Hi Folks,
We do a ton of insightful, thoughtful, and serious features here at Footballguys, with smart people thinking deeply for you.
This is not one of those features.
This is Random Shots, and it's a few pages of me downloading my brain that gets stuffed with way too many random items from too many hours watching, reading about, and listening to Football every weekend and throughout the week. It's the only way I manage. Here's hoping it has some value for you.
We'll see. Now let's get to it.
J
If a fantasy football season were nine seconds like this video, we're about five seconds in. So far, feels accurate.
Make sure to have the sound on.
A fantasy football season in 9 seconds...
— Joe Bryant (@Football_Guys) August 15, 2022
Can't wait.
pic.twitter.com/ocfGdFTX2M
More clarity in Indianapolis. Leaked footage from the end of last season where Jim Irsay cut ties with Carson Wentz...
LEAKED: Footage of Jim Irsay calling Ballard to get rid of Carson Wentz in the off-season pic.twitter.com/N5XH9l4XeI
— Primetime Sports  (@Primetime2828) November 11, 2022
The setup for Lane Kiffin to Auburn continues...
Has anyone rehabbed their image better than Lane Kiffin?
— Jim Weber (@JimMWeber) November 12, 2022
Dude's hilarious. pic.twitter.com/VpHhvXDi3h
Hurdling defenders is cool.
Until it's not.
When leaping the defender goes wrong 🫣
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) November 12, 2022
(via @BigTenNetwork)pic.twitter.com/uFBU7Nojax
I'm calling this the Jeff Saturday rule. If you get a job as an NFL head coach, you have to hand over your fantasy team for the year. Just like he had to. That's good commissioning.
I'd add this: If you get a job as an NFL General Manager, you automatically win the league that year.
Let's get to amending those league constitutions.
Good commissioner work here. Every league should have a rule that if one of the fantasy GMs is named an NFL head coach, they have to give up their team 😂 https://t.co/FShPXQE2Wy
— Joe Bryant (@Football_Guys) November 15, 2022
This guy may be too big for a pro soccer player. But he's got the intangibles down.
The drama 😂
— PointsBet Sportsbook (@PointsBetUSA) November 12, 2022
pic.twitter.com/p38TUDozu6
I know some of these schools get cute with loopholes adding years of eligibility to players, but this is too much.
15th Year pic.twitter.com/XAkk2sYskb
— Pardon My Take (@PardonMyTake) November 12, 2022
Vanderbilt doesn't win much. But they're a small school with unique academic restrictions playing in by far the toughest conference. So this was cool breaking a long SEC losing streak.
Team 2 🫶#AnchorDown pic.twitter.com/rD1Rln82jp
— Vanderbilt Football (@VandyFootball) November 12, 2022
Week 10 and the NFL Circle Of Parity is complete.
Look at each team and go clockwise to see the team they beat, the week, and the score. Click on the image to see the full thing.
With the Commanders’ win over the Eagles last night, the NFL’s 2022 Circle of Parity is now complete 🔄
— Field Yates (@FieldYates) November 15, 2022
Shoutout @LiamMurphy_603 for the graphic design and @LeeSharpeNFL for the scores sequence 🔥 pic.twitter.com/Wp6gmei6QX
Music note this week is from another movie, "O Brother, Where Art Thou?" by the Coen Brothers.
Featuring this amazing song with Dan Tyminski on lead vocals and acted by George Clooney, John Turturro, Tim Blake Nelson, and Chris Thomas King.
The song has a storied history, long before the movie, though.
From Wikipedia,
"Man of Constant Sorrow" (also known as "I Am a Man of Constant Sorrow") is a traditional American folk song first published by Dick Burnett, a partially blind fiddler from Kentucky. The song was originally titled "Farewell Song" in a songbook by Burnett dated to around 1913. A version recorded by Emry Arthur in 1928 gave the song its current title.
The early versions were much slower.
Bob Dylan did a classic version as well.
Maybe more than you wanted to know. But music is fun. Movies too.
With all the pearl-clutching snobbery and gatekeeping after the Jeff Saturday hire, I can't recall ever pulling more for a team I didn't have a connection to than I did for the Colts last week.
Listening to some, you'd think the Colts had hired a Ted Lasso character and would need to teach him the rules of the game.
Former Cleveland star Joe Thomas said hiring Saturday was the "most egregious thing I can ever remember happening in the NFL." Thomas then dropped this gem about Irsay, who's talked openly about his battles with alcoholism, "When you hire your drinking buddy to be the head coach of an NFL football team, it is one of the most disrespectful things I've ever seen in my entire life to the commitment, the lifestyle and the experience that it takes to be an NFL coach, any coach, much less the head coach of the Indianapolis football Colts," Thomas said.
