[Posted Wednesday a.m.]
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PGA Tour Quiz: Consider Tiger Woods “active.” He has 79 career PGA Tour wins. Phil Mickelson is next at 42 on the active list. Vijay Singh, even though 52, still plays the regular tour, so consider him third at 34…ditto Davis Love III at 21 wins (age 51). Kenny Perry, over 50 (55), also occasionally plays the regular tour and he has 14 wins. So…in trying to eliminate any trick answers…name the seven others, all under age 50 and playing the PGA Tour regularly, who have between 12 and 19 wins. Answer below. [This one is designed to waste lots of time at any weekend dinner parties where golfers are prevalent.]
NFL
Saturday
Kansas City at Houston
Pittsburgh at Cincinnati [40s, rain…drat! I want -2 and snow…]
Sunday
Seattle at Minnesota [5 degrees! Yippee! But we want snow, too…]
Green Bay at Washington [50s and rain…oh, what the heck…]
Mark Maske / Washington Post
“The AFC playoffs are wide open. That’s not a compliment.
“The reason things are wide open in the AFC is not because of the widespread excellence of so many teams. It is because so many of the conference’s top seeds are so deeply flawed as the postseason arrives.
“The top-seeded Denver Broncos don’t even have a clear-cut starter at quarterback after switching back from Brock Osweiler to Peyton Manning during Sunday’s regular season finale. The second-seeded New England Patriots have been depleted by injuries on offense and have lost four of six games since a 10-0 beginning to the season.
“At least they have byes this coming weekend to attempt to work out their issues before hosting the two conference semifinal games.”
Well, then you have the Bengals having to use AJ McCarron at quarterback against Pittsburgh on Saturday, seeing as it’s unlikely that Andy Dalton will be ready following his fractured right thumb (though the cast is off).
And Houston has Brian Hoyer at QB, and, you get the picture. Anyone but the Texans can win the AFC.
As for the Denver quarterback picture, I wouldn’t expect coach Gary Kubiak to make a decision between Osweiler and Manning until late next week.
–The Giants and Coach Tom Coughlin parted ways on Monday. In a statement, Coughlin said: “It is in the best interest of the organization that I step down as head coach. I strongly believe the time is right for me and my family, and as I said, the Giants organization. It has been an honor and a privilege to serve as head coach of the New York Football Giants. This is not a sad occasion for me.”
Yes, Coughlin won two Super Bowls in 12 seasons at the helm, but the fact is the Giants haven’t gone to the playoffs the last four seasons and the last three they were 6-10, 6-10, and 7-9. That’s just not getting it done.
He was 102-90 coaching the Giants, 170-150 overall in his NFL career (68-60 with Jacksonville). His teams made the playoffs in nine of 20 seasons.
Coughlin is not retiring; rather he is leaving the door open to other options, even though he is 69. It’s conceivable some team will see him as a good short-term fix to stabilize any of the dysfunctional franchises out there.
Mike Vaccaro / New York Post
“Coughlin was a great coach here, in many ways the perfect coach for a time in Giants history when the franchise badly needed strength in character in that job. But what made him a Hall of Fame coach was an ability – a willingness – to roll with the times that has been a trap door that sabotaged so many other bright minds.
“ ‘People want to tell me that I’ve changed; I’m still not very comfortable with that notion,’ Coughlin told me in a private moment in the summer of 2008, six months after the Giants won the first of two Super Bowls under his watch. ‘I do think I’ve adjusted. And don’t we always say that’s what a coach has to do, make adjustments? At halftime. At practice. In a two-minute drill. Really, that’s all this is. Adjustment.’
“Coughlin never was much for deep introspection, so you can understand why he would shrug off the very thing that altered his career forever, that turned him from a successful football coach into one whose bust will someday be featured inside his sport’s Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio….
“Make no mistake: Even after Coughlin softened his martinet rule following that ’06 season, even after the advent of the ‘Players Council,’ even after he managed to turn a former enemy like Michael Strahan into a fervent acolyte, the Giants always knew he was in charge. He never lost that authority.
