Takes

Fever Tree is currently the best ginger beer on the market

I'm actually trying to create my own ginger beer with not as much sugar. I love it so much... You gotta try Fever Tree. That's the best one right now. And then when mine comes out, that will be the best one out.

I would press a button to win 10 Super Bowls even if it killed one Bears fan

[PFT asks if he'd press a button where one fan dies but he wins 10 Super Bowls] I think I take it. 10 Super Bowls. That's a lot of Super Bowls. That's, that's great.

Admiring art in a museum is exactly the same as being a sports fan

Admiring art isn't that different from watching football. You spend all day, you pay like $15. You go to a big building and then you look at a screen on the wall and then that screen makes you feel emotions. A lot of times when you go to the museum, you get the headset and someone's explaining the art to you... You've got like a play-by-play guy for the art.

Angel Reese will be a 20 and 10 player every day and is the WNBA Rookie of the Year

Angel Reese. Yeah. Angel. I love Angel Reese. I think she has like Rodman level rebounding. I fucking love her. If I had to [vote Rookie of the Year], yeah. She'll be a 20 and 10 every day.

The Matthew Judon trade was the best outcome for both the Patriots and Judon

Matthew Judon, that happened the day after we recorded. He did get traded. I mean, he's a little bit older. He wasn't probably gonna resign. I think, but they realize it's probably best for both parties to trade them. So it was good. You know, everybody's happy.

Patrick Mahomes is so good at football that he is throwing behind-the-back passes out of boredom

I said that it should have been taunting running that play because Patrick Mahomes is now bored of football. He's so good at football that he he can't play like a normal quarterback because it's too easy for him. So he just ups the difficulty level. Now he's throwing behind the back passes.

Caleb Williams will be the Bears' quarterback for the next 15 years

I was in the car with my kids and I was just thinking like, what if Caleb Williams is awesome for like the next 15 years and my kids like, go to college and Caleb Williams is still the Bears quarterback. Yeah. It could be. What if they're like literally starting college and they're like, yeah, it's more just, I just grew up with Caleb Williams.

Jaden Daniels' floor is Josh Allen

My biggest fear now is that Jaden Daniels is gonna be so goddamn good and that Jaden Daniels is gonna be awesome. Like I'm talking Joe Burrow, I'm talking Josh Allen... I'd say minimum, minimum, Josh Allen.

The worst NFL team would win gold in Olympic flag football with only one hour of practice

I think if you took the worst NFL team and then made them the flag football team, they would probably win the gold. An hour. They'd probably pick it up an hour.

Current political polling is useless because voters cannot maintain a consistent opinion for more than three days

I think a snapshot of any polling number right now is the dumbest... the swings in a very short amount of time. It's because no one, no one side can keep their shit together for more than three days. I don't understand like, the polling of one phenomenon that we have. I don't know that the tides are turning nearly as fast as everybody's pretending as it does day to day.

College football realignment has killed the cultural and visual identity of the sport

What I loved about the sport was that a PAC-12 game looked like a PAC-12 game. And then culturally, when you would visit all of these different places, the fan bases were lined in a very conference... It just made sense. Now it feels off. It feels weird. The death of the PAC-12 is sad. It's sad. It is sad.

The Denver Nuggets will win the 2025 NBA Championship

I think it's really, really tough to repeat. So I'll just say Nuggets.

The 12-team Playoff expansion will only move the goalposts for ranking arguments without solving them

I just can't wait for the 12, 13, 14 team arguments. Maybe Tulane. And there's gonna be a 14 Colorado, like a team ranked 14th. You're gonna be like, you stink. You haven't beaten anyone. And you won a chance for the national championship. I don't know that the projection of the 12 teams is like... it's not that fucking hard.

Sam Darnold might have a good year with the Vikings

Am I crazy for thinking Sam Darnold might have a good year? My whole thinking was he's gonna have the best receivers he is ever had. Seventh year bump. No mono. Kevin O'Connell. Good coach. Played quarterback... I kind of feel like Sam Darnold might surprise some people this year.

The Vikings are making the right call to give JJ McCarthy long-term meniscus surgery

I think they're doing the right thing... I think he's probably over Josh Dobbs. It's the right call I think to do the long-term meniscus surgery. A rookie quarterback, you don't wanna rush him back from this at all.

The NFC South will be full of 9-8 and 10-7 teams

I think it's just gonna be a lot of teams in the NFC South that are gonna be nine and eight, 10 and seven and then the Panthers. And it's gonna go exactly like last year where it's gonna be the three way between the Falcons, the Saints, and the Bucks.

The Mauricio Pochettino hire is a grand slam for US Soccer

In soccer terms, it's a grand slam... It's a grand slam touchdown of a hire. I think it's safe to say that this will be a big disappointment if we don't get to the quarterfinals [of the World Cup].