That's classy.
Joe Thomas went 1-31 his last two years, watched his team hand Deshaun Watson a giant contract, and naming Jeff Saturday the interim guy was the “most egregious thing (he) can ever remember happening in the NFL”?
Spare me.
Not to be outdone in the "How much one can be offended?" race, Bill Cowher described the hiring as a "disgrace to the coaching profession." And said, "What happened in Indianapolis was a travesty."
A "Travesty"?
Not surprisingly, Pat McAfee had thoughts as well. But from the other side, supporting his former teammate.
Speaking on Cowher, McAfee said, “He got hired at 34 in his hometown to be the head coach of the f---ing Pittsburgh Steelers, so if he maybe caught a lot of fire whenever he got hired for not earning and deserving the job that he took and he now wants to project that on Jeff Saturday, he can take that up with himself.
But Bill Cowher, shut the f--- up, dude."
Jeff Saturday took the high road. Per NBC Sports' Peter King, he said this about Cowher:
"I respect his opinion, you know? Here's the thing. God is my defender, man. I don't have to defend myself. I am absolutely comfortable in who I am. I respect all those guys. Whoever has whatever negative opinion, I can assure you, it's not gonna change who I am or what I believe I'm called to do. I have no idea, and I still don't, how successful I'll be, but we're gonna work hard at it and I believe I can lead men and lead the staff. I'm excited about the opportunity."
And about Thomas:
"I had no idea that he said that. I can assure you, I have never gone drinking with Jim. I don't even know that Jim drinks. I don’t drink very much, either. I don’t know, Joe. I'm not worried about what Joe thinks about me or anybody else. Like I told you, the Lord will defend. I feel like I've been called to do it, so I made the decision to do it. Again, no disrespect to either of those men. They are who they are and said what they said. It will not sway me."
He's 1-0 today. And they won't get to play Las Vegas every week, so who knows how it'll go. But I'm pulling for the team and for Saturday. I love the underdogs, and I love breaking down the gates. It's how our company at Footballguys even exists when the internet created a platform where you didn't need to be on the air at ESPN or have an uncle that got you a job at Sports Illustrated to have a voice. It's the "Democratization of Talent" where if you bring value, you'll have a voice. And we're here for it.
Here's an idea. Tom Brady's proven to be pretty good at passing. Maybe keep doing that.
TOM BRADY AS WIDE RECEIVER?
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) November 13, 2022
Didn't go as planned 😅
(via @NFL)pic.twitter.com/5bqrieuosA
More.
Tariq Woolen covering Tom Brady has got to be the biggest disparity in athletic ability for a single rep in NFL history.
— Marcus Whitman (@TFG_Football) November 13, 2022
Thanks to Clayton Gray for that one.
Marvin Harrison Jr. with "one foot in."
I know Marvin Harrison Jr. making incredible catches is nothing new, but this one on the sideline is something else.
— Garrick Hodge (@Garrick_Hodge) November 12, 2022
Look at where his body is, and where his foot is. pic.twitter.com/RUx4u2NA2G
Fans in Munich crushed it with Country Roads. Love it.
— highlight heaven (@lowlightheaven) November 13, 2022
Rachaad White with a heads-up football play to seal the game.
RACHAAD WHITE SEALS IT 🔥pic.twitter.com/jAWv36vcT3
— Buccaneers Nation (@BucsNationCP) November 13, 2022
I love this move from Jacksonville against Kansas City Sunday. When facing a significantly better team, it makes sense to pull out all the stops.
Jags with the trickery to start the game 👀pic.twitter.com/XQCnzbNfJb
— Yahoo Sports (@YahooSports) November 13, 2022
I loved Mike McCarthy rocking the Lombardi coat at Lambeau.
What a fit from Big Mike pic.twitter.com/V80gGRElso
— Gump Cathcart (@bubbagumpino) November 13, 2022
Vikings announcer Paul Allen was fantastic calling the Buffalo game. And great job to the guy next to him in the purple jacket for being mostly quiet while "cheering" so he didn't disrupt the broadcast.
Vikings play-by-play guy Paul Allen was filmed during Minnesota’s insane win against Buffalo and it was awesome. pic.twitter.com/ixgRMh1LuY
— Jimmy Traina (@JimmyTraina) November 16, 2022
I know it's what "the kids" are doing these days on TikTok, but the fake hamstring pull still gets me.
Justin Jefferson hit us with the fake hamstring pull on the TD celebration 😂
— Sports Illustrated (@SInow) November 13, 2022
(via @NFLonFOX)pic.twitter.com/SxfDNKIYuV
Lawrence Cager is just a second-year tight end for the Giants. But he knows his history breaking out the Victor Cruz salsa celebration.
