The Dan Patrick ShowDan reacts to the latest in the NFL and wonders if owner Woody Johnson the sole person to blame for the Jets' dysfunction. Vikings HC Kevin O'Connell joins the show and discusses the Vikings' season and his relationship with QB Sam Darnold. NFL broadcaster Cris Collinsworth gives his take on Falcons QB Kirk Cousins being benched and describes how time consuming it was to be a voice on Madden Football. And, singer/songwriter Stephen Wilson Jr. performs two of his songs live in-studio and discusses the role his father played in his life and career.
You are listening to the Dan Patrick Show on Fox Sports Radio. It's a Thursday. It's our one, Dan and the Dan Nets Dan Patrick Show. Fritzy is asking that he'd be referred to as Mary fritzmus And I think that's a little pretentious, but we can see how it goes today Mary fritzmus Ring. It's a big night for Fritzi his Broncos. I think it's us against the Chargers.
Honest money, it's us.
This is the biggest game since Super Bowl fiftieth.
The Chargers are giving three against Fritzy's Broncos. It's also the R and L. Carrier's New Orleans Bowl coming up tonight. Sets your schedule accordingly your house. Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell will join us. Coming up later on this hour. Chris Collinsworth, NBC Sunday Night Football. And a musician that I have fallen in love with. I got a man crush on Steven Wilson Junior and got a heads up probably a month ago, maybe three weeks ago from my brother, and my brother said, here's a song that might be the best written song I've ever heard. Well, he got my attention because he has a great ear for music. I listened to it. Then I started listening to more of his songs. And he was in Massachusetts last week going to New York. We had him stop through on a day off and he performed a couple of songs. So we'll bring that interview to you in the final hour of the program. All Right, Patrick Mahomes practices and looks like he'll be ready to go coming up this weekend. You have the Thursday night football. It's a tough stretch for some teams where you got three games in eleven days, and that's putting a whole lot of stress. I would think on some of these teams this time of the year when you're just trying to stay healthy to get ready for the postseason. And here's Mahomes who got banged up with the high ankle spring, but he'll still be playing it. But this is this is where if you're a coach, how can you coach your players to play safe or safer not take risk? Because look at Detroit. I mean, they're so banged up on the defensive side of the ball, and you know Dan Campbell doesn't coach that way. But can you play to not get hurt and players will say that's usually when you do get hurt seton. What's the poll question for the first hour of the program.
Well, we got a few options here for you, quarterback whose future I'm most curious about?
Your options? Here are Cousins, Rogers, Lawrence other Okay, so Aaron Rodgers, Trevor Lawrence, Kirkty, Cousins, what about Sam Darnold. Okay, that's a great one. Do you put Rock Perdy in there? Or does that feel like, of course they're going to hold on to brock perty see anybody else that we would put it now? I think that's that's the final four. Those are the ones we've been talking about. Speaking of Kirk Cousins, not many backup quarterbacks go to a press conference, but he talked about getting benched yesterday.
You know, it's pro football, you know, as a standard that you know I have for myself, the team has for me that Unfortunately I wasn't playing for that standard consistently enough. You know, it is what it is. You know, you still get ready, you know, one play away kind of a thing, and support Mike and and just try to help our team, you know, be able to find a way to win these last three to get in the playoffs.
Yeah, I'm not surprised that, you know, this would be his approach. He's sort of the Jimmy Stewart of NFL quarterbacks. You know, it's a wonderful life. I'll try to make it great for the other guy, and yeah, hey, get Mike in there and let him play. Here's Michael Pennix Junior on how he found out he was the starter with the Falcons.
I was actually shopping shopping with my girlfriend, was at Costco, and I got to call in. You know, they they they told me that I was going to be the starting quarterback, you know, for the for the rest of the season. And you know, as you can imagine, it was some nerves as an excitement, you know, but I was actually getting a hot dog, and whenever I got the car, I wasn't hungry no more so.
All right, getting your food at Costco. That's how you find out that you're gonna be the starting quarterback.
Yes, Todd, he wasn't hungry anymore because of nerves or because I shouldn't be eaten hot dog.
I'm gonna be the starting quarterback. That's not something I should be putting.
In my body.
I don't know. I wasn't there. It was the first thing I thought I could. Couldn't ask him. I can't eat a hot dog.
I'm the starting quarterback. It's a terrible thing to you.
Oh my god, I'm so nervous about starting.
I got no appetite now.
No, I think it's time to go to work. Probably lost his appetite. Time to go to work. I gotta leave, let's go. I gotta I gotta watch some film here on the Giants. So Michael Pennix Junior will get this start. And he talked about what Kirk Cousins said to him.
You know, he's in my corner, you know, the same way that I was for him whenever he was a starter. He said that he was. He was gonna come into the building. You know, you to stay positive and you know, do whatever he can to help me out and you know, help his team with football gamesl Okay.
He's thirty six. He's had a great career financially, I mean statistically as well. Is he going to be a starter someplace? Could you see him as a one year starter? Probably? I could see him. I think he's I think he's been too good to not be a starter. We talked about destinations yesterday. Maybe the Giants if they draft a quarterback, would you have Kirk Cousins one year?
