Hi Folks,
I say the same thing every December but I think it's fitting that the regular season wraps up this time of year. Because for me, the NFL season is sort of like Christmas: Tons of anticipation and then it seems to be over before I know it.
I think this has been my favorite season ever. But then I say that every year too. I admit it, I'm an NFL junkie. And I'm guessing the fact you're reading this in late December puts you pretty far up the NFL Junkie Scale too.
It's OK. They say Recognition is the first step...
Seriously, part of the fun in writing this column is that every week, I know I'll get to share some thoughts with folks like yourself who love football as much as I do. And that strikes me as a very good thing. I've had a blast throwing out my goofy observations this season. And I've smiled at the emails from people telling me they've thought some of the same things as they were watching the games.
Before this turns into a Hallmark card / Winston Wolfe scene, let's get on with this. As I wrap up the regular season in this week 17, I've pulled up some of the more interesting things I remember seeing during the year.
Bottom line is this thing has been a lot of fun to create for you guys. It's my sincerest hope that you've enjoyed reading it 10% as much as I enjoyed writing it. We'll do it again next season. If you've got thoughts and ideas on how this thing can be better, or just want to yell at me about my preseason Doug Martin love, feel free to shoot me a line at Bryant@footballguys.com.
Here's to Football,
Joe
From Week 1
I had the good fortune to watch the opening game in Las Vegas attending the FFPC High Stakes Draft Event put on by my good friends and business partners David Gerczak and Alex Kaganovsky. It's a great event that you have to experience to understand. I highly recommend it. Where else are you going to see not one but two Bubby Brister jerseys together. Sweet.
Tuesday morning with the whole world talking about Philadelphia's offense with Mike Vick and LeSean McCoy, it felt like opening weekend of the NCAA March Madness. Every March I love watching guys trying to act cool working hard to act casual throwing out the word "chalk" like they know what the they're talking about.
The NFL equivalent is guys that try to work "Shady" McCoy twenty times a minute into every conversation. We get it Dude. You watched Sportscenter. Good for you.
Here's what Flavor Flav thinks of your hip knowledge knowing McCoy's nick name.
Music note of the Week. This is a fun band called the Front Bottoms (yeah, I know). I had the pleasure to meet them last year opening for Bad Books in Cincinnati and they seem like two genuine guys trying their best to live out their dream. They call themselves an acoustic - dance - indie - punk band. I'd say that's accurate. The song is called Maps. Go check them out if you're into live music. They're touring with Random Shots Favorite Manchester Orchestra this fall.
I'll leave you with my favorite picture of the week. Celebrating the Week One Sunday Kickoff, Key and Mort were feeling the same way I was Sunday afternoon. And probably you too.
From Week 2
New England RB Stevan Ridley fumbled his way into Bill Belichick's doghouse after Week One. Interestingly, Belichick had a change of heart during the week saying "Stevan’s a good player. I thought he ran hard. We have a long way to go. We’re going to need him. I’m sure he’ll contribute a lot for us this year.”
Translation: Shane Vereen is out until Week 11.
It's good to know that if I ever need to take a week off from this column, I could just post Colts Owner Jim Irsay's Twitter Timeline…
You know that Peyton Manning feels like he's dodged a bullet every time he reads these.
While I'm on the Colts. God Bless Indy fans. I think. I'm not sure if the Andrew Luck Corn Maze is really cool. Or kind of creepy. And is this the same dude that had the Peyton Manning Corn Maze? Two timer.
The only thing better than Jay Cutler in a Smokin' Ditka Shirt?
Easy. Smokin' Jay Cutler in a Smokin' Ditka Shirt.
Chicago's Peanut Tillman saves a sideline reporter. Nice.
Baltimore RB Ray Rice left Sunday's game with a hip injury. The twitterverse erupted with angry fantasy owners. Rice replied "I was a fan of fantasy football until today. So many spiteful and hateful words. I still love you all. God bless. Great win today."
Couple of things to learn here.
- It's a game. Don't be a tool that publicly rips into a fellow human being because they let your team down. Be it a dropped pass, fumble or especially an injury. Thankfully, this is a very small minority of people.
- I'm sure there are things I care less about than Ray Rice's opinion of Fantasy Football. But I can't think of them right now.
