The Sports Curmudgeon

In an earlier rant, I mentioned that the NFL owners approved Tom Brady as a minority owner of the Las Vegas Raiders.  Even before that commentary, I said that I did not think Brady would be a great broadcaster for FOX because he never seemed at ease or in a comfort zone with a microphone in his face.  However, it seems to me that because he is now a minority owner and subject to the rules and regulations that apply to owners of all sorts in the NFL, he is disadvantaged if he tries very hard to become a great color commentator.

Let me explain.  The color analyst who is most similar to Tom Brady would be Troy Aikman; both have multiple Super Bowl victories as part of their curriculum vitae; both owned “celebrity status” on and off the field in their playing days.  So, why does Brady’s part ownership of the Raiders present a barrier that he will need to overcome if Brady is to become as good as Aikman is in the role of “lead color analyst for a network”?

Well, as an owner and simultaneously as a TV color analyst, the potential for “conflict of interest” perceptions abounds.  Note, I said “perceptions” which means that they can exist when in reality there is no substantive conflict of interest.  Let me start with the words of Mark Davis – – Raiders’ majority owner – – as Brady’s purchase was approved by the rest of the NFL owners.  Davis said this proximal to the time the Raiders traded Davante Adams to the Jets:

“We traded Davante Adams for Tom Brady and a third-round draft pick.  Although Tom can’t play, he can help us select a quarterback in the future and potentially train him as well. So, it’s a huge benefit for the organization.”

Maybe it is a huge benefit or maybe not; time will tell on this front.  However, can Brady pretend to be an objective observer and a neutral interpreter of the facts when he is a color commentator who is also helping the Raiders to select and train a future QB?  In case you think I am just being a nit-picking old crabby guy, let me point out several other problems.  As a part owner of an NFL team, Tom Brady is subject to a variety of rules and regulations that apply to all owners of NFL teams no matter what proportion of a team they may own – – and no matter how many Super Bowl rings they earned during an NFL career:

• Brady cannot be present to observe practice sessions for teams other than the Raiders.  If there are prohibitions against “spying” on opponents’ practices, then having a team owner with Brady’s understanding of the game as an observer would surely run afoul of any such regulations.
• If I understand the league’s bylaws correctly – – and I admit that I may be off base here – – Brady as an owner may not be allowed to be in a rival team’s facility except for the time of the game itself.  If I am correct, that would keep him away from places where he might interact with coaches and players to gather “tidbits” for the telecast.
• Perhaps I am being too harsh in evaluating Brady’s access limitations here.  However, we know from reporting by various announcing crews that the announcers and the production folks meet with coaches and perhaps players prior to the game and the telecast.  Someone like Troy Aikman might – – I said might – – be viewed as a “Cowboy Guy” even after he has been separated from that organization for almost 25 years.  Tom Brady is a current and future owner of the Raiders with a personal stake in the success of the Raiders’ franchise.  So, if the league were to find justification for Brady to be in meetings with coaches and players prior to gametimes, that would open the NFL up to a wide variety of conspiracy theorists who might have a field-day with such happenings.
• Now, if you think I have gone over the top here, consider that NFL owners are not permitted to tamper with players under contract to rival teams.  Each and every player in each and every game that Tom Brady does as a color commentator is under contract to a rival team – – unless one of the teams in the game is the Raiders.  Hmmm …
• As an NFL owner, he is not supposed to criticize officiating and officials in NFL games.  Excuse me; color analysts who only say that the officials made a great call on every “bang-bang play” are going to be seen as “house-guys” very quickly.  Brady will agree with refs sometimes and disagree with them other times; he must have the latitude to say so as things happen.
• As an NFL owner, he is not supposed to criticize owners of other teams or officials of other teams or coaches of other teams.  So, explain to me how Tom Brady is supposed to do color analysis for any game this season involving teams like the Panthers or the Browns or the Jets.

I am on record saying that I do not think Tom Brady will be a great color commentator under any circumstances and I stand by that assessment until I am proven wrong by public acclimation.  What I have tried to point out here is that it will be doubly difficult for Brady to become a great color commentator given the restrictions that have to be put on his access and his commentary by dint of his being a part-owner of the Las Vegas Raiders.

Finally, I’ll close today with words from Al Davis – – Mark Davis’ father – – whose suspicions about other teams’ nefarious intentions were myriad:

“Why should I talk to you? I don’t know where you’re from.”

But don’t get me wrong, I love sports………

 

 

The 2024 NFL regular season has come to the point where lots of folks are beginning to make “playoff projections”.  The season is not quite half finished, and a few teams seem to be separating from the field and folks are quick to focus on them and their assets.  Here in Curmudgeon Central, it is SOP to look at situations through the other side of the telescope and that is what I propose to do here.

As a rough cut, the 32 NFL teams fall into 3 categories this morning:

1. Certified Playoff Contenders – – barring catastrophic injuries
2. Not Quite Good Enough
3. Les Miserables

Fourteen teams will make the playoffs this year; so, a couple of the “Not Quite Good Enough” teams will sneak in.  None of Les Miserables are going to do that; the value of the teams in Les Miserables is that they allow the league to perpetuate the idea of “on any given Sunday…” whenever they rise up and win a surprising game.  I want to subdivide the Les Miserables category today into 3 sub-categories:

1. The Merely Bad
2. The Incompetent
3. The Disastrous

There are two teams in the Merely Bad sub-category:

1. Raiders:  When you have to sign Desmond Ridder off a rival’s practice squad because your two starting QBs weren’t getting it done, you are in deep yogurt.
2. Jags:  They do not have a QB problem; they have a defensive deficiency; they give up almost 28 points per game – – worst in the AFC.

There are three teams in the Incompetent sub-category:

1. Browns:  When your starting QB goes out for the year and many folks believe that is a positive occurrence for your team, that team is incompetent.
2. Giants:  They score an average of 14 points per game; the OL is awful; they only have one real offensive threat, and the defense is merely good not great.
3. Titans:  Their young QB has shown a propensity to give the ball away at the most inopportune moments.  [Aside:  I considered putting the Titans in the bottom rung here; if that is your assessment, I will not argue vociferously.]

