Inside The Pylon works to deliver quality football content to our readers. Football’s finest writing & tweeting collects some of our favorite pieces by friends and colleagues for the week of April 4, 2016 and shares them with you.
The Weekly Reading List
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NFL Runs Ads in NYT Concussions Story to Counter It
As the war of words continued between the NFL and the New York Times in the wake of the paper’s investigative report calling into question the league’s concussion research, the NFL responded by purchasing advertisements on the Times’ website, including in the very article that caused the back-and-forth.
Free agent offensive tackle Russell Okung negotiated his own free-agency deal with the Denver Broncos. After the OT signed a one-year, $5 million deal with no guaranteed money, the agent community quickly derided the decision.
The NFL is Destined to Fail in China
The league announced plans to expand the International Series to Germany in 2017 and China in 2018, looking to bring the game to the millions of football fans in Asia. Rich Hill with Pats Pulpit examined the proposal to bring football to China, highlighting the many obstacles in the way.
Husain Abdullah Retires, Citing Concussions
Kansas City Chiefs’ safety Husain Abdullah became the most recent player to retire from the game citing safety concerns.
Chip Kelly Alienated Scouts ‘Almost Immediately’
The post-mortem into the Chip Kelly Era in Philadelphia continues with this NJ.com story, which makes the case that the former head coach ignored the organization’s scouts immediately upon his arrival in the City of Brotherly Love.
Michigan State OC Defends Connor Cook as a Leader, Person
Brent Sobleski continues his great series of interviews with the offensive coordinators of various quarterbacks in the draft class with this interview of MSU OC Dave Warner. The coach sheds light on many of the perceptions surrounding the senior quarterback, including the reasons why he was not selected as a captain.
Fool’s Gold: The NFL’s All-Joke Contract Team
On April Fool’s Day, the folks at Sports on Earth put together this list of the worst contracts in the NFL.
Mike Shanahan Talks RG3, Coaching Future
Jenny Vrentas of MMQB.com continues her strong run of articles with this sitdown with former Denver and Washington head coach Mike Shanahan. The interview covers not only the Robert Griffin III Era in Washington, but the coach’s future in football.
The Must Follow List: @ITPylon’s Favorite Twits
Treadwell's #ReceptionPerception scores on nine routes were > class avg. You can threaten vertically without speed. https://t.co/i8Xi8JvxLu
— Matt Harmon (@MattHarmon_BYB) March 28, 2016
Tom Brady called and @Edelman11 & @DannyAmendola answered: https://t.co/UspnZKJwMv pic.twitter.com/YytBoRNTnV
— New England Patriots (@Patriots) March 31, 2016
If you are a football fan, will appreciate these words.//RSB Hall of Fame: Bill Curry speech https://t.co/aKbv8TqvVG via @YouTube
— Phil Savage (@PhilSavage) April 2, 2016
Serious company. Stay open. Block in run game. @DezBryant @JasonWitten pic.twitter.com/qZk5Mqi9Gi
— Danny Amendola (@DannyAmendola) April 3, 2016
Just catching up on the big media news. "Internet" will no longer be capitalized? WHY NOT JUST SCRAP ALL LAW, YOU ANARCHISTS.
— Chris Jones (@EnswellJones) April 3, 2016
.@Dan_Hatman joined me & @MikeGiardi today to talk draft, Pats unique scouting system & pre-draft evaluation process https://t.co/BYPCPRTPAR
— Christopher Price (@cpriceglobe) April 3, 2016
The Podcast List – The Best Stuff For Your Ears
The Inside the Pylon Mock War Room Project
For draft season ITP has assembled some of the brightest minds covering football and recorded a series of mock war rooms, playing out the entire first round of the draft. Each 15 minute podcast features some great guests and some very insightful discussions as the teams debate their selection. Get caught up today.
Last summer Matt Harmon made the move from independent football writer to the NFL.com. In response to the numerous questions he received about his personal journey, he started this podcast series, inviting guests from the sports media world to share their stories. Our own Mark Schofield was on the most recent episode, and the entire body of work is well worth your attention.
The Book Corner
Fantasy football players who want to invest in next year’s success will find Matt Waldman’s Rookie Scouting Portfolio invaluable before they draft next season. This year’s RSP was released on April 1, 2016, and is well worth the investment.
Draft aficionados would be wise to purchase the 2016 Draft Prospectus from Kyle Crabbs. Kyle breaks down hundreds of prospects, using film and metrics to analyze each player. This year’s edition is exhaustive and worth your attention.
Alex Kirby’s 2014 book Speed Kills: Breaking Down The Chip Kelly Offense should be one of the better selling tomes in the Bay Area this offseason.
Our own Mark Schofield wrote 17 Drives, breaking down a key drive from each week of the 2015-2016 College Football Season, culminating in Alabama’s victory over Clemson to earn a national championship.