Publix Tailgate Show: CBS Sports announcer Ian Eagle

The extended, podcast-exclusive version of the Publix Tailgate Show interview of CBS Sports play-by-play announcer Ian Eagle with senior reporter J.P. Shadrick ahead of the Week 11 game against the Pittsburgh Steelers.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
With the call of today's game on CBS Sports. It's
our good friend, I an Eagle. Week eleven is here.
Can you believe it? I am? How did we get here? JP? It?
It feels like a blur in many ways, and I
know it's been such strange circumstances, but somehow, week after week,

(00:21):
the NFL is playing its schedule. And although it's been circuitous,
here we are at week eleven, Week eleven, but the
league is on intensive protocol. Every team in the NFL,
the rest of the way it was announced this week,
has to to do the intensive protocol. The Jacks had
to go through it a few weeks ago when they
had the practice squad. Every team has to be on

(00:41):
this and they're just doing it to ensure they're doing
everything they can to make sure all these games are played. Yeah.
I can just tell you from a personal perspective of
starting the season, CBS had protocols in place. We've followed
them from day one. We've had no production meetings in
person that include team meetings and our own personal group

(01:04):
Saturday nights. That was always a big part of the weekend,
getting together, getting into a conference room, swapping ideas, taking
a look at the graphics and the video and now
all of that is being done virtually, And what I
have seen over the last few weeks are some cases
popping up within the broadcast ranks, and that's not surprising.

(01:26):
Just because you work for a broadcast network doesn't mean
that you are impervious to this. As the numbers rise
across the country, it's only natural that some of the
situations are going to flare up. So the NFL's perspective,
they want to keep their guys safe. That has been
the goal from day one, but a lot of it

(01:47):
is still on the honor system when the players leave
the facility that they're doing the right things, and that's
the part that is a helpless feeling if you're the NFL.
That was the difference with the end be A. When
they bubbled up, they knew where everybody was, they knew
what they were doing, and they understood that it was
going to take a collective effort to stay healthy and

(02:08):
they had no issues, very few hurdles. The NFL is
dealing with a completely different animal here. I am eagle
with us, and yeah, the other part of it too.
You might know where your immediate family is, but uncle
Larry and for Thanksgiving, you have no idea where he's been.
And that's the big challenge with the Thanksgiving holiday coming up.
Steelers Jaguars this week. You know it's always a physical matchup.

(02:31):
Regular season series tied twelve twelve all time, the Jags
won those two playoff games. How many Steelers Jaguars games
have you called? Just to throw it out there, I
probably had three or four through the years. When I
broke into CBS and Jacksonville was starting to ride that
Tom Coughlin, Mark Brunel, Tony BISSELLI, Fred Taylor wave, they

(02:57):
were getting the premier game and a lot of times
it was Greg Gumbel and Phil Sims in town along
with armand Kitayan who was the sideline reporter, and rightfully
so they earned it. And then as the years went on,
like everything, these matchups change and where you are in
the standings, Pittsburgh has been so consistent. As we know,

(03:18):
they've probably been the most consistent team in the NFL
over my twenty three years at CBS. We know that
New England has been the championship level team for most
of that time, but Pittsburgh, truly, you know what you're
going to get there so few dips along the way,
And I find it interesting because, look, I don't take

(03:42):
a lot out of previous matchups, certainly when the personnel changes.
To look back at the divisional game that I called
for CBS a few years ago and try to apply
that to this Pittsburgh Jacksonville game, you really can't. But
you do know what you're gonna get with the Steelers,
and it doesn't matter who's wearing that uniform. They're gonna
play physical, they're gonna play hard, and they're gonna step

(04:06):
on your throat if they have a chance to do so.
Mike Tomlin I have a lot of respect for him
for how he coaches his team, how he leads his guys,
and the kind of program that they continue to run.
It's been pretty amazing stretch for this franchise, and right
now there they're up there with all the teams that
you would talk about that could win a Super Bowl.

(04:26):
There in that conversation, of course, undefeated, but even beyond that,
I'm not sure JP we've seen their offense at their
best just yet. There are still explosion plays to be had.
Their running game has been mediocre to subpar, and they've
replaced it with a short passing game. So it's working

(04:47):
for them, but I still think there's room to grow offensively.
You still have big been pulling the trigger back there though,
and he's getting it out faster than anyone in the
league this year. Two point three one seconds time to
throw next gen stats and we're doing that now, all
the all that stuff. So he gets it out quickly,
and it gets it out to those playmakers and if

(05:07):
they break a tackle, then those big plays come. But
it seems like they've they've changed a little bit of
that over the years, or over the last couple of years.
We've been considering his health issues and such. You know,
he used to hold it a lot longer. It feels like, yeah,
I think he's gotten smarter over time. Look, he is
really a fearless guy when it comes to holding onto

