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The Best Of Random Shots From 2024

Joe Bryant's The Best Of Random Shots From 2024
By Joe Bryant, December 30, 2024

Joe Bryant with a look at goofiness from the past season.

Hi Folks,

I say the same thing every year, but I think it's fitting the regular season wraps up around the Holidays. 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.

Part of the fun in writing this column is that 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.

As I wrap up the regular season this Week 18, I've pulled up some of the more interesting things I remember seeing during the year. It's my sincerest hope that you've enjoyed reading this column a fraction as much as I enjoyed writing it.

It's a shared experience thing. I'm not telling jokes here. I'm talking about stuff you and I both have probably seen. Not to get too dramatic about a football column, but it's bigger than a football column. It's community. And things bigger than football. So here we are.

And if you're up for it, we'll do it again next season. And if you've got thoughts and ideas on how this thing can be better or just want to yell at me about my preseason Kyle Pitts ranking (again), feel free to shoot me a note at bryant@footballguys.com.

Here's to Football,

J

FROM WEEK 1

I posted this often, and it felt spot-on every time.

If a fantasy football season were 9 seconds like this video, we're about half a second in. But so far, this feels pretty accurate.

Still one of my favorites this year. Make sure to have the sound on.

Some of you may know my Dad died last December. I'm okay, and everything is okay. But this caught my eye from a Random Shots column I wrote a couple of years ago:

My sweet 81-year-old Dad is awesome. Still sharp as a tack. Most of what I know about business and service, I learned from him.

He doesn't really do much internet stuff and doesn't fully understand our business. But he's proud of me and what we've built here. He loves it that his friends think Footballguys is cool.

He's not much of a sports fan but will casually watch a game here and there.

Our conversation Friday morning:

Dad: "Dang. That quarterback from Buffalo is something. Man, oh man. You're on that kid, right?".

Me: "Yes, Dad. We're on him".

It's On.

Me (and probably you) Sunday Morning.

 

FROM WEEK 2

Jim Harbaugh is one of us.

"I love guys who like Football. Guys who like football, they like me back."

Will Compton with a perfect caption.

Mike Gundy's my favorite living college coach. (My favorite of all time is, of course, Mike Leach.)

I love the honesty. Asked about what he liked and what he saw in a player, he said what everyone was thinking: that the guy was inexpensive.

For schools like Oklahoma State that don't have the money of Texas or Georgia, or Ohio State, they have to be creative. It's like Brad Pitt/Billy Beane and Moneyball for the A's to compete with the Yankees and Red Sox.

Truth.

Unfortunate. But Truth.

Sometimes, the "Mic'd Up" segments are my favorite part of the game.

 

FROM WEEK 3

 

Just going to drop this one right here.

Can anyone relate to this?

Mike Tomlin is a National Treasure.

All touchdowns count the same. But they don't all look the same.

God Bless you, Browns fans.

FROM WEEK 4

Flashback to July 8.

In hindsight, "Didn't overthink it" was maybe not the best description there.

Nailed it.

The perfect caption does not exis...

Mankind in a picture.

This one felt personal. 

FROM WEEK 5

My friend Marcas knows things.

If games were won or lost on how a team takes the field, Virginia Tech would never lose in Blacksburg.

Listen at max volume.

Focus, Greg, focus.

How this happened:

If I were the athletic director at Western Kentucky, the first thing I'd do is make this the regular helmet.

I read about a football scout who said he paid extra attention to how players get up off the ground after plays. He talked about how elite athletes get up more smoothly and how he felt you could find diamonds in the rough watching for this. 

I agree.

And yes, this was mostly an excuse to remind you Zay Jones is a wizard.

All the emotions.

Related:

FROM WEEK 6

I could probably stop right there.

A peek behind the curtain at my Footballguys life.

One of the things I'm most proud of is the amazing team we've assembled for you. Our Footballguys Staffers are smart and thoughtful and dive deep into the game.

This week, Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty came up for discussion among the Staff, and our people started diving into his attributes and abilities and what NFL players he might compare to. They talked about conference strength and measurables and yards after contact stats.

My contribution to the discussion was I love how he stands in the backfield like Michael Meyers...

Looking around the room, I had a clear observation: We are not the same. 

And I'm just going to lean into that if that's ok.

So good.

The most logical explanation I've seen.

FROM WEEK 7

Let's go.

Patrick Mahomes II with a sweet touchdown run Sunday.

He pulled another "Dad Bod" reference after the game.

"I actually was not trying to lower my shoulder," Mahomes shared. "I was trying to absorb the hit because I was going to be right there in the end zone. But that dad bod, man. Had enough weight on me where he went down."

You may remember this line:

How a player can be one of the most otherworldly athletes in the game but also one of us is maybe my favorite thing about Mahomes. 

This says a lot in two seconds.

Mike Tomlin dropping truth bombs.

I don't care if this makes me sound old. It was a glorious time to be alive.

FROM WEEK 8

Footballguys Random Shots QB1 had himself a week.

One more reason to love Cooper Kupp.

The Dwayne Wade statue was something.

The internet had thoughts.

Sometimes, among friends, words aren't necessary.

FROM WEEK 9

If you know, you know.

Maybe the truest thing in fantasy football.

It's always something...

Aaron Glenn is putting together a remarkable Player / Coach career.

Fun with Amon-Ra St. Brown.

Of course, like most fun things, it goes back to professional wrestling...

FROM WEEK 10

#Footballguy.

Detroit is fun.

Vaki with the Dick Butkus vibes

Thanks to Sigmund Bloom for that one.

