The most noteworthy game of the week was San Diego's epic collapse against the old and shitty New Orleans Saints. With the ball and leading by 13 points with just six minutes to go, Charger 1st round draft flop Melvin Gordon fumbled the ball away on the 13 yard line. The Saints scored an EZ TD, kicked off, and on the Chargers first play from scrimmage, Philip Rivers completed a dink pass to Travis Benjamin, who promptly fumbled it back to the Saints. The Saints had another short and EZ TD drive to take a one point lead. Still, the Chargers had 1:57 left on the clock to move the ball into FG position and save themselves from a disastrous loss. Yet on their last possession of the game, Rivers somehow managed to get sacked twice by New Orleans' crappy defense, throw one incomplete pass, and then a miserable fourth down INT. The only way the feeble Saints can win a football game is if the other team throws it to them, and that's what the Chargers did. One of the most pathetic giveaways in the history of the National Football League, featuring an almost impossibly incompetent final 6 offensive plays stretched over three *drives.* Goody Two Shoes Rivers looked like he was about to cry after the game:
He found out what he and his teammates were about, all right: too soft. Better was the red-assed reaction of giraffe-necked Charger Head Coach Mike McCoy:
On the opposite end of the Toughness spectrum are Mike Zimmer's Minnesota Vikings, who lose their starting QB and #28, and still win. . .they've been even more impressive than the Brady-less Patriots. No team in the National Football League plays harder for longer and is more consistently disciplined. Once Zimmer wins a Super Bowl, he becomes the Greatest Professional Football Coach of All-Time.
Atlanta +6 at Denver: The Falcons defense is still awful, but their offense has been so exponentially better than anybody else's, it don't matter, they just out-score you. The question is: when will Matt Ryan crack? I can't believe Kyle Shanahan suddenly found the switch to turn Ryan into an MVP caliber player. The Broncos will be the first legit defense Ryan faces this year. . .if Ryan lights them up, then we must seriously consider the Falcons a Super Bowl threat. . .if Ryan looks like the old Ryan, tossing weak red zone INTs, etc., then the Falcons are likely headed for a Wild Card scramble. I'm not ready to buy stock in MVP Ryan. Denver.
Cincinnati -1 at Dallas: Are the Cowboys a *surprise* 3-1? Considering they got a rookie QB and they were so awful in 2015 without Tony Romo? Not really. Dak Prescott is certainly a better fill-in than the trash they used last year, but the three teams they've beat are NFL bottom feeders. Cincinnati is the better team, all across the board, and only giving 1 point makes them as close to a sure bet as there is this week. Cincinnati.
Buffalo +2.5 at Los Angeles: After Week 1, I woulda bet both these teams' coaches would be lame ducks by now. . .but somehow they both enter the game on winning streaks. The Rams are the bigger shocker. . .teams are stacking the box against Todd Gurley, just like we figured they would, because they have no QB, and Gurley has nowhere to run (he's averaging an embarrassing 2.6 yards per carry). . .but somehow the Rams have won 3 in a row on the shitty right arm of Case Keenum. . .and it's not because their defense is that good. . .in fact, their defense has actually been a bit of a disappointment (ranked 23rd in the League in Total Defense). . .I can only conclude the Rams are on a 3 game fluke. Rex Ryan is crowing like the fat old Rex Ryan after being the only coach to figure out how to beat the Brady-less Patriots. The Bills are the better team. . .on paper, at least. And they are getting points against a team whose luck should be about to run out. But my gut tells me the football gods are upset with Ryan for running his trap about beating the Pats. . .watch the Bills run defense fail to show up, and Gurley finally busts loose. The Rams fluke continues for one more week. Los Angeles.
BONUS COLLEGE PICK
Florida State +3 at Miami: Georgia fired Mark Richt because, with their talent, they should have won the SEC East the last three years, yet somehow didn't. Their new coach, Kirby Smart, is already just about out of the East race, after only 5 games. And he didn't have some rebuilding job to do. He inherited a stacked roster, and a 5 Star Stud QB recruit. He should win big right away, and yet there Georgia sits, 3-2, looking up at Tennessee and Florida. Mark Richt completely mishandled the QB situation at Georgia last year. . .but he still ended up 9-3, and considering his over-all success there, and his recruiting ability, the fair thing would have been to let him have at least one year with Eason. Instead they tossed him aside for one of Nick Saban's caddies. So here now is Richt sitting at 4-0, while Kirby Smart is 3-2. . .last laugh for Richt? I don't think so. Richt doesn't have to play Clemson or Louisville, but he'll still end up losing 3 or 4 games, and this is one of them. Miami's kicked four tomato cans this year, and even though this isn't a vintage Florida State team, they're still a level ahead of Miami. Richt takes his first loss. In the end, I doubt either Georgia or Richt will get a last laugh, they'll both probably have to learn to live 9-3 lives without each other. Florida State.
Rivers has something like 8 kids. 2 more and he can have an offense. SD is a puzzling team. They've had good running backs, qbs, all of that stuff, but they can't seem to get it together. And Rivers was about to weep in that video. He knows as much as he likes San Diego, the best chance he has at a ring is with another team. Denver seems to be a good spot for end of career qb's. He may try for Denver after a year with some other team (like Favre did) because of the divisional thing.
