The Ryen Russillo Podcast — October 3, 2025

Episode: Yanks Pack Up the Sox, the Strange 4-0 Eagles, and Fixing the Ravens With Kevin Clark. Plus, Is Kyle Shanahan a $30M Coach?
Guests: Kevin Clark (ESPN’s “This is Football”)

Main Theme / Purpose

Ryen Russillo explores the latest big stories in sports, opening with the Yankees’ historic elimination of the Red Sox—headlined by Cam Schlitler’s standout pitching — before the majority of the episode dives into NFL talk with Kevin Clark. The duo analyzes quarterback development, the rising value of offensive-minded head coaches (esp. Kyle Shanahan), curious teams like the 4-0 Eagles, and ongoing issues afflicting contenders like the Ravens. The show also delivers listener Q&A and their popular “Life Advice” segment.

Key Segments & Discussion Points

Yankees Eliminate Red Sox: Cam Schlitler’s Historic Night

Timestamp: 00:00–07:30

• Cam Schlitler’s “Historic” Performance:
  • Schlitler (Yankees rookie, from Walpole) throws eight scoreless innings, five singles allowed, no walks, 12 Ks, hitting 98+ mph on 64 of 107 pitches.
  • Russillo revels in the statistical rarity: “He’s like the first guy to do this ever... first rookie to throw this many strikeouts in an elimination game since Levon Hernandez.” [03:00]
• Yankees’ Outlook:
  • “Yankees fans, you're going, wait a minute, do we have a dude now?” [03:50]
  • Hope for a homegrown ace to anchor the rotation.
• Red Sox Lament:
  • Admits disappointment but less devastation with age: “These used to be the kind of things that’d be devastating... 2004 helps.” [04:55]
  • Criticizes Boston’s lineup: “There’s like four guys in here that probably shouldn’t be in a division contending team’s lineup to start the ‘26 season.” [06:10]
  • Highlights defensive and managerial mistakes in Game 2.
• Celebrity Burn:
  • Russillo jokes he won’t do Jimmy Fallon’s show because of "Fever Pitch" memories:
    • “That guy was on the field, non-footage moments, just running around like it had finally happened. It's like, dude, stick to the script.” [06:51]

NFL Deep Dive with Kevin Clark

Timestamp: 07:30–56:16

1. The Kyle Shanahan Discourse: Is He a $30 Million Dollar Coach?

Timestamp: 07:30–16:24

• Mac Jones’ Transformation in San Francisco:
  • Russillo & Clark marvel at Kyle Shanahan extracting high-level QB play from Mac Jones, with backups and injuries.
    • “Last night Mac Jones had the second most yardage on short passes out of any quarterback this year… an amazing Kyle Shanahan win.” — Kevin Clark [09:26]
  • Clark: “Kyle Shanahan can create a top 10 quarterback, which to me means you should take Kyle Shanahan ahead of almost anybody except maybe five or six quarterbacks in this league.” [09:28]
• Are Elite Play-Caller Coaches Undervalued?
  • Analogies to Brad Stevens in the NBA and overpaid TV hosts vs. podcasters.
  • Russillo: “If this guy is this good... this is the person that should be making $30 million a year for your organization.” [12:23]
  • Clark: “There’s no cap for coaches... If you can turn a $14M QB into a $55M guy, shouldn’t you get some of that?” [15:22]
• Obstacles to Paying Play Callers Big Money:
  • Clark: “You gotta find a guy who doesn't want everything that comes along with being a head coach.” [13:49]
  • Note the rarity and personality constraints (ex: Vic Fangio, Chip Kelly now OC in Vegas).

2. The “McVay Mafia” & Offensive Head Coach Industrial Complex

Timestamp: 16:24–21:57

• The Sean McVay Family Tree Hiring Craze:
  • Joking flowchart: “Have you met Sean McVay? Had a Bud Light Lime? You’re hired!” [18:18]
    • Clark: “The Cardinals hired Kingsbury and the press release literally said he was friends with Sean McVay.” [18:56]
  • Discuss the merits/risks — most teams seeking offensive minds from the same network.
  • Quick coach-by-coach assessment:
    • McVay = hit; Kingsbury = miss; Zach Taylor = “a hit (for a Super Bowl), but not long-term”; McDaniel “did the job” but may not survive long-term.
• DE&I & League Trends
  • Acknowledge critique: “A bigger picture thing... how many white guys are getting opportunities?”

