Gregg Easterbrook is asking the tough questions that many people who watch football want to know...like why are athletic departments so big at college schools? Aren't there some misleading statistics that could be used to show how English departments at schools are 75 times less important than the football program? Screw talking about the bowl matchups or any other issue affecting college football right now, let's talk about the exciting administrative and personnel decisions colleges make while fielding sports teams. It's a Gregg Easterbrook wet dream to do this, so he does. It's as exciting to read as it sounds like it would be.
I find this to be an entire disaster. I probably missed some bad points Easterbrook made but I have to limit my space I write in.
Bowl season is nearly upon us, and college football conferences are reshuffling like mad, with bowl invites,
Bowl season is nearly up on us, but it's not bowl season yet! How can we talk about bowl games if there have been no bowl games yet? It's Bowl Creep!
Was this introduction written in October? Bowl season is here, college football conferences seem to have finished shuffling for right now and all the bowl invites are in. So it's all been done at this point.
College marketers know that in 2008 the University of Texas had $88 million in football revenue while Ohio State had $68 million (Wall Street Journal figures), and football dollars are still going up. The money rush isn't confined to the top, rather it is spread broadly across the higher-education landscape.
How dare Texas and Ohio State attempt to make money that funds all the other athletic programs. This is football-factory behavior at its worst. Gregg is getting ready to go on and on about how colleges make football more important than academics, but I don't get what he wants to do about this. He has no real conclusion he reaches other than schools treat football programs very well.
Despite the cash-grab in big-college athletics -- Texas, already the leader in football revenue, cut an even better deal for itself this fall by threatening to leave its conference -- nearly all universities lose money on sports.
This is pretty old news. Gregg must have had some form of writer's block this week and didn't what to talk about in TMQ's introduction...other than the actual games of football that were played this past weekend.
Gregg goes on and on about how football programs can't support themselves so they have to use student funds and then complains that Texas wants to make more money to support it's football program. Isn't that something he should encourage to take the burden off the students? This is a bit contradictory, no?
Rachel Bachman of The Portland Oregonian reports. Increasingly, college students who don't play sports are charged to support those who do.
So we have gone from paying football players to charging them for playing a sport at a school? Who should be charged to support the sports programs at a school? We have already covered that no athletic programs can sustain their programs without some help and Gregg believes any program that attempts to make money is making a "cash grab."
USA Today reports that in the 2008-09 school year, colleges charged their students $795 million to support athletics.
Again, this doesn't sound good, but if this money doesn't come from the students where does the money come from? Athletic programs can't support themselves as we have heard time and time again from Gregg.
Often this wasn't revealed, with the costs buried in tuition fees that students, and their parents, thought were solely to support academics.
Or on a detailed invoice that college send out each semester that shows exactly what the students are being charged for that semester. At what point should schools stop detailing where the money paid by the student goes? I am sure some of the money in a student's tuition goes to support the Music Department at a school, should a student who has never taken a music class and is in the Business Department have to support the Music Department? It seems Gregg would argue "no." There are a bunch of student fees that go plenty of unknown places and God only knows where the tuition a student pays goes. I am sure some of it goes to support programs that individual student will never benefit from.
Over the years, billionaire T. Boone Pickens has donated nearly $500 million to Oklahoma State, his alma mater -- but most of the money has gone to athletics, not academics. The donation that UNC-Charlotte requires, in addition to the PSL fee? It goes to the booster fund, not to academics. At many colleges and universities, athletic programs cannibalize donations that might have gone to education.
This is a real problem, I won't argue that. I would also argue these donations MIGHT have gone to education. These donations could also go to giving the Public Safety department new golf carts or any of 1,000 other funds a university typically needs funding for.
Big-deal college sports programs need subsidies in part because Division I football and men's basketball coaches are overpaid. There are nearly 100 big-sports college coaches earning at least $2 million annually, most at public universities. More than 200 assistant football coaches in the college ranks earn at least $250,000 annually, with Monte Kiffin of USC, the defensive coordinator, earning $1.5 million plus lavish perks.
I am not sure where to even begin with this discussion. If a school wants to overpay for a coach or an assistant coach that's up to them. Students don't have to go to school at that university if they don't like it. I'm not saying Gregg doesn't have a point, but it just seems like a speculative point more than anything.
Last year the Knight Commission found that nearly all college presidents, even the ones at sports-powerhouse schools, believe salaries for football and men's basketball coaches are out of control.
Naturally college presidents would believe this to be true. They want to pay less for great football and men's basketball coaches. I believe a lot of things are overpriced...simply because I would prefer to pay less for them.
Ohio State lists 458 people in its athletic department. Included are the athletic director (who's also a vice president of the university), four people with the title senior associate athletic director, 12 associate athletic directors, an associate vice president, a "senior associate legal counsel for athletics" and plus a nine-person NCAA compliance office. NCAA rules are complex, to be sure, but does Ohio State really needs nine people who do nothing but push NCAA paperwork?
How do these numbers compare to academic departments at the school? There are 192 faculty members in Ohio State's English department, with a support staff of about 50. Thus the Ohio State athletic department has roughly twice as many people as the Ohio State English department.
I'm having a hard time remembering a famous author that came from Ohio State...but the name Terrelle Pryor rings a bell to me. In short, how much money does the English department bring in to Ohio State compared to how much money the athletic program brings in? It sounds cold but its true. Many people may go to Ohio State simply for the athletics, even if they don't participate in athletics. I don't know how many students go to Ohio State for the great English department while they major in Criminal Justice.
And sports receive more staffing than English, though there is a widespread feeling that many Americans are inadequately educated in subjects such as English, while not one single person in the entire United States believes there isn't enough emphasis on sports.
It is all about money. Gregg isn't stupid, he knows this. It's not a huge mystery why schools focus so much on athletics rather than academics.
All those coaches and mysterious "associate directors of football operations" mean that in football, Ohio State has a 1-to-5 ratio of staff to students: while in English, the staff-to-student ratio is 1-to-280. Divide the latter by the former. In staffing terms, Ohio State treats football as 56 times more important than it does English.
This would be correct if we could assume how many members of the staff a department has correlates completely with how important that department is to the school. I think this would be a pretty speculative assumption.
It's also important to understand students all across the school benefit from the football program while only students majoring or minoring in English benefit from the English department. I would be interested to see how many staff members per English major/minor the English department at Ohio State would have. I think that's a much more fair comparison. It is all about how many people benefit from the department. More students benefit from the Ohio State athletic department than the English department.
Cal has a 27-person staff for football coaching and administration, overseeing a roster of 110 players. That's a 1-to-4 ratio of staff to students. The school's English department has 71 non-emeritus personnel, plus about 50 support staff, serving a student body of 35,843. That's a 1-to-296 ratio of staff to students. Judged by staff, Cal devotes even more resources to football, versus English, than does Ohio State. In staffing terms, Cal treats football as 74 times more important than English.
This is just madness. We get it...colleges have a lot of athletic personnel they pay for. Again, athletics benefit everyone, while the English department only benefits those taking English classes.
Big staffs certainly don't guarantee success. Columbia, with its top-heavy football staff, is 11-29 in its past four seasons. The University of Tennessee, with a 28-person football staff, just finished its season with a 6-6 record. Kansas needed a 23-person football staff to finish 3-9. Most likely these schools could have compiled the same records with half as many people on the football staff, or the athletic department staff.
I'm not sure about this. Like most other staffs, the work could have been done with less people, but possibly not in an as efficient or effective manner. A lot of companies and schools could easily cut the amount of staff they have on hand, but this would affect the quality and efficiency of the work.
Even at a sports powerhouse like Ohio State, perhaps one student in 2,000 will go on to earn a paycheck in professional sports, and then for a "career" that lasts a only couple years. If only one Ohio State science or business graduate in 2,000 ever found a job in any field related to their degrees, Ohio politicians and voters would be angrily denouncing the school.
There is an incredible huge difference in a person having a career in a sport, which is based a lot on natural talent and has a more limited number of spots where a person can be hired, than a person having a career in a science or business field. Comparing a person trying to make a career out of a sport based on talent in a limited field and a person trying to make a career in their chosen field of major where jobs are more plentiful is pointless. There's just not an effective comparison to be made.
Top-heavy staffing in college sports is far more troubling for higher education than some football player who sells a jersey on eBay. Yet bloated staffing, which benefits the well-off and comfortable, continues, while God forbid some recruit from a poor family should eat an unauthorized cheeseburger.
Yet again, these are two completely different issues where a comparison being made serves no purpose. I'm not sure I see the connection between NCAA rule violations as they pertain to how many staff members should be on the football team. They seem to be two completely, non-comparable things.
This discussion is a great example of how Gregg Easterbrook has a semi-point but he makes a terrible case to defend his point.
In other football news, last month TMQ took considerable flak for saying it was time for Brett Favre to carry a clipboard while Tarvaris Jackson played. Jackson "holds slightly fewer records than Favre, but he's a mobile quarterback, which may be what Minnesota needs at the moment," your columnist wrote.
I'd love to know who gave Gregg flak for saying this. Was it his co-workers at ESPN who worship the very ground that Brett Favre has walked on, is walking on or may walk on? Because I know a lot of people who would agree with Gregg Easterbrook on this issue...including myself.
Stat of the Week No. 1: The Oakland Raiders outrushed the San Diego Chargers by 230 yards -- in San Diego.
Stat of the Week No. 2: The Jacksonville Jaguars outrushed the Tennessee Titans by 201 yards -- in Tennessee.
How does it really matter where the Raiders and Jaguars outrushed their opponents. It's not like this is baseball or some other sport where a homefield advantage makes a difference in how hard it is to rush the football. The Chargers don't have a field that makes it easier to pass, which makes the Raiders running the ball effectively more impressive than if this was done on the Raiders home field.
while undrafted free agent Chris Ivory rushed for 117 yards, undrafted free agent Jabari Greer had a terrific performance at corner against Cincinnati's mega-hyped wide receivers and little known rookie tight end Jimmy Graham caught a 52-yard pass.
Carson Palmer was 23 for 33 with a 101.7 passer rating against the Saints, which was his third highest passer rating of the season. Chad Johnson had 90+ yards receiving and Terrell Owens had a touchdown. I am not sure who Jabari Greer was matched up against but I am not sure if the performance was terrific or not.
Also, Jimmy Graham is little known only to those who don't follow the NFL close enough to not know any of the players who aren't stars. We discussed this last week with Gary Brackett.
New Orleans used a late third-round draft pick on Graham, who didn't do much -- and often was confused -- in his one season of college football.
