Hour 3: Peter's Confidence & NFL Binge

Summary

Don, Hahn & Rosenberg Podcast Summary

Episode: Hour 3: Peter's Confidence & NFL Binge
Release Date: January 13, 2025

In this engaging episode of the Don, Hahn & Rosenberg podcast, hosts Don La Greca, Alan Hahn, and Peter Rosenberg delve into a variety of topics spanning New York sports fandom, team performance critiques, listener interactions, and an extensive analysis of the NFL playoffs. Below is a detailed summary capturing the key discussions, insights, and notable moments from the episode.

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1. Famous Fans of Local Teams

The episode kicks off with Don and Peter engaging in a lively debate about the most famous celebrities supporting New York's local sports teams. They highlight several well-known figures and their team affiliations:

• Don La Greca: "Isn't that weird that the Giants... You can't think like the Bears?" [00:10]
• Peter Rosenberg: "It's between Liam Neeson and Susan Sarandon for the Rangers. I got Kevin Smith for the Devils..." [01:15]

Notable Quotes:

• Peter Rosenberg: "Billy Crystal's Yankees, Rob Reiner's Giants..." [00:51]
• Don La Greca: "But you could argue that Billy Crystal got the Clippers." [00:33]

The conversation evolves into a playful exchange about the authenticity of celebrity fandom, questioning whether some stars genuinely support multiple teams or primarily one.

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2. Listener Interaction: Tessa on the Giants

Listener Tessa joins the discussion, offering her thoughts on the New York Giants' recent performance and player dynamics.

• Tessa: "Jaden is just... he's spectacular. Like, he's really awesome." [03:31]

Key Points:

• Performance of Jaden: Tessa praises Jaden David’s dynamic play, suggesting he could significantly elevate the team.
• Officiating Concerns: Don expresses surprise over a controversial call involving Jaden stepping out of bounds without a roughing the passer penalty.

Notable Quotes:

• Don La Greca: "I was shocked they did not call a roughing when he stepped out of bounds..." [04:07]
• Tessa: "You know, when I was watching the game yesterday..." [03:13]

The conversation underscores frustrations with the Giants' management decisions, particularly regarding player retention and salary cap allocations.

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3. Caller Interaction: Vinnie in Staten Island on Giants Issues

Vinnie calls in to discuss the Giants' strategic decisions, focusing on Saquon Barkley and offensive line investments.

• Vinnie: "Why wouldn't you bring Barkley back? You want a playoff game, get an offensive line." [07:36]

Key Points:

• Player Retention: Vinnie criticizes the Giants' choice to let star players like Barkley and McKinney leave, attributing it to poor financial management and strategic planning.
• Draft Decisions: He laments the Giants' draft picks, suggesting they missed out on talents like Garrett Wilson due to mismanagement.

Notable Quotes:

• Vinnie: "They couldn't do nothing for us." [05:55]
• Don La Greca: "Why are you so far away now?" [06:14]

Vinnie emphasizes the need for the Giants to rethink their approach to building a competitive team, highlighting the consequences of their current strategies.

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4. Caller Interaction: Popo in New Jersey on Daniel Jones and Team Management

Popo brings attention to the Giants' quarterback situation, specifically focusing on Daniel Jones and the team's decision-making processes.

• Popo: "Daniel Jones is a good quarterback. Saquon Barkley is a Hall of Famer." [07:41]

Key Points:

• Quarterback Evaluation: Discussions revolve around Daniel Jones' potential and the Giants' failure to maximize his capabilities through better coaching and support.
• Team Strategy: Popo questions the Giants' commitment to retaining top talent and their overall team-building strategy.

Notable Quotes:

• Don La Greca: "Are you going to extend them?" [10:41]
• Peter Rosenberg: "They are far away now." [06:37]

The conversation highlights deeper issues within the Giants' organizational structure, particularly concerning talent retention and strategic planning.

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5. Discussion on Giants Hiring and Player Retention

The hosts delve into the Giants' management decisions, questioning the effectiveness of their current regime and the impact on team performance.

• Peter Rosenberg: "Why every time we start a season, we seem to take two steps back instead of two steps forward?" [06:15]

Key Points:

• Management Critique: Don and Peter critique the Giants' general manager and head coach, expressing concerns over their inability to retain key players and make effective strategic decisions.
• Future Prospects: They discuss the potential future of the Giants if current trends continue, emphasizing the need for substantial changes to return to competitiveness.

Notable Quotes:

• Peter Rosenberg: "Why are you so far away now?" [06:37]
• Don La Greca: "The Giants are so far away that they couldn't allocate those funds." [30:46]

The hosts advocate for a reevaluation of the Giants' current strategies to foster a more competitive and successful team.

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6. Additional Callers: Tom Cruise's Fandom and Swami's Insights

Various callers contribute to the discussion, bringing in lighter topics and personal anecdotes.

• Caller (Popo): "Tom Cruise is actually a huge Giants fan." [30:49]
• Swami: Shares his excitement over Jaden David’s performance and the potential impact on the Giants' outlook.

Notable Quotes:

• Don La Greca: "What a brutal run this is for the Bills." [45:01]
• Swami: "Hold off on that [JD5 jersey]." [32:19]

These interactions add a personal touch to the episode, showcasing the hosts' engagement with their audience and the diversity of topics covered.

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7. Caller Interaction: Lee in Harlem on Knicks and Referees

Lee expresses frustration with the refereeing in Knicks games, feeling the team is unfairly treated.

• Lee: "How can we get to stop playing against eight, against five, against our team?" [16:20]

Key Points:

• Refereeing Bias: Lee argues that referees are biased against the Knicks, leading to unfavorable calls and affecting game outcomes.
• Team Performance: Discussions touch upon the Knicks' struggles and the perceived lack of support from officiating.

Notable Quotes:

• Don La Greca: "Yeah, that's an interesting takeaway." [17:29]
• Peter Rosenberg: "Why do you think you're not getting calls against Oklahoma City?" [17:43]

The conversation underscores common frustrations among fans regarding officiating and its impact on their favorite teams.

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8. NFL Binge: Playoffs Analysis and Team Performances

A significant portion of the episode is dedicated to analyzing the ongoing NFL playoffs, with the hosts providing detailed breakdowns of recent games and team performances.

Key Highlights:

• Chargers vs. Texans: Don critiques Justin Herbert’s performance, highlighting turnovers and defensive struggles.
  • Don La Greca: "Justin Herbert, what's it like to suck?" [39:48]
• Bills vs. Chiefs: Peter and Don discuss the Bills' resilience and the Chiefs' potential downfall in playoff scenarios.
  • Peter Rosenberg: "Kansas City doesn't cover at home." [45:55]
• Packers vs. Eagles: Analysis of Green Bay's defensive efforts and Philadelphia's strategic touchdowns.
  • Don La Greca: "They gave up 39 to SGA." [18:18]
• Commanders vs. Detroit Lions: Discussion on the Commanders' clutch performances and Detroit's offensive prowess.
  • Don La Greca: "The cardiac commanders are the clutch commanders." [48:15]

Notable Quotes:

• Don La Greca: "Joe Mixon has meant a lot to our team all year." [39:25]
• Peter Rosenberg: "Once your quarterback poops the bed." [40:33]

The hosts provide insightful critiques of team strategies, player performances, and the overall dynamics influencing the playoff outcomes.

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9. MVP Discussion: Jaden Daniels vs. Lamar Jackson

A heated debate unfolds regarding the MVP candidacy of Jaden Daniels and Lamar Jackson, focusing on team dependency and individual achievements.

