The Dan Patrick Show – Hour 2 Episode Summary

Episode Title: Hour 2 – Joe Burrow Is the Best Passer, Devin McCourty
Date: December 2, 2025
Host: Dan Patrick & The Danettes (Fritzy, Dylan, Marvin, Paulie, Back Room Crew)
Notable Guest: Devin McCourty (Former Patriots safety, NBC's Football Night in America)

Episode Overview

This hour of The Dan Patrick Show centers around debates on quarterback play styles—particularly, Joe Burrow vs. Patrick Mahomes as the NFL’s "best passer"—the preferences of wide receivers when choosing quarterbacks, and the recent success of rookie QB Drake May and the New England Patriots. The show also features a lively discussion on the impact of coaching changes in the college football playoff race, specifically the Lane Kiffin-to-LSU rumors, and a rich interview with Devin McCourty on the Patriots’ resurgence, quarterback mentality, and locker room dynamics.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Quarterback Preferences: Passers vs. Playmakers

• Poll Question: If you were a free agent wide receiver, which QB would you want to play with? Choices: Drake May, Matthew Stafford, Joe Burrow, or Other.
  • Result: Drake May led due to “recency bias.” (04:00)
• Dan Patrick's Take:
  • “I think Joe Burrow's the best passer in the NFL…when healthy—that's the problem.” (05:43)
  • Drop-back, timing QBs like Burrow and Stafford are preferred because receivers “want to know where you're going to be when you throw the ball.” (07:10)
  • Scramblers (Lamar, Josh Allen, Kyler Murray) are exciting, but “you don't know where they are, so you have to break off your route.” (07:40)
• Marvin:
  • Questions if Dan is giving Burrow “the Aaron Rodgers treatment—he’s not the best QB, but the best thrower.” (09:15)
  • Dan clarifies: “Game on the line, I’m taking Mahomes. But best pure passer? Burrow.”

2. Receivers & ‘Off-schedule’ Quarterbacks

• Receivers may love QBs who extend plays (Aaron Rodgers, Russell Wilson in his prime), but it's a skill that needs practice. Pete Carroll on Wilson: “We practice what you’re going to do when Russell keeps a play alive.” (12:05)
  • Aaron was predictable when breaking the pocket (usually right), but, for Lamar/Allen, “I don’t necessarily know where they’re going.”
• Drake May lauded for consistency, spreading the ball—“He’s not going to give you 300 yards but you don’t have to rely on him to win games.”

3. College Football Playoff Debate & Coaching Carousel

• Caller (Ryan in Nashville, 24:20): Argues that conference champs should get playoff spots, as in other college sports, and that “winning your conference keeps the entire country engaged… it’s only fair.”
• Dan’s View: Wants underdogs but says “Don’t want to penalize schools that schedule tough non-conference games… It’s too loose right now… There’s nobody in the lighthouse here, the light’s not on.” (27:10)
• Lane Kiffin/LSU Situation:
  • Multiple callers defend and criticize Kiffin’s exit from Ole Miss for LSU, including discussion about recruiting deadlines and transfer portals.
  • Dan: “If he said there wasn’t a deadline, then I’m going to take him at his word… But college football needs to change this.” (38:10)
  • The Danettes joke about Kiffin “talking to God” to decide on LSU: “God said… you can’t say no to Death Valley.” (43:10)

4. Player Safety vs. Toughness in QBs

• Extensive debate on Jackson Dart (Ole Miss QB) refusing to step out of bounds after hard hits.
  • Dan: “You can’t be a tough guy and expect a long career… Can’t have both.”
  • Jackson Dart, postgame quote (21:50): “This is football…I feel like I’ve played this way my whole life…We’re not playing soccer out here. You get hit.”
  • Dan’s advice: “Do you want to play 5 years your way or 15 years the other way?”

Interview Highlight: Devin McCourty

Begins at [49:40]
Main Topics: Patriots’ identity, Drake May’s development, QB risk/reward, locker room culture, AFC outlook.

On Lane Kiffin Staying for Playoffs

• Dan: Would you want Kiffin to stay through playoffs if you were an Ole Miss player?
  • Devin McCourty: “I would vote to keep him on… When I was in college, the opportunity to win a national championship, I’d want everything to stay the same as much as possible." (50:25)
  • But acknowledges, "You go to college to play for a coach."

