Training Camp News | Ep. 81

how disrespectful they game but 61 awareness is just brutal you're a four-year guy at Ohio State what the hell happened I I just think they think rookies are dumb that makes me think your wonderlick was not good welcome back guys to not just football with Cam Hayward and we are finally back with full episode breaking down training camp best stories the NFL top 100 Madden ratings and the greatest Summer movie of all times but first the word is out we're excited to officially announce that we've joined s nation in the Vox media podcast Network be sure to check out sbnation.com and their Steelers Community Behind the Steel Curtain for coverage and clips from our episodes and all right it's time to start things off let's get started with a little three and out well first off great read that was beautiful you did a great you did a great job on that um all right but let's get into it three and out we're going to start off first here NFL top 100 players was dropped this past week you came in at a respectful 98 I'm sure you're not happy with that rating but I am curious how do certain guys feel about this I think me and you talked before the show some guys are left off the list some guys are put on the list how do you and how do your teammates feel about the list uh I think personally and like for my situation I I I know I got a lot to prove coming off an injury um other than that guys don't really care here um you know you just get surprised cuz like I saw a clip online it was I think Tyreek was number one um and then Sneed who who dominated the matchup wasn't even on the list he went unranked uh and so when you look at stuff like that you're like uh is this a complete list who's making this list uh I know they say players you know make the list but like sneb was you know pretty much the top corter all year it is crazy how a guy like that is forgotten off the list do you think it's because like you've done this before what is it like when you're sitting back there and raiding these people like do they give you help or do you have to just come up with on your own well you know it it's funny you look at it and you say you know they were a great team you have Pat Mahomes you have Chris Jones you have Travis Kelce but then it's like is it just them or there other guys and I think sometimes when you watch the better teams you struggle to decipher is it another guy or is it just you're good by The Company You Keep I think sne dominated in that playoff series to even get to that point and then when they got in the Super Bowl I thought he was making plays left or right I don't know how you keep a guy off that list well especially like how many guys in that defense you know obviously Chris Jones maybe but how many more guys do you name before you even get to him I I wouldn't put anybody else you know besides sne I think sn's the the second guy on the list um you know Chris Jones had a heck of a playoff run nothing against him but like you could make a case that sne was the most impa impactful player on that playoff I think he got proven that in free agency he was clearly a commodity and everybody wanted him um right and he obviously switched teams but you know I look at it you say guys don't talk about it there's no way in the locker room you guys aren't talking about that list what do you mean bro we got a million things to worry about like multiple guys got to worry about me and I got to worry about them um you know just the grind of Camp I don't think we really have time to really be working about a Madden rating which we can't even play right now it's like you know everybody makes a big stink about the ratings are here you can't even play the game we do not have the game so you know until Madden releases it to the players you know it's really just much to do about the players don't have their Madden yet cuz that's our second down by the way that's our second down is Madden ratings and what what they what they represent and how guys feel about that because it's kind of similar to the top 100 you say they don't talk about the top 100 but you kind of I think you are a little flustered with Madden ratings I saw George Pickins do a thing this week where he's pissed at his Madden rating George is mad at the world George is you know he's competitive and you know we're all trying to prove our ratings um you know we all feel like we're sliding in different ways um but you don't really get to take care of that until the games matter so um you know I think yeah George is definitely capable of more and George needs to be known as you know a you know hot commodity a top wide receiver in our league um but you know it's a different team and you know they they're just looking from outside view they don't really understand what's going on here all right now speaking of Madden ratings there is one that I think me and you are both interested in and that's our friend Conor Hayward uh who is a 66 overall now you have to take enjoyment out of see give him some crap for that right no I don't um you know cuz I was in his shoes at one time um you know everybody likes to crap on the younger players when they first come in the game the players that aren't the most hype um but I will say anytime I do play a franchise I do draft Conor Hayward as my fullback U or my third tight end or or my second tight end um I move him around uh get him involved and he tends to grow a lot after I use him in the first couple I do actually do the same he's always a great late round pick he's a little little Swiss Army knif I could put him wherever now let's go a little bit to you do you remember what your rookie Madden rating was um without cheating I know it's on the screen but you know I really did not remember it um you know I I remember when I was first on the game and you just get so excited you know you're finally on a game with her face cuz like in