The Dugout – Playoffs For Some, Want Ads For Others
The steaming carcass of the 2015 NFL season had barely hit the floor for some team before their coaches were told to pack their bags and file their benefit forms. It began with Chip Kelly, told he would not be returning to the Philly Eagles next season, cutting short his very hands-on experimenting where it stood. Given how much he tailored that team to himself, good luck to whoever takes over.
He was hardly the only guy though. The Cleveland Browns dumped Mike Pettine after his 10-22 reign there, in which he followed in the fine Browns tradition of playing as many different QBs as he could. Both the Miami Dolphins and Tennessee Titans have been working with interim coaches and they’ll be open to new candidates, though the Dolphins did sack their general manager. Meanwhile Jim Caldwell’s Detroit Lions future will depend on who gets that GM job, Sean Payton’s New Orleans Saints future will depend on what the Saints can get for him in a trade and the San Francisco 49ers have moved quickly on from the Jim Tomsula era, which previous coach Jim Harbaugh did not leave unnoticed:
There was one other major departure, the biggest one of all, as New York Giants head coach and two-time Super Bowl winner Tom Coughlin resigned after 12 years in the role. They’d only made the playoffs in one of the past six years and hadn’t had a winning season since 2012, but Coughlin (for all his game management faults) was a supremely well respected leader and it’s never easy to move swiftly past a guy like that. Eli Manning cried. At 69 years old, Tommy may just decide to retire rather than looking for a new gig.
So many dumpings and probably more to come. But not Chuck Pagano. Despite reports to the contrary as recently as last week, and reports that the team was eyeing up Sean Payton as they were discussing this extension, Chuck will be keeping his job as Indianapolis Colts head coach, signing on for four more years. His first four years have brought 41 wins, so fair enough, even if they went 8-8 without the playoffs in 2015. It’s understood that he survived under the previously unrecognised ‘Jason Garrett Clause’, where it’s deemed unfair to sack a guy whose franchise quarterback missed most of the season.
But Jeff Fisher (St Louis Rams), Mike McCoy (San Diego Chargers), Gus Bradley (Jacksonville Jaguars), Jason Garrett (Dallas Cowboys) and Rex Ryan (Buffalo Bills) are all expected back in 2016. Those first two names can consider themselves incredibly lucky that their teams are too focussed on moving to Los Angeles to notice all the other problems. The Jags did fire their DC Bob Babich after leaking 448 points this season though.
City of Angels and Lost NFL Teams
Speaking of which, the Raiders, Rams and Chargers have all filed for relocation to Los Angeles. Because, forget the fan bases, there is money to be made! The Chargers blamed the city of San Diego for limiting their various expansions and said that a quarter of their business comes from LA anyway, so with other teams looking to move in they had to act accordingly to protect that capital. All three moves are planned for the 2016 season, all proposals complete and filed with the NFL. There will be an owners meeting in a week to discuss it all.
The city of St Louis isn’t giving up easy though, they’ve submitted their own proposal for a $1.1b new stadium on the north riverfront as enticement to stay. As for the Chargers and Raiders, they’re marching hand in hand with a $1.75b joint proposal for a shared new stadium. They currently play in the two oldest stadiums in the league, so you can feel them on that regard. This is definitely a Watch This Space situation because it’s unlikely all three will be granted. Four teams in one state might be a bit much.
The Playoffs!
Seventeen weeks later, buddy, and we’re all set. Here are the playoff match-ups for the 2015 season in all of their majestic beauty:
The poor old Jets, aye? Rex Ryan isn’t even their coach anymore and he’s still keeping them from making the playoffs, his Bills beating his old team 22-17 to send them packing when coupled with Pittsburgh’s simple win over Cleveland. A crazy recovery from the Steelers who should have been gone after blowing a sitter to the Ravens the week before. But the Jets can only blame themselves, Ryan Fitzpatrick threw three fourth quarter interceptions to spoil the best season of his career.
