Hour 3 – The Evolution of The DP Show, Matt Leinart

Summary

The Dan Patrick Show – Hour 3: The Evolution of The DP Show, Matt Leinart

Date: October 14, 2025
Podcast: The Dan Patrick Show (iHeartPodcasts and Dan Patrick Podcast Network)

---

Episode Overview

This episode is a blend of candid shop talk about the evolution and behind-the-scenes stories of "The Dan Patrick Show" and a wide-ranging interview with former USC quarterback and Fox Big Noon Kickoff analyst Matt Leinart. Dan and the Danettes reminisce about their ESPN days, the ups and downs of breaking away to launch their own show, and how the “man cave” vibe fundamentally shaped what the show became. Matt Leinart joins to discuss college football’s biggest matchups, his personal experiences as a quarterback, advice for rookies, and his involvement in a major blood drive initiative.

---

1. Reflections on the ESPN "Mothership" Years

(00:22-15:42)

Key Points and Insights

• Mending Fences with ESPN: Dan teases improved relations with ESPN (“the mothership”) after years of distance following his departure.

  • Quote: “Now I’m on good terms. I’m on good terms with the mothership.” – Dan Patrick (00:49)

• Frustrations with ESPN Management:

  • Dan describes his long tenure (18 years) at ESPN, growing frustrations near the end, and "precedent setting" pushback on working from home or making office changes.
    • Quote: “I was like 19 years ahead of my time with ESPN. Can I do the show from my home? ‘Nope, that's precedent setting.’” – Dan (01:23)
  • Denied small requests, like a closet or extra monitors for work.
    • Anecdote: Dan stole TV monitors from colleagues and enlisted staff to secretly hook them up. “I went out and I stole two of the TVs from other guy’s desks and put it in my office. … Jason Jackson and Reese Davis, I might have taken their little monitors.” – Dan (03:27)

• The Leap and Reinvention:

  • The last years at ESPN were openly not enjoyable, motivating Dan to break away and launch his own operation focused on fun and team chemistry.
    • “Those last three years I was not happy. … I should have gone after my 15th year there.” – Dan (02:26)

• The Importance of Autonomy:

  • The insistence on doing things “on my terms” led to a tighter, smaller, more enjoyable working group and the “man cave” format in his own attic.

• Leaving ESPN – Secrecy and Logistics:

  • The team describes cloak-and-dagger maneuvers to take contacts, interviews, and resources before departing.
    • Anecdote: “We set up a dummy email account … Fritzi was taking pictures like a spy movie of his book with numbers and sending it to me.” – Paulie Fusco (10:50)
    • Memorable moment: Todd Fritz: “The very first thing … that I smuggled out of there was soccer breakdown.” (11:34)

• Reflections on New Beginnings:

  • The awkward and exciting early years in Dan’s attic, where technical mishaps (“cat stuck in the wall,” “knocked off the air”) became formative bonding experiences.
  • Quote: “It was chaos, but it was fun.” – Dan Patrick (13:44)

Notable Quotes

• “I will not stop until somebody says, ‘Man, you got a great show!’ But I’m over it. I am. I’ve moved on.” – Dan Patrick (04:58)
• “We all had to pitch in. It wasn’t glamorous. … Dogs and cats, kids getting off to school, my wife always cooking downstairs. … It brought us together and made us so much stronger.” – Dan (12:34)

Memorable Moments

• Recollections of technical chaos: the kitten rescue and on-air interruptions (13:24-13:44).
• Paulie suggests, “We should clip this segment and play it our last week on the air just to have it back.” (14:04)

---

2. Interview with Matt Leinart: Football, Advice, Legacy

(19:04-33:16)

Key Points and Insights

• Quarterback Height and NFL Careers:

  • Dan and Matt discuss if being “too tall” was ever a detraction for QBs.
    • “When I was playing … there were a bunch of us big old statues, right? … Me, Carson, Brady, Peyton.” – Matt Leinart (19:31)

• Transitioning from College to NFL:

  • Matt discusses the difficulty of realizing other quarterbacks were just as good or better in the NFL, compared to “always picking on” weaker defenders in college.
    • “In college … you could always pick on players. There was a weak link. … In the NFL, there really are no weak links.” – Matt Leinart (20:21)
  • Talks about the psychological toll: “When you lose your confidence as a quarterback, kind of all hell breaks loose.” (21:20)
  • The turning point: rediscovering confidence under Gary Kubiak in Houston before injury derailed his comeback. (21:41)

• Advice for Rookie Quarterbacks:

  • “Be a sponge … Ask questions, soak up everything. … Don’t think you know everything.” – Matt Leinart (22:37)
  • The transition is easier now, as offenses are more college-like and rookies are more prepared, but humility and learning remain vital.

• Rivalry Memories and the ‘Bush Push’:

  • Dan and Matt rehash the iconic USC-Notre Dame game and the "Bush Push" play’s 20th anniversary.
    • “Everywhere I go, you cheated, you Bush. … Guys, this is a 20-year anniversary. Come on.” – Matt (24:40)
  • Matt underscores the less-talked about crucial plays leading up to the famous moment.
    • “The fourth down for sure, the fourth and nine. … There’s a couple plays … I think people forget.” – Matt (25:38-26:57)

• USC vs Notre Dame Big Picture:

  • Matt analyzes the stakes of this year’s matchup: “This is a playoff elimination game for Notre Dame … USC can lose this and obviously still win out and make a playoff.” (24:34)

• Blood Drive Initiative with Abbott:

  • Discusses the Big Ten school blood donation competition, noting massive impact and engaging collegiate rivalry.
    • “One blood donation can save up to three lives. Abbott has done an incredible job … last year was a success; this year’s even better.” – Matt Leinart (28:48)

• Personal Treasures:

  • Dan quizzes Matt: If his house were on fire, would he save his Heisman Trophy or autographed Kobe Bryant jersey?
    • “I got two hands, Dan, so I’m taking one of each!” – Matt (30:18)
    • Matt’s admiration for Kobe as his all-time favorite athlete.

• On the Penn State Firing Decision:

  • Matt stresses that while James Franklin is a great coach, recent failures and disconnect with the fanbase left Penn State feeling a change was necessary. (31:07-33:05)

Notable Quotes

• “The fit is just so important, obviously.” – Matt Leinart on what determines quarterback success (22:32)
• “My wife took our office in the house. I’m in the corner of my garage in this little space … But I got a nice little … I don’t have the setup you have.” – Matt (30:40)
• “Everything is aligned up [at Penn State] for them to win a championship. … That’s the reason why this happened. They haven’t been able to do that.” – Matt (33:05)

---

3. Open Phones, Debate & Humor

(17:56-19:04; 33:16-44:14)

Key Points and Insights

• Fun with Picks and Calls:

  • Callers discuss topics from measuring Dan’s height live, officiating quirks with play clocks in NFL games, and overlooked rock musicians.

