The Business of Football

It’s May, there’s been just a couple of OTAs and the Ryan brothers are already talking trash. Will that make beating them with Jimmy Garoppolo at quarterback that much more enjoyable?

Hard to say. I already enjoy seeing the Patriots beat any team coached by Rex Ryan way too much as it is.

The Appearance of Mischief

So, on the same day the NFLPA and Tom Brady file their appeal in the Great Pigskin PSI Conspiracy Caper, the NFL gets outed for not caring as much about traumatic brain injuries as originally promised. Several million dollars less than originally promised. Depending on who’s doing the counting. Details are so boring. If you watch any police procedurals on TV, you know the appearance of mischief is the first sign of mischief. Of course the NFL wanted to control the concussion discussion! That’s clear from the millions of dollars they have spent and of course from their over-familiarity with the curriculum vitae of neuroscientists.

Up For Grabs

It’s one thing for someone like me to say Deflategate was all about giving the rest of the league a four-game head start but should players like the Jets WR/Reality TV Star Eric Decker actually be saying that out loud?

99 Problems But The Pitch Ain't One

Let’s face it. Whatever Donald J. Trump did once upon a time just doesn’t matter. Everyone knew he was a devious huckster, a free market opportunist, a carnival barker, a preening egotist, a lout, a reality TV celebrity who conflates financial success with intelligence. We knew all that before he road the down escalator to his anti-immigrant fueled announcement for the Republican nomination. We knew all that and still record numbers of Americans came out to vote for him in the primaries.

So, some story about Trump pretending to be a Trump spokesman/public relations flack named John Miller or John Barron (what, no John Smallberries?) is supposed to knock The Donald off his pins? Bitch, please.

Rational Rationalizations

Let’s face it, when we’re tracking the 90th spot on the roster, we really have to ask ourselves if we’ve got our lives’ priorities in order.

My answer: What? Are you kidding? Of course I do!

And welcome back to the Hawaiian Hammer, Joey Iosefa!

Gronkilicious

It's Gronk's world and we're just living in it. 

The Triumph of Dope Over Reason

The Republican Party woke up last Wednesday and when they looked themselves in the mirror, the found Donald J. Trump staring back at them.

Their reaction has been both hilarious and horrifying. I'm trying to laugh but for some reason, I feel tears coming on.

Going on the Offensive

Local pigskin pundits and bobbleheads have let us know just how awesome the Patriots’ drafted and undrafted rookies are while the national gridiron cognoscenti have given New England’s 2016 draft a composite grade of C. Okay, I think I saw a B- somewhere.

It's Time to Dream Big

Well, the draft is over and everyone is sure their team, bolstered with youth and talent, is on it’s way to the Super Bowl. Well, except for Cleveland Browns’ fans. They know better.

Most fans believe their team did well in the draft if they recognize the names taken, names they heard in the run up to the draft. Players from Top 10 programs, Combine warriors. Mentions by Mel Kiper, Jr., Todd McShay and Mike Mayock. If you’ve heard their names it was a good pick. It’s something of a self-rationalizing system.  For the most part, over the first 100 picks, it works. Sure, there are famous 1st round busts but the top talent in any field is fairly easy to identify. I remember reading an e-mail exchange between Malcolm Gladwell and Bill Simmons that Simmons posted on his site in which Gladwell posited an interesting point. While he had only a superficial knowledge of the sport of basketball, he could actually use that to his advantage and still be quite successful. He wouldn't be in a position to over-analyze, to over-think his draft strategy. All he knew was that schools like Duke, Kentucky, North Carolina, Kansas, etc. were really good college basketball schools so as an NBA GM, he would simply draft from those schools.

Think about that as you consider how many kids from Ohio State were drafted this year.