NFL

It’s Just Week Two, But…..

Posted on by thependulumswings staff

Are you ready for some Thursday Night Football?  The 0-1 Tampa Bay Buccaneers travel to Charlotte to face the 0-1 Carolina Panthers this evening.  ” Ho hum,” you say?  Understood.

The teams battle a quick four days after season opening losses.  And both teams lost at home to teams who traveled to time zones from the west to beat them.  The LA Rams beat Carolina 30-27, while the SF 49ers left the Tampa Bay area with a 31-17 victory.

If you’re underwhelmed imagine if you are a fan of one of the two staring 0-2 in the face five days after the season opened.  And, this game is a division game which carries added importance.   “One and one” sounds ok.  “Oh and two” sounds early season dreadful.

And, eight times out of nine, season long dreadful it is.  Since 2007, 91 teams have started 0-2.  Only 10 of them (10.9 percent) have turned the sluggish start around and made the playoffs.   One of those (the 2008 Chargers) made it with an 8-8 record. The Saints last season, the Dolphins in 2016, the Texans and Seahawks in 2015, the Colts from 2014, the 2013 Panthers, the Dolphins, Chargers and Vikings in 2008, and the 2007 Giants are the only others.  And, of course, that Giants team won the Super Bowl that season.

Carolina missed the playoffs in 2018 with a 7-9 record.  Tampa Bay has not been to the playoffs since 2007.  TB has finished last in the NFC South in seven of the last eight woeful years.

In the NFL you don’t need to look too much further than quarterback play to figure out who is ascending in the league and who has hit bottom.  For Carolina good, but inconsistent quarterbacking by Cam Newton tells most of the story.  Tonight he starts his 125th game as a pro.  He’s won 68, lost 54, and tied 1.  His career qb rating is 86.3.  Seventeen active QB’s with more than 50 starts rank higher.  In his defense his surrounding offensive cast hasn’t always been the best.  However, the Carolina defense has usually been between good and very good.  Cam is a sneaky 30, but in the QB friendly league that the NFL has become, he’s still got time to write better chapters in his story.  It’s time to start.

The Jameis Winston story, however, is another story.  Winston starts game 56 of his career tonight.  His record is a dreadful 21-24.  Winston’s QB rating is a shade higher than Newton’s at 87.0.   Fifteen active QB’s with more than 50 starts rank higher.   He played one year under Lovie Smith and three under recently fired Dirk Koetter.  Supposed QB whisperer Bruce Ariens now takes the helm.   Stability in the TB coaching has been wanting.  Also, in his defense his team’s defensive cast hasn’t been good.  However, the weapons around Winston have been solid, and sometimes border very good.  Four seasons in plus game one of five,and only 25 years old, he has plenty of time to write better chapters in his story.  Like Cam, it’s time to start.  Past time really.  Winston’s not looked at around the league as a leader, and his maturity has been questioned.  And “been questioned” is being nice.

Remember, “oh and two” means you sit home in January eight times of nine.  It might be week two, but this underwhelming match up could be a pivot point for both franchises.

On May 16, 2018, David Tepper, formerly a minority owner of the Pittsburgh Steelers, finalized an agreement to purchase the Panthers. The sale price was nearly $2.3 billion, a record.  Ron Rivera has been head coach for them since 2010.  You don’t shell out 2.3 billion for average.  If you miss the playoff this year does Ron go?  Cam’s deal is through 2020.  A new coach would have a year to work with him.

For Tampa, Ariens either fixes Winston this year, or not.  If not, Winston is likely out.  His contract expires after this season.

For a “ho hum” game, played just five days into the season, more is on the line than might normally meet the eye.

Which QB will pass the ball and the eyeball test best?

 

 

 

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The Buccaneers Are Leaking Oil

Posted on by thependulumswings staff

The answer is, “a small gift given to a customer by a merchant at the time of a purchase.  Something given or obtained gratuitously or by way of good measure. Used as a sentence, “The waiter added a serving of bread pudding as a lagniappe to the meal.”  The question is, “what is lagniappe?”  Forgive us, for we seem to have gotten caught up in the Jeopardy game, with all of the hype surrounding it these days, as James Holthauer closes in on the all time money winning record.

Our small gift, given to you today could have been given to you yesterday as lagniappe nugget number 11.  But, like great bread pudding, we wanted to cook it low and slow to insure that all of the butter and rum sauce would be soaked in, and there for the taking today.  And it is.

