The Best of the Week on The Dan Patrick Show

Summary

The Best of the Week on The Dan Patrick Show – December 21, 2024

Hosted by Dan Patrick on the Dan Patrick Show, part of the iHeartPodcasts and Dan Patrick Podcast Network, this episode delves deep into various sports topics, featuring insightful discussions with notable guests like Hall of Famer Charles Barkley, NFL analyst Kevin O'Connell, and future Hall of Famer J.J. Watt.

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1. NBA Ratings and Structural Changes

Key Discussion Points:

• Declining NBA Ratings: Kevin O'Connell addresses the recent drop in NBA viewership, questioning the impact of initiatives like the NBA Cup on fan interest.
• Overreliance on Three-Pointers: O'Connell criticizes the NBA's heavy emphasis on three-point shooting, highlighting games like the Warriors vs. Mavericks as examples of this trend's negative impact.

Notable Quotes:

• "If they're not watching, you can't keep your head in the sand. You got to say, what are we doing wrong?" – Kevin O'Connell [04:33]
• "All it is now is a three-point shooting contest and a free throw contest and I don't like it." – Kevin O'Connell [05:37]

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2. NBA Season Scheduling and Competition with Other Sports

Key Discussion Points:

• Starting the NBA Season on Christmas Day: O'Connell proposes shifting the NBA season's start to Christmas to avoid competition with the NFL and college football.
• Impact of NFL and College Football Playoffs: The conversation explores how overlapping schedules have diminished the NBA's traditional stronghold on Christmas Day viewership.

Notable Quotes:

• "If we started at Christmas, college football would be over. Pro football is winding down. The NBA will get left behind if they don't adjust." – Kevin O'Connell [07:48]
• "ESPN needs programming. That's all this is." – Kevin O'Connell [10:45]

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3. Betting and Predictions on Bowl Games

Key Discussion Points:

• Bowl Game Outcomes: O'Connell shares his betting strategies and predictions for upcoming bowl games, expressing confidence in teams like Ohio State, Notre Dame, and Texas.
• Favorite Teams and Personal Connections: Insights into his personal preferences and experiences with teams and coaches enhance the discussion.

Notable Quotes:

• "I like Ohio State, Notre Dame, Indiana. I love Notre Dame. I know Co Signetti has had a great season." – Kevin O'Connell [11:34]
• "They got some serious big schools. I mean, when you get Notre Dame, Tennessee, Ohio State, Texas, Georgia, Oregon is fantastic." – Kevin O'Connell [13:49]

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4. Potential ESPN Move and Workload Concerns

Key Discussion Points:

• Kevin O'Connell's Contract Negotiations: O'Connell discusses his considerations in possibly moving to ESPN, emphasizing the need for clarity on his workload and schedules.
• Balancing Commitments Across Networks: The conversation highlights the challenges of managing multiple network commitments without compromising quality of life.

Notable Quotes:

• "I'm not going to be doing both ESPN and TNT. I'm taking my time meeting with NBC and Amazon." – Kevin O'Connell [15:20]
• "I'm not going to do five shows. I'm not going to be working four days a week on any network. That's not going to happen." – Kevin O'Connell [16:07]

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5. Light-Hearted Free Throw Shooting Contest

Key Discussion Points:

• Dan vs. Kevin's Free Throw Skills: A humorous segment where Dan and Kevin challenge each other to a free throw contest, highlighting their playful rivalry.
• Encouraging Charity: They agree to a wager where the loser donates $25,000 to their favorite charity, adding a philanthropic twist to the fun.

Notable Quotes:

• "I'll bet you charity. You set it up. I'll donate $25,000 to your favorite charity." – Kevin O'Connell [17:33]
• "You don't think I can make 8 out of 10 free throws?" – Dan Patrick [17:45]

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6. In-Depth Conversation with J.J. Watt

Key Discussion Points:

• NFL Coaching Insights: J.J. Watt shares his experiences and insights as an NFL head coach, discussing strategies, player development, and game management.
• Playoff Preparations and Player Health: Emphasis on managing players' workloads to prevent injuries and ensure peak performance during playoff seasons.
• Mentorship and Leadership: Watt highlights the importance of clear communication and support systems within the team to foster a winning culture.

Notable Quotes:

• "If something doesn't work, plain and simple." – J.J. Watt [07:19]
• "We had to maximize the time we had... We rip off five in a row to start the season." – J.J. Watt [32:05]
• "Hitting the quarterback is an art... There are certainly ways to do it that you can still hit them and not get fined." – J.J. Watt [54:44]

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7. Charles Barkley's Broadcasting Tips and Personal Anecdotes

Key Discussion Points:

• Advice for New Broadcasters: Charles Barkley emphasizes the importance of being authentic, sharing personal experiences, and avoiding excessive technical jargon to connect with fans.
• Balancing Personal Life and Professional Commitments: Barkley discusses managing personal relationships and responsibilities while maintaining a demanding broadcasting schedule.
• Holiday Reflections: Sharing heartfelt moments about spending holidays with family despite professional obligations.

Notable Quotes:

• "I love it when the announcer watches the game like a fan and talks like a fan." – Charles Barkley [46:30]
• "If you're thinking about your ankle, you're not going to have a good day." – Charles Barkley [48:34]
• "My whole goal in life is to let everybody around me make me look good because they're all better than I am." – Charles Barkley [61:21]

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8. Show Highlights and Behind-the-Scenes Recognition

Key Discussion Points:

• Recognition of Backroom Staff: Dan Patrick acknowledges the hard work and dedication of the show's behind-the-scenes team, highlighting individual contributions.
• Interactive Segments and Viewer Engagement: Emphasis on the show's interactive nature, encouraging listener participation and showcasing the camaraderie among team members.
• End-of-Year Celebrations: The episode wraps up with festive cheer, recognizing team achievements and setting the stage for the upcoming year.

Notable Quotes:

• "Thank you for all the great things that you guys do every single day." – Dan Patrick [72:01]
• "We had a wonderful year. We'll talk to you in the new year. Great holiday, everybody." – Dan Patrick [72:43]

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Conclusion

The episode offers a comprehensive look into the current state of the NBA, NFL, and college football, enriched by personal stories and expert analysis from distinguished guests. From discussing structural changes to sharing light-hearted moments, Dan Patrick ensures a well-rounded and engaging experience for listeners.

Notable Takeaways:

• The NBA is grappling with declining ratings and may need to reconsider its game formats and scheduling to regain fan interest.
• Balancing professional commitments across multiple networks is a significant concern for sports analysts like Kevin O'Connell.
• Effective coaching involves clear communication, player health management, and fostering a supportive team environment.
• Authenticity and relatability are key for successful sports broadcasting, as emphasized by Charles Barkley.

For those who missed the live broadcast, catch future episodes of The Dan Patrick Show on Fox Sports Radio and the iHeartRadio app.

Transcript

[Dan Patrick]

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[Charles Barkley]

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[Dan Patrick]

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[Charles Barkley]

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[Dan Patrick]

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[Kevin O'Connell]

I'm great, brother. Happy Hanukkah, Merry Christmas, all that good stuff.

[Dan Patrick]

Did you make any money in Vegas?

[Kevin O'Connell]

I won a little bit. I had a great trip. I didn't lose money, but I won a little bit, so it was good.

[Dan Patrick]

What is your game?

[Kevin O'Connell]

I played blackjack.

[Dan Patrick]

How much per hand?

[Kevin O'Connell]

25,000.

[Dan Patrick]

Okay, and how many hands do you have in front of you?

[Kevin O'Connell]

I play one hand unless I want to break up the deck and I play two.

[Dan Patrick]

Okay. You don't get like, could you just do a hundred dollars and be happy? Hell no. Hell no.

[Kevin O'Connell]

No, I could not be happy. I'd be unhappy.

[Dan Patrick]

Okay. So we've been talking about the NBA. The commissioners talk about the NBA. Seems like he's okay. Ratings are declining a little bit. You got the NBA Cup. I don't know what that did for the interest of the game. I don't know. We start to look at this and I'm wondering, do. Does the NBA have to do something like Major League Baseball is doing things where they got the bases bigger, where, I mean, that commissioner is trying to do different things. Should Adam Silver be looking at that same model?

