Rich Eisen Picks The Falcons
August 29th, 2024
“Hey Rich, stop asking me for interviews.”
Joe sure hopes Baker Mayfield sees this. It could add to whatever is in his eyes these days.
The voice/face of NFL Network, Rich Eisen picked the Falcons to win the NFC South yesterday on The Rich Eisen Show.
Eisen has the Bucs finishing second and maybe making the playoffs. He said it was a “back-and-forth” decision between the Bucs and the Falcons for first place, but ultimately it was an easy call.
“Boy, do I love [Atlanta] adding [Matthew] Judon and [Justin] Simmons,” Eisen said of Atlanta’s recent addition of an accomplished edge rusher and safety. ” … Adding those two hombres to a defense that already is pretty damn good with Raheem Morris being the coach, I really like the Falcons to win this division.”
Joe would love to slap Eisen in the head.
So if the Falcons’ defense allegedly was “pretty damn good” last year, then what was the Bucs defense? Surely it was better.
It sure sounds to Joe like Eisen thinks Raheem Morris is a better head coach than Todd Bowles. Based on what? Fun interviews?
Joe can’t wait to wager a few bucks on the Steelers beating the Falcons in Atlanta on opening day.
August 29th, 2024 at 9:30 am
Hey Joe you have to face it Atl looks pretty good right now, and when you look at the Bucs schedule they look even better. Eisen is pretty good and I can see why he would pick Atl
I think it will be a very competitive division this year, absent Car.
However, the four 4 games will be telling.
August 29th, 2024 at 9:30 am
Thats it,,,Done with Eisen. He’s gone Hollywood on us.
Too bad he was one of my favorites. Geez
Go Bucs!
August 29th, 2024 at 9:34 am
I agree with David. Injuries, emergence of young players finally figuring it out, it’s the NFL, “On any given Sunday”.
At least Eisen hedged his opinion by pointing out the Bucs should challenge ATL.
August 29th, 2024 at 9:39 am
The media is soooo embarrassed by the awful predictions of Brady’s first year with the Bucs they are not put down the older QB this time. I love to see them panicking all together once again. And once again they will laid an egg. lol
August 29th, 2024 at 9:41 am
IF YOU CARE ABOUT THESE JOKERS … LOOK AT WEEKS 2, 4, & 5
Week 1: 1-0
Bucs beat WAS. No brainer.
Week 2: 2-0
If the Bucs beat DET, in DET, which I think they will, the national narrative changes. You’ll mostly hear, “What’s wrong with Detroit?” But there will be some grumbles about the Bucs being a good team that can win on any given Sunday.
Week 3: 3-0
Bucs roundhouse Broncos back to Denver.
Week 4: 4-0
This is the game. If the Bucs beat, they are the Top 2-3 team in the NFC. No one will deny it.
Week 5: 5-0
SHOWDOWN!!!!! We go to ATL. They’ll likely be 1-4. We put them away along with their hopes of a division title or playoff run.
August 29th, 2024 at 9:41 am
Tomlin has.a surprise waiting for Raheehaw. Cousins may not start by the time the Bucs play them. The steel curtain gonna put a hurt on Kirk’s Cousin.
August 29th, 2024 at 9:43 am
Sly I like the way you think!
August 29th, 2024 at 10:00 am
Adding old players coming off injuries that made them miss most of the year is insane. That team has so much to prove still before adding Cousins and Judon
August 29th, 2024 at 10:08 am
If Steelers take care of Business and win, good chance Falcons will start 0-4 and then there will be a QB controversy. Also the Bucs can end Atlanta’s playoff hopes. You will be seeing these talking heads with egg all over their face making excuses why they were wrong.
Also if Cousins is benched Atlanta will have to live with that contract for a few years to come. Arthur Blanks cold black heart will explode
August 29th, 2024 at 10:08 am
Everyone is picking Atlanta but I don’t see it. Kirk Cousins won’t even making it half way through the season before he is injured and this is a new coaching staff with a new offense that will take some time to gel. Bucs win this division and I don’t even think it’s going to be close.
August 29th, 2024 at 10:12 am
I dont know if I’d say better since hes less experienced but Rah certainly has more upside than the ReTodd.
August 29th, 2024 at 10:14 am
Dave Pear
Agree!
August 29th, 2024 at 10:18 am
garro Says:
August 29th, 2024 at 9:30 am
Thats it,,,Done with Eisen. He’s gone Hollywood on us.
Too bad he was one of my favorites. Geez
Go Bucs!
Apparently so has NFL Network as 8 of 10 of their top people have Atlanta over Pittsburgh Week 1.
Can’t understand why Joe hasn’t got his money down on Pittsburgh already. Line isn’t going to get any bigger. Perhaps the Eagle Dumps on the 1st.