You do your thing, Mr. Rice. We'll do ours. It's all good.
New Bengals linebacker James Harrison was asked by Jon Gruden to comment on some of his former Pittsburgh coaches. Harrison had good words for Bill Cowher and Mike Tomlin. But when Gruden put images of Pittsburgh defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau on the screen and asked Harrison, "What was that like playing with Dick LeBeau?", Harrison went silent. For a while. He teared up and said, I miss him. .
That's strong.
LeBeau was told about Harrison's response and said, "That's why I feel like I made the right professional choice".
Houston's Brian Cushing is a fantastic player. But he could use some style advice.
Cushing has gone from this:
To this:
To this:
He'd better be careful with that last one as it looks to me like he's on the Jeff Garcia track…
And Jeff - there's no shame in shaving that thing off.
One more style note. I love Larry Fitzgerald. But Dude. Don't wear that shirt.
From Week 3
We all had Rex Ryan left for dead. He may have had us right where he wanted us. Sunday he was FEELING IT rocking the Mr. T Starter Kit.
Love that Dude.
If I wrote Random Shots about Baseball, I imagine that Prince Fielder would be a regular. Sometimes, you just really need a nacho.
@FauxJohnMadden was funny Sunday morning: "To counter Browns attempt at tanking, the Vikings up the ante by starting Christian Ponder at quarterback."
Ouch.
The NFL now makes fans attending games use a clear plastic bag for carrying items into games.
I would love to watch how this process actually happens in Oakland.
I have this mental picture of the Black Hole guys checking their bags like Mike and Sully carrying their lunch boxes to work…
And Raider Fans, that's a compliment.
ESPN knocked it out of the park with the segment on Sunday Morning Countdown featuring Cris Carter and Keyshawn Johnson catching passes one handed from a JUGS machine . Adam Schefter took things to an entirely new level jumping in.
He may have fallen down but I believe that counts as a catch. And that speed setting was no joke. Nice work Adam.
Peyton Manning's thrown 650,000 touchdowns. In Madden. It only feels like about 300,000 in real life.
Style note to Marc Trestman: Only remove the hat when absolutely necessary. (like it was in this case).
Does it make me a bad football fan if I have less than zero interest in watching The Book Of Manning ? I like Eli and Peyton (and Archie too for that matter) just fine but my interest is mainly in what they do on the field.
I realize that sounds kind of stupid in a column talking about the goofy stuff I talk about but I really do feel a disconnect there.
Sure I smile at the cute picture from the beach, but that's about it.
I'd much rather compare the typical in game reactions we've seen this season…
VS.
Although it's not all Eli's fault…
The "Make A Wish" type features destroy me every time. Sunday's ESPN segment was fantastic with a young man realizing his dream of meeting the Patriots and getting to take part in a walk through scrimmage.
That's so cool.
A couple of weeks ago, I said Jaxson De Ville was a terrible name for the Jaguars mascot. That may be true, but he's completely redeemed himself paying off a bet by dancing in a thong.
More Raider Fan Stuff (of which I'm one).
Dress up and go to the Broncos game they said. It'll be fun they said.
Fan of the Week. My Buddy and diehard Bears fan Jeremy Johnson rocking his killer Smokin' Ditka shirt.
That's awesome.
Cool story of the day. Seattle fullback Derrick Coleman isn't just a great player. He also happens to be deaf. Love seeing a guy like Coleman battle challenges. Rock on, 40.
Former Baltimore LB Ray Lewis for some reason felt compelled to comment on the Jacoby Jones / Sweet Pea situation publicly questioning the team's leadership.
"When you think about the Baltimore Ravens and the transition that they went through, they're missing leadership right now. When you have an incident like that, the first thing a leader is going to do is find some way to dissolve everything that's going on and actually dissolve it before it comes to that type of head or even gets to this point. When you talk about the Baltimore Ravens they're going to have to refocus and find some quick leaders in that locker room very quickly."
Two things.
First. Keep it in the locker room. Few people have a voice more authoritative in that organization than Lewis. Say what you think you need to say. But keep it to the people that need to hear it.
Secondly. Talking about making situations or evidence "dissolve" comes under the heading of "things you don't talk about".
Just saying.
I love Martellus Bennett. How can you not like a guy that calls himself the Black Unicorn?
