NFL

Ten Piece Nuggets-Super Bowl and More

Posted on by thependulumswings staff

You had way, way too much chip, dip, and beer.  It’s time to get back to your routine.  Here’s a serving of Ten Piece Nuggets.  Chew them slowly and drink lots of water to rehydrate.

  1.  Jay Z and Beyonce’ had seats on the 50-yard line.  They sat in them all game including during Demi Lovato’s swift 1:50 rendition of the National Anthem.  It’s hard to say what they were protesting.  Jay Z signed a deal with the NFL recently to promote “social justice.”  Are they dissatisfied with the capitalistic society that they wisely profited from to afford such expensive seats?  Maybe they’re still mad at the NFL’s hands-off attitude towards malcontent Colin Kaepernick?  Wouldn’t it be something if the seats were comped by the big, bad, ugly NFL?
  2. If San Francisco had Kaepernick this season they surely could have done better.  Wait.  It would be hard to have done better upon further review.  They were the number one seeded NFC representative in the Super Bowl after all.
  3.  Maybe a good SF offense and a really good San Fran defense just ran into a better team when all 60 minutes were played.  After all, Patrick Mahomes is the first under 25 years of age QB to win the league’s MVP Award and win a Super Bowl.  The future seems quite bright for the young lad flourishing in an Andy Reid offense tailored to play to his strengths, of which there are many.
  4. Mahomes came to Miami without a title and left with one.  Maybe he’ll be like LeBron.  When the King arrived in Miami a while back he promised not one, not two, not three, not four, not five, not six, not even seven titles.  Quarterbacks, given today’s rules that so favor their health and production, can easily play into their forties.  LeBron has changed addresses twice since then and has three rings and counting.  How many will Mahomes, the best QB in the league, be able to garner?
  5. Another great QB arrived in Miami once.  It was 1983, and a man named Daniel Constantine Marino, Jr. was drafted late in the first round by the Dolphins.  He led the Dolphins to the Super Bowl in only his second year, 1984.  And after 9 Pro Bowl Appearances, one league MVP, and 18 playoff games he never went back to another Super Bowl in his 17 year Hall of Fame career.  Fame wasn’t fleeting for him, Super Bowl wins were.
  6.  Did you bet the J Lo will or won’t flash a little butt cleavage novelty proposition?  If you bet the “will” BBR thinks you lost.  But, or should we say butt, that was some of the only skin covered in the high energy, fast-moving halftime extravaganza.  Shakira and J Lo shook, rattled, and rolled and even used a stripper pole.  Wasn’t it just yesterday that the NFL apologized for the outrageous behavior of Justin Timberlake and Janet Jackson?
  7. Turning the page, but speaking of having skin in the game, Donald Trump congratulated the Kansas City Chiefs and the great state of Kansas last night after the SB victory in a tweet.  Not too long thereafter, he corrected his tweet to read the great state of Missouri.  That’s the problem with screen grabs though.  It’s out there now, forever.  Of course, the NFL seemed to not have a problem with what Shakira and J Lo grabbed on screen.  But we digress.  Trump is forever impeached anyway.  So said none other than a not so somber and prayerful Nancy Pelosi early last week.
  8. The Donald will deliver his State of the Union Address to Congress Tuesday PM.  Like Jay Z and Beyonce’, roughly half of the members of Congress will likely sit for the entire proceedings in protest of the President and all that he actually stands for.  And, as of now, the plan is that the Senate will acquit him Wednesday of both charged articles of impeachment.  Put a tent over the circus that currently is under the rotunda, please.
  9. The football season ended last evening.  But the primary season begins today.  The Democratic hopefuls will watch with interest usually reserved for Super Bowl viewing at the results in Iowa, the first whistle stop.  Polls (not the one J Lo abused) show Crazy Bernie Sanders with about a five-point lead 25-20 over Joe Biden going into today.  Bernie can make it rain at the Democratic Party’s party.
  10. Joe might not really want to win though after he takes a look at how Republican Senator Joni Ernst rained on his parade this past weekend. “Joe Biden should be very careful what he’s asking for because, you know, we can have a situation where if it should ever be President Biden, that immediately, people right the day after he would be elected would be saying, ‘Well, we’re going to impeach him,’” Ernst said.  Ernst explained that an impeachment case against Biden could be made “for being assigned to take on Ukrainian corruption yet turning a blind eye to Burisma because his son was on the board making over a million dollars a year” during his time as vice president under Obama.

