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Dan Le Batard
This is the Dan Levatar show with the Stugats podcast. The SEC 1 and 8 versus Power 4 teams. What a fraud conference, man. The whole thing just fraudulent. Miami beats. I mean, Miami beats 2, 1 loss SEC teams that are supposed to be the cream of the crop and Ohio State. So those, those are supposed to be the best teams. And Miami beat all of them and the country saw last night.
Tony Bacigalupo
This is the funny thing about the.
Dan Le Batard
Underdog tale and the lovable Trinidad Chambliss is that everyone watched that game was like, oh, my God, Miami's just mauling them.
Tony Bacigalupo
Like just physically mauling them. You can't be running 17 yards a carry. Everything second and two. They're just going to hold the ball all game.
Keenan McArdle
So we're not starting with Demoshek and NFL predictions.
Dan Le Batard
We should. You're right.
Tony Bacigalupo
Let's speed Damask up and get the.
Dan Le Batard
Five most interesting things going into this weekend.
Tony Bacigalupo
Are you ready, Damoshek?
Damachek
I'm ready. I'm ready.
Dan Le Batard
So give me what you've got on Jacksonville, because Dominique Foxworth and many others are saying the Jags are. And Tony, the Jags are clearly and obviously better than the Bills. It will surprise no one.
Chris Cody
Hold on a second.
Tony Bacigalupo
Wait.
Chris Cody
Dominique Foxworth said that?
Tony Bacigalupo
What?
Keenan McArdle
Stealing your boy stuff, man.
Dan Le Batard
Dominic just said on his podcast that.
Tony Bacigalupo
It'S obvious to him and clear to.
Dan Le Batard
Him that the Jags are better than the Bills.
Tony Bacigalupo
It should be obvious to everyone like six weeks ago. Damachek, Is it obvious to you?
Damachek
What's obvious to me is that the two best teams in the AFC are both from the AFC South. Jacksonville Jaguars. Jaguars, Please, not Jack, please. And the Houston Texans. Those are your two best teams. And as far as the Jacksonville game goes, on the other sideline, Sean McDermott. A lot of noise about Josh Allen, but if they lose this game, I think McDermott's out. So don't rush to hire John Harbaugh if you're the Dolphins or otherwise. If you like Sean McDermott a little bit better. Next. The Jenga pieces are back for the Eagles. The Jenga theory is, of course, if you remove the wrong piece, the whole thing's going to implode. The Eagles have one on defense. His name is Jalen Carter. He. He's back. As you already know, the offensive Jenga piece for the Philadelphia Eagles is Lane Johnson. He's back. That equals not just a victory over the diminished 49ers, it equals a visit to Santa Clara for Super Bowl 60 with a shot at repeating. Next. Talking about the coaching carousel and all of that. Just because they survived the Ravens on Sunday night does not mean Tomlin's in the clear. They need to win this game or they're still out in in the the land of ambiguity. At least I think in March. I you I would not be surprised if he moved on if they do not win this game. Next up. Oh the as far as that goes, the the loser of Sunday Night Football had they won that game, the Ravens. What is the buzz about them? Because everybody is now declared because everybody has to react to name brands and Josh Allen, this is his year to do it. Are we now picking the Ravens to go through the AFC and win that? I think there would be a there'd.
Dan Le Batard
Be expectations for MVP Lamar Jackson to be MVP Lamar Jackson, even though the reason they weren't as good and Harbaugh got fired is because this year he was not MVP Lamar Jackson.
Damachek
By the way, as far as Harbaugh goes, his great success is remarkable. How durable it was and how consistent he was. But don't forget forget that there there is a sort of biblical May I. I'm going to refer back to the Bible once again. But replacing Justin Tucker with that rookie who missed the kick. Justin Tucker is the reason the Ravens were relevant and in the playoffs a lot of seasons. I mean now everybody else has a good kicker, but at the time he was winning them games they otherwise wouldn't have. Keep that in mind when you're falling all over yourself to get John Harbaugh. And lastly, where I where I ended the last segment. I know that people are concerned. They're great. Their empathy doesn't want them to put too much pressure on Josh Allen or Matthew Stafford or C.J. stroud. Take it easy. The sample sizes are small. You can't judge them based on that. But keep in mind that's what's great about the playoffs. It's the whole point. They only give out one Lombardi Trophy at the end of every year. And that's what makes it so compelling is the severity of it. And and keep this in mind. It was always hard to win a Lombardi Trophy, as Dan Marino can tell you, and Jim Kelly and Fran Tarkenton. But right now there is no math that allows for Josh Allen and Lamar Jackson and Joe Burrow and Patrick Mahomes to get another one, at least one more before he goes on. And brock Purdy and C.J. stroud. And by the way, I think Bo Knicks and the Broncos are going to the Super Bowl. How about this sophomore class? If I'm right or Drake May does it or Caleb Williams goes to the Super Bowl. Their early entry into the conversation. The greatest draft class of all time, Jaden Daniels was in the title game a year ago. He had to sit it out from injury. We're already at that level. If one of or or more than one of those cats makes a run here and then why don't you believe.
Dan Le Batard
That Trevor Lawrence and the Jags. The most impressive convincing thing to me that I have seen in football the last six weeks was the Jags going to Denver and dragging that defense with tan. So why are you doing this where.
Tony Bacigalupo
You make that like legitimately.
Dan Le Batard
There's been some impressive stuff the last two months.
Tony Bacigalupo
The Rams could be undefeated. Five weird one score losses makes it totally possible that they go through the road and get to the Super Bowl. And no one would be surprised by that.
