Touchdown Tuesday: Let me count the ways

So this week I want to take a look at wide receivers as we start getting into peoples fantasy drafts.  That first round can be make or break and I want to take a look back into our recent past to see how those top projected players actually fared ... did they live up to the hype or or let frustration and angst reign supreme!

Stop The Presses!

Before we get to that I sit here watching Monday Night Preseason football and what happens but Odell Beckham needs some attention ... and boy oh boy did Gruden and his crew grab on to it.  I think Beckham is an over grown child and the refs should have thrown a flag when he threw the football across the field but he can catch the oblong ball.  Best art of all is when he realized the camera was behind him and decided to lay down.  My ten year old does that when he "hurts" himself and wants attention.  Just sayin ... also here come the chants for "Get rid of the preseason!"

Whose on First?

The 2016 top ten Average Draft positions at ESPN are as follows ... 1. Antonio Brown  2. Odell Beckham  3. Julio Jones  4. DeAndre Hopkins  5. AJ Green  6. Allen Robinson  7. Dez Bryant    8. Jordy Nelson  9.Brandon Marshall and 10. Alshon Jeffrey.    

The top ten finishing wrs were ... 1. Jordy Nelson  2. Mike Evans  3. Antonio Brown  4. OBJ  5. TY Hilton  6. Julio Jones  7. Davante Adams  8. Michael Thomas  9. Doug Baldwin  10. Brandin Cooks.  (Top 10 in both are highlighted in blue)

Only 4 out of the top ten wrs selected finished in the top ten.  If I was a betting man , and I am, those are not cards I'm playing!  Brown, Beckham, and Jones are no surprise  Robinson, Hopkins, and Marshall had terrible team/QB situations and really should have been spotted before the year.  Green and Jeffrey really surprised me.  There is a time when a payer just falls off.  Green is one of my all time favorite fantasy players (Matt Forte is my all time favorite!) and I sure hope he has a slow and steady decline the way he should, since there's not much hope for a Peyton Manning triumphal exit.

What Have We Learned?

Ultimately there is a soft science to this.  Outside of injury there is a decent chance if you look at the entire team.  It is a team sport and that has to be remembered in these first round evaluations.  

I mentioned two of my all time favorite fantasy players.  I love how they play and their consistency and their determination.  I love having those guys on my team and that is a HUGE part of this point.  This is about fun so get players you like having.  I dabbled in a trade for Odell Beckham last year and regretted it the minute I made it.  I think he played on my team for about 2 weeks until I traded him away again.

Anyways, more news and fantasy to come and let me know what you want to hear about!

Touchdown Tuesday ... Same old story

Week 2 and this is the same old story already ... gonna talk about Elliott and Kaepernick because even after the first week of preseason there is nothing else to talk about!  Perhaps we jumped into this a few weeks early for great fun information!

To Play or Not To Play

Elliott has been suspended for 6 games, which is exactly what the policy says.  He is most likely going to appeal and that will be a very interesting timeline that is going to play out.  Tune in next week for more Ezekiel!

It will make fantasy drafts interesting though.  Where does a top 5 RB go if you know he is gonna miss 6 games.  You get the last 6 games which would include the fantasy playoffs so that would be great ... BUT ... What if he appeals and it's denied and he serves his 6 games later in the year.  This is a tough one in early and even any draft.

Cut the Kaepernick

I will say that unless there is legitimate news I promise to steer clear as much as possible but I really don't understand why people are not talking about the real issue here.  Colin Kaepernick is not good enough to start in the NFL and he brings too much drama.  Exhibit A was Brandon Marshall.  Exhibit B Michael Bennett.  Both players have made or are making the same type of stand but both are actually good!

I have not heard anyone mention this.  How is this being bypassed.  I'm just not following the lack of logic and I am completely willing to listen, but it doesn't seem that anyone else is at this point.

Preseason Playtime

I am really hoping the preseason reveals something interesting or these rambling thoughts are going to fall to an empty reader less nothing!  So here's to the next couple weeks and more things like Sammy Watkins and Jordan Matthews because those would be fun to talk about!

Next week we are gonna look a bit more into fantasy last year and where some of those top tens ended up.  You may be surprised where the winners really are!

Touchdown Tuesday ... The Return!

Many years have gone by since Touchdown Tuesday felt the need for a post.  There are countless other Football blogs and podcasts and pretty much anything you could want to get the rambling thoughts that will be plastered on this wall ... but it's time for the return, time for the ramblings, time for this plaster to hit the fan!

First Things First

Let me re-clear the air ... I am a Panthers fan so there may be some bias and lean towards my team.  I also don't believe in fair and take that across the board.  And lastly, I may not be consistent!  Just a warning ... I love writing this and talking about football but I love other things more that may take priority.

Now that all of that mess is out of the way let's talk some football!