It’s only seven months till football starts up again.  And, it’s only nine months till the general election.   The butt cleavage exposure never ends so to speak.

Trivia(l) Pursuit

Posted on by thependulumswings staff

If you were in pursuit of Super Bowl LIV trivia your internet explorer linked you to the right site.  Just like the ’80s Trivial Pursuit board game below are all of the pie pieces (and more) needed to be the smart one at your Super Bowl Party.

  1.  Jack Buck called Super Bowl IV with Pat Summerall.  The Kansas City Chiefs upset the heavily favored Minnesota Vikings for their first and only win.  Fifty years later Kansas City finally returns to the biggest game of all.  Joe Buck, son of Jack, is on the golden mic with Troy Aikman.
  2. KC and SF are the only two teams in the league whose primary colors are red and gold (though the gold is a bit different for each).  Wear red and accessorize with gold and you’ll be cheering for the winning team regardless.
  3.  Twenty plus years ago Mike Shanahan won back to back Super Bowls as head coach of the Denver Broncos.  His son Kyle Shanahan attempts to join his dad as a Super Bowl-winning coach Sunday with the 49ers.  If he does it will be the first father-son duo to do so.
  4. If the game comes down to a San Fran kick start putting the potato salad back in the fridge.  Veteran San Francisco place kicker Robbie Gould is in his 15th NFL season.  Good in the regular season, he has ice in his playoff veins.  In the playoffs he’s connected on all 27 extra points and 13 field goals he has attempted.
  5. The HD 4G screen that you will watch the game on was expensive.  But it’s a lot cheaper than the cheapest ticket currently available to the game.  That price, as of yesterday, was available online for just over $2600.  Super Bowl IV, previously mentioned, was not a sellout and tickets had a face value between $8 and $16 dollars.
  6. Who will win?  The quarterbacks don’t lose much.  Pick one.  Their career records as starters stand at 28–8 for Patrick Mahomes and 23–5 for Jimmy Garoppolo.
  7.  Expect some “trickeration” from KC coach Andy Reid.  You never know when he might punt, pass, or kick.  Don’t believe it?  Take a 30 second look at him at the tender age of 13 doing just that.  Take a look at #22 right behind him if you can see him.  Andy was born big-boned.

And if you really want to be the smart one in the room take San Fran straight up to win the game.

Pass the chips.

Ten Piece Nuggets-Football and Not, America and Portugal

Posted on by thependulumswings staff

It’s time to get your head straight.  It’s back to work for everyone today after the better part of two weeks of holidays, sick days, and “use em up, or lose em” vacation days.

Randomly on the menu today is a big serving of NFL wild card weekend, some pop entertainment, increased tensions with Iran, and a golden Golden Globe master of ceremonies opening speech.  Chow time.

