Dan Patrick (2:53)

You are listening to the Dan Patrick show on FOX Sports Radio, Hour two. It's a meat Friday. Gang's all here, ready to go. This is our last show here at the Home man cave, and then we're headed out to San Francisco. And Monday through Friday, 6am local till 9am local. We'll be at the China Basin park, and that's in the shadows of the Oracle park, the baseball home of the San Francisco Giants. Come down and join us. Dress appropriately, probably a little breezy, around 40 degrees at 6am It's a meat Friday. Mango habanero glazed pork shoulder, Colorado stuffed chicken breast. They're courtesy of Heartland Steak Co. As well as macaroni and cheese, biscuits and mashed potatoes. Who has it better than we do? No, nobody. Phone calls coming up. Operator Tyler sitting by. 877-3-3-D morning. If you're watching on Peacock or the NBC Sports Network, we'll talk to the new head coach of the Atlanta Falcons, the former Cleveland Brown head coach Kevin Stefanski Rich Eisen, in an hour from now. And also in the final hour, we'll talk to Seattle quarterback Sam Darnold. Raiders and Cardinals still open for business, looking for their head coaches and probably waiting until the end of the super bowl to bring in maybe one of these coordinators. Certainly feels like that for the Raiders. And my tip off was when I was watching Tom Brady, listening to Tom Brady do the, you know, Seattle game, he talked a lot about Clint Kubiak dialing up stuff. And I'm thinking, and then he, I think at one point said, you know, and my guy, Clint Kubiak. And I'm going, I'll be damned. Tom's telling us who he's going to hire right here in front of us. But or at least he was flirting with him. And then you start to realize that maybe that's who is going to be the next head coach of the Raiders. Dear what? Who could have saw that coming? I know. I don't think he mentioned the offensive coordinator for the Rams, but all I know is Clint Kubiak was dialing up some stuff. And if, if he's dialing up stuff or Todd Monkin or Spags is dialing up something, you know, Monkin got the Cleveland Browns head coaching job, although I don't it felt like a who did we get? Okay? Because they couldn't take a chance any longer and have more potential candidates or candidates say, I don't want to interview for the job. And I thought Jim Schwartz, their defensive coordinator, was going to get it just because he would be the only guy who wanted it. He was in the building, and then all of a sudden, they announced they're bringing in Todd Monkin. And Jim Schwartz, the defensive coordinator, said, I'm out of here. I mean, imagine that. The one good thing about the Browns, their defense, and they lose their defensive coordinator. I'm out of here. Yes, Paulie.

Paulie (5:55)

Todd Monkin was there in 2019. He was the Browns OC then he went to Georgia for a few years, Ravens for a few years, and he's back.

Dan Patrick (6:04)

I mean, the Ravens ran a fun offense. They put points on the board. It's not the worst thing for a Browns fan to be like, hey, we got a guy who might play a fun brand of football, something we haven't seen in a long time. But I do. I have a quarterback who can play that style of offense. That would be the biggest concern because Shador Sanders is not playing the game the way Lamar Jackson does. Not even close. Well, you know, Josh Allen's probably the only one who does play that way. But you bring him in, they still have to decide if they have a quarterback. Okay, does Kevin Stefanski answer this question? Is Shador Sanders a franchise quarterback? Does he answer that? Paulie?

Paulie (6:49)

No, Because I watched him the other day, and when he's asked about Brown's things, he said, I'm all into the Falcons about the future and what's going on now.

Dan Patrick (6:57)

Come on.

Paulie (6:58)

Yeah, it's all future.

Dan Patrick (7:00)

It's all about content.

Kevin Stefanski (7:01)

Yeah.

Dan Patrick (7:01)

Doesn't he know I can't waste everybody's time? Can't be talking about the Falcons. Well, I'm going to ask about Kirk Cousins. What's his future there? Yes, Todd. I can see him answering it. Not to be rude, but he won't really say much. He'll say he could be, you know, we'll see what the future holds and just kind of leave it generic like that. Okay. Josh Allen had foot surgery, and, you know, they were bringing in Joe Brady, announcing him as the new head coach. And all of a sudden I see Josh Allen on crutches, and I'm like, wait, what happened here? So he had foot surgery. I don't know to what extent. I'm sure it was successful because all surgeries on athletes are successful. But he did take blame for Sean McDermott being fired. I'd be lying to you if I'm sitting here saying that, you know, I Feel like I had part in it. Because if we made. If I make one more play that game in Denver, we're probably not having this press conference right now. We're probably not making a change. And in all honesty, it's probably. We're probably getting ready to play another game. And that's. That's the hard part to take in from my perspective. Okay. Maybe got in front of the media. I appreciate that. Fell on his sword. Taking some blame there. You have an update on the surgery, Paulie?

Paulie (8:17)

Yeah. According to the Bills, it was his fifth metatarsal bone that he broke. It was an old injury that he re aggravated in the game, and they had it cleaned up. They like to use phrases like cleaned up. Surgery's negative. Well, cleaned up is nicer, but it's weird.

Dan Patrick (8:32)

Sean Payton is the one who announced the surgery and that he had had prior surgeries on his foot.

Paulie (8:37)

He's going team by team.

Kevin Stefanski (8:37)

That is a little weird that he would do that. Mind your business.

