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Dan Le Batard
When did making plans get this complicated? It's time to streamline with WhatsApp, the secure messaging app that brings the whole group together. Use polls to settle dinner plans, send event invites and pin messages so no one forgets mom 60th and never miss a meme or milestone. All protected with end to end encryption. It's time for WhatsApp message privately with everyone.
Diana Russini
Learn more@WhatsApp.com this episode is brought to you by State Farm. Checking off the boxes on your to do list is a great feeling. And when it comes to checking off coverage, a State Farm agent can help you choose an option that's right for you. Whether you prefer talking in person on the phone or using the award winning app, it's nice knowing you have help finding coverage that best fits your needs. Like a good neighbor, State Farm is.
Dan Le Batard
There Lowes knows how to get you ready for holiday hosting with up to 35% off select home decor and get up to 35% off select major appliances. Plus members get free delivery, hallway, basic installation Parts and a two year Lowe's Protection Plan when you spend $2,500 or more on select LG major appliances valid through 10. One Member Offer excludes Massachusetts, Maryland, Wisconsin, New Jersey and Florida installed by independent contractors. Exclusions apply. See Lowes.com for more details. Welcome to the Big Sui presented by DraftKings. Why are you listening to this show, the podcast that seems very similar to the other Dan LeBatard podcast? I'm sorry. I'm not going to apologize for that. In fact, the only difference seems to be this imaging. I have been tempted in restaurants just walking past tables to grab somebody's fries that if they're just there. That hasn't happened to you guys. I've done it. And now here's the marching man to Nowhere Fat Face and the Habitual Liar. This episode of the Dan Lebatard show is presented by DraftKings. DraftKings. The Crown is yours. She's the senior NFL insider for the Athletic and the host of the Scoop City Podcast. She is fresh off celebrating her anniversary on Friday and it makes me wonder immediately how is it and why is it that you got married during the NFL season?
Diana Russini
It is the most common question we get. So first of all, I apologize for the voice today. I I lost it on Friday. I guess that was my, my anniversary presence of my husband was I was not able to talk so he was, he was thrilled. He was happy all day. So we, we got married during COVID and we had got engaged in May and We were planning a very big wedding in the off season. And we were actually attending a baptism for my, my nephew. And my grandparents were running late. And so the priest was tap dancing a little bit to kill time. And so I was sitting in the front row and he said, and what about you, young lady? Like, what are you doing with your life essentially? And I said, oh, you know, I'm. I'm actually recently engaged. My husband, you know, this is my fiance. We're getting married next year. And this was again during COVID where everyone thought the world was coming to an end. And he put me on the spot and he's like, why are you waiting? And we're like, well, we wanna have a wedding, you know, well, why, if you love each other, you should just do it now. And we're like, well, we're not gonna do it now cause it's Luke's baptism. But okay, maybe. And then just on the drive home, Kevin, I were like, maybe he's right. Like, forget the wedding. Like, so we canceled our wedding and we got married a month later. And we did it on a Saturday during the season. And I went back to work the next day.
Dan Le Batard
So you were bullied? You were, you were bullied by, by a priest?
Diana Russini
Yeah, dancing priests who's Polish and doesn't speak very good English. And just like, yeah, he's, he's interested. He's an interesting fella. I love, I love him though. And I'm grateful though. I'm grateful because we saved thousands of dollars on some, you know, we were getting married. This is just so predictable of me. I wish I was not so obvious of a human. But we were getting marri. Same venue. Snooki got married, right? So you could imagine just like the, the Italian marble staircase. You know, I probably was going to wear like a jeweled crown. You know, we were going to serve coffee at 4 o' clock to all the old Italian uncles and aunts. Like we were doing like all the Italian traditional things and the gaudiness and I don't even know why we were doing that. And I think at the time we just thought that's what we were supposed to be doing. So yeah, it saved us a lot of money and we wound up just having a very, very private wedding of just our, our immediate family. And my mother in law, who attended her other son's weddings that were gaudy and big, has shared that our wedding was the best one because it was just very small and intimate. So church has become that priest has had a lot of influence on Us, let's put it that way.
Dan Le Batard
How close were you to the people who were hosting the baptism? Because you could have saved all of the money by just doing it that day, and they could have hosted your wedding reception also.