Dan Le Batard
No one at all would be surprised by that.
Tony Bacigalupo
Like I don't know why you're doing.
Dan Le Batard
This with Denver when Jacksonville seems that.
Tony Bacigalupo
Unless Houston's defense can stop Jacksonville, it seems fairly obvious that Jacksonville is better than anyone in the afc. So since, since making a trade that changed their wide receivers forever, I mean.
Damachek
It'S a very close call. I'm not the only person. I think, I think all of football America is pointing at that game. Buffalo and Jacksonville is the toughest call of this weekend. You know I am riding with for 60 minutes here one superhero performance from Josh Allen. I completely agree. Trevor Lawrence has out dueled Josh Allen in a side by side over the last six weeks or so. He's been the better quarterback. I am just. This is not based on anything intellectual. I am going with the gut. I think Buffalo survives that one. I can tell.
Chris Cody
I can tell it's not.
Damachek
Going with your gut.
Tony Bacigalupo
Might put you on the side with Toad is I'm telling people to go to football America and you're.
Damachek
I get it. I think that once in a while the superhero effect does it is not again durable. It's. You're not going to ride it. Buffalo is not going to the super.
Tony Bacigalupo
Your prediction, your prediction from the most hard to predict game of the weekend.
Dan Le Batard
Is I'm going with my gut damage filled with.
Damachek
Filled with that close. What are you, what are you going. Are you doing a spreadsheet on it? I this, this. It's a very narrow call to make and I am leaning with the known entity here and I know I'm being a little bit of a hypocrite for a number of reasons. I also think that Jacksonville is one of those teams that America for self identifying football fans. A lot of people could not name more than three guys off that rock. Dude, everybody knows forever Lawrence. And I think there is some, there's some momentum.
Dan Le Batard
No, their offense is. No, come on, they're skill.
Chris Cody
They got a good offense, man. Liam Cohen's a very good coach.
Damachek
Completely agree Liam, by the way, as I'm talking about John Harbaugh and Sean McDermott and all these, these retread guys. Who would you hire if you fired Mike Tomlin, if you fired John Harbaugh, who are you going to replace him with? These guys are the straws that stir the drink. Kyle Shanahan in San Francisco is more important than Brock Purdy is. KOC in Minnesota is more important. Ben Johnson clearly was more important in Detroit than, than, than Dan Campbell or Jared Goff is. And now the, the. The same is true down in Jacksonville. Instead of a retread, go and get yourself one of these clever OCs like Liam Cohen. He was a punchline because of his press conference a year ago.
Dan Le Batard
Now look, they tried that, they tried that.
Keenan McArdle
Keenan McArdle.
Damachek
Okay, you're, you're, you're on a nice role there. Maurice Jones, Drew, you guys are going.
Dan Le Batard
To keep doing this with 90s jags.
Keenan McArdle
Tony Bacelli.
Dan Le Batard
Jacksonville is the best team.
Chris Cody
Thank you.
Jeremy
Dan, I think it seems like you agree with Dominique.
Dan Le Batard
Well, I just can't. It's not just the best team this weekend. Jacksonville's the best team. And it's not like if you've been watching what they've been doing the last six weeks. They in the AFC eight weeks. They're, they're the buzz saw offense and, and unless Houston's defense can stop them.
Valerie
Dan, your refusal to believe in the Denver Broncos is astonishing to me.
Tony Bacigalupo
Well, what. It's because of what I saw them do at Denver. It's what I just have to do.
Valerie
It again at Denver.
Dan Le Batard
Okay.
Tony Bacigalupo
But they made it look pretty easy. Mark Brunel Last thing. Damascek.
Dan Le Batard
I wanted to ask you because I think much of the coverage around football is, is silly. But when we get into the numbers and the business of sport, you got to have value at left tackle, you got to have value at quarterback. Generally speaking, Trent Williams is regarded in San Francisco as the most indispensable offensive lineman there. However, in Philadelphia, every time Lane Johnson plays, they win and win the championship and when he doesn't, they stink and they lose.
Tony Bacigalupo
How is it that people, more people don't understand that Lane Johnson is a.
Dan Le Batard
Game changing machine as much as AJ Brown or Any like, if we're going.
Tony Bacigalupo
To make, if we're going to make Jason Kelsey famous, how have we made this per. This person's excellence not understood. The reason they win championships is when that guy plays right tackle, not left tackle Tony Brackens.
Damachek
The other side of that is who was the kid that the, the really tall white guy that they took. Who had. Was it Matt Jones? Matt Jones, Yes. Wow. Listen.
Dan Le Batard
Six, six wide receiver.
Damachek
Dan. I think Coke.
Chris Cody
I think.
Damachek
I think the problem is that I find it. The, the, the thing that I point to. There's a pretentious football fan is the person who starts to tell you about how good an offensive lineman is. Not most of us, most civilians cannot correctly identify a good offensive lineman versus a mediocre one. We can tell the bad ones because you can see the guys running by them. But beyond that that when people start letting you know about how good Tony Boselli was, you know that that person is full of crap. They could not watch film and watch. They could not watch film and tell you, oh, that guy's going to be great in the NFL. Look at that guy playing at Texas right now. He's a dominant left guard. You have no ability to, to, to articulate or to identify who's good or merely okay at what they're doing. That being said, I completely agree with you about Lane Johnson. Look at the results I think that you will see at the end of this weekend. If there is anyone who isn't aware of Lane Johnson's effect, I suspect that they will learn it based on SAQUON Barkley and company having a day against the San Francisco 49ers. Like I say, diminished rush defense. I also think right tackle Daniel J. Ari and I have talked about this a lot over the years. Name drop, left tackle is important, but if you're right handed, if you're not, if you're not Mark Brunell or Dave Damek throwing with the left man, music's over.
