And finally, here is the Chase Daniel breakdown

And Chase confirms what I was saying, Brock isn't driving the ball, he just floats those out there into the middle where anyone sitting and waiting can grab it.

But, that Brock is definitely still the guy over Mac Jones.

Speak of the devil (or the opposite, with this guy)

This guy being Kurt Warner, a God-loving man if we ever knew one.

Kurt is a great QB analyst because he understands the position, understands offensive concepts, understands defenses, and can package and relay that huge amount of information in a way that allows us non-NFL-QBs to understand it as well. (Chase Daniels is also pretty good, I find.)

And here Kurt is, breaking down Brock's 3 INTs. Watch this. It's so educational.

Brock Purdy creates more hand-wringing turmoil with NFL "analysts" than any other QB in history

And it's because he was the final pick in his draft class. People are just unable to correlate good NFL QB with low or very low draft status. Even though Tom Brady was famously drafted in the 6th round of his class, and Kurt Warner was famously undrafted entirely.

Now those two are slightly different as they won Superbowls. Which means, God, how much greater would it have been for the Niners to have beaten the Chiefs in OT two years ago. The rings for Trent, Fred, George, CMC, Deebo, Bosa, Charvarius Ward (would have been his 2nd), Dre Greenlaw, etc etc. BUT ALSO - maybe, just maybe a silencing of some of the "analysts". That golden silence, I would love so much.

But that did not happen, despite Brock coming as close to winning as SB as you can possibly get - putting up the first points in OT - without actually winning. (And don't be fooled by anyone's revisionist history, he and Jauan Jennings were earning that ring. JJ was going to be the MVP if the Niners won. And I do still think about the missed assignment on 3rd down where Chris Jones ran straight through the line and forced Brock to throw way too early to JJ in the end zone, leading to the incompletion and then the field goal instead of the TD.)

Instead, after a 3-INT performance against the Panthers on Monday, people are still wailing, decrying and insisting that Shanahan should re-insert Mac Jones as starting QB.

No.

Did any of you watch the game? The interceptions were bad, there's no doubt. I too was yelling at my TV. I wondered whether his toe injury was not allowing him to drive the ball in his throws. All three picks were bad floaters just waiting to drop into someone, anyone's arms. The last one everyone said was a great play by Horn, and it was - but if Brock threw a laser then that may have been a Pearsall touchdown. I don't remember seeing a safety in the vicinity behind Ricky as he waited for that ball to come down.

So, at the start of the third quarter, Brock went into a more conservative mode, giving up big play hunting and taking the shorter throws and checkdowns. And GUESS WHAT? THAT SURE LOOKED LIKE WHAT MAC JONES WAS DOING. That scoring drive was exactly what Mac has been doing all year. If Kyle wanted that, he would have (and maybe did tell Brock at the half) to just do that. No need to swap him out for Mac, he can do all those things Mac does.

This is NOT a slight on Mac Jones. That is efficient QB'ing. But that's also not what Kyle is willing to settle for, clearly, when he knows Brock can also hit the seam or sidelines or end zone corners.

Did anyone with wring-ed hands watch the Cards game? That's exactly what Brock was doing, and that is what Brock brings to the table above and beyond Mac Jones. How quickly, or conveniently, everyone forgets.

Brock is prone to these types of INTs. We've seen it before, last Xmas vs Baltimore for example. It's the style he plays. He has the same floor as Mac Jones, but he also has a higher ceiling. That is the boiled down truth of why Shanahan knows Brock is his starting QB.

So please, shut up about QB controversies. Especially if you know football, which the "analysts" absolutely know better than I do. I mean seriously, it's just making you sound dumb.

--

As a side note, though equally important, the defense sure stepped up to cover up Brock's mistakes and ultimately win that game. Loved what I saw out of those young young dogs out there, swarming and playing a full team game. Protect the pack mentality. Go Niners!

TJ is right; Rich, Brockman and sound guy are dead wrong and also insane

I'm watching this video as we speak and can't even wait till the end to post this up. Here's a clip of the Rich Eisen show where the guys are discussing why Jason Bateman took Sean Hayes instead of Will Arnett to the Dodgers World Series game. (The real reason is, I believe, Arnett is in New York at the moment, thanks Smartless I know too much about you guys now.) Rich and co. speculate that it's because Arnett is a Jays fan and JB doesn't want to sit with a Jays fan, despite being best friends (or one of).

