Botched Call?

Week 3 Results (No teams on Bye week):

36-  7:  (2-1) New York Giants at (1-2) Carolina Panthers
10-16:  (1-2) Tampa Bay Buccaneers at (2-1) Dallas Cowboys
22-17:  (1-2) Jacksonville Jaguars at (1-2) Indianapolis Colts
24-14:  (2-1) Buffalo Bills at (0-3) Cleveland Browns
23-20:  (2-1) New York Jets at (1-2) Miami Dolphins (in OT)
27-24:  (1-2) Kansas City Chiefs at (0-3) New Orleans Saints (in OT)
38-31:  (2-1) Cincinnati Bengals at (1-2) Washington Redskins
  6-23:  (1-2) St. Louis Rams at (2-1) Chicago Bears
13-24:  (2-1) San Francisco 49ers at (2-1) Minnesota Vikings
41-44:  (1-2) Detroit Lions at (1-2) Tennessee Titans (in OT)
27-  3:  (3-0) Atlanta Falcons at (2-1) San Diego Chargers
  6-27:  (2-1) Philadelphia Eagles at (3-0) Arizona Cardinals
31-34:  (1-2) Pittsburgh Steelers at (1-2) Oakland Raiders
31-25:  (3-0) Houston Texans at (1-2) Denver Broncos
30-31:  (1-2) New England Patriots at (2-1) Baltimore Ravens
12-14:  (1-2) Green Bay Packers at (2-1) Seattle Seahawks

Three teams remain at 3-0: Houston Texans; Arizona Cardinals; and Atlanta Falcons. Two teams have yet to win a game: Cleveland Browns and New Orleans Saints. Fifteen teams are 1-2, and twelve teams are 2-1.

The most talked-about game this week was the Monday Night Football game between GreenBay and Seattle. The game came down to the last play made as time was running out: a Seahawks Hail Mary pass that went into the end zone amid a scrum of four defensive and two offensive players.

Two players, one each from Green Bay and Seattle, landed on the ground holding the ball; it was ruled a touchdown with the Seattle player maintaining possession of the ball, not an interception by Green Bay. After a lengthy review, the play was upheld.

Just about everyone except the referees and Seattle fans thought it was a Green Bay interception, which would have ended the game with Green Bay winning 12-7.

The outrage is aimed mainly at the replacement refs who called it a touchdown instead of an interception, and who missed an offensive pass interference call. The play was not reviewed by a replacement ref, but by a veteran; this veteran upheld the call.

In order for a call made on the field to be reversed, there must be clear evidence in the replay that gives cause to reverse the call. If there is not clear evidence, as there was not in this case, the call on the field is upheld. In baseball, a tie at the plate goes to the runner; in this case, the tie between offensive and defensive players holding the ball went to the offense.

What are the ramifications that make this bad call so outrageous? For one, Green Bay’s record is now 1-2, not 2-1. Seattle is 2-1, not 1-2.

One lost game does not a season make, but it can make a difference for the post-season: whether a team makes the post-season; whether they get a bye during the first round; whether they get home field advantage.

Time will tell if this one game impacts Green Bay in two ways: whether they can put it out of their mind and move on; and whether this game will be the one fans point to that impacted their post-season participation (or lack thereof).

No-Huddle Offense

Week 2 Results:

10-23:  (1-1) Chicago Bears at (1-1) Green Bay Packers
34-41:  (1-1) Tampa Bay Buccaneers at (1-1) New York Giants
13-35:  (0-2) Oakland Raiders at (1-1) Miami Dolphins
27-  7:  (2-0) Houston Texans at (0-2) Jacksonville Jaguars
27-34:  (0-2) Cleveland Browns at (1-1) Cincinnati Bengals
17-35:  (0-2) Kansas City Chiefs at (1-1) Buffalo Bills
23-24:  (1-1) Baltimore Ravens at (2-0) Philadelphia Eagles
27-35:  (0-2) New Orleans Saints at (1-1) Carolina Panthers
20-18:  (2-0) Arizona Cardinals at (1-1) New England Patriots
20-23:  (1-1) Minnesota Vikings at (1-1) Indianapolis Colts
28-31:  (1-1) Washington Redskins at (1-1) St. Louis Rams
  7-27:  (1-1) Dallas Cowboys at (1-1) Seattle Seahawks
10-27:  (1-1) New York Jets at (1-1) Pittsburgh Steelers
10-38:  (0-2) Tennessee Titans at (2-0) San Diego Chargers
19-27:  (1-1) Detroit Lions at (2-0) San Francisco 49ers
21-27:  (1-1) Denver Broncos at (2-0) Atlanta Falcons
 
There has been talk about “parity” in the league – never before have there been 20 teams at 1-1 after Week 2, as there is this season. Six teams are at 2-0, and six teams are at 0-2. Who would have thought that Arizona and San Francisco would be 2-0, and New England and New Orleans would be at 1-1 and 0-2, respectively?

No-huddle, or the no-huddle offense, are often mentioned by the announcers. But what does that mean?

The huddle is the circle of offensive players prior to an offensive action. This is when the quarterback will tell the players what play to run in the next offensive action, whether a run or pass. The specific play called will tell the players what their assignment is; the play book, which teams guard vigorously, has the name of all the plays and what their particular offensive assignments are.

In the no-huddle offense, the quarterback doesn’t gather the offensive players into a huddle to discuss the play prior to a down. He may have given a series of plays in a previous huddle, so the offense doesn’t need to take time off the clock in the huddle after the previous play.

Because the no-huddle offense is meant to take less time off the clock, it is sometimes referred to as a hurry-up offense (the other hurry-up offense is the two-minute drill). It is used in time-sensitive situations such as when a team has a lot of points to make up if they want to win the game.

