Today's Names to Know: Colorado Rockies, Josh Beckett, Tim Wakefield, Don Mattingly, San Diego, Kissing Suzy Kolber, Kevin Durant, Free Darko, Hoover, Bizarro Sports Journalism and More!
UPDATE: Remember the (more-than-usual) self-loathing I went through during the exercise of filling out my BlogPoll Top 25 ballot (and doing my Deadspin column this week)? EDSBS' rank-what-you-see ballsiness in his poll this week makes me feel even worse. I tip my hat to you, Orson, for being the man I apparently lack the capacity to be.MLB: World Series Rox vs. Sox, Game 1 in Boston. I made my pick earlier this week, and I'm sticking with it:
Must-Read 1: Rob Neyer, my favorite baseball analyst and writer of all time, ranks the
Must-Read 2: Rox' 21/22, cont'd. The WSJ's Carl Bialik* breaks down the
(* - Carl took over managing the Varsity Letters Reading Series from me)
Tim Wakefield left off
Rockies Tickets Snafu, Cont'd: Well, the good news is that the team worked out the kinks in the online sales system. The bad news is that I couldn't get in to buy tickets, nor could anyone I know or heard about. (So just who DID get tickets? Oh, wait: They're on StubHub and CraigsList.)
UPDATE: Rudy Giuliani comes out for the Red Sox. OK, I have been called a bandwagoneer and a fairweather fan in my time, but it cannot possibly compare to the Yankees' uber-fan Rudy Giuliani saying he will be rooting for the Red Sox in the World Series. For Yankees fans, I cannot imagine a greater treachery. You cannot claim "AL allegiance" -- not when it comes to Yankees fans and the Red Sox (or vice versa). I think Rudy should lose his Yankees cred entirely. Is this REALLY what America would want in a President?
Yankees Manager Watch: Don Mattingly interviews, and reportedly it went really well. That gives the Yankees a tough choice: Go with the nominally more experienced guy (Girardi) or the entirely green, never-managed-before (but coached for four years) popular choice (Mattingly). I think they SHOULD go with Girardi, but WILL go with Mattingly. It certainly is the bolder choice.
NFL:
NFL: It's official! The Draft's first round will drop from 15 to 10 minutes. It's a fantastic move; as popular as the Draft has become, its first round really dragged on too long. If the NBA can do its first round in 5 minutes per pick, I never understood why the NFL needed three times that amount. It's not like teams haven't prepped.
Pats 16-0 vs. Fins 0-16: Kudos to Fanhouse's Ryan Wilson for picking up on a Sun-Sentinel piece by David Hyde about whether the stunner this season would be less the Pats going 16-0 and more the Fins going 0-16. Either way, we're talking about history, but in the NFL's Era of Parity, it just might be more spectacular to see the Fins go 0-16, particularly given that it would be the perfect bookend to the Pats' other brand of perfection.
Must-Read: KSK understands me. I'm an unabashed fan of the guys at Kissing Suzy Kolber (wow, is this week about the depth of my many admirations, or what?). They had a post on Monday that might be my favorite post -- on any subject, on any blog -- of all time. When you read it, you'll know why. It's as if Big Daddy Drew entered my mind and made sense of it all.
Oh, and it's been mentioned in the Comments, but I should mention it here: You've got to see their take on Easterbrook's latest column, too, which is receiving some of the worst reviews of any column I have seen in a long time. (And people used to ding ME for overreaching...) UPDATE: Wow, that's quite a trick that Easterbrook pulled: He managed to unite New England sports fans and the universe of us who hate New England sports (and their sports fans). I never thought it would happen, but Easterbrook accomplished it. New England fans, I join you in your mockery of him! UPDATE 2: Actually, I find the Pats far more enjoyable when they are making the league their Gimp -- including the TD run-ups -- than before. As someone who traffics in superlatives, I can't help but root for 19-0. Because, let's face it: You hate the '72 Dolphins way more than you hate the '07 Pats.
NBA: Kevin Durant sprains his ankle and might miss the season opener, dampening one of the biggest storylines of the season. If Durant was hurt in any meaningful way, it would really spike this season's rookie-class potential, although in a rookie year that should be prefixed as "Besides Kevin Durant..." two rookies who seem ready to make an instant impact are the "Two Als": Horford (Hawks) and Thornton (Clippers).
