Hi Folks,
We do a lot of really insightful, thoughtful and serious features here at Footballguys with some very 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 goofy and dysfunctional mental hard drive 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 keep relatively sane. Here's hoping it has a tiny bit of value for you.
We’ll see how it goes. Let’s get to it.
J
First things first. Happy Thanksgiving.
Seriously. I say this every year and I’ll say it again because it’s true. 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 observations from my twelve year old mental viewpoint.
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. You guys rock and I’m thankful for you.
Happy Thanksgiving Folks.
Much love.
Joe and the Footballguys Staff
T.Y. Hilton gave us a nice reminder on thankfulness with his touchdown celebration for his baby daughter born a few hours before Sunday’s game.
This might be my favorite video of the year.
Rock on, “BabyGhost”.
Not sure if you’ve seen it, but Odell Beckham Jr. made a pretty good catch Sunday night…
Fun stuff.
I’m with my friend Bill Barnwell who wrote this week in his always excellent Grantland article about how moments like these are why we watch. Because they’re fun.
One of the best things about Football, maybe the best thing about Football, is the shared experience. I happened to be watching the Giants game live Sunday night with a bunch of friends and the collective look on their faces when Beckham came down with the ball was so fun.
We marvel at the athleticism and the performance. But we also enjoy the communal shared experience. I think it’s how we’re wired. And it’s fun.
Fun observation for Beckham’s catch. Even the Camera Guy was shocked.
Thanks to Footballguy Brad Lewis for that one.
Note for Marshawn Lynch: Elmer Fudd called and wants his hat back.
Last week’s Sports Illustrated cover. File this under “Things Move Fast Around Here”.
College Football Note.
UCLA is really good at Football.
But they suck at face painting.
I’m not sure what the players and coachers were telling Larry Fitzgerald on the sideline Sunday. But it must have been TOP SECRET.
Why do I notice these things?
Thanks Andy.
On the upside, a Raiders win means this year’s Circle of Life is complete.
Hat tip to Reddit user Lvl9LightSpell
On that note, here’s the Raider victory in one picture.
Charlie Whitehurst can throw a pick from the bench.
I told you I was twelve.
Bob Holtzman with a heckler.
I’ve never really understood people that do this.
I told you a few weeks ago how this was the life of an NFL coach summed up in a picture.
Trailing by four in the fourth quarter with time ticking down, Marvin Lewis doesn’t have time for whatever is making the other guys laugh.
Here’s the same message with different guys for St. Louis.
Trailing in the 4th quarter, Jeff Fisher has no time for spinning footballs.
The gif is even better.
For anyone interested, the spinner guy is Barrett Trotter, St. Louis football operations assistant and a former Auburn QB.
I’m sure I’ll get email on this but I’d have bet a hundred bucks this dude’s name was Barrett. Penn was my second guess.
Washington Goofiness from our friend Adam Schefter : “Colt McCoy is the only Redskins' QB this season to start and finish a game as the winning QB.”
But that’s nothing compared to this actual headline from Sunday.
It’s now news that the head coach “has the power” to bench a player?
I wonder what Vince Lombardi would say about that?
Hats off the to folks in Detroit for making Buffalo feel at home for Monday night. Here they are getting the Bills logo ready for Ford Field. Mike Rodak.
I know Sunday Morning Sports entertainment isn’t hard hitting journalism. But stuff like this still seems weird to me.
Going into commercial break, the ESPN voice guy says, “Plus, Michelle gets on a first name basis with the Lions QB”.
They then flash to Michelle Beisner fawning over Matthew Stafford in an “interview”.
She coyly said, “They say your friends call you, Matthew. What should I call you?”
Stafford seemed a little uncomfortable at the obvious paint you in the corner question and said, “Matthew… That’s good.” As if he could say something else.
Michelle then does the fist pump and says, “Alright! Yes! Part of the club.”
I kind of expect that when a player interviews his former coach or teammate. But it just feels sort of weird when the interview transcript reads like an OKCupid chat log.
We told you a couple of weeks ago about Lauren Hill of Mount St. Joseph taking the floor for her first collegiate basketball game.
Cleveland’s LeBron James posted the picture on his Instagram feed.
Hill is suffering from inoperable brain cancer. In September, doctors told her she had only a few months to live.
