You can call me a sadist if you like, but one of my favorite facts about the 2015 Texas Longhorns is that a team that couldn’t get the ball consistently to its playmakers in the passing game actually had as many wide receivers on scholarship as it did guards and tackles.
Or quarterbacks and running backs combined.
It’s not that the scholarship numbers are completely out of whack, it’s just that there’s great irony in the investment the Longhorns have made in building the foundation of a potent passing game, only to have no way to truly feature it. When you can essentially go three-deep in your four wide receiver sets, but don’t have a quarterback who can justify having four wide receivers on the field very often, it’s like delivering Franklins to a bunch of vegetarians.
There’s a whole brisket to be eaten and no one there to eat it.
You can’t have 11 scholarship wide receivers on campus with the best of the bunch catching only 28 passes in a full season’s worth of starts. You can’t have only two guys on the entire roster with more than 12 catches all season. Your leading receiver can’t post averages of 38 yards receiving per game and a touchdown every six weeks.
From a talent standpoint, an inspection of the roster will show that Sterlin Gilbert has a host of weapons with which to work, at least in theory.
Let’s take a quick roll call to remind you with what Gilbert’s offense will have to work, since you almost certainly won’t remember by watching many of the games from the 2015 season.
* Sophomore John Burt is a big, athletic downfield playmaker who will only get better after leading the team in receiving yards and starts as a true freshmen. A case can be made that Burt is the best weapon on the entire offense and only needs more touches to prove it.
* Mercurial junior Armanti Foreman has flashed the talent of a future star, but hasn’t yet shown the type of commitment and consistency needed to truly earn the trust of the coaches. When he caught the ball last year, he averaged more than 16 yards per reception, but he averaged only 18 yards receiving a game.
* Lorenzo Joe is a former four-star prospect, who happened to average more than 18 yards per reception in an underused sophomore season.
* Jacorey Warrick and Jake Oliver were four star prospects, while Ryan Newsome and Dorian Leonard were both high three star prospects coming out of high school.
* Incoming freshman Collin Johnson arrives as one of the best skill players in California and is regarded as a possible instant impact player, while Reggie Hemphill and Davion Curtis add to the overall diversity of the group’s skill set with their arrivals.
Hell, I haven’t even touched on the fact that the most dynamic receiver on the roster might be playing quarterback at the moment, but if Kai Locksley decides that playing wide receiver now is better than waiting for reps at quarterback, you can make a case that there’s a greater volume of talent at the position right now than we’ve seen since 2008.
One of these days, something close to plus-quarterback play will opens things up for this group and we can chuckle at the thought that a time existed when John Burt might go three or four quarters without a pass thrown his way.
Like a bunch of sadists.
No. 2 – Scattershooting on the Longhorns and recruiting …
… Armanti Foreman’s challenge this off-season should be to do whatever it takes to beat his brother in everything. Through the first two seasons for each, one brother seems to be hungrier than the other and it's likely not an accident that it’s the one that everyone slept on and doubted throughout his entire career. A new coordinator translates to a blank slate and Armanti needs to take advantage of it because there are NFL dollars out there to be earned, but it won’t happen if he doesn’t grow up soon and realize that time waits for no one.
… If Locksley was to move from quarterback to receiver, I think he’d emerge as a starter by the time the season opener arrives. This isn’t me hyping up the guy no one has seen play, this is my hyping up a guy that almost every national power in the country wanted in their program as a wide receiver. You could make a case that no Big 12 team has more raw talent among its top three at receiver than a trio of John Burt, Armanti Foreman and Kai Locksley.
… I don’t mean this to sound condescending at all, but I’m of the mindset that former Longhorns assistant Joe Wickline landed the perfect gig this weekend as the newly named offensive coordinator at West Virginia. Dana Holgorsen will do all of the heavy lifting and Wickline can coach the offensive line with an undisputed title and the amount of recruiting he’ll be asked to do is minimal. Like I said, it’s perfect.
