The Dan Patrick ShowOn today's Dan Patrick Show, DP talks to Pro Football Talk's Mike Florio about which NFL team is in the most must-win position this weekend. NBC College Football Analyst Todd Blackledge discusses Notre Dame's chances of making the College Football Playoff. Plus, Ravens RB Derrick Henry shares why he decided to sign with the Ravens.
You are listening to the Dan Patrick Show on Fox Sports Radio.
He's Mike Florio Pro Football Talk Live co host and contributor to Football Night in America and his book Son of Mine, the second book and the Father of Mine series, is available now as an ebook for four ninety nine on Amazon. The most must win game of the weekend is which game in the NFL?
Well, I would have said last night's game. The forty nine ers desperately needed to avoid going zero to three in their division, and they even more desperately needed to avoid blowing another lead to a division rival. But now that that one's over, it's got to be the Bengals on Sunday Night. And I'm not saying that so I get my check this week from NBC. But the Bengals are desperate at one in four, and yeah, they start slowly every year, but the slow start has continued. They fall to five losses, and Dan, I don't know that there's a magic number of losses that disqualify you from the playoffs. With seven spots per conference and seventeen games, nine to eight I would think is the absolute minimum to get in. They're already halfway to eight losses through five games. They need this one on Sunday Night.
What teams do you feel great about? Here we are mid October, could you put I feel great about this team or teams?
No, No, because the teams that I think are the best don't have the best records. I think the forty nine Ers and Ravens are the best teams I've seen so far, but they have flaws. And the forty nine Ers are what three and two? Three and three, and the Ravens are three and two, So the Vikings are a flawed five. And oh, the Chiefs are a flawed five. And oh, I guess I feel good about the Chiefs because we know they get better as the season goes on, and these wins now are just money in the bank that will make it easier for them to force playoff games to come to Kansas City. But we know they can go on the road and win in the playoffs too. So I guess the Chiefs, just because they're so damn resilient defense is great, and their offense will improve and play well when it has to.
We saw Robert Sala relieved of his duties. Will we have a coach another coach fired during the season in your opinion, Well.
Probably just because somebody's gonna lose these games. And if you hit enough of a rough stretch, that's that if the Jaguars get embarrassed both games in London, they play the Bears and then the Patriots, Doug Peterson's win this past weekend over the Colts might not matter. It felt like he was getting closer and closer to the end because the owner made it pretty clear before the season, this is the most talented Jaguars team ever. He's wrong, But when the owner thinks it, it doesn't matter if he's wrong. He's the guy who's making the decision on whether or not the coaching staff's getting it done with the most talented team. So I still keep an eye on the Jaguars. But what we learned on Tuesday, Dan, it can happen to anyone. I would have never dreamed that it was going to happen to Robert Sala on Tuesday, six days before they play a game that if they win at their time for first place in the division. A defensive expert whose defense is great, an offense that is off the rails, and it's his fault, and he's the one who's got to go I was stunned that it happened, and I wouldn't have picked it. If I was ranking who's most likely to get fired on Tuesday, I don't know that it would have been in the bottom half, but it wouldn't have been in the top ten.
Well, I said at the start of the year, Robert Sala is either going to be Coach of the Year or fired. And I don't think he was the right person for the job. He's a defensive coordinator. Not every coordinator deserves to be a head coach. But he did do a good job with what he was told to be a do a good job with their defense. The offense is on Aaron Rodgers. I mean now, he did take blame yesterday. He said, yeah, if I play better, Robert Sala keeps his job. Now, moving forward, what do you expect out of the Jets?
