Well, the always sorry NFL Puddy-Tats of Motown are at it again. No doubt, they and their ever-faithful media and koolaided fans will claim the Lions made a big splash in free agency. Nothing could be further from the truth. All they've accomplished is getting a few has-beens at ridiculous prices.
Trey Flowers.
For all the hype, he's basically an average defensive lineman. Twenty one sacks in four years is hardly Hall of Fame material. But wait -- he came from the Patriots? Correct. They know when to let a player go, especially one that starts mouthing off about being worth a bazillion bucks, and will reload with a younger one. Can anybody doubt their ways of late?
Danny Amendola.
Also a former Patriot. The receiver got cut in New England, signed on with the woeful Miami Dolphins, and got cut there. Plus he's 34 years old. Not good enough for Miami, and Detroit thinks he's a big catch? Please.
Jesse James.
True, the Lions haven't had a decent tight end in forever, but THIS guy? I mean, who's next? Wild Bill Hickok? Annie Oakley?
Justin Coleman.
Supposedly the "answer" to complement Darius Slay at cornerback. You know, the self-proclaimed "Big Play" Slay. That he is. In any typical name, he'll get torched a couple times by opposing wide receivers on deep routes. And while Coleman was OK in Seattle, do you think the Seahawks would have let him go if they thought he had a major up-side? Likely not. It's also telling that Coleman would opt out of a beautiful city like Seattle, which is a Super Bowl contender every year, to come to the crime-ridden dregs of Detroit, which hasn't sniffed one since Super Bowls started over a half century ago. Kinda like Golden Tate did a few years back. Not exactly mental heavyweights, those two.
The "Patriot connection" in Detroit has become yuk-worthy. General Manager Bob Quinn, who was only a mere scout for the Patriots, hence not nearly qualified to be a GM, has pretty much botched the drafts since he's been in charge of player procurement for the Lions.
Head coach Matt Patricia, formerly defensive coordinator under Bill Belichick, appeared clueless in his rookie season as the field general in Detroit.
And now the Lions have been busy signing a few former Patriot players to eye-popping contracts, and will no doubt claim they "made a killing"
That they did. They've killed themselves salary cap wise in the near future by signing a bunch of retreads to exorbitant contracts.
Just wait for the draft. It won't matter who the Lions take -- they'll proclaim from on high they made yet another "killing".
And yep, you can be sure the above mentioned media and eternal sappies will jump on the bandwagon once again. They always do. By God, this just might be the year, they'll scream
Um, no. It won't.
They keep forgetting the obvious.
It's still the same old Detroit Lions. Everybody is great, until they prove themselves to be busts.
And if there's a way to screw something up, rest assured they'll find it.
For whatever reason, it's just in their DNA.
Tuesday, March 12, 2019
Saturday, March 9, 2019
The ridiculous Antonio Brown
What is it with these idiots? You know, the ones that think soon-to-be former Pittsburgh Steeler receiver Antonio Brown is all THAT?
Sure, he's been a great player for several years. Tons of receptions and touchdowns scored. A leader in many categories.
But he's also 31 years old. Which means his best years are behind him.
On top of that, he's a show-off, prima donna, look-at me me me type guy, not to mention a locker room cancer.
If, as rumored, the Oakland Raiders want to take a flyer on this guy, one has to (further) question the sanity of Jon Gruden -- the $100 million man that has so far butchered the team in every conceivable way.
Antonio Brown is only going to be happy if the majority of passes come in his direction, and he doesn't have to do mundane chores such as -- gasp -- blocking on outside running plays, which he appears to have been incapable of doing anyway.
This dude and his 'tude can disrupt an entire team, so why, pray tell, would he be in hot demand?
Turns out, he isn't. Most teams know better than to take on an over-the-hill player that will want far more money than he's worth, with such a downside to boot.
Though he'd never say so, one can certainly speculate that Steelers' head coach Mike Tomlin and the front office is glad to be rid of him. His liabilities are growing, while the asset side is rapidly shrinking.
