NFL Daily with Gregg Rosenthal - 25 Players in 25 Years: Kevin Harlan on Nos. 7-4

Episode Date: July 11, 2025

Gregg Rosenthal is joined by broadcasting legend Kevin Harlan to reveal numbers 7 through 4 of NFL Daily's Top 25 Players of the Last 25 Years. Gregg and Kevin kick off this tier of players with Pro Football Hall-of-Famer Ed Reed at number 7 (01:42), quarterback Aaron Rodgers at number 6 (16:30), defensive end J.J. Watt at number 5 (38:03), and wrap the show with defensive lineman Aaron Donald and number 4 (50:52). Note: time codes approximate Don't miss any of NFL Daily's Top 25 Players of the Last 25 Years where Gregg is joined by ESPN's Mina Kimes and Bill Barnwell, Yahoo! Sports' Nate Tice, NFL Network's Steve Wyche and Brian Baldinger and broadcasting legend Kevin Harlan to break down the best NFL players since the turn of the century.NFL Daily YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/nflpodcastsSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is an I-Heart podcast. Hey, everybody. Daniel Jeremiah here. And I'm Bucky Brooks. On Move the 6th, we take you inside the game from breaking down college prospects and NFL rookies to evaluating team building philosophies, coaching trends, and how front offices construct winning rosters. We study the tape, talk to decision makers, and give you a perspective you won't find anywhere else.

It's everything you need to understand the why behind what happens on Sunday. Don't miss it. Listen to the Move the Sticks podcast on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. I'm Marcus Grant. And I'm Michael Florio, and together we host the NFL Fantasy Football Podcast. Ready to dominate your fantasy league this season? Then you need the NFL Fantasy Football Podcast, your ultimate source for player news, draft tips, and winning strategies. Whether you're a rookie manager or a fantasy vet. We've got the insight to help you crush your opponents.

Listen to the NFL Fantasy Football podcast on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Toyota, the official automotive partner of the NFL. Visit Toyota.com slash NFL now to learn more. Welcome to NFL Daily's top 25 players of the last 25 years. Yes, this is episode five of our. six-part series going through all the greats of the 21st century. And we've talked with some great guests. But this time, we're actually going to have one of the greats of the last 25 years on the show

to go through players number 7 through 4. And I'm talking about Kevin Harlan. When we decided to do this, Kevin, you were the first name we thought of in terms of who has announced more of these games, who has helped us enjoy the game more than Kevin Harlan. He's been broadcasting the NFL for 40 years, national broadcaster of the year three times. I would have given it to him more.

I feel like he was snubbed a few times there. Also, NBA on TNT. Of course, he wrapped up that great run there in the NBA playoffs. Welcome, Kevin. Appreciate having you. Thank you for your kind words. Greg, great to be on. Flattered you to ask me, and it's NFL season 365 a year.

It never goes away, and thank goodness it doesn't. No, it doesn't. This is basically the dead time of the year, and yet people we've heard, like, they want more this time of year. So we're giving it to them, and we're doing something that I love to do, which is talking about some of the greats of the game.

And as you might have heard, Kevin, we've already gone through a lot of our list. So you're getting some of the cream of the crop. Let's go. to our next player on the list. Number seven, Ed Reed. He's got it first in ten. He gets the snap.

He fakes the hand off. He knocks his up. There's a long pass. Down the middle. It's intercepted. Pick off by Reed at the 40. Foltz off his outstretched arm to keep his balance as he was spinning. He's down to the 37.

You're the best free safety that's ever played this game at I've seen. You're awesome. Cobb's going to pass for it now. Drops back throws intercepted in the end zone. Intercepted by Baltimore's Ed Reed who's going down the sideline. He could go all the way. He's at the 10.

He's at the 5. 108-yard intercepted return by Ed Reed. Hey, Baltimore. The best team. The best team in the world is right here. Oh, Ed Reed, one of the best. of all time, one of the best Hall of Fame bus of all time, if you ever get a chance to be in Canton and catch out that beautiful hair that Ed Reed has there. And yes, he's got the cigar in the biggest of moments. And Kevin, you're the first guest we've had that's called one of those highlights. That was the Super Bowl between the Ravens and the 49ers and Ed Reed. And that game did what Ed Reed does. All time leader in interceptions in the playoffs. You saw one of of the crowning moments of his career?

He always came with his A-game. I always thought, Greg, he constantly made himself not only physically prepared, but what I always admired is just his work away from the field, his film work. He was constantly, there was a great feature. In fact, it may have been something you guys referred to earlier on. I think Bill Belichick was asked one of the greatest defensive plays he had ever seen, and it was a play involving Peyton Manning, then quarterbacking the Colts and Reed with Baltimore

and how Reed seduced Manning into looking one way with what Reed thought was coverage that could camouflage what he was doing. Manning bit through Reed picked off the pass deep in Baltimore territory and went the other way. And what I believe Belichick was talking about was his ability to play the mind game as well as maybe the best maestro we've ever seen under center.

I always thought and people that I work with always confirmed that Peyton Manning could manipulate a game with Cadence and the way he would maneuver his players before the snap. Pre-snap Reed was always so great. Reed was the great counterpart on the other side. He had that same Manning-esque feel about the way that he would camouflage coverage, seduce quarterbacks or receivers into thinking one way when he would actually be thinking, I'm going to meet him at the intersection.

He was so good at that. Of course, being an eight-time all-pro player, a Super Bowl champion, a defensive player of the year, one of the top 100 players that we've ever seen play, and certainly one of the best safeties ever to play, decorated safeties in the history of the game. His film work and his preparation, in addition to his on-field skills and his ball skills, were just, I thought what made him different, made him in a class by himself. Yeah, I'm so glad you started there. And I'll get to all of Ed Reed's accomplishments, and you mentioned some of them.

But talking about the mental side of it, that is a great clip by Belichick. I think Bill Belichick has helped to get Ed Reed onto this ranking at number seven for me, because he could explain in a way that few people would really understand his genius. And that play that you talked about was he was thinking what Man Amity, was thinking and he knew what Manning would be thinking that Ed Reed was thinking and he was one step ahead. And that's to me what stands out about Ed Reed, that the greatest of the greats that he played against, Aaron Rogers, I mean, Tom Brady and Peyton Manning always talked about Reed. Brady actually had a little thing written on his wristband during games against Baltimore,

fine 20 on every play. Okay, I did not know that. It's a great note. That's a great note. It's unbelievable. And the thing is, and you pointed out really well in talking about that manning play, that if you took your eyes off him, I was a Patriots fan at the time watching all this. He still got Brady all the time.