Yes, Yeah, I was gonna actually throw that out as another poll question. We'd sort of hit it yesterday. But where does Kirk Cousins land? Giants, Brown's Colts, Jets?
But I hope it's not the Jets. If there was an article that came out and it sounds like it's a mess with the Jets, Dinah Rassini had been a really detailed article with a couple other writers with the Athletic and just about Woody Johnson, who really sounds clueless. And it's one of those you can get rid of a quarterback, you can trade a quarterback, or you can fire the head coach or fire the GM. You can't do anything with the owner. You know, the Cowboy fans, if you said, hey, would you want another owner the last thirty years, they probably say yeah. The Washington commanders would yeah. Well I'm sure they said that. Can we get somebody else in here? But with the Jets, it starts there. Leadership starts there. Everything, just the feel in the building starts there. Who is he? What does he know, what decisions do you make? Who does he confer with? And then you find out that they were going to trade for Jerry Judy, who I think has one thousand receiving yards for the Browns, they were going to trade with the Broncos. And then Woody Johnson I think found out from his sons that Jerry Judy didn't have a good Madden reading. Oh oh yeah, so they didn't make the trade. He didn't have a good Madden rading. But I guess his sons or grandsons, I guess the family's more involved in this now. And it is. It is a deep dive into the Jets mess. And Woody Johnson doesn't come out of this looking like he knows what he's doing. And there's a reason why the Jets. You know, it's Jetsyon. They just do things and you go, that's just Jetsyon. Yes, Mark is knowing who the owner is a bad sign for a franchise, Like if you know who the owner is for the most part, well, Robert Kraft did really well in New England, so I mean I would start there. Jerry Buss with the Lakers, I think I think there's certain ownership individuals not groups, but individuals where you know, it's the Rooney family with the Steelers. But for the most part, now, I mean, i'd rather not see the owner, hear the owner. You know, when I see Arthur Blank on the sidelines with the Falcons, I just know they're gonna lose. It just feels like, oh, there's Arthur. Just stay up there. You know what, you want to congratulate them after the game. You want to bring your girlfriend down there on the field. Hey, look at us, a little photo op. And then all of a sudden, it's like we're gonna win the super Bowl. Now all cameras are on me because we're going to lose the Super Bowl. I'd prefer my owner stayed upstairs. Yes, Martin, you only see the Rooneys at the Super Bowl podium. Yeah, go the time you see those guys. Yeah, the Marra family with the giants. But you know you're looking at what the chets. I mean, if you read the article, you go now I know, now I know that we're cursed. You know, when Woody Johnson was the ambassador to Ireland, I think first go around with President Trump and then he got passed over this time around. I think in the building. They were hoping that he would go back, like, oh my god, he's not gonna be and I think they called him mister ambassador in the building. Yes, what a mess. What's the reason why we're not trading for Jerry Judy? Have you seen his Madden rating? You base all your information on that. You got all of these analytic guys, data stats, everything, but when the owner bigfootshoo, there's nothing you can do. He wanted to bench Aaron Rodgers. They fired Robert Salah, I mean Joe Douglas. I mean they fired people mid season, and that's all ownership. Owners It starts there. But it's a mess. You know, if you feel bad about your franchise, read this article. You will feel better about your franchise, your team, your ownership group. Uh, let's see what else do we have. Deon Sanders keeps saying that he wants to stay at Colorado and they've had a pretty good recruiting year. He was on the pac Man Jones podcast and had this to say, I love.
Where I am. I mean related where I am. I'm happy where I am. I can't wait to see what the future beholds where I am, and I love both of Colorado. So I have every intention, every plan in the world to be coaching for the Colorado Buffs from here on.
I want to finish here.
I want to put the flag.
I want my names on the mountains out there. I want to put a flag down in Colorado.
Okay, if Deon truly feels this way, he should reach out to stephen A. Smith and tell Steven to shut up and stop having d up for every job. You know Steven A Is saying, oh, he should replace Ryan Day at Ohio State, he should be the next Cowboys head coach, Paul Feinbaum saying, oh, he should go to USC if you truly believe you're not helping Dion by promoting him for these other jobs, because if I'm a recruit, the first thing I'm saying is, wait a minute, are you going to go to the Raiders with your son? What if the Cowboys call? I can't see him At Ohio State. Mike Vrabel would get that job. But you know, Dion's friends keep promoting him for these other jobs, and it hurts Dion at Colorado because I want to know, are you going to be there? I hope he stays there. He's great for college football. But if he wants to leave, that's his, you know, prerogative, and he would be joining a long list of coaches who told us one thing and did something else. Yes, Tod, you probably want to say I want to win national titles as opposed to putting a flag down.
Based on what's going on in the world these days in.
College football, it's probably not the best choice of work. Thank you, Thank you. It's a figure of speech. I think. I don't think he meant it literally.
Actually put the flag down, because it's causing quite the controversy.
I don't know if you've been watching some of these games I have.
I have.
We were talking about Kirk Cousins. PAULI has a wild card spot for Kirk Cousins.
Where he thinks he would end up the San Francisco forty nine ers. Imagine you don't want to give party two hundred and sixty million dollars and can trade for him for almost nothing, but due a Russell Wilson ware, the Atlanta Falcons are paying most of it for next year. Possible gap year situation with Kirk Cousins.
