The Dugout – They Were the Best of Teams, They Were The Worst of Teams
Brock and Roll
The Osweiler Revolution in Denver will continue at least one further week, with Coach Gary Kubiak confirming that Young Brock will take the snaps once more against the New England Patriots in week 12. Ossie had a pretty fine game in his first career start – which came on his 25th birthday, yay – completing 74% with 2 TDs and no interceptions in a 17-15 win over the Chicago Bears.
Most likely this is just another week for Peyton to recover. Osweiler had a good game but he’s still the reserve. What this does do, though, is it gives Brock a chance. If he can beat the Patriots then he’s giving his coach a very big decision to make because that’s gonna make it very hard to drop him.
Supposing that Osweiler doesn’t Brady-to-Bledsoe him, then this is probably the best thing for P.Manning anyway. He noticeably faded last season to the point where he was at times a shadow of the guy who’d been so good just 12 months earlier – so in that regard this season hasn’t been an anomaly, it's been a continuing trend. But he was injured then too. The reality may be that he can no longer play a full season of football but – supposing he’s healthy and that that makes a difference – who would you rather have between the QBs in the fourth quarter of a playoff game? Rest him up, don’t risk anything and make sure that he’s good to go when it matters. That may be this team’s best option.
Where it gets weird is with reports that Peyton wants beyond all doubt to play next season and that he’ll do so on the Broncos or with another team if need be. Bit weird. Having said that, if he’s happy to play second fiddle then there is literally no backup that’d be more valuable. Imagine what he could teach a Marcus Mariota or a Kirk Cousins, even.
Tough Guy of the Week
Flacco did his knee in on the final drive but stayed on the field to hand off a couple times, knowing that the Ravens couldn’t afford to mess up their clock management. Justin Tucker then hit the winning FG and the Ravens rose to victory. Flacco’s out for the season, which will next week snap his 122 consecutive career starts, which is the fifth longest streak in NFL QB history.
Hmm but he wasn’t the only Raven to go down in pain. Running back Justin Forsett broke two bones in his arm and is done for the year too. At this stage, Matt Schaub and Buck Allen will be their QB/RB combo. They’ve already lost WR Steve Smith and LB Terrell Suggs. This honestly could not be going much worse for the 3-7 Ravens – a team that hasn’t lost by more than eight points in any game this season.
Chur Steve
- vs New Orleans (W 110-103) – 11 MIN, 0 PTS (0/2 FG), 2 REB, 1 BLK, 1 PF
- vs New York (L 93-90) – 21 MIN, 4 PTS (1/5 FG, 2/2/ FT), 8 REB, 1 BLK, 3 PF
- vs Dallas (W 117-114) – 24 MIN, 6 PTS (3/4 FG, 0/2 FT), 4 REB, 3 AST, 1 TOV, 4 PF
- at Utah (W 111-89) – 23 MIN, 7 PTS (3/5 FG, 1/2 FT), 3 REB, 3 BLK, 4 PF
It began with a routine win over the Pelicans. New Orleans were without Anthony Davis (as well as the rest of that long list of worries) and the Thunder were without Kevin Durant. So Russell Westbrook took over, scoring 43 in guiding his team to an important win after dropping a couple in a row. Without Davis, the Pelicans went super-small and that meant that Enes Kanter got big minutes at the expense of Adams – with Alex Ajinca offering the biggest post threat, Kanter’s defence wasn’t nearly so exposable and so he was able to play 31 mins, his most all season, with 24 points and 14 boards. Adams wasn’t really needed. (Though Ajinca did shoot 6 of 8). Ryan Anderson scored 30 put the Pellies never quite recovered from a poor second Q.
Next up, it was predictable that a stretched Knicks team didn’t have much hope against the Thunder in the paint, so they set up to shoot instead. And they did, absolutely blasting OKC with 12 of 20 3pters – in a game in which they were comfortably outrebounded and outscored in the paint by 52-16. Westbrook had another top game with 34/7/7 but although they made a valiant comeback from 16 points down in the fourth, it wasn’t enough. Poor shooting cost them, as well as a lack of late defensive stops.
