The Pat McAfee Show 2.0 #1420 - “Watt Wednesday,” In the Trenches, Everything DB, MLB Playoff Special

Date: October 1, 2025
Host: Pat McAfee
Guests/Regulars: AJ Hawk, Ty Schmidt, Boston Connor, Tone Digs, Darius Butler, AQ Shipley, J.J. Watt, Kyle Schwarber, Cal Raleigh

Episode Overview

On this "Watt Wednesday," Pat McAfee and the crew break tradition by kicking off the show with an extended, hype-fueled discussion of the MLB postseason—inviting All-Star sluggers Kyle Schwarber (Phillies) and Cal Raleigh (Mariners) on to talk about October baseball, the new intra-squad postseason scrimmages, and fan-fueled stadium atmospheres. NFL news—including the Cleveland Browns’ QB drama, in-depth offensive line and secondary analysis, and a spirited rivalry debate between Yankees and Red Sox fans—run through the show as usual. As always, the crew’s energy, jokes, and deep-insider sports perspective keep things both absurd and insightful.

Main Themes

• MLB Postseason fever: Why the show opens with baseball in October and what makes this year different.
• Sports culture clashes: The MLB, NFL, and college football all in high-stakes overlap.
• Insider sports analysis: O-line breakdowns with AQ Shipley, secondary play with Darius Butler, and off-script hot takes from J.J. Watt.
• Athletes as humans: Stories about training regimens, family support, and the behind-the-scenes grind.

MLB PLAYOFFS TAKE CENTER STAGE

[00:00 – 04:00]

• Pat (‘A’): “On this glorious Watt Wednesday…we’re doing baseball first! J.J. Watt coming up in 15 minutes, but we have to talk Mariners, Phillies, Yankees, Red Sox—Baseball is electrifying right now.”
• Pat explains the show is shifting the usual football-centric focus to MLB playoffs: Mariners’ Cal Raleigh joining (AL West champs for the first time since 2001) and Phillies’ Kyle Schwarber (55 HRs)—both scheduled for the second hour.

Notable Quote — Pat [01:34]
“Cal Raleigh, the MLB leader in Ding Dongs will be joining us…This guy basically has the plate surrounded and he is doing good things all the way around the ballpark.”

Schwarber’s Impact

• Ty Schmidt (‘D’) [03:09]: “Phillies might be a magical team every year, but this year just feels like something’s brewing.”

MAJOR MLB STORYLINES & RIVALRIES

[04:00 – 14:20]

• Boston Connor (‘B’), Ty Schmidt (NY Yankees fan), and others recap the Red Sox’s wild card win over the Yankees—touching on ace performances (Crochet, 13 Ks), Judge’s controversial narrative, defensive woes, and bullpen mismanagement.
• Inside Analysis:
  • Pitch count analytics and postseason pitching philosophy
  • The psychological battle: rest vs. rust in playoff baseball
  • Moving stars up in the batting order for “more at-bats” (Shohei, Schwarber leadoff discussion)
  • The “Ding Dong” culture: home runs as the currency of October

Notable Quote — Ty on Judge [08:47]
“He has a cannon. Yeah. His typical throw from the outfield is, like, around 90 miles an hour, and he threw that, like, 75.”

[13:18] — Ty on Postseason Pitching:
“When you’re paying a guy 200 plus million dollars, like, guess what? He can throw more than 100 pitches. Okay. He’s not 14 years old.”

NFL UPDATES AND QUARTERBACK DRAMA

[15:25 – 21:22]

Cleveland Browns QB Change (Dylan Gabriel)

Pat [15:26]: “Dylan Gabriel starting for the Browns, third round pick out of Oregon…what if he’s the answer?”

• Analysis by Darius Butler (‘C’) and AQ Shipley (‘B’): undersized QBs in NFL, O-line fit, Stefanski’s offense, comparisons to Drew Brees, and the reality of batted balls.
• O-line breakdown: “Botonio, Pochic, Wyatt Teller are as good as any three in the league.”

Notable Quote — J.J. Watt [23:26]:
“My thoughts are, I hope he’s great. I would love for the Cleveland Browns jersey with all the quarterbacks’ names on the back if you retired. It would be fun to have a guy just end it and you could just have one jersey with one name. So hopefully that’s Gabriel...”

JJ WATT INTERVIEW – NFL & LIFE STORIES

[21:22 – 55:03]

Augusta Stories, Youth Training, Food, and Family

• JJ shares about his Augusta trip, childhood “gallon of milk a day” and “two meals for every meal” upbringing, and the relentless grind required to become a pro athlete.

Notable Moment [28:10]:
“It was two breakfasts, two lunches, two dinners every day, and it was the gallon of milk a day for the household.” — JJ Watt

• On coaching and color commentary: Debate with AQ Shipley over OL “dominating” blocks; inside jokes about “wrecking ball” runs and the finer points of the trench game.

On International Games and NFL Scheduling

• Discussion of NFL Dublin game, pub crawl ideas, and the strain of extended international travel.

On Bijan Robinson for MVP:

• JJ: “Just dynamic. It’s incredible to watch him play...if the Falcons can get on a little roll...there’s certainly conversation that should be starting around Bijan Robinson and that tier of that MVP level.”