Dan Patrick (8:39)

Yeah, he's. He, he's the ombudsman for all the surgeries here. Hey, I, I. You guys had prior surgeries there? I know all about it. Yes. Paul.

Paulie (8:50)

Have you guys ever had one of those walking boots after an injury or surgery?

Dan Patrick (8:57)

No. No.

Paulie (8:58)

They're big.

Dan Patrick (9:00)

Yeah, most of my injuries are from my knees on up. I didn't have any. Even being a high flyer, you know, you'd think I'd have maybe some foot issues there, but. Marvin, why are you laughing? I didn't mean to laugh. Okay. Sorry. Come on. You're dating flyer. Oh, I dated a flyer. Yeah. Cheerleader. Yeah. I lost her to a rugby player. Yeah, those guys are tough. And maybe a basketball player, too. I don't know. Something got lost in translation.

Nav Green (9:41)

I'm glad you don't remember it.

Dan Patrick (9:43)

Oh, I remember it. I remember it. She tells everybody that we dated. I tell everybody that she left me. Yes. Todd, do you remember how that went down? Was there a conversation that she said? I just remember somebody saying, oh, your girlfriend's over at the rugby house. That's never a good sign. That's. That's not a good. Yeah, and I remember she had a crush on one of the basketball players, too, and would always talk about how cute he was.

Kevin Stefanski (10:14)

Oh, boy.

Dan Patrick (10:14)

Yeah, I just. I didn't read the room. That's a red flag.

Paulie (10:17)

Dp.

Dan Patrick (10:18)

You know, I read the room after she left the room, and she wasn't coming back. Like, I love you. Maybe not. Keep away from. Run around Sue.

Kevin Stefanski (10:28)

She's all over the place.

Dan Patrick (10:31)

Ah, you know, I was just worried about my jumper. You know, I should have worried about her. I hope she's doing well. Is that a country song? I was just worried about my jumper. I should have been worried about you.

Paulie (10:45)

It sounds like a country point black.

Dan Patrick (10:49)

Can you make basketball themed country songs that it's about the game and love. For love of the game. Wasn't that a. Was Tupac in that or wasn't there basketball? Basketball. Loving basketball. Yes. Tupac and Janet Jackson.

Nav Green (11:07)

Oh, that's poetic justice.

Dan Patrick (11:10)

For the love of the game was Kevin Costner. That's a Kevin Costner movie. Oh, was that baseball?

Paulie (11:17)

Yeah.

Dan Patrick (11:18)

Where he's a Detroit Tiger. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Paulie (11:22)

It always bothered me that the title was for love of the game, not for for the love of the game. And that's why I didn't see it.

Dan Patrick (11:28)

Oh, that was it. Yeah.

Paulie (11:29)

Truly.

Dan Patrick (11:30)

Okay. You confused Kevin Costner and Tupac. Yeah, I mean, it happens. Both great lyricists. Let's see. Who will be the first player to score 60 in a regular season game. Draftkings just sent me a list. Lucas the favorite than sga. Giannis. Anthony Edwards. Jalen Brown. Jalen Brunson Cooper. Flag goes for 49. Last night. Not on that list. There's interesting prop bets and I love the creativity. And I don't know if I have this correct. I remember reading it, but the first. What will be shown first? Alcatraz or the Bay Bridge? Oh, so this is the super bowl broadcast. Which landmark will be shown first? Todd? It's got to be the bridge. First of all, it's prettier. It's a prettier look than some old building. Secondly, I think most people would instantly realize what that is as opposed to, you know, unless there was some kind.

Kevin Stefanski (12:38)

Of neon sign that said alcaraz, which.

Dan Patrick (12:40)

I don't think they have, or Alcatraz. I call them Alcaraz. Watching too much of the Australian Open. They might show him. Yeah, they could.

Kevin Stefanski (12:46)

That would be weird.

Dan Patrick (12:47)

You could win a on that bet. Alar. And then you had Djokovic who just advanced to the finals of the Australian Open. Y and then I think Paulie said, hey, or maybe it was Marvin. Better joker. Nicola Jokic or Novak. Djokovic. Better joker. So the tennis player, basketball player poll question. Yeah, yeah. Better yoker. Yeah, I would say Djokovic because he's probably the greatest tennis player of all time and at his age. And he's going to go to the final and face Alcaraz or Alcatraz. Yes. Paulie.

Paulie (13:27)

Escape from Alcaraz. They've used that in tennis before.

Dan Patrick (13:30)

I didn't make it easy to do. Not easy to do, either.

Paulie (13:32)

A couple more prop bets for you. The BRGs just sent. These are very, very snarky. Seahawks to attempt a pass on or inside the Patriots one yard line.

