Hour 2 – The Raiders Have Options, Championship Snow-Over, Devin McCourty

Summary

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The Dan Patrick Show – Hour 2

The Raiders’ Quarterback Dilemma, Oscar Nominations Banter, and Devin McCourty Talks Football

Date: January 23, 2026
Host: Dan Patrick
Guest: Devin McCourty (Football Night in America Analyst, 3x Super Bowl Champ)

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Episode Overview

In this hour, Dan Patrick dives deep into the Las Vegas Raiders' offseason options at quarterback—centered around the debate of whether to draft Fernando Mendoza, develop him, or trade their top pick for a haul of draft assets. Callers weigh in, passionate about the route the Raiders should take. There is also engaging, comedic sports-pop-culture banter about Oscar nominations, before former NFL star and analyst Devin McCourty joins for an insightful, candid football conversation—exploring Super Bowl preparation, defensive disguise, and his most unforgettable career moments.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Oscar Nomination Roundtable

Timecode: 03:00–09:00

• Dan and the team react to recent Oscar nominations, infusing sports-radio flair and humor.
• They debate best actor and actress categories, with Dan touting Sean Penn as the likely winner, noting Michael B. Jordan’s dual roles in “Sinners,” and riffing on Kate Hudson’s breakout performance.
• The group raves about Kate Hudson’s onscreen magnetism and laments “Sandman” (Adam Sandler) getting snubbed for a less-than-Uncut Gems role.
• Lighthearted confusion about a film called “Hamnet” (“Hamlet’s brother”), leading to fun puns about Shakespearean names.

Notable Quotes:

• “When she's in a scene, she is the scene. She takes everything. When she's not in a scene, you miss her.”—Dan on Kate Hudson (06:45)
• “Hamnet sounds like a Sandler movie where he’s the goofy younger brother of Hamlet.”—Paulie (08:17)

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2. Raiders’ Quarterback Conundrum and NFL Draft Debate

Timecode: 09:00–19:39; 23:05–39:19

• Dan engages callers—many Raiders fans—about whether the team should draft QB Fernando Mendoza, let him sit and learn, or trade the pick for an infusion of draft capital.
• There’s skepticism about the Raiders’ track record of developing offensive talent and heated discussion over whether any of the top-drafting teams (Jets, Cardinals, Browns, Colts, Dolphins, etc.) have the structure to properly develop a rookie QB.
• Dan repeatedly stresses the importance of having a good line and organization in place before throwing a rookie QB into the fray.
• Callers bring stats on Mendoza—highlighting his Cal records and character—while Dan insists the doubts are more about Raiders’ readiness than Mendoza himself.
• Debate over rookie salary caps, the Bears' recent rebuild, and the pressure facing the Raiders’ brass and ownership.

Notable Quotes:

• “Do I want him as the face of my franchise? Absolutely. I just don’t want him face-first in the dirt every other play.”—Dan Patrick (12:14)
• “If you’re the number one overall pick, my concerns would be: Who are you putting in front of him?”—Dan Patrick (14:06)
• “We don’t label GMs busts. We label quarterbacks busts.”—Dan Patrick (12:14)
• “If the Jets would give you four first round picks, two this year, two next year—are you interested? I’d be.” —Dan Patrick (43:53)

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3. Super Bowl Memories and Defensive Insight – With Devin McCourty

Timecode: 24:05–39:19

• Devin McCourty joins for a detailed football interview covering Super Bowl prep, defensive scheming, and tackling iconic plays.
• Devin remembers his first Super Bowl—how overwhelming the spectacle felt, and his gratitude that he got to return and play better in later appearances.
• The art of defensive disguise: McCourty breaks down how to truly confuse a quarterback—“It’s making a quarterback think he knows something, and then taking it away once the ball is snapped.” (26:01)
• Revisiting the famous Marshawn Lynch non-carry in Super Bowl 49: Devin explains how they defended the pass play that Malcolm Butler intercepted.
• Candid thoughts on what it’s like to face a 240-pound back as a sub-200lb safety (“It is always going to hurt, but it’ll feel good if you win the game...”) and the defensive tricks (grabbing, strategic holds) he and peers used to avoid penalties.
• Dan and Devin discuss what makes an all-time elite cornerback—Devin ranks Darrelle Revis among the best he’s seen, for mastery of technique and impacting game plans.

Notable Quotes:

• “With Puka Nacua, it’s so hard because he’s so good, but then Matthew Stafford understands when to throw it to him, how to make him open—which makes it impossible." — Devin McCourty (31:33)
• “The best defensive backs, they know how to hold... It’s not, do they hold. You just have to know how to do it and get away with it.” — Devin McCourty (36:43)
• “I talk to my kids about that play already... You can work your butt off, be in the right situation, and it just doesn’t work out. You’ve got a choice to make after that.” — McCourty on giving up the game-winning TD to Zach Ertz, Super Bowl 52 (34:41)

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Notable Call-In Segments

Timecodes:

• 09:22 – Dennis in Long Beach: Stirs discussion about Raiders’ QB pick and a family rooting rivalry.
• 10:46 – Dino in New York: Advocates strongly for drafting Mendoza, citing his elite traits and tough performances.
• 15:12 – Coleslaw in Colorado: Highlights Mendoza’s college achievements and academic record.
• 41:13 – Brian in Missouri: Recommends the QB-hungry Jets as potential trade partners for the Raiders.
• 42:24 – Reggie in California: Passionately argues that drafting Mendoza now allows a franchise reset and better cap management.