If you took your eyes off him during a play, his eyes were on you as a quarterback, and he would end up getting the winning edge. And, you know, he could translate what he was thinking, you know, Greg, into how he did it physically on the field. First of all, back in Louisiana, he was an incredible track and field. Very fast. Very quick twitch, which I don't think we really relate to him. He was built more like a, like about 5-11, 6 foot, over 200 pounds. Like he was a he was a strong canon. He was a guy that could clearly vault and definitely accelerate to where he needed to be. But the fact that his mind got his body there, I thought, was such a great partnership.

A lot of guys can think it. Physically, they can't do it. Physically, they can do it. Mentally, they don't see it. He had the great combination of both. Keen eyesight, great preparation. Every time we would talk with, you know, whoever was coaching John Harbaugh most recently and Brian Billick before him in Baltimore, they would always talk about his brain and his vision. And all the greats in any sport, you just mentioned the NBA,

they always talk about court vision. His field vision was so superb, his ability to read, his ability to jump ahead and even gamble successfully more times than not. made him one of the great safeties. If there was ever a quarterback on defense, it is that position.

And Ed Reed really epitomized it more than anyone. Absolutely. And you mentioned the all-pro. So five first teams, three second teams. He is the first all-time, and you mentioned the athleticism, in interception yards. And it's by a mile.

He is more than double the interception yards in his career than whoever is in third place. During his career, He had 73 interceptions, including the playoffs, the all-time leader in the playoffs. That's 13 more than any other player during his career. And you say all this about how smart he was. One thing that really stands out to me, and I'm wondering what it was like talking to him and talking to the coaches about him, is that for all that preparation,

in the end, a lot of times it let him not do what the coaches told him to do. a lot of his genius was ultimately freelancing and sort of coaching himself and doing whatever he wanted to do on the field, Kevin. You're right, Greg. And he always absorbed the game plan and was probably the first guy to request it when it came out of, you know, from headquarters on Tuesday night or Wednesday. And he had some terrific defensive court. Rex Ryan Madison.

I mean, Chuck Pagano, like he had some great coaches with Baltimore. Every one of them said, you know, Reed gets us set right. Reed always plays guys in the right place, truly an extension on the field. But his preparation led, I think there's been a tradition in Baltimore with smart defensive players, regardless of position. I would like to think with him and Ray Lewis established back in the early 2000s and continued on, were things and staples of that defense with great defensive masterminds that guided these players and all the people that would join in over the years every season to that defense.

And that's why they're so highly ranked. Their preparation, their practice habits, the way they saw the game, the things they discussed in those meetings, the carryover from the back end of the front end, all of it just really was so cohesive. And so you wonder why a team like Baltimore and a defense, like the Ravens is always like that. That's tradition.

And that was set by Reed and Ray Lewis, so I'm sure you've talked about will because of the way they saw the game, processed it, and then carried out what they had to do and reacted so well. Even if something would not materialize the way they may had planned for or thought what happened, their adjustments were some of the best. I saw adjustments in that Super Bowl, that clip we just showed. But every time we would do it a Baltimore game, I love the Brady number 20. where is he find him and he would he would decoys so well where he would be he would end up

maybe playing in a linebacker dropping down into that level but then quickly go back or go back and then come up like he just he just had a knack and a feel for the game that was unparalleled it it really wasn't yes you you're coming in the episode right after we did ray louis i have a really hard time doing these rank i mean who can decide between this part of it was ray Lewis started his career, technically, you know, before 2000, the best part of it was in the last 25 years. And I think about what ball knowers, when you talk to people that are just inside the game and what they say about Ed Reed, to me, that just really stands out.

And so for any Steelers fans that are out there, part of the rankings, Kevin, with each player, we're bringing up kind of like, who didn't make the list or who did we have him over? I did have Ed Reed this high. I did not have Troy Palomalo quite make the list. He was one of the very few people that got cut off. There were some reasons for that. The Hall of Fame,

all 2000s team, for instance, Ed Reed was a first team. Palo Malo actually wasn't on it. He was behind guys like Brian Dawkins, John Lynch, for what it's worth. Palo Malo, an outstanding outstanding player, but you have to make decisions on this.

Are you mad at me for not putting Palomalo on this list. No, because I respect you so much, I will, I will sometimes tend to to trend in your direction as opposed to what I might be thinking, but, but you, you know, nailed just the, the crem de la crem at that position. I don't know, even as people, Greg, like you and I, and all the people that are associated with the show and NFL network and, and cover this league and have covered it for a long time, can truly appreciate, and I've always thought this, and these are conversations really kind of coming from the Belichick days and other coaches who have been so forthright with information about about the key to preparing and the key to knowing your

opponent and not just dropping in and taking a look at some film but going in there and really talking it out with guys at your position in the secondary in this case and and I know that Troy Paul Amalu did the same mention Dawkins with his length and in his reach and his leaping ability like he he did so much lynch was a he was a rocket who came out of the secondary but again saw the game process the game to me i think you've got read perfectly placed oh thank you so much and yeah the the very last play and i found this out did not realize this researching ed reid the very last play of his raven's career because he did play one more year with the texans and the jets the very last play

of his Ravens career, he was supposed to blitz. The 49ers in one of the most tense plays of all time need to get a touchdown to take the lead to essentially win the Super Bowl. Wasn't going to be much time left. Ed Reed is supposed to blitz on that play. He reads his keys, he goes off of his instincts, and it would have made the coaches absolutely furious if he was wrong, but he chooses not to blitz on that play. He chooses to provide a little extra help on Michael Crabtree and make a

double team and it ends up being an incomplete pass, Kevin, and that ended his Raven's career, but it gave them his Super Bowl championship. It was, and I'm so glad he was a champion. We know he was individually decorated, but to go out and play with Lewis and that team

and that defense was so terrific. We know we both have missed one key thing about Ed Reed. He could block kicks about as well as anybody in this league. He had a succession of them. He scored on some, and he took as much pride in his team's work and his special teams play and finding those nooks and crannies and gaps where he could vault over and make a block, make a play on special teams.

