The Scoop

By Dalton Del Don

The last four Ravens/Steelers games were decided by three points, and it was four points or fewer in each of their past six meetings, and the over/under Saturday was 36 points. So naturally, Pittsburgh won by a touchdown, and they combined to score 55 points. Of course, that’s not to say this wasn’t a close game, but how they got there was pretty surprising…How many times do you see players trying to run toward the end zone well after many whistles have been blown? Well, the opposite occurred during a pretty important game Saturday. What a crazy fumble taken for a TD by Cory Redding…Ray Rice made Troy Polamalu look absolutely silly not just once but twice…Baltimore had the fewest drops in the NFL this year but suffered two crushing ones Saturday. The first by Anquan Boldin in the end zone when it was 24-21, and the second by T.J. Houshmandzadeh, which effectively ended the Ravens’ season…With 2:07 left in the fourth quarter, Dan Dierdorf killed the Steelers for taking a timeout, arguing they shouldn’t be saving Baltimore any time. Problem was, the T.O. came after an incompletion. Seriously, why are announcers so bad?…I was rooting for the Steelers, but I must admit, this call was highly questionable.

I recently participated in a fantasy baseball mock draft, hosted by the good folks at Fantasy Phenoms. The results are here.

This guy is no joke at Wiffle Ball.

The gaffe was mildly amusing, but the others’ responses is what was truly humorous.

Wow, what a performance by Aaron Rodgers. The numbers are incredible (86.1 completion %, 10.2 YPA, four touchdowns, zero turnovers), but they don’t tell the whole story. Rodgers’ ability to escape the pass rush and then break out of the pocket and fire accurate throws downfield was simply amazing. One of the better games played in recent memory. An absolute clinic on how to play the quarterback position. Rodgers now has a 10:1 TD:INT ratio over three career postseason games. I’m beginning to think the 49ers should have taken him instead of Alex Smith…How exactly, did this Packers team lose six games this season? And imagine if Jermichael Finley hadn’t gotten hurt (among many others)…Tramon Williams came awfully close to having a Leon Lett moment while strutting in for a touchdown during his pick-six to end the half…Green Bay had zero punts Saturday night…Atlanta certainly proved they had the edge on special teams like most expected, but this game also showed that entering with an advantage in areas like penalty yardage and turnover ratio isn’t exactly a predictive measure. Then again, it also showed just how unlucky the Falcons were, having to play such a dangerous six seed while the Bears got a vastly inferior Seahawks squad…Some interesting coaching decisions. Mike Smith once again showed how willing (and how successful the strategy is) he is to go for it on fourth-and-short, which you knew was the right decision as soon as Troy Aikman disagreed with it – “I’m not so sure you don’t take the points here.” Guess what Aikman, you get “points” for a touchdown too. In fact, four more of them. Aikman wasn’t done making head-scratching comments, as he later proclaimed Mike McCarthy as NFL coach of the year. Actually, as much as I’ve criticized his in-game management this season, McCarthy impressed Saturday, refusing to pull off the accelerator (did last week teach him a lesson?). In fact, I actually wanted him to punt up 21 points with 13 minutes left instead of attempting a 50-yard field goal (at that point, the trailing team needs crazy things to occur, so why not just pin them there?), but I can’t have it both ways, so I applaud McCarthy’s effort.

Ricky Gervais just turned in the single greatest hosting performance in awards show history Sunday night. He was absolutely brilliant. So naturally, he’s taking a ton of heat and is unlikely to ever host the Golden Globes again.

While maybe a bit sad for obvious reasons, this is a cool story nonetheless. It also reminds me of “Grizzly Man,” one of my favorite documentaries of all-time, and if you haven’t seen it, do so.

