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Push
Nov 18, 2020
#10383
Ryen RussilloRyen Russillo

James Harden's production is inflated by about 25% due to the Rockets' system

I also think Houston's style is almost like the best Instagram filter... where when you go play in Houston's system when it's Harden... you're 25% better... it's very clear, at least to me, and I don't know why more people don't say this, that you almost have to shave off like 25% of it [Harden's production].

Harden's scoring dropped significantly after leaving Houston (from 34-36 PPG to 21-24 PPG), though his playmaking remained high. His role changed, validating the idea that the system maximized his volume.

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Win
Nov 18, 2020
#10374
Big CatBig Cat

Nick Foles is not a consistent starting quarterback in the NFL

Nick Foles... He's not good. He's not good at playing football. Like, he's not good at being a quarterback. It's just... Objectively, he's just not. He's just found himself in a couple good situations. Right. He's reached incredible heights, and he's had incredible moments. But, like, game to game, he is not a consistent starter in the NFL.

Foles was benched shortly after this and never reclaimed a permanent starting role in the NFL, serving as a backup for the rest of his career.
Push
Nov 18, 2020
#10375
Big CatBig Cat

The Bears will be chasing the mistake of drafting Mitch Trubisky for a decade

These are the repercussions of missing. When you take a swing for the fences on a quarterback in the first round and you miss, you feel it for a decade going forward. The Bears will be chasing that mistake for a very long time.

The Bears struggled for years to find a QB, eventually moving on to Justin Fields (who also failed) and then Caleb Williams in 2024. The 2017 miss defined the Pace/Nagy era.
Void
Nov 18, 2020
#24819
PFT CommenterPFT Commenter

The Bears' defense is good enough to win a Super Bowl if they were paired with even an above-average offense.

The defense is good. I think the Bears' defense, it's still... Oh, it's very good. It's a defense that you could definitely win a Super Bowl with if you had an above-average offense. But [the Bears] don't.

While the 2020 Bears defense was top-tier, the offense was never even 'above-average', making this difficult to prove. However, the 2020 Bucs won with a balanced attack, and the Bears' D was statistically comparable to elite units.

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Open
Oct 7, 2026
#31595
Ryen RussilloRyen Russillo

Lincoln Riley still has no signature win at USC

If you go through the Lincoln Riley résumé, this is a really long time since starting in '22 to not have that signature win. Give us one. Beat Oregon once and be like, 'Hey, look.'

This is an assertion about USC’s results under Lincoln Riley that can be checked against the record as of the episode date.
Open
Oct 7, 2026
#31594
Ryen RussilloRyen Russillo

The SEC will regain its national-championship dominance

It was still hard for me to believe that they're just not gonna win national championships now because of NIL. That's the kind of parity. I think the SEC is gonna turn this thing back around where they're gonna start rolling through people again.

The SEC’s future national-title results remain unresolved.
Open
Oct 7, 2026
#31596
Ryen RussilloRyen Russillo

BYU is ranked far too highly to be trusted

I was arguing Texas Tech being overlooked because at least they have some P4 wins in there. They looked like shit against Colorado. BYU is eighth in both polls. I'm not putting them in there.

Whether BYU deserves its ranking and can contend is evaluable over the 2026 season, which is not complete.