This was supposed to be the first edition of Running Numbers, where every so often numbers will be analyzed to see which teams, players and coaches are the best and worst at all things football. This first edition was going to be about the worst teams since 1970, but in light of what happened last night in New Orleans, I have decided to spend some time talking about the "Blowout on the Bayou" or my favorite, the "Sixty-Pack on Bourbon Street".
I had a short discussion last night with a friend who called the Saints "classless" for running up the score against her way shorthanded Colts. While I understand the feelings that happen when the favorite team is getting beaten badly, I disagree that the Saints did anything out of line. New Orleans threw the ball ten times less than their season average last night, and seemed pretty content to run the ball on first and second down and let the clock run for most of the second half, including not calling a pass play in the fourth quarter. If the Colts didn't want them to score anymore, they should have stopped a running play on defense. I usually don't accuse teams of running up the score very much, because the team that is down rarely quits trying to run their offense. An example is the Saints' last touchdown last night, which came on a pick-six by Curtis Painter. If Indianapolis does not want to risk the score getting further out of hand, they shouldn't have been throwing the ball. Hand it off, kneel on the ball when you get it, and go home. Thanks for not showing up. I would never tell a team that is losing that badly to quit. I would also never tell a team that is winning by fifty points to quit playing. They didn't throw it deep or do anything to try and slow down the game. The Colts were so demoralized that they gave up 78 yards on the Saints' last twelve offensive plays. They were all runs, and the last five were all behind the right guard. That is as close to mercy from the Bill Parcells/Bill Belichick/Sean Payton coaching tree as you're gonna get.
There have been only twenty-two occurrences of a team scoring 60 points, including the playoffs, since 1940. Three of those were in the AAFC in the 1940s. The last time it happened was in the 1999 playoffs, where Jacksonville beat Miami by the same 62-7 score as last night, in Dan Marino's last game. The last time a team was defeated by 55 or more points during the regular season was actually the 1973 New Orleans Saints who lost (surprise!) 62-7 to the Atlanta Falcons on opening day. While last night's blowout was partly due to Peyton Manning not playing, that game got out of hand because Archie Manning was playing and throwing six interceptions.
The Cincinnati Bengals beat the Houston Oilers 61-7 in 1989. I can't find the play by play for this game, so bear with me while I try to explain what happened in this game. In an example of exactly what the Saints didn't do last night, I believe the score was 45-0 when the Bengals kicked off straight up in the air after a long touchdown pass. The Oilers weren't ready for it, and one of the Bengals' players recovered the free ball, leading to another touchdown. That is running up the score.
The Colts can take something from the fact that last night was not the biggest blowout loss in pro football history, it is just tied for fourth. Pittsburgh beat the Giants 63-7 in 1952, and Cleveland beat Washington 62-3 in 1954, but the blowout of all time continues to be the 1940 NFL Championship Game. Stats and boxscores were in their football infancy in those days and are often incomplete or hard to find, but this was a championship, so the whole thing is there. The Chicago Bears beat the Washington Redskins 73-0. Three Washington QBs (including Slingin' Sammy Baugh) threw eight interceptions, three of which the Bears brought back for scores. There was no free substitution in this era, so one of the strangest facts about this game to a modern football fan is that there were five different Bears players who successfully kicked extra points in this game.
So the Colts have escaped the distinction of playing the worst game in history, now all they have to do is win a game so they don't end up on that Worst Teams list I've been working on.
Showing posts with label NFL. Show all posts
Showing posts with label NFL. Show all posts
Monday, October 24, 2011
Monday, October 17, 2011
Just Another Dull Week In Football.....
Just some random thoughts on the weekend that was...
Fool Me Once, Shame On You- There has seemed to be a small rise in the use of trick plays at the college and pro levels this year, and there were two great ones this past weekend. On Saturday, the Wisconsin Badgers lambasted the Indiana Hoosiers 59-7. Hidden in that game was QB Russell Wilson catching a touchdown pass from RB Montee Ball on a beautifully executed (if not beautifully thrown) trick play. On Sunday, the Oakland Raiders faked a field goal, resulting in a TD pass by punter Shane Lechler to TE Kevin Boss. Cleveland never saw it coming. The only thing that could have made it better is if Sea Bass himself had chucked the ball up there for Boss. Well done, coaches, it's nice to see a little trickeration on the weekend.
