The Carolina Panthers have a magic number of one to clinch a second straight NFC South crown and this is with 5 games left to play.
Both the (9-2) Arizona Cardinals, who won by 6 as 8 point favorites at San Francisco vs the (3-8) 49ers and the Seattle Seahawks who got a late break away touchdown to exceed the 3 point spread vs the also (6-5) Pittsburgh Steelers won today.
Thus it is Arizona, owning a road win vs Seattle, still in control in the NFC West.
The (8-3) Minnesota Vikings are back in first place after beating the (6-5) Falcons in Atlanta. They lead the (7-4) Green Bay Packers, who did win in Minnesota last week.
Two sub .500 teams, the Washington Redskins and New York Giants lead the woeful NFC East with (5-6) records after “Wash” prevailed at home vs the Giants. The (4-7) Philadelphia Eagles are next in the standings.
Want to hear a good story about a great guy, who happened to be a tremendous major league pitcher.
His name is Bob Shantz and I had met him some years back and his number was in my phone. Why I did not call him as he was so kind during our brief interview and so rich in baseball lore and accomplishment, blame on the all powerful inertia. Also call it my “fault.”
So something intervened and of all the numbers to dial by mistake, it was Bobby Shantz’ number.
Now I do not just hang up on anybody and certainly not Bob Shantz. Of course as Bob’s courteous wife was calling Bob to the phone, I am thinking where is a tape recorder or something to record this.
In this case with this ever so gracious individual (you are all waiting for me to remark on his incredible 1952 season, well there will be a part 2) I can remember the words and put the baseball on the back burner for now.
He still plays golf, I hope his knee is better and I told him to enjoy their new kitchen.
I did recall to Bob something else he had told me regarding that remarkable 1952 season.
I promise to add to my time with this gracious and modest affable man, who trust me knew how to pitch!
What follows are predictions on three NFL games this weekend. Some perhaps incendiary comments as well? Remember the golden rule and giving my opinion does not violate it.
Maybe God,/ G-d,/ the force does not like and certainly does not need the players to always praise him/her/it, in and around sporting events. This is also the case with the military as it is “rammed down our throats” really at most times but especially during sports events in the last 14 years.( I wonder why)?
In a rare good piece by anybody involved with ESPN, Howard Bryant does a good job of explaining the military publicity’s great financial cost to the fans (who else!).
(3-7) San Diego Chargers’ quarterback Phillip Rivers, he and his team an unbelievable disappointment this year and other years, is a religious zealot, often inflicting his beliefs (he is entitled to the beliefs, not necessarily a big public stage on which to espouse them)) on us. This week he and “S.D.” will play well as 5 point underdogs at Jacksonville, vs the Jaguars.
“God/G-d, /It” gets a list from one of “his/her/its” assistants on unusual things happening, on perhaps insignificant earth.
Maybe the “force” noticing that Jacksonville is a 5 point favorite vs Rivers and S.D. says he will “pass,” but I say Jacksonville by only a field goal.
Elsewhere, leave it to the woeful, not the “real” Browns to beat the team that once was the Browns, the Baltimore Ravens, twice in a season when neither team is going anywhere near “north” in the AFC North standings. Browns 17 Ravens 13.
Finally though I think the Kansas City Chiefs will not only win this week, but also make the playoffs, it will be tough vs the Buffalo Bills.
In a redux of the 1966 AFL Title game, in this the 50th football season inclusive, Chiefs 19 Bills 15.
Bryant: Paid patriotism costs fans in more ways than one
Click above for Howard Bryant’s piece in ESPN The Magazine.
Me, promoting ESPN, certainly evidence, say, “exhibit j,” for those arguing God exists.
You know what they say regarding opinions. Here is one on which many will agree.
The Chiefs’ huddle shown above with quarterback Len Dawson facing his offensive unit is pretty darn good.
In one sense “following” the NFL is similar to school in that you better keep up or fall behind.
a difference is that there is no extra help unless one can endure WFAN radio’s Mike Francesa’s chalk rants. He “knows” what is going to happen. If you do not think so just ask him. Endure listening to him and go against his “certainties” that being akin to an hour of extra help from a great teacher in school.
The Packers were to win consecutive Thursday night games and take control of the NFC North.
Next Francesa had them threatening to be the NFC two seed and even hinted at the one seed before allowing they were three and a half games behind the Carolina Panthers and that would be difficult.