Well, the question is now that Todd Downing is taking over as essentially offensive coordinator, with Nathaniel Hackett taking a back seat, how much will that limit the things that Rogers does at the line of scrimmage. He likes to have the freedom to change plays if he wants too. He cites his extensive experience and there's an argument to be made that at some point you got to defer to what this guy has seen, what this guy has done. I don't know how much better it's going to be. I don't know how much philosophically it's going to change. I don't know how well Aaron Rodgers and Todd Downing get along or don't get along. All I know is Aaron Rodgers isn't the guy that he was a few years ago. He looked disinterested at times in the first half on Sunday. Rodney Harrison's interpretation is that's how a guy looks when he can no longer do what he used to do, and he's coming to terms with it now. The arm is still there, but the legs go first. And if you're Tom Brady and the legs never mattered anyway, you go into your forty five. If you're Aaron Rodgers and you made your living by getting out of trouble, and all of a sudden you can't, I think that's where we see that frustration start to come out.
And I have mentioned this, this isn't an attractive job. And I know we love to throw out Mike Rabel and Bill Belichick. I would run from this opportunity, not too absolutely because and I never thought I would say this. The reason why it's one of the reasons why it's not attractive is because of Aaron Rodgers. I don't know how long he stays, and I would take over that job. If Aaron Rodgers decided to retire, then it becomes a little more attractive. You got a really good defense, you got some younger offensive players, you still have that ownership there. I don't know what you do at the GM, but Belichick's not going there. You know, is Rabel going to go there? Or Ben Johnson or the Lion's going to go there. I just doesn't It doesn't feel attractive.
We talked about this earlier in the week on PFT Live. I'm a firm believer that anyone who has options is not going to want to go there. I don't think Rogers will be back if they don't make the playoffs, and even if they do, I'm not sure he's gonna want to put himself through it again with or without Rogers. Though the owner is the one constant, as Jed York of the forty nine Ers said seven or eight years ago, you can't fire the owner. And the thread for the Jets, and Jets fans get mad about this because there's nothing they can do about it. They're stuck with Woody Johnson until he sells the team or otherwise naturally ends his tenure as the owner of the team. So you can't do anything about it. You can't deprive yourself the thing you love. The only way to force a guy to sell would be to boycott. So thoroughly they're losing money and the only thing we can do is sell the team. That's ever gonna happen. People love the Jets, they want to go to the games, they want to follow the team. So I look at a guy like Steve Spagnolo, who might not have an option anywhere else. Bring him back to New York. He was great with the Giants. We've been saying he deserves another opportunity. If no one else is going to give it to him, why not get it with the Jets. Or like a Ryan Grubb. You know Dave Canalis last year one year is offensive coordinator the Panthers. Bucks goes to the Panthers. Who else was taking the Panthers job? Ryan Grub great job with Gino. Smith goes to the Jets, because who else is going to take the Jets job.
Talking to Mike Florio, Pro Football Talk Live co host, I saw where you were mixing it up a little bit with the New York media and their coverage of Aaron Rodgers. What were you bothered about by how they were covering Aaron Rodgers.
Well, I wasn't mixing it up with them. They chose to mix it up with me rather than addressing on the merits with on ad Hominem attacks and other things. And I don't care about that anymore. I'm too old and I met the I call it the NFG phase of my career. No f's given where it's not worth it. Life's too short to get into these stupid fights. Dan, I've learned a lot from working with you and listening to you and watching you over the years. You're one of the best interviewers ever. You know how to ask questions in a way that doesn't piss people off, but it gets to the heart of the matter. And I was just disappointed yesterday by the press conference of Aaron Rodgers. All that had to be asked of Aaron Rodgers with one very simple question seven words. Did Robert Sola deserve to be fired. The answer to that would have been incredibly revealing because so much time has been spent this week with Rogers kind of puffing his chest out. I resent any suggestion that I caused this. Okay, fine, but you could have stopped it. You could have prevented it. And I think that's what we need to drill down on. Did you have a chance to prevent it? And if you didn't, man, that's a hell of a story too. So that's what bothered me. It was a golden opportunity to ask him questions, not belligerent, not rifled with animosity, just simple questions, like you do they get right to the heart of the matter. And they whiffed. They just whiffed. And if they're mad about it, show some of that to Aaron Rodgers. Don't direct it at me. Redirect it back to Rogers the next time you can ask him questions.
Is there a franchise in worse shape than Cleveland?
