The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz

Episode: The Big Suey: Why Do You Have Me On The Show?
Date: December 16, 2025
Featured Guest: Dianna Russini

Overview

In this episode, Dan Le Batard, Stugotz, and their rotating crew (including Greg Cote, Roy, Tony, Mike, etc.) broadcast from the Elser Hotel in Miami alongside special guest Dianna Russini, Senior NFL Insider for The Athletic and host of the "Scoop City" podcast. The group dives into NFL trends, quirky league traditions, sports media recognition, and the unique oddities of professional life in and out of football, all seasoned with the show’s signature blend of irreverence, banter, and self-awareness.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Pablo Torre: Sports Media Person of the Year

• (03:00-04:10)
  • Dan announces Pablo Torre’s unanimous win for Awful Announcing’s Sports Media Person of the Year, noting his ability to "thread the needle of performing legitimate journalism while also adapting and embracing the reality of today’s industry."
  • The show reacts with a kind of half-hearted positivity, poking fun at both Torre and the self-congratulatory nature of media awards.
  • Quote:
    “When it comes to the year that was in sports media, 2025 will be remembered as the year that Pablo Torre found out.” — Dan Le Batard (03:09)

2. Dianna Russini: NFL Insider Life & Netflix Christmas Day Game

• (04:35-07:08)

  • Dianna is congratulated on her career and discusses her role covering the upcoming Netflix NFL Christmas Day doubleheader, specifically the Lions vs. Vikings game in Minnesota.
  • Humor arises around dealing with Minnesota weather:
    “I want to ask a team for one of those capes...You know how the guys wear the capes on the sidelines?” — Dianna Russini (05:44)

• Dianna digs into sideline "capes"/ponchos and their role in cold weather games, the specifics of their construction, and the vanity of some teams:
  “Some coaches don’t like the appearance of it...Some teams have sleeves in it so it doesn’t look so cape-like.” (06:33)

3. Women in Sports Media: Early Career Reflections

• (07:44-08:47)
  • Dianna relates an early ESPN experience with Mina Kimes, debating whether to lean into some of the show’s wackier segments as women in a male-dominated field.
  • Quote:
    “I remember looking at her like, ‘Let’s just do it.’ And she did it...I think she turned out all right.” — Dianna Russini (08:22)

4. NFL Analysis — Seahawks, Rams, and Executives

• (08:47-10:44)
  • Dan asks if the Seahawks are a true contender, and Dianna credits MVP-level quarterback play and exceptional organizational direction in Seattle post-Russell Wilson/Pete Carroll:
    “I think what John Schneider has done is executive-of-the-year type of work.” — Dianna Russini (09:55)
  • The group also wonders if Pete Carroll regrets leaving Seattle, leading Dianna to discuss Max Crosby’s legacy questions with the Raiders and Tom Brady’s peculiar front-office influence in Vegas:
    “Tom Brady’s not there...but there’s eyes and ears on the ground reporting back to him.” (11:00)

5. Joe Burrow’s Mental Health & Bengals’ Organizational Issues

• (12:06-13:49, 16:49-19:38)
  • Dianna breaks down Joe Burrow’s recent vulnerable comments about not having fun, emphasizing his obsessive competitiveness and frustration with "losing and being part of why they’re losing."
  • She also highlights the lack of investment in Cincinnati facilities, contrasting them with the rest of the league:
    “So many teams have done a good job of upgrading...even if they’re losing franchises, they have good facilities...so I think we all kind of feel for him.” (17:36)
  • Dan adds:
    “When he’s sitting in their shitty brown whirlpool because they’re cheap, he’s looking around like, ‘This doesn’t feel like stardom to me.’” (18:27)

6. NFL Facilities: Stereotypes and Realities

• (19:04-20:39)
  • Dianna quizzes Dan on NFL facility stereotypes (e.g., "everything in New Jersey as being brown"), sparking Jersey pride/trolling.
  • Dianna provides quick-fire assessments:
    • Giants: Facility "lovely, looks like an elementary school"
    • Patriots: "Okay, remodeling, probably bottom five"
    • Jets: "Unbelievable, that’s a really nice one" (20:19)

