The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz

Episode: Local Hour: The Good Bagels
Date: January 26, 2026
Location: Elser Hotel, Downtown Miami

Episode Overview

This episode, “The Good Bagels,” blends classic Le Batard banter with sharp sports takes, food opinions, South Florida color, and some uniquely Miami-side discussions. The crew—Dan Le Batard, Stugotz, and company—riff on the state of the show breakfast, South Florida’s bagel reputation, NFL playoff chaos, the ongoing measurement of greatness in football, and local pop culture (including a heated debate about the Netflix portrayal of Hialeah). The tone flips between humor, sports fanaticism, and city pride.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Good Bagels and Miami Breakfast Culture (00:00–02:25)

• The episode kicks off with concern over the missing breakfast spread, specifically the lack of quality bagels—a recurring theme reflecting both personal preferences and regional pride/mocking.
  • "[Miami doesn't] make great bagels. The Miami bagel can be inconsistent." – Dan (00:54)
  • New Yorkers' reputed snobbery about Miami bagels is ridiculed, leading to a humorous exchange about climate tradeoffs:
    • "We will take a lesser bagel in exchange for having weather better than anywhere in the United States." – Dan (01:34)

2. Sports Talk: NFL Playoff Outcomes and Measurement Systems (02:25–14:00)

• Stats of the Day Segment: Le Batard marvels at Matthew Stafford’s statistical anomalies (great games but still losing), and the Patriots' staggering Super Bowl tally compared to the Dolphins’ drought.

  • “Second time in five weeks [Stafford’s] gone 350+, three touchdowns, no turnovers and lost. That happened to Brady twice in 23 years.” – Dan (03:18)
  • "The Patriots have 10 Super Bowl appearances since the Dolphins last won a playoff game." – Dan (04:23)

• Best Team Debates: The show debates the value of playoff outcomes as hard proof of "who’s better" in football; arguments jump between analytics, sample sizes, and luck (see especially the Rams/Seahawks discussion).

  • “The normalization of one-game samples as the measurement system...” – Dan (17:02)

• Reliving Key Plays: Discussion of aggressive play-calling, particularly fourth-down decisions, with Romo and Nance as humor targets. Brady’s surprising broadcasting performance also emerges; the crew admits a "double turn," liking Brady more than Romo in the booth.

  • “Tom Brady did have a good call on a play...he just shouted, ‘Oh my God.’” – Dan (11:03)

3. The Evolution and Redemption of Sam Darnold (19:44–27:15; 32:18–34:50)

• The panel marvels at Sam Darnold reaching the Super Bowl, especially as the first from his hyped draft class (“Darnold, Mayfield, Rosen, Allen, Lamar Jackson”) and after playing for five different teams.

  • “One of the great reclamation stories in sports...Sam Darnold’s time. This is Seattle’s time.” – Moderator (19:27)
  • “Has there ever been a starting quarterback in the Super Bowl who’s been on five teams like this?” – Stugotz (32:18)

• Darnold's grit is lauded, especially his performance through injury, and the trust shown by the Seahawks’ coaching staff.

  • “He needed painkillers to play...He couldn’t throw the ball deep all week, then first, second pass of the game, he throws it for 40 yards.” – Dan (26:25)

4. Coaching, Work-Life Balance, and Football Obsession (24:10–25:15)

• Mike McDonald’s (Seahawks Coach) prioritization of work over family time is debated with a mix of praise and incredulity, poking fun at the personal sacrifices demanded by NFL success.
  • "30 minutes of family time a week keeps you fresh." – Dan (24:57)
  • "If you want to be a champion, can you see your family?" – Dan (Poll suggestion) (25:07)

5. Hialeah vs. Miami Lakes: Place, Pride, and Pop Culture (38:02–43:11)

• The squad pivots to a deep dive on Miami pop culture, especially the reaction to the Netflix movie "The Rip" and its depiction of Hialeah.
  • Ben Affleck’s mispronunciation (“Hylia”) and reductive portrayal spark local pride, criticism, and affectionate jokes about the region’s quirks.
  • "It actually painted Hialeah in a better light than what reality is...I didn’t see any chickens, I didn’t see any people selling water or coconuts on the street.” – Tony (39:05)
• Miami street navigation and city lore get play, with stories about wild local addresses and “El Raton de Hialeah” scoring a $10 spare tire in a legendary negotiation.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

Bagels + Weather

• “We will take a lesser bagel in exchange for having weather better than anywhere in the United States.” – Dan (01:34)

Staff Stats and Dolphins Lament

• "The Patriots have 10 Super bowl appearances since the Dolphins last won a playoff game." – Dan (04:23)

The Brady-Romo On-Air Shift

• "This playoff championship weekend was the crescendo of a weeks-long double turn in which people decided they actually like Tom Brady on the broadcast more than Tony Romo." – Mike (09:54)

• “Tom Brady did have a good call on a play. So on fourth and one...he just shouted, ‘Oh my God.’ And I gasped too.” – Dan (11:03)

Football's Luck and Chaos

• “I've been having this argument since high school with friends of mine about the way that we decide games, where after those games are played everyone just says, ‘Yeah, Seattle and the Patriots are better.’ And I'm like, I don't know that.” – Dan (19:44)

Obsessive Coaching

• “The way that you do that, the only way to be as successful as Mike McDonald is to ignore your family.” – Dan (24:10)
• “30 minutes of family time a week keeps you fresh.” – Dan (24:57)

Miami Urban Comedy

• “The weird part about Hialeah is that there’s different streets that are different directions, right? So there’s West 84th street, but Northwest 37th Street. And you’re like, wait, how is this the same street…” – Tony (42:17)

Netflix’s “The Rip” and Authenticity

• "Ben Affleck…doesn't know yet how to say Hialeah. Despite all the research that he has done, it is not yet something that he knows how to say." – Dan (39:49)
• "Fun movie. Ben and Matt Damel were great. It actually painted Hialeah in a better light than what reality is." – Tony (39:05)

Important Segment Timestamps

• 00:00–02:25: Bagel debate, Miami vs. New York food and weather.
• 02:25–08:00: NFL playoff stats, Rams vs Seahawks, Patriots Super Bowl domination, Belichick legacy.
• 08:00–11:32: Play-by-play calls, Tom Brady's debut, Romo critiques, and broadcasting “double turn.”
• 16:48–27:15: Rams-Seahawks head-to-head, measurement of greatness, Darnold as a redemption arc, third-down heroics.
• 24:10–25:15: Mike McDonald’s work-life/family time quote.
• 38:02–43:11: Hialeah vs. Miami Lakes, local pride, movie authenticity, Miami navigation.

Summary Flow & Tone

The tone is lively, irreverent, and informal, reflecting the show's trademark blend of sports acumen and comic Miami boosterism. They take pride in local quirks, skewer perceived snobbery (bagels, TV analysts, coaches), and fiercely defend their city’s character, all while rooting their sports takes in both data and cultural memory. This “Local Hour” is a prime snapshot of how the Le Batard Show evolves sports talk into something broader—about identity, place, and community.

For listeners seeking Miami flavor, quirky authenticity, and nuanced sports arguments—this episode delivers it all.