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Even Rob Machado had to stifle a laugh at the weather. “Doesn’t feel cold. Does it feel like winter?” he remarked while gazing at the sunshine around his home in Cardiff-by-the-Sea. Though the climate in the video may not match your perception of winter, the Northern Hemisphere is indeed in that cycle and the Pacific Ocean is churning out northwest swells to California as we speak.
This is often the time surfers either dust off boards that have collected dust in the garage or begin scouring the internet/surf shops/board swaps for new hardware. Rob already has his quiver dialed for San Diego’s beaches and reefs, so the folks at Firewire Surfboards stopped by to see what he’s waxing up.
All are either the product of Rob’s own design or collaboration with Firewire and Dan Mann. All are laced with parabolic wood stringers around the entire board for improved strength. Without further ado, here are three surfboards Rob will be flying by on this winter.
Too Fish by Machado— 5’0” x 20 1/8" x 2 3/16" x 25.9 liters
“I just gotta have a fish in my quiver at all times.” Plain and simple ethos from Rob, but that’s how fun his two-keeled twin is these days.
“If you’re one of those people who are on the fence about riding a fish, do it,” he said. “They’re really fast, they’re really fun. It’s just a whole different feeling in surfing you can’t get anywhere else. This is my version of it. There are a lot of them out there, but this is what I landed on. I have a really good time riding it. Dive in.”
Seaside by Firewire x Machado — 5’2” x 20” x 2 5/16” x 26.5 liters (stock dims)
With a narrower tail for hold and a longer rail line for speed, the Seaside is a slightly more refined version than the Too Fish. Yet it will still wiggle where you want it. Fast and loose, it appears Rob’s previous model has disappeared after a friend “borrowed” it.
“It’s a quad as well, (which has) a lot more stability,” adds Rob. “If you run it with my quad set it pairs really well. It’s got a baby keel in the back. Fast, fun, loose. Surf it a little tighter in the pocket. It’s a good mix between a shortboard and a fish.”
Mashup by Dan Mann x Machado — 5’4” x 19 9/16” x 2 7/16” x 27.1 liters (stock dims)
“If I’m going to surf a heat, this is my go-to,” Rob said as he picked up the Mashup, a collaboration between him and surfboard wiz Dan Mann. The Mashup is essentially the byproduct of a thought experiment in which “if we took the Spitfire (daily driver shortboard) and the Seaside and left them in a room together for 24 hours,” Rob explained.
A more angled performance rocker, this thing can go vertical. But don’t be afraid to pop a 2+1 fin setup, as Rob prefers, to a little extra speed and wiggle room.
More must-reads:
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Knicks Lose Out on Free Agent Target
The New York Knicks are sitting back as one of their tryouts joins another team, according to ESPN insider Shams Charania. "Guard Dennis Smith Jr. has agreed to a one-year deal to return to the Dallas Mavericks, agent Daniel Hazan of Hazan Sports Management tells ESPN. Smith reunites with the franchise that drafted him No. 9 overall in 2017 and now he'll compete in training camp in Dallas," Charania tweeted. The Knicks were eyeing a possible return with Smith, the No. 9 overall pick in the 2017 NBA Draft, as recent as this week. The Knicks brought him in for a workout and he scrimmaged in the team facility with other members of the organization and training camp hopefuls. However, Smith is returning to the Dallas Mavericks, where he began his career. Instead of signing Smith, the Knicks decided to target veterans Malcolm Brogdon and Garrison Mathews while re-signing incumbent depth star Landry Shamet to round out their free agency backcourt for training camp. Smith, 27, came to the Knicks in 2019 after things didn't work out with the Mavericks. He was trapped behind Luka Doncic and Jalen Brunson in the guard rotation, so he was traded to the Knicks along with DeAndre Jordan, Wesley Matthews and two future first-round draft picks in the infamous deal that sent Kristaps Porziņģis, Tim Hardaway Jr., Trey Burke and Courtney Lee to the Mavs. Smith tried to be the starting point guard in New York, but with Elfrid Payton and Immanuel Quickley ahead of him on the depth chart, he asked to join the Knicks' G League club in Westchester. Shortly after that, he was traded to the Detroit Pistons for Derrick Rose. Smith averaged 8.7 points and 3.7 assists in 58 appearances across three seasons with the Knicks. Since his time with the Knicks, Smith has bounced around the league, playing for the Portland Trail Blazers, Charlotte Hornets and crosstown rival Brooklyn Nets. Last year, he played with Real Madrid, but now he is hoping to get back in the NBA, this time back where it all started with the Mavericks.
