The Dugout – Blocked and Loaded
D-A-L-L-L-L-L-L-A-S
These are tough times for Cowboys fans. It was supposed to be the season in which they finally kicked on and challenged for a championship after all those years of mediocrity. But you know what they say about the best laid plans. Tony Romo went down in week two and despite team assurances that they had every confidence in Brandon Weeden and Matt Cassel, that’s proven unfounded to date. Cassel was pretty good in the OT loss to the Eagles this week but his pick six (to Jordan Hicks) was a killer. Plus that defence just couldn’t make a play when it needed to. They’ve forced just four turnovers in eight games and have gone without one in six of those games. Six losses in a row, Romo will be back in a couple of weeks but it’s likely to be too late by then. At least they have Dez.
Likewise there are not-insignificant troubles unfolding in San Diego, who have a quarterback in Philip Rivers on pace for a record-shattering 6000 passing yards half way through the season and yet still can’t seem to catch a break. How could they go and lose to the Bears? How!? How could they waste this incredible pick-six celebration!
Oh, this is how. Zach Miller, ladies and gents.
But shout outs to the New England Patriots, Cincinnati Bengals and Carolina Panthers who all made it through this week with victories to sit undefeated, each one of them, with 8-0 records. There have never been three 8-0 teams in a season before. Tell ya who else is 8-0 to start the season? The Golden State Warriors.
Chur Steve
We got our first signs of teething problems from the new-look Thunder this week. They dropped one they could have won against the Rockets (a terrible third quarter the problem) which was covered in last week’s Dugout, but then that was followed by losses to the Toronto Raptors and Chicago Bulls before they bounced back with victory over the Phoenix Suns.
Steven Adams Box Scores:
- vs Toronto: 27 mins – 10 pts (5/7) – 7 rebs – 1 ast – 3 pf – 2 to – 4 blk
- at Chicago: 25 mins – 6 pts (3/4) – 6 rebs – 1 ast – 1 pf – 0 to – 2 blk
- vs Phoenix: 20 mins – 7 pts (3/6) – 5 rebs – 1 ast – 1 pf – 2 to – 5 blk
With six minutes to play against the then-unbeaten Raptors, OKC led by 8 points and seemed to be rolling towards victory but their constant fouling and turnovers eventually caught up with them. DeMar DeRozan and Kyle Lowry went to work. Russell Westbrook had 22 points and 16 assists. Adams’ four blocked shots looked good on the charts but he had no answer to the Raptors guards driving at him and the Thunder didn’t seem to be able to keep them outside. Toronto shut down Westbrook and Durant, in as much as anyone possibly can, in the fourth and OKC couldn’t find the points from anywhere else. 103-98.
Again it was the guards that did the Thunder in as they lost to Chicago. Jimmy Butler early on and Derrick Rose (for real) later on. Rose was aggressive and he helped push a three point lead after three quarters out but OKC went on a 15-5 run and KD tied it up at 92 with four minutes left. And then Rose scored 10 straight and took it 104-98, three losses in a row for the Thunder. Adams sat for the fourth quarter of this one with a back strain he’d picked up. He likely wouldn’t have seen a whole lot of time anyway with the tendency to give Kanter the majority of the fourth when they need offence.
That back issue had him as a game time decision for the Suns game but in the end he was good to go. And so were the Thunder, refreshed after two days of rest following four games in five days before that. They got out to a quick double digit lead and although the Suns came back at them they never trailed in the second half and were never ahead by fewer than nine points in the fourth quarter. Which all meant that Stevie didn’t have to be overworked.
"He was a little sore yesterday. I think that's to be expected, to be somewhat normal. We'll probably get a better gauge on him tomorrow at shootaround. We feel like we got out of the game where he has not had a setback. It hasn't been a problem for him, him playing the minutes he did yesterday. Hopefully every day that goes by he'll get a little bit better." – Billy Donovan
The worry with the Thunder is how they track beyond their two superstars. Against the Suns, they outscored them by 32 points with Durant on the floor and 26 with Westbrook there… yet their bench (aside from Kanter and Waiters who play a lot with those two) were otherwise in the negatives.
Offensively this team is most of what you’d expect it to be. A couple of worries late in games but overall only the undefeated Golden State Warriors are scoring more points per game and the Thunder’s number (113.3) is six points clear of the third best LA Clippers. The only major worry there is the league high turnover rate. However their defence is every bit the problem it was feared may be the case. The Bulls slaughtered them on the pick and roll and its becoming clear how much they rely on a couple of guys. These are the sorts of things you can probably expect a rookie coach to take time to come to grips with though - why exactly they kept switching on defence in the Bulls game is beyond most people. At least the schedule gets easier over the next spell. The following two weeks see them host the 76ers, Celtics, Pelicans and Knicks with trips to the Wizards and Grizzlies likely their toughest tests.
All of those recent blocks have seen Adams shoot up the averages, he’s now sitting ninth in the NBA with 2.29 per game. Hassan Whiteside and Rudy Gobert are tied for top with 4 b/g, while Serge Ibaka is seventh with 2.57. He also seems to have found a little video game fame for that famous handshake routine with Nick Collison.
The Hayne Refrain IX
Isn’t such a typical response to not having any new Hayne news this week for the Aussie media to start beating on the ‘Hayne to NRL’ stories? No news doesn’t always mean no news, it seems.
