Excessive Celebration

Week 11 Byes:

(7-3) Houston Texans

(0-10) Indianapolis Colts

(7-3) New Orleans Saints

(7-3) Pittsburgh Steelers

Week 11 Games:

Thursday, November 17

(5-5) New York Jets 13 at (5-5) DenverBroncos 17

Sunday, November 20

(2-7) Carolina Panthers at (6-3) Detroit Lions

(4-5) Tampa Bay Buccaneers at (9-0) Green Bay Packers

(5-4) Dallas Cowboys at (3-6) Washington Redskins

(5-4) Buffalo Bills at (2-7) Miami Dolphins

(3-6) Jacksonville Jaguars at (3-6) Cleveland Browns

(5-4) Tennessee Titans at (5-4) Atlanta Falcons

(5-4) Oakland Raiders at (2-7) Minnesota Vikings

(6-3) Cincinnati Bengals at (6-3) Baltimore Ravens

(3-6) Seattle Seahawks at (2-7) St. Louis Rams

(3-6) Arizona Cardinals at (8-1) San Francisco 49ers

(4-5) San Diego Chargers at (6-3) Chicago Bears

(3-6) Philadelphia Eagles at (6-3) New York Giants

Monday, November 21

(4-5) Kansas City Chiefs at (6-3) New England Patriots

Tim Tebow is now 4-1 as a starter; his touchdown run put the Broncos up 16-13 over the Jets in Thursday night’s game. The PAT made the final score 17-13. Both teams are now 5-5.

Tebow is a polarizing player. Arguments go both ways about his football abilities and whether he will have success in the NFL, because he is not a traditional NFL player. His wins give his supporters “I told you so” rights; his loss did the same for his detractors.

Much has been made of Tebow’s dropping down to one knee, giving thanks to God. No one seems to doubt his sincerity in doing so, and he’s not the first college or NFL player to give a prayer in thanks after a good play or score.

Tebowing has become a verb describing the phenomenon of dropping to one knee regardless of where a person is; people are posting photos of themselves Tebowing at http://www.tebowing.com.

When what you do becomes a verb, it’s become excessive.

Players are penalized for excessive celebration if they leave their feet or use a prop, particularly the football, in the course of celebrating a good play or score. Tebow’s habitual and automatic dropping down on one knee in prayer both makes use of God as a prop, and focuses attention on himself. Maybe his team should receive the automatic penalty of 15 yards after he does it.

Other players have knelt down and given a quick prayer, but the media coverage was not giddy as it is now with Tebow. Was it because they did not flaunt their faith as Tebow does?   

Maybe it’s time Tebow took it down a notch and the media coverage did likewise. If God sees and hears all, what is wrong with offering a silent prayer? Is it more effective if a person prays from a knee?

Before you start frothing at the mouth, let me ask you this: if a Muslim player was prostrate in prayer to thank Allah in the end zone or along the sideline, would there be as much congratulation and marveling about their faith? Would the media be as infatuated as they are with Tebow? Or would the hue and cry be of a different nature, such as how there is no place for that at a football game?

What would we look like if everyone started Tebowing at work after something good happened? A toll booth attendant breaks a $20 in record time, and suddenly drops out of sight in their booth. A hair stylist drops to one knee after a customer says how much they like their new haircut. A real estate agent drops down to one knee to give thanks after a spectacular sale.

People at work are expected to be professional. Football is a game, but Tebow is paid to play it. He’s a professional, and it’s time he started acting like one.

The Stakes for Green Bay and Indianapolis

Week 9 Byes:

(2-6) Carolina Panthers

(6-2) Detroit Lions

(2-6) Jacksonville Jaguars

(2-6) Minnesota Vikings

Week 9 Games:

Sunday, November 6 (Day games)

(1-7) Miami Dolphins 31 at (4-4) Kansas City Chiefs 3
(3-5) Cleveland Browns 12 at (6-3) Houston Texans 30

(5-3) Atlanta Falcons 31 at (0-9) Indianapolis Colts 7

(5-3) New York Jets 27 at (5-3) Buffalo Bills 11

(7-1) San Francisco49ers 19 at (3-5) WashingtonRedskins 11

(4-4) TampaBayBuccaneers 16 at (6-3) NewOrleansSaints 27

(2-6) Seattle Seahawks 13 at (4-4) Dallas Cowboys 23

(6-2) Cincinnati Bengals 24 at (4-4) Tennessee Titans 17

(3-5) Denver Broncos 38 at (4-4) Oakland Raiders 24

(6-2) New York Giants 24 at (5-3) New England Patriots 20

(8-0) Green Bay Packers 45 at (4-4) San Diego Chargers 38

(1-7) St. Louis Rams 13 at (2-6) Arizona Cardinals 19/OT

Night game (being played as I write this)

(5-2) Baltimore Ravens at (6-2) Pittsburgh Steelers

Monday, November 7

(4-3) Chicago Bears at (3-4) Philadelphia Eagles

Today’s games were a mixed bag: the St. Louis Rams and Arizona Cardinals, both struggling, took their game into overtime to decide a winner; Green Bay’s defense had 2 touchdowns in the first quarter; the Kansas City Chiefs were spanked hard by the Miami Dolphins, for their first win; Tim Tebow gave his fans a reason to say “I told you so” with a Denver win over Oakland; and in a game reminiscent of Super Bowl XLII, the Giants beat the Patriots, once again playing spoiler for Patriots records: consecutive games won at home, and for Tom Brady, consecutive home games won as a starter.

At this point, we are down to two teams with zero in their win/loss records: the Green Bay Packers, undefeated at 8-0; and the Indianapolis Colts, winless at 0-9. They are yin and yang, the undefeated and the winless.

