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
The Holidays are upon us. Let's open like we always do with the best rendition I've heard in a while of "Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas" courtesy of that noted Holiday Crooner - Bill Belichick.
Just like last year, I'm starting right off the bat with the music as we cover all the Holiday bases. First, a Run DMC - Charlie Brown mashup of Christmas in Hollis from the Best Christmas Movie Ever - Die Hard.
Next up is Adam Sandler with the classic Chanukah Song.
Elvis sings my favorite Christmas song.
And for a picture of cool personified, he butchers the words but still kills it live.
Long live the King.
Lastly, one of my favorite Sports Illustrated covers from a few years back featuring Belichick Santa.
Happy Holidays from all of us at Footballguys.
I truly hope it's a sweet time of the year for you.
I'm not sure how far the Rams will go. But Cooper Kupp shows here what a leader looks like. All WRs naturally want the ball. But Kupp is secure enough to know the best outcome for the team is when others perform well, too. I'll be surprised if, years down the road, Puka Nacua can't point back to this kind of encouragement being a positive factor in his career.
"You're a G, keep going."
— NFL Films (@NFLFilms) December 5, 2023
Awesome to see @CooperKupp and @AsapPuka's bond 💪 @RamsNFL pic.twitter.com/xThB2M48w7
Down 56 points, you look for anything positive.
Austin Ekeler signaling first down to a Raiders player DOWN FIFTY SIX POINTS is objectively hilarious pic.twitter.com/G3mT79VP1S
— NFL Memes (@NFL_Memes) December 15, 2023
Brandon Staley sealed his fate a few weeks ago.
Brandon Staley said a couple of weeks ago it was evident he was still reaching the team because if he wasn't, they'd "get blown out of the stadium and that hasn't happened"...
— Joe Bryant (@Football_Guys) December 15, 2023
pic.twitter.com/93fvM90L5N
Every year, I find myself surprised to remember we have Saturday NFL Football, and every year, I have the same reaction.
NFL Football on Saturday??? pic.twitter.com/69nMLlXK4k
— Sleeper (@SleeperHQ) December 16, 2023
One of the more ridiculous plays I can remember.
Tee Higgins scored on this play. pic.twitter.com/b7s4Y1PmJk
— Joe Bryant (@Football_Guys) December 16, 2023
Steeler fans.
I plead the 4th
— FF Mike Kash (@FFMikeKash) December 16, 2023
Don't search and seize my memes pic.twitter.com/B9pKZosWwA
It's the little things that make a difference. Well done, NFL Network.
Kudos to NFL Network for going with the Colts throwback logo on the scorebug. It is noted and greatly appreciated. pic.twitter.com/U3a3aiSl3S
— NFL Fashion Advice (@fashion_nfl) December 16, 2023
Vikings fans.
Vikings going from Josh Dobbs to Nick Mullens pic.twitter.com/GQOdEnFzpZ
— Bookmakers Review (@BMRReviews) December 16, 2023
Kyle Pitts was all of us here.
.@mackhollins got his rain boots on 😂 pic.twitter.com/VHJzaIFMpA
— Atlanta Falcons (@AtlantaFalcons) December 17, 2023
Mt. Rushmore is the perfect caption for this one.
Mount RUSHmore pic.twitter.com/NBAd5E4HgG
— Tennessee Titans (@Titans) December 17, 2023
With that said...
Derrick Henry is the first player in NFL history to have at least 20 touches in a game and produce less than 15 yards from scrimmage.
— Ryan McDowell (@RyanMc23) December 17, 2023
Titans paid the price for taunting Football Karma wearing the Oilers throwback uniforms against Houston.
The downside.
If you have 4 bucks and a poncho, there's a seat for you at Bank of America Stadium. pic.twitter.com/6BXcbIn0hf
— Joe Person (@josephperson) December 17, 2023
The upside is Bijan Robinson made this kid's day.