The Dallas game was a thriller to the neutral, OKC up 11 in the second and down 10 in the third before eventually coming through with a strong finish in which – brace yourselves – Dion Waiters was a major presence. The Thunder hit seven of their last nine shots and the Mavs missed some key FTs to seal it. They might have sealed it a little earlier but Steve missed two late FTs of his own to leave the door open, though Deron Williams was harshly rejected by Serge Ibaka under the hoop before Waiters charged down Wes Matthews’ three attempt and the game was done. Adams got some decent numbers out of it but it was a relatively rough time. The Mavs blasted the Thunder out of the water early in the third with Ibaka sucked away from the basket by Dirk Nowitzki and Adams got picked on by Williams a bit. Zaza Pachulia and he had a decent battle going for a while there too, while it looked at one point like Adams might have accidentally elbowed Dirk in the jaw.
And then Utah. It was a grudge match for reasons nothing to do with Steve, though he did his best later on. Enes Kanter was returning to the team that he never quite made it with before leaving for OKC and he’s been a bit of a dick to the Jazz ever since. Rudy Gobert took his starting spot and was a revelation.
This was the game that Kevin Durant made his return in, scoring a handy and efficient 27 points. It was a messy game in places but the Thunder rode a 40-point second quarter against one of the best defensive teams in the league to glide to a 111-89 victory. Kanter had struggles against his old side, not being used nearly as much as he’s used to, scoring just six points which meant that he was outscored by Stevie for the first time this season. Adams also had what may be the most laidback block in history.
As well as all that, there was a decent write-up on the Thunderous Intentions blog about Steven Adams’ role on the team and his value to them, plus that vaunted OKC-made Doco has been released on the franchise’s NBA website for global viewing. It’s split into five parts and is a pretty entertaining watch, Adams’ typically grounded nature keeping it from ever feeling sappy or forced:
Hey and check it out, Steve is currently 15th in the NBA in Defensive Real Plus/Minus ranks:
She’s A Witch, Burn Her!
One of the weirdest stories in a while, Aaron Rodgers had been struggling a bit recently (only by his standards, granted) with the Green Bay Packers on a three game slide. What could be the problem, a lack of Jordy Nelson diminishing his receiving pool? Sure, that’s a legit thought. So is the talent of the opposition they’d been playing (at least until they lost to the Lions). But no, that’s not it. The problem is his relationship with actress Olivia Munn.
Honestly, people have actually said that. One ESPN reporter hinted (vaguely but speculatively) at possible issues there that were affecting Rodgers on the field. Munn responded:
Off-field things affect athlete performance all the time but here’s the thing: there’s literally no evidence of any problems. Munn was at the Lions game, the two seem great together. She’s being blamed because she’s famous in her own right and that’s apparently threatening to some people.
Like, what’s the difference between Munn and any other wife or girlfriend? Nobody’s blaming Mrs Manning for Peyton’s struggles. Nobody knows who she is either and that’s no shock. But they blamed Jessica Simpson for Tony Romo way back when. They’re blaming Ciara for Russell Wilson. It’d be funnier if it weren’t so damn transparent.
For the record, the Packers went back top of their division this week with a comprehensive win over the Minnesota Vikings. Rodgers threw 2 TDs.
McHale-Storm
WHAT!? The Rockets fired Kevin McHale? But didn’t he take this team to the Conference Finals last season? Yeah, he did.
Yet seven loses from 11 games were enough to make up Daryl Morey’s mind, the GM throwing out the ominous quote: "There is no time in the West."
It was a very hasty move by most accounts and it drew widespread critique from other coach (surprise, surprise) as well as in the media. But if you know it’s not working then it is better to make the change sooner rather than later. J.B. Bickerstaff has taken over in the interim.
The Rockets are not an easy team to coach and as good as McHale is as a basketball mind, it did appear as though he’d lost the dressing room. That’s the risk you take when you assemble a team with some of the personalities that they have and then add in Ty Lawson. Plus, of course, Khloe Kardashian gets some of the blame for dating James Harden, in line with the last headline (to be fair, the Kardashian world is like nothing else, it’s an unforgiving circle of fame and so far only Kris Humphries has come out the other side improved). Harden’s been awful. He’s still right up there in terms of points, with a couple of 40 point games, but only because he’s shooting more than ever before. His turnover rate is at almost 5 per game and he’s shooting a full 10% below last season’s 3pt average – rotting at 27.1%.