Diana Russini
It's a great point. It's my. It's my sister, who's my best friend, so she would not have cared at all. In fact, I think she would have been excited. I. Kevin, I were nervous. I remember thinking, like. Because I think when men propose, that's their wedding day. Like, that's when you guys are all in. It's not really all in for us yet. I think for women, the actual wedding day is the moment. So, I mean, Kev was all down for. I was the one that was very skeptical. I was like, I don't know. And at the time, I was working at espn, and I remember I was still working. And so the night before my wedding, I'm making calls, and I had a phone interview set up with Jimmy Garoppolo. And I remember Jimmy was great. He made, like, a funny joke, like, hey, it's night before your wedding. You sure you want to do this? And I'm thinking, like, of all the people in my life that I'm going to talk to the night before my wedding, the one guy my dad wanted me to or my mom wanted me to marry was Jimmy Garoppolo. And he's calling me like, this is a sign. I, of course, did not marry Jimmy Garoppolo. And I think Kevin was happy about that.
Dan Le Batard
Diana, at what point on your very private wedding day did you put away the phone where it's like, all right, I can't be bothered with any breaking news or anything like that.
Diana Russini
Yeah. Did not deny. In fact, I would recommend it. Some of the. I don't recommend talking to people, like, in the limo or in the car, wherever you are, in the church. But the best pictures and videos I have are actually the ones that we took with our own phones because it was just us. So I wasn't working. I. I do. I did get a. Like, nice text messages from people around football. And I was responding a little bit, but it wasn't like I was sitting out there, like, you know, at the time, I don't know. Odell Beckham's not playing tomorrow. Like, I wasn't doing that, but it was Covid. So it was like, you get married, you go back to work like that. That's kind of what we did. And I think he's. My husband's still pretty bothered by the Fact that we never had a real wedding.
Dan Le Batard
So, Diana, how would you grade the proposal? Was it bended knee?
Diana Russini
Was it.
Dan Le Batard
How was it?
Diana Russini
Not great. It was okay. We were down the shore. We're at the Jersey shore. And again, Covid. So there was no place to go. He had planned a better one, but the restaurant that he had planned it at was closed because of everything. So we were on the beach. And the only problem with it was my sister and my brother in law and my parents knew it was happening. And I threw on just like an ugly shirt. Like it was like a blue version of what I'm wearing right now. And I had my hair in a ponytail. Like, I just, I looked terrible. And nobody thought, like, hey, you know, you're 36 years old. Like, you're old. Like, you should probably. This is a big moment for you, especially a family that was dying to get, for me to get married. No one gave me the heads up. So Kev did it on the beach. And yeah, one out of ten. It was like a four and a half.
Dan Le Batard
Do you. Were you expecting it? Like they said, this is a big moment for you. Did you think that it was coming or was it like a surprise? Because, like, at 36, I don't think you just walk around always expecting to get proposed to.
Diana Russini
No, I did. I walked around waiting. It was like, you know, he would, like, go in the other room. I'd be like, this is it. This is the moment. He went to get the box, put it on Clay. He claims that he was proposing after that super bowl in Miami by you guys and that I came back so tired and exhausted from it all. He was, he canned it. He's like, this isn't the right moment. Like, she's done, like she's not in the right place right now. But I don't know. I think he was just buying time. But yeah, I, I, I was surprised, but I wasn't because we were at that point where, like, it was easy. Like, we knew we wanted to be together. It was just a matter of when. He could just ask the question.
Dan Le Batard
I have a number of follow ups and we'll get to football in a second. Please put it on the poll. At Lebatard show for men is the wedding day, the day they propose. At Lebatard show your bullying priest and your relationship with church and God. How have the kids taken to church?
Diana Russini
So you know how it goes. It's like an Olympic sport trying to get kids out the door on a Sunday morning, especially during football season for me, because I'M working. So we cut back on that because my boys are only 14 months apart. So early on here, we didn't do church. Okay, sorry, mom, we just stopped. So we've decided about, I'd say a little over a month ago that I will just take my four year old Michael to church to just try to instill the process. Because he doesn't know a homily, a hymn, he can't tell the difference to just get him used to what church is, you know, and so he knows the rules. You know, you don't talk, you sit quietly, you keep your hands together, and it's God's house. Like, you know all the basic stuff, so, so he can learn. But every Sunday it is clockwork. The second the priest stands up, and this is usually midway through, through mass to begin the homily. And for those that are not Catholic, the homily is usually essentially the priest version of, of that day's Bible's passage. So it's, let's take what the Bible says and apply it to life. And how could I connect to the parishioners here? And that's usually. It's a lesson. And depending on the priest, I think Catholics can agree. Sometimes they're all right, sometimes they're boring. Most of the time for me, they've been boring. I haven't had great priests and I guess my son has some sixth sense with it too, because every single time the priest stands up, he walks up, he goes, mom, I got a poop. I'm like, guys, we call it the homily dump now because it's just every single time. So I gotta get up and walk out with him. And to the kids credit, like, they've got a speaker in the bathroom, so you can still hear the homily. I'm like, kind of get it, Mikey. This isn't great.