• Don La Greca: "I don't think you should be laughed out of the room for having Jaden Daniels as your MVP." [24:44]

Key Points:

• Team vs. Individual Performance: The discussion centers on whether MVP awards should consider the individual’s impact irrespective of team success.
• Future Implications: Debating the long-term effects of supporting different MVP candidates on team morale and performance.

Notable Quotes:

• Peter Rosenberg: "I think coach of the year is more of a conversation than MVP." [25:06]
• Don La Greca: "Reggie White... have a great Super Bowl." [42:28]

The conversation highlights differing perspectives on what constitutes MVP-worthy performance, weighing individual talent against team success.

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10. Final Thoughts and Wrap-Up

As the episode concludes, the hosts recap key points from the NFL analysis, share personal anecdotes, and remind listeners to subscribe to their podcast.

Key Highlights:

• Personal Stories: Don shares a story about wearing his Jaden Daniels' jersey and its emotional impact.
• Upcoming Games: Preview of upcoming playoff games, emphasizing the Commanders vs. Lions matchup.
• Closing Remarks: Announcement of condolences to Alan Hahn's family and a call to support wildfire relief efforts via the Red Cross.

Notable Quotes:

• Don La Greca: "I never got a true authentic RG3 jersey..." [32:45]
• Peter Rosenberg: "It's good." [49:33]

The episode ends on a reflective note, blending sports analysis with personal connections and community support initiatives.

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Conclusion

This episode of Don, Hahn & Rosenberg masterfully balances spirited debates on local sports fandoms, critical analysis of team management, interactive listener segments, and in-depth NFL playoff discussions. The hosts' chemistry and willingness to engage with their audience's thoughts and frustrations provide a comprehensive and entertaining listen for both avid sports fans and casual listeners alike.

Don, Hahn & Rosenberg continue to deliver insightful and relatable content, making this episode a must-listen for those invested in New York sports and the thrilling NFL playoff season.

Transcript

[Don La Greca]

This is the Don Hahn and Rosenberg podcast.

[Peter Rosenberg]

That sounds like heaven to me.

[Don La Greca]

Listen live weekday afternoon starting at 3 on 8 80, ESPN, the ESPN New York app and your smart speakers. I'll tell you what, if it goes the wrong way or the right way, depending how you look at it, the rest of this show could end up being us just talking about masculine.

[Peter Rosenberg]

It's all we talked about during the break. Yeah, I can't. The Giant one's bothering me because there should be a bunch of Giant fans. Like Billy Crystal's a big Giant fan, but I already put him down for the Yankees. Rob Reiner is a big Giant fan, by the way.

[Don La Greca]

And you could argue that if it's supposed to just be like you can only get one team nationally. You could have argued that Billy Crystal got the Clippers.

[Peter Rosenberg]

That is true.

[Don La Greca]

Like if you're not allowed to get multiple teams.

[Peter Rosenberg]

But I would think he would pick the Yankees over the Clippers.

[Don La Greca]

Of course. I think he would too. And he's heart still. And he'd allow Penny Marshall to have the Clippers.

[Peter Rosenberg]

So here's what I have so far. And in case you're just joining us and it's 5:00. Why wouldn't you be? It is. Who is the most famous fan of the local teams? Yeah, it's still up for debate. It's between Liam Neeson and Susan Sarandon for the Rangers. I got Kevin Smith for the Devils. Ralph Macchio for the Islanders. Billy Crystal, Yankees. Jerry Seinfeld, Mets. Spike Lee, Nicks.

[Don La Greca]

Yes, we all agree.

[Peter Rosenberg]

We're hearing Ethan Hawke for the Nets. I can't confirm or deny. Joe Leo, a big net fan. That's who he voted for. I'm not close enough to the situation. Jay Z doesn't count.

[Don La Greca]

He's not in ownership anymore.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Right. But he. But is he actually a fan? I don't know how big a fan he is. Jets, there's a bunch of guys. There's Adam Sandler, there's Kevin James.

[Don La Greca]

I say Mike Greenwood.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Larry David.

[Don La Greca]

Larry David.

[Peter Rosenberg]

You want to do it, Larry? You know, Larry's a fraud, though, because he also liked the Giants too.

[Don La Greca]

He did?

[Peter Rosenberg]

Yeah. That's why I called him a fraud on.

[Don La Greca]

That's what it was about. It was about Giants and Jets.

[Peter Rosenberg]

That was what I think. Larry David's huge.

[Don La Greca]

But is he public? Enough about it.

[Peter Rosenberg]

But I don't think he's kind of known for being a Jet fan. It's also a big Ranger fan. He's a fan of all the local teams. Of the teams that he loves the Giants. It's.

[Don La Greca]

Why is that hard to.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Bon Jovi's a big Giant fan. Would he be the biggest John Bon Jovi?

[Don La Greca]

Isn't that weird that the Giants. You can't think like the Bears? There are so many people you could think of, right? Chicago has so many open, like, fans who are well known about it. You. Yet I can't think of it with the Giants.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Like I said, Billy Crystal's a Giant fan, but he's more known for the Yankees. Rob Reiner is a Giant fan.

[Don La Greca]

We're going to figure it out.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Although I think it's just kind of fun to kind of put it to the side. But if you want to use social media to give your thoughts on it, let's.

[Don La Greca]

Let's. Oh, I know who the number one Giant fan is.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Tessa.

[Don La Greca]

It's Tessa and Wes Caldwell. Hey, Tessa.

[Tessa]

Hey, guys. Thanks so much for taking a call. Don't forget, we got Hugh Jackman and we got Tracy Morgan. They're huge.

[Don La Greca]

Oh, that is true.

[Tessa]

Tracy Morgan's always. Yeah.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Hugh Jackman, though. That's.

[Don La Greca]

That's pretty. That's a good one. That's a good one. Tessa.

[Peter Rosenberg]

I didn't know he was a Giants.

[Tessa]

Yeah. Oh, yeah, 100. A hundred percent. He. Matter of fact, he was talking about it when he was talking about Deadpool and Wolverine Shell. Somebody asked him, one of the interviews asked him, and he was like, oh, New York Giants. They was like, oh, my God. Everybody was, like, shocked. That's how I found out about you. I was like, oh, my God. That's a good one.

[Don La Greca]

You take that one.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Nice.

[Tessa]

Thank you.

[Don La Greca]

All right, what do you got for us?

[Tessa]

You know, saying this really quick, Peter. You already know. It's like taking, like, a little slither of my soul. But I just want to say, you know, when I was watching the game yesterday, like, honestly, Peter, like, you really guys got a special dynamic pilot. Like, Jaden is just.

[Don La Greca]

He.

[Tessa]

He.

[Don La Greca]

He.

[Tessa]

He's spectacular. Like, he's really awesome. And sometimes it just takes that one player as well as new ownership. You got a good coach. You got a good offensive coordinator with Cliff and stuff like that, but he's dynamic. And you guys, like, really do have a bright future ahead of you. I just can't wait to, you know, we get better for them, you know, blow it all up and tear y'all up.

[Don La Greca]

No, that's, like, years, by the way, since you brought. Since you brought up Jaden real quick, by the way. I'll let you get to your point on. On the Giants. I couldn't believe, given who, like, who Jaden is and his, like, body type. And the moment I was shocked they did not call a roughing when he stepped out of bounds and got thrown seven feet. Is that is. Am I. Was I wrong for that? He was clearly on the white.

[Tessa]

Dude look like he wear a buck 80 with a wet T shirt. That, man, he definitely got to put 15 pounds on an offense.

[Don La Greca]

I know he has to, but Don, he. He had half his foot on the white. I was shocked they didn't give a flag for that. But listen, he was fine. But I guess you're right, rookie.

[Tessa]

You know how it is. Yeah, he's not gonna call it on certain people.

