Sports

Ten Piece Nuggets-Sports

Posted on by thependulumswings staff

Time to lighten it up a bit with the “you know what” hanging heavily on our minds again. Have an order of Ten Piece Nuggets-Sports to kick off your weekend early.   As usual, no two are alike and the heat comes at you from any direction.

  1.  Bill Belicheck need not worry about his financial future.  But, after football, he clearly has a shot at tv work if he wishes with that ebullient personality. Not. And weather might be his thing.  Here’s his quote from training camp yesterday.  “Looks like the field will be wet. If it rains, it rains. If it doesn’t, it doesn’t. If it’s hot, it’s hot. If it’s not, that’s what it is.”
  2.  How did Green Bay get petulant Aaron Rodgers back for 2021?  They promised to trade him after the season if that is still his desire.  The marriage counselors have five months to patch the thing back together.  One thing seems certain.  Either Rodgers or GM Brian Gutenkunst is a goner.
  3.  The Steelers and the Cowboys kicked off season 2021 last evening in the Hall of Fame game.  Did you watch it?  Why?  Steelers 16-3.  You won’t remember who played by Monday, or sooner.
  4.  If you did watch you learned that after 25 years of separation it looks like Jerry Jones and Jimmy johnson might be mending a fence or two.  Jones took significant blame for their breakup saying that it was on him to recognize and manage around what the duo had going at the time.  He also promised to add Jimmy to the Cowboys’ Ring of Honor before too long.  Johnson retorted during the conversation with “When I’m still alive?”
  5. Viking’s QB Kirk Cousins vowed to encase himself in plexiglass if needed to ensure his availability to lead the Minnesota team this year while staying away from Covid protocols.  Cousins is unvaccinated.  The Washington Post reported that the Vikings have the league’s lowest vaccination rate at 64.5% of players fully vaccinated.  Tsk.  Tsk.
  6. Kevin Durant and Jrue Holiday didn’t just break Australia’s spirit in the Olympic semifinals — they lifted the entire U.S. men’s basketball team up around them in a brilliant performance that led to a 97-78 victory after trailing by 15 in the first half.  They gained a berth in Saturday’s gold-medal game.  Did you watch it?  They’ll meet the French who pulled off a stunning late rally for an 83-76 upset of the Americans two weeks ago.
  7.  Did you know that the Toronto Blue Jays are a team loaded with players who had or have relatives in the big show in the past?  Cavan Biggio is the son of Craig.  Bo Bichette is the son of Dante.  And, of course, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. is the son of Vlad Sr.  But, there’s one more.  Lourdes Gurriel is the brother of current major leaguer Yuli Gurriel.   Genes.
  8. Vlad Jr. leads the bigs with a 1.061 on-base percentage plus slugging percentage (OPS).  That’s really good, but only good enough to rank 169th all-time for a single season.  Who had the best single-season ever?  Barry Bonds owns the top two spots with a 1.40 and 1.38 back in 2004 and 2002.  Babe Ruth owns an incredible 7 of the top 15 years of all time.  And rest assured the only juice Babe was on he drank.
  9.  Who has the shortest odds to get to the World Series as this AM?  The Dodgers are even money to advance in the NL.  It’s odd odds, if you will, as the SF Giants lead that division by four games.  Vegas knows.  In the AL, it’s the Houston Astros at +165.  BBR sees value in San Diego in the NL at +470 and Tampa Bay in the AL at +430.
  10. They have built it, and they will come.  And, they are getting throwback dressy for the shindig.  Ahead of the “Field of Dreams” game in Iowa on Aug. 12, the New York Yankees and Chicago White Sox unveiled their 20th century inspired team jerseys for the first-time special event.  The Sox ones are cool and way old school.  The Yankees look like the same old same old.

Enjoy the weekend.  BTS is near.

 

 

 

 

Poof!

Posted on by thependulumswings staff

Want to see a quick magic act?  Watch closely as three letters (NIL) will make four letters (NCAA) disappear.

Abracadabra alakazam!  And so it is, and so it will be.

Name, Image, and Likeness is a money-making opportunity for NCAA “student-athletes” that is monetizing rather quickly.  The possibilities are endless and the money plentiful.

For the NCAA, it’s too many holes in the dam to keep the water out.  So, early this week NCAA President Mark Emmert stated publicly that he thinks that the individual conferences should self-monitor the do’s and dont’s of the new frontier.

