Tag: Pat McAfee

Aaron Rodgers inadvertently ripped himself being on ESPN while on ESPN

Aaron Rodgers is tired of ESPN giving washed-up athletes a platform. HEY, WAIT A MINUTE!

Aaron Rodgers is mad as hell about the state of the major sports industry, and he’s not going to take it anymore.

On Wednesday, during his weekly appearance on The Pat McAfee Show, the New York Jets quarterback — who has thrown for least 300 yards once in a game since December 2021, who last won a playoff matchup when the world was still firmly in the throes of the COVID-19 pandemic, who makes more headlines for throwing his Jets teammates and Jets coaches under the bus than any of his play on the field these days, and who gladly parades around his pseudo-intellectualism — put ESPN and its well-known “embrace debate” strategy in his crosshairs.

Note: Rodgers is definitely the first person to ever bring this subject to the spotlight. No one has ever talked about this before. What a hero.

While being interviewed on an ESPN show, Rodgers maintained that he’s sick and tired of the biggest sports network in America platforming the opinions of all these washed-up athletes who haven’t been relevant in years, as if anyone should care about what they have to say.

You know, he might have a point! Check out these salient and totally unrelated points to Rodgers at the 1:36:22 mark below:

Here’s Rodgers’ argument in plain text:

“I’m talking about these experts on TV who nobody remembers what they did in their career,” Rodgers said. “So, in order for them to stay relevant, they have to make comments that keep them in the conversation. That wasn’t going on in 2008, 2009. The SportsCenter of my youth, those guys made highlights so much fun. And that’s what they showed on SportsCenter. Now it’s all talk shows and people whose opinions are so important now and they believe they’re the celebrities now, they’re the stars for just being able to talk about sports or give a take about sports, many of which are unfounded or asinine, as we all know. But that’s the environment we’re in now.”

Ugh, Rodgers is so right. Someone should really do something about all these egotistical, self-important sports figures who have nothing to offer anymore as playing athletes. Oh, well, at least we have the quarterback who refuses to take any accountability as the sports world’s ombudsman.

What would we do without him?

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Timothée Chalamet put up $400K for Pat McAfee’s field goal challenge and nearly regretted it immediately

This was almost an epic backfire.

Timothée Chalamet was announced as the celebrity guest picker for ESPN’s College GameDay on Saturday but decided to join the show just a little bit early for Pat McAfee’s weekly field goal challenge.

By now everyone has a good handle on the rules: McAfee puts up a predetermined amount of money if a fan can make a 33-yard field goal. Most of the time, they can not. Sometimes the money gets doubled if McAfee is in a good mood. Sometimes the kicker gets two chances to split the uprights if McAfee is in a great mood.

On Saturday, McAfee was so confident after the kicker missed his first attempt for $200,000 that he doubled down immediately. Kirk Herbstreit got peer pressured by McAfee to do the same, bringing the total up to $800,000. But with Chalamet standing right there, McAfee leaned over and asked if he wanted to match, too.

“Yeah, I’ll get in there, too” Chalamet replied.

It was only a moment after you could see him doing the math in his head to understand what he just committed to: A $1.4 million prize.

Fortunately for McAfee, Herbstreit and Chalamet — and unfortunately for the Texas fan — the second kick missed. Yet for a split second It sure looked like they were each about to be out $400,000 before noon.

The handshake McAfee gave Chalamet right after the miss really says it all.

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Pat McAfee ruthlessly trolls Patriots super fan following Colts win

Pat McAfee had some fun at the expense of his co-host, Boston Connor

Former Indianapolis Colts punter Pat McAfee had fun on “The Pat McAfee Show” at the expense of Boston Connor, a New England Patriots fan, after the Colts handed the Patriots a 25-24 loss.

The Patriots blew a lead late in the fourth quarter with Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson leading the team on a 19-play, 80-yard game-winning drive.

McAfee celebrated accordingly, much to the chagrin of his Boston-based co-host. The Colts won their second game in a row in their series against the Patriots. Their offense proved to be too much for the Patriots’ defense to handle, particularly on the ground.

The combination of Richardson and running back Jonathan Taylor racked up 144 rushing yards and one touchdown against the Patriots.

It’s clear to see why Colts fans were excited about the win since it kept their playoff hopes alive. Meanwhile, the Patriots dropped their 10th loss of the season and were effectively eliminated from contention.

It was another heartbreaking defeat for Patriots fans in a season that continues to trend downward.

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Ryan Day chirps back at Pat McAfee’s comment about Indiana

Ryan Day joined the The Pat McAfee Show, and he delivered a mic-drop worthy exit to close out his appearance on the show.