[Kevin O'Connell]

I think we have to do something. You know, Dan, last time I was on your show, you asked me a great question. You said, is it low management or just too many threes? And I said, it's. It's really a combination of both. And, you know, anytime old guys like us says something, we're hating on the young guys. But I watched the Warriors. I was in the sports book all day Sunday. Me and the guys got up and watched football all day, and in one of the games, I watched the warriors play. The warriors played the Mavericks. It was one of the worst games I've seen. They just. I think it was 140, 130. They just went up and down the court and shot threes like. And I was like, man, this is awful to watch if you're just gonna have a three point shooting contest every night. So I think we gotta figure out some defense because the most important thing of the game is the Fan.

[Dan Patrick]

Yeah.

[Kevin O'Connell]

And if they're not watching, you can't keep your head in the sand. You got to say, what are we doing wrong? And like I say, I, it's, it's frustrating for me because all it is now is a three point shooting contest and a free throw contest and I don't like it. And you know, like I said, they can get mad but I don't want to go see a three point shooting contest every night. That ain't no fun.

[Dan Patrick]

Or what if we capped the number of threes that you can take? Each team gets 25 attempts.

[Kevin O'Connell]

You know, I mean, I'm open for any suggestion. I mean but like I say, we don't have to do something. I mean ratings are down, down, down. And that's like I say, the fans are the most important aspects of the game. We need the fans to be successful. You know, it's like, it's like the All Star game with throwing just stuff at the wall. We got a new model this year.

[Dan Patrick]

And what do you think of that model?

[Kevin O'Connell]

Well, I want to do anything to help the game, Dan. I saw Kevin Durant ripped it, ripped a new format. Dan. I don't know what you do because what we've done the last X amount of years is not working. It's not fun. So I've always suggested we do the United States against the world. I think that would be fantastic. I do, I think it'd be fantastic. I don't know how this thing going to turn out this year. But listen, let's be honest. What we're doing, what we've done the last few years is not working, plain and simple.

[Dan Patrick]

And it used to be that we kind of christened the NBA season at Christmas. That's when this, that's when the season started. Just the fact that that seemed to be. The logic is flawed. Like you don't really get excited about a game in October, November. It's like, wait till Christmas day. Well now the NFL just came in and said, hey, we're going to take over Christmas from you NBA. And that's difficult, that's tough for them because it felt like they owned that day.

[Kevin O'Connell]

I've, you know, the best ratings we've ever had. What a year we got. Went on strike, Dan, and started on Christmas. I think we need to consider, seriously consider starting at Christmas because you get caught. Because listen, you're wasting your time going up against the NFL and college football. They own the weekends now. But if, I think if we started at Christmas we'd have all the, there's no other sports, I mean that we'd have to compete with. If we started at Christmas, college football would be over. Pro football is winding down. We have the entire calendar. Late December, January, February, March, April, May, June to ourself. I think it's something we need to really consider plain and simple. Because listen, NFL is King Kong and you know, and they're greedy pigs. You know I, first of all I think what they're doing now is going to come back the bottom in ass because to make the Kansas City Chiefs Chiefs play three games in like 10 days. Yeah, that's just stupid. I mean you got Patrick and Travis and Chris Jones. You got those guys like to make Those guys play three games in 10 days just because it's popular and, and you sold it to different networks. First of all, it's not safe. It's kind of the same way in my opinion. I'm really excited about this college Football playoff, but I think it's very dangerous. You can't play as 18 year old, 19 year old kids to play 12, 13 regular season games then play four more games in the playoffs. I mean because 99% of those kids gonna have CTE or gonna hurt their bodies and they're never going to the NFL. They've got to shorten this season because like I said, the teams that win this playoffs going to play four more games. Dan, it used to be two if you won the championship, but now if you're going to play four extra games, the goal, especially if you in a conference like the Big ten or the SEC where you play so many tough games. I'm really concerned about those kids bodies and brains.

[Dan Patrick]

Yeah, but I don't know if college football really cares. They're now kind of paid.

[Kevin O'Connell]

They don't. They nobody cares. They're making, making so much money they're.

[Dan Patrick]

Adding an 18th game in the NFL. Everybody sign. Yes. And that's what these players are going to get in college. There's going to be revenue sharing. They'll get more money with this and they'll sign up for this. And you said hey, the NBA should start on Christmas day. Well, you have these playoff games now this weekend. College football starts their playoffs. They're going to w. They would wipe away the NBA on Christmas day because these games now matter and you're going to have your bowl season going into January. Then the NFL has playoffs. The NBA will get left behind if, if.

[Kevin O'Connell]

But, but it'll be a short little leave behind. And first of all, listen, let's, let's kill These other Bulls. Let's stop these. Come on, man. Like, if you're going to have the playoffs, you don't need other bowls.

[Dan Patrick]

No. Yes. Charles. This is because ESPN needs programming. That's all this is.

[Kevin O'Connell]

I understand. Why don't they show NBA games on those days? Man, I. And listen, I. I'm against. I'm fundamentally against guys bowing out of bowl games. But if your bowl game means absolutely nothing, there's no reason for you to play in a meaningless bowl game.

[Dan Patrick]

Yeah.

[Kevin O'Connell]

If you don't. If you don't make the playoffs, why would you play on a bowl game? That makes zero sense to me whatsoever.

[Dan Patrick]

Are you betting on the bowl games this weekend?

[Kevin O'Connell]

Yeah, probably. Of course.

[Dan Patrick]

Who do you like? Any upsets here?

[Kevin O'Connell]

What? Name a game.

[Dan Patrick]

Tennessee. Ohio State. Oh, I love Ohio State, Notre Dame, Indiana.

[Kevin O'Connell]

But hey, but them idiots, I had them plus 19 and a half again. Michigan, man, I was. I was throwing stuff at my tv. I was like. Because you knew what was really scary about that game. You knew in the first half they're not going to win by three touchdowns.

[Dan Patrick]

Nope.

[Kevin O'Connell]

And I was so pissed. So I'm all bet on Ohio State one more time. Who else?

[Dan Patrick]

Notre Dame, Indiana.

[Kevin O'Connell]

I love Notre Dame. I know Co Signetti has had a great season, but I want to meet Marcus Freeman. I've never met him. And Notre Dame's on my bucket list. Notre Dame, Ohio State and Michigan. There are three stadiums that are on my bucket list. But I want to meet Marcus Freeman. But I know the name's going to win that game.

[Dan Patrick]

Smu, Penn State.

[Kevin O'Connell]

They're not going to win at Happy Valley. Dance. Please stop. Hey. Okay, Coach. Lastly, I got a chance to meet him one time. I'm a big fan of him in a year he's had. Him and Coach Dillingham have been fantastic at asu. They've done a fantastic job this year. But SMU is not going to win at Happy Valley.

[Dan Patrick]

Clemson, Texas.

[Kevin O'Connell]

Now that is a really good game. I'm probably going to go with Texas because they're playing at home. But listen, whether you hate it or not, they got some. They got some good playoff games. So the committee. You know, I don't think anybody had a gripe. I don't think anybody had a real gripe this year. I know Alabama think they had a gripe. They did not. South Carolina probably had a better grade. They're probably the hottest team in the country right now. But no, these. You know, they got some serious big schools. I mean, when you get Notre Dame, Tennessee, Ohio State, Texas, when you get all these big schools, I mean, obviously Georgia, Oregon is fantastic. So if you like college football, which I love, football in general, you got great powerhouses.

[Dan Patrick]

Talking to Charles Barkley, hall of Famer, Turner Sports Inside, the NBA analyst, is your contract pushed over to ESPN's From Turner? Is that official?

[Kevin O'Connell]

I haven't decided yet.

[Dan Patrick]

How about we decide now?

[Kevin O'Connell]

I'm listening to NBC and Amazon. I want to know everything that's on the table for me before I sign in. I mean, I love those guys at espn, and if we end up there, you know, I'm gonna do the best I possibly can. But I want to know, first of all, they haven't even given us any type of schedule whatsoever. But I'd be doing myself a disservice not to meet with NBC, which I have, and meet with Amazon, which I have. And the number one thing I've told everybody, can y'all please give me a damn schedule? I mean, because nobody knows anything, Dan. I mean, like, at least the tnt I always knew. Hey, this is our schedule. Ne. Neither. Not. Not one of the three networks and not. And like I say, I love espn. I got nothing against, but I want to know how much I'm going to be working.

[Dan Patrick]

Oh, you're going to be working a lot more than you think you're going to be working. I think.

[Kevin O'Connell]

Well, no.

[Dan Patrick]

You think? No. I used to work there. I used to work there. I know what they do well. Well.