The Green Bay Packers are playing to repeat as Super Bowl champions, and if they can produce a “perfect season” along the way, so much the better. The pressure on them to continue winning games will grow as the season wears on; the longer they go without losing, the greater the pressure to keep winning.

The Indianapolis Colts are playing for the draft. The draft order goes from worst record in the previous season to the best record; right now the Colts have the worst record, and would have the first pick in the 2012 draft.

Indianapolis desperately needs a quarterback. Peyton Manning is still recovering from neck surgery. It is not known at this point how well he would be able to play next season, after not playing since January 10, 2011. If Andrew Luck (from Stanford) enters the draft, would he go to Indianapolis? Would he be their new franchise player?

Anything can happen in football. My father often said, “Any team can beat any other team, on any given Sunday.” The Kansas City Chiefs and the New England Patriots know the truth of that.

Overtime

Week 8 Byes:

(4-3) Atlanta Falcons

(4-3) Chicago Bears

(7-0) Green Bay Packers

(4-3) New York Jets

(4-3) Oakland Raiders

(4-3) Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Week 8 Games:

Sunday, October 30

(5-3) NewOrleans Saints 21 at (1-6) StLouis Rams 31

(2-6) Minnesota Vikings 24 at (2-6) Carolina Panthers 21

(0-8) Indianapolis Colts 10 at (4-3) Tennessee Titans 27

(2-6) Arizona Cardinals 27 at (5-2) Baltimore Ravens 30

(2-6) Jacksonville Jaguars 14 at (5-3) Houston Texans 24

(0-7) Miami Dolphins 17 at (5-2) New York Giants 20

(6-2) Detroit Lions 45 at (2-5) Denver Broncos 10

(3-4) Washington Redskins 0 at (5-2) Buffalo Bills 23

(5-2) Cincinnati Bengals 34 at (2-5) Seattle Seahawks 12

(3-4) Cleveland Browns 10 at (6-1) SanFrancisco 49ers 20

(5-2) New England Patriots 17 at (6-2) Pittsburgh Steelers 25

(3-4) Dallas Cowboys 7 at (3-4) Philadelphia Eagles 34

Monday, October 31

(4-3) San Diego Chargers 20 at (4-3) Kansas City Chiefs 23/Overtime

It was a wild week, Week 8 was: Pittsburgh not only beats New England, but they held the Patriots to 1:22 time of possession in the first quarter – the Steelers had the ball for 13:38; Detroit stops their 2-game losing streak and stomps Tim Tebow and the Broncos; Buffalo shuts out Mike Shanahan’s Redskins; Philadelphia’s DeSean Jackson and LeSean McCoy have their way with the Cowboys; St. Louis caps a World Series win with the Rams’ first win this season; and Kansas City beats the Chargers in overtime. On top of the football, there was an early snowstorm in the Northeast that left snow on many football fields, and we haven’t gotten to November yet.

Overtime is this week’s topic. People are confused by the rules, because the rules are different between college and the NFL, and between the NFL regular season and the NFL post-season.

College overtime and NFL overtime differ in several ways: college teams each get a chance to score, NFL teams play sudden death, i.e., the first team to score wins; college teams play additional overtime periods as necessary until one team scores and the other doesn’t, NFL teams play one 15-minute overtime period in the regular season – a game can end in a tie (but in the playoffs, no game can end in a tie and additional overtime might be necessary for one team to score and break the tie); college teams scoring a touchdown in the third overtime period must try for a two-point conversion, NFL teams don’t have scoring parameters.

On Saturday, USC lost a heartbreaker at home to Stanford in triple overtime. At the end of regulation, the score was tied at 34. First overtime: both teams scored a touchdown – score tied at 41. Second overtime: both teams again scored a touchdown – score tied at 48. Third overtime: Stanford scored a touchdown, and scored on the two-point conversion; USC did not score a touchdown. Final score: 56-48, Stanford wins.

On Monday night on ESPN, the San Diego Chargers played the Kansas City Chiefs. The game ended regulation in a tie – 20-20. One 15-minute overtime period would be played, each team receiving two timeouts. If neither team scored by the end of the 15-minute overtime, the game would end in a tie, with San Diego’s record going to 4-2-1, and Kansas City going to 3-3-1.

But Kansas City scored a field goal at 5:19, winning the game 23-20. Both teams go to 4-3.

A tie in the NFL regular season is rare. The last one was in November 2008, between Philadelphia and Cincinnati; the previous tie game was in 2002.

Week 9 Byes: Carolina Panthers, Detroit Lions, Jacksonville Jaguars, and Minnesota Vikings.

A key game next week: the New York Jets (rested and coming off a bye) at Buffalo Bills (fresh from a win).

Now that we’re in the heart of the regular season, we’re starting to see which teams have what it takes to go the distance.

Challenges

Week 6 Games:

Carolina Panthers (1-5) 17 at Atlanta Falcons (3-3) 31

Philadelphia Eagles (2-4) 20 at Washington Redskins (3-2) 13

St. Louis Rams (0-5) 3 at Green Bay Packers (6-0) 24

Jacksonville Jaguars (1-5) 13 at Pittsburgh Steelers (4-2) 17

Buffalo Bills (4-2) 24 at New York Giants (4-2) 27

San Francisco 49ers (5-1) 25 at Detroit Lions (5-1) 19

Indianapolis Colts (0-6) 17 at Cincinnati Bengals (4-2) 27

Cleveland Browns (2-3) 17 at Oakland Raiders (4-2) 24

Houston Texans (3-3) 14 at Baltimore Ravens (4-1) 29

NewOrleansSaints (4-2) 20 at TampaBayBuccaneers (4-2) 26

Dallas Cowboys (2-3) 16 at New England Patriots (5-1) 20

Minnesota Vikings (1-5) 10 at Chicago Bears (3-3) 39

Miami Dolphins (0-5) 6 at New York Jets (3-3) 24

Week 6 Byes:

(1-4) Arizona Cardinals

(1-4) Denver Broncos

(2-3) Kansas City Chiefs

(4-1) San Diego Chargers

(2-3) Seattle Seahawks

(3-2) Tennessee Titans

After six weeks of regular season play, one team remains undefeated (Green Bay Packers: 6-0) and three teams have not yet won a game (Indianapolis Colts: 0-6, Miami Dolphins: 0-5, St. Louis Rams: 0-5).