Ryan Day hasn’t proven to be a real mic-drop head coach during his tenure with Ohio State. He is leading one of the best college football programs in the country but isn’t the most outspoken coach.

However, he recently joined The Pat McAfee Show as the Buckeyes are set to face the No. 5-ranked Indiana Hoosiers on Saturday.

With ESPN’s College Gameday in Columbus, this game is the premier college football game on the weekend slate. Let’s just say Day gave quite the headline-producing last line.

“Coach, thanks so much for making time for us. Good luck tomorrow. This Hoosiers team is the real deal,” McAfee said.

However, Day got the last life. He said, “So are we.”

Boom!

Day knows that the Hoosiers are getting quite a bit of love heading into this battle, but there’s also the conversation about who they’ve really beaten this season. Nonetheless, it should be a thrilling battle.

That said, the Buckeyes have a road win over top-ten Penn State on their resume and have proven they are the real deal. Even the one-point win on the road over the No. 1-ranked Oregon Ducks was an impressive outing.

Nonetheless, all parties know that talk is just that, and on Saturday at noon ET we’ll see what the Hoosiers (and the Buckeyes for that matter) are made of.

$800,000 kick on ‘College GameDay’ splits uprights

Pressure is one chance to make a kick for $800,000

ESPN’s “College GameDay” does a segment where a student tries to kick a 33-yard field goal for big bucks. On Saturday the money was beaucoup bucks.

Pat McAfee upped the prize to $800,000, half to Hurricane Relief. A quarter to the person who was chosen and the $200,000 to the person she chose to kick for her.

That is a lot of pressure on the kicker. However, the former soccer player drilled the kick and made one with the kind of pressure NFL kickers see in each game.

This stat shows how good Jesse Minter’s defense has been

Jesse Minter has the Chargers’ defense playing at an elite level.

Jesse Minter has the Chargers’ defense playing at an elite level.

Since the start of the season, no team has scored over 20 points on the Bolts. This is the fourth time since 1990 that a defense has limited its opponents to that mark, per NFL Media’s Peter Schrager.

Los Angeles ranks No. 1 in scoring defense, allowing just 13.1 points per game.

Minter’s coaching has the defensive unit firing on all cylinders.

In the trenches, they’ve been stout against the run and the pass rush is finally starting to come alive. The linebackers are rallying to the football. The coverage has been tight, and the scheme has confused opposing quarterbacks.

Minter is just in the first season as the team’s defensive coordinator, but it might be his only stint in this role.

“We’ve gotta enjoy Jesse Minter while we have him because I think he’s gonna be a Head Coach next year,” Jim Harbaugh said in his appearance on the Pat McAfee Show.

Bill Belichick, Pat McAfee chime in on Bo Nix and Broncos’ stingy defense

“This is a good, solid defense,” Bill Belichick said of the Broncos’ squad.

The sports world was set buzzing following the Denver Broncos‘ 28-14 win over the Carolina Panthers in Week 8, including former NFL punter Pat McAfee and ex-coach Bill Belichick.

“Bo Nix and the Denver Broncos seemingly got it going. Do you believe in Sean Payton and what he’s got going in Denver?” McAfee asked Belichick on Monday’s edition of the Pat McAfee Show. 

“Well yeah,” said the usually muted Belichick. “One of the best things they’re doing in Denver is their defense. They’re really good on defense and I think that (defensive coordinator Vance) Joseph has done a great job there. They have a nice pressure scheme, their front’s playing very well, they got Surtain back, and if they don’t turn the ball over, they’re going to be in every game.”

The Broncos limited the Panthers to 284 yards of total offense, which was as many yards as Denver rookie quarterback Bo Nix had passing alone. The Broncos’ stingy defense also hasn’t allowed more than 25 points since the season opener against the Seattle Seahawks.

“This is a good, solid defense; they play pretty well they communicate well and they don’t give up a lot of points,” said Belichick.

Belichick also gave love to the Broncos’ rookie signal caller. “As (Bo) Nix is getting a little bit more confident and a little more consistency and familiarity with Coach Payton’s system, they’re doing a good job,” said Belichick. “As I said at the beginning of the year, they won’t be enough to catch the (Kansas City) Chiefs this year, but it certainly looks like they’re gaining in the division.”

You can watch their breakdown of the game below — the Broncos’ segment begins at 1:47:40.

The Broncos look to build on their 5-3 record with a big game against the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday.

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Pat McAfee has harsh words for Seahawks’ 12th Man

Pat McAfee has harsh words for Seahawks’ 12th Man

The Seattle Seahawks have long had a reputation of enjoying some of the most fierce, rabid and loud fans in the NFL. The 12th Man has grown to help define modern day home field advantage. But lately, their reputation is under assault…. and quite frankly, with good reason.

