The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz - Local Hour: The Miami Dolphins Are In The Mix

Episode Date: November 25, 2024

Today's cast: Dan, Stugotz, Chris, Billy, Jeremy, Mike, and Roy. We have a lot to get to across the NFL including the Miami Dolphins' big win, but will Stugotz be able to avoid recycling takes from God Bless Football? The Dolphins are now 5-6 and firmly in the mix just like everyone but Dan predicted. Will Dan be able to stay positive around the Dolphins as he wants to or will everyone else's optimism force him into being negative? Billy has some high praise of Tua, but he also wants to warn everyone of The Flip Side headed into a nationally televised game on Thanksgiving night. Then, Mark Jones had the most Miami broadcast ever as the Miami Hurricanes moved to 10-1. Should Miami's defense make us weary of them being able to do ANYTHING come College Football Playoff time? Plus, the Detroit Lions are dominant in a way they haven't been since Babe Ruth was playing Major League Baseball, Billy wants to be wrong, and we were duped by a fake video. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

You're listening to Giraffe King's Network. is building one of the world's most sustainable potash mines in Canada. Essential resources responsibly produced. This is what BHP has committed to Canada. The future is clear. It's happening now at BHP, a future resources company. To discover how, visit bhp.com slash better future. Upper Canada College inspires boys from senior kindergarten to year 12 to find their passions and realize their potential. An IB World

School, UCC offers a supportive environment, cutting-edge facilities, and a best-in-Canada financial assistance program. UCC, a place where tradition, excellence, and innovation meet. Learn more at our open house events on October 15th and 16th. Register now at cause and effect dot ucc dot on dot ca. Shadow show. Shadow show. Shadow show. Shadow show. Shadow show. Shadow show. Shadow show. Chris, were you aware that when Mike Ryan joined Cane's Insight as a contributor and as an investor that he was greeted with massive commitment was the headline. Massive commitment when Mike Ryan committed to Cane's Insight to be somebody, to be a voice for the University of Miami at a place where people still go to get their University of Miami information. He is a foremost

authority and I wish to ask his unbiased opinion on what Ian Hest has tweeted which is that Notre Dame lost to Northern Illinois, Miami lost to Georgia Tech, Notre Dame's FPI is 10, Miami's FPI is is 6 Notre Dame strength the schedule is 78 Miami's is 19 spots higher 59 19 spots better I should say at 59 Why is Notre Dame ahead three spots ahead of Miami Mike Ryan neutral? Informed insider. Yeah all the things that you Described definitely screams neutrality.

I will say that, look, Notre Dame doesn't play in a conference championship game. If Miami handles its business, they'll be ranked ahead of all these teams that you could poke holes in. I actually have more of an issue with Texas. I think if you look at where's their quality win, you know, a lot of people are like, well, I guess their win over Florida looks really good now.

Florida had 12 starters out when they played Texas. I think that you can poke a lot of holes in that. I think Indiana, Indiana's played three teams with a winning record all season long. They kind of cracked the code that you can actually have a weak schedule inside the Big Ten and only face three winning teams. There's a lot of chatter, there's a lot of SEC propagandizing that kind of frustrates me. But again, I'm in the camp that it is actually

the best conference in America, but it is also simultaneously wildly overrated. None of this stuff matters if Miami just handles its business. I don't trust them to. Syracuse throws the ball a ton and that's where they're weak and I think it's really hard to win on the road and I love this Miami season. It's been super exciting.

I thought they played terribly against Wake Forest. I mean Powell drops a pick six, Restrepo fumbles, Kam doesn't look right the entire game and they still win fairly easily. I think that this University of Miami team is better than the one that was 10 and 0, started 10 and 0 with Mark Rick, but that team that lost at Pittsburgh, I can see this team losing that game at Syracuse

because of where Syracuse is strong and because it's hard to win on the road. I have the same lack of trust in Miami, but at the same time, I think they can win it all because who do you trust? Win it all? Who do you trust? You've got to win it all.

No, I'm not saying they're going to win it all. No, but win it all, it's not that I don't trust, it's that that defense is never allowed to win the championship, never since I've been watching college football. Who do you trust? And I say that about that defense, even knowing that Wake Forest didn't have a completion, is never allowed to win the championship. Never since I've been watching college football. Who do you trust? And I say that about that defense,

even knowing that Wake Forest didn't have like a completion the entire second half, whatever it was plaguing them in the first half was not plaguing them in the second half. Right there with you on the defense, while they were to me clearly the best unit on the field for Miami, for a month and a half, Miami's run into opponents that know exactly what to do to attack Miami and get the best results for their offensive game plan.

You force Miami outside the hash marks, you make them make tackles in space, and Wake Force just decided to attack the A-Gap all game long. Kiko had to stay within the hash marks and just, it was the perfect opponent and really a truly horrific game plan by Wake Forest So I think it's fair even after the probably the best defensive performance of the season to still have your questions because Miami is going to get challenged by teams To actually show that they've improved some of their weaker aspects. I don't think Wake did that that being said I'm not sure Syracuse will do that either

because they're pretty tied in their identity. McCord likes to hold onto the ball and then freak out at the very last second. He throws the ball quite a bit. I think he averages more passing yards per game than even Cam Ward. I think that team throws more than any in the country. I think it's gonna be another defensive line game.