He was exquisite doing that. And you don't see that kind of effort and probably study habits regarding special teams for a position player like Reed. But by God, he made sure that he was even more valuable and not just on defense, but on teams as well. And it showed he's, I can't tell you how many times I remember watching what he would do. Paul Amalo had that same knack to, right? That spectacular diving over a group and making a play and maybe the flair for Paul Amalu. And of course, he played with a great contingent of Steeler defensive players. But I always thought, too, Greg, that the great players and Reed is, and Troy and Dawkins and Lynch, and we go on and on, but, but they, they would

grasp the, the game plan, like, like they didn't shoe it away. They didn't, uh, freelance. They, they were constantly bearing them their, their interest and focus in, and the way the coaches had prepared all week. And the one thing I do remember, and I, I think it was Pagano, but it may have been Rex Ryan. They said, they're always asking questions. And my guess is, Reid asked about as many questions as anybody and then was answering questions from the younger players in that secondary defensive room for Baltimore. Absolutely. And yeah, when he read those plays,

you mentioned the blocks on the returns, he would tend to take him to the house. Three times he led the league in interceptions. Twice he had a return over 105 yards. So those guys from the U, he would always talk about it. They teach him not just to pick it off, but to score. Okay, we've talked at Reed. we are going to number six on the list, another guy who scored plenty.

Number six, Aaron Rogers. Rogers rolls to the left, up third down and long, sets up, rolling still, clock winding, seven seconds to play. He throws to the far side. It is a kid. Oh, my! And they're in field no range. You've got to be kidding me.

Snap to Rogers. Scrambles to his left under pressure rolling right, escapes. Right side looking. rainbows high and deep into the end zone and it is caught for a touchdown a leaping touchdown catch is made and the backers have won unbelievable he's going to roll away throws it up in the air says a prayer and janice does he go oh stop it oh please what a catch that's insane oh my that may be one of the great throws ever made Moving to his left, falling away and launching a perfect throw.

Every week, every year, does things that other quarterbacks just can't do. Rogers is inside the pylon. Touchdown Packers. It's Rogers running for the score. Right on cue, Joe. Aaron Rogers telling the Bears faithful as if they didn't know that he owns them. And that was Aaron Rogers making plays that maybe no quarterback in the history of football could make before him. And then adding a little extra sauce and telling you about it right afterwards. Kevin, what stands out to you first when you think about the games that you've covered of Aaron Rogers? So many.

The Super Bowl against Pittsburgh down in Texas. One of many examples of his greatness. He had a big pass play in that game down the middle into a seam and hit his open receipts. receiver. I'll probably bring up things that maybe is a little bit deep, but I'm going to get in the weeds because Mike McCarthy showed me a film one time of a still picture that was taken frame by frame of Aaron Rogers' ability when he would wind up to throw how his arm in his hand were almost pointed into the ground backwards. So it's almost as if he were double-jointed the way he throws.

I've never asked Aaron that. I would love to, if I get the chance. And, of course, now he's a stealer, and there may be that chance. But Mike said, he goes, I've never seen this with anybody that has that kind of arm flexibility. He said, Mahomes, I think, may have it, but Mahomes may do it in kind of a different way. Rogers had the classic throw and then as the years went by I always thought he developed that nice sidearm

Brett Barb deliver he became I thought a lot like Barb as time went on borrowed things that he had seen in practice maybe talked about with Brett and his ability to improvise and play off a schedule plays but his arm ability was so special and we just saw

with that that wonderful array of plays we just saw and heard but that stands out. The other thing that Mike would always talk about when he coached Rogers in Green Bay was his footwork. He said, I can sit there and just be zeroed in on what he does with his feet, how he can move, you know, eight inches this way to buy extra time, a foot this way, backpedal, move up. He was so good. And his footwork, I still think, is impeccable, even at this age, even coming off the torn Achilles, which I do want to get in. that topic in just a second. But his footwork, Greg, was textbook. And he worked on it a lot. And before we got the new rules with the Players Association and the league about off-season time in the building, they would have these quarterback schools in Green Bay. And they would go,

they would basically tear the thing down to the studs. And they would work on the basics, how to get the correct snap under center, where to place your feet and how far, where your hand should be when you got the shotgun snap, where your head should turn on the very first moment, that ball's about ready to come into your hands, how your first step should be a certain way, how you need to plant, where the weight distribution, the torque, the spin, all these things. And that's where I think with Rogers, the arm talent is just mesmerizing and his, His game playing and all those things are just, I mean, look, he's in, he's a first ballot Canton Hall of Famer, but it's all these little things that have made him what he is. He'd probably say, you know, I had to come out of junior college to get a major college scholarship.

I had to wait till late in the first round and get overlooked by a lot of teams to get drafted. I had to sit on the bench for three years and back of a Hall of Fame quarterback understood, but nonetheless, he didn't just go right in there and assume the number one position. everything he's done to become what he is has been because of attention to detail i think he is a stickler for it we know mentally he is about as smart a quarterback just just just by brainpower alone that the position has ever seen but he has taken that to a whole new level with the way he has gotten the rest of him to match what he's got upstairs his IQ is off the charts but i think his attention to detail, his footwork, the arm, the angles, the way he reads, the way he would position. Like, we could go on and on about Rogers. I think he's, he's truly one of the top

10 quarterbacks of all time. And that may not even be fair to him. Right. I'm already wondering if I don't have him high enough on this list. Of course, a four-time MVP at his very best. And I tried to rank these players somewhat about their sustained greatness when they were at their best. At his very best, to me, he was playing the position at a level and a way we just hadn't seen before. And I think he was very influential. You look at a Patrick Mahomes and you ask him, like, who was your hero growing up? It was Aaron Rogers because that was what the next generation wanted to be like. And I'm so glad you have the perspective of all that detail that.

he put into it because that is maybe somewhere where he is different in terms of the footwork. All these players, great players are different. But I think in terms of the footwork and all that, he's at a different level than let's say a Josh Allen or a Patrick Mahomes. And for all the grief that Mike McCarthy took maybe later in his career by some Packers fans in terms of his play calling everything, man, that combination of McCarthy and the quarterbacks coach Tom Clements was the perfect coach because Aaron Rogers really changed who he was as a thrower, as a player from where he was coming out of college.

Now, Kevin, you mentioned a play in the Super Bowl. You called it. We have that play ready, so let's actually listen to it. Rogers is in the shotgun running back at his side. He gets a high snap. He's in the shotgun. He cocked his right on. There's a line drive down the middle. A leaping back paddling catch at the goal line falling into the end zone.

Down the middle. Jennings touchdown. A 21-yard throw by quarterback Aaron Rogers to Jennings. They beat Pulamalu right down the middle, just inside the goal line. Green Bayes on top, 20 to 3. Great call, Kevin. And that play is so great by Rogers because it points out to me, sometimes the best throw, there's no defense for it.