Fran Brown takes losing hard.

#Footballguy.

Thanks to Hutchison Brown for that one.

FROM WEEK 11

You may or may not like the Dolphins. And Jaylen Waddle is killing me. And maybe you, too.

But Mike McDaniel on the mic is always good.

2024 is cool with super-computers in your pocket.

But 1989 had the 5-gallon Party Ball. And it was glorious.

I've given Kyler Murray a hard time here over the years. But I love the low-key chill here.

This is something on its own.

But when you realize it's all the same guy...

Perfect.

Pretentious Hipster Jason Kelce is my favorite Kelce.

 

FROM WEEK 12

"Tyreek Hill is amazing!"

Dan Marino says, "Hold my beer." 

Thanks to Bob Harris for that one.

J.J. Watt knows. 

Brush off the mistakes. Work to fix it. Get back out there.

Brothers.

With that said...

I get a good amount of questions from people asking about how they should "build a brand" in the fantasy football space. My advice is to listen to Marshawn Lynch here. (NSFW language, but you probably knew that.)

Thanks to Sigmund Bloom for that one. 

FROM WEEK 13

David Montgomery going for the carrot was gold.

Zoom in:

If I were Raiders RB Sincere McCormick, I'd write lots of letters just so I could close with:
 
Sincerely,
 
Sincere

The timing for pressing the "button" of the player's helmet and the fireworks is sweet.

Conventional Wisdom: "NFL Players are prima donnas and need to be coddled."

Meanwhile, Mike Tomlin:

Are they mic'ing the goal posts for Justin Tucker now? That doink was brutal.

He hasn't been the same since this moment.

FROM WEEK 14

I thought Nick Saban might struggle as an analyst. Boy, was I wrong.

Josh Allen does everything in a big way.

Proof that while name is important. It's not everything.

Cowboys never had a chance...

Related.

 

FROM WEEK 15

Bryce Young has not had the NFL career we (and he) had hoped for. At least not yet. 

From a personal angle, he seems like a caring and thoughtful guy. And I thought this was good from a couple of weeks ago.

It's a good example of how one can carry their faith without necessarily shouting from the rooftops about it.

Seriously?

The Lions are dialed in.

Truth.

Related: One more reason not to mess with the good vibes.

Related:

Related:

Dan Skipper meant business.

Hang it in the Louvre.

 

This just felt mean.

 

FROM WEEK 16

Oregon uniform reveal for the Ohio State game...

Jets owner Woody Johnson reportedly puts a high value on a player's Madden Rating. Enough that he nixed a potential trade earlier this year for Jerry Jeudy.

Browns Fans:

This is the kind of hard hitting serious content you'll find with me and Random Shots.

This aged well.

Ok, then.

Nick Saban had thoughts.

Live look in on the Chargers...

Jordan Phillips took matters into his own hands.

I'll wrap up this year again with one of my favorite stories. And one I tell here often.

Heading into the last day, a doubleheader, of the 1941 baseball season, 23-year-old Ted Williams' batting average was .39955. He could have sat out the meaningless last two games of the last day, and his average would have rounded to the hallowed .400 mark.

From the sabr.org article: "In his autobiography, My Turn At Bat, Williams recalls Joe Cronin telling him, 'You don't have to be put in if you don't want to. You're officially .400.' Ted reports his reaction: 'Well, God, that hit me like a ***damn lightning bolt! What do you mean I don't have to play today?'"

But you probably know the story. Williams put his .400 mark at risk and played. Both games. And went 6 for 8, finishing the year at .406.

That's badass.

How that applies to you and me is simple. I feel pretty safe in saying we're not going to hit .400 in the majors. But we all get to walk to the plate every day and take some swings.

Take yours.

That'll do it for Random Shots for the season.

Dang. This was a year. And I said that last year, too.

But we're still here. And that's something worth celebrating.

Shauna Niequist is a writer I enjoy. She wrote this a few years ago, but I think it applies to this year more than ever. For some, it's been a great year. For some, a tough year. For some, like me, both. If it's been tough, I think this may resonate.

“My prayer is that what you've lost, and what I've lost this year, will fade a little bit in the beauty of the Christmas season, that for a few moments at least, what is right and good and worth believing will outshine all the darkness, within us and around us.”

That's my hope for you. That the pain of what you've battled this year may fade a bit as we seek out and focus on what's right and good and worth believing. That what's right and good will outshine the darkness. And to celebrate and lift up the good. Happy New Year to you and yours from all of us at Footballguys. Rock on.

I want to thank all the folks who sent me funny things they saw this year. Y'all rock, and you make my job easier. And thanks to all of you for the kind words throughout the season - you encourage me. Sincerely.

This may be the last Random Shots of the season, but Lord willing, I'm not going anywhere. You can always reach me by email at bryant@footballguys.com. Stay in touch with us on Facebook by clicking "like". And you can keep up with me on X or keep up with my non-football stuff here on Instagram.

I realize I've often strayed from sports and climbed on the soapbox maybe a bit more than I should. I intentionally left most of those off this collection as most of the rants were more of a context thing. But I felt like we sort of went through this season together. There were tough moments. And plenty of light moments. It wasn't all fun, but I think I can say it's been good to be together.

I'm completely down with Ram Dass, who said: "In the end, we're all just walking each other home at night." Thanks for walking with me.

I hope you make the most of whatever you're doing in your life while you love your neighbor and stick together. 

Peace and Grace to you.

J

Photos provided by Imagn Images
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