3. The Evolution — or Overvaluing — of Play Calling

Timestamp: 21:57–29:34

• Is It Still Viable to Hire Defensive-Minded Head Coaches?
  • Russillo/Clark question if anyone will prioritize “leader of men”/defensive types at HC anymore.
  • Example: Dolphins likely to go defense if/when they fire McDaniel.
• Reluctant OCs/DCs (“The Fangio Model”):
  • Most ambitious assistants crave HC roles; some “just want to coach their side and not do the other stuff.”
• Quarterback Development & Redemption:
  • How much do franchises “fail” QBs vs. QBs failing themselves?
    • Clark: “Kevin O’Connell is obsessed with the quarterback journey. His theory is that franchises fail quarterbacks, not the other way around.” [27:19]
  • Recent examples: Anthony Richardson, Mayfield, Darnold, Daniel Jones, Mac Jones.

4. Eagles: The Most Unimpressive Undefeated Team?

Timestamp: 30:19–36:11

• Are the 4-0 Eagles “Bad”?
  • ESPN headline: “Is Philly the worst 4-0 team of all time?” It’s not true: “Seventh worst, actually.” [30:20]
  • Philly’s “roster gravity” still dominates — talent wins, development is strong.
  • Clark story: Eagles edge rusher apologizing to Lane Johnson for “trying to beat him” in camp: “That to me, that's literally development.” [32:11]
• Jalen Hurts Respect Debate:
  • Clark: “Not a lot of grace extended to Hurts for winning... When they get one yard beyond the sticks, they get to be winner guy and Hurts has to be something else.” [34:53]
  • Parallels to Jimmy Johnson’s advice to Belichick: “If you just do what you’re supposed to do, 24 out of 30 teams get out of your way.” [35:26]

5. Fixing Baltimore & Houston — Why Are The Ravens Broken?

Timestamp: 36:13–39:47

• Injury Bug and Identity Crisis:
  • Russillo: “There’s not one Baltimore statistic a month in that’s interesting to me because I don’t think that’s who they are.” [36:46]
  • Clark’s diagnosis: “These are the two worst tackling teams in football… the Ravens can’t tackle, can’t rush the passer, Roquan Smith regressed, Matabika’s injury crushes them.” [37:01]
  • For Houston: “Their fatal flaw is thinking different names meant better names on the O-line.” [38:44]
• CJ Stroud Worry: “He takes violent hits... if I’m Nick Caserio that’s what worries me most.” [39:28]

6. Around The League (Quick Hitters)

Timestamp: 39:47–54:33

• Tampa Bay’s Ceiling:
  • Clark: “Jason Licht’s Bucs never draft for need. Draft best player available, and you stay talented.” [42:16]
• Chargers/Herbert Concerns:
  • Russillo: “Herbert’s at a 27% pressure rate on dropbacks... alarming trend.” [45:07]
  • Clark: “It’s really hard to be a great team without an offensive line.” [45:59]
• Washington & Commanders:
  • “I’m not ready to hit the panic button... Jaden Daniels props open the championship window.” [47:12]
• College Football (Miami/Florida State):
  • Clark is high on Miami: “They’re in on the top recruits again, not seen since Butch Davis, and that wasn’t the case under Manny Diaz or Mark Richt.” [47:35]
  • Russillo: “Miami was clearly the better football team [against Florida]... The violence, the pressure, the edge guys—NFL dudes again.” [53:22]
  • Agree that recruiting patterns predict success: “It’s easy to predict the sport when you follow the talent acquisition patterns.” — Clark [54:26]

