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 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 manage. Here's hoping it has some value for you.
We'll see. Now let's get to it.
J
The Holidays are upon us. Let's open like we always do with the best rendition I've heard in a while of "Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas" courtesy of that noted Holiday Crooner - Bill Belichick. Click here for the video.
Just like last year, I'm starting right off the bat with the music as we cover all the Holiday bases. First, a Run DMC - Charlie Brown mashup of Christmas in Hollis from the Best Christmas Movie Ever - Die Hard.
Next up is Adam Sandler with the classic Chanukah Song.
Elvis sings my favorite Christmas song.
And for a picture of cool personified, he butchers the words but still kills it live.
Long live the King.
Lastly, one of my favorite Sports Illustrated covers from a few years back featuring Belichick Santa.
Happy Holidays from all of us at Footballguys.
I told you last week New England was going with the throwback logo...
Not surprisingly, lots of readers had thoughts.
One sent this.
Oh, those Patriots...
Who did it better?
Truth.
The Bengals' season in one play.
I'm not sure what's worse. Playing in a high school stadium or having your high school stadium completely overtaken by the opposing team.
This was a sweet moment for Greg Ward. And a testament to perseverance.
I saw several personalities talking Sunday evening about how the Chiefs were going to be a team to watch in the Playoffs.
Umm. Kansas City was ranked #4 in the Power Rankings before they smoked Denver Sunday.
I wonder if they think the Saints might have a shot?
Oh, those Lions.
HT: Tim Ryan
Speaking of the Lions.
This is why it kills me to hear Eagles fans or Giants fans or other similar teams talk about their struggles...
This week's entry for "I'm all for player safety but I seriously don't know what defenders are supposed to do".
Overheard on ESPN Sunday Morning: Deshaun Watson ran a slower 40 at the combine than Ryan Tannehill posted on his pro day. Is that right?
OMG. OMG. OMG. George Kittle just pancaked Ricardo Allen. Amazing! Or maybe that's what's supposed to happen when a 250-pound elite athlete faces a 186-pound elite athlete.
Pro Football Focus with a ridiculous stat:
New England cornerback Stephon Gilmore has allowed an NFL passer rating of 32.8 on throws into his coverage this season.
The NFL passer rating for throwing the ball away on every play is 39.6.
That's incredible.
Oh, Gronkowski...
Bill Belichick told this fun story about his first impression of Rob Gronkowski.
“Rob was kind of a shot in the dark. He came up on his pre-draft visit, had a bad visit.
"We put him in a room, came back, he was asleep on the floor. Didn’t make a very good impression. … I brought him in, you know, we’re getting ready to have a meeting with the coaches and go through, then fell asleep on the floor. Oh boy. Kind of got a slow start there.
"Went to Arizona, didn’t start as a freshman, had a decent year as a sophomore. Caught 30 passes, and then misses junior year with back surgery. Then came out early for the draft. So there wasn’t much to go on. We traded up for him and we just bet that he would come through. He certainly did big-time.”
My hope for you: Find someone who loves you like Mark Ingram loves Lamar Jackson.
HT: Memes Of The NFL
I joked last week about the Chiefs missing their helmets and shoulder pads for the game against the Patriots and a picture of the reported airport worker involved in the mishap...
Turns out Kansas City had a backup plan that was wild.
CBSSports John Breech reports the Chiefs almost wore helmets belonging to a high school team for the game.
From the article:
"By the time anyone realized the equipment was missing, it became clear that the plane was no longer in Boston. As it turns out, it was now 225 miles away on an airport tarmac in Newark, New Jersey. Since there was no guarantee that the equipment was going to make it back to Gillette Stadium on time, the Chiefs came up with a contingency plan: They were going to borrow helmets from a local high school team.
"It wasn't an ideal plan, but for the Chiefs, it was better than forfeiting. Once that plan was hatched, Masconomet Regional High School Athletic Director John Daileanes got a mysterious call from a representative of the Riddell Helmet company on Sunday asking for an interesting favor.
"He told me, 'I really don't have too much time to talk," Daileanes told the Metro West Daily News. "'But a bunch of the Kansas City Chiefs helmets and shoulder pads and other equipment are in Newark, New Jersey right now. There's a big snafu. I need to get down to Masco, and if it's possible could we use your helmets for the game?'"
