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How’s your solstice?  How’s your bird?

Wow. The NHL just shut it down. Tell me again about how the Omygod Variant is “no big deal.”

Following up on a commitment I made yesterday. First, the obligatory butt-kissing. Lamar Jackson is the best running quarterback in NFL history. No one else is close. I don’t want to hear “Michael Vick.” Nope. Jackson is probably the best athlete in the NFL. He is dazzling. He is exciting. He appears to be a very good young man and I like him a lot. But Tyler Huntley is a better NFL quarterback and would give the Ravens their best chance to win the Super Bowl. Jackson is just not consistent enough as a passer to lead his team to three (or four) straight victories against playoff competition. Period. Jackson is of course a better runner than Huntley. But Huntley is nevertheless a GREAT runner. You’re really not losing much there, as a practical matter. But Huntley is, I don’t know, about four times a better passer. That’s a legit NFL arm, and he sees the field much better than does Jackson. Huntley is more consistent, not just play-to-play, series to series, but game to game. He is much less prone to make a fatal mistake late in a game. Yes. He is a better NFL quarterback than is Lamar Jackson, and would give the Ravens a much better chance to go deep in the postseason.

Adios, Matt Nagy. And it’s a shame, in my view. Good man. Good coach. And I thought he got off to a great start with the Bears in 2018. But that’s a wrap. The Bears have lost eight of their last nine and were completely out of control last night.

Question? Why in the name of The Deity of Your Choice would the Chicago Bears EVER opt to wear “alt” or “throwback” uniforms?  Their standard (especially home) look are the best threads in American pro sports (You heard me, Yankees.)  Any deviation from perfection is a downgrade. And I don’t need the Chicago Effing Bears wearing white at home and sporting Michigan wannabe helmets. Seriously. I’d want my money back.

The Vikings are a vexation. Minnesota clearly has one of the NFL’s ten best rosters, top to bottom. But the Vikes often appear to treat pro football like a hobby. That ship sails in circles. And I get the feeling they just stopped listening to Zimmer about a year ago.

And who is weirder than Kirk Cousins? Have you seen his season TD/INT ratio? 29-6. Essentially 5-1. But that’s also the guy who threw for 87 yards last night at Soldier Field.

I do enjoy watching Justin Jefferson play WR. That’s a route-running Picasso.

The Browns could have made Daniel Carlson kick it five times at the end, and he would have striped all five of them. Big Bird is nails.

Yeah, I felt for the Browns. That was tough. That Carlson kick booted them down from being the fourth seed in the AFC to now being the 12th. No Baker. No Case. No Head Coach Kevin. And yet they almost pulled that off. I bled for Nick Mullens.

I think I’m going to wear a WWDCD? bracelet. What Would Derek Carr Do? To me, that guy is currently the NFL’s moral compass. NFL Man of the Year? That’s a very human human being. And a heckuva quarterback.

Kelce has the COVID Crud. He is vaxxed, so he may have a chance to come back before Sunday’s home game against the Steelers.

The Bucs are in a bad way. Seriously. Chris Godwin is gone for the duration. (That was gruesome.) Mike Evans is back in Hamstring Hell. Leonard Fournette is going to miss at least a couple of games. Now Tampa Bay HAS to bring back Antonio Daniels, a position nobody would want to be in. Sounds pretty shaky to me. And…I’m not a Brady Basher. But his act on the sideline and after that loss to the Saints was unbecoming at the very least.

You want an off-the-wall, but not at all implausible, Super Bowl matchup? How about Colts v. 49ers? 

No, UTSA fans (and I am one!). The NFL didn’t reschedule two COVID postponed games for tonight just to piss you off.

Go, ‘Runners!

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Paul's Bio

I clearly have the attention span of your median fruit fly.Look! Airplane!

Sorry. I’m back.

It’s both a curse and a blessing. I’ve never bought this stuff about, “He who dies with the most toys wins.” But I do think that a wide range of life experiences helps us grow as people, and helps us better relate to other people. I’ve been fortunate. And I am beyond grateful.

I show up on time. I go like hell. I’m a good listener. I hold myself accountable. I own my mistakes. And I have a natural and an insatiable curiosity. I’m never afraid to say, “I don’t know,” when I don’t. But then I try to find out.

The flip side is I’m a lousy ballroom dancer and my clothes sometimes fit me funny.

Stuff matters to me. I care. But while I take that stuff seriously, I try hard to never take myself seriously. As a result, I have sometimes been told, “Paul, it’s hard to tell when you’re serious and when you’re just having some fun. Which is it? Serious or fun?”

My answer is “yes.” But I think that is a legitimate criticism. I promise I’m going to work on that.

This has been the quickest and strangest half-century I’ve ever experienced. During that period, I’ve been afforded amazing opportunities in news and sports journalism across all platforms. I have taught wonderful students at the high school and collegiate level. Always, I learned more from them than they did from me. I’ve been a high school administrator. I spent ten seasons as a high school varsity football coach. I’ve been an advertising executive. I’ve hosted nationally syndicated television entertainment shows. In maybe the biggest honor I ever received, I was selected by NASA to be “Chet The Astronaut” for the “Land The Shuttle” simulator at Space Center Houston. (All I can say there, is “Do as I say, not as I do.” I put that thing in the Everglades more often than not.) Most recently, I just wrapped up a decade as a television news director, during which time our teams distinguished themselves in holding the powerful accountable, achieving both critical and ratings success.

What does all that mean? It means I am profoundly grateful. It also means I’m ready for “next.” So here we are. Radically Rational. It’s an idea I woke up with in 2017. I scribbled “Radically Rational” on a piece of notebook paper and used a magnet to stick it on our refrigerator. I saw it every day, and it just would not leave me alone.

I am second in charge at Radically Rational, LLC. My wife, Jo (also known as BB), is the president. Clearly, I have failed in my attempt to sleep my way to the top of this organization.

I hope you will learn that I’m loyal as a Labrador. But I will admit that this doggie can bite every now and then. My promise to you? I will show up on time. I will go like hell. I will listen to you earnestly and attentively. I will hold myself accountable. I will never be the least bit hesitant to say, “I don’t know,” when I don’t.

But then I’ll try to find out. Let’s do it.