The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz
Local Hour: The Weak One Of Week 1
Date: September 8, 2025
Hosts: Dan Le Batard, Stugotz, Billy Gill, Greg Cody, Chris Cody, Mike Ryan, Zaslow
Location: Elser Hotel, Downtown Miami
Episode Overview
This “Local Hour” episode opens the NFL season with the Le Batard crew coming together—live and lively from Miami—to vent, debate, and spiral after one of the most miserable Week 1 performances the Miami Dolphins have delivered in decades. The fate of coach Mike McDaniel and quarterback Tua Tagovailoa are debated with the surly zeal only Miami sports can inspire. A healthy side of Dolphins despair is seasoned by mockery, overreactions, running jokes, and a little Andrew Luck magic. The show blends incisive football analysis, South Florida sports angst, and the show’s trademark comedy as the cast processes what feels like an “apocalypse” for Dolphins fans.
Key Discussion Points
1. Greg Cody’s Billboard Snub and Early Show Drama (02:09–04:07)
- Greg is upset that none of his painstakingly prepared topics made the show's "billboard" (the rundown).
- Greg Cody: “I do spend 15 or 20 minutes the very, very early morning before coming in here to write out my topics and I send them... But they need to be distributed and represented accordingly.” [02:31]
- Chris Cody openly takes accountability for the snub.
- Chris Cody: “I'm not going to let Dan do this today... I love you so much. I love working with you.” [03:07]
- Billy Gill jokes that the richness of the NFL’s opening weekend means no extra topics are needed.
2. Dolphins’ Week 1 Debacle & Extreme Fan Reactions (04:24–22:27)
- The Dolphins' blowout loss (30-8 vs. Colts) becomes the main event.
- Billy and Zaslow argue the loss is historically bad, “like nothing we've ever seen.” [15:25]
- Zaslow calls for Coach Mike McDaniel to be fired and pronounces “it’s over for Tua.”
- Zaslow: “I'm firing Mike McDaniel... there is no way that anyone can look at Mike McDaniel and say, that is a coach who could take you to a Super Bowl.” [16:04]
- Zaslow: “It is over for Tua... we're all going to remember we were all on the same page after that Colts game.” [16:59]
- Billy: “That Dolphin game felt like all the games when two was out and they have to go to the backup quarterback and you know they're not going to get any offense.” [17:34]
- Statistical context—Dolphins had only 43 first-half yards (worst since 1991); Colts had three 15-play drives; Miami was the only team blown out on Week 1.
- Greg Cody (the veteran): “It was inexcusable. It was sub putrid. Every worst fear of a Dolphin fan was not only came true, but was magnified. I'm not going to equivocate how awful the Dolphins played.” [19:42]
- Overreactions fly: Zaslow, Billy, and even Chris declare the season “over.”
- Dan Le Batard: “This season's over. Zaz is, I'm telling you right now. Season's over.” [21:27]
- Greg tries to talk down the panic: “Comical excess, comical overreaction... Even bad teams tend to bounce back, particularly in a home opener.” [21:43]
3. Around the NFL: Ravens, Henry, and Mahomes (05:04–15:25)
- Recap of the wild finishes and shocking results from across the league:
- The Jets-Steelers unexpected shootout, the Ravens historic collapse (up 15 in the fourth), and Derrick Henry's unprecedented longevity as a running back.
- Zaslow: “Derrick Henry might be the best running back ever. And I don't know that that's a crazy thing to say.” [12:43]
- Mike Ryan: “Josh Allen, who might be the second greatest quarterback of all time. Just unlucky enough to be playing in the same generation as Patrick Mahomes.” [14:16]
- Analysis that since Tyreek Hill left for Miami, Mahomes’ downfield production (statistically) has dropped dramatically. [14:16]
4. College Football & Miami Scene—FIU’s Noble Defeat, Andrew Luck’s “Magical” Life (26:09–32:13)
- Moment of levity in a dark Dolphins day: The show delights in an ESPN feature on Andrew Luck, with repeated playings of the cheery clip:
- Andrew Luck (clip): “This place, it’s magical. What a great life I have. I get to ride my bike to work every day.” [26:37, and replayed throughout]
- Greg Cody: “Nerd. Nerd.” [26:42]
- Billy Gill: “Andrew Luck did not wear a helmet that thick when he was playing football.” [28:36]
- FIU loses 34-0 to Penn State, but the crew tries to spin it as a moral victory because the game was close deep into the second half.
- Dan Le Batard: “FIU played closer to Penn State than the Dolphins did to the Colts.” [32:13]
- Greg Cody (on FAU’s win): “Owls on the prowl.” [39:08]
- Debate over Miami college football teams devolves into local rivalry jokes and friendly jabs.
5. Deeper Dolphins Meltdown Analysis & Blame Game (40:57–48:45)
- Discussion returns to who’s chiefly responsible in Miami: Mike McDaniel, Tua, GM Chris Grier, or organizational rot?
- Billy Gill: “There is no team in professional football that had a more apocalyptic beginning than the Miami Dolphins yesterday. They looked like a minor league team.” [47:12]
- Greg Cody: “11 of the 15 games were one scored decisions. The Dolphins unequivocally played the worst of any team on opening day.” [48:21]
- Chris Cody offers a tongue-in-cheek “Top 5 Quarterbacks I’d Rather Have Than Tua,” including Arch Manning and Joe Flacco. [48:45–50:18]
- “Number one, Arch Manning. I'll roll the dice. I don't give a—I'm done with Tua.” [50:18]
- Billy Gill: “Oh, I’m telling you.” [50:17]
Notable Quotes & Moments
- Greg Cody (on the “week one of week one”): “Every worst fear of a Dolphin fan was not only came true, but was magnified.” [19:42]
- Zaslow: “I'm firing Mike McDaniel... there is no way that anyone can look at Mike McDaniel and say, that is a coach who could take you to a Super Bowl.” [16:04]
- Billy Gill: “That Dolphin game has never been played. It's not something any of us have ever seen.” [17:34]
- Dan Le Batard (on Andrew Luck): “Stanford seems lovely. Like, he seems happy. We're laughing at this man's happiness.” [28:46]
- Chris Cody (Top 5 QBs over Tua): “Number one, Arch Manning. I'll roll the dice. I don't give a—I'm done with Tua.” [50:18]
- Billy Gill (on FIU’s loss): “Billy, I'm sorry. They urinated on your joy.” [34:44]
- Greg Cody (self-referencing his Miami Herald column, often hilariously quoting himself): “When I quote myself, you know, I like the line...” [20:26]
Timestamps for Key Segments
- Greg Cody’s Billboard Snub: [02:09–04:07]
- Extreme Dolphins Despair & Overreaction: [04:24–22:27]
- NFL Weekend Recap (Notable Games & Stats): [05:04–15:25]
- Derrick Henry & Mahomes Analysis: [12:29–15:25]
- Andrew Luck’s Magical Bike Ride: [26:09–29:13] & recurred [39:40; 40:47]
- College Football/Rivalry Banter: [29:21–32:13; 38:16–39:24]
- Dolphins Meltdown Debate—Who’s to Blame?: [40:57–48:45]
- Chris Cody’s “Top 5 QBs Over Tua”: [49:09–50:18]
Tone & Style Notes
The episode perfectly encapsulates the “local hour” at its finest—equal parts sports group therapy, overcaffeinated overreaction, and comedic Miami chaos. The tone is boisterous, irreverent, and delightfully self-aware, with hosts poking fun at themselves and each other. Regular doses of football insight sit alongside signature running jokes and Miami-centric banter.
Summary Takeaways
- The Dolphins’ Week 1 loss is described as historically horrific, with some of the most extreme fan/alumni overreactions yet.
- Serious debates rage about the fate of head coach Mike McDaniel and Tua, while Greg Cody tries (and mostly fails) to keep the panic in check.
- The NFL’s opening weekend is recapped as wildly unpredictable, with the Ravens, Derrick Henry, Josh Allen, and Mahomes major talking points.
- Andrew Luck’s happy retirement is lovingly mocked and envied—multiple playbacks of his “magical” line provide much-needed levity.
- Miami college football gets its share of the spotlight, leading to another round of rivalry giggles and mockery.
- The episode’s close is a cathartic Dolphins vent, capped by Chris Cody’s comedic replacement QBs and a pledge to “purge” the Dolphins talk—at least for ten minutes.