Two days ago, NFL quarterback Josh McCown was tasked with the challenge of coming back from a 17-6 deficit to lead the Philadelphia Eagles to a win in the NFC Wild Card Round over the Seattle Seahawks.
He did not quite succeed in that task, but if he did, it would have not been the first time he eliminated a team with a 17-6 comeback.
That was the deficit McCown and the Arizona Cardinals faced against the Minnesota Vikings in the final week of the 2003 regular season. The Vikings needed to beat the Cardinals to win the NFC North Division title, and did not have enough wins to get a wild-card spot.
Unlike last Sunday, McCown was able to complete the comeback in 2003, completing a touchdown pass to Nate Poole on the final play of the game.
What if Poole didn't, though?
If you see the play in our universe, Pool did not have two feet inbounds. Back then, if a referee ruled that a receiver was forced out of bounds, he could rule it a catch.
The force-out rule was eliminated in 2008. Therefore, under current rules, Poole's catch would not have counted.
So let's say that in another universe, the force-out rule was in place in 2003.
That would mean that the Seahawks would face the Vikings, not the Green Bay Packers, in the 2003 NFC Wild Card Round.
Matt Hasselbeck would still say in overtime, "We want the ball, and we're gonna score." And this time, he would keep his word.
After all, this Vikings team almost let the 3-12 Cardinals team come back to win in Week 17. How do you expect them to stop a three-time Pro Bowl selection?
The Seahawks may not win the Super Bowl that year -- after all, the New England Patriots still exist in this alternate universe as well -- but they do end up winning Super Bowl XL.
Against who? The Indianapolis Colts. I'll explain.
In our universe, the Cardinals picked Larry Fitzgerald with the third overall pick in the 2004 NFL Draft.
Since the Cardinals lost to the Vikings in 2003 in this alternate universe, they would have the first overall pick, not the San Diego Chargers. Since the Mannings don't refuse to play for the Cardinals, as they did to the Chargers in our universe, the Cardinals select Eli Manning with the top pick.
The New York Giants, who traded Philip Rivers to the Chargers for Manning in our universe, select Ben Roethlisberger in the alternate universe.
We don't know what the rest of this year's playoffs will bring us in this universe, but we do know that, had McCown would have eliminated another team with a 17-6 comeback last Sunday, those results will have been a lot different.
Tuesday, January 7, 2020
Thursday, October 24, 2019
Roger Goodell isn't talking about a draft lottery for the NFL? Good, because I have a better idea
According to an article published on ESPN.com on Oct. 16 (https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/27861049/roger-goodell-says-there-no-talk-draft-lottery-combat-tanking), NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell says there's no talk about a draft lottery.
The Miami Dolphins have been an atrocity this season, and if they aren't tanking, then no NFL team has ever tanked.
With them and the Cincinnati Bengals each without a win through the first seven weeks of the NFL season -- and the Washington Redskins being a dropped screen pass in what YouTuber UrinatingTree dubbed "The Greatest Game," a.k.a. "Super Tank Bowl, away from being winless -- there is no doubt that some teams are not worthy of playing NFL games.
It was always a joke that some NFL teams are so bad that they would lose to, say, the University of Alabama. Normally, that's just a joke.
But I seriously believe the Orlando Apollos, a former AAF team, could beat these Dolphins.
The Dolphins traded away left tackle Laremy Tunsil, receiver Kenny Stills and linebacker Kiko Alonso for future draft picks and role players the weekend prior to week one. Early in the season, they traded Minkah Fitzpatrick to the Pittsburgh Steelers for a first-round pick.
So how do we stop teams from tanking? A draft lottery is an idea, but just ask the NBA how well that has worked over the past few decades. Speaking of the NBA, they can feel free to take the idea I have written below as well -- frankly, they might need it more than the NFL does.
I had suggested in a past blog post (https://rostradamusspeakingsports.blogspot.com/2019/09/dolphins-make-me-wish-nfl-believed-in.html) that the league should consider relegation, but there are obvious financial obligations to this idea, or a possible idea of relegation within the 32 teams already in the league.
So I have a different idea. Just like the implementation of the two-point conversion to the NFL in the mid-1990's, this idea would be taken from NCAA football.
In the NCAA, a college team caught cheating is put on probation. Two of the biggest components to an NCAA probation is the reduction of scholarships and a postseason ban.
