2019 NFL Quick Hits: Week 11

Week 11 of the NFL season has come and gone, and for the most part it was pretty blah. But, we do have the Thursday night game that was pretty explosive. So, I'm going to get right into my takes for week 11, but I am going to save the Thursday night game for last. That needs to be talked about a little bit longer than my usual week takes.

So, getting right into the early games, the Jets played Washington, and this game just further proved that both teams are not good. Yes, the Jets won, and are currently on a 2 game win streak, and have Jamal Adams, but that is it. Also, all this winning from them is going to entice them to keep Adam Gase, and man would that be disappointing. As for Washington, they are the most moribund franchise in the NFL, and maybe in all of pro sports. They have no coach, a terrible GM, have made awful front office decisions, lied to a player who had cancer and are going absolutely nowhere. Washington is awful in every possible way.

The Colts got a much needed win over the Jags. Jacoby Brissett was back, and the offense needed that, but they absolutely shut down the Jags offense. They couldn't do a damn thing. Nick Foles was back, and threw for a good amount of yards. But what he didn't throw for was TD's. Also, Marlon Mack was great out of the backfield for the Colts, but he did get hurt. I don't think it is major, but they need him if they want to make a playoff push. This was a big win for Indianapolis. The Bills easily handled the Dolphins, ending their 2 game win streak. Miami looked like the tanking team they set out to be this season, letting Ryan Fitzpatrick throw the ball almost 50 times. Their defense also made Josh Allen look like an All Pro. He is not, but he looked good on Sunday, both throwing and running the ball. Their defense also looked as good as advertised. Yes, it is Miami, but this is what Buffalo needed after getting beat by the Browns last week.

The Cowboys beat the undermanned Lions. Dak Prescott was incredible in this game too. He made all the throws, he made the reads and he is proving that he is going to get paid, by someone, this offseason. He has been solid all season. The Lions are playing with a left hand because Matthew Stafford is out, and he is going to miss a good amount of time. That is a bummer because this team was fun, and competitive when they had Stafford under center. This win keeps the Cowboys atop their division, but outside of Prescott, I feel like they are a very, very flawed team.

The Ravens further proved they are a legit contender, and that Lamar Jackson is the front runner for MVP. Every week he does something else amazing, and it leaves me in awe. He is so good, and the team around him fits perfectly. He is awesome. The Texans, well they had zero answers for Jackson. Deshaun Watson was under duress, the refs blew a horrible no pass interference call early in the game that really changed the start of the game and they just crumbled from there. The Texans are a fine team, but they acted like a title contender before the season started. They look like a first round out, at best, right now.

The Falcons, stunningly, won another game where their defense was amazing. They attacked Kyle Allen all game, they picked him off 4 times and they stalled Christian McCaffery enough to really dominate the Panthers. I feel like the whole honeymoon phase with Kyle Allen is coming to an end. But lets get back to the Falcons for a second. That defense is suddenly one of the most formidable in the league. They are attacking and covering and just playing correctly. It is a sight to behold. They could end up winning 6 or 7 games, which I thought was a no way when they were 1-7.

Speaking of the Falcons, the Saints rebounded from being beat by them to easily dispatch the Bucs. Drew Brees looked like himself, Michael Thomas was great and Alvin Kamara gave the defense headaches. The Saints also picked off Jameis Winston 4 times, and totally stymied the Bucs offense. The Bucs are a mess, and Bruce Arians definitely has his hands full right now. The Saints did what they needed to do, and it helps that it was a divisional win.

The Vikings came back from a 20 point halftime deficit to beat the Broncos. Denver looked in control the whole first half, and I assumed they would roll. But, the Vikings woke up, scored on every second half possession and eeked out a win. This is the type of game that you would expect that they should win, just not in this fashion. It shows that they have the superior talent to Denver, and when they have their backs against the wall, they showed they are up to the task. It is a game like this that worries me when they have to play the Packers again.

The 49ers rebounded from last week, but it took all they had to beat the Cardinals. Jimmy Garroppolo did throw for 4 TD's, but he had 2 awful picks, and made some confounding throws. The Cardinals shouldn't have won this game, and they didn't, but damn is Kyler Murray good. He made a ton of great throws, ran the ball super well and looks like he is in total control of that offense. If/when they get some real players around him, this team could be very good.

The Patriots beat the Eagles in a Super Bowl 51 rematch, but it was not the offensive explosion we saw the first time. This was a defensive battle through and through. Both offenses struggled to move the ball and looked discombobulated. The Patriots made more plays, and made the bigger plays when they needed to. The Eagles are wildly inconsistent. One week they look good, the next, they can't do a thing. As for the Patriots, they have a really good defense and a very average offense. I have said that I thought they would come around, but we are already in week 12, and they have not looked the part all season. That could be their undoing in the playoffs.

The Sunday night game was an absolute slog. The Rams beat the Bears, but it was a total mess. Jared Goff has not looked the part of franchise QB and their defense, while stopping Chicago, hasn't been great. I will say that Todd Gurley looked like himself, and that is an encouraging sign for the rest of the season. The Bears, boy oh boy are they in trouble. Mitch Trubisky is playing scared. He doesn't want to get hit, he is making bad throws and now there is conflicting stories of why he got pulled late in the game. As for the guy that pulled him. Matt Nagy, he is running a gimmicky offense that the NFL has easily figured out. I feel like I say this every week, but they are wasting a once in a generation defense. That is a shame. This team is one QB away from being a legit contender, but it may be too late.

The Monday night game, played in Mexico City, was fun, but kind of empty. The Chiefs won. Patrick Mahomes looked pretty good, almost like he is fully back from injury. And their defense finally played good enough to win. The Chargers slept walked their way to getting beat again. Phillip Rivers is washed. They need some better O lineman. Keenan Allen is the only good receiver they have and Melvin Gordon clearly wants out. The Chargers season last year seems like a total mirage now. They are going nowhere fast.

Now for the Thursday night game.

The game itself wasn't any good. The Browns won 21-7, getting their second straight win, and staying in the playoff picture. And the Steelers dropped to 5-5, and are looking like they don't have a clue on offense. But, what happened near the end of this game was something I haven't seen in a long, long time. This was Malice at the Palace type stuff, except it didn't involve any fans. Near the end of the game a fight broke out between Steelers QB and O lineman Mason Rudolph and Maurkice Pouncey and Browns defensive end Myles Garrett. The scuffle got so bad that Garrett removed Rudolph's helmet and swung it at his head, twice. I was stunned. I didn't know what to think at first. I do not like either of these teams, but I do like Myles Garrett. And he seems like such a quiet, even keeled dude. But this is something that you can never, ever do to anyone else. I need to say that. What Myles Garrett did was wrong, and dangerous. He has since apologized and has appealed his suspension. Then, as I looked further and further into the whole scenario, and checked on some background of the players involved, I kind of tweaked my thoughts. As you all know, I am a died in wool liberal democrat. While doing some research on Rudolph, I found out that he is a hard core conservative, and counts that dip shit Tami Lauren, I truly don't care if her name is misspelled, as a close friend. So I then thought, what did he say. What could he have done to, maybe, provoke Garrett. I have played sports my whole life, and I get heated, I talk shit and I go at it. But, I have never been so angry that I wanted to harm or hurt someone. But I remembered back to when Marcus Smart was playing college basketball at Oklahoma State, and he went after a fan. It was very quickly found out that this fan was calling him racial epitaphs. I then had zero problem with him protecting himself against someone that would say some heinous stuff like that. So, how do we know that Rudolph wasn't doing the very same thing. It is clear he has a history of liking and connecting with people that have this same behavior. And in his post game presser, he acted so holier than thou. He called Garrett "classless", and acted like he was going to pursue legal actions. That is white privilege at its best. So, I am in a very, very gray area. As I said, what Garrett did was totally off base, and he should be suspended for some amount of time. But, we may never know what, if anything, Rudolph said to Garrett to provoke him. It could be heinous. It could be nothing. We may never know, and that is the craziest part.

Come back next week for my week 12 thoughts.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. Thanks to Kirk Cousins second half performance, the Head Editor is still undefeated in fantasy football. HOW DO YOU LIKE THAT TY!!!

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Nathan Fielder's Unpleasantness Made "Nathan for You" A Great Show

I've been on a kick lately of re watching some old comedy shows that I used to love. And when I saw old, I mean like 4 or 5 years they have been off air. Not classics, just stuff I used to wait weekly to watch. I recently did this with "Workaholics", my wife and I always re watch shows like "The Office", "Parks and Rec" and "Happy Endings" as well. Recently, after finishing "Workaholics", I decided I was going to watch "Nathan For You" again.

Now, you all know how I feel about this show. It is one of the funniest things that has ever been put on TV. I mean "Finding Frances" is a god damn masterpiece, and I cannot wait to watch it again. But, after closing the show with "Finding Frances", I kind of forgot about all the other great stuff "Nathan For You" did. This show is one of a kind, and the stuff Fielder did was simply amazing.

For example, when the pig rescued the goat from the lake, that became a worldwide story, that was Nathan Fielder. Dumb Starbucks, that was Fielder. Fielder got a ghost writer to write a self help book, which I read, and started a whole weight loss movement. That book is insane by the way. Fielder and crew did a ton of memorable things. In the first episode, he got a frozen yogurt place to add a poo flavored yogurt.

The one thing I have kept going back too since I started my re watch was a segment of one of his earlier episodes where he convinced a car mechanic to get himself hooked up to a lie detector when giving people estimates on their cars, and telling them what was needed. Seems like a simple enough idea, and actually, it is one of his better, and more solid, ideas. But, as he does with every segment, he had to make sure it worked out properly before heading back to the mechanic's. He also had to put his humor in to the performance as well. So, while checking out the lie detector, he had the person administering the test ask him about his search history on his computer. More to the point, he had the tester ask him if he has every watched pornography on his computer, and further more, had he pleasured himself to said pornography. Of course Fielder said no, and of course he did not pass the test. But, to see his reactions to every question was hilarious. He was so stand offish and bullish that he never used his computer for this activity. He went as far as trashing the tester to everyone involved. During voice-overs he even said stuff about how poor the tester, and the lie detector, truly was. If you know Fielder's humor, this speaks to you on so many levels. If not, he is dry and monotone and seems like he could care less. It is an acquired taste, and he pull sit off to perfection. He is also a but dorky, so to see him so offended by the lie detector, it makes it that much more funny. I have been relaying this to my wife constantly, and every time I bring it up, I find myself laughing so hard that I have tears in my eyes. The fact that he even tells customers at the mechanic shop that the lie detector wrongly said that he was using his computer for pornography makes it that much more hilarious.

Look, I love this show. As I said, it is one of the greatest things to ever be on TV. But, if you decide to watch because you know of Dumb Starbucks, or the pig and goat thing, you will be greatly surprised by how great the rest of the show was. And, if you want to watch, think about my blog today when you watch the lie detector segment in an early episode. It is one of the best.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. He had an uncomfortable experience with a lie detector test. It was quite uncomfortable, know what I mean?

