The Best Game of the Season

The Pats played their best game of the season during their 41-7 win over the Ravens. They still need to beat the Bills on Sunday to get a first round bye in the playoffs.

I hope to see this team on the field for the rest of the season. They played so well in all three phases of the game. After next week, it becomes a one game season.

If they play like yesterday and avoid injuries, there is a good chance to see them in the AFC Championship game.

The Tower of London

Today could be the one of the last games of the great career of Redskins LB London Fletcher. His list of accomplishments is quite long between Pro Bowls and a Super Bowl Championship with the Rams.

He was undrafted in 1998 and went on to have a stellar career with the Rams, Bills and Redskins. He will best be known for his remarkable consecutive game streak which will continue today with  255. He also started 213 at linebacker, a record for that position.

Fletcher's streak is amazing considering the physicality of his position and his age at 38. He had many chances to end it because of injury, but was always able to get on the field.

Hopefully, he is healthy ten years from now.

Don't Take Me Out To Fenway

I'll never understand why Notre Dame decided to play ones of its home games on November 21, 2015 at Fenway Park against Boston College. The place is the worst stadium to watch football. The game will provide fans with terrible sight lines of the field.

Pats fans were so happy when the team played their last home game on December 1, 1968 against the Bills. They eventually moved to the newly built Schaefer/Sullivan Stadium after stops at Harvard and Boston College Stadiums.

I was surprised to see Notre Dame agree to play in such a small place. They could have attracted 68,000 at Gillette Stadium, but will end up with a live gate of about 40,000. The television revenue factors into it. They wouldn't be doing this if it wasn't worthwhile. It's all about the money in college football.

They are also selling the Fenway park angle.

Short By Two Yards

Giants WR Victor Cruz had insult added to injury during last week's 23-0 loss to the Seahawks. Late in the 3rd quarter, Cruz left the game with what appeared to be a concussion and knee injury after leaping to catch a 16 yard pass.

Cruz struck is head on the ground and stayed down for a few minutes. Seattle coach Pete Carroll challenged the play on whether Cruz had secured the ball after hitting the ground. The original ruling of a completion was overturned.

This play impacted Cruz in many ways. His concussion would have kept him out on Sunday and maybe next week, but now he will need arthroscopic surgery on his knee. The incomplete pass took 16 yards from his season total, dropping it to 998.

It was mostly his last play of the season. It prevented him from being the fourth Giants player to have three consecutive seasons with 1,000 receiving yards.

All In The Name

The 34 college bowl game schedule start this weekend when Washington State and Colorado State meet in the New Mexico Bowl. The action will continue until Jan 6th when Auburn and Florida State play for the BCS National Championship.

There was a time when only a handful of teams played on New Year's Day. They  battled it out in games with iconic names like the Sugar, Rose, Orange and Cotton Bowls. A few games were added over the years. Sponsors bought up the naming rights. Players and fans no longer know the real name of the bowl their team is playing in.

Boston College fans are happy to finally make it back to a game. They were one of eleven ACC teams who became eligible after six wins. Once they got their seventh, they punched their ticket to the AdvoCare V100 on Dec 31st against Arizona State. The game was formerly known as the Independence Bowl.

Going to a bowl game means money for both schools. There is a lot at stake. ESPN has every game covered except  three. They pay a great deal of money for broadcasting rights. The games are very expensive to host. Selling the naming rights is just another way of generating revenue.

Unfortunately, it kills whatever tradition is built up over the years by the game. I didn't know the AdvoCare V100 was once the Independence Bowl. It doesn't even have a catchy name. I can't imagine players bragging about their time at the AdvoCare V100 Bowl.

Just Like "The Fridge"

The New York Jets lost their game Sunday to Carolina, but at least they had one of the most exciting offensive plays of the year.

In the third quarter, DL Sheldon Richardson was part of the formation on first and goal from the two. He was given the ball, but was stopped at the one. He got it again and plowed into the end zone for the score. It cut Carolina's lead to 16-13.

