American football

Amazing amount of unforced handling errors too!

went to bed midway through the third quarter, could feel Tampa squeezing the life out of KC, and despite the magical nature of mahomes, couldn't see them making a comeback.
Wonder if Brady runs it back for another go with Tampa. Despite my lack of love for Brady, quite happy for the rest of the Tampa team to get their hands on the big trophy, some big names on both sides of the ball who've finally managed to get a ring, and you'd assume some of the players that Tampa drafted never thought they'd get to this point unless they left Tampa.

I stayed the course because every time I go to bed around Q3 I miss something magical... Last night the writing was obviously on the wall from 20 mins in but I couldn't risk it.

Today is an abstract fog.

You would need a heart krafted from pure belichik
not to rejoice in the first touchdown pass to Gronkowski.

Yeah I don'y know who they gave the game's MVP to but it had to be Gronk no?

Halftime Show was fucking great

No

Went upstairs to die immediately after the game finished and don't know who got MVP, but it should've been Devin White.

it should've been Devin White

Yep, but of course it wasn’t

Was it Brady?

Just looked it up, yep, Brady.

Wrong.

But unsurprising.

Good piece on the lack of black head coaches being hired this season.

https://www.theringer.com/nfl/2021/2/10/22275715/nfl-black-coaches-hiring-cycle-help-wanted

this season

....

Fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck. It's going to be a bad offseason.

10 years of the one of the best defensive lineman ever to play and a lock for Canton.

Just.

Gone.

Watson will go for a load of picks that they will fuck up or he'll sit out the year. Fuck. Just move the whole franchise to another city like they did last time. JFC I hate the business of sports.

He'll probably go Tampa at a cut price to win a ring. The rich get richer

As a fan it hurts I know, but there’s something honourable about the Texans letting JJ Watt go as a free agent rather than trading him. They get nothing for him, when I’m sure there were plenty of teams ready to give them some second or third round picks for a chance to see what else he’s got left at 32.

If only the Bears could get JJ and Deshaun I would be a very happy fan. Just a pipedream, Carson Wentz is more likely, unfortunately....

The draft and it's socialist implications have always been interesting to me, coming from a promotion and relegation background watching football. So the rise and fall of prospects in the draft and the racial component of it is fascinating, especially when black quarterbacks fall because of perceived faults in their ability to handle the intricacies of their position, and how often they are moved from the role they've been playing since childhood to athletic/skill positions usually wide receiver, which does happen to their white counterparts but not as often or prominently.

I thought with the emergence of players of the quality of Mahomes, Watson, Wilson, Murray and Jackson, as QB's who could throw with accuracy and touch, make all the reads and progress through them, as well as audible out of plays because of defensive adjustments, whilst changing their protections, and STILL being able to gain yards with their legs, that the bad old days of typecasting black quarterbacks as being run first, not progressing through their reads, unable to be pocket quarterbacks and not being intelligent or accurate enough as their white counterparts were gone.

But the fall of Justin Fields, who is thought of as the 2nd best QB in this years draft, whose had compelling college performances, and the potential, for many, to surpass the top pick of this draft has made me wonder whether the old lazy stereotypes will ever go away. As lauded as Josh Allen has been, his principal traits of being big, strong and quick, whilst keeping plays alive with his feet, being able to run with the ball, and having a cannon of an arm are stereotypically black quarterback traits, and I wonder if he were black and in the same position would his stock have fallen as much as Fields?

Obviously the draft is still to come and Fields might be taken 2nd overall, and all the words written breaking down his play and attributes may mean nothing to a team looking for a franchise QB and instead his college play and career will determine where he lands, but I wonder if he does fall, where does this leave other black quarterbacks coming after.

Anyway here's the article that got me thinking about all of this

https://www.theringer.com/2021/4/14/22383093/justin-fields-draft-stock-narratives-pro-day

Jourdan Rodrigue had a cracking piece on The Athletic this week about Les Snead and McVay shunning senior bowl etc in an attempt at finding an edge in the draft by zigging while others zag and spending time elsewhere.

Not race related, but really good draft content beyond the usual silly season speculation nonetheless.

yeah read that, they are putting a lot of weight behind the analytics, and trying to use their scouts in a more efficient way. Very interesting in terms of how they are letting the film do the talking for a player, rather than gut feeling/personal preference define who they think is best.

Do wonder how long McVay and Snead will stay in be able to hold onto their positions with their zig rather than zag philosophy? If Stafford fails in their offense, does it put them under pressure, or is it the case that as long as they have a winning record, and make the playoffs they'll be okay?

Good article this.

Urgh. So much of American football is still the Good Ol' Boy network. Look at the decrepit ownership of the league and the college football programs. It just refuses to die.

Yeah you get a load of good ones o. The ringer. Between that and the athletic, it means I don’t really have to spend anytime on Espn or sports illustrated, espn’s app and website are borked on mobile or were the last time I used them..