Hour 1 – College Football Playoff Quarterfinals, Chris Simms

Summary

The Dan Patrick Show: Hour 1 – College Football Playoff Quarterfinals with Chris Simms Release Date: January 2, 2025

Hosted by iHeartPodcasts and the Dan Patrick Podcast Network, this episode features Dan Patrick alongside NFL analyst Chris Simms. The discussion centers around the College Football Playoff Quarterfinals, targeting rules in college football, the NFL MVP race, and playoff implications.

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1. Introduction to the Playoffs

The episode kicks off with Chris Simms welcoming familiar voices back to the show, setting an enthusiastic tone for the New Year. He quickly dives into the topic of the College Football Playoff Quarterfinals, highlighting the participating teams and the unique circumstances surrounding the season.

Key Points:

• Teams in Playoffs: Notre Dame, Georgia, Duke, and Ole Miss are among the contenders.
• Venue Adjustments: The Sugar Bowl is scheduled at 4 PM Eastern due to a tragedy in New Orleans, with an additional bowl game featuring Duke and Ole Miss.
• Playoff Scenarios: Discussions on potential NFL playoff-like scenarios, emphasizing the unpredictability and competitiveness of the games.

Notable Quote:

• "There's so much to talk about... It is football. It's programming, and that's all we care about. It's football." (01:24)

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2. Playoff Selection and Fairness

Dan and Chris delve into the complexities of the college football playoff system, critiquing the selection process and the inclusion of certain teams based on their conference performances rather than overall strength.

Key Points:

• Critique of Selection Bias: Chris expresses frustration with analysts who retrospectively argue that certain teams shouldn't have made the playoffs after they lose.
• Competitive Balance: Emphasis on the need for a more competitive system to avoid "revisionist history" where teams are unfairly judged post-game.
• Future of Playoffs: Optimism that the playoff system will evolve to ensure more equitable team selections.

Notable Quotes:

• "They did everything they were supposed to do. And tell me that before they get blown out, not after." (04:06)
• "College football created the scenario where they said, hey, if you win your conference, you get a first round buy. It doesn't make sense." (06:02)

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3. Targeting Rules in College Football

A significant portion of the discussion focuses on the controversial targeting calls in college football, particularly a missed targeting call in the Texas vs. Arizona State game.

Key Points:

• Missed Calls: Analysis of a specific instance where targeting should have been called but wasn't, leading to debate over officiating standards.
• Impact on Games: How targeting rules influence game outcomes and player safety.
• Reform Advocacy: Both hosts advocate for clearer and more consistent enforcement of targeting rules to protect players and ensure fair play.

Notable Quotes:

• "We lost one of our best players in the first half for targeting... I just don't know what it is." (13:47)
• "If you're looking at somebody who schedule inferior competition. Yes. It's never going to be an exact science." (09:00)

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4. NFL MVP Race

Transitioning to the NFL, Dan and Chris discuss the ongoing MVP race, weighing the performances of Josh Allen against Lamar Jackson and other potential candidates.

Key Points:

• Josh Allen vs. Lamar Jackson: Dan leans towards Josh Allen due to his clutch performances and team support, despite acknowledging Lamar's impressive stats.
• Voter Criteria: Debates whether MVP voters prioritize statistics, team success, or standout moments.
• Influence of Analysts: The role of sports analysts in swaying MVP votes, referencing past NBA MVP discussions as a parallel.

Notable Quotes:

• "I think I'm probably favoring Josh Allen as far as the MVP vote, but it's really close." (24:04)
• "You either earn it or you don't. But that will be a big topic coming up this weekend." (24:04)

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5. NFL Playoff Implications

The conversation shifts to the implications of playoff seeding, particularly focusing on key matchups and the potential for highly ranked teams to face early exits.

Key Points:

• Top Seeds at Stake: The Sunday night game between the Lions and Vikings determines the number one seed, with significant consequences for both teams.
• Team Analysis: Dan highlights the strengths and weaknesses of teams like the Rams, Tampa Bay, Lions, and Vikings, predicting outcomes based on their performances.
• Home Field Advantage: Importance of home-field advantage in high-stakes playoff games.

Notable Quotes:

• "The winner gets the number one seed. The loser can drop all the way down to the number five seed." (25:23)
• "The Vikings in the Lions Sunday night... It's a huge game. I'm excited to see what happens." (26:58)

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6. NFL Free Agency and Draft Strategy

Dan and Chris delve into NFL free agency, discussing quarterback contracts and team strategies. They analyze the situations of Sam Darnold and Brock Purdy, debating franchise tagging and contract negotiations.

Key Points:

• Franchise Tagging: Dan advocates for franchise tagging Sam Darnold to secure another year and evaluate his long-term potential.
• Contract Negotiations: Critique of teams overpaying players like Brock Purdy, emphasizing market value and team needs.
• Historical Context: Reference to the Cleveland Browns' handling of Deshaun Watson as a cautionary tale for contract management.

Notable Quotes:

• "I would probably franchise tag them and see another year and go, hey, just prove to me." (28:31)
• "You can't totally tank the game because you can't ask guys who are fighting for their careers in life to quit and not play football." (34:02)

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7. Listener Interaction

Throughout the episode, Dan and Chris engage with listener calls, addressing a variety of topics from player performances to organizational decisions in different sports.

Key Points:

• Best and Worst of the Weekend: Callers share their opinions on team performances, coaching decisions, and personal sports experiences.
• Fan Perspectives: Insights into fan loyalty and disappointment, particularly regarding team management and player trades.
• Player Analysis: Discussions on player potential and future in professional leagues based on recent performances.