Okay, see, you would bring him in as the backup to Brock Purty.
Yeah, have both of them on the roster, and best man wins. It's a it's an interesting option for them at the quarterback.
Yeah.
So if you want to bring in a quarterback who frust dreadingly keeps you just short of where you're trying to go, here's another one for you.
Yeah, we already got a couple. Yeah. Yeah, Jimmy g you know.
That the forty nine ers have a little bit of a history of disrespecting the quarterbacks who have done well for them. So I wouldn't be surprised if they got rid of Rock Party. I don't know, it's that easy to get to the Super Bowl. No, it's really not. Oh, the Rams got rid of Jared Goff. Is Jared Goff better than Rock Party? I'd say yes, right.
I'd tell you, yes, that's a push.
I guess.
I forgot you are. You're at the front of the class, front of the line with the Rock Pretty fan club that started years ago in college October. Yeah, the problem was Rock November and Brock December.
But b October every year it was magic awesome.
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He's Cavin O'Connell, third years, the Vikings head coach and a former backup NFL quarterback. What did you keep from your days as a backup quarterback?
What did I keep?
Yeah, Jersey, you know.
Some tough memories of uh you know, anytime it was windy or rainy and I couldn't throw the football. But uh uh no, I I I've got, I've got, I've got everything.
My wife would probably tell you that I keep too much stuff.
I got jerseys, I I uh you know, I got a pair of Ladanian Tomlinson's cleats from when my locker was next to him at uh you know his uh my last year with the Jets.
Wait, did you ask him for those? Or did you take those? I can't recalls.
Let's not go there this morning. Actually no, I did. I did ask him.
I did ask He might be one of he might be one of the most underrated players of all time.
Totally agree.
I mean his stats are crazy. I went over those two days ago. I was just looking and I go, gosh, he's not meant when we talked great running backs of all time. He's one of those we got to come back to and go, oh, yeah, you're right. LT was great.
No, there's no doubt. And how he did it too. I mean there were some games he was thirty plus carries. There was other games he had ten plus catches. I mean, super super impactful.
You wouldn't have got your chance if Brady didn't get hurt that year.
It was you know, it was actually you know when it happened, that was back. That was back kind of you know before some of the rules that we have now with the you know where you have to clearly define who the third quarterback is. So you know, there was there was a moment in that in that when when Tom went down where Matt Castle and I weren't sure who was going in the game, and then Matt went out there and and uh, you know we were if I if I recall correctly, there was a moment early there where we were backed up and he threw Randy Moss a big completion from you know, standing in the shadows of his own goalpost, and uh, he the rest was history from there.
He he had an unbelievable year.
That was a that was a really interesting year because you know, you're you go to New England, you think you're going to be watching the greatest quarterback of all time. Uh, you know, go to work every week and then something catastrophic like that happens, and then just to be there side by side through that with Matt and and and Matt and I became really close and watch him go through it, and he was so prepared for the moment, had been there for a pretty good chunky.
Years kind of just learning and growing and developing.
And then watch him go out and execute every week and shoot, we won if I don't if I recall, right, I think we won eleven games and didn't.
Make the playoffs. It was it was kind of a one of one thing.
Do you do the nobody believes us type speech?
Well, you know it was to me at the beginning of the year. Dan.
It was easy to say to give that speech because that would have been accurate at the time, you know.
But I did have.
A feeling about this team, even going back into the offseason. New editions arrive and you're kind of just seeing the team come together, and it seemed like every few days. I remember vividly a conversation I had with Harrison Smith second or third day of training camp, and I just kind of walked up to him and we were talking and kind of assessing.
You know.
It was during special teams, and I said, Harry, I think we'd be pretty good, and he's like, I think so too, and we kind of just kept on.
Having good days.
And my whole focus was just it really wasn't about you know, motivating from a standpoint of, Hey, nobody's talking about us or the wind projections or anything like that.
I didn't get into all that.
It was just trying to get these guys to truly see if we can maximize every day.
And it's it's it can be a cliche if.
You're you know, if you're if you're not authentically believing it that that's the most important thing for this team this year. But I truly did feel between our you know, having a new quarterback and and and just you know, so many new faces on the defense and flow kind of bringing that group together every single day, we had to maximize the time we had and if we didn't, you know, I didn't necessarily think we would reach our potential or you know, as early as we needed to have the kind of impact to get the confidence going to start really believing, and we were able to rip off five in a row to start the season, and we you know, I tell our team this sometimes because I want them to remember it, especially the totality of our roster. But we won all three preseason games. Dan, I'd never won a preseason game before, so that was you know, I was hoping that wouldn't be the marquee moment of the year for us. But you know, outside of losing two games in five days by two to Detroit and then going out playing Seawan and the Rams on the road on a short week, this team hasn't hasn't lost outside in the other you know, fifteen total opportunities. So proud of what we are, but means absolutely nothing. Got a heck of a challenge this week going to Seattle. Mike McDonald's got a you know, that's that's a tough watch on tape for an opposing team because he's he's doing some really good things on offense, defense, and special teams.
Covin O'Connell, who I think is going to win the Coach of the Year. I don't does that matter to you?