Suffer the Colinsequences

Feel free to use that as your Fantasy Football name by the way!  The overarching news in the slow season of sports has been Colin Kaepernick.  I have no problem with his protest or how he went about it (I wouldn't have done it that way but it worked).  I have all kinds of problems with his pig socks, Castro shirt, and general disdain for police as a whole.  He is doing to cops what he says shouldn't be done to people ... judging them all by their group!

And media has taken their side ... That its just the kneeling that is causing no team to want him.  I'd disagree and I have proof!  The highest paid non-QB in the league is Broncos Linebacker Brandon Marshall.  Guess what ... he knelt during the anthem.  He is not wearing pig socks or arguing with reporters and people love him (me included!)

Plus, people have forgotten that he was a back up when all this got started, about to be cut in fact!  I was of the belief then that it was all a stunt because after that how could the 49ers cut him without huge outrage!  Now its turned into he deserves a spot ... no-one deserves anything and the weight of the problems he brings is higher than the reward of paying him.

By the way, remember that he was NOT a starter when all the kneeling started.  I said then it was a publicity stunt because rumor was the 49ers were about to cut him and how could they do that with him making this stand!?!  Just sayin ...

Phone Home

Elliott ... ELLIOTT (read that in your best ET voice!)  So many kids go crazy their first year of college, away from home with some freedom and a ton of people.  I believe that's what's happening

with Ezekiel Elliott.  Guy just went from being top dog and doing whatever he wanted with little to no consequences in college to being top dog and doing whatever he wants with little to no consequences AND having millions of dollars to support that!  He's gotta get it under control and pretty quick though, you're an adult man.  Call home and see what your mom says about your actions!

Side Note

I'm way confused how the NFL is handling this situation. There was a 6 game policy established when the Ray Rice outrage happened but it isn't consistent at all.  It would make more sense to have a case by case basis policy.  Now they are talking about 1 or 2 games for this domestic abuse issue, unless they are looking at something else ... which is entirely possible and in fact Jerry Jones alluded to that last night in the Hall of Fame game.  Ultimately who knows!?!?

Finally Fantasy

 I just finished finalizing the details with my co-commissioner for our league this year and I am super
pumped!  Also I may be starting a league with my wife which would also be super fun!  I get super excited about this stuff and there are a ton of great fantasy players that I'm excited about this year ... much more to come on that!



Let me know what you want to hear or any thoughts on Touchdown Tuesday moving forward!

Clothing and Binary Code

Who knits?  In a Walmart world where clothing can be cheap there are few who have grabbed this art form.  And those who have do it for fun, or craft, or to fuel their creative bone, not out of need as it was birthed originally.

There is a difficulty here, as yes, I was sort of taught as a child but have long forgotten in my immediate consumption mindset.  It takes time and skill.  It takes planning and preparation.  The result is treasured though, even with its blemishes and mistakes it is treasured.

Perhaps today's analogy of this is Binary Code.  The infinite combination of 0's and 1's to create, to produce.  It is ultimately what you read now, what you see in every aspect of our computer age.  No one ever started typing 1's and 0's and birthed a page.  It takes time and skill.  It takes planning and preparation.

And in this perhaps is a better way to understand something that has seemingly escaped our view.  The grasp of a truth that is used to both protect and destroy.  An attempt to eliminate condemnation and give us the sense of control.  But there is only pain in selfishness.

What if Psalm 139:13 read like this, "You had formed the most delicate, inward parts of me.  You had written the Binary Code of my heart and soul while I was still in my mother's womb."




Would this make more sense today?

If abortion has affected you there is hope, healing and forgiveness.  Life and love began long before conception.

A Dull Ache

I recently hurt my back.  I know it sounds old and terrible, it wasn't that bad.  A slight wrong twist, a pull, and then the dull pain of a damaged body in a broken world.  By the end of the evening I was stuck in bed doped up on ibuprofen laying on a heating pad.

I did not realize the depth this tiny little injury would reach.

Sleep evaded me for the night but I felt better in the morning.  Worked, played, fought (if you know my son you get this) and at bed time used a heating pad and did not sleep well.  For 4 nights barely visited the REM stage.

I have never been one who needed much sleep but the next day showed how this lack had compounded.

I had a knee ache, old battle injury flaring up.  I was hobbling down my stairs, slipped, crashed, and busted my other knee and both forearms.  It was certainly a spectacular spectacle I was privileged enough that no one saw

I had the illusion I was fine, just tired.

I'm good now, that night I slept great and I have caught up.  Sleep is like a bank by the way, you can take some out but you then need to pay it back with interest.  I was at a rate of about 20% I think!

This morning I look back through my journal of time with God.  My lack of consistency is staggering.  This, the primary way that my Savior has decided for whatever reason to reveal Himself to me and I don't seem to be able to go a day without skipping a day, go a week without missing a week.  It has grown better as I have loved Him more and me less, but it still lurks in the shadows.

