Hour 2: QB WINS! (feat. Mina Kimes)

Summary

Podcast Summary

Podcast: The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz
Episode: Hour 2: QB WINS! (feat. Mina Kimes)
Date: January 21, 2026
Guests: Mina Kimes, Lucy, Mike Ryan, Dan Le Batard

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Overview

This spirited Hour 2 episode blends sports analysis with playful banter, centering on the value of quarterback (QB) wins, recent NFL headlines, and lively pop-culture discussions. With ESPN analyst Mina Kimes as guest, the crew debates heated football topics—like the fates of coaches, QBs under playoff pressure, fan reactions to athletes' political behavior, and the randomness of sports injuries. Mixed throughout: reality TV, High School Musical references, and a comedic examination of food and self-care rituals.

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Key Discussion Points & Timestamps

1. NFL & Sports Culture Hot Takes

• Michael Irvin & Netflix's ‘White House’ Podcast

  • [00:07] Dan is surprised by Michael Irvin's choice of podcast name, referencing the Cowboys' infamous party house and its wild legacy.
  • “For all the names that he could have chosen for his podcast, he's chosen White House as the name for his podcast.” (Dan Le Batard, 00:07)

• Sports Figures & Politics—Matthew Tkachuk at the White House

  • [01:27–05:26] The group debates fan reactions to Panthers player Matthew Tkachuk appearing with Donald Trump and the broader overlap of sports and politics.
    • Mike Ryan: “He is very good at sticking himself in sporting events... It’s funny how that doesn’t matter when it’s your guy millionaire.” (02:08)
    • Lucy reasons that most fans move on quickly from these political moments.

2. Reality TV Diversion: 'The Traitors'

• [05:26–08:32] Mina Kimes, with her signature wit, explains why she’s obsessed with the reality show The Traitors. The group imagines which show members would thrive as Traitors or Faithfuls.
  • “Michael Rappaport was so despised by everybody on this show that they voted him out, even though nobody actually thought he was a traitor, purely because they didn’t want to hang out with him anymore.” (Mina Kimes, 06:06)
• Playful speculation: Greg would do best on 'The Traitors'; Lucy self-claims “I’m a phenomenal liar.” (08:17)

3. Buffalo Bills Front Office Drama

• Bills' Press Conference & Keon Coleman Fallout
  • [09:02–13:13] Mina slams the Bills' owner for publicly throwing people—including his own rookie, Keon Coleman—under the bus.
    • “You want to work for ownership who just not just backed the bus over Sean McDermott, also threw one of his own players under the bus in Keon Coleman.” (Mina Kimes, 09:02)
    • Discussion about whether the GM, Brandon Beane, is being unfairly protected amid the chaos.
  • "I thought it was really in poor taste, honestly. And it shows why they don’t let owners talk that much." (Mina Kimes, 10:05)

4. San Francisco 49ers' Injury Mysteries

• [15:43–18:49] The group explores theories behind the Niners’ persistent injury woes, from power plant conspiracies to just bad luck.
  • “Both sides of the ball, contact and non-contact, in different locations... there's no—It's not like you can point to and say ‘Well, Kyle Shanahan’s offense exposes...’ No, it’s defense too.” (Mina Kimes, 16:09)
  • Consensus: injuries are partly random, partly a function of playing deep into postseasons.

5. Mina’s Seahawks Hopes & NFC Playoff Preview

• [18:49–21:14] Lucy prompts Mina for optimism about the Seahawks' playoff run, leading to analysis of Seattle's recent form and strengths.

  • “I think this defense is so good ... and I think it's the single best unit left in the playoffs on any of the four teams.” (Mina Kimes, 19:17)

• Comparison of Seahawks and Rams:

  • Mina feels Seattle's run game and defense are peaking; doesn’t buy that their win over the Rams was a fluke.

6. Coaching Carousel & The Mike McDaniel Discussion

• [21:14–23:37] How rare offensive-minded coaches, like McDaniel, are coveted candidates; Mina explains why the Dolphins’ decision to clean house and reunite GM/coach is refreshingly sensible.
  • “If I’m a Dolphins fan, I love that we cleaned house. Starting anew... you don't have a GM making dumb panic moves to save his job because everyone knows this is a rebuild.” (Mina Kimes, 22:15)

7. CJ Stroud’s Playoff Faceplant—Should the Texans Move On?

• [23:37–26:26] Detailed dissection of Stroud’s poor performance but also his context; Mina urges caution against kneejerk reactions after two rough playoff games.
  • “He was very bad in it... not just the interceptions, but also he was missing throws. The whole offense was a disaster.” (Mina Kimes, 23:39)
  • Mike Ryan: Advocates against in-game QB switch (“You cannot do that to that quarterback unless you’re moving off of him.”)

8. Sports and Life—Pop Culture and Banter

• William Shatner Driving at 94 While Eating Cereal

  • [29:10–30:05] Hilarity ensues regarding a viral photo—Mina: “But to do it with milk is psychotic behavior.” (29:41)

• Diet Soda and Conditioner Debates

  • [30:18–32:00] Mina lays down the science on conditioner: “If you have long hair and a lot of it like I do, you absolutely need conditioner because otherwise your hair just kind of limp and lays there.” (Mina Kimes, 31:30)

9. The Great “QB Wins” Debate

• [32:13–37:14] The episode’s theme crystallizes as Mina and Lucy clash over whether QB wins are a meaningful stat, with frequent sarcasm and puppet voices.
  • Mina: “CJ Stroud is a perfect case study for why QB wins are stupid. He won in the first round. We were literally just talking about how he didn’t play well, but he won. But by your metric, it was a great performance.” (32:43)
  • Lucy raises perennial questions: “Whose career would you rather have—Dan Marino’s or Eli Manning’s?” (33:33)
  • Consensus: Public and media perception still weigh QB wins heavily, but real analysis is more nuanced.

