NFL Quiz: Detroit’s Calvin Johnson is threatening the single-season receiving yards mark set by Jerry Rice with 1,848 in 1995 while Rice was with San Francisco. Johnson has 1,667 with two games to go. Name the only other three to hit the 1,700 mark in a season. One played in the 1960s and was with the AFL. Answer below.
Bye-bye, Sanchise
Just when you thought it couldn’t possibly get worse, Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez threw four interceptions and had a game-ending fumble as he singlehandedly ended the Jets admittedly small playoff hopes in a desultory loss on Monday night to the pathetic Titans, 14-10. On Tuesday, coach Rex Ryan said Sanchez, aka Sanchise, was being replaced by Greg McElroy.
The only two quarterbacks in the entire NFL with a worse rating than Sanchez this season are Kansas City’s Matt Cassel and Arizona’s John Skelton. Sanchez has 13 touchdown passes and 17 interceptions (7 the last three games), plus seven fumbles…24 turnovers in all.
“At least, when the game ended with a blur of awful interceptions and one more fumble that deserved a laugh track, nobody was pretending anymore about Mark Sanchez.
“There were no declarations that he ‘gives us the best chance to win,’ no false promises that this AMC Pacer of a quarterback was suddenly going to turn into a Porsche after all this time….
“They owe him $8.25 million next season, a number that should cost GM Mike Tannenbaum his job. Whoever replaces him needs to find somebody who can take over, because there is no hiding from the reality now.
Another thing we do know. Eva Longoria has to be thrilled Sanchez dumped her.
“For the sake of the Jets, for the emotional well-being of long-suffering Jets fans who are mad as hell and can’t take it anymore, (owner) Woody Johnson must next summon the green-and-white Buttmobile and drive Mark Sanchez out of Gotham.
“Rex Ryan and general manager Mike Tannenbaum put all their eggs in Sanchez’s basket and all of them are scrambled now….
“Ryan needs a new quarterback and offensive brain trust, and Sanchez needs a new address, if the Jets can somehow, some way find a sucker for a shattered quarterback they brilliantly guaranteed $8.25 million next season.
“Dunce cap (Ed. salary cap) number for 2013 if they designate Sanchez as a June 1 cut: $12.35 million. With an added $4.8 million in 2014. Dumb and Dumber….
“Sanchez clearly needs a change of scenery to try to resurrect his career. He needs to start over. He is a pariah here now. He is Ollie Perez.
“Ryan should keep all three quarterbacks active for the last two games – no need to strip Sanchez of his dignity, he’s a good guy and deserves better than being declared inactive. Just keep him on the sidelines, charting plays….
“The Jets must explore a trade with Seahawks coach Pete Carroll, Sanchez’s old coach at USC, for Matt Flynn. They should consider the 49ers’ Alex Smith, who is stuck behind Colin Kaepernick.”
The Jets played Tim Tebow for one series against Tennessee, the third of the game, and no one for the life of them can figure out why. For an entire season, Jets fans have been left wondering, ‘Just why is it we got this guy?’ Woody Johnson has never come clean on this. As Monday Night Football analyst Jon Gruden put it, “Clearly, they’re confused, I’m confused, and I think a lot of people at home are, as well.”
“A year ago, even when he was helping the Broncos on an improbable rally into the postseason and winning a playoff game, Tebow was not appreciated by Denver management, led by John Elway, who wanted no part of him leading the franchise into the future.
“It that wasn’t bad enough, Tebow’s move to the Jets in a trade last spring has led to an even more painful and frustrating end game: He’s been ignored.
“Being ignored is a sentence of indignity far worse than being criticized….
“The benching of Sanchez was a move Ryan had to make based on the fact Sanchez’s confidence is shot.
“But why not start Tebow, who was brought here to be Sanchez’s backup?
“Don’t ask Rex Ryan, because he won’t tell, even though the real reason is because the Jets have conceded to themselves this Tebow experiment is over – an embarrassing failure that has indelibly stained this season….
“Ryan repeatedly refused to answer questions about why Tebow was being passed over for McElroy, saying only he thought it was ‘best for the team for this game’ and that it was ‘my decision.’
“Pressed on the issues, Ryan cowered as if he were hiding behind a desk.
“This was a new low for Ryan, who sounded meek and pathetic over the phone yesterday, skittish to respond to any fair questions asked of him with a straight answer.”
Tebow has played in only eight percent of the offensive snaps this season, throwing the ball eight times and running it 32.
“Not that it is their responsibility to nurture their athletes, but the Jets have gone a long way toward damaging Tebow’s career. After what they’ve done with him this year – better yet not done – what team is going to be in a hurry to bring Tebow aboard in 2013?”
