Local Hour: You Better Shape Up

Summary

The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz

Local Hour: "You Better Shape Up"

Date: November 14, 2025
Location: Elser Hotel, Downtown Miami
Hosts: Dan Le Batard, Stugotz, and company

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Episode Overview

This episode, recorded live from Downtown Miami, pushes beyond sports talk into classic Le Batard absurdity and passionate debate. The crew mixes South Florida sports, pop culture, and their infamous running bits with rich banter. The heart of the Local Hour focuses on Miami Dolphins’ global ambitions, the Patriots' sudden dominance behind rookie Drake Maye, Miami Hurricanes' College Football Playoff fate, and the familiar agony of sports fans watching selection committees at work. Mixed in: campus stories, fashion mishaps, generational pop culture gaps, and plenty of signature sarcasm.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Embarrassing Moments at the Office

[01:33 - 04:33]

• Dan recounts two cringeworthy, oblivious moments:
  • Accidentally offering up a gift from coworker Izzy Gutierrez to the group, forgetting it was a personal Christmas present.
  • Asking colleague Jeremy if his "light blue sweater" was some kind of on-air punishment, crushing Jeremy's earlier positive vibes after being twice complimented on his sweater on the way to the studio.
  • The group riff on office awkwardness, with Jeremy wryly noting:

    “I came in here all excited... and then Dan walks in and asks me, is that a punishment?” (Jeremy, [04:12])

• Notable quote:

  "The question’s offensive. It’s an offensive question." (Dan, [03:28])

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2. Home Games vs. Globalization: Dolphins in Spain

[05:00 - 08:30]

• Dan queries the value of home-field advantage for Dolphins fans as the team expands its brand by playing in Spain.
  • Is it wrong to “treasure the home game experience so much” that you bristle at losing a local game to promote the sport globally, Dan asks?

    “Should fans treasure the home game experience so much in football when you only get eight or nine of them, that you want to be xenophobic…” (Dan, [05:03])

  • The panel laughs off the “xenophobic” label and agrees most fans simply want their home games.
  • Chris and Mike spin the positives of “boys' trips” abroad to watch games, with Mike admitting those trips lose luster as he ages.
• Notable quotes:

  “I just wanted to use the word xenophobe.” (Dan, [06:09])
  "What was the boys trip that made you say, enough?" (Chris, [08:02])

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3. Generational Pop Culture Gaps

[09:06 - 10:53]

• The crew jokes about missed pop culture references, like “Grease” and the Harlem Globetrotters.
  • Dan’s wife thought the Globetrotters were a legitimate basketball team, leading the crew to discuss how cultural touchstones fade over generations.
  • Reflections on whether young fans or non-sports fans even know the Globetrotters’ schtick.
• Notable quote:

  "A traveling circus for basketball in 2025 seems like a really outdated thing to be able to fill Madison Square Garden." (Dan, [10:53])

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4. High-Stakes Sports Betting Nerves

[12:11 - 13:39]

• Tony and others have a $5,000 bet on the Chiefs minus three and a half, and Dan voices genuine discomfort with the high stakes, joking at one member’s nervous “my kids need Christmas” stress.
  • The feeling in the studio is anxious, with everyone aware that half-points can decide big bets.
• Notable exchange:

  "This is a $5,000 bet... Louis keeps muttering that he needs the money and I just don't like the feeling of that around me." (Dan, [12:11])

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5. Patriots’ Stunning Ascendancy: Drake Maye and Vrabel

[13:39 - 29:10]

• The crew marvels at the New England Patriots’ shocking turnaround:
  • Rookie quarterback Drake Maye is an MVP candidate.
  • Dan doubts anyone predicted the Patriots would have the best record this late in the season.
  • The group credits coach Mike Vrabel (“the greatest underdog head coach ever”) and analyzes the unusual pace of Maye’s breakout.
  • Opulent stats:

    "No other quarterback in NFL history has put up those numbers over any 11 game span..." (Jeremy, [22:42])

  • Discussion of “organizational trust” and if the current Patriots DNA means the success will last. Mike cautions it’s less “organizational magic,” more just good coaching and a great quarterback.
• Notable quotes:

  “The Patriots get two years of suffering after Tom Brady and Bill Belichick and the Dolphins... get 22 years of suffering.” (Dan, [24:43])
  "I'm just saying that I'm less—I don't expect to see it in that uniform." (Dan, [28:30])
  “Vrabel’s the culture setter... He takes all of that.” (Stugotz, [33:38])

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6. Are Miami Hurricanes Getting a Raw Playoff Deal?

[34:45 - 43:14]

• Heated group debate erupts over how the CFB Playoff committee is ranking Miami, Louisville, and Notre Dame.
  • Discussion of resume, head-to-head logic, and what actually counts as a “bad loss.”
  • Dan bristles at the possibility that Notre Dame might leapfrog Miami in the rankings despite losing to them—exposing the murkiness (and perceived favoritism) of the CFP reasoning.
  • Everyone vents about “quality losses,” double-digit favorites, and the apparent bias against Miami.
  • Chris lampoons the situation:

    “I think it goes back to quality losses. Like Notre Dame lost to a good Miami team. Miami lost... and they also lost to Texas A&M. Bad losses undo good wins.” (Chris & Jeremy, [39:21])

  • Mike’s exasperated conclusion:

    “I will die. I will have an aneurysm.” (Mike, [38:51])

• Notable quotes:

  "Why play anybody non-conference? … They've lost four games in the last two seasons, none of them by over a score." (Mike, [42:09])
  “If I flipped the resumes, you'd be making the opposite argument. So you better shape up.” (Jeremy, [43:45])

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Dan’s remorse over his sweater comment:

  “That sweater was a choice you made. I did genuinely ask you if it was a punishment…” ([08:48])

• On sports fan trauma:

  “I can’t be the only one doing that, right? When I tell you that and I say what do you expect from this…like all of you look at what happened in Washington, you may be surprised, maybe you’re surprised that it has collapsed… having seen it happen… I feel comfortable based on just the uniform...” (Dan, [28:52])

• On the CFP’s logic:

  “I genuinely believe that Notre Dame, with two losses, should be ranked as the number one team in the country. Because the most impressive thing done by anyone this season is Notre Dame came close to beating Texas A&M.” (Dan, [44:05])

• Comedy callback:

  “He looks like John Travolta after he's like made the turn and he's going to prove, yes, Olivia Newton John, hey, I'm a good guy after all.” (Chris, [09:06])

• Pop culture banter:

  “My kids know who [the Globetrotters] are. I think this is a—do you like sports or not?” (Chris, [10:30])

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Important Timestamps

| Segment | Time | |--------------------------------------------------|--------------| | Dan’s embarrassing Izzy/office sweater moment | 01:33 - 04:33| | Dolphins’ home game vs. going global | 05:00 - 08:30| | Boys’ trips and aging out | 07:19 - 08:02| | Harlem Globetrotters = sports pop culture test | 09:06 - 10:53| | High-stakes gambling nerves | 12:11 - 13:39| | Patriots’ rise, Drake Maye MVP talk | 13:39 - 29:10| | Trust in “the organization” vs. new era | 32:33 - 34:43| | Miami, Louisville, Notre Dame: CFP chaos | 34:45 - 43:14| | “You better shape up!” debate climax | 43:45 - 44:32| | Full-on meta CFP mockery | 44:32 - 45:04|

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Tone & Style Notes

• Language: Conversational, irreverent, layered with sarcasm and inside jokes
• Energy: Spirited, rapid-fire, sometimes exasperated, always self-aware
• Attribution: Everyone is in on the Florida-vs-the-world, CFP conspiracies, and fan trauma
• Typical tangent: "Let’s talk about Ethan’s dog again. That was a good idea." (Dan, [04:43])

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Summary

For listeners who missed the episode, it’s classic Local Hour Le Batard: Miami-centric sports angst colliding with zany, self-mocking banter and righteous committee outrage. The episode captures everything from office awkwardness and generational culture gaps to the agony of being a Miami football fan at the mercy of selection committees, all leavened with inside humor and pointed jabs at sports’ self-seriousness.

Perfect for:

• Miami sports diehards
• College football/Crowd ranking skeptics
• Fans nostalgic for playful-but-passionate sports radio
• Anyone who loves a show that can pivot from “what is that sweater?” to CFP playoff conspiracy, all while laughing at themselves.

Transcript

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[B]

I mean, I don't like having obviously genuinely embarrassing moments with anybody, but I don't like having them with coworkers especially. And I just had something happen to me this morning that is the most embarrassed I've been with a coworker since I came out of this room holding a gift from Izzy Gutierrez that was a Christmas gift that I didn't know was a Christmas gift. And I just asked in front of Izzy Gutierrez, does anyone want this? Like, I just asked everybody this because I said, yeah, I didn't.

[E]

Oh, it's a hat.

[B]

I came back from vacation. It had still been in the office. I didn't remember that it was given. And so that feeling was conjured for me today when very innocently, and I can be oblivious. I looked at Jeremy and the light blue sweater that he was wearing, and I said, what punishment are you serving today? And I wasn't trying to insult him. I was asking the question Genu, because Mike confused me yesterday by being Pete Carroll, by just wearing a Raiders hoodie. And I didn't know he was serving a punishment when he came in, from the way that he was Dressed.

[A]

It was a quarter tip.

[C]

So the Izzy story. You should be embarrassed and ashamed. That is awful. Because there was something done in a moment of tenderness and thoughtfulness. And you very dismissively said, who wants this? Right? Asking Jeremy what punishment he's serving is hilarious. My God.

[E]

It was pretty funny. But I felt, is that a punish?

[A]

I said, dan, don't sell yourself short. Just moments later, you asked, is Amin in today? While he was sitting directly in front.

[C]

Of me, I was like, three, maybe two and a half feet away from you.

[B]

Yeah, but that's not the same as asking whether Amin was dressed in a form of penalty. And no, that's just the sweater that Jeremy chose. So that question. The question's offensive. It's an offensive question.

[E]

Yeah. The craziest part about it is I came in today feeling really, really good, because when I was walking from getting my Starbucks, I'm walking through the US Court area.

[A]

You whispered when you walk, right?

[E]

Oh, yeah. And a cop. A cop stops me, and he's like, hey, sir. And so I'm like, oh, oh, no. Did I do something wrong? Did I jaywalk? Whatever. And he goes, did I jaywalk? And he goes, hey, man, big fan. I love that sweater. Looks great. Where did you get it? No joke. Love that sweater. Where'd you get it?

[C]

Tell him.

[E]

Oh, hey. Over the heat, Serena. So then I walk over here, I walk into the elser, and I've got. Yeah, he did say binge. And I've got. And I've got headphones in. I've got headphones in. Spider Man 3, the concierge looks at me, and she goes like she points at her ears. And so I take out my. My headphones, and she goes, oh, I love that sweater. Where did you get it? It looks great. And I said, wow, you're the second person who said that to me today. Thank you so much. I came in here all excited. I get compliments from multiple people when I walk in, and then Dan walks in and asks me, is that a punishment?