The Bye weeks began in Week 5, so the records are starting to look uneven as those teams who have had their bye week have one less game played. By the end of the season, all teams will have played 16 games over the course of 17 weeks.

The term for today is Challenge, and it has two parts.

Challenge - Part 1: My husband and I (Buffalo Bills and NewYork Giants fans, respectively) went to a local sports bar to watch the game. I am happy to root for the Bills as long as they are not playing the Giants. That not being the case on Sunday, I was happy my Giants won. Had they lost, I would have been happy for the Bills. When a couple has different teams they root for, it can be a challenge when the teams play each other; being adults, we make it work. (We also have practice with hockey; the New York Yankees are the only team we both like.)

Challenge - Part 2: During the Buffalo Bills at New York Giants game, NY head coach Tom Coughlin threw the red Challenge flag in the third quarter. He was challenging the call that QB Eli Manning’s pass to WR Mario Manningham was incomplete. The stakes? A touchdown, and at least 6 more points. The officials reviewed the play, and because there was no compelling evidence to overturn the original call (incomplete pass), the play stood as called. The Giants lost a timeout, which is the price a team pays if they lose a challenge.

If a team’s challenge is successful, meaning that after review the ruling on the field is overturned, they do not lose a timeout. In this case, a successful challenge would have meant that after reviewing the play, had the officials felt that Manningham demonstrated control of the ball throughout the play, the play would have been called a complete pass, touchdown, and the Giants next play would have been to kick the extra point.

Each team has the opportunity to throw the challenge flag twice in a game, as long as they have a timeout remaining. If a team loses the challenge, they forfeit a timeout; if they have no timeouts remaining, they have nothing to forfeit.

If a team uses both challenges successfully in a game, they are given a third challenge. This third challenge can be used as long as the team has at least one timeout left.

Challenges are not used during the last two minutes of the 2^nd and 4^th quarters; during these final two minutes of each half, officials automatically review any questionable plays (this is called a “booth review”).

As we head into the middle of the season, we are starting to see how the playoff picture may be shaping up. What teams will be able to sustain a winning record, what teams have the depth to win despite injuries to key players, and what teams can turn a losing record around? That’s the beauty and fun of football, seeing how it all plays out.

Turnovers - Not a Tasty Treat

My condolences to the Oakland Raiders, whose owner Al Davis died on October 8.

Week 5 Games:

New Orleans Saints (4-1) 30 at Carolina Panthers (1-4) 27

Arizona Cardinals (1-4) 10 at Minnesota Vikings (1-4) 34

Tennessee Titans (3-2) 17 at Pittsburgh Steelers (3-2) 38

Oakland Raiders (3-2) 25 at Houston Texans (3-2) 20

Seattle Seahawks (2-3) 36 at New York Giants (3-2) 25

Philadelphia Eagles (1-4) 24 at Buffalo Bills (4-1) 31

Cincinnati Bengals (3-2) 30 at Jacksonville Jaguars (1-4) 20

Kansas City Chiefs (2-3) 28 at Indianapolis Colts (0-5) 24

TampaBay Buccaneers (3-2) 3 at SanFrancisco 49ers (4-1) 48

New York Jets (2-3) 21 at New England Patriots (4-1) 30

San Diego Chargers (4-1) 29 at Denver Broncos (1-4) 24

Green Bay Packers (5-0) 25 at Atlanta Falcons (2-3) 14

Chicago Bears (2-3) 13 at Detroit Lions (5-0) 24

Congratulations to the undefeated Detroit Lions and GreenBay Packers, both 5-0.

In life, turnovers are tasty, flaky pastries filled with sweet and spicy filling, sometimes dusted with powdered sugar. Think of an apple turnover still hot from the oven, topped with a decadent scoop of vanilla ice cream, your fork cutting into that pastry – can you feel the resistance before the crisp pastry yields and your fork eases into soft, spicy, cinnamon-y apples? Smell the release of scent and steam, taste the molten middle merging with the melting ice cream and mingling on your tongue with the yin and yang of hot and cold. Nirvana on a fall day.

In football, turnovers are mad scrambles for a ball that was going one way, and now is going the other way. A ball batted down from an offensive receiver that is now in the mitts of a defensive player, with players from both teams running in the opposite direction from where they were going a moment ago. A ball stripped from a runner, now on the ground with an agonized scrum of players all grabbing for it: the offense, anxious to recover it and minimize the loss of yardage; the defense, eager to get an unexpected turn with it. The yin and yang in this turnover is the agony of one team played against the ecstasy of the other, feelings compounded when points are scored off the turnover and the momentum of the game swings to favor the other team. Hell on a fall day.

During the game between the Seattle Seahawks and the New York Giants, each team had three fumbles, and each team lost two of them to the other team and recovered one of them. A turnover occurred when the ball changed possession during those fumbles. The Seahawks were intercepted once by the Giants, and the Giants were intercepted three times by the Seahawks; each of those interceptions was a turnover (the ball was turned over to the other team).

