PMT DB
PMT DB
Ryen Russillo on NBA Finals, 2024 QB Rankings, and Dudefest
We’ve officially hit the sports purgatory. With a few days of dead air before the NBA and Stanley Cup Finals kick off, Big Cat and PFT decided to fill the void by doing what they do best: ranking things in June to make people angry. The guys sat down to rank every starting quarterback for the 2024 season, and the list is guaranteed to have Dak Prescott and Trevor Lawrence fans calling for their heads.
Big Cat and PFT didn't hold back on the NFC East or the young stars. While they spent time debating where the veterans landed, the top of the mountain remained relatively chalky, even if the order might spark some debate.
Big CatPatrick Mahomes, Josh Allen, Lamar Jackson, Joe Burrow, and C.J. Stroud are the top five quarterbacks in the NFL
I think it has to go [Joe Burrow], [C.J. Stroud], [Lamar Jackson], [Josh Allen], [Patrick Mahomes]. Let's flip C.J. and Joe. I think put C.J. at five. Joe at four. Do you want to go Josh at three? No, Josh has to be two. [Mahomes is one].
They also showed some love to the NFC North and the "GEQBUS" himself, though the most controversial slotting probably came down to the mid-tier where the "friend of the program" status usually helps. This time, Dak Prescott wasn't so lucky.
PFT CommenterDak Prescott is the 17th or 18th best QB in the NFL, behind Kirk Cousins
Dak right behind Kirk Cousins... 16 should be Kirk [Cousins]. Yep. Right exactly in the middle. [Then Dak Prescott is 17 or 18].
As the list rounded out, Big Cat made sure to give his flowers to the 49ers' signal-caller, much to the chagrin of any remaining Purdy-truthers in the audience.
Big CatBrock Purdy is a top-eight quarterback and better than Justin Herbert and Jalen Hurts
Is Brock still available? Oh yeah, Brock's still available. Brock is almost Brock's higher than nine. Oh Eagles fans are gonna be so mad that Brock is higher than nine. [Brock at eight].
Hot Seat/Cool Throne & Dudefest
Hot Seat/Cool Throne covered the usual madness, from Conor McGregor's questionable status for UFC 303 to Ippei Mizuhara’s legendary status in the gambling world.
Big CatIppei Mizuhara is the greatest Fall Guy Hall of Famer of all time
Ippei is came out and he's guilty or he's admitted guilt... If he is a fall guy, I think he is the best fall guy of all time. Ever. Fall Guy Hall of Fame.
But the real news of the segment was the official birth of Dudefest 2024. Inspired by a Jersey Jerry tweet about wanting more guy friends to watch sports with, Big Cat and the crew are turning it into a full-blown Barstool event. We're talking spelling bees for random 90s athletes, wing-eating contests, and dudes just showing off pictures of the best briskets they've ever smoked.
Big CatDudefest 2024 is going to happen and it will be a major success
We are in the works of, and it's gonna be a Barstool Sports joint. PMT will be big behind it. Jersey Jerry started it. Dudefest. We're doing it. Dudefest 1.0 is not gonna—think about like Elio's Ice Icon. It's kinda like that. It's gonna rock.
Ryen Russillo on the Finals and Boat Life
Ryen Russillo joined the show for his standard NBA Finals preview, and while he’s a noted Celtics historian, he admitted he's terrified of what Luka Doncic can do to a defense. Ryen broke down why the Celtics have the better roster top-to-bottom but warned that the "Two vs. One" dynamic—meaning Tatum and Brown vs. Luca—is a volatile way to live.
Ryen RussilloThe Celtics will beat the Mavericks in the NBA Finals
I like Boston. I'm scared to death of Luca... but I feel like Boston has the two versus the one... their primary lineup of Pingus back is going to be five people that you have to worry about.
They got deep into the Porzingis factor and whether his return from injury is the skeleton key for Joe Mazzulla's system. Ryen thinks the spacing he provides is the biggest hurdle for the Dallas bigs.
Ryen RussilloKristaps Porzingis is the most important player for the Celtics in the Finals
Pingus really does feel like the most important player... matchup wise, changing what Dallas has done and making their bigs do something they haven't done before, not that they're incapable of doing it, but pulling that rim protection away, he feels the most important for me.
The conversation naturally drifted into the NBA hierarchy, where Ryen and Max got into a heated 1-on-1 about Joel Embiid’s place in the league. Max was screaming about PER and playoff averages while Ryen remained calm, explaining why he’s officially "over it" when it comes to the Embiid experience.
Ryen RussilloJoel Embiid is no longer a top-five NBA player
That fifth spot is not reserved for Embiid for me anymore in the way that it was prior to this season. I mean, at some point man, at some point... I'm sick of seeing playoff games where I need him to figure out a way to unlock the possession and get him into his stuff on his own in a way that I don't think he's capable of doing the way other guys are.
Before letting him go, Ryen gave us a hilarious update on his transactional boat life and his recent modeling career for Legends. It turns out that selling a boat is just as much of a headache as owning one, especially when the "charter offset" you were promised turns out to be a complete myth.
Ryen RussilloBuying a boat with the intention of recouping costs through charters is a scam
When I bought it originally I was told if I put it in the charter that I was gonna recoup a lot of the money back. And I already knew it was bullshit when it was happening. The projections and then the revenue—I don't even know if we hit 10% of the projections.
Guys on Chicks
To wrap up the show, the guys answered some listener questions, including a hypothetical about whether you'd take your team winning a championship this year if it meant they never won again. Big Cat, thinking about the decades of Wisconsin heartbreak, didn't hesitate for a second.
Big CatYou should always take the deal to have all your teams win championships in one year, even if they never win again
I think you gotta take the year. Because, alright, I'm thinking about my college teams too. And I don't think that my college teams are ever gonna win a title. So I'm basically getting a guaranteed one that I would never get. Sweeping the entire board for an entire year—you just have that for the rest of your life.
Finally, Big Cat floated a radical scheduling change that would probably get him banned from several Midwestern states: moving the NFL season to the spring to save the summer. It's a bold vision that involves a lot of candle-scented nostalgia, but PFT wasn't ready to give up the "warm blanket" of fall football just yet.
If the Celtics lose this series, Hank might actually move to a deserted island and never be seen again.
