Just an open page for me to drop notes/ideas/things I'm hearing/seeing/working on or just caffeinated or lack of sleep thoughts on football items.
SUN 2/2/2025
*FFM App still having some offseason work done/updates if you are getting notifications from us hot-and-miss.
-- The Dallas Cowboys hired Cardinals offensive line coach, Klayton Adams to be their new O-C under Brian Schottenheimer. And I like this hire...Adams is an up and comer coach in the NFL. He’s got most of his history on the O-Line (played center in college, coached it in college and pros) and some with the TE (coached TEs for the Colts a few years ago...his first real leadership/coaching spot in the NFL).
He’s smart. He’s respected in the industry. He’s a quick-witted comedian personality that everyone ever around him says he’s the funniest coach they’ve ever been around, but he can get serious and gruff as needed. On paper, this is a really good hire for the open O-C job AND he has a future hope for more (head coach), so not a retread or ‘settling’ hire -- this is a smart hire.
Four quick notes about Adams to Dallas...
1) In our internal offensive line metrics, the Cardinals were the TOP offensive line unit/grade we had for the 2024 season. A rare ‘A’ grade for both run and pass blocking.
PFF rated them #4 in pass blocking and 13 in run blocking.
We had them #3 run blocking and #3 pass blocking...only team with ‘A’ grades on both blocking measurements/analysis in 2024.
Adams was a successful (and we say HIGHLY successful) O-Line coach in 2024.
2) One of the first names we all heard Dallas was interviewing for the open O-C job was Ken Dorsey...who is a disaster and made me scared for Brian Schottenheimer earlier this week.
Dallas bypassing Dorsey and making the savvy move to land Adams -- it’s a very good thing for Jerry and ‘Schotty’.
3) Brian Schottenheimer is a run game mindset game; we can tell from his history in the NFL. Klayton Adams seems to be a run game offensive mind as well.
Dallas is going to load up at RB this season...whether free agency or the draft...or both.
4) Adams was part of the staff in Indy that pushed for the drafting of Jelani Woods. If the Colts cut Jelani this preseason...and the Cowboys snag him in free agency -- it would be ‘interesting’, is all I’ll say for the oft-injured, disappointing...but mega-talented Jelani.
-- Coming up FFM today...
We have two of the nation’s best mock drafters (per the annual contest of mock drafters) back doing their thing...Ross Jacobs debut yesterday and Mr. Xavier Cromartie has his 1.0 mock coming today!
The next scouting report SUN/MON as we’re getting ready to have a slew of them pumping out for the next 3+ months. Senior Bowl week is over, my traveling slows down/stops for a bit after the Super Bowl week.
The FFM/NFL Awards tournament finishes this MON-TUE (the Conf. Final Fours) and the finals on WED with the NFL announcing their awards THU night.
Senior Bowl re-grade series start SUN/MON
-- Tales from the road...
So, I’ve been on the road a lot the past two weeks and again this Super Bowl week. And I have to share some things that aggravate me about traveling...I have to get some things off my chest, or my mind is going to combust. So, in my notes the next week or so I will share some stories and aggravations from the road. And I hope to finish it in a few weeks with another diatribe about how I hate travelling. I will NOT retire so I can ‘do some traveling’. No thank you.
My main gripe today is a long time agitation that I’ve railed on prior years, but it’s getting worse in the inflation era/corporate cutting back on everything era. My grievance today is: At this point, hotels should pull the ‘hot breakfast’ offering. Why are people so geeked about the ‘hot breakfast’ at the hotel? Hotels seemingly have cut things to the bone so much that it’s barely a real meal offering -- and I stay at mostly midrange Marriott brand hotels (Courtyard, Fairfield, Residence Inn, etc.) because I hit a top lifetime status with them thanks to my earlier life in corporate work, so they are decent-ish hotels that I get free room upgrades and perks on -- but the breakfasts in all of them have sunk way down over the years and continue to sink...yet, there are plenty of people at the trough each morning.