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Carmelo Anthony has Landed in Portland

Carmelo Anthony is back in the NBA.

Last night it was reported that he was going to sign a non guaranteed contract with the Portland Trailblazers. I think this is both good and bad. Anthony deserves to be on a NBA roster. He is still a really good scorer, he can hit the open shot and he has pedigree. He is better than a good 40 to 50 percent of players currently on most rosters. He should have been signed sooner, but still, he is getting what will most likely be his final shot. He is only going to bolster one of the better scoring back courts in the league. I know that he is technically a small forward, but lets be honest, he is a 2 guard in a forward's body. He has always been a shooter, and that will never change. Putting him on the floor with Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum is going to be a rough matchup for most opponents. Teams will have one, maybe 2 guys to throw at them, but no team, not even the Clippers, have the guys to stop all three of them at once.

I also think, and I know that I have said this for his last 2 teams, we will finally get the Olympic Carmelo. I think he has been humbled by being cut by Houston, and then having to wait this long to get back in the league. I would hope that he would be willing to be the fourth or fifth option on this team. I would hope that he knows this is where he is in his career. He is at the end, and what he is best at is being a spot up shooter who sometimes will drive and kick. That is his skill set now. I want him to play like Vince Carter does now. That would be ideal.

Now, the bad. This threesome is going to be horrendous defensively. Lillard and McCollum are already known league wide as one of the worst defensive backcourts in the NBA. They make up for it as much as they can on the offensive end, but it doesn't always work out. I mean, Lillard went for 60 in a game earlier this season, and they Blazers got beat, fairly handily. McCollum has nights where he goes for 30 plus, but his guy cancels that out by matching his scoring most of the time. And Carmelo has never, ever been considered a top end defender. He is an okay rebounder, but he has never been a good defender. And he is only older now. He never had the best ability on that end of the floor, and he is only older and slower now. That is not a slight, it is the truth. I feel like even Carmelo would admit this much.

The Blazers are also in a bit of a mess right now. They are currently 4-8, and they play in the West. They need to start figuring stuff out real, real quick if they want to get back to the playoffs. So while Carmelo adds another scorer, he has a history of not being a great postseason player. He has also shown that he cannot lead a team. His best teams never made it further than the second round of the playoffs, and he never really showed up.

Another isssue, the Blazers also don't need more scoring. I just mentioned that Lillard and McCollum are scoring machines, but this team needs bigs that are good rebounders and defenders. They need Jusuf Nurkic back. They need Hassan Whiteside to show up, or to trade him for someone that will put in full effort. They need a solid veteran willing to push aside their own personal numbers and do what is best for the team. They need Terry Stotts to wake the hell up and become the good coach eh has proven to be so far in his career.

So while I am thrilled for Carmelo that he is back, I don't think this moves the needle, at all, for Portland. They have bigger fish to fry, and Carmelo doesn't really solve any of the big problems currently plaguing this team. I will say though, I am stoked to see Anthony, who is going to join the team on their upcoming road trip, play against the Rockets. I feel like he could explode on them. I just don't know if that will result in a win for them. They need to get some stops.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing, the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast, and the greatest basketball writer on the internet. 

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What to Make of the Colin Kaepernick NFL "Tryout"

It seems like Colin Kaepernick is going to get a shot at making a NFL team next week. That much is good. It is a step. But, I have a ton of mixed feelings about this workout that is happening in a few days.

I want to get the bad out of the way first. This feels like the coup of publicity stunts. I mean, the NFL called his people and told him to be in Atlanta for this tryout. He didn't get to pick the day, location or people he wants around for this tryout. This is all being done on their watch, and that is shady as hell. I feel like the NFL thinks, at least the higher ups, that they are in a win win situation. If he gets signed they can say, "see, we didn't blackball him", and if he doesn't get signed they can say, "well, he is too old, and the tryout proved that today". They cannot literally say anything wrong, in their eyes. It is just so weird that this is coming on so sudden. I know that Kaepernick, who has handled this as gracefully as one can, more on that when I get to the good, says he is ready. But, this is so spur of the moment, and even though he is a pro, he hasn't played in 3 years, and the tryout is in a few days. It doesn't feel like enough time. It feels like the NFL is setting him up to fail, and that is so immoral. I think Jerry Jones saying this is good is a real problem. Jones is the epitome of an owner who literally thinks he owns the team, and the players. He is old, racist and insanely rich and stupid. He could care less about the well being of a young person, as long as that person is a good football player. so, for him to be on board with this, I feel like the NFL went to him personally and asked him to say he likes this. I would bet a good sum of money that Roger Goodell and Jones had a meeting prior to this, and Goodell asked him to say he likes this, for a certain amount of cash. And as I said at the top, I don't like the small amount of notice they gave Kaeperninck. This is no time to really get yourself ready for a tryout like this. I would imagine that most, if not all, of the teams will have a representative there to watch. And Kaepernick is going to have to be perfect. Any slip up, and he is toast. That is a shame. I mean, guys coming into the draft have multiple chances to show themselves to teams before being picked. They have the combine, pro days and private workouts, all made on their own schedules. And as far as signing a vet off the street, even those guys get time to get themselves ready. They get a call, are asked to come in for a tryout, and then, if they make the team, sometimes have a few weeks worth of practice with the team. Kaepernick gets none of this, and that is grossly unfair. He has a few days to get himself ready for what may be the biggest tryout for a professional athlete ever. That is insane.

As far as what I think is "good" about this, it is a few things. One, I am glad he is actually getting a shot. I know that I said the time constraints and timing of this is bad, but still, he is getting an opportunity to tryout. I also adore the way he has handled this. Like I said before, he has shown nothing but grace and composure during this past week. He has tweeted out his happiness at a tryout. He is going to be as prepared as he can be. He has been staying in shape. He is still continuing to help his community. Colin Kaepernick is a great human being, and he will be remembered for so much more than just this tryout.

Finally, I think he is going to crush at this tryout. He is going to look good. He will make the throws. He will make the right decisions and he will be phenomenal. He is going to almost force a team, or teams, to sign him. He fits with a ton of teams right now too. The tanking teams, like Miami or Cincinnati or Washington or the Jets or Denver, he is better than any starting QB they currently have on their roster. He would also fit in perfectly as a backup with Dallas or Houston or Kansas City or Green Bay. Hell, I would much rather have him backing up Aaron Rodgers than whoever in the hell is his current backup.

Look, I am a big time supporter of Kaepernick's and I want him to make. I think the NFL is trying to save face with this tryout, hoping that he may not be as good as he was, and it will blow up in their face. He is going to do great, and he is going to get signed. I fully believe that, and I fully believe that is what the NFL doesn't want to happen. We will soon know, and I will be rooting hard for him to make it.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast.

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Better Late Than Never on the Film "The Ballad of Buster Scruggs"

I recently watched the most recent Coen Brothers movie, "The Ballad of Buster Scruggs", and I have to say, I really loved this movie. I knew of it because I watched a few trailers, and as I feel with every Coen Brothers movie, I was intrigued. I like their take on Westerns, and they are 2 of the best directors that are out there right now. Also, the cast that was announced was pretty dynamite. I am a big Tim Blake Nelson fan. I adore Tyne Daly. I like James Franco. Tom Waits is weird, but he is a perfect fit in Coen Brothers movies. Zoe Kazan was a revelation in "The Big Sick". And that is just a few of the very big names that were in this movie. I also enjoy movies that go the vignette rout, and the Coen Brothers did this perfectly.

"The Ballad of Buster Scruggs" is split into 6 different stories that may, or may not, be connected. I tend to believe that they are each their own story, and each one is very well told. The movie starts off with Tim Blake Nelson, as the titular Buster Scruggs, and his story is fast and funny and violent and great. Nelson is funny and breaks the fourth wall all the time. He is constantly talking to the viewing audience, telling us his backstory, and I loved every second of it. He also sings some catchy songs, and brutally kills people that have wronged him. His demise was unexpected, but very well played. I liked this segment a ton.

The second segment featured James Franco and Stephen Root. Franco is a bank robber and Root is the teller. This story was a bit more dramatic, but when Root runs outside covered in pots and pans, I found myself chuckling. Also, the stuff with the Native Americans was tremendous. Franco is about to be hanged, and they come and save the day. I was blown away at how cool this whole scene was in the movie. While this segment was a bit slower, it still kept my interest to the very end.

We move from there to the Liam Neeson and Harry Melling segment, which was as dour as it gets in this movie, and I loved it. Neeson plays the care taker to Melling, who is armless and legless, and he does dramatic readings of plays and speeches in towns that they travel to. The speeches are great. Neeson's portrayal of the care taker was solid. But, Melling was the star of this vignette. He was tremendous and I could not take my eyes off him. His readings were dynamite, and when he wasn't doing the readings, he spoke not a word, but we saw his reactions to Neeson's life. It was incredible. This segment proved that the Coen Brothers are just as adept at drama as they are at everything else.

The Tom Waits segment came next, and he was pretty much the only person involved. He was a gold miner, and watching him go through the days, just panning and panning until his big payday was truly wonderful. Waits was so good. Even when he finds his fortune, he gets shot in the back, which made me sad, but he was still alive, and he still got his payday. That made me happy, and to see Waits gallop away on his horse was moving. This was one of the few segments that had a "happy" ending.

The Zoe Kazan vignette was next, and this one kind of had it all. It was classic Coen Brothers at the start. The scene around the dinner table was so good. They have the comedy from that, and then goes to dramedy, when Kazan's brother suddenly dies. I say dramedy because his character was an odd dude, and the crew taking them to Oregon didn't seem to sad when he died. We then got a love story between Kazan and one of the main ranch hands leading the trip. This quickly turned sour when Native Americans found her and her dog watching prairie dogs, and the main ranch hand came to help her fight. He told her that if things got bad, to shoot herself in the head. He told her this would be a much easier death than anything else that may happen. When things seemed to be okay, with the main ranch hand holding the fighters off, it turned sad because Kazan shot herself, thinking things had gotten as bad as they could. I was absolutely stunned by this ending, and it made me very sad.

The final segment was probably my second favorite, behind the Buster Scruggs one, and it was filmed and acted perfectly. There were 5 people in a horse carriage, and they all kind of tell their own story. There is 2 guys on one side, and 2 other guys and a lady on the other side. The 3 people each have very strong opinions about their lives, and how each other lives. It is, at times, funny, sad and interesting. I was hanging on every word from all three actors. Then they pan back to the other 2 guys, one of which is Brendon Gleeson, who breaks into song, and everyone stops to listen. It was touching and moving. They then pan to the gentleman he was with, and he reveals that they are bounty hunters, and the other 3 passengers may be their next victims. It was another stunning turn,, and I loved the way they revealed it. This was such a well told story. It was so well acted. It was near perfection, and the way it ended made it even better.

"The Ballad of Buster Scruggs" is one of the better movies to come out in 2018. I wished I had watched it sooner, but that is the good thing about Netflix. It is still on there to watch, and I am glad that I did. I highly recommend this movie, and I give it as many thumbs up as I possibly can. What a great, great movie.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. The movie was great, but could have been better with one more vignette. Imagine a story where Ty is watching the film and then writing about it. That would be epic.

