Da Dos

Category: NFL, Bears

  • Special Edition PT 1: “CTE Victim” Guns Down NFL Central

    Special Edition PT 1: “CTE Victim” Guns Down NFL Central

    I told myself I wasn’t going to post political or social issues here.

    It seems a little self-indulgent for the head of a football blog.

    Besides, that’s why the comments exist.

    However, this isn’t ‘just another school/walmart/church/concert shooting’.

    [How fucked up is this country to be thinking that way?]

    This shooter deliberately targeted 345 Park Avenue, i.e., NFL Headquarters.

    This shooting is football and NFL related as the motive is preliminarily cited as CTE.

    More specifically.

    NEW YORK (AP) — A gunman who killed four people at a Manhattan office building before killing himself claimed in a note to have a brain disease linked to contact sports and was trying to target the National Football League’s headquarters but took the wrong elevator, officials said Tuesday.

    Furthermore, the assailant played football at Granada Hills, maybe a 30 minute drive from L.A., so it hits close to home.

    Needless to say, condolences to the victim’s family, friends and community, but refraining ‘condolences’ and ‘prayers’ for the Ntheen fucking time feels empty and frankly self-serving.

    So here we are – AGAIN – with a myriad of emotions.

    And the bigger question: what can we do about it?

    Well, I’m not going to pretend I can solve everything. Honestly, I’m torn on the gun issue.

    Here’s my stream-of-thought inner debate when a shooting occurs.

    ‘Fuck. AGAIN – who are these sick cucks!?’

    ‘There’s gotta be a way to stop this’

    ‘Take away the guns’

    ‘oh yeah, well EVERY government has eventually turned on its own ppl. Taiwanese would probably like to own some ARs for when the Chinese come a-knocking’

    ‘yeah, like ARs are going to do much against Apaches, state of the art drones, artillery, 4rth gen jets, satellites, aircraft carriers, and a co-ordinate professional military’

    ‘AKs beat the U.S. in Nam…’

    ‘This ain’t Nam, and it ain’t 1968’

    ‘True. Those gangsters down the street strapping and staring me down wouldn’t mind if I can’t legally buy a gun cuz their AK is hot anyways’

    And round and round we go… at the end of the day, it’s just more cold bodies, warm tears, and a societal sense of numbness, futility and failure.

    If you don’t recognize the man above, I can’t say I blame you.

    Yet he’s the Dr. who the NFL tried to ruin because of his research on Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE) which the NFL, much like Big Tobacco, KNEW was far more dangerous than they admitted publicly.

    “After Omalu published his findings, league doctors assailed his research — even going so far as to issue a letter calling for a retraction. Omalu said he was stunned to learn about the demand, afraid his career was coming to an end. He poured himself a shot of Johnnie Walker Red and “just gulped it down” before reading the letter.” – PBS

    Dr. Bennett Omalu even had Will Smith play him in “Concussion.”

    The NFL considered Omalu an existential threat:

    “The doctor’s response, according to Omalu: “He said, ‘Your work suggests or is suggesting or is proving that football is a dangerous sport, and that if 10 percent of mothers in this country would begin to perceive football as a dangerous sport, that is the end of football.’” – PBS

    Most of us know the gist of the NFL trying to bury the CTE consequences, but in short

    It was evil.

    Just like Big Tobacco.

    The NFL hacks sold their Hippocratic oath for 30 pieces of silver, vacations and country club memberships.

    Though if you want a refresher, check out the doc:

    League of Denial: the NFL’s Concussion Crisis

    It was a punt return. Our backup center/long snapper somehow broke free like a cheetah in the Serengeti, or more accurately, like the freaking Juggernaut.

    The punt returner made a move then bolted.

    Craaaaaackkkk

    Everyone collectively gasped, “ooooooooh…”

    You can hear that collision in the nosebleeds.

    It’s the type of hit that gets everyone amped and used to make the ESPN highlight reels.

    Then our teammate began jogging to the sideline.