Notable Quotes:

• Caller: "The firing of Mike Brown... How do you fire somebody that gets you to where you haven't been in 17 years?"* (41:32)
• Dan Patrick: "I'm super proud of my team, but still very fast."* (44:56)

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8. Conclusion and Final Thoughts

As the episode wraps up, Dan and Chris summarize their discussions, reiterating key points and expressing optimism for future games and seasons. They emphasize the evolving nature of both college and professional football, anticipating ongoing changes and improvements in the sports landscape.

Notable Quote:

• "They said so, you know, they said they're going to change it. They're going to have and logic will step in, which is really rare in college football." (06:02)
• "We're in a new era here, and we can pick and nitpick and go." (05:56)

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Timecodes Reference:

• Each timecode corresponds to the position in the transcript where the quote was made, facilitating easy navigation for detailed review.

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This episode of The Dan Patrick Show offers insightful analysis on the current state of college football playoffs, the intricacies of NFL awards and contracts, and engages with fan perspectives, making it a comprehensive listen for sports enthusiasts.

Transcript

[Dan Patrick]

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[Chris Simms]

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[Chris Simms]

You are listening to the Dan Patrick show on Fox Sports Radio. Let's see if we remember how to do this. Great to be back. Happy New Year. The minister of humor. Although I was told by somebody, is it the administer of humor, not the minister of humor. And I said, no, you're the minister of humor, Fritzi. And the most valuable, Danette. But that's a long time ago. That was 2024.

[Dan Patrick]

Let's turn the page. It's 2025 now.

[Chris Simms]

Thank you. Todd Seaton is here. Marv's here. Paulie, Yours truly in the back room. Guys, we had to come back. There's so much to talk about. Chris Sims from Football night in America. We'll stop by in a little bit. We'll play fill in the blank. Yes, we are taking your phone calls for best and worst of the week, not weekend. Well, it can be the weekend, but it can be the week as well. Operator Tyler sitting by taking your phone calls. 877-3DP show tonight, the Sugar Bowl, Notre Dame, Georgia. That's a 4pm Eastern start due to the tragedy in New Orleans. And then there is another bowl game after that. It is Duke and Ole Miss. Wow. Okay. But it is football. It's programming, and that's all we care about. It's football. Wall to wall, for the most part. We'll talk about the playoff scenarios with the NFL, certainly the bowl games. TE gets by Arizona State, Ohio State rolls Oregon, Penn State handles Boise State. We'll look at the matchups upcoming. And week 18. It's kind of a play in weekend for some teams. Broncos, Dolphins, Bengals still alive. Buccaneers, Falcons still alive. The Sunday night game, you got the number one seed at stake. And the loser could be on the road in the first round of the playoffs. Rams or Tampa Bay or maybe Atlanta. They could be going. If it's the Lions or the Vikings, they could be on the road in the opening round. With that many wins. Incredible. So the winner gets the number one seed. The loser can drop all the way down to the number five seed. 877-3-DP show email address DP danpatrick.com Twitter handle @DP Show Good morning. If you're watching on Peacock, our streaming partner, thank you for downloading the app and our radio affiliates around the country. Seaton's got a poll question. At least we have a few of them to toss around for the first hour of the program.

[Seaton O'Connor]

Before we get to poll questions, don't you think Ole Miss is wondering, like, how did it come to this?

[Chris Simms]

Well, I think Lane Kiffin is thinking that how did we get here? Yes, we're playing Duke after Notre Dame in Georgia. Right.

[Seaton O'Connor]

We're playing Duke today.

[Chris Simms]

Yes. We're in the SEC football. Duke, we, we should have been in the playoffs there. And here they are. They've got Duke. Yes, Paulie.

[Dan Patrick]

And Notre Dame. Georgia first is like, like a leading band, like a headlining band. And then the opening act going second.

[Chris Simms]

Yeah.

[Dan Patrick]

Years ago, the Spin Doctors opened up for the Rolling Stones. This would be like the Rolling Stones. No offense. No offense.

[Chris Simms]

Opening for Spin Doctors, it's Led Zeppelin and then Gin Blossoms.

[Seaton O'Connor]

We get here. How did we get here?

[Chris Simms]

This is brutal. And I like that Lane Kiffin was so active on social media. He's sticking up for the sec. And then all of a sudden, Tennessee got blown out and we didn't hear from Lane after that. Here's a pet peeve that I have. I don't want to hear these analysts after the fact. Tell me somebody shouldn't be in the playoffs. You know, when Kirk Herbstreet says, basically, Indiana shouldn't have been here, but Herbie wasn't alone. There are a lot of other people who said, well, they shouldn't have been here. Okay? SMU shouldn't have been here. Okay. I'm not blaming SMU or Indiana. They did everything they were supposed to do. And tell me that before they get blown out, not after. Did you say Tennessee shouldn't have been there? No, they earned the right to be there. They just got blown out. But this after the fact, where you have people going, no, they never should have been there. Okay. If Arizona State gets blown out, people would have said, well, they never should have gotten a first round by. Right. That's the way it works. Are you saying that about Oregon? That Oregon shouldn't have been the number one team in the country? They shouldn't have been the number one seed. They got blown out by Ohio State. It's really easy to do that today. Do it before. Okay, after the fact. I have no respect for that.

[Seaton O'Connor]

Yes, A Oregon shouldn't be here before. The hand would have been a very hot take.

[Chris Simms]

That would have been.

[Seaton O'Connor]

That would have been, you know, I don't think Oregon belongs here.