There are two teams in the Disastrous sub-category:

1. Pats:  How the mighty have fallen …  No offense, rookie head coach, defense gives up 25 points per game.  Fans should be ecstatic if the season ends with a 4-13 record.
2. Panthers:  Ugly, ugly, ugly …  The defense has given up almost 35 points per game and the offense is as sharp as a bowling ball.  They cannot go winless for the season because they already won a game, but 2-15 appears to be the best outcome possible.

Fans of some of the teams above might wonder why teams like the Saints, the Dolphins and the Jets escape placement in Les Miserables.

• The Jets are not going to make the playoffs, but they are better and more talented than the teams listed here.
• The Dolphins may get Tua back to play QB for a half-dozen games and when he is the QB, the Dolphins are better than the teams listed here.
• The Saints are indeed 2-5 on the season, but their point differential is only minus-3; they have shown flashes of competency that seem to elude the teams listed here.

Switching gears …  The NBA regular season began last night; it will draw almost no interest until Christmas when it gets some minor attention; then, in late February and March people will begin to follow various teams closely.  Nevertheless, there were a couple of statistical happenings from last night worthy of passing attention:

• LeBron James and his son, Bronny, appeared in a game together.  That is the first time that has happened in NBA history.
• LeBron James broke the NBA all-time record for missed field goals in a career.  [Guess who held the record prior to last night.  Answer below …]
• The Celtics tied an NBA record for three-point field goals made in a game with 29.  In order to do that, the Celtics attempted 61 three-point shots…
• Aside:  The Knicks attempted 30 three-point shots in the game with the Celtics meaning there were 91 long-range shots tried in 48 minutes of play.  Do the math…]

Finally, I’ll close with this from LeBron James:

“You can’t be afraid to fail. It’s the only way you succeed – you’re not gonna succeed all the time, and I know that.”

But don’t get me wrong, I love sports………

The answer from above is that LeBron James broke Kobe Bryant’s record for most field goals missed in an NBA career.

 

 

Last week, Tony Bennett resigned his position as the head basketball coach at Virginia; the college basketball season will begin in about two weeks.  Bennett’s career at Virginia included a national championship – – can’t get much better than that – – plus a loss as a #1 seed to a #16 seed in a March Madness tournament – – can’t get much lower than that.  And he did all that and more by recruiting players who generally stayed with the program for at least 3 years and usually 4 years and who went to class to earn a degree.  In explaining his retirement, he said that he was no longer the right person for the job and did not want to continue to be “a square peg in a round hole” (his words).

College sports have been transformed in the last several years in ways that few people predicted once the idea of paying college athletes gained traction.  Combined with the transfer portals, the college revenue sports are now the Wild West; there are high school recruits who have hired agents to negotiate deals with prospective colleges.  I did not have that on my collegiate sports bingo card…

College sports have lost some great coaches in the past few years and many of them have alluded to the drastic changes in college sports as part of the reason for their decision to retire.  Here is a list in no particular order off the top of my head; I am sure there are others:

• Mike Krzyzewski
• Roy Williams
• Jim Boeheim
• Jay Wright
• Nick Saban
• Tara VanDerveer

Now add Tony Bennett to this list …

Jerry Brewer had a great column in the Washington Post about Bennett and his decision to retire.  Here is a link to that column; I strongly recommend you take 5 minutes to go and read it.

Staying with basketball – – this time at the NBA level – – Lonzo Ball is back on the court with the Chicago Bulls after being out with injuries since he played in 35 games back in the 2021-2022 NBA season.  After his second game with the Bulls in the NBA regular season, Ball declared that he was “pain free”.  What kept him out so long was that he needed a “cartilage and meniscus transplant in his left knee”.  Knee surgery has come a long way in my lifetime making specific knee ligaments and other structures known to folks who did not major in biology or go to medical school, but adding the word “transplant” to that new vocabulary makes me sit up and take notice.

Lonzo Ball arrived in the NBA in 2017 to an inordinate level of fanfare created by his father.  Lonzo spent two years with the Lakers and then two more with the Pelicans before joining the Bulls and getting injured.  I’m not sure that any kid coming into the league could have lived up to the level of hype surrounding Lonzo, but no one could ever say he was dogging it when on the court.  It is good to see him back in action.  Hopefully that “transplant” is good as gold.

Switching gears …  The Canadian Football League will play its final week of regular season football this week.  There is only one playoff slotting still in doubt.  Let me explain the CFL playoff system.

• The CFL has an East Division and a West Division.  [Aside:  Unlike the US, folks in Canada have a sense of geography.  Not a single team in the East Division is further west than any team in the West Division.  Amazing!]
• Three teams from each Division make the playoffs.
• Round 1 pits the third-place team in each Division against the second-place team in that Division with the second-place team hosting the game.  Division winners get a BYE.
• The two winners of those Round 1 games then travel to play their respective Division winners in Round 2.
• Those two winners then square off for the Grey Cup which will take place on November 19.

The only thing still in question this year is in the West Division where Winnipeg leads with a record of 10-7 and Saskatchewan trails by half a game at 9-7-1.  Here is the scheduling for this weekend:

1. Winnipeg is on the road against Montreal.  Montreal leads the East Division and has the best overall record in the CFL this year at 12-4-1.
2. Saskatchewan is at home against Calgary.  Calgary is dead last in the West Division and has the worst overall record in the CFL this year at 4-12-1.

Looks to me as if the schedule mavens in the CFL got it right for 2024.

Finally, I mentioned Mike Krzyzewski above; so, let close with this observation from him:

“The truth is that many people set rules to keep from making decisions.”

But don’t get me wrong, I love sports………

 

 

The executives at FOX have to be happy with the status of MLB today.  The World Series will pit the Dodgers against the Yankees meaning that the two largest TV markets in the country are represented.  Unless the Series is a sweep with four blowout games, this ought to be a ratings bonanza for MLB and for FOX.  Moreover, the Series does not begin until this Friday meaning the network gets to hype it for several days.

I read somewhere that this is the first World Series in MLB history where both teams have a player with 50 home runs in the lineup.  I wonder if there is a prop bet out there – – I did a cursory check and did not find it – – on who will hit the longer home run, Ohtani or Judge.

Given the regular season success for both of these teams over the years, I was surprised to learn that the last time the Dodgers and Yankees met in the World Series was in 1981.  Notwithstanding the length of time that has transpired since the last time these two teams met in the Series, the Yankees/Dodgers is the most common series matchup; this will be the 12^th time it has happened.

