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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
I love our Buddy Adam Schefter.
He accidentally pocket tweeted a message last week that said “Uurtoirttrttt” and it became one of the most popular tweets of the week.
Sunday morning, he dropped this on us…
The surprising news of the week was Percy Harvin to the Jets.
And…
FootballGuy Joey Kregler had my favorite line.
Doug Baldwin said the Percy Harvin news was a “shock”.
"Obviously the shock of the transaction and what took place there made for a bit of an emotional roller coaster," Baldwin said. "When something that drastic happens, right before we get on the bus [to go to the airport for the trip], there is going to be an emotional impact. I felt we handled it to the best of our ability, but I think it might have been a factor in some way."
Baldwin acknowledged a previous altercation with Harvin.
After a score Sunday, Baldwin’s touchdown celebration was a thinly veiled message to his former team mate.
So. Much. Drama.
Of way more interest to me was the incredible punt return touchdown by the Rams with Tavon Austin drawing all the coverage to the right side of the field while Stedman Bailey caught the ball on the left side and scored.
Here are some great pictures from USA Today showcasing Bailey’s athleticism.
That’s Bailey at the top of the picture lined up on top of the gunner. When the play starts, he’s on the 50 yard line.
After the snap, he starts sprinting downfield staying on the left side anticipating the ball going left. In the meantime, Tavon Austin is on the far right side pretending to be ready to field the punt.
Here, Bailey has covered 25 yards racing downfield on the left toward the spot where he hopes the ball will be going. Austin continues to draw the Seahawk coverage to the far right corner.
Bailey catches the ball over his shoulder here on about the 13. Think about that. He’s run 37 yards in the time it took Seattle to snap and punt the ball. Try lining up next to the long snapper and catching the ball that’s punted downfield. Bailey catches it like a wide receiver (which he is) with his momentum taking him to the 9 yard line. He then turned and went 91 yards for the touchdown. So Bailey covered 132 yards here for the score. Crazy.
It wasn’t original as Chicago used the play back in 2011, but it certainly was fun.
Disappointingly, Seattle coach Pete Carroll chose to throw his gunner, wide receiver Ricardo Lockette under the bus instead of admitting the coaching staff was schooled.
From Carroll: “Unfortunately on the play, Ricardo was just getting lined up, checking with the officials and missed the snap count by a hair. Stedman was there with him and he makes the catch on it. And he might have seen it differently if he’d been able to get off right. But he missed the snap. And it might have affected him on that play.”
The pre snap picture is pretty clear with Lockette lined up and ready. The problem wasn’t missing the snap or lining up wrong. The problem for Lockette, and the rest of the team, was failing to look for the ball. I’m not going to presume to know more about coaching and leadership than Pete Carroll, but this looks like a time to take your lumps and move on. Not throw up some lame (and incorrect) excuse about missing the snap count.
Arizona’s Darnell Dockett is out for the year. But that didn’t stop him from communicating with Raiders fans Sunday.
The smiley face was a nice touch.
To be fair to Dockett, he says he was provoked by Raider fans yelling things about the player’s mothers and throwing ice and coins at them.
Raider fans? Yelling and throwing stuff?
Note to Alex Rodriguez.
You may be a big deal in New York. But at JerryWorld, you’re kind of in the way.
@Rubethedude with a shot from Sunday.
Cousins with the “I just lost a zillion dollars” face and Robert Griffin III with the “Try not to look happy” face.
In the meantime, Colt McCoy saved the day. . Just like we all thought…
Which gave us our first Glitch in the Matrix for the weekend.
Both Kirk Cousins and Colt McCoy threw a touchdown on their first pass this year. Hmmm.
And God Bless Washington Fan bringing her pet bird to the game.
I got nothing for that.
Ahmad Bradshaw has more touchdown receptions than Calvin Johnson, Larry Fitzgerald, and A.J. Green combined. Yeah, I saw that coming.
Thanks to Andrew Siciliano and Footballguy James Scheinder for that one.
