The Dan Patrick Show – Hour 1: Next HC Candidate & What's In the Box?

Date: February 20, 2026
Podcast: The Dan Patrick Show (iHeartPodcasts and Dan Patrick Podcast Network)
Hosts (today’s fill-ins): LaVar Arrington, Brady Quinn, Jonas Knox

Episode Overview

This episode features Jonas Knox, LaVar Arrington, and Brady Quinn stepping in for Dan Patrick. The show is dominated by lively discussion of the Winter Olympics—especially curling and women’s hockey—plus a deep dive into NFL coaching trends, namely the Sean McVay coaching tree and the rise of the Rams’ new offensive coordinator. The hosts also bring humor and banter to topics as varied as axe-throwing bars, Amazon packaging, and locker-room camaraderie.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

Winter Olympics Madness

USA Medals & Curling Obsession

• USA Climbing the Medal Stand: United States rises to #2 in overall Olympic medals, trailing only Norway by seven. (04:02)
• Curling: The Relatable Olympic Sport:
  • The guys marvel at the accessibility and entertainment of curling, comparing it to shuffleboard on ice.
  • “Everyone watches it and goes, oh, I could do that.” – Brady Quinn (04:47)
• Curling Venues:
  • Conversation about whether curling clubs exist in Hollywood/North Hollywood, with producer Chris Perfette chiming in.
• Women’s Hockey Gold:
  • Huge focus on Team USA’s dramatic overtime win against Canada, with an enthusiastic replay of Kenny Albert’s gold medal-winning call.
    • “Megan Keller, the overtime hero. The United States wins gold in Milan.” – Kenny Albert call, played by hosts (06:04)
  • Brady Quinn emotional about the win, given his wife’s Olympic background:
    • “My wife’s an Olympian... it hits close to home, man. Like, it’s as patriotic as it gets.” (07:00)
• Hockey, Cheating Scandals & Curling:
  • Cheating accusations in curling, notably between Sweden and Canada, spark laughs and questions about what makes a good curler.
  • Playful debate about “who is more important: the pusher or the scrubbers?” (10:48)
• Olympic Figure Skating & Speed Skating Updates:
  • First US gold in women’s figure skating in 24 years (12:22)
  • Jordan Stolz wins silver in men’s 1,500m speed skating (12:22)
  • Wild recounting of a speed skating strategy where a skater outsmarts the field by breaking from the pack, leading to gold and silver for one team (13:34)

The Unrelatability of Winter Olympics

• Hosts Joke About Southern California’s Lack of Ice:
  • “Winter Olympics are very unrelatable, especially if you grow up in Southern California. I’m sorry. There’s not enough ice out here to even understand what’s happening.” – Jonas Knox (14:34)

Axe Throwing, College Football, & Locker Room Banter

• Axe Throwing Bars:
  • Hosts lampoon the idea of mixing alcohol and axes, sharing cautionary tales about axes bouncing back.
• Chopping Firewood as Off-season Workouts:
  • LaVar reminisces about using axe work as a training tool and sources firewood from his own trees.
    • “We would knock them down and then we would chop them up and then we burn them up. ... It wasn’t always cool, wasn’t always accepted, but it is now.” – LaVar Arrington (18:03)

NFL Coaching Trends: The McVay Effect & The Next HC Candidate

Nate Shieldhouse: The Next NFL Head Coaching Star?

• Sean McVay’s Latest Protégé:

  • Rams promote 35-year-old Nate Shieldhouse to offensive coordinator.
  • Hosts predict he’ll be a “one-and-done” coordinator and a top NFL head coaching hire next year. (25:58)
    • “The Sean McVay train continues on. And that guy’s going to be one and done and he will be hired next season in the NFL. You can book it.” – Jonas Knox (25:58)

• Who is Shieldhouse?

  • Brady provides background: Kansas City native, Rockhurst HS, Illinois QB, rapid rise through college coaching (Iowa State OC) before joining Rams. (26:32–27:12)
  • Both note that such fast-tracked coaches are usually extremely impressive in interviews and meetings.
    • “He just is that impressive... whether it’s how he conducts a meeting, how he handles himself in interviews... Sean McVay probably sees part of himself in him.” – Brady Quinn (30:30)

• The McVay Tree vs. Belichick Tree:

  • Jonas draws contrast: Belichick assistants flop when trying to “be Belichick,” while the “McVay school” keeps producing winners.

• Younger Head Coaches – A New Trend?