He had 17 receptions and 5 TD catches in 2009 as a Miami Hurricane football player and played in every game. Not sure if I would call that not doing much.
He's going to be the next Antonio Gates, also a basketball player in college. Gates wasn't drafted: we now know he should have been a first-round choice.
What the hell? Graham has 19 catches for 265 yards and 1 TD catch in about as many games as he played in while in college. His numbers are nearly the exact same in the NFL as in college when Gregg says he "didn't do much," yet in the NFL Gregg says he should be a first round pick. Do some research, then post a column.
Plagued by injuries and interceptions, the Colts were in danger of a second straight home loss, a drop from first place and questions about whether their tremendous decade-long run is coming to an end. Trailing Dallas 35-28, the Colts scored to pull within 35-34 with 33 seconds showing in regulation. Don't kick -- go for the win!
Apparently Gregg has never heard the adage "go for the win on the road, play for the tie at home." That's what the Colts did. There were about 35 other factors that led to them losing in overtime rather than them winning in regulation.
Jim Caldwell, the Indianapolis coach, may have sent in the PAT unit merely because "that's what we always do" -- many people who run organizations don't think much beyond that. But he knows if he tries for the win and fails, he will be slammed with criticism; whereas if he kicks and heads to overtime and Peyton Manning throws an interception, the players will be the ones criticized.
Or he may think the Colts could win the game in overtime. I guess he could have been thinking about that option too.
Trying and failing would have been better than what happened -- it would have sent the message that Indianapolis was determined. Instead, the message sent by the overtime wheeze-out is that Indianapolis is unraveling.
Going for the two-point conversion may have been the right move, but going for two sends the message he has no faith in his defense to stop the Cowboys if they lose the coin flip.
And the Dolphins -- who in the past five years said no to Drew Brees at quarterback, then invested five second-round draft choices in Henne, John Beck, Daunte Culpepper, Pat White and A.J. Feeley -- yet again are headed into an offseason with quarterback issues.
I am so, so, so, so, so tired of this revisionist history being put forth by the media. The Dolphins DID NOT say no to Drew Brees as their quarterback. He said no to them because they wouldn't guarantee him as much money as the Saints would. The Dolphins wanted Brees as the quarterback, but didn't offer him enough guaranteed money, so Brees went to New Orleans. This story gets told incorrectly pretty much every time its told.
Trailing Oakland 21-3 at the close of the third quarter, San Diego faced fourth-and-12 on the Raiders' 15. Norv Turner -- who has a history of sending in kickers when trailing big late -- motioned for the field goal unit. Before the kick, San Diego was down by three scores. After the field goal, at 21-6, San Diego was down by two touchdowns and a deuce: in effect, still down by three scores.
No. Not in effect still down three scores. The Chargers are down two touchdowns and a two-point conversion...not three scores. That's like saying a team with an eight point lead is up two scores.
Sure, fourth-and-12 is a long shot, but you're at home, you have the league's No. 1 offense.
Exactly, which is why it makes sense to get within 15 points and have the entire fourth quarter to use that No. 1 offense to score two touchdowns. A failed fourth-and-12 here pretty much ends the game. Don't forget the Chargers were on the Raiders 15 yard line, so they had to work with a shorter field being that close to the end zone so it would have been harder to get 12 yards for the first down due to less space. Gregg doesn't think about this of course and just blindly criticizes the Chargers because it feels good to him.
Buck-Buck-Brawckkkkkkk No. 3: Trailing defending champion New Orleans 27-19 at home with 10 minutes remaining, Cincinnati coach Marvin Lewis sent in the punt unit on fourth-and-short at midfield. The Saints lined up with 12 men, giving Cincinnati a first down, and the home team scored a touchdown on the drive.
The football gods liked this move!
It's hard to believe a team could punt on fourth-and-inches from the opponent's 36-yard line and go on to win the game -- but the Steelers did that Sunday at Baltimore.
No, it's exactly not hard to believe that at all. There is no real proof that a team which doesn't go for it on a single fourth-and-inches will go on to lose the football game. It is not hard to believe that any of Gregg's fictional theories ever come up false, because they are just fictional theories.
Teams with a power defense, such as Pittsburgh, are most likely to benefit by kicking on fourth-and-short.
Really? So this is the reason it was okay for the Steelers to punt, they have a "power defense?" I'll remember this. Also, this "power defense" is the 3-4, which Gregg called a "fad" earlier this year and features a lot of "blitz-crazy" packages, which Gregg also doesn't like and says leads to losses for teams.
When it works, one rusher comes through the line unblocked. Announcers and fans see that action and think, "He made a great play." Actually he's done the easiest thing in sports, simply run straight ahead. It is the rush choreography -- happening before the snap and resulting in a rusher who isn't blocked -- that's impressive.
The player hasn't done a good job in disguising he was blitzing?
A quarterback who sees the blitz coming usually has a man open -- all that's needed is for blockers to slow the rush for an instant. For a blitz to be devastating, somebody's got to come unblocked -- otherwise the ball will be gone.
I have no idea how Gregg Easterbrook gets paid to write this crap every week. If he cut this column down and only included the intelligent and good points he had it would be a much smaller column, but also a 1000 times better column.
Pittsburgh showed mega-blitz, with seven men walking up to the line and shifting positions twice. At the snap, five actually rushed; Troy Polamalu came through unblocked and tomahawked the ball out of Joe Flacco's hand. Elegant blitz choreography!
I wonder what the difference in the Steelers' defenders shifting defenders for the blitz choreography and the Buccaneers defenders shifting and looking confused last week was (where Gregg criticized them for this)? Oh yeah, the result of the play, which is how Gregg judges everything football-related. In a sport where the idea and execution can still be great, but lead to failure Gregg only focuses on the failure or success of a play.
Then Gregg spends a lot of words criticizing the science-fiction show "Fringe." Naturally, he criticizes the show for not being realistic enough and having unanswerable questions and continuity problems, obviously forgetting the "science" and "fiction" part of the genre the show is a part of.
Tom Brady had a clean pocket and threw with precision -- and threw down the middle most of the time, which involves less wasted motion than throwing toward the sidelines, as Mark Sanchez mainly did.
I am sure Mark Sanchez intentionally wasted his motion (who cares about this?) and completely ignored the players down the middle of the field. Perhaps Gregg has thought that maybe, just maybe, there weren't any players open in the middle of the field for Sanchez to throw to?
On a very amusing play, Woodhead at 5-foot-8, 189 pounds and Welker, at 5-9, 185 pounds, lined up as blitz-blocking backs! The Jets believed this, ignoring Woodhead as he snuck through the offensive line for a 35-yard reception.
Danny Woodhead is a running back. He has to be able to pick up the blitz to block for his quarterback. The Jets believed he would be in the backfield picking up the blitz because that is part of his job duties as a running back.
Rex Ryan talks, talks, talks. Trailing 24-3, he ordered a punt on fourth-and-1 from midfield. Dozens of readers including Peter Weis of Mt. Hermon, Mass., e-mailed at that instant asking if I was writing "game over" in my notebook, and of course I was.
I think Peter Weis may have been mocking Gregg for writing down the completely obvious "Game Over" in his notebook at this point.
Jax leading 14-0, Moss dropped a pass at the Jacksonville 5, Tennessee failing to score on the possession. His virus spread to Bo Scaife, who dropped a pass at the Jax 4, Tennessee ending up with a field goal on that possession. It's not so much that Moss is not making receptions -- one catch for 13 yards Sunday. A wide receiver can have a good game if he blocks and pulls the safeties away from other receivers. But Moss plainly isn't even trying, and this virus has spread quickly to other Titans.
It has nothing to do with the quarterback for the semi-state of flux the team seems to be under. I am sure it is all Randy Moss's fault though. Maybe Moss is quitting on the team, but one wide receiver quitting on the team doesn't result in the entire team playing poorly...unless Randy Moss is the master of poisoning a locker room and Jeff Fisher doesn't care.
Both playing at home, City of Tampa and San Diego wore throwback uniforms, and both their cheerleader squads donned throwback outfits suggesting the sweater-and-skirt look of generations past. In other words, both sets of cheer-babes were tastefully attired, rather than displaying the contemporary cheesecake look. The football gods were angered, and both home teams lost.
I guess Gregg just assumes the football gods are perverts like he is and are the type of people who fawn pathetically over young girls in their early 20's that were skimpy clothing.
Jim Faxon of Wading River, N.Y., writes, "On Dec. 3, when I checked an e-mail account I use for fantasy football, I found an e-mail from Linens-N-Things touting 'last minute gifts' for the holiday season. I realize Hanukkah is under way, but for most people Dec. 3 doesn't classify as last-minute."
Are you that incredibly stupid that you don't understand how advertising works? Linens-N-Things wants to create a sense of urgency for you to come in and buy something. It's called advertising, not "Creep" of any kind.
As former NFL star Rodney Harrison has noted repeatedly on NBC, players laugh at fines -- only suspensions are taken seriously. By constantly saying there will be suspension for vicious hits then never imposing them, the NFL front office has revealed itself as a paper tiger: all talk, no action.
Rodney Harrison says that from the point of view of a highly paid player. Sherrod Martin of the Carolina Panthers was fined $40,000 for a hit on a Browns player. That means he is essentially playing one game, maybe two games without pay this year. I am pretty sure he wasn't laughing when he heard this news. So all players don't laugh at the suspensions. That's what I think is the biggest problem with the NFL fining players for hits. The amounts of money affect some players much more than others. Players like Rodney Harrison laugh at a $40,000 fine, but for Sherrod Martin this is a big financial hit.
Next Week: Comet the reindeer coach caught up in a recruiting scandal when he offers inducements to get Fireball to attend the Reindeer Games.
How about next week TMQ just doesn't get written? Is that too much to ask.
Comment away. That entire section about college football programs was just an overwhelming disaster. There's no way around it. I could have spent all day on that section and still not gotten to all the points that could have been made.
Wednesday, December 8, 2010
Monday, December 6, 2010
2 comments Jets vs. Pats Live Blog
Since my technological skills do not allow me to actually post my live blog in real time, I am posting it now. Anyway, here are my thoughts as the game progressed.
1st Quarter
14:45 - Okay, so he went to Welker. It was a nice thought.
8:17 - No sound on my television. Instead, the only way to enjoy sports announcing: radio. Bring joyous music to my ears, Bob Wischusen.
8:20 - Mark Sanchez is wearing a ski mask for warmth. Out of all the people who buy ski masks, what percentage of those masks are used for illegal activities? I'll go with 23%.