Um, Congratulations- There is nothing too awful about the confrontation between coaches Jim Harbaugh and Jim Schwartz on Sunday afternoon. Harbaugh was excited that his team won the game and was a little too exuberant when he shook Schwartz's hand. Most of the TV experts are right, both teams have to love the way their coaches are as excited and passionate about the game as they are. What I get out of this whole thing is that Harbaugh should tone it down and start chest-bumping his players after the handshake, and Schwartz seems to be kind of a sore loser. There is very little difference between Harbaugh's handshake and Schwartz yelling at Harbaugh to "learn the rules" after the 49ers coach mistakenly challenged a scoring play and cost his team an Unsportsmanlike Conduct penalty. Mr. Schwartz, if it is okay for you to yell at opposing coaches and players and do your little "shoulder punch" thing during the game, it's okay for the their teams coaches and players to get excited when they win. Think of that as the new "protocol".
A New NFL Record?- Speaking of coaches, New Orleans head coach Sean Payton tore his MCL and broke his leg when Saints' TE Jimmy Graham was tackled into him during Sunday's game, and coached the rest of the first half from the bench. In the same game, Buccaneers DB's coach Jimmy Lake tore his patella tendon while jumping up to celebrate an interception with one of his Bucs players. We've seen coaches get hurt on the sidelines before. Joe Paterno's injury comes to mind as one of the most recent notable coach injuries. My question is, has there ever been an NFL game where two coaches have had serious injuries before yesterday? They'll do anything to break a record in that league.
Tiger Stripes- The Bengals are 4-2 after losing their longtime starting QB/WR tandem, another testament to head coach Marvin Lewis and his ability to get pretty good results with what he has in Cincinnati. He never seems to have as much to work with as other teams, and the Bengals are better under him than any coach since Sam Wyche.
So Far, So Fast- The Denver Broncos must see what Tim Tebow can do as a starting QB. They are not a very good football team, and they traded WR Brandon Lloyd to St. Louis today. It doesn't matter which coach drafted him, Tebow is a number one draft pick, and Denver can't just not let him play. The fans want to see him, and the team probably won't win more than six games no matter who starts at quarterback. The Elway/Fox regime might as well see if he can be the guy, and if he can, they can concentrate on the many other problems this franchise has on the field.
Sparty In "Bronze"- I didn't know that old gold, or "Bronze" as Nike was calling it, was one of Michigan State's school colors. Their colors are green and white. Last year, they added gold trim to the numbers on the jerseys and yesterday they came out with gold helmets and numbers and black pants. I think they would have looked better without the gold, but Michigan saved the day with some sweet road throwbacks in their school colors. I am not a big fan of teams wearing "special" jerseys every week. If they do, It would be nice if they used their school colors. No matter what you think of Maryland's new uniform combinations, they all include the Terps' school colors. There is one exception to every rule, and since they were first, Oregon gets to be that exception. The Pirate Duck look from Saturday was good. Silver helmet, black jersey, silver pants. Too bad they probably won't wear it for another ten years.
The Dolphin's invade the Meadowlands tonight looking for their first win. It's not gonna happen tonight, Rex Ryan and the Jets fix enough of their woes to get the home win, 23-14.
Fool Me Once, Shame On You- There has seemed to be a small rise in the use of trick plays at the college and pro levels this year, and there were two great ones this past weekend. On Saturday, the Wisconsin Badgers lambasted the Indiana Hoosiers 59-7. Hidden in that game was QB Russell Wilson catching a touchdown pass from RB Montee Ball on a beautifully executed (if not beautifully thrown) trick play. On Sunday, the Oakland Raiders faked a field goal, resulting in a TD pass by punter Shane Lechler to TE Kevin Boss. Cleveland never saw it coming. The only thing that could have made it better is if Sea Bass himself had chucked the ball up there for Boss. Well done, coaches, it's nice to see a little trickeration on the weekend.
