Category: Daily Rants

As you know, I am not a big proponent of using gobs of tax dollars to build gaudy stadiums for sports franchise owners.  When Stan Kroenke opts to spend his own money to put up his new stadium and real estate development project in LA, I think that is a fine thing to have happen.  And, he should be allowed to reap whatever rewards/profits accrue to him as a result of his choice of investments.  I am not opposed in any way to the idea that rich people can get even richer as a result of their own investments of time, and money.

Normally, when a government entity involves itself – or is lured into involvement with – a stadium building discussion, things get very murky very quickly.  Let me say that I am not generally confident that government involvement in matters such as this is positive for communities and I am very leery of the efficacy of many regulatory environments.

I mention this because of an article at Bloomberg.com sent to me by a former colleague late last week.  According to this report, there is the possibility of a change in the Federal regulations under the Community Reinvestment Act that would allow banks to put money into “a qualified opportunity fund” that would be used to “finance improvements to an athletic stadium”  so long as that stadium is in a low/middle income area as delineated by the census.

There is room for debate about the rectitude of the Community Reinvestment Act and about its impact on cities and areas of cites in the country.  I don’t think there is a lot of room to develop alternative interpretations of the purpose behind the Community Reinvestment Act; the intent of this law is to require banks to use a portion their funds to finance projects that will improve low/middle income neighborhoods.

According to the article at Bloomberg.com, there are plenty of professional athletic venues that are in designated “opportunity zones”; and if the new regulations were to be adopted here are some ways that banks could discharge their responsibilities to use money in low/middle income neighborhoods:

• Finance the upgrading of a sound system at a stadium
• Finance a new “Jumbotron” in a stadium.
• You get the idea…

This is not a step in a positive direction – – unless you are of the opinion that the Community Reinvestment Act itself is something that should be stricken from the books.  The idea that banks can comply with this law and “improve poor neighborhoods” with investments such as the ones listed above – and also reap the tax benefits that accrue to the banks from making such investments – is a corruption of the intent of that legislation.

President Reagan once said:

“The nine most terrifying words in the English language are: I’m from the government and I’m here to help.”

While I do not believe that is universally correct, I think it is an applicable statement to the proposed changes here.  If you want to read the Bloomberg.com article in its entirety, here is a link:

Switching gears … I mentioned recently that Mississippi Valley State is the only winless Division 1 men’s basketball team in the country at 0-13.  I don’t know why I went to see the details of that record, but a quick glance told me that this team has been hugely over-matched in multiple games this year.  Consider these data:

• Cumulative score:  Opponents 1251 Miss Valley St.  558
• Average margin of defeat:  53.3 points per game
• Smallest margin of defeat:  10 points
• Largest margin of defeat:  94 points    Yowza!

The Delta Devils have 17 regular season games remaining; all of them are Southwestern Athletic Conference games – – and then maybe a conference tournament in early March?  It certainly looks as if there will be some bleak times on campus in Itta Bena, MS over the next couple of months…

Tua Tagovailoa ended all the mystery and speculation and declared himself for the NFL Draft this year.  I think he made the right decision.  Lots of folks painted this decision considering Tagovailoa’s injury history at Alabama – – two ankle injuries and a broken hip.  I know that injuries are an important factor in NFL football, and I know that he comes to the league “pre-injured”; nonetheless, I prefer not to focus on that, and I wish him a long and productive NFL career.

I think Tagovailoa should be remembered for more than his leading a second half comeback for Alabama to win a national title game.  I think he is responsible for dragging Alabama’s offensive philosophy into the mainstream of college football.  Prior to his stewardship of the offense, Alabama was as close as one got to the famous Woody Hayes/Darrell Royal offensive philosophy:

• Three yards and a cloud of dust.

Bonne chance, Tua Tagovailoa…

Finally, Bob Molinaro pondered this issue recently in the Hampton Roads Virginian-Pilot:

“Local ties: Now that school officials have named Bethel High’s gym after Allen Iverson, a clever reader wonders if they will allow the gym to be used for ‘practice.’”

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

 

 

The NFL coaching vacancies are disappearing like passenger pigeons.  Only the Cleveland Browns have an opening left and the last thing I want to do is to speculate on who will get stuck with that job.  Rather, I would like to spend some time today commenting on the 3 most recent hiring decisions made by the Cowboys, Panthers and Giants and then point out the possibility that a streak more than 50 years in the making might – I said MIGHT – be broken when the Browns do make their hiring decision.

Let me start with the Cowboys’ decision to hire Mike McCarthy.  Obviously, we will need to exercise patience to see if this works out for all parties; however, I think this was an excellent decision by Jerry Jones.  From his perspective – and that is the only perspective that really matters in this situation – Jerry Jones believes that he and his son have assembled a roster than can make the playoffs next year and then win at least a game or two once they are there.  I tend to agree with him on the offensive side of the ball; I do think the Cowboys can use some more heft on the defense if they are going to be taken seriously in next year’s playoffs.  Nevertheless, the Jones Boys should not have considered putting that team in the hands of someone who had little or no experience/credentials at the NFL level.

I think the Jones Boys had McCarthy on their short list for a while and I think they used the “meetings with Jason Garrett” over 3 or 4 days as a smokescreen for them to have preliminary discussions with McCarthy’s representatives.  I never bought into the narrative that Jerry Jones could not bring himself to fire Jason Garrett; Jerry Jones can be ruthless when he needs to be; there had to be a purpose to all that procrastinating.  While everyone was focused on his supposed angst over Jason Garrett’s “situation”, I believe that Jerry and Stephen Jones were making sure that McCarthy did not sign on with anyone else who interviewed him without giving the Cowboys a chance to meet/beat whatever the deal on the table was.

Given the circumstances and ownership’s perception of the roster quality, I think this hiring gets an “A” on the report card.  Now let’s see how it plays out…

Matt Rhule broke the bank with his deal with the Panthers.  Reports say he will get 7 years and $60M – – with incentives that could push the value of the deal as high as $70M.  When owner, Dave Tepper, fired Ron Rivera earlier this year, Tepper said that he wanted to put his stamp on the team.  Well, all I can say is that his stamp cost a whole lot of money. But that is not the issue here because Forbes pegs Tepper’s net worth at $12B.

[Aside:  As I understand NFL coaching contracts, the base amount – $60M in this case – is guaranteed at signing.  If the coach is terminated prior to the term, the coach gets paid as if he were still on the payroll for the entirety of the term.  However, there are offset clauses there; if the fired coach goes and gets another coaching job, then whatever he makes in that new job is subtracted from whatever the team that fired him owes him.  I assume Matt Rhule got that sort of a deal.]

Matt Rhule has no head coaching experience in the NFL.  The entirety of his NFL experience is a single season with the NY Giants as an assistant offensive line coach in 2012.  However, here are some of his accomplishments/credentials:

• He was a linebacker at Penn State in the ‘90s.  Yesterday, his teammate there, LaVar Arrington, said on FS1 that Rhule was the “smartest football player” he ever met.
• Rhule took over the head coaching job at Temple in 2013.  Temple was thrown out of the Big East because interest in its football program was so low that no one went to the games.  Temple football was less than an afterthought.  In 2015 and 2016, Rhule’s teams at Temple won 10 games and went to bowl games.
• Rhule left Temple to take over the charred remains of the Baylor football program in 2017.  In the aftermath of the Art Briles disaster, the program almost got the “death penalty” and in fact was on life support.  In the first year, Rhule’s team at Baylor went 1-11; two years later in 2019, Baylor was 11-2.

Back when Tepper fired Ron Rivera and announced that it was time for him to put his stamp on the team, I pointed out that he might have set himself on a vector heading that was parallel to the one traveled by Danny Boy Snyder.  Matt Rhule may or may not be a “reach” for an NFL head coaching job in 2020; time will tell us about that.  Nonetheless, the length of this contract and its base value is startling.  Dave Tepper may not have endeared himself to his fellow owners by setting the price for head coaches where he did.  Because of Rhule’s success in rebuilding two moribund college programs quickly, I’ll give this hiring decision a tentative “B”.

The Giants decided to hire Joe Judge as their new coach.  Let’s get some cheap one-liners out of the way:

• Here come da judge…
• Is Joe Judge married to Judge Judy?
• When cutdown day comes next summer, can we say that he was the Judge, Jury and Executioner?
• BaDaBing!   BaDaBoom!!!

