I Miss Football
We’ve hit that point in the offseason where every fan space is just randomly posting highlights and hype reels. The only news to chew on is players getting arrested, which isn’t all that fun to make comics about. We’ve got most of a month before OTAs begin and maybe a few stars can tear ACLs or something for content. This is the worst time of the year if Football is your favorite sport. The World Cup scratches a different itch. Basketball and Hockey are done. Baseball still isn’t that interesting yet. Smaller sports like tennis, golf, racing, etc, can fill the gap but not always satisfy if you aren’t committed to them. In my personal space, cycling, the events always take place early in the morning since I’m on PST so the races are over by 8:30am.
Send me your requests for Lateral comics and topics so we can get through this together.
I have the opportunity to make the first post and I’m squandering by saying that you are actually in PDT.
I am so sorry.
You mentioned Gus Frerotte’s concussion a few comics ago, did you ever do a Lateral for that?
Also it would be nice if the Lateral comics had a tag so they’re easier to find.
Wondering if there’s a way to tie-in RG3’s forced playoff performance against the Seahawks in 2012 – Mike Shanahan on the sidelines twirling his moustache, FedEx field turf monster and a spot at “Injured Reserve” waiting.
Not sure if it’s funny or just a sad reflection on how the NFL chews up and spits out talent.
Lateral Ideas
-Bills comeback in 92,
-Neil O’Donnell switching teams in teh middle of super bowl XXX,
-Brady juking Urlacher, the 85 bears losing to Miami at the orange bowl.
-A car crash comic about those 85 Marino dolphins (84 vs San fran or 85 vs the Pats could work (Oh god a team than can run the ball)
– Pete Roselle’s secretary randomly picking the post merger division alignments out of a hat and landing on the only one that sent Dallas to the east
– The OG hail mary in 75 between Dallas & Minnesota (Pearson pushed off)
– A Car crash comic about the Bud Grant Vikings like the one you did on Buffalo.
I knew I had a problem last week, when I was watching a 30 minute fishing video because the fisherman took michael pittman jr. out onto the river.
Allez Roses!
I have to give the league credit for how they’ve made it as close to a year round cycle as possible. Training camp in July leads into preseason in August which leads into the regular season and playoffs September into February. There’s the coaching carousel and then the combine and it’s only a few weeks before free agency opens. Then it’s a month of crunching film and mock drafts and then prospect reports and that takes you into May. That’s close to 10 months of coverage.
But boy does it make this stretch crawl
…how certain are we that you have a comic ready about “the wedding”?
Random story that could be turned into a Lateral:
In Bill Cowher’s first ever game as Head Coach, he’s yelling at his O-Line coach on the phone as the ST Coordinator tries to get a thumbs up for him. Cowher gives him the thumbs up, thinking it’s a punt. Right before the play starts, he realizes what’s going on and tries to audible at the last second. The fake punt happens and end up being the catalyst to a comeback win against the Oilers
You should absolutely do a comic about Gus Johnson
Do you have a lateral on the 2009 NFC Championship game?
Could you do a lateral on the Heidi Game between the Jets and Raiders?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heidi_Game
Oh, that would be an amazing comic.
Or a Truck Crash comic
“OH NO IT’S A MADE-FOR-TV FAMILY DRAMA SPECIAL!!!”
The Soap Operas
I think to qualify as one there has to be significant drama on and off the field. This might need research
The Bickering Bills
1989 Bills
Houston ‘93
1993 Oilers
Both the NFL Network & UTree covered this
speaking of UTree…
DAYS OF OUR STEELERS
2018 Steelers
Even Wikipedia references Tree’s work. He now belongs to the ages
The Autumn Shroud: The Chaos of the 2021 Las Vegas Raiders
2021 Raiders
Houston ‘93’s spiritual successor
shit… didn’t mean to post this in this thread, I suck at this
World Cup is great for seeing good football at Metlife.
I think it could be kinda cool to see a lateral for either the Nike jersey designers but reframed for some older jerseys or perhaps a retro Injured Reserve thing. I would love to see what you could do within the parameters of one of your recurring series but give it a bit of a spin to reflect the era it occurred in.
I would like to request a Buffalo All Americans / Curse of McKinley comic if it hasn’t been done yet
The Fog Bowl. 12/31/88 Eagles at Bears. A fog rolled in off Lake Michigan and cut visibility down to fewer than 20 yards in the 2nd quarter and never relented. The images are amazing!
He already did that one: https://www.thedrawplay.com/comic/the-fog-bowl/
World Cup and the new bloods like USA, Norway and Morocco (kind of) on the rise while the classic powers like Italy, Germany, Netherlands and Brazil sit home.
“USA on the rise” did not age well
I’m just glad they won a elimination game. If only they had won one more, the team would have outlasted that Youtube star Ronaldo.
A few years ago you did a tier list of which teams you rooted for. A lot has changed since then (the Browns were near the top) so an updated version could be fun.
