12/21/24
December 06, 2010
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.
I know I sound like a steelers whiner when I say this, but did anyone else think there should have been a flag on the knock out hit on Heath Miller. That was the very definition of helmet-to-helmet
posted by Debo270 at 09:25 AM on December 06, 2010
Debo, Cris Collinsworth thought so.
posted by tommybiden at 09:42 AM on December 06, 2010
Cris Collinsworth thought so.
Well if the best I can do is get Collinsworth to agree with me, I retract my previous statement
posted by Debo270 at 10:00 AM on December 06, 2010
I don't see any helmet-to-helmet from that angle. It looks like shoulder to helmet. Either way, there is zero consistency from play-to-play with how these safety rules are enforced. Suh got called for a personal foul for merely pushing Cutler when he was outside of the pocket. Vick got no such calls when he was out of the pocket. It's all bogus.
posted by bperk at 10:13 AM on December 06, 2010
That call against Suh was horrendous. In my humble opinion, the Bears have three-ish wins that were close to the direct result of bad officiating. You take those victories away, and does anyone think they are the best team in that division?
posted by fabulon7 at 10:32 AM on December 06, 2010
Looks like Pat Gillick is going to the Hall of Fame.
posted by DrJohnEvans at 10:33 AM on December 06, 2010
Nice to see Tiger back in contention. Nicer to see a Northern Irishman eating his dinner for him of course, but with Westwood winning in South Africa, it tees up next season (which probably starts next week) a treat.
posted by JJ at 11:16 AM on December 06, 2010
Congratulations to Pat Gillick. Well deserved.
posted by beaverboard at 11:26 AM on December 06, 2010
Congrats to Gillick on a well earned honor. Kudos to the people here on SpoFi for commenting on Gillick getting in, and not Steinbrenner missing out as most of the headlines I have seen elsewhere have.
Different topic, I had to keep rewinding the video of the initial showing of this play in the Seattle Seahawks game yesterday because I thought Leon Washington had actually tripped over the yard marker. It wasn't until the very last close up replay that you could tell that the punter had just barely swiped his foot enough to cause it to kick his other leg on the follow through.
posted by Demophon at 12:09 PM on December 06, 2010
It looks like shoulder to helmet
Either way, by the rule, that is 15 yards and a fine. The Best part was when they showed Harrison on the sidelines and if you can read lips, he was saying I would have been flagged/fined for that.
I am never one to think the league has it out for anyone, but more and more, it does seem like Pittsburgh is on the short end penalty wise.
posted by Debo270 at 12:24 PM on December 06, 2010
A team not on the short end, penalty wise, because they really were that dumb, was the Chargers yesterday.
This was on consecutive plays.
4th Quarter - 6:41 - 1st & 10 @ San Diego 46 : J.Campbell pass deep left to L.Murphy to SD 9 for 37 yards (Q.Jammer). Penalty on SD, Illegal Substitution, (12 men on the field) declined.
4th Quarter - 6:07 - 1st & 10 @ San Diego 9 : M. Bush up the middle to SD 8 for 1 yard. Penalty on SD, Illegal Substitution, (12 men on the field) accepted.
If you get called for 12 men on the field, it's a good idea if someone leaves before the next play.
posted by Mr Bismarck at 12:36 PM on December 06, 2010
You take those victories away, and does anyone think they [the Bears] are the best team in that division?
Even with those wins, I don't think many people would think that. ; )
posted by tahoemoj at 12:46 PM on December 06, 2010
but did anyone else think there should have been a flag on the knock out hit on Heath Miller
I think the NFL needs to do a better job of defining and enforcing penalties. On that particular play it did not look like an obvious blindside hit, but a blind hit is a blind hit and player safety is at risk and all such hits should be treated equally.
From another angle, with Hines Ward and James Harrison in the Steelers fray I really doubt any Steelers fan wants to see the NFL tighten up on blindside hits.
posted by cixelsyd at 12:55 PM on December 06, 2010
The manager who led Newcastle United to promotion with two games to spare from the Championship last season and currently has them running in 11th place in the Premier League with a 5-1 win over Sunderland and a 6-0 win over Aston Villa this season was sacked today.