Non Football Note (as if any of this is too much about Football…). Here’s how you watch a Motocross event like a Boss.
Note to Erik Walden: Do not touch the officials. Ever.
Even if it’s Can’t Get My Flag Out Of My Pocket Because It’s Attached To My Magic String Official.
For an NFL kicker, this is the sound of unemployment.
Jamaal Charles - you are ridiculous.
Incredible hit by Vontae Davis on Giovani Bernard.
I’m filing this under “These Guys Earn Their Money”.
It’s a rough game.
I’m with hollywoodkek09, God Bless Bills fans.
Actually, that’s not just any Bills fan. That’s Pinto Ron. And he’s kind of a big deal.
It’s almost November and the Blackhawks have more wins this year at Soldier Field than the Bears.
This makes Bears fans feel like…
Hang in there, Fellas.
God Bless Cowboy Fan.
Note for All Of Us: Watch the real action. Not the action on the screen.
If you’ve been to a concert lately and seen most of the crowd watching the show through the five inch screen of their phone while recording a video you know what I mean.
We saw a fantastic example of this Sunday.
A great play is happening right in front of them but they’re staring up at the (albeit ginormous) screen. Seeing the same picture that I saw 1,000 miles away. When it’s there, watch it.
Aaron Rodgers’ smooth first down point made the news. But you know Random Shots goes the other way. The real move on that play was Luke Kuechly smashing into the microphone guy.
I had the good fortune to do the microphone job one time for a Jets game thanks to the generous Steve Cohen then at WFAN. The view from standing at the back of the end zone with 22 NFL Athletes going at it 12 yards away is a great seat. But it’s kind of scary for exactly the reason Kuechly demonstrates. Things move fast there.
I know that Gene Steratore is well respected. (He’s a Division 1 NCAA Basketball Referee too). And I get it that lots of people need glasses. But something about a referee needing help seeing still feels a little weird.
Fun Vine video from Sunday Night Football before this week’s game with 506 of Peyton Manning’s touchdowns condensed into 6 seconds.
I get it that the record’s a big deal.
But let’s be honest. Some of the stuff is trying way too hard..
Not unlike the pre planned celebration that was meant to look spontaneous.
Denver and Indianapolis fans seemed to enjoy Manning breaking the record against San Francisco.
49er fans seemed to hold their own.
Von Miller seemed happy though.
Colin Kaepernick not as much.
I’ve been guilty here but now I think I’m with @ssseannn
He’s talking Soccer but the same holds for Football.
I talked last week about the anniversary of the famous trade that sent Herschel Walker to Minnesota for a host of draft picks. And how Jerry Jones and Jimmy Johnson disagreed as to who deserves credit for the trade.
Then told you what is absolutely not in dispute is Emmitt Smith’s rocking outfit.
But thanks to Footballguy Philip Tucker for adding more to the story.
I missed the pants. And they’re glorious. Until someone can prove it wrong, I’m going to assume they’re capri length…
Between Jerry Jones and Jimmy Johnson and Emmitt Smith and Michael Irvin and Cowboys fans, sometimes I think I could write a Random Shots column and never stray from Dallas.
Fun note about my Buddy. His nickname is Whopper and he’s one of the best guys I know.
I co-own a fantasy team with Whopper and two other friends. I knew Whopper was in Cleveland with some friends to see the Pittsburgh game. What I didn’t know was that he’d wrangled sideline passes and was giving Footballguys tips to the Papa Johns Guy while having this pre game view.
As we usually do Sunday morning right before kickoff, we were having a group text to determine our starting roster. Here’s how the conversation went:
Joe: “I think we should bench Kendall Wright.”
Matt: “I think we should start Justin Forsett.”
Whopper. “I think… I just shook hands with Jim Brown.”
That’ll derail a conversation.
So fun. Great to see nice things happen to great people and they don’t get any better than Whop.