NBA Preview: Free Darko rules. I'm ramping up my NBA season preview coverage tomorrow, but in the meantime, I want to point you to the latest series from Free Darko, which has produced what could go down as my favorite NBA gimmick of all time:
Those mad geniuses have produced a preview of EVERY SINGLE NBA PLAYER. And, seriously, they pulled it off. "Where Amazing Happens," indeed:
Bravo, fellas.
Prep Football: Hoover cheats? (Yawn.) So if you watched
Sports Media: Bizarro Sports Journalism. This could become the next hot trend in sports media. Publishing the story with the opposite result of what the writer thought would happen. You know beat guys and columnists all do it, even if they just play around with an angle or a lead paragraph (and don't actually write the entire thing).
Given unlimited space on the internet, the never-ending appetite for blog content by traditional sports media and the guaranteed page views for such a sensationalized idea, I could see an entire industry being spun from this. Call it "Bizarro Sports Journalism." (So: Who's going to start the first "Bizarro" sports blog that deals entirely with the opposite of what is happening in reality?)
Last thought on the World Series: The Quickie/Shanoff Curse might just be the thing that brings the Rockies' run to a halt. If any fictitious force can do it, it's that.
-- D.S.
157 comments:
Dan-
I still can't believe you are picking the Rockies here. You must really enjoy being wrong.
The difference in conotations of "pitching" and "hitting" between the AL and NL are about to be exposed on a very big stage.
Loved the KSK link. The debate about being a 'real' fan was hilarious. No one cares what hat people have on at games outside of the bitching on internet blogs and Simmons. I don't know where the venom comes from about that stuff, but it's not at the games. Pink just makes it easier to pick out cute fans to talk to -- if she can talk baseball, you'd be surprised how little you care about the color of her hat.
@ Guy: I thought people said the same thing last year and the NL team won? Just thinking.
Go Rockies!
man, that ksk article is tough to read...but i would say half of it is real, the other half, stereotyped for entertainment...but, honestly, if given the choice of having the shit losing teams of the past, or what NE has now...I'll take now every time
Who's going to start the first "Bizarro" sports blog that deals entirely with the opposite of what is happening in reality?
Doesn't ESPN have this covered?
I'm almost afraid to click the KSK link. Knowing BDD's niche for cruel and unusual satire, I'm not sure I'm properly prepared for that read yet this morning.
Maybe after lunch.
And where was this vitriol for the ticket resellers on StubHub last week when you slammed the patriots for demanding the SH turn over their subscriber's names? If I remember correctly, StubHub last week was a legit place for a hard working honest American toturn around his tickets to another of the same ilk.
Flippity-floppity, floppity-flip (to borrow a phrase from WEEI).
....but Dan wasn't a Rockies fan last week.
Dan,
Your boy Cuban got kicked off Dancing last night.
Girardi would be the best choice. He's won with an average team and horrible management.
That should prepare him perfectly for the Yankees. Mattingly will be toast.
Ok, Here is my world series pick, and before you even start yes it is some what a homer pick but it also based on who I think is the superior team.
RED SOX in 4
I realize this is a bit off-topic, but I saw something this morning that really stuck in my craw. It was Easterbrook's piece on ESPN.com titled "Good vs. Evil," and the first thought that popped into my head was(pardon my French): "Are you fucking kidding me?" It's a goddamn football game, not Armageddon. The world will continue to turn after November 4. It's bullshit like this that makes me steer clear of ESPN unless there's an ACTUAL sporting event on, and even then, my television's usually on mute. Congratulations, ESPN, you're managing to KILL THE JOY OF SPORTS.
Please please PLEASE let the Rockies sweep the Sox, with an average score of 15-1. I thought I hated the Yankees when they were winning titles, but the Sox/Pats annoyance is much much worse. Thanks for ruining that 86 year karma, Boston.
The Easterbrook piece was extreme, but is it not true? The Patriots have gone from the non flashy, do things the right way, team more important than individual style to complete assholes. There is no justification for running up the score like that. That whole "no lead is safe in the NFL" line is bogus. You consider yourself the best team in the league, with a huge lead over a winless team with Cleo Lemon as the quarterback and their best player is out with an injury, and you are worried about them coming back? Really? The only chance for a comeback is if you continue to throw the ball (which of course, they did, because they are the Patriots and they run up the score). If there was any karma in the world, Tom Brady would have had a career ending injury after he came back into the game with the huge lead in the 4th quarter.
If the Yankees want to be relevant again they must hire Leitch to replace Torre.
cmfost picks Sox in 4. By game 4 he will have given up on them. Then by game 7 when the Sox won he will claim he never gave up on them at all and that he was just being a realist.
