Archive for the ‘NFL’ Category

Quick followups.

Friday, December 20th, 2019

Two quick, mostly throw away items:

1. I was reading Serious Smith & Wessons the N- and X-Frame Revolvers last night, and ran across something interesting: according to Mullin, S&W designed the X-frame revolvers so that the cylinder was long enough to chamber the .223 Remington cartridge.

Beyond the fact that a revolver in .223 is a wonderfully silly idea (and I’d probably buy one): overall length of the .223 Remington is 2.26 inches. Overall length of the .221 Remington Fireball: 1.830 inches. At least one of my ideas doesn’t sound so silly now…

(And a long overdue thanks to Ygolonac for weighing in. I like your idea, and wish to subscribe to your newsletter.)

2. More on the Tom Coughlin firing: it may have been motivated in part by Jacksonville’s record. But another part of the motivation may have been that Coughlin managed to make a lot of people upset.

Like the NFL Player’s Association.

Coughlin changed the clocks because his philosophy is, if you’re not five minutes early to a meeting or commitment, you’re considered late. It’s one of the ways he emphasizes accountability. Another way he does that is by fining players for rules infractions, including for missing doctor and rehabilitation appointments during the offseason.
That, however, is prohibited by the NFLPA, which released a letter on Monday that said former player Dante Fowler Jr. had won a grievance against the Jaguars after being fined 25 times for more than $700,000. The letter also noted that more than 25% of the grievances filed by NFL players over the past two years have been against the Jaguars and that “you, as players, may want to consider this when you have a chance to select your next club.”

Da do Ron Ron, da do Ron Ron…

Tuesday, December 3rd, 2019

Ron Rivera fired as head coach of the Carolina Panthers.

76-63-1 in regular season games, 3-4 post season.

I’m approaching the end of my work day and am about to leave. I might have more to say later, but I kind of doubt it.

Your loser update: week 13, 2019.

Sunday, December 1st, 2019

Apparently, 4-8 does not accurately reflect how bad the Jets are.

There’s “bad” and then there’s “lose to the Bengals” bad. But on the bright side, we don’t have to worry about the Miami game on the 22nd any longer.

NFL teams that still have a chance to go 0-16:

None.

That’s a wrap for 2019, folks. We plan to be back next year.

Firings watch.

Saturday, November 30th, 2019

Unai Emery fired as manager of Arsenal.

Barry Odom fired as head coach of Missouri. 25-25 overall, and 13-19 in conference over four seasons.

This isn’t exactly a firing, but: Josh Shaw, cornerback for the Arizona Cardinals, has been suspended by the NFL through the 2021 season. He can appeal, but if the appeal is unsuccessful, the earliest he can apply for reinstatement is February 15, 2021.

Why? He was betting on NFL games.

The NFL’s investigation into Shaw did not uncover evidence that indicated he used inside information or that any game was compromised. The NFL also announced that Shaw’s teammates, coaches and other players around the league were not aware of Shaw’s gambling.

Your loser update: week 12, 2019.

Monday, November 25th, 2019

NFL teams that still have a chance to go 0-16:

Cincinnati

Next Sunday, the Jets. ESPN is calling it 57% in favor of the Jets right now.

In other news, my Spider Sense is tingling: I’m expecting some firings this week.

Obit watch: November 24, 2019.

Sunday, November 24th, 2019

Gahan Wilson, one of the greatest cartoonists ever.

Michael J. Pollard, character actor. Among his roles: “C.W. Moss” in “Bonnie and Clyde”, “Jahn” in the “Miri” episode of “Star Trek: Original Recipe”, “Fauss” in “Little Fauss and Big Halsy”, and a lot of assorted 60s and 70s TV.

At the Actors Studio he did a scene with Marilyn Monroe, at her request. According to Ms. Ephron, when Ms. Monroe had called him up to do the scene, she said: “Hello, this is Marilyn. The girl from class.”

NYT obit for Fred Cox. (Previously.)

Obit watch: November 22, 2019.

Friday, November 22nd, 2019

Fred Cox, former kicker for the Minnesota Vikings.

More significant (at least to me): Mr. Cox and another guy, John Mattox, invented the NERF football.

Your loser update: week 11, 2019.