[Chris Simms]

Yes, yes, but somebody's going to say that after the fact. You know, Arizona State. And I was worried because I thought, just make it competitive. It's weird. I rooted for Indiana, smu, Boise State, Arizona State to make it competitive. I didn't think they were going to win, but I thought, just make it competitive so we don't get this revisionist history. Well, they never should have been there. And then Arizona State comes back and then they tie it and then they go into overtime. He said, okay, they're off the hook here. That, that is a great loss. Although they're not going to take it that way. But that is, that was a standout game that they played and, and losing to Texas. And I thought Arizona State was the best, better team the second, third, fourth quarter and part of the overtime. But it was fun to see. You know, we're going to look at Ashton Genti and all of a sudden, yeah, okay, you're going to play against that competition. He only. He plays against who he is scheduled to play against. They didn't say, hey, can we pick the crappiest team so I can rush for 2500 yards? Boise State did what they were asked to do. This is on college football. College football created the scenario where they said, hey, if you win your conference, you get a first round buy. It doesn't make sense. We've said it doesn't make sense. We said it before people realized it didn't make sense. They're going to change it. They're going to have and logic will step in, which is really rare in college football. But they will eventually get around to fixing this. So Boise State or Arizona State, these school, they're not getting first round buys. You're going to have and they should take anybody's opinion out, take the human equation out of this where we keep looking at Alabama like it's Alabama. Just ask Vegas. Vegas will tell you because their livelihood depends on this. They don't have any emotion. They will tell you the best teams who should be in and who shouldn't be in. And Alabama didn't deserve to be in. I know it's one of those where you. Well, they got to put in Alabama. No, they don't. No, they don't. It's a new college football landscape here, folks. And that's where you see these teams who get a quarterback transfer portal nil money. And all of a sudden the artists you thought were Alabama, maybe even Georgia, they're knocked down a little bit here or others are coming up on them. And you're going to have quarterbacks in the transfer report. Quinn Ewers may be playing at Notre Dame next year. Why would you go to the pros? You can make $6 million playing. He's going to make what a quarterback taken in the top 10 would make and he's probably going to imagine you win a national title. And they say, yeah, thanks Quinn. We got Arch, we got Arch here ready to go. And there was a report that, that he had an offer of $6 million. Some had speculated that it's Notre Dame. They have Riley Leonard, they're going to lose him. And I asked my college football source and they said Notre Dame thought that that was too rich for, for them. $6 million for Quinn years. So here he is coming off biggest win of his career. He got a home game basically coming up against Ohio State. And you got these guys already negotiating what they're going to do next year. It's college football. It's crazy and it was a lot of fun. You know, there were some really good games. Now there were some duds. But that's going to happen. It happens in the NFL play, you know, how often do we go, oh, that team got blown out. They never should have been in. We don't do that, not in the NFL, but we do it in college football. But it's because you're looking at somebody who schedule inferior competition. Yes. It's never going to be an exact science. It's just not. But enjoy it. I think, you know, we have playoff football. We didn't have playoff football before. We have it now. It'll get better. Games will be competitive. It's okay. First round matchups in the NCAA tournament, I do go, oh, they never should have been there. Duke blew out somebody by 42. But we do that. We pick and choose, you know, with our disgust, our outrage. Yes, right.

[Seaton O'Connor]

But like, if the Ravens get to the playoffs and get blown out in the first round, no one's going to say, see, they shouldn't have been there. They didn't belong there. If you, you could, you have the ability to completely remove that from the discussion in college football. You just have to take the steps to do it.

[Chris Simms]

Yeah. The only thing that people will debate or say, oh, you're going to give LaMar Jackson the MVP, and they bow out again. Like, that would be the only thing that would happen in a situation like that. And by the way, that is the big topic here with Lamar Jackson, Josh Allen, who's going to be the mvp. And I think it comes down to when you look at stats and you look at team performance, because Lamar Jackson's had an unbelievable year. But I think we're all surprised. Nobody's surprised at that. I think most people are surprised at the Buffalo Bills and Josh Allen. When you lose Stefan Diggs, they lost a lot of defensive players. So you got to kind of figure out what is, what are the parameters here? What's the definition that you should be voting on? Because that's another thing. You're going to get this. Well, it's his turn. What? Huh? You're either the MVP or you're not. It's like somebody wins the Academy Award because, well, it was their turn. Huh? You either earn it or you don't. But that will be a big topic coming up this weekend. And the fact that Lamar is going to play, keep his consecutive game streak going, but how long is he going to play? And does that factor in with somebody with the MVP race? But we'll talk to Chris Sims about that. Can something happen this weekend that changes the mvp? But I think it's going to be really, really close. Really close. And, and I certainly understand either way. Like, you know, people got upset. Remember when Joker was going to win his third and, oh, my God, Kendrick Perkins came on and was like, what are we doing here? It's Joel Embiid. I go, no, it's not. Joker's the best player in basketball, the most valuable. What are you talking. Kendrick Perkins in the mothership, I think, you know, swayed that vote for Joel Embiid. And Embiid had a great season, but he was not a better player, more valuable than Joker was. So you know what happens with the analyst here over the next 72 hours. Gonna play a large role in all of this. All right, Seaton poll question. I'm blah, blah, blonde, but I'm ready to go here. I'm fired up.

[Seaton O'Connor]

Let's go.

[Chris Simms]

I'm ready to go.

[Seaton O'Connor]

You want to start with a dude poll question? Paul sent over a dude question mark.

[Chris Simms]

Okay.

[Seaton O'Connor]

So I should have said sorry. My apologies.

[Chris Simms]

Dude, dude.

[Seaton O'Connor]

Or dude.

[Chris Simms]

Okay.

[Seaton O'Connor]

Many ways to say that. The refs in the Texas Arizona State game.

