NEWSLETTER
In college, I once made chocolate-covered strawberries to help a roommate impress a girl he was trying to woo on Valentine’s Day. Why I didn’t do that for myself at the time is neither here nor there. The point is that I want to help you make chocolate-covered strawberries without breaking the bank.
You need one 16-ounce package of strawberries and one Baker’s baking chocolate bar. The instructions that follow are simple enough. First, rinse and dry the strawberries. Next, please make sure they are dry. Otherwise, this isn’t going to work. Now that we’re certain the strawberries are dry, melt the chocolate by following the directions on the package. When you’re done, dip the strawberries into the chocolate, place on a pan covered in wax-paper, and set in the fridge for 45 minutes.
It’s easy, inexpensive, and something you can make for someone else — or yourself. You probably deserve it.
• Happy Trevor Lawrence Pro Day! Plenty of eyes on the presumptive No. 1 pick in the 2021 NFL Draft. Although, there’s one missing:
A total of 31 guys in attendance at Clemson from 17 NFL teams: 49ers (2), Broncos, Chargers(2), Dolphins, Eagles, Falcons (4), Giants (2), Jaguars (3), Jets (3), Lions (2), Panthers (3), Patriots (2), Raiders, Saints, Steelers, Texans, Titans.
Happy Trevor Lawrence Day!
— Albert Breer (@AlbertBreer) February 12, 2021
• The Bears sent the cavalry to see Deshaun Watson’s pro day, only to pass on him on draft day. So the only conclusion to be made here is that not seeing Chicago among the representatives means that they’re drafting Trevor Lawrence in April. Boom. Done. Case closed. Your quarterback search has been solved, and we didn’t even have to call up Sherlock Holmes.
• All jokes aside, I’m a little bothered about not seeing the Bears on this list. There’s something valuable in doing your due diligence on everyone. For crying out loud, this is the same front office that tried to meet with Baker Mayfield at the Combine in 2018. And it’s the same group that met with Lamar Jackson that same weekend. All while they were ready to ride with second-year signal caller Mitchell Trubisky. On the surface, this feels short-sighted to me.
• ICYMI: The Houston Texans are parting ways with a star player, but it’s not the one you think.
• Adding to a list of departures that shows how dysfunctional that franchise is right now:
Departures from Houston since Jack Easterby was hired in April 2019:
– GM Brian Gaine
– WR DeAndre Hopkins
– HC Bill O’Brien
– Head of PR Amy Palcic
– President Jamey Rootes
– Team captain JJ WattEach move deserves individual evaluation… but just look at those job titles.
— Jeff Darlington (@JeffDarlington) February 12, 2021
• On January 12, 2020, the Texans had a 24-0 lead on the Chiefs in a playoff game. Nothing has gone right in the 397 days that have passed since. To be fair, they brought it upon themselves. All of it. The franchise gets no sympathy from me, and won’t get any from the NFL’s other 31 teams.
• I see the Bears’ Director of Recruiting is already on the case:
https://twitter.com/ceeflashpee84/status/1360251859122982928
• Also … I’m not giving the Texans the benefit of the doubt here. I will not tweak a muscle bending over backward to call this a classy move in doing right by a franchise icon’s request. Let’s be honest, it’s a money move:
J.J. Watt's request is being honored but not Deshaun Watson's because of the benefit to the Texans. $17.5M of salary cap room is gained from parting ways with Watt.
— Joel Corry (@corryjoel) February 12, 2021
• How jumbled is the quarterback market? PFT’s Mike Florio notes how few teams are truly locked into their current starting quarterback through the 2022 season. Those teams: Bengals (Joe Burrow), Bills (Josh Allen), Browns (Baker Mayfield), Bucs (Tom Brady), Cardinals (Kyler Murray), Chargers (Justin Herbert), Chiefs (Patrick Mahomes), Packers (Aaron Rodgers), Rams (Matthew Stafford), Ravens (Lamar Jackson), and Titans (Ryan Tannehill). I could add Seahawks (Russell Wilson) and Raiders (Derek Carr) to the list, but their current situations are unstable or uncertain at this time. And I suppose we could add Jaguars (Trevor Lawrence) to the bunch. But even still, more than half the league is in long-term limbo at the most important position in the sport. Blows my mind just thinking about it.
• Speaking of quarterbacks, teams picking 2-19 should definitely avoid drafting BYU QB Zach Wilson:
As @McShay13 noted on @GetUpESPN, BYU QB Zach Wilson was not a team captain. Players voted for eight captains for the 2020 season — four offense, four defense. Wilson was part of the “leadership council,” but not a captain. Red flag? #Jets
— Rich Cimini (@RichCimini) February 12, 2021
• Some honest perspective from Matthew Stafford:
“I never thought I would ever finish my career anywhere else.”
An excellent, exclusive interview with new #Rams QB Matthew Stafford from @MitchAlbom, who details the conversation in this column: https://t.co/YrxRo8QcEG
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) February 11, 2021
• Game recognize game:
Matt Stafford is a great quarterback. Cannon of an arm. Made a lot of big plays for that team. Sad to see him move on. Much respect💯
— akiem hicks (@The_Dream99) February 11, 2021
• There isn’t a quarterback in football who wouldn’t want to throw to this guy:
Allen Robinson in red zone last 2 seasons
💰 10 TDs
💰 0 drops pic.twitter.com/ZZtbI3Cltg— PFF Fantasy & Betting (@PFF_Fantasy) February 12, 2021
• Should the Bears be unable to come to terms with Robinson, it’s reassuring to know how deep this receiver pool is:
No position offers more intriguing names of scheduled FA this offseason than WR, including:
▫️Chris Godwin
▫️Allen Robinson
▫️Kenny Golladay
▫️Will Fuller V
▫️JuJu Smith-Schuster
▫️Corey Davis
▫️Marvin Jones
▫️Curtis Samuel
▫️Nelson Agholor
▫️Sammy Watkins
▫️TY Hilton
▫️AJ Green— Field Yates (@FieldYates) February 12, 2021
• Jay Rodgers gets some new job titles in Los Angeles, where he’ll be joined by some other old friends:
The Chargers announced their coaching staff and Jay Rodgers is their run game coordinator/outside linebackers coach.
Former Bears TE coach Frank Smith is Brandon Staley’s run game coordinator/O-line coach and former Bears LB John Timu is the Alex G. Spanos Coaching Fellow.
— Kevin Fishbain (@kfishbain) February 11, 2021
• I’d like to hear the Jaguars’ justification in making such a move:
Chris Doyle’s workouts put 13 Iowa players in the hospital. He wasn’t fired. He got an award & became CFB’s highest-paid strength coach.
Doyle was accused of racial bias by multiple Black players. He got a $1.1 million separation package & only took 8 months to find a new job. https://t.co/vritP8sAQg— Rodger Sherman (@rodger) February 11, 2021
