OverDrive - Duthie on his previous Super Bowl experience, teeing up Super Bowl LX, and Sam Bennett joining Team Canada

Episode Date: February 5, 2026

TSN Host James Duthie on his previous experiences covering Super Bowls, what differentiates this year’s game from the others, if other leagues could replicate the Super Bowl week experience, and Sam Bennett joining Team Canada in replacement of Anthony Cirelli.

With corporate traveler, you get a dedicated travel expert and 24-7 support. So business travel feels effortless. Big meetings land. Business grows. With corporate traveler, the booking is just the start. Search corporate traveler today. And look who we have with us. James Duffy in the house.

300 NFL players walking around here and you got this stiff on your show. We got James Duffy in the house. Quarterbacks. We had to have quarterbacks on today. That's it. Flag football famous, right? Yeah. I'm here representing McAlpine Ford and Lincoln. I know everybody's got a representing a product. Yes.

And Pop-Tarts. We did do that. Usually we do it at the end, though. Oh, sorry. We usually do the interview, and then we give you the gratuitous 30 seconds to plug what you know. How much do you think those guys get? Like, because that's the only reason they're here. Oh, yeah.

For whatever. Couple hundred thousand. You think? It's not a couple hundred thousand. You are. So, if Christian McCaffrey's here for Frito Lay. Dude, I already know how much Christian McCaffrey's getting. I was talking to somebody in the lobby today about that guy.

Right. And he is breaking in cash for appearances. I want to reassure you guys, I am pro bono on the show today. But we appreciate you doing it for free. Charging all the other guys who want me on out here, which are not. Are you getting any cat calls from people? Oh, yeah. People are you fond?

Hey, there's James McAfee. Guys, I'm only doing overdrive today. Stop. I love it. Jimmy, like, are you friends with any heavy hitters in this room right? now? No. You don't pass like Stephen A. Smith and it's like, hey, man. Nobody knows me to out here.

I asked them off air. We've got a media pass to walk around. Right. What if you kind of have a I don't like what that guy said? What if you went and say, hey, I don't like you or I didn't like, do you think that you'd get O'Gos, you'd get walked out? I saw another player

yelling at Cam Newton. Newton was doing a show and this guy walked by and he goes, like, Cam, we got to talk. Yeah, I was like, let's talk outside. I don't know what was going on there. Well, that wouldn't surprise me. I mean, these guys, like, watching some of them walk around, it's incredible.

Yeah. How, how massive they are. Massive, men. Some of them are huge. Yeah. One of the most startling, like, moments of my life. My first NFL game was the 98 NFC championship game here in San Fran. Steve Young and the Niners against Brett Farve and the Packers.

And I'd been to CFL games in Ottawa, but I'd never been to an NFL game. We had a sideline pass. And the sheer size of those guys freaked me out. And I said to myself, quarterbacks in the NFL are the best athletes in the world. Because neither young or far was, you know, 6'4 or anything like that. But just to have those guys chasing them around? Chasing them. And to be able to see over them in their own linemen, you know, to make passes was like, I know, I'm tooting the...

Like, a guy like Brock Purdy or Doug Flutie, he just had on. It's ridiculous that they play in the NFL. fell at a decent level. Well, and the courage you have to have to stay in the pocket and throat knowing there is a lunatic coming around the corner. Who has every intention of knocking you out of the game.

A lot of those meetings and stuff, you see behind the scene stuff, the play is called, like, kill the quarterback. Yeah. Kill the quarterback. Like, it's a different era now with the rules, but you go back and watch... L.T. The Lawrence Taylor YouTube, like

seven-minute highlight clip, he is killing guys. Ronnie lot. If he was blitzing, I'm coming to kill him. And didn't get penalties on things where they'd knock guys out. Lawrence Taylor had a hundred of Wendell Clark on Bruce Bell. Yes. From behind.

From behind noodles. Because he was coming off the right side. You'd have, like, Jaworski would tell stories about Jaws was like he was a right handed thrower. And he'd be in the pocket just dancing. And this lunatic would be frothing coming off the corner and he would kill him from If you get a chance to go over to the experience, I haven't gone, a couple years ago, I had some time, so I went through the NFL experience.

And they had a virtual reality thing, which I haven't done much of, I don't know, a big video game guy. But this was one where you put the headset on, but you actually had the football in your hand. And you threw the football like against a wall. But on your headset, you were the quarterback in an NFL game with all the players there. So you programmed the play, and you knew what it was. And I embarrassed the heck out of myself, like, you know, Mr. Joe Touch football, quarterback. So I'm standing there, like a crowd people watching. The linebacker, like somebody blitzed and came at me and I fell backwards onto my ass. Yeah. Because it was so, it's so shocking.