Alabama Head Coach Nick Saban responded to an SEC media days question Wednesday by announcing that his 2021 first time starter to be Bryce Young has inked deals that approach a total of seven figures.

And, the rich are about to get richer.  Texas and Oklahoma are chatting with the SEC about joining and expanding the conference to sixteen heavyweights.  More super teams in a super conference mean much more TV money.

In college tennis, all of the above would be called game, set, and match.  In NCAA football, the real moneymaker, all of that is called a game-changer.

Eighteen-year-olds from coast to coast who might be “taking their talents” to this university or that one, are also now increasingly verbalizing that they are “working on their brand.”  The truth is they aren’t a brand.  But the best ones, or the ones who go to the college that can best exploit/promote them, can resemble an ATM.

And last evening ESPN ran a story about high schooler Mickael Williams (the next Michael Jordan?) inking a NIL deal or three as he and his marketing team “work on his brand.”

You might be wondering, where does it stop?  The answer is that it doesn’t really.  It will seek its level much like under the table money does.

If you’re that good, you’ll get paid.  If you’re not, the money will go away eventually.

For every Air Jordan “brand” there are thousands of air balls.

Five-star yesterday, NIL money today, and not drafted tomorrow is always a possibility.

But for the current makeup of the NCAA it’s here today, and gone tomorrow.

 

Let The Games……

Posted on by thependulumswings staff

There’s no time like the present unless you want to wait a year.  And, time heals all wounds unless it doesn’t.  And so it goes for the 2020 Tokyo Summer Olympics as they will officially open in 24 hours.  It’s 2021, but better late than never.

And for many, the Olympics is about to start(maybe), or is over, or started and nearly over before it officially starts.  Got that?

For one the Olympics were over before they started. American Sha’Carri Richardson qualified for the women’s 100-meter dash and was expected to be on the 4×100 meter relay team as well.  She failed a drug test for marijuana and will watch(or not) from the U.S.

Her error seems awfully insignificant compared to what follows.

For one it ended right before it started. Organizing committee president Seiko Hashimoto said a day ahead of the opening ceremony that its opening ceremony director, Kentaro Kobayashi, has been dismissed. Kobayashi used a joke about the Holocaust in his 1998 comedy act, including the phrase “Let’s play Holocaust.”  1998 is a long time ago, but some things should never be forgotten or trivialized.

Out goes the music composer for the opening as well.  Earlier this week, composer Keigo Oyamada, whose music was to be used at the ceremony, was forced to resign because of past bullying of his classmates, which he boasted about in magazine interviews. The segment of his music will not be used.

For the fans, it’s must-see TV because it’s must stay away due to the latest pandemic concerns.  The ceremony will be held without spectators as a measure to prevent the spread of coronavirus infections, although some officials, guests, and media will attend.  Maybe some officials, guests, and media types don’t spread the disease?

On Thursday(Japan is 12 hours ahead of the US) the positive Covid cases in Japan soared to heights not seen since January 15th with nearly 2000 cases.  The country’s population is 126 million.  if you are wondering what 2000/126,000,000 is, it’s 1.5 people per 100,000.  Extrapolated over a week and it’s 1 in 10,000.  Better safe than sorry “they” say.

For the USWNT (United States Women’s National Soccer Team) the games have started before the opening ceremony.  And, after kneeling before the start of the opener, their 3-0 loss to Sweden in match one has the team with 44 wins in a row prior in a must-win situation.  They’ll most likely need to win out to advance to the medal round.

Politically charged player Megan Rapinoe called it “do or die mode.”  Maybe she should have visited the White House four years ago when she and her teammates won gold and were invited to.

Meanwhile.  “We are going to have the opening ceremony tomorrow, and yes, I am sure there are a lot of people who are not feeling easy about the opening of the Games,” Organizing Committee President Seiko Hashimoto said.

Let the games(Olympic or otherwise) begin, continue, or end.

It’s 2021, but is it better never than late?

 

 

The Spirit of St. Louis

Posted on by thependulumswings staff

In 1903 the Wright brothers’ first flight ever went about 300 yards .  Twenty-four years later Charles Lindbergh flew The Spirit of St. Louis 3600 miles nonstop across the Atlantic from New York to Paris.  America applauded and St. Louis roared.