No, because they're not stuck with a contract it requires ninety two million dollars to be paid in twenty twenty five and twenty twenty six combined. The Browns are in one of the worst situations of the salary cap era, and it's clearly the worst trade and sign that we've seen in the salary cap era. You can say the herschel Walker trade was worse, but this is a combination of three first round picks, three other picks, and two hundred and thirty million fully guaranteed for a guy that was facing a suspension and a guy who hadn't played at all in twenty twenty one. And now here we are in the third year. They're not getting a return and they're in a damn thing they can do. They have to pay them, they don't have to play them. And at this point, Dan, I would trade off assets. I would get extra draft picks, I would bench him, and I would go young because the young guys are cheap enough. You can carry the ninety two million and pay that money and fill out your roster with young, cheap players. That's what I would do if I was.
The Browns and you look back on this trade and you would have thought that, you know, the Texans would have been saying, hey, please take him. We'll give you this and this and this. They got draft picks, they got first round picks, this guy was damaged goods and that's they didn't get a bargain. This is where you get a bargain. You go, hey, let's take a chance on this guy. You know, he's got a shady past here, but he's shown glimpses. You know, hey, well we'll take him off your hands. You got to pay part of his salary. You got to throw in a draft pick or two, like that's what you would think. But the fact that the Browns gave him a deal he couldn't refuse and gave them those draft picks and they that's helped the Texans become a playoff team.
Amazing, amazing the gym of the team, Dan, I remember when it was happening. The Texans created a competition, even though it was March, months away from an actual game, they were able to set up a four team basically chase for Deshaun Watson. And in the offseason, that's when teams try to spend or otherwise maneuver their way to relevance. And so you had the Saints, the Panthers, the Falcons, and the Browns. And the Browns were the first team that got tapped on the shoulder at the dance contest. And what did they do? What did they do? They said, let's make this guy an offer he can't refuse, and boom, there it was. And the other thing Caceroo did it was brilliant, Dan, You basically got preapproved for the loan. You couldn't even talk to Watson unless you put on the table a trade package that Casserio would have accepted. And it was great, It was brilliant. Four teams show up, Browns get thrown overboard, Browns come back with this ridiculous offer, and now they're stuck with the aftermath of it.
Unbelievable. All quiet on the two afront.
Any updates, Well, everything's pointing toward him coming back week eight, when he's able to return from injured reserve. What we saw this week with Josh Allen, I think brings into focus the balance between the boxes that are checked to put a player back on the field after an actual or suspected head injury brain injury to be more accurate, and healthcare an endgame when somebody's possibly suffered a brain injury. I think a lot of times we see that urgency to check the boxes and get the guy back on the field, rather than engaging in actual healthcare. And I say that because with the urgency that we're feeling now with the Dolphins all they need tool back so badly. Everything's pointing in that direction. He's on the sidelines for the games. I thought we would have the conversation after the season as to whether or not need continue. I don't know if it's in his best interest to jump back into it, because this wasn't some fluke injury. This is like in the top three of the things that can happen to a quarterback. This isn't what happened to Tamar Hamlin one in a billion. This is something that happens all the time, and it's happened repeatedly to Tuam with the fencing posture on top of it. I'm very concerned about too. I know it's his right, it's his right. The right to life, liberty in the pursuit of happiness includes the right to screw up your life if you choose to do so, and people take far greater risks for far less money. I'm just concerned about him. If he was my son, my brother, my cousin, I'd beat. I wouldn't be able to watch a game, I wouldn't be able to function for those three hours worrying about him having another brain injury.
The Josh Allen situation, the optics were terrible. I mean, I now he I think said his ankle. I mean, I mean, I don't know if he grabbed his ankle. But it's like Tua had another concussion where he said it was his back. They're going to.