Luke - What was the score of the bears and lions game going into the 4th quarter and how many points did they score to come back and win. What was the score of the texans/titans game this weekend and how many point did the texans score in the 4th to tie the game.
The point is this is PROFESSIONAL sports there is no such thing as running up the score. It is not like college or high school or even little league when you can one team that is so much better then the other that they do not have a chance.
In PROFESSIONAL sports you play every game to win and you play hard until the end. This Patriots team is no different other then the level of talent then there other teams. Do you see Brady stepping outside of the team and on every commericial on TV? Do you see the Patriots players getting into trouble or saying bad things about the other teams.
The difference in conotations of "pitching" and "hitting" between the AL and NL are about to be exposed on a very big stage.
"Detroit in 3."
To Luke Bell:
The Texans were down 28 in the 4th quarter with their backup Sage Rosenfels and went ahead of the Titans before the came back.
That game, in the same weekend as people bitching about the Pats running up the score kind of weakens that arguement.
The Easterbrook piece was a piece of garbage like the rest of his writing, it is just more prove that ESPN has almost no talents writers. Easterbrooks whole thing this season as been anti-patriots.
sorry geoff but that no going to happen, this will be just like 2004 when the Red Sox take the momentum of their comeback and sweep the weaker team out of the world series.
Do you see Brady stepping outside of the team and on every commericial on TV? Do you see the Patriots players getting into trouble or saying bad things about the other teams.
If you can't defend your team, slam someone else's.
CMFost, maybe Easterbrook turned on the Patriots because they deserve it. Everything about the Patriots this year screams we're a bunch of arrogant jerks, fuck you all. Considering how much Easterbrook has slobbed Belichick's knob in previous years, he must be acting like a real dick to get Easterbrook to turn on him like this.
You should probably go read the KSK piece. Drew was talking about you.
Just like they were the stronger team and were going to sweep the Tribe, right?
the point is bender I do not have to defend my team, they go out play the game and win. They do very little trash talking, they do very little endorsement but yet people rip them for running up the score, yet we see large comebacks in the NFL all the time.
The simple point is if you do not want patriots to score late in the game play defense and try and stop them.
Genuine Question; Can someone please explain to me whats wrong with "running up the score" in professional sport?
@ luke:
My issue of contention with the piece is the hyperbole. As I said earlier, it's simply a football game, not WWIII or Armageddon. Is it a high-profile, highly-anticipated matchup? Absolutely. Is it the be-all, end-all of existence? No. Not even close.
Steve,
KSK also has a post about how completely ridiculous the Easterbrook column is...
Tiny in my view there is No such thing as running up the score in PROFESSIONAL sports.
I understand that St. Louis won the Series last year over Detroit. What everyone who watches baseball realizes is that it was a bunch of luck. Could the Rockies get lucky and beat the Sox? Sure. They have been very lucky until now. I'm not saying they aren't a good team. But the same thing stands like last year.
The Sox/Tigers are better than the Rockies/Cards. This is not in any way debateable. If you watch baseball you know this is fact. The thing is that in baseball a lot of things tend to be luck. Forget a series, take a whole season.
I saw every team in baseball play more than once and I watched Baseball Tonight about 5 times a week on average. The worst team in baseball was the Washington Nationals. They were 73-89! White Sox, Royals, Orioles, D'Rays, Marlins, Reds, Pirates, and Giants all had worse records.
I live between DC and Baltimore and get games from both teams. I watch both as well. If you watch both leagues and have the opinion that the leagues are equal or (you need to take an IQ test) think the NL is better, you need a MRI right now.
If the Red Sox sweep the Series and the Patriots go 8-0 Boston will be insane on Sunday Night!
My pick: Sox in 6
Jason Taylor, the leader of the Dolphins said after the game that he had no problem with anything about how the Pats played the game, including Brady coming back after Cassel threw the pick six.
@ cmfost
I'll give the Rox one game. Sox in 5. Just don't bail on em this time.
@ Big D
Beat me to the punch on the StubHub bit. Would Dan object to the Rockies going after its SHub series tickets (i think not)
@ clinton
That's refreshing to hear from a colts fan. And I agree completely.
@ luke bell
Re: Rox 15-1. It's good to dream.
Re: 'Evil Pats'
I'd like to think that Belicheck has a 'hit list' of everyone who bashed him, ever. He's extracting revenge on anyone and everyone.
Maybe he didn't like Taylor's hotdogging on the Cassell interception. "Oh, reeeealy. Tom, Randy, get your helmets."
