The Pat McAfee Show 2.0, Episode 1483

Date: January 7, 2026
Topic: Super Wild Card Weekend & CFP Semifinals Preview; NFL Coaching Carousel; J.J. Watt, Nick Saban, Adam Schefter, and Trenchys Awards

OVERVIEW

This episode delivers Pat McAfee’s signature blend of high-energy football commentary, locker-room humor, and sharp insight. With Super Wild Card Weekend and the College Football Playoff semifinals approaching, the Thunderdome crew—Pat, AJ Hawk, AQ Shipley, Darius Butler, Ty Schmidt, Connor Rogers, and guest appearances from J.J. Watt, Nick Saban, Adam Schefter—break down the biggest NFL and CFB storylines: the wild NFL coaching carousel (especially John Harbaugh’s historic Baltimore exit), head coach hiring philosophies, top offensive lines, and predictions for the week's most consequential games. The episode is full of vivid banter, memorable analogies, and inside-the-locker-room stories, making it as informative as it is entertaining.

MAIN THEMES

• Super Wild Card Weekend hype and picks
• College Football Playoff semifinals preview
• NFL coaching carousel: John Harbaugh’s exit, coaching philosophies, search firms
• NFL/CFB leadership qualities and what makes a “winner”
• Guest interviews: J.J. Watt (CBS), Nick Saban, Adam Schefter
• The Trenchys: Celebrating top offensive linemen
• Classic PMS humor: fandom, rituals, food tangents, locker-room laughs

DETAILED SUMMARY

1. NFL COACHING CAROUSEL DOMINATES OPEN (00:00–16:46)

• John Harbaugh Out in Baltimore
  • Pat announces Harbaugh’s firing after 18 years: "An 18-year stint comes to an end with one tweet... John Harbaugh out in Baltimore." (00:18)
  • Locker room disconnect, fans growing weary, and how AFC North legends like Harbaugh and Tomlin shaped the division.
  • McAfee muses on the nature of coaching cycles: “Is Mike McCarthy also going to get looked at... Are we about to see third chapters of guys becoming something very special in this hiring cycle?” (02:25)
  • Rumors: Even teams who haven’t fired a coach are making exploratory calls to Harbaugh.
• Head Coach Hiring Trends
  • Shift from the mania for offensive “geniuses” toward “CEO-types” who can “lead a group in the same direction.”
  • "Leadership of men is going to become a main requisite for who you hire... who can lead a group." (03:12)
• Coaching Pool Highlights
  • Speculation on top coaching candidates and whether college legends might make the leap: “Maybe a college coach... the greatest football coach of all time, taking a 30 meter leap right up there into the pool.”

2. THE TOXIC TABLE: FANDOM, RITUALS, LOCKED-IN ENERGY (05:42–10:48)

• Playoff Mindset
  • Connor and Ty discuss playoff life as impassioned fans, complete with wardrobe rituals and superstition.
  • Connor (Patriots fan): "I'm jacked up, juiced up, and hydrated. This is my playoff fit. This is why it’s different in New England.”
• Banter, Jokes, Injury Updates
  • Joking about “playing hurt” as a fan: Connor reveals he’s wearing big headphones due to an ear infection—“Everyone’s playing injured, you know, it goes right back to ball, man.” (10:49)

3. FOOTBALL’S ALL-ENCOMPASSING WEEKEND: NFL & CFP HYPE (09:23–14:41)

• Packed Schedule
  • Fiesta Bowl, Peach Bowl Thursday and Friday. NFL Wild Card games Saturday through Monday.
  • “This is the good old days. This is what we've been waiting for.” (07:58)
• USXFL Spring Ball Detour
  • Quick detour about USXFL and minor league football as a “bridge” for the offseason blues.
  • “Let’s make sure whenever we’re watching these games, we are certainly enjoying them for what they are, which is special.” (09:23)

4. HARBAUGH REACTION FROM PLAYERS & INSIDERS (15:37–17:01)

• Gumpy (Steelers fan): “As you were like, over these last couple weeks... Harbaugh’s definitely the name to watch... the Ravens organization should be so grateful... all the AFC Championship games, AFC North titles... It’s going to be really, really hard to replace him.” (12:09)
• AQ Shipley (former Raven): “His messaging has always been consistent... what you get with Harbaugh is the same principles of an Andy Reid team... but listen, the guy’s a winner.” (16:08)
• Reflection: Discussion on the rarity of Harbaugh’s special teams background and the likelihood this path persists with the evolving NFL landscape.

