Hour 1: Making Time (feat. Dave Dameshek & Matthew Berry)

Alright, Smirnoff.

Official vodka of the NFL, the world's number one vodka.

Here's the deal: game day is everything.

The noise, the rituals, the passion, the dip, the wings, the dip again.

Smirnoff belongs in that mix because if you're tailgating or hosting or just sitting there checking your fantasy lineup every 30 seconds, you need Smirnoff.

Otherwise, it's not a real game day.

They've been doing this since 1864, which is.

I don't even want to do the math.

A long time.

They're award-winning.

They make cocktails super easy and they're all about bringing fans together.

So yeah, we do game days.

That's their thing.

And if you're over 21, you should too.

Grab a bottle of Smirnoff at your local retailer and head to Smirnoff.com to find recipes of delicious cocktails perfect for game day.

Please drink responsibly.

Smirnoff, number 21 vodka.

Distilled from grain, 40% alcohol by volume.

The Smirnoff Company, New York, New York.

Please do not share with anyone under legal drinking age.

16 years from today, Greg Gerstner will finally land the perfect cannonball.

Epic Splash, Unsuspecting Friends, a work of art only possible because Greg is already meeting all these same people at AARP volunteer and community events that keep him active and involved and help make sure his happiness lives as long as he does.

That's why the younger you are, the more you need AARP.

Learn more at AARP.org/slash local.

This is the Don Labatar Show with the Stugats Podcast.

I'm curious what you guys think of something I said earlier this week when we were talking about Deion Sanders and Michael Irvin and the position that Deion Sanders finds himself in at Colorado, where I was reading about his health issues.

Two toes amputated, blood clots that are causing leg pain, and also an intestine that's functioning as his bladder in a way that makes them have to put a portable toilet on the sideline during games because he had bladder cancer and so he's going to the bathroom a lot and there has to be a bathroom right on the sidelines.

And if you're Deion Sanders at this point, 58 and in health that is making you have a press conference after a loss where you're apologizing to the reporters because you've had to hide pain all your life.

Football players don't talk about pain, don't talk publicly about pain, but here you have two amputated toes.

It's painful for him to walk.

A lot of people believe that Deion Sanders had some sort of natural gift that a holy man reached into his crib, but that was a person who was very prepared for football.

Like he cares deeply about football, and now the kids are gone.

The kids might need you in Cleveland, but or in Jacksonville, but you're coaching Colorado and there has to be a toilet on the sidelines for you because you're at an age where health stuff happens.

And I just thought to myself, I said it matter of factly, oh, he's going to leave that contract early, right?

He's not going to just keep staying there fighting.

And I said it matter of factly, and I don't think it's fair to say it matter of factly because he said, no, I'm in a hurry to get back.

I don't miss practices.

I have to get back.

And I just thought that at this point in his life, all of that wouldn't be worth the amount of inconvenience, no matter how much of your identity you get from being a football guy.

People have questioned Dion's commitment to wherever he is, because

wherever he's coaching, people always talk about him at the next level.

Even last year, when he was having success, like Jerry Jones, would he possibly bring him in?

I think, because of all the reasons you just outlined, people should stop doing that.

He has bought a lot with what he's overcome to come back, and it's not easy.

He's got Kaden Salter now.

He doesn't have Shadora Sanders.

He doesn't have a Heisman Trophy two-way player right now.

He is going through the hard stuff.

There's not College Game Day ain't going to Boulder these days.

It is pretty impressive to see what he's gone through, what he continues to fight through to be there for a whole new crop of kids.

I'm not actually questioning his commitment.

I'm questioning whether any of that is worth it to any human being who has accomplished what he's accomplished in his life.

Health stuff goes to the top of the list on how do you feel every day.

I think everybody would understand if he decided to step away at this point.

If he did so and we didn't know about his health battles and it was after Shadur and Travis Hunter left, people would use that as a confirmation bias for preconceived notions.

But I think he has bought so much in the last few months with things that have been made public that I think everybody would concede

you can do whatever you want here.

Once he's volunteering physical pain during games in the press conference because of blood clots and has already had two toes amputated and was a symbol for athletic virility at one point.

Youth.

To me, I wouldn't think that all of that is worth it if every physical step is painful.

But let's bring in Dave Damisjack.

I've told you already and told you before, Football America is a very good podcast, smart podcast, funny, clever, quirky.

Your thoughts are what here?

I didn't mean for it, and I don't mean for any of it to sound like criticism of his commitment.

I'm just looking at it from afar and saying, all of that seems not worth it, given that's as high as that's all going to climb.

Like, I don't believe there's a next job for him that is higher than that job.

And so why, why do it?

But what are your thoughts here, David, as we welcome you in?

Oh, listen, if I'm on a big heater at the at the 21 table, I am wise enough to pick up my chips and walk away at some point.

Yeah, I hear what you're saying about Deion, one of the most charismatic figures figures in football over the last quarter century, 40 years.

But then that

informs Shadur

in Cleveland.

And I think that is the paradox of Dion is

beloved by even,

in a way that I don't think very many other football luminaries are.

He's beloved by today's players.

Like 24-year-old cats love Deion Sanders and know the lore of him in a way that they don't know about Jerry Rice or Jim Kelly or guys like that.