[Don La Greca]

Y'all know that Andy runs a lot, so it's like, you take a risk. All right, on to the Giants. What do you got, Tesla?

[Tessa]

Also, that. This is a lot of thing I was talking about. It's called a saliva ejector. That's what it's really called.

[Peter Rosenberg]

So they didn't put a lot of thought?

[Don La Greca]

No.

[Peter Rosenberg]

All right. I don't feel too bad.

[Tessa]

They absolutely didn't. But my question is this, like, just watching, you know, the Eagles and the green packers, you know, first of all, shout out to the defenses because freaking Green Bay defense was out of sight. They just kept them in the game.

[Don La Greca]

They really did.

[Tessa]

I was just like, offense, please help them out. They just kept them in the game, and, you know, they were just balling. But so was Phillies defense, you know, but it just had me thinking, and I just couldn't get it out of my system. You know, Don, it's just, like, you look at McKinney, like, oh, my God, he made the All Pro. Eight interceptions this year. Then you already look at Saquon. Really could have broke the Russian record if, you know, if he wanted to, if he would have played 2000. We understand that. Both dynamic, special players. Is it as simple as they're just on amazing teams, or is it really come to the fact that they wanted to stay and Joe Sheen just let him walk out the door and he fumbled the bag. Like, I just keep leaning back to Joe Sheen. Like, you're a bum. Like, you didn't even try to keep these guys. Like, you didn't even try. I understand about your vision, but where. Where is it at? Because these guys are thriving. Like, we had nobody make. I know Dexter got hurt, but we had nobody make that this year. Like, I just feel like Donna's just really bothering me. Like, why are these guys thriving so much on other Teams like, they couldn't do nothing for us.

[Peter Rosenberg]

But again, what you should be upset at. And I'm not saying you shouldn't be upset. You should be upset, but you should be upset that the Giants are just so far behind the curve that they were able to let these guys go as cap casualties because the team's not close. Like, why are they so far away now?

[Don La Greca]

I don't spend.

[Peter Rosenberg]

I don't pay a lot of money to safeties and running backs. You know that. I've made that clear. But you do when you feel like you're close. Packers thought they were close. Eagles thought they were close. 49ers thought they were close. That's. They went after Christian McCaffrey at the running back position and took on all that salary that he signed with Carolina because they felt like they were close. Be upset. The Giants are that far away.

[Don La Greca]

Mm.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Because it wouldn't matter if McKinney was here if Saquon stayed.

[Don La Greca]

Yeah, they would be a little bit better.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Win a few more games. They still would not be close. They wouldn't be close. Why are you so far away? Why in year three of this regime, going on year four, are you farther away than you were than when you took over? That's what I would ask them. That's what I would say to John Maurer. John, you said you felt good about where you are. Then explain to me why this team is way worse off going into 25 than they were going into 2023. Why are you so far away? Why you keep taking steps backward? Why? I want to get to the point where you're keeping your talent because you're close instead of. Well, we can't use these guys. We're too far away. So why spend all that money? I agreed, Peter. Not paying Saquon. What good would it have done? You wouldn't be winning anyway. But where is that extra money going? Number one and number two, why are you so far away? Why every time we start a season, we seem to have taken two steps back instead of two steps forward?

[Don La Greca]

Let's go to Vinnie in Staten Island. Hey, Vinnie.

[Caller]

What's going on? Don, I don't know how you can say you are against bringing Barkley back. They want a playoff game with Barkley. You got to build from there. You want a playoff game, you go out and you get an offensive line. Okay. Jones, Davis, and Barkley would have been a very formidable trio. Okay. Daniel Jones is a good quarterback. I don't care what anybody says. Okay, well, Saquon Barkley is a Hall of Famer in the prime of his career right now. And throw in Malik Davis and I mean, the draft with Kayvon Thibodeau and Evan Neal absolutely killed them. They destroyed them. They had the 5, 7 pick that year. They could have had Garrett Wilson.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Oh, killed him.

[Caller]

Drake London. That killed him. I mean, Kayvon Thibodeau was an absolute bum. Neil's a total.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Well, that was. He can't even play. I mean, at least Thibodeau has done some things in the NFL and has played a little bit, but Evan Neal was a complete waste of time. But here's the thing is. Yeah, you won nine games. He got completely embarrassed in Philadelphia. Nothing ended up happening the next year when you kept those guys. And you're right. Build an offensive line. They haven't been able to do that. And they seem to think by freeing up the money that they would be able to go out and sign free agents on the offensive line, which they did, and it still didn't work. And the best offensive lineman. Explain this to me. And their best offensive lineman was drafted by Gettleman.

[Don La Greca]

Hey, listen, I decided Daniel Jones was a great quarterback once you start on that premise. Why? Why? Why?

[Peter Rosenberg]

Listen, could he have been better if the offensive line was. Listen, absolutely. If I took the terrible. Let me tell you this. I will say this because I don't know how good Jalen Hurts is. I don't think he's a great quarterback.

[Don La Greca]

He's better than Daniel Jones. He is, definitively.

[Peter Rosenberg]

But if I put Daniel Jones on, Philadelphia probably doesn't get hurt and be putting up better stats than he put up with the Giants, because that offensive line is terrific. They've got weapons, they're well coached. Offensively, It's a different world. Now, is Jalen Hurts better? Yes. Would Daniel Jones become a star? No, but I think he would do well in Philadelphia. But you can't tell me that Daniel Jones wasn't given at least an opportunity and he got hurt and he wasn't good when he was healthy. All right. And you. The best of Daniel Jones was what you saw a couple of years ago when he ran for seven touchdowns, threw for 15. Better offensive line, they'd be a little bit better. They're not close to a championship. And the scary thing is, even when they start getting closer, you got to get over Washington, you got to get over Philadelphia. We'll see what Dallas does. If Dallas gets it right with their coach, there's enough talent there for them to be a good football team. Peter.

[Don La Greca]

Yeah.

[Peter Rosenberg]

So where are the Giants going. That's why I wanted to start fresh.

[Don La Greca]

Start fresh.

[Peter Rosenberg]

You got some patience. You got some time here. You're gonna have a high pitch.

[Don La Greca]

It's depressing going into it knowing it's not fresh. You're delaying. You're delaying the inevitable.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Startup, you feel like you're delaying the inevitable because I'll ask the question I've been asking the whole time. If this team wets the bet again and wins four or five games, are they extending Shane and Dable? Because they'll be going in in 2026. They'll be going into the last year of your contract. Are you going to extend them? Please don't tell me you're going to go. Oh, well, we'll have them be lame ducks and try to squeeze one more year. Yeah, good luck signing free agents. Good luck building things with a lame duck general manager and head coach. So if they go out there and win five games next year, are you extending the regime?

[Don La Greca]

Let's go to Popo in New Jersey. Hey, Popo.

[Peter Rosenberg]

How are you? Popo?

[Caller]

Hey, how you guys doing?

[Peter Rosenberg]

Is that your given name?

[Caller]

No. You'll understand why.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Okay.

[Caller]

So, Dom, you're. Oh, by the way, Daniel Ratcliffe and Queen Latifah. Big Giants fan.

[Don La Greca]

Oh, no, I didn't. I didn't realize. I think Queen Latifah sounds familiar. I can picture her.

[Peter Rosenberg]

To game.

[Don La Greca]

All right, now, would you put them.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Ahead of Jon Bon Jovi? Guess. Depends on what circles you're running.

[Don La Greca]

Not Radcliffe. Radcliffe's not better than. Bigger than Latifah or Bon Jovi.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Okay, but go ahead.

[Don La Greca]

No, I mean, being Harry Potter's mage, for sure, but I still wouldn't put him. I wouldn't. But that's. I'm old. What do you got? Popo?