When have you ever gotten up in the morning and were thinking about breakfast...whether cooking at home or going out, and you were trying to decide what you wanted/what sounded good -- and you quickly arrived at: I REALLY want some powdered eggs in a wet/humid vat so they’re soggy and put some randomly overcooked or undercooked sausage patties with that -- but not just a normal pork sausage patty, please make it turkey sausage, that for some reason was featured at the hotel this morning. Who wants turkey sausage? Not even the rare few humans on earth that eat that garbage really want it, they just think they’re being healthy somehow -- so why would any of us want any of this while traveling away from home/on the road?
Maybe we can get some lukewarm orange water (supposedly juice) or brown hot water (supposedly coffee) to wash it down/kill the taste? If hotels are loathed to offer us breakfast, but they have to, so they reluctantly go one step above lowest-cost prison food to throw at all of us -- then just cancel the breakfast entirely and lower my hotel rate by $5 and we’re good...I’ll go find my own breakfast from a place that specializes in it. Why would I think the Residence Inn has a great chef in the back cracking eggs and making things from scratch? But there I am rummaging around the sad options, waiting behind the person who is going to make up the nightly rate they paid in free breakfast food as they try to stack their plate a foot high. Why am I accepting the bland food at the hotel because ‘it’s free’...when there’s probably 5-10 good to great breakfast options within 0-2 miles of the hotel.
Oh, but wait, there’s make-your-own waffles! What am I...six years old? When have I had a waffle for breakfast in the past decade NOT at a hotel? Answer...never. And I love a good waffle, but where are you ever getting fresh, great waffles? Frozen waffles are OK, but not something I crave/have on hand at home. And I’m not whipping up batter at home and getting a special cooker out to make waffles for breakfast...I hate cooking. I also don’t want to cook at the hotel. The basic hotel waffles are made with tasteless, cheap batter that cooks up to look like a waffle but it’s really not...it’s like a Styrofoam 3-D printer creation of a waffle. Pour enough syrup over it and you might not realize the scam.
My goal is going to be, for the rest of this trip...avoid the depression of the hotel ‘hot breakfast’...don’t let myself get suckered in because ‘it’s free’. It is never satisfying...ever.
SAT 2/1/2025
-- It’s all but a sure thing/done deal that Kellen Moore will be the Saints new head coach, it appears. They cannot meet again until after the Super Bowl. Most of the other candidates have dropped out.
If the Saints aren’t focused/closing in on Moore (and they may already have a verbal agreement but don’t want to disrupt Moore’s prep for the Super Bowl)...then I have no idea what the Saints are doing. Moore has a ton of leverage right now...which is why I think they’ve already ‘made’ a deal, they’re just waiting for post-Super Bowl.
I want to say ‘no way’ the Saints are still deciding and giving all this leverage to Moore, but I also don’t want to sell the stupidity of any NFL owner or GM short...especially what we’ve seen of the Saints of late.
-- Tampa Bay promoted pass game coordinator Josh Grizzard to offensive coordinator. This is an interesting development I need to learn more about. The basics of what I know...
Grizzard IS a pass game guy...he favors the pass game. Whereas Liam Coen was all about the run game. This is a big switch potentially...if Grizzard is allowed to run his offensive stylings...not sure he will. Dave Canales was kept in a box by Todd Bowles’ desire to run up the middle for an offense. Coen was perfect for Bowles.
What I know of Grizzard...he doesn’t seem like a forceful personality, so he’s likely to just do whatever Bowles says. Grizzard is likable and may be a genius...but his current personality/experience, to me, he doesn’t seem to have a real swagger or confidence yet.
-- A ‘wow’ story (below) about C.J. Stroud...and why Bobby Slowick isn’t around anymore. And it’s a ‘good’ for Stroud moment, as I thought it might be...but even better.
The Texans are interviewing some very interesting (for Stroud) O-C candidates, and some not so interesting ones. When they make the hire, we’ll review it. It’s one of the openings I’m most FF-interested to see how it goes.
