Top 25 NFL Articles on Substack

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Every quarterback is an ink blot test

What we learn about ourselves when watching prospect quarterbacks
By Matthew Coller Kevin O’Connell said something at his pre-draft press conference that didn’t particularly stand out in the moment but got me thinking much more about it when I re-read his comments a few days later. Talking about the balance of collaboration within the coaching staff and front office while also taking the lead on the Minnesota Vikings’ …
Matthew Coller ∙ 19 LIKES
Stephanie Churchill Ling
Now you're talking MY nerd language, Matthew. Thinking about how we think. Philosophical stuff. That was a fun trip inside your perceptions.
Never Played Madden
Great stuff Matthew! But why is there a portrait of Christian Ponder at the end of the article? 😂

What is the Gospel of Jesus Christ?

Reflections on the Resurrection, Salvation, and Eternity ✝️
Today, we reflect on the greatest day in history: the Resurrection of Christ. What is the purpose of our lives? Why were we created? As we look around the world and see things spiraling out of control at free-fall speed with no bottom in sight, it seems we can easily lose hope. Things appear to go from bad to worse each day.
125 LIKES
GiGi
Great idea to join substack! Surprised to see you only recommend two other substacks and one of them is Malone's?
Heather B
I am so glad to see you share the truth of Christ. I am a nurse of over 20 years and have VAX related injuries/illnesses. I haven’t worked in about 10 months. No doctors can give me any real answers. My family doesn’t believe me about the nano technology, etc. but I’ve seen it with my own eyes, and pulled things out of my skin. I feel so alone. I cling to God every day. It is the only way for me to not lose it mentally. I talk to him every day and I know that I have a calling on my life. I am a spiritual warrior through Christ and maybe that’s why I get attacked and feel alone a lot of the time. I pray for your ministry to reach many, many souls. I asked that you please pray for me for provision, healing, wisdom, and God’s perfect will for my life to be done. Thank you so much. Grace & love through Christ- Heather

Mailbag: Is Baseball Dying?

Pretty much, though I still like baseball
We take a break from our regularly scheduled NBA-questioning to address a different sport with worse problems. A subscriber asked me if baseball is dying. Without beating around the bush, the answer is “yes.” Baseball is still very much here and lucrative (for now). Shohei Ohtani
Ethan Strauss ∙ 44 LIKES
Mike M
I always get a kick out of "is [insert sport here] dying?" discourse, because in all my life I cannot recall a single example of it actually happening. I'm not sure what "death" would even look like. Sure, some sports get less popular, but they still play the games.
Larry Merchant had a great quote about boxing that I think can be applied to baseball as well: "Nothing will kill [it], and nothing will save it".
Even before the first officially recorded major league baseball game, people were bemoaning the death of the sport (it was 1868). As long as we keep getting sunny summer days, teams will continue to sell tickets to diehards and casual fans alike.
OgdenTheGreat
I wrote this for a prior post but it feels even more relevant here:
As if we needed more proof that (to paraphrase Churchill’s fake quote) God loves babies, drunks, the U.S.A. and football, we don’t need to focus on football’s lack of RSNs or its Covid timing or its handling of red/blue America or even its immunity to the player empowerment era - we can just look at how advanced analytics have crippled the watchability of the NBA and MLB while turbocharging the NFL.
NBA advance stats led teams to generally forsake everything but three pointers and free throws.
MLB advance stats led pitchers and batters to focus on the three true outcomes of home runs, strikeouts, and walks.
NFL advance stats led teams to minimize running plays in exchange for more passing plays.
The reason the NFL won with these changes is the same reason the NBA and MLB lost. The fun in these games is directly proportional to how much of the field/court is in play.
The NFL passing game revolution was both vertical and horizontal and made almost every inch of the field usable. The NBA and MLB’s revolutions took away giant swaths of the court/field and thus minimized motion and action.