Dan Le Batard
Mikey's running a scam. So where does it rank? Kevin does a number of things that are annoying. Where does it rank? His, his meal prep for the week. Is it, is it high on the list of annoying things your husband does?
Diana Russini
Yeah, it's like, it's like Mikey's colon's allergic to homilies and my stomach is just allergic to anyone who, like. Okay, so credit to Kevin. He understands that in life, like, we need to help each other out. And so he likes to get ahead on meals, right? It is, it's helpful. But Monday mornings, he cooks a full dinner. So it's 5am I pour my coffee and Kevin's at the stove making broccoli. And chicken and onions and peppers and I don't know how you guys feel about it, but, like, I don't want to smell that in the morning.
Dan Le Batard
Broccoli smells bad. Put it on the poll at Lebatard show. Would you be disgusted by the smell of broccoli at 5am yeah.
Diana Russini
And his point. And he said this to me because I was complaining, because I was. He saw me texting my sister who gets up early too. I'm like, I can't do this anymore. And he's like, you can tell your sister she can eat the cereal that she eats at night because her husband doesn't do this. So my poor brother in law gets shrapnel and all this. You know, no one's doing anything over there. They're eating Cheerios and you eat a nice healthy meal every night because you want to be healthy and stay fit and all that other stuff. So he has a point. I just, I just don't think that's a good way to start our week. You know, grilling broccoli and chicken. It's not great.
Dan Le Batard
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Diana Russini
You can see him.
Dan Le Batard
Mother effing. Can we bother? Are we bothering you right now? Turn on your microphone, Greg. My microphone's on stugats. Paint the scene. The paint the scene is. I gotta go to work. Good night. This is the Dan Levatar show with the Stugach. Diana. The Eagles have won like 20 of 21 games. They're reigning Super bowl champions, yet you have A.J. brownsh Bible verses on social media. People are wondering, is Saquon the same player? That was a nice win in Tampa. I understand the passing stats and reflect that. And Tampa climbed back into the game, but for much of that game, that felt like a statement win from the Eagles. And yet the news cycle is talking about everything that's wrong with the reigning super bowl champions. I don't understand it. What do you make of it, Mike?
Diana Russini
I'm the same way. It's a no. I know why they're mad. I understand it. And a lot of it has to do with the fact that you've got an all star team. On paper, this is the best team in football and they still have not played their best version of it at all. We've seen snippets of it, but it's been very obvious that teams are now defending the run very well. Right. Saquon has not been the same. This is also a team that seems to like drama. Right. Because we see the AJ Brown tweets and hey, I don't. Don't. I'm just going to shrug my shoulders and whatever it is that he said is messaging essentially be like, yeah, I'm not thrilled with this.
Dan Le Batard
If you're not welcomed quietly with withdrawal, was some of the social media messaging.
Diana Russini
Yeah, look, he did it last year too, right? Like, this is just what they do. I think they like chaos, and I think this is. They are those people that need the drama to almost stay entertained by it. It's like, they're so good and they've got this special team and bond and. And they have figured out ways to win every single week, yet they're like, let's just shake it up. I just think what we, they continue to come out really, really strong, but until we see them put it together. Look, it's only the end of September, so I can I, I predict that it will, will continue to get better and they'll find themselves. But I think this is just the Philadelphia Eagles needing entertaining.
Dan Le Batard
Are they like the couple that fights a lot, just have great sex?
Diana Russini
Absolutely. That is, that is what Philly is. They are the couple you hang out with that purposely argue to give their relationship a little bit of excitement.
Dan Le Batard
Put it on the poll at LeBatard show. Are the champion Eagles the couple that fights a lot to have great sex? Diana, what do you make of the jets performance last night?
Diana Russini
Bad. I'm concerned. The penalties. I think we wanted to believe that this would be better because Aaron Glenn came in with a really good reputation. We saw some good stuff he did in Detroit. I'm just going to go back to what people were saying to me in the summer about the jets and Aaron Glenn, specifically of what he brings to a team so well, which is his play calling and he's not calling plays in New York. And I'm curious to see if they're going to make that switch, if he's going to get more involved because look, to his credit, he's looking at that role as let's be this. I'm going to be the CEO. It's very, very, very hard to do all these things. We're seeing it all over the league, right? Look, in Tennessee, they're taking away play calling. They're trying to make coaches be the guy in charge, not the guy calling all the plays. But if you're taking away your best trait of probably what got you the job, maybe you should go back to doing that thing to help your team out. So look, they're just not a good team and they could be the first. Aaron Glenn could be the first coach to go05 in his first year in the history of the New York jets, which I almost thought wasn't true because it's had to happen, but it hasn't.