This week's gem is for Bears coach Marc Trestman.
"I think me and Coach Trestman are probably the only two people who understand each other," Bennett said. "I always say Coach Trestman reminds me of the first Willy Wonka. Not the Johnny Depp one. The Johnny Depp one was really cool, but the first one before that, the 1943 version."
He meant Gene Wilder I think. And that was in the 70's. But with Bennett, you just let it roll.
Charles Woodson is really good at eye black.
Why do I notice these things?
Travis Benjamin. Submitted without comment.
Because I'm mentally still 12 years old…
From Week 4
San Francisco's Colin Kaepernick couldn't stop talking about how he loves to "favorite" negative tweets sent his way. For a guy who says he doesn't care what people think, he sure seems to spend a lot of time caring what people think.
@CheapSeatFan with a nice one Sunday: "Ben Roethlisberger has probably been on the phone all morning trying to get Todd Haley the USC job."
Anyone seen Andy Dalton
and Todd from Breaking Bad in the same room?
Just asking. Thanks to Footballguy Dan Molatore for that one.
One more Breaking Bad shot.
Oakland's Darren McFadden left the game Sunday with an injury. The Fantasy Football world responded with this face.
'
If you searched for "not a happy camper", I'm pretty sure this picture of J.J. Watt after the game would come up.
Ray Rice and Bryant McKinnie. This games takes all sizes…
I'm not sure how many steps per yard the average running back takes. But I'm willing to wager Darren Sproles is pushing close to twice the average. Dude's feet are a blur.
Makes me think of the Road Runner.
Always resourceful, defensive coordinators across the league are outfitting their players with new equipment…
That's right, Philip Rivers, you'd better be saying "I'm sorry" when you bump into Ed Hochuli…
If people had a "Happiness Meter", I'd bet Ram Man here has his pegged.
49ers tackle Joe Staley suffered what looked like a bad knee injury Thursday night but wound up being ok. He posted this tweet after the game.
Apparently, even God wants Tim Tebow in Jacksonville. Seen in the Florida sky last weekend:
Ok, that wasn't God. That was an airplane pulling a banner.
But seriously. "Tim Tebow - Why Not?" You spend several hundred dollars on a banner and no telling how much to hire the airplane and "Why Not?" is the most persuasive argument you can muster there?
Patriots owner Bob Kraft shows he's still down with it.
I'd love to know what Floyd Mayweather was thinking right then.
And I wonder if Gordon Gekko knows Mr. Kraft raids his closet.
If I were Bob Kraft, I'd so have one of these phones.
From Week 5
You've seen of course all the players and officials wearing the pink gear. Always have to go to my Chris Berman throwback video for Breast Awareness Month.
ESPN ran a super cool feature on former Saints Special Teams hero, Steve Gleason and his battle with ALS. Gleason is a huge Pearl Jam fan and the band has connected with him.
Gleason blocking the Atlanta punt in the first game back in the Superdome after Katrina is still one of my all time highlights for watching football.
Gleason actually interviewed Eddie Vedder for the segment using the mechanical voice thing he's forced to use as he's unable to speak normally. Gleason is leaving video journals for his young son and he asked Vedder a thoughtful question about how the singer felt about not knowing his own father.
Vedder gave a fantastic answer and emotional answer.
And then deadpanned, "Steve Gleason, sitting in for Barbara Walters this week…"
Good stuff.
Note to defensive coordinators. It might be a good idea to put an extra guy on Jimmy Graham. I'm just saying...
Tying the Commercial Of The Week from Mountain Dew with Music Note of the Week. The band is The Crash Kings. You can hear a little bit of Jack White in them but they're interesting to me in that they choose to go with no guitar. It's an interesting sound.
The song from the Mountain Dew commercial is Hot Fire.
You may have heard Mountain Man and here's a pretty fun version of them covering Black Sabbath's War Pigs which is pretty crazy with no guitar.
Remember the old days when Monte Kiffin was a defensive guru?
Twenty-four quarterbacks scored more points than Tom Brady in Week 5. Including two Jacksonville Jaguars quarterbacks.
Let that sink in.
To be fair, the conditions in Cincinnati were less than ideal. Especially as the Patriots were trying to close the gap at the end of the game.