  1. Three of four home teams (division winners) historically win on wild card weekend.  Road winners Tennessee, Minnesota, and Seattle made it three of four road teams this weekend though.
  2. Two words of advice for the media and over reacting fans and foes regarding Tom Brady and Drew Brees are “CALM Down!”  Both of them (Brady, perhaps a bit more than Brees) has lost a bit off of his fastball.  Brady was never mobile and Brees looked ordinary in a collapsing pocket yesterday.  But, both of them are the primary reasons why their teams got to the three seed to begin with.
  3. Both of them had fewer reliable weapons around them this year than in year’s past.  Tennessee and Minnesota both saw this and schemed effectively to make NE and NO earn every yard.  Brady wonders where Gronkowski is.  Brady wonders where the NE run game has run off to.  Brees has no WR target that can gain separation besides “Can’t guard Mike” Thomas.   Thomas was targeted 185 times and caught 149 balls because he had to.  No one else gets open.  Kamara was very ordinary due to injury?  Fatigue?
  4. How many quarterbacks in the NFL currently would you take in an open draft over Brees for next year or 2021?  Mahomes? Yes.  Jackson?  Yes.  Rogers? Yes.   Wilson?  Yes.  Watson?  Yes.  Garoppolo?  Maybe.  Stafford?  Maybe.  Prescott?  Maybe.  Everyone else who took a snap this year?  Probably not.
  5.  Four numbers to consider for your lottery card this week are 38,33,40, 26.  That’s how many points the eight wild card teams scored in the four games prior to an additional 3 and 6 in the two overtime games.  If you bet the under all weekend good for you.  All season long the public is enamored with the dazzling offenses on display.  Bad teams give up a lot of points.  They also sit home during the playoffs.  Good teams play defense.  They advance in the playoffs.
  6.  How weak was the NFC East this year?  Very.  Philly scored 9 at home against Seattle yesterday.  Yes Wentz went out with an injury.  Who says with him the would have scored more anyway?  Dallas sat home at 8-8 and is interviewing new head coaching candidates.   The New York Football Giants are a hot mess and have the fourth overall pick in the 2020 draft.  That’s a nice way of saying they finished 4-12 and were the fourth worst team in the NFL.  Washington fired their coach in October and have the second overall pick in the draft.  That’s a nice way of saying they finished 3-13 and were the second worst team in the NFL.
  7. Historically three out of four home teams advance in the divisional round that takes place this coming weekend.  They are the #1 and #2 seeds for a reason.  Having this past weekend off and staying home for this weekend is a big advantage, perhaps the biggest advantage in all of major sports in playoff seedings.  Vegas agrees.  The 49ers are a 6 and 1/2 point favorite pick over the Vikings.  The Ravens are a big 9 point choice over the Titans.  The Chiefs home field advantage is factored into them being a 9 and 1/2 point pick.  And the Packers are favored by 4 over Seattle.
  8. Changing gears Madonna announced via Twitter that she moved her family to Portugal.  She abhors what America has become under President Trump.  BBR says kudos to her for that decision as at least she followed through on her “threat” to leave if Trump was elected.  Portugal is a socialist country, so she’ll get to sample what some on the far left want this country to become.  In fact a Gallup poll taken in May of this past year shows 40% of Americans favor it.
  9. If you missed Ricky Gervais obliterate Hollywood last evening in his Golden Globe opening monologue, it’s totally worth the 7 minutes and 43 seconds of your time to watch.   It’s candid, frank, and funny.  Besides, you need to pace yourself in the workplace in 2020.  It’s a leap year.  You will need to work an extra day.
  10.  Numerous candidates for president for 2020, “media experts,” and the Twitter tweets have taken their turn telling America how bad it was for us to take out the Iranian bad guy Qassem Soleimani.  Joe Biden says “it will drastically increase our prospects of going to war with Iran.”  Perhaps.  But, perhaps the reason our prospects of going to war with Iran increased is because Solemani orchestrated one too many  bombings, assassinations, or IED strikes against Americans and its soldiers?  And, US intel said he was deep into yet another devious plan.  Is it a case of the chicken and the egg?  If so, BBR thinks that Trump has been pushed far enough and he isn’t going to play the role of the chicken in this one.

Speaking of chicken, we hope you enjoyed these nuggets.  Get to work.

Deal the Wild Cards

Posted on by thependulumswings staff

Abby’s been playing some serious Texas Hold Em with her college football bet winnings these last few weeks.  She’s feeling good (maybe too good) about her picking prowess.  In between hands of poker last evening she decided to try her paw at the NFL Wild Card Games this weekend.  She gnawed on and pawed her way to the following.

Buffalo Bills v. Houston Texans (-2 1/2) – The Bills have had a fine year defensively and have a developing quarterback in Josh Allen.  They are a very live underdog this weekend.  However, the Texans have a developing quarterback that is more developed and can make game breaking plays with his feet.  Abby expects this one to be close for three quarters, but likes the Texans to cover.

Tennessee Titans v. New England Patriots (-5 1/2) – What’s wrong with New England?  What’s wrong with Tom Brady?  Is this the beginning of the end?  The media’s rampant “what’s wrong with” story line is just the fuel to fire up Mister Belichick and Mister Brady.  Tennessee comes in as the 6th seed and likely will play loose.  They are a trendy pick.  Abby likes a to zig when others zag.  The Patriots cover and it’s not really close.

Minnesota (+8) v. New Orleans – This looks to Abby as the toughest game to handicap this weekend.  Her contract with BBR insists that she make a pick, but she wouldn’t bet much doggone money on it.  New Orleans has been scoring points at a prodigious pace recently.  But, Minnie has been their kryptonite.  New Orleans gets it done at home, but eight points and a healthy Dalvin Cook provide enough to cover.