Then, a big loud debate erupts where Rich, Brockman and the sound effects guy all admonish TJ for saying he would go with his best friend even if they had directly opposite rooting interests, because they're best friends. The other three lose their minds at the thought of that! Like, the sound guy (sorry I keep forgetting his name, and remember I'm typing furiously because REACTION and I can't be bothered to check) wouldn't even go with his wife last night because she's a Jays fan and he's LA. Wow.

TJ is right, 100% could not be righter right: these guys do not have the same level of friendship as he has with his pal Ashton (Kutcher, for Tracy). And in sound guy's case, he doesn't have that level of friendship with his wife. This all just blows my mind. They're all three yelling at TJ at how insane he is to want to go to a championship once in a lifetime game with his best friend even though they will be rooting for opposing teams. All three would choose their team over their 'best' friend. I mean ... what?

One of my best friends, certainly my best friend when we lived together at the height, the HEIGHT of the 49ers Packers rivalry (late-90's), is - you guessed it - a diehard Packers fan. Every year it seemed like, we'd meet in the regular season and/or playoffs and of course, without question, we would watch that game together. What would be insane is if we did NOT watch that game together. (btw if it was regular season and anywhere remotely close to Halloween, the winner would get to put their team's hat on the pumpkin that was sitting on one of the speakers. This happened more than once.)

Tomorrow, or in the future, if one of us stumbled upon a pair of tickets to a Niners Packers playoff game, or the NFC Championship game - and asked the other to go? Uh, yeah, you can bet we'd be going. It's the event, the experience, and it's our friendship that is so much more important than whether one team or the other wins. Yeah it sucks for the loser, but only in the sense that the pride is beaten down and your team loses bragging rights, and the pumpkin has to wear the other hat for the next month or so.

It occurs to me that this is a microcosm of what politics has become in the States, and maybe worldwide too. If I'm on the right wing and you're on the left, we cannot be friends anymore and fuck I can't even stand to spend time with you, even if you invited me to ... uh, the presidential debate that you have tickets for and I've dreamt my whole life of seeing live? I mean, it's not an one-for-one analogy, and obviously politics have a more direct and immediate impact on daily life than sports, but it is still pretty much true. Some people value certain friendships over politics, and sports fandom, and some people just cannot get past the divide.

TJ, you have an actual best friendship in your life and I'm happy for you.

Also, fuck off with the Cowboys.

While We're At It ...

 

This version is a little fast, but this is absolutely one of my favourite songs of all time. What Howard Stern references, an astounding fact, is that this song was written during the recording of Ten - but not included on the original record. Subsequently though, the band would play this song in concert and that's how it gained its following, through infamy - this amazing song that no one had heard, except if you'd been to a PJ show.

At some point, Yellow Ledbetter made it onto live records, bootlegs and then Pearl Jam official releases (and remember when they recorded every single live show to circumvent the bootleggers, not to cut them off from making money off the band, or not 100% the reason, but to release their own music on their own terms with a professional mix). My first recorded version was on a live album issued in, I don't even know, 1993? 1994? 1992? I don't know that it had a title but I do have the cd somewhere, I should dig it out. But I don't think I got a studio version until maybe when I joined the horrendous, hellacious Spotify? I don't even know. But I lived with live versions for so long, so that's how I know this song.

Anyway, a truly great song with a great story. And damned if this doesn't bring a tear to my eye pretty much every single time I hear it. Because also, this is the epitome of Eddie Vedder singing a whole bunch of intelligible words but with so much emotion, you can't help but feel what he's feeling. Absolute love.

Radiohead news

Radiohead has recently announced a European tour of select cities, but with multiple shows in each city. How awesome, and how lucky for those cities. The first time the band has toured since 2018.

I love this band, one of my top 5 bands of all time (ALL time), and have seen them I'm not even sure how many times. Let's see ... OK Computer, Kid A / Amnesiac, In Rainbows, King of Limbs??, Moon Shaped Pool ... pretty sure it's been at least 5 times.

Anyway, what better way to celebrate this news than to listen to this beautiful cover of Fake Plastic Trees. Please, join me.

And then listen to this, one of my favourite Phoebe Bridgers songs:

Niners trade for Brian Robinson and I am thrilled

Brian Robinson is no scrub. I really liked this kid in his rookie year, after getting shot (!) preseason, he came out and put up 800 yards in 12 games. I watched him, he ran hard.

