Rob

Don't accept something because an authority tells you to. Think for yourself, and you'll find out that a lot of those so-called authorities are bullshit.

[KJ @KJScouting]

Jalen Pickett will be a steal for whoever gets him. Pickett has a lot of stuff you want from a PG, he’s got size at 6’4 and he’s one of the best passers in the class who has great basketball IQ. Pickett is also a good scorer who shoots the ball well.

[Rob @RFleming0428]

Shakespeare got nothin on Coach

[Three Year Letterman @3YearLetterman]

CHAPTER 1: I Throw a Devastating Downfield Block at a Funeral Home

Brandon Meeks was a shitty cornerback. He was frail and slow. I hated his haircut, his squeaky voice, and his asthma-induced wheezing on days with a high pollen count. Brandon sucked against the run. He sucked on special teams. And he sucked in pass coverage, where his hip-turning skills rivaled those of a geriatric nursing home patient.

But during my first year as an assistant youth football coach, I had few other options. Brandon was merely one of the least offensive choices in a sea of losers. And yet, without Brandon, I’m not sure I’d be where I am today.

My first foray into youth football coaching came in 2013, when I was asked by a coworker to serve as the defensive backs coach for his son’s youth football team. The team’s defensive coordinator was a local orthodontist named Steve Tomlin. Steve was a massive tool who was not sufficiently committed to winning, and we hated each other from the start. Throughout August, I told Steve over and over that our defensive backs were a giant collection of turds and that if the front seven couldn’t pressure the quarterback, we were in trouble. Steve ran a 4-3 defense, but I’d been advocating a switch to a 3-4 defense with more blitzing.

All of this came to a head the week of our first game. We were set to play our first game on the Thursday after Labor Day. But on Tuesday night, the coaches learned that Brandon Meeks’s grandfather had passed away. Visitation was scheduled for Wednesday evening and the funeral for Thursday afternoon. Over my strenuous objection, Wednesday’s final practice was canceled so that the players and coaches could “be there to support Brandon and his family” at the visitation.

Let me be clear: I had no desire to attend Mr. Meeks’s visitation or the funeral itself. The man had been alive nearly eighty years and could have died at any time. And yet, he chose the most inconvenient time possible—two days before our first game—to succumb to heart failure. I have no tolerance for that kind of selfishness, and I certainly didn’t want to suggest I condoned that kind of behavior by “paying my respects.” But there was a bigger problem. With Wednesday’s practice canceled, Mr. Meeks’s visitation was the last opportunity I’d have before Thursday’s game to lobby Steve to change to a 3-4 defense. I couldn’t pass up that chance.

The next evening, I drove to the funeral home for the visitation. This being Northeast Georgia in early September, it was blistering outside. I dressed in what I like to call “somber smart casual” attire—a black, button-up shirt tucked into a pair of black jeans, black LA Gears, black wraparound Oakley sunglasses, and several pumps of McGraw Southern Blend cologne. The visitation had started a half hour or so before I arrived, and the parking lot was already full. There was only one available space, and it was for “Immediate Family of the Deceased.” But if your grandson’s position coach isn’t “immediate family,” then who really is? So I backed my T-Bird into the vacant spot and walked inside.

Somber, generic organ music piped through the musty, former Postbellum mansion. “It’s the first room on your right,” the usher said, handing me a paper bulletin. The bulletin said “Roger Meeks: 1934-2013” at the top and bore a picture of a large family dressed in identical clothing and standing on a beach. There must have been fifteen or twenty people, all wearing white button-up, short-sleeve shirts and white pants. At the center were a man and a woman in their late seventies who appeared to be Mr. Meeks and his wife. They were flanked on both sides by their children and grandchildren, including Brandon. It was the type of ridiculous family photo that you see on the front of Christmas cards that inevitably include a narrative update on what happened to the senders over the past year.

(Chapter Continued below)

[Marko Milenković @MarkoLoptacki]

🧵on the Denver Nuggets and them ‘not being interesting’ narrative

1. The Hero - Nikola Jokić

This man was born in 1995, amidst the Yugoslav wars. He, and I, were 4 years old when our country Serbia, FR Yugoslavia at the time, was bombed for 78 days by NATO forces.
(1/25)

[Rob @RFleming0428]

@platinombrero This is incredible sir

[Rob @RFleming0428]

@RealBirdLawyer @BurlyboyRig Obviously follow you for your Chiefs takes/knowledge. Appreciate the bonus of playin the Eagles all night now instead of listening to NBA announcers, thank ya sir!