Find the nature of it. That's the thing. These guys want to play, Joe Burrow said after the two of stuff was going on a couple of years ago. This is what we signed up for. That's why it's all the more important. If you're going to create this many little healthcare apparatus that assesses a guy for a concussion during a game, it can't be you know, the urgency that we saw last Thursday night, when the Falcons are rushing to the line of scrimmage and spiking the ball and the officials are helping, it's like, we got to check them. We've got to get the guy back in and see the leak. Even though the doctor that makes the final call is unaffiliated from the team, the league wants the best players on the field. When Derek Carr left on Monday night, Jake Haner came in just turn off the damn game. If Mitch Drubisky had stayed in on Sunday and Allen had been ruled out, turn off the damn game. The league doesn't want that, so they've got Even though the doctors are disconnected from the team, there's still a conflict of interest there where we want these guys on the field and they want to go on the field. That's the problem. Who's the voice of reason that says, hang on, hang on, you shouldn't go out, and we're not letting you go out on the field.
But do you see these guardian helmets actually being mandatory.
Well, the NFL says that the guardian cap is less effective than the position specific helmets that they've now developed. I respond to that by saying, well, if you put a guardian cap on those helmets, they would be even safer. I think the NFL is very concerned about the aesthetics because it's such a visual TV is what made football what it is. And when you see a guy, it looks like a lumpy beanbag chair that needs to be, you know, like re sculpted. There was a guy last night and it stands out got for the forty nine ers had that big fan and fans don't want to see that. I think it's incumbent on the league to keep improving the helmet technology so it gets to the point where guardian caps are irrelevant. But at the same time, no matter how good that helmet is, if you put a guardian cap on it, it's going to be even safer.
Have a great weekend, Mike, Thanks for joining us in. That's Mike Florio, Pro Football Talk Live, co host and contributor to Football Night in America.
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.
Who has it better than we do? No stat of the Day has always brought you by Panini America, the official trading cards of this program. It is Big ten Saturday Night on Ohio State Oregon on NBC and Peacock. Here comes Saturday Night, presented by Peacock. We will talk to Todd Blacklitch. He will be on the call with Noah Eagle. That will be coming up at seven thirty Eastern on Saturday on NBC and Peacock. You can watch this show on Peacock as well. Download the app if you haven't done so, and Seaton, would you update the poll results?
Sure to canon Dan you sure we got a few of them working today. Let's see we have bigger game for the Cowboys or the Lions. Right now, seventy two percent of the Cowboys biggest win last night, Guardians running away with that, followed by the Yankees, Niners links in last place, and then advancing to the from the Alds to the Alcs. Is that Champagne worthy right now? Sixty eight percent say absolutely not.
Yeah, I think champagne but not Goggle worthy. But it feels like you can't have one without the other.
Yes, Todd, Champagne is spelled with champ in the first five letters. That gives it all away. Wait till you win the pennant or the whole thing before you go. Champagne, Division Series, wild Card nothing.
Why don't we call it champagne.
We could call it that.
You know why we don't, Well, the French probably say, yeah, they messed those things up there, Champagne instead of Champagne.
Be a champ champ is not winning the divisional series.
Okay, buzzkill. Just that Out of the day Brought to you by Pennini America, the official trading cards of the program. Uh Al in Atlanta, Hi Al, what's on your mind today?
Good morning Dan? Has you meet Friday? Huh? I need my sports service to help me talk through something real fast, but real quick, Fritzy. It sounds like your entire dilemma is not enough. Dark green weafy vegetables, a kale and spinach salad, some collars, even some mustard greens, and your nights will be less traumatic for yourself and your loved ones. And now to doctor Dan, I have a dilemma. I'm watching the MLB playoffs and I'm trying to get excited, but I just can't pick a team to root for. Can't pick the Yankees because of what they did to us from ninety six to two thousand. Can't pick the other New York team, won't even mention them because it's obvious. Can't go with the Dodgers because the old NLS when the Braves are out there in that rivalry. And I can't go with the Padres because they're the ones who gave the Braves the heave ho. So I'm left with the Tigers and the Guardians. Now I can't I just have a mental block rooting for any Cleveland team because of how they acted when Lebron left and then how happy they were when he came back. Just two faces for me. But I also can't root for the Tigers because of last year when I was rooting for the Lions in the NFC Championship game. My cousin said if I ever root for any more of her teams in the playoffs, she'll disown me as a family member. And her husband still refuses to talk to me all six plus months later. So I don't know what to do, Dan, and I need my therapist to help me talk through it.