[Kevin O'Connell]

And I know what y'all do. Charles is not gonna be. They're not gonna work Charles like no damn dog.

[J.J. Watt]

No.

[Kevin O'Connell]

So, so, so, seriously, like I said, I got number love and respect for espn, like I said, but I'm taking my time with NBC and Amazon. I. I wanted in writing.

[Dan Patrick]

Yes.

[Kevin O'Connell]

How much do y'all think I'm going to work? Because TNT is a perfect place to work.

[Dan Patrick]

Are you going to work two nights a week?

[Kevin O'Connell]

We don't even know anything.

[Dan Patrick]

No, but what do you. You can tell them what you want to do.

[Kevin O'Connell]

Well, I want to know what they expecting. Are we gonna have the same schedule? Are we gonna have to do abc, SP, and tnt? Because tnt, I think they, they, they originally wanted to keep doing something, so I'm not going to be doing both.

[Dan Patrick]

Yeah.

[Kevin O'Connell]

And then add on, and I'm not going to be doing abc, ESPN, and tnt. That's not gonna happen. Just like I say, if we go to espn, I got number love and respect for those guys, but I'm not gonna do abc, ESPN, and tnt. So I, I took my Time meeting with the other two networks. Hey, man. And I don't want to hear y'all talk to me. I want to know. I want it in writing. I want it in writing. How much? We're going to work.

[Dan Patrick]

What was this silly free throw shooting contest that Kenny shoots left handed and Stephen A. Smith gets to shoot right? What do you do?

[Kevin O'Connell]

Well, Kenny wrote a check his ass couldn't cash, and he tried to cover it by. In case Stephen A. Beat him shooting left handed and he lost. Okay, then that's it. But you know, Stephen A. Knows he does a good job of at the mothership. And we got. Like I say, man, I wish somebody would give me some clarity. Dan, wait.

[Dan Patrick]

Go back to the free throw shooting. If Kenny shot straight up against Stephen A. Kenny was an 83% free throw shooter.

[Kevin O'Connell]

Yeah, that was 30 years ago.

[Dan Patrick]

You don't think, Ken, you never. Come on. I go out, make 8 out of 10 right now you can. Hell yes bet. What do you charity. What do you want to bet?

[Kevin O'Connell]

I'll bet you charity. You set it up. I'll come somewhere. I'll donate $25,000 to your favorite charity.

[Dan Patrick]

You don't think I can make 8 out of 10 free throws?

[Kevin O'Connell]

No, I don't.

[Dan Patrick]

Oh, my God.

[Kevin O'Connell]

I just said $25,000 to your favorite charity.

[Dan Patrick]

All right.

[Kevin O'Connell]

You'll be gagging out there. You'll be like choking like a dog.

[Dan Patrick]

I know I'm a better free throw shooter than you are. Dan, you shot 73% for your career. That's embarrassing.

[Kevin O'Connell]

Yeah, that's not good. Yeah, you act like you 35 years old. You old.

[Dan Patrick]

It's. It's 15ft, Dan.

[Kevin O'Connell]

You're old.

[Dan Patrick]

I know. Anyway, 68.

[Kevin O'Connell]

You're 70 years old.

[Dan Patrick]

Do you know Bird. Bird could still make nine out of 10 free throws right now. And Bird is old.

[Kevin O'Connell]

I'll bet him he can't make. I love Lar. He can't make nine out of ten right now. This ain't. This ain't the 80s and 90s.

[Dan Patrick]

Oh, my God. It's just riding a bike. That's all it is. That's riding a bike. Okay, go back to the TV thing. Were you going to say something like getting some headlines here? I schedule. Did I interrupt you?

[Kevin O'Connell]

No. Okay, Dan, I want to know.

[Dan Patrick]

You wag the dog. You wag the dog. You got two. Two nights that you'll work. That's it. You wag the dog. I mean, load management. You. You can be the Kawhi Leonard of TV analyst. And you do load Management.

[Kevin O'Connell]

But I'm gonna do what's best for the. I've always did what's best for the network. Dan, if you go back and look.

[Dan Patrick]

At my history when tnt, you are tnt, you are.

[Kevin O'Connell]

Thank you for the kind word. But think about this, Dan. I anything TNT has asked me to do, they're like, hey, would you do college basketball? I'm like, would it help the team? I'm like, sure, I'll do it. Didn't get any money for it. They said, hey, Chuck, what you would earn to do a podcast? I'm like, would it help the team? Let's do a podcast. I ain't asking the money. They said, hey, would you start doing these matches? I'm like, will it help the team? Sure, let's do it. I've never asked them for an extra dime for doing extra stuff, but if they trade it, well, we got traded to another network. I want to know exactly what's going on because like I say, I'm not going to be doing five shows. I'm not going to be working four days a week on any network, either NBC or Amazon. That's not going to happen. I'm going to sit my fat black ass at home. If it comes down, if they start talking, if they. Like I said, Dan, we work one day a week. I love our job. I love the people I work for. I'm not going to go working one day a week to four days a week. That's not going to happen. Now would I go to two? I probably could go to two. But if people think that I'm a work three or four days a week, they're freaking nuts.

[Dan Patrick]

Well, you're going to have to do college game day. There'll be a basketball show. There's going to be a radio show. You're going to have to be on Greenies radio.

[Kevin O'Connell]

Hey, Dan, first take.

[Dan Patrick]

First take. You have to be on first take.

[Kevin O'Connell]

Let me tell you something. When you FaceTime me, then it'll be from Arizona. It won't be from anywhere else. If people think I'm going to work on all this stuff, that's not going to happen, Dan.

[Dan Patrick]

Okay?

[Kevin O'Connell]

You have my word on that. I'm not going to be working all the time. Every time we do this a going forward, every time you FaceTime me, I'm going to be in my backyard in Arizona on my, on my putting green at a tennis court. I'm not going to be working all the time, Dan. That's not going to happen. Man to man, Dan, you know, I Got a lot of love and respect for you. The notion that I'm going to work all the time. That's not going to happen.

[Dan Patrick]

Oh, no, no. I'm just telling you.

[Kevin O'Connell]

And I'm telling you. Okay, I'm telling you. You can tell me. And I. Hey, and first of all, you are correct. And I'm telling you that's not gonna happen.

[Dan Patrick]

Okay, all right. I, I hope that it doesn't happen. So you have. Hey, listen, why are you yelling at me?

[Kevin O'Connell]

Up with Barack Obama. Hey, listen, Barack Obama, we don't have to keep hope alive. I am not gonna be working all the time, Dan.

[Dan Patrick]

Okay, all right. I don't know why you're yelling. I'm on your side, but because you.

[Kevin O'Connell]

You think that they gonna just, hey, we're gonna work you all the time. No, you're not. No, you're not. That's not gonna happen.

[Dan Patrick]

Okay, all right. Okay. I said the same thing to Jason Kelsey. I said, just protect yourself because there's so many different programs, platforms that they have to have people on. And that's. That's the only thing I would say. Quality of life.

[Kevin O'Connell]

And hey, listen. And I, you know, first of all, I love Jason Kelsey. He is so, such a wonderful dude. And I got. And I got to get back to him because he's doing a talk show now.

[Dan Patrick]

Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah. Friday nights. I think they got like, you know, he's going to be a late night, Jimmy Fallon type guy.

[Kevin O'Connell]

Well, because I. He asked me to be on the show. I got to get back to him because I'm going to try to make it work because I got a lot of love and respect for him.

[Dan Patrick]

I think you should go out there and your Philadelphia 76ers uniform that you had when you played.

[Kevin O'Connell]

You talk about skin tight back in the 80s.

[Dan Patrick]

That was hot.

[Kevin O'Connell]

But let me say something. I would look so bad. You talk about skin type in the 80s if he skin skin tight, tight.

[Dan Patrick]

Now I could actually see Larry's Birds through his uniform.

[Kevin O'Connell]

It would be so bad right now, Dan.

[Dan Patrick]

Oh, John Stockton. How about John Stockton with the short shorts?

[Kevin O'Connell]

No, they'd be really short shorts. If I tried to put on shorts again.

[Dan Patrick]

Good to talk to you. Thanks again.

[Kevin O'Connell]

All right, brother.

[Dan Patrick]

Merry Christmas.

[Kevin O'Connell]

Merry Christmas and happy Hanukkah to everybody. Bless y'all.