August 29th, 2024 at 10:26 am
Unless they have multiple injuries at a position we can’t afford to, the Bucs should win the NFC South Division, even with a tougher schedule than Atl.
The Falcons did make some moves which I believe will keep them competitive. I think they shot themselves in the foot though by paying Cousin’s all that money AND drafting Penix. That move is going to hurt them badly at some point. If Penix comes in to play at some point and show he gives the team the best chance to win that’s going to be interesting 😁
August 29th, 2024 at 10:27 am
The Falcon love fest is comical. They get people excited over the signing of Justin Simmons for example. We reacquire Jordan Whitehead and there is nothing but crickets coming from national media over that move. You know what. I will take our safeties over Atlanta’s safeties all day everyday and twice on Sundays.
August 29th, 2024 at 10:29 am
I understand having confidence in our squad, but our fanbase gotta stop acting like it’s such an absurd idea when people pick ATL or NO to win division. Last 2 years ATL won 14, NO won 16, TB won 17. Bowles era teams have not dominated the division. We’ve barely won it, both years
This year, all 3 teams have HC’s that are good DC’s, a new OC, and a QB with the ability to play at least solid. Factor in the variable of injuries, it’s realistic for any of us 3 to win it. The only team that it would disrespectful to put ahead of us is CAR.
August 29th, 2024 at 10:45 am
1976 Steel Curtain # 1 Defense 6th/Pass 1st/Run, Gave up an average 9 Points per game for the season and last 9 games gave up an average 3.1 Points/Game. Multiple shut outs. Steelers outscored opponents by an average of 22.1 points. Started 1-4 that season.
2023 Steelers 21st in Yards Allowed. 17th/Pass 19th/Run and gave up an average of 19 Points/Game.
Anyone drawing similarities between those two D’s is D Lusional.
Color between the lines and put the crayons back in the box when you are done.
August 29th, 2024 at 10:55 am
uh oh…………eisen is turning out to be no chris berman !
August 29th, 2024 at 11:03 am
I suppose adding Whitehead to an already decent defense has no impact?
Eisen is just another go-with-the-reallyreallyreally-Kool-Kids bandwagoneer…
August 29th, 2024 at 11:09 am
I definitely pick the Bucs to win the division, but Joe is prob going to lose his money being on the Steelers vs the Falcons opening day.
The Steelers QB position is trash.
August 29th, 2024 at 11:09 am
*betting
August 29th, 2024 at 11:18 am
Justin Simmons was so good nobody hired him until a couple weeks ago.
August 29th, 2024 at 11:23 am
Name recognition people love names and keep throwing out these names like Matt Judon regardless of the injury and Kirk cousins I mean name recognition because no on has day down and talked about his compliments yet.
August 29th, 2024 at 11:30 am
Its not that difficult to understand where these people are coming from…
The Bucs weakness is in the most important position…… HC!
People are projecting that Raheem will be a better HC than Bowels….
If the Bucs had a HC that was not so sticking easy to out coach, they would likely get far more respect!
August 29th, 2024 at 12:01 pm
Tye: Either you’re not a Bucs fan or you know very little about Bucs history if you think Raheem is some kind of wonder coach. Could he be a better coach than what he showed on the Bucs? Sure, but doesn’t he have to prove something first? Being that BOWLES has been coaching for 5 years with the Bucs and you still don’t know how to spell him name shows a lot.
August 29th, 2024 at 12:01 pm
Falcons are they flavor of the month because of Cousins and no one really knows how lousy of a coach Morris was in Tampa because he always makes himself very accessible to the press. unfortunately being media friendly doesn’t win many championships and neither does it put W’s on the scoreboard. Let’s see how well the hobbled Cousins plays in the first couple of games of the season. Both Cousins and Aaron Rogers have to prove they can still play.
August 29th, 2024 at 12:05 pm
Goody. More bulletin board material for the Bucs. The one thin I loved was when I was told I didn’t know what I was doing or sucked at one I did and then go out and win an award for it and make the person look stupid.
August 29th, 2024 at 12:13 pm
In the end it’s all about building a TEAM! Winning is a TEAM EFFORT! I can’t imagine a stronger team in the NFC South than the Bucs. It starts with the kind of players being drafted. Then adding consistency. Adding attitude. Adding speed. Adding desire.The Bucs have done this better than the Falcons and the Saints. The results will speak for themselves First up Washington! 😎
August 29th, 2024 at 12:21 pm
Yeah, Raheem rehabbed his reputation that now he’s seen as a credible HC. But Bowles did the same thing (won a SB as a DC) but is still defined by his failure in NY because he was elevated to HC and not hired. NFL media is lazy.
August 29th, 2024 at 12:31 pm
Just ignore the dork.