I would just make sure you stay away from baseball. I think you just concentrate on college football and the NFL. And speaking of college football, Ohio State and Oregon, Todd Blacklitch joining us. So these games, we want them to live up to the hype. How much hype is surrounding this and are both teams capable of living up to the hype here?
Well, I think for sure Ohio State is you know, I need to see it. From Oregon, I think, you know, I think the hype and the energy and the atmosphere when the game kicks off is going to be unbelievable. You know, Austin Stadium is not the biggest place, but it's extremely loud. It will be an advantage. Ohio State has been kind of a slow starting team in the first quarter in the first half, only seven last week against Iowa. But when I look at them, I don't see any weaknesses on their team. And you know, Oregon, I think is very, very talented. I think they're playing their best football right now. They got their offensive line figured out, their defenses playing better. But they're going to have to play, by far, their best game of the season with the team they've got coming in.
Ohio State went out and spent some money this offseason.
Yeah, yeah, they did, Yeah, they did. They went all in, you know, and it's so interesting because and I know they would hate this comparison, but you know, covering Michigan the last couple of years, and some of the guys that made the decision to come back because they wanted to pursue a championship. They hadn't beaten Ohio State in their career. They wanted to leave a begger better legacy as you know Michigan players, and they were able to do that. You know, they're able to beat Ohio State and they were able to win a national championship, and a lot of these guys. Not only did they spend money in the transfer portal, but they had several guys who could have been high draft picks that decided to come back. And they've built around that. The addition from the portal and the guys who came back that could be first round picks will be first round picks after this year. And they've got great chemistry, great culture, and a very pinpointed vision. I mean, they are looking at winning the national championship or bust, and that's you know, that's the pressure they put on themselves. But they've got the kind of team that could could make that kind of round.
How many teams can afford two losses and still make the playoffs in your opinion, Yeah.
Well, you know we're new in this right with twelve teams, so it's totally new. I mean, we've got to kind of change our whole parameters. I don't think a lot of teams with two losses could. But again, you don't know how the whole season is going to play out because we're gone from four teams where it was unheard of to think of a two loss team making it to now twelve. So it's going to be different. But there's a lot you know, with the midway point, and it's cool because there's a lot of teams that are still very much in the college football playoff conversation and even this game. You know, in years past, the loser of this game, particularly now it's a conference game, was behind the eight ball, and that's not going to be the case. I mean, this is going to be a great litmus test for both teams, a great measuring stick for both teams of where they go from here. But it doesn't rule them out of the college football playof It doesn't rule them out of playing for a Big Ten championship either.
You know, we're a week out from Vandy upsetting Alabama. Yeah, and it still sounds strange to say that, but this is like a one and a half losses. It feels like, you know, certain teams have a loss and other ones have. This one's a little more costly perception wise. Yeah, it's a huge win, well, I should say a huge loss for Alabama. Can they afford two losses and be in the playoffs?
You know, they still have, They still playing the SEC, they still have some big games left they maybe could, but you're right, the perception of that is not good. And that's not to take anything away from Vanderbilt or the job that Clark Lee has done there. And you know, they've got the exciting cult hero quarterback now and Diego Pavia. But you know, especially coming off the heels of the game that was like this a couple of weeks before where they built up Georgia Alabama in the Game of the Year and it was a great game and an exciting game, and Alabama wins and goes to number one, and then they turn around and lose to a team that they were heavily, heavily favored to beat. So perception of that is going to sting for a while.
NBC Sports Todd blackledg He'll be on the call. It's Ohio State at Oregon seven thirty eastern on NBC and Peacock. Notre Dame's chances of making the playoffs.
