The Best of The Dan Patrick Show

Summary

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The Dan Patrick Show – Best of (August 6, 2026)

Podcast: The Dan Patrick Show
Air Date: August 6, 2026
Host(s): Dan Patrick
Guests: Joe Thomas, Lewis Riddick, Marshall Faulk

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Episode Overview

This “Best Of” episode showcases Dan Patrick’s signature blend of candid sports conversations, humor, and insight, highlighting discussions with Hall of Famer Joe Thomas, ESPN analyst Lewis Riddick, and Hall of Fame running back Marshall Faulk. The episode revolves around NFL Hall of Fame festivities, the evolving landscape of pro football, player perspectives on changes in the league, and classic stories from some of the game’s greats.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Joe Thomas: Hall of Fame Reflections and Browns Talk

• Life as a Hall of Famer & The Famous Jacket

  • Joe jokes about his Hall of Fame jacket being crumpled in his suitcase as he prepares for Fan Fest in Canton, Ohio.
    • "It's like 48 extra long, something like that. Thin, athletic cut." (Joe Thomas, 02:50)

• Role Models in the NFL

  • Nerds out over meeting Walter Jones (“He was one of my heroes...tried to take some of the things that he did well…” 03:41).
  • Discusses legendary linemen: Larry Allen and the myth of the “Larry Allen flu.”
    • "They were trying to preserve their careers by not going against Larry Allen because they didn't want to be injured." (Joe Thomas, 04:25)

• Browns Quarterback Situation

  • On the Browns’ perennial QB competition:
    • "It's never a good thing. That means you haven't figured out because there's no clear answer." (Joe, 05:40)
  • Debating whether to give Deshaun Watson another shot vs. starting rookie Shedeur Sanders.

• Browns Outlook for 2026

  • Optimistic due to new receiver talent and a rebuilt offensive line: Casey Concepcion and Denzel Boston have “looked incredible in training camp” (06:54).

• Trading Miles Garrett

  • Thinks the trade is right for the Browns’ position:
    • "It's painful when you lose the best defensive player in history, but...you got a couple of first round draft choices next year, and you get Jared Verse, who has been wrecking training camp so far… I think it was the right trade for the right time." (08:24)

• Blocking Elite Defenders

  • On blocking Miles Garrett vs. Aaron Donald:
    • "Good luck if Aaron Donald comes back because I would rather block neither of them, maybe pull one of those sick days like they did with Larry Allen." (09:23)

• Best Offensive Lineman Today

  • Picks Lane Johnson, calling him “consistently the best offensive line...even though he's getting up there in age.” (04:44)

• Who Wins the Division?

  • Names the Ravens as his pick due to their “backs against the wall” mentality and ability to surprise. (11:36)

• Notable Quote

  • “Eyes open, ears open, mouth shut, we don't want to hear from you unless you're asking a question.” (Joe Thomas gives advice to rookies, 05:18)

• Fun Moment

  • Joe details his “mobile butcher shop” at Fan Fest, complete with Hall of Fame Wagyu beef. (07:55)

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2. Lewis Riddick: Inside the NFL

• Aaron Donald’s Return & On-Field Persona

  • Praises Donald’s mindset: “He was unblockable...there’s never been any fluff with Aaron…” (13:49–14:51)
  • Compares Donald’s off-field and on-field mentality, drawing parallels to Eric Turner and Troy Polamalu.

• Arizona Cardinals: End of Mediocrity?

  • Details reasons for the Cardinals’ past struggles—leadership, coaching, injuries.
  • Optimistic about Mike LaFleur’s coaching and new roster additions: “I believe things are about to turn for this football team.” (19:12)
  • Stresses how quickly NFL fortunes can change.
    • “The league can turn on you in a heartbeat...last year does not matter anymore.” (21:16)

• Surprise Teams for 2026

  • Picks the New Orleans Saints to win the NFC South:
    • "The Saints are coming. They're back. That's going to be a fun team." (22:06–23:05)

• Quarterback Rankings & the Jaden Daniels Debate

  • Predicts a bounce-back for Jaden Daniels:
    • “Jaden Daniels is a top five quarterback in the NFL. He is.” (23:14)
  • Picks Daniels over Lamar Jackson for this year in a one-season scenario, igniting a spirited back-and-forth with Dan.
    • “If I said you got Jaden Daniels for this year or Lamar Jackson this year, I'm taking Jaden Daniels.” (25:56)

• Team-Building Philosophy

  • If starting a new team (excluding QB), he’d begin with a pass rusher and specifically names Lawrence Taylor:
    • “Lawrence Taylor was the most feared individual in the sport of football, period.” (27:10)

• Memorable Anecdote

  • Recalls watching Lawrence Taylor as a college student and how even in old video games and real life, “he was 25, 30 years ahead of his time.” (27:10–28:59)

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3. Marshall Faulk: Golf, Running Backs, and Timeless NFL Stories

• On the Golf Course

  • Marshall joins from the Firestone golf course, joking about his handicap (“I use letters. Good.” 30:09) and how he gives Dan shots now (he plays to about a 4 or 5—30:18).

• Most Famous Golf Partner

  • “Tiger. It just sounds so different when they hit the ball, it’s like...oh my God, it sounds so different.” (30:35)

• Running Back Resurgence

  • Happy to see RBs returning to value but notes ongoing bias in positional value:
    • “Once we get into playoff football, what is it about? Oh, you got to run the ball.” (31:39)
  • Surprised Seattle let Kenneth Walker go.

