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OK, Celtics. You won one. Now you can get your minds back on what really matters. Cancun.

No, I don’t think this is the end of NFL football as we know it. I’m talking about the new rule adopted Tuesday that encourages fair catches of kickoffs outside of the end zone. The rule (for now approved only for the 2023 season) states that fair-caught kickoffs will be placed at the 25-yard-line, regardless of where it is fielded. The idea is to cut down on train-wreck collisions and reduce injuries. Keep in mind that we already have this rule in college and high school football, and the sport has survived. Look, you don’t have to fair catch it, but you can if you want to. OK. My only concern is possible unintended consequences, like how it might affect roster compositions. It will be more than interesting to see how special-teams coordinators adjust to this rule. Some of them will get very creative.

I was happy to learn that the Chargers and running back Austin Ekeler have worked out their contract squabble. Tossing in $1.75 million in 2023 season incentives sealed the deal, although Ekeler still appears headed for free agency next year. That guy, if not underrated, is underappreciated. Ekeler scored 18 touchdowns in 17 starts for the ‘Bolts last season, while leading the league with 822 yards after receptions.

The ’Niners say they are increasingly optimistic that Brock Purdy will be good to go by Week One. Purdy is, by all accounts, ahead of schedule in rehabbing his post-surgical right elbow.  So now what happens with Trey Lance?

Here’s a random observation for you. The NFL quarterback who makes the best and most consistent pre-snap reads is Joe Burrow. But the second-best guy I saw in that department in 2022 was then-rookie Brock Purdy.

Starting with preseason Super Bowl fever and continuing through the excruciating Damar Hamlin scare, no team dealt with more pressure last year than the Bills. That ultimately manifested itself in Buffalo’s embarrassing home playoff loss to the Bengals. Now the temp has been turned down and the Bills are no longer everyone’s darlings. That may prove to be a blessing.

Now all the heat in the AFC East is on the Jets. Rodgers seems to be holding up so far, doncha think? That whole team has a man-crush on A-Rod. The calf-tweak prior to Tuesday’s practice? NBD whatsoever. R-E-L-A-X…

Yes, that was Saints tight end Foster Moreau fully participating in Tuesday’s voluntary
OTA, just weeks after he was diagnosed with a rare but treatable blood cancer. The preceding sentence requires no further elaboration. Hombre.

Bears QB Justin Fields says he “could care less” about whether he gets a contract extension. My only objection to that statement is grammatical. No man, it’s, “I COULDN’T care less.” You’re a quarterback, man. Get it right.

That was a pretty impressive congratulatory text PGA/Pop Culture sensation Michael Block received Tuesday, since, you know, it was from Michael Jordan and everything. Block is livin’ large, and has received a sponsor’s exemption to play at Colonial in Fort Worth this week. I hear the food is good…

That was a rude stop to the Astros’ eight-game winning streak Tuesday night in  Milwaukee. 6-0. Yeesh. But at least the ‘Stros only have to wait until noon today to get back on the horse.

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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.