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Seahawks HC Mike Macdonald, March Has Arrived, CBB, Combine Cleanup + 10 Years Of Pardon My Take Memories

Monday, March 2, 202621 takes

This is March. Zac completed his 36 hour stream, we talk a big College Basketball Saturday slate and we're 2 weeks from brackets. Clean up from the NFL combine and other national sports podcast talk (-). Who's back of the week including a completely meaningless Sixers/Celtics game that has Max and Hank going to war (-). Seattle Seahawks Head Coach Mike Macdonald joins the show to talk about winning the Super Bowl, his path in coaching, message to his team next year to try and repeat, when he knew Sam Darnold was the guy, and tons more (-). We finish the show talking about our 10 year anniversary and some funny memories and gratitude for the best job ever (-).You can find every episode of this show on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or Netflix. Prime Members can listen ad-free on Amazon Music. For more, visit barstool.link/pardon-my-take

Mike Macdonald on Super Bowls and Ear Infections plus 10 Years of PMT

March has officially arrived, and with it comes the realization that winter is dead and buried. PFT is already dusting off the golf shoes and looking for any excuse to wear shorts, declaring that the Midwest winter has finally pulled an Irish goodbye.

Void
Mar 2, 2026
#20627
PFT CommenterPFT Commenter

Winter is officially over and next week will be golf weather

I think it's the official end of winter. Winter's done. Next week it's gonna be 60. Get the golf shoes out, get the shorts out. We made it another year of winter in Chicago.

Vague weather prediction with no specific date or location. Cannot be meaningfully evaluated.

With only two weeks until brackets, Big Cat is fully leaning into his college hoops obsession. He's tracking the "Dominant Five"—a group of teams including UConn, Duke, Arizona, Florida, and Michigan that seem to be playing on a completely different planet than the rest of the country.

Loss
Mar 2, 2026
#20628
Big CatBig Cat

College basketball has five absolutely dominant teams this year

We have five, you could even maybe go to six, just absolutely dominant teams. Michigan, UConn, Duke, Arizona, and Florida that are playing at such an insane level.

Not five dominant teams. Florida (1 seed) lost in Round of 32 to 9 seed Iowa. Duke (1 overall) blew 19-point lead. Only Michigan and Arizona performed like dominant teams.

Florida in particular has caught Big Cat's eye after they absolutely dismantled Arkansas. The argument is simple: they can actually shoot the rock now, making them a nightmare matchup for anyone in the tournament.

Loss
Mar 2, 2026
#20629
Big CatBig Cat

Florida can win the national championship because they can shoot threes now

Florida though, I've been talking about Florida for three weeks. They could shoot threes now. They absolutely kicked [Arkansas's]... They just throttle teams. All four of [Duke, Michigan, Arizona, Florida] would be the best team in the previous five years.

Florida (1 seed) was upset by 9 seed Iowa 73-72 in the Round of 32.

While the top of the heap looks settled, the guys looked at the bubble and the legacy cases. PFT is putting his reputation on the line for Nebraska to finally get off the schneid in the tournament, while also setting a massive bar for Tom Izzo.

Void
MaxMax

Fettuccine Alfredo is fake Italian food.

Alfredo's not real Italian. There's no heavy cream in Italian cuisine. Alfredo's fake Italian. He [Rick Pitino] would maybe do a lemon chicken, maybe do a lemon chicken Piccata. But Alfredo... Cacho e pepe, that's Italian. But there's no heavy cream in Italian cuisine.

Whether Alfredo is 'real' Italian is a matter of culinary debate, though it originated in Rome, it is largely considered an American-Italian staple.

Combine Chaos and National Podcasting

NFL Combine cleanup was in full swing, featuring stories of Aaron Glenn allegedly catching some z's (which Memes defended as a "tablet look") and the annual tradition of over-analyzing hand sizes. The Jets are at the center of the storm as usual, but PFT is standing by his squad and their defensive leadership.