And so

the weight of that is on Shadur, and it kind of

makes it clear to me, like, yeah, that's why nobody wanted to draft him because of because of the baggage of his

prestigious old man, right?

I mean, that's how I hear what you're saying.

I know you're talking about Deion, and I'm turning it into a Shadur conversation.

Yeah, I mean, of course,

I wouldn't hang on there.

I feel like Deion

is

on some level, and I'm going against what you guys are saying, and I'm being more cynical about it here.

I feel like no matter what, Deion was going to

disprove everybody's saying, like, well, he's going to walk away as soon as Shadur and Travis are gone.

He'll be out the door with them.

I think he was going to go back no matter what just to say, like, see, I'm still here.

I mean, I can't imagine under any circumstances him being being in Boulder, Colorado as the head coach of the Buffaloes in say, you know, three years, four years.

I think there's well, I just think once you throw the health stuff in with another variable, which is he's not relevant and he's not going to get relevant there.

It's not, he's not going to get more relevant there than he already was at the start.

Like he's already done the top end there.

He is a top 10 paid coach in the sport.

I think he's right around eight.

I mean, there's a lot of financial reasons to stick around and tough it out.

But I'll take the opportunity to transition to the pros since you mentioned Shador.

Well, I will say the greatest, one of the great stories in football lore is the Bill McCartney, Sal Onessi, Colorado Buffalo, that Sal Lanessi

is making time with

Bill McCartney's daughter and impregnates her.

And now Bill McCartney surely has some feelings about that.

And then

Sal Onessi takes ill and then becomes the inspirational figurehead of the Colorado Buffalo program.

Imagine how Bill McCartney must have felt with all the stuff he was doing on the side with

spreading the good word.

And now his daughter.

Samashek, you're one of the strangest people

in the universe.

Mike was trying to transition to something else.

It's one of the funniest stories there is.

I'm sad.

But

Salalosi.

Nobody you just told a good one.

You've got to explain it to Tony now because you use the phrase making time with Bill McCartney's daughter, and he doesn't know what that is.

What the hell is Bill McCartney?

He doesn't know what you're talking about.

Between the sheets in the bed.

No, I get that.

No, that part.

I don't know the players.

I don't know the characters you're talking about.

We got that part, but we don't know the players.

Anyways, we do know Shador Sandwich.

Who reportedly told the Baltimore Ravens he didn't want to go?

go there, which is funny because that would have been his quickest pathway to possibly playing.

But the Baltimore Ravens are a seven and a half point dog.

I read earlier today that 60% of the AFC offensive players of the week played the Baltimore Ravens in that week that they won the award.

So, Dave, a lot of people have yet to write this team off, but if they do indeed miss the playoffs this season, that's it.

That's a window closing, no?

You know, it all starts with the Baltimore Ravens, this era with Lamar and all of that.

And a fascinating discussion to be had is, does Lamar at this stage in his career need to sort of look at Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant and the mid-career adjustments they made fundamentally in the way they played the game?

This Lamar Jackson with the string of injuries now.

Like, I mean, you know,

it's not like, ah, you know, I got dinged up.

I mean, this is, you know, a plague now through

his MVP,

you know, laden career.

I mean, he still keeps having to sit down for long stretches here.

The John Harbaugh element of it is here's the amnesia everybody has about this.

They had to sign Joe Flacco after he wins the Super Bowl, so they're saddled with

that luxury tax of having to keep the guy who won them the Super Bowl.

But then it hamstrings them for the next several years, and

they get Lamar Jackson at the back end of the draft

after the Jacksonville Jaguars take

the great Taven Bryan instead of taking Lamar Jackson.

And

midway through Lamar Jackson's rookie season, they're scuffling along their under 500.

And the Ravens and John Harbaugh agree, that's it.

We're going to part ways.

And there are public announcements about this.

Like,

great run.

We're just going to move on from Coach Harbaugh after this year.

We, you know, all that kind of stuff.

And then Joe Flacco gets hurt.

And they have to put Lamar Jackson in and they take off.

And now all of a sudden, John Harbaugh's gotten another however many years it's been of like, what a brilliant savvy.

Look how nimble he is.

He adjusted.

He went from Flacco to Lamar Jackson and didn't skip a beat.

He just got jammed into having to put Lamar Jackson in there.

So, yes, long story short, Mike Ryan, I do think that this is probably the point to take the off-ramp with John Harbaugh, as good as he is and as quickly as he'll get scooped up by another pro football team.

Yeah, I think that this is where you have to pull the plug because we can talk about, here's where Nick Wright and I park our cars in the same garage on this show and otherwise.

It does matter what you do in January, and they don't do anything in January, even though they have the guy who's won multiple MVPs at QB.

Yes, this would be the place to move on and reassess that.

I can't believe what he's saying here.

It looks like the window's closing, but it's five games.

They're seven and a half point talking over because $160 million of their $280 million salaries are hurt.

But it's not getting any better next season if they miss a playoff.

You're not parked in their garage.

Can I throw an idea out there?

Baltimore Ravens call the Pittsburgh Steelers and they say, you know what?

We want to propose a trade

John Harbaugh for Mike Tomlin.

Whoa.

Do you do it?

I'm not interested in that because

that doesn't address

what the Steelers' problem is.

But yeah, that's kind of a fun comp.

I mean, who is perceived to be the better coach at this point?

