Daily Bullets (December 27)

Slowing the Train

Virginia Tech coach Justin Fuente is planning on stopping the Cowboy offense in a familiar way.

“They’re showing up to score points in bunches and it’s an impressive thing to watch at times.”

So how do you slow down that potent offense?

“Hopefully you’re efficient offensively. Hopefully, you win the field position battle. You try and make them one-dimensional as possible and hold on,” Fuente said. [Orlando Sentinel]

Let’s all take one guess and what game film Fuente must have just finished watching? My guess is the opponent name rhymes with Shmorned Flogs.

Motown Hope

Barry Sanders has at long last embraced his role as local hero in Detroit.

He has always kept to himself. Didn’t mind evading the spotlight, even as it sought him long after his career was over.

But his team never forgot him. Never stopped trying to rope him back into the corral. Never forgot the adulation he generated for generations of fans.

In recent years, he’s been migrating back a little. And this year, he made it official, signing on as a team ambassador, to mingle with fans and corporate partners and the athletes themselves.

And his popularity hasn’t waned. This year, Hallmark announced it was producing a keepsake Christmas ornament in his honor, just the third for an athlete in his beleaguered city. [NewsOK]

In a day of showy, self-consumed athletes, the soft-spoken legendary running back would be a great role model for kiddos. Now to get home to Stillwater for recruiting weekends…

I definitely have to figure out a way to get this @Hallmark Holiday Keepsake ornament on the Sanders’ Christmas tree https://t.co/57ompzvToA pic.twitter.com/mgI4JtddeG

— Barry Sanders (@BarrySanders) December 13, 2017

OSU and NCAA Notes

College football’s best plays of 2018….A 2018 Cowboy non-conference opponent is listed as a potential playoff crasher….ESPN’s Jeannine Edwards (AKA Mrs. Glenn Spencer) is retiring….Cowboy receivers will reload just fine in 2018

CBS loves them some Pokes.

CBS SPORTS UPDATED NFL MOCK DRAFT HAS THREE OSU COWBOYS TAKEN IN THE FIRST ROUND‼️‼️#GOPOKES pic.twitter.com/C7amH8x4qk

— Boone Pickens State (@BP_State) December 24, 2017

Rickie just feels like he’s about to rip one off.

Will 2018 be the year of @RickieFowler?

He comes in at No. 6 on our Top 30 Players to Watch.https://t.co/ZElu8IA46g pic.twitter.com/IqyeIvBH6Z

— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) December 26, 2017

Playing football, paying for school and filming gems like this.

Thank you @TexasFootball for the 4 years of memories, and a lifetime of brotherhood. 4th year walk-ons signing out. #CurtainCall #WalkOn4Lyfe
Shot and edited by @NickKlesmith ?? pic.twitter.com/0WZ8GakAr9

— UT Football Walkons (@ut_walkons) December 26, 2017

Congrats to one of PFB’s best on starting a full-time gig!

Tomorrow is my first day at @kansasdotcom and The Wichita Eagle, covering preps sports. Just writing that news is still surreal for me, but I feel so honored for this life-changing opportunity. I don’t think I could ask for a better newsroom and a better city to start my career. pic.twitter.com/Q1J451totZ

— Hayden Kyle Barber (@HK_Barber) December 27, 2017

These get me every. time.

Suprised my mom for Christmas, she looked in the mirror and saw her present ❤️❤️ pic.twitter.com/goY4Cf4vjp

— chєy$ (@cheeyannahh) December 25, 2017

What You Missed on PFB

• Phillip talks with a Virginia Tech insider to preview the Camping World Bowl
• Get the latest scoop on the recruiting trail in yesterday’s Reload
• Not a lot of great Cowboy news in the latest NFL roundup
• Take a look at John Smith’s massive coaching tree

Other Stuff I’m Reading

• Appropriate etiquette for re-gifting
• Three strategies to help learn anything
• Setting smart goals for the new year