[C]

Lorenzo Butler was happy up until that last part. I texted Lorenzo, Miami Heat pr, because I know Dan doesn't like it when I say names without explaining who.

[B]

Let's talk about Ethan's dog again. That was a good idea.

[E]

Percy, Percy, Percy. Percy. Come on.

[B]

This is the Dan Levatar show with the Stugats podcast. We're at the time of year where I think Tony and Jeremy are going to have to put an electrical collar on Mike to keep him from talking about the University of Miami and yelling about committees and rankings and the sec. So we will get to some college football stuff here in a second. But before we do that, because the Dolphins are playing the 9:30 game in Spain this weekend, I was simply curious as these reports come out, that Miami, that the Dolphins, a team that haven't been relevant this century, are going to Spain, that they want to be America's Latin team, that they want to go to Spanish countries and do what Jacksonville does with London, where you lose home games, but you're sending your product overseas and you're making your fan base more global. Should fans treasure the home game experience so much in football when you only get eight or nine of them, that you want to be xenophobic and say, no, I want the home field advantage in the AFC east of not playing a game over an ocean. I don't care if it sells the game globally.

[A]

I don't think that makes you a xenophobe.

[D]

That's strong. I think.

[A]

Walk it back.

[B]

I just wanted to use the word xenophobe.

[A]

I know. You came out of nowhere.

[C]

I put it on the bell, put.

[B]

It on the poll at Levitar.

[A]

Just want to use the word.

[B]

Is xenophobe a good word? Fun. Xenophoba. Fun word. Yes. Yes or no, Spaniard. It doesn't. It doesn't make you a xenophobe. But there are plenty of folks who do not want their home games, I would assume don't want their home games sent overseas, especially if you have a season ticket package.

[A]

Right. But to be clear, that doesn't make you a xenophobe. That just makes you a football fan.

[E]

You should get a ticket in Spain, if you have season tickets and they lose a home game, you should just get a seat.

[D]

Good idea.

[A]

I. I think that they do have some kind of priority when it comes to those games.

[D]

You know what's better than a home game? A fun road game that you and all the boys travel to. I know Mike. I know.

[A]

Mike loves that.

[D]

I know Chris loves that. Hey, we're going to go, all of us, to Spain, sell it to the wives. We'll be hanging out in Spain for a couple of days. All of a sudden come back trip, honey. Exactly right. That's better than a home game.

[E]

Home game.

[D]

What do you walk into the tailgate? Oh, I see the same guy.

[E]

You know how many sporting trips I've turned? I've just said to my wife, it's a work trip.

[D]

Exactly. Right.

[E]

Like taking candy from a baby.

[B]

What age do you think that you'll grow out of that. What age are the children? There is an age where one grows out of that, correct?

[E]

Lying to your wife.

[C]

I'm still looking for it.

[B]

Not lying to your wife, but going on the. The.

[C]

The.

[B]

The boys trip where you're not tired of the boys.

[E]

But that was your last boys trip, Dan?

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Good question. Yeah.

[E]

Was it. Was it New Orleans? Mashed potatoes, my dad's hair?

[B]

No, no. There were a couple of Vegas trips, but yeah, it's been. It's been a minute.

[D]

Last time you liked your wife.

[B]

The reason that I was. I don't do very much of that. The reason that I was much. The reason that I was asking the question, though, is because at some point I did grow out of that. It's why I was asking because all of you seem eager about the boys trip and I' point you grow out of that.

[C]

What was the boys trip that made you say, enough? This has never happened?

[B]

Well, Vegas does this. Vegas's expiration date with me is like five or six past these particular trips where I'm like, excited about going on the trip. And then after the trip, I feel pretty gross about myself and all the best kind and all the choices that I've made.

[D]

Your decisions, though, it didn't have to do with the boys, right? You and the boys made things happen. You made bad decisions.

[E]

A little post boys trip regret.

[A]

Ah.

[B]

Put it on the poll at Levitard show. A little post. Little post boys trip. Boys trip regret.

[C]

Yes, Exclamation point.

[B]

But you throw Vegas in there, it makes it even worse. Vegas and Miami are the dirtiest American cities to do that in. Right.

[C]

Would like a word?

[B]

Oh, yeah, New Orleans. Excuse me. Yes, yes. I'm sorry to have offended New Orleans. Jeremy, I again apologize for what happened with my obliviousness this morning. That sweater was a choice you made. I've not seen that sweater before. I did genuinely ask you if it was a punishment of some sort you were serving.

[C]

He looks like John Travolta after he's like, made the turn and he's going to prove, yes, Olivia Newton John. Hey, I'm a good guy after all.

[B]

Good.

[E]

That's what I want to look like. Guy's hot.

[C]

Danny Zuko.

[B]

So a reference from the 1976 movie Grease.

[E]

Chris looks at the picture behind me and goes, boy, you look fat in that picture. Pat McAfee, before.

[B]

Before we get to some of the Miami stuff, I just did want to ask you because I feel like Tony totally aged out on your Grease reference, and this doesn't actually happen very Often with my wife, who's younger than I am. Pop culture bridges aren't a problem with us. But the other day I mentioned something, and she didn't have the context for what it was. And I mean, I'm wondering how many people in our audience don't have a familiarity with what the Harlem Globetrotters are. The reason it came up is because she was looking for something and she found that Madison Square Garden, that the Harlem Globetrotters are going to be playing Madison Square Garden. I was shocked by that, as a traveling basketball circus that they still are able to command full arenas. And she thought. She thought the Harlem Globetrotters were a real team. And so I sort of had to explain to her what they. What they were. Do you think there are many people in our audience from sports who don't know what the Harlem Globetrotters are?

