Ollie Connolly
@OllieConnolly
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Newsletter-er @ReadOptional | Writer @GuardianUS | Previously: NFL/CFB Scout; recruiting analyst
Joined May 2013
I wrote about how (smart) defenses are evolving to try to slow down the bootleg -- and all the explosive plays that McVay, Shanahan, LaFleur, Stefanski et al. have hit in the boot game .
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Deebo Samuel grabbed the neck of long snapper Taybor Pepper and swiped at kicker Jake Moody after a third missed field goal
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If Washington is to change its franchise name (it should), then team should follow @petemrogers’ design
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Funny. Skip Bayless forgot to switch accounts praising himself on a Facebook Live stream
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"And now to Jay Feely". "THIS IS A BIG KICK JIM". "Thanks, Jay".
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This is the video supposedly of Dolphins offensive line coach Chris Foerster snorting coke before a meeting
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How many rounds away are we from Deion partnering up with the Saudis to start a rival league?.
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Update: Belichick has agreed to become the next UNC coach. Belichick handed the school a 400 page “organizational bible” with structure, payment plans, staffing choices etc. decisions on whether to commit with UNC. He is expected to know their decision within 24 hours.
Per sources, I’m told Bill Belichick’s negotiations with North Carolina include a guarantee that Stephen Belichick will be named the school’s head coach in waiting. UNC is open to that guarantee. Discussions are not a bid to gain leverage for NFL offers and BB is open to the move.
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Kind of sort of has the look like the owner made the call
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Brady and Belichick laughing while Goodell is drowned out by boos
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Per sources, I’m told Bill Belichick’s negotiations with North Carolina include a guarantee that Stephen Belichick will be named the school’s head coach in waiting. UNC is open to that guarantee. Discussions are not a bid to gain leverage for NFL offers and BB is open to the move.
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Fox are really paying the greatest quarterback to ever play $38 million this year to say:.- “wow” .- “oh no” .- “juice” .- “more juice”.- “not enough juice” .- “that’s playoff football”.- “games within games”. And he didn’t even have to go to production meetings. Great call, KB!.
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Do not hit quarterbacks high. Do not hit quarterbacks low. Do not hit them in the midriff. Roughing the passer on Clay Matthews.
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VON MILLER WITH A DOUBLE FUCKING GHOST RUSH FOR THE SACK
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Alabama’s analyst room is going to be loaded next year
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Geno Smith has thrown more holy fuck balls than any quarterback in the league this year
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Bill Belichick has never had as much fun as ripping off old film cut-ups with Matt Patricia and barking out coverages
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I charted slip/sod-gate: . - The Eagles' defense had a player slip on 38% of Patrick Mahomes' dropbacks -- five times they had multiple slippages. - The Chiefs' defense had a player slip on only 14% of Jalen Hurts' dropbacks -- with no multiples.
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The Bears defense over the last two seasons combined under Matt Eberflus: . - 32nd in EPA/Play.- 32nd in Dropback EPA/Play.- 32nd in pressure rate.- 32nd in pressure rate w/ four-man rush.- 32nd in sacks per game.- 32nd in yards conceded per coverage snap
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The Eagles offensive line serves a cheat-code. Pair that with Hurts becoming an excellent rhythm thrower, someone who delivers under fire, and is now hitting deep shots like *this* and the Eagles offense makes the mini leap from the top-five into best-in-the-league good
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Greg Olsen: "Here is the next step in in-game management.". Tom Brady: "What a juiced-up team. When I see a quarterback do that, it gets me fired up and gets his defense feeling the juice. That's playoff football. Wow.".
The next step in game management. Team trailing by 13 scores a TD. Go for 2 to try to cut the lead to 5. If you give up a FG you are down 8 and still within 1 possession. Being down 6, you give up a TD or a FG you are down 2 scores. Who will be first team to make the move?.
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The best way to spend your Saturday is to watch highlights of Jadeveon Clowney in high school. It's like something from National Geographic.