It was reminiscent of DL William "Refrigerator" Perry who did the same for the great Chicago Bears team of 1985. He scored three TD's during the regular season and one in the Super Bowl win over the Pats.

The NFL needs more plays like that where players switch sides of the ball.

Post-Career Reality

NBC Nightly News did a great job tonight on a story about the wives of former NFL players who are suffering from brain injuries. The three players profiled spent time in the league during the 80's and early 90's.

They all suffer from physical ailments, memory loss and depression. Their careers were long enough for them to suffer chronic problems that will effect them the rest of their lives.

The NFL and NFLPA had their landmark $762 million concussion lawsuit settlement, but there is great concern that many players prior to 1980 will fall through the cracks because they had short careers.

This problem isn't over.

Great Award For Peyton

A lot of fans are not thrilled with the fact that Peyton Manning was selected by Sports Illustrated as the "Athlete of the Year". They can't be happy for him and his resurgence in Denver after it appeared his career might be over.

I'll never understand why a true fan of the game would hate him. He is one of the best quarterbacks ever to play the position whether you like him or not. His spot in the Hall of Fame is ensured.

Fans hate certain teams and players. I don't get it.

The Expensive Word

Tom Brady and Bill Belichick are always brief and terse during their post-game press conference when the Pats lose. Today was no exception after they lost 24-20 to the Dolphins. The road to the number one seed in the AFC got a bit murkier.

Brady abruptly ended the questioning after he uttered a word you can't say on television. There will be some type of fine. He will just write a check, but he should have thought before he spoke. He got caught up in the moment and will apologize.

I think it just shows how passionate he is about playing and winning.

Tom Having A Meltdown

Fans around the NFL see Coach Belichick as being very stoic and not having much personality. He is far from that. He keeps a even keel throughout the season no matter what type of adversity the team faces.

Meanwhile in the Big Apple, Coach Tom Coughlin is getting testy with the press as his 5-8 team attempts to play hard in their final three games. He got into a heated exchange with a reporter when asked about the removal of the "Super Bowl Countdown " clock in the team's locker room. He claimed no knowledge of its status. Apparently, GM Jerry Reese had it taken down.

That was a good idea to remove it. At 5-8, the only way the team is going to the Super Bowl is by purchasing a ticket. The drama continues.

Need Three Wins

It was a big deal for the Chargers to beat the Broncos 27-20 in Thursday Night Football. If the season ended today, the Pats would have the number one seed in the AFC and home field advantage, including the AFC Championship game.

This is great news for fans, but a little premature with three games left to play. They still need to keep their bye as well as win their playoff game to make it to the AFC finals. A lot can happen between now and then.

Talk shows will be jumping on this and beating it to death with all sorts of playoff scenarios. It makes for interesting conversation, but you can only take so much. The Pats need to beat the Dolphins on Sunday and then finish the season with wins over the Ravens and Bills.

Given the amount of injuries suffered by the Pats, they have their work cut out for them.

It's Good

NFL kickers routinely kick field goals of 60-70 yards during pregame warm-ups. Coaches are not inclined to try such a long one during a game. It can end in a disaster if the defense returns the missed kick. It also gives the other team great field position.

Things lined up perfectly during the game last Sunday between the Broncos and Titans. As play expired in the first half, Broncos kicker Matt Prager booted a 64 yard field goal to break the NFL record of 63 shared by several players

Prager's kick cut the Titan's lead to 21-20 at the half. The Broncos won the game 51-28. There was a risk to the play because the Titans could have run the ball back for a score.

The record of 63 yards was first set in 1970 by Tom Dempsey. He held it until 1998 when Jason Elam kicked one from 63. Sebastian Janikowski did it in 2011 and David Akers in 2012. Janikowski also missed one from 76 yards.

The record might stand for a long time. It would take a special set of circumstances for a coach to try one from 65.