PMT DB
PMT DB
Rams Win Super Bowl 56, Stafford's Legacy, and Halftime Show Nostalgia
Football season is officially over, and while it's a sad day for anyone who loves having a reason to ignore their family on Sundays, the Los Angeles Rams are deserving champions. Big Cat and PFT Commenter are admittedly loopy and raspy-voiced after a week in LA, but they're ready to break down how Aaron Donald and Cooper Kupp essentially willed a championship into existence. Even though the Bengals had the momentum in the second half, the Rams' stars simply took over when it mattered most.
The Rams Model and Matthew Stafford's Legacy
There will be plenty of talk about the "Rams Model" of trading every draft pick for the next decade for established stars, but it’s hard to argue with the results. Big Cat pointed out that while everyone knew the ball was going to Cooper Kupp on that final drive, the Triple Crown winner was simply unguardable.
Big CatCooper Kupp just had one of the greatest wide receiver seasons of all time
I would say off the top of my head, [Cooper Kupp] is up there now with greatest wide receiver seasons of all time. In terms of his regular season and then what he did in the playoffs and what he did on that fourth quarter when it was pretty much they can't run the ball... the whole world knew it was going to Cooper Kupp and you still couldn't stop Cooper Kupp.
The conversation quickly turned to Matthew Stafford, who finally silenced the critics who said he couldn't win the big one. After years of toil in Detroit, Stafford proved that he just needed a competent organization around him to reach the mountaintop. Big Cat is already looking toward Canton for the Rams' signal-caller.
Big CatMatthew Stafford is now an automatic Hall of Famer
Matthew Stafford is going to be a hall of Famer. It's almost automatic now. Cause he has it... all the stats are there and then he's got the ring. That's it. If you put him now, if he plays three, four more years, pick a quarterback with one Superbowl, he's going to have a better resume overall.
PFT Commenter added his own unique metric for Hall of Fame eligibility, noting that Stafford has officially passed the "broadcast staple" test during this playoff run.
PFT CommenterA quarterback is a Hall of Famer if their wife becomes a staple of the TV broadcast
If a quarterback is going to win or if the quarterback is going to go to the hall of fame, it's actually very simple to tell. If he's played for 10 years and if his signature moments involve camera shots of their wife in the stands, jumping up and down. If their wife becomes like a person that they zoom in on, talk about, discuss, at that point it's like, this is a Hall of Famer.
Bengals Heartbreak and the Eli Apple Roast
On the other side of the ball, the Bengals' Cinderella run fell just short. While Joe Burrow proved he belongs on the big stage, the offensive line issues finally caught up to them at the worst possible time. Big Cat was specifically confused by the personnel decisions on the final drive that saw Cincinnati's best playmaker watching from the sidelines.
Big CatThe Bengals should have had Joe Mixon on the field for the final play of Super Bowl 56
Why was Joe Mixon not in the game there [on the final drive]? I just feel like you got to have your best players in the moment. Like they'll probably look back... having second and one in that situation, if you get 10 more yards, you have a pretty good chance.
While the Bengals as a whole earned respect, cornerback Eli Apple did not fare as well. After a week of talking trash, current NFL players across the league seemed to take collective joy in watching him give up the game-winning touchdown to Kupp.
PFT CommenterEli Apple is the most disliked player in the NFL
Do you think that there's a more disliked player in the NFL than Eli Apple? Cause they picked on him and it was like every single player that was watching the game, current players, were just roasting the fuck out of him. Like he was getting just dragged by guys that are like the third wide out on some of the worst teams.
Despite the loss, PFT Commenter is bullish on the future in Cincinnati. The window isn't closing; it's just opening, provided they can keep Burrow upright for a full season.
PFT CommenterThe Bengals are not a fluke and will be good for a long time
The good news, if you're a Bengals fan, is I don't think that the Bengals are a fluke at all. I think that they're a well-built team and they're probably going to be pretty good for a while, hopefully, if they can stay healthy.
Halftime Hits and Commercial Breaks
The halftime show was a massive win for anyone born between 1980 and 1995. Big Cat felt seen by the heavy dose of Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, and Eminem, even if the younger generation was a bit confused by 50 Cent hanging upside down.
Big CatThe halftime show was specifically designed for people aged 30 to 45
They basically were like, let's do a halftime show where anyone between the age of like 30 and 45 is going to be like, this is the greatest halftime show ever. And it, it worked. Cause I was like, they played every hit from like every portion of our lives.
Jake Marsh called in to give the sports business perspective on the commercial front. While there were plenty of crypto ads and QR codes, Jake felt the automotive industry really carried the load this year.
Jake MarshThe BMW 'Electric Avenue' was one of the three best commercials of Super Bowl 56
For me, the cars dominated this year's broadcast. One of them, obviously I have to award it to the electric avenue, BMW commercial for Zeus and the other. I like the Austin Powers one.
Who's Back and Stupid Tweets
To wrap up the football season, the guys hit on a classic Who's Back segment. Hank brought some heat from the golf world, highlighting the absolute madness at the 16th hole in Scottsdale over the weekend.
HankThe Waste Management Open is the best sporting event crowd scene in the world
Waste management opening was this weekend. One of the best, I think sporting event, crowd scenes, that I've never been to that looks so, so, so much fun... you know, I went to showers, beers, throw beers, have to delay and clean them all up. It looks unbelievable.
Big Cat closed things out by targeting the king of the NFL insiders. Adam Schefter tried to get deep and sentimental with a pre-packaged Photoshop job, but the logic didn't quite hold up under the slightest bit of scrutiny.
Big CatAdam Schefter's sentimental Matthew Stafford/OBJ photoshop made no sense
I have a whose back of the week is stupid tweets that try to be sentimental because Adam Schefter's tweet after super bowl makes no sense. He said to all those who said it couldn't be done, and it's a picture of Eli Manning, Calvin Johnson, Jarvis Landry, looking on as Matthew Stafford and OBJ celebrate the super bowl.
We’ll see you on Wednesday to start the long, dark journey through the NFL offseason.
