The other classic, controversial divisional round/slots game between the New England Patriots and Oakland Raiders took place after the 2001 regular season, on a snowy January 2002 night at New England.
Future Hall of Fame players, Tom Brady and Adam Vinatieri began their ascent to greatness that night, the former getting a big break after a potential game ending fumble, the latter kicking an incredibly clutch and difficult field goal to tie the game after the non fumble, so called “tuck rule” by Brady that kept N.E. alive.
As the Raiders did 25 years earlier after surviving the also 2nd slot/div game vs N.E., the Pats, in that the first year of Saturday night “slots” tilts, went on to win their first Super Bowl.
I recall the New York crowd, at an event honoring the 1980 U.S. Olympic hockey team, rooting for the Pats. It was Oakland that was still deemed “evil” and the Pats with the youthful Brady, were the sentimental choice.
Things have changed of course and while the Raiders have floundered, save their Supe loss season the next year in ’02, New England continues with one of the great sustained periods of great play, in certainly pro football, if not sports history.
“Sustained excellence” was the motto and achievement of earlier Raiders’ teams with executive Al “Yutzi” Davis, engineering the effort.
Now with a long way to go (5 reg games) and “N.E.” again rocked by an injury to a great player, tight end Rob Gronkowski, the two teams top the AFC with (9-2) marks. Perhaps they will meet in either the “slots” or even the AFC title tilt.
“Anniversary friendly,” 15 and 40 years later, it is nice to look forward, back and at the often symmetrical story, history manifests.
Alabama is a truly great college football team under coach Nick Saban(o).
Last year though they won the title, the Tide allowed late ‘back door” touchdowns in the SEC title tilt and national title game and failed to cover “el” spread.
This year they have rewarded their bettors with a (9-2) mark, destroying schmucks like me who bet or predict vs them.
Additionally when they clearly no covered and “laid down’ a bit vs a Tennessee Chattanooga team that should never be on the ide schedule, there was no line.
In veteran announcer Verne Lundquist’s last SEC title tilt and maybe his last game ever, Bama no covers Florida (31-14).
I am (0-5) predicting vs Alabama this season.
Certainly no lock here!
In two consecutive college football seasons, 1990 and 1991, the mythical college football national title was shared.
In 1990 Colorado and Georgia Tech shared the pre BCS or 4 team playoff, mythical crown.
A year later, now “anniversary number friendly” 25 years ago, the Washington U. Huskies and Miami Hurricanes, (their 4th title in 9 seasons) shared the title.
While first of all, nobody knows what would have happened and second, Wash was a very good team, I still feel safe in saying the “Canes” had the more impressive season, simply because they won at top ranked Florida State, as an underdog on November 16, 1991.
Now the Huskies control, or seem to control their fate, as far as playing for the crown.
They need three wins, a likely one tonight, as 7 plus point favorites vs Colorado (just realized the Buffs shared one of the two consecutive “shares” a “time” ago–a cousin, one of many who rudely do not return phone calls, was ahead in the time share concept, years ago) in the Pac 12 title tilt tonight and two more if they qualify for the 4 team playoff that now determines the title winner.
Who knows about the playoff, maybe (even) if Wash gets in (even) with a win, but after two “evens,” some odds.
Tonight: Wash 33 Colorado 30.
If Wash wins, they get in. (the four team playoff that is.)
The only dogs I really know are sports underdogs and that they are a better choice than favorites.
Thus please understand I could easily be wrong, but the cute puppy above does look like a huskie??
I say the game tonight looks like the Wash Huskies in a no cover win.
I will protect with “Col” money line because I could not stand either Michigan, especially Michigan with sore loser, horribly conservative football wise vs Ohio State coach Jim Harbaugh or Penn State (for different reasons) getting in the playoff.
P.s. In this year of horrible “antis,” and knowing how good Mich and yes Harbaugh can be, I truly fear Mich is a legitimate threat to Alabama or any other team they might encounter in the playoff.
Think Ohio State 2 years ago with the brilliant runner, Ezekiel Elliott, a player NFL fans might know a thing about.
Yesterday, I actually watched a so called “fantasy” sports show called “Game Time Decisions,” in which the host and a guest were predicting sports outcomes regarding the betting line.
Neither the host nor his guest were particularly arrogant, though the host began to be when giving his picks at the end.
The guest would not bet/predict the Golden State vs Houston NBA tilt, but stated with certainty, the Warriors would win the game.
He must have some Mike Francesa “blood,” most of the so called, chalk first handicappers do, as his “certain” statement regarding a “GS” win ended with the Houston Rockets soaring higher, on a “high” scoreboard, (132-127).
Both talked about Dallas minus 3 with little regard for a Dallas win and no cover (i.e. Dallas winning by 1 or 2 points).