Whether my plan is a punishment for tanking or just for being a lousy football team, this is my proposed step-by-step adaptation of an NCAA probation to the NFL:
-- After a season of NFL football, at least two worst teams would be placed on "probation." Obviously, it would be the teams with the two worst records in the league -- which, if the NFL decided to implement the system this season, that would be the Dolphins and the Bengals, but if they wanted to add the Redskins as well, they wouldn't get any objections from me.
-- The teams on "probation" would have their first-round picks stripped from them (just their draft pick, not any draft picks acquired from other teams), unless it was traded to another team prior to the trade deadline. I considered stripping all of their draft picks away, but I would like these teams to have some sort of chance to compete after they are taken off probation.
-- The teams put on "probation" will be ineligible for the playoffs for the following season, regardless of regular-season record. They would still be playing a regular NFL schedule, and would be under the same salary-cap and free agent rules as the other teams.
-- Should it be just two teams on "probation," the team with the better record the next season would feel like Antonio Brown after being released from the Oakland Raiders (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o-gwWVYmW7Y), except they actually were set free from something, as they would be free from "probation." The team with a lesser record would still be on probation. The team with the worst record that same season would be placed on "probation," and that cycle would continue for each season after that.
-- If there is a need for a tiebreaker, either between the two teams on "probation" or if there is a tie for the worst record among teams not on "probation," then a tiebreaker game will be played during the bye week between the conference championship games and the Super Bowl. Hey, it'd make for a more exciting game than the Pro Bowl.
-- If there are three or more teams put on "probation," the NFL could consider letting two or more teams off "probation" and put two or more non-probation teams with the worst records in the league on "probation."
The Miami Dolphins have been an atrocity this season, and if they aren't tanking, then no NFL team has ever tanked.
With them and the Cincinnati Bengals each without a win through the first seven weeks of the NFL season -- and the Washington Redskins being a dropped screen pass in what YouTuber UrinatingTree dubbed "The Greatest Game," a.k.a. "Super Tank Bowl, away from being winless -- there is no doubt that some teams are not worthy of playing NFL games.
It was always a joke that some NFL teams are so bad that they would lose to, say, the University of Alabama. Normally, that's just a joke.
But I seriously believe the Orlando Apollos, a former AAF team, could beat these Dolphins.
The Dolphins traded away left tackle Laremy Tunsil, receiver Kenny Stills and linebacker Kiko Alonso for future draft picks and role players the weekend prior to week one. Early in the season, they traded Minkah Fitzpatrick to the Pittsburgh Steelers for a first-round pick.
So how do we stop teams from tanking? A draft lottery is an idea, but just ask the NBA how well that has worked over the past few decades. Speaking of the NBA, they can feel free to take the idea I have written below as well -- frankly, they might need it more than the NFL does.
I had suggested in a past blog post (https://rostradamusspeakingsports.blogspot.com/2019/09/dolphins-make-me-wish-nfl-believed-in.html) that the league should consider relegation, but there are obvious financial obligations to this idea, or a possible idea of relegation within the 32 teams already in the league.
So I have a different idea. Just like the implementation of the two-point conversion to the NFL in the mid-1990's, this idea would be taken from NCAA football.
In the NCAA, a college team caught cheating is put on probation. Two of the biggest components to an NCAA probation is the reduction of scholarships and a postseason ban.
Whether my plan is a punishment for tanking or just for being a lousy football team, this is my proposed step-by-step adaptation of an NCAA probation to the NFL:
-- After a season of NFL football, at least two worst teams would be placed on "probation." Obviously, it would be the teams with the two worst records in the league -- which, if the NFL decided to implement the system this season, that would be the Dolphins and the Bengals, but if they wanted to add the Redskins as well, they wouldn't get any objections from me.
-- The teams on "probation" would have their first-round picks stripped from them (just their draft pick, not any draft picks acquired from other teams), unless it was traded to another team prior to the trade deadline. I considered stripping all of their draft picks away, but I would like these teams to have some sort of chance to compete after they are taken off probation.
-- The teams put on "probation" will be ineligible for the playoffs for the following season, regardless of regular-season record. They would still be playing a regular NFL schedule, and would be under the same salary-cap and free agent rules as the other teams.
-- Should it be just two teams on "probation," the team with the better record the next season would feel like Antonio Brown after being released from the Oakland Raiders (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o-gwWVYmW7Y), except they actually were set free from something, as they would be free from "probation." The team with a lesser record would still be on probation. The team with the worst record that same season would be placed on "probation," and that cycle would continue for each season after that.
-- If there is a need for a tiebreaker, either between the two teams on "probation" or if there is a tie for the worst record among teams not on "probation," then a tiebreaker game will be played during the bye week between the conference championship games and the Super Bowl. Hey, it'd make for a more exciting game than the Pro Bowl.
