Podcast Summary: "Sam Darnold: Top 10 Super Bowl QB? Matt Verderame Joins to Rank the Best"

The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz — Feb 13, 2026
Recorded at: The Elser Hotel in Downtown Miami
Main segment covered: Discussion led by Dave Damaschek featuring Gino Fuentes, Ethan Badowski, Supe Campbell, Matt Verderame, and Chaz Batch

Overview:

This episode dives deep into NFL Super Bowl history and quarterback legacies, sparked by Seattle’s recent Super Bowl win. The crew evaluates where the 2025 Seahawks fit among championship teams, debates if Sam Darnold or Matthew Stafford belong among the all-time top 10 Super Bowl QBs, and features Sports Illustrated’s Matt Verderame for a robust QB ranking exercise. Personal favorites, generational bias, and lively banter abound as the panel mixes football history, myth-making, and plenty of hot takes.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Ranking the All-Time Great Super Bowl Teams

(00:06–05:25)

• Dave Damaschek opens with a classic rundown of past Super Bowl champions, placing the 2025 Seahawks outside the top 10 and listing out his own top 10, starting with the 1978 Steelers, 1989 49ers, 1999 Rams, and others.
• Notable Insight: The championship euphoria often leads to hyperbole, with recent champions quickly dubbed the “best ever.”
• Quote: "Declaring we ain't done yet is a weird newish tradition, as is the hyperbole around how good the team that just won is compared to all the other past winners." — Dave Damaschek (00:06)

2. Jersey Number 51: Football or Baseball?

(05:26–06:36)

• Gino and Dave riff about famous athletes who wore #51, landing on Randy Johnson as the baseball standout and Dick Butkus for football.
• Quote: "Randy Johnson is the correct answer here. He is the most forgotten all time great starting pitcher." — Dave Damaschek (05:47)

3. Evaluating the 2025 Seahawks and Super Bowl Winner Bias

(06:36–10:47)

• The panel debates if the current Seahawks deserve the “greatest ever” buzz, comparing them to the 2013 Seahawks (“Legion of Boom”), and past dominant teams. Gino prefers the older Hawks defense; Ethan and Dave recall the dominance of last year’s Eagles against the Chiefs.
• Generational Bias: The cast acknowledges that recency and generational experience heavily shape “greatest ever” debates.
  • Quote: "Stick with the 2017. They won with their backup QB. That's got to stand for something." — Dave Damaschek (09:53)
  • Quote: “Our MVP when Phil Sims got hurt and Jeff Hostetler ran him the rest of the way to the Super Bowl…” — Dave Damaschek (09:58)

4. Battle of the Quarterbacks: Top 10 of the Super Bowl Era

(12:09–39:04; see timestamps below)

A. Setting the Criteria

• Dave and Matt agree to consider Super Bowl era QBs only (so, post-1966), dismissing stats pre-Super Bowl for fairness.
  • Quote: "If you're a new listener, here's how I know what happened before the Super Bowl era began didn't matter..." — Dave Damaschek (18:48)

B. Consensus and Debates:

• #1: Tom Brady — Unanimous.
• #2: Joe Montana — Still ahead of Mahomes, largely for his league-changing playoff performances and four Super Bowls.
• #3: Patrick Mahomes — "Already on the Mount Rushmore." If he had a three-peat, the debate would shift.
  • Quote: "Montana, people look at his numbers go, wait, oh, he threw for 4,000 yards. Montana was an absurd player." — Matt Verderame (20:25)
• #4: Peyton Manning (Verderame); #4: Aaron Rodgers (Dameshek)
  • Both praised as the best regular season QBs but dinged for so-so playoff showings.
• #5: Aaron Rodgers (Verderame); #5: Dan Marino (Dameshek)
• #6: Elway (Verderame); #6: Peyton (Dameshek)
• #7: Marino (Verderame); #7: Favre (Dameshek)
  • Marino: The greatest to not win a Super Bowl, both agree.
• #8: Aikman (Verderame, for accuracy and leadership); #8: Elway (Dameshek)
• #9: Steve Young (Verderame); #9: Josh Allen (Dameshek, projecting future potential)
• #10: Kurt Warner (Verderame, for unique 3-Super Bowl impact); #10: Bradshaw/Roethlisberger (Dameshek, splitting hairs among 4-ring Steeler QBs)

C. Who’s Missing?

• Drew Brees, Dan Fouts, and Warren Moon are mentioned but viewed as just outside the elite tier.
  • Quote: "If you're talking about substantial QBs doing it in a dome and all of that... yeah, a million times. He was a great player but...his numbers are a little inflated because Sean Payton..." — Dave Damaschek (39:18)
• Josh Allen/Lamar Jackson: Dameshek is bullish on Allen's future; Lamar's transcendent skillset is admired but “the window might be closing.”
  • Quote: “I don't know that [Lamar] will ever win the Super Bowls to get up to into that echelon...” — Ethan Badowski (46:09)