I bet the sun would have been shining if Tim Tebow were still a Patriot…
Chip Kelly is now the most tenured head coach in Philadelphia. I'll hang up and listen.
If David Wilson was as good at running back as he is back flips, things would be a lot different for Fantasy owners.
Best Doctor's Note Ever?
I think so.
One more on Jerry Jones. Dude's a zillionaire. And still rocks a flip phone. Love it.
From Week 6
Tom Brady with further proof you can wear anything you want to the post game press conference when you win.
Call me close minded, but I don't think I can ever trust a quarterback named Thad. Feels like he should be wearing Tom Brady's sweater.
To be fair, Lewis did give us a nice picture with fans after his first touchdown.
Bonus points for spotting Matt Millen on the right wearing a Bills jersey…
Good news. Doctors have pinpointed the area of the body where it's absolutely safe to tackle.
Bad news: It's a four inch section of the player's right thigh.
That's pretty funny.
One of the best things about writing a column like this and sending it out to 400,000 people each week is the collective brainpower you folks represent. I've long contended our Footballguys readers are the smartest Fantasy Football Owners on the planet.
Last week I wrote that if I were a High School science teacher I'd use this video to demonstrate physics and mass and inertia and force.
Footballguy (and High School Physics Teacher) Keith Adams set me straight. He wrote an explanation of how I was wrong and even summed it up in bullet points:
- Harvey-Ryan gif physics was incorrect.
- Their forces were equal because of Newton's Third Law.
- Momentum = mass x velocity.
- Harvey had more of both.
- Momentum is conserved in ideal collisions
- Ryan received all the "leftover" momentum and got blown up.
If I'd had a Physics teacher like Mr. Adams, I might have remembered that. I absolutely love this community.
Non Football Note - I don't know a lot about Hockey but I know these guys are tough.
New York's John Tavares does his own dental work.
Music Note of the Week.
Cage the Elephant is one of my favorite fun bands. I've been able to see them half a dozen times and they always deliver. David Letterman flipped out after their latest gig on the Late Show performing Come A Little Closer.
You may remember them from their first single Ain't No Rest For The Wicked. For something more mellow, Aberdeen is a fun song with a cool video. But In One Ear is probably the best representation of the band and the energy they bring to the live shows. (Note - some NSFW language there).
One more. I know the American Association of Retired Persons has zillions of dollars and they're buying up ad space like crazy.
But are Cage the Elephant fans really the AARP's target audience?
Just asking.
If Brady Quinn kept growing…
He'd be Brian Cushing…
I think part of the reason so many people (myself included) love Rob and Rex Ryan is that we see ourselves in them. I'm not saying that's necessarily a good thing - just an observation. Who hasn't felt like Rob here watching a game?
Bears WR Brandon Marshall was fined this week for wearing green shoes. Marshall wore them to raise awareness for Mental Health Awareness Week.
Rock on, Brandon Marshall.
NFL Referee Mike Carey rocking the "make your number with electrical tape" on his uniform Sunday.
Sweet.
Can referees be fined for uniform infractions?
Happy Quarterback Of The Week goes to Philip Rivers.
Woo.
Think they're loving Martellus Bennett in Chicago?
I think they are.
How secure is Julian Edelman? Secure enough to leave Tom Brady hanging…
From Week 7
The gif that's been begging to be made...
For you young guys that weren't 10 years old in 1974 like I was, this is why us old guys smile at this one.
Thanks to Footballguy James Schneider for that one.
We spent the first month and a half of this column with Tom Coughlin and Eli Manning providing more material than we could find places for.
All that changed Monday night with the happy synch from Tom and Eli.
Here's what it's like to play for Tampa Bay. When you leave the Falcon's stadium, they send in the Hazmat Team to clean the locker room you used…
(There's more to it as the Buccaneers have been dealing with a scary MRSA infection. But it still makes a crazy picture)
Darren Rovell with an interesting fact Sunday: "Kickers have changed the NFL game. 25 years ago (1988), kickers only made 40% of FG's 50 yards or more. This year? 70% made."
My take? God Bless Soccer.
Last week I questioned the American Association of Retired Persons spending money to advertise on Cage The Elephant videos.
Footballguy Nathan Martin sent me this comment: "YouTube advertising is done based off of who is actually watching versus perceived audience when someone is logged in. So, IF you were logged in... Cage the Elephant may not be in AARP's target audience. But you are."
