The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz
Episode: Top Five NFL Week 8 Games to Watch, Packers Force Rodgers to Turn Left, Brandon Perna on How the Broncos Confuse their Fans, Plus Green Bay Great Ahman Green Ranks Packers QB Legends
Date: October 24, 2025
Overview
This episode broadcasts from the Elser Hotel in Downtown Miami and blends trademark Le Batard banter with deep-dive football insights. The core theme is an energetic look ahead to NFL Week 8, with a focus on the evolving quarterback sagas in Green Bay, wild alternate football realities, and how teams make (and confuse) their fans. The conversation features, in lively succession, Dave Dameshek, Mike, Brandon Perna (That’s Good Sports), and Packers icon Ahman Green. Together, they dissect Week 8’s juiciest games, QB legends, and the weird magic of NFL fandom.
Key Discussion Points and Insights
1. Alternate NFL Histories and Numbers that Matter
- [00:00 – 10:32]: The episode opens with a playful detour: Dave Dameshek and Mike imagine what might have happened if the Seahawks never moved to the NFC. The ripple effect: alternate Super Bowls, shifting rivalries, and what-ifs surrounding Aaron Rodgers’ career arc.
- “Time is a flat circle. Aaron, you’ll be back. Or you can go to the Steelers.” (Mike, 02:00)
- Homage to jersey number 19, with Johnny Unitas unanimously crowned as football’s best #19, with detours reviewing soccer and baseball greats who wore the number.
- Arguments about Messi’s old #19 and Joe Montana’s Chiefs phase—“Kind of bizarro Montana.” (Mike, 06:12)
2. NFL Week 8 "Pick Six" Picks
- [12:14 – 16:14]: The panel builds a six-player slate predicting touchdown scorers for NFL Week 8.
- Recurring trust in Jalen Hurts (“As long as the tush push is there, half a yard at a time, we’re doing it.” – Dameshek, 12:14)
- Cam “Scatter Boo” as a "battering ram" meme; Bijan Robinson unchallenged as best RB (“Best running back in football in 2025 is unquestionably Bijan Robinson.” – Mike, 13:03)
- Fantasy “devil & angel” debates over whether to start a hobbled Michael Penix vs. the weak Dolphins D.
- Brief strategic bickering on which players to sub in or out, highlighting the quirks of fantasy football logic.
3. Brandon Perna: Broncos, Refs, and the QB Whisperer Myth
- [17:15 – 24:37]: YouTube star Brandon Perna (That’s Good Sports) joins to dissect Denver’s Jekyll & Hyde performances, confusing Broncos fans.
- “You can watch your team score 33 points in a single quarter and none for the first three, you don’t know who your team is offensively.” – Perna, 17:35
- On the psychology of referees: “If you like annoying people... it's a power trip for some.” – Perna, 21:13
- Skepticism over labeling Sean Payton a “QB whisperer”:
“I think he might whisper things about quarterbacks that get him into trouble.” – Perna, 22:04
“He truly believes he can call a game like Drew Brees is still his quarterback… I’m not sure he’s doing enough to bridge the gap until Bo gets to that level.” – Perna, 22:48 - Perna calls for the Broncos offense to score “in the first, second, third, and fourth quarter… just once” (24:27)
4. Top Five Games to Watch: Picks & Banter
[24:37 – 35:33]
- Counted down with instant reactions and sideways stats.
- Bears vs. Ravens: Both see Ravens winning a “must have” game, but acknowledge Bears are underappreciated.
- Giants vs. Eagles:
- “The Giants used too much of their luck against the Broncos.” (Perna, 26:41)
- Packers vs. Steelers (Super Bowl 45 rematch):
- Will the absence of grudge-fueled “revenge game” energy hamper Rodgers?
- “Aaron Rodgers plays best when he’s got a spike game…” (Perna, 27:41)
- Dameshek invokes Don Draper: “He’s the junior copywriter saying, I feel sorry for you… the packers and Jordan Love and Guten Kunst are looking back at him, saying, we don’t think about you at all.” (Mike, 29:06)
- Commanders vs. Chiefs:
- Comedic aside about the team’s nickname (“the Washington Redskin potatoes”—Perna, 33:02), and lament about weak rebranding to “Commanders.”
- Cowboys vs. Broncos (Super Bowl 12 throwback uniforms):
- Split on which dysfunctional unit will bite first—but both agree it’s boom-or-bust: either the Cowboys blow Denver out, or the Broncos win a shootout.
“The Cowboys win this game either 30–10, or the Broncos win this 38–36.” – Perna, 34:38
- Split on which dysfunctional unit will bite first—but both agree it’s boom-or-bust: either the Cowboys blow Denver out, or the Broncos win a shootout.