5. J.J. WATT: NFL ANALYSIS & POST-PLAYING CAREER REFLECTIONS (18:30–56:41)

Notable Segments:

• J.J. on Harbaugh: “He’s phenomenal... built a culture built on defense, toughness, special teams, all three phases.” (16:08)
• Coaching Philosophy: Watt prefers the “CEO type” head coach: “There is so much that goes into head coaching... setting the vision for the building.” (32:02)
• Texans Defense & Playoff Preview:
  • "The Texans defense, without a doubt, can stop anybody. It’s going to come down to their ability to put up points on the other end." (23:39)
  • Doubts about Houston’s offense repeating that output in the playoffs.
• QB Development/Evaluation:
  • Praise for Riley Leonard (Colts): “This guy, actual Hooper... I was shocked at the throws he was making. Maybe Riley Leonard would be a good tight end because of how athletic he is...” (25:18)
  • Asks, “How long has he been like this?” (26:46)
• TV Booth Experience:
  • J.J.: “I absolutely loved [broadcasting] way more than I thought I would... I think there's a perfect line where you’re explaining why things happen, but you’re not talking down to the viewer.” (43:54)
• Classic McAfee/Watt Banter:
  • J.J. drops breakfast, jokes about his kitchen, playoff eating rituals (pizza rolls), and family/food stories.

Notable Quotes:

• J.J. Watt (on coaching):

  "Everybody has opinions. I personally like a head coach to be a CEO type, not the coordinator calling plays type." (32:02)

• Pat McAfee (on Harbaugh):

  "Sometimes legends are just legendary, no matter where they’re at." (17:01)

• Pat McAfee (on food):

  “Are we talking about Pirate’s Booty or... actual butt here?” (47:30)

6. COACHING SEARCH FIRMS, NFL EXEC POLITICS (39:30–43:10)

• Search Firm Critique:
  • J.J. Watt: “The winners in all this are these search firms. We all don’t know who the candidates are, and you can't just call... have to bring in a search firm or two and [pay] a whole bunch of money... to end up in the exact same spot you were going to end up." (39:08)
• Pat’s Take: “You’re in the actual position to make a decision... when you opt out of taking any of the blame by hiring out, I just think you’re not the person who should be in that seat.” (40:24)
• Debate: Darius notes that many teams have made bad decisions—“Why not try something new?” (41:48)
• Cynical Humor: Possibility that consulting is just a business racket, ripe for Pat & J.J. to jump into for big paydays.

7. NICK SABAN ON CFP, COACHING TREE, LEADERSHIP (68:18–86:03)

• On Alabama Not Hiring from Saban’s Tree:
  • “If somebody was available, I’m not sure anybody was... [New coach Kalen DeBoer] is a really good coach... Tough transition, but I fully support Greg Byrne, what he decided to do.” (69:57)
• All Four CFP Coaches from Saban’s Coaching Tree:
  • “One thing I see in all these teams is a mentality... physical football, a lot of mental toughness and how they compete.” (72:19)
  • Special praise for Indiana’s quick turnaround: “These cats, man... they got some dogs on defense now.” (73:33)
• On College-to-NFL Coaching Jump:
  • “It is a fairly difficult transition... I had been in the NFL for six years before taking the Dolphins job... If you’ve never coached in the NFL... it’s a lot different." (74:50)
• On Creating Value:
  • “We were able to create more value for players... not just on the football field... Strength and conditioning, medical staff, nutrition—we were always a little bit ahead of the curve.” (80:10)
• College Football Playoff Preview:
  • “All these teams have a shot... I don’t think you can win unless you can keep from getting beat... It’s important to be able to play good defense, but the way people score points now... if you can’t score points, it’s hard to win.” (83:12)

Notable Quote:

“Leadership and winning, baby. This is the type of consultant you call for anything. We appreciate you.” — Pat, congratulating Saban (85:39)