[Dan Patrick]

All right, that's Charles Barkley. 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. Hey, Steve Covino. And I'm Rich Davis and together we're Covino and Rich on Fox Sports. You can catch us weekdays from 5 to 7pm Eastern, 2 to 4 Pacific on Fox Sports Radio and of course the iHeartRadio app. Why should you listen to Covino and Rich? We talk about everything, life, sports, relationships, what's going on in the world. We have a lot of fun talking about the stories behind the stories in the world of sports and pop culture. Stories that, well, other shows don't seem.

[J.J. Watt]

To have the time to discuss.

[Dan Patrick]

And the fact that we've been friends for the last 20 years and still work together, I mean, that says something, right? So check us out. We like to get you involved too.

[J.J. Watt]

Take your phone calls, chop it up as they say. I'd say the most interactive show on.

[Dan Patrick]

Fox Sports Radio, maybe the most interactive show on planet Earth. Be sure to check out Covino and Rich live on Fox Sports radio and the iHeartradio app from 5 to 7pm Eastern, 2 to 4 Pacific. And if you miss any of the live show, just search Covino and Rich wherever you get your podcast. And of course on social media, that's Covino and Rich. Sonos makes it easy to enjoy a cinematic sound experience from the comfort of your own couch. Sonos works with award winning artists, producers, sound engineers to deliver the highest quality sound. Listen to all that holiday music you want and all the holiday movies as well. With Sonos, Sonos products work together. So what you can do is build your own sound system and they look as beautiful as they sound. Once you hear it, you'll ask yourself how have I survived without this? Sonos has great gifts for everybody on your list. Visit sonos.com dan you'll save 20% on select products. That's sonos.com dan golf's newest league is coming to ESPN and ESPN introducing TGL presented by SoFi. You have three on three team matchups that play on Monday and Tuesday nights. Six teams competing for playoffs in a championship. You're in Atlanta, Boston, Jupiter, Florida, Los Angeles, New York and the Bay. Those are the teams 24 the PGA Tours best. You got Tiger. You got Rory, Colin Morikawa, Xander Shoffley, Ricky Fowler and so many more. Two hour matches during primetime and the matches take place on Monday and Tuesday nights. There's other sporting elements. There's timeouts, there's refs, there's overtime. Players are miked up. They all play in a custom built tech infused arena. It's wild. It's not your average Sunday pickup game. To learn more, visit tglgolf.com and tune in to the inaugural season beginning January 7th. Keep up. It's golf Life is an adventure. Time to let more people in and have some fun and share the journey. Introducing Yamaha's latest terrain conquering side by side that combines class leading power with maximum comfort and versatility and boy, does it deliver. It's the all new Wolverine R Max 4 1000. Ample room for four adult passengers, plenty of cargo space so you can tackle new terrain, expand your horizons, go further than ever before, experience its capability@Yamaha Motorsports.com and you can also see it, test drive it, sit in it, bring the family. Go to your local Yamaha dealer today. A few things to remember Always protect the environment. Always wear your seatbelt, helmet, eye protection, protective clothing and make sure you read the owner's manual and product warning labels before operating. Try it out. It's the all new Wolverine RMAX 41000 from Yamaha. Hey, it's Dan Patrick. If you're a listener of the show, you probably know this by now. We're a big fan of Keeper's Heart Whiskey Keeper's Heart, the first whiskey to offer a unique blend of Irish and American whiskies. Nobody's ever done it at this level. The results are incredible. Smooth enough to enjoy, neat, or enough character to make amazing cocktails. Don't take it from me, I'm just an Irish American guy who enjoys a drink or two. The whiskey experts agree. Crafted by one of the biggest names in the world of whiskey, Brian Nation, Keeper's Heart is one of the most awarded new whiskies of the last couple of years, winning over 150 awards to date, including Best Irish Whiskey in the World and winning a double gold at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition. You got to try it. It's available now in the best liquor stores. Look for it on the Irish whiskey shelf, or you can buy it online. Keepersheartwiskey.com keepersheart whiskey.com It's a bottle worth keeping this holiday season. Give your parents the gift of connection with Rapid Radio's walkie Talkies. Simple press of a button, they can reach out to you effortlessly. Make it easy Whether it's a quick hello or maybe a longer conversation, Rapid radios are a fun and reliable way to stay in touch with crystal clear sound. One button touch, your parents will feel closer than ever, no matter the distance. Visit rapid radios.com and receive up to 60% off, an additional 5% off when you use the code radio. He's Kevin O'Connell third year, is the Vikings head coach and former backup NFL quarterback. What did you keep from your days as a backup quarterback?

[J.J. Watt]

What did I keep?

[Dan Patrick]

Yeah, Jersey.

[J.J. Watt]

You know, some, some tough memories of, you know, anytime it was windy or rainy and I couldn't throw the football. But no, I, I, I've got, I've got, I've got everything. My wife would probably tell you that I keep too much stuff. I got jerseys, I, I, you know, I got a pair of Ladanian Tomlinson's cleats from when my locker was next to him at, you know, his, my last year with the Jets.

[Dan Patrick]

Wait, did you ask him for those or did you take those?

[J.J. Watt]

Can't recall. Let's, let's not go there this morning. Actually. No, I did, I did ask him, I did ask.

[Dan Patrick]

He might be one of, he might be one of the most underrated players of all time.

[J.J. Watt]

Totally agree.

[Dan Patrick]

I mean, his stats are crazy. I went over those two days ago. I was just looking and I go, gosh, he's not meant when we talk great running backs of all time. He's one of those we got to come back to and go, oh, yeah, you're right. Lt was great.

[J.J. Watt]

Now there's no doubt. And how he did it, too. I mean, there were some games he was 30 plus carries. There was other games he had 10 plus catches. I mean, super, super impactful.

[Dan Patrick]

You wouldn't have got your chance if Brady didn't get hurt that year.

[J.J. Watt]

It was, you know, it was actually, you know, when it happened, that was back, that was back kind of, you know, before some of the rules that we have now with the, you know, where you have to clearly define who the third quarterback is. So, you know, there was, there was a moment in that, in that when, when Tom went down where Matt Castle and I weren't sure who was going in the game. And then Matt went out there and, and, you know, we were, if I, if I recall correctly, there was a moment early there where we were backed up and he threw Randy Moss a big completion from, you know, standing in the shadows of his own goalpost and he, the rest was history from there. He, he had an unbelievable year. That was a, that was a really interesting year because, you know, you're, you go to New England, you think you're going to be watching the greatest quarterback of all time, you know, go to work every week and then something catastrophic like that happens. And then just to be there side by side through that with Matt and, and, and Matt and I became really close and watch him Go through it. And he was so prepared for the moment. Had been there for a pretty good chunk of years, kind of just learning and growing and developing, and then watch him go out and execute every week and shoot. We won. If I don't. If I recall right, I think we won 11 games and didn't make the playoffs. It was. It was kind of a one of one thing.

[Dan Patrick]

Do you do the nobody believes us type speech?

[J.J. Watt]

Well, you know, it was to me, at the beginning of the year, Dan, it was easy to say, to give that speech because that would have been accurate at the time, you know, but I did have a feeling about this team even going back into the off season. New additions arrive, and you're kind of just seeing the team come together. And it seemed like every few days. I remember vividly a conversation I had with Harrison Smith second or third day of training camp. And I. I just kind of walked up to him and we were talking and kind of assessing. You know, it was during special teams. And I said, harry, I think we be pretty good. And he's like, I. I think so too. And. And we kind of just kept on having good days and. And my whole focus was just. It really wasn't about, you know, motivating from a standpoint of, hey, nobody's talking about us, or the wind projections or anything like that. I didn't get into all that. It was just trying to get these guys to truly see if we can maximize every day. And it's, It's. It can be a cliche if you're, you know, if you're. If you're not authentically believing it, that that's the most important thing for this team this year. But I truly did feel, between our, you know, having a new quarterback and just, you know, so many new faces on the defense and flow, kind of bringing that group together every single day. We had to maximize the time we had. And if we didn't, you know, I didn't necessarily think we would reach our potential or, you know, as early as we needed to, to have the kind of impact, to get the confidence going, to start really believing. And we were able to rip off five in a row to start the season. And we, you know, I tell our team this sometimes because I want them to remember it, especially the totality of our roster. But we won all three preseason games, Dan. I'd never won a preseason game before, so that was, you know, I was hoping that wouldn't be the marquee moment of the year for us. But, you know, outside of losing Two games in five days, by two to Detroit and, and then going out playing Sean and, and the Rams on the road on a short week. This team hasn't, hasn't lost outside in the other, you know, 15 total opportunities. So proud of what we are, but means absolutely nothing. Got a heck of a challenge this week going to Seattle. Mike McDonald's got a, you know that, that's, that's a tough watch on tape for an opposing team because he's, he's doing some really good things on offense, defense and special teams.