Of course after yesterday’s results which included the Chicago Bears outright victory at Green Bay and the (11-0) Carolina Panthers rout of the Francesa picked Dallas Cowboys, the Panthers are now four and a half games ahead of Green Bay and two and a half games ahead of anyone in the race for the NFC one seed.
The Carolina Panthers, a logo pictured above, are likely on their way to a first ever NFC one seed.
Tonight in Green Bay, the greatest of the Packers’ and perhaps any team’s quarterback ever, will be in attendance.
No, I am not referring to Aaron Rodgers and certainly not Brett Favre, though each will be there.
The greatest Packers quarterback and all time great, whom I reference is Bart Starr.
Sadly, even tragically Mr. Starr apparently has no memory of his days as a football player. His devoted wife Cherry hopes that tonight being at Lambeau Field will rekindle some of those memories.
Thankfully I have them and the facts. It all attests to Bart Starr’s greatness.
Another great quarterback, Tom Brady, perhaps this year, or at some point, will win a fifth Super Bowl. If that happens he will pass Terry Bradshaw and Joe Montana for the most Super Bowls won, but he would only tie Bart Starr, who has a record 5 NFL titles as a starting quarterback.
Starr was so great in the clutch and often gambled on 3rd and short and threw deep to the likes of Carroll Dale and Boyd Dowler.
Starr threw four touchdown passes in the great and in some ways, forgotten 1966 NFL Title game win over the Dallas Cowboys.
The next year in the famed 1967 NFL title game/”The Ice Bowl, ” it was win or lose vs a near great Cowboys’ team, when Starr ‘quarterback sneaked” into the end zone for the winning score. Starr so great, even greater with the game and the crown on the line. He engineered the great 68 yard final scoring drive with great help from a reserve player, Chuck Mercein, who made some big plays.
One more memory: The Packers were a great team, with the great Starr and the great broadcaster Ray Scott, often broadcasting their games.
So concise, without the long pauses and stretched out calls that eminate from those with diminished play by play skills (as an example of the decline,see and hear Al Michaels and he is far better than any other network football broadcaster today) Scott’s “on the money, for the money” calls went something like this.
Starr- Dowler- Touchdown with great inflexion in his superb voice.
Somehow Cherry if we could find Ray Scott’s call(s) of a Bart touchdown pass and play them for Bart, I bet he would at least smile, if not remember.
I have to endure WFAN Mike Francesa’s nonsense/arrogance a bit longer and will give you his predictions for the 12th week of NFL play.
Last week, he went (1-2) losing with the Washington Redskins and Philadelphia Eagles. He was correct in predicting a Dallas Cowboys victory.
His record stands at (19-13-3).
His “know it all” attitude transfers to the following blanket statement he just uttered. “We have a lot to be thankful for in this country.”
That is especially true if one is rewarded with unbelievable financial compensation for being so often wrong and arrogant. “Only in America” indeed!
I doubt it is true for those lined up in soup kitchens, something I saw first hand on two of these holidays, helping them through the late great, Joe Franklin.
He predicts the Dallas Cowboys minus one point vs the Carolina Panthers.
Next he takes Denver (Broncos) plus three points vs the New England Patriots.
The New England Patriots are (10-0) after a Monday night, “on the number” victory vs the Buffalo Bills.
Denver’s Broncos are (8-2) after a bounce back win in Chicago vs the Bears.
New England has an incredible 5 game lead with 6 games left and will win their 13th AFC East title in the last 15 seasons, all accomplished with greats Tom Brady at quarterback and Bill Belichick as head coach.
The Broncos likely will win a 5th straight AFC West crown as they lead the division by three games.
This week, the Patriots are early three point favorites at Denver in the Sunday night tilt.
Despite two straight night losses, the Cincinnati Bengals with an (8-2) record lead the AFC North by two games over the (6-4) Pittsburgh Steelers.
Both the Indianapolis Colts and Houston Texans won as underdogs last week and their (5-5) records are good enough for a shared lead in the woeful AFC South.
The Carolina Panthers raised their record to (10-0) with a victory vs the Washington Redskins. They as a veritable Rodney Dangerfield “get no respect,” witness the fact they are 1 point underdogs at Dallas vs the Cowboys in one of the upcoming traditional games, this Thursday.
Elsewhere again Al Michaels and NBC “got” a field goal/close game thus boosting NBC, an event that does not thrill me.
