3/4 of the 2015 NFL season has been played. Here's one look at some of the players that have played the best in those 12 games. It's a lot like the Midseason team.
Quarterback
Cam Newton, Carolina Panthers
Running Back
Adrian Peterson, Minnesota Vikings
Fullback
Patrick DiMarco. Atlanta Falcons
Receivers
Julio Jones, Atlanta Falcons
DeAndre Hopkins, Houston Texans
Tight End
Rob Gronkowski, New England Patriots
Tackles
Tyron Smith, Dallas Cowboys
Joe Thomas, Cleveland Browns
Guards
Zach Martin, Dallas Cowboys
Marshall Yanda, Baltimore Ravens
Center
Ryan Kalil, Carolina Panthers
Defensive Ends
J.J. Watt, Houston Texans
Chandler Jones, New England Patriots
Defensive Tackles
Geno Atkins, Cincinnati Bengals
Linval Joseph, Minnesota Vikings
Linebackers
Anthony Barr, Minnesota Vikings
Luke Kuechly, Carolina Panthers
Jamie Collins, New England Patriots
Cornerbacks
Josh Norman, Carolina Panthers
Richard Sherman, Seattle Seahawks
Safeties
Harrison Smith, Minnesota Vikings
Devin McCourty, New England Patriots
Kicker
Josh Brown, New York Giants
Punter
Johnny Hekker, St. Louis Rams
Returner
Tyler Lockett, Seattle Seahawks
There it is. Four games to go.
Tuesday, December 8, 2015
Monday, December 7, 2015
Week 13 Thoughts
Well, the Seattle Seahawks-Minnesota Vikings game was a disaster. At least it was for those the Vikings. Things went great for the Seahawks.
A 38-7 Seahawks win.
There wasn't a single redeeming thing for the Vikings in this game. Not one positive. There was even an issue were their lone score. A terrific 101-yard kick return by Cordarrelle Patterson. It was a great, explosive play. It made the score 35-7 with 48 seconds to play in the third quarter. For reasons known only to himself, Patterson celebrated as if his play had won the game. He started Deion Sanders-highstepping 10-20 yards before he crossed the goal line. He leaped into the stands to celebrate his score. Patterson's celebrating just didn't look right with the score such as it was.
The Seahawks took advantage of a Vikings defense that was taken apart by injuries. They entered the game without nose tackle Linval Joseph and safety Andrew Sendejo. The Vikings seriously missed Joseph in the middle of the line. He's been one of their best defensive players all season. He's been one of the best defensive tackles in the league all season. His absence forced the Vikings to move Sharrif Floyd to the nose and put Tom Johnson in Floyd's 3-technique spot. That movement resulted in backups at both tackle spots. The Vikings defense was hurt even more when linebacker Anthony Barr aggravated a groin injury and safety Harrison Smith hurt his hamstring early in the game. They were only on the field for the Seahawks first possession. A possession that ended in a fumble by Seahawks running back Thomas Rawls. A fumble that was recovered by the Vikings safety Antone Exum. This was the lone highlight of the Vikings defense. Joseph, Barr, and Smith are the Vikings best defensive players. It's bad enough for a team to enter a game without their top players. They have all week to prepare for the absence of those players. It's far worse to lose top players during a game. They have to adjust on the fly. It was mentioned by the announcers that Barr came into the game tasked with spying Seahawks elusive quarterback Russell Wilson. I figured that Barr or Smith would be tapped for that duty. The Vikings lost both. Jason Trusnik replaced Barr. Jason Trusnik! Trusnik was a street free agent about a month ago. That's a huge drop in talent and completely wrecked the Vikings defensive game plan. The Seahawks basically faced a shell of the Vikings defense for the entire game.
A greater concern now than this game is whether Joseph, Barr, and Smith will be available on three days rest for the game against the Arizona Cardinals on Thursday night. A game that is in Arizona which means that one of those days of rest is a travel day. These Thursday night are just ridiculous. There's no time to prepare. More significantly there's no time for the players to recover. The NFL should be more interested in better games not more games.
Injuries thrashed the Vikings defense. An inability to produce anything resembling a drive on offense kept that defense on the field. The Vikings were further destroyed by an officiating crew that had no concept of reality. Both teams had nine penalties. The Vikings nine penalties cost them 95 yards. The opportunities that those nine penalties gave the Seahawks hurt much more. The nine Seahawks penalties cost them 65 yards. They never seemed costly because everything else was going so beautifully for them.
The first penalty that the officials thought that they saw came when the Seahawks were threatening with a 7-0 lead and about three minutes to play in the first half. Vikings defensive end Brian Robison sacked Russell Wilson for an 8-yard loss at the Minnesota 22-yard line. Wilson was still fighting Robison's tackle even though it looked like he was down. Robison didn't let go. Perhaps because the whistle hadn't been blown. Wilson even broke loose and ran for what he thought might be a score. Perhaps because the whistle hadn't been blown. For reasons known only to the official that threw the flag Robison was penalized for unnecessary roughness. Nothing about the play looked unnecessary or rough. If anything, Wilson's refusal to accept that he was sacked was the entirety of the action. Instead of 2nd-and-18 from the 22. The Seahawks had a 1st-and-ten from the 11-yard line. Two very different situations. Who knows? Maybe the Seahawks still get the touchdown that followed but the officials made it much easier with a penalty that wasn't. That score enabled by the officials really started the Seahawks big win. It was a close game before it and wasn't close after it.
The other official-manufactured sequence came at the end of the third quarter. It was already 28-0 so maybe it didn't impact the game much but that's not really the point. Any hope for a miraculous comeback was ended by the officials. The Vikings had only been on the Seahawks side of the field once in the game and they were finally approaching that territory again. They were on their own 46-yard line. A holding penalty on Brandon Fusco made it 1st-and-20 on the 36. That hurt but the officials hurt them more. An offensive pass interference penalty that wasn't on Mike Wallace made it 1st-and-30. An illegal block in the back on Mike Harris that wasn't made it 1st-and-38 at the 18-yard line. The Vikings were having a hell of a time battling the Seahawks as it was. That's really on them but they really shouldn't have to fight through the official's vivid imagination as well.
Pete Carroll might be the most annoying coach to watch when everything is going his way. Literally everything was going his team's way in this game. Yet he goes absolutely ballistic when a holding penalty was called on tight end Luke Willson that nullified a 53-yard touchdown run by Russell Wilson. Willson's blatant hold of Vikings corner Xavier Rhodes made Wilson's touchdown possible. That gum-chomping little elf is bouncing around the sideline with a 28-0 lead and he's upset over a clear penalty by his player. He's upset with the officials when he should have been upset with his player. That player cost his team another touchdown. Ridiculous.
It's impossible for the Vikings to take anything positive from this game. It was one of those games that just got out of control. It got out of control just before halftime and the Seahawks rolled in the second half. Their defense played great. Penalties, imagined and real, kept the Vikings behind on the down and distances regularly. The Seahawks defensive front could just tee off on Teddy Bridgewater. Anytime Adrian Peterson gets only eight carries. it's going to be a long day for the Vikings offense and this was a very long day for the Vikings offense. For the whole team.
I've seen teams piece together an offensive line with scraps due to injuries or poor play to give their quarterback some time to throw. The Seahawks have done that this year. They haven't been perfect but they have given their quarterback a chance. The Vikings were forced to deal with season-ending injuries to a couple of their linemen in the preseason but the same five players have now played together for 12 games. They have to play better. The coaches have to get those linemen to play better. Bridgewater can help himself, and his team, by getting rid of the ball quicker but the line has to give him a chance. The Vikings will have no chance in the playoffs, let alone make the playoffs, if Bridgewater has no chance to throw the ball.
A lot of of the talking heads will be raving about Russell Wilson and the Seahawks offense after this game. There's no doubt that they played well but they were going against a preseason-level defense. The Vikings defensive gameplan was thrashed when Anthony Barr and Harrison Smith were sitting with Linval Joseph on the sideline for all but that first Seahawks possession. Injuries even forced cornerback Terrence Newman to play a few snaps at safety. This game and Thursday night's game against the Arizona Cardinals was the two-game stretch of the season that worried me most. That stretch couldn't have started any worse. Hopefully some players can get healthy in less than three days.
The Minnesota Vikings don't seem like a team that gets too full of themselves mainly because Mike Zimmer isn't the sort of coach that allows his team to get too full of themselves. That being said three of the Vikings four losses came at a time in which they must have been pretty happy with themselves. The media was giving them some love and things were going well prior to those three games. They opened the season in San Francisco against a 49ers that had experienced a simply horrendous offseason. These were two teams that were trending in opposite directions. The Vikings were horrible in the game and the 49ers were much less horrible in a surprising win. Two weeks ago the Vikings were riding high on a five-game win streak. The Green Bay Packers were struggling. The Packers thumped the Vikings at home 30-13. The Vikings came into yesterday's game feeling really good with their division lead. They get thrashed by the Seahawks. The Vikings remaining loss was a close one to the Denver Broncos in week 4. This was a game in which they were a significant underdog on the road. It was a close loss to a Super Bowl contender that revealed more good than bad. It was a game that showed that they could play with the big boys of the NFL. It was a loss that triggered the five-game win streak. The Vikings shouldn't start feeling good about themselves until the season is over and they have won the games that matter most. They haven't done anything yet.
The best thing about this game was seeing Bud Grant at it. I just wish that he didn't have to see this Vikings team play such a disaster of a game.
Some other games yesterday were more entertaining.
The Tennessee Titans and Jacksonville Jaguars might be playing a lot of good games in the coming years. Division foes with talented, young quarterbacks. Marcus Mariota for the Titans. Blake Bortles for the Jaguars. Mariota was on the winning side of this shootout. 42-39.
Mariota:
20/29 for 268 yards and 3 TDs
9 carries for 112 yards and an 87-yard score
Bortles:
24/36 322 yards 5 TDs
Since the arrival of Andrew Luck in 2012 it's been the thinking of most that the Indianapolis Colts would control the AFC South for the foreseeable future. The Titans and Jaguars might have something to say about that with their promising young quarterbacks.
The fourth team in the AFC South has been one of the hotter teams in the league. The Houston Texans. They were cooled off by the Buffalo Bills 30-21.
The Texans are the lone AFC South team still looking for their talented, young quarterback. For now, they are tied with the Colts for the division lead.
There were two games that required some extra time to decide the winner.
The San Francisco 49ers stunned the Chicago Bears in Chicago when Torrey Smith caught a 71-yard touchdown toss from Blaine Gabbert in overtime. The Bears thought that they had this game won at the end of regulation but Robbie Gould missed a 36-yard field goal attempt as time expired. Overtime.
49ers quarterback Blaine Gabbert has been efficient since he replaced Colin Kaepernick at the position. The difference between the 49ers offense under Gabbert is that he's made enough splash plays to keep the team competitive. The 49ers defense has kept the scoring down so that a splash play here or there is enough to win a game here or there.
Gabbert dashed for a 44-yard touchdown with 1:42 left in regulation to tie the game at 20. Then he had the big toss to Smith to win it in overtime.
The other overtime game was the battle of New York. The Giants and Jets were both playing on their home field. The schedule said that the Giants were the home team for this game. The Giants scored all of their points in the second quarter. The Jets matched that total when Brandon Marshall caught a nine-yard touchdown from Ryan Fitzpatrick with 27 seconds to play. A 31-yard Randy Bullock field goal won it in overtime.
The St. Louis Rams were feeling pretty good about themselves about five weeks ago. They were 4-3 and thinking playoffs. They haven't won a game since. They are 4-8 after the Arizona Cardinals shut them down yesterday. 24-3. In St. Louis. Even in recent down years the Rams have given their division foes all that they could handle. They sure didn't manage that yesterday. Rams rookie running back Todd Gurley was a big reason for those happy feelings five weeks ago. He's been shut down in the five losses.
One would think that Rams head coach Jeff Fisher would be on the hot seat now. It's simply stunning that he can be mediocre so often and stay employed so long. It would also be nice to see him off of the Competition Committee. Any coach that employs Gregg Williams has no business on the Competition Committee.
The Atlanta Falcons continued their free fall. They started the season 5-0. They are now 6-6 after their 23-19 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. With rookie quarterback Jameis Winston leading the way and running back Doug Martin running like he did a couple of years ago it looks like the Buccaneers are trending upwards. That might not be much of a surprise but I'd say that their rise is way ahead of schedule.
There were some entertaining games among the later window games.
The most entertaining was the one between the undefeated Carolina Panthers and the four-win New Orleans Saints. The Saints gave the Panthers a tough game in week 3 in Carolina. They gave the Panthers another tough game at home yesterday. The Panthers pulled out this back and forth game 41-38 on a 15-yard touchdown pass from Cam Newton to Jerricho Cotchery with a minute to play. The Panthers defense then kept the Saints from getting a shot at a game-tying field goal. This game might have been the greatest threat to the Panthers' win streak so far. Their final four games are against Atlanta, @New York Giants, @Atlanta, and Tampa Bay.
If Panthers receiver Ted Ginn Jr. drops another long distance toss (or any toss) from Cam Newton (or any quarterback) he should be kicked out of the league. No NFL receiver should have as much difficulty catching a football as Ginn routinely seems to have. It's ridiculous.
The New England Patriots played an interesting game with the Philadelphia Eagles. The 35-28 final score showed a close game. In reality the Patriots needed a furious late rally to make it close. The Patriots had a 14-0 lead in the second quarter. Then they were down 28-14 in the third quarter. The Eagles somewhat surprising lead was the result of a touchdown off of a blocked punt, a 99-yard interception return for a score, and an 83-yard punt return touchdown. The Patriots rally fell short and they were handed their second consecutive loss.
The Denver Broncos and San Diego Chargers could have gone home at the half. Both teams did all of their scoring in the first half. The Broncos won a less than lively game 17-3.
The other two AFC West teams played a more lively game. The Kansas City Chiefs scored 20 points in the fourth quarter to beat the Oakland Raiders 34-20. It was actually closer than the two-score margin. Chiefs safety, and former Raiders safety, Tyvon Branch intercepted Raiders quarterback Derek Carr and returned it 38 yards for a score to seal the game.
In the nightcap, the Pittsburgh Steelers took care of the Indianapolis Colts 45-10. Once the Steelers stopped handing the ball back to the Colts they started scoring.
There might not be a team in the league as explosive as the Steelers. Ben Roethlisberger has a variety of big play choices on every single snap. Antonio Brown is a matchup nightmare. With his size Martavis Bryant seems to be open on every single play. Markus Wheaton is emerging as the playmaker that he was drafted to be. The Steelers just seems to find a new receiving threat in every draft. The passing game is even more potent when 32-year old DeAngelo Williams is running like he did when he was 24 as he did last night. 134 yards on 26 carries. He also added another 31 yards on 5 catches. Scoring shouldn't be a problem for the Steelers. They just have to keep Roethlisberger healthy.
The Steelers have big games in the next two weeks. @Cincinnati and Denver.
Despite being 6-6 the Colts are tied for first with the Texans in the modest AFC South.
Hopefully this game silences the knuckleheads that suggested that Andrew Luck could be without a starting job when he was healthy enough to return to the field. Matthew Hasselbeck has done a fine job filling in for Luck but at 40 he's severely limited in what he can do on a weekly basis.
The 5-6, NFC East leading Washington Redskins host the fading, Tony Romo-less Dallas Cowboys tonight.
A 38-7 Seahawks win.
There wasn't a single redeeming thing for the Vikings in this game. Not one positive. There was even an issue were their lone score. A terrific 101-yard kick return by Cordarrelle Patterson. It was a great, explosive play. It made the score 35-7 with 48 seconds to play in the third quarter. For reasons known only to himself, Patterson celebrated as if his play had won the game. He started Deion Sanders-highstepping 10-20 yards before he crossed the goal line. He leaped into the stands to celebrate his score. Patterson's celebrating just didn't look right with the score such as it was.
The Seahawks took advantage of a Vikings defense that was taken apart by injuries. They entered the game without nose tackle Linval Joseph and safety Andrew Sendejo. The Vikings seriously missed Joseph in the middle of the line. He's been one of their best defensive players all season. He's been one of the best defensive tackles in the league all season. His absence forced the Vikings to move Sharrif Floyd to the nose and put Tom Johnson in Floyd's 3-technique spot. That movement resulted in backups at both tackle spots. The Vikings defense was hurt even more when linebacker Anthony Barr aggravated a groin injury and safety Harrison Smith hurt his hamstring early in the game. They were only on the field for the Seahawks first possession. A possession that ended in a fumble by Seahawks running back Thomas Rawls. A fumble that was recovered by the Vikings safety Antone Exum. This was the lone highlight of the Vikings defense. Joseph, Barr, and Smith are the Vikings best defensive players. It's bad enough for a team to enter a game without their top players. They have all week to prepare for the absence of those players. It's far worse to lose top players during a game. They have to adjust on the fly. It was mentioned by the announcers that Barr came into the game tasked with spying Seahawks elusive quarterback Russell Wilson. I figured that Barr or Smith would be tapped for that duty. The Vikings lost both. Jason Trusnik replaced Barr. Jason Trusnik! Trusnik was a street free agent about a month ago. That's a huge drop in talent and completely wrecked the Vikings defensive game plan. The Seahawks basically faced a shell of the Vikings defense for the entire game.
A greater concern now than this game is whether Joseph, Barr, and Smith will be available on three days rest for the game against the Arizona Cardinals on Thursday night. A game that is in Arizona which means that one of those days of rest is a travel day. These Thursday night are just ridiculous. There's no time to prepare. More significantly there's no time for the players to recover. The NFL should be more interested in better games not more games.
Injuries thrashed the Vikings defense. An inability to produce anything resembling a drive on offense kept that defense on the field. The Vikings were further destroyed by an officiating crew that had no concept of reality. Both teams had nine penalties. The Vikings nine penalties cost them 95 yards. The opportunities that those nine penalties gave the Seahawks hurt much more. The nine Seahawks penalties cost them 65 yards. They never seemed costly because everything else was going so beautifully for them.
The first penalty that the officials thought that they saw came when the Seahawks were threatening with a 7-0 lead and about three minutes to play in the first half. Vikings defensive end Brian Robison sacked Russell Wilson for an 8-yard loss at the Minnesota 22-yard line. Wilson was still fighting Robison's tackle even though it looked like he was down. Robison didn't let go. Perhaps because the whistle hadn't been blown. Wilson even broke loose and ran for what he thought might be a score. Perhaps because the whistle hadn't been blown. For reasons known only to the official that threw the flag Robison was penalized for unnecessary roughness. Nothing about the play looked unnecessary or rough. If anything, Wilson's refusal to accept that he was sacked was the entirety of the action. Instead of 2nd-and-18 from the 22. The Seahawks had a 1st-and-ten from the 11-yard line. Two very different situations. Who knows? Maybe the Seahawks still get the touchdown that followed but the officials made it much easier with a penalty that wasn't. That score enabled by the officials really started the Seahawks big win. It was a close game before it and wasn't close after it.
The other official-manufactured sequence came at the end of the third quarter. It was already 28-0 so maybe it didn't impact the game much but that's not really the point. Any hope for a miraculous comeback was ended by the officials. The Vikings had only been on the Seahawks side of the field once in the game and they were finally approaching that territory again. They were on their own 46-yard line. A holding penalty on Brandon Fusco made it 1st-and-20 on the 36. That hurt but the officials hurt them more. An offensive pass interference penalty that wasn't on Mike Wallace made it 1st-and-30. An illegal block in the back on Mike Harris that wasn't made it 1st-and-38 at the 18-yard line. The Vikings were having a hell of a time battling the Seahawks as it was. That's really on them but they really shouldn't have to fight through the official's vivid imagination as well.
Pete Carroll might be the most annoying coach to watch when everything is going his way. Literally everything was going his team's way in this game. Yet he goes absolutely ballistic when a holding penalty was called on tight end Luke Willson that nullified a 53-yard touchdown run by Russell Wilson. Willson's blatant hold of Vikings corner Xavier Rhodes made Wilson's touchdown possible. That gum-chomping little elf is bouncing around the sideline with a 28-0 lead and he's upset over a clear penalty by his player. He's upset with the officials when he should have been upset with his player. That player cost his team another touchdown. Ridiculous.
It's impossible for the Vikings to take anything positive from this game. It was one of those games that just got out of control. It got out of control just before halftime and the Seahawks rolled in the second half. Their defense played great. Penalties, imagined and real, kept the Vikings behind on the down and distances regularly. The Seahawks defensive front could just tee off on Teddy Bridgewater. Anytime Adrian Peterson gets only eight carries. it's going to be a long day for the Vikings offense and this was a very long day for the Vikings offense. For the whole team.
I've seen teams piece together an offensive line with scraps due to injuries or poor play to give their quarterback some time to throw. The Seahawks have done that this year. They haven't been perfect but they have given their quarterback a chance. The Vikings were forced to deal with season-ending injuries to a couple of their linemen in the preseason but the same five players have now played together for 12 games. They have to play better. The coaches have to get those linemen to play better. Bridgewater can help himself, and his team, by getting rid of the ball quicker but the line has to give him a chance. The Vikings will have no chance in the playoffs, let alone make the playoffs, if Bridgewater has no chance to throw the ball.
A lot of of the talking heads will be raving about Russell Wilson and the Seahawks offense after this game. There's no doubt that they played well but they were going against a preseason-level defense. The Vikings defensive gameplan was thrashed when Anthony Barr and Harrison Smith were sitting with Linval Joseph on the sideline for all but that first Seahawks possession. Injuries even forced cornerback Terrence Newman to play a few snaps at safety. This game and Thursday night's game against the Arizona Cardinals was the two-game stretch of the season that worried me most. That stretch couldn't have started any worse. Hopefully some players can get healthy in less than three days.
The Minnesota Vikings don't seem like a team that gets too full of themselves mainly because Mike Zimmer isn't the sort of coach that allows his team to get too full of themselves. That being said three of the Vikings four losses came at a time in which they must have been pretty happy with themselves. The media was giving them some love and things were going well prior to those three games. They opened the season in San Francisco against a 49ers that had experienced a simply horrendous offseason. These were two teams that were trending in opposite directions. The Vikings were horrible in the game and the 49ers were much less horrible in a surprising win. Two weeks ago the Vikings were riding high on a five-game win streak. The Green Bay Packers were struggling. The Packers thumped the Vikings at home 30-13. The Vikings came into yesterday's game feeling really good with their division lead. They get thrashed by the Seahawks. The Vikings remaining loss was a close one to the Denver Broncos in week 4. This was a game in which they were a significant underdog on the road. It was a close loss to a Super Bowl contender that revealed more good than bad. It was a game that showed that they could play with the big boys of the NFL. It was a loss that triggered the five-game win streak. The Vikings shouldn't start feeling good about themselves until the season is over and they have won the games that matter most. They haven't done anything yet.
The best thing about this game was seeing Bud Grant at it. I just wish that he didn't have to see this Vikings team play such a disaster of a game.
Some other games yesterday were more entertaining.
The Tennessee Titans and Jacksonville Jaguars might be playing a lot of good games in the coming years. Division foes with talented, young quarterbacks. Marcus Mariota for the Titans. Blake Bortles for the Jaguars. Mariota was on the winning side of this shootout. 42-39.
Mariota:
20/29 for 268 yards and 3 TDs
9 carries for 112 yards and an 87-yard score
Bortles:
24/36 322 yards 5 TDs
Since the arrival of Andrew Luck in 2012 it's been the thinking of most that the Indianapolis Colts would control the AFC South for the foreseeable future. The Titans and Jaguars might have something to say about that with their promising young quarterbacks.
The fourth team in the AFC South has been one of the hotter teams in the league. The Houston Texans. They were cooled off by the Buffalo Bills 30-21.
The Texans are the lone AFC South team still looking for their talented, young quarterback. For now, they are tied with the Colts for the division lead.
There were two games that required some extra time to decide the winner.
The San Francisco 49ers stunned the Chicago Bears in Chicago when Torrey Smith caught a 71-yard touchdown toss from Blaine Gabbert in overtime. The Bears thought that they had this game won at the end of regulation but Robbie Gould missed a 36-yard field goal attempt as time expired. Overtime.
49ers quarterback Blaine Gabbert has been efficient since he replaced Colin Kaepernick at the position. The difference between the 49ers offense under Gabbert is that he's made enough splash plays to keep the team competitive. The 49ers defense has kept the scoring down so that a splash play here or there is enough to win a game here or there.
Gabbert dashed for a 44-yard touchdown with 1:42 left in regulation to tie the game at 20. Then he had the big toss to Smith to win it in overtime.
The other overtime game was the battle of New York. The Giants and Jets were both playing on their home field. The schedule said that the Giants were the home team for this game. The Giants scored all of their points in the second quarter. The Jets matched that total when Brandon Marshall caught a nine-yard touchdown from Ryan Fitzpatrick with 27 seconds to play. A 31-yard Randy Bullock field goal won it in overtime.
The St. Louis Rams were feeling pretty good about themselves about five weeks ago. They were 4-3 and thinking playoffs. They haven't won a game since. They are 4-8 after the Arizona Cardinals shut them down yesterday. 24-3. In St. Louis. Even in recent down years the Rams have given their division foes all that they could handle. They sure didn't manage that yesterday. Rams rookie running back Todd Gurley was a big reason for those happy feelings five weeks ago. He's been shut down in the five losses.
One would think that Rams head coach Jeff Fisher would be on the hot seat now. It's simply stunning that he can be mediocre so often and stay employed so long. It would also be nice to see him off of the Competition Committee. Any coach that employs Gregg Williams has no business on the Competition Committee.
The Atlanta Falcons continued their free fall. They started the season 5-0. They are now 6-6 after their 23-19 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. With rookie quarterback Jameis Winston leading the way and running back Doug Martin running like he did a couple of years ago it looks like the Buccaneers are trending upwards. That might not be much of a surprise but I'd say that their rise is way ahead of schedule.
There were some entertaining games among the later window games.
The most entertaining was the one between the undefeated Carolina Panthers and the four-win New Orleans Saints. The Saints gave the Panthers a tough game in week 3 in Carolina. They gave the Panthers another tough game at home yesterday. The Panthers pulled out this back and forth game 41-38 on a 15-yard touchdown pass from Cam Newton to Jerricho Cotchery with a minute to play. The Panthers defense then kept the Saints from getting a shot at a game-tying field goal. This game might have been the greatest threat to the Panthers' win streak so far. Their final four games are against Atlanta, @New York Giants, @Atlanta, and Tampa Bay.
If Panthers receiver Ted Ginn Jr. drops another long distance toss (or any toss) from Cam Newton (or any quarterback) he should be kicked out of the league. No NFL receiver should have as much difficulty catching a football as Ginn routinely seems to have. It's ridiculous.
The New England Patriots played an interesting game with the Philadelphia Eagles. The 35-28 final score showed a close game. In reality the Patriots needed a furious late rally to make it close. The Patriots had a 14-0 lead in the second quarter. Then they were down 28-14 in the third quarter. The Eagles somewhat surprising lead was the result of a touchdown off of a blocked punt, a 99-yard interception return for a score, and an 83-yard punt return touchdown. The Patriots rally fell short and they were handed their second consecutive loss.
The Denver Broncos and San Diego Chargers could have gone home at the half. Both teams did all of their scoring in the first half. The Broncos won a less than lively game 17-3.
The other two AFC West teams played a more lively game. The Kansas City Chiefs scored 20 points in the fourth quarter to beat the Oakland Raiders 34-20. It was actually closer than the two-score margin. Chiefs safety, and former Raiders safety, Tyvon Branch intercepted Raiders quarterback Derek Carr and returned it 38 yards for a score to seal the game.
In the nightcap, the Pittsburgh Steelers took care of the Indianapolis Colts 45-10. Once the Steelers stopped handing the ball back to the Colts they started scoring.
There might not be a team in the league as explosive as the Steelers. Ben Roethlisberger has a variety of big play choices on every single snap. Antonio Brown is a matchup nightmare. With his size Martavis Bryant seems to be open on every single play. Markus Wheaton is emerging as the playmaker that he was drafted to be. The Steelers just seems to find a new receiving threat in every draft. The passing game is even more potent when 32-year old DeAngelo Williams is running like he did when he was 24 as he did last night. 134 yards on 26 carries. He also added another 31 yards on 5 catches. Scoring shouldn't be a problem for the Steelers. They just have to keep Roethlisberger healthy.
The Steelers have big games in the next two weeks. @Cincinnati and Denver.
Despite being 6-6 the Colts are tied for first with the Texans in the modest AFC South.
Hopefully this game silences the knuckleheads that suggested that Andrew Luck could be without a starting job when he was healthy enough to return to the field. Matthew Hasselbeck has done a fine job filling in for Luck but at 40 he's severely limited in what he can do on a weekly basis.
The 5-6, NFC East leading Washington Redskins host the fading, Tony Romo-less Dallas Cowboys tonight.
Sunday, December 6, 2015
Week 13 Picks
Week 13 is here. The playoffs are getting close so several of these games are something like playoff games for several teams. The NFL heats up in December. Here are some picks for the Week 13 games.
Seattle Seahawks @ Minnesota Vikings
Pick: Vikings
This is one of those playoff-like games. This is also one of those games that the Vikings need to win to shut up the people that question their 8-3 record. A so-called statement win.
Houston Texans @ Buffalo Bills
Pick: Bills
The Texans are on fire (4 game win streak). The Bills have to win.
San Francisco 49ers @ Chicago Bears
Pick: Bears
It wasn't too long ago that the Bears were a strong contender for the first pick in the draft. They have won a few games since then. The 49ers threw a scare into the Cardinals last week. They haven't done that sort of thing in two consecutive weeks.
Cincinnati Bengals @ Cleveland Browns
Pick: Bengals
The battle for Ohio could be a laugher. Unless something crazy happens the Browns just don't have the talent to hang with the Bengals.
Baltimore Ravens @ Miami Dolphins
Pick: Dolphins
The Ravens tried to give last week's game to the Browns. But that was the Browns.
New York Jets @ New York Giants
Pick: Giants
This is a home game for both teams. Eli Manning is generally a better quarterback than Ryan Fitzpatrick. That's the difference. Generally.
Arizona Cardinals @ St. Louis Rams
Pick: Cardinals
The Rams always seem to play their NFC West foes tough but this Rams can't seem to get out of their own way lately. They seem to be trending to Jeff Fisher's usual 8-8/7-9 record.
Atlanta Falcons @ Tampa Bay Biccaneers
Pick: Falcons
Just a guess. The Falcons have been playing terrible since a hot start. Maybe that players-only meeting helped.
Jacksonville Jaguars @ Tennessee Titans
Pick: Jaguars
With Blake Bortles and Marcus Mariota the Jaguars-Titans rivalry could be a fun one for a long time. At the moment the Jaguars have the edge in talent.
Kansas City Chiefs @ Oakland Raiders
Pick: Raiders
The Chiefs have won five straight. The Raiders have been up and down recently. The guess here is that they are up for this heated rivalry.
Denver Broncos @ San Diego Chargers
Pick: Chargers
There's been too much Osweiler heat and I just wanted to pick an upset.
Carolina Panthers @ New Orleans Saints
Pick: Saints
Another upset. The Panthers are bound to lose a game. Why not against a division foe in that foe's house. The Saints played the Panthers tough in Carolina in Week 3.
Philadelphia Eagles @ New England Patriots
Pick: Patriots
The Patriots keep plugging in players and finding a way.
Indianapolis Colts @ Pittsburgh Steelers
Pick: Steelers
The night cap. Ben Roethlisberger. Matthew Hasselbeck. Hasselbeck recently passed a randomly administered drug test. It was the fifth randomly administered drug test that he has passed in the last 1.5 years. That sounds more like harassment than random. I'll go with Roethlisberger in this game.
Dallas Cowboys @ Washington Redskins
Pick: Redskins
Monday Night. The Redskins haven't won a lot but they have won a lot at home. The Cowboys are without Tony Romo again.
Go Vikings!
Saturday, December 5, 2015
Pac-12 All-Century Team
In celebration of the 100th anniversary of what is now known as the Pac-12 Conference the Pac-12 Networks announced an all-time team. The best players from a conference that started out as the Pacific Coast Conference with California, Washington, Washington State, Oregon, and Oregon State to a conference that now numbers a dozen schools and two divisions. It's a conference with a rich football history.
125 players and 10 head coaches were selected by a panel of former players, coaches, and media members. Voting to select the very best of those players and coaches took place during this past football season. Each week of the season a new position group was released and voting was opened. The Pac-12 All-Century Team was announced on the Pac-12 Networks on December 1. The episode presenting this team will be repeated over the coming weeks. If you have Directv you have no shot at seeing the program since Directv still doesn't carry those channels due to the fact that AT&T (Directv's new owners) is run by a pack of idiots.
Stanford quarterback John Elway was named the Offensive Player of the Century.
USC defensive back Ronnie Lott was named the Defensive Player of the Century.
Here are the starters of the Pac-12 All-Century Team
Quarterback
John Elway, Stanford
Running backs
Marcus Allen, USC
O.J. Simpson, USC
Wide receivers
Keyshwan Johnson, USC
Lynn Swann, USC
Tight end
Tony Gonzalez, Cal
Offensive line
Jonathan Ogden, UCLA
Ron Yary, USC
Tony Boselli, USC
Anthony Munoz, USC
Lincoln Kennedy, Washington
Defensive ends
Tedy Bruschi, Arizona
Terrell Suggs, Arizona State
Defensive tackles
Steve Emtman, Washington
Haloti Ngata, Oregon
Linebackers
Junior Seau, USC
Jerry Robinson, UCLA
Ricky Hunley, Arizona
Cornerbacks
Joey Browner, USC
Mel Renfro, Oregon
Safeties
Ronnie Lott, USC
Kenny Easley, UCLA
Kicker
Jason Hanson, Washington State
Punter
Tom Hackett, Utah
Returner
Reggie Bush, USC
Head Coach
John McKay, USC
It's really no surprise that USC dominates this team. The school has dominated the play on the football field for the latter half of the conference's 100 years. 12 of the 26 spots go to Trojans.
Having only one Cal player is a disappointment. Their best years were the Andy Smith years just after the formation of the Pacific Coast Conference. An argument could be made for running back Chuck Muncie and offensive lineman/linebacker Les Richter joining Tony Gonzalez as Golden Bears on this team.
The only problem that I have with this team is the offensive linemen. All five players are tackles. There's no doubt that they are all fantastic offensive tackles. Ogden and Munoz are among the best to have ever played the position no matter the conference. The offensive line is made up of three very different positions should have broken up into those respective positions. They broke up the defensive line and backs. Going with an all tackle offensive line leaves out deserving linemen like Mel Hein, Randall McDaniel, Alex Mack, Les Richter. In my opinion the Pac-12 All-Century offensive line should look like this:
Offensive tackles
Jonathan Ogden, UCLA
Anthony Munoz, USC
Offensive guards
Randall McDaniel, Arizona State
Les Richter, Cal
Center
Mel Hein
The defensive back talent in Los Angeles in the late 1970s and early 1980s was ridiculous. Ronnie Lott, Kenny Easley, and Joey Browner made this team. Dennis Thurman, Dennis Smith, and Tim McDonald might have if those other guys weren't involved. Lott, Browner, and Smith played together for two years. There wasn't much room to throw on those Trojans teams.
It's not really a surprise that no player that played before the 1960s made this team. There just aren't enough people that saw those pre-1960s players play. Coach John McKay joined USC in 1960. Mel Renfro played cornerback at Oregon from 1961-63. Those are the oldest selections. It's sad that all-time football greats like Ernie Nevers and Mel Hein are fading from our view. Those two deserve a spot on this team. Pop Warner called Nevers "the player without a fault." Warner had also coached Jim Thorpe. Hein was such a great football player that he once won the NFL's MVP award as a center.
Happy 100th Pac-12 Conference. And congratulations to the All-Century Football Team.
125 players and 10 head coaches were selected by a panel of former players, coaches, and media members. Voting to select the very best of those players and coaches took place during this past football season. Each week of the season a new position group was released and voting was opened. The Pac-12 All-Century Team was announced on the Pac-12 Networks on December 1. The episode presenting this team will be repeated over the coming weeks. If you have Directv you have no shot at seeing the program since Directv still doesn't carry those channels due to the fact that AT&T (Directv's new owners) is run by a pack of idiots.
Stanford quarterback John Elway was named the Offensive Player of the Century.
USC defensive back Ronnie Lott was named the Defensive Player of the Century.
Here are the starters of the Pac-12 All-Century Team
Quarterback
John Elway, Stanford
Running backs
Marcus Allen, USC
O.J. Simpson, USC
Wide receivers
Keyshwan Johnson, USC
Lynn Swann, USC
Tight end
Tony Gonzalez, Cal
Offensive line
Jonathan Ogden, UCLA
Ron Yary, USC
Tony Boselli, USC
Anthony Munoz, USC
Lincoln Kennedy, Washington
Defensive ends
Tedy Bruschi, Arizona
Terrell Suggs, Arizona State
Defensive tackles
Steve Emtman, Washington
Haloti Ngata, Oregon
Linebackers
Junior Seau, USC
Jerry Robinson, UCLA
Ricky Hunley, Arizona
Cornerbacks
Joey Browner, USC
Mel Renfro, Oregon
Safeties
Ronnie Lott, USC
Kenny Easley, UCLA
Kicker
Jason Hanson, Washington State
Punter
Tom Hackett, Utah
Returner
Reggie Bush, USC
Head Coach
John McKay, USC
It's really no surprise that USC dominates this team. The school has dominated the play on the football field for the latter half of the conference's 100 years. 12 of the 26 spots go to Trojans.
Having only one Cal player is a disappointment. Their best years were the Andy Smith years just after the formation of the Pacific Coast Conference. An argument could be made for running back Chuck Muncie and offensive lineman/linebacker Les Richter joining Tony Gonzalez as Golden Bears on this team.
The only problem that I have with this team is the offensive linemen. All five players are tackles. There's no doubt that they are all fantastic offensive tackles. Ogden and Munoz are among the best to have ever played the position no matter the conference. The offensive line is made up of three very different positions should have broken up into those respective positions. They broke up the defensive line and backs. Going with an all tackle offensive line leaves out deserving linemen like Mel Hein, Randall McDaniel, Alex Mack, Les Richter. In my opinion the Pac-12 All-Century offensive line should look like this:
Offensive tackles
Jonathan Ogden, UCLA
Anthony Munoz, USC
Offensive guards
Randall McDaniel, Arizona State
Les Richter, Cal
Center
Mel Hein
The defensive back talent in Los Angeles in the late 1970s and early 1980s was ridiculous. Ronnie Lott, Kenny Easley, and Joey Browner made this team. Dennis Thurman, Dennis Smith, and Tim McDonald might have if those other guys weren't involved. Lott, Browner, and Smith played together for two years. There wasn't much room to throw on those Trojans teams.
It's not really a surprise that no player that played before the 1960s made this team. There just aren't enough people that saw those pre-1960s players play. Coach John McKay joined USC in 1960. Mel Renfro played cornerback at Oregon from 1961-63. Those are the oldest selections. It's sad that all-time football greats like Ernie Nevers and Mel Hein are fading from our view. Those two deserve a spot on this team. Pop Warner called Nevers "the player without a fault." Warner had also coached Jim Thorpe. Hein was such a great football player that he once won the NFL's MVP award as a center.
Happy 100th Pac-12 Conference. And congratulations to the All-Century Football Team.
Friday, December 4, 2015
Pac-12 Bowl Projections
The teams playing in each of the college bowl games will be determined this Sunday. Seven of the bowl games have commitments to Pac-12 schools. Sometimes those commitments seem to be more like guidelines but they are a start for random guesses. Here are some guesses at the bowl projections for the Pac-12 schools.
Stanford still has a shot at the College Football Playoffs if they can take care of USC in Saturday's Pac-12 Championship game. They should get by USC but the Playoffs are a significant longshot. They have two losses and they have to jump too many teams. For the purposes of these bowl projections I'm going with the assumption that the Cardinal wins the Pac-12 championship and aren't part of the NCAA title chase.
Rose Bowl
Big Ten champ vs Pac-12 champ
Iowa vs Stanford
Unless Michigan St. loses to Iowa in the Big Ten title game they should be part of the College Playoffs so Iowa gets that Rose Bowl nod.
CBS Sports Projection: Iowa vs Stanford
Valero Alamo Bowl
Big Ten #2 vs Pac-12 #2
Ohio St. vs Oregon
It's just a guess but Ohio St probably gets a bigger bowl.
CBS Sports Projection: TCU vs Oregon
National University Holiday Bowl
Big Ten #3 vs Pac-12 #3
Northwestern vs Utah
CBS Sports Projection: Wisconsin vs Utah
Foster Farms Bowl
Big Ten #4 vs Pac-12 #4
Michigan vs USC
If this pair found their way to this little bowl in Santa Clara the organizers will be ecstatic.
CBS Sports Projection: Indiana vs USC
Hyundai Sun Bowl
ACC #4/Notre Dame vs Pac-12 #5
Pittsburgh vs Washington State
Notre Dame should have better offers.
CBS Sports Projection: Louisville vs UCLA
Royal Purple Las Vegas Bowl
Mountain West Conference #1/BYU vs Pac-12 #6
San Diego St. vs UCLA
CBS Sports Projection: San Diego State vs Washington St.
Cactus Bowl
Big 12 #5 vs Pac-12 #7
West Virginia vs Cal
CBS Projection: West Virginia vs Cal
CBS Sports Projects Pac-12 teams in the following bowl games:
Heart of Dallas Bowl
Arizona State vs Western Kentucky
New Mexico Bowl
Washington vs New Mexico
Cure Bowl
Arizona vs Connecticut
If the bowl games play out like the above only two teams from the Pac-12 won't be a part of the postseason fun:
Oregon State
Colorado
Stanford still has a shot at the College Football Playoffs if they can take care of USC in Saturday's Pac-12 Championship game. They should get by USC but the Playoffs are a significant longshot. They have two losses and they have to jump too many teams. For the purposes of these bowl projections I'm going with the assumption that the Cardinal wins the Pac-12 championship and aren't part of the NCAA title chase.
Rose Bowl
Big Ten champ vs Pac-12 champ
Iowa vs Stanford
Unless Michigan St. loses to Iowa in the Big Ten title game they should be part of the College Playoffs so Iowa gets that Rose Bowl nod.
CBS Sports Projection: Iowa vs Stanford
Valero Alamo Bowl
Big Ten #2 vs Pac-12 #2
Ohio St. vs Oregon
It's just a guess but Ohio St probably gets a bigger bowl.
CBS Sports Projection: TCU vs Oregon
National University Holiday Bowl
Big Ten #3 vs Pac-12 #3
Northwestern vs Utah
CBS Sports Projection: Wisconsin vs Utah
Foster Farms Bowl
Big Ten #4 vs Pac-12 #4
Michigan vs USC
If this pair found their way to this little bowl in Santa Clara the organizers will be ecstatic.
CBS Sports Projection: Indiana vs USC
Hyundai Sun Bowl
ACC #4/Notre Dame vs Pac-12 #5
Pittsburgh vs Washington State
Notre Dame should have better offers.
CBS Sports Projection: Louisville vs UCLA
Royal Purple Las Vegas Bowl
Mountain West Conference #1/BYU vs Pac-12 #6
San Diego St. vs UCLA
CBS Sports Projection: San Diego State vs Washington St.
Cactus Bowl
Big 12 #5 vs Pac-12 #7
West Virginia vs Cal
CBS Projection: West Virginia vs Cal
CBS Sports Projects Pac-12 teams in the following bowl games:
Heart of Dallas Bowl
Arizona State vs Western Kentucky
New Mexico Bowl
Washington vs New Mexico
Cure Bowl
Arizona vs Connecticut
If the bowl games play out like the above only two teams from the Pac-12 won't be a part of the postseason fun:
Oregon State
Colorado
Thursday, December 3, 2015
Throwback Thursday: The First Big Game
The timing of this would have been much better two weeks ago. That would have been before Stanford defeated Cal in the 118th Big Game 35-22.
The Big Game is one of the great rivalries in college football. It's the oldest rivalry in the West and the eighth most played rivalry in the nation. Cal and Stanford started their football rivalry on March 19, 1892. The Big Game name didn't land on the game until the one that was played in 1900.
The first football game was played on the Berkeley campus in 1881. That's when the class of '81 challenged the class of '80. The class of '80 prevailed in a game that more closely resembled rugby than the game than the one that most considered American Football. This game sparked an interest in the sport and games with teams outside the campus. From 1882-85, Cal played a game that resembled English rugby against various club teams from San Francisco. They were in 8-1-2 in these games. It was a fine time but everything changed when Oscar Shafter Howard appeared on the scene. A Californian, he played football at Harvard and graduated in 1885. When he returned to the west coast he brought American Football with him. He sold Cal on the sport and volunteered to coach them and any rugby club in San Francisco who would convert to this new game. What followed was the birth of American Football on the west coast.
Over the next six seasons Cal's football team posted a 20-4-1 record against club team competition. It's all that they had. Stanford decided to change that. Leland Stanford Jr. University was established in 1891. Some Stanford students were interested in starting a football team immediately. In that first fall term those students approached John R. Whittemore seeking his help in organizing a team. Whittemore had attended school in the east and played at Washington. He agreed to help and became the playing coach and captain of Stanford's first football team.
Cal got wind of Stanford's little football team and issued a challenge to meet on Thanksgiving Day for a game. Whittemore knew that there was no way that he could get the Stanford team ready in time and declined the challenge but left the door open for a game in the spring. When the progress of his team met his approval, Whittemore looked to arrange the game. Cal eagerly agreed and a game was scheduled for March 19, 1892 on the Haight Street grounds in San Francisco.
One of the most frequently told stories of the first Big Game was that of Stanford's team manager Herbert C. Hoover. Future President of the United States Herbert C. Hoover. When both teams showed up for the game neither team showed up with a football. The fault for this little issue has always been placed on Hoover. While placing the blame of this significant snafu on a future President might make the story a little more interesting it's not entirely accurate. Why isn't Cal manager Herbert Lang blamed? Or the official, Jack Sherrard. Or anyone from either team. Anyway, there was still the problem of no football. David Goulcher, the owner of a sporting goods store in downtown San Francisco, volunteered to remedy the problem. He set off on horseback and returned with a ball an hour later. The first Big Game kicked off at 4:11 p.m.
Here are the lineups for that first game in this long series
California
Walter H. Henry, left end
John H. White, left tackle
Newton Wachhorst, left guard
J.C. Pierce, center
Alfred Dubbers, right guard
Henry Hay, right tackle
Arthur H. Mau, right end
Raymond H. Sherman, left half
George H. Foulkes, right half-captain
Guy R. Kennedy, quarterback
Loren E. Hunt, fullback
Stanford
Charles H. Hogg, left end
Ellsworth L. Rich, left tackle
Stewart D. Briggs, left guard
Arthur H. Barnhisel, center
Charles C. Adams, right guard
Claude S. Downing, right tackle
Milton D. Grosh, right end
John R. Whittemore, left half-captain
Paul M. Downing, right half
Thomas K. Code, quarterback
Carl C. Clemans, fullback
Stanford was apparently a real quick study in this new game of football. Or Whittemore was an excellent teacher. It was probably a little bit of both. Cal had been playing this game for about six years. Stanford had been playing it for a few months. Stanford won the first Big Game 14-10.
The second Big Game was also played in 1892. December 17, 1892. That game ended in a 10-10 tie. Those two games kicked off 123 years of football fun.
It would be a lot more fun if Cal could even the all-time series. It currently stands at 61-46-11 in Stanford's favor. That has to change.
The Big Game is one of the great rivalries in college football. It's the oldest rivalry in the West and the eighth most played rivalry in the nation. Cal and Stanford started their football rivalry on March 19, 1892. The Big Game name didn't land on the game until the one that was played in 1900.
The first football game was played on the Berkeley campus in 1881. That's when the class of '81 challenged the class of '80. The class of '80 prevailed in a game that more closely resembled rugby than the game than the one that most considered American Football. This game sparked an interest in the sport and games with teams outside the campus. From 1882-85, Cal played a game that resembled English rugby against various club teams from San Francisco. They were in 8-1-2 in these games. It was a fine time but everything changed when Oscar Shafter Howard appeared on the scene. A Californian, he played football at Harvard and graduated in 1885. When he returned to the west coast he brought American Football with him. He sold Cal on the sport and volunteered to coach them and any rugby club in San Francisco who would convert to this new game. What followed was the birth of American Football on the west coast.
Over the next six seasons Cal's football team posted a 20-4-1 record against club team competition. It's all that they had. Stanford decided to change that. Leland Stanford Jr. University was established in 1891. Some Stanford students were interested in starting a football team immediately. In that first fall term those students approached John R. Whittemore seeking his help in organizing a team. Whittemore had attended school in the east and played at Washington. He agreed to help and became the playing coach and captain of Stanford's first football team.
Cal got wind of Stanford's little football team and issued a challenge to meet on Thanksgiving Day for a game. Whittemore knew that there was no way that he could get the Stanford team ready in time and declined the challenge but left the door open for a game in the spring. When the progress of his team met his approval, Whittemore looked to arrange the game. Cal eagerly agreed and a game was scheduled for March 19, 1892 on the Haight Street grounds in San Francisco.
One of the most frequently told stories of the first Big Game was that of Stanford's team manager Herbert C. Hoover. Future President of the United States Herbert C. Hoover. When both teams showed up for the game neither team showed up with a football. The fault for this little issue has always been placed on Hoover. While placing the blame of this significant snafu on a future President might make the story a little more interesting it's not entirely accurate. Why isn't Cal manager Herbert Lang blamed? Or the official, Jack Sherrard. Or anyone from either team. Anyway, there was still the problem of no football. David Goulcher, the owner of a sporting goods store in downtown San Francisco, volunteered to remedy the problem. He set off on horseback and returned with a ball an hour later. The first Big Game kicked off at 4:11 p.m.
Here are the lineups for that first game in this long series
California
Walter H. Henry, left end
John H. White, left tackle
Newton Wachhorst, left guard
J.C. Pierce, center
Alfred Dubbers, right guard
Henry Hay, right tackle
Arthur H. Mau, right end
Raymond H. Sherman, left half
George H. Foulkes, right half-captain
Guy R. Kennedy, quarterback
Loren E. Hunt, fullback
Stanford
Charles H. Hogg, left end
Ellsworth L. Rich, left tackle
Stewart D. Briggs, left guard
Arthur H. Barnhisel, center
Charles C. Adams, right guard
Claude S. Downing, right tackle
Milton D. Grosh, right end
John R. Whittemore, left half-captain
Paul M. Downing, right half
Thomas K. Code, quarterback
Carl C. Clemans, fullback
Stanford was apparently a real quick study in this new game of football. Or Whittemore was an excellent teacher. It was probably a little bit of both. Cal had been playing this game for about six years. Stanford had been playing it for a few months. Stanford won the first Big Game 14-10.
The second Big Game was also played in 1892. December 17, 1892. That game ended in a 10-10 tie. Those two games kicked off 123 years of football fun.
It would be a lot more fun if Cal could even the all-time series. It currently stands at 61-46-11 in Stanford's favor. That has to change.
Wednesday, December 2, 2015
More Officiating Junk
The NFL has removed referee Pete Morelli's officiating crew from Sunday Night's Indianapolis Colts-Pittsburgh Steelers game. The "demotion" is due to mistakes that they made in last Sunday's Arizona Cardinals-San Francisco 49ers game. It's the second time this season that the league has had to take disciplinary action against this crew for officiating errors. It's great that the league is reacting to some of these ridiculous mistakes made by their part-time employees. It's not great that the league is simply moving Morelli's crew to a game that's not televised to the nation in primetime. It's even worse that the league considers assigning an officiating crew to a non-primetime game a punishment. The non-primetime game that has now been gifted with Pete Morelli and his gang of clowns is the Philadelphia Eagles-New England Patriots game. Lucky them. It's simply stunning that the NFL is okay with an officiating crew repeatedly making mistakes as long as those mistakes aren't made during one of their marquee games.
The first time that Pete Morelli's crew came under fire this season came in Week 5. The league suspended side judge Rob Vernatchi for one game with pay after he failed to ensure the accuracy of the clock during the Pittsburgh Steelers 24-20 win over the San Diego Chargers. The game clock erroneously ran for 18 seconds following a touchback late in the fourth quarter. As side judge, Vernatchi is responsible for the official time. He missed the running clock that should have been a stopped clock. So did every other member of his crew. The NFL said that this error would impact the grading of the entire crew. They probably couldn't afford any more mistakes. Yet, here we are. Last week in the Cardinals-49ers game it seemed that this crew was often blind to the game that they were assigned. They were also blind to the rules that govern the game.
"The officials were struggling. Mightily. I mean, they can't count to three."
-Cardinals head coach Bruce Arians
Arians was referring to a sequence of plays in which the Cardinals offense had caught the 49ers with 13 men on the field on a play in which they had gained two yards. After much discussion, Morelli's crew assessed the penalty after the two-yard gain. What should have been 1st-and-five became 2nd-and-three. "That's not what we accepted," Arians said, "and that was the whole problem." It took these guys ten minutes of discussion to get the call wrong. How does that happen? Well, the NFL allows it to happen. As long as it's not in primetime.
If Morelli's crew was assigned to a non-primetime game this week would they have been disciplined at all? That's an outstanding question. I wonder if the NFL has an answer and, if so, are they willing to give it. The fact that the NFL thinks that a non-primetime game is less important than a primetime game is a problem. A serious problem. Every game is important. Every game is so important that each and every one deserves an officiating crew made up of full-time officials. These part-time officials clearly aren't working anymore.
The officiating in the NFL, and in college, this season has been horrible. Absolutely horrible. The game deserves better. The players and coaches deserve better. The fans deserve better.
The first time that Pete Morelli's crew came under fire this season came in Week 5. The league suspended side judge Rob Vernatchi for one game with pay after he failed to ensure the accuracy of the clock during the Pittsburgh Steelers 24-20 win over the San Diego Chargers. The game clock erroneously ran for 18 seconds following a touchback late in the fourth quarter. As side judge, Vernatchi is responsible for the official time. He missed the running clock that should have been a stopped clock. So did every other member of his crew. The NFL said that this error would impact the grading of the entire crew. They probably couldn't afford any more mistakes. Yet, here we are. Last week in the Cardinals-49ers game it seemed that this crew was often blind to the game that they were assigned. They were also blind to the rules that govern the game.
"The officials were struggling. Mightily. I mean, they can't count to three."
-Cardinals head coach Bruce Arians
Arians was referring to a sequence of plays in which the Cardinals offense had caught the 49ers with 13 men on the field on a play in which they had gained two yards. After much discussion, Morelli's crew assessed the penalty after the two-yard gain. What should have been 1st-and-five became 2nd-and-three. "That's not what we accepted," Arians said, "and that was the whole problem." It took these guys ten minutes of discussion to get the call wrong. How does that happen? Well, the NFL allows it to happen. As long as it's not in primetime.
If Morelli's crew was assigned to a non-primetime game this week would they have been disciplined at all? That's an outstanding question. I wonder if the NFL has an answer and, if so, are they willing to give it. The fact that the NFL thinks that a non-primetime game is less important than a primetime game is a problem. A serious problem. Every game is important. Every game is so important that each and every one deserves an officiating crew made up of full-time officials. These part-time officials clearly aren't working anymore.
The officiating in the NFL, and in college, this season has been horrible. Absolutely horrible. The game deserves better. The players and coaches deserve better. The fans deserve better.
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