody's high on this team. Where do you think they can go with this? Was this a one one off, or is this maybe a sign that they finally kind of figured it out and will be a better football team over these last 11?

[Damian Woody]

Yeah, I mean, listen, we don't know. That's the. That's the answer, to be quite honest with you. We know the struggles that the Philadelphia Eagles have had, you know, with their team, and the Giants played absolute great game against them. Obviously, we continue to talk about the energy that the young guys have been playing. You know, the quarterback and the running back, those guys have been outstanding. And it. And it permeates to the rest of the squad. And so listen, this is the thing when you play. When you play young guys, you gonna get the highs and you gonna get the lows. And so the thing you strive for is consistency. We just need to see more of what we saw against the Philadelphia Eagles before we can really start to draw a conclusion about the Giants.

[Peter Rosenberg]

You know, D. Wood on the jets, you had a lot to say this week in the last couple of days about the jets situation. I know you got blood in the ground there, so it's personal. But. But all of it really resonated with me. And the first thing I wanted to ask you about just out of the gate was a tweet that you had in regards to basically saying, if you're going to give me nothing as a passer, then put Tyrod in there. It's not fair to the rest of the team that's fighting their tails off right now. So you made it pretty clear if you were an offensive lineman, you'd be saying to on that sideline, how are we not making a change, which we all thought was happening at halftime. It didn't, and it's still not happening. How do you feel about it?

[Damian Woody]

Yeah, I mean, listen, I. Here's my thing. You know, you watch the game and this is the first time, and I don't know, all year that the jets defense came to play. Those guys played inspired football. And the special teams came to play as well. They got great field position for most of the game. And so it was clear as day that the quarterback, you know, whether you want to call him shook, he just played too conservative. He's taking sacks, he's scared to let. Let the ball rip, whatever you want to call it. He was a detriment to the team. Helping the team win a football game, I think that's the most important thing. Like, it's not about somebody's feelings, it's about winning a football game because you owe it to the other guys in the locker room to do what's best in the best interest of the team. That doesn't mean you got to bench him moving forward. It just means that, hey, at this point in time, we need a spark in this game to try to win a football game and then we'll deal with the rest later.

[Alan Hahn]

How, how draining is it though for a defense, Damian, to do the job and the offense can't deliver, you know, 14 more than 14 points to get you a win?

[Damian Woody]

Yeah, it's, it's, it's draining. I mean, I've been on the other side where the offense can, you know, offense is doing things and the defense can't do anything. And so it's after a while, man, what you tend to see is, you know, you can have, you can bring about schisms in the locker room because guys feel like, hey man, you guys not holding up your end of the bargain. We're fighting our tails off. And yeah, it's a team sport, but man, we need, we need, we need to play complimentary football. We need, we need something from you guys. And so, you know, I know those guys, Aaron Glenn is trying to keep those guys, you know, a tight knit unit and all those guys don't say the right things. But man, it's just disappointing when you seeing, you know, two out of the three units, you know, really battling and one just really was detrimental in the loss, you know, last week.

[Don LaGreca]

Means of a young head coach or a coach that's in over his head.

[Damian Woody]

Well, listen, I think we're going to, you know, it's too early to say right now, but I think here's my, here's my thing, Don. As a, you know, as the season progresses, you want things to be going, you know, going upwards. If this team continues to trend trim, you know, continue to lose and continue to continue to trend downward, then you got to start having discussions like, hey man, listen, is this the right man for the job? Because if the jets continue to trend this way, they're going to be picking number one. And guess what? You're probably going to pick a quarterback. Do you want the same coach coaching a rookie quarterback? You know, these are all the questions, questions that are going to come up as the season continues to move forward.

[Peter Rosenberg]

D Joe Tipman said something that I heard that I wonder what you think about when it comes to getting back to the quarterback conversation with the jets and Justin Fields. You, you had said also in one of your tweets that he looks scared to throw the ball. And there's been a lot of talk about how Long he holds the ball, you know, and he even pushed me. Like you could tell it bothers him, that kind of criticism. He said, well, scrambled quarterbacks, you're going to have the longer time before you throw. Joe Tippman said if Fields needs 6, 6 seconds to throw the ball, then we have to give him six seconds. Is that the responsibility? Offensive line?