The NCAA allowed the opening game between Mount St. Joseph and Hiram College to be moved up two weeks in hopes that Hill would still be healthy enough to play. She was and fittingly scored the opening and closing baskets of the game.
Clipped from the ESPN article:
“By the time Sunday's game tipped off, 10,000 fans had flooded the stands at Xavier University to see Hill play. Mount St. Joseph games typically draw 100 fans, but when word of Lauren's story spread, the demand for tickets and media coverage made a site change necessary. Xavier University offered the use of its arena, and its employees volunteered their time to staff the game.
"The outpouring of support has been incredible," said Mount St. Joseph president Dr. Tony Aretz. "We say at the Mount that we are a community that cares. To bring that to life like this is just incredible."
“After she scored, both teams gave Hill a standing ovation before she exited the game. Her teammates mobbed her at center court, her coaches presented her with the game ball and she hugged head coach Dan Benjamin, the man they call Coach Bear. And then she took her seat on the bench and the game resumed.
Because of the headaches and nausea caused by Hill's tumor and the medicine she takes to treat it, she spent most of the game on the bench wearing pink sunglasses and headphones and slapping hands with her teammates as they subbed in and out of the game.
"I love basketball, and it was sad when I couldn't play," she said. "But it was great to be here to support the team because they're supporting me every day."
With one minute remaining in the game, the crowd erupted in a chant of, "We love Lauren ... We love Lauren! Lauren! Lauren!" Then, with 30 seconds remaining, Coach Benjamin called a timeout. When play resumed, Hill had returned to the floor and attempted a layup, which she missed. Her teammate Tara Dennis rebounded the ball and passed it back to Hill, and she scored her second basket of the night, this time on a right-handed layup, to make the score 66-55.
"The first basket was awesome because I was happy I made it on the first try," Hill said. "But I made the second with my right hand. So the second basket was just as sweet."
“A natural right-handed shooter, Hill has lost much of the strength in the right side of her body.”
This week, EA Sports did something cool making her a personal cover for her NBA Live 15.
Those tricky Rams with a(nother) fake punt.
Evidently, San Diego hasn’t seen any film on St. Louis.
Johnny Manziel was involved in a fight Saturday night in Cleveland.
“The Cleveland Police Department's report stated that Manziel was approached by a fan named Chris Gonos who says he was assaulted by the rookie quarterback and "his entourage." The incident was reported at 2:36 a.m. from the Metropolitan at The 9 hotel in Cleveland. The report does not indicate that police made any arrests.”
This is reportedly the “victim”.
I’m not saying a guy with those pants and cuffs should be punched in the face. But, you know, I can see how it might happen…
Gary Kubiak, that play chart is ridiculous.
Here’s the downside of the Odell Beckham Jr. catch. It makes incredible plays like this seem just average.
Oh Matthew…
No doubt Josh Gordon makes some bonehead moves off the field. But the guy’s a smart football player.
He mishandles the reverse here and has the presence of mind to throw the ball away instead of taking a big loss.
He was pumped after the game. And rightly so.
The Packers Twitter feed threw it way back this week with an old ticket photo.
For you young Whippersnappers, Thanksgiving games were in Week 9 back in the day…
I’m loving Oakland fullback Marcel Reece’s Hannibal Lecter facemask.
The Washington situation continues to be a Bizzaro World.
A well known Washington Post columnist posted on his Twitter feed Sunday morning:
“The Redskins plan to both throw and run the ball, multiple people in the organization say”
As I think about Washington, it feels like it keeps coming back to ego and press conferences.
This year has been my year for spectrums it seems. From Charlie Whitehurt’s hair to Brian Hoyer’s … head.
On the “How Much Does He Crave The Microphone” spectrum, Robert Griffin III is on one end. Marshawn Lynch is on the other. It strikes me that one would do well to stick closer to the middle.
On that note, ESPN ran a nice little feature Sunday morning talking about how much Jason Witten means to the Cowboys. Tony Romo and Jason Garrett both had plenty of nice things to say of course. I have to honest though I felt a little cheated as Jerry Jones had no air time at all. I can’t remember the last time an ESPN feature ran on Dallas that didn’t feature Jones.
The subtle shots are always the best. Here’s Aaron Rodgers trolling the Vikings drinking a grape crush soda at the post game presser after Green Bay beat Minnesota.
