Author: AlexTheGoat

Jayden Daniels… Please Save Us

This Sunday, Jayden Daniels has the opportunity to cement himself in the history books by being the first ever rookie QB to start in the Super Bowl. I believe…

I’ve been watching the Commanders all season. I had Jayden Daniels and Terry McLaurin on my fantasy team. What I saw was week in and week out, Jayden Daniels did everything he could to win football games. You know, I love football so damn much… and wins aren’t a quarterback stat, but it’s not easy to win football games if you have a bad quarterback. If we look at the playoffs, the remaining QBs are Patrick Mahomes, Josh Allen, and Jalen Hurts. It’s clear that the teams with the best QBs do the best in the league (retribution for Joey B). THEY LOST 13 GAMES LAST YEAR and now they’re in the NFC Championship. They knocked off the best looking team I’ve had the privilege of watching in my life. Adam Peters is in his first year as the Commanders’ GM, Dan Quinn is in his first year as the Commanders’ head coach, and Jayden Daniels is in his first year of running the offense. And this team is in the NFC Championship.

The Problem

Saquon Barkley is the best running back in the NFL, and I don’t think it’s unfair to say that he is the best player in the entire league. He has the capability to take any run the distance. Likewise, the Commanders have one of the worst rushing defense in the entire league. Saquon has run for 296 yards on 55 carries and 4 touchdowns in the two games he played against them this year. Can the Commanders stop him? Probably not… but my faith in the Commanders doesn’t have anything to do with defense.

Jayden Daniels, Future GOAT

Jayden Daniels is having one of the most spectacular seasons I’ve ever witnessed. He is the consensus best QB in the NFC. He has one of the most beautiful deep balls I’ve ever seen. He is second in the league in completed passes over 50 yards, second to Goff. And I did I forget to mention that he rushed for 900 yards. That’s good enough for the 9th best QB rushing season of all time. I’ll put it like this. In 2023, Lamar won MVP, throwing for 3,678 yards with a 67.2 completion percentage to go along with 24 TDs and 7 INTs and rushing for 820 yards and 5 TDs. Jayden Daniels this season threw for 3,568 on 69% (nice), 25 TDs and 9 INTs, while rushing for 891 yards and 6 TDs. Jayden Daniels is also a rookie. What this tells me is that if Most Valuable Player means what it says, the winner is Jayden Daniels.

Greatest Single Season Turnaround of All Time???

If stats aren’t what you care about, let’s look at something else. When looking at single season turnarounds, the Commanders are a bit special. They went from 4-13 to 12-5 (14-5), and are in the NFC Championship. There are only a few teams in history who have gotten close to this kind of turnaround. The 1998 St. Louis Rams went 4-12. The next year birthed the Greatest Show on Turf; Kurt Warner who didn’t play in 1998 would win MVP, Isaac Bruce came back from injury as he missed 11 games in 1998, the Rams traded for Marshall Faulk who won OPOY and broke the record for receiving yards by a running back, and they drafted Torry Holt. What did the Commanders do to improve? They drafted Mike Sainristill and Johnny Newton, and upgraded their linebackers with Bobby Wagner and Frankie Luvu. They also traded for Marshon Lattimore during the season (I love you Marshon Lattimore). That is really it. These guys have made the team better than they were last year, sure, but are they making the NFC Championship with Jared Goff, Baker Mayfield… I don’t think so. The catalyst for the turnaround was solely the play of Jayden Daniels.

Okay so like what does any of this even mean?

All of this means that Jayden Daniels is in rare company. I would say he’s in a league of his own when it comes to his situation and his play. No one has ever done what he was done… The Commanders O/U win total before the season was 6.5. The point is that NOBODY believed except for maybe some wishful Commander fans. I didn’t believe. I thought the Commanders would win more games than they did last year, but NFC Championship? Get outta here. They have shocked the world by making the playoffs, going on the road and beating the Bucs, going on the road and beating the best team I’ve seen in my life, and they’re going to shock the world when they beat the Eagles.