-- Coming up FFM today...
Ross Jacobs 1.0 1st-round Mock Draft report gets us kicked off for Mock Draft season!
We have two of the nation’s best mock drafters (per the annual contest of mock drafters) back doing their thing...as Mr. Xavier Cromartie has his 1.0 mock coming Sunday!
The next scouting report SUN/MON as we’re getting ready to have a slew of them pumping out for the next 3+ months.
The FFM/NFL Awards tournament finishes this MON-TUE (the Conf. Final Fours) and the finals on WED with the NFL announcing their awards THU night.
Senior Bowl re-grades start SUN/MON
FRI 1/31/2025
-- My review of the Pete Carroll intro press conference...
So, I’ve watched five new head coach intro press conferences so far (Johnson, Glenn, Coen, Schottenheimer)...and this was by far the most boring. And that is probably a good thing. Pete Carroll has nothing to prove to a bunch of media goofs at this stage. The media questions were mostly about ‘why return to coaching’ and ‘are you worried about being so old’. It was embarrassing, by the media. Probably the worst, most useless set of questions that I’ve witnessed from any team’s media in all of these 2025 intro press conferences.
Pete Carroll took all the questions in stride, and he had very pleasant, grandfatherly responses. We really learned absolutely nothing from him here...and that’s OK. It’s basically: Pete loves to coach, so Pete is coaching...and he wants to win. He has the cache and resume to be able to say that and there’s no sense talking about anything else.
The new GM from Tampa, ex-Michigan teammate of Tom Brady, John Spytek was seated beside Carroll the whole time. He looked a little uncomfortable, which is understandable because it’s his first lead gig. Carroll was calm and relaxed, hands folded comfortably in front him answering questions politely. Spytek looked like a criminal brought in for questioning and he was trying to play it cool, but didn’t look cool/was having internal strife -- he had his hands under the table probably fidgeting his legs and hands, he talked fast...sounding and looking like a bit of a used car salesman, or more like an investment firm’s broker/salesperson that wants to talk to you about Crypto and emerging markets.
When asked about his vision, the new GM went into the ‘we want players who love football’ schtick as if no one has ever thought of that. I got news for you...there’s 31 other GMs also trying to get ‘players who love football’ too...they say it all the time. If that’s your best response to a question you knew you would be asked several times in interviews and press conferences this month...then I’m not filled with any great confidence at this stage.
Also, the new GM said he is looking for players who fit the ‘Raiders way’. Every new Raiders GM has said the same thing for a decade+, and the Raiders have sucked for how long now? Maybe you need to find players who DON’T fit the ‘Raider way’?
But credit to Pete Carroll for not pandering to the current owner or deceased owner, nor to the fans or talking about any ‘Raider way’ bullshit. He was just nice, polite, and happy to be employed.
-- Former Jags O-C Press Taylor abandoned Jacksonville to go work the same job in Chicago.
I wonder if Taylor and Johnson knew each other prior, and Taylor tipped off Ben Johnson to how messed up it is working for the Jacksonville ownership and Trent Baalke (still employed then), and thus Johnson dismissed the Jacksonville job early on? Just a thought.
-- When I saw this headline, I was immediately knocked off my ‘hope’ horse on Brian Schottenheimer: ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reports the Cowboys are considering Ken Dorsey to fill their offensive coordinator vacancy.
I will be very impressed if Dallas rejects Dorsey, after meeting with him.
I will be very depressed if Dallas meets with Dorsey and offers him work.
-- This news blurb speaks for itself from yesterday: Bengals Director of Player Personnel said “he’s done nothing” when asked if Jermaine Burton deserves a roster spot next season.
-- Coming up on FFM today...
Senior Bowl Day 3 Notes
Coming SAT: Ross Jacobs 1.0 1st-round Mock Draft!
Next scouting report SUN/MON as we’re getting ready to have a slew of them pumping out for the next 3+ months.
