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PMTPMT DB

Takes

Loss
Big CatBig Cat

White cleats scientifically make you faster

Scientifically, white cleats do make you faster. That's actually just science. You just look a lot faster. You feel a lot faster. Look good, play good.

There is no physical scientific evidence for this, though there is a psychological 'look good, play good' factor.
Win
Big CatBig Cat

The Patriots will win Super Bowl 51 and cover the three-point spread

I'm taking the Patriots minus the three points in the big game. ... Patriots 36, [Falcons] 17.

The Patriots won Super Bowl 51 34-28, covering the 3-point spread, though the final score was different than his prediction.
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Big CatBig Cat

The Patriots are a better team without Rob Gronkowski

The Patriots being a better team without Gronk. Someone's going to write that.

The Patriots went on to win Super Bowl LI without Gronkowski, lending some literal truth to the idea they could win it all without him, though few would argue they were 'better'.
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PFT CommenterPFT Commenter

Matt Ryan is an elite quarterback

We're going to get Is Matt Ryan Elite. Ooh, yes. It's already started a little bit. We called it a couple weeks ago. That's going to be a huge one.

Matt Ryan won the NFL MVP award for the 2016 season and led the Falcons to the Super Bowl, which is the definition of an elite season.
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PFT CommenterPFT Commenter

Donald Trump will legalize sports gambling to improve his approval ratings

I could see Trump legalizing sports gambling. I could, too. He's a casino guy... He could flip that approval rating up to, like, the 60s if he just said, okay, we're going to be sports gaming.

PASPA was overturned by the Supreme Court in 2018 during Trump's term, but it wasn't a direct executive legalization by him, though he didn't oppose the trend.
Void
Big CatBig Cat

I am officially a Donald Trump guy if he legalizes sports gambling

I'm immediately a Trump guy if [Trump] does that [legalizes sports gambling].

This is a subjective statement of loyalty based on a condition.
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PFT CommenterPFT Commenter

The NFL is trying to eliminate kickoffs by moving them up to the 30-yard line

Do you feel in the back of your mind that the NFL one day is going to just eliminate kickoffs entirely? Are you worried about that at all? ... They trying to right now. That's why they took it out of the Pro Bowl. So they're trying to get it out. That's why they moved the kick up to the 30 because kickers can kick. So they want them kicking out the end zone every time.

The NFL has significantly changed kickoff rules since 2017, including the 'Dynamic Kickoff' in 2024, effectively trying to preserve the play while reducing high-speed collisions, though they haven't eliminated it entirely.
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Cordarrelle PattersonCordarrelle Patterson

I love Applebee's way more than Chili's

I love Applebee's. Way more than Chili's. ... I'm just so stuck on Applebee's for some reason.

Subjective personal preference.
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Cordarrelle PattersonCordarrelle Patterson

The NFL is in cahoots with the Green Bay Packers and Dallas Cowboys

Because everybody loves Green Bay. Everybody wants to see Green Bay on top. ... Oh, so conspiracy. The league. The league has a conspiracy. ... Headline grab. ... Green Bay is in cahoots with the league. Yeah. They like the... Done. It was Dallas, you know.

This is a subjective conspiracy theory that cannot be factually proven or disproven.
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Cordarrelle PattersonCordarrelle Patterson

I would love to play running back

I would love to play running back. Whoa, that's another headline grab. I think any receiver in my position would love to play running back. Because people always say he's just a running back when he gets the ball in his hand.

Patterson eventually made a full-time transition to running back with the Atlanta Falcons in 2021, having a breakout season and proving this take entirely prescient.
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PFT CommenterPFT Commenter

The Packers are essentially ISIS for Jordy Nelson wearing a Kevlar vest

This is a respect to biz for Jordy Nelson to start respecting the military more. It's stolen valor for him to be wearing body armor without actually getting shot at during the game. ... Basically the Packers are ISIS.

This is a satirical insult, not a factual claim.
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Big CatBig Cat

Jimmy Butler is a top ten player in the NBA

How many players play on a basketball team? Five. And how many teams play at the same time? Two. Okay, so that's what? Ten. Okay, so the NBA All-Star Game rosters came out. Jimmy Butler was named a starter... that would make him a top ten player.