• History of the Hybrid Back

  • Credits Roger Craig as the prototype for running/catching backs; highlights lack of recognition for “the thousand thousand club”—only three players in NFL history.
    • “He was a fullback and he played halfback, and he caught the football and rushed. It was just unbelievable what he did.” (33:09)

• Hall of Fame “Snubs” and Value

  • Advocates for Tiki Barber’s Hall inclusion, comparing to Devin Hester:
    • “If you let Devin Hester in...and a running back, he gets in.” (33:50)

• NFL Rule Changes Impacting RB Value

  • Explains how safety rules protect QBs and WRs (not RBs), leading to RBs getting hit more and thus devalued financially:
    • “...they made all these rules that make it advantageous for throwing the football. And so, guess what you do? You throw the football.” (34:32)

• Long-Term Health Concerns

  • Mentions current medical evaluations for CTE, Parkinson’s:
    • “I’m going through all of that right now, Dan, just to make sure...that I might have a quality of life, you know, through my 50s and 60s, and hopefully 70s.” (35:42)
  • On hits: “It don’t take a big hit, you know, it’s not about getting it. Just take a hit. It doesn’t have to be a big hit.” (36:12)

• Welcome to the NFL Moment

  • Remembers getting leveled by Kurt Govea after taunting Junior Seau as a rookie:
    • “I was down. I was looking at the sideline, and I was looking at the huddle, and I’m saying to myself, the huddle is closer.” (36:24)

• Biggest Hall of Fame Fan Moment

  • Always starstruck seeing Tony Dorsett:
    • “Every time. Tony Dorsett. Every time. Man, that 33...big, big fan.” (37:03)

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Notable Quotes by Timestamp

• [02:50] Joe Thomas: “Custom. I think it’s like something 48 extra long, something like that. Thin, athletic cut.”
• [05:18] Joe Thomas (rookie advice): “Eyes open, ears open, mouth shut, we don’t want to hear from you unless you’re asking a question right now.”
• [04:25] Joe Thomas (Larry Allen): "They were trying to preserve their careers by not going against Larry Allen because they didn't want to be injured."
• [13:49] Lewis Riddick (on Aaron Donald): "He was unblockable...there's just, no, there's never been any fluff with Aaron."
• [23:14 & 25:56] Lewis Riddick (on Jaden Daniels): “Jaden Daniels is a top five quarterback in the NFL. He is.” — “If I said you got Jaden Daniels for this year or Lamar Jackson this year, I’m taking Jaden Daniels.”
• [27:10] Lewis Riddick (on Lawrence Taylor): “Lawrence Taylor was the most feared individual in the sport of football, period.”
• [30:35] Marshall Faulk (on golfing with Tiger): “Went well for him. Dan, it just sounds so different, man...I’m like, oh, my God, it sounds so different.”
• [33:50] Marshall Faulk (on Tiki Barber): "100%. 100%. And here's the thing. This is why he gets in. If you look at, if we let Devin Hester in. If you look at him as a returner and a running back, he gets in."
• [35:42] Marshall Faulk (on health): “I’m going through all of that right now, Dan...that I might have a quality of life, you know, through my 50s and 60s and hopefully 70s...”
• [36:24] Marshall Faulk (welcome to NFL hit): “I looked back at him, and Kurt Govea leveled me...I was looking at the huddle, and I’m saying to myself, the huddle is closer.”
• [37:03] Marshall Faulk (on Tony Dorsett): “Every time. Tony Dorsett. Every time. Man, that 33...”

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Timestamps for Significant Segments

• 00:08–12:46 — Joe Thomas on Hall of Fame life and Browns inside scoop
• 13:28–29:14 — Lewis Riddick on Hall of Fame ceremony, NFL team stories, and QB rankings
• 29:28–37:32 — Marshall Faulk on golf, running backs, and NFL nostalgia

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Episode Tone and Style

Dan Patrick’s approach remains light and personable, with quick-witted banter, a knack for drawing out personal stories, and a genuine appreciation for the guests’ experiences. Whether it’s ribbing Joe Thomas about his jacket or pushing Lewis Riddick on QB rankings, Dan keeps the tone conversational, funny, and informed.

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For New Listeners

This episode offers a snapshot of Dan Patrick’s strengths: getting legends to open up, mixing serious NFL analysis with nostalgia, and providing fans a seat at the table for authentic conversations with A-list guests. Whether you’re after inside football insight, laughs, or great storytelling, this episode delivers across the board.

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Transcript

[Marshall Faulk]

This is an iHeart podcast.

[Dan Patrick]

Guaranteed Human.

[Fox Sports Radio Announcer]

You are listening to the Dan Patrick show on Fox Sports Radio.

[Dan Patrick]

Joe Thomas went into the hall of Fame a couple of years ago. Hall of Fame farms owned by Joe Thomas. So he brought in his trailer from Wisconsin to the Pro Football hall of Fame Fan Fest, and you're selling meat out of your. Are you in your trailer now? Are you in your home?

[Joe Thomas]

It'd be nice if my trailer was this sweet. No, I'm in my condo in Westlake. I was at Brown's practice yesterday. And after the show, I'm heading right down there. Gonna start flipping burgers and cooking steaks and getting in our mobile butcher shop right there in Fan Fest, right to the next of the main stage.

[Dan Patrick]

Where is your hall of Fame jacket right now?

[Joe Thomas]

Unfortunately, it is crumpled up into my suitcase. Cause I'm about to jump in my car and drive down to Canton. But I can throw it on if you want it then.

[Dan Patrick]

Yeah, would you go get it?

[Joe Thomas]

Oh, yeah, no problem. It'll be like a minute. Is that cool?