[Dan Patrick]

Kevin O'Connell, who I think is going to win the coach of the Year. I don't, does that matter to you?

[J.J. Watt]

I, you know, I'm, I'm lucky I don't have a vote because there's a lot of really good coaches in our league, man.

[Dan Patrick]

Okay, who would you vote for for Coach of the Year? If you can vote for yourself.

[J.J. Watt]

I can't envision a scenario like that, but if I can't vote for myself, I would probably say, you know, I think Dan Campbell in our division, coaching against him. You know, that team is always really well prepared, tough. They've truly taken on the Persona of their head coach, which I think is, you know, what, what means, what means the most in this position. Haven't done it now for three years. I think Mike Tomlin would be. There's nobody I respect more than Mike Tomlin and what he has consistently done his whole career. And I just love, anytime I get a chance to be around him, he, you know, I always take something from it and, and just love, love, love him. But I would say probably one of those two guys can't, can't sleep on Dan Quinn either. That's, I know that's, that's been a heck of a year for them as well.

[Dan Patrick]

Take me back to when you were offensive coordinator with the Rams. So like Cooper Cups year. How crazy was that? And, and if you're calling plays at. It seems like had to be pretty easy if you're calling plays with, with Matthew Stafford playing as well and Cooper cup having the Triple crown year.

[J.J. Watt]

Well, I think what people don't give Cooper enough credit for is the position he plays in that offense. He, you know, he may. Everyone remembers the third down catches and Matthew hitting them, you know, on a, you know, a huge play against the Niners to kind of, kind of break a game open when we had to have it or The Tampa Bay 4th down throw down the middle in the playoffs, you know, or two minute throw, I should say. But what they don't see is when he's such an integral, integral part of the run game and the physicality and the toll that takes, you know, and the jobs he's willing to do. The football intelligence. So it was, I mean, watching him, you know, I used to say there should be a fourth column. That year he won the triple crown. You know, pancake blocks and, you know, amount of times he had to block a defensive end or a linebacker. And if there was that, I think people would recognize that year even more than what they did in the moment. And just watching him and Matthew Stafford was one of the. One of the kind of highlights of my career, honestly, Dan, because, you know, in the mornings, these two guys are meeting as if they're almost coaches and really talking about the nuances of things that. And I remember I would just sometimes just, you know, get a conversation started or be present for one that they were having and just kind of sit back and recognize how one of one that situation was because of where both those guys were at their careers. But also just the football intelligence of two human beings that can play the game at a high level. But some of the things they talked about were so beyond football 501. It was, you know, sometimes I would sit there and just hope they didn't call on me to answer a question.

[Dan Patrick]

What's your role with Sam Darnold?

[J.J. Watt]

I think my role with him is just. I tried to. I tried to not, you know, be so heavily involved because I think Josh McCown and Grant Udinsky in that room, we've got a really good kind of support system directly for him in that role in that room. What I try to really be is, you know, really three things. Is the play caller giving him as much play intent of what I'm thinking so I can eliminate any gray. I think one of the big things I've always thought a quarterback needs to know is that I'm not going to be standing or sitting in the room on Monday morning holding the clicker and say, hey, why didn't you do this? Hey, this guy's open. Why didn't you throw that? Like, what I try to say is give clear, concise, hey, this is what we're trying to get done. If that doesn't happen, if I give you a bad play, like, here's what I want you to do with it. Here's. Here's where, you know, your, your outlet or your checkdowns are going to be and let's live to fight another down. Let's not try to. You don't need to be Superman for, for us here. Although I do think he's made some Superman esque throws this year with the talent he has and his ability to throw it. And that's what I'm, you know, most trying to do on a one, on one level. And then there's the element of, of how we're going to manage the game together because I do think the benefit of being the play caller and the head coach is a lot of times, you know, I, I can, I can, I can kind of help the management overall of when we're going to be ultra aggressive, when we're going to be, you know, kind of in a mode of, hey, our defense is playing great. I'm going to give you this play call, but let's make sure we ensure three points or let's make sure that no matter what we end this possession with or end this down with possession of the football. Because if the way our defense is playing, if we don't do things to lose the game right now, we got a great chance to win it. And there's just a lot of times in the game where that can get away from you if you don't have that direct line of communication with the quarterback. So I know those are probably the two things. And, and then just, you know, overall, just, you know, just how we put it all together, just making sure that he's an extension of me out there and I feel really good about. Sam's done a phenomenal job, Dan. He really has.

[Dan Patrick]

I'll leave you with this. If every current NFL head coach took part in a passing contest.

[J.J. Watt]

I know there'd be probably 32 participants, but I don't know if we would classify all 32 as passers of the football.

[Dan Patrick]

Harbaugh, you know, thinks that he could win this.

[J.J. Watt]

No doubt. He's probably got cleats on as we speak in bed and he, he probably, you know, I know for a fact I've seen him, he still throws it probably as well as anybody, but I wouldn't sleep on, on Cliff there in Washington. I know, you know, he would qualify as a coordinator currently, but I know.

[Dan Patrick]

He, he thinks he's not eligible. Kev, he's not eligible.

[J.J. Watt]

He's not eligible. Then I'm putting myself in there. You got Zach Taylor, Sean Payton.

[Dan Patrick]

Can he still throw it?

[J.J. Watt]

I don't know. I don't know. Probably. But, and, and don't sleep on the, the McVeigh LaFleur. You know, Kyle's a former receiver, but all those guys, they all think they can throw it.

[Dan Patrick]

Andy Reed won the passing kick contest when he was 13 years of age.

[J.J. Watt]

It all makes sense now, of course.

[Dan Patrick]

Good luck with the game against Seattle. Great to talk to you and congrats.

[J.J. Watt]

Yeah, always appreciate you, Dan. Really do. Thank you for having me on.

[Dan Patrick]

Thank you, bud. That's Kevin O'Connell, who I think right now would be the leading candidate for Coach of the Year. 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 radio app. Sonos makes it easy to enjoy a cinematic sound experience from the comfort of your own couch. Sonos works with award winning artists, producers, sound engineers to deliver the highest quality sound. Listen to all that holiday music you want and all the holiday movies as well with Sonos. Sonos products work together so what you can do is build your own sound system and they look as beautiful as they sound. Once you hear it, you'll ask yourself, how have I survived without this? Sonos has great gifts for everybody on your list. Visit sonos.com dan. You'll save 20% on select products. That's sonos.com dan Golf's newest league is coming to ESPN and ESPN Plus. Introducing TGL presented by SoFi. You have three on three team matchups that play on Monday and Tuesday nights. Six teams competing for playoffs in a championship. You're in Atlanta, Boston, Jupiter, Florida, Los Angeles, New York and the Bay. Those are the teams 24 the PGA Tours best. You got Tiger. You got Rory, Colin Morikawa, Xander Shoffley, Ricky Fowler and so many more. Two hour matches during primetime and the matches take place on Monday and Tuesday nights. There's other sporting elements. There's timeouts, there's refs, there's overtime. Players are mic'd up. They all play in a custom built tech infused arena. It's wild. It's not your average Sunday pickup game. To learn more, visit tglgolf.com and tune in to the inaugural season beginning January 7th. Keep up. It's golf life is an adventure. Time to let more people in and have some fun and share the journey. Introducing Yamaha's latest terrain. Conquering side by side that combines class, leading power with maximum comfort and versatility and boy does it deliver. It's the all new Wolverine R Max 4 1000. Ample room for four adult passengers, plenty of cargo space so you can tackle new terrain, expand your horizons, go further than ever before. Experience its [e-mail] and you can also see it test drive it Sit in it. Bring the family. Go to your local Yamaha dealer today. A few things to remember. Always protect the environment. Always wear your seatbelt, helmet, eye protection, protective clothing. And make sure you read the owner's manual and product warning labels before operating. Try it out. It's the all new Wolverine RMAX 41000 from Yamaha. Hey, it's Dan Patrick. If you're a listener of the show, you probably know this by now. We're a big fan of Keeper's Heart. Whiskey. Keeper's Heart, the first whiskey to offer a unique blend of Irish and American whiskies. Nobody's ever done it at this level. The results are incredible. Smooth enough to enjoy, neat or enough character to make amazing cocktails. Don't take it from me. I'm just an Irish American guy who enjoys a drink or two. The whiskey experts agree. Crafted by one of the biggest names in the world of whiskey, Brian Nation, Keeper's Heart is one of the most awarded new whiskies of the last couple of years, winning over 150 awards to date, including best Irish whiskey in the world and winning a double gold at the San Francisco World Spirits competition. You gotta try it. It's available now in the best liquor stores. Look for it on the Irish whiskey shelf or you can buy it online. Keepersheartwiskey.com keepersheartwisky.com It's a bottle worth keeping. Let your kids explore and have adventures while staying connected with Rapid Radio's walkie talkies. Perfect for playtime, these walkie talkies offer a safe way to commun without the need for Internet access. With a durable design, easy to use features, Rapid Radios ensure your children can enjoy their adventures while you keep peace of mind. They're perfect for backyard fun, neighborhood explorations and beyond. Visit rapidradios.com receive up to 60% and an additional 5% off using the code RADIO. J.J. watt, future hall of Famer, works with the NFL today on CBS and he's working Christmas day Chief Steelers Game on Netflix 1 Eastern with Ian Eagle handling play by play color duties there. So how many times, how many games have you done as an analyst at a game?