Seattle (-1 1/2) v. Philadelphia – Seattle is the lower seed as Philly is the division champion.  Philly hasn’t looked much like a champion in the weak NFC East.  Seattle has played significantly better against significantly better teams all year.  This one seems almost too obvious.  Seattle wins outright.

Abby’s got two jacks for hold cards.  Like the Wild Card weekend that’s a dangerous bet.

 

Ten Piece Nuggets-Soup to Nuts

Posted on by thependulumswings staff

Day one of the new decade is done.  Your nuggets are as well.  They’re from all of the food groups, random, and tasty.  Dig in while they are still warm.

  1. You don’t have to feel sorry for the NFL owners after all.   Colin Kaepernick knelt down and the ratings fell down two years ago.  Now riding a two year in a row year over year gain in viewership, the league has begun early talks on future broadcast rights. The NFL’s various deals are coming up soon, with the ESPN Monday Night Football deal running through the 2021-22 season, the CBS/Fox/NBC deals (both the Sunday packages and Fox’s Thursday Night Football contract) running through 2022-23, and the DirecTV Sunday Ticket deal also running through 2022-23.
  2. Neal Pilson, the former longtime president of CBS Sports who now runs his own media consulting firm, estimated that the NFL could get a minimum of 30 percent more in broadcast fees under its new contracts, while one network official predicted a 50 percent increase.  The collective value of all of the deals currently is 5.7 billion (with a b) dollars.  The new deals will fetch between 8 and 10 billion and should be dry ink by the end of 2021.
  3. Did you start your intermittent fasting diet yesterday? Or, is today the day?  There seems to always be a new diet craze and every now and then one gains national momentum.  Already the “experts” are telling us what is good and bad about the diet.  Soon it will reach it’s zenith and then die a slow death.  They all do.  Don’t believe me?  Ask Dr. Atkins.  Well, you can’t actually.  He died a few years back, but not before the his diet, the Atkins diet was the answer to our obesity.  Bread was dead.  Then his diet was.
  4.  The Big 12 is done bowling for the year, thankfully.  Texas hammered Utah on the last night of the second decade of the 2000’s.  It was the  Big 12’s only win.  The conference finished 1-5 in the bowls and were embarrassed in some games.  Oklahoma was done at halftime in the 63-28 playoff loss to LSU.  Kansas State lost to Navy.  Oklahoma St. lost to five loss Texas A&M.  Baylor scored 14 measly points last night in the Sugar Bowl to a Georgia team that had 18 (yes, 18) players out for various reasons and was bounced from the final four two weeks prior.
  5. Robert De Niro has outdone himself with his disdain for President Trump to close out 2019.   De Niro said in an interview with the Daily Beast late in November, “I think that if he became president for a second term he’d try to have a third term, and let smarter people manipulate it into getting us into some kind of altercation: a war.”  De Niro added: “The only other president who served a third term was Roosevelt because he was in a war, and this fool would go and start something. This was what Marty Scorsese was saying, and I said, ‘Marty, I never thought of that. I never thought he’d go for a third term if there was a war or something.’”  Bobby( can I call you Bobby?) and Marty have too much time on their hands.  The Twenty-Second Amendment says a person can only be elected to be president two times for a total of eight years.  They probably like that amendment better than, say, the second one.
  6. One of the very best commissioners in any sport at any time passed yesterday.  David Stern took over an NBA at a crossroads in 1984.  His vision, preparation, and hard work turned the NBA into a global brand.  He presided over the league for 30 years.   Seven teams joined the league, and six relocated. Stern also helped in the creation of the WNBA and the NBA Development League, now known as the G League, providing countless opportunities for players to pursue careers playing basketball in the United States that previously weren’t available.  Adam Silver has big sneakers to fill.
  7. Joe Biden castigated Texas Governor Greg Abbott a few months back while stumping in Iowa for signing into law the right to bear arms in places of worship.  “It’s irrational,” totally irrational,” he exclaimed.  If you missed it over the holidays a hero in a small town Texas church took one shot with his handgun from fifty feet and killed a gunman who had opened fire on the congregation killing two before he was taken out.  The whole episode lasted six seconds.  How long would it take for police to arrive after being notified?  Biden wasn’t going to carry Texas anyway, was he?
  8. The New Orleans Saints worked out several wide receivers earlier in the week.  One of them was none other than Antonio Brown.  Afterwards Antonio called the workout a publicity stunt pulled by the Saints.  That is a funny take considering Brown brought a handful of associates with him to his Saints workout, including someone who was documenting the visit with a video camera. He posted clips of his visit on social media throughout the day, including a picture of the waiver the Saints made him sign.  Sometimes life’s lessons take a while to sink in.
  9. Nancy, it’s a new year and a new you.  You can walk the seventy-five feet necessary down the hallowed halls of the Capital Building and deliver the two Articles of Impeachment already.  Or, don’t.  Every major poll taken in the last wo months shows that America is tired of the circus.  One of our BBR staffers has it from a great source deep inside of the action that the Republicans feel better than ever about regaining the House.  If so, the gavel leaves the Madam Speaker’s hands once more.   Time will tell.
  10. Only Jerry Jones could drag the Jason Garrett “will he or won’t he be the head coach” saga out another day.  He, his son Stephen, and Garrett will meet for yet a third time today discussing the Cowboys future direction.  Jerry used to be quicker on the draw than the savior in the Texas church.   What possibly is left to discuss?  A ten year body of work is there.  Make the call.

