Tag: NFL

Josh Gordon Reportedly Facing Another Suspension; Stepping Away from the Patriots

Welp that only took 11 weeks. Just when the Patriots are rolling and firing on all cylinders too. Oh wait no the team has lost two in a row for the second time this season and looks increasingly like a team in free fall ready for a Wild Card weekend exit. Ideal time for Josh Gordon to get busted once again for a to be determined drug offense.

Hopefully Gordon gets the help he needs because you need to be jonesing bad to continuously throw away opportunities to play in the National Football League. Going into the can on the Browns is one thing, but to blow a golden opportunity to be the No. 1 receiver for the New England Patriots is unbelievable. This could in all likelihood be the last we see of Josh Gordon in the NFL and thats a real shame because after watching him firsthand for the past several weeks the guy’s talent is undeniable.

This really, really hoses the Patriots though. Rob Gronkowski clearly isn’t himself, Julian Edleman is definitely dealing with some kind of lingering injury, and Tom Brady may be playing on a torn MCL. Now they’ll be without Josh Gordon and will be forced to lean on guys like Cordarrelle Patterson and Phillip Dorsett! This could be the nail in the coffin that is the clusterfuck of the 2018 Patriots season.

We’ll break this whole story down further when more details become available.

The 300s Bloggers’ Week 15 Only Big Z is Left Fantasy Football Round Up

So Big Z is the only one to submit a blurb today, which I’m guessing means everyone else is dead. And by dead I mean their season is over. RIP in Peace. Idk how Red expects us to get a successful #sports blog going when no one can even fuckin play fantasy football. O well.

Editor’s note: I have submitted my piece for the fantasy blog, dripping with contempt.

P.S – Google “Artie Lange’s nose. My God how is this poor guy still alive?

Joey B

I’m still setting line ups, etc. as I can still get a $20 high score of the week. Instead I got beat by 30 thanks again to Gronk and a still useless Matthew Stafford. (Idk how he actually played, but like Red, Stafford has fucked me all season).

Big Z

We’re on to the Third Place Game. For the second straight year.

I lost 74-66 in an ugly semifinal matchup. Not much to say, other than Tevin Coleman scored 24 points on my bench.

If I finish in fourth place, and out of the money, for a second straight year I’m going full tilt Week 17 and dumping a thousand bucks into Draft Kings.

Red

I got smoked this week entirely on the back of third string running backs. Never seen anything like it. My opponent had the Chiefs’ third stringer Damien Williams (naturally I had Spencer Ware) and the Steelers’ backup to the backup runningback Jaylen Samuels. As expected those two had 50+ points between the two of them. My fantasy season is sheets.

 

 

Calvin Johnson is Being Barred from the Recreational Marijuana Business Because of an Old Traffic Ticket

YahooCalvin Johnson, and his old Detroit Lions teammate Rob Sims, are trying to get in the Michigan marijuana business. Their application for prequalification for a marijuana dispensary, grow operation and marijuana processing facility was denied however, in part because of an old traffic ticket Johnson said he forgot about

According to Gray’s story, Johnson and Sims were denied prequalification status by the Michigan Medical Licensing Board because of some old, minor issues.

In Johnson’s case, it was an outstanding “failure to maintain lane” ticket from July 2014 in Atlanta. A spokesman for Johnson said he was unaware of the ticket and as soon as he heard about it, he flew to Georgia to take care of itStill, they were denied.

“One is nine years old and one is four years old and there are warrants out,” board member and retired Michigan State Police officer Donald Bailey told Gray. “They’re minor, maybe even meaningless, but the problem is their response. We’re entering this highly regulated market. And if this is their response, that’s a problem for me.

What a bunch of horse shit this is huh?

Whether you’re pro-weed or anti-weed, one thing you cannot deny is the absolutely absurd amount of money that it will generate. Not only for the business owners, but for the states that welcome these shops due to the crazy high taxes slapped onto every sale. I don’t know what it is in Michigan, but in Massachusetts it’s 17%. We still have the pearl clutching though, even as politicians plan on how to spend all that new money they’re suddenly flush with.

“Boston Mayor Marty Walsh said he hoped the the tax revenue from marijuana in Massachusetts would be worth the “human toll.”