[Dan Patrick]

Yeah, yeah, I'd like to see it. And the fact that it's all crumpled up, you'd think that he would hang it, though, right, Paulie?

[Lewis Riddick]

You would think you'd hang it in the back on one of those little things in the back seat of your car, right?

[Dan Patrick]

I would think so. It's a. Paul. I don't think. Well, you know what? The material that those things are made out of, they might not wrinkle. Yeah, Paul, quick game.

[Lewis Riddick]

What size is Joe Thomas's hall of Fame jacket?

[Dan Patrick]

I'm gonna go 52 long.

[Lewis Riddick]

God, that's my guess, too. 50 too long.

[Dan Patrick]

Okay. He probably had to go out to his car, open up the trunk, and get his hall of Fame jacket. Yes, Dylan. I feel like he would be 52 in his playing days now. He. He's pretty.

[Fox Sports Radio Announcer]

I'm going.

[Joe Thomas]

I'm going.

[Dan Patrick]

46. No, no, that's not much larger than what I would have. I think I'm a 43 long, 50 even. Thank you, Todd Marvin. You got. You got a guess here. I like that we have Joe Thomas on. I just sent him. I sent him out to this car, but he did offer it up. I thought, okay, where in the hell is your suitcase, Joe? There he is. All right. I like that. You look good.

[Lewis Riddick]

Much better.

[Joe Thomas]

Much better.

[Lewis Riddick]

Look.

[Dan Patrick]

Okay, why is it crumpled up in your suitcase?

[Joe Thomas]

Well, because it was packed away. Because right after the show, I got to drive down to Canton. So it was. It was a little bit better than crumpled, but it was folded up into the suitcase.

[Dan Patrick]

Okay. We guessed the size of your jacket. So you give us the dimensions of your hall of Fame jacket.

[Joe Thomas]

Custom. I think it's like something 48 extra long, something like that. Thin, athletic cut.

[Dan Patrick]

Okay, 48 extra. But if this was when you were playing.

[Joe Thomas]

Oh, God, I think I was a 54 extra wide or super long, but I don't know. Pretty much all my clothes just get tailored. It's nothing that ever comes off the rack. So I don't even really know what my sizes are. So you look at that. Custom tailored, that means there's no size.

[Dan Patrick]

I love it. People ask to wear it.

[Joe Thomas]

They do, Yeah. I mean, it's. It's a really cool thing that in the ring. I know, like when you get that ring, everybody wants to be able to put that on, kind of like a Super bowl ring, be able to take a picture of it with their buddies.

[Dan Patrick]

What hall of Famer did you nerd out over meeting?

[Joe Thomas]

So it was actually Walter Jones and he was the guy that gave me my knock. He was one of my heroes when I was in high school and then I watched him a ton in college, tried to take some of the things that he did well. Of course he's a different human than me. He was a lot bigger, stronger, faster than I was. But still, you can learn a lot by watching the greats that came before you.

[Dan Patrick]

Larry Allen was. I don't know who was larger. Walter. Larry. Larry Allen seemed like he was the biggest offensive lineman I'd ever. I'd ever seen.

[Joe Thomas]

He was probably the widest and certainly the strongest.

[Dan Patrick]

And you know, you always hear those stories that guys would get the Larry Allen flu. Did you think that that was real? Did anybody. Did you feel like anybody ducked you?

[Joe Thomas]

They didn't duck me because I think if anything they would just go play on the other side. With Larry though, he was trying to hurt people. I mean, Larry had like an 800 pound bench press. So they were trying to preserve their careers by not going against Larry Allen because they didn't want to be injured.

[Dan Patrick]

Yes. Who is the best offensive lineman today in your opinion?

[Joe Thomas]

Oh, you know, I'll still go with Lane Johnson. I mean, he's a guy that's been doing it at the highest level for so long. Consistency. He's been leading the Eagles offensive line, the best offensive line in football for a very long time. And I still think even though he's getting up there in age, he is playing at the top of the game.

[Dan Patrick]

When rookies come in. I don't and you've seen probably all shapes, sizes, varieties. But do you have to know your place or you want to come in and exude some confidence?

[Joe Thomas]

I think you have to exude confidence, but you have to do it quietly. I always tell rookies, eyes open, ears open, mouth shut, we don't want to hear from you unless you're asking a question right now.

[Dan Patrick]

The Is it a quarterback competition with the Browns and is that a good thing? If it's a quarterback confidence or controversy, yeah, it's.

[Joe Thomas]

It's never a good thing. That means you haven't figured out because there's no clear answer. Nobody wants a quarterback controversy or conversation. But hey, the Browns, that's the situation we've been in for a couple decades. So you got to make the most of it. And hopefully competition between those two guys brings out the best in one of them and they build confidence in the locker room and they build a connection with somebody and it becomes obvious who who the starter should be.

[Dan Patrick]

Yeah, I if I'm the Browns, like, do you want to stunt the growth of Shador Sanders, or do you say we're paying $40 million for Deshaun Watson, let's give him a chance to actually earn this, and then if not, then Shador Sanders will be our quarterback moving forward.

[Joe Thomas]

That's what they've said. I mean, it's not the best spot in the world to say like, hey, we paid all this money to the John Watson, he hasn't really been good, but we got a lot of sun costs, we might as well give him a shot.

[Dan Patrick]

But it feels like that's the missing piece now. That's a big missing piece, but it feels like the Browns, they're doing some good things, at least on the outside looking in. There are some positives. So tell us your thoughts on those positives and how good the Browns can be this year.