Black Monday in the NFL

Posted on by thependulumswings staff

Yesterday was Black Monday in the NFL.  As the NFL Network sat round table discussing the firings of some head coaches the conversation turned naturally to the hiring of some new head coaches.  Over time the conversation morphed into the state of minority hiring at the key NFL franchise management positions of General Manager and Head Coach.

On the four man (no women) desk were host Steve Wyche, analyst Marc Ross, former GM and contributor Charley Casserly and a fourth whose name we couldn’t discern.  Time and again the refrain was that the NFL needed to do a better job of identifying, training, and interviewing potential minority candidates.  Time and again the refrain was that too few African Americans occupied these important positions.  Ross stated that only 3 or 4 head coaches were black.  It was flat out stated and repeated that the NFL needed to do a better job in creating diversity in the workplace.

Casserly once participated on the committee that created the Rooney Rule.  Adopted in 2003, the Rooney Rule is a National Football League policy that requires league teams to interview ethnic-minority candidates for head coaching and senior football operation jobs. It is sometimes cited as an example of affirmative action, as there is no quota or preference given to minorities in the hiring of candidates.  Yesterday he expanded on it’s intent and the progress that has been made.  The panel listened and was unimpressed.

Yesterday’s news in and out of the NFL as well as their well intentioned discussion made us wonder.

One, in the ultra competitive NFL would owners choose GM’s and coaches based on race? Or is it always about qualifications and perceived future success?  Either you win or you walk.

Two, how many black coaches or GM’s would make the NFL “truly diverse?”  Would it be a percentage equal to the population in the U.S.?  That percentage is somewhere less than 15% per the last census.  If so 15% of 32 teams would mean 5 black head coaches.  If you have 3 or 4 pending comings and goings right now are you that far off?  Or, to be diverse, should it be more?

Three, so does it mean more than that? The data collected by The Institute for Diversity and Ethics in Sport (TIDES), shows that 70% of NFL players were African Americans at the start of the 2018 season.  Should 70% of the GM’s and head coaches be black?

Four, what about other minorities, or women, being included in this diversity shortcoming.  Nearly 52% of America is female.  Shouldn’t 52% of the above mentioned positions go to females?  NBA Commissioner Adam Silver, in his state of the league address last year said, “there is no reason why 50% of our coaches shouldn’t be women.”  Apparently the NBA is progressive.  The NFL is not.

Once upon a time all NFL place kickers were “straight on” kickers.  Hell, they even employed the disabled.  One kicker only had half of a foot.  Now 100% are “soccer style” kickers.  It seems like the league is predisposed, dare we say prejudiced, to one type of kicker.  That isn’t very diverse.  Ah, but the difference in the kicking style is the “how,” not the “who” you say.  In other words anyone can kick as long as they are successful and are “sidewinders.”

Maybe anyone can man the running back position too as long as they are successful?  Sure.  Christian McCaffery, the only white running back of note in the entire league, has had such a great season that he might be a top MVP vote getter this year.  See.  Diversity indeed.