Dan Patrick (13:41)

Oh, I know. I saw that one. Wow, that's snarky. That one's tough, that one callback. I. I saw a breakdown of that final drive by Russell Wilson Jr. III against the Patriots, and he was incredible. He was. I thought he was the best player on the field that night. And, you know, just big plays. And then you had curse with the catch and then you had Marshawn taking it down to the one and a half and he. He starts to the right side of Russell, goes to the left side, and then they throw the pass. Because once he went to the left side, I'm thinking, I got this unbelievable, unbelievable view. Marshawn lynch is running right into me in the end zone or right by the goal post. Because I thought, okay, all right, here it is. And Patriots can't do anything about it. They know it's going to happen. They can't do anything about it. And then all of a sudden, who's the guy? Browner. Marvin, you always mention this guy, Brandon Browner, the corner. Brandon Browner makes an unbelievable play because he grabs the receiver. And Devin McCourty or Jason McCourty said, you know, once we knew what the play was, you take away the guy who was going to set the pick or run interference and Browner grabs him, and then that allows Malcolm Butler to have a free run at the football. Like just little things. I mean, not little things that could get your coach into the hall of Fame, but just little things that the Patriots. I mean, the players saw that one coming, not the coach. Yeah, he didn't. He was like, damn, I didn't know that. Starting to hear more and more that when. When Armando Salguero, who is a voter and he writes for Outkick, and he talked about Spygate came up, and it lasted about an hour, the conversation about Belichick. And one of the voters followed up with me yesterday after the show, and he said that once Spygate came up and then Belichick's record without Tom Brady came up, he said, that's the first time I thought that I realized Belichick might not get in. He might not get 80% of the votes. But leading up to that thought, of course he's going to get in. How ironic would it be if Robert Kraft gets in and Belichick doesn't get in because there's. We don't know who got in of those other Pl. You know, the other nominees. We know Belichick didn't get in. I haven't heard anything about. Somebody said, you know, is L.C. greenwood going to get in? I go, I hope. I don't know if Kenny Anderson's getting in, Roger Craig, but it might be Robert Kraft, and he should be in the hall of Fame. But does he pay a price? Because he ran the organization that these things happened under, I guess you can say his watch. Yeah.

Paulie (16:48)

Paulie, when you had Sal Pal on the other day, he said, I don't look for the negatives. I look for the positives to make their case for the hall of Fame. Like, if you wanted to ding Brady for something, Tom Brady, who is as first ballot as it gets. What do you say? Oh, he went nine years without winning a Super Bowl. As if that's a negative. You know, you could make stuff up. You'd have to create something. But it's factually true. Yeah, but he was in them. He was in the AFC title game like, six times in that stretch.

Dan Patrick (17:14)

Yeah, but I, you know, Brady was directly involved in a cheating scandal. Deflategate, Spygate. You know, we, you know, Jimmy Johnson said, hey, we tried to do it. Other teams have. Have done this, and. And, you know, the same thing. But we kind of brush those off, you know, like, it's no big deal, but it's Belichick and the Patriots. Therefore, somehow, you know, it's more severe. But if you look at the Fleet Gate, I mean, that's Tom involved in manipulating a football, even though it's a silly rule. Silly rule. Yes. Marvin. I feel bad for the guys that are going to get into the hall of Fame because every super bowl, they get to the goal line and they announce all of the hall of Famers. They all go out there and they wave, and it's going to be one glaring omission. And the play by play guys, Collinsworth and Tariko, they're going to talk about Belichick not getting into the hall of Fame instead of the guys that actually did get in. Yeah. Hall of Fame did reach out and say, do you guys want to bring your show up here now?

Paulie (18:14)

We do.

Dan Patrick (18:14)

Yeah. Like, all right. But this is during the ceremonies. They want to know if we want to come out there in August, not now. Yeah. Yes. Todd, I just got to note, they just voted no.

Kevin Stefanski (18:25)

We didn't get the 80.

Dan Patrick (18:26)

That's kind of. Oh, they don't want it now. We didn't get enough votes. Darn it. Darn it. All right, let me take a break. We'll talk to the Falcons head coach Kevin Stefanski. We'll get to more of your phone calls as well in this meet Friday. We're back after this. 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, it's Ben, host of the Fifth Hour with Ben Maller. Would mean a lot to have you join us on our weekly auditory journey. You're asking, what in God's name is the fifth Hour? I'll tell you. It's a spin off of the Ben Mather Show, a cult hit overnights on fsr. Why should you listen? Pen picture if you will, a world where we chat with captains of industry in media, sports and more every week. Explore some amazing facts about human nature and more. Listen to the fifth hour with Ben Mather on the iHeartRadio app, Apple podcast or wherever you get your podcast. It all comes down to this one game, the best of the best playing for the Lombardi Trophy. If you're watching at home, watch it like it matters. You watch it on the TCL Ultimate Series, the QMAK or the QM9K Super Bowl Football. Big stadium lights, fast cuts, big hits and bigger debates. Was he in? Was he out? Did he cross the line? TCL brings you the ultimate brightness, ultimate black level so the picture stays clean. So clean you can almost smell the fresh cut grass. You can see the ball spinning on that deep shot. You don't have to go, wait a minute, hold on. Run that back. I didn't see it clearly. Go big. The ultimate series available 98 inch class. Every seat is a great seat in the house and not just for people in the middle. If you can't be in the stadium, TCL Ultimate Series is the next best seat available at all major retailers. TCL, the official TV partner of the NFL here for Super Bowl 60. 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. Listen to how to Money on the IHEARTRADIO app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.

Kevin Stefanski (20:54)

On June 11, 1998, a deputy from.

Dan Patrick (20:56)

The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department went missing. It's an all out manhunt for John Auge. Every search and rescue team in LA.

Caller/Guest (21:04)

County has been called in to help.

Dan Patrick (21:06)

Within days, tips started flooding into the Sheriff's department. They ruler around the drug scene. Was that a deputy was taken care of.

Kevin Stefanski (21:16)

Is this the story of a man.

