#and the fact that he's got team usa 4-0 at worlds and the potential he could have

[stromer]

just got asked abt sharks hockey in real life at my place of work umprompted…. GOD leave me alone i don't want to think about ittttttttuhhhhhhhhh

[auburnfamilynews]

John Glaser-USA TODAY Sports

The time has come to put down on imaginary paper what type of season we think the Tigers will have this fall

This past weekend finally made it real. College football is actually back.

Yes, there have been and will continue to be some major hiccups this season but there WILL be a season and fans will get a chance to watch their beloved Auburn Tigers take the field this fall. For a year that has been most unpleasant having the ability to shut out the world for 3-4 hours and let our blood pressure rise to unhealthy levels as we watch Auburn do battle on the gridiron is a most wondrous blessing.

So with kickoff being just under two weeks away, it’s time the sages here at College & Magnolia put down in writing their expectations for this 2020 Auburn football team. This year, more than any other, feels the most unpredictable. Games that seem like obvious wins right now could turn into multi score losses if a positive tests pops up on the wrong position group. Chances are good at least one game will be disrupted, positively or negatively, for Auburn this season due to COVID-19.

But your wise contributors on this here internet street will do our best to enlighten you, our loyal readers, on proper expectations for this fall. Season prediction takes, let’s have em!

AUNerd

8-2 would be a good season for Auburn this fall. 6-4 would be a bad one. I have no idea how I would feel about 7-3 so obviously that’s exactly what will happen. I’m not sure who exactly Auburn loses to outside of Bama this season but my general guess is Auburn goes 2-2 vs Bama/UGA/LSU/A&M then drops a frustrating one to either UK or Tennessee. It wouldn’t shock me to see Auburn start 7-0 then lose their last 3 plus the bowl game to send us into another off-season of debate over whether or not Gus Malzahn should keep his job.

But also ya’ll... This year feels as chaotic as every so why not some Chaos Auburn?

Verdict: 7-3

Joshdub

The folks in Vegas (typically not dumb!) place the over/under on 6.5 wins for Auburn this year. 6.5...that seems very precarious. I have no idea if Auburn will struggle to pass protect, put Bo in lots of bad situations, and force him to make bad throws. I have no idea if Chad Morris can overcome any 2020-related obstacles and produce another juggernaut offense. But when you’re making preseason predictions, swing for the fences. Echoing Nerd: expect CHAOS AUBURN. Auburn will ruin ALL YOUR NICE THINGS (um, including a perfect season for Auburn, who will definitely lose an early game they are actually favored to win (please not to lane kiffin, please not to lane kiffin, please not to la-))

Verdict: 9-1

Ryan Sterritt

As we saw in the first week of power conference games, we may be in for some ugly football this year. I think (hope?) that lends itself to teams with established quarterback play, although replacing seven starters across the two lines of scrimmage might cause more than enough issues. Still, despite the inherent difficulty of an all-SEC schedule, things line up relatively nicely for Auburn. UGA seems to be in crisis mode with a new OC, chaos at quarterback, injuries at WR, and new starters on the OL. LSU is replacing effectively their entire starting lineup. Texas A&M is suffering a slew of withdraws, most recently leading to their top returning wideout having three (3!) catches last season.

It’s going to be a frustrating season, I think, but it’s important to remember everything these players and coaches have done to even get to this point. I think we knock off Georgia in Athens for the first time since 2005, AND we knock off the defending champion LSU. I also think Alabama has no excuse to lose a single game this year, and it would not surprise me if random COVID cases or contact tracing bites us in some other game.

Verdict: 8-2

Will McLaughlin

I see Auburn splitting the first 2 games, then see the Tigers getting on a roll. The Tennessee game is a must win for Gus this year but I can see Auburn getting to the Iron Bowl at 6-2.

Verdict: 7-3

AUChief

Only one thing is clear about the upcoming season: it’s gonna be a weird one. The fact that you are reading this article in mid-September talking about an upcoming season is only one of many indicators that it’s already weird. And so that makes predicting what will happen even harder than usual. As Auburn fans, we have learned to embrace weirdness over the years. Doesn’t it just feel like this is the kind of year Auburn can do something special? A year that only the ultimate victors won’t assign a huge asterisk to each and every opponent win? People could get sick or opt out at any point, throwing an otherwise good team into chaos.

All that said, let’s see where Auburn ends up. I think Bo Nix is going to have a whole new lease on life this year. He’s going to have an opportunity to throw a lot of high percentage passes to his TEs, and the running back situation is miles ahead of where it was last year. The only question for me is the OL, but I don’t see it being worse than the last few years. I have complete faith in our defensive staff to get the best out of the players on that side of the ball. Auburn is going to go 9-1. The loss will come to Kentucky, LSU, or Alabama. I know what you are thinking, “Kentucky?!” It’s gonna be a weird year folks, so hold onto your butts. LSU seems the least likely to me out of the three. Alabama will obviously be good. They managed to somehow avoid any opt outs. 9-1 will only be good enough to get us to the title game if the loss is to UK or LSU, so hope for one of those. Let’s assume that’s the case and say we will face Florida in the SECCG, winning 42-27. After that we’ll eventually face Clemson in the national title game.

Am I Barning hard enough for you people? Anyway, War Damn Eagle.

Verdict: 9-1

Josh Black

I am far more skeptical on this season than most here. Pre-COVID my skepticism was rooted in a simple truth that has held up for the most part in the history of this conference: It’s hard to be confident when you don’t know what you have at the line of scrimmage.

I expect the offense to show signs of legitimate progress under Chad Morris, and provide further compliment to Bo Nix’s potential, especially with more passing concepts, A TIGHT END (!), and a far more talented running back room than we’ve had the last 2 years. I also expect our offensive line to struggle mightily at different points throughout this season. It’s not for a lack of talent, but it hurts us early that we didn’t have spring to help those 5 to gel. It hurts even more than it’s hard to find 5 guys consistently with COVID, so early on communication between the guys is going to be rough.

Defensively I expect Kevin Steele and Co. to continue reinforcing the sterling reputation the Auburn Defense has earned since 2016. Questions abound for me up front though, once again, as you are going to feel the impact of losing not just the insane talent of Derrick and Marlon, but the amount of sheer snaps they had. That experience is a heavy burden for Truesdell, but what is around him are a bunch of guys who need to step up and/or grow up quick. Same holds true in the secondary, where Auburn is quietly producing 1st round NFL talent nowadays. I have zero doubt about the abilities of our back 4-5, but quality depth matters, especially at corner, and I’ll need to see it before getting my hopes elevated.

I’m going to do a breakdown of how I see this schedule going with what I think will happen, and the best case/worst case scenario:

Kentucky - Win (Do not take this team lightly, as they can come into Auburn and win. They’re extremely well coached.)

at Georgia - Loss (We can absolutely win this game as I don’t feel threatened by the quandary Georgia finds themselves in at QB (you just hate to see it), but they have arguably the best defense in the country depending on if Ohio State plays football this fall, and I think we’re going to need 21+ points to win. I don’t have a lot of confidence that happens in Athens.)

Arkansas - Win (LOL yeah no...Gus and Chad ain’t losing to Arkansas)

at South Carolina - Win (Abysmal offensive football team with a lack of talent to beat Auburn)

at Ole Miss - Win (Lane will beat someone he shouldn’t in year one, but they’ve got enough problems defensively that tell me it won’t be us.)

LSU - Win (Coin flip game prior to LSU basically deciding to take the year off. I don’t blame them. 2011 sucked for us too. Still though, they’re LSU and an obvious threat, but this is a game we should win, especially since Dave Aranda, who had our number, is gone.)

@ Miss. State - Win (Some other SBN site will tell you State is the most talented team in the conference. That site is laughably wrong.)

Tennessee - Win (Must win game for us that absolutely could go the other way. Sucks to say but Jeremy Pruitt has had our number way too often. Easily the most dangerous game on this schedule that I almost went with my gut and predicted a “Chaos Auburn” loss.)

Alabama - Loss (They’re loaded. Their schedule gets easier with every opt-out we see. Nobody outside of Clemson is beating them this year.)

Texas A&M - Win (Much like Tennessee, this is a true coin flip game for us. Beat up after the Iron Bowl means something here, as it did in the 2017 SEC Championship. Still, the day I put money on Kellen Mond or Jimbo Fisher being worth a damn without insane talent all around them is the day I go broke. We should win this game. We could lose this game.)

So I say we’re 8-2, with Kentucky, Tennessee, and A&M being games that could absolutely derail all of our hopes and dreams for something better. I do see the 2 losses I mentioned being definite. This team is going to show improvement at best, and confusion at worst. We’re a year away, basically. But I also expect 2021 to be the year where we actually enter the College Football Playoff, so I’ll take it in a year where there are more important things going on than football, especially knowing that the Georgia game and Alabama games are on the road in front of mostly nobody. To hell with both of them.

You’ve read our takes, now it’s your turn. Give us your prediction for this 2020 Auburn Tiger football team.

War Eagle!

from College and Magnolia - All Posts https://www.collegeandmagnolia.com/2020/9/14/21434903/c-m-roundtable-predict-auburns-2020-season-record

[junker-town]

6 winners from Week 13 of the NFL season

Joe Maiorana-USA TODAY Sports

Andy Dalton set a Bengals record. Derrius Guice showed he might just be the guy after all. The Texans? Also good.

Week 13 of the NFL season started with a Thanksgiving lineup of mostly drama-free contests. David Blough exceeded expectations but fulfilled his destiny as a Lions quarterback by losing a one-possession game to the Bears. The Cowboys continued a rich 2019 tradition of getting beaten by teams with winning records by eating a double-digit loss to the Bills. The Falcons, uh, tried.

That was a lead-in to all the action on the final day of the long weekend. The nation’s collective turkey (and alcohol) hangovers were soothed by a handful of big games. The early slate featured a possible Super Bowl preview between the 49ers and Ravens and a rivalry showdown between the Steelers and Browns. The late games were highlighted by games like Patriots-Texans and Chiefs-Raiders that had major postseason implications.

That left us with a wide slate of winners and losers, both on the scoreboard and in the locker room. Who stood out the most?

It wasn’t: the Jets, Panthers, or Eagles, who deserve nothing nice

The Jets handed the Bengals their first win of the season. That’s notable because it’s December. Carolina recovered an onside kick to take a stab at an unlikely 15-point comeback against Washington, then turned a first-and-goal situation with 40 seconds to play into zero points and a 29-21 loss. That’s notable because the Panthers held a 94 percent win probability in the first quarter.

The Eagles wasted a 28-14 lead in Miami to lose to a team that gave Patrick Laird (six career carries before Week 13) the majority of its rushes Sunday. That game was made even more gloriously weird and entertaining thanks to one of the greatest fake field goals our fragile world has ever known.

THE GOAT FAKE FIELD GOAL#PHIvsMIA #FinsUp pic.twitter.com/dAZJuTxUmQ

— Miami Dolphins (@MiamiDolphins) December 1, 2019

That, at least partially, was enough to convince Eagles head coach Doug Pederson the Dolphins are, in fact, good. The data doesn’t bear that out, but sure, Doug. That’s just as likely as my working theory that a bad team uprising took place to push the Giants to the top spot in the draft. That way, they can force New York into passing up Joe Burrow because the team’s already got Daniel Jones.

Now, on to ...

This week’s actual winners:

6. Jarvis Landry, who has gotten even better despite the presence of Odell Beckham Jr.

The Browns lost to the Steelers, relinquishing their edge in one of the AFC North’s oldest rivalries and losing the battle of sassy t-shirts along the way. Their offense regressed to Hue Jackson levels and their defense allowed Devlin Hodges to throw for 10.1 yards per pass.

