Throwbacks with Matt Leinart & Jerry Ferrara

Episode: The Coldest Freezing Cold Takes of 2025
Date: December 30, 2025

Overview:

Matt Leinart and Jerry Ferrara close out the sports year with a light-hearted, self-deprecating look at the coldest takes—bad predictions, laughable forecasts, and generally regrettable hot takes—from across the sports world in 2025. Drawing inspiration from “Old Takes Exposed,” the duo shares examples from celebrities and themselves, debates whether pundits should own or backtrack on their misses, and welcome frequent guest Annie Agar for some spirited trivia and a peek at their personal New Year’s resolutions.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Introduction to Freezing Cold Takes (00:26-01:47)

• Jerry and Matt frame the episode as a fun tradition, inspired by the Twitter account "Old Takes Exposed."
• Acknowledge that take-making is a perilous business: “If you're on TV five days a week, you're gonna have misses.” (Jerry, 01:23)
• Both admit their own vulnerability to cold takes and poke fun at each other’s past failures.

2. Hilarious and Notorious Cold Takes from 2025 (01:47-12:58)

a. Belichick’s UNC Move & Media Overreactions (01:47-02:52)

• Matt shares a fake tweet: “Belichick officially accepts the UNC job. The Tar Heels football dynasty has begun.”
• Jerry highlights Dan Le Batard’s swooning:
  “There is a beast coming to college football… I’d be terrified to compete against whatever’s coming my way.” (Jerry quoting Le Batard, 02:11)

b. Paul Feinbaum & Stephen A. Smith on Indiana Football (02:52-03:21)

• Matt: Paul Feinbaum “needs to retire and get his ass off tv.”
• Recounts Feinbaum’s dig at Indiana, now proven wrong after a successful season.

c. Quarterback Prophecies Gone Wrong (03:26-04:12)

• Jerry reads Ryan Clark’s 2020 statement: “I always pick Kyler Murray first... put him on Baltimore, they’d win a Super Bowl.”
• Matt: “Lamar’s won, what, two MVP since then?”
• Jerry and Matt agree: projecting QB greatness is a dangerous game.

d. Dan Orlovsky’s Food Takes & Steelers Prediction (04:12-06:09)

• Matt: “Dan’s coldest takes are food related.”
  • Orlovsky claims mayonnaise sandwiches on Wonder Bread were a childhood staple.
• Jerry: Orlovsky predicted the Steelers would start 0-6; “I think they went 5 and 1.”
• Matt: “That's why you can't predict the NFL, man.” (05:01)

3. The Cold Take “Main Courses”: Most Infamous of 2025 (06:15-19:45)

a. Joel Klatt’s March Madness Blunder (07:09-09:34)

• Matt details Joel Klatt’s rant about NCAA basketball:
  “The NCAA basketball tournament is a joke… [it] doesn’t crown a true champion.” (Matt quoting Klatt, 08:32)
• Both agree Klatt’s take was roasted online and he partly walked it back.

b. Predictive Mishaps: Panelist Picks Gone Awry (10:02-12:07)

• Jerry: Leinart and colleagues unanimously picked Ohio State over Indiana—reality had other plans.
• “Any time we all pick the same team, they never win. It’s always an upset.” (Matt, 11:37)

c. Golf World Howlers (12:09-15:46)

• Jerry reads Dan Rapaport’s failed Ryder Cup prediction:
  “Scheffler and Henley will be this year’s Molinari-Fleetwood... I think we’re getting a tour de force from Scheffler."
• Jason Sobel, another golf pundit, dismissed Ryder Cup Sunday drama—only to be proved wrong.
• Juan Soto’s early-season optimism about the Mets also lands in cold-take territory.

d. Quarterback Evaluations: Drake Maye Edition (16:10-18:25)

