The Dan Patrick Show – Hour 1

Episode: Shedeur Sanders Is a Pro Bowl Quarterback, Analytics vs. Gut
Date: January 27, 2026
Host: Dan Patrick (with Danettes: Fritzy [Todd Fritz], Seaton, Marv, Paulie)

Episode Overview

Hour 1 kicks off with Dan Patrick and the Danettes discussing the shifting meaning of the NFL Pro Bowl, the recent controversial selection of Shedeur Sanders as a Pro Bowl quarterback, and the perennial debate between analytics and gut instincts in coaching. The episode is peppered with playful banter, sports nostalgia, and listener calls. The first hour ends with a cliche-laden preview of Mike McCarthy’s introductory press conference as the new Steelers head coach and a series of engaging analogies comparing sports strategy to gambling and blackjack.

Key Segments & Insights

1. The Pro Bowl’s Dwindling Prestige and Shedeur Sanders’ Selection

[02:17 – 09:00]

• Dan opens reflecting how the Pro Bowl used to “mean something,” especially for Hall of Fame credentials, but that’s changed due to opt-outs, injuries, and the move from a real game to activities.
• Shedeur Sanders is now listed as a Pro Bowl quarterback, which Dan shrugs at:

  “Okay, I don't have a problem if Shedeur Sanders is in the Pro Bowl activities category here...These are games that are being played. This is a business decision by Peyton and Eli Manning. Why not put him in there? People watch.” (03:59)

• Paulie proposes a clearer distinction:
  • Pro Bowl designation goes on your resume in December; Pro Bowl Games are separate activities. Participation shouldn't be confused with the actual honor. (06:04)
• Seaton observes all-star games have “outlived their usefulness” due to increased player movement and free agency, draining their uniqueness (06:49).

MEMORABLE QUOTE:

“You’re a Pro Bowl participant in activities; even put an asterisk by those Pro Bowl participant [records].” – Dan Patrick (05:30)

2. Analytics vs. Gut Instinct: The Ongoing Coaching Debate

[09:01 – 17:59; returns again at 33:48 – 36:52 and 44:59 – 49:30]

• Poll Question: Which wins more games, gut feeling or analytics? (09:01)
• Dan recounts Mark Schlereth’s analytic aversion:

  “I hate analytics. I hate all analytics people. I don't like nerds… Math has never made a tackle. Math has never blocked anybody.” (09:36, quoting Schlereth)

• Historical Context: Dan’s father, a 1960s computer scientist, used probabilities decades before “analytics” became part of sports lingo. The resentment might trace back to the perceived elitism of analytics. (10:38)
• Philosophical Divide:
  • Dan: Sways toward “gut,” believing real-time conditions can’t always be captured in pre-game models, especially with weather, injuries, or game flow changes. (12:19, 15:54)
  • Seaton: Points out analytics are only blamed when they fail; coaches take credit when numbers work out.

    “No coach has ever been like… ‘I just looked at the sheet and that's what it told me to do.’ Instead, they're going to give you 45 seconds on what a genius they are.” (14:08)

  • Paulie: Recent viral debate over a 4th and 1 play—analytics gave a “medium” recommendation, not a must. (14:55)
  • Fritzy worries coaches will become redundant if analytics dictate every move—“Why not just have some kind of machine?” (15:32)
  • Dan: “Don't they [defenses] cancel each other out? And then it comes down to gut.” (15:54)

Timestamps for Notable Quotes:

• “Math has never made a tackle. Math has never blocked anybody.” – Schlereth, quoted by Dan (09:36)
• “Sometimes it can—we hold on too tight to it. I think you gotta coach a game.” – Dan Patrick (15:54)
• “We only notice them [analytics] when it doesn't work… When it's wrong, it's like, ‘Well, the analytics did it, so…’” – Seaton (14:08)

3. Mike McCarthy to Steelers: A Cliche Game

[23:21 – 33:42]

• The news: Mike McCarthy takes over as head coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers.
• Dan and the Danettes have fun guessing which coaching cliche will surface first at his press conference:
  • Seaton: “Rich tradition of football history.” (27:05)
  • Fritzy: “Upholding the standard the Steelers have set.” (27:40)
  • Paulie: “Culture.” (28:34)
  • Dan: “Hard working city, hard working team.” (28:44)
• Discussion veers into speech-making and the tradition of “blue collar,” “lunch pail,” and “terrible towels” language for Pittsburgh sports.
• Todd Fritz goes a step further with a lengthy, scripted pseudo-speech about “lucky number seven” Super Bowl aspirations for Pittsburgh, which Dan says is more a speech than a cliche. (28:07)

Fun Segment Quote:

“I'm thinking this a hard working city and we're going to be a hard working football team. Okay. Yeah.” – Dan Patrick (28:44)

4. Callers Join the Analytics and Coaching Debate

[33:48 – 37:20; returns at 45:08 and 47:40]

• Callers:
  • Argue that football’s short season (~17 games) makes analytics less reliable than in data-rich sports like baseball.

