Hour 4: RBs Getting Paid & Giants WRs

Summary

Don, Hahn & Rosenberg Podcast

Hour 4: RBs Getting Paid & Giants WRs

Date: August 6, 2026
Hosts: Don La Greca, Alan Hahn, Peter Rosenberg
Length: ~26 minutes

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Episode Overview

This episode centers on two major NFL storylines:

• The dramatic shift in running back (RB) contracts, with major deals for top backs such as Jonathan Taylor, Bijan Robinson, and Jameer Gibbs.
• The New York Giants wide receiver (WR) group, focusing on the blockbuster effort to get Malik Nabers ready and the potential comeback of Odell Beckham Jr.

The hosts mix analytics, insider knowledge, and classic locker-room storytelling, diving into how teams are adapting to new contract realities, discussion of player longevity, and nostalgic reflection on Odell Beckham Jr.'s career trajectory. Their discussion is both informative for football fans and loaded with the kind of humor and banter that has become their trademark.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. NFL Player Innovations: Red Contacts & Blue Pills

(00:39 - 03:52)

• Geno Smith’s Red Contacts: The show opens with a quirky anecdote about Geno Smith using red contact lenses to help reduce field glare, a tip he picked up from ex-New York Jet Santonio Holmes.
  • "Imagine looking into the eyes of your quarterback and he’s got red eyes. Freak you out." — Peter Rosenberg [01:21]
• NFL Players & Performance Tricks: The guys reminisce about odd player habits, including Bart Scott’s revelation that players would take Viagra in cold weather games to boost blood flow and stay warm.
  • "A lot of players would, you know, would pop a little blue pill for a game and it would just help keep you warm." — Anthony [02:03]
  • Humorous confusion ensues as Anthony admits he once thought taking Viagra led to "automatic" results. [03:17]

2. Running Back Contracts: Money Up, Years Down

(04:01 - 10:40)

• The Big Deals: Recent contracts:
  • Jonathan Taylor — 2 years, $44 million (Colts)
  • Bijan Robinson — 3 years, $75 million (Falcons)
  • Jameer Gibbs — 3 years, $75.75 million (Lions)
• Emerging Trend: Short term, high annual value deals for elite RBs—not the 5-year contracts of past eras.
  • "The term is down, but the annual is way up... You’re not going to give a back a five year deal. We know that. But if you give them more money up front on a shorter term, it makes more sense." — Anthony [04:20]
• Giants & Saquon Barkley: Reflecting on the Giants not locking in Saquon, who left for the Eagles (winning a Super Bowl). This is now seen as a misplay, as market dynamics clearly favor the "pay elite talent, but swiftly, not long-term" approach.
  • "Letting Barkley go is still regrettable. But is it looking even worse now when you’re seeing what the market has now turned out?" — Anthony [05:03]
• Strategic Regret: The hosts second-guess the Giants' handling of the Barkley situation, noting how flexibility in contract terms (more money, less years) can benefit teams and players.

3. Is the RB Renaissance Real? Value Debates & History

(07:12 – 14:57)

• Running Backs Regaining Respect: Discussion shifts to the idea that RBs are regaining value, in part due to the game-changing abilities of individuals like Derrick Henry, Saquon Barkley, and Christian McCaffrey.
  • "It did seem like there was this, 'Hey, the running backs just not a valuable position.' And then you’re like watching and you’re like, I don’t know man, I’m watching the game. It seems like the best guys are game changing." — Peter Rosenberg [07:33]
• Contract Numbers: Derrick Henry’s highest annual salary was $15.5M in 2020, much less than the latest RB deals. The hosts attribute this to changes in how RB impact is evaluated, especially for all-purpose players.
  • "Now these guys, what they can do with not just running the ball but catching it and then getting yards after—that's become a big part of the NFL offense now." — Anthony [08:40]
• Longevity Rarity: Derrick Henry is entering his 11th season at age 32. Only four backs since 2000 had 1000+ yard seasons after turning 32: Emmitt Smith, Adrian Peterson, Frank Gore, and Ricky Williams.
  • "Since 2000, only four running backs have had a thousand yard season after turning 32." — Anthony [11:54]
  • "Frank Gore, by the way, was easy too. That’s stupid work by the... That’s gettable." — Peter Rosenberg [14:11]
• Stat Nugget: Henry needs 6,236 yards to match Emmitt Smith’s all-time mark ("he’d have to still be dominant into year 17, 16" — Anthony [14:30]), highlighting the near-impossibility of modern-day RB records.