… I keep wondering what could flip Nacogdoches safety Brandon Jones away from his current trajectory towards signing with Texas and I’m not sure what can happen. Charlie Strong and his staff have connected with Jones and his family, while serious reservations about the state of the A&M program have created doubt for the Aggies. It feels like the Longhorns just need to stay the course and it’s the Aggies that need a game-changing event to occur between now and Signing Day.
… Jeffrey McCulloch is going to end up being a Longhorn. It’s ok to say it out loud because he’s certainly not shy about leaving clues.
… Call me crazy, but Deontay Anderson is the prospect with the highest ceiling still left on the board for the Longhorns and would have a chance to be a day-one contributor. FYI, I’m moving him to five-star status in the next LSR Update
No. 3 – Two hours none of us are ever going to get back …
You know what Saturday night’s game between the Longhorns and Horned Frogs reminded me of?
It was a lot like watching one of those conference tournament games when the No. 12 team plays the No. 13 for the chance to make it into the real part of the tournament. If you can force yourself to watch five minutes of it, you’ll know that win or lose, neither of these teams is going anywhere.
That’s what the loss of Cameron Ridley has created for this Texas team, a listless and uninteresting future. With a conference slate that will deliver its share of losses, Texas simply had to go into Fort Worth and snatch a win like a quality NCAA Tournament-level squad should do.
The road games don’t get easier from here on out, they get harder.
As far as specifics about the game are concerned, let’s let these ladies tell you all you need to know.
No. 4 – On the other side of the basketball coin ...
If all you needed to know about the men’s game on Saturday night was the cheerleader routine from a 1986 movie starring Goldie Hawn, then this Tweet from the Longhorn Network is all you need to know about the damage Karan Aston’s team delivered this weekend.
With their record at 15-0 overall and 4-0 in conference play, things start to get much tougher for the Longhorns next weekend when Kim Mulkey’s team comes to town in what will be a battle between top-10 giants.
While everyone is rightfully excited about the future of the men’s program under Shaka Smart, the future is now for Aston’s team.
It’s time to get on the bandwagon.
No. 5 – Buy or sell …
(As always, these are questions submitted by Orangebloods subscribers)
BUY or SELL: When the clock strikes midnight on the 2016 Texas football season (bowl game included), the Horns will have at least 8 wins?
(Sell) I need more answers to critical questions before I start giving that type of benefit of the doubt. You realize this team won five games in 2015, right?
BUY or SELL: Houston's recruiting class is rated higher than UT or A&M after national signing day?
(Sell) Houston has a 2.9 star rating per prospect and will have its hands full to finish in the top 25-30 in a few weeks.
BUY or SELL: Texas will have 3 players on defense and 3 on offense make 1st or 2nd team Big 12 in 2016.
(Sell) Maybe in 2017, but that seems a bit too optimistic for my taste.
BUY or SELL: Andrew Fitzgerald moves up at least 25 spaces in LSR 100?
(Buy) He’ll be in the high-three star tier at the very least. He’s as underrated as any player in the state right now.
BUY or SELL: John Burt will be a better college receiver than Roy Williams?
(Sell) I think it’s become trendy to underrate how good Williams was as a college player. Go back and watch that 2003 Cotton Bowl again.
BUY or SELL: Redheads are passing blondes as not only OBs favorite but any sane man as well?
(Sell) Not if ESPN college football broadcasts mean anything. You can’t even get a cutaway without blonde hair.
BUY or SELL: Texas will have a larger attendance average per game in 2016 than Aggy?
(Buy) There will be a lot of hate-viewing going on in College Station in 2016.
BUY or SELL: Coach Charlie Strong will break his long silence regarding his recruiting critics when he announces a top-12 class on signing day?
(Buy) Does he have a long silence I don’t know about?
BUY or SELL: A member of the OB staff will finally get to the bottom of why Wickline didn't work out before one of your competitors does?
(Sell) What’s there to figure out? He was a non-factor in recruiting, never truly embraced the job and didn’t perform well enough on the field to warrant losing any sleep over when it was time to make a decision on him. You don’t need one of our competitors to tell you that, just pay attention. It’s not rocket science, it’s all right in front of you.
