The Pat McAfee Show 2.0 (Episode #1415) — September 24, 2025

Brief Overview

This vibrant Watt Wednesday edition of The Pat McAfee Show dives deep into the latest happenings in football and beyond. Pat and his core crew – AJ Hawk, Darius Butler, AQ Shipley, Boston Connor, Ty Schmidt, and Tone Diggs – share sharp analysis and banter on Hall of Fame nominations, college football's huge weekend, top NFL storylines (with a heavy focus on O-line and D-coach breakdowns), and exclusive interviews, including Lane Kiffin and Cam Bynum. The episode is fast-paced, loaded with inside jokes, and delivers one-of-a-kind perspectives from former players and coaches.

Table of Contents

1. Hall of Fame Nominees & AJ Hawk’s Candidacy
2. College Football: Key Matchups & Rankings
3. In The Trenches with AQ Shipley: NFL O-Line Deep Dive
4. Everything DB with Darius Butler: Defensive Highlights
5. Interview: Lane Kiffin on Life, Ole Miss, and Change
6. Interview: Cam Bynum—Colts’ Culture & Leadership
7. NFL Storylines: QB Development, Social Media, & Patience
8. Memorable Quotes & Moments
9. Key Timestamps

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1. Hall of Fame Nominees & AJ Hawk’s Candidacy

• Pat celebrates friends & colleagues named to the Hall of Fame nominee list, running through notable names like Adam Vinatieri, Shane Lechler, Vernon Davis, Greg Olson, Jason Whitten, Eric Berry, Cam Chancellor, Earl Thomas, Pat Surtain Sr., Asante Samuel, and more.
• Discussion on A.J. Hawk's impressive career and his place among Hall nominees.
• Pat on the awkwardness of repeated nominations:
  • “Every year, all they have to hear is why they don’t deserve to be in Hall of Fame. That kind of sucks.” (09:26)
• Pat reflects on his own three-time nomination.
• Darius Butler and AQ Shipley break down the defensive and O-line candidate groups.
• AJ Hawk’s humility upon learning about his nomination via the show:
  • “I learned of it from you watching the show... Honored. Very honored.” (66:00)

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2. College Football: Key Matchups & Rankings

• Huge upcoming Saturday: Preview of major games:
  • Oregon at Penn State (Whiteout)
  • Alabama at Georgia
  • USC at Illinois
  • Ole Miss vs. LSU
  • Upset alerts: ranked teams on the road (Ohio State, Indiana, Notre Dame, TCU, Tennessee)
• Penn State’s “easiest schedule” & QB Drew Allar’s struggles:
  • Pat: “Drew Allar... overall 106th, 3rd down 133rd. Red zone 131st. What the hell is that stat?” (13:09)
• The panel debates the meaning of PSUs soft early schedule.
• AP Top 25 rundown: Penn State at #3, Miami at #2, Ohio State at #1, followed by LSU/Georgia/Oregon/Oklahoma/FSU.
• NIL and transfer portal shoutouts—who’s spending big and looking strong.

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3. In The Trenches with AQ Shipley: NFL O-Line Deep Dive

[23:22–36:57 & 152:11–162:32]

• Detroit Lions’ historic run-game looks: Old-school I-formation and duo play; “Bully the bully” vs. Baltimore.
  • “This is the only way you can beat Baltimore... you bully the bully. Let’s get people on people, hat on a hat, and just beat the shit out of people.” (25:09)
• Browns’ defensive domination: “Big Dog Pound Big D” and stats from their record-setting defense.
• Buccaneers thriving with backup linemen: Good coaching enables plug-and-play success.
• Breakdown of Week 3’s Top 5 O-lines:
  1. Detroit Lions: Power, creativity, and flawless blocking (159:35)
  2. Indianapolis Colts: Quentin Nelson & Bortolini’s dominance, Tyler Warren’s versatility
  3. Buffalo Bills: Counter looks, smart play design
  4. Minnesota Vikings: Darisaw back from injury, double teams, second-level blocking
  5. Washington Commanders: Innovative overload formations despite backup personnel

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4. Everything DB with Darius Butler: Defensive Highlights

[163:19–181:03]

• Spotlight on Isaiah Rogers (Vikings) and a perfect 99.9 PFF grade: Pick six, punchouts, defensive scoring.
• Minnesota and Brian Flores: Advanced pre-snap disguises (“300-level defense”), flawless execution.
• DB explanations for young QBs’ mistakes: The difference between reading zone/man, struggles with post-snap rotations, and the importance of communication.
• Vikings and Browns get love for defensive ingenuity and flying to the ball.
• “Good D, bad D” segment—Quad box breakdowns of wide-open busted coverages.
• Trevor Lawrence’s growth, Jaguars’ miscommunications, and defensive challenges for young QBs.