Tebow is under contract through the 2014 season, but he’s obviously asking for a trade or his release.
NFL, cont’d…
As for the playoff picture…this week it’s all about Seahawks-49ers on Sunday night, and Cincinnati-Pittsburgh in terms of greatly clearing things up.
In the AFC, Houston (12-2), Denver (11-3), New England (10-4) and Baltimore (9-5) have clinched playoff berths.
Indianapolis (9-5) has Kansas City (2-12) and Houston (12-2) remaining but with Houston in a finale, Indy should be facing a Texans squad that is resting a number of regulars. Ergo, Indy should be in.
Leaving Pittsburgh (7-7) vs. Cincinnati (8-6), with the Bengals also facing Baltimore in their finale while the Steelers play Cleveland (5-9).
In the NFC, Atlanta (12-2), San Francisco (10-3-1), and Green Bay (10-4) are in. Then it gets chaotic.
In the NFC East, the Giants, Washington and Dallas are tied at 8-6, though the Redskins and Cowboys play each other in the finale. This week, Washington plays at Philadelphia (4-10) and Dallas hosts New Orleans (6-8), while the Giants are at Baltimore and then home to Philly.
So there is a decent shot two of the NFC East teams finish 10-6, assuming the Giants defeat a beat up Ravens squad.
Seattle is hosting the 49ers and then plays at home against St. Louis (6-7-1)
The Vikings (8-6) are in if they win their next two but they play at Houston and then home to Green Bay.
And the Bears (8-6) remain in the hunt with games at Arizona (5-9) and at Detroit (4-10).
Bottom line, in the NFC the playoff picture is still cloudy.
But in terms of watching outdoor playoff football…we want home games in Denver, New England, Baltimore, Green Bay, Washington and/or New York. We want the temperatures to be in the 20s, snowing, and with a wind chill of zero. We also want to be snuggled safely in our homes, with power, cold beer and fresh-made Chex Mix.
–Not for nothing, but in the Jets-Titans debacle, Tennessee running back Chris Johnson, in rushing 94 yards for a touchdown, had his sixth rushing score of at least 80 yards, an NFL record.
“Here’s the book on Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning this season: The guy has no zip on the ball. After multiple neck surgeries caused him to miss all of last season, he’s heroically making due with his smarts and grit rather than his rusty arm. His team’s 11-3 record is a minor miracle.
“If you’re not sure whether to believe this gloomy assessment of Peyton Manning, just ask the guy who is most responsible for perpetuating it: Peyton Manning. ‘I still have rehab that I have to do and I have strength that I have to recover,’ the future Hall-of-Famer told reporters Sunday after picking apart the Baltimore Ravens, 34-17. When asked about the state of his right arm, Manning fumbled for words and said he didn’t even know how to answer the question.
“ ‘I wouldn’t say that I’m all the way back, no,’ he said.”
All Manning has done is throw for 4,016 yards and 31 touchdowns. His 103.5 passer rating would be the third-highest in his 15 seasons.
But as Clark writes, Manning plays the wounded quarterback, knowing that “there’s usually one Pavlovian response: (Opposing teams) send as many blitzes as they can in an attempt to knock the tuna fish out of him.”
And at the same time there is no one in the game who’s ever been better at picking up the blitz than he is. Shrewd cookie, that Peyton Manning.
–Cowboys nose tackle Josh Brent, facing manslaughter charges in the death of teammate Jerry Brown, will not be on the sidelines following the uproar created by his presence last Sunday during the game against the Steelers.
Ball Bits
–The Mets traded Cy Young Award winner R.A. Dickey, the only reason to watch the team last season, to the Toronto Blue Jays for some very good prospects and most Mets fans understand why the trade was done, assuming the catcher Travis d’Arnaud and pitcher Noah Syndergaard end up being as good as advertised. Actually, if the two do it’s a steal. But if they prove to be busts, it’s on GM Sandy Alderson. Regardless of how it all plays out, though, there can be little doubt, once again, that the Mets could not have handled Dickey’s last days in a more unprofessional manner.
“The Mets now have pulled off a perverse daily double, in consecutive seasons dumping the N.L. batting champion, Jose Reyes, and the Cy Young Award winner, Dickey. God help a Mets player if he wins the most valuable player award this season. That player should immediately call a transcontinental moving company….
“Alderson came to New York City and immediately hired two high-priced assistants. The three were known as practitioners of ‘Moneyball,’ which is to say the art of making something out of very little. In practice, they have so far proved adept at making very little out of very little….
