Audio version of this post is up.

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Congrats to Mr. ZigZag for winning our NFL Week 4 contest on sportspredict.com. What’s his prize? Well, should he choose to accept it, it’s a 30 minute phone conversation with yours truly. That’s right. You win a week, we talk on the phone, about whatever you’d like. So ZigZag and future Week winners: Email me at [email protected] if this prize is appealing, though I completely understand if it is not.

This week’s pod with Steve was a fascinating look at how this season’s NFL kickoff change has turbocharged the value of a select few kickers. Are these unsung peripheral performers actually now among the sport’s most valuable players? Could such a thing be true? We get into that, plus secrets behind my unsustainably high SMART score, the “Death of Expertise,” and whether the ability to predict truly equals expertise. Enjoy!

Oh and I should mention that we’ll be discussing some of these topics and more on the BCC Chat.

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Amin has been hysterical in his commentary role for these Pablo Finds Out episodes on BallmerGate. With a brand new one out on Clippers Media Day, we had to discuss. Topics include but not limited to…

* Amin haunts my grieving dog death process

* Jim Rome went into Old Jim mode ripping Ballmer

* Why can’t the Clippers just explain why they’re innocent?

* Uncle Dennis, the scapegoat

* Did we think Kawhi knew?

* Why couldn’t journalists within the NBA have been the ones to report this story out?

* Why is Pablo rubbing some media people the wrong way?

* Does the reality even matter anymore on whether Ballmer is guilty?

* Amin and I tackle David Cross ripping fellow comedians for doing the The Riyadh Comedy Festival

* Would Amin and I do the Riyadh Comedy Festival

Thought this was a good YouTube live with the Glasspiegel (uploaded for you to the HoS audio feed). But then again I am biased. Topics include…

* Kimmel Kontinues (with Sinclair allowing him back on the air)

* Disney’s rock and a hard place

* Brendan Carr really botched it

* Is Trump’s battle for network media…irrelevant?

* Can the boomers be propagandized in either direction by traditional TV?

* Are there…too many athlete podcasts?!

* Caitlin Clark’s Nike models….don’t exactly look like Caitlin Clark?

* Roger Goodell denies Tom Brady’s conflict of interest

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Shana Tova to those taking the day and to those working. Congrats to Tom P for winning this week. Email me at [email protected] to collect a free subscription for one year.

In this version of NFL Market Inefficiencies, Steve and I address my unsustainably high NFL picks SMART score. The nation wants to know: What’s my secret? We also get into whether it’s easier to gamble on prop bets versus game outcomes, explain a revolutionary new kickoff invented by the Rams, and get into whether punting strategy should be informed by how aggressive the opponent is. Enjoy…

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Subscriber CJ sent me the following email:

Good Evening Ethan,

I’ve got a potential podcast suggestion given current events: Rob Henderson

Cancel culture reversal

Censorship and self censorship changes

Vibe shift

Speech and debate on campuses

Young men

Also Rob met and recorded a never (or likely never) to release podcast with Charlie Kirk before his passing. Might would have some insights or thoughts to share regarding him.

Just a thought, I’ve enjoyed y’all’s conversations in the past and think it could be a good chat that has some new and revisited topics with updated lenses.

I’m nothing if not sensitive to subscribers, so I reached out right away to the great Rob Henderson. Our conversation mirrors that topic list and it is a good one. Thank you, CJ.

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FOOTBALL AMERICA! host Dave Dameshek has long had his own idiosyncratic voice and style. He’s got a unique Pittsburgh flair, not that Blue Collar Steel Town would embrace having flair. He’s also, above all, a fantastically authoritative arbiter. And so I invited Dave on to “arbit” on a range of topics including but not limited to…

* What’s America’s Mount Rushmore of regional accents?

* Which American accent would you want your hypothetical wife to have?

* We want Southern accents in pilots?

* Dave Portnoy as Michigan homer on Fox? Fair or foul?

* The problem with athlete broadcasters

* Great pro athlete, bad broadcaster?

* Moralizing sports terms like “Don’t get pass happy!”

* Domes for NFL teams, yay or nay?

* Can tiny Floyd Mayweather be the GOAT fighter if so many could kick his ass?

* Ban the tush push?

* Field goals are too easy (unless you’re Jake Moody)

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Loving the NFL tournament we’re doing at SportsPredict.com, headed up by Steve Kuhn (even if Brandon Aubrey’s leg kicked away my dreams). Given that Steve’s got an incredible mind for market inefficiencies, I want him here, regularly, to tell us what everyone else is missing about America’s favorite sport. Join up still to test out how you fare against myself and Steve, a guy who ran a $14 billion hedge fund. To enter the House of Strauss Lobby, password is HOS.

In this pod we discussed, among other matters…

* What’s the effect of the new NFL kickoff rules that Donald Trump hates?

* My “I don’t know anything and neither do YOU” picks strategy

* The impact of kickoff rules on 4th down decision making

* Onside kicks used to be MONEY

* Minnesota did a CRAZY white flag punt

* Should a coach employ trick plays based on randomness?

* What trends are we seeing early?

* House of Strauss subscribers and Chat BCC participants are really…SMART?

* Micah Parsons’ successful impact in Green Bay

* Why does Kyle Shanahan want a predictable running back over a talented running back?

House of Strauss is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.houseofstrauss.com/subscribe

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Ya, I think you have an idea of what we’re going to discuss. And it’s one of my favorite conversations yet.

I’m declaring this JOURNALISM WEEK on the HoS podcast feed. Today we’ve got the great Tyler Dunne talking about his bombshell series on Bears quarterback Caleb Williams. On Thursday, we should also have Pablo Torre on another big story you might have heard of. Today’s pod with Tyler gets to what happened behind the scenes with Caleb and the Bears + why many in the sports media became too defensive on Williams’ behalf. It’s a good one.

Reminder: Every week of the NFL season, we’re doing a prediction contest at SportsPredict.com (Password: HOS). It’s not gambling, it’s free of charge, and it will involve prizes. You just pick game events and track your status on a leaderboard. So far it’s been a lot of fun, even if I’m badly trailing my audience members.

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