The Dan Patrick Show (C&R) – Shovel Surge, Browns Make it Hard, Wrong Sauce

Date: January 27, 2026
Hosts: Steve Covino, Rich Davis, with Dan Byer, Spot, Sam, and guests
Podcast: iHeartPodcasts, Dan Patrick Podcast Network

Episode Overview

This episode of Covino & Rich (“C&R”), presented on The Dan Patrick Show platform, is full of sports talk, personal banter, and comedic observation on life’s rising costs and workplace weirdness. The main themes include East Coast Snowmageddon with hacks and nostalgia, the dramatic dysfunction of the Cleveland Browns' head coaching search, a hilarious take on job interview demands (including AI-written essays), and the way trivial things like sauce preferences can shape your fate. Plus, the crew hosts a lively sports trivia game and teases STD statistics by college.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Surviving Snowmageddon – Snow Shoveling Hacks & Nostalgia

[02:22–07:16]

• The crew reflects on the East Coast snowstorm, sharing both classic survival humor and inventive new hacks for dealing with shoveling.
• Rich introduces the viral “blue tarp” hack for keeping cars and porches snow-free, which leads into a discussion about future self-shoveling robots, teen hustler nostalgia, and the escalating cost of shoveling jobs.
• Notable quote:
  • “Are we almost to the point...where there’ll be a self-shoveling robot? Gotta be, right?” – Rich Davis [04:56]
• Steve and Rich reminisce about their days as snow-shoveling entrepreneurial kids (“That was my income at times...I would go around the neighborhood” – Rich [05:20]) and how what was once a $20 job is now $50–$60.

2. The Price is Never Right – Everything Is More Expensive

[09:19–13:26]

• The trio vents about the shocking inflation of everyday expenses—kids' birthday parties, fast food, checked bags, event parking, and especially a nice steak dinner.
• Notable quote:
  • “Leaving the house is like every day is a $100-plus between...a gas run, a sandwich...everything’s at airport prices nowadays.” – Steve Covino [09:29]
  • “If your kids are going out to shovel or you have some kids stopping by, $20 ain’t cutting it, dude, because it ain’t getting them anything.” – Steve Covino [10:54]
• Relatable stories, like how Subway’s $5 footlong is now $15, and a “deal” for Sofi Stadium parking being $85, illustrate just how far prices have surged.

3. The Browns’ Coaching Search – Making it Hard (and Weird)

[13:28–22:24]

• Rich and Steve roast the Cleveland Browns for the convoluted, off-putting process of hiring a new head coach—requiring personality tests, essays, and “homework assignments,” which is driving away top candidates.
• NFL and journalism sources cited to confirm several candidates are dropping out due to these demands.
• The team’s AI bit: the show's video producer, Spot, submits an AI-generated essay as a mock application for the Browns’ gig.
• Notable exchange:
  • “They are searching for leadership that aligns talent, culture, and accountability. I, Spot, am prepared to lead that alignment...” – Spot (AI, as read aloud) [20:31]
  • “If you’re a kid in school, how do you ever do homework again? AI just gave you an essay that would get you the Cleveland Browns coaching job.” – Rich Davis [20:56]
• A controversial analogy follows, comparing the Browns (given all their demands) to unrealistic dating expectations—sparking jokes, self-aware pushback, and tongue-in-cheek disclaimers.
  • “Cleveland Browns are the fat chick that’s like, ‘I need a guy that makes six figures, has a big package, and he’s six feet tall.’” – Rich Davis [21:54]

4. Fan Identity – Sports, Celebration, and the Etiquette of “Congrats”

[14:58–16:19]

• The team humorously dissects the social phenomenon of getting congratulatory texts after your favorite team’s big win, even though you did nothing but watch.
• Notable quote:
  • “When your team wins, it’s a cool feeling...you look at your phone, you’re like, ‘Man, I got a ton of messages’...like I worked really hard on this one.” – Rich Davis [16:01]

5. Sports Knowledge Showdown: “Last One Standing”

[28:27–37:41]

• The group continues their tradition of hosting rapid-fire sports trivia, with the competitive trivia game “Last One Standing.”
• Three rounds focus on:
  • Most NFL playoff games played
  • NBA longevity (most seasons)
  • Top-paid MLB players (annual average value)
• Friendly trash talk and tense moments abound.
• Winners:
  • Dan Byer (NFL round)
  • Steve Covino (NBA and MLB rounds), securing his 13th win

6. Job Interview Insanity – Myths, Tests, and the Wrong Sauce

[41:08–45:33]

• The conversation loops back to the Browns and expands to other strange interview tactics, like the infamous “wrong sauce” incident in New York (where a program director appears to judge Covino & Rich solely on whether they preferred Cholula or Tapatio hot sauce).
  • “I said, Cholula. And the guy said, ‘Wrong! Tapatio was the answer.’” – Steve Covino [42:39]
  • Rich insists it meant nothing; Covino is convinced it set the wrong tone.
• They discuss the “coffee test” used by employers to see if interviewees clean up after themselves, drawing parallels to Browns’ bizarreness.
  • “Do you clean up after yourself? It’s a subconscious test.” – Rich Davis [44:42]

7. Teases & Tangents: College STDs and More

[38:11–45:36]

• As the episode wraps, they tease a wacky list of colleges with the highest STD rates and promise to revisit it on a future show.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Browns’ hiring process:
  “The Browns making an unappealing job even that much more of a pain in the ass is SO Cleveland Browns to me.”
  – Rich Davis [19:04]

• On job candidate hoops:
  “Some organizations have to take what they can get and just do their best. They’re making it WAY too difficult, and they’re going to lose a lot of quality people as a result.”
  – Steve Covino [22:06]

• On everything costing more:
  “You go out for a nice steak dinner...what was overpriced used to be forty, forty-five...now seventy, eighty dollars for an eight ounce, like double, it’s a hundred a person.”
  – Rich Davis [13:06]

Timestamps for Key Segments

| Timestamp | Segment/Topic | |------------|-----------------------------------------------------------| | 02:22 | Snow shoveling hacks, blue tarps, snowstorm nostalgia | | 05:16 | Self-shoveling robots and cost of shoveling for teens | | 09:19 | Venting about price inflation on everyday stuff | | 10:54 | Fast food costs, checking bags, pricey parking | | 13:28 | Cleveland Browns’ coaching search gripes & AI essay bit | | 21:54 | Comparing Browns to unrealistic dating expectations | | 14:58 | The etiquette of “Congratulations!” for a team’s win | | 28:27 | Start of “Last One Standing” sports trivia | | 41:08 | Odd job interview experiences & the Cholula/Tapatio story | | 44:38 | “Coffee test” and interview subconscious screening | | 38:11 | Tease: Colleges with highest STD rates |

Tone and Language

• Conversational, irreverent, and comedic.
• Uses relatable, lightly edgy language, dad humor, and fast-paced banter.
• Sports analysis is paired with pop culture references and personal stories.

Recap

This C&R episode delivers a high-energy mix of sports chat, everyday gripes, playful personal jabs, and sharp commentary on the absurdities of modern life and job hunting—never shying away from mixing humor and real talk whether about the Browns’ self-sabotage or why your favorite sandwich is suddenly $15.

For those who missed it:
Expect witty observations, surprising trivia, and a send-up of sports and society where nothing is sacred, not even hot sauce or the sanctity of the interview process.