• Classic “Danettes” Banter:

  • Humorous conversation about Dan’s popsicle situation mid-show (35:26 onwards), mocking the lack of studio etiquette and the miscellaneous roles of team assistants.

• Random Sports History & Poll Results:

  • Mentions Joe Montana’s 1990 record and Cubs’ Steve Bartman incident.
  • Ongoing polls about NFL playoff races and the MVPs of recent games.

---

4. Notable Quotes & Moments

• Dan Patrick on forging his own way:
  “Those last three years, I was not happy. … I should have gone after my 15th year there. The last three weren’t fun, and the mothership didn’t help just because everything was precedent setting.” (02:26)

• Paulie Fusco, on attic days:
  “We set up a dummy email account. … Fritzi was taking pictures like a spy movie … It’s like 40 or 50 emails of athlete numbers.” (10:50)

• Matt Leinart, on losing NFL confidence:
  “When you lose your confidence as a quarterback, kind of all hell breaks loose. And at least it did for me.” (21:20)

• Matt Leinart, on the myth vs. real legacy plays:
  “There’s a couple plays … if we score right there, there’s still a minute left. Brady going to lead them down. They’re going to win the game.” (25:47)

• Dan Patrick, on the show’s origins:
  “It was chaos, but it was fun.” (13:44)

• Matt Leinart, on what he'd save from his office:
  “I got two hands, Dan, so I’m taking one of each!” (30:18)

---

5. Timestamps for Important Segments

• Reminiscing ESPN “Mothership” Years: 00:22 – 15:42
• Matt Leinart Interview Begins: 19:04
  • Height/quarterback talk: 19:04 – 20:05
  • On NFL transition and confidence: 20:05 – 22:32
  • Advice for rookies: 22:37 – 23:54
  • Notre Dame/South Bend stories: 23:54 – 25:30
  • “Bush Push” legacy: 25:30 – 27:03
  • Blood drive campaign: 28:07 – 29:23
  • Heidi vs. Kobe memorabilia: 29:27 – 30:25
  • Penn State/James Franklin firing: 31:02 – 33:05
• Wrap-up banter, calls & polls: 33:16 – 44:14

---

Conclusion

This episode offers fans a peek behind the curtain at the formative chaos and enduring camaraderie that defines The Dan Patrick Show. With Matt Leinart’s candid recollections on the realities of life as an NFL quarterback and genuine reflections on legacy and leadership, the show underscores its unique mix of sports insight, humor, and self-aware nostalgia. Whether you’re here for the ESPN war stories, the deep dives on football’s intricacies, or the offbeat studio banter, this Hour delivers.

Transcript

[Matt Leinert]

This is an iHeart podcast.

[Commercial Announcer]

Thursday night Football is on. This week, the AFC north takes center stage as the Pittsburgh Steelers battle the Cincinnati Bengals. Coverage begins at 7pm Eastern, and it's only on Prime Video. Not a Prime member simply sign up for a 30 day free trial. Restrictions apply. See Amazon.com Amazon prime for details.

[Dan Patrick]

You are listening to the Dan Patrick show on Fox Sports Radio. The thank you for downloading the app. When we say good morning, iHeartRadio, Fox Sports Radio, and ESPN Radio, some affiliates carrying our program. We appreciate that. Yeah, yeah. You know, the, the great thaw has happened here with me and the mothership.

[Todd Fritz]

They always come back.

[Dan Patrick]

Yeah, they do.

[Todd Fritz]

They always come back.

[Matt Leinert]

Kitty, kitty.

[Dan Patrick]

Now I'm on good terms. I'm on good terms with the mothership.

[Todd Fritz]

Yeah, you know, they know.

[Dan Patrick]

Had conversations with him. Just, you know, just, just chatting it up a little bit. Okay. No, no, no, I'm not.

[Todd Fritz]

Is this year three, after year two, are you gonna, you're gonna unretire from retiring and you're going back to the, the Madre ship?

[Dan Patrick]

No comment.

[Paulie Fusco]

No comment.

[Matt Leinert]

Said no comment.

[Dan Patrick]

No, no, just, you know, I had 18 years there.

[Todd Fritz]

It would be ironic if they were like, you know, you could do the show from home.

[Dan Patrick]

Oh, I know.

[Todd Fritz]

All of the things that you wanted when you were there.

[Dan Patrick]

Yeah, I was, I was like 19 years ahead of my time with ESPN. It's like, can I do the show from my home when I'm not doing Sports Center? Nope, that's precedent setting.

[Tony Fusco]

Just Fridays. What's the big deal?

[Dan Patrick]

I know. And then when they said, no, no, it's good for morale that when you're in studio.

[Todd Fritz]

Oh, my God.

[Dan Patrick]

And then I, I, I was always like, yep, Mr. Morale is here. Hello, everybody.

[Todd Fritz]

Every day we saw, you'd be like, hey, Dan, how you doing? I'm just here raising morale.

[Dan Patrick]

I know.

[Todd Fritz]

Oh, my God. Why did they say that?

[Dan Patrick]

I know.

[Tony Fusco]

You were a party in a box.

[Dan Patrick]

Todd, you didn't have to come with me to the show.

[Tony Fusco]

You know what? Why do you have to. Why does it, why can't you just take a little shot that I made and we could just leave it at that? You have to come back with something very defensive. I have to come back with something. That was a good line by me. And then we just leave it.

[Dan Patrick]

I think you were being truthful, and so was I. Yeah.

[Matt Leinert]

Okay.

[Dan Patrick]

That's all it was. Oh, you can't.

[Tony Fusco]

I was definitely being truthful. I was being cute, but truthful. You could be cute and truthful at the Same time.

[Todd Fritz]

There was definitely truth.

[Dan Patrick]

Oh, man, this guy's a misery.

[Tony Fusco]

He should just go home and do the show.

[Dan Patrick]

No, you're right. You're right. Those last three years, I was not happy. I. I wasn't. And I felt like everybody had gone from Sports Center. All the people that I'd work with, all the anchors, they're all doing specialty shows. And then I'm there and I'm like, you know when you're the oldest guy and you, you show up at a party and you're like, hey, can you buy us beer? That's how I felt. And it wasn't fair to the other anchors who were there. I just, I, I should have gone after my by 15th year there. The last three weren't fun. And the mothership didn't help just because everything was precedent setting. I remember saying, hey, could I get a closet in my office? Now it's precedent setting. And my office was a mess. And I wanted to have, you know, I could hang up my suits and ties in there. And so I asked for another TV because, you know, we were doing all these highlights, and a lot of times you're doing the highlights, you haven't seen the highlights, so you have to watch more games. And I had three little monitors in my office. And what I did is I went out and I stole two of the TVs from other guys desk and put it in my office. And I think Jason Jackson and Reese Davis, I might have taken their, their little monitors.

[Paulie Fusco]

That's your limitation.