The next component of a turnover is whether the recovering or intercepting team scores points during the ensuing possession. In this game, the Giants scored a touchdown (7 points including the extra point) and the Seahawks scored a touchdown and a field goal (10 points total, including the extra point). Seattle was more effective with their possessions after a turnover than the Giants were.

Every possession is an opportunity to score; every punt is an opportunity given to the other team. Gaining possession of the ball because of a turnover is a bonus opportunity to score, and a punt is an extra opportunity lost that may haunt a team in the end.

Week 5 - Bye Week

Week 5: Bye weeks begin

BaltimoreRavens

ClevelandBrowns

DallasCowboys

MiamiDolphins

St. LouisRams

WashingtonRedskins

What is a bye week? The NFL regular season consists of 16 games played out over 17 weeks. The week a team doesn’t play a game is called a bye.

The bye week is a chance for teams to rest, regroup, and recuperate. Penalties and turnovers can have big impacts, particularly in close games, so the basic strategy for all teams is to protect the ball.

The Baltimore Ravens and Washington Redskins are both 3-1, and can enjoy a week off without needing to make major changes: what they are doing is working. As the saying goes, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.”

The Cleveland Browns and Dallas Cowboys are both 2-2. Coaches and players will use the bye week to see what tweaks need to be made to win games, and what errors need to be corrected so they don’t lose games.

In the case of the 0-4 Miami Dolphins and St. Louis Rams, it is a chance to have a week when they don’t have pressure to win a game. They can take a breath, see what adjustments need to be made going forward, and start to implement those changes.

Will an early bye week turn things around for the Dolphins and the Rams? We’ll find out when they play the New York Jets and the Green Bay Packers, respectively, in Week 6. Both are away games, with home field advantage to their opponents. Both teams need a win to get the season’s momentum swinging the other way.

"Between the Lies" by Marv Levy

My husband grew up in the Buffalo area, and is a life-long Buffalo Bills fan. He has told me stories about putting baked potatoes wrapped in foil in his shoes to warm them up so they would keep his feet warm during a frigid winter Bills game. We were intrigued to read in Sports Illustrated that former Buffalo Bills head coach Marv Levy had a novel coming out. I ordered it from my local independent book store (the Vero Beach Book Center) and we couldn’t wait to read it.

Between the Lies is Marv Levy’s first work of fiction. It is an entertaining, fast read that tells the tale of two coaches and the philosophy of two teams, set against the backdrop of an expansion team’s football experience. It culminates in a Super Bowl experience and the resulting revelations.

Marv Levy coached the Buffalo Bills during their record-setting four consecutive Super Bowl appearances, and knows his football from both coaching and front office perspectives. Football players’ names reference former greats (Kelly James/Jim Kelly, Elroy Johnathan/John Elway, Lonnie Mott/Ronnie Lott, Dan Beady/Don Beebe), and his description of football plays puts you in the game. It is easy to think his coaching philosophy mirrors that of Coach Bobby Russell.

Football fans (and fanatics) will enjoy the story both for the football and the behind-the-scenes peek of a football expansion team gearing up from scratch.

Non-football fans will enjoy the story for the moral struggle of one coach to hold true to his personal and coaching beliefs, not folding under the pressure to keep his job at the expense of the integrity of the game itself.

Winning with Field Goals

Games played Sunday, September 25:

Jacksonville Jaguars (1-2) 10 at Carolina Panthers (1-2) 16

Houston Texans (2-1) 33 at New Orleans Saints (2-1) 40

San Francisco 49ers (2-1) 13 at Cincinnati Bengals (1-2) 8

Miami Dolphins (0-3) 16 at Cleveland Browns (2-1) 17

New England Patriots (2-1) 31 at Buffalo Bills (3-0) 34

New York Giants (2-1) 29 at Philadelphia Eagles (1-2) 16

Denver Broncos (1-2) 14 at Tennessee Titans (2-1) 17

Detroit Lions (3-0) 26 at Minnesota Vikings (0-3) 23 in OT

New York Jets (2-1) 24 at Oakland Raiders (2-1) 34

Kansas City Chiefs (0-3) 17 at San Diego Chargers (2-1) 20

Baltimore Ravens (2-1) 37 at St. Louis Rams (0-3) 7

Atlanta Falcons (1-2) 13 at Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2-1) 16

Green Bay Packers (3-0) 27 at Chicago Bears (1-2) 17

Arizona Cardinals (1-2) 10 at Seattle Seahawks (1-2) 13

Pittsburgh Steelers (2-1) 23 at Indianapolis Colts (0-3) 20

Game played Monday, September 26:

Washington Redskins (2-1) 16 at Dallas Cowboys (2-1) 18

There were some exciting games played in Week 3, and the two biggest surprises with undefeated records so far: the Detroit Lions and the Buffalo Bills. Neither had a season last year that led fans to expect their excellent play this year. My husband is a Buffalo Bill’s fan, and there have been many happy texts after the games thus far among family members.

The Colts are struggling without Peyton Manning. When coaches and announcers refer to a “franchise player,” Peyton Manning is the type of player they are referring to. He is the heart of the team, a quarterback leading his team in the best sense of the word, and his team is struggling without him.

The Monday night game was between two NFC East teams, the Washington Redskins and the Dallas Cowboys. Touchdowns are exciting and get the fans on their feet, but field goals can win games and Dallas proved it. The lone touchdown came in the third quarter. The score at halftime was tied 9-9, and Washington went up 16-9 after their touchdown. Dallas scored two field goals in the fourth quarter to win the game. I heard something on the radio today that reminded me of winning a game scoring only field goals: “It ain’t flashy, but it gets the job done.”