Tony Bacigalupo
That's it.
Damachek
Once we've got 20 more minutes, you've run 20 more minutes and then that's it.
Jeremy
By the way, I said Paul for the Dolphins was good Week three. So don't say that I can't.
Dan Le Batard
Football America. Football America is the name of.
Damachek
I can say things too. Chris Cody doesn't make them accurate. I can just throw out a bunch of crap about how great that offensive lineman is.
Chris Cody
One of my big goals for 2026.
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Chris Cody
How about that?
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Chris Cody
It even tells me what goals are.
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Chris Cody
All right, kicking things off with Smirnoff.
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Chris Cody
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Damachek
Smirnoff.
Dan Le Batard
Wow.
Chris Cody
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Damachek
Wow.
Chris Cody
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Valerie
Hello listeners. You know that I live in Miami, which means my idea of quote unquote winter is just putting on a hoodie or a cardigan and acting like I've suffered. But every time that I travel somewhere that's actually cold, I'm reminded that my wardrobe is cold. Completely and utterly unprepared. But that right there is where Quince comes in. I also realized that if I'm going to be on camera for broadcast gigs, I probably shouldn't look like I just grabbed whatever was closest to the door. Quint makes clothes that deliver premium materials, thoughtful design and pieces that hold up season after season after season after season. And particularly with quints, their outerwear has been the thing that's especially impressed me. Those down jackets, wool coats, Italian leather. And folks, that cashmere sweater, ridiculously soft, looks great and somehow doesn't cost what you'd expect. Trust me, I am the only one on this show who actually dresses to impress. And Quince is what's now helping me do it. Refresh your winter wardrobe with quince. Go to quince.com dan for free shipping on your order and 365 day returns. Now available in Canada, too. That's q u I n c-e.comDanDan Free shipping and 365 day returns. Quints.comDanDan Lerd Football.
Damachek
Football, football, Football, football.
Dan Le Batard
St. What?
Damachek
This is the D Levatar show with the stuff.
Dan Le Batard
You and your toy. Jesus. Get out of here. If people want more coverage, they could find you on Football America. Thank you, Josh.
Damachek
Oh, we got a beauty coming for you today.
Dan Le Batard
Yes, it's a lot of fun. What is approaching with these playoffs? I did want to. I actually wanted to. And we couldn't get to it because he talks too much. I wanted to find what would be the historical comp for.
Damachek
For.
Tony Bacigalupo
What do you mean?
Dan Le Batard
There's an offensive lineman out there who wanders the earth and they win championships and the champions always win in tough guy Philadelphia when he's tougher than everyone else at offensive line play. So good at it that he's a right tackle who everyone in football knows is whatever Trent Williams is as a left tackle.
Tony Bacigalupo
What's the historical comp for a human being who's running through football that way? And shouldn't that be the guy, the guy. The guy who has to black block Max Crosby successfully? Should that not be the guy who is the guy who gets to be the king of football more than Patrick Mahomes or anyone else? The guy who every time Jason Kelsey's famous because he was one of the.
Dan Le Batard
Five guys on that line, but all.
Tony Bacigalupo
The other four guys on that line go, no, that's the. That's the guy who's the biggest of the gorillas. Give me the historical comp for an offensive lineman that gives off of that.
Dan Le Batard
I. I don't have one.
Tony Bacigalupo
Like, I don't. I believe this person should be a lot more famous than he is. I believe the idea of somebody being a mauling right tackle is a mauling right tackle who wins championships because the Chiefs are not physically strong enough to deal with whatever that thing is. Because we talked to Lane Johnson. He. He laughed. He laughed.
Dan Le Batard
He's like, yeah, I needed a babysitter for a while because of, you know, the performance enhancers. There's rage control, impulse control issues.
Tony Bacigalupo
There's a person playing for the Philadelphia.
Dan Le Batard
Eagles, the champions, who make Saquon Barkley.
Tony Bacigalupo
A who every time he plays Damascus. And everyone else is saying, yeah, the.
Dan Le Batard
Eagles win the championships you've been talking about all year, but they're going to go back to being the thing that has five cement mixers and just choose up offense.
Tony Bacigalupo
And what's so weird about why isn't Jayla. Why is Jalen hurts have so many three now it's, oh, because Lane Johnson's not playing.
Jeremy
Is there a better first name for an offensive lineman than Lane? You create lanes.
Dan Le Batard
I was thinking about this the other day with Gainwell. That's a good name for a running back.
Tony Bacigalupo
I'm like, is it the best name.
Dan Le Batard
For a running back? And then I'm like, no. Chase Brown is. Because he's telling you from the back of his uniform the verb you have to do to catch it.
Valerie
Chase Brown's a writer.
Dan Le Batard
Chase Brown.
Valerie
Those are both great.
Tony Bacigalupo
Well, Gainwell's easy. Chase Brown is for a running back name Chase. Chase Brown is great in terms of.
Jeremy
First names, though, for an offensive lineman. Lane.
Valerie
Crazy that he's the most important lane in football. Lane Kiffin isn't even the most important lane in football.
Dan Le Batard
Damage Jack, since he's still there, can you answer my question. What's the historic.
Chris Cody
Why is he still here for?
Keenan McArdle
I love it.
Tony Bacigalupo
Give me the historic comp for Lane.
Dan Le Batard
Johnson because I don't have it in the room.