[Dan Patrick]

Yeah, I know it's good now, but I'm like, hell with it. I'm gonna go out and get it. And then I had, you know, one of the people who worked there, electrician, I say, can you hook that up? And he's like, yeah. He even said, are you allowed to do this? I go, yep, yep, I am. Yep. I got tenure here.

[Tony Fusco]

Yes, Todd, I remember those days, especially on a Friday, when you wanted to kind of do the show from home and Paulie or one of us would throw out a suggestion. Well, we got this trade and this happened.

[Paulie Fusco]

And you.

[Tony Fusco]

What am I gonna do with that for three hours? And then we look at each other.

[Matt Leinert]

Oh, no.

[Dan Patrick]

Yeah, one of those days. No, but I. And it wasn't a good show. We had the potential to make it a good show. I. I didn't live up to my potential to make it a good. A fun show, I should say. That's why when we started this, it was going to be on my terms. It was going to be close to My home. We were going to have a man cave, and we were going to have a small group of people, and we were going to have fun. And then we ended up in my attic. And I remember somebody from management told a friend of mine, hey, great career move by Dan. He's working in his attic. And I was like, oh, man, I'm coming after you. I don't know what that meant, but I. I was like, damn. I will not stop until somebody says, man, you got a great show, but I'm over it. I am. I've moved on. Yes, Paul, I don't want to go.

[Paulie Fusco]

Bumper sticker on you, but, you know, everything happens for a reason. If you didn't have those rough last years and they would have acquiesced to some of your requests. They asked us. They said it would be okay if Dan works a few days for homework.

[Tony Fusco]

Yes.

[Paulie Fusco]

Yeah. How about Monday and Friday? Then he gets, like, a long weekend. Everybody wins. Like, well, we really need them here. So it wasn't like us, but you could still be there doing whatever it may be, and this would have all never happened.

[Dan Patrick]

Yeah, but it was best that I moved on.

[Paulie Fusco]

That's what I'm saying. It's like, if they would have not been hardliners, it all worked out.

[Todd Fritz]

Actually, when they brought me in for that meeting Paul was talking about, I said, no. I said, actually, I think it's a huge mistake. Chemistry would be off, the show's gonna suffer, and then eventually get canceled. I think Dan really needs to be here.

[Dan Patrick]

Okay, just being honest.

[Todd Fritz]

ESPN often brought me into meetings and asked for my thoughts on things.

[Dan Patrick]

That's.

[Todd Fritz]

That happens all the time.

[Dan Patrick]

Yes, Todd, seeing the mood you were.

[Tony Fusco]

In, I had a picket sign and I was marching. Let him work Wednesday through Friday from home, for God's sakes.

[Dan Patrick]

Are you being serious? Are you taking it?

[Tony Fusco]

I never had a picket sign, but if I. If I thought of it back then, I might have marched across the parking lot of work from home.

[Dan Patrick]

I don't blame you, man. I came in, and especially on Fridays because I didn't see my kids. And, you know, then I started getting pressure from my wife. And then, you know, it's like, I tried, and we even did an experiment where I said, okay, I'm going to do my show from my attic, and I don't want you to tell anybody that I'm doing it from my attic. And nobody said a word. And then they were like, I. I hear you weren't in on Friday. I go, well, did you hear the show? I Said, listen to the show and you tell me if. If anything changed, did it sound good? How was morale, all of these things? But everything was precedent setting, even having a closet. And they said, well, if we give you one, then we got to give. I go, well, then give other people. I waited 10 years to get an office. And I was like, okay, precedent setting. Well, if we give you one and we got to give, okay, all right, fair enough. But once again, we're all good. Smooth sailing. Dealing with new management there. They've been wonderful and very accommodating. The PR department. We love the PR department. Big shout out to the ESPN PR department. They watch our show every day. Yes, Marvin.

[Matt Leinert]

Sorry.

[Dan Patrick]

Quick question for the room.

[Tony Fusco]

Do you guys ever think about if you guys never said yes to Dan.

[Matt Leinert]

When he decided to leave?

[Dan Patrick]

Well, Todd would still be there, definitely. Because, you know, there. There was nobody who was doing what Todd does. There were a lot of producers and assistant producers, but I don't. I don't know if. Because Paul was working for Tony Stewart.

[Matt Leinert]

Yeah.

[Paulie Fusco]

And Sirius Satellite Radio.

[Dan Patrick]

Yeah. And then Seaton was still. I don't know if you would still be there. You'd be in management, probably in radio. Yeah, probably, yeah.

[Todd Fritz]

They offered me a PD gig in New York when I left.

[Dan Patrick]

Oh. Because they didn't want you to go with me.

[Todd Fritz]

They said, well, where are you going? I said, I don't know. Just trying to see what else out there. And they were like, we all know where you're going. And they said, this isn't for like, a quick 10 grand or something, is it? And I said, no, no. Just trying to see what's out there. And then they said, you know, there are options. I mean, that program director job in New York City is open. Saying, no, that's all right. I'm good.

[Dan Patrick]

Yeah. They. They came after. Came after me. It's didn't want you guys to go. Fritzi. I just sneak him out in the middle of the night. It felt like they get cute.

[Tony Fusco]

Tell Dan we said hi. He's like, oh, I didn't say I was going anywhere specifically.

[Todd Fritz]

I was told that we all know where you're going, and no one takes kindly. It's something about, like, we don't look kindly on going to the enemy, and if you leave, you can't come back.

[Dan Patrick]

Yeah.

[Todd Fritz]

And I was like, okay, yeah, well, see you later.

[Dan Patrick]

Yeah. I remember we were on 300 radio stations. I mean, we're on 400 now. We were at 3:30, and they said to the ESPN affiliates, you know who had been loyal and I'd been loyal to them. They said, if you continue to take his show, then we're going to drop you as an ESPN affiliate. And I just remember, gosh, this escalated quickly and I'm just. But they wanted. And I understood the logic, as a member of management told me years later is we wanted to make sure that you didn't survive so other anchors wouldn't get any ideas of leaving. I said, well, you did a pretty good job. Did pretty good job. But you know what? I survived. I swam to the shores from Alcatraz and I survived. Yes, Todd.

[Tony Fusco]

And I was with the company 14 years and I thought in New York and LA and Connecticut, and I thought there'd be a little different. I was going to train somebody for like two weeks. Next thing I know, I'm like, you can make today the. Your last day. And I just said, really? This is what you're going to do?

[Dan Patrick]

Yeah.

[Tony Fusco]

Which is fine. But I'm like, really? That's what you.

[Dan Patrick]

Well, they, they pulled me off. I said, hey, I'm. I'm going to leave, but can I, you know, say, stay on for two weeks, give you a two week notice that therefore, if you want me to have somebody fill in for me and make it easier for the affiliates. And then I think they let me do it for one day. And then they pulled me off. They were worried I was going to say something. I was like, no, I don't.

[Todd Fritz]

Those are fun days. Gosh, those were fun days.

