2015 Hard Knocks: High Wattage
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I can't reach bleachereport at work - but if you Googled "Brian Cushing before and after" it is an amazing transition from plobby Jersey meat head to NFL hot head
Wilfork's overall short things with boots last night was amazing.
Cut days are always tough to watch.
Cut days are always tough to watch.
canderson said:
Even more respect for Bill O'Brien. No bullshitting at all to the tune of, "You have the mental ability, you're just not using it!"
I agree, I gained a lot of respect for him as well. Gave great feedback to each of the cut players.
Charles James might not make the team, but he got himself some broadcast opportunities going forward, I think.
Charles James might not make the team, but he got himself some broadcast opportunities going forward, I think.
The part about Watt taking about his routine to get 10 hours of sleep and using the comparison to Olympic athletes got me thinking. Especially where in the same episode they show Charles James grabbing a bag lunch with a Coke to drink.
I know that diet, nutrition, sleep regimens are hard for anyone but I am always caught off guard by pro athletes, especially the fringe players not taking things to the extreme with what they put into and how they treat their bodies.
I remember watching some behind the scenes thing a few years ago about a team boarding a flight to London. The number of players that climbed onto the bus holding bags from McDonald's was shocking.
These guys lively hood and privilege to make a lot of money playing a game is tied directly to their bodies. I just would have thought that training like an Olympic athlete would have been more common and widespread throughout the league and wholly supported by the team
I know that diet, nutrition, sleep regimens are hard for anyone but I am always caught off guard by pro athletes, especially the fringe players not taking things to the extreme with what they put into and how they treat their bodies.
I remember watching some behind the scenes thing a few years ago about a team boarding a flight to London. The number of players that climbed onto the bus holding bags from McDonald's was shocking.
These guys lively hood and privilege to make a lot of money playing a game is tied directly to their bodies. I just would have thought that training like an Olympic athlete would have been more common and widespread throughout the league and wholly supported by the team
Honestly I think you hit the nail on the head with regards to the difference between good players and elite players...( . ) ( . ) and (_!_) said:
( . ) ( . ) and (_!_) said:
A lot of Olympic athletes eat like shit. Freakishly genetically gifted 25 year-old people who train hours a day can get away with murder from a dietary perspective and still remain at the top level of their sports.
Keep in mind, too, that it's super, super hard to take in that many calories in healthy food. I was 175 and needed about 4000 calories a day to train effectively, and even that was a struggle to do clean. 6-7000 a day or more is too much lats and chicken to deal with.
SawxSince67 said:
I didn't get the reference till now. For those that don't watch Hard Knocks.
O'Brien asks Vince to compete and his response is "Man, I'm always loose..."
Great video of Carli Lloyd and Big Vince squaring off in Field goal competition.
http://www.si.com/extra-mustard/2015/09/09/texans-vince-wilfork-carli-lloyd-field-goal-contest-hard-knocks
I'll always be a fan of Vince no matte where he goes. Man is just a freakish athlete.
So, how do we feel about this season? While it was certainly better than last season, I'm not sure I thought watching it was time well spent. There were a few characters (more than the zero characters of last year), but I feel like players now are manipulating the show as much as the show is observing them (Chris Polk's "Chicken and shrimp" stuff seemed contrived to me, as well as everything the assistant strength coach did, but maybe I'm cynical).
What I liked most were the few unguarded (or unintentionally unguarded) moments - like Chris Polk's mom being proud of beating him up when he was a kid, or Charles James' "Damn right I wanted to get out of Houston" comment at the end.
As I said upthread, I gained so much respect for Bill O'Brien, and the way he gave each of the players he cut concrete and positive things they could work on to get better. That's so hard to do in that situation (as you can see with the comparison with Rick Smith), and it shows a lot of character.
Besides that, though, I think that teams have figured out how to keep enough from the cameras to limit the amount of behind-the-scenes insight that would make the show inherently interesting to football fans (or whatever we are these days. Addicts? End-stage deniers?). The big climax in past seasons (will they keep or cut these guys?) has been undercut by the internet (no one is going to put spoiler alerts on transactions), and I think the show needs a different framework (or more access, or j-man's idea) to get more interesting in the future.
