Random Shots From Week 12

Joe Bryant's Random Shots From Week 12 Joe Bryant Published 11/30/2022

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

If a fantasy football season were nine seconds like this video, we're about six seconds in. So far, feels accurate.

Make sure to have the sound on.

We're in a golden age for camera technology.

Y'all just keep acting like the Announcer Jinx isn't real...

I can't imagine many people started Peyton Hendershot Thursday. But the Whack-A-Mole celebration was worth it.

Thanksgiving Dinner Goodness.

And thank you to all the very kind folks who messaged me about my words last week, remembering my Mom and the Sweet Potato Casserole she used to bring. I made it, and it turned out nicely. As I wrote, it's not especially remarkable or unique. It just reminds me of her, and that's enough.

If anyone's interested, here's the recipe I used. There was some uncertainty over the exact recipe, but I settled on this. You're welcome to add marshmallows to the top if you want to go full-on 1975 mode. I skip them.

Supposedly Joe's Mom’s Sweet Potato Casserole

Preheat over to 350

5 cups mashed sweet potatoes - About 5 potatoes
4 eggs lightly beaten
1 stick melted butter
â…“ cup brown sugar
â…” cup Half & Half
1 tsp vanilla
½ tsp cinnamon
½ tsp nutmeg

Roast sweet potatoes in 450 oven. 45-60 minutes.

Let cool and scoop out

Combine everything.

Pour into 9x13 casserole dish that has been sprayed with PAM or buttered

Bake at 350 for 20-30 Minutes.

Enjoy.

Belichick does not forget...

Truth.

It's good to be popular.

Stefon Diggs is an easy guy to root for.

Go Team USA!

It's still a long way till Spring Training. But a quick baseball note.

Adam Thielen post-game Thursday.

Music note this week. Not sure why, but I was feeling like Blind Pilot this week.

Specifically, Blind Pilot covering Gillian Welch's "Look At Miss Ohio."

This is not a rock song. But I recommend playing it LOUD.

I've said this before, but I think it's ok to say it again. My late little brother Rich had a phrase he'd use for a sound like this.

He'd shake his head a little, smile, and say, "That's so pure." He'd say it all in one word, though, and drag out and emphasize the last syllable so it sounded like "thassuhPUUUUURE."

I miss him so much. Especially around music.

And if you want an even better picture of the band and song, here's a live version.

Which is a more accurate feel. Not sure things get much better than a band this good in an intimate space like The Kessler Theater in Dallas with a few hundred folks.

So good.

And here's a proud dad moment. The young people in my family have started a rad music newsletter called Stereo Field.

They're way cooler than their dad/father-in-law, and you should totally subscribe.

It's 100% free and has sweet features and playlists for awesome music. Sign up here.

Holiday movie goodness.

It's not every day you get deleted scenes of John Candy smoking a cigarette while eating a hot dog.

One more killer camera shot.

That'll leave a mark.

I did not have "Albert Breer mocks nerds" on my Michigan at Ohio State bingo card.

Cleveland Facts.

My buddy Ryan McDowell with the throwback!

Eli Manning. Man of the People.

The look on the guy's face...

Yup.

I meant what I said here. If Zach Wilson were my best friend, I'd tell him to watch this video clip 1,000 times.

Because right now, Mike White is the best quarterback on the Jets roster.

If the Jaguars are half as good as their mascot, Jaxson DeVille, they'd be Super Bowl contenders.

Treylon Burks with why you play to the whistle.

Not photoshopped.

The hits keep coming for the Rams.

DeAndre Hopkins. You're ridiculous.

Sometimes this column literally writes itself.

Thanks to Keith Overton for that one.

Seattle taking that "12th Man" thing a little too seriously.

Cris Collinsworth breaking down the Double Cheek Push.

Wow.

This is something.

On a serious note (although Stephen says he's 100% serious and did the math there), hats off to Jacoby Brissett. He stepped into a chaotic situation, brought stability and leadership, and helped the team get four wins. He completed 64% of his passes and threw 12 touchdowns against 6 interceptions for a passer rating of 89.1. That's not elite. And a 4-7 record won't win any awards at this level. But I thought he did a great job standing in the gap with a tough situation. Well done.

Time is a flat circle. Auburn Edition.

Jerry Jones is Old School.

Don't Give Up.

Wrapping with this one.

Mike McDaniel is fun.

But it's more than just fun. He's been putting on a Masterclass in relationship building this year, specifically with his young quarterback, Tua Tagovailoa.

Here's a clip of them cutting up on the sideline.

Laughs aside, McDaniel had deeper work to do. And specifically, repair.

Tagovailoa was not in a good spot after the 2021 season. Aditi Kinkhabwala reported Tagovailoa's confidence had been badly shaken last year. He said on multiple occasions; he asked himself a sincere question, "Do I suck?" given how critical fans and coaches had been.

Mike McDaniel then went to work. He put together a 700-play tape highlighting the things his quarterback did well. It's one thing to say something. It's another thing to show them.

Tagovailoa talked about what it meant to him.

McDaniel talked about using his intuition when he realized how beat up Tagovailoa was and how he went about repairing the damage.

Here's the lesson for us. Most of us aren't NFL head coaches or starting quarterbacks. But the job titles aren't important here. The story in this one is about someone helping another person build their confidence and become a better version of themselves. That's a regular person thing. Not an NFL thing. My challenge to you is to look for the Tagovailoas in your life. And help them be the best version of themselves. McDaniel followed a proven method for how to do it: He emphasized what they had done well. In this case, it wasn't just words. He showed them. It's not easy, but most good things aren't. But it's worthwhile.

Thank you for being part of this goofy journey with us.

And thanks to Footballguys Keith Overton, Sigmund Bloom, Adam Harstad, and Clayton Gray for the help. If you've got a Random Shot of your own, email me 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

Photos provided by Imagn Images
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