8:22 - Only two Monday Night Countdown analysts pick the Jets. But since Tom Jackson possesses the only legitimate opinion due to his ability to both enunciate and use logic, their near consensus is useless
8:27 - Jon Gruden is wearing an oddly colored brown jacket. Can't tell whether or not it's suede. If it is, my respect for him will triple.
8:30 - Sanchez is wearing eye-black. I find it hard to believe that the stadium lights affect his sight so drastically that eye-black is necessary. This is not Remember The Titans or any other classic sports movie. Enough with the eye-black on sight. (I don't mean to pick on Sanchez, but ESPN has shown a close-up of his face at least 8 times already.)
8:35 - Jets call tails on the coin toss. Always a good sign. AND they defer. Clearly someone plays Madden.
8:37 - Brady has that "I'm going to stick it to them because I can," look. Saying it now: Pats TD on the opening drive.
1st Quarter
14:54 - Danny Woodhead in the huddle on the first play. I wouldn't put it past Belichick to throw it to Woodhead just as an "eff you" to the Jets.
14:45 - Okay, so he went to Welker. It was a nice thought.
8:42 - Bob Wischusen insists upon saying "BenJarvus Green-Ellis" every single time. I guess there's really no nickname for him that incorporates his name. Ben? Jarvus? Green-Ellis? All of them just sound awkward.
12:34 - Pats give an extra cheer for Woodhead after a 7-yard carry for a first down. Not at all surprised. Then a huge gain to Branch. Brady is doing whatever he wants. He's just as locked in as he was against Pittsburgh.
11:50 - Brady's got the ski mask also. I thought he was tougher than that.
11:50 - Belichick is wearing his classic women's ski headband. He's reach such a high status that he can wear literally whatever he wants.
11:02 - 41-yard field goal is good and the stadium sets off fireworks. A little excessive for 3 points, no?
8:45 - The worst QB sneak attempt ever. Sanchez looked like he was afraid of any contact and just flopped to the ground like a dead fish.
8:35 - Shonne Greene converts. There's no way they were going to give it to Sanchez on the sneak again.
8:45 - The worst QB sneak attempt ever. Sanchez looked like he was afraid of any contact and just flopped to the ground like a dead fish.
8:35 - Shonne Greene converts. There's no way they were going to give it to Sanchez on the sneak again.
7:34 - Jerod Mayo proves why he plays linebacker, not tight end. When the Jets get points, the guilt will fully sink in.
6:55 - Jets missed a 53-yard field goal. Why is it that everyone in the stadium knew the FG attempt was a bad move except for the man making the decision? It's cold, it's windy, it's the first quarter. Unnecessary. Brady will make the Jets pay. Mark my words.
6:55 - Wischusen: Nick Folk misses a 53 yard field goal by 53 yards - well put.
4:49 - Eric Smith proves why the Jets miss Jim Leonhard. I can't tell if Brady intentionally underthrew the ball knowing Smith was hell bent on knocking Gronkowski down.
4:04 - And Brady makes Rex Ryan pay for his poor decision-making. 10-0 Pats.
3:55 - Woodhead on the special teams tackle. Who didn't think that he would haunt the Jets?
2:34 - A 12 yard punt by Steve Weatherford. Sanchez is rattled - not a surprise. But Weatherford rattled too? There's something wrong with New York punters.
2:01 - Eric Smith had a chance at redemption, but did not capitalize. Can't let those chances go against Brady. He's the type of QB that will make a point to say "you should have caught that ball. Now I'm going to get six thanks to your incompetence."
1:15 - Belichick going for it on 4th down shows both is immortality and his insane confidence. But he's giving a chance to get back in the game. Ask Mark Sanchez to come back from a 13 point deficit. Don't give him renewed confidence.
1:07 - Of course the Pats convert and score a touchdown. Against any other team, a 17-0 deficit on the road on Monday Night signals the end of the game. But it's the Jets, and they love them some comeback magic.
2nd Quarter
12:24 - 3rd and 3 for the Jets at the Pats 21. A team with confidence runs the ball. But the Jets do not have that confidence. Instead, no hands Braylon drops the ball. The Nick Folk saga continues.
12:19 - Nick Folk field goal is barely good. The entire stadium was only inches from laughing at a Folk miss.
12:19 - This is what separates Tom Brady from Peyton Manning. While I'd probably take Manning over Brady in general, Brady has the emotional maturity and hatred of a 12-year-old boy. Except he manages to harness that hatred into a positive. He'll punish the Jets for only managing three points.
12:06 - The ghost/real body of Danny Woodhead is back to work. Huge gain to the Jets 33.
11:18 - Wischusen (David Harris hurt): "Harris is motionless down on one knee." I think that more accurately explains a position of prayer than an injury.
10:18 - Tom Brady QB sneak. He went in with reckless abandon. I hope Sanchez is taking notes.
9:07 - Deon Branch complains that he didn't set a pick (there was an offensive pass interference penalty on the play). I'm tired of players complaining regardless of the call. Tim Duncan syndrome seems to have spread to the NFL. Just in case professional athletes were wondering, you lose credibility when you argue every single call. Pick and choose your spots.
8:21 - Pats touchdown. Rex Ryan can't challenge because he does not want to be out of challenges early in the second quarter. It just goes to show that challenging the spot of the ball is by far the worst reason to challenge in the NFL. 24-3, New England.
8:21 - Donald Trump's hair makes its first appearance. A light wind gives the hair a life of its own. Simply put, it's moving like jello.
8:21 - This game just proves that a win is not a win. The Jets have squeaked by against mediocre teams. They are 1-2 against teams above .500. That, and not their record, is the true indicator of their team's true ability.
8:08 - Santonio is flapping his gums for no discernible reason after a first down reception. I wonder what Pats smack talk sparked this? They must have talked about his mother. It's the only thing that can bring a man to such angry emotion.
4:06 - Jets actually make a stop, then get a good return. But it was too good to be true. The return is called back by a penalty. Holmes is still flailing his arms like an angry alcoholic. I'm very curious about what set him off.
2:31 - Weatherford with another terrible punt. Maybe he should just get the snap and take off running. The Pats would have similar field position anyway.
1:03 - Sanchez is running the least hurried hurry-up offense I've ever seen. They need points on this possession. Scratch that. They need any sort of positive. Even five yards is a good sign.
0:00 - Jets can't even get the hail mary off to end the half - Wischusen's reaction: "wow."
Alright folks, it's halftime. Food break.
3rd Quarter
14:55 - And we're back. And of course to start the half, Jets fans hearts jump through their throats as Tomlinson inexplicably drops the ball. Good thing #52 on the Pats has stone hands.
12:27 - Braylon Edwards finally shows some signs of life. For the first time in the game, the Jets are in the Wendy's red zone. Yes, Wendy's. That's whom the Jets chose to sponsor their red zone. Coors light or some other beer probably would have been more appropriate.
12:27 - Marty Lyons, Wischusen's co-host, gives extensive stats indicating that the Pats cannot defend in the red zone. He might as well guarantee that they attempt a field goal with that jinx.
11:23 - In a surprising turn of events, Brad Smith is stopped a yard short of the first down on 3rd down.
11:23 - Jets going for it. Definitely not a QB sneak coming since Sanchez has proven himself inept. Slant to Santonio Holmes and he catches it. Holmes gets up and poses for the cameras. Yes, the Jets are still down 21.
9:23 - And Sanchez throws a pick. The Jets can thank Lyons for that one.
9:15 - 14-yard gain for Woodhead on a pass from Brady. On the bright side for the Jets, Joe McKnight has played well this season.
4:47 - Welker literally drags Drew Coleman into the end zone. Any time the small, weak, and extremely lightweight Wes Welker is dragging a defender into the end zone, you know your team has issues. 31-3, New England.
4:47 - Brady headbutts Welker in celebration of the TD, then keeps their heads locked as he says something to Welker. There are only two possibilities here.
1) "Great play Wes, keep it up and we'll really embarrass them."
2) "Aren't you glad that you're not on Miami anymore?"
4:04 - Joe McKnight getting ready to receive the kick. The only way he justifies his roster spot over Woodhead is by returning this kick for a TD. But it's a pooch kick. Can't really explain that one. It's not like McKnight's reputation warrants a pooch kick...
3:58 - Sanchez picked off again - this feels like those times when your friends do something so embarrassing that you have to look away. I might just turn this game off and end the live blog early.
3:30 - This is why I love Belichick and Brady. The Pats are up 28 with the game in the bag, but they are still throwing and going for more points. Lay the hammer down, and then some.
:55 - Woodhead - again. And then again. 49 more yards. Now he's got 2 carries for 11 yards and 4 catches for 104 yards. I think this has to be the single worst cut televised Hard Knocks cut of all time.
14:57 - 4th TD for Brady. No one covering Hernandez. I hope the Pats go for two.
10:50 - Pats get the ball back and go for it on 4th down in the red zone. Belichick hates the Jets too. Whether or not he wants to admit it is a different story.
9:26 - Another "eff you" TD from the Pats as BJ (not sure if that works) goes up the middle for 5 yards. Belichick is secretly loving this.
6:53 - Jets are back in the Wendy's red zone! YES! Apparently they have new french fries. That's about just as exciting as this game has been.
5:53 - Jets turn it over on downs - Tomlinson watches the ball go by him, literally. He could have stuck his hands out, but chose not too. That felt like a Randy Moss move.
5:49 - Jets turnover on downs. And Fred Taylor in the game! I think that's the biggest indicator that the game is over.
Alright, I think that's enough for one day. If you managed to make it through this monstrosity, leave a comment about the Jets/Pats game. Or something else that was immensely more interesting.
6:55 - Jets missed a 53-yard field goal. Why is it that everyone in the stadium knew the FG attempt was a bad move except for the man making the decision? It's cold, it's windy, it's the first quarter. Unnecessary. Brady will make the Jets pay. Mark my words.
6:55 - Wischusen: Nick Folk misses a 53 yard field goal by 53 yards - well put.
4:49 - Eric Smith proves why the Jets miss Jim Leonhard. I can't tell if Brady intentionally underthrew the ball knowing Smith was hell bent on knocking Gronkowski down.
4:04 - And Brady makes Rex Ryan pay for his poor decision-making. 10-0 Pats.
3:55 - Woodhead on the special teams tackle. Who didn't think that he would haunt the Jets?
2:34 - A 12 yard punt by Steve Weatherford. Sanchez is rattled - not a surprise. But Weatherford rattled too? There's something wrong with New York punters.
2:01 - Eric Smith had a chance at redemption, but did not capitalize. Can't let those chances go against Brady. He's the type of QB that will make a point to say "you should have caught that ball. Now I'm going to get six thanks to your incompetence."