Um, Congratulations- There is nothing too awful about the confrontation between coaches Jim Harbaugh and Jim Schwartz on Sunday afternoon. Harbaugh was excited that his team won the game and was a little too exuberant when he shook Schwartz's hand. Most of the TV experts are right, both teams have to love the way their coaches are as excited and passionate about the game as they are. What I get out of this whole thing is that Harbaugh should tone it down and start chest-bumping his players after the handshake, and Schwartz seems to be kind of a sore loser. There is very little difference between Harbaugh's handshake and Schwartz yelling at Harbaugh to "learn the rules" after the 49ers coach mistakenly challenged a scoring play and cost his team an Unsportsmanlike Conduct penalty. Mr. Schwartz, if it is okay for you to yell at opposing coaches and players and do your little "shoulder punch" thing during the game, it's okay for the their teams coaches and players to get excited when they win. Think of that as the new "protocol".
A New NFL Record?- Speaking of coaches, New Orleans head coach Sean Payton tore his MCL and broke his leg when Saints' TE Jimmy Graham was tackled into him during Sunday's game, and coached the rest of the first half from the bench. In the same game, Buccaneers DB's coach Jimmy Lake tore his patella tendon while jumping up to celebrate an interception with one of his Bucs players. We've seen coaches get hurt on the sidelines before. Joe Paterno's injury comes to mind as one of the most recent notable coach injuries. My question is, has there ever been an NFL game where two coaches have had serious injuries before yesterday? They'll do anything to break a record in that league.
Tiger Stripes- The Bengals are 4-2 after losing their longtime starting QB/WR tandem, another testament to head coach Marvin Lewis and his ability to get pretty good results with what he has in Cincinnati. He never seems to have as much to work with as other teams, and the Bengals are better under him than any coach since Sam Wyche.
So Far, So Fast- The Denver Broncos must see what Tim Tebow can do as a starting QB. They are not a very good football team, and they traded WR Brandon Lloyd to St. Louis today. It doesn't matter which coach drafted him, Tebow is a number one draft pick, and Denver can't just not let him play. The fans want to see him, and the team probably won't win more than six games no matter who starts at quarterback. The Elway/Fox regime might as well see if he can be the guy, and if he can, they can concentrate on the many other problems this franchise has on the field.
Sparty In "Bronze"- I didn't know that old gold, or "Bronze" as Nike was calling it, was one of Michigan State's school colors. Their colors are green and white. Last year, they added gold trim to the numbers on the jerseys and yesterday they came out with gold helmets and numbers and black pants. I think they would have looked better without the gold, but Michigan saved the day with some sweet road throwbacks in their school colors. I am not a big fan of teams wearing "special" jerseys every week. If they do, It would be nice if they used their school colors. No matter what you think of Maryland's new uniform combinations, they all include the Terps' school colors. There is one exception to every rule, and since they were first, Oregon gets to be that exception. The Pirate Duck look from Saturday was good. Silver helmet, black jersey, silver pants. Too bad they probably won't wear it for another ten years.
The Dolphin's invade the Meadowlands tonight looking for their first win. It's not gonna happen tonight, Rex Ryan and the Jets fix enough of their woes to get the home win, 23-14.
Monday, October 10, 2011
The Man Who Changed The Game
This is not a joke. I'm not being sarcastic or anything like that. I think Al Davis, who passed away Saturday at the age of 82, was the best owner in the history of sports. Bar none. His passing gives me another reason to appreciate what NFL Films did for the growth of the game. We'll always have the old shows about the big game losses in the late 60's and early 70's, and the Super Bowl wins during the mid 70's and early 80's. The most memorable of those films, and all fans who followed the league then have seen it, was after Super Bowl XVIII. There is an image of Al Davis, who a year earlier had won lawsuit he had filed against the NFL when they tried to block the relocation of his Raiders from Oakland to Los Angeles, in the locker room after the game. He is holding the Lombardi Trophy while congratulating his team on their 38-9 dismantling of the Washington Redskins. After congratulating his team, he smiles and utters the phrase that will always make football fans anywhere think of Al Davis and the Raiders.
"Just win, baby!"