That cold front froze out Beckham (three catches, 29 yards), but it failed to cool off Landry (6 catches, 76 yards). Though 12 games, the versatile wideout is on pace for an 87-catch, 1,225-yard, seven-touchdown season. The second number would be a career high, as would his 14.1 yards per catch.

Landry isn’t just putting up big numbers — he’s showcasing some of the game’s strongest hands and field awareness in the process:

holy crap, Jarvis Landry pic.twitter.com/StyWIFHAR7

— Christian D'Andrea (@TrainIsland) December 1, 2019

That catch was originally ruled an incompletion, but a Freddie Kitchens challenge overturned it to give Cleveland new life in the Pittsburgh red zone. In true Browns fashion, the team lost yards and was forced to settle for a field goal. Even so, it was a statement proving Landry’s one of the league’s top wideouts, despite languishing on mediocre teams.

Beckham’s trade to Ohio seemed likely to cut into Landry’s production. Instead, he’s coming up with more catches on only slightly fewer targets per game (from 9.3 in 2018 down to 9.0). The Browns may be facing a lost season after falling to 5-7, but Landry has emerged as the kind of player who can change this franchise’s fortunes when he and Baker Mayfield — who played the second half with a badly bruised throwing hand and made Landry his security blanket — find their rhythm.

5. Aaron Rodgers, free play god

Green Bay faced third-and-goal back at the New York 17-yard line when Rodgers saw a disheveled Giants defense struggle to sub out its personnel. He used that opportunity to hurry the Packers to the line of scrimmage, induce a 12 men on the field penalty with a quick snap, and then delivered an absolute dart to Davante Adams on the free play.

Second TD of the day for #One7 ❄️ RETWEET to #ProBowlVote for @tae15adams! ❄️#GBvsNYG | #GoPackGo pic.twitter.com/G1WZ0Mrn5O

— Green Bay Packers (@packers) December 1, 2019

Suddenly, a dicey 17-13 lead was a two-possession game in the fourth quarter, effectively stomping out the Giants’ comeback hopes. The touchdown catch was Adams’ second of the day and 38th since 2016 — most in the NFL over that span despite missing seven games due to injury. He wasn’t the only Packers wideout to feast after Thanksgiving. Allen Lazard, undrafted in 2018, had his first career 100-yard game, needing just three catches to get to 103 yards Sunday.

Rodgers finished his day with four touchdowns — the 23rd time he’s hit or exceeded that number. That ties Brett Favre for fourth all-time when it comes to four-plus TD games in NFL history, behind only Peyton Manning, Drew Brees, and Tom Brady.

4. Ryan Fitzpatrick, who keeps quietly messing up the Dolphins’ tanking plan

Fitzpatrick started the day with an interception on his first pass of the afternoon and a quick 7-0 deficit. His next two drives centered around sacks and punts.

Then he woke up, and here’s what he did over the Dolphins’ final eight drives:

26 of 36 passing

358 passing yards

3 touchdowns

0 interceptions

a 131.5 passer rating

Miami scored five touchdowns and a field goal over its next seven possessions, stopped only by a kneeldown with six seconds left in the second quarter.

Fitzpatrick’s big day was a boon for DeVante Parker, who faces an uncertain 2020 since he has no guaranteed money remaining on his contract. Parker’s 159 receiving yards and two touchdowns were both career highs. More importantly, four of his targets created first downs or touchdowns in third- or fourth-down situations, including one brilliant scoring play:

.@DeVanteParker11, OH MY! #FinsUp : #PHIvsMIA on FOX : NFL app // Yahoo Sports app Watch free on mobile: https://t.co/uPnyeJSIAR pic.twitter.com/6eFfYXlP7G

— NFL (@NFL) December 1, 2019

The Dolphins are still bad. Fitzpatrick isn’t their quarterback of the future. But if you squint hard enough, you can see how they could be good again.

3. Derrius Guice, very much back (for the first time)

Guice has been effectively cursed over the course of his brief NFL career. The 2018 second-round pick missed his entire rookie season after tearing his ACL in his preseason debut. His 2019 started with a 10-carry, 18-yard performance in Week 1 that saw him land on injured reserve shortly afterward with a torn meniscus.

The former LSU star kept working. He returned in Week 11 and showed off a glimpse of his potential with a 45-yard touchdown catch in garbage time of a loss to the Jets. He outgained backfield-mate Adrian Peterson in a Week 12 win over the Lions.

And then, facing the Panthers and their 30th-ranked rushing defense, Guice finally got the breakout game for which he’d waited 19 months. One week after gaining 32 yards on 10 carries, he smashed through the Carolina defensive line for a career-high 129 yards on 10 more. That included a pair of touchdowns and a brutal stiff-arm that should have Shaq Thompson reconsidering his future in the league.

Great run from Derrius Guice here. Nice patience initially to allow the blocks to develop. Found the hole and then burst through it. Nasty stiff arm to run through the tackle and turn the run into a big gain #Redskins pic.twitter.com/VQltGkZZMT

— Mark Bullock (@MarkBullockNFL) December 1, 2019

The second-year tailback was instrumental in Washington’s third win of the season. He accounted for two-thirds of his team’s touchdowns and 38 percent of its total yards. Guice may have done it against a bad Panthers rushing defense, but he planted his flag as a playmaker who can be a major part of Washington’s rebuild.

2. Bradley Roby, who led a defensive effort that made Tom Brady look like crap

Brady’s 2019 has been a tale of decline, but he hasn’t been as bad as he was Sunday night in a long, long time. Midway through the third quarter, he looked like he’d been replaced with Brock Osweiler:

Brady’s final numbers — 326 yards and three touchdowns — failed to convey the absolute frustration he wore on his sleeve on the sideline:

'why don't YOU take out the trash, DAD' pic.twitter.com/H2zdc2BplW

— Christian D'Andrea (@TrainIsland) December 2, 2019

How did the Texans make Brady act like a surly teenager on their home field? While the Patriots averaged more than three seconds of dropback time per pass, the six-time NFL champion struggled to find open targets downfield. That started with Roby, who picked off Brady twice (though one was called back due to a pretty blatant hold from Roby), sacked him once, and knocked down another pass in his return from a hamstring injury.

Roby signed with Houston on a one-year, $10 million deal aimed at restoring the value that made him a first-round draft pick in 2014. His big night against Brady — one whiffed tackle on a third-and-14 conversion for the Pats aside — was the latest turn in a solid 2019. He’s recorded as many interceptions as he’s had touchdowns allowed (one each) and has limited opposing QBs to a 71.5 passer rating and 50 percent completion rate in coverage.

That helped the Texans earn their first win over New England since 2010. Come 2020, it could be the key piece of evidence that lands him a multi-year contract.

His primetime performance was about more than making a statement about his place in the league, however:

Bradley Roby dedicated this game to his grandfather who passed away 'this is special to me. I take pride in being a game-changer'

— Aaron Wilson (@AaronWilson_NFL) December 2, 2019

1. Andy Dalton, Cincinnati savior

Dalton was benched midway through the Cincinnati season in favor of fourth-round rookie Ryan Finley. It happened on his birthday. It happened just hours before the trade deadline, effectively marooning him with the Bengals. It happened while he was tied for the franchise lead in touchdown passes.

Despite this amazing confluence of crappiness, Dalton remained a consummate professional. When Finley didn’t make his case as the team’s next franchise passer (zero wins, 47.1 completion rate, 62.1 passer rating in three games), the Bengals turned back to their long-tenured gunslinger in hopes of diverting their path from 0-16 and toward a much more respectable one- or two-win season.

Dalton was up for the challenge. The nine-year veteran brought the Jets’ three-game winning streak to a screeching halt, throwing for a cromulent 243 yards and one record-setting touchdown:

.@AndyDalton14 is now the @Bengals all-time leader in passing touchdowns! : #NYJvsCIN on CBS : NFL app // Yahoo Sports app Watch free on mobile: https://t.co/uPnyeJSIAR pic.twitter.com/tFJOFC28pq

— NFL (@NFL) December 1, 2019

While Dalton was completely acceptable in his return, Cincinnati’s first win of the season hinged on the swarming play of a charged-up defense. The Jets had scored 34 points in each of their last three games. They were held to six on Sunday as Sam Darnold needed 48 passes to throw for just 239 yards. New York’s running backs averaged just 3.5 yards per carry. Carlos Dunlap sacked Darnold three times and hit him six times total.

It was a lone triumph in a season marred by mistakes, but it was a big moment for what may be Dalton’s final victory wearing orange and black. Even better, it didn’t affect the Bengals’ place at the top of 2020’s prospective draft order. That’s a win/win.

[bettingtipstech-blog]

The forecast for fight Tyson Fury – Tom Schwartz

New Post has been published on https://betting-tips.site/the-forecast-for-fight-tyson-fury-tom-schwartz/

The forecast for fight Tyson Fury – Tom Schwartz

June 16 at the MGM Grand (Las Vegas, USA), will fight in the heavyweight division (over 90,89 kg), in which the former winner of the championship belts in three versions, the unbeaten British-Irish Tyson fury will meet with young, ambitious Tom Schwarz from Germany. At stake will be the Intercontinental title, the world Boxing organization, which belongs to the Schwartz 2017.

Tyson Fury

One of the most extraordinary boxers of our time, made a lot of noise in the Boxing ring and outside of it, fury started his career in the Amateurs and defended the colors of the national teams of England and Ireland (ranked the 3rd place in the ranking of the international Boxing Association – ABA).

In 2008, debuted in the pros. First regional titles won in 2011., defeating compatriot Dmitry unbeaten Chisora. In 2012, he became the holder of the belt WBO Intercontinental champion (an early victory over American V. Maddalone). In 2014 once again met with D. Cooroy – win in round 10 brought the European title, British and WBO International.

28.11.2015 took place the battle of “life” in the career of fury – against the current world champion in all prestigious versions, except for WBC, VL. Klitschko. The British managed to win on points and took all the championship belts. After the triumphant ascent to the top of the heavyweight division, fury said about losing motivation and quitting.

But, after 2-year hiatus, the British resumed performances, winning over the “looping” men – s. Severi and F. Panetti. 01.12.2018 g. was found with undefeated WBC world champion, American David Wilder. A dramatic fight, in which fury’s “hanging by a thread” after knockdowns in the final round, ended in a draw.

Just on account of the fury 28 fights – 27 wins, including 19КО and 1 draw.

Fury 30 years, Boxing, changing stand, height 206 cm, arm span of 216 cm, nicknamed “the Gypsy King”. Coach B. Davison. In 2015 was named “Fighter of the year”, and in 2018, the “Comeback of the year”.

Tom Schwartz

The prospect from Germany, came to the Pro stage in 2013 at the age of 19 years and serves under the auspices of the famous promoter SES Boxing. In 2015-2016 won championship belts WBO and WBC (youth), defeating unbeaten countrymen, I. Mezentseva and D. Lewandowski. 22.04.2017, she became the owner of champion belt under the version of the world Boxing organization Inter-Continental title by knocking out in the 2nd round A. Rejoice.

For two years I held 4 successful title defense, scoring early victories. The last fight was held against 02.03.2019 G. Horvath K. Krstarica (win by Ko in the 2nd round). He played 24 games (won all the victories, 16 by knockout). A series of victories over well-known fighters – S. Gashi (16-0), D. Fernandez (11-0).

According to coach Schwarz, D. Zemsky, ward demonstrates his style of Boxing, which absorbed advanced best qualities of the Klitschko brothers.

Schwartz 24 years, right-handed, height 197 cm, arm span 201 see Included in the top ten rankings of the WBO and IBF.

The coefficients 1хСтавка

The bookies are confident that the fury skill allows him to easily understand with the young talent from Germany. To win the “Gypsy King” accepted rate by a factor of 1.03. The success of Schwartz estimated coefficient 14.

