The Dan Patrick Show – Hour 3 – NFL Floating Ideas, Reggie Miller (Feb 24, 2026)

Episode Overview

In this lively episode of The Dan Patrick Show, Dan and the Danettes debate ongoing NFL rule changes, the legitimacy of the "Tush Push" play, and discuss college admissions and party schools. The second half of the hour features a wide-ranging conversation with NBA Hall of Famer Reggie Miller, covering his college recruitment, NBA star recognition, All-Star Weekend, tanking in the NBA, the future of All-Star Saturday, basketball culture, and more. The episode mixes thoughtful sports analysis, locker room nostalgia, and classic Dan Patrick wit.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

NFL's "Eye in the Sky" and the Replay Debate (03:26–07:33)

• NFL’s Proposal: Dan outlines the NFL's floated idea (from Troy Vincent, VP of Football Ops) of adding an “eye in the sky” official who could intervene remotely to correct blown calls. This sparked debate on sports shows and in columns nationwide.
• Poll Result: 76% of the show’s audience prioritizes getting calls right over just smooth game flow.
• Dan’s Perspective: Dan is skeptical about the NFL’s public approach, suggesting they want to gauge fan and media reaction:

  “This was suggested, this was brought up by the NFL, not by members of the media. That I found really curious because that sounds like we would like to do this.” (03:39)

• On Consistency: Dan criticizes the NFL for what he sees as wavering commitment to rule changes based on which teams are successful—like the Tush Push (Philadelphia’s QB sneak variant):

  “Because the Eagles were successful, they wanted to take that out. The Eagles were not successful with it last year and all of a sudden it seems like it's okay, it's here to stay for at least another year.” (07:57)

The "Tush Push" Controversy and Nick Sirianni/A.J. Brown Rumors (04:51–07:57)

• Tush Push’s Double Standard: The NFL is more tolerant when teams fail to execute the play, but previously cited safety and aesthetics as reasons for possible banning.
• On Head Coach Nick Sirianni’s Comments: Dan finds it odd Sirianni is speaking about A.J. Brown’s future when that should be GM Howie Roseman’s duty.
• Prediction:

  “Do I think AJ Brown will be on another team next year? I do, because I think he wants to be on another team for whatever reasons.” (06:41)

Poll Questions Recap and College Admissions Tangent (08:43–12:12)

• Fun Poll Questions:
  • Floyd Mayweather – audience more interested in seeing him lose (82%) than win.
  • Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s lack of fame is due to lack of viewership and playing in Oklahoma City.
  • 60% would attend USC over UCLA.
• Admission Anecdotes: Banter about Ivy League schools, Brown's “pass/fail” system, and stories of the college(s) Dan and crew didn’t get accepted to.

Military Service and Sports Metaphors (11:27–12:17)

• Military Pecking Order:

  “...a Marine, a guy in the Navy, an Air Force guy and an army guy... all of them were just digging on the Air Force guy. But there was like a pecking order where the Marine was like, okay, so you guys know I'm like the alpha dog here, right?” (11:34)

• Shows the type of laid-back, humorous banter the show is known for.

Chargers’ Lack of Attention & “Proof of Concept” in Sports (12:17–15:53)

• Caller from Oregon asks why the Chargers get little attention.
• Dan’s Analysis: Chargers are like “Arizona basketball”—plenty of promise, but lacking playoff proof.

  “A sports fan wants to believe what he's seeing is real. Not like, I don't know.” (14:10)

• Jokic Example: Early skepticism about Jokic’s MVP legitimacy has given way to Hall-of-Fame consensus.

Hockey Collectibles – Jack Hughes’ Helmet Story (15:53–16:55)

• Call-in topic: Jack Hughes (NHL) threw his helmet into the stands, but it was tossed back out.
• Value:

  “Darren Revelle... estimates $350,000 for the helmet; the jersey could go for easily over a million and upwards of 2 million if we were sold while the story was hot.” (16:05–16:13)

• Brief talk about US Olympic and Paralympic Museum (Colorado Springs).

