Takes

Sean McVay's baby will be born on Sunday morning during the game window

I think I'm gonna predict that the baby's gonna be born on Sunday morning. I I this baby, listen, he will become a football guy 'cause he is Sean McVay's son, but baby's come when they want to come.

Sean Payton is intentionally tanking for Caleb Williams

Sean Payton is very clearly tanking this season... I think that the Broncos are intentionally tanking for Caleb Williams and it's maybe a smart move.

The Eagles' Kelly Green jerseys are worth an extra seven points on the field

I've done the computer models, everything that I, I've, I've put into the numbers, crunched 'em all. I think that Kelly Green Jerseys are worth seven points. Seven Points.

Julio Jones is currently 'Prime Julio Jones' again

I'm also fully back on Julio Jones... He's Prime Julio Jones... He said he is gonna dominate and if he says he's gonna dominate, then [I'm in].

Nebraska will win their next three games and finish the season bowl eligible

Northwestern win, Purdue win, Michigan State a win. That's six and three... Maryland... Illinois just beat them like they're a beatable team. You win that you're seven and three, you're bowling.

Nebraska has an opportunity to win the Big 10 West and go to Indianapolis

We can win the Big 10 West and go to Indy... The West goes through Lincoln. We are holding the gun.

The Phillies will destroy the all-time postseason record for team home runs

The all time record for Homers in a playoff, it was the Tampa Bay Rays in 2020 with 34 home runs in those playoffs. These Phillies are on pace to destroy that record. And it's unreal.

I would rather the Phillies play the Rangers than the Astros in the World Series

I would rather play the Rangers. [than the Astros]

Justin Herbert is basically Kirk Cousins in powder blue

I think we just need to intentionally recalibrate our Justin Herbert expectations. Like officially right now, Justin Herbert is basically Kirk Cousins in powder blue.

Players should be allowed to open-hand slap any fan who talks shit to them immediately after a loss

I really do think that Caleb Williams, like every player, if a fan goes up to you and talks shit after a devastating loss, you have like a ten second period where you can just open hand slap 'em. Yeah. Not punch. We're civilized. But I think that that would actually, if that just became a law and a rule, 'cause then fans would start acting accordingly.

If oil reaches $95 a barrel, Jimbo Fisher will get bought out of his contract

I'm setting a price target right now. I'm setting a personal price target. If oil reaches $95 a barrel, then I predict that Jimbo Fisher will get bought out of his contract.

Texas A&M has the most delusional fanbase in college football because they think they are a perennial 11-win team

Texas a and m to me, most delusional fan base in college football... Why is it that Texas a and m thinks that they are a perennial 10 11 win team... Since 1995, they have won over 10 games twice. They won 11 games in 1998. And then Johnny Football. It's just a very funny like to, I again, you should aspire to be great, but to pretend like Texas a m is like, we deserve to be winning 10 games.

Iowa is the best team in college football to follow because they make people so angry by winning while being terrible on offense

I love this Iowa team so much because they make people so angry. They're so bad for their offense... People are going to be so, so angry about them playing in the Big 10 championship game. They have found, they've hacked the system. Offense is irrelevant. You could just win games in the Big 10 West by just playing defense and special teams.

I will work twice as hard in the winter so I can work half as much in the summer for golf

All I said is that I'm gonna work twice as hard as the winter so that I don't have to work. I can work twice as less and all in the summer. In the summer. Right. And then it all evens out. ... Europe, Europeans do it. Right. They take midday naps, siestas.

The Chargers' social media account being too funny is hurting the team's culture

I think that the Chargers Twitter account is, is too funny. And and it's resulted in actual on the field losses for you. Yeah. Be serious. This is culture matters. ... If you're asking guys, Hey, is water wet when they come off the field, they're probably, that's gonna break their brains. ... I actually, I'm starting to think that Chargers truther, he might be true. It affects team culture.

Jalen Carter is already a top-tier defensive player because he hits people differently than most 21-year-olds

He's a freak though. Like physically when you see him, you go, that's like, he's as wide as a refrigerator... he's got advanced skills for 21, 22 years old... Jalen Carter hits you, like he rocks you. He's just, he just hits people differently.

Jim Schwartz is the most important person on the Cleveland Browns defense

The defensive coordinator? Yeah. Jim Schwartz. He's the most important guy. They've had talent there in Cleveland. Now it's, it's elite right now... But you know, he's, he's a, he's a statistician mathematician. So numbers like he gets all that. But then he lets you know that this scheme and what we're running, this is why we're doing it... and then he just, you know, they just dog pressed [the 49ers] right outta the stadium.