“For now, the only ones expected to spend money around Citi Field are Mets fans. The ownership has decided to increase prices for single-game tickets in 2013, especially for the most desirable games (that’s a relative term). Mets executives claim the aim is to encourage fans to buy season-ticket packages.
“The chutzpah quotient here is impressive. We trade stars; you pay more. I have another idea: I’ll wait until June, when the ace-less team that is the Mets is perhaps on its way to 69 wins.
–Shu, Pittsburgh Pirates fan, passed along a piece by Bill Brink / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
“Within the first 10 minutes of the question-and-answer session with Pirates management at PirateFest Friday night, a season ticket-holder reached brass tacks.
“ ‘After the fiasco of the last two Augusts and Septembers, what can you say that would encourage people, fans, to invest our time, our hearts and our money in this franchise that has now failed for 20 years?’ the man asked, drawing applause from the crowd.
“Team president Frank Coonelly responded: ‘We’re going to learn from the good times. We’re going to learn from being 16 games over .500. We’re also going to learn from the fact that we have failed over the end of the season and we’re going to figure out how to finish. We’re going to figure out how to be not only physically tough enough to make it through that grind for an entire year, but to be mentally tough enough as well.’
–We note the passing of former pitcher Frank Pastore, 55, who died from injuries suffered a month earlier in a motorcycle accident when a car swerved into him on the 210 Freeway in Duarte, Calif.
Pastore was 48-58, 4.29 ERA, in an 8-year career, seven with the Reds. His best season was 1980 when he went 13-7, 3.27 for Cincinnati.
After his career, he became a popular radio talk show host on a conservative Christian station in California. On his final radio show he talked about his mortality.
“You guys know I ride a motorcycle, right? At any moment, especially with the idiot people who cross the diamond lane into my lane, without any blinkers – not that I’m angry about it – at any minute, I could be spread all over the 210. But that’s not me, that’s my body parts. And that key distinction undergirds the entire Judeo-Christian worldview,” he said. [Bob Pool / Los Angeles Times]
College Basketball
AP Poll
1. Duke
2. Michigan
3. Syracuse
4. Arizona
5. Louisville
6. Indiana
7. Ohio State
8. Florida
9. Kansas
10. Illinois
18. San Diego State
19. Butler
–On Monday night, Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim became the third NCAA Division I men’s coach to reach 900 wins as the No. 3 ‘Cuse defeated Detroit 72-68. Boeheim is thus 900-304. Mike Krzyzewski (936) and Bob Knight (902) are the only other men’s Division I coaches with more.
—Wake Forest evened its record at 5-5 with a 79-55 win over Furman on Tuesday. But Phil W. passed along an interview the Winston-Salem Journal’s Dan Collins had with Wake Athletic Director Ron Wellman and to say it was discouraging would be an understatement. Wellman isn’t dealing with reality, especially with the questions surrounding coach Jeff Bzdelik, who is not the most popular guy in town and evidently makes zero effort to get to know the fan base.
It’s perhaps too ‘inside basketball’ to ask someone not associated with Wake basketball to understand our predicament, just years after we were ranked No. 1 in the country and have plummeted to the depths of blowdom. But Dan Collins sums it up.
“There are just too many reasons to be at least deeply and gravely concerned.
“Some reasons being given – the ties a coach wears, the car somebody said he drives, the fact he prefers yoga to jogging – range from comical to sad. And to harbor such hate for any basketball coach that you would wish that coach bodily harm is – or at least should be – to everyone’s mind pathetic.
“There are, after all, enough sensible and valid reasons to be worried about where the basketball program is headed. For starters, when it’s apparent the head coach needs to better articulate the state and direction of the program to the media and/or begin to connect with an increasingly disconnected fan base, then it’s a problem….
“(As) for my personal take, let’s just say I think Wake fans have suffered as much as any fan should have to suffer. In Jeff Bzdelik’s 72 games as the Deacons’ head coach, his teams have not produced one victory that would make a fan feel really proud about the program, not one that would move anyone to pound their chest and scream ‘Yes!!!’
“None of his (now 26) victories have been against a team from the ACC or any other major conference that finished with a winning conference record….
“(To) date, Wake fans have not had one return from their emotional investment. Check that, they’ve not had one positive return from their emotional investment….
“The Deacons, to date, have yet to really be in a game against a team that finished in the first division of the ACC. Bzdelik is 0-17 against said opponents, and the average margin of defeat has been 18.8 points….
“To date I’ve seen nothing to convince me Jeff Bzdelik will get it done at Wake. To date, I’ve seen no reason for fans not to be up in arms about the state and direction of the basketball program.”