    THEIR sideline.

    You can see them initially confused, then start waving at him, pointing to us.

    He stops for a second or two, then does a 180.

    Right away our coaching staff knew.

    The assistant coach [not a Dr.] began asking him questions.

    “Do you know where you are?”

    “Do you know your name?”

    “Do you know your birthday?”

    “Follow finger…”

    You can see the visible frustration in his glazed eyes. The hamster wheel in his brain was spinning but going nowhere.

    He KNEW he knew the answers to the questions yet couldn’t answer.

    He kept muttering, “Fuck. Fuck.” disappointed in himself, likely terrified.

    —

    Oddly enough, I’ve seen nearly this exact same reaction before – in a car accident.

    That was the first time I can remember [or not] losing consciousness. One second I was waving goodbye to a girl from the back seat.

    Next second I wake up with 3 other ppl in the truck groaning with the driver still out.

    I shook everyone and told them to get out. I had no idea if we were trapped, or if the truck was on fire, or what. I just saw the hood of the car was crunched like a candy wrapper.

    The driver took longer as he was beyond dazed.

    Apparently I had flown and cracked the windshield with the back of my head which ended up needing stitches.

    The paramedics arrived and asked the driver basically the same questions as the coach.

    Place – name – DOB…

    Similar reaction as our Center: blank stare. Searching eyes. Exasperation almost to point of tears.

    They wrapped us in neck-braces, loaded us on gurneys and ambulanced us to the hospital.
    ——
    Our center/long-snapper was pulled for the game.

    Come Monday, he was back at practice ramming his helmet in Oline drills considering himself “lucky” he didn’t suffer any “real” injury.

    In high school, he was pretty square. Not a nerd or soft, just meat and potatoes with a side of feisty like most centers. I was probably a bigger fuckup than him at that point – flunking classes, wearing torn jeans against dress code, hitting up ditching parties, beer runs, etc.

    Years after high school, I heard he got into some trouble. Rumors of violence and prison.

    Sometimes, I wonder…







  • PFF Grades the Bears Oline as #4. No, you’re not high, you read that right

    PFF Grades the Bears Oline as #4. No, you’re not high, you read that right

    Pro Football Focus [PFF] seems to be omnipresent when discussing the NFL nowadays. For some reason, humans crave an ‘objective’ framework from which to interpret life. Something ‘outside ourselves’ to course-correct what our senses are inputting. What do you think the 10 commandments are?

    The general public assumes that René Descartes concluded, “Cogito, ergo sum” [I think, therefore I am], but actually, he proclaimed, “Dubito, ergo cogito, ergo sum” [I DOUBT, therefore I think, therefore I am]. Something to ponder.

    I envision Descartes staring intently into the flame of his candle, emersed in total darkness, desperately fumbling for some objective proof, a Mathematical God, some Unmoved Mover, to save him from his Evil Genius, to slip him the red pill to awaken from the Matrix…us football fans must settle for PFF.

    So here’s PFF grading the entire league. If you want to skip to the Bears’ portion, fast forward ≈1hr1min

    Shout out to Bodhran:

    https://www.pff.com/news/nfl-2025-nfl-offensive-line-rankings

    Some thoughts…

    A scout relayed that he graded an olinemen low coming out of college. Then that Olinemen ends up on the Peyton Colts; he mutters, “Fuck. now I’m going to look stupid when he makes the PB.”

    The Bears oline talent is now sufficient. It takes years of a smart GM [which Bears don’t currently employ] to properly get return on investment in the trenches. Ryan Poles had to apply some Gorilla Glue to patch up the gigantic holes he created through ineptitude.

    That being said, like the scout expressed anecdotally.

    1. A smart QB can make the oline look a lot better than it otherwise might be

    2. A creative HC/OC can scheme around weaknesses [basically do the opposite of what Mike Martz tried with Webbnation]

    3. A talented HB can hit the optimum holes and/or break tackles

    Unfortunately, we don’t quite know if we have a smart QB, HC/OC, and Bears definitely don’t roster an elite HB [NTM it’s a brand new scheme], so for this Oline to dramatically improve, mucho must synergize [including staying healthy].