Concerning report emerges about Capitals star Alexander Ovechkin's health
The Washington Capitals began their first day of training camp with an injury scare, as star left winger Alexander Ovechkin left practice early with a lower-body injury. Alexander Ovechkin addresses the media It wasn't immediately clear if the injury affected the same leg that Ovechkin broke last year, when a fractured fibula cost the Capitals captain 16 games. The injury was not severe enough to restrict Ovechkin from speaking to reporters following Thursday's practice. Per NHL.com's Tom Gulitti, Ovechkin sounded "unconcerned" about his lower-body injury, but he added that the Capitals captain might not skate on Friday when training camp resumes. Gulitti added that Washington head coach Spencer Carbery called the decision "precautionary" to take Ovechkin off the ice. Ovechkin, who turned 40 on Wednesday, enters the 2025 season as the NHL's all-time leading goal-scorer with 897 tallies. When asked if he is approaching this season as if it would be his last, Ovechkin said he didn't know. Ovechkin is also the NHL's all-time leader in regular-season power-play goals (326), game-winning goals (136) and shots on net (6,864). Depending on the severity of this injury, Capitals fans may have to wait to watch Ovechkin continue padding those totals and try to lead the Caps to their second Stanley Cup.
Data shows who is to blame for the offensive struggles, and confirms the one area the Commanders must improve in
The Washington Commanders' passing offense hasn't been what we're used to through the first two weeks, and a lot of people are trying to pinpoint what's going on. The passing struggles were expected with a new offensive line, new weapons on offense, and Terry McLaurin missing a lot of time right before the season, but the data shows it's much more than that. The offensive line hasn't helped the passing game at all, but the real story is what the wide receivers are doing, and not doing downfield. The real factor in the lack of production Jayden Daniels has done everything possible with what he's been given, but we all expected the offense to be clicking with all the new additions this offseason. Through the first two games, Daniels has had his worst performances to date, and has a completion percentage of only 59.7%. When you watch the film, though, he's not getting much help downfield with wide receivers getting separation, and the data backs it up. As a whole unit, the Commanders' wide receiver corps has the worst overall separation score in the league. Noah Brown has the best separation score for the Commanders, and he's barely in the positives. Meanwhile, Terry McLaurin, Deebo Samuel, and Jaylin Lane are all in the negatives. Kingsbury expects improvement Offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury talked about the offensive struggles and what he expects moving forward. "As far as Green Bay went," Kingsbury said. "First off, you gotta give them a lot of credit. I think that the defensive staff does a tremendous job there. They have a really good defense, a talented defense, and they got after us. Any opportunities we had, we didn't seem to make the most of, but it's week two. Gotta keep getting better, gotta keep learning together. We haven't been together that much as a complete unit, getting on the same page, and so it was good to get back this week and actually practice and get out there and try to build. But yeah, I just think we're a work in progress right now.” McLaurin is obviously the biggest part of the offense, and he only has 75 yards, which is third on the team, and has yet to find the endzone. There have been a couple of missed opportunities by Daniels, but a big factor is the lack of separation on offense, which can be blamed on both skill and scheme. Both are fixable, and the Raiders' secondary allows the offense to open up regardless of who plays QB on Sunday.
Scout identifies key issue behind Arch Manning's underwhelming start
To overcome his early struggles, Texas Longhorns quarterback Arch Manning should follow a classic bit of advice from former UCLA Bruins men's basketball head coach John Wooden. Wooden once said, "Be quick, but don't hurry." The tip could make a massive difference for Manning, who has completed a below-average 55.3 percent of his passes through three starts. Longtime scout Todd McShay explains how Arch Manning is rushing while reading defenses In a story published Thursday, McShay explained the QB is trying to read defenses too quickly. Rushing this process is affecting his throwing mechanics, which have been scrutinized throughout the season. "When a quarterback is pressing, the game is moving faster in his mind, which can cause rushed mechanics and inaccurate passes," McShay wrote. "There's no rhythm — it's like watching a frustrated golfer swing or tracking the beats of a broken metronome." Fox Sports college football analyst Joel Klatt, a former Colorado Buffaloes quarterback, shared a similar assessment of Manning. On a Wednesday episode of his podcast, Klatt further explained how this can impact his accuracy. "He's going from one to two before the picture ever materializes. He's ahead of the timing of the offense," Klatt said. "When that happens, you typically lose balance, you lose your pocket presence, your eyes go down because you're anticipating; the clock is moving too fast." Now, this issue seems fixable. It's just a matter of Manning taking a deep breath and assessing what the defense is giving him. When he does that, the results have looked good. He did so when he threw an 83-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Parker Livingstone in a Week 2 win over San Jose State. In his Monday news conference, Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian said these "rhythm throws" are when Manning is at his best. It's incumbent upon him and his staff to create those opportunities for the 21-year-old QB. Hitting on more of those groove throws will be critical for Manning in Saturday's home game against Sam Houston State at 8 p.m. ET (ESPN+, SEC Network+). It will help him build his confidence and slow down. When that happens, the game should start coming more easily to him and the rest of Texas' 88th-ranked passing offense (200.3).
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