The Real Her | Jets-Giants | NFL Draft ‘24 | UConn Hoops | YouTube Rabbithole
Alright @YouTheReader,
The Real Her is track 15 on Drake’s album, Take Care. The song features Lil Wayne and Andre 3000. Despite the fact that the song features two rap legends, the song was always more of a skip for me, which in a way goes to show how many good songs are on Take Care.
Ahh yes, I too know many women from Houston, Atlanta, and Vegas, they sure know how it goes down. I’ve never been to any of these cities or met anybody from any of these places but Houston’s style of rap had a ton of influence on Lil Wayne, Andre 3000 is from the ATL, and I’m sure rappers love Vegas because it’s Vegas.
In the first line, Lil Wayne uses a direct lyric from Drake’s Miss Me verse. Stevie Wonder had to have been cool with this line considering he had just played the harmonica for Drake on Doing It Wrong. It’s safe to make that assumption, no?
Andre 3000 with some clever wordplay.
Shouts out Adele, I mean who doesn’t like Someone Like You? Makes sense.
On to the sports…
Notes Nobody Asked For
Jets - Giants (Week 8, ‘23)
- Another Rainy Sunday. *Insert advertising on Gigi’s Hoboken breakfast menu.* 4 bagels for $5 with butter/cream cheese, solid deal on Uber Eats, and ready in minutes, just saying.
Quarter 1
- Breece Hall gets the ball on back-to-back plays to start the game, great start.
- The great start is over as Zach Wilson on back-to-back plays was holding onto the ball too long. Got away with a floater that found the ground after he got hit. On the very next play, he fumbled and the Giants recovered. The Jets’ defense held the Giants to a field goal, 3-0 GMEN.
- The Jets’ offense goes 3&Out and punts the ball this time to the Giants. Bryce Huff gets a sack. The Jets will be getting the ball for the 3rd time and we’re only at the 8:59 minute mark of the 1st Quarter.
- Jets go 3&Out again and start the game 0 for 3 on 3rd down. At least Thomas Morestead had a great punt which landed on the 3-yard line. The Giants, with their backs against the goal line, have to conservatively go 3&Out.
- Breece Hall catches a ball around the 50-yard line, makes one guy miss, and then scores. Unreal, great play. 7-3 Jets.
Quarter 2
- The Giants are able to move the ball a bit and are set up for a FG attempt. The kick is no good. The Jets offense gets the ball back and goes 3&Out. Another great punt by Thomas Morestead.
- Another nice stop by the Jets’ defense. Both teams have combined 0 for 11 on 3rd down conversions as the Jets again have to punt back to the Giants.
- Tyrod Taylor is now hurt with a rib injury. Looks to be in a ton of pain as Don Bosco’s own Tommy DeVito is now coming into the game. Is the Bosco kid really about to beat the Jets in his NFL debut?
- Jets rookie WR Xavier Gipson is now hurt. Sloppy game. Multiple Jets have already been ruled out from injuries such as C Conner McGovern, DT Al Woods, and backup C Wes Schweitzer. The Jets are down to their 3rd string center who they just signed off the practice squad.
- QB Zach Wilson and the 3rd-string center messed up the exchange as the Giants recovered the fumbled snap.
- Jets’ Jermaine Johnson gets a big sack which leads to another Giants punt.
- Bad clock management by the Jets to wrap up the 1st half. RB Michael Carter goes out of bounds which no longer forces the Giants to use a timeout.
Quarter 3
- I just got a text that, “This game is as ugly as it gets” and I can’t sum it up any better. On the Giants’ opening drive in the 2nd half, Tommy D and the Giants go down the field thanks to costly Jets penalties. LB Quincy Williams gets flagged on a 50/50 unnecessary late hit where he was leading with the helmet. After the Jets defense makes a stop on 3rd & Goal, Jermaine Johnson lays out Tommy D on a late hit after the play. Stupid penalties.
- The Jets offensively are now 0 for 10 on 3rd down, once again, hey at least their defense got another 3&Out.
- This 3rd Quarter is a real beauty. 10-7 GMEN.
Quarter 4
- On the Jets’ opening possession in the 4th Quarter, Zach Wilson grounds a football thrown to a wide-open Breece Hall would have easily picked up the team’s first 1st Down on a 3rd Down conversion. Now 0 for 11 on 3rd Down. The defense gets another 3&Out because Daboll refuses to let Tommy D throw the football.
- Garrett Wilson's sideline catch toe-tapper was a helluva catch. Daboll challenged the call and it stood. I’m very glad that CBS went to Gene Steretone so that he could confirm that he agreed with the call. Thanks, Gene.
- Drive stalls. Thomas Morestead punts for the 11th time and this one gets spotted at the 3-yard line. This is the most punts in a game since ‘03. The Jets’ defense forces another 3&Out, but now Micheal Clemons commits an encroachment penalty on a 4th Down punt. Another stupid penalty.
