Rich Eisen#38 of 87 NFL pundits · Feb 18, 2026
Eisen power ranked the 10 teams with new head coaches by their chances of a Mike Vrabel-style turnaround, with Baltimore first and Arizona last. They also predicted Kirk Cousins would be Atlanta's Week 1 starter, expected Deshaun Watson to start in Cleveland, and named the Titans as a team they like.
Said on air, transcribed by us · The Rich Eisen Show (podcast)Hear the original
What Rich Eisen said
our reading, beside the words we read it fromThat's my power rankings list of new head coaches that can go on a magical run.
- Where it was said
- The Rich Eisen Show (podcast)
- The episode
- Hour 2: ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr, plus Power Ranking the NFL’s New Head Coach Hires
- The original
- Hear the original
- Read it wrong?
- Tell us and we will look
- SaidFeb 18
- GradedAug 13
- 1Power Rankings“The power ranking of teams with new head coaches who could make a Vrabel like turnaround... Somebody's gotta be tenth and I'm putting the cardinals here... Because you know number one is Baltimore.”
- 2Kirk Cousins to be 1st on the depth chart“Who's quarterback? I think it's Cousins. I think they're gonna figure out a way to keep him... And he starts week one? Yeah. I bet you.”
- 3Tennessee Titans to beat expectations“Reluctantly I'll give you another one. I do have I like I I like I like the titans too.”
- 4Deshaun Watson to be 1st on the depth chart“I need to see what Deshaun Watson's gonna look like for for Todd Monken because I'd be surprised if he doesn't start.”
Box score
HitCloseMissWaiting| Verdict | Call | Kind | What happened | Score | Naive | Skill |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| “The power ranking of teams with new head coaches who could make…”1 | Power Rankings | — | 85.45 | 86.67 | −1.21 | |
| Kirk Cousins to be 1st on the depth chart2 | Depth Chart Calls | No. 2 | 91.67 | 91.67 | 0 | |
| Tennessee Titans to beat expectations3 | Surprise Team Calls | — | — | — | — | |
| Deshaun Watson to be 1st on the depth chart4 | Depth Chart Calls | — | — | — | — | |
| 4 calls · 2 hits · 2 waiting | 88.6 | 89.2 | ||||
How each call scored
a naive guessbetter than naiveworse than naive4 checkable claims — 2 depth chart calls, 1 power ranking and 1 surprise team call — each graded on its own rather than as one all-or-nothing call.
It names 5 players and teams, each linked to their own record.
2 of 4 have settled so far, averaging 88.6 out of 100, against 89.2 for a naive guess at the same calls.
Of the 1 unsettled call enough other pundits have weighed in on, this one lands below the rest of the room.
Each call is scored 0 to 100 against what happened, on its own, by the published methodology. The naive guess is what knowing nothing would have scored on the same calls; the gap, weighted by how hard the call was, is the skill.
“The power ranking of teams with new head coaches who could make a Vrabel like turnaround... Somebody's gotta be tenth and I'm putting the cardinals here... Because you know number one is Baltimore.”
VerdictHit85.45Hit · naive 86.6785.45this call−86.67a naive guess=−1.22worse than naive×1difficulty=−1.21skillThink this is wrong?How this was scored
- skill:
- −1.21
- method:
- spearman
- season:
- 2025
- accuracy:
- 85.45
- baseline:
- 86.67
- difficulty:
- 1
- weeks in the season:
- 18
- teams ranked:
- 10
- weeks left when called:
- 0
2Depth Chart CallsKirk CousinsAtlanta Falcons
Kirk Cousins to be 1st on the depth chart
What happenedNo. 2called No. 1 · by passing yards91.67Hit · naive 91.6791.67this call−91.67a naive guess=0better than naive×1difficulty=0skillThink this is wrong?How this was scored
- club:
- ATL
- skill:
- 0
- player:
- Kirk Cousins
- season:
- 2025
- accuracy:
- 91.67
- baseline:
- 91.67
- position:
- QB
- naive slot:
- 1
- actual slot:
- 2
- difficulty:
- 1
- measured by:
- passing yards
- the naive guess:
- where he sat last season
- weeks in the season:
- 18
- predicted slot:
- 1
- weeks left when called:
- 0
3Surprise Team CallsTennessee Titans
Tennessee Titans to beat expectations
VerdictWaitingNot settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
4Depth Chart CallsDeshaun WatsonCleveland Browns
Deshaun Watson to be 1st on the depth chart
VerdictWaitingNot settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
- All
The take as a whole
the average of 2 settled calls, each counted once
88.6naive 89.2
Who this take is about
Others on the same people
Logan Lazarczyk · Trade and Signing Calls · Kirk Cousins · Hit 100
Ahead of the trade deadline, they float three Raiders moves: shipping Kirk Cousins to Minnesota if the Vikings offer a second-round pick, selling Maxx Crosby to Dallas for a first-rounder plus, and acquiring Jaguars receiver Brian Thomas Jr. for a second- or third-round pick.Tom Pelissero · Trade and Signing Calls · Kirk Cousins · Hit 100
Pelissero laid out the Giants' quarterback situation with Jameis Winston starting, said Jayden Daniels likely won't be back when Washington plays the Giants and that Caleb Williams is unlikely to play Monday night, and floated Joey Porter Jr. landing in Dallas and Kirk Cousins being traded in-season.Alex Curry · Trade and Signing Calls · Kirk Cousins · Hit 100
Curry expects Fernando Mendoza to be taken No. 1 overall by the Raiders and to be thrown into the starting lineup immediately, and they say Kirk Cousins will be released by Atlanta within weeks.Alex Curry · Trade and Signing Calls · Kirk Cousins · Hit 100
Curry expects Fernando Mendoza to be the No. 1 overall pick and land with the Raiders, and they say Kirk Cousins will be released by Atlanta.
More depth chart calls
The same kind of call, about other players and teams.
Nic Bodiford · Depth Chart Calls · Joe Fagnano · Hit 100
Previewing Week 9 running game matchups, Bodiford expects Jacksonville to win lopsidedly over a depleted Baltimore team, with Bhayshul Tuten sitting out and Chris Rodriguez taking over as lead back, while Joe Fagnano starts at quarterback for the Ravens. They also view Broncos rookie Jonah Coleman as an RB2 going forward.Jacob Herlin · Depth Chart Calls · J.J. McCarthy · Hit 100
Herlin published Week 7 fantasy D/ST rankings with projections for 28 team defenses, led by Houston, Minnesota and Cleveland. They also expect Cleveland to post a fourth straight top-10 fantasy defense result, and predicts Jalon Daniels starts another week for Tampa Bay while J.J. McCarthy takes over as the Giants' starter.