The D-line in this game is gonna have the opportunity to get home. I'm encouraged by the opening line there and if I told you before the season, you're three Mario Chris Ball's program, all he has to do is beat Syracuse on the road to get to Charlotte. Every single one of you is taking it. How does the ACC determine who plays for the conference championship? The tie-breaking scenarios are kind of complicated and I was running through this and I think all the power conferences, Billy, need to take a look at this,

because we're seeing Indiana make it to a college football playoff in the impossible situation of we are not exactly sure how good they are, and they haven't been tested in what was supposed to be the most powerful conference in all of the land. There's head-to-head tie-breaking scenarios, but there were also tie-breaking scenarios in which you had four teams

that probably would have been in the mix, and only two of them played each other. It needs to be looked at. I think divisions are a way to fix it. But to answer your question, SMU is in the championship game, already headed to Charlotte. Miami will be there if they beat Syracuse.

If they lose, Clemson's done. Clemson's only ahead of them because right now they've played more games. Yeah, Clemson's done with Clemson's only ahead of them because right now they've played more games. Yeah, Clemson's done with their ACC schedule. How do you like Stugatz coming in here to tiebreaker talk? And there was somebody talking about it. I love a good tiebreaker. Somebody was talking about it.

And an A-gap. Somebody was talking about an A-gap when you came in. Football. Everyone's ready to get started. This is the Dan Leventor Show with the Stugats Podcast. Today's episode is sponsored by DraftKings. Stay tuned because you'll hear more about DraftKings and all it has to offer throughout the show. DraftKings, the crown is yours.

Chris Cody, I want you to get me the dump truck that recycles sound because Billy and Stugatz have just thundered in here from God Bless Football, and I want to be careful not to be redundant because the award-winning God Bless Football comes out earlier than we do, and I don't want to get leftover materials on their best stuff from the Duke and from Stugat. So how much in the mix talk did you do on God Bless Football that the Dolphins are now firmly in the mix? We did not do any in the mix talk. We didn't even talk about the Dolphins really, to be honest.

I said one throwaway statement, Dolphins played the best game of the day yesterday. Like start to finish, they were the best team in the NFL yesterday. Yep. It's a high wire act. Yes. And I feel like we do a pretty good job, and I knew this is what we're probably gonna be doing in the local hour today, in the max hour. Today on YouTube and DKN and Peacock and all the places you can watch it.

So I said, you know what? I don't wanna say I'm saving it, cause I would say still check out Cabas football. A lot of fun today, a lot of fun. Lucy's on there, we're talking about some college football, but we saved that for you, Dano. And so how much victory lap are you ready to take today, because you told us all they would be five and six,

you told us all they would be in the mix, and I wanna see where you are firmly entrenched on what this team is going to be, because I don't know what the weather is Thursday in Green Bay but that would be your test like that would be an excellent place for the season to take to take one shape or another if you can go to Green Bay and do what you did against the Rams because you still haven't beaten a good team this season

is it crazy to say that this game could potentially be the biggest game of Tua's career. And I say that because he can dispel so many of the doubts this weekend if he goes into a cold, bad weather, green bay national TV and pulls off a win, I mean to get them back to 500, which is kind of like part of the statement that is not great, but like, there's already people talking about

how important Tua is to this team. You see the Matt Rines of the world saying no one is more important to their team than TOO is. So if you can go out there and you can win this cold weather game, I feel like it's an injection of confidence, a boost, Dan, that you can take moving forward and say, you know what, when the Bills overcome the Chiefs and then you go back

and first round potentially is back in Kansas City or rematch From last year's playoffs in the first round then you know you can do it in the cold potentially however Here's the flip side and this is the dirty part that we don't want to talk about no one wants to talk about the flip side flip side This is the spot where to it gets a concussion every single time She's a national game This is the spot where Tua gets a concussion every single time. Jesus. National gaming. No one wants to talk about it. In the cold.

When everybody's watching. No one wants to talk about it. No one wants to talk about it. But this is prime concussion time for Tua. So we need to be very careful because it always happens in this exact scenario. No one wants to talk about it. No one's talking about that. But this could be the biggest game of his career if he is to survive it.

He played in Kansas City last year. Playoff game. Okay, but I don't even know, is this the right... Time to throw away all journalistic credibility and get reckless. Here is something we like to call reckless speculation. You're good? I don't know if that's the right sound or not. I don't have the... You needed something that sound. It's not know if that's the right sound or not. I don't have the-

You needed something that sound. It's not reckless, he's just pointing out a trend. It's pretty irrefutable. Was it even him though? I couldn't tell because there was a mystery voice speaking there. Was that Billy? I didn't hear who said that.