Dan Patrick (21:17)

Who just got lost in the desert? Or of a cover up inside the nation's largest sheriff's department? A homicide captain saying detective, do not find out if this guy's guilty or innocent. Who does that? Valley of Shadows a new series from Pushkin Industries about crime and corruption in California's high desert. Do you have any advice for us while looking into this disappearance?

Caller/Guest (21:44)

I wouldn't do it alone.

Dan Patrick (21:47)

Listen to Valley of shadows on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.

Nav Green (21:54)

This show contains information subject to but not limited to personal takes, rumors, not so accurate stats and plenty more. What's up man? This your boy Nav Green from the Broken Play podcast. Look, it's the end of the season. The playoffs are here. But guess what? It ain't the end of your season. You can always tune in with Broken Play podcast with Nav Green on the Black Effect Podcast Network. Another team who ain't going to the playoffs. The Chiefs. What's a wrap? It's time to rebuild. Who your MVP right now. Then Drake May up there, Josh Allen up there still. Oh my boy Matthew Stafford.

Dan Patrick (22:29)

Where did Nicks at? He ain't too far behind. He did all this talking. What Matthew Stafford is doing statistically bro is crazy.

Nav Green (22:36)

Bro, you know I ain't no Josh Allen fan, but Matthew Stafford got better web. Caleb Williams.

Dan Patrick (22:42)

Hey, he should be in that conversation. And what conversation?

Nav Green (22:45)

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.

Dan Patrick (22:54)

Sam Darnold will join us in an hour from now. Rich Eisen will join us. Coming up at the top of the hour, Kevin Stefanski, the Falcons head coach, two time coach of the year, joining us on the program. Coach, congratulations. Where are your coach of the year awards?

Kevin Stefanski (23:11)

You know, one was on my daughter's bed stand for a minute. She liked it. And that one I think is somewhere in storage. And then the other one I gave to my cousin Steve because the night of that award. I don't know if you remember this, but I wasn't there, but the person that announced the award said Steve Stefanski. So my cousin Steve, who I'm very close with, he has that somewhere in his home office.

Dan Patrick (23:37)

Does it say Steve Stefanski on it now?

Kevin Stefanski (23:40)

The award itself has mine. Never miss an opportunity to have a joke like that.

Dan Patrick (23:47)

What do those awards mean to you?

Kevin Stefanski (23:50)

You know, it means a lot to me because that's such a. Those individual awards are such a reflection of the collective. And I think about those. You know, one of them was from year one for us in Cleveland in 2020, when went to the playoffs, won a playoff game, and just the. That team and those coaches and how we battled. That was the COVID year, and everybody knows how unique all of that was. And then the one from 23 was a great reflection on an amazing group of guys that fought and scratched and clawed our way to the playoffs behind unbelievable defense, behind multiple quarterbacks, and that's a credit to the coaching staff. I know the award says my name, but, man, that is. That's an award that goes to coaching staff.

Dan Patrick (24:30)

How do you know you're wired to be a head coach? Great.

Kevin Stefanski (24:34)

I don't know. Good question. I don't. It's funny. I didn't set out to. To have this job. This was not a grand plan. I think fourth grade, I wanted to be an architect, if I remember correctly. But, yeah, these type of things, they just. What I try to do is keep my head down, do the job I have that's currently in front of me. I was so blessed along the way to. To be put in positions that. That where I could grow and. And I can't. I can't tell you how lucky I was to be at the Vikings, for instance, for 15 seasons and. And to. To move my way around that coaching staff. I didn't set out for that. That wasn't the roadmap. But I found myself in this position.

Dan Patrick (25:12)

Yeah. Because I've said before, there are certain guys who were just meant to be coordinators. When you become a head coach, I mean, you got to be. You're answering to everybody about everything. You got to be a CEO and you get further away from what you really love doing. And being a coordinator.

Kevin Stefanski (25:29)

Yeah, it's very interesting. You're right. And I loved my time as a position coach. I loved my time as a coordinator. I remember when I was named a coordinator for the first time. I'm at practice and I'm walking around during individual periods as the quarterbacks are working and the tight ends are working over here. And where do I go? Where do I fit in here? And then as a head coach, now I'm helping out the defense or I'm watching special teams. So you're always trying to navigate where you can help. And certainly as you get farther, as you get to the coordinator role or you get to the head coach role, it is easy to get farther away from that. So you have to work very hard to get involved in drills, get involved in meetings, be intentional about. That is important.

Dan Patrick (26:08)

When you interview with the Falcons, how much is your interviewing them or them interviewing you?

Kevin Stefanski (26:15)

It's absolutely both. You know, I was very fortunate over the last few weeks to go on some visits to have some zooms with different teams and those were fact finding missions for me. I've been doing this now. I've been in the league for 20 years, so I know a lot of people. I know a lot of people I'm talking to. We have mutual friends. But I'm trying to find out about these buildings and find out who these people are and what they're about. Obviously you make your phone calls and you certainly know who they are from other people. But then you sit across from somebody, I think you get a feel for somebody and you talk about what your values are, what they believe in and see if there's a mesh there, if you will.

Dan Patrick (26:52)

How do you use Matt Ryan?