Dan Le Batard
I would have assumed with all the terrible coaches there, Cotight had to have been all over this.
Diana Russini
I know. You know, what do you think? What's Salah thinking right now besides I'll end your life, you know, as he's.
Dan Le Batard
Your life and your bleeping life.
Diana Russini
Diane. So I was did you got. You guys are so good on the Internet, did you see a clip of Salah saying that back? Because I couldn't find it. I saw Liam Cohn. I saw him. I Saw him go.
Dan Le Batard
We played it yesterday. We're playing it right now. It wasn't clear and people were doing some lip reading. But yes, I will end you. End your bleeping life is what we quoted him saying yesterday.
Diana Russini
Oh, okay.
Dan Le Batard
So you can see Saleh saying that we're lip reading. I was reading the quotes and then I saw it. I wasn't seeing it and determining it. I had already. I had been. I was biased because I was reading it first. Okay.
Diana Russini
All right, so what do we make of it?
Dan Le Batard
I mean, I've never heard two coaches do that. And Liam Cohen started with keep your. Keep my name out of your bleeping mouth. And then Salah escalated it to a place I haven't seen by threatening to murder him.
Diana Russini
Yeah.
Dan Le Batard
Seems extreme.
Diana Russini
I mean, I love it. Who are you taking in that one?
Dan Le Batard
You. You know, talking this out does make me feel like we should have met that video with a little bit more scrutiny. I think Salah is the one that I take there. He's got the. He's got the level of crazy to escalate it to that place they both got.
Diana Russini
They both have. I mean, first of all, physically, I've been next to both of them. They're both tall. Robert's probably like 6 4. Liam's like 6 1.
Dan Le Batard
He's a looking man. Sol is like minus 500 here. What are we doing? Does not stand a ch.
Diana Russini
Just to be clear, guys, I do not underestimate crazy. And Liam going back. Liam seems like he's got a short fuse here. Robert isn't a fiery like, we've seen him be animated on the sidelines. He can be fired up. He's not an angry human, though. I think you need to have deep rooted anger to be able to kill someone. Robert doesn't. He's not like that. Like, he's actually.
Dan Le Batard
Diana, Diana, when you're yelling at somebody on the field with live mics around that I will bleeping end your life, you do have that anger inside of you. And the other guy is du. Yeah. Liam Cohen would get thrown by the ankles into the stands by Robert Sol. High nerd quality on that guy. I have to say it, Diana, the story of the day in the NFL has to be Tyreek Hill's gruesome injury. He's never going to play again.
Diana Russini
Right.
Dan Le Batard
Is that your best? I don't know why you're doing ever. You think his career is over or do you want to aim for the twice career is over? He won't say to me. I think, think his career might be over. I'm just curious what Diana thinks.
Diana Russini
I mean, we saw Alex Smith's leg injury and he came back from it. I mean, we saw the. You. I don't know if you saw the documentary, but.
Dan Le Batard
Yeah, but Alex Smith doesn't rely on his speed to get open.
Diana Russini
I mean, he plays quarterback. So either way, both positions, you need your legs. It's not like you're going out there and I mean. Yeah, look, I don't know, Greg, like, I'm not a doctor, but I. It was gruesome. I think it would be pretty incredible if he came back. But I just think in today's day, like with the medical, with the science that we have, players are able to do wild things to get back. So I don't think that's it. When we hope, I hope it's not it. I'd be horrible.
Dan Le Batard
When we speak of bad football teams, Tennessee's own quarterback, Cam Ward is putting voice to how bad they are. I want to play two sounds for you. First Cam Ward and then Brian Callahan. Let's start with Cam Ward, please. I mean, we keeping the buck right now. We ass. So we owing four. We have at this point, we got nothing to lose. We dropped a quarter of our games and we've yet to do anything. So we have to lock in, especially myself on the offensive line, from the defensive line, from the special teams to all three faces. We have to play together. We have not played together this year yet. And that's just something that, you know, we want to preach about it every day. Every day we got to do better and we're doing that. But it has to show up on Sundays. It hasn't showed up yet, but it got to show up next week. That sound could have ended with just we asked. That would have been sufficient. But let's play Callahan getting testy here. You can imagine that they don't have much hope this season. Do you think this is a resilient and relentless football team? I know what you're doing there, Paul. I know what you're doing, and I'm not going to answer that right now. I mean, those are the themes that he's tried to catch 20 some games in stock. Let me just compose myself here before I say something I regret. But yes, I think this team is resilient. I think it is relentless. We haven't played good enough football. And I think there's two. Those are two very distinct, different things. We have to execute at a better level. We have to coach better. That's really All I can say. Put it on the poll, please. Juju. Did you know what Paul was doing there? Because Callahan is accusing Paul of something that none of us are accusing.