Finland digs in

The second-newest NATO member has been preparing for this moment for decades
One of the best playgrounds for children in Helsinki is the size of three NFL football fields, dug into bedrock 25 metres below a street-level car park, and built to survive a nuclear bomb. The air down here is surprisingly fresh. The floor-hockey rinks — there are two, laid end to end — are well ma…
Paul Wells ∙ 159 LIKES
Sheila Petzold
Very timely piece. And Canadians should take note. We need to shore up our own northern and other defences… with some ‘steely determination’ of our own. The world is changing.
Carmen Loberg
Excellent piece Paul! And, timely as was said above. In an earlier time in my career I was involved in arctic shipping and Finland was the global leader in ice breaking research and development. Amazing those Finns!! I’m so pleased you are able and willing to do things like this trip!!

WBEZ/Sun-Times CEO accepts a 19% raise, then cuts 15% of his unionized staff

... less than three weeks after the conclusion of the spring pledge drive
17 LIKES
Craig Reges
I’m a monthly NPR donator and a Sun-Times subscriber. Part of NPR’s problem is, I’d be willing to bet, the drift to identity programming. Any time I turn on the station, I think I have a very high probability of hitting a segment about <insert identity group here> as part of the programming.
I don’t mind talking or hearing about marginalized groups, but if you are going to take that slant with every segment, many people are going to tune out because “this isn’t relevant to me”. And people who tune out aren’t going to be donors so you better make sure the ones who stay are enough to support your station. Sometimes I’d like to hear a restaurant review that did not lead with the owner’s orientation, immigration status, or marginalization statistics. Sometimes I’d just like to hear the answer to the question, “how’s the food?”
Marianne
Thanks for the tip about that amazing QVC appliance. I'm really on the fence about which color to choose. Puce? Greige? I'm leaning toward yellow-ish. I was relieved to hear they're all in stock.
And Joanie: amazing song. Proof that music can save our lives. It's playing in my head now and I'm happy about that.

Apr 29

Brian Gutekunst took the long way to find value in 2024 NFL Draft

It was a big of an "eat your vegetables" draft for the Packers, filling key deficits on defense. How did the Green Bay front office do matching need with value?
Good morning! The picks are in and after a wild ride of a weekend, the Green Bay Packers have assembled their 2024 draft class. The top of the draft went almost exactly to plan before general manager Brian Gutekunst and his compatriots (co-conspirators?) in the front office seemed to get lost in the sauce a bit, eventually coming back with more conventio…
6 LIKES
Norm
I wouldn’t place as much faith in the consensus board as you do; but more to the point, I’d like to hear why the Packers drafted them. I expect them Packers (at least) know a lot more about these players then a bunch of media yahoos.
Dave Powell
Another thing to add to this analysis is the highest available player. Should we really give credit for getting the #35 guy at pick 42 if the #25 guy was still available?
Maybe also look @ the highest rated player at the position taken.

What to Make of Shohei and Ippei

So many unanswered questions about the gambling scandal that has rocked MLB
Admittedly, I have no real skin in this game. All of you who know me (at least the past decade of my existence) know that I have turned myself into a Hanshin Tigers nerd. I started a blog in 2014, a podcast in 2015, got featured in the papers in 2017, received a digital column in April 2018, passed Level 1 (top tier) of the Tigers Proficiency Test in Au…
Trevor "T-Ray" Raichura ∙ 3 LIKES
Sanjay Arora
This is about as comprehensive a piece as anything I’ve read on this developing story so far. Well done!
Ian Haydel
I think at the very least Ohtani knew about Mizuhara’s gambling problem and was genuinely trying to help him out. The team dropped the ball (pun intended) by making a quick statement and then doubling back. I don’t believe Ohtani was directly involved in the gambling per se, but this puts a stain on his stellar image and draws a lot of negative attention to the sport. I am curious as to how the MLB will handle this. I have a feeling they will help protect Ohtani for the sake of the $$$, but either way not what we needed to start off this season. 😔

Measure What Matters

Why some numbers and measurements can steer us wrong—and how to better assess performance and improve.
Audio Housekeeping: This post, like all Monday posts, is free to all subscribers of 2%. If you want to get full access to 2% posts on Wednesday and Friday and their audio versions, please become a Member of 2%. You’ll also get full access to our archives. Here’s a link to do so:
Michael Easter ∙ 57 LIKES
Steve
I would love to read more about how we, as humans developed the number system to track things
Rich McGaha
Dan John when asked about health and fitness always asks “Healthy for what or fit for what?” Always two good questions to ask yourself.