college it's just like a made of face and the the faces they choose in college football are disrespectful uh they look nothing like you um hopefully they've gotten better in the new college football but back then um you know you could be black and you should be white you could be white you should be black um you could be a heavier set and be skinny skinny or heavier set you could have dreads and you really have long hair it used to be all over the place but uh you know I think when you get to Madden um it gets a little bit more lifelike um but I wasn't starting the game but I had to force myself to start I just remember uh in inserting myself in that in that lineup pretty early okay well just for thank you for that cqu there appreciate it 74 overall 73 speed 91 strength which the game knew you were strong but this is where I love that how disrespectful they game is 61 awareness is just brutal like did they not think you're your guy at Ohio State what the hell happened I don't know uh I I guess my awareness is why we didn't win a National Championship or something like uh I I don't know how they must have took like my wonderl test or something I I don't know like I couldn't even tell you what I got on the witer leg um I don't think I had a a a conversation about my man rating hey how can we really describe your awareness uh but you know I I just think they think rookies are that makes me think your wonderlick was not good what was it what was it you know what it was tell me what it was bro they they just said CJ stra was one of the you know the dumbest players off of a test and then looks what happened he's the Rookie of the Year you know one of the top quarterbacks in our league like this testing stuff gets overblown and you know you see the madting ratings you see all the stuff besides football when it comes down to it when guys play football they're actually pretty smart and intelligent I think St purpose ly failed the wonderl so he could get to Houston I think it was all intentional so that he's actually smarter than we give him credit for on that maybe I did that too maybe that's why I found the 31 listen it worked out good for everybody there right um all right well I actually wanted to ask you about something I was on Reddit the other day and I saw a letter from a guy named Ethan Albright boy and have you seen this he wrote a letter to Madden uh he was not happy with his rating have you heard any of this I haven't I haven't had time to really dive into the redit well I'm sorry I know you're busy you look like you're in a prison right now I see fortnite go on the background yeah sorry guys my my son's in the background he uh is having some fun playing some fortnite uh you know he's got some new characters Deadpool's on there so he's having a good time well e muff's here for a second Cal so um Cal ear muffs hi John my name is Ethan Albright I play line for the Washington Redskins you probably already knew that so I'll continue I'm writing in regards to My overall rating a 53 that I received in Madden football 2007 I feel like this is [ __ ] [ __ ] and you should kiss my mother mother [ __ ] ass Ahad caral was rated 78 and the Packers just cut his ass Tuesday morning after his performance on Monday night game that is pretty terrible the worst part is the overall rating was sniffing an 80 you know what John two could play this game I rate you a [ __ ] 12 I rate you a [ __ ] 12 and Ethan Albright 2000 ever except in the category of ball licking there is an absolute spot of 98 rating you will reveal the score reli the score I will never your blubbery ass at 99 in category in any category sorry take that pencil dick and go do Al Michaels or something boom there's plenty more here and I'll leave the link for you but have you ever wanted to write Madden how upset you were with your rating like Ethan Albright I don't take it that seriously that's not true though I've played with you I I get I get mad about it but like bro I got a million things to worry about like emailing Madden is probably the last thing I want to freaking do well could probably go to plus I don't think I'm that creative to write that type of letter like you know I might have a good oneliner every a nice Zinger but to go on a tangent and you know do multiple paragraphs that's just not my style well Ethan went in I mean he's clearly upset about his rating but I would also maybe say to him you know maybe that's why you're the 53 overall because like you said you don't have time to even be worried about this and Ethan's in trading C writing this kind of letter right yeah we might have to do aw are they now and just talk to Ethan see how is's doing um and see if he ever was able to recover I mean hopefully Madden at least bumped him to like a 58 in the update or something like that I mean I know those matter too because you know Connor could always get bumped up as could you in the middle of the season with the Madden updates so maybe that's what they did for him well you never know the cool thing I remember years ago um they would have me in as D end um and so my ratings will be one way but then when I slide myself to D tackle it would actually be higher so like you you have to kind of I don't know if that works for offensive lineman as much but like for defensive lineman we definitely use that little trick have you guys been playing an incidal there what we playing in Camp right now uh Cal's playing fortnite um what else are we playing um man I I I I've been playing a little bit of college football I'm starting to get the hang of the buttons and understand the hot routes and everything I beat TJ Watt and PS5 on um college football um you know he chose Texas I had o State um you can ask him about that score rate got pretty rough pretty fast um but um other than that uh I don't think we play anything El what are we passing the time with there though you playing what's the