I hardly objective on this.

Well, but what are we doing in general, okay?

Because he's not wrong about Harbaugh and what happened with Lamar Jackson, but we can do this to anybody.

Belichick didn't want to play Brady.

Like, Bledsoe's lungs filled with blood, and then he had to play Brady.

I don't think that's true, though, Dan.

I think that, in fact, I've talked to guys who were in that locker room, and the only guy, even after, in the AFC title game, Tom Brady is in there, starts the game in Heinz Field after the tuck rule and all of that,

survives that.

He starts the game in Pittsburgh.

They're, I think, nine and a half or 10-point point dogs or whatever they were I was in the stadium that day oh my god he knows he happens to know

come everyone come and listen

he happens to know

well informed it was 14 to three at the half you know that it was a shocker for the Patriots you know that this who in the hell are they they got the they got the the Michigan Wolverines backup quarterback playing against us and we're losing 14 to three at the half And this was at the start of when they had halftime performances.

I don't know if you've heard about the big announcement about Bad Bunny getting a lot of heat, but anyway, this was at the dawn of this era where they jammed in pop stars into halftimes of big football games.

And Cheryl Crowe hits the stage at Heinz Field.

The locals

are just

beside ourselves.

And Cheryl Crow steps up on the stage.

He's like, How you doing, Pittsburgh?

All I want to do,

boo, everybody booed.

It was a terrible day.

Anyway, after they survive that game, Brady gets hurt and Bledsoe has to come in during that game, throws a touchdown pass.

The Patriots beat the Steelers that day.

Even after Bledsoe coming in as the relief pitcher and playing hero there, everybody in the locker room knew Brady was the answer, including Belichick.

It is a balls move if you think about it, that he has the highly paid Drew Bledsoe, and he decides to roll against the mighty St.

Louis Rams in the Super Bowl with Tom Brady but apparently it was not that bold a stroke according to you know I've talked like I say to a bunch of those guys that were on the team and they said oh no no there was no question about it it had to be Brady in the Super Bowl oh but no no but I wasn't talking about the Super Bowl I'm talking about Brady's first start Belichick didn't want to play him Bledsoe got hurt on the sidelines his lungs filled with blood and then Brady's their starter there this is gonna happen here with Carson Wentz now.

Like J.J.

McCarthy may or may not be good, but Carson Wentz did something at the end of the games.

And until he loses, they're not going to take him out.

They'll keep him in there because these coaches don't actually know as much.

We give them a lot of credit for stuff, but you just fired John Harbaugh after five bad games when his entire roster is hurt.

Well, you know what's funny about, I mean, the best.

most recent example of that is Jackson Dart and Brian Dable.

Dable did not want to have to put Dart in until the last possible moment of the season where he absolutely had to pull the ripcord.

He wanted to ride with Russell Wilson because riding with Russell Wilson extends his

job, the life of his job, as long as they're getting by with that.

And at the same time, I think there was a case as recently as

before Thursday night football that you could say like, well, what Danny Dimes is doing as as Indiana Jones there is worthy of Brian Dable losing his job in New York, that he let him out of the building.

It's the same effect that I keep saying over and over again about, you know, the Steelers letting George Pickens out of the building shows a flawed approach.

Same thing with not drafting Jackson Dart when he was sitting there when you need a quarterback.

So Brian Dable, you could make a case like, Man, this cat doesn't know what he's doing.

He let, look how good Danny Dimes is with better coaching there.

But now all of a sudden that's obscured by the fact that Jackson Dart is taking off and that may well save Brian Dable's job.

To your point, he had to put Jackson Dart in because Russ was so bad, but he didn't want to have to put him in this early in the season.

This show is sponsored by BetterHelp.

October 10th was World Mental Health Day.

BetterHelp used that day to put a spotlight on the real heroes, the therapists.

the ones who show up, listen, and help you figure your life out.

Because every session isn't just talk.

It's a moment that matters.

Like learning to be patient with your kids, fixing a relationship, or finally shutting off your brain at 2 a.m.

Now I love my friends, don't get me wrong, but they're not therapists.

My group chat, total chaos.

Sometimes you need someone who knows what they're doing.

That's where BetterHelp comes in.

Over the last 12 years, they've helped more than 5 million people connect with over 30,000 licensed therapists around the world.

It's the biggest online therapy platform out there, with a 4.9 rating from over 1.7 million reviews.

Here's the thing, life's hard on and off the field.

Talking to someone trained to help can make all the difference.

World Mental Health Day has passed, but we're still celebrating the therapists who've helped millions of people take a step forward.

If you're ready to find the right therapist for you, BetterHelp can help you start that journey.

All listeners get 10% off their first month at betterhelp.com slash D-L-B.

That's BetterHelp, H-E-L-P.com slash D-L-B.

Hey, audience, I got a special treat for you because I want to talk to you about Miller Light, but I want to talk talk to you about Miller Light with my good friend Rose.

Hey, Rose.

Hi, everybody.

When we hang out, and we hang out often, we're friends.

I consider us friends.

Yeah, me too.

We're often toasting the good times.

And what am I toasting with?

With Miller Light.

That's right, Miller Light.

Whether you're hanging out with your dear friend Rose or at game day, it just hits different when you got a Miller Light in your hand.