D. Notable Exchanges

• The hosts admit that their Top 10s frequently overlap, lamenting the “lack of drama” but celebrating agreement on football history context and QB mythologies.
• Quote: “This conversation would be better —they always say that what you, if you want good drama, you need some conflict. And Verderam and I park our cars in the same garage over and over…” — Dave Damaschek (32:09)

Timestamps for QB Ranking Segment:

• Start: 17:27 (Conversation about Stafford and the "Top 10" debate)
• Main list building: 18:39–39:04

5. Marino as a Legend & The Generational Divide

(41:49–44:02)

• Ethan reflects on growing up as a Dolphins fan but never seeing Dan Marino play live. He reminisces about watching Marino highlights and recognizes his unique arm talent despite lacking Super Bowl hardware:
  • Quote: "I'm not sure I've ever seen in my lifetime a passer quite like Marino." — Ethan Badowski (43:32)

6. Quarterbacks of the Future: Mahomes’ Destiny

(44:02–45:29)

• Will Mahomes surpass Brady? The consensus: If Mahomes gets one or two more rings, people will start shifting the GOAT narrative, since Mahomes’ talent is widely considered superior.

7. Current and Rising QBs: Could Anyone Join the List?

(45:29–46:48)

• The panel discusses Burrow, Herbert, Allen, and Lamar as future Hall-of-Fame candidates, but most feel their legacies still hang in the balance, largely dependent on postseason success.

8. Charlie (Chaz) Batch on Role Models, Aaron Rodgers’ Future, and Mentorship

(47:47–53:09)

• In an endearing segment, Damaschek interviews former Steelers QB Chaz Batch about his foundation’s work in Pittsburgh and lessons learned from Dan Marino’s legacy. Batch gives a measured take on Aaron Rodgers’ prospects in Pittsburgh, calling last year’s performance not as bad as outsiders claim, and hints optimism for rookie Will Howard.
  • Quote: "For me, I'm gonna be biased because I've been, I'm a huge, huge Dan Marino fan..." — Chaz Batch (50:25)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Dave Damaschek (00:06): “Declaring we ain’t done yet is a weird newish tradition, as is the hyperbole around how good the team that just won is compared to all the other past winners.”
• Matt Verderame (13:13): "They're not the 2000 Ravens. They're not the 2015 Broncos. They're not the 2013 Legion Boom. Right? I mean, they're not the best defense in their own franchise’s history."
• Gino Fuentes (06:36): “I thought the Legion of Doom was a better defense, personally.”
• Damaschek (32:09): "This conversation would be better... you need some conflict. And Verderam and I park our cars in the same garage over and over..."
• Ethan Badowski (43:32): "I'm not sure I've ever seen in my lifetime a passer quite like Marino."
• Chaz Batch (50:25): "For me, I'm gonna be biased because I've been, I'm a huge, huge Dan Marino fan and he was a guy that I followed that I wanted to be like as a kid growing up. So I understand the Super Bowls and those type of things, but man, I'm biased. Dan Marino."

Additional Highlights with Timestamps

| Timestamp | Highlight | |-----------|-------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 00:06 | Damaschek’s opening Super Bowl champs monologue and cultural commentary | | 05:26 | Annual “#51 in sports” debate | | 06:36 | Hawks "greatest team" buzz—panel split | | 12:09 | Introduction of Matt Verderame and QB ranking segment | | 17:27 | Stafford as potential "top 10 Super Bowl era QB" question debunked | | 18:39 | Building the QB Top 10: Damaschek vs. Verderame | | 32:09 | Agreement on Marino despite lack of a Super Bowl win | | 39:18 | Brees and Fouts honorable mentions; “system QBs” debate | | 41:49 | Ethan’s reflection on the Marino generation gap | | 47:47 | Chaz Batch on giving back, mentoring QBs, and optimism for Will Howard |

Tone and Banter

The podcast keeps its signature blend of irreverence, nostalgia, and sharp analysis, with Damaschek delivering playful jabs and self-aware asides ("This conversation would be better...if there was some conflict") while panelists both honor past legends and critique modern fan culture’s hunger for “best ever” anointment.

Conclusion

This episode offers a sweeping (and occasionally spicy) tour through football’s “GOAT” arguments, the pitfalls of recency bias, and the enduring challenge of ranking QBs across eras. While no absolute consensus emerges, the discussion is laced with expert context, fandom confessions, and a healthy respect for what history—and heartbreak—teach football fans.

For NFL history buffs, ranking junkies, and those debating Mahomes versus Brady, these two hours are pure, well-informed football joy.