(05:32):
the football trying to create a play. He will tell
you that he might be more athletic than others have
given him credit for. And he is sneaky athletic in
getting away from defenders and and finding openings to to
make something happen down the field. But what I do
think they've done with Randy Feakner, with Matt Canada, the

(05:53):
QB coach. They put some new things into play here,
and there's a new mentality of hey, you've got guys
that when they catch the football, they can make it happen.
It doesn't have to be the forty five yard passed
down field anymore. That was their offense with Antonio Brown,
and rightfully so, Antonio was a game breaker. Their receivers

(06:14):
are still explosive, but maybe in a different way, and
they've been really smart in how they run their offense.
And I think Ben has been really smart, and he's
throwing the football as well as I've seen. It's it's
pretty incredible when you think of it. Look, there are
quarterbacks that can come into this league every year trying
to unseat starters. And the fact that we've had this

(06:35):
core group that could hold onto a starting job and
play at a Hall of Fame level for thirteen years, fourteen, fifteen,
seventeen years. I don't know if this is the norm
or we've just grown used to it. I don't believe
we're gonna see this again and again. And I know

(06:56):
there are great players that come through the ranks. There's
a finite number that can play at this level and
We just happen to be at a time in the
NFL where we've seen a bunch of them. I an
eagle with us CBS Sports. Will go from that conversation
to a guy who's making his third career start in
the National Football League, and Jake Luton, Jaguar's quarterback. He's

(07:17):
done some good things. He's obviously has a very limited
sample size so far, but he's got the opportunity to
prove that he deserves to be in the league in
some capacity. I think that's the thing for him. His
performance the last two weeks and now the greatest challenge
he's had so far against the Steelers defense. It's another
young guy, another late round draft pick, and I feel

(07:38):
like that's been the story around here the last couple
of years. Yeah, when you're a GM in the NFL,
the NBA, Major League Baseball, NHL, you will go to
your grave telling people why you made the selection that
you made. And oftentimes it's the bigger names and the
higher scrutiny level of players that will curb and affect

(08:04):
your reputation. So if I'm a talent evaluator and James
Robinson emerges and you can get credit in some form
for finding and discovering James Robinson. You just grapple that
and and put it onto your personal resume as quickly
as possible. Jake Lewton would qualify if he has a

(08:28):
ten year NFL career, even in a backup role or
spots starter as a sixth round draft pick at quarterback.
That goes on your resume, that's on there forever. So yeah,
this is a really important time for him to show
that he belongs. You nailed it not to be a
starter in this league. That'll take care of itself if

(08:48):
he's the real deal. Eventually, either the Jaguars will determine
that or other teams will figure it out first and foremost,
you have to prove that you belong. And I've seen
a few occasions, more than a few jp where a
guy who's been in the league at quarterback for four
years and he's making backup money, and he gets a
second contract and maybe he gets a little more than

(09:10):
backup money, and then the starter goes down and he's
got to actually play, and after one game you realize
he can't do it. He can't do it. So the
goal in some ways for backup quarterbacks that no deep down,
they're not starting quarterback says hey, I'm just gonna keep
going on this path until somebody taps me on the

(09:32):
shoulder and says it's over. Or if you're the guy
like Jake Luton that gets the opportunity, you gotta make
good on it. You gotta deliver to some degree. I
think in his first two games he's proven with his
attitude and enough of a command right now that he
can handle the bigger stage. This is a different level though.

(09:52):
He's going against the Steeler team. They're out for blood.
Final thought with you here. You mentioned one of those names,
James Robinson, rookie running back, undrafted guy playing really well
this year. Miles Jack on the defensive side. We know
him well. He's already on a second contract. He's playing
at what could be a Pro Bowl level. But the
challenges the team record there one at eight, they're not

(10:14):
going to get the recognition nationally because of the circumstances
around here, and that just doesn't seem fair. But that's
the lay of the land. First of all, I don't
even think they're playing a Pro Bowl this year, so
that that's the first thing. So the idea that players
won't go. Nobody's going as far as I know. With
that said, I think both guys are getting talked about

(10:37):
and they're not going unnoticed. Miles Shack is having the
best year of his career. He has certainly been the
best player on that side of the ball, and that's
not going unnoticed. And his reputation has been very good
before this year, so now it's just adding to it.
And James Robinson, I remember when Arian Foster broke into
the league and there was this in crazy juelists, skeptical

(11:01):
feeling initially like I don't know, everybody didn't see what
we're seeing now, and at some point the bubble might burst.
No no, no no, no no. When you're talented and it
shows weekend and week out, people pay attention and James
Robinson will get the recognition. He's a tremendous story. But

(11:22):
the production also has has matched the narrative. I had
always great to visit with you. Always appreciate your time
and hopefully we'll see you again down the line very
soon and have a great call. Yeah, I appreciate it. JP.
All the best to you and keep crushing it.