🏈 Another NFL Coach Fired, Big College BBall Upset, + More!

Good Morning Blitzers,

Need a little motivation to kickstart your Wednesday? Colts WR Michael Pittman Jr. played a whole season with fractured back. Trust me, if I had a fractured back, I’d be calling out of work – and my job only involves sitting in front of a computer, not being hit by large men running at full speed. Be a DAWG like Michael today:

Let’s get into the Blitz!

WTF Stat: A little late, but any time you can match the Admiral, you’re doing something right:

🏈 The Raiders have fired Antonio Pierce as head coach following his first full season (he had served as interim head coach in 2023). Pierce's tenure as the permanent coach was marked by a disappointing 4-13 record in 2024, with the team finishing last in the AFC West and enduring a 10-game losing streak. General manager Tom Telesco, hired in 2024, will remain with the team. Tom Brady, a limited owner of the Raiders, is expected to play a key role in interviewing new head coach candidates.

• 🔥Take: This is the 6th coach to be fired so far in the NFL. It’s a win now business, and if you don’t have a star QB, it’s really hard to make it more than two seasons. The Raiders will hand their new coach $112 million in salary cap space and a solid defense. But the 6th pick in the draft may not get you the franchise QB you need (the Titans, Browns, and Giants may all be eying QBs). This will be a tough job for any coach unless they can convince Tom Brady to come out of retirement during the interview.

🏈 The Dallas Cowboys have denied the Chicago Bears permission to interview head coach Mike McCarthy for their head coaching vacancy. The Bears had requested to speak with McCarthy, but the Cowboys are holding onto him for now.

• 🔥Take: This never really made a lot of sense to me. The Cowboys have exclusive negotiating rights with McCarthy until January 14th. So, if you’re really interested in him, the best thing to do would let him know through back channels. But make no formal request to interview or show any interest at all, and hope he hits the open market. By requesting permission to interview him, all it does is help McCarthy leverage a better deal from the Cowboys. Maybe that was the Bears plan all along. They never wanted to sign him, but wanted Jerry Jones to overpay for McCarthy and his clock management skills.

⚾️ Justin Verlander has agreed to a one-year, $15 million contract with the San Francisco Giants, continuing his Hall of Fame-caliber career at age 42. The deal, which is pending a physical, will see Verlander pitch in one of baseball’s most pitcher-friendly stadiums, Oracle Park.

🏀 Duke dominated Pitt 76-47 - but most importantly he is a monster jam from Cooper Flagg:

🏀 No. 1 Tennessee suffered its first loss of the season, falling 73-43 to No. 8 Florida. The Gators dominated from the start, scoring the first 12 points while Tennessee missed their first nine shots. Florida led by as much as 36 points late in the first half.

Free Forum Wednesdays

Free Forum Wednesdays are back! We'll be writing more outside-the-box, fun content – hope you enjoy!

The Best Part of Working From Home: The Bathroom Situation

RTO is an acronym that has gained a lot of traction as of late. The first few times I saw it I assumed someone had just misspelled RPO (run-pass option). Turns out people weren’t debating the merit of the RPO (great play, although illegal man down field needs to be called more on these), they were arguing about RTO, which is “return to office” mandates.

Arguments for/against working from home are being made on both sides, but no one is out there talking about the actual best thing about working from home. We’re all thinking it, but no one is saying it. Sure, it’s nice to have a flexible schedule, no commute time, and be able to work from anywhere. But the best thing about being able to work from home is being able to drop a deuce (also, known as a Roger Goodell or RG) in the privacy of your own home.

Let’s face it the bathroom situation in most offices is barbaric. Multiple stalls, pungent smell, constant foot traffic, every sound amplified and echoing. And how do you exit a stall and look your co-workers in the eyes after Taco Tuesdays? We have an 8th amendment in the constitution for a reason, this cruel and unusual punishment must stop!