Diana Russini
Very insecure, I can tell you. I know Paul Kaharski very well. Shout out. Paul.
Dan Le Batard
Paul.
Diana Russini
Paul is every losing coach's nightmare. He's in their dreams. He's in their pillow. He's in their bed. He's in their car. Paul is relentless. Now, look, he's in a market, and Paul's from actually the New York area, but he's in a market in Nashville that it's. You're not dealing with aggressive media. You're dealing with a lot of really good guys down there. But it's obviously not New York, it's not Philly. But Paul thinks it is. And he goes hard, and he just asks questions that sometimes. Like, I've been in those press rooms with him, and I'm like, my God, Paul, no. But he does it and he goes hard. So. So I think Brian there was going like, Brian. Paul is trying to get Brian to be like, we've got nothing. Like, we have no hope. I have no hope. We stink. I should lose my job. Like, he was trying to set him up. I think we can all put that. I don't think it was that deep of a comment from Callahan, knowing Paul so well. So, look, I think the situation there is. Let's start with Cam Ward, okay? How sick of this does he sound already? And he's only a rookie in Nashville for just a few weeks here playing with this team, that, to me, is the biggest problem. Because if what he's around right now is going to ruin him, then just to shame on Tennessee, because they've got this gift. They've got the guy, he can play, he's talented. Everything I've heard about him from what he's like behind the scenes, on the field, as a teammate, they've got the thing that every organization wants. Now they need to go and find ways to put the right people around him. And for whatever reason, it is. And it feels like it goes back to when they traded A.J. brown, you know, four years ago, five years ago. Like, a little less than that. Like, that's where it all started. It's like from that trade from A.G. brown of Philadelphia, it just seems that that was the thing that has now taken this team off the tracks. So I don't. Look, it's not going to get any better. There's no way, because they don't have the right people there. And I think it's going to be interesting to see how they do this right, because you've got Brian Callahan, he is the head coach. You've got his father who is the offensive line coach. So if you fire Brian Callahan, do you have to fire his father? And then does the team then have to go find two coaches? Like, I just think there's a lot of dynamics at play.
Dan Le Batard
There's I know what you're doing there, Paul.
Diana Russini
Eczema isn't always obvious, but it's real and so is the relief from Ebglis. After an initial dosing phase, about 4 in 10 people taking EBGLIS achieved itch relief and clear or almost clear skin at 16 weeks. And most of those people maintain skin.
Dan Le Batard
That'S still more clear at one year with monthly dosing. EBGLIS Librekizumab LBKZ a 250 milligram per 2 milliliter injection, is a prescription medicine used to treat adults and children 12 years of age and older who weigh at least 88 pounds or 40 kilograms with moderate to severe eczema, also called atopic dermatitis, that is not well controlled with prescription therapies used on the skin or topicals, or who cannot use topical therapies. Ebglis can be used with or without topical corticosteroids. Don't use if you're allergic to Epglis, allergic reactions can occur that can be severe. Eye problems can occur. Tell your doctor if you have new or worsening eye problems. You should not receive a live vaccine when treated with Epglis. Before starting Epglis, tell your doctor if you have a parasitic infection searching for real relief?
Diana Russini
Ask your doctor about epglis and visit epgliss.lilly.com or call 1-800-lilyrx or 1-800-545-5979.
Dan Le Batard
As a scientist, I can tell you that Sundays are only 24 hours long. But with NFL Sunday Ticket and YouTube TV, you get every game, every Sunday all in one place. That's upwards of 30 hours of NFL in one day. How can there be 30 hours in 24 hours, you ask? I have a theory Magic New users get NFL Sunday Ticket for eight payments of 345050 per month. Sign up at NFLSundayTicket.com local and national games on YouTube TV NFL Sunday Ticket for other market games excludes digital only games and commercial use terms and embargoes apply. Availability varies. Does it ever feel like you're a marketing professional just speaking into the void? But with LinkedIn ads you can know you're reaching the right decision makers. A network of 130 million of them. In fact, you can even target buyers by job title, industry, company seniority, skills and. Did I say job title? See how you can avoid the void and reach the right buyers with LinkedIn ads. Spend $250 on your first campaign and get a free $250 credit for the next one. Get started@LinkedIn.com Campaign terms and conditions apply. Don LeBatard, are you on the fan right now?
Diana Russini
Did Mike Greenberg call you yet? Are you ever gonna go back to espn? People think it's so weird you're a writer now. All those years on tv, all those years and now you're right. Who reads that Stuga? Why did he take a job at the Atlantic? Mom, I work at the Athletic. What you on YouTube?