Give me a break, Marty. Just look at the green Massachusetts has already raked in.

“Customers bought more than $4.8 million in marijuana in the first 12 days at the first two shops that opened for adult-use sales.”

And that’s with just two stores open. Insane.

Back to Calvin Johnson’s case though, this has been a problem for a lot of people trying to get into the business and it’s hard to ignore the hypocrisy of it all. The number of well off entrepreneurs with some money that are going to make even more money selling a product that tons of people got locked up for using and are are now unable to sell said product (because of those arrests) now that it’s actually legal is wild.

Now I’m not going to shed any tears for Calvin Johnson seeing as the guy made over $100 Million in his football career, but it does make you think about who will be getting shafted trying to get into the gold rush that will be recreational marijuana.

Patriots Steelers Week 15 Preview, Odds, and Storylines

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This is the one we’ve all been waiting for.

While the Pats have played premiere squads like Houston, Chicago, and Minnesota this season, there’s no doubt that this weekend’s bout with the Steelers is the one that most have had marked on their calendars since September. Though Pittsburgh is in the midst of a three-game skid, they’re still one of the AFC’s most talented and dangerous squads, and these two teams always have memorable battles – often with huge playoff implications – what seems like every year now. And this year is no different.

At 7-5-1, Pittsburgh still sits atop the AFC North; their shot at a bye is likely gone, but with Baltimore nipping at their heels for the division title, they won’t be taking this one lightly.

Before we get to the preview, here’s a look at where, when, and how to watch the game along with the latest lines:

  • Location: Heinz Field (Pittsburgh, PA)
  • Kickoff: Sunday, Dec. 16, 4:25 p.m. ET
  • TV: CBS
  • Odds (via Odds Shark): Patriots: -2 (spread) / Patriots: -132 (moneyline) / 52 (total)

It’s almost surprising to see the Pats favored in this one; the fact of the matter is the Pats have been a terrible road team this year, with a 2-4 record in games outside of Gillette. On the flip side, Pittsburgh is struggling a bit when playing in the Steel City this year, as they are 3-3 at home, surprising for a team that has typically had one of the strongest home-field advantages in the league in years past. The Pats have also won five straight against the Steelers, including the playoffs, but they barely escaped with a win in Pittsburgh last December on a very controversial overturned touchdown call late in the game.

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The fallout from this play dominated the sports talk air waves for weeks last winter.

Typically built entirely upon their offense the past couple of seasons, Pittsburgh has stepped it up big time on defense this year. That is not to say their offense, currently ranked fourth overall in the league, hasn’t still been great; it’s just that they also feature the league’s sixth-ranked defense against the run and are 12th against the pass. After struggling to run the ball against Miami’s putrid front last week, I’d leave Sony Michel, James White, and Rex Burkhead on your fantasy bench this week.

With two top-seven passing offenses, as well as a future H.O.F. quarterback and a lethal 1-2 combo at wide out on both sides, expect to see an air show on Sunday. As pointed out by Rotoworld’s Rich Hribar, the Steelers have also thrown the ball over 65 percent of the time since Week 6, the highest rate in the league, and with running back James Conner still being uncertain to play this week with an ankle injury, Big Ben might be forced to chuck it even more. However, Roethlisberger also injured his ribs this past Sunday against the Raiders, and while he should still play this week he could be a bit hindered. We shall see.

(SUNDAY MORNING UPDATE: James Conner is out this week. That’s good news for the Pats and their pathetic run defense [seriously, it’s been awful]. Jaylen Samuels and old friend Stevan Ridley will handle the load for Pitt in Conner’s stead.)

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It’s always a sight to behold when these two square off.

It should also be noted that Gronk was basically the reason the Pats were able to beat the Steelers last year, absolutely dominating the stat line with nine catches for 168 yards. As I’ve pointed out numerous times this year, the big fella just doesn’t look the same lately, and the Pats might not have as big of an advantage heading into this game as they did a year ago.

Fortunately, though, we still have Bill Belichick, and the Steelers have Mike Tomlin. That’s probably the biggest chip the Pats will be playing with this weekend, and there’s no doubt which team holds the leg up there.

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Be sure to stay tuned for the always entertaining Tomlin postgame presser on Sunday night.

Simply put: we’re in for a fun one on Sunday.