[C]

My kids know they are. I think this is a. Do you like sports or not? Your wife is not the biggest sports fan in the world. So I think it's understandable given the age and the lack of interest in sports. Now, older people, our generation, we remember when, even if you didn't know anything about sports, there was a Harlem Globetrogers cartoon. And there was like, there was everywhere. It was everywhere as a cultural piece of art.

[B]

But a traveling circus for basketball in 2025 seems like a really outdated thing to be able to fill Madison Square Garden.

[C]

Fill is a relative term. Like, it's not going to be 19,763 or whatever the number they always tout over there. But this is the dirty secret about every arena. The worst thing you can have is a dark date. So they'd rather have 10,000 people show up for the Globetrotters, then turn the lights off and say, we didn't have anything happen today.

[A]

Remember when the Globetrotters played Michigan State?

[C]

Yes.

[B]

They lost to Michigan State.

[A]

Michigan State snapped their over thousand game win streak. But then in 03, the Globetrotters beat Michigan State.

[C]

Yep.

[A]

Magic Johnson, I think, played in that game.

[D]

Dan, how did you explain to Valerie that the Globetrotters never lose? Well, yeah, like, hey, they go around, but like, they don't lose to anybody.

[B]

Well, this sent us on a video hunt when she's like, what do you mean they don't ever lose? And I'm like, watch. These defenders are clean. Clearly in on the what?

[D]

Washington General.

[E]

Oh, wait a second of lying to your wife. You should have made a bet with her. Hey, I got the.

[C]

Yeah, I got the Globetrotters.

[B]

Speaking of bets, Tony, what Are you leading this Sunday with a group of people? Louis is very worried about this. Now these are stakes. These are stakes that make me uncomfortable because Louis keeps muttering that he needs the money and I just don't like the feeling of that around me.

[E]

I believe he said my kids need Christmas.

[B]

Yeah, yeah, like. And so this is, this is a $5,000 bet and you guys are on the ch. Chiefs. The chiefs minus three and a half is where you got the number. I'm really scared of that half point. I'm really, I'm really scared of you guys getting crushed by that half point.

[D]

That would be better though, right? Like us getting crushed by the half point would be better.

[B]

Well, it dramatic is what we need it to be. You guys really feeling the suffering of $5,000 on the line in, in a game. I really think that the Broncos are going to miss Patrick certain the most this weekend. Like they really need that player for this to be able to alter the things that Kansas City is doing. But the idea that they're calling that a must win game for the Chiefs when people don't feel like the Chiefs have played an important regular season game in how many years?

[D]

A lot.

[E]

Right.

[D]

And they've kind of got two back to back really important regular season games, especially in the afc. You look at the AFC west this weekend with the Broncos, if they can beat the Broncos, there's a little tiny path for them to maybe sneak in and win the division next week. They've got the Indianapolis Colts, which is a massive game for kind of the hierarchy of the AFC in general. But yeah, Dan, Sunday night, Sunday afternoon, it's gonna be dark though at 4:25, but we're gonna be live streaming. Me, maybe Chris, Jeremy Roy, Louis, all of us sitting in the cheap seats hoping and praying that the offense you said was dead will come alive one more time.

[B]

When you say the hierarchy of the afc, okay, I believe there is not an analyst in the country for all that we cover football that had the Patriots as the best record in the sport this late in the season. I don't believe there's an analyst who thought. I don't believe there is a single person out there who analyzed the AFC east said, those are going to be some easy games in the AFC east and the Patriots are going to have an MVP chant at quarterback. They're going to have the hottest young thing you want, which is the combination of They've got a 23 year old quarterback who we know is going to be good and they've got the wonderful delight that sports fans treasure so much is we're the surprise. We're the underdog. Surprise. People haven't even been talking about us all season. They've been talking about the Colts. They've been talking about the Colts is the surprise of the league and the Patriots have the best record in the sport.

[C]

Dan, I'll do you one better. How many people had the Patriots having the best record in their division, let alone the whole sport, like just having a better record than the Bills?

[B]

Give me somebody who had this. Give me for all the analysis that we do on who's a good team, who's a bad team, and we do it every week. Can you guys find me somebody? Because at least I heard Dominique Foxworth saying he'll be on with us later before the season. Hey, the Colts are going to be really good. Everyone's got this wrong on the Colts. I didn't hear anybody saying that on the Patriots, even as I heard plenty of people saying Drake May's growing as a quarterback and is going to be a good quarterback but not MVP Good. Not. They're going to surprise everybody in the sport. Good.

[A]

I'm sorry. I found an article from NFL.com published in August by Ali Bonpouri that had them as a second seed.

[C]

There you go.

[A]

New England was a very vogue pick to make the playoffs and be the, the team that ascends in that conference for first seed with, you know, home field advantage. Hard pressed to find anybody that said that.

[D]

You look at Drake van what he was doing last year and there was already kind of glimpses of, oh, this guy can be really good if they surround him with decent pieces. And then going into the year, they didn't really make any tremendous moves on the offensive side of the ball. You look across at their weapons in the wide receiver corner, you're like, Stefan Diggs is coming off an acl. He's okay. They got like K Sha Booty and Mack Hollins and Hunter Henry and it's like, I don't know if this team can be that good on offense. And then all of a sudden Drake May has just kind of the rising tide that's lifted all boats there and it's just really good.