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2019 NFL Quick Hits: Week 10

Week 10 of the NFL season has come and gone, and I am here with some takes. To be completely transparent with everyone, this week I only watched one game, the Packers-Panthers game, and the rest I saw on highlights. I have been busy doing house renovations, and Sunday is the best day for me to do them. Maybe that is because college football is on Saturday, and college football is infinitely more fun, and much cooler than the NFL. It could also be that my mother in law, who has been teaching me how to do all these things around my house, likes coming out on Sunday's. Either way, the majority of my NFL experience this season has been watching Packers games, and catching up on the rest with highlights. Anyway, here we go.

Thursday night featured another big win from the Raiders. They beat the Chargers, who were coming off a big win over the Packers, and Josh Jacobs further strengthened his hold on offensive rookie of the year. That kid is good, Jon Gruden is making me remember that he is a solid coach, and still a jackass, and the Chargers will not be making a second straight postseason. They need to move on from Phillip Rivers, and give Melvin Gordon a new chance somewhere else. Also, maybe they should move to the UK. Who knows. Anyway, the Raiders look like a legit playoff team, and the Chargers are stumbling.

The Jets and the Giants played, and I can't think of anyone that would willingly watch that game. You have to be a serious diehard, almost obsessive, to watch that game. The Jets won, but from what I heard, it was ugly.

The Falcons stunned the Saints. I'm not much for upsets in the NFL, but this is an upset. The Falcons harassed Drew Brees all game, gaining 6 sacks. They had 7 all year. They also showed up on offense and looked, somewhat, like their old selves. I'm sure this is a flash in the pan performance, but shocking nonetheless. This is the type of win that can help the Falcons finish strong, and may hurt the Saints in playoff seeding, and possible home field advantage type scenarios. This may have also saved Dan Quinn's job. Maybe.

In another stunner, the Titans beat the Chiefs. Patrick Mahomes was back, looked really good, albeit a little slow and they looked like themselves, on offense that is. Derrick Henry gashed that defense for almost 200 yards rushing and 3 TD's. He is good, but not that good. That being said, the Chiefs did have the game in hand, seemingly, but they found a way to blow it. The defense let Ryan Tannehill lead a game winning drive at the end, and they took home a 3 point win after they blocked the Chiefs last second field goal attempt. The Chiefs may not be as invincible as I thought. This was a troubling loss for them.

In not so stunning news, the Ravens dismantled the Bengals. They were beating them so bad that they ran out a package where they ran the option with Lamar Jackson, Robert Griffin and Mark Ingram, "The Heisman Package" they called it, and, near the end of the third quarter, Lamar Jackson was on the sideline wearing shades and grinning from ear to ear. The Ravens are the most fun team in the NFL, they keep winning and Lamar Jackson is the real deal. The best part about this game, when John Harbaugh and Jackson were caught talking on the sideline about how Jackson is changing the game and that kids everywhere will be wearing his jersey. That rules. Also, the Bengals stink. Sorry RD.

The Browns found a way to win a game, but from what I heard, this game was almost as unwatchable as the Jets-Giants game. I guess the Browns play calling was atrocious, and the Bills, well, they are still letting Josh Allen play QB for them. The Bills are like the Bears in that regard. I don't think this win was as big for Freddie Kitchens as the Falcons win was for Dan Quinn, but it is a win, and one the Browns desperately needed. Also, the Bills might be returning to form as a middle of the road AFC team. Their defense is really good, but man is their offense bad.

The Bucs and Cardinals played what looked like an exciting game, with tons of passing yards and lots points. Jameis Winston had one of his good performances. Kyler Murray looks like the real deal, maybe he won't be running to play pro baseball after this year, and both teams, while not very good, play exciting football. Bruce Arians has a ton of work to do to get the Bucs back to contention, and every week I am stunned at how Kliff Kingsbury is adapting, as best he can, to the NFL game. The Cardinals could be good sooner rather than later.

The Bears beat the Lions, and Mitch Trubisky had 3 TD passes. But, I think this game says way more about the Lions, and who they had to play at QB. Matthew Stafford missed his first game in forever, and the Lions had to start, hell I don't know if it was Ryan Lindley or Ryan Driskell at QB. The fact that those guys got to start NFL games this week, and Colin Kaepernick is still unsigned is such a god damn joke. Shame on the NFL and their owners. That is so absurd. Anyway, the Bears shut down whatever lower tier QB they played, and Trubisky did enough to eek out a 7 point win over a very undermanned team. I still don't buy any of the "Trubisky proved his worth" headlines I saw, and I bet Lions fans are waiting with bated breath that Stafford's back injury isn't super serious. This seems like another bad game among the many that were played on Sunday.

The Dolphins won their second straight game, beating the Brian Hoyer led Colts. Again, Hoyer is a fine career backup, but why not get Kaepernick to replace Brissett? That would be perfect. But the Dolphins put together enough points to stave off their "tank" for a second straight game. I know the Dolphins are bad, but I feel like Brian Flores is proving his worth as a head coach. The fact that he has gotten this Dolphins team to win, twice, is amazing. And the Colts, well, this is what happens when you have to trot out a career backup. Jacoby Brissett is far better.

The game I watched, Packers-Panthers, was pretty fun. Both teams were able to gobble up rush yards, they played solid defense and it ended with a goal line stand. Aaron Jones is proving his worth,, and then some, this season. He is so important to the Packers offense, and he has been living up to that new role. He is amazing. The Packers defense also did just enough to get a crucial win. That goal line stand was dope. The Panthers are a good team, but they need Cam Newton. I know all the talk lately is of them moving on from him, but I don't trust Kyle Allen. The pressure is already firmly on Christian McCaffery, and he has been great, but that wears on a running back. Also, the Panthers defense is really good. Their pass rush is good. And that roughing call was really bad late in the game. But, the Packers came away with a win, and they still hold a one game lead over RD's Vikings.

The Steelers are making a late playoff push, and it is because of their defense. Minkah Fitzpatrick has been stupendous since being traded there. He is a turnover machine, and he turns them into TD's. Without him, and that D, the Steelers would be DOA. As for the Rams, well, this is what happens when you let Jared Goff be the focal point. He is not that good. This team should go as Todd Gurley goes. But, something is up with him. I don't know if it is an injury, or they want to give Goff the reins because they paid him so much money, but the Rams look like they are suffering from a big time Super Bowl hangover. They don't seem very locked in right now.

RD's real team, the Vikings, got a big win in Dallas. They shut down woman and child abuser Ezekial Elliot. They made Dak Prescott uncomfortable all game. And Dalvin Cook was tremendous. This was a big time win for the Vikings, and it keeps them in the NFC North race. I actually caught a few seconds of this game, and the Cowboys insistence on getting Elliot the ball on the goal line was stupefying. The Vikings knew it was coming, and they stopped it, twice. Good win for Minnesota, and this further proves that Jason Garrett is a bad head coach, and the Cowboys are still irrelevant.

The Monday night game featured overtime, a hard fought game and the Seahawks handing the 49ers their first loss. This game showed me quite a bit in fact. Russell Wilson is good. I don't like writing that every week, but it is true, at least this season. Also, the "vaunted" 49ers defense may not be as formidable as they are perceived. And Jimmy Garropollo isn't Tom Brady, as much as the media may want us to believe. Both these teams are good. They can both do good things. But, if I were to pick a team that would win a crucial, important game, I would go with the Seahawks. They have the better QB, better skill players and the experience. San Francisco is a nice story, but they aren't elite. Not yet anyway.

That does it for week 10. Come back next week for week 11 takes.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast.

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Tales of the NCAA Being Stupid: Chase Young and James Wiseman Edition

In their never ending circle of stupidity, the NCAA doubled down with 2 of the most baffling suspensions I have ever witnessed in my history of watching college sports this past week.

First off, you all know how I feel about the University of Ohio State. I think it says a lot the way I type it, I loathe that team, I think they cheat and Urban Meyer is a supreme asshole. But, to suspend Chase Young, for what now looks like 2 of the most meaningless games on their schedule, is absolutely ridiculous. I get that players cannot accept money from boosters, and that, somewhere deep, deep in the rule book what he did was "wrong", still, this was so stupid. Yes, he took money from a "booster", but it was to fly his family, and his girlfriend, out to the bowl game last season. And Chase Young paid the loan back. I swear the only reason he got the suspension was because the "booster" has ties to the NFL. Or his family does, or something like that.

Herein lies one of my biggest problems with the NCAA and their never ending rule book. Chase Young is not allowed to get a job while he is enrolled in school. One, he doesn't have time, but college athletes cannot get work outside of the program. It is one of the billion dumb rules passed down by the NCAA to further police these kids. I had a friend who I have mentioned before that played division 1-AA football, and even he couldn't work a summer job that wasn't connected with the school. Chase Young is a star player. He is one of the favorites to win the Heisman. He is the best player on the number one ranked team in the country. He will, almost certainly, be a top 3 pick in the upcoming draft, and the NCAA decided now, near the end of the regular season, they were going to suspend him? Look, I do not like standing up for a player from that school, but this is so bogus. I mean, by all accounts, he goes to class, he has had zero off field issues and he paid back the loan. Why the suspension? The NCAA is as crooked, if not more so, than FIFA. And this suspension is just another unwanted feather in their, and Mark Emmert's dumbass hat. Again, the games he will, and already has, missed are glorified scrimmages. But still, this all but takes him out of the Heisman race, and makes the NCAA look really, really bad.

Then, to almost try and outdo themselves, the NCAA decided, one game into the men's college basketball season, that they were going to suspend the number one recruit, and most likely number one pick in the upcoming NBA draft, James Wiseman out of Memphis for the rest of the season because he accepted a "gift" from a booster. This booster, his head coach Penny Hardaway. Never, ever in my life have I heard, or been told, or read that a head coach can also be considered a "booster". This is asinine. I mean, Penny Hardaway did nothing wrong at all. He did exactly as Coach K or John Calipari would do. But, because he is young and new, the NCAA decided they were going to target him. I guarantee that if Wiseman went to Kentucky or Duke, this wouldn't even be a story. But, because Wiseman chose Memphis, and Penny Hardaway, the NCAA decided they needed to suspend him.

Even further, I don't know what the suspension is for. All I have read so far is that he is "ineligible". Is it grades? Is it impermissible benefits? Did the coaching staff at Memphis give him money? The NCAA has answered none of this, and just deemed him "ineligible". But, not to be taken prisoner by the corrupt NCAA, James Wiseman and Penny Hardaway are fighting the suspension, and until he is for real punished, he is allowed to play. The very same day he was deemed "ineligible", he went out and played and had a monster game. Look, Wiseman is going to be in the NBA regardless next year, but this one year at Memphis can mean the difference in draft position, and that could mean millions upon millions of dollars. But does the NCAA care about that? Of course not. They want things done their way, no matter how stupid and pointless their crazy rules may be.

Like I said before, if he were at any other school, one of the blue blood schools, this wouldn't even be an issue. But since Penny Hardaway is able to go into any recruit's home in the country, and is infinitely cooler than say Coach K or John Calipari or Roy Williams or Tom Izzo, the NCAA gets their feathers all ruffled. I told my dad, that if my son grows up to be a college level basketball player, and I had to pick a team or a coach I would want him to play for, Michigan and Juwan Howard were one, but Penny Hardaway and Memphis were a very close second. I grew up watching those guys play in college and the NBA. I didn't sit down and watch Coach K coach Duke, or John Calipari cheat at UMASS and now Kentucky. I loathe Tom Izzo. I think Roy Williams is okay, but he is old school. I would want my kid to play for a young, hip and fun coach. Not some crusty old man.

These 2 suspensions are so blatantly stupid and pointless from the NCAA and Mark Emmert. Every time they do anything that is slightly good, like agreeing to eventually pay athletes for their likeness, they go and do something like this that reminds me how disgusting and corrupt they are. This is so stupid and I like that these kids are fighting back. They aren't just accepting it because the NCAA says so. Good for these kids, and good for Penny Hardaway for attacking the system.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing, the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast, and the greatest basketball writer on the internet. 

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Where Does Florida State Go From Here?

Florida State fired Willie Taggart earlier this week. I thought this may be coming, just not in the middle of the season.

I'm not a big fan, usually, of a coach being fired during the season. Let them finish it out, then let them go. Also, I do not think Taggart got a fair shot. The fact that boosters raised the money to have him removed, a near record breaking 17 million dollar buyout, shows they wanted him gone. This, I feel, has a lot to do with the on field product, but I think if he had been given one more season, he could have turned this around. Also, I don't think he would have been fired so quickly if he were Jimbo Fisher, who left this team 2 years ago, or Mark Stoops, who has Kentucky playing okay, but not great. I think you all know what I am getting at with these 2 comparisons. I also think Taggart is a solid head coach. He did great things at Western Kentucky, and while he left them ASAP, I feel like he was a perfect fit at Oregon after they let go of Mark Helfrich. I am not concerned for Taggart though. He has that humongous payout, and I would be shocked if he wasn't coaching a division 1 school at the start of the 2020 season. There will be some openings, probably some fairly big time schools, and many of them will jump at the chance to hire Willie Taggart.

As for Florida State, I really don't know where they go from here. As little as 5 or 6 years ago, they were a national title winner. I believe they were the last BCS champs. They then made the initial playoff. Then Jimbo Fisher decides to leave them for Texas A&M, I still don't understand that, and they were left searching. I thought they hit a homerun with Taggart, but clearly, I was wrong.

Some names that have popped up since Taggart was let go are fine. I think Bob Stoops is a solid head coach, and college is a much better fit for any coach than the dumbass XFL. But, Stoops left Oklahoma out of the blue, with so many unanswered questions hanging over him. I was stunned when he left. And, Oklahoma has been better, at least more consistent, since Lincoln Riley took over. Maybe Stoops knew his days were numbered, but still, he left under bizarre circumstances.

Lane Kiffin has said he would be interested in the job, but we have been down this road with Kiffin before. How many more times can he fail up into a job. He was horrible at Tennessee, and left them the moment the USC job was open. He then scorched Earth with that team, and that team's fan base. It was so bad that he was fired in the middle of the night, after a plane ride home. He then went on to Alabama to be an offensive coordinator, and he turned that into the head coaching gig at Florida Atlantic. Sure, he has some fun teams there, and he is a big time JUCO recruiter, but FAU is no better than a 7 or 8 win team. And when he has to play the upper tier, power 5 schools, FAU gets destroyed. I know FSU is in the ACC, but a team like Clemson would relish the fact that they could destroy a Lane Kiffin coached team. I feel like Miami and Manny Diaz would love the challenge. Hell, even the times they play Florida, Dan Mullen would wipe the floor with them.

And then this morning I heard that Deion Sanders has become a viable candidate for the opening. I actually think this would be kind of cool. He went to Florida State. He was there when they were a power. He has clout. He could get into any recruit in the nation's home and wow them. He oozes charisma. He knows the game. But, he has never coached at this high a level before. Yes, he is leading his son's high school team, but that is high school football. College is such a different game, and FSU, that is major division 1 college football. I look at some former players that are coaching now, and it takes time. I love that Michigan basketball has hired Juwan Howard, but I know it will be a few seasons before they are elite. This is his first time. Patrick Ewing has Georgetown potentially as a tournament team this year, but this is year 3 for him. Herm Edwards took over Arizona State, and while they were ranked for a moment this season, that team has fallen back to Earth. They are a 6 win team at best. Sure, that means bowl eligibility, but one of those early December bowl games. I imagine it would be tough for Deion to, one, not get every top flight recruit, and 2, not be that good for a few seasons. He would inherit a team that is light on QB's and receivers. A team that struggles defensively, even against inferior opponents. He would also have to deal with the exact same boosters who raised enough money to buy out Taggart. It is a tough situation.

So, if I were FSU, and thank goodness I have zero affiliation and do not like that team, I would give Deion Sanders the job, knowing that it would be a rebuilding project. That is what I think would be best for everyone involved.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. He is ready to return the glory to his old team and become the head coach. Do you hear that Marquette High?

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Ty Reads Adam Cayton-Holland's "Tragedy + Time"

I tend to read more books this time of year. It gets darker earlier, it is colder outside and I like to read whenever I get some quiet time while my kids are at school. Recently I just finished the book "Tragedy + Time" by Adam Cayton-Holland. Today I am going to talk about it.

This is one of the better, and sadder, books I have read in my life. I became familiar with Cayton-Holland later in life. In fact, I did not know much about his comedy. In fact I first saw him on one of my favorite shows, that should have gotten a fourth season, "Those Who Can't". After the first season of that, I started to listen to him on many podcast appearances. I then went back and watched most of his standup that I could find on the internet. After that, I learned of his comedy group, the Grawlix. I became pretty well versed in all things Cayton-Holland, at least as far as his comedy went.

When I heard that he was writing a book I was intrigued. I figured it was going to be a comedy book, but it is not. Don't get me wrong, there is some comedic moments in the book, but it is a tragedy. I had no idea that Cayton-Holland was one of three kids in his family. I also did not know much about his upbringing. I did know he had, or has, OCD because it is easy for someone to notice it when you have it yourself. But his book "Tragedy + Plus" reveals so much about his personal life.

Now, before I go further, I am going to spoil a lot of the book. So, if you want to read it first, do that, then come back and read my review. Okay, back to the review.

The book starts off with Cayton-Holland talking about selling his show, and claiming that it was the worst day of his life. He talks about walking down the street sobbing uncontrollably all the way back to his hotel room. I was hooked from that moment on. From there he starts at the beginning, when he was a young kid. This is when we get a more in depth look at his life, his OCD, his family and his upbringing. His life is not uncommon for a middle class person. But, when detailing his OCD, and his little sister's, that was where it was super relatable for me. He would do his "rituals" before bed every night, just like I di as a kid. He and his younger sister kind of had a kinship in their OCD, and their love of "The Simpsons", much like RD and myself. He then went into detail about his screw-ups, his sister's screw ups, his rock bottom, her rock bottom, which was as bottom as it could get, and coming out the other side of all this a better person. Cayton-Holland doesn't sugar coat anything in his book. He is raw and he is real. He does have an older sister too, and she seems like the most put together one of the family. And the way he tells his story, from childhood to getting into comedy to making it in comedy to getting his own TV show and to his youngest sister's suicide, it is all out there in the open.

The tragedy part of the title is his sister's suicide. She had some mental issues. That much was made very clear. But to hear Cayton-Holland talk about the issues, trying to help her, being mad at times for her outbursts and saying he wished he had more time to help her, it was touching. I, at time with my OCD and anxiety issues, have felt like a burden to my friends and family, but nothing like what his sister went through. To know that he, his mom and dad and older sister did all they could to help, and it still didn't matter was eye opening. They took her to doctors, they put her in an institute, they kept watch over her, they tried to get her on the right meds, and in the end, it didn't matter. And the way he found his sister after her suicide, I was in tears reading about it. I tried to put myself in his shoes, but I have never gone through anything as awful as that sounds. It is so, so sad. I don't know how one comes back from that, but try as he might, Cayton-Holland has found a way to recover. Sure, he will never, ever forget what has happened, how could you, but he has found a way to cope.

So while the book is gut wrenchingly sad, it does have a happy ending. Also I need to point out how he described life after his little sister died. Suicide to the person doing it may feel like an out, but all the living relatives and friends that have to deal with the aftermath, that is hard. And again, Cayton-Holland holds nothing back. He describes it all in all its ugliness and horribleness. I appreciate that from him as a writer.

While the book was not what I was expecting, it is one of the most moving, sad and realest books I have ever read. For anyone that has experienced loss, or has a family member or friend they may be worried about, read this book. It will surely help you try and help them. I love "Tragedy + Plus". The book makes me respect Adam Cayton-Holland even more, and I cannot wait to see what he does next. This is a great book, and a must read for fans of his.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast.

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The Ringer's Kevin O'Conner is a Bad Take Generator

Home to Kevin O’Conner takes

I am very tough on the website The Ringer. I feel like it is filled with hot take millennial BS that is pointless. All the majority of the hosts of the podcasts, and their writers, it is all about the quickest and hottest take out there. I don't feel like they do a ton of research, and they just want to put out stuff to get clicks on the site. Also, Bill Simmons is one of the biggest has beens in the sports writing business. He is such a non factor in the NBA world now. I do not trust a word he says anymore, and while he was once a solid writer, he has only shown since starting The Ringer, is that he wants so badly to still be in his 20's, even though he is approaching his 50's. It is sad. That much is true. Also, his interviews with Malcolm Gladwell have been horrendous and awful, in so many different ways.

While I do not read the website anymore, it feels like a total waste of time, I do subscribe to 2 of their podcasts. I listen to their NFL show, and I listen to their NBA show hosted by Chris Vernon and Kevin O'Connor. I do like Chris Vernon. I have talked about that before. He has some of the better takes on the pod, he seems to understand the NBA pretty well, and he isn't a yes man, of which this company is filled with. I also enjoy his passion for the game, and his love for his hometown team, the Memphis Grizzlies. Yes, he can be obnoxious from time to time, he can be a little loud, but again, he seems like the smartest person that is involved with the whole Ringer crew.

Then we have Kevin O'Connor. Boy oh boy do I not like him. He has one, maybe 2 good takes per episode, but everything else is so absurd and contradictory and asinine and flat out stupid. He takes credit for the few things he gets right, and when he is very wrong, which is a lot, he almost always deflects the blame. He is never wrong, it was something out of his control that caused his shit take to be off.