Monday, November 18th, 2019

NFL teams that still have a chance to go 0-16:

Cincinnati

At this point in the year, we’re averaging 0.3 winless teams. I’m still cautiously optimistic about the Bengals chances.

The final six games are:

  • Pittsburgh at home (ESPN gives the Steelers a 66% chance of winning).
  • The Jets at home (this one worries me: ESPN gives the Jets a 53& chance).
  • on the road in Cleveland (the Browns are given an 81% chance of winning).
  • New England at home (91% chance of winning for the Patriots).
  • on the road against Miami (another worrisome game: ESPN is calling it 53% for the Dolphins).
  • and Cleveland again at home (69% chance of winning for the Browns).

So if they get past the Jets, things look good until week 16.

Obit watch: November 13, 2019.

Wednesday, November 13th, 2019

Zeke Bratkowski, Green Bay Packers quarterback. He didn’t quite get the level of fame he probably deserved as he spent most of his time backing up some guy named Starr.

By way of Lawrence: Charles Rogers, first round NFL draft choice (and second overall pick) in 2003.

The 6-foot-3, 220-pounder had just 36 catches for 440 yards with four touchdowns in 15 games before he left the league in 2005.

Also by way of Lawrence: Virginia Leith. Possibly an obscure figure, but some folks may remember her as “Jan” (or “Jan In the Pan”) from “The Head Brain That Wouldn’t Die”, which was (of course) a MST3K.

Interestingly, she also did guest shots on some of the better cop shows of the 1970s: “Baretta”, “Starsky and Hutch”, “Barnaby Jones”. “Police Woman”.

Frank Giles, former editor of The Sunday Times of London. He may be best remembered as the man who published the Hitler diaries, though he claimed he knew they were fake and Rupert Murdoch ordered them published anyway.

Your loser update: week 10, 2019.

Monday, November 11th, 2019

NFL teams that still have a chance to go 0-16:

Cincinnati

Not much more to say than that, really.

Your loser update; week 9, 2019 (with bonus firings).

Sunday, November 3rd, 2019

NFL teams that still have a chance to go 0-16:

Cincinnati (bye week)

NBA teams that still have a chance to go 0-82:

None.

As I expected, the hapless Dolphins apparently acquired at least one hap on the open market during the week, and managed to beat the Jets in Miami. This may screw up their shot at the top draft pick: currently, we have

  • The Bengals at 0-8
  • Miami at 1-7
  • The Jets at 1-7
  • Washington at 1-8
  • and Atlanta at 1-7

As I said last week, I think Miami has a good chance of at least one more win against the Bengals at home, and maybe wins against the Jets and Giants on the road.

Stat:

“Since Marino’s exit, 21 quarterbacks have started for Miami.”

In firings news, Willie Taggart out as head coach of Florida State after about two seasons. To be exact, 21 games, in which he was 9-12.

According to ESPN:

FSU raised about $20 million in private donations to buy out what was left of Taggart’s contract, sources told ESPN’s Mark Schlabach. However, an FSU official denied that the money was raised for Taggart’s buyout.
Under the terms of Taggart’s six-year, $30 million contract, FSU’s athletic department will owe him 85% of his remaining compensation through Jan. 31, 2024, which is between $17 million and $18 million. The Seminoles also paid Oregon a $3 million buyout when it hired him away from the Ducks in December 2017, as well as the remaining $1.3 million buyout Oregon owed South Florida when it hired him in December 2016.

Also by way of the Entertainment and Sports Programming Network:

Bayern Munich have sacked Niko Kovac as manager after Saturday’s embarrassing 5-1 defeat at Eintracht Frankfurt, the club announced on Sunday.

If you feel like you’re having a stroke, you’re probably not: this is just German soccer news. (But do remember the FAST mnemonic for strokes: Face, Arms, Speech, Time.)

And now here’s something we hope you really like…

Wednesday, October 30th, 2019

A little late on this one, but: Ken Whisenhunt out as offensive coordinator of the worthless Los Angeles Chargers.

The Arena Football League (also apparently known as Arena Football One) has “shut down all local business operations and services for all six of its teams“. I think I speak for everyone here when I say: they were still in business?

The paper of record asks the musical question:

Just How Bad Are the Miami Dolphins?