Judge was the Pats’ special teams’ coordinator and WR coach this year.  The Pats’ special teams were excellent; the Pats’ WRs were awful.  Here is why I like the hiring decision:

• Joe Judge played football at Mississippi State and was a Dean’s List graduate there.  One report I read said that he is pursuing a Doctor of Education degree.  Those two things indicate to me that Joe Judge exists under the right end of the bell curve.
• Judge spent three years as an assistant at Alabama under Nick Saban.  He has spent the last five years as an assistant with the Pats under Bill Belichick.
• Since I think he is “smarter than the average bear” [Hat tip to Yogi Bear here…] I have to think he learned a lot about running a football program from those two “supervisors” in the last 8 seasons.

I admit that this hiring decision has the potential to flame out spectacularly in the event that the NY tabloids decide to make him a whipping boy and/or if he becomes collateral damage if the tabloids decide to put GM, Dave Gettleman, in the crosshairs.  There are too many moving parts here to give this one even a preliminary grade so let just call it “Incomplete”.

I promised above that a longstanding streak could be broken by the Cleveland Browns very soon.  What puts the Browns in position to do this is their request to interview Jim Schwartz – Eagles’ defensive coordinator – for their head coaching position.  Jim Schwartz was the head coach of the Detroit Lions from 2009 to 2013.  The last head coach of the Detroit Lions to leave that position and then go on to be the head coach for another team for even one game in the NFL was George Wilson who left the Lions in 1964.

• Since 1964, the Lions have had 17 head coaches.
• All of them faded into oblivion once the Lions were done with them.
• Jim Schwartz could break that streak.

Finally, since the hiring of a new coach for a football team is generally a time of unbridled optimism, let me provide some views of optimism itself by some noted observers of the human condition:

“Optimist, n.  A proponent of the doctrine that black is white.”  Ambrose Bierce

And …

“Optimism, n.  The doctrine or belief that everything is beautiful, including what is ugly.”  Ambrose Bierce

And …

“Optimism: the noble temptation to see too much in everything.”  G. K. Chesterton

And …

“An optimist is a man who has never had much experience.”  Don Marquis

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

 

 

I have never had the responsibility of running an NFL franchise.  In addition, my economic situation provides 100% certainty that I will never own an NFL franchise.  Notwithstanding those two facts, there have been two recent announcements of personnel decisions in the NFL world that have me scratching my head.

The Rams fired defensive coordinator, Wade Phillips.  I understand that the Rams had a serious fall from grace in 2019 – – as happens frequently to teams that lost the Super Bowl a year before such a fall.  I also understand that someone – – or some ones – – involved with the team must “take the fall” for the fall from grace.  However, it was not the Rams’ defense that was responsible for the 2019 record of 9-7.  If you insist on pinpointing the Rams’ deficiencies last season, consider these two areas of shortcoming:

1. Jared Goff did not perform to the same level of proficiency in the passing game in 2019 as compared to 2018.  His stats were not bad, but they were not as good as in the prior season.
2. The Rams running game was underutilized for at least the first half of the season – – possibly to effect “load management” on RB, Todd Gurley.

The problem with examining and looking for remedies in those areas is simple.  Those relate to the offense and that is where wunderkind head coach, Sean McVey, holds forth.

The other discordant announcement was buried at the bottom of a list of “NFL Notes” in today’s Washington Post.  Here is that item:

“Buffalo offensive coordinator Brian Daboll, who got his first offensive coordinator position in the NFL with Cleveland under Eric Mangini, interviewed for the Browns’ head coaching job.”

Let me be clear; if Brian Daboll walked into Curmudgeon Central and bit me on the ankle, I would have to ask him who he is and wonder why he was biting me on the ankle.  However, neither of the two résumé items cited above would make me interested in him as a “hot prospect”.  The Browns under Eric Mangini went 10-22 over two seasons in 2009/2010; the Bills’ offense over the last two seasons has been better than pathetic – – but not a lot better than pathetic.

Between his time with the Browns and his current job with the Bills, Daboll spent 3 years with the Pats and one year at Alabama with Nick Saban.  I have to say that those “credentials” are interesting but less than compelling in terms of what I might look for in a new head coach for the Browns.  But remember, I don’t have any experience in doing such a hiring search…

Or …  maybe … this is an indicator that serious coaching aspirants are not taking calls from the Browns regarding this opening.  Is it possible that the Browns have quietly moved on to “Plan B” already?

Moving on…  I have sampled FS1’s morning sports show, First Things First a few times since Cris Carter and FOX decided to go in different directions.  While it is true that I had tired of Carter to some extent, his departure from the program was not an “addition by subtraction”; I did not particularly like the program when he was there and I don’t like it very much now that he is not there.  I just cannot maintain interest and focus on Nick Wright; I do not watch very often; and still I find his commentary to be repetitious and that is hardly an inducement to watch more frequently.

I do not watch early morning sports on TV more than once a week.  Probably, that is because I do not like any of the ESPN offerings at that time of the day much better than I like First Things First.  I continue to try to enjoy watching Get Up! – and I admit that it is better that it was when it launched – but it too is repetitious.  The reason that I prefer to watch Get Up! is Jalen Rose.  The more involved in the program that he is, the better it is.

Basically, my morning routine is simple:

• Say good morning to my long-suffering wife.
• Make coffee
• Tune in The Weather Channel long enough to see the local forecast and the radar picture.
• Turn the TV off and pour coffee.
• Chat with my long-suffering wife and read the morning paper.

The Weather Channel gives me information I can use.  FS1 and ESPN are not likely to meet that standard with regard to enticing me to tune into their morning offerings, so the only thing left for them is to be entertaining.  Here is the status as of January 2020:

• Neither First Things First nor Get Up! come close to meeting that “entertaining standard”.

The college basketball season is about to get much more interesting as conference play begins in the 32 conferences that make up Division 1 NCAA basketball.  As of this morning there are only two undefeated teams left in the country:

• Auburn  13-0  Southeastern Conference
• San Diego State  15-0  Mountain West Conference

And, of course, here in Curmudgeon Central it is de rigueur to mention the only winless team in the country as of this morning:

• Mississippi Valley State  0-13  Southwestern Athletic Conference

[Aside:  Twelve of those thirteen losses were road games for the Delta Devils.  The NCAA loves to refer to its “student-athletes”.  Surely those 12 road games enhanced significantly the “student” portion of college life for those “student-athletes”.]

Finally, here is a Tweet from Brad Dickson:

“Tom Brady may’ve played his last game ever. Husker fans refer to Brady as ‘The second best quarterback ever, behind Luke McCaffery.’”

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

 

 

I feel like Christopher Columbus this morning; twice last evening, I went looking for one thing and found something completely different.  That leads me to present the following data regarding three NFL head coaches who are in the running for Hall of Fame induction this year:

• Tom Flores:  Record is 97-87-0  Winning percentage = .527
• Dan Reeves:  Record is 190-165-2  Winning percentage = .535
• Dick Vermeil:  Record is 120-109-0  Winning percentage = .524

For the record, I would not be even mildly offended by the induction any of those candidates above.  However, please compare those stats with the “Mystery Coach of the Day” here:

• Mystery Coach:  Record is 85-67-0  Winning percentage = .559

No, I am not going to make you read to the bottom to find out who the Mystery Coach is.  He is Jason Garrett.  And if anyone has suggested recently that Jason Garrett is on his way to becoming a finalist for Hall of Fame induction, I must have missed that suggestion.

I found this because when Jerry Jones finally pulled the trigger and let Jason Garrett go from his coaching duties with the Cowboys, I went looking for Garrett’s overall coaching stats.  When I saw that winning percentage, I immediately thought it was in the range of more than a couple of coaches already in the Hall of Fame – – and so I went to look at the finalists for this year’s voting for a comparison.  I looked for one thing and found something else…  And it happened a second time too.