The Detroit Lions are for real because they have transformed from the worst run defense into the best

I don't think [the Lions are fool's gold]. I think Jared's been playing incredible football... Last year they were the worst defensive football. Nobody was even close... They're the number one ranked run defensive football right now. Tampa Bay couldn't get two yards a carry last week. They play the game the right way.

Jared Goff is legitimately in the MVP conversation

No, they're 5 0 1. He's playing great football. The offense is dynamic. The guy's tough as can be. ... You're not gonna find a better quarterback than Jared Goff. And he knows, first of all, he's a lockstep with a really talented offense coordinator... He's not gonna play any better or go anywhere else like he is right now in Detroit.

If Tom Brady played for the Falcons right now, they could win a Super Bowl

I feel like if you could get Tom Brady away from some celebrity of function he's at right now and put him in a Falcon uniform, I feel like they could win a Super Bowl. Yeah. Like the quarterback is just, it's, it's too up and down. They got the town is ridiculous. ... London and what they have, like they've got a and they got a solid offensive line.

I am not ready to declare the Titans dead because Mike Vrabel always finds a way to win

I'm actually not ready to declare the Titans dead yet. Because Vrabel always will have a game. Vrabel finds a way. The last time they started two and four, you know what they did? I think they made it all the way to the AFC Championship game.

The Ravens are currently good but lack the killer instinct to be great

I feel like the Ravens are in the good have not figured out how to be great category yet... they're not being able to step on a team's throat... they're not finishing drives and they're not letting teams just kind of linger around.

If the NFL hosts a Super Bowl in London, we should riot and reclaim England as a U.S. territory

If that happens, we riot. If we have to play a Super Bowl in England, we get all of England back as part of the United States. It's the Super Bowl. It's not the International Bowl.

Joe Burrow's calf is fully healthy based on his sprint to the end zone

I saw that Joe Burrow ran—sprinted to the end zone. That's how you know that his calf is doing good. I haven't seen that kind of mobility out of Joe in a long time. Sprinted to the end zone, picked up the ball, ran it back to the sidelines.

The Browns might actually be better without Deshaun Watson and Nick Chubb

Do you think that the Cleveland Browns are better without Deshaun Watson, Nick Chubb and Joel Bitonio? They might be. And you had a lot of people talking about the 49ers being super injured today. Well, the Browns, they they got you beat when it comes to major injuries.

The Commanders are officially the streak-breakers of the NFL

The Commanders are officially the streak breakers of the NFL—streak breaking kings of the NFL. This was a 31 game home winning streak for Desmond Ridder that was snapped today. We beat the Ravens when they had their 24 game preseason streak. The Bears had a 14 game losing streak, the Commanders broke that last week. We broke the Eagles 8-0 streak last year. The Commanders just seem like streak breakers.

The Falcons could make the playoffs with any quarterback not named Desmond Ridder

The big story out of this is the Atlanta Falcons are good enough to go to the playoffs with any quarterback not named Desmond Ridder... If you got a B minus today, the Falcons win that game.

Kirk Cousins will eventually earn over $300 million in his career

Any way you slice it, I think Kirk Cousins is gonna end up making over $300 million.

Jim Harbaugh wants to return to the NFL to coach Caleb Williams and beat his brother

Harbaugh, I think it is in the back of Harbaugh's mind that if he wins a national championship, he he wants to go back to the NFL because... he can't stand the fact that he hasn't won a Super Bowl and his brother has won over him. So he's definitely thinking about going back to the NFL and you would think that he would want to go back to a team that might be in a position to draft Caleb Williams.

Tyreek Hill is the hardest player in the NFL to game plan for and the league's biggest mismatch

He is the hardest guy to game plan for. He's the biggest mismatch. Like just in terms of speed, because it really is like watching a different sport when he's running. I would say he may not be the best receiver in terms of catching the ball high, pointing the ball, catching in traffic. He is impossible to game plan for when he's healthy.

The Jaguars might be a top-tier team after winning three games in a row

The Jags looked good. Their defense looked very good... credit to the Jags. Two games in London, one against the Bills, and then coming back home. They've won three in a row. They've righted the ship after that Chiefs/Texans double loss... the Jags might be good.

The New York Jets are actually a good football team

Are The Jets Good? I think they might be good. They're three and three... They played the Bills, the Cowboys, the Eagles, the Chiefs. They're two and two against those teams... I think the Jets might be good.

Aaron Rodgers will return to play for the Jets in the playoffs this year

Does [Aaron Rodgers] play this year? [PFT:] I hope so. Playoffs, I think he plays.

Jalen Carter is already better than Aaron Donald

Jalen Carter will be back next week... [Big Cat: Jalen Carter's already better than Aaron Donald?] Oh yeah. Oh yeah. Oh, okay.

