Author: Beka

What To Know : After Week 12

I found myself saying “OH!” a lot over the weekend. There were a lot of Rossian “OH, wow!” moments and a lot of just plain “OH, dear…” moments, too. Here are a few of the more memorable O-themed moments from Week 12:

O-lines:

As in lack thereof for the Packers. I’m not so enthusiastic about talking about Sunday night’s game (and jokingly refused to serve a Giants fan who came in to Starbucks yesterday…except for that I wasn’t entirely kidding…), but the facts are the facts: Aaron Rodgers was sacked 5 times, but it felt more like 500 times. Even when he wasn’t on the ground, he was rushing to get rid of the ball ASAP. The Packers need Offensive Line help like yesterday…if we’re talking about yesterday a few years ago.

Outstanding Rookies:

RG3 made so many jaw-dropping, spot-on, inconceivable throws on Thursday I don’t even know where to start. He’s not even playing well for a rookie…he’s playing well for anyone. Wow. Just wow.

Overturned:

Eight turnovers against the Browns, Pittsburgh? Even with Ben out, that’s just bad football. Head coach Mike Tomlin said it best: It doesn’t matter who your quarterback is; if you turn the ball over eight times, you’re going to lose the game. True story, Mike. True story.

Over:

The Jets season. You know things are bad when the opposing team scores three touchdowns in the span of 52 seconds (including the now infamous butt fumble), but things are just plain ugly when superfans start quitting on you.

Ouch:

Ndamukong Suh took matters into his own hands…or feet…when he kicked Texans QB Matt Schaub in the groin while getting up from a tackle. This brought back memories of last year’s Thanksgiving day game against the Packers and the “stomp” play. Both of which, according to Suh, were accidental. We’ll let the tape speak for itself.

Anyone else? Memorable moments from this weekend’s slate of games? Shout ’em out!

Wait…What Just Happened? : Coach’s Challenge

You may have tuned into the Texans at Lions game on Thanksgiving and witnessed the enforcement of one of the weirder rules that exists in the NFL these days involving the coach’s challenge.

On the play in question, Texans running back Justin Forsett was clearly down – his elbow and knee both touching the field – but the whistle never blew, which meant the play was still live. Kudos to Forsett, who had the awareness to get up and keep running…all 81 yards to score a touchdown.

Under normal circumstances, this play would have been reviewed and called back. There’s no way that call would have stood. There are a number of plays that are automatically reviewed by the Replay Official. They include:

  • all scoring plays
  • interceptions
  • fumbles
  • backward passes that are recovered by an opponent or go out of bounds through an opponent’s end zone
  • muffed scrimmage kicks recovered by the kicking team
  • any questionable plays after the two-minute warning of each half
  • any questionable plays throughout any overtime period

So, here’s the sequence of normal events:

1. A play is made that results in a touchdown.

2. The scoring play is reviewed upstairs because all scoring plays are reviewed to be sure everything was kosher and the play actually resulted in the score awarded (feet in-bounds, control of the ball, etc).

But that’s not what happened on Thursday. Seeing that the play was ruled a touchdown, Lions head coach Jim Schwartz (understandably) flipped and threw the red coaches challenge flag. (Coaches get two challenges per game. If they are wrong about the play in question, they are charged one time out. If they are right, the call is reversed. If they are right both times, they earn an extra challenge.) However, a scoring play is among the plays that are automatically reviewed by the Replay Official. That means that it is NOT able to be challenged by a coach, and there is a hefty penalty for throwing the challenge flag anyway: a 15 yard penalty, AND the play is no longer reviewable. The ruling on the field stands. This is what happened to Jim Schwartz on Thanksgiving.

1. Justin Forsett’s play was ruled a touchdown.

2. Jim Schwartz believed that Forsett was down 81 yards ago and throws the challenge flag.

3. Since the play would have been reviewed anyway and the gesture of throwing the challenge flag is seen as a delay of game tactic, a 15 yard penalty was enforced and the play was rendered unreviewable. The ruling on the field stood, even though it was clearly wrong.

