Tag: NFL

Kick It Sunday

OAKLAND RAIDERS PRACTICE

First Sunday of the NFL 2017 season is here. My fantasy line ups stand ready. I’m confident in my teams this year. I have a few question marks, wait and see’s, however I expect a strong year in both leagues again. The Choose One, Derek Carr and my Oakland Raiders face their equals in the humble Marcus Mariota and the Tennessee Titans at 10 AM (PST). This week couldn’t end any better. Next week couldn’t start any better.

The last few weeks have challenged my patience and confidence in myself.  I just need to remember to keep faith in myself. Don’t underestimate myself. Don’t under sell myself. Keep believing in my personal and professional goals. Continue doing the right things, even when no one sees it or appreciates it. I have a huge ego which I need less of. Don’t get in my feelings all the time. It’s a strength and a weakness. I need to make sure I use the strong side of that sword, and avoid the dull side.

Today I’m taking the opportunity to enjoy some football, see the glass is half full, not empty, and appreciate the things I have now. Look forward to realizing my dreams. Have more patience with my fantasy teams, The Raiders, my career, my personal life. Learn when things don’t go how I want them to get frustrated so easily. Don’t give up, be persistent for things I want. They say life’s too short, but there’s so much life still left to live. Start enjoying it more and often. Life is too short not to take every opportunity to experience it but long enough to avoid living in your short comings.

Raw Thoughts After Season Opener

NFL: Kansas City Chiefs at New England Patriots

  • The Patriots defensively rely too heavily on Dont’a Hightower. After he went down it was open season on the Patriots defense. Alex Smith looked like Joe Montana.
  • Tom Brady is still a legend, but his running backs and receivers were just a bunch of guys. Danny Amendola is no Edelman. There’s no threat in the middle of the field. Gronk was invisible.
  • This defense is still really vulnerable from last year. Yeah they won a Super Bowl but got burned by Atlanta and I’m pretty confident saying New England got every break they needed cap off an amazing come back. Give credit where it’s due but The Falcons lost that Super Bowl rather than New England winning it.
  • The Chiefs are the real deal when Alex Smith’s job comes into question. Smith played with urgency I haven’t seen since his Jim Harbaugh days. It’s like he finally has something up his ass to get his shit in gear. He was at his best. Let’s check back after week four but they can go all the way if he plays like this throughout the year.
  • Say what you want about Tyreek Hill the person. He’s trash. As a fantasy player on my team, he’s highly productive. Looks like he’s the number one receiver for The Chiefs and makes Alex Smith better by being a reliable target and world class athlete. Again, garbage person, but promising player.
  • I wish I drafted Kareem Hunt. Don’t we all? For a guy I knew nothing about and where he was drafted in my leagues there was no way I’d take him. No one has a crystal ball but he was stout last night. Let’s also be fair, New England’s defense was pathetic and vulnerable. I don’t believe Hunt will have a better performance this year but will he continue scoring touch downs and racking up yards, no doubt. He’s a legitimate work horse back for this team. Best since Jamaal Charles.
  • The New England Patriots will still at least make the AFC Championship. Look, it’s no secret. They’ve gone through many changes to their roster but the last three times during the Brady-Belichick era the team started 0-1, The Patriots won the Super Bowl. Don’t forget the last time The Chiefs routed them, even Bill Simmons called the era dead, during his Grantland days. The Pats will adjust to their failures and the personnel changes. I’m not going against that brain trust until it’s truly over, i.e. they leave the team.
  • Don’t fall into classic Belichick mantra. Virtually everyone is perceiving doubt on The Patriots now, which is probably what the team wants. With a big loss to a very good team, he can really get into his players mistakes and shortcomings. It’s a lot harder to do that with a winning team. A losing one, the coach has leverage to get on everyone’s ass, including Brady’s. Now Belichick can preach to this team about how everyone doubts them and they have something to prove now.

The Fall Guys

C'mon Man

As the NFL season approaches, ESPN has cut some old Countdown faces and added new voices to their programming. The Mothership completely ousted Ray Lewis and Cris Carter while retaining Mike Ditka, but removing him from Countdown. Matt Hasslebeck, Randy Moss, and my man and former Raider great Charles Woodson will fill out Countdown. Trent Dilfer may also be out of ESPN though nothing has been officially reported yet. Either way the purging in Bristol continues almost everyday.

I have to say these acquisitions are upgrades over the last incarnation of the program. Ditka is uninteresting or uninsightful. Hasslebeck has been talked up over the years as a sharp guy. I expect his long career as a back-up and franchise player to bring a modern perspective the show has needed for a while. I’m sure people still want Berman and Tom Jackson out of Countdown. Wingo is the man, but there is still a bit of magic and nostalgia when I see those two together. They have a distinct chemistry that takes years of working together and a bit of luck. It’s kinda like the Spurs. Surround the old fading guys with new fresh talent. They keep the ship up but the old anchors bring the experience I like in key moments. I’m sure they and ESPN know Woodson, Moss, and Hasslebeck will carry the weight and bring a modern perspective to Countdown.

Hasslebeck recently backed-up Andrew Luck which should bring unequaled insight to his development as a player and the Colts organization. Their GM Ryan Grigson sucks. He’s only employed thanks to Andrew Luck, not even Al Davis couldn’t fuck that up, and his boss happens to be Jim Irsay. Not a man or family known for making good decisions. Hasslebeck also helped take the Seahawks to their first Super Bowl and once backed up Brett Farve. He should bring an intelligent take on many situations that will arise each NFL season. I look forward to seeing if he can separate himself from other former-commenting-players on TV.

The other two analysts seem more unknown but have retired more recently from the NFL. Maybe they can offer more contemporary opinions. Moss was at Fox for a few years but I saw him maybe once on air. I’d bet most of America never saw him on Fox. This will definitely raise his public profile. Woodson is a complete mystery however. Just retired from the league, I biasedly expect him to be good eventually but it may take the season for him to learn and feel out his new job. Over the next few seasons I expect my Raiders to start competing for the playoffs and hopefully someday contend for a deep run. It seems unlikely now but many of the key pieces are in place with Derek Carr, Khalil Mack, Amari Cooper, a strong offensive line, and a developing defense. As the team grows and gains success Woodson’s relationship with the team may help him on Countdown.

I like these new hirings for ESPN. They’ve been taking a beating, rightfully so, for cutting and losing former employees. These changes were smart and probably cheaper. It’s not clear what lead the Mothership to dropping Carter and Lewis. Their contracts may be up. ESPN usually extends contracts before the last year is up according to Dan Patrick. If you check in after his interview with Mike Tirico he mentions this practice. Perhaps they planned on letting Lewis and Carter go for cheaper replacements. They certainly have excuses for letting each of them walk. Lewis was never great. He ended up relying on cliches and couldn’t give viewers insights on the game like a Cris Collinsworth. I don’t remember a time where he pointed out a nuance in a game that we as the viewer could never see without a solid analyst. Carter was far better than Lewis but he’s definitely replaceable. The fall guy comment with Warren Sapp doesn’t help either. He might get a job elsewhere. As NFL Memes said, R.I.P. C’mon Man.