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Important Segment Timestamps

• Oscar Talk and Nominations: 03:00–09:00
• Raiders QB Debate / Draft Philosophy: 09:00–19:39, 23:05–39:19
• Devin McCourty Interview: 24:05–39:19
  • Super Bowl memories: 24:05–24:58
  • Disguising coverages: 25:54–26:51
  • Breaking down interception in Super Bowl 49: 26:51–27:33
  • Tackling much larger RBs: 33:32–34:25
  • Zach Ertz Super Bowl 52 memory: 34:41–35:31
  • DB tricks and Revis reflections: 35:56–37:13

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Tone & Style

The hour combines Dan Patrick's dry wit and irreverence with informed, passionate football analysis. Callers bring heat and humor. Devin McCourty delivers clear, expert breakdowns, seasoned with humility and honesty about his own career's triumphs and heartbreaks.

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Transcript

[Dan Patrick]

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[Dan Patrick]

On June 11, 1998, a deputy from the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department went missing. Hey, if they'll kill a cop and bury him, what are they gonna do to me?

[Devin McCourty]

What really happened to the missing deputy?

[Dan Patrick]

Valley of Shadows, a new series from.

[Devin McCourty]

Pushkin Industries about crime and corruption in California's high desert. Listen to Valley of shadows on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Dan Patrick]

You know, we always say new Year, new me, but real change starts on the inside. It starts with giving your mind and your spirit the same attention you give your goals. Hey everybody, it's Michelle Williams, host of Checking in on the Black Effect Podcast Network. And on my podcast we talk mental health, healing, growth and everything you need to step into your next season home whole and empowered. New Year. Real you listen to Checking in with Michelle Williams from the Black Effect Podcast Network on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcast or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Devin McCourty]

This show contains information subject to but not limited to personal takes, rumors, not so accurate stats, and plenty more. What's up, man?

[Dan Patrick]

This your boy Nab Green from the Broken Play Podcast? Look, it's the end of the season.

[Devin McCourty]

The playoffs are here.

[Dan Patrick]

Guess what? It ain't the end of your season.

[Devin McCourty]

You can always tune in with Broken.

[Dan Patrick]

Play Podcast with Nav Green on the.

[Devin McCourty]

Black Effect Podcast Network.

[Dan Patrick]

Not a team who ain't going to the playoffs.

[Devin McCourty]

The Chief.

[Dan Patrick]

It's time to rebuild. Listen to Broken Play with Nav Green from the Black Effect Podcast Network on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcast or whatever you get your podcast. You are listening to the Dan Patrick show on Fox Sports Radio final hour. No, not yet. We got one more to go after this, but it is a meat Friday. I'm getting excited and trying to move forward with the Wagyu strip steaks. We got apple and gouda sausages, jalapeno cheddar sausages, garlic parm, sweet potato fries, sauteed green beans. Who has it better than we do Nobody. Our steaks and sausages are courtesy of Heartland Steak Company, our good partners. Taste of the Midwest. 877-3-DP show email address dpdanpatrick.com Twitter handle @DP Show Stat of the day brought you by Panini America. The official trading cards of the Dan Patrick show. Backstabbing and betrayal. The name of the game on the all new season of the traitors. Head back to the Scottish Highlands for a murder mystery competition like no other. The Traders streaming now, only on Peacock. Wait, does somebody get murdered in this TV show on Peacock? By the way, you can watch this program on Peacock. Download the app if you haven't done so. Oscar nominations came out yesterday. I told you, Sean Penn is going to win. Also, I did see song Sung Blue and I thought Kate Hudson was going to get nominated. She did. They like to call it she got a nom. You got Timothy Chalamet. He's the favorite with Marty Supreme. I think I've seen five of the movies. Five of the ten. Yes. Eaton. I like Michael B. Jordan getting a lot of love for sinners. That's pretty great. More nominations than any other movie in the history of the Oscars. I haven't seen that yet. I've been meaning to, but I haven't watched it just yet. I've started a couple of times, but that's just it. I've gotten in about 15 minutes. And by all, what is it? Ryan Coogler, who I think is the director there, but yeah, Michael B. Jordan. You get two Michael B. Jordans now, does he? Were two Michael B. Jordans nominated or is it just one Michael B. Jordan since he plays two characters in there? It's not a spoiler.

[Devin McCourty]

I'm not gonna see it now.

[Dan Patrick]

Your boy, Ethan Hawke nominated best actor. Yeah, yeah. How about that? Yeah, yeah. I went to a birthday party and Ethan Hawke was there. This is a long time ago. Josh Charles. Yeah, yeah. Famous actor. And he had a birthday party and I remember I spent a lot of time talking to his father about the Ravens, the Baltimore Ravens, I think. And Ethan Hawke was there. And Julianne Margulies was also there from er. Yes. I think I mispronounced her name. And because I said to Josh Charles, I said, hey, I'd like to meet Julianne Margulies. He said, yeah, as soon as you pronounce her name correctly. And I go, wow, that's funny. Yeah. I said, did I get. Did I get the first name right? You know, help me out here. As soon as you get her name right. Yeah. All Right. That's a good line. Yeah, it is. Yeah. Yes, Paul, Best actor in a supporting role. Benicio Del Toro's in there. Sean Penn's in there. Yeah. Our guy, not Sandman, did not make it. Yeah. You know, I. I don't want them to get him a nomination for something that was not nearly as good as how good he was in Uncut Gems. I mean, really, that. That's a big, big omission. A mistake on the Academy's part. Sandman in that movie was unbelievable. You know, in this movie, J. Kelly, with George Clooney, he's good. But Uncut Gems, he carried the movie. He was unbelievable. If you haven't seen the movie. Well, even if you've seen the movie, One Battle After Another, there is a woman who plays Leonardo DiCaprio's daughter, Chase Infinity. Now, she did not get nominated, but when you watch that movie, she almost steals the movie. She's incredible. Incredible. But you got a lot of, you know, Leonardo got nominated. Teyana Taylor, she got nominated. So they got. They got a lot of noms in that, including Sean Penn and Benicio Del Toro.

