The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz

Episode: Hour 1: Twenty To Eleven
Date: December 16, 2025
Location: Elser Hotel, Downtown Miami

Main Theme & Purpose

This episode is a blend of classic Le Batard roundtable banter and in-depth discussion, combining sharp (and often ridiculous) sports insights with pop-culture detours and comedic asides. The group dives into topics including escalating NBA salaries, rare franchise stability in the NFL (with a focus on the Steelers and Ravens), anticipation and skepticism around the Anthony Joshua vs. Jake Paul fight, Knicks fandom, and the impact of injuries on NFL teams as the playoffs approach—all delivered with the show’s trademark irreverence and chemistry.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Exploding NBA Salaries and Player Perspectives

[01:45–03:46]

• Jeremy Tache asks Tony Kaladiu about the current spike in NBA max contracts and the collective bargaining agreement.
• Tony Kaladiu: “I love it. Go get your money” ([02:08]). Tony reflects on how, growing up, NBA salaries seemed huge, but recent contracts ($280-300M for stars like SGA, Tatum, Brown) are staggering.
• Tony jokes that he might have had a chance at an NBA check if not for injuries and “politics”—slightly tongue-in-cheek about being a “tweener” (neither big nor fast enough) ([02:38]).
• Jeremy: “So I was Derek Williams, if you will, a tweener. A Michael Beasley of your day.” ([02:52])
• Tony emphasizes respect among athletes, the unseen sacrifices (like parenting after games), and mutual appreciation for the grind:

  “We’re gladiators…My ankle’s hurting. That’s not something I get money for…Let’s have some fun. So I don't feel bad for my opponents ever. I respect my opponents.” ([03:03–03:46])

2. NFL Franchises: Stability, Coaching, & the Steelers/Ravens Conversation

[03:46–10:01]

• Chris Cote marvels at the Steelers’ insane head coach stability (only three since 1969) compared to teams like the Phoenix Suns ([03:46]).
• The group discusses whether this stability is impressive or just middling, considering the Steelers haven’t been legitimate title contenders in a while:

  “If the standard is you win the championship or you're irrelevant, man, you are hardened and cynical.” — Chris Cote ([04:56])

• Dan Le Batard notes that both Tomlin and Cower have never lost a home Monday night game ([05:16]).
• Mike Ryan/Zaz argue that neither the Steelers nor Ravens have been recent threats, and both head coaches could be on the hot seat, with mutual “parting of ways” predicted rather than firings ([08:02–08:22]).
• Greg Cody: Skeptical of “overestimating” Tomlin’s legacy despite never having a losing season:

  “In almost 20 years in Pittsburgh, he’s won one Super Bowl. You gotta win more than one if you’re going to rise to that level of elite all time coach.” ([09:42])

Notable Exchange:

• Chris tries to get Greg to do his “Back in My Day” segment for his birthday, but Greg bluntly refuses:

  “No. Hell no.” — Greg Cody ([10:04])

3. Jake Paul vs. Anthony Joshua: Real Fight or Circus?

[15:35–23:10]

• Dan Le Batard & Chris Cote tee up the fight, stunned it’s happening and not a “cancellation.”
• They play respectful press conference audio, with Paul trying more psychology than trash talk:

  “For me, it’s not just going in there and being dominating physically. I want to break him down spiritually and mentally.” — Anthony Joshua ([17:02]) “That’s not exactly Jake Paul trash talking.” — Chris Cote ([17:50])

• Dan paints it as a massive mismatch.

  “If [Jake Paul] were to beat Anthony Joshua, I’d put it with the biggest upsets all time in sports.” ([18:37])

• Chris and Dan discuss skepticism about odds (+700 for Jake, -1200 for Joshua), suspecting people think the fix might be in.
• Debate over fight “fixes” and the legacy of big-money fights like Mayweather/McGregor:

  “People would go to prison [for fixing].” — Mike Ryan ([19:44]) “If Jake Paul does anything but get knocked out here, the Internet narrative is going to be the fix is in.” — Dan Le Batard ([20:00])

• Greg Cody relishes the chance to see Jake Paul knocked out:

  "I would pay big pay per view money to watch Jake Paul get his. Come on, big money...Wait, when is it?" ([22:10; 22:34])

4. Knicks Fandom & NBA In-Season Tournament

[24:05–30:05]

• Dan highlights how deeply this Knicks team is loved, with fans preferring to keep the current squad rather than trade for Giannis, even though they’re likely not title contenders ([29:18–30:05]).
• A hilarious, awkward press conference clip is played:

  Reporter asks about Jalen Brunson: “When you factor in his height and not the most athletic—” Josh Hart interrupts: “Jesus, you’ve said it.” ([24:15–24:25])

  • The room cracks up, with the group noting Jalen Brunson and Josh Hart are friends and barely keeping themselves from laughing while Brunson listens to this roast ([25:10]).