Damachek
Here, boy. Now see, now I've been put on the spot. I should have just turned my. My laptop off when I had a chance because I don't have the.
Chris Cody
Didn't know how.
Jeremy
He should have asked Patrick Paul, maybe.
Tony Bacigalupo
The toy Jesus, Jimmy Smith, by the way.
Damachek
See, Amin's got the answers. Let's lean on him. I'm trying to think of the. I'm trying to run through in my head in super bowl era, the strength was the O line.
Tony Bacigalupo
The re.
Dan Le Batard
The reason I'm bring this up, the only reason I'm bringing this up is Damoshek really loves football. He really knows football. And as much as he knows and loves football, I think he might love.
Tony Bacigalupo
Football history even more than that. And I think it's unfair in a game of violence and real estate acquisition.
Dan Le Batard
That the linemen don't get enough attention.
Tony Bacigalupo
But now Jason Kelsey has a talk show. But the biggest beast in the business is Lane Johnson. And I don't feel like enough people understand what that means. And I don't have a comp for him at all. James Stewart at all. I don't have any comp for him.
Dan Le Batard
Not one.
Damachek
Natron means there's. There's one for you. I mean, Dan, I completely hear you, but do you hear my point that I think it's. We are detached from it. We can't really. We try to celebrate. I mean, I grew up, as did you, with people talking about, well, Anthony Munoz. Everybody knows he's the greatest left tackle. Everybody gets that, like, based on what? What? Because the experts tell us that beyond that, we don't really have the ability, ability to divine that with our own eyes. I think that's why it's a little bit unsatisfying for us to try and celebrate offensive lineman, because deep down most of us understand we don't get it.
Dan Le Batard
Reggie Barlow, Football America is the podcast. Now get out of here. Just close your laptop and get out of here.
Tony Bacigalupo
Tony, what game are we playing here?
Jeremy
I'm trying to help you, Dan. Is Jonathan Ogden a good one?
Dan Le Batard
Well, but here, the reason that I'm doing this. Okay, look, so I don't know if you guys noticed or not, but is it Diego Pounds, the left tackle for Mississippi because Ruben Bane was shut down last year, last night, and I didn't think that was a possible thing. Now they moved him around and I. I don't know the specifics of whether or not because I haven't broken down film. I don't know whether Bane was being.
Tony Bacigalupo
Moved to avoid the fact that he wasn't getting pressure or whether they were.
Dan Le Batard
Just moving him around strategically.
Valerie
We may not have seen it, but according to Kevin Clark, Reuben Bain had more pressures six than anyone on either team last night. So he may not have had the sacks, he may not have had the big tackles that you noticed, but he did have six pressures.
Jeremy
I'm with Dan though. I didn't notice him a lot.
Chris Cody
There's a lot of scheme stuff happening too, right? Like Ole Miss is very good at getting rid of the ball quickly and trying to make things happen. So what's the easiest way to get to neutralize a pass rush? Throw the ball out where he can't get there. So that's just been quick.
Dan Le Batard
You guys saw what the first quarter was of that game, okay. As Miami control had the ball the entire first quarter. And then the second quarter starts in Mississippi is Ole Miss is up seven three because they get a 73 yard run. Okay. It's the longest run against Miami since 2017. Miami had allowed only a 30 yard rush against Notre Dame as the longest run. A total fluke of a play.
Tony Bacigalupo
Fluke. Like a fluke of a play that hasn't happened in eight years. This defense is violent and good.
Dan Le Batard
We all know this. It's not up for question.
Tony Bacigalupo
But when Bane last night is quieter than he was in any of the previous two games. And he spoiled us and many of the games played this season. Six pressures. You are correct.
Dan Le Batard
Good game for mortals. And. But no, this guy is supposed to be tougher than all the other guys. And the biggest advantage Miami had last night was defensive line. They've got two.
Damachek
First, I like that Dan had to just. I like that Dan just had to move from his left hand to his right hand because it looked like he was picking my giant nose. For the viewers out there, David Gard, maybe Ed.
Valerie
Get to the edge.
Chris Cody
To that point though Dan Akeem Esdor got hurt also and that's a big part of their line.
Jeremy
Then came back.
Chris Cody
Did probably put a knee.
Dan Le Batard
I wondered what they shot him up with. Did you guys. I mean there's.
Jeremy
He was like on the ground like shaking.
Dan Le Batard
No, he shouldn't have been on the field.
Chris Cody
Would you see how hard his elbow hit the helmet?
Jeremy
And then a.
Chris Cody
And then a 500 pound guy landed on in an awkward way. Like that guy's a beast.
Tony Bacigalupo
Would we actually want to Know the.
Dan Le Batard
Science of just, hey, take me with a camera to find out what Macedore just had to do to get back in this game.
Chris Cody
It's a very long needle.
Jeremy
Might it have just. Might it have just been a Stinger? And he didn't actually need anything called vitamin Stinger.
Dan Le Batard
That's not how that sting. That's not how Stingers work? No. Like, I don't know how Stingers don't work.
Chris Cody
Your arm going the wrong way on somebody's helmet.
Jeremy
Big Stinger guy.
Dan Le Batard
I look forward.
Tony Bacigalupo
Well, no, I'm not a big.
Dan Le Batard
All right, Chris.
Tony Bacigalupo
No, I'm not a big. You hit me with.
Jeremy
That's not how Stingers work, Chris.
Dan Le Batard
Okay, I did hit you with this.
Tony Bacigalupo
And then you came back at me with big stinger guy. Are you Stinger friends? No, but being in locker rooms and talking to athletes about how Stingers work.