From jaw-dropping touchdowns to fantasy heartbreaks, it's a beer that has been there for every moment.

50 years of great taste, simple ingredients, and that iconic golden color that you can spot across the room.

And it's just not the color of the beer, which is brilliant.

That beautiful white can.

How beautiful is that?

Is that you doing the sound of a can opening?

Is that your favorite sound?

No, it is a horsey.

A horsey?

All right, we'll stop doing that.

And here's a kicker.

Miller Light is just 96 calories, 3.2 carbs per 12 ounces.

The original light beer since 1975.

That's right.

And still hitting different five decades later.

You're so good at this, Rose.

I know.

So whatever your game day looks like, remember, Miller time is always a good time.

Look at us.

We're a great tag team.

High five again.

Can you do that beer sound one more time?

And the horse sound one more time?

I regret asking you about that one, but the Miller Light sound is good.

Miller Light, great taste, 96 calories.

Go to MillerLight.com/slash shin to find delivery options near you, or you can pick up some Miller Light pretty much anywhere they sell beer.

It's Miller time.

Celebrate responsive.

Miller Brewing Company, Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

Zinn.

96 calories and 3.2 carbs per 12 ounce.

On sess.

No, it says.

Oh, ses.

What does Zinn give you?

Not just smoke-free nicotine satisfaction, but real freedom.

Freedom to do what you love and choose your rewards.

With Zinn Rewards, you can redeem points for premium tech, outdoor gear, and gift cards to your favorite retailers.

Find your Zinn and keep finding rewards that fit your lifestyle at zinn.com/slash rewards.

Warning.

This product contains nicotine.

Nicotine is an addictive chemical.

Dan Lebatard.

It's a judge coach, sweetie.

Stugats.

I should go say hello.

This is the Don Lebatar Show with the Stugats.

It is weird to me the way that we take these leaders and we assign all sorts of intellect to them that they don't often have.

He is...

like Nick Siriani?

Well, that's one, but it feels like I can do this with a whole lot of people because I know, but you need, but you need to have like the must-have with very few exceptions, Andy Reid, the era of Andy Reed

and

KOC and McVay and Shanny and all of that.

And amidst this, like, you got to have a progressive, offensive-minded play caller and orchestrator of all things.

And while all that's going on, Nick Siriani has been in two of the last three Super Bowls, both against the Chiefs.

And he won one of them.

Nick Siriani, that guy?

The guy who yells at his own fans?

That guy?

It's paradoxical.

And I advise the 31 other teams to not pay any mind to what the Eagles are doing.

Whatever voodoo they have worked to earn that Lombardi, it is not your business.

Same thing with the tush push, and I heard you talking about that earlier very quickly.

I just want to say

the idea that it's boring and all of that completely agree but I thought last Thursday night the Rams against the the the Niners Mac Jones is out there on one leg and with his weird his weird bosoms that he that he has that are created was bosoms plural Mac Jones he's got pad tits he's got he's got he's got those whoa

he's got a ripped jersey damage check what are you talking about

his performance was admirable I just said as much it was great I thought he does nevertheless nevertheless, he does.

Look at that.

He's titsy.

But anyway,

listen, he wasn't farting his way down the field, as someone once said.

That is a great way.

If you want to campaign against the tush-push, Dan, that's the way to do it.

Like, do we want to watch these high-end athletes fart their way up and down the field?

They've got Adri Brown and Devontae Smith.

I know, I love it.

They got her.

But listen, Mac Jones, he's on one.

They can be nihilistic with him.

He's the backup QB, but still in the big spot they said hey Mac we need you to tush push it here and so he did and they got the first down in that spot so with two minutes or so left in the game or even less than that I thought it was telling or I guess it's in the last 45 seconds or 30 seconds even the Rams are in a spot to

get into the end zone I'm trying to I'm fuzzy or was it just to get a first down within the you know

they're two minutes left in the game and and they can't but the point is they couldn't tush push the All the fumble and all, you know, they couldn't, they had to run with Kyron Lacey in tight formation.

I mean,

Kyron Williams in tight formation and everything.

They couldn't use Matthew Stafford because of his bad back to tush push.

And so that's a competitive disadvantage that the Rams now have that we need to pay attention to through these playoffs.

And so therefore, I think you kind of have to keep the tush push, at least for this season, but it's all a moot point because after this season is over, they are going to get rid of it no matter how much anybody likes it in Philly or otherwise.

David, it's now week six.

Is this an acceptable time to have Baker Mayfield as my MVP leader?

I mean, if you want to start with this jive, go ahead, have time.

It's just, you know, there are only so many, so many minutes left on the big blue marble.

And if you want to devote them to talking about in early October who the MVP of pro football is, have at it.

I like to talk about more important things like this.

My son, my 11-year-old boy, came to me the other day out of the blue.

Just,

you know,

it wasn't like it was a part of an ongoing discussion.

He came to me and he said this, potato or tomato.

And I said,

What do you mean, potato or tomato?

He said, You can only have one for the rest of your life and then the other one is out.

You can never eat it again.

I turn it to you guys.

Potato.

What's the curve?

Well, that's the easy answer.

You got to take it easy.

Don't jump into something because this is the rest of your life now.

You're eliminating tomato pasta.

It's an ingredient on everything.

Alfredo pasta.

No, I okay.

Bye-bye, potato.