What will Week 4 bring? Will the Detroit Lions beat the Dallas Cowboys in Dallas, fresh off a win, to go to 4-0? Will the Buffalo Bills beat the Cincinnati Bengals and remain undefeated? Can the Denver Broncos beat the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field and hand them their first defeat?

Stay tuned, football fans.

Scoring with a Safety

There are five (5) ways to score points in the NFL:

6 points – Touchdown. The ball breaks the plane of the goal line when a runner carries the ball over the plane or a pass is caught in the end zone.

3 points – Field Goal. The ball is kicked through the uprights.

2 points – Safety. The quarterback is sacked in the end zone by the opposing team.

2 points – Two Point Conversion. Instead of kicking the ball after a touchdown for 1 point, the ball is caught in the end zone on a pass play for 2 points, or a runner breaks the plane of the goal line for 2 points. The cumulative touchdown score is 8.

1 point – Point After Touchdown. The ball is kicked after a Touchdown to make the cumulative Touchdown score 7.

The San Francisco 49ers played the Cincinnati Bengals in Cincinnati. The final score was 13-8, with San Francisco improving their record to 2-1 and Cincinnati falling to 1-2.

The Cincinnati Bengals scored 8 points, and they could get there two ways. In one scoring scenario, they could score a Touchdown and go for the Two Point Conversion instead of the Point After Touchdown. The 6 points from the Touchdown and the 2 Points from the Two Point Conversion totals 8 points.

In this game, they scored two Field Goals for a total of 6 points, and then had a Safety which gave them another 2 points. This gave them a game total of 8 points.

The most common scores are 3 points for a Field Goal, and 7 points combined for a Touchdown. The 8 points scored by Cincinnati indicated to me that they had a Safety or a Two Point Conversion. The Safety is not a common score because the quarterback is not often in (or close to) the end zone. When the quarterback is that close to the end zone, and a Safety is a possibility, the offensive line needs to be aware of the quarterback’s position in order to protect the quarterback and prevent the other team from scoring.

New York Giants Win Home Opener

Game played last night (winner in bold):

St. Louis Rams (0-2) 16 at New York Giants (1-1) 28

The score is misleading because it makes it seem the game was closer than it was; at no point did St. Louis come close to taking the lead back after the Giants’ first touchdown. As a Giants fan, sometimes I do better with a periodic game check instead of watching the whole game. Last night was no exception, although I watched most of it. Several times I thought the Giants got lucky, but then I thought about the quote from the Roman philosopher Seneca: “Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity.” The Giants were able to score after two Rams errors.

The Rams led briefly, scoring first with a field goal. The Giants answered with a touchdown, and then the Rams second field goal in the first quarter brought them within 1 point of the Giants. The Giants had two touchdowns in the second quarter, and the teams went into the locker rooms with the score 6-21.

The third quarter saw the Rams score a field goal (9-21), the Giants score a touchdown (9-28), and then the Rams got a touchdown (16-28).  Neither team scored in the fourth quarter.

The Giants and the Rams were both abysmal on third down conversions. The Giants went 5/15 (33%), while the Rams were 5/17 (29%). The Giants did not convert on their one fourth down attempt; the Rams were able to convert on fourth down, during the scoring drive in the third quarter that resulted in a touchdown.

The biggest game killers for St. Louis were fumbles and penalties. The Giants did not fumble; St. Louis had 4 fumbles and lost 2 of them. The Giants had 5 penalties for 55 yards; St. Louis had 8 penalties for 85 yards.

Tom Coughlin won both challenges last night; his percentage before the game was 40 wins out of 80 challenges, for a .500 average (the highest of any coach). He is now 42 of 82, increasing his average to .51.

Next week the Giants play the Eagles in Philadelphia at 1:00. The Rams host the Baltimore Ravens at home – game time is 4:05. The Sunday night game is Pittsburgh Steelers at Indianapolis Colts. The Monday night game is Washington Redskins at Dallas Cowboys.

Buffalo Bills Crucial Fourth Down Conversions

Games played Sunday, 9/18 (winners in bold):

Kansas City Chiefs (0-2) 3 at Detroit Lions (2-0) 48

Seattle Seahawks (0-2) 0 at Pittsburgh Steelers (1-1) 24

Chicago Bears (1-1) 13 at New Orleans Saints (1-1) 30

Green Bay Packers (2-0) 30 at Carolina Panthers (0-2) 23

Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1-1) 24 at Minnesota Vikings (0-2) 20

Arizona Cardinals (1-1) 21 at Washington Redskins (2-0) 22

Cleveland Browns (1-1) 27 at Indianapolis Colts (0-2) 19

Jacksonville Jaguars (1-1) 3 at New York Jets (2-0) 32

Baltimore Ravens (1-1) 13 at Tennessee Titans (1-1) 26

Oakland Raiders (1-1) 35 at Buffalo Bills (2-0) 38

Dallas Cowboys (1-1) 27 in OT at San Francisco 49ers (1-1) 24

San Diego Chargers (1-1) 21 at New England Patriots (2-0) 35

Cincinnati Bengals (1-1) 22 at Denver Broncos (1-1) 24

Houston Texans (2-0) 23 at Minnesota Vikings (0-2) 13

Philadelphia Eagles (1-1) 31 at Atlanta Falcons (1-1) 35

What a wild day for Buffalo Bills fans! The Bills are off to a 2-0 start, and scored touchdowns on every possession in the second half. In my viewing area the Jacksonville Jaguars at New York Jets game was on; with the Jets holding a commanding lead, the network switched our programming to the Oakland Raiders at Buffalo Bills game. We started seeing the game midway in the fourth quarter. In the last quarter, there were 5 lead changes between Oakland and Buffalo.

