PMT DB
PMT DB
Mike Florio on NFL Firing Season, Gruden to Raiders, and Big Cat's Diet
We are officially back from the holiday break, and everyone is feeling the effects of seven straight days of beer, wings, and questionable gambling decisions. While Hank actually looked like he just crawled out of a nap ten minutes before we started, the energy was high because the NFL regular season is over and the coaching carousel is spinning at a thousand miles per hour.
The Bills are Back and Bama is Scary
The biggest story of the weekend was the Buffalo Bills finally ending their nearly two-decade playoff drought. It was a bittersweet moment for some, mostly because it meant the end of the road for the Ravens and Joe Flacco, who PFT has finally reached a definitive conclusion on.
PFT CommenterJoe Flacco sucks — he's not elite, he's not good, he honestly just sucks
Joe Flacco sucks. He's not good. He's elite, maybe. No, no — honestly, he sucks.
While the Bills are the feel-good story of the year, the reality of the wildcard round is starting to set in. Big Cat is happy for the city of Buffalo, but he isn't exactly bullish on their chances against the Jaguars, especially with LeSean McCoy banged up.
Big CatThe Bills will probably lose to the Jaguars in the wildcard round
The Bills are probably going to lose to the Jaguars, especially without Shady [LeSean McCoy]. But it's almost like the way that they broke the drought, if they had just broken it by being 12-4... it wouldn't have been that exciting.
Hank, ever the contrarian, didn't hesitate to pick a side in the upcoming matchup. Despite our history with Richie Incognito and the Bills Mafia, he's riding with the President of the Wikipedia Club.
HankI am rooting for the Jaguars to beat the Bills in the wildcard round
The Jaguars [over the Bills]. No question. No doubt about it.
On the college side, the Rose Bowl was an all-timer, but the Sugar Bowl was just a classic Nick Saban clinical execution. After a month of hearing that Alabama didn't belong in the playoff, the Crimson Tide reminded everyone why they are the most terrifying program in the country.
Big CatA scorned Nick Saban is the scariest thing in sports
You basically watch Alabama do the old cement mixer on Clemson and just kick the shit out of them for 60 minutes. And [it] proved our theory that a scorned Nick Saban and upset Nick Saban is the scariest thing in sports.
PFT isn't ready to crown Alabama just yet, though. He's officially recognized a different national champion for the 2017 season.
PFT CommenterUCF is the number one team and national champions
I've got UCF number one. Number one, national champions. The program that Blake Bortles built. Undefeated.
Mike Florio on the Coaching Carousel
Our good friend Mike Florio joined the show to break down the absolute chaos of Black Monday. The biggest name on everyone's lips is Jon Gruden, who seems destined for a return to the Raiders. Florio thinks the deal is practically done, noting that if ESPN is reporting on its own employee leaving, it’s a wrap. Big Cat even has a theory on how the announcement will go down.
Big CatJohn Gruden will announce he's taking the Raiders job during the Saturday wildcard broadcast
I think that John Gruden, in one last tip of the cap to ESPN paying him an insane amount of money, is going to announce that he's the new Raiders coach during the Saturday wildcard game.
However, Florio did mention a bizarre hurdle that could hold things up: the NFL league office's pettiness. He discussed how Matt Patricia's choice of attire after the Super Bowl might actually be haunting his head coaching prospects.
Mike FlorioMatt Patricia's Goodell clown-nose shirt may prevent him from getting a head coaching job
He wore that clown nose shirt coming off the plane, and it pissed off the commissioner. And as of July, the commissioner was still pissed... I could see an effort by 345 Park Avenue to steer the Lions away from Patricia.
When it comes to the actual jobs available, Florio identified the Giants as the premier destination because of their organizational stability, despite their recent uncharacteristic firing of Ben McAdoo.
Mike FlorioThe New York Giants is the most coveted head coaching vacancy in the NFL
I would say the Giants [is the most coveted job], just because they don't like to fire guys... And the thinking is Jim Schwartz is going to end up with that job that it was all predetermined.
New Year, New Diet*
It wouldn't be the first episode of January without some unrealistic resolutions. Big Cat is officially embarking on a diet, much to the skepticism of everyone else in the room. He's aiming to shed the football weight by his birthday in February, though PFT and Hank are already counting the minutes until the first cheat meal.
Big CatI will lose 15 pounds and weigh 225 by my birthday
I think I weigh about 240-ish... and I'm going to try to get to like 225 by my birthday. [February]. First, like, seven pounds come off by just me, like, not eating breakfast. So take a big dump, don't eat breakfast, boom.
We wrapped things up with some King Stay Kings, featuring Rob Gronkowski hitting the most legendary catch total in NFL history and Lane Kiffin continuing to be the ultimate troll by texting Nick Saban's wife because Nicholas apparently doesn't own a smartphone.
It's still 2016 in our hearts, but the 2018 schedule is officially underway.
