The Best of The Week on The Dan Patrick Show

Published Oct 12, 2024, 4:00 PM

This week on The Dan Patrick Show, Dan talked with Vanderbilt QB Diego Pavia after their huge upset over Alabama. Former NFL WR Larry Fitzgerald gave his thoughts on the Jets firing Robert Saleh. ESPN's Chris Berman shared stories of the early days at ESPN with Dan. Plus, Ravens RB Derrick Henry revealed that the Cowboys had no interest in signing him this past offseason.

You are listening to The Dan Patrick Show on Fox Sports Radio.

Sixteen to twenty two. Fifty two, two touchdowns, twenty carries, fifty six yards and an upset over Alabama. Diego Pavia joining us on the program. Congratulations, When did you think you were going to win this game? Uh?

We we had a feeling from the from the start, like we just say, it's any it's any given Saturday.

C J.

Taylor actually said in his interview, like a lot of people are gonna be surprised at the outcome. I think he said it on Wednesday, last Wednesday, and that's just the reality of it. It's any given Wednesday, any given Saturday. And you know we just came out and it was Who's better that Saturday?

And we were take me back to the pregame speech any any you know, fire and Brimstone yelling, screaming, banging things before the game.

Big loss of Stephen Hubbard uh fifty four on the old line. He likes to get after it and you know he says you ain't on you know s word, and you know he dislikes to talk his stuff up. And then you know me before the game, I'm high, I got my family behind me supporting me too. So it's just all all good vibes and then go in and just you know, play your best football.

How's morale on campus?

I haven't hit campus yet.

Were you downtown on Saturday night?

Yeah?

I was.

We were at a shout out barstool, but yeah, we were over there.

We just hung out. I had a good time. We had we know we had. We had a great time with the whole team, and just you know, I'm super excited going into this week against Kentucky.

What did uh?

Was there some chirping going back and forth by Alabama with you guys during the game.

Uh?

Yeah, So at the beginning of the game, you know, we I got there as a captain and go out there coin toss.

They were talking crazy like.

What what like they thought they were gonna come in here and treat us we're an FCS team, and we're like what, like what do you You must not know? You know what I mean, Like, all right, we're gonna see. That's why I kept telling him, like all right, we're gonna see, We're gona see, We're gonna see. And you know they're they're they're laughing, talking like I can't say it on the show because I can't curse.

But yeah, they're they're talking crazy.

So we when when they said, you know, we're taking the ball, they're kicking off, we didn't even shake their hands after we just took off to the sideline.

How aware were you of Vanderbilt's history in football when you transferred?

You know, I was aware of it because there's not a great history there. Diego right, No, no, for sure. But same thing with New Mexico State. When I went there, they were the worst program in FBS period And so like coach Kill flips flips pot programs. And when coach Kill came here, he literally called me. I was committed to Nevada at Reno with coach Choke, and you know, he reminds me of coach Kill.

So I was a committed there.

And then at the time coach Kills retired, and then Coach Kill gave me a call that night and said, hey, I'm going to Vanderbilt. You're coming with me. And I was like, you're right, I'm coming with You'll see y'all see you in Nashville.

But you get there and you know they've had a couple of good quarterbacks there. But like you're in the SEC now that that's that's just that's as deep as you can go into the water there. You never felt like, you know, are we able to compete on that level with Alabama and Georgia some of these other schools.

A lot of people when I first, you know, told them that, you know, there's possibility of me going to Vanderbilt, they said like, hey, like, don't go, don't go. Don't go, Like, you're not gonna be able to win there. You know, you're not gonna be able to to get drafted there. You're not gonna be able to do anything. And so I like challenge, like if you know me, that's like you tell me I can't do something, I'm gonna do it that day.

And so you know, that's that's what I live for. I feel like Coach.

Killed this for the same thing people told him, you know, when he started having his conditions like you can't be a head coach no more, you can't do this, you can't do that. He went back to New Mexico State to show that he could do whatever he you know, whatever he puts his mind to. And so same thing here. You know, he's he's a big reason why I'm here and you know, super thankful to be here.

Take me into the huddle deep into the fourth quarter. What was it like?

Uh so when we got when we got the ball back, but it was like, hey, we we gotta go. When they scored and we were up by five, I said, hey, two first downs, we win this game. You changed you changed your life forever, Like that's just reality. You change his program's life forever. And so we were, you know, we were hyped. I said, no dumb penalties. We can't get it, we can't get behind the sticks. Just just play smart, play fast. Let's go do this thing. And then first play hits for a first down. And so it was like, shoot, we might need.

Three first you know.

Uh yeah, you know coach coach Beck called uh a dany near perfect game. And so you know, shout out him. He puts me in good spots at the right time. We got clutch receivers Eli Stowers our tight end. He'll be a first round draft pick in my opinion. You know, he's he's different. These past four games. He's gone for like our pastor games, gone for one hundred yards. Our left tackle Gunner Hanson, and when people put him on film. He's he's a first round he's got he's twitched up. I've never seen like on Cats maybe once.

Look at you shouting out everybody, diego Pavia the Vanderbilt quarterback getting off the field. How crazy was that after the uh you know it went final?

Yeah, no, it was.

It was crazy. You know, they stormed the field. I had a lot of family in town. I had like sixty sixty seven people in town, so they were all there, you know, just having a blast, and then you know, they rushed the field. They found me, and you know we were able to They kind of cleared out for me to wait.

But you brought sixty seven there and you're playing against Alabama, like it could have been a really long afternoon, given who Alabama is. Like, you were that confident and you're like, hey, you guys want to come to a game, come to Alabama.

It's belief. You got to believe it. And so that's that's the type of person I am.

