The Ryen Russillo Podcast

Episode: Actor Tom Pelphrey Talks ‘Task’, Being a Giants Fan and Throwing Out a First Pitch. Plus Some 'TNF', Texans, and Cam Ward Thoughts
Date: September 26, 2025
Host: Ryen Russillo
Producer: The Ringer

Overview

This episode of The Ryen Russillo Podcast brings together an in-depth NFL recap (with particular focus on Thursday Night Football), analysis of quarterbacks and struggling offenses, a lively conversation with actor Tom Pelphrey about HBO’s hit show ‘Task’, and the perennial "Life Advice" segment. Russillo’s honest, conversational tone and sharp analysis hold it all together, with a healthy dose of self-deprecating humor and nuanced sports takes.

NFL Recap & Football Analysis

Thursday Night Football: Seattle vs. Arizona

[00:00–16:40]

• Marvin Harrison Jr’s tough night: Russillo breaks down Harrison’s prime-time struggles, including two interceptions (first shareable with Kyler Murray, second fully on Harrison).

  • “The second interception is 100% on Harrison. That's not debated by anybody. The ball is bobbled and then it's a turnover.”—Ryen Russillo, [03:10]
  • Russillo wonders if Harrison Jr. is showing effort issues, especially in blocking—a shift from his clean prospect status.

• Kyler Murray's struggles: On target throws are dramatically down from his career average, even with low pressure rates.

  • “For his entire career so far this season, 49% [on-target throws]. So it's looked rough. While also facing the lowest pressure rate of his entire career.” —RR, [17:28]
  • Questions Kyler's decision-making and leadership after an ill-advised viral post.

• Sam Darnold’s Seattle resurgence:

  • “Four games in, it looks great. There's some numbers that are a tick down, but it's looking like he's just juicing the football right now...there's a confidence there with Darnold.”—RR, [20:30]
  • Highlights Darnold’s anticipation and willingness to make big throws, reminiscent of his late-Minnesota breakout.

Memorable Analysis:

• “The right team won. Seattle was the better football team, but in that classic NFL fashion...stay in the game. This sport, this league has a way of keeping you in the game. Whether it's the team that's up getting conservative, the team that's down raising their risk level. A turnover here, a miss kick there...you can steal some wins in this league and we see it every single week.” —RR [15:30]

NFL Team Check-Ins & Quarterback Spotlights

[16:41–31:30]

• Houston Texans’ winless start:

  • Despite being 0–3, they've faced a gauntlet of elite pass rushes; it's too early to panic about C.J. Stroud’s progression.
  • “The alarming thing that continues to happen is that the defense is going one way and the offense is going the other where it keeps getting worse.” —RR [25:40]

• Cam Ward (Titans rookie QB):

  • All stats are grim, but Russillo refuses to criticize a rookie on a lost team, emphasizing “process over results.”
  • “I do not care. This is not me being critical of Cam Ward. What I do care about is the Shador Sanders conversation.”—RR, [27:51]

• Shador Sanders confidence debate:

  • Dissects Sanders’ recent braggadocio.
  • “I find myself...not rooting against Shador Sanders. I'm older and successful. Like, what the fuck do I care? But what I find myself doing is rooting against the people that have awful theories on how his career has started.” —RR [29:15]

Notable Quotes

• “Blocking and effort, that's up to you.” —RR on wide receiver intangibles, [05:48]
• “You can't come in the NFL and start picking franchises you won't play for if you aren't a surefire guy.”—RR on rookie quarterbacks, [29:50]
• “I'm not rooting against the player, I'm rooting against the people and their theories.” —RR, [30:20]

Dream NFL Multi-View & Viewer Habits

[31:31–36:00]

• Russillo outlines his ideal ‘multi-view’ YouTube TV setup for the upcoming NFL Sunday, discussing which games deserve slotting and how priorities shift week-to-week.
• “If you were building your multi-view box last week for the NFL, would you have Green Bay and Cleveland in it? Maybe. Maybe you're a huge Tommy Reese fan. I totally get it...” —RR, [33:30]

Interview: Tom Pelphrey on 'Task', Acting, & Being a Giants Fan

[46:00–58:29]

Landing the Role & Approach to Acting

• Securing ‘Robbie’ on HBO’s Task:

  • Pelphrey describes his unique audition tape: “The audio wasn’t good. It was windy. You can hear, like, dogs barking in the background. But I just...it was like, this is it. This is right, you know.” —Tom Pelphrey, [26:22]

• Evolving from anxious auditions:

  • On coping with rejection: “If you don't learn how to have like a different relationship to it, unless you're wildly successful all the time, I think you kind of lose your mind.” —TP, [25:47]
  • Shares early-career nerves, having hands literally shake during an audition for Sam Mendes. [29:48]

Portraying Complex Characters

• On playing someone both flawed and sympathetic:

  • “It's my job to...work until I, Tom, am convinced that every choice is the absolute and only choice that character could make...the amount to which you are judging what the character's doing is the amount to which, in my opinion, you're not doing your job.” —TP [34:00]