Well, you know, they don't have a lot of big games left on their schedule. You know, the one team that they were I think counting on to be a marquee kind of game for them. Florida's State, who they host in a couple of weeks, is you know, can't get out of their own way, can't win a game. It seems like so h so that game's not going to help them. A USC. They'll play them, but they don't know what what USC will look like by the time that game comes around. So they just can't afford. They can't afford to lose a game. I mean, they've got to win everything out and and hope that the things fall the way they can't. I think if they win the rest of their games, they got a decent shot of it.
Yeah, what about let's say Army Beach Notre Dame or Navy Neutral Sight. Could you see either one of them Military Academy sneaking into the playoffs?
Well, I think I think they're both in the conference too, you know, so so they could conceivably win a conference championship, and you know, then there's the highest ranked non power forward conference champion is going to get in automatically. Now right now, that looks like it's gonna you know, tooss be Boise State, who's a really good football team, has a guy who may win the Heisman Trophy in Ashton Junes. So so it'd be tough. I don't know that an Army or Navy would make it as an at large. I think they would have to make it as a conference champion that's ranked higher than any of those other other division champions.
So you quarterback the nineteen eighty two national champs at Penn State. Yes, what do you remember about that? Well?
I remember a lot. I mean I remember a couple of big regular season games. One was at home against Nebraska, was a critical game. Both teams were in the top five, similar you know, time to this kind of a regular season matchup with Ohio State and Oregon. We lost the game. A couple of weeks after we beat Nebraska, we lost at Alabama, and we're able to still kind of get in position. And you know, as before there was the BCS or college football playof it was all we were an independent, we weren't in a conference. And when we won the last weekend of the season against Pittsburgh, which was our tribal, we moved to number two and Georgia was number one and undefeated SEC champ, and so we met them in the Sugar Bowls. So it was one versus two, which you know, didn't always happen. They didn't arrange for that to happen. The SEC was committed to go to the Sugar Bowl and we just happened to get there, and so it was one versus two and it was a great game in New Orleans.
Have fun should be awesome on Saturday night with Oregon and Ohio State.
Thank you to And I didn't like that last caller because I mean, I'm, you know, Ohio guy, and I'm sure all the Buckeye fans, I mean, we're pulling for the Guardians. We liked cheering for the Guardians. But fun take.
Did Ohio State recruit you?
Well, so they kind of did, but not necessarily as a quarterback. They had signed arch Leicester the year before and he was like all everything in the state of Ohio, and so they kind of talked to me about maybe being a tight end or a linebacker. You know, I just I wanted to play quarterbacks, so I didn't want to go there. But I have great respect for Ohio State. I have a lot of friends that went there and played there, and you know, love their school. So it's a great place.
Thank you, Bud. It's Todd Blackliche NBC Sports Big ten Saturday night, and they will have the game. It starts coverage seven thirty Eastern on NBC and Peacock. I think Ohio State wanted Ben Roethlisberger to be a tight end as well, and Ben wanted to be a quarterback, so he went to Miami of Ohio. Morgan in Maryland, Hey Morgan, what's on your mind?
Hey Dan? I wanted to circle back to what you guys are talking about with the Emmys. If you guys were to win an Emmy the year that you retire, would it, you know, lose a little bit of its luster or would you still be happy to have it? Because if this episode alone doesn't win you guys and Amy, I don't know what the panel is looking for.
You know what I'm saying, it would never lose its luster, Morgan, because we would win. That's all I want. Because I've been up for other individual awards. I want us to win because then all the hard work, all the people behind the scenes. You know, we're three years in my attic doing the show. I took a chance. I left ESPN hiring these guys, bringing in people people didn't have experience, people hadn't been on radio and TV, and to be able to have it all kind of fall into place would be awesome. It'd be a wonderful way to call this a career. I don't and it sounds like I'm begging for it and I'm not it. Truly, we are honored. I am honored when we get nominated, because if you see the shows we're up against, these are all big time networks, Like we're the anomaly, we're the outlier. They have huge staffs. I got the big german. Also, we'll mow the grass. He directs the show. Marvin empties garbage after the show. I mean, everybody has other jobs here and that's I mean. I take great pride in that we kind of hold this together and just to be able to but the content is what separates us. That you know, we don't need hundreds of people working on this. We have the right people and we do the right show, and we have an unbelievable audience. That's a great reward there. But if we did win, just to see these guys up on stage being able to celebrate, that'd be one of my greatest achievements. It really would. But if we win, great, If we don't just as long as we get nominated when I feel worse, not when we lose, but when we don't get nominated. I want to be in there. I want them to say our name. Yeah, yeah, I mean it's it's important. Open bar too. Well, it's always an open bar.