After watching the Saints/Vikes game on TV, I wondered if Drew Brees was injured or showing his age or just had a bad day.  Everyone has bad days and that may be the explanation, but I went looking for his 2019 stats knowing that he had missed 5 games with a thumb injury.  Brees started 11 games; he had the highest completion percentage in the NFL at 74.3% and his yards per attempt were above his career average.  He threw 27 TDs and only 4 INTs.  Those stats do not suggest that he was “showing his age”.  However, I noticed something else while checking Brees’ stats for 2019:

• Six of the top 10 QBs ranked by Yards Passing in 2019 did not make the playoffs.
• None of the top 5 QBs ranked by Yards Passing in 2019 made the playoffs.  [Those five were Jameis Winston, Dak Prescott, Jared Goff, Philip Rivers and Matt Ryan.]
• Brees – because he only played 11 games – ranked 26^th in the NFL in Yards Passing.

I guess that Drew Brees just had a sub-par day yesterday …

And speaking of the Saints/Vikes game, one might also conclude that the football gods really enjoy torturing the Saints and their fans in playoff situations.  There is an adage on Wall Street that says:

• If something out of the ordinary happens once, it is an occurrence; if it happens twice, it is a coincidence; when it happens a third time, it is a trend.

The Saints and the playoffs have just become a trend.

• First, they lost to the Vikes in the playoffs due to the Minnesota Miracle two years ago
• Then, they lost to the Rams on the infamous Roby-Coleman uncalled defensive pass interference last year.
• Yesterday, they lost on an uncalled offensive pass interference on the winning TD catch.

I completely understand why that offensive pass interference was not called; that “no call” is totally consistent with the way that NFL games have been officiated for the last 10 years (at least) and it is totally consistent with the officials’ reluctance to use replay to change most of the pass interference calls that they are called upon to review.  Nothing in that last sentence, however, changes the fact that there was offensive pass interference on the play, and it was not flagged.  I can imagine the Saints’ Front Office looking around to see if they can find someone who specializes in exorcisms for organizations…

There was one other aspect of that play review that bothered me because it stretches credibility.  The league said that it had reviewed the play from every angle and that it had great camera angles on the play from the game coverage.  I believe the second part of that because the folks at FOX showed me a couple of angles on replay that were highly germane to the call.  Surely, the folks in NY doing the reviews had those camera shots and others at their disposal.

The first part of that statement, however, makes me stop and wonder.  The folks in NY who review such calls in OT, made their decision in about a minute or less.  Normally, replay reviews take at least 2 minutes and – seemingly – some take as much as 5 minutes to adjudicate.  I would think that a replay review for a call that is so decisive regarding a playoff game would take more time than passed here – – unless of course the folks in NY had no intention of overturning the call on the field from the get-go.

Finally, here is an observation by Dwight Perry in the Seattle Times that proves you need to be careful what you wish for:

“Hear about the New York fan who found a magic lamp last summer and got his greatest wish for the Knicks granted?  Well sort of …

“Guess he should’ve told the genie something besides, ‘We want to be neck-and-neck with the Warriors next season.’”

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

 

 

The inaugural Friday of the new decade needs to be celebrated with a Football Friday.  In this season of introducing new coaches at the collegiate and pro levels, that would be akin to “setting the tone” for things to come.

Also, I need to begin on a sad note.  Sam Wyche died yesterday.  He was a former QB in the AFL in the ‘60s and in the NFL in the ‘70s; then he became a successful coach with the Cincinnati Bengals in the ‘80s.  He led the Bengals to the Super Bowl but lost to Bill Walsh and the Niners in Super Bowl XXIII.  He was the innovator if the no-huddle offense in the late ‘80s; that has become what we call today the up-tempo offense.  Another of his “innovations” led to a rule change; Wyche would often put 12 or even 14 people into the offensive huddle and then run the appropriate number off the field before the snap of the ball putting the defense at a disadvantage.  Today, that gets the offensive team a 5-yard penalty.

Rest in peace, Sam Wyche…

Last week’s Six-Pack had only 4 entries – – but it was El Perfecto.  The record was 4-0-0 bringing the season results to:

• Overall:  42-27-3
• College:  20-7-1
•  NFL:  22-20-2

 

College Football Commentary:

 

Wherever Lane Kiffin goes, controversy follows.  I don’t mean to imply that Kiffin is a “bad guy” because I don’t think he is one.  However, when he is on the scene, something that is “open to discussion” always seems to happen.  If you want to get a summary of past controversies, Google and Wikipedia are your friends.  The latest controversy is Kiffin’s hiring of DJ Durkin to an unspecified assistant coach position at Ole Miss.  If that name rings a bell for you – but you just cannot place it – Durkin was the head coach at Maryland when Jordan McNair collapsed from heat exhaustion at a practice and then died from that situation.  Investigations at Maryland concluded that the football program was “abusive”, and the entire situation resulted in Durkin’s dismissal along with other folks in the Athletic Department and in the university administration.

I am NOT suggesting that DJ Durkin should be prevented from working as a collegiate football coach; the investigations into the death of Jordan McNair did not result in any sort of criminal charges.  I am saying that any “Power 5” school that hired Durkin after the “Maryland situation” would be the focal point of controversy.  And once again, that controversy focuses on the program involving Lane Kiffin.

The only thing that bothers me about this matter is the seeming smugness of the Ole Miss Athletic Department folks.  Knowing that some folks would look askance at this hiring decision, they issued an ever so carefully worded statement patting themselves on the back for doing extraordinary due diligence for this hiring decision.  They said they reached out to “several highly respected coaches, administrators and school officials about their experiences working with [Durkin]”.  From those contacts, the vetting process yielded “consistently strong feedback about Coach Durkin’s strong character and work ethic and his positive impact on the communities and institutions where he was previously employed.”

If that PR nonsense were even close to true, the only conclusions I can draw are these:

• Ole Miss did not talk to anyone who was at Maryland at the time of Jordan McNair’s death.  There was no “positive impact” on that institution or community.
• Ole Miss certainly did not check with the McNair family.
• Ole Miss did not read the report of an independent commission set up by Maryland in the wake of that fatal incident which concluded that the football program at Maryland fostered “a culture where problems festered because too many players feared speaking out.”

I don’t have a problem with Ole Miss hiring Durkin and giving him a chance to demonstrate that he learned from that horrible situation at Maryland.  I do have a problem with the “suits” in the Athletic Department pretending that they did an investigation that led them to conclude that whatever happened at Maryland was just an accident and that they had hired a choir boy.

 

College Football Games This Weekend:

 

There are 3 bowl games between today and Monday evening.  Exactly none of them are important.  Unless you are an alum of one of the six schools involved or know a player involved, none even rise to the level of “interesting”.

 

NFL Commentary:

 

Back in August when we were all anticipating the 2019 NFL regular season, we thought about possible outcomes under a set of conditions we thought might be “stable”:

• Ben Roethlisberger was the Steelers’ QB.  He might have an injury that would make him miss a game or two, but he would be the guy leading the team on the field for at least 75% of the games.  Didn’t happen…
• Cam Newton had a shoulder problem last year that required surgery and was limited in the Exhibition Games, but Newton was “indestructible” and would be under center for the Panthers for most if not all of the 2019 season.  Didn’t happen…
• Matthew Stafford was the Lions’ QB and an iron-man.  He had not missed a start since the season opener in 2011.  He would be the Lions QB for all of 2019.  Didn’t happen…
• Drew Brees was not quite the iron-man that Stafford was, but Brees was surely going to be the starting QB for the Saints – – until they wrapped up their division and he sat out a game or two for a rest.  Didn’t happen…
• Andrew Luck was the Colts’ QB.  He had come back from his major shoulder problems and was ready to reclaim his stature as an elite QB in the league.  Didn’t happen…

Those five teams lost top-shelf QBs for significant parts of the season.  The Steelers managed to stay “playoff relevant” despite truly mediocre QB play based on a strong defense.  The Panthers had some good times with Kyle Allen – but that did not last.  The Lions were the Lions but with Stafford in the game, the Lions had the potential to make some of their games interesting.  The Colts tried to make the playoffs with Jacoby Brisset at the helm – – but it did not work out for them.

Only the Saints shrugged off the month or so that Drew Brees was on the shelf.  Terry Bridgewater demonstrated the importance of having a quality backup at the QB position.  In fact, he played so well that some folks mused that maybe – just maybe – the Saints should leave him in the starting role even when Brees was ready to come back because he had the “hot hand”.  Obviously, that was a bad idea; but it does speak to the level at which Bridgewater had played.