While Butler was a starter, 'top ten player' is subjective and his logic ignores the existence of the Western Conference and bench players who might be better.
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PFT CommenterPFT Commenter

The Steelers are like Michigan football because they count championships won before the Super Bowl era

That's a classic Steelers move to count the championships that you won before the Super Bowl was a thing. I'm saying that's a classic thing to reach back. Well, in 1920, we won the big contest. We call that Michigan football.

The Steelers do officially recognize their pre-Super Bowl history, and Michigan is famously cited for its numerous pre-poll era national titles.
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Big CatBig Cat

Michigan football counts national championships they won before black people were allowed to play

Michigan football counts all the national championships they won before they let black people play.

While Michigan had black players as early as the 19th century, many of their early claimed titles (1901-1904) occurred during eras of widespread segregation in college sports.
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HankHank

The Patriots are a better team specifically because of Dion Lewis

Actually, the real reason is Dion Lewis. They are 14-0 when [Lewis] plays. [Brady's] a system quarterback, in other words.

The Patriots did have an incredible winning streak when Dion Lewis was active on the roster during this era.
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Big CatBig Cat

You would be insane to bet the under on the 60.5 total for the Packers-Falcons game

The story of this game, though, over-under is 61.5 now? 60.5. And you would be insane if you bet the under. I do think the over is going to be the play here. There's nothing better than watching a game, having the over, and having it be a points bukkake.

The Falcons won 44-21, totaling 65 points, which cleared the 60.5 line.
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PFT CommenterPFT Commenter

Matt Ryan is the new Joe Flacco and is entering 'clutch gene' territory

Matt Ryan is going to be the new Joe Flacco. Right now, the story on Matt Ryan is he doesn't have the clutch gene. If he wins this game, he might have the clutch gene. He's getting into the clutch gene territory.

Matt Ryan won the MVP in 2016 and led the Falcons to the Super Bowl, though the 'clutch' label was permanently damaged by the 28-3 collapse.
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Big CatBig Cat

The Steelers will cover the +5.5 spread and the Falcons will beat the Packers to advance to the Super Bowl

I'm taking the Steelers and the Falcons. I like the [Steelers] five and a half. I think that's enough. I think this game is going to come down to last possession type of game.

The Falcons won their game decisively, but the Steelers lost by 19 points and failed to cover the 5.5 spread.
Loss
PFT CommenterPFT Commenter

John Calipari will leave Kentucky to coach the Lakers and reunite Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook

John Calipari to the Lakers, and then he's going to get those two [Durant and Westbrook] together. John Calipari is like a better version of Billy Donovan anyways.

Calipari never coached the Lakers, and Durant and Westbrook never reunited on the Lakers under him.
Win
Big CatBig Cat

LeBron James will play in the NBA until his son Bronny enters the league

LeBron is going to keep playing until LeBron Jr.'s in the NBA... LeBron can be like, I always wanted to play in a game against my son, and they're going to do that whole fucking sappy-ass shit... and then we're going to be like, shit, we have another LeBron for another 20 years?

LeBron James is currently playing with his son Bronny James on the Lakers in the 2024-25 season, exactly as predicted.
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Aaron NaglerAaron Nagler

The Packers-Falcons NFC Championship game will be a 38-35 high-scoring affair

It's a historic over-under for any conference championship or a Super Bowl, and I still think it's too low. I tend to think this is going to be like 38-35 type game.

The total points reached 65 (44-21), so he was right about it being high-scoring and clearing the over, though the score distribution was less balanced.
Loss
Aaron NaglerAaron Nagler

Aaron Rodgers will fake an injury if the Packers are losing big in the second half

Yeah, probably sometime around the third quarter, if they're losing by more than two touchdowns, there will be a sudden ailment to his elbow. He'll go in the tent... and Joe Buck will go on for like five minutes about the importance of stretching.

