Election Nonsense

Apparently, Bill Belichick and Tom Brady are not allowed to share a friendship with Donald Trump. Both were badgered by the media during their press conferences yesterday.

Belichick has known Trump since his days with the Giants. Brady had been a friend since the start of his career.

Some people don't like that and want to make a point. I can't believe that they are being called out on it.

No Bowl Chance

With the recent loss by UMass to Troy, they now hold a 2-8 record with two games left at BYU and Hawaii. Hopefully, they can get a win.

The football program has made great strides playing as an Independent, but continue to have a losing record. The critics focus on that.

They have a very ambitious schedule for 2017.Will it be their year?

Raiders Are Back

The Oakland Raiders are finally back in contention after all these years with a record of 7-2, the second best in the AFC. They seem to be rolling along for a possible playoff spot.

They have a real passionate fan base and one of the worst stadiums in the NFL. Owner Mark Davis wants to move the team to Las Vegas where officials are willing to raise a hotel room tax rate just to get them there with a new stadium.

The league should vote against any move. Fans should not lose their team for a second time.  

Jets On The Brink

It looks like the season is over for the Jets after losing to the Dolphins and having a record of 3-6. They will need to finish at 6-1 to have any remote chance of making the playoffs.

It doesn't look like it will happen. QB Ryan Fitzpatrick hurt his knee. Coach Todd Bowles decided to bench defensive stars Muhammad Wilkerson and Sheldon Richardson for the first quarter because of  being late for team meetings.

If they have a losing season, someone will pay the price with their job. It's usually the coach in the end.

Picture This Fine

The NFL is out of control in its attempt to eliminate player celebrations on the field. They levy fines for almost any type of behavior.

The game between the Rams and Giants during Week 7 in London became a prime example. Giants safety Landon Collins returned an interception 44 yards for a TD on a very exciting play.

Several players gathered to celebrate. DE Owa Odighizuwa pretended to take a fake picture with an imaginary camera.

It looked very harmless. The NFL thought differently by fining him $12,154. It's all about control.

As The Roster Turns

The NFL trade deadline ended at 4pm today, but that doesn't mean the Bill Belichick has ended his roster tweak. There is still one open spot to replace LB Jamie Collins.

Will it be a defensive player? What about the offensive line? The team needs improvement in various areas. Will a player be promoted from the practice squad or PUP?

It was a bold move to trade Collins, but BB is moving on to the Seahawks.

Bad Ratings

The NFL big-shots continue to wonder why their television ratings keep falling. Monday night is down 29%, Sunday 19% and Thursday 18%. They like to cite the presidential election and fans being angry with Colin Kaepernick for sitting during the National Anthem, but the problem is rooted deeper than that.

The league is at the saturation point of mediocre match-ups in prime time. Networks pay $45 million for each Thursday night game, but they often feature teams with losing records and no marque players.

Consumers will not buy a product just because it's there. The NFL needs to have star players and "can't miss" games. They are lacking in both right now. They want to see Brady and Manning and not the stuff they try to sell now.

How Many Career Wins

After today's win over the Buffalo Bills, Coach Bill Belichick has 230 regular season career victories. He recently passed Curly Lambeau and is fourth on the all-time list.

He should pass Tom Landry in another two seasons with his 250th win. It gets real difficult after that with George Halas at 318 and Don Shula at 328.

Shula's record looks out of reach. Halas would also be difficult to catch. Belichick's final total is remains to be seen.

UMass Wins Over Wagner

I was in Amherst today to see UMass defeat Wagner 34-10 and go to 2-7 on the season. The program has made great strides, in spite of their losing record. Their Independent status has them playing a very ambitious schedule, including three SEC teams. The Minutemen have been competitive in all of their games

They face a huge task on the road with three games in the next four weeks against Troy, BYU and Hawaii. They have a bye on Nov 12th.

Hopefully, they came win a game or two. They need it to silence the critics.

A Giant Issue

It's a good thing that New York Giants rookie CB Eli Apple was a first round draft pick and carries a guaranteed contract. His comments from his mother Annie have put Giants ownership in an awkward position.

She blasted John Marra over the team's handling of the domestic violence case involving kicker Josh Brown. As a survivor of domestic abuse, her comments rang loudly.

The Giants will do some waffling, but this too shall blow over eventually. The league is more concerned with their sagging television ratings than domestic violence.

Eli will probably get released at some point next year.

Dion Sighting

RB Dion Lewis practiced with the Pats for the first time since OTA's in the spring. They have three weeks to activate him or place him on season ending IR.

His return would add to their already potent offense. Lewis had a brilliant start to his career before a series of knee injuries. Will he be the same player he was before?

I don't think the team will add him to the roster if he isn't ready. If he returns, he will certainly help the offense.

Bad Fitz

The New York Jets benched QB Ryan Fitzpatrick after throwing 11 interceptions and leading them to a 1-5 record.

With their season on the brink, Coach Todd Bowles went with Geno Smith. That lasted until he went down with a knee injury. Fitzpatrick went back to play and helped the team win and improve its record to 2-5.

After the game, he went into meltdown mode, calling out owner Woody Johnson, GM Mike Maccagnan and the coaching staff for not having any confidence in him.

Fitzpatrick is on a one year contract. His comments and performance so far doesn't bode well for his future with the Jets. They need to have a winning steak, which looks very unlikely at this point.