For example, I was listening to their most recent episode, and twice he said some shit that was so off that it made me audibly gasp and call him an idiot to my iPhone. First, Chris Vernon called him out on his "bright future Suns" comment, and when he was pushed by Vernon, he kind of just blahed his way through his speech. Vernon pointed out that when he called them the "bright future Suns", they had so many other players. In fact, the only player that is still on the team when O'Connor coined them that is Devin Booker. Every other player is gone. But O'Connor, in his infinite stupidity, tried to claim that Booker was the only reason he called them "the bright future Suns". That is false. You can go back and listen to him say he still liked Dragan Bender, gone, or any other number of players that the Suns have since traded or let go in free agency. The team is incredibly different from who O'Connor dubbed "the bright future Suns".

And then, the comment that really irked me, he said that the Knicks need to lose. I hate, hate, hate that this whole new tanking thing is what the younger generation of basketball writers are so enamored with right now. Why would any fan of any team ever want their team to lose purposely? The 76ers did it for half a decade, and when you talk to their fans, they talk about some dark thoughts during that time. I am a lifelong Michigan fan, and the Rich Rodriguez and Brady Hoke eras where unbearable. I'm sure Houston Astros fans are happy now, but when they were regularly losing 100 games, that couldn't have been fun. I am now rooting for the Memphis Grizzlies, and while Ja Morant has been a blast to watch so far, it stinks that they get beat pretty much every night. I think it is easy for someone like Kevin O'Connor, who is a Boston guy, to talk about how these teams should actively tank because in his whole sports fandom life, the Patriots, Celtics, Bruins and Red Sox have all been really good, or even won titles. The teams he roots for haven't had to tank, yet. So when he said that the Knicks should continue to tank, I was flabbergasted. He kept saying that this would help them get young talent, and lure free agents. I need to say, how did that work for them this past offseason? They didn't sign anyone of note, they ended up taking RJ Barrett, more on him and another O'Connor comment in a moment, and they have no real shot anymore at getting the number one pick in the upcoming draft. They did this exact same thing last year, losing because they were certain they were going to get Zion Williamson, and sign one, or both, of KD and Kyrie Irving. Well, none of that happened Mr. O'Connor. So what makes you think it will happen this offseason, or next or next? Hell, KD even said no one wants to go sign with the Knicks because they haven't been relevant since the late 90's.

As for that RJ Barrett comment, he said that the Knicks are playing him too much. What in the actual hell?! I mean, if the kid wants to play, and the team wants him to play and the coach wants him to play, let him play. Who cares? You can throw all the too many minutes thing, and the rookie wall at me, but if Barrett feels good, and they took him third overall and they want to build around him, let him play. O'Connor is obsessed with coddling the young generation coming into the NBA, especially Duke players. That is ridiculous. Also, if David Fizdale was only playing him 20 minutes a night, O'Connor would be the first one to say that the Knicks need a new coach who would let Barrett play.

Kevin O'Conner is an unreliable, porous and crappy sports writer. He is the definition of a hot take writer who thinks they are never wrong. He seems lost and confused every time Chris Vernon calls him out, and his response is to act like a child who is being wrongly scolded. I hope O'Connor reads this because I really, really want him to know how I feel about him and his crap takes. Of all the crummy writers and podcasters they have at The Ringer, O'Connor is the second worse, behind only his boss, Bill Simmons.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast.

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2019 NFL Quick Hits: Week 9

Week 9 of the NFL has passed, and while it was a pretty boring week, save for the Sunday night game, I do have some takes, especially on my team, and another team from the same division. Lets get to it.

First off we have the Thursday night game between the 49ers and Cardinals. The 49ers pushed their way to 8-0, but they made it tough. The Cardinals made it a game near the end, and dare I say, I may have been wrong on Kliff Kingsbury, for now. The Cardinals have proven to be much better on offense than I thought, and their defense, while not great, is fine. The 49ers finally got a breakout game from Jimmy Garropolo, and if they play like this, they are a true NFC threat. I don't totally buy it yet, but they do have a solid defense, they are winning, and if the offense can put together more games like this, they will be good for years to come. Also, Kyler Murray is really, really good. That kid can play.

The Texans easily dispatched of the Jags, and I think this game really showed the true colors of each team. The Texans can be great, if they can protect Deshaun Watson. He was awesome on Sunday, and that Jumpman pose he did to get in the end zone was rad. Also, him shouting out Popeye's spicy chicken sandwich was so god damn cool. Deshaun Watson rules. The Jags, and more so Gardner Minshew, are, at best, a 7 win team. They cannot keep up on defense, when teams load the box Leonard Fournette cannot go off and Minshew looks like a backup. I still kind of like the Jags, but they aren't a top tier, playoff caliber team. Not yet anyway.

The Eagles looked lackluster, slow and kind of checked out, and yet they still beat the Bears. The Eagles did just enough to get a crucial win to stay in the playoff conversation, but this game was way more clarifying as to what ails the Bears. The Bears have an otherworldly defense, and Khalil Mack is great. But, their offense is horrendous, and I put the blame squarely on the GM and the QB. Yes, Matt Nagy has made some odd calls, but if he had a QB that was serviceable, I think the Bears are 6-2 instead of 3-5. Mitch Trubisky is not a good NFL QB, and as long as he is starting, the Bears will be wasting a great defense and a solid receiving corps. They need to move on now.

The Chiefs found a way to beat one of RD's teams, the Vikings, with a backup QB. This proves how great of a regular season coach Andy Reid is. He schemed up Matt Moore to perfection, got a key win and is just biding his time until Patrick Mahomes gets back. The Vikings played okay, but they just couldn't get it done. I thought they were going to beat the Chiefs because of how hot they have been lately, but this is what happens when you put all your eggs in the Kirk Cousins basket I guess.

The Steelers, who I still don't buy as a playoff contender, somehow found a way to beat the Colts. Now, Jacoby Brissett got hurt during the game, and still, the Colts had a shot. Adam Vinateiri missed a game winner, and he may be done, but still, the Colts had a chance. They are still in contention to win the division, or get a wild card slot, but this loss hurts, and if Brissett misses a few games, it may only get worse. As for the Steelers, they won, but again, I still don't buy them as contenders. They cannot run the ball with consistency, and their QB situation is a real mess. Although, I love seeing Devin Bush playing well. That is pretty cool.

The Dolphins won a game. I did not think I would write that sentence once this year. But, they found a way to beat the Jets. The Jets may be the worst team in, not only the NFL this year, but of all time. I know some teams have gone 0-16, and other teams have played bad, but the Jets are a whole new level of awful. They are poorly coached, poorly ran and they flat out stink. Sam Darnold has regressed, LeVeon Bell cannot find any running room and their defense is real, real bad. Adam Gase is a horrible head coach, and the Jets are in chaos mode right now. Good for the Dolphins though. Way to get one win.

The Bills made easy work of Washington, and Washington is almost, almost, as bad as the Jets. The Bills are, fairly quietly, 6-2, and could be 9-2 after the next 3 weeks. They have a very, very good defense, and can run the ball well. They are a clock controlling type team. As for Washington, well, they haven't scored a single TD in 3 weeks. That is atrocious. They can't run, they can't protect their rookie QB and they lied to their best O lineman about having cancer. This team is a mess, and I bet they have a very hard time finding anyone credible coach to take their vacant head coaching job. Washington is bad.

The Panthers beat the Titans because Christian McCaffery is fully asserting himself as the best running back in the league. They did get some bad news today, with Cam Newton going on IR, but if CMC continues to do what he's doing, and the defense plays like they did on Sunday, as opposed to what they did against the 49ers, they can still make that push for the playoffs. The Titans, on the other hand, are the most bland team in the league. They don't do anything spectacular or terrible. They are so blah. I'm sure they will go 7-9 or 8-8 and no one will care.

The Raiders got their fourth win of the year, and they beat an okay Lions team. I cannot believe I am saying this, but the Raiders are starting to resemble a real NFL team. Oh, and Josh Jacobs is awesome. I thought they may have reached a bit for him. I was wrong. He is a real good running back. The Lions had one of their typical blown games, but this time it was on them, not the refs. They just have struggled to put together a full four quarters. But, the Raiders aren't as bad as they have been in the past, and Matt Stafford is having a solid year. Now they need to translate that into some wins.

The Seahawks let the Bucs jump out to a 14 point lead, but they managed to comeback yet again. Russell Wilson was great when he needed to be, and it gets more and more frustrating to me to say this, but he is having a monster year. So is DK Metcaf. The Seahawks have problems on defense, but if Russell Wilson continues to play like he has all year, he will single handily lead them to the playoffs. The Bucs cannot get out of their own way. Even when Jameis Winston has a good game, he still has a critical turnover that kills his team. Also, the Bucs defense is awful. They cannot stop anyone.

My team, the Packers, laid a complete egg on Sunday. The Chargers have not been a good team all year, yet they dominated Green Bay. The Packers defense was on the field seemingly all game, and they got pretty tired near the end. And when Green Bay was on offense, they looked very sloppy. They couldn't do much of anything. The Chargers deserved to win, and they easily won. That was a rough watch for me.

The Sunday night game, as I mentioned at the top, was great. The Ravens shredded the Patriots D, and for the first time this season, the Patriots looked unprepared. Lamar Jackson furthered his MVP case as well. He was so awesome on Sunday night. He made all the right reads, he made the throws and he was a nuisance to tackle. He is the new Mike Vick. He is a faster Steve Young. He is awesome. The Ravens D also harassed Tom Brady all game long, stripped Julian Edelmann and shut the Patriots down. I know this is just one game, and I still think the Patriots will be in the Super Bowl, but it was nice to see the Ravens and Lamar Jackson run all over them and win going away. The Ravens are legit, and so is Lamar Jackson.

Finally we have the Monday night game between the Cowboys and Giants, and honestly, I didn't watch a second of this game. I instead chose to watch "Watchmen", and I feel like I made the correct choice. I saw the Cowboys won, and that Saquon Barkley did some more cool shit this morning when I checked highlights, and for a Monday night game like last night, I feel that is more than enough attention that needs to be paid to 2 teams I could care less about, and haven't been relevant for nearly a decade now.

That's it for my week 9 takes. Come back next week for week 10.

Ty

Better Late than Never on "Midsommar"

I have been pestering my wife for months now to watch the movie "Midsommar" with me. I wanted to see it in theaters, I was willing to rent it on iTunes and I finally convinced her to rent it on On Demand this past Saturday.

I heard pretty much nothing but good things about the movie from critics and people who's opinions in movies I trust and respect. I also like to watch a good psychological thriller around this time of year. Most people like straight up horror movies, but I prefer to have my mind twisted and bent in all wild directions. Those are the "Scary" movies that I enjoy. For example, last year around the same time my wife and I watched "The Babadook", which ruled by the way. So this year we finally got down to "Midsommar", and I have some thoughts.

First off, this might be one of the most unique and original movies that I have ever seen. There is nothing out there like this. It is uniquely its own thing. No one else has made a movie like this and went in this many directions. Also, the setting was beautiful, which made the cinematography wonderful. Wherever they shot this movie, it looks like a wonderful destination. I am envious of the actors getting to do this movie in such a beautiful place. And, for what it is worth, the movie has there rare moments of comedy, and it lands every single time. Any time a joke, or one liner or some kind of odd sight gag is put in, I found myself chuckling. Outside of that, I don't know what to think of "Midsommar".

