RIP “Tubby” Raymond

“Tubby” Raymond died last week.  Raymond was a Hall of Fame coach at Delaware for 35 years; he is considered one of the innovators of the wing-T formation and its many deception/counter plays.  His coaching record was 300-113-3; in his 35 seasons at Delaware, his teams had a losing record in only four of them.

Rest in peace, “Tubby” Raymond.

• [Aside: “Tubby” Raymond’s son, Dave Raymond, was the creator of the character known as the Phillie Phanatic and was the guy under that costume for years.]

Last Friday, I said that the NFL had a strong card of games for fans with most of the games having an impact on playoff hopes.  Well, the NFL put some whipped cream on top of that for fans providing a lot of close games in those meaningful matchups.  Eight games that were important to at least one of the contestants ended as a “one-score game” and two of those games went to overtime.  I would probably have to forfeit my Curmudgeon Credential if I focused on those wonderful and important games today; to protect my standing in the Community of Gripers as a Senior Bellyacher, let me mention some of sour notes from last weekend.

The Bengals led the Bears 7-6 at the end of the first quarter.  No one should think of the Bears as a good team; they are not.  Well, since that is the case, what should me make of the Bengals who – in the final 3 quarters of the game – were outscored by a “not good team” 27-0.  The Bengals’ defense allowed the Bears and Mitchell Trubisky to amass 482 yards of offense.  Back in my NFL Preview Rant in August, I suggested that this might be Marvin Lewis’ last year with the Bengals; given what happened yesterday, I suspect that prediction is more likely now than it was in August.

The Raiders and Chiefs met with the teams tied in the standings.  The Raiders went sleepwalking through the first 3 quarters and trailed 26-0 as the final period began.  During a commercial in the game here in the DC area, I went to the ESPN app on my phone to check scores around the league.  With 8:47 to play in the third quarter here are some stats to consider.  Derek Carr was 7 for 15 for 32 yards; Marshawn Lynch had 5 carries for 35 yards.

The Titans kicked off yesterday in a tie for the lead in the AFC South.  The Titans make their living running the ball; the coach calls their offense, Exotic Smashmouth Football.  Against the Cardinals, the Titans ran the ball 22 times and gained a total of 65 yards.  The only reason this game was close – the Cards won by 5 points – is that the Cards’ QB was Blaine Gabbert and because the Titans managed to sack him 8 times in the game.

The Browns lost to the Packers in OT.  Recall that prior to the NFL Draft in April, Notre Dame coach Brian Kelly said that DeShone Kizer should have stayed in school another year; people jumped on Kelly for that remark saying that he cared more about his welfare than Kizer’s career.  Brian Kelly was right.  If you need proof, please watch the replay of the INT that Kizer threw in OT to put the Browns in a position to lose.  Quarterbacks throw INTs all the time but on no field in the known universe should any quarterback have thrown that ball in that situation.  I tell you; it’s just sad…

The Giants put Eli Manning back at QB yesterday against the Cowboys and the game was tied 10-10 as the 4^th period began.  However, NFL football success requires more than a single successful player and the Giants’ “roster rot” final showed through in the 4^th quarter and the Cowboys won 30-10.

King Pyrrhus was in a war with the Romans about 2500 years ago and his armies defeated the Romans in a huge battle.  However, Pyrrhus’ forces suffered such devastating losses that the historian, Plutarch, reported that King Pyrrhus confided in one of his comrades:

“If we win one more battle with the Romans, we shall be ruined.”

From those events, comes the concept of a “Pyrrhic Victory” and it surely appears as if the Eagles achieved a Pyrrhic Victory yesterday in their win over the Rams.  ESPN reports that Carson Wentz suffered a torn ACL in the game; the team says that they do not know what the injury is and that there will be an MRI today.  Meaning no offense to Nick Foles, if Wentz’ season is over, the Eagles’ season is likely over too.  With yesterday’s win, the Eagles are guaranteed to be the NFC East champions and will be in the playoffs but without a Herculean performance from Foles, yesterday’s was a Pyrrhic Victory.  That is the history lesson of the week…

Changing the subject, let me share with you the salient part of an e-mail I received last week from a former colleague who is an alum of West Virginia University and who moved back to the Morgantown area upon his retirement.  He has been a reader of these rants since before they appeared on the Internet.

“I have something you can use … when you refer to ‘culinary concoctions’ that are over the top.  We have a restaurant in town near the campus called Tailpipes.  It has an automotive theme … the sandwiches are named for cars.  One sandwich on the menu is The Charger.

“The Charger is a half-pound burger with bacon, pepperjack cheese, fried bananas and peanut butter.

“Before you ask, I never tried it.”

That sandwich sounds like something you would serve to the ghost of Elvis Presley if it were coming to dinner and you just had to have a bacon cheeseburger for yourself.

Finally, here is a comment from Brad Dickson in the Omaha World-Herald related to college basketball happenings:

“The Creighton men’s basketball team defeated UCLA 100-89. The best news is, after the game every single pair of Creighton’s sunglasses were accounted for.”

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