We don't if it's but if we don't go there.
Or we have an open bar here, like our life is an open bar. The problem is is we're usually they're drowning our sorrows. The fact that one time when we lost and I was so despondent, I was like, God, this crushed me. And I remember going into a restaurant and we saw Pat Sajack there and just randomly saw Pat Sajack, Like hey Pat, and he's like hey Dan, And then I told him what happened and he was having dinner with his wife. Yeah.
There are times that, like, you know, like I can't I can't really explain what life has been like working on this show and being on this show, But sitting at the Emmys downstairs, eating dinner with Pat Sajak who's picking fries.
Off of your plate is exactly what it's like.
Sometimes it's like these bizarro situations where you're like sometimes you're like, how the hell did I even get into this situation? Like why how did I get here? And I'm sitting with you and Pat Sajak is picking fries all he's picking food off of your plate. He's like, oh, yeah, I just flew in to get a haircut and uh.
And like the.
Emmys are going on upstairs where we're nominated for one and we're crushing like a chicken palm down there.
This that's what it's like, and it's crazy. It's crazy. I have a hard time sitting in that room when the whole ceremony goes on. I just can't do it. Don't like it. And then when you hear that and the winner is and you're just you're listening for the first syllable wait, Dan Patrick, and then we accused a rod of seeing that it was us, and then he changed it to maybe the Baseball Tonight MLB Network, Yes, Todd.
The other thing is if it's like the fifth or sixth of war of the evening and then you can salvage the rest of the night, but you sit there to the twenty ninth one would and.
Then you're like, really, we're gonna set through all this lose.
I know, I know. I did ask Pat, say, Jack, are there any w's in the in the phrase that was up there, and he said no, just l's just l's for you. That's cold. Yeah, And then it's a little wheel fort or a little w no ws.
Ws no, but there's like five l's.
Yeah right here, us us five l's okay, Derek. You guys just getting the wheel of fortune humor.
The guest letters, they guess concerts and valves on.
The vanna any w's no, but five l's right there, Todd Seaton, Mars, thank you, take a break. Dereck Henry will join us coming up next year on the Damn Patrick Show.
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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. Emmett 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 Jean 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 I'm lacking DN. I need to 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 worked all right.
I didn't get a state championship in high school, which I'm still mad about, but at least I left the something.
Yeah, but it looks like you're a giant, Like you're you're Goliath versus a David's 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 play the best that I could. Who we played, and we played some tough teams. I know, I saw the highlights. People I always say I was playing against like middle schools, but TROLLI hiss his girls, 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 that'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 numbers on there. I'm just like, what's this. He's like, these are all the records in Florida. He's like, you're gonna break them. And I was like, 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 plenty of times he's like you're gonna break them.
He like, 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 guy was behind me, I would have turned around, tried to stiff on him something. I'm seeing the end zone. I didn'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 you know it happens now, I know.
But do you look at that? Have you ever looked at the jumbo tron to keep an eye on.
The 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 looking straight.
Once I see green Grass, 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 to 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 they 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 the most sense. But clearly they wasn't interested in the Ravens worth 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 my No.
One option was the Ravens.
So I was waiting to see if that's still gonna come about, and thank god it did.
That was.
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, Lamar.
I can see everything.
You ever catch yourself during a play watching him run, Like, damn, that's impressive.
Yo, You're playing the Raiders and he was just like he just jumping going this way. I'm like, it's crazy. I was like, I asked myself, but how do you know that he's 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 ask 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 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 COMPROMENTI in football, and we just you know, want to continue to build on that, fix the things we 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 confident in each other.
I don't want to say we're the we are 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?