    But hey, tis the off-season of hopium.

    EDIT. I’m burying the lead as the Bears unwisely extended Ryan Poles‘ contract. That will get its own post soon, but for now, I can characterize how I feel about the move through a flick I’m watching for the 100th time. Halas plays the German Soldier while Bear fans are Mellish…

    “Gib’ auf, du hast keine chance. Lass’ es uns beenden. Es ist einfacher für dich, viel einfacher. Du wirst sehen, es ist gleich vorbei.”

    Translates to:

    “Give up, you don’t stand a chance. Let’s end this here. It will be easier for you, much easier. You’ll see, it will be over quickly.”

  • Barroom talks Bears’ D and misc

    Barroom talks Bears’ D and misc

    Greg Gabriel examines the Bears’ D while Aldo updates us on basically everything.

    NFL may have blocked them from embedding, so click here if can’t click below.


    Few points stood out:

    #1. Gabriel states he’d cut anyone who reports out of shape [who is healthy].

    I tend to agree. You got ONE job. Well, maybe more, but staying in shape is #1.

    #2. OK [for now] about the 2nd rounders not signing. Pick #33 and #34 have signed getting four years guaranteed. Gabriel thinks Luther Burden MIGHT get a fully guaranteed contract, but doubts that the later 2nd rounders Ozzy Trapilo and Shemar Turner get same deal. It could be a tiered result. “I’m not worried about it until they don’t show up when the vets must report.”

    #3. Tremaine Edmunds might play some WLB which Gabriel contends might suit him better. Only thing I can think is that Flus wanted his Lach gobbling up passing lanes in the middle while Dennis Allen might prefer a more attacking MLB.

    #4. Za’Darious Smith and Matthew Judon are essentially the same DEs. Would be solid depth, but shouldn’t get more than a 1-yr deal.

    #5. Xavier Carlton doesn’t impress Gabriel. He likes fast players. Carlton runs a 5.05 forty which doesn’t bode well for specials

    #6. Doesn’t seem too concerned about the safeties. Doesn’t believe the Bears are as shallow as some fans may feel. Basically mirrors Poles’ nonchalant attitude on the position. Guess both assume safety is relatively easy to replace in this system.

    #7. Doesn’t know if Gervon Dexter will take the next step, but Gabriel knows he’s a legit football player who takes his body and career seriously [Can’t say the same about Zacch Pickens]. Not sold Dexter could play DE. Supposedly Allen shut the door on that option, paraphrasing, ‘Dexter needs to first learn how to play inside before even thinking about moving outside.’ Aldo was surprised as am I since I figured Allen would have no issue moving em around, but perhaps he’ll be more strategic about it.

    #8. Shemar Turner reminds Gabriel of…wait for it…Tommie Harris. Wow. I didn’t see that first step explosion, but I guess he does. Let’s hope Turner is another [healthy] T-Harris.

    #9. Bears’ CB should play more press. We all know this already, but I for one am thrilled I am no longer going to see our CBs give 5 yard cushions for WRs to do whatever the fuck they want. Hit em in the mouth like Peanut did. Make those speedy little suckers earn it.

    #10. Acknowledges many fans want to give Das Boot to Tyrique Stevenson, but he’s still better than Terrell Smith behind him. Wonders if Terrell Smith can play man-press. Hope so because I’m one of those fans who wants that knuckle-head gone; though if he turns it around, good on him.

    Still, Chicago has a VERY long memory.
    Just ask Cody Parkey, Conte or Steve Bartman…

  • Bears sign UDFA DE Xavier Carlton

    Bears sign UDFA DE Xavier Carlton

    Signing a UDFA this late into camp likely isn’t going to turn many heads, but hey, it’s a Bear move and piques my interest. He’s not a RAS champ, that’s for sure, but at 6’5, 273 with 34″ arms, gives something Dennis Allen can mold.

