PMS 2.0 1613 - Feel Good Friday With Mark Schlabach, Chris Sale, JJ Watt, Peter Schrager, Pro Football Ireland's Michael McQuaid, & AJ Hawk

Summary of PMS 2.0 1613 - Feel Good Friday With Mark Schlabach, Chris Sale, JJ Watt, Peter Schrager, Pro Football Ireland's Michael McQuaid, & AJ Hawk

by Pat McAfee, ESPN

2h 29m•August 28, 2026
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Overview of PMS 2.0 1613 - Feel Good Friday With Mark Schlabach, Chris Sale, JJ Watt, Peter Schrager, Pro Football Ireland's Michael McQuaid, & AJ Hawk

This Feel Good Friday episode is a fast-moving celebration of “football season is here” energy, mixing college football kickoff chatter, NFL storylines, golf playoff updates, and a memorable interview with Braves ace Chris Sale after his dominant shutout of the Dodgers. The show also spends time on the messy legal fight around college sports eligibility, previews Week 0 in Dublin, and features plenty of classic Pat McAfee Show banter, ad reads, and side conversations.

Biggest Themes and Topics

College sports legal chaos

  • The crew spent a lot of time on the growing legal battle around NCAA/conference eligibility rules, especially the attempt to block former professional athletes from playing college sports.
  • They discussed:
    • The NCAA’s lack of real enforcement power because it gets sued whenever it makes rulings.
    • Conferences like the Big Ten and SEC trying to step in with their own rules.
    • A Texas judge’s involvement and the possibility that these conference rules could get challenged the same way NCAA rulings have been.
  • The takeaway: nobody loves that this is becoming a major preseason storyline, but it may shape the next week of college sports.

Football season hype

  • The episode repeatedly frames this as the best time of year:
    • NFL preseason is underway.
    • FCS games were on the previous night.
    • College football Week 0 is about to begin in Ireland.
  • The crew leans into the idea that once games actually start, most of the off-field chaos fades behind the action.

Golf and MLB highlights

  • Mark Schlabach joined live from East Lake to discuss:
    • Min Woo Lee leading the FedEx Cup event.
    • Cam Young’s hot round and the course playing soft after rain.
    • Scottie Scheffler looking dangerous when he keeps the ball in the fairway.
  • The show also celebrated Chris Sale’s huge night for the Braves and treated it like one of the best baseball moments they’ve seen in a while.

Guest Spotlights

Chris Sale on his shutout and 100 mph return

  • Sale joined fresh off a complete-game shutout of the Dodgers, a huge emotional night in front of his family.
  • He said:
    • He didn’t expect the night to go that way, but the matchup was always going to be a dogfight.
    • Seeing his kids react to his outings has become one of the coolest parts of his career.
    • Hitting 100 mph again felt great, and he only realized it in the moment when the pitch felt right.
  • The conversation emphasized:
    • Sale’s longevity and competitiveness at age 37.
    • His respect for the baseball “brotherhood” and passing knowledge to younger players.
    • The clubhouse culture in Atlanta, which he described as one of the best he’s ever been around.
  • They also joked about his age, his “velo,” and how the modern game has changed, but the respect level was obvious throughout.

J.J. Watt on the NFL’s biggest booth

  • JJ joined as the newly elevated lead analyst in CBS’s top NFL booth.
  • He and the crew discussed:
    • Preparing for his first game with Jim Nantz and Tracy Wolfson.
    • How he’s building chemistry through meetings, calls, and a practice broadcast.
    • The transition from player to commentator and what it takes to earn that role.
  • He also weighed in on:
    • The Texans’ ceiling this season.
    • Ben Johnson and Caleb Williams in Chicago.
    • Aaron Donald’s eventual return question.
    • The NFL’s new kickoff format and other league changes.

Peter Schrager on the NFL landscape

  • Schrager discussed the NFL’s preseason “super corportate” meeting and what the league is focused on heading into 2026.
  • Main points:
    • The new kickoff format is creating more plays, though the crew debated how to interpret injury numbers.
    • Turf vs. grass remains a major ongoing issue.
    • The Raiders’ quarterback situation likely points to Kirk Cousins starting, with Fernando Mendoza seen as a long-term project.
    • Ben Johnson’s Bears could be a real contender if Caleb Williams takes the next step.
    • Aaron Donald’s return is still unresolved, and Schrager suggested it depends entirely on Donald feeling physically ready.

Michael McQuaid on Week 0 in Ireland

  • Live from J.R. Mahon’s in Dublin, McQuaid was the perfect voice for the international angle.
  • He talked about:
    • UNC vs. TCU launching the season in Dublin.
    • The growth of American football in Ireland.
    • The NFL’s investment in flag football kits for schools across the island.
    • Why college football’s arrival in Ireland matters culturally and commercially.
  • He clearly wants this to keep growing and joked that Pat and the crew should stay longer and come back more often.

Notable Recurring Bits and Side Conversations

DoorDash “Don’t fan for free”

  • A long sponsor segment focused on DoorDash’s college football promotion:
    • Fans can earn points on game days.
    • Prizes include money toward a house, a Dodge Charger Hellcat, and free groceries for a year.
    • College students can get free DashPass for the season.
  • The crew kept joking that “don’t fan for free” is a weird slogan when the promotion is actually generous.

Jams and booth banter

  • JJ’s Jams peanut-butter-and-jelly sponsorship got a lot of airtime.
  • The group teased him about grape being the best flavor and about how much the booth loves Jams.

Hard Knocks and the Seahawks

  • Pat said he’s become a fan of the Seahawks after watching Hard Knocks.
  • He praised Mike Macdonald’s coaching style and the team’s professionalism, saying the show made Seattle feel like a team worth backing.

The mystery bathroom joke

  • The final portion of the show devolved into a long-running bit about who may or may not have not wiped after using the bathroom.
  • The crew jokingly tried to solve it like a crime scene, naming and clearing multiple suspects in increasingly ridiculous fashion.

Key Takeaways

  • Football season is officially the center of attention, and the crew believes this could be the biggest one yet.
  • College sports are still dealing with major legal and governance problems, especially around eligibility rules and conference authority.
  • Chris Sale’s performance was one of the standout sports moments of the day: a vintage, emotional, old-school ace outing.
  • JJ Watt is stepping into a major broadcasting role, and the show treated it as a big deal.
  • International growth for football, especially in Ireland, remains a major theme and a point of optimism.
  • The episode balanced serious sports discussion with the usual Pat McAfee chaos, ad reads, and off-the-rails comedy.