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AJ Brown, NFL Preview With Kevin Clark, Hard Knocks Episode 1 + Mt Rushmore Of Skills We Wish We Learned When We Were Younger

Wednesday, August 6, 202524 takes

Hard Knocks is here and it was just ok, except for the Ice Cream. The league is trying to ban smelling salts and ESPN has bought the NFL Network (-). Hot Seat/Cool Throne and Hank is back from Sunday and has some bangers for the guys, plus the first coach's poll in College Football (-), Mt Rushmore of skills we wish we learned when we were younger (-). Kevin Clark joins us in studio to preview the upcoming NFL Season (-). AJ Brown joins us to talk Super Bowl, not going to Mississippi State, reading and tons more (-). We finish with guys on chicks (-).

AJ Brown on Mississippi State, Kevin Clark's NFL Preview, and Hard Knocks

Football is officially back. Hard Knocks kicked off with the Buffalo Bills, and while the guys were excited for camp footage, the reality of the show's structure started to set in. PFT Commenter pointed out that we shouldn't expect a gritty documentary when the league and the teams have final edit on everything.

Void
Aug 6, 2025
#18481
PFT CommenterPFT Commenter

Hard Knocks is just a 45-minute commercial for whatever team they are profiling

Hard Knocks is just gonna be like a 45 minute commercial for whatever team they happen to be profiling because otherwise no teams would ever do it and the NFL wouldn't allow it.

Big Cat was mostly transfixed by the ice cream situation in the Bills' facility and the relatable moment of Dawson Knox’s wife perfectly packing his bag after he just jammed everything in. Despite the positive vibes coming out of Orchard Park, PFT isn't ready to crown them just yet, feeling a sense of impending doom for the Mafia.

Win
Aug 6, 2025
#18482
PFT CommenterPFT Commenter

I am 'pre-sad' for Bills fans because they won't win the Super Bowl despite their hope

I'm pre-sad because it, it is just, it's kind of, it's great to watch Bills fans. I love Bills fans... But the belief and the hope that they have, like, this is our year. We're finally gonna get done... I'm pretty sad for them. Yeah. And I hope that I'm wrong. I I hope that I'm wrong, but I am pre-sad.

The Bills did not win the Super Bowl in the 2024-25 season.

Smelling Salts and Coaching Polls

Hot Seat/Cool Throne featured the devastating news that the NFL is moving to ban smelling salts. PFT sees a hidden motive behind the league's concern for player health in this specific instance, suggesting Roger Goodell is just looking for a bargaining chip.

Loss
Aug 6, 2025
#18483
PFT CommenterPFT Commenter

Roger Goodell is banning smelling salts now just to trade them back for an 18th game in the next CBA

You know what Goodell's probably doing, this is probably one of those things where he is getting ready for the next CBA already... He's taking away smelling salts and then he is gonna say, I'll give you back smelling salts if you play an 18th game.

PredictionFootballHotSarcastic
While the NFL continues to push for an 18-game season, there is no public evidence that smelling salts were used as a specific bargaining chip in formal CBA negotiations.

In sports media news, the NFL taking an equity stake in ESPN had Big Cat and PFT on high alert. Between the league's tightening grip on access and the rumors of commercials coming to Red Zone, the landscape is shifting. PFT thinks the direct ownership will change how fans see their favorite players interviewed elsewhere.

Push
Aug 6, 2025
#18484
PFT CommenterPFT Commenter

The NFL owning a 10% stake in ESPN will make it much harder for other media companies to interview players

I'm glad that florio's all over this, but I, I don't know what differences we're gonna see, but I do think that the NFL is going to make it way less likely for other media companies to conduct interviews with NFL players.

Access to players has become increasingly tightly controlled by league partners, though independent media still functions.

Mount Rushmore of Skills We Wish We Learned Younger

With Hank back from his weekend of following Rufus Du Sol around Chicago, the crew got into a deep draft of life skills. Max and Memes went with things like money management and carpentry, while Big Cat went straight for the utility of a proper golf game over a childhood staple.

Void
Big CatBig Cat

Riding a bike as an adult is overrated compared to being good at golf

Guess what? Riding a bike. Overrated When you become adult. Golf is way more useful. Like I would trade being able to ride a bike for being able to golf well instantly.

As the draft got weirder, PFT leaned into his dream of being a late-career specialist. He truly believes that the knuckleball is the ultimate equalizer for any man willing to put in the hours.

Loss
PFT CommenterPFT Commenter

Anyone who truly dedicates themselves to throwing a knuckleball can make it to Major League Baseball

I think anybody that really dedicates themself to throwing a knuckleball, we'll make it to major league baseball. Agreed.

