Word of the Day
Multifarious (adj., MULL-tee-FARE-ee-yuss)
Having many parts. A simple definition for a word about multiple things.
Gif of the Day
CatsRemotesGlassesPure manifestations of evilDoes anyone really own a cat?I must break youCold-blooded actionsNot caring at all
Link of the Day
The Business of Protection
Discussed around the office yesterday, Spencer Hall's terrific article about offensive line coaches features the best opening you will ever read:
YYou should know this about offensive line coaches: they are large, demanding men with Falstaffian appetites, jutting jaws, and no governors on their speech engines. They eat titanic portions. They cram their lips full of dip in film study like they are loading a mortar. They drink bottled water like parched camels, and in their leisure time would consider a suitcase of beer to be a personal carry-on item for them, and them alone. They are terrifyingly disciplined in the moment, and nap like large breed dogs when allowed.
They can be vicious and exacting to the point of near-cruelty. One currently employed and well-regarded offensive line coach was so demanding of one player that finally, at the point where rage exceeded restraint, the player picked him up and shook him like a rag doll demanding to know: can I do anything right for you? Anything? The player had him pressed overhead and could have snapped him like a twig. The coach considered it a success: the player now cared, and was properly motivated.
They are deeply profane, blunt, and intolerant of pain. More perversely, they are often beloved for exactly these things.
They are also creatures of fear. At every step, an offensive line coach has to be concerned with threats. The left tackle must hold his own against a defensive end, or the quarterback is broken in half in an instant. Read an inside shade the wrong way, and risk letting a 300 pound man bellyflop onto your 180 pound running back. During the 2013 Outback Bowl, Michigan made one crucial missed call on a run blocking assignment between the tight end and left tackle. Vincent Smith's helmet is still in orbit somewhere over Tampa.
Goodness, what beautifully vivid writing. Go read the whole thing.
ArtWritingCollege footballSpencer HallLarge breed dogsLoading a mortarFalstaff!