The Tony Kornheiser Show

Episode: “Has anyone checked on Wilbon?”
Date: January 19, 2026

Episode Overview

In this episode, Tony Kornheiser and his familiar roundtable (Jack, Liz, Pat Forde, and guests Dan Graziano and Pat Forde) dig into a wild NFL playoff weekend, the heartbreak of the Chicago Bears’ overtime loss to the Rams (and Wilbon’s absence as he flies home from Chicago), controversial officiating, what makes a memorable play, and the latest in college football as Indiana and Miami square off for the national championship. The episode also covers the quirks and confusions of modern college athletics—including eligibility, the NCAA's dwindling authority, and tonight’s big game.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. FedEx Field Gripes & Tony’s Snowed-Out Golf Weekend

• Intro banter revisits gripes about the dilapidated FedEx Field.
  • Tony: “It’s a dump. It’s the worst. Okay. It’s a slap dash dump... The building had raw flowing sewage in the suites. Come on.” (00:49)
• Tony laments a weekend without golf due to snow, forcing him to be a TV spectator.
  • “You never should expect to be able to play golf...it happens every once in a while.” (02:19)

2. NFL Playoff Recap: Drama, Officiating, and Heartbreak

Bears vs. Rams: Wilbon in Absentia

• Wilbon is absent—Tony notes he's flying back after the Bears’ crushing loss.
  • “I simply typed to Wilbon, three words: Unbelievable. Unbelievable. Inevitability.” (07:52)
• Tony marvels at the Bears’ audacious last-chance 4th down play:
  • “He begins to run out of the stadium and then somehow finds an open receiver commit... How can he be open? How can that pass... It’s a wow.” (08:26)
• Group debates whether the Bears should’ve gone for two after tying:
  • “Do you think they even thought about going for two?” (11:48)

Denver Survives Buffalo: Controversy & Injuries

• Tony thinks Denver got lucky with officiating: “I think there were two pass interference calls at the end of the game. That were terrible. And they determined the game.” (04:52)
• Surprised at Denver QB Bo Nix finishing the game with a broken ankle:
  • “He’s walking around with a broken ankle. And then Sean Payton has to announce he’s broken his ankle, he’s out for the season.” (05:57)
• Denver now starts long-time backup Jared Stidham:
  • “He hasn’t thrown a pass in the league in two years.” (06:27)

Young QBs Falter in Big Spots

• Tony: “Quarterbacks in their second and or third year… CJ Stroud was awful. Oh, terrible, awful. He was great as a rookie. He’s still a young quarterback and he was terrible yesterday. Drake May wasn’t any good yesterday… Matthew Stafford... wasn’t any good.” (09:20)
• Liz: “For that game and then the Saturday night game, they both... have these empty, hollow feelings to them.” (11:09)

3. Legendary Play Breakdown: Caleb Williams’ "Miracle" Throw

[Featured segment with guest Dan Graziano]

• Tony opens by declaring the Bears’ 4th-down completion one of the most shocking, high-stakes throws he’s ever witnessed.
  • “Given the stakes, given everything around it... I haven’t seen anything more impactful or more surprising.” (15:25)
• Dan Graziano shares his live reaction:
  • “I was on the phone on live radio... answering some question about, you know, the Patriots defense. And I just like, like you guys, you guys gotta stop. We gotta talk about what just happened. It was unbelievable. He’s 25 yards behind the line of scrimmage.” (15:40)
• Pat40 on Williams:
  • “He’s the least [accurate],” (17:10)
  • “He’s a winner. He’s a total winner.” (17:10)
• Dan on the impossible:
  • “He throws that ball and it doesn’t feel like a prayer. It feels like this is a throw he can make. No one else can, but he can... My goodness, sure, I’ll take it. Like I will take that mission, improve that. I have a guy that can make any throw and... whose pulse just drops in the moments when everyone else’s goes through the roof.” (16:14–18:27)

4. Officiating, Analytics, and Game Decisions

• Tony on going for it on 4th and 1 in snowy conditions: “Were you surprised he went on 4th and 1?” (18:37)
• Graziano: “I guess I’m never surprised on 4th and 1 anymore because these guys have the data that supports it.” (19:01)

5. College Football Talk: Indiana vs. Miami Championship

[Conversation with Pat Forde; starts ~31:46]

• Miami's Cinderella run surprises everyone:
  • Pat Forde: “Pretty surprised, quite frankly... All things considered. Yeah. Going to the last day, most people thought Miami was out and Notre Dame was in.” (32:09)
• Indiana’s dominance:
  • Tony: “Indiana has is something like +374 in point differential this year. It is. The number is so high that actually when you see it, you don’t believe it and you assume it must be a misprint. They have destroyed people.” (36:15)
  • Pat: “I think Indiana... I’ll be quite surprised if Indiana loses and frankly quite dismayed as a fan of fun stories to write... It has been such a fairy tale ride and it just, it needs to finish the right way...” (36:48)