U Haul, the trucking company, announced yesterday that they were going to a “no nicotine” hiring policy beginning in 2020 and beyond.  So much for diversity.  If you can kick the habit come work for us.

The NFL says if you can kick a football come work for us.  But, it’s time to stop kicking this can down the road when it comes to hiring head coaches.  The NFL needs more diversity in certain positions of employ.  In others it’s doing just fine.  No need to take a knee after all.

 

 

 

Ten Piece Nuggets-NFL

Posted on by thependulumswings staff

It’s the beginning of a long holiday week.  People are dashing around from shopping malls to shopping malls.  Amazon Prime trucks are dashing from address to address.  The BBR staff is having it’s annual holiday golf tournament today.  So we’ll keep it short with a quick, NFL Ten Piece Nugget served five from the NFC and five from the AFC style.  It will be good to get something in your stomach before the eggnog and bourbon take control.

  1.  The NFC side of the playoff picture is as clear as a bell and as foggy as England.  Huh?  Five of the six spots are spoken for, with the sixth a Philadelphia  and Dallas mess.  Dallas controlled it till yesterday’s loss to Philly.  Now if Philly wins against the New York football Giants they are in.  If they lose, Dallas is in with a win over Washington.  Winner is division champ.  Loser goes home.
  2. If the loser is Dallas, Jason Garrett is going home too.  Jerry Jones said he was very disappointed in his team’s performance yesterday. Duh. They failed to score a touchdown against a banged up, but hungrier, Philly team.  With Cooper, Prescott, and Elliot as your big three on O a lot of money isn’t getting a lot of production.  Prescott was asked post game, “what’s the problem?”  His answer was profound.  “I don’t know.”
  3. The other five spots are sealed while the order and bye’s are anything but.  San Francisco, Green Bay, New Orleans, Seattle, and Minnesota are in.  Only N.O. is for sure the division champ and therefore a host of a wild card at a minimum.  But home field is at stake as are the top two seed spots.  There are too many “if’s” to detail them.
  4. One thing is for sure though.  There are too many “if’s” by team to consider anyone of them a prohibitive NFC Super Bowl favorite.  New Orleans inexplicably lost to Atlanta a while back.  San Fran did the same yesterday to lowly Arizona.  Green Bay is much better at home than the road.  Minnesota and Seattle might both need to win three in a row on the road.  But, they are both very live wild card teams, if they wind up as wild card teams, built for post season play.
  5. New Orleans lacks weapons outside of one who is nearly unstoppable this year.  Marvin Harrison’s NFL record of 143 catches in a season stood for 17 years, and no one came within even six catches of it.  Sunday New Orleans Saints receiver Michael Thomas broke Harrison’s mark with one game to go.  Thomas already has 145 catches on the year after he caught 12 passes for 136 yards and a touchdown in Sunday’s 38-28 come-from-behind victory over the Tennessee Titans.  Can a wide receiver win the MVP award?  Well, Thomas is 66-1 while Lamar Jackson is 1-30.
  6. Speaking of Thomas as we swing into the AFC, the QB and his Baltimore Ravens now have to be considered a strong favorite to take home the Lombardi Trophy in Miami regardless of who the NFC rep is.  Baltimore is winning big weekly and dominating in all aspects of the game.  After a 2-2 start, they are winners of 11 straight.  Eleven straight wins in the NFL is called domination.  In an AFC Conference loaded with really good quarterbacking, this just in, Lamar Jackson is good.
  7. But, as usual, don’t count out New England just yet.  Their yearly trip to the biggest game of all got a shorter route thanks to Saturday’s gut check win against a gutsy Buffalo Bills team.  A win this week against Miami in New England will give them a first round bye.  This just in, Tom Brady is good.
  8. Perched at # 3 is KC.  If you fell asleep Sunday night you missed a 26-3 Chiefs snoozer over the somnambulistic Chicago Bears 26-3.  They need a win and a week 17 loss by NE to have a bye.   This just in, Patrick Mahomes is good.  The Bears are not.
  9. Don’t sleep on the Houston Texans.  They clinched the AFC South for the fourth time in five years Saturday.  They can score and they can play decent defense.  If KC loses and Houston wins they could move up to the all important #2 seed and gain the all important bye week as well.  This just in, Deshaun Watson is good.
  10. Buffalo has won ten games and counting this year and are in as the fifth seed.  They are a dangerous wild card team.  They’ll scrap you for a ball anytime, anywhere.  This just in, Josh Allen isn’t good yet, but he’s moving in the right direction.  The Tennessee Titans could still get in.  They drafted Marcus Mariotta in round one a few years back.   Miami did the same with Ryan Tannehill.  Tennessee looks to have given up on MM like Miami did on Tannehill.  Miami’s loss is Tennessee’s gain for now.  Pittsburgh needs lots of help to get in.  Oakland needs lots and lots of help to get in.

