The Dan Patrick Show – Hour 2
NFL Trade Deadline Postmortem & Toughest Guys in Sports
Date: November 6, 2025
Host: Dan Patrick & the Danettes
Network: iHeartPodcasts and Dan Patrick Podcast Network
Episode Overview
In this lively episode, Dan Patrick and the Danettes dig into the aftermath of the NFL trade deadline, debate the lifestyle and toughness of different pro athletes, and take strong (and often hilarious) listener calls about the state of sports franchises and what it means to be “relevant.” The crew also runs through memorable tough-guy moments in hockey, NFL quarterback debates, and the ongoing woes of teams like the New Orleans Pelicans, providing both sharp analysis and signature humor.
Key Discussion Points & Insights
1. NFL Trade Deadline – "What Ifs" and Missed Opportunities
[03:00–14:00]
- Dan opens with reflections on how the NFL trade deadline passed, noting, “It’s weird how the NFL trade deadline comes and goes...there was a lot of activity, but we got a lot of football left. We’ve got half the season.” (03:30)
- Discussion on possibly moving the trade deadline back (e.g., to Week 12 or 13) to allow for “a late trade that could help your team...as they head into the postseason run.”
- Musings about fan frustration:
- “If I’m a Buffalo Bills fan, it’s like, we didn’t do anything. Should we have done something?” (04:45)
- Patriots and Jets situations: Should they have traded pieces, accepted a rebuild, or stayed the course?
- Insight about player perspective: “If I’m Garrett Wilson and Breece Hall, that’d be the first thing I’d say to the coach or management, like, help me understand, am I part of the rebuild here?” (06:20)
- The Chiefs, Raiders, and Broncos get bantered about, with much joking about the Broncos’ “mile high” morale and comparisons in the AFC West.
2. Poll Questions: Career Choices & QB Debate
[15:00–19:45]
- Ongoing poll: “Whose career would you want right now?” with Clayton Kershaw leading, and the panel explaining the allure of being an MLB pitcher vs. an NFL defensive end.
- Dan: “If you’re a good pitcher for 10 years or a great defensive player for 10 years, I’ll take the good pitcher.” (16:50)
- A new poll: “Which quarterback would you rather have – Tua [Tagovailoa] or Kyler [Murray]?”
- Results at the end: “66% of the audience would much rather have Tua. ...I’d say Tua because I think in the right offense, he knows what he’s doing. But we’re still trying to find that offense for Kyler.” (1:41:00)
- Reflections on lifestyle and toll:
- “If I’m a defensive player, I gotta be good all game, every game. Clayton Kershaw – once every five days. The other four, I’ll do that long-tossing and maybe play some golf.” (17:25)
3. Toughness in Pro Sports: Football vs Hockey vs Others
[20:00–50:00]
- Athletic “toughness” becomes a spirited debate.
- Dan: “I’ll let you take your toughness because I know what toughness is going to feel like when you’re 50...J.J. Watt was just talking about how they were opening up his leg and you could see the bone...That’s cool. When you’re seeing it on somebody else.” (20:45)
- Paulie: Football players are “a different type of human...They enjoy inflicting pain and don’t mind getting pain inflicted on them.”
- Dan reflects on the long-term impact, referencing Earl Campbell: “...the great Earl Campbell, tough, and he’s in a wheelchair.” (22:45)
- Seaton’s “athlete food pyramid”: Football players at the top for needing both athleticism and “ungodly tough[ness],” but hockey players possibly even tougher.
- Dan: “Hockey players are the toughest athletes...it’s your culture that you just—you got hit in the face. Stitch me up, I’ll be out in the second period.” (27:50)
- Comedic take on the “absurdity” of inventing hockey: “Alright, so there’s a big patch of ice. We’re gonna play a sport on it with sticks. Now put on these shoes with little blades...and you stand over there, we’re gonna shoot pucks at your face. No mask for 50 years...” (28:35)
- Debate on hockey players playing with injuries, blocking slap shots, and comparisons of their pain tolerance.
- Memorable line: “Fighting and bleeding and losing a bunch of teeth is a kind of badge of honor...Ovechkin looks like a Bond villain...Nobody’s gonna question his toughness.” (32:10)
- Paulie: “When a hockey player lays down in front of a slap shot to block it with his body—that’s something normal people can’t do.” (1:27:00)
- Callers contribute iconic toughness stories from hockey, including Jeremy Roenick coming back from a high stick to the face to score a game-winner.