How big is the chip on your shoulder?

It's huge.

A lot of people say I can't, I can't play in the NFL, and so you know, SEC is the closest thing to the NFL.

So shoot, I'm here to prove it.

So I don't even know. Were you recruited out of high school by any major college?

I had to.

I had Division two offers, but I went to junior college.

No, it's a lot of a lot of people go junior college.

But I had the grades, but I still had to go to junior college and then went to New Mexico State and then balled.

Coach Killed, Coach back over.

Here, what's uh watching game film going to be.

Like we we watched it already.

Oh you did, okay?

Yeah, yeah, no, it was it was. It was good.

I almost screwed us though at the end of the half. I took a delayed game. I felt like a rooky.

That was bad.

Though you were a fifth year senior. You're not supposed to make these mistakes.

Yeah, you know what I mean. I you know, I'm kind of short.

So when I see when I see the game clock, you know, the field goal, the goalpost is hanging in my face, and I thought there was another number right there.

But I took a delayed game. Coach Kill was pissed.

Now he says he's kind of short. It says, you're six feet that's give me, give me a give me with your hair, I'm gonna give you six feet I don't know. Give me official height and wait here.

Diego official height pro day.

I'll be measured at five ten one eighth and my weight I'll probably be two four between two o four two seven all right.

It could be like Russell Wilson.

Yeah, yeaheah, super Bowl champion.

Yeah. Is there gonna be a statue? Uh after a win like that?

I don't.

Vanderbilt doesn't usually do these things. They don't celebrate sports the way normal schools do. I'm thinking maybe a statue on campus.

You think put a statue in me on campus?

Yeah?

I think. I think we got to do something bigger.

Uh, something bigger? What what's bigger than a statue?

Shoot? We got we got bigger dreams than this, and this is.

Just oh okay. I just thought, you know what you said, this win will change lives. You could have that statue right outside the stadium. Every time they go there, they get to rub your head because most people be taller than you. You know, you're only five ten, So.

I thought they make statues bigger than what you really are.

Yeah. Uh so you got Cantucky, don't sleep on Kentucky. Don't don't sleep on Kentucky.

The truth, yes, the truth, and a lot of people don't. Really. They are freaking good, very good on defense top.

And by the way, I'm proud of you that you didn't swear the entire interview.

They told me not to swear before the interview, so I'm good.

Yeah, but you were swearing after the game on Saturday.

No, I know, I know that that was That was my bad.

Well, you know what, Hey, you get one of those, hopefully you get more. But congratulations. Do you have to go to class? Are you going to school down there?

They make you go to school over here?

This is in New Mexico State.

I got a funny story.

I got here and I was like, can you just put me on the all online classes can be crazy?

Like there's no online. This is Vanderbilt now.

Yeah, this is uh you know, you're you're in the IVY League of the South there. You got to go to class.

Harvard to the South. Yeah, but I like the community here. It's the people are awesome.

Well, congrats, that was a lot of fun. And uh, once again, don't screw it up against Kentucky.

Yeah, knock on Woolf for me.

Please all right, Uh, thank you, Diego.

No, I appreciate you having me.

Uh Diego. Pabia the Vanderbilt quarterback. He was at New Mexico State, transferred there Jerry kill was there, had health issues and then became sort of an advisor Vanderbilt, and he's like, hey, come on down, that's not the place you want to go play quarterback. But they were the better team. You know, that's not one of those where you go what that lucky play that lucky called. They were the better team. Yeah, Paulie, that's.

What's the best about this job. If you would have said a month ago, we're gonna have the Vandy quarterback as one of our league guests on Monday. That kid I was watching, we were probably watching on a Thursday night game on some RSN at New Mexico State three years ago, and he'll be the lead guest.

That's awesome. Coming up final Hour the new Reds manager Terry Francona. I thought he was retiring after leaving the Guardian, so we'll talk to him. Tiger's at the Guardians today, Royals, Yankees and Saints and the Chiefs coming up tonight. The Chiefs are giving five and a half to the Saints.

Fox Sports Radio has the best sports talk lineup in the nation. Catch all of our shows at foxsports Radio dot com and within the iHeartRadio app. Search FSR to listen.

Live if you're just joining us. The Jets have fired their head coach Robert sala We bring in Larry Fitzgerald, the future Hall of Famer. What do you make of that decision to fire Robert Sala?

Hey, Dan, good to be on with you. Appreciation having me.

It's surprising, you know, in the game in the league that not much surprises you.

This is not what I expected. I mean, this is not a team that's eliminated from playoffs.

Yeah, you have a Hall of Fame quarterback still back there, very capable, you know, defense that's that's played somewhat decent, better than expected throughout the course of the year.

So I was just as surprised as everybody else when I heard the news today.

Okay, but I don't know. Were you ever on a team where coach got fired during the season?

No?

Never, Okay, because I wonder. I mean, that's a drastic move.

I agree, I agree, and I don't.

I don't.

I don't necessarily believe that you can put your team in a better position, you know, removing your head coach at this point in the year unless there's somebody that we don't know about on that staff that could really galvanize this team and and you know, get him to perform at a better level.

But I just I just don't know that's that's truly possible.

What do you think is going on with Devonte Adams? Like? How did this end poorly with the Raiders after I know that Derek Carr got sent to the Saint or he went to the Saints and that's who he wanted to play with, but now he wants out. How do you think this plays out?

I think you get to you to a point in your career where you start looking around and you start evaluating truthfully, like do I have a chance to win here? You know, I'm I'm a Hall of Fame receiver, you know, prolific, most prolific player of my generation probably, And like.

I want to win.

