Hand up, I did not expect there to be any sort of strong reaction to the NFL's changes to its number rules, but this is... extreme.
Tom Brady is NOT happy about the new NFL number rule pic.twitter.com/0wE9Te15Nj
— PFF (@PFF) April 22, 2021
Apparently, the dude can't function without rigid numbering rules. I guess that explains why he was painfully average his entire college career. The more you know!
Word of the Day: Extricate.
SPECIAL KIND OF STRENGTH. I've been quite explicitly blown away by Jae'Sean Tate's absurd and unlikely rise through the NBA, but I had no idea just how early Tate's against-all-odds journey began.
See, Tate's been fighting through life with a gigantic, unshakeable chip on his shoulder ever since his mother was murdered when he was in third grade.
“A lot of people don’t know that part of my life because I’m always smiling,” Jae’Sean says. “I try to be in a good mood and upbeat, but it took a lot for me to get that way. Because it’s so much hurt. So much trauma at a young age.”
His mom is the reason he has defied naysayers, the reason a 6-foot-4 forward has battled much bigger players and made it to the NBA. Ever since he was 10, when his AAU coaches stuck him on the B-team, his size has been his asterisk. And his motivator.
His mom is the reason he didn’t give up after going undrafted out of Ohio State in 2018, and the reason he then spent two years overseas pursuing his dream.
And now, with the Rockets, he has morphed into a promising starter, a bright spot in an otherwise dismal season, averaging 11.1 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 2.2 assists. He’s thrived in a league few thought he belonged in, leading the team in total minutes played and ranking in the top three in total points, rebounds, and assists. Dropping a career-high 25 against the Hawks in March, he’s become an unlikely leader on one of the worst teams in the league, a team that has gone through losing streaks and has traded away veterans such as James Harden and P.J. Tucker. But Jae’Sean has persevered, mainly because of all the work he put in just to be able to experience the struggles Houston’s facing this season.
“I took the steps, I didn’t take the elevator,” he says. “It’s not about when you get there, it’s about getting here.” And now? “It’s ‘how long can I stay here?’ That just adds to my hunger.”
This is one of those "clicking the attached link is more important than reading the rest of my Internet words" moments, because the entire piece is a fantastic read, and Jae'Sean Tate is an absolutely remarkable human.
I did not think I could possibly respect, appreciate and root for him more than I already did, yet here we are.
TALKIN' 'BOUT FIELDS. We're now officially inside of a week until Justin Fields learns his NFL fate (presumably, unless his stock tanks him to the second round by then – who really knows!) and I don't think anybody is 100 percent sure where he's going to go.
But anonymous NFL people – execs, scouts, and coaches – seem convinced that wherever he lands, he's gonna be just fine.
Media speculation about Fields' work ethic was overblown, though several coaches and scouts said they have questions about Fields' drive based in part on how things for him ended at Georgia after the much less-talented Jake Fromm retained the job in 2018. Others praised Fields for starting a petition and becoming a face of the successful push to get the Big Ten to reconsider its decision to cancel fall football, when he could’ve just turned his attention to the draft. And he showed toughness by missing just one play after a monster hit early in the national semifinal against Clemson, finishing with six touchdown passes in a 49-28 rout of Lawrence and the Tigers. The real question continues to be how well Fields processes and sees the field, coming from an Ohio State offense that's designed to limit what the QB has to read and let him play fast. "He has to see it open," an AFC executive said. "I think you appreciate [Fields' game] more when you see him live, because it's just how he's built. And I think he'll work all f---ing day. But I don't think it's ever been demanded of him from the mental side of the game." Said a coach: "You've got to do your homework, because the fact of the matter is, he's just not being asked to (process) for a lot of things. But you talk to (Ohio State coach) Ryan Day, you talk to those guys out there, they'll tell you he absolutely can. And in the interview, I would tell you yes. There's going to be a learning curve, but I think he can do it, for sure." Several people brought up the struggles of past Ohio State QBs coming from the same system, though as one AFC GM put it: "It's not Fields' fault (Dwayne) Haskins was a [mess]." Fields' hands (9 1/8 inches) are on the smaller side, but big enough.
To be honest, I'm just glad we've come full circle to the point that the anonymous, faceless #take givers seem to agree that Fields is, in fact, extremely good at football.
"THE HUNT." Urban Meyer may not have taken most of his support staff with him to Jacksonville, leaving Mark Pantoni and Mickey Marotti here, but it looks like one thing made the trip – those cheesy mantras.
"Watch what happens to this fanbase when we start doing what we're supposed to do and win some damn games."
— #DUUUVAL (@Jaguars) April 21, 2021
Check out @CoachUrbanMeyers first team meeting in Ch. 2 of presented by @gatorade tomorrow at 7 p.m.
Watch Ch. 1: https://t.co/f8jpoh1UwO pic.twitter.com/9jVu0I6tsO
"The Hunt." Sound familiar?
Now, I called them cheesy, but the first time I remember him doing it, he rolled out "The Chase" and promptly won a natty with a third-string quarterback. So there's a solid, solid chance he simply knows what he's doing a bit more than a meager blogger.
He'll be the one laughing when "The Hunt" ends with a Super Bowl ring (rather, he'll just simply enjoy his Super Bowl ring in continued blissful ignorance of my mere existence).
RING TIME. Speaking of rings, Ohio State's field hockey squad is playing for one tomorrow.
SEE YOU SATURDAY!#Buckeyes are headed to the #B1G Tournament title game after this OT goal by Tess Maloney.#GoBuckeyes pic.twitter.com/8xQsC7EoG2
— Ohio State Field Hockey (@OhioStateFH) April 23, 2021
And to win it, they've gotta beat Michigan.
Folks, I have never in my life watched a field hockey game, but if it's an event in which they keep score, I'm gonna watch the Buckeyes lay waste to the Maize and Blue.
SONG OF THE DAY. "Love, Come And Save Me" by Right Away, Great Captain!
NOT STICKING TO SPORTS. A 90-year-old woman is conned out of $32 million by fraudsters in Hong Kong's biggest ever phone scam... A hiker was lost and desperate, and a stranger with an unusual hobby saved him... American honey still contains nuclear fallout from the '50s... The chef who will never eat again... Bingo hall hopes to entertain grannies by hosting male stripper nights... A bowler filled his ball with his father's ashes and bowled a perfect game... Welcome to the YOLO economy...