ReplyDeletePhilly and Detroit. Is Wentz for real? I guess so. LA has to be a bit miffled by all of this seeing as they took Dummy Goff (who only this year learned the sun rises in the east) and have a middle reliever doing starting duty.
Back to this game, though. Detroit's defense really did fall apart after Suh. Wentz carves them up. Philly all the way.
Denver vs Atlanta. Wade Phillips has been the best DC of the last 10 years and probably last 20 years. It remains baffling how he went unemployed for a year. More baffling is how Wade didn't take that time off and try and get into better shape. The guy has been carrying a yoga ball under his shirt for 30 years. It's always funny to see these coaches who are around elite athletes every day not even give a whisper to their own diet and fitness routine.
Is Ryan for real? Did the Shanny system finally click? After the incredible ass kicking the Falcons gave the Panther defense last Sunday - maybe? It's the Falcons, though. And their last two HC's have been "defensive" coaches but their defenses always sucked. It's weird.
But as much as the offense may be clicking, Phillips can out plan the Falcons. The Texans still cling to the idea of a vaunted defense but that's only a memory, a vestige, from the Phillips days.
Denver wins and takes points.
Cincy and Dallas. This Dak guy looks good but is it rookie luck, defense haven't figured him out, or is it legit? Cincy should be a good test. Cincy takes it, points and all.
Buff and LA. LA was the Hard Knocks team HBO picked this year and they were a complete bore. I don't know, too much fun, too much bullshit and not enough drive to win. Not enough anger. And Goff should be mightily pissed off about not making first string but he's too happy about being the first pick of the draft but not the first pick on his fucking team. And it's not like he's sitting behind some grizzled vet. He's sitting behind fucking Case Keenum!
No, no no, this game goes to Buffalo, as much as Ryan pisses off the football cosmos. Rex will be doing a celebratory toe licking after this one. Buffalo.
Poor UGA. They cannot get their shit together and this Kirby Smart guy looks like that lame ass guy in the Dr Pepper commercials. He thinks he looks like Spurrier in the visor but Spurrier only made that shit work because he was a winner.
Win with a visor and you look like a winner. Lose with a visor and you look like a loser. In a fucking visor. There are only two kinds of people in the world who should wear a visor. Steve Spurrier and attractive women playing volleyball or tennis.
Kirby "Not So" Smart was seen as the answer because he came from Alabama. The problem is Alabama has Saban. He could surround himself with a pack of walking and talking shit and still win.
What did Richt in was his inconsistency. Was he a discipline coach or not? Was he a "play the game right" or a dirty coach?
Either way would have been fine because he would have won the hearts of half the fans outright (dirty or clean) and won half of the other half because of winning. Instead, he kept changing tacts which alienated both broad segments of the fan base.
Be the strict guy and it would be "Richt is the epitome of what coaching should be in college football" from 75% of the fans. Be the dirty coach and it would be "he's a sonofabitch but he's OUR sonofabitch" from 75% of the fans.
Richt thought he was playing poker when he was coaching a football team.
I'll tell you who Kirby Smart looks like:
ReplyDeleteA young, Auburn Terry Bowden. . .and that's not a good look, believe me.
https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jsjGRN8yzi4/V_V_OjWUo5I/AAAAAAAACEc/83pMmHmWy4IxY1oUrQLTP77V8Kildf1pgCLcB/s1600/kirby.jpg
I'm not sold on Dak, either. He wasn't that good a passer at Mississippi State, and he threw a lot of INTs in the big games. . .but what helps him a TON is that Ezekiel Elliott is the real deal. Being able to give him the ball 25 times a game makes his job much easier.
Tough loss for coach Richt, but he played pussy football, wouldn't get for 2 at the end, and so the extra point is blocked. Never play pussy football. . .
ReplyDeleteLions are the only team that angers their fans when they win, now we are stuck with Nigger Jim Calwdell for another few weeks. . .
ReplyDeleteWe gotta watch the Dalls - Cincy game here instead of Atlanta. Sounds like the Falcons are off to a good start.
ReplyDeleteCowboys look good, I hate to admit it. . .
ReplyDeleteWe'll hear all year about their rookie wonder niggers.. .
Falcons beating the shit outta the World Champs. . .
HaHaHaHa! Chargers flubbed another one! McCoy's gonna hang himself!!
ReplyDeleteThe thing about though, is this one is on McCoy. . .same thing as happened to Richt. . .when you play that pussy football, and refuse to play to win, when you play for a tie, the football gods will kick your ass. . .4-and-1 at the 18, and instead of going for a winning TD, you pussy out and try to tie it with a FG, of course you're gonna fumble the snap. Ha Ha!
ReplyDeleteHorrible Monday Night game. . .both teams played and were coached ineptly. . .Ron Rivera is a good coach, but he made one stupid decision after another tonite. . .mistakes and dumb decisions galore on both sides, no clock management. . .I'll be shocked if Atlanta doesn't win this division.
ReplyDeleteThe quality of play in the National Football League continues its decline. . .college football is 10x more entertaining.