Rich Eisen Cade Stover Massaging the cow Photo Credit: Cade Stover (right)
By Arthur Weinstein on

Fans watching the NFL Scouting Combine Friday night learned a couple of things. First, massaging a cow can help a player strengthen his hands. Also, “Massaging the Leather” would be a really good fantasy football team name.

NFL Network’s Rich Eisen got things going in a bizarre exchange with reporter Charles Davis. Eisen referenced a video that Ohio State tight end Cade Stover posted on social media showing him massaging a cow.

“I’ve never set anyone up like this in my quarter century of doing this,” Eisen said. “Charles, why was this guy on the screen here, Cade Stover, massaging a cow? Do you have the answer?”

“Gentlemen, I was actually correct in my assessment. He says he’s doing it to strengthen his hands. He looked me dead in the eye and he said, ‘I’m massaging the leather.’ There you go guys.”

“Now that’s the name of my fantasy team next year,” Eisen said, with brilliant comedic timing. “And I have my avatar.”

Eisen seemed to fall in love with the phrase. A short while later, after the broadcast showed a highlight of Penn State tight end Theo Johnson making a nice catch, Eisen noted, “And it’s just like massaging the leather.”

Will “massaging the leather” become a thing now?

As for Stover, he is widely regarded as the No. 3 tight end in the 2024 NFL Draft, and is a projected third-round pick. Among his other strengths, NFL.com cites “sticky hands.” No word on whether he developed that trait from “massaging the leather.”

[@awfulannouncing; Photo Credit: Cade Stover (right)]

About Arthur Weinstein

Arthur spends his free time traveling around the U.S. to sporting events, state and national parks, and in search of great restaurants off the beaten path.

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