12/24/24
December 28, 2009
SportsFilter: The Monday Huddle:
A place to discuss the sports stories that aren't making news, share links that aren't quite front-page material, and diagram plays on your hand. Remember to count to five Mississippi before commenting in anger.
This Jets fan will take the Colts' holiday offering. The Bengals are beatable, especially since they've clinched, but I don't know if I want the Jets to get into the playoffs. I doubt they'd go very far, and would rather avoid the pain. Then again, the post-season has its own mysteries . . . Ah, screw it. Go J-E-T-S.
posted by afl-aba at 08:37 AM on December 28, 2009
Coaches can talk about resting key starters and getting ready for the playoffs all they want, but the Saints and Colts did not look well defending against the run yesterday. That doesn't bode well at this time of year.
The Colts were also playing the #1 run offense in the NFL and Mathis didn't play. That, coupled with the fact that in the second half, the offense barely made a first down (oh, what a start to a career, Lance Painter) contributed to a statistically anomaly, I think. The Saints were awful, though.
posted by dfleming at 09:16 AM on December 28, 2009
Does anyone else wish that FOX Sports would retire that annoying robot/transformer/hideous looking thing that appears at the bottom of the screen during their lead-in after commercial breaks?
December Tony and the 'Boys get a shot at revenge this week.
posted by mjkredliner at 01:02 PM on December 28, 2009
I can't believe the Colts explicitly tanked the perfect season yesterday by sitting the starters in the second half against the Jets. If they win the Super Bowl, Jim Caldwell will be second-guessed forever about giving up the opportunity for perfection. If they lose the bowl or don't reach the game, the extra rest will have been for naught.
Like Belichick's go-for-it decision earlier in the year, this is a move with so much downside that you have to marvel that a coach did it in such a risk-averse profession.
posted by rcade at 01:03 PM on December 28, 2009
I like Cleatus better than when TV show stars pop up and move around in promo graphics.
posted by rcade at 01:04 PM on December 28, 2009
Does anyone else wish that FOX Sports would retire that annoying robot/transformer/hideous looking thing that appears at the bottom of the screen during their lead-in after commercial breaks?
I wish a whole lot more that they (I think it's Fox...might be someone else) would stop that theme music that is a kind of shifted-key version of "Sleigh Ride".
I just hate football. Every game this season when I've watched the Patriots, they've stinked. The only way I can get them to win is to not watch and not listen, and that sucks. I don't even dare record it. And I got bounced out of my fantasy football playoffs yesterday. Football sucks.
posted by lil_brown_bat at 01:08 PM on December 28, 2009
Heh!
I think your Patriots are looking pretty good right now, you should be running as scared as some of us Cowboy fans are.
posted by mjkredliner at 01:14 PM on December 28, 2009
The Pats were in a freaky, 2007-ish, all-cylinders mode yesterday. You probably could have gone to Best Buy and watched them on 12 TV's at once and they would have been OK. If they keep that up, they are going to be tough customers in the postseason. Their D has been looking a good bit better lately.
The Bengals have a consistent hundred yard rusher and have been able to hold opponents' scoring down. That should bode well for them in the games ahead.
posted by beaverboard at 01:26 PM on December 28, 2009
Canada and Switzerland are gettin' ready to do battle in the WJHC this afternoon. Any avid fans of the World Juniors among us SpoFites?
posted by Spitztengle at 02:11 PM on December 28, 2009
Does anyone else wish that FOX Sports would retire that annoying robot/transformer/hideous looking thing that appears at the bottom of the screen during their lead-in after commercial breaks?
My daughter loves it. She always mimics the moves. You got to get the kids loving football young!
posted by bperk at 02:26 PM on December 28, 2009
A guy who's not real thrilled about being left off the Swedish Olympic men's hockey team? Vancouver's Mikael Samuelsson.
"Probably going to get in trouble for this, but they can go (expletive deleted) themselves."
Nice.
posted by wfrazerjr at 02:36 PM on December 28, 2009
Any avid fans of the World Juniors among us SpoFites?
*raises hand!*
Honestly, a little worried that the first two gimmies will leave this team on their laurels for Slovakia. This is a really talented offensive team whose defense won't be tested for the first 120 minutes of the tournament and I wonder how they'll come out for game 3.
posted by dfleming at 03:18 PM on December 28, 2009
Anybody else ever heard of a penalty being called on replay? Hochuli and his squad continue to baffle the NFL with their rule interpretations.
In the waning moments of the second quarter of the Bengal game, Palmer seemingly threw a 6-yard touchdown to Ochocinco. The booth review showed that he had briefly stepped out of bounds before the catch. Not only was the touchdown overturned (the correct call) but the Bengals were penalized five yards for the illegal touch. I'm sort of shocked that a bigger deal wasn't made of this on all the postgame coverage, as I've never seen anything like it in 20 or so years of watching football. Thoughts?
posted by tahoemoj at 03:47 PM on December 28, 2009
Last week during a Lions game the Lions challenged that Arizona had twelve men on the field during a punt. The play was reviewed and the Cardinals did indeed have twelve men on the field so the officials tacked an extra five yards onto the play.
I didn't know that sort of thing was even reviewable.
posted by Ying Yang Mafia at 04:35 PM on December 28, 2009
Does anyone know where the NFL rulebook (notably, the section on instant replay rules) is published online? I've been surfing www.NFL.com/rulebook and elsewhere for quite some time now, and can't seem to find the actual rules.
If I do recall correctly though, "anything" that is discovered during a reviewed play can be taken into consideration, that includes penalties, violations, game clock adjustments, etc.
I was not, however, aware that a team can request a review "only" for an infraction.
Hochuli's name sure does come up a lot on a Google search about the replay rules though ...
posted by Spitztengle at 05:00 PM on December 28, 2009
Shareholders of Nike, Gatorade and other Tiger Woods sponsors lost a collective $5 to $12 billion in the wake of the scandal involving his extramarital affairs, according to a new study by researchers at the University of California, Davis.
The losses are separate from and potentially much larger than damage to Woods' own earnings.
"Total shareholder losses may exceed several decades' worth of Tiger Woods' personal endorsement income," said Victor Stango, a professor of economics at the UC Davis Graduate School of Management and co-author of the study.
posted by rumple at 06:00 PM on December 28, 2009
lbb, you had me laughing at your putting a hex on the Pat's if you watch the game...maybe you just need to change the outfit you're wearing...jersey inside out perhaps?
posted by dviking at 06:21 PM on December 28, 2009
Does anyone know where the NFL rulebook (notably, the section on instant replay rules) is published online? I've been surfing www.NFL.com/rulebook and elsewhere for quite some time now, and can't seem to find the actual rules.
I found a pdf on the football guys site, but you might have to be a member to access it. I saved it on my computer, but I don't know how that helps you.
Also, the rulebook seems to speak only to what reviewable plays are. It doesn't indicate what the referees are allowed or not allowed to determine after review.
posted by bperk at 08:35 AM on December 29, 2009
Coaches can talk about resting key starters and getting ready for the playoffs all they want, but the Saints and Colts did not look well defending against the run yesterday. That doesn't bode well at this time of year.
I don't think I'll ever lay money down against the Panthers when they're playing the Giants late in the year, at least while Fox is coaching. They just seem to have the Giants' number. Yesterday's whupping must have looked painfully familiar to Tiki Barber.
I'm down on my knees hoping that Matt Moore continues to develop so that we won't have to suffer having to watch Delhomme start any more games for Carolina. Being subpar is one thing - having the team stick with you seemingly for all eternity despite abject wretchedness is another.