Storylines

To be entirely honest, it’s tough to pick which of the many different factors that will affect this game to highlight here. Due the long history between the two teams, I could probably write an entire book on them. There are such questions as: Are Brady’s (knee) and Roethlisberger’s recent “minor” health issues going to rear their ugly heads at some point?; Has Gronk finally put his long list of nagging ailments behind him?; Will James Conner play, and if so, how much?; Can Stephon Gilmore and Jason McCourty continue their strong play against the likes of Antonio Brown and JuJu Smith-Schuster? I think I already pretty much covered most of what you need to know above. I just CANNOT WAIT for Sunday afternoon.

Prediction

This one’s almost impossible to predict, as I really feel like it could go either way. One thing’s for sure, I think Vegas got it right this week; neither team is going to come out on top by much more than a couple points, at most. Due to the Pats’ struggles when traveling this year, I’m actually giving the slight edge to Pittsburgh. Especially if the team can’t establish anything on the ground, Brady’s going to need to eat his Wheaties for breakfast that morning if he wants to keep up with the Steelers’ high-powered O. In the end, I think the Pats suffer a heartbreaker, 31-27.

Patriots Dolphins Postgame Thoughts and Quick Hits

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Yeah. Wow. I’m just as speechless as everyone else is right now. That was about the worst way imaginable to lose a game.

But, in truth, the Dolphins shouldn’t have even had the ability to win the game on that final drive. The Pats left a lot of points on the table in this one, and there were numerous mistakes and missed opportunities that allowed Miami to even have a snowball’s chance to win in the end.

TWO missed kicks from Gostkowski; an inexcusable sack taken by Brady to end the first half; a pathetic effort on the ground against a bottom-of-the-barrel run defense, which was allowing over 140 yards per game across its previous 12 contests; a dropped interception by Stephon Gilmore – each of which had a direct effect on the outcome of the nightmare we experienced on Sunday.

(Or maybe – juuuust maybe – there’s some sort of voodoo magic at play, because it’s almost becoming hard to fathom the incredible misfortune the team has had down in Miami for multiple years in a row now.)

The crazy part is, Brady actually had a great game based purely upon his stat line: 27/43, 358 yards, 3 TDs, and 0 INTs. Also, his 37-yard touchdown pass to Cordarrelle Patterson in the second quarter was truly a thing of beauty. But, otherwise, his mind just wasn’t really in it. I honestly believe that he’s just completely in his own head whenever he plays down there, and he even admitted as much when talking about the sack he took to end the first half on MIAMI’s 9-YARD LINE – when he completely mismanaged the clock and failed to allow the team to secure what should have been, at the very least, an easy three points:

“That was a terrible play by me. That should never happen. I lost track. I thought we had one time out. We called the one, and we ran a couple plays, and I was just not thinking on third down.”

You’re right; that can’t happen there, Tommy. Even a rookie knows that.

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Even Brady couldn’t absolve himself of blame for that one.

And don’t even get me started on Gostkowski. Not only did he miss an extra point, but he also missed a 42-yarder, his fifth miss of the year. Sure, he’s been one of the league’s most productive kickers for the past 13 years, and you can do much worse. But he’s also missed some pretty big ones over that time, and often times it’s in the most inopportune of spots:

  • A shanked last-second field goal attempt in a regular season game against the Cardinals in 2012 – a game the Pats lost by two
  • A missed extra point against the Broncos in the AFC Championship in 2016, which forced the Pats to go for two late in the game; they failed, lost by two, and allowed Peyton Manning to get his second ring
  • Missed extra point in the Super Bowl against the Falcons a year later, which would have cost the game had the Pats not converted on TWO separate two-point conversions
  • A missed field goal AND a missed extra point against the Eagles in the Super bowl last year

Again, Gostkowski’s had a great career overall, but he certainly hasn’t been infallible, and he is far from “clutch.”

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You’ve done it again, Magoo!

Technically, the Pats are still the No. 2 seed in the AFC: With Kansas City’s overtime win against Baltimore yesterday, the Chiefs still sit in the top spot at 11-2; Los Angeles may have a better record than the Pats (10-3), but they play in the same division as Kansas City and can’t win a bye as a wild card; Houston, who lost to Indy yesterday, is tied with the Pats at 9-4, but the Pats beat them in Week 1 and hold the tie-breaker; and Pittsburgh all but eliminated themselves from contention with their fifth loss yesterday.

