It's Better To Be Lucky - Pizza Hut Edition

HUT, HUT, HIKE

Just a day after announcing that Papa John’s would no longer be supplying its “better ingredients” pizza as the official pie of the NFL, the league announced that Pizza Hut will become its new provider of diabetes-inducing game day snacks.

The deal was delivered hot-n-ready into Pizza Hut’s lap thanks to some unfortunate comments from John Schnatter, Papa John’s (former) CEO. Schnatter criticized the NFL for its handling of player protests and blamed the league for poor sales.

In retrospect, that probably wasn’t a good idea. The criticism led to support that was, well, unwanted. At one point the Papa became the unofficial pizza partner of alt-right white supremacists.

While Pizza Hut boasts 7,200 stores nationwide with 150,000 employees, like its pepperoni providing predecessor, it isn’t a go-to Sunday spot for football fans. But the Hut is betting that the deal will translate to an uptick in takeout orders.

Water Cooler Talking Point: “Gotta love when you’re sent an earthly blessing from the pizza gods above. The C-Suite at Pizza Hut must have done some seriously good deeds in a past life. Still can’t believe the Papa, though. Criticizing the NFL?! C’MON MAN!”

(BroBible.com)

That's A Good One

(CavemanCircus.com)

We Finally Got It & Now We're Bored With It

6 Reasons Why the NFL in L.A. Is Already a Big Fail

1. There's too much else to do here.

To say L.A. has a wealth of entertainment options is an understatement. The Dodgers are doing well and heading toward the playoffs, despite their bizarre late-season crappiness. Basketball starts in a little more than a week. Hockey just started. We've got soccer, too. This is basically the busiest sports season of the year.

Then there's everything else: movies, music, Hamilton and restaurants, which Tyler Cowen argues have become the center of American culture, at least among a certain class of Americans. Between Netflix and the beach, there's no shortage of weekend activities vying for Angelenos' time.

It is, perhaps, too early to write off the NFL's second tenure in Los Angeles as a complete failure. As NFL spokesman Joe Lockhart told reporters during a conference call this week, "To a person, both at the club level and here at the league office, we remain confident that the city of Los Angeles can support in a very strong way two franchises, and we’re committed to making that happen as we work toward the opening of the new stadium."

Maybe the new stadium will change everything. Maybe the Rams are actually good and in a few weeks everyone will notice. Maybe we'll get a Super Bowl. Or maybe we just don't give a shit about football.

3. Football games are too populist and too expensive.

Basketball arenas are small, intimate, like theaters or nightclubs. People crane their necks around to see who else is there. They're scenes, perfect for L.A. Football stadiums will never have that kind of vibe.

Which is not to say that Angelenos don't like cheap thrills. Plenty of people go to baseball games and soccer games. But tickets to those games won't set you back $100. And parking, just as important, won't set you back $100 — as it did at the Chargers home opener.

The NFL, at least in Los Angeles, is neither luxury product nor popular entertainment. It's in that awkward middle space.

Complete list (LAWeekly.com)

A Thought To Ponder

(BroBible.com)

That's A Damn Good Question

Which 16-year dynasty reigns supreme: Patriots or Yankees?

The New England Patriots have defied nearly everything about the NFL, especially its insistence that championship-level teams get dragged back to the pack sooner rather than later. For 16 years they have outperformed and outsmarted a system built around parity and equal opportunity, inspiring fans to search for a modern equivalent in a different sport.

When it comes to all things New England, New York is the first and last place to look for a rival. And in this case, the 1996-2011 New York Yankees belong in the conversation with the 2001-2016 Patriots.