What is it?  It’s the story of the Tampa Bay(TB) Buccaneers and the British Petroleum(BP) oil spill in 2010, of course.  Of course?  Well, not really “of course,” but perhaps “par for the course” as to how the franchise is led.  The Bucs filed a $19.5 million claim for in economic damages from the Deepwater Horizon Settlement Program, but the suit raised a red flag with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth District. The appellate court denied the claim last week. No word on if the red flag looked as obvious to the court as the one with the skull on it that TB flies.  No word on if the skull shows how brain dead this franchise really is either.

Perhaps the frivolous claim was a salary cap issue?  If the TB Buccaneers had won their Deepwater Horizon settlement program claim, they would have received close to enough money to cover quarterback Jameis Winston’s 2019 salary of $20 million.  Surely two wrong ideas, in this instance, could make a right?

Why would the Bucs, valued near 2 billion bucks, make any claim of damages for a spill that occurred more than 300 miles from TB, let alone a claim of $19.5 million?    The court’s eight-page (it took that many pages?) decision stated the spill didn’t hurt the inept franchise’s performance more than they have hurt themselves. It pointed to the team’s record of 10-6 after the spill in 2010.  This record was achieved just a year after finishing 3-13, proving that even during catastrophic ecological events a blind squirrel can still find a nut.

“The Bucs have not had a 10-win season since,” the decision stated.  Yes, it really did allude to how much oil this franchise annually leaks on its own.  Pure comedic gold was achieved in one simple sentence within the eight long pages.  Great jokes are rooted in honesty.

The courts set up the settlement program in such a way that companies did not have to show a direct connection between the spill and financial loss. And why not?  Over 100,000 businesses throughout the Gulf region filed claims. Some actually were damaged.   Many were prompted by law firms who encouraged companies to stake a claim.  And why not?  If everyone is getting theirs, you might as well get yours.  The team based its claim on the formula spelled out in the settlement agreement BP crafted with the courts. The formula is based on whether a claimant’s financial condition worsened after the spill.

BP agreed to the procedure to avoid litigation in countless trials.  BP clearly was worried that it’s leaking oil defense was as leaky as the Buccaneers’ defense is on a yearly basis.

Claimants had to show a post-spill revenue slowdown of 15 percent or greater during a three-month period between May and July of 2010, and a revenue uptick of 10 percent during the same three months in 2011.  The court said the Bucs failed to substantiate the claim, but not necessarily the integrity of same.  We aren’t exactly sure what that means.   But, we can assure the courts that, by making the claim in the first place the Bucs have no integrity to begin with.

Tampa Bay has lost 97 games in the last ten years.  That’s very nearly an average of 10 losses per year.  The Hail Mary that their lawyers threw in court fell incomplete as well.

Tampa Bay lost in court, and in the court of public opinion.  Again.  The oil spill was a terrible mess.  So, too, are the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Pass the bread pudding please.

 

Roger, Roger, Roger

Posted on by thependulumswings staff

This week NFL teams hold their “voluntary” Organized Team Activities(OTA’s).  The NFLPA’s bargaining agreement with the NFL insisted that the three day non cntact camps be voluntary.   Don’t miss one though like Antonio Brown is choosing to do in Oakland where his new team hoped his controversial self wouldn’t follow him from the right to the left coast.  If you do, you’re big news for at least 48 hours being labeled anything from a disruption to a malcontent.

At least you wouldn’t be labeled as a convicted spousal abuser, convicted and imprisoned aggravated robber, and acquitted as a suspect in a double homicide.  That honor belongs to Orenthal James Simpson, aka OJ, aka The Juice.

There were no OTA’s the last time OJ wore number 32 on his Buffalo Bills jersey way back in 1977.  Then again, there has been no one to wear number 32 in Buffalo since 1977 either.  That is until yesterday when Senorise Perry, one of seven running backs attempting to make the roster, wore it at the Bills’ day one OTA.

The Bills decided to retire number 34 in honor of running back Thurman Thomas and did so last October.  Number 32?  They decided to put it into moth balls from 1977 to 2019.  OJ’s name remains on their office walls as inducted into the Bills’ Hall of Fame.  His jersey number was never retired.  And now,  42 years after it was last worn, it’s being worn again.

Why now?  Why not?  It’s anyone’s guess we suppose.  It’s really a no win for Buffalo.  Or is it a loss?

With the very image conscious NFL taking hits left and right for stumbling through the mishandling of domestic abuse and outright assault, subsequenst penalties, suspensions, or bans why now?  Why ever?

In the early nineties OJ was arrested, tried, and acquitted of double murder.  In the early nineties the Bills went to four straight Super Bowls and lost all four.  The only time either OJ or the Bills have been in the news since, the news has been about a bad actor or a bad team.