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?
Oh not?
Yeah, I'm not gonna 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 of the ones that were milestones I tried to keep.
Okay, what's your favorite one out of all those one hundred the next one? No, 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 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 Lady and Thomason Thomasin's fan. But as I got older and I realized my side, like, hey, I can't be ot and.
I alwa tell the story.
Like a couple of weeks ago, you know, I looked up, I start, 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 Saban 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 feel 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 messing with coach Savings, So you know, it's kind of good to see him having fun and you know, you know, going off into his next journey. You know, 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 D's nuts?
Oh yeah, he used to say that like if we were.
Would 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's nuts.
Nah, I'll try to stay away, soide 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 crack out. 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.
I started that's a goal. And appreciate you for having me Dan. It's always fun.
Derrick Henry got the Commander's coming up this weekend and over ten thousand yards in his NFL career one hundred touchdowns as well. U Mowen Arizona's back. Hi mom, what's on your mind today?
Morning?
Dan Dennett? Uh, do you guys ever need to look at the portage on coming to one of my construction job sites. It's very creative what they got going on over here. Anyway, I want to touch up on Rock Purtty a little bit. He looked yesterday. He looked a little bit like in between Jeff Garcia and let me say, I can't go as far as yeah, Steve Young right in the middle, somewhere in the middle right there, man. I mean, he looked pretty good yesterday. The flip work. You know, Shanahan can't coach that. You know, he's got a good defense, got everything going good around him. But yesterday he looked pretty good. Hopefully he can do that when we're behind in the playoffs. And uh, it's all I got, pretty much. I got a roll with Marvin Us. Must see game win game of this week definitely the Dodgers. We got to get over the hunt Man big game.
Yeah, thank you, thank you, thank you. Mo likes to call up and comp met rock party and don't think he thinks that I compliment Rock Purtty.
Enough.
Rock Purty had three touchdown passes. George Kittle, George Kittle, all right, all right, George, Yeah, it's one of those when you see him and then I mean he's still, you know, very athletic. Now he can take it to the house, but he's been banged up, but he has those moments where you go, that's right, George Kittle, He's awesome. Update the poll results. By the way, I just went out and looked at these smash burgers on the trigger. Oo. Man, those look great. Those look great. Update the poll results, and we'll take a break. We'll go out and have a burger and close up shop here. Last call for phone calls. What we learn, what's in store tomorrow? Seaton.
Seventy two percent of the audience have this is a much bigger game for the Cowboys than the Lions. Biggest win last night was the Guardians close tie for second between the Niners and the Yankees, and is advancing from the Alds to the Alcs. Champagne Worthy that is at sixty eight percent say no.
All right, all right, well you're probably right. We celebrated the Memphis Grizzlies winning the Summer League championship a few years ago.
The Bears don't hibernate.
No, yes, I mean I'm not anti celebration. I like celebrating wins.
There's just.
Once you're popping bottles, it feels a little more like, why don't we save that?
But what if you're a great story like the Tigers. If the Tigers win against the Guardians, that is champagne worthy. What if that's as far as you get that, then make sure you celebrate. No, No, I I disagree. I disagree. I beg Why do we beg to disagree? I beg your pardon? Yeah, I beg to disagree, Yes, Tom, because.
Then we can say you jinks that you celebrated, got too excited, and then you lost the Championship series because you got all excited about winning the Visional Series.
Yes, I look at a team like the Tigers.
Here's my policy.
They made the playoffs for the first time in a decade, they should celebrate the night they clinch a playoff spot. That should be the champagne. But once they get to the postseason, it's like, Hey, we're supposed to be here, we expect to be here. I like when teams who haven't been to the playoffs in a long time clinch a spot and do their celebrating there and then wait the night.
I hope the Tigers, Yeah, if they win, champagne goggles. Yeah, yes, you're the Tigers. You win your first series, you win this series, You're going to the Alcs against the Yankees. Celebrate the moments along the way, yes to what
About like Pellegrino or Selzer Orangina, and then work your way up to the champagne if you win the Penn