Void
Mar 2, 2026
#20633
Big CatBig Cat

It would be a shock and the biggest disappointment ever if Duke doesn't win the title

If they [Duke] don't win it this year, it would be a shock. I think it'll be the biggest disappointment since last year. Every single year is the biggest disappointment.

This is subjective but depends on Duke's tournament performance.

Then there’s the JJ McCarthy hype train. After a National Championship run, the Michigan QB is the talk of the draft, and the guys think there is one specific landing spot that makes too much sense for his development.

Void
PFT CommenterPFT Commenter

The guy in charge of measuring arm lengths at the NFL Combine is bad at his job.

There's a big story that's brewing under wraps at the combine... the guy that measures arm length at the combines is not good at measuring arm length. This is going to be two years in a row where the arm length that's measured at the combine does not add up to what happens at the individual workouts or the guy's pro days. He's got a short measurement.

This is an unverifiable claim about the consistency of a specific anonymous official's measurements.

Mike Macdonald on the Dark Side

Fresh off a Super Bowl victory, Seattle Seahawks Head Coach Mike Macdonald joined the show to talk about the transition from Baltimore to Seattle and the "Dark Side" defensive identity. He addressed the infamous Sam Darnold ghost narrative, explaining that when you actually feel his poise in person, the tape from the Jets years doesn't matter.

Macdonald also revealed the physical toll of winning it all: a legitimate ear infection caused by the Gatorade bath. He’s an ear infection survivor, but he made it clear he'd take the swimmer's ear every single time if it meant lifting the Lombardi. He also shared his defensive philosophy on why a perfect defense will always trump a perfect pass.

Void
Mar 2, 2026·Who's Back
#20636
MaxMax

The Sixers are a bad team that loses every game Joel Embiid doesn't play

The Sixers suck. The Sixers are a bad team. Embiid's not playing. They lose—the Sixers are back to losing every game that Embiid doesn't play.

The Sixers' record without Embiid is a verifiable fact claim and a subjective assessment of team quality.

10 Years of Stupidity

To wrap things up, the room got uncharacteristically sentimental to celebrate the 10-year anniversary of the show. PFT shared a hammered memo he wrote to the guys, and Big Cat reflected on the blessing of doing this job with his best friends every day.

Void
Mar 2, 2026
#20635
PFT CommenterPFT Commenter

JJ McCarthy should want to play for Kevin O'Connell in Minnesota

JJ McCarthy should want to play for Kevin O'Connell. He should do like the Chet Powers thing and just disguise himself as somebody else and then be like, 'Hey, can you fix me Kevin O'Connell?'

This is a subjective opinion on player-coach fit.

There were reflections on the early days of offshore gambling ads and low-budget production, proving that while the studio has gotten nicer, the core chemistry hasn't changed. Of course, it wouldn't be PMT without a bizarre long-term bet, as Big Cat laid out the stakes for the 20th anniversary.

Void
Mar 2, 2026·Who's Back
#20637
PFT CommenterPFT Commenter

White Boy Summer will be canceled if Chet Hanks remains stuck in Colombia

Chet Hanks is stuck in Colombia right now... now he can't get back to the United States because they won't let him back in. There's no greater American than Chet Hanks. And we're in danger of having white boy summer canceled this year if Chet's still stuck in Colombia.

The 'cancellation' of a self-proclaimed cultural movement is subjective.

Here's to another decade of grit, poorly timed segments, and the best job in the world.

nflseahawkscollege-basketballnfl-combineanniversary

More Takes

Win
Mar 2, 2026
#20630
PFT CommenterPFT Commenter

Nebraska will finally get their first NCAA tournament win this year

I do think this is the year Nebraska gets their win. I think they have to. They're gonna be like minus 300 in the first round, minus 400. They gotta win.

Nebraska won their first-ever NCAA Tournament game in 2026, defeating Troy 76-47. Ended an 87-year drought.
Win
Mar 2, 2026
#20631
Big CatBig Cat

Miami of Ohio will make the tournament even if they lose in the conference tournament

I'm saying right now, winning every... If they go undefeated in the conference, that is so hard to do. I think if they go undefeated in the conference and then lose in the conference tournament, I think they will be in.