The Panthers fired Ron Rivera with 4 games left in the season.  [Aside:  Rivera’s last game in Carolina was a loss to the Skins at home; that was the straw that broke the camel’s back for the new owner of the Panthers.  Today, Rivera is the head coach of the Skins.  Wheels within wheels …]  The Panthers lost all 4 of those remaining games after Rivera’s departure in such ignominy that you have to wonder how much of the “losing” was due to coaching and how much was due to playing:

• Panthers gave up 30 or more points in all 4 losses
• Panthers gave up a total of 150 points in those 4 losses.
• Panthers were outscored 150 – 60 in those 4 losses.

The Cleveland Browns used the 2019 regular season to re-establish themselves as a bottom-feeding franchise in the NFL.  The team had finished the 2018 season with a bang and there was some optimism – – too much optimism – – about the team’s potential for 2019.  When that optimism – – whether appropriate or overstated – – did not materialize, the Browns cleaned house once again.

You can make a case for the housecleaning if you wish.  With the playoffs still a dim possibility, the Browns finished the season:

• Losing to the Cards (5-10-1) by 2 TDs
• Losing to the Ravens by 16 points.  [No shame there]
• Losing to the Bengals (2-14) by 10 points.

The whole situation in Cleveland is a mess to the point that I find it difficult to pinpoint one aspect of the situation that is messier than the rest of the mess.  What happened in 2019?

• Maybe it was the coaching.  Maybe Freddie Kitchens was way over his head in that job.  If that was “the problem” then you must fire him AND the Gm that put him in that position where he was over his head.
• Maybe it was the roster construction.  There are an awful lot of “personalities” in that locker room.  Perhaps there was too much baggage for the physical talent to carry…
• Maybe it was the management structure.  After all, the strategic planner for the franchise who has the ear of the owner is – – a baseball guy and not a football guy.

There are lots of questions and “maybes” there, but I think there are three certainties regarding the Browns:

1. Baker Mayfield needs to focus more of his time and attention on developing as a QB and developing “chemistry” with the rest of his teammates as opposed to doing another set of TV ads.
2. Odell Beckham, Jr. needs to stop being a passive-aggressive diva and start using his talents to focus attention on himself.  Beckham craves attention but he is seeking it in a less than constructive fashion.
3. Owner Jimmy Haslam needs to examine who his role model(s) among NFL owners is.  At the moment he is part of the “hands-on” clique of owners – which is fine if he has the knowledge to be “hands on”.  Evidence to date says he should be modeling himself after a different group of owners – – the ones who hire people to run the football show and the ones who sit back and count the profits.

The Cowboys finished the 2019 season with an 8-8 record and yet they outscored their opponents by 113 points.  Just for comparison, here are the teams that finished between 9-7 and 7-9 this year with their point differentials:

• Eagles  9-7  +31
• Rams  9-7  +30
• Titans  9-7  +71
• Bears  8-8  minus-18
• Cowboys  8-8  +113
• Bucs  7-9  +9
• Colts  7-9  minus-12
• Broncos  7-9  minus-34
• Falcons  7-9  minus-18
• Jets  7-9  minus-83
• Raiders  7-9  minus 106

There were a couple of Highlights from last week’s action:

• The Niners got the #1 seed in the NFC playoffs as a result of last week’s win over the Seahawks.  In 2019, the Niners have beaten the Seahawks, Packers and Saints.  Fair to say, they earned that top billing in the NFC.
• Derrick Henry carried 32 times for 211 yards in Titans win over Texans to put the Titans in the playoffs.

There were some Lowlights from last week’s action:

• The Patriots were listless for most of the first 20 minutes of their game against the Dolphins and the eventual loss in that game cost the Pats a BYE Week.
• The Raiders gained 477 yards of offense and lost a game last week by the score of 16-15.  That much offense simply must generate more than 15 points in a game.
• The Chargers lost to the Chiefs last week finishing at 5-11 for 2019; that is a huge drop from their 12-4 record in 2018.  [Aside:  Philip Rivers will be a free agent so the Chargers’ QB situation is not settled.]

 

NFL Games:

 

(Sat. 4:30 PM EST) Buffalo at Houston – 3 (43.5):  These lines have been steady all week.  The Bills’ defense is for real.  They rank second in the NFL (to the Patriots) in points allowed this season.  Opponents only score 14 points per game on average.  The old saying is that defense travels well; the Bills must hope that is the case this week.  The issue with the Bills is that their offense is sporadic and not overly productive.  The Bills’ defense is stingy, but the Bills’ offense is not very productive scoring fewer than 20 points per game; in fact, over the last month, the Bills have failed to score more than 17 points in any single game.  The Texans’ defense has not been fearsome in 2019 allowing opponents to score 24 points per game.  Reports this morning say that JJ Watt will play tomorrow.  Even if he is not at 100% or in “top football shape), his play has to help the Texans’ defense.  I am not big on some of the “advanced stats” that are floating around these days but two of them seems to make sense to me.  Those are:

• Points per drive produced
• Points per drive allowed

Interestingly, these teams mirror one another:

• Points per drive produced:  Bills are 24^th in the league and the Texans are 7^th
• Points per drive allowed:  Bills are 2^nd in the league and the Texans are 24^th

If the Texans are to win and cover here, I think Deshaun Watson will have to have a big game.  The Bills’ pass defense is stout; he will need to overcome that.  I agree with the oddsmakers here that the game will be low scoring.  I think the Bills have a real shot to win the game outright, so I’ll put the Bills plus the points in this week’s Six-Pack.

(Sat. 8:15 PM EST) Tennessee at New England – 5 (44.5):  With six games in the books, the Titans were 2-4 and were struggling – to be polite about it.  From that point, the Titans have gone 7-3.  Ryan Tannehill has gotten most of the attention regarding that turnaround and he deserves all that praise for his part in “saving the season” in Tennessee.  Personally, I think Derrick Henry is the unsung hero here.  In the last 7 games – where the titans have gone 5-2 – Henry is averaging 5.9 yards per carry.  [For the season, he is averaging 5.1 yards per carry.]  The Titans defense is solid if not spectacular.  Normally, the Pats enter the playoffs with a strong showing in December.  Not so in 2019.  The Pats played 5 times in December and their record was a very un-Patriot-like 2-3.  That deviation from the norm was on display last week when the pats needed a win to secure a BYE Week this week against the Dolphins.  They led late in the game and proceeded to surrender – at home no less – and 85-yard TD drive in the final minutes that cost them the game and the week’s rest.  On a positive note, the pats’ running game seems to have come to life over the past several weeks; that would be a big plus for them in this game.

Traditionally, Bill Belichick tries to set a defense to take away from the opponent one of its strengths forcing the opponent to rely on whatever else it has in its bag of tricks.  I think he will try to take Darrick Henry away this week and dare Ryan Tannehill to beat the Pats in Foxboro.  If history is any guide, that would be a great strategy because Tannehill has started 6 times in Foxboro against the Pats and his record is 0-6.

This is purely a hunch.  The Titans are +198 on the Money Line.  I think those odds are good enough to put that wager in this week’s Six-Pack.

(Sun. 1:00 PM EST) Minnesota at New Orleans – 7.5 (50): You can find this spread at 8 points in a couple of places this morning.  Let’s be clear about one thing from the start here:

• Kirk Cousins has had a very good year in 2019.  His QB Rating is 107.5 and the NFL average for QBs this year is 91.

I am on record saying that QB Rating is an imperfect statistical measure; nonetheless, Cousins’ performance this year is sufficiently above average that you must acknowledge that it was a very good performance this season.  If Vikes’ RB, Dalvin Cook cannot play up to his standard level of performance, the Vikes will need to rely on Cousins to carry that offense.

That may be a tall order against the Saints’ defense in the Superdome.  The Saints’ offense has been hitting on all cylinders.  Since Drew Brees returned to action on Nov 10:

• Saints record is 6-2
• Saints have scored an average of 32.9 points per game
• In one of the 2 losses, the Saints offense produced 46 points.  Hang that loss around the necks of the defense…

There will be no “Minnesota Miracle” this time – – simply because the game is being played in New Orleans.  I don’t think the Vikes – despite a good defense – can keep up with the Saints here.  I wish the line here was 7 points as opposed to 7.5 points, but I can talk myself into the Saints winning by double digits.  I’ll put the Saints in this week’s Six-Pack to win and cover.

