Pardon My Take – October 1, 2025

Episode Overview

In this lively and jam-packed episode, Big Cat and PFT Commenter dive deep into the best and worst of the week in sports, focusing on the MLB Playoffs, the rollercoaster that is the NFL season (Jets and Bengals agony edition), and big-picture topics in college football with in-studio guest Brandon Walker and special guest Lane Kiffin, head coach of Ole Miss. The show delivers their signature "correct" takes, plenty of hilarious sidebars, emotional rants about their own teams, and the reliable chaos of "Guys on Chicks".

Table of Contents

• Playoff Baseball Reactions and Storylines (03:11–24:44)
• NFL Monday Night Football Recap: Bengals & Jets Despair, Broncos Joy (38:03–62:14)
• College Football Deep Dive w/ Brandon Walker (131:46–187:48)
• Ole Miss Head Coach Lane Kiffin Interview (102:23–130:17)
• Hot Seat/Cool Throne Segment (71:53–100:39)
• "Guys on Chicks" Mailbag (188:31–195:43)
• Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

1. Playoff Baseball Reactions and Storylines

03:11–24:44

Key Points

• Hosts revel in the start of MLB Playoffs: The group is energized by a day filled with meaningful daytime sports, with Big Cat attending the Cubs’ wild-card win at Wrigley Field.
  • Playoff Excitement: “There’s only a few days in the calendar year with this much meaningful sports during the workday.” – Max, 04:27
  • Playoff crowds and in-stadium energy discussed in depth; ESPN muting crowd noise during highlights is heavily criticized.
• Game-by-Game Analysis:
  • Tigers vs Guardians: Terek Skubal’s 14 strikeouts and a near blown lead after a Javy Báez error.
  • Cubs vs Opponent: Back-to-back playoff home runs, bullpen excellence, and collective joy in the stands. "Playoff baseball, you high five strangers—that's how guys make friends for two and a half hours." – Dan, 10:35
  • Red Sox vs Yankees: Manufactured runs, Chapman’s sweat-based performance, and the surreal audio issues on the broadcast.
  • Dodgers vs Reds: Shohei Ohtani’s rapid-fire home run, a Dodger offensive onslaught, and Blake Snell’s career-best postseason outing. “The Dodgers are so f--- unfair… the waves of Dodger hitters are just insane.” – PFT Commenter, 19:16
• Meta-Sports Talk: Who is more miserable: Mets, Cubs, or Red Sox fans? Memes’ “hate watch” rankings are debated, leading to outlandish prop bets and tongue-in-cheek discussions about sports spite.
  • “If this exact scenario happens in three games, I will give you $1 million cash.” – PFT Commenter to Max about a Philly-destroying walk-off prediction, 32:39

Notable Quotes

• “Having meaningful sports on during a meaningful day is extra meaningful.” – Dan, 04:48
• “The Cubs haven’t won a playoff game since 2017… it was just a great day.” – PFT Commenter, 10:56

2. NFL Monday Night Football Recap: Bengals & Jets Despair, Broncos Joy

38:03–62:14

Key Points

• Broncos Get Right: Bo Nix stars as Denver dominates in a must-win; Sean Payton gets his first 100-yard rusher.
• Bengals’ Collapse: “Last two (Bengals) games: 22 drives, 14 punts, 5 turnovers… 19 of 22 drives end in a turnover or punt. That is so, so bad.” – PFT Commenter, 40:45
  • Calls to bring in Jameis Winston; fans openly discuss GoFundMe to fund the backup QB cap gap.
  • Zach Taylor’s hot seat heats up.
• Jets' Misery: Memes debates how many more rebuild cycles he has in him.
  • “If they win 7 games, that’s actually the worst case scenario.” – Dan, 60:47
  • The infamous two-year-plan: “Draft all defense next year, punt on next year, then draft a quarterback in two years.” – Memes, 50:28
• Broadcast Worship: Mike McDaniel's locker room speech and Dolphins' "alternate" but cool uniforms praised.

Notable Quotes

• “Hot seat, Zach Taylor, it’s back… the team didn’t look like they were giving any effort.” – Dan, 41:07
• “I have one more rebuild in me, and then I’m just going to be a casual fan.” – an unnamed (but likely) member of the Jets group chat, 53:45
• “Human beings didn’t arrive until 11:58 and 43 seconds if you condense earth’s history to a day. We’re all nothing, dude… Who f---ing cares?” – Big Cat, giving existential NFL fan advice, 55:28

3. College Football Deep Dive w/ Brandon Walker

131:46–187:48

Key Points

• Penn State Narrative: Can't win "the big one," but did they maybe experience a narrative-breaking moment in an OT loss to Oregon? “Their biggest opponent is the narrative, not Ohio State.” – Brandon Walker, 134:31
• Playoff System Works: Enthusiasm for the new 12-team playoff; hope for programs post-September loss. “It used to be, that would have been crushing. All the hope sucked out… Now they have a second chance.” – Brandon, 178:01
• SEC Parity: Top-tier SEC teams appear ordinary; Big Ten’s upper echelon (Ohio State, Oregon, Penn State) could be better than any SEC team.
• Coach Openings: Petrino’s “coup” at Arkansas dissected at length; Dabo Swinney’s adaptability and future prospects debated.
• Field Storming & Culture: The hosts discuss field storming controversies and the Iowa “wave” tradition, with Brandon expressing mixed feelings due to his personal run-ins with Hawkeye fans.