So the Texans earned a touchdown that would have been overturned, and went on to win 34-31 in overtime. It stands to reason that if the call had been reversed, the outcome of the game would have been very different.

It’s a pretty harsh rule, admittedly. So much so that the NFL came out and said they’re going to change it in the off-season, or potentially sooner. I think everyone is in agreement that it’s a good idea.

What To Know : Week 12

Week 12 is upon us! Here’s what you need to know:

GAME OF THE WEEK: Packers at Giants, Sunday night. The Giants have crushed the Packers playoff dreams twice in recent years. (Not cool, NYG.) This game is a rematch of last year’s playoff game, in which the Giants routed the 15-1 Packers en route to their second Super Bowl win against the Patriots, which was terrible deja vu for me. 2008: Giants beat Packers in the playoffs, go on to beat Patriots in the Super Bowl. 2012: Giants beat Packers in the playoffs, go on to beat Patriots in the Super Bowl. Let’s hope we can start a new trend this year.

PLAYER TO WATCH: GREG JENNINGS! Could it possibly be true?! He’s listed as a long shot for the Packers game against the Giants this week…but maybe we’ll finally see 85 back on the field again! We’ve missed you, Greg!

STORYLINE TO KNOW: The no-one-saw-it-coming quarterback controversy between Alex Smith and Colin Kaepernick. After the backup’s phenomenal performance on Monday night against the Bears, head coach Jim Harbaugh said he’d “go with the quarterback with the hot hand,” even though starting QB Alex Smith has led the team to a 7-2-1 record. Smith has been maligned for most of his career after getting off to a lackluster start for a first-pick of the draft but has really found his stride with Harbaugh. You can’t help but think that this might be a confidence shaker for Smith, but we’ll see how things go on Sunday against the also hot-handed Drew Brees and the Saints.

*Breaking News, For Real: As soon as I finished typing this (Wednesday night), the 49ers announced that they are starting Colin Kaepernick at quarterback this week. I have opinions, and they are many, but I’ll refrain from adding them here because they are currently unkind. But wow. WOW.

RECIPES TO MAKE:

Here are a few from our Thanksgiving table!

PW’s Maple Cranberry Sauce

Harvest Stuffing

Sweet Potato Crumble

Apple Cranberry Crumble

One Step Further Resources

Don’t get me wrong. SportsCenter is a staple in my daily routine. I visit NFL.com more than nearly any other website. There are so many great outlets for instant updates. But if you’d like to go one step further than just headlines in your quest for football knowledge, here are a few lesser-known resources that you’ll love:

Online:

  • Peter King’s Monday Morning Quarterback (MMQB) column is a must-read. Seriously: must-read. I think Peter King does the human side of football better than anyone else, and he doesn’t leave the X’s and O’s behind, either. Consistently outstanding sports writing.
  • Pro Football Focus provides insightful (and often humorous) analysis (my favorite features are the ReFo and Weekly Winners/Losers)
  • Similarly named but different content: Pro Football Weekly (the Spin Cycles are a great way to catch up on news in each division).
  • Quickish, still my favorite source for witty instant reactions to all sports news.

Television:

  • NFL Turning Point is my new favorite show. It takes games and breaks them into the key turning points that led to victory. The explanations of the plays/personnel/schemes and why they were successful are SO helpful and not at all too technical to understand. If you only pick one NFL show to watch every week, pick this one. Airs: Wednesdays at 10:00pm and 11:00pm (NBC Sports Network) 
  • NFL Matchup is probably the best show you’ve never heard of. Unbelievably, since this show is a) on ESPN and b) about the NFL, it’s somehow terribly undermarketed. Excellent analysis and game play breakdown. Airs: Sundays at 6:30am (ESPN) and 8:30am (ESPN2)
  • Mike and Mike’s Best of the NFL (also surprisingly undermarketed) is a great quick-hitting catch up of everything that happened in the prior week. I’m inclined to it because I love the Mikes, but I think a lot of people would appreciate the show for it’s good-natured humor and approachability. Airs: Tuesdays at 3:00pm (ESPN)
  • If you’d like a primer on a wide scope of football history, A Football Life is your best bet. Each episode focuses on a specific prolific person in football history. It’s wonderfully produced and told like a classic story. Even if you aren’t a football fan, chances are you’ll love these documentaries. Airs: Wednesdays at 8:00pm (NFL Network) (You can also buy the Season 1 DVD Set here.)