Hello, tomato.

You'll never have French fries again?

Are you insane?

Or chips?

You can't have ketchup.

Mashed potatoes?

Here's the thing.

Never going to have, that's right.

All sauces, almost all sauces have a tomato base.

Italian sauces.

I mean,

here's what the wise asses say.

Like, so what?

I can eat Alfredo.

But listen.

You're going to be awfully resentful of that

200th plate of of chicken picata at the Italian restaurant while everyone around you is eating meatballs and spaghetti and pizza and all the rest of it.

You will come to resent Italian food very quickly.

You know what else is out without tomatoes?

Barbecue.

You want the same effect.

Like, oh, I can go dry rub.

How much dry rub do you want to put want passing your lips for the rest of time without sweet barbecue sauce to go along with it?

It's a very tough question.

I'm not saying there are easy answers answers here.

You flipped me.

Salsa.

Salsa.

Yeah, you flipped me.

Get out of here, potato.

Well, wait a minute.

Okay, it is a more difficult question than you thought because everyone's instantaneous reaction is going to be, I can't keep potatoes, but then you eliminate pizza.

Now we've got a real problem.

We've got a delay.

That's the crux.

Here's the other thing for tomato.

One more thing on tomato is, oh, by the way, potato, if you're a vodka drinker, it's out.

So that's a shame.

Mike Wentz.

So's the Bloody Mary.

so's the Bloody Mary.

Well, and also,

for me, I love with my french fries, I like some ketchup, and and now I don't get that, so I, you know, that's that's a big loss for my French fry eating.

Uh, Damaschek, I will tell the people again to watch Football America twice a week, Mondays and Fridays on YouTube, where he does whatever he wants, as he does on our show when we ask him questions and he took it to potato tomato and we were trying to do football with him.

He's got no time for Baker Mayfield.

He does whatever it is that he wants to do.

He's a hater, he hasn't forgiven him for winning that playoff game.

Oh, Pad Tits.

That's right.

Pad Tits is what he has.

And Steve Smith has a bunch of stories.

He joins us on today's Football America coming up at the top of the hour.

It's grand stuff.

Be there, Gino Fuentes, Mike Fuentes.

And like I say, Steve Smith.

What else do you need?

Well, more than that, because Gino Fuentes is second village.

How mad is Mike Fuentes that Gino was said first?

That's right.

Gino went first.

Gino Fuentes, Mike Fuentes.

What else do you need?

Well,

more than that.

I need more than that.

Pad tits is all I need.

Pad tits.

Oh, I know.

We unveil a brand new game with Steve Smith.

Two of the stoniest philosophers of our society right now are, of course, Matthew McConaughey and Mike McDaniel.

So we put Steve Smith to the test.

We play McC or McD.

I give him quotes, and he has to determine which stony philosopher issued them.

We know where Jeremy stands.

See you later, Damashek.

Again, I will tell the people, Football America, it is fun.

It is unusual.

It is smart as well, and you will enjoy it.

Thank you, Damashek, for being on with us.

Hey, it's Tony from the Dan Lebatard show, and I got to tell you something that makes me feel a lot safer with my wife and kid at home.

It's Simply Safe.

Most security systems only react after a break-in.

And that's too late, if you want to be honest.

Real security stops crime before it even starts.

I just watched a video that was absolutely terrifying.

An arson is trying to light a family home on fire.

And you know what?

SimplySafe stopped it before anybody got hurt.

Their AI-powered camera spotted the threat, alerted the monitoring agent, and the intruder got confronted while still outside the house.

That's what I call real security, pre-security, not post-security.

I trust SimplySafe with my home, my family, and everything I care about.

No hidden fees, no long-term contracts.

And they've been named one of the best home security systems by U.S.

News for five years running.

Right now, Levitard Show listeners can get 50% off a SimplySafe system at simply safe.com/slash slash DLB.

That's simply safe.com slash DLB.

Try it risk-free with their 60-day money-back guarantee and see why I trust them so much.

There's no safe like Simply Safe.

Every October, my pets get just as excited as the rest of the family, which sounds cute until you realize that means I need costumes that actually fit.

Toys that don't fall apart instantly, and treats they won't just sniff and walk away from.

Luckily, Chewy has it all.

Fast delivery, great deals, everything in one place.

Dopey's happy, Izzy's happy.

I look like I know what I'm doing.

They've got food, treats, toys, even flea meds, all shipped to my door in a day or two.

And if I have questions like which flea treatment's best, or if my dogs can actually pull off a taco costume, someone at Chewie's there 24-7.

Plus, with a hundred percent satisfaction guarantee, I can return anything within a year.

Finding costumes for bigger dogs is usually impossible, but Chewie has sizes for everyone.

This Halloween, make your pets be part of the celebration.

Shop costumes, toys, and treats with Chewy.

Go to chewpanions.chewy.com slash Lebatard Show to get $20 off your first order.

That's chewpannions.chewy.com slash Lebatard Show to get $20 off your first order.

Chewpanions.chewy.com slash Lebatard Show.

Howdy, folks, it's Mike Ryan.

Super excited to talk to you about the official ticketing partner of the Dan Lebatard Show.

They've been a good partner of ours, and I couldn't be prouder of it because, folks, you know, I really use Game Time.