Jeremy
I don't know about Stingers.
Tony Bacigalupo
Look, just when we don't understand what.
Dan Le Batard
We'Re watching in football, because we don't in terms of what the physical pain.
Tony Bacigalupo
Is, the stinger is low on the list.
Dan Le Batard
And if it happened to me, I would be a coward. That's why Cristobal is more of a man than I am. So when I asked the questions about.
Tony Bacigalupo
What is a Stinger usually? And look, there were a lot of.
Dan Le Batard
Violent hits in that game. A number of them. And a number of guys were going.
Tony Bacigalupo
Off the field with what looked like Stingers.
Dan Le Batard
Because of the nature of the collisions.
Tony Bacigalupo
A Stinger usually doesn't happen because someone has Hulk Hogan leg dropped on the right side of your elbow when it's on the back of its arm. That's just ignorance from you. It's not because I'm a stinger guy. It's because you sound like an idiot. Asshole.
Keenan McArdle
Blaine Gabbard.
Jeremy
I've had a Stinger where, you know, a couple minutes later, you're like, all right, I'm ready.
Damachek
Portals.
Tony Bacigalupo
How is he still here? How. How bigger than why? Why is Dan Michek still here? Football America is coming up.
Dan Le Batard
You should check out Football America. I don't feel like we've covered the NFL well enough today.
Damachek
Jack Del Rio, he was the guy who wanted the ax in the room. And then the punter hit himself. He tried to do it, and he almost cut his leg off. The Jacksonville Jaguars, everybody. The team whose logo is a jaguar with a sick blue tongue. What's going on? What disease does that. Does that jaguar have that his tongue turned blue? Teal, I'm worried about him.
Jeremy
My word association With Jack Del Rio is me at the Bristol Hotel, couple seats over at the bar. Not saying anything to him, just kind of keeping an eye on him. Just observing him.
Keenan McArdle
That double tree.
Jeremy
Yeah.
Damachek
What do you want to. What do you want to talk about? You said we haven't covered the NFL playoffs well. Enough. Enough. What do you want to talk about? We. We've done. We've got former Olympic sprinter.
Tony Bacigalupo
Keep it moving. Wide receiver Damek. When he hits you with the north cut, you just let it go and keep it moving. You can't break character. You just have to. You have to keep it moving.
Damachek
You don't tell me.
Tony Bacigalupo
Get him out of here.
Dan Le Batard
All right?
Tony Bacigalupo
Just get him out of here. He tried. No, he. He's done. He just not giving me the timing I need today. And you need to get him out of here because he's haunting me, and I don't want him around.
Damachek
I. Vista. Mazel Tovanes. Cuidado, Fernando.
Tony Bacigalupo
I called him last week a yammering knob. He's a yammering.
Chris Cody
You called that last segment.
Tony Bacigalupo
I love him.
Damachek
If you think I'm just going to sit here and take that, I mean, I will.
Tony Bacigalupo
Lewis won't take him away.
Jeremy
I keep telling Lewis, get him out of here.
Tony Bacigalupo
I can't physically get him away.
Damachek
I wonder where that had to be. That to him for sure.
Tony Bacigalupo
Really, Lewis? Lewis. Really, Lewis. Do you realize how bad you are at this damage? That it would be so obvious that everyone here would be really upset? Bingo. Joke.
Amazon Prime Ad Speaker
There it is.
Tony Bacigalupo
That clearly had.
Chris Cody
Does he know what you can always.
Jeremy
Hear Louis is writing when it comes to other people.
Damachek
Magusta. Louise Magusta.
Dan Le Batard
All right, please leave the premises. Thank you. Damage Football, America's name of the podcast and the people who enjoy the network that we are building. David Sampson. I don't know how it is that he is still working the way that he is because of what it is that he's going through, but nothing personal. Pablo Torre finds out, and Dimashek's Football America, they are fun, different shows, and so I urge you today to support the one that he's doing in record numbers so that Dimashek's following can continue to grow. But please get him out of here. Like, remove him from my.
Damachek
That's the win. Here we go, Steelers. Here we go, Hoosiers.
Chris Cody
Oh, get out of here.
Dan Le Batard
Tony, can you just help me, like, spiritually, how do I manage d', Mashek, who is an uncontrollable scourge, whether it's garlic breath or just yammering knob.
Tony Bacigalupo
You can't get him to shut up.
Chris Cody
You can't. But sometimes he's got good stuff to say. So, like, you want to keep him around just in case he's got a gem in there. But then he gives you, like, three minutes of penguins talking. You're like, who the hell does he want?
Valerie
I smile.
Jeremy
I love when Damek joins.
Dan Le Batard
The problem is what Tony's saying, though. He doesn't have judgment about what's interesting, so he thinks everything he's saying is.
Tony Bacigalupo
Interesting and 10% of it is right.
Chris Cody
And then you get that 10. You're like, oh, that was good.
Tony Bacigalupo
But he doesn't know which is the 10 and which is the 90. He doesn't know the difference. It's the problem. He's got a judgment problem.
Jeremy
You guys don't get it.
Keenan McArdle
And you do?
Jeremy
I do. I get Damachek, and I love him.
Dan Le Batard
What are you getting?
Jeremy
Just that he's. He's doing, like. It's just his stick man. Yes, he's gonna ramble, but it's just great. I love it when the best. When, like, you're. When you say something to him and it's like.
Keenan McArdle
It's like going down a water slide. Dips and turns and Whoa.
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Tony Bacigalupo
Clock.