[Joe Thomas]

Well, they've had a difficult time with weapons on offense for a while. I think the run game's been good. They've had okay at best passing game, and some of that was quarterback play, but some of that was receiver play. And I would say this year the reason for optimism for Browns fans is the two great receivers that they got in the draft, Casey Concepcion and Denzel Boston, who've looked incredible in training camp so far. So hopefully taking some of the load and the pressure off that quarterback position, rebuilt offensive line, but you still have Quinshon Judkins running the football. So you hope, hey, we can get really good in the run game, be multidimensional to be able to still throw the football because we got three quality receivers out there who can get open and then it's not so much on the quarterback to be able to make everything happen.

[Dan Patrick]

We're talking to hall of Famer Joe Thomas and he's got meat at the hall of Fame fan fest. He'll bring his mobile butcher shop. You're going to be cooking. You're going to actually be cooking in your mobile butcher shop.

[Joe Thomas]

That's right. We're thawing out hall of Fame wagyu steaks right now so people can buy their steak. We got a grill, we've got a couple local chefs, ants barbecue from Youngstown. We got Mr. Brisket from the Cleveland area. They're cooking up all sorts of hall of Fame wagyu samples. We got our hall of Fame beef sticks and jerky and all the frozen fresh steaks to be able to purchase and we got some smash burgers. So I'm going to be back there working today. Dan,

[Dan Patrick]

would you have traded Miles Garrett?

[Joe Thomas]

I think the trade is going to turn out to be one that the Browns look back on favorably. It's, it's painful when you lose the best defensive player in history, but I think when you look at the age that he's at, where the Browns are specifically, this is a rebuild. You got a new quarterback, you got a new coach, you got a couple of first round draft choices next year to potentially find a quarterback. If you don't think one of these two guys can be the guy of the future and you get Jared Verse, who has been wrecking training camp so far, who's a young player. He's a tremendous leader. He's got incredible. I mean, he's, he's a pro bowler out there at defensive end. Plus you picked up two first round draft choices and a third round pick for Miles. I think it was the right trade for the right time for the Browns, but so same thing for the Rams. And I think that's why it was a good trade because they're in win today mode. We're in maybe win today, but let's hope we can build to win tomorrow.

[Dan Patrick]

Would you rather try to block Miles Garrett or Aaron Donald?

[Joe Thomas]

Good luck if Aaron Donald comes back because I would rather block neither of them, maybe pull one of those sick days like they did with Larry Gary Allen.

[Dan Patrick]

But what's the difference in blocking an edge rusher built like Miles Garrett or somebody coming up the middle with Aaron Donald?

[Joe Thomas]

Yeah, it's, it's totally different. Right. Aaron's game is he's short, squatty, incredibly powerful and quick. So he gets up into your frame, he gets under your pads. And the leverage that he has just rocks people back. Even a guy like Larry Allen, as big and strong as he was because of Aaron's power and how he's so compact, he can just get up inside you and push you backwards. Whereas miles, he wins because he bends on the edge, right? He can bend his ankles, his knees, his hips. He can turn the corner. He's got the best get off in football. And he also is super powerful and strong. So he can convert to a bull rush quickly. But I would say Miles is more speed, distance, mobility, ability to bend. And Aaron is squatty, compact, powerful, quick first step.

[Dan Patrick]

It seems like teams are now looking. Yes, they're edge rushers. They're important. But that guy in the middle we're. We're seeing. It feels like maybe there's a little more resurgence here with you need to have that guy up the middle because it feels like he's going to disrupt the offense far more than the edge rusher will.

[Joe Thomas]

From a pass protection standpoint, There's a lot more you can do with a defensive end. That's a problem. You can leave a tight end in there. You can chip them with a receiver. You can even have quarterback. I mean, we saw Brady do it for decades, right? He didn't really always have great edge protection, but he was able to step up in the pocket because the middle of the pocket was firm. When you got a problem in the middle, there's really not a whole lot you can do other than try to run the quarterback and move him out of the pocket. But a lot of quarterbacks and offenses don't want to do that. They don't want to move the launch point consistently like that. So blocking a guy like Aaron Donald, if he's splitting double teams constantly becomes really difficult because you don't have any other options.

[Dan Patrick]

Who wins the division? Steelers? Ravens? Bengals?

[Joe Thomas]

Not even throwing the browns out there. All right, well, assume the Browns.

[Dan Patrick]

Okay. All right. How about a courtesy and the browns.

[Joe Thomas]

And the Browns. Well, if you give me those options, I'm going to go with the ravens. Actually. I think the ravens have a nice bounce back season. And I know it seems like Lamar Jackson and the ravens outfit even going back to when I was there, they always play the best when the back's against the wall. People start doubting them a little bit. And I think that's right where they are right now.

[Dan Patrick]

Would you rather block for a pocket passer or a scrambler.

[Joe Thomas]

I'd rather block for a pocket passer because then I know exactly where he is and I know what I need to do on that play. Scramblers are great because if you get beat, they can still make you right and avoid the sack and get out and throw touchdowns and then you're not the goat but like the goat in a bad, bad sense. But it's difficult because you just never know where he's going to be. And so it's much more of a guessing game.

[Dan Patrick]

Safe travels there, the short travel from Cleveland to Canton and good luck with the the hall of Fame farms and your mobile butcher shop and whipping up a batch for everybody there and Canton, great to see you again.

[Joe Thomas]

Great to see you, Dan. I can't wait to see in person. I'll give you another hall of Fame beef stick like last time. Another chance to enjoy it.

[Dan Patrick]

Joe Thomas.

[Fox Sports Radio Announcer]

Be sure to catch the live edition of the Dan Patrick show, weekdays at 9am Eastern, 6am Pacific on Fox Sports Radio and the iHeartRadio app.