[Chris Simms]

Dude, dude. What are we doing? Minute 10 to go. I know it's a minute 10 to go. You still have to call targeting there. ASU's driving, and that would have given them a first down, and we don't know what would have happened after that, but maybe they kick a field goal. But here is Ken Dillingham. He's the Arizona State head coach on the non call for targeting.

[Dan Patrick]

In terms of the targeting, I mean, I'm gonna be honest, I don't know what targeting is. We lost one of our best players in the first half for targeting. And I, I just don't know. I just don't. I just don't know what it is. So I don't want to comment on something that I have to get a better grasp of what it is just because it's so, you know, I just don't quite understand it. I do just want to protect the players, though. So whatever rules are put in place to protect the players, I'm all about.

[Chris Simms]

It's targeting. It is. And he did his best. He. He danced around as best he could. And there's a lot of things that they factor in. There's key items that are defined by the NCAA rulebook, and one is leading with the helmet, shoulder, forearm, fist, hand or elbow to attack with forcible contact at the head or neck area. You can't argue that one. Also defenseless receiver. So there's, there's, there's two opportunities to call a penalty there, and they chose not to. It's like when the Rams and the Saints in a playoff game many, many years ago in the Super Dome, they could have called two different penalties and they didn't call either penalty. That was targeting. Now, I know I. People are going to say, hey, 4th and 13, don't let him score. Touchdown. You're absolutely right. But in that moment, I don't care what the time on the clock is, and people got caught up. Well, you can't call it then, really. That receiver is knocked out on the field, and I can't call it then. I mean, what are we doing? It was targeting. And even when the rules official for the mothership says, yeah, basically that's. We shouldn't even spend a lot of time on this, that's targeting. And it was. It was a wonderful game, but that was a call that they certainly missed. Also, when Scatter Boo is lifted up by his offensive lineman, you're not allowed to do that. I mean, it was a cool play. You can push, you can't pull. So there was a lot that was going on there, but still, it was. I. I enjoyed it. Even if the game, all the bowl games, I'm watching them all. I watched probably. I don't know if there was a bowl game that I didn't miss at least a portion of. I did my best to watch as much as possible there. And it's. It's great. We're in a new era here, and we can pick and nitpick and go. Indiana shouldn't have been in there. I said that before. They didn't play anybody, but they did what they were supposed to do. Don't blame Indiana. Blame college football system. They're going to rectify it. They'll clean it up and it'll be better. They're going to continue to modify this. They're going to add two more teams. We're going to look at buy. You know, all of this stuff is under discussion right now as we speak. Stat of the day is always brought to you by Panini America, the official trading cards of this program. And we want to make sure that you got everything you needed. If there's any issues with Christmas, with things you ordered, let us know. We'll make sure that we rectify everything. But hope you had a great Christmas and you went to danpatrick.com to get some of the gear that you. You had hoped for, all of your dreams. Yeah. See a lot of talk about the.

[Seaton O'Connor]

Alligator at your house. Oh, that was a big hit.

[Chris Simms]

Well, do you realize that the alligator is just coming off the Traeger?

[Seaton O'Connor]

Oh, really?

[Chris Simms]

Yes.

[Seaton O'Connor]

No kidding.

[Chris Simms]

Today. Yeah.

[Seaton O'Connor]

Oh, let's go.

[Chris Simms]

Yeah. Fire. Yes. So we. We had the alligator meat, but we had the display portion of the alligator on the Traeger grill.

[Seaton O'Connor]

They were like little like kind of like popcorn.

[Chris Simms]

Yeah. Popcorn shrimp?

[Seaton O'Connor]

Yeah, yeah, yeah, like popcorn chicken nuggets or something.

[Chris Simms]

So Tyler came over to get the, the Double Banger Traeger Grill and I said, oh, by the way, don't open up that side. He goes, why not? He opened it up. He goes, oh, my God, the gator is still there. I said, yeah, I wasn't going to take it out.

[Dan Patrick]

Yeah.

[Chris Simms]

So. All right, we're just getting started and glad you're part of the program as always. We'll talk to Chris Sims. He'll join us coming up next year on the Dan Patrick Show. 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]

Hey, Steve Covino. And I'm Rich Davis. And together we're Covino and Rich on Fox Sports Radio. You can catch us weekdays from 5 to 7pm Eastern, 2 to 4 Pacific on Fox Sports and of course, the iHeartRadio app. Why should you listen to Covino and Rich? We talk about everything, life, sports, relationships, what's going on in the world. We have a lot of fun talking about the stories behind the stories in the world of sports and pop culture. Stories that, well, other shows don't seem to have the time to discuss. And the fact that we've been friends for the last 20 years and still work together, I mean, that says something, right? So check us out. We like to get you involved too. Take your phone calls, chop it up, as they say. I'd say the most interactive show on Fox Sports Radio, maybe the most interactive show on planet Earth. Be sure to check out Covino and Rich live on Fox Sports radio and the iHeartradio app from 5 to 7pm Eastern, 2 to 4 Pacific. And if you miss any of the live show, just search Kobe no. 1. Rich wherever you get your podcast and of course on social media, that's Covino and Rich.

[Chris Simms]

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Get priority notified with global dining access by Resi. So you can get first dibs if a spot opens up at restaurants and compliments to the chef turns into compliments to your Platinum card. That's the powerful backing of American Express. Terms apply. Learn [e-mail] with Amex, we'll settle on our poll question.

[Chris Simms]

Celebrate the journeys that bring us closer together. An exclusive offer on a vehicle yolador Mercedes Benz. The holiday Love celebration going on through January 2nd. Learn more at mbusa.com Special Offers he is Chris Sims, Pro Football Talk Live co host and analyst for Football Night in America. Big kickoff this Sunday night on NBC. And pick Peacock. It will be the Lions and the Vikings. We'll talk about that coming up in a moment. You are a Texas grad and I'm sure you were watching the game yesterday. Can you be impartial on the no. Okay.