Featured Guest: Reggie Miller (21:17–40:02)

College Recruitment Stories & UCLA vs. USC (21:17–23:57)

• Reggie Miller: Jokes about UCLA being harder to get into than USC:

  “It’s much harder, much harder to get into the state school than it is to pay someone underneath the table. You can pay your way into usc, you're not paying your way into ucla, my friend.” (21:40)

• Recruitment: UCLA only recruited him after their top three choices went elsewhere.
• Other schools considered: Arizona State, Cal State Fullerton—“Those were really the only options for me.” (23:47)

NBA Star Popularity & Market Size (24:25–27:31)

• Jeopardy! Moment: SGA (Shai Gilgeous-Alexander) as MVP and why he isn't a bigger name:

  “Probably because of the market he plays in. He’s in a small market... but come on now, that’s a little baffling because he is an NBA champ and he is our MVP, reigning MVP.” – Reggie Miller (24:55)

• Dan & Reggie agree: Only 10 or fewer household NBA names, even fewer in MLB, and even less so in the NFL due to helmet visibility.

NBA All-Star Weekend & What’s Working (27:31–29:56)

• Reggie’s Highlights: Competitive spirit in the All-Star “young guns” game.
• Three-Point Contest is the Star:

  “That is the best event always on Saturday because it’s so easy to follow, make miss money, ball rack where you’re getting them from, and the fans can follow along.” (28:51)

• Booker vs. Dame:

  “No, he [Booker] did not miss those on purpose... That’s what made it so thrilling.” (29:35)

• On up-and-coming rookie shooters: Reggie is impressed by the next generation showing no fear—“not afraid of the big stage” (30:17).

Lakers, Defensive Identity & Celtics Praise (31:01–35:45)

• Lakers:

  “Defensively, it will always be an issue with them... until the Lakers find an identity defensively... come playoff time, they’re going to have to find a defensive identity.” (31:20)

• Celtics & Jaylen Brown MVP Case:

  “With or without Tatum... the Celtics are the scariest team in the Eastern Conference.” (33:50) "His [Jaylen Brown's] name certainly should be in the MVP discussion along with Cade Cunningham..." (34:10)

Tanking Debate & NBA Lottery (36:38–38:41)

• Can you fix tanking in the NBA?

  “Whatever happened just to pride? ...I don’t have an answer, Theodore, because what some of these teams are doing, it’s mind-boggling.” – Reggie Miller (36:38)

• Dan’s Solution: Give all lottery teams the same odds—Reggie agrees this could help.
• Tanking works? Spurs, Pistons, Thunder all benefited, but Reggie warns “basketball gods” don’t reward blatant tanking.

Dunk Contest, STAR Power, and All-Star Format Future (38:05–39:03)

• Dunk Contest Solution:

  “It would be easy if we just got name guys to do it... Guys just gotta be willing to do it, which they won’t.” (38:08)

• Upcoming Ideas: NBC is trying to get a one-on-one competition for All-Star; Dan and Reggie are doubtful players will risk their “brands.”

Notable Quotes, Humor, and Memorable Moments

• On NBA Fame:

  "You don’t have to be the best player in the game for people to know who you are. ... Steph Curry’s always going to stand out. He’s not the best player in the sport, but people know who he is." – Dan (25:34)

• On Player Brand Protection:

  “They won’t do a dunk contest. ...You really think they want to play one on one in a packed auditorium with the potential of getting embarrassed?” – Reggie Miller (38:41)

• On Competition:

  "What happened to old fashioned competition?" – Reggie Miller (39:12)

Timely Call-Ins and Listener Interactions (47:56–50:29)

• Emotional Moments: Todd shares a touching story about his father’s hook shot and seeing Kareem Abdul-Jabbar block his own in-studio.
• Dead Dad Club/Divorced Dad/Dead Dog Club: Show handles sentimentality and camaraderie with characteristic humor.