I want to win a championship.

I want to play meaningful games in November, December or January and eventually have a chance to play in the Super Bowl and quite Frankly, Dan, you would agree with this. They just they don't have they don't have that ability in uh in Las Vegas right now. And you know, I understand that he wants to he wants to play meaningful games.

Yeah, but.

Did you face the same situation at any point in your career with with Arizona.

Yeah, but I'm I'm, I'm, I'm I'm very different.

You know, everybody handles these situations, you know, in a way they feel is best for themselves. And so I respect his desire to want to go, you know, be on a contender. You know, that's the way he chooses to do it. And you know, I I have no issues with that.

What's the magic that Mahomes is bringing where it doesn't matter who's the receiver? Like, how does he make that where? I know Brady did this as well, where you just plug and play. But Mahomes, they're not an offensive juggernaut Larry there. I mean, they're a defensive minded team. And then you're kind of asking the offense, hey, can you get us like twenty one points? That'll be enough for us to win games?

Yeah, I don't know if that will work all year. They definitely need to play better and more consistent offensively.

But I mean, I.

Know any Ree gets a lot of credit. I don't know if he gets enough, though.

I don't think he gets the love and admiration he truly deserves what he's able to put out there every single year. I can't tell you the last time I watched the game A team win when you know they're best player in Patmo does not throw a touchdown, you know, I mean, like like Patrick Mahomes did not throw a touchdown and they won by ten?

Was it ten to.

Thirteen points last thirteen?

Yeah?

Man, that's that's that's crazy to think about that.

And uh, and then you lose, you know, your most targeted receiver to a knee injury a week ago, and you know, then you Koreem Hunk comes in, it runs for a hundred and Juju goes for one hundred and thirty.

I mean, like it literally it it's.

Just whoever Andy Reid, those in the in the in the gulash, whoever Andy Reid, those in the in uh in the crock pot. You know it's gonna come out and it's gonna be smelling good.

They might be calling you, when's the last time you heard from the team winning a.

Long time ago, DP I got, I got, I got nothing for you. I got nothing for you. You need me on the golf team or to pick a ball team or something like that, I got you.

But okay, but who who reached out to you? How long ago?

This was the this was the.

Year after uh you know, the last year I played. I talked to I talked to the Chiefs, and you know, I knew it was time.

It was I had a great run. You know, it's time to move on to new endeavors.

Wait, wait, wait, the Chiefs. I mean you didn't have enough to kind of do what you know Travis Kelcey's doing, you know, grab a ring here.

No, no, there's no guarantees in life.

I mean I've seen guys go ring, chase and a lot of different sports, and you know, I remember Karl Malone and Gary Payton going to the Lakers and chasing the day like there's no there's no guarantee just because you're on a really good team that you're gonna win.

And uh, you know, I had a great had a great run, and it was it was my time.

He's Larry Fitzger, you up for the Hall of Fame next year. I believe so yes, you believe you believe? So, yes, sir, Yeah, I think you know so not believe. So Larry is joining us on behalf of DraftKings, offering the free to play pick Them pools every Sunday in October, DraftKings donating one dollar for the first twenty thousand entries every week the Larry Fitzgerald Foundation, and that funds breast cancer research and support. So it's the free to play pink the pink, not pick So you want to explain that a little bit more? Did I do? Okay?

Now, you always do a great job.

But Draft Kings, I've been very fortunate to have a six year relationship to this point. We raised over five hundred thousand dollars in the month of October. My mother lost her battle of breast cancer two thousand and three. You know, my executive director of my foundation, Daniel Frost, you know, just beat breast cancer. I've had ants and a lot of people close to me who would battle through this, and you know, it's just something that I'm really passionate about, and you know, it's really great that Draft Kings would be on board to you know, stay in the fox hole with me in our organization as we continue to bring awareness to a hideous disease.

What hurts on you.

Nothing. I've never had a surgery.

Nothing.

I wake up every morning and you know, I have no issues, no issues.

How is that possible you never had a surgery.

I don't know. I don't know.

I was fortunate, very fortunately God looked over me.

Dang, Yeah, that's important. I mean, for as many catchers and I'm looking here, you were really good at tackling people too. I got a lot of tackles in your career for a wide receiver.

Right, yeah, I did, you know, But no, that was always a big emphasis for us. You know, if it was a fumble or interception, we got to get the guy on the ground. I didn't help me in the Super Bowl against James Harrison, but I didn't know I had to tackle it. Oh No, I didn't.

I didn't know I had to tackle a man that.

I don't know if he's ever tried to move refrigerator before, d Like, you don't see. You don't seem like a guy who who really does too much domestic.

Work around the house.

But if you ever try to move a refrigerator That's that's what it felt like trying to hit James Harrison.

Okay, but there was a staffer who blocked you on the sidelines when he made that interception in the Super Bowl.

It was not a staffer. It was actually answer a role.

And so when he won his Super Bowl with the Giants, you know, made me more mad because you know, he stole mine.

Man got himself on.

Oh my god, what are you thinking though, as you're chasing James Harrison because the clock is winding down and the half is going to end, and you're chasing him trying to keep him from scoring.

No.

I knew I would be able to catch him. I was gaining ground on him.

I just didn't anticipate that I would have to run through another block from somebody on my own team, you know.

So that that that part, that part hurt me.

But you score that touchdown though, in the second half. Did you think you guys were winning the Super Bowl when you're running in Absolutely.

I think momentum really shifted in our favor.

And you know that that touchdown, you know, really put us in a really you know, positive position.

So I thought it would be enough.

But you know, there's a reason Ben Roethlisberger is the first battle Hall of Famer.