[Caller]

All right.

[Dan Patrick]

I don't know if there's any. Any other omissions, glaring omissions there. Any surprises there? I think people are surprised at Kate Hudson, but Kate Hudson, when she's in a scene, she is the scene. She. She takes everything. When she's not in a scene, you know, you miss her. And she's really good. She's really good. She pulls it off. She sings really well, and, you know, it's dramatic and, you know, a lot of parts in that movie. You know, I thought Hugh Jackman might overshadow her, but, no, not the case. She was great. Yes, Marvin, we have to root for Diane Warren. She's up for Best Original Song.

[Devin McCourty]

She's been nominated 17 times without a win.

[Dan Patrick]

I. You know, who is up? I think. I'm not quite sure. I think that this. He did the soundtrack for One Battle After Another. Is it Johnny Greenwood, the guitar player for Radiohead? Radiohead. Yeah. He's been nominated before. I don't know if he's won, but I think he does the soundtrack for One Battle After Another. Yeah. Paul, he's nominated for music original score. Johnny Greenwood, One Battle After Another. Yeah. Yeah. Okay. So that's it. That's all I got. My, my. I have to go see a couple of these movies. Although my wife saw Hamnet, which is Hamlet's brother, Hamnet, and.

[Devin McCourty]

That'S not real.

[Dan Patrick]

No, it is Hamnet. I thought you were making it up. And I was like, that's a good joke. No, it's Hamlet's brother is Hamnet. And and the and the woman in there is is considered the favorite, the biggest favorite for any category. And I don't know who she is but I said to my wife, I said how great was she? And said, no, she was good. I said she's an overwhelming favor to be best actors. Yes. Paulie Hamnet sounds like a Sandler movie where he's the goofy younger brother of Hamlet. I honestly thought you were making that up. Fritz.

[Devin McCourty]

You did too.

[Dan Patrick]

Yeah.

[Devin McCourty]

Who wrote that?

[Dan Patrick]

Shake tear Like I don't understand just.

[Devin McCourty]

Taking a letter off.

[Dan Patrick]

It's ridiculous.

[Devin McCourty]

William shake tear.

[Dan Patrick]

All right. 8773-DP-SHoSH Email Address [e-mail] Twitter Handle At TP show we'll talk some football with Devin McCourty. Football Night in America. Former defensive back with the Patriots there Dennis in Long Beach. Good morning, Dennis. What's on your mind today?

[Caller]

Happy me Friday, gentlemen. First of all, Dan, I think you could be in some hot water because you have thrown a bomb in the middle of the Fritz household as Mrs. Todd Fritz will be cheering like heck for the Patriots so she can go to Cancun. It was stated for millions of people to listen so there is an contract she could enforce.

[Dan Patrick]

So.

[Caller]

It will be interesting to see that dynamic between his wife rooting for the Patriots and Todd getting extremely upset with his wife and his Broncos as they lose. Secondly, regarding a quarterback for the Raiders, I would be in favor of them drafting Mendoza but bringing somebody in and lay Mendoza now you're sitting for once he probably two as we build the team and you learn how to play in the NFL.

[Dan Patrick]

Well don't you have Geno Smith already under contract I think for one more year.

[Caller]

Rogers Young. There's so many great quarterbacks in the past that's what they did. They sat and they learned the game and they built a team around him. And I think that the first round pick is greatly overvalued for most cases. But in this one, if they can build the team and then slot them in later, there's a better chance of doing that and succeeding than getting a great quarterback in three or four years.

[Dan Patrick]

And yeah but I, I trust the packers to build a good team. I can't trust the Raiders to build a good team. Dino in New York. Hi Dino.

[Caller]

Hey dan. How you doing? 9:195 I'm shocked at the last caller of the last hour saying the Raiders should possibly trade the Pick Yesterday was 42 years since the Raiders won their last Super Bowl. You know how long this team's been looking for good quality quarterback play. Rich Gannon was the last guy in the early 2000s. There's no scenario where they don't take this kid at quarterback. And Dan, you and I must be watching different games because I think the kid has elite traits. Some of your guests you've had on, like Chase Daniel saying, you know, he's process is incredible. His eyes are always in the right place. I mean these, these 25 or 40 yard throws to the, from one hash mark all the way to the other side on a bat shoulder throw. Look elite to me. His toughness was certainly on display. That was elite in the game the other night. He didn't put up great stats, but he showed a tremendous amount of toughness. He's got every off the field intangible you'd want. I don't know why you're doubting him at all. I think he's going to be a good.

[Dan Patrick]

I'm doubting the Raiders. Do you know, track record.

[Caller]

It's an, it's a new regime in there. We got to give John Spicek and Brady a chance to draft some good players. And you certainly don't pass on this kid. There's no, there's no trade package that you pay. You have to take a quarterback. If he's not good, that, that's fine. It won't be on him. But you, you have to take a bite of the apple.

[Dan Patrick]

It will be on him. We don't label GM's bust. We label quarterbacks bust. Do I want him as the face of my franchise? Absolutely. I just don't want him face first in the dirt. You know, every other play I got to trust the organization that he's going to go in. Ben Roethlisberger went to the Steelers. He said they built the team. He got in. Then they found their quarterback. That's, that's all I'm bringing up here. And there will be a trade package that will be surprising if you go and shop that pick. You're trying to tell me Arizona won't go all in with the Colts? Go. Go all in. The jets are number two. What would they do? But I got to be ready for Fernando Mendoza. And does he have great talent? I think he's got good talent. I don't think he's elite. But would I want him as my quarterback if I had an offensive line? The answer is yes. And I had Brock Bowers and Ashton Genti Yes, I. This is about the Raiders, not about Fernando Mendoza. Because can he get out of trouble? Because he's going to be in trouble. That's what I would want to know. Are you going to draft him and then sit him? You got Geno Smith under contract. Yeah. Paulie, I see both sides of this. I think Mendoza is fantastic.