  • LaVar proposes: Has the NFL shifted to hiring younger coaches because players have changed? (32:35)
  • Brady argues that “blazing a new trail” is part of American entrepreneurial spirit, and young coaches can bring fresh ideas and decisiveness.
    • “A lot of this country was actually built on entrepreneurism... We're starting to see a little bit too in sports with people feeling more confident hiring some of these young people...” – Brady Quinn (35:51)

• Super Bowl Record Setters:

  • Discussion on whether the most recent Super Bowl–winning coach was the youngest ever:
    • Record: Sean McVay (age 36), then Mike Tomlin, then Mike Macdonald at 38 (37:31)

• Future Shieldhouse Destinations:

  • Hosts speculate on which NFL teams could hire Shieldhouse next: Bengals, Jets, or others with coaching needs. (38:13–39:19)

“What’s In the Box?”: Amazon Rant Segment

The Problem with Packages

• Jonas’ Complaint:

  • Amazon wastes money and materials by shipping small items in giant boxes, wonders how Bezos can afford the Seahawks if he keeps this up.
    • “I don’t need to order a giant box that you could put a casket in when I’m ordering two or three tiny items.” – Jonas Knox (43:18)

• Brady’s Response:

  • Defends Amazon efficiency, notes economies of scale with standard box sizes, and pivots to the real problem: having to break down boxes for the recycling bin.
    • “If you’re so smart, Amazon, why don’t you find a box that I don’t have to use box cutters and figure out how to shove into my recycling bin?” (44:52)

• LaVar’s Family Box Solution:

  • Shares story of wife attempting to hand back shipping boxes to delivery drivers, sometimes rejected.

• Humorous Box Banter:

  • Multiple jokes about box smells attracting pests, and jokes about the “gift” LaVar plans to get his co-hosts—a nod to ongoing inside-joke chemistry. (47:10)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Olympic Curling Relatability:
  • “Is this the most relatable sport in the Olympics? Because everyone watches it and goes, oh, I could do that.” (Brady Quinn, 04:47)
• Gold Medal Patriotism:
  • “That was a cool moment like that... That got me. That got me a little choked up. I felt patriotic watching.” (Brady Quinn, 06:56)
• On Amazon Waste:
  • “Stop putting tiny items in giant boxes. Okay? Enough’s enough.” (Jonas Knox, 42:51)
• On NFL Coaching Trends:
  • “Sean McVay probably sees part of himself in him, because that’s who Sean McVay was.” (Brady Quinn, 30:30)
• About Young Coaches:
  • “Is it easier to fire a young guy and say, hey, you know, there’s plenty of Young guys? I just wonder why has it become such a... profile that I feel is developing in the head coaching hiring cycles… they’re all very young.” (LaVar Arrington, 33:51)

Timestamps for Important Segments

• Opening & Winter Olympics chatter: 02:10–05:45
• USA women’s hockey gold moment & post-game emotional reaction: 05:36–08:19
• Cheating allegations and humor in curling: 09:02–10:51
• Olympic figure skating/speed skating results: 12:18–13:34
• Unrelatability of Winter Olympics for SoCal hosts: 14:34
• Axe throwing & firewood training stories: 16:13–18:43
• NFL Coaching topic introduced – Shieldhouse to Rams OC: 25:58
• Background and career summary of Shieldhouse, OC hiring trends: 26:35–31:41
• NFL youth coaching movement/cultural shift debate: 32:35–35:47
• Super Bowl winning coaches’ age records: 37:31
• Where Shieldhouse could land as HC: 38:13–39:19
• Amazon box rant segment: 41:48–47:17

Episode Tone & Style

Lighthearted, punchy, and fast-moving, with classic radio banter and inside jokes. Deep dives on sports quickly pivot into teasing, playful debates, and observational comedy. Despite joking around, the hosts bring real insight into coaching trends and sporting highlights.

Summary Takeaways

• Olympic Recap: Team USA’s performances, especially in curling and women’s hockey, stir patriotic pride and playful competition among the hosts.
• NFL Hot Topics: The “Sean McVay Coaching Tree” remains the envy of the NFL. Young, sharp coaches like Nate Shieldhouse are rapidly climbing the ranks, potentially reflecting changing player/coach dynamics.
• Modern Problems: Even icons like Amazon aren’t immune from critique, as the hosts vent about shipping waste—and end up poking fun at their own home lives.
• Relatability & Locker Room Bonds: The biggest laughs happen when the hosts riff about mundane topics (curling’s accessibility, cardboard boxes, or firewood workouts), giving listeners the feel of a behind-the-scenes team conversation.
• Tease for Hour 2: Someone on the show is set to air a major complaint about a lifestyle revolution—an ongoing blend of sports, humor, and real-world observations.

For listeners seeking Olympic recaps, NFL trends, or just solid sports radio chemistry, this episode delivers a fun, informed, and highly entertaining hour.