card game you guys like to play What's the oh we haven't been doing the car game we've been playing a lot of categories uh and it's gotten very intense um you know you uh have to be quick on your feet uh have a lot of responses make sure the answer isn't the same as another person um the score right now I have a win TJ has a win Larry Ogen Joby does not um and TJ is holding it over Larry's head we will get to the bottom of this because it's getting very serious and people are very threatened by this uh and then also we're playing Uno uh and the guy you got to watch in Uno is Patrick Queen he's the guy who likes to stack multiple cards on top of each other um and you know just try to deplete his cards as fast as POS possible it gets out of control he's one of those guys that like you can stag multiple ones or multiple plus twos and then it goes to the next person so then he's he says Uno and then he's like down to one card and like after one hand so it's it's it's getting pretty intense in the board games and card games but it's a good so the new guy coming in and taking over Uno huh he thinks he's Mr Uno I mean it's he looks like he's really fitting in well he he seems like he's getting a la great especially with that linebacker room I saw him in Landon Roberts pretty pumped up a couple videos I've seen yeah you know um you know between him and you know I think the linebacker room they're all pretty tight they got Payton Wilson in there they're teaching them but I think um you know the defensive rooms you know you got your dline you got your out you got your uh inside linebackers you got your DBS um everybody's really trying to you know grow to each other we got some newer guys you know whether it's DeShaun Elliott playing back there with Minka Fitzpatrick or Pat Queen so you know we're just trying to take advantage of this time you know coach always talks about the things you can't measure and you really got to you know put an effort to really maximize those yo one thing and this isn't on our sheet or anything but I did want to ask you did you see Arthur mallette's comments calling out saying the city of Pittsburgh doesn't have as good a food as Baltimore it's not as cool of a city you've got to defend Pittsburgh here the food in Pittsburgh is as good as the food in Baltimore right come on I like a I like good a good craft cake every now and then but you know besides that like what what do does Baltimore really have over us when it comes to food um but you know uh I think Arts just mad that Pat left um for The Greener pastur so you know and Pat had a heck of a comment to you know uh Marlin Humphrey talking about The Greener pasture so you know I think there are a lot more Baltimore Ravens that would be would like to be in this situation rather than that situation I agree my friend I'm glad you said it I agree completely thank you for defending the city I agree all right the final news item of the day is former US gymnast Michaela Skinner chose to question this team and when they won Simone bils made sure she ate her words Skinner blocked bils after Hayden I'm wondering when was the last time you got blocked online and why did it happen oh man I um I think I one time was actually this is kind of sad to admit I was defending my brother in a uh somebody was talking crap about him he didn't play well or something like that and I went after the guy and or I I think guy and I um and he didn't like what I had to say I kept going at him and the next thing you know I was blocked and that was the first time I ever got blocked and it was actually kind of like a crowning achievement it felt very good to be blocked I feel like you probably haven't been blocked before have you I haven't been blocked um but I I have like weird ways of like you know instead of like blocking a person I kind of just you know kind of poke it poke the bear and just like oh let's keep this going like see how much you can keep rattling off um and then they just kind of you know spin around their words and then they were like oh can I get an autograph or they say something stupid like that and it's like what were you really trying to get out here like you know they they try to be Trolls but like they're not true to their process no I agree and I also think blocking I don't want to say it looks weak but I'm also like I don't want to give that person the power where like I blocked them so I don't really care like that's kind of my opinion on it but I will say you did something a few weeks ago with trolls that I thought was genius and you just their questions politely on Twitter or X and uh and I will say they really had nothing to say after like you know what I mean like it's actually a great like I I commend you it's a great thing and I'm I need to probably take that um you know that that road because you did a great job like you totally just disarmed them yeah you know sometimes you can shoot a one Zinger and like like kind of just put the person under but like if you are honest and just want they want to hear you talk I'm I'm for that like you might have a different opinion than me as long as you're not disrespectful or not disrespecting my family I'm game to talk um you know I have a podcast sometimes I don't shut up enough uh but you know I think you know if you can engage a meaningful conversation and either inform a person or you know you know correct a person I think that goes a lot more and you know you could be a better fan because of it you could be uh understand what you're looking at you know sometimes you know we they oversimplify things they'll be like oh well you guys didn't stop the run and it's like why didn't we stop the run what were you looking at did I not do my job did the corner not replace did the linebacker not get off a block like there are multiple things to that but we don't take it a step further we just say well you're the leader you know