PMT DB
PMT DB
Mike Florio and Dan Haren on NFL Contenders and World Series Previews
Week 7 is in the books, and we have officially entered contender-pretender season. The guys opened the show with the Fastest 2 Minutes, featuring a heavy dose of Bears optimism from Hank. After the Bears shut down Cam Newton while barely attempting a forward pass, it became clear that John Fox has finally molded this team into his image: a defensive juggernaut that treats the passing game like a forbidden technology.
HankThe Chicago Bears are for real
The Bears are for real. Never meant to make Cam Newton cry. See his outfit. What a real weird guy. John Fox has his team playing John Fox football, which means he takes his [team] back to a time before the forward pass existed.
The conversation shifted to the broader landscape of the league, where the injury bug has become the dominant storyline. PFT offered a generational explanation for why so many stars are landing on IR this season, pointing the finger directly at the nutrition of today's athletes.
PFT CommenterMillennials are ruining football because their brittle bones are not breastfed long enough
It's millennials that are ruining football, but with their brittle little bones, they're not breastfed until a proper age, and so they all get hurt.
When it came time to sort through the pretenders, Big Cat didn't hesitate to toss the defending NFC champions into the scrap heap. Despite a decent start to the year, the Falcons look mentally broken, and the guys aren't buying any talk of a Super Bowl loss being a positive thing.
Big CatThe Atlanta Falcons are officially pretenders
The Falcons are pretenders. They are officially in the pretenders pile. You know what's great, too, is I think they started like 2-0 and everyone was like, see, told you, the Falcons do not have a Super Bowl hangover. Now you see them. They are mentally just broken.
PFT CommenterLosing the Super Bowl is better than winning because you avoid the Super Bowl winner hangover
You know what my favorite take of the week might have been? It was one of the Boston sports guys. They said that it's almost better to lose the Super Bowl because you don't get a Super Bowl hangover if you lose it. And so it didn't really work out that way this weekend.
Mike Florio joined the show to provide some actual insight into the chaos. He touched on the revolving door of quarterbacks in Cleveland and the uncertain future of Hue Jackson. Florio noted that while Jackson has the pedigree of a great coordinator, the transition to the big chair has been less than smooth.
Mike FlorioHue Jackson is this generation's Norv Turner or Wade Phillips
I think with [Hue] Jackson, it's just a matter of time at this point. He strikes me as this generation's Norv Turner or Wade Phillips, who is very good as a coordinator, good enough to keep getting head coaching jobs, but bad enough as a head coach to not hold those jobs.
The quarterback news didn't stop in Cleveland. With Aaron Rodgers sidelined and the Vikings dealing with a messy situation under center, Florio made a bold call on who will actually see more playing time for the remainder of the calendar year.
Mike FlorioTeddy Bridgewater will start more games than Aaron Rodgers for the rest of 2017
Which quarterback starts more games from here on forward in 2017, Aaron Rodgers or Teddy Bridgewater? Teddy Bridgewater. He's ready to go. Week 10 is what they're looking at.
Florio also shared his thoughts on the potential retirement of Tom Brady, suggesting that the G.O.A.T. might prefer a quiet exit over the spectacle of a season-long goodbye. To wrap up the NFL talk, he gave his pick for the eventual Super Bowl matchup, leaning on the pedigree of the league's most consistent coaching staffs.
Mike FlorioThe Patriots and Seahawks will meet in the Super Bowl
Right now, if I had to pick two teams for the Super Bowl, I'd say the Patriots and the Seahawks.
Former MLB pitcher and current Diamondbacks strategist Dan Haren hopped on to preview the World Series between the Dodgers and the Astros. Haren defended his friend Clayton Kershaw against the "playoff choker" narrative and went on the record with a prediction for how the Fall Classic will play out.
Dan HarenClayton Kershaw will never 'suck' in the playoffs again
When are we going to see playoff Kershaw where he just sucks and gives up mammoth home runs and we all get to laugh on Twitter? Never.
Dan HarenThe Dodgers will beat the Astros in six games
Dan Heron on the record, Dodgers in six.
In the closing segments, the guys covered Kyrie Irving’s "Philadelphia hello" to a fan, which Big Cat fully endorsed as money well spent. They also looked at the mess in Phoenix, where the firing of Earl Watson has Big Cat dreaming of a Kentucky reunion in the desert. Finally, they stood up for Vontaze Burfict’s brand of football, arguing that the league is better when there's a little bit of fear across the middle of the field.
Big CatThe NFL needs more players like Vontaze Burfict
The NFL needs more Vontaze Burfict. Not the other way around. I want to be scared going over the middle. You need a guy like that in the league at all times.
At least Big Cat's ass has finally stopped bleeding, so things are looking up for Wednesday.
