Pardon My Take – NFL With Andrew Whitworth, Washington Capitals' Dylan Strome, Texans Beat Steelers, Mike Tomlin Steps Down + Guys On Chicks

Date: January 14, 2026
Hosts: Big Cat & PFT Commenter (Barstool Sports)
Notable Guests: Andrew Whitworth (Prime Video), Dylan Strome (Washington Capitals)

Episode Overview

This episode is a lively, wide-ranging breakdown of the NFL Playoffs divisional round slate, heavy discussion of the Houston Texans’ dominant win over the Steelers, and the major shake-up in Pittsburgh as Mike Tomlin steps down. The hosts are joined by Andrew Whitworth for deep football insight and by Capitals center Dylan Strome, who brings excellent locker-room stories and a candid, fun conversation about hockey and fatherhood. As always, the episode closes with Hot Seat/Cool Throne and the fan-favorite Guys on Chicks segment.

The tone is classic PMT—irreverent, fast-paced, and full of both inside jokes and surprisingly sharp analysis. This is a must-listen for NFL fans eager to make sense of wild-card weekend and a must-listen for sports fans who appreciate great banter.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

Texans Destroy Steelers: Is Houston for Real?

(Starts ~02:00)

• Texans Defense Shines:
  The hosts are floored by the sheer force and speed of the Texans, noting LB Will Anderson Jr.’s breakout performance.

  • Big Cat: “Their defense is phenomenal...the Texans have the best defense in the league. Seahawks have the best D in their conference.”
  • Max: “They’re swarming. Swarm is the word for them.”

• C.J. Stroud’s Inconsistency:
  Despite the Texans’ win, there’s some concern about Stroud’s play:

  • Max: “CJ Stroud...he’s susceptible to ass—as we all are.” (06:09)
  • Big Cat: “If he just doesn't turn the ball over, this game is never in doubt.”

• Steelers Same Old Story:
  The hosts reflect (and commiserate) on yet another season of stale, predictable football in Pittsburgh:

  • Big Cat: “The Steelers? Same team we’ve seen since 2018, every single year.”
  • Discussion of Aaron Rodgers’ fit and failing to transform the offense.

• Inflection Point for Houston:
  Hosts compare the Texans’ formula to past great defenses (notably the Seahawks), arguing they’re truly in the AFC contender mix.

Mike Tomlin Steps Down: End of an Era

(~10:00-22:00)

• Breaking Down the Decision:

  • Big Cat: “Mike Tomlin has stepped down from the Steelers. Which—important! This is his call. The Steelers would never fire anyone.” (10:20)
  • Max: “Steelers fans, if they had done one more year...real animosity would bubble over. Now he walks away, and people can say, 'Great job.'”

• Tomlin’s Legacy and the Cycle:

  • Evaluating his winning with Cowher’s roster, the chaotic locker room he held together, and the lack of a young coaching tree.
  • Quote: "My best interpretation—he was a really good coach, won a Super Bowl, but it got stale...the message lost its luster." (11:27, Big Cat)

• The AFC North Carousel:

  • Playful speculation on coaches swapping teams, who’s left standing, and where Tomlin could land (with a nod to the Giants’ penchant for “stability”).

• Best Jobs in Football:

  • Max: “Best jobs in America? 1. Coach of the Steelers. 2. Ben Mintz. 3. Supreme Court Justice.” (14:29)

• Notable Tomlin Quotes—A PMT Hall of Fame:

  • “I want volunteers, not hostages. Cut off our eyelids so we don’t blink. The standard is the standard.”
  • Max: “He invented that, and every other coach stole it.” (21:59)
  • Big Cat: “If you can touch it, you can catch it. But it’s almost jazz, the way he keeps improvising.” (22:14)

AFC & NFC Divisional Round Talk

(throughout; especially ~25:00, 55:00–1:20:00)

• Playoff Matchups Set:

  • AFC: Bills–Broncos, Patriots–Texans;
  • NFC: Bears–Rams, Seahawks–Niners.
  • Hosts debate which conference is deeper, which teams have a real shot, and what Houston and Chicago need to keep it going.