It seemed like he was in character. Those are the people who wanna talk about it, but they're not talking about it. I just said this could be the biggest game of his career potentially. That's what you said, but then in a different voice, you were saying, this is the spot that he always, this is the spot that America frets for him.

Who said that? Like right before Thanksgiving, right before Thanksgiving, third, you know. On Thanksgiving. I'm sorry, on Thanksgiving. Oh no, oh no. Yeah. No. Yeah, family gathered around the TV.

No, no. Yeah, yep, yep. It's a late one though, we talked about this. This is the late game is when everybody's kind of- A lot of napping, no. Yeah, family gathered around the TV. No, no. It's a late one though. We talked about this. This is the late game is when everybody's kind of A lot of napping. Tried to fan, you know what I mean? Everybody's already kind of like, ooh. Yeah, yep.

What's interesting is that the post game message from Mike McDaniel to his team was all about playing on Thanksgiving against the Packers in this moment. He and Kaleihe's gamble was, they were gassing this game up. They were immediately on the Green Bay. Thank you for mentioning Kaleas Campbell

because evidently, and this I haven't seen a whole lot around the cold business of sports, let's talk about the story here at the center of the dolphin huddle because Kaleas Campbell deserves a better ending than the one I think the dolphins are gonna give him. But it Campbell deserves a better ending than the one I think the Dolphins are gonna give him but it's not a better ending than the one Kaleus and Mike McDaniel seem to think that Kaleus can have here instead of with the Ravens because it would have made a lot of sense for them

to just trade the oldest player in the league to the Ravens who could have used hey that dude's been a menace off the edge and up the middle of your defense because he's bigger and stronger than most people and he has been for about ten years maybe longer that probably longer right what is it that we're looking at almost twenty years with kalaus campbell if you go back to watching him at the university of miami

the dolphins decided somewhere between two and six and foreign six that their season could be salvaged and five and six two guys even though it's ridiculous to talk about what Billy's talking about which is we 12 games in your six and six that's not what this season of expectations was about but the 49ers feel different at five and six than the Dolphins do at five and six because when to a place for the Dolphins what Billy says is right Matt Ryan is saying no player clearly is more important to their team than this one is because the offense looks completely different.

Stugats, they've been playing, it's not just the toying with the no look passes and all the ball handling that he does that has everybody in the league, Chris Sims included on God Bless Football, calling him the guy who's best with the football. It's that they were using so much motion yesterday. Like they, you go from what we were watching in that month-long stretch where they were one and three and they couldn't get to, you know, 20 points against anybody to the way they play with two, it's startling to see the difference. The obvious difference when you talk about the Niners and the

Dolphins is the Niners are falling apart. Their players are getting hurt. The Dolphins are getting healthy right now. And specifically at that position. At two has been great. Like the last two games, seven touchdowns, no interceptions, 128.5 passer rating. He has been great to it. Against nobody.

Against nobody. But Dan, you know what? Waddle looks better. Jonah Smith is amazing. Like the team just looks better when Tua is running that offense obviously. Dan, to your point on motion, it was their highest rate of the season yesterday. 93.7% of their plays had motion.

You also saw yesterday, Skyler Thompson, be Skyler Thompson yet again. Like you try to get Tua some rest, the game is a complete blur. You're like, you know what? We made it through, dominating performance, he looks great, let's rest him up. Short week, gonna play him Thanksgiving,

Skyler Thompson comes in and says, nah, let's have a little fun, let's give the other team the ball, have him run back the other way for a touchdown. I'm like, do it back in there, buddy, we can't afford to lose this game. Football yesterday, I texted Chris Cody and Stugats a half hour before the 1 p.m. game.

So I'm like, oh man, today's the one that hurts you guys. You guys love those big favorites on the road in a season when getting points is obviously the thing to do because all of these games are so close. And both of you said you were threatening to have a bye week for gambling during the one o'clock games because the one o'clock games were so bad yeah think about this okay think about the magic of this stupid sport at 1255 Chris Cody and Stu gots legitimate degenerates the both of them thanks

thinking about a bye week on gambling, these one o'clock games, woof. I was actually telling you that even gambling on these games will not make these games exciting. That's what you were saying, yes, you were thinking about taking a gambling bye week just to get ready for December, for Thanksgiving, for the postseason, and then what happens,

all at about the same time, there goes Patrick Mahomes running for 33 yards. Woo, the Chiefs escape. Oh, the Bears got an onside kick. Whoever recovers those, tie game. Oh, the Titans beat the Texans. Really, no one saw that coming. And then also, the Cowboys are gonna win on the road,

are they? That's it. And it's gonna be four touchdowns in three minutes at the end of the game when all of you thought the under was coming in when it was whatever it was, three nothing at the half. It was the best Sunday in NFL history. Unbelievable.