Kevin Stefanski (26:54)

Oh, man, in a lot of ways. And Matt being here in this role was a huge draw for me that pulled me to this building. Matt's somebody that I've known about for a long time. We both grew up in the Philadelphia area. I've known who Matt is about, what he's about. I know exactly where he is in terms of how he feels and sees this game. And that was important to me because Matt's somebody that I'm going to rely heavily on on a day to day basis, on a big picture basis as a thought partner. You know, we hired Ian Cunningham last night as our general manager. So within with myself, with Matt, we're going to put our heads together as we move forward here. But having a person like Matt that knows this city, that knows what winning is about, that's such a huge deal for me.

Dan Patrick (27:42)

Kevin Stefanski, the Falcons head coach, Kirk Cousins situation, trying to understand what happened either yesterday or day before his future with Atlanta is what we'll see.

Kevin Stefanski (27:57)

That's why we hired Ian Cunningham, you know, just got in last night, so we'll see. On all those type of decisions, obviously, it's no secret Kirk and I have a relationship. I Think very, very highly of the person. I think very highly of the player. All those type of decisions are something that Ian will get in here, and again, we'll put our heads together and all those type of things. But no secret that, you know, Kirk, somebody I have a tremendous amount of respect for.

Dan Patrick (28:22)

Do you have uniform approval?

Kevin Stefanski (28:26)

That's not my. Not my contract. And I'm. I'm one of those guys, Dan. Like, whatever's in the locker, I'm wearing. So let's go.

Dan Patrick (28:34)

Oh, man, those 80 throwbacks. Public, public sentiment here, coach.

Kevin Stefanski (28:39)

Yeah. I love. As you can see. As you can see, I love these colors. I love this logo. But I'll stay in my lane. I'll let those. The smart people make those decisions.

Dan Patrick (28:49)

Can we have your old Browns gear?

Kevin Stefanski (28:52)

You could have. It's given away already, though, so you're gonna have to go find it, fight it from some other people. You know, the hardest thing is what these teams do an amazing job of the equipment staff in Cleveland. Unbelievable. The equipment staff here. Unbelievable. But what they do is they put your name in every article of clothing.

Dan Patrick (29:09)

Yeah.

Kevin Stefanski (29:09)

So you got to be careful. You don't want that to show up at Goodwill. And someone's pulling out, you know, Kevin Smansky sweatshirt. So I try to give those away to some friends and family in the. In the Cleveland area, but sure enough, they'll pull the tag and show you that that was my sweatshirt.

Dan Patrick (29:23)

I watched your press conference, your introductory press conference. I know you didn't want to talk about the Cleveland Browns, so you want to swap this way you can. But was it fair to Shador and Dylan to be put in a situation like that as rookies?

Kevin Stefanski (29:39)

Well, first of all, Dan, I would tell you I have zero ill will towards anyone in that building. D. And Jimmy Haslam treated me unbelievably, treated my family unbelievably. So I have no ill will towards all those type of things. As it relates to decisions like that, it's not fair for me to comment those two young players. I love those guys. I loved coaching them. I love their development as a coach. What we. What. Why we do this is you take a player and you try to get a little bit more out of them and you try to develop them, and I want to get this guy better at that. And I think both those guys, you can point to their rookie seasons and say, man, they got better in these areas. Ultimately, we want to continue to improve, and those guys, both of them will. But I think very highly of those two young men.

Dan Patrick (30:22)

Yeah. It's just tough, you know, no matter how old you are, to play that position in the NFL, let alone to go in there and, you know, thrown into that. And I just wondered, you know, you're the head coach and, you know, you're an offensive minded guy and trying to put them in a position to succeed as rookies had to be, you know, one of the more challenging things you probably have gone through.

Kevin Stefanski (30:47)

I'm happy to have gone through it. You know, it was one of those unique things, trying to find out ways to structure the off season, find out ways to make sure you're bringing them along. You know, developing young quarterbacks is something that we want to be, you know, want to be at the forefront of. So again, love those two young guys and they'll continue to improve once again.

Dan Patrick (31:06)

He's Steve Stefanski. He is the new head coach.

Paulie (31:09)

Steve.

Dan Patrick (31:09)

Yep.

Kevin Stefanski (31:11)

Hey, I'll answer to anything.

Dan Patrick (31:12)

Don't worry. Thank you, coach, and appreciate your time.

Kevin Stefanski (31:17)

Yeah, appreciate you guys.

Dan Patrick (31:19)

That's Kevin Stefanski. That's funny. That's fun. Give it to your buddy named Steve. Yeah, I mean, the whole quarterbacking situation, that's the tough part of it is you're the coach and you're coaching for your job management. Ownership gives you these two quarterbacks. You get rid of Joe Flacco, which I would have kept Flacco as long as I could because those two quarterbacks, those rookie quarterbacks, they need time. They are nowhere near ready to be a franchise quarterback. Nowhere near. And you could tell that. And then all of a sudden you kind of modify your offense, your playbook, and you know, this is, this is an offensive minded guy and there's only so much you can do and should or so, you know, he showed some signs, but he's really not ready to be a starting quarterback, in my opinion. And Dylan Gabriel. But you had put somebody out there. That was the problem. You had too many quarterbacks and then you didn't have enough. Yeah.

Paulie (32:24)

Paulie, I'm really curious about the Falcons quarterback situation going forward. Michael Penix, I think he's got four and eight as a starter in two years. Injuries, a couple nice games here or there, but it feels like they have a great roster but not assured at the quarterback position.