This movie has had the same effect on me that "Joker" did, being that I cannot stop thinking about it. But, where "Joker" left me annoyed, "Midsommar" has simply confused me. I will not say it is a bad movie because it is not, but I also don't want to say it is a good movie. It is a unique movie, and you may want to take some mind altering drugs before watching it. Also, some of the imagery in this movie is very, very horrifying, and it is up close and personal when it appears on screen. You see caved in head, broken bones and skinned bodies, both human and animal. The movie also does a good job of sending up pagan rituals and religious communes. It does not paint them in the best light, and I think, personally, that is a good thing. Most of these communes have some deep, dark secrets from the past, and probably the present, and "Midsommar" does a good job of not glorifying that.

The movie was very hard to watch too. And that was good and bad. For one, it is very long, clocking in at around 2 and a half hours. There is also good chunks of the movie where no one speaks. There is just wailing and music accompanying the wailing. The two main characters say nothing for the last 25 minutes of the movie. But, the silence was perfect at times. It was needed because what you were seeing was so unsettling, and when I tried to put myself in that scenario, I would be speechless too. The movie also makes you feel like you are on drugs, and I have never done an illegal drug in my life. The way the plants and bushes and flowers moved when the characters were tripping felt so real and kept me in the movie.

"Midsommar" is a very ambitious, very bizarre and very strange movie. I'm glad that I saw it, but I don't think I will ever watch it again willingly. It is a good psychological movie if you are in to that type of thing, but just know, it is brutally violent as well. I would say to watch this just once if you are curious about, but know, it will stay with you and may even haunt you. What a bizarre movie this was, and I still can't shake it.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast.

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2019 NFL Midseason Redo

Okay, as promised, today I finally come to you with my NFL midseason redo, filled with new picks and predictions. I will do it just like I did my season preview. I will go through each division with a sentence or 2 about each team, pick a winner, then pick the AFC and NFC title game, Super Bowl matchup and winner. I will also pick new award winners.

Okay, lets get to it.

Lets start with the AFC first. In the East, the Patriots are absolutely running away with it, yet again. They haven't even hit their stride offensively, but their defense is his historically good, and I know they haven't played the best competition, but they are destroying the bad teams as they should. They have a big test this weekend, and if they pass it, they could go undefeated. The Bills are surprisingly solid, at 5-2. They aren't very good on offense, but they are pretty stout on defense. They are in the thick of the wild card hunt. Then we have the Jets and Dolphins. I mean, could they be the 2 worst teams in the NFL? Maybe. The Jets are a mess with a terrible head coach. As for the Dolphins, they are trying to lose games, and boy are they succeeding. Patriots will win the East.

The AFC West is pretty much all wrapped up as well. I know the Chiefs are without Patrick Mahomes, but they will be just fine when he comes back in a week or 2. They don't have the best defense, not by a long shot, but they have an offense that can light it up, when Mahomes gets back. Every other team is under .500. The Raiders are better, but they need a better QB and some better receivers. The Chargers are a mess, and have been ravaged by injury. Also, Phillip Rivers needs to give it up. And the Broncos, well, they are in a real, real mess. John Elway is an awful GM, and this season is really proving that. Chiefs will win the West.

The AFC North is a lot like the West. The Ravens are the best team by a wide margin. Lamar Jackson is awesome, and might be the most fun QB in the league. They also have a tough defense. The Ravens are the Spurs of the NFL. The Steelers are no good. I know people keep saying they can make a push for the playoffs. They cannot. They are not that good. The Browns, seemingly everyone's preseason darlings, are not good. At all. They cannot protect their overrated QB, they can't get Odell the ball and they aren't living up to the hype on defense. Oh, they are poorly coached too. And we have one of RD's 2 teams, the Bengals. The 0-8 Bengals that is. They stink, enough said. Ravens take the North.

Finally in the AFC we have the South, which has been surprisingly good. The Colts have kept it together very well after Andrew Luck's retirement. They play solid ball control offense, and their defense is stout. The Texans have the other most exciting QB in the league in Deshaun Watson. He is amazing, and he is carrying that team. He can lead them to the playoffs. The Titans and Jags are both 4-4, and both totally different. The Titans are bland and dull and will be 8-8 at best. The Jags have a good run game, and their defense, even without Jalen Ramsey, looks a lot more similar to the defense 2 years ago. I am going to pick the Colts because they have the better head coach, but the Texans will still be in the playoffs.

As for the AFC playoff teams, I have the Texans, Bills, Colts, Ravens, Chiefs and Patriots. In the AFC title game I still have the Chiefs and Patriots, but, and it really bums me out, I am going to pick the Patriots. Their defense is amazing, and the offense will figure it out soon. They are just too good, and they will have home field throughout the playoffs.

On to the NFC. The NFC East is not very good, and yet, they may get 2 playoff teams. The Cowboys are as Jekyll and Hyde as it gets. One week they look unstoppable, the next, they lose to the Jets. Who knows with this team. The Eagles, my number one team in the preseason, has been a major disappointment. They play no secondary defense and cannot pressure the QB. And the offense is dealing with injuries and an inability to pass the ball. Yet here they sit at 4-4, and in a tie for first. The Giants are wasting Saquon Barkley's talents, and have benched Eli Manning in favor for Daniel Jones. That says it all. And then there is Washington. I mean, they fired Jay Gruden, told a player that had cancer that he didn't and could care less about winning games, player safety or getting fans to come to the game. They are a mess, and they totally deserve all the bad that is happening to them right now. I guess I am going to pick the Cowboys because they most recently destroyed the Eagles. But, don't count out the Eagles.

The NFC West is really good. The 49ers seemed to have figured something out, and where we sit right now, they are one of 2 undefeated teams. They have a solid run and play action pass game and their defense is ferocious. The Seahawks are being led by Russell Wilson, who is having an MVP caliber year, and they are playing better defense. The Rams are finally using Todd Gurley properly, got Jalen Ramsey and are starting to look like the team they were last year. Then we have the Cardinals, who aren't as bad as I thought, but still aren't that good. I could see three of the 4 teams making the playoffs from this division. Right now though, at the halfway point, I am going with the 49ers to win the division because they have a 2 game lead. That is big time in the NFL.

The NFC North is a 2 team race, and those 2 teams are my team and RD's real team. The Packers were led by their defense early and the offense is finally starting to figure it out. My only fear with them, they are peaking too early. The Vikings looked like a bust a few weeks into the season, but now, they look pretty good. They are throwing the ball well, Dalvin Cook is finally becoming the star he showed he could be in college and the defense is solid. The Lions are a real tough team, but they either get screwed by refs, or screw themselves. They could win 10 games, but I see them winning 7 or 8 games. And then we have the Bears. Mitch Trubisky is a bust. There is no way to argue that. He has only gotten worse, and it is on him and the head coach as to why they have been so underwhelming. They still cannot kick a field goal either. This defense is being completely wasted. I'm going to go with the Packers to win the division now, but the Vikings are a real, real threat.

And in the South, the Saints might be the second best team in the NFL. They have a great defense now, and Drew Brees is back and the offense is really good. They are complete now. Also, the fact that Teddy Bridgewater is the backup shows how deep this team is. The Saints are really good, and Alvin Kamara hasn't played in a few weeks. The Panthers are okay, but not good enough to make the playoffs. Also, they need Cam Newton back. The Buccaneers are a turnover machine, and they don't play a whole lot of defense. And the Falcons are a total and utter disaster. They have to be the worst defense in the NFL, and the offense is old and stale. The Saints are going to cruise with the division.

As for my NFC playoff teams, I'm going to go with the Vikings, Rams, Cowboys, 49ers, Packers and Saints. The NFC title game will feature the Packers and Saints, and I am going to go with the Saints. The NFC had the most changes from my preseason picks, but I still have the Saints in the Super Bowl.

That means my Super Bowl is going to feature the Patriots and Saints, and I am sticking with the Saints, and with my prediction of Drew Brees to retire afterward and hand over the reins to Teddy Bridgewater. It is all working towards that. Also, I would so much rather see the Saints win than the Patriots again. As for award winners, defensive rookie of the year I am sticking with Josh Allen, he is wrecking shit.

As for offensive rookie of the year, still going with Kyler Murray. He is going to put up big numbers for sure. For coach of the year, I'm going Frank Reich. The Colts should be in the playoffs, and the fact that he is leading that team to the playoffs after Lucks' retirement is a testament to how good of a coach he is. For defensive player of the year, I have to go with Aaron Donald., He is the best in the game. For offensive player of the year, I'm going Christian McCaffery. Sure, the Panthers won't make the playoffs, but he is putting up monster numbers, and Mahomes is hurt and Aaron Rodgers started off a little too late. For MVP, I am going with Lamar Jackson. There is no one, and that includes Russell Wilson, that is more important to his team's success than Lamar Jackson. He is that good.

So, there you have it, my mid season review with new predictions. I am sure I will be wrong on some of them, but I feel most solid with my Super Bowl and MVP winner. I will stand by those picks.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast.

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What is the Iconic Halloween Decoration?

spoiler

I know a few days ago I promised an NFL midseason review, filled with new picks and predictions, but that was before I remembered that today, Thursday, is Halloween. Each year I try to do something Halloween themed for the site, and even though I have my new picks, that will have to wait one more day. Sorry to all my football fans out there, but I do want to do a holiday theme thing.

With that being said, I have mentioned many times how Halloween isn't the same for me anymore. I used to love it when I was a kid, didn't care in high school, used it as a reason to go to house parties in college, cared less about it when I got married and now, that I have 2 kids, it has come full circle. I am nearing a point again when I am able to find the fun in Halloween again, through my kids eyes. Getting them ready for trick or treating, having friends with kids come over to the house so they can trick or treat with my kids, seeing the excitement in their eyes when they are out getting candy, it has brought back the joy in the holiday.

That is not the point of my piece today. This morning, when taking my son to school, we were talking about the Halloween decorations we saw, and he asked me one of the tougher questions I have been asked in my life. While in the car, he asked me, "what is the most popular Halloween decoration?". I was stumped. I immediately said a ghost, but he pushed back and mentioned pumpkins. We then saw some tombstones and various monsters and bats and your random Halloween stuff. We then talked about what we thought was the most popular decoration for the rest of the car ride. I dropped him at school, and I am sure he forgot, but I have been kind of thinking on his question for most of the day. I instantly took off zombies. They may be popular now, but it is more of a recent decoration. I know that the original "Night of the Living Dead" was made way back in the 60's, but no one, for the most part, my age knows that movie all that well. Most people that know zombies are fans of "The Walking Dead", "Shaun of the Dead", "Zombieland" and the like. So that is too recent. I then shifted my focus to the Halloween monsters, and while cool, not the most popular. I see some yards that have a Frankenstein or Dracula in their yard, but that is few and far between. I also see the black cats with witches hats on, but I'm a dog person. Then there are witches, and for me, they didn't really become popular until "Hocus Pocus". That movie came out in the 90's. The tombstones are even a recent development. What with the punny names and all. The tombstones are more of a joke now.