The FFM Awards tournament finishes this MON-TUE and the finals on WED with the NFL announcing their awards THU night.
THU 1/30/2025
(8:04amET)
-- The Brian Schottenheimer intro press conference review...
I did not expect to like this as much as I did.
Put me down as ‘rooting’ for Brian Schottenheimer now. What world is this?
Most of these intro press conferences for a new head coach hire are about 30+ minutes long and it’s 2-5 minutes of the Owner and/or GM speaking first then turning it over to the new coach for the rest of the time. However, this intro presser was 1+ hour long.
You know why...
Jerry Jones.
Jerry was right by Schottenheimer’s side the whole time. Literally, the group sat at a table the whole event -- Steven Jones, Schottenheimer in the middle, and Jerry.
Schottenheimer spoke for the first 8 minutes and did fine...then they went to the media questions, which the first one went right to Jerry Jones, who spent 12 minutes on the answer. Every question was either for Jerry, or for ‘Schotty’ (as the Jones’s kept referring to him as, which I think was the wrong thing to do)...but then Jerry had an answer for every question not directed to him as well.
I say that about Jerry, and you get an image in your mind of Jerry making this about himself...and that he feels he’s the real coach/GM, and there is some/a lot of truth to that but let me paint a different picture of what I also saw/thought...
As it pertains to Jerry Jones at this press conference...he stole the show...literally and figuratively. It was almost like a long dialogue scene out of Breaking Bad or Better Call Saul or some other all-time-great drama/story -- you saw Jerry Jones, the impassioned leader of the Cowboys franchise being about as honest as he could be with long, compelling soliloquies throughout this presser (that was supposed to be to intro Brian Schottenheimer).
Jerry’s heart was on his sleeve. He was actually crying early on. He wants to win at ‘this game’ so badly -- if I were a Cowboys fan, I’d be so torn...because this guy (Jerry) bears the blame for a lot of the deficiencies in the franchise for decades but he’s also 1500% committed to winning it’s insane/admirable. He loves the Cowboys more than any single Cowboys fan that exists on the earth today. I’m not sure there is an owner who can match his dedication and passion...even if that’s what is killing the ability for the team to get to the Promised Land. You want Jerry to be your team’s owner...I think...but you will hate him tomorrow or next January after they finish behind everyone in the division. But you cannot deny his passion for this effort...he genuinely wants it more than anyone on the planet.
As to Brian Schottenheimer... When the hiring was announced, this felt like a ‘settling’ by Jerry...a guy no one has seriously wanted as a coach, but then Jerry hires him...and you think Jerry is doing it to have someone he can control, and I think that is part of it. That was the feeling before this intro press conference.
However, after watching and listening to Schottenheimer -- I now have hope in this hire. I am, at a minimum, rooting for him. He handled this moment very well. He was so honest, humble, likeable without being sappy or ‘soft’. He also had a vision...he had a connection with the players. He’s not a taskmaster, but he’s not a goofball like Liam Coen was in his intro presser, but he was not Aaron Glenn who no one wants to challenge or ask hard questions of at all for fear/respect. Schottenheimer won the crowd...won the room...won the press conference, just by being so likeable, humble, but professional and not silly or weak...he was direct and humble without being forceful or a pushover. He may go on to suck as a head coach, and maybe the Dallas situation is unwinnable by any coach because of Jerry -- but Schottenheimer may be uniquely able to balance ‘Jerry’ and the locker room.
I see what Jerry sees in him...kind of the overlooked hidden gem manager (in Jerry’s mind) that Jerry is going to pluck from the depths, against the consensus thinking, not as ‘sexy a choice’ and makes him a success, which then Jerry can eventually take a ton of credit for. I think Jerry really likes Schottenheimer and wants him to succeed. I want Schottenheimer to succeed. I just don’t know if he can here...given the Jerry heavy hand and given the power of the Eagles and Commanders now.