To Get Wealthy Just "Be Good" Consistently

Wealth increases based on your level of delusion
I’m embarrassed to admit I’m not great. This week I got approached by one of the most famous NFL football players in America. We’re having an informal chat in 2 weeks. I have massive imposter syndrome. He has Rolls Royces, a shoe line, a mansion, and sporting world records. I have an 8 year old Honda Civic, a shack o…
Tim Denning ∙ 119 LIKES
Daniel Helkenn
Yup
Beca Lewis
Couldn't agree more!

NFL Offseason Nonsense Index

From Saquon to Cousins and beyond: a guide to the offseason stories you will hear a lot about, as opposed to the ones you care a lot about.
There is another universe, parallel to our own but different in many ways, where legions of fans are emotionally invested in the career and fate of Saquon Barkley. The Bifrost to this realm is Paterson-Plank Road in North Jersey, which was named after two quantum physicists because it is actually a Mobius strip winding through non-Euclidian space. (I dro…
Mike Tanier ∙ 57 LIKES
Kevin Langstaff
“…fatalist Russian peasant approach to Cousins: like winter, he will return, bringing a hardship which has at least grown manageable and familiar. “. This is why I’m here! And It’s great to read you freed from the shackles of SEO and click bait!
Joe DiSano
Awesome. Long form is where its at.

Why You, Anon, Should Love NFL Football

Parasocial War
Richard Nixon talked constantly and feverishly about NFL football—one of the ways he won people over, including Hunter S. Thompson. “Whatever else might be said about Nixon – and there is still serious doubt in my mind that he could pass for Human – he is a goddamn stone fanatic on every facet of pro football,” describes Thompson in
Isaac Simpson ∙ 34 LIKES
DerWaldgang
I disagree. Like all pro sports, it is designed to suck off energy from men. It is a purely passive endeavor, one of the last spaces where tribal feelings are allowed, and all energy from that goes poof without any relevance to the real world. It is part of the feminization project and hence should be rejected, like baseball, soccer or whatever. BTW, just because the rest of the world does not give a shite about NFL but watches „soccer“ does not make the latter globalist. It is all the same BS. The NFL tries hard to export to other countries, Europe in particular, as part of the globohomo GAE.
Doing the sport yourself is different, but watching no.
itsThem
This article is homosexual and a misunderstanding of rome
See charlemagnes article for a correction

Matt Gurney: Why Trudeau can't save himself (or hasn't yet, anyway)

The man runs a partisan club and is shocked that people invest their identities in their opinions on stuff? Really?
By: Matt Gurney I think Justin Trudeau is a lot smarter than he gets credit for, at least from his opponents. I’ve always thought that. For all my disagreements with him on matters of policy, and all the criticisms I could make of his political performance while in office, I’ve never bought into the belief so common …
Matt Gurney ∙ 128 LIKES
Carole Saville
I have often found that many highly educated folks tend to have a lot of book learning and very little common sense when it comes to real life.
Trudeau is a perfect example. He seems unable to read the room. He seems unable to not lie when he is in trouble. Trudeau seems unable to stop trying to be the centre of attention where ever he goes. (India comes to mind).
He is a flawed individual. This doesn’t mean he is stupid, but it does mean that his virtue signaling, pompous personality, and seemingly never-ending stream of lies and totally annoying word salads make him look incredibly stupid.
Anyway, that is my opinion of the man.
PETER AIELLO
I’m not sure that the intelligence you ascribe to Trudeau might not more correctly be termed cunning based on force feeding his ideologies, assuming he has any that he would truly defend, to the unquestioning in a manner designed to keep him in power. Take away the power and the adulation of his acolytes and you end up with a self centred preening nincompoop.