[Lewis Riddick]

Hey, it's Rob Parker and Kelvin Washington from the Odd Couple on Fox Sports Radio.

[Rob Parker]

And in addition to hearing us live weeknights from 7 to 10pm Eastern on Fox Sports Radio, we are excited to announce brand new YouTube YouTube channel for the show.

[Lewis Riddick]

That's right, you can now watch the Odd couple live on YouTube every day.

[Rob Parker]

All you got to do search Odd Couple FSR on YouTube again. YouTube. Just search Odd Couple FSR. Check us out on YouTube and subscribe.

[Dan Patrick]

Lewis Riddick, ESPN NFL college football analyst. You have ESPN NFL Network. They will present the hall of Fame enshrinement ceremony that'll be coming up this weekend, noon until 2:30 Eastern. So Lewis will be there with Rich Eisen, hall of Famer Kurt Warner foregone conclusion, Aaron Donald coming back.

[Lewis Riddick]

Yeah, yeah, it is. It's let's just Aaron, knowing Aaron the way I do, which is not as well as, you know, people who are obviously around him every single day. I mean, Dan, he's, he's one of my favorite people, let alone favorite players because he's generous with his time. He's honest, he's straightforward. There's no BS with him. There's just, no, there's never been any fluff with Aaron. It's just been about this journey that he's on just to be great, as great as he possibly can be. And he talks about it in such a pleasant way when you're talking to him. And then when you watch him play, you're like, damn, I don't even know that that dude's nasty. So for him, like, he doesn't, he doesn't waste people's time. So if he's going to come back and start and wanted to go through a process to where he wanted to see if he could play the way he was gonna. That he's played before, you knew he was. He was dead serious about it. And here, here's the cool thing for me and I think everyone should kind of like take. Take comfort in this. If he's coming back, which he is, then he's pretty damn sure that when he comes back, it's going to be that same dude or very, very, very close to it that we saw when he left, which basically Aaron was unblockable. It's. It's as simple as that. He was unblockable. And that is. I mean, him and Miles and Kobe Turner and Jer. Braden Fisk. I mean, that's. Jeez, that's pretty good, man. That's pretty good.

[Dan Patrick]

I'm always fascinated where you meet a boxer and then he's different when he gets into the ring or, you know, you get a football player and you talk to him when he's not in pads, not on the football field, and then he goes on the football field and you go, damn, that like Troy Palomalu was that way for me.

[Lewis Riddick]

Yeah.

[Dan Patrick]

Like you talk to him, very soft spoken, then all of a sudden he's out there taking your heads off. I don't know if there's somebody who comes to mind where you go, and maybe it's Aaron Donald. Where you go, that dude is different than the dude that I had dinner with last night.

[Lewis Riddick]

Yeah, no, for sure. Aaron is like that, right? You know, now that he's. He's the closest he. He fits that description to a te. The other guy who was like that was an old teammate of mine, Eric Turner, who was a safety from UCLA who I played with in, in Cleveland and in Oakland. E.T. as we called him, was on the football field one of the most vicious hitters this game's ever seen ever. Eric could unload on. It was unbelievable off the field, big, giant, wide smile all the time. Never cursed, never you. You just never saw him really in a bad mood. And he was, he was Southern California through and through, man. Just as cool as can be. Had aura to the. To the infinity power. I mean, he just a guy everybody wanted to be around, but just always pleasant, man, when he played the game. I've never seen a guy play as nasty and as vicious as he is. But he still wouldn't curse on the field. He would tell people he would curse guys out using real polite language. And I used to sometimes say, you know, I'd be like. What he meant was, that's what he meant to say.

[Dan Patrick]

Why are the Arizona Cardinals so bad?

[Lewis Riddick]

Yeah, you know,

[Fox Sports Radio Announcer]

wow.

[Lewis Riddick]

You know, mediocrity on a football team. Kind of like there, there's a number of different things that go into it. It's the, it's the combination of leadership, coaching, competency, player selection, bad luck. As far as injuries, all that timing just not coming together. It's not now with, with. And so we take. You wouldn't have enough time to go through all the reasons why Arizona has kind of been where they've been for a long time. Ever since, you know, Kurt and Larry and them left and they lost in the super bowl to the Steelers. What I do like about them this year, I'm, I'm kind of high on what's going on there. I really like Mike LaFleur's system, his background, where he's coming from. I really like what they're doing. As far as some of the people that they brought in and the people that were already in place here, look, they, they've got, they've got size, athletic ability on the perimeter. They have got some pretty good looking players on this offensive line. A lot of the things that are in place that really fit with how Mike grew up in this business, the system that he's come from. They fit, man, they fit. They really, really do. It's quarterback, right? We'll see what Carson looks like here tonight. Is Jacoby the long term answer? No. Is Carson the long term answer? Most people would say no. He has a great opportunity here tonight. But like wide receivers like Mike Wilson, Marvin Harrison Jr. A tight end like Trey McBride, teams would kill for that. Are you kidding? Jeremiah Love, James Connor, I mean Tyler Algier. Teams will kill for that kind of trio in the backfield. Are you kidding?

[Dan Patrick]

Defense, would you have drafted Jeremiah Love if you're Arizona?