-- If there are three or more teams put on "probation," the NFL could consider letting two or more teams off "probation" and put two or more non-probation teams with the worst records in the league on "probation."
Sunday, September 15, 2019
Rostradamus's four downs: Eddy Pineiro kicks Bears to win over Broncos
So, I guess you could say the Chicago Bears' demons have been exorcised.
Eddy Pineiro made two 50-plus yard field goals, including a 53-yard field goal as time expired, to help lead the Bears to a 16-14 win over the Denver Broncos.
After being largely ineffective for the first 59 1/2 minutes, the Bears' offense put together a quick game-winning drive
Chicago was aided by a roughing the passer penalty - which, yes, was highly questionable at best, but so was a personal foul penalty the Eddie Goldman committed against Joe Flacco that led to a field goal earlier in the field goal.
Refball giveth, and refball taketh away.
Mitchell Trubisky completed a clutch fourth-and-15 pass to Allen Robinson to set up Pineiro's game-winning kick.
Does all of this sound somewhat familiar?
After struggling in the first half of last season's NFC Wild-Card game against the Philadelphia Eagles, Trubisky led the Bears into field-goal range in the final seconds, but Cody Parkey's double doink heard around the world sealed Chicago's loss.
Since then, the biggest storyline for the Bears' offseason was the kicking competition, which came down to the preseason before Pineiro was chosen over Elliott Fry.
Clearly, the right decision was made there.
On his Twitter account, the YouTuber known as UrinatingTree had the following to state:
"You have to love the Chicago Bears offense:
"- Terrible playcalling
"- Complete underutilization of guys like Cohen and Montgomery
"- Uninspired and vertically challenged passing by Trubisky
"- Forcing the defense to stay on the field to be picked apart by checkdowns.
"2006 again."
Maybe it was the opponent we faced, but these Bears -- at least the ones who played this game -- remind me of a different team from the past.
Much like Tim Tebow used to do for the Broncos, Trubisky showed an ability to produce little before pulling off some clutch plays in the end.
It's not the first time he has shown this knack for Tebowing. After all, it was Trubisky who led the Bears into field-goal range last January to set up the double doink.
And the 2011 Broncos did have a solid kicker as well in Matt Prater, who did kick a 59-yard game-tying field goal and a 51-yarder in overtime to win a 13-10 game for the Broncos against the Bears.
Of course, the 2006 Bears did have a better defense, and they went further in the playoffs, so for the sake of Bears fans such as myself, I would hope that UrinatingTree's words are more prophetic than mine.
Eddy Pineiro made two 50-plus yard field goals, including a 53-yard field goal as time expired, to help lead the Bears to a 16-14 win over the Denver Broncos.
After being largely ineffective for the first 59 1/2 minutes, the Bears' offense put together a quick game-winning drive
Chicago was aided by a roughing the passer penalty - which, yes, was highly questionable at best, but so was a personal foul penalty the Eddie Goldman committed against Joe Flacco that led to a field goal earlier in the field goal.
Refball giveth, and refball taketh away.
Mitchell Trubisky completed a clutch fourth-and-15 pass to Allen Robinson to set up Pineiro's game-winning kick.
Does all of this sound somewhat familiar?
After struggling in the first half of last season's NFC Wild-Card game against the Philadelphia Eagles, Trubisky led the Bears into field-goal range in the final seconds, but Cody Parkey's double doink heard around the world sealed Chicago's loss.
Since then, the biggest storyline for the Bears' offseason was the kicking competition, which came down to the preseason before Pineiro was chosen over Elliott Fry.
Clearly, the right decision was made there.
On his Twitter account, the YouTuber known as UrinatingTree had the following to state:
"You have to love the Chicago Bears offense:
"- Terrible playcalling
"- Complete underutilization of guys like Cohen and Montgomery
"- Uninspired and vertically challenged passing by Trubisky
"- Forcing the defense to stay on the field to be picked apart by checkdowns.
"2006 again."
Maybe it was the opponent we faced, but these Bears -- at least the ones who played this game -- remind me of a different team from the past.
Much like Tim Tebow used to do for the Broncos, Trubisky showed an ability to produce little before pulling off some clutch plays in the end.
It's not the first time he has shown this knack for Tebowing. After all, it was Trubisky who led the Bears into field-goal range last January to set up the double doink.