The Cowboys are (11-1), winners of 11 straight games but now “just” (that is a tremendous record as well) (9-3) vs the spread, winning (17-15) at Minnesota, which after a (5-0) start has lost 6 of 7 games, to fall to a (6-6) record.
After 5 games of the NFL season, the Minnesota Vikings had a (5-0) record. Tonight they take a mere (6-5) record, into their home tilt with the Dallas Cowboys.
Dallas has won 10 straight games, after losing their opening game at home to the New York Giants, by one point.
In all likelihood, only the (8-3) Giants have a realistic chance to keep the Cowboys, deemed a non playoff team when Tony Romo was injured, from being the NFC one seed.
However with Dak Prescott at quarterback, Dallas which no covered “Wash” last Thursday, has been obviously most impressive with rookie Ez Elliott, leading the way, a superb offensive line doing the same for him.
Tonight the Cowboys are 3 point favorites and I just hope it is Al Michaels and not Mike Tirico as the lead announcer although in either case Cris Collinsworth’s non stop talking, gushing, phony,”aw shucks,” not important words, will be shoved down our collective throats.
Both teams played last week on “Turkey Day,” each “losing” to the “spread” (not the one, many in this country “gorged” on while others right here in the United States do not have enough to eat), by a fraction of a point.
Some good football only notes concerning some Cowboys and NFL history in the next post, before tonight’s tilt. I will also offer a prediction.
NBA commissioner Adam Silver, who, in my opinion, should have received, not presented title rings to the Cleveland Cavaliers, for unjustly suspending Dray Green for game 5 of last year’s title series, wants gambling on NBA games.
I do not think that is a good idea. Last night, having been denied a 10 to 1 payout the night before, when the Warriors won by 5 points vs the underdog Hawks, I did not “money line” any NBA tilts.
This is akin to not taking one’s medication and the results of not one, not two, but three big underdogs (two double figure “dogs”) winning OUTRIGHT, and not having anything to show for it, are devastating.
The 7 plus point Bucks (never “bucks” for me, “nada” on Trump to ease the pain, little on the Ottawa Redblacks, “nada” on Ms. Helm vs Rousey, “nada” on the Cubs when down down (3-1) and not enough but at least some, on two more “antis”/underdogs, the Pey Manning Broncos and the Cavs) won at home vs the Cavs.
The 10 plus point underdog Brooklyn Nets upset the Clippers, in Brooklyn.
If that was not enough, the Magic, “barked” outright as 12 plus point underdogs, in San Antonio.
Since I did not bet any, I can only approximate the “money lines” and offer the odds of all three teams that won, doing so were conservatively (not having “gambling man” and he did say one needs “to take a gamble in life” and credit him for doing so, Trump, at 5 to 1 for “emotional protection” will haunt me forever, which is a long time) TWO HUNDRED FORTY FIVE, to one.
I did the math based on Bucks (plus 250), Nets (plus 600) and Magic (plus 900) on a Kohl’s “flyer.” (Philly won last night also) and in utter despair, I can not (even) shop there.
Well Dad, I just can never “leave one out” (in this case THREE) can I? Sure I am not a degenerate, not even close, but while I can stay away from tracks, casinos and lotteries (all disgusting, government sanctioned entities, that give unfair odds) which is not easy, I can not avoid knowing sports results.
Thus as the therapist, who did not help one bit when Mom died, devised, I can and seemingly “must” bet small (one dollar often is the case), on what I believe will happen.
Last night I failed to do so and as the rainy, depressing day begins, Trump elected, empty, alone, unfulfilled, the added burden of this, is much to bear.
However, I will!
Forty years ago, the Oakland Raiders and New England Patriots each an original AFL team, and one sans a Super Bowl victory in the 10 such games played to that point in time, met in a late afternoon classic in the 1976 “slots”/divisional round.
The great Oakland quarterback, Ken Stabler, denied entry into the no longer glorious NFL Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio (still worth visiting), another “shonda” (a Yiddish word for disgrace, a word Mr. Stabler learned in heaven where he and fellow “hard living” great quarterback Bobby Layne share “drinks” with such as actors, all Roberts–Mitchum, Ryan and Young, discussing how the theme of the 1947 movie they were in, “Crossfire” about ignorant hate of those different, in that instance Jewish people, is sadly and horrifically relevant today, more so with the presence of a “white supremacist” on the “elected” president’s team), despite gimpy knees, rolled into the end zone for the game winning touchdown vs the underdog Pats, who surely covered the spread in defeat. (I did not know of such things then and also loved football. Things change, but, alas ignorant hatred of those different is a disgraceful, veritable “energizer battery,” evoking a Stephen Bishop hit song, in this the “run on” of “run on ” sentences, going “on and on.”)