There is no upside to bringing back number 32.  No one on the field wearing 32 will ever be as good as Juice on the field.  No one off of the field will ever be as bad.  The number should have been retired, without being retired, forever.

Can you picture a pink 32 Bills jersey in October for Breast Cancer Awareness Month?

Roger, if your officials couldn’t throw a pass interference flag on the Rams in the NFC Championship game, maybe at least your public relations team could have thrown one on the stupidity of the Bills’ front office.

 

 

Ten Piece Nuggets-NFL Draft

Posted on by thependulumswings staff

Draft Day one is in the books.  It’s Friday and rounds two and three are on tonight’s happy hour menu.  The restaurant business is tough.   We are a competitive bunch.  So we offer you a buy ten nuggets get ten free below.  Enjoy and TGIF.

  1.  Too bad it rained on Nashville’s party as the evening wore on.  The only thing that looked better than the setting was the size of the crowd.  Estimated at 150k by most, Commish Roger Goodell thanked the over 200k who attended.  Regardless, that’s one hell of a block party.  NashVegas was in full swing.
  2. The Kliff Klingsbury era is in full swing in Arizona as well.  Taking QB Kyler Murray is King Kliff’s statement.  He chased him and chased him as a high schooler when Kliff was coaching college.  He caught up to him as each advanced to the next level.
  3.  When Goodell read Murray’s name, King Kliff’s lost what little leverage he had in attempting to trade Josh Rosen, the Cardinal’s answer at QB just 12 short months ago.  We wonder if on one level Kliff really cares that much.  Call Rosen a sunk cost.  Arizona is moving forward and will hold a Josh Rosen fire sale today or tomorrow.  Rosen was a polarizing pick last year.  Knocks on him are plenty, with the most damaging being his indifference to his occupation.  A burning desire to compete and win at a leadership position is a must.
  4.  San Francisco said thank you very much, and picked Nick Bosa, pass rusher extraordinaire from THE Ohio St U.   More than a few NFL “insiders” gave him the highest draft grade this year.
  5. Those who did not have their highest grade on Bosa did on Quinnen Williams, the latest interior defensive line disruptive force to come out of Saban’s Alabama based NFL training grounds.  The J-E-T-S, Jets, Jets, Jets wisely pounced.  In baseball having a strong up the middle defense (C, 2B, SS, and CF) is a must. NY has Jamal Adams at safety and Williams now plugging the middle.  It is crowded up front on the Jets DL though.
  6.  Then the fun started.  Longtime NFL Network draft analyst Mike Mayock, turned Raiders GM, selected Clelin Ferrell, DE Clemson.  Ferrell very likely could have been had 5-10 picks lower.  Good player, high motor, high football IQ guys are wonderful but so are more draft picks.  Jon Gruden probably snarled.  He always does.
  7. Tampa Bay at 5 picked LSU LB Devin White.  In today’s NFL LB’s don’t  litter the first round landscape.  However, he was one of two LB’s taken in the top 10 this year.  And he was one of  two LB’s taken this year named Devin.  Devin Bush went at no. 10.  Pittsburgh, who never trades up, traded up to take the Michigan product.
  8. And then the fun really started.  The New York “Football” Giants took Daniel Jones, Duke QB.  Embattled Giants GM Dave Gettleman tied his future Big Apple based employment to this pick.  Around the NFL opinions on Jones vary greatly.  One scout labeled his ceiling as a “backup with pedestrian talent.” Is he Eli II, or is JAG (just a guy)?  Eli I is 38.  We’ll find out soon enough.
  9. At no. 8 Detroit broke the seal on a deep tight end class.  Iowa’s T.J. Hockenson joined a team who now is labeled as the New England of the west.  Detroit is in the east, but it matters not.  Labels are labels.  Head coach Matt Patricia even dons the ever-present pencil behind his ear like his teacher Bill Belicheck.   Is Patricia the next Belicheck?  Is Hockenson the next Gronk?  The answers likely are “hell no” and “hell no.”
