NFL Week 9

The week in which Rex Ryan won the Ryan Bowl, Tom Brady recaptured the old magic and the school yard bully was exposed. Weekly recap in 3… 2… 1…

• Not a great game for Green Bay. Going up against Jake McCown (replacement Bears QB), they should have cruised to a big division win against the old enemy. But Aaron Rodgers was knocked out fo the game early, and it became an arm wrestle between a couple of backups. McCown outdid Seneca Wallace, and drew the Bears into a 3-way 5-3 tie for the NFC North. Things just got interesting.

• It was wildly dumb to see both Cutler and Rodgers missing though. Like watching a Simpsons episode without the main cast. Seeing Queen without Freddy Mercury. Witnessing a Spurs-Lakers game with neither Tim Duncan nor Kobe Bryant. (The last one actually happened this week – for the first time since 1996)

• How great were the Chicago fans anti-Cheesehead hats, by the way. Graters. Brilliant!

• Andrew Luck is a winner pure and simple. His ability to win games late on is unbelievable, especially for such a young player. The big comeback against Houston was his 10th game winning drive – halfway through his second NFL season! That’s more than Aaron Rodgers.

• Kansas City showed some guts to come from behind to beat Buffalo. The Bills are a tough team to play. Don’t fall for the record. But this KC defence is Something Else. 2 more defensive scores in this one. Alex Smith is a game manager, not a big play guy so much, but they more than make up for that off the ball. Bye week is next. Then the real test – a trip to Denver.

• New England spanked Pittsburgh, putting 55 points on ‘em (the most the Steelers have ever conceded). Gronk had 143 yards, Brady 432 with 4 TDs. The Pats are back, baby!

• Then there was Nick Foles (more on that later), Seattle’s biggest ever comeback win (they were at home, though, so it was always gonna happen), Carolina turn a few head, Miami win in a overtime safety and the Ryan Bowl happened.

• Rex took it out, claiming the family bragging rights (as if Mama Ryan ever allowed any football talk at the dinner table – clearly the brothers were preoccupied with that sweet fried chicken), with his Jets beating the Rob’s Saints (defence) 26-20. Drew Brees was great, but their complete lack of a running game cost them in the end. Dallas has a similar issue on the ground, but Tony Romo got them over the line against Minnesota. The Saints and the Cowboys play next week in what looks like a good ol’ fashioned, saloon shadowed, six gun, John Wayne-Western shootout. Lots of bullets flying. But the good guys never seem to get hit.

GIF time:

Staying Incognito

One of the more infuriating stories to emerge in a while. Revelations of bullying in the Miami Dolphins clubhouse, seemingly due to offensive lineman Richie Incognito, spring forward all sorts of questions. How can teammates not have been aware of the depth of this thing? Why did Jonathan Martin not feel able to talk to team officials about anything? Where are the veteran role models in this team? Did second year QB Ryan Tannehill not feel assured enough to speak up? Was Tannehill subject to the same ‘hazing’ last year? Will Martin return to the league at any stage? How will he be received if he does? Most of all though, despite the many organisational failings here, how in the hell does a 30 year old NFL veteran get off acting like a goddamn high schooler? Threatening prank calls, aggression and intimidation disguised as ‘hazing’, racial slurs and lazy death threats. Apparently the straw that broke the camels back was when Incognito and a few others inviting Martin to sit with them at lunch, and promptly stood up and left as soon as Martin sat down. That kind of thing is immature even for 14 year olds. And Richie Incognito is a GROWN ASS MAN!

Richie Incognito has effectively been cut by the Dolphins, but will see out his suspension first, so that the club don’t have to pay him his salary. Good job, too. I’ll be happy never to hear his name again. Nobody deserves to be treated like an inferior in any situation.

World Series Celebrations

On a lighter note: the most rewarding quest for athletes is the pursuit of excellence. To be hailed as a champion. To stand above all else. The Boston Red Sox achieved this in winning the World Series. What comes next? Well, how do you top perfection? You get blind drunk, son! Here’s catcher/1B Mike Napoli strolling the streets of Boston without a shirt on.

Napoli, Jacoby Ellsbury and Stephen Drew have all been offered new deals to stay in Boston. 

Good Week:

• Jake McCown (Chicago Bears) – the life of an NFL backup QB must be hard. McCown is under no illusions either. He said before this week’s game that he knows that he may never get another chance to start an NFL game, and that he just has to take each opportunity as it comes. Beating the Packers at Lambeau, as a Bear, definitely falls under the ‘taking your opportunities’ banner.
• Michael Carter-Williams and the Philadelphia 76ers – obviously these guys don’t understand the meaning of ‘tanking’. They outta take lessons from the Boston Celtics. Philly started 3-0, beating Miami and Chicago along the way. And MCW! Suffice to say Rookie of the Year candidacy awaits.
• Kevin Love (Minnesota Timberwolves) – MVP form early on from K.Love. THIS is what the NBA was missing last year! Even more than Derrick Rose. There are lots of dynamic guards around to pick up that slack. But how many other players make rebounding so much fun? Dwight Howard, and, uh… pass? Plus if you can hit last-second, game-tying threes, that’s a bonus too.
  

Bad Week:

• Green Bay Packers – if Rodgers is out for a long time, suddenly their playoff hopes, which looked a sure bet last week, are in major doubt. You don’t just *replace* the best player in the league. The word is he's to miss 3 weeks. Hopefully they don't drop too much ground in that time.
• San Diego Chargers – 1 yard from the winning TD. 3 plays. And they can’t make it. RUN THE DAMN BALL, DUDES!
• Anthony Bennett (Cleveland Cavaliers) – the first overall draft pick (who was a shock selection) has failed to make a basket in his first four games. 0-15. He’s even disappearing from twitter as he struggles.

Philosophical Though of the Week:

If a lob is dunked, and there’s no one there to tweet it… did it really happen?

Player of the Week:

Nick Foles (Philadelphia Eagles) – 7 TD passes! I’m still not sure how a guy who got pantsed by Dallas a couple weeks back was able to tie an NFL record like this. I don’t know if he’ll ever be a top-10 started or anything, but even if he never makes it in the NFL, he’s always got this game to fall back on. Full credit, Foley.

Upcoming Dates (NZ Time):

December 30 - NFL Regular Season Ends

February 3 - Superbowl XLVIII

February 17 - 2014 NBA All-Star Game