1:15 - Belichick going for it on 4th down shows both is immortality and his insane confidence. But he's giving a chance to get back in the game. Ask Mark Sanchez to come back from a 13 point deficit. Don't give him renewed confidence.
1:07 - Of course the Pats convert and score a touchdown. Against any other team, a 17-0 deficit on the road on Monday Night signals the end of the game. But it's the Jets, and they love them some comeback magic.
2nd Quarter
12:24 - 3rd and 3 for the Jets at the Pats 21. A team with confidence runs the ball. But the Jets do not have that confidence. Instead, no hands Braylon drops the ball. The Nick Folk saga continues.
12:19 - Nick Folk field goal is barely good. The entire stadium was only inches from laughing at a Folk miss.
12:19 - This is what separates Tom Brady from Peyton Manning. While I'd probably take Manning over Brady in general, Brady has the emotional maturity and hatred of a 12-year-old boy. Except he manages to harness that hatred into a positive. He'll punish the Jets for only managing three points.
12:06 - The ghost/real body of Danny Woodhead is back to work. Huge gain to the Jets 33.
11:18 - Wischusen (David Harris hurt): "Harris is motionless down on one knee." I think that more accurately explains a position of prayer than an injury.
10:18 - Tom Brady QB sneak. He went in with reckless abandon. I hope Sanchez is taking notes.
9:07 - Deon Branch complains that he didn't set a pick (there was an offensive pass interference penalty on the play). I'm tired of players complaining regardless of the call. Tim Duncan syndrome seems to have spread to the NFL. Just in case professional athletes were wondering, you lose credibility when you argue every single call. Pick and choose your spots.
8:21 - Pats touchdown. Rex Ryan can't challenge because he does not want to be out of challenges early in the second quarter. It just goes to show that challenging the spot of the ball is by far the worst reason to challenge in the NFL. 24-3, New England.
8:21 - Donald Trump's hair makes its first appearance. A light wind gives the hair a life of its own. Simply put, it's moving like jello.
8:21 - This game just proves that a win is not a win. The Jets have squeaked by against mediocre teams. They are 1-2 against teams above .500. That, and not their record, is the true indicator of their team's true ability.
8:08 - Santonio is flapping his gums for no discernible reason after a first down reception. I wonder what Pats smack talk sparked this? They must have talked about his mother. It's the only thing that can bring a man to such angry emotion.
4:06 - Jets actually make a stop, then get a good return. But it was too good to be true. The return is called back by a penalty. Holmes is still flailing his arms like an angry alcoholic. I'm very curious about what set him off.
2:31 - Weatherford with another terrible punt. Maybe he should just get the snap and take off running. The Pats would have similar field position anyway.
1:03 - Sanchez is running the least hurried hurry-up offense I've ever seen. They need points on this possession. Scratch that. They need any sort of positive. Even five yards is a good sign.
0:00 - Jets can't even get the hail mary off to end the half - Wischusen's reaction: "wow."
Alright folks, it's halftime. Food break.
3rd Quarter
14:55 - And we're back. And of course to start the half, Jets fans hearts jump through their throats as Tomlinson inexplicably drops the ball. Good thing #52 on the Pats has stone hands.
12:27 - Braylon Edwards finally shows some signs of life. For the first time in the game, the Jets are in the Wendy's red zone. Yes, Wendy's. That's whom the Jets chose to sponsor their red zone. Coors light or some other beer probably would have been more appropriate.
12:27 - Marty Lyons, Wischusen's co-host, gives extensive stats indicating that the Pats cannot defend in the red zone. He might as well guarantee that they attempt a field goal with that jinx.
11:23 - In a surprising turn of events, Brad Smith is stopped a yard short of the first down on 3rd down.
11:23 - Jets going for it. Definitely not a QB sneak coming since Sanchez has proven himself inept. Slant to Santonio Holmes and he catches it. Holmes gets up and poses for the cameras. Yes, the Jets are still down 21.
9:23 - And Sanchez throws a pick. The Jets can thank Lyons for that one.
9:15 - 14-yard gain for Woodhead on a pass from Brady. On the bright side for the Jets, Joe McKnight has played well this season.
4:47 - Welker literally drags Drew Coleman into the end zone. Any time the small, weak, and extremely lightweight Wes Welker is dragging a defender into the end zone, you know your team has issues. 31-3, New England.
4:47 - Brady headbutts Welker in celebration of the TD, then keeps their heads locked as he says something to Welker. There are only two possibilities here.
1) "Great play Wes, keep it up and we'll really embarrass them."
2) "Aren't you glad that you're not on Miami anymore?"
4:04 - Joe McKnight getting ready to receive the kick. The only way he justifies his roster spot over Woodhead is by returning this kick for a TD. But it's a pooch kick. Can't really explain that one. It's not like McKnight's reputation warrants a pooch kick...
3:58 - Sanchez picked off again - this feels like those times when your friends do something so embarrassing that you have to look away. I might just turn this game off and end the live blog early.
3:30 - This is why I love Belichick and Brady. The Pats are up 28 with the game in the bag, but they are still throwing and going for more points. Lay the hammer down, and then some.
:55 - Woodhead - again. And then again. 49 more yards. Now he's got 2 carries for 11 yards and 4 catches for 104 yards. I think this has to be the single worst cut televised Hard Knocks cut of all time.
14:57 - 4th TD for Brady. No one covering Hernandez. I hope the Pats go for two.
10:50 - Pats get the ball back and go for it on 4th down in the red zone. Belichick hates the Jets too. Whether or not he wants to admit it is a different story.
9:26 - Another "eff you" TD from the Pats as BJ (not sure if that works) goes up the middle for 5 yards. Belichick is secretly loving this.
6:53 - Jets are back in the Wendy's red zone! YES! Apparently they have new french fries. That's about just as exciting as this game has been.
5:53 - Jets turn it over on downs - Tomlinson watches the ball go by him, literally. He could have stuck his hands out, but chose not too. That felt like a Randy Moss move.
5:49 - Jets turnover on downs. And Fred Taylor in the game! I think that's the biggest indicator that the game is over.
Alright, I think that's enough for one day. If you managed to make it through this monstrosity, leave a comment about the Jets/Pats game. Or something else that was immensely more interesting.
7 comments Weekend Roundup
This was a pretty busy sports weekend. A lot of stuff happened in baseball, college football, and in the NFL as well. I figured I would cover some of the important things that have happened this past weekend, since it was so busy. I'm a little surprised at how much money free agents are getting from MLB teams and of course no NFL weekend would be complete without some Brett Favre drama.
1. Let's start first with an absolutely terrible signing. Jayson Werth to the Nationals. It's not terrible because Werth doesn't have talent, not at all. It's terrible because the Nationals gave a 31 year old outfielder a $126 million contract when they could have done so much more with that money. I understand after losing Dunn they wanted to make a splash but that's no reason to spend a ton of money on Jayson Werth. He's not a top player in baseball, he isn't a guy you build your team around, and he just got paid like he was. I believe the Nationals could have competed better and quicker by splitting this money up among 2-3 players.
What annoys me the most is the Nationals could have signed Adam Dunn for $60 million and then spent $66 million on two other good players for their team. How about some pitching? Maybe another hitter or so? Why spend $126 million on Jayson Werth? I don't doubt Werth may perform well, that's not my issue. My issue is he isn't worth that long of a contract nor that much money in the long-term. Free agent deals like this are how bad teams stay bad.
I think the silliest justification in the article I linked was this:
2. I am sure you saw the national emergency alert go from red to orange on Saturday, which can only mean one thing...Derek Jeter re-signed with the Yankees. We knew it would happen. There was very little doubt. They paid him based on the production he has given the Yankees in the past of course. Why would they give him a contract based on his future production? That would be silly to do.
1. Let's start first with an absolutely terrible signing. Jayson Werth to the Nationals. It's not terrible because Werth doesn't have talent, not at all. It's terrible because the Nationals gave a 31 year old outfielder a $126 million contract when they could have done so much more with that money. I understand after losing Dunn they wanted to make a splash but that's no reason to spend a ton of money on Jayson Werth. He's not a top player in baseball, he isn't a guy you build your team around, and he just got paid like he was. I believe the Nationals could have competed better and quicker by splitting this money up among 2-3 players.
What annoys me the most is the Nationals could have signed Adam Dunn for $60 million and then spent $66 million on two other good players for their team. How about some pitching? Maybe another hitter or so? Why spend $126 million on Jayson Werth? I don't doubt Werth may perform well, that's not my issue. My issue is he isn't worth that long of a contract nor that much money in the long-term. Free agent deals like this are how bad teams stay bad.
I think the silliest justification in the article I linked was this:
2. I am sure you saw the national emergency alert go from red to orange on Saturday, which can only mean one thing...Derek Jeter re-signed with the Yankees. We knew it would happen. There was very little doubt. They paid him based on the production he has given the Yankees in the past of course. Why would they give him a contract based on his future production? That would be silly to do.
Saturday, December 4, 2010
2 comments NFL Picks Week 13
A couple of things to mention:
1. As you may have noticed, you can now subscribe to Bottom of the Barrel via email. The link is on the side, so do that if you're too lazy to check the website every day.
2. For those of you who do not know, I make picks against the spread every week for JOCKpost. If you'd like to see my terrible predictions and mindless commentary, here they are. Otherwise just scroll down and read Bengoodfella's latest post on Jeter.
1. As you may have noticed, you can now subscribe to Bottom of the Barrel via email. The link is on the side, so do that if you're too lazy to check the website every day.
2. For those of you who do not know, I make picks against the spread every week for JOCKpost. If you'd like to see my terrible predictions and mindless commentary, here they are. Otherwise just scroll down and read Bengoodfella's latest post on Jeter.
2 comments Mike Lupica Thinks the Yankees Should Just Give Derek Jeter As Much Money As He Wants
The title of the column that Mike Lupica has written is, "Only Hal Steinbrenner can fix the disconnect between the Yankees, Brian Cashman, and Derek Jeter." Really, the column isn't about that. It's about Mike Lupica believing Derek Jeter deserves as much money as he asks for. I believe the Yankees should re-sign Derek Jeter, if only because he wouldn't look right in another uniform, the Yankees don't currently have a backup option at shortstop and he is a fantastic marketing tool for them. The Yankees should not low ball him, which I don't believe they have done, but they also shouldn't back up the Brinks truck to his doorstep.
