via: Pro Football Talk
Teddy Bridgewater spent last year as the Panthers’ starting quarterback. This year, Bridgewater is in Denver, but he has some parting advice for his former team: Improve your practice schedule. Bridgewater said that under first-year head coach Matt Rhule and first-year offensive coordinator Joe Brady, the Panthers didn’t spend as much time on elements of the game like the two-minute offense and red zone work as an NFL team needs. “As an organization there’s things you can do better,” Bridgewater said on the podcast hosted by Bryant McFadden and Patrick Peterson. “I’ll just say this, for Joe Brady’s growth, that organization, they’ll have to practice different things in different ways. One thing we didn’t do much of when I was there, we didn’t practice two minute, really. We didn’t practice red zone. . . . You walk through the red zone stuff and then Saturday you come out and practice red zone, but you’d only get like 15 live reps. Guys’ reps would be limited.” Bridgewater said he takes the responsibility for his own shortcomings last season, saying, “I understand the nature of this business and it’s a performance-based business.” But he clearly thinks the coaching staff could stand to improve its own performance.
Video of Teddy Bridgewater saying the Panthers didn't practice two minute drills or red zone situations.
If you listen to Pardon My Take, you've probably heard Big Cat mention the Mike McCarthy watermelon stories no less than 67,000 times. ICY don't know wtf I'm referencing:
BC does make a great point that if he'd known Mike McCarthy smashed a watermelon before a game to fire up his guys that he would've bet on the Cowboys. We all would've. You gotta bet on a team in that spot; you know they're gonna be jazzed up and ready to kill (metaphorically). This news did us no good after the fact. The can be said for me right now.
I'm not mad at Teddy Bridgewater for throwing his former coaches under the bus because I don't even think he is in this situation. He owned up to his poor play last year. Dude is just giving people the facts that they didn't spend enough time working on situational football. You know, the one thing Bill Belichick (8x Super Bowl champion) preaches to all his players and coaches and is a significant component behind all his success. I think Teddy's fair to be critical of the Carolina coaching staff for not spending enough time on these crucial situations where games are won and lost. Maybe that explains his 62.6 QBR (26th in the NFL) in two-minute situations and 0-8 record when the Panthers had a chance to win or tie the game? (H/T: ESPN) Had I known the Panthers run only 15 fucking red zone plays in walk-throughs, I would've NEVER included the teased over in Saints @ Panthers; even at over 40.5. Last season, my #TooManyLegs Teaser of the Week was incredibly successful. Add handicapper to one of the many hats I wear in addition to blogger and father of an inactive college-based Twitter account on the verge of dropping below 4,000 followers :( I should be writing this blog for Barstool Sports right now, considering how well #TML did. 6-10 in the regular season on bets with +1000 payouts (well, one was +800 because of a push on the teased over in 49ers @ Patriots), +48 units. #TML would've been 7-9 +58 (dozzzahhh) units had Will Lutz not missed an extra point OR the Panthers converted on any of their multiple trips DEEP into Saints' territory.
Admittedly, I had some wild moments to keep the teaser alive last year. I was on the right side of Dr. Heat sending 14 guys against the Raiders in a clear prevent situation; the Bears scored a meaningless two-point conversion against the Colts to cover +9 that helped #TML cash out in Week 4. These same Panthers gave up a touchdown to Leonard Fournette on the first play in a situation where they were just trying to pick up a first down and kneel it out to cash an over, but I didn't truly get my heart ripped out until the final week of the year.
In the final ever Week 17 that ended the regular season, TML went 7-1 for the first time with the only losing leg losing by half a fucking point in a game that should've seen 50+ points on the scoreboard. In addition to Wil Lutz's missed PAT (they happen, but as soon as I saw he missed, I knew I was fucked), the Panthers had drives that reached the NOLA 18, 21, 19, 20, and 31-yard lines that resulted in 0 points. I know those aren't all red-zone situations, but they might as well be. Of course, as soon as they sniffed the Saints' 20-yard line, all hell broke loose.
How do you have three separate 56-yard drives that result in zero points? I get it field goals were out of the mix at the point but come the fuck on.
Teddy Bridgewater left the game due to injury and was replaced by XFL legend Phillip Walker. Neither guy had a great day on the job. Devastating way to lose my teaser. Way to show up, P.J.
In closing, Panthers, I am a BEAST in the red zone AND clock management in Madden. In lieu of the $500 I would've won and, more importantly, how much better the #TML teaser of the week's stats would've looked for#HireDozo purposes, I'll take my compensation in an advisor type of role. If you want to have a year three in Carolina, I'm your man! Here's a little taste of what I can offer; I know this situation doesn't come up often for you, but if you ever score a touchdown that puts you up seven points late, you should go for two to try and make it a two-score game to put it out of reach.