Kingdom Power for All

From my Everyday Bible Study on The Gospel of Mark, with questions by Becky Castle Miller. Mark 7:24-37 7:24 Jesus left that place and went to the vicinity of Tyre. He entered a house and did not want anyone to know it; yet he could not keep his presence secret. 25 In fact, as soon as she heard about him, a woman whose little daughter was possessed b…
Scot McKnight ∙ 28 LIKES
Pamela S Wolz
I read this ... and then again with my husband. We went over the questions at the end. We settled on number two especially. I find myself smiling as I see her interact with Jesus. Jesus never stopped having insight to people. We see by her response a bit about her, and I imagine a woman who could handle the reference to the "dogs". She had likely heard it before, but in a demeaning way. Something in her perhaps caught that Jesus was not demeaning. We know He was not cruel. He came to redeem all people, going to the Jew first. It seems to me that in using the Aramaic language He was speaking the common language to reach the common person. Maybe this, too, steps into the aspect of this "foreshadow of a Gentile mission". Those of us who follow Jesus today can learn a lot from this about living out and sharing the gospel. How many in our world have been mistreated and demeaned in the name of "evangelicals" or religion? Thanks once again for a stimulating and inspirational read.
mike mcaleese
Thank you for a great insight. It always amazes me how Jesus never let race , nationality matter. I don’t get the “tip” to Lauren Daigle?

Dallas Clark Q&A: 'It’s like when you lay eyes on that girl'

He was born to be an NFL Tight End. Here's the text from our conversation with the Indianapolis Colts great.
In addition to the full podcast episode — video and audio available here — text of our conversation with Indianapolis Colts great Dallas Clark is below. If you’d like to read Clark’s story in full, you can find “Blood and Guts: How Tight Ends Save Football” everywhere books are sold, including
Tyler Dunne ∙ 2 LIKES

Jan 26

How the Detroit Lions bring 'grit' to life

They're one game from the Super Bowl. And you better believe they're following the lead of their quarterback, Jared Goff. How did Dan Campbell's crew put rhetoric into action? Live from Lions Country.
ALLEN PARK, Mich. — Answers are short and sweet and surgical from Jared Goff. He’s in no rush to regale America with detailed stories of his rebirth with the Detroit Lions. How this quarterback lifted himself off the canvas is inspiring but, no, Goff is not baring his soul ahead of the NFC Championship Game. His gameday demeanor — stone-cold…
Tyler Dunne ∙ 11 LIKES

Feb 19

How much of a need is cornerback for the Packers this offseason?

The Packers expect to bring back Jaire Alexander and saw plenty to like in 2023 draft pick Carrington Valentine, but how much work does their cornerback room still require?
Good morning! This past week, the NFL didn't stage a game -- or whatever the Pro Bowl has morphed into -- for the first time since last August. Still, the lack of an on-field product doesn't mean the league has gone dormant. With the NFL Scouting Combine and free agency just on the horizon, teams like the Green Bay Packers have plenty on their plate.
Jason B. Hirschhorn ∙ 5 LIKES
Randy Sell
Appreciate the insights into both our new DC and the San Fransisco situation on defense. Hope Green Bay develops clear and simple communication techniques that limit confusion.

Jan 29

The Packers progress DC search while NFC North rival hits a wall

The Packers have reached the interview stage of their defensive-coordinator search, but more work lies ahead.
Good morning! Before kicking off today's newsletter, I want to express a bit of gratitude. Over the past week, A LOT of new readers joined The Leap, and I wanted to thank those who just signed on as well as the longtime subscribers who helped make this such a milestone moment for Peter and me.
Jason B. Hirschhorn ∙ 10 LIKES
Randy Sell
Another great article.
Any truth to the rumor that Parker has already been offered the job?
Randy Sell
Thanks for that. Someone was trying to be first with a story instead of accurate.