  10. Ed Oliver, DL Houston, fell into Buffalo’s lap with the Ferrell and Jones picks coming before them.  Oliver could dominate at the next level.  He’s that good.  But, going to Buffalo from H Town is a bit of a change.  Oh, and Buffalo finished 30th in offense last year.
  11. Pittsburgh jumped, as mentioned earlier, into the 10 hole to grab their coveted LB.  They moved one ahead of Cincinnati who picked 11th.  Cincinnati is used to looking up at Pittsburgh. They’ve had to do so in the same division for decades now.  They took Jonah Williams, OT Alabama.  The Bengals have struck out with three recent high round OL picks.  Is Williams the game changer.  The answer is likely “no.”  But, he is a safe pick as a versatile lineman.
  12. Green Bay followed with the first of their two first round picks.  They worked New Orleans over last year when the Saints moved up a dozen spots and gave up this year’s first rounder that GB used later.  With the 12th pick they took Rashan Gary, DE, Michigan.  Rashan looks the part.  Rashan has the potential.  Potential means you haven’t done anything yet.  Three and 1/2 sacks last year at Michigan isn’t anything.  Rashan might need surgery for a torn labrum at some point as well.  Hmm.  Boom or bust are both in play here we think.
  13. With two QB’s sitting on the board, Miami took the highest player on their board, period.  It wasn’t the highest available. It was the highest coming into the draft. Christian Wilkens, DT, Clemson heads to Miami.
  14. The Atlanta Falcons took two offensive lineman in the first round.  The first of the two is Chris Lindstrom who played guard at Boston College.  The second was Kaleb McGary from Washington at pick 31 via trade.   Both have mean streaks and need them to keep Matt Ryan upright.  Atlanta seems soft to us.  Good moves we think.   GM Thomas Dimitroff needs to better coordinate high fives and hand shakes in the Atlanta war room though.  Owner Arthur Blank dressed in style but lacked style on the bromance moves.
  15. Washington picked a QB, Dwayne Haskins from THE at 15.  The Redskins already have Colt McCoy, Case Keenum, and Alex Smith.  They already had Kirk Cousins, RG III, Rex Grossman, Jason Campbell, Mark Brunell, and Brad Johnson.  Are you picking up what we are putting down?
  16. The NY Giants made Dexter Lawrence, DT, Clemson the third Dabo Sweeney coached defensive lineman taken in the top 17 picks.  Impressive Dabo.  Very impressive.  It’s no wonder Nick Saban was back in his office this week a mere 36 hours after hip surgery.  You have to keep up with the Dabo’s.
  17.  The Packers continued to add defense picking Darnell Savaage at safety with pick 21.  It was somewhat costly for a team that had a lot of draft capital to spend though.  They packaged the Saints pick from a year prior and two early fourth rounders to get him.  Like the Saints Marcus Davenport in reverse of a year ago, it’s not sometimes what you gain (either might turn out to be very good picks) it’s the potential of what you give to get.  Time will tell.
  18. Oakland took the first RB in the draft, Josh Jacobs, from the football factory known as Alabama.  His pedestrian stats in college aside, he runs hard.  Gruden just snarled smiled so it must be a good pick.  We are underwhelmed.
  19. The Redskins might have struck gold with top ten talent Montez Sweat, DE Mississippi St .  His injured past and somewhat troubled past raised his risk.  The reward might be well worth it.  The run on defensive line talent in this draft was impressive.  Getting to the QB and protecting the QB is what makes this league what it is these days.
  20. The NE Pats stood pat and used the final pick in the first round on N’Keal Harry, WR Arizona St.  Belicheck always trades down and around.  Last night he didn’t.  N’Keal rhymes with Shaquille which isn’t easy to do.  The pick seems quite underwhelming to us.  However, Belicheck drafts last every year for a reason.