Notable Quotes

• “The wave is a wonderful moment, but my experience with the Iowa fan base has been a nasty bunch of jackals…” – Brandon Walker, 157:40
• “There are more seats at the table now… more teams can come away happy.” – Brandon, 180:55

Memorable Sidebar

• Several minutes are spent debating airport runway jobs, "wet coaches," and personal attacks (i.e., "congratulations on a big loss," directed at Brandon for a moral victory against Tennessee).

4. Ole Miss Head Coach Lane Kiffin Interview

102:23–130:17

Key Points

• Big Win, Little ‘Breakthrough’ Feel: "It didn't feel like this monumental win… we were supposed to win.” – Lane, 102:57
• Juice the Dog Twitter Scandal: Kiffin jokes about his dog's ego spiraling due to campus fame. “He's the only dog, all know his name… that's all he knows.” – Lane, 104:47
• QB Trinidad’s Cinderella Journey: From Ferris State to SEC Starter – “He was asking if he had to pay for the Gatorade… it’s a great story for all the kids striving out there.” – Lane, 106:18
• Handled Daughter’s LSU Linebacker BF Story with Class: “Having gone through so much… now I just embrace things… a daughter dating a linebacker on the other team might end up being wonderful.” – Lane, 109:49
• Ole Miss Staff Behind the Scenes: “Fisher and Sawyer… the biggest fans of your show… great football guys, but they listen to you.” 112:34
• Offense Evolution Chat: Entertains PMT’s goofy ideas for exotic laterals and the "fake punt punt."
• On the South: “I probably one of the only people ever that moves from South Florida, California, to Mississippi, and then loses a bunch of weight.” – Lane, 121:35
• Favorite Coach Speak Cliché: “I might could.” – Lane, 119:39
• Menu of Coach Questions: NIL, transfer portal, negative recruiting, bulletin board material all discussed without any real coach-speak dodge.

Memorable Moments

• The entire exchange about visors (“You look hot,” “Okay, now it got really weird.” 121:17) has the classic PMT awkward charm.
• Lane looking into the future: “Yeah, I might could.” (as a response to player injury updates), 119:39

5. Hot Seat/Cool Throne Segment

71:53–100:39

Key Points

• NBA Media Day Takes: Kawhi Leonard conspiracy theories, Steve Ballmer’s alleged shadow payments, “Wish my owner did that too.” – PFT Commenter, 74:57
• EA Sports Sold to the Saudis: “They just bought EA Sports for $55 billion. They're taking it private so they can do whatever they want with it.” – Dan, 76:56
• Loopy Sports Ownership Riffs: “If the Saudis offer $100M for PMT, I’ll do anything.” – Dan, 78:32
• Kevin Love on the Jazz: “Whoa.” (collective shock riff)
• NFL Team Ceiling/Floor Lightning Round: Each host gives their "ceiling" and "floor" for their NFL teams – ranging from wild-card optimism to the Jets “floor” being 0 wins.

6. "Guys on Chicks" Mailbag

188:31–195:43

Key Points

• Double-Fisting Phones: Satirical boyfriend post about checking bets and box scores; hosts agree it’s normal (or, “this was totally written by a guy”).
• Purpose of the Super Bowl Halftime Show: A woman writes to theorize it’s a tool for football-persistent peace at home. The guys riff about satanic symbolism conspiracy crazies.
• Do Guys Like Girls Who Like Sports? – Short answer: Yes, but let men mansplain things.
• Double Penetration: Gay or Not? – Classic PMT shock-jock closer: “That’s just a whole different type of guy… I don’t think I’ve ever found myself close to that situation.” – Dan

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Existential Sports Misery:
  “If the entire history of the planet was a 24-hour day, human beings didn’t arrive until 11:58:43… We’re nothing, dude. Who f---ing cares?” – Big Cat, 55:28
• The Science of Hate-Watching:
  “If you’re miserable, you want everyone else around you to be just as miserable.” – Dan, 24:04
• PMT's College Football Theory:
  “Coaching graveyard. Fired head coach is the best job in America.” – Brandon Walker, 168:56
• "Fake Punt Punt":
  PFT’s fake play invention: “You snap it to a running back, he pitches it back to the punter, then he punts.” – 116:33
• Lane Kiffin on Coach Speak:
  “‘I might could’… You can’t be held accountable for anything.” – Lane, 119:46
• Jets' Fanplan Hilarity:
  “I have one more rebuild in me, then I’m just going to be a casual fan.” – Memes, 53:45
• On NBA Offseason Moves:
  “I think Chris Paul looks more washed now than anyone’s ever looked.” – PFT Commenter, 75:58

Timestamps for Key Segments

• Playoff Baseball Reactions: 03:11–24:44
• NFL MNF Recap/Bengals & Jets: 38:03–62:14
• Interview: Lane Kiffin: 102:23–130:17
• Interview: Brandon Walker: 131:46–187:48
• Hot Seat/Cool Throne: 71:53–100:39
• Guys on Chicks: 188:31–195:43

Tone & Format

Irreverent, deeply knowledgeable, and friendly—just like PMT at its best. Guests Lane Kiffin and Brandon Walker bring authenticity and stories that span both on-field drama and off-field quirks. Plenty of digressions, punchlines, and recurring inside jokes round out a classic episode.

“If the history of the whole planet was a 24 hour day… human beings have been here for a minute and 17 seconds. Who cares? It all doesn’t matter, dude.”
— Big Cat (55:28)

“I actually might could.”
— Lane Kiffin (119:39)

“Coaching graveyard. Fired head coach is the best job in America.”
— Brandon Walker (168:56)