PredictionFootballHotSarcastic
The Packers were blown out by the Falcons, but Rodgers did not fake an injury or leave the game for an ailment in that manner.
Void
Dave DameshekDave Dameshek

The Steelers are the most beloved dynasty in American sports history

Is there any doubt that the Pittsburgh Steelers are the most beloved dynasty in American sports history? I don't think Belichick and Brady... they're not going to stack up with the Pittsburgh Steelers in terms of the affection that our football nation has for the black and gold.

This is entirely subjective, but most national polls would favor teams like the 90s Bulls or Cowboys in terms of 'beloved' status over the Steelers.
Loss
Dave PortnoyDave Portnoy

Adrian Peterson is currently better than Le'Veon Bell

[Le'Veon Bell] is the best running back in the NFL? I think Adrian Peterson is still better than he is.

In 2017, Le'Veon Bell was an All-Pro with nearly 2,000 yards from scrimmage, while Peterson was washed and split time between New Orleans and Arizona.
Void
PFT CommenterPFT Commenter

Robert Kraft likes Donald Trump because Trump claimed he could get Kraft's Super Bowl ring back from Vladimir Putin

Do you think that Robert Kraft is a Trump fan because Trump said that he could get a Super Bowl ring back from Putin for him? He likes Trump so that Trump can get his jewelry back.

This is a satirical take on Kraft's personal motivations that cannot be factually verified.
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Dave PortnoyDave Portnoy

I would rather have two more years of Tom Brady than five years of Jimmy Garoppolo and two first-round picks

[I'd take] Brady. I think we're going to have both, but Brady in that situation. [Even over Garoppolo for five years and two first round picks].

Brady won two more Super Bowls with the Patriots (2016 and 2018 seasons) after this take, validating the choice to stick with him.
Loss
PFT CommenterPFT Commenter

The Patriots will select Christian McCaffrey with the 32nd pick in the NFL Draft

Christian McCaffrey, number 32 to the Patriots. Wow. Uhhh ya think? Him and Woodhead in the backfield together? Split backs. Bring back the old split back formation.

McCaffrey was drafted 8th overall by the Panthers, nowhere near the Patriots' pick.
Loss
Big CatBig Cat

Skip Bayless is correct that Aaron Rodgers is lucky and Dak Prescott outplayed him

I still can't believe Mason Crosby barely made those sorry-looking field goals and saved Aaron Rodgers from Dak Prescott. Skip is my lord and savior right now with the Aaron Rodgers hate. The way he spun that, Dak Prescott outplayed Aaron Rodgers.

OpinionFootballHotSarcastic
While subjective, the consensus was that Rodgers' throw to Jared Cook was legendary skill, not just 'luck,' and Rodgers won the game.
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PFT CommenterPFT Commenter

Skip Bayless will eventually have a stroke and the only words he will be able to say are 'Aaron Rodgers is lucky'

Skip is going to wake up. He's going to have a stroke one day. And he's going to wake up and the only words he can say are going to be, 'Aaron Rodgers is lucky' and 'that field goal actually didn't go in.'

A satirical medical prediction about a media personality's future health and speech patterns.
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Big CatBig Cat

Chris Christie's 'double spin zone' regarding his failed Trump job search is a masterclass in handling embarrassment

Chris Christie, double spin zone. I'm on his side. That's how you – when you get embarrassed like Chris Christie gets embarrassed, you need to layer your spin zone.

The effectiveness of a political 'spin' is inherently subjective.
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PFT CommenterPFT Commenter

Bill Belichick intentionally messes up social media app names to mess with the media

This is the second time that Belichick has intentionally messed up two apps. I think that Belichick knows a lot more about social media than he's letting on... Belichick pretends to not know what Facebook is... he's just absolutely fucking with the media and just putting on this show like, oh, I don't know what any of this is. And meanwhile, he goes out behind the curtain. He's got five cell phones and he immediately checks all his players' accounts.

Belichick continued this 'bit' for years, consistently misnaming platforms like 'Instachat,' supporting the theory that it's a deliberate part of his persona.
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Big CatBig Cat

Aaron Rodgers is trying to 'cuck' Brett Favre's legacy

Uncoachable. He's now trying to cuck Brett Favre's legacy like a kid just running around back there. Brett Favre was the ultimate draw something up in the dirt. It's like the last thing that Brett Favre has. He was an old school gunslinger. Just go out there and I'll hit you. And now Aaron Rodgers is taking that from him.