It took me five plays to even be able to get the ball out because it's amazing. Yeah. Well, even when you stand on a football field, like to get a first down is from like here to that curtain. That's it. Ten yards is not that far. No. Yet there's 11 lunatics in your way. Saying you're not getting there. It's incredible. And the trash talk, too. Yes. What they used to say? Yes.

Now I believe it's a little bit different with mics and all of that. That's another thing. Like guys like Dick Budkiss back in the day would be like, I'm literally going to kill you and start swearing. Well, the things they could get away with. You can't get away with anything now because there's basically a camera on every player on the field for an NFL game. Like the eye gouging and things back in the day when there was four cameras and it was SD. You could get away with anything.

stomping hand. And the ref would be like, didn't see it. Like, yes, you did. You saw it. So you've covered a lot of Super Bowls. How would you, like this one... It's lacking... It doesn't have the same hype.

Do you think we'll get there by Sunday? First of all, why the lack of hype is because... Because I think that, you know, we've gone through two decades plus now of whether it's Brady or Mahomes or Manning, and whether you're a fan of that greatness, like historical greatness, or you hate that team, you're sick of them, like a lot of people were with the Patriots, I think that that definitely adds to it, right? Is someone going to knock off Brady? Is somebody going to knock off Mahomes?

Whatever that may be. Or is Brady going to win his sixth or his seventh? When you have two underdog teams like that, it's a remarkable story, the odds of both of them at the beginning of the season being here. I think it's the most unlikely Super Bowl ever as far as that goes. But when you get sort of two teams like that, I think it lacks little jam. neither one is a team you'd necessarily hate that much, right?

Seattle has a pretty good fan base. I guess New England, I mean, you could hate them because it's New England again, but it's all different guys. Rabel's likable. Drake May's likable. So I just think that's part of the reason there isn't, you know, the super hype that we usually have. It's kind of a watch what you wish for

being anti-dynasty. You know, like watch what you wish for... There's always a villain. There's always something. Yeah, exactly. I'm hearing for Seattle a little bit. I don't know if Luke is. Would Luke still have that soft spot? I think he would for sure.

I would hope so. I mean, we're talking about that today that reportedly maybe Brady's not openly rooting for the Pats because now he's an objective analyst and he's part owner in Vegas. I find that hard to believe. Yeah, I think Luke still wears

the Seattle colors. Yeah, as he should. Yeah, 100%. Greatest moment of his life and the worst moment of his life, both came in that uniform, right? That game was on the NFL network last night. I was watching it. Still insane.

It's still insane. Like, they were up 24-14 in the fourth quarter. I felt bad. And the Seahawks lost that game. We have a group chat. And I put that, I put that in there the other day. And I sent Luke a note saying, like, it didn't mean to hit a nerve, but it was just, it was an interview of Belichick and how they practiced that play.

Oh, yeah. And Malcolm Butler got beat on it in practice. And that's like new. beat on it and I put it in the group chat going this is amazing just listening to them break down that. And Luke responded don't even bring it up. Luke just put like the eyes on it and then

I text him privately going like hey I didn't mean to like hit a nerve and it was fascinating while he should be. How could you not be? Because like Al's brother has digged at that in our group chat like oh you know we're the Patriots I watched that game the other day too. Can't do that.

The other thing was forgotten about that game is the I think he was was a former Winnipeg Blue Bomber. Was it Chris Matthew? Matthews, I think, was his last name. He had one catch in his career, and he was maybe going to be the MVP of that game of Seattle won. He had something like six catches for 180 yards. I completely forgotten about it. And that story's forgotten because of the pick and the Patriots won again. They didn't just hand a ball off to Marshawn Lynch. Everyone knows that reference. James Duthy with us here. We're live on Radio Row.

Fan dual studio ahead of the Super Bowl, of course, on TSN, C.T. Grave. We were talking about this off the top. Could other leagues ever replicate something like this? You know, like a central... Could you ever picture a scenario where you get a neutral site cup final

where it's like 10 days, you're in Vegas, regardless of the two teams are going to make it, you're playing every other night? Do you think it could ever get big enough where you get media down there, you get fans down there and you get a buzz like this? I don't think so. like two weeks is too long for that.

And, you know, the whole mice thing. It's an interesting fantasy to look at. What about this scenario? There's a neutral site for the four games. Or it's neutral site to start, and then you break off and do what? Or do it the opposite, like you say, play two in each city. And then have the possibility of five, six. But then if it's a sweep, what do you plan in for?

I just don't think it works for hockey. It's perfect for the NFL. It's too many games. And the NFL is such a behemoth. I think just hockey is, there's so many crazy hockey fans, and there's so many shows like this for hockey, I think this could somehow work for hockey. I just don't know when.