Scott Pioli/Nick Caserio vs. Brian Cashman

This is a tough one to call, given Belichick's final say in personnel. Both sides have had their hits and misses, though high-schoolers' eligibility makes pre-draft evaluations in baseball tougher. Pioli didn't succeed while running his own program in Kansas City but has bounced back to help another former Patriots staffer, Thomas Dimitroff, put the Falcons in the Super Bowl. (Caserio has yet to go out on his own.) Cashman gets credit for four of the Yanks' five titles (he was Bob Watson's assistant for this first one), for weathering Boss Steinbrenner's storms, for flying solo in New York for such a long time and for transitioning to a promising Yankees youth movement without suffering a losing season along the way. He has had significant financial advantages over his football counterparts and, for the most part, he has taken advantage of them. Edge: Yankees

Kraft vs. George/Hal

Kraft made it to seven of his eight Super Bowls in the designated 16-year period, and the Steinbrenners made it to seven of their 11 World Series in theirs. George Steinbrenner is best-known as a founding father of free agency, even as an impetuous owner who twice got himself banned from baseball, once for life (though he was later reinstated). Whereas Torre had to manage Steinbrenner's personality in the post-suspension phase of George's reign, Kraft has been the one to soften Belichick's rough edges, accept his quirks and give him the requisite space to lead as he sees fit. Kraft saved the Patriots from moving to St. Louis in the 1990s and then found his sweet spot as an owner after feuding unnecessarily with former coach Bill Parcells. Steinbrenner could be an obstacle between the Yanks and winning. But for the Patriots, two years ago, when Kraft marched into New England's first Super Bowl news conference and set a defiant and helpful Deflategate tone for the week, Kraft removed an obstacle between the Patriots and ring No. 4. Edge: Patriots
 
(ESPN.com)

And That's How NFL Owners Stay Wealthy

Despite the NFL making more than $9 billion annually and projected to make more than $25 billion a year by 2027, pays its CEO more than $30 million a year, 68% of NFL stadium construction costs since 1923 coming from taxpayer money

(CavemanCircus.com)

A Small Insight Into Why He's So Successful

• [Adam] Gase on the influence of Nick Saban on his life: 

I always liked the way that he handled players, but also how organized he was, how everything was done so meticulously … there was a regimen every day. You just knew what to expect. You knew what was coming, and it was a grind, it wasn’t tough, it wasn’t easy, but there was a purpose behind everything. He had a great process, and I gravitated towards that. I’ve seen him have fun. When we had signing day, that night, you would always see a big old smile. He knew that chapter had ended and he would always take the staff out, which was always a fun night for all of us because we didn’t have a lot of time to hang out as a staff, and that was the one time the whole group would go and get to talk and BS a little bit.

(MMQB.SI.com)

This Was A Cool Moment

f. Visual of the day, and maybe of the season: Eagles tight end Zach Ertz making a diving touchdown catch against Dallas at Lincoln Financial Field, getting up and celebrating with his teammates. He gives the ball to Carson Wentz, who finds American League MVP and Eagles season-ticket holder Mike Trout in the end zone seats and hands Trout the ball.

(MMQB.SI.com)

So Wrong, Yet So Funny

(BroBible.com)

So Does This Mean She's Single?

Kate Mara Talks About How She Had To Dump Her British BF After He Dented The Vince Lombardi Trophy

[I]n the Conan clip [here] actress Kate Mara (Fantastic Four, The Martian, House of Cards) talks about how she has a knack for dating British blokes. It’s not entirely clear if Kate’s dating these British bros because of their accents or because she can never be sure if American men are using her for NFL connections, but in the clip she goes on to discuss about how she had to instantly dump one of these British suitors after he accidentally drop-kicked the Vince Lombardi Trophy with his steel-toed boots.

(BroBible.com)

And You Wonder Why Soccer Is The #1 Sport Worldwide

(CavemanCircus.com)

A Mind Trip On National TV

(Bits&Pieces.us)

People Hate The Prices, But Keep Paying

Check Out The Outrageous Beer And Hot Dog Prices At Each NFL Stadium

(FoodBeast.com)

I Don't Understand The Math, Either

9. I think the biggest takeaway after two weeks of watching the new kickoff rule is this: Why are so many returners receiving the ball three to five yards deep and then returning the ball? It’s crazy, when the Competition Committee has handed teams a five-yard bonus this season on touchbacks. Take the ball at the 25! If you get the ball five yards deep, you have the return it 31 yards to do better than what the new rules hand you. Do you realize that no man have ever averaged 31 yards per kick return in NFL history? Gale Sayers holds the career record with a 30.6-yard career average. To prove my point, here are a few of the bad decisions in the first two weeks, and what happened with them:

• Buffalo’s Brandon Tate caught a kick four yards deep in the end zone and returned it to the 18 on Thursday night against the Jets.