[Caller]

I hear Guys. So, Don, you're gonna love this story. The other day, I'm an officer, by the way. I was doing speed traps, had a guy zooming by.

[Don La Greca]

Zoom.

[Caller]

I go after him. It was a residential area. Stopped him, got out. Third, license, registration, insurance. Gives me everything. Check it out. But he didn't give me his license. So I'm there.

[Don La Greca]

I'm like, wait, he didn't give you his license, or he did give you his license?

[Caller]

No, no, he did not.

[Peter Rosenberg]

He gave your registration, insurance card, no license.

[Caller]

Correct.

[Don La Greca]

Isn't that. Isn't that a problem?

[Caller]

Here we go.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Okay, Here we go.

[Caller]

So I say, sir, where's your license? He looks at me, he says, he's kind of older, Italian guy. He goes, kid, you know? Well, I Gotta give you my license. Oh, yeah, you're gonna bust me here. I'm like, sir, you know, trying to be polite now. I'm a big listener of you guys. I know you guys come on every day from three to seven. I hear him in the background. I hear you guys. It's about 4:00, okay? He looks at me and he says, you know what, kid? My name is. My name is Dodge. I looked at him, I said, you, sir, are a liar. Because I know every day I listen to them from three to seven. You can, you know what? Get out of the vehicle.

[Don La Greca]

No.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Oh, man.

[Don La Greca]

He just tried to say, I'm Don legreco.

[Caller]

And when I told him, you had to see his face when I told him. How do you call that? That? I listen to you guys every day. The look on his face was priceless.

[Don La Greca]

What was he doing? So why was he not. Did he just not have his license and was trying to be avoidant, not get in trouble?

[Caller]

Yeah. Yeah, pretty much.

[Don La Greca]

He just. He just didn't want to own up and be like, damn it, I forgot my license.

[Caller]

Yeah.

[Don La Greca]

Now tell me this. Since you are Popo, wouldn't you prefer in that situation the person like, respectfully be like, officer, I just want to let you know off top, I do not have my license with me. I have this. This. But I don't have my license.

[Caller]

You want to hear what's funny, Peter? Yeah. This happened to me before. I've had. I've had that happen when they were very respectful. So I tell them, you know, you have the option of calling your family member. They could come with a license and drive the car back.

[Don La Greca]

Okay.

[Caller]

But in this case, he was lying to me. So I ended up selling his car and giving him a ticket.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Oh, he had to. Well, listen, you're impersonating a.

[Don La Greca]

Well, not only that, you won't. And you're not impressing Donald Greco.

[Caller]

Impersonated Donald Greco. Come on. What?

[Don La Greca]

Listen, thank you. I appreciate that you tried to be nice to the guy, but when a guy impersonates Don the Greco, he's got. He's got something coming.

[Peter Rosenberg]

That's pretty. That's pretty interesting. Now I know why he was calling himself Popo.

[Don La Greca]

It took me a minute, too. Thanks, man. It took us time. I didn't realize he doesn't want to.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Blow up his spot.

[Don La Greca]

No, he's actually in New Jersey.

[Peter Rosenberg]

This was. But I don't know whether I should be flattered. Disturbed, but I love the way he handled it.

[Don La Greca]

I just. Sometimes I don't want to say anything. People will call what I'm going to say. People would call what I'd be saying political. But I will simply say, certain people feel comfortable playing games with police officers that other certain people would not feel comfortable playing. I'm gonna do a joking game where I pretend to be somebody else. It's like, that's not. That's a great. I would never in my life play around with the police like this.

[Peter Rosenberg]

But the arrogance to think that, like, why are you busting my chops not having my driver's license? Like, if it was, I don't have my insurance card or my registration, for sure. That maybe could be like, whatever. But the kind of. The requirement of driving a vehicle is to have your driver's license on you.

[Don La Greca]

In fact, anytime I've ever been in a rush and be like, oh, my gosh, I forgot my wallet, like, I was running to pick someone up or something, I'm like, out of my wallet. I'm always thinking, don't get pulled over. You don't have your wallet on you.

[Peter Rosenberg]

That's right. Because that's a big deal.

[Don La Greca]

I don't want to deal with that. But he just goes, I'm Dom McGregor. People are.

[Peter Rosenberg]

And he was in a residential area. Sounded like going pretty fast.

[Don La Greca]

It makes you sick.

[Peter Rosenberg]

It does make you sick.

[Don La Greca]

Let's go to Lee in Harlem. Haley.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Hey, how you guys doing?

[Don La Greca]

Good, man. How you doing, man?

[Caller]

I'm having a problem with how these refs are calling games against the Knicks, man. It's like they get smacked, they get beat up.

[Don La Greca]

Y'all wonder why we got beat down by Oklahoma?

[Caller]

They wasn't calling no fouls, and they just ran amok on us. So how can we get to stop playing against eight, against five, against our team? It's like, this is what you gotta go through.

[Tessa]

We gotta pay somebody in the Mafia.

[Caller]

How can we get caught?

[Peter Rosenberg]

What we gotta do? Well, why do you think you're not getting calls against Oklahoma City?

[Don La Greca]

Yeah, I mean, they're not.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Do you really think the NBA is really excited to hurt the Knicks and help the Thunder?

[Don La Greca]

Yeah, that's the thing. If you were playing, like, LA or Golden State, I might be with you, Lee, but like.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Or even Boston, you know, like, there's certain teams, you're like, they're gonna get all the calls. I don't really ever look at Oklahoma City is like, man, they want Oklahoma City to win, man.

[Don La Greca]

Now listen to the Knicks. Will it take the Knicks a little bit of time of being good and the star of Jalen Brunson rising further for people to start getting those superstar calls. Yeah, that, that takes time. But I don't think that's why you got blown out by Oklahoma City.

[Peter Rosenberg]

They're a better team. They're starting to prove that they might be at this stage a better team than you.

[Don La Greca]

Yeah, I mean that you guys kind of got the hinges.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Is that really what you took from that game? They're not getting calls.

[Don La Greca]

Yeah, that's an interesting takeaway.

[Peter Rosenberg]

And also notice the towns wasn't 100%. I get that. There was. Who else was a game time decision that day? There were two games, two guys.

[Don La Greca]

It was Josh.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Yeah. And then you get blown out by what? For the second time they weren't blown out in Oklahoma City. Listen, I know sometimes the officiating can be a little questionable, but again, I need the motivation. So what's the motivation to job the Knicks? The biggest market in the country, A fan base that's rabid. That would. You don't think it would help the NBA for the Knicks to make a run? It's better to keep Oklahoma City out.

[Don La Greca]

The problem for the Knicks against OKC on Friday was not the refs. It was making Isaiah Joe Wilt Chamberlain, he was plus 31. Like he's a nice player. You gave up. He, he shot like perfectly from the floor and 3 was 8 for 11 from 3. That's what killed you on Friday night by the way. You gave up 39 to SGA also.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Now I will say I never really feel like the Knicks get the benefit of calls because they're the Knicks, you know, they just haven't been that felt that way. Yeah, but again, if that were the Celtics, if that were the Lakers, then I'd say, you know what you probably got, you got a kick coming here. I don't know what the motivation would be to help the Thunder. No offense to the Thunder, Peter, but.

[Don La Greca]

No, no, I hear you, Don. We're going to get to all of these calls, everyone on hold and we're going to get to the NFL binge. We have so much more to do. I'm feeling so jolly today. But don't you have to talk to me about something?

[Peter Rosenberg]

Don, I have to talk to you about something and it's fairly urgent and that is cheers. To new beginnings. This dry January. You know I'm not drinking alcohol this January.