However that does not take away from the fact that the Arizona Cardinals (Michaels attended Arizona State University) are (8-2) after winning by 3 as 4 point favorites vs fellow (8-2)/division leader Cincinnati (Bengals) in the Sunday night game. I went to sleep, watched little if any, and the sun came up this morning.
Elsewhere once prohibitive division favorite Green Bay (Packers) will again gain that status after the “Pack” won at Minnesota, in a battle of (7-3) NFC North teams.
The idle “Hackensack” Giants moved 1 game ahead in the woeful NFC East after both the (4-6) Philadelphia Eagles (Tampa Bay’s Buccaneers ripped the Eagles) and Washington Redskins, as cited above lost.
Looking at this iconic Neil Leifer photo of Yankee Stadium during a football Giants game, my mood brightens and I recall Al Michaels and his greatest call.– NO NOT THAT EXPONENTIALLY OVER Rated OLYMPIC “call,” (more a rhetorical, perhaps existential, question as Michaels himself admits he is/was not a hockey broadcaster), but of Johnny Bench’s game tying home run in the decisive 5th game of the 1972 NLCS.
Click below for “Alfalfa’s” great call of Bench’s home run and subsequent call of the Reds winning the 1972 pennant.
Reds Win 1972 NLCS – YouTube
After a (3-0) day yesterday in college football, I will offer advice but not predictions regarding upcoming NFL games.
I truly do not see anything that stands out. when that is the case do not bet and even when you must please be careful doing so.
Relax Ohio State fans and star runner, Ezekiel Elliott. You “stole” the title last year as the team should not have been afforded the opportunity to be in the playoff.
To the Ohio State team’s credit, they won twice as a one touchdown underdog and claimed a third title in my time, the others in 1968 and 2002.
On a personal note, they let me down so many times when I rooted for them from say 1967-(say)- 1978.
Yesterday’s loss with Elliott’s post game comments about leaving school, (he still may stay, but also likely would have left no matter the season result), was eerily reminiscent for Buckeye fans of a game played November 22, 1969 at Michigan.
I do not trust any documentaries and their facts which say Ohio State was a 17 point favorite in that 1969 game. Somehow I never asked the late Beano Cook the line that day, but say it was 17 points, the game yesterday with Ohio State a 15 plus point favorite, surely is similar.
Though I rooted for Ohio State in those years, I was warned and realized what Woody Hayes was and was not. He was as with Bob Knight an over the top militaristic, temper flaring man. Unlikein my opinion, Hayes so conservative with his “run, run play calling,” was not all that good a coach.
Yet I rooted for them and the teams from (1968-1970) with Rex Kern as quarterback, were tremendous ones. The 1969 loss that day, six years after the tragic loss of President Kennedy, truly hurt.
That aside, clearly had Ohio State won that game in 1969, they would have repeated as college football champions.
If they had won yesterday, they still needed 4 more wins and I believe I stated they would not repeat as champions this year.
Finally regarding Beano and other things “Cook,” Michigan State won yesterday without top notch quarterback Connor Cook. A backup named O’ Connor, far from stellar, bravely directed the victory.
Beano had a dear friend named O’ Connor, who preceded Beano to heaven or at least a place to talk college football in peace and without the inane commentary so prevalent via media outlets today.
Before this season Beano “surely” said that Ohio State would not go (12-0), thus taking under 11 and one half wins as a wager proposition regarding their season. That notion manifested yesterday, Beano if not a Cook all UNDER yesterday’s ouster of Ohio State.
PS Beano Need and needed your “help” to stop Notre Dame. I “Know” what Beano is/would say “we are in trouble.”
Last week I did not hear WFAN radio Mike Francesa’s NFL predictions.
Taking him at his word, surely not the easiest thing to do, he says his record is (18-11) for the year, meaning a (2-2) week last week, I suppose.
His predictions for the 11th week of the NFL schedule.
He picks the Philadelphia Eagles minus 5 vs the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Next he “touts” the Dallas Cowboys at “pick em” at Miami vs the Dolphins.
He takes the Washington Redskins plus 7 at Carolina vs the Panthers.
He cuts off so many callers, being particularly all knowing and rude to a Steph Curry supporter and not allowing a caller, a rare one to bring up a meaningful topic (the fact the NFL played its games a scant two days after President John F. Kennedy was killed), to finish his thought.
Tomorrow NFL games will be played on a Sunday 52 years after President Kennedy’s death. Hopefully it will be noted that this eventual monolith played games on a Sunday two days after the assassination, a fourth in this “civilized” country of its president, and how wrong that was/is.
Andy B Sports 