Forecast battle fury – Schwartz

Fury refused to rematch with Wilder and opted for Schwarze, for which he was heavily criticized by colleagues who accused the former champion of cowardice. Himself fury explained the situation to organizational problems related to the fact that all potential opponents from the TOP 5 was associated contractual obligations with other fighters.

Schwartz got a good chance to “light up” and try to make the most of the upcoming match. Track record of a German attractive, but only statistical indicators – test on the top boxers, he did not pass. Team fury supports the interest in the match, stating that the opponent is not inferior to anthropometry and can start in the ring “war”. Apparently, fury is more concerned about the reaction of the American public than a real opposition and is interested in a competitive battle, almost more than Schwartz. As Tom is going to win experienced, versatile British ex-champion, hard to say. If fury won’t flirt and don’t miss the “crazy” hit, the outcome of the battle is predetermined, and it needs to end early. My bet – Tyson Fury early win.

[junker-town]

5 NFL teams that have disappointed us most this season

Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports

The Browns are boring, the Falcons are a disaster, and the Cowboys can’t beat teams with a pulse.

Some NFL teams have overachieved to kick off their 2019 season.

The 49ers are one of two remaining unbeaten teams after dismantling foes with a smothering defense. The Saints have overcome Drew Brees’ absence with a 4-1 record that includes wins over contenders like the Seahawks, Cowboys, and Texans. Even the Patriots are 6-0 for the first time since 2015.

Those hot starts have come at the expense of some regrettable ones. The Chargers are threatening to waste another year of Philip Rivers’ career outside the playoff race after a 2-3 start that includes bungling losses to the Lions and Broncos. The Steelers and Jets have each fallen apart after losing their starting quarterbacks for extended periods. The Falcons’ quest to define Dan Quinn’s tenure as anything other than “28-3” has been successful, only in that it’s exposed his team as an overmatched, undercoached mess.

That’s left heavy competition for the title of 2019’s most disappointing team. Four teams have begun the season without a single win in five weeks, and four more only have a single victory — two of whom (the Steelers and Cardinals) got their lone wins against the former group. So who is truly the king of frustration this fall?

The Los Angeles Chargers. The poor, cursed Chargers

This was supposed to be the year. Keenan Allen was healthy. Philip Rivers was back and coming off one of the most efficient years of his career. A top 10 defense, led by the pocket-destroying duo of Joey Bosa and Melvin Ingram, returned mostly intact.

And yet, through five weeks, the 2019 Chargers only have one fewer loss than they had in last year’s entire regular season.

They’ve gone 2-3 in an extremely Chargers way. They only defeated the Colts in Week 1 thanks to Adam Vinatieri’s sudden inability to kick a field goal. They lost to Detroit in Week 2 as a result of red zone turnovers and their own special teams problems — with regular kicker Michael Badgley injured, punter Ty Long made just one of three field goal attempts in a 13-10 loss. Their comeback effort against the Texans one week later was derailed by a holding penalty that wiped out what would have been a first-and-goal situation from the Houston 7-yard line with 30 seconds to play. They lost that game 27-20.

This was all a warm-up to Week 5’s catastrophe. The Broncos were winless when they traveled to Los Angeles. After 10 minutes, they led by 14 points. This was also the game in which Melvin Gordon returned from a contract holdout that kept him from the field in Weeks 1-4. The Chargers promptly rushed for the fewest yards they have all season (35).

Patrick Mahomes’ sudden mortality in light of an ankle injury — he has just one passing touchdown his past two games — should have created an opportunity for LA to rise to the top of the AFC West. Instead, the club is in third place in the division, two games behind the Chiefs and staring up at the Raiders. At least there’s still time for this team to turn things around and rally all the way to an underwhelming Divisional Round postseason loss to the Patriots. — Christian D’Andrea

The Cleveland Browns, who are mediocre and boring

Between hatin’-ass quarterback Baker Mayfield, the dynamic wide receiver combo of Jarvis Landry and Odell Beckham Jr., and a defense led by destroyer of worlds Myles Garrett, the Browns should be fun to watch. They were a wildly popular pick to win the Super Bowl, but more than anything, the Browns were supposed to be must-watch TV.

The most disappointing about them so far in 2019 is that they’re borderline unwatchable.

Mayfield’s hair-on-fire style of play has devolved into him repeatedly retreating from pressure and playing mostly awful football. He has four touchdowns and an NFL-high eight interceptions.

That’s meant a whole lot of nothing from Beckham, the human highlight reel who was supposed to send the Browns’ offense into overdrive. In his first five games in Cleveland, he caught an 89-yard touchdown on a slant and made one of his trademark one-handed grabs down the sideline. That’s about it. With the Giants, he averaged 92.8 receiving yards per game, and that was with the slowly rotting Eli Manning at quarterback. Now Beckham’s averaging just 67 yards in Cleveland.

Even the defense has been subpar. It’s below the league average in points (21st), yards (18th), red zone conversions against (29th), and rushing yards per attempt allowed (30th). It got absolutely steamrolled by the 49ers to the tune of 275 rushing yards in Week 5.

It’s not even close to too late for the Browns to turn things around. They’re 2-3 and just one game behind the Ravens, who they already beat in Week 4. But their utter unwatchability is what makes the Browns the NFL’s biggest letdown so far the season. — Adam Stites

The Atlanta Falcons, proving that this city can’t have nice things when it comes to sports

Speaking as a current Atlanta resident, I can tell you that the 404 has had a rough couple of weeks (I’m so sorry, Braves fans). The Falcons started this season as a dark horse Super Bowl contender, and instead they’re 1-4 heading into Week 6. Atlanta’s lone win (somehow) came during Week 2 at home against the Eagles on Sunday night.

There are so many problems with Atlanta right now, but I’ll just start with the defense, which gave up 53 points and 426 passing yards to the Houston Texans last week, including almost 600 (592) total yards of offense. While Falcons have had some injuries on defense — most notably Keanu Neal — Quinn’s unit should be much farther along at this point, especially since he took over defensive playcalling duties this season.

The Falcons have usually been able to rely on their offense, but it hasn’t been all that better. They’re scoring just 20 points per game (and giving up 10 more points on average). Matt Ryan has thrown seven interceptions, and Devonta Freeman scored his first touchdown of the season last week against the Texans on a 9-yard reception. The Falcons’ running game is near the bottom of the league. It has totaled just 338 yards and two touchdowns, one coming from Ryan and the other from Freeman’s backup, Ito Smith.

The lone bright spots are Julio Jones and Austin Hooper; both are averaging around 72 yards per game, and have six TDs between them.

The fact that Atlanta is this bad doesn’t bode well for Quinn’s job security, since the Falcons have games against the Rams, Seahawks, Saints, and Panthers coming up after Arizona in Week 6. If the Falcons go winless for that stretch, Atlanta might have to call it quits on Quinn. —Morgan Moriarty

The Denver Broncos, who sucked before Bradley Chubb got hurt

John Elway might not be very good at being an NFL general manager. So far he’s picked nothing but duds at the quarterback position, and Joe Flacco is a hilarious exclamation point on that track record. Vic Fangio is a coach who is easy to believe in, but he’s saddled with an offense that offers nothing in the realm of consistency.

He’s also had some growing pains on the defensive side of the ball, where Denver was supposed to win games this season. Instead, the defense has blown two late leads, first against the Bears and two weeks later against the Jaguars.

The Broncos didn’t get a sack until Week 4 and didn’t force a turnover until Week 5. The pass rush was mostly nonexistent through the first three weeks of play, and when it did finally start to pick up, the Broncos lost Bradley Chubb to an injury.

The Von Miller-Chubb duo was expected to destroy opposing quarterbacks. It hasn’t and it won’t now that Chubb is out for the year and Fangio is still without a dominant inside linebacker to make his defense work (something he had throughout his time with the 49ers).

Denver would be better off going the rebuild route at this point. — James Brady

The Dallas Cowboys, who flounder against good teams

Unlike the other teams on this list, the Cowboys have a winning record. They’re tied atop their division. They’re still a good bet to make the playoffs. There have been times this season when they’ve looked unbeatable.

And yet, I can’t help but be disappointed by how toothless they’ve been against fellow contenders. I expected them to take that next step this year as a Super Bowl contender. I thought I saw it early in the season, when the offense was creative and looked dominant enough to make up for the defense’s slower start. Then, in back-to-back games against the Saints and Packers, the Dallas offense couldn’t do much of anything.

In both losses, turnovers and a less effective running game hurt the Cowboys. Dak Prescott struggled to move the offense at all against the Saints and by the time he found his footing against the Packers, it was too late.

The defense, despite holding the Saints to 12 points, didn’t do its part either. It forced just one turnover and gave up 100+ yards on the ground in both games — a common theme in the team’s losses — including four rushing touchdowns to Packers running back Aaron Jones. Although the pass rush came alive against the Saints (five sacks), it has been quiet in other games and ranks in the bottom half of the league.

Special teams hasn’t been good either, with kicker Brett Maher making only 4 of his 7 field goal attempts so far.

Fans’ confidence has plummeted during this two-game skid, and it’s hard to blame them despite the small sample size. These Cowboys can easily handle teams like the Giants, Washington, and the Dolphins. But they roll over against opponents with winning records.

There’s still room for optimism, though. The Cowboys have been a stronger team in the second half of the season in each of the past two years, and a healthier offensive and defensive line would do wonders to help fix their biggest problems.

Dallas just needs to prove it can beat teams it could potentially meet in the playoffs. Otherwise, it’ll seem like these are the same old Cowboys we’ve seen for more than two decades: good enough to make the playoffs, but not good enough to make it to Championship Weekend. — Sarah Hardy

Which team has disappointed you most so far in 2019? Is it a team we included or another one? Let us know in the comments.

[frontproofmedia]

Gilberto Ramirez: "I Want to Finish the Year With a Knockout!"

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Published: December 13, 2018

Undefeated WBO super middleweight champion Gilberto "Zurdo" Ramirez (38-0, 25 KOs) and No. 1 contender Jesse "Hollywood" Hart (25-1, 21 KOs) have been here before. The two fought in September of last year, with Ramirez prevailing via tight unanimous decision. The two will renew acquaintances Friday evening at the American Bank Center in Corpus Christi, Texas, in a main event that will be streamed live on ESPN+ (10 p.m. ET). Undefeated 140-pounder Arnold Barboza Jr. (19-0, 7 KOs) will take on Manuel Lopez (14-2-1, 7 KOs) in the 10-round co-feature. 2016 U.S. Olympian Mikaela Mayer, 130-pound contender Jamel Herring, and bantamweight contender Joshua Greer Jr. will all look to steal the show on the undercard broadcast (ESPN+, 6:30 p.m. ET). At Wednesday's final press conference, this is what the fighters had to say.  

