NERDS AROUND TOWN
Nerds Around Town: Gronk, Disney and Marvel #1000
Aug 28, 2019, 6:09 am
ART BY JESUS RODRIGUEZ
Born with a comic book in one hand and a remote control in the other, Cory DLG is the talent of Conroe's very own Nerd Thug Radio and Sports. Check out the podcast replay of the FM radio show at www.nerdthugradio.com!
It's Wednesday and we're halfway there, who is staying focused?
GOOD DEED OF THE DAY
In honor of college kids going back to school, I want you to look on facebook find one of your teacher friends and click on their Amazon wishlist. They're all doing it this year, they all should be doing it this year except that education is the most important thing in the world for children and we as a society should care more to educate them, poor or rich, white, black or brown. We should be teaching them how to think and ask questions and let them make this world a better place since obviously we don't know how.
GRONK SPEAKS, GRONK CRIES
Yesterday some comments newly retired Gronk made at a CBD event have blown up. He talked about how after winning the Super Bowl he was lying in bed for four weeks with a massive quad injury that actually resulted in internal bleeding. He talked about how even though he was a champion he was miserable, and this is the reality of the NFL. These guys are destroying each other, week after week and game after game they are just wrecking their bodies for glory and gold. Andrew Luck wasn't the first player to retire and he won't be the last, I think you're going to see a couple guys every year who are leaving the league after the put a fair amount of money in their pocket simply because it isn't worth it. At some point, you have what most would call "enough" money and suddenly they find themselves asking questions like "is it worth it?" And it feels hard to believe for us but there is enough money in the world for some.
ANOTHER BIRTHDAY
Today Marvel #1000 comes out, it's a tribute to the 80 years of Marvel Comics. It covers every year since the beginning, touching on all the heroes and characters that made each year special. With tons of creators involved each of them working on a small story with characters they are tied to by their vast and wonderful careers. There is no end to the excitement for this issue, as it's kind of a big deal and it touches on tons of important moments and character deaths and introductions. There are lots of people in the know who are saying this is going to be one of the most important comic books of the year, so get pumped.
EVEN MORE DISNEY NEWS
Disney continues to try and blitzkrieg the streaming world, first with their D23 trailer releases and line up reveals and now they are opening up a pre-order opportunity for fans who were registered for the D23 website already. Disney+ if ordered alone is $7 a month, if you buy a yearly long package it averages out to about $5.50 a month and if you get the three year plan it actually averages out to less than $4 a month. At this point, they re basically just taking customers away from everyone else out of spite by essentially giving away three years of the service in a bid to launch with massive numbers. They also are talking about having future FX shows (one of the channels they came up with out of the Fox Purchase) debut first on Disney+ or Hulu (where they plan to feature their more adult content) before bringing them to the actual FX channel. Disney is not playing around.
NOT THAT YOU ASKED
It's looking like The Clowney era in Houston is about to come to an end and I'm sad about it. He had a slow start to his career but the last three years he's been one of the most dominant pass rushers in the NFL. I'm not sure how we can not block for Watson, not be able to run the ball and then decide that we also don't want to have a dominant defense. It seems like we're just deciding to be bad when our window is wide open for as long as Andrew Luck is retired.
Feel free to check out my brand new comic book Another Day at the Office or buy a shirt from Side Hustle Ts where some proceeds help people struggling with cancer or listen to Nerd Thug Radio. Thoughts, complaints, events and comments can be sent to corydlg@gmail.com.
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Coming off the bye week the Houston Texans received good news as both LB Christian Harris and LG Kenyon Green have been designated to return from injury.
The timing couldn't be better with Harris considering the loss of LB Azeez Al-Shaair, who was suspended for three games for his hit on Jaguars QB Trevor Lawrence.
Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans hasn't announced a return to game action for Harris or Green, the plan is to see how they progress over the course of the week before making any decisions.
When joining the Texans YouTube channel this week, Ryans described Green as a “player that can move people in the run game,” but also acknowledged his issues in pass protection that need to be cleaned up.
While Green was only on the field for three of the whopping 8 sacks on CJ Stroud the last time he started a game, it must be pointed out that he was atrocious that Thursday night against the Jets.
And that was following up a game against the Colts that got him benched for his struggles. If not for Jarrett Patterson suffering a concussion against Indy, Green shouldn't have been on the field versus New York.
That's why Ryans' comments about Green returning are so concerning. “If he's ready to get back out there, I think he can help us,” said the Texans head coach.
To be fair, it's not like the Texans have had much success with Juice Scruggs at guard and Patterson at center. But at least they haven't been a complete disaster in pass protection like they were with Green in the lineup. Green was getting beat quick or missing assignments that led to immediate pressures and big hits on Stroud.
Ground and pound?
There's a narrative out there that Green is the better option when it comes to run blocking. But no matter how you frame it, he was one of the worst, if not the worst, guard in the NFL according to ProFootballFocus before suffering the injury.
Somehow that's supposed to change after returning from a dislocated shoulder? I don't buy it. And considering the Texans' upcoming schedule, they're probably going to struggle with running the ball against the Ravens, Chiefs, and Titans, whether he plays or not.
Those teams are strong against the run, and the Texans would be wise to try to beat them with the passing game, considering the matchup.
Another narrative out there is that GM Nick Caserio wants to give Green every possible opportunity to succeed because he spent a 1st-round pick on Green, and passed up several Pro Bowl players in doing so.
For me, that argument falls a bit flat. Caserio used a 2nd-round pick on Scruggs, so he has a lot invested in both players. However, Scruggs isn't without criticism. He's been an obvious weakness at guard, though he did play much better against the Jaguars last week. It's the Jags, read into that what you will. But Caserio did admit recently that Scruggs is a better center than guard.
Perhaps the plan is to put Scruggs back at center with Green returning. But that could spell trouble as well. The communication issues on the o-line seem to have improved with Patterson at center.
At the end of the day, the number one job for the o-line has to be protecting Stroud, who has been the second-most sacked QB this season (41).
He's taken a sack in every game this year, and has been sacked four or more times in six of thirteen games. Four of those six games featured Green as the starting guard.
Up next
Houston will get their first test after the bye week as they host the 6–7 Dolphins, who still have something to play for. Despite the Texans' up and down season, they can clinch a playoff berth with a win over Miami, and a loss from the Colts.