[Damian Woody]

Well, I mean, listen, that's what he's supposed to say, but, you know, listen, in this league, if you get, if you get two and a half seconds, that's really the mark of demarcation right there. After that, once you get into the three, three and a half seconds. That is highly unusual for quarterbacks in the National Football League. I think the thing that, that. And this has been the mark on Justin Fields his whole career is that he's been a slow processor and he holds onto the football and he takes sacks. Whether it's, you know, in Chicago, in Pittsburgh and now here, it's been all the same thing. And as a, as an offensive line, there's only so much you can do. Okay. There's only so long you can put block, because guess what? The other guys on the other side get paid, too.

[Alan Hahn]

Is there a place that you could see it working for a guy like Fields? Because, like, I would argue d that like, there is no worse a place for a developing quarterback than, than the Jets. But is there any place that someone with his skill set would work in the NFL? Or is just, you know, having him as a little backup situation the ideal spot for, for, For Justin Fields?

[Damian Woody]

Yeah, I mean, listen, you know, there's some bright minds in this league, you know, whether you're talking about the Kelvin O', Connells, the Sean McVeighs, and, you know, there's a plethora of guys like that, you know, but, you know, at some point, the book is getting written up. You know, the book is written on you. You know, you're a guy that doesn't process well and, and, and holds on to the football. You know, I think part of the thing with, with a guy like Justin is this is not Ohio State. Like, you can't just. Just wait, you know, wait for the guy come completely open in this league, you have to throw people open. The windows are tight. You can't be scared, and you can't hold on to the football. Because I've said it many times, sacks are so detrimental to whether a team can score on a possession. So I don't know if he can clean it up. But the book is already being written.

[Don LaGreca]

Right now talking to Damian Woody, his weekly spot here on Don Han in Rosenberg. This is going to sound like a lame question, but it's a legitimate one because I don't know the answer. Who's the best team in football?

[Damian Woody]

That's a great question. You know what? Like, I wouldn't bet against Kansas City right now.

[Alan Hahn]

Wow.

[Damian Woody]

Wow. I would not bet against Kansas City.

[Don LaGreca]

We're back.

[Damian Woody]

I would not bet against Kansas City right now. Think about it. Over the past couple weeks, this has probably been the best. Their offenses look. They're getting Rasheed Rice back this week, okay? The defense is still playing pretty good football. Are any of you guys willing to bet against Patrick Mahomes right now?

[Alan Hahn]

It's hard to starting to feel that way.

[Peter Rosenberg]

And I thought Buffalo was five. I thought Buffalo was finally going to have that breakthrough season. But the last two weeks, like, they. They also show you warts, man. Like, it just. Well, back to the Chiefs.

[Damian Woody]

Well, here's the thing with Buffalo, okay? They don't have any elite war weapons outside of James Cook, the running back. They don't have any elite perimeter weapons. And their defense, quite honestly, is bad. They're bad on defense. And so everything falls on Josh Allen to be Superman all the time. And, you know, you. You see now what the state of the Buffalo Bills is.

[Alan Hahn]

David, I know it's a little bit sad to admit this, but, like, can we. Can we just accept that given the state of the preseason and everything, we'll probably have a real idea of who the best teams are in football, like, first week of November.

[Damian Woody]

Guys, I've always said Thanksgiving is when the tide turns. Thanksgiving is when the tide and Coach Belichick used to tell us all the time around Thanksgiving. That's when the cream of the crop really starts to rise. It's still early right now. People are still trying to formulate and, you know, get their identity, everything settled. But I agree with you, Peter. When we hit November, that's when you gonna start to see teams start separating themselves.

[Peter Rosenberg]

I'm worried that the Patriots not only found their next guy before the jets ever found theirs, but that they also are onto something. They got the coach and Mike Vrabel, like I thought at first, early in the season. Oh, they could be sneaky. Good D. But I don't think there's anything sneaky about the Patriots. What are you seeing from your former team?