[Dan Patrick]

And there was. There was a lot of clandestine stuff going on. And I wasn't quite sure because I didn't really have anybody who was helping me with this. You know, Paulie was, but he wasn't in there. I needed somebody who I was getting second. I was getting like notes, cryptic notes, because nobody wanted to get caught sending me a message or calling me. Yeah, Paul.

[Paulie Fusco]

We set up a dummy email account with Fritzi and I. Fritz, he was like taking pictures like a spy movie of his book with his numbers and sending to me because he had no other backup for it. And I still have the email. It's like 40 or 50 emails of athlete numbers.

[Dan Patrick]

Yeah, we were trying to get all the information out, but then they knew we were trying to get the information out. And it became sort of a. You know, we're like whispering, you know, I don't know why we were whispering, but I said, you know, Todd, but, you know, get your book out. Get all. They don't own that. That's yours. Well, I don't Want to. And we're trying to get old interviews out. And then, you know, I'd say to Seton, hey, go talk to Tim and ask Tim if he'll, you know, make a copy for us.

[Todd Fritz]

Yeah. I was burning CDs of old interviews. And like. Like, the very first thing, as a matter of fact, that I smuggled out of there was soccer breakdown.

[Dan Patrick]

3.

[Todd Fritz]

True story. Very first thing, I was like, I gotta get soccer breakdown.

[Dan Patrick]

We're taking that work in three, two.

[Todd Fritz]

Yeah. Oh, we might need. We probably need this Barry Bonds interview. Oh, look, LeBron from 2002.

[Dan Patrick]

All right, get that.

[Matt Leinert]

Yeah.

[Todd Fritz]

I better burn that to a cd.

[Dan Patrick]

Oh, my goodness.

[Tony Fusco]

Good times.

[Dan Patrick]

Yeah. But I will say, when we did the show in my attic, that's what. That's what made this show what it is today. Because we all had to pitch in. And, you know, there's. It wasn't glamorous. It was in the attic. There were two bedrooms that we made into a studio. One side for the Danets and then one side for me. And, you know, you got dogs and cats and, you know, kids getting off to school. I mean, my wife, you know, always cooking downstairs. Paulie goes, that banana bread.

[Tony Fusco]

I go, what's some good smells coming up?

[Paulie Fusco]

Can you send it upstairs?

[Dan Patrick]

I know. I say, honey, is that banana bread? Yeah. Can you bring some up? But it was. It. It brought us together and made us so much stronger. Yes, Todd.

[Tony Fusco]

We'd also hear things like, you're not wearing that to school. I'm like, wait, we're not supposed to be hearing some of this very personal stuff.

[Dan Patrick]

Yes. Paul.

[Paulie Fusco]

And my computer would be. Have different things on it from different.

[Dan Patrick]

People who are using my son.

[Paulie Fusco]

No names.

[Dan Patrick]

Yeah. My son would come up there and he'd play, like, I don't know, World of Warcraft. Yeah, World of Warcraft. Halo was a big one.

[Todd Fritz]

Halo was a big one back then. Yeah.

[Dan Patrick]

And I'd be like, hey, dude, you. You've been up on Paulie's computer? No, why? I said, paulie doesn't play halo. Yeah.

[Todd Fritz]

Oh, Jack 22497 is logged into his World of Warcraft account right now.

[Paulie Fusco]

Coincidence.

[Dan Patrick]

I remember we had a kitten who got stuck in the wall. That was the best. You just hear this meow. I go, where is that cat? And then all of a sudden, there was a paw hanging out the wall.

[Todd Fritz]

They were getting a call from, like, our affiliates, being like, you guys keep getting knocked off the air when anything. I don't know, it looks fine. You see a cat paw batting the Wires.

[Dan Patrick]

The number of times I would see Paulie and. Or Seaton dive under the desk and. And I go, everything okay? Yeah, everything's okay. And they were trying to. Who knows what they were, you know, we were just trying to stay on the air. But I just remember it was. It was chaos, but it. It was fun. Yeah. Paulie, two things.

[Paulie Fusco]

We should clip this segment and play it our last week on the air just to have it back. There were the number of times where we were knocked off the air because of technical issues.

[Dan Patrick]

And I didn't know.

[Paulie Fusco]

And I'm like a, you know, ventriloquist going to Seaton. Are we on the air? He's like. I'm like, don't say anything.

[Dan Patrick]

Meanwhile, I'm just, you know, entertaining a nation there. Oh, my God. The as wild that. That last year at the mothership, and then the first couple of years outside, it was wild. And I thought, golly. And my wife said, hey, whatever, whatever. You think you did not fail. I'm like, I can't fail these guys. And then she said, you already won. You're at home. I go, yeah, okay. You know, kind of one. Yeah. But she's right. I had to come home. And I'm. You know, we're lucky that we survived. How did I get on this topic?

[Todd Fritz]

Oh, you mentioned an ESPN affiliate.

[Dan Patrick]

Oh, yeah. Because there. Yeah, you're right. There are ESPN affiliates who do carry the show. Very grateful for them. Kumbaya. Thank you.

[Todd Fritz]

They're about to lose their FCC license.

[Dan Patrick]

ESPN is just finding out that ESPN affiliates are carrying this show. No, but thank you. Thank you for all of our great affiliates. How about we take a break here? Matt Leinert set to join us. Let's see the history, the tradition, the excitement, the passion, the drama, the fight. Usc, Notre Dame, Saturday on NBC. And Peacock. We're back after this Dan Patrick show.

[Matt Leinert]

Be sure to catch the live edition.

[Dan Patrick]

Of the Dan Patrick show, weekdays at.

[Matt Leinert]

9Am Eastern, 6am Pacific on Fox Sports Radio and the iHeartRadio app, Paulie Fusco.

[Dan Patrick]

Here with Tony Fusco. Yo.

[Tony Fusco]

As everybody knows, we're the hosts of.

[Matt Leinert]

The award winning Paulie and Tony Fusco show. Yeah, but instead of us telling you how great we are, here's how Dan Patrick described us when he came on our show.

[Dan Patrick]

Quick, knowledgeable and funny. Opinionated. Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa.

[Tony Fusco]

What are you doing? You're interrupting our promo.

[Dan Patrick]

Yeah, he wasn't talking about you. You took those clips totally out of context.

[Matt Leinert]

Oh, yeah.

[Tony Fusco]

Well, after this promo, I'm gonna take.

[Matt Leinert]

You out and beat you.

[Dan Patrick]

Let me put this into context.

[Commercial Announcer]

Shut up.

[Dan Patrick]

Yeah.

[Tony Fusco]

Anyway, just listen to the Paulie and Tony Fusco show on iHeartRadio Apple Podcasts.