Enjoy a few lousy NCAA Bowl games that no one really cares about and a few NBA early season games that no one really cares about till the weekend.  Then it’s the NCAA playoffs and the final regular season week in the NFL.

A little sprinkle of cinnamon on top of the eggnog is just the right finishing touch.

 

Payton’s Happy Place

Posted on by thependulumswings staff

Late last week the New Orleans Saints and it’s head coach Sean Payton agreed to a five year contract extension.  Terms weren’t disclosed but our guess is that it pays $10 million per year at a minimum.  It’s great work if you can get it.  Payton can buy most anything he wants with that kind of dough.  Except, remember, money cannot buy happiness.

And, by Sunday night Payton was not very happy.  The Saints got worked in the second half by the NFC reigning champion LA Rams, and lost 27-9.  But, it was who they lost and how they lost that raises the coach’s blood pressure.  Midway through the second quarter, Drew Brees injured his thumb and after surgery Monday will miss the next six weeks.  Brees has played 15 seasons for the team and has played in at least 15 games each of those years.  That healthy streak is done.

But another streak is three games long and perhaps growing.  If you have any blood pressure you know that in the NFC Championship game in January was greatly influenced by a blown referee call effectively sending the Saints home and the Rams to the Super Bowl.  The head of NFL officiating apologized to Payton shortly after the game.

Fast forward to week one of this season and the Saints were victims again.  This time an improper run off of the clock just prior to the half cost them a chance at a shorter field goal in a tight battle with the Texans. The head of NFL officiating apologized to Payton shortly after the game.  Sound familiar?

And, on Sunday, the Saints scooped up a late second quarter fumble in a 3-3 defensive slugfest and returned it 87 yards for a touchdown.  Except the head referee thought that Rams QB Jared Goff arm had started forward, hence he blew the whistle, and the call.  The Saints got the ball on their own ten yard line as a consolation prize.  After a three and out the Rams got a short field and kicked a field goal.  This was a seven or ten point swing(depending on how you see it) in a deadlocked game.  Game changer.  The head of NFL officiating apologized to Payton shortly after the game.  Sound familiar?

Which brings us to a question.  If money cannot buy happiness, can it buy better officiating?  There is no grand plot to sabotage the Saints.  But, there is a standard deviation or two outlier outcome that puts them on the wrong side of three game changing, horrible calls.  Enough already.

Which brings us to a question.  If the NFL sent a whopping $8.7 billion net after expenses to the teams to share in 2018, could they consider paying for full time referees?  Doesn’t every other league worth talking about have full time officiating?   Of course they do.

Players are asked, er, told, um, must weigh in at a specific team desired weight.  They train year round, attend offseason OTA’s, study film, report to a fall camp, play four preseason games, play seventeen regular season games, and play as many as four playoff games.   You miss any of this you get fined.  You play poorly you get fired.  But most of all, you dedicate yourself  24/7/365 for the good of the team and the respect of the game.  Is it too much for the NFL to dedicate time, training, money, and people to officiate the sanctimonious NFL game in the same manner?  If they did, they could make far less “I’m so sorry” calls.

Money ($7.25 million) did buy Teddy Bridgewater as the highest paid backup in the league to Drew Brees.  He now needs to be a bridge over troubled water for six weeks.  Hopefully that money spent will buy Sean Payton some happiness.

Well, that assumes that the part-time employment referees will break their blown calls streak like Brees’ broken thumb will break his.

 

 

Ten Piece Nuggets-Sports

Posted on by thependulumswings staff

If you blinked you missed 25% of the NCAA football season as of this past Saturday.  The NFL concludes week 2 tonight.  But, worry not.  Our Ten Piece Nuggets are here to give you another serving of all that you need to feed the craving.  The nuggets, as always, are the original, no leftovers here.  Help yourself below.