I walk away from this press conference ranking the new head coach press conferences/my confidence levels...
1) Ben Johnson...a new McVay hope.
2) Aaron Glenn...a new Dan Campbell hope, but may go too far when he has the reigns?
3) Brian Schottenheimer
4) Liam Coen...likely to finish last on this ranking for the whole cycle.
*(not listed) Mike Vrabel...he’s not my jam. Josh McDaniels is a bad sign on what I thought Vrabel would be like. We already know Vrabel, so I’m not going to microanalyzer his intro press conference because he’s not new.
Intro press conference reviews to come: Pete Carroll, then the Saints hire someday. I will go through the Carroll presser, however, because I want to see what the vibe is. Then I assume Kellen Moore will be the Saints new HC, because there is no one else left to choose from...but we’ll see.
-- Coming up on FFM today...
Senior Bowl Day Two Practice Notes.
AFC South Awards tourney
Luther Burden Scouting Report out THU night or FRI morning
I’ll be observing Senior Bowl practices and tape all day and reporting out on each practice day WED-THU-FRI and covering the game SAT with a Sunday or Monday report out on the game/final wrap up of the week.
WED 1/29/2025
(6:46amET)
-- Let’s talk about the Liam Coen intro press conference...
There was a lot of stir/buzz (bad) and mocking of this presser...before I ever watched anything on it -- so I was already bracing myself for the worst here. But I didn’t think it was as bad as the critics are railing about it. It definitely wasn’t great, but it wasn’t horrible...it wasn’t as bad as some intro pressers that I’ve seen.
It reminded me a little of Nick Sirianni’s awkward intro press conference, which was one of the ‘bad ones’ that I can recall...and look where he is now. Coen was a little ‘too enthusiastic’ and a little nervous/fidgety, but it wasn’t so awful that we must slam the door shut on him already…but we can have our hand on the door, ready to push, if needed…
There were two things that Coen was getting ripped on...
1) When he did a ‘Duuuvaal’ call during his speech. It was a little silly...unbecoming of the dignity of a head coach trying to impress...more suited for a college program maybe. Coen has a more college vibe than an NFL vibe...
2) When asked about whether the GM Trent Baalke getting fired changed his mind on taking the job, he said ‘no’ and deflected...and looked uncomfortable -- but what is he supposed to do? Is he supposed to say: ‘Yeah, once that dude was fired, I was all in!’ Tough spot for him, and he handled it OK enough in a no-win situation.
After watching it all, I definitely felt like Coen was NOT ready for this/a head coach in the NFL, just judging his intro press conference. I think the Jacksonville owner was probably panicking when they lost out on Ben Johnson...and Shad Khan took over the decision making (not good for the Jags, at all) and probably got suckered in by Coen’s puppy dog enthusiasm.
I previously watched Ben Johnson and Aaron Glenn totally dominate their pressers and dominate their owners and/or GMs that spoke before them. Johnson and Glenn came off as being in total control and having a plan. By contrast, Coen just seemed ‘happy to be here’ and was not as quick or confident to answer questions as Johnson or Glenn, and Coen displayed nowhere near the command of the room. I think the Jags could be ‘in trouble’...again.
...BUT we’ll see what kind of staff Coen puts together and what players they target in free agency and the draft...before we totally write him off. But Coen is definitely starting in a hole from his first impression compared to Johnson-Glenn.
-- A possible sign of the Titans NOT counting on a QB in this year’s draft...
Yesterday’s NBC headline: Titans coach Brian Callahan said Will Levis will work with independent quarterback coach Jordan Palmer this offseason.
Before you blow by that note as not that important...note that Jordan Palmer worked with Joe Burrow, and that’s where Callahan would have some overlap/connection with Palmer, so it was likely Callahan’s setup. That’s a hopeful sign for Levis.
Jordan Palmer agreeing to take on Levis is also a good sign. Palmer doesn’t waste his time...he’s worked with many of the top QBs (including Herbert, Mahomes, Allen, etc.). That he’s willing to work with Levis is a good thing for all us remaining, aggravated Dynasty holders of Levis.