you got to do something about it and it's like I am doing something about it just cuz you're not in the meeting doesn't mean I'm not doing something about it so it I think you know there's there's good talk to be had and sometimes you just don't need to run away from it no I think you're right I think it's also pretty telling that all of us on Twitter who are commenting on the sport a don't know what we're talking about and be are idiots when it comes to football and I think it's good to hear that you realize that that just because some dude says stop the run he has no idea a what to do to stop the run and B what you need to be doing so I actually appreciate that uh that's a really grown-up response by you I'm I'm really I am really that was a great great thing you did a few weeks ago where you just totally disar those dudes so great job man um but how is how is Latrobe you I could see the fortnite the background and you didn't decorate the room at all again I see the window um how's how has college life been for you it is going just as you expected uh we are out in L troe we are bonding we are doing kumbayas um but there are a lot of white rooms and um you know I'm doing a little bit of babysitting got my son up here um but you know I'm just you know this is the time you Bond and create a good team and so I'm just trying to take advantage of that opportunity um and trying to get better every day do you have any training camp memory a story a prank anything that like is like singed in your brain o singed in my brain uh that's a word by the way you I I think it it used to be really cool when you would see guys come in uh for the first day of camp um with different you know different ways to travel you know Bret Keel one one time came in a construction car um I think James Harrison came in like one of those tiny little smart cars one time MH but you know to top it all off you know who took it to a completely different level um Antonio Brown he came in on a helicopter on the first day and um I I think that was just everybody was at a loss of words um because that was just like very creative and so very ab and that was pretty special oh another one um there was a there used to be a game that Maris pouncy uh a couple other old linemen and Ben would play before practice uh and so they would started like the 10 yard line they have to throw a ball and they have to hit the post um so there Mars pouncy was actually a pretty good thrower I'll give him credit on that and so they got to like the 30 yard line because you move back five yards each time and Mike T is messing around he's like if if you hit this one right here I'll cancel practice right now I kid you not he's like bet throws it hits it we run off the field we're done with practice and everybody was so hyped for that moment to get out of practice we were so thankful cuz like it was one of those days it was one of the dog days so like he came through in the clutch and you know P pounce was our hero wait was the whole team around watching this yes so the pressure was on and he hit it pressure was on it was a clutch moment like and like we were like Mighty you can't go back on your word now like we are getting out of this practice I felt bad I think I I don't remember the fans being there or not but like if they were there it was it was insane to get out of practice like that man that had to be an amazing feeling good for pouncy though too who knew he could he could sling it like that how's Camp been though everything been good you feel good team looks good feel good team looks good um you know I think we just had our Friday night like practice um you know we got a good team uh but excited to take it into a stadium next week and just keep going from us I know pads just came on recently but how would you rate the physicality so far physicality has been an all-time high um you know I feel like you you watch some of our guys we have uh Patrick Queen Al Landa Roberts Nai Jaylen Warren they have been getting after him backs on backers Mike T is trying to kind of pull those guys out and give some other guys a chance but man the the the um the physicality of it is really any uh any rookies standing out so far oh rookies man um you know I think the one thing you you can see in a guy like Payton Wilson is just he's got a great motor um and he's just ball aware you know even if the guy makes a catch he's got to secure it because Payton's raking down the ball we've had a lot of really good uh turnover worthy moments um just punching the ball loose not just by him but a group of guys that have just been keyed and locked in on that and I'll tell you I and obviously it's just videos and I think you guys were in shorts when I saw this video the explosiveness though from him and I know we talked about it at the draft show with him but like that Dude Looks fast out there like the the the linebackers look like they can all run which is a great uh is a great great look but um let me ask you this I know you got to go home a few times I believe I could be wrong on that but what's the first thing you're doing when you leave L trobe for good where are we going Food Spot going anywhere with the family what are we doing when I leave for good um I'm just headed straight home bro it is it is a there is no stops this is just get home be with the fam as soon as possible um you know obviously be safe but um I'm not I'm not messing around uh I love lro for what it is but it's not the most scenic route and it is about getting to you know from point A to point B yeah no it is not the most scenic route I love L trobe too don't get me wrong but I uh yeah I'm I'm with you and I understand that and I would say The Food Spot uh while we're up here you know as a dline we went to the local Habachi um had fun there it's always a good time to get everybody together um and then also uh there's a place called sharies uh that