And the 2011 Broncos did have a solid kicker as well in Matt Prater, who did kick a 59-yard game-tying field goal and a 51-yarder in overtime to win a 13-10 game for the Broncos against the Bears.
Of course, the 2006 Bears did have a better defense, and they went further in the playoffs, so for the sake of Bears fans such as myself, I would hope that UrinatingTree's words are more prophetic than mine.
Wednesday, September 11, 2019
Rostradamus's four downs: The Antonio Brown saga
It has been known for quite a while that some athletes are not good role models.
To the trained eye, that had been known long before Charles Barkley declared that he is "not a role model" in a 1993 Nike commercial.
Since it came out, we've had some great so-called role models who have set a great example for the rest of us in society, haven't we?
Based on the example that Antonio Brown has set for us, I have a fool-proof plan to get myself a job as a beat reporter for the Chicago Bears at the Chicago Tribune.
-- Post a Facebook Live video of a private speech by my company's CEO.
-- Throw a temper tantrum and toss the company refrigerator around after not getting as many pages as I wanted to for my sports section.
-- Get into an argument with the Ford County Record's editor that will get me kicked out of the office, then skip all the games in my area and not cover them at all. Come deadline day, I'll just do half of the pages I need to do, then leave the office without finishing the pages.
-- Get fired, and then re-hired by a newspaper that has not won any Illinois Press Association awards in almost 20 years, and get paid twice the salary I received at the Record.
-- Get frostbite on my hands while not wearing protective gloves at a football game played under frigid conditions.
-- Threaten to retire from sports journalism if I don't get to use a specific type of camera for sports photography.
-- Finally, I'll miss some deadlines, say some racial slurs at the newspaper company's general manager, record a private conversation with my editor without his/her consent and request that I get fired from that paper.
Sounds like a solid plan, right? Oh, wait: That's not how the real world works? I'll be lucky to get a job anywhere, in any existing industry, if I do any of the things listed above?
Then how do you explain the New England Patriots signing Brown?
It just seems like he gets what he wants not just in spite of, but in many ways because, of behavior that would ruin the careers of anyone working in the real world.
Now, Brown is being accused of rape in a civil lawsuit.
I'm not a judge or jury, and know nothing about what happened between him and his accuser. But if he did the things of which he is being accused, I would think there would be the same kind of book thrown at him that any player, or any person in the real world, would receive.
Based on the luck that Brown has had over the past few years, however, I think somehow, he is going to be rewarded for it. Whether that happens or not, just remember that Brown is, as Barkley said more than 25 years ago, "not a role model."
To the trained eye, that had been known long before Charles Barkley declared that he is "not a role model" in a 1993 Nike commercial.
Since it came out, we've had some great so-called role models who have set a great example for the rest of us in society, haven't we?
Based on the example that Antonio Brown has set for us, I have a fool-proof plan to get myself a job as a beat reporter for the Chicago Bears at the Chicago Tribune.
-- Post a Facebook Live video of a private speech by my company's CEO.
-- Throw a temper tantrum and toss the company refrigerator around after not getting as many pages as I wanted to for my sports section.
-- Get into an argument with the Ford County Record's editor that will get me kicked out of the office, then skip all the games in my area and not cover them at all. Come deadline day, I'll just do half of the pages I need to do, then leave the office without finishing the pages.
-- Get fired, and then re-hired by a newspaper that has not won any Illinois Press Association awards in almost 20 years, and get paid twice the salary I received at the Record.
-- Get frostbite on my hands while not wearing protective gloves at a football game played under frigid conditions.
-- Threaten to retire from sports journalism if I don't get to use a specific type of camera for sports photography.
-- Finally, I'll miss some deadlines, say some racial slurs at the newspaper company's general manager, record a private conversation with my editor without his/her consent and request that I get fired from that paper.
Sounds like a solid plan, right? Oh, wait: That's not how the real world works? I'll be lucky to get a job anywhere, in any existing industry, if I do any of the things listed above?
Then how do you explain the New England Patriots signing Brown?
It just seems like he gets what he wants not just in spite of, but in many ways because, of behavior that would ruin the careers of anyone working in the real world.
Now, Brown is being accused of rape in a civil lawsuit.
I'm not a judge or jury, and know nothing about what happened between him and his accuser. But if he did the things of which he is being accused, I would think there would be the same kind of book thrown at him that any player, or any person in the real world, would receive.
Based on the luck that Brown has had over the past few years, however, I think somehow, he is going to be rewarded for it. Whether that happens or not, just remember that Brown is, as Barkley said more than 25 years ago, "not a role model."