[Lewis Riddick]

Yeah, I understand it. I mean, okay, so what would I have wanted to really address my perimeter pass rush? Yeah, I probably would have. Wasn't going to take Carnell Tate. I'm not gonna take another wide receiver. Got that. Would I have taken a guy like this simply because he's. Look, the running back, the all around threat at running back is back. You need one. Just like in fantasy football. It's the first position you need to fulfill when you're building out your fantasy football roster. It's it's becoming a need position. You gotta have position. You got to have a guy that can just break a game open from multiple different positions. That's why Bijan got his money. That's why Jonathan had his contract redone and that's why Jameer Gibbs is probably about to blow them all out of the water because it's just. And you know what? Jeremiah is going to do the same thing. You know, Mike LaFleur has a great plan for him. This is not the same Arizona Cardinal. I know people go, yeah, right. I'll believe that when I see it. I believe it. I believe that things are about to turn for this football team.

[Dan Patrick]

Oh, well, it doesn't help that you're in a very competitive division as well.

[Lewis Riddick]

No, yeah, you're right, it doesn't.

[Rob Parker]

But you know what?

[Lewis Riddick]

You know, and I've had this little burr up my. You know what lately about people always using Dan the past in order to explain their, their thought processes about what they think the future is going to look like. Because you know how the league is. The league can turn on you in a heartbeat. A couple good acquisitions, a couple bad breaks, and next thing you know, it doesn't really matter what happened in 2025. Like to me right now, it still doesn't matter what happened in 2025. I think teams can turn tide very, very quickly with a couple key acquisitions, the right coaching staff, and we know, we see it in college football. College football, you can turn your whole roster over in a couple months and go from worse to first, I think. Yeah, that division is tough. No doubt. You already see, you see what's happening in San Francisco. You see all the people on their injury report already. I mean, that's just insane. It's nuts. Look, one bad break in Seattle, things could turn for them as good as the Rams. Look, one bad break, things could turn for them. And who know every. Bill used to say this all the time, Belichick, last year is as soon as your previous season is over. It is totally. It does not matter anymore. I don't care about the strength of schedule from last year. And I personally, I really buy into that. That's why I'm. There's a couple teams this year. I'm. I'm excited to see that people are going to be like, yeah, right, whatever. I'm just telling. I just think there's a couple teams that are going to surprise like that.

[Dan Patrick]

Okay, give me a couple of those teams aside from Arizona.

[Lewis Riddick]

Yeah, I know. You were like, yeah, well, all right. Well, say it then, big mouth. All right, you know what? The Saints. The Saints are going to win the South. They're gonna win the South. They have bookend tackles, stud tight end, youth and play, making it wide receiver, a quarterback who's going to be a star in Tyler shuck depth at running back. They have playmakers in the back end on defense. Look, Brandon Staley, you could hate him all you want as a. As a head coach out there. You know, when he was with the Chargers, he is a damn good defensive coordinator. I remember Sean McVeigh telling me about him when he had him out there in la. He said, this guy's a star. This guy is a freaking star. When it comes the Saints, as that song, as that song says when they come running out that you of the tunnel down there and that the dome. The Saints are coming. They're back. That's going to be a fun team.

[Dan Patrick]

All right, Year three of Jaden Daniels. What do you. What do you expect?

[Lewis Riddick]

I expect Jaden to remind everybody of who he is and who he was in 2024 when he had the greatest rookie season of a quarterback of all time. That's what I expect. Nothing's changed with him. The guy is brilliant. He's got great, and I mean great ability to pass the football. Fast, electric, smart, a leader, lifts people up. He just. All right, so people go, well, you see how thin he is. That's why he gets hurt. No, it's not why. It has nothing to do with it. He took. So he had some bad breaks. It happens. It happens in his football team. Didn't have a whole lot of help around him. Signing Stefan is big. Terry being healthy and not coming off a contract negotiation is huge. Antonio Williams is a stud. The kid who they drafted out of Clemson. Offensive line, running back. They need to make sure that those areas are secure. Jaden Daniels is a top five quarterback in the NFL. He is. I don't care what you think happened last year. I don't care if you think Drake and Caleb have surpassed him. Some people are telling me Bo Nix is better than him. You know, you can think that Jaden Daniels is about to show us all. Don't forget about me. That's what I really believe.

[Dan Patrick]

All right, give me your top five quarterbacks then.

[Lewis Riddick]

Okay. It's got to be in some form. Josh Stafford, Patrick Joe. Josh Stafford, Patrick Joe. And then Jaden is in there. The guys who are vying for five to me are guys like Jaden Jordan.

[Dan Patrick]

Love. Wait, you're leaving out Lamar Jackson and. Yeah, you're gonna put Jaden Daniels over Lamar?

[Lewis Riddick]

Okay, Jaden Daniels, as far as a passer of the football.

[Dan Patrick]

Wait a minute.

[Lewis Riddick]

He's a better passer of the football than Lauren.

[Dan Patrick]

You're changing. Yeah.

[Lewis Riddick]

No.

[Dan Patrick]

These statements without me following up.

[Lewis Riddick]

Okay, I'll tell you what. I'll tell you what. I'll tell you what. Okay, if you ask me if I'm starting a football team today, yeah, I'm starting a football team today. And you said you have Lamar, like, right now. Right now. Lamar, right now. Jaden Daniels, you're starting a football team. You want it. You're looking out. Three. Three to five years.

[Dan Patrick]

Well, no, I get that, but if I say once, like one season. Let's do one season. One season you can have.

[Lewis Riddick]

Okay, for this year, if.

[Dan Patrick]

If I said you got Jaden Daniels for this year or Lamar Jackson this

[Lewis Riddick]

year, I'm taking Jaden Daniels.

[Dan Patrick]

You're stubborn.

[Lewis Riddick]

You're. Yeah, okay.

[Dan Patrick]

I am. All right. Okay.