[Dan Patrick]

No, I don't have to be impartial though. Yeah. I'm not doing any pre game shows or working professionally.

[Chris Simms]

So no.

[Dan Patrick]

I was a total loudmouth, obnoxious Texas Longhorn fan yesterday watching in my living room. I was having a lot of fun though. Certainly it was, it was a great game to watch. It really was.

[Chris Simms]

Okay. By the rule. Was that targeting by the rule, by.

[Dan Patrick]

What you see in college football on a weekly basis and the over officiating nature of that play in general. Yes, by the rule it is because what there was hit to the head. But where it's different and where I'm glad they didn't call it is the fact that the ball's tipped in the air. So there was a little reaction to the ball like oh wait, I'm going up and looking at that. Also, he didn't launch. I mean he hit him with his face. Right. It wasn't like he was like trying to lower the crown of his helmet and do that. I like you was surprised they didn't call it because it's very ticky tack with that stuff this day and age, whether it's the NFL or college. But happy they didn't if it was.

[Chris Simms]

Flipped, if it was reversed.

[Dan Patrick]

And I'm always, I will say this if you you ever watch games with me? I am. I am pro defense. And that it's so hard with the rules all against them that, yeah, if. If it was around the other way around, and they had a call, a drive earlier that I thought they could have called the same thing, targeting on them, and they didn't. And that's what kind of led me to believe they might not do it in that moment. They were kind of letting it play as far as that's concerned.

[Chris Simms]

Yeah, but they did call targeting in the first half on an Arizona State player.

[Dan Patrick]

Yeah, I know they did there, too. I know, I know, I know. And listen, it's not perfect and I. Some of this stuff is over officiated. Drives me crazy. Every week we've lost, like, especially in the NFL, forcible contact to the head. Right. I'm sick of like, two fingers touch a quarterback's head and they go, well, you. You hit him in the head. No, no, in the language it says forcible. It didn't say like, oh, I gave him a little love tap, or I, oh, I kissed him on the ear and we throw a penalty. And I wish some of this was stuff would stop a little bit.

[Chris Simms]

Do you think Quinn Ewers is Texas quarterback next year?

[Dan Patrick]

No, I do not.

[Chris Simms]

Do you think he's playing college football next year?

[Dan Patrick]

Yes, I would hope so because I don't think he's a guy that's going to go in the first two rounds of the draft. I think he has, like, the potential to be that kind of guy, but I think he's gonna have to show people maybe another year of high quality football play and all that. But, no, I expect archmanning era to start after the season's over. And yeah, in my heart of hearts, again, I have no inside info, Dan. I think that Quinn Ewers will be playing somewhere else. He is an NFL quarterback. He needs to throw the ball with more authority. I think you watch enough football, there's too many of these, like, lays the ball up there instead of driving it through the target, which he has the ability to do. And of course, he can work on his athleticism a little bit too, as well. But, yeah, I think it's going to be somewhere else, Dan.

[Chris Simms]

All right, let's look at the NFL. Let me start with the MVP race. Can anything happen this weekend that would change your opinion or should change the opinion of the NFL MVP voters?

[Dan Patrick]

I think so. Like, okay, as I sit here right now, I'm going to say that I'm probably favoring Josh Allen as far as the MVP vote, but it's really close. It's crazy because last year it was kind of an underwhelming MVP year. It felt like it was given to Lamar out of default because he just, he had a good year and they were dominant but it wasn't eye popping wow stats. This year we got four guys that got eye popping wow stats and are all having MVP caliber years. So I, I lean Josh Allen because I do believe, yes, Lamar stats are a little bit better. I think Lamar's support around him on the offensive side of the ball is a little bit better as well. But MVP is a little about moments and Josh Allen had a stretch there of moments whether it was the 49ers, the Chiefs, the, the Rams and who's the other one and the Detroit Lions of going that was one of the four incredible, incredible weeks in a row and big time plays and big moments and that's where I favor him. But man, it's, it's tough, Dan. That's for sure.

[Chris Simms]

Yeah, you looking at this and I always, I'm curious how people factor in. What is their criteria? Is it stats, is it team success and then stats or stats then team success? And if Joe Burrow, if The Bengals had 10 wins right now, who's your MVP?

[Dan Patrick]

Yeah, that's, that's a different. Like if the Bengals were firmly entrenched in the playoffs, I probably, I don't, I don't know. That'd be a close one you're making that. It'd be really close. I still think I'd probably go with Josh Allen because I just do. I, you know, and then all these guys are worthy of it. But the way he's played this year, the decision making, the, the quality of play and clutch moments and all that. I don't think anybody has stood above Josh Allen in that department. But no doubt, like Joe Burrows year is special and if they were one of the top four seeds, I certainly think he'd be in a lot of people's, you know, lead as far as the voting. And you asked me if anything could change it this weekend. I mean if, if Lamar, if Lamar goes out there and throws five touchdowns and has an unbelievable statistical day and the Bills and Josh Allen are kind of sleep at the wheel and he throws one touchdown and two or three interceptions or whatever, that, that might change my mind. I'm not sit, you know, I haven't written it in stone yet. As far as Josh Allen, you got.

[Chris Simms]

The Vikings in the Lions Sunday night on NBC and Peacock the winner gets the number one seed, the loser probably on the road against Tampa or Atlanta, whoever wins that division. Or the Rams. Right. That's harsh. That's harsh to have that many wins and you're going to have Tampa or Atlanta getting in, you know, barely 500. The Rams at the Rams. How dangerous they are. I mean, you could be, you could be one and done here if, you know, the Lions or the Vikings.