I you know, I'm lucky.
I don't have a vote because there's a lot of really good coaches in our league.
Man, Okay, who would you vote for for Coach of the year if you can vote for yourself.
I can't envision a scenario like that, but if I can't vote for myself, I would probably say, you know, I think Dan Campbell in our division coaching against him. You know, that team is all we really well prepared, tough, They've they've truly taken on the persona of their head coach, which I think is.
You know what what.
Means, what means the most in this position, having done it now for three years. I think Mike Tomlin would be Uh, there's nobody I respect more than Mike Tomlin and and what he has consistently done his whole career. And I just love anytime I get a chance to be around him. He you know, I always take something from it and and just love, love, love him. But I would say probably one of those two guys can't can't sleep on Dan Quinn either.
That's I know, that's that's been a heck of a year for them as well.
Take me back to when you were offensive coordinated with the Rams, so like Cooper Cup's year, how crazy was that and and if you're calling plays, it seems like had to be pretty easy. If you're calling plays with with Matthew Stafford playing as well and Cooper Cup having the Triple Crown year.
Well, I think what people don't give Cooper enough credit for is the position he plays in that offense. He you know, he made everyone remembers the third down catches and and Matthew hitting him, you know, on on a you know, a huge play against the Niners to kind of kind of break a game open when we had to have it.
Or the Tampa Bay fourth.
Down throw down the middle in the playoffs, uh, you know, or two minute throw, I should say. But what they don't see is when he's such an integral, integral part of the run game and the physicality and the toll that takes, you know, and and the jobs he's willing to do the football intelligence. So it was I mean watching him, you know, I used to say there should be a fourth column that year he won the Triple Crown. You know, pancake blocks and you know amount of times he had to block a defensive end or a linebacker. And if there was that, I think people would recognize that year even more than what they did in the moment, and just watching him and Matthew Effort was one of the one of the kind of highlights of my career, honestly, Dan, because you know, in the mornings, these two guys are are meeting as if they're almost coaches and really talking about the nuances of things that and I remember I would just sometimes just you know, get a conversation started or be present for one that they were having and just kind of sit back and recognize how one of won that situation was because of where both those guys were at their careers, but also just the football intelligence of two human beings that can play the game at a high level. But some of the things they talked about were so beyond football five oh one. It was you know, you know, sometimes I would sit there and just hope they didn't call on me to answer a question.
What's your role with Sam Darnold.
I think my role with him is just I try to I tried to not, you know, be so heavily involved because I think Josh McCown and Grant Yudinsky in that room, we've got a really good kind of support system directly.
For him in that room. In that room. What I try to really be is, you know, really three things.
Is the play caller given him as much play intent of what I'm thinking, so I can eliminate any gray. I think one of the big things I've always thought a quarterback needs to know is that I'm not going to be standing or sitting in the room on Monday morning holding the clicker and say, hey, why didn't you do this?
Hey, this guy's open, why didn't you throw that?
Like?
What I try to say is give clear concise, Hey, this is what we're trying to get done. If that doesn't happen, if I give you a bad play, like, here's what I want you to do with it. Here's here's where you know your your outlet or your checkdowns are going to be. And let's live to fight another down. Let's not try to You don't need to be Superman for for us here, although I do think he's made some Superman and esque throws this year with the talent he has and his ability to throw it.
And that's what I'm, you know, most trying to do on a one on one level.
And then there's the element of how we're going to manage the game together because I do think the benefit of being the play caller and the head coaches a lot of times, you know, I can, I can, I can kind of help the management overall when we're gonna be ultra aggressive, when we're going to be you know, kind of in a mode of Hey, our defense is playing great, I'm gonna give you this play call, but let's make sure we ensure three points, or let's make sure that no matter what, we end this possession with or end this down with possession of the football, because if the way our defense is playing, if we don't do things to lose the game right now, we got a great chance to win it.
And there's just a lot of times in the game where.
That can get away from you if you don't have that direct line of communication with the quarterbacks.
So I know those are probably the two things.
And and then just you know, overall, just you know, just how we put it all together, making sure that he's an extension of me out there. And I feel really good about Sam's done a phenomenal job, Dan, he really has.
I'll leave you with this. If every current NFL head coach took part in a passing contest, oh.
I know, there'd be probably thirty two participants, but I don't know if we would classify all thirty two as passers of the football.
Harball. You know thinks that he could win this.
No doubt.
He's probably got cleats on as we speak in bed, and he probably you know, I know for a fact I've seen him. He still throws it, probably as well as anybody. But I wouldn't sleep on on Cliff there in Washington. I know, you know he would qualify as a coordinator currently, but I know he he thinks he's not eligible.
keV. He's not eligible, he's not.
Well, then I'm putting myself in there. You got Zach Taylor, Sean Payton.
Can he still throw throw it?
I don't know, I don't know.
Probably, But and don't sleep on the McVeigh lafleur. You know, Kyle's a former receiver. But all those guys, they all think they can throw it.
Andy Reid won the punt passing kick contest when he was thirteen years of age.
It all makes sense now, of course.
Good luck with the game against Seattle. Great to talk to you and congrats.
Yeah, I always appreciate you, Dan, I really do, thank you for having me on.