What does it mean to be motivated?

A lot of people said I would never do it / That’s what scares me, cause you fear what you can’t see / That’s motivation for life – Lil B the Based God

Really, motivation is just wanting something bad enough to do something about it. A lot of times this can be fueled by some stronger emotion like love or hate. It’s a lot of things.

Stories of Motivation

About ten years ago I went bowling with my family. And I told my stepdad that I think my uncle was going to beat him. My stepdad then bowled the best game of his life all the way until today. I don’t really remember this but he does, and he tells me the story anytime I doubt him. I sometimes wonder what made him turn it up. I don’t believe in coincidences. He didn’t just happen to bowl the best game of his life. And the fact that he still brings it up to this day means there’s something deeper. I don’t really know. He was motivated by me, fueled by jealousy or maybe he just wanted me to be on his side. I think that’s something he struggles with as my stepfather, and it’s not fair to him really.

The other day I was playing pickleball with my friends and I was playing against one of my friends. He was beating me 10-1. I knew I was going to win. I even told him that I was going to win. And I meant it. I wanted nothing more than to win this pickleball game. He always beats me. I never beat him in pickleball. But I just believed in myself. And I ended up coming back and winning. He wasn’t talking shit to me really, and nobody was against me. It was just me. I was motivated by my own failures to beat him. This made me question if there is a real phenomena that is “locking in”. Did I lock in? Did my stepdad?

I believe in locking in. I think it’s real. In the Olympic gold medal game for basketball, Steph Curry made 4/4 three pointers at the end of the fourth quarter. And it’s not like it was garbage time; it was a close game before Curry went on his tear. I definitely feel like that was more than basketball. I don’t know. I think Steph just wanted to prove that he is the best shooter of all time and always will be. Obviously two time MVP (first unanimous), four time champion, consensus greatest shooter of all time Steph Curry has nothing to prove, but who knows maybe he felt like he did.

The End

It’s crazy how motivation works. It’s the one thing that actually get people to go and do something. I don’t know I feel like I have a weird relationship with it. It’s like I’m so motivated all the time to do a ton of cool stuff but I’m so lazy that I don’t feel like it. New year new me, am I right?🤣

The Big 25

Why is it almost 2025?

Well there is a ton I have to say about 2024 so..

The Big 24

A lot happened in 2024. I started college. That is kind of it.

Music in the Big 24

There was so much good music that dropped this year. Unfortunately, I just didn’t listen to a lot of it so…

My top album of 2024 was Time After Time by Jay Worthy and MadeinTYO.

There’s so much to love about this album. I love that it’s only 24 minutes long. I hate long music; it’s like I don’t want to sit and listen to 22 songs over an hour. 10 songs, 24 minutes is perfect. Actually one of my favorite songs is the longest on the album; Outro is a 3 minute instrumental with no rapping or singing or anything. I just think this album was made with love. It has some of the best production I’ve ever heard and TYO and Jay Worthy have a kind of chemistry that works really well. Hope these guys work together again!!

Westside Gunn dropped two projects back to back, 11 and Still Praying. 11 is only 4 songs long, but all of the songs were magnificent, while Still Praying had a few songs I didn’t care for too much. Still when Westside Gunn hits, he hits hard, and he definitely delivers on these two projects.

Another incredible album is The Genuine Articulate by The Alchemist.

I didn’t even know The Alchemist rapped before this. Like Time After Time, The Genuine Articulate is only 23 minutes long and has only 8 songs. And the production is amazing, I mean The Alchemist is probably the best producer in the space right now, but something about hearing him rap and produce just adds a whole new level of talent to it. Same thing goes for Time After Time.

Honorable mention to the Denzel Curry album I didn’t listen to.

2025 is mine

So I have started to understand that I really have to start doing something with my life. I’m trying to manifest success by saying 2025 is mine. It’s like if I keep saying it, then I will start doing things to make it true as a joke first, but then it will become habit. I’m tricking myself into not being lazy by making it a joke. How wonderful.