• Weather/Travel Disadvantages:

  • Dome teams struggling in the cold: “Is it really the climate, or just quality of team?” (with Whitworth, see below)

• Coaching Carousel:

  • Rapid-fire listing of tenured coaches, surprises at the speed of turnover.
  • Discuss best fits for Tomlin, next Steelers coach (including Signetti and Marcus Freeman references), and what type of profile the Steelers should target.

Guest: Andrew Whitworth on the Bears, Rams, Coaching Trees & Playoff Xs/Os

(84:05-123:00)

• Bears’ Comeback vs. Packers:

  • Vivid recap of watching the game with Fitzpatrick, noting the chaos and never-die attitude of the Bears.

• Weather Impact:

  • Breaking down cold-weather advantages: “You just haven’t played that many games in these scenarios...It’s a challenge if you’re coming from SoCal or down south.”

• Rams @ Bears Preview:

  • Whitworth gives high praise to Bears' resilience but points out LA’s surging run game and O-line: “When you look at that Rams offensive line, I don’t think they’ve gotten enough credit."
  • Predicts Rams’ approach against Chicago’s opportunistic D and ability of Stafford + McVay to exploit mismatches.

• NFC West Playoff Strength:

  • Declares the Super Bowl winner will hail from the division, lavishes the Seahawks defense with “championship” status.

• Coaching Trees & Creativity:

  • Explores the McVay-Shanahan-Ben Johnson “cool kids” club and how they out-scheme the rest of the league each year.
  • On McVay’s in-game process: “It’s not just about drawing it up. It’s the confidence they give you—you believe what they're showing you will work, and it does.”

• AFC Parity:

  • “If you’re betting on the AFC, pick every team…you can make a case for every one of them.” (98:46)
  • Nuanced breakdown of all four AFC teams, especially Texans’ D and the inconsistencies of Bills/Broncos running attacks.

• In-depth O-line vs. Texans Defense:

  • Whitworth describes, in vivid detail, just how nightmarish facing Will Anderson & Danielle Hunter is for a young O-line.

• Personal Reflections:

  • Compares Bengals-Marvin Lewis playoff purgatory to current Steelers, insight into the emotional grind of never getting over the hump.

Notable Quotes – Andrew Whitworth:

• "You start to lose belief...the narrative sinks in that you can't get over the hump." (109:04)

• (On McVay/Shanahan play-design): “You walk out of the room and think, ‘There’s no way this play doesn’t work.’”

• Super Bowl Prediction:
  “Rams-Bills. Rams win. I’ll be OK with either outcome—but I’m picking the Rams.” (122:03)

Guest: Dylan Strome – Capitals Center, Hockey Nerd, OVI Roomie, Superstitions

(125:02–163:30)

• His Hockey Journey:

  • Drafted 3rd after McDavid/Eichel, bounced from Arizona, revived in Chicago playing alongside Kane/DeBrincat, then found a home in Washington.
  • Shares a rare, open look at what it’s like being traded, developing as a young pro, and the difference in hockey cultures (AZ vs. Chicago).

• Playing with Patrick Kane:

  • “My third game...I made a bobbling pass and he looks at me, dead serious: ‘It’s the NHL. Put it on my tape.’”
  • “We ended up best friends, but he was intense.”

• Locker Room Ovechkin Stories:

  • Soviets, Cheetos, Coke in water bottles: “You never see Ovi drink water. Only coconut water.”
  • On Ovi’s quirks and generosity with fans and teammates.

• Assisting on Historic Ovi Goal (#895):

  • “I was jumping up and down like a little kid. I’m a stats nerd, so it meant everything.”

• Superstition Madness:

  • Reputed as the most superstitious Cap (“Stish”):
    • Crybaby gumballs before games (colors and timing depend on streaks)
    • Tying skates at exactly 25:25 on pregame clock
    • Suit color rotation, waxing hands, always shooting glove side in warm-ups (“psychology on ice”)
    • “When you’re winning, you keep it the same. When you’re losing, you switch it up—can be the color of gum, the color of suit, whatever.”