I would love for this to be true, because the latest bandwagon is to hate the Pats anyway (See:TMQ).
Funny, wasn't that the only Patriots TD in the 2nd half? If they were running it up, they probably could've hit 75.
If people don't like the score to be so high, grow a defense.
Anything can happen in a 7 or 5 game series.
Ask Bobby Cox or Joe Torre about that.
pv845,
Yes, last year was a shock, but the Cardinal's were a veteran team with a lot of previous experience, while Detriot was the young team who looked very tight on the big stage.
This year, the opposite is true, the AL team has the supposed superior talent AND the boat-loads of playoff experience.
That should be the difference.
Sox in 6.
Of course, there is a reason why they play the games.
marco good point about the pats-dolphins game, what was the score at half 42-7 what was the final 49-28. Seems to me and the drive where Brady game in after the casell pick six proved it, that the Patriots could score at any time against the dolphins and only score 7 points in the second half to stop any momentum rhe dolphins thought they had
Please. The Bears/Lions game scoring was when the game was still competitive. I have no problems with the Patriots scoring at will in the 1st half. But the Patriots brought Tom Brady back into the game in the 4th quarter. It should be noted that the Patriots were leading by 35 going into the 4th quarter, so even if the Dolphins scored 28 or 34 like the Lions or Texans did, they would STILL lose. Add to that that the Patriots were still throwing the ball around like they were behind, thereby increasing the chances for the other team to come back. If you were really concerned about the other team coming back, run the ball, keep the clock moving, and minimize the chances for a turnover.
Maybe the "genius" of Belichick didn't understand that. I can only hope some team throttles the Patriots in such a manner to see if people will come out and defend that as well.
Clinton, I am glad you agree with me regarding Easterbrook's piece. I assume you are an Indy fan.
We already knew that Gregy had issues with Belichick, but the way he attacked Brady was unconscionable.
Brady is nothing but a class act. TO say he is rarely seen at charitable events is ridiculous. Just because Tom does drag a PR team with him when doing his charity work doesn't mean he isn't doing anything. Nothing is more disingenuous than an athlete visiting sick kids in a hospital with the television crew in tow.
luke, so what your saying is that on 3rd and 8 they should run the ball and punt it to miami instead trying to complete a pass get a first down and keep the clock moving. If the patriots wanted to keep scoring in that game they would of score 60+ and they also would not of played a base defense and let the dolphins move the ball.
I agree that the Easterbrook column is garbage. Living in Georgia, with no viable options for a decent team to root for this year, I have decided to just root for those teams which demonstrate excellence on the football field. The Colts and the Pats both meet that standard (admittedly, the Pats are more entertaining right now). I love Dungy's commitment to high standards; I don't particularly like Belichick at all. But I wouldn't characterize the Pats as the Colts' "evil" foil. And the debate about which team is better is pointless until one of them rises to a Super Bowl berth.
Maybe Belichick is making his $500k back by covering every game.
Pats are 7-0 ATS.
Dan's #1 Fan got tickets to the games this weekend....games 4 and 5, and that's the way it should be, for people who live in Denver, not some tards who live in NY. Get a media pass if you want to go to the game.
shall I post this easterbrook TMQ column you are all discussing?
yay or nay?
The KSK post leaves no doubt as to what has been obvious for some time now: whining ABOUT Boston fans became much more annoying than the actual whining BY their fans some time ago.
I gotta admit, I like this version of Blue much better than the spamming one.
Nay!
The ONLY thing that I think makes the Patriots running up the score on the Dolphins a bit was that in relations to injuries, they actually were better off passing the ball than running the ball. With Morris out, and Maroney quickly developing a reputation for being injury prone, I thought that the safer bet was actually to pass the ball, where the only person at risk of injury was apparently whoever was attempting to double cover Randy Moss.
That being said, if the Patriots really had wanted to run up the score on the Dolphins, they could've done a lot more.
Luke Bell, you are an idiot.
Go away please.
Didn't the Texans rack up 29 points in less than 10 minutes on Sunday to almost steal a game from the Titans?
Even the members of the Dolphins stated they did not feel the Pats were running up the score. They felt rightfully energized by Jason Taylor's score. The Pats need to squash that enthusiasm and they did.
Let me remind you that the Pats put up one and only one score in the ENTIRE 2nd half!!! And that's running up the score????????
Quit being dumb!
Anyone who reads anything that Easterbrook writes and agrees with it doesn't really know much about football.
"NFL teams should never punt!"