It's just unbelievable. Football. All crap games, all of them. But they're just close. And they got stakes. And five and six is in the mix. Was that the best witching hour of the season? Unbelievable, it lasted two hours. It was two hours. There was a Hail Mary in one, but no he's right

overtime went into it blended into the 425 games Hanson was disoriented He was confused I wanted to ask you guys on the UM broadcast on Saturday I believe He was confused. I wanted to ask you guys on the UM broadcast on Saturday, I believe Mark Jones, who has been doing this for a really long time and has enjoyed it for a really long time and has gotten so good and confident at it, did the single most Miami broadcast I have ever heard on a national game

and furthermore i'm pretty sure he was doing this on purpose using assortment of poly syllabic words just to do it just because he wanted to call you university of miami defense intransigent he used to be somebody from a these like all the regard you tated that one he didn't like a dozen times i'm convinced he's like, oh, he regurgitated that one. He did it like a dozen times and I'm convinced he's playing with his friends where he's like, I bet you I get this word in today.

Like he's fooling around because they're words I've never heard on a sports broadcast. Definitely a Miami broadcast, gave the location of the stadium, Dan Marino Boulevard 27th Avenue. Oh, Carroll City, Liberty City, over town. Miami Gardens. He's saying where he got married. I've never heard such a Miami broadcast

done nationally that way. Where'd he get married? So he had a church nearby. He was gonna have service there the next day at 10 a.m. But that's a key. You like the broadcaster to kind of know the city of the team that he's calling, right? No, he knew it too much.

Delay the land. He knew too much. He was showing off. Can you guys get him on for me? No, he knew it too much. Delay the land. He knew too much. He was showing off. But can you guys get him on for me? I want to ask him both these questions. It seemed like he was fooling around with his friends. He continued to use words no one uses on a sports broadcast. And I'm thinking to myself, oh, this

is Mark Jones who's just bored. He's just bored at the end of the season. He wants to amuse himself because he's better than Miami Wake Forest. Should be doing a, should be doing, what are you making faces at Mike Ryan? Wake Forest games. Top 10 match up right there. You got better than Miami Wake Forest.

Yeah. It was one top 10 team and Wake Forest. Nobody wants to watch Wake Forest on the national game. Put it on the poll at Levitard Show. Have you ever wanted to watch Wake Forest on the national game in it on the poll at Levitard show have you ever wanted to watch Wake Forest on the national game and football? The Deeks. Roy that still gets you after all these years. Yes it does. After all of these years him just saying the Deeks it has no reason within any reasonable realm for you to still find that funny after 20 years.

It will forever. Alright guys, the seasons are changing. You know what that means? Time to layer it up a little bit, change the wardrobe. In Miami, a little bit of a different story, but across the country when I'm traveling, I'm getting those layers in. When it's just effortless and comfortable and looks good, Rohn's Commuter Collection combines comfort, versatility, and breathability massive in

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While there's nothing official and conversations are still ongoing. Was that a fake Schefter? Because it was pretty good. I feel like there's legs. I tried at the beginning and then I lost confidence in it. Why? It was good. Yeah, you got this. There's nothing official.

Yeah, it's so good. Conversations are still ongoing. Stugats. It is trending towards Nick Sirianni, remaining the head coach of the Eagles. This is the Don LeBattar Show with the Stugats. Something that you mentioned on the Shadow Show is it pertains to Miami's defense. You said, when does that defense ever have a shot? Jeremy and I were looking through these CFP scores.

They're bad defenses aplenty. Like always. You need to score like 45 to have a shot to win this thing. There has only been one team in the history of the college football playoff era to win a national championship game with fewer than 30 points in that game. And that was Alabama, the year they won

in overtime against Georgia with two attack of Aloha. How many teams in college football do you trust on both sides of the ball this year? None. This is the thing though. Okay, look, I would have liked Indiana to not have special team calamities this weekend because I would have liked to have seen Ohio State tested by Indiana. That game didn't appear close because they had two

intergalactic mistakes on special teams and then they were winning and then they're down very quickly and Ohio State wasn't even able to be tested I would have liked to see more Indiana but where I see flaws everywhere because Notre Dame you can make the argument that they look better than anybody and they lost to Northern Illinois at home. We lost to Ball State which is the worst team I've ever seen in my entire life. Miami beat Ball State 62 to something and and so yes all the teams are flawed in Oregon went to Wisconsin and barely won but they won but among the top 12 teams that I'm looking at I've seen very few weaker total units than Miami's defense I think

I think that's a safe criticism but I also think it's not something that they can't overcome. It might be matchup dependent. They ran into opponents for a full month that were just attacking their weaknesses. Everybody left on their schedule potentially is a team that'll stick to their identity. I think that they're going to have to ascend. They're going to have to get some guys back. Tamari Brown might help with that.