[Matt Leinert]

Or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Dan Patrick]

Yay. When it comes to great meat, quality, freshness and care make all the difference. That's the heartland difference. Heartland. You're getting premium Midwestern meats hand cut, hand picked and delivered right to your door. Juicy USDA prime and choice beef, all natural pork tender chicken. Heartland Steak Co. Brings that true Midwest flavor right to your table. Perfect for backyard barbecues, weeknight dinners or sending gifts of great taste. They've got you covered. Heartland Steak Co. Choose from grill master packages, freezer filler bundles or holiday gift boxes. Everything flash frozen at peak freshness so it's ready when you are. Right now you'll get free shipping and $25 off your next order. Promo code DAN25 when you spend $199 or more heartlandstake co.com your one stop shop for premium Midwest meats delivered right to your door. Taste The Heartland Difference. Heartlandstakeco.com use promo code DAN25.

[Commercial Announcer]

Today, Thursday Night Football is on and it's only on Prime Video. This week, the AFC north take center stage is the Pittsburgh Steelers battle the Cincinnati Bengals. Coverage begins at 7pm Eastern with Football's Best Party TNF tonight presented by Verizon. Not a Prime member? Not a problem. Simply sign up for a 30 day free trial. It's the Steelers and Bengals Thursday at 7pm Eastern only on Prime Video. Restrictions apply. See Amazon.com Amazon prime for details.

[Dan Patrick]

Couple of phone calls while we wait for Matt Leiner to join us. You know that Michigan win was huge because now you have Notre Dame and then they have Oregon. So usc, you know, you could easily look past that game, I guess since it was a home game with Michigan. But they didn't. They played really well. Now you got Notre Dame and then you've got Oregon. David in Ohio. David's back. What's on your mind, David?

[Caller]

Hey, Dan, I had an I team report real quick. I was watching the show yesterday.

[Dan Patrick]

Yeah.

[Caller]

And it looked like when Dylan was doing measuring your you guys height, he was just kind of ballparking it. Didn't really use any logic to it. When I got measured when I was a kid, my mom brought out the ruler and you know, flattened my head just to see what my height was. It looked like he was just kind of ballparking it. Maybe he had too many white saws or I don't really Know, so.

[Matt Leinert]

Yeah.

[Dan Patrick]

All right, well, I think we're gonna stay with those heights. Yeah. Seaton.

[Todd Fritz]

Yeah, I think we. We mentioned that in the moment that Dylan was just eyeballing it and that it was completely unscientific. Although I'm sticking to my results like they're scient.

[Dan Patrick]

Matt Leinert Fox Big Noon Kickoff Analyst Former USC Quarterback Official height and weight Matt, Official height and weight for me, Dan.

[Matt Leinert]

Yeah, I'm about 6, 4 and 3/4, about 2, 16.

[Dan Patrick]

Wasn't there a time when quarterbacks could be too tall? Like if you were six, six.

[Matt Leinert]

Yeah.

[Dan Patrick]

Didn't it. Like, we kind of looked at you. What's. Was it Brock Osweiler, like, there were.

[Matt Leinert]

Brock oswald was like 6, 8. I think that was a little too tall. I mean, the tall. When I was playing the tallest there. There were a bunch of kind of us big old statue guys, right? Like, me, Carson. Me, Carson, Brady, Peyton. I can't believe I'm putting myself in the same sentence. But as far. I'm like, as far as height, we were all, like, we were all literally the same height. You know, Ben Roethlisberger was the biggest one.

[Dan Patrick]

Dan.

[Matt Leinert]

I think when we played that he was. Was like six. Six and a half, 260, but built different. But, yeah, it's. I don't know, I feel like it's a different. Different type of body now.

[Dan Patrick]

So when did you realize that these quarterbacks were better than you? That you come from usc, you win a Heisman, then you get to the NFL, and that's when, you know, things change. As far as being a starter or being a backup, holding on a roster spot.

[Paulie Fusco]

Yeah.

[Matt Leinert]

I mean, there's nowhere. I always say this like you could when you were in college, as a quarterback, when I was looking at a defense, you could always pick on players, right?

[Paulie Fusco]

You could always.

[Matt Leinert]

You know, there was a weak link. There was a couple guys here and there that probably were draft picks or good NFL players, I think, as a quarterback position. So it was.

[Dan Patrick]

It was.

[Matt Leinert]

You know, you could obviously have some success then when you get to the NFL, there really are no weak links. There's guys that are better than others. But that's when it becomes your skill set. That's when it becomes how much mentally, you're ahead of the game. Can you read a defense? The anticipation, the accuracy. Accuracy is always a big one for me in the NFL. For. I mean, to that. To answer that question, I think my rookie year, I thought I was fine. I played well. I really believed. And then probably year two and year three, when we had a different system, I lost a little bit of confidence. That's when I kind of felt like, okay, my skill set, like, I don't have the strongest arm, I'm not going to run as much. Where can I have the advantage? And for me, it was always mental. I always felt like I was naturally just very smart and I could read it. Even to pick up things very quickly, I would just say the biggest thing is confidence. When you lose your confidence as a quarterback, kind of all hell breaks loose. And at least it did for me. So I think kind of a couple years in, but it's funny, I was actually. I was actually just talking to Arian Foster yesterday, my old teammate in Houston, and we were kind of talking about. That was my. My sixth year in the league, you know, kind of washed the SEC second through five. People kind of forgot where I was. Kubiak signs me, and I tell the story all the time. It was the best I'd ever felt as a quarterback ever. Like usc, I felt great, but ever I was like, holy crap. Like, I can play this position at a high level. Like, this was the Shanahan system and all those things. And I got my confidence back. And Aaron and I were just talking about. Aaron was like, dude, I feel like if you would have stayed healthy, because I broke my collarbone the first start back, we would have made a deep run in the playoff. Like, we lost to Baltimore at Baltimore. But it was the best I felt, Dan. So look, at the end of the day, I think, you know, we're seeing a resurgence of all these players, which is really cool. And the fit is. Is just so important, obviously.

[Dan Patrick]

What. What advice would you give a rookie quarterback?

[Matt Leinert]

Oh, gosh, that's a good question. It's so different now because a lot of these guys are just thrust in right away and just like, go play. I do think in a lot of. I'll get to that answer a second. I do think in a lot of ways, a lot of these offenses now are geared toward these players coming in. In college, at the high school level, I see all of it's wide open. It's. RPO is now in the college. So a lot of these young players, I think, are way more prepared than a guy like me. Or at least in that era where a lot of us would sit, we'd back up, you kind of wait your time. I still. I still think being a sponge is the biggest thing and asking questions and don't think, you know, everything. A lot of these kids come in and they are advanced and they think they kind of know and they just don't. And game reps and experiences is a way to get better. So the advice is to go in and be a sponge with the locker room, ask questions, soak up everything, get with your coaches as much as possible. The most I ever met with my coach, my coaches, was in Houston with coach, with coach Knapp, rest in peace, who passed away. He was phenomenal. And he taught me that position like I'd never been taught before. So those are things you just got to, you got to, you know, it's not necessarily in, first out, latest. Just go in there, there and soak up all the information, ask questions, retain it and go out and execute it.