[Don La Greca]

I heard about that.

[Peter Rosenberg]

It's dry January. Cloth is the pioneer of non alcoholic beer. They brew the finest natural ingredients. Klosthaler deserves delivers rich flavor that is perfectly fit for an Active lifestyle like mine. Kick off the year with a refreshing cloth howler. Whether you choose the original lager or the bold new ipa. I've tried them. They're delicious. You would think you're drinking a beer. I'm not just saying that. There's no aftertaste. It goes down really smooth. It's terrific. So if you're not into alcohol, if you're going to try to you got work, but you're really in the mood for a beer, this is where you want to go. Claust Island Natural Brewing, Refreshing living. Always drink responsibly. Klosthaler is imported by Rataburger Group USA, Norwalk, CT.

[Don La Greca]

Thanks for listening to the Don Hahn and Rosenberg Podcast. I didn't listen to anything you just said. Catch the show. Demand whenever you want. Just subscribe to us wherever you get your podcasts.

[Peter Rosenberg]

You know, a lot of people are saying that Jon Bon Jovi should be the Giants most famous fan, but he's very close with Robert Kraft. I I listen. They're all frauds because they're celebrities. So let's not get crazy. I I got no problem with Jon Bon Jovi being the guy. If you want to make he's A.

[Don La Greca]

Lot of them are frauds. Let's be honest. It's Peter and Don. It's Don Hahn and Rosenberg. Guys, you got to subscribe to the Don Hahn and Rosenberg podcast.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Do it. Show me something.

[Don La Greca]

Jump on the Apple podcast app on your iPhone. It's that purple icon. Go in there, search for Don Hahn and Rosenberg. It'll pop right up. Hit follow, give us a rating. Give us a review. We need all of that stuff. If Spotify is your thing, you can search for it. There's whatever your thing is. Just search for our names and hit follow and give us a nice rating and review. It means a lot goes a long way. We appreciate you if you missed the start of the show. We started the show by sending our love and support to our partner Don, who lost his sister sadly over the weekend. Sorry I said Don.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Yeah, so sorry.

[Don La Greca]

That's inappropriate and not what you want to do there. Alan is not with us again today and Don and I started the show by sending our love to Alan who lost his S over the weekend on Saturday. Debbie Hahn passed away Saturday and we are thinking about Allen. Of course he will join us later in the week. But we started the show by sending our love and support to the Hahn family. That said Don to the more mundane the NFL weekend that was will break down everything to a fine powder Coming up in the NFL binge. And also, it's important that I add this. Don't. I don't know if you've heard this. We brought it up earlier. A lot of people are looking for a way to help out those affected by the wildfires. If you're looking to do so, you can go to redcross.org espn that's redcross.org espn if you're looking for a way to help out our friends and family in California. All right. The Red Cross is helping people respond and recover. Don, you want to talk to people, please? Pete has been hanging on for a minute. Let's go to Pete in Newark. Hey, Pete.

[Caller]

Hey, guys. First of all, I just want to say, great new show. So much better without Michael. Just no negativity. So love that.

[Peter Rosenberg]

That's not.

[Caller]

I have to. He takes. I listened to one show of his the other day, and he was taking shots of you about how much weight is off the show, Peter Straw being gone and how free he was. So you know what? Forget him.

[Don La Greca]

Wow. Is that true?

[Peter Rosenberg]

I did hear he said he lost. He goes. They could argue, but we lost probably around £400.

[Don La Greca]

Did he mean like physical weight?

[Peter Rosenberg]

Yes, physical weight, which is not inaccurate.

[Don La Greca]

But that's still not nice.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Listen, I gotta tell you. No, no, hate. He. He's. Everybody's happy.

[Don La Greca]

Wow.

[Caller]

Good, good. Look, I just gotta make a point. This is mostly directed at Peter, but it's part of my issue a little bit with the mvp. I'll say I'm biased. I'm a Washington fan.

[Don La Greca]

Love it.

[Caller]

And I know that Daniels won't win the MVP, but if it's value you're talking about, from a four win to a 12 win season, a rookie playoff when he leads in all of these stats, would the Ravens fall apart without Lamar? The Eagles are already good. Don, you're saying of all these weapons without Saquon, the Bills without. You know, Allen and Daniels is doing this outside of Terry McClaurin. With who? Alamode Zacchaeus and Diamond Brown.

[Don La Greca]

Hey, that's like, hey, that's Alamode Zacchaeus to you and me.

[Caller]

I just think not even in the conversation is interesting to me.

[Don La Greca]

Pete. Thank you. Hail to the commanders. I don't disagree. In all sports. I have the same argument, Don. I always think it's kind of silly when they kind of give MVP to the best player on a team that's stacked versus the best player on a team that is not stacked. I think it is.

[Peter Rosenberg]

It should.

[Don La Greca]

I don't think you should be Laughed out of the room for having Jaden Daniels as your mvp. I think it's totally fair. Now, he did ask the question, would the Ravens fall apart without Lamar? Fall apart is strong because they have a great head coach in Derrick Henry.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Right.

[Don La Greca]

But I do think they'd be significantly worse without Lamar.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Of course they would.

[Don La Greca]

Several games worse.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Listen, he's going to get the offensive rookie of the year, so that's not good enough. I understand. Is he hurt by the fact that Mariota has, in his three appearances, has thrown for 364 yards, four touchdowns, no interception and has two wins and yeah, so you say, well, what would happen? Like, do I think that Marcus Mariota would have gotten them a 12 and 5 record? No, I don't. But the team's got a lot going for them besides Jaden Daniels. And I think coach of the year, I think, is more of a conversation than mvp.

[Don La Greca]

Isn't. Isn't Coach of the year. Isn't a lock. I feel like it's a lock.

[Peter Rosenberg]

I would think so.

[Don La Greca]

I think Dan Quinn's a lock.

[Peter Rosenberg]

I think Quinn is a lock.

[Don La Greca]

But you know what, Don, Don, Don, you may be point God three times over tonight.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Why is that?

[Don La Greca]

Because that's a really good point. The Mariota thing, he came in and won two games for them. Now, we both agree they wouldn't have been 12 and 5, but that does show that there are some things here. Cliff Kingsbury's doing something that's worked well.

[Peter Rosenberg]

The reason. The reason I.

[Don La Greca]

And by the way, I loved them lining up. They didn't do this a lot this year. How do you. I loved when they lined Mariota up on the fourth and short. Do not have Daniels do that.

[Peter Rosenberg]

No, I like that a lot. Here's the reason that I get involved in this, because I do hear a lot of people the Giants should have tanked last year. They would had Jaden Daniels. As if this would be happening with the Giants. And I'm telling you it wouldn't now, they would be better off. They'd have a better quarterback and their future would be brighter. That I can't argue. But I don't know that the Giants are well coached yet. If you go by wins and losses, I would say probably not. You know, the offensive line and all the things that are kind of gone wrong. Kingsbury is not a great head coach, but he's a very good offensive coordinator. And Quinn's come in, took a team to the super bowl good enough to have a 28.3lead in the Super Bowl. New Ownership. There's a lot going on there in Washington besides Jaden Daniels, you need a quarterback, but he's also got to be able to have the right coaching. He's got to have the right environment. So I don't know if this would all be happening if Jaden Daniels was a Giant now. Maybe would eventually would Peter. I don't know. But to think that the Giants would be right now getting ready to take on the Detroit Lions if Jaden Daniels was their quarterback. No, that would not be happening.

[Don La Greca]

I totally. It's, it's, it is interesting too because they, I mean Malik Neighbors is a phenomenal piece.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Sure.