(Sun 4:40 PM EST) Seattle – 1.5 at Philly (45):  The spread opened the week with the Eagles as a 1.5-point favorite.  This morning you can find the spread at 2.5 points in one Internet sportsbook – – but nowhere at 2 points.  Very strange…  Both teams have injury problems galore.  The Seahawks had to sign Marshawn Lynch off the playgrounds to finish the regular season; they have multiple starters out of action on defense.  The metaphor of the Eagles as a M*A*S*H unit is totally appropriate; they had to sign Evander Holyfield’s son to play RB – possibly – this week.  Somehow these Eagles made the playoffs without having a 1000-yard rusher OR a 1000-yard receiver on the roster AND they had a negative turnover differential for the season.  Who is their Fairy Godmother?  The question here is simple:

• Can the Eagles pull another rabbit out of the hat?

As you ponder the answer to that question, let me point out something that may not be totally obvious:

• One cannot pull a rabbit out of a hat unless one has previously put a rabbit in that hat to be retrieved at a later time.

I have no idea what will happen here.  I can envision the Seahawks winning by 2 TDs; I can see the Eagles prevailing in a close game.  I doubt that the spread will make any difference to the bettors here.  So, I will not put this game in this week’s Six-Pack but instead leave you with an observation by Bob Molinaro in today’s Hampton Roads Virginian-Pilot:

“The line: I wonder how many times an NFL team that’s lost three of its last four games has gone on the road as even a slight playoff favorite. But, then, the 11-5 Seahawks emerge from the tough NFC West to play a 9-7 Eagles team being held together by paper clips and chewing gum.”

Finally, here is an observation by Greg Cote in the Miami Herald:

“Dolphins cut RB Mark Walton after he allegedly punched a pregnant girlfriend. Not a good sign when your run-ins with the law begin to outnumber your career touchdowns.”

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

 

 

The new decade begins on two sad notes:

1. David Stern died yesterday of complications arising from a brain hemorrhage he suffered several weeks ago.  He was 77 years old.  While I did not always agree with his actions as NBA Commissioner, he did guide the league from the fringes of the US sports world directly into the center of that space.
2. Don Larsen died yesterday.  He is most famous for pitching a perfect game in the World Series in 1956 against the Brooklyn Dodgers.  Two other interesting facts about his MLB career are that he had an overall losing record for his career and that he was traded from the Yankees to the royals in exchange for Roger Maris.

Rest in peace David Stern.  Rest in peace, Don Larsen.

There will be major management shake-ups with two of the most volatile NFL franchises taking place in the next several weeks.  The Cleveland Browns have fired coach, Freddie Kitchens, and GM, John Dorsey.  Owner Jimmy Haslam purchased the team in October 2012; he has owned the team for 7 years and 3 months.

• Counting the head coach he inherited with the team in October 2012, the coach who will be hired imminently will be the seventh head coach – – including an interim head coach for 8 games in 2018 – – that he has hired.
• Counting the GM he inherited with the team in October 2012, the GM who will be hired imminently will be the sixth GM that he has hired.
• If Jimmy Haslam planted a vegetable garden, I would not be surprised to learn that his harvest was meager because every other day he would pull the plants out of the ground to see how the roots were developing.

Since 2012, the Cleveland Browns have gone 33-94-1; they have won just under 26% of their games over that 7-year stretch.  Is that because of the lack of continuity in team management?  Or is that because the person who is making the hiring decisions for team management positions has no clue?  Personally, I think the answer is “Yes!”

The other team that will get a front office makeover is here in Washington; the Skins cleaned house firing President of Football Operations, Bruce Allen, who had been in that job since 2010.  That would give the appearance of stability when juxtaposed with the situation in Cleveland, but the apparent stability there could be misleading because:

• The new coach just hired in Washington, Ron Rivera, is the fourth head coach.
• The Skins’ record since 2010 is 62-98-1; they have won 38.5% of their games over that 10-year stretch.

The results for the two teams over comparable time periods demonstrates to me that stability is  not “the answer” nor is upheaval “the answer”.  I believe THE answer is not Allen Iverson; I believe THE answer is competence and neither owner had demonstrated that he has the competence to hire the right people and then to let them do the job(s) they were hired to do.

There is another interesting parallel between these two less-than-fully-successful franchises.  According to reports, both Jimmy Haslam and Danny Boy Snyder have injected themselves into the team drafting process to take QBs that their incumbent coaches did not want.  Haslam supposedly ordered the drafting of Johnny Manziel; that was not a good decision.  Snyder supposedly ordered the drafting of Patrick Ramsey (not a good decision), RG3 (not a good decision but not nearly as bad as the previous decision), and Dwayne Haskins (much too soon to know how that will work out).

The new coach in Washington has been hired – before the new GM or whatever title the person will receive has been selected.  Ron Rivera will take over and I think he will be a significant upgrade if he is given the latitude to do whatever he and his coaches believe is necessary to produce a better on-field product.  To put it bluntly, Ron Rivera has been to the Super Bowl and Ron Rivera has been named Coach of the Year twice; there is NO ONE in the Skins’ management structure that has a similar curriculum vitae – including, most importantly, Danny Boy Snyder.

Not to throw cold water here, but Danny Boy’s record at hiring “GMs” is neither extensive nor laudatory.  His first selection was Vinny Cerrato whose most obvious skill was enabling Danny Boy’s interventions into the “football side of things”.  His next selection for that position was Bruce Allen who would not have been in that job if he had not been the son of former Skins’ head coach, George Allen.  If Bruce Allen had been Bruce Flabeetz – – son of the legendary Joe Flabeetz – – he would have been lucky to be hired by the Skins as the elevator operator that got Danny Boy from ground level to his owner’s suite.

On a positive note, Ron Rivera’s first move was to hire Jack Del Rio as his defensive coordinator.  Del Rio brings tangible positive coaching credentials to that job.  Understand that the Skins have 4 first-round picks among their front 7 on defense.  That crew produced a defense that ranked 27^th in the NFL this year.  There is a lot of potential for improvement there given the ostensible talent level.

Finally, since we are beginning a new decade, I thought it would be appropriate to close today with Brad Dickson’s resolutions for the upcoming year.  Good luck with all of that:

“My resolutions: stop exercising, take up vaping, spend less time with family, look into the feasibility of growing pot, pig out regularly, and, get a neck tattoo.”

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

 

 

Dom Imus died last weekend.  His was a complicated existence.  He was a shock-jock; he was a humanitarian; some say he was a racist and a misogynist; some say his charity work proves he was no such thing.  Here is something that should not be in question.  For more than a decade in the nineties and the aughts, Imus in the Morning was the most influential program on the radio.  Don Imus was a great interviewer and he got great guests from then-candidate Bill Clinton to David Brinkley to Snoop Dogg to about a dozen US Senators.

Rest in peace, Don Imus…

Dan Daly – formerly with the Washington Times – had this Tweet over the weekend regarding the Skins and their search for a new head coach:

“Dan Snyder’s pitch to prospective coaches has always been the same: ‘Come to the #Redskins. Make a lot of money. Wish you were never born.’”

That sums up the life cycle of Skins’ coaches since Danny Boy Snyder bought the team 20 years ago.  The atmospherics of the job are so bad that one of the coaches left a lot of money on the table and called in his resignation from the golf course – – or so the story goes.

Kevin Blackistone argued in the Washington Post last week that Curt Flood should be in the baseball Hall of Fame.  Just as I have believed for about 30 years that Marvin Miller belonged in the Hall of Fame – and will be inducted posthumously – Curt Flood also belongs there as a contributor to the game.  He belongs in the same category as team owners and former Commissioners and the like; he does not belong there as a player.  However, he deserves a place in juxtaposition with Marvin Miller; those two men changed MLB significantly – and for the better.

With 2019 seeing its days dwindling down to a precious few [Hat Tip to Frank Sinatra] I tried to come up with the sports figure who did the most honorable thing in 2019 and the sports figure who did the most dishonorable thing in 2019.  I got it down to two people in each category and could not “break the tie” in either case.  So, let me hand out some “dual awards” here.