Still, Brady & Co. pretty much need to win out in order to keep their spot in the playoff pecking order.

A few more things of note from the debacle in Vice City:

  • Gronk, like Brady, may have had a solid stat line (8 REC, 107 YDS, 1 TD), but he is visibly hurt, or worn down, or both, and – as I’ve noted before – we could truly be seeing the beginning of the end. Not only was he blown by and completely WHIFFED on what should have been an easy tackle on the last play, but each of his catches on Sunday were pretty much just chain-moving plays with little to no yards after the catch. The explosive, rumbling freight train we’re used to seeing is having trouble leaving the station.
  • To be fair, that last play is probably more on the coaching staff than Gronk. I disagree with Red’s take that he should have been in on that play; I get that he was in to prevent the Hail Mary play, but, I’m sorry, Tannehill wasn’t reaching the end zone from 70 freakin’ yards away. Devin McCourty – or anyone with a good pair of legs – should’ve been in there instead. Bad call there. Very bad call.
  • Shoutout to Albert McClellan for his stellar special teams play. He had two blocked punts, including one that set the Pats up for what should have been a cupcake touchdown right before halftime. Not his fault the offense couldn’t punch it in.
  • Another shoutout to Julian Edelman for being such a consistent, reliable target for Brady. He did commit one pretty bad drop, but otherwise had nine catches on 12 targets, with a score to boot. He and Josh Gordon continue to be a great 1-2 punch at wide out.
  • Danny Shelton failed to see the field again for the second straight week. It seems as though that ship has sailed.
  • One quick Dolphins/NFL note: Frank Gore might be the most disrespected and underappreciated player in NFL history. I’m not even slightly exaggerating. Many might be shocked to hear he is SIXTH all-time in terms of total yards from scrimmage, and the 35-year-old still looked explosive on Sunday – rumbling for 92 yards on just 12 carries and adding a 24-yard catch and run. The guy is one of the best ever, and most don’t even realize it.

As mentioned above, next is up what is easily the biggest and most important game of the year, especially now, against the Steelers in Pittsburgh on Sunday. As always, be sure to check in at the end of the week for our preview of the big showdown.

Miami is a Hell Hole and It’s Where Patriots Seasons Go to Die

Only in Miami does that happen. Only in Miami are the Patriots just utterly incapable of beating the Dolphins regardless of how good or bad they are each year. I don’t know what the hell it is, but Tom Brady and the Pats just melt (get it?!) in Miami every season.

What’s worse is that the Chiefs just won in OT so this seals the Patriots fate. There’s no realistic shot at the No. 1 seed anymore. Thank god the Texans lost to the Colts today or we’re looking at the No. 3 seed and the Patriots are playing Wild Card weekend. So with three games remaining against the Steelers, Bills, and Jets the Patriots have to win out. Either way they will most likely have to go through Kansas City at Arrowhead Stadium in the playoffs, which is daunting enough as it is, but the Pats absolutely cannot fall to the No. 3-4 seed and be forced into playing on Wild Card weekend.

And for all the NFL head coaches on Twitter second guessing putting Gronk in there at the end can chill the fuck out. It’s way more likely that the Dolphins uncork a hail mary there than Kenyan Drake getting inside the 10 forcing Gronk to attempt a tackle in the open field.

God damnit.

Patriots Dolphins Week 14 Game Preview, Odds, and Storylines

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After Sunday’s sound victory over Minnesota, many might be expecting the Patriots to roll over the Dolphins in Miami this week. But, any true Pats fan knows that Miami has been Brady’s own personal hell throughout his entire career.

Not only are the Pats 1-4 in their last five trips down to Vice City, but look at just how bad Brady has been down there throughout his entire career, as pointed out by Danny Heifetz of The Ringer:

Against the other 30 teams in the league, Brady is 85-32 on the road in the regular season. In Miami, he is 7-9, giving him more losses in Miami than anywhere except New England. Hell, Brady has nine losses in 16 Miami games and 19 losses in 132 home games. Brady has thrown 15 interceptions in Miami, which is more than he’s thrown in any season of his career. No matter how destitute the Dolphins are or how unbeatable the Pats seem, a trip to Miami is the most dangerous thing for the team outside of a visit from Bernard Karmell Pollard.