I practice what I preach here, people, because the Game Time app gives the advantage back to fans.

It's a hack for unlocking amazing tickets, especially when it comes to the National Football League.

It is hard to get some really prime NFL tickets, and GameTime makes it so incredibly easy because the interface is beautiful and easy to understand.

And the Game Time guarantee means that you can trust that you'll be getting 100% authentic tickets on time and at the best price.

Plus, fees are always included.

So what you you see is what you pay.

You get zone deals, favorites, panoramic seat views, a low-price guarantee, and GameTime's unparalleled ticket coverage.

Take the guesswork out of buying NFL tickets with GameTime.

Download the Game Time app, create an account, and use code Dan for $20 off your first purchase.

Terms apply.

Again, create an account and redeem code DAN for $20 off.

Swipe, tap, ticket, go.

Download the Game Time app today.

Don Lebatard.

Football.

Football.

Football

Football Football Foodball Stugats

This is the Dan Lebatar Show with the Stugats

One of the things that he mentioned from that Rams game, because I thought he was talking about something else.

I always thought he was talking about the last two minutes of the game.

Yes, the Rams lost that game because on fourth and short with the lead late, they couldn't keep the ball because they couldn't convert on a fourth and short.

But late in that game,

Al Michaels and Kirk Herbstreet said because there were two minutes left in the game and the Rams were in position to win it and Stafford had the football.

He said, said, There's no one you want more in this situation.

There's no one you want more having the football in this situation than Matthew Stafford.

And I think he's probably right, isn't he?

Like, for all the conversations that we had all along the path of, is Matthew Stafford worthy of being the highest paid quarterback in football?

He was for one time, so was Carson Wentz.

As a value trait, the one that Mahomes and Brady have

is that late in the game, everyone knew, including the other team, you don't want him to have the football.

That's where we are with Stafford, right?

We're approaching there with Mayfield.

I'm still expecting, as Mike makes Mayfield MVP in week six, I'm still expecting the game when Mayfield throws the interception late because that is something.

He's a reckless quarterback.

What happened against Philadelphia?

He had another opportunity down the line, but yeah.

But with Baker, big champion for a healthy amount of interceptions.

I mean, because he he goes for throws that no one else but but but but when i'm talking about trust late in games i no longer expect matthew stafford to throw the late interception i did when he was in detroit he's not a different quarterback baker mayfield spoke to this this week okay because he says i used to be immature i used to be reckless i haven't changed i'm still the same person but now that we're winning and i'm at the top of the standings and we've won the division four straight times, now the perception of me has changed.

I'm going to keep slinging it fearlessly and sometimes I'm going to throw interceptions.

I told you guys that I try and not get too high, not get too low, which is something that I was not doing early on in my career.

But you know, early on in my career,

yeah, it's looked as cocky, immature.

Now it's Moxie, he's a dog.

So it's

same different day.

As long as you play well, they change the narrative, but you just got to be yourself.

And I've always been like that.

I was going to say, have you changed that much?

I mean, everybody has a natural growth and

we're not meant to stay stagnant but you still seem at the core the same person.

Yeah at the core definitely the same but

yeah matured in different ways not worried about little things that really don't matter.

Now you put it in the landscape of a competitive football game in that atmosphere that's that'll never change.

Can you guys just freeze that right there?

Just freeze the end of that and I want you to look in both stature and body language.

That does not look like an NFL quarterback.

In stature and body language, just how he's sitting there, that is not the quarterback to be most feared in the league at any time in my lifetime, except for perhaps before I was born when Sonny Jugenson was a quarterback of small stature.

Like physically, look at the way that he doesn't even fit in that shirt.

He does not look like the guy who's leading you as the greatest of the Warriors.

It's an oversized shirt.

Look at him.

Look, just look at his body language.

You're used to the quarterback quarterback filling the screen.

I don't mean this as any disparagement of it because the balls are not on the screen.

And if they were, he would then have the stature of an NFL quarterback.

I love that he could have very easily played into whatever narrative you want the NFL media.

It would further endear yourself to the media.

This guy learned how to mature.

This is the story.

No, you guys had it wrong.

I was this kind of dog the entire time.

I went into Pittsburgh with the Cleveland Browns as a number one undersized draft pick, and I won a playoff game.

I tried to play Hurt.

They got rid of me.

They had me as DN scout team on Carolina.

You had it wrong.

I haven't changed.

It's almost like the RG3 thing where it's like all these great coaches like they didn't know how to coach me.

That's basically what we're looking for.

Only in this instance, RG3 was right.

Whereas RG3 is kind of a joke because he's like going at like Sean McVay and Kyle Shanahan.

Like, oh, right, but these are like the greatest coaches.

But you look at Stefanski and it's like Stefanski's a good coach and it's like, didn't know how to use him right now.

Botched it.

Botched it.

But I will say from talking to people that were really plugged in, maybe that had to happen to baker in cleveland like the locker room had turned against him that was like a miles baker thing and they went with miles that seems like i happen to know that feels like he happens to know

great scott he happens to know

gather everyone get the children he happens to know

So wise.

They did a bad job of mending those fences.

Baker probably shouldn't have played through that injury and everything was made worse by both his performance and the relationships that he had in that locker room were made worse by him trying to be out there for his team, which is something that has remained consistent throughout his career, up until this day, where he puts out a social media posting him standing in front of his teammates.

