The Armchair Quarterback’s Take Of The Week The Armchair Quarterback’s Take Of The Week The Armchair Quarterback’s Take Of The Week
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The Armchair Quarterback’s Guide To The NFL: Free Agency

By Lyle Graversen

Dec 29, 2013; New Orleans, LA, USA; New Orleans Saints tight end Jimmy Graham prior to kickoff of a game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Mercedes-Benz Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 29, 2013; New Orleans, LA, USA; New Orleans Saints tight end Jimmy Graham prior to kickoff of a game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Mercedes-Benz Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Armchair Quarterback’s Odds And Ends Of The Week

Beer Review Of The Week:

Rogue Ale’s Hazelnut Brown Nectar

I had heard good things about some of Rogue’s beers, but had never gotten around to actually trying them. They have some really off the wall beers that I’ve thought would be fun to try (even though I’m not convinced they’ll be good) like “Voodoo Bacon Maple Ale” and “Peanut Butter And Banana Ale”. Before I brave into that kind of insanity, I decided to start with something that sounded like it was in my comfort zone. I love a good brown ale, the name “Hazelnut Brown Nectar” sounded right up my alley, and when I saw on the bottle that it had won a gold medal for specialty beers at both the 2011 and 2012 American Beer Festival I was sold. Let’s just say I made a wise decision.

This is an EXCELLENT brown ale. If anyone reading this has ever tried and liked a Newcastle Brown Ale (one of the best known browns) you should definitely give this a try. This beer has a big roasty, nutty, malt flavor which is probably on account that it uses nine (yes nine) different malts. The result is an incredibly full yet still smooth beer with tastes of hazelnut (obviously), caramel, and coffee. There is enough hop bite to balance it out nicely, but it still drinks very smooth in my opinion for how much malt flavor they have packed into it. The hazelnut is definitely the star of the show and I’m a fan. I will definitely be trying this one again and will also be willing to give this brewer’s more creative beers a try after this great first experience. Highly Recommended!

My Rating (1-10): 9

A Good Way To Pass The Time This Week:

Start your fantasy baseball homework.

This next week many MLB teams will begin reporting for Spring Training. While die hard fans of these teams may actually want to follow how their team is doing I use this official kick off of baseball season to start my preparations for fantasy baseball season. I’m a stat kind of guy so I love fantasy baseball. There are lots of different fantasy baseball ranking and guides hitting newsstands this time of year, but for my money there is one clear cut best resource. I use Ron Shandler’s Baseball Forecaster. If you’re a true fantasy baseball and saber metrics fan, there isn’t a better resource around. In the past three seasons I’ve won a total of $650 in my $50 buy in league thanks in part to this book. If you’re serious about winning you need to do your homework and with pitchers and catchers reporting it’s time to get started.

Rant Of The Week:

Can we please stop talking about Michael Sam’s personal life. I understand that what he did was groundbreaking. I understand that for some people what he did was inspirational. I also understand that there are people that have a problem with the way he chooses to live his personal life. I understand that this announcement could effect his draft stock. The thing is, the only reason this is such a HUGE deal is because the media is making it one. It’s inspirational to some because of all the hounding he’ll now get and the spotlight that it will put on him. Guess what, if we wouldn’t make such a big deal out of it, it wouldn’t have to be that way. If your personal beliefs don’t align with that lifestyle, it wouldn’t matter if the media simply focused on the football side of his life, not his personal life. There wouldn’t be anything to debate. Michael Sam will be drafted by a FOOTBALL team. He’ll make or not make the team based on how he plays FOOTBALL. His teammates will accept him based on what kind of a FOOTBALL teammate he is, not what he does outside of football. How he lives his personal life is HIS business, let’s keep it that way. I don’t see a need for ANY football player’s personal life to be the subject of hours upon hours of news coverage, talk radio blabbering, and countless articles. We all just need to move on and let the play on the field tell the Michael Sam story. I could say more, but I don’t want to. I’m taking my own advice and moving on. I suggest everyone else does the same.

That does it for this week. Tune back in next week for the Armchair Quarterback’s underrated defensive free agents. Until then, thanks for reading.

Follow me on Twitter: @LyleGraversen

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