The Other McCain

"One should either write ruthlessly what one believes to be the truth, or else shut up." — Arthur Koestler

Death by ‘Analytics’

“Mom knew more about football than half these people,” my brother Kirby remarked this morning, discussing the role of “analytics” in the Monday Night Football defeat of the Denver Broncos. Indeed, our mother was a pretty savvy football fan, and no doubt she would have advised the Broncos, “Kick the damned field goal.” Denver trailed […]

Can the Patriots Exceed Expectations?

After a generally depressing off-season, the New England Patriots will kick off Sunday at Miami, and few sports analysts forecast either a Pats victory over the Dolphins or a winning season, for that matter. Every year, sports writers do a pre-season “power ranking” of all 32 NFL teams and, via CBS Boston, here’s how they […]

NFL Pre-Season Injury Report

Professional football is a hard-hitting sport, and every NFL team has suffered its share of pre-season injuries this year. The Carolina Panthers lost quarterback Sam Darnold to an ankle injury in Friday’s game against the Buffalo Bills, New England Patriots rookie wide receiver Tyquan Thornton suffered a broken collarbone, the Los Angeles Rams lost their […]

Ex-NFL Player’s Brother Charged With Fatal Shooting of Youth Football Coach

Role models for America’s youth: Former NFL defensive back Aqib Talib was in the middle of a fight at a youth football game in Texas on [Aug. 13] in which a coach was fatally shot, new video shows. And Tailb’s brother, Yaqub, turned himself in after a warrant was issued for his arrest. On Tuesday, […]

Mac Jones Doesn’t Expect to Lose

Mac Jones is expected to start at quarterback tonight when the New England Patriots host the Carolina Panthers in their second preseason game. Last week against the Giants, Mac and the first string didn’t play, so veteran backup QB Brian Hoyer and rookie Bailey Zappe got all the reps. This week, the Patriots held two […]

America Needs More Patriotism

“Patriotism,” as in being a New England Patriots fan. My team — led by my quarterback, Mac Jones — opened training camp last week, and the stands were crowded with thousands of Patriots fans. Is there any other team in America that gets that kind of turnout for training camp? After winning six Super Bowls […]

Patrick Mahomes: Victim of Racism?

Because I didn’t win the Mega Millions jackpot last night, it’s difficult this morning to feel sorry for the $45-million-a-year quarterback: After an anonymous defensive coordinator called Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes a “tier 2” quarterback because of his “inability” to throw past his first read, discussions have been raised about the underlying message […]

What Do Smart People Do?

Smart people learn. That’s the basic difference between smart people and everybody else — a superiority in learning. And as every NFL analyst has commented, Mac Jones is a very smart quarterback — “borderline genius,” one NFL executive called him. His greatest strength in his rookie season was in what the analysts call “processing.” He […]

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