How will Jeff Hafley change Packers' defensive staff, players, and scheme?

Former San Francisco 49ers defensive backs coach Jeff Hafley will take over the Green Bay Packers defense, but does that mean he's bringing the Bay to ... the other Bay?
Good morning! DC watch has ended, we can rest … except we can’t because now it’s time to dig into Jeff Hafley. Who is he? How will he work? What will he change? Maybe most importantly for fans, how is he not like Joe Barry? We will start to answer some of those questions today, while many of them will have to wait until at least the regular season and pe…
Peter Bukowski ∙ 9 LIKES
Gordon
I don't see (or perhaps personally believe) that the Packers should use this high of a draft pick on a position where this guy would start as the #4/#5 pick, depending on what they do about Balentine. Balentine held up very well last year. I see the corner room of Jaire, Valentine, Stokes pretty solid so the only place I could justify a #1 pick would be on a true slot corner.
If there is a RB worth #25 pick, I would take him. Someone like David Montgomery should be a priority. Second priority would be a tackling machine ILB, someone like Quay Walker's teammate at Georgia.

December 31, 2023

The Fox that Gnaws on America's Brain

A Cult of Fear and Paranoia That Could Swing 2024
“No one ever went broke underestimating the intelligence of the American public.” HL Mencken delivered that scornful observation on our national brain back in the early 20th Century. It was not a very nice thing to say then, and today Mencken is pretty much banned from the canon for his many other prejud…
Nina Burleigh ∙ 63 LIKES
Tobias Baskin
Great piece. Prompts a question: What is the difference between a cult and a religion? I am not sure. But when I think of a cult, I think of something both small and secret, like one of those shadow organizations in a Dan Brown novel. Is, say, Buddhism a cult? What you describe for Fox and its viewers strikes me as being a religion. Not small, not secret. To be sure, religions tend to enjoy a wholesome glow of spirituality, which cults tend to miss, but religions also unite people into an us (believers) vs them (non-believers) and depend on faith not rationality. And of course the religious unity of people has been used to support rulers and war for thousands of years. For Fox and its viewers, I wonder if 'religion' is a better word than 'cult'? After all, many of us participate in a religion but I'd guess rather few belong to a cult. Musings for you. I enjoy your writing very much.
Margo Howard
Nice job. It is a shame that the First Amendment ate the FCC. On par with a license to steal, it is a license to misinform, if not lie. As for Juliet Jeske, you could not pay me to watch Fox "News."

Jan 22

Packers invent new ways for playoff heartbreak, but another Super Bowl window opens

Another fourth-quarter lead squandered leads to another gut-wrenching playoff loss to the 49ers, but all isn't lost because of what the future can hold for the Packers.
Good morning. No exclamation point today to avoid the patina of cheeriness for a fan base that suffered through yet another excruciating postseason loss. Sure, the Green Bay Packers weren’t predicted to be in the divisional round of the playoffs and were 10-point underdogs to the San Francisco 49ers, but they could have won.
Peter Bukowski ∙ 7 LIKES
Gordon
I think the turning point in this game was when Zach Tom got hurt. Love seemed to get rattled after that and while Nijman didn't give up a sack, Bosa seemed to get a jolt of energy and the pass rush became a problem.
Randy Sell
Felt more like anticipation of great things to come than a collapse. I’d add kicker competition to the list of changes to expect, along with a new DC, help at RB for Aaron Jones in the zenith of his career (perhaps double up on RB in the draft), and finally more OL depth.