The bathroom is supposed to be a sanctuary. A private isolated time for self reflection. It’s a place to relax, open up the Morning Blitz and escape your job for a 5-25 minutes. It’s the best part of my day, but working at an office ruined that. I was one of those people that had constant stomach pain. I ended up ‘working’ more on figuring out a good bathroom situation, than at my actual job. I crafted my skills and became an expert at the field of public bathroom usage, George Costanza, would be proud of me. By year three of working in an office I updated my resume to look like this:

• Demonstrated proficiency in optimizing off-floor bathroom utilization, analyzing foot traffic patterns.

• Conducted in-depth analysis of bathroom usage trends, creating pivot tables, VLOOKUP, and data visualization tools to identify and avoid peak hours.

• Independently managed and coordinated multiple successful RG initiatives, increasing efficiency by 80%.

Thankfully that skill set has been retired once my job has became work-from-home. Since then, my production has skyrocketed, my stress levels have decreased, my bowl movements have been immaculate. I feel like a king on his throne (in more ways than one). The weight has been completely lifted off my shoulders and out of my intestines.

I’ll leave you with one last thing. Have you ever wanted to feel alive? Feel a midday rush like no other? Take a zoom/video call whilst on the toilet. It’s like ejecting rocket fuel into your veins. The ecstasy and jubilation is unimaginable. It’s a thrill ride. One misclick of the mute button or an accidental camera share and you’re finished. You’d never be able to show your face to your co-workers again (which is great because you’re already working from home). But there really is nothing like dropping more than just knowledge on a video call. Give it a try.

Who’s with me?!

Top NBA Games

Hawks 124, Jazz 121: With the game tied after Collin Sexton’s clutch 3-pointer with four seconds left, Trae Young responded by draining a half-court shot as time expired, securing the win for the Hawks.

Celtics 118, Nuggets 106: The game was tightly contested, with 10 lead changes, but the Celtics pulled away in the fourth quarter with a 15-0 run. Jayson Tatum led the team with 29 points and 6 assists, while Kristaps Porzingis added 25 points and 11 rebounds. Despite missing key players, including Nikola Jokic, Denver stayed competitive, with Russell Westbrook scoring 26 points.

Mavericks 118, Lakers 97: The Mavericks ended a five-game losing streak with a 118-97 home win. Quinten Grimes led the Mavericks with 26 points, nine rebounds, and six assists, matching his career high with six 3-pointers. P.J. Washington contributed 22 points and eight rebounds. Despite missing key players Luka Doncic (calf strain) and Kyrie Irving (back injury), the Mavericks shot 52% from the field and dominated the game.

Full scoreboard here, and standings here.

Top NHL Games

Stars 5, Rangers 4: Jamie Benn scored on a power play in overtime, leading the Stars to a 5-4 comeback victory. The Stars erased a three-goal deficit, with Thomas Harley contributing a goal and two assists, including the game-tying goal in the third period.

Lightning 3, Hurricanes 2: Brayden Point scored with 52 seconds remaining, lifting Tampa Bay Lightning to a 3-2 win over Carolina, and snapping a four-game losing streak. Point's game-winning goal came after a precise pass from Nikita Kucherov, who found Point cutting into the slot. Point spun and fired a shot past Carolina goalie Pyotr Kochetkov for his 16th goal of the season.

Red Wings 3, Senators 2: Patrick Kane scored a power-play goal with 2:39 remaining in overtime, lifting the Red Wings to a 3-2 victory over the Senators. The win extended Detroit's streak to five games.

See full NHL scoreboard here, and standings here.

On this day in 2012, we witnessed "The 3:16 Game" AFC Wild Card Playoff, underdogs Denver Broncos defeat Pittsburgh Steelers 29–23 with Tim Tebow connecting with Demaryius Thomas on an 80-yard touchdown pass on first play from scrimmage of overtime.

Yesterday’s Trivia Time Answer

LeBron James passed Michael Jordan for most 30-point games, on Saturday, who is 3rd on the list?

D) Wilt Chamberlain - Surprising to see Karl Malone so high on the list. See full list below:

Check back tomorrow for the answer to today's trivia question and more info!