The Ryen Russillo Podcast — Episode Summary

Date: September 10, 2025
Episode Title: Caleb Williams Panic Meter, Cardinals Tight End Trey McBride, and ‘Task’ Creator Brad Ingelsby
Host: Ryen Russillo
Featured Guests: Trey McBride (Arizona Cardinals TE), Brad Ingelsby (creator of HBO’s “Task”)

Overview

This episode is a three-part ride:

1. Ryen opens with a breakdown of Caleb Williams’ rocky NFL debut and sets the temperature on the “panic meter.”
2. A long, personal, and illuminating interview with Trey McBride dives into his journey from small-town Colorado to the upper echelon of NFL tight ends.
3. A creative deep dive with writer Brad Ingelsby on his new HBO show “Task,” exploring character, plot, and the art of suspense.

The show closes, as always, with the “Life Advice” crew fielding questions, sharing stories, and discussing every random topic from adult bunk beds to exotic pet ownership to “hatfishing” in the world of modern dating.

Part 1: Caleb Williams “Panic Meter” — Can’t Blame the Peanut Guy (00:11–18:00)

Caleb Williams’ NFL Debut: Expectations vs. Reality (00:11–16:50)

• Initial optimism: Williams started strong (10 for 10, rushing TD), drawing texts from friends affirming Russillo’s faith in the rookie.
  • “He’s got the rushing touchdown, the escapability, all the fun stuff. … Still have a ways to go on this one.” (03:00)
• Second-half collapse: The Bears’ offense stagnated, gaining only 66 yards in five second-half possessions. Penalties killed momentum.
  • “12 penalties for 127 yards. … That offense just shut down.” (05:45)
• Statistical deep dive:
  • Williams’ “bad throw %” was 26% Monday, up from a concerning 21% in college. For context, most successful QBs hover well below 16%.
  • “26% of his throws were considered bad throws [Monday]. … That 26% bad throw number from just one game, maybe it’s just one game—we’ll see.” (11:20)
  • Time to throw data is misleading, as much of Williams' pressure is self-inflicted, echoing Russell Wilson’s early career habits.
  • “A lot of those sacks are on you. … You’re running around, hoping something happens, but then the protection is breaking down.” (09:30)
• Question of development: Can Williams break his “running for his life” internal clock and settle into structure, or have bad habits already calcified?
  • “Are you … developing survival? … Do you become this quarterback who’s just trying to develop survival?” (08:58)
• Resilience vs. Regression: Russillo notes Williams faced adversity at USC—potentially a positive—but hasn’t shown progress.
  • “I thought Caleb was actually dealing with adversity his final year there... That would actually set him up to deal with it. And that's just not happened.” (15:55)
• Conclusion:
  • It’s too soon to panic, but there are real concerns: “The bad parts are so bad that it completely cancels out the good parts. … None of that is impressive to me if the throwing part isn’t figured out.” (12:43)
  • Russillo won’t “submit” unless he sees a prolonged pattern, not just a bad night.

Part 2: Interview with Trey McBride – From Fort Morgan to NFL Stardom (18:00–43:00)

Life and Sports in Fort Morgan, Colorado (18:10–21:00)

• Russillo and McBride bond over small-town, “back in time” Americana.
  • McBride: “The whole town really shuts down. Everybody’s at the game … The one time there’s traffic is when everyone’s going to the football game on Friday night.” (19:01)
• Discusses multi-sport stardom and records in high school (basketball scoring, baseball home runs/RBIs).

Real Talk on Recruiting and College Ball (21:15–27:13)

• McBride committed to Colorado State early.
  • Hilarious recruiting story: Other schools refused him official visits after he committed.
  • “I thought I was going to be able to visit all these schools and … once I committed, none of them wanted anything to do with me.” (23:39)
• Admits insecurity: “Was I just the best of what we have here in Fort Morgan?” (21:51)
• It took a year to prove himself at CSU, but once given the chance, he excelled.

Nick-of-Time NFL Pivot, COVID Year, and "What Ifs" (25:05–27:13)

• McBride thought about transferring to South Carolina when Mountain West canceled the COVID season; stayed after the league reversed course.
• “If I have one more good season, I can go to the NFL next year … then that third year, my, you know, was COVID and … I ended up having to stay one more year.” (25:49)

NFL Draft Night & Early Pro Years (27:13–32:50)

• Expected to be a late first/early second pick as Mackey Award winner but dropped to 55 (Cardinals).
• “I had this huge party the first night, and obviously didn’t get taken ... then the next day … as soon as I go to the restroom, I come back, I have three missed calls on my phone.” (29:16)
• Immediate success: Fast ascent to Pro Bowl. Briefly the highest-paid tight end (Kittle usurped the title within weeks).

