Blog Redux

  I wrote a very nice blog earlier this week, covering the NFL thus far. With a tiny bit devoted to Aaron Judge. 

Under the headline Dog Ate My Homework (and we don’t currently have a dog nor can I blame a neighbor’s pet), in the process of saving it and copying the article for my editor to review, it disappeared into the ether. Which is too bad, because I kind of liked what I had written.

Rather than try to recreate it, I move on. Last Sunday I relapsed and ended up watching TV sports all day. Which was a blessing, considering how I am still coughing and wheezing and now on a second set of medication which is only slightly helping. Getting in touch with my GP has become a process—she did a TeleMed on Monday and I called yesterday to provide an update and seek a refill on my inhaler, with her office making me call CVS to send her a fax request for the medication. Oh, and taking doxycycline on an empty stomach, in line with the instructions on the pill bottle label, is a no-no.

So, while I ruminate about how I think I am suffering from what is called “Post-COVID’ since many of my upper respiratory symptoms mirror what befell me in January, sports doesn’t stop simply because I’m ill. Just because I won the law school prize for medical malpractice doesn’t come close to making me an expert in medical science. Then again, because I watch TV sports incessantly and played some college baseball doesn’t exactly make me any more knowledgeable than Yankees manager Aaron Boone, a USC grad or Jets head man Robert Saleh, who matriculated at that football factory, Northern Michigan (Michigan State Hall of Fame hoops coach Tom Izzo and his pal, former 49’ers and Lions head coach who now is an analyst for the NFL Network, Steve Mariucci).

Those guys are handsomely paid for their work. My reward is in the praise and criticism you, my loyal readers, offer to me. 

One of my readers went after me for not writing enough about the NFL. Well, I was fixated on Aaron Judge and his pursuit of the American League home run record and the Triple Crown.  Largely because I am that kind of Yankees homer. And in this kind of magical season, a once in a generation if not better kind of season, following and reporting on Judge is, in my mind, perfectly acceptable. 

How are things in the NFL after two plus weeks? In flux is the best way to describe it. 

New York Giants fans are euphoric. A 2-0 start with a win at Tennessee after converting a 2 point conversion, followed by a gritty, field goal-laden victory in the home opener against Baker Mayfield and the Carolina Panthers. All the talk around the area is that the G-Men could make it three in a row on Monday night when the Cooper Rush-led Dallas Cowboys come to New Jersey. Notwithstanding that all-knowing and omnipotent Cowboys owner Jerry Jones has anointed Rush as his QB over the injured Dak Prescott, stating that a quarterback competition might actually be good. 

Let me set the record straight. The Giants are not in the upper echelon of NFL teams. I don’t know if any team from the NFC East belongs there—even with Philadelphia’s beat down of the Vikings, winners over Aaron Rodgers and Green Bay on Opening Day on Monday night; the Eagles barely escaped Detroit with a win on opening day.  Remember, Minnesota QB Kirk Cousins stinks on Monday nights. And how good are the Lions, or for that matter Washington, after Detroit beat the Commanders?

Remaining with the NFC North, all four teams are 1-1. Perhaps the Lions are better as it may cooer; they haven’t left Ford Field yet, which should test the team. The Bears may have beaten the 49’ers with Trey Lance at the helm, but they looked horrible in Green Bay. As for the Packers, I still believe that the loss to Minnesota isn’t fatal to their efforts. Nor would a loss this week at Tampa Bay hurt their aspirations. 

Speaking about Tom Brady—he now gets Wednesdays off to ready himself for the upcoming game. Nice perk, and one that might be necessary for domestic tranquility in the Brady household. Could his Bucs be the best in the NFC? Even with a win, it is too early to tell. 

What is surprising is that Carolina and Atlanta are 0-2. Maybe not the Falcons so much, but I thought Baker Mayfield might light up the league with a chip on his shoulder—perhaps the Browns knew something in jettisoning him?

The NFC West has four 1-1 teams. The Rams are defending Super Bowl champs and they have looked sluggish out of the gate. I am not enamored with either Arizona or Seattle. 

Things took a definite turn in that division when Niners QB Lance broke his ankle on Sunday. That’s when the unfairly-maligned Jimmy Garoppolo went under center and led the team to an easy win over Seattle. Jimmy G is a winner. 

I think he can lead the Niners to the NFC West crown. His incentive-laden contract will benefit him greatly. The fact that both sides moved on from their off-season acrimony will pay dividends for everybody. Sunday night’s game in Denver against old foe Russell Wilson will be a real good game and might show us that the Niners are for real.

Over in the AFC, there are two teams head and shoulders above everyone else. Buffalo is trouncing its opponents. They face a very improved Miami Dolphins squad, one which came back to down the Ravens in a 21 point rally in Baltimore. Despite Baltimore’s Lamar Jackson attaining a perfect QB rating. This will be an interesting matchup.

Then there is Kansas City. Patrick Mahomes II is on his game and the Chiefs look tough.  A trip to surprisingly woeful Indianapolis, where Matt Ryan is looking his age, could put KC at 3-0. 

Bigger shocks in the AFC are that Cincinnati, last year’s AFC representative in the Super Bowl, is 0-2 along with the Raiders, who experts believed would be a threat to the Chiefs and Chargers in the West. Vegas goes to another 0-2 shocker, Tennessee, in what appears to be a must-win scenario for both teams. 

Meanwhile, the Bengals come East to play the Jets. My team came back in the fourth quarter to win in Cleveland, ending a 14 game winless streak in September games. No matter how enthusiastic Head Coach Robert Saleh is, the Jets with either Joe Flacco or Zach Wilson guiding the offense, this team has a way to go. Nonetheless, I would not at all be surprised if the Jets win—they beat Cincinnati last year at home. 

Jacksonville won at home last week. They face a more imposing task when they take on the Chargers in Inglewood. The game turns on how well Justin Herbert can play—he suffered broken rib cartilage in KC and it limited his mobility. I fear he is one hit away from being out indefinitely. I like Herbert, and the Chargers will go as far as he can take them. 

While Cleveland currently leads the AFC North, I still feel that Baltimore is the class of the division. Pittsburgh is mediocre with Mitchell Trubinsky leading them; rookie Kenny Pickett won’t be the answer and alas, Steelers fans, Ben Roethlisberger isn’t coming back. 

Two other teams worth mentioning are the Patriots and Broncos. They will be on the cusp of teams vying for the playoffs. Russell Wilson is always exciting and they should have won at Seattle but for horrible clock management. With New England, Mac Jones is a steady leader, and Bill Belichick is, well, Bill Belichick, maybe the greatest coach of all time. 

Yeah, Judge hit number 60 in leading the Yankees back versus Pittsburgh. He remains tied with Babe Ruth when his fly ball landed in the glove of Red Sox outfielder Keke Hernandez on Thursday night, some 404 feet away from home plate. His laser throw from right field showed his prowess in the field. 

You know how I gush over Judge. I will have plenty more to say about him, baseball, the NFL, college football and even basketball and hockey.

That’s it. Blog Redux.