Takes

LeBron James should have leaned into the 'shut up and dribble' line to handle his China controversy

He should have been like, 'I'm going to shut up and dribble' and reverse it on everyone. He did the worst possible outcome.

The next luxury status symbol will be phone-free experiences

The new luxury experience is going to be, oh, you go to this camp and there's no phones.

The Green Bay Packers defense is not for real

I'm going to continue to consider the Packers semi F word [frauds]. No, because their defense is not for real. And their offense does this thing where you now have two cases of it, the Chargers game and this game. They looked so bad.

Aaron Rodgers stinks whenever he plays on the West Coast

Aaron Rodgers sucks on the West Coast. I was running the numbers on him. I think he's something like 1-5 in the last 10 years on the West Coast or in California. He's a Cali boy. He goes home, he gets too comfortable.

Jameis Winston is the most entertaining quarterback in the NFL

I love Jameis Winston... Jameis Winston is one of, if not my favorite, quarterback in the NFL because of the comedy and because you can just always... Do you know he leads the league this year in 300-yard games?

Frank Gore is an absolute Hall of Famer.

The other big story from this game is Frank Gore, third all-time rushing... he needs all the credit in the world for... This is his 15th season. He has led every single team he's been on in rushing in that season. That is insane.

Sean McDermott is a top candidate for NFL Coach of the Year

Is it time right now to start asking about Sean McDermott, possible coach of the year? That's like the sweet spot for a coach of the year, coaching a smaller market team and elevating them beyond what their expectations were.

Pat Shurmur should be fired for making Mitch Trubisky look like an average quarterback

Pat Shurmur you should be fired if you make Mitch look competent... Pat Shurmur should lose his job for making Mitch look average.

Daniel Jones was definitively a better draft pick than Dwayne Haskins

Are we ready to say that Daniel Jones was definitively a better pick than Dwayne Haskins yet? I think Daniel Jones has more than Dwayne Haskins thus far that I've seen.

The Bengals should draft Chase Young over Joe Burrow with the first overall pick.

Do you take Chase Young if you're the Bengals or do you take Joe Burrow?... I think I would take Chase Young. [PFT: I think so, too].

The Cleveland Browns will run the table and make the playoffs

I think that they [the Browns] might run the table. I think that the Browns might make the playoffs. I think my brain is telling me that they're going to run the table. So if I'm wrong, it's not me. It's my brain.

Michael Thomas should be considered for NFL MVP

I'm ready to hop on board that Michael Thomas should be the MVP... He's done it with two different quarterbacks, and I think that that speaks more. He's kept the Saints afloat by being so steady through Drew Brees' injury, Teddy Bridgewater, and then Drew Brees coming back.

I don't know if Drew Brees still has the arm strength to make the big deep throws necessary to win in the playoffs.

I feel confident in everyone in the Saints except Drew Brees... he's going to have to make a few big-time deep throws. I don't know if he still has it... that's my biggest concern is in a playoff game, in a big-time moment, Drew Brees has to hit an open guy 30 yards down the field. Can he do it?

Carson Wentz is a bad quarterback who just had one good run

I think he's a bad quarterback that has gone through good runs... I think he's been who he is his entire career. He's lost a little bit of his mobility, I think, over the last two years. But I think overall he's a perfectly average quarterback.

The Eagles will win the NFC East.

The Eagles are probably still going to make the playoffs somehow... their schedule lines up perfectly for them... I would actually bet on the Eagles making it out of the NFC [East].

Ryan Tannehill is officially 'the guy' and has turned the corner in Tennessee

He is the guy. Change of scenery is all it took for Ryan Tannehill... What we're seeing right now is him taking the next step in front of our very eyes.

Dak Prescott fails to step up and win big games against elite opponents.

Dak Prescott, whenever he plays like a big-time opponent, it feels like he doesn't step up to it... he is 5-13 against winning teams since 2016... The Cowboys defense played well enough to have Dak Prescott win that game for him [against the Patriots].

