Random Shots From Week 7

Joe Bryant's Random Shots From Week 7 Joe Bryant Published 10/27/2021

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

Jack Coan: Footballguy.

Regular Random Shots Readers will like this one.

Zay Jones. Still a wizard.

For reference.

And

This might be one of my favorite things in all of sports. Not sure what that says about me.

Maybe the Eagles should go full Saban and bench Hurts then trade for Tagovailoa…

High School is different these days...

This year's Space Game for the University of Central Florida was against Memphis. And the fans were into it.

I've railed on the NFL taunting penalties. Apparently, College Football is just as confused...

Mike Leach is a national treasure. And he's right about Candy Corn.

Tom Brady. Still a vampire. He's 22 years older than Justin Fields who he faced Sunday.

Fantasy General Managers looking to set lineups last week with so many players on bye or injured.

Here's why.

But that's Fantasy Football. And why Footballguys exists. We're here to help.

When defensive backs dream...

The Atlanta Braves are in the World Series and they're an example of "Sometimes you just have to stay in the hunt". From The Athletic, "The Braves didn’t spend one day — not one ­— above .500 until their 111th game of the season."

Here's how much I know about soccer. My timeline started blowing up with posts like this Sunday.

And I thought the Jets coach had done something...

I'd better get cracking if we're going to make that Futbolguys.com thing work.

Going back to my roots for this week's Music Note. Waylon Jennings is one of the kings of Country Music. Specifically Texas Country Music or Texas Swing. He pays tribute here to Bob Wills, one of the originators.

I think part of why I love this so much is the "respect" Jennings gives to Wills. Waylon Jennings is a much bigger star than Bob Wills ever was. Yet Jennings doesn't hesitate to give the man his due. And not to get too deep into it, but this song is a glimpse into the bigger picture of Texas and Texans. I'm biased as I grew up there, but no state in the country feels more independent. The idea that "We don't give a damn what you or the rules say, this is how we do things here" has long been the state's DNA. Some people love that. Some people don't. I'm not going to argue politics. But fierce independence has long been a hallmark for these folks. One thing not up for debate: Waylon Jennings is badass.

I have no idea how long the window of opportunity will last for Browns running back D'Ernest Johnson. But it's hard not to pull for this guy.

This is what I'd call being on a roll.

Thanks to Footballguy Clayton Gray for that one.

Derrick Henry is just mocking us now.

Tennessee's David Long with the move of the week.

Things I never thought I'd read: "Patrick Mahomes II is tied with Zach Wilson for the most interceptions in the league with 9."

Thanks to Footballguy Jason Wood for that one.

Kyle Pitts is pretty good.

Nice.

And...

And...

And finally,

Thanks to Footballguy Matt Carey for that one.

Onside kicks in the first quarter. Fake punts. Dan Campbell and the Lions are playing exactly like what they are. A scrappy team with guts and hustle facing more talented opponents. I'd do exactly the same kind of things.

It's been a while since the Bengals had this much swagger. And I'm here for it. This team is good.

From Albert Breer's column this week on Sports Illustrated. “No, it’s already turned,” Burrow told me. “That chapter from yesteryear is gone and behind us. And this is who we are now. We’re a tough, physical team that’s hard to beat, and we’re going to be in every single game because of the defense that we have, and the playmakers that we have on the outside. So it’s exciting. Excited for the city, excited for the organization, but we’re not satisfied.”

And from Ja'Marr Chase: “We came ready to play football, worked at practice and it translated to the game,” Chase told me postgame. “I don’t think we’re scared of anybody. I don’t think we scared of nobody to be honest. … We got enough courage to go into anybody’s stadium to play football. That’s how we execute, how we practice and how we bring it to the game.”

If I were an NFL star, no way I'd do the Madden cover. I'm 100% serious.

Can you imagine the numbers Ja'Marr Chase would be putting up if they let him put the white stripes on the ball?

San Francisco kicker Joey Slye started the first quarter with a missed extra point. Then ended the quarter with a 56-yard field goal.

Because, the NFL.

Buccaneers keep rowing that boat.

Andy Reid: "I'm seeing things I haven't seen before."

Me: Same, Coach. Same.

Everyone's roasting Chicago's Bilal Nichols for the "dumb" play of punching a player.

I'm not so sure that's dumb. He got to leave the game early, which is what every Chicago fan was thinking about.

Indianapolis' Darius Leonard with a postgame jab at San Francisco and Kyle Shanahan via The Athletic’s Stephen Holder: “They did a great job, especially on the first drive, of misdirection runs and putting us in bad positions to make plays. I was glad they kind of went away from that.”

Per StatMuse: "Tom Brady has more career passing touchdowns than the Panthers, Ravens, Jaguars or Texans as a franchise."

Thanks to Footballguy Justin Hill for that one.

Carson Wentz went full Waterboy Sunday night.

Hang in there, Bears fans.

The NFL is a fickle mistress.

Thanks to Footballguy Matt Carey for that one.

A line was crossed.

The "Brady Football Was Worth Half A Million Dollars" feels a little bit like the news anchor declaring the backpack full of cocaine recovered in the drug bust has a "Street Value of 20 million dollars".

With that said, I know it'll be an unpopular take, but I totally get the Tampa fan giving the ball back for stuff. I'm not exactly sure how to put words to what I feel there but somewhere in the mix is the fact Mike Evans made a mistake in giving the fan the ball plus the idea it's not really your ball or your accomplishment. And probably the bigger thought that you don't have to squeeze every last drop out of everything all the time.

I'm sure many think that's a weak way to view the world. Brady and Peyton Manning roasted the fan on the Monday night broadcast talking about how the fan "lost all of his leverage" when he gave the ball back and Manning calling giving the ball back an "amateur move". Hearing those legends of the game talk that way about a fan who, like you and me, makes it possible for them to play the game they play and earn the money they earn, seems gross.

It's been a year since Budda Baker was chased down on National TV. Some plays are big. And some plays make you change your number.

If you like Colin Cowherd, and I do, you'll probably like this.

Wrapping with this fantastic wedding video. But it's not about a wedding. It's about stepparents. The video is of a father walking his daughter down the wedding aisle and then they stop. And the father invites the bride's stepfather to join them. According to the story, the stepfather was completely surprised.

I'll admit this one hit me maybe harder because of the many things I am, a stepson is one. And I had/have an incredible stepfather.

But this is more about the two fathers here. For the biological father, what a gift to the stepfather and his daughter to include him in this moment. I'm sure he didn't have to. Nobody expected him to. But he made the simple, but huge, gesture to include the stepfather and "share" the moment a bit. Such grace.

For the stepfather, what a gift to receive. I've never been one, but I've long said I don't know many jobs more challenging than being a stepparent. And certainly few more important. If any of y'all are stepparents out there, I'd like to encourage you. There will obviously be rough times. I created my share as a punk kid storming out of the room yelling "You're not my dad!" to my stepfather. I was petulant while he was kind.

And as an adult, I was able to see how awesome he was/is and express my thanks and apologies to him and to my mother. If you're in the throes of those difficult times with your stepchildren, hang in there. It can get better. It did in my family.

Rock on.

Thank you for being with me on this goofy journey.

Love your neighbor and stick together.

Peace and Grace to you.

J

Photos provided by Imagn Images
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