You got an underneath defender. You got another zone defender on the second level breaking in. And Palomalo is coming up, and it doesn't really matter because it's so perfectly placed with one of the biggest arms in NFL history. He had a great anticipation, too, don't you think, Greg? Like his prime, his anticipatory skills were just so far advanced. And getting everybody around him on that same page was a constant sure for him. When he brought in young receivers, it took them a while to earn his trust that they would be

where he wanted them to be inside, outside the numbers, I mean, like, wherever. And clearly he trusted Jennings on that play. threading the needle with three defenders converging. I mean, those plays, those are Hall of Fame, legendary plays that you just embrace and think, just think of the precision. And then everything else had to go into that, right? The blocking had to be right. The other receivers had to take as many guys away from the middle of the field as they could.

There had to be a telltale as he was dropping back and looking at the route and maybe seeing a guy over here and Palomalo over here and a guy getting trailed over like he and that's the thing about about that position but in particular with rogers his mind being so quick he could pick up things decipher process and then act on it about as fast as any quarterback there was no double hitch and if there was it was only to throw off the defense even to buy his guy an extra five yards on a route stem it or whatever whatever they were going to do um i i just think that it would be great to have him and i i i just think that it would be great to have him And I'm going to stop and put a period on that.

I'm going to go. I did a two-hour interview with the late Kobe Bryant talking about taking jump shots and positioning himself to be where he wanted to be on the floor and how even if he were an inch off or if his foot wasn't aligned the way he wanted it or the elbow wasn't here and it wasn't flat here. I mean, like just all these things that went into a simple jump shot for Kobe Bryant, the technique and the attention to detail. We come up with that phrase again. Rogers is as close to any NFL player, even though he's at a completely different position in sport, to, I think,

embrace those things. I would love someday someone, and I think you're the perfect person to do it, to sit down with Rogers when his days are done, and talk about just what we've talked about, footwork, attention to detail, where he's placing his eyes, the double hitch, the fakes, the maneuvering of guys pre-snap, what he saw as he was getting that ball and dropping back and trying to make a decision in two and a half seconds or less. You know, those are the things, his vision, and we talked about that with Ed Reed, but his vision was just unparalleled. And then you've got the God-given, uncanny, generational talent with his arm

and his ability to do what he does. Sidearm, soft, it's like he's throwing darts, and he's even learned now to throw off his the wrong foot, which I've watched him do in practice. And I just amazed it. He can do all the basics, and of course throw it forward and all those things. But when he's throwing off the wrong foot backpedaling off of one foot

and it's the wrong foot, and like these are things that are just uncanny. And things that if you watch the game long enough, you really tend to appreciate and know you're seeing a one of one. Absolutely. He had such an interesting career

because, as you mentioned, he waited for Fav. And I was so impressed how he handled that 2008 season when he takes over. Because as you know, that was an absolute circus that summer when they were trying to get rid of Farr, but they weren't sure. And it was all up in the air. And Rogers came in, and I know they didn't win that much that season, but he came in, and he was immediately one of the best quarterbacks in the league and just quieted that all down.

He ends his career leading all-time. in interception percentage. So that's the fewest interceptions per throw. Leading all-time in quarterback rating. Obviously, that could change in his days coming up with the Steelers, but that's where he's at right now. Also leads in adjusted yards per attempt. He was on the

All-2010 Hall of Fame team. He was the second team for Pro Football Reference for the All-2010s behind Brady. And you mentioned just the physical skills. And that's why I struggle even putting him this low because that throw that we showed to start the first clip of him running to his left to Jared Cook.

I was in the building for that one against the Cowboys. And I really don't think there's another quarterback. Maybe Mahomes could make it where he's sprinting to the left and he can throw a frozen rope on the line in the perfect place to win the game. Same thing with one of those Hail Marys. He was running to the left, Kevin. Just an incredible physical talent.

and I know he had a lot of tough losses in the playoffs. And there were a couple of them where I'm sure the offense would have some plays back. The 49ers game in the conference championship stands out to me as one of them. But a lot of those games, whether it was the Falcons, whereas defense just didn't show up, the Buccaneers game, like a lot was going on in a few of those games. You look at his playoff record and he has 45 touchdowns and 13 interceptions.

and some of the greatest performances in the playoffs as well. So to me, that is not a knock to him, but certainly experience his share of heartbreak, I think no bigger than that lead that they had over the Seahawks in the NFC championship when they had a fourth quarter, 12-point lead with just five minutes to go. But again, it's a team sport. And to me, that the greatest test is what you do over the course of a regular season.

And he did that year after, year after year in Green Bay for 15 years. He did. And we talk about Marino, one Super Bowl, Farr, two Super Bowls, one win, Rogers, one Super Bowl, one win. Sometimes the greats, for whatever reason, can't rack him up like the Bradshaw's and the Brady's and Peyton Manning, who made multiple appearances and one with two different teams. It's so incredibly, as we all know, difficult to do. But it should not take away when the story is written about Rogers, just what. what he accomplished. And I began talking about the injury. You know, what he went through as a 39-year-old quarterback when he snapped his Achilles and then came back as a 40-year-old quarterback, and his numbers, considering he was only one year removed from that at that age with all those miles on his body, I thought it was remarkable. I personally think this year for Pittsburgh, I think he's going to be terrific. I honestly got that, I think he's going to, and I would say The same thing about Kirk Cousins down in Atlanta, too.

I think with that Achilles for a quarterback is so tough, it's a two-year rehab. And for someone that old, maybe even a little longer. I think the best of Rogers at this stage of his career can still be seen. And the Steelers might be just the team to pull it off. So I'm so curious to watch what he does now. In my mind, nothing will ever take the place of some of the things I saw him do. I've still not even seen a quarterback do a lot of that. we saw some incredible Hail Marys

thrown in there. The cook catch, the tide end making that grab was just bodies there were doing things that should not have been able to have been pulled off. And so I'm with you, man. I'm feeling like, holy smokes. That has to be,

I'm sure he's got a personal catalog of his top 10 throws that he could rattle off if he were joining us right now. That would have to be one of them, right? It wasn't for a score, but it was for a big play in a huge game. And of course, they went on from there. So I, I respect him in so many ways. I think a lot of times we're diverted. Our minds and attention are diverted to the outside stuff

with him. As a football player, as a leader, everyone's loved playing with him. He makes the room better. He made the position. He advanced the position. Manning advanced the position. Rogers advanced. Mahomes is advancing the position. Rogers is in that kind of conversation. I really believe it. Yeah, I'm glad I'm glad you say that because I spent too much of our time on NFL Daily and then back on around the NFL podcast talking about the off the field stuff. And it's been annoying the last few years. But this show is about thinking about all those moments.