Round two starts in 10 hours.  It might take that long to digest the above.

 

 

 

Ten Piece Nuggets-NFL Draft

Posted on by thependulumswings staff

In two days the NFL Draft extravaganza begins in Nashville, TN.  However, there was a problem  The original indoor/outdoor event plans needed a few cherry blossom trees cut down moved.  When this became public knowledge, the locals weren’t happy.  The league altered its plans to work around the problem, in essence passing the political football.   All is well again.  The league that prints George Washington’s can politically correctly have their annual draft.  And, the Washington Redskins can have their annual bad draft as well.  What about that nickname though?

The draft is but sixty hours away.  Here are ten draft nuggets to tide you over.

  1.  Speaking of the Tide, Alabama leads the NFL in total players drafted since 2010 with 73.  That’s not a surprise.  The SEC has had the most players drafted in each and every year since 2010 as well.  That’s not really a big surprise either.  LSU is second and Florida is third.  THE Ohio State University breaks the SEC run with a close fourth place.
  2. In 1975, the draft consisted of seventeen rounds. In 1977 it was dropped to twelve rounds.  And, in 1994 it was skinned to seven rounds.  This may surprise some politically correct millennials.   A seventh round pick was once considered pretty good.  It’s really not a wonder why so many free agents stick is it?  Less rounds means cheaper labor for the NFL.
  3. Until 2014’s draft each team had 15 minutes to make their first round selection.  If they traded the pick, the clock started anew.  Yawn.  It’s now 10 minutes per.
  4. Who has the most picks in this draft?  A team that desperately needs them, the New York “Football” Giants have 12 selections.  Tied with them is a team that does not desperately need them.  The Super Bowl Champion New England Patriots have 12 as well.
  5. How does Bill Belicheck do it?  Several of his extra picks are compensatory.  That means the league awarded them an extra pick in a certain round based on other teams grabbing their players in free agency under certain “non match of offer” guidelines.  He coaches them up, others take them.  He drafts newbies.  He coaches them up.  He wins it all.  Having Tom Brady is a big head start.  But others have franchise QB’s too.
  6. If you have the number one pick overall you can pick anyone you want. Anyone.  College scouting, combines, film study, pro workout days, individual interviews, Wonderlic tests, and countless other interviews should make the pick a sure-fire bet shouldn’t it?  The “modern”‘ NFL draft has been taking place yearly since 1960.  Of all of those first pick first rounders, only 15 (including Peyton Manning being a soon to be shoo in) have made it to the Hall of Fame.
  7.  In modern NFL history, there have only been two drafts without a Hall of Famer selected.  The years were 1984 and 1992.  Obviously recent drafts could fall into this category.  Time will tell us.  The 1984 draft gets a pass though.  In June of that year, the NFL held a special supplemental draft for players who had already signed with either the USFL or the CFL.   From that unique draft, Steve Young, Gary Zimmerman and Reggie White were wisely taken.  The 1992 draft has no excuse at all.  The top five picks that year were Steve Emtman, Quentin Coryatt, Sean Gilbert, Desmond Howard and Terrell Buckley.  Phew.
  8. The lowest drafted quarterback to win a Super Bowl is Bart Starr, who was taken at no. 200 way back in 1956. That’s but one spot lower than Tom Brady.  He went No. 199 in the 2000 draft. Finally, there’s Kurt Warner.  He wasn’t taken at all in 1994, and won a memorable Super Bowl six years later.
  9. Has one team ever had four first round picks in one draft?  Yes they have, and only once.  The New York “Not Football” Jets had four picks in round one of the 2000 draft.  Shaun Ellis, John Abraham, Chad Pennington and Anthony Becht were all hand-picked by the Big Apple team.  That was a pretty good one day harvest.
  10.  Way back in 1944, the Philadelphia Eagles picked Syracuse fullback Norm Michael in the way later rounds.  They were unable to contact him because he had enlisted in the Army right after college.  Fifty five years later an elderly Michael saw a list of Syracuse players selected by the NFL and learned that he had once been drafted.   We guess he thought it was better to enlist with the Army who could draft you than to be listed as drafted by the Eagles back then.

Arizona, you’re on the clock.

Judging Baseball’s Approach

Posted on by thependulumswings staff

Last night the injured, but still proud, New York Yankees beat the uninjured, but not so proud anymore, Boston Red Sox.  The 5-3 final completed a three game sweep over the listing 2018 World Series Champions.  “Get out da broomz and swept out da trash” in a heavy “New Yawk” accent could be heard from coast to coast.  You could have watched it from coast to coast too, if you chose.

But did you?  Did you watch?  Or did you watch an NHL or NBA playoff game last night?  ESPN (the worldwide leader in hype and chasing ratings) chose the Yanks v. Sox for their national broadcast last evening.  And they will again and again this year.  The combined win percentage last night entering the game of the two teams was 38%.

Many, many seasons ago, when there were but three TV channels and one game only shown in a week every Saturday that contest would not have seen the light of the afternoon day.  Tony Kubek is shaking his head, and Curt Gowdy would be if he were still alive today.

So, why then this game?  Simple.  Always follow the money.  The only way to sell Anhueser Busch on advertising Bud Light is to grab the best ratings that you can so as to have as many fans watch as you can so as to charge as much as you can for the spot.

But is it the best route for MLB?  Local money drives TV and radio which is why all MLB teams show and tell via that route throughout the season.  So, for ESPN, the best route is to get a blackout in the combined two biggest markets that evening to sell more beer.  So, why then this way? Simple.  Always follow the money.

But, we ask again.  Is it the best route for baseball and its national branding?  Perhaps.  Its 162 game schedule and summertime slot might dictate selling the local team story to locals and hope that the playoff matchups and teams whet the appetite to a greater audience.  But, would MLB have a greater audience if it told you and sold to you the upstart teams and their starts and year-long stories?

We wonder.  Tampa, Cleveland, and Houston lead the American League three weeks in.  Philadelphia, Milwaukee, and Los Angeles (Dodgers) lead the National League.  Throw out Houston (who won the WS in 2017) and Los Angeles (who won the NL pennant in 2017 and 2018).  Can the casual fan name two names off of the four remaining teams?

