In this week’s Thursday night game, the Detroit Lions are hosting the Green Bay Packers.
It will be the second straight Thursday night game for the “Pack” and second straight Thursday game as each played on the holiday last week, for the Lions.
Detroit won in its traditional holiday game and Green Bay, perhaps due to bad karma associated with the over publicized Brett Favre, who once enabled Michael Strahan, another who has far more than he deserves or needs, to break the NFL “sack” record, lost outright to the Chicago Bears. (Apparently President Barack Obama predicted that outcome.)
With the teams clashing on a Thursday a week after the traditional November holiday, I recall a game between the two teams on Thanksgiving, when it really was a day of giving thanks, in 1962.
The Lions upset the Packers that day, with Roger Brown of Detroit, a near great player having an all time great game.
It was the Packers’ only loss in a (13-1) regular season, in a title winning year.
Their great offensive guard Fred “Fuzzy” Thurston played that day though mourning the recent loss of his mother. He did not play well against the unstoppable Roger Brown that day.
A rare updated movie reference; in the 1986 movie “Maximum Overdrive” trucks ran wild and the name on those trucks was “Thurston.”
I recall Fred “Fuzzy” Thurston as a great moving or pulling guard on great Green Bay Packers’ teams. Perhaps the best version, the 1962 team, lost that Thursday game in Detroit but no other game that championship season.
The great offensive guard Fred “Fuzzy” Thurston pictured above.
In yet another Sunday night thriller which I elected to miss, the (9-2) Denver Broncos took a major step toward a 4th straight AFC West crown by turning back the now (10-1) New England Patriots in overtime.
Elsewhere the Cincinnati Bengals now enjoy a 3 game lead over the Pittsburgh Steelers in the AFC North Division.
(9-2) Cincy ripped the (4-7) St. Louis Rams while the two time NFC champion, Seattle Seahawks are now (6-5) after a (39-30) home win over the (6-5) Pittsburgh Steelers.
Again both the Houston Texans and Indianapolis Colts won and with (6-5) records remain tied for the AFC South lead.
Houston eased by the (3-8) New Orleans Saints while the Colts won vs the (5-6) Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
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
