PMT DB
PMT DB
Matt Leinart and Kirk Ferentz on the CFP, Fullbacks, and Rovell's Suspension
The Dallas Cowboys might have just saved the NFL season by proving that the New Orleans Saints are actually mortal. Big Cat and PFT are convinced that a blueprint now exists to take down Drew Brees, even if it requires a very specific set of circumstances that include Sean Payton essentially doing Jerry Jones a favor.
Big CatThe Cowboys created the blueprint for beating the Saints
A blueprint on how to beat the Saints... You've got to play at home, so you've got to stay away from New Orleans. You have to have an all-time defensive performance from your defense. You have to have an all-time terrible performance from Drew Brees. You have to have a coach that secretly wants the Cowboys job.
PFT thinks the officiating and game management was a bit suspicious, particularly regarding Sean Payton’s willingness to burn through his challenge flags like he was trying to get home early for a late-night snack.
PFT CommenterSean Payton was trying to be a gentleman by wasting challenges for the Cowboys
I thought it was going to be Sean Payton trying to show off for [Jerry Jones], but instead it was Sean Payton being a gentleman. Tossing his two challenge flags in the first quarter... so that way when there's a terrible first down mark, he can't challenge it in the fourth quarter.
Despite the big win, the guys are still looking at the long game in Dallas. PFT is convinced that a playoff appearance won't actually save Jason Garrett’s job, while Big Cat remains terrified of what happens when the ball is actually in Dak Prescott's hands with the season on the line.
PFT CommenterThe Cowboys making the playoffs would make Jason Garrett more fireable
If his team is good enough to make the playoffs and get their asses kicked in the first round of the playoffs, that makes him way more fireable than if he goes 9-7 and doesn't make it.
Big CatDak Prescott will be the undoing of the Cowboys in the playoffs
Dak Prescott will be the undoing of the Cowboys and they'll still have to extend him... would you ever trust Dak Prescott on a big, maybe fourth quarter, has to drive the team down the field?
Matt Leinart and the Heisman Race
Friend of the program Matt Leinart returned to the show to preview Championship Weekend and the College Football Playoff mess. While everyone assumes Alabama is a lock, Matt laid out a scenario where the Crimson Tide lose to Georgia and still find their way into the final four, potentially sparking a massive expansion of the playoff system.
Matt LeinartAlabama should get into the CFP even if they lose to Georgia
If you're asking me do I think Alabama gets the fourth spot [if they lose to Georgia], I think absolutely they will be in based on kind of what the committee is doing... it would be hard to believe that they would fall more than three spots out of the top four if they lost.
We also got into the Heisman debate between Tua Tagovailoa and Kyler Murray. Matt admits that while Tua has been the frontrunner since September, Kyler Murray is actually putting up numbers that make Baker Mayfield’s 2017 season look pedestrian.
Matt LeinartKyler Murray's Heisman race is closer than people think
Kyler Murray is surpassing everything Baker Mayfield did last year as far as numbers-wise. And you could even argue he's better... I think it's going to be a really close race. And I think whichever one wins it, I think obviously it's much deserved.
Matt also took us down memory lane with a play-by-play breakdown of the legendary "Bush Push" game against Notre Dame. He revealed that Dwayne Jarrett caught the crucial fourth-and-nine pass with one eye poked shut and that Notre Dame intentionally grew their grass extra long to slow down the USC speedsters.
Football Guy of the Week: Kirk Ferentz
Iowa Head Coach Kirk Ferentz joined the show to officially accept his Football Guy of the Week honors. He showed up to the interview with a face that looked like he’d been in a car accident, explaining that a sideline collision with quarterback Nate Stanley’s helmet was the culprit. It was pure Big Ten energy.
Kirk FerentzThe NCAA needs to fix the chop block and officiating rules
We've made it almost impossible for the officials to officiate a game consistently... when there's variance during the course of a game or during week to week, it just really makes it hard to coach... the rules have gotten screwed up and there's no impetus to change things.
Kirk also spoke from the heart about the dying art of the fullback. As the leader of a program that practically breathes grit and dink-and-dunk offense, Kirk knows exactly why those guys are essential to a locker room.
Kirk FerentzFullbacks add a necessary toughness to a football team
Fullbacks just add toughness to a team, and I think it was a really good way to articulate the value of a fullback... It just adds to your team's physicality and their toughness, and the way we play, that's really important to us.
Darren Rovell is Suspended
In a massive family meeting, Big Cat and PFT addressed the Darren Rovell situation. After quitting ESPN and moving to the Action Network, Rovell went on a press tour and essentially invited himself onto PMT while pitching a pay-per-view decathlon that Big Cat never agreed to. The audacity was too much to handle.
Big CatDarren Rovell is suspended from Pardon My Take for six months for inviting himself on the show
Darren Rovell, you cannot invite yourself like this on Pardon My Take. We are now hereby suspending you from appearing on this podcast for how long? I say six months, at least.
Big Cat made it clear that while he won’t do a decathlon, he is more than willing to fight Rovell in a Rough N' Rowdy match with one hand tied behind his back. Until then, Darren is on ice.
If the Packers don't win by three touchdowns this weekend, we're deleting all the playoff graphics forever.
