Issue #310: Da Coach
By Derrick Ernst
October 18, 2026
Ditka
There has never been another to make the sweater vest look as cool as Mike Ditka did. Not many look cooler smoking a cigar either. Let’s just say it as it is, Mike Ditka was as cool as they come. I never saw Ditka play. I never saw him coach. I only know him from YouTube highlights, movie appearances, commercials, and his ESPN broadcasting career. To say he did it all is an understatement.
Speaking of doing it all, he was the first TE ever elected into the HoF. He also lead CHI to their only Super Bowl win in ’85. Although he wasn’t featured in CHI’s Super Bowl Shuffle music video, I bet Mike could tear up the dance floor too. All jokes aside, he was a man of many talents and got the opportunity to put those on display. The more time goes on, the less of a chance there will be for others to have a career/life progress in a fashion that mirrors Mike’s. And maybe that isn’t the intention of many players either, which highlights the allure of Mike even more.
Getting back to the HoF, there are ten TEs enshrined (listed in order of the year they were elected):
Mike Ditka, 1988
John Mackey, 1992
Jackie Smith, 1994
Kellen Winslow, 1995
Ozzie Newsome, 1999
Dave Casper, 2002
Charlie Sanders, 2007
Shannon Sharpe, 2011
Tony Gonzalez, 2019
Antonio Gates, 2025
It won’t be before long that that number increases to 13. Jason Witten should be next, followed by Gronk and Kelce.
Fun fact, all ten of these TEs combined for 8 Super Bowls. Gronk and Kelce have 7 between just the two of them. The chance Kelce is able to get another to get them to tie the broader group isn’t 0%.
Not to turn this into a KC newsletter, but the other week I came across this and couldn’t help but agree:
Doubting comes easy when someone is sailing against the tide and for Mahomes and the Chiefs, that’s what was happening last year. But a lot can change in a year’s time and when you’re talking about one of the best players in the game’s history, doubting doesn’t sound like the best thing to do. Said another way, generational talent has a way of making everyone in their way look silly. When Mahomes is on the field, KC is in a position to win. Obviously, not everyone is of this caliber.
There are two things I’d like to say to McCourty’s credit:
Doubting Mahomes is out of favor. It’s against the grain and not consensus. I can respect that.
Admitting he’s wrong takes guts and a bit of humility. Not a lot of people have yet. I can respect that.
Anyways, on just about ever site, KC is 5th in the league in Super Bowl odds. A week 5 bye doesn’t necessarily bode well for a season’s worth of strain on the body, but if it means Mahomes recovered just a little bit more than he already has, then it’s fair game. And let’s be honest, one Mahomes-less postseason is one too many.
Before moving on I wanted to share one of my favorite photos. My dad was on a work trip a decade-plus ago in Chicago and to pass some free time he decided to pony up to the bar at Ditka’s Restaurant. Wouldn’t you know it, the Coach walked through the door shortly after. RIP.
Ranks
The NFL’s volume leaders through week 5 (doesn’t include what took place Thursday night between SEA and DEN). QBs (pass attempts) on the left, RBs (rush attempts) in the middle, and WRs (targets) on the right.
As promised, let’s dive into how the year has shaken out thus far. What sticks out to you most? To me it’s all that’s going down within the Targets leaderboard. Of the ten players, six play on the same three teams:
ARI: McBride & Wilson (107)
NYG: Likely & Nabers (94)
LAR: Puka & Adams (90)
I bet if Puka hadn’t missed time LAR would be in the top spot. I’d also bet that it won’t be long until J. Winston cracks the top-ten in pass attempts either.
Don’t let anyone tell you that Likely being a top-ten target-getter was on their bingo card. Skattebo sneaking into the top-ten in rushes is probably a result of Dart being out, but then again, Likely drawing looks is probably because of that too.
King Henry has led the league in rushing attempts four times in his career. At 32 years old he’s on track to make it a 5th time.
Last thing, DET (and BUF) is tied for the league lead in points scored per game (32.8). DET’s the only team with a representative in each column. BUF only has one (J. Cook), but what’s funny is that it’s J. Allen who leads the league in rushing TDs (8). Remember a few months ago when I threw out the idea of drafting both Cook and Allen? Well through five weeks those two account for 94% of BUF’s run game. It’s always nice when a plan comes together.
MHJ
There were draft grades attached to this, but I cropped them out to not distract from what I wanted to get into. Let’s not kid ourselves, this is big news. It’s not every day a player with raw talent gets traded years before he is supposedly going to hit his prime. And when he does, he may also get to do it with his former college teammate!
The moral of this trade is this: no asset is untouchable — every man has their price. This goes for fantasy assets too. I’m sure we all have that one player on our roster that we exert 90%+ of our mental bandwidth to. All the other guys (and the decisions around them) come easy yet this one guy is persistently a pain in the… That’s how I feel about J. Waddle now, but for ARI and fantasy managers who roster MHJ, they were feeling it too. Rather than take up real estate in your head, it’s better to just move on with someone you value more.
There’s a buyer and seller for everything. While it might be tough giving up on a big name, they’re only viewed that way because they have big expectations. If they’re not meeting them, find someone who is within your time horizon. And don’t discount your mental health either! That’s equally as important to how your fantasy roster is performing on the field. If you’re not making the right decisions, none of that really matters anyway.
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