Giants TD!
— Sunday Night Football on NBC (@SNFonNBC) November 13, 2022
*cue the salsa celly*
(Via: @NFL, CBS)pic.twitter.com/rO1q0leDO5
For you Young Bloods, this is the original.
10 years ago Victor Cruz got to salsa in the end zone celebrating a TD in the Super Bowl… pic.twitter.com/GLvoHSQnxG
— Big Blue United (@BigBlueUnited) February 5, 2022
TCU Horned Frogs: 17
Texas Longhorns: 10
TCU Social Media Manager: Infinity
hornsdown.mp4 #GoFrogs #DFWBig12Team pic.twitter.com/e8bVQs52Vj
— TCU Football (@TCUFootball) November 13, 2022
Justin Jefferson, you're ridiculous.
OH. MY. GOODNESS.pic.twitter.com/VotKSBo9be
— Kendall Baker (@kendallbaker) November 13, 2022
Closer:
Howâ‰ï¸ @JJettas2
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) November 13, 2022
(via @NFL)pic.twitter.com/0ocHRmvAFf
The image:
The best catch I've ever seen. Especially given the crucial point in the game. It would've been amazing in the open field uncontested but doing it and wresting the ball away from the defender puts it at the top. Wow. pic.twitter.com/wArG6DbPx5
— Joe Bryant (@Football_Guys) November 13, 2022
Vikings Fans:
The wrong Jefferson is on Mount Rushmore.
— Ty Schalter (@tyschalter) November 13, 2022
Side note - We're all (rightfully) talking about the Justin Jefferson catch, but Stefon Diggs had this beauty in the same game.
STEFON DIGGS, ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!?!
— Buffalo Bills (@BuffaloBills) November 13, 2022
📺: @NFLonFOX pic.twitter.com/VNSTVmePim
Classic Retro:
A catch for the ages 🤯 @Vikings #vikings #skol #nfl #pixelnfl pic.twitter.com/D5k0NkEkey
— Pixelnfl (@pixelnfl) November 15, 2022
Last one on this. I'm with Andy. Adam Thielen was all of us.
Adam Thielen reacted like the rest of us. https://t.co/8XUCsUo02U
— Andy Holloway (@andyholloway) November 16, 2022
What a game.
Truth.
Vikings 1st half: Vikings 2nd half: pic.twitter.com/fLfghISdlU
— Pardon My Take (@PardonMyTake) November 13, 2022
Back on the Jeff Saturday thing. I think we need more former players to be coaches. Mike Vrabel speaking his truth.
Mike Vrabel, never change. Kicker Randy Bullock hurt himself in warmups. Couldn't play. Question: how much of a concern was it to not have kicker Randy Bullock healthy? "How much of a concern when you don't have your kicker 10 minutes before the game? A shit ton." #Titans
— Mike Giardi (@MikeGiardi) November 14, 2022
Thanks to Keith Overton for that one.
Packers. Not Quite Dead. Yet?
The Packers After Week 10 pic.twitter.com/JjmQWIyoPF
— Tom Grossi (@tomgrossicomedy) November 15, 2022
1. Don't whine about the officiating.
2. If you do whine, be funny.
Lane Kiffin says he called Jaxson Dart’s mom to apologize for her son’s treatment vs Bama:
— SEC Mike (@MichaelWBratton) November 14, 2022
“She mentioned it’s a shame her son gets treated different based on what SEC program that he’s at on game day and protected different.”
“You can’t fine me for what someone else says.”
😂 pic.twitter.com/NaBlGa1XSN
Wrapping with this one.
I get on Arthur Blank as much as anyone. But this is cool. It's easy to forget sometimes these folks have somewhat regular lives and relationships, and it was nice to see the conversation between these two men.
This is a cool moment here between Arthur Blank and Jaycee Horn: pic.twitter.com/pOIeqrtgyB
— Michael Rimmer (@avl_mike) November 15, 2022
I'm going to guess you, and I aren't going to own an NFL Team. I don't have much in common with Arthur Blank besides loving football. But we can all take 30 seconds like this to connect with a person. This is an excellent example that we're all connected more than we think. We have to look for it.
Rock on.
Thanks to Jeff Grobaski for that one.
Thank you for being part of this goofy journey with us.
And thanks to Footballguys Keith Overton, Sigmund Bloom, Jeff Grobaski, and Clayton Gray for the help. If you've got a Random Shot of your own, email me at bryant@footballguys.com.
Thanks for playing along, and I hope you make the most of whatever you're doing in your life. Love your neighbor and stick together.
Peace and Grace to you.
J