But like we've been saying for the last few weeks, I don't see a dominant team in the nation. And I think if Miami gets a C plus effort on defense in those crucial games, they've got a shot. And here is where I would like you to help me out. Because while I am on board with the idea that the SEC is overrated, but I'm also soaked in the bias of many years

of watching all the best athletes go to the SEC is overrated but I'm also soaked in the bias of many years of watching all the best athletes go to the SEC. I just saw Alabama not do anything against Oklahoma and it was disorienting to me. I didn't even understand it. Oklahoma I thought was a bad team. They stink. I thought Oklahoma was bad and then all of a sudden I see a quarterback who's been running all over the field Alabama all of a sudden get seven points and I'm confused by it. But from what I've seen of all of them this season, I really don't know whether it's my bias talking or not here, Stu Gouts, because my bias should be toward whatever the University of Miami is. I would make them a seven point underdog against the Georgia.

So I've seen those things and again with lines, you never know because the motivation there is to get action but I've seen college football playoff insiders has matchup predictive analysis and they got that within like four points. So Georgia was in a 10 point game against UMass in the third quarter. If D.K. Lagway, they're a hammy injury away from losing at a neutral site to Florida. in the third quarter. Georgia, like you could, if Deidre was still,

they're a hammy injury away from losing at a neutral site to Florida. Like, Georgia's not the same team. I don't think anybody is really all that good. Maybe you can feel the best about Oregon, but they were in a dog fight against Idaho to start the year. But Georgia's losses came against Mississippi and Alabama.

Alabama lost to Vanderbilt, Texas has some bad losses, or any bad loss on their schedule. Texas doesn't have a good win, I'm telling you, Miami has a resume. No, they don't have a good win, but Georgia doesn't have a bad loss, I guess is what I'm saying. Just where are we going with the losses?

Bad loss is still a loss. Okay, this is what I will be willing to say then, what I have seen from the University of Miami this season, and saying it's the best quarterback production they've ever had. It's the best offense they've ever had. If they're to win anything, it's because their defense will have to be something that can be overcome by its offense being the best. Their defense being the worst has to be overcome by their offense being the best. But from all of the University of Miami teams that I have seen play for and win the championship, legitimately compete for the championship, if this

team were to have done so, it can only be because it's the most diluted, weakest crop of parody that you've ever seen in your life because this Miami team doesn't look appreciably better than the others to me at anything but offense. What you're saying doesn't really compete with me. Most diluted parity? What I'm saying is, that's not a championship team is what I'm saying. That defense is so bad that cannot.

Sure it is, sure it is because you grew up, most of your life, championship teams looked like that. Looked like the teams this nation. You and a lot of your media brethren need to break yourselves of what college football looked like for the last 20 years. This is not the monopoly of the SEC where they play by different rules and all the guys getting drafted essentially go to four schools. The talent opened up. Pavia is in Vanderbilt and he and his boys are going to be a pill for you to swallow. It's a difficult, different day and age and you're going to have teams that you would maybe assign an A minus to instead of an A plus that are going to win these titles.

But what Dan is saying is he has seen in his opinion, and he's entitled to that, he is saying he has seen Miami teams that didn't win the national championship and I agree with him, the Testa Verde team that didn't win a national championship that's better than this team. More talented than this team. We're several years into this whole new world. Washington was playing in the national championship game last year. We saw TCU lose 65 to 7 in a national championship game. We've seen them go to the very heights all the way to the bottom. You guys got to understand it's a different sport now. All right. Okay and that's what I'm saying is

the only way that they can win the championship. If it's such a different sport that that defense can be a champion when in my lifetime no it can't. Great. Second greatest team. The entire time I've been living that defense can't be a champion. And the second greatest football team I've ever seen was Joe Burroughs LSU. I love playing this game. Name a defender. Agreed. Name a defender on that team. Stingley was the best defensive player on that team. That was an overwhelming offense, more overwhelming than this one. That was an overwhelming football team, not playing a bunch of close games against five and six and six and five teams who isn't playing close games there's close games about we just saw

how many four teams and that in the top ten lose to unranked teams winning is hard harder than ever I am going to continue to tell you guys and the audience as someone who has been an advocate for how much fun and how interesting this team is. I did not believe that the Mark Richt team looked in any way like a champion over the course of that season. This unit that the University of Miami has,

and I'm talking about their quarterback when I say this unit, but I'm talking about their offense. When I say this unit, but I'm talking about their offense right when I say this unit the quarterback it is better than anything I have seen do Offensive production at the University of Miami But when I see how vulnerable they are to somebody who can just put together a 17 play drive But doesn't need it because they keep doing it in six because they cannot stop anybody it because they keep doing it in six because they cannot stop anybody. You need Cam Ward to never have the game he had against Wake Forest against somebody who's playoff worthy

because they immediately lose the game the way they almost lost at Cal, the way they could have lost against Virginia Tech, and the way they did lose against Georgia Tech. Defense wins championships, but Mike is saying this is a new sport. We need to watch it differently. The best defense is a good offense. And what I'm saying is the last time the University of Miami was on the road they lost to an inferior team playing two quarterbacks one of whom was in the game to throw and they knew it one of whom was in the game to run and they knew it and they held the ball all game long with a bad offense and what I'm saying is when you face the good teams in my experience

