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Big CatBig Cat

The Bears vs. Buccaneers game is the perfect litmus test for Ryan Fitzpatrick

I honestly think that against the Bears defense is Bucs Bears on Sunday. It's the perfect Ryan Fitzpatrick litmus test. Can he still do this against a good defense? Okay, no, he can't. He's either going to fail spectacularly or the Bucs will win the game.

The Bears defense dominated. Fitzpatrick was benched at halftime after throwing zero touchdowns and one interception, while the Bears won 48-10. Big Cat was correct that he would fail spectacularly against a good defense.

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Win
Sep 26, 2018
#3421
Big CatBig Cat

Ryan Fitzpatrick is the most classic NFL player because you can see his magic disappearing in real-time

I love Ryan Fitzpatrick. If you don't love Ryan Fitzpatrick, you got a big old dump in your pants because he is so classic and you can tell the minute Ryan Fitzpatrick is losing his magic. It is so fun to watch the downfall. It's great to watch the rise. He will get to the highest of highs, and then he will get to the lowest of lows.

Ryan Fitzpatrick's career was famously defined by stretches of elite play followed by high-turnover slumps (e.g., 2018 with the Bucs).
Void
Sep 26, 2018
#3422
PFT CommenterPFT Commenter

Ryan Fitzpatrick is the best sliding quarterback in the NFL

I'll say this about him. I think [Ryan Fitzpatrick] is the league's best sliding quarterback. He knows exactly when to time his slides to make it just a little appetizing for the defender to throw a shoulder into his head. So sabermetrically, I'm sure he picks up more of those [penalties].

This is a subjective assessment of a quarterback's 'sliding' skill for the purpose of drawing flags.
Push
Sep 26, 2018
#3423
Big CatBig Cat

NFL offenses should stop blocking and let defenders hit the QB to draw 15-yard penalties

I'm actually at the point now where I think if I were a coach in the NFL, I would say to my offensive line, just treat every play like a screen and half of you don't block. And let them get to the quarterback because we'll most likely get 15 yards.

Hot TakeFootballHotSarcastic
While no team ever literally stopped blocking, the 2018 season saw a massive spike in roughing the passer calls that influenced defensive behavior.

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Big CatBig Cat

Michigan was definitively the better team in the National Championship and it never felt like UConn was in danger of winning.

Michigan was the better team. We all saw it. It never felt like [the game] was in danger. Like the only moment that I was like, oh, UConn might have a chance, was when there was like maybe five and a half minutes left and Mullens missed that three to cut it to four.

The episode presents Michigan winning the 2026 National Championship as a fact within the show's timeline.
Void
Big CatBig Cat

Michigan was the best team all year — outside of Duke, who would have won the championship by a lot

They were the best team. They were the best team all year outside of Duke. 'Cause that actually was my other big takeaway — Duke just completely, Duke beat this Michigan team a month and a half ago.

Subjective comparison of team quality. Duke did beat Michigan during the regular season in 2025-26.
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Big CatBig Cat

Danny Hurley is 18-1 against the spread in his last four NCAA tournaments, which is insane

Danny Hurley remains 18 and one in the last four tournaments against the spread. How insane is that? Furman is the only one that they didn't cover. That was the first round this year.

This is a factual claim about Hurley's ATS record over the last four NCAA tournaments. Based on UConn's remarkable tournament run, this is plausible and presented as a known stat. Cannot fully verify exact record but the claim is stated as fact.

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