Bijan Robinson making this fan's Christmas dreams come true 🥹
— Yahoo Sports (@YahooSports) December 17, 2023
(via @AtlantaFalcons) pic.twitter.com/cvNYLKRPNt
Weird note that probably interests just me: I didn't know Robinson was left-handed.
King.
The GOAT pic.twitter.com/IBO2zQRNIm
— Big Cat (@BarstoolBigCat) December 17, 2023
On the likability front, Joe Flacco and Deshaun Watson sit at opposite ends of the spectrum for me.
"My kids Christmas list instantly turned into everything Cleveland Browns."
— McNeil (@Reflog_18) December 17, 2023
-Joe Flacco pic.twitter.com/w3J6Ye5vnv
My biggest miss this year was easily the Giants.
Bad News: Tommy DeVito had more than twice as many rushing yards as Saquon Barkley.
— Joe Bryant (@Football_Guys) December 17, 2023
Worse News. DeVito had 36 rushing yards.
Aaron Rodgers was all of us.
Aaron Rodgers taking it all in from the Jets sidelines pic.twitter.com/xwSeXEA7KX
— NFL on CBS 🈠(@NFLonCBS) December 17, 2023
Hard to blame him. Or us.
— PFT Commenter (JMU bball undefeated) (@PFTCommenter) December 17, 2023
Belichick is the greatest coach in NFL history. That's a given.
But quarterbacks matter. A lot.
— FOX Sports: NFL (@NFLonFOX) December 17, 2023
And to be fair, I'm with Kelce here.
Travis Kelce showing a ton of respect towards Bill Belichick
— Babz (@BabzOnTheMic) December 17, 2023
"I got a feeling that guy has some football left in him."pic.twitter.com/AtK6K9F1Fq
Multiple things can be true at once.
What a chip on the shoulder looks like.
You'll tell your kids where you were for the Jake Browning revenge game @JustinPenik pic.twitter.com/7hwBZ0gq2O
— JM Football (@JomboyMediaFB) December 18, 2023
Well done, Jake Browning.
I'm no defensive coordinator. But playing the Rams, I'd prioritize putting at least one guy on Cooper Kupp.
Cooper Kupp was wide open on this TD 😅
— Sports Illustrated (@SInow) December 17, 2023
(via @NFL)pic.twitter.com/nxSxrxcHwa
And yes, I know it was busted coverage. Work with me here.
Tough week for the top quarterbacks.
Someone must've told Dak this was a playoff game. 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
— TPS (@TotalProSports) December 17, 2023
And
From my buddy and Eagles fan Jason Wood. pic.twitter.com/B9fV1gtj7M
— Joe Bryant (@Football_Guys) December 20, 2023
Saunders kept it real.
Saints DT Khalen Saunders had high praise for Giants rookie QB Tommy DeVito after the game.
— Madeline Adams (@MadelineAdamsTV) December 17, 2023
But Khalen did admit he didn't realize what Tommy's first name actually was until later in the week..
"I thought his name was Danny DeVito." 😂😂 Quote of the day! pic.twitter.com/m3jouB9aG1
You had to love Christian McCaffrey and Trent Williams throwing back to Rob and Big.
Trent Williams got up to the podium, called up Christian McCaffrey and they referred to themselves as "Rob and Big"
— Akash Anavarathan (@akashanav) December 18, 2023
IYKYK pic.twitter.com/Hw4FORaitR
I'm drafting Raheem Mostert every year until he retires.
Punter Jake Bailey has him on his fantasy team, and he told Bailey, "I got you. We're in this together."
Who else has Mostert in @NFLFantasy? 😂@RMos_8Ball @MiamiDolphins pic.twitter.com/wAxKQfoQbP
— NFL (@NFL) December 17, 2023
It's a beautiful game.
STEFON DIGGS WITH ONE HAND pic.twitter.com/aEdjGlWm6y
— NFL Retweet (@NFLRT) December 17, 2023
This Woman.
