Look At Us Now | NFL Fan Insiders Draft Recap | YouTube Rabitthole
Alright @YouTheReader, so I’ll be honest I heard this song a few months ago and it’s been a song on in the background while I’m Stumblin’ Along in between pubs in The City. For some reason, it just hit differently and I immediately wondered what year it came out in the 1970s. It turns out it’s brand new from the show Daisy Jones & The Six. I love a good duet. I’ve always liked showing the fellas new music (even the ones they may not admit to liking) and I enjoy all types of music so hearing something new like this that sounds like it came out in the 70s feels like a solid share. I haven’t had the chance to watch the show yet, so yeah, I’m a bit of a fraud, but I feel like I could do some @RapGenius Notes on it.
So I’m assuming one of the characters in the show (Billy Dunne) seems to be a rock & roll artist. I’m guessing the band they are in is beginning to experience some levels of success to a degree and he is questioning himself. Could it be like an Eminence Front situation? I don’t know, I’ll have to watch the show - I thought of this because The Who came on at a bar in Brooklyn yesterday. Maybe he is looking back at where this whole thing started and thinking about how much it may have changed him.
I guess this is about a relationship that had its ups and downs.
Daisy Jones must be the one on the other end of Billy Dunne’s questions and she has questions of her own. From the tone in the verse, it sounds like she knows Dunne well and can see through his Eminence Front.
Notice how the first chorus starts with questions, “Did we unravel a long time ago? Is there too much we don’t want to know?” In this chorus, the duet admits the changes have occurred. Interesting…
Clearly, I can’t relate to much of the song in terms of what it’s like to be a rockstar in a fictional TV show, but in fairness, we all listen to music and sing or hum along because we relate to it in some ways. Of course, while I was listening to this song this winter, going around New York City asking bartenders and patrons questions about their drinking establishments, I for sure at times was like what the hell am I doing? How did I get here? I’ll even admit I still do that sometimes. Not every Guinness review may be gold, but at the same time I do run into a stranger turned acquaintance where I think “Wow, okay maybe that was supposed to happen.”
I’m sure for people who knew me before Week to Week Notes that sounds nuts. I should save these for when they get to the Pint&Pen&Papers but for instance just two weeks ago before I even mentioned anything about Week to Week Notes, a cool bartender told me he was commish of his fantasy basketball league. He would every 2 weeks go around the league of his friends & do writeups on each team. If you’re new here, that is almost exactly how Week to Week Notes for me started except with Fantasy Football. By the time I left, he mentioned he might get back to writing a bit because he enjoyed it. Week to Week Notes already has one Hoops Fan Insider but if this Sports Media Publication ever gets going, it will always welcome all writers! Just this past week, I was talking to a bartender and mentioned how I’m trying to document as much of this as possible and I let it slip that sometimes it feels sort of dumb. Her response was, “You should document this. You’re going to be old one day and wish you did.” Stuff like that doesn’t make me cry in the dark, but when I do leave a pub after conversations like these I for sure get a bit choked up.
These sorts of things happen to me all the time and when I least expect it. I’ve been fortunate of late with some luck and trust me I’m always waiting for the other shoe to drop. A lot of this is out of my hands in that I have no control over if people resonate with Sports Content for the Casual Fan, but what I can control is putting in the effort.
Sometimes I have to be a bit of an arsehole, like tell the PGA Tour that Patrick Cantlay needs to be given a golf cart because he is moseying around but trust me that Eminence Front doesn’t feel as good as when I get choked up from all the lucky good things that have come my way. Believe it or not, May 7th last year was my 3rd post on Week to Week Notes, and at the time I didn’t even want to share the link publicly on social media - I just wrote it and posted it to Substack. Here’s that post from a year ago.
Look At Us Now…
‘23 NFL Draft Recap
Jets
Players: Will McDonald IV (EDGE), Joe Tippmann (C), Carter Warren (OT), Israel Abandikanda (RB), Zaire Barnes (LB), Jarrick Bernard-Converse (DB), & Zack Kuntz (TE)
Will McDonald IV may not crack the starting lineup out of training camp, but his speed off the edge will be used situationally on passing downs. Hopefully, Joe Tippmann is the Jets’ next long-term answer at Center. Carter Warren will provide depth behind Mekhi Becton. Zaire Barnes and JBC will be special teamers out of the gate. Zack Kuntz is 6’8” and might be a 7th Round steal with his receiving skills.
Giants
Players: Deonte Banks (CB), John Michael Schmitz (C), Jalin Hyatt (WR), Eric Gray (RB), Tre Hawkins III (CB), Jordon Riley (DT), & Gervarrius Owens (DB)
The Giants clearly felt that their defensive backfield needed an upgrade as they draft Banks, Hawkins, and Ownes to provide a jolt. Deonte Banks should be a Day 1 starter. Let’s hope that John Michael Schmitz vs Joe Tippmann will be THE conversation between Jets & Giants fans for the next decade. Jordon Riley is a big guy who should help out in run support. Eric Gray runs with violence and should be a nice backup for Saquon. Jalin Hyatt’s vertical speed should be able to take the top off the defense in different ways than this regime’s other WRs drafted like Wan’Dale Robinson whose speed should ideally be used horizontally in jet-sweeps.
Dolphins
Players: Cam Smith (CB), Devon Achane (RB), Elijah Higgins (WR), & Ryan Hayes (OT)
Cam Smith gets to learn from X and Jalen Ramsey. Who is CB1 for the Dolphins? Will they have locker room issues over who is placed at the top of the depth chart? I mocked Devon Achane to the Phins like 15 times so that feels like a win. Elijah Higgins went to Standford so he must be smart and I’ve got nothing on Ryan Hayes.