[Dan Patrick]

We're going to South Bend. We're going to be there Thursday and Friday.

[Matt Leinert]

Oh, yeah, it's a doozy, buddy.

[Dan Patrick]

How do they treat you when you go to South Bend?

[Matt Leinert]

South bends, they're not mean. I mean, gosh, I, When I was in Illinois a couple weeks ago, I thought, I mean, honestly, I thought I needed security, dude.

[Commercial Announcer]

Why?

[Matt Leinert]

Well, I was, I was also hyping up the crowd a little bit. I was, you know, telling obviously we're gonna kick their ass and all this stuff. And, and we did not, we did not win that game. No, South Bend is, South Bend is, is fine. I don't think they're, they're, you know, if I'm at that, I was at that game a couple years ago in South Bend and, you know, a couple booze. I wouldn't expect anything less from those guys, though.

[Dan Patrick]

Nobody tried to push you and say, oh, you know, here's a Bush push for you.

[Matt Leinert]

I mean, I get, I get that all the time, you know, oh, you cheated, you bush. I'm like, guys, this happened. I think it was, this is a 20 year anniversary. That's the 20 year anniversary. Guys, guys, come on. Can we get, can we, can we. I mean, you know Brady Quinn, I know he's a frequent on the show. Brady, that's like, come on, guys, can we move past this? But again, that's this week. I'm sure we'll talk about, I talk about it on Big Noon this weekend. But you're going to be there. I mean, that's a big one. I mean, playoff elimination game for Notre Dame with already two losses. USC can lose this and obviously still win out and make a playoff. I imagine a 10 and 2 USC team is in. But they still, they still have Oregon on the road. They still in the bra. They have a much difficult Much more difficult path and schedule than Notre Dame. Notre Dame wins this, I think they're coast into a 10 and two playoff spot. I really do.

[Dan Patrick]

You know, I go back to that play with the Reggie Bush play. Didn't you have the fourth down completion to Dwayne Jarrett?

[Matt Leinert]

Yeah, that was fourth and nine and people don't focus.

[Dan Patrick]

I think the, the Bush push overshadows that fourth down play, that conversion.

[Matt Leinert]

Well, there's a, there's a couple plays. The fourth down for sure, the fourth and nine. Well, it's third and 20 and I remember and there's a great clip. It's me and Sark and Pete on the sideline and the whole thing was right, just get half back. If it's not there, check down a Reggie, let him go get some yards. And at least fourth and nine is manageable, you know, with our guys and anyway, and I've told the story, but it was one on one and throw it up to Dwayne and again that ball an inch. Either way, it's an incomplete. We lose the game. It just, it was just one of those plays, right. We executed at a high level. I say this all the time. Dwayne was not fast. Thank God he got, he got hawked at like the 20 yard line. Because if we score right there, there's still a minute left. Brady going to lead him down. They're going to win the game. So he gets hawked at the 20. The one hidden play in that Dan that I always say there was a third down and four five down there. Reggie picked up the. The first down with a run. We barely got a yard. If we don't get that, it's fourth down and one from like the seven yard. It's just a much different thing. So that's the other play that I think a lot of people forget about is Reggie got a converted, a first down that stopped the clock. Move the chains. We can huddle up and execute another play.

[Dan Patrick]

Well, you have a fumble at that and I. And if it stays in bounds. Yeah, we lose. Then you lose.

[Matt Leinert]

Yeah, I mean there's a lot, you know, there's a lot of ifs in that game. But we ended up winning, so that's all that matters.

[Dan Patrick]

Do you hold that over Brady Quinn's head?

[Matt Leinert]

Oh, yeah. Well, listen, Brady, I love. Brady's like a. He's like a brother, you know, we love each other. We, we. He's a great dude, but he is a Notre Dame through and through guy. We all know that. I think he cares a lot more about this than I do. But you know, sometimes you just gotta. You just gotta keep him in check a little bit. You know, I always say like he don't three against you. But listen, they've beaten us six. They've owned us pretty much the last decade. So there hasn't been a lot for me to say to him. And again, I think this weekend is another. This is just a really tough game for us to go on the road and beat a team like that who I think is one of the hottest teams in the country. So we'll see.

[Dan Patrick]

Talking about liner the Fox big noon kickoff crew in Ann Arbor. It's Washington in Michigan coming up this Saturday. You're also working with Abbott again. This is season that you've worked with. We give blood drive. Tell the aud more about that.

[Matt Leinert]

Yeah, this is awesome. We. I think we. We talked last year about this as well. Thanks for having me on to.

[Dan Patrick]

To.

[Matt Leinert]

To promote this a little bit. Yeah. Abbott's teamed up with the big ten again. And, and really just last year, this campaign and this blood Drive saved about 60, 000 lives. There's already been over 110,000 lives saves with blood donations. And we're only halfway through the season, so we've already doubled that, which is almost double that, which is amazing. So basically what it is is, is. Is the school in the Big Ten, all 18 schools. Whatever school donates the most blood wins a million dollars to advance. What is it? Student community health for their school. So there's a big incentive. There's also prizes in between and all those things.

[Commercial Announcer]

But.

[Matt Leinert]

But there's a massive blood shortage in this country. Someone needs blood every two seconds. One blood donation can save up to three lives. So Abbott has done an incredible job. It's been awesome to partner with them. Dan, Last year was a success. This year's even better. And we're only halfway through through, so. And it's a fun way to sort of compete with other schools. And. And I'm wearing the USC polo today because our team, I believe USC finished last in this last year. So encouraging everybody but. But especially Trojan fans to get out there and. And donate it. It's for a great cause and can go a long way, obviously.

[Dan Patrick]

So what's the best thing in your office aside from the Heisman Trophy?

[Matt Leinert]

Oh, you got. Well, my. You can tell I'm a Kobe fan, so that's my mama mentality. And this is a signed jersey by Kobe saying too. Matt, I don't know what that says. I can't read it. But from Kobe. Kobe's my favorite player of all time. You know, I got it. I got to do the Heisman. I got to do the little bit of a Heisman flex, but I got the Kobe jersey. Dan, my favorite player, had a chance to. To get to know him, you know, just outside of sports. He's Orange County. He was in Newport beach, and we had a lot of mutual friends, and I hung out with him a couple times. Barbec and all that. And obviously, I think, you know, like, everybody affected us when he passed, but he's. He's my goat man. So any. Any Kobe memorabilia I got. That's probably the best thing.

[Dan Patrick]

So, okay, if you have to get out of the house and you can grab either the Heisman or the Kobe jersey.

[Matt Leinert]

Well, I got two hands, Dan, so I'm going. I'm taking one of each.

[Dan Patrick]

The Heisman can feel like placed.