"There's actually a good reason the Chiefs wanted to borrow the helmets from Masconomet, and that's because the school's logo is eerily similar to Kansas City's. If the Chiefs had been forced to wear the Masconomet helmets, it wouldn't have been completely noticeable to viewers at home (Both teams wear a red helmet with an arrowhead decal, but Kansas City's arrowhead has a KC in the middle while Masconomet's has an "M").
"If you're wondering whether or not a high school helmet would fit an NFL player, Daileanes had that same thought.
"They had a contingency plan in place to use our helmets. Who knows whether or not these helmets would even fit properly," Daileanes said. "There's a way to kind of make them fit. But I don't know. It would have been great. I just wanted to see one random Masco helmet. I thought that would have been pretty classic, but it never came to fruition."
Heck Yeah.
I'll be honest, I'm tired of the "Lamar Jackson should be in the Hall Of Fame right now" shtick. But the guy can play.
And he's super fun. He plays the game with a youthful enthusiasm that's a joy to watch.
Eli Manning entered Sunday's game with a record of 116-117. (Don't @ me. I know QBs don't officially have Wins and Losses like baseball pitchers...)
You know there was no way the Universe wasn't landing him at .500.
Rex Ryan was on fire Sunday morning.
"You're mad at Jerry Jones because he wants to pick the players?"
"He's got 15 pro bowlers.
"Pick me 15 pro bowlers."
Randy Moss followed up in the next segment talking about how the Rams are "hongry".
I know it's not cool to like the personalities on TV, but I like this Sunday Countdown crew.
I told you last week the NFL Sunday starts when Jameis Winston throws an interception. Last Sunday's start time was 1:06 PM ET.
My Buddy Matt Waldman says Winston is the kind of guy that'll set the house on fire then be the hero for putting out the fire.
Saquon Barkley's another one that's tough to figure out. Early in Sunday's game, he was solo tackled at the line of scrimmage and seemed to go down relatively easy.
I commented on Twitter I can't figure out when he'll go down easy or when he'll run over or around the defender.
A few minutes later, he made my case...
Ryan Fitzpatrick is now the Dolphins leading rusher. For the season.
Let that sink in.
Before we get too excited, Ryan passed Mark Walton to take the lead...
The Packers and Bears have been playing a long time.
Here's an ad from the newspaper when they played the first time in 1921.
I know Las Vegas is stoked, but I'm sad to see the Raiders move.
This guy says it all.
JP Finlay reported Sunday: "Urban Meyer is at FedEx Field today, per source. Former Ohio State head coach is a huge target for NFL teams looking for new coaches, and with Dwayne Haskins at QB, Redskins would love to land Meyer."
If Meyer's able to motivate NFL players as well as he moved Jerry Jones there, he's got a future in this league.
Marcus Peters was fined $14,037 after jumping in the stands and drinking a beer with fans.
This is the best $14,037 Budweiser spent all year.
Evidently, when Kansas City says the field at Arrowhead is heated they mean the sidelines at Arrowhead are heated...
So there's this...
Josh Gordon making this catch and then being suspended two days later is a picture of his career.
I'm way less concerned about his career than I am hopeful he finds the help he needs.
Bigger point: There are a ton of people very likely in your world battling the same issues. They just don't have the skillset to have Gordon's bank account or support. I pray you'll be mindful of them as well.
One more Music Note this week. Sufjan Stevens is a long-time favorite and Chicago (Acoustic Version) is one of my favorite songs of all time.
And if you like Christmas music, I bet you'll like his version of "O Come, O Come, Emmanuel". Hat Tip: Relevant Magazine.
My favorite way to experience snow is watching it on television like this:
And this...
Someone sign this Bearcat...
If you have a brother, you understood this exchange Sunday night.
Ezekiel Elliott made this kid's year.
Jacksonville QB Gardner Minshew on playing in the last game at the Oakland Coliseum: "It was definitely an awesome experience to be here and play in the last game. Probably saw more middle fingers today than I have in my whole life. They have a good time. It was fun to ruin that for them."
Hello?...
Wrapping with this one.
My friend Matthew Berry with a fantastic feature Sunday morning. It's a sweet look at how Fantasy Football is more than just a game. It's a community and a part of something much bigger.
Thanks for being part of our Community. It's an honor.
Thanks to Footballguys Keith Overton, Clayton Gray, and David Dodds for the help on this one. If you've got a Random Shot of your own, send me an e-mail 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