Fitzpatrick now joins a list of 2016 QB Free Agents that includes the likes of:
- Sam Bradford
- Drew Stanton
- Matt Schaub
- Matt Cassel
- Brock Osweiler
- Kirk Cousins
- Brandon Weeden
- Mat Flynn
Tell ya what, supposing that Cousins and Osweiler stay put as seems very likely, Fitzy’s about the top candidate there for those middling teams that miss out in the draft. You’d figure the Jets wanna keep a hold though, unless something better comes up.
Like Johnny Manziel, maybe?
Chur Steve
- vs MIL (W 131-123): 24 MINS, 8 PTS (4/5 FG), 6 REB, 1 STL, 2 BLK, 0 PF
- vs PHO (W 110-106): 25 MINS, 6 PTS (2/4 FG, 2/2 FT), 8 REB, 1 AST, 1 STL, 2 TO, 2 PF
- vs CHA (W 109-90): 17 MINS, 8 PTS (4/4 FG), 9 REB, 1 AST, 3 BLK, 2 TO, 3 PF
- vs SAC (L 116-104): 26 MINS, 15 PTS (5/6 FG, 5/6 FT), 10 REB, 2 AST, 1 TO, 5 PF
Call this the week that Kiwi Steve got rolling again. A few slow games had been piling up but his last few have been nice and efficient. His value doesn’t always show up on the scoreboard and he has high volume scorers and rebounders around him that limit the box score fillers but he’s not the kind of player to worry about that. Also, he got himself a few games against some weaker teams which always helps.
First off, Milwaukee Bucks, a team that was touted as a possible top six seed in the East but has turned out to be more likely a lottery team. The Bucks were up 40-36 in the second but a 23-7 run gave the Thunder a lead they wouldn’t lose. Durant (26 pts) and Westbrook (27 pts) did their usual thing, while 2015 first rounder Cameron Payne played an exciting 15 mins. Steven Adams had to cut a fraying bit of the net away at one point. Must be tough being seven feet tall and having to reach things all the time for all the midgets.
Fun Story: At one point, Westbrook went under an Adams screen which left Michael Carter-Williams open for a long two. Adams asked Westbrook during a timeout soon after whether he should’ve played that one differently, switching when Russ went under or something. Russ replied: “Nah, he can’t shoot.”
Happy New Year, the Thunder beat the Suns… but only after a nail-biting finish. Some poor defence and average shooting almost cost them but Westbrook did his usual heroic thing and KD scored some important late points. Count it. Steve is impressing former NBA champ Tyson Chandler too, by the sounds. That's a healthy endorsement.
And add to that a solid win over the Charlotte Hornets, albeit a Hornets team without Michael Kidd-Gilchrist (done for the season before it even started), Al Jefferson (sitting for six weeks) and Nic Batum (out with a sore toe). There was some weird stuff with a taunting fan in the crowd, but mostly the Thunder took a good lead early and played some top defence throughout against a limited offence. Except for Kemba Walker, he was tops. Adams shot 4 of 4, three of them thumping dunks of the likes that he’s fast becoming known for.
Yeah, but they got done in by the Kings in their last game. Up against the might and canniness of DeMarcus Cousins, a very physical player who draws a lot of contact, Adams into played some decent enough ball but he just couldn’t stay outta foul trouble. OKC actually led 31-16 in the first but a 15-0 run tied it up and the Kings soared past. The Thunder rallied at various stages but Kevin Durant sat this one out and without him the burden was pretty high. Russell Westbrook shot 6 of 23 in one of the worse 17 point, 15 assist games you’ll see, Boogie Cousins had himself 33 points and 19 rebounds and the Sacramento Kings won their first ever game in Oklahoma City – at the 15th attempt. But while the fouls definitely held Stevie back (he checked in at his usual time in the fourth and was called for his fifth foul almost immediately), it didn’t keep him from setting a season high for points scored on his way to his second double-double of the campaign (thirteenth of his career).