Dan Le Batard
This is the Dan Lebatar show with the Stugach. Put it on the poll. Do you have to fire several generations of Callahans if you're the Titans and all? Also put on the poll is Paul Kaharski every losing coach's worst nightmare. I'm with Diana on Cam Ward, but obviously I'm biased. But let me play devil's advocate here. Through their first four career NFL starts, Cam Ward has two touchdown passes, which is just unbelievable to me. Two interceptions, 614 passing yards and just a 51% completion percentage with an.04 record Will Levis much maligned. Six touchdowns, two interceptions, 857 yards passing, 61% completion percentage. And he did get a win in his first four starts. So a lot of people are looking at that. And if you just see the numbers, some of this does fall back on Cam Ward. It is fair to say that came Ward probably needs to deprogram himself. I'm thinking he's got the Miami offensive line and maybe tap back into that wazoo Cam Ward that we saw two years ago.
Diana Russini
Yeah, well, I'm going to be interested to see just what direction they go in and I don't want to go too inside baseball on the Titans right now, but it's like, you know, you've got Mike Briganzi, the general manager there. He's got connections to Kansas City. Kansas City has some great coaches there. You got Steve Spagnolo. Obviously you have Matt Nagy who's a good play caller. That's usually how you put these things together. It's like who knows who. So look, this will be a gift for any offensive minded head coach to have to be able to go to Nashville by the Way Nashville is, is that is one of those jobs, I'll tell you, coaches that are looking to be head coaches, they always ask about that gig because that is the dream job in terms of the city, the tat, like everything about it.
Dan Le Batard
You ever been to Broadway? It's so much fun. They're getting a new stadium soon.
Diana Russini
Yeah, the new state. And by the way, that's another factor in this of they want to get butts in the seats. And the way they're playing, that that's not going to help them. That's not. That's not something ownership is. Can be happy with.
Dan Le Batard
Jackson Dart, what you got?
Diana Russini
I mean, energizing. I. Look, he wasn't spectacular on Sunday from what we saw, but I think he gives this team a chance and he certainly saved Brian Dable for right now. He definitely calmed everyone down in New York. Forget Jackson Dart, though. It's the defense. To me, they've got absolute monsters. And it was the first time I saw them all together because we've all been wondering, where are they? Abdu Abdu Carter, Kayvon Thibodeau, Ryan Burns. I'm missing more, but. But still, just the fact that they were so good up there, the fact that the defense is alive is going to keep the New York Giants alive, I believe.
Dan Le Batard
Diana, did the Cowboys win the tie?
Diana Russini
No. I mean, no, no, it's a tie. There's no winning.
Dan Le Batard
Are the Bengals done?
Diana Russini
Yes. Yes, the Bengals are done. I. I am. It is not good and I don't see it getting any better. I'm curious to see if they're going to make a move at the quarterback position because I think we see it's not working.
Dan Le Batard
Atlanta was fun to watch for the first time all season. Did Zach Robinson figure it out or did they just play the commanders at the right time?
Diana Russini
I think Zach Robinson figured it out. I think this is exactly what we've been waiting for. And finally you have these talented players playing at the level that they should. So I think good news for the Atlanta Falcons, I think we're going to see it again.
Dan Le Batard
Do the Ravens make the playoffs?
Diana Russini
No. If Lamar Jackson is not healthy, this team cannot go. Their defense is not good enough. They've got too many injuries. And with Lamar hurt and him not being able to be athletic and able to create plays that. That make us all kind of go in shock. I just don't think this Ravens offense can go.
Dan Le Batard
Are the Bills undefeated as an illusion?
Diana Russini
No, I think they're one of the best team. They are the best AFC team right Now I think it's between them and the Kansas City Chiefs. I think they're that good. Good.
Dan Le Batard
Then why are you texting me that Pat's Bills is must watch?
Diana Russini
Oh, because I think that this New England Patriot team actually has a real chance to compete with the Bills. I'm not calling the upset. I just think based on where Drake May is and the Patriots building towards something that they are trying to build there, I think. I think the Bills. I think the Patriots can give the Bills a hard time.
Dan Le Batard
Once Rashi Rice returns, are the Chiefs going to be all the way back? Back?
Diana Russini
Yeah. Wouldn't you say? They're back now. I mean, and they only got half the duo back, so. And they've been saying this for months. They're like, if. If we just get one of our guys back, we'll be all right. And look who's all right.
Dan Le Batard
Do you agree with Mina Kimes that Pukinakua is the best player in football?
Diana Russini
No.