For the two men on the most honorable list, let me give them a White Hat Award recalling the old western movies where the good guys always wore a white hat:

• Tony Bennett:  No, not the crooner.  I mean Tony Bennett the head basketball coach at UVa.  After the Cavaliers won the NCAA basketball tournament last April, UVa offered Bennett a “significant raise” which would seem to be appropriate to the circumstances.  Bennett turned down that raise and said he preferred that the money that would have been added to his exchequer instead go to giving raises to his assistant coaches and to university projects seeking to upgrade facilities for the student body at large.  I think he should be fitted for a White Hat.
• LeBron James:  This award has nothing to do with any on-court achievements.  LeBron James founded the I Promise Charter School in Akron, OH.  Kids enrolled in the school receive free tuition, free meals, free transportation to and from school and free school uniforms.  In addition, James has guaranteed every graduate of the school free tuition at the University of Akron.  The school opened in 2018 and James expanded the number of students enrolled in 2019.  I think he should be fitted for a White Hat.

For the two men on the least honorable list, let me give them a Black Hat Award as a parallel because in the old-time western movies, the bad guys always wore a black hat.  [Aside:  I sometimes wear a black cowboy hat; the reason for that is simple.  If I were to wear a white hat, it would be false advertising…]

• Antonio Brown:  Forget about all the diva behavior; lots of very talented WRs have exhibited similar behaviors but stopped short of two things that Brown was involved in during 2019.  First of all, he was charged with sexual assault of a woman who was a trainer he worked with; and second, he got himself released by the Oakland Raiders after threatening to punch out GM, Mike Mayock.  Arriving to training camp in a hot air balloon or showboating on the field after a TD is harmless silliness; charges of sexual assault and threatening to punch out a team official are in a different dimension.  I think he should be fitted for a Black Hat.
• Myles Garrett:  Many people who cover the NFL have reported that he is a mild-mannered and intelligent person who is thoughtful and self-aware.  I have no reason to dispute those reports.  However, he is also someone who – amid a scuffle on the field – ripped the helmet off Mason Rudolph and used it as a bludgeon to hit Rudolph on the head.  That single act goes way over the line of civility.  I think he should be fitted for a Black Hat.

Finally, here is an interesting observation from Bob Molinaro if the Hampton Roads Virginian-Pilot:

“Idle thought: The increasing popularity of the college transfer portal — three of this year’s four Heisman Trophy finalists were transfers — takes a little of the air out of National Signing Day.”

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

 

 

If you remember the old TV series, Dragnet, the opening scene always ended with Jack Webb intoning:

• “My name’s Friday.  I’m a cop.”

Surely, Curmudgeon Central is not on TV – and never will be – but maybe there is a parallel way to introduce today’s rant:

• “Today is Friday.  It’s time for Football Friday.

Last week, the Six-Pack had only 4 elements, but the results were a comfortable 3-1-0.  Here is the status of the Six-Pack since September:

• Overall:  38-27-3
• College:  19-7-1
• NFL:  19-20-2

 

College Football Commentary:

 

Two young assistant coaches of football heritage got jobs as offensive coordinators recently:

1. Kendal Briles – – son of Art Briles – – will be the offensive coordinator at Arkansas
2. Charlie Weis, Jr. – – son of Charlie Weis don’t you know – – will be the offensive coordinator at USF.

Sons of coaches have been successful in their own right more than a few times.  Consider:

• Bill Belichick
• Jim and John Harbaugh
• Brian Schottenheimer
• Kyle Shanahan

However, success is not a guarantee.  Consider:

• Terry and Tommy Bowden
• Rex Ryan
• Mike and David Shula

As they say in the car commercials, “Your mileage may vary…”

 

College Games of Interest This Week:

 

Oklahoma St vs Texas A&M – 5.5 (54.5):  It is sort of a “regional rivalry” …

Iowa – 2.5 vs USC (52.5):  I thought this might be a Rose Bowl matchup from long ago when that was the Pac 8 or 10 or 12 versus the Big 10.  Alas, that never happened…

Washington St vs Air Force – 2.5 (68):  Here you have the Air Raid offense against the Air Force itself…

Oklahoma vs LSU – 13.5 (75.5):  LSU scores 47.8 points per game and Oklahoma scores 43.2.  LSU’s scoring defense is pretty good allowing only 21.2 points per game; Oklahoma allows 24.5 points per game.  I think this will be a game where points appear in abundance.  I’ll put this game in this week’s Six-Pack to go OVER.

Clemson – 2 vs Ohio State (63):  This is the game I really want to see but we have a social engagement that evening.  Once again let me pay homage to the person who invented the DVR…

 

NFL Commentary:

 

Last week, Bob Molinaro had this observation in the Hampton Roads Virginian-Pilot:

“On the upswing: I don’t know if Buffalo’s Sean McDermott should beat out John Harbaugh or Mike Tomlin as NFL Coach of the Year, but for getting the previously moribund Bills into the playoffs twice in his first three seasons, he deserves some sort of award.”

I agree that Sean McDermott has done a good job since his arrival in Buffalo and he should get some voting recognition for it.  I would add one more name to this list conditioned on how this week’s games turn out.

• If the Eagles win this week and make the playoffs given the number of starting players who will not be in uniform for this game – and who have not been in uniform for so many games this year – Doug Pederson deserves at least a tip of the hat.

There are two ways the Eagles can make the playoffs this week:

• Win and you’re in.
• Lose to the Giants and Cowboys lose to the Skins.

The Eagles find themselves with this opportunity thanks to a 17-9 win over the Cowboys last week in Philly.  That game in the perspective of game results for the rest of this season demonstrates why stats must be viewed in context.  Consider:

• The Cowboys have the most prolific offense in the NFL in terms of yardage.  They gain 425.8 yards per game; the Ravens are second at 414.5 yards per game; only the Cowboys, Ravens and Bucs average more than 400 yards per game.
• The Cowboys rank 8^th in the NFL in scoring points at 25.8 points per game.  By comparison, the Ravens score 33.8 points per game and the Bucs score 29.1 points per game.
• Three times this season, the Cowboys’ defense has held an opponent to 17 points or less – – and lost those three games despite having the most prolific offense in the NFL.

I ran across this tidbit earlier this week.  The Cowboys have trailed at halftime in 7 games this year – – and they lost all 7 of them.  Naturally, I have no idea if that is merely a coincidence or if it speaks to a fundamental problem with the team or the coaches; but for a team that had the playoffs as a minimal expectation in August and a team with the most prolific offense in the league, that seems strange to me.

There were some Highlights from last week’s action in the NFL:

• The Jets’ defense led the way to a 16-10 win over the Steelers with 4 sacks and 2 INTs.
• Saquon Barkley accounted for 279 yards from scrimmage and 2 TDs for the Giants against the Skins’ “defense”.
• The Chiefs’ defense held the Bears to 3 points – – and that is the second consecutive game where the Chiefs’ defense has only allowed 3 points.  Impressive.
• Saints’ WR Michael Thomas broke the single season record for receptions – – held previously by Marvin Harrison – – and he still has another game to play.  Thomas has caught 145 balls in 15 games this year.
• ZaDarius Smith had 3.5 sacks and 5 tackles for a loss in a dominant win by the Packers over the Vikes.

There were some Lowlights from last week’s action in the NFL:

• The Jags gave up 518 yards of offense to the Falcons losing 24-12.
• The Steelers’ run attack was anemic at best in their costly loss to the Jets.  Their leading rusher was James Connor who gained all of 32 yards in the game.
• The Dolphins‘ defense allowed the Bengals – – the BENGALS – – to come back from a 28-6 deficit to force OT.  The fact that the Dolphins eventually won the game does not erase that lowlight.
• The Panthers were stomped by the Colts 38-6.  Clearly, the Panthers’ on-field problems in 2019 are the fault of since-fired coach Ron Rivera…
• The Chargers’ rushing attack totaled 19 yards against the Raiders.
• The Skins’ defense gave up 552 yards of offense to the Giants – – the GIANTS.
• The Lions’ total offense was 191 yards in their loss to the Broncos.
• The Cowboys just stunk out the joint losing to the Eagles.  Offensive play calling was mysterious; receivers dropped passes; Dak Prescott missed open receivers; the defense was porous.  All in all, they lost as a team.
• The Seahawks lost their top 2 RBs in their loss to the Cards – – Chris Carson and CJ Prosise.  That does not bode well for playoff-bound Seahawks unless Marshawn Lynch can indeed reprise his “Beast Mode” performance(s).
• In the final drive of the game that produced the game winning score, the Rams defense gave up two 3^rd down conversions one of which was a 3^rd and 16 situation.