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Song: Oh My God (2021)
Artist: Lula Wiles Album: Shame and Sedition
Art that shits on the 1%. Yesss ma'am! Sign me up. Listen to these lyrics. I fucking love it! I just found out about these ladies today, but they have a fan in Ole Dozo! BTW, Lula Wiles is a band not a person!!!
When news broke on draft night that Tim Tebow had worked out with the Jaguars, I blogged my excitement about his potential return to the NFL. We all know my love for Tim Tebow, but this is not the time for the backstory. Nobody cares that I went to the UF Orange and Blue game in April 2009.
Yesterday, the news that the Jacksonville Jaguars WILL sign Tebow became official, even though the details surrounding the deal have still not been released and some coaches on the staff are against it. All we know is it's a one-year deal. I'd assume it's for close to the league minimum, with next to no guaranteed money and perhaps some incentives based on making the team and production.
As an unabashed Tebow guy, I was fucking pumped.
Since Tim Tebow is one of the most polarizing athletes of all time and everything in society has to be black and white (both literally and figuratively), some people are pissed off because Colin Kaepernick is out of the league.
Look, I think it's fucked that Kaepernick has been "blackballed" for his beliefs and protest, but let's not act like Patrick Mahomes got blackballed. Kap's career completion percentage is sub 60; he lost his job to Blaine fucking Gabbert and went 4-20 in his last 24 starts. Obviously, the protest played a significant factor, but he would've stayed in the league if his production was better. I genuinely believe that. Let's not forget that he turned down a deal from the Broncos and asked for way more than he was worth given his recent track record. Plus, he blew off the 2019 workout. It's all about the headache vs. output. If Russell Wilson, Dak Prescott or Patrick Mahomes started the anthem protests, they aren't out of the league. Plain and simple. It's the same reason why Tim Tebow didn't hang around as a backup QB after how much of a circus 2012 was for the Jets. Teams didn't want the distraction that comes with Tebow's celebrity combined with his (lack of) ability. Likewise, teams don't want the headache that comes with Kap's political stance when he played poorly at best from mid-2014 to the end of his career. He had no touch. He'd peg 98 MPH fastballs at running backs in the flat. I've made the joke a million times that Tebow was the original black-listed kneeler, but now I'm scared to say that because of how sensitive this entire situation is. I think it's super fucked up what's happened to Kap, but it's so exhausting, especially when people who know nothing about sports on both sides of the political spectrum turn this into something deeper than a former college coach giving one of the best players he ever coached another shot.
Right wing idiots:
I'm sure she has plenty of sources about Kap as a teammate...
Yep, that's why the Jags signed him to play tight end!
Left wing idiots:
Obviously, Tim Tebow was not a good NFL QB. He was as accurate as an Apache Revolver.
And there's no denying that it's been a WHILE since Tebow's last meaningful NFL snaps. His last start as a QB came in a Reebok jersey.
But the Jaguars didn't sign him to play quarterback; they signed him as a tight end...the same position that the biggest Tebow detractors were saying he should've switched to before, during, and after Tebowmania. I wish he never played baseball and just did this in like 2014, but it's his life and decision. I just wish he was more supportive of all people making their own decisions.