Rodgers has often been compared to Favre in this regard, though he generally played with much higher efficiency and fewer turnovers, eventually surpassing most of Favre's franchise records.
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Big CatBig Cat

LeBron James pretends he doesn't care about the Warriors, but he cares deeply

LeBron said, no, we're not rivals. He basically just said, I don't want to talk about that. I don't care about the Warriors. They can do their thing. Meanwhile, I'm pretty sure LeBron made them put up a big poster right outside their locker room when they went to Cleveland earlier in the year, like the block and all that stuff. So classic LeBron. He's just pretending like he doesn't care, even though he cares deeply.

LeBron's rivalry with the Warriors during the 2010s is widely considered one of the greatest in NBA history, confirming he likely cared significantly more than he admitted.
Loss
Big CatBig Cat

Carmelo Anthony's destiny is to be carried to a title by LeBron James

Melo's destiny is to have LeBron carry him to a title. That really is his destiny.

Carmelo Anthony eventually joined LeBron James on the Lakers in 2021-22 in an attempt to win a championship, though they were unsuccessful. He never won a title.
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Big CatBig Cat

LeBron James knows he is a physical specimen but still flops to manipulate the game

It's so funny when LeBron has one of those flop moments, and it's almost like he thinks that we don't realize that he's 6'8 and 260 pounds of pure muscle. And this guy's like flopping. Draymond Green's smaller than him. And they collide. And LeBron basically can bulldoze over anyone in the NBA whenever he wants. But at this point, he's dead. And then he pops back up and he's okay.

LeBron's tendency to flop is a widely documented and debated aspect of his game, making this a classic subjective sports opinion.
Void
PFT CommenterPFT Commenter

Joel Embiid needs to earn his 'umlaut' like Yankee stripes

You earn your umlaut, Joel. Your Yankee stripes. That's right. So, here's a little tip, buddy. So you kind of dug yourself in a hole with this one. Maybe bury the hatchet. Go on [Mia Khalifa's] Amazon wish list and buy her... get her that Sibian she's been looking for.

This is a joke take about respect and internet beef.
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Big CatBig Cat

I am pardoning the banning of the word 'dude' and bringing it back to the show

I am pardoning the banning of the word dude. So we're bringing back dude. Mr. Portnoy, you're out with saying we can't use dude anymore. Dude is back. It has officially been pardoned. Welcome back, dudes. It's back in a huge way.

The word 'dude' indeed returned to their regular vocabulary after this segment.
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HankHank

Pete Carroll is a cheater for lying on injury reports

My hot seat is Pete Carroll, coach of the Seattle Cheahawks. Got caught cheating... by lying about his injury report saying Richard Sherman, he had an injury the whole season, and he basically lied on the injury report every single week... his crime was lying and cheating.

The NFL did investigate the Seahawks for failing to disclose Richard Sherman's MCL injury, though it is usually viewed as gamesmanship rather than outright cheating on the level of Deflategate.
Loss
Shawne MerrimanShawne Merriman

The Steelers must start fast and take the Foxborough crowd out of the game to beat the Patriots

For one, it's going to be tough. It's one of the toughest environments I had a chance of playing throughout my career... they need to jump out fast. I mean, the first quarter or two, take the win out of the crowd. Once that happens, now they're on the playing field.

The Steelers did not start fast; they were trailing 17-6 at halftime and lost 36-17. The Patriots dominated from the start.
Loss
Shawne MerrimanShawne Merriman

I am officially unretired and would return to the NFL if a contender offered $10 million

If I had a good opportunity I want to play I want to play with a team that I have an opportunity to go win a championship because that's the only part of my career that is missing you know I'm missing the ring so if I had an opportunity to get a ring of course I go back in a second.

Merriman never returned to the NFL after this statement.
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Shawne MerrimanShawne Merriman

Toronto does not support the Bills like Buffalo does and is a boring environment

It felt like we were playing somewhere in Europe or somewhere in a foreign country. They didn't really support the team. I never saw a stadium so dead and so boring when a team played in Toronto. They just didn't support the Bills like they did when they played in Buffalo.

