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Tiffani Thiessen, CFB With Andy Staples, And Week 15 Preview

Friday, December 18, 202022 takes

The Raiders and Chargers played the dumbest game of football. Anthony Lynn keeps getting in his own way but this time he outlasted the Raiders.(-) Week 15 preview of every NFL game and the Cant Lose Parlay. (-) Fantasy Lads. (-) Andy Staples from the Athletic joins the show to preview CFB Championship weekend, playoff scenarios, coach firings and hirings and more. (-) Tiffani Theissen joins the show to talk about her new show on MTV, Saved By The Bell, and Kelly Kapowski being every boys crush in the 90's. (-) We finish with Fyre Fest of the week.(-)

Tiffani Thiessen on Saved By The Bell, CFB Chaos with Andy Staples, and Week 15 Picks

The Chargers and Raiders kicked off the weekend with a game so fundamentally broken it could only be described as drunk football. Anthony Lynn continues to be a marvel of modern science, proving that a head coach can actually be allergic to the concept of time. Big Cat and PFT watched in real-time as Justin Herbert bailed out a coach who seems to have a dead bird for a brain.

Push
Dec 18, 2020
#15185
Big CatBig Cat

Anthony Lynn is the dumbest coach in football history

Anthony Lynn is the dumbest coach that has ever been created in coaching history. And he fumbled again. He had a bird brain. He has a goddamn bird inside of the skull. Now the bird's dead because even the bird can't stand hanging out with him.

While 'dumbest in history' is hyperbolic, Anthony Lynn was fired at the end of this season largely due to the clock management issues described.

While Herbert looked like a superstar, the other side of the ball left much to be desired. Jon Gruden’s Raiders are sliding back into the abyss, and despite the nostalgia people have for the Silver and Black, the numbers don't lie about Gruden's second stint. Big Cat isn't buying the hype that this team has actually turned a corner.

Win
Dec 18, 2020
#15188
Big CatBig Cat

Jon Gruden is not a good head coach

Is Jon Gruden a good head coach? Jon Gruden, his last six seasons as a NFL head coach... Jon Gruden is 40 and 61. That's really bad. Everyone routes for the Raiders to be good because it's fun when the Raiders are good. I think we've willed it to happen a little early here.

The Raiders finished 8-8 in 2020 and Gruden's tenure ended in controversy the following year without a playoff win.

Week 15 Preview and The Cant Lose Parlay

Looking ahead to the rest of the NFL slate, the Bills are the talk of the league after dismantling the Steelers. While the world is finally waking up to how good Josh Allen is, Big Cat is worried that the collective media hype is going to ruin the good vibes in Buffalo. We've known they were a wagon for months; we don't need talking heads jinxing the process now.

Loss
Dec 18, 2020
#15192
Big CatBig Cat

The Buffalo Bills are in danger of being jinxed by media hype

I am slightly nervous about the hype for the bills. It feels like too many people... decided here's my hot take: the bills are really good. It's like, yeah, we've known they've been really good. As soon as everyone starts saying the bills are incredible, I feel like they're jinxing them.

The Bills went on to win the AFC East and reached the AFC Championship game, so they largely lived up to the hype.

In the NFC, the Packers are sitting pretty at 10-3, but there's a nagging stat that suggests they might be a paper tiger when the playoffs arrive. They haven't exactly been world-beaters against the league's elite, and Big Cat thinks their lack of wins against winning teams will eventually be their undoing.

Win
Dec 18, 2020·Picks
#26107
Big CatBig Cat

The Packers will not win the Super Bowl if they continue to struggle against teams with winning records

The Packers are 10 and 3. They're 1 and 2 against teams with winning records. Okay. That's I mean, that's not, if they go 1 and 2, and then they go 1 in 2 in the playoffs, they will not win the Super Bowl. That's true. In fact... but he still wouldn't wear this to win the Super Bowl. That's a fact.

The Packers lost the NFC Championship to the Buccaneers (a team with a winning record), failing to reach or win the Super Bowl as predicted.

Meanwhile, in Chicago, the hope that kills is back. After a few weeks of Mitchell Trubisky looking like a functional human being against terrible defenses, the playoff math is actually starting to look feasible. It's a dangerous place for any Bears fan to be.

Win
Dec 18, 2020·Picks
#15197
Big CatBig Cat

The Bears have a 90% chance to make the playoffs if they win out

If the Bears have a 20% chance to get to the playoffs right now, if they win this game against the Vikings, they have a 43% chance. If they win the following week against the Jags, it's now 53% chance. If they win against the Packers, 90% chance. So if they win out, they have a 90% chance to go to the playoffs.

The Bears lost to the Packers in the final week but still secured a playoff berth as the 7th seed thanks to other results, validating that their chances were indeed very high even without the full win-out.