Thank you about It's Kevin O'Connell.
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 wapp.
Let's welcome in Chris collins Worth Sunday Night Football. Come on in and join the conversation. There, Chris, good to him.
Just tell me to shut up all the time. It doesn't matter what I'm talking about.
Do you look at the comments after a game?
Negative?
No, no, no, no, oh, I do not you it's did you well?
Of course you know that.
When I first got on social media, I had four followers, and my kids told me that I had to sign up. So I signed up, and I signed up, and so after the game, I was sitting there and I had four people, so I set all to all of them. You know, I went back on and hey, how you guys do it? I thought that's what social media was. I had no idea, and they're like, Dad, no, you just you just get on because and then they started showing me how to do it. The thing, the thing that I found in our business is that generally people are very very nice. I mean, we travel all over the country we go in, they want to talk to you, they want to talk you know, blah blah blah. Hey love your show, great, this is a great but it's still like that one in whatever It would be one in fifty one in fifty that goes, hey aren't you Chris collins Worth and you're like yeah, And generally the first question is why do you hate the whatever their favorite team is? Right, That's that's the first one, and you know, then it's something along the lines that would you know, honestly, I think you suck and it just like it hits you like a ton of bricks because you're so used to people being so nice and coming up and and and being friendly and saying nice things. And then it's like the rest of the day you're walking around kicking the can down. You know, you're like all bummed out.
Yeah, because I and I'm not on social media, but you know, we have a social media presence with the show. I think if there's something that we make a mistake on, or I made a mistake on and somebody wants to correct me, I'm fine with that. But the other stuff, you know, I appreciate people listening or watching, but I don't need to read your appreciation for the show. You're you're already you know, showing me appreciation with that. But then you'll get people saying, I hate you so much, but I watch every day. I mean, like, damn, thank you, that's what I thank you.
Appreciate that.
Uh, your reaction to Kirk Cousins not only being benched, but to have a rookie who hasn't played much with three games to go.
We did an Atlanta game early on against Kansas City, I think it was, and even then Dan, they were talking about, oh my goodness, we've got one here. And they you know, I'm sure they haven't come out and publicly you know, done that, but they were really excited about what they were seeing and they really did not want to play him. They really wanted to, you know, be the whole Jordan love. You know, just let him sit and let him watch and let him learn. And and you know, because there's a whole cadence to being the quarterback. You know, you have to go to you know, the press steel on Wednesday or whenever that thing is survive that you have to do.
It after the game.
You've got a million different obligations it's almost like being the head coach of the of the team, and it's hard, and so then you have to budget your time, and generally quarterbacks are going in on their off day on Tuesday and learning the game plan, and you know, it's just there's a lot that goes into it and seeing the live defenses and what they're going to do, and then what they're going to do to him will be completely different than what they've done to other guys. So I think they were really hoping they were going to make it through the year, but once they got to this point and it looked like the season was breaking a little bit and they were they had to have it.
Now.
I think they're putting him in to win. I don't think this is anything like, hey, let's take a look. It's I think at this point they really feel like he's the best option to win.
The situation with Minnesota, Like it's a that would be a good quarterback dilemma. I would think the way Barkley's playing, JJ McCarthy, you know, got a chance to sit this year, maybe six next year, Like what do you do with Sam Donald if you were running the Vikings for the future.
They really like JJ up there, I mean really like them. The plan, my opinion of what the plan was was that they were gonna let Sam Donald walk at the end of this thing. At least that's what it was early in the year. But not many teams go on a run like this, right, I mean, this is this is pretty special and they have a chance with the way they play defense and the way that Brian Flores is so good at just bringing that constant pressure and disrupting and making big plays and all the things that they do. And then Sam Donald has this, you know, jj is just unbelievable, and Addison has you know, proven what he can do, and this is this is a team with a chance to win it. I don't think there's a team currently that I would just go, oh that nobody's beating them, right, I just don't think there is.
Right now.
We've seen, you know, the Chiefs struggle, Detroit's got some injuries, Buffalo's had their moments, but Josh Allen's hot and all those sorts of things. But could the Minnesota Vikings win it all?
Yes?
And that was always my question. Everybody's that's the whole thing. Everybody's got to play until they get punched in the face. Everybody's got a plan until you win a Super Bowl, or you make it to the Super Bowl, or you make it to the championship game.
And I was.
Trying to determine what was the cutoff at which Sam Donald would have to be your quarterback, right, I mean, there's no going back if you went a Super Bowl. Sam Donald has to come back and be the quarterback.
Doesn't he?
And but the belief in what they saw out of the draft process with JJ McCarthy so strong. Even if they've made it to the championship game, I'm not sure. I'm just not sure that they don't switch to j J.
Chris collins Worth will be on the call with Mike Trico. That'll be Sunday night. It's the Bucks and the Cowboys. Okay, the Cowboys are still a big rating strong? Is that Why's? But is that why you don't flex out of that game?
I think it had.