Podcasts:

How about you guys? Any resources you love that haven’t been included here? Add ’em in the comments!

What To Know : After Week 11

Let’s just start by saying: I love the NFL. All weeks, but especially this week. And here’s why.

  1. THREE GAMES went into overtime at the same time on Sunday. I mean, come on. Does it get any better?
  2. Um, yes. It does. Because we get to talk about it.

So, let’s categorize:

OVERTIMES:

  1. Who thought the Texans would need to go into OT against a woeful Jags team? Especially when the Jags starting QB, Blaine Gabbert, went down with an injury mid-game? That they pulled it out in the final minutes of OT on a courageous 4th down attempt by the Jags speaks volumes about the Texans…and not necessarily in a positive way. But a win’s a win! And the Texans steam roll on.
  2. Lesser surprise but still surprising in it’s own right: the Cowboys going into OT with the Browns, who truly had a chance to win this game. But this week, instead of finding a way to lose, the Cowboys found a way to win.
  3. Unsurprising but exciting: the Bucs winning in OT over the Panthers. Watch out for the Bucs, people! They mean business.

QUARTERBACKS:

The Good:

  1. RG3. Holy goodness, did he ever have a game against the can’t-buy-a-break Eagles.
  2. Matt Schaub threw for over 500 yards on Sunday. Is that even human?
  3. Aaron Rodgers. Even when the offense is having somewhat of an off day, he’s still able to thread the tiniest of needles through practically invisible holes.
  4. Tom Brady. For being Tom Brady.
  5. Ditto, Peyton Manning.

The Bad:

  1. Phillip Rivers, what happened? I don’t understand?
  2. Five interceptions, Matt Ryan? Really?
  3. The entire Cardinals QB lineup. Sorry, guys.
  4. Ditto, Kansas City.

The Ugly:

  1. Nick Foles. The Eagles in general. What a terrible season.

INJURIES: 

  1. Biggest injury: Rob Gronkowski out for at least the rest of the regular reason with a broken forearm. Bad break (pun intended) for the Patriots, since Gronk is the core of the offense.
  2. Second biggest: Willis McGahee out for the foreseeable future with an MCL tear. Unfortunate for the Broncos, who have really been humming on offense.
  3. Ala Chandler, Could Pittsburgh be more injured? Along with the rest of their roster, backup QB Byron Leftwich is also going to be out for a few weeks with broken ribs. Hello, Charlie Batch!
  4. It’s so odd to not talk about the Packers in this space, but I think they survived a game sans-devastating injury for the first time in forever (Raji ankle injury notwithstanding…let’s hope it’s inconsequential).

Wait…What Just Happened : Touchdown?

If you are trying to learn what constitutes a legal touchdown, the final scoring play of the Chargers/Broncos game was probably less than helpful.

Chargers WR Danario Alexander caught the ball on the 3 yard line and made an excellent effort to dive into the end zone, which he did. But while he was in the process of falling into the end zone, he lost control of the football on the ground before recovering possession again at the end of the play.

Now, in games past, this has been ruled as an incomplete pass. It’s weird, but so are a lot of things about the NFL. We just go with it. As per the NFL rule book,

If a player goes to the ground in the act of catching a pass (with or without contact by an opponent), he must maintain control of the ball throughout the process of contacting the ground, whether in the field of play or the end zone. If he loses control of the ball, and the ball touches the ground before he regains control, the pass is incomplete. If he regains control prior to the ball touching the ground, the pass is complete.

Since the ball touched the ground on this play, it should have been ruled an incomplete pass. Since this play was reviewed after the fact and the commentators explained the rule and Twitter erupted in “No TD” tweets and the coaches and players on the Chargers sideline all looked dejected knew the original TD call was going to be called back…it even more so should have been ruled an incomplete pass. And yet, the ruling on the field stands: touchdown.

Sometimes, there are no explanations.