BUY or SELL: Your job is on the line and You are going to go with the same QBs next year that almost got you fired THIS year?
(Sell) I think this is why Anwar Richardson has purchased 20,000 shares of Shane Buechele.
No. 6 – Three things on Monday’ national title game ...
I. Win or lose, Nick Saban is the greatest college head coach in history. All he’s doing now is running up the score.
II. On paper, the Clemson Tigers are exactly the type of team that can give Alabama trouble. Deshaun Watson is the best quarterback the Tide have seen all season and his ability to extend plays and create offense with his legs is the X-factor in this game. With talented skill players all over the field and front lines that can at least stand up against the Tide’s own powerful fronts, there’ no question in my mind that the Tigers can win this game.
III. I’ve been listing the Tide as the best team in college football long before it became cool again to say it out loud. Over the course of four quarters, I just think the Tide will deliver enough body blows to eventually cause the Tigers to drop to their collective knees. The star of the show will be the Tide’s front seven. Call it Alabama 33 Clemson 19
No. 7 – Best thing that ever happened to the Texans ...
I’m not telling any Houston Texans fan that they had to like what happened to their team on Saturday against Kansas City.
As far as playoff games are concerned, that was the equivalent of waiting three hours in a dentist office for painkillers, but in the big picture game it was exactly what Bob McNair, Rick Smith and Bill O’Brien needed to have shoved in their collective faces.
The fear of winning against the Chiefs was that the men who are responsible for big decisions ... yanno … like entrusting this season’s quarterback play on Brian Hoyer and Rip Van Winklemallet … would head into next season believing that the status quo wasn’t a horrible option. Under no circumstances could the Texans exit this season believing that the 2015 plan was an acceptable one worth repeating.
For the betterment of the future, Hoyer’s true ceiling needed to be exposed and that’s exactly what happened. In one of the all-time great crash and burn performances by a quarterback in the playoffs (15 of 34 for 156 yards and five turnovers), the Texans exited the season with the third-worst shutout loss in NFL playoff history.
There’s no coming back from this. Come hell or high water or both, the Texans have to channel their inner-Malcolm X and find an upgrade.
Trade for Matt Stafford. Go get Jay Cutler. Take the risk with Peyton Manning.
What happened on Saturday afternoon can never happen again and whether Texans fans want to hear the benefit of such a loss or not, those five turnovers and that zero on the scoreboard under the home team’s name will assure that a better option exists in the very near future.
No. 8 – Eternal Randomness of the Spotty Sports Mind …
… Scattershooting on Wildcard Weekend…
a. I’m still trying to process how Cincinnati blew that game after Vontez Burfict intercepted Landry Jones with less than two minutes remaining in the game inside the Pittsburgh 30 yard line. For all of the talk about the penalties committed by Burfict and Pacman Jones on the final fateful Pittsburgh drive, I can’t stop thinking about Jeremy Hill coughing up the ball in such a critical situation. Who does he think he is, Adrian Peterson?
b. Speaking of Peterson, he’ll be in the Hall of Fame one day, but a career YPC under four in the post-season matters. It means in the biggest games of his career, he wasn’t even Hall of Very Good.
c. On some level, this weekend was all about the quarterbacks. Big Ben >>>>> AJ McCarron. Alex Smith>>>>> Brian Hoyer. Russell Wilson>>> Teddy Bridgewater. Aaron Rodgers>>>>>>>>>>Kirk Cousins.
d. I have a feeling the Carolina Panthers are going to come to hate the day that the Vikings let the Seahawks off the hook.
e. Blair Walsh is the Brian Hoyer of the Vikings, right? He can’t ever be allowed back into the stadium.
f. Pittsburgh might have won the game, but the war is over. I have a feeling the game against the Bengals will prove to have taken the mind, body and football soul from this team. Hell, is Antonio Brown even going to be able to suit up?
g. Richard Sherman was pretty awesome on Sunday.
h. Green Bay has virtually no chance to beat Arizona. Ok, maybe 2-percent.
… This might be ugly, but it’s beautiful ugly.
… Steph Curry is so sick.
No. 9 – 48 Days Until Oscar Night ...