Think about it -- if this draft class stinks at QB, what else can Tennessee do? Their best option is to fix Levis. As they should...he’s better than any QB in this class.
And I don’t care if anyone scoffs at my claims about Levis. I’ve been through everyone being so sure that other temporarily failed NFL QBs, ones the NFL mocked and wrote off at the first hint of trouble/for not ‘pleasing’ them like with Nick Foles, Baker Mayfield, Jared Goff, Jalen Hurts and the list goes on.
I am worried the NFL groupthink momentum will get to Levis like it did Nick Foles most of his career, but I don’t doubt the talent. I know what I see. And I see them all. Unless there is an injury or an off-field issue, there’s no reason to give up on Levis after a erratic 2024 working behind that total garbage offensive line situation. Levis has a ton of talent, and you saw it flashing through off-and-on the past two seasons. There’s something there and I’m glad to see Tennessee is not giving up on it.
-- Coming up on FFM today...
Senior Bowl Day One Practice Notes.
AFC North Awards tourney
East-West Shrine TE preview scouting/grades/rankings.
I’ll be observing Senior Bowl practices and tape all day and reporting out on each practice day WED-THU-FRI and covering the game SAT with a Sunday or Monday report out on the game/final wrap up of the week.
TUE 1/28/2025
(7:53amET)
-- I’ll break down all the new head coach intro press conferences here in RC notes all week, one a day (unless something else gets in the way)...with the plan of getting to them all this week, and we have several of them all hitting today.
First up, I’ll give my thoughts on Aaron Glenn’s intro...
...and, again, I want to reiterate -- the press conference is just one piece to look at when trying to get any handle on what to think of these coaches. Who they fill their staff with...who the GM is...what they do in free agency and in the draft says way more than an intro press conference, but I like to see how these guys handle the moment and command the room and if they give any clues on anything on the players, etc.
My overall feeling on the Glenn presser... It was fine. It was very different from Ben Johnson’s, but they all don’t have to be the same way...but it is worth noting the comparison of the two ex-Lions turned new HC’s intro pressers. In Ben Johnson’s EXCELLENT press conference intro there was no owner talk/presence, the weak GM spoke/stammered for 1-2 minutes and then Ben Johnson held court, in total control for 20+ minutes.
At this Jets/Glenn intro...owner Woody Johnson spoke for 5+ minutes...why he did, I have no idea. A useless 5 minutes. Then the new GM spoke for 3-5 minutes. Both the owner and the new GM essentially gave various ‘thank yous’ and told a story/yarn...all completely useless. Then Aaron Glenn got up and held court...like a low-key preacher, and I mean that as a compliment. A 7-minute speech giving various thanks and then seemingly running out of some set time to where he had to shoehorn in his 1-2 soundbite lines, that he seemed to have preplanned (I think). Then there were 7 final minutes of questions for Glenn and the GM, all totally pointless/generic/dull questions from the media...a media who the camera panned out to as an individual asked their question -- and once again the media looked like a collection of homeless people were looking for a soup kitchen meal but had to sit for the press conference first...dressed like crap, slouching in their chairs like slacker school students in their chairs, asking totally generic or useless questions. The Chicago media was unseen (by me) on the video press conference, but their audible questions were more targeted and challenging a bit, I thought. Ben Johnson probably got 10-15 questions to deal with; Glenn got like 4.
Glenn brought a presence. You can tell that he’s a serious coach, and he always has been, but now he’s been turbocharged by being around Dan Campbell and the winning/thing they built in Detroit. Glenn won’t take any crap from players; he has earned a reputation, and I think that’s so key in today’s NFL with some of the high-paid NIL babies/spoiled young kids hitting the league. Glenn ain’t gonna tolerate any nonsense...and you know he means it. Glenn has some of Dan Campbell’s persona but is scarier, where Campbell can be more charming in his directness/toughness. I don’t think we’ll see Glenn ever in tears at a presser like Dan might do from time to time, and that’s OK...just noting differences.