What I liked most were the few unguarded (or unintentionally unguarded) moments - like Chris Polk's mom being proud of beating him up when he was a kid, or Charles James' "Damn right I wanted to get out of Houston" comment at the end.
As I said upthread, I gained so much respect for Bill O'Brien, and the way he gave each of the players he cut concrete and positive things they could work on to get better. That's so hard to do in that situation (as you can see with the comparison with Rick Smith), and it shows a lot of character.
Besides that, though, I think that teams have figured out how to keep enough from the cameras to limit the amount of behind-the-scenes insight that would make the show inherently interesting to football fans (or whatever we are these days. Addicts? End-stage deniers?). The big climax in past seasons (will they keep or cut these guys?) has been undercut by the internet (no one is going to put spoiler alerts on transactions), and I think the show needs a different framework (or more access, or j-man's idea) to get more interesting in the future.
EZ sure enjoyed the visit from Carli Lloyd. Seems like he busted a nut in his shorts at least twice.
This is the first season I've watched Hard Knocks and I definitely enjoyed it. Seeing guys get cut was pretty tough. In my career I've only ever had to let someone go once and I was sick to my stomach over it.
This is the first season I've watched Hard Knocks and I definitely enjoyed it. Seeing guys get cut was pretty tough. In my career I've only ever had to let someone go once and I was sick to my stomach over it.
Excellent season. Really likable characters in Watt, O'Brien, Vrabel, Covington, EZ, James II, Charles Johnson, Kourtney Brown... offset by record breaking douchebaggery on the part of Cushing.
And how do you pick a favorite Vince moment from among these?
1. Draining threes in the basketball game
2. Passionately debating what's better -- breakfast or brunch -- with JJ Watt
3. The overalls and boots couture
4. The FG kicking contest
I go with #2.
And how do you pick a favorite Vince moment from among these?
1. Draining threes in the basketball game
2. Passionately debating what's better -- breakfast or brunch -- with JJ Watt
3. The overalls and boots couture
4. The FG kicking contest
I go with #2.
Loved so much of it but I wasn't on the EZ train. Seemed to me he was angling for a future that didn't include football. My sniffometer could have been off.
I have never watched Hard Knocks, but if Covington factors in I might have to check it out. Does he say a bunch of Canadian stuff?Mugsys Jock said:
He was hardly featured. But you should watch it for Bill O'Brien and what often felt like a pretty close link to BB. Also VW is just amazing.Super Nomario said:
I thought it was a great season. I loved EZ - maybe I missed it but I never got the feeling he was playing the cameras. He seemed the same all the time and he was on all the time -both prearranged personal shots and everyday shots.
The one person I didn't feel that way about was Chris Polk. Most of the time cameras were on him it was arranged and he and his mom seemed to be playing them outright. I think the chicken and shrimp thing happened once naturally and then they obviously tried to make it a thing they could capitalize on.
I think the chicken and shrimp t-shirts were kind of a giveaway thereamarshal2 said:
Being a basketball guy first and foremost myself, I'm going with #1. Sure seemed like the Pats were missing him Thursday night with some of the draws Williams was running.Mugsys Jock said:
edmunddantes said:
All of it the fault of the GM (Rick Smith). Mallet should have been cut the minute he missed the flight. The coach has no chance of maintaining his authority in the locker room with the GM allowing a guy to suit up after such a lame ("traffic" on a weekend morning) excuse and failure to be present for a team requirement.
BOB is screwed because apparently Smith has a job for life. But put that loss - and all the ones to come - on Smith. O'Brien tried to do the right thing and was overruled.
You know what the funny thing is? They practiced on Saturday before leaving for Miami so that means Mallett left the facility on his own and came back late. That is worse than "oversleeping". He made a conscious choice to leave.soxfan121 said:
soxfan121 said:
http://espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/id/13984288/houston-texans-release-qb-ryan-mallett
They're bringing back TJ Yates. Obviously, it was too late on Saturday to have Yates in uniform for Sunday
Cut Mallet, promote Dysert and you've got a backup for the game.
