[Posted Wed. a.m.]
Detroit Lions Quiz: 1) Who was the first Lion to rush for 1,000 yards? [1971] 2) Barry Sanders had seven seasons where he rushed for 1,400+ yards. Who is the only other Lion to hit this mark? 3) Who are the only three Lions quarterbacks to pass for 4,000 yards in a season? Answers below.
College Football
The latest College Football Playoff Rankings….
1. Alabama 9-0 (1 last week)
2. Clemson 9-0 (2)
3. Michigan 9-0 (3)
4. Washington 9-0 (5)
5. Ohio State 8-1 (6)….6 AP
6. Louisville 8-1 (7)…5 AP
7. Wisconsin 7-2 (8)
8. Texas A&M 7-2 (4)…10 AP
9. Auburn 7-2 (9)
10. Penn State 7-2 (12)…12 AP
21. Western Michigan 10-0 (23)…14 AP*
*Western Michigan defeated Kent State 37-21 on Tuesday and needs to win the MAC title to secure a New Year’s Six bowl game.
–There isn’t a single “must-see” game this weekend, though while we are bound to see an upset or two that will impact the polls and rankings on the margin, I really don’t even see the potential for an upset of significance.
If I had to pick one game that could be interesting in terms of telling us just how good they are, it would be USC (6-3 and improving) at Washington. It would not be a good sign for the Huskies’ title hopes if they find themselves in a dogfight come the fourth quarter. For example, one looming contest that is flying under the radar when compared to Ohio State-Michigan and Alabama-Auburn on Nov. 26, is Washington-Washington State the day before (Friday after Thanksgiving).
–As for Louisville and coach Bobby Petrino, he was upset his team wasn’t ranked higher in the initial CFP that had the Cardinals No. 7, especially as second-ranked Clemson narrowly defeated Louisville. Petrino believes Clemson should be No. 1 on strength of schedule, and since Louisville lost at Clemson by only 42-36, the Cards should thus be higher.
But Louisville only has Wake Forest, Houston and Kentucky left on its schedule, seeing as it won’t be playing in the ACC title game. I just don’t know how the team gets in the final four, unless Washington stumbles.
[Reminder for casual fans, the Houston game was to be the key to the entire season for both teams, but Houston, 7-2, suffered two bad losses when they were supposed to be undefeated as they traveled to Louisville on Thursday, Nov. 17. Houston’s troubles thus hurt Louisville’s playoff case as it won’t be the quality win it otherwise would have been cranked up to be.]
—Cincinnati has had a good run, with 8 bowls games in its last nine years, but this season the Bearcats are 4-5 and on Saturday, following a 20-3 loss at home to BYU, coach Tommy Tuberville told a heckler as he exited, “Hey go to hell. Get a job. Get a job.”
As the Washington Post’s Chuck Culpepper said, “Coaches are such sticklers for detail, but it takes it another level to know an anonymous fan’s employment status.”
–The leaders in the SEC East are Florida, 4-2, and Kentucky, 4-3. One of these two (or 3-4 Georgia and South Carolina, or 2-3 Tennessee), will face Alabama in the SEC title game. This is one you’ll be able to skip and do some Christmas shopping while it’s on. That said, the malls could be packed. “Gee, honey, I wonder why it’s so crowded now?” “SEC title game is on, dear.”
–I wrote last time of Arkansas’ 31-10 win over No. 11 Florida (CFP), but until reading the aforementioned Chuck Culpepper on Monday, I didn’t realize that the Razorbacks had given up 543 rushing yards to Auburn the week before in a 56-3 loss (on 57 carries), yet in the win over the Gators, Arkansas yielded only 12 yards rushing on 14 carries.
—Rutgers (2-7, 0-6) takes on Michigan State (2-7, 0-6) this week. You’re reading that right. 0-6 in the Big Ten for the Spartans, who were preseason No. 12 in the AP.
—Div. I-AA (FCS) Coaches Poll (Nov. 7)
1. Sam Houston State 9-0
2. Jacksonville State 8-1
3. Eastern Washington 8-1
4. North Dakota State 8-1
5. James Madison 8-1
6. The Citadel 9-0
7. Chattanooga 8-1
8. Richmond 7-2
9. North Carolina A&T 8-1
10. North Dakota 8-2
11. Villanova 7-2
18. Lehigh 8-2
NFL
–So I commented on Seattle defensive back Richard Sherman and his remarks the NFL was responsible for the poor relative television ratings because it wasn’t letting the players have fun, and then on Monday night, the same Richard Sherman could not have been more of [cue Jeff Spicoli], while NFL officials once again proved just how awful they have been in failing to make a call on Sherman, in particular, as the Seahawks beat the Bills 31-25.