The Lions are currently the best team in the NFC

The Lions are maybe the best team in the NFC. I know that they're the Niners, I know. But the Lions didn't lose today and the Eagles and the Niners lost so we have to by law give the Lions their credit.

Victor Wembanyama looks like he's going to be the greatest player of all time

Victor Wembanyama has been playing in the preseason and he looks like he's gonna be the greatest player of all time. I've never seen anybody the way he plays basketball. He's crazy... He puts like a dome over the rim. It's insane.

Silent walking is a ridiculous Gen Z trend that just describes thinking

My who's back the week is a new trend. It's called Silent Walking... walking without your phone... this person has never had an inner dialogue. I have an inner dialogue every day. I'm doing a lot of thinking. I got multiple dialogues.

The Braves are soft and complainers after their playoff exit

This series [we learned] Braves kind of soft, kind of complainers. If you're a Braves fan, you won a World Series a couple years ago, you'd be happy with that. But now you seem pretty soft. This postseason between the complaining about a reporter tweeting out an accurate statement from the clubhouse... gimme a fucking break.

The Diamondbacks are scary and should not be taken lightly

The [Diamondbacks] are scary. The Diamondbacks are scary. They're very scary. I'm not—Zac Gallen is for real. I'm not looking at that team lightly at all.

The Broncos will bench Russell Wilson and he has played himself out of a Hall of Fame career

Russell Wilson stinks. He turtles so fast in the pocket. He threw for 95 yards. It was never close. I think they might bench Russell Wilson. He's played himself out of a Hall of Fame career as well.

Andy Reid is playing the NFL on 'expert mode' because he's bored

I think Andy Reid is bored with the NFL. I think Andy Reid is—he's made himself play the NFL on expert mode with the weird shit that he's obsessed with doing. Because I think that this Chiefs offense, if they wanted to play just normal football, would've beaten the fuck out of the Broncos. But they do all these weird plays, almost like Andy is just like—he's playing with his food.

The last time the Broncos beat the Chiefs, Pardon My Take did not exist

Pardon My Take didn't exist. Pardon My Take didn't exist the last time the Broncos beat the Chiefs. It's insane to think about. When they last beat the Chiefs, it was 57, 55 all time Chiefs. And now it is 72, 55.

The Titans' strategy of flying to London late in the week is a mistake that will cost them against the Ravens

I don't know why the Titans are flying out late in the week. I don't know why teams do that. Vrabel's strategy is basically, 'fuck it.' Losers complain about time zones. But in this case, I don't know why a team wouldn't choose to go out there earlier in the week. Ravens flew on Monday. Titans flew on Thursday night.

The NFL London games have lost their allure and are now a burden

I'm kind of sick of the London game. I like the early football. I'm sick of the fact that they have made something that was unique and different into just every week. This is the third week in a row. They're just changing the schedule on us. Now it doesn't feel cool and unique, it just feels like a burden.

Devon Witherspoon will put the 'absolute clamps' on Ja'Marr Chase

I dreamt that [Devon] Witherspoon was going to put the absolute clamps on Ja'Marr Chase in the game. I dreamt a post-game press conference with Ja'Marr Chase being frustrated with him asking him if he was always open this game. He said, 'Hats off to Devon Witherspoon.' So I'm betting the under on his receiving yards.

The Falcons are a team to watch as a trade destination for Kirk Cousins

I noticed earlier in the week the Falcons made cap room. They did a big restructuring. I could see the Falcons trying to do something like that [trading for Kirk Cousins]. Because if you're being honest as a Falcons fan, you're not really happy with the quarterback situation right now.

I am officially back in on Justin Fields as the guy for the Bears

The Bears might be back if they win this game. And I am all the way back into Justin Fields. I liken it to a relationship where, listen, Justin Fields threw some interceptions, I said some things... but at the end of the day, don't go to bed angry. So I'm no longer going to bed angry. He's the guy again.

David Tepper is a meddling owner who is hurting the Panthers

[David Tepper] basically in those two quotes was like, 'Yeah, this guy is putting his nose where it shouldn't be and micromanaging a football team.' And that's not how a successful organization runs. You can't have the owner forcing the coach to have a meeting multiple times a week. He sounds like a miserable person to work for.

Dante Scarnecchia was the actual GOAT coach of the Patriots dynasty

I think as a podcast we should actually change the debate and make it Dante Scarnecchia was the GOAT. Why not? Option three.

Andy Reid will be considered the GOAT coach if he stays with Mahomes

I think that the 'Andy Reid is the greatest coach of all time' will eventually be a conversation if he stays in Kansas City. Because Bill Belichick without Tom Brady, his record has not been great. If [Reid] coaches for another eight years and you have Patrick Mahomes, that's like 12, 13 wins a year. That's a lot of wins. Andy's gonna go for Shula.