Notable Quotes & Moments

• “[...] I have a two year old who eats with more decorum than that.” (Mina Kimes mocking Rappaport, 07:03)
• “I think we’re underestimating... the bubble that they live in.” (Mike Ryan, on athlete privilege, 04:04)
• “If you surveyed people on the street, I would guess... [most couldn't name Dan Fouts].” (Mina Kimes, relating Super Bowl wins to recognition, 40:25)
• “If he had been awesome in that game and they had still lost, do you think we'd even be having this conversation?” (Mina Kimes, 34:49)
• “He is capable of functional quarterback play. He's soaring and he's flying.” (Mina Kimes, High School Musical riff, 36:34)

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Memorable Section Timestamps

• 00:07 – Michael Irvin's podcast naming uproar
• 02:08 – Discussion of politics mixing with sports
• 06:06 – The Traitors reality show takes over
• 09:02 – Buffalo Bills' presser debacle dissected
• 16:09 & 17:29 – San Francisco’s injury curse theories
• 19:17 – Mina Kimes’ Seahawks playoff hopes
• 22:15 – Dolphins’ front office reset analysis
• 23:39 – C.J. Stroud’s disastrous playoff game
• 29:41 – The Shatner cereal incident
• 32:43 – “QB wins are stupid” debate fires up
• 40:25 – Impact of playoff legacy: Doug Williams vs. Dan Fouts

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Tone and Style

• Mix of sharp analysis and irreverence: Mina offers smart, evidence-based takes with quick humor.
• Running jokes: High School Musical references, “dummy guy” voice, conditioner/grift debates.
• Directness: Speakers aren’t shy about calling out feeble logic in sports takes or mocking each other’s preferences.

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Conclusion

The episode is a roller coaster through NFL intrigue and heated debates about what makes legacies in football, wrapped in topical jokes and TV references. Whether talking about the Bills' press conference or defending the nuance behind “QB wins as a stat,” the crew brings both depth and levity. Mina Kimes stands out as both a thinker and straight-shooter, elevating the conversation while embracing the show’s irreverent energy.

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For fans and newcomers alike:
This episode is a whiplash ride through the week’s biggest football stories, a reality TV sidebar, and an enduring debate—how should we talk about quarterback greatness? It’s packed with both real insight and relentless humor.

Transcript

[Dan Le Batard]

This is the Dan Levatar show with the Stugats podcast.

[Mike Ryan]

Mina Keim is going to join us here in a little bit. Mike Ryan has been doing this bit of real podcast or fake podcast, and I have seen that on Netflix. There is a new podcast with Michael Irvin, and he has called it White House, which is, to me, a stunning name for his podcast, given that the the White House famous was a house that the champion Dallas Cowboys had where they would have parties and, you know, affairs with people who weren't their wives. They called the secret house that was conducted and run by Michael Irvin the White House. I reported that many years ago in the 23rd paragraph of a Super bowl column. I didn't report that the Tampa Bay Bucks also had one called the Bat Cave. I am surprised, though, that Michael Irvin is. For all the names that he could have chosen for his podcast, he's chosen White House as the name for his podcast.

[Dan Le Batard]

You know who I thought of immediately? Jeff Pearlman. Because Netflix is just stealing his ip.

[Mike Ryan]

That happens a good amount to Jeff Pearlman.

[Dan Le Batard]

And sure enough, I went right to his ig and there was just, with no caption, a screen cap of the press release.

[Mike Ryan]

Speaking of the White House, we've got the talk of Masvidal and Conor McGregor fighting on the White House lawn. How did you guys feel about, as Panther fans, how do you guys feel about the lovable Tkachuk as he makes his trip to the White House, cozying up to Trump the orange grifting, felonious turd? How do you feel about that? Like, as Panther fans, is it disappointing to you to see or are you now numb to it?

[Lucy]

I don't have a problem separating the two. To me, it was Matthew Tkachuk enjoying the honor of being at the White House.

[Mike Ryan]

Like, I don't know, you can do that without overpraising.

[Lucy]

Yeah, he did. You're right.

[Dan Le Batard]

He did overpraise him this year, which is what I kind of told myself last year to pacify myself during that, which is like, he didn't say much. But Matty is genuinely very proud to be an American and embraces the role, which is okay, of USA Hockey. But, yeah, I'm bummed. And, you know, it's kind of funny that the story arc of stick to sports, keep politics out of sports, everything that I love, this guy's unavoidable. I'm a Chelsea fan. He's on the stage celebrating with my team during the Club World Cup. I think whatever side of the aisle you're on, you don't want this guy showing up to your games because it makes going into the game a huge pain in the ass. I was like, in the national title game, you got to ruin this for me too. And so, yeah, I hate it. And this guy, he is very good at sticking himself in sporting events. He had a genius move at the Daytona 500 for his branding. That all works out. But all the sports that I like, he is always injecting himself into it. And it's funny how that doesn't matter when it's your guy millionaire.

[Lucy]

I thought it was funny that the day after appearing with Trump at the White House, the Panthers lost nine to one in. I just. That was funny to you. I just got a smile out of that. But I will say that I don't think most fans care. I think 55, 50, 55 of Panthers fans sort of cringed at that. And then the next day they're cheering for their team. Nobody cares. Yeah, I think, I think you also have to acknowledge to the Florida Panthers as an organization, ownership like they're.

[Dan Le Batard]

That's right.

[Lucy]

Very super, very, very into. I mean, they're very, I don't know, I would necessarily say pro Trump, but this country, the United States is a very right.

[Dan Le Batard]

Wasn't Vinny Biola under consideration for a cabinet position that he had to win? I think so.

[Lucy]

He's a West Point guy.

[Dan Le Batard]

Yeah, he's a West Point guy. And in terms of like that honor that, that comes from the very top and it trickles on down to the rest of the city.

[Lucy]

I'm not kidding about the myopic millionaire thing. These are 25 year olds who have the world by the tail. They're not engaged with deep diving in politics. They're getting something out of that. That's the end of the story. The larger concern is that top five NHL forward all time Wayne Gretzky has turned his back on his homeland to support what goes on down here in Florida. If you're a 25 year old myopic millionaire, you're on the Internet, you know what's happening. Like you could see why right now, going out of your way to be extra proud to be an American is the thing. Quote, the two cups was pretty good, but that walk with you might have trumped it all. Nothing beats this. I'm so proud to be an American and so proud to be here with you. Nah, I don't, I don't know. I don't know that you're right about that. Matthew Tkachuk doesn't have The Internet, the guy who's like floating out stuff about going to the. I think we all being fun and I think we're underestimating the way the things that some of these guys pay attention to and the bubble that they live in. Look, I get it, but right now it's pretty tough to avoid what's been happening over the last couple. What they're reacting to, though, is the taxes. I mean, really, these are super duper rich people who are looking at their selfishly at their bottom line and not much beyond anything else. Super duper rich white people in particular.

[Mike Ryan]

She's an NFL analyst on espn, the host of the Mina Keim show featuring Lenny, which I strongly recommend to all of you. I can tell from simply the look on her face she does not want in on this conversation. So let's talk about the bill's press conference that just got done and the television show the Traitors. Have guys watch the Traders at all. Do you guys know what that show is? Because she occasionally just gets obsessed with some reality competitions and she's obsessed with this one.

[Lucy]

So I know her and David Dennis Jr. Like, all over this show. I don't know about it, but, like, I'm interested because I know they've been talking about it. I thought it was a show about Jimmy Butler leaving the Heat last year. I guess I was wrong.

[Mina Kimes]

You will like this detail, Dan, because David and I do a podcast is a TV podcast called Viewer Discretion. Literally, what, what I. Why I'm here is to promote my own and to hang out with you guys. But the premise of the show, the Traitors is kind of like mafia, right? Where they're trying to suss out who the bad guys are. They're secret killers amongst them. And so the cast, which is mostly comprised of a group called the Faithfuls, gets the opportunity pretty much every week to vote out someone they think is a traitor. This is not a spoiler. Enough time has passed. But if you're watching it, whatever, Dan. Michael Rapaport was so despised by everybody on this show that they voted him out, even though nobody actually thought he was a traitor, purely because they didn't want to hang out with him anymore. They're just. They burned a vote completely because he was so unlikable.

[Mike Ryan]

He's awful. Like, Rap Rappaport is the worst. And that is wildly unsurprising.

[Mina Kimes]

Mina, what was your reaction to the way he was eating, like, with the plate in his mouth? My reaction to that, and maybe this is from being on television for too long now, is the Producers must hate him as much as everybody on the show to include like 10 scenes of him eating like. Like I have a 2 year old who eats with more decorum than that.

[Lucy]

The lip of the plate is in his mouth.

[Mina Kimes]

Disgusting. So funny.

[Mike Ryan]

You're an adult in our group of people here. Who do you think would do best here on the traitors?

[Mina Kimes]

Oh, definitely not Mike Ryan. That's easy. No, I can explain my thinking there, Dan. No, I think Greg would do the best.

[Mike Ryan]

So who are the traitors and who are the faithful among our group here?

[Mina Kimes]

Well, I feel like if Chris Cody was a trader, I would know within two seconds. Zaz has strong faithful. Loud faithful. Accusing a lot of traitors.

[Lucy]

Vibes, Loyalty to a big trait of mine. All right, Dan.

[Mina Kimes]

Faithful who does too much and gets eliminated early. Lucy, Absolute traitor. Yes.

[Lucy]

I'm a phenomenal liar. Is that a good thing, being a traitor? I gotta watch this show.

[Mina Kimes]

You piqued my interest. Well, you don't get to. They choose who's the traitor. Alan Cummings goes around and taps people, who, by the way, is unbelievable on this show. Probably the best hosting performance I've ever seen by anyone.

[Dan Le Batard]

I don't really know the rules or really anything about this game, but I'm offended you don't think I'm good at it.

[Mina Kimes]

You're not a good liar.

[Lucy]

We saw how Miami did earlier this week.

[Mike Ryan]

What did you think, Mina, of this? Bill's press conference where they're saying McDermott's fired because of the Denver loss. The owner is saying is ripping Keon Coleman, which I understand, but probably unnecessary. What are your thoughts?

[Mina Kimes]

I thought it was an absolute disaster. I did this video where I was ranking head coaching jobs before the Bills job open. And I had Baltimore number one for obvious reasons. And people said, well, now that the Bills jobs open, would you put it number one? Because Josh Allen. No, this is exhibit A. Like you want to work for ownership who just not just backed the bus over Sean McDermott, also threw one of his own players under the bus in Keon Coleman. I thought it was one of the weirdest press conferences I've ever seen. Quite frankly, like, zero reason for him to jump in there, do the thing that most owners do, and leak it to a reporter as an anonymous source. Like what? Like that was so crazy. And also, I'm not sure. True, right? Like, so we're really absolving the GM of your top draft pick that year of any responsibility. Setting aside the numerous other bad draft picks that he's made and bad free agency, signings So I thought it was really in poor taste, honestly. And it shows why they don't let owners talk that much.

[Mike Ryan]

To be frank, here is Bill's owner, Terry Pegula talking about failed first round pick wide receiver Keon Coleman.