Against Buffalo, the 12th Man allowed the Bills Mafia to invade Lumen Field. Their presence was so raucous it even caused quarterback Geno Smith to say the environment at home sounded like the Seahawks were playing in a road game.

Disappointed Seattle fans weren’t the only ones to notice how bad it looked, as ESPN’s Pat McAfee didn’t mince words on his show discussing the Buffalo takeover.

I hate to admit it, but I don’t see where McAfee is necessarily wrong. At least, as far as being shocked at how the 12’s voice is being silenced to a degree. Additionally, co-host AJ Hawk’s comments on opposing teams stressing about preparing for games in Seattle are starting to feel like a memory from an increasingly distant time.

After the game I wrote about how opposing fans taking over Lumen Field is becoming an increasingly noticeable and concerning trend. Seattle sports fans, as a whole, are among the most loyal and longsuffering in the country. Their passion is unrivaled. Or, at least it has been historically.

I am not sure what the solution is to this issue right now, but if it continues for much longer, the reputation of the 12th Man may take some permanent damage.

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A College GameDay fan wrecked his knee warming up for Pat McAfee’s $100k field goal challenge

Real talk, ESPN should pay for that guy’s medical bills.

In case you haven’t been watching ESPN’s College GameDay – its flagship college football pregame show – over the past two years, Pat McAfee is trying to do his part to inform fans how difficult kicking a field goal is. Each week, McAfee – who kicked and punted for West Virginia and the Indianapolis Colts – pulls a fan out of the crowd and puts up some of his own cash. If the fan makes the kick, they get to keep the cash.

It has created some memorable moments on the show, like last season when a fan drilled one of ESPN’s cameras at Duke. A few weeks ago, a Cal student won $100,000 while kicking a field goal in slip-on shoes.

On Saturday in Bloomington, Indiana, this experiment went horribly sideways, when the fan picked to kick apparently tore his ACL, according to McAfee.

And so, GameDay had to find a second kicker.

“Jeram, the first kicker, Jake, tore his ACL warming up behind the stage. You’re the second pick. If you make this kick, both you and Jake will make $100,000. So, this is not just for you, it’s for a knee that was blown out earlier.”

Jeram had the distance. But the accuracy? Not so much.

Better luck next week, GameDay kickers. And a speedy recovery to the dude who tore up his knee.

Ex-NFL GM believes Giants have wrong approach for success

Former NFL general manager Michael Lombardi, a long-time New York Giants critic, is taking shots at their roster-building process again.

This week, New York Giants co-owner John Mara committed to general manager Joe Schoen and Brian Daboll despite their second 2-5 start in as many years.

The regime Mara is hanging his hat on is 17-23-1 since taking over the club in 2022. They began by winning six of their first seven games that year and eked into the playoffs, but since that streak, their record is 11-22-1.

Most new general managers and coaches concentrate on beating the teams they need to beat to win their division. In the Giants’ case that would be the NFC East rivals: Dallas, Philadelphia, and Washington.

Since Schoen and Daboll took over the Giants are 0-5 against Dallas, 1-5 (including playoffs) versus Philly, and 3-1-1 against Washington but lost their first game versus them this season with Jayden Daniels under center and Dan Quinn as the head coach.

Former NFL executive Michael Lombardi pointed out on the Pat McAfee Show this week that the Giants — Mara, Schoen, and Daboll — aren’t preparing themselves for success, which begins by winning games within the division.

“You win the division, obviously, and you get in the dance and have a home playoff game,” said McAfee. “And anything can happen from there.”

Referring to the footage aired by HBO’s Hard Knocks, Lombardi and McAfee were both shocked at how the Giants brass made their plans to build their roster for the season.

“They never said one time in the entire Hard Knocks, ‘How do we beat Philly? How do we beat Dallas?'” Lombardi said.

When they decided to trade for Carolina Panthers Pro Bowl defensive end Brian Burns, which was highlighted in the docuseries, Lombardi pointed out that the group never discussed Burns’ performance against their NFC rivals.

“That’s the stuff we (general managers) talk about and it wasn’t there,” he said. “It looks like people were doing their fantasy draft … and that’s offensive to me.”

The numbers don’t lie. In the NFL results are what counts. No one cares how smart you are or think you are. If you don’t win, you’re out.

Daboll and Schoen are safe for now but one wonders if they can’t even match last year’s win total of six this year, will Mara still feel the same?

“I think you focus on what you can control, and I’ve said this numerous times, we have a very good communication process, a good relationship,” said Daboll. “Again, nobody’s happy about the results or the record, but the communication and the process and the people, I believe in them.”

It’s sink or swim time for this latest version of the Giants front office.

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