The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz
Dave Called It: Tomlin Out, MJD In & the Best Weekend of the Year
16 Jan 2026
Chapter 1: What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
Hi and hello my fellow football Americans. We got our guy Maurice Jones-Drew on the way to help get right for the divisional round. Meantime, we got us a real glass half empty or is it half full situation.
As you may have heard, Mike Tomlin's 19-year run as Steelers head coach ended on Tuesday and ever since it's been a non-stop Marty Supreme promotion with opinions ping-ponging from one side saying Tomlin wasn't appreciated enough to the other side saying they wish he'd left a decade ago. Now, on one hand, Tomlin's this century's greatest floor raiser.
Some of those teams he got to the playoffs had no business being there. And on the other hand, he underachieved by not reaching a Super Bowl over the five-year stretch he had one of the league's five best quarterbacks, one of the two best wide receivers, and the best running back. Was it impressive he went to two Super Bowls in his first four years? Yes.
Was it bad he didn't win a playoff game in his last nine years? Also, yes.
Chapter 2: What led to Mike Tomlin's departure from the Steelers?
Now, whether you see that glass as half empty or full, we can all agree there's something in there. Which brings me to another big story this week, the Jacksonville Reporter praising Liam Cohen. Listen, of course it's nice to be nice, and I don't know anyone in this dumb biz who's stressed it's just football and had more fun than I have over the last 20 years or so.
But don't forget, you need two sides to play ping pong, and most other sports too. It shouldn't come down to whose voice is loudest, and I say that as someone who can get pretty loud. The other option is letting subjective thought erase facts. Of course the grotesquely wealthy would rather you just join them in good vibes and not challenge their authority. They're in charge after all.
You therefore have every right to believe you're going to live on Mars in a few years because a rich guy said so. Doesn't make it true though. You remember group science projects in middle school? There was always one kid in the group who did 90% of the work? That's reporters. Do you want to do it?
Football teams have offensive linemen who'd make bad receivers and receivers who'd make bad linemen. Likewise, sports media has pundits and analysts and hosts and draft experts and reporters. And most ain't got Travis Hunter's versatility. Yeah, it's just sports, sure. Not like there's any history of the lines between sports and more important stuff blurring.
Chapter 3: How does the cold weather affect the Rams' performance?
Well, except for two network morning news shows now starring former NFL players and an ex-ESPN anchor. Was it just sports for Al E and Russell? How about Jackie Robinson and Roberto Clemente? How about performance artist slash right-wing pundit Stephen A? Doesn't seem like it's just sports for him. Pat McAfee is right when he says a lot of people in sports media don't love sports.
I think that's a shame because it's not just any job. It's talking about sports after all. I mean, I get to tell my wife, sorry, I can't go apple picking this weekend. I have to watch the game for work. Conversely, we know Stephen A doesn't really watch the games. They only exist to further promote himself and his solitaire app.
But I think sports do matter and sports need biased and delusional fans. At least I hope they do because I'm one of them. I also think the objective truth matters in sports and otherwise. Why? Well, like the former Steelers head coach used to say, the standard is the standard. Let's unleash hell and start the show.
Chapter 4: What are the implications of the Texans' defense on their playoff chances?
yes hi and hello and welcome to the divisional round my fellow football americans welcome to football america we're presented as ever by our pals over at draft kings draft kings the crown is yours it's episode 43 we have one of the great football talkers on the planet earth maurice jones drew about to join us to help break down the four divisional round games if you don't know
Maurice is now the color analyst on the radio for the Rams, so he has some big thoughts about how his team, his new team, the Jags are his old team. He's over them. He's going with the Rams, though, up to chilly Chicago. We're going to get his thoughts on that game, the other four games, all the rest of it.
Meantime, as we do, at the top of every episode, real quick here, I say it's episode 43, the players who wore that number best in the NFL. Clear cut, it's Troy Palomalu. I think we take our first dip into motorsports and the history of football America here. King Richard, Richard Petty, and in baseball, Dennis Eckersley.
I bring him up because he had a long, great Hall of Fame career, starting pitcher for the Red Sox, then becomes the best reliever of the era for the athletics. But what is he best known for? Giving up that home run in Game 1 of the 1988 World Series, Kirk Gibson. I mention that because those are the stakes of the divisional round and on in the NFL here.
Chapter 5: Can the Rams overcome their struggles against the Bears?
Sam Darnold may not like that. Josh Allen may not like it. It may feel unfair to put it all on their shoulders. That's how it works. We've talked about it before. Limited sample sizes. The advanced analytics peeps don't have to like it, but that's how history works, and we're about to see some history.