And I think of like tough moments. You're saying coming back from an injury, there was a calf injury he had against the Lions. It was 2014. He comes back in the middle of that game to go win the division. He had a game where he had six touchdowns in a single half. He had an opener against the Bears week one where he hurts his knee. He's knocked out of the game. He's questionable.

He comes out of halftime. They have a 17 point fourth quarter comeback. He won a division, Kevin, on a fourth and eight against the Bears with like 45 seconds left in the season. And he needs a first down to win it. forget the first down. He ends up throwing for a touchdown. So he had so many great clutch moments. Last thing I'll ask you about with Rogers and then we'll take a break.

Just what was he like when you met him? You know, you get to talk to these players before the games or the day before the games as part of being on the broadcast crews. What was he like? Well, I do have a lot of personal connection. My dad was with the Packers for 37 years. when Ted Thompson he ran it was a CEO and president and when Ted Thompson then the general manager

pulled my dad aside and said I need your permission to draft Aaron Rogers who's fallen to what number 24 I said I think we're getting the steal of the draft my dad had to base you know not that it was his idea but but the buck had to stop someplace and they were going to spend a first round pick and reach I guess in some people's opinion on Aaron Rogers and it turned out to be one of the great draft choices in the history of the NFL and certainly for the Packers. Same situation was true at Brett Farr. My dad had hired Ron Wolfe to be the general manager in Green Bay and he brought him in just after Thanksgiving because he wanted Ron to be around the team, go in the locker room, travel with the team, watch practice, be in meetings,

get a feel for what he was inheriting so that when the offseason came and if they made a change a coach, he could go appropriately knowing what he had to work with and how far he had to go. And the story my dad tells me is that they were going to the final game of the season at old Atlanta County, Fulton County Stadium. And my dad and Ron Wolfe always sat together in the press box. And Wolf put down his briefcase and looked at my dad. So I'm going to go look at their backup quarterback. And if he's as good as I remember him when I saw his pro day, I want to go after him.

And my dad goes, so he gets out the flip card and he's looking, Brett Farrb, Brett Fav, you know, who had by, at that time in Atlanta under Jerry Glanville, had really had kind of a weird presence. And it was not, it was not working out. He goes down there, watches him throw, comes back up. They fly home that night to Green Bay when he said, that's our quarterback of the future. So they went to the executive committee, which is a seven-man committee a couple days later, telling them what they were. going to do and the executive committee said that's the most ridiculous thing we've ever heard why would you trade our number one pick for a backup in Atlanta who doesn't play and has got a lot of things going on off the field and and my dad said Ron could you leave the room a second he did he goes we gave this guy full control of football if we back out now we will never hire another quality general manager in the history of this organization we've got to let him make this move so he comes back in, they okay the trade, they make it with Atlanta, they get Brett Farb. And the same basic scenario happened with Rogers. And it's interesting. And those are back-to-back

Hall of Fame quarterbacks. So yeah, my dad and Rogers, my dad and Farve had very good relationships. And by virtue of that, whenever I came across their paths, they were incredibly kind, wonderful men. I respect them both. And I've really enjoyed Aaron, who has been just terrific for our family and for the few times I've been around to me personally. That's an incredible story. I'm really glad I asked that. And yes, there's no talking about Aaron Rogers without talking a little bit about Brett Farv and if the listeners are interested. Yeah, I thought about Farv for this list and he was one of the quarterbacks that got cut off because ultimately those three straight MVPs are not in the last 25 years. But if you just

started his career in 2000, he had a number of incredible seasons, including that dynamite one with the Vikings, but he just did not make the cut. Rogers did. We're going to take a quick break. Two more. We're into the top five here. The NFL Daily, best 25 players of the last 25 years.

Hey, this is Matt Jones. I'm Drew Franklin. And this is NFL cover zero. We're just here to try to give you an NFL perspective a little bit different. Did you see the Colts pretzel? That was my other big takeaway. What was that?

Oh, my. We think NFL coverage should be informative and entertaining. And twice a week, that is exactly what you're going to get. Listen to NFL Cover Zero with Matt Jones and Drew Franklin on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. Toyota, the official automotive partner of the NFL. Visit Toyota.com slash NFL now to learn more. What's up, everybody? Daniel Jeremiah here.

And I'm Bucky Brooks. move the sticks, we take you inside the game from scouting reports and player development to team building philosophies, coaching trends, and how front offices construct winning rosters. Every week, we study the tape, talk to decision makers, and share the insights you won't find anywhere else. It's the kind of conversation that connects the dots, from college football prospects to the NFL stars of tomorrow. We break down the draft, analyze matchups, and evaluate how teams put it all together on game day. Plus, we dig in the coaching strategies, roster construction and the trends that shape

the league year after year. Whether you're a diehard fan or just love understanding the game on a deeper level, we give you the full picture. If you want insight that goes beyond the box score, this podcast is for you. Don't miss it. Listen to the Move the Sixth podcast on the IHeart Radio app,

Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. I'm Marcus Grant. And I'm Michael Fiorio, and together we host the NFL fantasy football podcast. Ready to dominate your fantasy league this season? Then you need the NFL fantasy football podcast,

your ultimate source for player news, draft tips, and winning strategies. Whether you're a rookie manager or a fantasy vet, we've got the insight to help you crush your opponents. Listen to the NFL fantasy football podcast on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Toyota, the official automotive partner of the NFL, Visit Toyota.com slash NFL now to learn more. Back on NFL Daily, best 25 players of the last 25 years.

Let's see our next player. Number five, J.J. Watt. First and 10, Dalton throws it, try to throw it out to right, and it's intercepted. J.J. Watt to the house. Touchdown. Houston Texans for the rookie from Wisconsin. He's regarded as one of the best defensive players of all time. And he's sacked, brought down by Watt. He's a hail brazen.

You can't block him. No, Jacks today third and fourth. The past, and every third one today. Here comes Watt. Here goes Watt. I don't think there's anybody that's ever been better at it than he is. Got it down, Watt. You do it all.

That's the type of guy you're trying to chase. J.J. Watt, number five on our list. Yeah, I could have put Rogers higher. What do we just want to have quarterbacks? One through four, I didn't want to do that. When I watched J.J. Watt in that stretch from 2012 through 2014, I decided this is the best player I have ever seen at what he does. I have never seen a defensive player play at a higher level than J.J. Watt in those seasons.