Sunday, September 8, 2019
Dolphins make me wish the NFL believed in relegation
After week one of the NFL season, it's clear that the Miami Dolphins are the heavy favorites to finish with the league's worst record.
With several players reported to be asking for a trade following a 59-10 loss to the Baltimore Ravens, according to Pro Football Talk's Mike Florio, it looks like the Dolphins are tanking, contrary to denials from head coach Brian Flores, via an ESPN article by Cameron Wolfe on Sept. 1.
"I think that's disrespectful to even say that," Flores said.
The Dolphins traded away left tackle Laremy Tunsil, receiver Kenny Still and linebacker Kiko Alonso for future draft picks and role players the weekend prior to week one.
Tanking or not, we have too many teams like the Dolphins not only in the NFL, but in professional sports in general, and Sunday's annihilation proved that something needs to be done about such mediocre teams. Heck, they made Lamar Jackson look like a real quarterback, as he finished 17-of-20 for 324 yards and five touchdowns.
"Not bad for a running back," Jackson said via Yahoo! Sports.
Unlike other sports, football has provided, and will soon provide, other options in terms of professional leagues.
While the Alliance of American Football failed to finish its inaugural season last spring, the XFL is coming in the winter and spring months after 2020, after Super Bowl LIV.
Of course, it is a successor to the previous XFL, which ran for a single season in 2001.
Should either the XFL be unable to succeed on its own, or the AAF want to try again, I have an idea for a possible merger with the NFL.
My idea goes like this: The NFL absorbs one of those leagues -- or possibly a mixture of both -- as a second league.
The NFL and the absorbed league would run similar to the Premier League's system of promotion and relegation with the English Football League.
As many fans of European football -- or soccer -- know, there are leagues in which the top teams of a lower-level league can get promoted to the higher league while the lower-tier teams of the highest league can be relegated to the lower league.
Well, I think it's time to consider a way for the NFL, and other major sports leagues in the United States, to demote some of their lower-level teams to lower leagues.
In my view, somewhere down the line if the XFL fails again, or the AAF is looking to get back into the game, the NFL can use one of those two leagues for its own system of promotion and relegation.
For instance, the NFL could promote the XFL or AAF champion to its league and send the NFL's worst team -- I'm looking at you this year, Dolphins -- to the XFL or AAF.
Then we'll see who's really tanking.
With several players reported to be asking for a trade following a 59-10 loss to the Baltimore Ravens, according to Pro Football Talk's Mike Florio, it looks like the Dolphins are tanking, contrary to denials from head coach Brian Flores, via an ESPN article by Cameron Wolfe on Sept. 1.
"I think that's disrespectful to even say that," Flores said.
The Dolphins traded away left tackle Laremy Tunsil, receiver Kenny Still and linebacker Kiko Alonso for future draft picks and role players the weekend prior to week one.
Tanking or not, we have too many teams like the Dolphins not only in the NFL, but in professional sports in general, and Sunday's annihilation proved that something needs to be done about such mediocre teams. Heck, they made Lamar Jackson look like a real quarterback, as he finished 17-of-20 for 324 yards and five touchdowns.
"Not bad for a running back," Jackson said via Yahoo! Sports.
Unlike other sports, football has provided, and will soon provide, other options in terms of professional leagues.
While the Alliance of American Football failed to finish its inaugural season last spring, the XFL is coming in the winter and spring months after 2020, after Super Bowl LIV.
Of course, it is a successor to the previous XFL, which ran for a single season in 2001.
Should either the XFL be unable to succeed on its own, or the AAF want to try again, I have an idea for a possible merger with the NFL.
My idea goes like this: The NFL absorbs one of those leagues -- or possibly a mixture of both -- as a second league.
The NFL and the absorbed league would run similar to the Premier League's system of promotion and relegation with the English Football League.
As many fans of European football -- or soccer -- know, there are leagues in which the top teams of a lower-level league can get promoted to the higher league while the lower-tier teams of the highest league can be relegated to the lower league.
Well, I think it's time to consider a way for the NFL, and other major sports leagues in the United States, to demote some of their lower-level teams to lower leagues.
In my view, somewhere down the line if the XFL fails again, or the AAF is looking to get back into the game, the NFL can use one of those two leagues for its own system of promotion and relegation.
For instance, the NFL could promote the XFL or AAF champion to its league and send the NFL's worst team -- I'm looking at you this year, Dolphins -- to the XFL or AAF.
Then we'll see who's really tanking.
Thursday, September 5, 2019
Throwback Thursday
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