100-Words or Less Movie Review: The Big Short (A)
Even if you’re heavily versed in the 2008 financial crisis, this spotlight on a broken system, those that figured out the con-game and set out to get rich off of the pending Doomsday is a five-knuckle sandwich to the chin. From Steve Carrell to Christian Bale to Brad Pitt, the acting is top-shelf, but the real magic is taking a story that is dry and complicated, and turning it into something that is entertaining to follow from beginning to end. Every American should watch this movie, which I’d rank as one of the year’s finest.
My Current Oscars Leaderboard
Best Picture (based on movies I have actually seen)
1. Spotlight
2. Room
3. The Big Short
4. Sicario
5. Creed
Best Actor (based on the movies I have actually seen)
1. Michael Fassbender (Steve Jobs)
2. Michael B. Jordan (Creed)
3. Matt Damon (The Martian)
4. Steve Carrell (The Big Short)
5. Samuel L. Jackson (The Hateful Eight)
Best Actress (based on the movies I have actually seen)
1. Brie Larson (Room)
2. Jennifer Lawrence (Joy)
3. Daisy Ridley (Star Wars: The Force Awakens)
4. Emily Blount (Sicario)
5. Charlize Theron (Mad Max: Fury Road)
Best Supporting Actor (based on the movies I have actually seen)
1. Mark Rylance (Bridge of Spies)
2. Jacob Tremblay (Room)
3. Benicio del Toro (Sicario)
4. Christian Bale (The Big Short)
5. Sly Stallone (Creed)
Best Supporting Actress (based on the movies I have actually seen)
1. Joan Allen (Room)
2. Jennifer Jason Leigh (The Hateful Eight)
3. Alicia Vikander (Ex Machina)
4. Rachel McAdams (Spotlight)
5. Tessa Thompson (Creed)
Best Director
1. Lenny Abrahamson (Room)
2. J.J. Abrams (Star Wars: The Force Awakens)
3. Tom McCarthy (Spotlight)
4. George Miller (Mad Max: Fury Road)
5. Ridley Scott (The Martian)
No.10 - And Finally...
I'm out of words this weekend. Nine thoughts will have to do.
Or quarterbacks and running backs combined.
It’s not that the scholarship numbers are completely out of whack, it’s just that there’s great irony in the investment the Longhorns have made in building the foundation of a potent passing game, only to have no way to truly feature it. When you can essentially go three-deep in your four wide receiver sets, but don’t have a quarterback who can justify having four wide receivers on the field very often, it’s like delivering Franklins to a bunch of vegetarians.
There’s a whole brisket to be eaten and no one there to eat it.
You can’t have 11 scholarship wide receivers on campus with the best of the bunch catching only 28 passes in a full season’s worth of starts. You can’t have only two guys on the entire roster with more than 12 catches all season. Your leading receiver can’t post averages of 38 yards receiving per game and a touchdown every six weeks.
From a talent standpoint, an inspection of the roster will show that Sterlin Gilbert has a host of weapons with which to work, at least in theory.
Let’s take a quick roll call to remind you with what Gilbert’s offense will have to work, since you almost certainly won’t remember by watching many of the games from the 2015 season.
* Sophomore John Burt is a big, athletic downfield playmaker who will only get better after leading the team in receiving yards and starts as a true freshmen. A case can be made that Burt is the best weapon on the entire offense and only needs more touches to prove it.
* Mercurial junior Armanti Foreman has flashed the talent of a future star, but hasn’t yet shown the type of commitment and consistency needed to truly earn the trust of the coaches. When he caught the ball last year, he averaged more than 16 yards per reception, but he averaged only 18 yards receiving a game.
* Lorenzo Joe is a former four-star prospect, who happened to average more than 18 yards per reception in an underused sophomore season.
* Jacorey Warrick and Jake Oliver were four star prospects, while Ryan Newsome and Dorian Leonard were both high three star prospects coming out of high school.
* Incoming freshman Collin Johnson arrives as one of the best skill players in California and is regarded as a possible instant impact player, while Reggie Hemphill and Davion Curtis add to the overall diversity of the group’s skill set with their arrivals.