CJ Stroud will lead the NFL in passing touchdowns

I'm gonna go passing touchdowns. I know that some people might say sophomore slump. CJ Stroud plus nine 50. I mean, Stefon Diggs, Nico Collins, Tank Dell... that offense is gonna be explosive.

Breece Hall will lead the NFL in rushing touchdowns

I'm going to go with rushing touchdown leader Breece Hall. Plus 1800, plus 1900... Aaron Rogers should play more than five snaps this year... I feel like Nathaniel Hackett's gonna get him the ball inside the five.

Garrett Wilson will lead the NFL in receiving yards

I'm going Garrett Wilson. Oh, at 14 to one. Garrett Wilson has had a really good, he hasn't been a big touchdown guy, but he is never really had a big a quarterback like Aaron Rogers. I think that that's good value.

Aaron Rodgers will lead the NFL in passing touchdowns

I'll change mine to Aaron Rogers. 16 to one... He's gonna feast against the Patriots. And he's, they're gonna do the perfect amount of handing the ball off in the goal line. Jets might score a billion touchdowns.

Grit is the ability and willingness to do anything regardless of the circumstance

Your ability and willingness to do any and all things regardless of circumstance... It's a incredible honor for coach [Harbaugh] to view me the way that he does. But what I do know and what I've learned over time is, you know what I do like this moment. I'm right here, right now.

The ShopVac is the most versatile tool out there

The ShopVac is gritty. It is, yeah. Because you don't have to, like, you can, I mean, pretty much anything, you know, you can, you can suck up with ShopVac. I love it. I, you could say I love the, the versatility and I love the grit factor of the shop back.

Matt Kucher is a douchebag for refusing to finish his round on Sunday

Matt Kucher. What a dish. Dickhead. What a douchebag... picks up his ball and leaves and says it's too dark. And came back on Monday to finish half a hole. When everyone else had finished... Douchebag move by him.

Matt Kucher was actually taking a stand for faster play by refusing to finish on Sunday

I did see a golf journalist who had a thread breaking down why he might have been doing it... the group in front of 'em was playing super, super slow all day... Kucher was basically standing up for the guy who lost a lead... maybe he was just trying to set an example of like, the guy should have been playing faster in front of them.

JJ McCarthy will be back in two months from his meniscus injury but it will linger

[JJ McCarthy] could be back. He'll probably be back in like two months and then it'll linger for a little bit longer... And it'll come back like within the next couple years. Like there'll always be the worry of, you know, the meniscus to, it could tear again. It probably will tear again.

The Washington Huskies are my new official Big 10 team

[My Big 10 team is] the Washington Huskies... because Belichick is a defensive coordinator. Steve Belichick... they combine two of my great loves before games. They've got drinking and then they've sailboats.

Michigan will not be in the top 10 by October 5th

Michigan's nine. But aren't they gonna stink this year? ...They will not be in the top 10 by October 5th. Mark my word.

Brandon Aiyuk and John Lynch's personal friendship will lead to a deal with the Niners

His agent's a guy named Ryan Williams... Ryan Williams and John Lynch are like lifelong buddies... John Lynch was at the wedding... at the end of the day, if those are the two people who are running the business operation in this situation, like they'll find a way to get Aiyuk dressed and with the Niners.

Rhythm is the essential basis for all success in sports and life

The basis of it all is rhythm, whether they realize it or not... All of these Rhythm Masters that I interviewed are winners. They know how to go there, how to stay there, and they know how to win... without rhythm, there could be no sports.

Jayden Daniels is the real deal and Commanders staff are obsessed with him

I talk to Cliff [Kingsbury] all the time... Everyone's happy... holy shit bro, like, they're talking like this guy is the real deal in Washington and Jayden Daniels has been everything they were hoping for and more in training camp.

Boobs are officially back in style and the undisputed 1-1 pick for soft things

I'm going boobs. Correct. Boobs are back now. Sydney Sweeney brought boobs back for a while... And I'm glad that they are. Yes. Very soft.

Russell Wilson will be the Week 1 starter for the Steelers

I think Russell Wilson. ...I just know that when they brought him in it was like they put tunnel vision on. They're like, Russell's our guy... I think the plan is Russell Wilson week one.

As you get older, you grow into your instrument, not out of it

One of the things [Mickey] said that really stuck with me is, as you get older, you grow into your instrument, not out of it.

Noah Lyles is the Hater of the Year for his comments on the NBA

Noah Lyles... might have to do that as a Takey Hater of the Year. Because he was the one who before the Olympics said, you don't win a world championship if you win the NBA championship. That's not the world... He definitely got cut playing basketball. He's got some very deep seated anger for any ball sport.

