Matthew Lang

I finally caught up on the NFL Draft this week. I’ve been trying to catch up with the selections early in the morning, but with a busy Friday and Saturday, I missed most of the news from these nights. The downside of living on this side of the pond, I guess.

I’ve been an NFL fan for years, but the draft always seems to be more of a thing that can only be determined on the night. I’ve been reading a few articles a week leading up to the draft, but other than maybe the first round, I can’t see how anyone can foresee who is going where until the start of each round. Still, it’s fun to read the predictions.

Being a Packers fan, I am in no position to criticise the picks Brian Gutekunst has made; he’s a general manager for a reason. Saying that, though, I am happy with the draft picks for the Packers. We have addressed the areas of the Packers squad that needed the most attention. I’m really glad to see we took two cornerbacks. Time will tell if these picks pay off.

The trade-up for the sixth-round pick of Florida kicker, Trey Smack, is the most interesting. A highly rated kicker at the college level, and hopefully a pick that can turn into a very reliable kicker in the long term. I believe Mason Crosby was also a sixth-round pick, so Trey is already in good company.

Hopefully, the Packers can pick up a couple of undrafted free agents as well and develop these guys over the next season or two into good additions to the squad.

I don’t want to wish the summer’s good weather away, but I am looking forward to the NFL season starting up again.

Green Bay’s first wide receiver round 1 pick since 2002 isn’t the only reason the Packers fan base is excited. Matthew Golden had some great stats for last season and the playoffs.

In 16 games last season, he hauled in 58 receptions for 987 yards — 17.0 yards per catch — and nine touchdowns as a trusted target for quarterback Quinn Ewers. Golden saved his best play for down the stretch, posting season highs in receptions (eight) and receiving yards (162) against Georgia in the SEC Championship Game. During the Longhorns’ thrilling double overtime win over Arizona State in the quarterfinals of the College Football Playoff, Golden had seven receptions for 149 yards and the game-tying touchdown in the first overtime.

Stats like this are encouraging, and hopefully, Golden can carry this production level to the Packers for many seasons to come. I’m also looking forward to seeing Christian Watson return. Having Golden and Watson on the field together gives Love a lot more options.

I love this. I’m not a big Chiefs fan, but Andy Reid is a fantastic coach. I also love that this story starts from just a single index card.

Reid was a young coach, and he was always jotting down ideas, a lesson from Bill Walsh or Winston Churchill that would find its way onto a 3 x 5 card. Some of those cards went to McNabb. Others to coaches. But one card in particular ended up behind Reid’s desk. It featured just two words, and two decades later, it still offers the simplest understanding of Reid’s leadership.

“Don’t Judge.”

— Why a simple 3 x 5 notecard with two words explains Andy Reid’s leadership style

Not the results I wanted last night in each of the Championship games.

Heartbreak for the Packers once again. Starting to wonder if there’s ever been a better quarterback than Aaron Rodgers with only a single championship title. Anyway, last night’s game seems to be a recurring theme with the Packers when it comes to the big game. It was definitely a game of two halves with the Buccaneers being on top in the first half and the Packers rallying in the second half. However, the Packers offence in the second half couldn’t capitalise on those turnovers, and the Buccaneer defence was first class.

In the other game, the Chiefs came out on top over my AFC favourites, the Bills. The Bills have been great to watch this season, and the Allen & Diggs combo is one that I hope provides plenty of playoff opportunities for the Bills over the next few years.

EA is bringing Colin Kaepernick back to Madden. Starting today, Kaepernick will be available as a QB who can be added to any team in Franchise mode in Madden NFL 21, which was released in late August. He can also be selected in the game’s Play Now mode.

— EA adds Colin Kaepernick to Madden NFL 21

You can play as Kaepernick! That’s all I need to know.

An apology from the NFL’s commissioner, Roger Goodell:

We, the NFL, condemn racism and the systematic oppression of Black People. We, the NFL, admit we were wrong for not listening to NFL players earlier and encourage all to speak out and peacefully protest. We, the NFL, believe Black Lives Matter.

— We, the NFL, believe Black Lives Matter

This apology from the NFL’s commissioner Roger Goodell, is a move in the right direction. Some might say it’s too late though. It’s been four years since Colin Kaepernick started protesting by kneeling during the US national anthem. His action’s are now being replicated at protests all across the US. Sure, the NFL have admitted that they are wrong, but the real test in their words will be during the upcoming season. Will players be allowed to peacefully protest during the national anthem?

Another NFL season, another time to wonder why teams aren’t signing up Colin Kaepernick to replace their injured star quarterbacks. Well, we know why teams aren’t signing up Kaepernick. His protest’s against racism and police violence are well known.

