PMT DB
PMT DB
Lions HC Dan Campbell on Kneecaps, Alpha Energy, and Animal Combat
The energy is officially shifting as we enter the most chaotic stretch of the sports calendar. Big Cat and PFT are navigating the onset of the NBA play-in tournament and the NHL playoffs, all while preparing for a new era of Detroit Lions football. Between Hank and PFT’s high-stakes hockey bet and the realization that summer is nearly here, the show is firing on all cylinders.
The NBA Play-In Disastrous Experiment
Big Cat isn't holding back on the NBA's new post-season structure. While the league wants more excitement, Big Cat is pointing out the glaring flaws in the logic, specifically how a team that earned a 7th or 8th seed could potentially be bounced by a 10th seed in a fluke game.
Big CatThe NBA's current play-in tournament structure for the 7th and 8th seeds is stupid.
I just hate that they — like, they had something good. Eight versus nine is good... When you add the 10th seed, it's stupid. And the fact that the 7th seed could potentially not make the playoffs is even dumber. I just hate the whole thing.
PFT is leaning into the chaos, specifically looking at the Washington Wizards. He’s convinced that if they can just claw their way through the play-in, they have the firepower to cause a massive headache for the top seeds in the East.
PFT CommenterThe Wizards could beat the Brooklyn Nets in the first round of the NBA playoffs.
I think that if the Wizards beat the Celtics, if they end up matching up against the Nets, I think that the Wizards could actually beat the Nets in the first round.
Beyond the play-in gripes, the guys looked at the broader landscape of the East. PFT is dreaming of a New York City takeover if the Knicks and Nets manage to collide later in the bracket.
PFT CommenterI would love to see a 'Subway Series' between the Knicks and the Nets in the Eastern Conference Finals.
I would love to see, ooh, a Subway Series, Knicks-Nets, Eastern Conference Finals.
NHL Overtime and the Bird Alert
NHL playoff hockey has returned, and with it, the stress of overtime. PFT and Hank are already at each other's throats over the Capitals-Bruins series, which has basically become a battle of attrition involving Chardonnay and Olive Garden threats. PFT also noticed a disturbing trend for teams with wings.
PFT CommenterThe 2021 NHL playoffs are under a 'bird alert' because every bird-themed team has lost their opening games.
Sabermetric stat of the week for the NHL playoffs, the entire league's on bird alert. All bird teams have lost so far. It's just the penguins. That counts.
Big Cat, however, isn't willing to let the Pittsburgh Penguins off the hook just because they are technically flightless. He’s established a new classification system for the animal kingdom based entirely on transportation.
Big CatPenguins and ostriches do not count as birds because if you cannot fly, you are just a bus.
I know it's technically a bird, but if you can't fly, you're not a bird... [Penguins] are buses... That'd be like pointing at a bus and being like, look at that airplane.
Dan Campbell: The Ultimate Alpha
Detroit Lions Head Coach Dan Campbell joined the show and immediately proved why he is the most requested guest of the offseason. From his legendary "kneecaps" press conference to his philosophy on building a staff, Campbell is pure authenticity. He addressed the idea of being an "Alpha" and why hiring guys like Anthony Lynn and Mark Brunell doesn't intimidate him.
Dan CampbellHiring highly experienced coaches and former great players like Anthony Lynn and Mark Brunell is a sign of security, not a threat to my job.
As a head coach, that could be a little bit like, oh, crap, man, am I hiring my replacement? Am I hiring somebody that knows more than I do about this position? And I don't look at it that way at all. I look at it as like, man, these guys got experience. Anthony Lynn's done this. He's been in that seat... I think alpha comes with having security.
Campbell also discussed the draft, admitting that while the Lions were open to anything, they couldn't pass up on the physical specimen that is Penei Sewell.
Dan CampbellPenei Sewell was the best overall prospect in the 2021 NFL Draft.
We did know that Sewell was one of if not the best prospect in this draft. That's what we really believed... we did not think he would fall to us like that.
But the real highlight came when Big Cat asked Campbell what he would be willing to give up for a Super Bowl trophy in Detroit. After Dan suggested he’d love to have a literal pet lion on a chain at practice, he took the Mike Vrabel challenge to a new level.
Dan CampbellI would give up an arm in exchange for a Super Bowl victory in Detroit.
I might end up losing an arm because of it [a pet lion], but that would be even better. [Big Cat: If I said Dan Campbell, you are going to win a Super Bowl in Detroit?] One arm. Yes. There it is.
Monday Reading: Humans vs. The Wild
To wrap things up, the guys dove into a YouGov survey that asked Americans which animals they could beat in an unarmed fight. The confidence levels were... questionable. Big Cat remains steadfast that house cats are essentially just fluffy losers waiting to be handled.
Big CatHouse cats are prima donnas that can be easily defeated by any human.
A house cat means that that cat's drinking milk, that cat's sleeping in beds... that cat is fucking total prima donna... I'll fucking strangle a house cat.
PFT took things several steps further, outlining a specialized "mossing" technique for dealing with our national bird, the bald eagle.
PFT CommenterI could defeat a bald eagle in a fight by grabbing it and slamming it on the ground.
The move would be to jump up in the air and to grab it like you're mossing nature. And you just grab it and then you slam it on the ground. Smother it... while it's trying to do that, just boom, stamp him on his head.
The debate got even more heated when discussing reptiles. While the general public is terrified of cobras and crocodiles, Big Cat is convinced that a little lateral movement is all it takes to outmaneuver a prehistoric swamp beast.
Big CatCrocodiles are easier to defeat on land than cobras because they cannot move laterally.
I actually think I'd have more trouble with the cobra than I would a crocodile. It's at foot level, so it's perfect kicking... I would just run around it to its back and then just fucking get him from behind. He can't move laterally.
If Dan Campbell can bring that same energy to the NFC North, the Lions might actually be a problem this year.