[C]

Can we call Drake May a liar or is it too early, too early to say that?

[B]

Which part was he lying about?

[C]

Drake May when he said, when they asked him about like developing the chemistry with his receivers and he said he's been watching them since he was in middle school.

[B]

Well, let's, let's, let's hear Drake May in his own words, because he was talking about Stefan Diggs. Stefan Diggs is, you know, the receiver that he's, that he's going to 100 yards for. I think a lot of us thought that Stefan Diggs was also spent. I think a lot of us thought what Tony was saying that Mack Hollins. What are you. You're gonna. You're Hunter Henry. What the hell are you guys gonna do with that? It's not gonna be MVP chance. That's not what we're gonna get. So let's hear Drake May talking about when he started developing trust with Stefan Diggs.

[A]

Is the, the trust that you have in Stefan Diggs something that's built up over time or do you feel like you had that right away now? That trust was built up? You know, probably when I was in, in middle school, when he was playing in the league. It was long ago. You know, guys like him and Hunter and Mack, you know, you trust those guys for what they've done in this league. And I just try to give them chances. And you know, Steph and you know, he didn't break a couple tackles, get in the end zone, but you know.

[B]

Those guys are big chicken time.

[E]

I don't think he knows what trust is.

[B]

No chance.

[C]

No way in the world is watching.

[B]

Mac when he was in middle school.

[A]

Listen to him.

[B]

This chicken is dying. My chicken sounds. This chicken has been chilled way too many times.

[A]

I think you should listen to him.

[C]

It's Friday.

[B]

His first season was in 2017, so he's gonna be watching kinda close the game film. He was 13 when he was watching Stefon Diggs. That he was 13. I don't believe that. That's when they developed chemistry and trust though.

[D]

Trust is a two way street, Dan.

[C]

There you go.

[D]

So you gotta build the trust one way, right? So he's like, oh, damn, I'm 13. But wow, Stefan Diggs, good player. And then when he finally meets him, Stefan Diggs.

[B]

Trust is a two way street. You're absolutely right. Trust is not a one way street.

[D]

I trust you, but do you trust me?

[B]

It runs both ways. And so yeah, at that time, Stefan Diggs was not thinking to himself, I hope this 13 year old kid could be my quarterback.

[A]

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[E]

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[B]

Don Le Batar Football Football Football Football.

[A]

ST.

[B]

This is the Dan Levatar show with the st. I do believe that most people watching North Carolina football knew Drake May was a special talent. And when it is that you see Caleb Williams or others go through the bumpiness of playing right away. Drake May's arc has been a fairly amazing one in that his success has been linear. We've seen him grow, they suffer for a little while. And now the stats are. Before Vrabel got there, the Patriots had won nine times in 38 games. Now they've won nine times since Vrabel has gotten there like that. They got it all fixed because they're fixed at quarterback and we can talk about their skill guys, but that's the skill guy that matters. And to have it be a surprise from a pick like that when we all saw that coming in college, like we know he's a special player, but I don't think that anyone had him taking MVP from Josh Allen in the chance. Like I, I did not have that happening. Not this fast. That's not this learning curve. The numbers on Drake May are crazy. Like there. He's putting up unprecedented combinations of numbers.

[E]

Yeah. Per opta stats. And you mentioned Dan, the versatility for Drake May last week, his mobility as well. Over 2,500 passing yards, over 250 rushing yards, over 20 touchdown passes, over a 70% completion percentage, over an.800 winning percentage. No other quarterback in NFL history has put up those numbers over any 11 game span of starts in any season in NFL history.

[A]

I don't think this is that surprising. It's Mike Vrabel and Drake May. A lot of people rated both those guys super highly. This is what Mike Vrabel does. I don't for the life of me, Tennessee's a fricking mess. Terrible decision. You have the greatest underdog head coach ever and you have a guy that was dynamite in college. This makes sense. This makes all the sense in the world actually.

[D]

But the thing is to, to Dan's point of the speed of it, they lost to the Raiders on opening day and the Raiders are terrible.

[A]

Right?

[D]

Like you look and you juxtapose the two ways that those, both of those teams have gone and at the beginning of the season you're like, oof. All right, V is going to get off to a rough start, losing to a Raiders team that maybe could be good. And now we look at them and they've won eight out of those.

[B]

But Mike says it's not a surprise. Not a surprise. And look, the Dolphins came very close to beating them. And as at the time when we were talking about what the assessments of the teams were, the Dolphins were viewed as a team that should win that game against the Patriots at home. And while you're right about the reputations of Drake May and vrae Bull, it's two consecutive four and 13 seasons and that's the MVP of the league that's been at the top of the division for a while. It's one thing to think that the Patriots are going to be the 2 seed or they're going to be good. It's another thing entirely to say, whoa, the moment they beat the Bills, did they just take the division from the Bills? Because everyone around here is saying now the windows closed on the Bills. So The Patriots get two years of suffering while the Dolphins get 22. The Patriots get two years of suffering after Tom Brady and Bill Belichick and the Dolphins in the Same division get 22 years of suffering and now ship off one of their home games to Spain or somewhere else so those xenophobes can enjoy them not playing in Miami.

[A]

Handful of people set the windows close on the Bills. Handful of us think that's absurd.

