Overview of Pardon My Take (Barstool Sports)
The show returns to studio with football season officially approaching, and the episode is packed with NFL cut-day reactions, a Pete Prisco preseason preview, Week 0 college football takeaways, and the final stretch of the Mount Rushmore competition. A major early storyline is the viral saga of a fake NFL player/scammer, which becomes a long, ridiculous bit throughout the episode.
NFL Cut Day, Scams, and “Same Faces, New Places”
The fake 49ers player story
- The hosts spend a huge chunk of time on the internet-famous scammer who pretended to be an NFL player for years.
- He allegedly:
- Curated his Instagram to look like a real pro athlete.
- Carried a helmet everywhere.
- Used the “NFL player” persona to scam women out of money.
- Even ran fake charity events, including a Thanksgiving turkey giveaway.
- The bit becomes:
- Equal parts outrage and admiration for how committed the scam was.
- A running joke that he “fooled the algorithm” more than actual football fans.
- The hosts also joke that this story is so absurd it could become a documentary or even lead to a political career.
Cut day and roster movement
- The crew reacts to the NFL 53-man roster cuts.
- Notable mentions include:
- Will Levis being cut by Tennessee.
- Odell Beckham making the Giants.
- Eli Apple getting released.
- Questions about teams carrying four quarterbacks.
- They also do their annual “same faces, new places” segment, trying to track veteran players who changed teams in the offseason.
Pete Prisco NFL Preview
Pete Prisco joins to preview the season and give his blunt opinions on teams, quarterbacks, and coaching.
Teams he likes
- Bills: He thinks Buffalo runs away with the division.
- Cowboys: He’s bullish on Dallas and believes they win the NFC East.
- Rams: He loves the talent but warns that the “superteam” hype is risky.
- Seahawks: He thinks Seattle is being slept on.
- Chiefs: He says people are too quick to declare their window closed.
- Bengals: He expects them to win the division.
- Bucs: He thinks Tampa wins the NFC South.
- Jaguars: He’s unexpectedly high on Jacksonville.
- Broncos: He sees Denver as a good, competitive team again.
Teams or situations he’s skeptical of
- Patriots: He doesn’t buy them as a real contender.
- Texans: He likes the defense but is worried about the offense.
- Browns: He thinks the quarterback situation is a mess and basically says they should survive this year and target Arch Manning next year.
- Jets/Giants: He thinks both New York teams will be better, but that the Jets may be too good to get the quarterback they’ll want in next year’s draft.
Quarterback and league-wide trends
Prisco also sketches a bigger picture about why the passing game has declined:
- More soft-zone coverage and disguised looks.
- Bad offensive line play.
- College QBs arriving less prepared mentally.
- Defenses becoming more creative.
- Coaches preferring safer, low-risk passing numbers over explosive plays.
Hot-seat coaches
He flags several coaches as being under pressure, including:
- Dan Quinn
- Todd Bowles
- Zac Taylor
- Shane Steichen
Week 0 College Football Reactions
Bill Belichick wins in Ireland
- UNC beats TCU in a sloppy, low-scoring season opener in Ireland.
- The hosts love the visual of Belichick holding up a trophy after an ugly win.
- They joke that this could be the start of Belichick “finding his groove.”
USC crowd and atmosphere debate
- USC’s weak crowd at the Coliseum becomes a talking point.
- Fans blame the heat and humidity, but the hosts push back and note that USC crowds used to show up even in bad conditions.
- It turns into a broader comment on how the Pac-12 collapse and USC’s recent decline have changed the program’s aura.
Other Week 0 notes
- Stanford vs. Hawaii: Stanford gets a late cover in a game that looked shaky for bettors.
- Virginia: The hosts say UVA looked legitimately good and could be on the rise.
- North Dakota State: Their crowd and football culture earn praise, with the hosts contrasting it favorably to some bigger-name programs.
Other Sports and Viral Moments
PGA and golf
- Scottie Scheffler wins the FedEx Cup and is effectively Player of the Year.
- The hosts note that even a “disappointing” year for Scheffler is elite by normal standards.
- Michael Block becomes a running punchline/hero again on the Champions Tour for his over-the-top crowd engagement and chaos.
MLB
- Pete Crow-Armstrong gets shoutouts after a huge Cubs performance, including a three-homer game.
- The hosts also discuss a controversial Yankees/Red Sox catch/no-catch replay.
UFC and football theatrics
- A UFC Shanghai knockout is highlighted, with the hosts joking about how scary the aftermath looked.
- UNLV’s walkout with an Elvis impersonator is praised as exactly the kind of theatrical college football entrance the show loves.
Who’s Back of the Week
Hank’s pick: flyovers
- Hank chooses military-style flyovers, inspired by a stunningly low flyover at a South African rugby match.
- The plane came so close to the stadium roof that it looked fake.
- The hosts joke about whether this is a new trend and marvel at how insane it was.
Other “who’s back” moments
- Jalen Brown: gets a key to the city and has a public farewell celebration.
- San Diego Zoo safari park: “breaks news” by acquiring a new western lowland gorilla named Matu Manini.
- Australia end-zone message: the return of an “end racism” style message becomes a recurring joke.
- The segment also includes a lot of playful nonsense and inside jokes, as usual.
Mount Rushmore of Heavy Things
The competition context
- The Mount Rushmore race is down to Hank vs. Zach.
- PFT is already safe.
- If Zach wins both remaining rounds, there will be a Friday duel.
- If Hank wins one, the finale may be over.
Picks made in the episode
- Max
- Titties
- Gold / Tungsten confusion
- Death
- Elephants
- The head that wears the crown
- Empire State Building
Honorable mentions
- Anvil
- Aircraft carrier
- Couch
- Dresser
- Wet snow
- Tank
- Black hole
- Ocean
- Bowling ball
- Concrete
Key Takeaways
- Football season is basically here, and the show is fully in preview mode.
- The fake NFL player scammer is the episode’s funniest and most bizarre running storyline.
- Pete Prisco is bullish on several teams that the hosts also like, especially the Cowboys, Bills, Bengals, Bucs, and Chiefs.
- Week 0 delivered just enough real football to get everyone back into the mood.
- The Mount Rushmore competition is still alive, and the final outcome depends on Zach vs. Hank.