Aaron Glenn’s personality, and I assume brand of football, is exactly what a loser franchise like the Jets needs -- defensive minded, forgo finesse players and divas, get mentally tough players in to play in a crappy stadium and division for weather, etc. I think Glenn will be some level of success...potentially a quick/instant bump because there is a good defense already there...and the rest of the division sucks except Buffalo.
Players ‘like’ Mike McDaniel in Miami...but that’s because they are also walking all over him, because they can...because McDaniel has little gravitas or presence. Glenn...no one is going to cross him, or they are out. He will flush the Jets of locker room/player nonsense quickly. Whether he is a good scout of talent and can put together a great staff together, we’ll see. Glenn is not a fake tough guy coach like Robert Saleh...Glenn is the real deal of tough coaches...he’s got more vision, more real world scouting history, a better connection with players than the Mike Vrabel hiring by the Patriots...and you see the garbage ex-Pats staff Vrabel is already assembling. Vrabel and Josh McDaniels are world class A-Holes that almost no one wants to play for...Glenn is not an A-hole, he’s more the tough-love military dad you know you need to get to a next level and is someone you want to go into battle with -- that’s going to be Glenn’s advantage in this division. Coaching comparison from a personality/aura judgement, Glenn is instantly the best coach in the AFC East. Whether he can get a QB, have an offense, draft/scout or game manage with the elites...we’ll see. Josh Allen makes a lot of coaches look good.
I will add...first impression of the new Jets GM...oh boy, Glenn is gonna have to carry the entire load. Glenn does not have his Brad Holmes (Lions current GM), at first glance. But Glenn should be able to steamroll over the GM and get what he wants...and we’ll see if what he wants is any good in the next few months/year.
-- I saw this headline today in the FF news: Packers coach Matt LaFleur said, “If there’s an area we gotta do a better job on, I would say featuring the tight end.”
Another strike against the GB offense/passing game for FF into the future...another hit for Jordan Love and the WRs, as was seen in the 2nd-half of 2024 season when GB became a run-dominant team. It’s gonna be an RB-TE theme for Green Bay ahead, it appears...with the WRs starved to death, for FF...and Love with QB2/2.5 numbers, no longer allowed to be a higher volume passer.
-- Coming up on FFM today...
Playoff Game Report (BUF-KC)
AFC West Awards tourney
Abdul Carter Scouting Report
I’ll be observing Senior Bowl practices and tape all day and reporting out on each practice day WED-THU-FRI and covering the game SAT with a Sunday or Monday report out on the game/final wrap up of the week.
MON 1/27/2025
(8:21amET)
*NOTE: Doing some tweaks to the App notifications, so you may not get any App notifications on posted items the next 24-72 hours.
WSH-PHI first reactions...
-- Jalen Hurts healthy enough + 4 Commanders turnovers = Washington gets crushed. The Commanders were likely to lose as it was, but everything went against them as well...and they got thumped.
-- Lost my Washington +pts bets AND lost on props overall as Zaccheaus and Dyami both got good surges right away and then got abandoned late...falling just short. I did win the Hurts UNDER bet on his rush total but lost most of the Ekeler props...who got the touches but didn’t do anything with them for yards. Overall, a 30%+ loss for this game on all things combined.
-- Great game, in the end, by Hurts while not at 100%. Hurts deserves a Super Bowl title...after everyone in football wanted him benched or for PHI to trade or draft for all kinds of QBs to replace Hurts in his first 2 seasons. Does anyone remember when most every Eagles fan wanted Hurts replaced by something better for about 2 years? Enjoy his second trip to the Super Bowl in a few weeks for his Hall of Fame career.
Jalen Hurts > Lamar Jackson...always has been.
-- I wonder who will be the odds-on favorite for the NFC East come May schedule release...Philly or Washington?