Sports History Highlights (45:11–46:49)

• Kareem’s First 3-pointer (1987)
• Wayne Gretzky’s NHL milestone (1980)
• Clifford Ray’s dolphin rescue—an obscure, humorous story.

Poll Results Recap (47:28–47:56)

• 60% would rather attend USC than UCLA.
• SGA’s lack of fame is due mainly to lack of exposure, not his name.
• Audience far prefers to see Mayweather lose than win.
• 77% prefer correct calls to game flow.

Final Segment: Lessons Learned (50:18–50:52)

• Reggie Miller admits to crying to refs in his playing days, but asserts, “It doesn’t work. Luka should pick his spots when complaining to officials.”
• Reggie’s alternate college choices if not UCLA: Arizona State or Cal State Fullerton.
• Clifford Ray is still known for saving a dolphin—unique sports trivia!

Notable Quotes by Timestamp

• On NFL’s “Eye in the Sky”:
  “This was… brought up by the NFL, not by members of the media. That I found really curious because that sounds like we would like to do this.” – Dan (03:39)
• On the Tush Push double standard:
  “It felt like because the Eagles… were successful, they wanted to take that out. The Eagles were not successful with it last year and all of a sudden it seems like it’s okay…” – Dan (07:57)
• Reggie, on USC admissions:
  “It is night and day between the two schools, OK? It’s much harder, much harder to get into the state school than it is to pay someone under the table…you’re not paying your way into UCLA, my friend.” (21:40)
• On SGA’s lack of fame:
  “Probably because of the market he plays in. He’s in a small market, but come on now, that’s a little baffling because he is an NBA champ and he is our MVP, reigning MVP.” – Reggie (24:55)
• Reggie’s All-Star Takeaway:
  “I love the competitive drive that the guys brought…I love the competitive atmosphere. That was the best thing about it. Saturday night was great.” (27:37)
• Celtics Praise:
  “...the Celtics are a real threat to win the Eastern Conference because they're well coached by Coach Missoula. They're deep, they can play a number of ways.” – Reggie Miller (34:10)
• On tanking:
  “It’s bad. It’s bad for the game and the basketball gods never, they never reward you when you mess with them. It just doesn’t work out that way.” – Reggie Miller (38:05)
• On all-star competitions and brand risk:
  “You really think they want to play one on one in a packed auditorium with the potential of getting embarrassed? …They won’t do a dunk contest.” – Reggie Miller (38:41)
• Dan on NBA household names:
  “I would say 10 or under.” (26:05)

Timestamps for Important Segments

• NFL “Eye in the Sky” replay & Tush Push rule talk: 03:26–07:33
• Poll Questions, College Admissions/Party School tangents: 08:43–12:12
• Chargers’ lack of credibility, “Proof of concept” in sports: 12:17–15:53
• Jack Hughes, collectibles, US Olympic Museum: 15:53–16:55
• Reggie Miller guest segment: 21:17–40:02
• Lakers & Celtics deep-dive: 31:01–35:45
• Tanking and lottery solutions: 36:38–38:41
• NBA Dunk Contest & All-Star future: 38:05–39:03
• Show wrap-up, emotional moments, final poll recaps: 47:56–50:29

Overall Tone & Takeaways

• Language/Tone: Blends sports nerdiness, locker-room banter, nostalgia, and insight, with occasional sincere/emotional moments.
• Why Listen: If you want a brisk, opinionated, and fun dive into NFL controversial ideas, NBA All-Star thinking, college sports culture (with strong Reggie Miller color), and the quirks of sports fandom, this episode is quintessential Dan Patrick Show.
• Best Quotes: The episode shines when Reggie pokes fun at college “pay for entry,” admits to crying at refs, and when Dan encompasses the “proof of concept” demand that underpins modern sports fandom.