In 1995 the NFL Los Angeles Rams relocated to St. Louis.  Twenty years later the St. Louis Rams completed the round trip relocating to Los Angeles from St. Louis.  America sighed and St. Louis cried.

St. Louis contends that once Stan Groenke fully bought out his previous partners it was all but wheels up for the franchise to head west.  And after a series of legal steps and missteps, a lawsuit hit the NFL yesterday like the Rams’ Fearsome Foursome used to hit Archie Manning.

The massive lawsuit filed by St. Louis against the NFL over the relocation of the Rams will (barring a settlement) culminate with a full-blown trial, which is due to begin just as the Rams prepare to host a Super Bowl in their new stadium.

In short, the Rams felt that they had every right to break their agreements and stadium lease in St Louis in 2015, while St. Louis did and still does not.  The Rams cited serious deficiencies in their then existing stadium, serious revenue shortages in their proposed riverfront new one, population stagnation, and lack of predicted future growth as legal and otherwise reasons to take flight.

The Rams took their case to the NFL heavyweights to ask for permission to log a flight plan.

The NFL publicly granted that permission while knowing that Groenke had purchased a massive amount of land in LA to relocate the team there and surround it with a multi-billion dollar entertainment and housing complex.

This became known in a phone call between the Rams owner, a few other owners, and none other than the Commissioner who presides over wrongdoings and punishment in NFL matters,

Roger Goodell.  During the conversation, Kroenke said, “I’m going to buy two parcels of land and build a stadium in L.A.,” and that he’s trying very hard to stay under the radar screen and keep it hidden. Goodell said, “We will respect your confidentiality.”

The judge, who made the ruling from the bench (which means the evidence pointing to it was clear), concluded that clear and convincing proof exists to support a finding that those individuals operated fraudulently.

At the heart of it, Rams COO Kevin Demoff gave Goodell talking points regarding the land purchase for his pre-Super Bowl press conference in 2014. Here’s part of what he said, “Stan is a very successful developer. He has billions of dollars of projects that are going on around the country in real estate development. So I think instead of overreacting, we should make sure we do what’s necessary to continue to support the team locally as the fans have done in St. Louis.  There are no plans to my knowledge of a stadium development.”

And, soon thereafter St. Louis’ heart was broken.

And, now the plaintiffs in the litigation shall have access to information regarding the financial worth of Commissioner Roger Goodell and five NFL owners: Rams owner Stan Kroenke, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones, Patriots owner Robert Kraft, Giants owner John Mara, and former Panthers owner Jerry Richardson.

The financial info is necessary as a barometer to determine the punitive damages if the defendants are ruled guilty and restoration is to be paid.

The old saying is “money talks.”  But, old people with money don’t like others talking about their money.

The city of St. Louis, which feels like their community was harshly and unfairly criticized, won a game yesterday v. the entire NFL.

But, they should remember that the entire USFL once won an antitrust lawsuit against the NFL and got treble the damages caused by the heinous NFL actions.

The damage awarded by a jury was exactly one U.S. dollar.

The lawyers got rich.  The NFL got richer and richer.  And, the USFL got three dollars to fold into their wallet before they folded their league.

So, stay tuned.  If nothing else, one should admire the spirit of St. Louis.

Can Lightning Strike Thrice?

Posted on by thependulumswings staff

Has any city ever held more than one major championship trophy in the same year?  Yes.  In fact, when you consider the four major sports (NFL, NBA, MLB, and NHL) it has happened twelve times.  “It” is owning two titles at the same time.

The city of New York dominates with half(6) of these occurrences.  Los Angeles, Boston, and Detroit share the other six times with two for each city.

The most recent is actually current.  In 2020 the Lakers and the Dodgers each took home the trophy.  Six of the years were prior to 1953, or over 68 years ago when far fewer cities had professional franchises.

But has any city ever held more than two major championships in a year(note year, not concurrently)?  No.

But, could it happen in 2021?  Say hello to the Bay Area.  Nope, don’t wave at San Franciso.  It’s the Tampa Bay area.

With one down, as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Tom Brady beat Kansas City in Super Bowl LV,  the city of Tampa needs two more to get there.

Last evening the Tampa Bay Lightning skated around, through, and faster in a game one rout of the Montreal Canadiens in the Lord Stanley’s NHL Finals. Winning a hockey game by a score of 5-1 is like winning an NFL playoff game by four touchdowns.  It was a beatdown.  Ah, but one game does not fill the old beat-up trophy with champagne, at least not yet.