If he was signed to compete with Trevor Lawerence with well over 3,000 days passing since his last regular-season snap, then I'd get the outrage. But this is a guy who's stayed in fantastic shape while competing as a minor league baseball player getting a chance with his hometown team and former college coach. His guy is giving him a look. When did that become a crime? It's not like 18 teams are in a bidding war for his services or he's been to training camps the last few years getting a million opportunities to play QB. One team, coached by his former college coach, is giving him a CHANCE to play tight end after many said he should've done this from the jump. Obviously marketing and tickets are a factor too, but given the success of Taysom Hill with the Saints there's an interest for Tebow's skill set. For years Tebow said he only wanted to be a quarterback in the NFL and that he didn't love football, he loved quarterbacking. Now years later maybe he had a "Change of Heart" like The 1975 when given a chance to play for Urban Meyer in the NFL? For goodness sake, it's the perfect storm. Sure, there's been a lot of time between his last NFL appearance, but that's precisely what makes this story so incredible. If this was any other player attempting a comeback after nine years, the internet would be sucking his dick. All the Jaguars have done is sign him to a one-year deal. So what? NFL contracts are like Whose Line is It Anyway? The contract are made up and the money doesn’t matter. The Patriots signed Timmy to a two-year deal in 2013 and spoiler alert he didn’t even make the team :( He'll go to camp and compete. If he can't get it done, they'll cut him, and that will be the last we see of Tebow, the NFL athlete. This is it. No more chances after this. But if he makes it, this story becomes a Disney+ movie. I know Urban Meyer loves Tebow, but he isn't going to ruin his only chance at being an NFL Head Coach for someone who can't actually help. This isn't charity. Then again, maybe Urban will decide to "retire" and go back to college after a year away from coaching. There's a lot of moves in play. It all comes to risk vs. reward. In Jacksonville (where I lived for two years), Jags games were blacked out regularly in the 2000s. Sure it's the biggest city in the country in terms of area, but it's still a minor league city when it comes to sports. Besides Jason Mendoza, who actually cares about the Jaguars? JAX has a huge military base that brings in tons of transplants in the area who already have allegiances to their hometown teams. Same for a lot of Florida in general. People in JAX care more about college football, and the area is full of UF fans. They're hardly the first team to sign a local legend to ramp up interest. I'll end with this. If you're crying about this "taking a job" from a more deserving player, suck my tiny, broken dick. Have you seen the Jaguars tight end depth? It's 2020 Patriots bad. Tebow can't hurt. Do you know anything about league history? Tons of ex-basketball players with no college football experience have gotten signed as tight ends. Some work out, some don't. Is that unfair to college TEs? Don't get on your high horse like you give half a fuck about the 48th guy on a roster; you just don't like Tim Tebow. Which is fine; I don't care if you're a fan of his or not, but all these talking in heads on Twitter pandering for likes and RTs drive me crazy. If you can't beat out a 33-year old Tim Tebow who's been out of the league since 2012 (2015 if we count the preseason where Tebow played great with the Eagles), you don't deserve a job in the NFL.
All I know is this whole experiment is going to be a blast to watch from 1,200 miles away and I cannot wait to play with the Jaguars in Madden this fall. Worst case Tebow gets cut, and I can sign him to the Patriots, switch him back to QB and win multiple Super Bowl running the triple-option.
Song: Don't Freak (2021)
Artist: The Aces
How fitting is that the SOD for my long-awaited return to blogging is titled "Don't Freak" when literally all I do is freak out and work myself into panics while doubting and second-guessing myself and wtf I'm doing with my life?! despite being a fantastic undiscovered blogger (you can teach proper formatting, but you can't teach my voice!) who created the most popular URI-based Twitter account from 2012-2014! I honestly do apologize to the loyal DOL readers who have missed me since last Monday. Since I'm all about being transparent with you guys, I'll let ya know what was up.
Tuesday after work, I was on the verge of death level exhausted and knew blogging wasn't in the cards. Since I felt guilty about not writing after work/school (depending on how you look at it), I went to my Grandma's to visit, which almost immediately turned into me napping. I ended up passing out on her covered couch while she watched some random 1940s movie on TCM for the 800th time. Then on Wednesday, I was scheduled to have virtual therapy for the first time in almost a month. I didn't want to have a session during April Break, then the week after, she had to reschedule, and since I'm a pushover, I just took whatever opening was first offered to me, which just happened to be on Cinco de Mayo. I have tried to blog before therapy before in similar situations, but with the amount of time I had between getting home and my session, I opted to just relax and think about what I wanted to talk about in our sess. Then I get a text at 5:28 P.M. that she needed to reschedule due to a family emergency. I get it, that happens, but it rubs me the wrong way that she can cancel with 120 seconds notice with zero penalties, and I have to pay $40 if I opt out with less than 24 hours notice. Then Thursday, I had my rescheduled virtual therapy session after 6 P.M., and I actually tried to blog beforehand, but Weebly was cock blocking my dreams. I even posted a SOD before realizing Weebly was down.
Over the weekend and Monday, I was busy doing various activities with my family, but the boi is back! Just like The Aces!!! Under My Influence was one of my favorite albums of 2020, and now the girls are back with more new music in "Don't Freak." I fucking love this band; they deserve to be much more commercially successful!
Song: On The Road (2013) Artist: Houndmouth Album: From The Hills Below The City
During the first round of the NFL Draft, the league hosted a "Draft-a-thon" charity live stream fundraiser for communities affected by COVID-19 because why should they donate any of their billions when they can use fan donations for tax breaks? (If the NFL is matching donations, strike the latter half of the sentence from the record.)