Poor decision-making, ahoy?
posted by boredom_08 at 01:13 PM on December 06, 2010
After seeing our game against Swansea on Saturday Newcastle are welcome to take Roy Keane off our hands and we'll have Houghton.
posted by Mr Bismarck at 01:29 PM on December 06, 2010
The Lions have a hard enough time winning games as is, having officials doing their opponent favors doesn't help.
posted by Ying Yang Mafia at 01:32 PM on December 06, 2010
you could tell that the punter had just barely swiped his foot enough to cause it to kick his other leg on the follow through
And that only happened because Washington slowed down to showboat. Kick-ass play by the punter.
posted by yerfatma at 01:44 PM on December 06, 2010
it's a good idea if someone leaves before the next play
Probably subbed out to a different package. I wonder if Ron Rivera can make change.
posted by yerfatma at 01:45 PM on December 06, 2010
Probably subbed out to a different package. I wonder if Ron Rivera can make change.
I thought the guy at Burger King who couldn't figure out that the change to the $12.50 I gave him for my $7.49 order was $5.01 looked familiar.
posted by Demophon at 03:10 PM on December 06, 2010
That's nothing: we got hung up in line at the grocery store this weekend while the checkout person and bagger tried to work out what "two dollars divided by three dollars" was. I watched the bagger draw the problem out on a bag to confirm her initial answer of $1.50.
All of which meant the asshole who jammed them up about getting money off some frozen peas got $3 back instead of $1.33.
Unrelated: Why bother drafting a running back?
posted by yerfatma at 03:36 PM on December 06, 2010
Just got an e-mail from the Orioles letting me know about the Mark Reynolds trade. I like the move, but and in a non-shocking scenario considering he has struck out more than 400 times in the last two years, the ball in the photo in the e-mail is on the wrong side of his bat (a broken bat swing where the ball is heading for the catcher's mitt). Considering this will probably be the biggest acquisition that the Orioles will make this off-season, you would think that they would have looked for a photo in which he hit one of the 70 plus homers he has hit in the last two years, not one that looks like he is striking out. Marketing 101 guys, make the product appear to be something people will desire.
Unrelated response to yerfatma: when I was in high school I worked in a grocery store as a cashier. They stopped letting me train new cashiers because I mocked one who couldn't do simple math to give someone their change on an order. They order came to something like $19.23. While the trainee was getting the change out of the drawer, the customer found a quarter (or whatever the change needed was) so that they could get a nice $1 bill back instead of loose change and the trainee couldn't figure out what to do. The store also told me I had to stop attempting to quick change the new trainee cashiers as a way to teach them to a lesson about paying closer attention to their money when I did it three times in one day and brought the $60 extra to the front end supervisor as proof that the cashiers were not smart enough with their money.
posted by Demophon at 03:59 PM on December 06, 2010
I always thought the quick change was supposed to be a job benefit. If you can't work the quick change, why have the job?
posted by lil_brown_bat at 04:17 PM on December 06, 2010
Unrelated: Why bother drafting a running back?
So, I wanted to see if this was a legitimate option, so I sorted the NFL rushing stats. Foster is the only undrafted player in the top 15 when I gave up and decided that this wasn't a good option.
posted by bperk at 04:46 PM on December 06, 2010
I'm sure the Vikings and Titans regret wasting 1st Round Picks on running backs in the past.
posted by Ying Yang Mafia at 06:00 PM on December 06, 2010
@ShakaHislop captured Hughton's sacking perfectly. Need to keep this around for next time players and owners threaten strike/lockout respectively.
posted by billsaysthis at 06:04 PM on December 06, 2010
Meanwhile, the Atlanta Falcons are quietly building their reputation as the most-feared team in the NFC. I mean, c'mon! Did anyone watch that Falcons/Bucs game? Bucs take the lead with four minutes left and you can just HEAR them thinking, "Uh oh, we left Matty Ice way too much time on the clock." And sure enough, the Falcons calmly and methodically march right down the field. You don't want to play these guys at home in the playoffs, and they're getting close to sewing up home-field advantage.
Having suffered a lifetime of the unremitting awfulness that was Falcons Football, I'm over the moon with joy at how Mike Smith and Rich McKay have transformed the franchise into a team that EXPECTS to win every time they step on the field.
We've got a 1000 yard rusher in Michael Turner and a 100 yard receiver in Roddy White.
We've got an unflappable QB.
We've got a first-ballot HoF tight end.