Hell, I haven’t even touched on the fact that the most dynamic receiver on the roster might be playing quarterback at the moment, but if Kai Locksley decides that playing wide receiver now is better than waiting for reps at quarterback, you can make a case that there’s a greater volume of talent at the position right now than we’ve seen since 2008.
One of these days, something close to plus-quarterback play will opens things up for this group and we can chuckle at the thought that a time existed when John Burt might go three or four quarters without a pass thrown his way.
Like a bunch of sadists.
No. 2 – Scattershooting on the Longhorns and recruiting …
… Armanti Foreman’s challenge this off-season should be to do whatever it takes to beat his brother in everything. Through the first two seasons for each, one brother seems to be hungrier than the other and it's likely not an accident that it’s the one that everyone slept on and doubted throughout his entire career. A new coordinator translates to a blank slate and Armanti needs to take advantage of it because there are NFL dollars out there to be earned, but it won’t happen if he doesn’t grow up soon and realize that time waits for no one.
… If Locksley was to move from quarterback to receiver, I think he’d emerge as a starter by the time the season opener arrives. This isn’t me hyping up the guy no one has seen play, this is my hyping up a guy that almost every national power in the country wanted in their program as a wide receiver. You could make a case that no Big 12 team has more raw talent among its top three at receiver than a trio of John Burt, Armanti Foreman and Kai Locksley.
… I don’t mean this to sound condescending at all, but I’m of the mindset that former Longhorns assistant Joe Wickline landed the perfect gig this weekend as the newly named offensive coordinator at West Virginia. Dana Holgorsen will do all of the heavy lifting and Wickline can coach the offensive line with an undisputed title and the amount of recruiting he’ll be asked to do is minimal. Like I said, it’s perfect.
… I keep wondering what could flip Nacogdoches safety Brandon Jones away from his current trajectory towards signing with Texas and I’m not sure what can happen. Charlie Strong and his staff have connected with Jones and his family, while serious reservations about the state of the A&M program have created doubt for the Aggies. It feels like the Longhorns just need to stay the course and it’s the Aggies that need a game-changing event to occur between now and Signing Day.
… Jeffrey McCulloch is going to end up being a Longhorn. It’s ok to say it out loud because he’s certainly not shy about leaving clues.
… Call me crazy, but Deontay Anderson is the prospect with the highest ceiling still left on the board for the Longhorns and would have a chance to be a day-one contributor. FYI, I’m moving him to five-star status in the next LSR Update
No. 3 – Two hours none of us are ever going to get back …
You know what Saturday night’s game between the Longhorns and Horned Frogs reminded me of?
It was a lot like watching one of those conference tournament games when the No. 12 team plays the No. 13 for the chance to make it into the real part of the tournament. If you can force yourself to watch five minutes of it, you’ll know that win or lose, neither of these teams is going anywhere.
That’s what the loss of Cameron Ridley has created for this Texas team, a listless and uninteresting future. With a conference slate that will deliver its share of losses, Texas simply had to go into Fort Worth and snatch a win like a quality NCAA Tournament-level squad should do.
The road games don’t get easier from here on out, they get harder.
As far as specifics about the game are concerned, let’s let these ladies tell you all you need to know.
No. 4 – On the other side of the basketball coin ...
If all you needed to know about the men’s game on Saturday night was the cheerleader routine from a 1986 movie starring Goldie Hawn, then this Tweet from the Longhorn Network is all you need to know about the damage Karan Aston’s team delivered this weekend.
With their record at 15-0 overall and 4-0 in conference play, things start to get much tougher for the Longhorns next weekend when Kim Mulkey’s team comes to town in what will be a battle between top-10 giants.
While everyone is rightfully excited about the future of the men’s program under Shaka Smart, the future is now for Aston’s team.
It’s time to get on the bandwagon.
No. 5 – Buy or sell …
(As always, these are questions submitted by Orangebloods subscribers)
BUY or SELL: When the clock strikes midnight on the 2016 Texas football season (bowl game included), the Horns will have at least 8 wins?