Though this is one he may wanna forget about. Rajon Rondo selling him up the river and back again with his patented dummy…
From Daily Thunder:
“Outside of foul trouble, Steven Adams played a solid game. He, like everyone, had issues with Cousins, but Adams was the best defender on him. It’s just he couldn’t not foul Cousins. And some of that wasn’t his fault.”
Curious team note… Dion Waiters has been abysmal recently, missing shots and making dumb decisions. But rookie Cameron Payne is beginning to emerge as a genuine option. He scored 11 of the Thunder’s 15 fourth quarter points against Sacramento. Trade season is approaching and if Waiters ain’t doing it and if he suddenly becomes obsolete here, a 3&D wing wouldn’t go astray.
The Hayne Refrain – Week 17
Yeah so they won! But Jarryd had nothing to do with it. He stayed on the active roster, the Niners going with four running backs just in case, only to never actually see the field. Also, it was a terrible game with two teams playing for absolutely nothing and it showed. 19-16, don’t bother with the highlights. Hayne has already flown back home to Sydney for the offseason but you can expect him back in San Francisco in a few months when the build-up for NFL 2016 begins.
There’s a lot of drama that needs to be dealt with first though. Almost straight away after the game the 49ers went and sacked coach Jim Tomsula. 5-11 in his first season, even with all the players they lost it was decided that this wasn’t enough and he was given the flick. You read that already in the first segment. There were rumours that general manager Trent Baalke would be out too, but the CEO (Jed York) has denied this, putting his faith in Baalke. Refusing to balk on Baalke one might say.
The Niners had a points differential of -149 this season, the second worst in the NFL. Their quarterback turned to liquid. It was a disaster. The trick now is who takes over, because it was thought that Hayne would benefit from having a coach in Tomsula who had experience with raw players from his NFL Europe days but then maybe he’d benefit more now from having Chip Kelly and his fast-paced offence? That’d be so much fun, that’s for sure. And you get the feeling that Kelly would enjoy a versatile player like Hayne who can run and catch, a potentially dynamic running back (potentially, stress that part of it) who is used to playing quickly and off-the-cuff from his NRL days. Chip has already expressed an interest, as has Mike Shanahan, formerly of the R*dskins (who did good things with a rookie Robert Griffin III). Both dig their mobile QBs too, which may save Colin Kaepernick from the trade block.
As for Jarryd Hayne, it’s hard to say. On one hand, he’ll have to work hard and impress a brand new coach, starting almost from scratch with a few spare highlight vids to his name at least. But then Tomsula also held him back pretty significantly at times, following his initial fumble problems or whatever. By the way, when he was re-signed to the active roster he signed a three-year minimum salary contract. Also, just because the head coach is gone doesn’t mean the rest of the staff is on the heap and there will be a lot of specialist coaches that saw all that he did this season and most of them have been pretty complimentary when asked.
In all, Hayne played 8 games in his rookie season and started one of them:
- 17 rushes for 52 yards (long of 11) (3.1 Y/A)
- 6 catches (on 7 targets) for 27 yards (long of 7) (4.5 Y/R)
- 8 punts returned for 76 yards (long of 37) with 3 fumbles (9.5 Y/R)
NFL Week 17 Power Rankings:
- Carolina Panthers
- Arizona Cardinals
- New England Patriots
- Seattle Seahawks
- Kansas City Chiefs
- Denver Broncos
- Cincinnati Bengals
- Minnesota Vikings
- Green Bay Packers
- Pittsburgh Steelers
DeMarcus Ware Was in an R’n’B Band!
Back in high school, they were called Mirage and they cut one album. He sings alto on this track and you can read about the story on The Players Tribune. Nice read. By the way, he’s got a wicked taste in music:
“Maybe one night I want to rock, and I’ll put on some Stevie Ray Vaughan. Maybe another night I’m feeling the blues, and I’ll throw on some B.B. King. And then maybe the next night I’m even feeling a little of both, and I’ll play some Buddy Guy.”
Retired MLB Pitcher Thoughts #1
Bubba Steph!
