After the Superbowl, the sports landscape hits rock bottom. I find the month of February is the worst. Perhaps it is the sacrifice month you give back to your sweetheart. Pitchers and Catchers reporting to spring training is a yawn. The NBA soap operas and all-star game are nothing to get jacked up about. As teams play “red rover red rover and let so and so come over,” the NBA is not worth my time. The NHL is where I go to. It takes a few weeks to learn what is going on exactly with the league. You forget some names on the teams you follow, like the young guys coming up. The next few weeks instead of just looking at the standings regularly, you catch up on what you have missed throughout the hockey world.  While I caught up last weekend, I gave the AAF a whirl. I have a few takeaways.

THE PRODUCT ON THE FIELD:  I watched three out of the 4 games this weekend. The one I missed was the blowout between Orlando and Atlanta. The league is made up of 81% players that have played in the NFL. They had many players with only a cup of coffee.  I noticed many players that have played in the league for multiple years. All of the players have the same contract. Most of these players want to make it to the NFL, or even get back in the NFL. I noticed many players happy  to be there and playing their hearts out. Just playing the game again, a dream reborn. All the games were interesting because these teams played hard together. They played hungry which makes it a better game to watch. The brand of football they played got my attention.

RULES NOT A FAN OF:   They have punt returns, but no kick offs. The onside kick is obsolete. The kick off is one of the most exciting plays in the game of football. The hits. The run backs. That to me will take some time to get used to.

The defensive rule where only five defenders can only blitz. First thing about rules like this… it ruins the game. Why handicap one side of the ball like that? Throwing the kitchen sink at the offense is something that is not done on every snap. Trying to get pressure on key down to force a turnover is a valuable strategic part of a defensive unit. Plus seeing quarterbacks stand in the pocket and hang on to the ball until the last possible second, finding a receiver crossing over the middle and letting it fly. These plays can result in huge plays for the offense. It’s a gamble now that is taken away. Seems like the Referees have problems calling that penalty. The sky cam is the one that catches defenses blitzing too many players.

RULES I DID ENJOY: I like going for two point conversions instead of kicking extra points. This makes that part of the game really interesting. Kicking extra points is relatively way too easy. Once in a while they shank it. The two point conversion adds more strategic moves by the offense and the defense on how to stop them.

On the plays that were challenged, I did like seeing the guy talk about what he was seeing on all the views in the replay booth. Asking the referees what they saw out there. Felt like when you watch a game with friends and throw your two cents into the ring as you watch the different views of the replay. As you can see and hear, they are trying to get the play on the field right.

GOOD DEFENSE: The whole league only had a certain time frame to get everything installed on their offense and defenses. Plus the same amount of time frame to get in game shape. Defense will obviously be ahead of the offense in those situations like that. I noticed teams were tackling very well which has become a lost art in the game. The San Antonio Commanders  defense looked awesome. The Birmingham squad looked good against a bad offense. We will see when they play a much better offense as the season goes on. Mike Singletary’s defense – the bend and will not break and stopping teams in the red zone. To allow only field goals in those situations is huge. Only if they had an offense. Arizona Hotshots looks legit. Some big NFL names in their unit.

LETTING THEM PLAY: The NFL during regular season were way too flag happy. Then in big moments in the playoffs they forgot how to throw a flag. I noticed the AAF this first week, they let these guys play football. No ticky tack calls were made on every other play like some of the NFL referee teams they had officiating. It was good to see the AAF does not call pass interference call on the slightest contact. However they are not gun shy to  make calls on the total obvious.

SKY CAM GOOD AND BAD: The jury is still out on the AAF sky cam. I think it’s good to have an eye in the sky. Only to help with the big controversial plays I’m in favor of. If it constantly is  interrupting the play on the field for illegal defenses, I’m not a fan.  Most of the time the refs are missing this rule because it is too hard to enforce.

PLAYERS REBORN: Trent Richardson had high hopes in the NFL. He bombed with the Browns and the Colts. He looked awesome in his debut with the Birmingham Iron with a few touchdowns. The way he broke through tacklers. He had some moves as well. If he continues this all season, he will definitely punch his ticket back to the NFL.

THE VULTURE: Matt Asiata used to take all the goal line carries for the Vikings. Adrian Peterson would get the team all the way down to the goal line. Then Matt Asiata would bulldoze his way into the end zone for the score. He racked up many scores like that for the Vikings. He even had three of them in one game. He’s back to his same old tricks with the very first ever score for the Salt Lake City Stallions. He was used on the offense, besides the goal line package. I thought he made a few good runs on Sunday Night. If he becomes the whole package as a running back, he will get offers to come back to the NFL.

Good to see familiar faces in the league. To see them get a second chance playing the game of football. This will probably be their best road back to the NFL.

Week one watching the overall action of the Alliance has me coming back for week two. It earned that. I will have some takeaways again next week and really dissect this league from top to bottom. Find out if it really is something to keep watching.

 

 

 

Are you ready for more football? Not even a week after the Superbowl, a new league is arriving to your television. Perhaps one of the eight teams have invaded your city. A.A.F. stands for Alliance of American Football. It sounds like an insurance company or the Rebels and the Imperial forces making a pact with each other. This is not the first attempt to do a Spring football league, it’s been tried multiple times and has not worked. Are people at this time of year just plain sick of football? Clemson and Alabama are far more superior than any other college program. Then what the NFL shoves down your throat on a regular basis. Could another league be the answer and fix your football needs? Can a new league even be relevant against other sports? The NHL and NBA are gearing up for the playoffs. While March Madness will be in a higher gear. Plus, baseball is getting started. Who will watch a new league of football?  Can this league do well? So many questions, but not enough answers.

The show must go on, as all the investments are in to construct this new league. They had a draft so each team from eight cities has a roster in place with a coaching staff. I imagine tickets and merchandise have been purchased already. It will have people excited, especially in the cities they picked.  Most of the teams are from cities that do not have an NFL team. Only Arizona and Hot Atlanta have NFL teams. All the cities they picked have a stadium already in place for these teams to have their home games at. I love the idea of Turner field that was abandoned by the Atlanta Braves, being used for the Atlanta Legends. I like how the San Diego team will be using the same stadium that the Chargers left. The San Diego Fleet, they call themselves, which is one of the best names in the league. They will have better facilities than their old tenants,  the NFL LA Chargers, because their home games were played at a soccer stadium. Perhaps they might get a bigger following than the Chargers ever did. The Eastern conference is Atlanta, Birmingham, Memphis, and Orlando. While the Western Conference consists of Arizona, Salt Lake City, San Antonio and of course San Diego. Some of these cities had other teams once upon a time ago in other football leagues that folded. The league folding does not mean these cities did badly with the fan bases at the time.

MY FAVORITE THREE HELMETS

Something about the battle ship and the colors for San Diego Fleet stands out to me. You have to love the axes from the Hot Shots as well. Then the Greek god, I take it, shooting the arrow to make it show time at the Apollos in Orlando.  Usually the cool logos are never the winning teams.

Like Martin Luther King said, “I had a dream,” someone had to have a dream to be the founder of this football league. The founder is Charlie Ebersol. He is the son of Dick Ebersol, one of the brains behind the operations of the one and done XFL league. First thing, wrestling and football do not go together. You don’t need Mean Gene as your side line reporter. I will say, back in the 1980’s I did like seeing William “the Refrigerator” Perry in the battle royale that took place in the wrestling ring.

 

I think Charlie will not be sorry as he handed off the football operations to a very smart man, in Bill Polian. Bill Polian was the architect of some great teams like when he held the General Manger title for the Buffalo Bills. He constructed the Bills that had Jim Kelly leading his team to  4 Superbowls in a row. The Bills had a ton of talent to accomplish getting there that many times. He also built those Indianapolis Colts teams, like the one that beat the Bears in 2006 in that Superbowl. Their words of wisdom for the AAF, “It’s football for football people, by football people.” The backbone of this league is that the product on the field is what matters the most. Good football is what most of the fans want. They have guys like Jeff Fisher and Troy Polamalu inserted in the day to day operations to make sure things are running smoothly and they achieve their goal and make this into football first.

It is a league that has lots of NFL flavor. Each team has a big name guy that has coached at one point in the NFL. Mike Martz took over the greatest show on turf and the Kurt Warner Rams in St. Louis. Plenty of years as the offensive coordinator. When Martz worked with Jay Cutler, that was really genius stuff in Chicago. NOT. Like wrestling and football don’t mix.  Martz is head coach of the San Diego Fleet. Then one of the greatest linebackers to ever play the game. Killed more quarterbacks with his deadly stare than tackling them. Mike Singletary from the ’85 Bears is coaching the Memphis Express. He was head coach of the San Francisco 49ers and did  tours as assistant. Then a guy who seems like he’s coached in many of these start up leagues. He was a wonderful college coach with the crazy offensive formations. Steve Spurrier is coaching the Orlando Apollos. He did well in the old USFL league in the early 1980s.  He also was head coach of the Washington Redskins. The Salt Lake City Stallions are being coached by Dennis Erickson. He was head coach for the Seattle Seahawks and San Francisco 49ers. I like the idea that each team has an  experienced head coach . Many of these guys have did it done it before.  These guys will not be jumping ship on their first offer they get, if they do well in this league. I think it makes the players better too.

The USFL in the early 1980’s had the talent of young stars. They would have won the arms race versus Russia back then with guys like Jim Kelly, Doug Flutie, Doug Williams, and Steve Young . The AAF have cast off quarterbacks from the NFL. Guys that could not get their feet wet in the NFL. Guys that had some chances, but failed from poor play or injuries. Guys like Christian Hackenberg, Trevor Knight,  Aaron Murray and Zack Mettenberger. The Hershel Walkers of the AAF names are more familiar than the quarterbacks. Zac Stacy, former Ram. Denard Robinson, who was running quarterback at Michigan University. Was drafted in the NFL and used as running back for the Jaguars. Trent Richardson who was a bust with the Browns and Colts.Then Bishop Sankey who did have some good games in the NFL running the ball for the Titans. The AAF has some former defensive players. Throw in some former kickers of the NFL. The Chicago Bears should monitor that. Every player in the AAF is looking to show case what talent they either still have or a coming out kind of talent for the NFL. Each player, no matter who you are, gets a three year non guaranteed contract for 250,000. You can make more money from bonuses. Team based performance bonuses. They can get individual fan engagement incentives if they are really strapped for cash. This should keep the league competitive.

The  AAF has added their own twist on things for how they do things differently from the NFL.  They have no owners of each team. The league runs all the teams.  When it comes to building the teams, they have a quarterback draft. Then they allocate talent regionally.  Players that have played in colleges closest to the city of the team, will likely be playing there. The reason is so you are familiar with your players to draw more interest, rather than not knowing anyone.

The rules of the AAF are interesting as well, as they are doing some of their own things compared to the NFL. No kickoffs, which I don’t like. Taking a wonderful play out of the game, to me the run back is awesome to watch.  They are trying to speed up the games by going to 35 seconds on the play clock. Every sport is trying to speed up the game. Everyone has to be somewhere else all of a sudden. That is one less beer per game in my world. Teams will start on their own 25 yard line. No onside kicks either. They have substituted this play. They have to convert a 4th down and ten, and it depends how much you are down by. No extra points, only two point conversions. This is a rule that I’m in favor of. Overtime is like college. Both teams get the ball. However it’s first and goal from the ten yard line. No field goals. Team has to score a touchdown and then go for two point conversion.

There have been so many attempts at a professional football league that has played their games in the spring time. It is better than trying to go against the NFL at the same time, when the NFL plays in fall.  Ask the great President Trump on that great idea. As he ran the USFL into the ground. Then you have the XFL coming back next season and they can see what the AAF does and try to make their league better in the process. The idea of playing football and having a league that is competitive and not watered down like the NBA, is a good thing. I hate when they mess with the traditional parts of the game. Practically no special teams is annoying. I want to see a well balanced game with defense, not being handicapped. If this is going to arena or flag football it will be garbage. I think they need to keep the league small until they build up the fan bases and not think about expanding to other cities. They need to keep it simple. I do like that they have many football people involved.

I will watch and judge on my own. The chances of this league being a success are slim.  The league will simply fold. Another possibility is the NFL buys it, and makes a minor league system out of it like they did to the World League in the early 1990s. I know the AAF and XFL will not be able to function together at the same time next season and be profitable. Yes, perhaps both  leagues will merge sometime in the years to come. Fat chance of that happening. I do know the month of February is the suckiest sports month of them all. I can see this league will be the bridge to get me into baseball, March Madness, and beyond.

Early in 2018, a long time ago in a galaxy far far away. We thought the Philadelphia Eagles ended the Evil Empire’s New England Patriots for good. It was a back up Jedi quarterback that led the assault on the Death Star and prevailed. The Empire did some retooling and showed up to the following regular season. The team was mostly the same. The performance on the field was not that old scary team the Empire likes to bring to the table. It was just good enough against the Rams in the Superbowl.

The defense was allowing big time money at Menards. They could hardly stop anybody. Tom Brady was just a shell of his former self. Gronk was like the tin can from the Wizard of Oz needing much oil. More leaking oil and crying out foul on almost every single play. Then there was the Miami Miracle. With all of the gaping holes in the armor, the Patriots still managed to grab the number two seed in the AFC. Most assumed they would fall hard in the playoffs.

They suddenly found their old ways blowing up the Chargers in the Divisional round.  A ticky tack call on off sides by the Chiefs defensive player saved them from doom in Kansas City. New Orleans gets the shaft on the miss call heard around the world. That resulted in playing a young quarterback instead of a hall-of-famer who’s been there. Who has won the big game once, with Drew Brees and his Saints . The Patriots offense only mustered up 13 points on Sunday. The Patriots defense stopped one of the better offenses in the league and held them to 3 stinking points. The results… another Superbowl title for the New England Patriots.

If you have a weak stomach, these numbers will make you sick.

Patriots have won 6 Superbowls which ties the Steelers for most ever.

The Patriots have been to 8 straight Championship games.

This was the fifth time they made the Superbowl in 8 years.

This is the third year in a row they made the big game.

This is the second time they have went to three straight Superbowls.

The Patriots now have 35 players in their franchise history who have at least three Superbowl rings.

When it really mattered, the Patriots made adjustments. They changed their styles on both sides of the ball. On offense they did not just rely on Tom Brady’s arm to do most of the heavy lifting. They went with more of a run control offense with a three headed monster in the back field splitting the load. Then Brady would use his security blanket over the middle. The Angry Elf, Julian Edelman, for some odd reason teams forgot about him. As he was constantly wide open on every third down play. He was MVP of the Superbowl with ten catches. Tom Brady becomes the oldest quarterback ever to win a Superbowl. With the running game installed, Brady could see a few more years before walking away from the game. A few more years piling up more numbers and more wins. Perhaps another title is not out of the question.

On defense, the Patriots looked very bad at stopping the run in regular season. Bill Belichick is the mastermind when it comes to fixing things that are broken. Especially on defense, his cup of tea. He came up with game plans that turned the defense around in the biggest games of the year. The defense that halted one of the best offenses in the 2018 regular season on the biggest stage of the year. The man under the hooded sweatshirt is now 31-11 in all of post season play. By far, the best winning percentage by any coach in post season history.

Both Brady and Belichick will be back again next season. In pursuit of their 7th title. You have to believe they want the Patriots to be standing by themselves in almost every record in the book that matters to them. To keep the ego and arrogance at an all-time high. They might not come back with the same roster, but you know they will reload. They will draft well. They will make some kind of trade that will look like small potatoes at the time. Then it pans out into a big deal.

A 7th Superbowl title is not impossible. The Patriots have a very easy road to the playoffs playing in the AFC East. Their division opponents are all in rebuilds that have been going on for over a decade. Dolphins will seek out a young quarterback in the draft, in my opinion. That will give each team the Patriots play in their own division a young quarterback to face.  Nothing like feasting on the bottom of the food chain. Most likely these groups will not be able to dethrone the almighty Patriot empire. Practically already cemented in the playoffs before the season begins, they will of course get all the lucky breaks when the playoffs resume after the 2019 regular season.

It was not the Tom Brady tuck rule game this year. I do think one play that helped the Patriots win this years Superbowl happen in another game. It was that no call at the end of the Saints and Rams game. This play prevented the Saints from getting to the Superbowl. I think the Saints would have scored more than 13 points against the Patriots defense. Pressure does not rattle Brees in comparison to Goff. Perhaps even cover Edelman over the middle. Call me crazy, but no defense coordinator thought about covering him.

Plus, to escape Kansas City after throwing an interception late in that game. The offside call. Yes, that is the way the cookie crumbles for teams other than the Patriots. Patriots have more lives than any cat. More scandals caught on tape than J. Edgar Hoover. Can the Bills, Dolphins, and Jets combine their rosters and see if they can prevent the Evil Empire from winning yet another division?  Hopefully some team in the AFC has a Jedi quarterback that can take down the Evil Empire next season, to end their tyranny for good.

Life in St.Louis is not fair these days. The Midwest is experiencing arctic temperatures which is not enjoyable for any city. It’s the sports landscape that has been very depressing. The Hockey team is actually singing the blues, playing 500 hockey. It was another season that your baseball team did not make the playoffs. Two teams in the Cardinals division made the playoffs. Then to rub salt in the wounds, you have Cub players making fun of your city in the off-season. Then your football stadium remains empty. Country bands have been using the stadium since your ex-girlfriend left town.Then to make you full of Cardinal red rage, your X bitch the Rams, who broke your heart, are in the Superbowl. Then you realize what did you see in that bitch the Rams as they cheated the Saints out of the Superbowl. She is up to her old tricks again as she got away with a pass interference call and broke the heart of others, just like she did to you when she moved out of town. There goes my old football team with another diamond ring. Tell me what it takes to let her go.

It’s been three years since the Rams left the city of St.Louis and headed for LA. The Rams came from LA and stayed in St.Louis for 21 years. They made it to two Superbowls, winning one of them. The owner of the Rams was not up front with the people of St.Louis. In 2014 he quietly purchased land in California to set things in motion. Even though the dome in St.Louis is not even 20 years old.The city and state are still paying for the dome as roughly 60 million is still owed. St.Louis even offered to build the Rams another brand spanking new stadium on the river front which would of cost 1.1 billion. Again, the dome they originally built for the Rams is not even 20 years old. Stan Kronenke, the owner of the Rams, did not move his team like Art Modell did when he was the owner of the Browns. Sneaking them out of town in the wee hours of the night. Stan Kronenke found a small clause in the contract. The Rams had the right to leave St.Louis’ dome if it was among the top 25% of all NFL stadiums. Stan had a plan from the get go. He was not listening to anybody in the city of St.Louis. He strung them along while he got what he wanted from the relationship. It was wham bam thank you mam. Just like that, St.Louis lost their second NFL team. Once upon a time, they had the Cardinals who moved to Arizona.

Most former St.Louis Ram fans these days have gravitated to the Kansas City Chiefs. It’s a team in the same state. It’s a team with red uniforms which St.Louis likes due to the Cardinals. Which team should people of St.Louis root for in the upcoming Superbowl? The team that you bought a home with and then left you paying all the bills? The other choice is go with one of the most hated teams in the NFL, the Evil Empire New England Patriots. The same Patriots who cheated you out of a Superbowl title in 2002 according to former Rams players at that time, that includes the great Kurt Warner. Both backstabbers. If you got back together with either one, they’d leave you a second time at the altar or with a knife in your back.

Almost everyone in the world probably wants to see the Evil Empire crumble. Everyone is clearly sick of Tom Brady and the Bill Belichick show. They are sick of their egos and their arrogance which would make a goat upchuck as it comes on so strong you can not digest it. Then you’ve got actual cities that have a dislike for the Rams. They have a list on which they have earned a spot. Not the Santa Clause Naughty and Evil Patriot list. Definitely the Patriots deserved. Dam that Drew Bledsoe for getting injured that year that led to this demon seed being born. The Rams have St.Louis hating them for moving out.Then the Rams cheated the Saints out of a Superbowl appearance. Sure you can blame it on the refs in that contest. However you better believe Saints fans are sticking huge epidermic needles through both Patriots and Rams voodoo dolls. I’m sure the Rams have haters from other towns where their football team have left them. San Diego fans could be rooting on the Rams even though they are a team that did the same thing as the Chargers. Perhaps the San Diego agenda would be Chargers do not draw a lot of fans in LA. It puts them in a worse position than they left.

It is the Superbowl so you have to declare a winner. How do you satisfy the people that want retribution? I think you have to think outside of the box. You have to go Mad Max Beyond the Thunderdome. Let both of these teams kill each other off in the Thunder Dome. Since it is in Atlanta, Georgia they have their own version of a gladiator fight. Their Governor.

They throw their fighters in the zombie ring. I think most would like to see Tom Brady and Stan Koronenke kill each other or get chewed up by zombies.

Make a whole evening out of it. You could even play football with the field packed with zombies just eating away Patriot players, coaches, upper management, and definitely throw Roger Kraft in the mix. Kraft would fold like a wet macaroni noodle. Then the same thing with the Rams. We do not need two LA teams. I was happy when they had none. It’s one less California team to worry about. At the end of the football zombie feast, Stan Kroenke will get the trophy as St.Louis people can walk him off the Buccaneer ship’s plank into a hoard of zombies. Yes, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers let them borrow their pirate ship because it is the Superbowl and anything can happen. Throw in the football commissioner and we dotted our I’s and crossed all our T’s. Then St. Louis would feel like they have their closure and they could welcome their new football team from the XFL in 2020, and “He hate me.”

Breaking news… another superstar in the NBA wants out of his current situation. This is not breaking news or anything new when it comes to the NBA. This is the norm. In soap operas, the norm is Dr. Drake will sleep with his wife’s sister. Episodes later, Dr. Drake will take a bullet to head. The bullet takers in the NBA this go around, are the New Orleans Pelicans. Their big man they pay 25 million dollars a season, wants out.  Anthony Davis wants to force a trade to a contender. It has to be the LA Lakers because they are, of course, the only contending team out there.

The Lakers are only three games better than the Pelicans, as they are chasing the 8th spot in the playoffs, as of today. To the eye test, the Lakers would not be a contending team just from looking at the standings. However we do know Lebron James shares an agent with Anthony Davis. Rich Paul is the slime who is orchestrating the plan. The middleman who is part of the grand scheme to bring Anthony Davis to LA to build the norm in the NBA CALLED… THE BIG THREE. Do you think Lebron James would go to LA for the money and Hollywood and play with younger guys and develop them and guide them to the playoffs and beyond?  If you picked answers A & B you are correct. Lebron James’ group is like a terrorist cell. They have certain dates and times they plot and make their attack. Anthony Davis is strapped with a bomb vest as he demands the trade, or he blows the Pelicans out of the water.

It was not long ago, in the beginning of the season, that we saw this take place. It was Jimmy Butler who wanted out. The Timberwolves did not grant him a wish as the big money is not enough for these players as they treat all these organizations like genies, and think they have a never ending list of wishes.

Jimmy Butler played some games for the Timberwolves before the trade. He probably acted like George Costanza as he wanted out of his contract for the Yankees. The New York Mets offered him a better deal. George had to get fired so he was doing it all to make sure that happened.

 

Finally the Timberwolves made the deal and sent Jimmy Butler to the Philadelphia 76ers. The Timberwolves who made it to the playoffs last season are only 24-26 this season. They fired their head coach. They probably did not get what they gave up for Jimmy Butler. These Superstar want out, they get their wish, and then they leave their former team like a bloody crime scene. Same thing will probably happen in New Orleans. It will be a beach of bloody dead birds washed up getting picked at by other birds, as their stock will drop and they’ll be looking to hit the reset button. The reset button is nothing like an easy button as it take the franchise years to rebound after Anthony Davis leaves Mardi Gras town.

Anthony Davis was fined $50.000 for violating the collective bargaining agreement. He had Rich “the slime bag” Paul go public with the trade demand.  Anthony Davis and his people and his buddy Lebron, have no respect for the New Orleans Pelicans. Telling people he will only sign with the Lakers and no one else. That domino takes out most of the league. If a team makes a trade for Anthony Davis, he most likely will only be a one year rental. If you’re the Boston Celtics, do you gamble a few pieces away to have Anthony Davis finish out the year and the playoff run? Would he be the player to put the Celtics over the top of such a team like the Warriors, if these two teams met in the championship? If you win the championship and Anthony Davis likes the team which could be a long shot, he might want to come back and sign a long term deal.  Thinking like that has to be thrown out the window. This is the NBA, nobody is loyal in the league which is equivalent to Days of Our Lives or All My Children.

It’s quite disturbing how the NBA has such a huge following. For decades many players in every sport, demanded trades. In the NBA, the superstars run the league. In the days of Michael Jordan, every team had superstars. You can name a few players from each team. It was a better game. It had more entertaining rivals. Because teams stayed together. Teams added pieces for sure. Plus, you could build from the draft and be successful. Nowadays, the big three is the only way.  If you can not establish the big three super start team and quick, it will not matter. If you have one superstar or even come up short by one, your time is up. It does not matter even if you play in a big market either, see the Chicago Bulls. The big three way of doing things creates too many messes. In due time, the whole league of the NBA will be in disarray as many cities will want nothing to do with this concept. Why would you want to pay big dollars for tickets to watch your team always going back to the drawing board? It only leads to your favorite player wearing multiple jerseys from different cities, most of them in ruins. Not sure if today’s NBA fan pays attention to what is on the front of the jersey. It is more about  what’s on the back of the jersey and that is why it is a backwards league.

Many people are probably still in shock after what they saw on Sunday. Two NFL championships that went into overtime. Two nail biter games that came close to drawing blood, biting all the way down to the nubs of the fingers. Two calls, one from each game, could have landed the two home teams in the Superbowl, rather than the two teams that prevailed on Sunday. The visiting teams. Obviously the championships the NFL was letting them play. Referees were not calling all the ticky tack fouls like in regular season. Or is it just the way the NFL sets up rules with more holes in it than Swiss cheese that cost the Saints and Chiefs?

In the Saints Rams, how did the refs miss the receiver not get blown up in the last two minutes? Then in the Chiefs and Patriots game they threw a flag on  a guy lined up in the neutral zone that had nothing to do with the play. It was the one play that cost his team the game. Sure the refs saw him lined up in the neutral zone. Lined up inches over the line. Then they overturned a punt play with no clear evidence that Julian Edelman did not touch the ball which was originally ruled he did. Things usually do even out when it comes to calls in games. Both games had these plays where the referee had the eagle eyes one play, but then the next play was the blind leading the blind.

In the Saints and Rams with under two minutes left to play, Drew Brees launches up a pass down the side line. The ball is in the air as the Saints receiver, Tommy Lee Lewis, is open. He’s looking at the ball floating in the air coming his way. Then BAM!!! Nickell Robey-Coleman lights him up. Then the ball hits the ground. Two red flags pop up on the same play in my head. Even the sold out crowd was thinking the same thing. Probably the Rams players or even the Rams fans at home watching it on TV. Pass interference is the easy one as the Rams defender mauled him before the ball got to his hands. The second flag, helmet to helmet contact the Rams player made with the Saints receiver. Rams fans were thinking, “Well, it was a great run. We improved from the season before and won a playoff game instead of going one and done.” However, not one yellow flag was on the New Orleans turf. Boos erupted over the whole stadium. Nickell Robey-Coleman was like OJ Simpson, if the glove does not fit you cant equit. It was like having 75,000 witnesses on the scene telling the same story over and over. How he did the crime, but received no time.  The zebras pronounce the Rams not guilty. Saints instead kick the field goal instead of running the clock down and getting the lead for good with only seconds left.

When it comes to New England, they must have naked pictures of somebody. Perhaps Bill Belichick has mercenaries pointing guns on  the referees’ families. How the Patriots  got out of the Julian Edelman call baffles me. Maybe he did not touch that ball. What proof did the refs or anybody else see to change that call on the field when it looked like he did touch it? You need conclusive evidence to change the call originally ruled on the field. It did not take very long for the Chiefs to get the ball back with the interception. Cheaters never win raced through my mind when Kansas City took that in for a score after getting screwed on the Edelman play. Other plays that were so bad in this contest, included the roughing call on Chiefs defensive line man, Chris Jones. Obviously going for the ball, he slapped the almighty Tom Brady’s shoulder pads. He gets flagged for that. That helped the Patriots continue to march down the field. Then the Chris Hogan catches. At least one of them should have been over turned. Ball clearly was trapped by the ground. Plus the ball was moving,  he did not have complete control.  No dice the Patriots get their way and both calls that were replayed calls were upheld on both catches Chris Hogan was questioned about.

If those mighty Patriots had a guy inches lined up in the neutral zone, would they have gotten called for that?  After the game Andy Reid said usually the referees will warn a player about lining up in the neutral zone before they actually call it. In overtime you could say on that Drew Brees interception he was hit in the head with helmet on helmet contact. The NFL always bellowing safety first. That’s why so many flags were thrown during regular season  on helmet to helmet contact. It will get a team every time. I can see letting these teams play it out in the playoffs. Not calling every little penalty on tomfoolery. Most receivers think they should throw a flag on each play if they don’t come up with the catch and signaling their own first down. NFL and the refs were all over the map with these calls this Sunday. First, missing the very obvious. Then if you preach safety, don’t change the way you call it in the playoffs. If you see it call it. Many plays in both games had the helmet to helmet contact and most of them were obviously. Some were called, most were not.

The problems I see are the NFL has rules that they do not even understand. Especially, what is a catch? They’ve been working on this for a freaking decade trying to figure out what a catch actually is. Plus pass interference, they make everything hard on defense. Everybody gets used to the regular ruling and then they change their philosophy in the playoffs. Why can you not challenge the pass interference call? You can challenge the spot of the football.   The NFL is too busy trying to speed up the game. They are too busy handicapping the defense, making it a flag football competition.

The NFL is ruining the game, especially because they want every game to be competitive since the league is watered down. Then they could easily have close games and their stupid changes effect games where referees are screwing up the outcomes of very important games. I think everyone is sick of the Patriots way. Tom Brady and the Evil Empire get away with murder each year in the playoffs. From the fumble tuck rule years ago, when they should have lost to the Raiders. Then this year where all these stupid rules only help the Patriots prevail. If you want the Patriots in every Superbowl, why even play a regular season? Now the NFL will be bringing in legal gambling on football. Looks like the refs are practicing to line the pockets of the NFL, fixing the outcomes how they want them. Now we are stuck with a rematch between the Rams and Patriots. Where it all started for the Evil Empire 17 years ago. I will root for the Rams. However, since the Patriots lost last year they will be assigned the win in the Superbowl in two weeks. Everyone knows both outcomes were not decided fairly. The real Superbowl should have been the Saints versus Chiefs. The two best quarterbacks in the league. Both teams had the game won. The game was taken away by the NFL stupid logic coming up with rules that make no sense. Trying to enforce them even makes these rules look pathetic because too many moving parts.

SUNDAY JANUARY 20,2018

PLAYOFFS ROUND THREE(CHAMPIONSHIPS)

NFC CHAMPIONSHIP

AT

THE MATCH UP

RAMS AT SAINTS

Met once in regular season, Saints prevailed.

Rams and Saints are the top two teams in the conference. Both teams are very good on both sides of the ball. Both teams have many play makers that can come up with the big key play to win it for their team. I think the Saints have the better offense. While the Rams have the better defense.

This will be a close game. I think the Saints defense will take out Todd Gurley and that running game, leaving it up to Jared Goff to beat them. I do like the Saints run defense, they will be able to contain Gurley. If you can get pressure on Goff you can rattle him. The Saints will need to stop Aaron Donald any way they can and give Brees that extra split second. Wade Phillips will have to come up with something very clever to stop the Saints offense. I see them taking a page out of the Cowboys playbook, bringing all kinds of pressure from every direction to force Brees to make a mistake. Goff will need to have one of his best games if they want to win in New Orleans.  I think Sean Peyton will have a different game plan where he will use his two headed monster in the back field and wear out the Rams defense by running the ball and quick passes out of the back field.

I like the Saints in this one. NO PLACE LIKE THE DOME. I believe this year is the Saints’ year. Plus Drew Brees is a hall of fame quarterback and he is going to get the job done. I think Sean Peyton will ou- coach Sean McVay and Wade Phillips, throwing the kitchen sink at them.

OUR PICK: SAINTS

AFC CHAMPIONSHIP

AT

THE MATCH UP

PATRIOTS AT CHIEFS

Both teams have met in regular season with the Patriots prevailing.

Last time these two met it was a high scoring affair and a great game. I expect this match up to be another shoot out. The weather will be cold which both teams are used to. I do not see it affecting either team’s playbook. Tom Brady looked like his former self last week as the Patriots destroyed the visiting Chargers with ease. Chiefs led by Patrick Mahomes looked sharp as he guided his team over the red hot Colts. Both teams have very talented offenses. I think Kansas City with all their weapons of mass destruction gets the edge over the aging dinosaurs the Patriots have. I give the Chiefs the nod with the better defense especially how they put the brakes down hard on Luck and the Colts. Andy Reid is a great coach. However, the man under the hooded sweat shirt will have a better game plan. Most likely stole the Chiefs game plan somehow during the week. It is the playoffs, during which the Patriots are a different animal.

The big key to this game is the Chiefs at home. With the win last week over the Colts, they broke that nasty streak they were on with bad home playoff losses. They never had Patrick Mahomes during those games and he is a big difference. Even though the Patriots are different animal in the playoffs which they are, this is a road game for them. The Patriots  have been to more Superbowls than road playoff games. The Death Star is unstoppable in New England with the home cooking. Plus in the regular season the Patriots struggled big time. Tom Brady looked like a shell of his old self. I might be heading down a dark road with no head lights, but this is the game the Patriots fall in. The Chiefs defense will make Brady uncomfortable in the cold and with the loud fans it will not pleasant. I don’t think the Patriot defense can contain the Chiefs offense. I’m throwing out a bold statement in this prediction. This is the end of the Empire Empire. January 20, 2019 is the date where the Patriots empire will start to crumble. It will be a bad loss for them that eats away at the Death Star all off season like termites on wood. Big changes will happen. Give me an AMEN !!!!!

OUR PICK: CHIEFS

The NFL is down to the final four. With two games on the Sunday slate that will decide who is going to the Superbowl in Atlanta. Both the AFC and the NFC championships feature the two best teams from both conferences. What would be the best match up to watch out of the 4 different combinations?

THE FALL OF THE EVIL EMPIRE

Whatever combo takes place for this year’s Superbowl it has to be the fall of the Evil Empire. Yes, the end of an era to the New England Patriots. The Patriots might not even get in this Superbowl because they have to play Kansas City, which will not be easy for the hooded man in the Sweat shirt. We do not need to see the Empire Strikes Back, even though that was the best Star Wars movie of them all. We don’t need Tom Brady coming back and winning the Superbowl to revenge last year’s loss to the Eagles. I do not want to see Tom Brady’s story end with him walking off into the sunset.

THIS IS WHAT I WANT TO SEE HAPPEN TO THE EMPIRE

I want opposing defenses to swarm the Patriots. Wrap them up and knock the day lights out of them.

I want Tom Brady to feel like this after the loss. Most of the year he has been a shell of his old self anyways. It tells you how weak the AFC is, to designate a regular spot for the Patriots each year, even when they are not as good.

I’m hoping the Chiefs give the GRONK the white washes he deserves as they bury this big bastard in the snow bank.

THE END OF THE EVIL EMPIRE

The best Superbowl game out of the four combos.

NEW ORLEANS SAINTS VERSUS KANSAS CITY CHIEFS

First thing… this game does not have the Patriots in it. This game intrigues me the most because it has two of the best offenses in the league. Both teams would be number one seeds from each conference. Both teams have the two best quarterbacks this season. Both of them are probably neck and neck in the MVP race. Let this game decide that trophy as well. Winner take all. Both teams have lots of intriguing play makers as well. Whoever has the ball last type of Superbowl wins it.

TIDBITS I LIKE:

If Saints win the Superbowl, Drew Brees  would have his second ring. He seems like he gets the shaft when it comes to all-time great conversation of best quarterbacks in the league. Even though his numbers back it up. Two rings would be hard to keep him out of that conversation.

The last time the Chiefs were in the Superbowl, it was 1970. Superbowl IV versus the Vikings and a win.

The second best combo Superbowl.

NEW ORLEANS SAINTS VERSUS NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS

This game would feature two for sure Hall of Fame quarterbacks. Reminds me of the Montana Marino show down in the 1980s. Both quarterbacks are up there in age. Brees is getting better with age. Brady was playing well at Brees’ age. You can not count out Tom Brady, look at last weekend when he looked like his old self. He did not look like Peyton Manning on his last leg like he did in the regular season. Another Superbowl where who has the ball last probably wins the game.

TIDBITS I LIKE:

If the Saints win the Superbowl this year, will they have any kind of controversy follow them next year? Last time the Saints won the Superbowl it was bounty gate that followed.

If New England makes in the Superbowl, would it be the end of the great Gronk win or lose?

If he has been hobbled on offense fighting through nagging injuries playing tight end, maybe they move him to a different position. Maybe free safety is more up to his speed. SEE MIAMI MIRACLE…..

Third best combo.

LA RAMS VERSUS KANSAS CITY CHIEFS

These two teams met in regular season on Monday Night. It was the best game of the year if you like watching flag football. Rams won this one as both teams scored in the 50’s. If they meet again, you know it will be a battle of field goals. The roof will blow off in Atlanta. The zombie apocalypse will start in the middle of the game. Walking dead will invade the stadium. Ndamukong Suh for the Rams would cheap shot all the zombies. He of course might bite them. I can even see him running out the stadium crying for his mother as well. Overall part two’s like Weekend at Bernie’s two or the remake of the Blues Brothers are very disappointing.

TIDBITS I LIKE.

If Chiefs win, Andy Reid would get his first ring as head coach. He guided the Eagles  to the Superbowl and obviously they lost.

LA RAMS never won a Superbowl in LA. When they moved to St.Louis is the only time they won a Superbowl. I think the St.Louis area  would wear their Cardinal Red and support the Chiefs if they make it.

The last combo.

NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS VERSUS LA RAMS

This is the rematch I was not envisioning when the playoffs started. I was thinking Bears versus the Patriots. These two teams met in 2002 and the Rams were in St.Louis at the time. They were the greatest show on turf. They had a dynasty going. The Patriots were underdogs. People did not hate them at the time, like they do now. If I knew then what I know now, I would have rooted for the Rams. Can you bring back Kurt Warner for this one?  Now that would be a game. Kurt Warner coming back to slay the Evil Empire that started on his watch.

Goff versus Brady does not get me very excited. I do like Wade Phillips’ defense versus Tom Brady which is the intriguing match up of this potential Superbowl. If you’re a Buffalo Bills fan, this game would remind you of what a receiver would actually look like. You had two of them that were actually teammates and did well on the Bills. The Bills let them both walk. They would play in this game because they both are having pretty good years. Both are solid weapons for both the quarterbacks. Chris Hogan for the Patriots and Robert Woods for the Rams.

TIDBITS I LIKE..

Coach Sean McVay of the Rams is the only head coach that has not led his team to a Superbowl.

New England Patriots have been in more Superbowls than road playoff games.

DUMB AND DUMBER

Can the Kansas City Chiefs win without Kareem Hunt? I’m sure the Patriots can win without Josh Gordon. Two players that could of been in the thick of things. Addiction and outside distractions preventing them from playing in the biggest games of the year. If both of these players do make it back in the league, they might not be this close.

KAREEM HUNT

Hunt is an ultimate fighting fan. As you can see he took down this female.

JOSH GORDON

Gordon loves the glue. Substance banned from the NFL. Except crazy glue you can still sniff, ask Leonard Fournette.

 

 

 

Should the Chicago Bears go after Kareem Hunt in the off season to improve their offense? Or Should the Bears stay put and continue with the Jordan Howard and Tarik Cohern combo? Kareem Hunt was cut weeks ago by the Chiefs after a video surfaced of him involved with a woman in little “bam zoom to the moon.”

Except in the Honeymooners, the mild threat Ralph makes in every episode, is only a threat. Kareem Hunt sent a woman to the ground with a shove caught on video. I guess that would not technically count as to the moon. However, he followed that up with a judo kick to her when she was on the ground. Allegedly she was intoxicated and provoked the man, Kareem Hunt. Throw in some racial slurs into the equation like every good fight should have and you’ve got a nice Saturday night fight beyond the Thunderdome. Hunt has an anger management problem. No criminal charges will be attached to this situation. Hunt will get to play in the NFL again. Matt Nagy of the Bears coached Kareem Hunt in his first year, when he was not an angry elf running the ball. Matt Nagy runs the same style offense that Hunt is familiar with. Should the Bears stay put with the thunder lightning combo of Jordan Howard and Tarik Cohen? Or seek a double threat of running back combo with Hunt and Cohen?

In 2016, Jordan Howard was in beast mode running the football between the tackles. He averaged 5.2 yards for carry and tallying up 1313 yards. In 2017, the yards per average slipped to 4.1 yards per carry. His yards went down 1122. In 2017, he played on a very bad Bears offensive team. They had Mike Glennon followed by a rookie quarterback with horrible receivers. Jordan Howard was the only game in town. In those two years, Jordan Howard was one of the best backs in the league. Running the football he can do, but catching balls out of the back field is not the man’s cup of tea. In 2018, Matt Nagy took over and put in a whole new offense. An offense which is very pass happy. An offense that is very spread out. An offense where multiple play makers get chances to carry the ball.  Leaving Jordan Howard to see his numbers across the board dwindle. Except in touchdowns. He had nine of those, tied his total in 2016. A power back. A work horse that needs steady carries throughout the game to be effective. A work horse that does not catch balls in the passing game that much, unless a quarterback’s only option.

Kareem Hunt in 2017, came in the league and set things on fire as he galloped for 1327 yards on the ground. He average 4.9 yards on the ground during his first season. He ran in 8 touchdowns as well. In 2018, before they found about the woman he beat up in the hotel hallway where he lives.

In 11 games he had 824 yards on the ground. His rushing average dropped only some to 4.6 yards per carry. He had seven touchdowns on the ground. Kareem Hunt has been in the same style of offense his whole career, which has not been long. Besides running the ball, Kareem Hunt helps out the passing game. He caught 53 balls in 2017 for 455 yards with three receiving touchdowns. In the 11 games this year for the Chiefs, he caught 26 balls for 378 yards and 7 touchdowns.

Techmo bowl video game numbers is what Kareem Hunt puts up in Matt Nagy’s style of offense. Add the human joystick they call Tarik Cohen and the Bears would have a combo a double threat that would take the league by storm. Defensive coordinators would stay up all night walking the ledge coming up with no plans in stopping this kind of razzle dazzle offense. It would be like the two headed monster the New Orleans Saints have right now. How many broken legs and tweaked hamstrings would defenders get trying to chase down either son of a bitch? Then throw in the crazy runs with the wide receivers. All the miss direction runs and  with a quarterback that can run. Let’s not forget the passing game will only get better. You would be taking your offense to the Saints and Chiefs, but beyond that. Wake up its a bad idea.

I love the idea of a thunder and lightning combo with Cohen and Jordan. It should of been like how the Giants  used that combo years ago. Ron Dayne, former Badger, would bulldoze players throughout the game and wear out defenses. Then throw in the lightning speed back in Tiki Barber and defenses would  be gasping for air trying to chase down a speedster after dealing with a wrecking ball. This combo would work vice versa with lightning rather than thunder. It was a combo that wrecked havoc on defenders. The Giants back then ran a different offense than the Bears do today. That’s probably all they had. This system would not work with the Bears because it’s an offense with multiple weapons. Running backs that only run between the tackles and that are not a threat in passing game are dinosaurs in this style of offense. That’s why you seen Jordan Howard’s numbers go down this year. Jordan Howard is a running back that needs many carries each game. They do not offer enough carries for Jordan Howard to be effective in Matt Nagy’s offense.

I think both running backs, Kareem Hunt and Jordan Howard, are a bad idea to have either one of them on your roster next season. Kareem Hunts fits perfectly. Jordan Howard is like a square peg trying to fit in a round hole. Kareem Hunt you can probably get cheap because of the baggage that comes with the player. Jordan Howard, you can probably get something good in return in the trade market.

I like the idea with a back like Kareem Hunt and Tarik Cohen and seeing what they can do. This Bears team has  great things going on with them right now that you do not want to ruin. They have a great locker room with high character players with a great coaching staff. Kareem Hunt may have been a good team guy. But you do not want his baggage to disrupt the locker room they presently have. The Bears had enough of Jay Cutler and Brandon Marshall. We do not need a Pittsburgh Steeler type of locker room as well. Do not kill the chemistry.

Running backs grow on trees. You can draft a running back like Kareem Hunt in the third round. Trade Howard, get something for him. You can pick up a power running back on the cheap in free agency or late rounds in the draft if you need a specialist  to get that one yard bruiser style. Do not let any of your key defenders walk away. Resigning them is most important. Throwing your money at Robbie Gould is a great idea. Kind of need a kicker. Or if you see somebody to make that defense even better or improve depth on your roster, this is the direction the Bears should go. You can find late round backs to really make that offense even sweeter later rounds instead of bringing in the wife beaters. Let’s not be the Bengals of the past.

 

 

 

SATURDAY GAMES JANUARY 12,2018

LAST WEEK WILD CARD ROUND (2-2)

FIFTH GAME

AFC

AT

 

MATCH UP

COLTS (11-6) AT CHIEFS (12-4)

This is one of the hardest match ups to figure out a winner in the divisional round. The Colts have been on fire for awhile now. The Chiefs have been on fire most of the year. The last part of the season the Chiefs had fight and scratched their way just to win the division. It did not look pretty. Colts playoff games had to come early as they had to win a few games to just get the number six seed. Then they won last week in the first official playoff game they played.

You could say by history the Colts are like the Harlem Globetrotters and the Chiefs are like the Washington Generals when it comes to these teams meeting in the playoffs. Colts are 4-0 versus the Chiefs . In 2013, Andrew Luck had that epic comeback versus Andy Reid and the Chiefs. Down 38-10 in the second. Andrew Luck led them back in the game in which the Colts prevailed 45-44. Then you have the Chiefs in general over the years self destructing in the playoffs like last year versus the Titans. Another big lead blown and another loss in the playoffs for the Chiefs.

This year the Chiefs have the high powered offense with many weapons of mass destruction. They have a new quarterback leading this team. This is not your typical Alex Smith team. The Colts have a great offense. Andrew Luck has emerged as one of the best quarterbacks in the league. They have a great running game as well. I think the Colts have the better defense in this one. They have a top ten unit that can do some good things especially putting the brakes on a well oiled machine. The Chiefs defense are always hoping they can make the one key stop, the one key turn over to hope that Mahomes can out-duel the other team.

Arrowhead is a tough place to play in as a visitor. However the home field advantage is thrown out the window with the Chiefs history in playoffs. I think this game will be a shoot out. Everything points to the Colts winning this game. I have two X factors why the Chiefs can win this game and change their playoff history at least temporarily. Andy Reid’s coaching record coming off bye weeks during the regular season and playoffs is off the charts. The second X factor is Patrick Mahomes. He is not Alex Smith. Everyone keeps thinking this kid is going to have that bad game. Not happening. This guy comes out loose and nothing gets him frazzled as he goes out and plays football every week.  He will show you with a great game plan installed by Andy Reid that the regular season was no fluke. I like that Sammy Watkins will play in this one, giving the Chiefs yet another weapon. The Colts handled the Texans with ease last week. I think they match up against the Texans very well is why they handled them. I think the Colts do not  match up well with this Chiefs team.

OUR PICK: CHIEFS

SIXTH GAME

NFC

AT

MATCH UP

COWBOYS (11-6) AT RAMS (13-3)

Cowboys have not won a playoff game on the road since 1993. The Rams have not won a playoff game in 14 years as they were not even in LA when they last won. Rams finally broke a playoff drought last year when Sean McVay took over. Rams had a home playoff game but they suffered a loss to the Falcons. This year they did even better as they got the first round bye and now get another home playoff game this time against the visiting Cowboys. Cowboys who have been up and down all season finally took control of one of the worst divisions in football. They had a home game last week where they took down the Seahawks to advance to this round as they head to LA.

Both teams have great defenses. LA Rams have bigger names for veterans. They also have Aaron Donald who is one of the best defensive guys in the league. Both teams have great running backs. Rams are happy to get their star running back, Todd Gurley, back as the bye week helped him get back in the line up. The receivers edge has to go to the Rams. At this point they are healthier. Both quarterbacks are pretty even. I might give Goff the slight edge.

I like the Rams getting their feet wet last year as a group making it to the playoffs. With the loss will only help this team strive for that first win as  a group. I think home cooking will help them achieve this even though Cowboy fans travel very well. I like the fact that Wade Phillips has extra motivation, especially being  fired by the Cowboys. Wade Phillips’ defenses in the playoffs are always a problem for opponents. I think that he knows what buttons to push to stop the Cowboys running game which will be the biggest x factor in this match up. I think the walking wounded receivers Dallas has and relying on Dak’s arm will be in the Rams favor. Cowboys played good last week. But Seahawks played without a kicker most of that game. Then a few phantom penalties that went in the cowboys’ favor changed that game. I don’t think the Cowboys can stop Jared Goff and that Rams offense that is one of the best in the league. I think the Cowboys are overrated and the Rams will put them out of their misery early on.

OUR PICK: RAMS