Turns out, he drinks one after every game. Along with eating a Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwich. Which is even better.
Thanks to Footballguy David Dodds for that one.
Tony Romo, you old choker, you…
Rock on, Von Miller.
Thanks to Footballguy Tank Lankenau for that one.
Houston loves J.J. Watt.
Apparently, Luigi is moonlighting with the Eagles…
He’s also raised a bunch of money for Movember and Men’s Health Awareness. Cool.
Thanks to Footballguy Michael LaFayette for that one.
This was kind of funny though as the guy posted his own “greatness recognizes greatness” shot with a Brian Dawkins comparison.
I’m with Stanley…
Cool mustache, Dude. Congrats on being an adult male. But leave Dawkins out of this.
Detroit center Dominic Riaola took a cheap shot Sunday cutting the nosetackle’s legs on the last play of the game.
There’s a little more to it though.
Riaola was angry after Bill Belichick chose to run up the score with a touchdown instead of ending the game.
"I cut him," Raiola said, per the Detroit Free Press. "We took a knee, so I cut the nose (tackle). They went for six (a touchdown). They went for a touchdown at 2 minutes. They could have took three knees and the game could have been over. It's football. He wants to keep playing football, let's play football. Not a big deal. It's football."
New England’s Vince Wilfork was not impressed. "I just heard what happened, but that was stupid," Wilfork said. "... You're taking a knee. They'd get mad if we were just to blow up one of their players, so I mean, it's just uncalled for. But at the same time, you always have to protect yourself, so you always have to play with your neck on a swivel and being alert for 60 minutes, and it came down to it today on a bonehead play like that. But luckily no one got hurt and we can move on."
To the Victor Goes The Spoils and Bill Belichick had the final cut for Raiola. "Sure there was a lot of frustration there with Raiola. He's never beaten us. Tough day for him."
Still lame on Belichick’s part.
Peter King with a great quote from Odell Beckham Jr. after Sunday’s game when asked what he thought about people saying his one handed touchdown was the greatest catch of all time.
“It’s a huge compliment,’" he said. “And it’s motivation for me. All that is fine and good. But I have to keep going. At the end of the day, I have to get better every day. I have to come out tomorrow and get better. I have to come out Tuesday and get better. And we lost tonight, so that is a sick feeling. This means nothing. Winning in this game is everything.”
I like this young man.
Mike Smith blew another game Sunday with poor clock management. Wins are hard to come by in this league and now Smith has two blunders this year where he arguably cost his team the game. That’s unacceptable.
But that has me thinking…
If you made a list of all the things that make a great NFL Head Coach, you’d have a pretty wide ranging list of skills. From devising game plans, to developing coaches, to dealing with the media, to developing players, to putting the best players on the field in the right opportunities for them to succeed.
It occurs to me that that actual act of making the moves during the game for the coach is not all that related to many of the necessary skill sets. And ironically (for Falcons fans), I’d think it’s a much more common skill set.
Calling a timeout in the right spot or saving a challenge call for later is more like a game of chess or playing a video game. I’m not sure how much that has in common with developing a game plan to expose the Colt’s run defense. By most accounts, Mike Smith seems to be pretty good at the other head coaching tasks. He’s just sucks at game management. Is there such a thing as hiring a Madden video game whiz kid to be your “Manage the Clock” Guy? Or hire an NFL referee to be your “Challenge This Play” Guy?
I have plenty of stupid ideas and this may well be one of them. I’m just thinking out loud here and thinking about how the “managing the game” skill seems pretty disconnected to the others.
Yes Jonas Gray owners, Bill Belichick hates you.
On a serious note, I’m with Ed Bouchette of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Truth be told, that’s kind of a no brainer statement as Bouchette is the man on most everything but I think he especially nailed his LeGarrette Blount story. Specifically how the Steelers mishandled it.
It felt good and right and just for Pittsburgh to cut Blount and send him packing after his pouting episode last week where he left the field early after seeing his playing time diminished.
But the reality is was Blount was heavily rewarded for his behavior. He didn’t skip a beat landing back with his old team and playing Sunday. As Bouchette notes, who’s to say this wasn’t all planned? Or even if it wasn’t planned, why give Blount exactly what he wants? The team could have benched or suspended Blount and made the same point. Without rewarding the player for pouting and without giving the Patriots a weapon they obviously needed.
