The Dan Patrick Show (Hour 2) – Kicker Dominance, Ross Tucker

Date: February 9, 2026
Host: Dan Patrick (iHeartPodcasts & Dan Patrick Podcast Network)
Notable Guest: Ross Tucker
Main Theme: Recap and analysis of Super Bowl night, highlighting the crucial role of kickers, the strategic nuances of the game, and Ross Tucker’s deep-dive into offensive/defensive line play. Live callers and the Danettes join in with humor, best/worst of the weekend, and musings on football culture.

Episode Overview

The second hour of The Dan Patrick Show centers on a detailed breakdown of the prior night’s Super Bowl, with a focus on the previously underappreciated impact of kickers and special teams. Dan and the crew debate whether this particular championship game was defined by elite defenses or lackluster offenses, and they welcome Ross Tucker for expert analysis on in-game adjustments, the struggles of rookie players, and coaching miscues. Interspersed with audience call-ins, the show balances football insight, humor, and relatable fan perspective.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

Super Bowl Recap: The Kickers' Outsize Impact

[03:00 – 04:43]

• Jason Myers (Seattle):

  • Kicked five field goals, scoring the team’s first 12 points.
  • First NFL player to surpass 200 points in a season (playoffs included; finishes with 206).
  • Broke LaDainian Tomlinson’s 2006 record of 198 points.
  • “[Kickers] helped win you the Super Bowl last night...we tend to look at the kickers as okay, they're kind of a necessary evil. But those two last night, they were weapons.” — Dan Patrick [04:00]

• Michael Dixon (Seattle, punter):

  • “Three punts inside the six-yard line…can be the difference. Momentum and flipping the field, keeping New England with their backs against their goal post.” — Dan Patrick [04:10]
  • Described as a “weapon” alongside kicker Myers.

• Defense and Kenneth Walker III noted as Seattle’s other primary offensive contributors.

Special Teams & Analogies

[05:27]

• Marvin: “Having a punter do that regularly is like having somebody in your friend group who does magic tricks or something…at some point we're going to need this. I don't really know when, but I'm glad that you can do it.”

Humor Break – Jugglers & Bar Tricks

[05:36 – 07:35]

• The crew riffs on one member’s friend (“Pete the Juggler”) and the unexpected social benefits of party tricks, paralleling undervalued special teams players.
• Discussion transitions to juggling, bowling pins, unicycles, and distracted women in bars.
• Dan: “I never had a juggler with me in the bar. Apparently juggler spillover, who knew there was juggler spillover?” [06:13]

Listener Calls: Best & Worst of the Weekend

• Emotional Appreciation: David from Ohio shares that the DP show helped him through the loss of a family member [08:19].
• Super Bowl Stories: Buddha from San Francisco recalls calling the show from a paddle boat in McCovey Cove and proposes a poll question: "Would you get married during the performance of the Super Bowl halftime show?" [09:10]
• Court Storming Controversy: Brad from NC comments on the North Carolina–Duke basketball game, criticizing court-storming and the responses from Duke’s coach [11:16].
  • Dan: “I keep coming back to, someone is going to get seriously hurt… I know we love it...” [11:52]
• Super Bowl Commercial Favorites & Vikings Malaise: Nick from Irvine brings up a standout Budweiser commercial and laments the Vikings’ lack of success [12:28].
• Patriots’ Super Bowl Legitimacy: The team and callers debate whether the Patriots belonged in the Super Bowl after an “easy schedule.” [13:42, 15:08]
  • Dan: “You play who is ever in front of you. It was enough for them to get to the Super Bowl.” [15:08]

Tactical and Coaching Critique

[16:03] – [18:24]

• Jack from Philadelphia, a Patriots fan, criticizes offensive play calling and a failure to adapt (“they got away from the run game after the defense is doing everything in their power…”).
• Dan agrees, noting, “We kept wondering like where are the adjustments here?… Josh McDaniels didn’t have a good night.” [16:45]
• Focus on the defensive strategies: both teams extremely aggressive (“Seattle had rhythm. New England had to disrupt the rhythm of the defense, which is usually the other way around.”).

Ross Tucker Segment: Analysis & Inside the Trenches

[26:02 – 38:21]

Flight Logistics Banter

• Humorous start as Fritzi admits mistakenly thinking Ross flew to London to call the game, prompting laughs and ribbing [26:17–27:47].
  • Ross: “Say it out loud, Todd… I’m one of your biggest supporters, but say it out loud first.” [27:07]

First Half Assessment

[27:52]

• Ross: “Is it a defensive struggle or offensive struggle?… It was good defense, really good defense, but neither offense played very well.”
• Cites poor offensive line recognition, especially with picking up blitzes (“same Devin Witherspoon blitz… six or seven times in the game. I’m not sure the Patriots picked it up once.”).

