Thursday, October 31, 2013

Throwback Thursday: Halloween Trade

The Pro Football Hall of Fame website reminded me of big trade made on Halloween Day 1987. It was an interesting trade for a few reasons. It involved 10 players and draft choices. It was made during the season. It was a three-way deal between the Los Angeles Rams, Buffalo Bills, and Indianapolis Colts. It involved future Hall of Fame running back Eric Dickerson. It broke down like this:

Rams traded:
Eric Dickerson, RB

Rams received:
Greg Bell, RB
Owen Gill, RB
Bills #1-1988 (Gaston Green, RB, 14th overall)
Colts #1-1988 (Aaron Cox, WR, 20th overall)
Colts #2-1988 (Fred Strickland, LB, 47th overall)
Bills #1-1989 (Cleveland Gary, RB, 26th overall)
Colts #2-1989 (Frank Stams, LB, 45th overall)
Bills #2-1989 (Darryl Henley, DB, 53rd overall)

Colts traded:
Owen Gill, RB
Rights to Cornelius Bennett, LB
#1-1988
#2-1988
#2-1989

Colts received
Eric Dickerson, RB

Bills traded:
Greg Bell, RB
#1-1988
#1-1989
#2-1989

Bills received:
Rights to Cornelius Bennett

There were a lot of parts to this trade. The additional trading partner makes it a little more complicated than the disastrous Herschel Walker trade between the Dallas Cowboys and Minnesota Vikings two years later. That trade involved 18 players and draft choices. One thing that strikes me about this trade of Dickerson is that a few years later the Rams passed Jerome Bettis on to the Pittsburgh Steelers. For whatever reason, the Rams were pretty generous with Hall of Fame caliber backs. The Rams did get back at the Colts about a decade later when they traded for, rather than traded away, Marshall Faulk. The Rams bonanza of draft picks didn't yield much.  Cleveland Gary had a bunch of touchdowns in 1990 and went over 1,000 yards in 1992. Fred Strickland probably had the most productive NFL career. Twelve years, but only five were with the Rams. Greg Bell had a couple of nice seasons with the Rams.

It's pretty obvious that the key pieces to this trade were Eric Dickerson and Cornelius Bennett. Dickerson was one of the best backs in league history. Setting the single season rushing record of 2,105 yards that still stands. Bennett was a major part of the Buffalo Bills teams that went to four straight Super Bowls.

Trades like this have popped up a few times in NFL history. I tend to believe that won't see too many, if any, going forward. I don't think that that we'll see this many parts to a trade, let alone get three teams to agree to anything.



Wednesday, October 30, 2013

Trade Deadline

This tweet from Ian Rapoport pretty much says it all:

Ian Rapoport@RapSheet
Among the people who did not get traded: All of them except Isaac Sopoaga. No Nicks, Britt, Gordon, Dixon, Fitzgerald, Me, @AlbertBreer etc.

The Philadelphia Eagles traded nose tackle Isaac Sopoaga and a 6th-round pick to the New England Patriots for a 5th-round pick. The Patriots needed a big guy in the middle after losing Vince Wilfork. This was the only trade that went down yesterday. There were rumors, as we crept toward the 4pm EST deadline, that the Minnesota Vikings were looking at possible trading defensive end Jared Allen. He's in the final year of his contract so the Vikings were supposedly looking to get something for while they could. You never know what rumors are true as a trade deadline approaches or in the wild world of free agency. I'm sure that the Vikings were listening to anyone poking around. At one point the Seattle Seahawks were trying hard to pry Allen away from the Vikings. Then, we hear that the interest isn't there. The Seahawks have been going after Vikings players for a few years now so that rumor wasn't hard to start. For weeks, there have been rumors about Cleveland Browns receiver Josh Gordon being traded. Hakeem Nicks and Kenny Britt too. Those didn't happen. When it came down to it, only Isaac Sopoaga moved to a new team. I'm sure that he's happy about that. Eagles to the Patriots. Nice move for him.

The NFL moved the trade deadline back a couple of weeks to possibly spark a trading frenzy. Roger Goodell wanted the action and attention that comes with the mid-season trade deadline in other sports. Trades happen during the season in football. Even some big trades have happened. Herschel Walker! There will never be a big trading frenzy during the season in football. It takes too long to adjust to a new player. It takes too long for the team and the player. There are too many moving parts to get in sync in football. It takes work when a team has an entire offseason to adjust. It's pretty much impossible to adjust on the fly during a season.

Despite the adjustments, I wouldn't have been too disappointed if the Vikings had swung a trade for Buffalo Bills safety Jairus Byrd.

Tuesday, October 29, 2013

Rival League Records

Detroit Lions receiver Calvin Johnson's monster game on Sunday got me thinking again about something that has bothered me for a while. Johnson tied the record for most career games with 200+ yards receiving. He tied the record of five held by former San Diego Chargers and Hall of Fame receiver Lance Alworth. Alworth spent most of his career, certainly the best years of his career, in the rival American Football League. I think that it's great that the NFL recognizes the statistics and records of the league that drove them nuts for most of the 1960s. I think that it's wrong that the NFL doesn't recognize the statistics and records of the teams and players from the All-America Football Conference.

The AAFC lasted four years, 1946-49. When the league folded following the 1949 season, the Cleveland Browns, San Francisco 49ers, and Baltimore Colts joined the NFL. According tho the NFL, not recognizing the football played in this rival league is because official scoresheets of AAFC games were not made available to the NFL after the merger. This is ridiculous. Not many statistics were kept back then, in either league. It wouldn't be that difficult to go back and determine those statistics. People already have. There are statistics available.

Another explanation is that only three teams from the AAFC joined the NFL. It wasn't a complete merger as with the AFL so the overall quality of the AAFC is considered suspect. This doesn't fly either. The AAFC folded for financial reasons not for competitive reasons. The talent was there. The money wasn't there. The Cleveland Browns would probably have beaten the best of the NFL from each of they four years that both leagues existed. The San Francisco 49ers and New York Yankees might have been able to do the same. The Browns took apart the defending NFL Champion Philadelphia Eagles in their first NFL game in 1950. The Browns went on to win the NFL title at the end of that 1950 season. They played in each of the NFL Championship games from 1950-55. Winning in 1950, '54, and '55. The best team of the AAFC was the best team in the NFL the moment that they joined the supposedly superior league.

Basically, the AAFC records should be recognized by the NFL.


Monday, October 28, 2013

Week 8 Thoughts

The Green Bay Packers' final game against the Minnesota Vikings at the Metrodome was a disaster for the home team. The Packers surgically took apart the Vikings 44-31. It really wasn't that close. Vikings are now 1-6.

The Vikings honored their great safety from the 1980s, Joey Browner, at halftime. He became the 21st person inducted into the Vikings' Ring of Honor. A very much deserved honor. Browner was a fantastic football player.

The defense could have used Browner. They could have used a bunch of him. The Packers never punted. They probably didn't even dress a punter. The Vikings defense simply couldn't get off the field on third down. They played great on 1st and 2nd down. They forced a bunch of third downs but quarterback Aaron Rodgers was unstoppable. Nearly every single third down was converted. Those that weren't led to field goals or successful fourth down attempts. No punts. A damn shame.

The Packers held the ball for 40:54. That left only 19:06 for the Vikings. Not much time. The Vikings only had the ball for about 2 minutes of the third quarter. Very sad. This was the difference in the game. If the Vikings offense was able to string even two or three first downs together on those two third quarter possessions, they likely knock a score two from the Packers total.

The defense has to get off of the field. They just have to.

The offense scored 31 points. That's enough to win a bunch of games.

The game started great when rookie receiver Cordarrelle Patterson took the opening kickoff 109 yards for a touchdown. He nearly broke another in the second half. He's a special player. The Vikings need to get him more involved in the offense.

Considering the Packers complete control of the game, it's a surprise that they only held a 24-17 lead at the half. It was close because of a clutch, tough touchdown run by Adrian Peterson at the end of the half.

Peterson only had 13 carries for 60 yards. Peterson carrying the ball only thirteen times is never a good thing.

I'd start Christian Ponder again next week but I'm glad that it's not my call. Ponder wasn't great but wasn't bad either. He made some nice throws. He also didn't make any serious mistakes (interceptions). There were actually no turnovers for either team. No surprise for the Packers but it's a shocker for the Vikings this season. I just want to see a quarterback established as the quarterback. Ponder or Josh Freeman.

The Packers offense dismantled the Vikings defense but the overall team performance was so much better than the fiasco against the New York Giants last Monday.

It's the Dallas Cowboys next week. In Dallas. The Vikings have yet to win a game in the United States. Dallas would be a great spot for that first one.

I really like Dallas Cowboys middle linebacker Sean Lee. He's always around the ball. Two interceptions yesterday. He retrurned one about 74 yards. I'm hoping that the linebacker that followed him at Penn St. becomes a similar player. Vikings rookie Mike Mauti.

Kinda funny to watch Dez Bryant throw a fit on the sideline and everyone ignores him.

Bryant had a good game. 3 catches 72 yards. Two of those catches were touchdowns. A terrific 5-yard catch and a 50-yard catch and run.

Then there was Calvin Johnson. My goodness. He was fantastic last week when gained 155 yards against the Cincinnati Bengals. He more than doubled that yardage total against the Cowboys. 14 catches for 329 yards! And an itty-bitty 2-yard touchdown. The Lions needed every one of those yards as they pulled out a shocking 31-30 last second win.

This was the fifth time that Johnson passed 200 yards in a game tying the NFL record held by the amazing Lance Alworth.

The New Orleans Saints are kinda flying under the radar. Their fast becoming a pretty scary team. They have a defense now.

Chip Kelly is sure taking the NFL by storm with his high octane offense. His Philadelphia Eagles lose to the one-win New York Giants 15-7. It doesn't help that quarterback Michael Vick keeps leaving the field.

Cincinnati Bengals receiver Marvin Jones had a fantastic day against the New York Jets. 8 catches for 122 yards and 4 touchdowns. It was no surprise for anyone that followed his college career at Cal.