Enter the Tampa Bay Rays into the conversation, please.  As the MLB 2021 season is very near the halfway mark in the regular season Tampa Bay owns the second-best record in the American League while trailing division leader Boston by one game in the standings.

The Rays do it on a shoestring budget and they do it with a lot of talent and heart.  Fluke?  Hardly.  The Rays lost in the ALDS in 2019 and in the World Series last year.  They have youth, enough experience, enthusiasm, super talent, and a very game manager.

The Bucs did it.  That’s one.

The Lightning look like a really good bet to do it.  They were 3-1 favorites to win the Stanley Cup prior to the game one dismantling of the Canadiens.  They quite likely will be two.

The Rays have a ways to go.  And, the National League is loaded with good to great teams such as the Dodgers, Padres, and Giants.

Alas, the dog days of summer are here.  And, in Tampa lightning is about to strike twice.

Can the Rays light up the sky over the bay a third time come fall?

 

 

Commitment to This Space

Posted on by thependulumswings staff

One of our staff writers is feeling a bit salty today.

Maybe it’s because he (or she-not sure about their pronouns) went saltwater fishing yesterday.  Or, more likely, it’s not.

The sports world giveth, and then sometimes the sports world taketh.

On Monday, Las Vegas Raiders defensive end Carl Nassib became the first active NFL player to come out as gay.  To this, we say, no worries.

His sexual orientation is his own business and that he chose to make it our business was “no biggie.”  It’s very well known that a percentage of NFL players past and present are gay.

But, this is just another important step you say?  After all, he’s the first to announce this while an active player.

What would be an important step is if this wasn’t an important step, rather if it was just another day.   “I’m a pretty private person so I hope you guys know that I’m not doing this for attention. I just think that representation and visibility are so important. I actually hope that one day, videos like this and the whole coming out process are not necessary.”

Boom, we think he nailed it.

But, well, the timing has us a bit puzzled.  It’s smack in the middle of Pride Month.  Coincidence?  Not likely.  Still, it takes confidence, so we guess there’s that.

He also announced a $100K donation to the Trevor Project, a suicide prevention organization for LGBTQ youth.  That sounds like a very worthy cause.  The “I’m a pretty private person” comment and this public donation seem to collide a bit.  But, we’ll still give the benefit of the doubt.

Then, there’s the NFL.

The league announced Tuesday it too is donating $100,000 to The Trevor Project, which is the leading national organization centered on crisis and suicide prevention efforts among lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and questioning youth.

“The NFL is committed to year-long efforts around diversity, equity, and inclusion,” the league said in a statement. “We proudly support the LGBQT+ community and will continue to work alongside the Trevor Project and our other community partners to further enhance our collective work and commitment to this space.”

How many times do you think that the NFL PR Department and Commish Goodell read over that release before its release?  Plenty.  But, not nearly enough.

“Commitment to this space?” Good lord!  It sounds more like an investment a venture capitalist makes to the burgeoning space known as artificial intelligence or cloud computing, etc.

We submit that the NFL just can’t help itself these days.  Sure, its business model is somewhere between great and otherworldly.  But, it’s been behind and further behind the entirety of its own woke movement.  Transparency in the workplace is a desired process.  That’s a good thing for the NFL because you can see right through it.

They will “continue to work alongside the Trevor Project.”  Continue means doing what you’ve been doing before, doesn’t it?  A search of the NFL’s affiliation with the project prior to Monday came up empty.

It came up as empty as the PR release came up empty.

The 28-year-old defensive end was a third-round pick in the 2016 draft, previously played for the Cleveland Browns and Tampa Bay Buccaneers before signing a three-year, $25 million deal with Las Vegas in 2020.

His on-field performance last year fell WAY short of expectations for an $8 million a year player.  Oakland had better get their PR department working now on a release that they may need to drop if/when he becomes a training camp salary cap casualty.

But, if they’re smart they won’t ask the NFL to help with the wording.

 

 

Past Time for Pastime

Posted on by thependulumswings staff

Jerry Tarkanian had a full-time job from 1973 through 1992.  He was the head coach of the Las Vegas Runnin’ Rebels college basketball team.

