Ollie Connolly
Newsletter-er: readoptional.substack.com | Writer: The Guardian | 🎙️ NFL Daily | Previously: NFL/CFB Scout; recruiting analyst
- Jim Schwartz will not be back with the Browns. If Jim Leonhard opts to go with the Chargers over the Bills, Buffalo should write a blank check to Schwartz
- Updated list of Hall of Fame voters who have publicly confirmed they voted for Bill Belichick. The unconfirmed list includes those who haven't spoken or have only discussed the HOF process
- Here is the list of Hall of Fame voters who have confirmed publicly that they voted for Bill Belichick. The no camp includes those who haven't spoken or only discussed the process. In the "no" camp is a known liar who cannot remember who he voted for two weeks ago
- If I've missed anyone who has confirmed they've voted yes, please drop it below so I can update the list. If any voter doesn't, for some reason, want to be publicly accountable, slide in my DMs
- The NFL Daily recap of the Championship games is preposterously good. Shoutout to @greggrosenthal.bsky.social, @patrickclaybon.bsky.social and @thenickshook.bsky.social www.youtube.com/watch?v=LDIr... .
- It is incredibly difficult to jump on a show immediately after a game and nail all the right points. And all the details they bring up are backed up and confirmed by the tape the next morning. As good a recap as you will find
- Josh Allen on Sam Darnold's throwing motion, from Jason Garrett's (!) excellent documentary. Darnold was throwing the piss out of the ball yesterday. Seeing him put it all together on the biggest stage is awesome.
- The full documentary on the perfect throwing motion. Allen is excellent at breaking down his development, which is the same path as Darnold www.youtube.com/watch?v=pLAX...
- Absolute baller move from McVay. And one of his staples: target the guy who just gave up the flag with a shot
- Kevin O’Connell is the king of this. The play-calling feel and fuck you shots are legendary
- If you take a shot at McVay’s sideline, he’s calling a double move on your head. Thems the rules
- My favorite Fuck You play call of the season: Greg Newsome gives it to O'Connell on the sideline after giving up a penalty. O'Connell dials up a shot to Justin Jefferson on Newsome
- Sure sounds from the broadcast like Klint Kubiak is Brady’s guy for the Raiders
- Absolutely insane from Kenneth Walker
- Mike Vrabel's mastery of situational football is such an advantage. It's wild how much it leaps out in a league of the best to do it.
- Romo: “he’ll have a little more time here” Insta-sack.
- The left side of the Patriots line has given up 5 pressures on 12 dropbacks. Every yard feels like HARD work
- For Bucs fans: on Zac Robinson from last season. I’m fascinated/excited by Robinson in a new spot. Is he willing to adapt, or wedded to an ill-fitting philosophy? Not sure I’d want to find out on a one-year timeline www.readoptional.com/p/do-the-fal...
- Sean McDermott was far from perfect. And he should have probably been out a couple of years ago. But this press conference from Pegula and Brandon Beane is insulting to a guy who helped turn around a franchise that was a laughing stock
- Effectively: "We have a great roster. Our records say so. Everyone in the league tells me so. Everything that's right with it is because of Brandon, everything that's wrong is because of Sean." Hilarious. Always be the guy who sits in the owner's box on Sundays
- Reposted by Ollie Connollytalked about the thorny change in Buffalo and what’s next for McDermott, Josh Allen and Brandon Beane with @ollieconnolly.bsky.social 🎧: landing.podtrac.com/nfldaily 📺: youtu.be/A4SBNq0WTwc?...
- Every chance that the Bills just promote Joe Brady or reunite Allen with Brian Daboll. That would be... something
- John Harbaugh looking at his Giants contract
- How much does Sean Steichen wish he were just fired?
- There are openings to work with Josh Allen and Lamar Jackson... and in a watered-down coaching market. Any sitting HC want to make a move?
- It's a great day to be Nate Scheelhaase and Jessie Minter! What an opportunity
- Deserve means nothing in this sport. But McDermott did not *deserve* to lose his job based on his performance this year. But a fresh restart was probably necessary. That Brandon Beane is staying, based on what he put together this season, is dumbfounding
- The cardinal sin: The Bills were ahead of the curve on offense, then didn't build a defense that matched those ideals (knowing the meta direction the league was heading). It's like they built a team to beat *one team* and those guys didn't show up for the matchup
- Three things can be true. This isn't hard: - Cam Curl made an outstanding play - Caleb Williams' throw was off target (as it too often is) - DJ Moore lollygagged his route, hit the wrong depth, and didn't flatten it out. In that spot, the lack of effort was a joke
- I think Ben Johnson is going to spend the offseason regretting not going for two at the end of regulation. They gave the Rams everything and needed a miracle play to be in position. Why not take the swing?
- Johnson said the short-yardage struggles are why he didn’t go for it. But McVay was LITERALLY frozen for five seconds on the sideline after the Caleb throw. Felt like the right situation to call up your best two-pointer for the game
- They will also regret general got-to-have-it situational coaching. Allen all out blitz with off coverage with the game on the line. Short yardage failures. Could have overcome the drops etc. if that stuff had been on point
- I need many drinks.
- McVay chose to take the seven points rather than three. Tony Dungy is sick.
- Life is a simulation just to bring pain to Bills fans
- This is the most baffling gameplan of McVay's career. Even beyond the run-pass split, *how* he's deciding to run and the lack of conflict he's creating is mind-boggling
- What would the Rams offense have looked like if Sean McVay HADN'T put the extra work in after Ben Johnson said fuck the Packers?!?!?
- The Bears have a 66% pressure rate on the 8 blitzes they've sent so far. Boiling the game down to Stafford versus the blitz is... gutsy. But it's Allen's only shot, and he's bringing all the heat
- Get the pressure in Stafford's head early and then show and back off later on.
- The Bears with a 54% blitz rate to open up. Psycho Dennis Allen is back after a cool-down week
- A weird spot for the Bills. This *isn't* the year McDermott deserves to loss his job. It is for Beane, depending on what they know about how the roster was built (McDermott taking shots in pressers feels telling). But why bring in a GM above McDermott when you could have a clean slate?
- (them realizing in real-time what's about to happen is the greatest)
- Surrender punt from Demeco. Probably knows his only chance is for his defense to force a fumble. Tiny odds of converting, but a damning indictment of Stroud
- Very funny to hear "CJ Stroud's hand might be injured" right as the camera cuts to him getting dapped up on the sideline
- Thuney struggled all last postseason at LT, not just in the Super Bowl. Big call from Ben Johnson tonight. The upside: he wont be the worst left tackle playing today
- Zak Kuhr unloaded the clip in that half as CJ Stroud melted down. Pressure plan had a bit of everything: all-out pressures, drop-eight, tons of sims and lone-muggers to boost the four-man rush. Everything is tied together so well
- They are seriously going to have to put Davis Mills in