I am personally not a fan of the Raiders. There was a mystique about them when I was a child, when the only time fans outside of northern California could see them was when they were playing in your team's area or on Monday Night Football. They truly were the renegades of professional sports, their roster filled with last chance players that Davis decided could still play. Names like Hendricks, Matuszak, Sistrunk, Plunkett, and Alzado come to mind as players who nobody else wanted who won championships for Davis. The list of players that were original Raider draft picks is impressive as well. Shell, Upshaw, Stabler, Branch, Allen, and Brown were all great players. Although Davis was criticized for his evaluation of talent in recent years, it is arguable that he drafted and signed more talent than anybody in pro football history.
Al Davis and his Raiders are the main reason that the NFL has franchises in Indianapolis, St. Louis, Arizona, and back in Baltimore. Indirectly, he is also responsible for the lavish new stadiums that have been recently built, mainly to entice the franchises to stay in their cities.
His team did not perform well on the field the last few years, but the Oakland Raiders have been to more Super Bowls in the last ten years than such yearly championship picks as the Ravens, Jets, Vikings, and Chargers. His teams were among the fastest and most physically talented in football even when the wins didn't pile up.
When Al Davis purchased the Oakland Raiders outright in 1966, the price tag was $180,000. In 2008, Forbes listed the Raiders as being worth $861 million dollars. He is not the last of the original American Football League personalities, but he certainly remains the most influential owner in history.
There seems to be a misguided notion in professional sports that in order to be successful, an owner must be invisible. Al Davis may have been the first owner in football that was more widely known than his players, yet the success followed. Always guaranteed to speak his mind and fight for what he thought was right, Davis took on his own league and won. He did as much or more to popularize the game of American football as anyone. He will never be forgotten.
Yesterday afternoon, the Raiders were statistically dominated by the Houston Texans. Their running game, among the best in the league, struggled. Houston threw for over 400 yards and kept the ball for over thirty-five minutes, but when Micheal Huff intercepted a pass in the end zone to end the game, the Raiders won 25-20. It was a game Al Davis would have loved.
His team just won, baby.
"Just win, baby!"
I am personally not a fan of the Raiders. There was a mystique about them when I was a child, when the only time fans outside of northern California could see them was when they were playing in your team's area or on Monday Night Football. They truly were the renegades of professional sports, their roster filled with last chance players that Davis decided could still play. Names like Hendricks, Matuszak, Sistrunk, Plunkett, and Alzado come to mind as players who nobody else wanted who won championships for Davis. The list of players that were original Raider draft picks is impressive as well. Shell, Upshaw, Stabler, Branch, Allen, and Brown were all great players. Although Davis was criticized for his evaluation of talent in recent years, it is arguable that he drafted and signed more talent than anybody in pro football history.
Al Davis and his Raiders are the main reason that the NFL has franchises in Indianapolis, St. Louis, Arizona, and back in Baltimore. Indirectly, he is also responsible for the lavish new stadiums that have been recently built, mainly to entice the franchises to stay in their cities.
His team did not perform well on the field the last few years, but the Oakland Raiders have been to more Super Bowls in the last ten years than such yearly championship picks as the Ravens, Jets, Vikings, and Chargers. His teams were among the fastest and most physically talented in football even when the wins didn't pile up.
When Al Davis purchased the Oakland Raiders outright in 1966, the price tag was $180,000. In 2008, Forbes listed the Raiders as being worth $861 million dollars. He is not the last of the original American Football League personalities, but he certainly remains the most influential owner in history.
There seems to be a misguided notion in professional sports that in order to be successful, an owner must be invisible. Al Davis may have been the first owner in football that was more widely known than his players, yet the success followed. Always guaranteed to speak his mind and fight for what he thought was right, Davis took on his own league and won. He did as much or more to popularize the game of American football as anyone. He will never be forgotten.
Yesterday afternoon, the Raiders were statistically dominated by the Houston Texans. Their running game, among the best in the league, struggled. Houston threw for over 400 yards and kept the ball for over thirty-five minutes, but when Micheal Huff intercepted a pass in the end zone to end the game, the Raiders won 25-20. It was a game Al Davis would have loved.
His team just won, baby.
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