Dan Le Batard
Can you guys look up for me how many touchdowns Pukinakua has, please? I don't. He doesn't score very much, does he? Like, yeah.
Diana Russini
Well, why'd she say that?
Dan Le Batard
Because he's got a bunch of catches and every. Every. Like, they target him so much, and he's got 100 yards in every game, and it's not stoppable. Like, they're gonna throw to him 12 times a game and, you know, they're gonna complete it 12 times. He's got one rushing, one receiving. But this season. I'm not talking about this season. Career, career wise, how many touchdowns does he have? I don't. I don't think. Just 10, huh? Yeah, he doesn't score all that much. Much. Thank you. Appreciate the time, Diana. Appreciate the work as well. Senior NFL insider for the Athletic and the host of the Scoop City podcast. We will talk to you next week. Always good seeing you.
Diana Russini
Thanks, guys. God bless.
Dan Le Batard
I can't believe her priest bullied her like that. I thought she would have her own decisions to make on her on her wedding day, and instead her priest is demanding an immediate marriage. I am told that we have another gas bag of the week. Don Leg of what? What happened, Billy, Why are you making faces behind the mustache? No, I was just. I was just marveling at how many rushing touchdowns Puka has in his career. It's two. Yeah, 12 total. Okay, so the positivity is as. Can confirm. Yeah, that's what you're talking about. Okay, so you were positive on the air, but the phase behind the mustache was negative. Regardless, I gotta put your business out there. But it seemed like you. You weren't super positive. What do you mean? No. Seems like you were dismissing. No. Zas can have my back on this situation. I am the wrong messenger for what he told me, so I'm going to confirm what Billy. Why is that? Oh, don't. You don't get to put this on me. You're the one who said that. I was just asking a question. Because I can say it. Say what? You won't like what I say. That's not true. So let's. I love everything you say. Comments on me. I'm not certain. Tell the. Share with the rest of the class what's happening. Now we're here. He. Now we're here. And it's not something thing. He's got to be positive on air. If he was positive. I'm positive all the time. In your headset, though, that you got to be positive there too. I was positive. Negative in someone's headset. Being a producer, I got to say the energy did shift.
Diana Russini
I was.
Dan Le Batard
I was defending Diana and the situation she was in. See, you made a tactical error by throwing this on me. How so? Because I could say what you said and I don't think you would look very good. What do you mean? But now we got. What do I mean? I just said what I mean. I just said. You don't get to disagree what I say and then say. What do you mean? I said what I mean. Two rushing touchdowns in his career. Yeah, okay. If you believe that, Dan. Well, I don't believe it. I clearly don't. We've established he's not going to snitch. You know why? Zaz. I know what happens to. Stitches get hurt. Do you give Zaz immunity for. For what he might say. He can say. He can say whatever. I am not the right messenger. I will not say it. Nope. Nope. Okay, but this is not. This is not working. And I don't. I'm not of the right background to say it. Okay, well, now you're making it sound really bad. Minor penalty, two minutes delay a show. Take your jail time if you don't want to stitch. It's a good friend. He made the right call out. That's a good friend. He's taking the jail time. Okay. It's good jail time for him. I could say what it was. I said Puka's got two rushing touchdowns for his career.
Diana Russini
I heard that as a positive.
Dan Le Batard
Yeah. I don't understand. Two touchdowns. He's not even a running back. I'm celebrating. I guess he thinks that he. Dumpster juice takes you out of the room as well, Billy. Get out of here. Gas bag of the week. The beloved Don legreco, who tends to lose his mind, has some commentary on what happened. Chris. No, I'm just going to give you context here. He's mad at Mets fans because Mets fans. The Mets blow it. And they're mad at the Marlins for. For celebrating too much, for eliminating. They're mad at the rules for tiebreakers. They're mad at. They're trying to blame everyone else. And Don Lagreca is not having it. And he is our gas bag of the week. They have the lowest payroll in baseball. You don't think that's a chance for a team like the Marlins to flex? They are worthless. The players know it. They've got no chance to win. They've got literally the lowest payroll in baseball. They've been handed a gift of relevancy on the final weekend. You don't think they're gonna relish the chance to beat the team that's got the second highest payroll in baseball? Give me a break. You don't have a chance to complain when you blow it the way they did. You take it. You take it. You get smacked in the face and you take it. You don't defend yourself. This team is not worth defending. We're a worthless piece of garbage organization right now. Hopefully we'll get up from it. Hopefully they'll make the right decisions. But stop complaining about the Marlins. Stop complaining about the Reds. Stop thinking you're better than you actually are. Stop worrying about the Yankees and worry about yourself. Own the town, my ass. How about owning a above.500 record and making the playoffs with the second highest payroll in baseball? Look in the mirror. The words Yankees or Marlins or baseball or Manfred or anything coming out of your mouth other than we suck. I don't want to hear it. So shut your mouth. Put it on the poll, please. Juju. Does Don Lagreca look like a divorced Santa drinking too much at the bowling alley bar? Own the town, my ass. Yeah, he gets really upset and he called the Marlins worthless. And that is now three Met seasons that the Marlins have ended. The commissioner's office is doing that on purpose with the scheduling, right? Keep doing it. They have to be incredible. Three straight. I just can't stop thinking about the Mets fans that came down here to watch both the Mets and the jets. And they watched the Mets blow it on Sunday and then the jets lose to the Dolphins. It's amazing on the town. My ass looks like Kenny Rogers. I mean, Kenny Rogers has been sucking a tire pump. Look in the mirror. Don't talk to me that way. Legreca Julian Edlow here from DK Network. Tune in to DKN Daily Bets Monday through Friday, a fun, quick hitting podcast where we bring in knowledgeable guests from across the sports betting industry to break down our favorite bets of the day. Find DKN Daily Bets wherever you listen to your podcasts.
