Indiana Wins The Natty, Adam Thielen On Retirement, Paddy Pimblett Ahead Of UFC 324, Coaching Carousel + Listener Pardon Your Takes

Summary of Indiana Wins The Natty, Adam Thielen On Retirement, Paddy Pimblett Ahead Of UFC 324, Coaching Carousel + Listener Pardon Your Takes

by Barstool Sports

2h 45m•January 21, 2026
Listen to Episode

Overview of Indiana Wins The Natty, Adam Thielen On Retirement, Paddy Pimblett Ahead Of UFC 324, Coaching Carousel + Listener Pardon Your Takes

Barstool Sports' Pardon My Take (episode dated Jan 21, 2026) covers a huge slate: Indiana’s improbable national championship run, NFL coaching fallout and playoff cleanup, interviews with recently retired WR Adam Thielen and UFC lightweight contender Paddy “The Baddy” Pimblett ahead of UFC 324, plus the show’s regular Hot Seat / Cool Throne and listener “Pardon Your Takes.” The hosts mix game recaps, personality-driven takes, pop-culture detours and sponsor reads.

Major stories & top takeaways

  • Indiana Hoosiers — national champions

    • Hosts call Indiana’s title “one of the greatest stories in sports/college football.” Curt Cignetti (host transcript used alternate spellings) is credited with an astonishing two-year turnaround.
    • Signature moments: Fernando Mendoza’s fourth-and-5 quarterback keeper (spin, juke, dive) and a punt-block TD swung the game; key Miami plays (a second-half comeback led by Mark Fletcher and electric Malachi Tony) made it close.
    • Season context & historic notes: Indiana finished 16–0 (first 16–0 season since Yale in 1894 per hosts). The show lists a laundry list of firsts under Cignetti: first 10–16 win seasons (accumulated in two years), first Heisman winner (Mendoza), first top ranking, first win vs. Alabama, first national championship, etc. Hosts call Cignetti’s job the best hire in college football.
    • Notable stat the hosts repeated (with tongue): Indiana allegedly went 15 consecutive games without losing a fumble late in the season — presented as mind-boggling (they joked about 1,047 plays).
    • Framing: The win is celebratory but also “mean” for the rest of college football — it raises expectations for everyone and suggests Cignetti might be a once-in-a-generation hire.

  • NFL coaching carousel / playoff cleanup

    • Sean McDermott (Bills) firing noted as a major development; hosts say Buffalo is now a top available job.
    • Other coaching moves/hirings discussed: Robert Saleh reportedly hired by Tennessee, Jeff Hafley to the Dolphins, Drew Petzing named Lions OC, mentions of John Harbaugh and Mike Tomlin movements in the carousel & the domino effects across vacancies.
    • Franchise observations: Bills’ playoff woes traced to defensive failures despite Josh Allen’s scoring ability; coaches’ fit and culture discussed as deciding factors for future hires.

  • Playoff preview & Jared Stidham storyline

    • Championship Sunday preview centered on the Broncos vs. Patriots matchup and the Jarrett (Jared) Stidham storyline — Stidham starting under Sean Payton for Denver is a major wild-card narrative. Hosts debate whether scheme/coach (Sean Payton) matters more than the backup QB’s unknowns.
    • PFT repeatedly emphasizes preparing with stats; Hank/others are more emotional/fandom-driven.

Interviews — key points and notable quotes

Adam Thielen (retired after 13 NFL seasons)

  • Retirement vibe: Thielen says he’s content and energized for family life, older-man basketball, and lots of golf — he’s already got a simulator and plans to play more tournaments (Tahoe mentioned).
  • On Pittsburgh stint, Aaron Rodgers and Mike Tomlin:
    • Praises Aaron Rodgers’ preparation, leadership and extra-system process; Rodgers’ work ethic impressed him.
    • Tomlin: “The standard is the standard.” Thielen describes the Tomlin sendoff as emotional; he hugged Tomlin but did not cry.
  • On being ready to unretire: he left the door open slightly but is happy and worn out after 13 years; would only return under the right circumstances.
  • On teammates and locker room:
    • Big praise for Justin Jefferson (“teammate of the year” vibes), Dalvin/Adrian Peterson mention as elite examples.
    • On Brian Flores’ defenses: “compulsion” to blitz — Flores’ schemes cause havoc but require specific answers.
  • On QB prospects/devs:
    • Positive about Bryce Young’s resilience and trajectory (Thielen sent texts of support).
    • Notes the difficulty of getting on same page with a new QB — receivers and offense must do extra reps to sync.
  • Memorable lines: Thielen underscores that elite players combine talent with meticulous preparation.