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Don LeBatard in terms of Heat fans, you're the most irrational of us right now.
Dan Le Batard
What's the pivot?
Jeremy
Oh, irrational stugats.
Tony Bacigalupo
How am I irrational? You don't hear your voice. Your voice. You. If I were making a cartoon thing that was meant to symbolize irrational, that's.
Jeremy
The voice I would give entire premise. Premise.
Dan Le Batard
This is the D?
Damachek
Ler show with the st.
Chris Cody
It's more like Space Mountain. I was just over there over the weekend, over the week with with my daughter for the first time. She wasn't on Space Mountain.
Keenan McArdle
I was.
Chris Cody
But you forget how dark it is.
Jeremy
20 mil 20 mgs?
Chris Cody
No, no, no. Stone cold like Steve Austin, baby. So you're there on Space Mountain, but the thing is, it's dark.
Keenan McArdle
It's in the dark.
Chris Cody
You can't see shit.
Jeremy
It's the worst ride ever. So you're there, you're like, oh my overrated ride ever.
Tony Bacigalupo
Overrated.
Jeremy
I don't like it. I want to see what I'm doing.
Keenan McArdle
No, I like the the uncertainty.
Valerie
You know, it's just Thunder Mountain, but dark soundtrack, but built exactly the same way.
Jeremy
I don't know if that's true. I'm not sure if that's true. I'm gonna have to fact check.
Dan Le Batard
Put it on the poll please. At Lebatard show our Space Mountain and Thunder Mountain exactly the same thing designs except for Space Mountain is just in the dark.
Tony Bacigalupo
Doesn't Space Mountain do loops? It doesn't do a loop.
Chris Cody
No loop.
Tony Bacigalupo
No loop.
Keenan McArdle
It's just real.
Dan Le Batard
I didn't think what Jeremy was saying was accurate.
Tony Bacigalupo
He did seem to think that what.
Dan Le Batard
He was saying was accurate. And once he did that, I'm assuming he knows because he had seriously googling.
Jeremy
Right now I definitely think Google I answers the question.
Damachek
No.
Jeremy
Space Mountain and Big Thunder Mountain are.
Valerie
Not the same Google AI.
Jeremy
They're distinct Disney roller coasters with different themes and experiences. Though both are offering thrilling with multiple tracks in some locations.
Dan Le Batard
Jeremy, why would you feel the need to give misinformation like that as the woke person that you are, where you just came out confidently with something that.
Damachek
Because I'm trying to move to the.
Valerie
Other side of the Venn diagram.
Keenan McArdle
There you go.
Chris Cody
He wants to be on the cool side. Then the issue is that if he gets that view.
Valerie
Nonsense.
Chris Cody
If he wants to give that take, he's got to double down and completely own the take.
Damachek
Right.
Chris Cody
If you say, hey, Space Mountain and Thunder Mountain are exactly the same. You got to own that thing till you die. And be like, I did all of the tracks on Thunder Mountain. I did all the tracks on Space.
Jeremy
It does say that there are some track similarities, but they are not the same.
Chris Cody
Yeah, but I would say they are the same. And then double down.
Keenan McArdle
That's how you get to the other side.
Valerie
And then I tell you to look it up. I don't look it up.
Chris Cody
And then I tell you I don't. You don't even need to look it up. I did it.
Valerie
How about, yeah, I have done.
Chris Cody
I did it.
Dan Le Batard
It's rare around here, though, that anyone says something with conviction and then five people look at them and say, that's not right in any way.
Valerie
They don't know.
Keenan McArdle
Well, there you go.
Valerie
I've gone to Disney every summer for the last 30 years.
Keenan McArdle
Okay, now you lost it.
Damachek
Well, but no, it's true.
Tony Bacigalupo
He's building there.
Dan Le Batard
You gave us your bonafide.
Tony Bacigalupo
He's building.
Jeremy
Yeah, there we go.
Dan Le Batard
I mean, what I would like to know, because I believe in the most wonderful way possible that our show over the next week is going to be an obnoxious embarrassment of being whatever it is Miami was 20 years ago and what it was 10 years before that. So I cannot talk enough about this football game last night because of how funny the entirety of it is, because it was wonder, like the business of all this over the last five years, pandemic spending. Lane Kiffin's worth this. Crystal Ball's worth this. Who can get the.
Tony Bacigalupo
Who can run around the inner cities and round up the best guys to be tougher than the best guys in the sec? Cause we're doing this quiet as it's.
Dan Le Batard
Kept really cheap because the payrolls are only $20 million. Only $20 million when that's what it costs to be Ohio State. That's what it costs to be Miami.
Tony Bacigalupo
You tell me. Lane Kiffin is super important.
Dan Le Batard
Saw no evidence of it yesterday. The team that was better, the team.
Tony Bacigalupo
That looked the best coached, was the one that was totally overmatched and still in the game because it wasn't making penalties and it wasn't it throwing the ball when it clearly should be running the ball. When Mississippi realized. When Ole Miss realized they couldn't run the ball anymore, which they realized when they had 74 yards rushing and all of it was on one run, they said, okay, we're not going to run the ball anymore. And our running backs out with a hamstring. The team that was better coached yesterday lost and barely because they were totally overmatched and had no business being in that football game.
Chris Cody
I will say this. Golding is going to be a very good coach in college football. Like what he did to rally the troops and get those guys focused and playing good football. I was really surprised by Goulding. I was like, man, this guy gets it. They showed his. His background of playing D2 and then going here and then going there and going to Alabama, coming back and it's like this guy gets it. So I'm. I'm excited to see what Pete Golding has to do.