Russell Wilson had a great game for Seattle, completing 20 of 26 for 282 yards and two touchdowns (both terrific one-handed grabs by Jimmy Graham).
But the Bills outgained the Seahawks 425-278, and had 30 first downs to Seattle’s 19.
Anyway, the controversy surrounding Sherman will linger, as the NFL was forced to address it. He should have been penalized for unnecessary roughness against Bills kicker Dan Carpenter.
Carpenter was initially attempting a 53-yard field goal with 3 seconds remaining in the half, when Sherman went offside and then plowed into Carpenter’s legs, appearing to injure the kicker. The play was blown dead because of Sherman’s penalty, but Sherman wasn’t called for unnecessary roughness.
Referee Walt Anderson defended his decision after the game.
“I didn’t feel like the actions and the contact, because we were shutting the play down, warranted a foul,” he told a pool reporter after the game, adding that the stadium was “loud” and that Sherman might not have known officials had blown the play dead.
“One of the things we’re just looking for is, does the player have a chance to realize that we’re shutting the play down from that standpoint,” Anderson said, “and whether or not he has an opportunity to avoid any type of contact once he realizes that we’re getting the play shut down.”
Dean Blandino, the NFL’s senior vice president of officiating, quickly tweeted his acknowledgement of the officials’ mistake.
For his part, Sherman said after, “I didn’t go for the kicker, I went straight for the ball. [Carpenter] should have not kicked it, you know?…so when the ball gets tipped on a play, the rule is, there is no flag.” Which is true, but….
Rex Ryan and his brother, Rob, got into it a little with Sherman after the play, as both teams headed for the locker room for halftime.
But then, the teams had to come back, there was a delay of game call, Carpenter was OK to kick, attempted a 54-yarder, and missed it wide right.
The officials, though, were standing over the ball when the delay of game was called. What a fiasco.
However…some now agree with Sherman…in that since he touched the ball, it was OK when his momentum then carried him into the kicker.
And then at the end of the game, Sherman, on a last-ditch pass attempt by Buffalo QB Tyrod Taylor, leveled the guy he was covering away from the play, which at first appeared to be a penalty not called, however, Taylor was out of the pocket and Sherman was thus allowed to take out the guy he was covering.
–Sunday night, after I posted, the Raiders moved to 7-2 with a 30-20 win over Denver (6-3), as Oakland rushed for 218 yards, Latavius Murray with 114 on 20 carries and three, 1-yard TD runs. Denver was held to just 33 on the ground as the Raiders had 30 first downs to the Broncos’ 13, along with zero turnovers. Just a total effort as Oakland seeks its first playoff berth after 13 straight seasons without one, let alone a winning record.
–I don’t take back one thing I said about the Jets last time, nor on the state of the NFL. But now that I’ve seen the post-game reporting on the Jets’ debacle, the 27-23 loss to the Dolphins, there is further reason to comment on this sorry franchise that, under no pressure from my parents, I stupidly chose to follow as an 8-year-old, instead of the Giants, though that would have meant being a Yankees fan rather than a Mets fan…actually, no wonder why I’m all messed up.
Anyway, Ryan Fitzpatrick has a sprained knee and as I write, Jets fans don’t know yet whether he’ll be able to play this weekend against the Rams or whether we’ll finally see Bryce Petty for more than a play.
But after Sunday’s contest we learned, according to a source who told NJ.com’s Connor Hughes, that the reason why star defensive lineman Sheldon Richardson and Muhammad Wilkerson were benched in the first quarter is because the two “are regularly late or miss team meetings. [Connor Hughes’] source added it happens “all the time” and “definitely” more often than other players on the team.
After the game, coach Todd Bowles refused to say anything more than that it was a “coach’s decision,” and would not say if it was for disciplinary reasons.
Well let’s assume the source is accurate, and it certainly makes sense as to the subsequent benching. Jets fans should be outraged, especially in the case of Wilkerson.
The team just gave the guy a five-year contract extension for $86 million this past offseason, with a staggering $54 million guaranteed (all over the first three years), and then he proceeds to basically take the season off. The Pro Bowler had 12 sacks a season ago and has just 2.5 this year. Richardson, highly talented but on his way out because of his off-the-field crap, has just 1.5. [In case you were wondering why I could say last time that very few NFLers are likeable.]