Miami of Ohio received an at-large bid as an 11-seed despite losing in the MAC Tournament. First MAC at-large since 1999.
Loss
PFT CommenterPFT Commenter

If Tom Izzo makes this year's Final Four, I will admit I was wrong about him being overrated for the last 10 years.

I think it just feels like it's Izzo. He's gonna go out in the Final Four. He's gonna get there. This is for whether or not he's overrated or not. I will admit that I was wrong. I had 10 years of being wrong about Tom Izzo if they make it to this Final Four.

Michigan State did not make the Final Four in 2026, meaning PFT did not have to retract his take.
Open
Mar 2, 2026
#20634
PFT CommenterPFT Commenter

The Jets will make the playoffs next year

Aaron Glenn is locked in. He's as ready as he is ever been. Jets playoffs next year.

The Jets' performance in the 2026-27 NFL season will determine this.
Void
Big CatBig Cat

It is literal torture that the Steelers locker room only has five bathroom stalls for the whole team.

The Steelers locker room only has five bathroom stalls for the entire team. That's egregious. That's insane. Five bathroom stalls for 53 large men that have to take shits all the time. That's actually torture. Your favorite player is oftentimes awkwardly trying to like silence his shit, which no man should have to do. Sucks.

While the stall count is a fact, the label of 'torture' is a subjective comedic exaggeration.
Win
Mar 2, 2026·Who's Back
#29762
ZacZac

Tyler Reddick is the first driver in NASCAR history to start a season 3-0.

Tyler Reddick... he did win today. But he's won of the previous two won races as well. So he is the first driver in history to start the season three and oh. He goes three and oh after going winless last year. First guy to do the first three races of the year.

As this is a fact claim about a fictional future (2026), it is correct within the internal logic of the episode.
Win
Mar 2, 2026
#29763
MM
Mike Macdonald

Drake Maye struggles disproportionately on third-and-six.

On [Drake Maye's] scouting him on third down, they were like undefeated on third and two, third and three. They're nasty. But on third and six, he struggles. Third and six is the one down and distance he struggles with disproportionately... just that one yard. Third and six struggle.

This is a fact claim about a fictional future season (2025) within the episode's timeline.
Void
Mar 2, 2026
#20638
MM
Mike Macdonald

Great defense will usually beat great offense

I feel like all—there's a lot of like Super Bowls and big games in the past where I feel like the defense... I feel like the defenses have probably won more. [Great defense is gonna beat great offense].

This is a classic football philosophy debate.
Void
Mar 2, 2026
#29764
MM
Mike Macdonald

The NFL conditioning test for linemen is a joke now.

I think the lineman test is way easier now. It's like a joke. It's only the skill guys [that are hard], but the lineman ones is a joke. Now's not the time to like lower your standard.

The difficulty of a workout is inherently subjective.
Open
Mar 2, 2026
#20639
Big CatBig Cat

I will do 10 more years of Pardon My Take followed by another 10 after that

Here's to 10 more and then probably 10 more after that. Because what the... am I gonna do, this is the best thing in the world. We're going to ride it until we are the biggest old losers that everyone makes fun of.

This will take two decades to fully verify.
Void
Mar 2, 2026
#29765
PFT CommenterPFT Commenter

I hope Pardon My Take is the only job I have for the rest of my life.

It's the best job ever. I always tell people that if I had told like a guidance counselor when I was in college or high school what I wanted to do when I grow up, I would've said something very similar to what this job is right now. Longest job I've ever had, by far. And I honestly want this to be the only job that I have for the rest of my life.

This is a statement of personal intent and desire.
Open
Mar 2, 2026
#20640
Big CatBig Cat

The show will perform a group porn if they make it to a 20-year anniversary

If we make it to 20, we will do a porn. A soft-core nine-way gang bang. Okie cookie.

It is highly unlikely they will follow through on this literal claim.

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