PMT DB
PMT DB
Jon Gruden, Mega Bed, and the Mount Rushmore of Things We Don’t Get the Hype About
We’re on the road for the Internet Invitational at Big Cedar Lodge, and the energy is high despite some serious sleep deprivation. Big Cat and the crew have been living together in a cabin all week, which led to the creation of the "Mega Bed"—pushing two queen beds together to form an Alaskan King-sized sleep surface. While it sounds like a bonding dream, it quickly turned into a logistical nightmare of flashlight-in-the-eye wake-up calls and Zac's 5:30 AM alarm for a 7:00 AM tee time.
Big CatThe 'Mega Bed' changed my life
I initially scoffed it because it was a long day of travel. I was tired. It was late. But then the next day I was like, you know what Zac, we got a mega bed. You were right. We mega Beded... mega bed changed my life.
Before getting into the heavy football talk, the crew hit some national headlines, including Mike Vrabel continuing his streak of being the most intense person at any training camp. PFT is ready for the former Titans coach to just start hitting people again in Cleveland.
PFT CommenterMike Vrabel breaking up fights is a culture changer for the Browns
Mike Vrabel has broken up a fight at training camp. I love this. Yeah. So Vrabel broke up another fight. Dove in... I love that vrs is doing this... that's culture. That's a culture changer.
Mount Rushmore of Things We Don’t Get the Hype About
This might be one of the most controversial drafts in the history of the show. The goal wasn't necessarily to pick things that suck, but things where the level of national excitement simply doesn't match the reality of the product. Big Cat and Zac immediately attacked the Stanley Cup craze, pointing out that it is, at the end of the day, just a cup with a straw.
Big CatThe Stanley Cup tumbler craze is overhyped because it is just a cup
We're gonna take Stanley cups, drinkware, the big fucking Stanley Cups that everyone goes crazy about. All the women love it. Don't understand the hypes... It's literally just a cup... they're almost like beanie babies, like the newer version of Beanie Babies where people collect different colors.
Max went after soccer, calling it the most boring sport to watch for 90 minutes, while Big Cat took a swing at the Taylor Swift "Easter Egg" hunters who treat every outfit change like a Da Vinci Code mystery.
Big CatTaylor Swift Easter Eggs are stupid and overhyped
We're gonna take Taylor Swift Easter Eggs. Not Taylor Swift. The music, we understand the music... I, for the life of me do not understand when Taylor Swift just like matches a couple numbers... and everyone fucking goes full investigative journalism mode... it's fucking stupid.
Hank stayed true to his brand by going after Marvel movies, which led to a broader discussion about why adults are so obsessed with cheesy superhero tropes. The board also included cold plunges, which Max argues have become a weird status symbol for people who have it too easy and need to manufacture suffering.
MaxCold plunges are a form of performative suffering for wealthy people
It was widely considered like one of the worst parts of our week when like everyone on our team had to do a cold plunge and then out of nowhere it has just become widely known as like the best thing that people are like paying to go do for luxury... life is so easy that they like to do something that makes them feel pain... I heard about this on a podcast.
To round things out, Big Cat took a blowtorch to the most famous painting in history, calling the Mona Lisa a "shitty painting" that wouldn't even make the cut for his own house. Zac finished with a deep philosophical take on why everyone is in such a rush to be an adult when being a kid is clearly the superior lifestyle.
ZacThe hype around being an adult is unmerited; everyone rushes to grow up for no reason
Being an adult, I don't understand the hype on like being an adult. Everyone. You're as growing up. Everyone was like, I can't wait to get older, get older, get older. And I'm like, why are we rushing these things?... I don't get the hype on everyone wanting to age so quickly... I just, not all the aspects are the best.
Coach Jon Gruden in the House
Coach Jon Gruden joined the guys in person to talk some ball and get everyone ready for the season. He’s been touring training camps and has some very strong feelings about the current state of the league. He’s all in on Dan Campbell and the culture being built in Detroit, citing the fact that their best players are also their hardest workers.
Jon GrudenLions head coach Dan Campbell is the ideal leader because best players are the hardest workers
I love Dan Campbell, man, I don't like this guy. I love him. The lions have exactly what you're looking for when it comes to attitude, work ethic, and grinders... When you go through the locker room and your best players are the best workers and the leaders on the team, those are the cultures that work.
When it came to the quarterback position, Gruden was glowing about Joe Burrow. He thinks Burrow is the closest thing to a Triple Crown threat in the league right now and is his pick to walk away with the MVP hardware if the Bengals' defense can hold up their end of the bargain.
Jon GrudenJoe Burrow will win the NFL MVP this season
NFL MVP this year... I just love Joe Burrow... This guy's close to winning a Triple Crown man past completion, percentage yards, touchdowns. And he gets outta trouble. He is tough as hell and he's such a cool guy, man. If they get a good defense, I'm not saying great if they get a good defense and get off to a good start... look out for Burrow into Bengals.
Of course, Big Cat had to ask about Caleb Williams. Gruden didn't hold back on the rookie, noting that while the talent is there, the processing speed and accuracy have to improve significantly for the Bears to be a threat in the NFC North.
Jon GrudenCaleb Williams must speed up his processing to succeed in the NFL
Caleb Williams... His deep ball accuracy, his overall accuracy was not good. Yeah. His accuracy was not good. Hi. The clock in his head has to speed up man. He held the ball too long at Oklahoma. He held it too long at Southern County. He's holding it too long now. How do you coach that hard? You know?
Gruden also shared some love for the "two Bays," predicting big things for both Tampa and Green Bay. He’s particularly high on Jordan Love, noting a weird age-based coincidence involving Aaron Rodgers and Brett Favre that suggests this could be Love's breakout Super Bowl year.
Jon GrudenThe Green Bay Packers will win the NFC this year
I love the Green Bay Packers man. I think they have a lot of depth... Aaron Rogers was 27 when he won his Super Bowl. Favre was 27 when he won his Super Bowl. Jordan loves 32. And my guy Jordan loves gonna be 27 in a couple weeks. I think they have the defense... I like the Packers man.
Fyre Fest of the Week
Fyre Fest was dominated by the cabin dynamics. Hank almost died from a rattlesnake encounter (or at least a picture of one), and Max had a wardrobe malfunction involving a hole in his shorts so large you could pass a football through it. But the real Fyre Fest was the "Flashlight Incident," where Max woke Big Cat up at 2:00 AM to ask legal questions about the podcast title using a flashlight pointed directly into Big Cat's eye mask.
If you see a guy in a cabin with a giant eagle tattoo across his chest waking up at 5:00 AM for no reason, just know Zac is ready to work.