August 29th, 2024 at 12:39 pm
… or I’ll have to move you from the 53-man roster to the practice squad – LOL
August 29th, 2024 at 1:06 pm
I get it. I can see why all of these people are picking ATL. You have most, prob about 80% of the so-called “experts” picking ATL and the rest, about 20% picking the Bucs… So, what that means then, is that the SAINTS are winning the Division. Write it down. LoL
August 29th, 2024 at 1:25 pm
Cousins won only a single division title in Minnesota, with some pretty talented teams. I also do not know why anyone would see Raheem as a good head coach at this point. Maybe if he wins this year.
August 29th, 2024 at 1:36 pm
We have the best Head Coach in the division Period!
August 29th, 2024 at 1:40 pm
Help me understand why tv talking heads keep pointing to the Bucs playing a “first place schedule” like this is something new. They have won the division for three years running which means each season following they play a first place schedule.
As for Atl, I think their additions on D will help them more than their new (excuse me, OLD) QB will. Thankfully they paid waaaaayyy to much for Cousins so they will stubbornly hang on to him as the starter until after week 13 when they have been eliminated from the playoffs.
August 29th, 2024 at 1:55 pm
Eisen just loves to over embellish every single story and turn it into some kind of soap opera / reality show.
There’s no drama or big stories coming out of the Bucs camp, so there’s nothing there for him to get worked up over and talk about until he’s blue in the face.
We don’t have a new QB coming off of an achilles injury, we didn’t foolishly draft a top 10 QB after just giving a $100+ million dollar contract to previously mentioned broken down older QB, we didn’t try to make splash trade/free agent moves to supplement a subpar defensive roster. The Bucs are a boring story for dimwits like Eisen.
Raheem is going to Raheem, you can count on that. He’s going to say dumb stuff and put his foot in his mouth and he’ll start losing the roster.
August 29th, 2024 at 2:35 pm
Does anyone remember when Rah was here? He’s not a very good Head Coach. Proof? He let Brooks go. Then he parties with the players. What a moron.
Raheem was a disaster here. He will be a disaster in Atlanta.
August 29th, 2024 at 2:35 pm
I’m betting all this negative national press is purely based on Mayfield negativity. The national media has an anti Mayfield streak. It’s rooted in the fact they cheered him as the No.1 overall pick. Any national media reporting has a fool me once attitude towards Mayfield. They are considering last year a fluke. If this team can get an average run game going. It’s going to open up a lot of passing opportunities.
I loved watching that first series against Miami. I saw linemen blocking down field. Saw signs of life from the run game. Admittedly that was Tampa’s first string VS Miami’s backups. But I liked the blocking schemes. This is a passing league but if your team is terrible at running the football. Your offense becomes one dimensional and opponents dare you throw.
August 29th, 2024 at 2:57 pm
Fork the dork.
August 29th, 2024 at 3:18 pm
Say what you want about Coach Bowles, but the Bucs team has never given up and quit on him. The 2011 Bucs completely quit on Raheem as they lost their last 10 games.
August 29th, 2024 at 3:22 pm
More fuel for Baker. Keep it coming, pundits. We’ll take the division and go deep into the playoffs. No faith in Cousins whatsoever.
August 29th, 2024 at 4:33 pm
Sly
I like the optimism but the biggest thing is… Win week 5 against Atlanta. At that point, they will be 3–2 at worse, probably 4-1.
I am looking at the first 8 games. If they are 6–2 before the KC and SF game and by week, they will be in good
Even if they end up at the 5–5, they should be 5–2 in the last 7 games of the season. Those closing seven games are not looking too difficult.
That puts them at 10 wins and probably the division. Personally, I think they get 11 wins as the offense improves throughout the year. The defense all depends on …. wait for it….. the past rush… For the 15th year in a row.
August 29th, 2024 at 4:46 pm
Steelers just named Russell Wilson the starting QB.
Falcons probably handle them.
That’s just one game though.
Whoever gets the best of the head to head matchups will take this division.
August 29th, 2024 at 5:39 pm
MPTF: Suddenly you’re the QB expert, when you’re completely obsessed with the Bucs backup? This is like Rod Munch giving Bucs wins/losses predictions after failing miserably last year.
August 29th, 2024 at 5:45 pm
Joe in Mich — not only did they quit on Raheehaw and lose 10 in a row, they lost in biblical massacres not seen since locusts and frogs rained down.
He did better with Falcons as interim in 2020. But he’s no Mike Tomlin. To me he’s still Raheehaw.
August 29th, 2024 at 6:43 pm
On paper, I’d say the Falcons have advantages at the following positions:
– RB
– TE
– DE/OLB
All other positions I’d give the Bucs the advantage.
August 31st, 2024 at 6:22 am
Yall buc fans are cold..And not 2 bright. Don’t think and make predictions with your heart,don’t think and make predictions with your heart,use that fat head of yours people. Falcons will take nfc south and won’t let up beginning by game 5..Win at least,at the LEAST 10 games and will split the buck and ain’t lol