Give him a couple years in Oakland -- a bad team from top to bottom -- getting blistered on the field most games, and the dear Mr. Brown may wish he hadn't burned that bridge back in Pittsburgh.
At least there he had a shot at the playoffs and, once in, who knows how far a team might go?
Ain't gonna happen in Oakland.
See ya, AB. You asked for it, and it couldn't happen to a nicer guy.
Sure, he's been a great player for several years. Tons of receptions and touchdowns scored. A leader in many categories.
But he's also 31 years old. Which means his best years are behind him.
On top of that, he's a show-off, prima donna, look-at me me me type guy, not to mention a locker room cancer.
If, as rumored, the Oakland Raiders want to take a flyer on this guy, one has to (further) question the sanity of Jon Gruden -- the $100 million man that has so far butchered the team in every conceivable way.
Antonio Brown is only going to be happy if the majority of passes come in his direction, and he doesn't have to do mundane chores such as -- gasp -- blocking on outside running plays, which he appears to have been incapable of doing anyway.
This dude and his 'tude can disrupt an entire team, so why, pray tell, would he be in hot demand?
Turns out, he isn't. Most teams know better than to take on an over-the-hill player that will want far more money than he's worth, with such a downside to boot.
Though he'd never say so, one can certainly speculate that Steelers' head coach Mike Tomlin and the front office is glad to be rid of him. His liabilities are growing, while the asset side is rapidly shrinking.
Give him a couple years in Oakland -- a bad team from top to bottom -- getting blistered on the field most games, and the dear Mr. Brown may wish he hadn't burned that bridge back in Pittsburgh.
At least there he had a shot at the playoffs and, once in, who knows how far a team might go?
Ain't gonna happen in Oakland.
See ya, AB. You asked for it, and it couldn't happen to a nicer guy.
Monday, March 4, 2019
Somebody's crazy
So the Philadelphia Phillies gave Bryce Harper a thirteen year contract worth $330 million bucks.
They're crazy.
Harper, now 26 years old, will obviously be the very ripe old baseball age of 39 by the time the Phillies are off the hook for this ludicrous contract.
When's the last time you heard of an everyday position player being any good past the age of 35?
Oh, but it gets even more ludicrous. Harper was a sub .250 hitter last year, is most definitely a sub-par defensive outfielder, strikes out a lot, and is an injury waiting to happen. And let's not forget he's not the easiest guy for teammates to get along with in the clubhouse. Can you say hot-head/prima donna?
Just when you think people can't get any stupider ---
Along comes a couple golf club commercials.
One says buy this driver and every tee shot is guaranteed to land in the fairway. Well then. How come the hot-shots on the PGA Tour aren't using it? Lord knows, they sure miss enough fairways trying to bomb the ball well over 300 yards.
And if you're crazy enough to be interested in that driver, you'll just love....
The guaranteed sand iron. Buy this little gem and your sand trap worries are over. No more flailing away in the ditch. Every shot guaranteed to land on the green.
Right.
And if you're stupid enough to plunk down money for either of these clubs, why not buy six or seven of each? One for every day of the week. Call now while supplies last -- you moron.
I saw where some Detroit area columnist said the best thing the Detroit Tigers could hope for was to play well enough in the early part of the year, so some of the "veterans" would have enough "value" to get rid of for future "prospects", thereby torpedoing the team even further for the next several years.
And that's just nuts.
They're crazy.
Harper, now 26 years old, will obviously be the very ripe old baseball age of 39 by the time the Phillies are off the hook for this ludicrous contract.
When's the last time you heard of an everyday position player being any good past the age of 35?
Oh, but it gets even more ludicrous. Harper was a sub .250 hitter last year, is most definitely a sub-par defensive outfielder, strikes out a lot, and is an injury waiting to happen. And let's not forget he's not the easiest guy for teammates to get along with in the clubhouse. Can you say hot-head/prima donna?
Just when you think people can't get any stupider ---
Along comes a couple golf club commercials.