Dak Prescott is the 'suckiest quarterback that doesn't suck'

He's the suckiest quarterback that doesn't suck... I like Dak Prescott a lot. I think he's a very good quarterback. I think he's a guy you've got to give money to. I just don't - I can't remember the last time he won a big, big game.

I would rather have Dak Prescott as my quarterback than Carson Wentz.

Dak Prescott is better than Carson Wentz... At this point, yeah. I would rather have Dak Prescott.

The NCAA is a 'supervillain' organization for fining players who aren't allowed to earn money.

I applaud the NCAA for figuring out a way to find your players who aren't allowed to be making money and expect them to pay you to come back and play. It's next-level supervillainry, so congratulations for innovation.

Elon Musk is just a front for Jeff Bezos

Elon Musk is just a front for Jeff Bezos because his Cybertruck was one of the funniest things I've ever seen... when people talk about Elon Musk doing stupid shit, they forget about Jeff Bezos.

The NFL is actually punishing the Steelers by not suspending Mason Rudolph

I actually think that the punishment for the Steelers is not punishing Mason... the league punished the Steelers by not suspending Mason Rudolph. Exactly. Yes. Duck [Hodges] [is] okay.

The Saints, Steelers, and Patriots all winning is a can't-lose parlay

There's no chance the Saints lose at home to the Panthers... The Steelers are not going to lose to the Bengals because Mason Rudolph has never lost a game after he's been accused of saying something racist... and the Patriots will beat the Cowboys because all you got to know about the Patriots Cowboys game is Jason Garrett verse Bill Belichick.

Always bet the over when Joe Buck is calling the game

I'll tie this right into our picks for the weekend. It makes me have to take the over in the Cowboys Patriots game... Joe Buck is I'm pretty sure is going to be announcing it... you always bet the over when Buck's calling.

The Dolphins moneyline against the Browns is the underdog pick of the week

My favorite is... this is going to be my lock... I'm going back on the train [with the] Dolphins as the underdog take them on the money line as well.

The Bills -4 against the Broncos is a thermite accelerant flaming lock of the week

This one's going to be my thermite accelerant flaming lock of the week. So this is a big fucking fire. It's the Buffalo fucking bills -4 at home against the Broncos.

The Packers are frauds and their defense is a fraud

I convinced myself the Packers are frauds every single week until they win the Super Bowl and then I cry in a puddle... I think their defense is a fraud.

The Jets +3 against the Raiders is the start of a run to the playoffs

My Underdog is the Jets... Jets plus 3 the run the table. Yeah, they're good. We're in the middle the early stages the table runner. Yes, but I think that they could handle the business at home.

The Seahawks +1 against the Eagles is the walkiest line of the year

I'll take the Seahawks plus 1. Russell Wilson is an underdog 23:7 and one against the spread in his career. It's this is the walkie east line of the year.

The Bears and Giants will go over 40.5 points

I'm going to take the Bears and Giants over 40 and a half and I'll tell you why... Daniel Jones going to be good for at least six pick sixes in this game.

Ben Simmons made his first career three-pointer too early

I actually think that he did it too early... Because it was such a big moment. He should have waited till like year 10 looks like your virginity you get it out of the way. Yeah over quickly than you do it a million more times.

I have at least 10 years of racing left in my career

[I have] probably 10 [years left]. I'm 34... I would like to think I got a few more years left in me and definitely a few more Championships.

I will win at least four more NASCAR championships

[I'll win] four more. That would be sweet. Yeah four more would be getting six times [total].

The Winnipeg Blue Bombers will win the Grey Cup by four points

I'm going to say that the bombers are going to win by Four Points.

Luka Doncic is the best player of all time

Is Luka Doncic the best player of all time? Yes. I think so. I think he's going to be—he's really good. Of all time. He's crazy. 42 point triple double.

Antonio Brown will return to the Patriots following his apology to Robert Kraft

Did you see that every single Patriot basically liked it? And he used a semicolon, which means there's a chance that someone wrote it for him, which means that it was like, hey, post this apology. And maybe you'll come back... do you guys think it's a coincidence that after the Patriots' offensive performance on Sunday that this all of a sudden comes very early the next week?