He won three defensive players of the year. The only other defensive players to do that, Aaron Donald and Lawrence Taylor. five first team all pros, obviously had some injuries in the middle of his career, but did bounce back and had one more truly standout season in 2018. He authored what I thought was the best defensive season of all time in 2014, at least that I've ever seen. When they did not give him the MVP in 2014, I said they should not be eligible, be eligible for MVP's furthermore, because if he did not win for that season, no one was ever going to win Aaron Rogers in a great year, won that year. Kevin, what are your first memories thinking about J.J. Watt and covering his career?

Well, Jeff, he was runner up for the MVP. I'd forgotten that. In addition to all of his defensive player of the year awards and all pro and pro bowl selections and complete dominations, I think he had, my right, Greg, a couple of 20 sacks seasons, which had never been done before, over 20 sacks for a couple years. And he was so dominant that when you talk to opposing offensive coordinators, they would say it always begins with J.J. Watt. And how are we going to stop J.J. Watt? Everything tilted, protection-wise, of that offense to knowing where he was lined up and who is going to be on him and where that help was going to be. You would never ever put him one on one with one of your tackles. You'd always have to have a chipper

running back or a tight end or someone to come over there in Dublin because he was just such a reckon ball. And because of that, he affected offenses in a way that they couldn't operate maybe with their full portfolio plates just because they knew the time wasn't going to be there to throw. You had to maybe speed up your delivery. You had to do more running, go the other direction. You couldn't go to your favorite side of the line. You had to go to the opposite side because Watt was there. His ball skills were terrific, and that probably goes back to when he was playing receiver tied end in high school. And then, if I'm not mistaken, his first year at Central Michigan, he was a tied end. But then they switched him when he

walked on at Wisconsin to defensive linemen. And that was his God-given place to be, right? that's where he was destined to go and become the player that he became. But there are a few players. Taylor was one of them, and he mentioned him, and Aaron Donald, who I got to believe is somewhere coming up. Spoiler. But JJ Watt, the difference between what he could do to a game and what Lawrence Taylor or Aaron Donald, the difference with those three probably minuscule in how they

would affect the game. I mean, he, he did, his first five years, six years in the league were just like, wow. And then his body failed him a little bit, came back, finished with Arizona, but had a variety of injuries. And I know that he played through some significant injuries. He would gut it out and the team respected him for it. All the guys we talked to with the Texans before doing one of our games for CBS would always talk about what an inspiration he was, not just in getting his body ready to play on Sunday, which in itself, for all these players, is a week-long process of treatment and rest and all the things that they go to just to get themselves on the field once a week. But his film study and his practice habits and the way he led on that team,

he checked every box. There was no doubt one of the greatest linemen I've ever seen and could wreck a game on any given play. And usually it was every series. His fingerprints were on that series being a three and out or a turnover every time. It was like you just watched him. You'd almost watch him more than the quarterback. And that's Sam because we're taught when we're broadcasting these games, you watch the ball, you watch the quarterback.

Your eyes would always drift to see him coming and would almost like, all right, here comes what? there goes the drop back as opposed to there he goes drop him back to throw no you would almost mention what before you'd even talk about what an offensive uh you know mechanism going on was was was and it was it was just it was so weird to switch your brain around to think that way as opposed to offense first but with him you always thought defense first because he was always affecting a play that's it right there i'm so glad you said that so we we started the around the NFL podcast a long time ago. And me and Chris Wessling, this studio is named for my late great friend,

we would say that exact thing about JJ Watt. And I had never, you know, I'm, I'm learning this game, but I don't know as much about it as the coaches and the players and how to watch it and everything. And Watt was transformative for me to understand how much fun it could be to watch a defensive player. He was the guy every single snap that I would keep. my eyes on and it was crazy because you never understood how he got to the 11th pick of the draft. This is a 6-5-295-pound guy who is so much quicker off the ball than anyone on the inside or the out. When he was one-on-one on a guard, it was like it was curtains. That was really just his rookie season and then it was over. The next year he was already the best player in the league. But

when he was outside, he was stronger than those guys. He was faster than those guys. He was so versatile. He was box office. And you mentioned the the hand skills. Kevin, all those passes defense of his career, you know, from jumping up and blocking the ball, 70 passes defense. And what makes me think of how he transformed that franchise, the very first playoff game in the history of the Houston Texans franchise, a rookie J.J. Watt, who only had five and a half sacks that year, was a very good rookie, but was not defensive rookie of the year. He was kind of a slow starter. He jumped up. He had a pick six in that game along with the sack. And that was kind of his coming out.

moment the following week in the divisional round he had two and a half sacks he actually had a career high in tackles in that game as a rookie and from then on you realize this guy is playing the game in just a way that i personally have never seen before and haven't seen since no i i think you've captured it right there that story alone it tells you exactly where he belongs and his effect on this game where he stands with the greats that have ever played that position um you also noticed Being around the Texans, if you had them on a Sunday, as we often did, that his getting ready, his preparation, his dealing with the media, his dealing with the fans, like he got it, right? He understood the game, he understood how to prepare the game and how to ready himself for the game. He understood how to be a winner, how to affect the game, and what he would have to do on any given day.

and I'm sure there were challenges that he just savored and felt like this is, I want to go against the best. I need to be challenged. He never thought it was easy clearly, but I know there were times where he said, I could have a pretty big day, but there were other times he probably said,

I got my work cut out for me and thank goodness I do. These are the kinds of things that keep me sharp. But if you watched him before a game, hour and a half or so, he'd be out there and cut off T-shirt, walking around, have a football, going through the mental side of his preparation, and my guess is, and I'm thinking that if I looked

in my notes, I could probably find the quote. He would say he would play out the game in his head. What a first and ten, what a second and five, what a third and long, third and short, what part of the field the offense was in, what he would need to do to help the other part of the defense succeed in stopping that play. I think he thought the game through about as well as anybody at that position. Now listen, it's a lot of God-given skill and strength and technique and arm movement. And then you talk about the ball skills. If he deflect or it was in coverage and drop back, whatever it would be. He was every place. And that's what made him so difficult. It was like having a great, and he could have played linebacker. There's no doubt

in my mind. He was picking up with the ball skills that he could have played a stand-up line linebacker. But they put him at a position where he was destined to go. And you mentioned the five sacks or whatever it was his rookie. He was a slow starter in college too. Change positions. Build up his resume at the University of Wisconsin became the best linemen out of that conference and then we see what he's done in the NFL. It's guys like him, guys like Reed, others you've covered Greg in this, in this, you know, litany of wonderful names and in, in recent NFL history, these guys are wired differently. You know, they're just, they see the game, they think the game,

they prepare for the game, they play the game just so differently than just your average player. And listen, it takes everything to get to that level. To be an NFL player has got to be about as hard because the competition and the numbers and like it's so intense. But guys like him, they were just wired differently. And it shows with their performance and what they put on film. and certainly what they put on on that bust going into Canton.