One says buy this driver and every tee shot is guaranteed to land in the fairway. Well then. How come the hot-shots on the PGA Tour aren't using it? Lord knows, they sure miss enough fairways trying to bomb the ball well over 300 yards.
And if you're crazy enough to be interested in that driver, you'll just love....
The guaranteed sand iron. Buy this little gem and your sand trap worries are over. No more flailing away in the ditch. Every shot guaranteed to land on the green.
Right.
And if you're stupid enough to plunk down money for either of these clubs, why not buy six or seven of each? One for every day of the week. Call now while supplies last -- you moron.
I saw where some Detroit area columnist said the best thing the Detroit Tigers could hope for was to play well enough in the early part of the year, so some of the "veterans" would have enough "value" to get rid of for future "prospects", thereby torpedoing the team even further for the next several years.
And that's just nuts.
Friday, February 22, 2019
The Robert Kraft sex fiasco
NFL fans know Robert Kraft is the owner of the New England Patriots. Pretty much everybody else knows he's also uber-rich, as in billionaire. Probably several times over.
And getting richer every day. As the honcho of the Kraft food empire, see mac and cheese, mayo, and a slew of other products folks buy every day by the millions, the money continues to pour in.
Yet it would appear Mr. Kraft is dumber than a brick in another respect.
How else to explain him getting caught up in a prostitution and/or "human trafficking" sting?
Yes, I get it. Men have their "needs", even old guys like Kraft. And given his wife died a while back, nobody would begrudge him if wanted to "get a little on the side" to satisfy his libido.
Stop right there.
How, pray tell, could he have possibly have wound up in this predicament? Sure, he denies any involvement, and he's innocent until proven guilty, just like everybody else. Time will tell -- maybe.
Just for the sake of argument, and perhaps stupidity, something yours truly excels at, let's just say he actually did it.
But this would he so colossally dumb, if true.
Consider. Your average billionaire has all kinds of contacts and connects. He/she can pick up a phone and call somebody to get most anything done.
It only seems logical then, that he would have somebody on his list that could facilitate getting in touch with a high-class call girl agency. They're out there, and very discreet as well.
And now a word from our sponsors. It's a lie. A blatant one. Some golf club company claims if you buy their latest and greatest driver, you'll never miss a fairway again. Guaranteed. Here's my question. Why aren't the touring pros, the best in the world, using it? They miss fairways all the time. Yet this "magic" club is foolproof, even for your average duffer? Please. What kind of idiot would fall for a advertising spiel like this?
Back to Bob.
Though I wouldn't know from personal experience, not being a billionaire, I'm pretty sure the above-mentioned "agencies" can provide Grade A cuisine for any man willing to pay enough for it. Beautiful women that will do anything to please/gratify a client.
And what can it cost? A few grand a pop? Definitely way out of my league, but chump change to a billionaire. Somebody like Kraft could have a different "companion", all equally gorgeous, every day/night of the year, if he wished.
Even if he had the stamina to "go" every night, 365 a year, at, say, $5000 a throw, add it up and it's still under two million bucks. Did I mention chump change in the world of a billionaire? Good grief, he probably makes a lot more than that every week through his food empire.
So why, tell me WHY, would somebody in his position, with infinite resources, stoop to going to a sleazy massage parlor looking to hook up for fun and games? Those are precisely the kind of places the vice squad boys and girls love to bust.
And it appears he got busted indeed. Sure, he and his high powered lawyers will probably figure a way out of it. Such is "justice", or the lack thereof, in America of late. Got enough dough, and you probably buy yourself a break from the law. Happens all the time, unless children, large quantities of drugs, or the dreaded "national security" come into play.
But had the mac and cheese man spent a few bucks he could easily afford for "steak" in the first place, instead of settling for "hamburger helper", he wouldn't be in this mess.
Dumb.
Dumb.
Dumb.
And getting richer every day. As the honcho of the Kraft food empire, see mac and cheese, mayo, and a slew of other products folks buy every day by the millions, the money continues to pour in.