So, yeah, it hasn’t always been a breeze down in Miami for the Pats. But before we hop into the preview, here’s a quick look at where, when, and how to watch the game along with the latest lines:

  • Location: Hard Rock Stadium (Miami Gardens, FL)
  • Kickoff: Sunday, Dec. 9, 1 p.m. ET
  • TV: CBS
  • Odds (via Odds Shark): Patriots: -7.5 (spread) / Patriots: -350 (moneyline) / 47 (total)

Rather than base expectations purely off of what happened in the past, though, let’s take a look at who Miami has been this season.

First and foremost, they’re just not very good – on either side of the ball. They’re ranked 29th in terms of both total offense and defense. And while they are 6-6, much of that had to do with a fool’s gold 4-2 start, which has been followed up by a 2-4 run since the middle of October.

Yes, it is true that they were without Ryan Tannehill for five games, forcing them to turn to Brock Osweiler (*BARF*) until Tannehill returned two weeks ago against the Colts. But even still, Tannehill had 52.6 QB rating over his last two games before the injury, failing to surpass 185 yards passing in either contest – with one of those games coming against Cincinnati, who has had the absolute worst defense in the league this season BY FAR. (Seriously, the Bengals defense is laughably horrendous.)

To be fair, he has bounced back with two straight 100-plus-QB-rating games over the past two weeks, with a very solid 5-to-1 TD-to-INT ratio. Miami is also 1-1 over that time, with the victory coming in a very close contest against Buffalo last week.

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Honestly, who ever really knows what to expect from this guy?

But even still this is probably the worst Miami team in quite some time, and now their bottom-of-the-barrel defense will be without stud corner, Xavien Howard, on Sunday. Howard, who is in his third year, leads the league in interceptions with seven and has quickly vaulted himself into the upper echelon at the position with his play in 2018. He’s yet to officially be ruled out, but ESPN’s Cameron Wolfe, who covers the Dolphins, doesn’t sound too optimistic:

If that’s the case, expect a nice game from Josh Gordon – and the rest of the Pats receiving corps, for that matter – as the Dolphins really don’t have much else at the position. Truthfully, this should be a great game for the Pats offense as a whole; Miami is also giving up 144.7 yards per game on the ground this year, due in part to the 180-plus rushing yards they’ve given up four of their last six contests. The Pats also carved up the Dolphins for 175 rushing yards when the teams met in Week 4, so expect Sony Michel – who had 112 of those yards – to FEAST once again this weekend. (Seriously, if you’ve got Sony on your fantasy team, fire him up!)

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Expect another electric showing from the rook down in the Sunshine State.

The one noteworthy “strength” (and I use that term loosely) for the Dolphins might be their running game. It’s a two-pronged attack featuring the ageless future H.O.F. Frank Gore and a talented but inconsistent third-year man in Kenyan Drake. After an 883-yard breakout last year, most people expected Drake to completely take over this year, but the 35-year-old Gore is not going away, quietly averaging almost 12 carries a game at a 4.43 per-carry mark. Drake has had his moments this year and is unquestionably the team’s top pass-catching back, but even still neither one has been all that impressive this year, and the Pats should be able to keep them at bay.

Storylines

(Can Brady Defeat His Demons?): As evidenced above, Brady is not a fan of playing in Miami. However, as also previously mentioned, this may be the worst Dolphins team we’ve seen in years, and I just don’t see how Brady can once again lay an egg down there. With Gordon now in the fold, Brady & Co. should be able to exploit Miami’s weak secondary; if not, then it’s really just all in Brady’s head and there’s just nothing else to say.

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Come on, Tommy. It’s time to change the narrative.

(Oh, Danny, Where Art Thou?): As I pointed out the other week, offseason acquisition Danny Shelton has been extremely disappointing this year. In fact, he’s been so ineffective that he wasn’t even active for last week’s game against Minnesota. Bill’s not afraid to quickly cut bait on bad investments, and hopefully it’s not the last we’ve seen of Shelton, who really does possess some solid talent. If he rides the pine again for the second straight week, however, it could signal the end of the 25-year-old’s career in New England.