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5. Interview: Lane Kiffin on Life, Ole Miss, and Change

[124:58–147:10]

• Lane Kiffin joins for a candid, funny, and reflective chat marking the premiere of his ESPN documentary.
• Discusses learning from high-profile failures, self-inflicted wounds, and why he changed (“trying to be the best version of myself”).
• On his goal for the documentary:
  • “I hope it helps people that are struggling or people that are going through things they don’t understand why.” (126:13)
• Football DNA: His “football royalty” upbringing, learning from his father, Pete Carroll, and Nick Saban; how those influences built his offense.
• Offense at Ole Miss: Leading nation in explosive plays (a third of completions are 20+ yards), the Art Briles tempo import.
• Kiffin on growth as a coach and person:
  • “It’s not. I didn’t do it to help. It’s just helped. It’s created more genuine relationships. And I don’t know that that has to do with winning and losing. I just like living that way...” (130:21)
• Saban, the tarmac firing, and wild career stops (“football life in dog years”).
• Pickleball, Feuding with Paul Finebaum, and insights about SEC rivalries and coaching personalities.

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6. Interview: Cam Bynum—Colts’ Culture & Leadership

[183:55–211:16]

• Cam Bynum discusses his adjustment from Minnesota to Indianapolis; the surge of energy, leadership, and accountability fostered by new DC Lou Anarumo.
• On the Colts’ new era: “The belief, I think... started the off-season by picking us up and really making moves in free agency.”
• Cultural change: Real leadership on both offense (Quenton Nelson, Danny Dimes) and defense (Kenny Moore, Zaire Franklin, Mooney Ward).
• On Danny Dimes: Praises his growth, practice habits, and consistency: “He’s looking like the best in the league.” (191:50)
• Special teams & complimentary ball: Only one punt in three games (and Bynum pushed to go for it instead).
• Personal celebrations, Blue the mascot, and desire for fans to create a homefield tradition like ‘Skol’.

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7. NFL Storylines: QB Development, Social Media, & Patience

• Pat, Darius, and AQ explore how the NFL and media landscape have obliterated patience with young QBs.
  • Pat: “Social media has amplified people’s lack of patience in professional sports... The quicker trigger I think is happening strictly because of the amount of information...” (49:45)
• Darius Butler on college vs. NFL complexity: “You cannot... play any position in the NFL where you’re actually thinking... You have to be prepared and react.” (48:00)
• Tom Brady’s comments (via Boston Connor): Development suffers under system rigidity, wrong coaches, and no complexity in preparation.
• Discussion of QB salary, cap impact, and team-building philosophy.

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8. Memorable Quotes & Moments

AJ Hawk, asked why he’s better than other nominee LBs:

“Isn’t that what they do? Each guy talks about why they’re better than the other guy? I think that’s how it goes.” (67:10)

Pat, on Hall of Fame nominations:

“Every year, all they have to hear is why they don’t deserve to be in Hall of Fame. That kind of sucks.” (09:26)

Lane Kiffin, on self-improvement:

“I just really worked on how to be the best version of myself… I think that’s really where the change [was].” (126:13)

Boston Connor, on soccer ‘cred’:

"I played high school soccer, FIFA since 2006. I spent $250 of my parents’ money to get Ronaldo on my ultimate team... so, yeah, I know soccer." (73:26)

JJ Watt on calling his brother’s games:

"It's even more challenging to do it when he plays well... you want to give him the credit you would anyone else, but you know everyone's watching for bias." (80:11)

Cam Bynum, on Colts leadership:

“Nobody oversteps... For me, it’s the lead by example, lead with energy. For Zaire Franklin, it’s the I’m turnt up, I’m a run through your face type... on offense, Q, he’s a vocal leader—celebrating everything.” (196:40)

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9. Key Timestamps (HH:MM)

• 00:00–09:30 — Hall of Fame nominees roundtable
• 09:58–22:59 — College football’s coming weekend; Penn State scrutiny
• 23:32–36:57 — AQ Shipley’s ‘In The Trenches’: NFL O-line breakdown
• 66:00–72:08 — AJ Hawk’s first reaction to being a Hall nominee; JJ Watt segment begins
• 80:11–85:16 — JJ Watt's experiences calling his brother's games for CBS
• 124:58–147:10 — Lane Kiffin interview: Documentary, growth, SEC football, Saban stories
• 152:11–162:32 — In The Trenches (Week 3 O-lines)
• 163:19–181:03 — Everything DB: Defensive breakdowns
• 183:55–211:16 — Cam Bynum interview: Culture, leadership, Colts
• 53:26, 126:13, 185:35, 191:50 — Standout quotes in original context

Tone and Style

• As always, the show swings between sharp, authentic sports insight and free-form, often hilarious banter.
• Language is casual, occasionally profane, and full of in-jokes and recurring characters (e.g., “Toxic Table,” “Big Three,” “Dimes” for Danny Jones, etc.).
• Guests like Lane Kiffin and Cam Bynum are seamlessly woven into show’s energy, blending personal and on-field stories.

Useful for New Listeners

• A definitive snapshot of current football storylines (college and NFL) as seen through the lens of ex-players.
• Deep O-line and DB breakdowns are approachable for all fans but go deep enough for football nerds.
• Interviews with Lane Kiffin and Cam Bynum provide rare candor and fun, revealing new sides to the coaching lifestyle and team-building.
• The episode is a celebration of football’s less glamorous details (line play, coaching development, locker room leadership).
• Recurring bits and off-field tangents (AI, soccer, WNBA, MLB) round out the show’s uniquely broad—but always football-first—perspective.