Yet it would appear Mr. Kraft is dumber than a brick in another respect.
How else to explain him getting caught up in a prostitution and/or "human trafficking" sting?
Yes, I get it. Men have their "needs", even old guys like Kraft. And given his wife died a while back, nobody would begrudge him if wanted to "get a little on the side" to satisfy his libido.
Stop right there.
How, pray tell, could he have possibly have wound up in this predicament? Sure, he denies any involvement, and he's innocent until proven guilty, just like everybody else. Time will tell -- maybe.
Just for the sake of argument, and perhaps stupidity, something yours truly excels at, let's just say he actually did it.
But this would he so colossally dumb, if true.
Consider. Your average billionaire has all kinds of contacts and connects. He/she can pick up a phone and call somebody to get most anything done.
It only seems logical then, that he would have somebody on his list that could facilitate getting in touch with a high-class call girl agency. They're out there, and very discreet as well.
And now a word from our sponsors. It's a lie. A blatant one. Some golf club company claims if you buy their latest and greatest driver, you'll never miss a fairway again. Guaranteed. Here's my question. Why aren't the touring pros, the best in the world, using it? They miss fairways all the time. Yet this "magic" club is foolproof, even for your average duffer? Please. What kind of idiot would fall for a advertising spiel like this?
Back to Bob.
Though I wouldn't know from personal experience, not being a billionaire, I'm pretty sure the above-mentioned "agencies" can provide Grade A cuisine for any man willing to pay enough for it. Beautiful women that will do anything to please/gratify a client.
And what can it cost? A few grand a pop? Definitely way out of my league, but chump change to a billionaire. Somebody like Kraft could have a different "companion", all equally gorgeous, every day/night of the year, if he wished.
Even if he had the stamina to "go" every night, 365 a year, at, say, $5000 a throw, add it up and it's still under two million bucks. Did I mention chump change in the world of a billionaire? Good grief, he probably makes a lot more than that every week through his food empire.
So why, tell me WHY, would somebody in his position, with infinite resources, stoop to going to a sleazy massage parlor looking to hook up for fun and games? Those are precisely the kind of places the vice squad boys and girls love to bust.
And it appears he got busted indeed. Sure, he and his high powered lawyers will probably figure a way out of it. Such is "justice", or the lack thereof, in America of late. Got enough dough, and you probably buy yourself a break from the law. Happens all the time, unless children, large quantities of drugs, or the dreaded "national security" come into play.
But had the mac and cheese man spent a few bucks he could easily afford for "steak" in the first place, instead of settling for "hamburger helper", he wouldn't be in this mess.
Dumb.
Dumb.
Dumb.
Wednesday, February 20, 2019
Down go the Dukies
So much for being #1. Coach K's boys just got ran out of their own building by cross-town rival North Carolina. You can't get thrashed by 16 points on your home court (or anywhere else for that matter) and expect to be considered the top team in the country. And it only got worse for the Blue Devils. Star play Zion Williamson, once considered the shoo-in #1 pick in the next NBA draft, went down with a knee injury, severity unknown. If he's out for any length of time, particularly when the NCAA tourney starts, Duke has NO shot. And if the injury is bad enough, who knows what it will do to his draft stock? Not good.
So that would seem to beg the question -- who is #1?
Tennessee was there for a while -- until they got throttled by Kentucky.
Virginia? They're pretty good but they always fold in the tournament.
Tiny little Gonzaga from the great northwest? They've historically been the little engine that stalls on the way up the mountain.
Michigan? Nah. Though they improbably made it to the title game last year, they're not good enough.
Nor is Michigan State.
Kansas always lurks, but they don't appear to be the real deal this year either.
Same with Louisville.
Once perennial powerhouses like UCLA and Arizona haven't made any noise in a long time.
It just goes to show you all this ranking stuff is a bunch of hooey in the first place. It doesn't matter one iota once the tournament field is set. Whoever wins THAT will be #1. Period.
And this year, it's shaping up to be a total crap shoot.