Here’s another angle to the story I find fascinating.
Bill Belichick’s known as the ultimate disciplinarian. Star cornerback Darrelle Revis was sent home earlier this year after showing up late for practice. Jonas Gray suffered the same fate as he was sent home last week after oversleeping Friday. The difference with Revis is that he didn’t miss game playing time. Gray didn’t see the field Sunday.
After the game, Belichick was asked why Gray did not play and said, "We do what we think is best. That's what we did today."
What I find interesting is Belichick’s compartmentalization on what the player does with him. In the big picture, LeGarrett Blount is a guy that will pout and leave the field early if he doesn’t get the playing time he wants. Period. That’s the kind of guy he is. There is no dispute on this. Yet Belichick is fine with adding that guy to the roster and putting him on the field Sunday.
Jonas Gray’s phone battery died and he overslept. That is an offense that will earn a spot on the bench.
I just find that interesting. But let’s be clear. This is a result oriented business. And when you have these, you get to do what you want and not be questioned by the likes of me.
I still find the compartmentalization fascinating though.
Monday Night observations.
Ray Lewis was rocking a sweet fedora.
And the stylist for Steve Young did a poor job of covering the side bald spot.
Back in Week 10 I wrote, “I know the gloves help, but Odell Beckham, Jr - you’re kind of ridiculous”
And last week he told us these hands were special…
So I guess we shouldn’t be surprised.
Scouting can be a tough business. Hats off to Mike Mayock for this pre draft analysis for Beckham: “STRENGTHS Quick hands and feet to slip the jam. Fluid and fast. Good balance. Sinks his hips and changes gears to create separation. Quick hands to pluck off his frame. Terrific leaping ability -- climbs the ladder to snatch throws. Creates after the catch -- shows burst and shiftiness as a runner. Has playmaking ability. Confident and competitive. Has kickoff- and punt-return experience. Productive three-year starter.”
Because I know you guys need to know this kind of stuff. Here’s the list of measureables for all the 2014 Rookie WRs.
When people talk about large hands for a WR, don’t discount what they’re saying. Beckham is not a huge guy at 5’ 11” and 198 pounds. But he wears a 3XL glove. You can see a little bit here for how his hands relate to the football.
But I’ll admit, Beckham just using three fingers of one hand was kind of showing off.
Miami with a fun “Rabona” onside kick attempt.
Erik Lamela with a sweeter (and more effective) version…
I get the whole “Next Man Up” mentality. And I can appreciate going for the kill. But there’s also something to knowing your limitations.
Trailing by 3 points with 1:03 left in the game looking at 2nd and goal from 4, I’m not sure this is the play to run when Shaun Hill is your quarterback…
Alright Pro Wrestling Studs, name these two moves…
Cheer up, Giants fans. The team may be losing but the guys in charge are winning.
I wear sneakers with a suit sometimes. But I don’t have my own Air Force Ones.
That’s pretty cool.
But here’s how to know you’ve really arrived - when you have someone else carry the flip phone for you.
Kraft continues to set the pace as flip phones are apparently cool again…
On that note, Arthur Blank proves once again, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that super rich guys can wear whatever they want.
Is there anything Odell Beckham, Jr. can’t do? Sunday night he added “World Class Flopper” to the resume.
The referee was not amused.
Aaron Rodgers threw the longest one yard touchdown pass I think I’ve ever seen Sunday.
Sean Payton was rocking the Bill Belichick cutoff sleeves look Monday night. I like Payton a lot, but I think I’d leave that for Belichick.
Andrew Luck makes some goofy faces on the sidelines. This one was from earlier this year.
Sunday Zach Mettenberger followed.
I don’t think anyone’s going to be confusing him with Andrew Luck anytime soon though.
Leaving you with this fun pic. May your Thanksgiving be as joyful as Frank Caliendo’s Merril Hoge tie.
Hard Luck Awards for Week 12.
Sometimes it's better to just not know...
That'll do it for this week, Folks. Thanks to Footballguys Doug Drinen, Paul Dickenson, David Dodds, Tank Lankenau, Michael LaFayette and Brad Lewis for the help on this one. If you've got a Random Shot of your own, shoot me an e-mail at bryant@footballguys.com.
Thanks for playing along. I hope you make the most of whatever you're doing in your life. Love your neighbor and stick together.