And you know, Mike Tomas going to be a Hall of Famer.

And you know he had wanted a better office of coordinators and Bruce Aaron's and they made a great play to finish the game.

Larry just picked up the game of golf not too long ago. And uh, I think he might be a sandbagger. He might, he might lie on his handicap a little bit. But the most famous player a person I should say that you played golf with us?

Who I don't know.

I mean, I played with a lot of I was the President Obama, I would say, is way up there on that list. I mean I get a chance to play with him, you know every year, I always, you.

Know, still kind of pinch myself.

Tiger Woods and Michael Jordan's I've seen those are those are a lot of fun to play with him, so competitive and he learned so much from him turn their mental approach.

Okay, but how much money are you playing for when you play against Jordan's.

You know what, I try to keep it. I try to keep it within the reason. It's hard. It's hard to gamble with billionaires.

You know, whatever, whatever.

Whatever numbers comfortable for him is grossly uncomfortable for you.

You know what about Tiger? Did you play for money with Tiger?

No, No, we didn't play. We didn't play for money. He you know, he actually just likes to he likes it have a good time. Isn't that necessarily getting too all the money games?

But when you play against Barack Obama, they're secret service agents lining the fairway, aren't there?

Yeah?

Then, so I actually a few years ago I was playing with them.

I made a hole in Wan in the group with them, and and you.

Know I didn't really my celebration was pretty subdued.

Is because you know, you see all the semi automatic got I got a golf club in my hand, and I'm only ten feet away from him.

Like there's a lot of things that could go wrong very quickly. And so I was like, Okay, you know, I act like you've been there. I want to act be my best Barry Standards impersonation.

Good to talk to you, Good luck with DraftKings, and thanks for joining us.

Thank you have a great day. Man.

That's Larry Fitzgerald, the former Cardinal wide receiver third overall pick back in four and made the Pro Bowl eleven times. Draft Kings offering free to play pinkham pools every NFL Sunday in October, DraftKings donating one dollar for the first twenty thousand entries every week going to the Larry Fitzgerald Foundation to fund breast cancer research and support. I once played golf with the Governor, Jesse Ventura, and we were in Minnesota. Well, you play and there's Secret Service guys lining the fairway, and I would joke with Jesse Ventura. I'd be like, you know what, your ball always seems to stay in bounds. Like he'd hit a shot and would go sideways, and he always found it. Secret Service guy always found it. And I mean, I'm not calling him a cheater, but it felt like there was a home course advantage there that he never hit the ball out of bounds. And be like, no, I'll be damn you found your ball. Huh. I thought it went right in the middle of the lake. Nope, didn't. I go, Okay, man, it must be your day, must be your day, didn't. Nope didn't. He was a lot of fun, though he was. He was a sharp guy, fun, good opinions, strong opinions. Played with Ray Allen and Dante Colepepper and Ray is a really good player, and Jesse was okay, but Dante Colepepper shouldn't have been out there. First of all, I didn't know that golf was eighteen holes. He thought it was nine. And then we got to the end of the ninth hole and he was like, well, see you guys, we're like, there's nine more holes. He goes, not for me, so he ended up leaving. Yes, Pauline, do.

You think it would be fun and relaxing to play with a present former present or just completely tense?

Yeah?

I can't imagine relaxing.

Yeah, I don't think so it would be. I think if you had a couple of beers and then you were able to talk like that, because I I would have a lot of questions, but I don't know if I'm allowed to ask him?

And can you even in the middle of a round of golf, do you have to address it? Oh, that's a great put mister president, you wire to wire, it's mister press.

Probably so Yeah, the guy always thought Bill Clinton would be a lot of fun. If I'm we're having beers and I'm allowed to just talk freely, that that could be interesting. What do you think of the raisor bagst right about that win against Tennessee. Yeah, it's Todd.

You get into cracking.

That was that was my That was my Clinton, and you've been doing your Donald Trump and person we're in competition with you. O. There, that was it? What mine?

No?

His was that Donald Trump?

No, that was I wasn't doing a pressure closed my eyes and here let me do it again.

Fracking.

We don't like cracking. We do like cracking. We flip, we flop.

We sound like you. You're not flippers.

You're not doing an impersonation. We tend to flip.

We flip one way, we flip the other.

Flip your mind. And I call her flipper because she flipps. That's all I got for it. I think if we're watching you, it helps. It doesn't head. Yes, you know.

One of the things that really got me about sausage off was like Todd, like, you can't hear what we're all hearing. You can't hear that. That was the most fascinating part to me that he couldn't figure out.

That fork and falk weren't the same thing.

And we kept going on and on about it and like, you can't hear the difference there.

You can't tell the difference.

This is the same thing to me where I'm like, tell you you can't hear that. You're not doing an impression, You're just talking. You're just you're just using your own normal voice.

You can't hear that. Well, he did the Olivia Newton John tribute and didn't hear himself, not on you know time, not on cue, not on I mean, you were a mess.

It makes good.

Sports ready association.

You gotta answer it just right, you know what I mean, don't google. Let's just try to think it out, tell yourself mehtally know what you're talking about, or get embarrassed.

But this this was meant to be a very nice, sweet tribute to Olivia Newton John, a huge Olvington John fan. It was not supposed to end up being a disrespectful goofy thing.

I took it very seriously.

When I thought, I know, I know, yes, still, I think I've said it on the show before.

There's nothing better than the big German goes, Hey, guys, Fritzy needs to hear the music.

He weeks goes. He does hear the music, he goes, Oh the never mind, and then we ask you, do you want to do it again? And you're like, Nope, I think I nailed it.

I don't really need to stay with the music.

No, it's all about the words.

Music is just a little extra thing in the background sports conversation. Everyone knows it's all about the lyrics, not the background music.

He the best. We're getting embarrassed.

On radio and TV.

I got to speed up a little bit the syllables to get that in the well the Greatest moment.

Be sure to catch the live edition of The Dan Patrick Show weekdays at nine am Eastern six am Pacific on Fox Sports Radio and the iHeartRadio app.

Chris Berman Hall of Fame broadcaster, Chris and Booger McFarlane, host of NFL Primetime every Sunday night during the NFL season on ESPN Plus, and Chris Berman. Allen is forty fifth year at the mother Ship. Wow, how you doing?

I'm good? Hey pal? How are you proud of you? Listen? I'm I had the wide shot just before we started. I was trying to identify all the do dads in front of it, you know, in front of your microphone. But that would take several hours of the story, wouldn't it?

Would you like to donate something to the man Cave?

Let me I have rooms here which the doors closed that I can't get in anymore. So I'm sure there's something there of interest. I'm not sure what I'll get back to you.

Dan.

You know what I would love if you'd be willing to do this One of your famous jackets that you wore on Sports Center, Maybe an autograph mauve sport coat that I could that I could that I could frame and put up here in the man Cave. Would you be open to that?

Yeah, well, I have to check that. That's a whole other closet. The one that you really want is it was before even you were with us for the Getting Red. We looked like Marriott Bellman, you know, for a while there in the in the eighties. And the thing is you wouldn't need as large as a frame for those jackets as you would now, So you're you know, I'll look into it.

All right. I appreciate that. But when you look back, how wild was the Wild West when you first got to ESPN Because I got there a few years after you guys launched, because I was at CNN at the time. But the guys who were there talked about that was was it the wild West when you guys were doing Sports Center?

Well, it was the wild West in which we at the very very beginning, there were what you know, the seventy or eighty of us in the hole that did everything from president of the company to someone that kept track of the tapes. We're all just about all of us, really young twenties and thirties. We were rebels without a clue, but we got to do sports all the time. And it's hard for a lot of your you know this, but it's hard for a lot of your under forty especially listeners viewers. Dan understand the table for Yet he asked that twenty four hour sports, what do you, guys, Walter Kronkite gets thirty minutes for the news of the entire world and you're gonna talk about tennis and Budapetz com for five minutes? Are you so? I mean, I'm kidding a little, but but it was more. Would Cable even make it? But we didn't. I don't want to say we didn't care. I mean my dad would say, you think it's gonna make it? Chris, I went, if it makes it, two years. Personally, I'll be, I'll be. I'll know if I'm any good and at her or not. And in the meantime, I'm doing the show at two thirty in the morning Eastern nice drive home at four A during a snowstorm. The plows didn't come to five. But it was just sports. So there was a camaraderie that's like startups that make it, but it was more this and I'll end this answer with in retrospect, we rode cables coat tails, as did CNN, which started in nineteen eighty. We were seventy nine at MTV when it was MTV was what eighty two something like that, I think, so those three used to pick out a few road cables coattails, but then Cable wrote ours at CNN included you know, so it's kind of an interesting progression and a straight up progression, which now, of course Cable is not. What were we have over one hundred homes, one hundred homes, one hundred million homes. But yeah, back then I wouldn't trade it for anything. We were just we were just like I said, we were Lewis and Clark without a compass. But we loved every minute of it.

And I don't know if there was a moment that all of a sudden it changed to the ESPN. Did you was there acquisition or college basketball? All felt like Big Monday was a big deal, But do you remember if there was like that, Oh my gosh, if not for that, then maybe we don't have ESPN.

Okay, So the answer I was going to go with, but it wouldn't apply here eight years in when we got the Sunday Night Football eight games and prime time went and not that I would do in the show, nothing could do with it. But that was the we're really going to be a major Maybe not at the time, networks are a major player. So that's not the answer. I don't know. College basketball was the good idea along with Sports Center Dan that you and Keith progressed from where Tommy and Bob and George and maybe I could go on and on and on, and so many others contributed to it. We had college hoops on, you know, in the middle of the week, right out of the gates, and that was let alone the tournament, and so that was a hmm. And then I don't want to say the NFL Draft because we have it on Tuesday morning, at eight am. But again it was a thing that you had to kind of find us if you really cared about it. But was there an a one aha moment. I'll give you it. It's not the answer, but you'll find this interesting because you probably don't. So the year sailboat racing not normally something that I would go to you and I talking about, Okay, the year that the America's Cup fell to the Australians with the Wayne Keel in Newport at ninety three. Now, of course this is like a Cuban election, the America's Cup up to that point, like we would win, okay, Like they'd have to sail across from Europe. They couldn't build the voat over here. I mean, that's one of the many rules that you don't think they were starting as a fifteen point undergo. Course, of course they were. But it was the seventh and deciding race and a Providence station had a helicopter or two and we picked up the feed on a Tuesday, I want to say, a Tuesday after do on at three o'clock Eastern and the ratings, which whatever they were at the time, were through the roof. I mean, it's not the super Bowl, But you mean people are finding ESPN. They heard and somebody called someone in their own Hey watched the seventh and deciding race of the America's Cup and the offsees beat the Americans, And that was a moment to myself that I went, you know, maybe we're actually onto something. So that's not the defining moment, but there's a moment that you and I didn't think we would be talking about ten minutes ago.

How much gambling was going on in the early days of ESPN.