The Business, Brotherhood, and Tight Ends (31:28–32:23)

• Healthy camaraderie among elite TEs as contract values rise.
  • “We all just kind of make each other some more money. … That’s kind of the whole goal.” (32:23)

Identity and Playing Style (33:09–35:49)

• Grew up a Gronkowski and Shannon Sharpe fan.
• Was a receiver until too big ("put your hand in the dirt and learn how to block"), took on TE role late in HS.

The QB-TE Connection with Kyler Murray (35:49–36:41)

• “With Kyler, whatever your route is on paper, it might not always look like that. … If you’re open [he says], ‘Come on, like, don’t run to get covered.’” (34:26)
• Emphasizes trust, improvisation, and “backyard” feel.

The Addition of Marvin Harrison Jr. (36:13–37:24)

• Big change in coverage, opens things up for McBride: “They can’t double us both, they can’t cover us both.” (36:13)

The “Hurdle” Clip and Personal Highlight (37:51–39:33)

• Russillo highlights McBride’s viral hurdle of Sauce Gardner:
  • McBride: “I watched that play sometimes, and I’m just like, holy smokes. … I just lose my mind out there sometimes, I guess.” (38:17)
• Swears to cut back on hurdling this season.

The “Best in the League” Question (40:40–41:34)

• McBride shows humility:
  “They’ve been doing this for 8, 9, 10, 11 years … I’m only in my fourth year. I don’t even think I’m close to considered that right now.” (40:52)

Fort Morgan’s “Fart Morgan” Nickname (42:14–42:50)

• Blames the sugar beet plant: “It does get that reputation … but it’s all I know, it’s where I grew up, so I love it.”

Part 3: Brad Ingelsby – The Anatomy of Storytelling and HBO’s “Task” (44:43–79:52)

Creating “Task”: Characters First, Plot Second (44:43–47:02)

• Inspiration: Priest-turned-FBI consultant (based on Ingelsby’s uncle) and the “invisible” jobs (trash men/mailmen).
  • “He doesn't really have any superpowers as an agent … but he's coming to the job with a very specific viewpoint ... leading with compassion and kindness.” (45:14)
  • “Trash men and mailman ... know so much about your life but they're completely invisible. That always resonated with me.” (46:25)

Endings, Guardrails, and Writing Rules (47:02–48:21)

• Ingelsby always has an ending in mind before starting:
  • “I never start a script unless I know the ending … It gives you guardrails.”

Efficient, Emotional Storytelling (49:08–51:28)

• Russillo praises Ingelsby’s concise character development (“least amount of detail”) — e.g., within seconds, you know Ruffalo’s character’s world.
  • Ingelsby:
    “I want a scene to be doing a couple different things … It’s moving the ball down the field in terms of the plot … [while] giving us a history.” (50:08)

Suspense, Cliffhangers, Managing Audience Expectation (51:28–54:09)

• Layered character mysteries on top of the “big” plot mystery.
• “So much of screenwriting a series is the order of information … so you don't know everything about these characters in the first episode.” (52:21)

Specifics: Crafting Memorable Scenes and Dialogue (54:09–55:51)

• Discusses a memorable “who’s going to take out your trash?” line, illustrating his balance of practical and dreamer characters.

Never Satisfied, Always Editing (55:51–56:57)

• Ingelsby:
  “Everyone who knows me, I never feel good about myself … I’ll never go back and watch ‘Task’ or ‘Mare’ as long as I live. All I’ll do is point out all the things that we did wrong.”

Emotional Truths and Technical Authenticity (57:34–60:26)

• Draws from personal life for emotional accuracy; authenticity in procedural elements comes from technical advisors.

On the Birdwatching Detail (60:26–62:45)

• It’s a borrowed detail from his uncle that became richer as the story developed:
  “Once you nail down all the believable character traits and routines, then you start to go, well, how can I use that as a theme?”

Casting and Characterization (62:45–65:26)

• Deep involvement in TV casting; praises Tom Pelphrey and Ruffalo, noting how great actors keep the audience rooting for flawed characters.