[Lucy]

Yeah, can I interrupt? I'll address the Keon situation. The coaching staff pushed to draft Keon. I'm not saying Brandon wouldn't have drafted.

[Mike Ryan]

Him, but he wasn't his next choice.

[Lucy]

That was Brandon being a team player and taking advice of his coaching staff.

[Mike Ryan]

Who felt strongly about the player.

[Lucy]

And, you know, he's taken, for some reason heat over it and not saying.

[Dan Le Batard]

A word about it.

[Lucy]

But I'm here to tell you the true story.

[Mike Ryan]

Can I interrupt here? Mina, can I interrupt? He's protecting the GM that he's promoted. Right?

[Mina Kimes]

And at the expense of not, by the way, not just Sean McDermott, Keon Coleman, who last I checked is still on the team, but also the coaching staff. I mean, there's a possibility they promote Joe Brady or at minimum, keep him. Like I. Literally everybody in the building except for Brandon Bean feels like he's being thrown under the bus. I do not understand any logic behind saying that in public, but I didn't understand the firing to begin with, Dan. I thought they should have kept McDermott and at minimum they should have if they were going to get rid of him, I thought, really evaluate the gm, certainly not promote him. Because when I was watching the Bills this weekend, I thought the biggest issue other than, you know, Allen's performance was the construction of the roster, not the coaching. And he gets a promotion out of this. The guy who, by the way, last summer, you guys remember this, had one of the all time sports radio moments when he got visibly, like angry at the idea that the receiver group that he had assembled wasn't enough.

[Lucy]

Guys, let me tell you something. One of the greatest joys of my life was when they finally opened the White Castle in my neighborhood in Phoenix, Arizona, I lost my mind because I'm so used to eating White Castle at home when I was in New York. Now I can have all the time in Phoenix, but when I come to Miami, there's no White Castle. So you know what I do? Go to the freezer aisle because right there they got the variety pack with all the great White Castle flavor in there. You're getting a lot of slider styles, you're getting classic American cheese, you're getting jalapeno cheese. And if you're a bacon lover, you're getting that new cheddar bacon cheese sliders the classic cheese gives you all the taste of a great American burger, while jalapeno cheese sliders give a serving of spicy to each bite. And the new cheddar bacon cheese that literally brings home the bacon folks with real pieces of bacon and cheddar flavored cheese. Guys, I know what you're thinking. Your mouth is watering. My mouth is watering just reading this. That's completely normal. You can find each of these sliders where? In the grocery store in the freezer aisle. Bonus. They're all in the same box. You don't even have to get four boxes. No, it's one variety box. It's got them all in it. Perfect for game day, late nights, or anytime you just want something awesomely oniony, satisfying, steamy and unapologetically cheesy. White Castle Crave thy castle.

[Dan Le Batard]

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[Lucy]

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[Mike Ryan]

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[Lucy]

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[Mike Ryan]

Nicotine is an addictive chemical.

[Lucy]

Dan LeBatard did you get lost on.

[Mina Kimes]

The way to Home Depot today? Dan like what? What's going on with the plaque.

[Lucy]

But.

[Mina Kimes]

Do you look like you're about to ask me to like check the oil on my car or like come over and like look around and point things in my house that need to be fixed?

[Lucy]

This is the Dan Levatar show with the stugats. How quickly is Keon Coleman's agent on the phone with the team now?

[Mina Kimes]

I mean it's still a good spot for him is the thing. Right. I think the question is going to be who they bring in as a coach or who ends up getting that job. But like I would be pretty upset if I was him. That and validly so.

[Dan Le Batard]

Mina, we haven't talked about it on the show there. The San Francisco 49ers for seasons now have been riddled with injuries and there was a social media post about their training facility being next to a power plant and how that is actually affecting these players bodies. Now it was interesting because what's happened to them has been super random. Do you put any stock into this whatsoever?

[Mina Kimes]

It's not my, not my expertise. I will say that I have looked into that theory. I have read the articles about it. I cannot. The thing about the injuries that's so crazy is they're on both and why I think people are even like doing the conspiracies, both sides of the ball, contact and non contact in different locations. Like there's no. It's not like you can point to and say, well Kyle Shanahan's offense exposes get. No, it's defense too. Well, it's on these fields. Nope, it's on every field. I don't know man. I may be like this is the revenge on the tech industry or something karmically because I can. Which is not to say that Niners fans are there, but like I just cannot understand what's going on in San Francisco. It's. It's inexplicable.

[Mike Ryan]

Isn't it just football. Football hurts. People get injured.

[Dan Le Batard]

But why does it happen to them more than anybody else? And there was a. Like we should find the entire thread. But the argument was long term exposure to the forces that emanate from a power plant do wear your body down, make you more brittle and make you more susceptible to getting injured. I am not a doctor, but it was interesting to see some outside the box thinking to explain something that has been one of the NFL's great mysteries, which why are the Niners always having to dig themselves out of these injury holes?

[Mina Kimes]

The thing that I have speculated on, Mike, is that the Niners play a lot of football because they're so good every year. They're so well coached. They make these deep playoff runs. They're not the only team. It's not like they played more football than, like, the Kansas City Chiefs, who, by the way, had their own spate of injuries. Right. But I do think, like, playing more football tends to lead to more injuries. So if I had to come up with an explanation. It doesn't explain all of it because there's, like I said, there's other teams that have played a lot of football that haven't experienced the same degree of it, but I think it's bad luck coupled with the fact that this is a team that has been in the postseason so many times.

[Mike Ryan]

You say that, but the Eagles are the least injured team in the sport.

[Mina Kimes]

Well, like I was saying, there's teams that have gotten luckier. I don't know. I just say the Eagles offensive line got really hurt this year, and I think that was a big factor.

