This is it. The start of the 300s media empire. Unless you’d rather listen to guys scream at each other on the radio about why Drew Pomeranz should be coming outta the bullpen. This is a podcast from real fans who talk the way you do; no hyped up hot takes or mock outrage. Just shooting the shit. In the very first episode of The 300s Podcast we talk about how Los Angeles has too many football teams, NFL coaches getting fired/hired, the Red Sox rotation vs the Mets, how the Islanders ended up with a bastard dragon as their mascot and is it possible to buy season tickets without having a panic attack? Subscribe today!
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A Bunch of Uber Successful Coaches Saying Bill Belichick is the GOAT
Meant to post this yesterday, but applies even more so today. Joe Torre, Doc Rivers, Coach K all saying how Belichick is not just the best football coach, but the greatest coach of all-time in any sport.
“I think he’s [Bill Belichick] the greatest coach of all time. In any sport.” – @DocRivers https://t.co/ig0iyZV0ya
— NFL (@NFL) January 14, 2017
Patriots Advance to SIXTH Straight AFC Championship Game
So last night the Patriots advanced to their SIXTH straight AFC Championship game (NFL record) after topping the Texans 34-16. It wasn’t exactly the easy street blowout most of us expected, even though the Pats did cover the highest playoff point spread in 20 years. But a win is a win is a win. TB12 was rushed and hit all night (2 sacks, at least 6 hits), with a couple of late hits from JeDeveon Clowney as the Texans D tried to do something, anything to stop the Patriots.
Tom Brady temper tantrum dot gif https://t.co/gUsZfBzaME pic.twitter.com/vSHxS4L429
— SB Nation (@SBNation) January 15, 2017
As they came to learn though, the Patriots are like the goddamn tide on the beach, they cannot be stopped. Any time the Texans D did anything positive to get some momentm, Brock Osweiler immediately reminded everyone why he’s been a huge waste of $70 million.
When Brock Osweiler sees McCourty jump his route for the INT. #Patriots #Texans #NEvsHOU #NFLPlayoffs pic.twitter.com/Howstlz2tm
— The 300s (@The300sBoston) January 15, 2017
Dude threw 3 picks last night to destroy any chance the Texans had of staying in the game. And I would be remiss to not mention Dion Lewis having an absolutely befuddling game, all while dominating. Three touchdowns. Two fumbles. Receiving, rushing and a kickoff returned for a TD. Have a day kid.
I was starting to sweat a little bit down the stretch, not because the game was in doubt, but because Tom Brady, Martellus Bennett and other key players were taking unnecessary shots in a game that was already decided. Not to mention Tom Brady had a relatively mediocre game (47% completion percentage) so expect to come out and tear it up next week. Edelman and Hogan were huge per usual, making a bunch of clutch catches to bail out the Patriots offense. Now its time to watch the Steelers and Chiefs beat the crap out of each other to earn the right to play the role of sacrificial lamb next week. ONE MORE!
The Patriots Drive for 5 Continues Tomorrow; RIP Texans
So just a quick post here late on a Friday. Just wanted to point out the fact that the Patriots are the biggest playoff favorite since 1998 with a spread somewhere between 15.5-16.5 over the Texans, depending on who you ask. Thats 3 scores folks. Remember, we did beat the Texans 27-0 with our third string quarterback.
I expect a swift and ferocious beatdown of old friend Bill O’Brien and his squad. Even JJ Watt pump up speeches and letterman jackets can’t stop it.
This is the Drive for 5, this is for Roger Goodell, Ryan Grigson, the Wells Report and every other asshole involved in the DeflateGate story. This is for freedom. Lets get it boys.
Chargers Moving to Los Angeles; Are You Happy Now NFL?
Hilarious. The market that the NFL held over owner’s heads for two decades as the white whale. The market that subsequently drew middling interest and awful TV ratings with just one team last year, now has TWO goddamn teams. As a friend of mine so eloquently put it, this is like Atlanta having two hockey teams. There’s just no need for it.