Dan Patrick (32:40)

And you know that Kevin is friends with Kirk Cousins and working with him in Minnesota. Now, granted, at what age? 37, I still think he's a better quarterback than Michael Penix, but I, I mean, it certainly felt like the Falcons were approaching releasing Kurt Cousins. And then I wonder, does Kirk could He go back to Minnesota? Could he go to Pittsburgh? Could he take Matt Ryan's job at cbs, their pregame show? So some options there. I just know I got Bijan Robinson. And when you have that, when you go on the field, you know you have one guy who is better than probably anybody else on that field in most games. You got that guy, that weapon and you got a division that you can win. And he gets to Face Baker Mayfield Jr. III a couple of times a year. Yes, Mark.

Nav Green (33:34)

And also, can he turn Kyle Pitts.

Dan Patrick (33:36)

Into the player that we all thought he was going to be when he.

Nav Green (33:38)

Came out of the draft?

Dan Patrick (33:39)

We thought he was going to change the Titan position. But is Pitts going to be there next year? I think this is his last year contract, I think. All right, some phone calls here. Bill in Sarasota. Hi, Bill. What's on your mind today?

Caller/Guest (33:55)

Good morning. I'm a longtime listener and didn't think I was going to get through. So, you know your question earlier today about what the NFL needs to look at at super bowl.

Dan Patrick (34:07)

Yeah.

Caller/Guest (34:08)

I'm 67, so I've been watching a lot of football. Ravens fan here down in Sarasota, Florida. When I sit and watch games with my friends, none of us know what a pass interference is anymore. None of us. And it's ruining the game. I don't care what they're charging me to watch the game. I buy the Sunday ticket. I do all that stuff. But they are ruining the sport for me because games are decided by these calls. Every team has a gripe. I think the NFL needs to figure out they've got the technology, some kind of format where they do a tutorial, a video tutorial with refs and they go through plays and they break them down and they show us why that was and why that wasn't pass interference. Give me a pregame show. It could be on espn, whatever. But we are lost out here. That's my big grip about the NFL right now. I don't care what they're charging me. I don't know what the game is anymore.

Dan Patrick (34:59)

That's fair. I think it's a great idea if you could get a couple of former officials. I'd love to have current officials and they could tell you what they look for. It's amazing the number of times when I watch slow motion and I watch a DB and a wide receiver kind of hand to hand combat. But that DB almost always trying to turn around to the football and he's going to put his hand on one of your arms. Almost always. And, you know, as a former defensive back told me, if you keep it inside, it's not egregious. If I keep my hands in, you're going to get away with that, and the offense and defense knows that. But I want to know what you see, like, what will you call if your head is turned to the receiver and you're. You're not playing the quarterback, you're playing the receiver. They're going to call that every time. But if you keep your hands in and there's kind of Jocelyn and I, I can hold your arm down and get away with it. I just be. I'd love to have somebody say, this is what we allow. I can. I can put my arm around you. Let's say you go across the middle. I can put my arm around you, behind you, as long as I'm not pulling. But I can use you to then get in front of the football and knock it away. But they allow that. So there's certain things where you go, is that pass interference? Or why isn't that pass interference? Or are you kidding me? That's pass interference. Yeah.

Paulie (36:38)

Paulie, What I think makes it worse for the refs every year is we have more technology, more cameras, slower, better slow motion replays instantaneously. And those replays are cut and put on social media within seconds of the play. So even if you're not watching, you could find it and react to it and announce your fervor about it.

Dan Patrick (36:57)

My fervor?

Paulie (36:58)

Your fervor. I mean, it gets. 25 years ago, there was one replay maybe of each play, and it was grainy.

Dan Patrick (37:06)

But then I'm trying to rack my brain of what I thought was pass interference, and I thought contact, like just something simple. Now I can put my hands on you in certain situations. And trying to understand what they're calling, what they're looking for would help us when we're watching, because then we'd go, oh, yeah, they're not going to call that. Or, that's not past interference. Oh, Michael in Fort Wayne. Hi, Mike. What's on your mind today?

Caller/Guest (37:38)

Hey, Dan, thanks for taking my call. And happy meat Friday to you and the whole team.

Dan Patrick (37:42)

Thank you.

Caller/Guest (37:42)

Firstly, I'd like to officially submit my nomination to get Herb White on the show. I bet he's got some great stories and he's a voice that no one's heard, I can guarantee you that. Secondly, just one thought for you, and you can let me know if I'm off base. But as teams scramble to hire a new head coach, this time of year, coaching trees get mentioned a lot. And every time I hear it, I roll my eyes just a little because we all look at the success of Andy Reid or Nick Saban's assistance and we say, look at the tree. It's because of the tree. But then Bill Belichick, who's apparently not a Hall of Famer, well, he's got a tree, too. And aside from Rabel, his tree stinks.

Dan Patrick (38:23)

Yeah.

Caller/Guest (38:23)

So it all just seems like a nice little fun fact and graphic that we like to put on the screen. But it's just a correlation, not a causation.