Ouch.
Skinny Rex Ryan is hard to get your mind around. It just doesn't look right. It's like Mike Myers going Fat Bastard in reverse.
Ryan had a fun interview with Ray Lewis that aired Sunday. The bond between Ryan and his former linebacker was clear. He said to Lewis, "C'mon back for one game. I know you got it in you."
Then talking about New England, Ryan said, "Especially against them."
Then made this classic Rex face as he said it.
Back on the ESPN set, Chris Berman asked Lewis, "Did you think about it for a minute?"
Lewis paused and said, "I did."
I know it's popular to shred ESPN, but that's pretty good TV.
Ever wonder what players do when they have to miss a game because of injury?
If you're Giants running back David Wilson, you put on a giant rabbit head and make instagram videos.
Sometimes this thing just writes itself…
Minnesota may be terrible but Jared Allen is a Beast. His one handed take down of Manning here is one of the more remarkable sacks of the season. I had to watch it a few times to realize what happened there.
A still shot:
Crazy.
I asked last week if Gordon Gekko knew that Bob Kraft raided his closet.
This week, Mr. Kraft upped the ante busting out cufflinks the size of Rhode Island.
Well played, Mr. Kraft….
From Week 8
This is an undoctored screen shot from the Jets game. I did a double take thinking Brett Favre had figured out a way to get back on the field.
I don't claim to be a defensive coordinator. But I know that when you put a #55 (Jerry Hughes) on a #84 (Kenny Stills) this is going to be the result more often than not...
I love how this game takes all sizes. Davone Bess at 5' 10" had little problem sliding into the huddle Sunday…
Halloween's almost here. Not sure how you top this for a costume…
Thanks to Footballguys Doug and Don Miller for that one.
The NFL - Professional Wrestling overlap can't be denied. Chris Long kept it going Monday night with his "Ric Flair Strut" sack. That's awesome.
Thanks to Footballguy Andrew Garda for that one.
In case you can't tell, I love Halloween.
Pumpkins are always a big deal. My house is rocking this year as Footballguy Steve Holloway hooked me up with this killer Black Eyed Joe Pumpkin.
That's the Sweetness right there. Thanks Steve.
Music Note of the Week. Seems like the whole world is celebrating the anniversary of Nirvana's In Utero so I'll jump in too.
My all time favorite Nirvana performance is their cover of a song made popular by Blues legend Leadbelly Where Did You Sleep Last Night? on maybe my favorite album of all time: Nirvana's MTV Unplugged performance.
For reference, Leadbelly's version is just as haunting. Incredible. As you search for it, it's sometimes called "In The Pines".
Of course, that's not the style that made Nirvana famous. Songs like Lithium are more in line there. And of course Smells LIke Teen Spirit.
For you aficionados, Esquire Magazine made a list of Nirvana Deep Tracks not available on albums.
I miss those guys together.
ESPN's Colin Cowherd and Plaxico Burress sharing Gummi Bears.
I've got nothing for this one…
Watching the Cleveland game with Jason Campbell throwing a touchdown to Fozzy Whittaker I was struck by the idea this game changes pretty fast. Didn't really see that coming this summer…
From Week 9
Eagles quarterback Nick Foles suffered a concussion in Week 7 and missed the Week 8 game. He woke up for Week 9 and thought he was Peyton Manning.
Thanks to Footballguy David Dodds for that one.
That wacky Tony Romo, always looking for an edge.
Thanks to Footballguy Claudio Berumen for that one.
Here's my favorite Tony Romo video from last year. And it's not even on the football field. Tripp and Tyler are a couple of comedy guys I like and they did an event where part of the program was for Tripp to try and throw a 20 yard pass to hit Tyler who was blindfolded and wearing a helmet. Once Tyler was set up and blindfolded and likely thinking Tripp could never hit him, they brought out Tony Romo to throw the pass.
Here was a text message headline from Monday: "ESPN Fantasy - Raiders expressing "concern" with RB Darren McFadden's recurring hamstring injuries"
Note to the Raiders - 2008 called and wants it's phone back.
As our Sigmund Bloom said of McFadden's teasing play: Charlie Brown, meet Lucy…
Hands down my favorite commercial going right now is the spot from Skype.