6. College Football Big Picture: Bylaws, NCAA, and Eligibility Chaos

• Tony bemoans college football’s 30-day layoff for bye teams:
  • “That has to be changed. You cannot let people sit out for 30 days. Right. They have to do something.” (38:45)
• NCAA’s vanishing authority and open eligibility:
  • Tony: “Does the NCAA really exist? Is there a body out there that actually makes rules that people adhere to?” (42:13–42:35)
  • Pat Forde: “There is a body out there that actually makes rules. Whether people adhere to them is the question.” (42:35)
• Discussion on player lawsuits for extra eligibility, widespread waivers, and the grimly comic arms-race for older “college-athletes.”

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Tony on Bears’ OT heartbreak:
  "I simply typed to Wilbon, three words: Unbelievable. Unbelievable. Inevitability. Because I thought they would win. I thought they’d win in the overtime. I thought they’d win. Now the kid throws a pick and they don’t win in the overtime." (07:52)

• Dan Graziano on Caleb Williams’ throw:
  "It was unbelievable. He’s 25 yards behind the line of scrimmage… The miracle is not that someone popped open, it was that you have a quarterback that can make that throw." (16:13, 17:27)

• Liz on the mood after the games:
  "They both have these… empty, hollow feelings to them." (11:09)

• Pat Forde on the NCAA:
  "There is a body out there that actually makes rules. Whether people adhere to them is the question." (42:35)

• Tony with editorial flair:
  "If you asked me who’s the most powerful person in college football, I'd probably tell you it was, you know, the chancellor of Alabama or something like that. Because it doesn't seem like anyone is really paying attention to the NCAA. It doesn't seem that way. Right." (43:13)

• Pat Forde’s blunt take on eligibility shenanigans:
  "Nobody wants to see a bunch of full grown 30 year old adults out there playing football. College is a window of time in your life..." (40:28)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• 00:44 – FedEx Field complaints; snow ruins Tony’s golf plans
• 02:54 – College basketball: Georgetown vs. UConn, and more weekend sports
• 04:52 – Debating NFL officiating and Bills/Broncos ending
• 07:52 – Tony’s reaction to Bears’ overtime loss; memorable “unbelievable, inevitability”
• 08:26 – Play breakdown: Bears’ 4th down miracle to Kmet
• 15:40 – Dan Graziano live-recalls Caleb Williams’ throw
• 18:37 – Analytics and 4th-down decisions discussion
• 19:51 – Talk shifts to Broncos’ luck, PI calls, and quarterback injuries
• 24:35 – Critiquing coaching decisions: D'Ameco Ryans’ late punt
• 31:46 – Pat Forde joins: Indiana vs. Miami championship preview
• 36:15 – Indiana football’s historic dominance; the “best story” stakes
• 38:45 – Layoff consequences for byed college teams
• 40:28 – Player lawsuits and eligibility; NCAA in shambles
• 42:13 – NCAA’s fading authority dissected

Episode in a Nutshell

From the agony (and awe) of the Bears’ playoff loss and the absence of his longtime co-host Mike Wilbon, to the mind-bending feats of Caleb Williams and the current chaos gripping college sports, Tony Kornheiser orchestrates a lively, insightful, and characteristically tart review of the weekend in sports. The NFL's quirks and dramas, college football’s Cinderella stories, and a parade of memorable personalities (and coaching conundrums) keep the discussion moving fast—ensuring even those who missed the games feel inside the action.

Quick Recap Table

| Segment | Highlights | Timestamp | |----------------------------------|----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|--------------------| | FedEx Field & Golf Gripes | Stadium complaints, snowed-out golf | 00:44 – 02:29 | | NFL Playoff Drama | Bears’ heartbreak, controversial calls, QB injuries, coaching decisions | 02:54 – 14:15 | | Caleb Williams Miracle Play | Live reactions, context, QB evaluations | 15:25 – 18:27 | | Coaching Analytics | 4th-down aggressiveness and debatable decision-making | 18:37 – 19:45 | | College Football Preview | Indiana vs. Miami, selection committee debate, fairy tale narratives | 31:46 – 38:01 | | NCAA/Eligibility Chaos | Lawsuits, redshirts, NCAA’s irrelevance, fears for sport’s future | 38:45 – 44:12 |

This summary preserves the wit, context, and topics of Tony Kornheiser and his guests, giving non-listeners a full sense of the sports drama, the big debates, and the humor that define the show.