[Dan Patrick]

Definitely. I mean, the Vikings lost to the Rams earlier this year in la. Definitely. And then either one. You know, I still sit here and tell you that I think the most complete team in the NFC is the Philadelphia Eagles. That's who I would still take. That's the team I'm going to take to go to the super bowl out of the nfc. Right. But. But these Vikings and Lions football teams, awesome offensively, but they're middle of the road defense. So if you, if they play a team that's got a really good offense, the game's going to be scary. So that. That's to your point. Yeah, it's. It's big. It really is. It's a huge game. I'm excited to see what happens. We know the offenses are super explosive. I think home field advantage, I think is more important to Detroit, in my opinion, just because of the way the defense has looked as of late. Right. The dam is broken. I mean, and you look at it and I go, yeah, home field, the crowd noise, all that, I think will help them a little bit. Right. Because that simplifies an offense and that place is tough to play. You can't go to the line of scrimmage with four different plays called in the huddle and do all these checks when you're on the road in Detroit. So that simplifies things. That's a little advantage they need. I think it is more important for them to win this game than Minnesota.

[Chris Simms]

Chris Sims, Pro Football Talk Live co host and Football Night in America. They have the big matchup between Detroit and Minnesota Sunday night. Sam Darnold's free agency plans, should he have free agency plans? Should the Vikings plan on Sam Darnold going to free agency?

[Dan Patrick]

Well, they got to make sure they got a plan to.

[Chris Simms]

Okay.

[Dan Patrick]

What would you do?

[Chris Simms]

I want. Yeah, I want you to make the decision.

[Dan Patrick]

Yeah, I, I feel like at this moment, right now, I would not let Sam Donald walk out of the building. That would not happen. It's just. It's too hard to find quarterbacks that are good in the NFL. You got one. He fits your scheme. You can see he's got talent and all that. But now, do I want to commit long term to him yet? No, I don't think I do either. I'd like to see one more year. We've seen guys have good years, ride the momentum, the good vibes of the building, we're playing good, and then come back the next year and we go, whoa, they can't seem to recreate that magic, what's going on there, blah, blah, blah. So I think I'm one that as I sit here right now, Dan, I'd probably franchise tag them. Yeah, franchise them and see another year and go, hey, just prove to me. And then maybe you get to, you know, end of next year on the franchise and he plays really well again. Then you go, okay, we got our guy. Now we can commit to a few more years and guaranteed money and do all that.

[Chris Simms]

Yeah, it might be a Kirk cousin situation when he was with Washington. I mean, I would. I would franchise him one more year. Okay, I want you to answer quickly. Yeah, you can have Sam Darnold for 150 million, Brock Purdy for 250 million.

[Dan Patrick]

Oh, well, that's not even close. That's not even close. Sam Darnold. All day, all day, all day. You know, I'm. I'm a 49ers fan, and that's my buddy Kyle Shanahan. Certainly there's no way I would pay anywhere near market value for Brock Purdy. Some of these teams got to stop this, right? I've said this about the Miami Dolphins, their highest paid player in their football teams. Their biggest concern in the big game and their biggest injury, liability. And, and whether he's available out there. That doesn't make sense. That's bad team building. Brock Purdy, there's a little of that, too. And you saw he's not talented enough to carry the football team. I would, I would, I would go way below market value with Brock Purdy.

[Chris Simms]

Yeah, but how do you do. So you basically say to his agent, we're going to give you, here's 30 million.

[Dan Patrick]

Tell me, who else is going to take 35? 30 million. Who else is going to. I would have done the same thing with Miami. Gun. Who else in football? These teams are negotiating against themselves. They're like, here's 30 million. No, you don't like it. Hey, here's 35. Oh, you want more? And they just. They keep going up and you're like, well, why? Nobody else is going to pay them this. So that's what I would say. I would, I would start If I'm in the NFL and I don't know where it lost its way, it'd be Mahomes makes this, and nobody's Mahomes, and we're going to have a pecking order below that, period. It starts there, and we've gotten away with this. Oh, the new guy's up. He's the new contract. So we got to pay them more. And, like. No, you don't.

[Chris Simms]

Well, blame the Cleveland Browns, what they did with deshawn Watson.

[Dan Patrick]

Dumbest thing ever, and. Exactly right. The dumbest contract in the history of the NFL. You're right. That's. That's definitely part of it, too, Dan. No doubt about it.

[Chris Simms]

Yeah. But they had to give him an offer that he couldn't refuse because he didn't want to go to Cleveland.

[Dan Patrick]

Well, yes, because they had ruined things already with Baker Mayfield, and they knew they were in a spot of, like, oh, crap, now we have no quarterback because he doesn't want to come here, so we got to pay him that. So you're right. I mean, but they did that to themselves and how they handled that situation, it's crazy. But, yeah, when it comes to Brock Purdy or anything like that, Dan, I would go, here's what we're offering. Show me who else out there is going to offer you that kind of money or anything better, because I don't think it's going to be out there. I don't think there's gonna be a market, and everybody's gonna go, oh, I need Brock Purdy as my quarterback. Everybody knows Brock Purdy's good, but he's really good when he's with Shanahan. Shanahan's the one driving that boat there. You know, that's my opinion, at least.

[Chris Simms]

Okay. More dangerous in the postseason if they both get in Tampa or the Rams.

