Legendary sportscaster Dan Patrick has learned quite a few lessons throughout his nearly four-decade career. But when it comes to this weekend’s Super Bowl, the only advice he can offer won’t make fans outside of New England happy: Don’t bet against Tom Brady and the Patriots.
As the Pats prepare to face Los Angeles on Sunday, Patrick already has an idea of what the outcome will be. After all, he was there for Brady’s “upset” win against the Rams in 2002, as well as most of his subsequent Super Bowl appearances. He even handed Brady and the Patriots their trophies after their big victory over the Seahawks in 2015.
Dan Patrick talks Tom Brady, taking over as host of Undeniable
“I would never bet against Brady and [Bill] Belichick,” Patrick tells Metro. “I’ve learned my lessons down through the years. I was there for Brady’s first Super Bowl and, at the time, I thought it was one of the bigger upsets because they beat the ‘Greatest Show on Turf.’ And then you start to realize that wasn’t that big of an upset.”
You can see why Patrick found it “amusing” that the Patriots were considered underdogs against the Chiefs during the AFC Championship. Of course, Brady and company ended up proving the sportscaster right with their 37-31 win in overtime.
“I don’t think for a second that the Patriots are underdogs,” says Patrick. “I’ll never ever think that they’re underdogs.”
While Patrick won’t be manning the desk for NBC during this year’s Super Bowl, fans still have plenty of ways to see the sports icon do what he does best thanks to his popular talk radio program The Dan Patrick Show as well as his new gig with the AT&T Audience Network. Patrick is replacing fellow sportscasting star Joe Buck as the host of the in-depth interview series Undeniable, which returns for season 6 on Wednesday night.
This season will once again feature a number of high-profile guests, including former NFL linebacker Ray Lewis, ex-boxing champ Oscar De la Hoya, former Olympian Carl Lewis and so many more. The former ESPN anchor and Football Night in America host was interested in the role because it allows him to explore long-form interviews, which he considers “a lost art.”
“This is not where they are now or where they were as an athlete, it’s where they started and the obstacles that led to them becoming great,” says Patrick. “I enjoy the process of going down memory lane with them. And then you take a couple of off-road expeditions with them and surprise them with some things.”
Undeniable has a pair of notable names behind the scenes as well, including actor Vince Vaughn and former A Christmas Story star Peter Billingsley, who serve as executive producers. “They’re both involved and are both very critical of how they want it to look, sound and feel,” Patrick says.
Having interviewed thousands of athletes and celebrities throughout his career, Patrick knows the perfect recipe for a great interview. The keys are to get out of the way, leave the ego at the door and let the subject tell their story.
“I don’t want somebody to say, ‘Those were great questions,’” says Patrick. “I want somebody to say, ‘Those were great answers.’”
Patrick reveals that he doesn’t use any paper containing interview questions when he speaks with guests on Undeniable, however, he does have a roadmap for each chat, which stem from six hours of research he devotes to each person. The combination of his preparation and conversational style is what allows him to broach heavier subjects with his guests, such as Tony Stewart’s fatal crash with Kevin Ward Jr. in 2014 or Lewis’ infamous murder trial.
“Those aren’t easy topics to get to, and even when you get to them, what can I get out of you? What haven’t you told somebody?” says Patrick. “Those were challenges as well. It’s all encompassing of what you’re talking about. I want to make you laugh. I’m going to make you cry. I’m going to make you think. I might make you angry. But those are all things that would come up in a normal conversation when you’re looking back through somebody’s career.”
As for what keeps Patrick motivated after all the years, the sportscaster admits that he still enjoys all the surprises that can happen during any given game.
“You can script a lot of other things, but you can’t script this.”
Undeniable with Dan Patrick airs Wednesdays at 8 p.m. on the AT&T Audience Network.