is a stable that you know if you're looking for good Wings other roasted wings that's a you actually told me about Sharkies I don't believe it like I know you say that but like I'll try it hey will you guys come up here for our you know our special episodes they're coming down the road um but we're going to go back to we'll check out we will check out sharies when I get there I we will be there so thank you for announcing that um all right last thing here we're going to do a little draft here three three picks each I'll let you go first I have an idea what I think yours are we're going to do best summer movies draft three you'll go first and then I get the next two then you all right um with my first pick um this is a movie you've always got watch in the summer um if you're not watching this in the summer and you've had you have kids you will miss out on so many good memories um you know it's got dog it's got a dog there it's got Sports it's got Wendy Peppercorn I'm talking about Sandlot uh that is a movie you have to watch in the summer you know it's great around Fourth of July it's you know you can have a s'more you can have popcorn it's just a good freaking time I knew that was coming I did that was so obvious and it's a great movie it is a great summer movie especially the 4th of July scene where they play Under The Lights great movie um and I respectfully wasn't going to pick it because I knew you would um yes you have I'm going to go super bad with my movie um they get out for summer and I I just think truthfully it's one of the best comedies we had growing up I think it was a great movie and I think super bad I think because they are getting out for summer is why I think that is a uh that is one of the picks I made so super bad for sure super bad I I definitely didn't think about super bad uh that was not on my mind at all um my next one um if I'm going to keep going with a little theme here uh I like I like a good holiday movie right and you can't go wrong with this movie around Independence Day yes the movie is Independence Day Will Smith Jeff Goldblum um it's it's got aliens it's got action um you feel very patriotic um it is a classic movie and I am I'm shocked when I hear people haven't seen this movie wait like okay how old are they who didn't see the movie there are a lot of people there are a lot of people in this team I think haven't seen man I'll tell you that opening scene always stuck with me where Will Smith runs down the alien that always stuck with me it was that was so impressive and I know it was a movie I was just like man that guy's athletic as hell um always love that um all right my next one is another high school movie going into summer um it's from the 90s it's called daed and Confused um great movie uh just B affx hit it a couple other guys great movie they get out for summer it's like High School Leaving summer uh going into the summer I just I I love it I think it's a great movie and it and it just is one of my favorites all right well I I'm going to do two more just to have some fun with us um the first one I'm going to choose um are you ready to go to Fat Camp called it I do that one too baby I do that one too yep heavy weights guys it's one of the most quotable movies of all time um such an underrated Ben Steeler movie um you know you got Lars uh you got Tony perkus you got Tony perkus Senior uh you know you got Goldberg you got Keenan Thompson um it's I I could quote that movie all day um skinny wieners uh you know I'm getting skinny at Tony uh I could go on a tangent with this but I love that movie um you know it starts off kids get right out camp uh right out of school and he's going away to fat camp but uh you know that's one of those Classic Movies you have to watch and then my other movie you have to watch in the summer uh I grew up watching this movie so many times um when I was at my grandma's house she had vhs's and so there wasn't a lot to select but I always watched clueless um and Paul Rd it still has not changed at all uh and so yeah those are my is a great call on well I'll give you the clue listen Paul rut has not changed at all but the the uh heavy weights is a great one now have you heard the conspiracy theory that ton Perkins is actually Dwight Goodman too in DodgeBall which I kind of fits by the way I believe it I believe it there's there's so many things that tie along with that you're like that character is way too similar to not beat the I agree and I love what he's way Goldberg or the guy who plays Goldberg and he's got the camera on and he's way overweight he like cut the camera and he freaks out on him too great movie it is a great movie put your fat finger Down movie all right my last one will be I Know What You Did Last Summer because Summer is in the title boom that's my last one W um also if I'm giving an extra one Once Upon a Time in Hollywood love that movie takes place in the summer um yeah I thought that was a really good one too and if it's on TV I will watch that it's like a fast and the furious I will watch it no matter what it's all about family you know what fast and Furious I feel like takes place in the summer too I should have put that on there we really don't know where when it takes place it just takes place in an odd world where everybody's driving these fast cars it's no longer about heisting either it's it's become something totally different but that's a conversation for another day we don't have to do that tonight another day another time um but I'd like to say thank you guys for listening to our episode um as you can see Cal's still winning over here in fortnite um you know and we got some really cool episodes coming up uh here at camp uh and we will see you next time so make sure you like And subscribe uh and thank you guys for listening to another episode not just football with Cam Hayward here on the VOX media podcast Network so thank you guys