PMT DB
PMT DB
Mark Titus and Pat McAfee on Wild Card Weekend and Grayson Allen
It is officially Wild Card Weekend, and the energy is high as Big Cat and PFT prepare for the most chaotic slate of the NFL season. While Hank tries to pretend he doesn't care because the Patriots have a bye, the rest of the crew is ready to embrace the ugliness of Texans vs. Raiders and the freezing temperatures in Green Bay.
Playoff Previews and Wardrobe Choices
PFT is particularly high on the next few days of football, ranking this weekend right at the top of the sports calendar.
PFT CommenterWild Card Weekend is the second-best weekend in sports, behind only Divisional Weekend
If we're doing a power ranking of sports weekends, Wild Card Weekend is in my top three. I've got Wild Card Weekend, I'll call it number two. Divisional Weekend's number one.
The Texans game might be a quarterback disaster, but PFT is looking at the long game for Houston. He’s already preparing the most toxic discourse possible for the AFC South champions if they manage to string together some wins without their star defender.
PFT CommenterThe Houston Texans are better off without J.J. Watt
I want their team to go so far in the playoffs that are the Houston Texans better without J.J. Watt takes start to heat up. Because if they win, I'll say if they win two playoff games. Yeah, if they win two playoff games, you're going to get those takes, and I'm here for those.
Big Cat, meanwhile, is focused on the aesthetics of the postseason. He’s taking a hard stand against the Miami Dolphins' look, arguing that their tropical colors have no business being on the field in January.
Big CatThe Miami Dolphins' teal and aqua uniforms do not belong in the NFL playoffs
I'm just going to say it, right? The Dolphins' uniforms are not playoff uniforms. They aren't. That's a hot take, I know, but it's the truth. Teal and that aqua and all that shit doesn't belong in the playoffs.
As for the nightcap at Lambeau, the guys aren't buying the narrative that the Packers have a massive home-field advantage just because it’s cold. In fact, Big Cat thinks the current iteration of the team might actually be allergic to the frozen tundra.
Big CatThe Green Bay Packers are not built for cold weather at Lambeau Field
You know what my favorite take is? The Packers aren't built for Lambeau. They're playing in the wrong stadium. This is a new look. Yeah, they almost wish they were somewhere else. They wish they didn't have a home game.
Mark Titus on the Duke Circus
Recurring guest and college basketball savant Mark Titus joined the show to discuss the absolute madness surrounding Grayson Allen and Coach K. Titus has a unique perspective on Allen's penchant for tripping opponents, viewing it more as a bizarre elementary school prank than a legitimate sports crime.
Mark TitusGrayson Allen's tripping incidents are victimless pranks that don't actually matter
The thing about Grayson Allen that I absolutely love is that all of this is victimless and it doesn't actually matter. The stakes are non-existent in this story. And we pretend like they are because we just love to hate Duke so much.
The conversation shifted to Coach K’s "indefinite" suspension of Allen, which miraculously lasted exactly one game. Titus has some theories about the timing of K’s leave of absence and how it serves as a massive shield for his star player.
Mark TitusCoach K's leave of absence was a PR move to shield Grayson Allen from the headlines
My theory is that the Coach K leave of absence is one to take headlines away from Grayson. Because that's all he was talking about. And K said, if I step away—and by the way, both of these things are happening right after they get smoked at Virginia Tech. That's not a coincidence either.
Beyond just the PR spin, Titus thinks there is a succession plan in motion. He suggests that the leave of absence is actually a perfect low-stakes tryout for Jeff Capel to prove he can handle the keys to the Ferrari.
Mark TitusCoach K gave Jeff Capel the Duke team as a tryout to become the future head coach
Um, that K, this whole Capel thing is a tryout for Capel because K wants Capel to get the job after he leaves. So this is, this is not actually like a, his back doesn't hurt. He's just saying, here you go, Capel. I'm going to give you the most talented team, maybe in college basketball history... prove to everyone that you're a great coach. And then that way, when I retire, you can be like, 'Hey, remember that time that I took 12 McDonald's All-Americans to a 4-0 record?'
Laboratory LeBron and City Hoops
The interview took a turn into the NBA, specifically the eternal debate between Michael Jordan and LeBron James. While Big Cat remains a Jordan loyalist, Titus argues that if you were building a basketball player from scratch, there's only one blueprint to follow.
Mark TitusLeBron James is the perfect laboratory-engineered basketball player, more so than Jordan
In all seriousness, I think LeBron is... If you had to clone a guy and put five of him on the floor, he's clearly the guy that you would want. If you're making a basketball player in a laboratory from the ground up, you build LeBron James.
PFT also floated a theory on why major metropolitan areas like New York City struggle to produce dominant college programs. He believes the answer lies in the census data rather than the recruiting trails.
PFT CommenterCollege basketball teams in major cities suck because they are too densely populated
New York City, a lot of really good basketball players. How come all the college teams suck? ... I'm going to start betting on teams just based on which one has the lowest population density in their hometown.
Hot Seat/Cool Throne and Jimbos with Pat McAfee
In a shocking turn of events, the guys had to pull a man card from one of the most intense humans on the planet: Nick Saban. The Alabama coach reportedly had to get a massage because he strained his neck from watching too much film.
PFT CommenterNick Saban should have his man card revoked for getting a massage because of neck pain from watching film
Nick had to go out there and get a massage because he watched too much film and hurt his neck. So take his man card, Hank.
To wrap up the week, Colts punter and friend of the program Pat McAfee stopped by to help read a legendary batch of Jimbos. Between stories of hospital room disasters and accidental family group chats, the guys discussed the perils of taking a significant other on a sports trip. PFT brought up a story about Donald Trump being emasculated by a date's skiing ability to prove a point.
PFT CommenterIt is better for your date to get injured on a ski trip than for her to be better at skiing than you
He takes her on a ski trip... She starts skiing, and she does backflips going down. And he [Donald Trump] thought that he was going to take this girl out and teach her how to ski. She was better than him. He immediately picked his skis up and walked inside for the rest of the weekend. He's like, this sucks. I can't deal with that. So I would rather that your date gets devastatingly injured than for her to be better.
Whether it's Brandon Whedon lurking in the shadows or Tom Crean hunting for live bats in an Indiana attic, the road to the Super Bowl has never been weirder.
