The Waterstraut Waterspout: Social Distancing Journal, Days 412 thru 414: The 2021 NFL Draft

Day 412: Thursday April 29

Ah, Draft weekend. It was so weird last go around, with Goodell in his Arm Chair at home, and everyone isolated making their picks in their basements. But, it was back this year! In Cleveland no less. It's another one of those Covid bummers though, because we're still not comfortable traveling (especially since not all of us are fully vaccinated). In normal times we could have gone to Ohio for the weekend. We could have done the draft. And in normal times, it also would have been Cedar Point opening weekend. It could have been so much fun. But, instead, we were here watching from home. Another would-be cool event stolen by Covid.

But you know, we make the best of things here! So in honor of our usual NFL pizzas, we decided to go big- and over two nights we made TEN different NFL inspired pizzas.

Now part of this was because in the first 5 picks there were 3 dessert pizzas.

There was the Jacksonville Fruit Tart pizza, which is one of the few (maybe the only) pizza I don't use the Boboli crust for- instead I make my own pizza crust out of cake mix.

And then just top it with whipped cream and berries.

Then there was the dilemma that Houston had traded their pick to San Francisco- so I ended up making the chocolate, peanut butter and pretzel pizza for San Fran (and the Houston one to make up for all the dessert pizzas)

Dessert pizza mania rounded out with the Atlanta Falcons Peach Cobbler Pizza.

For our normal pizzas on the first night we also had the Cincinnati Bengals Chili Pizza..

...And the Houston bbq beef pizza, even though they traded away their pick.

And the New York Jets Italian Sub Pizza

So, three normal dinner sized pizzas and three smaller dessert pizzas (I used the small 8 inch crusts for the peach cobble and chocolate peanut butter ones)...

Of course, I have lots of boys to eat all these pizzas (and I knew the dessert ones we could also have leftover with night 2).

My favorite here turned out to be the Houston bbq beef one, and I was not sold on that at all. It uses ground beef and bbq sauce, and I thought that was really weird. But it worked! The Italian sub one was good as always, and the chili pizza was fine, but nothing too special (instead of using the recipe, I just made chili for dinner on Tuesday and used the leftovers here).

All delicious (the best dessert pizza award goes to the peach cobbler one for me).

Of course, Calib always likes to print out mock drafts to see who gets the most correct. He does a bunch of different sports analysts, and him and Asa take a stab at it too.

And then they highlight it off to see how everyone did.

And we're off- an actual draft this year! Now, it's not normal-normal. First of all, notice all the broadcasters six feet apart. All the draftees were in their own little family/pod/cubbies with plexiglass windows where the camera guys stood outside waiting for a shot to show them getting picked- all in a giant tent. When they were called, they'd walk through the makeshift tent hallways, basically alone, and find a hat for their new team just sitting on a podium- nobody to hand it to them or anything.

But, then they'd get to go out on stage, and hug Roger Goodell, which is more than anyone got last year.

And there were fans, which was nice. Everyone there had to prove they were fully vaccinated. And in a weird nod to last year, they brought out Goodell's chair he did the draft in (from home) last year, and picked one fan to sit in it while their team was picking (they even got a preview of the pick before it was called).

We did notice you have to wait a long ass time to hear your team pick if you won the Super Bowl. Like, FOREVER you guys. (I did denote the 'World Champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers on the mock drafts).

Asa: "Winning the Super Bowl is cool and all, but you really pay for it on draft night."

Day 413: Friday April 30

Just after midnight, the Bucs FINALLY made their pick. And they did it as soon as they were on the clock, with everyone joking Bruce Arians was too old for this crap and just wanted to go to bed. I was so glad we didn't trade away the pick, because I waited all night for Roger Goodell to say "The Super Bowl Champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers Select...."

I don't even know the guy, but it was excited to hear us be the Super Bowl Champions again!

And it was everywhere.

In case you're wondering how everyone did on their mock drafts (and you're not, but Calib or Asa might make some passing comment in the following years- so here is the documentation).

Asa got 8, a new high for him, I think (and I don't care enough to go look).

Calib got 6.

But of note, he did predict the Bucs pick correctly.

Night number two of the draft doesn't start till 7, so we had the whole day to burn. We started by working on our newest puzzle, a 2000 piecer- and the first one on the new table.

And we hit the pool. Check out those crowds!

We even packed lunch. And yes, I am a grown up, and yes, I love this lunch every once in awhile, don't @ me.

For dinner, we moved on to the next 5 picks of the draft. People were less interested in the Miami Dolphins and Carolina Panther's pizza, so those were small crusts.

We did have a fullsize Detroit Lions Honey Mustard Chicken pizza, and the Denver Broncos Steak and Pesto pizza.

And the Dallas Cowboys Taco Pizza.

The Panthers is a shrimp and asparagus pizza with a light fluffy egg and ricotta cheese mixture for it's "sauce"

And the Dolphins have a shrimp caesar salad pizza- which is basically just a caesar salad on top of bread.

And of course we had leftover dessert pizza from the night before.

Again, tons of pizza (we'd have leftovers for days).

But all very good. My favorites this night went to the Broncos and the Lions.

But, again, all good.

It's also worth noting on Friday April 30th, the 413th day of Quarantine- Disneyland opened. I can't imagine if Disney World had been closed this whole time. But, California has a different governor and different situations. But, you know, awesome to see some normal return out there.

So, the draft that night started at 7. But again, we were the last pick of the second round, so we didn't even get to pick #2 for the Bucs until 9:30.

Let me give you a rundown of Asa on draft day #2

Asa after round 1:"We can draft anyone, it doesn't matter. I trust Jason Licht and Bruce Arians."

Asa at lunch time: "We pick so late, our second round pick is basically a third rounder, so it's whatever."

Asa at dinner: "We can draft literally ANYONE, but Kyle Trask."

Asa at 9:32 pm: "OH. MY GOD."

Calib was equally as displeased. I thought it was funny. What's it matter? We got every single Super Bowl starter back, why not take a chance on a QB? And then I started rationalizing it. Like 'hey guys, what would you rather have, a Super Bowl and Kyle Trask or neither?'

And then they got made at me about that.

Asa: "No, no. That deal for a Super Bowl was because of Tom Brady. I can deal with him for a Super Bowl win, but now I have to have Kyle Trask too? We're in the darkest timeline."

Calib meanwhile just yelled at me a lot for laughing, and stress ate a ton of pizza while loudly complaining.

So basically, we waited till 9:30 all for just a lot of freaking out and complaining.... for hours (days?)

And we finished up the night with the third round.

Day 414: Saturday May 1st

Welcome to May! Time to flip the calendar once again.

Only five days until the most antibodies!

We celebrated making it to May by ordered breakfast in bed from First Watch (well, that and because I got a Door Dash coupon for $25 off!)

So good!

And by noon, we were on to day 3 of the NFL draft. That one you can tune in and out a bit.

But when we got on the screen, I'd like to you notice the Buccaneers are a 'Fully Vaccinated Draft Room'. Yes, NFL Network did in fact make note of the draft war rooms that were fully vaccinated and which ones weren't (Showing those who were with masks and no social distancing and those without all masked and spaced out).

For dinner we had hot dogs on the grill with all kinds of fun toppings, which we spilled over to the fries as well. Asa also made some awesome street corn to go with it.

And since we were the Super Bowl winning champions, we also got the very last pick in the NFL draft, aka Mr. Irrelevant! (Fun fact: Kicker Ryan Succup is the only Mr. Irrelevant to ever win a Super Bowl Ring, and he did it last year with us!)