I have no idea if Jim Harbaugh and Gus Bradley are friends but they might consider having lunch this week to commiserate on their tough losses this past weekend. Both coaches feel, quite rightly, that poor officiating cost their teams games. Harbaugh, whose Michigan Wolverines dropped an overtime game in Columbus to the Ohio State Buckeyes, focused on the officiating in his post-game press conference, pointing out three specific calls which went against his team - any of which he says would have changed the outcome of the game. The three calls included two pass interference incidents - one called against a Michigan player on what Harbaugh says was an uncatchable ball and another non-call involving a Michigan receiver who was clearly interfered with. The third involved a ball spot on a fourth down run in the second overtime by Buckeyes quarterback JT Barrett on which Harbaugh says his view from the sideline clearly indicated that he was 6 inches short. Even after a review, Ohio State was awarded a first down. The right call would have ended the game and sent the Wolverines into the playoff. Harbaugh didn't mention the turnovers his team committed, any of which would have been crucial to the outcome of the game, had they not occurred. So, Michigan will play in some bowl game or other in a few weeks.
Yesterday in Orchard Park, the Jacksonville Jaguars looked like the team that wanted the game more than the Bills did, especially in the first half. The Jaguars defense in particular looked well prepared as they held the Bills and their league-leading power running attack in check through 30 minutes. But LeSean McCoy found the endzone just before halftime and again on a 75 yard run to open the third quarter and the Bills held on to win a game in which they were outplayed. But Jaguars coach Gus Bradley also pointed to three bad calls against his team which he felt cost them the game. But Bradley, whose record as Jags head coach now stands at 14-45, should also look in the mirror when he reflects on the game as he failed to call a time-out before the play clock expired on a critical fourth down play near the end of the game. The Jags took a five yard penalty on the play then came up short, turned the ball over on downs and let the Bills run out the clock. The Jaguars look to be a decent team but, at 2-9, are set to have another high draft pick in April. I've said it before but Doug Marrone really hit the jackpot two years ago when he resigned as Bills head coach and ended up settling for one of the least prestigious coaching positions in the NFL: offensive line coach with the Jaguars.
There were more than 110,000 fans at the Horseshoe in Columbus on Saturday. A few hours drive away, in Hamilton, Ontario, there were considerably fewer than 10,000 fans on hand at Tim Horton's Field for the Vanier Cup. Some estimates were that the actual attendance was not much more than 5,000 but those who did bother to show up were treated to a very entertaining and close game won by the Laval Rouge et Or 31-26 over the Calgary Dinosaurs.
Despite the ongoing attendance issues with Canadian football in southern Ontario, both championship games on the weekend were excellent, including the Grey Cup game, most of which I did watch while checking in on the Jets / Patriots game and later the Chiefs / Broncos. The stands at BMO Field looked fully occupied from what I could see and the teams served up an overtime thriller won by 41 year-old Henry Burris and the Ottawa Redblacks. After plenty of unfortunate negative PR leading up to the game, including a pizza joint in Hamilton offering two tickets to the game with the order of a large pizza, the CFL always seems to redeem itself on Grey Cup day with a compelling, entertaining and close game. I wonder if the league is looking for a way to gracefully exit the Toronto market.
The Bills make their third (and final, except for a possible playoff game) trip to the west coast next Sunday to face the 9-2 Raiders at the Black Hole. Maybe the Raiders will be looking ahead to their game four days later at Kansas City.
Monday, 28 November 2016
Monday, 21 November 2016
Bills 16, Bengals 12
I don't think that Bills quarterback Tyrod Taylor threw the ball down field even once during yesterday's game in Cincinnati. It felt infuriating to me at times - partly because the Bills passing attack just wasn't there yesterday and partly because watching on TV, the down field coverage can't be seen. But I kept wanting him to throw it deep anyway. Surely one receiver can get open, I thought. Give one of them a chance to make a play, I said to myself as the wind and snow pelted against the cottage windows. But, in keeping with his instinct to protect the ball, Taylor threw only short passes, did plenty of scrambling and relied on a formidable running game and his team's defense which played very well yesterday, especially in the second half.