Watching Caleb Williams play made me realize Mitch Trubisky and Justin Fields were never the guys

Watching Caleb Williams play quarterback made me feel like the dumbest person in the entire world forever thinking that Mitch Trubisky and Justin Fields were the guys. 'Cause it looks so different. I know it's preseason. I know it was only a few plays, but it just looks different. He's confident, poised, reading the defense.

Jayden Daniels reminds me of rookie RG3

My own experience watching Jayden [Daniels] on Saturday... that one throw he had oh, so sick... He reminds me of RG3 in the RG3 good times. It's been 30 years since I've had a quarterback that for longer than like 10 weeks I could really root for and really think this is the guy.

Joe Milton should have been a top 10 pick and is a sixth-round steal

Number one I had Joe Milton. 'Cause Joe Milton is fucking awesome... History repeats itself. That guy, how did that guy last until the sixth round? That guy should have been top 10. Patriots get a six round steal.

LIV Golf should allow all steroids and make the tour totally rule-free

I was shocked to know that Liv had a steroid policy... You have no rules. You play golf with shorts. They should, if you're the Liv Tour, make everything legal. Have it be steroids, but golf. Tackling. Yes. And a football and pylons.

LeBron James could play in the NBA until he is 50 if he wanted to

I think he could play another five years... If he embraced being like, I'm not gonna be LeBron James, but I'm gonna play till I am like not good enough to play in the NBA. I think it'd be 10 years... LeBron, if he wanted to play basketball at 50 years old, could probably make an NBA roster.

The 2024 Rams won't predict their record but aim to win more than they lose

We're gonna try to win a whole lot more than we do lose... As far as predicting the record, I got no idea for you. Every year is a brand new brand new year. If you would've told me last year we're gonna be three and six at the bye, I would've told you you're crazy... then we went seven and one after that.

Manny Ramirez is a Mt. Rushmore steroid user for getting caught with female fertility drugs

I'll take Manny Ramirez. The way he got caught was very funny... he was taking like a female fertility drug. They had a system to kind of get by the testing that was foolproof. Manny Ramirez just forgot and like took it on the wrong day. Came in, got tested, got busted.

LeBron James is on steroids because of his size and longevity

I will go with LeBron James. I mean, how is he not on steroids? That big. I'm not throwing a flag. That's probably an honorable mention. I mean there's, that's probably an honorable mention.

Secretariat was definitely on steroids

I'm gonna take Secretariat. Some would say the the greatest athlete of all time. But its heart was like three times too big. We've documented that tirelessly on this show. Secretariat definitely on steroids. Randy Moss, white, Randy Moss agreed. Chances are very, very high.

Steve Kerr is a 'fucking idiot' for his Olympic rotations and benching Jason Tatum

I'm an American first and foremost before anything else. So I, I was happy for our country. Yeah. I think Steve Kerr is a fucking idiot. Even his own player Draymond Green was chirping him on Twitter saying, you know, you gotta mess with the lineups. They're clearly not working in the first half. You have Jason Tatum, one of the best players in the NBA, didn't play at all.

The Celtics are set for a repeat because Jason Tatum and Jaylen Brown have massive motivation from being overlooked

Jason Tatum, Jaylen Brown, they're gonna have all the motivation the world. Yeah. You actually like that is a, a good thing for the, you know, I'm, I'm rooting for America, but after this is over the Celtics, like they're gonna be set up for a repeat.

It makes no sense to punish someone at a new job for something they did at their old job

It makes no sense though, to punish somebody at a new job for something they did at their old job. [The NFL shouldn't punish Jim Harbaugh for NCAA violations].

Guardian caps are doing more harm than good and encouraging players to swing helmets in fights

I think the Guardian scrum caps are actually doing more harm than good. Yeah. I think they're, their players are ripping them off and they're like, oh, it's not that hard of a helmet. I can swing it at a guy's head now. It's like a pillow fight. It's encouraging bad behavior.

Punting on 4th and 14 against the Lions in the 2023 playoffs was a mistake

I look at it and I'm being dead ass serious about this too. Some of the red zone sequencing... But that stings and and I'll tell you why. And I'm not afraid to admit I would do that differently. I would've called probably the sequence leading up to that differently. Whether it works out or goes down the way we want, I don't know. But I think to take the ball outta Matthew [Stafford's] hands and to then sit there... shame on me for that.

The 'fake punt punt' is a legitimate trick play that would confuse opposing coaches

I just want to be able to call one play... Ready for this play? Fake punt. Punt. You snapped the ball to the fullback or someone standing about five yards behind the center. And then he lateral punts or then he punts... No one expects the fake punt. Punt. Because they say, oh, fake punt. Then he punts. It will fuck everyone up. Sometimes you gotta fuck people up.