Tark the Shark, as he was widely known, also had a part-time job back then.  He liked to poke the bear, the NCAA bear that is.

Tarkanian actually coached basketball at three universities — Long Beach State, Nevada Las Vegas, and Fresno State.  Each of them suffered penalties for breaking NCAA rules. But the coach never claimed he was a saint, only that he was surrounded by other sinners.

He also was a quote machine.  His most famous may have been, “The NCAA is so mad at Kentucky they’re going to give Cleveland State another year of probation.”

His simple point was that the NCAA wasn’t going to kill the goose that laid the golden egg.  Rather, they were going to actively pretend to be concerned with the various rules violations by investigating wrongdoing, but only to the extent that it needed to care for public perception.   They reacted when the public demanded, but never really acted if they didn’t.

Take Paterno and Penn St., please.

Like his up-tempo Rebels (is there a better nickname for a school that he thrived at in a better city than Vegas to do it in?) the callout of his sport and sports, in general, was early but as accurate as his team’s shooting.   They won 509 times against only 108 losses, had several Final Four runs, and won it all in 1990 in convincing fashion.

That season the team was heavily monitored by the NCAA, which visited their campus 11 times, and suspended 10 players at various times. The “blue bloods” didn’t like the “green” moving to the brash upstarts.

This brings us to Major League Baseball that needs a win in the court of public opinion in a convincing fashion as well.  There are no Cleveland State’s in MLB, but there are the Cleveland Indians and 29 other teams who have over time, and time again, bent every rule in the book possible.

If you ain’t cheatin’, you ain’t tryin.’

The credit for that old saying generally goes to NASCAR legend Richard Petty, though it just as easily could have come from Gaylord Perry or pretty much any of the tens of thousands who have thrown, pitched, or hit a ball since people started playing sports.

Blurring the line between legal and illegal, then figuring out how to get away with it, is as old as keeping score. You might not like it, but as long as you are spending your money watching it, MLB soldiers on.  And, on.

One hundred and two years ago there was the Chicago Black Sox scandal.

The spitball gave way to the neighborhood play at second base.  The strike zone has been different for different umps and umps have called pitches differently for various pitchers through the course of time.  Don’t believe that?  Ask Greg Maddux.

The steroids era only became so when the public (and congressional “leaders”) demanded it.  Prior, we all loved watching Sammy Sosa chase Mark McGuire and vice versa for the single-season home run record.  Ah, and there was this swellhead named Barry Bonds too.

Enter the electronic sign-stealing era a decade later.  The Astros were dumb enough to get caught, but they weren’t the only ones trying to catch the catcher’s signs. But, they did make for a fine example to other teams.

And, now, as the 2021 season to date MLB cumulative batting average was flatlining at an all-time low of .235, MLB decided to enforce the ban of foreign substances that they have had on the books forever.  The mere thought of it all left Gerrit Cole speechless.

Need more hitting? Voila!   In one week pitcher’s spin rates plummeted across the lower 48 and Canada as MLB decided to check for the substances when you’re watching the commercials that pay for MLB salaries. And, batting averages have gone up.

So the league that has games that many feel move too slowly, and was slow to adopt technology to better the umps’ in-game calls, was slow to enforce yet another rule on its books until less hitting meant lower ratings.

It’s still America’s pastime until it’s past time to act.

And maybe old Tark the Shark was ahead of his time in seeing through all of this.

Ball four is still a walk and money still talks.

 

 

One More Go for Tebow

Posted on by thependulumswings staff

Why can’t we have one thing without the other?  It’s because today’s society says we can’t.

Any moment that could be viewed as a good one is torn down by the other side because someone a) unfairly benefited, b) has white privilege, c) it’s the good old boys again, etc, etc.

This time as the Jacksonville Jaguars might/probably/will offer Tim Tebow one more shot at his American Dream, we get a barrage of “if Tebow gets a chance so should Kapernick.”  One has everything to do with the other on the obvious level,  but it has nothing to do with the other when you dig into any of the details surrounding Tebow’s latest and likely last attempt at playing NFL ball.

Tebow’s old college coach Urban Meyer is now the Jaguars headman.  They won a championship or two together a decade ago at the U of Florida.  Maybe Meyer loves what Tebow brings to the locker room.  Work ethic and leadership come to mind.  If you just wondered about Kapernick’s work ethic and leadership you just fell into the same trap described above.  They’re mutually exclusive of one another.  But, that’s ok, we’ll play along as well.

