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October 31, 2014

The World Series Win's a Bum's Rush

Not every Cinderella story ends the way the real one did. And fewer than those end the way this World Series did. With the postseason's best pitcher striding in relief to pitch five shutout innings after a rookie second baseman made it necessary — thanks, Yogi Berra, and brother did you have it right! — to get him in there.

There was probably no way San Francisco Giants manager Bruce Bochy would have trusted anyone else, even one of his own stud bullpen, except Madison Bumgarner to secure a lead into a Game 7 win once the Giants had the lead and escaped losing it in less than a flash.

Bumgarner earned his Series MVP, no questions asked. He was Christy Mathewson, 1903; Babe Adams, 1906; Harry Brecheen, 1946; Lew Burdette, 1957; Sandy Koufax, 1965; Bob Gibson, 1967; Mickey Lolich, 1968; Rawly Eastwick, 1975; and, Randy Johnson, 2001.

Nitpick all you want that he didn't throw two or more complete game shutouts but it's falling on deaf ears in San Francisco and a lot of other places. Whomever else did whatever else Bumgarner was the World Series this year. Even Royals manager Ned Yost knows it. "Yeah," Yost said after the game. "It was hopeless."

Joe Panik helped phenomenally in Game 7. He should have gotten maybe the MVP(lay) award for the double play he launched in the bottom of the third. And out of kindness the Giants ought to hand Kansas City Royals first baseman Eric Hosmer an assist.

With Lorenzo Cain aboard on a line single with nobody out, Hosmer bounced one heading up the pipe and toward center field when Panik dove hard right. Somehow, Panik got his extended glove on the ball. Even more surrealistically, Panik glove-flipped the ball to shortstop Brandon Crawford at the pad, and Crawford whipped a throw on to first that got Hosmer by less than a hair.

The Royals called for and got a review. The out call stood. And all around Kansas City there went the cry: there comes a time when you don't dive into first base!

Because watching numerous replays you could get the idea that Hosmer would have been safe if he'd hit the pad on the dead run instead of trying to dive in. And with one man on now instead of the two who would have been aboard but for Panik's dialing his inner Michael Phelps, Billy Butler ended what might have been an heroic, 9-pitch at bat with a bouncer to shortstop so modest Crawford could have pulled up a chair to throw him out for the side.

Until then, the lead started with the Giants and turned into a tie that nudged starter Tim Hudson out and Jeremy Affeldt into the game. The Royals' starter Jeremy Guthrie lasted an inning longer than Hudson before yielding to Kelvim Herrera. The leadoff partner of H-D-H surrendered the lead run when Michael Morse — he who could be tied up on inside fastballs, supposedly — singled home Pablo Sandoval (leadoff single, taking third on a followup sinking-liner single from Hunter Pence) on an inside fastball, but kept the Giants quiet otherwise.

They could afford to be kept quiet. In for the fifth came Bumgarner. Omar Infante greeted him with a solid base hit. Bumgarner took umbrage enough to retire the next fourteen Royals he faced, right down to the Royals' final out.

Then Alex Gordon lofted a two-out riser that fell down for a base hit and turned into three bases when it skipped center fielder Gregor Blanco's glove, traveled to the fence, eluded Blanco, and got an inadvertent kick from left fielder Juan Perez, allowing Gordon to get 90 feet from tying the game.

Don't even think about bawling Gordon out for not trying to score on the play. The throw in to cutoff man Crawford was too perfect, and the only way Gordon could have scored on the play was Crawford throwing past catcher Buster Posey, which was about as likely as Bumgarner surrendering a 2-run homer on the next pitch, even to Royals catcher Salvador Perez.

The only thing he threw Perez was a high fastball that Butler fouled high off the third base line leaving plenty of room for Sandoval to get under it. Kung Fu Panda arched back as he caught it, and collapsed onto his back in glee with the final Series out in his clenched glove. And the only thing the Royals could do now was watch in muted anguish while the Giants celebrated their third World Series triumph in five years.

Only three previous times had the World Series ended with the tying run on third. In those moments, Harry Brecheen bagged Tom McBride on a ground out (1946), Willie McCovey hit a cruise missile right into Bobby Richardson's glove (1962), and Otis Nixon (1992) was out trying to bunt. Nixon's was the one that ended that Series in six.

When Sandoval hit the deck after snaring Perez's foul pop, Bumgarner was snared into a bear hug from Posey. "What a warrior he is, and truly incredible what he did throughout the postseason," Bochy said of Bumgarner after the game. "I just told him I just can't believe what he accomplished through all this. He's such a humble guy, and we rode him pretty good."

Only five other pitchers have at least two wins and an ERA below 0.50 in a single series in which they pitched 20 innings or more. Bumgarner now holds hands in that wing with Koufax, Brecheen, Carl Hubbell, Waite Hoyt, and Mathewson. And he made the Giants only the second National League team other than the 1942-46 St. Louis Cardinals — led by a chap named Musial — to win three Series in five seasons.

He was the difference, too, among a starting staff who weren't even close to him collectively. He threw a third of an inning less than the rest of the staff, he held the Royals to a .151 batting average in his starts compared to their hitting .351 off the rest, and the rest of the staff was battered for a 9.51 ERA against the upstarts.

The Giants hoped Bumgarner could throw 50 pitches, maybe sixty. He threw 68. "Innings, I wasn't thinking about innings or pitch count," Bumgarner said amidst the celebrations. "I was just thinking about getting outs, getting outs until I couldn't get them anymore and we needed someone else."

They needed someone else like the proverbial hole in the head. It turned out the Royals needed someone else and didn't have him. Which didn't stop this from turning into a World Series that was exciting in spite of itself.

These were not great teams. The Giants went from dominating the none-too-threatening National League West by as many as 10 games in June before they sank long and loud into having to try for a wild card play-in game. The Royals managed to get from two games under .500 in July to hanging tight in an American League Central that wasn't as lame as the NL West but wasn't that much better before they, too, had to settle for a wild card play-in. Neither team won 90 games on the season.

And one of the major elements that got the Royals here in the first place — their cockroach running game — never even showed up in earnest. Both the Royals and the Giants tried only four steals throughout the Series. Each team stole one base. Each team was arrested once. At least half of the Royals' offensive attack went to sleep in the Series. Even if the Giants' team on-base percentage was better than the Royals' by 49 points, the Royals seemed unable to even think about pressuring the Giants' pitchers.

They had a shot at tying Game 7 on Bumgarner himself right off the bat. After Alcides Escobar sacrificed Omar Infante (leadoff single) to second, Nori Aoki lined out to left. Infante might have scored if he'd stolen third, which he was in a decent position to do even with the left-hander aboard. Instead, Infante could only watch when Bumgarner pounded Cain for an inning-ending strikeout.

After Morse's RBI single to greet him, Herrera kept the Giants scoreless. So did Wade Davis in the seventh and eighth. So did Greg Holland in the ninth. And all H-D-H get for that effort is to wonder, "Where did our love go?"

It probably won't go anywhere so far as Kansas City is concerned. That town waited 29 years to see their Royals get back to the World Series in the first place. (Boston waited a mere 21 between 1946 and 1967 for the Red Sox, who also lost an arduous seven-game Series.) They're not going to throw this team to one side.

But they know only too well why the Royals didn't recover the glass slipper. And the Royals know it, too."We probably would have won if they didn't have him," Cain said amidst the Royals' post mortems. "But they do have him."

"I'm guessing," said pitching coach Dave Righetti amidst the postgame party, "that some of these guys won't have to pay for a meal in San Francisco for a long time. And one thing I know for sure is, Madison Bumgarner won't."

Pay for a meal? Bumgarner's probably going to get partial title to every restaurant in town. And maybe two thirds of the Wharf.

Posted by Jeff Kallman at 4:09 PM | Comments (0)

October 30, 2014

NFL Weekly Predictions: Week 9

Note: the quotes in this article are fictional.

New Orleans @ Carolina (-2½)

Thursday night's game, exclusively on the NFL Network, is for the outright lead in the NFC South. The home-standing Panthers lost 13-9 last week to the Seahawks, wasting their first solid defensive effort in weeks.

"Charlotte is home to a great deal of yuppies," Ron Rivera said. "Therefore, having an 'Under 30' day at Bank of America Field made sense not only for attendance, but for our defense, as well.

"The Saints are the hottest team in the NFC South, which is to say they have a one-game winning streak. And as always, protecting the quarterback is vital against the Saints, because they have a history of getting after the quarterback. Cam Newton may or may not have an 'S' on his chest; the Saints may or may not have a '$' on his head. In any case, it looks like the Saints finally got their 'S' together."

The Saints turned a 16-16 tie at the half with Green Bay into a 44-23 rout last Sunday night. The win moved the Saints to 3-4 and into a tie with the Panthers in the NFC South.

"The offense finally caught up with the defense," Sean Payton said, "because the offense just got very dangerous. Jimmy Graham is back, and even though his shoulder is still hurting, he's as impactful as he's ever been. So I'll go out on a limb and say he'll be a factor on Thursday.

"Defensively, we still have work to do. We gave up 491 yards of total offense for Christ's sake. Despite their troubles, our defense still achieved a high honor. They were awarded 'sainthood,' because they're so damn hole-y."

A sold out crowd of 65,000 pack BofA Stadium, with nearly all waving their version of the Steelers "Terrible Towel," the "Paper Towel." There's nothing the Saints can do about it, because they're not allowed to talk about "Bounty."

Carolina wins, 27-24.

Tampa Bay @ Cleveland (-6½)

The Browns bounced back from their 24-6 loss at Jacksonville with a commanding 23-13 win over the Raiders. Brian Hoyer threw for 275 yards and 1 score, while Billy Cundiff nailed 3 field goals.

"Hoyer solidified his role as the starter," Mike Pettine said. "Johnny Manziel will remain seated. He can plant his rear-end on a 'Tim Couch,' or, more fittingly in Ohio, a 'Johnny Bench.' The Browns mascot Swagger is more likely to squat under center than Johnny."

The Buccaneers lost an overtime heartbreaker 19-13 to the visiting Vikings. Tampa is now 1-6, last in the NFC South.

"They say the NFC South is the NFL's weakest division," Lovie Smith said. "Anyone that argues anything different is fighting a 'losing' battle.

"Seven games into the season, and I'm already on the hot seat. Luckily, it's the heated driver's seat of my customized 1993 Oldsmobile Ninety-Eight. It's got 48" rims, AM/FM cassette, and the back seats three people, or one Warren Sapp, comfortably. Best of all, it has an asbestos interior. Hopefully, that makes me fire proof."

Hoyer out-duels Mike Glennon is a battle of slim white quarterbacks, and the Browns rush for 145 yards as a team.

Cleveland wins, 24-12.

Arizona @ Dallas (-4)

The visiting Cardinals look to continue their dominance of NFC East teams. After last week's dramatic 24-20 win over the Eagles, Arizona is 3-0 versus the East. Carson Palmer's 75-yard TD strike to John Brown with 1:33 left in the fourth quarter was the game-winner.

"Carson also had an 80-yard TD strike to Larry Fitzgerald earlier in the game," Bruce Aryans said. "Carson also 'bombed' in Oakland, and went 'deep' in Cincinnati, into a holdout.

"We don't mind being the underdog in Dallas. In fact, we thrive on it. Plus, Tony Romo took a knee in a very sensitive area, and he's hurting. We smell blood in the water; Romo sees it in his toilet."

The visiting Redskins ended the Cowboys' six-game winning streak, topping Dallas 20-17 in overtime last Monday night. Tony Romo suffered an injured back in the third quarter, but returned in the fourth, and will play against the Cardinals.

"Tony will be okay," Jason Garrett said. "So Dallas fans, rest easy. To steal an idea from Aaron Rodgers, I'd like to spell a word for them: 'F-A-U-X.' That's what our playoff hopes are without Romo. Heck, even Jerry Jones just had a huge Halloween bash at his estate. Jerry had the best costume in the place — he was masquerading as a Super Bowl contender."

Cardinals win, 30-27.

Philadelphia @ Houston (+2)

Arian Foster exploded for 173 yards from scrimmage and 3 touchdowns in the Texans 30-16 win over the Titans last week. Houston is now 4-4, just one game behind the Colts in the AFC South.

"Arian touched the ball 24 times," Bill O'Brien said. "As long as we're feeding him the ball, he'll never go hungry, like he claimed he did at the University of Tennessee. Apparently, while Arian attended UT, eating was 'voluntary.'

"Foster is the heart and soul of our offense. J.J. Watt is the same for our defense. Watt was his usual dominant self last week against the Titans, with two sacks, a forced fumble, and a batted pass. Plus, he even mocked Zack Mettenberger after a sack by pretending to take a 'selfie,' as Mettenberger frequently does. Some people say he overreacted, but he's a defensive lineman; he doesn't throw 'screen passes.'"

The Eagles lost 24-20 at Arizona last week, suffering only their second loss of the year. Philly posted 521 yards of offense, but we're hurt by three turnovers.

"Offensively," Chip Kelly said, "we moved the ball well. Not going for it on fourth-and-one from the Arizona one yard line may have cost us. I'm an Eagle through and through, but in that situation, I was chicken.

"Defensively, our plan is to stop Foster and force Ryan Fitzpatrick beat us. Bill O'Brien's been trying to force Fitzpatrick to beat teams all season."

Watt sacks Nick Foles twice, but the Eagles notch five sacks of Fitzpatrick and force two turnovers.

Philadelphia wins, 29-21.

NY Jets @ Kansas City (-10)

The "Percy Harvin Experiment" began in the Meadowlands last week. Unfortunately, it crossed paths with the "Geno Smith Experiment," which may have reached its end in the Jets 43-23 loss to the Bills. Smith threw 3 interceptions in the first quarter and was benched for Michael Vick.

"I liken Geno to a Bills wide receiver," Rex Ryan said, "and me to a Jets cornerback, because he's burned me too many times.

"Vick will start against the Chiefs. Geno's status right now is 'N/A.' That means 'never again.' Vick and Smith are the only two quarterbacks on our roster. In case of an emergency, I have no idea what to do, which seems to be my coaching philosophy."

The Chiefs spotted the Rams a quick 7-0 last week at Arrowhead Stadium, then reeled off 34 unanswered points in a dominating victory. Jamaal Charles rushed for 73 yards and 2 scores, and the Chiefs sacked Austin Davis 7 times.

"Anytime Jamaal touches the ball," Andy Reid says, "it evokes nothing but good memories, as long as he doesn't get hit.

"It doesn't matter who the Jets line up with quarterback. Smith, Vick, Namath. We plan to come with our usual pressure. Everybody, especially Suzy Kolber, knows that Namath likes to get blitzed; we'll see how Vick likes it. We know that Jets quarterbacks can be chased from the pocket just as easily as they are from the lineup."

Can it get any uglier for the Jets? Yes, but only if we learn more about Rex Ryan's perverted sexual proclivities.

Kansas City wins, 30-13.

Jacksonville @ Cincinnati (-11½)

Andy Dalton's 1-yard quarterback sneak on fourth down with 57 seconds left gave the Bengals a 27-24 win over the Ravens last week, completing Cincy's season sweep of Baltimore. The win moved the Bengals back atop the AFC North, where they lead the Ravens and Steelers by a game.

"That was Andy's second 1-yard TD of the game," Marvin Lewis said. "He's apparently a running back trapped in a quarterback's body. Unfortunately, come playoff time, Andy's a quarterback trapped in my lineup. There's a reason they call Andy 'Mr. Name Any Month Except For January.' Hopefully, against the Jags, he'll just be 'Mr. November 2nd.'

"I plan to make my guys aware that they can't take the Jaguars lightly. And, as everyone knows, I don't take anything lightly. I know now that concussions are no joking matter. I know that Vontaze Burfict is likely to suffer ongoing effects from his reckless style of play. I know that more needs to be done to prevent, recognize, and treat concussions. Hopefully, someone else can manage to do all that, because it's one big headache to me."

The Jaguars were outclassed by the visiting Dolphins 27-13 last week. The Jags out-gained the Dolphins, but Blake Bortles tossed two costly interceptions, both of which were returned for touchdowns.

"Blake obviously made some mistakes," Gus Bradley said. "I just ask that he learn from his mistakes. With 12 interceptions and 4 of those returned for touchdowns, Blake is learning how to be Matt Schaub.

"I like the direction this team is headed. We're improving by the minute, and we have the cap space and draft picks to make an impact in the offseason. Our owner, Shad Khan, is looking forward to the 'Arab Spring.'"

Cincinnati wins, 31-13.

San Diego @ Miami (- 2½)

After last week's 35-21 loss at Denver, the Chargers have lost two in a row and desperately need a win in Miami.

"I haven't been happy with our play," Phillip Rivers said, "and I'm not afraid to let people know. Some people would classify me a Type 'A' personality. Others consider me a Type 'asshole' personality. I think I'm a little bit of both.

"We've got to run the ball better. We're averaging only 3.1 yards per carry. That's the worst in the NFL. I don't want to be associated with anything that's the worst, except our division rivals in Oakland. Two guaranteed wins a year. That's the best!"

Despite being out-gained by the Jaguars, the Dolphins used two defensive touchdowns to help turn back Jacksonville 27-13 at EverBank Field. Miami improved to 4-3in the AFC East.

"The offense struggled," Joe Philbin said, "but the defense picked up the slack. And our offense showed plenty of 'slack.'"

Down 14-0 with time dwindling in the first half, Tannehill finds Mike Wallace on an out pattern downfield. Wallace flips the ball to a streaking Lamar Miller, who races 20 yards for the score, completing the Dolphins first "Hook And Ladder" since their 1982 playoff loss to the Chargers. At the same time, former Dolphin Ricky Williams takes a break from cleaning his gutters to smoke a Persian water pipe, thus completing the first "Hooka and Ladder" in history.

Rivers and Antonio Gates hook up for a score, and the Chargers defense picks off Tannehill twice.

San Diego wins, 30-20.

Washington @ Minnesota (-2½)

In Colt McCoy's first start at quarterback, the Redskins stunned the Cowboy 20-17 in overtime at AT&T Stadium. McCoy passed fro 299 yards and rushed for 1 score. Washington is now 3-5 in the NFC East, three games behind the Cowboys.

"Colt was born in Texas," Jay Gruden said, "so this game meant a lot to him. And it's made him a cult hero in D.C. Now, I just have to convince myself that Colt should start in Minnesota over Robert Griffin III. RG3's association with a popular fast food chain notwithstanding, I've got to 'sell' myself a 'sub.'

"Griffin is a changed man, though. He's even got cornrows now. You know what else has cornrows? A cornfield? So, if anyone can give me a good reason why I should start Griffin over McCoy, I'm all ears."

The Vikings posted their second road win of the year with a 19-13 overtime win at Tampa Bay. Teddy Bridgewater passed for 241 yards and Jerick McKinnon rushed for 83 yards.

"Both of those guys are rookies," Mike Zimmer said. "I don't think anyone expected them to be in this role, much less play so well. The only thing they've beaten is the odds.

"Now, a Redskins/Vikings preview wouldn't be complete without a shout out to Fred Smoot, who played for both teams in his career. Smoot's best known, however, as the organizer of the infamous 2005 sex cruise scandal on Lake Minnetonka in 2005. Fred disputes the fact that he organized the excursion, claiming there was no captain, just a lot of privates."

Minnesota wins, 23-20.

St. Louis @ San Francisco (-10)

The 49ers, rested from a Week 8 bye, host the Rams at Levi's Stadium, just three weeks after their 31-14 win over the Rams in St. Louis.

"Jim Harbaugh loves playing at Levi's Stadium," Colin Kaepernick said. "Mostly because it's even another opportunity to joke that he 'wears the pants' in this organization. Who wears the shoes? That would be Joe Montana, who still endorses Skechers. He even wears them, but he used to get his kicks in Candlestick."

The Rams were pummeled at Arrowhead Stadium, losing 34-7 to the Chiefs. Austin Davis was sacked seven times, running his season total to 22.

"That's 16 more sacks than our defense has logged," Jeff Fisher said. "Couple that with our 25th-ranked rushing attack, and there's very little going on in any backfield.

"Halloween is here, so it's only fitting we pull out the 'tricks,' much like we did against the Seahawks. Apparently, they'll believe anything, particularly the hype."

Colin Kaepernick passes for 2 scores and runs for another, and the 49ers win, 27-14.

Denver @ New England (+3)

The Broncos are 6-1, atop the AFC West, and now head to New England to face the 5-2 Patriots. Denver is fresh off a 10-day rest after last Thursday's 35-21 win over the Chargers.

"Playing the Patriots, fresh off a 51-point day, just two days after Halloween?" Manning said. "That's a scary endeavor. If they score that many on us, I'll have to have a talk with their scoreboard operator."

"Hopefully, our defense can handle the Patriots tight ends. That's a priority. We've got a young linebacker whom I believe is up to the task. Last week, Brandon Marshall was in town; on Sunday, the Brandon Marshall comes to Foxboro. Like that other Brandon Marshall, he's got issues, but only of magazines. His favorite? 'Spittin' Image,' the magazine devoted exclusively to the original artwork of Bill Romanowski."

The Patriots annihilated the visiting Bears last week in Foxboro, sending them packing with a 51-23 loss. Tom Brady tossed 5 touchdown passes, including 3 to Rob Gronkowski.

"We made the Bears says 'uncle,'" Brady said, "while they made us say 'MOMMA': 'Monsters of the Midway My Ass.' After Sunday's game, there was sobbing in the Bears locker room. That's opposed to the week before, when there was 'SOB-ing.'"

Broncos 35, Patriots 34. Gisele Bündchen 34-25-35.

Oakland @ Seattle (-15)

The Raiders are 0-7 and now face the daunting task of facing the Seahawks at CenturyLink Field, where Seattle is nearly unbeatable.

"Here's the bad news," Tony Sparano said. "There's a zero in our win column. Here's the good news: you can't get any more 'win-less' than that. And our schedule doesn't get any easier. We've got five road games left this season, and get this, they're all 'homecoming' games for the home team.

"Now, by no means are we intimidated by the Seahawks. By game time, Halloween will be long gone. And guess what? The Seahawks don't scare anyone. Granted, we're not scary either. The only people the Raiders frighten are No. 1 draft picks."

The Seahawks snapped a two-game losing streak with a physical 13-9 win over the Panthers in Charlotte. Russell Wilson's 23-yard scoring strike to tight end Luke Wilson with 47 seconds left provided the winning points.

"No relation," Russell Wilson said. "Of course, I'm describing my kinship with all my teammates, not just Luke.

"Maybe we've been guilty of a Super Bowl hangover. And we're not clicking as a team. There may be a '12th Man' in our stadium, but the real issue is the elephant in the room."

Marshawn Lynch rushes for 122 yards and 2 scores, and Richard Sherman returns a Derek Carr interception for a score.

Seahawks win, 24-13.

Baltimore @ Pittsburgh (even)

The AFC North's most heated rivalry continues at Heinz Field, where the Steelers look to avenge their 26-6 Week 2 loss at Baltimore. Last week, the Steelers offense exploded, piling up 639 yards of total offense in a 51-34 win over the Colts.

"Through film study," Roethlisberger said, "we knew the Colts' secondary was vulnerable. If there's one thing I've learned, it's that attacking a defense starts with a good background check."

Looking to avenge their Week 1 loss to the Bengals, the Ravens came up short, losing 27-24 on Andy Dalton's one-yard quarterback sneak.

"An offensive pass interference call on Steve Smith nullified what would have been a game-winning 80-yard TD pass from Joe Flacco," John Harbaugh said. "Replays clearly show Smith was the aggressor, but I absolutely refuse to publicly denounce his actions.

"And while we're on the subject of Steve Smith, who been known to punch a teammate, why not segue into this organization's public black eye, Ray Rice. Roger Goodell has to testify in the Rice case. What could be worse for the commissioner than being between a rock and a hard place? Well, 'under' oath."

Ravens win, 25-20.

Indianapolis @ NY Giants (+3)

So much for the surprising Indianapolis defense. The Colts surrendered 639 yards of total offense in a 51-34 loss at Pittsburgh last week. Indy piled up 448 yards of their own, but it wasn't nearly enough against the hot Steelers.

"The Steelers marched the equivalent of the length of six football fields," Chuck Pagano said. "And all roads seemed to lead to the end zone. Pittsburgh seemed to cross more 'plains' than covered wagons."

The Giants had a week 8 bye, and used the time to address issues on both sides of the ball.

"We were blanked by the Eagles our last time out," Tom Coughlin said. "I was 'bleeped' the last time I spoke of it.

"Obviously, quarterbacks will likely decide this game. Luck already has one loss to a Manning this season. Of course, the last thing Peyton Manning wants to hear Eli say is, 'I think I'll make it two.'"

Indianapolis wins, 31-24.

Posted by Jeffrey Boswell at 10:25 AM | Comments (0)

October 29, 2014

NASCAR Top 10 Power Rankings: Week 33

Note: the quotes in this article are fictional.

1. Jeff Gordon — Gordon, an eight-time winner at Martinsville, finished second in the Goody's Headache Relief Shot 500, the best finish among Chase-eligible drivers. He leads the points standings by 3 over Ryan Newman.

"I just couldn't catch Dale Earnhardt, Jr.," Gordon said. "Would I have moved him out of the way had I got close enough? You bet. I took no teammates to the the Chase, and I take no prisoners in the Chase."

2. Joey Logano — Logano finished fifth at Martinsville as Penske teammate Brad Keselowski struggled and finished 31st.

"How many times to I have to apologize to Danica Patrick for wrecking her at Charlotte?" Logano said. "My goodness, I can't imagine what it's like to be her boyfriend, although I can't say I haven't fantasized about it."

3. Ryan Newman — Newman finished third at Martinsville, posting his fifth straight top-10 result.

"I may be the forgotten man in the final eight of the Chase," Newman said. "But I could surprise some people. Brad Keselowski calls me the 'Matt Kenseth of the Chase,' because I can sneak up on you."

4. Matt Kenseth — Kenseth finished sixth at Martinsville but raised the ire of Kevin Harvick, who was spun by Kenseth just past the halfway point. Harvick all but promised retaliation.

"I guess the question isn't 'oh no,'" Kenseth said. "It's Owe? Yes.'

5. Denny Hamlin — Hamlin posted a solid eighth in the Goody's Headache Relief Shot 500 at Martinsville.

"Martinsville was a 'Headache' for Kevin Harvick," Hamlin said. "Finishing eighth was a 'Relief' for me. And Brad Keselowski's championship hopes are nearly 'Shot.' 'Goody!'"

6. Carl Edwards — Edwards struggled at Martinsville, spending much of the race a lap down and finishing 20th.

"I may have just driven myself out of Cup contention," Edwards said. "I sense a pattern developing here — me saying my goodbyes early."

7. Brad Keselowski — After staying alive with a dramatic win at Talladega last week, Keselowski lost his transmission with 64 laps left. He finished 31st.

"Something just snapped," Keselowski said. "This time, it wasn't me.

"Once again, I've placed myself behind the eight ball. But digging myself a hole seems to the 'queue' for me to pull off a big win."

8. Kevin Harvick — Harvick qualified a disappointing 33rd and worked his way to the front before contact with Matt Kenseth damaged the No. 4 Outback Chevrolet. Harvick finished 33rd and will likely need a win at Texas or Phoenix to advance to the final round.

"Speaking of 'Outback,'" Harvick said, "I'd like to take Kenseth 'out back,' to the woodshed.

9. Dale Earnhardt, Jr. — Earnhardt led 79 laps and held off teammate Jeff Gordon to win the Goody's Headache Relief Shot 500 at Martinsville. It was Earnhardt's fourth win of the season, and his first ever in a Sprint Cup race at Martinsville.

"Winning that Martinsville grandfather clock has always been on my bucket list," Earnhardt said. "It must be a very small bucket, because a 'Cup' won't even fit in it."

10. Kyle Busch — Busch responded from his disastrous finish at Talladega with an 11th at Martinsville. Excluding his Talladega result, Busch has finished 11th or better in every Chase races.

"I've put Talladega behind me," Busch said. "Now, it's on to Texas. Unfortunately, I'm not in the hunt, but Ill be interested to see how things play out. The line between fourth place and fifth place in the points standings will be hotly contested. And Texas is just the place for such a 'border' war."

Posted by Jeffrey Boswell at 10:33 AM | Comments (0)

October 28, 2014

NFL Week 8 Power Rankings

Five Quick Hits

* R.I.P. Oscar Taveras and Edilia Arvelo.

* Week 8 was awesome — six games decided on lead changes in the final two minutes or overtime, and maybe the two best games of the year so far, in Arizona/Philadelphia and Dallas/Washington.

* I don't think ESPN or the NFL anticipated this week's MNF matchup showcasing Colt McCoy and Brandon Weeden, but it sure worked out.

* The University of Virginia is a good school. You would expect its graduates to know that invalid points are moot, not mute. Come on Ronde, you're smarter than Joey from Friends.

* Everyone in the AFC North has a winning record. Everyone in the NFC South has a losing record.

Week 8: An Offensive Explosion

There's a very real chance that this week you got your highest fantasy score of the season, and still lost. A sampling of the craziness:

* Two teams (the Patriots and Steelers) scored over 50 points.

* There were no punts in the Sunday night game. In the first 94 years of NFL history, there was only one game without any punts. There have been two this season.

* Three games produced over 900 yards of offense, including 1,087 in Pittsburgh.

* Four players passed for at least 400 yards.

* Five receivers had at least 150 yards, and a sixth had 149.

* Nick Foles and Carson Palmer combined for 104 pass attempts and zero sacks. It's the first time in history that teams threw 100 passes without either getting sacked. The old record was 97, by the Dolphins and Jets in 1988 (that's not the famous Dan Marino/Ken O'Brien shootout) and by the Oilers and Broncos in 1962.

* Ben Roethlisberger passed for 522 yards, the fourth-highest in NFL history, and six touchdowns. Roethlisberger became the first player in history with two 500-yard passing games. He threw his fourth TD pass before his fourth incompletion, and finished the game 40-of-49. Other active QBs with 40 completions in a game include Drew Brees, Peyton Manning, Tony Romo, Matt Schaub, and Colt McCoy.

I would really like to see the league take steps to reduce the dominance of passing offense. Six simple tweaks would make the game flow more smoothly and would help keep passing stats a little more down-to-earth:

1. Cap defensive pass interference at 15 yards. Every week, we see a questionable call create a 45-yard swing in field position. That's a game-changing play, and a back judge shouldn't have so much impact.

2. Make offensive pass interference a renewed point of emphasis. According to the rule book, blocking downfield while the ball is in the air constitutes offensive pass interference. Calling this consistently will rejuvenate the importance of running backs and encourage exciting downfield passes rather than frustrating horizontal passes.

3. Make unnecessary roughness penalties reviewable. I get that the league doesn't want referees using video to second-guess judgment calls, but whether a player was hit in the head or grabbed by the face-mask is not a judgment call, it's something that can be confirmed with a replay.

4. Eliminate the penalty for contact to the quarterback's helmet. I've seen this penalty called dozens of times, and I can't recall the quarterback actually being injured on any of them. There are other roughness penalties in place that sufficiently protect the QB, and this harsh 15-yarder makes things really tough on pass rushers.

5. Do more to protect defensive linemen, especially by limiting what blockers can do to their knees when they aren't looking.

6. Re-instate major and minor penalties. For years, there was a 5-yard "incidental" facemask penalty. The league eliminated it to prevent officials making judgment calls, but it was a good rule. They do the same thing for roughing/running into the kicker, and they should do it for all 15-yard roughness penalties: have a 5-yard version for minor offenses.

None of these is a major rule change; none would disrupt or radically alter the game. But they would reduce the impact of officiating errors, promote rushing offense, and encourage defensive players to make aggressive plays, knowing they won't incur major penalties unless they do something genuinely dangerous.

2014 Week Eight NFL Power Rankings

Brackets indicate previous rank.

1. Denver Broncos [1] — Can you read lips? On the first play back from the two-minute warning, the crowd in Denver was too loud for Peyton Manning's taste. Following a false start and a timeout, Peyton went to the sideline and visibly screamed, "STFU," except that he did the words, not the letters. He explained after the game, "I have no problem with our fans. Our fans are great. I've got a problem with our scoreboard operator ... He was playing music, showing people — showing players dancing, getting the crowd fired up while we had the ball. I don't think we should be doing that."

2. Kansas City Chiefs [5] — Held the Rams to 7 points, 13 first downs, and 200 yards of offense. The defense was led by Justin Houston (3 sacks) and Ron Parker (sack, interception). No opponent has scored more than 26 points against the Chiefs this season, including powerhouse offenses like the Broncos (24), Patriots (14), and Chargers (20).

3. New England Patriots [11] — After they lost to the Chiefs in Week 4, I wrote of Tom Brady that he "is probably still a good quarterback, but he's not great any more." Since then, Brady has thrown 14 touchdown passes and no interceptions, with a 129.1 passer rating. Over the same span, Rob Gronkowski has 27 receptions for 411 yards and 4 TDs. Gronk has more catches and more yards in each of the last four games than in any of the first four.

4. Indianapolis Colts [2] — Shut out the Bengals in Week 7, gave up 51 points in Week 8. The last team to follow a shutout by allowing 50+ was the 1991 Chicago Bears. The 2012 Saints did the opposite: allowed 52 points in Week 14 and got a shutout in Week 15.

5. Green Bay Packers [4] — "I don't think I can remember a game turning so quickly after an injury that no one had to leave the field for." - Cris Collinsworth on Aaron Rodgers' hamstring tweak at the end of the first half.

Sunday night was a showcase for two of the league's best QBs, but also for Crimson Tide running backs. Eddie Lacy was brilliant (182 yards from scrimmage), as was New Orleans' Mark Ingram (175, 7.5 rush avg).

6. Dallas Cowboys [3] — "You look at how they reacted to this blitzing, casino look all night long, and to not come up with a plan, not react to it, is not just Tony." That's Steve Young, after the game. The Cowboys scored only 17 points, tying the season-low from their hopeless opening-week loss to San Francisco. The Cowboys still lead the NFL in third down percentage (56%), but they were just 5/12 against Washington, and Tony Romo took 5 sacks for 54 yards, four of them on third down. Washington blitzed on almost every play — they brought eight on the play when Romo injured his back — and Dallas just never adapted. The Cowboys have three offensive coaches with head coaching experience — Jason Garrett, Bill Callahan, and Scott Linehan — and none of these guys can figure out how to handle an all-out blitz?

7. Arizona Cardinals [8] — Larry Fitzgerald had 7 receptions for 160 yards and a touchdown, his best game since at least 2011: 7 receptions for 146 yards and 2 TDs ... against the Eagles. It was his most receiving yards in a game since the 2008-09 playoffs, 166 against Carolina. Fitzgerald now leads the Cardinals in both receptions (30) and receiving yards (443). John Brown leads in touchdowns (4).

8. San Diego Chargers [7] — The holding penalty that negated Eric Weddle's interception in the end zone looked pretty bogus. The replay review of Andre Caldwell's fumble on a kickoff return could have gone either way, but the call on both turnovers broke against San Diego. The Chargers were unlucky with the officials, and played this game missing three defensive starters, including two CBs. Consider too that they were on the road with a short week, and a 35-21 loss to the NFL's best team makes me think the Chargers are pretty good.

9. Philadelphia Eagles [9] — A matchup of 5-1 teams that lived up to the hype. With due respect to the many comebacks this season, it was probably the most exciting second half of the year. No one ever second-guesses coaches for being too conservative, but Chip Kelly made the wrong call at the end of the game. With 2:00 left, the game was tied at 17, and the Eagles had 4th-and-1 at about the 2-yard line. Play-by-play announcer Chris Myers was sure that an aggressive coach like Kelly would go for the touchdown, while Ronde Barber was certain he'd kick the go-ahead field goal.

Barber was right, and the Eagles went up 20-17, but the Cardinals got the ball back with 1:56 and three timeouts, and on their third play, Carson Palmer threw a 75-yard touchdown pass to John Brown: 24-20 Arizona. There was still enough time left that Philadelphia drove back down the field and nearly got its own game-winning touchdown.

Field goal leads aren't safe, two minutes is a lot of time (especially with all those timeouts), and it's much harder to drive 98 or 99 yards (taking over from a failed goal-line attempt) than it is to drive 80. The value of pinning opponents where they risk a safety is consistently underestimated.

10. San Francisco 49ers [10] — For their bye week, here's a quiz that will be challenging if you haven't been following their season pretty closely: match the Niners' top five receivers to their reception, yardage, and touchdown totals. Choices are in alphabetical order.

1. Anquan Boldin
2. Michael Crabtree
3. Vernon Davis
4. Stevie Johnson
5. Brandon Lloyd

A. 39 rec, 447 yds, 1 TD
B. 32 rec, 322 yds, 3 TD
C. 25 rec, 315 yds, 3 TD
D. 10 rec, 252 yds, 1 TD
E. 14 rec, 142 yds, 2 TD

Answers at the bottom.

11. Baltimore Ravens [6] — Last week I wrote about the fine play of cornerback Jimmy Smith. This week he sprained his left foot and was carted off the field in the first quarter. Chris Mortensen reported that Smith will miss 2-4 weeks.

12. Miami Dolphins [14] — Three-and-out on their first three drives, and they went into halftime with just 56 yards and 3 first downs. They eventually had four 50-yard drives, and they won the game easily. The Dolphins have won three of their last four, all the wins by double-digits. The loss was a three-point, last-minute comeback by the Packers.

13. Seattle Seahawks [12] — Third season in a row that the Seahawks have played in Carolina. In all three games:

* Neither team scored 20 points.
* The Seahawks won.
* The victory required a second-half comeback.
* Russell Wilson threw a game-winning touchdown pass.

Jay Glazer reported on the FOX pregame show that "Marshawn Lynch will not be a Seattle Seahawk next year."

14. Detroit Lions [13] — Back-to-back one-point victories. I know the delay penalty resulted in a successful kick, but how do you draw a delay of game after a timeout and as you're about to attempt a game-deciding field goal?

The Lions played this game without their top three tight ends and two of their most explosive playmakers (Calvin Johnson and Reggie Bush). They also lost DT Nick Fairley to a knee injury that will sideline him for about a month.

15. Cincinnati Bengals [15] — Giovani Bernard missed most of the fourth quarter with a hip injury, but it sounds like he's okay and will play in Week 9. Greg Gumbel has been announcing NFL games for decades, and Clete Blakeman has been reffing since 2008, but on Sunday, Gumbel repeatedly had trouble with Blakeman's name, calling him "Clate Bleakman" and "Blake Cleatman". Dr. Spooner would be proud.

16. Buffalo Bills [16] — Without running backs Fred Jackson and C.J. Spiller, Anthony Dixon and Bryce Brown combined for 29 carries for 59 yards, 2 per attempt. But the defense forced four sacks and six takeaways, and Kyle Orton threw 4 touchdown passes. Buffalo leads the NFL in sacks, with three players over five: Marcell Dareus, Mario Williams, and Jerry Hughes.

17. New Orleans Saints [23] — Missed opportunity by Dan Patrick and NBC ... on the pre-game show, Rodney Harrison said, "It's hard for me to bet against Aaron Rodgers, so therefore I won't." It was a clever line, delivered with good timing; it was funny. But I would have loved to hear Patrick follow up by asking why Harrison felt more comfortable betting against Drew Brees. That could have been a really interesting answer.

18. Pittsburgh Steelers [24] — The good stuff is at the top, in the "Offensive Explosion" section. Here, we're focusing on something offensive in a different way. "The Steelers insisted yet again on wearing sports' most appalling throwback uniforms," lamented Bob Costas on Sunday night. Throwback uniforms should be worn only when they meet all three of the following conditions:

1. Same fundamental color scheme as the team's current uniforms. (Culprits: Packers, Jets)

2. Don't create an urge to gouge out one's own eyes (Culprits: Steelers, Packers, Jets)

3. Celebrate a proud tradition of success, not failure (Culprits: Steelers, Jets)

From 1933-71, the Steelers were a disaster. This team should pretend that nothing ever happened before they drafted Franco Harris, and Franco never wore the bumblebee jersey. The throwback jerseys recall a time when Pittsburgh had the worst team in the NFL.

19. Houston Texans [18] — Jadeveon Clowney, the top pick in May's draft, played for the first time since injuring his knee in Week 1. He didn't start and was used situationally, finishing with one solo tackle. J.J. Watt, however, had two sacks, a forced fumble (recovered by Houston), and a pass deflection. I can't think of another year when it's been so obvious, only halfway through the season, who the Defensive Player of the Year is ... except that it was also pretty obvious in 2012, when Watt won his first DPOY.

20. Cleveland Browns [19] — Tight end Jordan Cameron left the game with a concussion. Cameron has had concussions before, so this has to worry him and his family, and probably a lot of Browns fans and fantasy owners, as well. Paul Kruger had three sacks this weekend, and Tashaun Gipson intercepted his league-leading fifth pass. Gipson also leads the NFL with 146 INT return yards.

21. New York Giants [21] — Tough schedule coming out of the bye. Three of the next four are at home, but against the Colts, 49ers, and Cowboys. The one road game, in Week 10, is at Seattle.

22. Washington [26] — Classic Monday night game in one of the league's truly classic rivalries. Colt McCoy made some mistakes but generally ran an efficient offense, and defensive coordinator Jim Haslett controlled the game with a casino look and constant blitzing. I can't remember the last time I saw a Washington team blitz so much — five, six, seven, eight men coming after the quarterback. Massive credit to Haslett for his aggressive play-calling, and to cornerbacks David Amerson and Bashaud Breeland for surviving on an island against the Cowboys' dangerous receivers. Safeties Brandon Meriweather and Ryan Clark did a nice job getting pressure on Tony Romo.

23. Carolina Panthers [22] — Reached the red zone on each of their first three drives and came away with 6 points. I don't blame the coaches for choosing easy field goals rather than going for it on 4th-and-8, and you can't blame a fumble on conservative coaching. But a team with red zone weapons like Cam Newton (29 career rushing TDs) and Kelvin Benjamin (6' 5", 240 lbs) should be able to find the end zone more often.

24. St. Louis Rams [17] — Left tackle Jake Long (torn ACL) and leading receiver Brian Quick (shoulder) are both out for the season. Here's something weird: in four of their five losses, the Rams have allowed exactly 34 points. There have been nine games this season in which a team scored 34; four of the nine came against St. Louis, and no one else has more than one. The Rams have lost 34-6, 34-31, 34-28, 31-17, and 34-7.

25. Chicago Bears [20] — How do you have such a great game from Matt Forte, and lose by four touchdowns? The Chicago defense had no sacks in the first 55 minutes, though they did give up 350 pass yards and 5 touchdowns. Trailing 48-23, Lamarr Houston sacked backup QB Jimmy Garoppolo and then did an elaborate celebration, during which he tore his ACL. Dude was so excited about a meaningless, garbage-time sack of a rookie backup that he gave himself a season-ending knee injury. Houston is the second player this season to tear his ACL celebrating a sack; Detroit's Stephen Tulloch did the same thing in Week 3.

26. Minnesota Vikings [27] — Anthony Barr won the game in overtime, with a forced fumble which he recovered and ran in for a touchdown. Barr, the team's first draft pick this year, leads the Vikings in tackles, plus he has 3 sacks, 3 pass deflections, and 3 fumble recoveries. Barr looks like the kind of player Minnesota can rebuild around.

27. New York Jets [25] — Seventh consecutive loss. Geno Smith threw 3 interceptions in the first quarter and got benched for Michael Vick, who also had three turnovers (1 INT, 2 lost fumbles). Speaking about his quarterback situation, Rex Ryan said, "One thing we know, it can't get a whole hell of a lot worse." Vick will start in Week 9.

28. Atlanta Falcons [28] — Sloppy second half. They got outscored by 22 points after beginning 21-0, but they just didn't seem focused or motivated: poor effort, bad tackling. Mike Florio reported that head coach Mike Smith's job is in serious jeopardy. In 2008, Smith took over a bad team and turned it into a perennial contender. He's made the playoffs four times in six seasons and is the winningest coach in franchise history. Smith has earned more than a bad season and a half to turn it around.

29. Tampa Bay Buccaneers [29] — Eight possessions in the first three quarters produced an interception and seven punts, including five consecutive three-and-outs. The Bucs are last in the NFL in yards per game (295.1) and yards allowed per game (409.9).

30. Tennessee Titans [30] — Facing a good defense led by J.J. Watt, how do you ask Zach Mettenberger — a rookie quarterback making his first start — to run 43 pass plays and only 12 handoffs? In the second half, Tennessee had 3 runs and 30 passes. I know they fell behind, but that's unfair to your young QB. Mettenberger finished the game with decent stats, but the Titans went 2-of-12 on third down conversions and lost by double-digits, at home against a division rival who came in with a losing record.

31. Jacksonville Jaguars [31] — The Dolphins returned two Blake Bortles interceptions for TDs this week. In his young career, Bortles has already thrown four pick-sixes, most of any QB this season. The worst pick-six percentage of any active player with at least 500 attempts is a former Jaguar, Helpless Blaine Gabbert (6 INT-TD in 784 attempts, .77%). Bortles right now is at 1.92%. As a point of interest, David Garrard in his career (2,281 attempts) had three interceptions returned for touchdowns (.13%). Bortles already has more pick-sixes than Garrard.

32. Oakland Raiders [32] — Season-high 34:52 time of possession. That brought their season average up to 26:25, which is still last in the league.

* * *

49ers quiz answers: 1. A, 2. B, 3. E, 4. C, 5. D

Anquan Boldin, who is 138 years old, leads the team in receptions and receiving yards, both by a significant margin.

Posted by Brad Oremland at 4:41 PM | Comments (0)

October 27, 2014

The Month-Long Journey

Well, college football fans, we've made it. We've foraged through the lion's share of the maze. Our reward ... the month of November. Now, the games get serious ... serious enough for the Playoff Selection Committee to finally have a say. They deliver their first poll of the season (and, well, their first poll ever) this week. We, as fans, must remember that this isn't the last word on which schools will throw a four-team bracket bonanza. But of course everybody has their say on who'll go where and which conference might get shut out.

As you know, I'm no different. I'm looking at all the trends my eyes can stomach, and I've come up with my own list of questions that I'm looking forward to getting answers to as the month of November rolls along. So, why not start near the top?

1) Can any Pac-12 other than Oregon make the playoff?

In the North, no, plain and simple. Stanford was the only other program that had a chance back around Labor Day, and this is becoming a substandard Cardinal season. The South Division is quite interesting, though. After Saturday's results, there are three teams left with a single loss. Arizona, Arizona State, and Utah will face each other over the next five weeks (including Utah at ASU this Saturday).

If you look ahead and ask, "Who can improve their resume the most?", you might say Utah. The Utes are hitting the midway point of a strong seven-game stretch. They're 3-0 already, with wins over UCLA, Oregon State, and USC.

If you look back and ask, "Who has the most forgivable loss?", you might say Arizona, who couldn't kick themselves to a win over the Trojans after a missed field goal with 0:17 left in regulation.

But if you take the overall picture and ask, "Who has the best chance to make the Playoff?", you probably would take Arizona State. Although the Sun Devils avoid Oregon, they will have (by far) the most impressive non-conference game on the schedule (against Notre Dame on Nov. 8th). The fact that it's an out-of-league contest played this late in the season might provide more of a boost with the selection committee's rankings already in effect at that point.

2) Is a Big 12 title enough clout for Kansas State to get a bracket spot?

If it's an undefeated run, I think it will be. Under Bill Snyder, the Wildcats will never be the sexy pick of the Big XII litter. That's not their style. However, the way the conference has shaken out over the first two months, all the team's biggest league "toughies" are away from Manhattan. They've already won in Norman. After hosting Oklahoma State this week, K-State gets the other three contenders on the road (TCU, West Virginia, Baylor).

A 9-0 record after getting past that kind of road trip could be enough to earn some respect amongst the panel. The Wildcats can add in a tough, close loss to Auburn (who still has to maneuver itself through the SEC West) as a cherry to show they can play with more than just the Big 12 elite. I think the margin for error is slim, though. One loss, and Baylor or TCU jump ahead of them in the pecking order (probably for good).

3) Will Ohio State or Michigan State win out?

Obviously, they can't both run the rest of the table since they play one another on Nov. 8th (that's shaping up to be a pretty good day). It's a pretty safe assumption that the winner of said game will be the favorite to win the conference title. But is there anyone else on the schedule that could provide problems?

The Spartans play the two Big Ten newbies (Maryland and Rutgers) before finishing the regular season at Penn State. As OSU was just reminded, Happy Valley can make visitors depart a little blue (while seeing a lot of blue on the way out). The Buckeyes have home dates with Illinois, Indiana, and a flailing Michigan squad. Could a trip to Minneapolis provide the stage for a "letdown" game?

These are the two best teams the conference has right now, meaning they're the last hopes to fill a line in the bracket ... and one will eliminate the other. Simply put, I think the winner of the showdown claims the Big Ten title and a spot in the playoff. Pretty big stakes for a game in early November.

4) Can an undefeated Marshall make a "Selection Committee" bowl?

Let's break down the possibilities. Only one Big Ten team can finish the season with one loss. Only one Big XII team can finish the season with one loss. Only one Pac-12 team can finish with one loss. The SEC West will continue to devour each other (and probably have a winner with one loss). If Florida State wins out, they'll be the only ACC team with less than two losses.

After all of that, remember that the semifinals will probably take more than one of the above options away. Once those four spots are swallowed up, there are still eight more to fill. Now, despite the Thundering Herd's unblemished record, East Carolina is still ahead of them in (basically) everybody's minds. But, even with its weak schedule, could I see this Conference USA representative getting selected over Georgia, Arizona, Nebraska, TCU, Duke, or in-state competitor West Virginia? Yes. If Jordan Lynch can guide an undefeated MAC champ to a BCS bowl, I think Rakeem Cato can do the same with an undefeated C-USA champ.

5) Which game will be bigger: Iron Bowl or Egg Bowl?

Come on. Who really thought this would be a question with actual merit when the season started? Better question ... has anyone given this idea much thought in the last 20 years? I know I haven't been on the block that long. Ever since I've followed college football, though, it always seems like the Alabama-based rivalry game trumps the Mississippi-based game every year. Even when 'Bama and Auburn had coinciding down years, their matchup was much more heralded.

This season, the vertical path to ascend to the SEC Championship follows the near linear path between Oxford and Auburn (with Starkville and Tuscaloosa in the middle). Until this past Saturday, the Mississippi schools were on a collision course the state had never seen. With Ole Miss' loss in Baton Rouge, the sizzle for the Egg has hushed a bit. But that could change in the next three Saturdays. The Rebels host the Tigers from the Plains this week (Nov. 1st). The Tide welcomes the Bulldogs in on Nov. 15th. If one state sweeps the other, we'll know which rivalry stands alone for this 2014 SEC season.

We enter the month of November, when, in the world of college football, hearts are broken and dreams are dashed. For those with hope, it's a long time coming ... and a long ways yet to go.

Posted by Jonathan Lowe at 4:29 PM | Comments (1)

October 23, 2014

NFL Weekly Predictions: Week 8

Note: the quotes in this article are fictional.

San Diego @ Denver (-7½)

The AFC West lead is on the line as the 5-1 Broncos host the 4-2 Chargers at Sports Authority Field. Last week, the Broncos blasted the 49ers 42-17 as Peyton Manning threw 4 touchdown passes, passing Brett Favre to become the all-time leader in TD passes thrown.

"Favre kindly texted his congratulations," Manning said. "He sent me the same message he sent Jenn Sterger: 'You deserve this.' Thankfully, there was no attachment.

"Now, we know the Chargers are motivated to win. They're certainly capable. Philip Rivers is a great leader, whether he's leading 10 fellow offensive players or seven children. Rivers takes his football almost as seriously as he does his Catholic vows. Me, I have only five children. And in the same manner as boxing great George Foreman, mine all have the same initials: 'MVP.'"

"Of course, you can't discuss the link between me and the Chargers without dropping the name 'Ryan Leaf.' Leaf was the second pick in the 1998 NFL draft. Leaf may be the biggest bust in the history of the NFL, but it's not all bad for him. Let's just put it this way — I'm not the only one with a record."

The Chargers had their five-game winning streak snapped by the visiting Chiefs 23-20 last week. San Diego trails the Broncos by one game in the West.

"They're calling this game 'How the West Was One,'" Rivers said. "The winner leaves with the inside track to the AFC West division title. Plus, the outcome could very well help determine who wins the league's MVP award, me or Manning. Let's face it, J.J. Watt may be a one-man wrecking crew, but this is a two-man race."

What's the best way to keep the ball out of Manning's hands? Not a silly game of "keep away," but a successful running game. Do the Chargers have a successful running game?

Denver wins, 34-21.

Detroit @ Atlanta (+3½)

The Lions and Falcons face off in the NFL's second of four games at London's Wembley Stadium. The Lions are 6-2 and rolling after scoring 2 touchdowns in the final 3:38 to shock the Saints 24-23 at Ford Field.

"Our defense made stops when we needed them to," Jim Caldwell said. "For once, a Lion 'putting his foot down' didn't result in a penalty and/or fine.

"Calvin Johnson is making the trip to London. I'm not sure if he will play; his ankle is still pretty sore. However, he's specifically asked us to carry him on the field. But carry him off the field? No chance. Just ask Jim Schwartz. There's a fine line between 'Megatron' and 'Mega-lomaniac.'"

After last week's 29-7 loss at Baltimore, the Falcons have lost four in a row, all by 10 points or more.

"Team owner Arthur Blank has publicly criticized my team," Mike Smith said. "There's nothing worse in this organization than being on the business end of the 'Blank Stare.' I know that look well. It's the same one I give my players when they're looking for strong leadership.

"Speaking of Detroit, Motown legend Marvin Gaye once asked 'What's Going On?' The same could be asked of this Falcons team. All I can say is 'Mercy Mercy Me.'"

Detroit wins, 27-19.

After the game, fans are treated to a laser light show as Pink Floyd/Iron Butterfly tribute band "Ummagumma Da Vida" plays.

St. Louis @ Kansas City (-6½)

It's a showdown in the "Show Me State" as the Chiefs host the Rams. Last week, the Chiefs upset the Chargers 23-20 in San Diego on Cairo Santos 48-yard field goal with 21 seconds left.

"Santos is the first Brazilian-born player to play in a regular-season game," Alex Smith said. "Luckily, we weren't playing Germany, or he never makes that kick.

"I can't say I'm not happy that Peyton Manning set the all-time TD record against the 49ers. Jim Harbaugh and the 49ers defense looked lost against Peyton. It's certainly not the first time Harbaugh's had 'no answer' for a quarterback."

The Rams stunned the visiting Seahawks 28-26 last week, handing Seattle their third loss of the season. The Rams improved to 2-4.

"We brought out all of our special plays," Jeff Fisher said. "It's called 'turning tricks,' and is quite popular with NFL players.

"We finally got some pressure on an opposing quarterback. Robert Quinn, last year's NFL sack leader, recorded his first sack of the season. He's at 1.0, and for a football player who attended the University Of North Carolina, that's practically the dean's list."

Jamaal Charles posts 156 yards from scrimmage and 2 touchdowns, and the Chiefs win, 27-20.

Houston @ Tennessee (+1)

The Titans lost 17-16 at Washington and are now 2-5, next to last in the AFC South.

"Jake Locker missed his third straight game," Ken Whisenhunt said. "They call him 'Jake The Ache.' But Charlie Whitehurst filled in admirably. He sports a ponytail, which is an odd fashion choice for an NFL player. That makes that ponytail 'questionable,' which means it plays more than Locker.

"Whoever starts at QB, they must be aware of J.J. Watt. Watt is a constant presence. He may be the most disruptive force in Texas. And that's including Jerry Jones."

The Texans lost their second consecutive game, blowing a 13-0 lead and losing 30-23 to the Steelers on Monday night.

"We've got to have a better effort from our defense," Bill O'Brien said. "And I'm fully confident defensive coordinator Romeo Crenel is up to the task. After all, he is shaped like a football.

"Offensively, we lack big-play ability. I'm not sure we can get that from Ryan Fitzpatrick. When Fitzpatrick throws the ball, it's not the officials throwing their hands in the air, it's me."

Houston wins, 27-10.

Minnesota @ Tampa Bay (-3)

The Bucs return from a bye week looking to turn their season around. Tampa is 1-5, dead last in the NFC South.

"We're 0-3 at home," Lovie Smith said, "and 0-3 in the division. That's the good news. The bad news is people are begging for the return of an old Bucs coach. Not John Gruden, not Tony Dungy, but Greg Schiano."

The Vikings lost 17-16 at Buffalo last week and are now 2-5, last in the NFC North. Rookie Teddy Bridgewater struggled, throwing two interceptions and suffering five sacks.

"Those are normal growing pains for a rookie quarterback," Mike Zimmer said. "For me, choosing a quarterback to start every week is becoming a 'growing pain.'"

Tampa wins, 20-16.

Seattle @ Carolina (+5)

Seattle lost 28-26 at St. Louis last week, suffering their second straight loss. It was Seattle's first game without Percy Harvin, who was traded to the Jets. News was rampant that Harvin clashed with several teammates and actually fought with a few.

"Harvin has a history," Pete Carroll said, "therefore, he is history. He's a selfish player. Percy played at the University of Florida. He's not from the 'U'; he's from the 'Me.' Who knew someone wanted to be the center of attention more than Richard Sherman?

"We've unloaded our baggage; now, we have to 'carry on.' That's a little airplane humor for you, which will come in handy on a cross-country flight. Hopefully, the in-flight entertainment will be something worth watching. I've got a feeling it might be reruns of a 1980s John Forsythe-Joan Collins/Linda Evans soap opera. You know, a 'Dynasty' that's run its course.'"

The Panthers were blown out 38-17 at Green Bay, suffering their third loss of the season.

"We were down 28-0 before we knew what hit us," Cam Newton said. "Next thing you know, Luke Kuechly, the heart of our defense, is getting sent to the locker room. After that, we were all 'D-jected.'

"But we feel the same way the Seahawks do about Harvin — we're just glad we don't have to deal with him."

The Seahawks take the field to chants of "Overrated!" Minutes later, the Panthers emerge from the tunnel, welcomed by a chorus of even louder "Overrated!" chants.

Seattle wins, 27-16.

Baltimore @ Cincinnati (-3)

The Bengals were shut out by the Colts 27-0 last week and are 0-2-1 in their last three games. In those three games, Cincy has given up and average of nearly 36 points.

"It's like we forgot how to win," Marvin Lewis. "That loss of memory certainly can't be attributed to concussions. Concussions are like recent Bengals playoff wins — they don't happen.

"Vontaze Burfict suffered his third concussion of the season. And he still wants to play. That's my kind of player. I told him to 'knock himself out.'"

The Ravens are one of the league's hottest teams after beating the Falcons 29-7 in a game dominated by the Baltimore defense. The Ravens forced 3 turnovers and sacked Matt Ryan 5 times.

"That's the kind of defense people expect in Baltimore," John Harbaugh said. "Attacking, hard-hitting, and showing no remorse. Just to be clear, I'm talking about our defense. But it's good to see our defense reinstated to its previous glory.

"We owe the Bengals. They beat us at our place in Week 1, and that hasn't sat well with us. We plan to let them know we're not happy. You could say we're going to 'file a grievance' against the Bengals."

Cincinnati wins, 22-20.

Miami @ Jacksonville (+5)

The Dolphins bounced back from Week 6's painful loss to the Packers with a 27-14 upset of the Bears at Chicago last week. Ryan Tannehill threw for 277 yards and 2 touchdowns and added 48 yards rushing.

"The state of Florida has three NFL teams," Tannehill said, "and I'd say we're the best. And people agree with me. Here's a petition with 20,000 signatures saying as much. I'm not sure the weight it carries, because all 20,000 signatures are Jameis Winston's."

The Jaguars won for the first time this year, dominating the visiting Browns 24-6, powered by a rushing attack that piled up 185 yards on the ground.

"It was a great day in Jacksonville," Gus Bradley said. "Fans are even taking to the streets. But only because that's the only way to leave EverBank Field."

Miami wins, 24-16.

Chicago @ New England (-6½)

The Patriots edged the Jets 27-25 last Thursday, preserving the win by blocking Nick Folk's 58-yard field goal attempt for the win. New England is 5-2, leading the AFC East.

"The Jets always test us," Tom Brady said. "We detest the Jets. Now I hear they have Percy Harvin. I look forward to playing against Harvin; I look forward to playing with him even more, when the disgruntled Jets grow tired of him in 11 months and we give them a ninth-round pick for him.

"I can't imagine one of my receivers criticizing me. If that happens, it's likely said receiver would be sent to a cold, deserted place far away. You may call it Siberia; Randy Moss calls it Minnesota.

"This is a rematch of Super Bowl XX, won by the Bears 46-3. I'm not sure if the Pats have ever properly avenged that loss. I suggest people pray for the Bears. Heck, I'll even have the Patriots personal holy man, Fryar Irving, bless them."

The Bears were dominated by the Dolphins at Soldier Field, losing 27-14 in frustrating fashion. After the game, Brandon Marshall criticized Jay Cutler, who had 2 turnovers.

"They call me 'The Umpire,'" Marshall said, "because I'm always calling people out. I'm anything but the voice of reason. I'm the voice of treason.

"As you know, I'm an avid advocate of mental health awareness. Personally, I always need to be aware where mental health is, just in case I lose my mind, which I'm prone to do."

Prior to the game, the Patriots dedicate the playing of the national anthem, performed on the world's tiniest violin, to Marshall.

Darrelle Revis gets the Marshall assignment, despite having no training in the psychiatric field. The Patriots take control when Revis picks off Cutler, despite offensive interference on Marshall, and returns it for a touchdown. Wisely, the Patriots decline the penalty, deeming it "unacceptable."

Brady throws for 278 yards and 3 touchdowns, and the Pats win, 30-24.

Buffalo @ NY Jets (-3)

The Jets fell to 1-6 with Thursday's 27-25 loss at New England, but New York's running attack showed promise, amassing 218 yards on the ground. The Jets later acquired Percy Harvin from the Seahawks in a trade.

"That's right," Rex Ryan said. "Chris Ivory looked great against the Patriots. Couple him with Harvin's bad attitude, and you have a duo called 'Enmity and Ivory.'

"Is having Harvin enough to turn this team around? I don't know, but I do know it's enough to turn this team upside down. He could either pay immediate dividends, or immediate division."

Jets win, 23-17.

Philadelphia @ Arizona (-2½)

The Cardinals host the 5-1 Eagles at University of Phoenix Stadium, site of Super Bowl XLIX in February. Arizona is 5-1 after last week's 24-13 win over the Raiders.

"There are no secrets with this team," Bruce Aryans said. "We're going to run the ball, play solid defense, and take our shots deep. And I'm gonna tell it like it is. In other words, I'm gonna shoot from the hip. And our fans dig that. That's why they're collectively known as the 'Hipsters.'"

The Eagles emerge from their bye week just a half-game behind the Cowboys in the win column in the NFC East.

"We have to be able to run the ball," Chip Kelly said. "That won't be easy against Arizona's stingy run defense. Glendale may be near the Valley of the Sun, but it won't look so bright if LeSean McCoy brings a little 'shade.' Unfortunately up to this point, LeSean's been a shadow of his former self."

Arizona wins, 30-20.

Oakland @ Cleveland (-7)

The Browns were shocked 24-6 by the previously winless Jaguars in Jacksonville last week, ending a run of two-straight victories for Cleveland. Brian Hoyer struggled, completing only 16-of-41 passes for 215 yards and an interception.

"Let's get one thing straight," Mike Pettine said. "That performance doesn't make me think of Johnny Manziel; it makes me think of Brady Quinn.

"It wouldn't be prudent to base a quarterback change on statistics from one game. That's 'premature extrapolation.' Be serious. Is Johnny Manziel a better QB right now than Brian Hoyer. That insinuation makes me 'Snicker.'"

The Raiders lost 24-13 at Arizona and are now the league's lone winless team after the Jaguars beat the Browns.

"If Al Davis were alive today," Tony Sparano said, "he would certainly express his displeasure. But since he's not, all communication comes through his Laotian houseboy, 'Down Set Hut.' And he says change must start at the top, of Al's son Mark's head. That's haircut has to go. It's dumb, and dumber."

Cleveland wins, 27-10.

Indianapolis @ Pittsburgh (+3)

The Colts blanked the visiting Bengals 27-0 last week, led by 344 yards passing and 2 touchdowns from Andrew Luck, who leads the NFL with 2,331 yards through the air.

"We gave Colts owner Jim Irsay the game ball," Luck said. "Here's hoping it doesn't end up in the impound lot."

The Steelers won on Monday night, knocking off J.J. Watt and the Texans 30-23. After falling behind 13-0, the Steelers reeled off 24 points in the final 3:08 of the first half.

"In some situations," Ben Roethlisberger said, "that would be called 'Three Minutes in Heaven.'

"Our defense will have to play lights out on Sunday. I'm sure Dick LeBeau has a special scheme for Luck and the Colts. As you may know, LeBeau invented the zone blitz. What you don't know is that Le'Veon Bell and LeGarrette Blount reinvented the 'zone blitz,' which is when you sit in a parking area and get stoned."

Colts win, 31-26.

Green Bay @ New Orleans (-2)

The Saints blew a 23-10 fourth quarter lead and lost 24-23 to the Lions at Ford Field. The loss left the Saints at 2-4, just a game behind the Panthers in the NFC South.

"We've lost our way as a team," Sean Payton said. "That's why I'm offering a $10,000 bounty to anyone who can knock their heads out of their asses."

The Packers pounced on the Panthers early, building a 28-0 lead, and cruised to an easy 38-17 win. Aaron Rodgers threw 3 TD passes and Green Bay improved to 5-2.

"There was only one thing that could stop us," Rodgers said, "and that was the Panthers end zone.

"The Saints may be struggling now, but we know that can quickly change. They're a dangerous team. It's like they're one big red flag."

New Orleans wins, 27-26.

Washington @ Dallas (-9½)

The Cowboys beat the visiting Giants 31-21 last week, and now host a Washington team looking to improve on their 2-5 record. DeMarco Murray set an NFL record by rushing for 100 yards in his seventh-straight game to start the season.

"DeMarco's work ethic and performance is an inspiration to us all," Jerry Jones said. "It's great to have a running back who is uplifting instead of shoplifting.

"Everyone views me as a 'win at all costs' owner. That's mostly true. The way I feel, it's Super Bowl or bust. Now, depending on her age, I might take the 'bust.'

"I just can't say how much I'm impressed by my team. I can't stop talking about them. But what do you expect from an oil magnate? I'm a 'gusher.'"

The Redskins overcame the Titans 19-17, winning on Kai Forbath's 22-yard field goal on the game's final play. Colt McCoy replaced Kirk Cousins, who was benched after throwing 2 interceptions.

"Colt will start, I think," Jay Gruden said. "Robert Griffin III's status is still up in the air. In other words, 'I ... I ... I'm not sure when he'll be ready."

Dallas wins, 30-16.

Posted by Jeffrey Boswell at 7:39 PM | Comments (0)

October 22, 2014

NASCAR Top 10 Power Rankings: Week 32

Note: the quotes in this article are fictional.

1. Joey Logano — Logano finished 11th at Talladega as Penske teammate Brad Keselowski won, joining Logano and six others with a chance to win the Sprint Cup.

"Brad is in with the win," Logano said, "If NASCAR had a 'wild card' qualifier, Brad would have made it solely based on his performance at Charlotte."

2. Jeff Gordon — Gordon finished 26th at Talladega and secured his spot in the Eliminator round.

"Amazingly," Gordon said, "Brad Keselowski didn't make contact with anyone at Talladega. He drove a heck of a race. He was in a zone, as opposed to a headlock.

"I'm the only Hendrick Motorsports driver in the final eight. It's up to me to carry the HMS flag. As for the 'HMS Johnson,' the 'HMS Earnhardt,' and the 'HMS Kahne' — those ships have sailed."

3. Brad Keselowski — Keselowski beat the odds and won the Geico 500 to qualify for the Eliminator round in the Chase For the Cup. Needing a win, Keselowski held off Ryan Newman for his sixth win of the year.

"The Redd's Wicked Apple No. 2 car was set up perfectly," Keselowski said. "There's only one thing better than a Redd's Apple, and that's a bad apple driving it.

"There's nothing more satisfying than doing burnouts on the track. NASCAR handed me a check after that. I've smoked the tires in the garage area, as well. I handed NASCAR the check after that one."

4. Kevin Harvick — Harvick finished ninth at Talladega as a frantic finish saw Brad Keselowski take the win and an unlikely spot in the Chase's Eliminator round.

"It was nice to go to Talladega and not have to win," Harvick said. "I admire the guts it took for Keselowski to pull out the win. I had the same reaction after the race at Charlotte: 'the nerve.'"

5. Matt Kenseth — Kenseth finished second to Brad Keselowski and qualified for the Eliminator round on points.

"Just like at Charlotte," Kenseth said, "I'm 'after' Keselowski."

6. Denny Hamlin — Hamlin finished 18th in the Geico 500, good enough to advance him to the third round of the Chase For the Cup.

"What a run by Brad Keselowski," Hamlin said. "The results were much different than those at Charlotte, but in both cases, he drove like a man possessed."

7. Ryan Newman — With a fifth at Talladega, Newman punched his ticket as one of the final eight drivers in the Chase.

"I'm sure a lot of drivers were pulling for me to win," Newman said, "if for no other reason than to keep Brad Keselowski out of the next round. But I just couldn't keep Brad behind me, which was surprising, because Denny Hamlin advised me that the No. 2 would likely be on my bumper well past the checkered flag."

8. Carl Edwards — Edwards advanced to the Eliminator round with a safe 21st at Talladega. He is one of eight drivers eligible to win the Sprint Cup championship.

"Kyle Busch is expecting," Edwards said. "Nobody was expecting Brad Keselowski to win. Either way, a 'baby' made headlines."

9. Jimmie Johnson — Needing a win to advance to the Chase's next round, Johnson finished 24th at Talladega and fell well short of qualifying for the Chase's next round.

"Our title hopes were dashed," Johnson said. "But we gave it all we had. We didn't run out of talent, we just ran out of eligibility."

10. Dale Earnhardt, Jr. — Earnhardt struggled from the start and finished 31st in the Geico 500. He finished 13th, well short of qualifying for the Chase's third round.

"Junior Nation is in a state of 'E-nial,'" Earnhardt said. "But I expect them to survive. These final four races will be business as usual for Junior Nation — I'll be racing with no chance whatsoever to win the Sprint Cup championship."

Posted by Jeffrey Boswell at 11:26 AM | Comments (0)

October 21, 2014

NFL Week 7 Power Rankings

Five Quick Hits: Media Edition

* Really nice feature by NBC with Peyton Manning discussing the previous record-holders for most passing touchdowns.

* Speaking of pre-game shows, CBS's has become unwatchable. The studio personnel don't have any chemistry — they don't seem to like each other. Bill Cowher is overbearing and humorless, and he's the dominant personality, so the show's tone is crabby and awkward. Bart Scott is annoying.

* I wrote last week about the best Dallas Cowboys player ever. This week, Troy Aikman weighed in, "That conversation's pretty short ... to me, there's only one name, and that's Roger Staubach." Interesting. I might have expected him to choose Emmitt Smith.

* Late in blowouts, the announcers often struggle for something interesting to say. Did you stick with the Sunday night broadcast long enough to hear Al Michaels discussing his own death, some time around the year 2030?

* The Thursday night attempt to interview Philip Rivers illustrated why studio shows should stay in the studio. Crowds in the stadium are loud and distracting. If what you're saying is worth hearing, you should broadcast from a controlled environment. You already have announcers and a sideline reporter. The only reason to send your studio crew to the game site is if you need a gimmick because the show can't stand on its own.

Touchdown-to-Interception Differential

This weekend, Peyton Manning broke the all-time record for touchdown passes. Maybe you heard about that. It's a big record, and it's one I suspect he'll hold for a while. More on that below. But even more impressive, I think, is a record Manning's already held for years: touchdown/interception differential. Without getting into complicated formulas, that's my favorite quick-and-dirty method of rating QBs. The advantage it has over a simple TD tally is that it recognizes efficiency as well as production, so it's not just a list of guys who threw a lot.

This favors recent players, because there are many fewer interceptions in today's game, but it ranks contemporaries better than TDs alone ... Joe Montana (273 TD, 139 INT) is ahead of Vinny Testaverde (275 TD, 267 INT), for instance. Sorted more or less by decade, here are the top three QBs of each generation, by TD/INT differential:

1950s: Johnny Unitas, +37; no one else over zero*
1960s: Fran Tarkenton, +76; Sonny Jurgensen, +66; Len Dawson, +56
1970s: Roger Staubach, +44; Ken Anderson, +37; Bert Jones, +23
1980s: Dan Marino, +168; Joe Montana, +134; Boomer Esiason, +63
1990s: Brett Favre, +172; Steve Young, +125; John Elway, +74
2000s: Peyton Manning, +288; Tom Brady, +236; Donovan McNabb, +117
2010s: Drew Brees, +190; Aaron Rodgers, +153; Philip Rivers, +131

The TD/INT differential shown is a career number, but in all cases, I listed a quarterback in the decade when he had his best TD/INT +/-. This yields some weird placements, like John Unitas in the '50s (+36) instead of the '60s (+17) and Drew Brees in the 2010s (+98). Obviously the list above does not show the three best QBs of each decade ... but if you were to suggest that Unitas, Tarkenton, Staubach, Marino, Favre, and Manning were the greatest QBs of their generations, many fans would agree with you. And if you take issue with any of the selections, it's probably because you want the number two guy, like Montana or Brady.

It's a simple calculation — too simple to draw major conclusions from — but it's a fast, easy way to narrow down the best quarterbacks in history. It's a more important number than just passing TDs, and in Manning's case, it's an even more impressive mark.

* Otto Graham (+39) and Charlie Conerly (+6) played most of their careers in the 1950s, and Graham would actually rate ahead of Unitas, except that their positives actually came in the late '40s, before the NFL's partial merger with the AAFC.

2014 Week Seven NFL Power Rankings

Brackets show previous rank.

1. Denver Broncos [1] — We take it for granted that Peyton Manning will throw 3 TDs in a game, and he still manages to wow us, getting them all before halftime. Since the neck surgery that seemed like it might end his career, Peyton has thrown 111 TD passes. That's more than Kyle Orton or Mark Sanchez in their whole careers, and it's more than Chad Pennington. By the end of the season, Manning should pass, among others, Marc Bulger (122) and Michael Vick (123) ... and Archie Manning (125). Peyton will throw more TD passes between ages 36-38, and after career-threatening surgery, than his father threw in 13 seasons.

2. Indianapolis Colts [9] — Even before Manning set the touchdown record on Sunday night, people began wondering whether anyone would ever break the new record. The rules favor passing more and more, and they protect quarterback safety more and more, so yes, I'm sure someone will break it eventually.

I don't know how much longer Peyton will play; it wouldn't surprise me if he threw for 600 touchdowns. But there are other active QBs who will get to 509, pass Favre on the all-time list. I bet Drew Brees will do it, and I suspect Andrew Luck will, as well. Last year, five QBs threw 30 touchdowns. As recently as 2006, no one but Manning threw 30 TDs, and in 2002, nobody threw 30. That will never happen again.

The game has changed, and the best players now throw 30 touchdowns as a matter of course. Over the last three seasons, five QBs (Brady, Brees, Manning, Rodgers, and Tony Romo) have averaged at least 30 TDs a season. Andrew Luck will pass Brett Favre on the all-time touchdown list.

3. Dallas Cowboys [7] — This week some media started to promote the idea that "Jason Garrett can't win! Before, they said he needed to run more. Now, they say he runs too much!" That's a dishonest presentation of the issues. Here's where the Cowboys ranked in rush attempts, beginning in 2007, Garrett's first year as offensive coordinator: 21, 25, 17, t-15, 24, 31, 31. The only year they're even average is 2010, when Garrett got Wade Phillips fired (169 rush attempts in 8 games, 31st) and then ran like crazy (259 attempts in 8 games, 3rd), turning a 1-7 start into a 5-3 finish. So yes, many analysts were frustrated to see the Cowboys rushing so seldom. But when we suggested that Dallas should run more often, we didn't mean, "Murder DeMarco Murray." You can run the ball without giving it to your primary back 85% of the time.

4. Green Bay Packers [8] — Twenty-fifth in yards per game, 4th in points per game. How does that work? It's not defensive touchdowns or special teams. The Packers lead the NFL in turnover differential, +10, and they're one of the least-penalized teams in the league (39 pen, 302 yds). They have scored 25 TDs, tied for most in the NFL, but they have only nine field goal attempts — Green Bay and Denver are the league's best red zone and goal-to-go teams. And they're getting off to big leads.

Playing from ahead confuses the issue. When your first three drives all produce touchdowns, and the opponent's first three drives all end three-and-out (as happened against Carolina on Sunday), you tend to run the ball, and your opponent tends to pass. Run plays produce less yardage, but they're more consistent, while passes lead to interceptions, sacks and lost fumbles, drive-ending incompletions. In 2011, the Packers went 15-1 despite allowing more yards than they gained. This team is built the same way.

5. Kansas City Chiefs [12] — Where was this Alex Smith from 2005-10?

Old Alex Smith: 51 TD, 53 INT, 72.1 passer rating, 5.2 net yards per attempt
New Alex Smith: 62 TD, 21 INT, 92.3 passer rating, 5.9 net yards per attempt

New Alex Smith is also an aggressive and productive runner, and he fumbles about half as often as Old Alex Smith.

6. Baltimore Ravens [10] — Lead the NFL in point differential, +89, and in scoring defense, 14.9 points per game. The scoring defense ranked 12th the last two seasons, and this year's success is partly due to a soft schedule, but the Ravens also held Indianapolis to a season-low 20 points. Familiar names like Elvis Dumervil and Haloti Ngata are playing well, and Daryl Smith is having another fine season. The improvement is probably most attributable to cornerback Jimmy Smith, having a career year, and rookie linebacker C.J. Mosley, who leads the team in tackles.

7. San Diego Chargers [2] — Last season, they ranked 29th in pass defense, the only real weakness on a team that reached the divisional round of the playoffs. In the offseason, they added Pro Bowl CB Brandon Flowers and first-round draft pick Jason Verrett, and now they rank 3rd. That could drop back to 29th this week. Verrett has a shoulder injury and Flowers got a concussion, and they're about to play the Broncos in Denver on a Thursday night.

8. Arizona Cardinals [4] — Lead the league in run defense. Through seven games, no opposing rusher has gained 65 yards against them (Rashad Jennings had 64 in Week 2). Their 3.15 yds/att allowed is also best in the NFL.

9. Philadelphia Eagles [11] — Everyone talks about Chip Kelly's offense. Let's use their bye week to explore the Frankenstein defense, stitched together from players other teams left for dead. Former Saint Malcolm Jenkins has three interceptions, including one returned for a touchdown. Former Texans DeMeco Ryans and Connor Barwin lead the team in tackles and sacks, respectively. Former Raven Cary Williams has the second-most tackles on the team, and former Ram Bradley Fletcher leads in passes defensed. There's some homegrown talent, like Trent Cole and Fletcher Cox, but the Eagles are succeeding (more or less; the defense is about average so far) with a roster built around players who were somewhere else in 2012.

10. San Francisco 49ers [5] — Injuries are a major problem, obviously, but they have a bye next week, and some key players should return when they play in Week 9. Also, look at the schedule. They don't play another team that's over .500 until Week 16. The Niners are still a serious threat in the NFC.

11. New England Patriots [13] — Four plays before the end of the game, Geno Smith completed a pass to David Nelson, whom Logan Ryan pushed out of bounds with :23 left, stopping the clock. Except that Ryan pushed him backwards out of bounds, which is usually ruled as forward progress — so the clock keeps running. The Jets were out of timeouts, so they might have only had time for one more play. Furthermore, on replay, it looked like Nelson did not have full possession when he went out of bounds. That play should have been reviewed. It didn't end up affecting the outcome, but questionable judgment by the officials on that play could have cost New England the game.

12. Seattle Seahawks [3] — Rank 29th in passing offense (204 yds/gm) and just traded their most explosive receiver. Percy Harvin reportedly fought with teammates, pouted over his touches, and refused to play because he didn't like the team's plans for him. Refusing to play is over the line, and I can't blame the team for trading him, but Harvin was a dynamic weapon — one who created headaches for opposing defenses — and this offense is worse without him.

13. Detroit Lions [15] — First game all season without a missed field goal. Matt Prater made a 21-yarder, and they punted from Saints territory three times.

14. Miami Dolphins [19] — Going forward, if you could have your choice of Ryan Tannehill or Robert Griffin III, which would you choose? Tannehill completed his first 10 passes this week.

15. Cincinnati Bengals [6] — Began the game with eight consecutive three-and-outs. They're one of two teams — Seattle is the other — to fall apart after the Week 4 bye. The Bengals opened 3-0, and many analysts put Cincinnati atop their power rankings. Since then, the team is 0-2-1, outscored by 107-54. The Seahawks are almost as dramatic: since the bye, they beat Washington (but not in a rout), lost to Dallas (at home, where they're supposed to be invincible), and lost to St. Louis (who came in 1-4). That's a devastating bye. Isn't the week off supposed to help?

16. Buffalo Bills [14] — Kyle Orton has two last-second victories in three starts. Running backs Fred Jackson and C.J. Spiller both left the game with injuries. Spiller broke his collarbone and is out for the season, while Jackson is going to miss at least one game, probably more. Former Eagle Bryce Brown becomes the presumptive lead RB and an interesting add in fantasy leagues.

Leodis McKelvin was one of three players to intercept multiple passes in Week 7, the others being Cleveland's Tashaun Gipson and Atlanta's Robert Alford. Oddly, McKelvin's Bills were the only team to capitalize on the takeaways and win — and even that one was close. Gipson and McKelvin lead the league with 4 INTs apiece.

17. St. Louis Rams [25] — Stedman Bailey's tricky punt return TD is my favorite play of the year so far. I love to see bold play from underdogs. Take some chances, use a fake punt to run out the clock. The Seahawks out-gained St. Louis by 191 yards of offense, but gave it back with penalties (-69 yards), net punting (-54), and kickoff returns (-72).

18. Houston Texans [18] — Scored touchdowns on their first and last drives of the game, but none in between. Houston did not capitalize on opportunities this week. When a team is struggling the way Pittsburgh did for the first 20 minutes, you've got to stick the dagger in.

19. Cleveland Browns [16] — Ugly game featuring a combined five turnovers and 15 punts. Both Brian Hoyer (46.3) and Blake Bortles (40.3) finished the game with passer ratings under 50. The Jaguars rushed for 185 yards and scored a season-high 24 points. Cleveland ranks last in the NFL in run defense (155.5 yds/gm).

20. Chicago Bears [17] — They're 3-4. That's unacceptable.

21. New York Giants [20] — Announcer Thom Brennaman repeatedly referred to rookie Odell Beckham as "Beckham Jr." That's stupid, but it's also incorrect: it's Odell Jr. The dude's last name is just Beckham. This is how names like that work:

Beckham, Odell Jr.
Griffin, Robert III

22. Carolina Panthers [21] — In their last five games, opponents have scored 37, 38, 24, 37, 38 — 34.8 ppg. Last season, the Panther defense ranked 2nd in both yardage and scoring, behind the Seahawks but far ahead of anyone else. This year, they're 26th in yardage and 29th in scoring. Four of their top five defensive backs left in free agency, and defensive end Greg Hardy is suspended because of the Ray Rice video. The Panthers are actually in first place (3-3-1) in the dismal NFC South, but this is not nearly the same team that went 12-4 last year.

23. New Orleans Saints [23] — Undefeated at home and winless on the road. They've lost seven consecutive away games in the regular season, going back to last Thanksgiving. In the last 365 days, they have one road win (two counting playoffs). They're 7-0 at home over that time.

24. Pittsburgh Steelers [24] — With 3:15 left in the first half, they trailed 13-0. They went into halftime up 24-13. This was the worst game I've seen from David DeCastro. He was phenomenal in Weeks 2 and 3, but not on Monday night. He made some really nice plays as a run-blocker, but got beat a couple of times in pass protection and whiffed when they brought him around on pulls.

25. New York Jets [27] — Frustrating loss. The Jets had five 10-play drives and only two touchdowns. They outgained New England by 100 yards, had 12 more first downs, doubled the Patriots' time of possession ... and they lost. Percy Harvin is more of an open-field guy, but maybe he can help their red-zone offense. You don't win in this league by kicking field goals.

26. Washington [26] — It sounds like Colt McCoy will start at Dallas in Week 8, but they haven't ruled out Robert Griffin, returning from ankle injury. McCoy should start. In many NFL cities, the most popular player is the backup quarterback. That's especially true when he has a cool name like Colt. Every player is perfect until you see him fail, and Washington fans have to see McCoy make some bad plays (against Tennessee, he went 11-of-12 and led a comeback victory) or they won't fully support Griffin. This helps the franchise QB, and it gives him an extra week to heal.

27. Minnesota Vikings [28] — Their game featured a combined 11 sacks and 6 turnovers. Everson Griffen led the Vikings with 3 sacks and a forced fumble. It was Griffen's second multi-sack game of the season, and he is tied for second-most sacks in the NFL (7).

28. Atlanta Falcons [22] — Since their thrashing of the Buccaneers on September 18, the Falcons have scored progressively fewer points every week: 56, 28, 20, 13, 7. Over those last four games, they have allowed at least 27 points every week, an average of 32.

29. Tampa Bay Buccaneers [29] — Only two teams had their byes in Week 7. It's the middle of the season! Why are there so few?

All byes should happen between Weeks 6-11: two weeks with four byes and four with six byes. I realize the schedule-makers have a tough job, synching the plans for 32 teams, but it's frankly ridiculous that we have byes as early as Week 4 — who needs a break after only three games? — and it could be a disadvantage for potential contenders that they don't get some rest a little closer to the postseason.

This year, there are six teams on bye in Weeks 4, 9, and 10, with only two byes in each week between. That's a poorly designed schedule.

30. Tennessee Titans [30] — It periodically becomes popular to suggest that anyone can succeed behind a great offensive line, that you build the team up front and the "skill" players aren't essential. This team offers strong proof to the contrary. The Titans have a very good offensive line, one of the 10 best lines in the NFL. They rank 28th in points per game and 27th in yardage.

I don't get the hate for Charlie Whitehurst. Other than alliteration, I don't see much ground for the derisive "Checkdown Charlie" nickname. Among 39 QBs with at least 50 pass attempts, Whitehurst ranks 7th in yards per attempt, 3rd in yards per completion, and 13th in TD%. Whitehurst doesn't have a lot of attempts per game, and his sack percentage is pretty horrid (8.4%, 35th), but that's not related to a conservative, checkdown tendency. The Titans' leading receivers, other than tight end Delanie Walker, are all WRs. Apart from a poor first down percentage (31.6%, 29th), there's just no evidence that Whitehurst throws more checkdowns than other QBs.

31. Jacksonville Jaguars [32] — Jimmy Johnson is the funniest guy on the FOX pregame set. When Curt Menefee asked his analysts, "Will the Jaguars or Raiders win a game this season?", Jimmy returned, "Do they play each other?"

32. Oakland Raiders [31] — If they don't beat the Browns in Week 8, they could stay winless for a long time ... the next three are at Seattle, vs Denver, and at San Diego. The Raiders won't go 0-16, but they won't be favored in any game this season.

Posted by Brad Oremland at 2:30 PM | Comments (0)

The Shot Heard 'Round the Bay

It only took 63 years to get Bobby Thomson a roommate in the exclusive penthouse he occupied in the franchise edifice. And when it happened, Thomson's roommate in that penthouse turns out to be a left-fielder who thought about retiring a year earlier. Who'd never hit a game-ending home run until Thursday night.

A left fielder who was a natural first baseman until he was needed to spell an oft-injured left fielder who'd strained an oblique. Hell, a left fielder who wasn't even a Giant when the season began.

Travis Ishikawa was a reserve on the Giants' 2010 World Series winner, but was on the Pittsburgh Pirates' 2014 Opening Day roster until cut. He re-signed with the Giants and went to the minors first before returning to the parent club. Right now he might be just about the biggest Giant on the block.

The only thing missing when Ishikawa swung his way into that penthouse with a 3-run homer to end the National League Championship Series was Russ Hodges on the radio screaming ,"The Giants win the pennant! The Giants win the pennant!" As it happens, Giants broadcaster Jon Miller damn near did and FOX Sports' Joe Buck hollered the sentence once. I'm not sure whether Miller restrained himself deliberately. I wouldn't have blamed him if he didn't.

If nothing else, Ishikawa and his Giants proved they actually do know how to win games with safe hits, period, never mind 3-run homers. They came into Game 5 having scored almost half their NLCS runs without them.

They don't have to hunt, peck, and run like lunatics over the other guys' mistakes. The Giants don't mind winning that way if they have to, and it probably won't hurt them against the Kansas City Royals in the World Series. But there's nothing like a little old-fashioned power hitting to break up the monotony and turn San Francisco into bedlam.

Hell, they even proved they could tie it up late and for the last time if they absolutely had to. Because Ishikawa might not have gotten his chance in the first place if Michael Morse — a talent whom injuries has reduced to a spare part for the most part, and whose oblique injury made a place for Ishikawa in the first place — hadn't drilled a cruise missile down the left field line an inning earlier to re-tie it at three each.

But how heartbreaking for the Cardinals that one of their 2013 postseason heroes, right-hander Michael Wacha, who went to the bullpen to recover from a shoulder stress fracture, and was still rusty enough (he hadn't worked from September's near-end until Thursday night), was brought out to work the bottom of the ninth with one mission — keep it tied, get it to the extras, give us a chance to bring it back to St. Louie.

How infuriating it will be for the second-guessers among Cardinal Country to ponder what went through manager Mike Matheny's mind when he reached for Wacha rather than Trevor Rosenthal, the bullet-throwing closer, if he absolutely had to send a right-hander out to face two left-handed hitters out of three to open the San Francisco ninth.

Pablo Sandoval opened with two foul-offs before singling to right, and Hunter Pence flied out to right on the first pitch. Wacha couldn't find the strike zone against Brandon Crawford and walked the Giants' shortstop on four straight pitches.The left-handed bullpen arms still waited.

After handing Ishikawa a 2-0 advantage, Wacha had no choice but to throw a strike. And Ishikawa had no choice but to launch it into the first row atop AT&T Park's Levi's Landing right field wall. How painful it must be for Wacha to end two consecutive Cardinal postseasons as the losing pitcher after having been just about untouchable for most of the 2013 postseason.

But how exhilarating for Ishikawa. "If there's an organization I'd want to do it for," he said when he managed to pry himself out of a mob of celebrating Giants, "it would be this one."

Just like that, Ishikawa vaporized a starting matchup between Adam Wainwright and Madison Bumgarner that turned into a lancer's duel after three and a half — including Wainwright striking out the side in the sixth with the kind of curve balls their victims (Buster Posey, Pablo Sandoval, and Hunter Pence, in this case) usually say should be illegal, and generally out-pitching the stout Bumgarner — went almost forgotten. Almost.

Just like that, Joe Panik's 2-run homer in the bottom of the second, giving the Giants a 2-1 lead, the first San Francisco bomb since Brandon Belt in the division series in an eighteenth inning, became a near non-topic. So did the long-enough-time 3-2 Cardinal lead.

Just like that, Matt Adams — atoning admirably for his sad Game Four — and his leadoff yank right over the Landing, and Tony Cruz's solo into the left field seats, two outs later, providing that 3-2 lead, disappeared faster than the balls they hit in the first place. So did Adams's breathtaking dive to stop Crawford's smash and throw out the Giants' shortstop to end the seventh.

Just like that, Sandoval's virtuoso double play turn to end a Cardinal threat in the top of the first — leaping like Brooks Robinson to spear Jhonny Peralta's rising liner, then whipping a throw to second to double off Jon Jay — seemed like a tiny radar reading. So did Kolten Wong's spear and flip of Brandon Belt's fourth-inning liner to double up Sandoval in sweet revenge.

Wainwright emerged from dubious health and a mechanical adjustment to keep the Giants at a pair and battle Bumgarner like a gladiator. Then Matheny decided enough was enough. He didn't want to break his reviving ace if he could avoid it.

So he opened the bottom of the eighth with Pat Neshek, a sinkerballer who hadn't surrendered a hit all postseason and had only given up four home runs on the regular season. And Giants manager Bruce Bochy sent Morse, reduced long enough to journeyman bombardier after assorted injuries going back to his minor league life, out to pinch hit for Bumgarner to open.

Neshek threw Morse a sinker that didn't quite reach the bottom of Morse's thigh, and Morse made sure it reached the left field seats. Game tied, Morse smothered in a hero's welcome when he returned to the dugout.

Showing their heart, the Cardinals shoved back in the top of the ninth and loaded the bases the hard way with two outs when Cruz — pressed into sad service since backbone catcher Yadier Molina's oblique took him out of the set and original substitute starter A.J. Pierzynski proved most useless in two fill-in starts — wrung a full count walk out of Santiago Casilla.

Showing heart and a little cunning of his own, Bochy lifted Casilla for Jeremy Affeldt to get the portside matchup against pinch hitter Oscar Taveras. And showing his own heart, Affeldt picked Taveras's chopper near the first base line and ran it to the pad for the side.

Showing what you can do when you hang in there just in case good things happen to you at long enough last, in a career described as journeyman in more than one way, Ishikawa probably prayed for a shot at redemption after his first inning misread in left allowed Jay an RBI double to open the game's scoring in the third.

If he did, he got better than he prayed for. That trip around the bases looked almost like a perfect impression of the grainy film image you've known of Bobby Thomson rounding the bases after his mythological yank into the Polo Grounds' left field seats. The swarm of Giants awaiting him at the plate, at least those Giants who hadn't bounded up the third base line to provide his escort home, looked just as thick and squirming and exuberant as the Giants who mobbed Thomson once upon a time.

"I think a lot of us forgot that we had to let him touch home plate," Bumgarner crowed amidst the celebration. "We wanted to run and tackle him around second base. We were excited."

Ishikawa's traveling in very exclusive company now. Bill Terry, Mel Ott, Johnny Mize, Willie Mays, Willie McCovey, and Barry Bonds, to name a few of the franchise's Goliaths over time, never won a pennant with one swing.

Maybe Ishikawa won't get to the Hall of Fame except with a visitors' pass. Neither did Bobby Thomson and Dusty Rhodes. (Until Morse, Rhodes was the only Giant ever to pinch hit a postseason bomb.) But he's got bragging rights over some very heavy hitters. For now, he'd probably settle for owning San Francisco.

Posted by Jeff Kallman at 1:22 PM | Comments (0)

October 20, 2014

When Due Process Won't Do

On October 9, Georgia running back Todd Gurley was suspended indefinitely amid allegations he sold his autograph to memorabilia dealers. Gurley, who at that time was the clear Heisman Trophy front-runner, has missed Georgia's last two games and is almost certainly out of the running for any national awards. And at this point, Georgia has shown no indication that Gurley's return is imminent.

Georgia's decision to suspend Gurley is common practice at this point. Faced with the looming shadow of harsh NCAA sanctions for schools that fail to act on evidence of impropriety or potential ineligibility, the university simply banished the potential source of the problem. The governing body's recent use of bowl bans, victory forfeits, and massive scholarship revocations is that big of a threat.

While the NCAA is far from a legal entity, that distinction fails to excuse the organization's disregard for one of America's principle tenets: innocence until proven guilt.

Consider the course of events in Gurley's case. By most accounts, the source of the accusations is Bryan Allen, an autograph dealer who felt scorned by the running back signing too many items, thus diluting the value of his signed pieces. For the sake of this argument, let's even remove Gurley's benefit of the doubt. Most rational people have to believe this kind of transaction happens regularly. It seems likely Georgia has strong evidence Gurley was a willing participant.

Putting aside the NCAA lunacy that a college athlete cannot benefit from his likeness, Gurley is essentially being punished because a third party is miffed that his ROI on Gurley's autograph isn't high enough. In effect, the NCAA is enforcing price controls on the signature of a college student while also prohibiting that student from seeing a dime from it himself.

And yet, the process is completely opaque. On Friday, the NCAA referred the matter to Georgia, and the university, in turn, simply denied there was anything new to report. NCAA enforcement makes Guantanamo Bay look like a public forum.

We will continue to debate the merits of the amateur system, but this is a different issue. Gurley, and many others like him, are held out until the system can determine to what extent they have broken the rules. How stupid is that?

In a fair system, evidence would be evaluated and a swift process would determine whether a player should face discontinuity in his eligibility. Instead, the NCAA and the universities pretend the plausibility of allegations ties their hands and they have no choice but to hold out a player who might have committed a violation. Sure, they would love to protect the privileges of the athletes they supposedly serve in the event they are innocent, but not at the risk of violating the sacred integrity of their dying feudal (futile) system.

Like a good little member institution, Georgia has performed impressively without its star back by winning a pair of road SEC games. In Saturday's win at Arkansas, Gurley's replacement, freshman Nick Chubb, rushed for more than 200 yards. In what the NCAA and Georgia have to consider a best case scenario, Gurley's absence has hardly impacted the broader SEC landscape. As long as the Dawgs keep winning, fewer people will notice Gurley's indefinite absence for indefinite violations while the media's old guard will call Gurley selfish and feign disappointment at his transgression.

In fact, as new of the Gurley story broke, obvious comparisons to Johnny Manziel's supposed 2012 autograph warehouse were made. Like Gurley, Manziel faced allegations of signing memorabilia for cash from a dealer with some form of evidence attached. Unlike Gurley, however, l'affair Manziel occurred during the offseason. During that period, Texas A&M and the NCAA brokered an agreement to sit Manziel for a half in the absence of any real smoking gun evidence. We can probably assume Georgia has more on Gurley, but at this point nobody really knows.

It's worth wondering what would have happened to Manziel had the video of his signing session the night before his coming out party at Alabama been leaked during his late bullrush of the 2012 season. Texas A&M almost certainly would have been forced to react like Georgia has and suspended Manziel until the nebulous investigation reached its conclusion. And if the true penalty of Manziel's offense was half a game, how much additional time would he have served while the process played out behind the scenes?

Georgia is off this week and the university says it hopes Gurley's limbo is resolved before its November 1 game against Florida. Until that decision comes, we will likely be treated to more denials that the ruling parties have anything new to report.

Meanwhile, Gurley will be remain isolated from the program he came to represent. From his perspective atop the college football world just a few weeks earlier, this has to feel quite far from nothing.

Posted by Corrie Trouw at 10:06 AM | Comments (0)

October 17, 2014

Giants Thrown Onto Threshold of World Series

Is it unreasonable for Cardinals fans to ask themselves whether their team is trying, literally, to throw this National League Championship Series to the Giants? Bad enough the Cardinals lost Game 3 on a walk-off throwing error. Putting the Giants on the threshold of the World Series with two bad throws in Game 4's sixth inning is worse.

So what do you call the Giants' ability to score runs and win games with, without, or despite base hits, seemingly? With or without the Cardinals handing them the openings to do just that? First baseman Brandon Belt tried to explain it after the Cardinals beat themselves 3-1 Wednesday. "We might find some weird ways to score runs, but we're getting people on base first," Belt said. "That's the main thing."

One of the cleverest if saddest tweets throughout this NLCS has been the one saying, "Giants key to winning — let the other guys screw up!" That could be a World Series indicator if the Giants wind up going there. The Royals don't make mistakes. At least, their eight-straight swath to the Series hasn't shown any. The Giants may have to find a new strategy fast if they get to the Series.

For now, of course, they won't try to fix what doesn't need a repairman so far. If the Cardinals seem that bent on gifting them games, the Giants aren't exactly going to file any formal complaints.

Rest assured that poor Matt Adams will be fitted for the proverbial goat horns. Some might think they should be shared with Cardinal manager Mike Matheny. He thought removing reliever Carlos Martinez to open the bottom of the sixth would keep a precarious enough 4-3 Cardinal lead intact.

Martinez may get a little weary as he passes 25 pitches but he'd only thrown 17 in the fifth, has started in the past, and is a multiple inning option worth playing especially if he might have had at least eight more pitches to work with for three outs. Matheny went instead to rookie Marco Gonzales, who'd only walked one man in five and a third thus far this postseason.

Juan Perez — that almighty .170 hitter himself — opened by working Gonzales for a full count walk. Brandon Crawford singled to right four pitches later. Matt Duffy, pinch-hitting for Giants reliever Yusmeiro Petit, pushed the runners to full scoring position with what they used to call a textbook bunt, except that these Giants weren't exactly renowned for bunting during the season.

So why did manager Bruce Bochy turn to it this time? Aside from the fact that he couldn't care less about any Book? "It's a little different in the postseason," he said after the game, words a few postseason managers would have done well to heed. "You've got to grind out every run you can, especially late in the games. It's a very important part of the game. And it does put a lot of pressure on the defense."

Does it ever. And with the Cardinal infield now in for a play at the plate, Gregor Blanco whacked a grounder up to first. Adams stumbled a sliver backhanding the ball, then threw it to the plate on the run and on a bounce. The bounce was all the room Perez needed to score.

Then Joe Panik whacked a 2-0 service on the ground to first. Adams picked it cleanly enough, stepped on the pad, and threw an air mail past second base, enabling Crawford, who'd hesitated initially, to chug to the plate without obstruction.

Adams didn't flinch after the game. The man who'd made himself a postseason hero when he accepted the gift of a Clayton Kershaw fastball down the pipe and drilled it over the fence to win the National League division series had now made himself an NLCS horror story.

"The play at home, there's a fast runner at third and I was going in on the ball and threw on the run," he said honestly. "Just should've made the throw, though. The second one, I should've just touched first and checked home. They're both fast runners, so I tried to get the ball out as quickly as possible, and make the throws."

Just like that the Giants overthrew the Cardinals and held a 5-4 lead. Matheny hooked Gonzales for Sean Maness and, just like that, Buster Posey slapped a two-strike service to left for an RBI single.

Just like that, Pierzynski's tie-breaking RBI single in the second, Jhonny Peralta's run-scoring double play in the third, and Kolten Wong's full-count bomb six pitches later disappeared into the memory chips.

Credit Petit for another lockdown middle relief job, after he spelled starter Ryan Vogelsong to start fourth. The man who threw 6 scoreless in the extras that shouldn't-have-been 18-inning marathon against the Nationals threw 3 scoreless Wednesday, his only blemish a base hit turned into a prompt double play and a walk.

"The difference in the game," said Cardinals third baseman Matt Carpenter, "was Petit coming into the game and shutting us down."

Credit the Giants bullpen for going Royals on the Cardinals again, with Jeremy Affeldt, Jean Machi, Javier Lopez, Sergio Romo, and Santiago Casilla keeping the Cardinals caged once Petit's night's work was done.

Casilla surrendered an excuse-me single to Jon Jay with two out in the ninth. He'd only gone 35 days and 40 hitters between hits off him. "What do you know," Lopez cracked after the game. "He's only human after all."

What about these Giants as a whole, though? What do you call a team who can win games without base hits figuring in a lot of the scoring?

They've been powerless, in hitting terms, ever since Belt whacked that eighteenth-inning bomb in a division series Game 2 they'd have lost if Washington manager Matt Williams had thrown out The Book (his book, anyway) and let Jordan Zimmermann finish the 3-hit shutout from which he was a measly out away.

If you're scoring at home, be advised the Giants now average 2.2 runs per game without base hits bringing them in over their past six postseason games. "We lead the league in RTIs," cracked third base coach Tim Flannery Tuesday, after St. Louis reliever Randy Choate threw the Game 3-winning run home with a throw into the bullpen in the bottom of the 10th. "RTIs" in Flanneryspeak means "runs thrown in."

They play like midgets more than giants these days. But David versus Goliath wasn't exactly just a cute bedtime story. The Royals proved that when they ran the Orioles out of postseason town. Now the Giants are on the threshold of putting the Cardinals to bed for the winter.

How delicious can this be for Giant fans and how desperate for Cardinal fans? Madison Bumgarner against Adam Wainwright in Game 5. With a healthy Wainwright it might be a duel to the death. But with Wainwright ailing it's not unreasonable to believe the Giants enter the game with a very unfair advantage.

In this set, for these Giants, ground outs, double plays, and bases on balls are as dangerous as 3-run homers. "If it works and it wins you a game," Panik said Thursday, "we'll take it." That's exactly what these Cardinals ought to fear.

Posted by Jeff Kallman at 5:33 PM | Comments (0)

October 16, 2014

NFL Weekly Predictions: Week 7

Note: the quotes in this article are fictional.

NY Jets @ New England (-10)

The Patriots put away the pesky Bills 37-22 and took sole possession of the lead in the AFC East. Tom Brady threw 4 touchdowns, and the Pats offense is clicking with the lowly Jets coming to Foxboro.

"Rob Gronkowski believes players who have a good game deserve to get laid," Brady said. "That's very well and good, but what about coaches? Jets' fans would argue that no one needs a release more than Rex Ryan.

"Unfortunately, you can't have a Jets/Patriots tangle without mentioning the Spygate scandal. I thought we put that incident behind us. Frankly, I'm sick of hearing about those damn dirty tapes. Of course, 'surveillance video' has taken on an entirely new meaning in the NFL this year."

The Jets gave the visiting Broncos a test, with New York eventually losing, 31-17. Geno Smith's pick-6 to Aqib Talib on the game's final play sealed the deal for the Jets.

"I thought we held our own," Ryan said. "Usually when I say that, I'm referring to our jock straps.

"I feel like I have a good relationship with the media. So I have one simple wish I'd like granted: if there are any questions about my 'last season,' please clarify whether you mean 2013 or 2014."

New England wins, 23-17.

After the game, Ryan and Bill Belichick meet at midfield and exchange history's most awkward fist bump.

Atlanta @ Baltimore (-7½)

Joe Flacco threw five first half touchdowns as the Ravens built a 38-0 lead and cruised to a 48-17 win over the Buccaneers. Flacco finished with 306 yards passing and Baltimore improved to 4-2.

"Flacco was unbelievable," Terrell Suggs said. "I'd venture to say even Roger Goodell would testify to that.

"Joe's proved himself an elite quarterback. Can Matt Ryan say that? Outside in the elements, Ryan's just ordinary. That's why we call him 'Vanilla Matty Ice.'"

The Falcons lost 27-13 to the Bears in the Georgia Dome, losing for the first time at home this season.

"Defensively," Mike Smith said, "we're lacking. Stated more bluntly, we lack a defense.

"But as the saying goes, 'A good offense is the best defense.' And that rings true for us, because we have a good offense, and our defense is best not on the field."

The Ravens dare the Falcons to run; the Falcons take "truth," and admit that they can't run. Baltimore blitzes Ryan unmercifully, and record five sacks, two by Suggs, who wins "Player of the Game" honors to go along with the title of "King," achieved at Ball So Hard University's Homecoming celebration the day before.

Baltimore wins, 30-22.

Tennessee @ Washington (-6)

The Titans held off the Jaguars 16-14 at LP Field last week as Tennessee snapped a four-game losing streak. Sammie Hill blocked a late field goal attempt to preserve the win. Now, Ken Whisenhunt's squad heads to the nation's capitol to face the reeling Redskins.

"I'm waiting to hear the status of Jake Locker," Ken Whisenhunt said. "I bet if I ascended Mount Sinai and chit-chatted with a burning bush, the good Lord would likely present me with two tablets, upon which Locker's name would be etched on the injury report in stone."

Washington is 1-5 after last week's 30-20 loss at Arizona last week. Kirk Cousins threw three fourth quarter interceptions as the 'Skins faded late.

"Cousins has thrown 8 interceptions," Jay Gruden said. "That the most in the NFL. I'm not sure I have the nerve to bench him though. Therefore, I'm sending Pierre Garcon to give him the 'yank.'

"I'll tell you who's really suffering in Washington. Scalpers. We're just not a good team, and that's something you can take at face value."

Alfred Morris carries the load, with 98 yards on the ground and a touchdown. Washington's defense records 5 sacks and 2 turnovers.

Washington wins, 29-13.

Seattle @ St. Louis (+6½)

The Cowboys stunned the Seahawks 30-23 at CenturyLink Field, handing Seattle only their second home loss in their last 19 games. Seattle is 3-2 and will look to regroup against the Rams in St. Louis.

"The Cowboys slapped us right in the face," Pete Carroll said. "Even my gum's never been smacked around like that. I guess I just received a reality check. That felt weird, because I'm usually the one handing out the checks.

"Maybe we took the Cowboys too lightly. But that won't be the case in St. Louis. From this point forward, we won't underestimate anyone. Hopefully, we'll go out and play with chips on our shoulders, as opposed to chips in our shoulder pads. That's how the NFL tracks players' positions on the field. They say Big Brother is watching. Of course, Big Brother may have no knowledge of the video."

The Rams blew an early 14-0 lead against the 49ers last week and lost 31-14 to fall to 1-4. With plenty of time to throw, Colin Kaepernick threw for 343 yards and 3 touchdowns.

"We didn't sack Kaepernick at all," James Lauriniatis said. "In fact, we only have one sack on the year. Road Warrior Hawk always said 'What a rush!' Now, our lack of sacks has my father, Road Warrior Animal, asking 'Where's a rush?'

"We won't shy away from Richard Sherman. Sure, he's arguably the league's best cornerback, and he's the new face of Campbell's Chunky Soup. He's the NFL's 'Soupy Sales.'"

The Seahawks exorcise their demons on the Rams, and exercise their right to free assembly, which they hold five times in the Rams end zone.

Seattle wins, 38-10.

Cleveland @ Jacksonville (+4)

The Browns whipped the visiting Steelers 31-10 last week, delighting the Dawg Pound at Cleveland Municipal Stadium. Cleveland pounded the Steelers with 158 yards on the ground and 3 scores.

"You could say we 'Art Modell-ed' the Steelers defense," Mike Pettine said, "because we moved them without any regard to their personal feelings whatsoever. With that dominating performance, I think you can once and for all close the 'curtain' on the notion that the Steelers have a dominating defense.

"It's going to be a warm day in Jacksonville. Back home, we'd call this kind of weather a 'Cleveland Steamer.' Luckily, EverBank Field has a swimming pool where fans can watch the game. It's a great place to catch a game, as well as any number of communicable diseases."

Jacksonville is 0-6 on the year after falling 16-14 at Tennessee last week. Blake Bortles threw for 336 yards and a score, but his effort fell short as Josh Scobee's 55-yard field attempt was blocked.

"Blake is playing with poise and maturity usually not seen in a rookie," Gus Bradley said, "or a Jets quarterback. His future's so bright, he should request a trade."

Cleveland wins, 30-14.

Cincinnati @ Indianapolis (-3)

The Colts hold the outright lead in the AFC South after last week's 33-28 win at Houston. T.Y. Hilton had 9 receptions for a career-high 223 yards and a touchdown as Indy bolted to a 24-0 lead and held on for the win.

"T.Y.'s become my go-to receiver," Andrew Luck said, "and a household name. I think there could be some endorsement deals headed his way. Let's just hope one of those isn't endorsing Lucas Oil's foray into the field of personal lubricants. I doubt Hilton would want his name associated with a product called 'T.Y. Jelly.'

"But speaking of well-oiled machinery, we are certainly that. And now that Robert Irsay is back in the stands, look out. He may be my biggest supporter. However, I wish he'd choose his words more carefully before calling me Indy's "Prescription For Success.'"

Mike Nugent missed a 36-yard field goal on the last play of overtime, and the Bengals settled for a 37-37 tie with the visiting Panthers.

"Nugent's only 8-of-13 on the year in field goals," Marvin Lewis. "That's unacceptable. So don't be surprised if he goes 'missing' from the roster.

"But there's another issue dogging us. The Panthers have accused Vontaze Burfict of trying to injure some of their players. We really can't afford to lose Vontaze. That would really throw a 'wrench' into our defensive plans."

There are questions that will be answered on Sunday at Lucas Oil Stadium. For example, how will the Colts offense fare against a real defense? Or do the Bengals have a real defense?

Cincinnati wins, 30-28.

Minnesota @ Buffalo (-4)

They're calling this the "Empty Bowl," a contest between two teams that have combined for eight Super Bowl losses.

"Hey," Doug Marrone said, "the last thing this franchise wants is sympathy. We don't want to be anyone's charity case. Well, except maybe for Adrian Peterson's. His sounds like real fun.

"The sale of the Bills to Terry and Kim Pegula was approved for $1.4 billion. That's some healthy scratch. You hear that, Mike Williams? I said 'healthy scratch.' As you wanted, we're entertaining trade offers. It's entertaining for the other teams, because they're laughing at our offers."

The Vikes lost 17-3 to Detroit in Teddy Bridgewater's first start. Bridgewater threw 3 interceptions and was sacked 8 times by the Lions.

"There were mistakes all around," Mike Zimmer said. "It was an orgy of errors.

"I'm not sure if Teddy was ready to start, but out of sheer necessity, we threw him to the Lions anyway.

"I'll need to see more effort and desire from our players. Being a Viking player requires unwavering commitment and a work ethic that borders on the fanatical job. It's an 'All Day' job, much like fielding unending questions about Adrian Peterson."

The Bills control the clock on the ground with the duo of Fred Jackson and C.J. Spiller. Buffalo's defense holds the Vikes to 250 yards of total offense.

Buffalo wins, 27-16.

Miami @ Chicago (-4)

The Dolphins had the Packers on the ropes in Miami, but Aaron Rodgers 3-yard TD pass to Andrew Quarless gave the Packers a 27-24 win. The Dolphins fell to 2-3, and 1-2 at Sun Life Stadium.

"We just couldn't run out the clock on our last possession," Joe Philbin said. "That's something that will stay with me. In fact, I can hear the clock ticking now.

"Rodgers really caught us off guard with the 'fake spike' play. I doubt we'll see anything like that in Chicago from Jay Cutler. The only worthwhile 'spike' in the Windy City was the hairdo of that punky QB known as McMahon. He was cool. Cutler is too cool."

The Bears racked up 368 yards of total offense and played turnover-free in a 27-13 win over the Falcons at the Georgia Dome. Matt Forte rushed for 2 scores, and Brandon Marshall and Alshon Jeffery both had over 100 yards receiving.

"Our offense can stretch the field," Marc Trestman said. "It can also stretch the truth, by making people believe we can win the Super Bowl."

Chicago wins, 27-24.

New Orleans @ Detroit (-4)

The Saints return from a bye week, eager to play like the team many considered a Super Bowl favorite in the preseason. New Orleans is 2-3, a half-game behind the Panthers in the NFC South.

"A bye week is just what we needed," Sean Payton said. "I even gave our defense an extra day off. And it was a mandatory day off. They weren't even allowed in the building. It was their first 'shutout' of the season."

The Lions whipped the Vikings 17-3 at Minnesota last week, forcing three Teddy Bridgewater interceptions and making life generally miserable Mike Zimmer's team.

"We've got the fourth-best defense in the NFL," Jim Caldwell said. "Our defense has really carried us this year in every game. In the past, when 'defense' and 'Detroit Lions' were mentioned this much, it was bound to be uttered in a sentence from the lawyer of Titus Young."

New Orleans wins, 27-26.

Carolina @ Green Bay (-7½)

The Panthers escaped Cincinnati with a 37-37 tie with the Bengals, thanks to Mike Nugent's missed 36-yard field goal, which would have given Cincy the win. Carolina leads the NFC South with a 3-2-1 record and will face a tough test at Green Bay.

"Thanks to Shayne Graham for the miss," Ron Rivera said. "I just wonder if the Bengals will be saying 'Shayne! Come back!'

"It's never easy winning at Lambeau Field. It may be the NFL's most historic stadium. Everybody knows it's named for Packer Legend Curly Lambeau, who was involved in the franchise as founder, player, and coach for nearly 40 years. What most people don't know is that Curly had a brother named 'Short,' and their venture into the restaurant business, called 'Short and Curly's,' lasted less than a day."

Aaron Rodgers' 3-yard scoring strike to Andrew Quarless with three seconds left gave the Packers a thrilling 27-24 win at Miami last week. It was Rodgers third TD pass and lifted Green Bay to its third consecutive win.

"That's was truly a heart-stopping win," Rodgers said. "You could even call it 'hair-raising.' Brett Favre might call it 'hair-razing.'

"Now, if you're a Packers fan, and exciting finishes leave you irregular, just remember, 'Aaron Says Ex Lax.'"

Green Bay wins, 30-27.

Kansas City @ San Diego (-4)

The Chiefs had a Week 6 bye and used every bit of it to prepare for the Chargers, who are tied for the AFC West lead with the 4-1 Broncos.

"It's tough for anyone to play in San Diego," Alex Smith said. "I find it even more distressing, but only because I'm that much closer to Jim Harbaugh. It's not often a football player quotes Sting of The Police, but here goes: 'I don't hate Harbaugh, just his guts."

The Chargers left Oakland with a hard-fought 31-28 victory, and now ready themselves for consecutive games against the Chiefs and Broncos.

"Indeed," Rivers said. "We escaped Oakland and the 'Black Hole.' What a dump. Does anyone like playing in Oakland? Yes, they're called the 'visitors.'"

The Chiefs catch the Chargers looking ahead to their showdown with the Broncos and pull the upset.

Kansas City wins, 23-21.

Arizona @ Oakland (+3½)

Carson Palmer returned from a shoulder injury to lead the Cardinals to a 30-20 win over the visiting Redskins last week.

"What a gutsy performance by Carson," Bruce Aryans said. "He's struggled with a shoulder issue all season. He's still not 100%. I'd say he's at 85%. Carson jokingly calls that 'Ocho Cinco De Maybe.'"

The Raiders began the Tony Sparano era with a 31-28 loss to the Chargers last week. Derek Carr threw 4 touchdown passes, but the Raiders could not stop Philip Rivers, who torched them for 313 yards and 3 scores.

"I liked what I saw from Carr," Sparano said. "He looked like he belonged. On that note, I feel like I belong as well. Unfortunately, for Raiders coaches, history says it won't 'be long' before I'm gone.

"I'm done burying footballs. If you want to see 'dirtballs' in Oakland, just look in the stands at O.co Stadium. It's full of them."

Arizona wins, 28-17.

NY Giants @ Dallas (-6½)

The Giants were pounded 27-0 by the Eagles on Sunday night, as Eli Manning was hounded mercilessly, suffering 6 sacks and 7 hits.

"Eli spent more time on the turf than he did on his feet," Tom Coughlin said. "Right now, he 'can't stand' his offensive line.

"But I expect Eli to play well against in Dallas. He did last year, throwing for 450 yards and 3 touchdowns. Of all the 'one-star' performances in Eli's history, that's one I can live with."

The Cowboys rolled into Seattle's CenturyLink Field and left with a mildly surprising 30-23 win. DeMarco Murray rushed for 115 yards and became only the second back to start the season with six 100-yard rushing games.

"DeMarco joins Jim Brown in that club," Tony Romo said. "And DeMarco has his sights set on Eric Dickerson's NFL single-season rushing record of 2,105. With a nod to Brown's acting career, DeMarco has a message for Dickerson: 'I'm Gonna Git You, Sucka.'

"I expect the Giants to rebound strongly from their shutout loss in Philadelphia. I know Tom Coughlin has a zero-tolerance policy in regards to a zero-scoreboard."

Murray rushes for 125 yards and a score, and Dan Bailey kicks the game-winner with a minute left in the game. Murray gets the game ball, and his backup, cologne and underwear thief Joseph Randle, gets a modeling contract with Calvin Klein.

Dallas wins, 26-23.

San Francisco @ Denver (-7½)

Peyton Manning continues pursuit of Brett Favre's career passing touchdown mark of 508 TDs. With three in Denver's 31-17 win over the Jets last week, Manning is just two shy of the record.

"I know I have Favre's blessing," Manning said. "Brett even sent me a text that explicitly stated his wants and desires.

"I know the record won't come easy, if it comes at all. The 49ers defense is very tough, and they don't make mistakes, at least not on the field."

The 49ers overcame a slow start at St. Louis on Monday night and finished off the Rams 31-17.

"Montana, Elway, Young, Manning," Colin Kaepernick said. "Those are the names of 49er and Bronco greats. Now, if I were to mention my name with theirs, it would truly be 'inappropriate language.'

"Trust me, I've learned my lesson in other areas as well, like which headphones to wear. I've even suggested an awareness campaign the NFL should implement to insure everyone knows the deal. I call it 'Knows Bose.'"

Is this a Super Bowl XLIX preview? Possibly. But the season is young, and the only thing we know about the Super Bowl is that Katy Perry will be there. Here's hoping for two things: a wardrobe malfunction, and that the Super Bowl XLIX halftime show is titled "Super Bowl DD."

Denver wins, 29-24.

Houston @ Pittsburgh (-3½)

The Steelers are 3-3 after last week's 31-10 loss at Cleveland. Pittsburgh has won every other game this season and expectedly, inconsistency on a week-to-week basis in the major problem facing the team.

"My greatest asset is my ability to say all the right things without actually doing anything," Mike Tomlin said. "That makes me a great coach, as well as a top candidate to be the next NFL commissioner."

Despite a dominant performance from J.J. Watt, the Texans could not overcome a 24-0 first quarter hole to the Colts, losing 33-28. Watt had two sacks, four passes defended, and returned a fumble 45 yards for a touchdown.

"Every game is Christmas for me when Watt plays," Bill O'Brien said. "Every game is Halloween for opposing offenses, because Watt is a terror, a nightmare, and a monster."

Pittsburgh wins, 26-24.

Posted by Jeffrey Boswell at 2:50 PM | Comments (0)

Crowned Royals Ride Roach Coach to Series

J.J. Hardy's two-out, down-to-the-Orioles-last-strike hopper caught Mike Moustakas right where Moustakas wanted it on the third base line. Moustakas's high throw across the infield caught first baseman Eric Hosmer right where he wanted it. Okay, a little bit high, but nothing to it. We do this kinda stuff to 'em all throughout the picture.

Just like the only two runs the Royals would need to put on the board all day long scored on a pair of grounders and a sacrifice. Big deal. We do this kinda stuff to 'em all throughout the picture.

Just like the stare-em-down, shoot-em-down bullpen gave the Orioles nothing but headaches for four innings with a little help from the Royal defense as per usual, including another would-be gut-busting catch somewhere out of nowhere. Meh. We do this kinda stuff to 'em all through out the picture.

Kansas City's cockroaches hitched up their roach coach and rode to their first World Series since the Reagan Administration Wednesday afternoon with the kind of power the Orioles, with their big bats, couldn't bring to bear if they'd brought bats wired into hand-held nuclear weapons.

They made manager Ned Yost the first in baseball history to have an 8-0 record in the first eight postseason games he's ever managed. Not even John McGraw, Connie Mack, Joe McCarthy, Casey Stengel, Tony La Russa, or Terry Francona brought that one off.

Everything an Oriole hit somehow seemed to find its way to a Royal glove, when every Royal with a glove wasn't finding his way to anything and just about everything any Oriole hit, that is. Everything an Oriole threw seemed to find a smooch from a Royal bat. And everything an Oriole could think of to cross up these pests proved to be nothing for the Orioles except a Royal pain.

Maybe you and even the Orioles knew it was the beginning of the end in the first inning by way of Hosmer's 2-run ground out, with lead runner Alcides Escobar shoving the ball just about out of Oriole catcher Caleb Joseph's grasp as he crossed the plate, enabling Nori Aoki to score behind him.

Maybe you and even the Orioles knew it was the middle of the end when Alex Gordon ran Hardy's fifth-inning extra base hit to be down, caught it as he hit a chain-link fence embedded in front of a scoreboard, and hit the track holding the ball aloft.

But when did it really seem apparent during this American League Championship Series that the Orioles, this year's beasts of the American League East, with more long distance power than the ancient Strategic Air Command, everybody said, were badly, badly overmatched by this gang of pests who seem able to survive everything short of a terrorist attack? (And who's to say these Royals couldn't?)

* When the Royals showed their own power surprises in Game 1, hitting 2 home runs in the top of the 10th to smash a five-all tie?

* When they bushwhacked Oriole starter Chris Tillman for 4 early runs in that game — by way of Escobar's (of all people) third inning liner over the left field fence and Gordon's broken bat 3-run double in the fourth?

* When Gordon took advantage of Buck Showalter's 10th-inning gambit, leaving in right-handed submariner Darren O'Day to face the portsides Gordon to open, and thanked the Oriole manager by hitting a 1-1 offering four rows up the right field bleachers?

* When they left Showalter to grouse after Game 2, "A swinging bunt, a bunt, a groundball down the right field line and a groundball in the hole," which is how he described the swinging-out-of-a-bunt (Infante), the followup sacrifice bunt (Moustakas), the double down the right field line (Escobar, swinging late on Zach Britton's fastball), and the RBI single in the hole (Lorenzo Cain) that took care of the game-winning rally?

* When they roached their way out of a bases-loaded seventh-inning jam in Game 2, beginning when Gordon's charge off Nelson Cruz's single compelled third base coach Bobby Dickerson to halt lead runner Nick Markakis at third, and ending when Cain — the ALCS MVP, though almost half the roster could have claimed the prize — stepped into an outfield phone booth, came out as a 1969 Met, and ran down Hardy's high liner toward the line in a run-and-tumble catch?

* When they kept the Orioles quiet other than Hardy's second-inning double in Game 3 and scored the only two runs they'd need then on an RBI groundout and a sacrifice fly?

* When oft-second-guessed roachmaster Yost hooked his Game 3 starter Jeremy Guthrie after the fifth after retiring the side in order, reached out for Jason Frasor as the possible sacrificial lamb with the heart of the Oriole lineup due up ... and Frasor shook off the implications to get Adam Jones (foul out to third), Cruz (fly out to right), and Steve Pearce (followup fly out to right) in order?

* When Moustakas went Derek Jeter on Jones's lead-off foul pop in that third and bent over the rail and maybe onto his head to haul it down, maybe giving Frasor the idea that these Orioles really weren't as tough as their pre-series notices?

* When they tied it at one in that game with two bloop singles, a walk, and a bases-loaded ground out in the third?

* When Showalter stayed with his Game 3 starter, Wei-Yin Chen, figuring he had two lefties out of three hitters to open against him, only to see Aoki single and pinch runner Jarrod Dyson help himself to third on Hosmer's drill hit, before Showalter went to the pen at last and Billy Butler launched the sacrifice fly?

* When Escobar crossed the plate on his none-too-ample fanny Wednesday afternoon and, as he slid toward it, his bent left leg gave the ball just hard enough of a push past Joseph to let Aoki score practically walking? Not to mention Jason Vargas pitching five and a third worth of one run, two hit, three walk, six strikeout ball?

* Or, when Kelvim Herrera got out of the sixth Wednesday with Orioles on the corners by way of second baseman Infante being right there to turn Cruz's bullet off the pipe into the third out?

"Today, same old story," Gordon said almost laconically after the game. "Good pitching, good defense and scratch out a win."

Scratch out a win? The Royals led the American League in contact hitting percentage on the season, the Orioles starting rotation was beaten out only by the Royals for the lowest strikeout rate among postseason teams. The Royals have 15 infield hits in the postseason; all other 2014 postseason teams have had 16 combined through this writing.

We do this kinda stuff to 'em all through the picture!

You can point to lots of moments in which you might have known in your gut of hearts that the Royals were going to go to the World Series, that the Orioles didn't have anything resembling the 2004 Red Sox in them, and that Kansas City was going to go nuts the moment the high throw across reached Hosmer in the ninth.

Never before in 20 previous postseason visits had the Orioles been swept in four straight. They'd opened their streak with a 1966 World Series sweep of the Dodgers. (As in, the Sandy Koufax-Don Drysdale Dodgers.) The closest they got to going down in four? Dropping four straight to the Miracle Mets after winning Game 1 of the 1969 World Series.

As Hall of Famer George Brett joined in the celebration, the Kaufmann Stadium PA system couldn't resist cranking out the Beatles' exuberant version of Wilbert Harrison's "Kansas City" when the Royals hit the field celebrating. Interesting choice, that.

Fifty years earlier, the Beatles were all but strong-armed into performing at ancient Municipal Stadium by Charlie Finley, owner of the then-Kansas City Athletics. The Beatles earned a then-record $150,000 for their night's work on a date they later said they originally planned to visit New Orleans as tourists, not working musicians.

Wednesday afternoon, so far as the Kaufmann audience was concerned, it was Mardi Gras Midwest. Not even John, Paul, George, and Ringo could have out-partied that.

Posted by Jeff Kallman at 11:44 AM | Comments (0)

October 15, 2014

NASCAR Top 10 Power Rankings: Week 31

Note: the quotes in this article are fictional.

1. Joey Logano — With his spot in the Chase's next round already locked up, Logano finished fourth at Charlotte, then watched as Penske teammate went berserk afterwards.

"Sadly," Logano said, "Kes is going to get stuck with the nickname 'Spoiled Little Brad.' Brad's not one to back down when he thinks he's been wronged, and if that means crashing his car, he'll do it. If nothing else, he has 'scrap mettle.'

"The post-race shenanigans were wild. It looks like my teammate is the bad guy. He really pissed some drivers off. When you say 'Flair' in Charlotte, you usually think of 'Ric,' not 'tempers.'"

2. Kevin Harvick — Harvick led 162 laps at Charlotte, and took the field to green on the final restart with two laps remaining. He pulled away from Jeff Gordon and won the Bank of America 500 and a pass to the third round of the Chase.

"They call me the 'Closer,'" Harvick said. "They call Gordon the '(Can't Get) Closer.'

"With the win, I moved in to the Chase For the Cup's round three. Of course, that took a backseat to some of the post-race events, which looked more like round 1."

3. Kyle Busch — Busch won the pole at Charlotte and finished fifth in the Bank Of America 500, his second top-five in the last two races. He is second in the points, six out of first.

"I'm in perfect position to advance," Busch said. "The only thing that can keep me out of the 'Eliminator' round is a meltdown on the scale of the one that Brad Keselowski displayed. I'm confident that won't happen. What worries me is that I know I'm capable of it."

4. Jeff Gordon — Gordon chased Kevin Harvick to the finish at Charlotte, but didn't have enough to catch the No. 4. Gordon took second, and needs only a finish of 16th or better at Talladega to advance to the Challenger round.

"What a wild night at Charlotte," Gordon said. "I think NASCAR needs more races like this. I hear NASCAR already looking to add a race on a track shaped not like an oval, but an octagon."

5. Carl Edwards — Edwards finished eighth at Charlotte and now stands fifth in the Sprint Cup points standings, 12 behind Joey Logano.

"I've got to hand it to my future teammate Matt Kenseth," Edwards said. "He really went after Brad Keselowski. From the man who is known for his backflips, that was the best 'jump' I've seen in awhile."

6. Matt Kenseth — Kenseth finished 19th after starting 42nd due to what NASCAR called an "unapproved adjustment." After the race, Brad Keselowski hit Kenseth's No. 20 as the cars were heading to the garage.

"First of all," Kenseth said, "NASCAR's so-called unapproved adjustment was a decal. When I heard we had to go to the back of the field, I experienced a case of 'sticker shock.'

"Then, Keselowski started playing bumper cars. I won't stand for that. I'm not a huge social media user, but I felt the need to post Brad's new Twitter handle. '@hole.'"

7. Jimmie Johnson — Johnson pitted on the final caution with seven laps to go, giving up fourth place in the process. He emerged 10th and dropped back to 17th at the checkered flag.

"Obviously," Johnson, "that wasn't the right decision. I appeared to be the first of many judgment errors made by drivers at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

"We've placed ourselves behind the 8-ball. But we'll have to scrap for everything at Talladega, and I'm confident we can do it. With the Keselowski/Hamlin/Kenseth dustup in mind, I still have some 'fight' left in me."

8. Kyle Larson — Larson led five laps and looked poised to challenge for the win until he brushed the wall late, throwing off the handling of his No. 42 Target car. He still finished sixth, and has a top-6 result in all five Chase races.

"Sure," Larson said, "the events of Saturday night don't reflect well on Brad Keselowski. He's got at least three drivers upset with him. But there's a positive to everything, and NASCAR drivers are always looking for a new sponsor. The heck with the milk industry; Keselowski should be the poster boy for the new 'Got Beef?' ad campaign."

9. Denny Hamlin — Hamlin finished ninth in the Bank of America 500, then tangled with Brad Keselowski on the cool-down lap.

"Ironically," Hamlin said, "I threw a white towel at Keselowski in anger.

"I'm not afraid to tell it like it is. I'm a straight-shooter. Keselowski needs a straightjacket."

10. (tie) Dale Earnhardt, Jr. — Earnhardt suffered a broken shifter handle on lap 137, and the ensuing problems cost him dearly at Charlotte. He finished 20th, and now needs a win at Talladega to advance to the next Chase round.

"Hey," Earnhardt said. "Shift happens.

"But I know what I have to do. It's all or nothing at Talladega. I need a victory in the worst way. So, contrary to what is standard at Talladega, I welcome the 'Big One' at Talladega."

10. (tie) Brad Keselowski — Keselowski finished 16 in the Bank of America 500 on a clearly frustrating night in Charlotte. On the cool-down lap, Keselowski rammed Denny Hamlin, then hit Matt Kenseth and Tony Stewart. In the garage moments later, Kenseth charged Keselowski, sparking a wild melee.

"It looked like everyone wanted a piece of me," Keselowski said. "What the heck happened? Did NASCAR just announce a new dispute-settlement philosophy, 'Boys, have at 'im?'"

Posted by Jeffrey Boswell at 2:54 PM | Comments (0)

October 14, 2014

NFL Week 6 Power Rankings

Five Quick Hits

* Everyone is hung up on Mike Nugent's missed 36-yard field goal that led to a tie, but earlier in the same game, Carolina's Graham Gano missed a 38-yarder that might have put the game out of reach and avoided overtime.

* I keep seeing commercials for "the official training restaurant" of Robert Griffin III, Justin Tuck, and Anthony Barr. Griffin can't stay healthy, Tuck is a has-been, and their three teams are a combined 3-14. Maybe those guys should train somewhere else.

* Eli Manning was sacked six times on Sunday night, only the fourth time in his career he's taken more than five sacks in a game.

* I believe in the Wembley curse. The Falcons and Lions play there in Week 8. They'll both lose in Week 7.

* Just for you, Al Michaels: my favorite W.C. Fields quote ... "Always carry a flagon of whiskey in case of snakebite and furthermore always carry a small snake."

Week 6 Rant: Ranking Cowboys

Adam Rank does a fun, meandering column for NFL.com. In this week's, he took issue with Tony Romo's claim that Jason Witten might be the best Cowboy of all time. And yeah, it was a silly thing to say, but guys do that sort of thing for contemporaries and teammates all the time. Romo was wrong, but I can let it slide.

What I am not chill enough to let slide is Rank's rebuttal: "I could probably name 20 Cowboys better. Actually, I will. Troy Aikman, Michael Irvin, Emmitt Smith, Charles Haley, Jay Novacek, Darren Woodson, Roger Staubach, Bob Lily [sic], Chuck Howley, Randy White, Tony Dorsett, Don Perkins, Dez Bryant, Deion Sanders, Larry Allen, Drew Pearson, Bob Hayes, Rayfield Wright, Mike Ditka, and Lance Alworth. All right, I need to stop. Erik Williams. Mark Stepnoski. Harvey Martin."

I would assume the list is a joke, except that Rank seems very serious and very upset about this. Okay, Emmitt, Staubach, and Lilly are obvious. White, Dorsett, and Allen, fine. Aikman, Irvin, Woodson, Howley, Sanders, Hayes, and Wright are debatable. That's 13. The other 10 (he named 23) are clearly wrong.

Mike Ditka and Lance Alworth were great players who had all their great seasons on other teams (Bears and Chargers). Ditka's a better choice than Alworth, but he's nowhere near this list unless you count his time in Chicago. Jason Witten has caught 900 passes for the Cowboys. Alworth caught 49. Ditka caught 72. A little short of 900.

For that matter, Dez Bryant has 329 receptions. You'd rather take a receiver who's been good for 2½ seasons than a tight end who has been among the best at his position for a decade? And Jay Novacek, really? Novacek played six seasons for the Cowboys, during which he caught 339 passes for 3,576 yards and 22 TDs. He made five Pro Bowls and he was all-pro in 1992. This is Witten's 12th season in Dallas, with 900 receptions for 10,038 yards and 53 TDs — about 2.5 times Novacek's totals. Witten has made nine Pro Bowls and he's been all-pro twice. Adam Rank is the only person on the planet, including Jay Novacek's mom, who thinks Novacek was a better tight end than Witten.

Charles Haley was a good pass rusher, not a Hall of Famer, but a good player, who was with the Cowboys for five seasons, during which he had 34 sacks and made two Pro Bowls. Drew Pearson ... I've written about Pearson at length. He was a good receiver who came up big in some important games, but he only had about six seasons as an effective player, a very short prime for his position.

Don Perkins was a good running back on bad teams. He's not one of the top 100 RBs of all time. Perkins never ranked among the top four rushers in his 12-team league, and he wasn't a good receiver. Jason Witten is 10 times the player Perkins was. Erik Williams was a star for about three seasons. Stepnoski and Martin were good players, but Witten has a Hall of Fame-caliber résumé. He's one of the best receiving tight ends of his generation (which is stacked with great TEs), and he's a good blocker. Witten is not the best Cowboy ever, but he might be top-five, and he's definitely top-10.

I wouldn't put any of these players ahead of Witten, but Rank would have been better served to include Cowboy greats like Cliff Harris, Daryl Johnston, Mel Renfro, Romo himself, DeMarcus Ware, and, I don't know, Lee Roy Jordan? Ralph Neely? Too Tall? I guess those guys aren't any better than Pearson and Stepnoski.

I don't like Jason Witten, but he's one of the 10 best tight ends in NFL history. Since Rank put a list out there for jerks like me to tear apart, it's only fair that I do the same. Here are my top 10 TEs of all time, off the top of my head: Dave Casper, Mike Ditka, Antonio Gates, Tony Gonzalez, John Mackey, Ozzie Newsome, Shannon Sharpe, Jackie Smith, Kellen Winslow, Jason Witten. If you want to sub in someone like Mark Bavaro, Todd Christensen, or Charlie Sanders, I probably wouldn't argue with that, but you're not subbing out Witten, you're dropping Newsome or Jackie Smith, or maybe Shannon Sharpe.

2014 Week Six NFL Power Rankings

Brackets show last week's rank.

1. Denver Broncos [1] — This was Peyton Manning's 88th regular season 3-TD game, 94th counting playoffs. Most 3-TD games:

1. Manning, 94
2. Brett Favre, 78
3. Dan Marino, 67
4. Drew Brees, 64
5. Tom Brady, 60

No one else even has 50, though Aaron Rodgers (43) and Philip Rivers (38) will probably get there.

2. San Diego Chargers [4] — No one's really talking about Keenan Allen as a fantasy bust. He's fourth on the team in receiving yards (296, 49/gm) and has yet to score a touchdown. In Yahoo leagues, Allen's ADP was 29.4, the 10th wide receiver taken. I know third-round picks aren't sexy busts, but if Allen was your WR1, your team is probably struggling.

It makes sense in context, but I typed "sexy busts" just for page views. As long as we're at it, George Clooney's wedding.

3. Seattle Seahawks [3] — Second time this year an opponent has scored 30 points. Last year they allowed 30 only once all season. The Seahawks rank 15th in scoring defense — average. They lost three starters from last year's Super Bowl defense: Brandon Browner, Chris Clemons, and Clinton McDonald, plus Red Bryant, who started 15 games in the regular season. The Seattle defense hasn't looked great since Week 1.

4. Arizona Cardinals [5] — Only team that hasn't thrown an interception this season. Considering they've used three different QBs (and Ted Ginn), that's remarkable. Drew Stanton has the most pass attempts (88) of anyone without an INT, and Carson Palmer is second (81). Palmer looked good on Sunday, but it's difficult to evaluate anyone against Washington's defense.

5. San Francisco 49ers [7] — Obviously Mike Tirico doesn't read my column. On Monday night, Tirico told viewers, "Andy Lee will kick it away. In addition to that great career average, he has always been good at net punting yards, pinning the opponent inside the 20 or the 10." This is false.

I don't bring this up to embarrass Tirico, because I believe he's a bright guy who cares about doing a good job. Tirico understands that net average is more important than gross average. That's an important step — gross punting average is the worst stat in sports, even worse than saves in baseball, but it's still the most common stat for punters. Tirico mentions net average often, which means that even for an area of the game which many folks in the media ignore, Tirico cares about getting it right. Here's how he can.

Andy Lee is not good at pinning opponents deep. This is easily apparent in the stats, the relevant figures being I20 (punts down inside the 20-yard line) and TB (touchbacks). Lee's first season was 2004. The chart below shows league-wide I20-to-TB ratio every season since '04, along with Lee's ratio. Higher numbers are better.

Lee has been worse than league average in eight of his 10 seasons, including last year. He's a pretty good punter, and he does have good net averages, but to say he "he has always been good at ... pinning the opponent inside the 20" is demonstrably false. These aren't complicated stats, and they're publicly available. Again, this isn't to insult anyone, just to assist. I don't expect announcers to slam Lee to their viewers, but there's an easy way to make sure you aren't deceiving them.

Saying that Andy Lee is good at pinning opponents deep is like telling viewers that Colin Kaepernick is good at clock management. They're both good players, but those areas are not among their strengths.

6. Cincinnati Bengals [2] — Eighty points allowed the last two weeks, and they're about to play the Colts, who lead the NFL in scoring and yards.

7. Dallas Cowboys [10] — DeMarco Murray has at least 22 rush attempts in every game this season, one of only three players in history to carry 22 times in each of the first six games. The others were Emmitt Smith in 1999 and Priest Holmes in 2002.

Years ago, Jason Lisk identified 25 carries as approximately the point for what we might consider increased risk games. The only players in the last decade who had at least 25 attempts in half their games: Larry Johnson in 2006, Michael Turner in 2008, and Arian Foster in 2012. All of them got hurt the next season. Johnson and Foster missed eight games each, while Turner missed five.

Johnson's season is particularly worrisome. L.J. turned 27 that year. From 2003-06, he rushed for 4,205 yards, with a 4.71 average and 47 TDs. Afterwards, he had 2,018 yards with a 3.77 average and 8 TDs. The heavy workload ruined his career. Lisk found distinctly higher risk at 28+ rush attempts in a game, a mark Johnson reached eight times that year, tying the record set by Jamal Anderson in 1998, another career-ruining season. Murray already has three games this season with at least 29 rush attempts.

DeMarco Murray turns 27 in February. His career-high rushing attempts is 217, last year. He's on pace to break that in the first quarter of Week 9, basically halfway through the season. Murray is playing great, an MVP candidate. But the Cowboys are going to get him killed.

8. Green Bay Packers [6] — Their top two cornerbacks, Sam Shields and Tramon Williams, both left with injuries in the third quarter, and Ryan Tannehill took advantage. The difference between Tannehill in the first and second halves is pretty stark:

1st: 77 yds, 2 INT, 26.0 passer rating
2nd: 160 yds, 2 TD, 150.7 passer rating

As of this writing, their status is not clear, but missing one or both would be a big deal. The Packers face Cam Newton in Week 7 and Drew Brees in Week 8.

9. Indianapolis Colts [8] — The difference in Thursday's game was third down percentage: 50% for Indianapolis (8/16), 12.5% for Houston (1/8); the Colts converted eight times as many third downs as the Texans. Of particular note, the Colts repeatedly converted on third and long, including 3rd-and-15, 3rd-and-13, 3rd-and-10, and 3rd-and-9 twice. That's five third downs from 9 yards and beyond.

10. Baltimore Ravens [9] — Game was over in the first quarter. Here are Baltimore's first five possessions:

4 plays, 80 yards, touchdown
4 plays, 22 yards, touchdown
7 plays, 50 yards, touchdown
7 plays, 57 yards, touchdown
2 plays, 59 yards, touchdown

On those drives, Justin Forsett carried six times for 74 yards, and Joe Flacco was 10-of-13 for 196 yards and 5 TDs. Here are Tampa's first five drives:

6 plays, 25 yards, interception
3 plays, -1 yard, punt
3 plays, -9 yards, punt
3 plays, no yards, punt
3 plays, no yards, punt

It was 28-0 after the first quarter, 38-0 at halftime. The Ravens had more points at the end of the first quarter than the Bucs had yards.

11. Philadelphia Eagles [11] — Good news for the Eagles: Darren Sproles has a sprained MCL, which is not a long-term injury. Philadelphia has a bye in Week 7, so Sproles shouldn't miss much time. The win over New York was Philadelphia's first shutout victory since December 1996. Defensive coordinator Billy Davis and assistant head coach Jerry Azzinaro aren't as well-known as Jim Johnson, who coordinated great Eagle defenses from 1998-2009, but this was the team's first shutout since head coach Ray Rhodes and defensive coordinator Emmitt Thomas.

12. Kansas City Chiefs [12] — Best third down percentages in the NFL:

1. Dallas Cowboys, 56%
2. New Orleans Saints, 55%
3. San Diego Chargers, 54%
4. Kansas City Chiefs, 51%

No one else is over 50%.

13. New England Patriots [13] — Costly victory, losing Jerod Mayo and Stevan Ridley to season-ending injuries. New England's defense forced three turnovers against Buffalo, an interception and two fumbles. The Patriots and Packers lead the NFL in turnover differential, +9.

14. Buffalo Bills [16] — They move up because Detroit moved up, and I still think the Bills are better than the Lions. I mentioned last week that players carried Jim Schwartz off the field on their shoulders, but I didn't realize at the time that he asked them to. That's weak.

15. Detroit Lions [17] — New kicker Matt Prater missed two field goals! That's 10 misses for Detroit this season, by far the most in the NFL. Next is Cincinnati, with six, and no one else has more than three. The Lions are 33% on FG attempts this year; everyone else is at least 64%. Per Kevin Patra, "The Lions have now missed more field goals (10) in six games than [longtime Lions kicker Jason] Hanson missed in any one season (9)."

As bad as the kicking has been, the defense has been equally great. Defensive lineman Nick Fairley said this weekend that he believes, "We can be the best ever." That's unlikely, but the Lions are off to a great start. They lead the NFL in yards allowed (270.7) and points allowed (13.7). They're 2nd in rush defense, 2nd in pass defense, they allow the fewest first downs per game (16.8) and the second-lowest third-down percentage (31%). Opponents average 3.27 yards per rush (3rd-best) and a 73.2 passer rating (also 3rd). The Lions lead the NFL in sacks (20).

So yes, this defense is playing terrific football. But they haven't exactly faced a murderer's row of opponents: Giants, Panthers, Packers, Jets, Bills, Vikings. Not one of those teams is above average in yards per game, and only the Packers are above average in points. If Detroit can do this to the Saints and Falcons the next two weeks, we can start taking Fairley seriously.

16. Cleveland Browns [22] — In 1980, they were the Kardiac Kids. This season, the first four games were all decided by a field goal or less. They lost to Pittsburgh by 3, beat the Saints by 2, lost to the Ravens by 2, edged the Titans by 1. The Browns finally broke the trend with this week's 31-10 thumping of a hated rival.

17. Chicago Bears [20] — Willie Young leads the NFL in sacks (7). In his first four seasons, all with Detroit, Young had 6 sacks. The Bears are using him as a pass-rush specialist, not an every-down player, but he's fourth on the team in tackles, he blocked a field goal against Green Bay, and he had at least one sack in five of the team's first six games.

18. Houston Texans [15] — I like Mike Carey and what he brings to CBS broadcasts, basically the same role played by Mike Pereira on FOX. But on Thursday night, when it was unclear whether Andre Johnson dropped a pass or fumbled, Carey said, "It's pretty obvious he never got the ball put away." It wasn't obvious at all; I thought he caught it. Referee Ronald Tolbert and the replay officials got it right: in the absence of indisputable evidence, the call stands.

19. Miami Dolphins [19] — Tried one of those plays with the crazy laterals at the end. When those get going with more than two or three successful laterals, they're just so much fun. Did you catch Ryan Tannehill's missile throw across the field? You expect the QB to have the best arm on the team, but holy cow. That nearly set up a break down the sideline. More teams should get their QBs involved on those plays. Get the quarterback on one side of the field and your best returner on the other, and have him rifle it across. Easier said than done, but good shot at a sensational touchdown if you can pull it off.

20. New York Giants [14] — The Giants have been shut out four times in their last 25 games. Last 10 NFL shutouts:

10/12/2014: Eagles 27, Giants 0
10/05/2014: Chargers 31, Jets 0
12/22/2013: Bills 19, Dolphins 0
12/15/2013: Seahawks 23, Giants 0
09/22/2013: Panthers 38, Giants 0
12/30/2012: Patriots 28, Dolphins 0
12/16/2012: Saints 41, Buccaneers 0
12/16/2012: Falcons 34, Giants 0
12/16/2012: Raiders 15, Chiefs 0
12/09/2012: Seahawks 58, Cardinals 0

The Giants were terrible last season, but this year's team seemed to be moving in the right direction. It's hard to understand how this happens to a team that scored 105 points in the last three weeks, 30 or more in every game.

21. Carolina Panthers [24] — What happened to Riverboat Ron? Down by 3 with 2:24 left in overtime, the Panthers had 4th-and-1 on the Cincinnati 18. There's no realistic chance of winning if you kick the field goal there; with only one timeout remaining, two minutes isn't enough time to force a three-and-out and drive for the score. You're setting up the opponent for a two-minute drill where all they need is a field goal, and the best you can do is tie.

A timid coach would kick the field goal and play for the tie, but a bold gambler like head coach Ron Rivera would surely keep his offense on the field, pick up the one yard, and go for the win. A touchdown ends the game, Panthers victory. Rivera sent out Graham Gano — who had already missed a short field goal — to go for the tie. Gano made the kick this time, but the Bengals got the ball back with 2:19 and drove into field goal range, where Mike Nugent miraculously missed from just 36 yards. Rivera's conservative coaching could have and probably should have cost Carolina a loss.

This was reported as the highest-scoring tie in NFL history, and strictly speaking, it is. But the NFL recognizes AFL records, which makes it the third-highest-scoring tie, behind Patriots-Raiders in 1964 (43-43) and Bills-Broncos in 1960 (38-38). There were five NFL games that ended in a 35-35 tie (the old record), the most recent being in 1974 (the first year with regular-season overtime), between the Broncos and the Super Bowl-bound Steelers. The Falcons and Steelers tied 34-34 in 2002, with Michael Vick and Tommy Maddox at QB.

22. Atlanta Falcons [18] — The Bills and Chiefs have yet to allow a rushing TD this season. Four teams have allowed 2, seven teams have given up 3, four yielded 4, six teams have allowed 5 rushing TDs, four allowed 6, four gave up 7, and the Falcons have yielded an incredible 12 rushing touchdowns.

23. New Orleans Saints [23] — Jimmy Graham's shoulder injury is more serious than initially reported. Even following this week's bye, he'll probably miss several games.

24. Pittsburgh Steelers [21] — Opened the regular season with a close win over the Browns, and they've had one really good performance, a 37-19 win at Carolina. But the other four games were stinkers: a close win over the hapless Jaguars, a loss to the hapless Bucs, and blowout losses to a pair of division rivals. The next three are at home against good teams, followed by two road games against awful teams. An average team would probably win 2-3 of those. I'll give the Steelers two.

25. St. Louis Rams [25] — Their rookie linemen on offense (Greg Robinson) and defense (Aaron Donald) looked good against San Francisco, but QB Austin Davis did not. Davis took needless sacks because he refused to throw the ball away, and he looked lost in the second half. The game-clinching interception was atrocious: poor decision-making and a weak throw. The kid has spunk, I guess, but he's not the next Kurt Warner.

26. Washington [28] — Kirk Cousins played great in Weeks 2 and 3, generating buzz that he might unseat Robert Griffin and become one of the better starting QBs in the league. Three weeks later, Cousins looks like a backup. He's been effective coming off the bench, and he's had some good games, but he's not consistent and he doesn't have RG3's sensational play-making. Cousins leads the NFL in interceptions (8).

27. New York Jets [29] — Tied with Washington for the worst turnover differential (-9) in the NFL. Obviously Geno Smith needs to take better care of the ball, but you'd like to see the defense force some turnovers, too. Jets defenders have only intercepted one pass all season.

28. Minnesota Vikings [27] — Teddy Bridgewater threw 3 interceptions in their 17-3 loss to Detroit. He joins a proud tradition of rookie QBs who experienced growing pains. Among active players, here are the rookie QBs who had the most games with 3 or more INTs:

4 games: Mark Sanchez
3 games: Peyton Manning, Josh Freeman, Matthew Stafford, Cam Newton, Andrew Luck

Russell Wilson had a three-INT game as a rookie, Joe Flacco did ... it's not good, but it doesn't mean Bridgewater can't have a bright future.

29. Tampa Bay Buccaneers [26] — Worst in the NFL in yards allowed (423/gm) and points allowed (34.0/gm). Their last four opponents have combined for 165 points, 41 per game, and the losses to Atlanta and Baltimore were embarrassing, probably the two worst games in the NFL this season.

30. Tennessee Titans [30] — The worst matchup of the week provided an exciting finish that some of the marquee games didn't. The Jaguars scored with under a minute remaining, recovered an onside kick, and attempted a go-ahead field goal with :12 left. Tennessee nose tackle Sammie Lee Hill blocked the kick to clinch a victory. Hill, listed at 6-4, 328, has also deflected four passes this season.

31. Oakland Raiders [31] — Derek Carr threw four touchdown passes this weekend. The other rookie QBs who are starting, Jacksonville's Blake Bortles and Minnesota's Teddy Bridgewater, have combined for 4 TDs and 10 INTs. Carr has twice as many touchdowns (8) and half as many picks (5). But it's not just rookies to whom Carr compares favorably. Best sack percentages among QBs:

1. Andy Dalton, 1.31%
2. Derek Carr, 1.76%
3. Drew Brees, 1.80%
4. Nick Foles, 2.87%
5. Peyton Manning, 3.05%

The rookie record is 1.83%, by Joey Harrington in 2002. The record by a rookie with a passer rating over 60 is 3.27%, by Dan Marino in 1983.

32. Jacksonville Jaguars [32] — Fourth year in a row starting 1-5 or worse.

Posted by Brad Oremland at 3:27 PM | Comments (0)

Cardinals May Have Lost in Game 2 Win

At what cost will the St. Louis Cardinals' National League Championship Series-evening win Sunday night prove to have come? As great as it looked when Kolten Wong ended the game with a leadoff homer in the bottom of the ninth, that's about how horrible it looked when another swing earlier in the game sent Yadier Molina out of the game — and out of who who knew what else — with an oblique strain.

And at a time when the Cardinals are alarmed over Adam Wainwright and whether an elbow issue is eroding his effectiveness, and just a day after they were manhandled by Madison Bumgarner in Game 1, the absolute last thing they need is losing the backbone of their team, the man who shepherds their pitching through all kinds of waters, and who also hits with authority when needed.

Think of the 1950s Yankees losing Yogi Berra or the 1970s Reds losing Johnny Bench and you get the idea. Molina isn't in their league as an all-around catcher, and nobody pretends he (or anybody else) is. But he handles pitchers as adeptly as Berra and Bench did and the Cardinals consider him the club's heart and soul.

He's not exactly perfect — he's known to bump the occasional ump and get a little too big for his britches in the middle of scrums involving Cardinal brushbacks and knockdowns — but Molina is invaluable to them in the short, long, and all points between hauls.

He took a ferocious swing in the sixth and whacked a grounder that bent him over like a folding chair two steps out of the batter's box, enabling the San Francisco Giants' infield to turn a double play they could have turned while sitting in such folding chairs to negate the leadoff walk Jeremy Affeldt handed Jhonny Peralta.

Wong himself struck out to end the inning. Molina's place was taken by Tony Cruz, whose comparative lack of experience became a rather bristling topic in and after the game when a wild pitch from Cardinals closer Trevor Rosenthal in the top of the ninth allowed Matt Duffy to score from second and tie it up at four each.

In the bottom, leading off against Giants reliever Sergio Romo, he squared up on a change-up after taking a sinker for a strike and drove it into the first rows of the right field seats not far from the foul pole. For the Giants it reminded people of what helped cost Romo his closing job during the regular season, a rising enough tendency this year to throw gophers.

Yet the fears linger that the Cardinals' somewhat wild Game 2 win could still end up costing them the series. No Cardinal showed anything less than confidence in Cruz — "That's Yadier, Jr. calling the game," third baseman Matt Carpenter said, somewhat hyperbolically — but no Cardinal in his heart of hearts wants to live without Molina if they don't have to.

The problem is, they might. Oblique strains don't heal in days, they heal in weeks, customarily. Keeping Molina on the roster leaves them playing a man short, but taking him off for the rest of the NLCS leaves them playing without him in the World Series — he wouldn't be eligible for the Series.

And behind Cruz is A.J. Pierzynski, the veteran agitator picked up during the season after the Red Sox cut him, who did step in when Molina went down with that second-half thumb injury, but who hit only .244 with a .600 OPS in 30 games during that stretch and has lost much of whatever behind-the-plate skill he once had. You know you've lost some crucial support when a career .227 hitter gets sent out in an NLCS game when number one is done.

“If we have to go short with an opportunity to have [Molina] back," Cardinals manager Mike Matheny said after the game, “we'd do that. But we will cross that bridge when we get to it." Beware that that bridge might be out when the Cardinals get there.

Which takes a lot of the fun out of Wong's achievement putting an end to a rather wild ninth in a rather wild game as it was. Wong's only the fourth Cardinal to end a postseason game with a home run. The company he joins includes Ozzie (“Go crazy, folks, go crazy!") Smith (1985 NLCS), Jim Edmonds (2004 NLCS), and David Freese (2011 World Series).

Then you get reminded of the other side of the dilemma. The Cardinals played 40 games without Molina in July and August, due to the thumb injury, and went 21-19 in those games. They can survive without him, but a two-game margin of error is survival too hard won.

If you're worried about jinxes other than the kind that can take a backbone catcher out of a series, be reminded that of the Cardinals' three prior postseason walkers-off only Freese's team went on to win a World Series. Smith's lost the 1985 Series in a bizarre trajectory from heart- and backbreaking umpire robbery in Game 6 to an unconscionable self-implosion in Game 7; Edmonds's Cardinals got swept right out by the curse-busting Red Sox.

Wong wasn't exactly the only Cardinal to turn into a bombardier in Game 2. Matt Adams, who did it to wreck Clayton Kershaw and the Dodgers to help get the Cardinals here in the first place, hit one solo off Hunter Strickland in the eighth to break a three-all tie; Oscar Taveras hit a knee-high splitter from Jean Machi into the seats an inning earlier, to tie it at three in the first place; and, Carpenter went long distance off San Francisco starter Jake Peavy to open the scoring at 1-0 in the third.

With Lance Lynn giving the Cardinals the solid start they needed after losing Game 1, Giants manager Bruce Bochy hooked Peavy after the fourth. They're still trying to figure out why Bochy didn't bring in left-hander Javier Lopez to face the left-handed Taveras with two more portside hitters coming up behind him, Carpenter and Jon Jay, instead of bringing in Lopez after Taveras cleared the right field fence.

Lopez struck out Carpenter and yielded a base hit to Jay. Bochy went to Strickland and got very lucky when Jay got picked off first and dead in a pitcher to first baseman to shortstop to pitcher rundown to end the inning. That luck ran out when Adams, fooled badly on Strickland's backdoor slider, saw a fastball coming up onto the table and drove it into the seats.

It almost erased the strange pleasures in watching the Giants stay in the game playing pages you might have thought stolen from the Kansas City Royals' briefing books. The wild pitch sending Duffy home was just the end of the Giants' odd small ball exercise.

They scored their first run on an infield out by Joaquin Arias, who'd merely been 0-for-postseason approaching that plate appearance. They got their second run driven in by a Hunter Pence who hadn't driven anything in all month. They got their third on a base hit by a Gregor Blanco who'd had 3 hits in 30 trips to the plate thus far.

What the hey, if the roaching Royals could do it against the big bad Orioles anything was possible, right? Not quite, but it was a helluva lot of fun to watch if you didn't count the wreck the Cardinals made out of their bullpen.

There was a reason why Wong came down the third base line completing his round trip looking like he'd blown a hamstring into a skippety-step, which he didn't. "Almost missed second, and I almost missed third," he said after the game, probably because even he was staggered by what he'd just done. “So I knew I had to touch home plate. And I made sure I touched it."

Wong is also one of only four second basemen ever to end a postseason contest with a bomb. Say hello again to Bill Mazeroski (1960 World Series), Alfonso Soriano (2001), and Jeff Kent (2004). With one swing he also put the Cardinals into another slot in the record books: no team, ever, hit homers in the seventh, eighth, and ninth of any postseason game before the Cardinals brought that off Sunday night.

Screw the record books, though. The Cardinals had enough on their minds going into the game and have a lot worse on them going to San Francisco.

“That was a really emotional game, for a lot of reasons," Carpenter said after the game. “The ups and downs consisted of losing leads, getting leads and losing key players. I mean, there was a lot of things that happened that could have made this group quit or get deflated."

Unfortunately, something happened in the bottom of the sixth that may yet deflate this group.

Posted by Jeff Kallman at 10:23 AM | Comments (0)

October 13, 2014

One Mississippi, Two Mississippi

The element of surprise has always been part of college football. Never, though, like this.

The polls are out and it's official: Mississippi State is at the top of the college football world, with in-state rival Ole Miss sitting two spots down at number three. It's as impressive a feat as the Magnolia State as produced in the annals of sports history.

It's also locked up one award. No, not the Heisman (though Dak Prescott is in the driver's seat). Dan Mullen should be the Coach of the Year this year, without question.

I've been to Starkville, Mississippi. It's a small town; an agriculture school in a rural agricultural setting. The local airport has two flights daily to Atlanta. When their bookstore opened, it was said to have the first escalator in the county. It's really that small.

Mississippi State draws the smallest revenues of the 13 public SEC universities (Vanderbilt does not release their information). Alabama makes more than double the revenue that MSU makes, while spending almost double, as well. By the way, the team with the second smallest revenue stream in the SEC? None other than Katy Perry's beloved Ole Miss Rebels.

The Bulldogs have just one SEC title, won in 1941. They have one SEC West title. They've lost more games in their history than they've won. In fact, Mississippi State leads only two series against SEC teams: Vanderbilt (12-7) and Texas A&M (5-4). The top high school players in the Magnolia State usually found their way to Alabama or LSU, leaving Ole Miss, MSU, and Southern Miss to fight for the remaining talent.

Starkville lacks the big city life of Nashville, or the tradition of Tuscaloosa. Davis Wade Stadium is only larger than two other stadiums; known to be hostile through its sea of cowbells. To think of Starkville as the current capital of college football is simply astounding. But make no mistake, it's legit. Mullen quietly took everything against him, tore the old foundation down, recruited talent to a place that lacked what others had and rebuilt a program that now stands at the top of college football halfway through the 2014 season.

Barring miracles, Florida will likely be making a call come December. Don't doubt for a second the folks at Michigan aren't trying to figure out how to get to Starkville as well. There's going to be a bidding war. Speaking of, what school isn't going to take a quick glance at AD Scott Stricklin, as well? He has a smaller budget than most SEC schools, yet his Bulldogs were in the College World Series title game two years ago and now this. Again, is anyone in Ann Arbor getting this? That's for another day, though.

As for Ole Miss, it's an incredible story too. It wasn't that long ago when FCS member Jacksonville State rolled into town and left with an upset victory. Hugh Freeze took over the program and led it from the lowest of lows to the highest of highs in very short time. Granted, the Rebels have some history behind them. Johnny Vaught led Ole Miss to prominence in the 50s and 60s and the eras of both Archie and Eli Manning were successful times in Oxford. Recruits know about the legendary tailgates at the Grove. The town is small, but it has its own charms and a bit of history and tradition to offer. Yet, the Rebels still have a stadium that's among the smallest in the SEC and an operating budget that's amongst the smallest in the conference as well.

This year, it doesn't seem to matter. The Rebels took out Alabama. They took out Texas A&M. They're sitting undefeated in the toughest division of the toughest conference in America. Bo Wallace has grown into his position. The Ole Miss defense is physical and nasty, with Robert Nkemdiche and Senquez Golson becoming household names. They only have two road games and two ranked opponents left on the schedule. The road to a College Football Playoff berth seems pretty reasonable, even if it's the SEC West.

They'll meet in November. The Iron Bowl, the king of college football games for the last several years, is about to get upstaged by the Battle for the Golden Egg. They may not spend the money, nor draw the revenue. It may have been a tougher sell for recruits. But now, to be king of the Magnolia State carries national significance. And that alone says that maybe this isn't just a fluke in another crazy year of college football.

Posted by Jean Neuberger at 6:52 PM | Comments (0)

These Royals Can Hit Like, Well, Orioles, If Need Be

If you learn Buck Showalter asked the Oriole front office for a team cardiologist after Friday night's American League Championship Series opener, try not to be too surprised. You might, too, if you were the manager whose closer opened the ninth of a tie game by walking the bases loaded before getting a run-erasing force at the plate.

Unfortunately, you might need a neurologist aboard, too, after you watch the Royals win it, 8-6 in 10, in ways customarily associated with the Orioles. They sure didn't look like the running, gunning, stunning Royals who normally swarm out from under the baseboards, when they hit two home runs in the tenth to smash a five-all tie.

The Royals hitting home runs? The Orioles stealing bases? What's next? The Royals becoming baseball's first team to win four extra-inning games in one postseason? Oops. They just did that. Next question.

And to think Showalter had walked the third rail in the ninth and looked as though he'd live to tell about it. But so did Royals manager Ned Yost, even if his walk in the bottom of the inning wasn't quite so electrified.

Zack Britton is know to dodge a few bullets while locking saves down. Friday night he dodged his own howitzer. Until he got Eric Hosmer to shoot a ground tracer right to first baseman Steve Pearce, he'd thrown 19 pitches, 15 out of the strike zone, and seemed almost reluctant to throw anything other than hard sinkers for the Royals refused to fish.

Pearce speared the Hosmer tracer and whipped a throw home, skillfully resisting the temptation to step on the pad at first and force an unlikely tag at the plate. Catcher Nick Hundley caught it in the heel of his mitt and lead runner Alicedes Escobar was a dead pigeon.

If the Orioles wanted to beat the Royals at their own mini-ball game, this was one way to do it. Though surely Showalter would have preferred the Royals had earned their way to the bases loaded if they had to load the bases at all. Or that the Orioles hadn't stranded the bases loaded themselves in the bottom of the second, after they'd worked their tail feathers off to load them with two outs in the first place.

He took no chances, though. He hooked Britton right after that force at the plate and brought in Darren O'Day, the near-submariner. And O'Day submarined Billy Butler into dialing an Area Code 6-4-3 that needed Pearce to take a tiny leap for the relay throw and reach to stay on the pad just a nanosecond before Butler might cross.

"If Houdini were here," crowed TBS broadcast analyst Ron Darling before the DP, "he couldn't have this in his playbook."

But he might have had extra innings in the footnotes, which is where the game went after Royals setup man Wade Davis struck out the side, including Nelson Cruz for the third out, in the bottom of the ninth.

Even before the 10th arrived Game 1 of this ALCS looked like a game of role reversal, too. The Royals took a fat early lead with passages from the Oriole's normal manual, and they attacked a pair of Oriole relievers in the tenth as though they'd been mortally offended by the Orioles shoving them back under the baseboards in the ninth.

Escobar, of all people, opened the scoring against Chris Tillman with a line drive over the left field fence with one out in the third. Alex Gordon made it 4-0 with a broken-bat 3-run double later in the inning.

And with right-hander O'Day staying in despite left-handed Gordon leading off the Royals' 10th, Gordon hit a 1-1 service that didn't stay low enough in the zone and sent it four rows up the right field bleachers to crack the five-all tie the Orioles had worked so hard to keep.

A walk and a strikeout later, Brian Matusz came in and Mike Moustakas sent a full count pitch over the right center field fence. The same Moustakas who'd hit one homer in 160-something trips to the regular season plate now had three in a single postseason. Had the Royals suddenly found Orioles taking over their players' bodies?

Those were not your 2014 Royals Friday night. And those were not your 2014 Orioles tying it in baby steps. Steps like Adam Jones singling home Nick Markakis on James Shields's first one-out service in the bottom of the third, and Ryan Flaherty pulling the Orioles to within one with a 2-run single in the bottom of the fifth.

Or Jonathan Schoop busting a pickoff after leaning too far off second but taking third when a throw to third sailed past the pad, then scoring the tying run when Alejandro de Aza's bloop dropped to the infield grass in front of second base. About the nearest the Orioles got to true character was Cruz doubling home de Aza earlier in the fifth.

Even Delmon Young, that well-reputed first ball/fastball crusher, got in on the small ball act. He pinch hit for Schoop in the bottom of the tenth and fought his way back from 0-2 with first and second and two out against Royals closer Greg Holland. Then he poked an RBI single up the pipe, leaving two aboard including another tying run for Markakis. Fat lot of good that did when Markakis bounced out to Royals second baseman Omar Infante to end it.

Gordon had a rather rough night otherwise, getting himself picked off first to end the fifth and taking an Andrew Miller pitch up his shoulder and neck to open the eighth. Not to mention ending the Oriole third with a diving catch. But he was almost nonchalant about the apparent role reversal after the game. Sure you hear and talk so much about the Royals' road-runner act, he said, but it's not as though they're completely lacking for a little gorilla warfare if and when necessary.

"You kind of throw what you did in the regular season out the window," Britton said after the game, "and you try to find a way to win."

The Orioles will have to come out for Game Two like vultures. Or exterminators. With or without the long balls. That or they'll have to take up a collection to hire that cardiologist and neurologist.

Posted by Jeff Kallman at 1:25 PM | Comments (0)

October 9, 2014

NFL Weekly Predictions: Week 6

Note: the quotes in this article are fictional.

Indianapolis @ Houston (+2½)

The AFC South lead is on the line when the 3-2 Colts head to NRG Stadium to face the 3-2 Texans.

"They say everything is bigger in Texas," J.J. Watt said. "And this game is no exception. It's huge. Andrew Luck is a big draw. Tickets are going for over $500 a pop. People will pay good money to see a real quarterback. Obviously, the Texans won't.

"But I don't mean to knock Ryan Fitzpatrick. He's even got a little bit of luck in him. That would be the luck of the Irish, however. I'm not sure an Irish quarterback has ever made much of an impact in the NFL. Legend says that a black Irishman named Ronald O'Mexico was once a terror in the league, and public health clinics."

The Colts shot down the visiting Ravens last week, and surprisingly, Indy relied on its defense to serve as catalyst.

"Our defense shows up about once every four games," Andrew Luck. "Peyton Manning would tell you that's more often than Bob Sanders.

"But like Sanders, Watt can single-handedly impact a game. Obviously, all eyes will be on him. But I trust my offensive linemen. We've got five of them, and it will take every one to equal Watt. At least in salary.

"But let's face it. Watt's the only Texan that scares us. There's nothing that screams 'playoffs' about them, except for maybe Fitzpatrick's beard."

Arian Foster posts 156 total yards and a touchdown, and the inspired Texans defend their home turf.

Houston wins, 27-24.

Jacksonville @ Tennessee (-6)

The Titans blew a 25-point lead in a 29-28 loss to the Browns at LP Field last week. Tennessee led 28-3 late in the second quarter, but went scoreless in the second half, due in part to a thump injury to Jake Locker.

"Jake's been a fixture on the injury report," Ken Whisenhunt said. "Speaking of fixtures, what the least-utilized one in our dressing room? That would be 'Jake's locker.'

"But our fortunes are up. The Jags are giving up 36 points per game away from home. We're hosting the Jaguars, so you don't have to be in Jacksonville to say you're in Jaguars territory."

The Jaguars hung tough against the visiting Steelers last week, eventually falling 17-9. The Jags defense held the Steelers to 261 yards of total offense, but their offense provided little to no help.

"We can't expect Blake Bortles to do it all," Gus Bradley said. "We need more from our running game. We managed only 56 yards on the ground. Our prized free agent acquisition, Toby Gerhart, had nine yards on four carries. Toby graduated from Stanford, which is well known as the pipeline of white players in the NFL. That's why they call it 'The Mighty White of U.'"

Tennessee wins, 26-14.

Baltimore @ Tampa Bay (+3½)

The Bucs let a 31-20 fourth quarter lead slip away at New Orleans before losing 37-31 in overtime. Tampa committed 15 penalties, and remained winless at New Orleans since 2010.

"It appears our attempts to 'buck a trend' have become a 'Buc trend,'" Lovie Smith said. "Apparently in the Superdome, the Saints not only have our number, they have our letter. It's an 'L.'"

"But I see plenty of potential in this team. And I choose to be an optimist, not a pessimist. Former Bucs great Warren Sapp would see the spit cup half-full, not half-empty."

The Ravens offense sputtered in a 20-13 loss at Indianapolis last week, as Baltimore generated only 287 yards of total offense.

"After averaging 29 points in our last three games," John Harbaugh said, "our offense went missing like a Ray Rice video, or a Ray Lewis suit, or Steve Bisciotti's natural skin color, or a Torrey Smith reception."

Tampa wins, 22-20.

Denver @ NY Jets (+8)

Peyton Manning threw his 500th career touchdown pass, an early strike to Julius Thomas, and threw three more in the Broncos' 41-20 over the visiting Cardinals last week.

"Indeed," Manning said. "It was 500, and then some, which is the same thing you could say about the Arizona defense. But my teammates were great about urging me on. Even Matt Prater called to say 'cheers.'

"This our first trip back to MetLife Stadium since last February. Let's hope there's no repeat of what happened last time. I'm not sure I can stand to see Joe Namath in a pimp's fur coat again."

The Jets were shut down and shut out 31-0 by the Chargers last week. Geno Smith was benched in favor of Michael Vick, who was equally as ineffective.

"I'm not too proud to say that we will be called 'The New York Suck Exchange,'" Rex Ryan said. "Somewhere, Mark Sanchez is smiling. Probably because he's dating a 17-year-old.

"Smith did indeed miss a meeting in San Diego last week. We can forgive that, just as we could forgive him missing a flight, or a start.

"It must be nice to have a quarterback like Manning. But let me ask this. With four neck surgeries under his belt, does Manning really want to be chanting 'losing feeling in my toes' in a Nationwide Insurance commercial?"

Before kickoff, Manning greets former Bronco Eric Decker with a hug at midfield, and it takes nine of Manning's teammates to pull Decker away.

You can again expect foul language in MetLife Stadium, because Smith is still the starter, so the "Curse of Geno" is still alive.

Denver wins, 30-13.

Detroit @ Minnesota (+1½)

The Vikings were leveled 42-10 by the Packers last Thursday night. Christian Ponder, starting for the injured Teddy Bridgewater, was overwhelmed, with two interceptions and a QBR of 4.9.

"We've analyzed Ponder's mechanics," Mike Zimmer said, "and determined that his problems are not because of his grip. Christian's a Florida State quarterback, and everybody knows Seminole QB's have sticky fingers. Unfortunately, no matter how good his grip, Christian just can't seem to grasp the playbook.

"But I'd be interested to see how Jameis Winston fared in Minnesota. One thing's for sure: if he takes a cruise on Lake Minnetonka, he'll get all the crabs he needs."

Detroit saw a 14-0 lead disappear last week at Ford Field, as the Bills charged back to win 17-14 on Dan Carpenter's 58-yard field goal with four seconds left. The loss dropped the Lions to 3-2, tied with the Packers for the lead in the NFC North.

"What a win for Jim Schwartz," Jim Caldwell said. "Schwartz is now the defensive coordinator in Buffalo, and was carried off the field by his players. He once got carried off the field by his players in Detroit, and deposited just across the city line.

"But let's not overanalyze this loss. Alex Henery missed three field goals. That's why we lost. Henery can't kick straight, but I can tell you what is straight — his trip to waivers."

"Calvin Johnson is out with an ankle injury, but Golden Tate has more than picked up the slack. Tate has 31 receptions, fifth in the league. So, to all you fantasy owners, Matthew Stafford likes to "make it rain" towards Tate. And who doesn't want to see a 'Golden' shower??

Detroit wins, 22-13. The Lions carry Caldwell off the field, and each player on the roster gives him a pat on the back.

New England @ Buffalo (+3)

The Patriots bounced back from their disastrous Monday night loss at Kansas City with a 43-17 dismantling of the previously undefeated Bengals. Tom Brady threw 2 touchdown passes and Stephen Gostkowski kicked 5 field goals.

"Is there anyone doubting us now?" Brady said. "I doubt it.

"We just put ourselves back in the Super Bowl picture. We had the Bengals well-scouted. We knew exactly what they were going to do. And it was all legal. We don't need to watch bootleg film to learn how to beat Cincy, just their playoff games."

In his first start as a Bill, Kyle Orton threw for 308 yards and a touchdown in Buffalo's come-from-behind, 17-14 win in Detroit.

"This is the biggest game for the Bills in quite a while," Orton said. "But I hesitate to call it 'our Super Bowl.' I know this franchise has been so close to ultimate glory in years past, only to come up short. But I suggest fans hold to the same motto I live by: 'don't stop believing.' Ask anyone, particularly NFL GMs — hey'll tell you I'm a 'Journey-man.'"

The laser-focused Bills upset the Patriots 23-20. Fred Jackson rushes for 75 yards and scores the game-winning TD on a 12-yard pass from Orton.

Carolina @ Cincinnati (-7½)

The Panthers snapped their two-game losing streak with a 31-24 win over the visiting Bears last week. Cam Newton threw 2 TD passes to Greg Olsen, and the Carolina defense forced 4 Chicago turnovers.

"Chicago let Olsen walk three years ago when they traded him," Newton said. "On Sunday, they let him run, to any open spot he wanted. Chicago found out that even though he's wearing a Panther uniform, Olsen is still a 'bear' to defend.

"As you may know, I've had some trouble dealing with the after effects of having my wisdom teeth taken out. Suffice it to say my dentist was pulling for the Panthers."

The Bengals were humbled 43-17 last week, stung by a Patriots team intent on proving itself. Cincy was never in the game and lost for the first time this year.

"I can't say how we'd perform with a laser pointed at us," Andy Dalton said, "but I do know we don't do well under the 'spotlight.'

"On a side note, I love the autumn weather in Cincinnati. It's not too hot. It's not too cold. It's just right. And I feel I'm at my best during this time. I like to call it the 'regular season.'"

Cincinnati wins, 23-17.

Pittsburgh @ Cleveland (-2)

Brian Hoyer and Travis Benjamin hooked up for two fourth quarter scores, capping a Cleveland comeback from a 28-3 deficit in a 29-28 win over the Titans last week.

"That was such a dramatic and heart-stopping comeback," Mike Pettine said. "I think Bernie Kosar would be proud of that, because everyone was 'spent' afterwards.

"But emotions won't be the only thing that is high against the Steelers. Josh Gordon plans to attend the game. Josh briefly considered playing in the Canadian Football League until the NFL shot down that idea. He also flirted with the notion of playing in the National Hockey League, preferably with the Montreal Canadiens. The NFL quashed that idea as well, in an email addressed to Gordon with the subject line 'Re: Hab.'"

The Steelers defense carried the load in a 17-9 win at Jacksonville last week, holding the Jags to only 56 yards rushing and scoring on Brice McCain's 22-yard interception return.

"If the Pittsburgh defense of the 1970's was the 'Steel Curtain,'" Ben Roethlisberger said, "then our defense against the Jags would have to be the 'Steel Drapes.' And judging by the dominance of both, I'd say the 'Curtain' matches the 'Drapes.'

"I hear Manziel has volunteered to counsel Jameis Winston. I'm not sure that's a very good idea. That would be like me volunteering to remodel a bathroom. In both cases, the result would be someone getting locked up."

Cleveland wins, 24-19.

Green Bay @ Miami (+3½)

The Packers slammed the Vikings 42-10 last week as Eddie Lacy rushed for 2 scores and Aaron Rodgers passed for 3. They'll face the Dolphins, whose last outing was a 38-14 win over the Raiders in London.

"The 'Fins said goodbye to the 'Queen Mother,'" Rodgers said. "Now it's time to say 'hello' to the 'King Daddy.' That's me. I've got my swagger back, and we're taking our talents to South Beach. I hear that's where people go to 'R-E-L-A-X.'"

The Dolphins enjoyed a bye week, especially since all three AFC East counterparts lost. The Dolphins are 2-2, one game behind the Patriots and Bills in the AFC East.

"You know who's experiencing jet lag?" Joe Philbin said. "The AFC East, because New York is in last place.

"Our intent is to run the ball right at the Packers defense. They have the worst run defense in the NFL. Hopefully, our offensive line will harass the defense, and not themselves."

Miami wins, 27-24.

San Diego @ Oakland (+7)

After their 38-14 loss to the Dolphins in London, the Raiders made a coaching change, firing Dennis Allen and naming Tony Sparano interim head coach.

"That's Tony Sparano," Raiders owner Mark Davis said, "not Tony Soprano. But just look at our roster. Either way, he's dealing with garbage.

"Take a look at the list of Raiders coaches since my father died. It reads like a who's who of 'coaches who say that getting fired from the Oakland job was the best thing that ever happened to them.' Take 'Tom the Cable Guy,' for example. He's the offensive line coach for the Seahawks. They love him there, and he's got a Super Bowl ring. If they dug a hole for Cable in Oakland, he would bury his past in it."

The Chargers dominated the Jets, winning 31-0 to improve to 3-1. Philip Rivers threw 2 touchdown passes to Antonio Gates, the duo's fifth scoring hookup of the year.

"When playing the Jets or the Raiders," Rivers said, "you need a good nose guard, because it stinks.

"But Sparano may breathe new life into the Raiders. He buried a football to symbolically put their first four games behind them. It was the first sign of a ground game the Raiders showed all year."

San Diego wins, 27-10.

Chicago @ Atlanta (-3½)

The Falcons lost 30-20 to the Giants at MetLife Stadium, and are now 2-3 in the wide open NFC South. Atlanta gambled late on fourth in their own territory, and Matt Ryan was sacked, essentially ending the Falcons' hopes.

"If Ron Rivera is 'Riverboat Ron,'" Ryan said, "Mike Smith's nautically-themed boat of choice would be a 'dinghy,' and he'd be wet because, much like his need to gamble on fourth down, he's gone 'overboard.'"

The Bears blew a chance to forge a three-way tie atop the NFC North, blowing a 21-7 lead at Carolina and losing, 31-24.

"I see a lot of similarities in the Falcons and Bears," Marc Trestman said. "I see two teams headed in the same direction, and that's toward the hiring of a new defensive coordinator."

Brandon Marshall pays homage to former Falcon Billy "White Shoes" Johnson and shows up in the Georgia Dome in a pair of snow-white cleats. Surprisingly, he is fined $25,000, the first time in league history a player has been fined for being too white.

Ryan passes for 343 yards and 3 scores, out-dueling Cutler's 315 and two. Atlanta wins, 41-38.

Dallas @ Seattle (-8)

The Cowboys head to Seattle riding the momentum of the four-game winning streak, the latest triumph a 20-17 overtime win over the Texans.

"The Seahawks have the 'Legion of Boom,'" Tony Romo said. "But we have the NFL's leading rusher and a massive offensive line. Seattle may boast the 'LOB,' but we have the 'LODe.' That's DeMarco Murray. When you think of DeMarco, you say 'hand off.' When you think of Jerry Jones, you say 'hands off.'

"I probably won't even be able to hear myself think at CenturyLink Field. It will be just like playing in Dallas."

Seattle wins, 33-21.

Washington @ Arizona (-4)

The Cardinals hung with the Broncos for three quarters before wilting in the Denver altitude in a 41-20 loss. It was Arizona's first loss of the season, and they may be down to their third-string quarterback after Drew Stanton suffered a concussion.

"Carson Palmer is receiving treatment for his shoulder as we speak," Bruce Aryans said. "You know, he doesn't have much sensation in his right shoulder. But I'm sure it can be overcome, because it has before. When Carson was in Cincinnati, he said, 'I'm not feeling it.' When he was in Oakland, he said, 'I'm not feeling it.'"

Arizona wins, 27-20.

NY Giants @ Philadelphia (-2½)

The Giants have quickly dispelled their early season troubles and are now 3-2 in the NFC East, just one game behind the Eagles and Cowboys. New York dropped the Falcons 30-20 last week behind a two touchdown, mistake-free day from Eli Manning.

"How about that Ole Miss upset of Alabama?" Manning said. "I could barely contain my excitement. Luckily I did, because New Jersey is not the place to fly your rebel flag."

The Eagles nearly blew a 34-7 lead to the Rams, but made a late defensive stand to preserve a 34-28 win. The Eagles share the NFC East lead with the 4-1 Cowboys.

"LeSean McCoy took himself out of the game on our last drive," Foles said. "I think everyone's reaction was, 'For real, McCoy?'

"But Darren Sproles picked up the slack. This team thrives on teamwork. I haven't felt this kind of camaraderie since I played drums in my brother Ben's band. That quintet was called 'The Ben Foles 5.'"

It's "Joe Pisarcik Day" at Lincoln Financial Field, featuring a most famous giveaway — a signed Herman Edward's football.

New York wins, 30-27.

San Francisco @ St. Louis (+3½)

The Rams comeback fell short in Philadelphia, as a 34-7 hole proved too much to overcome in a 34-28 loss to the Eagles. St. Louis is 1-3, dead last in the NFC West.

"A 1-5 start was not what we envisioned," Jeff Fisher said. "Certainly not our 0-2 record at home. Maybe expectations were too high. It seems the Edward Jones Dome became the 'Edward 'Too Tall' Jones Dome.'"

The 49ers turned back Alex Smith and the Chiefs 22-17 at Levi's Stadium, paced by a Frank Gore-led rushing attack that help San Fran dominate time of possession.

"Speaking of 'time of possession,'" Jim Harbaugh said, "I'm not sure how much longer this team will have me as their coach. But I'm a very talented coach. There's not another coach like me. On my Facebook account, I had a lot of players 'unlike' me."

San Francisco wins, 24-17.

Posted by Jeffrey Boswell at 7:44 PM | Comments (0)

October 8, 2014

The Most Powerful Bunt of All-Time

All of a sudden hooking Jordan Zimmermann when he was one out away from finishing a division series-tying 3-hit shutout doesn't look half as bad as it looked in Game 2. Madison Bumgarner couldn't have picked worse for the moment in which he'd surrender his first postseason runs in two years.

And a stocky catcher who bunts about as often as Nevada experiences a cold snap in July just might have turned the series around for the Washington Nationals who looked booked and cooked after 18 innings and a bitter Game Two loss. He also might have punctured the San Francisco Giants' armor of near-flawless fundamentals and image of poise in the postseason high pressures.

"If you'd told me before the game that that was going to happen," said Nationals relief pitcher Tyler Clippard, "I'd have called you crazy." Which is exactly what they're calling Bumgarner's pick of Nats catcher Wilson Ramos's seventh-inning sacrifice bunt and throw to third that ended up far past the bullpen off the left field line, allowing two Nats runs to cross the plate to break a scoreless Game 3 pitching duel.

The Giants started the inning nine defensive outs from going to the National League Championship Series. They ended it in the hole 3-0, went on to lose 4-1, and suddenly people who thought the Nats arrived in San Francisco as dead men walking think the Giants may have handed the Nats the keys to the kingdom, instead.

Bumgarner and Doug Fister had locked down a tremendous pitching duel entering the seventh, enough to cause Detroit Tiger fans to lament even further the deal that made a Nat out of Fister in the first place. They sent Fister to Washington for two no-names who ended up doing no favors and a prospect who wasn't likely to see showtime for another season or two. It left the Tigers having to deal for David Price mid-season and even Price couldn't help the Tigers stay in this postseason.

Fister and Bumgarner traded scoreless innings Sunday until the Nats began to shove in earnest in the top of the seventh. Ian Desmond opened with a clean single to left, Bryce Harper wrung himself a walk, and up came Ramos, who hadn't dropped a sacrifice bunt in three years, but who might have been seeded with the thought of it in light of his tendency to hit into double plays.

As a matter of fact, until Sunday Ramos had never attempted a bunt on two strikes, ever, regular or postseason. "Every day in [batting practice], I lay down a bunt two times," he admitted after the game. "So pretty much not at all. I don't do that too much." Here he was in the hole against Bumgarner, 1-2, after showing bunt the entire at-bat.

The Nats were so aware of Ramos's bare familiarity with the bunt that they actually took the bunt sign off when the count got there. But Ramos decided on his own to get a bunt down. He was too well aware his Nats hadn't put anything on the board in the past, oh, 21 innings. They hadn't even gotten any baserunner that far in the same span.

Now Bumgarner threw something just too simple to miss. And Ramos pushed it up the first base side, just about even with the mound and far enough away from it that your immediate thought would have been, "Get the obvious out." Especially if you're a pitcher who recorded only four outs in fielding eight bunts on the season and may have a tendency toward trouble throwing to second, never mind third, when you do field them.

You didn't need any replay to hear Giants catcher Buster Posey hollering "Third!" to Bumgarner a split second before he fielded the ball. Then he turned. And threw. The ball didn't get anywhere near third baseman Pablo Sandoval, who dove stretching like a first baseman trying to reach it and missed by inches while going down in a heap.

The ball sailed past the line and through the Giants bullpen. Desmond and Harper crossed the plate unmolested, though it's possible the ball bumping the bullpen warmup mounds gave Harper the time he needed to get home safe. Nats shortstop Asdrubal Cabrera promptly hit a ball one service into left to send home Ramos, who got in well enough ahead of Posey's tag bid, and only after that did Bumgarner get his three outs for the side.

"We probably should have taken the out [at] first," Posey admitted after the game. "I made a mistake telling him to throw to third."

"Of all the scenarios of how this series could have come out, us being down 0-2 and coming out here to face Madison Bumgarner is not the best," said Nats infielder Ryan Zimmermann, whose field presence has been limited thanks to slow injury recovery but whose dugout presence remains invaluable. "But that's how it went. So guess what? Just when it looked like we didn't have a chance, now we have a chance."

And how. In Game 4, the Nats get to abuse Ryan Vogelsong (5.54 ERA in September) while sending one of their own pitching bellwethers, Gio Gonzalez, up against him. The Nats won't see Bumgarner again this set unless it comes down to a fifth game and Giants manager Bruce Bochy is crazy enough to think Bumgarner can go Sandy Koufax. (Koufax's legend includes pitching a World Series-winning shutout on two days' rest and a couple of pennant clinchers likewise.)

But it probably will be a Stephen Strasburg/Jake Peavy rematch in Game 5. And don't let the Game 1 results fool you — the Giants pried only one earned run out of Strasburg (the other was unearned following a two-out passed ball) even while he scattered eight hits, and the Nats had begun wearing Jake Peavy down when he left the game with a mere 2-0 lead.

Fister actually took a better postseason jacket into the game than Bumgarner, who was looking like Superman thanks to his shutout to dump the Pittsburgh Pirates in the wild card game. But Fister entered the game with a 1.77 postseason ERA, the lowest among active starting pitchers, and used all the hoopla around Bumgarner to work his own masterpiece.

In fact, his biggest out just might have been the one he pounded on Bumgarner, a pitcher who can hit and who has accomplished at least one slightly surreal stat if you're aware of the fine detail. Put it this way: what now-retired Derek Jeter never did in his career, Bumgarner did twice this season.

So Bumgarner batted in the second inning with the bases loaded and two out. While everyone was busy crowing about Bumgarner's way with the bat and even the long ball, Fister got him chasing a sinkerball that a golfer would have had trouble hitting. It ended the only threat against Fister in which any Giant got even as far as second, never mind third.

Anything beyond the seventh could only have been anticlimactic unless the Giants found a way to come back and win. Clippard and Giants reliever Jean Machi swapped three-up, three-down in the eighth, and Machi hung around to open the ninth against Harper.

He threw a delicious slider on 1-1 that tailed slightly away and maybe a sliver below Harper's knees. But Harper caught every inch of it and drove it so far over the right field wall the ball missed clearing the stadium and even landing in McCovey Cove by just a few feet if that much.

It turned out that Harper's skyrocket was a gilt-edged insurance policy for the Nats because of closer Drew Storen getting into just enough trouble in the bottom of the ninth. Sandoval — who caught Fister's bunt attempt over the third base line right after the Cabrera RBI single like a bellyflopping whale — opened with a base hit. Hunter Pence doubled him to third, and up came Brandon Belt, the man who'd won the Saturday night marathon that shouldn't have been in Washington with a long unanswered home run.

Right there you could sense every Nationals fan and observer thinking, uh oh, Storen's channeling his inner 2012 division series Game 5. But all he channeled instead was freezing Belt on 2-2 with maybe the nastiest slider of Storen's life. He surrendered one run when Brandon Crawford nudged Kung Fu Panda home on a sacrifice fly, but he got Travis Ishikawa to ground out to Cabrera at short for the game.

"We needed one little thing to jump our way," Fister said after the game, "and it did."

"I shouldn't have done it," Bumgarner fumed after the game. "Regardless of whether I should have thrown it over there or not, I can't throw the ball away there ... I just screwed it up for us. We've got to come out tomorrow, ready to play. And I know we will. I'm not worried about it. It's just unfortunate we had to lose a game like that."

A hundred years earlier, Bullet Joe Bush of the Philadelphia Athletics threw Herbie Moran's sac bunt past third to let Hank Gowdy score one 1914 World Series-winning run for the Boston Braves. If the Nats go on to win this set, Wilson Ramos will have shoved Moran to one side as having laid down the most powerful bunt of all-time.

Posted by Jeff Kallman at 1:22 PM | Comments (0)

NASCAR Top 10 Power Rankings: Week 30

Note: the quotes in this article are fictional.

1. Joey Logano — Logano took charge after a late restart and cruised to the win in the Hollywood Casino 400 at Kansas.

"I've already qualified for the next Chase round," Logano said. "Some other driver lost tire pressure. Me? I just lost 'pressure.'"

2. Brad Keselowski — Keselowski suffered a blown front tire on lap 165 that sent him into the wall, a fate suffered by several Cup contenders. He finished 36th.

"A lot of Chase drivers, including myself, are dreaming of that championship," Keselowski said. "Who doesn't dream of the trophy, and the accompanying ring? Unfortunately, at Kansas, talk of fingers quickly turned to talk of 'tows.'"

3. Kyle Busch — Busch won his sixth Nationwide Series race of the year on Saturday, and scored a third in the Hollywood Casino 400 on Sunday. He is third in the points standings, 6 out of first.

"I'm thrilled with third," Busch said. "Kansas is traditionally a track at which I've struggled. Usually, I'm the one that 'hits a wall' at Kansas, not the true legitimate Cup contenders."

4. Jeff Gordon — Gordon finished 14th on an otherwise disastrous day for Hendrick Motorsports, as Dale Earnhardt, Jr. and Jimmie Johnson finished 39th and 40th, respectively.

"Sunday's race was the Hollywood Casino 400," Gordon said. "If you put Clint Bowyer in a casino at the roulette wheel, it's a sure thing he'll spin."

5. Carl Edwards — Edwards, the lone Roush Fenway Racing driver still in the Chase, finished fifth in the Hollywood Casino 400.

"I'm third in the points standings," Edwards said. "That's my best position of the year. My best position of the next year will be in the No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota."

6. Jimmie Johnson — Johnson was spun by Greg Biffle on lap 85, sending him hard into the inside retaining wall. Johnson finished 40th.

"The points were reset after the Dover race," Johnson said. "And Chad Knaus would agree with that fact 100%, because I can't tell you how many times he's sworn everybody is on a level playing ground."

7. Dale Earnhardt, Jr. — While leading midway through the race, Earnhardt blew a right-front tire and slammed the wall. The damage sent him to the garage, and he eventually finished 39th.

"Let's just hope the people of 'E-Nation' don't become the people of 'Elimi-Nation,'" Earnhardt said.

8. Kevin Harvick — Harvick won his seventh pole of the year and led 61 laps on his way to a 12th-place finish at Kansas.

"My seven poles have resulted in only one win," Harvick said. "Obviously, I'm not that adept at closing the deal. If you ask Richard Childress, he'll say I'm good at closing out a deal."

9. Matt Kenseth — Kenseth finished 13th at Kansas as Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Kyle Busch finished third. Kenseth is seventh in the Sprint Cup points standings, 17 out of first.

"We're headed to Talladega in two weeks," Kenseth said. "And four drivers will be eliminated afterwards. I didn't think it was possible, but the 'Big One' got even bigger.

"I hear Michael Waltrip is still alive on 'Dancing With The Stars.' And he's finally able to admit he has a partner."

10. Kyle Larson — Larson finished second at Kansas, and now has two seconds, a third, and a sixth in the last four races.

"Yet I'm barely old enough to drink a 'fifth,'" Larson said.

Posted by Jeffrey Boswell at 10:41 AM | Comments (0)

October 7, 2014

NFL Week 5 Power Rankings

Breast Cancer Awareness Month

October is Breast Cancer Awareness month. In the United States alone, over 200,000 women are diagnosed with breast cancer every year. A mammogram could save your life or that of someone you love.

If you think you can't afford it, The American Breast Cancer Foundation provides financial assistance for breast cancer screenings and diagnostic tests, regardless of age or gender. You can also take steps toward prevention recommended by Breast Cancer Fund.

Five Quick Hits

* Congratulations to the Baltimore Orioles and Kansas City Royals, both of whom swept their way to the ALCS.

* The CBS Thursday night broadcasts suck. They routinely miss the beginning of the play. It's amateur and unacceptable.

* Last three Thursday night games: 56-10, 45-14, 42-10.

* You would think a team as popular as the Dallas Cowboys could fill a stadium with its own fans instead of the opponents', but evidently that's not the case. I wonder if part of the issue isn't season ticket prices. People who support the team may not be able to afford the full schedule of home games, so they sell some of their tickets to the highest bidder, regardless of fan affiliation. At a certain point, you price your own fans out of attending.

* Evidence that the AFC North is stronger than the NFC North ... against Pittsburgh and Baltimore, the Panthers went 0-2 and got outscored 75-29. Against Detroit and Chicago, the Panthers went 2-0 and outscored the opponents 55-31. That's a 70-point, 1.000-winning-percentage swing, and in both cases, it's the teams presumed to be second- and third-best in that division. We can confirm our hypothesis in two weeks, after Carolina plays road games against the Bengals and Packers.

Week 5 Rant: Kickoff Returners Are Jerks

As best I can tell, the quality NFL teams most covet in a kickoff returner is selfishness.

Returning kicks out of the end zone is dumb. The ball rarely gets back to the 20-yard line, so you lose field position. Many returns draw penalties for holding or blocks in the back, so the start is even worse. Returners fumble all the time, far more than on plays from scrimmage, so there's risk of a turnover. And kickoff returns are the most dangerous plays in football, so you put yourself and your teammates at risk of injury. Bringing out a kick that's six or seven yards deep is a loser's move on every level.

This has always bothered me, but this week I saw Baltimore's Jacoby Jones try to return a kick from literally as deep as possible. The announcer said he was "9½ yards deep", but it looked like he was out the back of the end zone. Jones returned the ball to the 14-yard line.

Jones has done this for years, but most NFL kickoff returners are imbeciles, and this week, the king of the imbeciles was Cincinnati's Brandon Tate. Here are Tate's kickoff return opportunities from Sunday night:

1. Fields kick six yards deep in end zone. Return to the 25. [+5 yards]

2. Touchback

3. Fields kick six yards deep in end zone. Return to the 9. [-11 yards]

4. Fields kick five yards deep in end zone. Return to the 19. [-1 yard]

5. Fields kick six yards deep in end zone. Return to the 11, fumble, returned by Patriots for a touchdown. [-7 points]

6. Fields kick six yards deep in end zone. Return to the 18. [-2 yards]

7. Touchback

8. Fields kick at four-yard line. Return to the 16.

9. Touchback

Remarkably, none of Tate's returns resulted in a penalty or injury, but he did cost his team 9 yards and a Patriots touchdown compared to if he just kneeled on those deep kicks. I can think of three reasons that players try to return those deep kickoffs.

First, they don't know how deep they are. Fielding a return is much harder than most fans believe, and I can understand losing track of your position, but these guys have a general sense of where they are, and the up man (who also deserves substantial blame for this phenomenon) can help them.

Second, these guys are competitive. They're football players, and they want to play football, not just take a knee in the end zone.

Third, they want the glory. No one remembers a touchback, but maybe one of those returns goes all the way. Everyone wants to score a touchdown. And people don't really keep track of all the times they started at the 16 or whatever, but deep kickoffs yield the longest returns. Tate's return to the 18-yard line, for instance, cost his team field position, but it went in the books as a 24-yard return, which looks good on a returner's average. It helps the player at the expense of the team. Guys like Jones and Tate are selfish.

This sort of thing happens every week. Remember the Thursday night opener between the Seahawks and Packers? Green Bay's DeJuan Harris took the opening kickoff six yards deep and brought it out to the 13. He took the next one five yards deep and returned it to the 16. That's 11 yards lost on two plays. The equivalent would be a running back rushing twice for a total of -3 yards — but it's worse for a kickoff returner, because a touchback is automatic. His team could've just walked off the field, but instead they had to bust their asses for an 11-yard loss. After Harris' second return, he was taken off KR duties and replaced by Micah Hyde. I think fans in every city have done this at some point: notice your return man is an idiot, then cheer when he finally takes a touchback. I saw this in Cleveland almost exactly a year ago.

What I don't understand is why so many teams permit this. There's a special teams coordinator on every team in the NFL. What do these guys do, just pick a fast guy to return and then play Clash of Clans? If I were an NFL coach, my players would understand that they need to make good decisions about this. Any time a player returned a kickoff out of the end zone and we started inside the 20-yard line, I would fine both the returner and the up back. Each time it happened, the fine would double. So if we started at $500, a performance like Tate's would cost $7,500, even if he hadn't returned any kicks in the first three games. Realistically, players would never get to accrue five-digit fines, because they'd get benched, cut, or traded to the Jaguars.

Other than for the record books, I wish the NFL would stop including yards in the end zone on return averages. Tate didn't average 18.8 yards per return on Sunday night, he averaged 16.3. I bet that one change would noticeably discourage kickoff returns, which is why the league moved kickoffs back to the 35-yard line in the first place, to reduce injuries. It's not working, because NFL return men and their coaches are jackasses. This simple, intuitive change would improve player safety and make the KR average stat meaningful.

2014 Week Five NFL Power Rankings

Brackets show last week's rank.

1. Denver Broncos [2] — Three milestones for Peyton Manning on Sunday. He threw his 500th touchdown pass, which you all heard about (as well as his 501st, 502nd, and 503rd). But Manning also passed for a career-high 479 yards (that's milestone two), his 13th 400-yard passing game — which ties Dan Marino's record. It's a reminder how exceptional Manning has been, and how far ahead of his time Marino was.

2. Cincinnati Bengals [1] — Cris Collinsworth mentioned the perception that this team can't win big games. Specifically, some people believe that Marvin Lewis or Andy Dalton can't win big games. I would dispute first of all the idea the idea that Cincinnati doesn't win big games. I know this one was on national television, but it wasn't a bigger game than Week 1 in Baltimore, and the Bengals looked great in that one. Trying to pin this loss on Dalton, though, is particularly ludicrous. It's hard to blame Dalton for Cincinnati's run defense (220 yds, 4.8 avg, 11 first downs) and three lost fumbles (all by other players). Dalton left the game with 2 TDs, 1 sack, no turnovers, and a 117.4 passer rating.

The Bengals lost this game largely with their defense; the offense actually was okay. New England's offensive line dominated Cincinnati's front seven, pushing them around all night. The defensive backs couldn't shed blocks and couldn't tackle; the Patriot RBs fell forward on every run. Brandon Tate's special teams idiocy didn't help, and the offensive fumbles certainly didn't help, but this loss falls first and foremost on the defense.

As ugly as this loss was, there is no team I would pick to beat the Bengals in Cincinnati right now. Vontaze Burfict is also expected to return in Week 6.

3. Seattle Seahawks [3] — Obviously, someone on Jeff Triplette's officiating crew was playing against Percy Harvin in fantasy this week.

4. San Diego Chargers [4] — Rushing averages for Charger RBs:

1. Branden Oliver, 4.8 (31 att, 148 yds)
2. Ryan Mathews, 3.1 (23 att, 71 yds)
3. Danny Woodhead, 2.5 (15 att, 38 yds)
4. Donald Brown, 2.1 (59 att, 126 yds)
5. Shaun Draughn, 1.9 (10 att, 19 yds)

Oliver carried 19 times for 114 yards (6.0 avg) and a touchdown against a Jets team that entered Week 5 with the top-ranked run defense in the NFL. He also caught four passes for 68 yards and another touchdown. Oliver, an undrafted rookie out of Buffalo, looked like Darren Sproles out there. He's short (5' 7½"), he wears #43 for the Chargers, and he's awfully quick: Sproles, Sproles, Sproles. Hopefully we see a lot more of this kid.

5. Arizona Cardinals [5] — The Cardinals beat the Chargers in Week 1. The Chargers beat the Seahawks in Week 2. The Seahawks beat the Broncos in Week 3. The Broncos beat the Cardinals in Week 5, and the circle is complete. You can't use head-to-head results to rank teams, other than maybe to break a tie. Calais Campbell sprained his MCL on a low block this weekend and is projected to miss about a month. I didn't adjust their ranking to account for his absence, but I probably should have.

6. Green Bay Packers [9] — On his interception return TD, Julius Peppers outran Jerick McKinnon, who ran a 4.4 at this year's Rookie Combine. I realize this is the television age, but did anyone else think it was inappropriate that when the broadcast highlighted the "Green Bay Packers Quarterback Legacy," it showed Bart Starr, Brett Favre, and Aaron Rodgers? Arnie Herber is a Hall of Famer. Cecil Isbell and Tobin Rote were very good, too, but Herber at least deserves to be featured. An opportunity to inform the audience and give fans a deeper appreciation for the team's rich history instead becomes an excuse to treat viewers as simpletons.

7. San Francisco 49ers [6] — Multiple sources have reported that people in the 49ers organization, including a number of players, are tired of dealing with head coach Jim Harbaugh. Jay Glazer asserted on Sunday that there is no way Harbaugh will coach the Niners in 2015, even if he leads them to a victory in Super Bowl XLIX.

8. Indianapolis Colts [8] — Average time of possession is 36:23, compared to 23:36 for their opponents. They're winning this stat by 12:47 per game, almost a whole quarter.

9. Baltimore Ravens [10] — Loss to Indianapolis was not as close as the 20-13 final score implies. The Colts out-gained Baltimore 422-287 and 26 first downs to 15, winning time of possession by 17:30. The Ravens went 1/11 on third downs and committed three turnovers. They're not a good road team.

10. Dallas Cowboys [13] — DeMarco Murray is having a brilliant season. He leads the NFL in rushing by over 200 yards, and this week he joined Jim Brown and O.J. Simpson as the only players to rush for at least 100 yards in each of the first six games of the season. But Murray has 130 carries, far more than anyone else (LeSean McCoy is next, 94), and he has a history of injury (multiple games missed each of the last two years). Murray is on pace to tie the single-season record for rush attempts (416), and consequently, to destroy his career. I own Murray in fantasy, and I'm going to try to trade him this week. He's worth a ton right now, but he's not going to make it through this whole season.

11. Philadelphia Eagles [12] — Yahoo's Andy Behrens reports that "every quarterback who's faced the Eagles D has thrown for multiple scores." Chad Henne, Andrew Luck, Kirk Cousins, Colin Kaepernick, and Austin Davis combined for 292 yds/gm against this defense, with 13 TDs, 3 INTs, and a 96.0 passer rating. That list includes three backup QBs, so it's not like the Eagles are getting burned by Peyton Manning and Aaron Rodgers. They're getting burned, period.

12. Kansas City Chiefs [20] — They lost this week, and I moved them up eight spots. It was a close loss, on the road against a good team, but that's not why their ranking improved. This week I forced myself to re-assess every team from scratch. It's time to stop punishing the Chiefs for their Week 1 loss to Tennessee. Since then, they've blown out the Dolphins and Patriots, and lost close road games to the Broncos and 49ers. This is a good team. You'll notice several other teams whose ranking changed dramatically this week; it's because I'm forcing myself to look at the whole picture.

13. New England Patriots [15] — Since Tom Brady returned from injury in 2009, New England is 39-3 at home (.929) and 25-18 away (.581). The Bengals, since the beginning of last season, are 10-0 at home, 4-6 on the road. Let's not overreact to an impressive win in Week 5 any more than to a horrifying loss in Week 4.

14. New York Giants [25] — Odell Beckham's touchdown catch was awesome, but insisting that we call him Odell Beckham Jr. is stupid. No one is going to confuse you with your dad, okay? I feel the same way about Steve Smith in Baltimore. Grow up, you narcissist.

15. Houston Texans [17] — Arian Foster rushed 23 times for 157 yards (6.8 avg) and 2 TDs against the Cowboys. Active players with the most 150-yard rushing games (including playoffs):

1. Adrian Peterson, 16
2. Chris Johnson, 9
t3. Jamaal Charles, 8
t3. Arian Foster, 8

Active players with the most multi-TD rushing games (including playoffs):

1. Adrian Peterson, 23
2. Chris Johnson, 15
3. Arian Foster, 13

Active players with the most games rushing for 150 yards and multiple TDs:

1. Adrian Peterson, 6
2. Chris Johnson, 5
3. Arian Foster, 4

Surprisingly low on the 150-yard list: Marshawn Lynch hasn't topped 150 since his rookie year in Buffalo. His best with Seattle was 148 against the Eagles in 2011. Maybe you wondered: in the "Beastquake" playoff game against New Orleans, Lynch rushed for 131.

16. Buffalo Bills [22] — Kyle Orton played well in his first start, but Buffalo won with defense. The Bills rank top-10 in both yards and points allowed, and on Sunday, they really stifled Detroit. The Lions gained a season-low 263 yards, went 1/11 on third downs, and got sacked six times. Marcell Dareus and Jerry Hughes combined for five sacks and two forced fumbles. Players carried defensive coordinator (and former Detroit head coach) Jim Schwartz off the field on their shoulders.

17. Detroit Lions [7] — They drafted placekicker Nate Freese, and cut him after he started the season 3/7. They signed Alex Henery, who went 1/5, though all from 40 yards and beyond. The team is expected to sign Matt Prater, who was released by the Broncos last week. Jay Feely, who kicked for Arizona in 2013, will also compete for the job.

Calvin Johnson's ankle injury has become a serious concern. Golden Tate's receiving totals notwithstanding, this isn't the same team without Megatron. It's also possible that Detroit could go into Week 6 without its top two running backs, Reggie Bush (ankle) and Joique Bell (concussion).

18. Atlanta Falcons [11] — Starting offensive line in their Week 3 destruction of the Buccaneers: Jake Matthews, Justin Blalock, Joe Hawley, Jon Asamoah, Lamar Holmes. Starting offensive line in their Week 5 loss to the Giants: Matthews, Harland Gunn, Peter Konz, Asamoah, Gabe Carimi.

19. Miami Dolphins [18] — Average margin of victory in their games this year: 19. They won by 13 and 24, lost by 19 in Weeks 2 and 3. I expect closer games the next two weeks, against the Packers and at Chicago.

20. Chicago Bears [16] — Matt Forte has 319 rushing yards and no rushing TDs. Forte has 299 yards receiving, with 1 TD. I expect his rushing to easily eclipse his receiving by the end of the season, but if it doesn't, Forte would become the first full-time RB with more receiving yards than rushing since the strike-shortened 1982 season. The only recent players to rush for 500 yards, but out-gain that total receiving, are Darren Sproles (2011 Saints) and Reggie Bush (2006 Saints). Duce Staley did it in 2001, and before that, you have to go back to the early '90s. No 1,000-yard rusher has ever had more yards receiving than rushing, and none has had more receiving TDs since Edgar Bennett in 1995.

21. Pittsburgh Steelers [19] — Facing an 0-4 Jacksonville team that had lost each of its first four games by at least 17, they entered the fourth quarter with a 1-point lead. The offense had four 60-yard drives, yielding one touchdown, one field goal, a punt, and a turnover. The Steelers were the first team not to score at least 33 against the Jaguars this season.

22. Cleveland Browns [23] — Biggest road comeback in regular season history, breaking the record set just two years ago, Broncos at Chargers in Week 6, 2012. Travis Benjamin's game-winning TD reception looked a lot like The Catch from the 1981 NFC Championship Game. He jumped about halfway out of the stadium to make that grab.

23. New Orleans Saints [14] — This ranking is probably too low, but I'm done assuming they're secretly a good team that just happens to play like a crappy team. The Saints are a league-worst -8 in turnovers, and if they get that cleaned up, they'll make the playoffs.

24. Carolina Panthers [24] — They're on to Cincinnati.

25. St. Louis Rams [27] — Thirty of the NFL's 32 teams have sacked opposing QBs at least once per game (on average). The exceptions are the Atlanta Falcons (four sacks in five games) and the Rams (one sack in five games). The Rams have faced the fewest pass attempts in the league, but they're also last in sack percentage. This looks even more dramatic in a list. Sack percentage:

1. NYJ, 9.8
2. KC, 9.4
3. WAS, 9.1

NFL average, 5.6

30. ARI, 2.5
31. ATL, 2.5
32. STL, 0.9

A year ago, Robert Quinn was named first-team all-pro for his 19 sacks. Through five games in 2013, Quinn had 14 tackles, 5 sacks, and 3 forced fumbles. This year, Quinn has 8 tackles. Aaron Donald has the team's only sack. Chris Long won't be back for several more weeks, but the Rams need to get more pressure.

26. Tampa Bay Buccaneers [28] — The good news is, they intercepted Drew Brees three times. The bad news is, they lost anyway. When your defense creates three takeaways, you're supposed to win.

27. Minnesota Vikings [26] — Teddy Bridgewater is expected to return for Week 6, which should help the offense. But the defense could take a hit. Harrison Smith, perhaps the one Viking who really played well on Thursday night, injured his ankle. The injury doesn't seem serious, but it could cause him to miss Week 6.

28. Washington [29] — Nice second-half adjustments to keep the game close. Kirk Cousins has played well in Robert Griffin's absence, but Cousins is 0-6 in his last six starts. The potential is there for Griffin to play the way Russell Wilson did on Monday night, and it's going to be awfully tough for Cousins to win that job.

29. New York Jets [21] — Equally ineffective with Geno Smith (30 yards) and Michael Vick (47). How the New York media expects any QB to succeed with these teammates is a mystery. It's like there's just this agreement to tear down whoever is the Jets' starting QB.

But just as worrisome is the pass defense. Trent Dilfer remarked after their Week 3 loss to Chicago, "They play a bunch of stud quarterbacks here in the next few weeks. They can't cover." Sure enough, Matthew Stafford (272 yds, 2 TD, 116.4 rating) and Philip Rivers (277 yds, 3 TD, 125.3) tore them apart. Next up are Peyton Manning and Tom Brady. The Broncos opened as 6-point favorites, which seems way too low, and are now up to 8 in most listings. I always worry when I see a strange opening line like that. Don't bet on this game.

30. Tennessee Titans [30] — Scored a season-high 28 points but lost their fourth in a row. Jake Locker left the game with a hand injury, and Charlie Whitehurst threw TDs on both of his first two passes. This is Locker's third season as starter, and his third year getting hurt. There's buzz that the team may turn to rookie 6th-round pick Zach Mettenberger (LSU) sooner rather than later, but Whitehurst has played well so far (97.8 passer rating), and I don't see any need to rush the kid. Sure, the Titans aren't going anywhere this year, but I reject the idea that "you might as well see what you've got" in Mettenberger. I've seen players' confidence destroyed because they got put on the field before they were ready.

Bernard Pollard ruptured his Achilles in the loss and will miss the rest of the season.

31. Oakland Raiders [31] — Ownership covets Jon Gruden to return as head coach, but rumors this week also connected former Packers and Seahawks HC Mike Holmgren to the job. If Holmgren wants to return to coaching, though, I can't imagine this is the most appealing opportunity.

32. Jacksonville Jaguars [32] — Already been outscored by 102 points this season. They lose by an average of more than 20. That's actually a little better than last year's Jags at the same point (-112).

Posted by Brad Oremland at 3:58 PM | Comments (0)

They Did! They Did! They Did Taw Some Puddy Tats!

This is not where the Baltimore Orioles were supposed to end up. Not with Manny Machado and Matt Wieters suffering season-ending injuries. Not with Chris Davis dry-docked over a drug violation involving an amphetamine. Not with an offense so governed by power that the only thing any pitching staff had to do was tie them up on the inside part of the plate.

But they're going to end up in the American League Championship Series, the team with the most home runs in the Show this season facing the Kansas City Royals who hit the least home runs in the Show this season. And they swept their way to the ALCS with an ownership of the Detroit Tigers that might have even the Orioles wondering how the hell this happened.

"If you tell me before the series we're going to sweep," said Nelson Cruz, whose two-run homer Sunday turned out to be all the Orioles would need to turn David Price and the Tigers aside, "I don't believe it." Now, after finishing the sweep in the Tigers' playpen, the Orioles look like Tweety Pie outsmarting the Tigers' puddy tats.

Cruz was an Oriole in the first place because he'd turned down a qualifying offer from the Texas Rangers last winter after missing 50 2013 games on a suspension tied to the Biogenesis scandal. Cruz didn't flinch; he said he'd gone to Biogenesis in the first place because he feared a gastrointestinal infection that dropped his weight enough to alarm him about his playability.

"I should have handled the situation differently, and my illness was no excuse," he said. When he turned down the $14 million qualifier from the Rangers he knew he might not have as solid a market in his first free agency as he once might have expected. The Orioles took a flyer on him for $8 million, banking he'd stay clean and play clean.

"He knows things were self-inflicted," said manager Buck Showalter after the Orioles finished the Tiger sweep. "He really wanted to re-establish himself, and we thought that we could provide a real good opportunity for him, and the sky might be the limit." In more ways than one.

In fact, Cruz went a little out of character when he squared up Price in the sixth. All season long, Cruz's weak spot was changeups. He hit .210 when his at-bats in 2014 ended with a changeup, though five of his 13 hits on the pitch were homers and he never got a hit on a changeup unless it hung up in the zone.

He shouldn't have hit Price's service to him in the sixth. This changeup sailed low and well wide of the plate, the kind of changeup Cruz usually can't hit if you handed him a hangar door. This time, Cruz got his bat on it and this changeup sailed sneakily over the right field fence just inside the foul pole and just over the foul line.

Bud Norris, the Orioles' starter, seemed completely unaware that he was only starting his first postseason game. But he out-pitched Price, the veteran the Tigers landed mid-season in a deal by which they hoped to shore up their run to the postseason. Instead, they watched helplessly as Price became the third former Cy Young Award winner on the Tiger staff to lose in this division series.

Norris got the start over Miguel Gonzalez for a simple reason: Showalter figured he could get a decent start from Norris after a 10-day layoff and still go to him in the bullpen if it got to a fifth game. That was despite Norris carrying a 5.00+ ERA in daytime assignments. But Showalter presumed Norris's excitability equaled putting him into Game Three without risk since the Orioles had a 2-0 lead in games and it wouldn't hurt if Norris imploded somewhere, thus letting him rest Gonzalez an extra day.

But Norris threw six and two thirds innings of two-hit shutout ball and escaped disaster when he wrestled Victor Martinez to a nine-pitch third-inning contest and got Martinez, with men on second and third and two out, to fly to shallow center with a fastball in on the hands.

Showalter also taught every other postseason manager that it pays off big more often than not to throw the Sacred Book in the trash can once in awhile. After he got five straight outs of spotless relief from Andrew Miller, who's found a home in Baltimore after failed tours with the Marlins and the Red Sox, Showalter didn't flinch when Victor and J.D. Martinez opened the ninth with back-to-back doubles off closer Zach Britton, cutting the Oriole lead to 2-1.

Roll over Matt Williams and tell Donnie Baseball the news: Showalter ordered an intentional walk to potential winning Tiger run Nick Castellanos. Now, look closer: Showalter knew the Tigers had already spent the best man on an extremely weak bench, Rajai Davis, addled by a strained pelvis, and weak bat Andrew Romine — the shortstop whose off-the-hands error in Game 1 really set up that 8-run Oriole eighth — was due up.

So Tiger manager Brad Ausmus had little choice but to send up Herman Perez, who'd had only six major league trips to the plate all year. And Britton got Perez to dial Area Code 5-4-3 for side, game, set, and trip to the ALCS. Clearly Showalter has the stones for the postseason. Whether or not the Orioles' thunder bats strike big. Whether or not an opponent such as the Tiger bullpen implodes big. Whether or not he's facing his third consecutive former Cy Young Award winner and sending the man to an early shower.

"We got beat," said Max Scherzer, who'd lost Game One the hard way. "There's all there is to say. We got outplayed in the series in every facet."

"We've got a lot to go and we're grinding," Adam Jones, the Oriole outfielder, told reporters after the game and in the middle of a champagne shower. "If we play as a team, we can do anything."

Considering that they won 96 games in winning an American League East usually overpopulated by behemoths and just shoved the Tigers away in three straight, some think the Orioles already have done anything. And almost everything.

Posted by Jeff Kallman at 11:17 AM | Comments (0)

October 6, 2014

Who is This Year's Auburn?

Week 6 of the 2014 college football season was as memorable as any. Late on Thursday night, Oregon was stunned by Arizona for the second straight year, this time at Autzen Stadium. When the slate of Saturday games began, Mississippi State jumped on Texas A&M in Starkville, and by 8 PM EST, Nos. 2, 3, 4, and 6 in the AP poll had all lost their first games of the season.

Outside of the very top of the charts, there was Notre Dame's win on 4th and 11 against Stanford, Arizona State's Hail Mary win over Southern Cal, Michigan State's near-collapse versus Nebraska, and UCLA falling to Utah at home. If you haven't realized it by now, the frantic chase to the first College Football Playoff is officially on.

While brevity is the order of the day in the college football season compared to any other major American sport, the concentration of ranked teams in the top five conferences coupled with the inevitable losses to be had inside the rankings means there's ample opportunity for upward mobility by the time the selection committee makes its decisions.

Last season, after Week 6, 4-1 Auburn was unranked, even after a win against then-No. 24 Ole Miss. Three subsequent wins against top 10 opposition made it impossible to ignore the Tigers for the final BCS title game. That exact type of rise may not happen this season, but including four teams instead of two certainly makes it more of a possibility. Here are three teams, all with one or more losses, that could be this year's Auburn.

Louisville

This is probably a long shot, but all the variables are in place for the Cardinals, even after last year was supposed to be their year to make the loudest national noise. Louisville lost to better-than-expected Virginia early, but has taken care of business against mediocre-to-bad teams behind a stout defense in Bobby Petrino's first year back.

A huge test awaits next week at Clemson, but should the Cardinals win that game, explosive senior receiver DeVante Parker should be back from a preseason foot injury by the time Louisville hosts Florida State on Oct. 30. While Louisville is still in the "others receiving votes" muck among pollsters, computer metrics like F/+ and Sagarin view them as a more formidable side.

Ohio State

After the Buckeyes' disappointing fall to now-disappointing Virginia Tech at home, Ohio State was generally left for dead. Since that game, they've looked considerably more like an Urban Meyer team. The press box is still trying to add up all the first downs the Buckeyes collected against preseason AAC favorite Cincinnati on Sept. 27.

While the Big 10 is down yet again, Ohio State can prove itself over the next month with road tests at Penn State and Michigan State. As the only team considered elite in the conference, Michigan State's offense is certainly improved from this time a year ago, but as evidenced by the Oregon and Nebraska games, the Spartans are giving up second-half points that just weren't conceded last year.

Ohio State, should it finish the season 11-1, would have to get past the Big 10 Championship Game hurdle it so infamously stumbled at last season. However, the Big Ten West looks to be about as much of a mess as the SEC East. The winner of the Ohio State/Michigan State game on Nov. 8 should be the conference champion.

Stanford

This isn't a team that is really inspiring confidence in anyone right now. The offense can't finish drives, Kevin Hogan has been a mess at times, and there's no one in the backfield that can hold a candle to 2013 Tyler Gaffney or 2012 Stepfan Taylor. The schedule is insane, with road games at Arizona State, Oregon, and UCLA all to come.

So why are they on this list? Because someone has to win the Pac-12, and because the Cardinal's defense may still be the best in the country. Also, look at how the dynamics of the playoff are shaking out for the SEC West, Big 12 and Pac-12.

The SEC West is probably the strongest conference division of all-time. The top five teams in the Big 12 all look pretty strong, and any team in the Pac-12 except for Colorado looks like it could beat any other team in any given week, and Arizona is the only unbeaten. Of those two-and-a-half conferences, it might be likely that no one finishes with less than two losses. It's also probable that those conferences will produce a couple of playoff teams.

Stanford's defense has already played three teams among the top 30 to 35 in the country. It's only giving up 8.6 points per game and 107.4 passing yards per contest. If the offense can just marginally improve or merely finish a couple more drives with points, the Cardinal will start winning the big games. Like Louisville, the advanced metrics love Stanford. Plus, of the three quality teams that Stanford would have to beat on the road to finish 10-2 and win the Pac-12 North, all have lost at home.

In this first year of the College Football Playoff era, it looks like the sport has its wildest season in progress since 2007. That year, two-loss LSU defeated then-one-loss Ohio State in the BCS title game, and teams like South Florida, Boston College, Kansas, West Virginia, Missouri, and Cal all spent time in the top three of the polls. If this season continues to be like that one, teams like the ones above shouldn't be counted out at all.

Posted by Ross Lancaster at 3:09 PM | Comments (0)

The Wrong Hook Puts the Nats on the Hook

Hoist a tall one, Joe McCarthy, wherever you are. Here's to you, Grady Little. Matt Williams just might have taken you both off the historical hook Saturday night.

Now, gather around and watch Saturday's National League division series game once again. Be prepared to reel your jaws back up from the floor. You've seen rookie mistakes. But you've never seen a rookie manager mistake like this.

Watch Jordan Zimmermann take a 1-0 lead to the ninth. Watch him throw no-hit ball from the advent of that lead until two outs and an arduous walk in that ninth, bringing the San Francisco Giants down to their final out. And this is only a week after Zimmermann ended the regular season with a proper no-hitter.

Then, watch Zimmermann get hooked in an apparent case of temporary insanity. The case that's defined, "This is the way we've done it all year," when you're well into the portion of the year that isn't "all year." And watch his Washington Nationals continue a tango with the Giants for the equivalent of an old-fashioned doubleheader. Minus the between-games entertainment.

Because, even better, you get to watch re-established Nats closer Drew Storen and his 1.18 regular season ERA surrender the tying run and dodge losing the go-ahead (or should that be go-behind) run only because the runner was nailed at the plate by a hair's breadth.

Hang in and watch the man who once succeeded the re-established closer, Rafael Soriano, zip through the 16th without flinching. Watch the Nats and the Giants turn Nationals Park into marathon madness as the game went 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17 innings.

Watch Giants reliever Yusmeiro Petit pitch the equivalent of a quality start from the twelfth through the seventeenth while the Nats just about empty their bullpen. Then, watch Tanner Roark — normally a starter, who'd had a solid regular season but was going to work out of the pen in the division series — in for a 1-2-3 17th and...

Uh, oh. Watch Brandon Belt lead off the top of the eighteenth by wringing his way back from 0-2 to a full count and then hitting one into the second deck above the right field bullpen. Watch Roark dispatch the next three hitters on two strikeouts and a fly to left.

Now, watch Hunter Strickland pitch an arduous bottom of the eighteenth before shaking off a two-out walk to Anthony Rendon by getting Jayson Werth — who'd come back from an 0-2 hole to a full count himself — line out to right. And while you're at it, watch the Nats, the National League's best club on the regular season, slip to one game from going home for the winter.

And the question that's going to haunt them whether they get shoved out in a sweep or survive to a fifth game and even a series win will be: What the hell was manager Matt Williams thinking in the ninth?

He had the same Jordan Zimmermann whom enough said should have gotten the Game One assignment against the Giants in this division series, which was probably hindsight only after Stephen Strasburg surrendered a pair of runs but otherwise kept things at a tie until late. Zimmermann had thrown exactly one hundred pitches on the evening. He's not exactly entering the danger zone just yet, and it isn't as though he's thrown 100+ pitches a start all season long.

Unless Zimmermann copped to faltering strength or compromised health in the ninth, Williams got some splainin' to do. Probably for the rest of his natural life. Because "If he got in trouble in the ninth or got a baserunner, we were going to bring our closer in; that's what we've done all year" doesn't fly when you're trying to tie a postseason series and continue playing for a championship.

If it was Zimmerman copping to an empty tank or an injury, then Storen's going to have some splainin' to do, and probably for the same life span. God only knew how hard he fought to re-establish himself as the closer, after blowing a 2012 NLDS Game Five save into which he shouldn't have had to appear in the first place, considering he'd been gassed going in and the Nats had had an early 6-0 lead out of which they'd play their own selves.

Zimmermann went up against Tim Hudson, the Giants retread who was once a formidable force for Oakland and Atlanta. Hudson as a Brave started the game Saturday's soiree matched, the longest in division series history. Hudson is also the Giant who previewed this series by suggesting these Nats didn't have the stones for this set.

OK, what Hudson actually said was the Nats have great pitching, "[b]ut come playoff time, talent can take you a long ways, but what do you have between your legs?" The Nats laughed that one off before the set began. But it wasn't what was between the Nats' legs that ended up mattering most Saturday, it was, perhaps, what was between their manager's ears.

Hudson, by the way, gave Zimmermann his due when it all ended. "Zimmermann's tough," the veteran told reporters when the 2-1 marathon ended in the Giants' favour. "He's one of the best pitchers in baseball. So, obviously, when you don't face him, you're not exactly pissed."

Giants manager Bruce Bochy had hooked Hudson with one out and a man on in the eighth, which made a little more sense. Not a bad idea to get the old pro out of there, give him his pat on the rump and thank him for keeping the game that close in the first place.

Let the younger guys keep the Nats quiet. Let Jean Machi get rid of Jayson Werth swiftly enough on a fly to right, go to Javier Lopez after Anthony Rendon steals second while Adam LaRoche swings for a strike. Let Lopez finish the strikeout for the side.

Zimmermann dispatched Matt Duffy (swinging strikeout) and Gregor Blanco (fly out to center) on six pitches without falling behind in the count to either man to start the ninth. Then he walked Joe Panik on five pitches that included a long, long foul, and Williams went by his book, bringing in Storen. That's the way he's done it all year.

But these Giants know the difference between all year and this postseason now. Buster Posey sure does. The Giants catcher hit Storen's first pitch up the pipe to set up first and second for Sandoval. No sweat. Time and the odds were still on the Nationals' side at this point. All Storen had to do was dump Sandoval and it would have been series tied. He looked like he'd do just that when Sandoval fouled off the first pitch.

Kung Fu Panda has his problems in the regular season but he, too, can step it up almost at will in the postseason. (You can ask the 2012 Tigers about that.) And he drilled one to left that sent home Panik with the tying run, but got Posey arrested at the plate trying to score the go-ahead run behind. The play was reviewed but enough replays showed indisputably, if extremely close, that Posey's front foot was just above the plate when Nats catcher Wilson Ramos tagged him on the hip.

Storen probably wanted to bury himself beneath the Lincoln Memorial regardless. As it was, things were probably edgy enough in the Nats' dugout without Williams getting himself buried in another fashion.

Because Asdrubal Cabrera was fool enough to throw down his bat and batting helmet while disputing strike three with plate umpire Vic Carapazza in the bottom of the ninth. There were two problems with that argument. One: Cabrera didn't have anything resembling a case. Two: Williams high tailed it out of the dugout and moved Cabrera to one side to pick up the argument only to get himself tossed. Which left the Nats' field administration in the hands of coach Randy Knorr.

Giants reliever Sergio Romo, who'd also lost his own closing job along the way this season, turned the Nats aside in order in the ninth to send it to extra innings. Once upon a time Williams served well for many a season as the Giants' power hitting third baseman. Thanks for the memories, chump, but we're not going to let you off the hook for the brain fart of the year.

Win or lose, the longer the game went the deeper the hook burrowed into Williams's neck. Bochy looked like a genius when he sent swingman Yusmeiro Petit out for the twelfth and Petit gave him the equivalent of a quality start in a game that turned into its own doubleheader, while the Nats drained every proper reliever they had before handing it to Roark.

Hell, Petit became the first since Pedro Martinez (1999) to enter a postseason game in relief and deliver six shutout innings to collect a win. "I just cant get over Petit. His performance was one of the best in postseason history, in my opinion," Posey crowed after the game.

Was it the best postseason relief? Well, there was Martinez. And in the 1966 World Series, there was Moe Drabowsky and his six and two thirds, eleven strikeout (with six consecutive in there), shutout finish (he surrendered a run charged to starter Dave McNally but that was all) to launch the Baltimore Orioles' sweep of the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Belt's regular season was compromised by 96 games lost to a broken thumb and concussion. Now, he rewarded Petit handsomely enough for a job so well done before Strickland managed to end the Nats' misery on the night at last.

Zimmermann told Williams before he went out to work the ninth that he felt just fine. Yes, pitchers are known to tell little white lies to stay in games when they might be hurt or gassed. But Williams blew that knowledge to one side when he proclaimed he was only doing what he'd "done all year." He may also have blown something bigger.

We'll know soon enough whether Brandon's Belt plus the Williams hook really polished off the Nats season when he was just an out away from a 3-hit shutout and a tie series.

It might prove enough to get Little off the hook for staying with Martinez's fortitude without checking his empty fuel tank in Game 7 of the 2003 American League Championship Series.

Or, to get Joe McCarthy off the hook when he lifted starter Ellis Kinder for a pinch hitter in the eighth at Yankee Stadium — when the Yankees themselves thought Kinder was getting stronger as the game got older — and lost a pennant on the final day in 1949.

These Nats have the stones, all right. But everyone, seemingly, is questioning their manager's brains.

Posted by Jeff Kallman at 12:03 PM | Comments (0)

October 3, 2014

Giants Give the Pirates the Bum's Rush Out

Sorry to disappoint you. It's not that Madison Bumgarner's Wednesday night masterpiece was anything resembling boring, but that masterpiece plus the Giants' bludgeoning of the Pirates in the National League's wild card game wasn't exactly the kind of hair raiser the Royals and the Athletics raised up the night before.

Maybe we should have listened to the anonymous scout who surveyed the National League races in mid-September and concluded the wild card side of the race "is just for the right to get beat by Madison Bumgarner in the wild card game." All he missed was the right to get smothered by Brandon Crawford in the top of the fourth. With predictions like that the guy should be dealing in stock tips.

Well, why the hell not? If the Giants weren't quite enough to overtake the Dodgers for the NL West title, they were just enough to sink the Pirates after the Pirates went for broke trying to win the NL Central but settled for a shot at the Giants for the card. It wasn't in the cards for the Pirates, after all, but thanks to Bumgarner the Giants turned up aces Wednesday night.

Come to think of it, it turned out Bumgarner himself had a prediction of his own before the game. It's said he went to the Giants' bullpen corps and practically told them to just take the night off, relax, and enjoy the game, because he planned on going the distance and getting them into the division series against the Nationals.

A lot of players from both teams were watching the thriller in Kansas City Tuesday night. Maybe Crawford decided it was a fool's errand even to think that his Giants and those Pirates should try for a few chills themselves instead of letting the Royals and the A's have all the fun.

You'd make the same decision if you were hitting with the bases loaded in the fourth and Edinson Volquez, the Pirates' starter, fed you a breaking ball with enough hang time that you could have addressed and stamped it before you sent it to its destination about four rows into the right field seats. Crawford couldn't have picked a better time to land the first extra-base belt of his life off Volquez after bringing a lifetime 3-for-21 jacket against him to the plate.

Bumgarner worked the Pirates almost as thought he thought he'd need only one measly run to work with. The Pirates were useless against his fastball, going 0-for-15 with four punchouts when the put-away pitch was the fastball, but six of Bumgarner's ten punchouts on the night came with his curve ball.

Is that beginning to sound like a Sandy Koufax recap? Be advised that Bumgarner joins Koufax and Justin Verlander as the only postseason pitchers ever to nail an elimination game of any kind with a 10-punchout shutout. Koufax did his in Game Seven of the 1965 World Series; Verlander in Game Five of the 2012 American League division series. Like Bumgarner, Verlander's gem was a 4-hitter; Koufax's was a 3-hit job.

Bumgarner wasn't the only Giant to step into elite company Wednesday night. Crawford became the first shortstop ever to hit a postseason salami. That means there's been one from every field position. About the only thing wrong with Crawford's big bomb was how hard it probably was on his sister. Amy Crawford is dating Pirates right-hander Gerrit Cole.

Crawford is also only the fifth man ever to slice salami in a postseason elimination game. He joins Bill Skowron (Yankees; Game 7, 1956 World Series), Troy O'Leary (Red Sox; Game 5, 1999 American League division series), Johnny Damon (Red Sox; Game 7, 2004 American League Championship Series), and Buster Posey (Giants; 2012 National League division series).

Volquez was on the mound for the Pirates mostly because they went for absolute broke and sent young howitzer Cole out in a bid to steal the NL Central from the Cardinals. The trouble was, they had to go through Johnny Cueto and the Reds to do it, and while Cole was almost as good as Cueto Sunday afternoon Cueto outlasted him just enough to win his 20th game.

It's not that Volquez was a truly dubious choice. He took a streak of ten consecutive starts without a loss into the wild card game. If he wasn't Bumgarner he wasn't exactly cause for the Pirates to go into the game needing tranquilizers. Why, he shook off Pablo Sandoval's leadoff single and a walk to Brandon Belt to squirm out of the second inning and made waste of a two-out single in the third by luring Buster Posey into flying out to right.

The bad news was Kung Fu Panda opening the San Francisco fourth with another single. This time, Hunter Pence looked at a strike before singling Sandoval to second, and Belt walked on a full count. Then, Volquez had Crawford set up on 1-2. Then came the hanger. And there went the hanger. Only then could Volquez get himself three outs to follow.

"When that ball went over the fence," said Giants pitcher Tim Hudson, "I mean, game over with Bum on the mound. You give Bum a 4-0 lead, and I don't give a damn. Let's go spray some champagne."

Maybe the key for the Pirates was to find some way to change the rules and led Volquez pitch in odd-numbered innings only. He zipped through the Giants one-two-three in the fifth but ran into opening trouble in the sixth, when Pence worked him back from 1-2 into a full-count walk and ended Volquez's evening in the hole.

In came Justin Wilson, over to second went Pence on a 1-1 wild pitch to Belt, and into right field went Belt's line drive RBI single. Wilson struck out Crawford but walked Travis Ishikawa before yielding to Jared Hughes, who kept the Giants at bay the rest of the inning but ran into big trouble in the seventh. He surrendered a leadoff single to Joe Panik, who obviously doesn't live up to his moniker in a pressure game, then yielded a single to Posey and a walk to Sandoval.

The good news for Hughes was Pence grounding one to second and Panik getting thrown out at the plate. The bad news was second and third with one out and Belt smacking the first pitch up the pipe for a two-run single. Bobby LaFramboise got Crawford to dial area code 4-6-3 for the side, but his relief John Holdzkom couldn't hold the Giants back after getting two swift outs, with a walk to Gregor Blanco, a single from Panik, and an RBI single from Posey.

Bumgarner was in such cruise control that he could have afforded to tell the Pirates what was coming and throw it where they wanted it and they still wouldn't have dented him. Any ideas manager Bruce Bochy might have had about going to his pen for the ninth got dented promptly enough.

"[You] couldn't have gotten him out of there with a tractor," Bochy said like a straight man after the game. "It would have had to be a big one," Bumgarner said with a laugh. "A real big one. At least two hundred horsepower."

Coming from a fellow who first made his postseason presence known seriously with eight shutout innings in a 2010 World Series game, when he was a mere 21, that tractor might need to be double the horse.

Posted by Jeff Kallman at 2:32 PM | Comments (0)

October 2, 2014

NFL Weekly Predictions: Week 5

Note: the quotes in this article are fictional.

Minnesota @ Green Bay (-9)

The Packers walloped the home-standing Bears 38-17 at Soldier Field last week, giving the team and fans a much-needed confidence boost. Aaron Rodgers tossed 4 touchdowns as Green Bay pulled away in the second half. The Packers host the Vikings at Lambeau Field on Thursday Night Football.

"We made a statement," Rodgers said. "That statement was punctuated by an exclamation point. Our defense made a statement, as well, one that was punctuated by a question mark. They gave up nearly 500 yards of total offense. That seems excessive. Obviously, our defense has holes to fill. Unfortunately, filling them with opposing running backs is not the answer.

"Of course, Adrian Peterson is not playing, and our defense will adjust accordingly, by thanking their lucky stars. Peterson is a game-changer. Because of him, 'down by contact' has become a statistic, and not just a rule."

The Vikes whipped the visiting Falcons 41-28 last week and are now 2-2 and just one game behind the Lions in the NFC North. Rookie Teddy Bridgewater, making his first NFL start, posted 317 yards passing and a rushing score.

"We were inspired by a motivational text from Peterson," Bridgewater said. "Hopefully, Adrian won't be chastised for 'hitting' 'Send.'

"I'm nursing a sprained ankle, but I plan to play. No disrespect, but If I hobble onto Lambeau Field, then I can say I did something Brett Favre did. Just to be safe, I plan to send some lewd texts to an innocent female."

Rodgers new State Farm ad debuts on the big screen at halftime, featuring Hans, Franz, and Colts safety LaRon Landry.

Back on the field, the Packers give Bridgewater something the Falcons couldn't: a proper welcome to the NFL. Green Bay sacks Bridgewater three times, and the rookie QB re-injures his ankle running from Clay Matthews. Bridgewater retires, for the night, then jets to the locker room for an examination.

Green Bay wins, 34-20.

Chicago @ Carolina (-2½)

After starting the season 2-0, the Panthers have lost two in a row, the latest a 38-17 setback at Baltimore last week. Former Panther Steve Smith torched the Panthers for 139 yards receiving and 2 touchdowns.

"Like this team made it clear this offseason," Ron Rivera said, "we can do without Steve Smith's contributions.

"We gave up only 21 points in our first two games, but 75 points in our last two. That just won't cut it. Luke Kuechly leads the NFL in tackles, so he's all over the place, much like our defense."

Despite piling up almost 500 yards of offense, the Bears lost 38-17 at home to the Packers. Two Jay Cutler interceptions proved costly, and the Bears fell to 2-2.

"I'm a gunslinger," Cutler said. "And this gunslinger throws bullets. Sometimes, when those bullets don't hit the target, I get upset, and start throwing other things. Like hissy fits, or tantrums, or coaches under the bus, or engagements out the window.

"But we should be able to run against the Panthers because Matt Forte is really good and the Panthers run defense is not so the matchup appears to be in our favor. That's what you call a 'run-on' sentence."

Can the Panthers correct their defensive issues, and for that matter, can they find any semblance of a running game? Whereas Mike Tolbert is fat, injuries have left the Panthers thin at the position. It's on Cam Newton to pick up the slack.

Newton tweets a pre-game picture of him in a phone booth, leading to a lot of tweets asking, "what does that mean?" and, "where did you find a phone booth?"

Newton retweets a revised photo of him emerging from the phone booth in a Superman suit, then comes to the team's rescue with 2 passing scores and a rush score. Roman Harper picks off Cutler late in the fourth to end the Bears potential game-winning drive.

Carolina wins, 24-20.

Cleveland @ Tennessee (-1½)

With Jake Locker out with a wrist injury, the Titans struggled at Indianapolis, falling 41-17. Charlie Whitehurst and rookie Zach Mettenberger combined for only 176 yards passing and 2 interceptions.

"Jake has a history of injuries," Ken Whisenhunt said. "Nashville is known for the Grand Ole Opry. It's also known for the 'Same Ole Locker.'

"Offensively, we couldn't get anything going. If Buddy Ryan were alive today, he'd likely try to punch our offensive coordinator. And I doubt anyone would be able to stop him — certainly not our defense."

The Browns' Week 4 bye afforded them an extra week of rest and preparation, and an extra week for fans to wildly speculate when Johnny Manziel will start.

"I'm not ready to hand Johnny the keys to our offense," Mike Pettine said, "because it might end up in Las Vegas. Maybe if he learns to cozy up to the playbook as tightly as he does to the bar, then he might earn the starting position.

"But let's face it. I think everyone knows Johnny will be starting at some point. You know it, I know it, Brian Hoyer knows it. In regards to Johnny Football, Hoyer hears 'Johnny Footsteps.'"

Manziel enters the game late in the third quarter, and the LP Field crowd showers him with boos, as well as Snickers bars, some not even in the wrapper.

The Browns defense sets the tone, forcing three turnovers, and Cleveland wins, 22-20.

St. Louis @ Philadelphia (-7)

The Rams enjoyed a bye week to regroup after a 1-2 start, and head to Philly to face an Eagles squad with issues on their offensive line.

"We plan to follow the same game plan the 49ers employed," Jeff Fisher said. "Stop the run, and make Nick Foles beat us. Hopefully, we can get some pressure on the quarterback. So far this season, we've got one sack. The optimist in me likes to call that our 'No. 1-ranked defense.'"

The Eagles managed only 213 yards on offense, including a mere 22 on the ground, in a 26-21 loss in San Francisco. It was Philly's first loss of the year and

"We didn't even score an offensive touchdown," Chip Kelly said. "We couldn't even punch it in from the 49ers' one-yard line. That was an impressive goal-line stand by the home team. In San Francisco, they call that a 'can't stand,' which is a term you hear there a lot these days.

"But I expect our offense to get back in high gear against the Rams. Sure, LeSean McCoy is off to a slow start, but defenses are scheming to stop him, which opens up other areas of the offense. We're 3-1, so LeSean McCoy may remain 'LeSean DeCoy' for the time being."

Philadelphia wins, 30-25.

Atlanta @ NY Giants (-4½)

Eli Manning was near flawless in a 45-14 win over the Redskins last week, throwing for four touchdowns, three to Larry Donnell, and rushing for one score. The G-Men look to stay hot as the Falcons visit MetLife Stadium.

"That was just another in many 'head-shaking' performances from Manning," Tom Coughlin said. I've always been quick to defend Eli. How quickly, you may ask? Well, faster than Lawrence Taylor to the quarterback, or out of rehab."

The Falcons outdoor woes continued at Minnesota, as the Vikings put a 41-28 beating on Matt Ryan and his cohorts. Both of Atlanta's losses have come outdoors, while their two wins were at home.

"Then we should do well on Sunday," Ryan said, "because if fans are any indication, MetLife Stadium is home to 'fair-weather.' At least I'm being honest when I say 'the sky's the limit' for us.

"Offensively, we need to stretch the field against the Giants defense. Defensively, we need to simply stretch, because injuries are taking their toll."

The G-Men lean on their running game against the depleted Falcon's defense. Rashad Jennings rushes for 120 yards and a score.

New York wins, 27-24.

Tampa Bay @ New Orleans (-11)

The Bucs won for the first time, stunning the Steelers at Heinz Field on Mike Glennon's 5-yard touchdown pass to Vincent Jackson with seven seconds left.

"We call that the 'Hail Vincent,'" Lovie Smith said. "Or a 'Jackson 5.'

"This could be a season-defining win for us. Up until that point, if you defined our season, you would have said 'fall.'

"Our first order of business is stopping Jimmy Graham. And we'll go to great lengths to do it. To all of you fantasy owners of Graham — you might want to sit him. This week, a big game from Graham is no slam dunk."

The Saints looked inept in last Sunday's 38-17 loss in Dallas. New Orleans gave up 24 first half points and never got closer than 14 in falling to 1-3 and 0-3 on the road.

"We haven't been good on offense," Sean Payton said. "We've been even worse on defense. There are a lot of questions I want answered, like 'Can one place a bounty on a defensive coordinator?'"

Well, Sean, the answer is yes. But if you do, make sure you cover your tracks. And the best way to do that is to send all evidence of it to the league office.

New Orleans plays its most complete game of the year. Brees throws for 3 scores, and the Saints' D turns up the heat on Glennon.

New Orleans wins, 31-17.

Houston @ Dallas (-5)

The Cowboys avenged last year's 49-17 loss to the Saints with a commanding 38-17 victory at AT&T Stadium. DeMarco Murray rushed for 149 yards and 2 scores while Tony Romo passed for 262 yards and 3 TDs.

"I'll take a page out of Aaron Rodger's book and tell fans to 'relax,'" Romo said. "Sure we look good now, but success is fleeting in the NFL. Now, Jerry Jones would tell you that we're Super Bowl favorites. But Jerry views the world through rose-colored glasses, and sometimes beer goggles.

"Jerry often thinks things appear more appealing than they are, and apparently, so do young ladies who have their pictures taken with Jerry. Honestly, the best thing for this organization would be for Jerry to keep silent. Jeez, I would pay to keep him quiet."

The Texans are 3-1 after last week's hard-fought 23-17 win over the visiting Bills. J.J. Watt returned an interception 80 yards for a score to give the Texans the lead for good.

"Dallas does indeed have one of the league's best offensive lines," Bill O'Brien said. "But I don't they have a lineman who can block Watt one-on-one. On the field at AT&T Stadium, J.J. will be a man among 'Boys.

"We feel confident Ryan Fitzpatrick can lead us to the win. This could very well be a shootout. They say 'Never bring a knife to a gunfight.' But no one's ever told me not to bring a Harvard grad to a gunfight."

The Cowboys offensive line controls Watt, and Romo throws for 256 yards and 2 scores.

Dallas wins, 27-17.

Buffalo @ Detroit (-7½)

The Lions handled the Jets 24-17 last week, despite only two receptions for 12 yards from Calvin Johnson, who was double-teamed all day. The Lions are 3-1 and sit atop the NFC North standings.

"Sometimes Megatron can be 'Mini-Scule,'" Jim Caldwell said. "But that's okay. If opponents double-team Calvin, that means someone else is open.

"Of course, double-teams aren't the only way to take a Lions receiver out of the game. Christian Fauria sprained his ankle chasing his puppy. If you're scoring at home, that's a 'K-9.'"

After a 2-0 start to the season, the Bills have lost two in a row, both on the road, and now face a hot Lions team at Ford Field. Kyle Orton will start, taking over for the struggling E.J. Manuel.

"Okay," Doug Marrone said, "it's obvious we're not good on the road, just as it's obvious the Bills of the 1990s weren't good at neutral sites.

"But I feel that Orton gives us the best chance to win. He is the highest-paid backup in the league. We're paying him $5 million this year, so we're hoping he can back that up."

Detroit wins, 30-16.

Baltimore @ Indianapolis (-3½)

The Ravens crushed the visiting Panthers 38-17 last week, led by an inspired performance from former Panther Steve Smith, who had 2 touchdown catches.

"Steve's tweeted a picture of his boy, Steve Smith, Jr., making popsicles," Joe Flacco said. "It was captioned, 'Ice up, son.'"

The Colts blasted the Titans 41-17 last week, led by Andrew Luck's second consecutive four touchdown performance. Now 2-2, Indy trails the 3-1 Texans by one game in the AFC South.

"Andrew's put this team on his back," Chuck Pagano said, 'which, unfortunately, is what opposing defenses do to our offensive line.

"We'll hope to get more out of our rushing game. We averaged only 2.6 yards per rush. That's nothing. But having a quarterback like Luck helps ease my concerns. So I have no problem going from 'that's nothing' to 'it's nothing.'

"I don't know much, but I do know this: if you're playing blackjack and you're dealt anything 13 and under, you do not want Ray Rice as the dealer."

The Ravens erase an early 10-0 deficit and storm back to take a 31-27 win.

Pittsburgh @ Jacksonville (+7)

The Jaguars lost 33-14 in San Diego last week to remain winless on the year. In his first start, rookie Blake Bortles showed promise, throwing for 253 yards and 1 touchdown, albeit with 2 interceptions.

"I'm excited to be a part of this franchise. And I'm excited to face the Steelers. When you think of the Steelers, you think of the 'Steel Curtain' defense. Or you used to. Now, the Pittsburgh D is more like the 'Shower Curtain' defense — once you get behind it, there's only one thing there to stop you, and that's Troy Polamalu, and he's washing his hair with Head and Shoulders.

"As a kid, I grew up idolizing Ben Roethlisberger. And I've got the wrecked bicycle and an unfortunate incident in a middle school bathroom, for which I was not charged, to prove it."

The Steelers lost a heartbreaker to Tampa last week, losing on Vincent Jackson's touchdown catch with 33 seconds to go. The Steelers wasted opportunities to put the Bucs away, due in part to 13 penalties.

"We can't beat ourselves up over the penalties," Mike Tomlin said. "That's called 'self-flag-ellation,'and that's not cool, unless you're into that kind of thing."

Pittsburgh wins, 34-16.

Arizona @ Denver (-7½)

The 2-1 Broncos look to bounce back from Week 3's overtime loss in Seattle. With two week's rest, Peyton Manning and his charges are rested and eager to reclaim their winning ways.

"The Cardinals are the NFC's lone undefeated team," Manning said. "They should enjoy it while it lasts, because we will be their 'un-doing.

"The Cardinals wanted me in Arizona, and they courted me pretty strongly. But I said no. Let's just say that Carson Palmer's sore right one isn't the only thing that got the cold shoulder in Arizona."

Denver wins, 30-24.

Kansas City @ San Francisco (-7½)

The 49ers overcame a litany of errors to vanquish the visiting Eagles 26-21 last week. Colin Kaepernick threw 2 interceptions, but made keys plays that led San Fran to its second win.

"Colin's made his share of mistakes," Jim Harbaugh said. "Often when he opens his mouth. No longer is 'Kaepernicking' kissing your bicep after a touchdown. It's kissing thousands of dollars goodbye after uttering a racial slur.

"Now, despite what Deion Sanders says, there is no discord amongst this team. I think Deion just wants to feel like he has the scoop on the latest NFL happenings. One thing Deion can tackle is 'the issues.' I live by the credo, 'Don't believe everything you hear.' That's similar to the one Roger Goodell follows: 'Don't believe everything you see.'"

In an inspired effort, the Chiefs pummeled the Patriots on Monday night, sending New England packing with a 41-17 defeat. At 2-2, Kansas City trails the AFC West lead by one game.

"A can of whoop ass wasn't the only thing we opened on Monday night," Alex Smith said. "We also opened up a Pandora's Box, and it's full of Patriot problems.

"The NFL said the officials erred in penalizing Husain Abdullah for praying to Allah after his TD interception return. If anyone should have kneeled and bowed, it should have been the Patriots."

Chiefs win, 23-22.

NY Jets @ San Diego (-8)

The Jets have lost three straight, two of those at home, after last week's 24-17 loss to the Lions at MetLife Stadium. Geno Smith was erratic, with two turnovers, and swore at a fan after the game.

"Geno swore at a fan?" Rex Ryan said. "What? The 'F?'

"Even Geno's outburst was intercepted ... by camera and audio. Geno's since apologized. Maybe a better course of action would have been to curse at 78,159 other fans. Then they'd all be even.

"If needed, Michael Vick is ready if his number is called. The last time Vick's number was called, it was the number '33765183.' For now, Geno is still the starter, but it's on a probationary period."

Philip Rivers passed for 373 yards and 3 touchdowns as the Chargers erased an early deficit before putting away the visiting Jaguars, 33-14.

"Hey," Rivers said, "I would never swear at a fan. A player? That's another story. In fact, I once 'put a curse' on Jay Cutler. Heck, I put several."

After asking for forgiveness, Rivers says "the hell" with the running game and throws the ball 42 times. Surprisingly, the Jets still bite on play action well into the fourth quarter.

San Diego wins, 26-13.

Cincinnati @ New England (Even)

The Patriots lost 41-14 on Monday night to the Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium. New England gave up 303 yards in the first half, the first time that has happened in the Bill Bellichick era.

"Here's another first," Tom Brady said. "That's a video we would actually prefer to remain secret.

"It's not often things get ugly in my life, save for my relationship with Bridget Moynahan. But that game got out of hand. And Bill Belichick sat me down. And that was a good thing because it gave me time to reflect on the game and ponder my mistakes. When life gives you lemons, you've got to make lemonade. And apparently in Kansas City, that lemonade comes with a side of humble pie."

The 3-0 Bengals lead the AFC North and could very well be the best team in the NFL right now. With a bye week under their belt, Andy Dalton and Cincy are ready to hand the Pats a loss in Foxboro.

"Brady is an idiot," Dalton said. "Of course, I'm quoting Leon Hall , who's talking about Brady Hoke. Leon's a Michigan man, you see.

"All this talk of Tom Brady's decline is premature. He's still an elite quarterback. So our defense will show him the proper respect when they try to plant him in the Gillette Stadium turf."

The only thing that gets planted on Sunday night is Brady's right cleat, when he puts his foot down in a heated pre-game, players-only meeting in which he demands accountability from all, including himself. The fired up Patriots storm from the locker room, kiss Brady's three Super Bowl rings, and play their best game of the year.

New England wins, 30-27.

Seattle @ Washington (+7½)

The Redskins used their ten-day rest after last Thursday's 45-14 loss to the Giants to regroup and prepare for the defending Super Bowl champion Seahawks, who themselves are recharged after a bye week. Kirk Cousins had a disastrous game against the Giants, with 5 turnovers.

"It's not cool to call a player a 'Redskin,'" Jay Gruden said. "In addition, I'm not sure you can call Cousins a 'quarterback.'

"Without a doubt, there are questions that need answers. Most importantly, 'Who is our third-string quarterback?' The answer: Colt McCoy. Forget I asked."

The Seahawks are riding the momentum of week 3's overtime win over the Broncos. The Legion of Boom is healthy, rested, and ready to wreak havoc in the nation's capitol.

"If the Redskins were the State of the Union," Richard Sherman said, "they'd be wearing 'address.'

"My responsibility as a cornerback in our defense is to cover one side of the field. That responsibility also falls to our defense as a whole. We plan to cover one side of the FedEx Field, and that will be our side, because the 'Skins may not cross midfield."

Seattle wins, 32-16.

Posted by Jeffrey Boswell at 6:47 PM | Comments (0)

The Royals Win a Hunt-and-Peck Thriller

The Pirates and the Giants had their work cut out for them before they squared off in the National League wild card game Wednesday. Unless they thought they could come up with even half the hair-raiser the American League game was Tuesday night, that is.

Frankly, Bernard Malamud and Douglas Wallop themselves couldn't have written Tuesday's script. Kansas City, which hasn't seen the Royals anywhere near the postseason since the Reagan Administration, wouldn't have bought it prior to Tuesday night.

Roy Hobbs' mammoth game-ending blast didn't finish the opposition's second-worst collapse of the season. Shoeless Joe from Hannibal, MO didn't disappear into the ether after putting paid to a double deflation. Those guys were fiction. The hunt-and-peck Royals, whose idea of power is AAA batteries rather than full generators, were only too real so far as the Athletics were concerned Tuesday night.

What's it going to take to get rid of these cockroaches? the A's must have been wondering when the game got to a 12th inning. An atomic suicide bomber? Forget it. Even that probably wouldn't have subdued these Royals, who kept crawling out from under the baseboards after they pushed the game into extra innings in the first place.

They kept crawling right up to the twelfth, when they re-tied the game after Eric Hosmer tripled high off the left center field fence and Christian Colon, a late-game entry, snuck him home with a chopper up the line that nobody could snatch even with a net.

Then Jason Hammel — one of the starters obtained from the Cubs at the onset of the A's mid-season pitching makeover, who'd actually pitched very well in September — threw a pitchout that catcher Derek Norris, in the game after Geovanny Soto left with a thumb injury, dropped. Allowing Colon to steal second. Right before Salvador Perez, the Royals' catcher, shot a nice, nasty little 2-2 slider up the third base line and right past the pad, enabling Colon to shoot home with the 9-8 winner and Kauffmann Stadium to go nuclear.

And to think that, four innings earlier, Perez stood a good chance of being one of the game's shames, after the usually free swinging backstop struck out chasing a slider from Oakland reliever Luke Gregerson that wasn't anywhere near the plate, after the Royals had shrunk the game's worst deficit from three runs to one. Omar Infante suffered a comparable fate to follow up, and it looked for awhile as though Royals fans would have too long to remember those sliders.

Perez's 12th-inning redemption means this one's going to sting in Oakland, instead, and for at least as long as it's going to cause Royals fans to feel as though they'd had their first sinking into a bubbly hot tub with champagne lining the rim in almost three decades. No matter where and how far these Royals go from here, this one's going to feel delicious.

What the hey, these Royals even have a knack for outrunning their few mistakes, never mind their opponents. Let speed-less Billy Butler get himself in a rundown so Hosmer can try stealing home to tie it in the first only to get nailed because someone on the bench thought a double steal might work against Jon Lester, the Oakland starter, but didn't account for Butler leaving first too soon? No problem.

Pity the A's. They'd tempted the baseball gods once too often this season. And those gods refused to deliver them from evil. Collapsing to a mere wild card after looking like a possible runaway AL West champion was bad enough. Collapsing in extra innings after squandering a four-run lead in the wild card game was even worse.

It's enough to make the most recalcitrant A's fan ask aloud why the hell their heroes didn't just give up the ghost over the weekend rather than push back to get to this in the first place. What the hell did Sonny Gray throw that season-ending, wild-card entering 6-hit shutout for? What the hell did we deal for Lester and Samardzija and Hammel for? And what was the point of stranding the potential winning Kansas City run in the tenth and the eleventh when it wasn't supposed to get that far in the first place?

But it also let the Royals avoid thinking about how their own manager damn near blew the wild card game for them before they got anywhere near the chance to push it to extra innings in the first place.

All season long Ned Yost has been fodder for to-death analyses as to why he's so horrible a manager that the Royals would win, if they won, in spite of him. There was even talk of his job being in danger after he managed himself into a mid-September loss to the Red Sox when reaching for his weakest, not his strongest bullpen option. On Tuesday night Yost almost put the truth to every one of those analyses, and with damn near the same move.

The Royals had wrested back a 3-2 lead with James Shields still on cruise control for the most part after he'd surrendered a 2-run homer to Brandon Moss in the top of the first. Yost lifted Shields in the sixth following a broken-bat leadoff single by Sam Fuld and a walk to Josh Donaldson that was as borderline as the night would be long.

But the skipper didn't go to either Kelvin Herrera, Wade Davis, or Greg Holland, who just so happen to be his three best bullpen bulls and three of the best in the game this season. He went to Yordano Ventura, a starting pitcher who'd worked on Sunday. Ventura's first assignment was Moss. Two high fastballs later, Moss hit one over the center field fence.

Josh Reddick singled to follow up, took second on a wild pitch, and moved to third on a Jed Lowrie fly out. Then Yost brought in Herrera. Herrera surrendered two runs one of which was charged to Ventura, but bringing in Ventura instead of staying with a Shields who probably had the full sixth left in the tank and maybe one more was the one that could have cost Yost the season.

Except that the Royals' swarm finally pecked Lester — for whom the A's dealt Yoenis Cespedes to the Red Sox on behalf of just such nights in the first place — out of the game in the eighth. Single, steal, runner to third on a ground out, RBI single, steal, walk, Lester gone, and the Royals getting into the Oakland bullpen. And raising questions as to whether A's manager Bob Melvin left Lester in about one hitter too long.

Gregerson relieved Lester. Then it was RBI single setting up first and third, pinch runner stealing second, man home on a wild pitch. Just like that the Royals closed it to 7-6. Never mind those nasty slider swish-outs on Perez and Infante. Who's got the Black Flag? Anyone?

Davis and Holland kept the A's off the scoreboard further, though Holland had to do some fancy dancing to keep it that way, shaking off the bases loaded by getting Lowrie, who hasn't hit well in that situation his entire career (.206 lifetime coming into that plate appearance), to line out to right.

Then the Royals showed A's closer Sean Doolittle the game wouldn't be over until the Royals said it'd be over. Josh Willingham, imported from the Twins on the season, opened with a pinch single. Jarrod Dyson pinch ran, took second on a sacrifice, and stole third promptly enough, before Norichika Aoki sent him home with a sacrifice fly. All of a sudden, what the A's might have thought was in the bank was going to extra innings.

Brandon Finnegan went out to the mound for the Royals and pitched two sterling relief innings while the Royals spent those first two extras pushing the winning run to third in each but unable to push one home. Finnegan's tank went empty in the top of the twelfth after a leadoff walk to Reddick and a sacrifice bunt, but Jason Frasor couldn't shake off a wild pitch handing Reddick third on the house and pinch hitter Alberto Callaspo singled Reddick home with the tiebreaker.

But the moment Colon crossed the plate, the Royals — who seemed to spend most of the night on the run as it was, with seven individual men stealing bases on the night — ran out onto the field for the party. I won't be shocked to learn the party went 48 hours straight. Even knowing the Royals ran themselves out of the frying pan and toward a potential division series exterminator known as the Angels.

If the Pirates and the Giants thought there was nothing they could possibly dream up to top what went down in Kansas City, it was probably very sound thinking, indeed.

Posted by Jeff Kallman at 12:50 PM | Comments (0)

October 1, 2014

Preoccupied With 1985

Okay. Time to get personal for a second. If you've read my posted thoughts for any extended period of time, you've probably picked up that I'm a Kansas City sports guy. With that location being my hometown, I grew up with a healthy fondness for crowns, arrowheads, and the like. That fondness continues to this day, so please excuse my excitement for baseball at the moment.

On Tuesday night, the Kansas City Royals make their first postseason appearance in (basically) 29 years. It means that in the Heartland, a generation of fans will experience their first taste of October(-ish) baseball. I understand that it's a wild card game that didn't exist three years ago. I also understand that all the happy-go-lucky feelings could end by midnight. For some, it indicates a watered-down version of the playoff series to follow. But has the hardball postseason seen an expansion on the level of ... let's say, college football?

Over the last 29 years, the sport that appears to exhibit more pride than any other has gone through a few changes. First, zone in on the postseason structure. As we all know, this winter will bring in the first-ever bracketed playoff at the highest level of the collegiate game. Sure, the process to select which teams get to participate is, at least, a little arbitrary. But the first squads to be looked at will have a conference title in their possession.

For the folks not worthy of one of the four selections, they still have an opportunity to be in a showcase that sets this game apart from mostly everything else. The bowl tradition is as strong as any in all of sport. From SoCal to South Beach, these exhibitions have guaranteed a sense of accomplishment for more teams than the one that will be the ultimate champion. In fact, more and more get to celebrate every season. Just after the Royals won their only World Series in 1985, 18 bowl games were played. As KC returns to the playoffs, that bowl number has ballooned to 35 (in 2013 ... 39 are slated for 2014).

Expansion has been big for all sports since the mid-'80s, but probably no bigger than in baseball and college football. For MLB, it wasn't quality (only four franchises have been created) as much as impact. These organizations paved the way for three divisions in each league and, ultimately, the creation of the wild card. If you're a sports fan, you already know how expanding the FBS level of football has effected the sectioning of it. Conference realignment has slowed down, but is still continuing to this day. The jump from 105 programs (1985) to 128 (this season) also slightly explains the explosion of bowl games.

I promise there's a point to all of this.

While deciding what to touch on for this column, the idea came up to tie the Royals' decades of struggle to the college football programs which have been mired in their own bowl game droughts. Even with as many as 70 teams being invited each season, I thought there might be a few that just haven't put everything together for that magical run. Four programs (UMass, South Alabama, Texas State, and Texas-San Antonio) haven't been to a bowl yet, but they all just arrived at the FBS level and couldn't participate until a year or two ago.

Eastern Michigan fits the profile. The Eagles made their one, and only, bowl appearance in the 1987 California Bowl. Since that 30-27 victory over San Jose State, the program has experienced only three winning seasons (with one 6-6 record shuffled in, too). However, there is one school that has gone through more desert than the hapless Royals will walk out of on Tuesday night.

New Mexico State has seen some success, however spotty, in the annals of the sport. The Aggies started on a positive note right out of the gate in 1931 (6-4). They held some of that momentum through most of the 1930s. A lot of lean years in the '40s and '50s gave way to an perfect campaign in 1960, a Sun Bowl win, and an Associated Press ranking as high as No. 14. The rest of that decade had some good seasons, as well. Once 1970 hit, though, the tables turned. The Aggies have managed to finish with only four winning records in 44 years. Even as late as 2002, seven wins weren't enough for NMSU to land a spot in a postseason game. This means that 1960 Sun Bowl was the last time Las Cruces has seen their program make it to any bowl.

This year, the team has shown some progress. With a little better result against in-state rival New Mexico, the Aggies would be halfway to breaking that long, bowl-less streak. As it stands, they're 2-3 with the remainder of the Sun Belt schedule in front of them (they already won at Georgia State). You would think that if NMSU could get to seven wins, it would be enough to provide a top-three finish in-conference and a possible invitation. So, from here on out, I'll root for some positive mojo to come out of New Mexico's second-largest city. While I'm not the biggest fan of bowl season, it does some good once in a while.

Posted by Jonathan Lowe at 5:33 PM | Comments (1)

NASCAR Top 10 Power Rankings: Week 29

Note: The quotes in this article are fictional.

1. Brad Keselowski — Keselowski finished second at Dover and heads to the next round of the Chase with the solid momentum after three top-10 finishes in the opening three races.

"This elimination race didn't produce quite the excitement NASCAR had hoped," Keselowski said. "In fact, it was yawn-inducing. It was so boring that fans didn't give a hoot; it was so boring that I didn't give a tweet."

2. Joey Logano — Logano took fourth at Dover as four drivers were eliminated from Cup championship contention.

"It's on to the 'Contender' round," Logano said. "Or, to the six or so drivers with no chance to win the Cup, the 'Pretender' round. Or, because Danica Patrick didn't qualify, the 'One Gender' round."

3. Jeff Gordon — Gordon took control at Dover late and won the AAA 400, guaranteeing his spot in the next round of the Chase For The Cup.

"I don't think anyone's surprised by the four drivers eliminated," Gordon said. "I guess the only 'sleepers' at Dover where in the stands."

4. Jimmie Johnson — Johnson, a nine-time winner at Dover, took third in the AAA 400 and now moves on to the Contender round of the Chase For The Cup.

"That's right," Johnson said. "I've won at Dover nine times. I'm pretty much on a first name basis with Miles the Monster. But I didn't win Sunday, and I don't seem to be anyone's favorite to win the Cup. Much like Miles, I don't scare anyone."

5. Dale Earnhardt, Jr. — Earnhardt finished 17th at Dover, one lap down, and qualified for the Contender round, which starts at Kansas Motor Speedway next week.

"And then there were twelve," Earnhardt said. "At least, that's what a Junior Nation member says halfway through a case of beer. Then it's time for breakfast."

6. Kevin Harvick — Harvick started on the pole and led 223 laps before tire issues relegated him to a 13th-place finish.

"We had plenty of car," Harvick said, "but no luck at all. This time, it was a tire issue. My left front tire took a leak; we just keep pissing away wins."

7. Matt Kenseth — Kenseth finished fifth at Dover and joins Joe Gibbs Racing teammates Kyle Busch and Denny Hamlin in the Chase For the Cup Contender round.

"Three more races," Kenseth said, "and the field will be down to six. I really like the way the new format pares down the field. The new format is better at 'weeding out' than NASCAR's drug policy."

8. Kyle Busch — Busch, making his 500th Sprint Cup start, finished tenth at Dover and qualified for the next round of the Chase.

"I've taken a lot of green flags," Busch said. "But none have led to a Sprint Cup championship. And that's frustrating. And, as people know, I'm not afraid to hide my frustration. So, my career has been defined by 'fits and starts.'"

9. Carl Edwards — Edwards finished 11th, enough to secure the tenth spot in the standings and a spot in the Chase's Contender round.

"I'm moving on," Edwards said. "And I'm saying goodbye to Greg Biffle. I can say that now or two months from now, and it still applies."

10. Kyle Larson — Larson finished sixth at Dover and now has top-six finishes in all three Chase races.

"It's too bad I didn't make the Chase," Larson said, "because I really feel like I could win it all. As it is, I can't win at all."

Posted by Jeffrey Boswell at 9:05 AM | Comments (0)