It’s too early to be in the Christmas spirt…or so I thought. Enter Mel Gibson, who has gifted us with his new movie “Fatman” in which the Oscar winner plays a grizzled, bitter, gun wielding Santa Claus who is being hunted by an assassin (Walton Goggins) hired by a kid that’s upset for receiving coal for Christmas.
I shit you not.
I am 1000% buying this straight to digital Christmas Miracle when it comes out on November 17th. It honestly looks like a fake trailer from the days of College Humor so I’m still waiting for Mel Gibson admit unfortunately this isn’t real. But it’s produced by Saban Films and it’s got a legit IMDB page so I’m pretty sure this isn’t some elaborate prank.
It does however remind me of another awesomely tongue in cheek B-movie: FDR American Badass.
If you haven’t seen that movie do yourself a favor, take the 90 minutes, and thank me later. Hell it’s even on YouTube.
Although if we’re being honest it will be hard for Mel Gibson to top his greatest role playing a beloved cultural icon.
I’m not going to put the blame all on Cam Newton here despite the way that game ended. This team is clearly just not that good and Newton’s top receiver yesterday was a former quarterback, and no I’m not talking about Julian Edelman. The offensive play calling was suspect at best. With all that being said, Newton hasn’t thrown a touchdown pass since Week 3. And I’m no NFL scout but it did look like Newton was laboring on a lot of his throws yesterday as he was still skipping passes on easy 5-10 yard routes. The offensive game plan yesterday was almost as if they were protecting Newton from himself. Newton was 15/25 with no touchdowns and no interceptions and there was almost nothing thrown deep. I looked at the drive charts for the Pats to see if my memory served me right and Newton had one completion of 28 yards, but that was thanks to a huge YAC play by James White. There was one medium range 22 yard completion to Damiere Byrd, but other than that there was nothing completed longer than 16 yards. So unsurprisingly the Bills were crowding the hell out of the box.
Meanwhile the Pats ran the ball 34 times, including 9 by Newton. So there was a lot of handing it off and more designed QB runs than we’ve seen in a while. I guess thats to be expected playing in the wind in Buffalo with two of your receivers out, but hey as Newton himself said the excuse basket is getting low. In the end the running was exactly what did them in as Newton failed to protect the ball while scrambling for a first and fumbled the game away.
To his credit he looked like he wanted to sit down in the shower and cry afterwards so I feel for him. But if you are unable to consistently move the ball through the air and are relying on your legs to make big plays then you have to protect the ball. The flashes this team showed on offense earlier in the season are now the Ghosts of Girlfriends Past.
I respect the hell out of the venom from FS1’s Tanya Ray Fox though. Say it louder for those in the back!
It only took Tom Brady leaving, no OTAs, no preseason, a bunch of starters opting out of the season, delayed games, weeks with no practice, Cam Newton getting and recovering from COVID, some bad weather and the world's stupidest fumble. Congrats on your big win, guys 🙃 https://t.co/BW3D2urnlk
So we now have to ask ourselves, is it time to move on from the Cam Newton experiment?
Sitting at 2-5 and having suffered four losses in a row this team is moving in reverse. They’ve guaranteed their worst record since 2018 (won the Super Bowl btw) and thats assuming they win out. I don’t know about you but I have a hard time imagining this team ripping off a 9-0 run. If they lose one more game, it’s their worst record since 2009 when they went 10-6 and lost in the Wild Card round. If they lose 2 more games it’s their worst record since 2002 when they went 9-7 and missed the playoffs sandwiched between two SB titles. And if they lose any more than that it would be their worst record since 2000 when they went 5-11 in Belichick’s first year at the helm.
Now I’m not excited for it, but I think its time to rip the Jarrett Stidham band-aid off and find out what exactly the Patriots have here. The team needs to figure out whether he’s the next guy or not. If that means trotting him out there for ritual sacrifice then so be it, but the Pats need to determine if Stidham can get it done. If not then they have to make a move this offseason. Theres 3-4 potential first round QBs likely coming out this year and the Patriots should be in a good position to get one of them, even if it’s not Trevor Lawrence or Justin Fields.
There’s also been rumors about the return of the prodigal son Jimmy Garoppolo since the 49ers have reportedly been meh on him as the QB of the future.
But he did re-injure his ankle last night and according to Schefter will be out “indefinitely.” That comes after having already missed 2 games and then getting pulled in his first game back. Garoppolo has only made 30 starts out of a possible 56 games in four years in San Francisco due to various injuries including a torn ACL. My point being, I would not be shocked if the Niners decide to move on from him after this season. So if you’re a Patriots fan do you still want him? Do you think Bill can rekindle whatever magic he thought he had with the young QB? I’m not so sure of that as I was just a week ago. Especially after this latest injury since Belichick loves to say the best ability is availability. Either way the Pats will undoubtedly be kicking the tires on anyone with an arm attached to their body this offseason.
