PMT DB
PMT DB
Coach Jim Calhoun on Big East Grit, 2011 UConn, and Grit Week 2021
Grit Week 2021 has officially arrived, and Big Cat and PFT are hitting the road in a silver bullet RV wrapped in Coors Light. The journey through the rust belt starts with a heavy dose of preseason football overreactions and a look at the rookie quarterback class. While the world is losing its mind over every snap, Big Cat is focused on the logistics of how we consume these meaningless games.
Big CatThe NFL preseason should have a full Sunday slate with RedZone to help fans practice for the regular season
I think that the preseason should mimic the regular season and that we should have a full Sunday of football with a red zone to get us ready because the random start times... Give me, let me actually practice what it feels like to get up on a Sunday and get my body ready and watch every team play.
Beyond the scheduling, the guys are already fed up with the league's new emphasis on "taunting." After seeing a Colts running back get flagged for a simple flex, it’s clear this is going to be the most hated storyline of the season.
Big CatThe NFL's new taunting rule is going to be brutal and should be complained out of the league
The taunting rule fucking sucks. It's going to be brutal and we're going to all... It is the dumbest rule ever. We need to [complain it away].
Naturally, the rookie talk centered on the big names, but PFT is looking at the guy in New England as the sleeper for the hardware.
PFT CommenterMac Jones might win NFL Rookie of the Year
I think I'm going to Zig while everybody's zags. I think Mac Jones might be the rookie of the year... If Mac Jones gets in week four, then how many games? 13 games. Yeah. If he goes nine and four, see, I think, I think he gets rookie of the year.
Big Cat isn't ready to hand it to Mac Jones just yet, noting that the sheer volume Trevor Lawrence will be asked to handle in Jacksonville makes him the statistical favorite if he hits a specific benchmark.
Big CatIf Trevor Lawrence throws more than 20 touchdowns, he will win Rookie of the Year
Trevor Lawrence throws more than 20 touchdown passes, he gets rookie of the year. Because it always, especially because the Jaguars, he's not expected to win. He just has to worry about stats.
The Legend Jim Calhoun
There is no better way to start Grit Week than sitting down with three-time National Champion Jim Calhoun. The hall of famer invited Big Cat and PFT into his office to discuss the old-school Big East, his coaching philosophy, and why he's still coaching Division III ball at St. Joseph’s at 79 years old. Calhoun embodies the very definition of grit, having worked as a stone cutter before his coaching career took off. He opened up about the intensity of the original Big East and how those rivalries were built on genuine, competitive respect.
Jim CalhounSEC Football and Big East Basketball were the two hardest things in sports at the time
The Southeast conference of football and the Big East basketball, the two hardest things I've ever seen at that time. Six out of nine of us are in the hall of fame that coached. And that's crazy.
He didn't hold back on the modern state of the game either, particularly the explosion of the transfer portal. Calhoun, who built UConn into a powerhouse by developing players over four years, isn't a fan of the revolving door nature of today's rosters.
Jim CalhounThe current college basketball transfer portal is bad for the game
I see what 1500 1600 kids transferring. It's a different game, but I don't think it's a good game... The problem is, are we in fact making [it]? ... transferring, I don't think it's a good game.
When looking back at his greatest teams, Calhoun highlighted the 2004 squad as his most gifted, even if the 1999 and 2011 runs hold a different kind of magic. He also gave a fascinating defense of the 2011 title game against Butler—widely considered one of the ugliest games in history—pointing out that his team's defense was the reason it looked that way.
Who's Back and Mt. Rushmore
Who’s Back featured the triumphant return of the Taliban (PFT's choice, naturally), the Field of Dreams game, and the Waterdogs being the number one seed in the PLL. However, Big Cat is starting to worry that his lacrosse ownership duties might conflict with his true love: NFL Sundays.
Big CatI don't want the Waterdogs to win the championship if it is played on an NFL Sunday
If the Waterdogs want to be the best dogs possible, they would lose in the semifinals. So we don't have to watch them in the finals... I don't want to have to be burdened with them on an NFL Sunday.
To wrap things up, the guys drafted the Mt. Rushmore of songs to listen to while driving. It was a mix of classic rock staples and literal interpretations of "car songs." Big Cat tried to establish a new legal precedent for anyone caught speeding while the right track is playing.
Big CatDrivers should be ineligible for speeding tickets if they are listening to Steely Dan or The Allman Brothers
I think if you're listening to the Allman Brothers or Steely Dan, you should be ineligible to get a speeding ticket... I like my driving songs to make me drive faster. Reeling in the Years is one of those songs.
While PFT went with Drake and Billy Football surprisingly crushed it with "Born to Run" and "Fast Car," Big Cat stood by a Bob Seger classic as the ultimate vibe for a solo journey.
Big CatThere is nothing better than listening to Bob Seger's 'Night Moves' while driving alone at night
Night moves, Bob Seger, late at night. Just fucking when you're alone in the car, you and you're like the only one on the highway. There's fucking, nothing like that. Nothing like that.
Finally, Billy Football introduced "The Mincey Experiment." Now that Ben Mintz has moved into the apartment next to Billy, the young trainer has decided to seize control of Mintzy’s life, diet, and supplements to see exactly how much muscle he can pack onto the Louisiana legend.
Billy FootballI can turn Ben Mintz into a 'lab rat turned muscle hamster' by controlling his diet and supplements
I now have the perfect opportunity [to] control all the variables and turn Ben Mintz into a lab rat turned muscle hamster... Basically I control all the variables. Like literally he's not going to be able to eat a meal without me. I'm going to pump this guy full of creatine, get him squatting heavy and see what happens.
Watch out world, the Muscle Hamster is coming.