We were all interested in the games. We didn't have a lot of money, myself included. So as far as it being dangerous and getting out of why, I know there were a few that I better hit the Monday night came and that's what I'm nervous about to this day when anybody can do it at any time. But it was more fun. Here's the fun that we had one time. So we had our our softball team that played at ten am, right because we worked either at all three in the morning or at least midnight or one. And it was with a couple of bars in Hartford post Office, the night post Office group, and I think the fee was twenty five bucks. Dan to play as a team, you know, each person if we want to play, we got to put up five on it. Whatever it was, and it was on me, which is a lot of pressure. Okay, we need a this is February or March. We're gonna put whatever it was a lunch back, like, okay, we're all going in for twenty five bucks on on some college basketball game or an April baseball game. A lot of pressure. I was three for three, So I was a hero, I guess, not because I might be able to hit the ball, But to be honest with you, it's more like for fun. It wasn't. It wasn't a lot, and I'm glad it wasn't. I mean people at mortgage payments later on and shouldn't be doing that.

We're talking to Chris Berman. The Hall of Famer. You got the Pete Roselle Award? Was that twenty ten Hall of Fame?

Yes?

Can we get Brent Musburger in the Hall of Fame for contributions to the game for the Pete rosell Award?

He should have been in there long before me. I mean that's for sure.

I mean he started the pregame show.

Yes, I wanted to be him, to be honest with you, one of the goals I have, Boy, if I could, if I could beat Brent, that'd be pretty cool. Wherever it was that I was going to beat Brett, I'm not. And I don't think I ever became Brant I had his quote job. So that's that's crazy. I don't know what it. Maybe it was because I don't know why I'm not on. You know, they don't. We're not on any committee Dan that you know, former Winner winners, Pat or what. Do you think we're not passed. I'm not saying we should be. I'm not sure how that selection goes. They obviously let a lot of things slide when I got in. But but but yeah, the fact that I I just assume, I know he's not, but I always assume, of course he is. He invented the job the NFL today was for us growing up. But you know it's amazing. That was a half an hour. Yeah, we went on on game day at the time, you guys going to do an hour and then an hour and a half. It was, oh my god, the earth, the sky is falling. So yeah, he should has a good comment. I mean, I'm sure you've debated on your show, Pete Rose baseball let alone, bonds and clements. But Brent, for this is not at he is at the same level in our business at all time. Giant.

I know you agree, Yeah I do. I was wondering about this with the Jets. Why are certain franchises cursed? You've been a Jets fan for a long time.

I grew up at Chase Stadium. I wore white shoes into home room in eighth grade the day after they won the Super Bowl. The bad news that was the nineteen sixty eight season. Okay, so it sounds like they've never you know, Rench Ryan him in the playoffs. I mean, it's not like they have the tarp in Miami. I mean the Jet fans know all this. I don't know that we could put our finger on it. It's not that they're I still think they're probably more Giant fan than Jet fans, but than they to do with it. I don't know, they're like, you're right, they're like pig Pen and Charlie Brown right, like they there's a cloud. And I don't know that this lifts it with the coaching change, will see, because they've all in with Aaron and they my godd, he's the Hall of Famer and let's see what he's got. But however, this year turns out, and I know he wants to play longer, I'm not. I don't have a solid answer for fifty plays, you know, and then the longest drought of getting in. There's a lot of eye rolling with the Jets. And there are the Jets, right, I mean, and they've had good teams, they have a great fan base. But and they everybody spells j Ets correctly. I think spelling be right.

What happens first, you retire or the Jets go to the Super Bowl?

Ooh, I retire? I think. I mean that sounds like I'm not. I don't think they're going to get there this year. They good, I mean, they put all in and then wherever Iron takes him this and or next year, and then when he's out, they reshuffle the decks. So that's not looking good. I'm not doing this till I'm seventy years of the business. Stand I mean, I you know, I may not do it till fifty. It's not the point to put the point wouldn't be an ESPN for fifty years. I didn't think of it till the summer. Actually, when hey, you're going to be forty five years really means I'm old. So that's like the Casey Stankel quote, which you remember nineteen sixty two, the forty and one to twenty New York Mets. It's a good question. I thought of this as soon as you asked it. With a forty and one twenty which the White Sox lost more games, but at forty one and one twenty one, their percentage is still a little better than those Mets, so they didn't quite get out of the book. By the way, Casey said the manager man will walk on the moon before the Mets win the World Series. Yeah, of course he was right, but it was only seven years later, nineteen sixty nine summer they walked October they won. Yeah, no, they'll They're probably in the waiting room for a while. Still. I look, I may not get that far I got. You know, who knows if they'll have me. I hope. So, yes, I like what I do still, and I think Prime Time is still fun for people to watch. I mean I still hear about it, and I do some other things, and it's not about me. It's like I still think the one thing about prime time And I went to Jimmy Petero a while ago. I said, you think we can get the rights for this is ESPN plus thing is new twenty nineteen. It's a big impetus. Maybe that's the last thing I can help you put on the map. You know, I'll come back and do it. And it's not us alone. But they're in thirty five million as opposed to three million homes. Well three million homes is what we were in when nineteen seventy nine. To get back to your question, So I feel fulfilled and that it helped propel one last thing. It's not really about me, it helped us. What do you think I'm not retiring. I mean, I ain't going past fifty. I can't even see that Jets win a Super Bowl in five years.

No, No, probably not. I hope before I let you go, the nickname that youth, that is the most underrated one of your nicknames that you used during doing sports centered on the highlights.