Sunday, October 27, 2013

Game Day Thoughts

I sure hope that the Minnesota Vikings come out of this season with either Christian Ponder or Josh Freeman firmly established as the quarterback of the present and future. The Vikings are a running team in a passing league but even a running team needs an effective, reliable quarterback to succeed. Beyond that, I would love for the Vikings to be able to go into the 2014 NFL Draft with an opportunity to draft one of the top linebackers. It looks to be the best linebacker draft that I can recall. UCLA's Anthony Barr is my #1 choice, but I really like Alabama's C.J. Mosley and Buffalo's Khalil Mack as well. If either Ponder or Freeman establishes himself as the Vikings franchise quarterback the team likely won't be in position to draft Barr. They may not even be in position to draft Mosley or Mack. Success of the quarterback likely means success of the team . Maybe, they can get Ohio St.'s Ryan Shazier or BYU's Kyle Van Noy. I really like the linebackers in this draft. The Vikings could really use one of them.

If the Vikings don't find their quarterback from their current quarterbacks, they'll likely have one of the first few picks in May's (May!) draft. They'll likely have to use that pick on a quarterback. Fortunately, as with linebackers, it looks like this draft has a bunch of nice quarterbacks. I like Oregon's Marcus Mariota. It would suck having to take a quarterback in the first round after taking one in the first round in 2011 but you have to find that quarterback.

Actually, there might be enough promising quarterbacks in this draft that the Vikings could draft Barr in the first and a quarterback in the second (Jimmy Garoppolo?). Man, it sucks thinking about the draft in week 8. The Vikings have to turn this season around. That starts tonight against the Green Bay Packers. Ponder with the start. Freeman has a concussion.

Speaking of Freeman's concussion, some have questioned the existence of this concussion. This is a pretty irresponsible notion. Head trauma is a serious issue in today's game. Everyone, at all levels of football, is trying to get better at preventing head trauma, recognizing the signs when it happens, dealing with the issues, and being responsible with an injured player's return. To second guess the reporting of a concussion is simply ridiculous and just shoots to shit all that people are trying to do to make the game safer for the players. No one outside of the Vikings medical decision makers and the player is in a place to question the concussion of that player.

Parity. It seems that the games are more evenly matched than ever before. Each week I look through the games and see most potentially going either way. This week, however, it looks like there are more games than usual with the potential for blowouts. That started last Thursday with the Panthers-Buccaneers game. Today, we have potential one-sided games with 49ers-Jaguars in London, Chiefs-Browns, and then Seahawks-Rams on Monday. Dolphins-Patriots and Bills-Saints could be but the Dolphins and Bills have shown that they can surprise more often than fold. Even the Browns and Rams could shock their opponents if there weren't some serious issues with their quarterbacks. I expect the Broncos to bounce back in a serious way after their first loss. So, the Redskins could be in serious trouble. This game could get ugly but Robert Griffin III seems to be getting more healthy and more difficult for defenses each week. Some might consider the Packers-Vikings a one-sided possibility. If that happens, I say it's the Vikings putting up all of the points. Ha! That's right. Go Vikings!

With the Vikings playing tonight, I have my day free for other games. That AJ Green-Calvin Johnson show last week has me thirsty for more receiver fireworks. I think that I'll settle in for Cowboys-Lions in the morning. Dez Bryant and more Calvin Johnson sounds promising. I like that Redskins-Broncos game in the afternoon.

College stuff:

I'm not sure why I ever landed on the opinion that former Ohio St., Seattle Seahawks, Dallas Cowboys, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, New England Patriots, and Washington Redskins receiver Joey Galloway was something of a knucklehead but I did. It was wrong of me to jump to this opinion for no reason. Galloway now does color commentary for ESPN college football games. I've been impressed with his work. He does a good job. He's not a knucklehead.

Yes, I'm sold on Florida St. quarterback Jameis Winston. I'll be saying this a bunch. I'd have him over Mariota but that's not a decision that anyone has to make. It's simply stunning that he played his 7th(!) college football game yesterday. He's got another year of throwing darts over and through college defenses before he's even eligible for the NFL Draft.

Winston didn't see much defense against NC State yesterday. At times it looked like he was playing against air. 35-0 at the end of the first quarter. 49-27 final score. He played little in the second half. Unless he plays Alabama at the end of the season, he likely sees a better defense during the week than he ever will on gameday. He's got an impressive group of receivers. A few of which might join in him in the first round whenever that might be. Kelvin Benjamin has the physical gifts to join him among the top 10 choices of that draft. There have been so many college quarterbacks that look amazing because of the offense that they lead, the talent around them, the defenses that they play against. Basically, they surf on manufactured stats and performances that should be viewed rather than read. They are great college quarterbacks in the right place. Tim Couch comes to mind. Matt Leinart too. I watched Leinart take apart a Cal defense in 2005. I had a fantastic view of his view from my end zone seats. Leinart had excellent receivers in Steve Smith, Dwayne Jarrett, Patrick Turner, and tight end Dominique Byrd that year. He had future top NFL picks Reggie Bush and LenDale White in the backfield. This was an incredibly talented USC team in the middle of Pete Carroll's reign. Offensive coaches Lane Kiffin and Steve Sarkisian had a layered receiver route tree that put targets right in front of their quarterback. Leinart didn't have to scan the field. His targets were right in front of him. It was pitch and catch. It looked real easy. Flawed quarterbacks were at the top of the 2006 NFL Draft. Texas quarterback Vince Young was taken #3 by the Tennessee Titans. Leinart went to the Arizona Cardinals at #10. Vanderbilt quarterback Jay Cutler was selected at #11 by the Denver Broncos. Out of those three, it should be no surprise that the true thrower is the only one that remains at the next level. Cutler was the best NFL quarterback in that draft. He may not have been the best college quarterback. He played at Vanderbilt!, but he was the best quarterback.

Several college quarterbacks have been amazing in singular games. Vince Young-Championship game. Joe Montana-Cotton Bowl. Jim McMahon-Holiday Bowl. Aaron Rodgers was as amazing in a regular season game against USC in 2004. The year before I watched Leinart pick apart Cal's suspect defense in layered precision. Rodgers showed then and many other times that he was an NFL quarterback. It's a mystery as to how many NFL personnel people missed that talent. The ability, the talent, the poise, the leadership. Everything that you need in an NFL quarterback was so frickin' obvious in Aaron Rodgers. I've never understood how so many missed it. Jameis Winston looks like an NFL quarterback toying with college players even though he's only two years removed from high school. Like Rodgers, Winston has elite NFL quarterback written all over him.

After his performance last Sunday night and thinking about college quarterbacks in general, I can't help but think of Indianapolis Colts quarterback Andrew Luck. The Colts have to be the Luckiest team in the`league. Manning to Luck is one of the smoothest quarterback transitions in NFL history. You'd have to leave the planet to not be aware that Luck was an outstanding college quarterback. As a Cal fan, I learned of Luck's talent before he'd even set foot on "the Farm." He was a top recruit but he wasn't this universal 5-star prospect. I heard all that I needed to hear when I heard from a fellow Cal fellow that attended a passing camp attended by Luck saying simply, "we're in trouble." Sometimes it takes the people with the least to gain to say the most about a football player.

How about that? Oregon's Mariota and UCLA's Barr played in the same game.

Oregon's De'Anthony Thomas has been something of a gadget player for most of his college career. An itty-bitty guy with terrifying speed and quickness. For the past couple of years, I've debated his professional future. It's tough to defend that speed and quickness but the kid is so tiny. Supposedly 5-10 and 175 lbs.
He looks much smaller. He plays much bigger. His NFL future likely begins with returns but he can do much more. He could be 125 lbs and a hard-to-tackle-smurf-of-a-human but few have his get-away skills. He's in the NFL before NFL people leave the second day of the draft.

Maty Mauk. My goodness, has there ever been a better name for a quarterback? Chuck Long? Taken. I wanted to see this Mauk kid but his Missouri team is playing South Carolina opposite the UCLA-Oregon game. Mauk was butsing up Ohio and national records in his school boy days and he's barely recruited. Ohio football is serious football. How do you miss this guy. Maty Mauk is a fighter like Doug Flutie and Drew Brees. How do you miss a guy that can throw the pea like Maty Mauk. Maty Mauk. Here we go.

If a team can play Oregon for 60 minutes, they can beat Oregon. Cal has given them fits in the past. That alone says more than Oregon ever wants to admit. Cal's defense now stops no one. Stanford can beat Oregon. No matter how the Pac-12 shakes out, I think that Stanford or UCLA can take out Oregon. But the Ducks will remain the target until they aren't the target no more.

Watching Cal play defense is simply depressing. All season, no matter how close a Cal defender is to making a play, the opponent walks away with the play in hand. Injuries have been a serious issue but Cal's defense is a real problem. The offense started the season on fire. Now, freshman quarterback Jared Goff is playing like the freshman that he is. Coach Sonny Dykes has clearly cut out the bottom of the team to see what stays at the top.

The Cal offense is no dream but Chris Harper and Bryce Treggs are receivers that are going to play at the next level. The pro scouts hacked up the scouting of former Cal and current Cincinnati Bengals receiver Marvin Jones. Hopefully, those decision-makers will open their eyes when it comes to looking at Berkeley.



Saturday, October 26, 2013

Just One Shave!

Emmett John Pearson stopped shaving his beard on Jan. 12, 1975. That was the day that the Minnesota Vikings lost Super Bowl IX, their third Super Bowl loss, to the Pittsburgh Steelers. Very much a Vikings fan, Pearson vowed not to shave his beard until the Minnesota Vikings won the Super Bowl. He kept that vow for 38 years. Emmett John Pearson passed away Monday at the age of 83. One of the most atrocious Vikings games ever was played that very same day. Hopefully, he was spared that disaster. Or, maybe it was the game that brought about his passing. Pearson's commitment to his vow was outlasted by Vikings Super Bowl misses.

Pearson's lived in Vasa, about an hour southeast of Minneapolis. He was a farmer and a longtime school board member. Very involved in his church. Pearson's obituary states that many will remember Emmett for his unforgettable beard. His wife, Roseann, said he'd comb the beard when he had to look spiffy. He once had to have surgery on his neck, but even the doctor's didn't shave it off. The beard survived. The Vikings often threatened the beard's future. Roger Staubach's Hail Mary, Super Bowl XI disappointment, 1987 NFC Championship disappointment, 1998 NFC Championship disappointment, 2009 NFC Championship disappointment. There was a lot of Vikings disappointment in those 38 years. Pearson saw all of it. He was 31 when the Vikings played for the first time in 1961.