Yeah, he, he was a player where the numbers are just outrageous. I mentioned the slow-ish start as a rookie. Well, his second year, he's the defensive player of the year. He has 20 and a half sacks leads the league, has 39 tackles for loss, which has not been topped since. For those years, and even if you just use his whole career, he led the entire league in sacks, in tackles for loss, and it's not by a little.

it's by a lot and yeah his body betrayed him after those first five years but this exercise to me was about who were the true greats when they were at their best and what five you know five or six completely sensational years aren't enough for you it's enough for me to put him here so before we say goodbye to j.J. Y wanted to mention Wade Phillips after his first year he knew like he already said this guy is going to have a bust in Canton someday that was on a guy that had only five and half sacks his rookie year and Wade Phillips is a seer. He played in a 3-4 defense. We're actually going to listen to one more call of J.J. Watt from you, Kevin.

First and 10. Here comes what? J.J. Watt. Who cares if you lose your hat. Salute him and record a sack. That's number 15, all-time record for the Houston Texans. He's something else. Yeah, that was during that 20-and-a-half season.

So he tacked on five more sacks that year. I liked his helmet off and came off. He had that play where he was bloody. he always had a little flair for the dramatic. Let's move on to our next player on the list. Number four, Aaron Donald. Rams creepy. They rush forward.

Throw to throw for it. He's hit. He's sacked. He throws it away. He flings it away on fourth down. Aaron Donald got there and you can build that man's statue out, Sofi Stadium right now. I mean, Aaron Donald's as good as there is probably ever played. played in the National Football League at D-Line.

He's an incredible player, explosive, quick, powerful. It's amazing the production he has, even when people are double team in him and triple teaming him. And guess who? Number 99 again. World champions, the last team standing. We're the best in the world. That's what it's about, man.

Look at this trophy right here. Look at it. This is for you guys. This is for the city of LA. We did it. At home. That's Aaron Donald. After winning the Super Bowl,

I was somewhere there that day with my daughter Ellis, who's a huge Rams fan watching that and watching them have a great time on stage. I struggled. I admit, Kevin, deciding who would be the top defensive player on this list.

Initially, I had J.J. Watt there because I thought his absolute peak. I just, I didn't think defense could be played at a higher level, but then I talked to more and more people. And I thought, it is hard to argue with Aaron Donald's career, eight first team, all pros. No one at defensive tackle, by the way, during his career had more than three. Three defensive players of the year was in the top five, four more times for defensive players of the year. And if we're picking between two players at their very heights, you could argue what, you could argue Donald.

You could do it either way. and I didn't want to just be about longevity. And yet, he did it every single year of his career. So that consistency of just complete excellence, put him over the top. He is the top defensive player. Did I get it right, Kevin? I love Donald. And I would be standing shoulder to shoulder with you in that selection.

You know, Watt certainly played a position, but with a little bit more space, a little bit more maneuverability. think what Donald did. By the way, in college at Pitt, I think he won the Lombardy, the Nogerski, the Outland. Like, he won, like, every major award for a lineman and then carried that success to the NFL. Could still be playing right now.

He's only been gone a year, but he could have played. He got out while he was on top. And he won a championship, which is great, the crowning glory to maybe the best interior linemen we've ever seen. But that's kind of my point. the interior line. Think of how congested it is in there, how hard it is to maneuver. And really, I think right now the badges will never appreciate an interior lineman

because he gets kind of swallowed up with guards and centers and just the traffic in the middle of the field. You never really see them except for Donald. He's the one guy that would always break three, he would cause havoc. He could take a double team, he could take on a triple team, and he would always find a way to blow up the play. And we know that quarterbacks love to move up in the pocket. Donald took that away. He would press that pocket so hard those, you know,

a couple yards, yard and a half, whatever a quarterback would need to move up and not get pinched on the side by the J.J. Watts of the world. that's where you found, right, your refuge. You'd move up a little bit, and then not with Donald. He made that whole thing just, you could not go there. And to operate and put up the kind of numbers he did and affect the game as he did at that position. And to have him as your number one rated defensive player, I mean, that's just unheard of. I mean, that is, I get the linebacker, I get the safety, I get the defensive end, I get all those positions.

you're talking about a guy in the middle who's disrupting getting doubled every single play. Maybe the only guy, except for an elite receiver that's going to draw coverage in the secondary by multiple guys, maybe the only guy on the defense that is constantly facing at least two guys that are going to try to block him and stop him every single snap. So we have stats to back that up in the next gen stats era, and they can keep track of this. He was indeed double-teamed at a higher percentage, more than, than any player in the NFL. And despite that, in his 10 seasons,

he had more sacks than anyone by 10 sacks. And so that's including all the great edge rushers. He still had more sacks than them by 10, despite playing on the inside. But then the numbers get crazy. He has more quarterback hits than anyone in the NFL, despite all those double teams by 51. He has more quarterback pressures than anyone in those 10 years

by 124. and the most tackles for loss by anyone in those 10 years by 40. So I started thinking about it, Kevin, and this is a guy who people would always say, well, the stats, you know, he's even better than the stats show. Well, the stats say he's the greatest player maybe of all time at that position. So if anything, I feel bad having him for, and you got to call his crowning moment.

That also helps put him over the top. Let's actually listen to Kevin Harlan's call of Aaron Donald calling game in the Super Bowl. Burrow will look at it, three wide, from the 49 of the Rams. Fourth and one, shotgun snap low, picks it up, left tackle block. Here comes Donald, and he spins Burrow around or then trying to throw it away. The Rams celebrating on the near side. On Downs, it goes to L.A.