[Dan Patrick]

Well, the Rams are in. Right. So. But. But you're. Who's more dangerous? I. I guess I'll still go with the Rams, even though I am a little concerned with their offense. I am. You know, you could see Cooper cup is not the same guy. They have to ride Puka Nakua way too much in the passing game. Right. They need 2.2atwell and all these guys to be healthy out there, but I'll go with them because of their experience. But, man, Tampa. And their defense is a little better. Tampa's defense scares me, but, man, that offense. And Baker Mayfield, he is. He's a flamethrower right now, throwing lasers all over the field.

[Chris Simms]

What do you think? It's like, if you're with the, you know, the Patriots are going to have the number one pick if they lose. Like, what it, what is the mindset of. It's best for the organization to lose this game?

[Dan Patrick]

I. It's hard. It's very hard right there. There's. It's hard to, I guess the New York Giants last week, right? This, these records go on the coach's gravestone. He's like, I'm not sure I'm going to be back here. What the hell am I going to tank for the next regime? I don't give a crap about that. Right? Drew Locke is sitting there going, I want to play in the NFL and show everybody how good I am. I mean, I'm not going to go out here and throw in completion so the team can have a better draft pick. It's hard to get the whole organization involved in that. And especially when you start the rookie franchise, you know, guy of the future at quarterback, you certainly want to make him look good and build on the future and do all of that as well. So, yeah, that's a tough one. It's a tough one. But I think they'll find a way to manage the game in a way where they don't win it.

[Chris Simms]

Well, there's organizational tanking. That's where you put people in or you take people out, right? Hey, we want to look at the, you know, the future. We want to give that guy a chance.

[Dan Patrick]

Cleveland Browns are doing that right now. They're doing the same thing.

[Chris Simms]

How often is there tanking in the NFL?

[Dan Patrick]

Well, I. It's not as much or as easy, easily done as you think. I don't. I never felt like I was on a team that was a part of it, so I never got an inside look or feel for that. But I think that with the common, the, the. The modern era here, I think there's. There's probably four or five teams every year who try to orchestrate it, to not put their best foot forward. Like I said, you can't totally tank the game because you can't ask guys who are fighting for their careers in life to quit and not play football when they're not going to get paid next year if they look like crap. But they try to do, like what you said, put the, the least, best foot forward there in that department.

[Chris Simms]

The number one quarterback in college coming out is who.

[Dan Patrick]

Gosh, it's tough right now. I mean, Cam Ward is the one that pops up to me. Of course, Shador is there as well. I was a Jalen Milro fan, but he really struggled towards the end of the year, so I'm a little scared of him and I don't know if he'll even come out now after that performance there. But I think it's Cam Ward and Shador. I think it's. But I think I would go Cam Ward, the other guy I like and I don't think he's going to come out is the LSU quarterback Nussmeier. Nussmeier is an NFL first round type talent, but I haven't heard about what's going to go on with him there yet.

[Chris Simms]

Great to talk to you as always.

[Dan Patrick]

Happy New Year.

[Chris Simms]

Thank you, buddy.

[Dan Patrick]

Yeah, say hi to the guys.

[Chris Simms]

Horns up.

[Dan Patrick]

Horns up.

[Chris Simms]

You know it.

[Dan Patrick]

Texas fight.

[Chris Simms]

Does anybody do horns down to you all the time.

[Dan Patrick]

I mean the whole NBC building, they like to ride me and do horns down.

[Chris Simms]

Do you get upset?

[Dan Patrick]

No, no, I don't, I don't.

[Chris Simms]

You don't cry?

[Dan Patrick]

Yeah. We're going to get the last laugh this year. Don't worry. They're going to have to deal with my big mouth the rest of this year if we can win this thing.

[Chris Simms]

Thank you, Chris. That's Chris Sims, Pro Football Talk Live co host and big game on Sunday night. It'll be the Lions and the Vikings on NBC and Peacock take a break. We'll come back with our play of the day after this. 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 Apple. It is time to elevate the holiday season. Whether you're hosting or gifting, Sonos is the easiest way. Sonos works with award winning artists, producers, sound engineers to fine tune products to ensure that they deliver the highest quality sound. And man, did they deliver. Listen to all the holiday music you want. Watch all the holiday movies you want. With Sonos, you put the products together and basically build your own sound system. Whatever works for you, works for them. This is the world's leading sound experience company and when you hear it, then you'll realize, how did I live without this? It changes everything. The music you listen to and the cinematic experience. When you're watching movies, Sonos has great gifts for everybody on your list and you can get started. Visit sonos.com dan you can wrap up your holiday shopping and with Sonos you'll find something for everybody. That's sonos.com dan welcome to Duncan.

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[Dan Patrick]

Can I have a medium iced coffee.

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[Chris Simms]

Of the day.

[Dan Patrick]

This is the play of the day.

[Chris Simms]

Check this out.

[Dan Patrick]

Third and eight. Leopard's intercepted. It is intercepted. Makuba seals it. Hook em horns. They're headed home to Texas to play in the Cotton ball.

[Chris Simms]

That's courtesy of the mothership. That's your play of the day. Longhorns were out gained 510 to 375, the worst differential in a bowl game since they were outgained by Arkansas Back in 2014 in the Texas Bowl. Play of the Day brought to you by Rapid Radio's instant push to talk Walkie talkies. Clear national LTE coverage. One touch communication, peace of mind for connecting with families in an emergency. Go to rapidradios.com up to 60% off and free shipping some phone calls here. Best and worst of the weekend. Amy in Arizona. Good morning, Amy. What's on your mind? Aim Andy in Rhode Island. Hi, Andy. What's on your mind today?