• Atlanta’s Eric Weems, seven yards deep, returned to the 19 in Week 1. Later, four yards deep, he returned it to the 21. Later, he did get one five yards deep and returned it to the 29.

• Chicago’s Deonte Thompson, six yards deep in Week 1, returned it to the 20.

(MMQB.SI.com)

That's A Great Stat

(BroBible.com)

He Had Every Right To Be Pissed

Why Nick Saban was so mad after Alabama's win (it wasn't just Lane Kiffin)

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. -- By now everyone has seen the clip of Nick Saban going nuclear on Lane Kiffin. It wasn’t an argument, Saban said, it was an "ass-chewing." Saban snatched off his headset and screamed at Kiffin, going red in the face. Just when it looked as if he was finished, Saban circled back, had a few more choice words and nearly spiked his headset at Kiffin’s feet.

Alabama was ahead by 28 points. There was less than a minute left. The game was essentially over. And, still, Saban was furious. Afterward, he called the team’s play "embarrassing." He said it was perhaps the most disappointing win he’d ever been a part of -- and we’re talking about a career that spans four decades.

Before you attribute this to theatrics, to manufactured drama, take a second to account for Kiffin’s reaction to the tirade Saban unleashed on him. He wasn’t surprised. He didn’t shout back. He stared straight ahead, put his hands on his hips and took it. He’d been there before. He knew the deal as soon as Western Kentucky took advantage of a fumble, turning it into its only touchdown of the day. Kiffin, by proxy, had sullied an otherwise impeccable defensive performance and had to pay.

For Saban, all of that was overshadowed by his team’s sloppy play. He saw a mess of an offensive line. He saw a nonexistent running game. He saw a whopping 12 penalties, a pair of touchdowns that were dropped by receivers and a missed field goal on the opening drive of the game.

With a trip to No. 19 Ole Miss coming up, it’s no wonder he was angry. Playing like that might mean a third consecutive loss to the Rebs.

(ESPN.com)

I've Always Wondered About This

College football insurance policies are big -- but complex -- business

What do these policies cost?

A rule of thumb is about $10,000 for every $1 million in coverage. Previously, the NCAA helped secure a loan for the premium, which would be paid by the player's family, but a couple of years ago, that changed when it was discovered that schools were allowed to take out the policies themselves.
Sources said that Clemson took out a policy for Watson through International Specialty Insurance, which has established itself as the leader in the space, especially when it comes to offering loss of value.

Why do schools pay?

This is now a good way for a school to keep a player who might be scared to return. In other words, the school is saying, if you hurt yourself, we've got your back.

(ESPN.com)

You Wanted The NFL, Welcome To NFL Pricing

Rams Fans Greeted With Absurd Parking Lot Prices For First 2016 Preseason Game

LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com) — This past Saturday, the Los Angeles Rams defeated the Dallas Cowboys 28-24 in a thrilling fourth quarter comeback, but the win wasn’t the only thing that was grabbing headlines.

Fans took to social media to post images of the absurd prices that parking lots were charging in order to watch the Rams’ first preseason game of the year.

There were images surfacing of parking lots charging crazy amounts – some even as high as $100 – as an estimated 90,000 people turned out for the game.

(CBSLocal.com)

I Wonder How Much This Is Worth

(CavemanCircus.com)

This List Will Cause Some Fights

The AP Ranked The Top 100 All-Time College Football Programs And You’re Going To Be PISSED Your Team’s Not Higher

5 SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA (974 Points)

• Total appearances:743, 67.36% of all polls
• First appearance:1936
• No.1 ranking:90 1/2
• Championships:Five (last 2004)
• Best full decade:1970s appeared in 89.86% of polls.
• Worst full decade:1940s appeared in 47.43% of polls.
• Poll point:The Trojans were top-ranked 42 times from Dec. 7, 2003-Sept. 21, 2008 under coach Pete Carroll.

Complete list (BroBible.com)

Editor's note: #1 is Ohio State