Any number of teams could get hot and pull it off. That's not even considering the injury factor. Ya never know about that stuff. See Duke above.
I'ms still rooting for the Zags (Bulldogs). What an incredible story it would be if a little school like that could become champions.
But do I think it will happen?
Nope.
Fingers crossed, though......
So that would seem to beg the question -- who is #1?
Tennessee was there for a while -- until they got throttled by Kentucky.
Virginia? They're pretty good but they always fold in the tournament.
Tiny little Gonzaga from the great northwest? They've historically been the little engine that stalls on the way up the mountain.
Michigan? Nah. Though they improbably made it to the title game last year, they're not good enough.
Nor is Michigan State.
Kansas always lurks, but they don't appear to be the real deal this year either.
Same with Louisville.
Once perennial powerhouses like UCLA and Arizona haven't made any noise in a long time.
It just goes to show you all this ranking stuff is a bunch of hooey in the first place. It doesn't matter one iota once the tournament field is set. Whoever wins THAT will be #1. Period.
And this year, it's shaping up to be a total crap shoot.
Any number of teams could get hot and pull it off. That's not even considering the injury factor. Ya never know about that stuff. See Duke above.
I'ms still rooting for the Zags (Bulldogs). What an incredible story it would be if a little school like that could become champions.
But do I think it will happen?
Nope.
Fingers crossed, though......
Saturday, February 16, 2019
The insanity continues
Here we have a professional golfer. Between the PGA, European, Asian, and other tours, not to mention the "minor leagues", there's certainly an abundance of them.
See said golfer playing a tournament -- not a major -- just your average tourney, in California.
See him a whopping ten strokes back -- tied for 55th place, not quite through his second round of play, and hoping to make the cut. Barely.
If you were watching the tournament at home, would you expect to be bombarded by coverage of this guy?
Of course not. But this particular golfer's name is Eldrick Tont Woods, sometimes known as Tiger.
The insanity of the media, not to mention the hordes of lemmings faithfully following him around continues.
He's not even in the Top Ten of the rankings.
He's won a grand total of one -- count it -- ONE tournament in the last five years. Not a major at that.
But STILL they faun over him. Replay, after replay, after replay. Everything always revolves around Tiger. See Tiger drive. See Tiger putt. See Tiger eat a banana. See Tiger chat with his caddie. See Tiger scratch his rear end. Tiger, Tiger, Tiger mania is everywhere. It's like they WANT him to win. They NEED him to win.
And never mind the 54 other golfers that are ahead of him. The TV crews can't go more than 2 minutes without showing Eldrick on the air.
When any round is over, apparently Congress passed a law saying it's mandatory the media televise a live interview with Tiger.
Wake up in the middle of the night, flip on ESPN for a recap of the day's sports, and what will you see?
More Tiger highlights. Tiger eagled this hole and birdied that one. They don't show the viewer the holes he butchered in between to be so far back on the scoreboard.
There are those that continue to say Eldrick Tont Woods was/is good for golf. They wouldn't tune in if he weren't playing.
I'm quite the opposite. I find any tourney infinitely more interesting when he's NOT entered in it, or the final two rounds of one where he didn't make the cut.
Because when that happens the TV coverage is more evenly spread around among the top contenders, as it should be.
To boot, of late Woods appears to only play maybe once a month or so, cherry-picking his tournaments at venues he prefers, while the rest of the pros are grinding it out week after week here, there, and everywhere.
You can bet he'll go into hibernation a few weeks before the Masters in April, preparing himself for the conditions at Augusta National.
And I wouldn't be surprised if the media somehow found a way to televise a documentary of Eldrick's said preparations, while all the other superior golfers the world over are ignored while actually playing live action.
I won't even get into his serial infidelity as a husband. Or his temper-tantrum throwing infantile behavior on the course when things don't go his way. Or claiming to have walked an entire course while playing on a broken leg. Ridiculous, but the suckers bought it.
Yet in spite of his boorish behavior and self-entitled attitude over the years, I tried, I really tried to warm up to the guy.
But I can/t.