[Damian Woody]

Well, in the preseason, I said the Patriots will make the playoffs this year. That's what I said in the preseason. I said last week that Drake may as a Top is playing like a top five quarterback right now. And then they have, in my opinion, one of the best coaches in the National Football League and Mike Vrabel. And so when you combine all that and those guys, they are, they, they have, they have a talented roster. Yeah, they have holes, you know, offense I think at wide receiver, but overall they have a pretty talented roster. So now you starting to see. They basically sent a message to Buffalo like the years of y' all dominating the afc, AFC east is over. We are back now and that's what we're seeing.

[Alan Hahn]

Is Baltimore dead?

[Damian Woody]

You know what? I said that I didn't see Buffalo. I mean Baltimore making the playoffs. But here's the thing, okay? They got a buy. Lamar Jackson going to come back after the buy. Their schedule is so weak after the buy. Like I can't legitimately write them off because Baltimore is one of those teams where if they can flip the script defensively and get. And get better, they can rip off a ton of wins and find themselves right back in the mix.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Icy hot bowl tonight. Aaron Rodgers, Joe Flacco. The Steelers are in a situation that I don't even think they expected. As you mentioned the Ravens, you thought they'd be good as every year. They're not the Bengals. Just the fact that they have Joe Flacco, as the quarterback says, all you need to know because Burrow hurt again. We know the Brown situation. You think Rodgers can, can lead the Steelers to win in this division?

[Damian Woody]

Absolutely. You know, the one thing that Rogers does is he doesn't. He's. He rarely turns the football over and that's what he's done throughout his career. He's protected football, he's playing well and their defense is playing. Has gotten better as the season has moved forward. I think the biggest thing with the Steelers is, you know, they're depending on a lot of veteran guys, older veteran guys. Can those guys stay healthy throughout the 17 game stretch. But right now they're clearly in the driver's seat in the AFC North.

[Don LaGreca]

Damian, I was asked this question. I'll throw it at you. Who's going to win first? The jets of the Islanders.

[Damian Woody]

Oh, man. Oh, God, Lee, man, I'm going to go with the Islanders. Okay, I'm going to go with. I'm going to go with the Islanders, but man, I'm going with the Islanders. That's what I'm going with.

[Peter Rosenberg]

You know why? Oilers tonight. Remember Oilers have been in New York all week. New York's undefeated. You. You know that, right? Like they've been In New York now, a couple of nights. Might steal one tonight. What do you think?

[Damian Woody]

I think so. You know, sometimes when you're, when you're in places like New York and Miami, you get distracted and, and get caught up with the scenery. So I, I, I, I'm with you on that. I think they get it.

[Don LaGreca]

All right, Damien, thanks, man. We'll talk to you next week.

[Damian Woody]

All right, take it easy, guys.

[Don LaGreca]

All right, that's the Damien Woody Report, which is brought to you by bet3,365. Whatever the moment, it's never ordinary at bet365.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Donna, you got the, the carnival.

[Alan Hahn]

So now we're in full keyboard practice.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Yeah. At least it's Oregon though. I gotta take old school hockey and.

[Don LaGreca]

I can live with this.

[Alan Hahn]

You know, Oregon's acceptable compared to the high school band.

[Peter Rosenberg]

But, but no lady of Spain, please.

[Don LaGreca]

I, I would take lady of Spain over the, but you got the Van Halen cover.

[Peter Rosenberg]

As long as you got the references, that's all that matter.

[Podcast Host (Don Hahn)]

Thanks for listening to the Don Han and Rosenberg podcast.

[Don LaGreca]

I didn't listen to anything you just said.

[Podcast Host (Don Hahn)]

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

[Peter Rosenberg]

All right, welcome back. Game Time brought to you by Telemardu Irish Whiskey. Because, Donnie, when it's game time, it's J time.

[Don LaGreca]

Time.

