Fascinating times in Drake's backyard.
The Canadian hip-hop star recently opened the doors of his palatial California estate to Giants wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr., a young man in need of a place to crash despite his millionaire status. Celebrities living together feels like a buzzy trend. It's like a secret Illuminati move the rest of us can't understand.
"That's my guy right there," Beckham told UFC star Ronda Rousey (why not) last week. "Somebody whose mindset is the same as yours, and they want nothing but success, they want to be the best. We just click on a level like that."
The private conversations between those two must be just completely bonkers. Anyway, while Drake slaves away on his new album somewhere on the compound, Beckham is hanging out in the backyard doing the types of things ODB does when not trying to catch touchdowns/decapitate Josh Norman.
In other backyard Drake happenings, there was a celebrity photoshoot for Stevan Ridley's new line of sweatsuits. I feel like I exist on a different planet.
I assume Gronk lives in the grotto. That's that cave area behind the statues of the naked women in Drake's heated pool.
A deeply natural pose from Danny Amendola.
"(Drake) needs to chill out with that house that he's got out there, there's just too much going on," Beckham said.
Illuminati Narnia.
Welcome to the Around The NFL End Around, a semi-weekly look back at the world of the National Football League. Dan Hanzus serves as your guide.
Fish & Les Show
It's too soon to know if Jeff Fisher and Les Snead will ever actually succeed together, but they are the slickest duo in the game. You have to be to never win more than seven games over a four-year span and somehow gain job security as time passes. This week's blockbuster trade to grab the No. 1 pick from the Titans was particularly deft.
The Rams will pick Goff or Wentz and Fisher and Snead will have a chance to develop a franchise passer that allows them to "see the process through." It's brilliant self-preservation at the highest level.
Life in the schedule-making room
A couple years ago, Peter King wrote about the scene in the small office at the NFL mothership on New York's Park Avenue where the schedule comes to life every year. Memorably, King wrote that the room smelled "a little gamey" since no cleaning people -- or any personnel not directly connected to the process -- could enter without a key card.
Too bad the above photo doesn't have smell-o-vision.
Just say no
Too much Wattage
If you've been paying attention, a new J.J. Watt story is now surfacing every week.
Two weeks ago, there was the revelation that Watt had won another Defensive Player of the Year Award while playing with five torn core muscles last season. Last week, we learned that Watt might retire sooner than expected. And this week, we got a mysterious Snapchat of Watt on a date with former Alex Rodriguez (and Stillwater) paramour Kate Hudson. This came after rumors that Watt was seeing UFC fighter Paige VanZant.
Are you exhausted yet? There's more.
(Don't reply, J.J. ... don't reply J.J. ... don't reply J.J. ... oh no, he's going to reply, isn't he? ...)
Later in the week, Watt made sure we all knew he was working out on Wednesday evening while the rest of us were watching Kobe and the Warriors.
Stay tuned for next week's story ...
Everybody loves The Rock
Arian Foster's mom loves The Rock, your mom loves The Rock, all moms love The Rock. He might be the most likable entertainer in the game right now.
Tweet Of The Week
Cam looks toward the end of the pool, determined to find his target. Nothing can stop him from achieving his goal ...
Uh oh ...
Hero of the Week: Steve Smith
Ravens wide receiver Steve Smith recently made a dream come true for a North Carolina woman, asking 18-year-old Aubrey Bridges to her senior prom. Bridges is autistic and communicates primarily through her iPad.
"I don't get a lot of requests like this so it was very unique," Smith said, via Shutdown Corner. "When I heard her circumstances I looked at it as a father.
"This is a young woman who has a tremendous amount of courage and has some struggles and I thought it was an opportunity to make her day normal and special."
Smith continues to have strong ties in North Carolina now two years after his divorce from the Panthers. Hero stuff!
Until next time ...