Philip Rivers' career is over

Philip Rivers is done. D-O-N-E, done. D-E-A-D, dead. It's over. I said to myself, this is sad. And I think it might be over. Because there's something about it that feels different. The arm is just not there. And it just can't. It will never come back.

Philip Rivers' winning record in one-possession games is misleading because he turns them into two-possession games at the end

Philip Rivers actually has a winning record in one possession games. The only way I can think of to explain that is he's had so many fourth quarter drives where he has been trailing by one possession, where he's thrown a pick six or an interception that's led to an easy six points or three points on the other end, which makes the final score a two possession game.

Ben Roethlisberger is growing his beard out until he throws another NFL pass

I heard a rumor that Big Ben... is growing that beard out until he throws another NFL pass. How great would that be to have Ben show up for training camp next year with just a full bush?

Gronk will not return to the Patriots this season

My hot seat is anyone who actually thought Gronk was coming back to the Patriots. He did a little teaser similar to when he was on this show. It was like, I have a big announcement tomorrow. Turned out he's just doing a party in Miami... he's not coming back to the Patriots this year, which is sad.

Ken Jennings is likely a 'soaker' because he's from Utah

I don't know. I think [Ken Jennings] is from Utah. Yeah, so everyone from Utah. I just assumed he soaked. He seems like a guy who soaks.

Joe Biden lost the youth vote by calling marijuana a 'gateway drug'

Joe Biden, he's running to be commander in chief, but he doesn't like weed. He says that it should remain illegal at the federal level because it's a gateway drug. Yeah, so he just lost the youth vote.

The 'OK Boomer' trend is dead because internet users are fighting with straw men

The boomer thing is done. It's too much... there are no baby boomers on Twitter. There's like a few people who write like op-eds in New York Times, but we're really arguing with no one... we have created straw men all around us and we're just whacking at it with a machete.

Booger McFarland is the new Jason Witten for NFL fan criticism

Jason Witten is on my cool throne because the internet has finally come for Booger McFarland. I think Booger had that nice spot where he came in after Jason Witten, so it was like no one was paying attention for a little bit, and now people are starting to listen to what he says... he's getting roasted. The internet is coming for him.

NBA games were manipulated by refs based on points of emphasis, not by direct point shaving

Fixing games. I mean, some people think that I went out there and put Shaquille O'Neal to the bench or LeBron James to the bench so that some of these bets won. That's really not what happened. I picked the games based on relationships that existed between referees and players, referees and coaches, and referees and owners, and what took place in the morning meetings with the referees and what was going to be called that night and how a team was going to be put at an advantage or disadvantage.

Officiating in the 2002 Lakers-Kings series was manipulated to ensure it went to Game 7

Definitely manipulate it when you talk about Dick Bavetta at the in 2002... the famous Lakers Sacramento Game 6. He openly said to a lot of us that he was the NBA's go-to guy. He was put on Game 6s to make sure they went to a Game 7 and that was one of the most fucked up games in the history of the NBA.

55 out of 58 NBA referees were gambling in violation of their contracts

Then [David Stern] did an investigation and found out 55 out of 58 NBA referees were gambling, going to casinos, betting on football, betting on golf, couldn't fire everybody, and immediately started to backtrack that whole thing.

NBA officiating in the playoffs is manipulated to extend series for revenue

When you talk about the way the business was operated and how they were dictating what the referees were calling, especially during the playoffs, I think there's some culpability there... you're not fixing these games, but you're manipulating them for the bottom line of going five, six, and seven games.

James Harden travels are intentionally ignored because the NBA wants the highlights

The thing is that the NBA doesn't want that travel called. And when [James Harden] does travel, and even when it's obvious, they'll come out and say it has something to do with the gather, the Eurostep, the way the rule is written. It's just a bunch of bullshit to protect the fact that nobody called the travel.

The 'full block' on social media is the healthiest way to handle a breakup in 2019

I think that the full block on social media for everything is a healthy way to move on. Because if you break up with someone, you're going to go creeping on their stuff... so to go clean slate, I'm just going to like remove everything. I think that's a healthy way to deal with the breakup.