Well because the famous Berkeley Homble eleven, you're not talking about those, Julio, won't you let me take you on a sea cruise? I mean, I mean that's the fund underrated ones. That applied to where a player play, and you know you don't you can't invent those. Royce Clayton was a shortstop of San Francisco Royce o'rooney Clayton Creek. And then this was actually being an American history major. That's a good question. Carlos Biego was a really good player, mostly with the Indians, right, I could still say the Indians, that's what they were. But he came to Boston late in his career, and I'm like, okay, one of Carlos, one of bi Land, two of by se three of fire. Then I thought that was that was fitting at Boston. Yeah, those are the kind of ones that took a little extra maybe twenty seconds of limited brain power rather than ten seconds. I don't know, I'm not bad, right.

Yeah, yeah, Hey, great to see you. Forty five in counting. Go get them? Uh what's your number?

How long you've been in the business?

Close to me, I've been doing it forty years? So I got I got an endgame though. Christmas Eve of twenty twenty seven going to pull the plug on this show.

I mean, only do all the Christmas lights go out? You just kill it? Yep, what happens to this stuff in front of the desk, though, I'm concerned.

I this is the Dansonian and we're just going to let people I'm in, I guess, and take a tour, you know, see all the stuff that I've compiled for forty years, and they'll be able to see your jacket, the autograph jacket that we're going to get from you soon.

I want to see it. Mauv is still it's a word. It's a color that's kind of gone out of style, so therefore I'm not looking to wear it. Listen, I'm proud of where you've gone, not since you with us, but I've told you that before Sports Illustrated writing for while these shows you're still must listen, so people enjoy you, people enjoy your point of view, the guests you're able to get other than this one, and I much appreciated, proud of you. And look, we're survivors, Dan, not quite sure how we are, but we are.

We're dinosaurs, well that's for sure.

And we may not be t Rex. We may be like Stegosaurus.

That's okay. Yeah, thank you, thank you, Chris.

Nice to see you, see you, Bud.

Chris Berman, you can see Chris and Booger McFarlane NFL Primetime every Sunday night during the NFL season on ESPN Plus.

Be sure to catch the live edition of The Dan Patrick Show weekdays at nine am Eastern six am Pacific on Fox Sports Radio and the iHeartRadio w APP.

We were looking back on the stats for running backs. You know, we focus on college in the pros, but I was thinking about high school because Derek Henry rushed for twelve thousand yards in high school, and I thought, okay, if I put that together with the ten thousand he's rushed for in the NFL and then the thirty five hundred he ran for at Alabama, so he's at almost twenty six thousand yards right now. EMMITTT. Smith has thirty one thousand because in large part the eighteen thousand he had in the NFL, he had just under four thousand yards in college, and he had eighty eight hundred yards in high school. Some of the other players on this list these are running backs who had at least seven thousand yards in high school. Thomas Jones, he had ten thousand yards in the NFL, seven thousand in high school and just under four thousand yards was he Virginia Thomas Jones, Yeah, then Jets Bears. Okay. Billy Simms, one of my favorites, had seventy seven hundred yards in high school, thirty eight hundred yards in college, and fifty one hundred yards in the pros cut short by injuries. Mike Hart Michigan's Mike Cart he had sixteen thousand total yards. He had eleven thousand yards in high school, so just behind Derrick Henry Lendale White had seventy eight hundred yards in high school, thirty one hundred yards at USC and then twenty three hundred yards in the pros. B Jon Robinson had seven thousand high school yards, three thousand, four hundred in college, and then he's off to his NFL career with twelve hundred yards. But back to Derrick Henry had a chance to talk to him yesterday, and I said, well, it's nice getting to ten thousand yards as an NFL running back. You haven't even eclipsed your high school rushing totals.

I know it's lacking, Dan, I need need to do better.

Do you know how many you rush for in high school?

I think like twelve four or something like that.

Twelve thousand yards in high school. Yeah, yeah, kind of a ball hog. Did you ever think about letting somebody else run the ball?

I mean, I just liked it to.

I felt like I was the best option as far as like us winning. Too many felt the same and it worked all right. I didn't get state championship in hig school, which I'm still mad about, but at least I left it something.

Yeah, but it looks like you're a giant, like you're you're Goliath versus a bunch of Davids there. Do you ever feel sorry for these high school kids?

Uh?

No, no, not at all.

You know, I just wanted to go out there and just played the best that I could who we played, and we played some tough teams.

I know, I saw the highlights.

People always say I was playing against like middle schools, but troll Hiss his girl, spurad or not. But yeah, we played some tough teams.

Though it wasn't.

All a cool You rush for forty two hundred yards your senior year. I mean, that's it's crazy.

So funny.

My high school running back coach, coach Pat who passed away in twenty nineteen. Our freshman year, we had practice and he had a piece of paper, like all these nimbos on there. I'm just like, what's this. He's like, these are the records in Florida. He's like, you're gonna break them. And I was like, oh, whoa, I ain't. I didn't know all those records stood. I was like, boy, I got a lot to do then, got plenty of time.

He's like, you're gonna break them. I just want you to look at I.

Was curious when you had these long runs, how do you know what the guy or guys behind your doing.

I don't. I don't even I was No.

I'm still mad about that run last week because I didn't know the guys behind me. I would have turned around, tried to stiff on him something. I'm seeing the end zone. I ain't know he was behind me.

I would have known.

I would have give him a stiff on this something to make him miss. But it happens now now I know.

But do you look at Have you ever looked at the jumbo tron to keep an eye on?

No? End zone?

That's it.

That's it. I'm trying to get to the end zone.

Can you hear people behind you?

No?

I told you, I'm I'm looking straight.

Once I see green grass and I see the end zone, So I'm trying to get to You can see him, you can see it in my face.

I'm like, what.

Is that?

What is that feeling like when you break free and all you see is the end zone.

I'm just I guess excitement. I'm just trying trying to get there. I'm just go, just go go soon as I see you can, guys, go greenlight.