Yeah. Yeah, I don't know. The NFL is just so much larger than everything else, it seems like. That's the problem. And this Super Bowl was just made for this. Yeah, I don't know. I still, I'll take a best of seven in hockey as much as I love coming to this event. That's right.

I agree because I think in the best of seven, the better team wins. I always, like I brought up earlier in the last hour, if the better team on paper has a bad day, they lose. It's happened so many times. And, you know, we were talking about predictions today in the panel. You know, and I'm thinking Seattle, I think I said 2310 Seattle. But I've been to this so many times. My very first Super Bowl was the 01 season, 2002 Super Bowl, Brady's first one over the. the Rams, and I think the Rams were 13.5 point favorites. And I remember thinking all week

with Schulte, there's no way New England can win this game. And, you know, stuff happens. Quite often, it's when NFL games can get short, right? You can get, even if, like, Seattle scores on a 10-minute drive to open, and then New England gets a long drive, suddenly you're late in the second quarter, and it's 7-7 or 10-7, and weird stuff can happen. And so, I think that's something that makes the Super Bowl great, but you're right. It doesn't have the definitive champion that a best of seven would We're talking about how crazy it is

how some people are drawing parallels to like that Super Bowl you just mentioned how they're like this is New England team could do the same thing

against how crazy is that thinking like drawing that comparison with this New England team saying oh Brady did it back then against

you know the greatest show on turf you know maybe Drake May and this team it's just crazy thinking

just connect those yeah that's that's the need for a week full of storylines to film right? But, I mean, there's a little bit to it as far as the underdog

nature of them, but, I mean, that was like I said, the Rams, you remember the Rams back then? The Rams were amazing on both sides of the ball. And that's, even Seattle's, you know, Sam Darnold's season, that wasn't Kurt Warner and Isaac Bruce and all those guys, Torrey Holt back then, so.

But it would still be an amazing story. The funny thing is, because of the way New England, like, I got, I'll admit, like, I got sick in New England, too, because every Super Bowl I was going to, it was, I think I've done 12, and like nine of them were Tom Brady-Belichick Super Bowls. And so at some point you want a fresh storyline.

And I think a lot of neutral people are like, not the Patriots again. And it's kind of sad, like, Rabel and these guys are an amazing story, but they won't get the love of a typical Cinderella because it's the Patriots. Yes, exactly. And people are sick of the Patriots winning.

Fatigue. People have the fatigue. Or it's just that they've won for so long, they have the image of a winning organization. You can't sell them as well as a Cinderella. Right, exactly. What do you make of Bobby Kraft? Well, he didn't make the Hall of Fame his first time in.

Yeah, I don't know what's going on there. Is this punishment for deflategate and all that? That's what it seems like. Those are the theories that collectively, at least 11 guys in the room, have decided you're going to pay a price for spy gate, deflate gate, and all the different gates that have... Do you guys feel weird today? Because, and I was walking down from the hotel,

just as I laughed, I was watching ESPN, and the Copantar, the Panarin trade broke. And then Chris Paul's going to the Raptors, even though he's never going to. It was funny, too, because the NBA trade deadline's on, and they spent five minutes going, all right, what does Chris Paul mean to the Raptors? How's he going to work with Scotty Barnes?

Right? They did like an eight-minute panel. And then Sean comes on two minutes later and goes, guys, Chris Paul's never going to play the Raptors. He's either getting waived or he's getting moved somewhere else. And they're like, oh, it kind of reminds us. This happens to us occasionally, not like that on trade deadlines. Here, we talked the first 28 minutes about Leifes, Panarin, Chris Paul.

I mean, that's... But I think everywhere, even down here, you know, it's a weird day because the NBA is all the news down here. Hockey's all the news in Canada. And there's more to the answer of one of your earlier questions about a little less hype on this game. Well, we saw you, we obviously flew down together, and you're packed not only for this trip, but you're going to the Olympics as well right after. Yeah. And, you know, a number of teams have made it.

through. There's still games tonight and tomorrow. But Sorelli's out and Bennett in for Canada. If we assume that that's it, like, all right, no more injuries were all set. Where do you, how are you prepping for the Olympics and where do you stand on Canada? First of all, I think that's the best. When the team was announced and we did the show in Minnesota on, was it January 1st or New Year's Eve, and that was the Bennett thing was the number one topic of him being let. And I would, If you would have made argument then to say to people, what's the change you would have made? I bet you a lot of people would have said, well, I'd take Sorrelli off and put Bennett on. And we were also thinking at the time there's likely to be three, four, maybe five injuries with all the condensed schedule.

And for them to only come off with one significant injury and to be able to replace, and that to be Sorrelli who's as good as he is. And I know John Cooper loves him and he plays a great role. But he's probably like almost the last guy who made the team, probably because Cooper defended him, and to have Ben it on, I think that's about an absolute best-case scenario for Canada for what they thought on New Year's Eve when they named the team, that that would be the only team. Is he play? Because there's 14 forwards, not everyone's going to dress. I think he does. I think you find a role for him.