The more the media attempts to jam him down my throat, the more I come to dislike him. If they would only be impartial about it, I likely wouldn't harbor such feelings.
I, for one, will be SO glad when the time comes and Eldrick Tont is no longer relevant, as in so bad even the media can't spin the proverbial gold from his game of straw.
Game "better" with Tiger in it? Pshaw. It's decidedly worse, much worse, because of the blatant bias.
See said golfer playing a tournament -- not a major -- just your average tourney, in California.
See him a whopping ten strokes back -- tied for 55th place, not quite through his second round of play, and hoping to make the cut. Barely.
If you were watching the tournament at home, would you expect to be bombarded by coverage of this guy?
Of course not. But this particular golfer's name is Eldrick Tont Woods, sometimes known as Tiger.
The insanity of the media, not to mention the hordes of lemmings faithfully following him around continues.
He's not even in the Top Ten of the rankings.
He's won a grand total of one -- count it -- ONE tournament in the last five years. Not a major at that.
But STILL they faun over him. Replay, after replay, after replay. Everything always revolves around Tiger. See Tiger drive. See Tiger putt. See Tiger eat a banana. See Tiger chat with his caddie. See Tiger scratch his rear end. Tiger, Tiger, Tiger mania is everywhere. It's like they WANT him to win. They NEED him to win.
And never mind the 54 other golfers that are ahead of him. The TV crews can't go more than 2 minutes without showing Eldrick on the air.
When any round is over, apparently Congress passed a law saying it's mandatory the media televise a live interview with Tiger.
Wake up in the middle of the night, flip on ESPN for a recap of the day's sports, and what will you see?
More Tiger highlights. Tiger eagled this hole and birdied that one. They don't show the viewer the holes he butchered in between to be so far back on the scoreboard.
There are those that continue to say Eldrick Tont Woods was/is good for golf. They wouldn't tune in if he weren't playing.
I'm quite the opposite. I find any tourney infinitely more interesting when he's NOT entered in it, or the final two rounds of one where he didn't make the cut.
Because when that happens the TV coverage is more evenly spread around among the top contenders, as it should be.
To boot, of late Woods appears to only play maybe once a month or so, cherry-picking his tournaments at venues he prefers, while the rest of the pros are grinding it out week after week here, there, and everywhere.
You can bet he'll go into hibernation a few weeks before the Masters in April, preparing himself for the conditions at Augusta National.
And I wouldn't be surprised if the media somehow found a way to televise a documentary of Eldrick's said preparations, while all the other superior golfers the world over are ignored while actually playing live action.
I won't even get into his serial infidelity as a husband. Or his temper-tantrum throwing infantile behavior on the course when things don't go his way. Or claiming to have walked an entire course while playing on a broken leg. Ridiculous, but the suckers bought it.
Yet in spite of his boorish behavior and self-entitled attitude over the years, I tried, I really tried to warm up to the guy.
But I can/t.
The more the media attempts to jam him down my throat, the more I come to dislike him. If they would only be impartial about it, I likely wouldn't harbor such feelings.
I, for one, will be SO glad when the time comes and Eldrick Tont is no longer relevant, as in so bad even the media can't spin the proverbial gold from his game of straw.
Game "better" with Tiger in it? Pshaw. It's decidedly worse, much worse, because of the blatant bias.
Sunday, February 3, 2019
Patriots Super Bowl champs -- again
It probably shouldn't have come as much of a surprise to most football fans. After all, the New England Patriots WERE favored, though just slightly, to win another Super Bowl over the LA Rams.
And so they did. What WAS surprising was how both defenses were so effective. In what most, including yours truly, thought would be a high-scoring affair, it was anything but. A final score of 13-3 bears that out. Defense pretty much ruled.
Hats off to defensive coordinator Brian Flores of the Pats. Holding the high-octane offense of the Rams to a mere field goal was impressive indeed. Rumors have it Flores will depart next year to take over the head-coaching job of the Miami Dolphins. Sure, he'll get a huge raise in pay -- welcome to the multi-millionaire club -- but last time I looked the Dolphins were still in the same division as the Pats. Which means they have no chance of winning it.