[Mike Ryan]

I just think it's random. Right. And we can go power plants and everything else, but I don't think anybody can prevent injuries. And I'm not sure that there's any reason that there would be more caused, especially given how strict the union is now about how teams practice. Right.

[Mina Kimes]

Yeah. My thing is just that they played a lot of games. It's not about practices, but like you said, the Eagles have also played a lot of games. There's other teams that have played a lot of games. They're not the only team that has. But if I had to just isolate one thing that is a little bit different about this team from a lot of other teams, it's, can we talk.

[Lucy]

About another NFC west team, the one that Mina Kimes roots for, that has been more or less irrelevant in January and February since Malcolm Butler a number of years ago? The biggest game in Hawks lore since that night. How say you, Mina Kimes? Are you excited over your.

[Mike Ryan]

What? What is. How say you?

[Mina Kimes]

Yeah. Hey, Dave.

[Dan Le Batard]

Mina Kimes.

[Mina Kimes]

Dave, you're the only person who I've ever heard say, how say you? In casual conversation.

[Lucy]

National champion.

[Mina Kimes]

Dave, I didn't see you. I would have known it was you. I'm very excited. I. Still cautious, still a little bit apprehensive, but I think this defense is so good and I believe in it so much, and I think it's the single best unit left in the playoffs on any of the four teams, and that is giving me a lot of confidence.

[Mike Ryan]

Who's better, Seattle or the Rams?

[Mina Kimes]

I think Seattle's better, to be honest.

[Mike Ryan]

And it's based. Based on what? Given the two games this year, in the first one, Seattle has a 4 turnover disadvantage, is still kicking for the win at the end, and the last one was just a fluke that Seattle won.

[Mina Kimes]

Well, I don't think that's exactly true that it was a fluke, I think, because I just mean back. I just watched it yesterday to, you know, preview the game. I think that the Rams offense is really good and I think it's capable of high highs. But we're coming off of a bad Matthew Stafford performance to be, you know, I think the pass protection showing some issues and I think the Seahawks defense the third time around, I like the idea of them from a scheme perspective, especially again, what we've seen from this, some of the vulnerabilities shown by the Rams offense in the last couple of rounds. And then on the other side of the ball, I think the first time these teams played, Sam Darnold, absolute meltdown. No question about that. And then he struggled for a few weeks. But since then, and you saw this the last time these teams played in Week 16, Seattle has become better and better at running the football. This was a huge weakness of theirs for much of the season. This is a big skeptic piece of skepticism I had, and I think you've seen that it's. It has the ability to settle Darnold. I think you saw that in the, in the last round, right? Darnold barely had to do anything, but he played calmly. And the Seahawks were kind of like the West NFC Texans. And I think that was like a real study in contrast, because both defenses were awesome, but on one side, the offense completely melted down. On the other, it was like a calm, patient performance. And that gave me, I think, a pretty higher degree of confidence going forward.

[Lucy]

Mina, is it surprising how much attention Mike McDaniel's gotten? No.

[Mina Kimes]

Well, you mean getting the Chargers job and such.

[Lucy]

Well, and I mean, he certainly has had coaching opportunities as well.

[Mina Kimes]

I think some of it has to do with like, supply and demand. So right now I feel that there's a lot of really great defensive coaches. There are very few good offensive ones. This is not like last year with Ben Johnson and Liam Cohen. Right? Like, and so when looking across the league and you're like, okay, well, everybody wants a great play caller, ideally as a head coach. It's not surprising that Mike McDaniel, who I think everybody agrees is still a great play caller, who was hampered by the quarterback, had a lot of options. And I think like the Chargers job is a dream for him and for the Chargers. So not surprising to me. It might have been surprising in a different market, but this is one that was very defense focused.

[Lucy]

Mina, speaking of McDaniel, the dolphins tend to live under the radar nationally, but they've made some news turning themselves into Green Bay South. What do you think of them hiring Jeff Halfley? How's that?

[Mina Kimes]

Yeah, so I'm always, like, hesitant to give a strong take about a head coach hire, to be honest, because I think it's a lot harder to project versus, like, a head coach firing I will have strong opinions about. Because you see guys all the time, and they end up being great or bad. And it comes as a complete surprise. Other than Urban Meyer, we all. We all knew that was gonna be horrible, right? And Heffley, I think, like, for year one in Green Bay, very impressive improvement. Year two, I thought things kind of fell apart without Micah Parsons. So it's hard for me to know exactly how good he's gonna be. People speak really highly of him, you know, people I trust. But I will say this. I look around the league and I see so many situations where the coach was fired and the GM for some reason. The reason is they sit in the owner's box and they talk to the owners, kept their jobs, many cases around the league. If I'm a Dolphins fan, I love the fact that we cleaned house, starting anew, and we've got the GM and the head coach not only coming from the same place, but on the same timeline. This is a rebuild. No Dolphins fan thinks they're going to compete next year. Fine. You don't have a GM making dumb panic moves to save his job because everybody knows this is a rebuild. And so I think that would be my most optimistic take about Miami, is that they rip the band aid off and they're starting over with both at the same time.

[Mike Ryan]

Where are you on CJ Stroud?

[Mina Kimes]

Oh, buddy, that was rough. Okay. I think the thing I'll say is, going back and watching that game, the thing that struck me was not just Stroud, and he was. He was very bad in it, right? Not just the intercept, the turnovers, but also he was missing throws. The whole offense was a disaster in that game. The offensive line was a disaster. There was no run game. The receivers were dropping passes. And I think what you saw from him is something you have seen from him at other points, certainly in the last round as well, which is he is making a bad situation worse. And I think that is something he has to fix. As to whether he can do it. I think the optimistic case would be they had. The situation can't be worse than what it was in that. That game. The. He's very young still. I know we think of him as being. He's really still pretty young. He's like 24 now. That would still make me nervous about giving him a big extension, but I'm not selling it off altogether if I'm Houston. And that's going to be the hard line that they've got to walk, right? Like, how do you give him more time and leeway without, you know, crippling yourself financially? And they're gonna have to figure that out.