• Missing Daughter’s Birth:

  • Wife goes into labor unexpectedly. He plays, thinking he has time, sees on his phone post-period a picture: “'Hi daddy.’ I was in Montreal, she was born in DC. Even if I’d been home, not sure I’d have made it.”

• PMT Fan Feedback:

  • Dings the fantasy football bit (says he skips “fantasy boys”), praises Jerry’s minute, and gives sharp feedback on NFL camera angles: “Why not show the Madden camera during broadcasts? As a player, I want to see who’s open!”

Hot Seat / Cool Throne & PMT Banter

(46:00, 55:00, 125:00, various)

• Abbott and Costello Riffing:
  • Ongoing debate over Jake Elliott’s extra point % (with "community notes" drama), stat corrections, and banter about stats-in-football media.
• Live Tour/PGA News:
  • Return of Brooks Koepka to PGA—“He wants to spend more time with his family.”
  • Max: “Ultimate bait and switch. First, you can wear shorts, then you can’t. I’d quit, too.” (49:19)
• LeBron’s Patch:
  • LeBron wears a self-congratulatory 23rd season patch.
  • Big Cat: “He’s the GOAT...of congratulating himself.”

Timestamps: Notable Moments & Quotes

• 02:16 Texans defense/Rodgers/Steelers banter begins
• 10:20 Mike Tomlin steps down segment starts
• 14:29 “Best jobs in America” riff
• 21:59 Tomlin’s legendary “the standard is the standard” quote
• 26:10 Playoff format innovations
• 55:00 Hot Seat/Cool Throne begins
• 84:05 Andrew Whitworth interview
• 125:02 Dylan Strome in-studio
• 168:43 Guys on Chicks segment

Memorable Quotes & Moments

On Coaches & Culture

• Big Cat (on Tomlin):
  “If they’d had done one more year...that’s when you get animosity. Now, Steelers fans can say, ‘Well, you know what, great job. Thanks for all your work, time for a change.’” (12:36)

• Andrew Whitworth (on Bengals ’15 collapse):
  “You just start to lose belief...that narrative is in your head and you can’t shake it.” (109:04)

On (Not) Seeing a Child Born

• Dylan Strome:
  “I walked to the trainer’s room and there’s a picture of my daughter saying ‘Hi, Daddy.’”
  “Even if it was a home game, I don’t think I would have made it.”

On Ovechkin

• Strome: “I have never actually seen Ovi drink a regular water.”
• On goal #895: “I watched the replay and I was just jumping up and down like a kid.”

On Tomlin-isms

• Max: “‘I want volunteers, not hostages. Cut off our eyelids so we don’t blink.’ The standard is the standard. He invented that.”
• Big Cat: “If you touch it, you can catch it. But it’s almost jazz—the way he keeps improvising.”

Episode Structure / Headings

• Overview & Episode Theme
• Texans Destroy the Steelers
• Tomlin Steps Down: Steeler-ology & Legacy
• Playoff Matchups: The Balance of Power
• Coaching Carousel (Speculation & Fit)
• Guest: Andrew Whitworth on Playoff Football
• Guest: Dylan Strome on Hockey, Superstitions, & Missing Life Events
• Hot Seat/Cool Throne Highlights
• Guys on Chicks
• Notable Quotes & Episode Flow

For Listeners Who Haven’t Heard the Episode

This episode packs a week’s worth of NFL discourse into two hours, spiking the conversation with classic PMT style, huge guest energy, and signature irreverence. If you want to be sharp on all things playoff football—from schematic quirks to coaching intrigue—and get bonus NHL insight plus epic personal stories, this is your listen.

You’ll learn:

• Why the Texans might be the most dangerous AFC sleeper
• The real factors behind Tomlin’s exit
• What makes McVay, Shanahan, and Ben Johnson tick
• How players REALLY feel about superstitions and missing life events
• What Ovechkin drinks on the bench (hint: not water)

Skip the ads and just make sure you pay attention to the timestamped segments outlined above for the best moments.