Really Gregory?? Boy aren't you smart!!!!
Let me add one thing, you must also not know about the patriots offense. They sometimes especially when there top 2 rb's are not playing use short passes as their running game. So yes they still threw the ball up 42-7 but did they go deep one time?
Yes, that is what I am saying. If they run on that 3rd & 8, there is no INT for a TD by Taylor, and the game never gets "close." Also, looking back at the game logs, Brady's last TD came on a 2nd & 7, from the shotgun formation. This wasn't trying to pick up a 1st down. This was blatent running up the score. They were already in field goal range and had no reason to be throwing at all. It makes more sense to run it and keep possession and the clock moving. I can see little flares and throwing to the flat now and then, but that's not what the Patriots did. The "momentum" the Dolphins had came from the Patriots being less agressive on defense and giving the Dolphins extra chances at turnovers by throwing the ball when they should have been concerned with running out the clock.
Try to defend it all you want, but it reeks of classlessness. Let it happen to the Patriots and see what you think about it.
luke being a long time patriots fan I have seen it happen and it is part of the game. You play to win the game you do not play to try and make the other team feel better.
On to baseball...
For the record, I have Red Sox in 6. But with every "analyst" seemingly picking the Red Sox also, that scares me a lot. This Rockies team is ridiculously hot, and a very good team to boot. It will all come down to how their starting pitching will do, and whether or not Jiminez, Fogg, and Cook can have solid outings against the Red Sox. If they nibble too much or run up their pitch counts early, they're in trouble. We saw this with Carmona in the ALCS, in that it doesn't matter how good your stuff is if you're having trouble locating against a patient team like the Red Sox.
I give the edge to the Red Sox mainly because I like Beckett over Francis (who is criminally underrated though), and I like Boston's middle relief of Delcarmen and Timlin over LaTroy Hawkins and Matt Herges (I know I'm forgetting another Rockies pitcher, so correct me on that one please). I do actually think the 8th-9th innings combos of Okajima/Papelbon and Fuentes/Corpas are a wash. Manny Corpas is awesome, that guy could be one of the top 5 closers in baseball within a year or two.
That all being said, the Rockies received a kiss of death by having Dan pick them. Awesome.
Look at the game log. They went deep quite a bit.
And are you really comparing the Texans/Titans to the winless Dolphins/juggernaut Patriots?
And you can't tell me the Patriots, the team that throws TD passes to linebackers, couldn't line up with a non-starter at running back and continue to run the ball.
The Dolphins wouldn't have been energized by the Taylor INT TD if the Patriots were running the ball. If they weren't throwing it all over the field, the Dolphins don't get within 4 scores.
I think that Easterbrook is a tool for the reasons that everyone has stated before. In addition, his baseless accusations about my alma-mater and its "running up the score" classlessness make me think that he is as delusional as his brother.
I tend to agree that there isn't running up the score in professional sports. It sucks, but the teams are getting paid. I say that if some team does run up the score then turn about is fair play in a few years when things are bad for that team.
When you stop trying hard and doing the things you are used to doing, that is when your players get hurt. Now if the Pats start running trick plays and things like that, then they are just being poor sports.
That KSK column was the best ever? As a NYer who lived with the most annoying Boston sports fan ever in college, I still didn't think the article was that funny. Just rehashing old jokes. Also, just because they use the words fuck and shit in every sentence doesn't make them hip or cool. It makes them sound like the same people they are criticizing.
My basic problem with the KSK website is I think they are bad writers with little actual insight into sports. Their sense of humor reminds me of listening to a bunch of middle school students talking to each other trying to sound cool.
As much as I hate it, the city of Boston is on an unprecedented run right now. Of course they will come off as obnoxious. To be quite honest, I have more respect for most Red Sox fans than other fans. They have stuck through their team through thick and thin. Sure there are band wagoneers - there always will be. I would say most Red Sox fans have been around for a while.
Which brings me to the other point about Giuliani. Most real Yankee fans may not like the Red Sox, but we can at least respect their fan loyalty - far more so than Marlin or Rockies fans who just jump on the ship for a pennant run and will be nowhere next year when the team finishes in 3rd place.
Why is it an injury risk for the running backs, but not an injury risk for Brady to come back into the game and throw? What if Brady got blindsided and blew out a knee in a game they were leading by 3 TDs over a winless team? The tune would have changed a lot I am betting. But it seems silly to me to bring up the health factor in regards to backup running backs and yet not worry about your franchise QB getting hurt.