[Mike Ryan]

I had the opinion watching that game when I heard Swagu say that, you know, you gotta think about benching him for Davis Mills. I'm like, you cannot do that to that quarterback unless you're moving off of him. Like, if you're gonna take him out in that spot, you've gotta be telling everybody, C.J. stroud is no longer our quarterback. What are your thoughts halfway through that game? So he's got the four or five fumbles in the first game of the playoffs. No one's this incompetent. A playoff run where you have that many turnovers that way in game one and game two, what were your thoughts? That game could have still been won by that defense, given how they were strangling the Patriots. You would have made a quarterback change, yes or no?

[Mina Kimes]

I probably would not have done it, to be honest, because I think while it would have been one thing if everybody thing around CJ Stroud was good and he was bad, but everything around him was awful. And I'm not of the belief that putting in a quarterback who I don't think is, you know, a great quarterback, to be blunt, is going to be that much better than what we saw. It's tough, though. Like, I. The thing I'll say about him, too, is in the previous round, it was a weird one, Dan, because he turned the ball over. But outside of the fumbles in the first round, he actually made a lot of really good throws. So we come out of that game, I'm thinking, okay, yeah, he turned the ball over. He had some boneheaded moments, but he was at least making plays. He threw some beautiful. And then this game, it was like both the bad decisions and the misses. So it's tough. You know, obviously they'll give him at least the option. I wouldn't be surprised if they extend him. And people are very upset about it, though, to be honest.

[Dan Le Batard]

Happy new year everybody. 2026 is already getting off to an incredible start because you want to know how I rang in the new year? It was with a bunch of friends in a Dallas hotel lobby bar ordering a bunch of Miller Lights. Because that's how you do it. That's how you make special memories. Miller Lite has been by my side at many special football memories this year and hopefully we get to write a few more memories with Miller Lite. Some of my most legendary moments have started that exact same way. A buddy's house, a lobby bar, a game. No big plan. And then you crack open a Miller Light, you take a sip and you look around and you immediately recognize that you made the right call. Legendary moments start with Miller Lite. Great taste. 96 calories. Go to millerlight.com dan to find delivery options near you or you can pick up some Miller Lite pretty much anywhere they sell beer. It's Miller time. Celebrate responsibly. Miller Brewing Co. Milwaukee, Wisconsin 96 calories and 3.2 carbs per 12 ounces.

[Lucy]

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[Mina Kimes]

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[Lucy]

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[Mike Ryan]

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[Lucy]

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[Mike Ryan]

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[Lucy]

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[Dan Le Batard]

Always the right size Stugats All I have put in my body today is.

[Lucy]

Three cups of coffee and an entire cup of Hug. Don't let him fool you. He said in the break that he's jittery. This is the Dan Levatar show with the stugats.

[Mike Ryan]

Let's put up that photo of William Shatner here and get Mina's opinion on this in the car. What are your thoughts, Mina, On William Shatner? 94 years old, driving an automobile while eating cereal? I remember my grandma in her late 80s calling me all excited. She's like, I got my license renewed. I got my license renewed by mail. I didn't even have to go into the dmv. And I'm like, grandma, they don't want you driving to the DMV to get your license. They don't want you in a car. Shatner at 94, eating cereal at a stoplight. Your thoughts?

[Mina Kimes]

You know what's so crazy about this photo to me, which I see? Not that he's eating cereal, not even that he's eating it with a spoon and a bowl, but there appears to be milk in there. Yes, that's what's crazy, right? Cause who among us has not carried around a little box of dry cereal and reached in from time to time as a road snack?

[Lucy]

Of course.

[Mina Kimes]

But to do it with milk is psychotic behavior.

[Mike Ryan]

Also psychotic is both Lucy and Jeremy and actually Cody as well, arguing that Diet Coke and Diet root beer are just as good and sometimes better than you are.

[Mina Kimes]

You're butchering that? That's not what I said. That's clearly not even what I said at all. What'd you say? What's the take? I said that Diet Coke is not a substitute for Coke, but it is better than Coke. And Dan is trying to say that. I'm saying that stuff that has less sugar tastes better than stuff with sug. And that's just straight up not true.

[Dan Le Batard]

Says a lot.

[Lucy]

Zero sugar. Root beer is the closest to a replacement for the original root beer. And that, like Coke, zero does not taste as much like Coke as root beer. Zero sugar tastes like root beer. How say you?

[Mina Kimes]

I haven't had Coke or Diet Coke in maybe 20 years.

[Lucy]

Oh, you're one of those, all right. Since High School Musical came out. Too good for Diet Coke.

[Mina Kimes]

The best of times.

[Lucy]

Don't judge us. You're judging us.

[Mina Kimes]

I'm not judging you. I'm just. I'm just not trying to speak on something that I don't like. I feel like if I had a single sip of Coke right now, I would spin out.

[Mike Ryan]

How about the theory uttered by Dave Damoshek that conditioner is a Grift meant to dupe people who should just have soap that you don't need anything other than shampoo. You don't need conditioner.

[Mina Kimes]

Well, on this I am a subject matter expert and get at me companies, and my hair looks significantly worse when I don't use conditioner. Dave, this might be a skill issue for you in that, like, you're not getting the most out of it. Although maybe it's different for men and I don't know. But if you have long hair and a lot of it like I do, you absolutely need conditioner because otherwise your hair just kind of limp and lays there.