The Kickoff Special

Week 1 Game:

24-17: (1-0) Dallas at (0-1) New York Giants

 

Defending Super Bowl champions, the New York Giants lost their home season opener and the first game of the 2012 season to the Dallas Cowboys.

SundayNight Football on NBC broadcast the game in a special Wednesday edition. Fears about the replacement referees were not realized; the game ran smoothly and ended on time.

Both teams had good and bad plays (interceptions, dropped catches), and at times both teams looked like it was the first game of the new season. Training camp and pre-season games don’t replicate the regular season, and the final player roster has not been in place for long.

The Giants had two conversions on fourth down versus one failed attempt by the Cowboys. The Cowboys had 13 penalties for a total of 86 yards, compared to 4 penalties for 33 yards for the Giants.

At 2:36 in the 4^th quarter and needing a touchdown to tie the Cowboys, the Giants opted not to try an on-side kick; instead, they kicked off and apparently hoped to get the ball back on downs or via interception.

Neither scenario happened. Dallas kept the ball long enough to get to the two-minute warning, and then took a knee on the resulting downs to run the clock down and win the game.

The next game for both teams is Sunday, September 16: the Giants host the Tampa Bay Buccaneers; the Cowboys travel to the Seattle Seahawks. With ten days to practice the current roster, both teams should look better in their next outing.

Week 1 continues with 13 games on Sunday, September 9. Two games will be played on Monday Night Football: the early game is Cincinnati Bengals at Baltimore Ravens; the late game is San Diego Chargers at Oakland Raiders.

Regular Season Games

 

Back in the day, you could tell which weekend day it was by the football game that was being played: Friday night was high school, Saturday was college, and Sunday was the NFL. That was so long ago there were three major channels: ABC, CBS, and NBC.

First there was the innovation of Monday Night Football, in 1970, which was broadcast on ABC. The iconic trio of broadcasters for much of the 1970s and 1980s were Frank Gifford, Don Meredith, and Howard Cosell. My father couldn’t stand Howard Cosell, and would watch the games with the sound turned down.

In 1994, Fox began broadcasting pro football, winning the bid for the NFC games that used to be on CBS. Pat Summerall and John Madden moved from CBS to Fox, staying with the NFC.

In 1998, CBS won the bid to broadcast AFC games, taking them away from NBC.

2006 saw two innovations and one change: Sunday Night Football, broadcast on NBC; Thursday Night Football, broadcast on the NFL channel; and Monday Night Football being broadcast on ESPN.

In a new wrinkle, the 2012 regular season kicks off on Wednesday, September 5, as a special edition of Sunday Night Football. It will be shown on NBC.

In addition to football games being played on almost any day except Tuesday, the league plays 16 regular season games over 17 weeks. Every team gets one week off during the regular season, called a Bye week.

All teams play the first three weeks. Bye weeks run from week 4 through week 11. All teams play during weeks 12 through 17. With Bye weeks running during weeks 5 through 11, most teams have their week off roughly in the middle of the season.

Based on their first few weeks of play, teams use the Bye week to fine-tune their offense and defense, and rest injured players.

All teams play on Sunday, December 30, which is the final game day of the regular season.

The playoffs begin on Saturday, January 5, 2013.

 

Pre-Season Games

The 2012 NFL pre-season is almost over, and the regular season kicks off on September 5 with the New York Giants hosting the Dallas Cowboys.

The goal of pre-season is to work out new players, get players back in the rhythm of the game with new plays and teammates, and get the teams ready for the regular season.

Teams try out players at various positions, and have many more players at the beginning of pre-season (a maximum of 80). As the pre-season games progress, there are deadlines for the teams to get their roster sizes down to the regular season limit of 53 players.

Winning or losing in pre-season is no indicator of regular season performance. The pre-season game scores are not as relevant as the player stats.

Team starters typically don’t play the entire game, just long enough to get a workout and practice with new position players in a game situation.

Players hoping to make the team play long enough for coaches to make their decisions.

The four pre-season games don’t count in a team’s record; only regular season games do. Post-season games, should a team have any, are not included in a team’s record either.

 

 

The Replacements

There’s a line near the end of the movie “The Replacements” when Keanu Reeves says, “Glory fades. Chicks dig scars.” He’s reminding his fellow replacement players that the moment matters; it won’t last, but giving their all in that moment is a memory they’ll always have. They know their moment is ending – the lockout is over, and this will be their last game as replacement players in the big league.

This NFL season held so much promise. Last year was marred by the frenzy of trading and shortened pre-season caused by the player lockout, before settling into the regular season rhythm that saw a 9-7 New York Giants team (full disclosure: I’m a life-long Giants fan) win the Super Bowl over the 13-3 New England Patriots.

Today the National Football League said the 2012 season will begin with the replacement referees they’ve been using this pre-season while the lockout of the NFL Referees Association continues; an agreement with the NFL Referees Association doesn’t show signs of happening before the regular season starts next Wednesday (Dallas Cowboys at New York Giants, in their first division meeting).

Many complaints have been voiced about the lack of the replacement refs: their lack of experience at this level; the lack of good officiating; the lack of games ending in a timely fashion, with calls taking a long time.

I can’t remember which NFL rookie quarterback said he was overwhelmed by the speed of the NFL game when he first came into the league. I imagine the replacement refs have that same feeling, with the added pressure of getting the calls right.

They’re not perfect, even with the tools available to them. They’ll get better with practice. When the lockout ends, and the regular refs come back to the game, will the replacement refs feel that their moment in the sun was worth it? For better or worse, they are filling in with the training they’ve had so far in a system they didn’t create. This is a huge leap in their experience.

Glory fades, but they’ll always remember the games they officiated.

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.