The Bills ran for 183 yards yesterday while Taylor's passing statistics looked weak at 19 for 27 for 159 yards and one interception. The interception was a poor decision to be sure but hardly disastrous as it gave the Bengals the ball at their own one yard line. The defense held the Bengals to 93 yards rushing and 300 yards in total. It was a hard-fought but exceedingly frustrating game to watch as the ineptitude of the Bills passing game persisted. But a win is a win and a loss would have almost ended any playoff hopes the team has, however slim they might be.
I have no data to back this up but it feels like there have been more injuries in the league this year than in previous years. Yesterday was no exception as Cincinnati star receiver AJ Green went down with a hamstring on the first series and is likely gone for the season. Then, Bills receiver Robert Woods went out with a knee and LeSean McCoy left the game with a dislocated thumb. Add those injuries to the loss of centre Eric Wood two weeks ago, not to mention Sammy Watkins who really hasn't played this year at all with an ailing foot. The injury to the Panthers Luke Kuechly on Thursday night drew attention as his teary reaction to another concussion brought the issue of head injuries to the surface once again.
Now at 5-5, the Bills have what looks to be an easy game next week against the lowly Jacksonville Jaguars in Orchard Park before heading to Oakland the following week to face the resurgent Raiders. Then, 3 straight home games against the Steelers, Browns and Dolphins before closing out the season at the Meadowlands against the Jets. 10-6 usually gets you in to the playoffs. Its a steep hill to climb but not out of the question.
Besides the Bills game next weekend, there are three other games I will be watching - two to be played on Canadian soil and the other south of the border. In chronological order, the first is on Saturday at noon and features the No.3 ranked Michigan Wolverines facing the No.2 Ohio State Buckeyes at the Horseshoe in Columbus. The annual end-of-season rivalry game has more riding on it this year than it has since probably 2003. Michigan has not won in Columbus since 2000. The winner is guaranteed a spot in the 4 team college football playoff and the loser will likely miss out.
Next up is the Vanier Cup, the Canadian University football championship game, at Tim Horton's Field in Hamilton on Saturday at 1pm between the Laval Rouge et Or and the Calgary Dinosaurs. And, on Sunday the 104th Grey Cup kicks off at 6.30pm at BMO Field in Toronto between the Ottawa Redblacks and the Calgary Stampeders. Canadian football fans in Calgary have two good reasons to travel to southern Ontario next weekend. I don't think that they will need to worry about getting tickets for either game.
The Bills ran for 183 yards yesterday while Taylor's passing statistics looked weak at 19 for 27 for 159 yards and one interception. The interception was a poor decision to be sure but hardly disastrous as it gave the Bengals the ball at their own one yard line. The defense held the Bengals to 93 yards rushing and 300 yards in total. It was a hard-fought but exceedingly frustrating game to watch as the ineptitude of the Bills passing game persisted. But a win is a win and a loss would have almost ended any playoff hopes the team has, however slim they might be.
I have no data to back this up but it feels like there have been more injuries in the league this year than in previous years. Yesterday was no exception as Cincinnati star receiver AJ Green went down with a hamstring on the first series and is likely gone for the season. Then, Bills receiver Robert Woods went out with a knee and LeSean McCoy left the game with a dislocated thumb. Add those injuries to the loss of centre Eric Wood two weeks ago, not to mention Sammy Watkins who really hasn't played this year at all with an ailing foot. The injury to the Panthers Luke Kuechly on Thursday night drew attention as his teary reaction to another concussion brought the issue of head injuries to the surface once again.