[Lucy]

Oh, if I had the head of hair I had when I was 22, now I would be a U.S. senator.

[Mina Kimes]

All right, drop a pic. Let's see it. And that voice. Come on.

[Mike Ryan]

You got pretty good hair. What's wrong with your hair right now?

[Lucy]

Oh, I'm doing all right, Dan. I'm not complaining given my age. You know what, though? Kimes and I disagree on a number of issues. The most significant one that I know, she's now here to say publicly, I have been right about all along. QB wins in the postseason matter. Why is Sean McDermott out? Why is Mike Tomlin out? Obviously, our reaction to CJ Stroud and whether or not the Texans should go forward with him is owed to the last two games we saw in the. What are you talking about?

[Mike Ryan]

C.J.

[Mina Kimes]

Stroud is a perfect case study for why QB wins are stupid. He won in the first round. We were literally just talking about how he didn't play well, but he won. But by your metric, it was a great performance.

[Lucy]

That's a six sample overall. Why is Sam Darnold diminished by. By football Americans? Broadly, because he doesn't take care of business when the games matter most. Now, last week and even more so this week, he has a chance to wash that stink off with soap, not conditioner.

[Mina Kimes]

So Sam Darnold, he's better than Josh Allen, right? Because QB wins.

[Lucy]

I mean, you can be wins. You can use the dummy guy voice to try to make your point. Obviously, it's not that extreme. Nobody thinks Trent Dilfer.

[Mina Kimes]

Don't put that one out there.

[Lucy]

Here's a good one, though.

[Mina Kimes]

I don't know why I did that with my hands.

[Lucy]

Here's a good one, Kimes. Here's the question for you that proves the point. Whose career would you rather have had that Dan Marino's or Eli Mannings?

[Mina Kimes]

We're not talking about whose career. You'd rather have.

[Lucy]

A career.

[Mina Kimes]

What is this Is that.

[Mike Ryan]

It's a puppet. It's the damage. Check puppet.

[Lucy]

National champion and ruggedly handsome Muppet Dave.

[Mina Kimes]

Is that a real puppet?

[Lucy]

Like the orange one Better.

[Mike Ryan]

We're trying to make one. We're trying to make a damage. Are you guys done with the argument? I was hoping you'd do it for the rest of the segment.

[Lucy]

Is that it?

[Mike Ryan]

You're done arguing?

[Mina Kimes]

There is no argument. There is no argument. It's just people screaming QB wits.

[Mike Ryan]

Your Twitter bio says QB wins are not a stat.

[Dan Le Batard]

There were no.

[Lucy]

There was no answer, though, to the question. Whose career literally gave you an answer.

[Mina Kimes]

To the question, which is this playoffs is a great illustration of how stupid it is. She really just had an entire conversation about a guy who won a playoff.

[Lucy]

Game despite playing Texans may not ultimately move forward with the franchise. The apparent franchise quarterback because of his performance in these playoffs.

[Mina Kimes]

His performance, not because they lost. If he had been awesome in that game and they had still lost, do you think we'd even be having this conversation?

[Lucy]

Absolutely. We would be having the Blake Bortles is the detriment of The Star.

[Mina Kimes]

If C.J. stroud had been awesome in that game and they had lost and they had gone toe to toe with Drake May. Dan, would you have asked me, what are the Texans going to do about CJ Stroud?

[Mike Ryan]

Not in that voice. I don't know. I don't know why you gave me that.

[Dan Le Batard]

How pumped is Dan to ask for more fighting and get it?

[Lucy]

You know who always showed up in big games? Lucy?

[Mina Kimes]

Troy Bolton.

[Lucy]

That's right.

[Mina Kimes]

Happy anniversary. High School Musical. We've been dying to talk about it all.

[Mike Ryan]

Yeah, I noticed. Twice. I'm not going to let you stid them. Your thoughts?

[Mina Kimes]

I just watched both of his preseason games. I've been waiting all morning for someone to ask me about Jared Stidham. Got to get your head in the game. First of all, Jared Stidham, by Dave's logic, he's two and oh, baby this year. So that he must be the best quarterback in the NFL, right? He won those two games against the San Francisco and Arizona Cardinals in the preseason. QB wins. Okay, my thoughts are he did look good in those games. I thought. Preseason caveats, all of that. I thought he looked accurate. He threw some balls downfield, particularly in the Arizona game. I thought he made some legitimately impressive throws and flashed some athleticism. So this is not like a nightmare backup quarterback situation by any means. That said, I do think the Patriots defense in particular, based on what we've seen over the last few Weeks is going to throw a lot of really confusing pressures and coverages at him. So it's going to be very challenging for him. And obviously I'm picking New England here. But he's. He is capable of functional quarterback play. He's soaring and he's flying.

[Mike Ryan]

Yeah.

[Lucy]

If the Broncos win, this could be the start of something new.

[Mina Kimes]

Those High School Musical references. Because I'm going to have to.

[Mike Ryan]

Yes, of course. The Booty Catch. The Booty Catch. Can you.

[Lucy]

Bob Greasy completed or attempted four more passes than I did in some playoff games and is in the hall of Fame because his team won. Lombardi's. The impact of winning in the playoffs is everything. It is the perception you're talking about the actual performance mean a kind. I'm talking about the way we react, not just the media. I'm talking about human beings who are the enduring legends of the sport, the people who win it. That's how recorded history works.