[Alan Hahn]

It's Tolly time.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Certainly is. Thursday Night Football, of course, the Icy Hot Bowl. You got Rodgers and Flacco. You got the Steelers and the Bengals. That's the football side of things. You do have some baseball right now going on. NLCS game three, ALCS game four coverage follows the Ranger game tonight on 880. Speaking of the Rangers, they are in Toronto, which means they might score a goal. They're not home. They play. The Maple Leafs coverage immediately follows up us right here on 880 at 6:30. Note the start time. So we have ENN coming up and then we're done. Yes. Devil's home opener against the Panthers. You hear the organ playing in the background at the Rock. That's where Don is. Devil's Panthers kicks off at 7. On MSG, you can hear the dulcet tones of Don LaGreca on the call. We hope we hear him say, stick a pitchfork in him. Islanders host the Oilers at 7:30. Connor McDavid making his annual appearance on Long Island. And of course, that is all the hockey tonight. And with that telemore due, the original trip of the still trip of the blended and triple Casper cherry Irish Whiskey. Be sure to grab a Telemardu or try the new Tullamore Dew Honey during today's action, glasses up to enjoying Telemardu responsibly. With that in mind, now let's talk some parks. Big hockey night tonight here in New York on the Rangers first just quickly. So Trocheck being out long term ir, that's a concern. Obviously losing your center, but what's happening with them offensively? I don't want to keep joking about moral victories, but they have sounded optimistic despite the fact they haven't scored at home. And losing these games.

[Don LaGreca]

Well, 30 shots on goal against Edmonton, some high quality opportunities. Sometimes you got to tip your cap to the goaltender. Now Stuart Skinner did go to back to back Stanley cup finals. I don't think he's a great goal, but he's capable of stealing the game. And Charlie Lindgren was great on Sunday. Now that can't be the answer every single night. Eventually you got to crack the code on these guys. But the only stinker I thought was the opening night against Pittsburgh because then they turned around to be Pittsburgh 6 to 1 the next time they played him in Pitt. So I wouldn't be concerned tonight. I would think it'd be wide open, a lot of fun to watch. Two high powered operations, octane offense, especially with Toronto. So I, I think they're, I think they're going to be okay. I, I still think they're a playoff team and Trocheck is a problem because center is a problem.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Yeah.

[Don LaGreca]

And you, and you can't also have your best line be your fourth line. Even though they don't like to label lines as 1 through 4. But you know, Carrick, Enstrom and Rempe are supposed to be your fourth rotation and at times they look like the line, most dominant guys on the ice. So I think that'll change. I think they're going to be fine.

[Peter Rosenberg]

I mean Sullivan's been, been relatively optimistic after some of these games. I think J.T. miller has been as well. But you do reach a point where you gotta, you know, you're gonna need a win like, like the good efforts have to result in winning. They believe it's coming like you just said. But that is a real thing though. At some point it just gets. Now wait a minute, I'll get. Well, they, it can't be a good performance if you're not winning. But they do believe in the process. In the meantime, the Devils tonight, it's a tough home opener. You got the Panthers, you know, again, they're Only the best team in the league the last two years. But the bigger concern was the concern I brought up to you when we talked about the Devils this season and you've mentioned it too. The Devils have a good roster. They have excellent goaltending. The problem is injuries. And right away the Markstrom injury, their goal, their number one guy who's going to be out for a couple of weeks right out of the gate, Donnie, that, that's. That's got to feel like the rug pulling out from underneath you as you're just trying to get started. They've had really good offense in these first couple of games. They have looked good. The Carolina game to start the season. They. They struggle in Carolina. The last two games, especially that Columbus game, you know, you're talking about Tampa was impressive. But the Columbus game, the way they played, you got to feel good about where they're going. But then this injury happens and if they can only get some traction and not have these injuries early in the season.