The scarcity of knuckleballers in MLB suggests it is significantly harder to master than the hosts acknowledge.

Kevin Clark’s NFL Preview

Kevin Clark joined the show to break down every corner of the league, starting with the Micah Parsons situation in Dallas. Big Cat thinks the entire league should be burning Jerry Jones’s phone down to get the star edge rusher.

Void
Aug 6, 2025
#26375
Big CatBig Cat

Every NFL team should be calling the Cowboys to trade for Micah Parsons because it's a no-brainer

What is the cost and is there even one team that like shouldn't be in the running for this [Micah Parsons trade]? Because it, to me, it's such a no-brainer. Yeah. That every team should be calling the Cowboys. Like it's, it's not even two people are like, oh, two first round picks. Who the fuck cares if you have Micah Parsons? You're not gonna get a guy in the next two drafts. It's better than Micah Parsons.

Parsons remained with the Cowboys for the 2024 season, so no trade occurred to evaluate.

Kevin provided a reality check on the price tag for a talent like Parsons, noting that the Cowboys’ leverage with the franchise tag makes a move unlikely unless the haul is historic.

Void
Aug 6, 2025
#18491
Kevin ClarkKevin Clark

The Cowboys would need three first-round picks to trade Micah Parsons

It probably would be three first round picks. Yeah. Yes. Because the Cowboys wanna keep the franchise tag existing... I don't, my, my feeling on it... I don't think an NFL team has ever traded the guy they wanted to keep.

When looking at potential surprise teams, the guys found some disagreement on the Jets and the Dolphins. While Big Cat is buying the Aaron Rodgers comeback tour, Kevin Clark warned that the vibes in Miami might be turning sour.

Loss
Aug 6, 2025
#18496
Big CatBig Cat

Aaron Rodgers will be better than people think this year because he has a chip on his shoulder

I think Rogers is gonna be better than people think... I think he's got the sufficient chip on his shoulder again, where it's like everyone was, was like, this guy should retire. He stinks.

Rodgers played most of the 2024 season but the Jets underperformed significantly, failing to make the playoffs.
Void
Aug 6, 2025
#18492
Kevin ClarkKevin Clark

Mike McDaniel is a sleeper candidate for the Hot Seat because ex-players on TV hate him

Mike McDaniel's... The vibes can be high there, but... The one thing that's funny about McDaniel is how much Ex-players on TV hate Mike McDaniel. They really hate him. Like, every time I'm like, oh, I'm gonna go hard on the Dolphins. Some guy next to me is like, this is the worst team. This is the worst coach in the world.

AJ Brown Joins the Program

Eagles star AJ Brown sat down to talk about his journey from Starkville to Philadelphia. He shared some wild stories about getting death threats for choosing Ole Miss over Mississippi State and how his father had to handle his white Challenger being followed around town. He also explained that his college choice came down to aesthetics—specifically his hatred for Georgia's uniform combinations.

Void
Aug 6, 2025
#18498
AJ BrownAJ Brown

White cleats make you feel faster and smoother on the field than black cleats

When I put on white I feel so fast, so fast, so smooth. Like it's just something about it... I didn't choose Georgia because I don't like wearing black socks... Putting on black socks with black cleats is just so hideous. It's slow.

Brown also discussed the intense pressure of playing in Philly. Even after a Super Bowl appearance and massive production, he knows the honeymoon period for Nick Sirianni and the rest of the team is exactly one loss long.

Void
Aug 6, 2025
#18499
AJ BrownAJ Brown

If the Eagles lose Week 1, Nick Sirianni will immediately be on the hot seat in Philly

If we somehow, somehow lose the first game of the season, it is up for Nick Sirianni. It is up... They're gonna call in to WIP... It's gonna spark like a wildfire. He is a bum. This guy's a fraud.

The Eagles won their first game of the 2024 season, so the immediate 'wildfire' was avoided.

It’s a long season, but at least we have the science of 13 lunar months to guide us through it.

nfleagleshard-knocksbillsmount-rushmorecollege-football

More Takes

Loss
Aug 6, 2025
#18485
Big CatBig Cat

Kyle Schwarber should be the National League MVP

Kyle Schwarber should be MVP 'cause he hit, but we talk about that a little bit later. He, he, he, he did hit two home runs on Monday night. They were fucking mammoths.

Shohei Ohtani won the NL MVP in 2024. Schwarber finished in the top 15 but was not the winner.
Void
PFT CommenterPFT Commenter

The NCAA voting not to expand the tournament is just a way to move the Overton window for next year

They're, they put this out there being like, Hey, we're not gonna do it. Knowing that now it's, it's they moved the Overton window. Where now we're talking about the expansion and next year they're probably gonna let it in.