Memorable Quotes & Moments

• Clark on Shanahan’s Value:
  “Kyle Shanahan can create a top 10 quarterback, which to me means you should take Kyle Shanahan ahead of almost anybody except maybe five or six quarterbacks in this league.” [09:28]
• Russillo on Coaching Salaries:
  “This is the person that should be making $30 million a year for your organization.” [12:23]
• Clark on QBs vs. System:
  “Franchises fail quarterbacks rather than quarterbacks fail. There's always a couple of traits you can accentuate.” [27:19]
• Jalen Hurts Respect:
  “Not a lot of grace extended to Hurts for winning... Hurts has to be something else.” — Clark [34:53]
• On Miami CFB Recruiting:
  “It hasn’t been that level [since Butch Davis]... Now Miami is in on those guys.” — Clark [47:35]
• On Philadelphia’s Organizational Competence:
  “What the Eagles do a great job of is never being one of the teams that get out of your way. They're always the six who are waiting for you to make the mistake.” — Clark [35:26]

Life Advice & Listener Q&A

Timestamp: 61:15–81:45

Dating & Distance

• Emailer worries about driving over an hour to see a woman in a rough neighborhood (fears for his car). Russillo and Kyle are skeptical it’ll work out:
  • “You’re already this upset about existing scenarios... imagine a couple months in and it’s still an hour there and back.” — Russillo [67:48]
• Mild advice to consider parking garages or sharing the travel load (“if she’s willing to take a bus to meet you... that’s either an all-time keeper or she has no options”).

Chipotle Line Drama

• Listener debate over who should have gotten their to-go order during a lunchtime rush; another person steals his spot and makes a scene, later discovered to be a minor US politician.
  • “This mobile pickup nonsense, it’s a little bit Wild West. You should have many reasons to think that you're in the right here.” — Kyle [79:02]
• Russillo: “It is really frustrating when you’re already there first, but you’re hanging back and then somebody starts a movement inside the Chipotle to accost you...” [80:48]

Russillo's “Middle Finger” Story

• A Russillo tangent on getting flipped off on the street evolves into a comedic reflection on public etiquette and aging.

Timestamps of Key Segments

• 00:00 – 07:34: Yankees/Red Sox, Schlitler’s night
• 07:34 – 13:03: NFL — Shanahan, Mac Jones, value of coaches
• 13:03 – 16:24: Economic inefficiencies: OC/coach pay, play-caller retention
• 16:24 – 21:57: McVay family tree, OC coaching hires, “hits”/“misses”
• 21:57 – 29:34: Defensive coaches’ value, the Fangio model, QB development trends
• 30:19 – 36:11: 4-0 Eagles, are they real? Roster talent, Jalen Hurts
• 36:13 – 39:47: Ravens/Houston breakdown: injuries, system, OL issues
• 39:47 – 54:33: Chargers, Bucs, quick hits, college football (Miami)
• 54:33 – 56:16: Miami–Florida game; importance of recruiting
• 61:15 – 71:11: Life Advice: dating dilemmas, cars in bad neighborhoods
• 71:27 – 81:45: Life Advice pt. 2: Chipotle line drama, guest etiquette

Episode Takeaways

• The value of “offensive genius” head coaches like Shanahan is higher than ever, and the market may be inefficient.
• Organizational structure, talent acquisition, and QB development remain paramount in both NFL and college football.
• Sports fans—and random guys in Chipotle—can get as passionate about lunch lines as they can about football lines.
• Miami Hurricanes football is on its way back to national prominence, and recruiting is destiny in college football.

The Episode in 3 Notable Quotes

1. Clark (on Shanahan):
   “If you can take Daniel Jones... and make him a $55 million quarterback, shouldn't you get some of that?”
2. Russillo (on coaching value):
   “This is the person that should be making $30 million a year for your organization.”
3. Clark (on the Eagles’ competence):
   “What the Eagles do a great job of is never being one of the teams that get out of your way.”

Recommended For: Listeners interested in the intersection of sports results, team construction, coaching economics, and the everyday drama of being a fan. Russillo and Clark offer both humor and sharp analysis, making even Chipotle lines sound like a meaningful strategy session.