It’d be highly unlikely that Hayne packs his bags at this stage, no matter how much the Roosters need a new fullback. He didn’t make this sacrifice for the short term gain, he cannot have expected to have progressed as much as he has already in this space of time. Plus, nobody forced him to sign that practice squad contract. That was his call. He could well have lived as a free agent for a while and tried to find another team, in or out of the sport. In other words: where were your NRL rumours last week, Sydney Roosters? If you don’t click on ‘Hayne to NRL’ headlines then you’ll be amazed how quickly they disappear.
Instead he’s committed himself to the 49ers for the rest of the season. It also happens to be unlikely that we’ll see him play again after he was overlooked this week in favour of a couple new signings and the dude who he swapped places with in Kendall Gaskins. Gaskins ran seven times for 20 yards, nothing special though he did convert a 4th and 1. Shaun Draughn got the bulk of the RB action, rushing 16 times for 58 yards as the Niners, with Blaine Gabbert at QB, were able to force an upset win over the Atlanta Falcons. At this rate Hayne and Colin Kaepernick are gonna be fast buds on the scout team.
There are a number of reasons why Hayne couldn’t hold an active roster spot this season. There are also a number of reasons why a spell in the PS will do him a world of good. You don’t just overcome a lifetime less of training and learning in six months. Here’s David Fucillo of Niners Nation:
“[Hayne] returns to the practice squad to spend the rest of the season working on his techniques. He has the raw skills that allowed him to shine in the preseason. Now, he will continue working on developing the techniques that will allow him to improve as a return man, and become a more capable running back. And of course, he can work on his ball security.”
For the record, Hayne is still available to any team that wants him. As a practice squad member, any franchise is able to claim him, just as during the waiver process, so long as they offer him a full roster spot. That’s one factor that could influence his chances of appearing again in 2015. Another is coach Jim Tomsula’s future. This win saves him plenty of panic with the team heading into the bye, though he’s not quite out of the woods yet.
NFL Week 9 Power Rankings:
- New England Patriots (Last Week = 1)
- Cincinnati Bengals (3)
- Carolina Panthers (5)
- Denver Broncos (2)
- Arizona Cardinals (6)
- Green Bay Packers (4)
- Minnesota Vikings (8)
- New York Jets (NA)
- Indianapolis Colts (NA)
- Atlanta Falcons (9)
Once You Start Inbounding to Yourself
… you’ve pretty much mastered the sport.
PORZINGIS!
Russ, Baby
Oh Yes It’s 60s Night…
And what a night. Shout out to Mike Dunleavy.
Polite Response of the Week
Top work, Le’Veon. That wasn’t the worst one either.
Sassy Non-Response of the Week
Quote of the Week:
“I freakin’ suck right now” – Kobe Bryant
Geez, Kobes, be a little easier on yourself after all these years. He also said that at this stage he thinks that maybe this will be his final season. It’s not been pretty either, 99 points on 97 shots so far. But hey if anyone’s earned a little leg room it’s the 20 year veteran, five time champion, future Hall of Famer playing for a 1-5 team.
Good Week:
Karl-Anthony Towns (Minnesota Timberwolves) – And surging into first place on the Rookie of the Year power rankings is Mr Towns. He had double-doubles in wins over the Hawks and Bulls this week (both 2014-15 playoff teams) and has had at least three blocks in five consecutive games now. Kid can play.
Antonio Brown (Pittsburgh Steelers) – He fumbled a punt, sure, but aside from that it was electrifying from Brown. He caught 17 passes (SEVENTEEN!) for 284 yards, both Steelers franchise records. Add in his 22 rushing yards and he had more net yards of offence than four full teams did this week. And he still got it done after Ben Roethlisberger left the game injured. That’s the seventh most receiving yards in a game ever. "I had a good flow,” he said. No kidding.
Marcus Mariota (Tennessee Titans) – The rookie seems to like his new coach, he threw 371 yards, completing 28 of 39 passes with 4 TDs and no interceptions in the OT win against the Saints. Easily his best game since that wonderful debut. The Titans may have issues but he is not one of them. Mariota tied the game with a two-point conversion and tossed the winner in overtime.
Bad Week:
Green Bay Packers – It’s not often that they lose two in a row. Granted, those two games were to the Denver Broncos and Carolina Panthers, both unbeaten at the time, but they clearly weren’t used to it and tempers flared towards the end of the game.
Colin Kaepernick (San Francisco 49ers) – Blaine Gabbert wasn’t exactly great in relief of Poor Kap, but he won. He won a football game. And that was enough to get the nod for their next game after the bye too. Kaepernick’s fallen a long way since taking this team to a Super Bowl after, well, doing to Alex Smith what Gabbert’s doing to him (in a way more dramatic & effective manner, granted).
Boogie Cousins (Sacramento Kings) – The Kings are 1-7 to start the season, predictably uncoordinated as a team. Boogie’s trying but he’s not exactly an easy fit and his off-season troubles with coach George Karl aren’t great, Karl pretty much blew his hopes of an easy transition with the dude by trying to trade him and the team’s brought in Rajon Rondo since then who tends not to be the most easy going teammate. Word is Cousins is keen on a players meeting to sort some stuff out.
Player of the Week:
Andre Drummond (Detroit Pistons) – It’s been a week for young big men and Drummond was the best of them. He’s had three 20/20 games in his last five. 29 boards against the Pacers. The last player to average 20 and 20 through the first six games of a season was Wilt Freakin’ Chamberlain. This guy is 22 years old.