Offensive Line/Coaching Issues

• Ross singles out Patriots OC Josh McDaniels for failing to help the struggling left side of the line:
  • “Any other pressure that comes from that side, that’s on Josh McDaniels, that’s on the coaching staff.” [29:35]
  • Highlights 14 pressures from one player in a game as evidence of failed adjustments.

Sam Darnold vs. Drake May (Quarterback Play)

[28:00–31:00]

• Darnold (Seattle): Displayed better pocket movement and ability to evade free rushers, despite expectations that Drake May would be more mobile.
• Walker III: “He almost never runs the ball where he’s supposed to go…sometimes he gets in trouble and loses yardage…But look, he was very productive, had a terrific night. He’s going to give you some lost yardage plays, but he keeps defenses honest.” [31:00]

Which Team is Set Up for Future Success?

[32:06–33:30]

• Tucker gives Seattle the edge to return to the Super Bowl, but notes their division is highly competitive. Questions if Buffalo/Bills or Rams might have fared better given how the Super Bowl played out.

Drake May’s Struggles & Coaching Responsibility

[33:30–35:20]

• Ross critiques May’s comfort, suggesting he was rattled and not put in positions to succeed.
  • Dan agrees: “You have to put him in situations where you get a couple of plays, get comfortable, any kind of rhythm… I would have had the Tom Brady playbook. That ball is going to be out now.” [34:40]
  • Both question the Patriots’ lack of screen plays and abandonment of the run.

Defensive Adjustment Breakdown

[35:23–36:37]

• Ross’s biggest shock: Patriots repeatedly burned by the same Devin Witherspoon blitz (“That’s not pro football… The fact that the Seahawks still got home with Witherspoon…four more times, that blows my mind away. That [Josh] McDaniels and the Patriots coaching staff allowed themselves to continually get beat by essentially the same blitz. That should not and cannot happen.” [36:23])

Sam Darnold’s Career Renaissance?

• Ross: “To play for five teams… you’re not that good, because if you were really good, you’d only play for one or two. But you’re not that bad, because if you’re really bad, you only play for one or two.” [37:25]
• Darnold “not on scholarship” for life, but entrenched as a success story.

Notable Quotes & Greatest Moments (with Timestamps)

• Dan Patrick:

  • “The kickers helped win you the Super Bowl last night. Jason Myers had five field goals…He finished with 206 points.” [03:42]
  • “We tend to look at the kickers as okay, they're kind of a necessary evil. But those two last night, they were weapons.” [04:00]

• Marvin (on punters):

  • “Having a punter do that regularly is like having somebody in your friend group who does magic tricks…At some point we're going to need this. I don't really know when, but I'm glad that you can do it.” [05:27]

• Ross Tucker:

  • “It was good defense, really good defense, but neither offense played very well…both teams did a poor job picking up blitzes.” [28:00]
  • “Any other pressure from that side, that’s on Josh McDaniels, that’s on the coaching staff.” [29:35]
  • “Devin Witherspoon blitz… six or seven times in the game. I’m not sure the Patriots picked it up once.” [28:05]
  • “That’s not pro football, Dan… The Seahawks still got home with Witherspoon, including the game-clinching play, four more times…” [36:23]

• Dan Patrick (on missed adjustments):

  • “We kept wondering…where are the adjustments here? You know exactly what Seattle is doing. There was no secret there. Josh McDaniels didn’t have a good night.” [16:45]

• Audience Member (Jack in Philadelphia):

  • “I haven’t seen somebody perform like that all season and then fall apart in the biggest game of the year…I’m talking about Josh McDaniels.” [16:05]

• Ross Tucker (on being mistaken for being in London):

  • “Fritzi…I’m one of your biggest supporters, but say it out loud first.” [27:07]

Additional Topics & Fan Interactions

Super Bowl Cultural Footnotes

• Comment on halftime weddings during Bad Bunny’s performance [09:42].
• Callers share emotional moments, commercials, and disappointments (e.g., Vikings, Patriots fan heartbreak, court storming fines).

Humor, Human Moments, and In-Jokes

• Running joke about jugglers and party tricks paralleling undervalued football skill-sets [05:36–07:35].
• Fritzi’s overzealous fact-checking leads to a good-natured roast by Dan and Ross Tucker [26:17–29:00].

Conclusion

Hour 2 of the show blends sharp football analysis—especially about the underappreciated impact of kickers and special teams—with entertaining banter from Dan and the Danettes. Ross Tucker’s breakdown of the battle in the trenches and critical failures in coaching adjustments offers depth for football aficionados, while relatable fan calls and crew quips keep the energy light. Whether dissecting why the Patriots lost or riffing on the gloriously unpredictable nature of post-Super Bowl Monday, the episode provides football insight, humor, and a sense of community for listeners.