RICH EISEN

The Draft is about the re-generation of hope and excitement for teams. Every pick your team makes could be the next Tom Brady. He could be the guy who turns around the fortune of the franchise.

I'd call the play-by-play of the action when me and my friends played street ball.

I had doors slammed in my face; I had a lot of news directors who wouldn't give me the time of day. Some told me I wouldn't have a future in the business.

I try to ask the questions I think fans want to hear and just have a good, relaxed conversation.

I don't think people are keen to have Coldplay tell me about Cam Newton's red zone option.

The Tuesday before the Super Bowl is all about the media. Well, to be honest, every day at the Super Bowl is about the media, but Tuesday of Super Bowl week is specifically called Media Day.

I have a competitive streak.

It's my job to take the fans sitting at home on their couch and put them in my shoes.

The O. J. Simpson trial was the launching-off point for a lot of our pop culture and news culture habits and touchstones.

Nothing trumps good conversation.

The NFL has captured the casual fan.

There's no greater cause in the world than finding cures for our sickest children. And no one does that better than St. Jude because its families never have to worry about paying the hospital for anything.

Sports is the ultimate escape, the ultimate in reality programming. It's true drama. You really don't know what's going to happen.

There are hundreds of millions of people on dating apps every day, but apparently, no such apps cater solely to sports fans.

Good late-night humor can work at any time of the day.

I'm living the dream, man.

I talk about the NFL Draft on a daily basis because this is the sport I cover - this is the show I do - and I talk about everything that's taking place every single day.

I realized early on in my life that I couldn't hit the curve or throw the 50-yard post pattern, so talking about it would be my way in.

The days of the heavyweight champion as civil rights leader are long gone. You think you'd see Ali rolling around on the floor of an ESPN Zone? I don't think so.

There is a lot of information to know, but I prepare for the NFL Draft by coming to work every day.

We just have fun with our NFL Draft coverage because we understand that it's a long process, and there can be technical glitches that we don't profess to ignore. During our late coverage of the Draft, we sometimes get slap-happy and distort the heads of our analysts.

In broadcasting, you're pretty much married to your job.

Everybody is owned by somebody.

I'm a fine wine: I just get better with age. Actually, I'm like the Benjamin Button of the Combine. The older I get, the younger I look and feel.

The raw emotion and physical nature of the NFL definitely push a lot of peoples' buttons. It's played once a week, so every game is important.