04/23/24
December 29, 2020
SportsFilter: The Tuesday 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.
That . . . was something. The worst part is it may have been the best part of the game for Pats fans.
posted by yerfatma at 01:50 PM on December 29, 2020
I haven't looked at Cam Newton's salary situation to see if any incentives have kicked in to sweeten his meager bargain contract, but I think if anyone asked Belichick about Newton's roster value, BB would probably say that Cam is producing at a level that is squarely in line with what they're paying him.
To date, I have not seen one person sporting a Cam Newton Patriots jersey, even on gamedays when area supermarkets build huge pyramids of Tostitos and Coke in the middle of the aisles and encourage their employees to wear team merch throughout the store.
posted by beaverboard at 07:54 PM on December 29, 2020
Does anyone know of a readily-available NBA stat that tracks "meaningful" blocks? I found this cool blog post from 3 years ago, but it's hard to search for "blocks that matter" or something similar. Essentially I want what the Python code in the blog post does: blocks that lead to a loss of possession or even just ones that happen on a possession that does not end in points.
Asking because I just watched Daniel Theis perfectly time a block only for a second Pacer to treat it like it was a layup line and dunk the result.
BTW, the Celtics may finally have a great player with the initials PP on the team. If only someone tells him he's allowed to pass to the stars around him.
posted by yerfatma at 09:27 PM on December 29, 2020
I hate to see what's happened to Cam. Obviously that shoulder has not healed completely and probably never will. And who knows if he truly has recovered from his bout with Covid.
posted by NoMich at 11:00 PM on December 29, 2020
I don't know that that's it. His mechanics, to use a technical term, suck ass. According to what I have read, that's not a new thing. I'm sure the injuries have taken a toll and the fact he is playing with a bunch of duds who think trying to catch with your facemask is a reasonable approach doesn't help, but he regularly throws without even trying to get his feet right and shit flies everywhere.
posted by yerfatma at 12:59 PM on December 30, 2020
Oh, for sure, he loves to a sail a ball over receivers' heads from time to time, but it's not like he was throwing to perennial all-stars down here in North Carolina but was still racking up about 3500 yards a year. His rookie and MVP seasons, especially, were a joy to watch.
posted by NoMich at 01:34 PM on December 30, 2020
I would be stunned if Newton is on the Pats 2021 roster.
He apparently works hard and studies hard, but they have not been able to optimize his ability.
I think they should give him 20 carries on Sunday. If he can get past the Jets' terrific interior DL duo, he could rack up some yardage.
If they don't have Newton on the move, he's going to get sacked a bunch. The Jets have been getting after it lately.
I also think the Jets are going to win that game. Darnold doesn't seem like a guy with an edge but I'll bet he's heard more than enough yakking about how pissed people are that the Jets aren't getting Trevor Lawrence. All that chatter would be enough to even get Tommy Maddox riled up.
It would be a classic Jets moment if they fired Gase after he ended the season with a 3 game win streak. But it's got to be done. He's a coordinator.
posted by beaverboard at 02:43 PM on December 30, 2020
Tom Brady and Bill Belichick in Love Actually.