Not a solo photo, him in front of his teammates in that tunnel as he's getting heckled and said all sorts of foul things in his direction.

Name the place, name the time.

Speaking of football, we have a guest in the wings here who is going to give you something that you really want right now.

Matthew Berry, Matthew Berry,

Matthew Berry,

Matthew Berry!

He's really got to like that as intro.

It's strong.

Anybody would want to be introduced that way, even if their name weren't Matthew Berry.

Like, he's here to give us very fantastic.

It'd be God for someone else.

It would be, but I'd like it if it was my introduction.

I have to be honest.

If I had that music, I would like it, even though my name is clearly not Matthew Berry.

Everyone here is, look at how hyped everyone is.

They're here, hyped for fantasy, Matthew.

Can you hit a rewind one more time?

I love the intro so much.

Let's do it again so that he can just go straight into giving you maximum information as fast as he can when you need it this weekend.

Matthew Berry.

Matthew Berry.

Matthew Berry.

Matthew Berry.

Unbelievable.

Unbelievable.

I love that music.

That's great.

I'm going to make my wife listen to that.

Listen, Dan, last last year so far this year no team has allowed more touchdown passes than the baltimore ravens they've given up eight in just the past two weeks before and over the last four weeks matthew stafford ranks fourth in fantasy points per pass attempt stafford gets the ravens this week so far this year there are only five teams in the nfl with a higher pass rate over expectation than the denver broncos bonix is averaging 35 pass attempts per game and this week gets a jets team that allows touchdown passes at the second highest rate in the nfl so far this year the san francisco 49ers are allowing the fifth most receptions to opposing running backs.

This week, they have to face Rashad White, a good pass-catching running back who on the year last week had a 12.5% target share.

He also had 75% of the Buccaneers total team touches.

I saw you talk about Baker Mayfield.

Baker and White will be busy on Sunday against the Niners, who have allowed, by the way, 120 yards to scrimmage to an opposing running back three of the last five games.

Rashad White about to go off.

Over the last three weeks, only Chris McCaffrey and Josh Jacobs are averaging more touches per game than Quinchon Judkins, who plays for Baker's former team, the Browns.

And it's worth noting that no team allows more rushing yards per game or higher yards per carry to opposing running backs than the Chicago Bears.

I bring that up because last week we saw the emergence of Bill Krosky-Merritt Jakore, as some people call him, 6.6 yards per carry, highest in the NFL for a running back.

Every single game this year, Tedoreau Mmm of the Carolina Panthers has gotten at least eight targets.

Wide receivers that have seen at least seven targets against the Cowboys this year are averaging 26 fantasy points per game, and every single one of them scored at least 15.

A TET breakout game is coming and it's coming this Sunday.

By the way, over the last two weeks, Stefan Diggs is the 10th best wide receiver in fantasy football.

He's had back-to-back games with a 40% target share.

He's the 10th best fantasy wide receiver without a touchdown.

Every week this year, but one Cortlandled Sutton has finished as a top 16 wide receiver.

Two last things here.

Last week, Jake Tungus is the San Francisco 49ers tight end.

He had a 23% target share.

He scored in three out of five games this year.

And each of the last two games, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have allowed multiple touchdowns to opposing tight ends.

Not saying he's awesome, but could you do worse 100% if you're desperate for a tight end?

And by the way, over the last two weeks, no tight end NFL has a higher utilization score than Mason Taylor, the Jets 88.

A utilization score is a metric that we came up with at fantasylife.com that uses all the underlying data to come up with one simple number of how a fantasy player, how an NFL player is used in fantasy statistics.

And it's an ultimate predictor of future fantasy success on a scale of 1 to 100.

Mason Taylor is an 88, the highest of any Titan in the NFL over the last two weeks.

So from everything that you just said, Matthew, can you tell us what you believe to be your surest bet this week?

Like the thing that you feel most confident in based on what you're watching in terms of mismatches between here's a team's strength versus a team's weakness.

Yeah, it's a little dangerous because I'm banking on Bryce Young, who has struggled so far this year, but I'm a huge believer in Tetero McMillan's ability, his usage, and it's an unbelievable matchup with the Cowboys.

So I am all in on Tetero McMillan, and I do believe a big breakout game is coming.

And I feel like it's going to be this weekend against the Cowboys.

Rashad White, as well as we talked about, the Buccaneers running back, just the workload he's going to get and how much the 49ers struggle against pass-catching running backs.

So those would be my two biggest ones of all the ones I just told you, Dan.

Again, for the audience, you guys know that this guy does it better than anybody when it comes to giving you information that's very well informed.

It's very hard to predict this stuff.

All he's doing is probabilities, but it's very researched probabilities.

He's well informed.

You can find everything Matthew's got on fantasy, fantasylife.com.

Check out his fantasy football happy hour Sundays at noon on YouTube and on Peacock.

Every day on YouTube, Chris.

Every day.

It's Monday through Friday on YouTube, noon Eastern, and then, of course, on Peacock and wherever you get podcasts.

Get it right, Chris.

Yeah, Chris.

It was a quick text from me.

It's not Chris's fault.

It is Chris's fault.

I should have been clear.

Chris is going to get chopped from the guillotine league, but I didn't happen to know.

And from the show.

Thank you, Matthew.

