PMT DB
PMT DB
Mark Titus and Matt Jones on the NCAA Scandal and Rick Pitino
The Bears are currently a dumpster fire, and Big Cat is officially at his breaking point following a disastrous Thursday night loss to the Packers. Mike Glennon is turning the ball over in ways that seem physically impossible, including a fumble that bounced off his own knee. While PFT tried to find a silver lining in Glennon’s late-game garbage time stats, the reality in Chicago is grim.
PFT CommenterMike Glennon looked good after he initially sucked in the Bears' loss
The Bears, alternate headline, have found their quarterback of the future. Because Mike Glennon looked really good after he sucked.
With Mitch Trubisky waiting in the wings and the season slipping away, Big Cat isn't interested in moral victories or John Fox’s post-game deflections. The message is clear: the bridge quarterback experiment is over.
Big CatJohn Fox needs to be fired and Mitch Trubisky needs to start
John Fox needs to be fired. Mitch Trubisky needs to start. Danny Trevathan should probably do a lot of thinking about himself. Mike Glennon, just go away, and John Fox get fired again.
Beyond the on-field product, the broadcast booth has become a point of contention. The internet has fallen in love with Tony Romo's ability to predict plays before they happen, but PFT and Big Cat are officially leading the hate bandwagon. They aren't buying the hype, arguing that Romo is basically a psychic who guesses five different outcomes and hopes one sticks, all while never letting the actual game breathe.
PFT CommenterTony Romo misses almost all of his in-game predictions
He gets a lot of predictions wrong. That's the one thing that they've said about Tony that he's really good at is making predictions, but they don't talk about how he misses almost all of them.
Big CatTony Romo talks too much and doesn't let the game breathe
If you think Tony Romo is revolutionizing broadcasting and the greatest thing ever, you're just straight up not listening to him talk over Jim Nantz. ... I want to watch, let the game breathe. Tony Romo's like, he's down my fucking throat the whole game.
Week 4 Picks and Playmakers
Looking ahead to the rest of Week 4, the slate is a bit of a "poo-poo platter," but that hasn't stopped the locks from flying. PFT is backing Joe Flacco to bounce back from a terrible London performance, while Hank is going bold with a Rams moneyline pick. Big Cat is putting his faith in Blake Bortles, which is usually a dangerous proposition.
PFT CommenterLock of the Week: Ravens +3 at home against the Steelers
I'm going to go with the Baltimore Ravens. Home dogs. Plus three. ... If I know Joe Flacco, and I know him pretty well, this is one of the weeks that he comes out and he has like three touchdowns and 320 yards.
HankLock of the Week: Rams +6 and outright win vs. Cowboys
I like the Los Angeles Rams, plus six. I think they're going to win that game outright. [They are playing] the Cowboys.
Big CatLock of the Week: Jaguars -3 vs. Jets
I'm going to go with the Jaguars. Minus three. In New York. ... I think Blake Bortles, there's no way he can regress. I think he finally took the step forward and he'll never take a step back again.
Before the interviews, the first session of the Playmakers Book Club commenced. Big Cat and PFT revisited the short-lived ESPN drama that the NFL hated so much they forced it off the air. From middle linebackers with Polish names tapping their brains to prevent CTE to running backs doing drugs in slow motion, it remains a masterpiece of early 2000s television.
Big CatPlaymakers is the greatest show ever created
It's [Playmakers] the greatest show that's ever been created. That was also canceled after one season because the NFL was upset.
The NCAA Corruption Scandal
Mark Titus joined to help explain the FBI’s sudden interest in college basketball recruiting. As he prepares to move to LA, Titus pointed out that he's actually the trendsetter for the region, regardless of what LeBron James decides to do next summer.
Mark TitusLeBron James moving to the Lakers is just him copying my move to LA
I love Ohio. A lot of people say that. But when LeBron leaves Ohio for L.A., he's going to be copying me. I'm just getting out ahead of it a little bit. I'm the first person to ever move from the Midwest to Los Angeles for career opportunities.
On a more serious note, Titus highlighted how the FBI's involvement changed the game for coaches who were used to only fearing the NCAA’s slap on the wrist. The realization that they were breaking actual federal laws, not just school rules, seems to have caught the entire industry off guard.
Mark TitusThe FBI investigation caught coaches off guard because they thought they were only breaking NCAA rules
I guarantee none of these coaches realized they were breaking actual laws. They thought they were just dealing in the fantasy land of NCAA fake rules. ... They'd lose a scholarship. I guarantee all these guys that are arrested are like, what the fuck? This is a real law?
Mark TitusDuke is dirty but Mike Krzyzewski is too powerful to be caught
Duke, so here's my fear with Duke. Duke is dirty as hell... Krzyzewski is such a godfather and has this figured out so well. Like, I think it's impossible to get to him. And I'm sort of worried it's impossible they'll ever get to Cal, too.
Matt Jones from Kentucky Sports Radio also called in to celebrate the downfall of Rick Pitino at Louisville. The rivalry is at an all-time high, especially considering the brazen nature of the latest violations occurring while the program was already on probation.
Matt JonesThe Louisville scandal is brazen because it happened one month after they were put on probation
The part that really affects Louisville is basically an Adidas guy met with a Louisville assistant coach... one month after Louisville had agreed to their probation with the NCAA. One month later, they have him on tape in a hotel meeting with Adidas and saying he needs $100,000 to get a player to Louisville.
Matt JonesShoe companies should be allowed to pay college athletes
I actually think this should be allowed, to be quite frank with you. I think the shoe companies are the ones who should be able to pay.
In a moment of reflection, the guys officially buried the Rick Pitino "15 seconds" jokes. Matt Jones read some of the legendary testimony from the Karen Syfer trial one last time to ensure the book is closed for good. Even Matt admitted that once the dust settles, the rivalry might lose a bit of its spark without its primary villain.
Matt JonesKentucky fans will eventually miss hating Rick Pitino
I think Kentucky fans are going to miss Rick Pitino. Hating Rick Pitino was awesome. He was the perfect villain. And I actually think I'm going to miss him.
Segments and Roasts
The debut of "Fantasy Football Experts" featured some questionable advice, including Big Cat's guarantee that Julio Jones—a consensus top-three pick—is a "sleeper" you should pick up off your waiver wire if he’s available.
Big CatJulio Jones will go off in Week 4; pick him up off waivers if he's available
I'm going to start him, Julio Jones. He's going to go off this week. I guarantee it. Start him if you have him on your team. If you don't, pick him up off the waiver wire.
In Respect the Biz, Kirk Cousins was called out for using flashcards to memorize the names and faces of local reporters. While PFT sees it as a way to gain leverage against Dan Snyder, it’s mostly just a classic nerd move from the NFL's most earnest quarterback.
PFT CommenterKirk Cousins respects the media biz to get them on his side against Dan Snyder
All-time biz respecter move by Kirk here. He's basically got flashcards for the reporters... He is doing it, I would expect, to get the media on his side. So he's like, all right, if I get the media on my side, then I'll basically be able to strong arm Dan Snyder.
Finally, the guys stood up for Boltman, the Chargers' unofficial mascot who was harassed by security in LA. Big Cat took this as definitive proof that Los Angeles is a terrible football town that doesn't respect the traditions of guys wearing giant lightning bolt heads to municipal government meetings.
Big CatLA is a bad football city because they don't know who Boltman is
Seriously, this is a perfect example of how L.A. is just, you can't have a football team in L.A. How do you not know Boltman? He's fucking Boltman. Like, it's pretty clear that it's Boltman. And you can't ask Boltman to take off his helmet.
If you're a cop and you see a man in a full-body foam suit, just let him live.