Jeremy
Why are you giving Ole Miss better coached yesterday? Just because of the Miss like the penalties.
Dan Le Batard
We're disciplined. No, I'm just saying if the way that we do this just the way that we do it.
Tony Bacigalupo
Right.
Dan Le Batard
It's not just the penalties.
Tony Bacigalupo
Right. If I. That was a disaster football game that might.
Jeremy
They had drops and penalties. I just don't know if that's coaching.
Dan Le Batard
No, but. But so Chris, let's start here.
Tony Bacigalupo
Wherever it is, the discipline resides on.
Dan Le Batard
How it is that you measure.
Tony Bacigalupo
All of these guys study all week at like military complexes to not false start twice.
Dan Le Batard
Because.
Tony Bacigalupo
Because the game plan is this week.
Dan Le Batard
Here's the advantages we have going in guys. Ole Miss, they're not as big as us.
Tony Bacigalupo
We're going to grind them to dust with Fletcher. It's going to be really easy. It's second and three all game.
Dan Le Batard
Just don't make mistakes. Don't make mistakes.
Tony Bacigalupo
More penalties in one game than they.
Dan Le Batard
Had in the previous three combined.
Tony Bacigalupo
When you need to be disciplined this time of year, Mississippi can't convert a third down. Overwhelmed in every way physically alone the offensive and defensive line. But somehow still has four sacks, even though she shouldn't have any. Beck's playing a different game than most quarterbacks. He just sits back there with the ball. He just sits back there and he's got plenty of time. The sacks he took, it's because he's holding the ball too long like it's. Everything is schemed to have Beck have success in that game. And Beck did good game managing and then bailed out the entire coaching staff and the entire city on that last drive. Because Miami, overwhelmingly physically superior the entire game now had a tired team and defense that had 90 plays run on it. And yet still with 18 seconds left, who goes right down the field and is throwing into your end zone, it ain't the poorly coached team.
Chris Cody
It was, it was terrifying with those 18 seconds left on the clock because you're looking to be like, it can't happen like this. It can. It cannot end like this. Where they go down the field.
Tony Bacigalupo
18 seconds, no timeouts.
Chris Cody
They had one, one. They had one timeout, I think.
Valerie
And while that last drive offensively was pretty perfectly executed by Miami, there were several drives earlier in the game where it felt like the, the play calling was like out of nowhere. It was like, they're dominating. They're running the ball for 7, 8 yards. A flea flicker. What are you doing? Why are you cat on third and.
Chris Cody
Four when you're at the 20 yard line?
Jeremy
Monday morning quarterbacker works in the moment.
Chris Cody
She was grounding. It was an intentional ground. You've been running the.
Damachek
Out of the ball.
Valerie
They were just dominating. It just felt like they could have won by a lot more. I, I actually did find myself, like rooting for Miami last night. And I was sitting there going like, what in the world is going on here? Why are you not just running the ball down their throat?
Chris Cody
Exactly right. Jeremy Etr established a run. He's getting closer to our side.
Tony Bacigalupo
Chris, it's usually pretty rare that you're.
Dan Le Batard
Watching a football game at college football and you're like, oh, this team's just better than this one. Just physically better. It's because time of possession, you're just watching, it's second.
Tony Bacigalupo
It can be second and three all game if you just don't do. And you just don't do.
Jeremy
Oh, no, trust me. There was like, Miami shot themselves in the foot so many times in that game. I'm not. I just am like, what we're doing here of like, whether that's coaching or not, Chris, that's the part that, let's.
Dan Le Batard
Just do it this way. Any game throughout sports and football you've.
Tony Bacigalupo
Ever seen, the entirety of your life.
Dan Le Batard
Because McDermott's going to lose his job here in a second. It's going to be over 13 seconds.
Tony Bacigalupo
Any game in your life, you've seen the entirety of your life, Beck scores that touchdown. Unless you return the kick for a touchdown, unless you're not throwing into the end zone of the game. From 20 yards away because you allowed the other team to get down the field in 18 seconds.
Dan Le Batard
Seconds.
Tony Bacigalupo
And you had to call timeout because your entire secondary doesn't know what it's doing. But you have to call timeout, precious timeout. Because you got to make sure, hey, guys, don't give them another seven yards here, because they're just going to get even closer. And like, what you saw at the end of that game last night was an apocalypse of defensive coaching. An apocalypse that if they'd lost that game, any coach in America would have been run out of town for allowing Trinidad Chambliss to go with one timeout, 18 seconds the length of the field and throw into your end zone and get a plausible pass interference call. And now they win the game. One yard running in from the end zone because you couldn't stop them in 18 seconds. How. How many more ways would you like me to prove to you that Mississippi.
Dan Le Batard
Was better coached yesterday?
Tony Bacigalupo
Because that example alone at the end of a game is enough to get coaches fired.
Jeremy
I mean, I'm with you. Like, you get blamed when bad results happen. The coaches get blamed. You know, I think there is a debate to have on. On whether the coaches are actually to blame for that or whether it's just bad.
Damachek
Why do you think.
Tony Bacigalupo
Why do you think Crystal Ball wasn't accepting those hugs? He KNEW There were 18 seconds left.
Jeremy
No, I'm with you. It was a weird game.
Keenan McArdle
So we're not getting Crystal Ball again.
Jeremy
Maybe I would take the under.
Chris Cody
Zaz can get him.
Jeremy
I do like the premise of us pitching him. Like we will kick. Like Dan will be in the. Like in the penalty.
Chris Cody
So Tony will do.
Valerie
Not allowed to talk.