Gilberto Ramirez On the first Hart fight "I dominated that fight. This fight will be no different. It will be only one side. My side." On returning to Corpus Christi, where he knocked out Habib Ahmed in February "I'm really happy to be back in Corpus Christi. I started the year with a knockout in Corpus Christi, and I want to finish the year with a knockout, too. I hope everyone enjoys it." On a potential Canelo Alvarez fight "I need to beat Jesse Hart and he needs to beat Rocky Fielding. Mexican versus Mexican, everybody would love to see that. If he wins and I win, let's do it!" Jesse Hart On gaining revenge against Ramirez "Things will be different because we corrected the little mistakes that didn't go right the first time. I think with the mistakes that {trainer} Fred Jenkins corrected with me, and being on that stage and on that platform, I believe you will see a change in the outcome." On fighting for his father/trainer (Eugene "Cyclone" Hart, who won't be attending the fight because of an illness) "It means everything for my dad, to myself. Like I said, since I started boxing, me and my dad, we never dreamed of nothing else but being a world champion. I'm very blessed and very humbled by this opportunity I have again. I'm just going to go out there and put on the best performance I possibly can to bring home the victory." Manuel Lopez On fighting as the co-feature "It's a huge blessing, for sure, and the fact that I'm going to be right before my main man here, Jesse Hart, makes it a whole lot better. We went to school together, so it makes it an even better opportunity. I'm very, very happy about it." On what it will take to beat Barboza "It's going to take hard work as it's been. Hard work, dedication, and hopefully it will happen on Friday night. His birthday present is going to be his first 'L.'" (Barboza's birthday was Dec. 9) Arnold Barboza Jr. On fighting as the co-main event and potentially fighting for a world title in 2019 "We just put our head down and train. We'd been getting ready for a fight in November, which got moved to December. We've been training since our last fight ( a KO victory August 25 against Luis Solis). I wand to thank Top Rank for giving me the opportunity. I feel like I've passed every test that they've given me. From Mike Reed to tall fighters, pressure fighters, everything. He says he's gonna give me a birthday present. My birthday present is gonna be celebrating my win. I'm going to look better than I ever have. I've been training the best I ever have, and I'm read to go." Mikaela Mayer On her first full year as a pro {Friday will be her sixth fight of 2018} "It definitely exceeded my expectations and my team's. Top Rank has done a great job of moving me and I think given me the right fights, too, kind of just testing my skills and seeing where I'm at. I think that's exactly what this next fight is going to be. They want to see where I am and see how much they can step me up in 2019, so I want to show them that I'm ready. I hope they keep me just as busy." On training in Colorado Springs alongside people like Jamel Herring." "I think it's just the environment that makes it more exciting because I came from Team USA, where I'm training around teammates and it's always a fun atmosphere. When you turn pro, sometimes you lost that team environment. Being able to train around fellow Olympians like Jamel, {in addition to} Terence Crawford, and still being close to the {U.S. Olympic} Training Center, it definitely keeps it exciting and more fun." Jamel Herring On his 2018 campaign and training with Brian McIntyre and Terence Crawford "It's been great. As you can see, the proof is in the pudding. {From} my first fight with them and Top Rank back in May until now, we've been getting better. Like I said, the chemistry is great. I'm happy and honored to not only be with my new {training team}, but with Top Rank as well. We're looking to close out the year strong and move on to bigger and better things in 2019." "I feel that with a good performance this weekend, a title opportunity will come in the new year. I'm very close. That's why we wanted this fight. It's very important to me. Not only to me, but to my team and my career.as a whole. Having Top Rank behind {me} has given me a lot. With a great performance this Friday, a lot of great things will come in the new year." Joshua Greer Jr. On fighting for a regional title belt "It feels good. All the hard work is paying off. I gotta thank Top Rank for the good job they're doing, and I'm going to continue to do my part." On what he's going to bring to the ring "I got something real special for him. A new pillow. I went pillow shopping, so everything is going to come together."  

ESPN, 10 p.m. ET Gilberto Ramirez (champion) vs. Jesse Hart (challenger), 12 rounds, WBO super middleweight world title Arnold Barboza Jr. vs. Manuel Lopez, 10 rounds, super lightweight ESPN+, 6:30 p.m. ET Mikaela Mayer vs. Calixta Silgado, Mayer's NABF super featherweight title Joshua Greer Jr. vs. Daniel Lozano, 10 rounds, vacant WBC Continental Americas bantamweight title Jamel Herring vs. Adeilson Dos Santos, 8 rounds, super featherweight Gabriel Flores Jr. vs. Edward Kakembo, 6 rounds, lightweight Ruben Vega vs.Oscar Mojica, 6 rounds, super flyweight Jesus Arechiga vs. David Martino, 6 rounds, super bantamweight Roberto Duran Jr. vs. Leonardo Pena, 4 rounds, welterweight

(Featured Photo: Mikey Williams/Top Rank)

[freebetalerts-blog]

Wayne Rooney: Top five moments for Everton, England and Manchester United

(New post on FreeBetAlerts.com) - https://freebetalerts.com/2018/11/17/wayne-rooney-top-five-moments-for-everton-england-and-manchester-united/ #Football, #Freebets, #Tips

Wayne Rooney: Top five moments for Everton, England and Manchester United Please share.

Ahead of Wayne Rooney’s international comeback/farewell against the USA tonight, . salutes an England legend by selecting five of his greatest moments. “On October 19 2002, Rooney announced himself to the football world in stunning style. In the dying minutes against Arsenal, he took the ball down beautifully, turned and curled a shot past David Seaman from 25 yards. The commentator said: ‘Remember the name – Wayne Rooney.'”

England’s all-time top scorer, Manchester United’s all-time top scorer, captain of both club and country, the most talented footballer these Isles have produced since Paul Gascoigne, and a quite dreadful penalty-taker. Wayne Rooney is or has been all of these things. As Rooney prepares to make one more appearance for England against USA tonight, it’s not easy to select five top moments from his career. It was difficult, for example, to leave out Rooney’s first international goal, away to Macedonia in 2003, when he became the youngest player ever to score for England. How could we overlook his volley for Manchester United against Newcastle in 2005? And should this sweet strike for Everton from only a year ago make the cut? You could even make a case for this wonderful bit of play – which epitomises Rooney’s desire for the game – for DC United a few months back. In the end, it’s the following five moments that make the cut…Rooney’s first Premier League goal for Everton – 19 October 2002 Everton fans had long known about the talented striker who was speeding through their youth team ranks. In August 2002, David Moyes gave 16-year-old Rooney his first team debut in a 2-2 draw with Tottenham, during which Spurs fans chanted: “Who are ya?” The teenager was unfazed and, just over a month later, scored his first goals for the club in a 3-0 League Cup win over Wrexham. It was on October 19, however, that Rooney announced himself to the football world in stunning style. In the dying minutes of a home match against Arsenal, he took the ball down beautifully, turned and curled a shot past David Seaman from 25 yards out, winning the match for Everton. The commentator said: “Remember the name – Wayne Rooney.” Rooney lights up Euro 2004 – June 2004Not since Michael Owen left Argentina’s defenders for dead at France ’98 had a young England player made a big impact at an international tournament. England made a typically slow start to Euro 2004, losing their opening match to France, before Rooney took centre stage for the rest of the campaign. He scored two goals against Switzerland in the second group game, but it was the two he hit against Croatia in the final group game – a 4-2 win – that really caught the nation’s imagination and announced Rooney’s talent on the world stage. The first was a ferocious strike from 20 yards out, while the second showed how quick Rooney could be, bursting through the Croatian defence and keeping his composure to finish. This was an era before Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi had emerged as world beaters and Rooney now looked set to dominate football for years to come. Debut hat-trick for Manchester United – 28 September 2004Rooney’s performances at Euro 2004 earned him a big money move to Manchester United. The other rivals for his signature, Arsenal and Newcastle, never really stood a chance and there was a sense that, in signing Rooney, Sir Alex Ferguson was being entrusted with the development of English football’s hottest property. Rooney took to Old Trafford from the off, scoring a hat-trick in his first game for United – a Champions League group game win against Fenerbache which was without doubt the greatest debut the club has ever seen. His three goals that night encapsulated the range of his talent, as he ran on to a through ball to slot home his first, smashed in his second from distance, then rounded things off with an exquisite free kick. Old Trafford had a new king. Rooney scores bicycle kick in Manchester derby – 12 February 2011During his 13 years with the club, Rooney scored 250 goals for Manchester United, so in selecting the best there are plenty to choose from. We could have gone for the one that made Rooney the club’s all-time top scorer, ahead of Bobby Charlton. That was a lovely free-kick against Stoke City but, as well as marking an important moment in the club’s history, it was hard to avoid the sense that it also signaled the beginning of the end of his United career and the way was clear for Jose Mourinho to phase out Rooney. So instead, I’ve decided to remember Rooney at his peak, with this absolute screamer for in the Manchester derby in 2011. Forget 45 passes or whatever it was last weekend – this is the greatest ever derby goal. Rooney scores record-breaking 50th international goal – 8 September 2015 So much debate surrounds Rooney’s international career, the main charge being that he never kicked on to fulfill the potential he showed at Euro 2004. That’s a very harsh judgement indeed. Yes, he let England down when he got sent off at Germany 2006, did nothing at South Africa 2010 and frustrated at Brazil 2014. But in between tournaments Rooney scored vital goals for his country and was easily our most consistent player for a decade. Readers of a certain vintage will remember how much we wanted Gary Lineker to overtake Bobby Chartlon’s record as England’s all-time top scorer. But Rooney did it, netting his 50th international goal from a penalty in a Euro 2016 qualifying match against Switzerland, at Wembley. Tonight, when he returns to Wembley for the final time, Rooney is 5/6 to add to his England tally.

How to turn a profit from Wayne Rooney’s final appearance… Wherever you stand on Wayne Rooney’s one-off return to the Three Lions family it doesn’t really matter now – the fact is he is going to take to the Wembley turf at some point.The only thing left for punters to consider now is how you can profit from the record England goalscorer’s return to the team.Before you bet remember this – Rooney will only come on at some point in the second half.So he may get the full 45 minutes or just five at the death to do his thing. It’ll probably be somewhere in between so around half of a half to perhaps sign off with a final international goal.A shade of odds-on to score, the more ambitious punter may want to take a chance on how that goal will be scored. The Betfair Sportsbook’s Rooney Specials markets make it 12/1 on a volley, 16/1 a header, 33/1 from outside the box or 40/1 to register a free kick.More likely of course is a penalty, an option at 17/2.Perhaps he’ll go out in unselfish style with an assist? That can be backed at 4/1.Hopefully he won’t blot his copybook but you can back a Rooney yellow card at 9/1.Finally, the dreamers can get a slice of 200/1 on England’s all-time top scorer signing off with a perfect hat-trick!

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[junker-town]

The 9 dumbest mistakes from a surprisingly good QB Week 3, ranked

Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

A lot of backups played this week, but it was the coaches who screwed up most, thanks to ill-advised draw plays and penalties taken (Bruce Arians) and timeouts not taken (Pete Carroll).

Week 3 in the NFL was all about the quarterback. That’s nothing new; almost every week in the NFL is about the quarterback. Yet on a day when Patrick Mahomes and Lamar Jackson were trying to out-video game each other, it wasn’t the already established stars who stole the spotlight. Instead, this Sunday belonged to guys who began the season riding the bench (or in the Jets’ case, on the practice squad).

Six quarterbacks made their first start of the season on Sunday, some due to injury and some due to crappy play from the former QB1s. That seemed like the perfect recipe for a disastrous afternoon of silly goofs we could poke a little fun at on Monday morning.

Then — the nerve! — they went out and performed admirably. As a group, the new starters went 3-3, and the ones who lost couldn’t be blamed for their team’s defeat. Some were even the reason their team won (take a bow, Daniel Jones and, ugh, Dave Gettleman we guess).

Fear not, though. Sunday still provided us with enough dumb mistakes to laugh about the next day. In fact, here are nine of them:

9. Deshaun Watson threw the ball away ... backwards

Deshaun Watson is a great quarterback. But even great quarterbacks do some very dumb things. Even though he got the win this week, Watson’s blunder was pretty up there, when he fumbled the ball against the Chargers. It wasn’t just that he fumbled, though. It was how he fumbled.

With Joey Bosa bearing down on him on a second-and-7 from Houston’s 39-yard line, Watson looked to Duke Johnson for a screen pass behind the line of scrimmage. But Johnson had Desmond King coming at him with a full head of steam and, not wanting to put his running back or himself in unnecessary danger, he threw it away.