Well, that was a pretty successful first ever postseason pass by Jay Cutler…Thank you for kicking the extra point, Pete Carroll, as that would have been a brutal backdoor cover (albeit a tie). Speaking of Carroll, talk about playing for the friendliest loss and not to win. How can you possibly kick a field goal down 28-0 with two minutes left in the third quarter? Seattle actually ended up scoring 21 points in the fourth quarter! Remember this when coaches make similar decisions in the future. Sure, a comeback seemed highly unlikely, but that doesn’t mean going for a TD there wasn’t the obvious call. You never know. Moreover, they punted down 28-10 with six minutes remaining. Huh? You can’t make this stuff up…Say this for the Seahawks, at least they remained undefeated in games decided by 10 points or fewer this season…Marshawn Lynch didn’t exactly build off last week’s highlight reel run…Mike Martz, you have the lead and a big advantage, what are you thinking with that Matt Forte pass play? And why can’t non-quarterbacks simply throw the ball away if the trick play doesn’t result in a wide open player? They consistently refuse to…Tom Brady, who was the unanimous first QB (and overall, for the most part) taken in playoff fantasy leagues, threw for 299 yards and two touchdowns. Matt Hasselbeck, who was the unanimous last QB taken, registered 530 passing yards and seven touchdowns. I admit, I didn’t see that coming.

What is Adrian Peterson doing eating McDonald’s?

Finally, an ATM that suits my needs.

While I wasn’t shocked the Jets beat the Patriots (I took NYJ ATS), I also can’t say I wasn’t surprised. What a difference compared to the last time these teams met just six weeks ago. Teams coming off a bye are now just 12-12 over the past six postseasons, and Tom Brady is now 0-3 during his last three playoff appearances (with a 5:4 TD:INT ratio over that span). Other than New England, only three other 14-win teams were one-and-done in postseason history. Brady is undefeated at home over his past 28 regular season games. He’s 0-2 over his past two home tilts during the playoffs…What were your guys’ thoughts about Wes Welker getting benched? I’m mixed. Of course I enjoyed Welker’s foot press conference and am all for adding fun in sports, but part of me also respects Bill Belichick for actually sacrificing his team’s chances of winning when a player doesn’t follow the Patriot way (albeit for just a series). The Jets trash talk like crazy, but Welker’s was pretty personal…I hate after the fact criticism (doesn’t it seem like surprise/trick plays are always universally praised when they work yet killed when they don’t. For instance, while not a trick play, I had no problem when the Chiefs ran a sweep on fourth-and-1 to Jamaal Charles last week, a play call that has been getting slammed. It didn’t work, but how many times have we seen the jumbo package right up the gut fail too?), but I seriously question that fake punt by New England, mainly because of the situation. In general, it’s better to take risks when you are the underdog, not the heavy favorite. Moreover, what was the upside there? There was just 1:06 left in the half and they were at their own 38-yard line. The risk vs. reward made little sense…I have more confidence in Braylon Edwards making a spectacular catch than I do an easy one. And that celebration by him was pretty awesome. Also, Santonio Holmes’ catch in the end zone was terrific. Those Jets’ receivers are quite talented…I was on the fence regarding the Pats going for two down 14-9 with more than a quarter left, but ultimately I think it was the right decision. Because even if they missed it, and New York kicked a field goal, they could still tie it by successfully converting a two-point try after a subsequent TD…You won’t find a bigger Belichick backer than myself, but New England’s clock management in the fourth quarter was positively perplexing. They actually had a 7:40 drive that only reached the Jets’ 34-yard line (running 14 plays to gain 48 yards, leaving just 5:15 left in the game). And they were down two possessions! Think about that again. I understand New York’s coverage begged them to run, but why were they huddling, often snapping with fewer than five seconds on the play clock? Unbelievable. And if that wasn’t bad enough, they made another huge mistake later. With 2:21 left on 3rd-and-10, they somehow throw a one-yard pass to Wes Welker. An incompletion there isn’t the end of the world at all, as a field goal made the game one possession. However, any completion better get a first down, because as a result, the kickoff came after the two-minute warning, effectively costing the team a timeout (they had two remaining, and they wouldn’t have had to attempt an onside kick, although that would have still been an option). Ultimately, Rex Ryan and the Jets deserve a ton of credit, and they were the better team. Activating a whopping 11 defensive backs, playing a ton of zone and rarely blitzing, the defensive schemes won the game for New York, who is definitely a team worthy of playing in the AFC Championship for the second straight season.

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The following song is not only NSFW, but I’m also pretty sure it’s not safe for common decency either.


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13 responses to “The Scoop”

  1. The Jewru Avatar
    The Jewru

    Who else went 4-0 this weekend? This guy!!

    Gervais was unreal. The Robert Downey presentation was awesome as well.
    Dalton think my Jets can take out the Steelers twice at Heinz in same season? I am not worried about controlling them defensively but we certainly didn’t light up the scoreboard last time. Pretty good chance B Smith won’t be taking the opening kickoff back for a TD.