The Bills Toronto Series was widely panned and eventually cancelled in 2014, supporting Merriman's observation about the lack of local enthusiasm.
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Shawne MerrimanShawne Merriman

Los Angeles is not ready to support two NFL teams

I don't think L.A. is ready for two football teams. They're still trying to get their feet on their own with the Rams, even though they didn't play well this last year... they don't show up until halftime.

This has been a persistent narrative, with the Chargers struggling to build a fan base in LA for years, often playing in stadiums filled with opposing fans.
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Shawne MerrimanShawne Merriman

Tito Ortiz will beat Chael Sonnen in their Bellator 170 fight

I'm going with Tito. Only because it's his last one, and I just know how he feels about his legacy, and he doesn't want to go out and lose it. So by any means, he's going to do whatever he can to win this fight... I'm taking Tito at the end.

Tito Ortiz defeated Chael Sonnen via rear-naked choke in the first round on January 21, 2017.
Void
Big CatBig Cat

Tom Brady gamed his initial Patriots combine tests to make his late-career improvement look better

The damnest thing is happening with Brady. In each of the past three years, he improved his test scores in every category... [Hmm]. I used to do that when I did CrossFit... you would just do really, really bad the first one. And then just kind of coast the rest. So maybe that's what Brady's doing.

This is a subjective theory on performance metrics that can't be definitively proven.
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PFT CommenterPFT Commenter

Roger Goodell is ducking Foxborough by choosing to attend the NFC Championship game

Goodell... We predicted it. This was a shocker, actually. I thought Goodell would think better of it and go to Foxborough and get spit on by our boss. But it turns out, I guess, he's Will Panson. He's afraid of some bad people from New England.

Goodell did indeed go to Atlanta for the NFC game and avoided Foxborough until the 2017 season opener.
Void
Big CatBig Cat

The contestants on The Bachelor who cried over the Backstreet Boys were faking it

I'm calling bullshit on this. If there's some girls, maybe some girls, like, 1994, 1995 born, they were, like, five years old when Backstreet Boys were big... I feel like that was a try-hard move to start crying for that because they probably don't remember them, right?

It's a common criticism of reality TV that reactions are staged, and his math regarding the age of the contestants versus the height of the boy band's fame is largely accurate.
Void
PFT CommenterPFT Commenter

Tony Romo would have won the game for the Cowboys because Dak Prescott was 'too efficient' and scored too early

Tony Romo probably would have won that game in Dallas... Dak is better than Tony, but he's exactly better enough that the Cowboys would have scored later on in the game to tie it up. So Dak scored too soon. He was too efficient. Romo would have tied it, sent it to overtime.

This is an unfalsifiable hypothetical based on satirical logic.
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Big CatBig Cat

The Green Bay vs. Atlanta NFC Championship will be 'Mickey Mouse football' with no tackling

Green Bay against Atlanta is going to basically just be first one to 50. The Big 12 is going to be playing the NFC Championship game. I could not be more excited. It's Mickey Mouse football. Yeah, no tackling. It's flag football.

The Falcons won 44-21. While high scoring for Atlanta, it wasn't the 50-point shootout Big Cat suggested, and Green Bay failed to keep pace.
Win
Big CatBig Cat

I am done with Brock Osweiler forever

I am seriously, though. I'm done with Brock Osweiler. I'm done with him forever. He's ruined football games for me, multiple football games for me this year. Stop trying to make Brock Osweiler happen.

Osweiler was traded to the Browns shortly after and never regained a starting role of significance, essentially 'ending' as a franchise prospect.
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PFT CommenterPFT Commenter

Kickers were too good this week, so we are due for a 'correction' (missed kicks) next week

Number one, kickers were too good this week. So we're due for a correction next week.

In the following week's AFC Championship, Chris Boswell missed an XP, and in the NFC Championship, Matt Bryant and Mason Crosby were perfect, though only 1 FG was attempted. PFT's general prediction of 'a correction' was partially right due to the missed XP.

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