Podcast Summary: The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz

Episode: Why Winning is Hell: Chris Long on Tua & The "Pick Your Opponent" Playoff Draft
Date: December 19, 2025
Host(s): Dan Le Batard, Stugotz, Dave Dameshek (guest host), Mike Fuentes ("Gino"), Chris Long (featured guest)

Episode Overview

In this insightful, wide-ranging episode, Dan Le Batard’s crew, with Dave Dameshek leading the charge, dives into the evolving nature of sports fandom, NFL and college football playoff excitement (or lack thereof), and the rollercoaster of being a fan, player, and critic. Two-time Super Bowl champion and Green Light podcaster Chris Long joins to offer a player's perspective on everything from locker room losses to playoff formatting, athlete mindset, and the challenge of maintaining decency and perspective both on and off the field.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Changing Excitement Around the College Football Playoff

• Dameshek opens with his lack of enthusiasm for the new playoff format, despite his team's high seeding:

  “It just feels like a less important version of the upcoming NFL playoffs, which I am excited for and which I don't think my team's going to make...” (02:22)

• He contrasts past debates about top teams with current debates about which two or three-loss teams deserve a spot (02:00–03:19).

2. NFL Week 16 Preview & "Pick Six" Segment

• The group offers touchdown predictions and observations:
  • Josh Allen, Bijan Robinson, Jameer Gibbs, Gardner Minshew, C.J. Stroud are top picks for touchdowns.
  • Mike Fuentes observes: “Gardner Minshew... not that bad. He definitely one of the better starters.” (06:58)
  • Playful banter on new lingo:

    “Wait a minute. Piggy. Not piggyback. He just said... piggy banking, which is a new turn of phrase, that when you're tailing somebody, I'm piggy banking.” (07:23)

3. Tua Tagovailoa’s Future & Dolphins QB Situation

• Debate on Tua’s benching and contract implications.
  • Mike Fuentes: “...this is don't get hurt so we don't have to pay you $20 million in 2027. He has a clause in his contract says if he gets hurt, that money's guaranteed...” (08:25)
  • The group speculates on possible destinations and the business side of quarterback moves.
  • Dameshek: “He feels solved by NFL defenses. There's nowhere to really go with him. If Mike McDaniel... can't make it work, who really is out there?” (09:36)

4. Athlete Camaraderie and the Fan-Athlete Disconnect

• Lively discussion about post-game fraternization between NFL players.
• Dameshek laments athletes “playing grab ass” and trading jerseys immediately after losses, suggesting the league should maintain a more “WWE villain” vibe for the fans (11:11).
• Mike Fuentes: “That is your oldest man take... Not everybody has like this Brady Michael Jordan competitive streak in them... Some guys just want to go out there and get paychecks and that's it, you know.” (11:51)

Feature Interview: Chris Long

5. Chris Long Reflects on Winning, Losing, and Decency

• On the Super Bowl 52 win and NFL culture:

  “We felt like we had a better team... It’s the whole nothing to lose thing that makes you dangerous.” (18:45–20:03)

• On showing support for Malcolm Jenkins’ protest:

  “Everybody’s heart was in the right place... just trying to be decent, you know. As you fast forward eight, ten years later, we are less decent than we’ve ever been as a country...” (21:18)

• On the difficulty of NFL success versus fan perception:

  “Respectfully, I don't think fans know how hard it is to. To succeed in the NFL and win football games.” (28:45)

6. Coping With Loss, Emotions, and Locker Room Reality

• After big losses:

  “After my last game in the NFL, I cried like a baby... it was a damn. I'm in the shower like a damn child.” (26:38)

• On players’ varied emotional responses:

  “Everybody deals with disappointment differently… there’s people that think it should be like a morgue, there’s some people are going to say like, 'well, if we were so pissed off, why didn’t we play better?’” (24:26)

7. Player Perspective on Post-Game Interactions

• Chris defends player friendships post-game:

  “You have to understand from the player’s perspective is like, we have nothing to prove. We just played the game. Like, we’re putting our health, our livelihoods on the line...” (25:12)

• Shares anecdotes about losing, emotional aftermath, and—humorously—nude post-game brawls in the locker room (32:58–34:07).

