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)

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)

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)

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)

Why I Read MMQB Religiously #2

h. One other football connection to that Aaron home run. Al Downing of the Dodgers threw the pitch. In New Jersey American Legion baseball more than a half-century ago, in a game in Trenton, Downing gave up two home runs to a northern New Jersey baseball prospect … Bill Parcells.

(MMQB.SI.com)

This Makes Watching The 2016 - 2017 Season Worth It

Jets' Marshall challenges Steelers' Brown to luxury car wager

LATROBE, Pa. -- Antonio Brown is shaking off Brandon Marshall's challenge like a cornerback.

After Marshall bet a new Porsche that he'll have more yards than Brown in 2016, the NFL's reception king said the 32-year-old Marshall must need some PR.

"He too old to be doing that," Brown, 28, told TMZ Sports.

Standing in front of a white Porsche -- the new sponsor of the New York Jets -- Marshall said on an Instagram video he'll give up the car if Brown outdistances him in receiving yards, but "if I have more receiving yards than you, you've got to give me the Rolls-Royce." Brown is scheduled to drive a Steelers-inspired Rolls-Royce Wraith into training camp Thursday.

Marshall recorded 1,502 yards last season, which was 332 short of Brown's 1,834.

"The RR (Rolls-Royce) is about $100K up (from the Porsche value)," Brown told TMZ. "If he really serious, call me ... I'll gladly accept. Don't Internet it."

Perhaps Marshall should have used scoring as the criterion. Last season, Marshall caught a career-high 14 touchdown passes, four more than Brown.

(ESPN.com)

Here's An Obscure NFL Rule That Has Thankfully Evolved

The Bronko Nagurski Rule

Rule: Passes can be thrown from anywhere behind the line of scrimmage.

Source: In 1932, all passes were required to be thrown from at least 5 yardsbehind the line of scrimmage. In a playoff game, Nagurski faked a run into the line of scrimmage, took a step back and lobbed the ball to Red Grange as part of the Chicago Bears' 9-0 victory over the Portsmouth Spartans.

Reasoning: The Spartans complained that Nagurski was less than 5 yards behind the line, but no penalty was called. In the end, league officials loved the new dimension it provided. Football historians consider it the birth of the passing game as we know it.

Complete list (ESPN.com)

The Longest Season Ticket Waiting List Ever

Ten years on the Packers' season-ticket waiting list ... 60,000 spots to go

On Sept. 9, 2006, when I stopped by Lambeau Field to do a story on the Green Bay Packers, I decided to take some time and formally put my name on the famous waiting list that was started some time shortly after the team first sold out in 1960.

I was told from the beginning that, in all honesty, I would not be able to get tickets in my lifetime, but at least I could observe the movement of the list over time.

There were 73,256 people ahead of me on the list that day, and each of them could claim four tickets when they reached the top.

It was a long way to go.

With the Packers as good as they are, and their consistent goal to stay in the league average in ticket prices, people weren't releasing their tickets any time soon.

If a season-ticket holder died, the tickets could be willed to their family. If there was a divorce, the Packers honor the divorce settlement.

(ESPN.com)

The Results Are Not Too Suprising

Why Basketball Runs in the Family 

A new WSJ study finds 48.8% of players are related to an elite athlete—that number is 17.5% for the NFL and 14.5% for MLB

(WallStreetJournal.com)

My 2016 NFL Draft Steal Selection Is Going To A Great Organization

Chiefs select Stanford quarterback Kevin Hogan in fifth round

The Kansas City Chiefs selected Stanford quarterback Kevin Hogan in the fifth round of the 2016 NFL draft.

(SI.com)

Oh The Irony

Factoids of the Week That May Interest Only Me

I

Michigan State Quarterback Notes of the Draft:

In 2012, former Spartan Kirk Cousins was picked in the fourth round, 102nd overall, by Washington.

In 2016, former Spartan Connor Cook was picked in the fourth round, 100th overall, by Oakland.

Cousins redshirted his first year at MSU, was a backup his second year, won the job his third year, and started for three years, leading the Spartans to the Big Ten championship game in his final season.

Cook redshirted his first year at MSU, was a backup his second year, won the job his third year, and started for three years, leading the Spartans to the Big Ten championship game in his final season.

Cousins entered the NFL as a clear backup in Washington, to Robert Griffin III, at the age of 23.

Cook enters the NFL as a clear backup in Oakland, to Derek Carr, at the age of 23.

(MMQB.SI.com)

This Is An Awesome Ad & Tribute

(ESPN.com)