  2. RotoScoop Avatar
    RotoScoop

    I definitely give the Jets a chance, for sure. But it will be tough. I worry about the big discrepancy in QBs (but the same could have obviously been said last week). Congrats to you as a Jets fan.

  3. Dreamweapon Avatar
    Dreamweapon

    You drafted Kemp ahead of Reyes and Lincecum? I can’t tell right now because it’s 3am and cloudy, but is the sky falling? Would you have taken my boy Rickie over Pedroia if he’d fallen that far?

    A lot of star athletes eat that crap. I remember Chad Johnson saying that he ate two “Filets-O-Fish” as his pregame meal. I also remember Usain Bolt saying the only thing he ate before his Olympic 100m was McNuggets. I’m also pretty sure David Wells was living on a strict diet of Baconators and Frosties for the second half of his career.

  4. Scott G Avatar
    Scott G

    Ricky Gervais was brilliant. I don’t know why they expected any
    Different. You hire the guy and you should expect him to do what he does.

  5. Robby Avatar
    Robby

    One of the best songs and album covers of all time. The red parental advisory sticker and the buried head are no joke!

    Nice 4-0 run. I’m gonna start calling you Dalty Covers.

  6. RotoScoop Avatar
    RotoScoop

    Dreamweapon – I could see taking Timmy over Kemp, but I like buying low with the latter this year (although I also like waiting on addressing OFs). Even during a pretty bad year for him, he still finished with 28 HRs and 19 SBs last season, although all those strikeouts are def. worrisome. What are your thoughts on Kemp? Just because I was down on him last year, doesn’t mean I’ll avoid him in the future. The price tag is down.

    I prefer Pedroia over Weeks.

    Ya I hear ya about fast food. Chad Johnson seriously eats McDonald’s every single day, sometimes multiple times per day. Crazy.

  7. RotoScoop Avatar
    RotoScoop

    Scott G – Exactly.

  8. RotoScoop Avatar
    RotoScoop

    Robby – You deserve a “hat tip” for that song.

  9. Dreamweapon Avatar
    Dreamweapon

    I still LOVE Kemp, even if his team doesn’t. I can’t wait until mid-April when Colletti starts whining that Kemp still hasn’t posted 20/20 despite having played a dozen games already, inserts his Gibbons-Gwynn-Ethier dream outfield, and trades Kemp to the Brewers for Fielder. With a change of scenery, on a team that actually wanted the guy (remember, long before Colletti’s idiotic and pointless public criticism of his own player, Torre was batting this guy EIGHTH for 2/3 of a season), and some good coaching, I wouldn’t be at all surprised if he posted numbers such that he forces his way into the (fantasy) MVP debate….

  10. RotoScoop Avatar
    RotoScoop

    So I’m guessing you’re on board with me taking him in the middle of the second round then?

  11. Dreamweapon Avatar
    Dreamweapon

    Well, he’s fine value there and probably has more (maybe far more) upside than most of the guys taken after him, BUT, the one caveat is of course position scarcity. I actually have Kemp as a keeper option in my home league, but my 2010 team was so absurdly deep that I’m having an impossible time committing to him. We only hold four, no limit as to years, and I don’t think there’s any way I can pass on Longoria, Votto or Braun, so it’s matter of choosing between Kemp and, oddly enough, Lincecum and Reyes. With the three other premier bats, and because Timmah and I share a common recreational passion, I’m tempted to go with him, but I seem to change my opinion from day to day. In the end I’ll just try to throw three of these guys in a package at Hanley’s owner, probably, but if that doesn’t fly I’m not sure what I’ll do.

  12. Dreamweapon Avatar
    Dreamweapon

    BTW, how in hell did Justin Upton last until the 4th round in an industry draft? Behind Bautista? Seriously? Isn’t that like taking Baby Doc ahead of Pol Pot in a dictator’s draft? In retrospect would you have preferred a Reyes/Upton pairing to Kemp/Pedroia?

  13. RotoScoop Avatar
    RotoScoop

    Upton went too late for sure. Him in the 4th is a better bargain than Kemp in the mid-2nd for sure. I’d say both those combos Reyes/Upton and Kemp/Pedroia are pretty equal in value. I don’t feel strongly either way.

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