Here’s something I’ve learned this year. There are a lot of you guys that know your Pro Wrestling. I’ve asked about the name of some of the different moves and each week I receive tons of email with detailed explanations.
Last week, I said I wasn’t sure what you called this one.
Of all the email, my favorite was that it might not be a wrestling move. Footballguys Jerry Flauto and Ron Tielke both said it was the Turkey Jones.
Tom Brady’s my guy. But dude’s a Flopper.
Thanks to Footballguy Brian Sumner for that one.
Sweet Adam Jones jersey.
Pac Man loved it.
Uniform of the Week goes to Slippery Rock.
And there’s a little bit of a story behind them. The opponent was Mercyhurst but the game was played in the University of Michigan’s stadium in Ann Arbor. Slippery Rock’s normal colors are green but they broke out these sweet gray uniforms for the big game.
Slippery Rock head coach George Mihalik said, ”We wanted to show respect to the great rivalry Michigan has with Michigan State and not wear green in the Big House."
Nice.
Derry City FC soccer team in Ireland with the best team photo of the week when the bench collapsed.
And the boring version.
I like the way Lions coach Jim Caldwell thinks.
He said it would take a “miracle” for Calvin Johnson to play last week.
Then officially listed him as Questionable which means the player has “approximately a 50 percent chance of playing”.
This is an old one but still interesting. The Eagles have the only logo that faces left as pointed out by BleedingGreenNation.com
They suggested it might be for the “E” in the feathers.
Mind blown.
Thanks to Footballguy Rob McGirr for that one.
If you’re like me, you may find yourself sitting around and asking yourself, “Which coaches and quarterbacks get the most face time on television?”
Fortunately, The Wall Street Journal has the answer.
God Bless The Internet…
Thanks to Footballguy Clayton Gray for that one.
Here’s the news that should strike fear into the heart of every NFL Team: The Bills won Sunday with a mustacheless Black Eyed Joe Player of the Year For Now Kyle Orton.
Uncle Orton is now just toying with us.
Orton shaving the mustache before the game is like a normal quarterback playing with one arm tied behind his back. It’s Ty Webb playing blindfolded.
Scary.
I normally like ESPN’s Tom Jackson a lot. But Sunday he gave us this head scratcher talking about how in his day he’d cheapshotted Roger Staubach knocking him unconscious with a clothesline hit.
Jackson said, “You need to understand. A dirty play doesn’t make you a dirty player.”
I’m with Mike.
Saints coach Sean Payton is understandably a little aggravated. But he was totally in line with this reporter. . Hindsight is always perfect.
Former Florida State quarterback Danny Kannell seemed to enjoy collecting on his bet with Notre Dame alum Mike Golic.
Fun comparison on the Monday Night Pregame with Pittsburgh defensive end Brett Keisel…
and Houston quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick.
Tony Romo and Jameel McClain disagreed on who was the Mike linebacker
That’s pretty funny.
Thanks to Footballguy Brian Sumner for that one.
A little bit of Back To The Future for Bush Sunday…
Thanks to Footballguys Scott Overbey and Brad Schuelke for that one.
Do you recognize this St. Louis Ram?
It’s quarterback Austin Davis.
But don’t feel bad if you didn’t immediately put a name to his face. He was stopped by a Rams security guard who didn’t recognize him and wouldn’t allow him into the facility last week as he talked about on the Dan Patrick show.
Cowboys receiver and returner Dwayne Harris with another example of why it may not be the best idea to to go with long hair.
Green Bay’s Randall Cobb and the hazards of the Lambeau Leap taking ketchup on the shoulder.
Cobb didn’t seem to mind.
Although Jordy Nelson seemed a little unsure.
Glitch in the Matrix from Sunday afternoon with scoring symmetry..
Thanks to Footballguy Chad Inkrott for the help there.