4. Giants Wide Receiver Room: Malik Nabers and the Odell Beckham Jr. Story

(17:37 - End)

• Malik Nabers’ Health:

  • Nabers (rookie) is on track for Week 1, despite preseason knee worries. He hasn’t participated in full contact yet but is making progress.
    • "If he could be available for week one, what a big story that would be for the Giants." — Anthony [17:40]

• Odell Beckham Jr. Comeback Watch:

  • OBJ, now 33, is impressing in camp after two years out of the NFL.
    • "It is a big deal that you come in, come onto the field and you can start to pop. That’s important." — Anthony [18:09]
  • OBJ now likens himself to LeBron James—no longer relying on pure athleticism but on intelligence and adaptability.
    • "Unlike LeBron James who used to take off before the free throw line and now if he’s taking off with his right foot in front of it, he’s still got a different game, but he’s still playing at a high level. I believe I can play at a high level." — Odell Beckham Jr. (quoting Jordan Renan’s report) [20:18]
    • "You know the game, you know how to get open, you know the nuances... you can actually now be a better player because you are just smarter and you don’t have to do the spectacular athletic things. But every now and then, like LeBron does, he can remind people, I still got it." — Anthony [21:05]
  • The hosts reflect on OBJ’s rollercoaster first Giants stint: the highlight-reel catches, off-field antics, and his role in a locker room culture shift ("one player started to become more about...the player than it was about the team"—Anthony [22:59]).

• Potential Impact: OBJ may be a key veteran leader for Nabers and other WRs, also serving as a feel-good comeback story.

• Wide Receiver Depth Chart Notes:

  • Malik Nabers (rookie, WR1)
  • Darnell Mooney, Darius Slayton, Malachi Fields (rookie)
  • Veterans fighting for spots: Odell Beckham Jr., JuJu Smith-Schuster (injured), Braxton Berrios (noted for special teams value)
    • "Is Odell kind of like that fun story, the one you’re sort of rooting for? Does that make sense? It does to me..." — Anthony [22:21]

• Other NFL Old Heads: Comparing longevity: Taj Gibson (NBA), LeBron James, etc. The hosts note sports medicine has dramatically extended career spans.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Red Contacts & Blue Pills:
  • "Red contacts, blue pills is what you’re saying." — Peter Rosenberg [03:46]
• RB Value Debate:
  • "It did seem like there was this, ‘Hey, the running back’s just not a valuable position.’ And then you’re like watching and you’re like, I don’t know man, I’m watching the game. It seems like the best guys are game changing." — Peter Rosenberg [07:33]
• OBJ LeBron Comparison:
  • "Unlike LeBron James who used to take off before the free throw line and now if he’s taking off with his right foot in front of it, he’s still got a different game, but he’s still playing at a high level. I believe I can play at a high level." — Odell Beckham Jr. (per Jordan Renan) [20:18]
• Reflecting on Giants’ Culture Shift:
  • "One player started to become more about...the player than it was about the team. And the standard was no longer there." — Anthony [22:59]
• Longevity Rarity in RBs:
  • "Since 2000, only four running backs have had a thousand yard season after turning 32." — Anthony [11:54]

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Important Timestamps

• Red Contacts/Blue Pills Segment: 00:39 – 03:52
• RB Contract Trends & Giants Reflection: 04:01 – 10:40
• Derrick Henry Longevity & RB Historical Nuggets: 10:55 – 14:57
• Giants WR Room & Odell Discussion: 17:37 – End

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Final Thoughts

This episode delivers an essential catch-up on rapidly changing NFL contract philosophies, particularly the new appreciation (and hesitation) for running backs. The lively discussion about the Giants’ handling of Saquon Barkley and the emotional resonance of Odell Beckham Jr.’s attempted return bring both analysis and nostalgia. The show demonstrates clear knowledge, entertainment value, and a sharp eye on how the NFL’s present is deeply shaped by its recent past.