Summary: pretty bad.

And something non-sports related for my people: the Squibb Park Bridge, a pedestrian bridge in Brooklyn, is being demolished and replaced.

By the time the new bridge is completed, the group that operates Brooklyn Bridge Park will have spent about $14 million — $7.5 million for the original bridge and the failed attempts at repairs, and $6.5 million to $7 million for the new one.

Why? Well, the old bridge was designed to be bouncy. Turns out, it was a little too bouncy.

It was fun, at least at first, and it was deliberate. Its designer, Ted Zoli — the winner of a MacArthur “genius” grant in 2009 — intended it to bounce underfoot as people walked along.

It also was moving in unintended directions. Hilarity (and lawsuits) ensued. And then it turned out the wood was rotting…

Your loser update: week 8, 2019.

Tuesday, October 29th, 2019

NFL teams that still have a chance to go 0-16:

Miami
Cincinnati

NBA teams that still have a chance to go 0-82:

Indiana
New Orleans
Sacramento

Since Miami lost, there will be a loser update next week, though it may not go up until Monday morning. As previously discussed, the Bengals have a bye in week 9. Miami plays at home against the 1-6 Jets Sunday afternoon: I’m thinking they have a good chance of winning that one.

Looking over the schedule, Miami plays the Jets again (on the road) in week 14, the Giants (also on the road) in week 15, and the Bengals at home in week 16.

Historically. at this point in the season, we’re averaging 1.0 winless teams, so we’re statistically a little bit ahead. But I’m skeptical that we will end up with a winless team this year: I think Miami has a good chance of beating the Jets, the Giants, and the Bengals, and I’m skeptical that the Bengals will be able to run the table the rest of the season.

Your loser update: week 7, 2019.

Sunday, October 20th, 2019

Even though this isn’t quite loser update material, and even though my feelings about baseball are well known, I think I need to say something about the Houston Astros beating Satan’s minions on Earth, the New York Yankees, and going to the World Series again.

With that said, NFL teams that still have a chance to go 0-16:

Miami
Cincinnati

My historical data is mostly at work, but I think we’re a little ahead of the average for NFL week 7.

The Bungles Bengals bye comes in week 9, for those keeping score at home.

Clippings.

Friday, October 18th, 2019

I went back and forth on linking this one: as I’ve said before, I don’t really like ESPN. But this morning’s Linkswarm (with the Deshaun Watson article) pushed me into it.

Profile of Sabrina Greenlee, mother of Houston Texans receiver DeAndre Hopkins.

Every time the Houston Texans play at home, DeAndre Hopkins’ mother, Sabrina Greenlee, sits in the same spot in the end zone, close enough to the field to hear the ball smack against the turf. It’s Week 2, and Houston is playing the Jacksonville Jaguars; she’s flanked by her two daughters, sitting perfectly still as the countdown clock ticks down to zero. When it’s time for the home team to run through the gate, a massive flamethrower erupts nearby. Greenlee recoils, and her eyes, which are the same cloudy shade of white as an overcast sky, glisten from the heat. A few minutes later, Hopkins emerges from the tunnel — he’s always the last player on offense to come out, Greenlee explains — and she smiles.
She can’t see her son, but she knows he’s there.

This is old, but still interesting, and it just came across the Hacker News Twitter: I survived the “Destroying Angel”.

I felt queasy. It was the same feeling I had when I had food poisoning. Before I had any more time to assess my state, I realized I needed to get to the bathroom. I barely made it to the royal throne when I started heaving my guts out. The vomiting reflex was strong. The pressure of the strong contractions forced stuff out both ends of the GI tract, uncontrollably. I had a severe case of vomiting and diarrhea. At that point, deep down I knew I had made the big mistake: I HAD EATEN AMANITA VIROSA, AKA, “THE DESTROYING ANGEL”.

Amazingly, the author lived. Without a liver transplant.

I found out that of three people admitted in 2006 to Strong Memorial with Amanita poisoning, I am the only one to have survived; 66% died.

I think part of the reason I like this is that it reminds me of one of my favorite Berton Roueché “Annals of Medicine” essays: a first-hand account by a professional snake handler of being bitten by a red diamond rattlesnake. If you’re a subscriber, you can read that on the New Yorker web site here.