Dan Patrick (38:30)

All right, thank you, Michael. Well, wait till Mike Tomlin comes up for a Hall of Fame discussion. There's no coaching tree there. Sean McVeigh or Kyle Shanahan, they had a coaching tree. Or Bill Walsh or Mike Holmgren, they had a coaching tree. Okay, I want to know if you can coach. Like, okay, you got some assistance and you developed them and they became head coaches. Great. How did you do? That's the most important part. You know, if I see Charlie Weiss wasn't a good head coach or Romeo Cornell, it doesn't take away from Bill Belichick. It, if anything, adds to the fact that he won with them. Like, it's not like those guys. They weren't very good as a head coach. How were they as coordinators? Not everybody needs to be a head coach. Yes, Paul.

Paulie (39:21)

So you're saying the worst your coaching tree, the better you were as a coach. It's actually a good thing.

Dan Patrick (39:25)

Yeah.

Paulie (39:26)

Okay. Against the grain.

Dan Patrick (39:28)

I'm going to spin it. We're going to get Belichick into the hall of Fame by next week. You know, I appreciate that. We'll take a break. More phone calls coming up. We're back after this. Fox Sports Radio has the best sports talk lineup in the nation. Catch all of our shows@foxsportsradio.com and within the iHeartRadio app. Search FSR to listen live. It all comes down to this one game. The best of the best, playing for the Lombardi Trophy. If you're watching at home, watch it like it matters. You watch it on the TCL ultimate series, the QM8K or the QM9K. Super bowl football. Big stadium lights, fast cuts, big hits and bigger debates. Was he in? Was he out? Did he cross the line? TCL brings you the ultimate brightness, ultimate black level, so the picture stays clean. So clean you can almost smell the fresh cut grass. You can see the ball spinning on that deep shot. You don't have to go. Wait a minute, hold on. Run that back. I didn't see it clearly. Go big. The ultimate series available 98 inch class every seat is a great seat in the house and not just for people in the middle. If you can't be in the stadium, TCL Ultimate Series is the next best seat available at all major retailers. TCL, the official TV partner of the NFL here for Super Bowl 60. 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. Listen to how to Money on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.

Kevin Stefanski (41:24)

On June 11, 1998, a deputy from.

Dan Patrick (41:27)

The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department went missing. It's an all out manhunt for John Awjay. Every search and rescue team in LA.

Caller/Guest (41:34)

County has been called in to help.

Dan Patrick (41:36)

Within days, tips started flooding into the Sheriff's department. The rumor around the drug scene was that a deputy was taken care of.

Kevin Stefanski (41:46)

Is this the story of a man.

Dan Patrick (41:48)

Who just got lost in the desert? Or of a cover up inside the nation's largest sheriff's department? A homicide captain saying detective, do not find out if this guy's guilty or innocent. Who does that? Valley of Shadows, a new series from Pushkin Industries about crime and corruption in California's high desert. Do you have any advice for us while looking into this disappearance?

Caller/Guest (42:15)

I wouldn't do it alone.

Dan Patrick (42:18)

Listen to Valley of shadows on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.

Nav Green (42:24)

This show contains information subject to but not limited to personal takes, rumors, not so accurate stats, and plenty more. What's up man? This your boy Nav Green from the Broken Play podcast. Look, it's the end of the season. The playoffs are here. But guess what? It ain't the end of your season. You can always tune in with Broken Play podcast with Nav Green on the Black Effect Podcast Network. Another team who ain't going to the playoffs. The Chiefs. What's a wrap? It's time to rebuild. Who your MVP right now then Drake May up there.

Dan Patrick (42:55)

Josh Allen up there still.

Nav Green (42:57)

Oh my boy.

Dan Patrick (42:58)

Matthew Stafford. Where did Bo Nicks at? He ain't Too far behind. He did all this talking. What Matthew Stafford is doing, statistically, bro, is crazy.

Nav Green (43:06)

Bro, you know, I ain't no Josh Allen fan, but Matthew Stafford got better weapon. Caleb Williams.

Dan Patrick (43:13)

Hey, he should be in that conversation. In what conversation?

Nav Green (43:15)

He should be in it. Listen to Broken Play with Nav Green from the Black Effect podcast Network on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast.

Dan Patrick (43:25)

Matt in Ohio. Good morning, Matt. What's on your mind today?

Caller/Guest (43:29)

Hey, good morning, guys.

Dan Patrick (43:29)

How you doing? Good.

Caller/Guest (43:32)

So a couple weeks ago, I fell and dislocated my elbow and I haven't been able to do so much, so I've been kind of sitting around. I thought of an idea for a shirt and also a product placement. So the T shirt would say, this shirt is sick. S I C Shut in crew. On the front of it would be a picture of Dan with all his surgeries and problems. On the back of it would be Fritzy. And then kind of sprinkle the guys in between it. Just as irony kind of had it. Right after I did this, I told my wife that we need to go out and get something because I cannot sleep in bed until this thing starts to heal. So I picked up a Z Kliner and I thought maybe you could pick up Z Kleiner as a sponsor on the shirt and just say, sponsored by Z. Kleiner.

Dan Patrick (44:20)

All right. Little product placement. A lot of thought given that. But Matt has a lot of time to just think. Can't move. Z Kliner. Zero gravity. If you want to fall asleep. 7% of adults have a hard time sleeping in a bed. Maybe eight. Now with Matt, just letting you know. See Josh in Texas. Hi, Josh. What's on your mind today?