Jeremy
It'll be Mike.
Valerie
Let's get Mendoza.
Keenan McArdle
This is what I want to do. I want. If they win the national championship, because obviously they lose, he's not going to play along. But if they win, I want Dan in, like, some sort of clown outfit and Crystal Ball hurling pies at his face. Or in a dunk tank. One of the two, maybe a dunk tank. And then instead of hitting baskets like we did in Milwaukee, we got. You got to hit a football. You got to throw a spiral and hit the thing. Ding. And drop Dan into a thing. You got to be dressed.
Jeremy
Bring the whole team out. We'll bring the whole team out. Carson, Malik, Malachi, Malachi, all of them.
Dan Le Batard
You say that, and it is something that I actually am going to put under consideration here. If there is a way to allow Mario Cristobal to embarrass me because he's never respected the court jester critic that I am. While he was headed toward this game of insanity last night. I'm in a local park and I'm riding around on my bicycle. And. What? I don't know. I saw Amin laugh earlier about this because you guys were making fun of. Of which parts of. Of this. Because this was actually. I was my own stuntman here, and I had no help. This all happened.
Tony Bacigalupo
No help.
Dan Le Batard
This all happened.
Jeremy
I wish we had another shot of you doing this.
Tony Bacigalupo
Well, but this is the story. Okay, so this is the story I'm about to tell you, though, because the funnier part of what happened here, that.
Dan Le Batard
I wish had been on camera, that I had turned the camera off for here. Well, let's. Are we just going to end up.
Jeremy
Playing this 30 second clip?
Tony Bacigalupo
I will tell the audio audience that.
Dan Le Batard
The punchline is me falling off of a bicycle and. And retrieving it with blood on my face. I want to give you guys some predictions and some videos over the course of the evening.
Keenan McArdle
Whoa.
Dan Le Batard
I'm in traffic now and in a dangerous place. And Valerie might have been right.
Tony Bacigalupo
And.
Keenan McArdle
Whoa.
Dan Le Batard
That was a little closer than I would have liked it to admit, actually.
Tony Bacigalupo
Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh. Canes by 10.
Dan Le Batard
So there's a lot of. There's a. There's a lot of blood on my forehead.
Tony Bacigalupo
And the canes didn't cover and.
Dan Le Batard
Right. Well, no, the canes did cover.
Keenan McArdle
They covered. They didn't cover history.
Jeremy
They're by three.
Dan Le Batard
They did cover, but they didn't cover by 10. But. So, yeah, so what happened funny after that is I'm laying in a park on my stomach. Mario Cristobal is about to play one of the biggest games ever played in Miami and bringing back Miami pride. And I'm in a local park with ketchup on my forehead because I've been riding a bike with the phone in one hand and a napkin full of ketchup in the other. And as I'm doing that part, and.
Tony Bacigalupo
This is really fun, hands free on.
Dan Le Batard
The bike behind the video. Not hands free, but I've got third.
Tony Bacigalupo
Hand, but not really using the brakes.
Dan Le Batard
The hand brakes, and just sort of, you know, riding my bike with my hands on the corners. As I'm crawling around on the ground.
Tony Bacigalupo
A man rushes over right after I've turned that off and says, are you okay?
Dan Le Batard
And so I'm looking up from grass and I'm like, yeah, yeah, I was just fooling you.
Jeremy
I'm an actor.
Tony Bacigalupo
Yeah, but I'm on my hands and knees with ketchup on my hands and hands on my forehead.
Dan Le Batard
And I'm doing it for the gram.
Keenan McArdle
You should have said you ruined the shot.
Valerie
When are we gonna talk about the Edward Cabrera trademark?
Episode: “Hour 1: The Big Stinger Guy” (feat. Dave Dameshek)
Date: January 9, 2026
Broadcasting from the Elser Hotel in Downtown Miami, Dan Le Batard, Stugotz, and the crew—including special guest Dave Dameshek—dig into the fallout of Miami’s high-profile football victory, fiery debates over NFL weekend matchups, and the undervalued impact of offensive line play. The hour is packed with signature banter, Miami pride, a critical look at football narratives, and plenty of side conversations (including a comic retelling of Dan’s own physical misadventure).
On the AFC South Takeover
Dameshek: “The two best teams in the AFC are both from the AFC South. Jacksonville Jaguars...and the Houston Texans.” (01:32)
About Lane Johnson’s Underrated Greatness
Dan: “Every time Lane Johnson plays, [the Eagles] win and win the championship and when he doesn’t, they stink and they lose.” (09:15)
On Football Fans and Offensive Linemen
Dameshek: “Most civilians cannot correctly identify a good offensive lineman versus a mediocre one...We can tell the bad ones because you can see the guys running by them.” (10:18)
The Stinger Debate
Tony: “A stinger is low on the list...If it happened to me I'd be a coward.” (24:23)
On Dameshek’s Rambling Brilliance
Tony: “He’s got a judgment problem…he doesn’t know which is the 10 [percent] and which is the 90. He doesn’t know the difference.” (28:41)
Miami’s Coaching Miscues
Tony: “What you saw at the end of that game last night was an apocalypse of defensive coaching.” (38:44)
Dan’s Bike Antics
Dan: “The punchline is me falling off of a bicycle and retrieving it with blood on my face.” (41:32)
If you didn’t catch this episode, you missed a raucous and insightful hour: Miami’s gridiron glory at the SEC’s expense, sharp NFL playoff opinions, the timeless struggle of making offensive linemen famous, and the never-ending search for clarity (and comedy) within the chaos of football and podcasting.