“IN THE TRENCHES” & NFL O-LINE/DEFENSE BREAKDOWNS

[134:13] – [145:57]

• AQ Shipley’s top 5 O-lines of the week: Broncos, Falcons, Jaguars, Bills, Lions.
• Focus: physical dominance, “the nastiness coming back,” innovative schemes, and situational execution.
• Darius Butler’s “Everything DB”: leverages, picks, and secondary schemes.

BASEBALL INSIDER SEGMENTS

Kyle Schwarber (Phillies) Interview — [71:58 – 90:31]

• Discusses postseason intensity, training through the bye (“we have an inter-squad game tonight…30,000 people are watching us play intersquad”), and the challenge of keeping momentum.
• Approach at the plate: importance of routine, mental game, and trusting fundamentals.

Notable Quote [79:10]:
“Just be you and see what happens. Because you’re good. You’re already good enough.” — Kyle Schwarber

• Pat offers “Ding Dong Donations” for every home run hit in the scrimmage.

Cal Raleigh (Mariners) Interview — [92:45 – 107:37]

• Mariners' postseason buzz, Ichiro Suzuki joining practice as a right fielder, pressure and hometown hype.
• Insight on catching, oblique training, swing mechanics, and balancing defensive catch demands with offensive output.

RIVALRY TRASH TALK — RED SOX vs. YANKEES

Throughout the show, notably: [04:08], [109:00+], [132:13]

• Ty’s bristling over bullpen management, fans razzing Judge/narratives, Bruce Brown’s hopeful but anxious take, Boston Connor’s swagger.
• Historical context, playoff format complaints, and jokes about "Mickey Mouse" rules and Sinatra as the Boston anthem.

NFL WEEKEND PREVIEW & COLLEGE FOOTBALL CHAT

[156:34+]

• Thursday night: Rams vs. Niners highlighted as a “big, big, big game.”
• Concerns about the slate of games: “People saying it’s a shite slate, but let’s remember football always delivers.”
• College GameDay update: Alabama hosting Vanderbilt for the first time, conversation on tradition and the show’s cultural impact.

POP CULTURE SIDETRACKS & TECH

• Shifting Gears (Home Improvement cast reunion; Tim Allen, ABC)
• Super Bowl halftime show debate (Bad Bunny as rumored performer—global audience and culture clash)
• New iPhone review: high praise for camera, quirks in user interface.

Notable Quotes, Jokes, and Moments

Baseball

• Pat on Shohei Ohtani [61:08]:
  “This Shohei guy somehow with fire literally burning around him personally and in the stadiums...he performs. He is the one.”

• On postseason homers:
  “Hit Ding Dongs, don’t be a Ding Dong.” — Pat, [80:44]/[86:23]
  Schwarber: “First off, what we’re trying to do, don’t look like a Ding Dong at the plate, but hit Ding Dongs. But don’t be a Ding Dong.”

NFL

• J.J. Watt on short QBs:
  “Batting passes is so rare. Even if you’re one of the best in the league at it, it still happens so rarely. You might get two in a game, but that’s not going to decide if Dylan Gabriel’s a great quarterback or not.” [25:25]

• On offensive linemen:

• “AQ, JJ saying, hey, maybe let’s not be glorifying things that maybe most people could do. Dion Dawkins has a lot of other tape we should celebrate.” — Pat [42:07]

Timestamps for Key Segments

• 00:00–04:00 — Show cold open & MLB Playoff intro
• 07:25–13:43 — Yankee/Red Sox pitching analytics, Judge’s injury talk
• 15:25–21:22 — Browns QB change & analysis
• 21:22–55:03 — J.J. Watt interview (Augusta stories, eating, family, coaching, MVP race)
• 71:58–90:31 — Kyle Schwarber interview
• 92:45–107:37 — Cal Raleigh interview
• 134:13–145:57 — In the Trenches: Top NFL O-lines
• 184:01–196:42 — Everything DB: Defensive breakdown
• 156:34+ — Rams-Niners TNF preview, weekend outlook

Tone & Vibe

• Unscripted, high-energy locker room banter with deep sports-insider knowledge
• Swinging between analytical, irreverent, and motivational (“just be you—you’re already good enough”)

For Listeners Who Missed It

• The usual football talk is upstaged by unique, in-depth baseball postseason coverage—including first-hand insight from stars in the thick of it.
• NFL fans get QB controversies, O-line/DB masterclasses, and input from Hall of Famers and legends.
• If you love sports culture—playoff drama, trash talk, the grind behind the scenes—this episode delivers wall-to-wall.
• Don’t miss the athlete stories (JJ’s food/childhood) and bold, funny MLB/NFL player interviews that make the Pat McAfee Show a one-of-a-kind crossover of sports talk, analysis, and entertainment.

Bonus

If you want a microcosm of the show’s personality and message:

• “Hit Ding Dongs, don’t be a Ding Dong.”
• “Football always delivers—even when the slate looks shite.”
• “We’re lucky to talk about this every day. Just be you, that’s enough.”

For more, check out the full show or patmcafeeshow.com.