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Colin Cowherd took a shot at Mike Tomlin, saying Belichick has never had an assistant coach arrested. No, but he drafted a serial killer.
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There has already been pushback from the group of 13 trustees, with input from wider faculty. The investment would overhaul the school’s approach to football; Belichick unsure if the school will meet the demands and is unwilling to negotiate.
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Steve Bisciotti every time Lamar does Lamar things and he realizes he has to pay him a trillion dollars
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Belichick’s bible would require historic levels of investment from the school. Includes salary minimums position by position and a willingness to hire two staffs: a coaching staff run by Belichick; a recruitment staff run by a sitting college GM — who would require a buyout.
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Lou Anarumo on third downs
I wrote about Josh Allen’s one (seeming) schematic kryptonite, and whether the Dolphins’ did-these-guys-take-acid gameplan will re-shape Lou Anarumo’s thinking on Sunday .
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"Wait a minute, we’re talking about Lawrence Taylor now. I’m not putting anybody in LT’s class. Put everybody down below that.” -- Bill Belichick
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Look at the Bills detonate EVERYTHING. It’s textbook: get the linemen on different levels so that they pick one another and can’t exchange
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Spags! Spags! Spags! Spags! A two-becomes-one-becomes-two-again rotation.
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Belichick has a college and pro version of his updated manual and has shared it with other schools and NFL teams. But he drafted a new one specific to UNC that touched on every aspect of the program and school. Will need sign off from AD, chancellor, trustees and boosters.
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"Undisputed is America's fastest growing sports show. Period."
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Some news: I have a new job, my dream job. I’m joining as a staff football writer. I’ll be writing nerdy tactical/data stuff, goofy/fun stuff and anything everything in-between. Basically, what I’ve been doing for the CFB/NFL but for the other football.
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ESPN bringing on Barstool was the nerdy kid inviting the cool kid over to his pool party. Then the Dad got upset when he pissed in the pool.
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Remember when the Falcons didn’t want to hand fully guaranteed to money to LAMAR JACKSON???.
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I regret to inform you that Tom Brady is offering good, non-cliched insight in doses today. He sounds comfortable and confident and like he may even be enjoying himself. Who knew: the homicidally competitive guy may wind up being good at this.
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This is wild: the average amount of separation in the NFL is 2.92 yards. The Dolphins had FIVE receivers average over three yards today; Tyreek *averaged* 3.72 yards of separation. Just unstoppable
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Coaches got paid. Sponsor got paid. NCAA got paid. Schools got paid. Player who sustained career ending, life altering, neck injury received nothing.
Sad news for #Miami standout CB: Malek Young will undergo career-ending surgery for a neck injury he sustained during the Hurricanes’ game against Wisconsin in the Capital One Orange Bowl.
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This will go down as one of the greatest plays in NBA history
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The NFL is about to dump all of this on the head of an unnamed, unknown, 'unaffiliated' person because it's cleaner & easier PR (and that person obviously made some awful error), but it's important to remember the Dolphins staff have final say on sideline & lockerroom evaluations
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Any potential staff would include Matt Patricia, Ben McDaniels (Texans passing game coordinator and brother of Josh McDaniels) as well as a sitting college GM who would handle general operations — NIL, recruiting, etc.
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Per source, the full slate and venues for the 2022 International Series games. - Vikings @ Saints, Spurs.- Giants @ Packers, Spurs.- Broncos @ Jags, Wembley.- Seahawks @ Bucs, Munich.
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This is embarrasing. A roughing the passer call on Tannehill that takes away an interception. What horseshit
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If you don't calm the f*ck down you're going to the bench - Jimbo Fisher to Jameis Winston
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Who hired all these people?!?!! Surely that guys in trouble?.
Bears fired:.🏈OC Luke Getsy.🏈QBs coach Andrew Janocko.🏈RBs coach Omar Young.🏈WRs coach Tyke Tolbert.🏈Assistant TEs coach Tim Zetts.