I guess there isn’t a lot I have to say about 2024. thanks for reading

Odell Me!

Odell Beckham is a name that new NFL fans might not know. I really think he could have be THE best receiver of this generation, better than Mike Evans, or Deandre Hopkins, and even better than Julio Jones. Odell was the guy.

The Catch

On November 23, 2014 the whole idea behind what it means to catch a football changed. The game was Cowboys vs. Giants, in a game that was mighty important for the Cowboys considering they were tied with the Eagles for the top of the NFC East. The game was also on Prime Time so if you were watching football, you were watching this game. Odell was a rookie, and his breakout was coming. After missing the first four weeks of the season, OBJ would get off to a slow start. Up until the game against the Cowboys, he had 31 receptions for 463 yards and 3 touchdowns through six games which averages out to about 5 for 77 and a touchdown every other game. Then the catch happened.

If you have never seen this play, please please go watch it, I even did all the hard work and linked it. The Catch

The Cowboys would go on to win this game, although they would eventually fall to the Packers in the playoff after Dez Caught It. Cowboys fans in 2014 had it rough. In the final six weeks of the season, including this game, OBJ caught 60 passes for 842 yards and 9 touchdowns averaging 10 for 140 and a touchdown and a half per game. I don’t know if I’ve ever seen a breakout like this. I don’t know if it’s fair to say that this catch caused all this but I don’t believe in coincidences. OBJ would go on to win Offensive Rookie of the Year and be named to the Pro Bowl, although his per game stats were levels higher than those around him. The next two years he was just as good, receiving AP second team honors both years, being ousted by the likes of prime Antonio Brown, Julio Jones, and our friend Dez Bryant. In 2017, OBJ would miss most of the season with a ankle fracture, and he would never be the same.

A lot of people only know Odell for this catch. Football guys might remember his catch against the Redskins or the Josh Norman battle. But Odell did more for football than just his performances.

The Culture Shift

I was nine years old when Odell caught that ball. I remember saying “Odell me” as a way to get the ball thrown up high above my head so I could attempt to “Odell” the ball. Odell became more than just a football player; he was the one hand catch guy. As little kids, we started trying to catch it with one hand. It’s like Odell validated that as an option. One handed catches really became a thing. Today, it’s almost expected for the best receivers to make one handed catches. In my own little reality, I would like to imagine that OBJ was the catalyst for the wide receiver revolution. Obviously there were great wide receivers in the past: Jerry Rice, Randy Moss, Torry Holt, etc. But to me, OBJ was the first to catch the ball in a cool way. Spectacular catches have blown up in the league since OBJ and it’s even supported by the league. In 2015, NFL posted Top 10 Catches of 2015 on their YouTube channel, with Odell as the thumbnail. Such video didn’t exist in 2014. In 2016, they expanded to top 50 catches of the year, Odell returning as the thumbnail. Finally, in 2017, with Odell on the thumbnail once again, NFL uploaded the top 100. The league hasn’t looked back since.

The End of the Odell Era

OBJ was recently waived by the Dolphins. Last year, he played a minor role with the Ravens, and missed all of 2022 after tearing his ACL in the Super Bowl with the Rams (where he SCORED A TOUCHDOWN RAHHHHH). I really hate to see it. His prime was so short… The thought of what could have been always sucks to think about, but by looking at what was, it’s safe to say that Odell Beckham Jr. will always be a legend.

Why does sex sell and how do we fix it?

This is a screenshot from my YouTube feed.

I was intrigued by the fact that the thumbnail of this YouTube short had the word sex in it. I mean, it’s only a HIMYM clip and it has over 4 million views. But it got me thinking about why the word sex is in the thumbnail.