The Patriots are in a tough position brought on by the greatest player of all time leaving town, but also from poor drafting over the last few years finally catching up to them. The Pats are one of the oldest teams in the league as a result. Think about it, all of their best players are on the wrong side of 30: Edelman, Stephon Gilmore, both McCourtys, Matthew Slater, plus all the guys who opted out.
The book is out on this year’s draft class, but offensive lineman Michael Onwenu may have been a steal in the 6th round as Pro Football Focus has him ranked as the No. 1 rookie in the league. It’s debatable how much stock to put into PFF rankings, but being No. 1 on any list is pretty damn good.
Michael Onwenu is @PFF's highest-graded rookie in 2020.
He's played 80+ snaps at three different positions along the offensive line.
The books is probably still out on last year too. Chase Winovich looks like a nice role player, Joejuan Williams has shown potential, as has Damien Harris (now that he’s on the field), but N’Keal Harry has been underwhelming and we may soon find out with Jarrett Stidham. 2018 highlights include Isaiah Wynn and Sony Michel. Sigh. Ja’Waun Bentley has flashed at times, other than that there was Ryan Izzo, Braxton Berrios, and Danny Etling as notable names that year. 2017 landed them Deatrich Wise and three whiffs. 2016 was the year they took Cyrus Jones with their first pick and he was an unmitigated disaster. They did draft Joe Thuney that year though who’s been great, Ted Karras has been a solid contributor on the OL, Jacoby Brissett filled in for a game, Elandon Roberts, and a huge what if player in Malcolm Mitchell who looked awesome before knee injuries prematurely ended his career.
So yea, 5 years and arguably two elite players in Thuney and *maybe* Onwenu, but it’s way too early to tell. Other than that Belichick has collected role players, which is a far cry from the 2010 draft he absolutely NAILED, picking up Devin McCourty, Gronk, Brandon Spikes, pre-murderous Aaron Hernandez, and even a starting punter in Zoltan Mesko.
Bill Belichick on @OMFonWEEI: "I mean, look, we paid Cam Newton $1 million. It’s obvious that we didn’t have any money. It’s nobody’s fault. That’s what we did the last five years. We sold out. We won three Super Bowls, played in a fourth and played in an AFC Championship Game." pic.twitter.com/5LGeUboNGA
I don’t say all this to be an alarmist, I say it to be pragmatic. This team is facing a tall order and needs to really nail their next series of moves and the next draft to set themselves up for a rebound. If nothing else do it to shut up the Fired Football Coaches of America chirping from the peanut gallery like Rex Ryan.
I was watching this live yesterday and Rex was trying to play it cool and say it matter of factly, but you could feel the simmering rage in his voice after getting beat like a drum by Belichick and Brady for years.
Sitting at 2-4 and coming off the worst loss in the Belichick era, the Patriots are at a crossroads. Not to be dramatic, but the result of this game could decide the next two years of this franchise’s direction. If the Pats lose Sunday they’ll have five losses for just the second time in the last 10 years and I’ll be forced to drink whiskey by the fire while playing old highlights on my phone.
Meanwhile Tom Brady is ripping it up in Tampa, was just named the NFC Offensive Player of the Month, and leads the NFC in QB Rating. Compared to Cam Newton and Jarrett Stidham who rank 39th and 40th respectively.
Julian Edelman just underwent a knee procedure and was placed on IR so he’s out for at least the next three weeks, N’Keal Harry is out this week with a concussion, and Stephon Gilmore is out with a knee injury too. So good luck to whoever is under center for the Pats today.
Oh and Stephon Gilmore just put his house on the market so thats encouraging.
Win or lose today, the NFL trade deadline is Tuesday. So the Patriots will have to decide whether they want to say fuck it and double down on a flawed squad and bring in reinforcements or concede this just isn’t their year and start selling off assets to stock the war chest for the future. Thats why this game is so monumental, if the Pats fall to 2-5, I fully expect them to trade off some key players, which would put this team into rebuild mode.
With that being said, I find it downright impossible the Patriots continue to play as poorly as they have the last two weeks and sink to the bottom of the league. Thats why I don’t think Clemson QB Trevor Lawrence is a realistic possibility so lets get that out of our heads right now. However, the Pats do need to find out in the coming weeks whether Jarrett Stidham is the next guy or not. Because if he’s not the Pats need to make a move this offseason. Whether thats the return of the prodigal son Jimmy G or it’s Belichick drafting a quarterback higher than he ever has before. I don’t know what has happened to Newton, I don’t know if he’s hurt, if he doesn’t have enough “weapons,” if he’s cashed, or if this offense just ultimately isn’t a good fit for his style of play. But the guy we saw in Seattle who looked like he would threaten for MVP votes has been a no show the past month. So this game is huge for him too because if Newton no shows again and the team sells off key players at the trade deadline, it’s going to be even more difficult for him to rebuild his value for next season.
So nothing to worry about in Buffalo except just the future of the franchise, no big deal. I did not expect to be staring at our worst record in a decade all before Thanksgiving so show us something today boys.
The 2013 Red Sox authored the single most improbable championship run I have ever seen. This Red Sox team was a squad filled with journeymen picked off the scrap heap, no names, and guys on one year deals hoping to revive their careers. Andrew Miller, Jake Peavy, Kohi Uehara, David Ross, Mike Napoli, Johnny Gomes, Shane Victorino etc.
The Red Sox were coming off a season in which they were 26 games out of first place and finished dead last in the AL East. They had just pulled the plug on the disaster that was the Bobby Valentine experiment after just one season so they were being led by their third manager in three seasons. So I can’t say I was expecting much from the 2013 team. Prior to the season, the front office signed a bunch of players that were essentially cast offs from other organizations in moves that at the time screamed Bridge Year. John Henry and Ben Cherington will tell you otherwise, but building a team like this was the definition of catching lightning in a bottle.
Except all of these forgotten has beens instantly bonded and banded together to quickly build a team chemistry that was rivaled probably only by the 2004 team.
I’ll never forget this quote from Jake Peavy.
“I’ve never been with a team that is as single-mindedly as focused to do everything they can do to be world champion,” Peavy said. “That’s not making any guarantees because you can’t do that. But we’re going to die trying.”
Goosebumps.
Every guy on that team felt like they were an underdog that had been written off. They all fueled off one other to individually have some of their best seasons and of course go on one of the most unlikely championship runs in baseball history.
Combine that with the emotional rollercoaster that was the Boston Marathon bombing and you had a team that became a rallying cry for a city in need of healing. Where 2004 had Cowboy Up, 2013 had Boston Strong and one of the greatest impromptu speeches from a Red Sox legend.
David Ortiz would go on to have an all-time performance in the World Series too, batting .688 with an absolutely ludicrous 1.948 OPS.
I was living just a mile down the road from Fenway in 2013 so I went to like 20 games that season so I feel an even deeper connection to this team. I still have the ticket stub on my wall from the best game I have ever attended: Game 2 of the 2013 ALCS vs the Detroit Tigers.
I also still have maybe the strangest piece of memorabilia in recent Red Sox history: ticket stubs for Game 7 of the World Series at Fenway Park.
I even have a giant framed picture of Jonny Gomes placing the World Series trophy and a Boston Strong jersey at the finish line of the Boston Marathon.
This team was bigger than sports.
The 2013 Red Sox also did what the 2004, 2007, and 2018 teams never got the chance to do; they closed it out at home. I’ll never forget Koji getting the final out and everyone at the bar tossing their $8 tallboys in the air before sprinting out onto Landsdowne Street to celebrate like drunk maniacs as fireworks erupted from the Green Monster.
Maybe they weren’t the best Red Sox team in franchise history, but I can’t say I’ve ever had more fun rooting for a team
Former Patriot and current Giants defensive back Logan Ryan just gave us the quote of the year when asked to describe Tom Brady.
“We have much respect for each other. To me, he’s the ultimate test as a player. He’s like the final boss in Mario or whatever game you might play when you’re on the last level and they have hammers and cannonballs and everything going off in the game. He presents every threat to you possible.“via SNY
That is more than just a quote from Logan Ryan, that’s art. Brady may not be on our team anymore (*pours one out*), but he’s still my quarterback. With that being said, get your Brady is the Final Boss t-shirts now!
“Family and Loyalty” came out last October on Gang Starr’s “One Of The Best Yet” album and if you know anything about me you know I am a huge J. Cole guy. So it’s pretty cool to see him link up with living legends in Gang Starr. Although with all due respect to Gang Starr, J. Cole absolutely murders this track and burns the whole damn thing down because thats just what Jermaine does.
I’m like the realest one you ever met If you don’t feel this one, give it a sec Go live a little, let the years pass Experience pain, watch the tears crash on to the floor Hurt brings wisdom Wisdom brings a whole ‘nother sort of understandin’
Let us never forget Gang Starr also had one of the best features on Entourage way back in the day when Vinny goes to buy a Rolls Royce.
ESPN – On Saturday, Nov. 14, the show will combine two of sport’s greatest traditions — college football and the Masters. ESPN announced on Tuesday that College GameDay will originate from Augusta National Golf Club, which is hosting the postponed Masters Tournament next month, Nov. 12-15.
“Any time College GameDay travels to a new destination, it’s special, and the opportunity to be on the grounds of Augusta National Golf Club during the Masters is extraordinary,” said Jimmy Pitaro, chairman, ESPN and Sports Content. “As this iconic event coincides with the college football season for the first time, we look forward to getting fans ready for a football Saturday while also showcasing the Masters and the greatest golfers in the world.”
Longtime ESPN hosts Rece Davis, Lee Corso, Kirk Herbstreit, Desmond Howard and others will broadcast from the par-3 course from 9 a.m. to noon ET.
So I guess ESPN just officially declared that November 14th will be the drunkest day of the year huh?
What a weird year 2020 continues to be. After having no sports for months during quarantine, it’s like we’re all drunk on the possibilities now and just stuffing everything together. Every single NBA team in one Disney World hotel? Did it. NBA Finals-Playoff Baseball-Playoff Hockey-NFL games all on a single day? Easy. Now we get a November Masters tournament with College GameDay busting through the door like your drunk uncle!
I’ve already begun my preparations for this event because well, ya know COVID. We’ve already had Boston Calling cancelled, live comedy shows postponed, a summer of games drunk in the Fenway bleachers axed, and sports bars won’t be opening any time soon.
Now I’m not a moron, I’m not campaigning for any of those things to reopen because I understand it’s just not safe during these UNPRECEDENTED TIMES. So I’m not about to have a bunch of people cramped into my apartment, we’re just gonna have to pretend we’re all in high school drinking in the woods again. Weather be damned. Mid-November in New England could mean temperatures in the 50s or the 30s so I’m really hoping for the former. Got the fire pit and the patio string lights already set up, currently browsing projectors on Amazon, maybe set up the putting green on the deck and just get blitzed outside watching the Masters and college football. Just make sure you dump your jacket outside before you go home so your parents don’t smell the smoke from the fire on you. Thats a dead giveaway.
COVID times call for desperate measures and winter is coming, so dress accordingly.
With just one week to go before Election Day, Kanye West is here with a new drop to remind you that he is in fact running for president because he is completely out to lunch. BUT, this song actually kinda bangs and has an A+ Star Wars reference right out of the gates.
Next time you text, can it wait? You are talkin’ to a presidential candidate (Candidate) I know you think Obi-Wan gettin’ tired now Don’t jump, Anakin, I got the higher ground
Now whether you are actually considering voting for Kanye after that is up for debate, but it’s nice to see Ye put out a new song that isn’t store brand church gospel music.
Coming straight out of the hip hop hot bed that is Canada, Lou Phelps is back with the debut single off his second album, “Nike Shoe Box,” which shows off a laid back delivery that eases you into his rhymes. That is far from a criticism as Eminem is my No. 1 ranked rapper of all time, but not every song needs to require a dictionary handy with machine gun flows like “Rap God.” And maybe it’s just because the beat reminds me of “High Rise,” but I’m getting a young Big Sean vibe from this.
Phelps is probably the first rapper from Canada since Drake to pop so maybe things are looking up for our overly friendly neighbors to the north.
Seattle lost to Arizona on a last second field goal in a wild overtime back and forth affair last night, but the Seahawks may not have even made it a game if not for this DK Metcalf play. In an uncharacteristically bad pass in the red zone (except for this one), Russell Wilson threw an ill advised slant that the Cardinals’ Budda Baker easily intercepted and was off to the house. It should have been an easy pick six as there was nothing but green turf between him and the end zone, except Metcalf was not having it. Metcalf turns on the jets, sprints 90 yards, and runs Baker down from behind.
It was eerily reminiscent of one of the greatest plays in Patriots history that actually came in a loss. In 2005 the Patriots were coming off back to back Super Bowl titles and finished a mediocre 10-6, which was still good enough to win the AFC East. That was essentially fool’s gold though as this team just was not that good and it was before Tom Brady really became the Tom Brady that would carry the Patriots and lead countless comebacks for years to come. After trouncing the Jaguars (and Brady’s current QB coach Byron Leftwich), the Pats moved on to play the Broncos led by Jake the Snake Plummer in the AFC Divisional round. Down 10-6 late in the 3rd quarter, the Patriots were in the red zone and threatening to take the lead. Brady gets pressured out of the pocket and rolls right, throwing on the run and tossing up a jump ball to an allegedly 5’10” Troy Brown. The throw was picked off by All-Pro cornerback Champ Bailey, who was 2 yards deep in his own end zone before taking off and running it back for a would be pick six. Only for Patriots tight end Ben Watson to run something like 110 yards from the opposite side of the field to chase down Bailey and SMOKE him at the one yard line.
Bailey was ruled down at the 1-yard line, which should have been ruled a touchback and Patriots ball but it was 15 years ago so I’m not gonna get worked up about that before I even finish my morning coffee.
The Patriots would go on to lose the game 27-13, but it was one I’ll never forget because of that one Ben Watson play.
Oh and the guy that DK Metcalf chased down ran a 4.4 40-yard-dash at the combine by the way so it’s not like he was running down some out of shape linebacker. If only the Patriots could draft receivers like that…
The 300s 