[B]

I saw just on the television moments ago that bettors are saying the Bills are still top five in terms of how it is that the money goes that viewed as one of the top five.

[A]

That's a youth thing too. You got to expect like there's an ascension here that comes with this Patriots team and Drake May. Yes, this is a great start. You're going to be really important in this conference for a decade. But this takes time. They are a flawed team. Put a little bit more talent around the quarterback in the playoffs. We know the Bills are going to be favored. Not that that matters. They were favored when they played New England earlier this season. But these typically don't go the way where second year guy just claims the conference from both Mahomes and machine.

[B]

My larger point is because of the way the Patriots are playing football through as you correctly identify coach and quarterback. The streak they've put together is unusual of number of times they've gone over 23 points and one number of times the defense has held opponents under 23 points. So what they are is a a balanced thing. In that Raiders game that Tony talked about they lost 20 to 10 since then. All they do is put up 20 plus and. And they just don't allow teams to score very much. So they have the. They have the balance that you want that is really hard to undercut. I understand that anyone that goes against the Chiefs and the Bills and the Ravens probably are going to feel like an underdog. You're not going to trust any of those teams until you've seen them get past the teams that you have seen do it. But they're way ahead of schedule. There's supposed to be a suffering process that lasts more than two years before you get to just take the division back. It took, it took the bills 17 years to take the division from the Patriots.

[A]

I think when you look at it from a conference perspective, like one quarter can say they took it from Patrick Mahomes and it's Joe Burrow. He's. Until otherwise, until proven otherwise, they run shit.

[D]

But you look at too on the other side of the conference in the nfc, Jaden Daniels was a rookie and all of a sudden completely barnstormed through everybody in the. In the nfc. Got to the Lions, who were one of the better teams in the nfc, hopeful super bowl hopefuls, and destroyed them too. Obviously ended up losing to Philly. But that's another team that was like out of nowhere. Boom, coach, quarterback, everything linked up. And obviously this year they've been hurt, but that's kind of another example.

[B]

Oh, but seeing here's the thing though, and I'm sure that this is happening to others, this is not just happening to me. That Washington thing happens and then collapses. And I'm less surprised by it than I would be if it happened in these uniforms. There's something about seeing this running around throughout my football nightmares for 20 years, owning the sport where I'm like, oh, that's not going to have a regression. That's not going to have a quarterback who goes the other way. Maybe he gets hurt, but it's not going to. He's not going to suddenly be C.J. stroud. He's not going to go from MVP chance to what happened to C.J. stroud. Like, they have the organizational infrastructure. The Gerard May Ohio was a disaster, okay? And they got out from under it. He's the one who came. The guy who came after the guy. And so for two years he takes the beating. But Vrabel's already won as much in 11 games as they won in the 38 before that. That's crazy.

[A]

I think Mayo might have just had one year. It's crazy. The Dolphins did nothing with like the three and a half years of seamless down.

[D]

They didn't do nothing like they had the best offense in the sport. It just they couldn't play in the cold.

[C]

Are we sure that there's no regression possible? That it's just going to be up.

[B]

And up and up forever? I'm just saying that I'm less. I don't expect to see it in that uniform. I've got whatever the post traumatic football fans feelings are on that uniform. Does things success for 20 years. That organization isn't going to screw up that they've got the young quarterback.

[C]

How much legacy is pulled over? How many of the people that were around for the dominance are around now?

[B]

I can't be the only one doing that, right? I'm not the only. When I tell you that and I say what do you expect from this? Like all of you look at what happened in Washington, you may be surprised, maybe you're surprised that it has collapsed because you expected Jayden Daniels to be as good. But having seen it happen in Houston and Washington, I feel comfortable based on just the uniform saying it's not going to happen here. There's not going to be a regression here at this position. Maybe he gets hurt but he's playing in a way that's all up. It's upticking at the normal amount of speed. The thing with Jaden Daniels that I didn't understand and still don't understand is how the hell do you come in the league and be that good right away? Like that's not that somebody has to learn that position. You can't just come in here and be immediately great and your team wins 11 or 12 games and I'm like how the hell did that happen? This has been the way the progression supposed to work. I watch a first round pick get sacked, get sacked, develop pocket presence and all of a sudden oh my God, the feel that he has in the pocket. He knows exactly when to run. He's done it enough now through college and the pros where this is only going to be a scent from here. Where's it going to get worse? They're going to get him better skill guys, they're going to build around him and the running game. They're going to get draft picks that make sure that support all the things that he does well outside of him getting hurt. Hurt. Where does this derail folks?

[E]

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[A]

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[B]

Don Lee Stugats I should go say hello. This is the Dan Levatar show with the Stugats.

[C]

So Elliot Wolf is the executive VP of player personnel. He's the final decision maker. He joined was that two, three years? Two years ago. Then Ryan Cowden joined them from the Giants this season. And then Matt Grow, who's been there a couple years as well. I would say that this organization other than Robert Kraft.

[B]

Well, Vrabel, though. Vrabel's a bridge between all of these things, though.

[C]

But then, so then we're giving the credit to Vrabel. And you know, if that's the case, then why wasn't he more successful in prior stops?

[B]

Because he's got a better quarterback now than he's ever had.

[C]

My point is, Dan, I don't Think you could say that organization when it's like nobody there was around other than Vrabel and it's not like that information traveled with him. It's not like San Antonio or Miami or the. It's like, nope, it's the same people the last 25 years running it. I'm. Well, I'm more inclined to believe that organization in terms of giving them trust. In this case, I feel like they just got a good quarterback and for now it's working. But I wouldn't afford them any kind of extra trust.