-- Will Kliff Kingsbury get the NO job now? Or will he just reject an interview to stay with Jayden Daniels? It’s a big deal for Jayden’s 2025 outlook. I think Kliff might reject the Saints request, if they ask.
BUF-KC first reactions...
-- Josh Allen played a great game, but when the Bills lost Christian Benford early...it was one foot in the grave from there. Dalton Kincaid later summarized his particular season by not-catching the game’s most critical throw/play, late on 4th-down and right into his hands...and right out (to be fair he was diving for it in a crowd)...and KC moves on again!
-- Who guessed KC would go back to the Super Bowl led by Kareem Hunt and Xavier Worthy and JuJu...with Pacheco, DeAndre Hopkins effectively benched...and Kelce-Hollywood not doing anything...and Rashee Rice is God knows where?
-- How is it that Mack Hollins was the best WR to have played in this game...and yet he cannot get retained by any team from one year to the next?
Jacksonville spent $39M/3 years, $24M guaranteed on Gabe Davis in free agency. Buffalo spent $2.6M/1-year on Hollins, who is now a free agent AGAIN.
-- Thank you to James Cook, my biggest Prop bet of the week...for hitting and taking a climb up ‘the ladder’ for some extra/high odds payouts. What I ‘net lost’ on WSH-PHI various props, Cook made up for and then some...a +31.5% ROI Prop bet weekend on total.
I lost my original WSH and BUF ATS bets, but in-game, when Benford went down for BUF...I started grabbing KC in-game ATS bets...but that only meant I ended up losing more ATS money because I had a bunch of KC -3.5 or greater and not enough KC +1.5 or -1.5s or -2.5s that I also got...but James Cook also accounted for the ATS losses as well. Why I continue to bet ATS when I know better is...is because I’m a degenerate, but I know I suck (50/50 guy) at ATS, so it’s only light amounts...I can quit anytime! Stick to Props RC, you idiot!
-- Coming up on FFM today...
Playoff Game Report (PHI-WSH)
AFC East Awards tourney
East-West Shrine WR grades from Ross Jacobs
Working on a Senior Bowl top 10 mock draft, going into the week, from a Dynasty/Fantasy perspective.
Maybe a fresh scouting report, if I can get it done by evening’s end...or early tomorrow release. 3-4 scouting reports planned this week, depending on how the Senior Bowl events go.
-- Crumbl Report...
1) Two weeks in a row with no Crumbl for me. Trying to cut some weight...not really doing well after a quick loss to start the year, I started traveling and ‘enjoying’ things. Gotta get back on the wagon...but this upcoming next 2+ weeks is lot’s of travel, and lot’s of food available.
Between the Senior Bowl, Royal Rumble (my annual, fun guy’s hang weekend), and the Super Bowl...I’ll be on the road a lot of the next 2 weeks...meetings, sitting on bad hotel chairs to work, watching/scouting football, typing, driving a ton of hours, and eating. Not a good combo for the diet.
My neighbor literally brought me over a fresh baked loaf of bread at halftime of KC-BUF last night...his hobby is bread baking...and my new hobby is eating his creations fresh out of his special bread baking oven. I wish there was such a thing as the high carb diet for weight loss...I’d be killing it.
2) Speaking of the high carb diet...what’s it looking like at Crumbl this week?
If you like Cookies and Cream things...you’re gonna love the look of their Cookies & Cream Cake featured item this week. Too much chocolate for me, except Oreo is my kryptonite chocolate item...not huge on chocolate but I do love Oreos.
They also have Strawberry Shortcake this week...that hits me where it hurts. Must...resist...
Confetti Cake Cookie is always good.
Banana Bread Cookie isn’t bad.
Macadamia Nut is not a nut I enjoy, at all.
Lemon Poppy Seed cookie...’pass’.
Crumbl week’s visual: https://youtu.be/APeloQmIzNk?si=SrYnRZ3HAA4fBdyr
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