At halftime the score was Raiders 21, Bills 3. I don’t know what head coach Chan Gailey said to the team, but they came out determined to score. The Bills had five possessions in the second half and scored a touchdown on every one. I know I already said it, but it bears repeating.

The stats for the Bills second half: 5 possessions, 35 points scored, 2-4 third down conversions. The key is in that last stat, because the two third downs that weren’t converted were fourth down conversions, both in the last scoring drive. In that last scoring drive, the Bills were down 35-31 with 3:41 left to play. The Bills had all three of their timeouts left, plus the Two Minute Warning. They made most effective use of their time, their timeouts, and their belief in themselves to convert on two crucial fourth downs. QB Ryan Fitzpatrick kept cool under fire and did what he needed to do to win the game.

Fourth Down #1: 1:03 left to play, Buffalo is 4^th and 3 at the Oakland 24. Pass caught, first down. (The Bills are down by 4 at this point; had they not converted, Oakland would have taken over on their own 24 and most likely would have run the clock out to win the game.)

Fourth Down #2: :18 left to play, Buffalo is 4^th and 1 on the Oakland 6 yard line. Pass thrown, caught in the end zone for a touchdown with no one around wide receiver David Nelson. The point after kick is good, and with :14 left to play, Buffalo is ahead 35-38. (Had Buffalo not converted on this fourth down, Oakland would have taken over on their own 6 yard line and won the game.)

Oakland moves the ball from their own 20 yard line to the 44 yard line, and with :01 left, Oakland QB Jason Campbell threw a Hail Mary pass into the end zone. A scrum of players from both teams were there, but Buffalo SS Da’Norris Searcy got the ball in his hands for an interception to end the game. Oakland Raiders 35, Buffalo Bills 38.

This is why I love football: some games go right down to the final tick of the clock and are memorable for a lot of good football action (and not just because my husband is a Bills fan).

Kickoff Weekend in the Books

Games played Sunday, 9/11/11:

Pittsburgh Steelers (7) at Baltimore Ravens (35)

Cincinnati Bengals (27) at Cleveland Browns (17)

Buffalo Bills (41) at Kansas City Chiefs (7)

Atlanta Falcons (12) at Chicago Bears (30)

Tennessee Titans (14) at Jacksonville Jaguars (16)

Indianapolis Colts (7) at Houston Texans (34)

Detroit Lions (27) at Tampa Bay Buccaneers (20)

Philadelphia Eagles (31) at St. Louis Rams (13)

New York Giants (14) at Washington Redskins (28)

Carolina Panthers (21) at Arizona Cardinals (28)

Minnesota Vikings (17) at San Diego Chargers (24)

Seattle Seahawks (17) at San Francisco 49ers (33)

Dallas Cowboys (24) at New York Jets (27)

Games played Monday, 9/12/11:

New England Patriots (38) at Miami Dolphins (24)

Oakland Raiders (23) at Denver Broncos (20)

What a weekend! First the score-a-thon Thursday when the New Orleans Saints (34) lost to the Green Bay Packers (42), then the upsets in Sunday’s games: Buffalo Bills beating Kansas City Chiefs in a blowout; Houston Texans pounding Indianapolis Colts like they had a grudge against them and wanted to take advantage of Peyton Manning’s absence; Detroit Lions beating Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Tampa.

The game of the week was Monday night, New England Patriots at Miami Dolphins. Records broken all over the place: Tom Brady became the 11th quarterback to throw for at least 500 yards in a game (517); Brady’s interception ended an NFL record of 358 regular season passes without an interception (the last one in October, 2010); longest play in Patriots history – Brady pass to Wes Welker, who ran it down the field for a touchdown (99 yard play); Chad Henne, Miami QB, had a career high 416 yards; NFL record for combined 906 (net) yards passing; Patriots total 622 yards set two records – Patriots franchise record and most yards allowed by the Dolphins. The Dolphins scored on the opening drive of the season for the first time since 2000. Brady was sacked once (compared to Eli Manning’s four sacks in Sunday’s game against the Redskins).

It’s going to be an exciting NFL season if this keeps up. I don’t know if the players had a lot of pent up energy and/or aggression because of the lockout, but there was a lot of good football played this opening week that sets a high standard for the rest of the season.

The "Line"

The “Line” on a football game is for gambling purposes, and has no bearing on the final game score. It does give people an idea about which team is favored, and by how much.

When people talk about the line, they mean by how many points a team is favored, and if they place a bet the favored team will need to win by more than that margin of points.

The line on the Cincinnati Bengals – Cleveland Browns game was Cleveland by 6 ½. There are no half points in football, therefore Cleveland would have to win by at least 7 points in order for someone betting on Cleveland to win the game. If the margin of Cleveland’s victory was less than 7, Cincinnati would be considered the winner. The final score was Cincinnati Bengals 27, Cleveland Browns 17. Since Cincinnati won by 10 points, and they were not favored to win, the line on this game didn’t make a difference in paying out on a bet; anyone who bet on Cincinnati to win won their wager.

Packers beat Saints in Season Opener

One game was played last night:

New Orleans Saints (34) at Green Bay Packers (42)

Last night’s game kicked off the 2011 football season with a score-fest that was long on touchdowns and short on defense. It was an exciting game simply because there was little time used on huddles or teams changing offense and defense; for the most part the offense got the ball and scored, and kicked off to the other team.