[Mina Kimes]

Kesha Booty, I thought, was excellent in the last round. And it's so funny because Dominique and I were trying to comp for him, and every comp I came up for him in the way he's playing right now was a guy who was like 6 foot 4 and up and he's 5 foot 11, which I think is what's really remarkable about the fact that he's making these contested catches, you know, deep against like man cover. He's really, I think, proven to be a reliable downfield target for Drake May. And you go up against defense that loves to play man coverage in Denver. I think his ability to get those one on ones like, can't you just see it now? It's a fourth quarter. Somehow they get him on Riley Moss. Poor Riley Moss. Pass interference in a key moment. He reels it in anyways. I've been so impressed by him, Mina.

[Mike Ryan]

Mike Vrabel is in a position.

[Lucy]

Danny White did one of the hardest things a person can do, which is take over for a legend. Only Mr. Furley did it better, perhaps for Mr. Roper. In 1980, he and Drew Pearson hook up to vanquish the Atlanta Falcons and fall to the Philadelphia Eagles, who wind up in the Super Bowl. In 81, he only loses because of the catch to Dwight Clark and Joe Montana. He could have gone to the super bowl where he would have beaten the Cincinnati Bengals. And in 82, he gets hurt in RFK and they lose with Gary Hogeboom under center to Joe Theisman in Washington. He would have been a Hall of Famer. If he gets to one of Those Super Bowls and wins it instead. He's an afterthought. Don't tell me QB wins. Don't matter. This is just like when Gabriella took over for Sharpay in the spring musicale.

[Mina Kimes]

Were you asked me something about Mike Vrabel? I didn't catch the end of that.

[Mike Ryan]

I was, yes, you finished this question. Mike Vrabel, the job I had some interference. The job that he's done with so much rookie play is crazy. I saw the stat this weekend. The Titans, the Browns and the jets, all terrible teams, are the only ones who have had as many rookies make an impact. But those are all bad teams.

[Mina Kimes]

Yeah, I think what I find so impressive and important too, it's the combination of like the rookies and the young players. But I also think a lot of the veterans New England brought in this off season have really paid off and made an impact right in its last game. Defensively, Milton Williams, who was their big signing, was the big signing, took over the game at various points. Carlton Davis was excellent as well. And then offensively, Stefan Diggs, I mean, that was a signing that a lot of people questioned. 32 years old or 31 or something coming off the ACL and he's been pivotal. So it's. It feels like a roster that's really. Well, I'm not just saying that Mark Rabel himself has done a great job, but I also think when I watch the Patriots roster, to me is really shining. You see how well put together it is.

[Mike Ryan]

The Brandon Cooks catch, non catch.

[Lucy]

Almost no one under the age of 40 could tell you anything about hall of Famer Dan Fouts. Why? Because he never played in a Super Bowl. I bet you everyone under 40 could tell you something about Doug Williams, namely he won the Super Bowl.

[Mina Kimes]

I actually quibble with the idea that people under 40 know the difference between Doug Williams and Dan Passive post. Not that. Not that they should. They should. But I'm just saying, if you surveyed people on the street, I would guess.

[Lucy]

And there we park our cars in the same garage. End of argument.

[Dan Le Batard]

There is one difference.

[Lucy]

How say you?

[Mike Ryan]

The Brandon Cooks play Chargers. The Brandon Cooks catch. Non catch. How say you?

[Mina Kimes]

I thought it was an interception. I've watched it a million times. In the moment, I was like, damn. Very close. Hard to tell. Felt very. I didn't feel like I saw a good camera angle in the moment. That clarified for like exactly when the ball was being jarred loose. But upon like seeing more angles of it. I agree with the argument that if the DB wasn't there and the ball had started coming out at the same time because of air. Right. It would have very clearly been an incompletion. And I think when you think about it through that frame, you can see why it was called incomplete.

[Dan Le Batard]

I can understand that. Why isn't the DPI a bigger talking point? I thought that that was brutal.

[Mina Kimes]

And Trey White. Yeah, I didn't think that that was textbook dpi.

[Dan Le Batard]

Their whole offense, that entire second half, like, we can't bail out this offense every time. Their entire offense is give us a dpi.

[Mina Kimes]

It was just like Zack Efron hugged Vanessa Hudgens.

[Lucy]

Talking about.

[Mike Ryan]

That was a guess, Mina.

[Mina Kimes]

It's accurate.

[Mike Ryan]

Thank you for being on with us. She's the host of the Mina Keim show featuring Lenny. I strongly suggest that you listen to it. It's got a lot of good nutrients in it. Thank you, Mina. I also think it's fair to say after this bill's press conference today, and crazy to say that if Cooks makes that catch, McDermott's still the coach. Obviously still the coach in this game, but he's going to continue coaching the Bills after that. That's nuts, right?

[Lucy]

They probably would have stick to the status quo. They tried really hard.

[Mike Ryan]

You want to end. You want to end the show with High School Musical? That's how you want to end the show here.

[Dan Le Batard]

It's Lucy's last show for the week.

[Mike Ryan]

Asshole.

[Dan Le Batard]

Happy new year, everybody. 2026 is already getting off to an incredible start. Because you want to know how I rang in the new year? It was with a bunch of friends in a Dallas hotel lobby bar ordering a bunch of Miller lights. Because that's how you do it. That's how you make special memories. Miller Lite has been by my side at many special football memories this year. And hopefully we get to write a few more memories with Miller Lite. Some of my most legendary moments have started that exact same way. A buddy's house, a lobby bar, a game, no big plan. And then you crack open a Miller Lite, you take a sip and you look around and you immediately recognize that you made the right call. Legendary moments start with Miller Lite. Great taste. 96 calories. Go to millerlight.com dan to find delivery options near you. Or you can pick up some Miller Lite pretty much anywhere they sell beer. It's Miller time. Celebrate responsibly. Miller Brewing Co. Milwaukee, Wisconsin. 96 calories and 3.2 carbs per 12 ounces.