I would love to have seen a clean-shaven Emmett John Pearson.

RIP Emmett. The Minnesota Vikings will get there.

Friday, October 25, 2013

Roethlisberger Says...

I was listening to Rich Eisen's podcast this week with Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger as his guest. They were chatting about the Steelers upcoming game against the Raiders in Oakland. Roethlisberger mentioned that he's been approached by many Raiders fans telling him that the Steelers are their second favorite team. These fans say that they often cheer for the Steelers. I dropped my sandwich. And, I love a good sandwich. This is not possible. Raiders fans can not cheer for the Steelers. It's not in their genetic code to have positive feelings for that team. The teams hate each other. There is no other way.

Everything that I know about rivalries in the NFL starts with the one between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Oakland Raiders in the 1970s. The two teams dominated the AFC for much of that decade. It became routine that they met in the playoffs. It started with the famous or infamous, depending on your side, Immaculate Reception in the 1972 AFC Divisional Playoffs. It was miraculous in Pittsburgh. It was larceny in Oakland. Officially, it was a 13-7 win for the Steelers. The hatred blossomed then. These were tough, physical football teams. They intimidated other teams. They only pissed each other off. They met again in the 1973 AFC Divisional Playoffs. Oakland walked away happy this time with a 33-14 win. Pittsburgh and Oakland met in the AFC Championship game in each of the next three years. Pittsburgh won in '74 and '75. Oakland won in '76. The winner of those games went on to win the Super Bowl. These were the two best teams in football. They tried to kill each other to prove which team was the best.

The rivalry even ended up in the courts. During a regular season game between the two rivals on September 12, 1976, Raiders defensive back George Atkinson dropped Steelers receiver Lynn Swann with a forearm to the head. Swann would miss the next two games with a concussion. The day after the game, Steelers head coach Chuck Noll spoke of the "criminal element" in the game. He said that players like Atkinson should be "kicked out of the league." Atkinson decided that Noll's use of the term "criminal element" was a slander against his good name. He filed suit against Noll and the Steelers for $2 million in damages. This has Al Davis' fingerprints all over it as the Raiders owner would bring a decent number of lawsuits against his fellow owners and the league. A jury eventually ruled against Atkinson. There were few festive moments with these two teams.

In dealing with the on-field incident between Atkinson and Swann, Rozelle sent letters to Steelers coach Noll and Raiders coach John Madden: "A full review of the available films and television tapes of your Sept. 12 game indicates that your 'intense rivalry' of recent years could be on the verge of erupting into something approaching pure violence. There is, of course, no place for that in professional football and you both know it...Aside form the specific incidents of flagrant action, there are any number of plays in which the action of many of your players can be questioned. No action was taken in these instances because reasonable doubt exists in my mind as to the intent and motivation of the individuals involved..." Little gray area there.

I grew up with this Steelers-Raiders rivalry. It defined my sense of sports rivalries. The Minnesota Vikings have divisional rivalries with the Green Bay Packers, Chicago Bears, and Detroit Lions. They are all terrific, historic rivalries. In my formative football years of the '70s, the Packers, Bears, and Lions struggled. In my little football mind, the Vikings had bigger rivalries with the Dallas Cowboys and :Los Angeles Rams. Being in California also helped minimize the importance of the Vikings rivalry with the teams in their own division. While the Vikings faced the Cowboys or Rams often in the playoffs, the Steelers and Raiders were always at war. There was no love there and you could feel it. I can not even imagine that there are Raiders fans that can cheer for the Steelers. It just doesn't seem possible. A lot has changed in the years since those Steelers-Raiders wars of the '70s.

Thursday, October 24, 2013

Throwback Thursday: First Televised Football Game

Over 20 million viewers watched the Indianapolis Colts defeat the Denver Broncos last Sunday Night. Not quite as many caught the pathetic football game played the next night. But, there was still a lot. The NFL routinely brings in a ridiculous number of viewers. It's must watch television. The marriage of television and the NFL began on October 22, 1939. That's when the National Broadcasting Company became the first network to televise a professional football game.

There were only 13,050 fans at Brooklyn's Ebbets Field to watch the hometown Dodgers defeat the Philadelphia Eagles 23-14. Three future Hall of Famers were on the field that day-quarterback Ace Parker and tackle Bruiser Kinard for the Dodgers and end Bill Hewitt for the Eagles. Only about five hundred New Yorkers who owned television sets witnessed the game in the comfort of their own homes, over NBC's experimental station W2XBS. Many others saw the telecast on monitors while visiting the RCA Pavilion at the World's Fair in New York where it was scheduled as a special event. Something that we easily take for granted now must have been quite a thrill 74 years ago. Now, we can watch games on a device that we hold in our hands. That's inconceivable!

Allen (Skip) Walz was the play-by-play announcer for NBC that day. "I'd sit with my chin on the rail in the mezzanine, and the camera was over my shoulder," remembered Walz. "I did my own spotting, and when the play moved up and down the field, on punts and kickoffs, I'd point to tell the cameraman what I'd be talking about." Walz had none of the visual aids, monitors, screens, or spotters used today. There were only two iconoscope cameras. One was located in the box seats on the 40-yard line and the other was with Walz in the mezzanine section.

There were no commercial interruptions during the game. I would definitely invite a return to that crude practice. That first televised game had another sort of interruption.

"It was a cloudy day, when the sun crept behind the stadium there wasn't enough light for the cameras," according to Walz. "The picture would get darker and darker, and eventually it would go completely blank, and we'd revert to a radio broadcast." I'm glad that they've worked out that little issue.

This week, we celebrate the anniversary of the union of television and the NFL. We've come a long way.


Wednesday, October 23, 2013

Cal vs. Vikings

As my football teams, the Minnesota Vikings and California Golden Bears, bungle their way through the beginning of pretty dreadful seasons, I'm left to dream about other things and better football days. I recall a friend asking me, in the early '90s, which of my teams I preferred. I didn't think that I'd ever have to pick one over the other. Professional football and college football are pretty much two different sports. My friend pushed the topic. Saying that if Cal and the Vikings happened to play at the same time, which would I choose to watch? That scenario is much more likely to happen now than it would have been then, but I played along. It was a tough decision and I really can't recall if I actually picked one over the other. I felt like I would do a disservice to one if I picked the other. I waffled quite a bit. Now, this question was posed at a time when my Cal days were still very fresh. I was still traveling to Berkeley on game days. Some friends were still students. I still felt like a Cal student despite the absence of classes. Cal was also playing some terrific football under Bruce Snyder. Dennis Green was systematically turning over a Vikings roster that saw some success under Jerry Burns at the close of the '80s. It was an interesting question then. I've thought about that question several times over the years and decades. There's never really been any waffling since the question was first asked of me.

It's easily the Minnesota Vikings and it really always has been. This fact has always been something of a puzzle. Mostly because I have no connection to Minnesota outside of my passion for the Vikings. I fell for the team as a little kid for no particular reason. It just felt like something clicked into place and that was it. I've only been in Minnesota twice. Once on a very brief, but glorious, layover on my way to somewhere else. The second time lasted a weekend when I attended the 2001 NCAA Final Four. I was in the Vikings home for three basketball games. Somewhere under that little court was the turf upon which my Vikings ran. It was a brief visit but I felt very much at home. On the flip side, Cal is a very significant part of my life. Cal is my school. As they say, "I am Cal." I have a much greater "real" connection to that college football team in Berkeley than that professional football team in Minnesota. It's a puzzle. It isn't really. While I may have a "real" connection to Berkeley, Cal, and the Golden Bears, the Vikings have been a part of my life, part of me really, for as long as I can remember. If you cut me, I bleed purple. Gold too.

If both Cal and the Vikings happen to play a football game at the very same time, there's a DVR. I'll have a football double header. Vikings live with Cal up next. In fact, technology has made it possible to have a bunch of favorite teams and not have to pick only one to watch. It's not like those primitive days of the '90s.

Tuesday, October 22, 2013

Vikings Game Day Thoughts

Well, that was a brutal game. I suppose that when two teams enter a game with a combined 1-10 record expectations are low. Well, I think that this failed to meet those expectations. The Minnesota Vikings are now 1-5 after a miserable 23-7 loss to the now 1-6 New York Giants.

The Josh Freeman era didn't start very well. It looked like it might have started too soon. Freeman didn't seem to be on the same page with his receivers. He didn't seem terribly comfortable with the offense.

The offensive line didn't do Freeman too many favors. He dropped back to pass over fifty times. He ended up picking himself up off of the ground on well over half of those. The offensive line didn't do anything for Adrian Peterson either. He was met by Giants in the backfield on nearly every carry. 13 carries 28 yards. Basically, the offensive line had a whole bunch of problems. That has to get fixed. This line has been playing together for over a year. They are better than this.

Last week the Carolina Panthers took their first drive on a nine and a half minute journey. Last night the New York Giants kept their opening drive for about as long. At least they only gave up a field goal after that long drive last night.

The Vikings defense has to get off of the field on third down.

Outside of that first,  very long drive, the defense actually did a decent job. It was better than they've played in most of their first five games.

Marcus Sherels was a hero early when he took a punt back 86 yards for a touchdown and an early 7-3 lead. Then he went from goat to bigger goat on a two play sequence in the third quarter. First, he dropped an easy interception and likely touchdown. At least, he forced a Giants punt. On his return of that punt, he fumbled. The Giants recovered inside the Vikings 2-yard line. Easy touchdown and a 17-7 Giants lead. That was a likely 14-point swing.

Twice the Vikings special teams set the offense up nicely. Long snapper Cullen Loeffler recovered a fumble on a punt return near the Giants 30-yard line. The Vikings offense did nothing and Blair Walsh missed his first career field goal of over 50 yards. Then Cordarrelle Patterson had a terrific kick return to near the Giants 30-yard line. Sounds familiar. The Vikings did nothing and rather than attempt a long field goal, they punted. Very sad.

Three times, at the end of the game, Freeman led the Vikings on drives into Giants territory. All three ended on failed 4th down attempts. I'm not sure if that's promising or not but it's something.

I don't think that announcer Mike Tirico cares much for the Vikings. He hacked up the call on many of the Vikings players. Like he didn't care or wasn't paying attention. Maybe it was just the pathetic game that he was watching. He still has a job to do. He even referred to Vikings receiver Greg Jennings as ex-Vikings receiver. Who does that?