Both quarterbacks had three touchdowns, and both quarterbacks had no interceptions. Aaron Rodgers (Green Bay) tied Jack Kemp of the 1964 Buffalo Bills for having three touchdowns in the first quarter of the season opener.

The Saints looked tentative in the first quarter, and fumbled the ball on their first possession for a Packers recovery. Green Bay capitalized on that for their second touchdown.

New Orleans scored a touchdown on their second possession, and Green Bay countered with their third touchdown of the game as the clock wound down on the first quarter.

New Orleans had a field goal in the second quarter. Green Bay went three and out, and punted for the first time in the game. New Orleans’ Darren Sproles ran the punt back for a touchdown.

Green Bay scored another touchdown before the half, and the teams went into the locker rooms with the score 17-28. The final score was 34-42, with both teams scoring in the second half but not as fast and furiously as in the first half.

This bodes well for an exciting football season, which is good for fans. The preseason games were for the most part underwhelming, which was understandable after the lockout and lack of training camps.

All teams are playing this week, and I am looking forward to Sunday’s 13 games. The final two games will be played on Monday.

Opening Day

Today is opening day of the regular football season, and right now the season is sparkly with possibility. Today is the best day of the season because all teams are undefeated.

The first game of the season is tonight: the New OrleansSaints travel to Wisconsin to play the Green Bay Packers. The tally of wins and losses begins, and the speculation about which team has what it takes to go all the way to the Super Bowl.

A lot of energy is expended during the regular season assessing and talking about a team’s chances of going to the post-season, or winning the Super Bowl.

How hard is it to get to the Super Bowl? The Buffalo Bills went to four Super Bowls in a row, from 1991 to 1994 (following the 1990-1993 seasons). They didn't win one. No other team has gotten to the Super Bowl that many times consecutively.

The New York Giants have been to the Super Bowl four times, and won three. The last win was memorable for defeating the heavily favored, up to that point undefeated New England Patriots.

The Miami Dolphins still hold the record for having a “perfect season” (1972) for winning all the regular season games, and all post-season games including the Super Bowl.

The football season kicks off at 8:30 pm on NBC, and for the next four months it will be all football, all the time in some households. Our home contains a Buffalo Bills fan and a New York Giants fan - tension will be highest on October 16, when the Bills play the Giants in New Jersey. We’ll probably take that game on the road to a local sports bar, and sit with our respective fellow fans.

Two Minute Drill

Last night’s (8/15) Monday night game, broadcast live on ESPN:

New York Jets (16) at Houston Texans (20)

The score was 16-13, Jets ahead, with 4:46 to go in the fourth quarter. Houston punted the ball and the Jets caught it at their own 18 yard line.

The commentator said the Jets would go into their Four Minute Offense. All the Jets needed to do was three things: 

1.                Keep the ball in bounds, to keep the clock ticking (the clock stops when the ball hits the ground or goes out of bounds);

2.                Make 1^st downs, to keep the ball in their possession;

3.                Take time off the clock. In football time, 4:46 is an eternity of time. If you don’t think so, clock how much time it takes to actually play that amount of time.

The Jets did not achieve those three goals. Houston got the ball back, and went into their Two Minute Drill. This refers to the final two minutes in each half, when the team with the ball, or the team who gets the ball, tries to score in the final two minutes of the half. This does two things (three if it’s a home game):

1.          It scores points;

2.          It gives the scoring team momentum to carry with them into halftime (if they score at the end of the second quarter) or into the next game (if they score at the end of the game);

3.          If they are at home, it gives the home crowd something to cheer about and keep their enthusiasm for their team high.

Sunday night I watched the replay of the Denver Broncos at Dallas Cowboys game (originally played Thursday 8/11). The ending was more exciting to watch than it sounded, and it sounded exciting. Dallas was down 23-16 to Denver; if they had scored a touchdown and gone for the point after kick, they would have tied the game and gone into overtime. Already with the ball in a scoring drive, Dallas used their remaining two minutes wisely; they were able to convert on 4^th down to keep the drive alive, and scored the touchdown. Opting to win the game outright, Dallas quarterback Stephen McGee passed the ball for the Two-Point Conversion and the go ahead score with 15 seconds left on the clock. Total time of the scoring drive: 5:29; 12 plays. Dallas won the game 24-23.

For more information about football, Football Basics - How the American Football Game is Played is available as a Kindle ebook at Amazon. Click the book title to purchase, or visit my website www.FootballBasics.net to read an excerpt of the book.

3rd Down Conversions

Five games were played last night (August 13):

Green Bay Packers (17) at Cleveland Browns (27)

Buffalo Bills (3) at Chicago Bears (10)

Indianapolis Colts (10) at St. Louis Rams (33)

New York Giants (10) at Carolina Panthers (20)

Minnesota Vikings (3) at Tennessee Titans (14)

The live game last night on NFL Network (channel 212 on DirecTV) was Green Bay at Cleveland. NFL Network is showing all the preseason games (some live, most replays), so there is an opportunity to see your favorite team play the whole game instead of just catching the highlights.

The home team won all five games last night. Is this significant? It’s hard to tell during any game, but particularly in preseason. The starters typically play for one or two quarters, then come out to give the rest of the players time on the field. Does that mean the home teams last night have better depth at each position? Again, hard to say at this point. Time will tell as the preseason progresses, and we get a better look at the players on each team, and also see how the trades work out as new players learn their new team’s playbook.

In the Green Bay at Cleveland game, Green Bay scored right before halftime with a touchdown scoring drive of 9 plays that moved the ball 89 yards in 1:22 (one minute and 22 seconds). As the second quarter ended, the score was Green Bay 17, Cleveland 14. Cleveland scored in both the third and fourth quarters. Green Bay didn’t score at all in the second half. The final score: Green Bay 17, Cleveland 27.