While the current news about MLB and the World Series is upbeat, there is a story out there that just makes no sense to me.  The folks who tinker with baseball rules seem to be emboldened by the successful implementation of the pitch clock and the larger bases and even the “shift limitations” to the point that they want to tinker some more.  And the latest one seems to me to be the reinvention of the flat tire.  Supposedly, they want to make a rule that the starting pitchers in a game have to pitch through 6 full innings.  Obviously, there have to be caveats to such a rule and the ones under consideration are:

• A starter can be removed after he has thrown 100 pitches even if that is before 6 full innings.
• A starter can be removed if he has given up 4 or more earned runs in less than 6 full innings.
• A starter can be removed due to injury, but that starter then must go on the IR for a stint as a way to prevent phony injuries that miraculously heal overnight.

Some have speculated that the impetus of these considerations is the desire to eliminate games with an “opener” on the mound and/or the increasingly popular “bullpen games”.  Since I do not care one way or the other about things like “bullpen games”, my sense is that some folks in MLB have too much time on their hands.

And speaking of injuries that miraculously heal overnight, did you notice last night that Davante Adams’ hamstring injury that kept him out of the Raiders’ last three games was completely healed as a result of his plane ride from Sin City to the Big Apple.  Clearly, his hamstring injury was aggravated by the longitudinal status of Las Vegas and benefited from the lower levels of longitude in NYC.

The NFL trades last week of Adams and Amari Cooper led Dan Daly to post this on his Twitter account:

• This’ll make ya laugh.
• The combined career totals for Davante Adams & Amari Cooper are: 1,678 catches 21,940 receiving yards 168 TD receptions
• Pretty good, right?
• Jerry Rice’s are 1,700 – 25,140 – 219.

Moving on …  All is not peaches and cream in NYC this morning despite the World Series contestants and Davante Adams’ health.  Reports from last week said that Fireman Ed – – the Jets’ super fan – – thinks that he is being abandoned by his beloved team.  According to a report at ESPN.com, Fireman Ed believes that the Jets are “phasing him out” and limiting his screen time on the Jumbotron in the stadium.  This an injustice of gargantuan proportion; leaders from around the world need to pay less attention to trivial items such as world peace, pandemics and hunger so that they can get to the bottom of this matter.  A team might be considering phasing out an attention-seeking clown; who would ever have thought that could happen?

Switching gears …  I never want to see players incur serious injuries.  When I find a player – or a coach – who is despicable, I will root for them to lose every game they take part in, but I don’t wish injury on them.  I say that as a backdrop to this statement:

• Deshaun Watson ruptured his Achilles Tendon yesterday and is out for the season.  That is probably a good thing for the Cleveland Browns.

Watson is signed with the Browns through the end of the 2026 season and the Browns owe him a total of $92M over that time span injured or healthy.  Deshaun Watson is not worth anywhere near that salary even in the inflation-driven world of NFL QB salaries and now the team can stop putting him out there as its QB and begin to “phase him out”.  It may or may not make sense to “phase out Fireman Ed”; it makes perfect sense to “phase out Deshaun Watson”; now the Browns can do that without the owner looking like the football-genius equivalent of ESPN’s “Booger Mobile”.  [Aside: Let that “production innovation” be permanently put to rest.]

Finally, I mentioned the “Booger Mobile” above; so, let me close with this from Booger McFarland:

“Find somebody who has been successful and learn how to do it. Find somebody who has been unsuccessful and learn how not to do it. The clues are there. Find ’em.”

But don’t get me wrong, I love sports………

 

 

Today will be a marginal attempt at a Football Friday presented a day early and without sufficient information gathering.  It’s the best I have to offer at this time …

I’ll begin by catching up with the fortunes of the Linfield University Wildcats in their pursuit of yet one more winning season in football.  Since last we checked, Linfield has won two Northwest conference games by a combined score of 117-14; their record for the season stands at 4-1 and this week they take to the road to play George Fox University.  The Bruins bring a 3-2 season record to the kickoff; this is another Northwest Conference game.  Go Wildcats!

Let me also catch up with the fortunes of my previously identified “sleeper team” for 2024 – – the Nebraska Cornhuskers.  So far this year, Nebraska is 5-1 losing to Illinois in overtime 3 weeks ago.  This week, they are on the road at Indiana to take on one of the most surprising stories in college football for the year.  The Hoosiers are 6-0 on the season; the combined score of those 6 wins is 273-89.  As surprising as that may be for Indiana football accomplishments, the game this week in Bloomington is a sell-out and tickets are going on the secondary markets for as much as 50% over face value.  This should be an interesting game from several perspectives.  Go Huskers!

 

College Football Commentary:

 

If Indiana’s football fortunes are “surprising” to date in the 2024 season, Vandy has been equally surprising.  The Commodores are 4-2 which has not been the way the team has opened the last several seasons.  Moreover, they lost an overtime game by only 3 points to Missouri when the Tigers were ranked #7 in the nation.  Even more surprising was Vandy beating Alabama in Tuscaloosa two weeks ago.  The Commodores have a tune-up game this week hosting Ball State before taking on #1 ranked Texas at home next week.

With the expanded CFP, at least one school outside the so-called Power-4 conferences is guaranteed a slot in the playoffs.  At this point, there seems to be 4 teams in the “other conferences” that are in contention for that tournament berth:

1. Boise St:  Yes, the Broncos have one loss this year – – but that loss was by 3 points to Oregon which is ranked #2 in the country at the moment.
2. James Madison:  The Dukes’ record is 5-1 and the wins include a drubbing of UNC by a score of 70-50.
3. Liberty:  The Flames are undefeated at 5-0 on the season.  While they have played a particularly weak schedule to date, they can only play the teams on their schedule; they have done that and won all their games …
4. UNLV:  The Rebels are 5-1 for the year posting wins over Kansas and Houston.  The loss was at home against Syracuse.

Next week, Boise St. will venture south to Las Vegas to take on UNLV in what will probably be an elimination game for the loser.  Circle that game on your calendar …

There are reports that the SEC and the Big-10 are having “preliminary discussions” about a scheduling agreement whereby the two conferences would schedule games against each other as non-conference games.  The humongous TV ratings for the Texas/Michigan game earlier this year probably got the attention of the financial folks in both conferences and could have been the motivating force for this sort of thinking.