Caller/Guest (44:45)

Hey, guys, thanks for taking my call. Kind of nervous. 59195. First time, long time. I just wanted to thank you guys for what you do. My best friend and I used to hang out on Friday mornings and watch the show. We called it Friend Friday. He passed away back in August. I just wanted to give him a shout out. His name was Jet. I miss our friend Fridays, but they definitely live on through you guys. But, Dan, all you guys, I appreciate what you do. True professionals. Been a fan for a long time. Always enjoy the show. But I believe you're one of the last true professional journalists. I saw a post on X last night about the sports reporters. Always love that show. They ask if you feel like professional journalism is slowly fading away. And then my last thing, a previous caller put in a vote for someone who might be worthy to Take over when you unfortunately and inevitably retire. And I'd like to second a vote for Ross Tucker and then happy meat Friday and friend Friday, boys.

Dan Patrick (45:49)

Thank you, Josh. Thanks for the phone call. Well, I'm worried that you see a lot of newspapers, the sports department going away, Washington Post newspaper in Pittsburgh. But I, you know, I was fortunate that I grew up in an environment where writing was really important and reporting was really important, and we've never wavered off this. You know, I'm not a hot take guy, but I. That it's not what I was brought up to do. Now, I know that's the popular thing to do. I just. I want to give you an informed take. A hot take just feels careless, like you didn't give it any research. And, you know, if it means I wait an hour or wait a day or wait a week and then give you an opinion, it's because I hope it's an educated opinion, not off the top of my head, because that's not what I was brought up doing. And we'll go out the same way I came in. Matt in la. Hi, Matt. What's on your mind today? Good morning.

Caller/Guest (46:51)

A little more Belichick talk. I read an article that said that senior members or veteran players who have not yet made it into the NFL were lumped in with coaches. And this. This person was saying that. I don't know if he was a voter or he spoke to a voter, and he said that that impacted because it was. I know there were two of the three. I remember Elsie Greenwood and Roger Craig.

Dan Patrick (47:12)

Yeah.

Caller/Guest (47:13)

And he voted for them. He said that took his vote away from Bill Belichick. And then secondly, I was just wondering, is Fritzi known as the minister of humor because he's so well versed in what's not funny? Wow.

Dan Patrick (47:26)

I thought we were gonna be able.

Kevin Stefanski (47:27)

To go through the rest of the show on Friday.

Dan Patrick (47:29)

Yes, yes. We're getting all these compliments. Was going in such a positive direction. Yeah, yeah, get that zinger in. I don't want voters to try to change the rules midstream. If you say, oh, you know what? I'm not gonna vote for Belichick, he'll get in. Let me get these other guys in. Okay. That's a great gesture on your part, but vote yes or no. Not. I'm not gonna waste my vote over here. I'm gonna do. I want to see Kenny Anderson, Roger Craig, Elsie Greenwood get in the hall of Fame. Yes, I do. But Belichick should be in the hall of Fame. That's who you should. Out of all the candidates, who's the best candidate? Bill Belichick. And then after that, it's Robert Kraft. But I think when you are all of a sudden trying to change the rules, I have a problem with that. Yeah, Pauline. Or. Yes, Eaton. I don't understand why you even have to have, like. Well, it's like somewhere between three to five that get in a year. Like, why not just have it be. If there's seven hall of Fame candidates that year, then put all seven in. Who cares how many it is? I agree. It's not like when I go, oh, golly, there's way. We will say not that many candidates this year. There is. It's overcrowded in the waiting room for the hall of Fame. Now. Does that mean everybody gets in? No, you're just a candidate. But, like, Darren Woodson should be in the hall of Fame, in my opinion. Played for the Cowboys, played on championship teams, but I don't know if he's going to get in. Rodney Harrison. I know when I see somebody, I go, that's a Hall of Fame player. I saw Kenny Anderson play. He was an mvp, but he got lost in the quarterback shuffle. You know, he wasn't Montana or Marino. You know, he was kind of in the middle there, and he played for, you know. Well, they did go to the super bowl one year and faced Joe Montana. But is everybody going to get in? No, they're not. But those who should get in, should get in. Right. Right in the moment. Not, you know, Belichick will get in. And then all of a sudden, how. How many of these coaching candidates have we done the following. What was their record? What was Jimmy Johnson's record without Troy Aikman? Just. They did this to Belichick. They're like, yeah, losing record without Tom. Okay, Coaching tree. Okay. Spygate. Okay. Jimmy Johnson came out and said, we tried to do that and others. And a former Colts assistant was a master at doing that. Yeah. Seaton. Isn't it crazy how before Tom Brady left New England, the whole talking point was, well, yeah, but Tom's only great because of Bill. And now all of a sudden, Tom goes to Tampa and it's like, oh, look, it turns out Bill was completely overrated this whole time. Thank God for Tom. That's crazy. Yeah, the flip. I. I just. You know how we're putting Belichick out on an island and we didn't do that for other coaches. Did anybody say, well, what was Bill Walsh's record without Steve Young and Joe Montana? I don't care. I know what it was with them.

Paulie (50:45)

Yeah, Paulie, the common thread is the other guys you mentioned were all cooperative with the media. When they're at their peak.

Dan Patrick (50:51)

Yeah, I guess. Rich Eisen will join us. Unknown from NFL Network does his radio show on the mothership. Also, Sam Darnold will stop by final hour on this Meat Friday. Boy, that was quick. Fritzi, Seaton, Marv, Paulie, yours truly, Final hour, right after this. This is an I Heart podcast. Guaranteed human.