that university of miami team isn't good enough doesn't look like a champion to me so you have to tell me that the sport is totally different in order for them to win a championship in it that's exactly what we're telling you because i don't think that you can really point any team and say they're they're really solid in all three phases and they're not going to get sniped by one of these other teams. And yeah, I would actually, look, the defense only gave up seven points

against Wake Forest. They were really good against Wake Forest who had an abysmal game plan. I think you're right to actually fixate on some of the offensive troubles that we've seen lately, but where I would say is room for encouragement is Cam Ward has shown you that he's not a one-trick pony. In that game, here's where you can be encouraged. His yards per attempt were the

fewest I think of all season long because he's just taken what the defense is going to give him, which was why they lost to Georgia Tech, because he felt like he had to score a touchdown every time out. It was also, and you can chart this, the fewest amount of time that he took to throw. And I know he had an abysmal interception in that game, but he's showing you that he's learning to put his team in a better position. It was a fluky game, he had that fumble by Restrepo that was uncharacteristic, he had a perfect dime

of a touchdown pass fall through Jacoby George's arms. I think Miami, they handle business, you look at their offensive numbers, they get a bye, they're pretty well positioned. I mean, I'm a little sad at how this is going today, Dan. Like, it's Thanksgiving week, I'm not saying that it's time to do our turkeys of the year, what we're thankful for, but like,

it's a great time to be a South Florida sports fan. You have the University of Miami, if you like the University of Miami, they could be playing for a conference championship. For what? First time in a long time, they've never won the ACC, they're right in the mix to be in the college football playoffs.

You have the Dolphins who are in the mix who could be competing for a Super Bowl this year. You have a Heat team that's right in the mix also. And the IST. The best hockey team in the world. Just gotta keep saying five, six, six. Five, six, six. A couple good wins.

In season tournament. You have a lot to be thankful for. They are in the mix. We can't tell the seating yet because we're still in the play-in round to the group stages of the IST, but they could win very well, make it advance in the IST. I'm all with you. You sound like you're in lots of suspense.

There's a lot to be thankful for right now. FIU is kind of imploding, but we maybe get rid of Mike McIntyre because that whole situation was crazy last week, but we don't need to get into that. Who's that guy? Why is he back again? Coach Matt? I like him. We don't need to get into that. Who's that guy? Why is he back again? Coach Matt? I like him. We don't need to get into that.

We're not getting into that. You know what? It's the dawn of a new day. It may be coming down at the cage over there. Fine. You want to be a positive guy? Pippel Stadium is here. I mean, this has been a great sporting season.

A great time to be thankful for. What are you thankful for? You sound very holiday buoyant there, and you sound like you're trying to uplift the show. Is that the right word? He saved this for you. buoyant there and you sound like you're trying to uplift the show so I saved this for you I mean it is the right word and I don't know associate you with the effervescence of opening a champagne bottle is a good band remember them on Monday mornings when you're more prone to interrupt me than any of the other days because you come in all heated from a football weekend and you've got a lot of opinions and you've let it fly on God Bless Football.

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code DLS because the holiday cheer is here. Only on DraftKings Casino. Virginia only void in Ontario eligibility restrictions apply new customers only opt-in required casino credits are non-withdrawable and expire in 168 hours terms at casino draft kings.com slash promos Don LeBataard that was a long story yeah it's the only kind he tells it's a short one for me I tried to speed it up for you guys you forgot about the leagues cup two guys yeah la carreta is a place where the best of the celebrations has to be the 97 Marlins celebration because it was Lavahti and... Well, when Fidel died the first time. This is the Don Lebatar Show with the StuGats. But if you want me to be positive, positive voice guy, I will try.

I will attempt to be. Are you ready? Okay. Instead of blaming, like, I don't know, I don't know what you guys thought the interesting results were yesterday, whether it's the Cowboys somehow doing that at Washington and now putting in peril. What looked like it was going to be an 8-2 start to Washington season, and all of a sudden they're floundering and the Eagles and Saquon Barkley look like they're right at the top of the entire conference and the only thing that could like fist fight the Detroit Lions offensive line,

like offensive line to offensive line offensive line Philadelphia against Detroit healthy I think we'd all like to watch that but when you looked at the Cowboys win and Tennessee wins and we're like what is that? What what is that what will levis has a pick six and they win? I I thought will levis in the pick six was supposed to result in will levis That's how he loses every time they're gonna win on the road road at houston but if you want to be positive here it is the detroit lions against the colts and make it look easy make looking look winning on the road look easy have more ways to beat you than any team in the sport ho hum

uh... the chiefs have a terrible point differential for a ten-in-one team the lions will swamp you i've never seen a lion team be a fourteen-point favorite the way they were against Jacksonville last week never seen it the Lions haven't had this team since 1934 1934 is that 40 years before the Super Bowl hmm is that that's the Great Depression that's around the Great Depression that's before World War II I think it was towards the end of the Great Depression that's around the Great Depression that's before World War two I think it was towards the end of the Great Depression Babe Ruth was playing baseball Yes, the last time the Lions were this good. Mm-hmm. So you're being positive. Yes. Yeah

Yes, right rare positive with a mention of the Great Depression, right? Other Lions are great. They're overwhelming. They need to lose a game. They are getting hot at the wrong time I'm telling you right now. They might want to sprinkle in a loss and Dan Campbell needs to tell his players You're gonna get hurt. Can you do why you already did this take on God? Set me up It's so disrespectful catch your call for the number one It's so disrespectful. They catch your call for the number one. I mean, you gave me the number one. It's so disrespectful. Listen to me, what you just did.