• Jerry shares Kurt Benkert’s scathing assessment of Drake Maye: “He’s more athletic than Mason Rudolph with less arm talent… this dude’s gonna win MVP.” (Matt, 17:31)
• Benkert doubles down a year later by comparing Maye to Christian Hackenberg.

e. Nick Wright’s AFC Misfire (18:34-20:17)

• Matt highlights Nick Wright’s preseason AFC prediction:
  “I think the Raiders are going to be the AFC sleeper that sneaks in the playoffs... Broncos are staring at a last place finish in the AFC West.” (Matt quoting Wright, 19:04)
• The reality: Broncos clinched at 12-2, Raiders languished at 2-12.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “Take business is a hard business... we are not immune to cold takes.” (Jerry, 01:21)
• “Dan’s coldest takes are food related.” (Matt on Dan Orlovsky, 04:25)
• “I grew up eating mayonnaise sandwiches on Wonder bread… loving simple grilled chicken with ketchup.” (Dan Orlovsky via Matt, 05:36)
• “Either own it or don’t or don’t say that March Madness is the greatest…” (Matt, 09:34)
• “I think the Broncos are staring at a last place finish in the AFC West… The Broncos are 12 and 2 and the only team in the AFC to have clinched the playoffs.” (Matt and Jerry, 19:04–19:26)
• “The gift that keeps... I do love Nick Take Machine. He’s a good dude. He is a take machine.” (Matt, 18:35)

Annie Agar Joins: Trivia & New Year's Resolutions (23:31–35:37)

Personal Reflections & Goals (24:27–32:34)

• Matt: Be more patient and present as a parent, less phone time:
  “I really need to embrace and cherish all these times and memories, be present with them.” (Matt, 26:16)
• Annie: Hopes to buy a house in Michigan to be closer to family.
• Jerry: Wants more one-on-one trips with his kids, and to “not become that crazy sports parent.”
  • Shares heartwarming story about his son offering empathy to another child (30:52).

Trivia Segment: Seahawks Edition (37:32–41:27)

• Contest between Matt and Jerry, moderated by Annie; ends with playful disputes over who buzzed in first and who won.
• Notable moment: Matt’s agonizing over the Steve Largent answer being ruled under review.
• Banter about childhood snacks after games: “I needed to know more so than what was going on. I'd be like talking on the field. Be like, you guys know they bring. They're bringing Dipsy Doodles after this.” (Jerry, 33:41)

Closing: Sports Predictions & Final Thoughts (35:38–41:21)

Playoff/Super Bowl Predictions (34:40–35:46)

• Matt: “I think the 49ers are going to make a run in the playoffs… I think they got a shot to get to the Super Bowl.” (34:48)
• Annie: “Do we see a Bills-49ers Super Bowl?” (35:15)
• Riffs about fan bases rather making, or missing, the big game.

Chicago Bears Stadium Drama (35:46–37:19)

• Annie and Jerry discuss the Bears flirting with moving their stadium out of state, likening team relocation drama to “passive aggressive” ploys.

Timestamped Highlights

• Belichick UNC Dynasty Joke — 01:47
• Joel Klatt’s March Madness Rant — 08:32
• Dan Orlovsky’s Food Takes — 05:36
• Broncos Flip Nick Wright's AFC Prediction — 19:04
• Jerry’s Son Shows Kindness — 30:52
• Trivia: Seahawks Edition — 37:32
• Matt’s 49ers Playoff Prediction — 34:48

Original Tone:
Playful, self-deprecating, brotherly rivalry. Lots of inside jokes, humble admissions of bad forecasts, and lighthearted sports nostalgia.

For Listeners:

If you enjoy sports “throwbacks,” behind-the-scenes takes, and a hearty laugh at wildly inaccurate predictions (their own and others’), Matt and Jerry’s year-end “cold takes” episode is a highlight—and a reminder that in both sports and life, you can always expect the unexpected.

P.S.: Got your own favorite freezing cold take? Tag @ThrowbackShow and @OldTakesExposed to join the fun!