Episode: The Big Suey: Billy's Tactical Error (feat. Dianna Russini)
Date: September 30, 2025
Guest: Dianna Russini (The Athletic, Scoop City Podcast)
Main Theme:
The episode blends sports talk (heavily NFL-focused), irreverent humor, and some genuine life moments, with Dianna Russini joining for wide-ranging conversation—covering behind-the-scenes of her career, NFL news and drama, family life, and the week's football storylines.
[02:19 - 07:25]
Influence of a Priest, Wedding During NFL Season
Dianna shares a humorous, self-deprecating story about being "bullied" into getting married during COVID by a Polish priest at her nephew's baptism.
Quote:
"We were planning a big wedding...and the priest's like, 'Why are you waiting? If you love each other, just do it now.' ... So we canceled our wedding and got married a month later. I went back to work the next day."
— Dianna Russini [02:19]
Dan jokes about the economics and family dynamics of this unorthodox wedding decision.
Proposal Rating and Working Through Milestones
"Of all the people in my life that I’m gonna talk to the night before my wedding, the one guy my mom wanted me to marry was Jimmy Garoppolo."
— Dianna Russini [05:20]
Motherhood, Church, and the "Homily Dump"
"We call it the homily dump now because it’s just every single time. So I gotta get up and walk out with him."
— Dianna Russini [09:43]
Marital Annoyances
[17:05 - 36:03]
Eagles Analysis
"They are the couple you hang out with that purposely argue to give their relationship a little bit of excitement."
— Dianna Russini [19:16]
Jets’ Troubles & Coaching Drama
NFL Injury & Recovery
Tennessee Titans, Cam Ward & Coaching Critique
"If what he’s around right now is going to ruin him, then shame on Tennessee. They’ve got this gift...now they need to find ways to put the right people around him."
— Dianna Russini [25:45]
NFL Quick Hits – Dianna’s Takes
[36:03 - End]
Puka Nacua Touchdown Tally Shtick
Gasbag of the Week: Don La Greca Rant
The show features a fiery rant from Don La Greca directed at Mets fans and management for blaming others (Marlins, rules) after their late-season collapse.
Quote:
"You get smacked in the face and you take it. You don’t defend yourself. This team is not worth defending."
— Don La Greca [38:00]
Show breaks it down with trademark snark, riffing on Don's appearance and rage, and the recurring misfortunes of New York fans visiting Miami.
Dianna on the COVID-era Wedding:
"I was not able to talk [on my anniversary] ... my husband was thrilled. He was happy all day." [02:19]
On Church with Young Kids:
"My boys are only 14 months apart... Every Sunday it is clockwork. The second the priest stands up to begin the homily—mom, I got a poop." [09:43]
On Why Eagles' Team Drama:
"I think they like chaos... they’re so good and ... have figured out ways to win every single week, yet they're like, let's just shake it up." [18:31]
Don La Greca, on Mets Meltdown:
"Stop thinking you're better than you actually are. ... Own the town, my ass. How about owning a above .500 record and making the playoffs with the second highest payroll in baseball?" [38:00]
This episode is a quintessential Dan Le Batard Show production: a mix of incisive football talk, playful studio drama, personal stories, and sharp comedic takes—elevated by Dianna Russini’s candid, relatable storytelling and NFL insight. The humor is irreverent, the takes are fast and hot, and life outside sports is always just a joke or heartfelt moment away. Whether roasting New York sports or debating the importance of meal-prep aromas, this episode is engaging for football diehards and casual fans alike.