4 Hard Downs: Thanksgiving Initiative, OU's Defense, Running Down Troubles, Mouthpieces & More

Love to see a guy get on their horse, streaming is infinite plus getting better matters

Streaming is wild.

Truly. It is an unlimited space where you don’t have go to ESPN News or FS2 to watch a game that started while the other game is still going. That, to me, is where there is value. Instead of pushing start times for teams who are ready to play to accommodate your game running late, push it to streaming and make folks have to buy it.

There is no “program grid” for streaming. So if NBC has a game go into overtime or run long, push it to Peacock and those folks are going to go for it. ABC wastes your time with FSU-VT, push the ND-Louisville (destruction) to Disney+ or ESPN+.

That’s what I’ve learned about all of this. The game windows don’t matter. They are arbitrary numbers, specifically in cable.

Which is why Tuesday Play Tracking is screwed. Pushing to Bounce or ESPNNews during the Cornhole Tournament is nothing; but getting someone to buy ESPN+ is a move that works.

Anyways, we will talk more about that on Tuesday because my brother came by and helped me setup the spreadsheet in a way that is going to work better. Averages, rounding and all put into specific cells instead of me doing it by hand.

So, don’t worry that this is late, I had a full tutorial about fixing my spreadsheet situation.

The other thing that I’ve really enjoyed about this season, and the last few seasons, is the complete, unabashed disdain for mouthpieces. We are watching games where corners have their mouthpiece attached to their helmet, hanging out, and no one cares. Seeing QBs have their mouthpiece in one of their helmet holes as they call for the snap.

As a life long mouthpiece hater, I love it.

*I do know that mouthpieces are safe and aid in concussion issues, stop you from biting your tongue and protect the only set of teeth you have*

I hated wearing a mouthpiece. Even when I got the tray mouthpiece, the low profile one, I still hated it. Honestly, I was more likely to have a dip in than my mouthpiece. So not having snitches ask the ref to throw a flag on that is a low key loss for safety, win for style.

You can’t have it both ways, so for now…SPOT THE BALL!!!!

1st Down: Play Football Like It Is Supposed To Hurt

This is all about Alabama. I was watching them play Texas A&M, and from watching all of their other games this year, and came away with this observation:

They know it is a hard game, they know it is going to hurt for them but their goal is to make you hurt more.

I dig it.

Despite all the rule changes and the officiating to make casuals feel better about watching, football is a violent game. Being in control of that violence, how it is doled out and using it to make the other person quit is what made me fall in love with the game.

Seems Dallas Turner agrees.

The crimes this man committed against Texas A&M, many of which won’t even show up on the stat sheet, were amazing in a very Murderball way. He makes everyone around him better and you can witness this Bama defense being excited to make you hurt.

They’re not trying to hurt you. They’re trying to make you hurt.

2 different things.

They’re not dirty.

They play until your foot is on the chalk. They play until the echo of the whistle. They want to make hurt, because when it hurts, you quit, they win.

And I love it.

2nd Down: Defense Matters, Both Ways

Praise for Bama’s defense but two schools that are in the Top 10 have defense working in completely opposite ways; Oklahoma and USC.

Oklahoma did not shut down Texas, they gave up over 500 yards and 30 points. USC did not shut down Arizona, they gave up just over 500 yards plus the 41 points in triple OT. So what’s the difference?

Start with 3rd down defense. OU held Texas to 5-14 on third downs. USC had Arizona at 8-16. 35% vs 50% and it isn’t about the numbers. For the podcast we are going to bring up the 3rd down to go for both defenses because that, I think, is the real issue. 3rd and 2 versus 3rd and 11 is a game changer.

Point is, defense matters. You either get off the field two out of three times or you get off every other time. That’s the difference between a W and an L.

3rd Down: Strapping Versus Sheathing

I don’t get it. Strapping someone up is great.

Maybe this makes me old. Maybe this makes me washed. Maybe it is my ECU and NC roots.

I thought this was sheathing a sword.

Which is freaking dope.

However, I have been informed it is buckling a seatbelt because you “strapped up” a WR. I’m very familiar with strapped up (condom-wise, but in this case, football-wise). I have multiple issues here.

Seatbelts are so important and so good and shout out to making sure kids use them. Swords are also very dope and cool and dangerous and deadly. I’m a DB, I don’t want to be buckling up WRs, I want to be chopping them up.

I strap in my baby, I stab my enemies.

One is safe and sound, the other is ground round.

So, that is a personal reveal on my end and you can see that I hate it. Love the act of celebration, but I put a seatbelt on my kid everyday and it isn’t cool or intimidating, it is the most caring thing I do for her safety.

And that’s what DBs are celebrating?

4th Down: Thanksgiving Initiative Always Goes

People think turkey is bad because they make it one day a year. Do better.

Got my turkey breasts on the outdoor, open fire cooker.

There are no “finish” or “after” pics because I just really wanted to get to the hot turkey sandwiches today. But just know, I am cooking turkey and I am going full sized turkey next because I need bones to make stock. Just wanted y’all to know I am still out here being about that life.

Anyways, this is a day late because I’m “kid tired” which is what I call the “on alert” move you have to have when your kid is awake. It is amazing that when my kid goes to sleep, I get an energy boost.

It doesn’t last long, but there’s a relief of “thank god I don’t have to deal with this until tomorrow.”

Cheers!!