But do you think people doubted you after you left Tennessee and did you still have you know, that get up and go? Could you still you know, be an elite running back?

Yeah?

I think it was a doubt everywhere. I think it was out there that day.

Didn't think I was where I used to be, But I knew that, you know, I still had plenty of left and you know, when that next opportunity came as far as far as free agency, I was gonna be ready and ready to showcase I can still go.

If it wasn't the Ravens, who was going to be the Ravens. Oh, you can say it now.

I mean I really don't know.

I know the Cowboys thinks just because I live in Dallas in the off season, that's basically home. And I made the most sense if the Ravens wasn't interested, because I mean, that's that's right there, and that just made most sense.

But clearly they.

Weren't interested in the Ravens worse. So it worked out the way it needed to be.

But did you drop a hint to anybody on the Cowboys.

No, not at all.

I was just waiting to see if they were who was interested, and no one option was the Ravens, So I was waiting to see if that still gonna come about, and thank god it did the Cowboys.

It worked out where I wanted to be. I got here, and I'm happy.

We're talking to Derrick Henry the Ravens running back. Got the Commander's coming up this weekend. Who has more moves as a runner? You were, Lamar Jackson.

Oh, Lamar, that's no question, that's a no brainer. I mean, he like he got eyes in the back of his head. I mean you told me, I told you I'm running straight all different. I ain't wear about all that I'm trying to get, Lamar. I can see everything.

You ever catch yourself during a play watching him run like damn, that's impressed.

Yo, you're playing the Raiders, and he was just like he was just jumping going this way. I'm like, it's crazy, Like I asked myself, but how do you know that he's I'll be seeing it.

I'd be like, yeah, not me. I can't do that.

You can't teach that, can you.

That's just all give him a building.

What if I lined him up as a running back.

I think he'll still as he says, he's still be trying to run through people. He's grandma, So I don't think it'd be no different.

Yeah, yeah, because I wonder like he'd rushed for one thousand yards.

I think he could have. I think he could.

Yeah, I think, yeah, how good is this team right now? You got to handle on how good the Ravens are.

I know, uh, you know, we're trending in the right directions as far as you know, uh style of football. We want to play on all three phases, playing comproment in football, and we just you know, want to continue to build on that, fix it as you need to fix as far as on office defense and special teams, and then like everything they take care of itself. But you know, we are a confident group. We're cofferent in each other. I don't want to say we're the we are the best, but we are working towards that and then we believe we will We will get there, but it's just taking a week by week.

When's the last time John Harball yelled at you?

John yelled at me?

Uh?

Coach Harball doesn't really yell unless he really needs to.

Let's see.

Feels like we're not doing what we need to do as far as.

So, you haven't gotten in trouble, like you haven't done anything wrong yet not.

Yeah, I'm not going Wow.

Okay, all right, you got one hundred touchdowns? How many of those footballs did you keep?

I didn't keep all of them, but I had a good significant amount the ones that were milestones.

I try to keep.

Okay, what's your favorite one out of all those one hundred? No, that would be one hundred and one.

That's what I'm saying. So whatever the next milestone I hit, that's my favorite one. But I don't really have a specific one.

But that's a pretty cool milestone to be a part of what the group I'm being part of. Guys I idolized guys I grew up watching guys are kind of.

Like heroes to me.

Yeah, it's just unbelievable, you know, time for me to be able to accomplish that, and just thankful and God is good.

Okay, but you run differently than most running backs, so you could idolize Barry Sanders or somebody like that, but but I'm not.

Yeah, I'm not. I'm not them at all.

But like I still love watching them, watching the highlights and just you know, seeing how dominant they were, you know, you know, during that time, and you know, that's what I get from that, just like how dominant they were whenever they were in their prime.

And you know, but you didn't try to emulate them, not Barry, No, well who did you want to emulate?

Yeah?

I grew up watching emmen uh Ladani and Thomason was Thomasin's fan. But as I got older, when I realized my side, like dang, I can't be ot And I tell you the story, h like a couple of weeks ago, you know, I looked up, I started you know, looking up and just watching running backs, and Eric Dickinson popped up and I was like, dang, that's kind of like, yeah, that's what I want to be like And then in all the records, you know.

Because he ran up right, he was he ran differently than anybody, but he did have great speed. What do you think when you see coach Shaban on college game day? Did you know he had this kind of personality?

Yeah, I mean Coach Saban he was funding whenever we were at BEMA. You know a lot of people didn't see it, but practice Coach Saban always always joke around with us. I wasn't surprised. To me, I felt like it's something that that's that's natural. And plus you got different personalities that helped bring out other people personalities. You know, Pat McAfee, he loves messic, Coach sabings, so you know it's kind of good to see him having fun and you know, you know, going off into his next journey, I feel like he's doing a good job.

Yeah.

But you know, we broke the story about these nuts.

What is it?

Josh Jacobs said that Coach Saban would talk about D's nuts. How about these nuts?

Oh?

Yeah, he used to say that, like if Joe he would get somebody like every time. He definitely joked about that. I remember those days.

So did he ever say to you something about d'se nuts.

Nah, I'll try to stay away so I didn't get caught with that joke. But I always be around here like he got somebody else. It was, it was, it was he a crackout. It was so funny to him, but we all knew it was coming.

Hey, congrats on the milestones there and uh many more. Great to talk to you and hopefully we'll see you see you assume maybe at the Super.

Bowl, sir, that's the goal. And appreciate you for having me Dann always.

Finn Derrick Henry got the Commander's coming up this weekend and over ten thousand yards in his NFL career one hundred touchdowns as well

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