[Caller]

Good morning, Dan. Dan Happy New Year. And hey, Amy missed out on her opportunity to be the first caller of the year. So I will be happy to take that honor and roll out the red copper for the fellas. I am excited, guys. I will say that my best and worst because, you know, it's really hard because, you know, you guys been on for about, you know, 13 days or so, give or take. And my best is with the New England pages possibly falling, you know, into number one spot. Is it one of those things? Do they trade up on that or do they take generally generational talent with Travis Hunter? Because I believe that would be obvious move that they can make. Gifting him to another team wouldn't make any sense. And also I just wanted to say then that for the most part, with Fritzi's Broncos on the fence right now, that has to be the most months, most must win game of the weekend. And can I add one more thing, Dan? Okay, there's a Dan in all of us and I love you guys and continue on doing the great things that y'all keep doing.

[Chris Simms]

Thank you. Andy. Yeah, there's a lot of discussions that are going to happen before the draft with if the Patriots are on the clock at number one, what do you do? You got your franchise quarterback. Do you take Travis Hunter? How badly does somebody want to go up and get one of these two quarterbacks The Patriots would probably like to trade down, but can you pass on Travis Hunter? If you think that he is that guy, then you take him. I think he's fascinating because he can play both positions. I, I want him to be great. I want to make sure he's great at one thing. I don't want him to be good or you know, very good as a defensive back and then he contributes as a wide receiver. I, I, I want to make sure that I'm getting greatness there. At least one of them. Like Ohtani is a great hitter and a good pitcher. So I'm, I'm getting that novelty there. But I don't know how much I'm going to get with Travis Hunter. You know, baseball's different. You pitch one day and then you have four days to rest. This is different. You know, it's going to be, hey, you just play defense now. Go on offense. Can he do it? Probably. To what degree? That would be my decision. That would have to factor in. If I take him number one overall, is he the best talent in the draft? Yes. Does he fit with the Patriots? Need, truly need because they need help. They have no skill position players really. And Drake may even acknowledge that, that he kind of goes to the line of scrimmage and aside from a running back, they don't have much. Chris in Sacramento. Hi, Chris.

[Dan Patrick]

Hey, Dan. Thanks for taking my call. New year to y'all. My best of the weekend is actually the Eagles fitting Saquon Barkley. I'm a die hard Eagle fan. The bigger picture is more important than the record. As much as I want him to break the record. And the worst of the weekend coming out of Sacramento, the firing of Mike Brown. I am so disappointed on how the Kings organization runs their organization. How do you fire somebody that gets you to where you haven't been in 17 years, changes the whole organizations thought process. And then you say we go on a six game losing streak and you say we'll see you later.

[Chris Simms]

Yeah, it's disappointing because I thought Sacramento had turned the corner here and by all accounts they had. And here we go again. It's just, you know, people don't focus on Sacramento or this would be a big story. Like first take won't cover this. If this was the Lakers or you know, a bigger market than they probably would and then it would be a bigger story. This was Golden State. But you know those Mike Brown I think was pretty critical of his players. I think the Aaron Fox reportedly had kind of tuned him out. I don't know if they're trading some of these players. But even after the, you know, Halliburton trade, like I thought that they had it, they were dangerous, they were young, here they come. And then there they go. That quickly. Doug in North Carolina. Hi, Doug. Welcome back.

[Dan Patrick]

Hey, Dan. Thinking about Rickey Henderson today and what a horrible year it's been for baseball. Willie Mays, Pete Rose, now Rickey, any of these folks could have laid claim to being the best living ball player. And I wanted to see with those three people, if you had to bet, which one has their life turned into a major motion picture first Rose, Willie Mays or Ricky Henderson?

[Chris Simms]

Well, Pete's had documentaries already and I think Pete, Pete resonates with people young and old even, you know, somebody's not a die hard baseball fan. They felt like he was put in baseball purgatory and deserved to be let out. And I think because of that, then he stands above even the steroid users. It was, hey, Pete was betting on his team to win. People make acknowledgments or concessions with Pete and Pete was fascinating. Ricky was fascinating when he played on the field. Willie when he was on the field. You don't know much about him off the field. Pete, we know an awful lot about Pete on and off the field. Amy in Arizona will try it again. Hi, Amy.

[Dan Patrick]

Hi, Dan. First time, long time, five, two and three quarters. A strong 133lbs. Best and worst of the weekend.

[Chris Simms]

For me, it's my Arizona team being able to end the game on 4th and 13th. I mean, that no call targeting sucked.

[Dan Patrick]

But we don't know if that field goal would have gone through. But yeah, that 4th and 13th call. But I think we should hold our heads high. The coach turned this program around and yeah, I'm proud of my team, but still very fast.

[Chris Simms]

Yeah, I mean, I get it. If I would have said you're going to go into overtime or double overtime with Texas before the game started and you don't know the outcome, you, everyone would have signed up for that. It was a great year. It's a fun year and maybe there's something to build on. And that coach, he's fun, he's contagious. Yeah, Marv.

[Dan Patrick]

And the way that game started after that pun return, I was, oh, it's about to be a long night for the Sun Devils.

[Chris Simms]

Yes.

[Dan Patrick]

So I'm super proud of them the way they came back. Cascado is my new favorite player.

[Chris Simms]

Yeah, he's over there throwing up on the sidelines. I mean, he was, he's ready to play. Yeah.

[Dan Patrick]

Paulie, if you ever been to Tempe, Arizona, boot and rally is a very big thing.

[Chris Simms]

Yeah. You know they're throwing up and then you go back into the game and hammer somebody. One hour in the books, two more to go. Glad you're part of the program. Glad to be back. Dan Patrick show Some people just know.

[Dan Patrick]

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[Dan Patrick]

We're in. We got the table.

[Chris Simms]

Yep.

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[Chris Simms]

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