5. Tony’s Top Five NFL Observations

[31:43–35:49]

(Set live from emerald Miami waters, with Miami weather banter)

• Tony Kaladiu’s Top 5 (presented by Smirnoff):
  1. 49ers are “frisky” – “Nobody’s talking about them. Just keep an eye on them.” ([32:17])
  2. Trey McBride’s historic tight end season – 105 catches, 1,071 yards, 10 TDs in 14 games, mostly without Kyler Murray ([32:25]).
  3. Duval County/Jaguars alive at 10-4 – Jaguars not getting national attention; Tony hypes them ([33:06]).
  4. Josh Allen as 'centaur', Bills make AFC East a race again ([33:34]).
  5. Potential Rams vs. Broncos Super Bowl – Tony’s “pin in it” dark horse prediction ([34:03]).
  6. Philip Rivers’ “turning back the clock on his 5-year NFL healthcare benefits” ([34:55]).
  7. Patrick Mahomes (jokingly) tearing his ACL—joking that every QB wants to copy Mahomes now ([35:16]).

Spirited Side Commentary:

• Miami weather—Tony: “It’s kind of cold here…maybe like 69, 70, 71, but there is a breeze. So I am a little bit cold…” ([31:04])
• “You can’t be a chicken if everyone else is a chicken.” — Chris Cote, on not wanting to attend the big fight ([22:42])

6. NFL: The Toll of Injuries, Detroit Hopes, and Shifting Narratives

[35:53–44:49]

• Deep dive into how roster health completely changes analysis; Detroit is called “the team I want to see in the playoffs” ([40:49]), but their secondary and O-line have been decimated (“playing people who shouldn’t be on a football field”) ([38:21–42:05]).
• Chris Cote: “The average football team is losing 10 players to severe injuries. That’s just your average football team. If I had to guess, Detroit’s got more of that…You can’t keep having these kinds of people injured.” ([41:16])
• Chicago’s success is chalked up to unsustainable turnover luck; the Broncos and Seahawks are highlighted as elite defensive units that could make a “boring" but high-level Super Bowl ([44:00–44:27]).
• Jeremy Tache & Zaz: Defend Bo Nix’s emergence, arguing his production is being overlooked due to system/offense critique ([44:30–44:47]).

Notable Quotes & Moments (with Timestamps)

• Tony Kaladiu: “We’re gladiators…Let’s have some fun. So I don’t feel bad for my opponents ever. I respect my opponents.” ([03:20–03:46])
• Chris Cote: “If the standard is you win the championship or you're irrelevant, man, you are hardened and cynical.” ([04:56])
• Greg Cody: "No. Hell no." – on doing “Back in My Day” ([10:04])
• Dan Le Batard: “If Jake Paul were to beat Anthony Joshua, I’d put it with the biggest upsets all time in sports.” ([18:37])
• Mike Ryan: “People would go to prison [for fixing].” ([19:44])
• Dan Le Batard: “If Jake Paul does anything but get knocked out here, the Internet narrative is going to be the fix is in.” ([20:00])
• Josh Hart/Reporter: “Not the most athletic—” / “Jesus, you’ve said it.” ([24:15–24:25])
• Tony Kaladiu: "It’s kind of cold here in Miami today. It may be like 69, 70, 71, but there is a breeze." ([31:04])
• Chris Cote: “You can’t be a chicken if everyone else is a chicken. That’s not the way any of that works.” ([22:42])
• Chris Cote: “The average football team is losing 10 players, 10 players to severe injuries. That’s just your average football team.” ([41:16])
• Zaz: “The drop-off with LaPorta and Ross Dwelley is cavernous.” ([42:05])
• Dan Le Batard: “The only team I want to see in the playoffs is Detroit.” ([40:49])
• Jeremy Tache: “Bo Nix…he’s got Mahomes numbers and yet everyone is doubting this guy.” ([43:34])
• Greg Cody: “Can you imagine a Denver-Seattle Super Bowl?” ([44:22–44:27])
• Chris Cote: “The NFL is an injury attrition experiment by about Week 13.” ([41:16–42:50], paraphrase)

Timestamps for Important Segments

• [01:45] – NBA salaries explode; Tony Kaladiu's athlete perspective
• [03:46] – Steelers’ franchise stability discussion
• [09:42] – Tomlin, Cower, all-time legacy vs. Super Bowls
• [15:35] – Jake Paul vs. Anthony Joshua preview and skepticism
• [18:37] – Dan on the potential “all-time” upset
• [24:05] – Knicks fandom, press conference clip roasting Jalen Brunson
• [31:04] – Tony's weather report from Miami
• [32:08] – Tony’s Top Five NFL (49ers, Trey McBride, Jags shoutout)
• [35:53] – Micah Parsons injury & its fallout
• [41:16] – Injury attrition across the NFL, impact on playoff picture
• [44:00] – Broncos, Seahawks, Bo Nix, and overlooked defensive brilliance

Final Thoughts & Tone

This episode channels a classic "Sports Bar With Friends" vibe—irreverent, good-natured, but full of genuine insight and inside jokes, often poking fun at their own bits and each other. There’s a real appreciation for both the mundane (Miami “cold” snaps, the quirks of press conferences) and the momentous (franchise legacies, title windows slamming shut due to injuries, and the theater of fight promotion).
If you’re missing the episode, you’ll come away with a sense of the shifting sands of pro sports—how money, injury, and culture shape what’s possible, and how, in the LBSW universe, everything is up for debate, ribbing, and gleeful over-analysis.