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For fans, this hour is a must-listen for anyone tracking NFL contract trends and Giant’s wide receiver uncertainty—plus those who appreciate football’s weird, wacky side.

Transcript

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[Don Hahn]

This is the Don Hahn and Rosenberg podcast.

[Peter Rosenberg]

That sounds like heaven to me.

[Don Hahn]

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

[Anthony]

Found this interesting from Connor Hughes. I put it in the group shop for you guys. Have you ever seen this before? Geno Smith is wearing red contact lenses. It's to help with the glare. He's experimenting with it right now. Apparently Santonio Holmes was the first one who told Gino about it and I guess he went to an eye specialist and they brought it up too.

[Anthony (continued)]

I know there are colored contact lenses.

[Anthony]

Yeah, there are. But.

[Anthony (continued)]

But I didn't know. Red's gotta make you look glare.

[Anthony]

Red's gotta make you look a little crazy, doesn't it?

[Peter Rosenberg]

Oh, and Santonio is the perfect person. Era wise as he's. He's. Geno's like class right there, but still.

[Anthony]

Imagine looking like into the eyes of a quarterback and you're like, dude, the guy's got red eyes. Freak you out.

[Peter Rosenberg]

It is. I'd never seen it before, but it's

[Anthony]

not the craziest thing I've heard an NFL player use to try to, you know, for. For either to take advantage or also to deal with something. Did you know, did you ever hear Bart Scott tell the story about what a lot of players would use for cold weather games? Oh yeah, this is familiar members.

[Anthony (continued)]

Me too.

[Anthony]

Anthony remembers it.

[Peter Rosenberg]

This is. Oh, is it a medication?

[Anthony]

Yeah, it's considered such.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Does it help with blood flow?

[Anthony]

It definitely helps with blood flow, which is what keeps you warm, among other things. And he proudly talked about how a lot of players would, you know, would pop a little blue pill for a game and it would just help keep you warm. And I would say to him, because I don't know these things. So I'm. I was very innocent when I asked this question. I said before, aren't you a little concerned there's, you know, you pop that thing. I mean, you guys around all these, all these hot dudes, get up there and start hacking.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Excuse me.

[Anthony]

Like, like, honestly, I'm. This is. I'm really Naive.

[Sponsor/Ad Voice]

Right.

[Anthony]

When he, this is like four or five years ago when he told me this story and I was like, doesn't that though create a problem? He's like, no. He's like, that's not, it's not what happens. Because I thought like, you know, if it's more than four hours, you got to call your doctor. I didn't know. I thought it was like this automatic thing, like you take this pill and like within a couple of minutes

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you

[Anthony]

got Empire State Building. I didn't know that. That wasn't, that wasn't the case.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Oh, is that not the case?

[Anthony]

No, I was, I was very naive on that one. So he told me, no, that's not, he goes, if somebody did, we'd have to have a conversation.

[Peter Rosenberg]

So you're, it's, it's controllable is what you're saying.

[Anthony]

I guess so. I did not know that.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Yeah, I didn't, I didn't know either. I would have the same.

[Anthony]

Yeah, that would, that, that was, that, that seriously was my assumption. And then he cleared that up and apparently it is a thing in the NFL for a lot of those cold weather games.

[Peter Rosenberg]

So.

[Anthony]

And it does work.

[Peter Rosenberg]

So red contacts, blue pills is what you're saying.