NBA
Jeremy Lin made his return to Madison Square Garden and had one of his best games as a Houston Rocket, scoring 22 points and dishing out eight assists in a 109-96 win to end the Knicks’ 10-0 unbeaten record at home. [Carmelo Anthony was out with his sprained ankle.]
–Mark R. and I were exchanging notes on the coming end of the world, perhaps mere hours away, and we agree some will survive. So…should Mark leave us but I remain, I get his new Taylor Made irons. I’m guessing this shaves four strokes off my handicap.
If I exit stage right and Mark remains to clean up (like fixing a shattered infrastructure, I imagine), he gets my Lew Alcindor rookie card.
A bigger issue for me is what to do with my Ed Kranepool tumbler. It’s supposed to go to Johnny Mac, but Phil W. also has dibs on it and I have my attorneys looking into a potential sharing agreement between the two…they both being in North Carolina.
If both Phil W. and Johnny Mac survive, however, along with Wake coach Jeff Bzdelik, well, he becomes their problem, though only Phil actually went to Wake so Johnny can legitimately just say ‘yours.’
–Terrific piece in Bloomberg by Brendan Coffey on Richard L. “Dick” Yuengling, Jr., the CEO of the brewer bearing the family name. Yuengling acquired the privately-held beer maker from his father in 1985 and has guided the company to the fifteenth most-popular beer total in the U.S. in 2011, with Yuengling Traditional Lager the best-selling super-premium beer. In fact Yuengling is now the largest U.S.-owned beer maker by volume, surpassing Boston Beer Co., maker of the Sam Adams brands.
And through it all, Dick Yuengling, Jr. has become a billionaire, doing things his way; such as purposefully having a small geographic footprint (its beers are only available in 14 states) in order to better control marketing and distribution costs.
“Yuengling doesn’t exhibit the kind of wealth his business affords him, preferring to wear blue jeans, sneakers and Yuengling-logoed shirts around the office. He lives 20 blocks from the brewery, and is known to get up before sunrise to plow snow.
“In the evening, he drinks a couple of beers. If Yuengling isn’t for sale, he’ll drink Sam Adams or Sierra Nevada. Associates who order wine or cocktails are viewed with suspicion.
“ ‘We’re in the beer business, so that’s what I support,’ he said. ‘I find it kind of strange that beer wholesale owners, I see them with a glass of wine sometimes. What the hell are you doing here? You’re promoting a competitor!’”
–Finally, a late entrant to the “Bar Chat Good Guy of the Year” chase…New York Giants wide receiver Victor Cruz, who upon learning how one of the victims of the Sandy Hook Massacre, 6-year-old Jack Pinto, was a big fan of the star, visited with the family the day after Jack was laid to rest. Jack was buried wearing Cruz’s No. 80 jersey.
“During the visit, dozens of young kids – mostly boys – clad in Giants blue could be seen playing football and running around the lawn at the Pinto house.
When Cruz learned after the shooting that Jack was a huge fan of his, he wrote “Jack Pinto” and “My Hero” on his cleats.
Top 3 songs for the week 12/26/81: #1 “Physical” (Olivia Newton-John) #2 “Waiting For A Girl Like You” (Foreigner…Kate Upton would work…just sayin’…) #3 “Let’s Groove” (Earth, Wind & Fire…love these guys…but this was far from their best…mailed it in…)…and…#4 “I Can’t Go For That (No Can Do)” (Daryl Hall & John Oates…decent…) #5 “Young Turks” (Rod Stewart) #6 “Harden My Heart” (Quarterflash) #7 “Why Do Fools Fall In Love” (Diana Ross) #8 “Leather And Lace” (Stevie Nicks (with Don Henley)…Kate Upton in leather and lace would work…just sayin’…) #9 “Don’t Stop Believin’” (Journey…after “Sopranos” finale now in my personal top 50…) #10 “Trouble” (Lindsey Buckingham)
NFL Quiz Answer: Top four single-season receiving yards list…
Jerry Rice 1848 (1995 / SF)
Isaac Bruce 1781 (1995 / STL)
Charley Hennigan 1746 (1961 / HOU)
Marvin Harrison 1722 (2002 / IND)
As for Hennigan, of course he did this in a 14-game season, 82-1746-12, 21.3.
So who were his quarterbacks? George Blanda, 36 TD 22 INT, 3330 yards, and Jacky Lee, 12-6, 1205.
In other words a powerhouse passing game, to say the least.
Who was the coach? Well this is interesting. Lou Rymkus started the season out 1-3-1 and was canned. In comes Wally Lemm to go 9-0 and defeat the San Diego Chargers in the title game.
Of those nine final regular season games, Lemm’s offense scored 45 or more in five of them. As Ronald Reagan no doubt said back then…not bad, not bad at all.