Appreciate the time, sir.

Talk to you next week.

Thanks, Dan.

See you guys.

Good luck.

Thank you, sir.

We are going to open up the club here in a little while, and I do want to update some polls as well.

What are you guys laughing about?

You guys are just making fun of me.

At least I had good imaging.

You moron.

Yeah, it's really good.

It does save you a little bit.

It is good.

We have to bait it down so it doesn't sound like it's a Matthew Berry.

We're in a fantasy league with Matthew Berry, Dan, and things are heating up in our fantasy league.

What's happening?

Are you guys beating him?

No, well, I mean, there's basically like six of the 12 teams are active, basically, and we're getting to the point, it's a guillotine league.

So every week, the person with the lowest score of that week gets eliminated from the league, and then all their players become available.

So we're getting to the point where now the sharks are starting to bite here.

And we're getting down to the point where the only people that are actually competing are going to be left soon.

And we're going to see who's who.

But you only have $1,000 that you can bid on each player and they're blind bids.

Dan's spending a lot of money.

Yeah.

You're in the league, Dan.

I don't know if you're aware.

The team that you are on has $8 left.

And we're about five weeks into the season.

So a bit of mismanagement of the funds so far because you have to kind of plan for the full season here.

Now, that makes things interesting because then you figure out, like, do I have to bid this amount or do I only bid enough so that this person who needs this position can't get this player, which is where we're at?

He said he's high on Mason Taylor.

We knew that from Matthew Berry because he spent $26 on Mason Taylor this week.

When, if you're kind of paying attention to our league, probably could have got him for three or even a waiver claim, potentially.

Don't hold it against Matthew that we think

more information.

Matthew's somewhat at a disadvantage in our league because he actually knows what he's doing, and it's not a bunch of idiots who are getting players for $1 to $3 or $350.

Mike Fuentes picked up Malik Neighbors two weeks ago for $250.

The next week, he tears his ACO and he's gone.

This league is honestly awesome.

Like, I wish every fantasy.

By the way, Mike Ryan is about to get chopped.

And it's guillotineleague.com.

GuillotineLeague.com is where we go.

I'm going to tell him, so he's not paying attention.

He's got some players.

Me and you're going to have to fight for those players.

I got Jackson Smith and Jay Bomb Connect.

Gino Fuentes, star of Football America, is the one who's spending prodigiously on my fantasy team in a way that is reckless.

He's $8

unwise.

$8.

That means I have $8 out of $1,000.

Oh, I know.

I'm just listening to this.

I'm enjoying this.

He was there the whole time.

He's been learning.

I just enjoyed this.

This is great listening.

Oh, no, no, no, no, no, I'm going overbid for Mason Taylor.

I'm in, you know, I'm in a 20 league.

So I'm just like, what's he worth?

I grab it.

Like, you know, so there you go.

So

I was curious about that because we were talking Matthew off-air about it.

We're like, poor Matthew, like, he actually knows what these players are worth.

So he's going in there.

He's like, man, this person's worth $97.

Like, this idiot league, we could have had him for like four.

Yeah, I'm playing it like I'm playing it legitimately, like it's a straight-up league, moron than I am.

So are we.

We're playing it straight, too.

Yeah, there's no logic of this league, but it is.

But at least you know, I practice what I preach is I'm sitting here, you know, touting Mason Taylor.

At least, you know, I'm putting my money where Tech McMillan, too.

Why are you still here listening to us talking about

our fantasy ladies?

No, it's Matthew Berry.

I'm so friendly to guys displaying guillotine league.

Matthew Berry.

Matthew Berry.

Hey, audience, I got a special treat for you because I want to talk to you about Miller Light, but I want to talk to you about Miller Light with my good friend Rose.

Hey, Rose.

Hi, everybody.

When we hang out, and we hang out often, we're friends.

I consider us friends.

Yeah, me too.

We're often toasting the good times.

And what am I toasting with?

With Miller Light.

That's right, Miller Light.

Whether you're hanging out with your dear friend Rose or at game day, it just hits different when you got a Miller Light in your hand.

From jaw-dropping touchdowns to fantasy heartbreaks, it's a beer that has been there for every moment.

50 years of great taste, simple ingredients, and that iconic golden color that you can spot across the room.

And it's just not the color of the beer, which is brilliant.

That beautiful white can.

How beautiful is that?

Is that you doing the sound of a can opening?

Is that your your favorite sound?

Oh, no, it is a horsey.

A horsey?

All right, we'll stop doing that.

And here's a kicker.

Miller Light is just 96 calories, 3.2 carbs per 12 ounces.

The original light beer since 1975.

That's right.

And still hitting different five decades later.

You're so good at this, Rose.

I know.

So, whatever your game day looks like, remember, Miller time is always a good time.

Look at us.

We're a great tag team.

High five again.

Can you do that beer sound one more time?

And the horse sound one more time?

I regret asking you about that one, but the Miller Light sound is good.

Miller Light, great taste, 96 calories.

Go to millerlight.com/slash shan to find delivery options near you, or you can pick up some Miller Light pretty much anywhere they sell beer.

It's Miller.

Time.

Celebrate responsive.

Miller Brewing Company, Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

10.

96 calories and 3.2 carbs per 12 ounce.

I'm sess.

No, it says.

Oh, ses.