Sex and Drugs

These two things own the world. Sex and drugs are the two things that people willingly do knowing the potential longterm effects of their actions. I know plenty of people who had children in high school because, clearly, the allure of having sex is more powerful than the thought of being a parent. Now is this all the way true, of course not. No one thinks it’s going to happen to them. In the same way, drugs are an ever growing epidemic. I asked my sister who’s in third grade if she has ever heard of Terrance the RAT (Reject All Tobacco) and she said no. I know people whose lives have been ruined because of drugs. Some people just can’t say no.

It doesn’t help that these two subjects are often glorified in pop culture; music, movies. If you want to be cool, you have to have as much sex as possible and do as many drugs as possible.

So what are we supposed to do about it?

Well, I don’t think there is much TO do. I mean, in a capitalistic economy, whatever makes the most money will reign supreme. It’s just kind of gross. Especially because a lot of people that clicked on that video are probably kids. Who else is watching a YouTube short about HIMYM? The solution has to do with the kids. I don’t know, the internet is a crazy place. It also has a lot to do with the post-COVID content boom. When COVID hit, everyone was on social media, which means it was easier to be a content creator, therefore leading to content over-saturation. THEY ARE ALL ATTENTION MERCHANTING. That is a term I learned in my Jour 101 class. Where did the ethics go?

That wasn’t a solution.

I don’t have a solution. But I think something needs to happen. It’s like a dopamine boost when you think of sex; is this just a human problem? Humans will always want what they want. And I believe that is okay. You can’t control your wants.

“No matter what it was or is or will become, you always want the things that you want.” – Mach-Hommy

What Makes A Movie Good?

“It was not my intention to do this in front of you. For that I’m sorry. But you can take my word for it, your mother had it coming. When you grow up, if you still feel raw about it, I’ll be waiting.”

There is a lot that goes into making a movie. Actors, directors, writers, lighting, audio, composers; there are just a few jobs on a movie set. Let’s be real, a great movie can have bad acting in the same sense that a bad movie can have incredible writing. So what makes a good movie, good?

The Actors

For me, a movie really stands out when I haven’t seen anything like it. I also have not seen very many movies so nearly every new movie I watch becomes an instant classic. As of right now my favorite movie is probably Nightcrawler with Jake Gyllenhaal, and the biggest reason I love it so much is because of Gyllenhaal’s performance. His character, Lou Bloom, is one of my favorite characters in all of fiction, and I believe Gyllenhaal played him perfectly. When I see Jake Gyllenhaal in this movie, I don’t see Donnie Darko or that guy he played in that Spiderman movie for some reason or Jack Twist; I see Lou Bloom, a true sociopath. It’s a scary

The Director

Two of my favorite directors are Wes Anderson and Quentin Tarantino. Anderson’s movies are highlighted by their whimsical flair. Fantastic Mr. Fox is all about being whimsical, but at the same time, it tells an extremely moving story about a husband and his inability to disregard his natural instinct. Tarantino’s movies are also quite whimsical. His movies bring a certain level of absurdism to real life events, like the murder of Sharon Tate or WWII. What these two directors have in common is how different they are. If you’re watching a Wes Anderson film, there is no doubt you’re watching a Wes Anderson film. Same with Tarantino, although you can usually figure out it’s a Tarantino movie because he will show up in the movie at some point (probably saying the N word, too!)

The Story

One of my favorite movies ever is called Cha Cha Real Smooth. It follows a young man (23?) who doesn’t have any direction in life before he meets an older woman with an autistic daughter. It’s a romantic drama, but it is simultaneously a narrative on the young man, Andrew. Andrew is played by Cooper Raiff who, according to Wikipedia, is the sole director and writer of this movie. On top of that, it’s only his second movie, and he delivered a great performance (nothing like Dakota Johnson’s performance tho). I love this movie because it tells a real story (not a true story) about naivety and love, and most of all, compassion. There’s not many movies that make you feel as much as this one.

The End

Well these are my three key ingredients to making a good movie. A good movie doesn’t have to have all three, or even one of these to be honest. Does Good Burger have any of these?? I mean, Kel is the whole movie if we’re being honest. At the end of the day, it’s night…