    Here’s some pertinent twits on him:

    Here’s Slim Sports interviewing Xavier Carlton

  • Relentless

    Relentless

    Johnny Manziel interviews Brian Urlacher.

    You may not like either of these guys on a personal level, but at least they squeeze out some interesting sport’s talk.

    Some Spark-Notes from Lach

    ‘I loved playing against Michael Vick, Culpepper, or any QB who can move really, to show off my stuff’

    I still recall Lach chasing down a prime-Vick. It was a sight to behold. Lovie Smith’s Cover-2 was almost custom made to stop running QBs. Everyone attacked their gaps. ‘DE just had to get a hand to slow down QB’. All 11 eyes were in the backfield, so the second a QB split, all 11 rallied to the ball, and under Lovie, they closed with good angles and tackle discipline. On top of that, any runner had to worry about getting Peanut-punched by every defender amped to create a turnover.

    This might be why the Cover-2 is back in fashion with so many running QBs though they’re a bit more exotic than the Lovie-2

    ‘Favre would give us 2-3 chances [for INTs], but he threw it so damn hard, hard to pick-off sometimes’

    ‘Rodgers knew our checks. You play any team enough, they’re gonna know. So we had to change our pirate checks [that started with “P”]…so one play Lance [Briggs] starts yelling, “Big Pussy! Big Pussy!” and Aaron just started laughing before the snap.”

    ‘2006 was unbelievable…but I think we had a better team in 2010’ [the year Jay Cutler messed up his MCL vs GB in the NFC Championship and Caleb Hanie came off the bench]

    Who did the media get wrong? Jay, Bmarsh?

    ‘Julius Peppers. The media [in 2010] put out a narrative that he didn’t practice hard or took plays off. That dude showed up to work every day and busted his ass off in practice’

    ‘Bmarsh said some crazy things, but a lot of people do. He was out there on the jugs machine 45 minutes before the game. Jay simply didn’t care, so it doesn’t matter if the media got him wrong’

    Dooooon’t Caaarrrrrre…

    Lach talks about hating players kneeling during national anthem, and how he tuned out of the NFL during that time.

    ‘2005 we had four players who got Defensive Player of Year votes. Me [Lach], Briggs, Alex Brown and Nathan Vasher”

    “There’s pre-season, regular season, and post-season speed”

    ‘SB, opening kickoff, Devin Hester takes it to the house. Then, Chris Harris picks off Peyton Manning on their opening drive. Then, we just shit the bed’

    ‘Some fans accuse Rex Grossman of playing badly, but he didn’t play that bad. We gave up 250 yds passing, and 190 yds rushing. That’s not good, not when all season long we were giving up like 300 total.”

    I’m a little surprised by this, but perhaps I shouldn’t be. For starters, Lach is a leader, and not about to throw anyone under the bus. But, c’mon, Lach, there’s a reason Sex Cannon washed out of the league.
    Too bad Manziel didn’t mention Lovie’s baffling decision to stop running Thomas Jones and instead insert Cedric Benson who proceeded almost immediately to fumble it away…

    “I had 21 different QBs in my 13 seasons”

    ‘Lovie was like your dad, a guy you wouldn’t want to disappoint. In one game when we were down to the Lions with a backup QB, at halftime, Lovie said ‘crap, darn and dang’ in the same sentence, and we knew it was go-time. We beat the crap out of them in the 2nd half.’

    “They should’ve never fired Lovie”

    ‘I didn’t like the way they [Halas] handled the offer they made me though I’m glad I didn’t return [to endure the Marc Trestman era].’

    “I had TOO much fun spending $ in college” – Johnny Manziel
    “I was happy when my mom gave me quarters for laundry. Now kids are getting $100K a month”

    Same here, Lach. I always hoped an extra quarter or two slipped in so I can play Shinobi or Double Dragon! 100K? I could buy the whole damn laundromat with that.