[Rob @RFleming0428]

@DebatingHipHop_ Is there anywhere to get these classics now that Datpiff is gone? This era had so many mixtapes better than the guys albums on Spotify and stuff, would be awesome to find them again on a non-sketchy site.

[Rob @RFleming0428]

@goldmctNFL I am convinced that BJ was drafted solely to son Orlando Brown with that bend and quickness against Cincy. 5th round pick to attack biggest rival’s Achilles heel and win a playoff game likely every year seems good value to me haha

[Rob @RFleming0428]

@NFLDraft @nfl you guys are losing so much money having such long beer lines this is stupid. Going to the library the rest of the weekend instead of your terrible event

[Rob @RFleming0428]

I learned more from working at the grocery store 6am shift at 14 for 5.25 an hour than I did all eduction including college

Sending a 12 year old to the mines is exploitation. Young teens learning hard work, responsibility, and value of money is a part of growing up.

[The BERN Identity @bern_identity]

Chick-fil-A is not alone in exploiting children for cheap labor. In Iowa, yes, that's a real sign at a McDonald's advertising to hire 14&15-yos.

IA's proposed extreme child labor bills SF542 + HF647 was spearheaded by the National Restaurant Assoc who represents fast food cos.

[Rob @RFleming0428]

@dozieweon Different scene from them, but to this day I find myself saying “fuck it Patrick, let’s take a ride” anytime I’m going to do errands or bullshit I don’t want to do

[ChiefBearcat @Chief_Bearcat]

My thing with paying Chris is this. You don't pay Tyreek because you have Pat, Pat is the guy who can make everyone else around him better and good enough. You can get by with that because of Pat. Chris is the Pat of the defense. He makes everyone else better and good enough.

[Rob @RFleming0428]

Hey @ByNateTaylor @RealMNchiefsfan @jbbrisco you guys gotta check out Ty’s (one of the few feature writers on Nate’s level) story on times ours legend Jody Fortson, y’all will love it.

[Tyler Dunne @TyDunne]

“Which way are you willing to take it? It’s what’s in you. Buffalo is in me. That grit. That toughness. I’m not surrendering. No surrender, no retreat."

Jody Fortson should've quit — many times. But he's a direct reflection of his city: https://t.co/iTSxkMbD99

[Rob @RFleming0428]

Watch the @GameTheoryHBO from @bomani_jones on this one. Some weirdddd shit goin on down in Augusta man

[Vic Lombardi @VicLombardi]

I did not know this.

[Rob @RFleming0428]

Most annoying thing about this dumb discourse (let hoopers talk any and all shit, it’s the freaking game) is the one true villain here is getting a pass.

[The Smoking Musket @smokingmusket]

remember that the most important thing about kim mulkey and her crazy outfits is that the best player she ever coached was thrown into a russian work camp and she didn't even find the time to say "i hope she gets home"

[Rob @RFleming0428]

@Blutman27 I’d be pumped with either of these 2 scenarios. Washington has been fun to think about, truly a unique player and would be fun to see how DCs would try to defend the personnel with him and Kelce being so incredibly different. Extra cb, run toward Wash, base set, Kelce on LB.

[Rob @RFleming0428]

@YahooFantasyCC Cool, thank you!

[Rob @RFleming0428]

@YahooFantasy hey I know it’s opening day but you guys hitters in/out lineup is broken. You’ve got all the Braves (Albies and Acuna at least) as out when they are playing. Thank ya if you can get that fixed, it’s quite a helpful tool

[Rob @RFleming0428]

@MattVerderame Dang that is quite a bargain for Moore… would’ve gladly moved back 30 spots yet keep the top 100 pick and grab him. I think any of us would’ve been frustrated in his position last year

[Jordan Elliott @splash_cousin]

Going to to make a thread here of some of the Charles Omenihu cut ups I put together during the last couple of seasons

My goal is to help out any Chiefs fans who are curious about Omenihu and help illustrate why they should be really excited about this signing for their team

[Rob @RFleming0428]

@cdotharrison Yep exactly. He’s a stud, no denying that but the opportunity cost when it’s a position of strength without him, definitely gonna cost most than Charvarius. Grab and extra late 1 early 2 if the league values him right.