It’s February 2012 following the New England Patriots’ loss to the New York “Football” Giants in Super Bowl XLVI and the immortal Tom Brady sits hunched, head hanging low with his legs straight out in a V-shape “Bradying”. We all assume he is trying to cope with a very public and historic failure but instead of aiming his thoughts to the betterment of his craft so he never suffers this humiliating kind of defeat ever again…he’s think of childish schoolyard pranks to play on Eli but even in his own mind, Eli turns it around and comes out on top!
Amused at the anime reference buried in all those football headlines.
Need the Clock Play from 1994. Which morphs into a bad dream for Aaron Glenn before he gets pwned by Miami again as a coach.
Wake and Suh snapping Bryce Petty in half.
The death of the original USFL. If only it had been a warning sign.
Every Dolphin who’s gone elsewhere coming back to bite us on the ass.
Hey Dave, how about telling us how you got into football? Or like, why you followed the Giants?
There’s no special story there, tbh. I had Giants fan parents so I kinda just inherited it and a love of football since pretty much forever.
I believe that constitutes child abuse nowadays
Not during the 1990s aside from Dave Brown as a QB.
*shudder*
When guys like Graham and Kannell were upgrades…
Bills-Patriots “just give it to them” game. Bills lost on a last second td and protested a blown call by not guarding the extra point
Adam Vinatiari walked in the PAT for 2, unimpeded. One of the craziest endings to a game I’ve ever seen. https://www.democratandchronicle.com/story/sports/football/nfl/bills/2020/05/29/give-him-it-to-him-game-shawn-jefferson-new-england-patriots-buffalo-bills-nfl/5230299002/
Lateral suggestions
1) The NFL has their version of the Disgrace of Gijón
In 2007, the Browns went 10-6 but missed the playoffs. Had there been the #7 seed, they get in
Why? Well, they tied with the Steelers but went 0-2 against them. And the Titans got in because of a 4-1 common games record vs the Browns 3-2
TN-IND was flexed into the SNF spot for the last week of the season. TN needed to win in order to get in
IND… had every thing they needed locked up. They were the #2 seed at 13-3, 3 games behind the at the time Perfect Patriots
so the Colts pretty much waved the flag and gifted a division rival the last playoff ticket
2)Steelers face the Jaguars in the playoffs crashout (2007, 2017). UTree has some thoughts about that 2017 loss
3)Power absorption
The Browns lost 3/4 AFC Title Games in the 1980s to the Broncos. Then the Broncos, absorbed by the Browns powers, proceded to get their asses kicked by the NFC Juggernaut in 3 of 4 Super Bowls
During the Brady-Bellichick Era, the Steelers went to 3 Super Bowls winning 2 of them. In each of those playoffs, the Steelers did not face the Patriots. 3 AFC Champion Games and each time the Steelers lost to the WHATDYAFUCKINKNOW, THE NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS!!!!! Absorbed by mighty Yinzer Powers, the Patriots went on to win each of those Super Bowls
In the same era, the Patriots faced the Jaguars 3 times, with the mighty powers of doo-val at their side
2005: Patriots beat the Jaguars in the Wild Card, lose at Denver the next week
2007: Patriots beat the Jaguars in the Divisional, 18-1
2017: Patriots beat the Jaguars in the AFC Champ, BIG. DICK. NICK!
4)I think a fall off the Cowboys in the 1980s would be interesting. Folks like to point to the Bears beating the Cowboys 44-0 was the start of the decline. No, it started in Super Bowl XIII with Jackie Smith’s drop, go from there until Jerry buys the team for $140m
5)Another Cowboys centered one, and this comes from “Boys Will Be Boys”. At the start of the season, Jimmy Johnson said that they would win the Super Bowl. So, Jimmy says that in
1989: locker room laughs except for Troy, Irvin, Moose, Ken Norton Jr because they believe Jimmy (1-15)
1990: fewer laughs, and now Emmitt and Novacek has joined them who are silent (7-9, rebound after 3-7 start to pull even, but drop last two games)
1991: even fewer laughs, and now Alvin Harper joins them who are silent (11-5, W at CHI in Wild Card for first playoff win in 9 years)
1992: no laughs, and now Darren Woodson and Charles Haley are there (Super Bowl champs)
6)Charles Haley crashouts, source “Boys Will Be Boys”
Haley was sent from San Francisco to the Cowboys. Folks point out as this is what put the Cowboys back over the top. I’d argue that it was not and Jimmy had drafted and scouted well since becoming the head coach in 1989. So, why did the 49ers sent Haley to the team that was seriously on the rise
RR to 1991: The breaking point for the 49ers was them losing at the Raiders in Los Angels. Ronnie Lott – a Raider – is asked to come into the 49ers locker room to calm down Haley who is a)on a trainer’s table, b)the medical staff is trying to adminster him an IV, c)he is calling Steve Young all sorts of names and wanting to fight him, d)doing the same to head George Siefert, and e)throwing things and the IV line popped out, squirting blood everywhere
Likely the 49ers thought that the trade would backfire on the Cowboys. Instead it boomeranged on the 49ers and they lost in the 1992 NFC Champ and the Cowboys go on to beat the Bills in SB27
7)Marcus Allen’s SB18 run, go find the NFL Film’s narration
8)Michael Irvin’s 1996
Jan: Wins SB30
March: celebrates his 30th birthday with coke, hos, and the most dangerous item of all… SEX TOYS (look up Texas’s hang with sex toys)
March: he shows up to his court date wearing a full fur coat (it became a symbol of the Cowboys 90s arrogance). The judge (again, this is in Dallas, TX) was not pleased. Case was proceeding to trial where he was facing real serious jail time
Summer: there was murder for hire plot against Irvin. One of the local stations (it was either KXAS5 or WFAA8 obatined video of an cop wanting to hire someone
Summer: Irvin pled no contest to the charges, received probation. Troy Aikman showed up at every day at the trial. When asked, Aikman said, “He’d do the same for me.”