New England is amazing in that way. They just keep getting it done with guys most football fans never heard of, besides Tom Brady, of course. Running back Sony Michel was Rams' running back Todd Gurley's back-up at Georgia, but look who's hoisting the Lombardi Trophy now. Receiver Julian Edelman isn't tall, fast, or tough. But he drives defenders with the scat routes he runs and catches he makes.
Quick, name somebody on the Pats defense, or offensive line, for that matter. Betcha can't. None jumps out as a "notable" but together they play superbly as a team. That's coaching.
One need look no further than the current head coach of the Detroit Lions. Under Bill Belichick's tutelage, Matt Patricia was highly successful as the defensive coordinator for the Patriots.
One he got to Motown, he fell flat on his face, racking up a 6-10 record in his rookie season. And it surely doesn't look like the Lions will be any better next year. Same with Detroit general manager Bob Quinn, another former Patriot employee. True, he was only a measly scout in New England, but the Lions' "brain trust", and I use that term with tongue planted firmly in cheek, somehow came to the genius conclusion that Quinn had the credentials to be a general manager. As a scout, this guy knew about as much about negotiating player contracts and salary caps as your average legal assistant would know about arguing a case in front of the Supreme Court. Is it any wonder he's crashed and burned so badly?
But in contrast to New England, that's the Detroit way. Hire an incompetent, and stick by him for years. It took the Lions eight -- count em -- EIGHT years to realize buffoon Matt Millen running the franchise was a bad idea.
Nevertheless, all hail the New England Patriots, Super Bowl champions -- again. They get to have another parade while 31 other NFL teams don't.
Is anybody really surprised?
And so they did. What WAS surprising was how both defenses were so effective. In what most, including yours truly, thought would be a high-scoring affair, it was anything but. A final score of 13-3 bears that out. Defense pretty much ruled.
Hats off to defensive coordinator Brian Flores of the Pats. Holding the high-octane offense of the Rams to a mere field goal was impressive indeed. Rumors have it Flores will depart next year to take over the head-coaching job of the Miami Dolphins. Sure, he'll get a huge raise in pay -- welcome to the multi-millionaire club -- but last time I looked the Dolphins were still in the same division as the Pats. Which means they have no chance of winning it.
New England is amazing in that way. They just keep getting it done with guys most football fans never heard of, besides Tom Brady, of course. Running back Sony Michel was Rams' running back Todd Gurley's back-up at Georgia, but look who's hoisting the Lombardi Trophy now. Receiver Julian Edelman isn't tall, fast, or tough. But he drives defenders with the scat routes he runs and catches he makes.
Quick, name somebody on the Pats defense, or offensive line, for that matter. Betcha can't. None jumps out as a "notable" but together they play superbly as a team. That's coaching.
One need look no further than the current head coach of the Detroit Lions. Under Bill Belichick's tutelage, Matt Patricia was highly successful as the defensive coordinator for the Patriots.
One he got to Motown, he fell flat on his face, racking up a 6-10 record in his rookie season. And it surely doesn't look like the Lions will be any better next year. Same with Detroit general manager Bob Quinn, another former Patriot employee. True, he was only a measly scout in New England, but the Lions' "brain trust", and I use that term with tongue planted firmly in cheek, somehow came to the genius conclusion that Quinn had the credentials to be a general manager. As a scout, this guy knew about as much about negotiating player contracts and salary caps as your average legal assistant would know about arguing a case in front of the Supreme Court. Is it any wonder he's crashed and burned so badly?
But in contrast to New England, that's the Detroit way. Hire an incompetent, and stick by him for years. It took the Lions eight -- count em -- EIGHT years to realize buffoon Matt Millen running the franchise was a bad idea.
Nevertheless, all hail the New England Patriots, Super Bowl champions -- again. They get to have another parade while 31 other NFL teams don't.
Is anybody really surprised?
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