You reheated that cold shit you did at God Bless Football. You reheated it and you did, and you did, well, it's cold this morning. I'm wearing a jacket, we're all wearing jackets. We all broke into our winter, it's all shit this morning is cold, is it not? Yeah. The winter's blown in.

It's almost 50 degrees. Right. You. What happened? Were pointing at me and were disrespectful in my face by just reheating something you already said on God Bless Football. You can't even look at me right now because you're so ashamed because you went into performance of doing something that's already appeared on another podcast. Just playing the hits, Dano. That's what I'm doing. I'm telling you, you've won nine straight. Like, you might want to mix in a loss before the playoffs reset, you know, the team gets grounded. It's like Mike Tomlin, he loved that loss. Now you're recycling the take that you just had seconds ago. You know what Tomlin loves to do? He loves to reset. He loves a good

loss. It grounds his team. You mentioned Mike Tomlin. I'm in charge. We're not good enough. This was the best thing that happened in football this weekend. This is Mike Tomlin being asked about Antonio Brown during a press conference. Antonio Brown tweeted out that he wants to return to the Steelers and he'll play for free. Any thoughts on that? Walks off. Can you guys just keep playing that? Like just play it a couple of more times so that I could just watch his face. It's the correct way to handle everything there. Tony O'Brown tweeted out that he wants to return to the Steelers and he'll play for free. Any thoughts on that?

Tony O'Brown tweeted out that he wants to return to the Steelers and he'll play for free. Any thoughts on that? Tony O'Brown tweeted out that he wants to return to the Steelers and he'll play for free. Any thoughts on that? Tony O'Brown tweeted out that he wants to return to the Steelers and he'll play for free. Any thoughts on that? Billy, what do you make of Kaleus Campbell not being, we are getting the positive Syrupy Thanksgiving stories of Kaleus Campbell was not traded because Mike McDaniel stepped in.

See, that's the guy right there. He has faith in, he didn't give up on that team. He stepped in, they were about to trade him to the Ravens and he said, no, we're not out of it yet. You know why? We're in the mix. It's interesting that he gave that much, Mike McDaniel there, because he could have just been like, oh, we're moving on, yeah, there's a lot of it yet. You know why? We're in the mix. It's interesting that he gave that much, Mike McDaniel there,

because he could have just been like, oh, we're moving on. Yeah, there's a lot of deals that almost happened. He gave voice to, yeah, that almost happened, and I threw an adult temper tantrum. That's his exact quote, which is pretty cool. The idea that we have gone from the Dolphins were two and six and going to play at the Rams to Gatsen, if they'd lost that game,

the season would have been lost. And then they have three games against three teams that aren't very good, the Rams are the best of them, but the Raiders aren't any good. And now we are officially in an era where the Patriots are to the Dolphins what the Dolphins are to the Bills. Two is seven and oh against the Patriots.

The Patriots can't do anything against Tua, eat the patriots can do anything against to and to can do anything against the bills and in the division that makes some of the hope of five and six flat when you think of the bills being four games up or whatever they are in the division i thought i saw a status for the two is undefeated against the bills are sorry he's undefeated as the jets he's undefeated against the patriots can't be the bills who i think is one when it's still still has twofeated against the Jets. He's undefeated against the Patriots. That's true can't beat the Bills Hmm, I think he has one win against the Bills He has two games left against the Jets though So I mean the Dolphins have a real shot to be a wild card team here

They do and I view that and I got to be positive about this But I view that as a bit of a purgatory when you're that much worse than the team is top of the Division gonna get the bye and now you got a beat You understand, like, I understand that, like, what we just did with college football, we could do it with the pros. It's the genius of football, I'm telling you. Professional football, this is the genius of it. You're in a playoff game, and tomorrow,

you have to play the Texans. We got a shot. No matter who you are, we got a shot against the Texans. And so, you can talk yourself into, yeah, the Dolphins can go on the road and beat Baltimore and beat Pittsburgh and beat Houston and beat the Chiefs. And then you don't win a playoff game for 20 years. Like, because you're not quite as good as the Bills. You're not as good as the Bills.

