Welcome to the “Casual Fan” section of The Show Notes! This is where I talk about sports. Certain aspects of what you read here, such as the depth of the analysis and amount of objectivity, will vary depending on a number of different factors. I promise to always be entertaining, though. Typos and grammatical errors are a direct reflection of my hatred of generative AI. If you like this, check out my show!
Another week of football in the books, which means another week of winners and losers! I’m seriously considering giving the Chargers a permanent spot in the Losers column. They look terrible, and I’m starting to think that they are trying to get Justin Herbert killed. I’ll hold off…for now. Let’s get to the lists!
Losers
C.J. Gardner-Johnson
The Buffalo Bills are safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson’s 4th team since helping the Eagles win the Super Bowl in February 2025. How does a man burn through that many teams despite being good enough to be a starter and never being arrested? By being a well-documented dickhead. Gardner-Johnson added another incident to his dossier on Sunday after the Bills lost to the Patriots. New England WR Efton Chism III made one of the best touchdown catches you’ll ever see to put the Patriots ahead for good with 1:50 remaining. When asked about the play after the game, here’s what C.J. had to say:
"We're not going to get into any bulletin board material. An elevated guy made a hell of a catch -- probably won't hear from him again. A practice squad player made a hell of a play. That's all I'm going to tell you. You do it again, and he probably won't make it again.”
Not only is this crybaby behavior, but it’s also factually incorrect. Chism has never been on the practice squad in his career. Sure, his name is hilarious, and he looks like Brad Stevens’ even nerdier little brother, but he’s been on the 53-man roster both of his years in the league. Also, it doesn’t exactly paint your team in the best light if you imply that someone who just beat you sucks, because that would mean that you suck more. But that’s just C.J. being C.J., and C.J. does indeed suck the most.
Cursing
A referee was suspended for 2 games after he responded to TE Trey McBride’s complaint about a lack of a pass interference call with hearty “Fuck you!” I bet this happens eight thousand times a game, but this particular time was caught on camera, so yeah. This incident was notable to me because the official’s name is Jeff Seeman. Why was it not in the headline of any of the stories I read about this? You want people to click on your story? “Seeman explodes at tight end,” “Seeman explodes at McBride,” “Seeman explodes on camera,” “Seeman explodes at MetLife Stadium.” I could do this all day, except my wife is my proofreader.
Health
Welp, everyone is hurt. Lamar Jackson, Ja’Marr Chase, Tee Higgins, Pat Surtain II, Joe Alt (typical), Ladd McConkey (double typical), D.J. Moore, and Saquon Barkley are just a few of the names who left Sunday’s games with an injury. It’s unreal. Good luck setting your fantasy lineups!
Winners
Minecraft Villagers
My only familiarity with the video game Minecraft was when an incredibly annoying child tried to show me something he was doing in it at my best friend’s engagement party. This was probably 13 years ago or so. I’d mostly blocked it out of my mind until former Steelers head coach/current Football Night in America analyst Mike Tomlin’s son, Dino, popped up on my TikTok timeline talking about his dad’s Minecraft city that he’s been working on since 2014. Apparently, Mike started playing the game as a way to connect with his kids, but found that it also helped him decompress from the stresses of coaching. The man coached Antonio Brown, so I get it.
Naturally, people were intrigued, and Dino convinced Mike to walk the world through the city he constructed in the game. I’m not joking when I say that this man put more thought into this than any Charleston city planner has put into my actual city. I have no idea how many episodes will be in this series, but the first episode was 19 minutes long and already has over 3 million views. I’m eagerly awaiting Tomlin’s pivot to livestreaming.
The Last Name Robinson
The Atlanta Falcons, who many declared DOA in the preseason, moved to 2-2 on the season after a dominant Monday Night Football win against the New Orleans Saints. Their running backs, Bijan Robinson and Brian Robinson Jr., combined to score 5 of the team’s 6 touchdowns in the 45-24 rout. This marks the second game in a row in which they’ve combined for 200+ yards on the ground and 3+ touchdowns.
Second Homecomings
The Houston area became a second home to Cowboys receiver CeeDee Lamb’s family after they were forced to leave New Orleans during Hurricane Katrina. Sunday was the first time in Lamb’s seven-year career that he played in Houston, and, boy, did he deliver. In front of plenty of friends and family (but not the girl from his infamous draft night phone-snatching meme), Lamb had a career-high 17 receptions for 189 yards and the game-winning touchdown catch with 40 seconds left. Those 17 receptions are the most in an NFL game since Keenan Allen had 18 back in 2023.
Alright, that will do it! Check back on Thursday morning for the world’s greatest weekly sports watch guide. If you’re subscribed, it’ll go straight to your inbox. How convenient! Also, I’m writing horror movie reviews all throughout the month of October, so give those a read, too!
