I slightly changed the lyrics to “Friday, I’m in love” by The Cure!
I don’t care if it’s Monday’s blue
Tuesday’s gray and Wednesday too
Thursday I don’t care about you
It’s Sunday Malik, I’m thrilled
Monday you can be broken
Tuesday, Wednesday, broke my heart
Thursday hasn’t started yet
It’s Sunday Malik, I’m thrilled
From the 1992 album “Wish”
I hope someone else hasn’t already said this and I apologize to those who have but I dig home uniforms on the road! I avoided walking under stairs and spilling salt. I am now compelled to beg you all to watch the old comedy “Used Cars” starring Kurt Russell in which the other main character is basically superstition. It’s great!
My thoughts on Malik’s performance against the NY Jets.
To quote Christopher Walken playing the Continental “Wowwie wow wow! It needs……wait for it….Champaign!” ok, the picture isn’t from the Continental but I love Walken, so there you go.
This is the great Malik, the one we Phins fans have been waiting for. I humbly refer you all to my last column “How to solve a problem like Malik?” Now because I know Jeff Hafley and Malik Willis read my column (ha) because Malik takes SOME of my advice to heart and mind.
DIGRESSION BEFORE PROCESSION
Before I start my hero worship of Malik’s techniques (rhymes!), I should note: the last hit on Malik was a cowardly hit, but if that was Tua on the receiving end, he would have died. Malik could secretly be Luke Cage (check it out – one of my favorite Marvel characters). He was slightly shocked by that blow. The badass kung fu master! I was shocked at how tough he was and how he was able to pull off that dirty smack. He looked like a 5-year-old child had hit him. So zen!!! That “shock absorption” is worth millions to this organization and for that alone Sullivan gets a lot of credit. That said, because I love Malik, I need him to live and thrive. Malik, make it the one and only Malik! Don’t take the big hits other mobile QBs get e.g. Francis Jean Tarkenton, Randall Cunningham, Lamar Jackson, Archie Manning, Michael Vick. All those dudes took big hits in their upper body and lower body. I see the scramble for QBs as analogous to riding motorcycles on city streets. Sooner or later if you grapple too much, you’re going to experience a lot of kinetic energy from yourself AND the person hitting you (meaning double the kinetic energy), meaning they’re going to get hurt with a lot of potential for short-term and long-term damage. Don’t forget that hits are CUMULATIVE. that said, Malik blowing up Minkah on the pylon is LEGENDARY!
OBSESSION WITH PROCESSION
There are things we know happen on earth that we can measure but cannot control:
There are things we know are happening with Malik that we can measure AND he can control
There were throws on the first drive and others against the Jets where Malik threw it perfectly. PERFECT! His weight was forward and the football went where it was aimed. As I said in my previous column. In football, your feet are just as important as your hands. Question any offensive tackle. The entire “west coast” offense is based on the position of the QB’s feet. The QB reads “deep, then intermediate, then short (check down)” with his feet rotating and dictating where he throws the ball. If his feet are at 45 degrees, he usually throws to the TE or WR but on possession routes. I watched Joey Harrington (remember him?) give a great demo of the West Coast offense the other day. Back to good Malik, he was making FAST throws on that first drive. It was very similar (as I mentioned in my last column) to the preseason game where Malik and I matriculated on the field. Just a thing of beauty!
Where I got nervous, was on the first drive, when Malik held it for an extra beat and hit Dulcich for a big seam completion. But I’m sure you noticed, that he was in rhythm. One, two, three—throw!!!! All simple but proven methods work.
I also can’t walk without talking about the o-line and TE work. They did things but more importantly, they fit into the rhythm of the offense. Destroying defensive lines in 1970s Dolphins mode is glorious, but that’s not necessary if things are in rhythm. And the entire offense is “on-time and on-target.” Dang that’s almost impossible to stop. This is a pattern I would like to see. It is something that must be built. We may have won ourselves away from Jeremiah Smith but we already know Malik CAN do it. Let’s have some positive karma his way!