One more on Sunday’s loss to the Dolphins, that being the deciding 96-yard kickoff return by Kenyan Drake. It was so predictable, after the Jets had to re-kick following a sketchy offside penalty by Antonio Allen on the first kickoff, following the Jets taking the lead 23-20 on a Fitzpatrick to Jalin Marshall pass.
Miami’s Jakeem Grant ran about 50 yards, laterally, forcing seven Jets to miss tackles, in an exhausting play for all involved.
But then the Jets had to re-kick it and you just know the team was gassed. I was surprised Greg Gumbel and Trent Green, while commenting on all the missed tackles, didn’t say anything about the Jets’ vulnerability on the re-kick, especially because Kenyan Drake was the only ‘fresh’ player on the entire field.
Mark Cannizzaro / New York Post
“A funny thing happened to the Jets on the way to saving their season during the so-called ‘soft’ portion of their schedule: They choked on the marshmallows.
“The Jets spit up all over themselves Sunday, losing to the Dolphins 27-23 at Hard Rock Stadium and unofficially rendered the remainder of their season irrelevant at 3-6.
“We can stop feeling sorry for the Jets for that treacherous early portion of their schedule that featured five of their first six games against 2015 playoff teams.
“We now know them to be frauds, because a week ago they barely scraped past the 0-9 Browns. And then on Sunday, they could not beat a Dolphins team that literally tried to hand them the game when punter Matt Darr dropped a long snap with 5:52 remaining and set the Jets up at the Miami 18-yard line for what should have been the game-winning TD….
“Where to start?
“That’s actually easy: With Muhammad Wilkerson and Sheldon Richardson, two of the team’s top defensive players.
“Those two knuckleheads got themselves benched for the first quarter of a game that happened to be against a team with a running back (Jay Ajayi) who’d rushed for more than 200 yards in his previous two games. Brilliant.
“Jets coach Todd Bowles, who made a public spectacle of the two by benching them, refused to give an explanation for their benching….
“Bad form. Shame on Bowles. No one expected him to spell out exactly whatever infractions the two committed, but at least have the guts to call them out as disciplinary issues if that’s what they were, because that’s what everyone is going to assume anyway….
“In the end, the box score will tell you the Jets lost the game when they gave the Dolphins a do-over on a kickoff return thanks to safety Antonio Allen being flagged for offside on the kickoff….
“Do-overs are for grade-schoolers, and that’s what the Jets coverage team looked like as Drake weaved his way through their special teams.
“ ‘I was not offside,’ Allen insisted afterward. ‘I saw the picture and I was clearly onside. I timed it perfectly. It hurts. It sealed the game. Sometimes the refs make bad calls and you can’t do anything about it. It makes you sick to your stomach.’
“Not as sick as the Jets made their forever-hopeful fans.”
[While on the topic of officiating, what an awful call on Jaguars running back Chris Ivory in the Jags’ loss to the Chiefs, Ivory clearly scoring a touchdown on a play where officials ruled he had fumbled before he reached over the goal line.]
–As for the other team in the area, the Giants, at least they should be playing meaningful games in December, which makes things more entertaining around here. At 5-3, new head coach Ben McAdoo deserves credit, particularly since the Giants last year were 3-8 in games decided by seven points or less. This year they are 5-2.
–Pretty amazing that New England’s three quarterbacks (Tom Brady, Jimmy Garoppolo, and Jacoby Brissett), have a combined 16 touchdown passes and 0 interceptions…Brady being 12-0.
By contrast, the Jets handily have the worst splits in the passing game at 9 and 14.
–Michael Salfino of the Wall Street Journal had an interesting comparison…Ben Roethlisberger performing at home and on the road.
As in since the start of last season, in Roethlisberger’s last nine games at home, eight of which were Pittsburgh wins, he has tossed 28 touchdowns with just nine interceptions and a superb 108.6 passer rating. But in his last 10 games (six losses), he has just 10 TDs and 14 picks with an 81.1 rating. “His road rating is 27.5 points worse, according to Pro-Football-Reference – by far the biggest decline vs. home rating among all qualified quarterbacks in this span.”
Interestingly, “Leaguewide, quarterbacks since the start of last season are just barely worse on the road with a 91.2 compared with 94.9 at home.”
Also, while Drew Brees historically plays better at home, with all his games indoors, Big Ben has this big disparity playing at Heinz Field, where weather is often a factor.