But, you know, keep in mind, still two nights of the NHL left. Yeah. That's the other thing. That's because I think there's probably teams and coaches and certainly the coaches of the respective countries going, Let's get these guys over there. Because he was saying, McDavid gets hit last night. He's playing tonight in Calgary.

You think Calgary wants to take it easy on him? No. I'd be terrified. I know this is the way not, the great players don't think that way, though. But I have McDavid McKinnon. You know, you've waited all your life from this moment, and now you're down to one game or whatever it is. Yeah.

I would be terrified. Yes. Well, that's what I kind of got that sense last night. You know, they're pros and they're playing. And they play hard. But they've got to be thinking, I just want to get out of here. like give me a truth little all-star

all-star game type yeah there's a bit of a vibe on that but the other players aren't going to be that way flag bear for germany like you know like just get me out of here hopefully we win

ideally we win the problem is 90% of the players on the ice aren't one of the Olympics so they're still playing that I don't know about that they got trips I was just going to say

you think the guy wants to block a shot tonight when he is got he's got a PJ or a flight tomorrow morning right to Cabo To Cabo. Yes, especially young single guy.

I can't pull my groin before I go to Cobbo. Yeah, I'm not doing that. I don't need to lose deep. I think these guys honestly talk to each other. Somebody might send someone else a message saying, Smartnop. No hitters tonight. Smart not.

I'm telling you, let's take it easy. I've told this story before. Chris Pronger, who was a dear friend, hated my guts for about a week because I let out a bad rebound. I remember. And he took the slap shot off his foot. And we were flying to L.A. the next day. He had to walk around in a boot.

We're at the bar. he's got a booed on. He was so mad. That's a terrible vibe. It's terrible. I'm like, you can't walk into a bar with a boot on. Just stay at the hotel. He was so mad at me, and it was because we were going out to L.A. for a swing. So you have to think some of these guys playing tonight and tomorrow have a little bit of Cabo or Mexico or Florida. You can't bubble wrap anyone.

No, you can't. You know something's happening. Unfortunately, something's going to happen. I want to say to the people home, too, like, I don't know if you've never. been able to do like a shot. Like, when I came in looking for you guys, it took me about a half an hour, I kind of expected it would be like the little tiny set

golfed about a thousand radio stations here and podcasts and so on. And most of them have about four square feet of room. So that's where I was looking. I was walking up and down the middle. Looking for some little... We don't do that. You got the Pat McAfee said here. This guy ran into a colleague, a former

colleague. He goes, where are you set up? And the guy goes behind that piece of cardboard over there. I couldn't believe you have like the second biggest set in here. It's the last one. But again, in Canada, like there's some Canadians that have walked by and said, I love you guys, big fans. There's a lot of Americans here that are watching us saying, who the hell of those guys?

There are European media walking by and they've got their cameras. They're taking pictures and they're like, they're literally stopping their recording. They do this kind of thing. They're looking. But it's all good. We know you and we appreciate you coming by. I'd just like to say on behalf of McAlpine Lincoln. You get your plugs in now.

Get your plugs in. All right, buddy. Well, enjoy yourself this week. We'll be seeing you around the hotel. Make sure you say hi. Hope you get better guests than me the next couple days. Jeff Garcia's coming up. We got a lot of great things planned the next couple of days.

We got Lou coming on tomorrow too, right? It's great to you guys are down here because I can tell you're the best show of any of the shows out here, all these American shows. It's good. We call it a hundred shows up to people. Those are cardboard people. Listen, and will you be on my side? if I wear a certain shirt tomorrow. Oh, the sweater thing?

Yeah, he's going to go. I'm thinking of wearing it. I don't want it. I want to see it in person, too, if you could bring it down to, like, the hotel lobby tonight, too. I want to see it. I'll send you a picture of it. Thank you. We're bringing it out tomorrow. Bringing it tomorrow.

We are going to do massive ratings tomorrow. TSN4, line of streaming on YouTube. All right, he is James Dapty. Down here all through the weekend, hosting everything on Sports Center, TSNCTV. Enjoy your time. Have a great trip over in Italy as well, but we're going. We won't see it prior to then. Appreciate it.

And thanks for doing this. There is, James Duffy, joining us here at the Fandual Set. I'm Dylan Playfair. And I'm Tyler Smith. We're putting loneliness in the penalty box by talking to some of our favorite athletes about the importance of friendship.

This is Bromance. Bromance is brought to you by Charm Diamond Centers, proudly Canadian-owned and operator. Charm has been part of your love stories and bromances for over 50 years. And you can find Bromance on the IHeartRadio Network or wherever you get your podcast.