[Charles Barkley]

I haven't called an actual game broadcasting wise live. Obviously I've done the studio and everything and we practice together. But first one very much looking forward to it.

[Dan Patrick]

Okay, what advice have you been given?

[Charles Barkley]

I think mostly it's, it's be yourself, it's share your experiences. But also don't, don't overdo it. For me personally, I've just this year watched games much Closer. And I've just seen what I like, what I don't like. And for me, personally, I love it when the announcer watches the game like a fan and talks like a fan, but then subtly interjects here and there the knowledge and experience they have. But I. I don't want to be overly technical. I don't want to lose people with football jargon. I want to kind of enjoy the game the same way the fan does.

[Dan Patrick]

That's great advice, and you're not asking for it, but I'll give it to you anyways. Get those 15 second moments where you analyze something and then get out of the way. For Ian Eagle, because it's really the most important thing is he's able to do the play by play. Your. Your color commentary is needed, but you still have to give him that time to bring it back and say, you know, third intent, you know, for the Texans or whatever it might be, but being able to compartmentalize something, say what you want to say for 15 seconds, and then get out of the way. That's an art. And absolutely, yeah, he's the best.

[Charles Barkley]

I love iron. I'm very, very much looking forward to it. We had Nate Burleson in the booth, too, so it's. It's going to be a lot of fun. I've. I went and watched the Cardinals Bears game with iron and Charles, so I got to sit there and just watch them work and see how they work together. And we've been. We've been buddies for a while, so it's been great.

[Dan Patrick]

When's the last time you gave advice to your brother?

[Charles Barkley]

Yesterday.

[Dan Patrick]

About.

[Charles Barkley]

We were talking about his ankle, and we were talking about just the recovery and all that. We talk every single day. So we, we talk about the game, we talk about life, we talk about injuries, everything.

[Dan Patrick]

He's playing.

[Charles Barkley]

Yes.

[Dan Patrick]

What advice do you give him? A playing through high ankle sprain?

[Charles Barkley]

I mean, it's much more about preparation, everything during the week and getting yourself to game day than it is on game day. On game day, you kind of let the adrenaline take over. I mean, there may be a couple things here and there you can do differently, but once the game starts, if you're thinking about your ankle, you're not going to have a good day. So I'd rather him not think about it than be out there trying to think, okay, if I do this move, it's not good for me. That's no good.

[Dan Patrick]

The difference between pain and an injury.

[Charles Barkley]

I mean, especially with an ankle, like things like this. I mean, a Sprain is literally an injury. It's just been. It's painful, but there's just different levels that you can play through. I agree with you. And I know the old school thing, like, there's guys that can play through pain and then there's legitimate injuries that you can't play through, but there is a degree of difference. And I also think that depending on the team and depending on where you are on the standings and if you're in the playoff hunt or not, I think the. The willingness to play through either one is different for every guy.

[Dan Patrick]

Well, just look at the Lions with David Montgomery and Aiden Hutchinson. They're like, hey, we're. Montgomery's going to hold off surgery just in case, you know, they go far in the playoffs. I mean, that mental. And these games mean something, too, so that, you know, they're extra motivation.

[Charles Barkley]

Yeah, yeah. And I. I mean, I think there's that old school mentality as well, that, like, let's just figure it out. I mean, there's been plenty of times in my career where they're giving you a decision. They're like, you can get this fixed now and you're going to be out, or you can hold off until the off season, or maybe it gets better over time, but most of the time, competitors are pushing it off until whenever. Maybe I should have not pushed it off a few more times.

[Dan Patrick]

Well, I was wondering, you know, you look back on that, you played through a lot of gruesome injuries there. If you had to do it again, could you have done it differently?

[Charles Barkley]

Yeah, it's more about the recovery from the injuries than it was the actual injuries. I think 20. 2015 was the year that I was by far the most banged up and just crazy amount of stuff. So after the season, we had to fix a lot. But it's the recovery process that I wish I would have done differently. I always wanted to be the fastest back from recovery. I always wanted to be back on the field quickly. I wanted to show my teammates, the fans, everybody. I'm doing whatever I can to get back out there. And there's probably a few times that I didn't let the whole process play out before going back out there where I should have.

[Dan Patrick]

Playing in snow. How much of an.

[Charles Barkley]

For a pass rusher? Yeah, not fun for a pass rusher at all because that's your whole advantage is edges, corners, turning, grip. You just literally lose all of that. So very, very frustrating.

[Dan Patrick]

Okay. How does an advantage. How does an offensive lineman take advantage of that or a quarterback take advantage of you trying to rush in the snow? Yeah.

[Charles Barkley]

I mean, in theory, you should have significantly more time. Now, the same issue plays out with his receivers. They can't cut the same, they can't make the same breaks. So he's going to have a tougher time there. But in theory, it should be more difficult. You're probably going to get some more bull rushes because a guy's going to try and run through you as opposed to speed, rushing around an edge. Yes, you can change your cleats. Yes, you can wear seven studs. You can put longer, but it's hard.

[Dan Patrick]

We're talking to J.J. watt. He'll be on the call. Christmas Day, it's Chiefs and the Steelers. That'll be on Netflix at one Eastern. How will you be in critiquing, analyzing your brother doing a game?

[Charles Barkley]

I'm going to be, I mean, I'm listening. People are like, oh, he's going to be so biased for his brother. The same thing was on the other side. Chiefs are the Chiefs. Like, I'm going to be talking good about Patrick Mahomes. News flash. So people are going to say he's biased for the Chiefs. I'm not going to deny the fact that he's my brother during the broadcast. He is still my brother. I am still. I, I, we're still blood related. But I have no problem saying what I'm seeing. I mean, if I'm seeing that he's, you know, he's getting caught on a certain pass rush or it's not working, or if a run comes his way and it goes through that gap like that's, that's real. I'm not, I do want to be a good announcer, so I am going to do my best there. But he also, on the flip side of that, he's also one of the best players in the entire world. So if he makes a good plane, I get excited about it. News flash. That's what you do. And great players make great plays.

[Dan Patrick]

How was your approach to Mahomes for.

[Charles Barkley]

The game, for calling the game or playing against?

[Dan Patrick]

Playing against him?

[Charles Barkley]

Sadly didn't have much success there because with a quarterback, what you do is you look for their drop spot. What, what yardage do they drop to? Because as a pass rusher, that's where you want to go. So most guys are somewhere in the seven and a half to eight and a half yard range. The problem with Pat is you rush to that point and he knows he has the arm strength to throw the ball from anywhere on the field. So if you rush to that point, his first look is always going to be that B gap. He loves to rush up in the B gap, which is between the guard, the tackle. So if he can get a lane there, he's going to take it. But if that's closed off by a D tackle, he's just going to drop back 10, 15, 20 yards and he knows he can make that throw from there. So you can't just rush to a spot with Pat because he's not going to be at that spot, whereas some other guys can't do that because they don't have the arm strength. Him and Josh Allen are two of the best at that, and it's. It's extremely frustrating. So the number one thing, in my opinion you have to have against Pat is obviously a good edge rusher, but then you need that inside push, because if you can take away that B gap and get those guys up in his face as well, at least now I know as an edge rusher, I can rush a little higher, so I can also take away that deep drop back.