    “What are dos and don’t of training camp?” Manziel
    Lach, ‘You learn what to take up there, what to do in your off-time, what you shouldn’t be doing. We first went to Platteville about 4 hours away. Then Bourbonnais. I liked going away.’

    ‘I knew I wasn’t going to be a 6’4, 250 lb safety. They first tried me at SAM, but I was terrible. Rosi [Roosevelt Colvin I’m guessing] beat me out in 2 weeks. They had me line up directly over the TE and jam, but I didn’t know how to use my hands. I’m now a draft bust. Barry Minter gets hurt in week 2. Greg Blache [Then current Bears’ DC] says, ‘Go in and play MIKE’, I told him, “I never played MIKE’
    Blache, ‘just run to the ball and we’ll figure it out’
    Lach, “and I started every game after that at MIKE’

    Reminds me of the saying, “don’t judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree”. To the outside world, SAM and MIKE seem nearly identical, but those few yards were the difference between a draft bust and a HOFer. In college, Lach’s coach played him at Rover, which allowed Lach to show off his athleticism and versatility.
    Something to think about with Bears’ new coaching staff and life in general

    ‘I wasn’t even going to run the 40, but Greg Blache challenged me, and I ran a 4.56 at 258 which opened a lot of NFL eyes at the combine.’

    ‘I love Caleb. If you put him in a different situation like Jayden with Klingsbury or Bo with Sean Payton, I think Caleb could’ve been ROY’

    ‘Ben Johnson’s the man’

    ‘Before Lovie got there, we played fast, but once he was HC, we played hard and fast. He kept track of loafs. You know how embarrassing it is to get in front of the whole team and be called out for loafing?’

    Manziel, “One word to sum up your prime”

    Lach, “Relentless.”

  • PFT: NFL Collusion

    PFT: NFL Collusion

    Still slow. Nothing really to report . Only real “news” is that Colston Loveland is expected back sometime during training camp. What that means – who knows? Doubt Loveland is full-go from the start.

    However, a big story dropped that no one really seems to care about [no, the OTHER story].

    The NFL has essentially been found to be colluding, though no ‘smoking gun’ was definitely discovered , so they keep on trucking.

    —–
    “In a decision dated Jan. 14, 2025, Judge Christopher F. Droney, head of the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, concluded NFL teams did not collude with one another to ensure other veteran players did not get similar fully guaranteed deals in the aftermath of Deshaun Watson’s $230 million contract with the Cleveland Browns.

    However, he did clarify: “There is little question that the NFL Management Council, with the blessing of the Commissioner, encouraged the 32 NFL Clubs to reduce guarantees in veterans’ contracts at the March 2022 annual owners’ meeting.”

    https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/how-language-agreed-upon-by-nflpa-cost-it-a-verdict-in-collusion-battle-with-nfl-over-fully-guaranteed-deals

    —–

    I mean, is anyone shocked? What’s more telling is that the NFLPA hasn’t aggressively used this for some sort of leverage, even if it’s just PR ammo for down the line when they have to renegotiate.

    I imagine NFL owners meeting like the NY Five Families, speaking in code to avoid prosecution. Maybe they should hold their future meetings at their lawyer or doctor’s office like the “Sopranos”

    Mike Florio, a former actual lawyer, over at PFT has been on it like white on rice.

    If you want a layman’s [and sometimes not so lay] explanation of it, here’s his take:

    In some sense it DOES pertain to the Bears because ole Butcho strongly suspects ‘passive collusion’ in the owners trying not to pay guarantees to 2nd rounders, three of which are unsigned by the Bears as of today.

    I’m curious how this issue will get resolved. It only takes one owner to cave – could it be George McCaskey with the most to lose?

  • Moving on up?

    Moving on up?