Problem is, he threw it away behind the line of scrimmage — and backwards.

from earlier today proof that even great quarterbacks can forget the rules of football pic.twitter.com/YUnkNJTew5

— James Brady (@JamesBradySBN) September 23, 2019

Yup, that’s always a fumble. This one was recovered and advanced by the Chargers, who took a 7-0 lead on the ensuing possession.

On one hand, Watson choosing to not take a sack AND to not put Johnson in line for a massive hit from King were good decisions. Too many quarterbacks dump the ball without looking at the position their potential receiver will be in once they’ve caught it. On the other hand, MAYBE throw it somewhere else next time.

8. Luke Falk threw a pass with a 0 percent success rate

The Jets still had a puncher’s chance in the third quarter of their game against the Patriots. Sure, they trailed 20-0, but Falk, making his first NFL start, still had the chance to instill hope in an otherwise miserable season in New York.

This did not happen. Instead, Falk treated the world to this image of Devin McCourty making an interception without a single Jet close enough to him to get picked up by CBS’ cameras:

Per NextGenStats, the nearest receiver was Robby Anderson ... who was 12 yards away. New England drove -2 yards on the ensuing drive and settled for a field goal to make it 23-0 in Foxborough.

7. The Patriots gave up their first touchdown in nearly 9 months in a very stupid way

New England played Super Bowl 53 and its first two games of 2019 without giving up a touchdown. That streak was still going strong late in the third quarter of Week 3 against the Jets ... until one muffed punt from an undrafted free agent gave Bill Belichick something to grumble about.

Shoutout @arthurmaulet_ for the hustle.#NYJvsNE | #TakeFlight pic.twitter.com/HAyT5FPqFP

— New York Jets (@nyjets) September 22, 2019

Gunner Olszewski’s botched return kept a 14-quarter TD-less streak from stretching to 15. Fortunately for the Patriots, they were still playing the Jets. New York added a fourth quarter touchdown when backup Jarrett Stidham threw a pick-six to Jamal Adams, but the New England defense failed to let an opposing offense into the end zone for the fourth straight game in a 30-14 victory. They’re the first team in the Super Bowl era to ever get through the first three weeks of the season without giving up a touchdown on defense.

6. The Broncos gave one of the league’s most dangerous passers a free play

There are two things Aaron Rodgers absolutely excels at: throwing deep bombs and taking advantage of a defense’s stupid mistakes. Green Bay’s first touchdown Sunday against the Broncos was a serendipitous combination of the two.

never, ever give Aaron Rodgers a free play pic.twitter.com/1DppKeAd8g

— Christian D'Andrea (@TrainIsland) September 22, 2019

A hard count lured the Broncos offside, but Denver’s biggest issue on second-and-6 may have been leaving Marquez Valdes-Scantling in single coverage. The young wideout easily got inside leverage and sprinted downfield on a play where Rodgers’ short and intermediate routes were never an option. One easy pitch-and-catch later, the Packers led 6-0.

And once again, a defense had to learn the hard way to never give Rodgers a free play.

5. The Browns went for it on fourth-and-9 ... and called a draw play

The Browns were always going to be a work-in-progress with a first-time head coach and skyrocket expectations, but Freddie Kitchens is catching some heat for a decision he made on Sunday Night Football.

Trailing by four points with nine minutes to go, the Browns were facing a fourth-and-9 at the Rams’ 40-yard line. They left the offense on the field, and the Rams gave them a lot of space. Everyone got a little excited about what Kitchens could call in that situation. What creative thing would he do?!

this was Freddie Kitchens' 4th-and-9 play. it was not very good pic.twitter.com/jzm3vbfeGr

— Christian D'Andrea (@TrainIsland) September 23, 2019

Oh. He ran a sad draw play that went nowhere. Nick Chubb even looked like he wasn’t sure which way he was supposed to go. Despite having playmakers like Odell Beckham Jr. and Jarvis Landry, they went with that draw.

I get it — draws are relatively safe plays that teams run in long situations for their potential to catch a defense napping and convert the downs. But in the fourth quarter, against that Rams defense, you run a draw on FOURTH-AND-NINE, something no team has done in at least 12 years?!

At least Kitchens admitted (many times) after the 20-13 loss that it was a “bad call.”

Sometimes, you just gotta know when not to run it — and when to run it:

First and goal from the 4 with three timeouts. No touches to Chubb. No touches to OBJ. Football isn’t this hard.

— Dawgs By Nature (@DawgsByNature) September 23, 2019

4. The Eagles managed to blow it even more than the Lions

The Eagles were down three late, at home to the Lions. They had the ball at their own 22-yard line, facing fourth-and-8, and decide to go for it. Doug Pederson is notoriously ballsy with fourth downs, but they still had all three of their timeouts and the two-minute warning. And the play was a Carson Wentz scrambled that came up a couple yards short.

That should’ve sealed the game for the Lions, but remember, their offensive coordinator is Darrell Bevell. They ran three plays, gained zero yards, and took 39 seconds off the clock. At the very least, they could get a field goal, right?

Nope, the Eagles blocked that and returned it to the Detroit 40-yard line, though a block in the back moved that back 10 yards. Facing another fourth down, the Eagles threw it and Wentz completed it for a first down, only to see that get wiped out with a pass interference penalty.

One play later, Wentz’s final pass fell incomplete and the Eagles — a Super Bowl contender coming into the season — had to leave their home turf with a loss to the same team that blew an 18-point lead against the Cardinals two weeks prior.

3. The referees didn’t flag a near-decapitation

The good news is Miles Sanders is OK after getting his helmet spun around 180 degrees and popped off his head:

NO FLAG?!! Okay NFL refs... pic.twitter.com/21OB2tkr0T

— Warren Sharp (@SharpFootball) September 22, 2019

The bad news is this somehow didn’t lead to a penalty. In a year where seemingly every play goes off under a microscope and ticky-tack fouls are called more often than any other time in the past decade, this actually dangerous play went off unchallenged by the officials.

2. The Seahawks wasted a huge play by DK Metcalf by sitting on timeouts

When Seattle started a drive on its own 21-yard line with 29 seconds to go there were two ways to handle the situation:

Run out the remainder of the clock and go to halftime down, 20-7.

Try to drive into field goal range with the help of two timeouts.

The Seahawks went for neither strategy. The team threw a short pass into the middle of the field, but decided not to call timeout. That left only 10 seconds when the next play started and time in the half ran out when Russell Wilson found DK Metcalf for 54 yards.

this ludicrous play was ultimately meaningless because Pete Carroll left 2 timeouts in his pocket to end the first half pic.twitter.com/huR3QB8Q8n

— Christian D'Andrea (@TrainIsland) September 22, 2019

If the Seahawks planned on throwing and trying to score, they absolutely should’ve used a timeout after first down. Instead, Seattle cost itself a 33-yard field goal attempt.

1. The Bucs took a delay of game penalty and missed a game-winning FG

Tampa had the ball left with 13 seconds to go against the New York Giants. The Bucs were in field goal range after Jameis Winston connected with Mike Evans for a terrific 44-yard pass play.

Then head coach Bruce Arians inexplicably took a delay of game penalty to move the ball back five yards. Arians tried justifying it by saying he thought Matt Gay kicks better from longer distances?!

Video: Here’s Bruce Arians explaining that he took a delay of game penalty “on purpose” before final field goal to back up rookie Matt Gay, who had already missed one extra point and had another blocked in the same game. pic.twitter.com/h4WIwaVdq7

— Greg Auman (@gregauman) September 23, 2019

Yikes. Gay had already missed two extra point tries in a game the Bucs were trailing by one point. To the surprise of no one, his 34-yard potentially game-winning field goal sailed wide right as time expired.

Arians might be new to Tampa, but he should’ve known better. After all, the Bucs’ kicking game has been cursed for years.

[thrashermaxey]

Ramblings: Rantanen, Aho, Burns, Barzal, Drouin, and Tampa’s Nuclear Option (Oct. 27)

Sebastien Aho. James Guillory / USA Today Sports Images

  I’d like to take a moment to congratulate a couple of the Dobber boys. First, to Steve Laidlaw. Stevie has been editing my work and managing this site for years. His work has always spoken for itself. He’s been a tremendous leader and content creator. His presence on the site will be sorely missed. We wish you all the best, pal.

  Secondly, to Ian Gooding. Ian has been equally instrumental in my early work not showing up with a few dozen errors. He’s been churning out top-notch ramblings for years and will be terrific in his new role as Managing Editor.

  **

  It’s not too often that a team plays a must-win game in October, but that’s exactly what the Colorado Avalanche faced on Friday evening. Their playoff lives weren’t on the line. They weren’t looking to end a lengthy slide to save some jobs. They weren’t looking to exact revenge on the team that beat them in a seven-game Cup final the spring before.

  No, they were playing the Ottawa Senators. As we all know, the Avs own the Senators’ top pick in the 2019 draft. A pick many forecasted to provide tasty odds to snag a Jack Hughes or Kaapo Kakko. Surprisingly, the Sens are off to a reasonable start. And that simply won’t do for Colorado fans and those who love to pile on the Sens for inept ownership and management.

  It was the Sens who came out rolling first though. Ryan Dzingel popped an early tally. Thomas Chabot and Chris Tierney with the assists. Tierney just continues to roll on with his new squad. He’s up to 10 points in nine games. He’s seeing 2:18 on the man-advantage and is already halfway to matching his career-high for PPPs with four on the year. 

  Keep him on the roster while the heater lasts. He’s definitely tracking for some career-highs with this early action and improved deployment.

  Chabot isn’t doing too poorly either as the Karlsson replacement. Three goals and 11 points in nine contests for the 21-year-old. Over three minutes on the top power-play unit, but it’s his five-on-five production that’s the most impressive. Nine of his 11 points have come at evens.

  We saw the potential in junior. It’s manifesting itself into NHL production now.

  **

  In the end, it was the Avalanche who took over. They scored five unanswered goals to take the game 6-3. It’s a big surprise where the offense came from too. Gabriel Landeskog and Nate MacKinnon each had a goal and two assists, while Mikko Rantanen chipped in with a goal and three helpers.

  That places Rantanen as your new league leader in points (20) and assists (15). MacKinnon sits second (18) and Landeskog (15) is tied for fifth. 

  https://dobberhockey.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/10/Avs.mp4

  That line is giving the Boston trio a serious run as the best line in hockey.

  **

  We had a rare non-weekend 3:00 pm PST start time on Friday as the Lightning and Golden Knights faced off in the desert.

  Tyler Johnson got things rolling quickly with an unassisted tally just three minutes in. It was his first point in five games. Johnson had a hat trick and a two-assist game early but had been icy in every other contest. Not exactly the model of consistency. This despite the fact he’d been lining up next to Kucherov for the last little while.

  Shea Theodore evened things up a couple of minutes later when he blasted home a one-timer. It’s the first of the year for the talented blueliner. And just his second point in 10 games to go along with a minus-9 rating. Not the type of production many were hoping for from the QB on Vegas’ top power play.

  Theodore has been shooting the puck a good deal which should hopefully be indicative of some further production coming soon. He put five shots on net on Friday evening and has averaged 3.83 over the last six contests. 

  **

  TBay has been tossing Stamkos-Point-Kucherov on after a penalty kill lately. It’s as insane as you might expect. It took all of 30-seconds to produce a Point tally assisted by the other two.

  https://dobberhockey.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/10/TBay.mp4

  Loading up big lines is usually frowned upon in this league. It leaves most teams exposed to a lack of depth and easy matchup games for opposition coaches. But this is something I’d like to see more from Jon Cooper. Call it the nuclear option if you like, but god damn that’s a line that could threaten the Boston and Colorado units as the best on the planet.