8. Running Backs, MVP, and Offseason Overreactions

• On running back productivity drop-offs:

  “Since 2000, there's a threshold of a certain amount of carries... Those guys were not able to get back anywhere near to where they were the year prior. It’s just kind of like a rule with running backs.” (36:58)

• On MVP conversations:

  “I think Stafford should be the front runner, but you know me... I think Josh Allen's the best quarterback on the planet.” (38:47)

  • Playful critique of the NFL MVP’s lack of branding and the need for a “cool statue” like the Heisman (39:35–40:18).
• On the true challenge of winning in the NFL playoffs:

  “The NFL playoffs are the best thing in major professional sports. I think Stanley Cup... is incredible, but I think from an entertainment value standpoint... the NFL is king.” (41:12)

9. Playoff Format Debate & “Pick Your Opponent” Draft

• Chris Long suggests an “at-large” bid for hot teams who are peaking late but missed out due to early losses (44:46).
• Dameshek proposes a “choose your playoff opponent” wrinkle:

  “The two teams with byes get to choose who they play... You wanted us? Oh, now we're going to give it to you real good for that one, right? How great would that be?” (45:24)

• Chris Long: “It would be incredible... If you pick a team and lose it, it's even worse because you picked it.” (46:21)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On why players don't always act devastated post-loss (Chris Long):

  “As much as I've had issues with two of the player... him and Jalen Ramsey were teammates before. I think maybe that's the blind spot for him optically... But you have to understand from the player's perspective: we have nothing to prove. We just played the game.” (25:08)

• Locker room stories:

  “I was in a disrobed prison style fight in college... 45 of the people in it were just getting out of the shower.” (32:58–33:53)

• On decency:

  “We are less decent than we've ever been as a country... It really transcended politics. It is about decency. It's about patriotism. And I don't feel very patriotic right now.” (22:15)

Key Timestamps for Major Segments

| Time | Segment/Topic | |-----------|-------------------------------------------------------------| | 01:29 | Dameshek on College Football Playoff malaise | | 04:07 | NFL Week 16 "Pick 6" predictions | | 07:52 | Tua’s future and Dolphins QB discussion begins | | 11:00 | On post-game fraternizing and fans’ perspectives | | 16:48 | Chris Long joins the show (main feature interview begins) | | 18:45 | Eagles Super Bowl, team mindset, post-season memories | | 21:18 | Protests, decency, and the NFL locker room | | 23:55 | Dealing with loss, players vs. fans on emotions | | 28:45 | Why fans don’t “get” NFL difficulty | | 32:58 | Locker room brawls, athlete vulnerability | | 36:58 | Jameer Gibbs, running backs, and MVP debates | | 41:12 | NFL playoffs versus College Football and playoff flaws | | 44:46 | Idea: “At-large bid” and “pick your opponent” playoff draft | | 47:02 | Playoff draft idea and roundtable reactions | | 48:32–end | Week 16 picks, Tomlin/Steelers speculation, closing picks |

Tone & Language

The tone is candid, irreverent, often self-deprecating, and laced with humor and insider banter—true to both Dameshek and Chris Long’s styles. There’s a mix of deep football analysis, old-school fan nostalgia, and a meta-commentary on media/fan culture. Both sports and broader themes (decency, patriotism, the culture of sporting success and failure) are blended seamlessly.

Takeaways

• Excitement around the College Football Playoff is lagging for some longtime fans, who see the NFL postseason as far more compelling.
• The Tua situation is emblematic of the cold business side of the NFL; the show raises real questions about his future and how teams manage big contracts vs. on-field results.
• Chris Long offers unique, authentic insight into what it really feels like to win, lose, and move on as a pro athlete—and how little fans and the media sometimes grasp of the true emotional toll and reality.
• Inventive playoff ideas—like letting the top seed choose their opponent—highlight the show’s blend of analysis and out-of-the-box thinking.

For anyone who missed the show:
This episode is a thoughtful, funny, and occasionally poignant look at football fandom, athlete experience, and the strange joy (and pain) of both winning and losing. Chris Long’s stories, especially about the emotional aftermath of games and the realities of the locker room, are highlights, blending raw honesty with the light-heartedness that makes this podcast much loved by fans.