7. Coaching Carousel: Marcus Freeman’s Rising Profile

• (24:18-25:37)
  • Dianna shares Giants’ and other teams’ interest in Marcus Freeman, teasing the NFL’s annual coach-hunting speculation:
    “I think the New York Giants are definitely serious...and I think there’s gonna be other NFL teams who have their eye.” (25:12)

8. Personal Life: The NFL Christmas Game and Family Dynamics

• (22:22-23:43)
  • Dianna confides she’ll miss her family’s Christmas party for the NFL gig and describes her husband’s one-man hosting challenge and her siblings’ skepticism.
  • Quote:
    “My siblings are like, ‘This is weird. We don’t want to come over. You’re not there.’” (23:21)

9. Heisman Weekend "Controversy": Diego Pavia vs. Mendoza

• (30:40-39:57)
  • Dan brings up Diego Pavia’s club antics—disparaging voters and fellow finalist Mendoza after coming second in Heisman voting. The table eviscerates his lack of "sportsmanship" and PR team apology.
  • Roy: “He just embarrassed himself and his school. You rarely see that kind of behavior, that classlessness on a stage that big.” (33:31)
  • Stugotz: “His entire night was geared around being an asshole.” (37:54)
  • Dan queries if the Big Ten result swung the Heisman, with Mike diving into the stats and big moments for each candidate.

10. Fun Debates: Clocks, Military Time, and Lost Skills

• (41:20-43:42)
  • The hosts debate whether kids can read analog clocks, reminisce about cursive writing, and joke about military time.
  • Tony explains “got your six” as military slang for “watching your back” (39:57).
  • Roy and Stugotz riff on generational changes in basic skills:
    “We’re raising a generation of kids who will not know how to tell time.” — Dan Le Batard (41:32)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Pablo Torre’s win:
  “Perhaps no figure in sports media has managed to thread the needle of performing legitimate journalism while also adapting and embracing the reality of today’s industry as deftly as Torre has.” — Dan Le Batard (03:10)

• Dianna on NFL ponchos/capes:
  “Some coaches don’t like the appearance of it...Some teams have sleeves in it so it doesn’t look so cape-like.” (06:33)

• Early ESPN career doubts:
  “Let’s just do it. And she did it…I think she turned out all right.” — Dianna on Mina Kimes (08:22)

• Burrow’s competitive streak:
  “He cut the cast off himself. Like…that is how badly he wants to do this. He is a maniac about winning.” — Dianna Russini (13:23)

• NFL facilities humor:
  “Is their facility in New Jersey? I think of everything in New Jersey as being brown.” — Dan Le Batard (19:15) “The Giants’ facility is lovely…the Jets one is unbelievable…Patriots’ [is] okay.” — Dianna Russini (20:19)

• Heisman fallout:
  “You rarely see that kind of behavior, that classlessness on a stage that big.” — Roy (33:31)
  “His entire night was geared around being an asshole.” — Stugotz (37:54)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• Pablo Torre's Award & Team Jokes — 03:00–04:10
• Dianna Russini NFL/Insider Chat & “Cape” Talk — 04:35–07:08
• Women in Sports Media, Early ESPN Stories — 07:44–08:47
• Seattle/Rams/NFL Executive & Coach Talk — 08:47–10:44
• Joe Burrow Mental Health & Cincy Facilities — 12:06–13:49, 16:49–19:38
• NFL Facility Stereotypes & Assessments — 19:04–20:39
• Marcus Freeman Coaching Chatter — 24:18–25:37
• Dianna's Christmas, Family Party Talk — 22:22–23:43
• Heisman Ceremony & Pavia Controversy — 30:40–39:57
• Analog Clocks, Military Time, Lost Skills — 41:20–43:42

Final Thoughts

The show is as much about sports irreverence and community as it is about Xs and Os. Dianna Russini offers both compelling insight into the sport and the sports media world, while the Le Batard crew keeps things energetic and self-depreciating. If you’re looking for conventional sports radio, look elsewhere—but if you crave football analysis that blends expertise with personality, sarcasm, and off-the-wall sidebars, this episode is a perfect snapshot of The Dan Le Batard Show’s enduring appeal.