[Devin McCourty]

Can make every throw, but he's not a runner.

[Dan Patrick]

I prefer a drop back passer and.

[Devin McCourty]

That'S kind of quarterback you'd want.

[Dan Patrick]

But look at the Raiders, what they did last year. They had no offensive line last year.

[Devin McCourty]

And they spent a top 10 pick on a running back.

[Dan Patrick]

That was a flawed draft pick strategy. Ashton Genti had a terrible rookie year because he had no line around him. They should have drafted a lineman, a defensive player, whatever.

[Caller]

They.

[Dan Patrick]

Then you get a running back that doesn't cost you $15 million. You got to have an offensive line. Okay. You do. Jalen Hurts with the Eagles. Might be a Hall of Fame quarterback. He walked into a great situation. If I put Jalen Hurts on the Raiders. Jalen Hurts is not an elite quarterback. He's not a top 15 quarterback. Mahomes walked into a really good situation. Sam Darnold walked into a really good situation. Sam Darnold on his own with the Jets. He was a bust. Or the jets were a bust. I gotta trust the organization, that's all. And Mendoza might turn out to be a very good quarterback, but he's supposed to be. If you're the number one overall pick, my concerns would be who are you? Who are you putting in front of him? And you take a running back. I gotta have the offensive line to block for the running back. That's all. Coleslaw in Colorado. Hey, Coleslaw.

[Caller]

Good morning, Dan. Happy meet Friday. Who, who, who, who? Still celebrating the big win for the state of Indiana.

[Dan Patrick]

Good. Congratulations.

[Caller]

We did have a lot of heartbreak, by the way. Everything from Malice in the Palace. Purdue losing in the finals. Pacers losing the Lakers in 2000. You know, the Colts losing in New Orleans. Tyrese popping his Achilles. The list goes on and on. Andrew Luck retiring early, whatnot. But yeah, you said that. Mendoza isn't great. He did. And holds the completion percentage record at Cal with 4700 yards. Top incompletion. That's better than Rogers, better than Goff. Got two degrees from the two best business schools in almost the world. So we're just so proud of him. That was 48 touchdowns this year. We're just living the dream. Thanks a lot.

[Dan Patrick]

Yeah, he's a great Player, great, great college player. But we've seen great college players become good average, bust when they go to the NFL. And, and a lot of it has to do with this, the scenario that they're walking into. That's all, that's all I'm trying to say about him. You know, if Mahomes played for the Raiders, he's not a Hall of Fame quarterback, but you put him with a Hall of Fame coach, offensive line, hall of Fame, tight end. You have Tyreek Hill. Now, all of a sudden, those traits, you know, now he's not worried about, hey, am I going to get sacked on every play? This is less about Mendoza than it is the Raiders organization. That's all. That's it. And, you know, let's wait and see what happens when Mendoza goes to the combine, when he gets in front of these scouts and these coaches and GMs, and, and maybe he has, you know, elite traits. And all I can tell you is my source, one, you know, one who's a scout, said he doesn't do anything great, but he doesn't do anything poorly. Like, he has good mechanics, he has all the things that you want to build on. And he would be a great face for the franchise. By all accounts. Great kid, great family, great story, all of that. I would just be apprehensive if I'm, you know, the Raiders. Can we build and keep him, you know, upright? Can we do that? Can we turn that around? Is he going to play it all this year? Yes. Marvin. Well, how many organizations in the top 10 of the draft this year do you trust to develop Mendoza? Oh, I wouldn't trust Arizona and I wouldn't trust the Jets. But I'm just talking about the Raiders have the number one pick. They have him if they want him. Now, what do you want to do with that pick? If you're Arizona, you're probably saying, hey, we'll take them. If you're the jets, hey, we'll take them. I wouldn't feel comfortable going there either. What are some of the other teams that are in the draft there? Yeah, Paulie, Teams that don't that do need quarterbacks. Cleveland at 6. I wouldn't want him to go there. I mean, there's a reason why these teams are always there. So Miami at 11. How about Miami breaking the bank to trade up local kid. Yeah, I know. What about Indy? Yeah, there. There's not a lot of great scenarios here for him. You know, I mean, nobody focused on Cam Ward because everybody was fixated on Shador Sanders. Cam Ward was running around for his life there for the the Titans. You know, it might be that way for Mendoza, but if you trust the front office, you trust their process. You trust Tom Brady. Okay, great. History is not on their side. We'll take a break. I'll ask Devin McCourty on loan for the mother or from Football Night in America. He'll join us coming up next. Dan PATRICK Show Be sure to catch the live edition of the Dan Patrick show, weekdays at 9am Eastern, 6am Pacific on Fox Sports Radio and the iHeartRadio app. Hey is Covino and Rich from Fox Sports Radio. Now, in addition to hearing us live weekdays from 5 to 7pm Eastern, 2 to 4 Pacific on Fox Sports Radio, we're excited to announce a brand new.

[Devin McCourty]

YouTube channel for the show.

[Dan Patrick]

Yup, that's right. You can now watch Covino and rich live on YouTube every day. All you got to do search COVINO and RICH FSR on YouTube again. Go to YouTube. Search COVINO and RICH FSR. Check us out on YouTube. Subscribe, hit that thumbs up icon and comment away. New year, new goals. And in this economy, a better money plan is more necessary than ever. I am Matt. And I'm Joel. We are from the how to Money podcast and every week we help you to spend smarter, save more and make sense of what's going on out there. If you want 2026 to be the year you finally feel in control of your money, we're here to give you the tools and advice to help you make it happen.