8. ADAM SCHEFTER: HARBAUGH'S NEXT MOVE & COACHING CYCLE (95:52–110:41)

• Schefter on Harbaugh:
  • Disputes reports of locker room friction: “Players were coming in his office crying, hugging him... If they felt that way, why are Mark Andrews and Zay Flowers coming in crying?”
  • “Sometimes nobody does anything wrong... it’s just time to go a different direction.” (98:03)
• Coaching Demand:
  • “John [Harbaugh] is the bell of the ball right now. He can pick the spot he wants.” (99:33)
• McCarthy in Demand:
  • “He’s gonna have a chance... At least two teams will interview him... But early in the cycle, hard to say how it shakes out.” (103:18)
• Coach Type Trends:
  • “I think John Harbaugh is getting a job. I think Kevin Sten is getting a job. Now, now we got some really interesting candidates: Robert Saleh, Vance Joseph, Brian Flores, Minter...” (107:42)
• On “Overthrowing” CFB Coaches to NFL:
  • “To this moment, right now, nobody has said to me [Signetti's] looking to go to the NFL.” (108:32)

9. THE TRENCHYS: CELEBRATING THE BIG BOYS (125:03–153:17)

• Trenchy Awards:
  • Recognizing the best offensive linemen in football, AQ Shipley leads a detailed film breakdown and celebrates the importance of line play.
  • "People are getting full speeches at press conferences for doing it and we appreciate them... we're happy about offensive linemen getting recognized." (60:28)
• Detailed O-line Praise: Run game resurgence, more six-man protections, and the chess match between O-lines and evolving defensive schemes.

10. PICK'EM & PREDICTIONS: SUPER WILD CARD WEEKEND & CFP SEMIS (153:24–168:16)

• **Each host makes their case for every Wild Card game (Rams-Panthers, Packers-Bears, Bills-Jags, Eagles-49ers, Chargers-Pats), with spirited humor and reminders that “it’s the playoffs—anything can happen.”
• Trends emerge: Value of home field, importance of the trenches, skepticism of cold-weather west-coast teams, and injured stars returning.

HIGHLIGHT REEL—MEMORABLE MOMENTS & QUOTES

• Pat on playoff saturation:

  “Super Wild Car Saturday. Super Wild Car Sunday. Super Wild Car Monday. I mean, we’re in it right now. This is the good old days. This is the great days.”

• AJ Hawk’s birthday and “self-handicapping” Steelers fans (66:28):

  “Tone, deep down, though, he really wants the Steelers to win. He does this to protect. Like he doesn’t want to get too hurt if for some reason it doesn't go his way.” (67:05)

• J.J. Watt on pizza rolls and booty (snack edition):

  “Are we talking about Pirate’s Booty or actual butt here?... You never wait for [pizza rolls] to cool off and then you just destroy the inside of your mouth…” (47:30)

• Nick Saban’s candor on hockey:

  “No, I don’t know shit about hockey.” (85:32)

• Adam Schefter on search firm business:

  “The winner of it all are these search firms. That is hands down the winner of it all.” (39:30)

TIMESTAMPED SEGMENT GUIDE

• 0:00–16:46: NFL coaching carousel, Harbaugh exit
• 16:46–18:30: Reaction from ex-players/insiders
• 18:30–56:41: J.J. Watt: Texans, TV, food & philosophy
• 56:41–68:18: Special teams, Patriots/Ravens/Steelers/Colts fan banter
• 68:18–86:03: Nick Saban: CFP & coaching tree
• 95:52–110:41: Adam Schefter: coaching market, trends
• 125:43–153:17: The Trenchys: all-trench team, award explanations
• 153:24–168:16: Super Wild Card picks & playoff banter

TONE & LANGUAGE

• Conversational, playful, sarcastic, football-obsessed, and highly knowledgeable.
• Frequent ribbing between hosts/guests, “locker room feel,” punctuated by moments of deep insight into sports leadership, culture, and front office politicking.

IN SUMMARY

The episode is a rollicking ride through football’s most compelling January stories, balancing expert analysis (from Saban, JJ Watt, Schefter, Shipley) with the Thunderdome’s signature hijinks and fandom. Listeners will get:

• A front-row seat to the drama of NFL coaching searches and leadership philosophy.
• Smart, inside-out previews of Wild Card and CFP games.
• A passionate celebration of the game’s unsung heroes—the offensive line.
• The locker-room humor and self-awareness that make PMS a one-of-a-kind football experience.

For anyone who missed the show, this summary captures every high and low, blending humor, expert insight, and unfiltered passion for football.