With each star quarterback that falls by the wayside, one question looms ever larger: Will Colin Kaepernick, after over two years in exile, finally be signed by an NFL team? Kaepernick, still only 31 years old, is, according to people I’ve spoken with who know him well, “in the best shape of his life,” waking up at 5 am for daily workouts. His agent has reportedly reached out to several of these teams in need of quarterbacks to see about getting a tryout. By signing Kaepernick, the NFL could close the book on a true instance of “cancel culture,” of denying Kaepernick his livelihood, because he dared stand up to racist police violence.

— NFL Teams Are Desperate for Quarterbacks—but Colin Kaepernick Remains Unsigned

What can be done then?

Very little in fact. The NFL has the chance to make a difference here, but the league remains very aligned to ensuring that they make a profit and not a difference. It looks like Kaepernick will remain the greatest quarterback to be unsigned and ignored by the NFL.

Gutted to see the Saints go out like they did last night with the non-call on Robey-Coleman’s pass interference. It definitely changed the outcome of the game from there onwards. Running up to that point in the game though, the Saints could have definitely handled a few plays better than they did.

I didn’t see the AFC Championship game, but I was disappointed in that one too with the result. It sounded like a great game, but I would have loved to have seen a Saints-Chiefs Super Bowl.

The Rams need to up their game for the Super Bowl. They took too long to get going against the Saints. The Patriots won’t be as forgiving.

I think it will be another Super Bowl win for the Patriots. 🏈

Jerry Jones chips in on the NFL #takeaknee protest with an ultimatum for the Cowboys team.

“I’m not in the business of 51-49,” he said. “That’s not what we’re about. I’m removing the politics. I’m removing everything from this. What I have the right to say is who’s on that football field.”

— Dallas owner Jerry Jones says Cowboys must stand for national anthem

Jones says he’s removing the politics from this, but it sounds like he’s removing everyone else’s politics on this by using the protest as a way to punish players.

Glad I’m not a Cowboys fan.

This weekend was something of a bust. It’s that time of year when kids of a certain age turn from innocent little chaps and madams to plague carrying monsters. Little Drew started us off with a case of the lurgy last week and it’s ran rife through the house. There’s still a couple of us fighting on into this week. Hopefully by next weekend we’ll all be back to full health.

On a more positive note this weekend saw the return of what for me is the greatest show on Earth. The Super Bowl. I get that not everyone likes it, but there’s no denying it was a great game to watch.

I had no intentions of staying up to watch the game though having already started my lurgy phase and the fact that I was working the next day, so I recorded the game in the hopes of watching it the next day.

I already knew the score before watching the game, some media blackouts you just can’t get through unless you unplug your wireless router but I needed that for work.

It certainly wasn’t a disappointing game. The Falcons routed the Patriots in the first half but the momentum of the Falcons started to die in the second half. Despite the rocky start in the third quarter the Patriots stepped up and proved that there were more than capable of matching the Falcons in their first-half.

With the game tied, the Super Bowl went into overtime for the first time. The Patriots opted to receive the punt, made the drive to the red-zone and scored the touchdown. Game over.

It’s hardly seems fair to decide a game like this, maybe they should play the whole overtime quarter regardless of the number of possessions each time has and decide it on points.

Anyway, that’s the Patriots and the Brady/Belichick combo with their fifth Super Bowl win. So the countdown begins to the next season.

Me and Ethan are Packer fans but Jennifer and Drew like the Patriots and no-one was as happy as Drew was when he discovered that his team had won the Super Bowl.

This is why I love American football.

NB is back with essential skills for the new semester. Number 6 on the list is strictly enforced in our house on a Sunday from September to the end of the year.

Relaxation: the ability to easily let go of the deadline for 8 hours and get some quality sleep, to watch the game without guilt, to know what is truly important at this point. Do less, achieve more.

— Back to School II by Nicholas Bate

During this time the rule is that Sundays are for home cooked meals, everyone sitting round the table to enjoy it, taking the boys for a walk on their bikes and then sitting down for a couple of hours of NFL.

It’s that catch again. This time looking at the tech behind Odell’s gloves.

Beckham’s are custom-made versions of the Nike Vapor Jet 3.0, which features molded fingers, a “strategic mesh,” and “MagniGrip CL” on the palms and fingers. MagniGrip CL is a sticky material made from a mix of neoprene and silicone designed to help receivers hold on to a ball.

— Odell Beckham’s Helping Hands—the Tech Behind the Catch by Nautilus

Whatever Odell was wearing on his hands, I’ve a feeling that his 10 inch hands are the main reason that he made the catch look so easy.

As an American football fan, I thought this was such a refreshing take on the game. Given that this level of football has fewer risks when adopting such a strategy, it would still be great to see this approach in the NFL.

Slow plays, always punting on the 4th down and running the clock down are making the game safer for the teams. Safer for the winning team, but a drab to watch as a fan.

via Grantland