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Tom Brady last week: “I’m gonna work harder. I’m gonna care more. I’m gonna show up earlier. I’m gonna put more time in. I’m gonna work later. I’m gonna study more. I’m gonna do things other people aren’t willing to do”. Aaron Rodgers this week: “The government created HIV”.
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Spags doing Spags things. Get to that Tampa-2 shell from whatever angle/path is imaginable (not new, btw)
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The Bucs have to move on from Bowles, regardless of the outcome today, and promote Liam Coen to HC. They cannot risk losing him for more of *this*.
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Bowles is one of the top defensive architects in the sport (even if it's been a mess at times this season), but you cannot continue to go into the playoffs with a coach who so often gags away key moments -- or full games -- with awful clock management.
The Bucs have to move on from Bowles, regardless of the outcome today, and promote Liam Coen to HC. They cannot risk losing him for more of *this*.
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If Adrian Peterson were a rookie, we’d be talking about the dawn of a new superstar: the springs, the subtlety, the vision. He’s 34!
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This has to be a bit from the Bengals at this point: They went under center 18 times vs. the Steelers. 89% of those snaps were runs. 65% were some variation of wide-zone. They finished with a 20% rush success rate, dead stinking last in the league. The average: 42.3%
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Update: Belichick has agreed to become the next UNC coach. Belichick handed the school a 400 page “organizational bible” with structure, payment plans, staffing choices etc. decisions on whether to commit with UNC. He is expected to know their decision within 24 hours.
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Belichick’s preference, from what I’m told, remains a return to the NFL. But the landscape is already considered thin based on feedback for the league. Moving to college with a guarantee for his son will overrule waiting on the NFL carousel.
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Some added context: Steve Belichick has already been approached about other college head coaching roles. He has taken Washington's defense to 28th in S&P+ this season after they finished 50th last year.
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Mike Tomlin cloning himself in an attempt to improve the Steelers coaching http://t.co/6ojwm38tAG.
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I went deep on the Bills offense: how they spent all season preparing for Sunday night; how they torched to Chiefs; what comes next.
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Adoree Jackson covering Amari Cooper 1-on-1 earlier on, now jumping over human beings.
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Andrew Luck took a monster shot to the shoulder. Popped up and gave a thumbs up to the sideline.
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🤷♂️
Chapel Bill: six-time Super-Bowl-winning head coach Bill Belichick is finalizing a deal to become the new head coach at North Carolina, sources tell me, @PeteThamel and @ClowESPN. Belichick is going back to school, to where his father served as an assistant coach in the 1950s.
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When you consistently get away with academic fraud and head to a final four
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It would be hard to find a rookie playing much better than Abraham Lucas right now (at least in pass pro). He is already cleaning up some issues from earlier in the season -- he is more patient, doesn't panic if he loses the initial fight, and always maintains his balance
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I like this move for the Eagles.
The Cardinals are finalizing a deal to hire Eagles DC Jonathan Gannon as the team’s head coach, according to multiple reports.
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The wildest part about this is that Allen is even in a position to catch a lateral anyway. He's just kind of. wandering around after checking to a now alert on an RPO. Like, why? Because he's Josh Allen!.
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One of the most hilariously spun statements of all time.
Statement from Eric Bieniemy’s agent, Jason Fletcher: . “Eric and UCLA mutually parted ways today as previously planned. He’s still getting paid by the Commanders. After interviewing for head coaching jobs last year, he wanted to stay active and busy. So, he decided to go help
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When the league colludes to stop your dominance, but you finish with the best record in the NFL
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Jason Licht is confirming once again that he is one of the greats -- and he still never gets put in the conversation with Howie, Veach, etc.
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An all-time game, with some of the finest performances and offensive creativity. The sod stuff feels more notable than game-altering because, you know, both sides played on the same field. A shame that's it's even a factor, but it did have *some* impact on the pass-rush.
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The Cavs could really do with a hyper-athletic, lengthy, perimeter player, who can play multiple defensive spots
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The average amount of separation from Ryan's receivers today -- as bad as it gets
Right now (with all the injuries), Matt Ryan is playing in a worse situation than he had in Atlanta.
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