Green Bay was 5 for 14 (5/14) on third down conversions. One of the successful conversions was during that 9 play scoring drive just before the half, at 2Q 1:34. It was 3^rd and 10, and the ball was passed for a gain of 19 yards. It was important to convert at this point; not only did Green Bay end up scoring at the end of the drive, it kept the scoring drive alive.

Third down conversions are important for several reasons: they keep a scoring drive alive, as in the Green Bay-Cleveland game; they keep the team’s forward progress and momentum going; they keep the ball in a team’s possession.

Time of possession is a stat that may or may not be relevant; it depends on what a team does with the time they control the ball that makes the difference.

Monday night's game is New York Jets at Houston Texans. The game will be shown live on ESPN.

For more information about football, Football Basics - How the American Football Game is Played is available as a Kindle ebook at Amazon. Click the book title to purchase, or visit my website www.FootballBasics.net to read an excerpt of the book.

Sacks and Shutouts

Five games were played last night:

Cincinnati Bengals (3) at Detroit Lions (34)

Miami Dolphins (28) at Atlanta Falcons (23)

Pittsburgh Steelers (7) at Washington Redskins (16)

San Francisco 49ers (3) at New Orleans Saints (24)

Tampa Bay Buccaneers (25) at Kansas City Chiefs (0)

The television coverage is limited right now, and the only two games I could watch were the Miami Dolphins at Atlanta Falcons, and Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Kansas City Chiefs. SportsCenter on ESPN is a great resource to find out what I missed in the other games, and get highlights of the games I did see.

During the 49ers/Saints game, the Saints had 6 sacks in the first half. A sack means the quarterback is tackled before he hands the ball off to a runner or throws (passes) it to a receiver; only quarterbacks are sacked. The goal is to have zero sacks in a game. To have 6 in the first half means the offensive line did not do their job protecting the quarterback.

Sacks are bad for three reasons:

1. The quarterback is more likely to be injured while being sacked;
2. The sack effectively wastes the down, because there is no forward progress of the ball;
3. Because the quarterback is behind the line of scrimmage, and drops back farther if he is going to pass, getting sacked almost always results in loss of yardage.

Commentators talk about the “pocket collapsing” around the quarterback; this is the line of offensive players whose job is to prevent the defensive players from getting to the quarterback and sacking him, or interfering with the forward progress of the ball in any way. They form almost a horseshoe around the quarterback, and this is called the “pocket.” It is hard to win a game when a team is not moving the ball forward on every down, and in this case New Orleans beat San Francisco handily.

A shutout occurs when one team prevents the other team from scoring any points, effectively shutting them out from scoring. In the Tampa Bay game at Kansas City, Tampa Bay shutout Kansas City. In this case, Tampa’s offense was better than the Kansas City defense, and the Tampa defense was better than the Kansas City offense.

Five games are being played tonight:

Green Bay Packers at Cleveland Browns

Buffalo Bills at Chicago Bears

Indianapolis Colts at St. Louis Rams

New York Giants at Carolina Panthers

Minnesota Vikings at Tennessee Titans

For more information about football, Football Basics - How the American Football Game is Played is available as a Kindle ebook at Amazon. Click the book title to purchase, or visit my website www.FootballBasics.net to read an excerpt of the book.

Football is Back, Baby!

Football is back, baby!

Preseason started last night, with five games.

Jacksonville Jaguars (12) at New England Patriots (47)

Baltimore Ravens (6) at Philadelphia Eagles (13)

Seattle Seahawks (24) at San Diego Chargers (17)

Denver Broncos (23) at Dallas Cowboys (24)

Arizona Cardinals (24) at Oakland Raiders (18)

So what do we know so far?

The time spent since the lockout ended has been volatile, with free agents up for grabs and teams ready and willing to grab them. Training camps opened, and cuts have already begun. Team size must be down to 45 active players by September 8, when the regular season begins. Teams are also allowed 8 inactive players, for a total of 53 players.

The games last night, and the upcoming preseason games, are a chance for the teams to try out their new players and get them used to the team’s style of play.

In Denver Kyle Orton, Brady Quinn, and Tim Tebow are the quarterbacks. Kyle quarterbacked a few plays, then Brady and Tim played the rest of the game. Tim is the newest addition to the team, signing with the Broncos in 2010 and having his rookie season last year, and has the most need of seasoning. There has been a lot of talk about the “quarterback controversy” between Kyle and Tim; while Tim was a star at the University of Florida and won the Heisman Trophy, he needs to work on his game to get it to the level necessary for the NFL. To me, the biggest “controversy” is between those who think Tim is the next biggest thing to hit the NFL, and those who believe his college performance won’t translate into similar performance in the NFL.

The Dallas Cowboys beat the Denver Broncos with a touchdown pass and two-point conversion, with 15 seconds left in the game. The two-point conversion allowed Dallas to win the game outright with a total of 8 points scored, instead of the usual 7. If they had gone instead with kicking a PAT (Point After Touchdown) to tie the game, it would then have gone into overtime.

Teams are allowed one chance to get extra points after a touchdown. Most often, the ball is kicked through the uprights for one extra point. Sometimes the extra points come from a two-point conversion. In this play, the quarterback either passes the ball to a player in the end zone or hands the ball off to a runner. If the ball is caught in the end zone, or the runner crosses the goal line, two points are scored.

Five games are being played tonight:

Cincinnati Bengals at Detroit Lions

Miami Dolphins at Atlanta Falcons

Pittsburgh Steelers at Washington Redskins

San Francisco 49ers at New Orleans Saints

Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Kansas City Chiefs