The Onion sometimes is more real life than fiction. They nailed this one with the headline Nation Struggling To Remember Why It Was Ever Mad At Roger Goodell
From the article: “WASHINGTON—Saying they were at a loss as to what could have recently made them feel any anger and distrust toward the NFL commissioner, Americans across the country confirmed Thursday that they are struggling to remember why they were at one point mad at Roger Goodell. “I can distinctly remember being outraged at Roger Goodell about something a few weeks back, but at this point, I honestly couldn’t tell you what it was,” said 36-year-old Pittsburgh resident Stephen Kreiser, who, like millions of football fans nationwide, was unable to put his finger on precisely what could have happened to cause him to question Goodell’s leadership and even go so far as to demand his resignation. “Maybe it had to do with a new rule change or something. I mean, if he had done something really terrible, it’s not like I would have just immediately forgotten it. Oh, well, I’m sure it was nothing.” Reached for comment, Goodell confirmed that it was in fact nothing.”
Lawrence Timmons leaving it all on the field Monday night.
That’s a Drew Pearson flashback for you Old Guys.
Troy Polamalu may not be as effective as he once was. But he’s still fun to watch.
I think Jason Hatcher was kidding when he told Washington kicker Kai Forbath, “You better make it or I’m gonna kill you.”
I think.
At least Houston’s consistent…
The New England Turf Monster claims another victim. This time one of it’s own…
If Hollywood ever makes a movie about the current Steelers, Will Ferrell is a shoe in for Ben Roethlisberger.
I’ve written here about players locking up facemasks and how it’s like the junior high couples afraid of getting their braces caught stuck together.
But I don’t think I’ve ever seen players lock up their cleats.
God Bless Jets Fans.
Easy there Geno…
Thanks to Footballguy Tom Winkler for that one.
Shoutout to my cousin Ted Wilson for making the Monday Night Broadcast. Again. Dude’s a regular.
I’d love to meet the geniuses who designed the Jaguar uniforms. For a QB trying to process information as quickly as possible, the fact that the helmets are completely different colors facing away and towards the quarterback seems like an unsmart idea.
Washington kicker Caleb Sturgis has a great name. But missed 2 of his 4 field goal attempts Sunday. I blame the facemask. How can you have any confidence wearing that thing?
If you google “gutsy call”, you’ll likely get this picture from St. Louis Sunday.
But just like with Sean Payton, it’s all about results. Jeff Fisher was the hero Monday. Because it worked. A hundred things could have easily gone wrong and instead he’s the idiot.
Here’s another picture that says a lot.
Love it.
Colts owner Jim Irsay returned from his suspension and was awarded a game ball. Assistant Camera Dude here looked a little unsure.
Apparently Father Time is a Raiders Fan.
Who knew?
Colin Kaepernick wears a mouthpiece that covers his lower teeth.
Why do I notice this kind of stuff?
I told you a couple of weeks about Brett Favre pitching the Personal Groomer thing.
This week he’s moved up to the Copper Bracelets.
I’ve got even money that says we see him replacing our Clayton Gray on the Magic Ear Wax removal wand before the season’s over…
Here’s a good picture contrasting receiver with quarterback.
Cordarrelle Patterson celebrating with the necklace out.
Teddy Bridgewater was much more subdued after the same play.
Wrapping this week with an incredible video on Joe Haden and his brother Jacob.
The emotion in his voice as talks about struggling to understand his brother on the phone is beyond powerful. I love it when Joe says, “I play for the both of us.”
Rock on.
The beauty of stuff like this for me is that we all can do it. Most of us can’t relate to Joe Haden athletically. We can’t run downfield like Stedman Bailey and catch a punt over the shoulder. I know I can’t. But the kind of love on display here is something within our ability. Go for it.
Hard Luck Awards for Week 7.
Sometimes it's better to just not know...
That'll do it for this week, Folks. Thanks to Footballguys Doug Drinen, Philip Tucker, Jerry Flauto, Ron Tielkeand, Rob McGirr, Clayton Gray, Joey Kregler, Brian Sumner, Brad Schuelke, Scott Overbey, Tom Winkler, Chad Inkrott and James Scheinder 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.