The Dan Patrick Show – Hour 1

Date: October 14, 2025
Host: Dan Patrick
Featured Guest: Kirk Herbstreit
Podcast Theme: Inside analysis and lively discussion of the latest headlines in sports, focusing on Titans coaching turmoil, Blake Snell's postseason heroics, young quarterbacks' challenges, and marquee college football matchups.

Episode Overview

Dan Patrick dives into the day's biggest sports stories with wit and candor, highlighting legendary and bizarre moments from MLB playoffs, dissecting the Tennessee Titans’ chaotic front-office moves, and exploring why NFL teams keep hampering young quarterbacks’ progress. ESPN’s Kirk Herbstreit joins in for an illuminating conversation covering the perils of rapid-fire football coaching changes, the evolving quarterback landscape, and the state of top college programs.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. NFL Recap & Titans Coaching Carousel

• Dan recaps recent NFL games:
  • Falcons beat the Bills by 10 on national TV.
  • Bears get their second straight buzzer-beating 25–24 win, a feat not seen since 1926.
  • Analysis of Bears QB situation: "Jaden Daniels is a better quarterback [than Caleb Williams], but it doesn’t mean Ben Johnson can’t get the best out of Caleb Williams" (03:47).
• Tennessee Titans organizational chaos (reset culture):
  • Recent firings: Brian Callahan after a 4–19 record; rapid succession since Mike Vrabel’s exit.
  • Dan’s diagnosis: “You know what the problem is? Probably the people in the front office.” (05:50)
  • Critique of instability: “When you look at young quarterbacks, I always talk about, give me continuity because it’s not fair… and that’s what they need.” (06:35)
  • Points to a pattern of NFL teams failing QBs by churning through coaches—calamitous for rookie quarterbacks.

2. Young Quarterbacks and NFL Development

• Dan’s recurring theme:
  • Owners draft a QB, keep the coach for “stability,” then fire the coach partway through the season, disrupting development.
  • “Four quarterbacks taken first overall have had their head coach fired during their rookie season. That’s the last four.” (08:48)
• Highlight on the importance of processing and stability for young QBs.
• Notable example: “Frank Reich didn’t want to start Bryce Young… That is terrible. That is irresponsible by ownership.” (09:18)

3. MLB Playoffs: Legendary & Chaotic Moments

• Blake Snell’s historic performance:
  • Dodgers beat Brewers 2–1 in a nail-biter.
  • “Blake Snell, two-time Cy Young winner—how can you win the Cy Young and NOT make the All-Star team?” (12:55)
  • Snell: 1 H, 10 K in 8 IP, faced the minimum for a postseason game—a feat not seen since Don Larsen's perfect game in 1956.
    • Memorable quote: “If he would have had a complete game, that would be like an eclipse.” (15:16)
• Wild defensive plays:
  • Brewers’ unprecedented 8-6-2 double play versus the Dodgers. “First in major league Baseball postseason history. What a wild, wild play.” (19:37)
  • Mariners slugging past the Blue Jays, go up 2-0 in the series.

4. Bijan Robinson and the Falcons in Focus

• Bijan Robinson joins elite company with 822 scrimmage yards in five games—only McCaffrey, O.J. Simpson, Jim Brown have more in that span.
• Notable quote: “He’s doing it rushing and receiving… he joined Thurman Thomas [1991] with at least 450 rushing, 300 receiving yards through his team’s first five games.” (04:51)
• Play of the day: Robinson’s 81-yard TD run. “Oh my goodness…to the house, as the kids like to say!” (42:06)

Kirk Herbstreit Segment (Starts approx. 20:15)

1. Why Do Teams Keep Hurting Their Young Quarterbacks?

• Dan’s question: Why don’t owners and GMs learn? “Cam Ward’s not going to get any better this year where you fire his head coach. So why do they keep making the same mistakes?” (20:16)
• Herbstreit’s response:
  • Young quarterbacks now are developed with advanced technical skills but little in live-game offense management.
  • “I’ve heard Tom Brady talk about this—how the game has been dumbed down to a certain degree, and I agree with that.” (21:23)
  • “What we’re doing is kind of smoke and mirrors…these quarterbacks throw for 4,000 yards and everybody thinks this guy’s the first pick overall in the draft. Is he truly ready?” (22:19)
  • Drafting QBs is “rolling the dice”—sometimes you hit (e.g., Jackson Dart), sometimes not.