[Anthony]

Yeah, that's. There you go. Can't lose on either one of them.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Oh, that was the line. Wasn't that always the line from Friday Night Lights?

[Anthony (continued)]

That's exactly, I think that's exactly how it went.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Red context, blue. Yeah, that's it. Yeah.

[Anthony]

Well, Jonathan Taylor gets 2 years 44 million from the Colts. Bijan Robinson gets 3 years 75 million from the Falcons, and Jameer Gibbs gets 3 years 75.75 million from the Lions. The trend here, of course, is that running backs that are high level, top of the line running backs are getting 20 plus million a year, but they're not getting a lot of years. So the term is down, but the annual is way up. And this is not that far removed from when the Giants looked at Saquon Barkley, who was, who is right, a high end elite running back and felt it just wasn't worth it to them to give him a contract and they let him go to the rival and he won a Super Bowl. And it's like the Giants were clearly not ahead of the game on this because this is making sense. You're not going to give a running back a five year deal. We know that. But if you give them more money up front on a shorter term, it makes more sense because we do know as much as. Yes, the running back position is making a comeback. Barkley is part of that era. And we still also agree though that it is a short term type other than if you're Derek Henry. Okay, but it is a very much a short term position that you cannot invest long term in a running back. But it doesn't mean you can't pay them. So were the Giants like is this one of those? Look, letting Barkley go is still regrettable. It'll always be regrettable. But is it looking even worse now when you're seeing what the market has now turned out?

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[Peter Rosenberg]

It's really interesting because it's now changed. We said this would happen. By the way, Alan, I don't know about you, but I've been saying, you know, the running backs, you know, the running backs coming back. This was, this is a. This was almost. I'm not going to say it was like, you know, market manipulation or

[Anthony]

collusion, right?

[Peter Rosenberg]

But it did Seem like there was this, hey, the running backs just not a valuable position. And then you're like watching and you're like, I don't know man, I'm watching the game. It seems like the best guys are game changing. I mean Derek Henry can make your team a team. Now Derek Henry's one of a kind. Fine. But Saquon Barkley, a huge piece for the Eagles. So it was a matter of time before it came back around. But man, the timing is good now. Bijan Robinson, all Jonathan Taylor, like is Taylor bet. What's the max contract Derrick Henry's ever got?

[Anthony]

But I'd have to look that up. I don't know if the top my

[Peter Rosenberg]

head, but it's not what Jonathan Taylor just got, is it? Has he gotten to 22?

[Anthony]

I don't think he's gotten there, no. These are all the highest, the highest for running backs, but they just obviously they all keep going up. But the McCaffrey, the first McCaffrey deal was, what was that? A five year deal?

[Peter Rosenberg]

Yeah. But for what?

[Sponsor/Ad Voice]

16?

[Anthony]

Because that's the one that kind of set the tone for Barkley. And then McCaffrey got hurt and that was the thing that just made you feel like you can't do it. And then the Panthers had to move on from him and since then he's gotten a two year extension from the, from the Niners and that's that. That just seems to be the thing that makes sense. I guess the biggest thing here is you could take away more criticism of Joe Shane in that moment to say like when you were going a multi year deal and you were keeping them at like 13 million or whatever it was that you were keeping them at and that wasn't going to be good enough for Saquon Barkley. How did you not think to yourself more upfront? I know it eats at the salary cap and it can hurt you short term, but still that's the play, that's the direction this was going in. And it really did start with a guy like McCaffrey. Not just because he was a good runner, was because they were multifaceted. Now these guys, what they can do with not just running the ball but catching it and then getting yards after, which has become a big part of the NFL offense now. And so it's, it's, it's look, it's, it's a regret, it's in the past, it's over. There's nothing you could do about it now. But looking at these contracts, the, that's like the first thing you thought of right was it's amazing that these quarter. These running backs are very valuable to their teams. They're getting paid a ton of money and they're figuring out how to take that money up front knowing like, like for instance, Gibbs out of the 75, 51 is fully guaranteed. So there's still a little bit of it out for the team. Right.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Right.