4. Relevance and Misery: States and Teams in Downturn
[50:00–1:08:00]
- Caller Austin from Louisiana makes the “worst state in football” argument: “Could there be a worse NFL team right now [than the New Orleans Saints]? No excitement, trading all our best players...let’s move to Baton Rouge—LSU, consensus best job, could there be a bigger dumpster fire right now?... And for the cherry on top, the Pelicans, probably the most irrelevant franchise in the NBA.” (1:01:00)
- Dan concedes: “Well, you make a really strong case there...Even though we were just doing football, you threw in the Pelicans...they make some strange moves.”
- Extended breakdown of NBA irrelevance (Pelicans, Nets, Wizards, etc.), draft moves, and organizational dysfunction.
- Marvin: “I always feel bad for the Brooklyn Nets...they don’t have a real fan base.” (1:12:15)
5. Listener Interactions & Lighthearted Awards
[1:08:00–1:27:00]
- The “Most Valuable Danette” (MVD) and “Least Valuable Danette” (LVD) awards become a running joke—Fritzie wins tires for his daughter’s car; what should the LVD get? (Spoiler: possibly the old tires).
- Several callers chime in on which fanbases are suffering worst and which teams feel most irrelevant.
- Good-natured self-deprecation about personal athletic failures (e.g., Paulie’s 1-7 wrestling record, losing to a girl in his first match, etc.).
6. NFL Quarterback Draft Decisions Revisited
[1:41:00+]
- Discussion revisits 2020 draft, Dolphins’ decision between Tua and Justin Herbert.
- Paulie: “The draft reviews of that draft pick are not good for the Eagles...Too high to take a player that could be a high-end backup.” (1:44:15)
- Dan: “Jalen Hurts isn’t your prototypical quarterback...you have to be the right quarterback for the right team, the right offense, the right coach. And he is that. That’s why when I get these ‘who’s better, Josh Allen or Patrick Mahomes?’ I’ve gotta factor in Jalen Hurts.” (1:46:10)
Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments
-
Dan Patrick, on legacy and pain
“I still go back—it’ll be burnt in my memory—seeing Earl Campbell in a wheelchair. And you watched him play, and I felt bad for the defensive players. And then here I see Earl Campbell, the great Earl Campbell, tough, and he’s in a wheelchair.” (22:45) -
On hockey’s toughness
“Hockey players are the toughest athletes...your culture that you just—you got hit in the face. Stitch me up, I’ll be out in the second period, lose a couple of teeth.” (27:50) -
The invention of hockey
“All right, so there’s a big patch of ice out here, guys. Let’s play a sport on it with sticks...Now put these shoes on with little blades, try to balance while going forward and backward. And stand over there—we’re going to shoot pucks at your face. No mask. No, 50 years from now, we’ll get you a mask.” (28:35) -
Listener on Louisiana sports misery
“No excitement, trading all our best players, a young quarterback nobody really wants...Baton Rouge, dumpster fire right now...Pelicans, probably the most irrelevant franchise in the NBA right now. Shout out the Wizards.” (1:01:00) -
Paulie, on laying out for slap shots
“When a hockey player, a defenseman, lays down in front of a slap shot to block it with his body...that’s something normal people can’t do. It’s a hundred miles an hour...your pads don’t cover everything on your body.” (1:27:00) -
Roenick’s titanium jaw story
“He has, I think, a titanium jaw...He encourages you, ‘Go ahead, punch me as hard as you want’...It was horrifying. And he was just totally fine.” (1:24:30)
Timestamps for Key Segments
- NFL Trade Deadline and Team “What Ifs” Discussion
[03:00–14:00] - Athlete Career/Lifestyle Poll Debate
[15:00–19:45] - Toughness: Football vs. Hockey (and more)
[20:00–50:00] - Caller: Louisiana as the Saddest Sports State / NBA Irrelevance
[1:01:00–1:14:00] - Danette Awards & Lighthearted Call-ins
[1:08:00–1:27:00] - NFL QB Debates and Draft Re-examination
[1:41:00–1:48:30]
Tone and Style
Dan and the Danettes keep the tone quick, humorous, and candid, blending sharp sports analysis with self-deprecation, playful ribbing, and honest engagement with callers, all in a conversational, sport-fan barstool style.
For listeners who missed the episode:
- Expect witty banter about NFL team-building and the harsh realities facing battered franchises.
- Dive deep into what makes certain athletes truly “tough”—with memorable tales from the gridiron and the rink.
- Enjoy sharp takes on quarterback choices, sports irrelevance, and the dubious “awards” given out among the Danettes.
- Above all: it’s not just hot takes—it’s perspective, education, and plenty of laughs.
