I must begin with a correction today. Last week, I said that John Harbaugh was the Eagles’ special teams coach and that the Eagles’ less than stellar showing on special teams this year would not seem to enhance his résumé to become a head coach in the NFL. That was wrong. Harbaugh had been the Eagles’ special teams coach – successfully – for many years but ceded that job last season to become the defensive secondary coach. Mea culpa! Thanks to the readers who pointed this out to me.
If you are looking for a word to describe Ryan Grant, try “resilient”. He committed two massively costly fumbles in the first five minutes of Saturday’s game against Seattle putting the Packers down by two TDs in less time than it takes to make a cup of tea. Then all he did for the rest of the day was to score two TDs on his own and run for 201 yards in a dominating performance. The Packers scored touchdowns on the six consecutive possessions after his two fumbles at the beginning of the game.
If you are looking for a word to describe Tom Brady, try “methodical”. The Jaguars were determined not to let the Pats complete any long passes and with one exception, they did just that. However, that makes the defense vulnerable to short passes and runs. Brady never became impulsive; he just stayed with what worked. To the Jags, this loss must have felt as if they had been nibbled to death by a herd of ducks.
If you are looking for a word to describe the Chargers, try “fortunate”. Their two interceptions of Peyton Manning passes were both unscripted and unscriptable. The play of Billy Volek as the substitute QB in the fourth quarter was above and beyond any level that anyone other than a member of the Volek nuclear family could have hoped for.
If you are looking for a word to describe the Cowboys, try “self-immolation”. The Cowboys’ offense committed penalties at the worst possible times unless you consider that the Cowboys’ defense also committed penalties at the worst possible times. In addition, Tony Romo took sacks when he was out of the pocket and should have thrown the ball into the fifth row of the stands while also standing in the pocket and committing intentional grounding with little pressure on him.
By the way, those two incomplete passes by Tom Brady for the entire game on Saturday both hit the intended receivers in both of the receivers’ hands. In addition to describing him as “methodical”, you might also describe him as “accurate”.
It was a big deal when Bret Favre passed Dan Marino’s records for most yards passing in a career and most completions. Understand, in those records, none of Favre’s playoff statistics count. In his lengthy career, Favre has started 21 playoff games and through Saturday’s contest, he has completed 419 passes for 5075 yards and 37 TDs. Not too shabby…
It has been de rigueur to point out how Boston and its environs have been dominating the sports scene for the last year – Red Sox, Pats, Celtics, Boston College. Once again, from Curmudgeon Central you get to see the world through the other end of the telescope; consider the Miami/South Florida area:
Dolphins go 1-15 for the season and basically “start over” as a team.
Heat are 8-29 so far this year and the only reason they are not the worst team in the NBA is that the Timberwolves are slightly worse.
Marlins are deconstructing their team again – only this time they did not win a World Series just before setting out on that path.
University of Miami football was pathetic last season.
Florida International was one of the ten worst Division 1-A football teams in the nation.
The NHL Panthers are under .500 and are only in “contention” because they are in a division where every team is at or below .500.
You have heard of “the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat” with respect to sports. Well, Boston and Miami represent “the apogee and the perigee of sports”…
Somewhere near the perigee of NFL job opportunities has to be the head coach of the Atlanta Falcons. The team stinks and the fan base rises above apathetic only during playoff seasons. Bobby Petrino took an a 40% pay cut (approximately) and plenty of body shots to his reputation – whatever that may have been – just to get out of that town and out of that job. Other than the fact that Arthur Blank has more money than anyone could possibly spend in the next four lifetimes and can – if he chooses – shower it on a coaching candidate, why would anyone want that job?
I read in the Chicago Tribune that Bears’ GM, Jerry Angelo, has some ideas for next season that he believes will return the Bears to the playoffs and maybe the Super Bowl. Good for him, that’s his job. However, one of those ideas is baffling. He told the Tribune that he thinks Devin Hester should play more WR next year and should return fewer kicks. I do not get that at all. Special teams’ coaches around the league have to figure ways to keep the ball out of Hester’s hands on return plays because he is so good at them; if Angelo has his way, the Bears will keep the ball out of Hester’s hands on return plays on their own. The special teams’ coaches on all of the Bears’ opponents for 2008 are probably saying novenas in the hope that Jerry Angelo’s idea will find favor in Lovie Smith’s strategic construct for the Bears.
The ratings are in for the BCS Bowl Games. I said they were uninteresting and unappealing right after the schedule was announced and it seems as if lots of people agreed with that assessment. For the four games on FOX, ratings were down 13% compared to last year; for the ABC coverage of the Rose Bowl, ratings were down 20%. Why are these TV ratings important? Well, once you recognize that NCAA football decisions are driven by monetary considerations above all else, falling ratings will eventually turn into stagnant revenues. And that is the point where someone will have to come up with a new idea to heighten interest – - such as a playoff system for college football…
Speaking of college football and the season just past, what was the biggest surprise of the season? The four nominees are:
1. Appalachian State beating Michigan on opening day.
2. USC losing to 41-point underdog, Stanford.
3. West Virginia losing to 27-point underdog, Pitt, with a trip to the BCS Championship Game on the line.
4. The utter ineptitude of Notre Dame.
Finally, here is a comment from Greg Cote in the Miami Herald regarding a personnel move by the Miami Heat:
“The Heat cut Penny Hardaway. Has a man’s nickname ever better described his contribution or value to a team?”
But don’t get me wrong, I love sports…