Andy Staples on CFB Championship Weekend

Andy Staples joined the show to break down a massive weekend of college football. With the playoff committee lurking, the debate between Ohio State’s short schedule and Texas A&M’s resume is reaching a boiling point. Big Cat, for once, is actually pleading for a lack of drama just so we can get the four best teams on the field without having to listen to Dabo Swinney complain about being an underdog.

Win
Dec 18, 2020
#15201
Big CatBig Cat

I'm rooting against chaos this College Football Championship Saturday

I am rooting against chaos. I do not want any chaos. I think the best four teams are very clearly Alabama, Clemson, Notre Dame and Ohio State. I do not want to talk about trash Texas A&M and their only good win being against Florida. I don't want to talk about Iowa State losing by 17 to Louisiana.

The CFP committee ultimately selected these exact four teams.

They also discussed the coaching carousel, specifically the "Choose Joy" tweets coming out of Knoxville. Andy Staples thinks the writing is on the wall for Jeremy Pruitt, and there’s one specific coach who would crawl to Tennessee if the job opened up.

Void
Dec 18, 2020
#15205
Andy StaplesAndy Staples

Hugh Freeze would jump at the Tennessee head coaching job

I think he'd like to be the next coach at the University of Tennessee. I think that's the job he's wanted for quite some time, probably since before he became a college coach... if that opportunity came available, he would jump at it.

Pruitt was eventually fired, but Tennessee hired Josh Heupel. Freeze remained at Liberty until 2022 when he was hired by Auburn.

Tiffani Thiessen: The Legend Herself

Bucket list moment for the 90s kids as Tiffani Thiessen joined the program. She’s hosting *Deliciousness* on MTV, a food-based spinoff of *Ridiculousness*, which gave her the perfect excuse to talk about her own kitchen fails and the science of Salt Bae.

Win
Dec 18, 2020
#26112
Tiffani ThiessenTiffani Thiessen

Salt Bae’s high-sprinkle technique actually seasons meat more equally than seasoning it from a close distance

There is a reason why he [Salt Bae] does that, right? He just wants to not because it just looks awesome. If you actually salt your stuff too close your salt and pepper tend to only go in that one specific direction. If you go up higher, it actually falls. So it actually seasons your meat a much more equally.

This is a recognized culinary principle often called 'seasoning from a height' which allows for more even distribution.

Of course, they had to go back to The Max. Tiffani was a great sport about being the collective crush of an entire generation of boys. PFT and Big Cat tried to play it cool, but referencing the iconic "Jessie’s Song" episode was mandatory. Tiffani admits that while the show holds a special place in history, it might not have the same edge for kids growing up today.

Void
Dec 18, 2020
#15208
Tiffani ThiessenTiffani Thiessen

Saved By The Bell wouldn't stand up as a new show today

I have to be honest, it didn't pique [my daughter's] interest. I mean, she laughed because she saw me at her kind of like a little bit older than her, but I don't think it's the TV that they would want to watch right now. That show would not stand up today.

This is a subjective opinion on the show's cultural relevance to a new generation.

We wrapped things up with a somber Fyre Fest of the Week where Billy Football may or may not have been responsible for a backyard chicken massacre involving a raccoon and a questionable alibi.

Go Bills, go Bears, and keep your shoes on your feet.

nflcollege-footballsaved-by-the-bellraiderschargersbears

More Takes

Win
Dec 18, 2020
#15190
Big CatBig Cat

The Raiders will finish the 2020 season with a 7-9 or 8-8 record

I think we've willed it to happen a little early here, because they're not, they're going to finish probably seven and nine again or eight and eight.

The Raiders finished the 2020 season exactly 8-8.
Loss
Dec 18, 2020
#26105
PFT CommenterPFT Commenter

Marcus Mariota is officially the starting quarterback for the Raiders after his performance against the Chargers

from what we saw tonight, [Marcus Mariota] is the starting quarterback... Also the second pick in the draft, right? Yeah. And from Oregon, all Oregon quarterbacks now I think are good tonight has flipped the script and bring back Dennis Dixon, Joey and Joey Harrington out there in his jeans to come to pass again and bring them all back.

Derek Carr returned to start the following game, and Mariota remained the backup for the rest of the season.
Win
Dec 18, 2020·Picks
#26106
PFT CommenterPFT Commenter

John Elway passing on Josh Allen in the draft was his biggest failure because Allen is Elway's 'wet dream' of a quarterback

John Elway passed on Josh Allen... this [Josh Allen] was the guy that John Elway spent his entire career looking for when he was drafting Brock Osweiler. He was in his wildest dreams... And he passed. He took Bradley Chubb... This is like John Elway's wet dream of a quarterback.