Eagles
Players: Jalen Carter (DT), Nolan Smith (EDGE), Tyler Steen (OT), Sydney Brown (S), Kelee Ringo (CB), Tanner McKee (QB), & Moro Ojomo (DT)
The Eagles were the talk of the draft because they have essentially just recreated the Georgia Bulldogs' elite defense by taking Jalen Carter, Nolan Smith, and Kelee Ringo a year after they drafted Jordan Davis and Nakobe Dean. This is pretty rare and ingeniously brilliant if you ask me. Just take the best players from the Top College defense and put them on your NFL team. We’ll see if it works, but other teams around he league are already annoyed by the praise that Eagles’ GM Howie Roseman has been receiving to that must mean he’s doing something right. Tyler Steen will be developed behind Lane Johnson. Sydney Brown to me looks like he’ll start off as a special teamer. My guess is the Eagles see a bit of Nick Foles in Tanner McKee. Moro Ojomo at Texas was a fifth-year defensive lineman who has played in 50 career games and made 30 starts. In ‘22 second-team All-Big 12 by the Associated Press and an honorable mention All-Big 12 selection by the league’s coaches. Ojomo established career-highs with 33 tackles (16 solo), 5.5 tackles for loss, three sacks, and one forced fumble and added two quarterback hurries his final year in Austin. (Source: Texas)
Patriots
Cowboys
Players: Mazi Smith (DT), Luke Schoonmaker (TE), DeMarvion Overshown (LB), Viliami Fehoko (EDGE), Asim Richards (OT), Eric Scott Jr. (CB), Deuce Vaughn (RB), & Jalen Brooks (WR)
Cowboys went back to back Michigan men in Mazi Smith and Luke Schoonmaker. Mazi Smith started all along the defensive line at Ann Arbor. Last year in ‘22, he made 14 starts at nose tackle. He made 48 tackles with 2.5 for loss, shared a sack, and had one forced fumble which he recovered to go with one quarterback hurry as he earned his fourth varsity letter. He was an All-Big Ten selection, consensus first team, and was named the team's Defensive Player of the Year. Luke Schoonmaker was named twice to the All-Big Ten Team. He shared Most Improved Player (Offense) honors in ‘21. DeMarvion Overshown was named to the first-team All-Big 12 at linebacker by conference coaches and the AP in ‘22. The Super Senior Longhorn had 96 tackles, 10 TFLs, 4 sacks, 2 QB hurries, and 5 pass breakups last season. Deuce Vaughn was a Consensus All-American in ‘21-’22. He was also named 22 First Team All-American (all-purpose) by the AP. Left K-State ranking third nationally among active players in career all-purpose yards per game (135.92), fourth in all-purpose plays per game (20.92), fifth in total all-purpose yards (5,029) and total touchdowns scored (43), sixth in all-purpose plays (774), eighth in rushing yards per game (97.4) and rush per game (17.59), and 11th in rushing touchdowns (34). Vaughn is just 1 of 5 players since 1996 to tally 3,600 rushing yards and 1,250 receiving yards in a career but did so in just 37 games. The others on the list are Tulane’s Mewelde Moore (44 games), Oklahoma’s DeMarco Murray (50 games), Southern Miss’ Ito Smith (51 games), and Louisiana’s Elijah McGuire (51 games). (Source: Kansas State) Asim Richards in ‘22 Started all 14 games on the offensive line. He earned third-team All-ACC honors. He played 1,049 snaps at left tackle and allowed only three sacks. Richards blocked for an offense that averaged 309.3 yards passing per game (11th NCAA/2nd ACC), 462.8 total yards per game (19th NCAA/2nd ACC), and 34.4 points per game (26th NCAA/3rd ACC). Eric Scott Jr. and Jalen Brooks are both playmakers on their respective sides of the ball and each has an upside.
Chargers
Players: Quentin Johnston (WR), Tuli Tuipulotu (EDGE), Daiyan Henley (LB), Derius Davis (WR), Jordan McFadden (OG), Scott Matlock (DT), & Max Duggan (QB)
Quentin Johnston and Derius Davis were the WRs for Max Duggan at TCU. Pretty cool that they all now head west for San Diego. Whoops I mean LA. Johnston and Davis will join a crowded WR room of Keenan Allen, Mike Williams, and Jordan Palmer. Tuli Tuipulotu is a force to be reckoned with in the trenches. He finished his career at USC with 32 TFLs, 21 sacks, 5 pass deflections, and 4 forced fumbles. In ‘22 alone, Henley had 106 tackles, 12 of which were for a loss of yards, 1 INT, 4 sacks, 3 forced fumbles, and 2 fumble recoveries. Henley has all the tools to be a stud LB in the NFL as he seems to be a natural in coverage on an island. I just read about the names of Jordan McFadden and Scott Matlock, best of luck to the big guys upfront.
Jaguars
Players: Anton Harrison (OT), Brenton Strange (TE), Tank Bigsby (RB), Ventrell Miller (LB), Tyler Lacy (EDGE), Yasir Abdullah (LB), Antonio Johnson (S), Parker Washington (WR), Christian Braswell (CB), Erick Hallett (DB), Cooper Hodges (OT), Raymond Vohasek (DT), Derek Parish (EDGE)
The Jaguars were the arseholes of the draft that drafted 13 players and only 1 of which I did any research on. Anton Harrison in ‘22 played 447 pass block snaps, allowed only 1 sack, gave up no QB hits, and had an 83.3 PFF pass block grade. (Source: @PFF_College) Harrison has experience in both OT positions. He’ll be blocking Sunshine’s blindside sometime in the near future.
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Slow Play Cantlay
Getting Patrick Cantlay to play faster golf…This is my life’s mission…