Overreaction Tuesday: Rich Talks Bears, Raiders, Eagles, JJ McCarthy, Aaron Rodgers & More

Overreaction Monday ran on a Tuesday this week, and Chris Brockman showed up ready to rip his shirt off. His opener: Ben Johnson, after dialing it up for Case Keenum on Monday night, "is the best offensive coach in the NFL right now. There's nothing this guy or his teams can't do."

Rich did not dismiss it, but he would not let the rest of the league disappear either. Sean McVay still exists. So does Kyle Shanahan, who Rich pointed out is 3-0 "with guys who are sitting on your waiver wire" for the second straight year. When Chris questioned whether Shanahan could win with a backup the way Johnson just did, Rich had the answer ready: Mac Jones did it six times last year. Asked to draft a head coach first overall right now, Tuesday, September 29, Rich allowed that Johnson has to be considered, then reminded everyone that Andy Reid is still out there "pulling things out of the 1935 Blue Bonnet Bowl." His ruling: not an overreaction, but there are others who are pretty damn good at this too.

Chris's next take came from the Eagles bench. During Monday night's broadcast, he saw Jalen Hurts talking and DeVonta Smith wearing "that thousand-yard stare of a cow," and concluded Smith now understands why A.J. Brown was upset all the time. Rich called it "positively absurd." He reminded Chris that two weeks ago everyone was sure Drake London was miserable in Atlanta, and London then put up 194 receiving yards. He also pointed to the dime Hurts dropped in to Smith for 30 yards in the second quarter. Rich did concede something is going on with Philadelphia's play-calling, and he revealed an Eagles fan had already texted him asking whether it was reasonable to panic. The crew quickly identified the texter as David Boreanaz.

Then came the biggest news of the week. J.J. McCarthy was traded to the Giants, and Chris's overreaction was a compliment: McCarthy will finish the year as the second-best quarterback in the NFC East. The room immediately wanted to know who was getting slagged, Hurts, Dak Prescott, or Jayden Daniels, and the crew compared the ambiguity to the end of The Sopranos. Rich's verdict was that the core of it is not an overreaction. "This isn't an overreaction," he said. "He's going to play."

Next, Chris handed out flowers to Tom Brady for building the Raiders to 3-0. Rich spread the credit around. John Spytek, a Michigan man who worked with Brady in Tampa, was Brady's choice, Cousins was the right move, and if Fernando Mendoza is sitting and soaking up how to prepare, the plan is checking every box. Everybody involved deserves flowers, Rich said: "Brady, Spytek, Kubiak, the scouts, the front office people, Mark Davis, his barber, whoever." The crew kept going, adding P.F. Chang's and Wayne Newton's makeup artist to the list.

Week four also means hot seat season, and Chris said the temperature under DeMeco Ryans' office chair has been turned to simmer. Rich pushed back on the history, since Houston made the playoffs and won a playoff game, but admitted 0-3 does not look good for a team that was supposed to contend. He would not countenance anything more. "It's still too early." When Chris predicted someone gets fired before Halloween, the crew took the under, and Mike pointed out that any team hoping to get a head start on Mike Tomlin will find he has representation for that.

On the Dolphins, Chris said losing De'Von Achane for the year puts Miami on the clock for the 2027 draft. Rich found that tough to argue with, but he defended Jeff Hafley, who was filmed looking at a sparse press conference crowd and asking if that was all there was. He knew what he signed up for, Rich said, and this season is not a referendum on whether the coach or general manager can win football games. Rich also said he feels for Malik Willis.

The last take was about Pittsburgh. After Cam Heyward's visit, Chris said the Steelers look good, Aaron Rodgers is dealing, and Pittsburgh is the best all-around team in the AFC North. Rich called that an overreaction and laid out a scenario in which, if a few results broke the right way and the Browns beat the Steelers, Cleveland would be in first place entering week five, with the Guardians coming off their bye. "Crazier things have happened," he said. "Monkenmania is just going to rule everything."