If this comes to pass, some of the “scheduled cupcakes” will need to be replaced or “bought out” but the potential for TV revenue in place of one or two of those sacrificial lamb games should more than pay the freight.  I know these are “preliminary discussions” and that implementation might be several years in the future even if there is a meeting of the minds resulting from these talks.  Nevertheless:

• If big money – – I mean really big money – – shows itself for this sort of scheduling, do not be surprised if SEC and Big-10 Conference mavens think about the next step.
• The conferences could “merge” and then split into two divisions within the merged conference.  The teams would play one another exclusively and might go through a prometon and relegation process each year to maintain interest in games to the end of the season.
• That could be good news for fans who watch college games on TV but it will deny some of the “cupcake schools” of hefty payments from the big schools who pay millions of dollars to the cupcakes to come and take a beating by the big guys – – often at Homecoming Weekend.

I said before that I do not think the realignment/restructuring of college football ended with the collapse of the PAC-12 and the expansion of the SEC, the Big-10 and the Big-12.  These “preliminary discussions” between the two biggest conferences might be a start to even more change and consolidation.

Each year, I keep track of scoring defense for college teams.  At the end of the year, I identify the Brothel Defense of the Year – – so named because it is easy to score on that defense.  With 5 or 6 games in the books, it is time to look at the contenders for this annual “award”:

• Utah St. gives up 42.8 points per game
• Ball St. gives up 46.0 points per game
• Kent St. gives up 49.0 points per game.

For the record, UMass is a two-time winner of this “award”.  Lasts year, the Minutemen won it by allowing 37.8 points per game.  Looking at this year’s stats, it looks as if the “winner” in 2024 will be even more generous.

It is still too early to have clarity on teams for my imaginary SHOE Tournament at the end of the season.  Nevertheless, there are some comments to be thrown out today regarding some bottom-feeding teams.

• If I have counted correctly, there are still 3 winless teams for the 2024 season; they are Kennesaw St. (0-5), Kent St. (0-6) and UTEP (0-6).
• There are lots of teams with only 1 win in 2024.  Some are often seen as contenders for the SHOE Tournament such as Akron, New Mexico St. and UMass.
• This year, there are some surprising teams with only 1 win this late in October such as Florida St. and UCLA.

#5 Georgia at #1Texas is clearly the game of the week in college football this weekend.  Here is an interesting tidbit for that game:

• Georgia is 50-0 in its last 50 games against schools not named Alabama.

 

NCAA Games of Interest This Week:

 

Kentucky – 2 at Florida (43):  Not a good time to be a Gator fan…  The good news for Florida is that Kentucky ranks 114^th in the country in scoring – – only 20.5 points per game.

Alabama – 3 at Tennessee (54):  Alabama has allowed 25 or more points in its last 3 games.  Tennessee has failed to score 25 points in any of its last 3 games.  Something has to give here…

Notre Dame – 12 at Georgia Tech (48):  That seems like a lot of points to give to a Tech team at home that scores an average of 33 points per game.

Georgia at Texas – 4.5 (56):  No question this is the Game of the Week.

Nebraska at Indiana – 5.5 (50.5):  Indiana is bowl-eligible two weeks before Halloween.  If you had that back in August, raise your hand.  I surely did not…

Miami – 5 at Louisville (60):  The Hurricanes are 6-0 after eking out a 1-point win over Cal two weeks ago.

UCLA at Rutgers – 5 (41):  Looks like Chip Kelly got out of UCLA at the right time…

 

NFL Commentary:

 

Earlier this week, I was commenting on NFL QB movement in the off season and mentioned in passing that every once in a while, a team will win the Super Bowl with a less-than-HoF-caliber QB.  I used Trent Dilfer and Mark Rypien as examples there.  Soon after posting I got an email from a former colleague; here is the meat of that message:

“Dr. Curmudgeon.  Old age must be catching up with you because your (sic) slipping.  You call out Trent Dilfer as a surprising winner in the Super Bowl, but you don’t remind everyone that was the worst [bleeping] pair of QBs in any Super Bowl game.  Go look it up.”

So, I went and looked it up.

• In Super Bowl XXXV, the Ravens beat the Giants.  Trent Dilfer was the winning QB; Kerry Collins was the losing QB.

My former colleague is correct; I am slipping; my curmudgeon street-cred took a serious hit with that omission.  I did not recall Kerry Collins ever participating in a Super Bowl game.  For shame…

Last week there as a report that Deshaun Watson has settled the outstanding civil suit against him for sexual harassment/abuse.  I believe that is the 23^rd such civil suit that has been settled prior to any trial activities that might have exposed some of the evidence behind all those allegations and lawsuits.  Nevertheless, that sordid saga may not be over just yet because Commissioner Goodell announced that the league is in the process of seeing if actions in the latest settlement put Watson in violation of the league’s personal conduct policy.  Remember that Watson was suspended for 11 games in 2022; so, that statement by the Commissioner is puzzling.

I know that the NFL is not the same thing as the US penal code, but I would think that the concept of “double jeopardy” would apply in the NFL.  Ergo, since Watson had already been punished for this sort of behavior, I wonder what new information might make him subject to additional punishment now.

In a morbid sense, any added punishment for Watson by the NFL might be a blessing to the Cleveland Browns.  Forget the very large and fully guaranteed contract the Browns lavished on Watson and the myriad “distractions” he brought to the locker room; the Browns might be better off with a different QB on the field.  I suspect that Watson is the starter in Cleveland simply because of that contract and the embarrassment that would accrue to the owner that gave him that contract because Deshaun Watson has stunk out the joint in Cleveland.

I realize that the backup in Cleveland is Jameis Winston who has shown over 9 years in the NFL that he is a journeyman QB at best.  Having said that, Watson has been worse.  Consider:

• The Browns have scored 16 points per game in 2024 and have averaged 240 yards per game on offense.  A good-not-great game for a QB involves passing for 250 yards without adding in any offensive contribution from the running game.
• In his last 36 third-down situations, Watson has failed to convert a single one.
• I know that the ESPN-derived QB Rating is a flawed measuring stick but at the extremes it has some value.  The scale is zero to 100 and in 2024 Deshaun Watson’s QB Rating is 21.5.

When asked specifically and directly if the team would stick with Watson as the QB, coach Kevin Stefanski simply said, “Yes.”  I have no way to know what is going on behind the curtain in Cleveland, but it is not difficult for me to imagine that Stefanski understands that benching Watson for poor performance is a decision to be made at a higher pay level…

There may be a ray of hope in Cleveland; Nick Chubb is back from his latest severe leg injury and could play starting this week.  Chubb’s rehab from a gruesome leg injury in college was inspiring and the injury he suffered last year was similarly ghastly.  He put that college injury behind him to become one of the best RBs in the NFL until the injury last year.  If he can regain that form, he will take some of the pressure off Deshaun Watson and goose the Browns’ offense to a higher level.

The Steelers reportedly are ready to change QBs despite sporting a 4-2 record with Justin Fields under center.  It appears that Russell Wilson’s calf injury has healed, and the Steelers intend to insert him into the lineup.  I find that unusual because more than once in the past, Steeler’s coach, Mike Tomlin, has said that winning is the only thing that matters and that there are no bad wins or good losses.  If the reports are correct and he is making the change, that seems to me to be a change in philosophy.  That is a situation clearly worth watching…

The Lions lost their best DL, Aiden Hutchinson, last week to a broken leg; he underwent surgery this week and is out for the season.  The odds on the Lions to win the Super Bowl doubled overnight in Las Vegas with that news.  The Lions have talent all through their roster; even so, Hutchinson might have been their best player; this loss could be devastating.  The fact that the Lions are in the uber-competitive NFC North means their strength of schedule for the rest of the year is daunting.  Two weeks ago, I would have said that the Lions were odds-on to make the playoffs; with Hutchinson gone, make those odds 7 to 5 for the Lions to make the playoffs let alone win the Super Bowl.

In the game where Hutchinson was injured, the opponent was the Cowboys and despite the loss of Hutchinson, the Cowboys were steamrollered by a score of 47-9 and it may not have been that close.  The Cowboys’ defense was simply pushed around and bullied from start to finish giving up 492 yards of total offense including 184 yards rushing.  The Lions gained 7.5 yards per offensive play in the game.  The Cowboys are 3-0 on the road which is as good as a team could hope to be.  At home, it is a different story; at home, the Cowboys have given up 119 points in 3 home games.  One need not be a math whiz or a football seer to recognize that giving up about 40 points per game is not a recipe for success.  Indeed, the Cowboys are 0-3 in home games in 2024.  The Cowboys have this week off; they need it.

 

NFL Games This Week:

 

            Two teams have their BYE Week now:

1. Bears:  They are 4-2 in 2024 which has them tied for last place with the Packers in the highly competitive NFC North.
2. Cowboys:  They are 3-3 which has them in third place in the eminently winnable NFC East.

(Thurs Nite) Broncos – 3 at Saints (37):  I suggest that the coaching angle is the only interesting part of this game.

• Sean Payton returns to New Orleans with his Broncos squad.
• Dennis Allen’s team was embarrassed by the Bucs last week giving up 51 points.
• Ho-hum …

Pats vs Jags – 6 (42.5)  Game is in London:  This is without question the Dog-Breath Game of the Week.  Neither team is any good.  The Pats’ anemic offense gets to play against the very porous Jags’ defense; that might be fun to watch.  But not enough “fun” for me to get up and be ready to watch football at 9:00 AM on Sunday.  This game might set back NFL popularity in Europe significantly.

Seahawks at Falcons – 3 (51):  The Seahawks won their first three games this year; then they lost three in a row.  This is a “body-clock game” for the Seahawks after a flight of about 2800 miles to reach the venue.  The Falcons lead their division – – via a preliminary tiebreaker – – having won their last three games in a row.

Titans at Bills – 9 (41):  If this game plays to form, you can watch to see what sort of magical plays Josh Allen will put on display AND you can watch to see what sort of boneheaded plays Will Levis will make.

Bengals – 6 at Browns (42):  The Bengals’ defense has been bad so far in 2024.  Can the equally bad Browns’ offense exploit that?

Texans – 3 at Packers (48):  I thought about this as the Game of the week for a moment.  The two teams have a combined record of 9-3 at the kickoff and both teams need a win:

• The Texans need a win to maintain their lead in the AFC South
• The Packers need a win because at least one of the NFC North teams ahead of them today is going to lose on Sunday.

Dolphins at Colts – 3 (43.5):  At least the Broncos/Saints game had a coaching angle to give it a patina of “interesting”.  This game is a snoozer…

Lions at Vikes – 1.5 (51): Here is my Game of the Week.  The Vikes lead the NFC North at 5-0.  The Lions are second in the Division at 4-1.  The Vikes have a point differential of +63.  The Lions have a point differential of +60.  Too bad the NFL did not flex this game to a late afternoon time slot.

Eagles – 3 at Giants (42.5):  The NFC East is winnable; all four teams have enough flaws to make you think they cannot possibly win the division – – but someone will come January 2025.  Therefore, every division game is an important one.

Raiders at Rams – 7 (43.5):  This match got fleeting consideration as the Dog-Breath Game of the Week because the Rams are injury riddled and the Raiders are a hot mess.  Both teams are last in their division.  Move on; there is nothing to see here…

Panthers at Commanders – 8 (51): The Commanders lead the winnable NFC East at this point despite their defense which gives up more than 24 points per game.  The reason is Jayden Daniels and the Commanders’ offense which puts 29,7 points per game on the scoreboard.  The Panthers’ defense gives up 33.8 points per game.  This should be a romp.

Chiefs at Niners – 1 (47):  The Niners need this game badly; they are 3-3 so far in 2024 and are tied for the lead in the NFC West.  The Chiefs are undefeated so far at 5-0 but their margins of victory have been small.  Even after winning all 5 games, the Chiefs have a point differential of only +33.

(Sun Nite) Jets – 2 at Steelers (38):  Tune in to see how Davante Adams’ hamstring injury has miraculously healed on his flight from Las Vegas to NYC.  Tune in to see the Pittsburgh soap opera, As the Quarterback Turns.  The Jets are 2.5 games behind the Bills in the AFC East and the Bills have an eminently winnable game this week against the Titans (see above).  Thus, the Jets need this game badly.  Meanwhile the Steelers are tied for the lead with the Ravens in the AFC North and similarly need a win here.  It should be a fun game to watch.

(Mon Nite Early) Ravens – 3.5 at Bucs (48):  This one got Game of the Week consideration too.  Both teams are tied for the lead in their respective divisions making it an important game for both teams.  The stats say it should be a close game:

• Bucs have scored 178 points this year; Ravens have scored 177 points.
• Bucs have given up 141 points this year; Ravens have given up 149 points.

(Mon Nite Late) Chargers – 2 at Cards (44):  The Cards’ 2-4 record has them only 1 game away from the lead in the disappointing NFC West.  Having seen the Cards twice this year, it is hard to imagine them as a “division leader”.  Meanwhile the Chargers find themselves in second place in the AFC West with a 3-2 record.  I will be watching the Ravens/Bucs game on Monday night, but during breaks in that game, I will peek in to be sure that Jim Harbaugh is still on the Chargers’ sideline.

I have not had time to pay nearly close enough attention to make serious picks for a “Betting Bundle”, so take these picks with a grain of salt:

• I like Oregon St. +7.5 against UNLV
• I like Georgia tech +12 against Notre Dame
• I like the Texans/Packers game OVER 48
• I like the Panthers/Commanders game OVER 51
•  I like the Chargers – 2 over the Cards
• I like the Giants +3 against the Eagles – – followed by a Nick Siriani meltdown.

And if you like Money Line parlays, think about these:

• LSU @ minus-125 with James Madison @ minus-350.  Bet $100 to win $131
• Giants @ +145 with Commanders @ minus-380.  Bet $100 to win $209.

Finally, a thought from Vince Lombardi:

“Winning is not a sometime thing; it’s an all the time thing. You don’t win once in a while… you don’t do things right once in a while… you do them right all the time. Winning is habit.”

But don’t get me wrong, I love sports………

 

 

 

 

Hurricane Milton caused loads of damage to Central Florida and the Gulf Coast of Florida including the infliction of damage to Tropicana Field – – home of the Tampa Bay Rays.  If you have not seen the aftermath of that storm with regard to that facility, go to Google Images and search on ‘Tropicana Field Hurricane Milton”.  There used to be a dome on the stadium that appeared from above to be a full circle; now the coverage is about 15-20 degrees.

A report this morning at CBSSports.com says that the field may not be ready for the Rays on Opening Day 2025 (March 27,2025) posing a challenge for the scheduling mavens at MLB.  I make no claims on expertise as a structural engineer or as a construction manager, but looking at the damage done there, I think any consideration that the field will be repaired by Opening Day is fanciful at best.  Tropicana Field may not be habitable until well into the MLB season in 2025 and the planned new facility in St. Petersburg will not be ready for several years.

So …

• Quo vadis Tampa Bay Rays?

The logical answer from a geographical perspective is for the Rays to share the Marlins’ facility in Miami.  However, that simple solution has a financial drawback:

• Neither the Rays nor the Marlins draw well at home.
• Rays’ fans in the Tampa/St. Pete area would have to drive about 250 miles to get to Miami.  How many will make that trek for 81 games in Miami?
• Marlins’ fans do not turn out in droves to see the local team.  How many will show up to see the Rays 81 times in a season?

That “financial drawback” also afflicts other MLB teams since the visitors share in the live gate when they are on the road.  So, here is an off-the-wall idea:

• The Yankees’ Spring Training stadium is in Tampa – – not that far from Tropicana Field.  It does not have a roof, and it was not devastated by Hurricane Milton.
• Despite being a Spring Training facility, the stadium – – George M. Steinbrenner Field don’t you know – – seats just over 11,000 folks and it has 13 luxury suites.
• That field is used by the Tampa Tarpons – – the Single-A team for the Yankees.
• It might be much easier to cobble up a co-mingled schedule with a minor league team than another MLB squad AND the stadium in Tampa would be far more accessible to Ray’s fans.

Just a thought …

Moving on …  The NFL owners met in Atlanta this week for a regularly scheduled convocation.  Two interesting outcomes from that meeting are:

1. Tom Brady is now a part owner of the Las Vegas Raiders.  That sale had to be approved by the rest of the owners, and it had been held up reportedly because the price Brady was paying was too much of a “sweetheart deal”.  Evidently, that was somehow resolved in the minds of the other owners.  Raiders’ owner, Mark Davis, sold 5% of the team to Brady, another 5% to Brady’s business partner and 0.5% to Hall of Fame DL, Richard Seymour.
2. The owners unanimously approved a plan to renovate the Jags’ stadium in Jax with an infusion of public funding and a 30-year lease by the Jags to play in Jax.  That should put an end to rumors/reports about the Jags being the seed crystal that creates a “European Division” in the NFL.  Such a division may materialize someday, but the Jags are not going to be the forcing function for such an entity any time soon.

Switching gears …  Yesterday, I mentioned that WR, Davante Adams went from the Raiders to the Jets; later yesterday, the Browns traded WR, Amari Cooper to the Bills.  Cooper was involved in a mid-season trade last year too; the Cowboys acquired him around the trade deadline, and he was part of a Cowboys’ team that made the playoffs.  Last year, the Cowboys gave up a first-round pick for Cooper.  This year’s price for Cooper’s services is significantly lower:

• Bills get Cooper plus a 6^th round pick in 2025
• Browns get a 3^rd round pick in 2025 plus a 7^th round pick in 2026

For the record, you can expect to see a few more trades among NFL teams as playoff hopefuls try to shore up weak spots on their rosters.  The in-season trading deadline is at 4:00PM on November 5^th; so that means there are still 20 days for wheeling-and-dealing.  I will be interested to see if the Commanders participate as “buyers” in the next couple of weeks.

The new owners in Washington seem to have adopted a “build steadily” strategy for the team and the roster; they did not go out and spend lavishly to make headlines over the summer.  Now, the Commanders are in first place in the very winnable NFC East, and they just lost their Pro-Bowl DT, Jonathan Allen for the season with a pectoral injury.  The Commanders’ can also use any and all help in their defensive backfield; so, I will find it interesting to see if the Commanders’ Front Office makes a course correction in the next two weeks or so to make a playoff run for the team.

Finally, an observation by George Steinbrenner:

“Second place is really the first loser.”

But don’t get me wrong, I love sports………

 

 

While these rants were on hiatus, Luis Tiant died at the age of 83.  If you never saw him pitch, use Google to find a short video and check it out; he had more unusual pitching motions in his arsenal than a full team of pitchers normally have.  As a kid, trying to imitate Luis Tiant on the mound was a staple of any Wiffle Ball game.  Tiant is not in the Hall of Fame; I wonder if the Veterans Committee – – or whatever they are calling that entity these days – – might consider his candidacy.

Rest in peace, Luis Tiant.

Also, while these rants were on hiatus, the NY Jets fired head coach, Robert Saleh, and promoted defensive coordinator, Jeff Ulbrich, to become the interim head coach.  The Jets are now 2-4 after losing last night to the Bills on MNF. That puts them 2 games behind the Bills in the standings – – actually 2.5 games behind since the Bills won the first of their two meetings this year – – and the level of desperation with the team appears to be building not waning as they just traded for the “injured” Davante Adams per reports this morning.  More on that later …

Robert Saleh was not nearly responsible for the lack of success exhibited by the Jets during the last 3 seasons.  Here is the list of the starting QBs his Jets’ teams trotted out on Sundays in the last 3 years:

• Zach Wilson – – 33 games
• Mike White – – 7 games
• Joe Flacco – – 5 games
• Trevor Siemian – – 3 games
• Tim Boyle – – 2 games
• Aaron Rodgers – – 1 game

Robert Saleh was not the motive force that drafted and signed that assemblage of quarterbacking prowess.  Robert Saleh had no part in Aaron Rodgers’ season-ending injury last year in Game 1.  The Jets are a mess because of their roster-building decisions over the past decade or so and not because of their coaching decisions over the same time span.   Last night on the “Manningcast”, Bill Belichick characterized the Jets’ executive offices and ownership of living by the motto, “Ready … Fire … Aim!”

There is a famous logical fallacy that applies to the Jets’ situation as of now.  That fallacy is known as “Post hoc, ergo propter hoc.”  Translated from Latin, that means “After that, therefore because of that.”  The classic example is a man who goes out into his front yard every day and stomps his feet by the curb at noontime.  A neighbor asks what he is doing and why.  The man replies that it keeps the elephants away.  The neighbor says that there are no elephants in the suburbs.  The man says, “See, it’s working.”

How does that apply to the NY Jets in 2024?  On record now …

• “The AFC East Division is ripe for the taking this year to a greater extent than it has been in a LONG time.”

That Pats are very early in a total restructuring process with a rookie QB who has exactly 1 start to his name as of this morning.  The Dolphins are using their third starting QB this season with 12 games still to play in the season.  The Bills do not look nearly as good as Bills’ teams have looked over the past 3 seasons or so.  The Division is weak, and the winner of the Division will be in the playoffs.

And if the Jets do win the AFC East and go to the playoffs, that will be a glorious time for the team and its fans – – but it will NOT be as a result of the absence of Robert Saleh.  It will happen because the players on the roster find ways to win games instead of losing them as they did last night at home against the Bills.

To that end, reports today say that the Jets have acquired Davante Adams from the Raiders for a conditional third-round pick.  Adams and Rodgers are old buds from Packers’ days and Adams has been wanting out of Las Vegas for months to the point that he has formally asked to be traded and has been out of action since Week 3 with a hamstring injury.  That malady will make a miraculous recovery in the next couple of days even without the Jets sending Adams on a private Jet to Lourdes so he can soak in the sacred healing waters there.

If you are a Jets’ fan, the standard for this year should be a wild-card playoff spot at the very least and the Division title more reasonably.  And when that happens, no aura of “genius” should be assigned to the coaches, GM or ownership.  When I look at the Jets’ remaining schedule, I see 6 games that should be counted as wins.  Combined with the two wins already on the books, that means the team needs only to win 2 or 3 of the other 5 games to get into serious playoff range.  There are no excuses left…

Moving on … The Chargers’ head coach, Jim Harbaugh, had to leave the sidelines right around kickoff time to go to the locker room for medical attention.  Harbaugh said it was a cardiac arrhythmium that needed to addressed.  He returned to the sidelines late in the first quarter and announced that he will be taking blood thinners and wearing a “heart monitor” for the next several weeks to scope out his problem.  He also said that an “ablation process” was also a possibility but that he planned on missing no games.

Jim Harbaugh is a very good football coach and a larger-than-life character to be sure.  I am not a physician, but cardiac “issues” seem to me to be part of a list of conditions that one takes very seriously.  I don’t know what a “cardiac ablation” is, but I know what “ablation” means and that sounds to me like something that just might be serious enough to cause Harbaugh to miss a game here or there.  Moreover, the behavior and demeanor of Jim Harbaugh on the sidelines during a football game should lead anyone to conclude that he is in a “stressful mood” and that he is “intensely interested” in whatever is happening in front of him – – and married with a ”cardiac issue” that seems to be a recipe for a sewage martini.

Bonne chance, Jim Harbaugh …

Finally, since I mentioned the Manningcast above, let me close with this from Peyton Manning:

“You hear about how many fourth quarter comebacks that a guy has, and I think it means a guy screwed up in the first three quarters.”

But don’t bet me wrong, I love sports………

 

 

Success in the NFL usually involves a successful QB.  Yes, I know that Trent Dilfer and Mark Rypien won Super Bowls, but I contend that they are the exceptions and not the rule.  At the end of the 2023 season, the NFL saw an upcoming Draft with a ton of potential at the QB position and that situation generated a huge amount of personnel movement around the league.  Now that we are 6 weeks into the 2024 season, I want to look back and see what teams did that was successful so far and what was not.  I’ll do the teams in alphabetical order; there is no ranking here:

• Bears:  Holding the overall #1 pick in the Draft, the Bears traded their 2023 starter Justin Fields to the Steelers and took Caleb Williams with that #1 pick.  The Bears are 4-2 as of this morning which has them in last place in the very strong NFC North, but the Bears look as if they have their “QB of the future” if they allow for some bumps along the road to development.  Good Draft pick by the Bears; they upgraded at QB…
• Broncos:  The Broncos released 2023 starter, Russell Wilson leaving Jarrett Stidham as the putative starter for 2024.  However, in the Draft, the Broncos took Bo Nix who beat out Stidham for the starting job in Training Camp this summer.  Nix has been spotty so far in the NFL; some of that might be attributed to a rather ordinary cadre of pass catchers in Denver.  The Broncos’ situation is probably best labeled as a “Work in Progress” …
• Bucs:  The Bucs resigned Baker Mayfield – – their QB in 2023 – – as a free agent.  So, the Bucs basically stood pat and as of today they are tied atop the NFC South with the Falcons.  Mayfield is not a great NFL QB, but he is clearly competent.  Solid move by the Bucs…
• Commanders:  They traded 2023 starter, Sam Howell, to the Seahawks for a box of rocks and used the #2 pick in the Draft to take Jayden Daniels whose performance in an admittedly small sample of 6 games has been stellar.  Like the Bears, it appears that the Commanders have their “QB of the future” on the roster…
• Falcons:  The Falcons started Desmond Ridder and Taylor Heinicke at QB in 2023 and that just did not work out.  Desperate times call for desperate measures and the Falcons made big changes.  They signed 36-year-old Kirk Cousins as a free agent coming off Achilles Tendon surgery to a 4-year deal worth $180M.  In addition, the Falcons also took Michael Penix, Jr. with the overall 8^th pick in the Draft this year as a developmental project.  The Falcons are tied with the Bucs for the NFC South lead today; the near-term QB situation in Atlanta seems solid; Cousins is not limping around on a bad leg; the longer-term picture is still cloudy depending on Penix’ “development” …
• Giants:  The Giants’ QB situation last year was chaotic at best with Daniel Jones, Tyrod Taylor and Tommy DeVito as starters.  Jones is back from injury as the starter; DeVito is on the bench and Taylor used his free agency to move across town and sign with the Jets.  The Giants then acquired Drew Lock from the Seahawks in a trade.  So, the net result for the Giants is that they replaced Taylor with Lock; looking at that outcome, I would label it as a “lateral arabesque” …
• Jets:  The Jets’ QB situation in 2023 went into Keystone Kops mode when Aaron Rodgers went out for the season after 4 plays in the first game of the season.  To refresh your memory, here is the roster of QBs that were available to the Jets sans Rodgers in 2023:
  • • Tim Boyle
    • Brett Rypien
    • Trevor Siemian
    • Chris Streveler
    • Zach Wilson

The Jets went through Rodgers-induced drama over the summer, but he has been healthy so far in 2024.  However, the drama continues in NYC leading to the firing of coach Robert Saleh already and lots of people say that Rodgers’ fingerprints are all over that decision.  Aaron Rodgers will be in the Hall of Fame soon, but he is not the “QB of the future” for anyone in the league these days.  According to Spotrac.com, Rodgers is signed with the Jets through the 2025 season when he will be an unrestricted free agent again at age 43.  Maybe the Jets can make a run this year or next year, but their QB situation is still only slightly better than a hot mess …

• Pats:  The Pats changed coaches and QBs.  Last year, Mac Jones and Bailey Zappe started in New England; Jones was traded to the Jags and Zappe signed on with the Chiefs to their practice squad.  The Pats brought Jacoby Brisset back to New England where he started his career and Brisset won the starting job over Drake Maye who the Pats took with the #3 overall pick in the Draft.  Maye started his first game yesterday – – a loss to the Texans – – completing 61% of his passes and throwing 3 TDs and 2 INTs.  In this situation, the jury is still out…
• Raiders:  The Raiders started Jimmy G, Brian Hoyer and Aidan O’Connell at QB in 2023; none set the world on fire.  Garoppolo was released and eventually wound up with the Rams; Hoyer is not in the league after bouncing around for 15 seasons; O’ Connell lost a Training Camp competition to Gardner Minshew for the starting job in Las Vegas.  Already, Minshew was benched in favor of O’Connell in 2024.  Neither Minshew nor O’Connell is “the answer” at QB; the Raiders situation here in 2024 is no better than it was in 2023, and it was sub-standard in 2023…
• Seahawks:  The Seahawks’ stating QB in 2023 was Geno Smith; he negotiated a restructured contract with the team and retained his starting job bearing out Sam Howell – – acquired from the Commanders – – in Training Camp.  The only change in Seattle is that Howell is the backup this year in place of Drew Lock.
• Steelers:  The Steelers started 3 QBs last year and got rid of all of them.
  • • Kenny Picket was traded to the Eagles
    • Mason Rudolph left for the Titans in free agency
    • Mitchell Trubisky was released and eventually signed with the Bills

Then the Steelers signed Russell Wilson as a free agent and traded for Justin Fields.  Wilson has yet to see the field, but Justin Fields has led the team to a 4-2 start to the 2024 season leaving the Steelers tied with the Ravens for the lead in the AFC North.  I doubt that Wilson is a long-term answer at QB for the Steelers, but Fields is a raw physical talent.  There comes a time in the career of a top-shelf QB where he adds a mental understanding of the game to his physical gifts creating a new blend.  So far, Justin Fields has not added that element to his game – but if he does …

• Vikes:  The Vikes lost Kirk Cousins halfway through last season and then lost him permanently in free agency.  The other starters in 2023 were:
  • • Josh Dobbs
    • Jaren Hall
    • Nick Mullens

The Vikes took JJ McCarthy in the Draft, but he was injured in the Exhibition season and will miss all of 2024.  That put Sam Darnold in the starting job over Brett Rypien and Darnold has led the Vikes to a 5-0 record so far in 2024.  This is Darnold’s 7^th year in the NFL and his performance prior to 2024 is politely labeled as “Meh!”.  Did the Vikes fill an inside straight there?  Can JJ McCarthy live up to his hype if Darnold returns to his prior form?  It is too soon to know if the Vikes have resolved their issues at QB just yet …

The Cleveland Browns rode a strong defense and Joe Flacco’s relief performance to a wild-card playoff slot in 2023.  Deshaun Watson was out with an injury last year and given the contract he has with the Browns it was a foregone conclusion that he would be the starter in 2024.  But the Browns chose to release Flacco and sign Jameis Winston as their backup for 2024.  I don’t want to make Joe Flacco out to be a great QB or a long-term answer for a team – – he is 39 years old – – but neither is Jameis Winston a great QB or a long-term answer for a team.  The Browns are a mess this season; Deshaun Watson has played poorly; the team is averaging 16 points per game.  Meanwhile Flacco is in Indy capably filling in for the again-injured Anthony Richardson.

The Browns, Jets and Raiders all need help at QB going forward.  Maybe the Pats, Giants and Seahawks do too.  Time marches on.

Finally, this observation by Bill Parcells:

“You don’t get any medal for trying something, you get medals for results.”

But don’t get me wrong, I love sports……..