5. Ahman Green: Packers Legacy, “Turning Rodgers Left”, and Family Feels
[35:44 – 52:55]
- Legendary Packers RB Ahman Green dives in on comic book hypotheticals before football talk:
- “I like the prowess of what my man … Batman, he is the world’s greatest detective and he knows everyone’s weakness. That’s kind of his job.” – Green, 37:22
- Insider reflections on the “Favre-to-Rodgers” transition (“He could make some throws… right away we drafted the next guy in line. He’s just gonna have to wait a couple more years.” – Green, 39:48)
- The new generation’s quirks—Favre annoyed by Rodgers’ iPod earbuds.
- On the Rodgers-Love relationship, Sunday Night Football, and “Jedi v. Padawan” stakes:
“I look at them as both… Aaron the mature Jedi, and Love, the Padawan in learning, and he’s getting to that point to now face his master, face his trainer, his teacher now.” – Green, 42:09
- Defending Aaron Rodgers: The path to limit him is to make him scramble left (“If anything, don’t let him run to his right… make him bail to his left or push into the pocket… not a comfortable spot for him.” – Green, 43:38)
- Quick insights on Josh Jacobs' X-factor versatility (“…another receiver out of the backfield… and make a first down or get a touchdown out of it. And he’s done that.” – Green, 45:17)
- Ranking Packers QBs:
- Aaron Rodgers (for intelligence and not “forcing into coverage”)
- Brett Favre (strong, sometimes overconfident arm)
- Jordan Love (learning, still in development)
- Bart Starr (acknowledged but not ranked)
“Aaron first, because he just understood, like he didn’t throw into situations… Brett would throw into situations like Brett I know you’re smarter than this. When it’s four blue jerseys – those are bear jerseys, not packers!” – Green, 46:33
6. Hall of Fame Hopefuls and Football Memory
[49:39 – 52:52]
- Green advocates for overlooked peers Fred Taylor and Torry Holt, lists RBs with overlooked 10k-yard careers.
- Some positional Hall snubs—“You can tick through all the guys at your position who were drafted ahead of you…” (Mike, 52:10)
- Endearing humility from Green, but with a subtle campaign for his own future induction.
Notable Quotes & Moments (All timestamps MM:SS)
- On alternate NFL history:
“Time is a flat circle. Aaron, you’ll be back. Or you can go to the Steelers.” (Mike, 02:00)
- On Johnny Unitas:
“The record books say Johnny Unit[is]… also one of the go-to football names.” (Dave Dameshek, 04:33)
- On the game’s randomness:
“College football is a different beast. If you get a W, take it and move on and ask few if any questions about it.” (Mike, 18:02)
- On coaching archetypes:
“For a guy who’s supposed to be a whiz with offense and specifically with quarterbacks, he is sort of like a band that was really good 20 years ago that insists on playing the hits instead of making new music.” (Mike, 23:06)
- On Packers QBs:
“Aaron first, because he just understood, like he didn’t throw into situations that… Brett, he would throw into situations like Brett I know you’re smarter than this. When it’s four blue jerseys – those are bear jerseys, not packers!” (Ahman Green, 46:33)
- On the weird love/hate of teammates:
“He's a family member… and at the end you still love them and just, you know what, just don’t do that. Please don't do that at that time. But it does happen and then we gotta live with it, unfortunately.” (Green, 47:49)
Timestamps for Key Segments
- 00:00 – 10:32: Cold open, alternate NFL timelines, jersey number banter
- 12:14 – 16:14: Week 8 “Pick Six” fantasy bets and arguments
- 17:15 – 24:37: Brandon Perna on Broncos, refs, and Sean Payton
- 24:37 – 35:33: Top five NFL games, picks and rivalry talk
- 35:44 – 52:55: Ahman Green on Packers culture, Rodgers tactics, QB rankings
- 49:39 – 52:52: Hall of Fame debates, football memory lane
Tone & Style
- Language: Friendly, irreverent, and conversational, rich with inside jokes, sports nostalgia, and playful tweaks at each speaker’s own allegiances.
- Atmosphere: Lively, often self-deprecating, but illuminating—particularly in segments with Ahman Green’s player’s-eye view and Brandon Perna’s fan-side frustrations.
Summary for Listeners
If you missed this episode, you missed a tapestry of football what-ifs, some sharp fantasy football wisdom, Broncos love/hate, and the most honest Packers QB ranking in podcasting—all delivered with the show’s usual blend of mischief and depth. Whether you want to know how to defend Aaron Rodgers, why “the tush push” won’t go away, or just what it feels like to be part of a legendary backfield, this episode is a journey through both reality and fantasy—on the field and across decades of NFL lore.