    Oct 29, 2023; Santa Clara, California, USA; Cincinnati Bengals linebacker Germaine Pratt (57) intercepts the pass by San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy (13) during the third quarter at Levi’s Stadium. Credit: Kelley L Cox-Imagn Images

    So I mentioned (LB) Germaine Pratt before. Bengals cut him likely to make room for (DE) Trey Hendrickson. He’s 29, 6’3, 250, racked up 143 tackles in ’24 plus has a knack for making clutch plays

    On the negative side, he may not have the wheels Ben Johnson and Allen seem to covet NTM Poles may be keeping his powder dry for a possible DE

    [Update]

    Germaine Pratt signed with Raiders

    Which brings us to some rumors

    So apparently, D.J. Moore sold his Chicago condo.

    “Chicago Bears wide receiver D.J. Moore on June 6 sold his three-bedroom, 3,272-square-foot duplex penthouse condominium in a building in Lincolnshire for $870,000,” Bob Goldsborough of the Chicago Tribune reported on June 9.

    There’s been some chatter about a possible trade to acquire picks to turn into a DE

    Like I said in the pre-draft piece, how B.J. judges any of the leftover Flus roster is an unkown unknown. He may love D.J.; he may have seen him check out since Caleb arrived or jogging off the field mid-play


    “It’s important to consider that Moore and his family are expecting a third child“

    So if we hear D.J. is buying a bigger home, well, then chalk this up to June boredom

    However, if not, this story could blow up fast especially if Hendrickson and T.J. Watt continue disgruntled

    Stay tuned…

  • Critiquing Caleb, Part 2

    Critiquing Caleb, Part 2

    J.T. O’Sullivan [former NFL QB and Founder of “The QB School”] watches about as much film as any Chicago superfan ever has especially last year
    His specialty is evaluating QBs, but in the process analyzes everything else

    His breakdowns last season showed a lot of details, some of which was unpleasant, like the baffling route concepts, D.J. Moore loafing, and Keenan Allen looking old and hurt
    All of which carried over into the regular season
    Cole Kmet looking like a stud in PS sadly did NOT carry over

    The Score catches him a year later and asks “What went wrong?” J.T. seems like he pulls some of his punches but still offers some insight

    Some notes.

    1.‘How can this guy not have the resources to go out there and be successful? but also, if you’re unhappy, and you’re the guy, walk in there, put your fist on the table and demand help’

    2. ‘I was in systems where the starter is responsible for watching film on corners- the backup would be in charge of watching film on safeties – the 3rd guy responsible for the nickel’
    [Seems obvious this wasn’t the type of system Waldo ran though Warner puts film watching squarely on the QB]

    3. ‘PS loafing was a big red flag for Eberflus’ culture.’ [as was skipping on Jalen Carter, but that’s for a future post]

    Once the PS games kick-off, J.T. is someone you may want to follow

    I found this curious. I actually don’t know exactly what to make of it since many believed Brock Purdy was Captain Checkdown and according to PFF, he is not

    OTOH, Caleb Williams and Purdy went a combined 11-23 in ’24 season, so that isn’t ideal

    Particularly when one considers that Caleb was terrible going deep, sacked a whopping 67 times and likely scrambled instead of checking down….meanwhile the 9ers just guaranteed Purdy a cool $185M! Go figure

    So on top of pocket awareness, presnap reads, deep ball and consistency, Caleb also needs to work on the checkdowns [or throwaways to avoid sacks]

    Fret not though. In 2022 Jalen Hurts [yes, the same who went bombs away in two SBs] checkdowned 3.3%, and if you read the comments, they’ll sound awfully familiar

    https://x.com/JackPConnell/status/1530307608091017218

    Needless to say, Caleb Williams, Ben or no Ben, has his work cut out for him in 2025

  • Critiquing Caleb, Part 1

    Critiquing Caleb, Part 1

    Todd Rosenberg/Getty Images

    Preamble:

    “We are what we habitually do; therefore, excellence is a habit” – Aristotle

    A father took his young protege son to get taught by a master. “He’s great now. I can imagine how much better he’ll be after the master’s tutelage”
    The protege played for the master.
    “You undeniably play well, but alas, I cannot help you”
    The father, shocked, inquired, “Why?”
    “His technique is beyond repair”

