12/21/24
November 26, 2012
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.
For letting a Dolphins receiver get a hundred yards.
posted by Mr Bismarck at 09:50 AM on November 26, 2012
This was a few days ago but I don't think it got posted
2007 v 2012 Patriots
posted by kokaku at 11:02 AM on November 26, 2012
Scunthorpe's defending is bad, but not that bad.
posted by yerfatma at 11:33 AM on November 26, 2012
kokaku, I saw that over the weekend and still can't get over (!) this: "[The Patriots have] now single-handedly covered the game over-under line in three different contests this year".
posted by yerfatma at 11:34 AM on November 26, 2012
Not sold on the Patriots yet. My money is on Houston and Denver in the AFC.
6 games against Buffalo, the Jets, and Miami each year is enough to make even the Cleveland Browns look like an offensive juggernaut.
posted by cixelsyd at 11:40 AM on November 26, 2012
I'll grant you their division isn't the best, but . . .
They haven't played Miami yet and they beat Denver by ten. They have 3 losses by a total of 4 points. As a fan who has to watch their defense on a weekly basis, I don't believe in them yet either, but we'll know a lot more after they play Houston and San Francisco back-to-back in December. And if you're picking teams on the strength of their division, how is Denver your choice? Then again, the AFC South isn't exactly the ol' Black-and-Blue either.
posted by yerfatma at 12:57 PM on November 26, 2012
Playing Devil's Advocate in hopes of convincing myself, I found this article on the Patriots' defensive approach interesting: the suggestion in it and some other pieces I've seen since is that Belichick's defensive philosophy is not "Bend but don't break" but rather to generate turnovers above all else. The football stats community doesn't think generating turnovers is a repeatable (i.e., "real") skill, but the Patriots do seem to be focusing on it. One stat making the rounds in New England this week is that in the second half of the season since 2010, the Pats are 19-0 and have a points off turnovers advantage of 240-0. That will help.
posted by yerfatma at 01:12 PM on November 26, 2012
49ers at Patriots on Dec. 16 will be an interesting game if both coaches are interested in getting a W at that point.
posted by billsaysthis at 01:18 PM on November 26, 2012
The SportsFilter for One World Futbal campaign is up to $188 after a nice contribution from Dwight Shih this morning.
Have you given yet?
posted by billsaysthis at 01:22 PM on November 26, 2012
Yep. I threw in twenty-five smackaroonies in last week.
posted by NoMich at 01:33 PM on November 26, 2012
Thanks for the reminder, I just donated as well (though it hasn't shown up yet) in memory of Nicolas Anelka who brought so many fans together across the world.
posted by yerfatma at 02:22 PM on November 26, 2012
After watching the San Diego defence take terrible angles at Ray Rice yesterday, allowing 28 29 yards on 4th and 29, I wondered how often that sort of play is converted.
Since 2000, teams facing a 4th and more than 25 have converted five times, (including Flacco, yesterday).
One of the other four was earlier this year, when Green Bay ran a fake field goal against the Bears. But Packer Punter Tim Masthay might be a better Quarterback than the other three who have pulled this off:
Josh McCown - 4th and 25 heave into the endzone to Nate Poole with 00:04 on the clock as the Cardinals squeak the Vikings 18-17 after Christmas in 2003.
Anthony Wright - 4th and 28, 44 yards to Frank Sanders. Wright had 2nd and 2 yards to go and lost 26 yards on back-to-back sacks. He then hit a dump off to Sanders who went 44 yards. The Ravens scored a touchdown, failed an onside kick, stuffed the Seahawks on 4th and 1 to get the ball back, got another 44 yards on a defensive pass interference, kicked the game tying field goal with 00:04 (again) on the clock and then won 44-41 against Seattle in overtime.
Rob Johnson - 4th and 34, 40 yards to "Peerless" Price for a Buffalo Bills touchdown. A hail mary from a one-legged Johnson with 1:34 left in the fourth quarter of a game the Colts would win 42-26.
So congratulations to the Razorcakes' fans, for following the only team who lost the game in which they converted 4th and more than 25 to go.
posted by Mr Bismarck at 02:32 PM on November 26, 2012
Football quiz on the Christian Science Monitor web site. It's not real easy, but I got 24 out of 30.
posted by Howard_T at 05:32 PM on November 26, 2012
Heh, I got 24 too.
posted by tommybiden at 05:46 PM on November 26, 2012
Lot of 44's in that Anthony Wright blurb...like it was preordained...
posted by MeatSaber at 07:07 PM on November 26, 2012
Okay, kinda freaky...I got 24 out of 30 as well.
posted by grum@work at 10:32 PM on November 26, 2012
I got 26 out of the 30 but got lucky on a couple and was ashamed at a couple of the ones that I missed. I feel like the quiz is tilted a bit in favor of those of us who have a few more years on Planet Earth under our belts. Alan Ameche and the Ice Bowl is going back in the WayBack machine pretty far.
#13 was painful to me and no doubt to others as well: No team has ever lost 4 Super Bowls in a row... they have to make that a True/False? As if some people would think: it's gotta be false - no way any team would fail that badly. How about going to 4 SB's in a row as being a bit of an accomplishment? If the Bills ever win the big one, I'm going to buy a bottle of higher grade Ferrand cognac and settle in next to the fireplace to savor the afterglow. Then I'm going to book Tom Brady a first class Buffalo hotel room.
# 14 was a question right out of the rcade playbook. When I applied for SpoFiteness and had to take the citizenship exam, Super Bowl MVP Chuck Howley was the answer to one of the questions.
posted by beaverboard at 11:51 PM on November 26, 2012
I took the international exam. It was easier.
posted by Ying Yang Mafia at 07:23 AM on November 27, 2012
Both of Seattle's cornerbacks are facing 4 game suspensions.