02/09/23 The Jolly Roger Speaketh! – Radically Rational

02/09/23 The Jolly Roger Speaketh!

An NFL doctor says he “guarantees” Damar Hamlin will play pro football again. That’s a pretty good way for us to start Thursday.

The Jolly Roger gave his annual State of the NFL assessment Wednesday in Phoenix. Goodell said NFL officiating has never been better. He said that with a straight face.

The Commish also said that “flex scheduling” will likely be extended to Thursday Night Football in 2023. Presumably, Al Michaels is smiling, or at least has stopped shaking.

The Chiefs are getting healthier as we approach SB 57. Mahomes reports his ankle is better, and receivers JuJu Smith-Schuster and Kadarius Toney are good to go, as is cornerback L’Jarius Sneed.

The Eagles? Hey, this is the healthiest they’ve been all season.

‘Niners QB Brock Purdy will have surgery to repair the Ulnar Collateral Ligament in his right elbow on February 22. Recovery will take six months, meaning he could be back during the early stages of training camp.

The NFL Scouting Combine is great for the league’s 32 teams. But it sucks in almost every way imaginable for the players. NFLPA Executive Director DeMaurice Smith wants to do away with The Combine. His case is a strong one, IMO.

The Commanders will have a new quarterback to start the season for the seventh straight year. It looks like it will be now second-year QB Sam Howell, who was impressive in Washington’s season finale victory over the Cowboys.

The NFL Network has removed Michael Irvin from its Super Bowl Week coverage. WTH? All we know is that a woman complained about Irvin’s behavior during a brief encounter Saturday at a hotel in Glendale. Irvin says he committed no wrongdoing.

Something about a trade deadline in the NBA? I guess the Suns are all in. And the Nets appear to be out of the basketball business, at least for the remainder of the 21^st Century. That Brooklyn Superteam? Never mind…

And it looks like the Lakers are trying to surround LeBron with some three-point aces in an attempt to make a late playoff push. After a three-team, eight-player deal involving the Jazz and the Timberwolves, L.A. gets guard D’Angelo Russell from Minnesota while Russell Westbrook is headed to Utah.

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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.