Meantime, history for John Harbaugh in Baltimore, that's over with, but he's now the New York Giants coach. All the teams with openings are lining up. Coordinators all over the place. College coaches and otherwise to interview to see who gets the gig. Your thoughts, Gino and Mike. Mike and Gino Fuentes, how are you, fellas?
Well, you mentioned John Harbaugh, and I used to have the music for Happens to Know here, but I guess through the miracle of television, we're adding it in post. Now, there's something that I might know or I might not know, and I don't want to know, and that is this. John Harbaugh looks like he's going to be the new man in New York, but he took a week off.
After the end of the Ravens season, why did he do that? Why would he take a week off? Everybody, people want to talk to this man. He's a big get. Why would people want to talk? Or why would he wait to talk? He has all the leverage. Why not? Why let people think? Why?
Chapter 6: What are the predictions for the divisional round matchups?
Well, because in between him taking a one-week sabbatical, the Buffalo Bills and the Jacksonville Jaguars played a little game. And this is a take that was championed by my colleague and friend, Mike Ryan, on the Dan Levitard Show. And he said, and I agree,
that John Harbaugh was actually waiting for the result of the Bills and the Jacksonville Jaguars because that Buffalo Bills job may have become open. Is that true? I don't know.
Chapter 7: How do injuries impact the 49ers and Seahawks rivalry?
Wait, I find it.
So you're saying that he was waiting for Josh Allen to make sure. I don't know.
I don't want to know. You just laid out a whole conspiracy, but then you don't want to know if it's true.
Look, listen. Dave, I'm a big Marvel fan. Okay? And what happens when things happen in those movies? New timelines are created. Okay? New timelines. They split off. You're right. I don't want to know.
When there's events. Exactly. You don't want to know this, but I didn't.
And I don't know, and I don't want to know. I'm just saying that there's a scenario. where John Harbaugh, right, is waiting, and boom, Trevor Lawrence, by somehow, his beautiful blonde hair, makes it so the Jacksonville Jaguars triumph over those dastardly Buffalo Bills, and they ascend into the AFC Divisional round. And then what happens? Josh Allen's sad. He goes home. He has a baby on the way.
He's going to have a great offseason. Okay? So he's at home, and he's thinking... So you don't want to know about any of this? I don't want to know.
You're talking a lot about it.
Yeah, and Josh Allen, he may have not wanted to know, but now we're talking about an alternate timeline, Josh Allen, who has lost to the Trevor Lawrence Jacksonville Jaguars. He's lost, and he's sitting at home thinking, man, my coach, who I can't remember his name right now, Sean McDermott? Sean McDermott, maybe he's not cutting it. Maybe he should go because I'm Josh Allen. I'm the premier.
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Chapter 8: What factors will influence Josh Allen's performance against the Broncos?
I need something to get me over the proverbial hump, by the way. Haley Steinfeld, congratulations on the baby. She has a hump as well. Baby in there. She had. No, she still has it.
Conspiracy theorists connect dots real well that don't exist.
Look at who just did. Kaiser Soze, yeah. So then, over the hump, maybe I need John Harbaugh. Ooh, maybe I need John Harbaugh. But you know what? It didn't happen. Boom. Now, rip back to the main timeline, Football America timeline. John Harbaugh, he goes to the Giants, but he was waiting for that Buffalo Bills job. I don't know. Maybe he was. Maybe he wasn't. I don't know. I don't want to know.
And that's a wrap on episode two, impromptu of Mike Fuentes doesn't find out. I really like this show. I really hope a network will pick it up sooner rather than later. I find your source, Mike Ryan, a little specious, given that I as far as I know, he has not spent one waking second thinking or talking about anything other than the Miami hurricanes for the last month.
So I'm not sure that that's really where that rumor came from. Mike Fuentes. It is interesting to see the names that are cropping up. A lot of coordinators out there. Whether or not Marcus Freeman ultimately will move is an intriguing piece of this puzzle. The other side of you say watching that Jaguars. Gino, am I a snob that your brother can't say the word Jaguar properly? Jagwire?
Try it right now, Mike.
Jags.
I think he nailed it. We'll settle at that. But I think the other side of that is, as I said repeatedly, if the Bills had lost that game, I think McDermott would also have his name on the scrap heap right now, and maybe he'd be moving to the New York Giants, and John Harbaugh would be on his way to Buffalo. As it is, intriguing stuff.
It does sound like Mike Tomlin is likely to sit out the next year, but Art Rooney II did sort of mention ā in retaining his rights. You very rarely see head coaches get traded, but it does feel like that is in play come the actual season in 2026. In the meantime, it sure feels like Mike Tomlin's going to have his feet up maybe on TV or maybe at his house.
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