[Devin McCourty]

Listen to how to Money on the.

[Dan Patrick]

Iheartradio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Devin McCourty]

I'm John Paulk. For years I was the poster boy of the conversion therapy movement, the ex gay who married an ex lesbian and traveled the world telling my story of how I changed my sexuality from gay to straight. Once upon a time I was on 60 Minutes, Oprah, the front cover of Newsweek, and you might have heard my story, but you've never heard the real story. So join me as I peel back the layers and expose what happened to me in the midst of conversion therapy to shine a light on what the ex Game movement does to people and the pain it continues to cause. I had lost £150 because if I couldn't control my sexuality, I was going to control my weight.

[Dan Patrick]

It sounded like, and this is the word I used, occult.

[Devin McCourty]

And as I look too at the harm I did from within, listen to atonement. The John Paulk story on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or Wherever you get your podcasts.

[Dan Patrick]

Hey, what's up, y'?

[Devin McCourty]

All? This is Questlove. Recently, I had the opportunity to sit.

[Dan Patrick]

Down with ASAP Rocky ahead of his.

[Devin McCourty]

Album release, don't be Dumb. He reflects on his journey from his.

[Dan Patrick]

Harlem roots to global icon status, discovering.

[Devin McCourty]

The hip hop origin of his name. The ledge was on the tv. Rakim had the bucket hat Kangol joint on. My pops was like, that's Rakim. That's who you named after. I just was like, damn, that got swagged. Rocky offers a window into not only a boundary breaking artist, but as a man committed to fusing creative ideas, community, and remaining unapologetically himself. Have you ever gotten roasted for any of your outfits? For sure. Some people don't be getting the vision. Look, they could roast me, they could cook me, they could deep fry meat, they could saute whatever they want. There's nobody who can. With my fashion sense, my taste is impeccable. I'm just like, I impress myself a lot. It's an amazing conversation, one you definitely.

[Dan Patrick]

Don'T want to miss.

[Devin McCourty]

So listen to the Questlove show on.

[Dan Patrick]

The iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever.

[Devin McCourty]

You get your podcast.

[Dan Patrick]

At. Charmin. We heard you shouldn't talk about going to the bathroom in public, so we decided to sing about it. Light a candle, pour some wine, grab.

[Devin McCourty]

A roll the soft kind for a little me time Charmin ultra soft smooth hair, wavy edges for my rear so let the softness caress your soul Just relax, you're on a roll Let her rip she Charmin ultrasound smooth.

[Dan Patrick]

Charmin ultra soft smooth hair has the same softness you love now with wavy edges that tear better than the leading one. Ply brand. Enjoy the go with Charmin. Well, I warned you. I warned you that this could happen and it did. Just got word that we're staying at 12 teams for the College Football Playoff. And I mentioned that the Big Ten, they wanted to go to 16 teams. 16 teams. 16 teams and then go to 24. And I said if they don't agree by this Friday, they will stay at 12. So an industry committed to remaining as dysfunctional as possible, they stay at 12. Congratulations. Let's bring in Devin McCourty. He's a football night in America analyst, three time Super bowl champ with the Patriots, and part of the super bowl pregame festivities. Super Bowl. That'll be on NBC. And Peacock, what do you remember about your first Super Bowl?

[Devin McCourty]

Man, the first one went fast. I remember we had a cool team dinner over there at St. Elmo's I remember the bill came and one of the rooms I was in and we looked and we looked at each other. A bunch of young players who, like, hey, Tom Brady and Wes Welker in the other room. Take, take this villain there and see what they say. And they covered everything. I remember being happy, but I just remember when you go on the field for the first time, Super Bowl, Sunday, pregame, the amount of people you see everywhere, hall of Famers, like legendary players in the NFL, celebrities, it just, it feels exactly like where you want it to be. And I remember my first time, I kind of forgot about the game. So much happening where I was very fortunate to go back four other times. But that first time, you're just kind of happy to be there, which sometimes doesn't. Doesn't allow you to probably play your best game.

[Dan Patrick]

If you were with the Patriots and you were facing Jared Stidham, how different is your approach to him than it would be Bo Nix at quarterback?

[Devin McCourty]

I think play style and stuff, it wouldn't be as. Wouldn't be that different. I think with Bo Nixon there, I think you have to be more ready for him using his legs and running. I think the biggest difference would be preparation wise. I would tell our coaching staff, give us everything you got. Let's. Let's have as many calls in there starting in the first day of the week and see how much can we learn by Friday, by Saturday, that we feel good to go out there and execute. Because when you get a guy like Stidham, who's a veteran, but he just hasn't been in there, you want to give him different looks, you want to disguise. You want him to have to think about a lot of different things that you might not do as much of with Bo Nix because he's been out there. So I think how you prepare and how many defensive calls you have will probably be the biggest difference.

[Dan Patrick]

Okay, but how do you disguise. We hear that a lot that you disguise something I've always thought about, let's.

[Devin McCourty]

Make it look like something that's not. So in football, there's so many different coverages you run, and sometimes people disguise by just moving around. That doesn't do anything. Like in practice when I used to go against Tom Brady, we used to have conversations and he would say, if you stand right behind one of the defensive backs that are on the, on the line of scrimmage, I think that guy's blitzing and you're going to replace him. So when you're disguising, if you're not doing that stand behind him, tell him to act like he's blitzing, and then after the snap, run to something else. And I always think about that in disguising something. If I want you to think it's blitz, I want to show blitz, and then don't blitz. I want to show that I'm not blitzing, and then blitz. It's. It's a very simple thing, but people get confused by thinking disguise is moving around. It's making a quarterback think he knows something and then taking it away once the ball is snapped.

[Dan Patrick]

But did Belichick disguise the coverage when Russell Wilson threw the interception?