Houston responded to the sacking with an OT win against Portland in which Harden scored 45 but they then lost to both Memphis and New York. Curious times, indeed.
The Hayne Refrain #11
Just in case anyone believes the outrageous idea that Jarryd Hayne was gonna abandon his NFL career (and thoroughly screw over the Niners), he's shown this week that he's still very much determined. First of all by saying as much.
“I mean, if I was going to go back, I wouldn’t have even come, so it’s a stupid question." - JH in the Mercury News
But then second of all... by launching his own personalised apparel line. Here's a dude with a very determined line on what the bigger stage can offer him. The dream is alive, folks.
AWARDS TIME!
AL MVP – Josh Donaldson (Toronto Blue Jays)
NL MVP – Bryce Harper (Washington Nationals)
AL Cy Young – Dallas Keuchel (Houston Astros)
NL Cy Young – Jake Arrieta (Chicago Cubs)
AL Rookie of the Year – Carlos Correa (Houston Astros)
NL Rookie of the Year – Kris Bryant (Chicago Cubs)
AL Manager of the Year – Jeff Bannister (Texas Rangers)
NL Manager of the Year – Joe Maddon (Chicago Cubs)
Have the GS Warriors Lost a Game Yet?
Nah mate, still unbeaten.
Have the Philly 76ers Won a Game Yet?
Nope, not a one.
NFL Week 11 Power Rankings:
- Carolina Panthers (Last week = 2)
- New England Patriots (1)
- Arizona Cardinals (4)
- Cincinnati Bengals (3)
- Denver Broncos (6)
- Green Bay Packers (7)
- Minnesota Vikings (5)
- Pittsburgh Steelers (9)
- Kansas City Chiefs (NA)
- Seattle Seahawks (NA)
PUT IT ON A POSTER!
H-O-R-S-E
Unstoppable Warriors
Throwback Funk
More 76er Life
Quote of the Week:
"I think it's ridiculous. I'm sitting in the locker room and watching the games on TV, and I'm not even traveling to most of the road games. Luke's doing all the work with the rest of the staff. Luke is 15-and-0 right now. I'm not. So, it's the dumbest thing I've ever heard, to be honest with you. I don't even understand it."
Steve Kerr, GSW coach, has added 15 wins and zero losses to his career total without having to do basically anything. Luke Walton is taking the team in the interim as Kerr recovers from offseason back surgery but officially the wins all go under Kerr’s name. But Walton, a coach with zero career wins to his name, will probably win Coach of the Month.
Good Week:
Doug Martin (Tampa Bay Buccaneers) – Dougie! The scrappy lil running back busted for 235 yards on the ground, making him just the third man in history with multiple 230+ rushing games. O.J. Simpson and Corey Dillon are the others. Martin blasted himself up to second in the rush yards standings, reminding us all that his 2012 rookie season wasn’t a fluke. He didn’t get a TD, though, because Jameis Winston hogged them all. He threw five of them and the Buccs slayed the Eagles.
J.J. Nelson (Arizona Cardinals) – Saving that breakthrough game for the nationally televised SNF game, nice work son. Nelson hadn’t caught a pass in the NFL ‘til last week. Against the Bengals he had 142 yards, including a 64 yard bomb for a TD.
Steph Curry (Golden State Warriors) – Marc Stein offered this question the other day on twitter, about sums the whole thing up:
Bad Week:
Houston Rockets – Wow, what a situation for a team that so many had as championship possibilities. Bottom five in both offence and defence. They’ve sacked Kevin McHale as coach already and James Harden is struggling. Pretty unexpected.
Colin Kaepernick (San Francisco 49ers) – 49ers now but probably not for long. They haven’t been able to figure out how to use Kap since defences worked him out, which eventually led to his dropping. Now the word is that they’re looking to trade him in the offseason – it’d probably be earlier if he weren’t about to have shoulder surgery.
Player of the Week:
Cam Newton (Carolina Panthers) – And just like that, the MVP talks got a whole lot louder. Cam threw for 5 TDs against the R**skins, ripping them to shreds and taking the Panthers to 10-0. Over to you, Mr Newton:
