FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Friday, June 26th, 2020

ADAM SCHEFTER ON THE NFL SEASON; JOHN SMOLTZ ON PITCHERS DURING MLB’S SHORTENED SEASON — QUOTES FROM TODAY’S EPISODE OF THE RICH EISEN SHOW ON NBCSN

“The league is determined to get this season and all 16 games in. Whether that can actually happen over the course of the year without outbreaks of the virus, no one can predict.” – Adam Schefter on the NFL season

“The ones that are most tied to their mechanics and have a smooth delivery are going to be the ones that jump out…and have an advantage…The pressure is on because there is not a lot of time to struggle.” – John Smoltz on pitchers in MLB’s shortened season

STAMFORD, Conn. – June 26, 2020 – Host Rich Eisen was joined on today’s episode of The Rich Eisen Show on NBCSN by:

  • ESPN NFL insider Adam Schefter
  • Baseball Hall of Famer and MLB Network analyst John Smoltz
  • Actor Rob Lowe
  • Comedian George Lopez

Following are highlights from The Rich Eisen Show on NBCSN:

Adam Schefter on talks surrounding the upcoming NFL season: “When I speak to people on teams, they are nervous, uneasy and anxious. They’re concerned. When I speak to other people who are near the top of the NFL food chain, they are convinced there’s going to be football…This tells me that the league is determined to get this season and all 16 games in. Whether that can actually happen over the course of the year without outbreaks of the virus, no one can predict.”

Schefter on Jets safety Jamal Adams’ trade request: “It’s been a one-way street…Just because he wants to be traded doesn’t mean that the Jets are going to oblige him…The system is weighted in the favor of the team. The player has a lot to overcome…The Jets are not just going to go peacefully.”

Schefter on Dak Prescott’s contract extension negotiations with the Cowboys: “The situation, to me, is complicated and it is complex. Dak Prescott, if he’s willing to bet on himself, and so far he has been, can play this out and see it through to where he puts himself in position to get an incredible contract…You can just imagine what would be at stake if Dak Prescott can get himself into the (free agency) market.”

John Smoltz on the negotiations that occurred between MLB and the MLBPA: “I thought the whole time that something would be worked out. I remained optimistic, having been through it, knowing it’s not always depicted the right way. It’s always a tenuous situation when you’re trying to negotiate something under normal circumstances. I can’t even imagine what it’s like to throw in a million other possibilities to try and figure it out…The good news is…that baseball will be played, and it will be one of the most intriguing and exciting seasons we’ve ever seen.”

Smoltz on the biggest challenges for players resuming play: “The biggest challenge is the mental change every player is going to have to have…Players are going to have to be creative in their thinking of how they’re going to maintain focus without the extra adrenaline of fans and the extra narrative they are normally used to.”

Smoltz on pitchers at the start of the season: “The pitchers with the least awkward mechanics, in other words, the ones that are most tied to their mechanics and have a smooth delivery, are going to be the ones that jump out…and have an advantage. The high-working, high-velocity, much-needed to get in tune with their mechanics (pitchers) may struggle early on. Let’s face it, the pressure is on because there is not a lot of time to struggle, in theory, because (the season) is only 60 games.”

Smoltz on games taking place without fans: “The creative teams will get out in front, both philosophically and maybe having fun in the dugout with banter and chatter…That part is going to be intriguing…The teams that are cohesive and that get out in front and collectively work a plan out, are going to be the teams that will have the most success.”

Rob Lowe on his experience traveling with the Los Angeles Lakers: “(Pat) Riley banished me from traveling with the team…Riley didn’t want any distractions…Magic (Johnson) told me they wouldn’t even let the married players’ wives come to the hotel.”

George Lopez, an avid Raiders fan, on the team leaving Oakland for Las Vegas: “It’s a little disheartening to know that a city like Oakland — that has been a city of the Black Panthers, of culture, of historical situations that have happened in such a great city — that they would be left with a reminder of the team and their fans that would die for that team.”

–NBC SPORTS–