[Devin McCourty]

No disguise on that.

[Dan Patrick]

That.

[Devin McCourty]

Everybody knew what that was. We played one play. I tell people all the time when he threw that intercession. If they would have ran any other route, it would have been a touchdown. When they got in there bunched in tight, we knew that was when they ran their pick play. Brandon Browner did a heck of a job, what we call jamming the point. Lockett was on the ball. He got right in his face, kept him right at the line of scrimmage so Malcolm Butler could come right behind and intercept the pass. So it was. That was more to. That had more to do with how you prepare, being ready to go. This is going to show up. And when it shows up, Malcolm went and made a play.

[Dan Patrick]

You didn't expect Marshawn lynch to get the ball?

[Devin McCourty]

Well, we. We thought that, but in that. In that situation, we had three guys on the field to play the pass. Those three guys are thinking about the past. Everybody else was playing the run. Nobody else cared about Wilson throwing the ball. It was all about stopping Marshawn lynch. And that's what. That's what our season came down to.

[Dan Patrick]

At that point, I just thought run pass option with Russell Wilson made the most sense, that you can still use his legs and you can live to have another play. But throwing a ball over the middle and I'm under the goalpost. I'm right behind you, Devin. I'm. I'm going to hand out the trophy. So I'm. I'm waiting. I think Seattle's winning the Super Bowl. And all of a sudden I just thought. I said, oh, bleep. When I saw him throw the pass over the middle, just. And then I didn't even know Malcolm caught it. I thought, oh, my God, they could have intercepted that. And Malcolm came up with the ball, and I go, oh, he's going to try to sell that he made the interception. And I said, all, but damn, they just won The Super Bowl. Malcolm just won the super bowl with an interception.

[Devin McCourty]

I thought it was one of the best calls that Seattle could have made at that point in time.

[Dan Patrick]

Because I'm watching Marshawn Lynch. I'm right, I'm staring right at him because I'm going, I have my camera out. I'm like, I'm, I'm, I got a great angle here.

[Devin McCourty]

And I, it was funny because he, he had just got it down to the one yard line.

[Dan Patrick]

Yeah.

[Devin McCourty]

Where he almost scored like Hightower, like threw his body out there to help, help him trip and fall at the one yard line. And I know Bill always talks about earlier in the fourth quarter they had a third and one situation and they ran the ball and we stopped them. And he felt like that discouraged him. But again, if I was the head coach, I would have been on the headset saying, give the ball to 24, I don't care, we give it to him two times. I'd rather lose hand in the ball to him.

[Dan Patrick]

He's NBC Football Night in America studio analyst and three time Super bowl champ Devin McCourty. I, I riled up my fan base here. I said if I'm the Raiders, I consider trading that number one overall pick. And I, and what I did is I used a quote from Ben Roethlisberger saying, you got to have the team ready to then bring the quarterback in. You have to have offensive line or skill position. The Raiders aren't ready and you're going to ask Fernando Mendoza to go in there to a organization that hasn't been trustworthy. I would at least be listening to offers from Arizona, Indy, Miami, the Jets and see, because you need, you need a lot. I just hate to see a rookie quarterback go into that situation. Your thoughts?

[Devin McCourty]

Yeah, I mean, I would agree with that to a certain extent. I think it matters how much you fall in love with Mendoza. Do you think, do you think Mendoza is the guy that can battle through two or three really bad years? And I think that's a hard decision because exactly what you said, asking a guy to do that is what we see in Seattle right now with Sam Darnold. Oh, it's Sam Darnold's fault. He's not that good. No, like the jets team wasn't ready for him to come in and be the quarterback. So then you fast forward, he looks like the problem and he goes elsewhere. But I think the hard thing is, is if you just think like, man, the journey of Mendoza, what he's done being at Indiana, I think if we get this guy, even though we might get a top five pick the next two years, those picks that we get will turn into these players that now will be able to go and win. Then to me, you can't pass up on them. But I would definitely listen to see, hey, how do we get our team better that you know, maybe a bridge quarterback can help us win some games. And now, next thing you know, we go get our guy, we're ready to possibly be in a conference championship or a Super Bowl.

[Dan Patrick]

Is Puka Nakua coverable?

[Devin McCourty]

No, I don't think so. And I say that because I think I remember when I was young and we played against Larry Fitzgerald and was Larry Fitzgerald coverable? No, not really. But because he didn't have the quarterback to make him even more dangerous, you were able to do different things that would, that limited him. With Puka Nakua, it's so hard because he's so good. But then Matthew Stafford understands when to throw it to him, how to change the routes, how to make him open, which makes it impossible, especially when you think about you got Devonte Adams on the other side and you don't want to live in one on one coverage with him all game either.

[Dan Patrick]

So what do you do? What's Seattle going to do?

[Devin McCourty]

I think, I think you, you pick your poison, right? If you say we're going to go one on one with Puka Nukua, but you're not going to have time to get them the ball and we're going to take everybody else away, I think that's one way to do it. Or you double team them, you try to take them out of the game by double teaming them. But I, I don't think that's really Seattle's thing. I think Seattle is going to run its defense and bet on getting to the quarterback, pressuring the quarterback and their guys holding up in the secondary. They have one of the best defenses in the NFL. I think they'll say we're willing to test that Sunday.

[Dan Patrick]

Would you be saying if you were facing Sam Darnold in Seattle, Sam, go ahead, beat us?

[Devin McCourty]

Yeah, you got to make Sam Darnold win the game. There's no doubt about it. And I think Sam Darnold's come a long way. I think he has an opportunity now. You think back, you know, four or five years ago, seeing ghosts and all of that. He has a chance to be a guy in the super bowl. But through that, you, you can't let him just drop back and throw easy passes. You got to put pressure. You got to take away Kenneth Walker in a run game and make Sam Darnold time after time, make the right throw, read the right coverage. And I think the key to that is pressure in the middle of the pocket, not running around the edge. How do you get pressure right in his face and make him move is what usually gives them problems.