The part where she gets out of the van and starts running destroyed me.
Seriously, do yourself a favor and watch if you haven't seen it yet.
I'll wait.
Dez Bryant said he didn't know he couldn't take his helmet off on the field.
Jared Allen did…
@FauxJohnMadden managed to catch Nick Foles' response to his big day.
That's pretty funny.
They also managed to find this exclusive footage of how Packers coach Mike McCarthy is dealing with the Aaron Rodgers injury…
Trading for Minnesota's Jared Allen might be a better option…
Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin said he still has faith in defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau. When asked why, he answered, "Because he's Dick LeBeau. Does that answer your question?"
I don't normally buy the "Because I said so" answer. But for LeBeau, I'm good with that.
I'm starting to think I could do a column with nothing but "Awkward Tom Brady On The Bench" moments.
Sunday he gave us this gem.
Looks like a Jib Jab card.
And the gif was even better. And more awkward. If that's possible.
It's good to know Footballguys isn't the only company that struggles getting it's content to look right on mobile.
A buddy of mine is registered with ESPN and they very kindly sent a Happy Birthday wish to my friend's phone this week. The #1 foam finger graphic glitched a bit and this is the actual screen shot he saw.
I replied back to him, DaDa Da, DaDa Da
The John Clayton / Slayer SportsCenter Commercial is a classic.
Now it's even better as Clayton got to meet Slayer.
That makes me so happy.
From Week 10
The Dolphins rushed for two yards on fourteen carries Monday night. That's five inches per carry. Let that sink in.
Thanks to Footballguy James Schneider for that one.
Love this picture of Leslie Frazier's X-Box controller for Madden.
I don't blame him one bit….
The Good News:
Joe Flacco and Eli Manning have a QB rating of 145.8.
The Bad News:
That's 145.8 combined.
Non Sports Note of the week. If you have kids, especially teenagers, this video from Ashton Kutcher is spot on.
He talks about opportunity, being sexy and building a life. Well worth it. If you think you're too cool to learn anything from Aston Kutcher, I'd beg to differ.
Here's how focused we are on Richie Incognito. The suspended lineman was called for a penalty Monday night.
I know not everyone agrees with me and that's fine. But this is pretty much where I'm at with the Miami ordeal.
My general rule of thumb for NFL coverage is "When Katie Couric is covering the story, I'm out".
I told you last week how the Packers have started three quarterbacks in the last 21 years. If Scott Tolzien starts this week, the Packers will have started three different quarterbacks in the last thirteen days.
Here's another picture of how quickly things change.
We all remember Miley Cyrus on TV recently.
And then this…
Rock on Little Seahawk Dude.
Quarterback Dance Party for this week is headlined by Andrew Luck
And Aaron Rodgers
Check out the rest here.
Going Throwback for the Music Note of the Week.
Like many people my age, the Beastie Boys were one of the bands that "changed things". Licensed To Ill came out in 1986. And all these years later, they're still just as fun.
Picking three Beastie Boys songs is impossible but I'll give it a shot.
Sabotage is a classic. Their silly side was on full display for the Intergalactic video. While they didn't seem to mind adding lots of layers and instruments and even goofy stuff for the video, I think my favorites from them are when they strip away most of the extras and it's just them with the DJ. That's probably why I love Three MCs and One DJ so much.
Bonus points is I get to repost one of my favorite 80's pictures featuring the boys, David Lee Roth and Sean Penn.
Rock on Beastie Boys. Rock on, MCA.
If you google "what is Marshawn Lynch beast mode?", you'll get this image as a result.
Lord have mercy.
FauxJohnMadden with exclusive footage of 49er Colin Kaepernick driving home after the game…
From Week 11
I confessed last week that while I like Chip Kelly and the Eagles, my main reason for rooting for Philadelphia was to keep the "Nick Foles as Napoleon Dynamite" shots rolling.
But I wasn't ready for "Nick Foles as Ron Jaworski"…
and
Wow.
Thanks to Footballguy Robert McGIrr for the help on that one.
Dez Bryant with some much needed positive public relations this week. He hit up the Wal Mart on opening night for the new PS4 and bought several people in line a new console.
That's awesome.
Thanks to Footballguy Adam Van Eperen for that one.