[Anthony]

Two years, tons of money. That's. That just seems to be the way to go and that's the direction it's going in. Now is Cam Scatter Boo going to make you forget Saquon Barkley? Is he going to be just so good with what he can do because he's a dynamic, you know, battering ram kind of running back. Do they.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Derek Henry is high, by the way.

[Anthony]

Where's Derek Henry at?

[Peter Rosenberg]

His high season in 2020 was 15, 5. Last year he made 14.

[Anthony]

That's crazy. What is he, 32?

[Peter Rosenberg]

His rookie year was 2016. He's 32. Good call.

[Anthony]

32. It's still humming. I'm telling you, he's, he's, he's one of those guys. He's. Derrick Henry's close to Emmett Smith, is he not like he's got. If he can get a couple more years in. I had a note on this in case we were going to talk about it. Standby, because I loved. Yeah. Derek Henry. So he's going into year 11. Peter. Not even thinking about retiring. 32 years old. He's 6,236 yards from passing. Emmett Smith as the all time rushing leader. Now, it sounds like a lot. Six thousand several years. Right. Since 2000, only four running backs have had thousand yard seasons after turning 32. Now Emmett Smith is the obvious one, right. He's done it clearly because he's the all time leader. Can you name the other three? Ooh. Since 2000, only four running backs have had a thousand yard season after turning 32. I'm giving you Emmett Smith because he's the all time leader. You know, he's one of them.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Since 2000.

[Anthony]

Since 2000. So it's obviously this century. Three of them have done it after the age of 32. So it's guys who have, obviously they've had long careers, they've been durable. Adrian Peterson, that's one very good.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Edron James.

[Anthony]

No,

[Anthony (continued)]

I have two names in my head.

[Anthony]

All right, Anthony's got it. Give me a name. Anthony.

[Anthony (continued)]

Peter, I want. Do you have another one off the rip right now or. No,

[Peter Rosenberg]

no, not off the, no, not off the rip.

[Anthony (continued)]

I'm gonna. I'm gonna guess lt. No, but good

[Peter Rosenberg]

guess though is one of the thousand yard.

[Anthony]

One of the names is not like a superstar, but a guy that just. He just ran. He carried the mail for years. He stayed a long. He was a. I think he was a Jet short term, he might have been, but not like any. Not remarkable. I could be wrong if he was. I just know that Bart loved him.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Who is it?

[Anthony]

Frank Gore.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Frank.

[Don Hahn]

Oh, yeah.

[Anthony]

Well, that's how he. Like five seconds.

[Peter Rosenberg]

He may. Yes, I think he was. And I think the last name may

[Anthony]

or may not surprise you, but it is definitely a recognizable name. A little bit of a notorious career because he. He came in hot and then kind of. Kind of. I don't want to give it away by using like a metaphor. Like came into the league like he was a name and then like

[Sponsor/Ad Voice]

fizzled

[Peter Rosenberg]

out a little bit, but not.

[Anthony]

But then ended up having like a, you know, a good. A good finish to his career, but a little, little bit. A little bit of like controversy. Notorious.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Give it to me. I don't know. I gotta.

[Anthony]

Ricky Williams.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Ricky Williams had one over 32.

[Anthony]

Yeah. Wow. Yeah. Yeah.

[Peter Rosenberg]

I wouldn't have guessed that.

[Anthony]

So that's so. See, so Adrian Peterson was an easy one because.

[Anthony (continued)]

Yeah.

[Anthony]

He such a long time that he went. But Ricky Williams and Frank Gore, the other two. So what does it tell you?

[Peter Rosenberg]

Frank Gore, by the way, was easy too. That was. That's stupid work by the. That's gettable.

[Anthony]

Oh yeah. Okay.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Well, when you think. I just was amazed at his level of.

[Anthony]

I didn't know if you'd remember his compile.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Frank Gore's compiling. He was setting records late in his career. I mean he did it for so long.