[Dan Patrick]

What was your playing weight?

[Devin McCourty]

About 190 to 195.

[Dan Patrick]

Okay. What is it like knowing the guy who weighs 240 is coming at you and you know it's going to hurt and you know everybody's watching on tv, so you do have to make an effort here. But what is that feeling like you.

[Devin McCourty]

Just brought up Super Bowl 49. I, I told Hightower and Jamie Collins, do not let Marshawn lynch back here to me at all. I will help you with coverage as much as. But it, it, especially in these games, you don't even think about it because you, you relish at the opportunity to just get that guy down, just get him on the ground. Don't give up the big play. But it's not fun deciding how I'm going to get this guy on the ground. You just know you got to get him. You got to get him down.

[Dan Patrick]

But you know it's going to hurt.

[Devin McCourty]

It is always going to hurt, but it, it'll feel good because if you win the game, you get a couple drinks and you, after you celebrate and it all feels good.

[Dan Patrick]

We were talking to our audience. You know, fan bases have that one play that they just can't get over. Like Buffalo looking at the interception against Denver, they're not going to get over that. Is there a play that you're never going to get over?

[Devin McCourty]

Oh, Super Bowl 52, Zach Ertz beats me on a slant and ends up catching the game. Win a touchdown. When we lost to the Eagles and Super Bowl 52, right before we got the ball back, our office got the ball back with a little bit of time. But that play, I'll never, I'll never forget. I tell, I talk to my kids about that play already, about how you can work your butt off, be in the right situation, and it just doesn't work out. And you got a choice to make after that. Either you say, hey, that's it, I'm done, or you rebound and you try to play better next time in sports or anything in life. So Zach Ertz, I love him as a person, but I hate him because of that play.

[Dan Patrick]

Look like he pushed off a little bit here. Devil.

[Devin McCourty]

They all push off.

[Dan Patrick]

They all push off yeah, but you guys all hold.

[Devin McCourty]

Exactly, exactly. That's why I didn't say. I didn't get mad at the refs. It is what it is. And. And that was a play that I'll. I'll never forget.

[Dan Patrick]

Okay, explain this to me, because I was told this by a former player who played defensive back. He said, as long as I keep my hands inside you, like I can. I can hold on to one of your arms, I can pin one of your arms down. And as long as I'm looking back at the ball, then you can get away with some things. Is that a fair assessment of the new approach here, or is it a new approach?

[Devin McCourty]

Yeah, grab inside, grab low. Darrell Revis was the best at it. I remember training with him at Arizona, and he would show us all these little things. Like, he knew how when he was running down the sideline with a guy, he would be close to him and he would grab either their jersey or the undershirt under the jersey, and he'd be running with it. And he wouldn't just hold it the whole time. He would just tug at it a little bit and would catch him off guard. Like all those little things. He would always hold on those plays, but he knew how to hold. And the best defensive backs, they know how to hold. It's not. It's not. Do they hold. You got to just know how to do it and get away with it. And then when you do it for long enough, the refs, they don't. They don't even look for it because they know you're just that good. And I got the opportunity to see that from Revisit for a few years, and that's why he was so good.

[Dan Patrick]

But where's Reavis rank all time corners?

[Devin McCourty]

Definitely for me, for what I watched as an adult. For me, he would be one or two with Deion Sanders. Some of the key people I watched when I was really young, I would have to really go back and study the game. But he, he ranks up there right at the top. You know, I know like Aeneas Williams and Darrell Green when I was kids, like, those dudes were the dudes. Um, but Darrell Rivas, for me, especially in our era, he was the best.

[Dan Patrick]

But also, you know, you can look at stats and they can be misleading because you can say, oh, that guy only had X number of interceptions. Well, nobody was throwing in his direction. Nobody was throwing in Dion's direction. Nobody's throwing in Reavis's direction. It'd be the other cornerbacks who end up Getting, you know, a large bulk of the interceptions. Yeah.

[Devin McCourty]

And I think, I think what people forget is how, how players impact the game. Like in 2014, when we got Darrell re even, you know, two years before that, we got a key to leave. Like those guys dictated how we played defense. So when we played with Revis and then Stephan Gilmore became that, we moved our whole defense to the other side. We shifted coverage. Like when you're able to impact that and then the offense and basically what we say is we're going to make the quarterback look at his reads. And the read says, go backside and throw at that guy. And the quarterback says, no, I don't want to do that. Like that. That's a hall of Fame player. That's one of the best to do it. And I think I got, I was very fortunate. I got to play with some guys who did that at a high level. And I think when we go back and just read stats, we leave that part out of it. Where guys come and they dictate the whole game plan in a single game is really hard to do.

[Dan Patrick]

Always great to talk to you. Thank you, Devin.

[Devin McCourty]

Anytime, Dan. Go catching up.

[Dan Patrick]

Devin McCourty, football night in America. NBC and Peacock will bring you the Super Bowl. Super Bowl. He won three Super Bowls with the Patriots. Yeah, I forgot that he was covering the guy who had the game winning touchdown. Oops. That's a good one to bring up. Actually. You nailed it. Yeah. What's the one that you can't let go of? Oh, the one where we lost the Super Bowl. That was my. You know, it's unfortunate, but yeah, yeah, Paulie, he's got three rings though. You can laugh at it a little bit when you have three rings. Can you ever have enough rings? Can you? Yeah, four would sound a lot cooler. I would, yeah. Yeah. What a career though, huh? Yeah, yeah.

[Devin McCourty]

What a career.