Balancing the fun and edgy line with effectiveness is always the challenge for advertisers. I can't recall an ad hitting that balance out of the park better than the new Joe Boxer K-Mart spot.
Love it. If I'd been directing it, I'd have made the last guy at the end with the high note be a super macho looking guy.
Not a big surprise as these are the folks that brought us the Ship My Pants and the Big Gas Savings commercials. I told you I was twelve…
Cleveland's Chris Ogbonnaya looks like he's going to be a consistent player. Great. Just what I needed - another name I can't spell that I'll need to type regularly.
I think people are now seeing why I love Ben Tate…
@FauxJohnMadden with a good one Sunday morning: "BREAKING: Trent Richardson stranded at team hotel because the team bus is 20 yards away from entrance."
That hits a little too close to home for Richardson owners.
Jason Babin with just one more reason why running backs and long hair don't mix.
Andre Ellington had this returned to him after the game.
Whether you think it was a penalty or not (it was), it's hard to deny that these players don't take a beating.
Amazingly, Brees didn't seem any worse for the wear after the game.
That's pretty funny.
Here's something not as funny (but accurate) for San Francisco fans.
From Week 12
First things first. Happy Thanksgiving.
Seriously. Happy Freaking Thanksgiving to you and yours from all of us at Footballguys. Not sure how Holidays get much better than combining food and football.
I'm thankful for a zillion things - not the least of which is the fact you'll take a couple of minutes to hang with us and share the experience of a goofy week of NFL / NHL / Music / Movies and my twelve year old mentality.
I've long said Footballguys has the best family of readers in the world and I'll put them up against anyone doing anything. Bring it.
Thanksgiving (and any holiday) can bring with it some weirdness as family gets together. This time of year, we see the stuff like 11 Tips For Surviving The Holidays which is kind of fun. Less fun is the real tension that can arise when you sit around a table with people that sometimes think differently than you do on things.
For that I'd suggest this video from talk show host Chris Hardwick. Hardwick lost his father suddenly this week. He did the entire show and then in the last sixty seconds, gave some great advice.
Happy Thanksgiving Folks.
Much love.
Joe and the Footballguys Staff
I love NFL Network's Mike Mayock.
He seemed pleased after raiding Deon Sanders' closet before the broadcast Thursday.
Michael Irvin seemed happy too.
For different reasons.
Somewhere Alvin Harper's saying, "I've seen that face"...
Jimmy Fallon handed out superlatives previewing the Denver - New England game.
The whole video is worth watching but a couple of fun ones...
and
Thanks to Footballguy Matt Cox for that one.
Two thoughts on this one.
#1. Rock on, Packer Girls.
#2. Dude in the down jacket takes the early lead for most hated guy in America.
NBA Note of the Week.
Shaquile O'Neal went down pretty hard on the TNT set. The funniest thing for me though was Chris Webber's response. You should know by now if you're looking for sophisticated sports writing, this probably isn't your column. We laugh at big people falling down here...
Jimmy Graham went all Chocolate Thunder on the goal post Thursday night. Thanks to my friend Chris Wesseling for the reference and bringing me back to my childhood.
For you youngsters, Daryl Dawkins was my favorite NBA player as a kid. He played on the teams with Dr. J and Jelly Bean Joe Bryant (Kobe's Dad).
Dawkins was a character and one of the many things he called himself was "Chocolate Thunder". He backed it up on the court wrecking backboards making kids like me smile.
More deep hitting journalism. Golfer Chi-Chi Rodriguez took a shot at the "Break The Glass" challenge for the Golf Channel. Hilarity ensured.
Tedy Bruschi interviewed former Patriot Wes Welker before the Denver - New England game and asked about Welker's relationship with coach Bill Belichick. Welker said it was fine. Bruschi asked "When you see Bill after the game and there's a possible interaction, do you give the head nod, the hand shake, the hug or nothing?"
Welker just laughed and said, "I think whatever is the most awkward situation that could possibly happen, that's probably what it'll be."
On that note, my favorite sign from the weekend.
Oh Mark Sanchez…
Before you get too excited, he lost a bet...
I posted a hockey note a few weeks back and received lots of good feedback. Thought I'd try another.
Bruins goalie Tuuka Rask (there's a Black Eyed Joe All Name Teamer) has a weird relationship with his stick. (this hockey business has potential).