On Defending QBs Like Jackson Dart

• Dan: If Jackson Dart comes near the sideline, what do you do as a defensive back?
  • Devin: “The film shows us he’s probably not stepping out of bounds. If Jackson Dart is on the sideline, we gotta be ready to take him out.” (52:15)
  • Advice to Dart: “If he’s really gonna do that, I’d tell him he’s a damn fool. It’s not gonna last in the NFL… Even as a teammate, my job is to protect you, you need to help me protect you.” (53:00)

On Drake May & Patriots’ Current Culture

• “He’s so poised. Nothing bothers him…His teammates love that about him.”
• On lasting popularity: “I think it lasts. He’s the youngest of a bunch of brothers, used to getting beat up…He’s got Josh McDaniels as coordinator, and they’re in love with him.” (54:00)
• On Patriots’ chances: “The AFC is wide open…They have a real shot. The fans are hyped because they thought it’d be 15 years before contention again.” (55:15)
• Playoff football advice to May: “Belichick always said: ‘Experience doesn’t matter at all, who’s playing the best football matters. Do more… Extra film, extra prep… that’s what wins in the playoffs, not how many games you played.'” (57:10)

On Patriots’ Strictness

• “Nah, man, they cut people and sent people home anyway. I wanted my money!” (58:10)
  • Shares anecdotes of teammates hitchhiking or faking car accidents to explain lateness.

AFC Playoff Fears

• More concerned about Eagles than Chiefs:
  • “I think the Chiefs are actually better than last year, but the Broncos, Chargers, Colts all got better. The Eagles… they’re underachieving. After watching Chicago beat Philly at what they do best, that was alarming.” (1:00:45)

Memorable Quotes

• Dan Patrick [05:43]:
  “I think Joe Burrow's the best passer in the NFL…when healthy—that’s the problem.”
• Marvin [09:15]:
  “Are you giving Joe Burrow the Aaron Rodgers treatment, where he’s not the best quarterback but he’s the best thrower of the football?”
• Devin McCourty [53:00]:
  “If [Jackson Dart]’s really gonna do that, I’d tell him he’s a damn fool. It’s not gonna last in the NFL.”
• Devin McCourty on Patriots fan base [55:30]:
  “They thought we’d have to wait 15 more years to be good again, but this feels different…Their energy, showing up early, staying late—it’s driving the team.”
• Dan Patrick [27:10]:
  “There’s nobody in the lighthouse here—the light’s not on.”

Notable Timestamps

• 04:00 – Poll: Which QB would you sign to play with?
• 05:43 – “Joe Burrow's the best passer...when healthy.”
• 12:05 – Pete Carroll on practicing off-schedule plays
• 21:50 – Jackson Dart’s postgame quote on taking hits
• 24:20 – Caller supports including conference champions in playoff
• 27:10 – Dan on college football chaos
• 38:10 – Dan on Lane Kiffin and the need for change in college coaching
• 43:10 – The Danettes joke about Lane Kiffin and 'talking to God'
• 49:40 – 1:02:00 – Devin McCourty interview
• 53:00 – McCourty on Jackson Dart’s reckless style
• 54:00 – McCourty on Drake May’s personality and Patriots’ chances
• 57:10 – McCourty relays Belichick’s playoff advice
• 58:10 – Patriots tardiness policy & anecdotes
• 1:00:45 – McCourty: “More worried about the Eagles than Chiefs”

Tone

The conversation is lively, humorous, and slightly irreverent, blending in-depth football analysis with locker room and parenting anecdotes. The Danettes bring banter and playful jabs, while Dan anchors the room with informed opinions and relatable stories. The interview with Devin McCourty provides football insight in a conversational, player-first tone.

Additional Topics

• Callers push back on playoff structure, Lane Kiffin’s motives, and college athletics process changes.
• Uniform nostalgia: Which NFL throwbacks should return? (Ex: Eagles’ Kelly green, Broncos’ ‘77 Orange Crush)
• Parenting corner: Taking kids to cold games, and Dan’s kids “narc-ing” him out for Hooters lunches.

Summary

This episode is a quintessential Dan Patrick hour: part quarterback science lab, part sports soap opera, part barroom story circle. Quarterback play and receiver fit anchor the beginning, before the hour moves into the current drama of the college football coaching carousel and wraps with practical wisdom (and some laughs) from three-time champion Devin McCourty. Patriots fans and playoff hopefuls will find encouragement, while Joe Burrow and Drake May partisans have plenty to celebrate.