 

NFL Games This Week:

 

The league has structured the schedule for this week to avoid having teams play late in the day already knowing their playoff status based on the results of an early game.  I will indicate here which games are early afternoon starts and which are late afternoon starts.  There is a Sunday Nite game but no Monday Nite game this week.

Several Week 17 games are like minor bowl games in college football; it matters a lot if one of the teams shows up more interested in playing the game than the other team.

(Late afternoon) Tennessee – 3.5 at Houston (45.5):  The spread opened the week with the Texans favored by 1 point.  The deal with this game goes like this:

• If the Titans win, they are in the playoffs with the #6 seed.
• If the Texans win, they could advance from the #4 seed to the #3 seed.

I would guess that means that the game means more to the Titans than it does to the Texans.

(Early afternoon) Cleveland – 2.5 at Cincy (43.5):  Didn’t we just have this match-up 3 days ago?  [Actually, it was 3 weeks ago, but who’s counting…]  The so-called “Battle of Ohio” is no more interesting now than it was then.  The Bengals are already on the clock for the #1 pick in the NFL Draft next April and this could be Andy Dalton’s final game as a Bengal.  I am not sure if I should feel sad for him on that note or if he will be rejoicing at his liberation…

(Early afternoon) Chicago at Minnesota – 1 (37):  The Vikes’ loss to the Packers last week took real significance out of this game.  The Vikes are locked into the #6 seed in the NFC; the Bears are booking Caribbean cruises with their families.

(Late afternoon) Indy – 4 at Jax (42.5): Ho hum…  This game means nothing to either team and even less to me.

(Early afternoon) Atlanta at Tampa Bay – 1 (47.5):  Both teams have played much better in the second portion of the season.  The Falcons are 5-2 since the first week of November after starting the season 1-7.  The Bucs are 5-2 since November 10 after starting the season 2-6.  I think this game will have fireworks galore, so I’ll put this game in this week’s Six-Pack to go OVER.

(Late afternoon) Washington at Dallas – 10.5 (45.5):  The spread here opened the week at 14 points and has dropped steadily to this level all week.  That means there is a preponderance of “Skins’ money” coming in for reasons I do not understand. Local sports radio would have you believe that the Skins players would love to win this game simply to assure that the Cowboys do not make the playoffs.  If that were true, it would be the first showing of “emotional purpose” by the Skins all season.  Here in Curmudgeon Central, there is a reason to hope the Skins win this game outright:

• If the Cowboys lose this game at home, will there be steam coming out of both of Jerry Jones’ ears during his post-game media commentary – – or just one ear?

(Early afternoon) New Orleans – 13 at Carolina (46):  The Saints have been assured of a playoff slot for a month now.  They can still earn themselves a BYE Week like this:

• Beat Carolina AND EITHER a Packers loss to the Lions or a Niners loss to the Seahawks.

The Panthers are simply a mess – – and may be looking at remaining a mess for a while here given their “QB issues”.  Will Grier was mightily unimpressive in his first start last week; Kyle Allen looks as if he was a flash in the pan; Cam Newton’s shoulder and leg injuries are most worrisome.

(Late afternoon) Philly – 4 at Giants (44.5):  This is a big game for the Eagles; they make the playoffs with a win.

(Late afternoon) Pittsburgh – 2.5 at Baltimore (37):  The spread here opened with the Ravens as a 2.5-point favorite and with the Total Line at 40.5.  There has been a lot of movement here.  The game means nothing to the Ravens; they will rest Lamar Jackson and play RG3.  This game means everything to the Steelers who make the playoffs with a win and a Titans’ loss to the Texans.  However, they will have to play Duck Devlin at QB because the only other healthy QB on the roster is Paxton Lynch.   Yowza!

(Early afternoon) Jets at Buffalo – 1.5 (36.5):  This spread opened the week at 5.5 points.  The Bills will be the #5 seed in the AFC playoffs no matter what happens in the games on Sunday.  The Jets have played much better since the start of November posting a record of 5-2 in their last 7 games.  This will be a low scoring game.  Maybe the first team to 20 points is the winner?

(Early afternoon) Miami at New England – 16 (45):  The Pats cannot get home field advantage throughout the playoffs this year; that belongs to the Ravens.  However, the Pats can earn the #2 slot in the playoffs this year and that means a BYE Week for them.  The Dolphins have gone 4-4 in their last 8 games after coming out of the gate 0-7 this year.  The Dolphins have 3 first-round picks in next year’s NFL Draft; that bodes well for the team down the road – – but not here.  That line does look fat to me, so I’ll put the Dolphins plus the points in this week’s Six-Pack.

(Early afternoon) Green Bay – 12.5 at Detroit (43.5):  The Packers are peaking at the right time of the year; the defense is much better this year than in the recent past.  The Lions are a mess – – even on defense which is Matt Patricia’s specialty.  The Packers can make it to the #1 seed in the NFC playoffs meaning teams would have to come to Lambeau Field to play with:

• A win here AND a Niners’ loss to the Seahawks.

(Early afternoon) Chargers at KC – 9 (45.5):  This spread opened at 7 points and the Total Line opened at 48 points; plenty of line movement here.  The Chiefs are playing for playoff seeding; the Chargers are playing because it would cost them a game check if they did not show up. Like the Packers, the Chiefs seem to be peaking at the right time and the Chiefs’ defense has been outstanding the last 2 weeks allowing a total of 6 points in 2 games.  The Chargers have been in an abyss for most of 2019.  I’ll put the Chiefs in this week’s Six-Pack and lay the points.

(Late afternoon) Arizona at Rams – 7.5 (49):  This is the Dog-Breath Game of the Week – although the Browns/Bengals game was a close second in the voting.  The Cards have won 2 in a row; the Rams have lost 2 in a row and both losses were bad ones.  I would not be surprised to see the Rams “go through the motions“ here given that they started the season with Super Bowl aspirations and are out of the playoffs entirely with this game left on the schedule.  Meanwhile the Cards’ starting QB, Kyler Murray, has a “tweaked hamstring” and may not play.

(Late afternoon) Oakland at Denver – 3 (41):  This line is shocking.  The Raiders can still sneak into the playoffs if a whole bunch of things happen this week – – but the first and foremost of those things is for the Raiders to win this game.  The Broncos are mediocre at best and have been “playoff irrelevant” since back in October.  And yet, the Broncos are favored in the game…

(Sun Nite) SF – 3 at Seattle (47):  This is the Game of the Week.  This game will determine the NFC West champion and has seeding implications for both of these teams and potentially for some others.  To say that the Seahawks’ situation at running back is ‘in turmoil” would be an understatement.  However, they do have Russell Wilson playing at home and you should never minimize that.  It will be interesting to see if “Beast Mode” has anything left in the tank.

Let me summarize this week’s Six-Pack – once again with only 4 entries:

• LSU/Oklahoma OVER 75.5
• Falcons/Bucs OVER 47.5
• Dolphins + 16 against Pats
• Chiefs – 9 vs Chargers

Finally, with the closing of the NFL’s 2019 regular season, there will be no more NFL football in Oakland, CA.  So, let me close with a description of Oakland by Herb Caen, a San Francisco journalist:

“The trouble with Oakland is that when you get there, it’s there.”

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

 

 

The NBA took over sports TV for Christmas Day with 5 hand-picked games.  I have not seen anything about the ratings for those games but the folks in the executive suites at the NBA – and at the TV networks too – could stand some good news on that front.  The fact is that for this season, which is more than one-third over, TV ratings are down sharply.

• NBA ratings on ESPN are down 17%
• NBA ratings on TNT are down 8%
• More than a few nationally televised games drew fewer than 1 million viewers.