If you asked the same three weeks into the NFL season we bet you could name five or six Buccaneers, Browns, Eagles, or Packers per team.  The NFL released its schedule just last night.  The Browns drew four prime time national spotlight games.  Their record in the last ten years combined is the 2nd worst in the league.  But suddenly, due to an improving defense, and a strong off-season free agent acquisition plan they are a coming national story.  Oh, and there is OBJ too.

The NFL sells what might be, not what was.  The NFL sells teams, their players, their coaches, and their strategies.  They sell the thought that parity gives non contenders a real good chance to contend. The NFL is making A LOT of money. It made $13.8 billion in 2017.

MLB sells beer to the two biggest markets on a given week night.  MLB is making a lot of money too.  It’s revenue, with way more games played, was $10.1 in 2017 in comparison.  It’s expenses are far greater to get there as well.

NFL regular season games, when pitted against MLB playoff games, amazingly out draw them in the most important game; the ratings game.

We fully understand that the two business models have their own benefits and challenges.  We just think one could learn A LOT from the other.

Time to Move

Posted on by thependulumswings staff

Four weeks from today the NFL Draft Extravaganza gets rolling in Nashville, TN when Roger Goodell walks onto the stage to announce that the NFL Draft 2019 has begun.  He’ll get booed roundly.  He always does.

Someone else who got booed roundly is the reason why Nashville has the draft spotlight on them this year, or for that matter, more importantly, why Nashville has an NFL team.  Kenneth Stanley “Bud” Adams, Jr. was a founding owner of the old American Football League back in 1959.    Bud’s franchise was the Houston Oilers, located in an oil boom town.  And, soon he housed the team in the eighth wonder of the world, The Astrodome which gave even more credibility to the new league.

As the league grew in popularity it eventually merged with the National Football League in 1970.  His franchise’s value grew considerably on that day.  When he hired Bum Phillips to coach and when Bum drafted Earl Campbell collectively they could do no wrong.  Then Bud fired Bum.  And it got worse from there.

In 1987, Adams threatened to move the Oilers to Jacksonville, Florida unless significant improvements were made to the Astrodome. Harris County, which owns the Astrodome, responded with a $67 million renovation that added 10,000 more seats, a new Astroturf carpet and 65 luxury boxes. Adams promised that with the new improvements, he would keep the team in Houston for 10 years.  Ever the man of his word, Bud kept them in Houston for exactly 10 more years.  His flirting with Jacksonville made Houston leery.  His outright romance with Nashville led to a divorce.

After Adams met several times with then-Nashville mayor Phil Bredesen, they announced a deal to bring the Oilers to Nashville for the 1998 season to a new 68,000-seat stadium (originally called Adelphia Coliseum, now known as Nissan Stadium).  To throw mud in Houston’s eye, Adams successfully petitioned the league to permanently retire the nickname Oilers.

And in 1998, after a year playing in Memphis, the Tennessee Titans kicked off in Nashville.  How could someone abandon the now third largest city for then, little ole Nashville?

It turns out that everyone’s a winner, like on Oprah’s show, here.  Houston got an expansion franchise in the early 2000’s to replace the Oilers.  The Texans are already a franchise valued at well over 2 billion.  They play average football to sold out crowds and sold out suites year after year.

Meanwhile, Nashville has added an NHL team to their burgeoning portfolio of reasons why it’s now a very relevant US sports city.   Amazon’s million square foot office, Oracle’s 800k square foot office, and Alliance Bernstein’s announced move to Nashville has all occurred in the last six months.  That and more makes Nashville a very relevant city period.  Tall cranes, always a good sign, are everywhere.

Maybe Bud Adams had more vision that we could see in the early 90’s.  He bought into the AFL in 1959 for a 50k franchise price.  The Titans are now valued at 2.05 billion themselves.  That was some vision.

MLB starts today.  Maybe the Houston Astros can get to another World Series.  The Astrodome was built for them originally.  Bud moved in afterwards.

Nashville doesn’t yet have an MLB team.  But, with the growth going on in the city some visionary probably has a plan in mind.

It’s play ball in Houston today. It’s Kyler Murray’s name called as the first round first pick to the Arizona Cardinals in four weeks in Nashville.  And, it’s always a good day to boo Roger Goodell.

 

 

Quote the Raven “Speed Kills”

Posted on by thependulumswings staff

The month ago NFL trade of eleven year veteran, Baltimore Raven Joe Flacco to the Denver Broncos became official yesterday as the new fiscal year of the NFL began.  There were several other trades and a bevy of free agents signing.  To say the pace of play was fast would be understating it all.