Crafting the Pilot’s Cliffhanger (65:26–71:04)

• The decision to create anxiety about the fate of the young witness is deliberate. “We're giving the audience a bit of a heart attack … But it is done intentionally." (69:52)
• The mirrored shot of the boy being carried in the pilot’s final scene is a conscious callback.

On 'Mayor of Easttown' Sequel Possibility (72:38–75:14)

• HBO wanted it, but Ingelsby isn’t sure it’s possible to maintain plausibility. Might revisit in “a couple years” if inspiration and timeline fit.

The Importance of Weekly Viewing (77:30–79:36)

• Ingelsby argues weekly episodes benefit character-driven shows because “the longer you spend with the characters, the more meaningful it becomes.”

Part 4: Life Advice and Listener Questions (80:16–end)

The Usual Banter: The “Ladies Week” Gag (80:16–82:50)

• The crew jokes about gender breakdowns among the audience, Instagram follower strategies, and social media algorithms (private jets, etc.).

Oddbeds: Adult Bunk Beds, Pet Monkeys, and Fart Morgan (91:09–103:15)

• Listeners send updates about moving to Toronto for standup, buying queen-over-queen bunk beds for adults (“best sleep of our lives”), and rabbit travel dilemmas.
• Team debates legality of owning monkeys by state, and rabbit travel etiquette.

Life Advice: “Hatfishing” in Modern Dating (103:15–109:03)

• A listener asks: How do you figure out if a guy is hiding baldness under perpetual hat-wearing, without being awkward?
• The crew offers comic but earnest solutions: swim dates, surprise hat gifts, rollercoasters, or just “having a right to know.”
  • “It sounds like this guy’s hiding something. … She has a right to know, man.” (108:41)

The Derrick Henry Challenge: Could Four Dudes Bring Down The King? (110:01–114:50)

• The crew debates whether the four of them could collectively tackle Derrick Henry in the open field (consensus: only if they get lucky and coordinate perfectly).

College Memories, Anxiety Dreams, and “Easy A” Courses (115:07–118:39)

• Stories of being tackled by a Penn State linebacker, athlete-friendly college courses (“the answer was always D!”), and recurring stress dreams about late papers.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Russillo, on Caleb Williams:
  “The bad parts are so bad that it completely cancels out the good parts. And like I’ve always said, the scrambling part’s cool … but none of that is impressive to me if the throwing part isn’t figured out, that’s just the add on.” (12:43)

• Trey McBride, on his NFL reputation:
  “Every once in a while I’m like, why don’t people talk about me as much as I feel like I should be talked about? Or why don’t people know who I am as much as these other tight ends?” (28:09)

• Brad Ingelsby, on writing:
  “I never start a script unless I know the ending … Because what it does is it gives you guardrails.” (47:17)

• Ingelsby, on praise:
  “Everyone who knows me, I never feel good about myself … I'll never go back and watch Task or 'Mare of Easttown' as long as I live. … It's a constant, constant cycle of doubt.” (55:51)

• Life Advice crew, on “hatfishing”:
  “She has a right to know, man. … Just like, I’d want to know if—eventually, you’re going to want to know some stuff.” (108:41)

• On adult bunk beds:
  “She takes the top bunk, I take the bottom, the dogs insist. And yes, plenty of space for all the usual fun stuff. Sex.” (92:16)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• Caleb Williams “Panic Meter”: 00:11–16:50
• Interview: Trey McBride (Cardinals TE): 18:00–43:00
• Interview: Brad Ingelsby (creator of HBO’s “Task”): 44:43–79:52
• Life Advice / Listener Questions: 80:16–end

Tone and Language

Russillo’s typical mix of stats, self-effacing humor, and measured skepticism carries the show. The guests are candid and down-to-earth; McBride comes off as humble and earnest, Ingelsby as introspective and brilliant but self-critical. Banter on the “Life Advice” segment is sharp, irreverent, and honest—a blend of locker room confessionals and relatable, real-life questions.

Takeaways

• Sports are about more than stats—character and adversity matter, but numbers (like “bad throw %”) don’t lie.
• Elite athletes often come from humble beginnings, but success comes when they bet on themselves and adjust to every level.
• Great storytelling is emotional, not just procedural—knowing where your story ends is crucial.
• You can’t hide your head forever—whether in dating or football, the truth comes out.
• Adult bunk beds are real, and so are bizarre stress dreams about late college papers.