Hard stop. But damn, one of the reasons I'm saying this team has a chance, they have two of the Jets. They have the Cleveland Browns. They have San Francisco who's banged up and they actually go to Houston and they play Houston and Houston's a team. They're trying to track down in the AFC and so there is an opportunity. I'm not saying they're going to get it done and I understand what you're saying. If they get there,

what are they going to do? But there is an opportunity to get there and if I told you that four or five weeks ago, you would have left me out of the room. In fact, well you did you guys did say this you said the schedule Was gonna do exact this exact show What do you consider a success because like if they make it to the playoffs and they win a game is that a success? Because like they're not they're not compared They're not at the same level as the Bills in terms of their record right but like they played the Bills a couple weeks ago Pretty tight and we were even discussing

should they have gone for a two-point conversion to win that game. So they played the Bills tight, I mean, aside from the Bills. Billy, they played the Bills tight in a playoff game with Skyler Thompson. Well, he was the reason they lost that game. But they always lose to the Bills.

The Bills are better. Look, we're not gonna have this discussion, are we? No, the Bills are better, but they always lose to the bill the bills are better we can look We're not gonna have this discussion. The bills are better But what do you consider a success Super Bowl or bus for the Dolphins because they're not there They the fact that we're still talking about this team 11 games in I can consider success from three games ago But you do realize last year we were talking Greg Cody said they're gonna win the Super Bowl and this season of expectations wasn't five and six, eleven games in. But they lost their quarterback. It was supposed to be a given that they would be at least here, correct? Like not three games back in the division, at least here in the mix, twelve games in.

If they didn't lose their quarterback for four games, like they lost their quarterback for a significant chunk of the season. And went one and three during that. Correct, that's why. But they've got six losses. Like they've got six losses 12 games in and haven't beaten a good team yet. Like what, show me, they beat the Rams.

You saw what the Eagles just did to the Rams, right? Now I've gone negative again. Right, not certain the Rams are any good. I mean, no, your point about they haven't beaten a good team yet is totally fair. They have it. I'm just picturing what this league would be like if all teams thought the way you want them to think.

Oh, but I, no, but- Oh, we're the seventh seed. We're not even gonna play that playoff game. You know what, forgive me, forgive me. The Chiefs wouldn't have played a playoff game last year. I don't know, we're never gonna win the Super Bowl. Let me say it a different way then. Let me say it a different way. The country does not believe that the Miami Dolphins can beat a good football team.

The country that is. I don't believe in the Dolphins. I don't believe in them. Are you including Miami? I'm saying the country does not believe that... Look, this has been the narrative for two seasons, Stu Gotts. It hasn't changed. The country doesn't believe the Tua can win you a road playoff game playing well. That has not changed. It may be changed in Miami. It has not changed elsewhere.

That was the story at the end of last season. Right. McDaniel gave voice to that this offseason, and that has been the story the first half of the season. They still have not beaten anybody. I get it but I'm guessing the country also didn't think the Giants would win the two Super Bowls they won as a wild card with Eli Manning and they went out and won those Super Bowls like okay the odds are stacked against them and no one thinks they can get it done but that doesn't mean they can't. It kind of does. What if

they beat the Packers? Does that change anything? If they beat the Packers? Or then they just beat one good team? No, if they beat the Packers, then halfway through, or two thirds of the way through a season in which they lost their quarterback for a month, they will be 500, which isn't where they were supposed to be

when we started talking about everyone's all in on the Dolphins this season. But they weren't supposed to lose their quarterback. They weren't supposed to lose their quarterback. Well, you're predicting that they will lose their quarterback Thursday night. I am not, no, no, no. Who said that?

Let's just get ahead of this right now. I am not predicting they will lose their quarterback. I do not want them to lose their quarterback. I am not rooting for anyone to get injured, okay? If said things should happen, do not come at me, Billy was right, Billy's having none of that. I don't want this to happen. I'm just saying, historically, this is when it does happen.

That's all I'm saying. I don't want it to happen, I'm not predicting it, I'm not rooting for it, I'm rooting against it. Very strongly am I rooting against this happening. Billy, I'm sorry to have done this to you, but you are cornered, okay? Because you have put all of the packing peanuts around it that you can't.

I'd put packing peanuts in his helmet if I could. But you predicted earlier No. that this is the situation that this always happens in and we all recoiled we were coiled as a show do you know how rare that is for all of us to recoil as a show no no we did that's like saying Jim Cantori is rooting for category fives to hit certain spots right no he's just reading a map that's all I'm doing I'm just reading a map and I'm telling you how this has gone historically in the past.

Potentially this is something to look out for. I'm not saying it's gonna happen, I'm rooting for it. I want it to happen. I don't want it to happen, I'm rooting against it. I wanna be wrong. Dan, unlike you, I wanna be wrong. I learned from you, I wanna be wrong. Let me say scandalous thing and then say,

I wanna be wrong. I came in happy today, legitimately happy to talk about the Dolphins. Yes, because I'm wrong. Because when they went from two and six to three and six, they did indeed save their season because you were right. You said they would be easy games against the Raiders and Patriots.

And I'm like, easy games, they're the easy game on everyone's schedule. And now they are five and six and we're doing exactly the show that you predicted a couple of weeks ago. We would do. I hope on Friday we're not doing the show you previously predicted we're gonna be doing on Friday because two was hurt again on Thursday night.

We won't be, it's a holiday. Also that Tomlin video, totally fake.