Big Cat Cooked Me On a Radio Show

This is why he’s the greatest to ever do it. Leave it to Big Cat to use me—Nicky Smokes—and my unique brand of being an idiot as an analogy for Tyrique Stevenson and Matt Eberflus. If you’ve been living under a rock, I’ll post the play below, but for everyone else, you know exactly what I’m talking about. Watching Tyrique Stevenson taunt Commanders fans mid-play is something I could absolutely see myself doing. No surprise there—both Tyrique and I are from South Florida. If you know anything about us, you know that South Florida guys are, well, “different.”

But back to Big Cat’s analogy—it was spot on. I like to think I bring a lot to the office, and I hold myself accountable. Sure, I know I’m not quite an earner yet, but I’m studying the craft every day. I know I’ll get there eventually. Still, Big Cat’s right: if I do something dumb, he has to be accountable too, just like Eberflus has to take responsibility for Stevenson’s antics. 

Take Mintzy, for example. I could probably pull up three separate occasions, but let’s go with the most recent one. Whoever told Mintzy the final three on Surviving Barstool and then let him go live without a dump button is just as much to blame for him leaking the results of a $1M PPV. 

Then, Big Cat texted me out of nowhere, saying, “I may have called you an idiot on radio, but I also said I loved you. They asked about accountability with the Bears and Eberflus, and I was like, ‘I got a dummy in Nicky Smokes who I love, but if he messes up, I have to say I messed up too because I’m allowing it.’” At first, I thought he was talking about something casual, like The Rundown. Turns out, he said this on ESPN Radio.

So yeah, I guess I can tell my mom I made it now!

In the end, Big Cat’s analogy hits home because it’s real. Whether it’s on the field or in the office, accountability is a two-way street. If I screw up, sure, it’s on me, but it’s also on the people who give me the freedom to be, well, me. Stevenson might get in trouble for taunting, but Eberflus also has to own up to creating an environment where he felt he could get away with it.

Ultimately, though, I’m grateful for Big Cat’s mentorship. He might call me out for being a fucking moron, but he does it in a way that makes me want to be better, to level up. And that’s all part of the journey. So to all those who think they’re not quite there yet—keep showing up, keep studying the game, and, like Big Cat says, hold yourself accountable. One day, you’ll get where you want to be. 

For now, though, I'll just enjoy my ESPN Radio shoutout and let my mom know her kid's officially “made it”—at least, sort of.