(Will We See the Duke’s Arrival?): Even though he’s now been active for three weeks after being taken off I.R., rookie corner Duke Dawson has still yet to make his debut. It’s likely because of the fact the team’s current group of corners has been playing exceptionally well this year, and Dawson did miss a lot of valuable practice time while he was on the shelf. But still, the team needs to eventually see what they have in the young guy, on whom they spent a second-round pick in May.

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Can’t wait to see what this kid’s got when he finally gets his chance.

Prediction

I honestly expect the Pats to roll in this one, regardless of what past history tells us. The team’s offense should be able to destroy Miami with ease, and while Tannehill could have a surprisingly good game, he just doesn’t have enough around him to overtake what the Pats are bringing to the table. This one’s over quickly, and the Pats take it 38-17.

I Very Much Would Like to Hang Out With Mark Sanchez

For as much as we poke fun at Mark Sanchez here because he used to be the de facto leader of the Jets, he does seem like a genuinely good dude. Imagine if someone asked Peyton Manning this question? He would have had his father’s goons beat the shit out of the guy’s legs before he left the room.

But Sanchez handled that like a buddy was just busting his balls and laughed it off. Life’s too short guys, be more like Mark Sanchez.

The 300s Bloggers’ James Develin is a Playmaker Fantasy Football Round Up – Week 13

Welcome back. Another week and another 3 days of the highest of highs and lowest of lows. We laughed, we cried, we screamed at the tv/computer screen, terrifying dogs and neighbors alike. Fantasy amiright?!

The two most important things to note about this past week in the NF of L was that A.) Tom Brady has more career rushing yards than Sony Michel. Which is just embarrassing; and B.) James Develin is becoming a legitimate red zone threat which, laugh at it or not, frees up other skill position players for opportunities. In the words of Aubrey, “YEEEaaa, be very afraid.”

Red

I got NINETEEN points from my kicker this past week to just barely squeak out a win. Alas, I missed the playoffs by one game, primarily because Matt Stafford hosed me last week and multiple times throughout the season. But thats what happens when you click the wrong thing and accidentally draft an asshole in the 8th round. They say a pictures worth a thousand words and Yahoo helped me summarize my season in just one image.

Papa G

Blogger’s Note: That was seriously all Papa G submitted. Please keep him in your thoughts.

Big Z

The Z-Men won 121-98 in Week 13, led once again by Christian McCaffrey who put up a cool 25 points. James Conner iced the match Sunday night with two early touchdowns. The win is my squad’s 6th in 7 weeks, enough to improve to 9-4 on the season and secure a first round bye in the fantasy playoffs.

The bye week is huge because it guarantees me a “bowl game” and a crack at at least getting my money back. Let’s just hope I don’t run up two bills in my bye week and run out of gas down the stretch for a second-straight season.

Joey B

I lost again and am last in both pure record and points for for the year. I don’t know where it all went so, so wrong. Fuck you Matthew Stafford. Fuck you Jordan Howard. Fuck every WR not named Michael Thomas.

Mattes

So I failed to make the playoffs in both leagues, and it was a struggle to get out of bed this morning. For a guy who invests way more time than the average person following fantasy football and searching the depths of the Internet for any and all things related to it – no, seriously, it might be actually be a problem – this one really hurts. It’s not like my teams were all that bad either; I was top-three in points against in both leagues, and I lost two games by less than a point while freakin’ TYING another. I know I sound like a dope making excuses right now, but I picked up guys like Aaron Jones, D.J. Moore, Josh Adams, and Tarik Cohen this year, playing the wire like a fiddle all year long. But in fantasy as well as life, it’s all about who you’re matched up against, and it just wasn’t my year. I can still win the loser’s bracket in each league, starting with a first-round matchup against Red this week in one of them. I guess that’s something.

Run Tommy, Run is the Tom Brady 1K Documentary You Never Knew You Needed

People make these fake A Football Life trailers for all kinds of stuff and they’re usually terrible, but this one is very well done. Barry Sanders crushes it with his 50 yards a season line. We also see cameos from Willie McGinest, Terrell Davis, even media guys like old friend Mike Giardi.

At this blistering pace who knows how many rushing yards Brady can rack up before he calls it a career? 1,100? 1,200?! God willing.