Only one timeout for the bagels, and that may do it. that me do it and the defense stands tough for L.A. Oh, that gives me goosebumps. What do you think listening to that, Kevin? I love that play and that was Donald, right? When you needed

the biggest play from your defense of the afternoon, he pressured the terrific Joe Burrow and he spun him around and the ball flies out and he's trying to make a miraculous throw or do whatever to maybe hoping that a penalty

Lee's been called with a whole downfield or something, and that was it, that closed the door. And Donald realized it and pointed to his finger, I'm going to get my ring. I can't think of a better guy to be the number one defensive player on your list, great, quite frankly. I just, when you watched him, you just knew you were watching something that is not common, once in a lifetime, generational, and I think he's placed perfectly. I always, I root for players that are at that stage of their career who have had such great individual decoration, but have not gotten the team success, have not gotten the

when he got that, it just felt like it was Stafford. I mean, it felt right. Here are guys that have put their imprint on this league, and they were able to get that, that championship. Feel bad for the guys that didn't. Marino never got it. And we can go down the list. But for Donald, being the best defensive players.

that I've ever seen. And I love Lawrence Taylor, and I called some of his games, not in his prime, but later on, he was great, and there's no denying. He's one of the top two,

three defensive players ever. We probably, actually in this conversation, talked about the guys that I would put exactly, read did what he did on the back end. Watt was terrific, but Donald,

Aaron Donald was, he was special. And the fact that, that the multiple all-pro selections, which is really the defining measure of these guys. Pro Bowls are great. All-star, I get all that. But that all-pro designation puts you in a category.

And when he'd rack up as many as he did, it's a testament to his career and how we've only, he's, again, one of one. He made first-team all-pro, Kevin. Every, first team, every single year of his career, except for two. Now, here are the other two. He was a rookie who won defensive rookie of the year.

And it was in St. Louis. That team stunk. It was a sad season. And I remember talking to people that year, the way he finished that season. Among ball knowers, there was a lot of support for him that he should have actually been first team all pro that year. He was that good already. So that's one of the years.

The other year was his ninth year in the league where he got her. hurt at the end of the year, missed five games. Before that, he essentially didn't miss a single game for injury, missed a couple late in another season. But he was a guy who, you look at the playoff runs, he's playing 85, 95% snap. So he reminds me if I had to come up with a comp for him just in terms of career, Jim Brown might be the guy I think of, because every single season of Jim Brown's career, he was essentially the best at what he did and retired the best to ever do I think you can say that about Aaron Donald and that Super Bowl run. That wasn't the only game-winning pressure he had.

He had one against Jimmy Garapolo, too. So he came through in the absolute biggest moments. I don't know. Now I'm every one of these guys, I feel bad. I don't even rank them a little bit higher. But he is one of one, as you mentioned. And Greg, as you've covered the league for so long, you know, just sitting here talking with you in all the games you've seen practices, players, you've interviewed stories you've written

and things you've talked about. it gives you a moment of pause, doesn't it? When you talk about the breadth, we're talking about 2000 to now in all the great players. Listen, if we went pre that, you know, that's a whole other conversation with the greatest of that position. But I think both of us could honestly say, if you took the greatest single player in the history of pro football at every position, quarterback, receiver, running back, and in the middle of the line, defensive tackle, however you want to, nose tell, whatever you want to call him, Donald would be on that group of 22. He would be one of the 11 greatest of all-time defensive players.

Not saying that Watt or Reed or Rogers or anybody else we've talked about couldn't be under consideration. I feel pretty confident. I would think you would too. And you just rattled off the incredible 10-year-running Super Bowl champion. And to me, he is one of the best 22 players ever to play this game. And that's a lot of players and a lot of great players that have played on defense. Yeah, and very unique, too. You know, it's one of the reasons I think he fell in the draft to 13th,

because you mentioned the honors he had in college. But shorter for a defensive lineman. Yes. Said he played at 260 pounds later in his career. And yet, you know, we know he was the quickest guy out there. He was just, he was just too quick for. everyone to handle. But despite being only, you know, 265 to 280 pounds, he was the strongest guy out there. Like he wasn't as physically imposing until you saw him with a shirt off. And then

it was just outrageous. Well, I was first on NFL broadcast in 1981. Play-by-play began in 85. He is the best interior defensive lineman I've ever seen. And not that my word carries anything, But I've seen a lot of guys, a lot of games, voted. And I just off the top of my head, I mean, we could probably have a whole other show on pre-2000 defense players. I don't know that anybody affected a game, played it in a higher level, and was as revered and decorated in every aspect than Aaron Donald. I just, I have the highest regard. I've never, I've talked to him one time on a Zoom when we had the Rams back in the day. I've never met him in person, but my respect for him is boundless.

And some guys are just the greatest 22, the top 22 players of all time. Aaron Donald's name is on that list. And I have a feeling your number one guy is probably on that list to a quarterback. But he mentioned Jim Brown. Jim Brown may be the great, I never called any of his games. But in a short span, Gail Sayers, you know, that five or six years that he was healthy before he blew the knee, he may have been in that brown conversation.

But it's just how lucky who we've been to see players like that. And in the four players here we've talked about in this segment with the quarterback Rogers and J.J. Watt and Ed Reed and finishing up with Aaron Donald. Appreciate you, Kevin Harlan. And you're like, who am I to be ranking these guys? You've seen more of these games than anyone. You are the guest. My son was most excited when I told him.

that you're coming on the show today. My son Walker was like, what, do you have Kevin Harlan on? I was like, yeah, it's going to be pretty cool. And your enthusiasm, your love for the game really comes through to talking about these players, but also in the game.

So I thank you for our listeners, for my son, too, of just helping our enjoyment of watching. It really appreciate you, Kevin. Well, thank you, Greg. An honor to be on with you. I'm privileged to be a part of this great listing of the most wonderful players

here in this quarter century. Yes, and it's not over yet. our next episode will be the series finale. We are ranking the top three players. Yes, it's been 25 players in 25 years, only three to go. And really looking forward to that finale for Kevin Harlan. I'm Greg Rosenthal. We'll see you next time.

Hey, everybody. Daniel Jeremiah here. And I'm Bucky Brooks. On Move to Six, we take you inside the game from breaking down college prospects and NFL rookies. to evaluating team building philosophies, coaching trends, and how front offices construct winning rosters. We study the tape, talk to decision makers, and give you a perspective you won't find anywhere else.

It's everything you need to understand the why behind what happens on Sunday. Don't miss it. Listen to the Move the Sticks podcast on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. I'm Marcus Grant. And I'm Michael Lev Florio, and together we hope. the NFL fantasy football podcast. Ready to dominate your fantasy league this season?

Then you need the NFL fantasy football podcast, your ultimate source for player news, draft tips, and winning strategies. Whether you're a rookie manager or a fantasy vet. We've got the insight to help you crush your opponents. Listen to the NFL fantasy football podcast on the iHeart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Toyota, the official automotive partner of the NFL. Visit Toyota.com slash NFL now to learn more.

This is an IHeart podcast.