As Buzzfeed notes, this isn't the first time this has happened.
Or even the second time.
Or the third…
I think I could get into this sport.
I loved Andrew Siciliano's call of this play: "And Scott Tolzien hit the circle button!"
Note to Kansas City. I'm no defensive coordinator. But sometimes, every once in a while, when the team is at the goal line, they run this crazy play where the running back goes straight over the line and dives into the end zone. Watch for that.
Jets running back Chris Ivory suffered an ankle injury Sunday. When asked if his ankle injury was of the low or high-sprain variety, he answered, "Both".
From Week 13
It's good to know Pierre Garcon is ready if Washington needs a kicker in a pinch.
Pittsburgh coach Mike Tomlin was fined $100,000 for being on the field during Jacoby Jones' run back. And the league said possible draft pick forfeitures were sill being discussed.
Tomlin showed class after the penalty was handed down. "As I stated yesterday, I take full responsibility for my actions, and I apologize for causing negative attention to the Pittsburgh Steelers organization," Tomlin said in a statement. "I accept the penalty that I received. I will no longer address this issue as I am preparing for an important game this Sunday against the Miami Dolphins."
I'm neutral on the Steelers but that just might be the most ridiculous fine I've ever seen. Absolutely he was wrong. There's zero question of that. Throw the flag. Award Baltimore a touchdown for obstruction if they felt he was going to score (he wasn't). But a $100,000 fine and the threat of taking away draft picks is beyond absurd.
I'm sure the emails will pile up for that one. Oh well. Part of the deal.
At least I've got this.
Minnesota WR Cordarrelle Patterson may be lots of things. Shy isn't one of them.
Thanks to Footballguy Brad Lewis for that one.
Going close to my heart this week on the Music with a shout out to my Knoxville friends, The Dirty Guv'nahs. And a way to help them create their next album.
Here's a fun video they did around Knoxville, Nashville and Bristol for Baby We We Were Young Here's another one filmed in Knoxville's own Preservation Pub where they do We'll Be The Light.
I know these guys well and love them. Check them out and if you like what you hear, do me a solid and preorder their upcoming album on their Kickststarter Project. I'll give you a money back guarantee - you buy the album and if you don't like it when it comes to you, send it to me and I'll buy it from you for what you paid for it.
What's more fun than Pete Carroll? Robber Baron Pete Carroll.
That's awesome.
Denver running back Knowshon Moreno cries better than you do anything.
Asked for an explanation, Moreno really didn't have anything specific.
“I don’t know, I guess the slow motion made it look a little worse than it was.”
"Moreno insisted that he’s just an emotional guy, and he gets “fired up” to play."
“Excited to play this game, excited to be a part of this team, definitely blessed and privileged to be able to play this game,” Moreno said."
Moreno continued to deliver once the game started.
The Good News: Jaguars running back Maurice Jones-Drew threw a touchdown Sunday.
The Bad News: He's now tied with Blain Gabbert and only trails Chad Henne by five touchdowns...
Panthers coach Ron Rivera said he prefers his nickname to be "Analytical Ron".
Two things, Coach:
#1. You don't pick your own nickname. Sorry.
#2. You're not going to do any better than Riverboat Ron anyways.
NBA Note of the week. Charlotte's Gerald Henderson is not a good passer.
Props for the nice recovery on Twitter though…
From Week 14
In case you missed it, snow was a factor in Sunday's games. I'll have plenty of pics of that but I think my favorite may be Baltimore's Asa Jackson literally playing it cool…
I get on Charger fans for being too passive. Can't say that was true Sunday as they seemed to enjoy giving a little back to Eli Manning.
That pic doesn't quite do it justice. Here was Manning's view:
Thanks to Footballguy Steve Wilburn for that one.
Commercial of the Week. I know everyone loves the Ed Norton Droid spot. I get it. What's not to like?
But my favorite by far is this beautiful ad from Tullamore Dew Irish Whiskey as friends sing "A Parting Glass". I don't normally want to buy the soundtrack from a commercial. But I do for this one.
If you're into the details, this article is a fun look at how a New York ad agency made the most Irish whiskey commercial of the year.
In case you needed any more reasons to love Andre Johnson, he went Santa Claus and took a bunch of kids on a $17,000 shopping spree.