Meanwhile, this week the Steelers, who have dropped three in a row to fall to 4-4, host Dallas. They better win, because four of their ensuing five will be on the road.
NBA
–Through Tuesday’s play, the Philadelphia 76ers (0-6) and New Orleans Pelicans (0-8) remain the only winless teams, which has some scrambling for tickets, Dec. 8, Philly at New Orleans, with a rematch Dec. 20 in Philadelphia. This two games will be the highlight of the entire NBA season and my early insider view from StubHub has courtside seats going for $3.50.
College Basketball
The college hoops season kicks off this weekend and maybe I shouldn’t be, but I’m optimistic with regards to my Wake Forest Demon Deacons. We will pull off some solid upsets…and we are certainly going to improve on our past six seasons since we last made the NCAA tournament.
2015-16…11-20
2014-15…13-19
2013-14…17-16
2012-13…13-18
2011-12…13-18
2010-11…..8-24
But since I’m in New Jersey, I can’t help but note the struggles of Rutgers, which hasn’t had a winning season since 2005-06 when the Scarlet Knights were 19-14.
2015-16…7-25
2014-15…10-22
2013-14…12-21
It’s just an ugly mess…15-16, 14-18, 15-17, 15-17, 11-21, 11-20 and 10-19, before 2005-06.
But as you know my Bar Chat official, EXCLUSIVE, “Pick to Click” for this season is San Diego State. The Aztecwear has made it to the top of the sports drawer, along with some Deaconwear (football related); Oregon Duck- and Oregon State Beaverwear hopelessly buried. [Though I should note the Oregon Ducks are preseason No. 5 in a couple of hoops polls.]
MLB
The Gold Glove Awards were handed out, with Giants catcher Buster Posey upsetting Yadier Molina of St. Louis, Molina having won eight straight years.
Other recipients in the N.L.
1B – Anthony Rizzo, Cubs; 2B – Joe Panik, Giants; 3B – Nolan Arenado, Rockies; SS – Brandon Crawford, Giants; LF – Starling Marte, Pirates; CF – Ender Inciarte, Braves; RF – Jason Heyward, Cubs; P – Zack Greinke, D-backs.
A.L.
C – Salvador Perez, Royals; 1B – Mitch Moreland, Rangers; 2B – Ian Kinsler, Tigers; 3B – Adrian Beltre, Rangers; SS – Francisco Lindor, Indians; LF – Brett Gardner, Yankees; CF – Kevin Kiermaier, Rays; RF – Mookie Betts, Red Sox; P – Dallas Keuchel, Astros.
NCAA Men’s D-I Soccer Poll (Nov. 8)
1. Maryland 16-0-2
2. Wake Forest 13-2-3
3. Clemson 11-2-5
4. Denver 15-0-3
5. Charlotte 12-2-2
6. Syracuse 11-3-4
7. Indiana 11-1-6
8. Stanford 10-3-4
9. Louisville 12-4-2
10. North Carolina 11-3-3
The conference tourneys are in full swing, with Wake playing Louisville in an ACC semifinal on Wednesday night. So it’s all about seeding for the NCAAs.
—Talk about a bunch of idiots. I held off on mentioning this last time until the latest poll came out, but Harvard (10-3-2…No. 18 RPI and ranked all year in the Coaches poll) was destined for an NCAA tourney bid, but that was before the university canceled the remainder of its men’s season over what the university described as continued production of sexually explicit ‘scouting reports’ by players, which graded recruits of the women’s soccer team based on their appearance, according to the school’s newspaper, the Harvard Crimson.
These reports apparently date back to July 2012, with incoming recruits being graded using a numerical scale based on their sex appeal. Plus the ratings included photos from the recruits’ social media accounts, and it gets worse…so I’m withholding it. These ‘future leaders of America’ are pigs.
Six of the women described in the reports then published an op-ed piece in the Crimson, ripping the men “who are supposed to be our brothers…” “We are appalled that female athletes who are told to feel empowered and proud of their abilities are so regularly reduced to a physical appearance.”
Golf Balls
–So I didn’t realize when I posted last time that 47-year-old Aussie, Rod Pampling, who won the Shriners Hospitals for Children Open in Vegas, his first win since 2006, only got into the tournament through a clerical error. The field was slated to have 132 players, but the goof added 12 extras, Pampling among them. So all Pampling did was fire a 60 in the opening round. I mean I have followed this guy, as much as any good golf fan, and his world ranking of 451 was well-deserved. Just remarkable he pulled this win off that sets him up the next two years, with his automatic exemption, and then he’ll be primed to win some coin on the senior circuit.