In a four and one-quarter hour live stream (that I did not watch), there was plenty of star power, but this blog is all about what was said by former New England Patriots QB Tom Brady during it in response to a question from Shannon Sharpe about perhaps the most famous loss in NFL history. After Tom gave Shannon Sharpe some shit for his awful TV show with Skip Bayless, Shannon posed a question that millions of New Englanders have pondered since February 3rd, 2008. I have since had this conversation a thousand times with various friends and co-workers. I'm paraphrasing here, but "would you trade two Super Bowl wins for the Patriots to have gone 19-0?"
In somewhat of a surprise, Brady said yes.
Maybe this is just because Tom is at a point where he has a comical amount of Super Bowl championships, but when he's been talking about how "the next one" is his favorite ring since 2002, I gotta say I was a little surprised he'd be willing to trade back two rings for 19-0. I'm curious if he'd have this same stance in 2013 with only three rings? From his POV, now it seems like an easy trade. He'd still have six rings which are more than any other player in the 101-year history of the NFL, while quarterbacking what would be considered the greatest team ever. TB 12's not exactly giving up a lot in this situation. This is the ultimate first-world (sporting) prob. Obviously, history cannot change. The way we interpret it certainly can, but the fact of the matter is the New York Giants beat the New England Patriots 17-14 in Super Bowl XLII. No amount of dropped interceptions or missed holding calls can change that. But let's say they could, and this situation could play out in real life; what two Tom Brady Super Bowl wins would you trade for the perfect season to be truly perfect? No more 18-1 and the rest of high school is incredibly more enjoyable for the boi. Wes Welker, Randy Moss, Logan Mankins and the late Junior Seau all now have rings. Maybe Junior Seau is still here? It's kind of fucked up to think, but I've always wondered that. If I can include the Buccaneers Super Bowl win in this hypothetical, that's a no fucking brainer, but for the sake of difficulty, I'm not allowing that to be on the board. I'm not one of those assholes who counts that as a Boston championship.
For those of you playing along that don't have the Brady-Belichick era tattooed on your brain, let me recap the options:
Super Bowl XXXVI: Patriots 17, Rams 14. 11-5 regular season. First Super Bowl win in franchise history. 14 point underdogs vs. the Rams. Tom Brady famously leads Patriots into game-winning field goal range with no timeouts after the Rams tie the game at 17, and John Madden says the Patriots should play for OT. Super Bowl XXXVIII: Patriots 32, Panthers 29. 14-2 regular season. Hadn't lost since Week 4. Overcame 22-21 4th quarter deficit after leading 21-10. Adam Vinatieri kicks 2nd Super Bowl-winning field goal in three years. Low key one of the best games in Super Bowl history. Super Bowl XXIX: Patriots 24, Eagles 21. 14-2 regular season. Extend recording winning streak to 21 games. Cements early 2000s Patriots as a dynasty. Join the 90s Cowboys as only other team to win three Super Bowls in four years. Super Bowl XLIX: Patriots 28, Seahawks 24. 12-4 regular season. First championship in a decade. Tie a then Super Bowl record 10 point 4th quarter comeback. Malcolm Butler's goal-line INT seals it after being on the wrong side of another circus catch. Patriots win Super Bowl amidst deflate-gate BS. Super Bowl LI: Patriots 34, Falcons 28. 14-2 regular season. Comeback from 28-3 deficit. Roger Goodell was forced to give Tom Brady Super Bowl MVP trophy after the deflate-gate witch hunt. Certifies Brady as the GOAT. Finally, catch a break with miracle catches. Super Bowl LII: Patriots 13, Rams 3. 11-5 regular season. Only Super Bowl where Tom Brady didn't throw a touchdown. 3-0 at the half despite getting passed midfield four or five times. 3-3 going into the 4th. Lowest scoring Super Bowl ever. Patriots defense plays lights out against fraud-ass Rams.
So many variables come into play. Do these wins become losses? Do the Patriots not make those Super Bowls because those factors 100% matter. For the sake of argument, let's assume the Patriots don't make those Super Bowls and instead lose at some point in the playoffs.