[Anthony]

Yeah.

[Peter Rosenberg]

That's very compelling.

[Anthony]

Yeah. So that's the list. And it just shows you again for. For Derrick Henry. It's something to watch going forward with him. He's 32. He's in year 11. He's going to be a big part of that offense, as we know. And he's like in 6200 yards. So you're. You're still talking. That's a lot. Like, he'd have to. He'd have to still be dominant into like into year 17, 16.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Yeah. To get there.

[Anthony]

Tough for him to make it.

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[Don Hahn]

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[Peter Rosenberg]

I didn't listen to anything you just said.

[Don Hahn]

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

[Anthony]

hall of Fame class this year and that Saturday will be the induction ceremonies and all the speeches and everything headlined by Drew Brees. You also get Larry Fitzgerald Adam Vinateri, Luke Kikley and Roger Craig are the headliners in this year's class. So also something look forward to this weekend is, you know, now all the preseason games start to begin and we start getting excited about the upcoming season. And when you look at, when you're talking about the Giants, you're talking about Malik Neighbors and getting him ready for week one, if he could be available for week one, what a big story that would be for the Giants. When you think about just before training camp began, there's a lot of speculation that he might not be ready for camp, might not be ready for the first couple of weeks of the season. But at least he's been on the field doing drills. He's not going to be involved in anything that involves contact or defense or anything. He's got a, you know, you gotta be careful with what he's gone through with the cleanout injury, with the cleanouts procedure on the knee. But he's very important to this offense, which is going to be, it's going to be run heavy. But you can't be run heavy if you don't have any type of threat. He is a threat. Now who's going to be the second wide receiver? That room right now has got a lot of vets and a lot of guys fighting for a spot. But one guy I've been following Jordan Renan and some others who cover the Giants, and one guy that's, you know, he's been, he's been percolating a little bit the last couple of days, it's a cool story. Is Odell Beckham Jr. So he's so, so Jordan tells us he's had two now straight strong days of practice. Now again, I know it's August and it's, and it's just training camp practice, but you gotta understand when you're 33 years old and you haven't been in the league in two years, it is a big deal that you come in, come onto the field and you can start to pop. That's important. Like Aaron Donald was gonna, was in retirement, he went out on the field with the rams and Sean McVeigh's like, it's the greatest tryout we've ever had. And Aaron Donald might play this year and if you put him and Miles Garrett together, that's a scary defense. So you are seeing older players who might have had some time off but don't want to let it go yet. And so it's a different world we're in now because of all the different, you Know with between sports medicine, the recovery, ways that you could prolong careers. We're seeing players play older. Tom Brady's done it. Look at LeBron James. Just talked to Taj Gibson today. 40 years old, he played his 17th season this past year, 41 he is right now. He didn't tell us he was done. We asked him straight up if you missed that interview. He was fantastic. And Taj also talked about how proud he was of watching the Knicks win. He did have two stints with the Knicks. He was here recently. His teammates with Jalen Brunson, he saw it in him. But he also was teammates with Clar Anthony Towns. And the conversation that he shared, he told us when he last saw him and the way Cat was carrying himself. He said he told him he he's ready to win a title. So that was a great interview. We'll have it up. We have it up on social media now. If you missed it, if you're a Knicks fan, you want to hear it. But on the Odell Beckham Jr. Topic. So he's trying to make this team and he knows it's a great story because it's the team where he started. It's the full circle moment for him. He was young, he was obviously, he was the golden boy. Everybody loved him. He had the one handed catch. He became a superstar overnight. Dayton, the Kardashian, the whole thing. You know how that was going. Then he started. Things started getting squirrely. Going left a little bit with some of the histrionics and the goofiness, whether it's him getting into fights on the field or whether it's him, you know, making what he did propose to the kicking net. Right. I mean, he grew up though, won a Super bowl, but injuries really sidetracked his career. But now he's trying to make a comeback and at 33, he's comparing himself in a way, according to