[Don La Greca]

But that's not enough alone. I mean what else would, what else.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Would he have an offensive line? Now the Giants had a running game. There were Giants ran the ball pretty well. Tracy was very good. Had over a thousand combined yards. Neighbors had over a thousand yards receiving. There's some pieces there. But the Giants can't win because they didn't get really any quarterback play. Their offensive line wasn't very good. Their defense wasn't very good throughout them. There's a lot of things wrong with the Giants that just having a great quarterback now. I agree their future would be a lot brighter. But you got to get it right. This is how these quarterbacks don't work out because they're not in the right environment. And I want to see when are they going to be able to develop a quarterback. Didn't work with Daniel Jones. Maybe because Daniel Jones wasn't good enough. Maybe because of the injuries. Drew Locke was only here for a year. DeVito probably didn't have the talent to develop into a big time quarterback. But I think coaching has a lot to do with where these quarterbacks go. And I think Kingsbury is just as responsible for Daniel Jones as Daniel Jones is. Right. Jaden Daniels is right now.

[Don La Greca]

Let's go to Michael in Manhattan. Hey Michael.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Hey, Michael.

[Tessa]

Hey. Hey. So I feel like with the whole talk about like Barkley and McKinney leaving it, they're great players and if you don't want to bring them back, it's like you want to have good players, so why not bring them back just because of some money? Like same with Barkley. Like you weren't a fan of them drafting him. But if they went with another position, it could always turn out like an Evan Neal or even a Thibodeau. With Barkley, you knew he was touched by the hand of God as Gettleman said. So you might as well, you know, they don't win they don't win with them, but that doesn't mean anything.

[Don La Greca]

They don't win neighbors either.

[Tessa]

You might as well trade neighbors.

[Peter Rosenberg]

But here's the point. He's a running back. They weren't willing to pay the running back. So if you're not willing to pay him, why are you drafting him a second overall? It's the same thing with Regime. No, but still, they did the right thing, because it wouldn't have worked out here anyway because they need too many other things. You said it's only money or whatever line. You said we were in a salary cap. So they felt like they had to improve the offensive line. They wanted to bring Burns in to get another good edge pass rusher. These things come at the expense of other positions because you can't pay a safety and a running back when you need all these other things. Now, if I'm close, like the Packers, I could take on a McKinney. If I'm close, like Philadelphia, I could bring in a Saquon. But I'm trying to rebuild a team. I can't allocate a bunch of funds to a running back and a safety when I need an offensive line and I need more weapons from a wide receiver. I don't have a tight end of any real ilk. I need to be able to bring in edge pass rushers, get pressure on the quarterback. That all comes because it's money. If this was baseball and all I have to worry about is international money or losing a couple of draft picks, then I would have paid Saquon. I would have paid McKinney. Yeah, because you need talent. But in this league, you can't pay positions that aren't as important when you're trying to rebuild. That's why I told Tessa, if you want to be aggravated, be aggravated. The Giants are so far away that they couldn't allocate those funds to those positions because they needed too many other things.

[Don La Greca]

Drew and Hoboken, what's up?

[Caller]

Hey, guys.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Thanks for taking the call.

[Caller]

I just wanted to clarify that Tom Cruise is actually a huge Giants fan.

[Don La Greca]

Wow. I didn't know that. Yeah, I thought he was just a fraud. He just. He just knew Snyder and they. And he would hang out in the street.

[Peter Rosenberg]

I knew he was born in Jersey, so I had that feeling. But, like, he seemed to be at all the big Redskin games when Snyder was the owner, so obviously he must have given up that fandom, because how do you sit there and root for another team in the division?

[Caller]

Well, I think fraud's on the table. And I'm not going to question that, but that is to be fair. It has been reported he's been known to be a huge Giant fan.

[Don La Greca]

Yeah, hold on, Drew. We're gonna get. Let's work on getting TC on the show tomorrow.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Is that what you call him?

[Don La Greca]

No, But. But Kanye did on the song Click. And I always thought it was very weird when he goes something live next to where TC lives. That's Tom Cruise. I always thought it was bizarre.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Is that trying to just.

[Don La Greca]

He was just making a line work.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Yeah, it's. You gotta be careful with that, because it lives forever.

[Don La Greca]

Because who wants to call Tom Cruise tc? I mean, come on. That's not a thing. I just did it.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Oh, maybe you were trying to make it a thing and, you know, it just didn't work.

[Don La Greca]

Oh, well, now Swami in Brooklyn.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Swami.

[Caller]

Hey, how are you guys?

[Don La Greca]

There he is. Swami Swan.

[Peter Rosenberg]

How you feeling?

[Caller]

I know. Peter. How the hell are we doing, huh?

[Don La Greca]

You don't want to. I'll tell you how we're feeling. This is how I'm feeling.

[Peter Rosenberg]

I'm going back 45 years.

[Don La Greca]

Yeah, it's.

[Caller]

I mean, I'm telling you, this kid is. I'm sorry, Pete. Hold on. This kid is unbelievable. There's just. I. I have no words to describe this. The only thing I told my wife, do not get me a jersey of JD5 yet, because she did it with RG3. And then it all went to crap. So I said, hold off on that.

[Don La Greca]

Well, you know what? I never got a true authentic RG3 jersey. And I did in the case of Jaden. In fact, I wore it last night, and I got a little scared because I wore it to the game against Dallas that they lost. And Don, I considered bailing at some point. I was like, should I not be wearing this? I'm glad I kept it on all night to get the win. Now you just said, why can't they beat Detroit? And this is going to be interesting conversation as the week goes on, because, you know, Don and I generally love Detroit. Swami. And think. And their cover machine, Detois, is a cover machine. Their offense is insane. Vegas Swami thinks we have no chance. The line starting at eight and a half says Vegas believes the commies are going to lose by 40 points. That's how I see.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Yeah, I don't think so, man.

[Caller]

If we play some defense, some little defense beater, we have a chance. Because of Jaden, obviously.

[Don La Greca]

You know, Swami, here's the thing about the defense.

[Peter Rosenberg]

It's.

[Don La Greca]

It's. It's it's the if Your if was a spliff because they were abusing Marshawn Lattimore last night. And Lattimore, you know, I know him and Mike Evans have their own thing, but Don, I don't know how you felt about it. I thought Lattimore wasn't completely healthy. I think they thought a slightly unhealthy Lattimore whose hamstring you're worried about was better than any other option they had.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Yes.

[Don La Greca]

And he was getting picked apart.

[Peter Rosenberg]

He was.

[Don La Greca]

So if he's not better, I am scared of that Detroit offense. However, I just said this because Don. Don doesn't believe we have a shot.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Not to win the game.

[Don La Greca]

What do you mean by eight and a half though?

[Peter Rosenberg]

Listen, I'm not picking them. I can tell you that.

[Don La Greca]

You're going to put. You're going to go with Detroit.

[Peter Rosenberg]

I'm going to go with Detroit. Now let's see if that line moves any. If it starts to get like close to. I don't think it'll get to 10. But if it got. If it got the double digits then I would have to think about it. But I think this Lions team is just. Look what they did to Minnesota. Like are you better than Minnesota?

[Don La Greca]

I think yes. Is that crazy?

[Peter Rosenberg]

It's not.

[Don La Greca]

Listen, the quarterback's better quarterback.

[Peter Rosenberg]

But overall Minnesota won two more games than you did and you even admitted you're probably not really a 12 win team. Not. And Minnesota went to Detroit and it wasn't close in a game. They absolutely had to have to get to get by Crushed. You know, it's not a playoff game because they still made the playoffs. It wasn't as must a win as Sunday's going to be for the commanders. I just, I have too much respect for Detroit. Now obviously this is going to be your six point play then.

[Don La Greca]

No, I can't imagine it's going to be possible.