–Speaking of the Champions Tour, the field of 36 is set for the Charles Schwab Cup final at Desert Mountain in Scottsdale, AZ. While all 36 have a mathematical shot of winning the $1 million prize for taking the Cup, if any of the top five seeds win, the Cup is theirs…this being Bernhard Langer, Scott McCarron, Colin Montgomerie, Joe Durant and Miguel Angel Jimenez.
Personally, I’d like to see Langer, Monty and Jay Haas dueling down the stretch. Langer, for all his greatness, isn’t a great closer, we know Monty’s history, and of course I have to pull for fellow Demon Deacon Haas. [Another Deac, Billy Andrade, is also in it.]
–The International Golf Federation released a statement that of the 197 drug tests conducted on male and female golfers ahead of the Rio Olympics, with every golfer being tested at least once between May 6 and the start of the Games in August, not one violated anti-doping regulations. As they would say on “Hee-Haw,” ‘Sa-lute!’
Yeah, sceptics are saying those who skipped Rio might have been tripped up, but still, something to be proud of, golf fans.
–Finally, Jay Monahan is the new PGA Tour commissioner after receiving unanimous approval from the nine-member Policy Board on Monday. He will officially take over from Tim Finchem on Jan. 1, as Finchem, 70, retires.
Monahan is 46 and as Finchem put it, he hopes he’s in charge the next 20 years as “continuity creates a lot of good things.
Monahan grew up in the Boston area (Belmont) and is an avid Red Sox fan. He worked for the Fenway Sports Group, but was pried away by the PGA Tour in 2008. He played golf at Div. III Trinity College.
NASCAR
As I was posting Sunday night, they were racing at Texas Motor Speedway, the event delayed by over 5 ½ hours by rain and then shortened by 41 laps when the rain returned. Carl Edwards ended up winning the race to pick up the second of four spots, along with Jimmie Johnson, for the season finale in the Chase for the Sprint Cup at Homestead.
But this week, at Phoenix, the other two spots will be determined between Joey Logano, Kyle Busch, Denny Hamlin, Matt Kenseth, Kevin Harvick and Kurt Busch; Logano and Kyle Busch with the edge going into it on points, but the others still in the mix, though in Kurt Busch’s case, he really needs to win the race.
Premier League
So the other day I said I was surprised that in Britain, television ratings for the Premier League had fallen 20% this year as one commentary I read said there was no Cinderella story like Leicester City to capture the fans’ interest. To which I countered, yeah, but look what we have this year…the four major powers of the past ten years, save for Manchester United, plus a solid Tottenham team, and what’s wrong with that?
It turns out that after 11 of 38 matches, the leading four teams are separated by just two points – the lowest spread at this time of the season since 1996.
What was interesting about 1996, though, was that none of the top four then…Arsenal, Newcastle, Liverpool and Wimbledon…finished first. Instead it was Man U under Sir Alex Ferguson, the team being five points off the pace after 11 games and then finishing seven clear of the rest in May. So Tottenham, five back of the pacesetters this time, has hope.
Also this year, Liverpool, which thrashed Watford 6-1 last weekend, already has scored four or more goals in a Premier League game five times. The record for a whole season is 11, held by Liverpool and Man City who both did it 2013-14.
Top 3 songs for the week 11/8/75: #1 “Island Girl” (Elton John) #2 “Lyin’ Eyes” (The Eagles) #3 “Calypso / I’m Sorry”) John Denver)…and…#4 “Who Loves You” (The Four Seasons) #5 “Miracles” (Jefferson Starship) #6 “Heat Wave” (Linda Ronstadt) #7 “ ‘They Just Can’t Stop It’ the (Games People Play)” (Spinners…super tune…) #8 “This Will Be” (Natalie Cole…ditto…) #9 “Feelings” (Morris Albert) #10 “The Way I Want To Touch You” (Captain & Tennille…a six-pack of domestic would be fine, dear…)
Detroit Lions Quiz Answers: 1) Steve Owens was the first to rush for 1,000 (1,035 in 1971). 2) Billy Sims is the only Lion aside from Barry Sanders to rush for 1,400 (1,437 in 1981). 3) The three to pass for 4,000 yards in a season: Matthew Stafford (2011-2015…including a franchise high of 5,038 in 2011); Scott Mitchell (1995); Jon Kitna (2006-07).
Next Bar Chat, Monday.