To answer your question/complaint: It's the best post ever...for me. If there is ever a condition about my frequent use of superlatives, it's that they are entirely defined by my own opinion/experience. You will certainly have others, and more power to you.
@ luke
"If they run on that 3rd & 8"...
"It makes more sense to run it and keep possession and the clock moving."
What's the percentage of successful 1st downs when running on 3rd and 8?
Make some sense please.
You are trying to win the game. Keep the clock moving and punt it away. Sure beats an incompletion to stop the clock or an INT return for a TD (which is what happened).
It isn't about trying to get the 1st down, though if it happens, you get 3 more chances to run down the clock. Up by such a large amount, the enemy is the clock, not the opponent. Why risk letting them back in the game with an INT or sack? If you are really trying to win, you kill as much clock as possible.
I also agree about the running up the score thing - one of the things that separates good teams from bad ones is this: good teams know how to finish games, and play the whole 60 minutes. If you plan to train your team to play 60-minute ballgames, you can't teach your players to let up after 45 minutes everytime they are stomping an opponent.
Plus, you never know when "margin of victories" is going to come into play as a factor in the playoff hunt. You only have to go halfway down the list of tiebreakers before you run into points for/points against. Until your team has locked up every possible advantage during the playoffs, you keep scoring like there's no tomorrow.
So Luke,
You are judging the Pats/Fins game by the game log meaning you didn't even see the game???
Brady's last TD pass was a 5 yard quick out to Welker who sprinted the rest of the way into the end zone.
Again, scoring 1 time during an entire half of football cannot be considered running up the score.
Also, the only reason why Cassell was throwing was to try to get him some work. As you had previously mentioned, Brady could get hurt, if he does, it would be nice to have a back-up that's converted at least 1 third down this year.
Also, yes I am comparing the Pats-Fins to the Texans-Titans.
Because the Titans are supposed to have a stout D, and the lowly Texans were being led by Sage Rosenfuckfeld!!
If Sage can ring up 29 in under 12 minutes, than the Fins were waaaaay more than capable of putting up 21 in the final 10 minutes, especially if the Pats left Cassell in the game.
If you are trying to win, you get the first down. If you are trying "not to lose" you concede the 4th down and punt.
I saw the game until CBS switched to a game that was not out of hand. I use the game logs to see things like Brady chucking a deep pass (INC) to Moss while up by 3 scores.
You keep using the comebacks as an excuse to keep throwing the ball, but it is exactly that throwing that spurred the comeback on in the 1st place.
I agree with that "play to win the game" if the result is in doubt. You don't need to be so agressive when up by 3 scores with 10 minutes left in the game.
The only way the Dolphins are capable of putting up 21 points in 10 minutes against the Patriots is if the Patriots keep them in the game by throwing. Keep the clock moving, pin them deep, and make them continuously drive the length of the field to score. It is much easier to come back when you are throwing INTs for TDs.
I don’t have a problem with the Pats “running up the score”. If they can score 60 then score 60, but do not compare this game with the Titans and Texans game. In that game no team is clearly better than the other especially with VY on the sideline. At no point during that game did I say “it’s over, Tennessee has this wrapped up”. Did anyone in the world actually think that Miami was going to come back against the Pats? Did anyone think the Pats were actually in danger of loosing that game? No. My problem is when they took Brady out and then let him go back in. It’s not running up the score, its Billichiek’s way of rubbing it in your face. Either leave Brady in the entire game, or pull him and let your backup play the rest of the game. If I were coaching the Dolphins and this happened, Brady would have suffered a season ending injury. This just shows Billichiek’s and the Pats world class a-hole arrogance and is one of the ten reasons why I hate the Pats.
The problem with Easterbrook is that he quotes stats out of context. There is something called conditional expectation and that simply means, the probability of rushing for 3 yards is very different when it is first and goal at the 3 and when it is 1st and 10 at your own 20. A big part of football is predicting what the other team will do and doing the unexpected.
Also, he has stated that he believes that teams should always kick out of bounds. First off, the only reason to do that is if you are worried about a returner who might break a run for a TD. In general, with good punt coverage, you push a team further back by kicking it up the middle of the field. A typical punt is 40 yards and about 5-7 yard return. Kicking out of bounds yields 25-30 yards. That might cost a team a couple of TD returns per year but how many points are given up by spotting all opposition an additional 5 to 10 yards on EVERY drive? There is a reason that Easterbrook is writing and not coaching.