Actionable takeaway from Thielen: retirement can be fulfilling with the right planning (family, offseason hobbies) and the option to stay ready if a team calls.

Paddy “The Baddy” Pimblett (UFC 324; interim lightweight title vs. Justin Gaethje)

  • Camp & condition: Best camp he’s had — 8-week prep, no injuries. Current walk-around weight ~169; will weigh in at 155, and expects to walk to ~180–185 by fight night.
  • Prediction: Pimblett publicly predicts a finish inside the first three rounds; prefers knockout (jokingly mentions a cartwheel kick KO).
  • Mindset/persona:
    • Embraces being polarizing — “loved and hated” is fine because it sells fights and attention.
    • Insults and Brit-culture slang: explains several colorful UK diss terms (“helmet,” “sausage,” “mushroom,” “bitch-ass,” etc.).
  • Logistics & prep: still doing light sessions through weigh-in week (conditioning, short pad sessions), will conserve energy day-of-fight.
  • Openness to boxing: he’d consider a crossover if the money is right, but MMA is his focus now.
  • Anecdotes: ice-cream indulgence after weigh-ins; family motivation (has twin girls) is a major push.

Actionable takeaway from Pimblett: expect an aggressive, crowd-fueled gameplan — he’s confident and mentally primed.

Hot Seat / Cool Throne highlights (short bullet recap)

  • Hot Seats included: The Beckhams (public family drama), Zach (“The Blob” weather hitting Chicago — predicted brutal cold), and Zach again for poor results in internal office pick’em/weight challenges.
  • Cool Thrones included: Live golf league signings (Phil Mickelson’s High Flyers roster add), Paddy Pimblett (pre-fight), Jake Paul’s huge Georgia ranch development (F1 track, landing strip), Microsoft/Planet Fitness/others tied into sponsor reads.
  • Weather & culture notes: “Bear weather” (Chicago cold) and how extreme weather changes routines and fan experiences.

Listener Pardon Your Takes — notable listener-submitted items

  • Listener takes addressed: doinks/goalposts — one listener suggested “doinks” have been louder/ more frequent since NFL introduced ball chips / tech (hosts found it amusing and debated possible causes).
  • MLB Hall of Fame mentions (Bonds, others) and general offseason sports chatter.
  • The segment closes with playful “who would you root for” hypotheticals for cast teams winning a Super Bowl — memes, Hank, etc.

Notable stats & memorable lines from the show

  • Indiana finished 16–0 (compared historically to Yale’s 16–0 in 1894).
  • Hosts’ list of program “firsts” under Curt Cignetti (summarized): first 10–16-win seasons, first undefeated season, first Heisman, first top ranking, first national title — all delivered in a short time span.
  • “Cignetti is right about everything” — hosts’ tongue-in-cheek elevation of Indiana coach’s in-game decisions.
  • Adam Thielen: “The standard is the standard” (on Tomlin).
  • Paddy Pimblett: “Loved and hated — all that matters is eyes.”

Recommendations / what to watch next

  • Re-watch key moments from the Indiana title game (Mendoza’s fourth-and-5 keeper and the punt-block TD).
  • Championship Sunday NFL games (pay attention to coaching/game-scheme impacts vs. pure QB heroics — the hosts emphasize scheme under Sean Payton for Denver).
  • UFC 324 (Pimblett vs. Gaethje) — show predicts early finish; the fight streams on Paramount+ per sponsors.
  • Listen to Adam Thielen’s segment for perspective on late-career transitions, leadership and what it’s like to practice with elite vets (Rodgers/Tomlin).

Sponsors & promos (short)

  • DraftKings (playoff betting promo code TAKE)
  • Chevy Silverado (ad read)
  • Tropical Smoothie Cafe (protein blends)
  • Pizza Hut (Big New Yorker promo)
  • Planet Fitness (membership)
  • Paramount+ (UFC streaming)
  • Campbells Chunky (soup centric reads)
  • Nutrafol, Microsoft 365 Copilot, Twisted Tea — various ad reads throughout the show

If you want the single-line essentials: Indiana’s run and Curt Cignetti’s historic flip of the program were the episode’s centerpieces; the Thielen interview is a reflective retirement primer; Pimblett’s segment is must-listen hype for UFC 324.