A little bit more to do with Tampa in this circumstance. And believe me, do you know how involved I am in which games we get on Sunday Zeros, they give me the same call they give everybody else. It's all sort of driven by the ratings, but ultimately it's driven by the league. And I think sometimes and I'm just making stuff up, but I do think there are teams that they want to get in front of a national audience before they get to the playoffs. Right Like Denver, Let's put them somewhere where that people are going to see them because that was a surprise team. I don't think you call Tampa's surprise team because they made it to the playoffs this season ago, but maybe not all the national exposures. So let's get them out front and center. You know, Baker Mayfield's player of the Week, they've got, you know, Mike Evans had a tremendous game a week ago. Let's let's get an audience used to that so that when we get to those playoff ratings, people people know what to expect.
If Christian mccaffery's career ended today, is he a Hall of Famer?
I mean he was the best player at his position for a couple of years. I would say probably at least Goy. With what these running backs are doing this season, it's hard to know what the expectation is at the running back position. But Christian McCaffery was my first overall pick in my fantasy league. So yeah, I've got a little personal you're mad at having the heart on that one. So but you know, he is a very unique player. Marshall Fulk like is how I would describe him. And you know, when Marshall Fulk was healthy and playing well, that ability, that one two punch, the tough running inside and what he does as a receiver. What they probably have missed the most this year is the ability to do you know, that little horizontal motion that they do with him and they just create one on ones. Well, teams were having to double team him at the running back position, which was opening up Debo and all those guys. I U to get one on one route and it's why you saw some big plays down the field.
So yeah, it's tight.
But yeah, yeah, I don't think he's a Hall of Famer. I think Tiki Barber's more of a Hall of Fame than McCaffrey. If I'm just looking at numbers, if I said I'll give you a player A and player B, you would go with Tiki Barber's numbers over his. You know, Ricky Waters, look at his numbers, the ten thousand yards rushing he was a great receiver out of the backfield, Fred Taylor eleven thousand yards. You know, there's there's It's weird how we're trying to grade running backs because Roger Craig was a wonderful running back and was doing this hybrid stuff back then for the Niners. So I don't envy Hall of Fame voters trying to tell me who a Hall of Famer is at that position.
Yeah, it's my position. My position on the position has probably evolved over time. We had James Brooks here when I was playing, and James was a tremendous receiver and the ability for him to be basically a wide out helped our offense so much. And I think that today even though you know some of these running backs can certainly, you know, King Henry can certainly catch the ball. You know, Barkley can catch the ball. But McCaffrey's a receiver and a running back. And I think in today's game, where the rules allow you to hold, don't allow you to hit the quarterback, don't allow you to really attack the receiver. Cop would I have loved have played in the era where they couldn't hit you right there? You know, when if you don't have to think about that one.
Dan.
You know, if you're running over the middle and they hit you in the back, I want you to think about your body a little bit behind you, right behind you. The back of your head's hard. You've got ribs all the way down, You've got soft tissue. If you get hitting the butt, doesn't hurt that much. Get hurt hitting the hamstring cap, None of that stuff hurts. It's like it's all made salt. Your eyes are what has to protect the front of your body, right because everything here hurts, but that one right there, when they hit you right underneath the chin, that really but you you get hit in the stomach and obviously the privates, and you get hitting the thighs, you get hitting the shin. Think how much it hurts to get hitting the shin. Everything in front of your body has to be protected by your eyes. And I don't even know why I got in there, but that's it's a really interesting thing. Someday, when you're at a cocktail party and you're about three beers in, you're gonna love that story. You're gonna say, you know what, think about football players and they have to protect the front of their body with their eyes.
Did you wear a protective cup?
It did not.
No, I don't know of anybody that did.
I could barely stand to wear it in baseball because it was like, you know, you've always walked like a cowboy, no matter what. You got to kind of walk around that thing. You know you can't you can't, you can't just swing straight. You know that's not good.
Before I let you go. The first of its kind, Madden NFL cast on Peacock during the Texans and the Chiefs. Were you a voice on the Madden game at some point?
Yes, I was for like three years, and I know why John quit, Like it's it's the Madden is maddening. So let me tell you what they do. I'm not even kidding. They get you get a book. I wish I had a book around here or somewhere. I mean, this thing is like distick and you're there for three or four days and you just take the book. And I'm not kidding you. I'm sitting there and I'm reading this thing. It's like, all right, I'm on this chapter and it's like Peyton Manning just just threw his second interception of the game on that outcut Peyton Manning back to pass. Oh, he just threw his third interception the game. I got up to Peyton Manning just threw his seventeenth interception in the first half, and I said, I'm not kidding you. If anybody ever got to seventeen interceptions when I was doing it, I don't know if they threw it out of the game. I said, somebody shoot that, SOB, that ain't Peyton Manning out there. I mean, it's like you lose your mind after a little while doing this game, and nobody ever does it longer than like three years.
That's it.
They're out there.
You go crazy.
It'll be a Noah Eagle, Todd Blackledge. That'll be Saturday at one eastern, the first of its kind Madden NFL cast on Peacock. But Chris will be on the call with Mike Trico Melissa Stark. That'll be Bucks Cowboys Sunday night, eight, twenty eastern. My best of the family. Merry Christmas to you. Thanks for joining us.
Merry Christmas and keep reminding people you protect the front of your body with your eyes.
Yeah, thank you. That's Chris collins Worth. There.
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 WAPP.