Despite the terrible game, I think that Freeman will get it together. He's got the talent. He just needs to get on the same page with the receivers. He can stretch the field. Play action with Peterson should be dominating. He and the offense left a lot of room for improvement.

Green Bay Packers on Sunday Night. The Vikings have to put this Giants game in the trash and leave it in New Jersey. Never to return to that level of play again.

Monday, October 21, 2013

Week 7 Thoughts

I missed the Minnesota Vikings yesterday. They have the stage tonight. The Josh Freeman era(?) begins in New York (New Jersey) on Monday Night Football.

The Vikings defense has basically sucked this season. Their best player has been second-year safety Harrison Smith. The defense will be forced to play without Smith for at least the next eight weeks. Ouch! He landed on injured reserve with a turf toe injury. Ouch! Turf toe sounds like such a minor injury. Like rug burn. Turf toe put Harrison Smith's foot in a cast. They will miss him. Next man up! Andrew Sendejo gets the call. Jamarca Sanford and Sendejo really have to step up in the back of the Vikings defense.

I settled on the Cincinnati Bengals-Detroit Lions game in the morning. When the Vikings aren't playing in the morning, I often have a difficult time sticking with one game. I finally did so yesterday. It helped that it was a pretty good game. It also helped that receivers Calvin Johnson and AJ Green put on an exhibition on how the position can be played.

AJ Green is so smooth.

Calvin Johnson is a monster.

The Lions defensive line sure likes to jump the snap. They should probably stop. They aren't very good at it. Especially early in the game, they were caught offsides often. Those Lions were sure quick to celebrate plays that they made by obviously cheating. One clown was about five yards in the Bengals backfield before the ball was even snapped. He could have caught the snap. For some reason, he celebrated like he'd done something. Simply stunning.

The Lions line played with more discipline later in the game. Maybe they were just trying to get a feel for Andy Dalton's cadence. With Ndamukong Suh as captain and leader I would lean towards the line simply being undisciplined and got lucky later in the game.

I love seeing Bengals receiver Marvin Jones making plays. He was a terrific college receiver at Cal. One of my favorite Cal players. He could be a real nice compliment to AJ Green.

Bengals rookie tight end Tyler Eifert made a nice catch for a touchdown. He was well covered and just went up and got it. I was surprised when the Bengals grabbed Eifert in the first round of the draft last April. He was the best tight end in the draft but the Bengals have a nice one in Jermaine Gresham but you can't have too many playmakers. Quarterback Andy Dalton now has a bunch. Receivers Green, Jones, and Mohamed Sanu. Andrew Hawkins might come back from an injury in a few weeks. Tight ends Gresham and Eifert. Runners BenJarvus Green-Ellis and Giovani Bernard. The Bengals defense is outstanding. The offense could be.

The Bengals defense is real easy to appreciate. Then there's safety Taylor Mays. I'm not sure if he even knows where he is on the field a lot of the time. It's gotta be that USC education.

I think that I chose wisely with the Bengals-Lions game. Game-ending 54-yard field goal by Mike Nugent to win it for the Bengals, 27-24. Nice! Helps the Vikings.

Good, tough, close game. Fantastic games from receivers AJ Green and Calvin Johnson. Tied at 24, the game might have been decided by the punters. Kevin Huber of the Bengals and Sam Martin of the Lions. The Bengals did little with a late offensive opportunity and had to punt with about 2 minutes to play. Huber pinned the Lions inside the 10-yard line. The poor field position forced the Lions to be a little cautious. Perhaps play for overtime unless a play breaks. They moved the ball a little but had to punt. Martin's less than stellar punt gave the Bengals a chance near the 50-yard line with less than a minute. That was all the Bengals needed to move a little and attempt a long field goal. Punters can be important too.

I wouldn't have gone wrong with the Chicago Bears-Washington Redskins. Redskins shocked the Bears 45-41. This helps the Vikings too. Nice! Losing quarterback Jay Cutler to a groin injury in the first half didn't do the Bears any favors. Robert Griffin III brought his team back in the final minute. I hope that kid is back. He's an amazing talent.

The Jets shocking the Patriots in overtime would have been a good choice too. I still think that the Patriots control the AFC East but their division foes are going to make it real interesting.

I'm not quite sure why there was such an uproar over the unnecessary roughness penalty on the Patriots that allowed the Jets a do-over on a missed overtime field goal. Sure, it's a brand new rule that makes it illegal for the defender to push a teammate into the offensive formation but a rule it's still a rule. The Patriots broke it and they were penalized. Any new rule is bound to be broken at some time. The first time for this rule just happened to decide a football game.

It's a small sampling but a Brian Hoyer-led Cleveland Browns offense is much better than a Brandon Weeden-led Cleveland Browns offense. It's a real shame that Hoyer was injured.

Aaron Rodgers is so much fun to watch. He's always been blessed with talented receivers. Greg Jennings' defection to Minnesota in the offseason and recent injuries to Randall Cobb and James Jones depleted the talent available to him yesterday. It doesn't matter. His accuracy, timing, and poise allows him to throw to anyone. He makes things easy for receivers.

The Packers have a running game. Scary.

The Packers win over the Browns didn't help the Vikings. Not nice.

It just doesn't seem fair that Texans linebacker Brian Cushing suffer another season-ending injury. Last year a cheap lob block tore his ACL. Yesterday, Chiefs back Jamaal Charles targeted the same knee. This time he suffered a torn LCL and a broken leg. The repaired ACL stood up to the blow.

The Indianapolis people sure showed their great appreciation for Peyton Manning. It was no surprise. Manning changed that franchise. Changed expectations for that franchise. It can be easily argued that he built the Colts stadium.

As a fan of a team that really hasn't had a franchise-defining quarterback since the '70s, I am so envious of the Colts. It doesn't seem fair that they move from Manning to Andrew Luck so easily.

It was cool to see former Vikings teammates as the opposing defensive coordinators in the Broncos-Colts game. Jack Del Rio for the Broncos. Greg Manusky for the Colts.

The last two Denver Broncos possessions of the first half and the first two of the second half did nothing. It's been a long time since I've seen Manning do so little with important possessions. I'm not sure if I've ever seen it.

I like the Colts defense.

Great game. 39-33 Colts. The Colts have knocked down the Broncos, Seahawks, and 49ers. Three teams that many thought were the best in the league.

Interesting numbers:
1,023,142 High School players
38,059 College football players
1696 NFL players
-the 1696 NFL players isn't quite accurate as it doesn't include the 256 players on 32 practice squads as well as any players on the various injured reserves. But, point taken. Moving up the football food chain can be a vicious and humbling experience.









Sunday, October 20, 2013

Game Day Thoughts

Bud Grant, Tom Landry, Don Shula, John Madden, the Chucks (Noll and Knox) were the coaches that dominated my football youth. In my little mind they held the keys to the game that I was quickly growing to love. Then, Bum Phillips entered the scene. I never knew what to make of him. He seemed part mascot. His character seemed too big. Like his stetson. It seemed to take him no time at all to turn the Houston Oilers into a dominant football team. The Pittsburgh Steelers of the late '70s, one of the all-time great teams, found the greatest challenge within their division. Steelers-Oilers in those days were battles. Bum Phillips was hilarious off the field and brilliant on the field. "I don't mind being called Bum," Phillips once said, "just as long as you don't put a 'you' in front of it." Most people became aware of Phillips when he replaced Sid Gillman as the Oilers coach in 1975. I did. In my walks through football history, I was amazed to discover that Phillips impacted football decades before that. In the late '50s, Texas A&M head coach Bear Bryant met with a young Texas high school coach to discuss that coach's unique zone blocking techniques. Bum Phillips was that young Texas high school coach. Bryant hired him. He was one of the early architects of the 3-4 defense. Sid Gillman hired him as defensive coordinator with the San Diego Chargers. When Gillman moved on to the Oilers, he brought Phillips with him. Football legends Bryant and Gillman knew the astute football coach that Bum Phillips always was. He was hilarious too.

I was saddened to hear that Bum Phillips passed away Friday. He was 90.

Wade Phillips
@sonofbum
Bum is gone to Heaven-loved and will be missed by all-great Dad, Coach, and Christian.

"There's two kinds of coaches.
Them that's fired and them that's gonna be fired."
      -Bum Phillips


It always feels off to have an NFL Sunday without the Minnesota Vikings. Two weeks ago it was a bye week. This time it's their date with the New York Giants on Monday. It opens up my morning for visits with games that I would not otherwise see. Cincinnati-Detroit might get the call today.

Or, Chicago-Washington.

Wait, Dallas-Philadelphia. Hell, I don't know.

Jadeveon Clowney woke up.

It was interesting and depressing to see Cal and Stanford play UCLA in consecutive weeks. Stanford has a nice defense for the simple reason that they pursue to the ball and they tackle. UCLA plays that gashed Cal last week weren't nearly as successful against Stanford.

Stanford is up at least 14-0 at the half if the receivers catch the football. They started catching the ball in the second half and game over. Stanford wins 24-10.

Kodi Whitfield's one-handed touchdown catch for Stanford was one of the best catches that I've ever seen.

The Stanford Tree gets more ridiculous with each passing year.

I would love to see UCLA linebacker Anthony Barr on the Vikings defense next season.

You gotta love a coach-quarterback combo named Dabo and Tajh. Their #3 Clemson team won't stay #3. Florida St. took them apart.

I'm all in on Florida St. quarterback Jameis Winston.

Winston's first touchdown was a nice throw and catch with receiver Kelvin Benjamin. I first became aware of the freakishly skilled Benjamin in Bryan Mealer's terrific book Muck City: Winning and Losing in Football's Forgotten Town. At 6-5 and 234 lbs with deceptive speed, Benjamin can be a nightmare for a defense. The skill is there. The want-to has to get there.

Cal 17 Oregon St. 49. Well, the Bears defense did keep the Beavers under 50. It didn't look like that was going to happen.