2. The “Processing” Issue in Quarterback Development

• Dan: “You must throw a receiver open… In college, you’ve got guys that are open… in the NFL, it’s like, ‘wait a minute, I thought you were open!’” (24:17)
• Herbstreit: Praises Mac Jones’ processing—even over more spectacular tools in prospects.
  • “[Mac Jones] processes at an elite level…when it comes to getting the ball out.” (25:29)
  • Importance of reps, overcoming failure: “The position is about overcoming failure. And I think Arch Manning, the best thing that’s going to happen to him long term is people going from he’s the Heisman…to this dude sucks.” (27:36)

3. Quick Hits: College Football Headlines

• On James Franklin’s firing at Penn State:
  • “Maybe he lost the team…maybe the ship was sinking as far as the buy in behind the scenes.” (30:06)
  • Penn State still “a premier job—they spend money.” (31:20)
• On USC and Notre Dame:
  • “USC…kind of one foot in and one foot out. Even after beating Michigan convincingly, people are still ‘let’s wait and see.’” (32:59)
  • “Notre Dame’s finally playing like we thought they were going to play.” (32:59)
• On Indiana's quarterback Mendoza:
  • “You said, keep an eye on Indiana’s quarterback, Mendoza…he’s probably the leading candidate for the Heisman right now.” (34:54)

4. Herbstreit’s Reflections on Broadcasting

• On his role helping Lee Corso on College GameDay after Corso’s stroke:
  • “I just tried to do it as subtly as I could…over time, it just became [that] I was sitting next to him…two friends hanging out next to each other talking football.” (38:08)
  • “It was a delicate, delicate moment each time he was there. And you could tell Herbie was there just in case he slipped or he forgot…” (39:24)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Dan Patrick on Titans instability:
  “Keep hitting the reset button and then you’ve got to come to the realization that it’s the ownership/front office that seems to be the problem.” (06:15)

• Herbstreit on QB development:
  “The downside to [spread offenses]…you don’t have quarterbacks anymore that are learning how to run an offense, getting down on a knee and looking up to 10 guys and calling a play.” (21:48)

• Herbstreit on Mac Jones:
  “His brain just fired…it just really stuck out to me…processing is the hardest thing I think to predict because you don’t see enough evidence of it in college.” (25:17)

• Dan on play of the day:
  “Bijan Robinson, 81 yards to the house. As the kids like to say.” (42:06)

Timestamps for Important Segments

• NFL/MLB Recap & Titans Rant: 02:01–15:41
• Caller on Falcons’ shutout loss: 15:41–16:28
• Bijan Robinson Play Breakdown: 41:44–42:06
• Kirk Herbstreit Segment: 20:15–39:22
• Reflections on College GameDay & Lee Corso: 36:22–39:04

Additional Notes

• Poll Question: Most likely playoff team: Cowboys, Bears, Vikings—Dan picks Bears. (43:47)
• Baseball Trivia: Since 1933, 22 Cy Young winners weren’t All-Stars that year—a fact that surprised Dan. (45:56)
• Show Location Reminder: Broadcasting live from South Bend, Indiana, Thursday and Friday at Legends Pub, Notre Dame campus.

Summary

This hour of The Dan Patrick Show delivers fast-paced, insightful sportstalk, combining game recaps with deeper conversations about the organizational dysfunctions that hinder NFL quarterbacks and the nuanced realities of coaching and player development. Kirk Herbstreit offers both big-picture and personal perspectives, from trends in quarterback readiness to his bond with Lee Corso. The dialogue provides context, humor, and memorable anecdotes, making it essential listening for sports fans looking for more than just box scores and highlights.