When keeping it real loud goes wrong

You should worry about your predictions being wrong. It doesn’t mean you should keep your opinion to yourself, but tempering your certainty is actually an important communication tool. An example:

There’s a problem with the offseason coverage in the NFL.

Well, there’s a few actually. From the way information is sourced to the way reporters dutifully recite contractual figures that do not accurately reflect what a player will actually earn to the promotional puffery that pervades preseason coverage.

But the thing that bothers me most about the offseason coverage of the NFL is how premature and rash so many of the assessments are of everything from draft classes to free agency or – in the case we’re going to talk about – a team’s plan at quarterback.

“This is the dumbest calculation I’ve ever seen from any team ever,” said Adam Schein of CBS Sports, assessing Seattle’s training camp competition between Geno Smith and Drew Lock.