Bro….this lady in the background was all of us!! 🤣🤣 #Dawgpound pic.twitter.com/dK1e6bjW5c
— Mullins (@mittmullins) December 17, 2023
Njoku too.
David Njoku's reaction to the Bears' game-winning hail mary attempt 😅 pic.twitter.com/c5MaSdpNWk
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) December 17, 2023
And Stefanski.
Stefanski on his view of the Hail Mary: "I blacked out." pic.twitter.com/2bxyKOrzhH
— Tom Withers (@twithersAP) December 17, 2023
NFL Screen Writers making Rudolph the Steelers starter on December 23 is a next-level flex.
Steelers' HC Mike Tomlin announced that Mason Rudolph will take over as the team's starting QB vs. the Bengals.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) December 18, 2023
On repeat.
This made me LOL. #DaBears pic.twitter.com/neHUiiwLsg
— Clay Harbor (@clayharbs82) November 25, 2023
Back in October, the Jets posted the tweet at the bottom with Will Smith.
After Monday's game, the Seahawk social media team was ready for the follow-up...
Chillin' out, maxin', relaxin', all cool. https://t.co/DXFMMbOdCT pic.twitter.com/2wPkeY8jI7
— Seattle Seahawks (@Seahawks) December 19, 2023
Lamar Jackson is a problem.
"How did you do that???"@Lj_era8 âž¡ï¸ @DaGorilla4 🔥🔥🔥 pic.twitter.com/xYibmxPD4L
— Baltimore Ravens (@Ravens) December 18, 2023
And hats off to Baltimore's front office. Pulling a guy as good as Isaiah Likely from the 4th round is impressive.
Pete Carroll rocking the backward baseball hat got me.
how do you do fellow kids? pic.twitter.com/0ZyTuArKwC
— NFL (@NFL) December 19, 2023
Bart knows.
— Cleveland Cam (@cleveland_cam) December 17, 2023
Plus this.
Joe Flacco has no idea how much money he's playing for now that he's signed a one-year deal. Doesn't know how much money he's made on the practice squad either.
— Hayden Grove (@H_Grove) December 14, 2023
Just happy to have the opportunity to be in Cleveland.#Browns pic.twitter.com/Bm5JGFkM0p
You know who else knows what's up? Matt Stafford's daughter with good advice.
"Don't get tackled!"
— NFL Films (@NFLFilms) December 19, 2023
The Stafford family is too cute 🥺pic.twitter.com/sQXq42TqAb
Drew Lock after the Monday Night game is why I love sports. Few things give us the opportunity to see hard work and perseverance pay off in real time. He'll likely head back to the bench when Geno Smith is ready. But for this game and those few hours, he seized the opportunity and made the most of it. Well done.
And Lisa Salters deserves credit here, too. She did a masterful job navigating the interview and developing a real conversation instead of the typical cliches we often see.
A tremendous post-game interview with Drew Lock: pic.twitter.com/QU9fQKocX8
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) December 19, 2023
Wrapping with this one. I said this last year, and I'll say it again. This has been an awesome year for many folks. And it's been a challenging year for many people. Maybe you're in both those groups. I am. For the challenging side, the Holidays can make it even tougher for some.
Shauna Niequist is a writer I enjoy. She wrote this a few years ago, but I think it applies now.
"My prayer is that what you've lost, and what I've lost this year, will fade a little bit in the beauty of the Christmas season, that for a few moments at least, what is right and good and worth believing will outshine all the darkness, within us and around us."
That's my hope for you. That the pain of what you've lost this year may fade a bit as we seek out and focus on what's right and good and worth believing. That the light outshines the dark. If it's tough for you, give yourself some grace. I'm with you.
Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to you and yours from all of us at Footballguys. Rock on.
That'll do it this week. Thank you for being with me on this goofy journey.
Love your neighbor and stick together.
Peace and Grace to you.
J