[Dan Patrick]

Were there certain quarterbacks that you knew or thought that maybe they were going to get preferential treatment, so you had to maybe modify how you were going to hit them?

[Charles Barkley]

Hitting the quarterback is an art, and it is an art that I was very proud to have a high degree in, because there are certainly ways to do it that you can. Are still allowed to hit them and not get fined and not get penalized. It took me a lot of fines and penalties to figure out where that line was, but I got it and it really is a skill, and I think that you have to be able to utilize that skill, because laying hits on a quarterback also does affect the game, even if it's not a sack. So knowing that you have that step, step and a half and using it is huge. I do think, and I'm not naive to the fact that I may have gotten a little preferential treatment myself in the fact that it built up repertoire and the refs understood that I knew the rules and so I was going to stay within them, but I was always going to push it. But, yeah, I mean, you can. It's extremely hard and I get frustrated with some of these roughing the passers, but you absolutely can find ways to hit the quarterback legally.

[Dan Patrick]

I always thought that quarterback hurry was an underrated stat that, that we do get focused on sacks, but I still like when I watch Max Crosby, he may not get there, but you know that he's there.

[Charles Barkley]

So I like, I like quarterback hit over a Pressure or a hurry? Because that means that, like, first of all, it's a literal thing that you can quantify. You can see the hit and he hit him. And you know what it is? Pressures and hurries I get real iffy about because I don't understand how these people are saying, what's a pressure? What's a hurry? What happens if it's a screen and they let you through? Is this a distance to the quarterback before he throws the ball?

[Kevin O'Connell]

What.

[Charles Barkley]

What are those? So I'm a big fan of quarterback hit because that means you were within a step of him because you didn't get a penalty and you hit him. Either he threw it or he didn't. But I agree with you there. You can effectively play without sacks. But I will also say pressures and hurries are like saying would have scored a touchdown. Like, the receiver was open, the quarterback just didn't throw it to him. Well, it's a results driven business. Either scored the touchdown or you didn't score a touchdown. You either won the game or you didn't. We need to get sacks. That's the goal.

[Dan Patrick]

Best team in the AFC is who?

[Charles Barkley]

I mean, you can't. You can't see anybody but the Chiefs until they're proven otherwise. I mean, it's the. It's the debate right now. Like, are they doing what the Chiefs do and figuring it out as the year goes on? And they're just. They have the clutch gene and they're going to keep it going. It's tough to say. Their defense is so good, but, I mean, the Bills are just. The Bills are rolling right now. It's just their defense that scares you because they are giving up a ton of points that offenses. I mean, Josh Allen's playing superhuman right now. I'm calling the game in five days, so I'm gonna go with the Chiefs because I want a great game.

[Dan Patrick]

What's it like to tackle Josh Allen?

[Charles Barkley]

I think I. So I played against some more earlier in his career, so it was probably maybe a little bit easier then because he wasn't as settled in and comfortable. So I've had some fun tackling Josh, but it's not fun chasing him around. He's big, he's fast, he's mobile. He also has a great arm, but had a good one on him in the playoffs down there in Houston. I really enjoyed that.

[Dan Patrick]

I was amazed when I saw Cam Newton in person. That's a big guy. That's a big guy.

[Charles Barkley]

Cam is one of the only times that I've really, you Know, we've collided, and you get up and you're like, yeah, that was a collision. We both, like, it was a stunt, and I wrapped around in the middle, and he started to scramble right up the middle, and we just. Neither of us kind of saw each other. And at the last second, we hit, and it was one of those where we both went down right where we were. Neither gave ground, and you just look at nice.

[Dan Patrick]

But, you know, do you want those matchups there, or would you rather, you know, try to chase Kyler Murray?

[Charles Barkley]

No, I don't. I don't like chasing anybody, Dan. I'm going to be honest with you. I prefer if they just stood there in the pocket. But then you have the guys that do that. Brady, who gets the ball out in 1.4 seconds, and you're like, all right, I can't. I can't even get there. Peyton was nice. I like. I like, you know. You know, it was good, but, I mean, he also torched us. I think he threw his 55th touchdown pass against us. So I can't. I can't even say anything there. Luck was. Luck was another good one. I like chasing Luck around. We had some good battles, me and Andrew Luck, and he was obviously always very cordial afterwards.

[Dan Patrick]

Did you give your teammates Christmas gifts?

[Charles Barkley]

Yes. The D line, generally.

[Dan Patrick]

What. What did you give him?

[Charles Barkley]

There's. There's a different level. So, like, actually, early in my career, my first defense player of the year, I gave the whole defense custom iPads. That was early. And then as it went on, it was. There's a lot of. A lot of beverages over the years. Very nice beverages. There was, you know, backpacks, designer backpacks, things like that. Never, never pick up trucks. That's a new one for me. There's a lot of. I saw Ryan Fitzpatrick tweeted it today, but he was right. There's a lot of questions I have about that from a tax standpoint, from registration standpoint, from an insurance standpoint. We'd love to see the logistics behind that.

[Dan Patrick]

Is you ready for Christmas at home? You're going to be on, like, how tough is that? Like, you got to go Christmas Day. How big is your son?

[Charles Barkley]

He is 2, and he's large, as you'd expect. So it is tough. That's. There's no question that's tough. But I'm leaving, so I'm gonna see him Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. I'm just gonna be gone, literally, for the game. So we're gonna. We're gonna do our own little Christmas here. He's. He loves the Grinch. He is all in on the Grinch. So I. He tried to steal our Christmas tree the other day, and I said, what are you doing? Because I'm taking it up the chimney. I said, no, no, that's not the hero part.

[Dan Patrick]

Is he already as tall as Kyler Murray?

[Charles Barkley]

Oh, Dan, that's not fair.

[J.J. Watt]

That's not fair.

[Dan Patrick]

Merry Christmas to you. Have fun. And you got a great thought process going into that game of what we, the audience, wants to hear. Stick to it. And Iron Eagle is as giving as any announcer that you'll work with, and that's really important. He will make you better.

[Charles Barkley]

Yes. That's my. That's my whole goal in life, Dan, is to let everybody around me make me look good because they're all better than I am. So I'm here for it, just like you. I appreciate you. And I got to give a shout out to Fritzi. We've been trying to make this happen for a very long time. I think I might have more text messages in my phone from Fritzi than I do for my wife, but I appreciate it. I'm glad we could finally make it work.

[Dan Patrick]

Thanks, bud. Happy holidays. No, no, hold on. Remember, we kind of have an over under of how many text messages before you have to take the. I left a little space between messages.

[Charles Barkley]

But, no, he knows I actually wanted to do it. Like, that's. I'm.

[Kevin O'Connell]

I'm.

[Charles Barkley]

I'm with it. We just literally, it's been. It's been chaos over here.

[Dan Patrick]

He was always very, very genuine and kind with his responses. I did not one time did I get a hint that I was like.

[Charles Barkley]

You'Re being a pain in the.

[Dan Patrick]

You know what? And he found time to do it on the last show of the 2024 year. So that's very awesome that he did that. Okay, have a good broadcast, my friend.

[Charles Barkley]

Have you ever gotten a mean one back, Fritzi? Has anybody ever said, like, to stop or just the big capital S T O P, like the infomercial?

[Dan Patrick]

Derek Thomas came over to me back in the day at the ESPN Zone in or in Disney World, and he's like, fritzi, I got your first message. I got your third message, and I got your eighth message.

[Charles Barkley]

I knew where to be.

[Dan Patrick]

You got to relax a little bit with the messages. Well, we had a problem with Bill Murray that Fritzi. Bill Murray reached out to me and said, hey, tell Fritzi to stop. And so I said to Fritzi, stop, Bill, Muriel, come on the show. You must stop. And then Fritz. He goes, should I text him to tell him that I got it? I go, no, don't text him to tell him that you got the message to stop texting him. But he always gets his man.

[Charles Barkley]

I mean, well, I don't mean to.

[Dan Patrick]

Be a pain in the neck, but you are.

[Charles Barkley]

No, you're the best. You're the best.

[Dan Patrick]

Thank you.

[Charles Barkley]

You guys are great. I love, I love it every time I'm here.