Thursday, December 2, 2010
10 comments Gregg Foresees a Colts Decline In the Future...Doesn't Foresee His Own Idiocy
After last week's startling revelation that NFL players have to work hard in order to be good players, Gregg comes back this week with a discussion of what is wrong with the Colts. After all, they lost a game on Sunday, so there has to be something wrong with them. Nevermind the injuries they have suffered this season to key players or any other logical reason for why they may be struggling, it's probably because that same offensive predictability which Gregg has lauded in the past is now a bad thing. Like most things in Gregg's world, something like the Colts offense is perfect and works well until it doesn't work well, and then there is a huge problem that needs to be fixed. Gregg must not realize sometimes the scheme a team runs is dependent on good players running that scheme.
Four seasons ago, these Colts won the Super Bowl. Just nine months ago, they held the lead in the fourth quarter of the Super Bowl. For the past eight seasons, the Colts have won at least 12 games, one of the top achievements in NFL annals.
Peyton Manning and Jeff Saturday are first-ballot Hall of Famers, and others on this team, including at least Dwight Freeney and Dallas Clark, will be considered to don the garish yellow jacket in Canton. Yet the home crowd was booing, and loudly.
Three of these four players are first round picks. Since this is TMQ, and he loves how the Colts find undrafted and lowly drafted players to perform well for them, I thought I would add this. Of the four Hall of Fame-type players Gregg listed, three of them are highly paid first round picks that Gregg flogs on a weekly basis.
Stretching back to kickoff of this past February's Super Bowl, Indianapolis is 6-6.
What's wrong with the Colts? Here is TMQ's take:
Injuries and a lack of talented depth at some key positions in order to continue to be a Super Bowl contending team. It's that simple. Now that you have heard the logical reason for why the Colts are struggling, let's hear some illogical ones.
Manning has always been so efficient that it didn't seem to matter if the Colts endlessly ran the same looks from the same formation. Now it matters.
For years, Manning has rarely been sacked or hurried; he's accustomed to a clean pocket. When he's hit, he becomes antsy, and in 2010, he's being hit. Philip Rivers, Drew Brees, Ben Roethlisberger, Michael Vick -- these quarterbacks seem to like chaos and excel when the pocket breaks down.
Because when I think of quarterbacks with great scrambling ability, Drew Brees and Philip Rivers immediately stand out. Manning has also been rarely sacked or hurried because he is very good at moving around in the pocket to avoid a sack. I'm not sure Drew Brees or Rivers actually likes the pocket to break down.
Ryan Lilja. After the Super Bowl loss, Colts general manager Bill Polian openly blamed the offensive line, which was a mean-spirited thing to do -- win as a team, lose as a team. He made guard Ryan Lilja the scapegoat, waiving him. Lilja was the Colts' best run-blocker, but Polian didn't care about that;
The Colts were last in rushing in 2009. The lack of a quality running game isn't to blame for the Colts woes this year. The Colts have waived good players before and developed other players to play behind that player. That's what they are known for and Gregg compliments them on doing this week after week. Of course, now it is a bad thing since the plan isn't working.
Oh, how the Colts now wish they still had Lilja.
Possibly true. The Colts also wish they had Anthony Gonzalez, Gary Brackett, Bob Sanders, Dallas Clark, a healthy group of running backs, and healthy wide receivers. Of course I am sure it is solely the loss of the run blocking Lilja that has screwed the Colts up.
Polian is good at assembling NFL teams but wore out his welcome at Buffalo and Carolina, in playoff years in both places, because he's so hard to take. How much longer 'til he wears out his welcome in Indianapolis?
Polian has been there since the 1998 season. I have a feeling he is going to be there as long as he wants to be. He left Buffalo and Carolina voluntarily, so it is not like he was forced out at either of those spots.
Dallas Clark.
Gary Brackett.
Yes, it is injuries to key players that are screwing the 6-5 Colts over. In fact, I don't know how they have managed to be 6-5. Gregg takes these injuries as a sign the entire team and offensive game plan are defective and must immediately be fixed.
But the spoiled, booing Indianapolis spectators ought to cheer while they can because this franchise might be entering a cycle of decline.
Assuming most of Peyton Manning's weapons get injured next year, and you call this a decline, perhaps this is correct. Otherwise, it is a bad year for the Colts in regard to injuries and this has affected the team's performance. Bottom line.
Now, the Flaming Thumbtacks have lost three straight; they're playing a befuddled third-string quarterback; coach Jeff Fisher and star Vince Young are openly arguing; corner Cortland Finnegan looks like a horse's behind; and, on Sunday, the Titans were shut out by the league's 31st-ranked defense.
Finnegan was a lowly drafted player, which is a point Gregg conveniently leaves out. If it were DeAngelo Hall or any other highly drafted player he would be sure to bring up that player's draft position in this discussion.
Moss was sent packing in October by the Patriots, who are now 9-2 and are looking solid without him. He arrived at Minnesota, accomplished nothing but causing discord, and was waived. Since Moss arrived at Tennessee, the Titans have gone into an 0-3 nosedive
I guess Gregg is still conveniently the times the Patriots were very good with Moss on the roster and the Vikings had discord going on before and after Moss was on the team.
In college football news, the weekend could not have gone better for BCS proponents. Oregon and Auburn are now ideally positioned from the BCS perspective: If both win their finales, there will be no doubt they should be paired for the title.
Except for that whole "TCU is still undefeated thing," it all worked out really well for the BCS. Also, except for the whole "the Big East gets a BCS bid" thing, it worked out really, really well for the BCS in that respect too. So the good news is the BCS screwed up the other BCS games and not just the National Championship this year. Progress!
Oregon and Auburn both lose. Chaos. TCU would finish first in the BCS rankings and meet one of several possible schools, including Stanford. Your columnist would be on the first plane to attend a TCU-Stanford national title game, pitting an outsider small college against one of the few major football programs that actually requires players to attend class. Backers of Oregon, Auburn, Wisconsin and Ohio State would go nuts if the championship were TCU-Stanford. This scenario would provide the amusement value of football-factory types maintaining that it is somehow unfair that schools where the students study are playing for a football championship -- and this scenario would give ammunition to the argument that the top of Division I needs a playoff.
I am sure that is the exact argument that would be used. OSU, Oregon, Auburn and Wisconsin would publicly come out and complain a school that makes its football players go to class are in the National Championship game. How about the fact there is a possibility for three undefeated teams...that doesn't mean there should be a playoff? Or this should at least be looked at as a possibility?
But consider: The Big East winner, with at least four defeats (there's a chance the conference will produce a 7-5 champ) will attend the BCS party, while Michigan State at 11-1, LSU and Arkansas at 10-2, and at least one of Missouri, Nebraska and Oklahoma, all highly ranked -- aren't invited. Which means this year, the BCS format will harm some football-factory cartel members.
So West Virginia and Pittsburgh are not "football factories?" They have a chance to win the Big East this year as well (or at least West Virginia does).
The football gods will chortle.
Because it is better to have an undeserving team make a BCS game rather than a deserving team where Gregg Easterbrook proclaims the student/athletes don't study?
With the score tied at 3 with three minutes remaining before intermission, Baltimore had second-and-10 on its 35. The Nevermores came out with two tight ends, suggesting a power rush, a common Ravens action. But the extra tight end was Dennis Pitta, a pass-catching tight end; the Ravens don't have a blocking tight end on their roster this season.
None of the Ravens tight ends are capable of blocking at all. This is a fact that can't be disputed. I'm going to start calling statements like this Easterbrookian facts. These would be facts that really can't be proven and are used as blanket statements so a point that may or may not be true can be proven as true by Gregg.
That should have tipped defenders to expect a throw.
Exactly. Because Pitta is physically incapable of blocking. He has no clue how.
Just before the snap, tight end Todd Heap shifted from a slot-back set onto the line while the wide receiver on his side stepped off the line into the backfield to make Heap eligible. In reaction to this common shift, all three City of Tampa linebackers changed positions. I watched the tape several times and have no idea what the Bucs' linebackers were thinking.
"We have a defensive play called that involves us shifting when these offensive players shift. Our coach has called some sort of zone man defense or something that is intended to confuse the offense. We probably should obey the play call and not ignore what the coaches want us to do."
I'm assuming that's what they were thinking. Gregg probably thinks these defensive players were moving around for no particular reason, which would be a safe assumption if a person knew very little about football.
At the snap, Heap simply ran a seam, every tight end's favorite pattern, and was covered by no one for a 65-yard touchdown.
EVERY tight ends favorite pattern. No tight ends like any other pattern the best.
With first-and-goal against Tennessee, score tied at 0, the Texans came out in the three-TE power set,
Were these blocking tight ends or tight ends that have no clue how to block? This is important in Gregg's analysis.
The blocking back went in "slide" motion right, to the side with two tight ends, cueing the defense that the action would be a blast right. Instead, it was a play fake: One tight end went into the right flat, drawing the safety on that side, while tight end Joel Dreessen ran into the end zone uncovered. This sweet touchdown set the Texans' shutout win in motion and kept their postseason hopes alive.
Didn't the Titans know Dreessen is a pass catching tight end? What idiots!
With St. Louis leading 33-20 in the fourth quarter at Backgammon Field, the Rams had third-and-goal against the Broncos. Rookie Sam Bradford rolled out, saw no one open and simply threw the ball away. Often simply throwing the ball away is the smartest move a quarterback can make. On the next snap, Les Mouflons kicked a field goal that would prove to be the game's winning points.
That's pure genius! It is a great move by Bradford, but I am not sure it is worth a mention in TMQ. The Rams were up 13 points in the fourth quarter on a third-and-goal. Halfway decent quarterbacks throw the ball away, so this isn't an extraordinary play.
Tim Layden notes in the fine new book "Blood, Sweat and Chalk" that Don Coryell taught quarterbacks, "I will never complain when you throw an incompletion." Interceptions are disasters. Sacks are problems. Incompletions? We'll just make it up later.
To a point. A quarterback has to complete a pass or take a chance at some point during the game. Taking a sack isn't always a bad thing. Sure, it involves a loss of yardage, but if a quarterback is in the pocket then he may not be able to throw an incompletion.
With Jacksonville leading 20-17 with three minutes remaining at The Stadium From Which You Can See New York, the Giants faced third-and-10 on the Jax 32. The Jaguars blitzed seven -- both an invitation to score an easy touchdown and puzzling, given that Jersey/A was already on the edge of field goal range. Easy 32-yard touchdown to Kevin Boss, who wasn't covered by anyone.
The Jags were on the road and probably wanted to make the Giants kick a longer field goal or keep them out of range to avoid going into overtime on the road. I am sure they had their reasons. If this had worked, Gregg would not have questioned the blitz. He only questions the outcome, not the strategy used.
Now Jax, trailing 24-20, has first-and-10 on the home team 29 just inside the two-minute warning. The Giants run a choreographed blitz on which Osi Umenyiora, the right end, sprints straight up the field and allows the Jacksonville left tackle to drive him behind Jax quarterback David Garrard -- an action that opens a lane for safety Antrel Rolle to come through unblocked for the sack. Normally, a left tackle who drives the right end behind the quarterback has won the down; in this case, Umenyiora was cooperating to leave a lane for Rolle. Garrard was sacked on each of the next two snaps, closing out the contest. So blitzes themselves aren't bad -- but there's smart blitzing and dumb blitzing.
So this was smart blitzing, using a safety to blitz, which Gregg tells us nearly every week is a stupid thing to do. This is as opposed to a dumb blitz. I know everyone is dying to know the difference. I will tell you. The difference is that a dumb blitz doesn't work and a smart blitz does work. It all depends on the outcome. It's a pretty stupid way to judge whether a blitz is smart or not, but it is the way of Easterbrook.
With Oakland leading 14-10 late in the first half, the South Florida Dolphins faced third-and-10, beyond field goal range. The Raiders blitzed seven, and an easy completion to the Oakland 20 set up a field goal, helping spark the visitors' comeback win. Why mega-blitz when the opponent isn't in field goal range? Just play coverages and get an incompletion.
It's that fucking easy. Just play coverage, give the quarterback plenty of time to throw the ball and he will throw a guaranteed incompletion. See how simple it is? Of course a logical person may say, "but Gregg, what if the quarterback throws a complete pass because he isn't pressured, so his team gets a first down and the team manages to get in field goal range anyway?" Well, that wouldn't happen in Gregg's world.
Angie Hernandez of Alexandria, Va., reports, "Every year I make my pilgrimage back to El Paso, Texas, my hometown, for Christmas. On November 24th, I got an email from Southwest Airlines headlined, 'A reminder about your upcoming trip to El Paso.' One month before the trip."
What shitty customer service! Shouldn't they send this email the day before the trip? Why would a company want to keep in contact with a customer before his/her flight?
TMQ dislikes that the Spider-Man movies have given Peter Parker far more powers than he had in the comics. Spidey in the movies can fly and can shoot unlimited amounts of web (we never find out where the web material originates), whereas the comic-book Spider-Man could swing short distances and use his web shooter only occasionally (two or three shots used up the fluid in tiny tanks strapped to his wrists).
Why can't the fictional movie stay completely true to the fictional comic books? There has to be SOME realism between two completely fictional stories, doesn't there?
Since Nick Saban joined the ranks of weasel coaches, TMQ hadn't rooted for Alabama. I did on Friday because I am suspicious about Auburn, a school that has shown favoritism to football players in the recent past. No accusation regarding Cam Newton has been proved, and it may well be that he has done nothing wrong. But if he and Auburn have nothing to hide, why has coach Gene Chizik taken a "how dare you criticize us" stance, lashing out at the media?
Because he wants to believe Auburn is innocent and didn't do anything wrong and is tired of the criticism? It has been a pretty big story and I am sure if you are the head coach of a team that could win the National Championship you don't want your best player's attention diverted.
If he calmly presented the reasons Newton should be believed, he'd be credible. Instead, Chizik gets angry and denounces the media. Funny -- he doesn't denounce the media when they laud Newton or hype Auburn football.
He doesn't denounce the media in that situation because he believes the media to be correct in their hyping of Auburn. Really...Gregg can't see the difference in Chizik's reaction to the media accusing his school of recruiting violations and the media covering his team with a positive slant?
Back to Saban, who screamed at players repeatedly on the sideline as the Crimson Tide lost their 24-0 lead, and the game, to Auburn. Screaming is a sure sign of poor coaching. Saban screamed at the punter after a shanked punt. Did he think the punter intended to shank the ball?
No, he's screaming because the punter obviously didn't listen to the coaching (in the mind of Nick Saban) he received or else he wouldn't have shanked the ball. Someone needs to tell Bill Parcells that screaming is the sure sign of bad coaching.
Trailing San Francisco 14-3 in the second quarter, the Arizona Cardinals faced fourth-and-inches on their 40. The Cardinals, at 3-7, would run up the white flag on the season if they lost this game. They're playing at home on "Monday Night Football." Their opponent, also 3-7, is one of the league's worst teams, and its star, Frank Gore, has left the game injured. If the Cardinals are going to change their 2010 fortunes, it's got to be now.
If the 49ers have lost their best offensive player and are a bad team, wouldn't it make sense to not give that team the ball at the 40 yard line? Assuming the Cardinals didn't believe they could get the first down on the fourth down play, it makes sense.
What I really want to know is, where's all the talk about the Crabtree Curse this week? That's right, the 49ers won so Gregg doesn't bring that up.
Trailing 28-20 in the fourth quarter, fifth-ranked LSU faced fourth-and-3 on its 39. As the punt boomed, TMQ wrote the words "game over" in his notebook. When LSU next saw the ball, the Tigers were down by 11 late in the fourth quarter and it was panic time.
LSU punted the ball and Auburn got a field goal, clearly proving they could move the ball well against LSU. Why would LSU give Auburn a chance to get the ball even closer to their own end zone? So even in retrospect it kind of made sense to punt the ball and not give Auburn a short field. Maybe LSU should have gone for it here, but Gregg always pretends like there isn't an argument to be made against going for it on fourth down in some of these situations when this isn't true. It may have been a chicken move, but it was defensible.
Under the rubric Unified Field Theory of Creep, TMQ noted that the Mercedes "Winter Event" sale began in mid-November, six weeks before the solstice marks the arrival of winter in North America, and ends on Jan. 4, just after winter starts. Brian Holland of Dublin retorts: "Mercedes is a German company, and for Germany, winter is considered as beginning on Martinmas or St. Martin's Day, 11 November. In past centuries, this was the day by which farmers were to have completed their preparations for winter: women would work only indoors beginning on this day, while men would work only in the forest because the fieldwork was finished and the meat animals had been slaughtered for preservation. The United States is rare in thinking that winter begins around Christmas. In most of Europe, winter is thought to happen from mid November to mid February."
In your face Gregg Easterbrook. So there is no creep, it's the United States that is out of touch with when winter actually begins.
Mark Marriott of Brookfield, Wis., adds, "When Favre threw 29 interceptions in 2005, he blew up the Packers and got the head coach, Mike Sherman, fired. In 42 games of 2005, 2008 and 2010, Favre threw 68 interceptions and got three head coaches fired. Not to mention 1999, when he threw 23 interceptions and got head coach Ray Rhodes fired." Obviously, if Favre throws picks, the only possible explanation is that the team's coach has failed to kiss Favre's feet!
This is not exactly true, but I still like the Favre-bashing with this comment. I am sure there were other factors that got some of these coaches fired, so it wasn't all about Favre...much to his own dismay I am sure.
Single Worst Play of the Season -- So Far: The Eagles are talking return to the Super Bowl. On their opening possession at Chicago, facing third-and-8, Michael Vick danced in the pocket trying to buy time for a receiver to get open and was sacked, setting the tone for what would become a loss. On the play, after their initial blocks, all five Philadelphia offensive linemen stood around doing nothing, not even attempting to help Vick, just watching him try to evade defensive linemen -- all four of them unblocked at that point.
I'm not sure if this play happened exactly like Gregg mentions it did here. I would imagine one of two things happened. Possibly, the Eagles linemen did not move towards Vick because they couldn't have moved fast enough to help him or possibly they didn't want to block one of the defensive linemen because they didn't want to be called for a block in the back or holding on the play.
TMQ notes that it's surprisingly common, during an NFL down, to find a player who is doing nothing at all, just standing there watching.
This is another Easterbrookian fact. Sure, it may happen, but many times if a player is standing around not doing anything there isn't much for him to do on the play or the play is taking place away from him. Now Gregg has me defending lazy football players. Great.
Four seasons ago, these Colts won the Super Bowl. Just nine months ago, they held the lead in the fourth quarter of the Super Bowl. For the past eight seasons, the Colts have won at least 12 games, one of the top achievements in NFL annals.
Peyton Manning and Jeff Saturday are first-ballot Hall of Famers, and others on this team, including at least Dwight Freeney and Dallas Clark, will be considered to don the garish yellow jacket in Canton. Yet the home crowd was booing, and loudly.
Three of these four players are first round picks. Since this is TMQ, and he loves how the Colts find undrafted and lowly drafted players to perform well for them, I thought I would add this. Of the four Hall of Fame-type players Gregg listed, three of them are highly paid first round picks that Gregg flogs on a weekly basis.
Stretching back to kickoff of this past February's Super Bowl, Indianapolis is 6-6.
What's wrong with the Colts? Here is TMQ's take:
Injuries and a lack of talented depth at some key positions in order to continue to be a Super Bowl contending team. It's that simple. Now that you have heard the logical reason for why the Colts are struggling, let's hear some illogical ones.
Manning has always been so efficient that it didn't seem to matter if the Colts endlessly ran the same looks from the same formation. Now it matters.
For years, Manning has rarely been sacked or hurried; he's accustomed to a clean pocket. When he's hit, he becomes antsy, and in 2010, he's being hit. Philip Rivers, Drew Brees, Ben Roethlisberger, Michael Vick -- these quarterbacks seem to like chaos and excel when the pocket breaks down.
Because when I think of quarterbacks with great scrambling ability, Drew Brees and Philip Rivers immediately stand out. Manning has also been rarely sacked or hurried because he is very good at moving around in the pocket to avoid a sack. I'm not sure Drew Brees or Rivers actually likes the pocket to break down.
Ryan Lilja. After the Super Bowl loss, Colts general manager Bill Polian openly blamed the offensive line, which was a mean-spirited thing to do -- win as a team, lose as a team. He made guard Ryan Lilja the scapegoat, waiving him. Lilja was the Colts' best run-blocker, but Polian didn't care about that;
The Colts were last in rushing in 2009. The lack of a quality running game isn't to blame for the Colts woes this year. The Colts have waived good players before and developed other players to play behind that player. That's what they are known for and Gregg compliments them on doing this week after week. Of course, now it is a bad thing since the plan isn't working.
Oh, how the Colts now wish they still had Lilja.
Possibly true. The Colts also wish they had Anthony Gonzalez, Gary Brackett, Bob Sanders, Dallas Clark, a healthy group of running backs, and healthy wide receivers. Of course I am sure it is solely the loss of the run blocking Lilja that has screwed the Colts up.
Polian is good at assembling NFL teams but wore out his welcome at Buffalo and Carolina, in playoff years in both places, because he's so hard to take. How much longer 'til he wears out his welcome in Indianapolis?
Polian has been there since the 1998 season. I have a feeling he is going to be there as long as he wants to be. He left Buffalo and Carolina voluntarily, so it is not like he was forced out at either of those spots.
Dallas Clark.
Gary Brackett.
Yes, it is injuries to key players that are screwing the 6-5 Colts over. In fact, I don't know how they have managed to be 6-5. Gregg takes these injuries as a sign the entire team and offensive game plan are defective and must immediately be fixed.
But the spoiled, booing Indianapolis spectators ought to cheer while they can because this franchise might be entering a cycle of decline.
Assuming most of Peyton Manning's weapons get injured next year, and you call this a decline, perhaps this is correct. Otherwise, it is a bad year for the Colts in regard to injuries and this has affected the team's performance. Bottom line.
Now, the Flaming Thumbtacks have lost three straight; they're playing a befuddled third-string quarterback; coach Jeff Fisher and star Vince Young are openly arguing; corner Cortland Finnegan looks like a horse's behind; and, on Sunday, the Titans were shut out by the league's 31st-ranked defense.
This can't possibly have anything to do with the arrival of Randy Moss, can it?
No, it has absolutely nothing to do with the arrival of Randy Moss. It has more to do with the immaturity and breakdown of the relationship between Jeff Fisher and Vince Young. Cortland Finnegan got in a fight with Andre Johnson, that's all.Finnegan was a lowly drafted player, which is a point Gregg conveniently leaves out. If it were DeAngelo Hall or any other highly drafted player he would be sure to bring up that player's draft position in this discussion.
Moss was sent packing in October by the Patriots, who are now 9-2 and are looking solid without him. He arrived at Minnesota, accomplished nothing but causing discord, and was waived. Since Moss arrived at Tennessee, the Titans have gone into an 0-3 nosedive
I guess Gregg is still conveniently the times the Patriots were very good with Moss on the roster and the Vikings had discord going on before and after Moss was on the team.
In college football news, the weekend could not have gone better for BCS proponents. Oregon and Auburn are now ideally positioned from the BCS perspective: If both win their finales, there will be no doubt they should be paired for the title.
Except for that whole "TCU is still undefeated thing," it all worked out really well for the BCS. Also, except for the whole "the Big East gets a BCS bid" thing, it worked out really, really well for the BCS in that respect too. So the good news is the BCS screwed up the other BCS games and not just the National Championship this year. Progress!
Oregon and Auburn both lose. Chaos. TCU would finish first in the BCS rankings and meet one of several possible schools, including Stanford. Your columnist would be on the first plane to attend a TCU-Stanford national title game, pitting an outsider small college against one of the few major football programs that actually requires players to attend class. Backers of Oregon, Auburn, Wisconsin and Ohio State would go nuts if the championship were TCU-Stanford. This scenario would provide the amusement value of football-factory types maintaining that it is somehow unfair that schools where the students study are playing for a football championship -- and this scenario would give ammunition to the argument that the top of Division I needs a playoff.
I am sure that is the exact argument that would be used. OSU, Oregon, Auburn and Wisconsin would publicly come out and complain a school that makes its football players go to class are in the National Championship game. How about the fact there is a possibility for three undefeated teams...that doesn't mean there should be a playoff? Or this should at least be looked at as a possibility?
But consider: The Big East winner, with at least four defeats (there's a chance the conference will produce a 7-5 champ) will attend the BCS party, while Michigan State at 11-1, LSU and Arkansas at 10-2, and at least one of Missouri, Nebraska and Oklahoma, all highly ranked -- aren't invited. Which means this year, the BCS format will harm some football-factory cartel members.
So West Virginia and Pittsburgh are not "football factories?" They have a chance to win the Big East this year as well (or at least West Virginia does).
The football gods will chortle.
Because it is better to have an undeserving team make a BCS game rather than a deserving team where Gregg Easterbrook proclaims the student/athletes don't study?
With the score tied at 3 with three minutes remaining before intermission, Baltimore had second-and-10 on its 35. The Nevermores came out with two tight ends, suggesting a power rush, a common Ravens action. But the extra tight end was Dennis Pitta, a pass-catching tight end; the Ravens don't have a blocking tight end on their roster this season.
None of the Ravens tight ends are capable of blocking at all. This is a fact that can't be disputed. I'm going to start calling statements like this Easterbrookian facts. These would be facts that really can't be proven and are used as blanket statements so a point that may or may not be true can be proven as true by Gregg.
That should have tipped defenders to expect a throw.
Exactly. Because Pitta is physically incapable of blocking. He has no clue how.
Just before the snap, tight end Todd Heap shifted from a slot-back set onto the line while the wide receiver on his side stepped off the line into the backfield to make Heap eligible. In reaction to this common shift, all three City of Tampa linebackers changed positions. I watched the tape several times and have no idea what the Bucs' linebackers were thinking.
"We have a defensive play called that involves us shifting when these offensive players shift. Our coach has called some sort of zone man defense or something that is intended to confuse the offense. We probably should obey the play call and not ignore what the coaches want us to do."
I'm assuming that's what they were thinking. Gregg probably thinks these defensive players were moving around for no particular reason, which would be a safe assumption if a person knew very little about football.
At the snap, Heap simply ran a seam, every tight end's favorite pattern, and was covered by no one for a 65-yard touchdown.
EVERY tight ends favorite pattern. No tight ends like any other pattern the best.
With first-and-goal against Tennessee, score tied at 0, the Texans came out in the three-TE power set,
Were these blocking tight ends or tight ends that have no clue how to block? This is important in Gregg's analysis.
The blocking back went in "slide" motion right, to the side with two tight ends, cueing the defense that the action would be a blast right. Instead, it was a play fake: One tight end went into the right flat, drawing the safety on that side, while tight end Joel Dreessen ran into the end zone uncovered. This sweet touchdown set the Texans' shutout win in motion and kept their postseason hopes alive.
Didn't the Titans know Dreessen is a pass catching tight end? What idiots!
With St. Louis leading 33-20 in the fourth quarter at Backgammon Field, the Rams had third-and-goal against the Broncos. Rookie Sam Bradford rolled out, saw no one open and simply threw the ball away. Often simply throwing the ball away is the smartest move a quarterback can make. On the next snap, Les Mouflons kicked a field goal that would prove to be the game's winning points.
That's pure genius! It is a great move by Bradford, but I am not sure it is worth a mention in TMQ. The Rams were up 13 points in the fourth quarter on a third-and-goal. Halfway decent quarterbacks throw the ball away, so this isn't an extraordinary play.
Tim Layden notes in the fine new book "Blood, Sweat and Chalk" that Don Coryell taught quarterbacks, "I will never complain when you throw an incompletion." Interceptions are disasters. Sacks are problems. Incompletions? We'll just make it up later.
To a point. A quarterback has to complete a pass or take a chance at some point during the game. Taking a sack isn't always a bad thing. Sure, it involves a loss of yardage, but if a quarterback is in the pocket then he may not be able to throw an incompletion.
With Jacksonville leading 20-17 with three minutes remaining at The Stadium From Which You Can See New York, the Giants faced third-and-10 on the Jax 32. The Jaguars blitzed seven -- both an invitation to score an easy touchdown and puzzling, given that Jersey/A was already on the edge of field goal range. Easy 32-yard touchdown to Kevin Boss, who wasn't covered by anyone.
The Jags were on the road and probably wanted to make the Giants kick a longer field goal or keep them out of range to avoid going into overtime on the road. I am sure they had their reasons. If this had worked, Gregg would not have questioned the blitz. He only questions the outcome, not the strategy used.
Now Jax, trailing 24-20, has first-and-10 on the home team 29 just inside the two-minute warning. The Giants run a choreographed blitz on which Osi Umenyiora, the right end, sprints straight up the field and allows the Jacksonville left tackle to drive him behind Jax quarterback David Garrard -- an action that opens a lane for safety Antrel Rolle to come through unblocked for the sack. Normally, a left tackle who drives the right end behind the quarterback has won the down; in this case, Umenyiora was cooperating to leave a lane for Rolle. Garrard was sacked on each of the next two snaps, closing out the contest. So blitzes themselves aren't bad -- but there's smart blitzing and dumb blitzing.
So this was smart blitzing, using a safety to blitz, which Gregg tells us nearly every week is a stupid thing to do. This is as opposed to a dumb blitz. I know everyone is dying to know the difference. I will tell you. The difference is that a dumb blitz doesn't work and a smart blitz does work. It all depends on the outcome. It's a pretty stupid way to judge whether a blitz is smart or not, but it is the way of Easterbrook.
With Oakland leading 14-10 late in the first half, the South Florida Dolphins faced third-and-10, beyond field goal range. The Raiders blitzed seven, and an easy completion to the Oakland 20 set up a field goal, helping spark the visitors' comeback win. Why mega-blitz when the opponent isn't in field goal range? Just play coverages and get an incompletion.
It's that fucking easy. Just play coverage, give the quarterback plenty of time to throw the ball and he will throw a guaranteed incompletion. See how simple it is? Of course a logical person may say, "but Gregg, what if the quarterback throws a complete pass because he isn't pressured, so his team gets a first down and the team manages to get in field goal range anyway?" Well, that wouldn't happen in Gregg's world.
Angie Hernandez of Alexandria, Va., reports, "Every year I make my pilgrimage back to El Paso, Texas, my hometown, for Christmas. On November 24th, I got an email from Southwest Airlines headlined, 'A reminder about your upcoming trip to El Paso.' One month before the trip."
What shitty customer service! Shouldn't they send this email the day before the trip? Why would a company want to keep in contact with a customer before his/her flight?
TMQ dislikes that the Spider-Man movies have given Peter Parker far more powers than he had in the comics. Spidey in the movies can fly and can shoot unlimited amounts of web (we never find out where the web material originates), whereas the comic-book Spider-Man could swing short distances and use his web shooter only occasionally (two or three shots used up the fluid in tiny tanks strapped to his wrists).
Why can't the fictional movie stay completely true to the fictional comic books? There has to be SOME realism between two completely fictional stories, doesn't there?
Since Nick Saban joined the ranks of weasel coaches, TMQ hadn't rooted for Alabama. I did on Friday because I am suspicious about Auburn, a school that has shown favoritism to football players in the recent past. No accusation regarding Cam Newton has been proved, and it may well be that he has done nothing wrong. But if he and Auburn have nothing to hide, why has coach Gene Chizik taken a "how dare you criticize us" stance, lashing out at the media?