Now at 5-5, the Bills have what looks to be an easy game next week against the lowly Jacksonville Jaguars in Orchard Park before heading to Oakland the following week to face the resurgent Raiders. Then, 3 straight home games against the Steelers, Browns and Dolphins before closing out the season at the Meadowlands against the Jets. 10-6 usually gets you in to the playoffs. Its a steep hill to climb but not out of the question.
Besides the Bills game next weekend, there are three other games I will be watching - two to be played on Canadian soil and the other south of the border. In chronological order, the first is on Saturday at noon and features the No.3 ranked Michigan Wolverines facing the No.2 Ohio State Buckeyes at the Horseshoe in Columbus. The annual end-of-season rivalry game has more riding on it this year than it has since probably 2003. Michigan has not won in Columbus since 2000. The winner is guaranteed a spot in the 4 team college football playoff and the loser will likely miss out.
Next up is the Vanier Cup, the Canadian University football championship game, at Tim Horton's Field in Hamilton on Saturday at 1pm between the Laval Rouge et Or and the Calgary Dinosaurs. And, on Sunday the 104th Grey Cup kicks off at 6.30pm at BMO Field in Toronto between the Ottawa Redblacks and the Calgary Stampeders. Canadian football fans in Calgary have two good reasons to travel to southern Ontario next weekend. I don't think that they will need to worry about getting tickets for either game.
Tuesday, 8 November 2016
Seahawks 31, Bills 25
Rex Ryan was relatively calm in his post-game press conference in Seattle. Bills beat reporters, among others, were expecting him be breathing fire after a heartbreaking down-to-the-last-play loss in the the Bills first trip to the Pacific Northwest since 2004. If it were a baseball game, Ryan surely would have been ejected by referee Walt Anderson just before halftime after he expressed his outrage to him at a non-call on Seattle cornerback Richard Sherman. Sherman was as clearly offside as a player could be on a Dan Carpenter field goal attempt with three seconds left in the half. Officials flagged the offside but no further penalty was called on Sherman who continued into the backfield and slammed into Carpenter's plant leg and knocked him to the ground.
When a punter is fouled as or after he punts, there are two types of penalties which can be called: "running into the kicker" which is a five yard penalty or "roughing the kicker", a personal foul which carries a 15 yard penalty. It seemed clear to me that, notwithstanding Carpenter's embellishment of his leg injury, a personal foul should have been called. Then, the officials botched the lead-up to Carpenter's actual kick attempt, finally placing the ball on the field with less than five seconds remaining on the play clock. After the delay of game penalty, Carpenter missed the kick. Ryan was understandably livid in the moment but, presumably having learned how to avoid fines from the league office for comments on officiating, simply said that he would have made a different call on the Sherman play. He was also obviously proud of how his team competed in the game - and rightfully so.
Ryan was asked if he thought that last night's game was Tyrod Taylor's best one in a Bills uniform. He replied by saying that Taylor plays well every game and that he isn't sure why this opinion isn't more widely shared. Despite throwing one needless and careless interception (only the Bills 5th turnover through nine games), Taylor demonstrated his usual elusiveness in the pocket and his consistent ball protection instinct but he also had a pretty good night throwing the ball, following two games where he did not. The Bills defence was also solid in the second half after a shaky first 30 minutes. And, the game was theirs to win on the last series and the last play where Taylor's pass sailed through the endzone. Was Robert Woods held on that last play? Didn't look like it to me but a defensive holding or pass interference call on the play would have gone a long way to righting the officiating wrong from the end of the first half.
With nine games down and seven to go, the Bills probably have to win six of them to have a realistic shot a wildcard spot. With road games in Cincinnati and Oakland and a home date with the Steelers on the schedule, they have a tough road. At 4-5, the Bills look to be close to a lock to extend the NFL's longest playoff drought which dates back to the Music City Miracle which followed the 1999 season.
Before the game, I looked up the history of the Bills playing on Monday night. With a couple of exceptions, it isn't pretty. The most memorable game for me was the October, 2007 game against Dallas where the heavily favoured Cowboys eked out a 25-24 win after a successful onside kick and a 53 yard field goal as time ran out. The Bills are 2-9 in their last 11 Monday night games.