  William Karlsson made it close with his third of the year but the Bolts held on for a 3-2 victory. Vegas slips to 4-5-1 on the season. That’s the second-worst point percentage in the Pacific division.

  The good fortune bender of 2017-18 is officially over.

  **

  A couple of lengthy point streaks were extending in the San Jose – Carolina game. Sebastian Aho extended his season-long point streak to 10 games and 15 points. That total lands him in a tie for fifth in NHL scoring. 

  Aho is driving the bus in Carolina. He’s sporting a Corsi rating of 64% in all situations, playing 19 minutes a game, and rocking a 4.87 points-per-60 output. He’s on a heater, no doubt. But this is a player capable of sustaining a point-per-game over the long haul.

  **

  Brent Burns grabbed a couple of early assists to extend his point streak to seven games and 12 points. He’s seeing nearly a minute less of even-strength ice compared to last season, but his production hasn’t given it away. 

  Meanwhile, Timo Meier continued his strong third season. The Swiss winger tallied a goal to extend his streak to seven games and eight points. I was championing Meier as a breakout candidate this offseason and he’s making me look smart.

  Through 10 games, the recently turned 22-year-old has six goals and nine points. He’s been a terror around the net – similar to how he spent his one season in Halifax. While he’s not getting top power play minutes, he is seeing top-line even-strength minutes and that means prolonged exposure to either Burns or Karlsson virtually every time he’s on the ice at five-on-five.

  This kid is for real.

  **

  The Canes rallied from down 2-0 and 3-1 to take the game 4-3 in a shootout. That pushes Carolina to the top of the Metropolitan division. They’ve done it with a combination of Petr Mrazek and Curtis McElhinney in net.

  Decent.

  **

  Mat Barzal has seven shots in eight games to start his season. Over the years, we’ve become accustomed to a few elite distributors who are allergic to putting pucks on net. Joe Thornton and Henrik Sedin being the most recent examples. But even those two would manage to flirt with two shots per game in their hay days.

  Barzal manage to put up 2.1 as a rookie a season ago. But this year you can’t pay him to rip the biscuit. Many expected this year to be challenging for the 21-year-old. He lost his insulation. His leader, captain and one of the best power play producers in the world. He’s the guy now.

  The hope was he’d be able to come close to replicating his production as a sophomore. Finding the back of the net a few more times would go a long way in climbing that mountain. While we’re just 10 percent through the season, he’s on pace to join a rare group of front-line centres who failed to hit triple digit shots on goal in a season.

  In the last 30 years, we’ve seen it happen just six times.

  2000-01 – Adam Oates 72 shots in 81 games (13+69)

2016-17 – Joe Thornton 81 shots in 79 games (7+43)

1998-99 – Igor Larionov 83 shots in 75 games (14+49)

1999-00 – Adam Oates 93 shots in 82 games (15+56)

2014-15 – Mike Ribeiro 96 shots in 82 games (14+47)

2016-17 – Henrik Sedin 99 shots in 82 games (15+35)

  There’s plenty of time for Barzal to start firing the puck more, and he’s still clicking at a point-per-game early on. But owners should be watching those SOG totals. Barzal will need to be the offensive leader on this team, and keeping defense schemes honest with the threat of a shot will go a long way in that.

  **

  I had a request to dig into Jonathan Drouin’s early success. As a man of the people, I’m happy to oblige.

  We know the story: Drouin was as high-flying as you could ask for coming out of junior. He was tapped third overall on draft day and carried the hype of a future superstar. Fast-forward five years and he hasn’t come close to meeting his expectations.

  So far in 2018-19, the 23-year-old has three goals and seven points in nine games. He went scoreless in his first three contests before ending a five-game point streak on Thursday night. But is this a sign of things to come in Montreal?

  Some stats of note: 71 percent of production has come on the man-advantage. He’s converting on 15.8 percent of his shots while barely putting two on net per game. His career average before this year was 10.7 percent.  He’s receiving 4:26 per game on the power play which is great, but the even-strength production is a concern.

  It’s not unreasonable to expect a player with his deployment and skill set to continue to play at a 0.7 point-per-game pace. Id’ say that’s the high-water mark for realistic expectations this season.

  **

  Watch out for Jaro Halak in Boston. The former starting netminder may have eyes for the full-time crease job with the Bruins with his and Rask's early season play. 

  Here's a look at the stats: 

  Tuuka Rask: 3-2-0 0.901 SV% 3.38 GAA

Jaroslav Halak: 3-0-2  0.945 SV% 1.43 GAA

  Bruce Cassidy proved he wouldn't shy away from cutting into Rask's workload when he ran with Anton Khudobin for stretches this year. Halak could prove to be one of the better waiver wire grabs this season. Or not. Who knows with goalies. 

  **

  Thanks for reading and feel free to follow me on Twitter @Hockey_Robinson

    from All About Sports https://dobberhockey.com/latest/ramblings-rantanen-aho-burns-barzal-drouin-and-tampas-nuclear-option-oct-27/

[365footballorg-blog]

Seltzer: Top 5 Homegrown Players in MLS history

October 4, 201810:00AM EDT

Considering the fact that Homegrown Players will populate about half of this year’s 22 Under 22 list, it only made sense to rank the top products of that signing mechanism since the rule was instituted a decade ago.

Even though some of the current HGPs carry an astounding amount of potential, we opted to confine the qualifying requirements for the list to achievements already on the ledger at this time. Kellyn Acosta and Gyasi Zardes narrowly missed making this list, while the youthful likes of Tyler Adams, Alphonso Davies and Jordan Morris still have more than enough talent and time to breach the current top five.  

Fagundez in action for the Revolution. | USA Today Images

The shifty playmaker became New England’s first Homegrown in 2010, and no other HGP can match his total of 216 career MLS matches. 

Still just 23, Fagundez has already chalked up 48 goals and 40 assists in MLS play, putting him a good 2019 season away from cracking the league’s all-time top 50 in both categories. Using his attack production trajectory, he also looks a great bet to join the 20 current members of the league’s 50 goal-50 assist club by early in the 2020 season.   

Because the Revs have more often than not missed the playoffs during his tenure (and he was left on the bench for the entirety of their 2014 run to the MLS Cup final), Fagundez has yet to raise any championship silver. However, he did help steer the club to a U.S. Open Cup runner-up finish in 2016. 

Hamid concentrating during a D.C. United match. | USA Today Images

The D.C. United netminder was the third-ever Homegrown Player signing all the way back in 2009. Since then, the local product has started each of his 193 MLS games, logging 73 wins and 51 shutouts to date. 

All three of those sums mark club records, and Hamid also stands 14th all-time in league play on both the shutout and save lists. A year after backstopping the Black-and-Red to a 1-0 triumph in 2013 Open Cup final, Hamid added both Best XI honors and the MLS Goalkeeper of the Year prize to his trophy case. 

Hamid has also recorded two clean sheets in his six U.S. national team caps, including one on the way to celebrating the 2017 Concacaf Gold Cup title.

Najar featuring for Honduras. | USA Today Images

The Anderlecht right-sider was the second D.C. United Homegrown player, joining up six months after Hamid. Najar scored five times as a 17-year-old during that 2010 season to win the MLS Rookie of the Year award. 

Najar followed it up with a five-goal, six-assist campaign the next year. After the 2012 season, he made the switch to the Mauves, and has been a regular starter when fit for the Belgian power ever since. In addition to helping Anderlecht win three league titles, Najar remains the only HGP to have ever played in the UEFA Champions League. 

The 25-year-old also has four goals in 35 Honduras caps, and with two appearances at Brazil 2014, is one of only two Homegrowns to have featured at a FIFA World Cup. 

Miazga (L) defending Brazilian star Neymar. | USA Today Images

Currently on loan to Ligue 1 side Nantes from Chelsea, the New Jersey native has grown into quite the dependable defender. Miazga became a lock starter while helping the New York Red Bulls take the Supporters’ Shield in 2015, earning the big move to Stamford Bridge.

Though he’s only managed a pair of Chelsea appearances thus far, Miazga is currently in his third season of being a lineup mainstay out on loan. The back liner spent two seasons with Eredivisie battlers Vitesse, helping the Arnhem outfit book a pair of Europa League invites and hoist the first piece of silver in club history with a 2017 KNVB Cup triumph.  

While Miazga has but nine USMNT caps at this time, he is now arguably first choice on their right center back depth chart. Like Hamid, the 23-year-old was a member of the 2017 Gold Cup title squad. 

Yedlin at Newcastle United. | Reuters/Matthew Childs

There have been a few learning curve bumps along the way, but the first Homegrown in Seattle Sounders club history has developed into a bonafide English Premier League right back with Newcastle.  

Yedlin started 55 of his 56 Sounders games, making the MLS All-Star team in both seasons spent in Seattle. He was a member of the club’s Supporters’ Shield/U.S. Open Cup double-winning side in 2014. A move to��Tottenham offered precious little playing time, but he got his first taste of the EPL on loan to Sunderland. 

A permanent transfer to Newcastle followed, where Yedlin immediately helped the Magpies win the Championship crown to earn Premier League promotion. Since returning to the English first division, the Seattle native has started 36 of the 41 matches he was healthy for and netted his first EPL goal at Manchester City last month.   

A veteran of 54 U.S. national team caps at the “grizzled old age” of 25, Yedlin already has three World Cup outings and five Copa America games to his credit. As he looks the favorite to be the right back starter for years to come, those totals stand a great chance of increasing. 

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Seltzer: Top 5 Homegrown Players in MLS history was originally published on 365 Football

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World Cup 2018: Colombia v England

World Cup 2018: Colombia v England

World Cup 2018: Colombia v England

Colombia’s James Rodriguez, the 2014 World Cup Golden Boot winner, was pressured off injured towards Senegal

BBC protection

The way to observe:

Pay attention on BBC Radio 5 reside; textual content commentary on the BBC Sport web site; watch highlights on BBC One at 22:45 BST

TEAM NEWS

England’s Dele Alli is out there for choice once more after lacking the group matches towards Panama and Belgium.

Supervisor Gareth Southgate is about to recall the gamers he rested towards the Belgians, together with captain Harry Kane, who has 5 objectives up to now.

Colombia will monitor the health of star midfielder James Rodriguez, who was pressured off towards Senegal.

A scan of his proper calf has revealed swelling however no muscle tear, although it’s unclear if he can be match to start out.

Fellow midfielder Wilmar Barrios may very well be recalled to the beginning line-up, with Colombia probably fielding a extra conservative line-up than of their must-win sport towards Senegal.

OVERVIEW

No earlier winners left in England’s facet of the draw, just one nation ranked larger, a younger hungry crew seemingly unburdened by earlier failures, and a golden boot chasing striker…what may probably go flawed?

…Effectively, if historical past is something to go by, rather a lot. The Three Lions have infamously received simply two, sure two, knockout video games at a World Cup for the reason that heady days of Italia ’90 (v Denmark in 2002 and Ecuador 4 years later).

Except for the glory of 1966 they’ve additionally by no means crushed a top-tier crew within the knockout levels at a finals. Oh, and the dreaded spectre of penalties looms massive. No nation has misplaced extra shoot-outs at a World Cup than the three England have (degree with Italy and Spain) – they’ve misplaced a complete of six out of seven at main tournaments.

However what of opponents Colombia? They achieved their best-ever efficiency at a World Cup in 2014 by reaching the quarter-finals earlier than dropping to hosts Brazil. “We’re a greater crew than 4 years in the past,” says goalkeeper David Ospina. “We’re collectively, extra skilled and a stronger squad of gamers than we had been in Brazil. Our gamers play in the most effective golf equipment, the most effective leagues, and are used to enjoying in matches of this measurement, so nothing will frighten us.”