[Dan Patrick]

Thank you, buddy. That's jj. What? 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. Sonos makes it easy to enjoy a cinematic sound experience from the comfort of your own couch. Sonos works with award winning artists, producers, sound engineers to deliver the highest quality sound. Listen to all that holiday music you want and all the holiday movies as well with Sonos. Sonos products work together. So what you can do is build your own sound system and they look as beautiful as they sound. Once you hear it, you'll ask yourself, how have I survived without this? Sonos has great gifts for everybody on your list. Visit sonos.comforward/dan. You'll save 20% on select products. That's sonos.com Dan Golf's newest league is coming to ESPN and ESPN Plus. Introducing TGL, presented by SoFi. You have three on three team matchups that play on Monday and Tuesday nights. Six teams competing for playoffs in a championship. You're in Atlanta, Boston, Jupiter, Florida, Los Angeles, New York and the Bay. Those are the teams 24 the PGA Tours best. You got Tiger. You got Rory, Colin Morikawa, Xander Schoffley, Ricky Fowler and so many more. Two hour matches during primetime and the matches take place on Monday and Tuesday nights. There's other sporting elements. There's timeouts, there's refs, there's overtime. Players are mic'd up. They all play in a custom built tech infused arena. It's wild. It's not your average Sunday pickup game. To learn more, visit tglgolf.com and tune in to the inaugural season beginning January 7th. Keep up. It's golf. Life is an adventure. Time to let more people in and have some fun and share the journey. Introducing Yamaha's latest terrain. Conquering side by side that combines class leading power with maximum comfort and versatility. And boy does it deliver. It's the all new Wolverine r max for 1000. Ample room for four adult passengers. Plenty of cargo space so you can tackle new terrain, expand your horizons, go further than ever before. Experience its capability@yamaha motorsports.com and you can also see it test drive it, sit in it, bring the family. Go to your local Yamaha dealer today. A few things to remember Always protect the environment. Always wear your seatbelt, helmet, eye protection, protective clothing and make sure you read the owner's manual and product warning labels before operating. Try it out. It's the all new Wolverine RMAX 41000 from Yamaha. Hey, it's Dan Patrick. If you're a listener of the show, you probably know this by now. We're a big fan of Keeper's Heart. Whiskey Keeper's Heart, the first whiskey to offer a unique blend of Irish and American whiskies. Nobody's ever done it at this level. The results are incredible. Smooth enough to enjoy, neat or enough character to make amazing cocktails. Don't take it from me. I'm just an Irish American guy who enjoys a drink or two. The whiskey experts agree. Crafted by one of the biggest names in the world of whiskey, Brian Nation, Keeper's Heart is one of the most awarded new whiskies of the last couple of years, winning over 150 awards to date, including best Irish whiskey in the world and winning a double gold at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition. You got to try it. It's available now in the best liquor stores. Look for it on the Irish whiskey shelf or you can buy it online. Keepersheartwhiskey.com keepersheartwhiskey.Com It's a bottle worth keeping. Let your kids explore and have adventures while staying connected with Rapid Radio's Walkie Talkies. Perfect for playtime, these walkie talkies offer a safe way to communicate without the need for Internet access. With a durable design, easy to use features, Rapid Radios ensure your children can enjoy their adventures while you keep peace of mind. They're perfect for backyard fun, neighborhood explorations and beyond. Visit rapidradios.com receive up to 60% and an additional 5% off using the code radio during the live look in as we were eating I mentioned that Marvin and Seaton were not most valuable Dan Mike I think a lot of people were surprised that Marvin was not Amongst the final two. The most valuable Danette for 2024 and will receive tires from TireRack.com the official tire expert of the Dan Patrick show. He garnered 36% of the vote. Your most valuable Dan it yes Paul. By the way, the the whistle this year has is a little underrated as a show element. Seaton's whistle Yeah, I really enjoy it personally.

[Charles Barkley]

Back to you.

[Dan Patrick]

Okay, so if I Say, and he garnered 36% of the votes. Todd Fritz is the most valuable. Dan. No, the least valuable. Danette. He garnered just 18% of the vote. So it went fritzy with 36%. This guy got half the votes. Say hello to Paulie. Well deserved, Paul.

[J.J. Watt]

I'm on the podium getting something much deserved.

[Charles Barkley]

Do I get, like, a tire?

[Dan Patrick]

Yeah, we can maybe a lug nut. The suggestion has been made that the LVD's car get put up on blocks removed. Yeah, that was weeks. How do you think I'm giving these tires away to Fritzi? Okay. Yeah. Uber home. Okay, so Fritzi had 36%, Seaton had 24, Marvin had 23%, then Paulie at 18%. We also have a pie bet to pay off. Should we do that now for the audience, or do we do it in the plus block? Do we want to do that after the show? I'm thinking plus block, as that's. That's kind of the way we've been doing it. And then I don't have to be covered in all that stuff while we're wrapping up the last segment. Yeah, but the people on radio don't get to experience what that sounds like. When the pie smashes you. I'm going to do whatever you guys want to do. All right?

[Charles Barkley]

Right.

[Dan Patrick]

I'm gonna. How about we do a plus block? All right. Fire. Okay, we'll do that. Plus block pie. Now it's time for the most valuable backroom guy. Oh, mvbrg. This is the one I've been waiting for all year. Okay. This is the best one. Now, there was a. It's like a committee, like the college football playoff committee. You don't know who's on it. You don't know what they talk about there, but everybody in the back room eligible for a set of tires from tire rack.

[Kevin O'Connell]

And, you know, you have to know.

[Dan Patrick]

About the back room guys is they're incredibly competitive, especially with each other. So there's. There's Ray, who is the producer for the gambling podcast. Dylan, of course, is on the gambling podcast. He does graphics. There's the big German who heads up the whole enchilada here, and he directs the show. You have see Rob Diehard, Knicks fan and jets fan. So he normally isn't used to winning anything. He does a lot of the videos, and he does the newsletter. You got Mario involved with the newsletter. And Tyler. Tyler, who is supposed to fix the golf simulator every morning, but he does answer calls, and he takes care of my dog. And Weeks, our cameraman, Weeks, our Cameraman who's going to be a father here soon. Going to be pretty soon. So the most valuable backroom guy for 2024, Mario. Wow. And he's here on a Friday. Yes. Wow. Yes. So Mario is the most valuable brg. He does a lot. He does an awful lot. And a guy that I nearly fired twice, actually. True. Yes. I went to Paulie and I go, oh, there's Mario. Mary's coming out.

[Charles Barkley]

Congratulations, Sam Darnold.

[Dan Patrick]

Eventually, he's almost lost twice, but somehow got another gig. How about that? Yeah. I don't even know if Mario knows that I nearly fired him twice. I had to go to Paulie. I said, hey, he was your student. He's got potential, but I might have to let him go. And then Paulie goes, give him another chance. And then it wasn't long after that, I said, hey. He goes, can you give him another chance? You know what?

[Charles Barkley]

Go to bed.

[Dan Patrick]

And I said, and then thank God I did. He's done an unbelievable job. But my thanks to, you know, the guys behind the scenes every single day and they come in a great attitude and they do wonderful work. So thank you for all the great things that you guys do every single day. Yes. Paul.

[Charles Barkley]

Yeah, I'd like to echo that.

[Dan Patrick]

Some of the guys behind the scenes do a fantastic. Some. Oh, sorry.

[Charles Barkley]

Back to you.

[Dan Patrick]

Wow. Thank you. Thank you. We had a wonderful year. We'll talk to you in the new year. Great holiday, everybody. Introducing TGL, presented by SoFi, golf's newest league live on ESPN and ESPN Plus. It's sharp and it's electric. How is it sharp? How is it electric? Picture this. Two hours of hammer dropping overtime forcing playoffs on the line. Golf with 24 of the best players from the PGA Tour like Tiger, Rory and more split into six teams. Atlanta, Boston, Jupiter, Louisiana, New York and the Bay. This isn't your average Sunday pickup game. To learn more, visit tglgolf.com and tune in to the inaugural season beginning January 7th. Keep up it's golf.

[J.J. Watt]

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[Dan Patrick]

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[J.J. Watt]

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[Dan Patrick]

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[Charles Barkley]

You have big plans. You don't just need space. You need the right space. You need Will Scott.

[Dan Patrick]

Yeah.

[Charles Barkley]

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[Dan Patrick]

Need, Will Scott will help you find.

[Charles Barkley]

The mobile and temporary space that is right for your project, right for your timeline, and right from the start.

[Dan Patrick]

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