    “Cutler was ruined before he even entered the NFL. Running for his life on a weekly basis at Vandy ingrained terrible habits he never unlearned.
    He was throwing from his back foot ‘til his very last NFL game” – a quote I always remembered back when the Jay debate was raging

    It’s OTAs, and the circle-jerkathon is in full force. We already got the spunky 7th rounder from Rutgers. Now all we need for the annual Bears’ summer is some lil known try-hard to win the Joe Anderson Trophy

    So it’s important to keep everything in perspective without rose-tinted glasses. Get past all the Ben Johnson honeymoon bouquets, FA stars and draft ‘studs’…

    This season will MOSTLY depend on the most vital position in all of sports:

    Quarterback

    It’s hard to quantify where great coaching ends and great QBing begins. Belichick/Brady make a fascinating study. However, I do believe that a superb coach, like a good parent, master or teacher can make a difference IF the learner is caught early.

    As Frederick Douglass once expressed, “It is easier to build strong children than to repair broken men.”

    The #1 question for the foreseeable Bears’ future:

    Is Caleb broken beyond repair already or can Ben Johnson still build him up?

    Greg Cosell, Senior Producer at NFL Films, wonders this very question

    Few points from the vid

    – Pocket awareness

    “NFL goes back years and years, and often guys who get sacked a lot in college – who tend to retreat backwards – don’t do well”

    “Shadeur Sanders retreats a lot too. It might be innate. A longtime coach said that’s going to be really hard to fix”

    [Notice how all, Cutler, Caleb and Shadeur, played behind porous college olines? Does this create irreversible “happy feet” esp if they are thrown into a similar setup in the NFL which only reinforces it?]

    ‘Often QBs create their own sacks. Feel pressure that isn’t there. I don’t know if you can teach a QB to hang in the pocket and hit a receiver with defenders barreling down’

    – Assessing Ds [the Kurt Warner angle]

    ‘In the NFL it can’t be pure progression [where the D almost doesn’t matter]. In the NFL knowing how the D lines up is a BIG factor, and it’s hard to diagnose a D if there’s only 4 seconds on the clock’

    Those are two YUGE areas Caleb MUST solve, and quick. The third I would add is consistency
    Caleb Williams creates many ‘wow’ plays. But so did Jay Cutler
    Then the next play he throws it right into the gut of a DT or 4 INTs to DeAngelo Hall
    Rex Grossman won NFC Offensive Player of September, and look how that ended…

    Can’t win a SB like that
    Caleb must show up for the first 3 QTRs

    On the bright side, Cossell asserts BJ will at least help Caleb unlike the previous regime:

    ‘Ben Johnson does a great job of creating separation to make it easier for QBs
    [think prime GB with Rodgers when Jordy Nelson and gang ran free on crossing routes]

    But in the end your kid has to swim; your kid has to ride down the hill without training wheels; your kid has to drive on his own with his buddies acting like maniacs…

    As Caleb must himself ascend to that near mythic and ever elusive ‘generational QB’ and not flatline into another Bad Rex or Smoking Jay

  • “Gridiron Glory” by guest reg I Bleed Navy and Orange

    “Gridiron Glory” by guest reg I Bleed Navy and Orange

    It was the last football play of my life.

    I knew it would be my last game; I saw no future in it for me – only finality.  We were a sub-500 Division III team ending the season on a low note. So deeper meaning largely escaped me.

    With less than 3 minutes to go, we were down 20-3, and the other team had all their subs, scrubs, and seniors playing instead of their starters. In the defensive huddle, our SAM spit blood onto the ground. He had lost his mouthguard a few plays back and bit his lip during a tackle. I remember pulling my foot out of the way; for some reason I didn’t want to get my weathered shoe bloody. We broke the huddle and I laughed at myself: why should I care? I was going to throw those cleats away before nightfall.