The history of Monday Night Football is also fascinating. Thanks almost entirely to a man named Roone Arledge who convinced his skeptical bosses at ABC (CBS and NBC had passed on the idea, thinking that football fans would not watch a game on a Monday night) to take a chance on it in 1970. Arledge introduced many innovative ideas to the prime time broadcast, including the use of multiple cameras and celebrity guest appearances in the broadcast booth, the most famous of which was Howard Cosell's 1974 interview with John Lennon. Six years later, Cosell announced, during a live broadcast of Monday Night Football, that Lennon was dead, making ABC the first network to break the story.
To my American friends, I wish you a successful election today. NFL fans in southern California will be paying close attention to a proposition on the ballot in the San Diego area where voters will choose whether or not to allocate tax dollars for a new stadium for the Chargers. Only in America.
When a punter is fouled as or after he punts, there are two types of penalties which can be called: "running into the kicker" which is a five yard penalty or "roughing the kicker", a personal foul which carries a 15 yard penalty. It seemed clear to me that, notwithstanding Carpenter's embellishment of his leg injury, a personal foul should have been called. Then, the officials botched the lead-up to Carpenter's actual kick attempt, finally placing the ball on the field with less than five seconds remaining on the play clock. After the delay of game penalty, Carpenter missed the kick. Ryan was understandably livid in the moment but, presumably having learned how to avoid fines from the league office for comments on officiating, simply said that he would have made a different call on the Sherman play. He was also obviously proud of how his team competed in the game - and rightfully so.
Ryan was asked if he thought that last night's game was Tyrod Taylor's best one in a Bills uniform. He replied by saying that Taylor plays well every game and that he isn't sure why this opinion isn't more widely shared. Despite throwing one needless and careless interception (only the Bills 5th turnover through nine games), Taylor demonstrated his usual elusiveness in the pocket and his consistent ball protection instinct but he also had a pretty good night throwing the ball, following two games where he did not. The Bills defence was also solid in the second half after a shaky first 30 minutes. And, the game was theirs to win on the last series and the last play where Taylor's pass sailed through the endzone. Was Robert Woods held on that last play? Didn't look like it to me but a defensive holding or pass interference call on the play would have gone a long way to righting the officiating wrong from the end of the first half.
With nine games down and seven to go, the Bills probably have to win six of them to have a realistic shot a wildcard spot. With road games in Cincinnati and Oakland and a home date with the Steelers on the schedule, they have a tough road. At 4-5, the Bills look to be close to a lock to extend the NFL's longest playoff drought which dates back to the Music City Miracle which followed the 1999 season.
Before the game, I looked up the history of the Bills playing on Monday night. With a couple of exceptions, it isn't pretty. The most memorable game for me was the October, 2007 game against Dallas where the heavily favoured Cowboys eked out a 25-24 win after a successful onside kick and a 53 yard field goal as time ran out. The Bills are 2-9 in their last 11 Monday night games.
The history of Monday Night Football is also fascinating. Thanks almost entirely to a man named Roone Arledge who convinced his skeptical bosses at ABC (CBS and NBC had passed on the idea, thinking that football fans would not watch a game on a Monday night) to take a chance on it in 1970. Arledge introduced many innovative ideas to the prime time broadcast, including the use of multiple cameras and celebrity guest appearances in the broadcast booth, the most famous of which was Howard Cosell's 1974 interview with John Lennon. Six years later, Cosell announced, during a live broadcast of Monday Night Football, that Lennon was dead, making ABC the first network to break the story.
To my American friends, I wish you a successful election today. NFL fans in southern California will be paying close attention to a proposition on the ballot in the San Diego area where voters will choose whether or not to allocate tax dollars for a new stadium for the Chargers. Only in America.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)