PMT DB
PMT DB
Peter Schrager on Championship Sunday, Jim Harbaugh to the Chargers, and Bill Belichick's Future
The show returns to its roots as Hank takes over the production board in a tiny New York City pod room. The energy is high as the NFL landscape shifts under everyone's feet with Jim Harbaugh heading to the Chargers and Doc Rivers somehow falling upward into the Bucks job. PFT starts the show with a grand theory about why the aviation industry is dominating the cultural zeitgeist right now.
PFT CommenterPlanes are having a moment right now
I think planes are having a moment. They are. You had Top Gun Maverick. You've got [Masters of the Air]. You've got Boeing. You've got that lady that got kicked off for farting on the plane. So a lot of stuff about planes recently.
The guys discuss the fallout of Adrian Griffin being fired in Milwaukee, with Big Cat pointing out the simple reality of being an NBA head coach when you have a superstar on the roster.
Big CatAdrian Griffin was fired because he failed to make Giannis Antetokounmpo like him
The only reason I don't feel bad for Adrian Griffin... his only job was to make Giannis [Antetokounmpo] like him. And maybe Giannis never gave him a shot. But if you could just get Giannis to like you, you won't get fired.
The Harbaugh Era Begins in LA
Jim Harbaugh is officially back in the NFL, and Big Cat is already convinced the Chargers are transformed. The move from Michigan to Los Angeles feels like a reset for a franchise that has spent years finding creative ways to lose. Big Cat isn't just expecting winning seasons; he's calling his shot on a Super Bowl appearance.
Big CatJim Harbaugh will lead the Chargers to a Super Bowl within five years
I think Jim Harbaugh will be in a Super Bowl within the next five years with the Chargers. Justin Herbert will look good. They will go deep into the Playoffs and winning cures all.
While the Chargers have a history of bad luck and soft finishes, the expectation is that Harbaugh’s personality will overwrite the organizational DNA immediately.
Big CatThe Chargers will be a tough team instantly under Jim Harbaugh
If there is one franchise that Jim Harbaugh could change, like how we perceive them, the Chargers, whether it be toughness injuries, like just bad luck, it's Jim Harbaugh. Like he's gonna make them a tough team instantly.
As for the mess left behind in Ann Arbor, Big Cat argues that Michigan fans are perfectly fine with whatever NCAA hammer eventually drops because the drought is finally over.
Big CatMichigan fans would accept any amount of future sanctions for the 2023 National Title
He just won a national title. He beat Ohio State three years in a row. If you're a Michigan fan, you sign up for that a hundred times out of a hundred. No matter what happens after this. Who cares about sanctions?
Championship Sunday Preview
Looking ahead to the weekend, the focus shifts to whether the Ravens are actually the powerhouse they've looked like all season or if Patrick Mahomes is simply inevitable. In the NFC, the health of Deebo Samuel looms over everything. Big Cat notes that the 49ers are essentially a different team without their Swiss Army knife on the field.
Big CatDeebo Samuel's presence is the single biggest factor for the 49ers' success
The [49ers] are 12 and 1 straight up when Deebo Samuel starts and finishes the game, they are 1 and 4 when he doesn't. That is way more significant than the rain and how Brock Purdy looked is losing Deebo Samuel. If he's not playing, the Lions are as live as live could be.
Peter Schrager in Studio
Peter Schrager joins the show to provide the inside scoop on the coaching carousel and the upcoming games. He reveals the bizarre details of the Falcons' search, including how Bill Belichick was the only candidate to get a specific luxury treatment during the process.
PFT CommenterBill Belichick is the only coach who got a vacation to Antigua during the Falcons' interview process
To my knowledge, I think Belichick is the only one that got the vacation that took 'em to Antigua. That's it. All the other ones have taken place at the Falcons facility. They winded and dined [him] a little bit more.
Schrager also sheds light on the Panthers' hiring of Dave Canales. While many viewed the Carolina job as a disaster, Schrager explains that the move was calculated specifically to salvage the career of Bryce Young after Canales worked wonders with Baker Mayfield in Tampa.
Peter SchragerDave Canales will be the coach that saves Bryce Young in Carolina
Canales was not the lead dog in that room... but all along they wanted to go young offensive to get Bryce Young... what Canales did with [Baker] Mayfield was tremendous. I think that's a good fit.
When it comes to the games themselves, Schrager is leaning toward a defensive battle in Baltimore. He expects the atmosphere to be electric but thinks the scoreboard might stay relatively quiet.
Peter SchragerThe Ravens-Chiefs AFC Championship game will be a low-scoring defensive struggle
I actually think Chiefs-Ravens is a low scoring game. I think it's in the twenties... like 23-20. I think it's an amazing scene in Baltimore.
Despite the Ravens' dominance, Schrager is sticking with the prediction he made back in September. He refuses to bet against Mahomes until someone actually proves they can stop him in January.
Peter SchragerThe Chiefs will beat the 49ers in the Super Bowl
I just don't know how it happens. I don't know where it happens. But the Chiefs will win again because until I see Mahomes get knocked off his block, he's not losing and they're gonna beat the Niners.
Fyre Fest and the Draft
To wrap up, the guys hit Fyre Fest of the Week. Hank is currently in a state of total sleep-deprivation and existential dread as his stand-up comedy performance looms. Meanwhile, Big Cat is convinced that Max is actively rooting for the pod's plane to go down after some suspiciously specific "safe flight" wishes.
Before leaving, Schrager gives some early draft nuggets, including the rising stock of Michigan's JJ McCarthy and the trade value of Justin Fields.
Peter SchragerJustin Fields could fetch a first or second-round pick in a trade
I think [Justin Fields] could be either a first-round pick or a second-round pick. But if you're talking about a first-round pick, you're talking about a team that needs a quarterback... like the Falcons at the eighth pick.
Peter SchragerJJ McCarthy is going to get significant buzz as a top-10 draft pick
I think JJ McCarthy's gonna get a lot of buzz as like, I don't know, here's your, here's your Mac Jones type of like, this guy wins games. He's leader... he climbs... [he could be a] top 10 pick.
If we die in a plane crash, just know it was Max's fault and he should be blackballed from the industry forever.
