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Random Shots From Week 8

Joe Bryant's Random Shots From Week 8
By Joe Bryant, November 1, 2023

Random Shots From Week 8
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

Foxboro Wednesday morning...

I don't know how good of a basketball player Victor Wembanyama will be. But his Halloween Game is on point.

Travis Kelce with good advice. To get good at your job, learn how things work in the rest of the "game."

Also, good on the rookie for asking. Seeking advice from folks who are where you'd like to be is a cheat code.

My Bears Guy is back with a Tyson Bagent song.

This is pretty long at 6 minutes, but a sweet picture of perseverance.

I especially loved his sense of self-awareness and purpose. He said he felt God had placed him where he is to encourage other people who feel like they've been unable to achieve the things they want. Not just in football. If that resonates with you, this is well worth the time.

Rock on, Geno Smith.

Perfect.

No matter what you think of Deion Sanders, he's preparing his players for the real world.

This is how it works.

The snow in Denver was not a factor by game time, but the fireplace scoreboard early Sunday was so good.

My buddy Jeff knows things.

More Halloween goodness. This one unintentional.

Earl Campbell in a tear-away jersey was ridiculous.

On that note, the Oilers throwbacks are fire.

I sort of side-eyed the Titans wearing them but mostly let it go.

Then saw the NFL sent cease and desist demands threatening legal action against the University of Houston for this.

I get that zillion-dollar companies have armies of lawyers looking for things to do. And zillion-dollar companies stay zillion-dollar companies by aggressively squashing anyone and anything that dares to encroach on their turf.

But this feels lame. Do better, NFL. You can be all-powerful without being a bully.

On that note...

If you made me NFL Commissioner for the day, the new rule would be: If an NFL team pulls up stakes and moves, they start over.

Like what they made Art Modell and the Ravens do. I'm a capitalist and entrepreneur, and I love freedom. NFL Teams are businesses and have the freedom to operate where they and the league see fit. But if you ditch a city and their fans for a better deal somewhere else, you start over.

The team name and uniforms belong to and stay with the city and the fanbase. Just like God intended.

Barber skills. And cool of Bryce Young to do this.

Ok, then...

More throwback goodness.

Don't ever forget Randy Moss was able to pull this off.

I can't believe the Colts didn't win by 50.

Dad moment for Micah Parsons.

James Harrison: Still Scary.

Video is even scarier.

I'm not one that sits around and whines for the "The Good Old Days".

The Good Old Days are now.

But the game has changed.

Roughing The Passer in 2023:

Roughing the passer in 1976:

Cedarian DeLeon Lamb with Davante Adams vibes off the line.

I wasn't a believer in the NFL Scriptwriter thing, but these local-flavor backup QBs are making me reconsider...

I like Kenny Pickett. But can't lie, this is good.

Sean McVay Sunday...

If UCLA played as good as they look, they'd be National Champions.

Gym Goodness.

Arizona State Baseball for the win.

Thanks to Barbara Bryant for that one.

Oh boy.

Zach Moss says they all count the same.

Scorigami is when we have an NFL final score we've never had before. Got one Sunday. Because I know you folks need to know these things.

I think the calf is ok.

I still don't trust Will Levis after this.

Although love it for DeAndre Hopkins.

If you wonder why fans and teammates love Kirk Cousins, it's stuff like this.

And this.

Jim Nantz is a pro's pro.

This is the pettiness I'm here for...

Morgan Freeman does not care.

Accurate.

On a more serious note, I loved Will Levis standing up for his teammate, Malik Willis.

That look.

My weekly Mike McDaniel clip. This week, he expressed disappointment in Jalen Ramsey.

Be careful out there. Some people are sick.

This one isn't even sports. Just a reminder to be leery of the courtroom artist drawings.

If I ever need a portrait, I'm calling the person who did the bottom right.

There's throwing "off-platform". And then there's this.

Halloween Winner.

Music Note this week is the Front Bottoms. I saw them open for Bad Books, a Manchester Orchestra project several years ago. As soon as they began playing, a crowd of people, clearly there to see them open, went wild. One song in, I could easily see why. They're fantastic. Flashlight is one of my favorites from them. Turn this up as loud as it'll go.

Wrapping with this one.

Matthew Perry died Saturday. You may have known him from the TV show Friends. He'd openly battled drug and alcohol addiction in recent years. I'm one who consciously tries not to elevate celebrity lives (and deaths) above regular folks. But I thought what he'd said was important, specifically, how he wanted to be remembered.

From a podcast he did last year with Tom Powers.

"I've had a lot of ups and downs in my life but the best thing about me, bar none, is that if an alcoholic or drug addict comes up to me and says, ‘Will you help me?' I will always say ‘Yes, I know how to do that,'" he said. "‘I will do that for you, even if I can't always do it for myself.' So I do that, whenever I can. In groups, or one on one.

"And I created the Perry House in Malibu, a sober-living facility for men. I also wrote my play, The End of Longing, which is a personal message to the world, an exaggerated form of me as a drunk.

"I had something important to say to people like me, and to people who love people like me.

"When I die, I know people will talk about Friends, Friends, Friends. And I'm glad of that, happy I've done some solid work as an actor, as well as given people multiple chances to make fun of my struggles on the world wide web…

"But when I die, as far as my so-called accomplishments go, it would be nice if Friends were listed far behind the things I did to try to help other people. I know it won't happen, but it would be nice."

The lesson there for me and you is simple. Find the things you truly believe to be important. And do those. Lots of them. Celebrate those things and become known for those things.

So tonight, I tip the cap to Matthew Perry. A guy who did some acting but far more importantly, helped people with drug and alcohol addictions and helped people who love people with drug and alcohol addictions.

Rock on.

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

And thanks to Footballguys Keith Overton, Jake Bryant, Barbara Bryant, 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 Davante Adams Tyson Bagent Joe Burrow Kirk Cousins Sam Darnold DeAndre Hopkins Travis Kelce Will Levis Micah Parsons Kenny Pickett Michael Pittman Jr Brock Purdy Jalen Ramsey Geno Smith Malik Willis Bryce Young

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