(Sell) I need more answers to critical questions before I start giving that type of benefit of the doubt. You realize this team won five games in 2015, right?
BUY or SELL: Houston's recruiting class is rated higher than UT or A&M after national signing day?
(Sell) Houston has a 2.9 star rating per prospect and will have its hands full to finish in the top 25-30 in a few weeks.
BUY or SELL: Texas will have 3 players on defense and 3 on offense make 1st or 2nd team Big 12 in 2016.
(Sell) Maybe in 2017, but that seems a bit too optimistic for my taste.
BUY or SELL: Andrew Fitzgerald moves up at least 25 spaces in LSR 100?
(Buy) He’ll be in the high-three star tier at the very least. He’s as underrated as any player in the state right now.
BUY or SELL: John Burt will be a better college receiver than Roy Williams?
(Sell) I think it’s become trendy to underrate how good Williams was as a college player. Go back and watch that 2003 Cotton Bowl again.
BUY or SELL: Redheads are passing blondes as not only OBs favorite but any sane man as well?
(Sell) Not if ESPN college football broadcasts mean anything. You can’t even get a cutaway without blonde hair.
BUY or SELL: Texas will have a larger attendance average per game in 2016 than Aggy?
(Buy) There will be a lot of hate-viewing going on in College Station in 2016.
BUY or SELL: Coach Charlie Strong will break his long silence regarding his recruiting critics when he announces a top-12 class on signing day?
(Buy) Does he have a long silence I don’t know about?
BUY or SELL: A member of the OB staff will finally get to the bottom of why Wickline didn't work out before one of your competitors does?
(Sell) What’s there to figure out? He was a non-factor in recruiting, never truly embraced the job and didn’t perform well enough on the field to warrant losing any sleep over when it was time to make a decision on him. You don’t need one of our competitors to tell you that, just pay attention. It’s not rocket science, it’s all right in front of you.
BUY or SELL: Your job is on the line and You are going to go with the same QBs next year that almost got you fired THIS year?
(Sell) I think this is why Anwar Richardson has purchased 20,000 shares of Shane Buechele.
No. 6 – Three things on Monday’ national title game ...
I. Win or lose, Nick Saban is the greatest college head coach in history. All he’s doing now is running up the score.
II. On paper, the Clemson Tigers are exactly the type of team that can give Alabama trouble. Deshaun Watson is the best quarterback the Tide have seen all season and his ability to extend plays and create offense with his legs is the X-factor in this game. With talented skill players all over the field and front lines that can at least stand up against the Tide’s own powerful fronts, there’ no question in my mind that the Tigers can win this game.
III. I’ve been listing the Tide as the best team in college football long before it became cool again to say it out loud. Over the course of four quarters, I just think the Tide will deliver enough body blows to eventually cause the Tigers to drop to their collective knees. The star of the show will be the Tide’s front seven. Call it Alabama 33 Clemson 19
No. 7 – Best thing that ever happened to the Texans ...
I’m not telling any Houston Texans fan that they had to like what happened to their team on Saturday against Kansas City.
As far as playoff games are concerned, that was the equivalent of waiting three hours in a dentist office for painkillers, but in the big picture game it was exactly what Bob McNair, Rick Smith and Bill O’Brien needed to have shoved in their collective faces.
The fear of winning against the Chiefs was that the men who are responsible for big decisions ... yanno … like entrusting this season’s quarterback play on Brian Hoyer and Rip Van Winklemallet … would head into next season believing that the status quo wasn’t a horrible option. Under no circumstances could the Texans exit this season believing that the 2015 plan was an acceptable one worth repeating.
For the betterment of the future, Hoyer’s true ceiling needed to be exposed and that’s exactly what happened. In one of the all-time great crash and burn performances by a quarterback in the playoffs (15 of 34 for 156 yards and five turnovers), the Texans exited the season with the third-worst shutout loss in NFL playoff history.
There’s no coming back from this. Come hell or high water or both, the Texans have to channel their inner-Malcolm X and find an upgrade.
Trade for Matt Stafford. Go get Jay Cutler. Take the risk with Peyton Manning.