• Nuances between ‘good guy’ and ‘bad guy’ roles:

  • “People are not good or bad...In some moments, they're beautiful. And in some moments, they make bad choices. It's not for me to judge it when I'm playing them, you know.” —TP [35:29]

Script, Improvisation, and Working with Inglesby

• On Brad Inglesby’s writing:
  • “Brad really is more interested in character. And then will kind of retrofit a story to figure out how he can spend time with these people.” —TP, [38:05]
  • Discusses the balance of honoring the written script and embracing improv: “He doesn't care that every single one of his words is said exactly how he wrote it...he wants the essence of the scene for the sake of the story.” —TP, [40:52]

Technical Acting Craft

• Staying consistent with a character:
  • Adopting Laura Linney’s system (from ‘Ozark’) of outlining the entire story on the walls, allowing him to jump between out-of-sequence scenes while maintaining character consistency. [42:22]
  • “By the time we got there, it never feels as comfortable on day one, but I felt pretty good about where I was.” —TP [44:12]

Accents, Regionalisms, and Sports

• On nailing the accent:
  • Used a real Delco speaker (“Ryan”) for authentic practice: “I could really hear, like, oh, okay, that’s how that sound goes when you hear, like, a real speaker using it.” —TP [46:31]
• Giants fandom and Phillies first pitch:
  • Tom is a hardcore Giants (and ex-Yankees) fan, navigates sports allegiances while doing Philly promo:
    • “I had a tricky weekend. We had to go to Philadelphia to do press. And, like, if I'm die hard, psycho, anything, it's a Giants fan.” —TP [51:01]
    • “No way” would he wear Eagles or Phillies gear. But he enjoyed the experience, and laughed about Mark Ruffalo’s willingness to don Eagles swag. [54:03]
  • On being repeatedly misidentified in public despite starring in a hit HBO show: “Someone who loves the show...is looking me dead in the eyes from two feet away, and has no clue that the guy he's watching on Sunday night...[that’s me].” —TP [57:13]

Standout Moments

• Pelphrey’s authenticity and respect for his roots (New Jersey, not Philly!) shone throughout.

Life Advice Roundtable

[63:53–94:50]

• Breakfast debates: Diner orders, steak-and-eggs, corned beef hash, scrapple (“Never had it, never will,” RR says. [66:48])
• Parenting/Youth Sports:
  • Listener wonders if a snide sideline comment at a bruising 7-year-old’s parents was over the line. The group concludes a quick apology would have been fine, but acknowledges everyone occasionally says things they regret. [72:23–73:21]
• Senior Project Guilt:
  • A listener confesses about sabotaging a fellow coach dad during childhood rec league sports drafts, prompting reflections on adolescent jerk moves and how minor shames linger into adulthood.
    • “It's almost like a kidney pain where I'll just go, oh. And it's like five seconds of just shame and regret, and then I'll go...what now?” —RR [79:41]
• Roommate Woes:
  • Hilarious segment reading an email about a roommate who refuses to buy a bed and chooses to sleep on a yoga mat/floor, complete with a forensic analysis of his “hostage-level” room via a submitted photo.
    • “This is a work of art. And the best part is the sleeping bag that's on kind of like...it's not even a sleeping bag. It's a yoga mat.” —RR [84:19]
    • Advice? Close the door and let your roommate live; his weirdness is not a reflection on you.
    • “Not every fucking thing in your orbit is a representation of you, so don't worry about it.” —RR [89:10]

Notable, Humorous, & Quotable Moments

• “You can't come in the NFL and start picking franchises you won't play for if you aren't a surefire guy.”
• “People are not good or bad...they're human beings. It's complex. In some moments, they're beautiful. And in some moments, they make bad choices.”—Tom Pelphrey [35:29]
• Russillo analyzing food orders: “If you really want to get in the weeds, you're right. Just shapes—that's all we're talking about,” on diner potatoes and French fries. [67:51]

Timestamps for Key Segments

• TNF/Marvin Harrison Jr./Kyler Murray: 00:00–16:40
• Darnold/Stroud/Cam Ward Analysis: 16:41–31:30
• Shador Sanders & QB Debate: 27:51–31:30
• Dream NFL Multi-View Segment: 31:31–36:00
• Tom Pelphrey Interview: 46:00–58:29
  • Training, Character Prep: 25:04–36:00
  • Show/Accents/‘Task’/Giants fandom: [46:14–57:31]
• Life Advice: 63:54–94:50
• Roommate Sleeping on the Floor Email: ~82:25–93:11

Summary

A jam-packed episode balancing sharp NFL Xs and Os, honest O-line and quarterback commentaries, and an extended, insightful interview with Tom Pelphrey about acting philosophy, sports identity, and the lightning-in-a-bottle that is HBO’s ‘Task’. Russillo doesn’t shy away from uncomfortable sports truths or cringey life advice, and listeners get both knowledge and laughs in equal measure.