1996 season: Irvin is suspended for the first 5 games. The Cowboys start the season 2-3 but Irvin returns and they win 8 of the next 11 to win the NFC East and NFC-3
1996 Playoffs: Crush the Vikings at home in the playoffs. Ok, maybe the Cowboys are getting their shit in order. All they have to is go to Charlotte and beat the Panthers
1996 NFC Div at CAR: Irvin and Erik Williams are accused of sexual assualt, but the accusser fabricated the enter story. In the game, Irvin shatters his collarbone. Troy Aikman is chucking passes at a bunch of scrubs yelling at them that Irvin would’ve caught them and that was the problem. Yeah, go watch that game, like literally Aikman is playing like a beleaguered field commander firing every thing to try to will his team to some kind of victory but alas as final charge by the opposition ends it all
9)Have you covered how Fox got the NFL? For those of us of a certain age, the NFL going to Fox was a BFD. Use The Ringer’s recount of events. Maybe turn it into a week long series to pass the time before football comes back
10)Another week long series: The Draw Play’s does what UTree do with his Legacy of Failure. Recently dropped one for the Vancouver Canucks. The requirement is it has to be at least 50 years since the last title so here are the teams that meet the requirements
And you don’t have to cover every season, just key moments where it’s adding to the suffering (bad drafts, long stretches of losing seasons, division rivals achieving succeess, terrible coaching hires, crushing playoff defeats, hot starts that turn into a tail spin, etc)
11)The NFC’s winning streak in the Super Bowl starting with SB19 through SB31. And it is bookended by an AFC West team (Raiders, Broncos) and the Super Bowl MVP is a Hall of Fame running back (Marcus Allen, Terrell Davis)
12)Feb 1994, a re-enactment of how Jimmy and Jerry splt (“Boys Will Be Boys”). The inflection point on why the Cowboys haven’t seen much success since then
how about a storyline where Tom Brady, driven mad by retirement, decides to have someone invent a Time Machine to let him go back and steal glory from other players from other eras.
Aura died because she watched a Jets game. To be fair, anyone would if they watched a Jets game.
For the lateral idea, Joe Namath making a deal with the devil to win SB III.
The Giants “Wilderness Era” has tons of idea to choose, not to mention the time Harry Carson consider retiring in his prime to join the air force because of how bad the Giants were.
George Young choosing Zimmerman (who didn’t want to join) over Reggie White (who wanted to join). Granted the fact that Zimmerman helped the Broncos line overcome Reggie White over a decade later in the SB can make you wonder if GY was onto something. In all seriousness, we should have gotten White and LT in the same defense, probably could have won the Giants one more title.
Gastineau struggling to control himself when the infamous Favre sack happened. Then a flash forward where he watches the guy who got the sack wins a SB ring years later.
Jets draft blunders (many to choose from)
AU where the Jets drafts Marino and ruins him. Ken O’Brien became a ringless GOAT QB candidate with the Dolphins instead.
Eli’s infamous Vikings game in 2007 that made a lot of Giants fans giving up on him.
Fans thinking Strahan will stay mid for his entire career after the second half of his 1996 season where he disappeared. (Thanks usenet posts)
Carter High incident where Jessie Armstead’s teammates were robbing stores. Armstead is glad he dodged the bullet there.
Peyton Manning falling short of college national title and his team won a year after he went pro. Also Woodson wins the Heisman over him.
A deleted scene of the movie “There’s Something About Mary” where Mary reveals the true reason she didn’t want to be with Brett Favre. Related to his dick pics incident.
Steelers screwing themselves out of Unitas and Dawson.
Bobby Layne placing a curse on the Lions for trading him.
Karras punching a horse.
1991 Redskins thinking they will start a dynasty, only to learn that was their last dance.
Jim Fassell not challenging the refs call in the Giants/Redskins game in 2001 where Strahan’s sack was ruled as Banks’ incomplete pass. It didn’t seem like it would be a big deal at the time…
Raiders trading Gruden to Tampa Bay. It didn’t seem like it would be a big deal at the time…okay it was in a way.
True reason Kramer was snubbed from HOF for half a century? He ran over a sport writer’s dog.
Joe Greene learning to his horror that he’s being drafted by the Steelers.
Truth to be told, I had consider making some really dark suggestion and even typed in a few but…
Lets just say couple involves Erik Williams in 1994 and Korey Stringer in 2001.