    “There's no analytics that has a backup quarterback who hasn't played in two years in the championship game in the snow. And you're telling me they have enough data points? No. Zero chance.” – Scott in LA (34:02)

  • Reiterate that Sean Payton’s recent controversial decision went against analytics, choosing gut instead; sometimes coaches should stick to the numbers. (35:01)
  • Other analogies—blackjack and casino strategies—are invoked to explore the limits of odds, analytics, and real-life decision-making (45:13, 46:58).

5. Coaching Carousel & Raiders’ Draft Future

[37:20 – 38:58]

• Dan on the Raiders: If he’s running the team, he’s open to trading the top pick for a package of first-rounders, given the scarcity of top-tier quarterbacks.
• Continuity matters:

  “I just want continuity. You want your head coach, your offensive coordinator, and your quarterback. Because if you don't have continuity, it's really hard for that quarterback to develop.” (38:58)

6. Play of the Day & Poll Results

[43:50 – 44:59]

• Play of the Day: Rangers’ Matthew Robertson scores an overtime winner, as called by Kenny Albert.
• Poll Results: “Which wins more games, Gut feeling or analytics?” – Gut feeling running at 70%.

  “I think that depends on whose gut we're talking about, but sure.” – Seaton (44:59)

Notable Quotes with Timestamps

• “You want your biggest personalities... Shedeur Sanders certainly has that.” – Dan Patrick (08:15)
• “All-star games... outlived their usefulness. They don't mean anything anymore.” – Seaton (06:49)
• “Do I side towards gut? Yes, because gut is in the moment.” – Dan Patrick (12:19)
• “No coach has ever been like... ‘I just looked at the sheet and that's what it told me to do.’” – Seaton (14:08)
• “What's the point? Just have some [machine].” – Todd Fritz (15:32)
• “If you got somebody to overspend and they gave you two first rounds and maybe two first round picks next draft, okay… You're not winning anything right now.” – Dan Patrick (on Raiders draft) (37:20)
• “I don't enjoy winning as much as I hate losing.” – Dan Patrick (on gambling) (47:03)

Memorable Moments

• The Pro Bowl as TV Show:
  “Let’s not kid anybody. It’s not a game as much as it is a TV show. You want your biggest personalities.” (08:13)

• Mike McCarthy Cliche Game:
  The Danettes’ friendly competition to predict the new Steelers coach’s first cliche, leading to much laughter and self-parody.

• Gambling Analogy:
  Several callers and Dan himself use blackjack and casino metaphors to illuminate the unpredictability and emotional downsides of trusting either analytics or gut feeling alone.

Segment Timestamps

| Segment | Start | End | Notes | |---------|-------|-----|-------| | Pro Bowl/Shedeur Sanders | 02:17 | 09:00 | Decline of Pro Bowl, Sanders’ inclusion | | Analytics vs. Gut (main debate) | 09:01 | 17:59 | With flashbacks, Schlereth’s quote | | McCarthy-to-Steelers Cliche Game | 23:21 | 33:42 | Extended cliche guessing | | Callers: Analytics & Coaching | 33:48 | 37:20 | Audience pushback on analytics | | Raiders Draft/Tom Brady | 37:20 | 38:58 | On trading the pick, continuity | | Play of the Day/Poll | 43:50 | 44:59 | Rangers’ OT, poll results | | Gambling Analogy | 45:13 | 47:03 | Blackjack, losing vs. winning |

Tone

• Conversational and irreverent, with trademark Dan Patrick dry wit
• Frequent self-deprecation, nostalgia, and jokes at the expense of analytics
• Lively, good-natured ribbing between Dan and the Danettes

Bottom Line

Dan Patrick and his crew deliver an engaging hour mixing NFL hot topics, the cultural evolution of the Pro Bowl, the nuances of analytics versus gut, and the lighter side of sports with cliche-busting games and colorful listener calls. The running thread: sports is, and always will be, as much about unpredictable human moments as about numbers and designations.