VIEW FROM BOTH CAMPS

Colombia coach Jose Pekerman: “We all know that any crew that reaches the final 16 is sweet, we’re speaking about the most effective 16 groups on the earth

“Clearly England can have a very good day or a foul day. England is a younger crew, has a variety of concord and you may inform they’ve a variety of religion in themselves.”

England supervisor Gareth Southgate: “I really feel like we have began to attach the crew with the general public once more.

“I really feel like we have created pleasure, like we have performed in a method that has actually proven an expression of what younger English gamers are able to, and I need us to proceed doing that.”

LAWRO’S PREDICTION

So, we’ll see what impact making so many modifications has on England, however I really assume they are going to be high-quality towards Colombia.

They’ve some good gamers, however I do not assume they may be capable of address England’s high-pressing sport.

Prediction: 0-2

Lawro’s full predictions

England’s Harry Kane leads the race for the Golden Boot

MATCH FACTS

Head-to-head

England are unbeaten towards Colombia in 5 earlier conferences. Michael Owen scored a hat-trick in the latest match, which England received 3-2 in New Jersey in 2005.

The Three Lions beat Colombia 2-Zero of their solely earlier World Cup encounter due to objectives from Darren Anderton and David Beckham within the group stage of the 1998 event.

Colombia

That is the third time Colombia have made the knock-out stage. The one earlier event they’ve gone previous the spherical of 16 was in Brazil 4 years in the past.

They’re unbeaten in eight video games versus European opposition since head coach Jose Pekerman took cost in 2012 (W6, D2).

Los Cafeteros have scored in every of their final eight World Cup video games – the final facet to cease them scoring within the event was England in 1998.

None of Colombia’s 21 matches on the World Cup have ended goalless. Solely the USA (33) and Austria (29) have performed extra video games within the competitors with out registering a 0-0.

Juan Quintero has been instantly concerned in three of Colombia’s 5 objectives at this World Cup, scoring of their first match and delivering an help within the second and third sport.

Towards Senegal, Colombia did not have a contact contained in the opposition penalty space till the 57th minute (from substitute Luis Muriel).

England

England have received two of their final eight World Cup knockout video games.

Their final knock-out victory within the World Cup got here towards South American opposition, after they beat Ecuador 1-Zero within the spherical of 16 in 2006.

England have solely failed to attain in certainly one of their 18 knockout video games on the World Cup – within the 0-Zero draw towards Portugal within the 2006 quarter-finals (received by Portugal on penalties).

Harry Kane has performed simply 153 minutes on the World Cup however he has already scored 5 objectives, second solely to Gary Lineker’s document of 10 for England.

If Kane finds the web towards Colombia, he’ll turn out to be the primary participant to attain in six consecutive appearances for the Three Lions since Tommy Lawton again in 1939.

This can be England’s 18th sport towards South American opposition on the World Cup. They’ve received eight of the earlier 17 (D3, L6).

England 7% probability of profitable World Cup?

Simon Gleave, head of research at Gracenote Sports activities:

Colombia started the World Cup with a 5% probability of profitable the ultimate on July 15. Defeat by Japan of their opening Group H match made qualification to the final 16 unsure although and Colombia’s probability of profitable the competitors dropped to 2%.

It solely bounced again to five% after Colombia’s place within the knockout part was assured.

Previous to an open trying World Cup, England got 4% probability of profitable the competitors. This rose to six% after the win towards Tunisia made an early qualification attainable and seven% as soon as England’s knockout spot was confirmed. Even with a 7% probability of profitable, England had been the marginal third favourites.

Earlier than the spherical of 16 began, the benefit of being within the backside half of the draw was solely small however Spain’s elimination has made it much more advantageous to have completed as runners-up in Group G.

England need to knock out their hardest potential opponent on this facet of the draw although after they play Colombia.

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Canadian Olympic Recap

The best Olympics ever. Yes, that is the correct way to start off the Olympic recap. Fact is Canada never got this many medals, 29. A huge congratulations to all of the COC for putting together the best athletes to go to these games. Let’s hope next time we can get even more. But now, let’s look at some of my predictions and compare them to the reality. 

The big controversy of the Olympics was that Russia was allowed to send athletes under a neutral banner. With a couple doping scandals during the games, it makes you feel they should not have been allowed to come at all. And, in addition, there were definitely some others medals that would have gone to worthy winners. We have to unfortunately start a recap by mentioning this because there is always that chance that years later the doping comes out and we end up reaching 30 medals. 

Let’s start with the first discipline alphabetically: alpine skiing. I didn’t expect Canada to win a medal and they didn’t. But they did have some pretty good performances, which bodes well for the future. Also, the Canadians looked pretty good in the team event. If Canada can continue to make improvements, we may be looking at some medals in alpine skiing in four years. This has never been the Canadian strength, but they are getting back to being reasonably competitive. 

Looking at biathlon, we didn’t expect to see Canada get a medal and we didn’t. But hopefully we can improve in biathlon. We don’t really have the resources in Canada for biathlon, but I think given the right situation this is something we can do well in. One of the most exciting sports of the Olympics, this discipline requires precision and speed. I look for improvements for 2022. 

While biathlon isn’t a Canadian stronghold, bobsleigh certainly looks good. About one year ago, Canada looked in trouble. The three Canadian teams struggled to make the top 20 in the standings. This season, they were up competing for top tens. Only in 4-man did we have competitors outside of the first 10 spots. And truth is, I felt the decisions on some of the runners were not the best during the Games. Kaillie Humphries seemed to have the smoothest runs, driving herself down the track with very clean runs with little movement. But that was only enough for bronze this time. The real hero of this Olympics for Canada was Justin Kripps, who followed up a great World Cup season with a gold medal. Kripps was always up there in the standings, and he showed that he was a legitimate contender. Two medals in bobsleigh is an exceptional result given how tough the field is and what a stronghold the Germans have in this sport. Canada needs to be proud of the improvements they have made! I predicted 2, and Canada got 2. 

Cross country skiing was a bit different of a hope for Canadians. Alex Harvey has performed so well that a medal in cross country looked realistic. Unfortunately, Alex came up one position short. It was a really great competition all around for cross country, but the competition is so tight it is difficult to have a medal in this discipline. I expected 1 medal for Alex Harvey, we didn’t get any. But still, very good performance. 

I was dreading discussing this sport, and normally I enjoy discussing it: curling. Canadians know this is the biggest disappointment of the Olympics, and it kinda came out of nowhere. We did get a gold medal in mixed doubles, which was the one competition we didn’t really expect much from. Curling in Canada is suddenly in a bit of a crisis. Rachel Homan’s team was excruciatingly painful to watch those first few games, but as the tournament wore on things did improve a bit...it was too little too late. Kevin Koe’s team started strong then fell apart. The issue with the two teams were that they didn’t communicate well at key points of the game. Curling Canada needs to look at what they can do to perform better...maybe try your best to emulate the conditions of the Olympics for the Roar of the Rings. Rachel Homan’s team had a home advantage for them in Ottawa so maybe this is something to analyze in the future. John Morris & Kaitlyn Lawes, meanwhile, dominated in mixed doubles. Mixed doubles appears to be the future and it was exciting to watch. Curling overall was the big winner from this Olympics, but the Canadian teams were not. I expected 3 medals from Canadian curling, we only got 1. 

While curling was a big disappointment, figure skating was not. Canada won gold in the team event, as expected! The Canadian team looked so good in everything they put onto the ice. Really, Scott Moir and Tessa Virtue were so competitive and it was so nice to see them perform for one last journey. Their competition was as sure of a medal as Canada would get in the Olympics. I really lowballed the skaters by only picking 1 medal from them, not even taking into consideration the team event. They got double gold and double bronze at the end. Osmond, as well as Duhamel & Radford, had career performances to have Canada hit the podium. We are a powerhouse in figure skating and it’s great to see us do so well! 

Now I go from figure skating to freestyle skiing, where Canada did the best they have ever done! 7 medals in freestyle skiing! Now let’s start at the beginning with this: one of the Dufour-Lapointe sisters made it to the medals. When we see a Canadian hit the podium in moguls, it shouldn’t surprise anyone. And truth is Canada was very close to a double podium in female moguls. But this competition is difficult. And just as I say it’s difficult, Mikael Kingsbury proved winning gold is rather easy in male moguls. While Mikael was a great potential flag carrier for the closing ceremonies, he was just so dominant and really showed he is top of the world. Nobody came close, this is his sport. It wasn’t just in moguls, however, that Canada did well in freestyle. Men’s slopestyle saw Alex Beaulieu-Marchand with an excellent medal performance, he really should have finished higher with how well he did. In ladies halfpipe, Cassie Sharpe couldn’t do any better. This was her competition, she was dominant and won the gold immediately when the competition started, nobody came even close! But as great as the air competitions were, Canada’s dominance comes at ski cross. Three total medals: two gold and one silver. Canada could have easily gotten more medals, not less, in freestyle. Let’s look for the trend to continue for Canadians, this is a new sport and you can tell that Vancouver 2010 has had a positive impact on the next Canadian generation. I predicted four medals here, and clearly I made an error. This was a 7 medal performance, 4 gold!!!

Let’s talk hockey now, Canada. No gold medal repeats from 2014, but were we really expecting this? First of all, the women’s team didn’t look all that great. The American team has been the best team for some time. Canada is clearly second best, but they are still second best. It is the best rivalry in sports, so when USA beats Canada for the first time in five Olympics, I am very certain this shouldn’t be looked at in disappointment. Neither should a bronze medal for the Canadian men. We shouldn’t have had any expectation, receiving any type of medal is special. These guys weren’t the best players, they fought hard and had one bad game. We need NHL players for 2022. Please. This wasn’t a great tournament. I predicted no medal for Canadian men’s hockey, so to get a silver and bronze was pretty good. 

Speaking of silver and bronze, that’s a pretty nice showing from luge at these Olympics. Silver in luge in the team event and a bronze for Alex Gough was as impressive as any other discipline. These were the first two medals EVER for Canadians in luge. We had a great Olympics for luge, we are looking strong. Luge is a growing sport for Canada. I said 0 medals originally, but nobody was more deserving of medals than the luge team after the Russian controversy. 

Completely changing gears, nordic combined is next. There were no Canadians in nordic combined this year, but really there should be just to have a representative in all sports. That’s the Canadian strength. 

As for Canada’s strength, they have won the most medals at short track. This year, I predicted 7 medals and for all intents and purposes I was not far off. Charles Hamelin and Marianne St. Gelais struggled mightily this time around. 5 was a pretty good total, also taking into effect the relay bronze that was taken away from the Canadian women. I was very disappointed with short track overall. It felt so judging that there was no point in even having a race. You saw too many DQs and non-sensical penalties. When you try to be perfect you become imperfect. Still, we will take these 5 medals and thank Sam Girard and Kim Boutin for their brilliant performances. Especially Kim Boutin with 3 medals!

Skeleton used to be a Canadian strength, it’s become a bit of a weakness. We need to get back to the top in both men’s and women’s skeleton. We are way behind in the men’s, and this is a sport we won at 8 years ago with Jon Montgomery. I said 0 medals for them and 0 it was. Never was close, no surprises. 

No surprises either in ski jumping, Canada got the goose egg. But at least we are getting better here! 

Very few surprises in snowboarding. We got 4 overall medals, one gold, two silver and one bronze. All the major snowboarders got a podium finish which is great. Max Parrot and Mark McMorris will be upset they didn’t do better than silver and bronze. Laurie Blouin is ecstatic with a medal in what was a miserable ladies slopestyle competition that should have been cancelled. I predicted 3 so getting 4 was great. Kudos to Sebastian Toutant with the great big air gold. A bit unexpected, but he was certainly capable of it. 