[Lewis Riddick]

I kid you. If you're saying, look, you're taking them, you. They have the same weapons, right? The same team, and you're just taking one guy out and putting another guy in. Yeah, yeah, I. I believe in him. And that's not me trying to make a headline, Dan. That's not me trying to be, you know, ace. Let's stir it up. I love Jaden Daniels. If I was playing the game, if I was a D, if I was back, if this was 1994 and we're in Cleveland, I. I just love how this kid plays quarterback. I really do. And I think it's dangerous as hell. It would.

[Dan Patrick]

It.

[Lewis Riddick]

And I. And I love Lamar. I do. And I know people are going to say, well, if you pick one, you hate the other. That's not it. I just love. I love this kid. I do.

[Dan Patrick]

If you could start your team with a Hall of Famer, first ballot hall of Famer at any position except quarterback, what position would you go with to start with? And then who would that player be?

[Lewis Riddick]

Oh, it'd be a pass rusher. It'd be the guy who could affect the quarterback. And who would it be? It'd be Lawrence Taylor. It'd be. Lawrence Taylor was the most feared individual in the sport of football, period, end of story, in the history of the game. And I. I remember when I worked in Washington, Donnie Warren, who was part of the Hogs and part of all, you know, the part of the tight end, we. I used to ask him all the time, just give me. L. I could walk into his office, give Me an LT store. Give me an LT Store. And then we went and got old tape and watched like the old techno bowl game, video game, football game, when. When you used to, like play with like Bo Jackson. And it was unfair because Bo would just run through everyone and he. It was like everybody was moving this speed and this other guy was just going around like this. That's what LT looked like in real life. And I remember meeting him when I was a sophomore in college. They used to. They used to have joint practices against the jets at Lehigh University here, you know, in. In Northern Pennsylvania. And I remember going up there and that's when those were days we had, like free access. You'd go down on the field and all. And I remember seeing him coming towards me, man, and I was trying to. I was trying to get my program out to kind of like so he could sign it. And I was so damn nervous and fumbling around with it, and he just walked right past me. But I remember I used to just watch him and go. And then I. I've watched so much old tape of him does. Donnie used to tell me he was 25, 30 years ahead of his time, and if he came back today, today, the same bot like, like 1986 Lawrence Taylor, he would kick the crap out of everybody. Still, he was that good.

[Dan Patrick]

Have fun at the hall of Fame ceremonies. They're always great to catch up with you. You're in mid season form. That's what I love about you. Oh, you know what?

[Lewis Riddick]

That's because, man, I'm ready to go.

[Fox Sports Radio Announcer]

Let's get it.

[Dan Patrick]

You want to hit somebody?

[Lewis Riddick]

Yeah.

[Dan Patrick]

All right.

[Lewis Riddick]

I appreciate it, man.

[Dan Patrick]

Thank you, Louis. That's Lewis Riddick.

[Fox Sports Radio Announcer]

Fox Sports Radio has the best sports talk lineup in the nation. Catch all of our [e-mail] and within the iHeartRadio app. Search FSR to listen live.

[Dan Patrick]

Hall of Fame running back, member of the class of 2011, Richard Dent, Chris Hamburger, Les Richter, Ed Sable Dion, Shannon Sharp and Marshall Falk joining us on the program. Are you playing golf right now?

[Marshall Faulk]

I am, Dan. I'm at Firestone. Are you jealous?

[Dan Patrick]

Ooh, yes. I love Firestone. That's tight, tight fairways there, Marshall. I didn't do well. What's your handicap now?

[Marshall Faulk]

Good.

[Dan Patrick]

Your handicaps? Good.

[Marshall Faulk]

Yeah.

[Dan Patrick]

What's the number?

[Marshall Faulk]

There's no numbers. I use letters. Good.

[Dan Patrick]

Okay, but if you're playing. Am I giving you shots or I'm giving you.

[Marshall Faulk]

I'm giving you shots right now. I'm playing to about a 4 or 5.

[Dan Patrick]

Okay. Most famous person you played golf with.

[Marshall Faulk]

Oh, man.

[Dan Patrick]

Iger.

[Marshall Faulk]

Oh, yeah. Yeah.

[Dan Patrick]

How'd that go?

[Marshall Faulk]

Went well. Went well. Went well. Went well for him. Dan, it just sounds so different, man. Like, when they hit the ball, it's like. I'm like, oh, my God, it sounds so different.

[Dan Patrick]

It is. If you go to a driving range or, you know, the range, when you go to the Masters or any, you know, and just listen. Certain guys, I always say, Shohei Ohtani, the ball leaves his bat differently than anybody else. And you go by some of these guys, and when they. They hit the ball, you can see it's the size of a penny on their club of where they hit it over and over and over. That's what it sounds like when you hit it correctly.

[Marshall Faulk]

Yeah, man. It's. It's crazy. It's crazy.

[Joe Thomas]

That is this.

[Marshall Faulk]

I mean, just to listen to him hit the ball, and there's this little spot on his. On his. On the. On his club face that's a little rusty, and he hits it every time.

[Dan Patrick]

Your thoughts on the. The resurgence of the running back?

[Marshall Faulk]

I like it. I like it, man. You know, if you watch. Here's the thing. The surprise in. In Seattle, letting Kenneth Walker go, that was a surprise. But we all know this. Everybody likes to throw the ball. You depend on the quarterback. You can't touch him. But once we get into playoff football, what is it about? What did they say? Oh, you got to run the ball. That's like. That's literally what everybody says.

[Dan Patrick]

But who was the first hybrid running back? Where you were. You were running and. And catching.

