Jim Harbaugh on Excel, SpongeBob, and the Rebirth of Training Camp
Training Camp week is officially here, and the energy in the air is palpable. Big Cat and PFT are hitting the road, but first, they recap their time at Jim Harbaugh's annual golf tournament. It was a scene where the guys felt more out of place than ever, surrounded by Michigan boosters in floral shirts while Hank decided to golf in jeans. The performance on the course was predictably poor, leading to a classic Harbaugh interaction where the Coach showed genuine disgust at their scramble score of plus one.
Who's Back of the Week
Tom Brady is back after signing a two-year extension at 42 years old. Hank is still trying to figure out how the NFL salary cap works, especially since this extension somehow frees up space despite giving Brady a raise. PFT is keeping a close eye on the Washington Redskins' depth chart, where a familiar face has surfaced at the top.
Colt McCoy is a less sexy version of Ryan Fitzpatrick
Colt McCoy is back. He's like the less sexy version of Ryan Fitzpatrick. He pops up every couple years, has a good game. He's like Ryan Fitzpatrick if he was cleaned up for a job interview or something like that.
The guys also looked at the madness from Lollapalooza this weekend. Videos of teenagers bum rushing the fences went viral, and Big Cat thinks he knows exactly where they got the inspiration for that level of coordinated chaos.
The Area 51 meme is the reason people are now bum rushing music festival gates
I blame the organizer of the Area 51 thing for just convincing people everywhere to get a big group and run through a fence. Some of these kids were jumping fences [at Lollapalooza], and I was just shocked by their athleticism.
Mount Rushmore of Things We Don't Understand
This Mount Rushmore hit close to home because, as Big Cat admits, they aren't the smartest guys. The list ranged from the dark web and the blockchain to more relatable frustrations like how airplanes actually stay in the sky. PFT is convinced his hours of flight simulators have prepared him for a heroic moment.
I honestly think I could fly a plane in an emergency based on flight simulators and 'Top Gun'
I honestly think I could fly an airplane... if the pilot becomes incapacitated during the flight. I'm going to raise my hand and be like, I have flown numerous flight simulators. I played the Top Gun video game. I've seen Top Gun like 10 times. I think I could get the plane close to landing.
The guys also got into a heated debate about music and culture. While Big Cat and Hank defended some of the bangers, PFT was not having it with the 6 God.
Drake is not a talented rapper and has 'low T'
I don't get why Drake is pop. I don't really like his music... I don't think he's a talented rapper. They're all slow. He's low T. Drake is very low T... He does the thing where he rhymes the same word with the same word a lot. He's kind of slow. He mumbles. He's got low T. Actually, he's kind of like me.
They also tackled the mysterious popularity of certain West Coast trends. Big Cat has a theory that the rest of the country is being collectively punked by California.
Kombucha is likely a prank started on the West Coast to see if the rest of the country would fall for it
I'm convinced there's a list of things that just start on the West Coast as pranks to see if everyone else will do it. And [Kombucha] is one of them. They're like, we'll just start saying kombucha's good and watch these fucking idiots in the rest of the country. We'll just pay way too much for this shitty tea.
Jim Harbaugh Joins the Show
Coach Jim Harbaugh makes his return to the program, and he is in mid-season form. He describes the start of training camp with a level of intensity that most people reserve for religious experiences.
Training camp is a rebirth akin to New Year's or the birth of Christ
There's people that think of January 1st as being the start of the new year. People that espoused Christianity, Catholicism, talk about the birth of Christ. We talk about training camp. I love it... That's the rebirth. That's coming out of the womb... Now you're in the real world. Boom. Out into the light. Out into the chaos.
Harbaugh opened up about his process, revealing that he is a "disciple of Excel." He doesn't just use it for spreadsheets; he uses it for letters, drawing pictures, and even poetry.
I use Microsoft Excel for everything, including writing poems and drawing pictures
I do everything in Excel. Everything in Excel. I draw pictures in Excel. Excel is the first thing I learned, and I've stayed with it. I'm a disciple of Excel... You can format the cell and do three to four lines or six. They can overlap. It's a very versatile piece of software.
The conversation took a turn into his personal inspirations, including a deep dive into why a certain absorbent, yellow, and porous cartoon character is a role model for a Big Ten head coach.
SpongeBob SquarePants is one of my heroes because of his work ethic and enthusiasm
I love SpongeBob... Just the way [he] attacks with enthusiasm unknown to mankind at all times. He's always happy. Always positive. He's energetic... I mean, some of the times where he's flipping the burgers, like he's got four or five or six arms. He loves work. Takes pride in his job. What's there not to love about SpongeBob?
It wouldn't be a Harbaugh interview without some hard-nosed football talk. He discussed the upcoming season and the weight of the rivalry with Ohio State, while also sharing his thoughts on the modern trend of players skipping bowl games to protect their draft stock.
Players who sit out bowl games are damaging their legacy and their status as a competitor
I think it hurts their actual—their legacy too. Just what they're about. You know, a competitor is going to compete... Everybody talks about it. They're a competitor... But then they actually don't go play in a football game. You know, that's, to me, that's a problem. You have a problem now with who you are as a competitor and your legacy.
Segments
In a quick 'Stay Woke,' PFT looks into Larry Johnson’s Twitter feed, which has identified some suspicious activity surrounding Patrick Mahomes and Adam Schefter. The theory involves Masonic numbers and some potential witchcraft in the NFL media world.
Adam Schefter is an undercover warlock casting spells through the media
I can't think of a story I'm rooting for more than Adam Schefter to be an undercover witch... Could you imagine if he's just casting spells on people?... Two cell phones. One of them is a magic wand. And that's why he does the whole like, oh, I have to pee every 10 minutes to make himself seem un-witch-like.
Finally, the guys debut 'Melo Dramatic' to track the potential return of Carmelo Anthony. While Melo is on a media tour trying to explain his exit from Houston, Big Cat is cutting through the noise to the real reason he’s currently a free agent.
Carmelo Anthony was cut by the Rockets because he simply wasn't good at basketball anymore
I think the money he was being paid to play basketball [was why he was cut]. To be shitty at basketball. Yeah... it's not a basketball reason if you can't play basketball anymore.
If you're in Milwaukee on Tuesday and have a decent couch and HBO, check your inbox for a visit from some very hungry rugby guys.

