Charissa Thompson and Erin Andrews on NFL Secrets and the Art of Sideline Spying
The tan lines are strong and the takes are even stronger. Big Cat and PFT Commenter returned from their post-Super Bowl hiatus with the energy of two guys who spent a week drinking Coors Light on a beach and are now ready to react to everything they missed, starting with the Juwan Howard "smush" heard 'round the world. Big Cat, ever the Wisconsin loyalist, was thrilled that Greg Gard managed to live rent-free in Howard's head, though he thinks the Michigan coach might need a little professional help for his fuse.
Juwan Howard has a legitimate anger problem
This is he's a repeat offender. He is. So he had that. He also claimed last year that Mark Turgeon... was coming at him and he had to defend himself... He's gotten some weird technical fouls where he's like yelled at people.
PFT was a bit more appreciative of the chaos, viewing the handshake line brawl as exactly what the sport needed during the doldrums of February. While others called it a black eye for the game, he was ready to lean into the violence.
The Juwan Howard incident was great for college basketball
I'm smashing the good for college basketball button. Of course it is awesome for college basketball... Rivalries in college sports where it's always on the cusp of turning violent. That's just good for the sport and nothing bad happened.
LeBron's GM Masterclass and the Rodgers Cleanse
All-Star Weekend in Cleveland turned into the LeBron James Invitational, specifically a weekend-long subtle dig at the Lakers' front office. Between praising other GMs and hinting at a return to the Cavs, LeBron dominated the headlines while the Dunk Contest absolutely cratered. Big Cat and PFT agreed that the lack of star power in the dunk contest can be traced back to one man never setting the stage.
LeBron James ruined the dunk contest by never participating in it
LeBron ruined the dunk contest by never doing it. Correct though. Setting the precedent. [He's the] best players to never do it. He ruined it by saying he was going to do it too. You remember that? Yeah. And then just never did it.
PFT suggested that instead of just begging stars to participate, the NBA should just back up the Brink's truck and offer a massive cash prize to make it worth their while.
The NBA should put a $2 million prize on the dunk contest to attract star players
I think what they should do, they should just put a shit load of money in the pot for the winner of the dunk contest. It's very simple. Just get a big sponsor. Get everybody to pitch in. You should be like $2 million for the winner.
Then there was Aaron Rodgers. After a 12-day "Panchakarma" cleanse involving butter and various unmentionable procedures, Rodgers emerged with nothing but gratitude for his ex-fiancée and his teammates. Big Cat is convinced Rodgers looked at the NFC North and realized he simply has it too good to leave for the gauntlet of the AFC West.
Aaron Rodgers will never leave the Packers because the NFC North is too easy
He probably did the Panchakarma cleanse and was like, wait, I played the Vikings, the lions and the bears. Why would I leave that? Like you get kick our ass... I think he, he, he clearly wants back with his ex.
Erin Andrews and Charissa Thompson
The guys sat down with Erin Andrews and Charissa Thompson at Erin’s office for a wide-ranging talk that went far beyond the usual sideline clichés. They talked about the reality of being a woman in a male-dominated industry, the grueling prep work that goes into three minutes of airtime, and the personalities they deal with on a weekly basis. Erin gave a fascinating look into how she actually influences what we see on TV by acting as a scout for the production truck.
The best sideline reporting happens when I act as a 'spy' for the broadcast
I like to think I'm a spy on the field... get a camera to Aaron Donald, he's just going off on the sideline... or Antonio Brown kind of, you know, doing something with his leg... The important thing is... the shit you don't hear from me, but I can get the camera and tell our producer and director. I love it. I got off on it.
Charissa, who also balances her work at Fox with her interior design business, shared the frustrations of trying to manage massive egos during live events. Whether it's the Madden Pro Bowl or a pregame set, she compared the job to a specific type of animal husbandry.
Producing live events with athletes is like 'corralling cats'
I have a producer in my ear yelling at me... I have a little bit of a like corralling cats and kindergarten teacher. Like, you need to sit down, you need to be quiet... I'm trying to keep this live event moving and mind you there's like alcohol involved.
Both women were incredibly candid about the "diva" behavior sometimes found in sports media. Charissa made it clear that while they are the faces on the screen, they are fully aware of how lucky they are to have their jobs and how easily they could be replaced if they started acting like assholes to the crew.
People in the media who are mean to the production crew are replaceable and not special
If you're mean to hair or makeup or audio, or if someone's running the prompter... I just don't understand why it's like... in this industry, like, you're not that special. You're replaceable. Just like every athlete has been replaced by the next great athlete.
Hot Seat/Cool Throne and Vacation FAQ
Hot Seat/Cool Throne featured a debate on DK Metcalf’s speed compared to Tyreek Hill, and PFT’s visionary idea for soundproof "fart pants" to solve his airplane bloating issues. Big Cat also pitched a brilliant restaurant innovation for the high-end glutton: the dining sweatshirt.
Restaurants should offer oversized sweatshirts for customers who want to keep eating
A restaurant should offer an oversized sweatshirt or even a blanket so that you can keep eating through that... somewhere between like appetizers maybe right after appetite is like, sir, are you, are you planning on eating past full well, yeah, always. Can we offer you this three XL sweatshirt?
To wrap things up, the guys answered listeners' vacation questions. Big Cat, now a seasoned father of two, delivered the definitive take on why bringing your toddlers to the beach isn't exactly the relaxing getaway your wife thinks it is.
Traveling with kids is a 'trip', not a 'vacation'
It's vacation when you don't have children with you. And it's a trip when you do, because you're not, it's not a vacation when you bring your kids... Away game parenting is so much harder than a home game.
It’s good to have the guys back in the studio, even if PFT's brain is still technically on island time.