[Matt Leinert]

I don't think it can. That's actually a good question. I don't think I can replace my Heisman Trophy. I mean, I could get, like, a fake replica, but if I lose that baby, I'm done. It's over. I'm taking that.

[Dan Patrick]

Paulie, can you check on that? If Matt. Something happens to the Heisman?

[Matt Leinert]

Dan, let me tell you something about my office right now, okay? I'm in. I'm in the garage, okay? So my wife took our office in the house. I'm in the corner of my garage in this little space, and I'm looking out here. I got. I got crap everywhere, Dan. So that's. That's how I'm living. But I got a nice little. I don't have the setup that you have. You know, you got your. You got your great stuff up there, but I'm working with what I got over here, man.

[Dan Patrick]

Did Penn State have any other option than to fire James Franklin?

[Matt Leinert]

You. It's a great question.

[Dan Patrick]

I.

[Matt Leinert]

Well, I love James, Know him personally. I think he's fantastic. It's. It's one of those things where I just feel like there was. There was starting to be one. A little bit of this panic, kind of losing the fan base for the first time, I think, this year. Especially when you see a guy like Kurt Signett, who I know is. Is a name that's being thrown in there, but you see a team like Indiana winning, right? These types of games. Something that James just hasn't been able to do in his tenure. Now he wins 10 games every year. He's a fantastic coach. I think there's four or five coaches in the country that have consistently done that, whether they've won a title or not. And that's, that's James, like, so he, he's been fantastic. But I just feel like they're. Penn State's looking at the landscape and saying, gosh, if, if Indiana can do this, if, if, if Lanning can build this Oregon team out there, because PE got unlimited resources, too. They really do. I mean, they have everything. Then, then why haven't we been able to do that? So, and I think there just finally was a little bit of this disconnect with the fan base for the first time and the brass. So, look, this is kind of the nature of the beast. It's crazy if you think about this. They're one play away from beating Oregon a couple weeks ago and being the be maybe being the number one team in the country right now. And again, that win might, you know, give them momentum, but you lose to UCLA and then you lose at home again to two of. Statistically right now, some of two of the worst teams in the Big Ten. Look, I think that's what they thought had to be done. James will bounce back on his feet. I think the interesting thing is just who's going to get that job? Obviously, you see the names that are up for it, but it's a fantastic job. I mean, they've won, you know, 10 games every year. You can win a national championship there. You have resources, you have a great administration, you got great fans. They have a huge renovation for the stadium. So. So everything is aligned up there for them to win a championship. And I think that's the reason why this happened is just because they haven't been able to do that.

[Dan Patrick]

Good to talk to you again. Safe travels there to Ann Arbor, and good luck with. It's big10.org backslash Abbott for more information on donating blood. Thank you, Matt. Awesome.

[Matt Leinert]

Thanks, Dan. Good to see you, buddy.

[Dan Patrick]

You know, we were thinking about this, talking about this yesterday. How do you feel if you're Northwestern, that all of a sudden, that was the tipping point? Like, okay, you lost on the road to ucla. Oh, you lost in Northwestern. Now we're going to fire you. And it's like, I guess. Is that a backhanded compliment there?

[Paulie Fusco]

They take down coaches.

[Dan Patrick]

Yes, Northwestern, we take down coaches. All right, let me take a break. Last call for phone calls. What we learn what's in store tomorrow 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 when it comes to great meat, quality, freshness and care make all the difference. That's the heartland difference. Heartland Steak Cove. You're getting premium Midwestern meats hand cut, hand picked and delivered right to your door. Juicy USDA prime and choice beef, all natural pork tender chicken. Heartland Steak Co. Brings that true Midwest flavor right to your table. Perfect for backyard barbecues, weeknight dinners, or sending gifts of great taste. They've got you covered. Covered Heartland Steak Co. Choose from grill master packages, freezer filler bundles, or holiday gift boxes. Everything flash frozen at peak freshness so it's ready when you are. Right now you'll get free shipping and 25 off your next order. Promo code DAN25 when you spend $199 or more. Heartlandstake co.com your one stop shop for premium Midwest meats delivered right to your door. Taste The Heartland Difference. Heartlandstakeco.com use promo code DAN2.

[Commercial Announcer]

Thursday Night Football is on and it's only on Prime Video. This week, the AFC north takes center stage as the Pittsburgh Steelers battle the Cincinnati Bengals. Coverage begins at 7pm Eastern with Football's Best Party TNF tonight presented by Verizon. Not a Prime member? Not a problem. Simply sign up for a 30 day free trial. It's the Steelers and Bengals Thursday at 7pm Eastern only on Prime Video. Restrictions apply. See Amazon.com Amazon prime for details.

[Dan Patrick]

I was talking to Seaton during the commercial break and I decided to get a popsicle. Well, the problem is I didn't finish my popsicle, so I got a half eaten popsicle right here.

[Todd Fritz]

That's a bold mid show break snack. A popsicle.

[Dan Patrick]

Yeah, I know. I was just kind of looking through the refrigerator and I thought, you know, how about a popsicle?

[Paulie Fusco]

You got to know that's taken more than two minutes to take down.

[Dan Patrick]

I know. And then you can't place a popsicle any place. Like once you have it and once you start, then you can't do anything.

[Paulie Fusco]

With it because you put on the desk, it leaves a spot. You put on a napkin, it sticks.

[Dan Patrick]

Yeah. So I've got my popsicle here. All right. Yes.

[Tony Fusco]

Todd, just got to budget your time a little better. We talked about this off the air.

[Dan Patrick]

Thank you, Todd, Zach and Knoxville. Hi, Zach. What's on your mind today?

[Paulie Fusco]

Why are you just gonna stand there, sit there holding it the whole time?

[Todd Fritz]

Yeah, just keep eating it.

[Paulie Fusco]

You want like an assistant? Like, like Morris Day had Jerome next to him holding his. The mirror?

[Dan Patrick]

No, because everybody has Jobs to do.

[Paulie Fusco]

There's some guys in Backo sometimes.

[Dan Patrick]

No, no, those guys are working. If you're watching on Peacock, you know, Mario Anthony. Well, they're not doing much then. We have a kid named Matt. We still don't know what he does. He just shows up and sits in there.

[Paulie Fusco]

He's going to fit in.

[Dan Patrick]

There's Tyler. He's not doing anything. Got my dog back there. Rob's over there. Rob's usually work. And Dylan might be back there. There's Dylan. He's not doing anything either. Ray's back there too. So they gave me the impression that they were working. Hey, Zach, what's on your mind? Day.

[Caller]

I was gonna say maybe Dylan can take a break from looking like he's 40 to hold your popsicle. I was just gonna say that Todd sounds a little bit like Mark Cuban in the latest episode of Pablo Torre finds out with this whole passing lane thing. He gets presented with fact after fact and just uses mental gymnastics to come up with a different outcome than everybody else has. And also wanted to shout out you on your episode of Pablo Torre finds out with him and Levitar. That was good, y'. All chopping it up and worth a thank you, Zach.