Because he wants to believe Auburn is innocent and didn't do anything wrong and is tired of the criticism? It has been a pretty big story and I am sure if you are the head coach of a team that could win the National Championship you don't want your best player's attention diverted.
If he calmly presented the reasons Newton should be believed, he'd be credible. Instead, Chizik gets angry and denounces the media. Funny -- he doesn't denounce the media when they laud Newton or hype Auburn football.
He doesn't denounce the media in that situation because he believes the media to be correct in their hyping of Auburn. Really...Gregg can't see the difference in Chizik's reaction to the media accusing his school of recruiting violations and the media covering his team with a positive slant?
Back to Saban, who screamed at players repeatedly on the sideline as the Crimson Tide lost their 24-0 lead, and the game, to Auburn. Screaming is a sure sign of poor coaching. Saban screamed at the punter after a shanked punt. Did he think the punter intended to shank the ball?
No, he's screaming because the punter obviously didn't listen to the coaching (in the mind of Nick Saban) he received or else he wouldn't have shanked the ball. Someone needs to tell Bill Parcells that screaming is the sure sign of bad coaching.
Trailing San Francisco 14-3 in the second quarter, the Arizona Cardinals faced fourth-and-inches on their 40. The Cardinals, at 3-7, would run up the white flag on the season if they lost this game. They're playing at home on "Monday Night Football." Their opponent, also 3-7, is one of the league's worst teams, and its star, Frank Gore, has left the game injured. If the Cardinals are going to change their 2010 fortunes, it's got to be now.
If the 49ers have lost their best offensive player and are a bad team, wouldn't it make sense to not give that team the ball at the 40 yard line? Assuming the Cardinals didn't believe they could get the first down on the fourth down play, it makes sense.
What I really want to know is, where's all the talk about the Crabtree Curse this week? That's right, the 49ers won so Gregg doesn't bring that up.
Trailing 28-20 in the fourth quarter, fifth-ranked LSU faced fourth-and-3 on its 39. As the punt boomed, TMQ wrote the words "game over" in his notebook. When LSU next saw the ball, the Tigers were down by 11 late in the fourth quarter and it was panic time.
LSU punted the ball and Auburn got a field goal, clearly proving they could move the ball well against LSU. Why would LSU give Auburn a chance to get the ball even closer to their own end zone? So even in retrospect it kind of made sense to punt the ball and not give Auburn a short field. Maybe LSU should have gone for it here, but Gregg always pretends like there isn't an argument to be made against going for it on fourth down in some of these situations when this isn't true. It may have been a chicken move, but it was defensible.
Under the rubric Unified Field Theory of Creep, TMQ noted that the Mercedes "Winter Event" sale began in mid-November, six weeks before the solstice marks the arrival of winter in North America, and ends on Jan. 4, just after winter starts. Brian Holland of Dublin retorts: "Mercedes is a German company, and for Germany, winter is considered as beginning on Martinmas or St. Martin's Day, 11 November. In past centuries, this was the day by which farmers were to have completed their preparations for winter: women would work only indoors beginning on this day, while men would work only in the forest because the fieldwork was finished and the meat animals had been slaughtered for preservation. The United States is rare in thinking that winter begins around Christmas. In most of Europe, winter is thought to happen from mid November to mid February."
In your face Gregg Easterbrook. So there is no creep, it's the United States that is out of touch with when winter actually begins.
Mark Marriott of Brookfield, Wis., adds, "When Favre threw 29 interceptions in 2005, he blew up the Packers and got the head coach, Mike Sherman, fired. In 42 games of 2005, 2008 and 2010, Favre threw 68 interceptions and got three head coaches fired. Not to mention 1999, when he threw 23 interceptions and got head coach Ray Rhodes fired." Obviously, if Favre throws picks, the only possible explanation is that the team's coach has failed to kiss Favre's feet!
This is not exactly true, but I still like the Favre-bashing with this comment. I am sure there were other factors that got some of these coaches fired, so it wasn't all about Favre...much to his own dismay I am sure.
Single Worst Play of the Season -- So Far: The Eagles are talking return to the Super Bowl. On their opening possession at Chicago, facing third-and-8, Michael Vick danced in the pocket trying to buy time for a receiver to get open and was sacked, setting the tone for what would become a loss. On the play, after their initial blocks, all five Philadelphia offensive linemen stood around doing nothing, not even attempting to help Vick, just watching him try to evade defensive linemen -- all four of them unblocked at that point.
I'm not sure if this play happened exactly like Gregg mentions it did here. I would imagine one of two things happened. Possibly, the Eagles linemen did not move towards Vick because they couldn't have moved fast enough to help him or possibly they didn't want to block one of the defensive linemen because they didn't want to be called for a block in the back or holding on the play.
TMQ notes that it's surprisingly common, during an NFL down, to find a player who is doing nothing at all, just standing there watching.
This is another Easterbrookian fact. Sure, it may happen, but many times if a player is standing around not doing anything there isn't much for him to do on the play or the play is taking place away from him. Now Gregg has me defending lazy football players. Great.
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
16 comments Stop Gushing Over Matt Ryan
Yeah, I said it.I cannot question the Falcons' 9-2 record. Ultimately a win is a win. And sure, Matt Ryan drove the Falcons down the field for the game winning field goal against one of the top teams in the NFC (Green Bay). But let's take a look at that drive for a second. Here is the official play-by-play of that final drive.
1-10-GB 49 (:49) (Shotgun) 2-M.Ryan pass short right to 84-R.White ran ob at GB 40 for 9 yards (55-D.Bishop)
2-1-GB 40 (:43) (Shotgun) 2-M.Ryan pass short left to 12-M.Jenkins to GB 36 for 4 yards (37-S.Shields).
1-10-GB 36 (:29) (Shotgun) 2-M.Ryan pass short left to 83-H.Douglas ran ob at GB 32 for 4 yards (21-C.Woodson).
2-6-GB 32 (:22) (Shotgun) 2-M.Ryan pass short left to 83-H.Douglas pushed ob at GB 29 for 3 yards (26-C.Peprah).
Timeout #2 by GB at 00:18
3-3-GB 29 (:18) (Shotgun) 2-M.Ryan pass incomplete short right to 84-R.White.
Timeout #3 by GB at 00:13.
4-3-GB 29 (:13) 3-M.Bryant 47 yard field goal is GOOD, Center-82-J.Zelenka, Holder-9-M.Koenen.
"Matty Ice," known for his ability in clutch games, began the drive on the Green Bay 49 yard line. That's right, inside Green Bay territory. Not at his own 20 with the defense forcing throws to the middle to eat up clock. Even Derek Anderson could have ended this game with a win.
While we can commend Ryan for completing four straight passes during the drive, these throws advanced the team a mere 20 yards. In all honesty, two draws to Michael Turner, each followed by a spike, may have picked up the same yardage. A great quarterback does not leave a gift-wrapped game up to chance. If Tom Brady or Peyton Manning steps on the field in a similar situation, Matt Bryant is lining up for a 30-yard chip shot as opposed to a 47-yard prayer. The pre and post-expression of the Falcons players said it all. Because 47 yards is far from a guarantee, the Falcons quietly awaited their fate on the sideline and could not have looked more tense. Interlocked arms, players looking the other way and various forms of voodoo were employed to ensure the kick went through the uprights. In short, their faces screamed "it would be awesome if he made this." If the kick was instead from 30 yards, I can almost guarantee that the look of trepidation that characterized the Falcons' sideline would have been replaced by a calmer, "there's no way we're blowing this" kind of face.
The post-kick reaction would have been altered as well. After the Falcons won the game, players jumped for joy. Matt Bryant and the holder shared a lovely embrace, followed by an offensive lineman cramming them into a jumbo hug. Even Roddy White ran out onto the field to give Bryant a pat on the ass (the game wasn't over so the team could not run out on the field). Even Matt Ryan raised his arms in delight to signal to the entire crowd that the field goal was good, as if they had no idea. From 30 yards, those raised arms turn into a simple fist pump, and his facial expression goes from "Yes, we won!" to "good thing we didn't blow it."
Okay, so the last two paragraphs might be way off base. But the point I'm making (at least I think) is not: Matt Ryan's final drive was unimpressive, at best.
Looking back at the entire game, Matt Ryan did not play particularly well. Despite his impressive 24/28 completion percentage, it resulted in only 197 yards. That's 8 yards per completion and, if you happened to watch, you would have noticed that he checked it down throughout the entire game. A high completion percentage means nothing when it results in 14 points (I refuse to give him credit for the last 3). Despite the overwhelming offensive talent at his disposal (Michael Turner, Tony Gonzalez, Roddy White), he had one completion of over 20 yards. He could not even capitalize when the luck of the game swung his way. Had Aaron Rodgers not inexplicably fumbled on the Falcons 1 during a QB sneak, the entire complexion of the game would have changed.
You might argue that this game was only one game, and Matt Ryan was mediocre, not terrible. I will concede that point. But the constant gushing over him, both in this game and the entire season, is unfounded and ludicrous. You may point to his 19 TDs and only 5 INTs as evidence of his success, but keep in mind that he's 25th in the league in yards per pass. In reality, this means that he's simply checking down the ball to backs and receivers running short routes. Even his touchdown passes are suspect. Here is the yardage of each of his passing touchdowns this season:
1, 2, 3, 4, 4, 5, 5, 8, 11, 12, 12 13, 13, 19 (short pass to Jason Snelling which he took all the way) 22, 28 (short to Snelling, again), 33, 43, 45.
Take away both the wide-open play action TDs inside the 5 that are unrepresentative of a QB's skill and the Jason Snelling screen TDs and we're looking at a 10-5 TD/INT Ratio. Not overly impressive.
You may also say that he has been clutch earlier in the season. Looking at the San Francisco game, I cannot argue against that. The Baltimore game, however, was a different story. I'll give him credit for the beginning of the drive when he brought his team to the 50. But when looking at the drive again, it's clear that the Baltimore defense was pressed to the line of scrimmage (starting at the 50) unwilling to yield any yardage since field goal range was approaching. Even the touchdown pass, despite the gushing praise he received from announcers, was only a result of the cornerback inexplicably falling to the ground. What about the Saints game, you ask? Of the 14 plays on the game-winning drive 11 of them were runs. He only completed one 8 yard pass to Jason Snelling, which was, as per usual, a check down.
I do not mean to totally destroy the legitimacy of Matt Ryan and his Falcons this season. I simply hope that we can put him in perspective. He's a top 10-12 QB and excellent game manager. But he's nothing more. He is not outstanding. He is not overly clutch. He is a quality NFL quarterback capable of getting the job done. So let's keep it in our pants and accurately assess Matt Ryan.
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