[Marshall Faulk]

Well, I know. I know. For me, it was. Watching Roger Craig was like, it. That was. That was. He was my guy, you know, that was like. That was like the guy that I watch that I saw do it. I remember playing when I was a Saints fan as a Kid, watching the 49ers come in and beat the crap out of us, but he was the guy, man.

[Dan Patrick]

I always thought Ricky Waters was the first that, you know, he was rushing. I think he ran for 10, 10,000 yards, and he also had. Oh, are you getting ready to hit right now?

[Marshall Faulk]

Yeah.

[Dan Patrick]

Okay, go ahead. All right.

[Marshall Faulk]

All right, I'm listening. It's all good, dude.

[Dan Patrick]

Well, I don't know. The yardage here. It looks like you want a par three.

[Marshall Faulk]

Yep.

[Dan Patrick]

Okay.

[Fox Sports Radio Announcer]

Part three.

[Dan Patrick]

Okay. Oh, you did?

[Marshall Faulk]

I had to grade.

[Dan Patrick]

Are you playing with any other hall of Famers?

[Marshall Faulk]

I mean.

[Lewis Riddick]

Yeah.

[Marshall Faulk]

Eric Dickerson's here as well.

[Dan Patrick]

Tell him I said hello.

[Marshall Faulk]

I will. I will. But, I mean, Ricky Waters did it. But I'm talking about. Think about this, okay? And, and, and I felt like I didn't do him any justice. We, I didn't bring enough attention to the whole thousand thousand club. We pretend like this happening all the time. There's only three guys in the history of the league that's ever done it, you know, and people just don't pay attention to it. But he was a fullback and he played halfback, and he caught the football and rushed. I mean, it was just unbelievable what he did. But because you had Jerry Rice and Dwight Clark, people just didn't pay attention to him.

[Dan Patrick]

Is Tiki Barber a hall of famer?

[Marshall Faulk]

100%. 100%. And, and here's the thing. This is why he gets in. If you look at, if we let Devin Hester in. If you look at him as a returner and a running back, he gets in. We let Devin Hester in.

[Dan Patrick]

Yeah, yeah. I love the resurgence here, the running back, but, you know, you're still seeing receivers get $10 million more than what these, you know, these running backs are getting. And it feels like I, I can get receivers getting some of the Bijan and Jameer Gibbs Taylor got extended. CMC is still really good. Like, there's only a handful of those guys, it feels like in the NFL

[Marshall Faulk]

and nobody, nobody will talk about why that's the case. You really didn't care about wide receivers much, in a sense, you know, unless you were a Randy Moss or a Jerry Rice, Michael Irvin, that kind of type of guy. But what, what, what literally happened was the game changed. And when you protect the quarterback by, you can't hit him. And then, and then you can't hit the receivers. You know, defenseless receiver. They haven't made a rule for the running back. What if they said, I like this one. Check this out. Where did they say you can't. If you have the backup high, you can't hit him in the knees too. Then, then we would come back, too. But they made all these rules that make that, make that, make it advantageous for throwing the football. And so guess what you do. You throw the football.

[Dan Patrick]

We had Eric Dickerson on a couple of years ago, and he said that he has to sleep sitting up. Like all the different injuries that, you know, we don't see what happens to you guys 10, 15, 20 years after the fact.

[Fox Sports Radio Announcer]

Right.

[Dan Patrick]

I bring up Earl Campbell, when I saw him in a wheelchair, it broke my heart because, yeah, we, we care what you give us on a Sunday. And then after that, we move on to the next guy. Do you have any lingering injuries, issues?

[Marshall Faulk]

You know what? I'm. I'm literally going through all the tests now, trying to make sure, you know, this whole new thing of. Of, you know, making sure your head is good with all the CTE stuff that the league is doing, all the Parkinson's stuff that's linked to cte. I'm going through all of that right now, Dan, just to. Just to make sure that I'm, you know, that I'm. That I'm okay, that. That I might have a quality of life, you know, through my 50s and 60s and hopefully 70s, you know, but

[Dan Patrick]

you didn't take too many big hits, did you?

[Marshall Faulk]

It don't take a big hit, you know, it's not about getting it. Just take a hit. It doesn't have to be a big hit.

[Dan Patrick]

What's the one that welcome to the NFL hit you got?

[Marshall Faulk]

Oh, man. Talking crap to the late. To the late junior say hour because we were both in San Diego, and I finally get a chance to play him, and I put a move on him, and I cut back, and I looked back at him, and Kurt Govea leveled me, and I was. I was down. I was looking at the sideline, and I was looking at the huddle, and I'm saying to myself, the huddle is closer.

[Dan Patrick]

So you limped back to the huddle?

[Marshall Faulk]

Oh, man, I made my way back to the huddle, got my faculties together and, you know, stop talking trash.

[Dan Patrick]

Who do you nerd out over when you see them at the hall of Fame or something?

[Marshall Faulk]

Every time. Tony Dorset. Every time. Man, that 33. That 33. You know, the Cowboys with the star and all of that, man. I. Big, big fan of door sets, man.

[Dan Patrick]

How's he doing?

[Marshall Faulk]

Okay. Okay. Yeah.

[Dan Patrick]

Well, thanks for interrupting your golf game there until.

[Marshall Faulk]

All good, Dan. Anytime for you. All right.

[Dan Patrick]

Tell. Tell Eric I said hello and thanks again.

[Marshall Faulk]

We'll do. All right, man.

[Dan Patrick]

Take care. Marshall Falk.

[Marshall Faulk]

This is an iHeart podcast.

[Dan Patrick]

Guaranteed Human.