I Need A Little Puppy Love Right Now

  I am not going to discuss much football this week. The hiring of NFL coaches is ongoing—down to just two openings, which leads one to believe that an assistant coach on a Super Bowl team is likely going to claim a spot. 

I found it interesting that former New York Jets head coach Robert Saleh, who reinvigorated the San Francisco 49’ers defense in his second stint there, has selected former New York Giants head coach Brian Daboll to be his offensive coordinator in Tennessee. Talk about strange bedfellows. 

Meanwhile, speaking about the two New York football teams, there is an aura of optimism with John Harbaugh taking over the reins for the Giants. While Aaron Glenn, the so-called savior of the New York Jets, is totally deconstructing his coaching staff. 

Unless the Jets make a killing in the upcoming NFL Draft and sign some solid free agents, it is going to be the same old same old in Florham Park. Which makes one wonder what will it ever take to turn the franchise around?

Pittsburgh tabbed Mike Mc Carthy to replace Mike Tomlin. Mc Carthy had successful stints in Green Bay and at Dallas. The Western Pennsylvania native son has hinted at a reunion with Aaron Rodgers as the Steelers quarterback. I hope that either Rodgers or Mc Carthy comes to his senses and goes in a different direction. Otherwise, things could become dismal quickly for the Steelers.  

Of course, the biggest story surrounded the failure of a group of fifty individuals to get forty of them to agree that Bill Belichick should be a first ballot member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame. What an uproar this created. 

Multiple reasons have been given for this result. They run the gamut—from only 3 of 5 players, coaches and owners could get into Belichick’s involvement with Spygate, for which he and the Patriots were penalized. Or perhaps there was resentment that he could get in after being out of the NFL only one year instead of the five players must wait. 

Whatever the cause of this rejection, it was a major slight and a big stain on those who were tasked with enshrining the right people. The man’s credentials as a coach are unassailable. He did not deserve to be treated like a steroid user in baseball, where that kind of cheating led to long suspensions  for Alex Rodriguez and public questions about integrity or Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens, two of the all-time great players. 

Put aside how intemperate Belichick could be with the press. He got his teams to win behind the mastery of Tom Brady as his QB. The defenses which he and his staff developed were top-notch. Nobody has won more Super Bowls. 

The NFL and the Pro Football Hall of Fame fumbled this one horribly. This snub will ultimately be corrected. It isn’t the same for Eli Manning, whose resume is very nice but not overwhelming. 

Manning can wait awhile for enshrinement. Belichick should have been on stage in Canton, Ohio in August, receiving the praise and recognition he richly deserved. It won’t happen when Brady’s time comes, unless he screws up as a broadcaster for FOX or his tenure as a Las Vegas Raiders owner goes south. 

And even then, if there are reasons Brady is disliked or resented, it won’t matter. He’ll get in on the first ballot. So should have Belichick, too, and on the first ballot. 

What amazed me is hat corrective action wasn’t taken for a special re-vote here. Change the rules if you have to. Football could have made it right. Not look stupid and pedantic. 

In the sports world, a lot of different events are colliding as February begins. Besides the Super Bowl in another week, the Olympics, Australian Open, NBA, NHL, college basketball, golf, MLB Spring Training and even the Westminister Dog Show are in full swing or on tap. 

Most everyone has seen the ski accident which derailed American Lyndsey Vonn as the 41 year old star ties to recapture glory one more time. Her prognosis to return to the slopes in Italy is up in he air—like the way she was guided into a waiting helicopter to whisk her away for evaluation and treatment of her injuries. Should she make a timely recovery and come back and medal, NBC has great theater for its viewers. 

The NBA trade deadline is on February 5. The big story is whether Milwaukee will trade superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo. 

Golden State sure could use him, although I don’t know that Giannis will make the Warriors into a team to defeat Oklahoma City, Detroit or San Antonio. Yes, Steph Curry is going to be 38 soon and he is defying time with his high-scoring and three point accuracy. And yes, the window of opportunity for another championship for him, Draymond Green and dad coach Steve Kerr is closing fast—if it hasn’t already been shut. 

Obtaining Giannis for a lot of draft capital and/or players is risky. This isn’t like Kareem Abdul-Jabbar leaving Wisconsin for Los Angeles. Not close. 

Bringing in Luca Doncic and pairing him with an aging but still powerful presence in Lebron James has made LAL a winning team. But not a top flight one. 

Other suitors might outbid GSW. That could even include the New York Knicks, with center Karl Anthony-Towns name being bandied about for possible trade packages. Much to Towns’ dislike. Can’t blame him—even if pro basketball remains a business and sudden trades are always possible. 

A footnote to the long NBA season. There was a historic rookie duel between two former teammates in college. Cooper Flagg of the Dallas Mavericks set an NBA record for points by a teenager on a night when the Mavs honored franchise legend Mark Aguirre, the former holder of the team’s rookie scoring record. Flagg scored a career-high 49 points, making 20 of 29 field goal attempts. He collected 10 rebounds. 

However, Kon Kneuppel of the Charlotte Hornets tallied his career-high with 34 points, which was on 10 for 16 shooting. Eight of those tens made baskets were three point shots, which set a Charlotte rookie record. This was Kneuppel’s 13th game with five or more 3-pointers, which tied the NBA record for a rookie. 

Their futures are bright for two franchises seeking to become relevant. The duo are certainly among the leaders for the NBA Rookie of the Year Award. By the way, the final score was Charlotte 123 Dallas 121.

I want to comment about the influx of former G League and now a former NBA player back into the collegiate ranks. The courts are involved and one of the two players in question has played remarkably well for Alabama once permitted to participate. 

This is wrong. So wrong. On many fronts. Let’s start with the ages—older than normal four year matriculating students. That puts them at a competitive advantage. As does exposure to the pros—whether it was in the G League or 10 games in the NBA. 

I recognize that amateurism has been shredded at D I-level schools. Name, Image and Likeness has eviscerated that. Kids are being paid to play and then can up and leave through the Transfer Portal if a more lucrative deal awaits. 

Oh, some don’t even go to school—like Carson Beck for the past two years at Georgia and Miami. Whatever happened to being academically eligible?

Big time college sports, already driven by greed and avarice while placing so many school athletic budgets deep in the red, has no morality and not very much decency. The alumni and fans don’t care—as long as heir school continues to win. 

Curt Cignetti may be a saint for what he accomplished at Indiana in winning the national championship in his second year in Bloomington. However, the expectations will remain high and the pressure even greater. Cignetti must find he next Fernando Mendoza to quarterback his team lest the fans start to get uptight when the team loses a game or two.

It’s really no different at any other Big Ten school—there is tremendous pressure to win—now. Or in he ACC or SEC, where charges have been lobbed by Clemson head coach Dabo Sweeney that coaches at the University of Mississippi have been trying to poach his players—even calling their cell phones to take while the particular athlete is actually in class.  

I’ve said it before and it’s worth repeating. Top tier college sports is out of control. How this is reigned in I just don’t know. Maybe court or congressional intervention has to happen. It isn’t pretty and things may get even uglier. 

Which is part of the reason why I enjoy D III sports so much. It appears to be far less sullied and the kids actually go to school and many have real majors with aspirations that are high. Not to play professionally only to return to college older and with remaining eligibility. 

The New York Yankees collared their man after all. Cody Bellinger is coming back to the team, a lot richer and with much greater expectations. The team has to sort things out early and straighten out the lineup and pitching so that when injured starters like Gerrit Cole and Carlos Rodon are back, along with shortstop Anthony Volpe, the team can really run it back, like GM Brian Cashman recently remarked. 

It has been nice to see a few new names surface to the top of college basketball. Nebraska looks for real—even with a loss at highly-ranked Michigan. The Big Ten is loaded this year with schools like Purdue, Michigan State, Illinois, Wisconsin and UCLA joining the Cornhuskers and Wolverines as potential NCAA teams. 

#1 Arizona is really good. UConn is back and formidable. Every school in the Top Ten has a championship pedigree. March Madness is approaching—and it’s gonna be fun. 

The Buffalo Sabres and Detroit Red Wings are feel good stories in the NHL. Franchises which have turned things around. The Islanders, too, as the trio sit in playoff spots just before the Olympics hiatus. It’s a lot closer in the West, as many teams are vying for playoff berths. 

Tampa Bay and Colorado are the leaders thus far. Both are playing exceptional hockey. Hopefully no teams suffer great losses due to injury when the Olympic competition begins. 

Down Under, Carlos Alcaraz declared that he’s the best in the world with his win over Novak Djokovic. Alcaraz is the youngest to complete the “Slam”—winning the Australian, French, US Opens and Wimbledon. At age 22. His future, barring injury, is bright. 

The fact that the aging Djokovic made it to the finals added to his legacy rather than diminished it in any way. His defeat of Jack Sinner in the semi-finals demonstrated that he still is in the top three in the world at age 38—for its going to be Alcaraz and Sinner dominating men’s tennis the way McEnroe and Borg did, or Federer and Nadal did previously—until Djokvic interceded. 

I may not like Djokovic for his arrogance among other reasons. I didn’t care much for Johnny Mac’s antics either. But I sure as heck respect their ability to play tennis. 

Watching the Westminster Kennel Club’s annual soiree at Madison Square Garden made me think of eligibility and N-I-L. Non-factors for the dogs. Those performing have it good—if you like being primped and pampered. Just like in the colleges and pros.

I need a little puppy love right now. 

February Thaw?

  I came away with a lot of impressions from this weekend’s NFL games. Some were good, but too many were mostly bad. 

The New England-Denver game was a travesty. The weather was horrible, contributing to a less-than-exciting contest which ultimately put the Patriots back into the Super Bowl. That kind of game did not showcase the level of play which we could expect from elite teams—the top two in the AFC. 

Conversely, acceptable cold water in the Pacific Northwest led to a veritable offensive explosion which resulted in a Seattle win. It was a much more riveting affair which the Seahawks won capitalizing on poor play by the Los Angeles Rams. 

Do I think the better teams won both games? I believe so. 

Were the teams evenly matched? Yes—with an asterisk because Denver played without Bo Nix, its stellar stating quarterback, who broke his ankle last weekend and could only sit in a suite and cheer on his mates. 

Had Denver been guided by Nix instead of Jarett Stidham, who hadn’t taken a snap in a NFL game in eons, I think Denver might have pulled away from New England and would be headed to the Super Bowl in Santa Clara, California. And even with Stidham’s unsteadiness, Denver had its chances. 

What changed the complexion of the game was a gaffe by Stidham. Pressured by the New England defense, Stidham tried to shovel the ball away to his left. 

Except that it appeared to be a lateral, not a forward pass. Which was recovered by New England, which ran the ball into the end zone for an apparent score. 

But initially thinking it was a forward pass, the closest official blew the play dead. Then the chaos began.

After a review and discussion among the officials who were also in contact with the review people in New York City, the call on the field of an incomplete pass was reversed. The Patriots were awarded the ball close to the Denver end zone because the whistle had ended the play. Now New England was in business, with a prime opportunity to score. 

Two plays later, New England QB Drake Maye scampered into the end zone. The score was now tied at 7. The game had changed, with the momentum in the Patriots’ favor. 

With the weather becoming a factor in the third quarter, the kicking game for both teams suffered greatly. Both teams’ kickers were normally reliable and accurate. 

Not with the field in windy, snowy conditions, hampering the ability to get a firm hold and set with any placement. The two kickers went 1 for 5, with Andres Borregales connecting on a 23 year attempt with 5:32 left in the third quarter. 

The score put New England ahead 10-7. That would prove to be the final score. Enough to secure an AFC Championship for the Patriots. It is the eleventh win for the proud franchise, which also has six Super Bowl victories. 

The game wasn’t won until Maye scampered left on his own to secure a critical first down very late in the game. It wasn’t a designed play and almost didn’t work. Maye made it just far enough to lead his team to the win. 

Seemingly in big games, quarterbacks make key runs of great difficulty to lead their teams—Maye had two such runs on Sunday. Indiana’s Fernando Mendoza had a memorable scoring run last Monday to win the national title for Miami. Even LAR QB and notorious non-runner Matthew Stafford managed to sprint for a needed first down to keep a drive alive. 

Speaking of Stafford and the Rams, the LAR quarterback was outstanding. He looked like the Hall of Fame QB he will become once his playing days end. Stafford went 22 for 35 for 374 yards. He threw for 3 TD’s and had no interceptions against a really good Seattle secondary. Stafford exploited the inexperience of some Seahawks defensive backs and utilized the superior protection afforded him by the Rams’ offensive line while running through his progressions to repeatedly spot open receivers.

Two plays changed the game. A muffed punt by Xavier Smith was recovered by Seattle. On the next play, Seattle QB Sam Darnold found Jake Bobo in the end zone to put the Seahawks up 24-13. 

Behind Darnold’s guidance, Seattle extended the score to 31-20. When Seattle DB Riq Wooten was flagged for taunting LAR receiver Puka Nacua, Stafford went after Wooten and Nacua beat the DB to get the score to 31-27 after the extra point. 

LAR had another strong possession after a Seattle punt pinned them deep in their own territory. Stafford led the team down the field. Then some questionable play calling did LAR in. Runs instead of passes. And an unsuccessful fourth down pass which was swatted away left the Rams with no points on the drive instead of kicking a field goal and reducing the Seahawks lead to just one point. 

That might have been pivotal. The Rams got the ball with under thirty seconds and needed to score a touchdown instead of a field goal to win the game. 

Stafford made a game effort. His final completion to Nacua was caught in bounds. With no time outs left, the clock ran out and the game ended. 

Seattle was on the way to meet New England again in the Super Bowl. In 2015, a throw at the goal line by Seattle QB Russell Wilson was intercepted by New England’s Malcolm Butler, preserving a Patriots title. 

Could Darnold and his mates exact revenge for the fans in the Pacific Northwest? You know that’s on their minds. 

Meanwhile, New Englanders place their hopes on Maye and former Patriots great and current head coach Mike Vrabel, who resurrected a downtrodden franchise and has them back in the Super Bowl in his first year at the helm. It isn’t as ridiculous as it seems that the Patriots might win another title for the Kraft family, owners of the team.

To do so, New England needs to execute a precise game plan on offense. With Stafford’s brilliance demonstrating how to surgically operate on the Seattle defense, Maye must not make many mistakes. 

It is ironic that Maye can take pointers from Stafford. These two quarterbacks have repeatedly been mentioned as the top two candidates to win this season’s NFL M.V.P. Award. 

Not that it is a one man team. The Patriots have a top punt return threat in Marcus Jones, who set records this past season. Jones holds the highest career punt return average in NFL history.  And the Patriots' defense surrendered just over 200 total yards on Sunday, which while weather-driven, kept them in control of the game. 

Yet, to me, the deciding factor for the Super Bowl will be how Darnold plays. He nearly matched Stafford, going 25 for 36 for 346 yards and 3 TD’s. The former New York Jets top draft pick clearly rebounded from his poor showing last year with Minnesota in his first playoff game. 

Darnold is now an elite quarterback, worthy of mention with Stafford; Maye; Detroit’s Jared Goff; Dallas’s Dak Prescott; Trevor Lawrence of Jacksonville; Denver’s Nix. Darnold can  even be compared to KC’s Patrick Mahomes, who had a sub-par year and finished twelfth in the QB rankings but who also has three Super Bowl rings. I don’t think he has quite earned a comparison with the G.O.A.T., Tom Brady. 

So how the quarterbacks fare on February 8th in Santa Clara will go a long way towards deciding who is the champion of Super Bowl LX. Keep your eyes on them when you watch the game.

One thing we won’t have too much concern for is the cold and snowy weather of February. What we saw in Denver wasn’t pretty. Maybe the Coloradoans are hardy enough for that kind of precipitation. 

Correspondingly, CBS showed a snow-covered Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts, where the driving snow was augmented by bitter cold and wind. Imagine that scene had the Patriots garnered the top seed in the AFC. 

Games like Sunday’s have always been played in the home stadiums of teams in January. Too many times have we seen frigid temperatures which create less-than-optimal conditions for the players and fans. 

How many people died in Kansas City, suffered frostbite in Cincinnati or succumbed to bone-chilling temperatures in Green Bay to root for their team? Ditto the players, while handsomely paid, have to endure these nearly unthinkable surroundings. And what about ushers, support staff, broadcasters and their crew and any others necessary for the completion of the contest? Three of four layers of clothing may not be enough.

These fans were paying top dollar for the privilege of attending a game in potentially bad weather. For that matter, the prices for the CFP title game were beyond ridiculous, just like they will be for the Super Bowl, enriching the coffers of the owners and teams, while people make obvious choices to overspend for a lifetime of memories. Those memories should not be life-threatening. 

My wife astutely pointed out how, with the weather deteriorating, the Krafts were sequestered in a warm suite, watching the teams play. The Krafts are benevolent, but they also are in business to make money. While winning championships. 

Domed stadiums should be a must. When the health and safety of the fans and players is paramount, somehow domes are in cold weather locales or are planned for the future. 

Imagine if the NFC Championship was outdoors in Minneapolis with the icy grip of Winter paralyzing the city? How many people would be in peril? This is why there is a dome where the Vikings play. 

The NFL could change the way things are. Baseball did with COVID, going to neutral sites. Ditto the NBA and NHL. 

Either require that all new stadiums have domes in places where the cold invades or make all playoff games neutral site affairs. Enough of the spectacle of snow and freezing fans with owners warmly ensconced in booths while giving the appearance that they are special because of their wealth. 

If better weather conditions is what the Super Bowl is about, why not move the games leading up to it? The CFP took the second round games to bowls in warm weather. Are they smarter or less smug than the NFL? 

As a New York Jets season ticket holder for the past 49 years, I have not faced too many weather dilemmas based on the absence of home playoff games. I have maintained that my health would always come first if I had to make a choice about attending a playoff game in adverse weather. 

To me, that’s a no-brainer. And someone would buy my tickets if I sold them. Perhaps at a profit for me. 

The long-range forecast for Super Bowl Sunday is for a high of 70 degrees. I hope that the fans will have thawed out by that time in February. They deserve that much for the ridiculous prices they pay.