Iceman and The Swipe: A Week 16 Tornado (feat. Chris Long & Trai Essex)

Le Batard & Friends Network

Dan Le Batard

Sports

4.8 • 8.2K Ratings

🗓️ 22 December 2025

⏱️ 54 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

What an insane and extended week of NFL football! Week 16 was a tornado of playoff clinching moments, game deciding calls and even DK Metcalf swiping right on a fan. Meanwhile, the Bears now call Caleb Williams the "Iceman" for his walk off 46-yard strike. Lamar Jackson is being held together with duct tape and bubble gum. And Trevor Lawrence is actually for real. For real. Plus, we have part two of our chat with Chris Long and our good friend Trai Essex from The Snap Count stops by to chat about the crazy ending to the Steelers/Lions game. He says the offensive line is powering the Steelers resurgence. So bake those Christmas cookies and wrap those gifts as Dave Dameshek and the gang get you back up to speed on this can't miss episode of Football America! (Photo by Kamil Krzaczynski/AP) Rundown: -The Shek Report -Best #36s in NFL history -Chris Long -Trai Essex AUDIO Football America! is available wherever you listen to podcasts. Leave us a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/football-america/id1831757512 Follow us: Dave Dameshek: https://x.com/dameshek Chris Long: https://x.com/JOEL9ONE Trai Essex: https://x.com/TraiDay79 Host: Dave Dameshek Guests: Chris Long, Trai Essex Team: Gino Fuentes, Mike Fuentes Director: Danny Benitez Senior Producers: Gino Fuentes, Mike Fuentes Executive Producer: Bradley Campbell Arizona Cardinals, Atlanta Falcons, Baltimore Ravens, Buffalo Bills, Carolina Panthers, Chicago Bears, Cincinnati Bengals, Cleveland Browns, Dallas Cowboys, Denver Broncos, Detroit Lions, Green Bay Packers, Houston Texans, Indianapolis Colts, Jacksonville Jaguars, Kansas City Chiefs, Las Vegas Raiders, Los Angeles Chargers, Los Angeles Rams, Miami Dolphins, Minnesota Vikings, New England Patriots, New Orleans Saints, New York Giants, New York Jets, Philadelphia Eagles, Pittsburgh Steelers, San Francisco 49ers, Seattle Seahawks, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Tennessee Titans, Washington Commanders Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	Happy holidays, my fellow football Americans. We've got Chris Long and Trey Essex coming up to help break down a truly insane NFL week 16.
0:08.0	In the meantime, a quick story for you. A long time ago, the Steelers were playing Elway and the Broncos in a playoff game.
0:15.0	My family went over to a friend's place to watch. And with a couple minutes left in the game tied, the Steelers picked off Elway near midfield. Everybody jumped up in unison, and my pal David Gefsky stepped
0:26.2	on the remote and the TV turned off so we all missed what happened. Many moons later, those
0:31.1	players in that game are now old men, or even worse. David Gefsky and I, though, we're
0:36.5	still in our primes.
0:37.9	And if you're a sports fan, so are you.
0:40.1	Matter of fact, with all due respect to Reggie Jackson,
0:43.3	we're the straw that stirs the drink.
0:45.5	Take us out of the mix and the whole thing evaporates.
0:48.4	We fund the events.
0:49.9	The players are just characters in our show.
0:52.6	We give the money, they provide the real-time drama, it's a transactional relationship.
0:58.0	Jerry Seinfeld wasn't wrong when he described sports fandom as rooting for laundry.
1:03.0	But the other side of that embroider jersey is, as players in the Age of Free Agency increasingly swap out one sports town's jerseys for those of another we're still here we are the constant a kid who just showed up 18 months ago from
1:17.1	Tuscaloosa caring as much as we do about our team just because he's wearing the
1:21.1	city's name on the front of his jersey is presumptuous of course those of us
1:25.1	who've been watching and living and dying for decades on end care more than they do,
1:29.3	and it's why using we and us in reference to our teams makes all the sense in the world.
1:35.3	Sure, players care about their teammates and how success impacts their bottom line, and yeah, they appreciate the cheers and backslaps and free drinks for life.
1:43.3	But when the game ends, while we euphoric or devastated grown-ups and replica jerseys
1:47.8	fight an oncoming hangover as we file out of the stadium, the players are down on the
	...

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