[Don LaGreca]

Now the Carolina game, Carolina's got their number, but they did come back three times from down a goal. They lost the game 6, 3. But that was a 33 game late in the third period. The Tampa and Columbus game, I thought they really clamped down in the third period and held on and it wasn't their goaltender standing on its head. So they've played very well, I think defensively and they've been able to be two and one with Jack Hughes having one point and it's an assist. So I think the sky could be the limit for this team. And tonight. Yeah, on the surface, Florida is a tough team. Two times defending Stanley cup champions. No Barkov tonight, no Kachuk tonight, no Kulikov tonight. And Bobrovsky played last night as Tarasov. Their backup goaltenders in. And the Devils, you know, have played. It's funny, they've won four straight games in Florida. They've lost five straight games here against the Panthers.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Oh, wow.

[Don LaGreca]

So kind of weird. But you're not getting the Panthers at full strength. You're getting them in the second of back to backs because they played last night in Detroit and lost. They're three and oh, at home, Owen two on the road. So see if the Devils can take advantage of that Connor McDavid, you know, coming up on Saturday before they have to go to Toronto on Tuesday. So the schedule gets tougher. But you're right, you know, Jake Allen's a good goaltender, but he had to leave because of cramps and then Markstrom gets hurt, so Nico Dawes is Up. Not. Not what you want early in the season, losing your number one goaltender.

[Peter Rosenberg]

All right, so you have the home opener, which means packed house, energetic crowd. Your first two games of the regular season have been on the road. Now, the atmosphere has been good on the road, but it's different when it's home. Do you think you might have a little extra something tonight? The little extra juice tonight because it's a home crowd. You know when the first goal that scored, it's going to be loud and you're going to be right there yelling into it.

[Don LaGreca]

It. No. Fans are already filing in. We're close to the ice here at the Rock. This is the worst place in the league broadcast wise because you're really high up. But luckily now doing tv, I'm down low, so I'm close to the ice. I'm somewhat in the crowd, which is cool. And yeah, it's not quite to the Nick level of anticipation for this season, but I think Devil fans are really excited about what this season was going to be about. So I'm really fired up the be here. This is pretty, pretty amazing. I've been here all day. I'm really pumped. I can't wait.

[Alan Hahn]

Oh, we know the.

[Don LaGreca]

The game will ultimately dictate how exciting it is. A good game. Obviously, you get blown out, it's a different story. But at least from an anticipation standpoint, it's pretty much through the roof here. Mike Rupp is part of our broadcast tonight.

[Peter Rosenberg]

I love Rupp.

[Damian Woody]

Hello.

[Don LaGreca]

First time I see.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Oh, the Rupper, baby. That's right.

[Alan Hahn]

Now listen, hold on though, guys. It's important because yes, you have big hockey, but you also have NFL on a Thursday, all right? And that means it's your chance to hit the big jackpot on FanDuel. All right? Because here's the deal. Bet fair. Because with FanDuel's Thursday Touchdown Jackpot, you can win a share of $2 million in bonus bets each week. To get in on the Thursday action, all you got to do is place an anytime touchdown score bet before the game picks off. And if your player scores the first, first or last CD of the game, you'll win your bet plus a share of bonus bets. Just visit FanDuel.com Peter to take a shot at the jackpot. That's FanDuel.com Peter for your chance to get a share of $2 million in bonus bets, play your game with FanDuel, an official sports betting partner. The NFL, 21 and over and physically present in New York. Opt in required must apply profit boost token on select market prize pool to be split equally among an eligible participants who made the correct first or last TD pick. Bonus issue is non withdrawable bonus best that expire 21 days after receipt. Restrictions apply. See [e-mail] for up the gambling problem. Call 877-Hopeny or text OPENY 467-369. And even if you bet the football, you could throw your bet down and then still flip on the old Devils game and hang out with Donnie Pucks. It's all right there for you, Alan.

[Peter Rosenberg]

I love it. It's. It's a lot of multitasking tonight when you're watching sports.

[Podcast Host (Don Hahn)]

Thanks for listening to the Don Hahn and Rosenberg podcast.

[Alan Hahn]

I don't want to know how the.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Sausage is made, but I just want to know it's good.

[Podcast Host (Don Hahn)]

Hear more of Don, Alan and Peter weekday afternoon starting at 3 on 8 80, ESPN, the ESPN New York app, and your smart speakers.