December 15, 2023

What Next Week's GCN+ Shutdown and Shift to Max Means for US Bike Racing Fans in 2024

Breaking down the implications of the looming shutdown of the GCN+ app and announcement that WBD's racing assets will soon be moved to the Max streaming app
When Warner Brothers Discovery (WBD) announced last month that they were abruptly shutting down their popular GCN+ (Global Cycling Network) streaming service on December 19th, there was a lot of uncertainty about where, if at all, USA-based cycling fans would be able to watch WBD’s broad portfolio of professional cycling in 2024. But, with just a few da…
Spencer Martin ∙ 23 LIKES
Ben A.
Putting together, that spreadsheet was the Lord’s work.
Mrs. Marion Coatsworth-Hay
Thanks for this. I'm a U.S. cycling enthusiast, and I've been trying to read the tea leaves. I hope that Max/BR relents on the replays. I have a job in the daytime, and like many, my evening routine during the season has been to finish my daily duties and collapse in a chair to watch the day's replay.

December 15, 2023

Friday Free Mailbag! Your Questions and My Answers.

Jake Ferguson's breakout, Barry vs Emmitt, No Micah Parsons holding Calls, and Dan Quinn's coaching future.
We have made it to another Friday and finally that highly anticipated Cowboys Week 15 date with the Buffalo Bills has arrived! I cannot tell you how excited I am about this one. I realize it is not a playoff game, but the weather, the setting, and the general quality of both rosters have me feeling like it is a Pre-Playoff Game that I am thrilled to get…
Bob Sturm ∙ 81 LIKES
Mark C
Hey Bob not a founding member here (but an early one) but would like to suggest the infamous Ice Bowl as a Classic Game Of The Month. I was 10 years old sitting on the floor watching my two favorite teams (how conflicted was that for a born and raised Texan but I loved Bart Starr and his story) and remember it like yesterday. So glad you now have what looks like a permanent home at Substack. Love the format and the great work you do.
Dawson Hobbs
Great mailbag. I’m sure you’ve seen it but The Violent World of Sam Huff is a great film. Made me fall in love with football as a kid.

The Top 10 Saratoga Living After Hours Stories of 2023

Our most-read articles of the year, from a Celeb Shot interview with Caroline Street's most boisterous bartender to why 10 inflatable koalas were seen crossing Broadway this past spring.
That’s a wrap, Saratoga! Another year of SLAH is in the books, and in our last post of 2023 (we’re taking next week off—happy holidays!), we’re looking back at our most-read stories from the last 12 months. Have a favorite story that you think should’ve made this list? Drop it in the comments!
Saratoga Living After Hours ∙ 1 LIKES

Don't judge Jaire Alexander by his Griddy

We think we know professional athletes and can judge them based on those assumptions. But that's all they are, and we have to be careful jumping to conclusions.
Fans can trick themselves into believing they know the objects of their fandom more than they do. This parasocial relationship exists in all sorts of walks of life, not just sports. We have it with actors, singers, maybe podcasters, or newsletter writers. Even the people who get a chance to talk with pro athletes, the people on the beat who get to see t…
Peter Bukowski ∙ 10 LIKES
Gardner Friedlander
Well said, Peter.
Taina Dejesus
💯💯💯

Packers' win in Minnesota impacts more than their playoff implications

The Packers beat the Vikings to set up a win-and-in game next week. However, Green Bay's offensive improvement and resilience will have implications extending beyond 2023.
Good morning! Sunday unfolded as the Green Bay Packers hoped. Not only did they put the Minnesota Vikings out of their misery on Sunday Night Football, but the Seattle Seahawks' loss earlier in the day provided the necessary help to set up a win-and-in contest next week at Lambeau Field.
Jason B. Hirschhorn ∙ 6 LIKES
Gordon
The Packers biggest need is a true short yardage back. Dillon clearly isn't as he is not quick enough to the hole. While CB or left tackle seem like the type of players usually targeted in the first round, the Packers should draft a RB high. I think Jones will be back and when he plays he is a difference maker. But they still need a tough, quick, hard running back for 3rd and short. If there is a first round back, take him. Otherwise take him with the Jets 2nd rounder. Then take one in the 4th and one in the 7th.