I'm looking forward to sharing this with you. Steven Wilson Junior currently on tour throughout the rest of the year and into twenty twenty five. He has a double album it's called Son of Dad, and he just released an acoustic version of stand By Me. You can stream that and you can buy it wherever you get your music. You can also find tickets and more information about Steven at Stephen Wilson Junior dot com. He came in. This was last week that we had him in on a Monday. He had just done a show in Boston. He was going to do a show Tuesday night in New York City. And I had been following him, kind of obsessing with him for a month six weeks, and I said would you come in? And he said yeah. So they stopped in on their way to New York and after the show on Monday, we taped it and he started out with a song It's called Father's Son. And here is Stephen Wilson Junior. Lad.
He was named by my grandma. She got her from the bar that he passed it on to me like Granddaddy's right from raised me up. Next week Cone greded of the sign. I thought it like her hair.
He became a.
M I trying to be different, trying to go against the grain, didn't ignan different. Zioners in that are of the same.
You want to change my dream? Got a dream? God? Damn?
I my father's son. Air left town just to get out of his sharve. But he's sending me a twenty interest to get back on the serve. He thought up a good faint, but I didn't win.
A bird gets the tree on grow very far from there.
I sa, you wanna change? I've got a dream. I'm God my my father's son, my father's son, the Weders blue Jean, tricking it in his name.
Like a bird arm.
I used to hate being coaching, so I don't mind.
Any save it bom.
You want change?
I mean, damn, my father's father's son.
It's the album is Son of Dad. What are you running from? In that song? Why are you running?
Uh?
Like running from your dad?
His name legacy?
Well, I'm a Junie Dan. With that comes a big shadow. So I grew up in my dad's shadow. He was my best friend and my corner man, my champion, and it was a very comfortable shadow to live in. He had a really big personality and really everybody knew him and nobody knew me. I was just his boy, and I was really good with that, to be honest.
I was a very quiet kid.
And when he died, that shadow was gone and the light was all on me. So I had to kind of figure out who I was and all of that. So you know, I'm Steven Wilson Junior. The junior is very important, especially in the sport of boxing. My dad was a fighter. I was a fighter, and like junior is like you're an appendage of your leg of your father's legacy. You're carrying your father on your shoulders in the ring, out of the ring, and I hear him on my shoulders on stage, and you know, there's a bit of a running away from him. Was trying to figure out who I am. I wasn't trying to get away from him.
I figure out yourself to go back.
Exactly, and a bit of a prodigal son kind of thing going on there. But like losing him brought me back to help me find myself. And this whole record Son of Dad was an exploration process into figuring out who this guy is.
But you talk about boxing, is there any comparison correlation of getting on stage to getting into boxing ring?
Absolutely? Because I was very quiet.
My dad threw me in a ring at age seven and had me fighting kids and then eventually I ended up fighting adults. And I think my dad didn't really know what to do with me because I was a lot different than him. I had his eyes and his name and bet other than that, I was like nerdy academic. But I think him teaching me in a box early was he was preparing me for the world, I think, because I think he knew I was going to be exposed to a lot of heat and the well, this.
Is a business. You gotta fight exactly. I mean, you're you're on the undercard and a lot of these places you go.
To, absolutely And and my dad was a showman, like I remember him going out before he would fight and say, I'm gonna put on a show for these people.
My first stage was a boxing ring.
It wasn't a stage at all, and that's where I learned to be in front of people as a shy kid. And once you fight a man, like once I fought in the Golden Gloves and all that stuff, and once you start fighting men, I like it, it's a totally different thing. Like it's like a pressure cooker turned up to eleven and playing in front of forty thousand people or twenty thousand, whatever that is.
It's that's a huge thing.
For a shy kid like me, But it ain't fighting another man in front of a bunch of people. So if if Fighting in the Golden Gloves was an eleven, that that show was maybe an eight, So I can easily like that. Oh I can handle on eleven what I can easily handle on eight. So my dad set the bar so high for me for what I could handle.
You know.
He literally told me, if you can fight another man for three rounds, you can do anything, like literally, there's very little on planet Earth that you can't.
Do after that.
And I think if he just had to prove it to me and allow me to prove it to myself, that I could do it.
When you listen to the album, you can hear the love and admiration you have for your dad. And he passed away six years ago. He was fifty nine at the time. I want you to play one more song, and I think people are really going to get a grasp of what your father meant to you. But is that guitar going to hold up?
It might or might not. It's held together by the bonds of masking type.
How would you describe that? You know this is on TV but also on radio, it's you know, Willie Nelson has trigger Yes, sir, Yeah, I mean.
This is Elson's my hero as a guitar player, singer and songwriter.
He's he's he's the goat.
So yeah, I learned how to play a lot of guitar from him because he plays classical nylons, or we call him gut strings with a pick, which is not very common. An he plays through an amp, not very common either. I basically steal everything from Willie.
And it's not alone.
Yeah, in this guitar, you know, because I play with a pick, it's just it destroys it. These are meant to be played with your fingers and they're designed to be to be played like that, not like this.
So this just shovels away and there's.
Like piles of sawdust on the floor after each show, and as I literally leave my guitar behind every show, like there's like pieces of its.
DNA on stage every night, and.
I personally I like that better than preserving this guitar forever or whatever it is.