So that left me with 2, the pumpkin and the ghost. I really cannot figure out which one is more popular. On one hand the ghost is synonymous with scares and jumps and spookiness. What time is spookier than Halloween? But the pumpkin, especially the carved ones, are EVERYWHERE. Hell, I have three of them in my front yard, my son's, my daughter's and mine and my wife's. And all throughout my neighborhood, I'd say that about 80-90 percent have, at the very least, a pumpkin on their front porch or in their yard. So, I do think, after much thought, that the pumpkin is the most popular Halloween decoration. If we are going for straight up scares, yes a ghost should win, but you can carve a spooky pumpkin if you are a talented artist. Also, pumpkins go into another holiday. Pumpkins are almost equal with Thanksgiving as they are with Halloween. I'm sure a lot of that came from people simply not wanting to ditch their old pumpkins, but now, pumpkins, and gourds, are just as acceptable for both holidays. Also, for the hooligans out there, you cannot smash a ghost, but you can smash a pumpkin. Side note, if I catch anybody trying to smash our pumpkins, you better hope you are faster than I am. I don't think the same could be said about a cut out ghost.

So, while I have been sitting on my son's question for a few hours, I think I have cracked it, and I cannot wait to tell him when I pick him up today. Anyway, pumpkins are the most popular décor, and Happy Halloween to everyone out there. This was fun.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. Ty is a man that loves his holiday puns, so a happy boo-tacular Halloween to all the little ghouls and ghosts.

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Ty Watches "El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie"

Yesterday I watched "El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie". I enjoyed it. The movie was dark, bleak, depressing, hard to watch and, flat out, brutal. But, that was exactly what I was hoping for, and expected to see. When we last left Jesse Pinkman, he was not in a good place. He did get out, spoiler alert for a show that ended nearly a decade ago, but after that, he was officially on the lam. That is where this movie pretty much picks up.

What I enjoyed about this movie the most was the fact that Jesse had, for himself, a somewhat happy ending. He got the closure that I felt his character deserved. Jesse immediately goes on the run, in the El Camino after Walter White rigged up the gun that shot the place up, and he knows he needs to hide. We find him next running into Skinny and Badger. He goes to their house and says he needs to stash the car. He is led inside, eats a ton of cup of noodles and crashes to sleep. When he wakes up he freaks, thinking he is still in the cage that the neo Nazis put him in to cook. When he realizes he isn't anymore, he cleans himself up, shaves and goes out to get his vengeance.

From this point on, there are a ton of silent scenes and flashbacks and Jesse trying to find a way to get out and start over. The silent scenes in the movie were incredible. It showed a broken man that was trying to get himself back together again. When he is searching around houses looking for money or when he has his freak outs when he wakes up or when he is caught by some random guys pretending to be cops, those were super intense. I was on the edge of my seat, just waiting to see what would happen next. The flashbacks really helped jog my memory, which I liked. If there was something I was a little cloudy on, I would most likely get a flashback, and that would help me remember who the character was, or the situation we were in in the movie. I appreciated that from the movie.

The stuff with Aaron Paul and Jesse Plemons character, the soft spoken yet insane killer neo Nazi, were so wild and so essential. RD told me, and I then went on to read, that Jesse Plemons said that, for him, this was one of the oddest buddy movies he has ever been a part of. That is 100 percent true. Plemons character takes Jesse out of his cage to help him with a job, and the stuff they do, and talk about, you would think that these guys are buddies. Then a flashback comes, or Jesse grabs a gun, or cowers when Plemons talks to him, and then you remember, Plemons is a bad, bad dude. He killed people that Jesse loved, and that he is one of the people that are keeping him in a cage so he can cook for them.

But, when all is said and done, Jesse gets the best possible outcome. He gets his vengeance. He gets his chance to start over. He gets to leave a letter for the only person left that he truly cares about. And he drives off with a small smile on his face, the first time they show that in the movie.

I feel like "El Camino" was a perfect way to close the story on all things "Breaking Bad". It perfectly wrapped up any loose ends that the finale, which was great, might have left over. I feel a sense of closure now with this movie, and was very happy with how it all turned out. "El Camino" is worth your time, and it is a great ending to a great show.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast.

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2019 NFL Quick Hits: Week 8

Today I am coming at you with my NFL week 8 quick takes. I am going to do a midseason review, but I am saving that for Thursday. I want to really marinate on that one because I am not so sure about my Super Bowl pick, especially the Eagles. I just need some more time to think. But, I do want to touch quickly on week 8.

Getting right to it, the Vikings did what they were supposed to do to Washington. They are a better team in all three phases, and in the coaching category. Kirk Cousins, who still is a total doofus, had a good game, but threw no TD's. Dalvin Cook is the real deal. And their defense is looking more and more like themselves. As for Washington, I actually feel bad for Dwayne Haskins because he has zero help. That is a bad, bad football team. And that head coach opening looks less and less desirable with each passing week.

The Seahawks beat the Falcons by 7, but it wasn't that close. The Falcons are in a real bad spot. They just traded away Mohammed Sanu, and I wouldn't be shocked if they try and offload Julio Jones. He deserves so much better. And, while I know he is hurt, Matt Ryan has really fallen off a cliff. Their defense is also porous. The Seahawks controlled that game, and won with ease. Russell Wilson played fine enough, they ran the ball well and the defense made plays when they needed to. This was, for all intents and purposes, a glorified scrimmage for the Seahawks.

The Bears missed a game winning field goal. I know, I am as shocked as anyone(sarcastic). The Bears missed a field goal, but they have so many more problems, and it starts with that horrendous offense. Mitch Trubisky is not good, they have no run game and they are wasting a historically good defense. And while the Chargers won, Phillip Rivers and the head coach fought on the sideline, Melvin Gordon could only muster 30 yards on 10 plus carries and the offensive coordinator just got fired. This team is in trouble, and they won. That shows how bad the Bears are right now.

The Giants and Lions played a shockingly exciting game. There was a ton of points, Matthew Stafford was awesome, but so was Daniel Jones. I might be wrong on Daniel Jones. Also, Saquon Barkley is a once in a generation talent. That kid is great. But, the Lions finally won a close game, a game they deserved to win, and they are so much better than I thought they were going to be coming into the season. I am glad I picked up Stafford on my fantasy team. He has looked really good. Kenny Golladay is quickly becoming a top receiver in the league too.

The Jags easily dispatched of the Jets. They did enough on offense, and the defense stifled one of the easiest teams to stifle. The Jets are a mess. The Jags played up the whole "seeing ghosts" thing to perfection. And now I hear the Jets are willing to trade LeVeon Bell. This news comes just days after they traded Leonard Williams. The Jets are a total mess.

The Rams and Bengals played in London, and while it was tied at 10 for a minute, the Bengals did what they did and let Cooper Kuup walk in for a 60 yard TD and it was done from there. Todd Gurley also looked really solid in this game. The Rams have gotten exactly what they've needed the past 2 weeks to get back on track. I also just heard that the Bengals are now benching Andy Dalton. That is a bit too late, but they have zero wins, so why not bottom out to try and get a top QB prospect? They have nothing else to play for.

The Buccaneers and Titans played a close game, but I could not tell you much from that game. The Titans won, I saw Tannehill had three TD passes, and Jameis Winston wasn't terrible. But, these 2 teams couldn't be more unimportant. The Titans have 8-8 written all over them, and the Bucs are just tumbling. They will, most likely, be picking in the top 5 again. It may be time to move on from Winston.

The Eagles smoked the Bills, in what was a bit shocking to me. The Bills aren't explosive on offense, far from it, but the Eagles are horrendous on defense. But, maybe this will tamp down the Josh Allen hype train a bit. The Eagles stifled him, and they ran the hell out of the ball. Miles Sanders and Jordan Howard were dynamite. It is a win like this that makes me think the Eagles still have a chance, albeit small.

The Colts beat the Broncos on a last second field goal. This is what the Colts do. They can look sloppy and inefficient, but they stay in games, and find a way to win. They have done a great job of staying relevant after Andrew Luck retired to start the year. And the Broncos, well, Joe Flacco called out the entire coaching staff, and now he is benched. That says a ton, when Joe Flacco is calling you out. This is another team wasting a great, great defense with how pitiful they are on offense. The Broncos stink.

The Saints absolutely shredded the Cardinals. I know the Cardinals aren't that good, but just last week, I gave them a little credit. I think this win really solidifies the Saints as an upper tier NFC team, and Drew Brees look like he didn't miss a beat. I loved seeing Teddy Bridgewater do what he did, but Brees reminded us all why he is a hall of fame player. And that defense, which used to be the problem, is totally ferocious and fearsome. Kyler Murray had a solid game, but he was made very much to look like a rookie agains this defense. And I want better for Larry Fitzgerald. Trade him to a contender so he has one last shot at a ring. Please.

The 49ers are good. There, I finally admitted it. They didn't just beat the Panthers, they demolished them. The 49ers, where we stand right now, have a great run game, the play action is super effective and their defense is very, very good. I mean, Carolina is no slouch, and they held them to 13 points, while scoring 51. Kyle Shanahan is proving he can coach, and while he isn't putting up record breaking stats, Jimmy Garroppolo is the game manager they need. And that run game is just tremendous. Add in the fact they have Emmanuel Sanders, the 49ers are going to be good for awhile. Also, I think all the Cam trade talk, and giving the team to Kyle Allen needs to immediately stop after this game. Allen was bad, and looked the part of a backup. CMC is the only thing they had on offense, and that is why they only had 13 points.

The Texans won a thriller late against the Raiders. That TD pass Deshaun Watson threw to go ahead was spectacular. He got kicked in the face and still managed to find the open guy. I bet the Bears would kill to have a QB half as good as Watson, and they could have just drafted Watson themselves. He is firmly in the MVP race, if not the front runner, right now. And the Raiders, I will give them credit, they aren't rolling over and dying this season. They are playing teams tough, they just don't have the talent yet. They need a better QB too.

The Patriots made easy work of the Browns, I'm not much for counting teams out in week 8, but the Browns hype train is fully off the rails. They stink. Baker Mayfield is Johnny Manziel. They cannot get the ball to Odell Beckham. Nick Chubb has become a fumble machine and the O line is dreadful. The Patriots defense forced 3 turnovers on 3 consecutive snaps. That is unheard of. And the fact that Tom Brady hasn't had to do much of anything should have the whole NFL worried. The Patriots D is playing at a historical level, and I don't see them slowing down anytime soon. They're fast, big and get a shit ton of turnovers. I cannot stand that team, but dammit, they are really, really good.

The Packers won the Sunday night game, but it was a little too close for comfort for me. The Chiefs had a backup QB in, and the Packers had an early 14 point lead, but that was gone by halftime. Then they woke up, Aaron Rodgers and Aaron Jones were tremendous, and the D made plays when they needed. Rodgers has looked phenomenal the past 2 games as well, and soon they will get Davante Adams back. And Jones and Jamal Williams are finally giving the Packers a run game. The Chiefs are going to be fine as soon as Mahomes returns, but they did play okay in his absence. They held a lead for a minute, and Andy Reid proved he can make a game plan for 2 very different QB's. But, Mahomes is the engine that runs that team, and when he is out, it is noticeable.