But as you all know, I love unnecessary shit. Add in the fact that the Chargers will be playing in an MLS stadium for the next two years (which seats 27,000 people) and its even better. I mean, if nothing else, this means I need to buy Madden again this year right? I’ve never played a professional football game in the house that Landon Donovan built.
Granted the Rams were a god awful team last year, but the people of LA were not exactly clamoring for ANOTHER NFL team. One of these teams better get real good real quick, or its going to be a lot of empty seats and a lot of Stephen A Smith rants on why the NFL needs to abandon Los Angeles, again.
Now for the coup de gras….the Raiders to Vegas. We got teams moving left and right, shit hole stadiums falling apart all while the Raiders are still playing on a BASEBALL field. Seriously they share a stadium with Billy Beane. Thats just not the 70s Raiders everyone talks about. No, they need to be in a city of debauchery and Sin City has that in…wait for it…spades. I’ll see myself out.
Red Sox Re-Sign Jackie Bradley Jr. for $3.6 Million to Avoid Arbitration
ESPN – “The Boston Red Sox have avoided salary arbitration with Jackie Bradley Jr., agreeing to a $3.6 million deal with the All-Star outfielder, a source told ESPN’s Jerry Crasnick. Bradley made $546,500 last season and will be eligible for arbitration in each of the next three years. Bradley, 26, enjoyed a breakout season in 2016, batting .267 with career highs of 26 home runs, 87 RBIs and 94 runs scored. He was voted a starter for the American League in the All-Star Game and helped Boston win the AL East with a 93-69 record.”
Its a good thing the Red Sox stuck with it when guys like Jackie Bradley Jr were struggling because with all the $20 million pitchers on the roster, theres not really much money left for expensive outfielders. Now the Sox have one of the best outfielders in all of baseball and all 3 guys are on rookie contracts. As anti-Theo as Dombrowski is, that is exactly what Theo preaches. Build up your farm system to be the core of your team and then add in a few high priced vets to fill out the roster, especially pitching.
I’m sure JBJ’s number will continue to rise, but if he puts up numbers similar to last year then $3.6 million is an absolute bargain. Not a bad bump for him either, essentially getting paid 6x what he made last year. I’d take that deal every day of the week.
LA Rams Hire the Youngest Coach in NFL History and I Love It
If you wanted to move on from the shit storm that was the Jeff Fisher era AND make a splash in LA, this is how you do it. Hire the youngest coach in NFL history. 30 year old Sean McVay, the offensive coordinator of the Washington R-words, is the new coach of the LA Rams.
Don’t make the mistake of hiring another mediocre coordinator or a guy who’s already been a crappy coach in the past. Inject some new blood, some excitement and a guy who actually has created a great offense and built up a QB in Kirk Cousins. Thats what the Rams needed. God knows Jared Goff needs it. Plus it will be wild to see a guy who looks like a ball boy calling the shots from the sideline.
I *love* wunderkinds, especially in industries that are dominated by old boring guys. Bill Belichick is the best coach in the history of the league and I would take a bullet for him, but he is an old boring guy. If a dude who’s basically the same age as me can succeed as an NFL head coach then that makes all the blood, sweat and tears I’ve poured into Madden over the years all worth it.
It reminds me of when Theo Epstein was named GM of the Red Sox back in 2002 when he was TWENTY EIGHT! Thats insane. I can barely pay my bills at 28 and I certainly can’t balance a check book and he was managing one of the biggest franchises in all of sports at that age.
So yea, I always root for young guys getting a shot in front office and coaching positions, mainly because it just happens so rarely. Hopefully he pans out better than Josh McDaniels first go as a young head coach in Denver, which blew up in less than 2 years.
Sports are tricky because all of the players will be around his age, if not older, so it can be easy for that to become a distraction. It looks like McVay is already doing his best to combat though, surrounding himself with very experienced coaches to counteract his inexperience, which is smart. He just brought on 70 year old Wade Phillips to be his defensive coordinator. A 30 year old head coach with a 70 year old DC is still a hilarious image to think of. That is a can’t miss TV sitcom. Its too bad the Rams were on Hard Knocks last year because I would watch the shit out of that show.