And $10 to the Jimmy Fund that the "sources" are Rick Smith and Rick Smith's assistant, and that the "consensus" was Smith telling O'Brien he would not make the transaction.
That report is such transparent bullshit.
And $10 to the Jimmy Fund that the "sources" are Rick Smith and Rick Smith's assistant, and that the "consensus" was Smith telling O'Brien he would not make the transaction.
That report is such transparent bullshit.
For anyone keeping score at home: Houston traded picks to get Mallet and thus releaseed TJ Yates. Today Houston released Mallet and signs Yates.
canderson said:
It obviously didn't turn out to be a good move, but it's easy to say that in hindsight. At the time the trade was made, nobody really knew whether Mallett could play at a high level. Shit, people here were hoping for a 1st round pick. Given the challenge in finding a really good QB, I don't think losing a 7th rounder was that bad of a play.
Yeah, exactly. I don't think BOB was unaware that cutting Mallett would mean he couldn't have him as the backup QB for the game.soxfan121 said:
Depends on the team. If they do a walkthrough at the opposing stadium then they might go. It doesn't sound like Houston traveled theirs because Mallett probably would have been cut.DrewDawg said:
Another testament as to just how good BB is. He not only coaches up players, but he coaches up the coaches!dcmissle said:
Stitch01 said:
Really? I think he sold the team really well during Hard Knocks and didn't expect much from the Texans this season after the first Foster injury and the general QB situation. Yanking Hoyer in the first game was a bad mistake, but not a fireable offense. What am I missing?
I'm curious as to what's going on with their D. Are they just on the field too long or is the talent thin behind the few big names?
Appreciate the setup, but this is no time for comedy. Houston is in the bottom 5 in PPG allowed and bottom 10 in YPG. Weren't they projected to be much more stout?
The Texans are the local team that air where I'm from, & the D is indeed pathetic. Basically, they have 4-3 personnel, & are running a 3-4. Clowney should be at DE & not OLB. The rest of their LB corps is trash or washed up. The secondary has been a massive let down, with Kareem Jackson underperforming & Johnathan Joseph is toast. Watt is double & triple-teamed extremely often, & the rest of the D can't be bothered to make any plays. But even if HOU puts Clowney on the D-Line, we've seen how teams game plan against teams like the Bills, who have an elite D-Line. It can only get you so far if you don't have coherent LBs.
I guess I could have a separate post to mention the "suits".
Bob McNair has no sense of urgency, & Cal McNair, his son, is set to take his place. Cal McNair has become best friends with Rick Smith, & its hard for Houstonians to imagine seeing Smith fired. He's botched numerous drafts, most notably in the middle rounds. If you look back at the last 3 drafts, those are some bad results.
Now, you have this dynamic where any HC that comes in is put in a bad situation, because Rick Smith somehow has gotten quite the benefit-of-a-doubt. It's almost like a mini-Dan Snyder situation, although I cannot speak for DC & their fans (any help, dcmissle?) but as The Mighty Mighty Bosstones said, that's the impression that I get.
Bob McNair has no sense of urgency, & Cal McNair, his son, is set to take his place. Cal McNair has become best friends with Rick Smith, & its hard for Houstonians to imagine seeing Smith fired. He's botched numerous drafts, most notably in the middle rounds. If you look back at the last 3 drafts, those are some bad results.
Now, you have this dynamic where any HC that comes in is put in a bad situation, because Rick Smith somehow has gotten quite the benefit-of-a-doubt. It's almost like a mini-Dan Snyder situation, although I cannot speak for DC & their fans (any help, dcmissle?) but as The Mighty Mighty Bosstones said, that's the impression that I get.
Who other than Clowney do you see as a better fit for a 4-3? It's not like they just switched; they ran a 3-4 for years under Wade Phillips.Jake Peavy's Demons said: