The Sports Curmudgeon

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……..

 

 

Yesterday came reports that Dikembe Mutombo died at the age of 59 after battling brain cancer.  Mutombo was a defensive presence throughout his NBA career whose “signature” on the court was to wave his finger as a “no-no” after blocking a shot.  A native of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Mutombo was known for his charitable works there and in other parts of Africa.

Rest in Peace Dikembe Mutombo.

This morning, I woke up to news that Pete Rose had died over the weekend at the age of 83.  No cause of death was in the report I read.  There is no need to repeat the self-destructive tale that is Pete Rose in his later years.  Suffice it to say that his stats say he belongs in the Baseball Hall of Fame – – but he is not there.

Rest in peace, Pete Rose.

At the beginning of the MLB season, I made 10 selections based on the futures bets posted by oddsmakers.  The time of reckoning has arrived.

There were 5 winning selections:

1. Dodgers UNDER 105 wins
2. Braves UNDER 102 wins
3. Tigers OVER 80.5 wins
4. Nationals OVER 66.5 wins
5. Pirates OVER 75 wins – – by one game

There were 5 losing selections:

1. Cubs OVER 84.5 wins
2. Astros OVER 92 wins
3. Orioles to win the AL East
4. Rays OVER 85 wins
5. Yankees UNDER 93.5 wins – – by one game

Those picks demonstrate the symmetry of the universe in addition to the fact that on the day I made those selections, I was acting as a human coin flip.  Those oddsmakers sure do know their business…

Finally, I’ll close this brief rant today with a paraphrase of Tony Kornheiser’s sign off line from Pardon the Interruption:

“I’ll try and do better the next time.”

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

 

 

            I mentioned last week that I would experience my first full weekend of football for the season and so I decided to “do it right” and check in on some – – not all – – of the pre-game and post-game studio shows.  On Saturday, I naturally checked in on College Game Day and it was all I could do to stay and watch for more than about 30-40 minutes.  Maybe I am just a crochety old codger – – actually, I am indeed a crochety old codger – – but the screaming people behind the cast of this “entertainment feature” do not add to the telecast.  In fact, they are maximally annoying; enthusiasm and supporting the team are one thing; mugging for the cameras is a significantly different thing.

Rece Davis is not only a saint for putting up with that [bleep] every week, but he is also a broadcast professional who tries to keep the show on a constant and marginally steady course focused on the game(s) for the day.  Whatever he is being paid is well earned money.  Moreover, he gets only the slightest bits of help from his partners in crime:

• Lee Corso is Lee Corso.  What you see is what you get; over the course of about a half an hour, I got a little from him.
• Kirk Herbstreit is solid.
• Desmond Howard tries hard to be informative and/or entertaining.  Generally, he is neither.
• Pat McAfee makes me wonder if there is such a thing as “adult-onset Level 3 autism” because that would make the program much better.  [Note:  I am not wishing that for McAfee; but either that or a ball-gag would be a welcome addition to College Game Day.]
• Nick Saban looks like his fondest wish would be to bolt the set when the cameras are pointed elsewhere and go fishing with his old coaching buddies.

The venue last weekend of course was Tuscaloosa, AL where the Alabama/Georgia game would happen.  Let me just say that the game was far more exciting than the presentation of College Game Day.  See below…

On Sunday, I sampled randomly the pre-game programming and came away with some general commentary:

• ESPN NFL Countdown:  Mike Greenberg is good.  Rex Ryan seems to be auditioning for a career in stand-up comedy – – except he isn’t funny.
• CBS NFL Today:  I think I am going to like Matt Ryan as a studio host/analyst a lot.  And Nate Burleson keeps getting better and better.
• FOX NFL Sunday:  Howie Long and Michael Strahan do the heavy lifting here.  Terry Bradshaw and Jimmy Johnson are past their “sell-by dates”.

And then in an act just short of self-disembowelment, I tuned in Football Night in America.  This program is strikingly awful; it makes College Game Day look like 60 Minutes.  The program lurches from person to person each of whom presents “analysis” or “news” or “whatever” in 50 words or less.  It is the audio version of torture by strobe light.

There was a time when this program was hosted by Bob Costas, and it was both informative and entertaining.  Those days are past, and those days will not – – cannot – – return with the current cast of characters.

It is the case for all the other pre-game shows that the host/moderator is the glue that tries to hold the thing together and all four of the other hosts do good work.  Such is simply not the case for Football Night in America.  Call me a racist misogynist if you want, but I think Maria Taylor is terrible in her role.  The only way I will watch any more of that program is if I happen to tune in to see Sunday Night Football and turn the TV on 5 minutes early before Mike Tirico and Cris Collinsworth take over.

I mentioned above the Alabama/Georgia game from last Saturday.  Alabama raced out to a 28-0 lead early in the second quarter; it looked as if the rout was on – – until it wasn’t.  Add in a safety by Alabama and the Tide led 30-7 at halftime and 33-15 at the end of the 3^rd quarter.  Then Georgia scored 3 TDs in about 7 minutes to take the lead 34-33 setting up the game for a Hollywood ending.

• Trailing by a point with about two-and-a-half minutes left in the game, Alabama took possession at its own 25-yardline.
• On the first play, a 17-year-old freshman – – Ryan Williams – – caught a pass from QB Jalen Milroe and outran the Georgia defense for a TD to put Alabama back in the lead 41-33.
• Georgia took possession at its own 25-yardline and marched to the Alabama 20 with less than a minute to play when Alabama defensive back, Zabien Brown, – – another freshman by the way – – intercepted a pass in the end zone to seal the victory for Alabama.

The two teams combined to generate a total of 1066 yards of offense.  If I knew that the two teams would put on a show like that again, I would be happy to see a rematch somewhere down the line.

Finally, a revelation by Dan Jenkins:

“My favorite sport, frankly, is college football. I’m a college football junkie, even though I’m associated with golf and like golf and have played it all my life.”

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

 

 

Well, I have had a full week in one place and am looking forward to my first full weekend able to watch football this year.  [Foreshadowing:  I’ll be off the air again next week …]  And so, I will attempt today to do a garden-variety Football Friday including a “Betting Bundle”.  Who knows?  I may just get back in the habit sometime later this season.

The Linfield University Wildcats improved their record to 2-1 in dramatic fashion last week beating the University of the Redlands 45-0.  I just realized that Linfield has expanded its regular season schedule from 9 games as it has been in the past to 10 games in 2024.  All three of the games to date have been out-of-conference contests and Linfield will begin Northwest Conference play next weekend on the road in Salem OR taking on the Bearcats of Willamette University.  The Wildcats inserted a BYE Week in the schedule this year as well.

My pre-season “sleeper team” for 2024 – – the Nebraska Cornhuskers – – lost in OT last week to Illinois, 31-24.  That gives the Huskers a record of 3-1 for the season as they go on the road to take on Purdue this weekend.  Nebraska is a 10-point favorite in that game.  Go Huskers!

 

College Football Commentary:

 

TCU lost last weekend to SMU 66-42.  TCU outgained SMU by 105 yards in the game but turned the ball over 4 times in the game.  That alone makes the contest “unusual”, but another event makes it “really rare”.  TCU head coach, Sonny Dykes, was ejected from the game for drawing two unsportsmanlike conduct penalties early in the second half.

The Horned Frogs returned the second half kickoff for a TD, but it was nullified by a holding call; Coach Dykes disagreed too vehemently and drew unsportsmanlike penalty #1.  After the next play – – the first offensive snap of the second half – – he continued his vociferous protest and earned his second flag and a quick trip to the locker room.  After the game, here is what Dykes had to say:

“Two penalties from two different officials. I understood why I got the first one, I thought I deserved it.  The second one, I really don’t know where it came from. The first one I deserved.”

TCU goes on the road this weekend to take on Kansas.

Here in Curmudgeon Central, I believe in the “equal time” concept.  Everyone who comments on college football pays a lot of positive attention to unbeaten teams; I also focus on the winless ones.  Here are 4 teams that have opened the 2024 season with 0-4 records and there are some interesting things to note about those teams:

• UTEP and New Mexico are both 0-4.  These schools are close by Interstate 25 as it wends its way from the Mexican border up to Denver.  You could probably hit both campuses in about a 3-hour drive.  The fact that they are both winless might lead some to a hypothesis that there is something in the water in that part of the world that leads to football ineptitude.
• New Mexico plays New Mexico St. this weekend; New Mexico St. is also right next to Interstate 25 between the UTEP and New Mexico campuses.  New Mexico St. has a win under its belt against a Division 1-AA opponent but nothing else is even close.  For the record, New Mexico is a 9.5-point favorite.
• Kent State schedulers bit off a lot more than they could chew for 2024.  Three of the four opening losses have been to Pitt, Tennessee and Penn State; Kent State has no business playing those schools.  However, the team also lost to Division1-AA, St Francis (PA) along the way meaning that the team gets no pats on the back for taking on the big guys.  The cumulative score for Kent State so far in 2024 is:
  • • Opponents 205  Kent State 41
• Wyoming has had one close game.  Like Kent State it lost to a Division 1-AA team (Idaho) and was not close in the other three.  Unlike Kent State who lost to some top-shelf programs, Wyoming’s defeats have come at the hands of middling squads – – North Texas, BYU and Arizona State.

The expanded CFP assures at least one slot will go to a team outside the “Power 4” conferences.  Last week, James Madison beat UNC 70-50; it was 53-21 at halftime; the two teams combined to produce 1227 yards on offense in the game.  Should the Dukes run the table this year, the Selection Committee may well look at this domination of a major football program beneficently…

For the record, both Army and Navy have begun the season with 3-0 records; Air Force is 1-2 as of this morning.

Here are some comments on games from last week:

Wash St. 54  San Jose St. 52 (2OT):  Washington St. posted 627 yards on offense – – outgaining San Jose St. by 136 yards and the Cougars still needed two OT shots to take down the win.  The two teams combined to run 170 offensive plays in the contest.  Washington St. is off to a 4-0 start in 2024.

Florida 45  Mississippi St. 28:  The Gators evened their record at 2-2 with this first win over a Division 1-A team.  Two Florida QBs combined to complete 26 of 28 pass attempts in the game for 277 yards and 3 TDs while the Gators’ running game averaged over 6 yards per carry.  The Bulldogs’ defense is problematic to say the least and their starting QB had to leave the game in the fourth quarter with a shoulder injury that might keep him out for a while.  Mississippi St. has a tough road ahead!

Missouri 30  Vandy 27 (2OT):  Mizzou was ranked #7 in the country before this game; Vandy was not ranked anywhere close to that.  The Tigers outgained the Commodores by 124 yards and still needed 2 OTs to seal the deal.  The two kickers played a big role in the game.  Missouri missed two field goas in regulation time that allowed for the tie; then in OT Missouri made a field goal while the Vandy kicker missed from 31 yards to end the game.  Mizzou is 4-0 on the season; presumably this game will be a warning to the Tigers about overconfidence.

Tennessee 25  Oklahoma 15:  Both teams were undefeated and ranked in the Top 25 coming into the game; Tennessee was #6 and Oklahoma was #15.  The Vols’ defense held the Sooners to 222 yards on offense and only 36 yards rushing.

Florida St. 14  Cal 9:  This was the first win for the Seminoles and the first loss for the Golden Bears.  Cal outgained Florida State 410 yards to 284 yards and still lost the game.  The difference is quite simple; Florida St. scored 2 TDs and Cal scored 3 FGs.

Indiana 52  UNC-Charlotte 14:  The Hoosiers are 4-0 to start the season and they have been a scoring machine to date.  Indiana has scored 202 points in their 4 wins albeit against rather soft schedule.

Clemson 59  NC State 35:  This game was not this close.  Clemson called off the dogs and NC State scored 21 points in the fourth quarter after trailing 59-14 at the start of that quarter.

Temple 45  Utah St. 29:  This was the first win for the Owls.  Temple QB, Evan Simon, threw 4 TD passes in the game and was the Owls’ leading rusher too.

Penn St. 56  Kent St.  0:  Here is how big a mismatch this game was:

• Penn St. Total Offense = 718 yards  Kent St. Total Offense = 67 yards
• Penn St. First Downs = 40  Kent St. First Downs = 6
• Penn St. Offensive Plays = 81  Kent St. Offensive Plays = 43

 

NCAA Games of Interest This Week:

 

(Fri Nite) Washington at Rutgers – 1 (43):  Rutgers is undefeated to date in 2024, and this is a Big-10 conference game.  Seriously …

UNC at Duke – 2.5 (56):  Big rivalry game here…

Florida St. at SMU – 6 (47):  Evidently, the oddsmakers were not impressed by the Seminoles first win last week.

Washington St. at Boise St. – 6.5 (65):  Given the Cougars undefeated record – – including a win over Washington – – the oddsmakers are paying a lot of respect to Boise St. with that spread…

Mississippi St. at Texas – 38.5 (61):  Texas is ranked #1 in the country; Mississippi St. is a rebuilding mess with a porous defense.  This should be ugly – – quickly.

South Alabama at LSU – 21 (64.5):  S. Alabama has a good offense; they are averaging 48.3 points per game.   S. Alabama has a minimal defense; they give up 25.8 points per game against middling opponents.  LSU is no stranger to the end zone.  I like this game to go OVER; put it in the Betting Bundle.

Louisville at Notre Dame – 7 (45):  Louisville is undefeated so far in 2024.

Illinois at Penn St. – 18 (47):  Illinois is undefeated so far in 2024.

Kentucky at Ole Miss – 15 (52):  Ole Miss has been blowing the doors off overmatched opponents so far this year and that may scare some folks off them.  I think their offense is for real and Kentucky – – while a step up from previous opponents – – is not going to stop them.  I like Ole Miss to win and cover at home; put that in the Betting Bundle.

Georgia – 1 at Alabama (50):  This is so obviously the College Game of the Week.  Georgia is ranked #2; Alabama is ranked #4 in the country.  This game is must see TV …

• Fun Fact:  This is the first time since 2007 that Alabama has been a home underdog.  That was Nick Saban’s first year at Alabama and the favorite in the game was LSU.

New Mexico – 9.5 at New Mexico St. (55):  This is clearly the “game of the week” among bottom-feeders (see above).  New Mexico has only been close in one game – – against a Division 1-AA opponent losing by only 4 points.  Winless New Mexico is a road favorite because against Division 1-A schools, the Aggies have lost 3 games by a cumulative score of 109 – 35.  This game is “Avert Your Eyes TV”.

 

NFL Commentary:

 

There are five unbeaten teams in the NFL to date:

1. Bills:  They have been the most dominant team so far.
2. Chiefs:  A win is a win – – but the Chiefs have been cutting it awfully close so far in 2024.
3. Seahawks:  They are indeed 3-0 but their “strength of schedule” to date is unimpressive.  They beat the Broncos and a QB making his first start in the NFL by 6 points.  They beat a bad Pats team by 3 points.  They beat the Dolphins sans-Tua by 3 TDs.  This week they are on the road against the Lions and that should be a different level of opponent for them.
4. Steelers:  Given the QB questions there, did you have them as one of the unbeatens at this point in the season?  I did not.
5. Vikes:  Pay attention here; the Vikes are undefeated with wins over the Niners and the Texans included.  They are doing this with “retread” Sam Darnold as their QB and their defense is only giving up 10 points per game so far.

There are three winless teams in the NFL to date:

1. Bengals:  Their three losses have been by a total of 12 points and their schedule is not an easy one ahead.  They do get the Panthers this week – – albeit on the road – – and a loss there would probably end playoff hopes for the team.
2. Jags:  The team is a mess.  The defense does not get off the field and the offense sputters.  The Jags have lost the last 8 games where Trevor Lawrence has been the starting QB.
3. Titans:  They seem to have a knack for turning the ball over at the worst possible time and/or in the worst possible way.  They host the Colts this weekend, but after that they have two road games against the Bills and then the Lions.  Hmmm …

Here are comments from last week’s games:

Chiefs 22 Falcons 17:  Isiah Pacheco is hurt, no problem, insert Carson Steele who rushed for 72 yards on 17 carries. Rashee Rice caught 12 passes for 110 yards. The Falcons had 13 snaps inside the Chiefs’ 30 on their last two drives of the game and got zero points for their efforts

Panthers 36  Raiders 22:  The Panthers had only converted two third downs in their first two games this season; they converted five here. The Panthers running game amassed a total of 148 yards in the first two games; they ran for 135 yards here. Andy Dalton put 36 points on the scoreboard after the Panthers totaled 13 points in their first two games.  Oh, and the Panthers’ defense recorded three sacks and held the Raiders to 55 yards rushing.  Conclusion:

• Antonio Pierce and his staff still have plenty of work to do.

Eagles 15  Saints 12:  Saquan Barkley made up for his dropped pass that allowed the Falcons to rally and beat the Eagles two weeks ago.  Against the Saints, he ran for 147 yards and scored the winning touchdown plus a 2-point conversion, with a minute left in the game to give the Eagles the win.  The Eagles’ defense held what had been a hugely explosive Saints’ offense to only 219 yards in the game.

Steelers 20  Chargers 10:  Justin Herbert was questionable for the game with a “high ankle sprain”.  After a sack in the third quarter Herbert had to leave the game with the score tied at 10 apiece.  Playing the Steelers’ defense is difficult enough but doing it with a backup at QB is difficult-squared; the Chargers recorded only one first down after Herbert was rendered hors de combat.  The Steelers’ defense is only allowing 8.6 points per game so far.

Ravens 28  Cowboys 25:  The Ravens arrived winless and simply dominated play from start to finish here.  They ran the ball 45 times for 274 yards and three touchdowns.  Derrick Henry gained 151 of those rushing yards and scored twice.  The Cowboys closed the gap to 3 points with about 3 minutes left in the game, but the Ravens never lost control of the ball and knelt out the clock.  The Cowboys’ defense yielded 28 points here but that was an improvement since the defense had given up 72 points in the first two games.

Seahawks 24  Dolphins 3:  Tua Tagovailoa was out with a concussion and then, the Dolphins lost their backup QB, Skyler Thompson, in the game.  That left them with Tim Boyle under center.   Here is a stat courtesy of NFL.com:

“There are 32 teams in the NFL and the Dolphins are the only team that has not held the lead for a single second this season. The Dolphins won in Week 1, but that win came on a field goal that went through the uprights with the clock having expired.”

Rams 27  Niners 24:  The Niners have lost twice already this year, but you cannot hang this loss on Brock Purdy; he had a top-shelf game posting this stat line:

• 22 of 30 for 292 yards and 3TDs with 0 INTs

Jauan Jennings filled in for an injured Deebo Samuel and did a Jerry Rice imitation catching 11 passes for 175 yards and 3 TDs.  The Niners also played without Christian McCaffrey whose injury woes took a mysterious turn when it was announced this week that he had gone to see a specialist in Germany.  The Niners led 21-7 halfway through the third quarter and 24-14 with 12 minutes left in the game.  The Rams got two field goals and a TD in the final 12 minutes to pull out the win despite playing without WRs Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua.

Lions 20 Cards 13:  The Lions held the ball for 36:49 in this game running the ball 43 times for 187 yards.  In the second quarter with the Lions leading 13-7, the Lions ran the “hook-and-ladder play” and got a TD for their efforts.  The Lions held Kyler Murray to 45 yards on five carries and held the Cards to 1 third-down conversion in 9 tries.

Colts 21  Bears 16:  Jonathan Taylor was the Colts; hero here; he carried the ball 23 times for 110 yards and a TD.  That performance overcame another mediocre showing by Anthony Richardson at QB who was only 10 of 20 in the game with 2 INTs in the mix.  The Colts’ defense showed up here sacking Caleb Williams four times and getting 2 INTs of their own. For some reason, the Bears chose to throw the ball 52 times in this game.  One interesting play in the game saw the Bears with the ball at the Colts’ 1-yardline with fourth down.  The Bears went for the TD and running back DeAndre Swift somehow lost 12 yards on the carry.

Jets 24  Pats 3:  This game was more lopsided than the score. The Jets converted 10 of 15 third-down tries and held the ball for more than 40 minutes.  Aaron Rodgers completed 27 of 35 passes for 281 yards and no interceptions. The Jets also outgained New England 400 yards to 139 yards and held the Patriots to 11 first downs.

Broncos 26  Bucs 7:  This was a win for the Broncos’ defense which sacked Baker Mayfield seven times.  That was about the only interesting aspect of this game.

Packers 30  Titans 14:  Malik Willis whom the Titans gave up on returned to Tennessee in a “revenge game” and the Packers’ backup got his revenge.  Willis was 13 for 19 with no interceptions, 202 yards, and he also led the Packers in rushing with 73 yards on six carries, and a TD.   The Packers’ defense had eight sacks in the game.

Vikes 34  Texans 7:  Both teams entered the game undefeated.  The Vikes’ defense showed up in force here recording 5 sacks in the game and holding the Texans running game to 38 yards on 14 carries.  For the Vikes, Sam Darnold only threw for 181 yards, but he also connected for 4 TDs in the game.  Two turnovers by the Texans and the Vikes converting 6 of 13 third-down situations made this game a rout.

Giants 21  Browns 15:   The Browns’ defense gets a lot of praise; in this game, it was the Giants’ defense who dominated holding the Browns to only 217 yards of total offense.  Malik Nabors caught 8 passes for 78 yards and 2 TDs in the game.

 

Games This Week

 

Last night, the Cowboys beat the Giants 20-15.  This was a one-score game from start to finish; normally, that means it was an interesting/fun game to watch.  Not so here, this game was a slog from start to finish.  Two weeks ago, the Giants lost to the Commanders when the Commanders scored 21 points on 7 FGs; last night the Giants lost to the Cowboys and all 15 of the Giants’ points came on FGs.

Saints at Falcons – 3 (41):  This is a Division Game and both teams lost last week.  I think it will be low scoring so if I were to play the game – – but I won’t – – I would take the points.

Steelers – 1.5 at Colts (41):  I can see the Steelers focusing on stopping the Colts ground game and daring Anthony Richardson to beat them.  I can also see the Colts’ defense playing to make Justin Fields beat them.  If both defenses are successful, this game could wind up 13-9…  I trust Fields more than Richardson at this point in their careers so let me take the Steelers and lay the points; put it in the Betting Bundle.

Jags at Texans – 6 (45):  Both teams lost badly last week, and the Jags are winless for the season.

Vikes at Packers – 3 (44):  This is my runner-up for the Game of the Week.  These two teams are a combined 5-1 and both teams are doing it with defenses.

Bengals – 4 at Panthers (47):  Last week we had a “Malik Willis Revenge Game”, and he won it.  Call this the “Andy Dalton Revenge Game”???  The Bengals’ defense got pantsed last week by the Commanders; can the Panthers find similar success?

Rams at Bears – 3 (40.5):  Is it that the Bears’ do not want to run the football or is it that the Bears cannot run the football?  Asking a rookie QB to throw the ball 52 times in a game is more than unusual.

Broncos at Jets – 7.5 (39.5):  Yes, the Broncos won last week but this defense is better than last week’s opponent and Aaron Rodgers is a tad better than Baker Mayfield as an opposing QB.  I smell a blowout here but that hook on top of the TD spread warns me off.

Eagles – 2 at Bucs (43):  The Bucs were awful last week but the Eagles have injury problems on offense.  DeVonta Smith, AJ Brown and Lane Johnson all did not practice this week.

Commanders at Cards – 3.5 (50):  This game will be a shoot-out.  I like the game to go OVER; put it in the Betting Bundle.

Pats at Niners – 10.5 (41):  The Pats’ defense might keep this close against an injured Niners’ offense – – but the Pats’ offense is marginal at best.

Browns at Raiders – 1 (37):  Both teams lost badly at home last week; you have to wonder which team was more embarrassed during the film sessions earlier this week.  This is my runner up as the Dog-Breath Game of the Week.

Chiefs – 7 at Chargers (40):  The key question here is:

• Can Justin Herbert play the way Justin Herbert is capable of playing?

(Sun Nite) Bills at Ravens – 2 (46.5):  This is the Game of the Week.  The Bills have been dominant so far in 2024 posting a point differential of +64 in only 3 games.  The Ravens are 1-2 but they looked as if they had found their way last week in demolishing the Cowboys.   Looking forward to seeing this game…

(Mon Nite Early) Titans at Dolphins – 1 (36.5):  This is the Dog-Breath Game of the Week.  Will Levis versus the Dolphins’ QB du jour.  If they have this one on the Manningcast, be sure to tune in there because Peyton will not be happy with the QB play here.

(Mon Nite Late) Seahawks at Lions – 3.5 (46.5):  The Lions need the game because the NFC North race will take shape as a result of the Vikes Packers game on Sunday meaning the Lions will need to keep pace.  The Seahawks are leading the NFC West now but as noted above, their undefeated record might need an asterisk.

So let me review the four picks in the Betting Bundle:

• LSU/South Alabama OVER 64.5
• Ole Miss – 15 over Kentucky
• Commanders/Cards OVER 50
• Steelers – 1.5 over Colts

And just for fun, here are two Money Line parlays:

• Indiana @ minus-260
• Nebraska @ minus-370
• Ole Miss @ minus- 650
• $100 to win 103.

And …

• Bengals @ minus-210
• Lions @ minus-180
• $100 to win $130

Finally, let’s close with these words from Vince Lombardi:

“Practice does not make perfect. Only perfect practice makes perfect.”

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

 

 

Take yourself back to February 2020; COVID-19 was just getting started.  The annual shuffling season for college football coaches was over; the music had stopped and coaches on the move had found their new seats.  And then Michigan State coach, Mark Dantonio resigned his position.  He did not quit to take a job in the NFL or at another school; he just resigned after 13 seasons with the Spartans.

Dantonio was a good coach; his overall record at Michigan St. was 114-57; in his 13 seasons on the sidelines, Sparty went to bowl games 12 times.  I don’t want to overstate this; the Spartans were not “national champion contenders” on a regular basis, but they were a team that had to be taken seriously lest they rise up and bite a team who might aspire to “national championship consideration”.

Sparty was in a bind; they needed a coach and open season for coaching candidates was over.  In short order, Michigan State poached Mel Tucker convincing him to resign as the head coach at Colorado to take the job in East Lansing.  As noted above, COVID-19 was just getting started and that made the 2020 football season a truncated one; Michigan St. went 2-5 in the first year under Tucker.

In 2021, the Spartans came out of the gate quickly winning their first 8 games in a row; they would finish the 2021 season at 11-2 and Mel Tucker was the Big Ten Coach of the Year.  All was well in East Lansing…  In the euphoria of this season, Michigan St. and Tucker tore up his existing contract and replaced it with a 10-year extension reportedly worth $95M.

The 2022 season began with two cupcake wins followed by a bunch of double-digit losses and a final record of 5-7.  The 2023 season once again began with two cupcake wins – – and then things spun out of control.  In September 2023, Michigan State fired Mel Tucker based on sexual harassment charges leveled against him by a woman described as an “anti-sexual violence advocate” who had been invited to speak to the team several times on that topic.  She accused Tucker of inappropriate behavior and specifically she accused Tucker of masturbating while on a phone call with her.  Surprisingly, Tucker did not deny the allegation; he said the activity was consensual; the school suspended him pending an investigation and then fired him for cause soon after the suspension was in place.

It is the “for cause” part of this story that is important because that meant the school was not on the hook for the $95M in that 10-year contract that existed.  Not surprisingly, Tucker has sued Michigan St. claiming that he was wrongfully terminated.  Some of the points made in Tucker’s suit are:

• The school instituted an “improper, sham investigation” that violated Tucker’s due process rights, equal protection rights and his contract itself.  [Aside:  The investigation allegedly began on September 18^th and Tucker was fired on September 27^th; that is indeed a “quick turn-around”.]
• The school was motivated by fear.  Michigan St. had just gone through the “Larry Nassar Debacle” where it seemingly stood by and looked the other way as Nassar physically violated young women athletes for a long time.  The lawsuit attributes that motivation as the basis for the firing making it a wrongful termination.
• Here is how the lawsuit characterizes the environment in the time leading up to Tucker’s firing:

  • • “The dysfunction at the highest level of the University’s leadership resulted in a siege mentality among the individual Board members and members of the administration with each member concerned primarily with protecting themselves and preserving their positions and their careers.”

• And …

  • • “[Administrators at Michigan State] manipulated and misused those processes to advance their own interests in preserving their positions and reputations while engaging in a course of bad faith conduct designed to decimate the career and reputation of [Tucker]. In this, the [Administrators at Michigan State] were wildly successful.”

• The lawsuit also contends that the school conspired with the accuser to file the complaint against Tucker ignoring evidence that his actions were consensual.

Obviously, I am not going to take sides here.  But there are a few elements here that seem a bit off-key:

• I have no difficulty in believing that the folks running the university did not want or need another sexual harassment/sexual violence situation to deal with in the wake of the “Larry Nassar Debacle”.  What Tucker was alleged to have done is clearly “low-rent”, but it is nowhere near the transgressions involving Nassar.
• I also have no difficulty in believing that the folks in the Athletic Department may have been suffering some “buyer’s remorse” after looking at that $95M contract and the mediocre-at-best season in Year One of the contract.
• I have some difficulty believing that the university and the accuser actively conspired to concoct the complaint.  Should that ever be shown to be true, that would make the university look as bad – if not worse – than it would if it had ignored the complaint and just kept on keeping on with Tucker as their coach.
• I have some difficulty with the fact that the lawsuit seeks “unspecified damages”.  I doubt that Tucker wants the job back; this suit is about the uncollected remnants of that $95M deal that was voided.  So, my sense is that this action is merely a forcing function to cause negotiations about how much of that contract Mel Tucker will get to enjoy.

[Aside:  Mark Dantonio’s surprise resignation had a secondary effect on college football.  When Mel Tucker left Colorado in the lurch, the Buffaloes turned the football program over to Karl Dorrell who was not successful and was fired in the middle of the 2022 season.  That left the door open for Colorado to bring in “Coach Prime” and his band of merry-men…]

So, what might be the final settlement number here – – not that it will ever be made public?  I’ll set the OVER/UNDER at $35M…

Finally, this from Kellyanne Conway:

“Sexual harassment is as difficult to prove as it is to disprove.”

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

 

 

Sports evolve.  Let me use professional football as an example.  Football started out as one team’s running game matched against the other team’s running game.  If you watch even a couple of NFL games on TV this season and do nothing else, you will see that is not the case in 2024.

When the game opened up into sort of a balance between running the ball and throwing the ball, the idealized QB of the time was big, tall, huge arm and strong enough to take hits in the pocket because he just stood in there and threw the ball at the last microsecond before being clobbered by a defensive lineman.  Yes, I know there were a few “different” QBs around in the time of that evolution like “little guy”, Eddie LeBaron and “scrambling” Fran Tarkenton and “freakishly athletic” Randall Cuningham; but the ideal was the statuesque QB who could throw a football through an engine block.

Such is not the case today and I think there may be more to the evolutionary pressures than just greater mobility among QBs.  I think there may be an activation of a “survival gene” in lots of people who have taken up the challenge of playing QB at various levels of football, and that “survival gene activation” is caused by the lack of effective play by offensive lines as a whole.  If a QB like Lamar Jackson had to try to play QB the way it was played in the 1970s and 1980s, he might not have survived to cash in on his long-term nine-figure contract extension.

Offensive line play is choreographed.  Virtually every play that is designed by the creative genius of an offensive coordinator starts with at least 5 and sometimes as many as 8 behemoths moving as if they were a single entity.  Choreography in football – – as with choreography on stage – – takes talent PLUS practice time and repetition.  Choreography on stage is difficult to master whether it is formal ballet or the Radio City Rockettes; those performances occur only after hours of rehearsal and repetition.  In the NFL, there is the added challenge of defensive players doing everything in their power to destroy the choreography; at least the Rockettes do not have to worry about someone blind-siding them as they go into their high-kick routine.

The NFL has offensive linemen who are certainly sufficiently big and strong and agile enough to effect the results sought by the play designers.  And yet, in passing situations, it is not uncommon for the QB to be swallowed up by defenders or for the QB to “run for his life”.  And for this situation, I put the blame on the players and not the coaches for this reason:

• In the last couple of CBA negotiations, one of the points sought by the players via their union was to limit the amount of time teams could require practices in the off-season, in Training Camp and during the season.
• Moreover, less practice time was permitted for players to be “in pads” and involved in “hitting”.
• Reduced practice time means fewer repetitions.
• Fewer repetitions mean less precision in the choreography.

In addition, the main feeder element for NFL offensive linemen – – college football – – has also had practice times limited by NCAA and Conference edicts.  And that means many physically talented linemen come to the NFL with an insufficient number of choreographic repetitions under their belt to make them “NFL-Ready”.  Vince Lombardi famously said:

“The only place success comes before work is in the dictionary.”

I wonder how Coach Lombardi – – who cut his teeth coaching offensive linemen – – would assess the current state of play by those units?

Moving on …  Brett Favre has been under investigation for flim-flammery in dealings involving Federal money sent to Mississippi as aid to poor families.  He denies any criminal activities and says he has returned any monies he may have inadvertently received to the proper authorities.  The validity of all that remains up in the air; as of this morning, all of that is alleged.

Yesterday, Favre was testifying in front of the House Ways and Means Committee about a matter that is related to the alleged misallocation of those Federal funds.  Those details are not important here.

In the process of his testimony, Favre revealed that he has recently been diagnosed with Parkinson’s.  And that has set up two divergent narratives related to that announcement:

• Narrative #1:  Studies have shown that concussions increase the likelihood of contracting Parkinson’s significantly.  Favre surely had more than a handful of concussions in his 20-year NFL career which involved 302 game appearances.  Football is a dangerous profession and more needs to be done to protect against concussions.
• Narrative #2:  No one should wish a debilitating condition like Parkinson’s on anyone else – – but the timing and the venue of this announcement is ever so convenient, and it deflects attention from the allegations.

I lean more toward “Narrative #1” but feel free to join the forces supporting “Narrative #2”; only time will provide an answer here.

Finally, I’ll close today with this bit of reflection by Brett Favre:

“I think my stubbornness, hardheadedness and stupidity is what has allowed me to play for 20 years.”

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