Saturday, October 19, 2013

Cal Woes

The University of California Golden Bears football team has gotten off to a rough start in 2013. 1-5 overall. 0-3 in Pac-12 Conference games. Last in the Pac-12 North. Every division foe has won at least four games. They are far behind the rest. The Pac-12 is again one of the top conferences. Oregon, Stanford, and UCLA are among the top dozen teams in the country. Washington is creeping on the edge of the rankings. Oregon St., Cal's opponent today, should be. If there's anything to bring a bit of optimism to Cal people, it's that the Bears have played a simply brutal schedule. They haven't been wiped out by lesser teams. They opened with a ranked Northwestern team. Lost that one. They played top-10 teams Ohio St., Oregon, and UCLA. Thrashed in those three. Four of the five losses were to ranked teams. Washington St. was the fifth loss. That one was ugly too. Their one win was against Portland St. That supposed easy win was a 37-30 nail-biter. The fewest points against Cal's defense was the 30 that the Portland St. Vikings scored. Cal's defense has been a complete disaster. Allowing 44, 30, 52, 55, 44, 37 in the six games. In defense of the defense, they have been destroyed by injuries. Most teams suffer this many injuries over years not games. I've never seen anything like it. Against UCLA last week, only two of the eleven projected starters before the season were able to play. New coach Sonny Dykes probably didn't expect roses from his first season in Berkeley, but his expectations had to have been better. Even with a true freshman starting at quarterback. That freshman, Jared Goff, has actually been mostly great. It hasn't been enough. Neither has a terrific crew of receivers. Cal just hasn't been able to play 60 minutes of football against several of the best teams in the nation. Their depth on defense is just too depleted to keep up with these teams. If Dykes can keep his team together, if he can keep the Cal players fighting every week, his first season will not be a failure.

I was a Cal student from 1984-87. The football team won eight games in those three seasons. They won five conference games. I've seen Cal football have difficult seasons far, far more often than I've seen success. It amuses me to talk to young Cal students and fans. They've seen far more successful seasons. Head coach Jeff Tedford had phenomenal success in the 2000s, especially in comparison to the Cal football of most of my life. This is what those youngsters know. Three years before Tedford was hired, Cal won zero games. Zero! The year before Tedford was hired, Cal won one game. That one game was the makeup game from the dreadful week of 9/11. It's amazing that Tom Holmoe got the head coaching in the first place. It's even more amazing that he held the job for five years. His final three seasons, Holmoe led Cal to 0-11, 3-8, 1-10 records. Incredible. Jeff Tedford not only brought Cal from the dead, He made Cal relevant again. Too many fans know only those days. Too many are in shock over these days. Tedford's time ran out. Some say that coaches have a "shelf life" at one place. I don't buy into that as a rule but I think that it was true with Tedford. I don't think that Cal has returned to the sad football Saturdays of the '80s. I don't think that they are even close to the disaster that we saw with Holmoe. There is much more acceptance of big time sports at Cal now than there ever was in the '80s. Throughout my three years in Berkeley, there was a quirky "we don't give a shit if our football team sucks" attitude on campus. I don't think that there's any going back to that way of thinking. I think that Sonny Dykes will get his unique brand of offensive football kicked into a punishing gear. My only real concern is whether his defense can keep up his offense. I've yet to see an up-tempo, spread offense really become a friend to their own defense. Oregon has come close but it's taken years. One thing that has really impressed me about Dykes has nothing to do with his offensive ideas. He's recruiting terrific students. Kids that are leaders at their schools. He's making Cal a better place by bringing in students that happen to be football players. Dykes also kicked off the team the one star defensive player that he had. Chris McCain. He didn't make different rules for certain players. McCain broke the rules and he's no longer on the team. That has to send a message. Cal's defense has been a disaster but Dykes has rules.

Cal's 2013 season has been rough but it's far from over. They could end up 7-5. Grab a bowl game. It starts today with Oregon St. Cal just needs something good to spark something great. One win could do that. Surprise Oregon St. today. Really surprise Washington next week. The three week stretch of Arizona, USC, Colorado might be their best chance for wins this season. Then, Stanford. Anything can happen in that beautiful game.

Shitty football in Berkeley is nothing new. I just don't think that it has to be that way.

Friday, October 18, 2013

London Again

In the span of a month, quarterback McLeod Bethel-Thompson will likely have made two trips to London for an NFL game. He was a backup quarterback for the Minnesota Vikings when they played the Pittsburgh Steelers in London on September 29. The San Francisco 49ers claimed Bethel-Thompson off waivers from Minnesota last week. If he's still on the 49ers roster next week, he'll travel to London again when they play the Jacksonville Jaguars on October 27. Being on the 49ers roster for another week is pretty likely at this point but is no certainty. Since August 31, the team has cut quarterbacks Seneca Wallace, Scott Tolzein, B.J. Daniels, and John Skelton. I think that the 49ers will keep Bethel-Thompson around for a while. He should make his second trip to London for an NFL game. It's considered historic because it's never been done before. That should be no surprise as the league has never played two London games in one season before.

For a backup quarterback, McLeod Bethel-Thompson got quite a bit of attention from the British media when he was there with the Vikings. His 93-year-old grandfather, Wilbur "Moose" Thompson, won the gold medal in the shot put in the 1948 Olympics at Wembley Stadium. "I got some interviews for sure," Bethel-Thompson said of his September trip, "They love their Olympics over there." I wonder if the British pay him the same kind of attention the second time.

The 49ers are McLeod Bethel-Thompson's hometown team. I first became aware of him in college when he led his Sacramento St. football team against Cal. He was one of the best football players on the field that day. At 25, he's still got a bright future in the NFL. It's rough being the backup to equally young Colin Kaepernick. I hope that he gets a chance somewhere. His right arm is a cannon.

Thursday, October 17, 2013

Throwback Thursday: Vikings Quarterbacks Through The Years

The Minnesota Vikings will be kicking off the Josh Freeman era when they visit the New York Giants this coming Monday. Vikings head coach Leslie Frazier named the recently signed Freeman his next starter. It's a little early to call it the Freeman era seeing as he's only signed through this season. The rest of this season is his audition. At only 25, he still has a lot of football in him. He could be either the answer to the Vikings quarterback prayers or the search continues. In fifty-three years, the Minnesota Vikings have really only had one franchise quarterback. Fran Tarkenton. Yet, even his Hall of Fame career is a little jumbled. He was the starting quarterback for the first six years of the franchise and then traded to the Giants. He was in New York for five years and then traded back to Minnesota. He spent the final seven years as the Vikings leader, taking the team to three Super Bowls.

In a sad comparison the Vikings have essentially had six centers in the fifty-three years of the franchise. Mick Tingelhoff, Dennis Swilley, Kirk Lowdermilk, Jeff Christy, Matt Birk, and John Sullivan. They've had at least eight quarterbacks in the last decade. Daunte Culpeppers's run from 2000-05 was the longest from one quarterback since Tarkenton's last game in 1978. The team has drafted a quarterback in the first round three times. Tommy Kramer in 1977. Daunte Culpepper in 1999. Christian Ponder in 2011. Injuries kept Kramer from ever really holding onto the job for an extended period of time. A knee injury essentially ended Culpepper's Vikings career as well as his NFL career. Ponder's future looks pretty bleak in Minnesota right now. Kramer and Culpepper certainly had stretches, even entire seasons, where they looked the part of the franchise quarterback. Culpepper's 2004 season was one of the greatest seasons that I've seen from a quarterback. A seemingly endless run of injuries always seemed to stop Kramer's progress just when his career looked to be taking off. He had a lot of talent. It's frustrating that the Vikings have never been able to find that one quarterback to lead the team. Their first quarterback was their best quarterback and they are still trying to find his replacement.

Here's the long list of quarterbacks for the Minnesota Vikings since 1961:

1961-66  Fran Tarkenton
1967-69  Joe Kapp
1970-71  Gary Cuozzo/Bob Lee/Norm Snead
1972-78  Fran Tarkenton
1979-82  Tommy Kramer
1983        Steve Dils/Kramer/Wade Wilson
1984        Kramer/Wilson/Archie Manning
1985-86   Kramer/Wilson
1987-89   Wilson/Kramer
1990-91   Rich Gannon/Wilson
1992        Gannon/Sean Salisbury
1993        Jim McMahon/Salisbury
1994-95  Warren Moon
1996        Moon/Brad Johnson
1997       Johnson/Randall Cunningham
1998       Cunningham/Johnson
1999       Jeff George/Cunningham
2000-04  Daunte Culpepper
2005       Culpepper/Johnson
2006       Johnson/Tarvaris Jackson
2007       Jackson/Kelly Holcomb/Brooks Bollinger
2008       Gus Frerotte/Jackson
2009-10  Brett Favre
2011       Donovan McNabb/Christian Ponder
2012       Ponder
2013       Ponder/Matt Cassel/Josh Freeman

The number of aging quarterbacks brought in by the Vikings over the years is astonishing. Some have been wildly successful. Moon was fantastic in the mid '90s. Cunningham (1998) and Favre (2009) had what many consider the finest seasons of their careers. In both cases the Vikings were achingly close to the Super Bowl. Manning, McMahon, and McNabb were much less successful. McNabb was actually tragic. George made things interesting. When he was on his game, few quarterbacks have ever thrown a prettier football.

The Vikings have to find that franchise quarterback. The search has gone on for far too long. Hopefully, this Monday will be the beginning of the end of that search.







Wednesday, October 16, 2013

Does Size Really Matter?

ESPN and a bunch of other talking heads were cracking jokes about the size of Minnesota Vikings offensive coordinator Bill Musgrave's play sheet. It's really more a card than a sheet. Sean Payton and many of the other self- and media-appointed offensive geniuses strut the sideline with a sheet of color-coded plays. Some are about the size of a poster. Most are about the size of a place mat. None are as small as the little card that Musgrave palms. His is color-coded too. Despite the size, you can clearly see the colors on TV. Those that are poking fun are making the assumption that the size of the card or sheet is directly related to the number of plays in the arsenal. That's quite an assumption to make.

Bill Musgrave made it clear from about the day that Leslie Frazier hired him to be the Vikings offensive coordinator that he's not a big fan of the cumbersome play calls associated with most, if not all, versions of your typical west coast offense. His offense would consist of brief, easily understood play calls. I thought that this was a terrific idea. While it's a hoot to listen to some of these coaches and ex-coaches, Jon Gruden in particular, rattle off these long string of disconnected words, I always thought that it was a bit excessive. A shorter, more easily understood play call simply has less room for error. The more easily understood the play call, the more easily executed the play. At least that's what I always thought. Musgrave seems to have the very same view. A handful of your typical west coast offense plays might look more like an essay. Musgrave's plays look more like a handful of sentences. He doesn't need a big ol' sheet to list all of his plays. An itty bitty card will do. I think that those supposed football experts would be better served saving some of those laughs while they explain that Musgrave's brief play calls might play a role in the size of his card.

Now, my defense of Musgrave's little card doesn't necessarily mean that I'm thrilled with his play calling. There are a lot of problems with the Vikings offense right now. The play calling is a part of it. Everyone has to execute better. The coaches and the players. I just think that the size of Bill Musgrave's card has little to do with any of it.

Tuesday, October 15, 2013

Better Studying at Berkeley

I don't think that the NFL has scouted the University of California at Berkeley very well over the last decade. I suppose that most of those scouts felt that their time was better spent at Pac-10/12 schools like USC in the early to mid 2000s and Oregon and Stanford more recently. It wasn't like Cal was a football talent void during these years. Nnamdi Asomugha, Alex Mack, DeSean Jackson, Thomas DeCoud, Tyson Alualu, and Mychal Kendricks were all terrific college football players that have gone on to nice professional careers.

The scouting of Cal quarterback Aaron Rodgers in 2005 may have been one of the most hacked-up jobs in recent memory. Maybe since the work done on Tom Brady in 2000. There should never have been any doubt concerning the quarterback skills of Rodgers. He was a fantastic quarterback. His game at USC in 2004 was some of the best throwing that I've ever seen in a college game. The San Francisco 49ers had the top pick in the 2005 NFL Draft. Current Green Bay Packers head coach Mike McCarthy was the 49ers offensive coordinator then. He apparently thought that Rodgers' mobility was suspect. I was more than a little surprised by this assessment. So was Rodgers. I guess that McCarthy never made the real short drive from Santa Clara to Berkeley because Rodgers showed excellent mobility in college. He could make plays with his feet. Since he first took the field as the Packers starting quarterback, Aaron Rodgers has been one of the best quarterbacks in football. And, he's proven many, many times that he can make plays with his feet. He's shown in Green Bay what I could easily see at Berkeley. He's shown the skills that scouts would have seen if they had taken the time to better scout Berkeley.

In just under three seasons at Cal, receiver Keenan Allen showed an incredible knack for making plays. He was a threat to score anytime that he had the ball in his hands. I was stunned when Rodgers fell to the bottom third of the first round in 2005. I was almost as stunned when Allen fell to the third round this past spring. He showed at Cal, so many times, that he was a first round talent. He only has a handful of NFL games but in the last three he's shown the play making ability that he showed so often at Cal. In the scouts defense with Allen, he did have a knee injury that ended his Cal career way too early. That knee injury also kept him from running at the Scouting Combine. Nearly three years of often jaw-dropping plays in college should have been enough for scouts to overlook a missing Scouting Combine. Sometimes, a scout has to go with what he sees on a football field. That's what really counts.

Just like the New England Patriots lucked into Tom Brady, the Packers lucked into Aaron Rodgers and the San Diego Chargers lucked into Keenan Allen. In all three instances, scouts were wrong. I also think that they need to take a more thorough look at football players in Berkeley.

Monday, October 14, 2013

Week 6 Thoughts

The Minnesota Vikings are a mess.

Minnesota folks were pretty happy about themselves when the defeated the Pittsburgh Steelers in London two weeks ago. All that's changed now. Three weeks ago, the Cleveland Browns were a mess until they came into Minnesota and took a close one from the Vikings. Yesterday, the Carolina Panthers were a mess until they came into Minnesota and took apart the Vikings. The Minnesota Vikings have a way of getting other teams feeling better about themselves.

There's probably little doubt that Josh Freeman will be the Vikings starting quarterback as soon as he is able. That could be good. It's bad that he'll be taking the reins of a 1-4 team.

There's really only two ways that a game can go if a team is surfing on intense emotion. It can be either a screaming success or a tremendous failure. The Vikings hit on the latter. Adrian Peterson's recent off field tragedy had to have the Vikings on edge. They did explode out of that tunnel at the Metrodome. That momentum built on emotion ran out of gas pretty quick.

Good or bad, a football game can hinge on a play or two. Even a blowout. The Vikings 35-10 loss to the Carolina Panthers, in my opinion, came down to a two play sequence before the game was even five minutes old. The Vikings had a nice game opening drive going. Then, Matt Cassel sailed a pass over the head of an open Greg Jennings right into the hands of Panthers safety Mike Mitchell. Mitchell didn't even have to do a damn thing but catch a ball thrown right to him. The Panthers first play from scrimmage was pretty much a copy of the pass thrown by Cassel. Cam Newton sailed a pass right into the hands of Vikings safety Jamarca Sanford. He didn't have to do a damn thing but catch a ball thrown right to him. I cheered for there was no way that any professional football player would drop a pass thrown right to him. Sanford dropped that easy interception. About nine and a half minutes later the Panthers had themselves a 7-0 lead. The Vikings never really threatened after that. So sad.

There were a couple of moments of promise for the Vikings. Tight end Kyle Rudolph made some plays. He could be such a dynamic player but in five games he's made little impact. He had opportunities yesterday. He needs more. Rookie cornerback Xavier Rhodes is already a terrific football player. He had one play, in particular, that impressed me. It might go down as a failure as he allowed a reception. A diving attempt by Rhodes forced a nice, diving catch, I believe, by Steve Smith. Rhodes was inches away from the deflection. Despite diving, he had the presence to insure that the receiver was down. His transition from defender to tackler in one smooth motion was impressive. Rhodes is real close. Smith also showed how much more Rhodes has to grow. Smith pretty much coerced Rhodes into a drive extending personal foul penalty.

Wow, there really wasn't much positive to pull away from the game for the Vikings. It's a damn shame. They have too many playmakers to play this poorly. There's still time. No one is really taking control of the NFC North. 1-4 sucks but there's some time. Not a lot, but some. The Vikings have little room for error the rest of the season. It's Freeman time.

Another horrible development for the Vikings is the apparent complete explosion of cornerback Josh Robinson's confidence. At times, it seems that he's simply given up. He's got talent. He's got tremendous speed. It's sad to see. Chris Cook and Rhodes should be the starters at corner. I think that this could be a fantastic duo. I'd rather see Marcus Sherels at nickel than Robinson going forward.

I think that the New England Patriots last second win over the New Orleans Saints was the most impressive win of the day. There aren't many teams that I've ever seen as successful at manufacturing wins as the Patriots. Part Brady. Part Belichick.

Question from a reporter to Belichick: "What makes Tom Brady so clutch?"
Answer from Belichick: "He's obviously one of the best players in the league. He's good in all four quarters."

Good to see the Steelers finally get a win.

The Texans are a bigger mess than the Vikings. I don't know how they can get 198 total yards from Arian Foster and still lose 38-13.

The Vikings will be facing more decisions this week than they've faced in a while. The switch to Freeman seems to be a no-brainer if he's comfortable with the offense. The New York Giants will be looking to get better against the Vikings next Monday Night. ESPN is probably wondering why NBC gets all of the great prime time games.



Sunday, October 13, 2013

Game Day Thoughts

The events of the last few days in Adrian Peterson's life made football seem very, very small. It's never right to lose a child. There should be some physical law that prevents a 2-year old child from being taken like this. Through this ordeal, we've discovered how important football is to Adrian Peterson. It's his way of coping. It's his release. It so often has been. His decision to play a football game so soon after losing his son is his decision. He's experienced enough heartache in his life to know the right path for himself. I've seen him crucified for his decision to play a game on all of the various social networking avenues. It's pretty damn selfish for anyone to think that their opinion on this tragic matter is the opinion that Peterson should have. It's his life. It's his decision.

Football is so much easier than life. It's often good to get away. From life.

I was watching the Georgia-Missouri game until I discovered that the Eastern Michigan-Army game was available for viewing. Army football. Blaik Field. Michie Stadium. West Point. So beautiful. I've run pass routes on that field. Not so beautiful.

Army running back Terry Baggett had a gigantic day on that beautiful field. 18 carries for 304 yards and 4 touchdowns! His touchdowns accounted for 201 of those yards (4,67,34,96). I found this game as it was coming out of halftime. Army was leading 22-18. It was 43-18 at the end of the third. With today's hyperactive passing attacks, it can be shocking to see a team like Army that can be explosive on the ground. Yesterday's explosion started with Baggett. He had one of those special games where he seemed to playing on a whole other plane from others on the field. He did whatever he wanted. At one point he had the easy math stats of 10 carries for 250 yards. In that light, he was a mere mortal on his final eight carries. Baggett's fellow backs weren't too bad either. Army had 513 yards on the ground. Most impressive.

What is it with Boston athletes and beards? There's some Boston College football players sporting beards that would make the Red Sox proud.

There were several slappies that were pretty vocal about South Carolina defensive end Jadeveon Clowney sitting out the season to avoid risking a career-jeopardizing injury. Some of those slappies are the very same slappies that are critical of Clowney's effort and possible injury this season.

Terrific game in Happy Valley. Penn St. upset Michigan 43-40 after four quarters and four overtimes. Penn St. had a last minute touchdown drive to force overtime, a blocked field goal to extend overtime, a bold fourth down conversion led to the winning touchdown. Great game.

It's hard to not cheer for Penn St. So many are trying to crawl out of a hell. Bill O'Brien seems to be the perfect coach to lead this team. He's likely going to have NFL offers coming his way this offseason. For the sake of Penn St., I hope that he stays.

It sure is strange to see Michigan quarterback Devin Gardner wear #98. He's wearing that number for the season to honor Michigan legend Tom Harmon. Nice gesture. It's just strange seeing a #98 under center.

Utah 27 Stanford 21. That's why they play the games.

Alabama 0 Kentucky 0 after the first quarter was a true surprise. Alabama 24 Kentucky 0 at the half was more like it.

Washington looked like they had something going against Oregon when they were down a touchdown, 31-24, at the end of the third. Oregon stepped on the gas and put up two fourth quarter touchdowns. The defense kept Washington out of the end zone and the Ducks had a deceptively comfortable 45-24 win.

It's a tad disconcerting that Cal's defense played their best game of the year and still gave up 37 points. UCLA dropped the Golden Bears to 1-5 with the 37-10 loss. It was actually a pretty heroic effort by Cal's defense. They were down to 3rd and 4th team players in some spots. The only promising thing about this difficult season is that the schedule lightens some from here. Cal has played ranked teams Northwestern, Ohio St., Oregon, and UCLA in their first six games. Every game is rough for Cal right now but at least the defense has now shown some signs of life. If they can string a couple of wins together maybe they can gain some momentum. It starts with Oregon St. next week.

Cleveland Browns receiver/returner Travis Benjamin claims that he got his speed from chasing rabbits. There's a bunch of fast football players that have come out of Belle Glade, Florida. There's a bunch of rabbits to chase. A Belle Glade tradition brings out a crowd to chase the rabbits scattering from the burning of the sugar cane fields. 27 NFL players have come out of the muck of Belle Glade since 1985.

Speaking of speedy, I sure hope that the Vikings find a way of getting the ball into the hands of rookie receiver Cordarrelle Patterson on offense. He's too talented to keep on the sideline.

Hopefully, Matt Cassel will get the ball into the hands of Patterson. Cassel gets the start while former franchise quarterback Christian Ponder carries a clip board. Both might be on the bench in a week or two when Josh Freeman is ready to play some Vikings football. The Vikings just need to find their quarterback.

Football Sunday!




Saturday, October 12, 2013

Quarterback Expectations

The quarterback position has become so important in today's NFL that the expectations are no longer fair. Young quarterbacks, rookies, are expected to excel pretty much immediately. Terrific recent rookie performances from Matt Ryan, Cam Newton, Andrew Luck, Robert Griffin III, and Russell Wilson has only encouraged those high expectations. If those guys can do it, others certainly can. Newton set his own bar so high as a rookie that he's having a rough time simply equaling what he's already done. There's really no learning curve anymore for a quarterback. Those selected in the first round of the NFL Draft are expected to start right away. They are expected to make an impact right away. If they aren't playing like a 10-year, franchise quarterback by year two, maybe year three, the team is looking for someone that will. The San Diego Chargers thought that three years was long enough to wait for Drew Brees to develop into a decent quarterback so they brought in Philip Rivers and started the process again. The New Orleans Saints are sure happy about the Chargers impatience. Teams no longer allow for their young quarterback to grow into the job. That's not the case for any of the other positions on a football team. Young running backs, receivers, and tight ends usually find themselves part of a rotation early in their careers. Even those taken in the early rounds of the draft. Young offensive linemen might get in for a few series each game if they aren't ready to start. They're eased along. They're allowed time to adjust to the professional game. There's less stress. The expectations are lower. There are rotations for young defensive players. Some concentrate on certain defenses. Goal line, nickel, dime. They contribute on special teams. They can make an impact for their team as they slowly learn the game and their positions.

It's unfortunate for young quarterbacks that their position simply isn't like any other position. If you're not the starting quarterback, you're not seeing the field. There's only one quarterback. There's no rotation of quarterbacks. Some coaches may monkey with play packages to utilize special running skills of certain backup quarterbacks. It doesn't usually work for long. The need for one guy to be the guy and the need for immediate positive results has crushed many talented throwers. They no longer are allowed the time that so many need to develop into the best quarterback that they can be. If they can't do it right away, their window will close.

Minnesota Vikings quarterback Christian Ponder might be watching his window close. Barely a month ago, he was the unquestioned starting quarterback for his team. An 0-3 start and a fractured rib later, he's on the bench watching the quarterback, Matt Cassel, that was brought in to sit behind him and assist him win his team's first game of the season. A week later, the Vikings sign former Tampa Bay Buccaneers starter Josh Freeman. Suddenly, Ponder's present and future with the Minnesota Vikings is on incredibly shaky ground. This is the beginning of his third NFL season. He's only started one complete season. It wasn't long ago that one season would just be the starting point. In today's game, that's often the only shot that a quarterback gets. It doesn't seem fair. Every other position on a football team has so much more opportunity to learn from their mistakes and successes. If a quarterback makes a mistake, he's on the bench and maybe looking for a job. The greatest mistake Ponder may have made was assuming that his job was secure. The most important thing for him right now is to not give up. This season and his career is far from over.

Friday, October 11, 2013

Trust

National Football Post had an interesting column by NFL player agent Jack Bechta on the "most trusted" teams in the league. Bechta took his own informal poll of his fellow agents to determine which teams they trust the most while doing business. He used the following categories:

-Fairness in contract negotiations
-Open, honest, and direct communication about clients
-Injury settlements
-Medical care and the business decisions that go along with it
-The development of young players

Bechta pointed out that not every agent has dealt with every team in the last few years. There have also been some recent regime changes (Philadelphia Eagles, Kansas City Chiefs, etc.) that might not factor fairly into this poll. The poll still covered a great deal of the league. Collectively, the agents that Bechta polled represent over 250 active players.

Here are the top five teams mentioned the most by the agents polled with Bechta's comments:

Green Bay Packers-All but one agent polled had the Packers in the top five. There is no doubt that the Packers unique ownership structures helps to create an environment of accountability and openness.

Seattle Seahawks-The Seahawks are as easy going as their head coach and general manager. They don't play games and quickly let you know where you stand.

NY Giants-The Giants have a no nonsense professional approach that agents appreciate.

Minnesota Vikings-The front office people run the Vikings in a manner that agents seem to trust. They are not afraid to keep and pay their best players.

Jacksonville Jaguars-Despite their current struggles, agents know where they and their clients stand with this team. The owner is going to be patient during the rebuilding process and the decision makers are not panicking and are looking towards building for the long term. The brass is always responsive and quick to give you honest feedback on your clients.

The Pittsburgh Steelers, Atlanta Falcons, New Orleans Saints, and San Diego Chargers also received some love.

Sure is cool to see the Vikings on this list.

It's also great to see Jacksonville listed. I've heard a few interviews with Jaguars owner Shad Khan. He's new to the league and he's really trying to do things the right way. It's a slow, tough go right now but the dedication really seems to be there. Brighter days will come.



Thursday, October 10, 2013

Throwback Thursday: Just Catch The Damn Ball

I can't believe that it's been over two months since I traveled to Canton to see Cris Carter inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. I will probably revisit that weekend and Carter's incredible day many, many times. I was prompted to do so now when I saw this quote from Carter:

"I catch the ball. You throw the ball, I catch it. Throw it close to me, I catch it. If you make me do something crazy to catch it, I catch it."

Cris Carter's amazing ability to perform the supposed simple task of catching a football is what made me appreciate him so much. He had the best hands that I've ever seen. I can't recall ever seeing him drop a pass. If he could get those hands on the ball, it was a catch. Too many receivers take this essential skill for granted (terrell owens). It's unbelievable. Carter never took it for granted. He worked as hard on his pass catching at the end of his career as he did at the beginning. Catching hundreds of balls after practice. Hundreds one-handed. Hundreds with both hands. He was probably better a catching the football with one hand than many receivers (terrell owens) catching with both hands. He took nothing for granted. He also took care of his hand. Hot wax to keep them soft. That sort of thing.

It wasn't just his emphasis on catching the ball that made him great. It was his attention to all of the little details involved in playing the position of receiver. Route running, body positioning, footwork. He worked on all of the things that got a receiver open. Then his hands finished the job. It was amazing to see him put it all together on a football field. I wish that more receivers practiced the little things.

Wednesday, October 9, 2013

Three Of A Kind

Christian Ponder
Matt Cassel
Josh Freeman

That's an interesting group of quarterbacks for the Minnesota Vikings. Not many teams have three quarterbacks that have started in the NFL. I can't think of any team that has three quarterbacks that were recently considered the present and future of a franchise. Kansas City traded for Matt Cassel in 2009. Based on his one season starting in place of an injured Tom Brady in New England, the Chiefs thought that Cassel could be their franchise quarterback. Initially, it looked like they could be right. He made a Pro Bowl! Things haven't been so peachy since 2010. Tampa Bay drafted Josh Freeman with the 17th pick of the 2009 NFL Draft. The Buccaneers thought that he could be their franchise quarterback. After a terrific 2010 season, it looked like they were right. He made a Pro Bowl! The Buccaneers, led by Freeman, were a dynamic, up and coming football team. Everything fell apart in 2011. The team couldn't get out of their own way. Head coach Raheem Morris was fired. While Freeman had some excellent moments in 2012, things weren't quite comfortable with new coach Greg Schiano. That relationship exploded this season. Minnesota selected Christian Ponder with the 12th pick of the 2011 NFL Draft. The Vikings thought that he could be their franchise quarterback. After just under two years worth of starts, his performance has been mixed, at best. He's had some good to great games. He's had as many mystifying games. Ponder hasn't made a Pro Bowl. Now, three one time franchise-quarterbacks-to-be are competing for one job on one team. It likely comes down to a competition between Ponder and Freeman as I think that the Vikings view Cassel as a backup. A solid, competent backup.

There's little doubt that Josh Freeman is the most accomplished of the three quarterbacks. He was getting close to star status after only his second year in the league. I think that many people outside of the Buccaneers were shocked that everything fell apart so quickly with the team and their young quarterback. I sure was. It was clear that Schiano and Freeman had sailed well past the point of no return. While the signing of Freeman is no vote of confidence for Ponder, I wouldn't shut the door on his role as the Vikings starting quarterback. He's got the skills to be a very effective starter. He has to start playing with greater confidence and consistency. If he wasn't motivated before, he should be now. The Vikings have shown that they won't wait forever for his development. They really can't afford to wait.

Tuesday, October 8, 2013

Change That Name

It surprises me that it has taken 80 years for people to take seriously the offensive Washington Redskins name. The Redskins have been called the Redskins since 1933. Long time. People have been questioning the naming of so many sports teams after Native Americans for decades. I've always found the use of Indians, Braves, Seminoles, Utes, Sioux, etc, as actually complimentary. We pick people and animals that are strong to be the symbol of our teams but I'm not standing in their shoes. Even as a wee tyke, I couldn't see Redskins as anything but offensive. I thought that it was a ridiculous name. As I learned more about football history and became aware of longtime Boston and Washington Redskins owner George Preston Marshall, I understood better the source of the name. It was clear that Marshall had some racist views. President John F. Kennedy had to strongly suggest that he finally integrate his team in the early '60s. Marshall may not have seen the name of his team as offensive because it didn't offend him. As college mascots have been changed over the past few decades simply because of the possibility that some Native Americans might find the names offensive, Redskins, the most offensive name of all, has always seemed to be untouchable. I never understood this.