With Christian McCaffery, Robinson and Isaac Guerendo, the Niners now have one of the best  (I might even say the best (!) though I recognize there's some homerism talking there) RB rooms in the league. And they've clearly prioritized pass catchers so no matter who they put on the field, including Juice at FB, the back is a very real threat to run a route.

Also, yes, the Niners now have TWO (!) players who were shot in between being drafted and playing an NFL game. Both came back and eventually balled in their rookie years. Which is very very crazy, very weird and wild stuff, man.

I wonder if Plaxico Burress is interested in coming out of retirement.

Anyway, as Coach would say, I'm super pumped to get this guy in the building, and all the sudden I'm pumped for the RB room this year. I really liked Jordan Mason (still got him on my fantasy keeper league team (!)) and was sad to see him go to the Vikes, though I understand why. But beyond Guerendo things weren't looking super great. Patrick Taylor, Keyshawn Vaughn, Jeff Wilson at this stage - I don't dislike those guys, but those guys are not 1st or 2nd string NFL backs. We have yet to see what the Niners really have in Jordan James and Corey Kiner, so this trade makes so much sense to me - essentially they upgraded Jordan Mason to Brian Robinson. Love it.

Let's go Niners!!

PS: this weekend we'll see the reunion of Jim Harbaugh and the Niners, and of Trey Lance and the Niners. Obviously Harbs' only crossover from his time would be with Jed York and maybe Paraag? (I don't remember) but Trey will get to see Kyle, John Lynch, Brock etc etc. which is cool. I think they all genuinely liked Trey and are rooting for him, as am I.

(I also love Harbs and he's absolutely the one that got away (goddamn you Trent Baalke, you suck so much), but I'm more than happy with current management so I wish Harbs all the best and maybe see you in the Superbowl.)

PPS: speaking of Harbaugh, of rivalries and all that, I love how he and Pete Carrol ended up in the same division again. I love it. I only wish Jim Schwartz could be in the AFC west too, so Harbaugh could shake his hand too hard twice a year.

"Some like it hot" - Ana de Armas, c'mon

Please, ladies and gentlemen, give it up for Eve / Marta / Palmona herself: Ana de Armas!

Severance podcast with Ben and Adam

Severance season 2 was really fantastic. That's my opinion. Not an uncommon one, though I have also seen a headline or two that seemed to possibly take the opposite view (I haven't yet made time to read or listen to those).

My ritual for this season was 1. to watch the latest episode as it dropped each week (of course), and 2. rewatch the episode on the weekend with my kids, and then 3. to listen to the follow up podcast episode with Ben Stiller and Adam Scott.

When the season ended, I was both exhilarated and sad. The ritual was done, there were no more episodes to be had.

But then! Ben and Adam dropped a bonus episode of their podcast, this one featuring a couple of really interesting guests (and Dan Erikson, Severance creator and interesting person in his own right). In the middle section of the episode, another set of Severance podcasters - two of whom are neuroscience-related medical professionals - talk about the theories and ideas that Severance posits, which is very interesting as it comes from people in the actual scientific know.

The final guest of the episode is SZA, whom I know really nothing about outside of her Superbowl halftime appearance. But she is fascinating, and highly intelligent, and philosophical, and funny, and charming. I love joyous surprises, and I loved her - and will now be seeking out her music based solely on her 20 minute conversation with Ben and Adam.

And here is my first dose.

Dreams - listen and cover by La Lune, Vancouver shoegaze band

Alright here's another one, this time it's Dreams by La Lune. So it's Fleetwood Mac, it's dreampop / shoegaze, basically two great tastes that taste great together for me. It's got a slowdown, which is wonderful. The whole thing takes me back to Hot Robot, the band I was in in university / post-university years, before the Unlevels.

The bassist is the correct vocalist for this song, and I do like her voice a lot. I wish they put some phase on her vox, and also there is so much room in there for some sweet harmonies. But also, this is an impromptu thing (who knows how long they really got but surely it was not a lot) so you know. I get it, there's never the perfect take, so I get it. But man I got ideas.

Anyway, one thing both this and the previous video did was make me aware of new bands, and potentially bands that I would want to check out online or maybe even in person. And that's always cool.