[D]

I mean, I don't know about that because when you talk about Vrabel, he's the culture setter, right? Tennessee was a laughingstock before he got there. He got there, all of a sudden they went to ASA championship games. He leaves there, now they're number one pick laughingstock again. Again, right? So he takes all of that culture setting players coach, all those, all those things.

[B]

And Josh McDaniels has been the play caller successfully there before.

[D]

That's an important piece too, right? Like working with a guy who's been a seasoned veteran offensive coordinator, who's worked with Brady, who's worked with great quarterbacks.

[B]

This is why people criticize the day ball hire or firing, because they're saying you need consistency in the relationship between Jackson Dart, the young quarterback, and he's got to feel like he's got stability behind him. This is why I think the Bears thing is going to work so well, because you're going to get the growth from a young quarterback who has the confidence and security of the young coach who has stability behind him. Before we do any more pro football, though, Louisville plays Clemson tonight and Mike is now just watching football games, rooting for things that help Miami. I feel like that's all you're doing.

[A]

Yes, I'm rooting for my team.

[B]

But tonight you're rooting. You will watch this Louisville game because at this point you're watching in order to just see bowling pins top toppled that help support Miami's case. Now I want to hear, Chris, what is the name of this CFB chairman who is speaking here and is talking about the University of Miami's chances and the idea of Miami controlling its destiny because they look at schedule, not conferences. Mike has been telling you for a while now, I don't know how much of this is happening nationally because I still hear Feinbaum ignorantly talking about the University of South Florida as if he thinks the SEC is some mystical special thing that doesn't allow for other schools outside the sec. To have talent, talented players that are just as talented as the ones in the sec. But I feel like all of the shine is off the SEC that we all know that Texas and Oklahoma, oh my God, they were going to go over there and make it so good. Now they're just running around in uniforms that you expect to be good, but they're not appreciably better than 30 other teams that you've seen in the sport this year. Louisville, I thought could beat just about anybody, but they lost to California when they got injuries and injuries can derail anybody. They shouldn't have and wouldn't have lost to California if not for the injuries. But you, you can't trust Clemson to take them out tonight, can you?

[A]

It's a tiny spread and they, Louisville just lost as a 20 point favorite to Cal without Isaac Brown. So Isaac Brown is a hugely important player for them. He's a, he's a big time threat. And the acc, it's tough in this conference. I know it's viewed as a punchline when other conferences beat each other up. It's not viewed the same way. Babo's teams, whenever they meet this adversity over the last few seasons, they tend to really get online at the later part of the season. So I'm curious. I certainly want Clemson to win. You can already kind of see what the committee is doing with Miami, Louisville and Notre Dame. Miami's head to head argument against Notre Dame, it loses a lot of its luster if Miami is ranked ahead of Louisville when Louisville defeated them. So you want Louisville out of the way.

[E]

We have the CFP committee chair Mack Rhodes talking about where Miami stands right now with the committee.

[D]

Miami, you know, I think you said.

[A]

It, you know, we had some, some teams lose and again, you know, the.

[D]

Conversation with, with Miami has been, you.

[A]

Know, about their consistency, their consistency, especially on, on offense they've been really, really good. You know, on, on defense, obviously, you know, the, the head to head with, with Notre Dame comes up and you.

[D]

Know, so a lot of conversation about.

[A]

Notre Dame seven straight, you know, better defensively than what they were at the beginning of the year. So all of those, all of those.

[D]

Things played into it. We've got great respect for Miami.

[A]

You know, when you think about the, the eye test, they're really talented. Both, both sides of the ball just need to be a little bit more consistent on, on the, on the offense.

[C]

I'm sorry, you said his name was Macro?

[E]

Mack Rhodes.

[C]

Oh, I was like Mackerel.

[B]

That's a great name.

[A]

All it took was one week in college football. November's kind of crazy and there's a lot of discourse about Miami's offense. Miami's offense this season has a legitimate shot to be the second best offense they've had in the last 20 years. It's just behind Deer King and Rhett Lashley's Miami offense that kind of fell apart towards the tail end of the season.

[C]

Who could forget?

[A]

Who could forget? Derek King was pretty good. He was. He was. And then Javante Williams and Michael Carter ran each for 200 yards against Miami.

[D]

I think one of them ran for 300.

[B]

When. When you look, I mean, you were making the cash Patel face for some reason while that conversation was going on. I just can't believe that we are headed to the possible scenario that I'm about to put in front of you, which is Notre Dame and Miami have the same record. Miami beats Notre Dame, but Notre Dame losing to Miami gets them more credit than Miami gets for beating Notre Dame. That's crazy. You got it like that's. But that is that we are headed to them having the same exact record.

[A]

And it will kill me. Mike's gonna have a stroke. I will die. I will have an aneurysm. That, that.

[B]

So Miami wins the game against Notre Dame. That doesn't count for anything. But congratulations, Notre Dame. You lost a close game to Miami. You get to play in the playoffs. You did it early enough in the season that it doesn't matter at all. We're going to penalize Miami for beating you by not giving them any credit for this whatsoever when they have the same record as you. But Notre Dame, hell of a loss. Way to go. We're all about Notre Dame.

[C]

But again, I think it goes back to kind of of like quality losses. Like Notre Dame lost to a good Miami team. Miami lost to, you know, and they.

[E]

Also lost to Texas A and M. Right. Like they lost their. The other loss. It's not the head to head. Bad, other loss. Bad losses undo good win. Yes.