However, to this day controversy hangs over the Oakland win, which was followed by easy playoff wins en route to the only “Supe” ever won (only appearance as a head coach in such game either) by that “overblown parody of himself,” John Madden. The former coach noticed the improving 1981 “Hack” Giants passed the ball on first down, as was dubbed an analytical genius, by the largely ignorant, go for the “sizzle” (think the otherwise very, very intelligent Mike Lupica), sports media.
On a third down play, the Patriots’ Raymond Hamilton (yes I know his nickname) was called for roughing the passer, the key play to keep the winning drive for an eventual Supe winner going.
Twenty five years later, the two teams met in another classic, controversial, “div” playoff game. More on that one in a future post.
It is my “fault” for not posting two “winners” in time. Additionally two more were not posted at all.
The so called “system” games (“What is this “system” “Little Emanuel,” played brilliantly by Rafael Campos, asked on the great show, “All in the Family”) where one “takes” a previous week’s “loser” in the game and vs the point spread, as an underdog vs an opponent that won the previous week both in the game and vs the spread and is the favorite, clicked in all 4 cases, none specifically cited by me, on time.
Yes, in trying to avoid the “slings and arrows” of pain this type of thing can cause, I did not do my homework and opportunity, in this case being right in cyberspace, passed by, yet again.
I put up the fact that SF (at Miami) and “Jax” (at Buffalo) were system games, with the underdog team already ahead by a touchdown. Each team would be outscored by two touchdowns the rest of the game, thus lose by 7 points, but cover the spread.
I did predict Tampa Bay to cover vs Seattle and KC in a field goal game either way to do the same at Denver.
In the latter, while ‘suffering” the “slings/arrows” of a Denver late touchdown that had them ahead by 8 (by the way did non stop talking Collinsworth ever cite that maybe Denver receiver and touchdown maker Em Sanders should have fallen down at say the KC 5, to make victory more probable. I did not listen but did see he and Tirico “yukking” it up” as overtime approached. They knew the General Electric? coffers would fill), I more or less hit the game on the head. (Big deal, though somewhat impressive.)
Two I did not cite, one a “system” game as Jets bettors, though their hearts were in their throats as NE back, LeGarrette Blount raced free, before going out of bounds, assuring a Jets’ cover in a game, in which they played well in straight up defeat, vs the Patriots.
The other I realized too late, sets up a “Pooh and the Gang” “CELEBRATION,” a brilliant quip on the “Kool & The Gang” hit song, “Celebration.” ( the quip works if you know I call Jim Nantz, “Pooh.”)
CBS and Nantz/”Pooh” get a revitalized “GB” Packers team hosting Houston, a Nantz favorite city. Thus G.B. plus 4 and “a slice” should have been a selection.
Click below to view “Kool & The Gang” perform “Celebration.”
The two teams tied with the top records in the AFC are the New England Patriots and Oakland Raiders.
Each team sports a (9-2) record, after victories yesterday.
The Pats have been incredible starting with the Super Bowl winning season of 2001.
Meanwhile Oakland has struggled mightily, since making the Super Bowl in 2002.
Perhaps these teams will meet in either the AFC title game or in a significant anniversary year redux of a famed controversial divisional playoff game.
I will talk about both famed divisional playoff games between the two teams, in a post or two tomorrow.
Harvard graduate and CBS football studio person, James Brown, whose incompetence over the years has stirred emotions invoking Pandora’s Box, “bothered” me and should have had the same effect on you, as he erred concerning the eventual Oakland Raiders’ “on the number,” 3 point win vs the Carolina Panthers.
After the Patriots near, but no cover, win vs the New York Jets, Brown “sent” the television audience that had viewed that tilt, with the ever improving Greg Gumbel, to Oakland dispensing inaccurate information.
Brown stated the Panthers had scored 25 consecutive points to tie the game when in fact, their 25 consecutive points gave them a (32-24) lead, (a 4 to 3 ratio to throw in something irrelevant), only to have Oakland tie the tilt, with a touchdown and 2 point conversion.
During the 1987 NBA Finals, Brown made a mistake that indicated he had no knowledge nor appreciation of NBA history. It was about the most inaccurate sports related statement I have heard and there have been innumerable ones, causing me agony in the many years I have watched, listened and suffered following sports.
Interviewing actor Jack Nicholson, Brown said you were a fan of the (L.A.) Lakers back in 1972 when they were losing.
The 1972 Lakers set a record that still stands with 33 consecutive victories, a then record (69-13) record and their first L.A. title.
Yes they happen but you are paid a ton of money to do what other poor souls (really another “s” word fits and it is schmucks) do for “nada” and Brown could not keep track of one of three late games, just two on CBS, which somehow has made him rich all these years. Pandora’s Box indeed!