I'd rather.
I think guitars are meant to be played, not hung up on a wall and treasured. And I think this is what this guitar is meant to be meant to be doing, is just chadding itself on stage every night.
And this is what it looks.
Like after once again. The double album is Son of Dad, and you just released an acoustic cover stand by Me Benny King came out in the early sixties. I believe that cover song and you can find tickets more information about Steven at Stephen Wilson Junior dot com. That's pH Steven with a pH Wilson like the volleyball, like the volleyball, yes, and.
Junior like Dale Earnhart. Well, that's what that's another helpful.
And what's interesting about when my brother sent me a link to stand by Me and then another song called I'm a Song. He said, this I'm a Song might be the best song I've ever heard, and so I sent it to Seton immediately and Seton goes, I've played it five times in a row now, and then he started sending it to people. I've been sending it to people, and then when I realized you were in Massachusetts coming through to New York, and I thought it'd be great to have you come in so.
Well, thank you so much, Dan.
Yeah, it really means a lot for I mean, the kind words that you all said on the air, I was really.
Just well, I thought I'd be doing a disservice to my audience if I didn't let them hear what I heard, because you know, it's it's and the I'm a song is a powerful, powerful song, and anybody who's lost their dad, you you can't help hear this and then stop on hearing it. I gets just there and I love the songwriting. That's what stood out.
It was my dad's favorite song of mine. Here he saw me play at a Bluebird Cafe in Nashville, Yeah about in Nashville, which is a little songwriting cafe, and he recorded it on his iPhone because there was no recording of it, didn't have a demo of it to send him, and so he would listen to it over and over on his phone from a video recording that he got at Bluebird Cafe. And one night we were watching fights and we just got back from a tractor pool and for some reason, this was just a few months before he died. We didn't know he was going to die, neither did he.
And you played it at his funeral.
I did, and because in that conversation while we were watching fights, he just stopped and said, hey, you know that song you played at Bluebeard Cafe, I'm a song because he remembered the title and everything. And I was like, yeah, He's like, that's that's my favorite song, Stephen. And I was like, oh, cool, well, thank you, you're a bias and he's like, no, I need, I need you to listen to me. It's my favorite song ever. And you know, I just had to like kind of choke back some tears and get that left hook, you know, changed the change the subject real quick, and uh, and that really stuck with me. So when he died, I only knew that was the only way I could think to honor him was to play that song at his funeral. And uh, it was one of the hardest things I've ever done, and but I did it, and I did it for him and I didn't play that song for years.
I couldn't after that day.
And when I released Son of Dad, the album release being the operative word, this one came back. And I feel like this song is my dad because he was a song he really was. And this is Caledima song.
M I'm a show in San Antonio, middle of the rodeo, Daddy saying that she used to hold when you walk back to the car, I'm a sound of the county fair, Ferris Wheel kisses her up and there a Sephard Brandy. When your soul is bare and you need to share your how my words, it'll hit you, It'll get you where you're going. So you never go there on I'm a man, Lady, you go to the memory that you can't say that comes on, I'm a part of you. You listen to riding in the radio along I'm a song.
Whoa, I'm a song, WHOA boy.
I was there the day you learn to drive, the first time that you got her, even helped your realize she wasn't right for you, fall down, I pick it up again, help the boy becoming man when your best friend died, helped you cry and finally turned in.
I'm the word heard it or git you it don't get you here?
You're going swinging?
Ever go there on.
I'm a man lady blue to the memory that you can't see when that comes on. I'm a party and listen to riding and already on and I'm a song, whoa the world, I'm a song World, I'm a song. I'm a part of you. She listened to riding in the radio man, hold on, I'm a heard it a wait you it will get you here going so you never go there on. I'm a man lady glued to the minery that you can't say when it comes on, I'm a part of you that you listen to riding in the radio on, I'm a song, Whoa, Whoa, I'm a song, Whoa Whoa, I'm a song Amoso homoson.
Homosoon heavy, heavy, it can be at times. It's a hard one sometimes for me to get through.
You cry during performances.
Yeah, yeah, try not to. Everybody else cries, so I get to as well. I really I don't try to. I don't want to, but sometimes it just happens and I'm done fighting it.
The album, it's a double album. It's called Son of Dad, it's Stephen Wilson Junior. He's on tour and you can find more information also tickets Stephen at Steven with a pH Wilson Junior dot com.
Yes, sir, thank you Dan.
Thank you for coming in, and good luck on the roads. So when you get big, you go to the Grammys and all of that, they'll be afraid to shout us out. You know, I mean just a simple little you know, I hold this up. I want to thank the Dan Patrick Show.
Yes, sir, I will.
I want to thank my dad and the Dan Patrick Show. You can do it in that order, and the Blue Bird if you want to.
Yeah, I think my dad and my publicist Dan Patrick for yes.
I mean, is that asking too much?
I don't think so, thank you Dan. Thank you for the kindest words. Hey in your time.
Once again it hit me and I wanted to share so uh. This audience is loyal and that's what I love about it. I want them to know and share what I'm sharing with. My brother was seting and down with them. So before I start to cry, get out of here, and good luck on the road and thank you again.
Me and you both, Thank you, Dan, God bless you.
