Common Barnwell W

There might be a lot of insight here, but the idea Minnesota is going to end up with that is really hard for me to believe, with the smoke from player side that it’s desirable and team side they want to do something more significant

Holy shit @dennycarter.bsky.social quoted me and the mentions are aflame. Legit learning a lot from many thoughtful posts, and then a few people were, let’s say, not fans. Gold medal lands here in a runaway.

Thrilled to have had Omnifounder (to us at least!) @bengretch.bsky.social on the pod this week. Talked through how all this came to be for him and for us, some 2026 strategy, and why Ben is anti-chairsport. open.spotify.com/episode/008G...

🍌The 10 Best Picks & 10 Craziest Reaches in Drafts🍌 Listen in as @bengretch.bsky.social and Shawn Siegele share their thoughts on the 2026 fantasy football landscape. Now available on RotoViz YouTube and Podcast players!

Among other things, four years is just too long for anyone to be in power these days, with history sped up and condensed. They used to have to get on horses to ride through the night to pick a new leader, sure that shit made sense 200 years ago.

Not to be a doomer, but one of the things that gnaws at me all the time lately is this framework that we'll look back at this time and history will judge it some way necessitates a future where things are "fixed" in a way that is not just uncertain but increasingly unlikely. Anyway, enjoy Arby's.

Whooo boy with the Gaudreau kids out there

NEVER IN DOUBT

Holy shitttttt

This is insane

Motorcycles out of helicopters and things of that nature

I really liked @bengretch.bsky.social's callout in his Field Tippers article that the distribution of aDoT is important context. That's what the graph below shows. The x-axis is aDoT while the y-axis is the standard deviation of air yards per target. And I highlighted 3 interesting guys.

beatdown

Was the most important play of the 2025 season that backward pass 2-point conversion in the Week 16 Seahawks-Rams game? This season was defined by those two teams, and makes a lot more sense when you think about it by focusing on that rivalry.

That looked like a run of the mill Week 12 beatdown. Patriots just didn’t look like a team that belonged on that stage, unfortunately for them.

Witherspoon now two sacks and a fumble forced. He’s prob your MVP? So many deserving defenders

If MVP doesn’t go to a defender, that’s crazy

Walker’s balling but Derrick Hall two sacks plus a huge fumble forced should be MVP, representing how Seattle won this game

Vrabel I got 9-8 on the squares at my party and you’re kicking that effing extra point you gotta be joking with this conservative nonsense

Sam Darnold winning MVP when he was late to about half of his 15 open throws would be hilarious. Should go to a defender.

Great play design there. Think you just get conservative here. Run the ball prob. Kick the FG. Get to 15, two TDs + a conversion just to tie.

TreVeyon Henderson, for all his flaws, was the only RB in the NFL with 4 runs of 50+ yards this year. JT only other who had 3. Pats going to him more just hoping to hit something.

I was hopeful we might get the best version of these teams, but we’re watching two flawed teams meet on the biggest stage (one more flawed than the other so far)

Patriots still not beating the soft schedule allegations. This is roooough.

Super late from Darnold. Had plenty of room to lead JSN. Second time he’s missed him for a TD.

Patriots more afraid of Drake Maye than Seahawks are of Sam Darnold early. Bit surprising.

It can’t only be doom. I understand the negativity but finding joy where we can is important to living.

If we don't make time to enjoy things we'll never survive. Even if you hate sports you can enjoy that JD Vance is getting booed everywhere he goes

1) There's good research that suggests a mental break from the constant information loop is probably necessary for all humans. 2) The America I'm proud of is fighting for the values I'll be celebrating, most notably community. I don't believe that has to equate to celebrating what you're saying.

100% agree with that sentiment, too. Just feel we have to compartmentalize and find joy in life where we can.

I'm still such a wide-eyed little kid about the Super Bowl. It's Super Bowl Eve. Tomorrow is the whole thing, the pomp and circumstance, the food, the booze, the capitalism, the American excess. It's a beautiful thing.

Sir Ian McKellen performing a monologue from Shakespeare’s Sir Thomas More on the Stephen Colbert show. Never have I heard this monologue performed with such a keen sense of prescience. Nor have I ever been in this exact historical moment.TY Sir Ian, for reaching us once again. #Pinks #ProudBlue

Incredible gear

between Buy Now and bidders natalie has raised $2,000 by parting ways with stuff that holds a ton of sentimental value to her seen a lot of ppl post NFL starter packs and talk about bluesky being a Sports App. boosting this and driving these numbers up seems like a great way to prove it 🫡

second verse on this is one of the funniest things i've ever heard

They should just give these Pro Bowl QB spots to non-QBs who threw TDs. I’m here for Mohamed Sanu, Pro Bowl QB.

Can’t believe they released the Epstein files to cover up for the Melania movie.

Cooked a little this morning (free post) bengretch.substack.com/p/processing...

Just found a spreadsheet with last year's. New England was so low they didn't make my spreadsheet (I have 24 of 32 teams here). Seahawks were 47/1.

DraftKings posted initial futures odds for next year's Super Bowl. It's as you'd expect, with co-favorites at +950 and 16 teams — half the league — at +2200 or shorter. Never seen anything like it. Super fun to think about what comes next in the NFL.

never meet your heroes

Truly one of the most unprecedented builds I can remember in this sport. An all-time sports season.

Mike Macdonald is the best coach in the NFL and that’s really pretty straightforward even in an era with several great coaches. The culture stuff is clear, the Xs and Os are ahead of the curve, it’s just so impressive.

Super classy from Woolen to go right over to McVay and apologize and shake his hand before any kind of celebration

Do you let JSN get nasty on third down? The clock element is obv massive if you fail. Also, he’s the best player on the field.

Such a good play in such a huge moment, just massive

There is so much more football in the NFC game than in the AFC one. As someone who mostly watches football to see punts go out of bounds I can't say I care for it.

Mannnn what a great pass breakup jeeeez