Right off the bat, there are two that I'm never trading in a two-for-one situation; MAYBE, if this was one for one, I'd consider it, but there is no way in hell I'm giving up Super Bowl XLIX or LI in this trade. These are my two favorites of all six and are two of the greatest comebacks in all of American sports; they're not going anywhere. But in this hypothetical, if the Pats went 19-0 in 2007, think about the butterfly effect rabbit hole this opens up, and things get interesting. One of the biggest reasons Super Bowl XLIX was so satisfying is how "long" it had been since the Patriots last won a Super Bowl; five days short of a whole decade. (sorry to basically every other fanbase) The Patriots were a yard away from 3-3 in the Super Bowl with a three-game losing streak had it not been for Malcolm Butler. Had the Pats gone 19-0, I don't think Super Bowl XLIX is as sweet, and damnit, was it pretty fucking sweet. I'm 100% choosing Super Bowl LIII with my first option. Now, I can appreciate how they won that game, but from a historical standpoint, this is the least important and certainly is the least memorable. I never even bought a t-shirt. It barely felt like a win; it was more of a relief. Super Bowl LIII felt like anything but a big game after how the Patriots' previous three Super Bowl appearances played out. With no notable "true" Patriots winning their only ring in this game, it's easy to trade away for perfection. For me, the second choice is where things get much more difficult. I need to either break up the three out of four run or go against everything I just said and get rid of XLIX or LI. In over six calendar years of blogging, the Patriots winning Super Bowl XXXVI when I was in 4th grade is undoubtedly on my Mount Rushmore of most referenced life moments on DOL. It shaped the next two decades of my life. I really want to pick this one since I remember this regular season the least of all the options, but that playoff run is what truly got me into the NFL and the Patriots. It's one of the greatest upsets in all of sports and seminal to the Patriots dynasty. If I was selfish, I'd trade this one, but when you add in the Tuck Rule game being the final game at Foxboro Stadium, I don't want to hypothetically erase that from history. After much consideration, I'm getting rid of 2004 in this situation for a few reasons. One, Rhode Islander, Mike Cloud, was a member of the 2003 Patriots, and I don't want to take a ring off his finger, but this was not an easy decision. Let's not forget how great the 2003 Pats were. They played so well against the Colts in the AFC Championship Game that they cried to the league and got the rules changed. I really don't want to give the Colts satisfaction by potentially awarding them the 2004 AFC Championship by knocking out the Patriots before facing Pittsburgh, but knowing Peyton, they don't get the job done. If I get rid of the 2004 Super Bowl Champion Patriots, Brady still starts his playoff career at least 6-0 in this scenario. The hardest part of this is taking a ring off of Corey Dillon's finger. Super Bowl XXXVIII is a much more historically relevant game than Super Bowl XXXIX. I feel like taking XXXIX away hurts the overall double-dynasty less. Especially when you're replacing it with 19-0. Three out of seven with 19-0 > three out of four with 18-1. So I guess I'd trade Super Bowls XXXIX and LIII for 19-0 in 2007. Patriot fans, what two Super Bowl wins would trade for the 2007 Patriots to have finished 19-0? Would you even make that trade? TBH, after writing this blog, I'm not sure if I am, and that's not just to contradict Tom. I wish the Patriots went 19-0, but in a lame, I'm almost 30 way; it helped me learn many important life lessons and certainly knocked me down a peg or two. Plus, I'd be getting rid of the moment where I went onto the deck and took our Patriots flag down in shame only to have my dad make me put it back up, an important lesson in loyalty for 16-year-old Doz. P.S. I could've gone soooo much deeper into all these sliding door moments in history, but after six calendar years of blogging, I'm trying to trim the fat and get to the point and this is still over 1,500 words. This is a conversation that would translate much better in audio/video form.
Song: Save Your Tears
Artist: The Weeknd Album: After Hours (2020)
When the latest Billboard charts officially come out on May 8th (aka Dozah day; IYKYK), Abel Makkonen Tesfaye, otherwise known as The Weeknd, will become the first male artist to have three singles from one album peak at #1 in three different years.
This super cherry-picked stat is somewhat shocking considering all the men who have ever been successful in the recording industry, and there have been plenty; Elvis Presley, Michael Jackson, John Popper, just to name a few. Once you consider all the variables: how hard it is to go to #1; the likelihood of one album producing three #1 hits; the timing of an album's release where this would even be possible; what else is popular at the time; artist fatigue, etc., I suppose it easy to understand why no man had ever achieved what The Weeknd's zero Grammy-nomination album After Hours is about to officially accomplish, but when I first saw this news I was surprised. The entire top five was once all Beatles songs; I figured somebody in the 50s or 60s must've done this, although artists used to release like four albums a year back then. TBH, I'm surprised "Save Your Tears" hasn't peaked at #1 already, but then again, I don't listen to "pop" radio or any radio other than Ryan's Radio on Apple Music (follow me @dozonmusic). That probably sounds pretentious AF, but just I don't keep up with the Billboard charts as religiously as I once did. I feel like I have already used this as a SOD before, but it's so good, and this is such a historical moment that I'm conformable (potentially) repeating a song.
P.S.
Janet Jackson's Jacket Jackson's Rhythm Nation 1814 was the first album to accomplish this feat, producing #1 hits in 1989, 1990, and 1991. |
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