Tebow has been asked to try the TE position before but was adamant about playing QB.  He’s gotten as many offers at QB in the last eight years as Kapernick has in the last four.  That would be zero.  So, a new position on a new position gives air to a 34-year-old’s last attempt.

Maybe he won’t make it, maybe he will.  But his willingness to try earns the short-term modest contract and opportunity in an old coaches’ eye.

Meanwhile, last we saw Kaepernick he was supposed to show his skills (after a couple of years away from the sport) to those NFL scouts, coaches, and GMs that decided to make the effort to see him in the much-ballyhooed, arranged by the NFL, tryout.

How did Kapernick do? Well, he showed up late.  He showed up with his own film crew (unannounced prior)  that he was insisting be allowed to record the event.  Then he refused to go through some of the workout as planned by the NFL.

The word that is opposite of willing is unwilling.  Unwilling usually doesn’t get you as far along in a job search as willing might.

Meanwhile, has anyone looked up the personnel breakdown stats in the NFL?  In 2019 59% of the players identified as African American, and in 2020 that percentage had risen to a tick below 70%.  With that as the backdrop, we ask the question, “if any NFL team thought Colin Kaepernick (baggage included) thought that he could help them win on the field, in the locker room, or in their community, wouldn’t they sign him?”

When Antonio Brown signed on mid-season last year with Tampa Bay, why didn’t anyone scream about Kaepernick then?  Or Tebow for that matter?

Malcontents abound in the league.  Your skillset has to more than offset your drama though.

Tim Tebow brings no drama.  He may also bring no skillset at TE either.

In the world of supply and demand, there is little for Tebow (even with all of that white privilege) and less for Kaepernick.  But, that assertation doesn’t work with the narrative of the day.

 

Problem Solved

Posted on by thependulumswings staff

People the world over ask BBR daily what is the real purpose of its burgeoning business.  The answer is, and always has been simple.  BBR is in the “solutions” business.

Add in a touch of Rasmussen, who is in the polling business, and the Southeastern Conference (SEC) who owns a football factory or fourteen and, voila!  We’ve done it again.

Problem solved.  Which one, you ask?  Eliminating Covid-19 is which one.

Over 105 million, or 31.8% of the US population have been fully vaccinated according to the CDC as of May 3rd.

On Tuesday Rasmussen released poll results surveyed April 29 -May 2 which asked the simple question “Should people who have been vaccinated fully against Covid-19 continue wearing masks in public places?”  Forty-nine percent said yes, while 42 percent said no.  It seems like there is some division along party lines as 67% of Republicans said no, while 75% of Democrats said yes.

So, get fully vaccinated and wear a mask.  That should do it.

But, for how long to ensure that we end the pandemic do we need to vac and mask?  That was question number two.  Thirty-three percent said “six months to a year.”  Thirty percent said “less than six months.”  Risk-takers they are.  Ten percent said “at least eighteen months” while nine percent said “the next couple of years.”

And, finally, six percent want to be uber safe.  They recommended “indefinitely.”  You have to think that at least 60 of every 1000 adults polled don’t know what the word “indefinitely” means, don’t you?  Hopefully.

So, get fully vaccinated and wear a mask for a long time.  That should do it.

But, there is this pesky problem.  Vaccination rates have stalled.  Heck, in the deep south they started slower and seem to have tapered off.  Egads.

The University of Alabama finishes first in football every year.  But, in adult population vaccinations the State of Alabama finishes last.  The CDC says Mississippi, Louisiana, Tennessee, Arkansas, and Georgia are close behind in 49th through 45th.

Enter Dan Wolken, USA Today Columnist, with a take that should light up the scoreboard.  He recommends that for entry into an SEC stadium near you this fall that you would have to show proof of vaccine.  After all, he writes, what better way to motivate people than to tell them they must show proof to get into an SEC venue like Bryant Denny Stadium this fall?

Is there a better name to write this than Dan (drop the “L”) Woken.  What’s better than “woke?”  Woken.  Or, Wolken.  We digress.

Hopefully, there is no backlash from Title IX supporters that Wolken only speaks to full capacity stadiums for men’s football games.  Shouldn’t this requirement extend to, say, full capacity arenas for women’s basketball?  Nevermind.