Jordan Renan, as a football version of LeBron James. Here's the quote that Jordan has. He said, I'm just trying to be present each day and every day prove myself who I am and who I know I am. Everybody likes to talk about is he going to be this or that? And he said, unlike LeBron James used to take off before the free throw line and now if he's taking off with his right foot in front of it, he's still got a different game, but he's still playing at a high level. I believe I can play at a high level. What's he saying there? He's saying, don't expect me to be the highlight film receiver that I was early in my career. Body won't let me do it. But as LeBron James showed you, your brain can still prolong your career. You're smarter now. So while the athleticism isn't what it used to be, you know the game, you know how to get open, you know the nuances, you can actually now be a better player because you are just smarter and you don't have to do the spectacular athletic things. But every now and then, like LeBron does, he can remind people, I still got it. And I think that's what Odell is like, kind of enjoying here now, again, it's just drills, it's just preseason or not even preseason, it's training camp. But when you think about the wide receiver room and neighbors leads the way. Darnell Mooney's there and Darius Slayton's there, Malachi Fields, people are talking about the third round pick. People kind of excited about what, what, what he can bring. Then you've got a bunch of veterans who are trying to make the team as well, that Odell's in that group with juju Smith, Schuster, who's been a little banged up, and Braxton Barrios, who. Barrios is a great athlete. And Barrios also is multifaceted because while he can give you some depth, wide receiver role, we also know he can play special teams. That's been his thing his whole career. But is Odell kind of like that fun story, the one you're sort of rooting for? Does that make sense? It does to me because you remember Odell the last. You remember Odell in a Giants uniform. It was not a great memory. And Odell is going to be remembered as being part of what ended what we knew the Giants to be. I mean, Tom Coughlin had no choice. He had to give in and let things happen. Tom Coughlin lost his job not because of Odell, but as a result of Odell. That's a, that's fair to say. And ever since TC walked out of that room, when he walked right by, John Mara didn't shake his hand after his farewell press conference. That told you all you needed to know about what was going to happen with the Giants. And what happened, as we saw, they went into the doldrums. For years they were not the same team because one player started to become more about it became more about the player than it was about the team. And the standard was no longer there. It was a different era. It was sort of, you know, the Giants had to get out of their old school ways. And then you realize that, you know what, sometimes the standard is very important. But Odell's learned a lot since then. He has to have. He's been through some injuries and he's been away from the game. But this kind of could be a really interesting story. And having him as a way mentor neighbors, that could be a good thing in that room. Now, who knows better than John Harbaugh? Because the last time Odell really did anything was in 2023 with Baltimore. So last time he played a full year in the NFL, put up decent numbers and Harbaugh was the coach. And Harbaugh liked him and thought he was a good impact in the room. And that's the reason why he's here. He's not here for any other reason. He's here because John Harbaugh said, because he probably reached out to him. They talked about it and John said, sure, I'll bring you in. I'll give you a chance to make the team. And so it is certainly something. One of the big stories to watch with this team. The biggest story, of course, is the quarterback. We know that, and the health of the defense and all the little things. But the Odell stories got my attention and I'm watching it. So we'll see what happens with that. If you're watching football tonight, enjoy it and we'll see you all tomorrow.

[Don Hahn]

Thanks for listening to the Don Hahn and Rosenberg podcast.

[Peter Rosenberg]

I don't want to know how the

[Don Hahn]

sausage is made, man.

[Anthony]

I just want to know.

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It's good.

[Don Hahn]

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

[Anthony]

Have you seen any dinosaurs?

[Don Hahn]

What kind of question is that on August 14th?

[Anthony]

I think that our neighborhood has moved. We're in the past.

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Summer ends on Oak street run from producer J.J. abrams, Anne Hathaway, Ewan McGregor. We're gonna survive the end of Oak Street. Directed by David Robert Mitchell. Rated PG 13th may be inappropriate for children under 13. August 14th August.