We're thin at running back due to injury, and our secondary makes do with speed since they're undersized, but, DAMN. Finally! The Falcons are LEGIT.
posted by BitterOldPunk at 07:02 PM on December 06, 2010
Oops. "1000 yard receiver"
Stupid phone touchpad.
posted by BitterOldPunk at 07:04 PM on December 06, 2010
I sorted the NFL rushing stats. Foster is the only undrafted player in the top 15 when I gave up and decided that this wasn't a good option.
What does top individual rushing have to do with the price of rice? The argument isn't that the top rushers are undrafted, it's that teams can be successful without spending first round picks on runners. I'm completely in love with the idea of the Pats drafting Mark Ingram next year, but now I feel crappy about it.
posted by yerfatma at 08:16 PM on December 06, 2010
Go out for an hour, and you miss Swann cleaning up the Aussie tail. It might have felt wobbly at a few moments, but step back, and good heavens, that was a comprehensive victory.
posted by etagloh at 08:59 PM on December 06, 2010
I turned the radio on before I was planning to go to bed. Just as I did, Jimmy took two in a row. I'm still awake and far more elated than an Irishman should be about an England victory. Vaughn made the point repeatedly on TMS - usually there's something in any win that you can point at and say "We might have won, but next time we need to do X, Y and Z better", but in this game, there was nothing.
posted by JJ at 09:09 PM on December 06, 2010
I'm suppose I'm not as elated as I ought to be, because it's clear that the Aussies are on a downward slope, and there's nobody on the bowling side who scares the living shit out of opposing teams and their fans. I can remember watching winter Ashes series as a kid when Thommo and Hughes filled that role, followed by McGrath and Warne. But the top of the batting lineup still has class, and outbatting and skittling them is very satisfying.
posted by etagloh at 09:23 PM on December 06, 2010
The argument isn't that the top rushers are undrafted, it's that teams can be successful without spending first round picks on runners.
I thought the argument was that running backs are a crapshoot and a team can get by without drafting a running back. Outside of the Texans, that isn't the case. Also, there is a world of difference between relying on first round draft picks and relying on undrafted free agents. It's where most teams fall.
posted by bperk at 09:53 PM on December 06, 2010
The true measure of how bad Australia's bowling "attack" really is must be the fact that even Ian Bell is scoring runs. It takes 20 wickets to win a match, but Australia will be lucky to take 20 in the whole series at this rate.
What worries me more is that billsaysthis follows Shaka Hislop on twitter.
posted by owlhouse at 10:03 PM on December 06, 2010
you miss Swann cleaning up the Aussie tail
Disappointed this isn't about the Pennsylvania governor's race.
it's clear that the Aussies are on a downward slope
A. This is no place to discuss their immigration policies
B. Is this more a case of Australia being bad than England being good (as suggested by The Bugle)? Ignorant American asking to pretend I know what my brother-in-law is talking about come the holidays.
posted by yerfatma at 10:08 PM on December 06, 2010
a team can get by without drafting a running back. Outside of the Texans, that isn't the case.
Huh. Which of the Pats' running backs I'm watching tonight were drafted?
posted by yerfatma at 10:09 PM on December 06, 2010
Fred Taylor.
posted by Jugwine at 11:41 PM on December 06, 2010
Huh. Which of the Pats' running backs I'm watching tonight were drafted?
I'd argue that their success is as much a product of the team around them as their own.
posted by Ying Yang Mafia at 12:09 AM on December 07, 2010
Having suffered a lifetime of the unremitting awfulness that was Falcons Football, I'm over the moon with joy at how Mike Smith and Rich McKay have transformed the franchise into a team that EXPECTS to win every time they step on the field.
Unless you are 11 years old, I think you might be exaggerating.
posted by grum@work at 09:22 AM on December 07, 2010
Shaka may have had his issues as a player but from his commentary on ESPN and recent tweets (I only found his account in the last few days) I think he's doing okay as an analyst. I mean I know you're joking but not sure why.
IAC Hislop is hardly the only one saying this, almost all the reaction I've seen (an admittedly unscientific sample) is similarly calling this an incredibly dubious move.
posted by billsaysthis at 03:51 PM on December 07, 2010
grum@work: yeah, yeah, '98. One anomalous season of squeaking their way into the Super Bowl only to get trounced by the Broncos doesn't count.
posted by BitterOldPunk at 11:27 PM on December 08, 2010
NFL teams that are down in the dumps:
Hire 5 head coaches. Make them all interim.
Rotate them throughout the season. Go 12-4.