PMT DB
PMT DB
Ryen Russillo on NBA Preview, Tom Brady's Future, and The Coin Flip
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are officially dead, and the guys spent the morning picking through the carcass. Big Cat opened the show with a rare moment of humility, offering a formal apology to Dak Prescott. While the world spent all week wondering if Dak would shrink in the moment, he put on a clinic, and Big Cat was the first to admit he was wrong to doubt the Cowboys’ signal-caller.
Big CatI was wrong about Dak Prescott; he was sensational against the Buccaneers
I would like to formally apologize to one Dakota Prescott, because I was wrong. He was sensational on Monday night... He was absolutely shut the haters up. I include myself in that camp. I was very wrong.
While Dak was rising to the occasion, the goat was finally looking his age. Watching Tom Brady against the Dallas defense was like watching a grandfather try to navigate a steep, icy hill. The arm is still there, but the desire to stand in the pocket and take a hit has completely vanished. PFT noted that Brady has reached a point where he’s practically bailing on plays before the pressure even arrives.
PFT CommenterTom Brady is now gun-shy in the pocket and bails on throws early
[Tom Brady's] legs and his and his his want to, to stand in the pocket have completely eroded. I think that's part of his bra. I guess it's his spine. Yeah. His spine's not okay, because he's been hit so much this year that he is gun shy and it's gotten to the point where you feel bad for him in the pocket when he sees somebody coming.
Despite the ugly exit, Big Cat isn't buying the retirement talk just yet. The post-game vibe felt less like a goodbye to football and more like a messy breakup with Central Florida. While Brady might be moving on, Hank is fully committed to the silver and blue. He’s officially abandoned his Tom Brady fandom and is riding with the star, even making some bold claims about how the rest of the playoffs will shake out for the Cowboys' next opponent.
HankBrock Purdy will get exposed against the Cowboys
Brock Purdy's gonna go get exposed. I'm not a ball knower. I'll probably get more into the, the x's and nos on Thursday. But just make, make him throw deep... Brock Purdy's gonna get exposed this weekend. Throw five picks.
NBA Preview with Ryen Russillo
Friend of the program Ryen Russillo joined the show for a marathon session that was technically an NBA preview, though it spanned everything from multi-sport city trades to the officiating in college basketball. Russillo is one of the few people who actually grinds the tape on Tuesday night Kings games, and he’s seeing a shift in the league's hierarchy. While the West is a mess of injuries and underachievers, Russillo pointed to the Pelicans as the sleeping giant if they can ever stay on the floor.
Ryen RussilloThe Pelicans are the deepest team in basketball
New Orleans has the deepest team in basketball and if Zion's there and ready to go in the playoffs, he's still that hard of a matchup.
Big Cat and Russillo also touched on the shifting power dynamics between superstars and front offices, specifically with LeBron James. The days of LeBron holding an organization hostage with one-year deals and trade demands might be coming to an end as teams realize a 38-year-old LeBron, while still elite, doesn't carry the same leverage he did in Miami or Cleveland.
Big CatNBA front offices are no longer afraid to say no to LeBron James' demands
It feels like the last two or three years, everyone has been like, you know what, LeBron is good... but he's not LeBron anymore because he'll do those demands like 'I need help, I need trades.' And the front office is like, 'no, no we're not doing this anymore. We're not gonna just trade the whole future for a guy who's 38 now.'
They also looked ahead to the Victor Wembanyama sweepstakes. While the French phenom is doing things on the court that look like a video game glitch, Russillo reminded everyone that LeBron was still the more polished prospect entering the league because of his ready-made NBA frame.
Ryen RussilloVictor Wembanyama is the best prospect I've ever seen, but LeBron James was a better prospect coming in due to his body type
When people say [Victor Wembanyama] is the best prospect they've ever seen, it's not bullshit, it's not hyperbole, but if somebody says he's a better prospect coming in than LeBron, they're full of shit, because LeBron had the perfect body type immediately you knew exactly how he was gonna fit into a game.
Hot Seat/Cool Throne and The Coin Flip
Hot Seat/Cool Throne featured a deep dive into the "NFC Beast" dominance and the realization that the NFL is already using chips in the football to track the goal line. Big Cat is fed up with the league having the technology to get calls right but refusing to use it to settle game-changing plays definitively.
Big CatThe NFL should use the chip in the football to definitively judge goal line plays
According to the chip in the football, the closest the ball got to the end zone [on the Tyler Huntley play] was 0.6 yards from the goal line. What the fuck are we doing? We've been asking for the chip forever... the chip is there.
To wrap things up, the show descended into chaos with a seven-game series of coin flips to settle the bowling bet. After Big Cat and Jake tied their weekend picks, the stakes were clear: either Jake goes to Kansas City dressed as a felon, or Big Cat and PFT have to eat six hot dogs each during the bowling stream. In a stunning display of choking, Billy Football managed to lose the series for the guys, sparing Jake from the trip and sentencing Big Cat and PFT to a long afternoon of processed meats.
At least we know one thing for certain: never let Billy Football call a coin flip for your life.