Finally, the Monday night game was Dolphins-Steelers. I didn't watch a single second because I loathe both teams, the Dolphins are actively losing games and the Steelers are very boring and blah. The Steelers won, so good for them I guess.

That does it for week 8. Like I said, I will have a midseason update on Thursday. Come back for that.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast.

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Ty Watches "Big Mouth" Season 3

Last Friday I finished season 3 of "Big Mouth", and it continues to be the best show about puberty that I have ever watched.

I love this show, and I love what the writers do to show kids how tough and embarrassing and crazy and messed up puberty can be. I wish they showed this show in middle schools, they won't because it is so very dirty and uses bad language, because I feel like it would make the students feel okay. It would let them know that puberty is tough for every single person out there. I also think it is the perfect show for people my age because it is so easy to relate to. I remember going through puberty, how tough it was, and I was just your average run of the mill kid in middle school. There was nothing spectacular or terrible about me. I was the definition of average in middle school, and puberty sucked for me too.

The third season of "Big Mouth" touched on some really great concepts, and added a few new characters that were really funny. The subjects that they touched on in season 3 were things I went through, stuff I did and was/am still embarrassed by, and it all really hit home. They talked about school uniforms in the season premiere, and it was a great discussion on how differently boys and girls are treated at that time in their life. Another episode, it crossed about 2 episodes in fact, Nick and his family are obsessed with their phones. None of them can live without them, and when the phones get taken away, they freak out. I live that daily with my son and his Switch. He is crazily obsessed with that thing, and it is getting tough. also, that episode makes me happy that cell phones weren't a thing when I was a kid. The Florida episode is a perfect encapsulation of what the rest of America thinks Florida is. Also, the secondary storyline of Andrew and his cousin was absolutely hilarious. There is one episode that is entirely dedicated to the story of a young Duke Ellington. Jordan Peele is great as Duke, and to hear him tell the story of how he became to be a great jazz pianist was funny and enlightening. There's another episode where the boys rank the girls on looks. I did this same thing, I am embarrassed that I did it, and this episode flooded me with memories. It shows how gross and mean middle school boys can be, and I was once the exact same way. This was probably my favorite episode of the season. There's another one that is pretty much about the SAT, or any standardized test, and that portrayed the anxiety those tests give 12 and 13 year old, and it is unnecessary anxiety. The "Disclosure" musical episode was so niche, and so god damn hilarious. We were also introduced to Thandie Newton's character Mona, another hormone monstress. The secondary story too, where the "Queer Eye for the Straight Guy" guys come in and fix Coach Steve was dynamite. And the season finale, where all the kids get "super powers" was so good. This is where Andrew and Nick get in their first real fight, and that was, dare I say, emotional to watch because, again, I went through that exact thing in middle school.

There is a ton of side stuff that was perfect this season too. Jay coming out as bi sexual was awesome. Also, Jay being taken in by Nick's parents when he is abandoned by his family was great. The addition of Ali Wong's character, Ali, was perfect. The stuff with Jessi's power, making people tell the truth, really gave us some insight into what her character may be doing next season. Andrew Rannels character finally getting a boyfriend was a long time coming. And anything that featured Coach Steve was ridiculous and hilarious.

"Big Mouth" is one of the best shows currently on TV. I was stoked that Netflix gave it such a long term deal. Nick Kroll and Andrew Goldberg have struck lightening in a bottle, and I cannot wait to consume more and more of the show. It is fantastic. And season 3 keeps showing that the show is only getting better and better.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast.

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Ty Watches "Watchmen": Season Premier

Yesterday I was able to watch the series premiere of "Watchmen" on HBO. I need to say, and I already told RD this, this may be one of my shorter blogs because I do not want to spoil anything at all. This is a premier, and I feel like the rest of the series is going to rule, but I was absolutely blown away by what I watched for an hour.

This is already way different from the movie, and I mean that in the best way possible. The opening scene was one of the most harrowing and disturbing things I have ever watched, and when RD told me it was a real incident, I was even more horrified. From there on out, I was incredibly intrigued by everything I saw. Regina King is awesome and she is one of the most kickass characters I have ever seen on TV. Also, Sister Knight is one of the coolest super hero names I have ever heard. Don Johnson as the sheriff was crazy and wild and had an edge to him. Tim Blake Nelson had the coolest mask, more on that in a minute, and is playing a character like I have never seen him play before. They seem to be the main characters at the current moment, but Louis Gossett Jr looks like he will be playing a very pivotal role in the show.

As for the show, man was it weird, and man was it good. Again, I am not going to go into tremendous detail, but it was incredible. I already mentioned the opening scene, and from there on out, I was impressed. The show takes place in 2019, so the original "Watchmen" characters aren't involved, yet. The new era of "Watchmen" clearly lives in a wild police state, where the police cannot show their faces, and their are some real bad people out there trying to get rid of them. Also, at one point, it rained squid from the sky, which was wild and dope as hell. The premiere sets up this scary vision of a new world, one that isn't too far off from real life because of how racist a lot of people are right now, and I was scared and unnerved and couldn't take my eyes off the screen. Regina King seems to be one of the most badass officers on the show, and like I said, she is wonderful. The premiere was violent and scary and cool and innovative. It reminded me a ton of the series premiere of "Lost", in the fact that I have so many questions, and I can't wait to see where they take it from here. That also makes sense to me because Damon Lindelof is one of the writers and creators of "Watchmen" (note: not Alan Moore)..

This show needs to be watched by everyone for so many reasons. It is so cool and so universally its own. Yes, it takes from the graphic novel, but the main characters, at least so far, are completely new. Just watch the show. Please. It rules.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast.

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Ty Listens to "Closer Than Together"

Yesterday I mentioned that I was going to write about the new Avett Brothers record, and today I will fulfill that promise.

I need to say right off, I am a big fan of the Avett Brothers. I got heavily involved when they started to work with Rick Rubin, and really haven't ever looked back. Hell, I am even on board with them going electric on some songs. With that being said, I cannot figure out how I feel about their newest record, "Closer than Together". I do want to say, I think it is extremely well written, and when it comes to playing an instruments, the Avett Brothers are top notch. And, I enjoy most of the songs. But, there are some songs on the album that I just can't decide if I like it, or if it should even be on the record.

Lets get to the stuff I like first. The first three opening tracks are very good. They are quintessential Avett Brothers. The songs are acoustic heavy, they are about great topics and they fit. I especially love the message in "We Americans". It is a profound song, and I hope it gets played and talked about for years to come. And while I said the first three songs are acoustic heavy, the opening track has some great electric guitar playing right at the top. I really like "C Sections and Railway Trestles". It is a very poignant and true song about having a kid. The stuff that is written and sung is damn near perfect and poetic. The song is really about the ups and downs of having a newborn. I am also a fan of the single, "High Steppin". This is a departure from what they normally do, and while it does have a talking portion, more on that later, I find the song catchy and easy to dance to. My kids like it as well. I respect, and agree with the message on "Bang Bang" and "New Woman's World". "Bang Bang" is a great tune about our country's obsession with guns. And "New Woman's World" is right. We need to let the ladies take over because men have screwed stuff up big time, especially lately. "Better Here" is a nice, slow burn of a song that has some tremendous piano work all over it. "Who Will I Hold" has that banjo sound I have come to associate with the Avett Brothers, especially when Scott Avett sings. He is the better singer of the two, they are both great though, in my opinion. And I feel like "Locked Up" should be the closer. It has that feel. It is a sped up acoustic tune that would have been perfect to end on.

Now to the stuff I am a bit more confused on. I like the song "Long Story Short", but it is a total Bob Dylan rip off. Hell, I even compared it to my dad and wife as a Dewey Cox rip off. It just goes on and on and on with three chords seeming to be the only instrumental part. Still, it is a solid song. And then there are a few songs that are just slow. "When You Learn" feels like filler, and they could have made this a B side. And the actual closer, "It's Raining Today" is just not for me. When I listen I actually find myself checking the run time. I usually just skip it and start the record over. But, if these are my only real "qualms" with the record, I have to say, this is another, in a long line, of very good Avett Brothers records. I do wish that Scott Avett sang on more of the songs, at least lead vocals, but as I said, both brothers are very strong singers.

Overall, I like "Closer than Together". You can hear growth, yet there is the comfort of their reliable sound from past records. Any Avett Brothers fan will enjoy this record, and I think it may even convert some people that are yet to give them a chance.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast.

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Ty Listens to "U Know What I'm Saying?"

I know that I am a bit late to the party, but today I finally listened to Danny Brown's new record, "uknowwhatimsayin?", and it is absolutely dynamite. I didn't really know what to expect. I am a late convert to Brown's music. I have heard him on Run the Jewels stuff, his song on the latest Gorillaz record is my favorite one, he has a very funny TV show and his older music is intense, at least what I have heard.

Yet this new record feels different. It starts out, not slower, but not as intense. It has a bit of a lighter feel to it. It is almost as if Brown is doing a newer character, a la what Tyler, the Creator did on "IGOR". Brown, much like Tyler, the Creator, seems to like performance art, and I feel like "uknowwhatimsayin?" is a new choice from him, and I love it. Like I said, it starts out lighter, and I was immediately intrigued. Brown seems almost subdued on this record, and I mean that in the best way possible. He is such a great emcee, and to hear him like this, where he is almost totally understandable, is awesome. I have listened to the record twice since this morning, and with each listen, I get more and more into the album. This record is right up there with "IGOR", or the new Black Keys or the new Avett Brothers record which I will be writing about tomorrow. Hell, I like it as much as "Cuz I love You", and that record might be the record of the year so far.

What Brown is doing on this album is so cool and different from what he has done in the past. His rhyming is so in sync with the beats on the record. And the beats, they are fantastic. They aren't bass thumping, near head banging like on previous records. But, they work so well with his new approach. He has some of the best producers and beat makers working with him on this album as well. Featured on a song is Run the Jewels, and I am sure, since they are very good friends, Brown and El-P made some beats together. Also, that song with RTJ is so god damn good. Even El-P is a bit subdued on the song, but then Killer Mike comes in at the end to close it out, and he crushes, as usual. He also has jpegmafia credited on a few tracks, and while I don't know too much about jpegmafia, I've been told, and read, that that is a good thing. The songs that feature jpegmafia are pretty awesome as well. This whole record is totally unique and totally different from anything Brown has done before, and I am all here for it. I am totally in. I want more and more music like this from Brown. This is a new direction for him, and I love it.

I cannot recommend this record enough. I'm sure I am going to listen to it a few more times today, and probably on repeat for a few weeks. Brown is fast becoming one of my favorite rappers, and I want more and more music from him, especially if it is going to sound like the songs on "uknowwhatimsayin?". Well done Mr. Brown. My hat is off to you and your new album.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast.

Follow Ty on instagram and twitter.

SeedSing is funded by a group of awesome people. Join them by donating to SeedSing.