“But he did alter his perception. If Coughlin only had left behind as a legacy a reputation as a disciplinarian, it would have been a sad miscarriage of standing. He deserved to be known as a football coach, and a great one, and that is what he allowed for himself by shedding his drill Sergeant’s veneer and simply embracing his whistle and his bright, beautiful football mind.”
–Meanwhile…around the league on Black Monday, the traditional day for firing coaches and GMs, the Titans fired GM Ruston Webster and said that Mike Mularkey, the team’s interim head coach, could apply to win his job on a permanent basis even though he guided the team to just a 2-7 record after replacing Ken Whisenhunt.
In Cleveland, Coach Mike Pettine had been fired on Sunday after two seasons, along with GM Ray Farmer, while also on Sunday, the 49ers parted ways with Coach Jim Tomsula after just one season and a 5-11 record.
Then on Tuesday, the Browns out of nowhere announced the hiring of Paul DePodesta of the New York Mets as their new chief strategy officer.
Good lord. DePodesta will be top dog, reporting directly to owner Jimmy Haslam, and above newly hired Sashi Brown, VP of football operations.
This is a big loss for the Mets as DePodesta was head of player development and scouting and comes on the heels of the cancer diagnosis for GM Sandy Alderson.
Previously, the Eagles had fired Coach Chip Kelly, who is now throwing his name out there for every opening it seems, and Miami had fired Coach Joe Philbin after just four games and it doesn’t seem like interim successor, Dan Campbell, will stick around.
One coach who was on the hot seat and assumed to be heading out the door, Indianapolis’ Chuck Pagano, is coming back. Colts owner Jim Irsay said on Monday that, “Yes, continuity plays a role. You like to have continuity when you can have it.”
Irsay is receiving overwhelming praise for his move to keep the popular Pagano, who guided the Colts to an 8-8 season after playing big chunks of it without star quarterback Andrew Luck. Pagano was actually given a new four-year contract and the GM a three-year extension.
–As for my Jets…Stu Woo / Wall Street Journal
“Jets fans will feel the pain of Sunday’s season-killing loss in Buffalo for months, maybe years, to come, but the sting was already starting to taper at 1 Jets Drive on Monday morning. As they stuffed their belongings into black garbage bags and prepared to head home, the Jets fluctuated between talking about the disappointment of missing the playoffs by a single win and the joys of a 10-6 season.
“One thing was clear: They are keyed up for next season. And they should be. ‘We really have something special here,’ receiver Brandon Marshall said.
“Jets general manager Mike Maccagnan must plug a few roster holes during the offseason, but a little salary-cap maneuvering should accomplish that and lift the Jets into true playoff contention in 2016.”
The three Jets priorities are Ryan Fitzpatrick, running back Chris Ivory, and defensive end Muhammad Wilkerson, broken leg and all.
But Ivory, a 1,000-yard rusher who is a free agent, is far from a lock to sign with the Jets. You still have this deep mystery as to how he was used in Sunday’s loss to the Bills. He didn’t start the game, and then when he finally got in he ripped off a 58-yard run, yet still only carried the ball six times total for 81 yards.
Coach Todd Bowles said after: “It was the way (Buffalo) stacked the box and did some things that talked us out of some things…Maybe we could have ran it more, maybe we couldn’t have in hindsight.”
Huh? Yeah, we all know Ivory has had injury issues all season, but he’s as good a gamer as there is on the entire team. He said after, “I let my coach know I was fine. I was fine. I felt I was moving good enough for it to be seen.” At least he did say he wants to be back.
William C. Rhoden / New York Times
“I’m not sure what I expected from the Jets on Sunday.
“Honestly, not this: a devastating loss that not only kept them from securing a playoff berth that seemed sure a week ago but also raised as many questions as the last part of the season had seemed to answer.
“Now the Jets’ season ends with the same debate it began with: Who will play quarterback?