And, why only the SEC?  What about, for instance, the PAC 12?  They still play football, don’t they?  Don’t they?  Do they?

What Wolken calls an incentive, others call suppression of their freedom.

So, get fully vaccinated, wear a mask(or two) forever, and we’ll let you sit in a full (at least in the south) stadium to watch a football game.  Deal?

Problem solved we think.

But just in case, should we dock the Navy hospital ships USNS Mercy and USNS Comfort off of the Gulf Coast this fall?

Only Dr. Fauci knows.

 

Trade Up for a Franchise QB?

Posted on by thependulumswings staff

The words “franchise” and “quarterback” go together in the NFL like “hammer” and “nail” do in the construction business.

Every team has a quarterback or three.  But, not every team has what anyone will tell you is the most important piece to success- a franchise quarterback.  A deep playoff run, much less a Super Bowl win, is highly improbable without one.

In this century (if you consider the year 2000 as part of this century) 25 times a team has traded up to be able to say “we got our guy.”  When you use the draft book that all teams use to value every slot in the entire draft, you figure that, on average, a team trading up to get the next Patrick Mahomes gives up an additional 1st round pick to do so.

A first-round pick is gold.  NFL teams’ highest hit rate on success is in round one and with the salary cap that successful pick is under contract for arguably less than half of his worth in free agency.  That’s called value and that’s how you win in the NFL-you have more talent under the same salary cap.

So, to give one up is to give up a lot.  So, how have the 25 trade-ups fared?  You’d think quite well considering all that goes into player personnel research.

The answer is good, ok, and downright ugly.

Good

In 2017 The Kansas City Chiefs sent their first, 2018 first, and a third-rounder to move to number 10 overall to take the aforementioned Patrick Mahomes.  One SB win, another appearance, three Pro Bowls, and one MVP later make this move not only good, but bordering on genius.

In that same draft, the Houston Texans traded two firsts for 15 spots up to nab DeShaun Watson.  Twenty lawsuits off of the field aside (and that’s one big aside when he’s the face of the franchise) his on-field development has been worthy.

Honorable mention for this level goes to the Buffalo Bills and Josh Allen as well as the Baltimore Ravens and Lamar Jackson.

Ok

Joe Flacco only cost the Ravens a swap of ones, a third, and a sixth to move up eight spots to get him 18th overall.  While not elite he was special in their 2012 postseason and SB win with 11 touchdowns and no picks.  Flacco played 11 years with the Ravens and won 96 while losing 67.

The Rams traded multiple picks and got three in return for the first pick of 2016 for Jared Goff.  The price was steep.  The results were ok.  Goff led the Rams to the SB once, made the playoffs in three of the five years he was there, and posted a 42-27 overall mark.  But, Sean McVay fell out of love with Goff and shipped him to the NFL’s version of hell (Detroit) this offseason.

Others considered at this level are Jay Cutler (35k passing yards) and Michael Vick (rushed for over 900 yards in two seasons and went 38-28 as a starter before he got into trouble with the law).

Ugly

Amazingly the list is long at this level and picking the biggest winner (or loser) is tough.  “Lipstick” and “pig” come to mind, not “franchise” and quarterback.”

Johnny “Heisman” Manzel takes first (last) place here.  He appeared in 14 games in two seasons for the Browns.  And, with many off of the field problems he never played another down in the NFL.  Bust is thy name.

Tim Tebow cost Denver a second, third, and fourth-rounder to get into the bottom of round one. in 2010.  Tebow was out of the NFL by 2013.  He started 14 games, though one was a miracle first-round win over Pittsburgh in the 2011 playoffs.

The Browns make the board again with the selection of Brady Quinn in 2007.  He stated and played poorly in 12 games in the NFL.  The price to swap one’s was a high second-rounder.

Others in consideration were Josh Rosen (Cardinals) who could easily be in the above top three, Paxton Lynch (Broncos) with four starts and a league exit in two years, and J.P. Losman (Bills) who defined mediocrity in five mediocre Bills’ seasons from 2004-2008.

 

Five quarterbacks will likely go in the first round on Thursday night.  Teams reach every year to find Mr. Right.

In case you are wondering, Ryan Leaf was drafted in 1998 and therefore wasn’t considered for the above.

Had he been two years younger we would have needed a category below “UGLY.”

One or more of the five Thursday could join him.

Who will that be?  That would require a crystal ball.