Retired MLB Pitcher Thoughts #2
Retired MLB Pitcher Thoughts #3
Tim Duncan vs the Rockets on Sunday:
- 14 MINS, 0 PTS (0/3 FG), 4 REB, 2 AST, 1 TO, 1 PF
Why is this relevant? Well, the legend has played 1360 career games in the NBA and this was the first time he has ever been kept scoreless. By the way, the Spurs got revenge for Xmas Day with a 121-103 win (there was a big 31-7 run in the third quarter that did it). The Rockets actually haven’t won since that Christmas game, dropping four straight.
Retired MLB Pitcher Thoughts #4
ZooChandler
OT BUZZER BEATER!
Retired MLB Pitcher Thoughts #5
Posterised 2015
Retired MLB Pitcher Thoughts #6
Quote of the Week:
“No, I don't believe dinosaurs existed. Not even a little bit. With these bones, it's crazy because man has never seen a dinosaur, we can agree on that, right? But we know exactly how to put these bones together? I believe there is more of a chance you will find a mermaid than you will a dinosaur because we find different species in the water all the time.
I don't understand how [Long] just believes in dinosaurs. That's just crazy to me. We know they died. We know what a T-Rex eats? That don't sound crazy to you? We have never seen a dinosaur before but we know exactly where every single rib [was] and which rib goes where. That's crazy to me.”
Rams DE William Hayes thinks dinosaurs are a myth. And his opposite DE Chris Long keeps egging him on about it.
Good Week:
Antonio Brown (Pittsburgh Steelers) – When your team needs a win to get into the playoffs, it helps when you can make 13 catches for 187 yards and a touchdown. It helps a lot. Brown’s week 17 blitz even shot him up equal to Julio Jones’ 136 catches of the season – good to tie each other for second most ever (Marvin Harrison had 143 in 2002). Plus 1834 yards is good for fourth all-time too (credit to Julio again, his 1871 is topped only by 2012 Megatron).
New York Knicks – Back to back wins over the Hawks and a W against Detroit this week (there was a loss to Miami in there too) means that the Knicks have already matched their 2014-15 season win total. Onwards and upwards in NYC.
Peyton Manning (Denver Broncos) – Gary Kubiak waited ‘til the last minute to give his Hall of Fame QB the starting role back but he did it all the same. Manning gave the Broncs a “spark” over the Chargers, leading them to 20 points in 5 drives after a first half of turnover epidemic. Who’d have thought that Denver turnovers would be what saved him in the end, aye? It’s the circle of life…
Bad Week:
Johnny Manziel (Cleveland Browns) – Headline: “Johnny Manziel Used Wig and Fake Mustache While Partying in Las Vegas”… yeah, not a great week for him, with reports now that this was the final straw for the Browns. Which might not be such a bad thing. Jerry Jones is talking up big risks for his backup QB next time and it’s said both he and Robert Griffin III have the Cowboys as their number one destinations. Remember Jerry nearly drafted Manziel back when. At least we know the Matt Cassel era is long since over. (Kellen Moore has another year, he’ll be third choice).
Jeff Hornacek (Phoenix Suns) – The Suns coach’s job is hanging by a thread in the midst of a nine-game losing streak. It’s one thing to go down close to the Thunder, even to get thrashed by the Spurs… but to lose by 20 to the LA Lakers? There’s not much coming back from that. JH apparently took the team out bowling for morale, so we’ll see how that one pans out.
Ryan Fitzpatrick (New York Jets) – To play so well for so long and then to literally throw it away… the only other team as capable as the Jets of building up and then crushing their fans like that is the Dallas Cowboys. Maybe the Giants too, to be fair.
Player of the Week:
DeMarcus Cousins (Sacramento Kings) – Ah, Boogie, such a divisive fella. He’s always sulking and he’s often on the losing team too (the Kings, man, what can ya do?) but he’s also a spectacular player. In his last four games he’s averaging 30.3 points and 15 rebounds, highlighted by a 35/19 game against Dallas and a 33/17er in a win over OKC. Plus he had a good laugh with a heckler, who told him he acted like her eight year old. He replied that she has a great eight year old. Never change, Boogie.