“Five months ago, the incumbent starter, Geno Smith, had his jaw broken in a locker-room brawl. The injury opened the door for Ryan Fitzpatrick, acquired in March, to step in, step up and have a career year.
“Until Sunday.” And Fitzpatrick’s three interceptions.
“The Jets had it all in front of them. Like the Mets, they could have had New York to themselves, at least for a week.
“All they had to do was beat a scuffling Buffalo team.
“Losing as they did on Sunday, with a potentially open road ahead of them, leaves a bitter taste. And it leaves Jets fans with some of the same concerns they had in July and August, about the Jets’ character and composure – and their quarterback.”
After Sunday’s game, Fitzpatrick was a standup guy and took the heat (unlike Darrelle Revis, who disappeared in both the game, and after).
“It’s the hardest, and the most difficult end to a season I’ve ever had,” he said, “in terms of how I feel right now and how painful of a loss that was. At this point, it doesn’t feel like a very great season.”
Fitzpatrick is a good man, highly likable, as was this Jets team as a whole, too.
But there’s a reason he hasn’t made the playoffs in 11 seasons. The big mistake. He largely avoided it all this year, only for it to come up and bite him, and us, at the worst possible moment on the pass to Decker in the end zone as the Jets were on the verge of taking the lead late.
To sum up, as I mentioned Sunday night, this Jets team was remarkably healthy all season, they had an easy schedule, and the team was built to win today.
Next year, at least on paper, their schedule is much tougher (by like two-fold), they can’t expect to be as healthy as they were this season, they’ll be a year older, they may not be able to re-sign Ivory, and Wilkerson’s status is up in the air.
We had our chance, fellow fans. Our guys blew it. It will indeed hurt a long time.
Or as Mike Vaccaro put it in the New York Post:
“(This) season is stamped ‘failure.’
“No medals for trying. That’s the law.”
–At least Jets fans have it better than Browns fans these days. The Johnny Manziel saga continues. He was reportedly in Las Vegas on Saturday night, though he was supposed to be under concussion protocol, then there are reports from various sources that he showed up “disheveled and inebriated” at the Browns’ facility at some point last week. Then-Coach Pettine was asked to confirm and he denied it happened “on Tuesday,” but other people told ESPN Radio’s Cleveland affiliate reporter Tony Grossi that “it happened the next day, on Wednesday.”
Then Peter King reported on Sunday night that the Browns were unable to reach Manziel on Sunday, even though he was required under the concussion protocol to meet with the team’s medical staff at 9 a.m. on Sunday. A spokesman for the Browns said Manziel was at the team facility Saturday morning, which could be true…he just went to Vegas after.
Monday, Manziel was in the building, but no details on where he had been.
–Also on Monday, three franchises – the Raiders, Chargers and Rams – submitted relocation applications to the league on the first day they were eligible to do so. It’s the first time any teams have formally requested to fill the two-decades long absence from Los Angeles.
The Rams’ Stan Kroenke had previously talked of a $1.86bn stadium in Inglewood, on the site of the former Hollywood Park racetrack, that would serve as the centerpiece of a 298-acre entertainment, retail and housing development.
The Chargers and Raiders announced they were teaming on a competing project in Carson, located on an old landfill adjacent to the 405 Freeway. Disney is backing the Carson proposal and CEO Bob Iger is pressuring NFL owners on behalf of this one.
–I liked Cris Collinsworth’s comment on Sunday night’s telecast of Packers-Vikings; how he learned from horse racing’s Mike Battaglia to only focus on a horse’s last 3 races. Collinsworth says he’s learned to focus on a team’s last 3 games. “Where are you now?” is all that matters.
–Lastly, picture being a Bengals fan. You are in a wildcard playoff game, again. You’ve lost in this round the last four seasons, five of six, and are 0-7 in the playoffs since a first round wildcard win in 1990. And you’re playing the Steelers who have Antonio Brown. Good luck.
—2015 NFL Leaders
Passing Yards
Drew Brees 4,870 (32 TD – 11 INT), 101.0 passer rating
Philip Rivers 4,792 (29-13) 93.8
Tom Brady 4,770 (36-7) 102.2
By the way, Tyrod Taylor dropped to 99.4. Kirk Cousins rose to 101.6 for the year in Sunday’s regular season finale.
Rushing Yards
Adrian Peterson 1,485 (4.5 avg.)
Doug Martin 1,402 (4.9)
Todd Gurley 1,106 (4.8)
Only seven running backs rushed for 1,000 yards this season.
Receiving Yards
Julio Jones 136 rec.–1,871-8 TD
Antonio Brown 136-1,834-10
DeAndre Hopkins 111-1,521-11
Brandon Marshall 109-1,502-14
All of them averaged between 13.5 and 13.8 per catch.
There were 26 1,000-yard receivers. Sammy Watkins and Allen Robinson had the top avg. per catch among this group at 17.5.
J. J. Watt led the league in sacks with 17.5. Oakland’s Khalil Mack was next at 15.0, including five in one half!
Total Defense
1. Denver 283.1 yards/game
2. Seattle 291.8
3. Houston 310.2
4. Jets 318.6
College Football
We’re all just waiting around for next Monday night. Alabama-Clemson. Nothing to say, just play the game, while you also know some player on both teams will screw up, miss a curfew, hit an officer, something. You just hope if you are a Clemson fan it’s not Deshaun Watson, or if you are a ‘Bama fan Derrick Henry or Jake Coker.
But as for that dismal bowl season, save for TCU-Oregon among the higher-profile contests, Michael Salfino of the Wall Street Journal confirmed what we all observed. It was “the most one-sided in recent history, with an average point differential of 15.9 in the 40 games played so far, the highest going back to the 2000 season. The previous worst was 15.3 in 2010.”
In the four games matching up top ten teams – Alabama-Michigan State, Clemson-Oklahoma, Iowa-Stanford, and Ohio State-Notre Dame – the average margin was 25.75 points, versus the 14.75 differential in the other 36 bowl games.
College Basketball
AP Poll (Jan. 4…records thru Sunday)
1. Kansas 12-1 (44 first-place votes)
2. Oklahoma 12-0 (21)*
3. Maryland 13-1
4. Virginia 12-1
5. Michigan State 14-1
6. North Carolina 13-2
7. Arizona 13-1
8. Providence 14-1
9. Kentucky 11-2
10. Xavier 13-1
15. SMU 13-0*
17. West Virginia 12-1
22. South Carolina 13-0*
24. Pitt 12-1
*Only three remaining undefeated teams.
Well make that two as in the big showdown Monday night, Kansas held off Oklahoma in a thriller, 109-106 in triple overtime. I only watched the first half of this one, desperately needing sleep, frankly, but it was as advertised.
Oklahoma’s Buddy Hield, a National Player of the Year candidate, played like one with a career-high 46 points, including 8 of 15 from three, as well as 8 rebounds and 7 assists in 54 minutes of action. But Kansas won on two late steals by Frank Mason III, both of Hield. For the Jayhawks, Perry Ellis had 27 points and 13 rebounds.
Also on Monday, Virginia was upset at Virginia Tech (10-5, 2-0) 70-68.
And for 6 North Carolina, Brice Johnson had a monster game of 39 points and 23 rebounds to lead the Tar Heels to a 106-90 victory over Florida State.
I found this stunning. It was the first 30/20 game in Carolina history and it was the first 20/20 game for a Tar Heel since Tyler Zeller had 20 points and 22 rebounds against Ohio in the 2012 NCAA tournament.
Johnson was 14 of 16 from the field, while All-American candidate Marcus Paige added 30 points for UNC.
Then on Tuesday, LSU (9-5, 2-0) suddenly put it all together against 9 Kentucky, blasting the Wildcats in Baton Rouge 85-67. Ben Simmons had ‘just’ 14 points (but 5 of 5 from the field) and 10 rebounds.
Marquette (11-4, 1-2) upset 8 Providence 65-64.
And South Carolina continued to raise eyebrows with a solid 81-69 road win at Auburn.
Wake Forest hosts Duke tonight, Wednesday.
–The NCAA said allegations that had been made against the San Diego State men’s basketball team “were not substantiated,” according to the school, and much to the relief of Aztec fans and coach Steve Fisher. The NCAA said in its statement to the school that “it does not appear there is need for further inquiry.”
My “Pick to Click” Aztecs are only 9-6, but at least off to a 2-0 start in Mountain West Conference play.
–I noted a while back that an old friend’s nephew, Matt Husek, is starting for Holy Cross this year and I missed that on Dec. 21, Husek had a career high 19 points and 13 rebounds in a 76-75 win over Maine. He is now 11 of 22 from downtown, too, not bad for a guy 6’11”, as the Crusaders next go up against Colgate on Wednesday, in a battle of 6-7 teams. [Trying like hell to hype this one.]
NBA
Golden State 33-2 (17-0 at home)
San Antonio 30-6 (20-0 at home)
Philadelphia 4-33 (3-3 in the “Ish Smith Era”…this is getting boring if the Sixers continue to win a few…and as Mark R. pointed out, they don’t want to win too much or they lower their chances of getting Ben Simmons in the next draft)
—Steph Curry surprised his coach and teammates by returning on Monday night from his shin injury and scoring 30 points in Golden State’s 111-101 win over Charlotte.
But the story was Draymond Green, who became just the second Warriors player to post three straight triple-doubles…13 points, 15 rebounds and 10 assists in this one, joining Tom Gola 1959-60. Oklahoma City’s Russell Westbrook had a four-game streak last season.
[Golden State then defeated the Lakers on Tuesday, 109-88. Green did not have another triple-double.]
MLB
Later today the 2016 Baseball Hall of Fame class is being announced at 6 p.m. ET on MLB Network. But with the large number of voters making their ballots public before the announcement (which is really absurd), we already have a sense of where things stand.
One fellow, Ryan Thibodaux, a fan living out in Oakland, claims to have compiled 146 of an estimated 450 total ballots of those already posting their results and, as expected, Ken Griffey will receive close to 100%, with Mike Piazza trending in the right direction to get the 75% required for enshrinement, while Jeff Bagwell and Tim Raines appear to be on the cusp of the same. Thibodaux has Bagwell at 81.5% and Raines at 79.5%. [Piazza 87%…he received 69.9% last year.]
Thibodaux’s tally has both Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens at around 50%, which would be a big improvement for them.
Stuff
–FORE!!! The PGA Tour starts up anew this week in Kapalua at the Hyundai Tournament of Champions. The other week, Alan Shipnuck had some of the following from his perch at Golf Magazine.
“For those players in the winners-only field, Kapalua is a treasured working vacation. For reporters, it’s one of the best weeks of the year, and not just for the fun and sun. Kapalua is great because it’s so cloistered: Players and scribes alike stay at the same Ritz-Carlton, eat in the same restaurants, and frolic at the same pool. It turns us media types into anthropologists, studying an exotic species in its natural environment…
“Years ago, while studying a truly unforgettable sight: Miguel Angel Jimenez prowling the beach with a huge, phallic cigar in his mouth and wearing only a porkpie hat and a black Speedo. The image will haunt me to the grave. That kind of revealing moment happens all the time at Kapalua, where I have studied both Amanda Dufner and Elin Nordegren in bikinis – because the readers have a right to know… Circa 2005, I had some bad mojo going with Ernie Els, until I spied him poolside with his wife and sent over a round of conciliatory pina coladas. Not to be outdone, he had an entire meal delivered my way. (Interviews with Easy were much tastier after that.) There’s a basketball court near the pool at the Ritz where I fed Zach Johnson a series of three-pointers. (Even in flip-flops, he’s money.) The tournament has a long tradition of spoiling the players, including nightly gifts and goodies (leis, jewelry for the wives) delivered to their room. One year I happened to be neighbors with Jesper Parnevik. The Swede always hung a DO NOT DISTURB sign on the door, so offerings meant for him were left in the hallway. I returned one night to the glorious, unmistakable aroma of fresh-baked chocolate chip cookies. I grabbed the tray and slinked into my room, devouring the whole batch in one sitting. (Jesper, I regret nothing.)
“Something about the Maui air brings out the lovebirds….(One year) I was in front of the Plantation Course clubhouse when Natalie Gulbis sashayed by. I asked her what she was doing so far from home. She confided that lately she had been ‘hanging out’ with Dustin Johnson. Given the intimacy of Kapalua, you can’t hide the likes of Gulbis. Knowing that word of her dalliance with Johnson would get out anyway, I figured I’d be the one to break the news. [Ed. I remember this, and passed it on here.] Gulbis didn’t want to be quoted, saying, ‘I’ll let Dustin handle our PR.’ She told me she’d come straight from the airport and was heading to the hotel to freshen up. I tried to grab Johnson after his round, but he sprinted to the parking lot and roared off for a rendezvous with Natalie. (Can you blame him?)
“Not long after, with misgivings, I rang DJ’s room. He was, shall we say, distracted when he answered. ‘Call back in an hour,’ he said, slamming down the phone. I did. He didn’t answer. (Can you blame him?)
“Within minutes, my article went live – alas, without quotes – touching off a media frenzy about their relationship. It was the kind of story that only happens at Kapalua.”
Great stuff, Mr. Shipnuck.
—Wake Forest men’s golf fans have reason to look forward to the spring. We have the best team we’ve had in a long time and are among the top four in most rankings (with Auburn, Florida State and Illinois).
Meanwhile, Stanford junior Maverick McNealy has won nine tournaments in his last 17 starts. It’s not supposed to be that easy. Three more wins and he tops Tiger Woods and Patrick Rodgers for career wins at Stanford.
–We note the passing of Irish golf legend Christy O’Connor Jr., 67. O’Connor won four times on the European Tour, and won two British Open Senior titles, but he will perhaps be best known for his stunning two-iron approach shot to the 18th hole at the Belfry that helped secure a Ryder Cup for Europe in 1989.
–If you follow European football, interesting how Real Madrid sacked its manager Rafa Benitez and replaced him with legend Zinedine Zidane. The 43-year-old does not have a lot of manager experience, and certainly none at this level.
Top 3 songs for the week 1/7/67: #1 “I’m A Believer” (The Monkees) #2 “Snoopy Vs. The Red Baron” (The Royal Guardsman) #3 “Tell It Like It Is” (Aaron Neville)…and…#4 “Winchester Cathedral” (The New Vaudeville Band) #5 “Sugar Town” (Nancy Sinatra…seriously, not awful…yeah, Dad’s influence no doubt helped as it peaked at this position…) #7 “Good Thing” (Paul Revere & The Raiders….these guys, like Gary Lewis & The Playboys and Tommy James & The Shondells, ridiculously underrated…) #8 “Words Of Love” (The Mamas & The Papas) #9 “Standing In The Shadows Of Love” (Four Tops…Levi!…) #10 “Mellow Yellow” (Donovan)
PGA Tour Quiz Answer: Active golfers, aside from Phil Mickelson, and Tiger, who are under age 50 and have between 12 and 19 wins on the PGA Tour.
Ernie Els 19 (46)
Jim Furyk 17 (45)
David Toms 13 (49)
David Duval 13 (44)
Justin Leonard 12 (43)
Steve Stricker 12 (48)
Zach Johnson 12 (turns 40 in February)
You get the picture…post-Tiger’s greatness (and Phil’s), we’ve been waiting for a true wave to take over and it’s here…Rory McIlroy, 26, already has 11 Tour wins. Spieth, Day et al will be at that mark in two years, or less.
Next Bar Chat, Monday.