  1.  The NCAA football weekend had exactly zero games where the opponents were both ranked in the top 25.  Chalks dominated the outcomes for the most part.  The Top 10 saw only a very minor change.  Michigan was idle and was passed by.  Passing them by was now 3-0 Utah who won 31-0 over Idaho St.  Michigan only slid one spot to 11.
  2.  A week after Kentucky lost starting quarterback Terry Wilson they ended Florida’s starting quarterback Felipe Franks season in a wild 29-21 loss.  Franks’ gruesome injury was diagnosed as a dislocated ankle.  Backup and one time brief starter Kyle Trask came off the bench to throw for 126 yards and score a rushing touchdown, leading the Gators from 11 down to 19 unanswered points and victory.  Astute local observers of the program contend that Florida might even be better with him starting going forward.  Florida is ranked 9th and has Tennessee coming to The Swamp this weekend.
  3.  Florida is only the fifth highest ranked SEC team however.  Alabama (2), Georgia (3), LSU (4),  and Auburn (8) are higher.  Those four scored 47, 55, 65, and 55 in blowout wins over inferior opponents Saturday.  South Carolina tried to make a game of their tussle with Bama, but only slowed the Tua scoring machine a bit.
  4.  Wisconsin (tied for 13) took last weekend off and have the aforementioned Michigan Wolverines coming to Madison this weekend.   It’s but one of many in conference match ups across the land this coming weekend that will capture more of our attention than last weekend.  Wisconsin has scored 110 points in two games and surrendered a big fat 0.   It would be a good destination for College Gameday.
  5. But, Lee Corso and Company are headed to Athens, Ga.  The Bulldogs host The Fighting Irish of Notre Dame in a rematch of the 2017 thriller in South Bend.  With Georgia sitting at 3 and Notre Dame at 7, it’s a good choice.  A Notre Dame win would vault them squarely in to the National Championship Playoff picture even if it’s only late September.
  6.  UCF, which held a parade for itself a couple of years back after an undefeated season found them looking from the outside in at the playoffs, is 3-0 and perched at 15.  The put 45 on a once proud Stanford team.  The Cardinal (we love teams with singular nicknames) surrendered 45 last week to USC as well.  UCF has little opposition until a trip on 10/26 to Temple.  We love parades.
  7.  In the NFL there are teams with franchise quarterbacks and teams without.  If you are with out you get to watch the playoffs from home usually.  If you are with you usually play in the playoffs.  Yesterday the Pittsburgh Steeleers lost Ben Rothliesberger to an elbow injury.  And, Yesterday, the New Orleans Saints lost Drew Brees to a thumb injury.  Both are seeing specialists today to determine the proper medical course of action.  It doesn’t look good for either.  ANd, as a result, they might watch the playoffs from home too.
  8. Brees was interviewed this summer on The Dan Patrick Show a day after the NFL Top 100 players (voted on by the players) were revealed on the NFL Network.  Brees finished second only to Aaron Donald, DL extraordinaire of the LA Rams.  Patrick asked Brees about finishing second to Donald.  Brees said, in effect, that it made total sense as Donald is in a league by himself.  He went on to say that Donald is unblockable and needed to be specifically game planned for.   Yesterday Donald broke thru the line and his hand hit Brees’ hand as he released a pass.  It sent Brees to the locker room and may send him to the operation room soon.
  9. Colin Kapernick’s nike commercial won an Emmy Award last evening.  The spot is dubbed Dream Crazy.  The commercial climaxes with the former San Francisco 49er saying, “Believe in something even if it means sacrificing everything.” He concludes the commercial saying, “Don’t ask if your dreams are crazy. Ask if they’re crazy enough.”  Fair enough.  Disruptor enough.
  10.  Fifty years ago ABC disrupted normal fall Monday Night network programming by paying $25.5 million for a three year run of Monday Night Football.  The rest, as they say, is history.   Fifty years later there is Sunday night and Thursday night football to go along with MNF.  MNF was the first in prime time and it was the first with a “three in the booth” announcer set up.  In that first booth was Howard Cosell, Dandy Don Meredith, and?  And?  That’s right, it was Keith Jackson.  Unfortunately, all three are no longer with us.  But MNF sure is.

It’s only four days till Friday.  You’ve been fed.  Now, get after it.

 

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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