I have no problem what the Pats did agains the Dolphins. However, did the Pats not run up the score on the Cowboys? They could have taken a knee at the end of the game and instead let that fullback run it in (19 secs left). That's when I hope someone will take the fine/suspension and drive Brady into the ground.
They have done things like that in every game. I hope they get what is coming to them.
I actually agree with more of what Kirby and Cody are saying over what you're trying to say Luke. The deep throws from the Pats were in the first half almost entirely, correct? I don't really think it's against anyone's fan-laws etc., to score as many points as you can in the 1st half of a game, right? It's in the 2nd half that you're supposed to ease up, right? Again, do we criticize CFB teams for doing this?
I actually completely agree with Kirby in that the Cowboys game was a much better example of the Pats allegedly running up the score than the Dolphins game.
as a pats fan, and a fan of football, i would much rather see miami go 0-16. i'm so sick of seeing shula and his cronies pop the champagne as soon as the last undefeated goes down in the nfl. it would be so ironic if the fins lost every game! so, optimally i'd like to see BOTH ne go undefeated and miami go winless.
CM: What was the score of the bears and lions game going into the 4th quarter and how many points did they score to come back and win. What was the score of the texans/titans game this weekend and how many point did the texans score in the 4th to tie the game.
Could not agree more CM. Great point.
Luke, I just took a look at the game log and the Patriots longest play in the second half was 18 yards(this is the Patriots 1st play of the 2nd half), there is one play with 9:40 left that they list as a deep pass but how deep could it of been since it was a 19yard pass interference penalty. So get a clue and check your facts, you are just bitter because you are dolphins fan and you team got it ass hand to them.
LUKEY SAYS: Try to defend it all you want, but it reeks of classlessness. Let it happen to the Patriots and see what you think about it.
Yeah Luke, let's see it happen to the Pats. Maybe in another universe. 16-0. Go Pats.
anyone else interests in the facts not interpreted by luke.
they are right here
Kirby the only reason the patriots did not take a knee in the Cowboys game is because Wade Phillips called a timeout with under 2 minutes left and that made it impossible for the patriots to run out the clock.
LUKE: You are trying to win the game. Keep the clock moving and punt it away. Sure beats an incompletion to stop the clock or an INT return for a TD (which is what happened).
YOU DON'T PLAY FOR A PUNT. YOU PLAAAAAAYYYYYYYYY TO WIINNNNNNNNNN THE GAAAAAMMMMMMMMMEEEEEEEEE.
@wolverine425: My next question is Are the Pats who we think they are?
The Pats threw deep to Moss with 9:40 left in the game. But yes, most of the deep stuff came in the 1st half, which I have no problem with at all.
Again, there is a difference between scoreing 34 points in the entire 4th quarter off a team trying to pass to catch up to you and scoring 21 points in 11 minutes off a team that should be killing the clock.
and to be honest since there are at least 3 different tie breaking scenarios that involves the use of points score vs points allowed, I hope the Patriots never stop try to score.
Clinton (Indianapolis) said...
I realize this is a bit off-topic, but I saw something this morning that really stuck in my craw. It was Easterbrook's piece on ESPN.com titled "Good vs. Evil," and the first thought that popped into my head was(pardon my French): "Are you fucking kidding me?" It's a goddamn football game, not Armageddon. The world will continue to turn after November 4. It's bullshit like this that makes me steer clear of ESPN unless there's an ACTUAL sporting event on, and even then, my television's usually on mute. Congratulations, ESPN, you're managing to KILL THE JOY OF SPORTS.
I don’t usually speak out abut ESPN, it’s kinda pointless. However, I have gotten so sick of them trying to make themselves part of the story and keep playing up or tacking on angles.
There are subjects on a SportsCenter a night. Some sort of overblown controversy (steroids, NFL player being detrimental to his team, NFL breakdown, promotion of something they are showing, NFL Breakdown, the all inclusive sappy vignette, NFL breakdown, 3 minutes of college breakdown for the weekend, go back to “top story” and we end the sow with NFL Breakdown.
Now I like NFL breakdowns. Just not from 8 or 9 different people and discussed ad nauseum. I mean how many different stories did they run on the Cowboys/Patriots game?
I usually just limit my ESPN viewing to games, an occasional College Gameday and Baseball Tonight (Where you don’ have 8-9 guys breaking down that day’s games).
The NFL coverage on ESPN is just so overbearing...
Re: Running up the score.
Explain this sequence to me, Luke. Looks like 3rd string, run, run, pass, run, run, run, punt.