This compounds in every area of my life.

How I treat my wife, my kids, my job.  How I lead my groups, my responsibilities.  There is a trickle down effect that is difficult to see in the moment is obviously revealing.  My love for ME and MY time trumps the One who loved me first.

And this is a resolution, a focus this year.  To know Him, not know the Bible or know His Word or what to do or how to live, but to know Him, His character, His love.  To let this compound over time.

He is most glorified when I am most satisfied in Him, in simply who He is.

Etch - Green Paint and Compassion

Etch - To Impress Clearly / Clarifying words and phrases we use, hoping to nullify argumentative semantics


I recently heard a story of green paint.  The soft kind of green, designed to be welcoming and open to those who enter its realm.The kind of green paint a man would coat his living room with to create a trusting, hospitable atmosphere.  The kind of green paint the God of the universe would instruct me to purchase to fulfill this endeavor.

Wait . . . Huh???


That was my response at least, why would someone pray about the color of their house?  Admirable, the desire to live out the call to hospitality down to the detail, but really?  "Dear Lord, The 'Bring Em Back Olive' has a nice tone but the 'Go Mango' could be both calming and fun.  Please illuminate the color You would desire my humble abode to be."

My initial reaction - God doesn't CARE about the color of my house, as long as it's not black with a deep red trim like some heavy metal band album, right?  He does CARE though about where I live and what I do, right?

Time to Etch:  "Care" as it relates to God.

We use this word to portray depth of importance or meaningfulness.  Does He CARE whether we are obedient to His Word, His Scripture, His leadings.  Yes, John 14:15, and the following speaking of the Holy Spirit helping us to obey, because we love.  He cares, it matters in the scheme of our relationship with Him, it is important.

Does He care about who my spouse is.  Don't hate me here, but our romantic comedical culture says "the one."  My wife is perfect for me, she is beautiful, exciting, fun, & I look forward to spending each moment I can with her, she is the one, she is perfect for me, because I married her.  Because we chose each other.  (This could be a blog itself, and it may be!)

Does God care about the color of my house.  Here's the point, it does not matter what I choose here so I can say that God does NOT CARE about the color of my house in that sense.  But saying that seems to take away from His love for me, right?

No, and this is why, because of how we used the word CARE.   IT doesn't really matter, it isn't important.

God DOES CARE about the color of my house in this sense . . . He created the colors for me to enjoy, he designed certain greens to be calming so when I thought through them I would see His love, His caring nature for me.  He cares in the sense that He wants me to joy in Him through His gifts, and this is one of them.

Now I know there is a depth I'm not touching here, I'm not writing a book, but the concept remains.  His love is beyond what we can imagine, beyond the vasts of creation, He loves us and desires our joy in Him, through His creation.  God's favorite color isn't green, but He loves if yours is!

So as we argue about words, try to etch meaning into each confusing part of our language.  He does care, but possibly not the way you are thinking.  I will not argue semantics in this way anymore.

Etch:  To Clearly Impress

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Backstory - Of Mice and Mickey

This is backstory on me, on some of the reasons why I think the way I think and some of the people and events that have helped to shape that. In other words these are the who's and what's you are to blame for me being me!

The English language is moronic!  We have all these letters that don't mean anything, or mean more than one thing, and some that are there to just look good.  That is where this embarrassing story begins!

As a child I heard people say Disney, I said Disney, and I read Disney.  But look at the picture, it doesn't look like it spells Disney does it?  Come on, be honest, I always believed that P at the end was silent.  Look at it!  Disnep!!!

I had several conversation, that I remember about why this spelled Disnep but pronounced Disnee!  I was distraught when I realized that the letter I was so sure was a P was only disguised that way to make me look dumb, I was the real life comic relief character in all of their movies.  Thankfully this happened before I took my trip to their world in Florida.

This trip happened during High School over an Easter with a group from church and a local school with a man who coached the HS football team and was the Youth Pastor . . . Coach A, Micky Atkinson.

While we were in the park once I got distracted, focused on something else (as if that ever happens) and the next thing I know I am alone in the park, the group had wandered away without asking me!  No problem for me, I knew where we stayed, I had a great day in the park.  When I met back up with them by chance later I learned that Coach A had yelled my name everywhere they went, continually searching for me.

This man did this for me far more often than I realized in the time we were together in church.


While there were others, this man directed me to think like a minister, he recognized in me that I would lean towards Strengthening the Souls of men (Acts 14:21 & 22) and pushed and encouraged me to fight for that.  It has played out differently than I expected but I can trace my heart for discipleship back to Mickey and that is where I will continue to focus.

No matter the circumstance or position this is where my passion lies and this is part of the reason why.  This is why I have coffee with guys, love small groups, believe in discipleship.  This is why I think the way that I do.  This is my backstory.

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