PMT DB
PMT DB
Bruce Pearl, Arthur Smith, and the Carson Wentz Spin Zone
The vibes in the studio were heavy as PFT Commenter officially began his life as a fan of a Carson Wentz-led football team. After a brief period of mourning and nearly shaving his head in a Britney Spears-style breakdown, the spin zone was activated. PFT is fully leaning into the "logic over emotions" lifestyle, convincing himself that the former Eagle and Colt is actually the savior of the franchise.
PFT CommenterI am the biggest Carson Wentz super fan in the world right now
I've reached this point in my bargaining stage where I think I'm the biggest Carson Wentz super fan in the world right now. I've had some time to think it through logically... Carson Wentz's ceiling is better than any quarterback in that division. Now, all we have to do is to get him to play at his ceiling on an average basis.
Big Cat did his part as a friend by bringing in a "wonky stat guy" report to help the cause. The numbers don't lie: Carson Wentz is apparently the greatest quarterback in Washington history if you look at the stats through a very specific lens.
Big CatCarson Wentz is statistically the best quarterback in Washington franchise history
Carson Wentz in the last 20 years, Carson Wentz is actually the best quarterback the Washington football team franchise will have. So if you do minimum three games, Carson Wentz has 1.63 TDs per game. The second one on that list is Shane Matthews... [Wentz] is blowing the competition out of the water.
If the weather in DC holds up, the Commanders might actually be a juggernaut. Big Cat pointed out that Wentz is statistically the greatest quarterback to ever play the game when the temperature is exactly 73 degrees.
Big CatCarson Wentz is the best quarterback in exactly 73-degree weather
The average temperature last September in Washington, DC was 73 degrees. No quarterback has performed better from a yards per attempt standpoint in exactly 73-degree weather than Carson Wentz. Top 50 quarterbacks yards per attempt and exactly 73-degree weather, he is number one, 9.71 yards per attempt.
Bruce Pearl on Auburn and March Madness
Auburn head coach Bruce Pearl joined the show just as the calendar flipped to his favorite time of year. He broke down his philosophy on keeping teams fresh for a deep run, which involves playing a deep rotation rather than shortening the bench like most coaches do in the postseason.
Bruce PearlThe key to winning in the postseason is keeping players fresh by playing a deep bench of 9 or 10 guys
I'm not going to shorten my bench at all. And the hardest game for a team like us to win will be the first game, because we're going to play nine or 10 guys, but in game two, we have an advantage because I'm not playing Jabari Smith 35 minutes in game one. I think that's one of the things that's made us a good program in March is that we're not exhausted at the end of the year.
Bruce also addressed the doubters of Jabari Smith, calling out the "fucking morons" who question whether the young star can create his own shot. For Bruce, there is no debate about the kid's talent or his pure shooting ability.
Bruce PearlJabari Smith is the best jump shooter I have ever coached
Go ahead and doubt [Jabari Smith]. Good luck. I'm just telling you do not doubt that kid. He is one of the greatest competitors that I've ever coached. He's the best jump shooter I've ever coached, and that's actually at any position.
He even gave the PMT listeners a warning about the depth of the SEC, noting that middle-of-the-pack teams from his conference are going to be absolute nightmares for high seeds in the opening rounds of the big dance.
Bruce PearlDon't play middle-of-the-pack SEC teams in the tournament
I'm just saying this. Look at some of the teams that finished in the middle of our league right now, some of the teams that are going to be seated anywhere from five to nine or 10... I'm just telling you, you do not want to play some of those teams in the NCAA tournament.
Arthur Smith at the Combine
Falcons head coach Arthur Smith sat down with Big Cat and PFT at the Combine to discuss his first year in Atlanta and his transition from a defensive quality control coach to an offensive mastermind. Smith, sporting a PMT-inspired beard to hide the "gobbler" neck, talked about the culture shift in the NFL and how teams often fall into the trap of copying each other.
Arthur SmithThe biggest challenge in the NFL is groupthink; teams just copy each other's good ideas
That's the one thing about the NFL is like once somebody has a good idea, everybody copies it. That's the only thing you're fighting in the NFL is groupthink. Somebody has a good idea, it works for some team, and they think, oh, that's the secret ingredient. It's like in college football... your 10 helmets aren't going to be the difference.
They also got into the nitty-gritty of game management, with Arthur explaining why he doesn't think 4th and 1 calls are the high-stress decisions they used to be. In the modern NFL, the analytics have made going for it the standard expectation rather than a risky gamble.
Arthur Smith4th and 1 decisions are no longer hard in the NFL
It became obvious your team just gets ready to play fourth and two or fourth and one. So there's no like, it's not like, 'Hey, you really risked it there.' If you don't go for it on fourth and one, that's what everybody's doing. So to me, those aren't the hard decisions anymore. It's just become the norm.
Billy's QB Bracket and Fyre Fest
Billy Football revealed the first round of his 2022 Quarterback Bracket, which was heavily influenced by "fuckable spirals." While some prospects have the right energy, Billy is looking for the guys who throw cruise missiles that turn over perfectly at the peak of the arc. He also took a moment to remind everyone that his favorite from last year, Sam Ehlinger, is still the future in Indy.
Billy FootballSam Ehlinger is going to be 'the man' in Indy; he is essentially another Drew Brees
Sam Ehlinger won last year's bracket... right now he is the man. Billy was right. Jim Irsay, I think loves the kid and he's all out. Size 10-inch hands. He's an extra Drew Brees. Taller than Drew Brees too.
Malik Willis seems to be the early favorite in Billy's eyes, not just for the way the ball jumps off his hand, but because of the comparisons Billy is hearing from his "sources" in the scouting world.
Billy FootballMalik Willis is a combination of Lamar Jackson and Josh Allen
Malik Willis has been said to be, in my opinion, a combination of Lamar Jackson and Josh Allen. This is what the people are saying. If you look at Malik's throws from the combine, insane, absolutely crazy type stuff.
Fyre Fest of the week featured Bubba accidentally deleting the legendary "Two Man Tuesday" video from the Twitter archives, a tragedy of Shakespearean proportions. Meanwhile, Billy is preparing for a literal invasion of flying spiders on the East Coast, which sounds like the plot of a movie Arthur Smith would love.
Arthur SmithRoad House is the greatest movie ever
Road House, like you ever seen Road House? Greatest movie ever. All time. All time. There's so many good one-liners.
Whether it's flying spiders or Carson Wentz, the Commanders' season is officially under construction.
