What I Know, Think And Feel …

Here are four things I know:

1.  I saw Matt Ryan play QB for the Colts last Sunday AND I saw Sam Ehlinger play QB for the Colts three weeks ago against the Commanders.  The eyeball test tells me clearly that in November 2022, Ryan is far more prepared to be an NFL QB than Ehlinger.  Maybe someday Ehlinger will be a star in the NFL – – but not this month.  Therefore, whoever decided to bench Ryan and announce that he had a shoulder injury is a football fool.  If that was Frank Reich’s decision alone, then he deserved to be fired; if it was someone above him in the organization, that person deserves to be fired; if it was the owner, Jim Irsay, just chalk that up to another goofy decision by a meddlesome owner.

2.  I know Mike Tomlin is the most candid head coach in the NFL.  At one of his press events, someone asked for his opinion of the Colts’ decision to hire Jeff Saturday as their coach two weeks ago.  Here is what Tomlin said:

“My opinion doesn’t matter; I’m not a part of that organization. I’m not part of the decision-making process. I know Jeff, I like Jeff. I think he’s a dynamic personality and football lover and charismatic leader, but I have no opinion worth mentioning regarding their hiring practices or that selection in particular. It’s irrelevant to me. I’m focused on the preparation of this group relative to us stepping in that stadium against that group Monday night.”

Left unsaid was the rather clear message that he did not want to be asked about it again…

3.  I know that the NFL menu of games for Thanksgiving Day this year is quite a feast.  Even the opening game (Bills/Lions) is an important game.  The Bills and Dolphins are tied for the AFC East lead and the Lions have quietly won 3 games in a row.  The late afternoon game (Cowboys/Giants) will determine second place in the NFC East race for the moment.  The night game (Vikes/Pats) will test the ability of the Vikes to put a horrible performance last Sunday behind them on a short week of practice.  It is not often that the Thanksgiving Day lineup looks so appetizing.

4.  I know there are reports that say that Doug Kazirian – an ESPN sports betting Insider – won $58K in a handicapping contest sponsored by the William Hill sportsbook.  Congratulations to Kazirian and a friendly reminder here.  The IRS knows about this and has access to all the congratulatory memos, Tweets and the like related to this.  Do not forget to report this as “Additional Income”.

Here are five things I think:

1.  I think Matt Rhule should be a hot commodity for a college coaching job next month.  If he gets a turn-around job at a mid-major program, he will be out of there when/if he does another turn-around job.  His successes at the collegiate level (Temple and Baylor) were both resurrection situations.

2.  I think the USC/Notre Dane game this week may be a pivotal moment for either/both programs.  Lincoln Riley is a first-year coach at a school with lot of “history” in college football.  Marcus Freeman is in his first year as the head coach at what Tony Kornheiser has often referred to as “The University of Football In North America”.  Riley’s club has more to play for this year — a Pac-12 championship game appearance and a possible spot in the College Football Playoff.  However, both coaches are looking for a dose of national credibility that could convince quality recruits to arrive on campus.  Big game…

3.  I think it may be time for the Rams to consider shutting down Matthew Stafford for the rest of the season.  He has been in and out of the concussion protocol twice this year; the Rams are going nowhere. Why take the risk?

4.  I think Lions’ fans are pleasantly surprised by the Rams’ descent from the top of the NFL this year because the Lions own the Rams’ first-round pick next year because of the trade that put Matthew Stafford in LA in the first place.

5.  I think the NBA and Adam Silver are playing fans for idiots.  After a 2-week “sensitivity training regimen” and a “candid interview” with Kyrie Irving, they have decided they know perfectly well that Irving is not antisemitic.  Look, I don’t care if he is or is not; Kyrie Irving means nothing to me.  But the NBA made a huge virtue-signal out of Irving and now they want me to believe that he is “cured” of what they accused him of two weeks ago?  Thanks – – but no thanks.

Here are three things I feel:

1.  I feel as if the LA Dodgers are clearing a bunch of salary commitments over the next few years so that they can become major bidders for Aaron Judge sometime in the next 6 – 8 weeks.  I said previously that I would not be surprised if a team offered Judge a 5-year deal worth $250M – – breaking into the $50M per year category.

2.  I feel as if the Arizona Cardinals are imploding.  Last year they were everybody’s focal point as a team on the rise and a team that approached the game with a new interpretation of strategy and tactics.  Well, now the Cards are 4-7; they will almost assuredly miss the playoffs; they bungled the contract extension negotiations with Kyler Murray when they inserted that “homework study clause” in it.

3.  I feel as if the widening allegations/information about Brett Favre’s association with some shady/sleazy financial activities makes it more likely that people will react negatively to lawsuits against folks like Tom Brady and Steph Curry related to the recent FTX collapse/debacle.  This might be an inflection point for celebrity endorsers for products that are not iron clad – – think toilet paper here.  FTX collapsed and there were celebrity/athletes who were endorsing FTX as a good deal and the next big thing.  Now we will find out if those athletes/celebrities are legally liable for what they said in those FTX ads.

• Memo for Prosecutors out there:
  • • Do not let me be on one of the juries in the FTX celebrity cases you will try.  The defendant is potentially a slime and probably did most of what you have accused him/her of doing – – but this would likely have been “nipped in the bud” had there been REAL oversight by the FTX Board of Directors.  If you put ALL the guilty parties in front of me, I’ll be happy to send all of them to hard labor for the next 15-30 years.  But please do not try to hang the blame for that hot mess on the endorsers alone…

So, what’s next?

Next up is a Holiday Weekend with great food, family and friends, good football and traffic jams beyond description.  Happy Thanksgiving to all…

Finally, I’ll close with this observation about traffic jams from comedian Steven Wright:

“They say the universe is expanding.  That should help with traffic.”

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