[Peter Rosenberg]

What?

[Don La Greca]

It can't be your six point play. There's only four games.

[Peter Rosenberg]

No, but I thought we were going.

[Don La Greca]

6, 5, 4, 3 and. Oh yeah. Because we don't want the points to be gone by the end and have it.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Meaning you think there's going to be another game you're going to like more than the commander.

[Tessa]

Yeah.

[Don La Greca]

If you don't. What John's saying is if you don't make this your highest point play, he's lost respect for you. I'll speak for him. Listen here. I'm not going to take my lead and get bullied. I haven't even. Not all the Lines aren't even out yet. We don't even know. We don't even know who's playing one of the games. Do you think that a team that is eight and a half point dogs you think could win outright? Do you think there's going to be a better line out there for you to be.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Yeah, come on.

[Don La Greca]

Yes, I do. You know what, can I, will you remind me to explain after 6:00? I would love you to because we got to do the NFL binge, but I'm going to explain to you why I could like us to potentially win outright and also be scared to touch the eight and a half. I will explain it to you after 6:00. All right. Like you dream about.

[Peter Rosenberg]

I'm looking forward to it.

[Don La Greca]

Thanks for listening to the Don Hahn and Rosenberg podcast. I didn't listen to anything you just said. Catch the show on demand whenever you want. Just subscribe to us wherever you get your podcasts. This is the NFL Binge. Oh boy, oh boy, oh boy. Let's binge it all up.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Man, oh man of Chevitz.

[Don La Greca]

Let's put it in the blender, add some fruit, some delicious alcohol and make ourselves a beverage. You know what I mean? A margarita, a cocktail if you will, of the NFL.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Old fashioned. My brother got me like an old fashioned mix.

[Don La Greca]

Oh yeah, I remember you mentioned that.

[Peter Rosenberg]

No, no, no, there's another one. Oh, where? No, it's just, it's the mix. It's all together. Like Nancy had gotten me the whole everything separate to be.

[Don La Greca]

No, no, you don't need that.

[Peter Rosenberg]

This is the mix put in.

[Don La Greca]

I've had that before too. It's very, it's like, it's kind of syrupy, right.

[Peter Rosenberg]

But very good. But I just trying to figure out how much to put in, you know.

[Don La Greca]

Gotta get right. By the way, if it's one of the syrups, it's very little you have to put in. It's a lot of sugar in there.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Now this one part, they go one part of the old fashioned mix and then four parts of the bourbon, right. Or the whiskey. And I'm trying to figure out what's a part.

[Don La Greca]

You know, the result could be a very drunk Don legreco. I, I, I did partake last night. I wouldn't normally have beverages on a Sunday night, but last night was, it was required. I needed to stay in my bag. Let's get to it.

[Peter Rosenberg]

By the way, I mentioned I didn't do it because it's January and it's dry. January, of course, but I'm ready for February, believe me.

[Don La Greca]

And then you'll be making yourself delightful. Super bowl old fashioned. Remember the old days when Michael would have a Super bowl party?

[Peter Rosenberg]

I remember those.

[Don La Greca]

I don't think weddings. Based on the text we just got, I don't know if we'd be invited.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Yeah, he didn't take that call very well at all. He didn't think we supported him.

[Don La Greca]

Well, we didn't know.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Well, listen, I guess we could have done more. I know, Michael, I said we're all together, it's all good.

[Don La Greca]

But didn't he say. Didn't you say that he said he lost weight from the show.

[Peter Rosenberg]

He said he lost like £400 off the show.

[Don La Greca]

But he meant literal weight.

[Peter Rosenberg]

I think he was just having fun.

[Don La Greca]

The same way that he always would do it with you guys in the room. Exactly. How would he take any differently?

[Peter Rosenberg]

He wanted us to beat the caller up and disconnect and we didn't do that. Oh, like how dare you say, how dare you, Michael.

[Don La Greca]

Michael would never do that to us. How dare you. Yes, I'm sorry, Michael.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Michael would love to get you. He was that. You made a cogent point.

[Don La Greca]

By the way, Ray from North Carolina has happened and.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Stop it.

[Don La Greca]

Come on now, let's get into the week that was the Texans beat up the Chargers. Welcome Back to the NFL playoffs. Jim Harbaugh, 32:12. Very, very strong defensive effort from Houston. Intercepting. Intercepting Justin Herbert four times. Speaking of Michael, remember when he was always putting Justin Herbert like at the top of the heap of young quarterbacks?

[Peter Rosenberg]

He was.

[Don La Greca]

It's, it's not playing out great. Let's hear a little play by play from sports radio. 6 10, 4th and 1 at the.

[Peter Rosenberg]

17 yard line of the Chargers. CJ hands off to mix and running.

[Don La Greca]

Left has the 15, 10 Mixon across the 5.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Mix it to the pylon. Mix it to the end zone. Celebrate mixing on fourth down.

[Don La Greca]

Tater, I am not a crook. Let me tell you something about mixing, okay? And let me tell you something about the. The running back. It is back, baby. The running back impact is back in this league. Here's D'Amico. Ryan's on the impact. Joe Mixon has had. Joe has meant a lot to our, to our team all year, right? The leadership that he brings. He has playoff experience.

[Caller]

He's been there.

[Don La Greca]

So he has, you know, good advice to give guys on the other side of things. Justin Herbert, what's it like to suck? I let the team down and can't turn over the ball. Like that and expect to win and put the team into a tough position there with 4 turnover. So you know, the defense hung tough. They got some turnovers. They gave us opportunities, but I just have to be better. Well, he was not. And the Chargers out again in tragic fashion. If you're an LA fan, of course LA is back at it tonight. Rams, Vikings on Monday night. Foosball.

[Peter Rosenberg]

I do find it very interesting all the people with, you know, Eli, whether he's a first ballot hall of Famer. Well, yeah, I know those two Super Bowls aside, but you know, very pedestrian regular season number. What would you rather have the great regular season and then completely vomit on yourself in the postseason or the reverse?

[Don La Greca]

I know it's. I'm telling you, this is why I was so desperate for Jaden. Just have a good game. Because once your quarterback poops the bed.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Once the game winning touchdown essentially right. Or the touchdown that put you in the position to win the game.

[Don La Greca]

Yes. In the fourth quarter and then fourth down on fourth down, game's over. I know that's not complete.

[Peter Rosenberg]

The game is over.

[Don La Greca]

And by the way, what about the. What about the pickup? Didn't we. Hold on. Wasn't the scramble. Was the scramble for a first down on the last drive also on fourth or no. Was that on third? I think it was. I think it was third. They went for it on fourth so many damn times I lost track.

[Peter Rosenberg]

I'm telling you, the punters. By the way, by 2030 there'll be no punters anymore.

[Don La Greca]

Don, it was the third game this season. He is the only quarterback in history to have three games in which his team did not punt one time and he did not have a turnover.

[Peter Rosenberg]

The Giant game is one of them.

[Don La Greca]

Oh, that's. Remember it quite well. I mean, by the way, you realize we have one of the best punters in league. It's trust Wade. He's just sitting there collecting dust. There's no point in having.

[Peter Rosenberg]

You're happy about it.

[Don La Greca]

Lamar Jackson and the ravines roll on the Steelers 28 14. At moments it felt closer. At moments not as close. Setting a franchise single game record with 299 rushing yards including 186 from Derek Henry. You know how I feel, Don. The man should have always been a Raven. We'll forget that he even played on another team.

[Peter Rosenberg]

It may be forgotten if they.

[Don La Greca]

I'm telling you. And they win a Super bowl, he'll go in as Raven. I bet he could end up being a Raven.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Could. Here's the comp.