Several years ago, the NFL went through a ratings slump which prompted some folks to conclude that the NFL had peaked and that it was going into a long-range decline.  I thought that was foolish then; ergo, I am not here to lay down a marker that the NBA is on the brink of its demise.  That’s nonsense.  The NBA and its TV “partners” have some soul searching to do and may need to make some changes.  Having said that, the two most prominent ideas out there representing “change” do not address what I believe is the NBA’s fundamental issue with regard to television:

• There are too many NBA regular season games.  Far too many pits one team against another where the outcome has no real significance to either team or to the league.  In many games, the body language – and the effort – of the players on the court demonstrates that the players recognize that lack of significance.

Unfortunately for the NBA, coaches and players are the ones that took that issue, made it prominent and even gave it a name – – Load Management.  The current environment is that players who make up to six-figures per game cannot be expected to play in all 82 of them.  The fans’ reaction seems to be that they cannot be expected to watch anywhere near all 82 of them.

The two prominent ideas out there to spark more interest in regular season NBA games miss the mark:

1. We do not need a meaningless single elimination tournament in mid-season.
2. We do not need to expand the playoffs to add a pair of “play-in games” to both Conferences.

The problem is that the league does not want to admit that there are simply too many games and they need to cut it back.  I have always believed that the NFL became the TV monster that it is based on two things:

1. Betting on the games that one can watch.
2. The schedule makes each game day an event – – not merely an occurrence.

Moving on …  Andrew Brandt is a former player agent and a former team executive with the Green Bay Packers.  He is now a television voice of reason regarding the business of sports in general and the NFL more specifically.  He posted this Tweet recently:

“Biggest FA contracts in 2019: Nick Foles (benched); Landon Collins and Trey Flowers (playing for cellar dwellers).”

That led me to check out the deals those guys signed last year:

• Nick Foles got 4 years and $88M with $45M guaranteed.  In 2019, Foles has played about 3.5 games – due to injury – and his stats are mediocre at best.  Indeed, the Jags have lost every game that he has started, and he will not start the final game of the season this weekend.  The Jags’ record so far is 5-10.
• Landon Collins got 6 years and $84M with $44.5M guaranteed.  He was supposed to provide leadership to the Skins’ secondary.  So far, the Skins rank in the bottom third of the league defensively and Collins has zero INTs, four passes defended and one sack in 15 games.  The Skins’ record so far is 3-12.
• Trey Flowers got 5 years and $90M with $56M guaranteed.  His production for 2019 is 7 sacks, 2 forced fumbles and 8 tackles for a loss in 15 games which is pretty much in line with his yearly stats over his entire career.  The Lions’ record so far is 3-11-1.

When NFL free agency becomes a sports world focal point in a couple of months, try to keep in mind some of the details outlined above.  A big-bucks free agent signing in March does not necessarily produce team success in December…

Last week, CBSSports.com had this headline and sub-head on the website:

“Person found dead inside porta-potty at M&T Bank Stadium”

“It’s the second port-a-potty related death at M&T Bank Stadium this year”

Details and cause of death were not available for the report, but there are some dots that may be connected.  The Ravens previous game was a Thursday night game; police were called to one of the parking areas near M&T Bank Stadium at 2:00 PM on Sunday where they discovered the body.  It is possible that the body was there for the better part of 3 days.  If you think that this is “sort of bizarre” and that this must be the worst way one might die, here is what happened in the other port-a-potty incident at M&T Bank Stadium earlier this year.  I will simply quote from the recent report:

“Earlier this year, a man died after being engulfed in flames while inside a burning porta-potty at M&T Bank Stadium. After catching fire, the man ran from the toilet and attempted to combat the flames in the parking lot, where he died before medical personnel arrived. Three portable toilets caught on fire during that incident and the cause was unclear, though it wasn’t believed to be related to a crime.”

Clearly the City of Baltimore needs to name a Blue-Ribbon Commission to study the issue of port-a-potty safety and spontaneous combustion.  Citizens’ lives are at risk …

Finally, here is an entry in The Official Dictionary of Sarcasm:

“Drunk:  Intoxicated with alcoholic beverages.  An absolutely crucial component in the decision to photocopy one’s ass cheeks.”

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

 

 

All to often, press interviews with people in sports – and in politics to be sure – devolve into clichés and polite-speak.  I know that I prefer candid and honest answers to questions as opposed to the pabulum that normally emanates from the focal point of a “presser” and it is in that context that I want to offer nothing but praise for XFL Commissioner, Oliver Luck.  After the XFL held its draft, folks noticed that neither Johnny Manziel nor Trent Richardson had been drafted by any of the 8 teams in the league.  Someone asked Luck about that and here is what he had to say:

“I would argue that the players we have are better than those guys, to be honest with you.  Johnny has his own history and we have coaches from the CFL who have seen him close-up.  I watched Trent when he was with the Colts, and I watched him when he was with the AAF.  He was in the draft pool.  Coaches and scouts looked at him and didn’t think he was going to help their team.  I think the guys we have on our teams are the best 560 that aren’t playing in the National Football League.”

Just in case anyone needs me to point it out, that is candor on display.

A couple of months ago, Sports Illustrated was sold; it is no longer part of the Time Magazine family.  That family of magazines was sold in 2018 and SI just did not fit with the sort of publications offered by the new owners.  So, SI was sold separately to a company whose main business is to license rights to celebrities.  That was nowhere near a good fit and that led to the sale to the current owners.  The new ownership is a company called Maven about which I knew nothing at the time of the sale and still no next to nothing about.  However, here is what I know from various published reports:

• Four other publications produced by Maven are Ski Magazine, History, Maxim and Yoga Journal.  [It is not clear to me how Sports Illustrated fits in there.]
• As the deal closed, Maven laid off about one-third of the Sports Illustrated staff.
• The intent of the new owners was to cover sports nationally with an “army of credentialed journalists” – evidently the majority of them working part-time.

The Maven view here is that Sports Illustrated as it has existed from its birth in the 1950s and 60s misses out on what sports fans want from a sports publication – – the latest breaking news on the teams they love.  On that point, the Maven vision is correct; Sports Illustrated never did that kind of journalism and a weekly or bi-weekly magazine can never hope to do that.  It seems to me that the Maven vision for SI is seen as an either/or proposition:

• Either it does “latest breaking news” or it does “long-form and analytical essays”.

I agree that it would be difficult satisfy both of those objectives in the same publication but there is value in being different and occupying a space where there are fewer competitors.  There are multiple online sources of “latest breaking news” each of them seeking to beat the other guys to the punch by an hour here or 20 minutes there and the tone of many such sites is not unlike a herd of braying donkeys.

The Sports Illustrated that I recall from my youth – to which I subscribed for about 30 years – offered me things that my daily newspaper did not.  That made it special; that turned it into an iconic brand.  If you check out SI.com online, the entries there are not “latest breaking news” sorts of things, and it is online where that kind of journalism must reside if it is going to survive.  I do not understand what Maven has in mind for Sports Illustrated but I doubt that the latest incarnation of the magazine will bear much resemblance to the one I used to have delivered to my home.

For more detailed information, here is a link to an article about Maven and its CEO and various folks who were part of the Sports Illustrated business.

Meanwhile, CBSSports.com had a report last week saying that the Colorado Rockies might consider trading Nolan Arenado.  You can bet that caught my attention; they may consider doing what?  Just a year ago, the Rockies signed Arenado to a contract extension for 7 years at a total of $260M.  That is a lot of money; but Arenado is, in my opinion, the best third baseman in MLB, and he is only 28 years old.  Here are some data:

• Arenado has been in the majors for 8 years; he has been an All-Star 5 times and he has won a Gold Glove in each of those 7 seasons.
• His career slash line is .295/.351/.897.  In the first year of his fat contract extension, he beat those career averages with .315/.379/.962.

With that sort of news out there, you can find plenty of speculation pieces about where he might wind up in a trade and what the Rockies might get in return.  The column I would love to read is why the folks who run the Rockies franchise have changed their minds about the path to take to build a contending team.  After all, that contract extension is less than a year old as of this morning…

Finally, I mentioned previously that the Lingerie Football League has ceased to exist.  Brad Dickson commented on that happening in two Tweets:

“The Legends League, AKA the Lingerie Football League, has folded. At least it went out with a bang after the San Antonio Teddies defeated Rutgers, 24-20.”

And …

“The Legends League, AKA the Lingerie League, has folded. Great, now who are Southeastern Conference teams going to play in the non-conference season?”

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