Lamar Jackson, the 2018 first round pick and late year starter for the Ravens, was the beneficiary of the trade as the deck was cleared for him to take the full-time starting quarterback position.  The Ravens’ brass hopes that he will be the franchise’s next, well, franchise quarterback.  To say the pace of LJ’s 2018 on field play was fast would be understating it as well.

However, to say his Mercedes-Benz pace was 105 mph on Tuesday would be exactly accurate.  Like a stop watch at the combine, Lamar provided video proof of his fast driving.  He decided to video the needle on 105 and post it on Instagram complete with the no seat belt dash-board indicator on as well as his tapping on the steering wheel to the selected tune of his choice.

On Wednesday the 22-year-old tweeted out an apology saying that “he had made a bad decision.”  We wonder if the bad decision was driving 105 mph, the unhinged seat belt, the phone recording while driving, or the world-wide web post of it all.

Some surely see this as a problem.  We see this as an opportunity for Lamar, his agent, and the Ravens however.  Commercial gain from endorsements, advertisements, or public service announcements can come from this.  Some awesome, and some not as awesome, possibilities follow.

  1. The Raven’s film Lamar getting in the car, buckling up, and driving exactly the posted speed.  Lamar looks into the close up of the camera and quote the  Raven “nevermore.”  A CLIO award awaits.
  2. A video of Lamar’s pure on field speed and elusiveness running in to the endzone for a touchdown fades to a dated video of his 105 mph dash.  The camera cuts to Lamar who states that “speed on the field and off the field kills.  I only speed on grass these days.”  This one is tricky due to the potential dual interpretation of the word “grass” however.
  3. Adidas has Lamar under contract.  They could film him running in his three stripe cleats and have him say “the only thing faster than me in my car is me in my adi kicks.”  Ok, ok, this one needs some work.  But, impossible is nothing.
  4. Mercedes-Benz could film him calmly walking out of the airport from his arrival gate spliced with OJ Simpson’s Hertz commercial running through the airport 30 years ago.  The tag line could be “why run and rent when you can Benz and speed?”  Ok, ok this one needs work too.  But, how about those rental choices from Hertz in 1978?  Fairmont, Mustang, or LTD anyone?
  5. Lamar could go rogue and video himself going 105 the next time he so chooses, and seat belt be damned again.  He could turn the smart phone on to himself and say to the average Joe, “don’t give me any Flaccover this!”  Ah, these kids these days.  Instant Instagram fortune awaits.

We’ll be back after these words from our fine sponsors.

 

 

Halftime Score -14 from 7.

Posted on by thependulumswings staff

As the BBR staff descended yesterday on the city of New Orleans for a little Mardi Gras fun today, we couldn’t help but think of Antonio Cromartie.  Mardi Gras means Fat Tuesday.  Fat Tuesday is the day before Ash Wednesday in the Catholic religion.  Ash Wednesday officially kicks of the Lenten Season, or Lent.

Lent is traditionally described as lasting for 40 days, in commemoration of the 40 days Jesus spent fasting in the desert, according to the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke, during which he endured temptation by Satan.  During Lent devout Catholics give up or fast from one or more of their favorite foods, drinks, or activities.

So based on the above clearly the catholic religion, Mardi Gras, lent, restraint, and Cromartie would make for strange bedfellows don’t you say?  Therein lies the connection actually.  Cromartie has apparently never met a strange bedfellow.

Antonio Cromartie (born April 15, 1984) is a former NFL starting cornerback.   He played college football at Florida State and was drafted in the first round (19th overall) by the San Diego Chargers in the 2006 NFL Draft. He was selected to four Pro Bowls and was a first-team All-Pro in 2007 after leading the league in interceptions. Cromartie is credited with the longest play in NFL history, returning a missed field goal 109 yards for a touchdown in 2007.   He also played for the Arizona Cardinals, New York Jets and Indianapolis Colts.

Productive might be a word used to describe his career on the field. He played defense. But, on another playing field Cromartie might be called prolific.  There he plays offense.  And,  Antonio’s greatest talent is scoring.   His 14 children at the age of 33 arrived via seven baby mamas.  So the score, which we clearly hope is the final score, is children 14, baby mamas 7.  But, at only 33 years of age we might have only reached halftime.

Several years back when the baby count had reached the meager total of only eight, Antonio was interviewed for a segment on the HBO show Hard Knocks. It’s 1 minute and 27 seconds of pure gold and definitely worth another look.   At that point three of his children were each three years old.  None of the three were twins, nor were they triplets.  Three kids all three years old from three women has to be a record.  3,3,3.  It has to be, doesn’t it?