Josh Allen has become an MVP-caliber quarterback, while the Broncos have struggled with quarterback play since Allen was drafted, validating the missed opportunity.
Loss
Dec 18, 2020·Picks
#15195
PFT CommenterPFT Commenter

The Buccaneers will lose to the Falcons because of special teams COVID issues

To me that seems like this seems like a heartbreaking type loss for Tampa Bay, special teams, the most important of all the units... it's not ideal to go into a division game against an opponent that loves to play extremely close to match-ups... and then have your kicker and the person that hikes the ball to your kicker beyond the IR.

The Buccaneers defeated the Falcons 31-27, overcoming any special teams issues.
Push
Dec 18, 2020·Picks
#26108
Big CatBig Cat

Frank Ragnow should sit out the rest of the season because playing with a fractured throat for a 5-11 Lions team is a losing proposition

Frank Ragnow who played last game for the Lions with a fractured throat... Frank, Calvin Johnson retired, Barry Sanders retired. They realized that this was a losing proposition to be on the Detroit Lions. You have a fractured throat on a 5 and 11 team. You can sit there. It's a weird throat to die on. No one would blame you if you sat out for the rest of the season.

Ragnow missed the following week but actually returned to play in the final two games of the season, defying Big Cat's advice.
Win
Dec 18, 2020
#15199
Big CatBig Cat

Drew Brees can no longer throw deep because of a shoulder injury

His shoulder injury. Because he forgot to tell the doctor about that. His shoulder, he can't throw deep anymore period. But his shoulder is hurt. He can't throw deep anymore, even worse. So it's like his game is so limited that defenses can plan for him being like this guy's shoulder's shot.

Brees struggled significantly with arm strength in the 2020 playoffs and retired immediately after the season.
Win
PFT CommenterPFT Commenter

'Eating your way out of town' is an underused and effective move for a player to force a trade

I choice not to look at any more angles of James Harden pictures... I choose to believe that James Harden is fat and I say more power to him. The eating your way out of town is the move that it's underused. And if all else fails and you want it to be traded, just put on a shitload of weight until people are embarrassed of you. And then guess what? You can always lose the weight.

James Harden was traded to the Nets shortly after this, and he immediately appeared to be in much better shape, supporting the idea that it was a tactic.
Void
Dec 18, 2020
#26110
Andy StaplesAndy Staples

A College Football Playoff matchup between Alabama and USC would be a bloodbath

I watched every USC game... I just, I can't see this team playing its Alabama. It would be a bloodbath. If you're going to make a contingency plan, at least make it that one, not a team [Oklahoma] that's lost to Iowa State and K-State already.

The matchup never happened, but Alabama went on to win every playoff game by double digits, suggesting they would have indeed dominated USC.
Win
Dec 18, 2020
#15203
Andy StaplesAndy Staples

The best path for Texas A&M into the playoffs is an Alabama blowout of Florida and a Notre Dame win over Clemson

I think A&M has one path and one path only, and that is Alabama clobbers Florida and Notre Dame beats Clemson. But the thing is if Notre Dame does beat Clemson, I think they're gonna be in, I think A&M would be in because I just can't picture who else they put in.

Clemson beat Notre Dame in the rematch, and Florida kept it close against Alabama, leading to A&M being left out.
Loss
Dec 18, 2020
#15207
Andy StaplesAndy Staples

Alabama will beat Florida by 40 points in the SEC Championship

I actually think they'll win by 40. A lot better game out of Florida than we saw last week. I just don't know that they are talented enough to beat Alabama.

Alabama won 52-46, a margin of only 6 points, far from the 40-point blowout Staples predicted.
Void
Dec 18, 2020
#26111
PFT CommenterPFT Commenter

The COVID-19 pandemic would be taken more seriously if the virus had a scarier name like 'The Riptide Virus'

I think that if they called the Corona virus something more scary, like the Riptide Virus and had a person with Australian accent talking about it, we'd take it more seriously. Like coronavirus, that sounds easy.

This is a subjective claim about psychology and branding that cannot be proven.
Void
Dec 18, 2020
#15211
PFT CommenterPFT Commenter

The 'Jessie's Song' caffeine pill episode of Saved By The Bell is a top 3 TV episode of all time

I think the episode with Jessie would still stand up. That to me is that the episode where she got hooked on trucker pills. That's one of the top three television episodes... 'I'm so excited, I'm so scared.' I mean goosebumps.

Subjective ranking of television history.
Loss
Dec 18, 2020·Fyre Fest
#26113
Billy FootballBilly Football

It should be encouraged to kill bats to keep the population down and reduce the risk of mosquito bites

I feel like it should be encouraged to kill bats... [to keep the] population like to keep it down. So like no of the mosquito bites. Which also was the bats. That's true.

Bats are actually a primary predator of mosquitoes; killing them would likely lead to an increase in the mosquito population, making this claim factually backwards.

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