[Dan Patrick]

Let's take a break here. People want to talk about my Fernando Mendoza Raiders take here. We'll get to more of your phone calls coming up. Back after this. Fox Sports Radio has the best sports talk lineup in the nation. Catch all of our [e-mail] and within the iHeartRadio app. Search FSR to listen live. I just went out in the grilling area, had some of the wagyu steak, man. It's great. Great. You can get it delivered right to your door. Heartland Steak Company with quick pickup and drop off at thousands of locations across North America. Flexible reservations and personalized support. Penske Truck Rental can help you get the right Reliable, fuel efficient vehicle when and where you need it most. Gain ground with Penske actually shipping some stuff out to San Francisco for the big game, courtesy of our friends at Penske. We'll get to your phone calls coming up and recapping what happened very quietly. College football couldn't come to an agreement or the powers that be to expand it to at least 16 teams and it will stay at 12 teams this upcoming year. And I'll give you a little information. The ACC will fix its tiebreaker, so Miami would have been in its conference championship game. They'll fix that. Notre Dame is protected moving forward if it's ranked in the top 12. The topic of field size will remain in discussion for the future, which is needed because you have conference media rights and the need to determine what, if any, conference championship games will be held in the future after next season. But college football is staying at 12 teams for at least one year. Brian in Missouri. Hi, Brian. What's on your mind today?

[Caller]

Happy Meat Friday, guys. Dan, I can't, I can't. As a Chiefs fan, I can't root for the Raiders to do the smart thing. But you are 100% right. And I've got their trading partner right here for you. The desperate New York Jets. And this is the reason in a 26 draft, the jets have two first rounds and two second rounds. And in the 27 draft, the jets have three first round picks. So they're an obvious trading partner and they're desperate.

[Dan Patrick]

Thank you, Brian. Yeah, I mean, I don't want him to go to the jets or Arizona or some of these other teams. I'm just talking about. The Raiders are on the clock. Would I at least explore the possibility of a trade? Absolutely, because you one player is not changing the franchise, at least not now. Now he can be a difference maker if he has a good offensive line, good coaching, offensive coordinator. They don't have a coach yet. And Brady has said he's more involved in broadcasting than he is being a Raiders owner. Reggie in California. Hi, Reg. What's on your mind?

[Caller]

Hey, what's going on, Dan? First time, long time, man. Yep, first time, long time. 5 11, 260. A hard 260. Hey, so this is kind of a long take, but I'll try to get to the point. Got a, you got a Raider fan out here kind of fired up with your take. So a lot of the, A lot of the issues with the offensive line, there's talent there, but a lot of. There was a lot of regression this year with, with Brandon Carroll, Pete's son that nobody seems to be talking about. And also, I mean, I heard you the other day talking about, about getting that, that rookie quarterback on that first year deal. And if the Raiders don't do it now, they do it now. They can reset the franchise. You get, you get that salary cap space, you can actually build the team and build it correctly. And if you get that coach, it's all the pressures on Brady and Spytech to get the coach and to put him with the right, the right quarterback. Fernando's a good quarterback. Nobody was saying anything when, when, when the, when the Bears were drafting Caleb Williams. They were a terrible franchise. They had a horrible offensive line. And two years later, look at them now. So it's possible to do it. I just don't understand the narrative now that the Raiders have the first pick. Everybody's talking about trading it and they should do this and they should do that. I think they should get their quarterback, which they haven't had since Gannon, get a quarterback and build around them and reset the franchise with, with everything that comes with that rookie contract.

[Dan Patrick]

Yeah, but the Bears were further along, Reg. You know, I thought they were going to be a playoff team. The previous year they had talent. You brought in Ben Johnson and he was able to make Caleb into a better quarterback. You know, the Raiders aren't close to that. And you're right, they did shore up the offensive line, but the Raiders need help. It's not just one guy. And it's like you're taking it personally that I, you know, I don't want the Raiders to succeed or Mendoza to succeed. I just analyzed this. I don't have a dog in the fight here. I'm just looking at this and saying, what would I do? I would look at least at a trade partner and just see what somebody says. You know, I would hate to find out later that somebody was like, they never reached out. We were willing to give. What if the jets would give you four first round picks? Two this year, two next year. You interested? I'd be. And you don't know until you know, until you ask and just see. It's not like if Fernando Mendoza is going to be like, well, wait a minute, they want to trade this. No, these are business decisions. That's all from the Raiders. I gotta explore everything. But it. This isn't, you know, me rooting against the Raiders or Fernando Mendoza. When the Raiders are good, the NFL benefits. And Mendoza is a great story. Would I love to have him as my quarterback if I had a good team in front of him. Yes, I would. Yes. But I would certainly explore, try to make my team better, because the more picks, the more talent, the better that opportunity is going to be when we do get our quarterback. Do you realize every year we talk about, hey, quarterbacks, Arch Manning comes out next year, Dante Moore comes out next year, there's going to be two other quarterbacks or three other quarterbacks where you go, wow, nobody knew about Fernando Mendoza. Cow. It put up good numbers. So, like, we're making it seem like, oh, my God, like he's not Arch Manning from the standpoint of this build up here, did he play great when he needed to? Yes. Great story. Yes. Hope he does great. But I got to make my team better. How do I make my team better? We get picks. Update the poll results. Seaton from the first two hours, if you can. Now I'm getting fired up. Yeah, everybody's getting a little fired up today about, oh, yeah, now all of a sudden, my team can't do whatever we're supposed to do. How do you feel about your team chirping before a game? Love it or hate it, it's about a 50, 50 split right now. Charles Barkley says he wants to do more work for the mothership. Yeah, he wants to work more. We'll talk about that coming up. Final hour in this Friday, right after this. This is an I Heart podcast. Guaranteed human.