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Random Shots From Week 4

Joe Bryant's Random Shots From Week 4
By Joe Bryant, October 4, 2023

Random Shots From Week 4
Photo: USA Today Sports

Hi Folks,

We do a ton of insightful, thoughtful, and serious features here at Footballguys with smart people thinking deeply for you.

This is not one of those features.

This is Random Shots, and it's a few pages of me downloading my brain that gets stuffed with way too many random items from too many hours watching, reading about, and listening to football every weekend and throughout the week. It's the only way I manage. Here's hoping it has some value for you.

We'll see. Now let's get to it.

J

Fantasy Football Commissioners are the backbone of our game. God Bless you Folks.

And for the rest of us, pay those league dues.

I love how Jonathan Taylor showed back up to work like George Costanza acting like he'd never quit...

Plus...

Texas High School Football.

Where the crowds are big.

The stadiums are first-class.

And officials rip the helmet off players that run into them...

Find someone who loves you like Mike Tomlin loves Zay Flowers.

"He runs into dark places at full speed" is my new favorite line.

We covered last week Coach Prime calling Nick Saban.

This week, Coach Saban returns the call.

I want to be as focused on Footballguys as Nikola Jokic is on playing basketball.

Guy plays for the Denver Nuggets and doesn't know who University of Colorado coach Deion Sanders is.

I don't know what I was thinking.

You guys are right, and Daniel Jones is indeed terrible.

Obviously, any other decent QB would be successful behind a line like this...

Although he did get paid.

In a world where lots of things are upside down, it's comforting to know we can count on the AFC South.

Here we go, Broncos.

Sometimes, this thing just writes itself, and my best move is to get out of the way...

This is probably the most damning evidence yet the league is actually scripted.

There's no way three dudes were that prepared for a Bears touchdown.

For all the shtick and attention the Mannings get, it's clear they love football. And quarterbacks.

Watch how both have the same reaction independently of each other when Daniel Jones throws the bad pick-six.

For what it's worth, Aaron Rodgers had the same reaction watching Zach Wilson.

I love words. I write for a living, and I love language. So stuff like this is right in my wheelhouse.

I'm pretty sure nothing can slow down Taylor Swift.

But if anything could, this might be it.

Back to Daniel Jones. Coach Brian Daboll was Giants fans everywhere after the play throwing the tablet.

In the post-game presser, Daboll was asked what he wanted Jones to have done on that play.

Daboll said, "Not throw an interception".

I see why Geno Smith was angry. The hip drop tackle is essentially the same worry as the horse collar and should be treated the same way.

Pittsburgh can't catch a break.

After losing to the Texans Sunday, their chartered plane was delayed two hours leaving Houston.

"And the week before, the team’s plane was forced to make an emergency landing in Kansas City on the way back from Las Vegas after defeating the Raiders.

That week, the team sat on its plane on the runway for over six hours, according to a team source, and a new plane was sent from Atlanta to Kansas City to take the Steelers home."

Will Ferrell was a guest on the Manningcast show this week.

Our Alfredo Brown with an observation.

Which is funny until I realized I'm old enough to be Alfredo's dad...

Rodney Harrison seemed frustrated that Chris Jones didn't agree with his statement on Zach Wilson, saying, "He is garbage."

Then Micah Parsons jumped in.

As did Lebron James.

I'm not going to lie, I did not have "Chris Jones, Micah Parsons, and Lebron James praising Zach Wilson" on my bingo card.

But with good reason.

Thanks to Footballguy Justin Bonnema for that one.

And JJ is right.

Sometimes, a Twitter caption is perfect. This is one of those times.

Hopefully, the Patriots have this all sorted now.

Music Note Of The Week is another old one. You know I love Nirvana. But you may not know this early cover of Immigrant Song. This would have been sometime in the late 80s. Love seeing Chad Channing on drums.

And let's be real, there are a zillion garage bands that have covered this classic. But this one is heartwarming knowing what's to come. It's from an early rehearsal at the home of Krist Novoselic’s mom in Aberdeen and it's a great reminder to get out there and support startup bands. You never know what they'll turn into.

I miss this band.

Sad but true.

We got our wish.

And because I know you folks need to know these types of things...

I knew this Cordarrelle Patterson tease was too good to be true...

There was more to the story, as Njoku had suffered burns on his face from a fire pit accident.

But this made for a wild image.

I've said we're living in the golden age of cameras. It's really technology in general. The Toy Story game had a few bumps, but the fact they could produce this in nearly real-time is mind-blowing.

Complete with Slinky Dog measuring the first downs.

Dan Orlovsky. Not great at staying in bounds. Or picking a pant color that doesn't make him look naked.

Why Women Live Longer Than Men.

Been there, Coach.

Been there.

I'd love to know the thought process with this. Had he never worn the jacket before? Did he not know what the sleeves were like? So many questions.

I refuse to believe anything other than this.

We're ready when you are, Mr. Commissioner.

The Ole Miss Powder Blues might be the best uniform in all of sports.

The other combinations are fantastic as well. One more fun twist of college football.

I don't know much about the NBA. But the media day photo shoots are wild.

Ja'Marr Chase vs. Waffle House.

The regular season for baseball ended this week, and we're on to the playoffs. I'm a free-agent fan, and I pick a team each year. This year, I'm going for the Twins. It's been a long time since they made much post-season noise, so we'll see. But in honor of the season, I'll wrap this year again with one of my favorite stories. And one I tell here often.

Heading into the last day, a doubleheader, of the 1941 baseball season, 23-year-old Ted Williams' batting average was .39955. He could have sat out the meaningless last two games of the last day, and his average would have rounded to the hallowed .400 mark.

From the sabr.org article: "In his autobiography, My Turn At Bat, Williams recalls Joe Cronin telling him, 'You don't have to be put in if you don't want to. You're officially .400.' Ted reports his reaction: 'Well, God, that hit me like a ***damn lightning bolt! What do you mean I don't have to play today?'"

But you probably know the story. Williams put his .400 mark at risk and played. Both games. And went 6 for 8, finishing the year at .406.

That's badass.

How that applies to you and me is simple. I feel pretty safe in saying we're not going to hit .400 in the majors. But we all get to walk to the plate every day and take some swings.

Take yours.

Thank you for being part of this goofy journey with us.

And thanks to Footballguys Keith Overton, Jake Bryant, Justin Bonnema, and Clayton Gray for the help. If you've got a Random Shot of your own, email me at bryant@footballguys.com.

Thanks for playing along, and I hope you make the most of whatever you're doing in your life. Love your neighbor and stick together.

Peace and Grace to you.

J

Photos provided by USA TODAY Sports
Tags Fun Timeless Ja'Marr Chase Zay Flowers Jahmyr Gibbs Chris Jones Daniel Jones Mac Jones Cooper Kupp Drake London Patrick Mahomes II Puka Nacua David Njoku Micah Parsons Cordarrelle Patterson Aaron Rodgers Isaiah Simmons Geno Smith Jonathan Taylor Zach Wilson

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