New England Patriots at 03:45
3-J.Feely kicks 68 yards from MIA 30 to NE 2. 27-E.Hobbs to NE 21 for 19 yards (50-E.Miles).
1-10-NE 21 (3:39) New QB - #7 M. Gutierrez. 38-K.Eckel up the middle to NE 27 for 6 yards (52-C.Crowder).
2-4-NE 27 (2:54) 38-K.Eckel up the middle to NE 26 for -1 yards (90-R.Wright).
Timeout #1 by MIA at 02:49.
3-5-NE 26 (2:49) (Shotgun) 7-M.Gutierrez pass short right to 18-D.Stallworth to NE 41 for 15 yards (44-C.Worrell).
Timeout #2 by MIA at 02:30.
1-10-NE 41 (2:30) 38-K.Eckel left tackle to NE 40 for -1 yards (98-M.Roth).
Timeout #3 by MIA at 02:20.
2-11-NE 40 (2:20) 38-K.Eckel right tackle to NE 45 for 5 yards (98-M.Roth).
Two-Minute Warning
3-6-NE 45 (2:00) 38-K.Eckel right guard to NE 46 for 1 yard (54-Z.Thomas).
Timeout #1 by NE at 01:13.
4-5-NE 46 (1:13) 6-C.Hanson punts 51 yards to MIA 3, Center-66-L.Paxton, out of bounds.
luke said ... The Pats threw deep to Moss with 9:40 left in the game.
How is this a deep pass when it was flag for a 19 yard pass interference penalty? If it was a 30+ yard penalty I see you point but not 19
personally, i think the pats are the ONLY team that cares about the fans...because anyone who has any patriot on their fantasy team right now is LOVING the extra points they are getting.
The team that has the ball on the 3 and knees it cost someone 6 fantasy points.
I am a Dolphins fan and I dot mind running up the score. I would have hung 80 on us if I were Belichick. Its part of the swagger and as pros if you allow a tem to hang 80 on you then...
Thanks to everyone who answered! I guess I'm more interested in the idea thats its classless to "run up the score". I'm English and in the soccer/rugby etc its just given that you try and score as many as possible.
cheers.
Hey Dolphin fans be lucky if your coach did to the Patriots what Mangini did do them the score would of been 80-7
Actually I am a Packer fan.
And a 19 yard pass from the opponent's 48 is pretty deep, considering you were up by 3 TDs at that point with 9:40 left in the game. Remember, at that point Brady was already removed once, which is a sign that the game is far enough in hand that you start putting in the backups. And then, when in FG range, they kept throwing the ball anyway. The only reason to do that is rubbing it in and running up the score. Saying different is pretty delusional.
CM: What was the score of the bears and lions game going into the 4th quarter and how many points did they score to come back and win. What was the score of the texans/titans game this weekend and how many point did the texans score in the 4th to tie the game.
The Lions portion of this is not a good point because the game was competitive the whole 4th quarter. The Lions didn't enter the quarter down by 33. The score of that game entering the 4th quarter, for those not keeping track, was 13-3 Bears.
actually he only reason to do it is to win the game and make sure the other team has not chance at winning. Saying that a team should stop playing in a 21pt game or at any point of a game is a losers mentality. And since you are a Pack fan I bet if this was the Packers who did the same thing that Patriots did you would not say a word.
@marcomarco:
Yep, at 3:45 left in the game, up by 3 touchdowns, the Pats finally did what they should have been doing most of the quarter. Now look at the sequence from 10:30 on (still up by 3 TDs): Pass, pass, run, run, pass. Yeah.
So does this make Rudy Giuliani a "flip-flopper"?
Couldn't resist that one ;-)
Not true at all. Especially with Favre at QB, I don't want any deep passes when the Packers havea large lead. I want that clock to keep on moving.
I am not saying to stop trying and give up on the game. But if the game is far enough out of reach to start pulling the starters, then it is far enough out of reach to stop throwing deep. And yes, I consider a 19 yard pass from the 48 deep.
Here is a question, down 4 td's and with the patriots having the ball and with 3 1/2 minutes left why was Miami still calling Timeouts?
Luke how far is far enough out of reach? 14 pts, 17, 21, 28, 30+
Here is the answer that Coach Belichick gave Monday on WEEI to that question: You try and get the score to a point that your lead is bigger then the number of possible possession they have left in the game and 21 pts with 10 minutes left in the game is not a biggest enough lead.
Whoever provoked CMFost to post 17 times before noon needs to stop. It's hard enough to read one of his posts nevermind 17.
Sorry, 20 times, not 17.