[Don La Greca]

Reggie White But Reggie, what if that's the comp? Then you think of him still as an Eagle.

[Peter Rosenberg]

You do?

[Don La Greca]

I do.

[Peter Rosenberg]

He won the super bowl as a power.

[Don La Greca]

I know.

[Peter Rosenberg]

I still think I remember him as an Eagle because I'm a giant fan of all those rivals. But I bet you a lot of people, because he won the super bowl in Green Bay, if he goes and wins a Super bowl with the Ravens and has a couple more years like this, are they going to remember Tennessee?

[Don La Greca]

That's a great point. Here's John Harbaugh on the game plan. My dad's proud.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Jack Harbaugh's proud right now. You know, he likes to pound the rock.

[Don La Greca]

That's what we did.

[Peter Rosenberg]

I mean, Derek had. He was running hard. Hard physical to mar. Started it off. Good job. Very well, well played.

[Don La Greca]

All right. Now, as for the Pittsburgh side of things, George, let's hear this question for George Pickens.

[Peter Rosenberg]

You've done with this offense now for three years.

[Caller]

Have you seen signs of growth and.

[Peter Rosenberg]

How much more does this still need to grow offensively?

[Don La Greca]

Yeah, I've seen signs of growth for sure.

[Peter Rosenberg]

From. From past.

[Don La Greca]

You know, the first year I've been here.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Just.

[Don La Greca]

Just way more growth for sure. Does that make you optimistic going forward? Not optimistic. By the way, can you guys. He's a crazy person. Pickens is Antonio Brown crazy?

[Peter Rosenberg]

That's what Danny.

[Don La Greca]

That's what Danny said.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Yeah.

[Don La Greca]

Anthony, do you know to this to be true or is this like. Is this, like, required? I think he. Are you listening to Steelers podcasts and like, you have to be inside Pittsburgh? No, I mean, look, he's had some run ins with. With cornerbacks and things of that nature. I don't think it's Antonio Brown level. As we see where Antonio Brown is now, he's not in a great place.

[Peter Rosenberg]

During like the coaches.

[Don La Greca]

What great wide receiver doesn't have a.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Lot going on, but Antonio Brown level. No, that's like the level. He.

[Don La Greca]

That's. That's the bar right there. All right. Bo Nix threw a 43 yard touchdown. I'll tell you what, the start of that game, Broncos are up 7 nothing. Don and I go. See, that's exactly why I didn't put a lot of points on Buffalo. Now all of a sudden they need to cover 15. I don't like it. Well, guess what? They rolled. Here's Josh Allen on the offense, clicking for Buffalo. We just wanted to come out and execute well.

[Peter Rosenberg]

We ran the ball well. Our offensive line did a heck of a job all day. Jimbo ran the ball hard. Ty and Ray.

[Don La Greca]

I hate what happened to Ray. You know, I feel like that doesn't happen too often in this offense and hate that feeling that I have for him right now. But got to see him. He's doing okay. But at the end of the day, we just wanted to come out and play.

[Caller]

Play our best football, and I feel like we did that today.

[Don La Greca]

This. This Bill's team, man, it's unbelievable. They happen to be great in this era where the conference has these just absolute monsters to deal with. Now you have to deal with Baltimore, Don. If you get past Baltimore, what you're probably gifted is a trip to Kansas City. It's. What a brutal run this is for the Bills.

[Peter Rosenberg]

I know I'm going to come across as a hater.

[Don La Greca]

Oh, no.

[Peter Rosenberg]

But to me, the Chiefs are the third best team in that conference.

[Don La Greca]

They could be had.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Well, I've been saying it all year, so I've at least been consistent, right?

[Don La Greca]

You have. They'll. They'll host.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Come on.

[Don La Greca]

And by the way, you're not going to be changed. Your mind won't be changed. This week they're hosting the Texans.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Listen. Right? So I had said they'd be one and done. Probably not because of the matchup they have and they deserve it. They went 15 and 2. But are you telling me if you've been watching the Chiefs the way we all been watching, they're on national television all the time. Follow all their games. Are they? And I don't. I know the pedigree. Right. I get that. Trying to win their third consecutive Super Bowl. Are they the Bills and the Ravens? They're not. I don't think they are.

[Don La Greca]

I hear you. It's funny to me that they're. They're an 8 point favorite on the Texans.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Right.

[Don La Greca]

The Commanders are a bigger dog against Detroit next week than the Texans at Kansas City. But everyone knows Kansas City doesn't cover at home.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Yeah, Kansas City, they bat the bunny around.

[Don La Greca]

All right, now, Philadelphia and Green Bay. And before I talk to you about that briefly, because I'm running a little behind here, I do want to tell you you're listening to the NFL binge on 880, ESPN, WHSQ and WCBS FM HD2NY. A good karma Brands radio station.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Professionals stay on the clock, but professionals also do the ID when they don't.

[Don La Greca]

Whammy. Big win for the Eagles. Jordan Love. Not very good for the pack. It's tough. You know, I'm definitely, you know, it's the end of the season. You know, you lose playoff Game, you know, we've been here before.

[Peter Rosenberg]

It sucks. It's not fun.

[Don La Greca]

It's not fun being in that locker room after a game and you know, it's just sucks. So for the packers, how did they lose? You say, well, Philadelphia recovers a fumble in the opening kickoff, which is never what you're looking for from a starting standpoint. Which by the way, the fact that you had turnovers like that, that you fumbled the opening kickoff and you were only down 10 nothing at halftime. Don, the defense.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Field goal. Yeah, it should have been 10 3.

[Don La Greca]

Should have been 10 3. The defense kept Green Bay in that game for a very long time. But ultimately, Phillies, four takeaways, which were the most in a playoff game for them since the 2001 divisional round of the Bears was enough for Philadelphia. Now the Commanders squeak out another close one. I was very, very happy if you haven't been on my Instagram, by the way, of course my wife filmed my reaction Rosenberg radio on Instagram. Let's hear what it sounded the play by play from Big 100 in Washington as Zane Gonzalez lines up for the game winning field goal. We know there's been a lot of steppage in recent calls in Washington. Let's listen in. Gonzalez looking to send Washington into the divisional round. Snap. Good hold down kick. It is, is done. The cardiac commanders are the clutch commanders. They do it again. We'll see you in Detroit. No Fletcher steppage.

[Peter Rosenberg]

But he, he was there. If you thought maybe.

[Don La Greca]

Oh, he was fist pumping. No, he was hyped up.

[Peter Rosenberg]

If he had a, had had a kicking moment like you dream about. No, he was there. You heard him after.

[Don La Greca]

Are you talking about I had diarrhea? No, that you dream about. Lastly, Jaden Daniels. How's it feel to win your first playoff game, kid? I don't know. It probably won't hit me until whenever this rookie campaign ends. Kind of in that mode. Like, hey, one game at a time. Now we're focusing on Detroit. We got a short week, so we gotta get our bodies back right. To move forward for Saturday night. And there you go, the Commanders at Detroit, Saturday night. Your lineup next Saturday. One of the great weekends in sports. Eva. Don, let me tell you, much more fun it is. Whether win, lose or draw, being in it feels awesome. Texans at Chiefs430. Commanders at Lions. Oh, no. As Don was saying to me earlier, would you, would you feel anything like the Giants if you get blown out the way the Giants did a week two? It was the same slot. Remember I was at a wedding. Giants, Eagles had the Saturday night slot on the road. I'm not scared. I'm not as scared. That'll do it for the NFL binge for your wild card weekend. Thanks for listening to my Don Hahn and Rosenberg podcast. I don't want to know how the sausage is made, man. I just want to know.

[Peter Rosenberg]

It's good.

[Don La Greca]

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.