    The offense lined up in an inverted wishbone. I was Rover–a strong safety who could line up in a number of different places, depending on the offensive formation and down/distance. Our SAM set up on the inside shoulder of the tight end, acting like he was going to rush. I bounced around his outside shoulder a yard off the line, faking like I would blitz, too. The QB took the snap and after a half step forward, the SAM and I both dropped into coverage–he dropped to his hook zone, and I zoomed toward the flat.

    Sure enough, the tight end looked to block someone, but no one was engaged with him. The offensive line stuttered, then let the defensive rush through. The strong-side halfback snuck forward, and I felt like the rest of my team knew with as much certainty as I exactly where the ball was going.

    The backup playing QB didn’t have a speck of dirt or grass stain on his uniform, and for all I know hadn’t played in a game before this one. He was hyped up, and his pass rainbowed way too high, over halfback and over even the linemen setting the center screen. Our SAM caught the overthrow against his shoulderpad, took one step and caught the arm of one of the offensive linemen, who was diving to make the tackle.

    I knew that fireplug of a SAM, all 5’10” and maybe 230lbs, could break that arm tackle. The play had started from about their 20 yard line; there was a chance we could actually score on defense! one last burst of glory. I saw the tight-end in his pristine jersey, still not engaged with anyone, and knew my SAM would need help getting past. I ran to block so my SAM could score.

    I popped the tight-end and tried to drive him as  I felt my cleats catch in the cold turf. In spots, the mud was half-frozen and plastic.

    And then my SAM broke the tackle, but not clean. He fell into my right leg. All 230 lbs of him, right into the side of my knee. Somehow everything was moving slowly enough that I felt him hit, and knew the only way I wouldn’t blow my knee out would be to collapse it, so I did.

    But my cleats were stuck in the mud and grass, and could not release–especially with my weight, the goon tight end’s weight, and now 230 lbs of linebacker pushing everything down.

    I felt the bones grinding together in my ankle and screamed, but that didn’t help, and the pain didn’t end. What I remember the most was the feeling of tension–of things being pushed and pulled in ways they aren’t supposed to go–and a grinding that sounded in my brain like massive stone blocks being dragged over each other. I remember squeezing my eyes shut and seeing bright red against the backs of my eyelids, despite the late-afternoon shadows on the field.

    The next thing I knew, I was crawling off the field, refusing to look back. I was certain my foot had been ripped off my leg, and at best was dragging behind me by my sock… but more likely, it had been pulled clean off and was still stuck in the turf. The pain was immense, but the fear was even bigger. How long before the amputated foot couldn’t be reattached?

    I got to the sideline and I guess I was whimpering something about my foot being gone, and before the trainers got to me, someone told me no, everything’s still attached.

    “Is it hanging there limp?” I asked, still not bearing to look.

    No, they reassured me. Looks like it’s pointing the right direction and everything.

    The trainers got me into a seated position and I risked a look. It was already swelling, and they cut my shoe off, but it didn’t look as hideous as it had felt when it happened. It was bad–very bad–but I wasn’t going to lose my foot.

    I didn’t find out until much later that the interception had been for nothing. The game ended 20-3.

    For years, I avoided the fate my original ortho predicted–that the bone was degenerating and within 10 years I would need my lower leg unzipped from both sides and a graft from my hip put into the tibia.

    But this past spring, my new ankle doc gave me the bad news from a new MRI. Next week I get a bone graft in the talus, and cadaver cartilage to replace all the stuff that got ground away 33 years ago.

    This is the price we pay for fleeting glory on the gridiron – in a forgotten game at the end of a meaningless career, on a frozen field. The last time I took off my helmet wasn’t some moment of meaning that I kept crystallized in my memory; I tore it off and tossed it aside while injured and never saw it again.

    My buddy and I had a saying: “broken bones heal; pain is temporary; chicks dig guys with scars.” I add another one to the collection in June.