- Eventually, the Jets make a stop. 23 punts in this game. This looks like the final drive. Jets start out at the 25-yard line. Zach Wilson picks up a 1st Down on 3rd down with a 17-yard scramble. On the very next play, he gets sacked to make it 2nd & 20. The Jets can’t pick up 20 yards, matter of fact, Wilson once again gets sacked on 4th Down.
- The Jets just lost to a team that netted -8 passing yards. Pathetic. Same Old Jets…
- The Giants only kill 1 minute and 2 seconds of the clock as they miss a FG.
- With 24 seconds left, Zack Wilson hits Garrett Wilson for 29 yards. The clock stops because a Giants player was offside. Zach Wilson then follows by hitting Allen Lazard for another 29 yards AND they stop the clock with a spiked snap. They did this in 23 seconds. Tie Game 10-10 after Greg the Leg makes it.
Overtime
- The Giants win the coin toss and elect to receive. They go 3&Out as Brian Daboll finally allows Tommy D to throw the football and it goes for -1 yards.
- Zach Wilson hits Garrett Wilson for a 1st down. Wilson makes an AND-1 style catch where he drew a defensive pass interference call, caught the ball, and then still was able to get up while picking up the 1st down.
- The Jets throw the ball downfield to Xavier Gipson, who draws another defensive pass interference call. Just like that the Jets kick a field goal and win. 13-10 NYJ.
- Wow. 4-3, that’s a win where you just add it to the win column and then try to burn it from your memory. What an ugly one, but I’ll take one of those every week.
- Week to Week Notes Game Ball goes to their punter, Thomas Morstead.
- Sorry @GiantsFans, no shade is being thrown here. I mean I don’t know what the hell Daboll was doing running the ball on every play for a whole half, but it almost worked. At the end of the day, the Giants are in a better draft position now, while a Jets loss would’ve almost knocked them out of contention conversation entirely. 13-10 Jets, just like we drew it up.
Ashton Gillotte is from Boca Raton, Florida, and coming out of high school he was a 3-star recruit. Known for his hair and beard, the slogan offenses have about Gillotte is Beware of the Hair. In year one at Louisville, Gillotte immediately saw playing time which produced 4 sacks and 8 tackles for loss. In ‘22, Gillotte earned an All-ACC honorable mention and All-ACC Academic selection as he had 6 sacks and 7 tackles for a loss. Midway through his junior year in ‘23, Gillotte is starting to really earn praise he was selected as PFF 3rd team Midseason All-American. So far this year, the Hair has 10 tackles for loss to go with 8.5 sacks, 2 sacks of which just came on Saturday against Duke in the Cardinal’s shutout victory. The Hair is a very solid, relentless football player who has improved every year in college.
Chris Braswell is from Baltimore, Maryland, where he was a 5-star highly recruited prospect. Braswell did not initially see the field at Alabama his freshman year in ‘20. In ‘21, Braswell mostly just played on special teams. It wasn’t until last season that Braswell started gaining more playing time on Saban’s defense as he picked up 2.5 sacks and 4 tackles for loss. The senior pass rusher has broken out in ‘23. Playing opposite Dallas Turner, Braswell has piled up 6.5 sacks to go with 32 tackles (9 for a loss) and a Pick-6. Braswell and Turner have been an excellent edge-rushing duo. Turner, who will likely be a Top 10 Pick praised Braswell, “I watch him and he watches me at practice, so we get to talking about each other in good ways and helpful ways, as well. It’s good to have another dude that’s just like you on the other side of the pass rush.”
T’Vondre Sweat is from Huntsville, Texas, and is a big fella. At 6’4” and 362 lbs., Sweat with his size can be a game wrecker. The 5th-year senior has played for the Longhorns since ‘19 and is coming off a career-high 7 tackle game against BYU. So far this year, Sweat in 8 games has already recorded a career-high 5.5 tackles for loss. Due to the fact that Sweat is a defensive tackle, he doesn’t have eye-popping stats like other edge rushers, but he does have very quick hands which may have potential as a pass rusher at the NFL level with the right scheme.
Javion Cohen is from Phenix City, Alabama, aka Sin City, USA. Cohen played for his home state of Alabama under Nick Saban from ‘20 to ‘22. Despite being in a reserve role as a freshman, Cohen played well enough to be selected SEC All-Freshman Team. In ‘21, Cohen earned a starting role at left guard where he made 14 starts. Last year at Alabama would be his last year at Alabama as he had some ups and downs to his season. He was named 2nd Team All-SEC by league coaches, but he only made 10 starts and was also at one point benched. The 6’4” and 305 lbs. offensive guard transferred to the Hurricanes this past offseason and has been the team’s starter at left guard. Offensive linemen don’t always get many flashy highlights, but Cohen in the GIF was able to block a guy, keep the RB in bounds, and then push him in for the score.
Princely Umanmielen is from Manor, Texas. The junior pass rusher has actually been with Florida since ‘20 but was granted that COVID extra year of eligibility thing by the NCAA. That ‘20 season, Umanmielen got off to a nice start to his career, recording 2 sacks in 6 games. His ‘21 season at Florida was a bit more inconsistent as he ended up with 1.5 sacks in 13 games. Last year with the Gators, Umanmielen became the starter at defensive end. He was able to up his sack total to a healthy 4.5 on the season to go with 9.5 tackles for loss. So far this year Umanmielen has recorded 3 sacks and against #1 Georgia, he had a career-high 9 tackles. Princely Umanmielen has the ability to be a nice pass rusher on Sundays but will need to become more consistent to make the field at the next level.
UConn is the reigning Men’s NCAA Basketball Champions of ‘22-23. The Huskies have lost some key members of their title-winning team with Jordan Hawkins, Adam Sanogo, and Andre Jackson heading to the NBA. Head coach Dan Hurley still has some studs returning as well as a transfer and a 5-star recruit entering the program.
Tristen Newton is from El Paso, Texas, and is cousins with Green Bay Packers RB Aaron Jones. In high school, Newton played for Burges High where as a senior he led the state of Texas averaging 37.2 points per game. UConn has not been Newton’s only school he’s played for post-Burges, as from ‘19 to ‘22 he attended East Carolina. As a Pirate for 3 seasons, Newton’s best season down there came his junior year when he averaged 17.7 points, 5 assists, and 4.8 rebounds per game. He transferred last year to UConn and played in all 39 games while starting in 38 of them. Newton is the leading scorer of the returning guys from last year’s championship run as he put up 10.1 points and 4.5 rebounds while also leading the Huskies in assists with 4.7 per game. Head coach Dan Hurley told the media this week, "I think at times last year he felt unappreciated, and rightfully so, overshadowed by performances from some other great players that are no longer with us...he has every opportunity this year to get everything he wants."
Alex Karaban is from Northborough, Massachusetts, where he started his high school days before going to school in New Hampshire and then accelerating his graduation at IMG Academy down in Bradenton, Florida. He was named the Gatorade New Hampshire Player of the Year for ‘20-21 after averaging 25.8 points, 8.7 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 1.9 blocks per game. Last season as a redshirt freshman, Karaban cracked the starting lineup in just the 2nd game of the season and didn’t look back as he made the next 38 starts. He led the team in total minutes played while averaging 9.3 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 1.7 assists. He was able to shoot an impressive 48% from the floor and 40% from behind the 3-point arc. This week Karaban was named to the Karl Malone watch-list which goes to the Nation’s top Power Forward. Karaban is not a flashy player whatsoever, but he gets the job done effectively, which probably is why he was left off the 1st Team All-Preseason Big East Team despite being a key cog on the defending national championship team. When asked about how his game has been overlooked, Karaban told News 8, “People have just always looked past me and I think that is just going to continue this year and I love it. I love continuing to prove people wrong. People undervalue what I can do and you know I’m totally fine with that, I love it. It’s a motivating factor that I’ll never lose.” Expect another big season out of UConn’s 4-man.
Donovan Clingan is from Bristol, Connecticut, otherwise known as the home of ESPN. As a senior in high school at Bristol Central, Clingan averaged 30.3 points, 18.4 rebounds, and 6.2 blocks per game. Last season at UConn as a freshman, the 7’2” center appeared in all 39 games while averaging 6.9 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 1.8 blocks per game. He currently holds the UConn record for career field goal percentage after shooting 66% from the floor last season as Adama Sanogo’s backup. The big man recently sprained an ankle but is expected to be ready to go on November 6th for UConn’s opening night. Clingan will now take on the starter role and although he was an important piece for the title team last year, will have an even bigger impact as a returning sophomore.
Cam Spencer is from Davidsonville, Maryland, and is a grad student who just transferred to UConn. While in high school, Spencer was the ‘19 Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association Player of the Year. Initially, he decided to go to college in the state at Loyola-Maryland University. From ‘19 to ‘22, Spencer played in 58 games making 42 starts for the Greyhounds and he averaged 14.6 points, 3.1 assists, 4.2 rebounds, and 1.4 steals per game. He shot 39% from beyond the arc at Loyola before he transferred to Rutgers University last year. As a Scarlett Knight, Spencer made 34 starts with the team and immediately had an impact by leading the team in scoring with 13.2 points per game. He was also able to up his 3-point shooting to 43% while making a career-high in 3-pointers in a season with 72. Spencer will provide the Huskies with a great long-range option on offense and contribute as a solid defender who has averaged over 2 steals per game the past 2 seasons.
Stephon Castle is from Covington, Georgia, and is a 5-star recruit. ESPN has Castle ranked as their 12th-best freshman in his class. Castle played in the Allen Iverson Classic as well as the McDonald’s All-American Game. As a senior in high school last year, Castle averaged 20.1 points, 9.5 rebounds, 4.8 assists, 3 steals, and 2 blocks per game. The 6’6” point guard has great size for the position and plays with great balance. He is able to play with his unique style of rhythm and pace that almost makes it seem effortless. Castle will turn 18 years old on Wednesday and is already projected as a Top-10 lottery pick in this upcoming NBA Draft. Head coach Dan Hurley said of Castle, "He's the most physically ready freshman young player that I've ever had the pleasure of coaching, and he's a great kid."