Finally, we got 2 speed skating medals, both from Ted-Jan Bloemen. Ivanie Blondin is really disappointed she didn’t get a medal and you can tell the pressure got to her. She even fell in the mass start. This was one place where Canada normally performs better. Truth is they need to get their athletes peaking for Olympic games, which hasn’t been done the last few Olympics. Canada, we need to look into this and see where we can improve. 4 expected, 2 received. Thank you Ted-Jan Bloemen! 

29 medals is a great output, congratulations to all Canadians who competed at Pyeongchang. Let’s get ready for more medals in Beijing!

[giantsfootball0]

Oklahoma State Cowboys have best offense in the nation and it’s not close

Mike Gundy is making this look too easy.

On Friday, Sept. 8, his Oklahoma State Cowboys laid waste to South Alabama on the road in Mobile, racking up 505 yards of offense and 44 points. They barely broke a sweat, sitting the starters the entire fourth quarter. The next day, as the rest of the college football world spun on, Gundy left the office to go turtle hunting with his son.

He wasn’t distracted, mind you. Gundy’s eccentricities make the Oklahoma State head coach who he is. The very next weekend, the Cowboys went to Pittsburgh and scored 59 points, scoring touchdowns on each of their first seven possessions. It was a barrage of offense that should feel familiar to anyone who pays attention to the Big 12.

Mike Gundy’s Oklahoma State team is off to a flying start. Scott Donaldson/Icon Sportswire

“Gundy has been doing it a long time,” Pitt coach Pat Narduzzi said afterward. “He’s got what he wants there.”

Boy, does he. He has a Heisman Trophy-caliber quarterback from SEC country, he has a first-round-caliber receiver that no one paid attention to playing 1A football in a tiny Texas town, and he even lucked into a four-year starting center who simply wouldn’t take no for an answer. Gundy threw them all in a pot, let them stew for a few years and got this: an offense with the experience and firepower capable of setting records and crashing the College Football Playoff.

It’s a no-huddle that also shifts gears.

It’s a spread that also goes vertical.

It’s a quarterback who executes run-pass options by reading the front seven and the secondary.

It’s the convergence of speed and efficiency, strength and elegance. Every piece fits just so, as if tied together by a string, working in concert to average 35.7 points and 430.3 yards per game — in the first half.

“You’re not going to stop them completely,” South Alabama coach Joey Jones said. “You’re just not.”

“You’re searching for answers,” Pitt safety Dennis Briggs said. “You really can’t figure it out.”

Maybe slowing them down isn’t possible. But maybe we can better understand how and why the Cowboys’ offense came to be so devastatingly good.

It started, of all places, at the end of a five-game losing streak in November of the 2014 season. The location was Waco, Texas, and the final score was a doozy: Baylor 49, Oklahoma State 28.

It was just one week after the lowest point of the season, according to Gundy, when unranked Texas came into Stillwater and beat up on the Cowboys, winning 28-7. Losing by three touchdowns was tough enough, but it was the offense’s ineptitude that hurt most.

Watch out for weird things in Week 4. It’s possible we’ll have very interesting — and unlikely — 4-0 teams after Saturday’s games.

Almost 10 years since his epic rant became college football’s earliest viral sensation, the man who was 40 is a decade older. And wiser. How his outburst and everything after came to define and change Mike Gundy.

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“There was nothing we could do,” Gundy said. “It’s like being 200 [yards] out from the green, you got to hit it up on the green to putt to tie it, and all you have in your bag is a 7-iron. It’s going to be hard.”

So, before facing the seventh-ranked Bears on the road, Gundy emptied his bag. He looked around his locker room and decided to make some changes. It was time to go all-in on the future.

That included freshman walk-on offensive lineman Brad Lundblade. Eight months earlier, Gundy and his staff had made the difficult decision to not offer Lundblade a scholarship. He was a smart kid who loved Oklahoma State, visited campus often and got along well with everyone. But at around 6-foot-4, 280 pounds, he was a tad undersized to play offensive line in the Big 12.

Thankfully for Gundy, Lundblade’s father had a heart-to-heart with his son. “Don’t worry about the money,” he told him. “Go follow your dream.” Lundblade said thanks but no thanks to some lower-tier FBS offers, walked on at Oklahoma State and made the team out of camp. Then injuries hit and a few offensive linemen underperformed. Lundblade, who was on the scout team, was surprised when coaches told him he’d start traveling with the team.

Then the implosion against Texas happened.

“It was a tough year for us,” Lundblade said. “They were looking to make a couple changes, so they gave me a shot.”

The other change was at quarterback.

Gundy was planning to redshirt true freshman Mason Rudolph, a four-star prospect from Rock Hill, South Carolina, but after talking it over, they decided to give him a shot. At that time, Rudolph wasn’t quite the Louis Vuitton-backpack-wearing, record-setting quarterback he has become, but he had confidence.

Mason Rudolph was thrust into the starting role as a true freshman in 2014. Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

Rudolph and Lundblade both started in that game against Baylor. In the second quarter, trailing by three touchdowns, Rudolph dropped back and found David Glidden for an 8-yard touchdown. It was instant comfort after that. In the fourth quarter, Rudolph really let loose with a 68-yard touchdown pass to fellow true freshman James Washington.

It wasn’t a pretty game by any means, but according to Gundy, the Cowboys started looking like an offense again. Looking back, it was the start of something special for Rudolph, Lundblade, Washington and the rest of that freshman class who are seniors today.

“We made our first start together, and we’ve been together ever since,” Lundblade said. “We knew that we were young. We knew that any time you play that many young players, there’s going to be a learning curve. So obviously, it was frustrating, but we weren’t too worried about it. We knew it was going to pay off eventually. It was just a matter of time.”

Most Career Pass TDs In OSU HistoryTDsSpanBrandon Weeden752007-11Mason Rudolph662014-pres.Zac Robinson662005-09

The next week against archrival Oklahoma, Rudolph threw for 273 yards and two touchdowns in a 38-35 win in overtime.

That offseason, Washington remembers waking up at 6 a.m. on Friday mornings to meet at Boone Pickens Stadium to run up and down the bleachers.

“Coming off of that year, we decided that we needed to actually work,” he said. “We worked hard every single day, and that’s really what set us up for these past few years. I feel like that gave us that drive.”

For Washington, who grew up in Stamford, Texas, with a population of fewer than 4,000 people, working hard and running stadiums were nothing. If it weren’t for football, he said he would be running a ranch putting in grueling dawn-to-dusk hours.

In fact, he chose Oklahoma State because it had a top agricultural program.

James Washington has 367 receiving yards on 13 catches through three games. Joe Sargent/Getty Images

But if all goes according to plan, he won’t have to plant seed or herd cattle for money anytime soon. The 6-foot wideout has NFL written all over him, with one coach calling him a potential top-10 pick.

Lundblade said he has never seen anyone run as fast as Washington. Through three games, Washington has three touchdowns, and all of them have been for 40 yards or more. He currently ranks 12th nationally in receiving yards (367), despite catching just 13 passes.

It doesn’t matter that he isn’t that tall, according to his quarterback.

“That’s what you’re seeing today isn’t your Terrell Owens- and Randy Moss-type height,” Rudolph said. “You’re seeing the Odell Beckhams, the Antonio Browns and the Edelmans of the year that are smaller and change direction really well and are extremely fast. I don’t think it’s a problem. It’s who he is and what he does.”

But what’s truly scary for opposing defenses is that Washington doesn’t have to do it alone. Ask around, and Washington might not even be the most explosive receiver on the roster. That honor could belong to former LSU transfer Tyron Johnson, whom Washington called a shifty, “make-you-miss” player.

Most Career Rec TDs In OSU HistoryTDsSpanRashaun Woods421999-03Justin Blackmon402008-11Hart Lee Dykes311985-88James Washington292014-17Dez Bryant292007-09

Johnson didn’t even play against Pitt. Against the Panthers, four Cowboys had at least 100 receiving yards: Washington, Marcell Ateman, Jalen McCleskey and Dillon Stoner.

In a bit of premonition, Narduzzi was asked before the game how he felt about his defense’s ability to give up big plays.

“I don’t feel good when I look at James Washington out there and Mason Rudolph,” he said. “Just go put on Oklahoma State [film]: big, explosive passes and runs. … As soon as you start playing Cover 2 and trying to put two over that guy, it’s out the gate going 98, and that’s not good, either. So it’s pick your poison.”

Washington scared him, Narduzzi said, “but I’m scared of them all.”

That is music to Rudolph’s ears. What might be seen as a problem to some — too many receivers, not enough passes to go around — is a solution to the senior quarterback, who said he prefers that his receivers be a little angry at one another.

“That’s healthy,” he said. “Not necessarily angry, but competitive angry. That just makes them run their routes harder and 100 percent effort every snap.”

Said Washington: “When it’s your turn to get the ball, make it happen. Because you don’t know how many you’re going to get.”

It’s the combination of talent and experience that makes Oklahoma State’s offense special.

Offensive coordinator Mike Yurcich is a taskmaster, according to Gundy, and Rudolph is a “workaholic.” He compared Rudolph’s work ethic to that of Peyton Manning and freely admits that he won’t be able to hide the brilliant mind of Yurcich on his staff much longer.

That is probably true, considering his offense is second in points scored, third in total yards and fifth in third-down conversion percentage among FBS teams. Oklahoma State is first in expected points added on offense, which factors in things such as down and distance, field position, home-field advantage and time remaining. The Cowboys are doing this with incredible balance (104 passes to 109 rushes) and speed (29th in time of possession per play).

“I’ll be honest, and I mean this as humble as possible,” Gundy said. “I have no clue what people are going to do.”

Tulsa tried to stop the pass and lost 59-24 as running back Justice Hill rushed for 132 yards and a touchdown.

South Alabama went with a Bear front to try to stop the run, only to lose 44-7 as Rudolph completed 25 of 38 passes for 335 yards and three touchdowns.

ESPN Stats and Info

“We felt like we always want to stop the run,” Jones said. “But that guy, the quarterback, obviously had a great game.

“It’s kind of like damned if you do, damned if you don’t.”

Tulsa coach Philip Montgomery said he thought his defense could get pressure on Rudolph and create turnovers. On one play, he had two defenders get to Rudolph.

“And he still dropped a dime and threw a touchdown for about 50 yards,” Montgomery said of the QB.

The spread, RPO concepts Oklahoma State is able to use are more advanced than most, Montgomery said, and it’s a direct testament to how experienced and well-versed Rudolph is in the offense. When he gets to the line of scrimmage, he has three different checks he can make within a single formation.

The best you can do, Montgomery said, is make a stop on first down and hope for the best.

“If you want an opportunity to get after Oklahoma State, you have to play really good defense on first down, get them behind the sticks, and you have to do that continually throughout the game,” he said. “They’re going to get their chunks of yardage, they’re going to make some plays, but if you can get them in a situation where they’re struggling on first down and having to really make yards on second down, to me that’s where you put pressure on them. If you can’t do that, if they can do whatever they want on first down, they’re going to eat you up.”

It sounds painful, if not outright unfair, from the other side of the field.

But ask the Cowboys, and it’s a blast.

“It’s crazy,” Hill said. “It’s really fun. Just being out there with your teammates, you don’t have to do much besides your job. And then you look up, and you see James and Marcell and somebody else are out there running for a touchdown.”

Hill makes it sound easy, marching up and down the field at will, but it didn’t start out that way. You’ll have to forgive him because the sophomore is something of a newcomer to the party.

In fact, this offense was years in the making.

But now that it’s all pieced together, it really is something to behold.

The post Oklahoma State Cowboys have best offense in the nation and it’s not close appeared first on Daily Star Sports.

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