[Dan Patrick]

Yeah, I had fun with those guys. Pablo Torre. Yes, Todd.

[Tony Fusco]

Well, I can't do physical gymnastics, so I'll take that. I'll do mental gymnastics.

[Dan Patrick]

Jeremy in Long Beach. Hey, Jeremy, what's on your mind today?

[Caller]

Hi, Dan, thanks for taking my call. First time caller, longtime listener, 6 foot and a fluctuating 175. And I wanted to bring up the topic that seems to be a reoccurring issue with the play. College talk in the NFL. And like last night was a perfect instance where you had Chicago late in the game, the fourth quarter, 10:36 on the clock, they were at their own 45 and the play clock hits zero and it takes at least half a second for the referee to make the call. And I don't understand why in this day and age with the technology we have, why there isn't just like a simple buzzer they could keep in their pocket or have around their neck or something that when that clock hit zero, then it triggers and they immediately blow the whistle. Because last night was a critical play and it led to a 55 yard touchdown that completely changed the complexion of the game. And sorry, Paulie, I'm not. I'm not ripping on your Bears. I'm not a fan of either team. But this just seems to be a reoccurring issue in the NFL. And it leads to big plays at times.

[Dan Patrick]

Yeah, we've talked about this before. I forget who we had on. Who said that. Like, there were so many times when the ball is snapped and it feels like it's being snapped right after. Right as it gets to zero. You know, it's got zeros across the clock. I forget who brought that up. That it's almost like they give you. Or maybe it's different on the field. It was. They. They had some excuse as to how they're able to not call this. And they give the quarterback the benefit of the doubt. Yes.

[Tony Fusco]

Todd, I've wondered if there's an edict from the commissioner or someone saying no one likes delay game penalties. Let's move things along. If it's a. A half a second, three quarters a second, even one full second, wink at it. We can't just stop it every time. It just immediately hits, which they should, you know, if you're going to be technically correct.

[Dan Patrick]

Yeah, but nobody likes holding calls either. Like, you can't go. You know, we're going to draw the line with delay of game penalties, but, you know, holding. Go ahead. Interference. Yes. It's too.

[Todd Fritz]

Way too many flags. I don't know statistically, if we look at it this year or what, but there's a flag thrown on almost every play. It feels like. Here's another one that's.

[Dan Patrick]

The Chiefs didn't have a penalty.

[Todd Fritz]

It's. It's okay. Well, one that's impossible. But going the other way is. Is way worse, especially because some of the rules don't even make sense.

[Dan Patrick]

Chris in Florida. Hi, Chris. What's on your mind?

[Caller]

Hey, Dan. Thanks for. For having me on. I'm still thinking about yesterday's show. Toward the end, you guys were talking. I think the topic was like. Like really good bands that you never got or that you don't personally like. And I have a. I have a nomination for that. But before I get to it, Fritzi drove me crazy with his comments about Bob Dylan. And I get where he's coming from, because him and I, I think, are about the same age. I'm just turning 50 in December, and as a child, I didn't think much about Dylan either. But when you become older and you have kids and especially if you've gone through some stuff, you listen to those songs and like. Like songs like Hard Rain is Gonna Fall. That man is a genius. And not only is he a gen. He was writing those kind of songs in his early 20s. They were so wise for his age that I can't believe it. So I just kind of wanted to mention that if you want to, you know, especially with him fancying himself as a singer. If you want to stick with hall of Notes and the shiny happy pop stuff, you can. But I would encourage you to take another look at Dylan. And then last thing, just to close it down, My nomination will be warrant that category.

[Dan Patrick]

Oh, Warren, Ziva. Well, but Warren wasn't a huge artist. I mean, he had Werewolves of London, lawyers, guns and money, but I don't know how many. Like I don't think he had best selling albums, but I. When that Werewolves of London comes on, it's great. Lawyers, guns and money. The bleep has hit the fan.

[Paulie Fusco]

Yes, Paulie, for me, Warren Zevon's the opposite category. A person, an artist you didn't know much about out and discovered later and said, oh, this guy's legit. Got into his stuff.

[Dan Patrick]

Yeah. Final results of the poll question. Seaton.

[Todd Fritz]

People are wondering what would happen if Todd ate a popsicle mid segment. By the way, you lose your mind?

[Dan Patrick]

If it was called the Todd Fritz Show.

[Todd Fritz]

If it was called the Todd Fritz show. Right. He could do whatever he wants.

[Dan Patrick]

That's what people are missing. I don't, I don't want this to go to waste. I thought had more time and I realized I didn't. And then I thought, I don't want to throw it away. So that's it. I mean, I got it.

[Tony Fusco]

There's no food in the studio though.

[Dan Patrick]

I know. Thank you. Todd.

[Todd Fritz]

Who was the MVP OTN last night? Blake Snell, Bijan Robinson, DeAndre Smith, Swift or other. Right now it's actually a tie between Bijan and Blake. How about that? Better playoffs to watch Baseball or football? Football. Are winning that one. And most likely to make the playoffs. Bears, Cowboys, Vikings. The Vikings have 56% of that vote. And that is wrong.

[Dan Patrick]

According to you.

[Todd Fritz]

Right is the wrong.

[Dan Patrick]

Okay. All right, how about this day in sports history?

[Paulie Fusco]

I'll just give you one. 1990, Joe Montana passed for 476 yards and six touchdowns in a game. Five of them were caught by Jerry Rice in one game. 1990.

[Dan Patrick]

On this date. Steve Bartman. Steve Bartman.

[Paulie Fusco]

It should be on this date. Alex Gonzalez.

[Dan Patrick]

Yes. Yeah. He got a hall pass. Man, oh man.

[Matt Leinert]

Huge.

[Dan Patrick]

Huge. Here. All right, let's go around the room. What we learned on the program. Todd, what'd you learn today?

[Tony Fusco]

Matt Lyon's all time favorite athlete, Kobe Bryant and his office is situated in a small corner of his garage. How sad.

[Todd Fritz]

What'd you learn brought up Dwayne Jarrett today. That's a blast from the past.

[Dan Patrick]

Yeah. Didn't he play for Carolina? That sound like a few years second round draft pick.

[Todd Fritz]

I thought he was going to be a guy in the NFL.

[Dan Patrick]

Marvin, what'd you learn?

[Tony Fusco]

You stole monitors from Reese Davis and Jason Jackson.

[Dan Patrick]

I did. Criminal, I did. Paulie, what'd you learn?

[Paulie Fusco]

There is just nowhere to set your popsicle.

[Dan Patrick]

No, I got it right here. Todd, what did I learn today?

[Tony Fusco]

For a young QB to get the blog quickly, Herbie says you need to process things fast.

[Dan Patrick]

Like Mac Jones does on the road to South Bend. We'll be talking to you on Thursday and Friday. Have a great day everybody.

[Matt Leinert]

This is an I Heart podcast.