Joey Porter is Shockingly Still a Moron
ESPN – “Steelers assistant coach Joey Porter is returning to the team a day after his assault charges from an alleged altercation at a Pittsburgh bar Sunday night were dropped. Porter, the Steelers’ outside linebackers coach, spent four days on team-administered leave but will be part of the coaching staff for the divisional playoff game Sunday at Kansas City, the team announced.”
Joey Porter got arrested last week in Pittsburgh after the Steelers won at a downtown bar for allegedly assaulting a bouncer. The charges did ultimately get dropped so he’ll be back on the sidelines this weekend for the Steelers. Every time I hear about a guy assaulting a bouncer my ears perk up. I used to be a bouncer for a few years back in the day and let me tell you, I can probably count on one hand the number of fights door guys started. It’s not because they don’t want to, trust me they want to bash all of your brains in. Its just that its too long of a night with too many drunk assholes mouthing off. If you took it personal and started a fight with everyone you’d be in Road House on a nightly basis.
So yea, innocent until proven guilty, except for the fact that Joey Porter is the definition of a mouthy asshole. In case anyone forgets, he’s the one who, as a coach, walked onto the field last year to start shit with Vontaze Burfict. This is also the same guy who was accused of assaulting a cop in 2010. In both cases the charges were dropped, but is that more of a case of wrongful arrest or more of a case of a rich athlete getting let off light? If a guy talks shit for more than a decade as a player and has multiple arrests for assault, well then I’ll side with the bar employee on this one.
Either way, solid coaching staff up there Tomlin, keep it up.
Red Auerbach Got Tossed from an ALL-STAR Game?!
I don’t know how I never knew this, its just such a sweet piece of bar trivia. And of course Auerbach is the only guy to ever do it because he’s an innovator. Put this Snapple fact in your memory bank and never let it go.
What a glorious Red Auerbach tidbit I never knew. #Celtics #NBA pic.twitter.com/PA1j4wY5kp
— The 300s (@The300sBoston) January 12, 2017
Pacific Pro Football Coming in 2018. YES! COUNT ME IN!
Yahoo – “The three are spearheading Pacific Pro Football, which is set to begin play in the summer of 2018. This is a new professional league, yet it isn’t looking to compete with the NFL – a la the now-deceased USFL or XFL. It is instead, a right-sized developmental option for young players. It has the potential to change the route to the NFL for many who neither want, nor find worth, in the current NCAA system. And it will give the NFL, which is often frustrated at the style of play and the secrecy of the college ranks, a place with a preferable set-up for training and identifying potential draft picks.”
Pacific Pro Football. YES!
USFL? RIP. NFL Euro? RIP. XFL? RIP. UFL? RIP Arena Football? Somehow still kicking around. But a new football league? Count. me. in. Will this be a potential disaster for already entitled teenage athletes? Ya probably. If I had thousands of dollars when I was 18 I’d probably be throwing deplorably named parties in exotic locations. But I get to watch another new type of football so I’m in.
Plus how pissed must some of these athletic freaks be? You mean I’m 6’4″ 240 lbs but I have to go pretend to go to class for 3 years so I can get paid? Even the NBA only requires 1 year with its newer rules. Now will most 18 year olds be ready for the League? No, absolutely not. But I’m sure JaDeveon Clowney would have been just fine a couple years earlier. So this PPF league aims to act like more of a developmental league, which could actually be a great idea. How many guys come into the NFL with great physical traits but absolutely no idea how to take a snap under center, read a defense, run a full route tree etc. This could help reduce the likelihood of NFL busts. Not to mention the whole injury concerns all these young guys have, leading to the new movement of guys just up and skipping bowl games. My man Jay-Z said it best on Dead Presidents 3:
Like LeBron or Sebastian, high school graduates
Straight to the league, I ain’t waitin’ for my knee to blow
Yesterday I was needin’ this dough
The 300s 