What happened on Saturday afternoon can never happen again and whether Texans fans want to hear the benefit of such a loss or not, those five turnovers and that zero on the scoreboard under the home team’s name will assure that a better option exists in the very near future.
No. 8 – Eternal Randomness of the Spotty Sports Mind …
… Scattershooting on Wildcard Weekend…
a. I’m still trying to process how Cincinnati blew that game after Vontez Burfict intercepted Landry Jones with less than two minutes remaining in the game inside the Pittsburgh 30 yard line. For all of the talk about the penalties committed by Burfict and Pacman Jones on the final fateful Pittsburgh drive, I can’t stop thinking about Jeremy Hill coughing up the ball in such a critical situation. Who does he think he is, Adrian Peterson?
b. Speaking of Peterson, he’ll be in the Hall of Fame one day, but a career YPC under four in the post-season matters. It means in the biggest games of his career, he wasn’t even Hall of Very Good.
c. On some level, this weekend was all about the quarterbacks. Big Ben >>>>> AJ McCarron. Alex Smith>>>>> Brian Hoyer. Russell Wilson>>> Teddy Bridgewater. Aaron Rodgers>>>>>>>>>>Kirk Cousins.
d. I have a feeling the Carolina Panthers are going to come to hate the day that the Vikings let the Seahawks off the hook.
e. Blair Walsh is the Brian Hoyer of the Vikings, right? He can’t ever be allowed back into the stadium.
f. Pittsburgh might have won the game, but the war is over. I have a feeling the game against the Bengals will prove to have taken the mind, body and football soul from this team. Hell, is Antonio Brown even going to be able to suit up?
g. Richard Sherman was pretty awesome on Sunday.
h. Green Bay has virtually no chance to beat Arizona. Ok, maybe 2-percent.
… This might be ugly, but it’s beautiful ugly.
… Steph Curry is so sick.
No. 9 – 48 Days Until Oscar Night ...
100-Words or Less Movie Review: The Big Short (A)
Even if you’re heavily versed in the 2008 financial crisis, this spotlight on a broken system, those that figured out the con-game and set out to get rich off of the pending Doomsday is a five-knuckle sandwich to the chin. From Steve Carrell to Christian Bale to Brad Pitt, the acting is top-shelf, but the real magic is taking a story that is dry and complicated, and turning it into something that is entertaining to follow from beginning to end. Every American should watch this movie, which I’d rank as one of the year’s finest.
My Current Oscars Leaderboard
Best Picture (based on movies I have actually seen)
1. Spotlight
2. Room
3. The Big Short
4. Sicario
5. Creed
Best Actor (based on the movies I have actually seen)
1. Michael Fassbender (Steve Jobs)
2. Michael B. Jordan (Creed)
3. Matt Damon (The Martian)
4. Steve Carrell (The Big Short)
5. Samuel L. Jackson (The Hateful Eight)
Best Actress (based on the movies I have actually seen)
1. Brie Larson (Room)
2. Jennifer Lawrence (Joy)
3. Daisy Ridley (Star Wars: The Force Awakens)
4. Emily Blount (Sicario)
5. Charlize Theron (Mad Max: Fury Road)
Best Supporting Actor (based on the movies I have actually seen)
1. Mark Rylance (Bridge of Spies)
2. Jacob Tremblay (Room)
3. Benicio del Toro (Sicario)
4. Christian Bale (The Big Short)
5. Sly Stallone (Creed)
Best Supporting Actress (based on the movies I have actually seen)
1. Joan Allen (Room)
2. Jennifer Jason Leigh (The Hateful Eight)
3. Alicia Vikander (Ex Machina)
4. Rachel McAdams (Spotlight)
5. Tessa Thompson (Creed)
Best Director
1. Lenny Abrahamson (Room)
2. J.J. Abrams (Star Wars: The Force Awakens)
3. Tom McCarthy (Spotlight)
4. George Miller (Mad Max: Fury Road)
5. Ridley Scott (The Martian)
No.10 - And Finally...
I'm out of words this weekend. Nine thoughts will have to do.