This is a subjective take about the NCAA's strategy regarding tournament expansion. While the NCAA did not expand the tournament for 2025, it's debatable whether this was an intentional Overton window strategy.
Void
PFT CommenterPFT Commenter

Mike McDaniel's comments about being closer to death signal bad vibes for the Dolphins

Mike McDaniel's in a press conference yesterday said that today's a great day because we're one day closer to death... Do you think things are going well with the Miami Dolphins right now? Bad vibes.

Loss
ZacZac

Baker Mayfield will be the #1 player in the NFL Top 100 next year

Baker Mayfield has made it to num number 50 spot on the NFL top 100 list... I not being on the list. So math tells me next year he's number one.

While Mayfield has improved, reaching the #1 spot in the player-voted Top 100 is highly unlikely given the presence of Mahomes, Jackson, etc.
Loss
Aug 6, 2025
#18493
Big CatBig Cat

The Giants' pass rush will be one of the best units in all of the NFL

I think their defense would be really good... I think their pass rush should be one of the best units in all of the NFL.

The Giants' pass rush was not 'one of the best units in all of the NFL' in 2025. While they had some talent (Burns, Thibodeaux, Abdul Carter), the team finished with a disappointing record and their defense underperformed, including Dexter Lawrence declining from 35 STOPs in 2023 to just 16 in 2025.
Push
Aug 6, 2025
#26376
Kevin ClarkKevin Clark

The Chargers will finish third in the AFC West but still make the playoffs

I think Jim Harbaugh is amazing. Yeah. So they'll probably win a bunch. I think they're probably gonna make the playoffs... I think they're, they are going to be third place in the division and like beat teams. They shouldn't or should whatever. And then, and then still like the Broncos... are too good.

Kevin Clark predicted the Chargers would finish third in the AFC West but still make the playoffs. In the 2025 season, the Chargers finished second (11-6), not third, and they did make the playoffs. The playoff prediction was correct but the third-place finish was wrong.
Loss
Aug 6, 2025
#26377
Big CatBig Cat

I'm picking the Packers to win the NFC North this year

I think the Packers are very good. I'm picking the Packers team. Yeah. I, but I think the Bears can make the playoffs.

Big Cat picked the Packers to win the 2025 NFC North. The Chicago Bears won the 2025 NFC North division title, not the Packers. The Packers finished 9-7-1, second in the division.
Win
Aug 6, 2025
#18494
Kevin ClarkKevin Clark

The Broncos have one of the five best rosters in football and are Super Bowl contenders

I think the Broncos are, are amazing. Like they, they have one of the five best rosters in football... I think they're Super Bowl contenders... They're a division contender.

Kevin Clark predicted the Broncos had one of the five best rosters and were Super Bowl contenders and division contenders. The Broncos went 14-3 in 2025, won the AFC West, earned the No. 1 seed, and reached the AFC Championship Game before losing to the Patriots. They were legitimate Super Bowl contenders.
Void
Aug 6, 2025
#26378
Kevin ClarkKevin Clark

The Lions culture change under Dan Campbell is the best in the history of football

I just think that Dan Campbell is just so unique... he authored the best culture change I've ever seen in football. Yeah. Ever. Like the Lions were a joke for 40 years. And he understood exactly what that franchise needed.

Subjective claim about 'best culture change ever,' though the Lions' turnaround under Campbell is statistically and culturally significant.
Loss
Aug 6, 2025
#18495
Kevin ClarkKevin Clark

The Saints will be the worst team in the NFL this season

It's the Saints. Saints probably. I just don't see a path to them winning... If they get the first overall pick, it's gonna be accidental. They're not gonna, they're, they're gonna try to win games into December... But they are by far the worst.

The Saints were not the worst team in the NFL in 2024; the Panthers and others finished with worse records.
Loss
Aug 6, 2025
#18497
Kevin ClarkKevin Clark

The Ravens will beat the Rams in the Super Bowl

I've been saying all off season it's gonna be Ravens-Rams. Ravens beat the Rams. My concern is Matthew Stafford's back... If Stafford's back isn't healthy, I would go with the Eagles.

The 2024 Super Bowl was Chiefs vs. 49ers. Clark's prediction was entirely incorrect.
Win
Aug 6, 2025
#26379
Kevin ClarkKevin Clark

The Miami Hurricanes will finish the regular season with only two losses

Two losses. So they open with Notre Dame, then they have Florida on the, the third or fourth week of the season... They'll split those. And then they got the Acc... Two November games on the road at Pitt and at Virginia Tech... I could see that being the second loss.

Kevin Clark predicted Miami would finish the 2025 regular season with two losses. Miami went 10-2 in the 2025 regular season, with losses to Louisville and SMU. He correctly predicted two regular season losses.

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