[A]

All right. Shut up. Losing to SMU is not a bad loss. You know how many losses SMU has in the ACC since they entered?

[C]

Three?

[E]

One. Well, that's in the ACC one.

[A]

They have one loss. They were 11 and one last year they were a CFP team. That's not a bad loss.

[C]

Shut them up.

[B]

I thought you said number two, Louisville is presently ranked number two.

[A]

Number two, Louisville's presently ranked. It's not a bad loss.

[B]

Shut up. The reason. The reason, the reason almighty. The reason it is a bad loss. Mike, the only reason because Miami did it.

[A]

It's because Miami lost. It's because Miami lost. It's a bad loss.

[E]

I'm glad we're still being reasonable.

[A]

Texas losing to Florida, not a bad loss. Loss.

[B]

Not a bad loss.

[C]

The reason jumped on me last week because I mentioned something that happened a season ago.

[B]

Do you know how seasons work now? It's like the reason, the reason it is a bad loss. Okay, Michael, USF went there.

[A]

Texas got in.

[B]

I'm going to try and fail probably to remove some of the emotion from this. The only reason that they are bad losses is because in both games Miami was a double digit favorite in both of the games. I understand what you're saying that smu, Miami is absolutely being punished for raising the level of expectations to where Miami teams were in the past. But when you lose as a double.

[A]

Digit dog, what if they weren't a double digit favorite? Against SMU, the line fell to 8 1/2 right before kickoff. Teams. Alabama loses as a double digit. Yeah, Favorite point and a half.

[D]

Dan.

[A]

Just, you know, pick up a paper.

[B]

What do you, what do you want me to do? All right, so a newspaper.

[A]

They lost. It's a double digit favorite. Teams loses a double digit favorite all the time. Is it just.

[B]

Well, Notre Dame has. Notre Dame has.

[E]

They lost.

[B]

They lost. They played a game.

[A]

Notre Dame was favored.

[B]

They lost double digit. Not as a double digit favorite.

[A]

Oh my God.

[B]

They were an underdog in both the games.

[A]

Like what would happen if Notre Dame played Miami? I don't know. I don't know. If I. If only I had recent history to.

[E]

Go off a long time ago though.

[A]

Notre Dame would be favored. Notre Dame would be favored if they played Miami. They were favored in last week of August and they lost. And Miami controlled that game.

[D]

That opening drive of the second half.

[B]

That opening drive of the second drive. Moving the pile.

[A]

It's just. Why play anybody non conference? Why play anybody non conference? They played Notre Dame. Usf, Florida beat them. They have difficulty in their conference because it's a tough conference for Miami. They've been to the ACC championship as many times as Notre Dame has. Okay, like it's these. They've lost four games in the last two seasons, none of them by over a score.

[E]

Notre Dame's losses are to my. And by one point to the number three team in the nation. Miami's two losses are to the 20th ranked team in the country and an unranked team. That has to mean something. It does.

[A]

What is SMU's record?

[E]

It's we were just told that it's about the resume.

[C]

Yeah.

[E]

And the resume. While a better win, obviously, for Miami beating Notre Dame.

[C]

Sure.

[E]

If the entire premise is. Is wins and losses don't matter. We're looking at the resumes and deciding who the best teams are, who is it? It becomes Notre Dame.

[C]

Okay.

[E]

Not based off my logic. Based off the logic CFP has shown you for over a decade.

[A]

Why? Because they beat usc. Because they beat usc. Let's flip the resumes. Let's have Miami lose to Notre Dame by the same amount. And let's have them lose to Florida by the same amount. Notre Dame's still going to be ranked ahead of Miami.

[E]

Miami.

[A]

Let's have Miami win that Louisville game. Louisville and USC are ranked right around the same place. Notre Dame has played three teams that in their conference are a combined.08 team. Like, they're not actually beat. They're just winning games. And people are forgetting that they could be beat.

[E]

If I flipped the resumes, you'd be making the opposite argument. So you better shape up.

[A]

I would not. I would not. You shape up. Don't tell me to shape up. You shape up.

[B]

He's got to shape up.

[A]

Hey, everybody, Meet my friend Jack. Shit.

[B]

He needs a man. Shape up. Yeah, there you go. He gets the reference.

[C]

The.

[B]

The thing that is funniest to me is I genuinely believe that Notre Dame, with two losses, should be ranked as the number one team in the country. Because the most impressive thing done by anyone this season is Notre Dame came close to beating Texas A and M. That. That's the. That they should get more credit for that than Texas A and M gets for winning that game. Notre Dame should get more credit for LOS game than Texas.

[A]

So dumb. This is. This is the. This isn't new.

[B]

Why are you surprised? They played.

[A]

They played a football game.

[B]

It's not the first time this has happened.

[A]

They played each other.

[C]

I'm with Dan. I like this. You should get more credit for almost.

[A]

They look great against Navy than you do for. Boy. They. They took it to Purdue.

[B]

The committee should make Notre Dame favored against Ohio State because did you see how close they came to be beating Texas? Saying I'm. And I think they're better than Texas.

[E]

Miami had a close loss to Notre Dame.

[A]

Whole thing is insane. Thank God Miami lost their dumb one earlier because they actually have a chance now. Because if they lost their dumb one at the last game of the season like they did last year, they wouldn't have had a shot.

[B]

This part's great, right, Chris? Cody looking up. Okay, everyone's talking. Droning. College football head committee members. Droning. And Chris Cody is just saying a long time ago. They don't remember that long. It's the gummies.

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