Now, President Barrack Obama has spoken about the need to change the Washington Redskins name. Current Redskins owner Daniel Snyder seems as firm about the name as his predecessor, George Preston Marshall. There seems to more movement now than ever to pressure Snyder to make a change. On Monday, representatives of the Oneida Indian Nation conducted a symposium in Washington, D.C. regarding the name of the local NFL team. The date and time was aimed at coinciding with the league's quarterly meetings to be held in Washington. NFL representatives were unable to attend the even, due to those quarterly meetings. But the NFL will be meeting with representatives of the Oneida Nation next month. The league has stressed a willingness to engage in a constructive and meaningful dialogue regarding the issue of the Redskins name. It doesn't seem that little Danny Snyder has the same willingness. He's stressed on many occasions that he has no interest in changing the name of his team.

I found it interesting that the Oneida Nation is stepping forward. The Oneida Football Club, of Boston, was the first to establish organized rules for the new game in 1862. The first football team gravitated toward the Native Americans to name their team. It just seems fitting that those same people are trying to straighten out the team that went too far. 

Monday, October 7, 2013

Week 5 Thoughts

The Minnesota Vikings were a little more active on Sunday than most teams on their bye. They found themselves a quarterback. They signed former Tampa Bay Buccaneers starter Josh Freeman. I saw mention that the Vikings tried to sign him to a two-year contract but Freeman only wanted to sign for the remainder of this season. He'll be a free agent in March. Finding a starting caliber quarterback available during the season is a pretty unique opportunity. The Vikings clearly decided to take advantage. Christian Ponder is currently listed as the starter but he's recovering from a fractured rib. Backup Matt Cassel started in place of Ponder a week ago. Now, Freeman is in the mix. It should take a few weeks before he's familiar with his new offense. Hopefully, competition brings the best out of someone. Despite two years more experience in the league, Freeman is only a few months older than Ponder at 25. This signing doesn't close to the door Christian Ponder. It only means that he has to work his ass off to keep his job. I really like that the Vikings decision makers decided to force this added competition at the quarterback position. The Vikings offense should be explosive. Greg Jennings is one of the best route runners and move-the-chain receivers in the league. Jerome Simpson has the speed and athletic ability to be a down the field threat. Rookie Cordarrelle Patterson could be a superstar. Tight end Kyle Rudolph has the size and hands to create mismatches across the field. Then there is the MVP, Adrian Peterson in the backfield. The Vikings are really only missing consistent quarterback play. They've been missing it for a while. I really liked Freeman in the 2009 NFL Draft. If he'd made it the Vikings pick at #22, I would have been ecstatic if he was the choice. The Buccaneers grabbed him at #17. He's had some nice moments in Tampa Bay. This season, however, has been a disaster. Hopefully, this change will do him some good. Signing Josh Freeman was a great move. If it brings the best out of Christian Ponder, great. If Freeman shows the skills that he's shown at times with Tampa Bay, great. If Cassel beats out both, great. No matter how it plays out the Vikings should be better at the most important position.

As for the games yesterday, I was away from my football headquarters. With the Vikings on bye, I had plans away from football but football was still part of my day. I had to be away but I couldn't stay away from football completlely. I had the chance to experience Sunday football the Red Zone way. I know that many fans love this hyperactive football viewing. I can understand that and I respect that. I've never chosen to view it because I knew that I wouldn't like it. It's not the way that I enjoy watching a football game. I love watching a football game. The entire game. I'm not interested in watching pieces of a bunch of games. Still, it was great to finally experience the Red Zone. If nothing else, it confirmed how I felt about this fancy new viewing. Of the morning games, I was most interested in the Seahawks-Colts game. Through Red Zone viewing, it didn't seem like the Colts ever had the ball. I'd like to have seen that. Even if it didn't result in a score. That looked like a great game. It would have been nice to see it. The Red Zone is a hit with a lot of people. Everyone that I hear speak of it speaks of it fondly. It's just not for me.

The Seahawks really need to figure out how to play on the road like the play at home. Something is missing. They lose something when they leave Seattle. They got a gift in Houston last week. They got no such gifts in Indianapolis. If they can't win on the road, they won't get home field advantage in the playoffs.

What is up with the New York Giants? They are too talented to be so bad. At least, I thought that they were talented.

The Denver Broncos-Dallas Cowboys game was a gas. Peyton Manning and Tony Romo put on a passing clinic. I saw mention in the fourth quarter that the two quarterbacks had combined for 11 incompletions. Incredible. I thought that the Cowboys had the game. If nothing else, the Broncos look merely great. They looked like they could be beaten. Except for a rocky first half in game one against the Ravens, the Broncos have looked unbeatable so far. The Cowboys got to them.

The Miami Dolphins have come back to earth.

Football Sundays are always kinda funky when the Vikings are away. I never quite know what to do. I'm glad that I finally had the opportunity to experience the Red Zone way. Despite my opinions, I can understand why many like it.

Josh Freeman....Pretty interesting....

Sunday, October 6, 2013

Game Day Thoughts

The Sonny Dykes era at Cal has gotten off to a rough start. 1-4 after the Bears 44-22 loss to Washington St. Starting with Northwestern, Ohio St., and Oregon in their first four was tough. I thought that playing the Cougars at home would be a better than decent shot to get win #2. It didn't work out that way. It didn't help that two of Cal's early drives ended inside the 10-yard line with fumbles. After the turnover fiasco in Oregon last week, one would think that ball security would be a priority. Instead, Cal duplicated their five turnover performance of a week ago. Cal can have a truly potent offense but they're not good enough, as a team, to repeatedly offer up gifts to their opponents.

Cal true freshman quarterback Jared Goff had his first 500-yard game. In five games, he has, I believe, four of the top-5 passing yardage games in Cal history. Amazing. It's too bad that touchdowns aren't always coming with those terrific yards. Goff has a serious arm and serious passing talent. It's not all Dykes' pass-happy offense that's generating these numbers. Well, a lot of it is, but Goff is for real. 

Not only is Goff for real, but Cal has some real nice talent at receiver. Chris was ridiculous yesterday. 14 catches for 231 yards and a touchdown, an 89-yard touchdown. Harper, Bryce Treggs, Darius Powe,  are Richard Rodgers are all impact pass catchers.

It doesn't get easier for Cal. UCLA is up next.

Speaking of talented quarterbacks, Florida St.'s Jameis Winston was out-a-sight yesterday. I had been hearing a lot of great stuff about this redshirt freshman but I hadn't seen him play. #8 Florida St. was hosting a tough #25 Maryland team. The Seminoles made them look more like Georgia St. 63-0. It didn't help that Maryland quarterback quarterback C.J. Brown was knocked out of the game on an illegal hit in the first half. I was stunned when a penalty wasn't called on this play. It wasn't like it happened in a crowd. It was out in the open and easily seen. This was the sort of hit that has brought about all of the recent safety measures in the college game and in the pros. Maryland was still getting spanked at the time but it really spiraled out of control after that. It doesn't take anything away from what Winston did. He was awesome. 5 touchdowns, 393 yards. The numbers are super but his poise and throws were even better. I have yeat to see a full game from Louisville's Teddy Bridgewater but Jameis Winston's performance yesterday was maybe the best that I've seen from a college quarterback in recent years. 

ESPN's Game Day show had an excellent piece on the relationalship between Washington quarterback Keith Price and Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson. The young professional thrower reached out to the young amateur thrower upon being drafted by the Seahawks. It's a cool relationship and I appreciate ESPN bringing to us. Wilson is a tremendous football player and a tremendous person off of the field. I just wish that he wasn't playing for the Seahawks. It's a real shame. 

Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said that the didn't consider signing Peyton Manning because he already had Tony Romo. I really have nothing to say about that.

It was great to see the Josh Freeman soap opera end in Tampa Bay. It was only a couple of years ago that Freeman's future as an NFL quarterback was white hot. He was drafted after Matt Ryan and Mark Sanchez but was playing the best of the three first round selections. Now, he's looking for a new team. He's only 25. He still has a future in the NFL. 

Chip Kelly is sure quick to say how fantastic his coaching deeds and "innovations" are. He's the only one saying anything positive about his work in professional football, so far. 

Even with the Minnesota Vikings on bye there are some excellent games today.
New England at Cincinnati
Detroit at Green Bay
New Orleans at Chicago
Kansas City at Tennessee-this game drops a bit with Jake Locker out
Denver at Dallas
Houston at San Francisco
my favorite:
Seattle at Indianapolis

That's some good stuff. 



Saturday, October 5, 2013

Hack!

Some clown was having some fun with the Houston Texans yesterday. The Twitter account @TexansVoice belonging to Marc Vandermeer, the Texans director of broadcasting, was hacked at about 8:10 pm with the message, "Texans have traded Matt Schaub to Cleveland Browns for WR Josh Gordon and a 3rd round pick in the 2014 NFL Draft." It doesn't take long for something like this to spread, everywhere. I discovered the news on a Minnesota Vikings message board. The source checked out so it seemed up to snuff. The trade made absolutely no sense to me. The Texans would be out of their minds to do this trade. The hacking clown was obviously preying on the anger that many Texans fans were likely feeling toward Schaub. The quarterback had basically gifted last week's game to the Seattle Seahawks when he lobbed a pass in the flat to cornerback Richard Sherman instead of a player from his own team. It was a terrible decision. There's never a good time for a terrible decision but Schaub found the worst time to make a terrible decision. This terrible decision was apparently enough for some clown to wrongly tell the world that the Texans had made an even worse decision. The Browns new need for a quarterback as well as their apparent willingness to trade young, talented football players was apparently enough to fool some people. I'm not sure why anyone would, for a second, think that the Texans would give up on Schaub because of his terrible decision. Even NFL insiders Albert Breer and Ian Rapoport were chasing this fake story. Fortunately, the Houton Chronicle's John McClain was on top of it all. He was quick to set things right. The "real" Marc Vandermeer was also quick to say that his Twitter account was hacked. About 15 minutes after the "funny" tweet went public, @TexansVoice tweeted, "I've been hacked. No trade. Sorry for the craziness."

I just don't get these clowns that use their terrific computer skills to go so far as to hack someone's Twitter and then not be clever in their use of that account. Why would anyone go through so much and come up with a trade that is so stupid. If you're going to be stupid at least go big. Trade Schaub to Cleveland for the Joes. Haden AND Thomas.