Cromartie owes, and we assume pays, $336,000 in child support a year.   We hope that he saved/invested wisely from his successful on field career to fund his successful playing the field career.

Mardi Gras gives one a last shot at decadence before Lent sets us straight.  Mr. Cromartie could be the king of this carnival.  He more than qualifies.  We aren’t judging.   Are we?

Lent?  Well, so far, not so much for him.  There is still time though.  It’s only halftime.

We’ll be back after these commercials ladies and gentlemen.  Once again, the score 14 from 7.

Laissez les bon temps rouler!

Ten Piece Nuggets-Super Bowl (A)Live

Posted on by thependulumswings staff

Last week our column February Made Me Shiver stated how boring the big four sports leagues are collectively in February.  One bright spot, we thought, was that at least we had the Super Bowl prior to the NFL fading into the long winter nights.  Wrong.  The NFL would have better served us if it faded to black in late January.   Today we serve you ten random leftover nuggets from the extravaganza that was not so extravagant.

  1.  The flyover was super and on time as Glady’s Knight hit the right notes and finished on cue for the flyover pilots to time their 400 mph cruise just right.
  2.  Unfortunately, then, the game started.  The Rams offense did not start however.  They became the first team ever to punt on their first seven possessions in Super Bowl history.  No wonder teams are feverishly looking for the next offensive genius like Sean McVay.
  3. In November and early December many “pundits” or “experts” spoke almost as loudly as Steven A. Smith about the new NFL.  It was a high scoring, defense be dammed, pass first league.  I wonder how many this AM will fill the airwaves talking about how defense wins championships in football?  In case you ever wondered, and we hope that you haven’t, the “A” in Steven A. is “Anthony.”
  4. The Rams could not rush the ball.  Their game total was 62 net yards or less than half of the 139 they averaged during the regular season.  For all of the talk about the Rams interior defensive line, it was New England’s DL that controlled the line of scrimmage.  Amazing really.  Patriots fans can name their defensive lineman we are sure.  Can you?
  5. Halftime was 3-0 NE.  Only SB IX played in bitter cold, some ice, and rain saw fewer points in SB history.  In that one Pittsburgh held a 2-0 lead over the Minnesota Vikings.
  6. Halftime would have been better if one of our favorite rappers Cardi B would have performed. Cardi passed up the opportunity to perform to show solidarity with Colin Kaepernick. Cardi, whose real name is Belcalis Almanzar, told the AP on Friday that she felt obligated to “stand behind” Kaepernick.  “I got to sacrifice a lot of money to perform,” she said. “But there’s a man who sacrificed his job for us, so we got to stand behind him.”  Cardi did, however, accept an offer to appear in a Super Bowl commercial with Steve Carell and Lil Jon proving “stand behind” and capitalism can coexist.
  7. Rams punter Johnny Hekker tallied a 65 yard punt in the third quarter.  It was the longest punt in SB history.  If you weren’t sleeping by then that had to provide you with at least the impetus to yawn repeatedly.
  8. The Rams didn’t see the end zone the entire game.  Belichick can coach some D, can’t he? Once the run was neutered they set their sights on Goff.  He was sacked, hit, and harassed plenty.  His accuracy or lack thereof reflected that.  Only the 1971 Dolphins failed to score a touchdown in a SB game prior to last night’s somnambulist’s dream. Sure, here you go-somnambulist.
  9. Brady and Belichick’s combined age of 107 years old is the oldest qb/coach combined age for a winning team in SB history.  It feels like they have won 107 SB’s actually.  If you are a New England fan or from Bahhstun, we get that you love them.  You should.  They are the winningest combo in SB history and second place is no longer close.  If NE is not your favorite team you have to respect their unparalleled excellence.  But they aren’t likeable.  They just aren’t.  The NFL needs a new story.  They need it desperately.  They need it starting in 2019.  Paging Patrick Mahomes.
  10. Julian Edelman won a much deserved MVP trophy for his 10 catch, 141 yard performance.   No one can cover the guy.  No one. On a team that has been excellent for nearing two decades their Hall of Fame candidates are few.  Edelman might be one before he is done.  One wonders if he could run even faster if he trimmed that wooly beard of his.
  11. (Extra Point) Post game on CBS Phil Simms turn at the mic at the bloated five man desk came.   He said the game was very enjoyable, very exciting.  Phil really needs to get out more often.

Minutes after the game Vegas established Kansas City as the favorite to make Super Bowl LIV next year.  We can hope.  LIV means 54, not “live.”  Apparently SB LIII meant “not live” as well.